Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden talks to the press after a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial commemorating the 19th Anniversary of the crash of Flight 93 and the September 11th terrorist attacks on September 11, 2020 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images The American Chamber of Commerce in Germany said today that the majority of its members believe that a free-trade agreement between the US and EU is only likely to happen if Joe Biden beats Donald Trump to win the election in November. 76% of respondents to the AmCham Germany survey believe that prospects for a transatlantic trade deal will improve under a possible Biden administration. Just over 80% of members believe that the chances of trade negotiations will deteriorate if Trump is re-elected. A little over 63% of the AmCham members members believe that the next US administration should prioritise the transatlantic trade agreement. They also said that healthcare reform, investment in infrastructure and expansion of renewable energy should be the top priorities for the next US government. More than three quarters of respondents believe that the divide between Republicans and Democrats is set to widen in the years to come. "Regardless of the electoral outcome in November, we will work together fully and openly with the next US Administration," AmCham Germany president Frank Sportolari said in a statement. The members surveyed comprised 69% representatives from German companies, and 26% from US companies in Germany. Brussels and Washington have been mired in trade strife for several years now, with Trump repeatedly threatening to slap punitive tariffs on EU cars since taking office. In August, the European Commission agreed to abolish the tariffs on US lobster for the next five yearsTrump had complained about Canada being able to sell its lobsters into the EU tariff-free under the 2017 EU-Canadian trade deal. The US agreed in return to cut tax by 50% on a number of EU products, including ceramics, glassware, and some ready meals. The president of the German foreign trade association (BGA) told Reuters recently that Germany no longer expects a transatlantic free trade agreement to happen. "The Americans have no real interest in a breakthrough, not under Trump anyway," BGA president Anton Borner told Reuters. Protectionism will not be less under president Biden than under Donald Trump. Even the Democrats are not great friends of liberal world trade." READ MORE: Oracle wins bid over Microsoft for TikTok US but only a partnership NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Countdown, a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, will launch on October 10, 2020 with a free five-hour live virtual event featuring leading thinkers and doers. This is the moment to act, and they will outline what a healthy, abundant, zero-emission future can look liketurning ideas into action. The event will combine TED's signature blend of actionable and research-backed ideas, cutting-edge science, and moments of wonder and inspiration. Countdown is one part of a broader series of actions and events this fall including the Bloomberg Green Festival, Climate Week NYC and others, all with the collective objective of informing and activating millions in the lead-up to a successful UN Climate Change Conference in November 2021. The Countdown launch will be streamed live on TED's YouTube channel. This global event will be the first ever TED conference that is free and open to the public. Segments from the event, including the biggest talks and performances, will be made available immediately across all digital platforms. The program includes 50+ pieces of contenttalks, performances, animations and more. Speakers will touch on topics such as: Climate science and the climate crisis: Where are we today? Why climate justice matters Putting climate back on the political and social agenda What businesses can doand are doingto transform and transition Rethinking our cities Stepping up at work and at home The path to a safer, cleaner, fairer future for people and the planet A full agenda and speaker list can be found here . In addition to the live global event, over 500 TEDx Countdown virtual events in nine languages are planned around the world, encouraging communities and citizens to take action locally while also feeding local solutions and ideas into the global conversation. Countdown has also convened a global Youth Council of recognized activists who will help shape the Countdown agenda throughout the year. Additionally, Countdown is working to engage people through art with ten public art installations in global cities around the 10.10.20 event and open calls for artillustration and photographyto run throughout the year on the Countdown website. "The moment to act on climate change has been upon us for too long, and now is the time to unite all levels of societybusiness leaders, courageous political actors, scientists and individualsto get to net-zero emissions before 2050," said Chris Anderson, Countdown founding partner and Head of TED. "Climate is a top priority for TED and members of our community, and we are proud to fully dedicate our organization in the fight for our collective future." "Countdown brings together a powerful collaboration of partners from all sectors to act on climate change," said Lindsay Levin, Countdown founding partner and CEO of Leaders' Quest. "We need to work together with courage and compassion to deliver a healthy, fair, resilient future for everyone. With so many people who have already committed to addressing climate change, Countdown is about radical collaborationconvening all stakeholders to build on the critical work already underway and bringing existing, powerful solutions to an even broader audience. Powered by TED and Future Stewards , Countdown aims to answer five fundamental, interconnected questions that inform a blueprint for a better future: ENERGY: How rapidly can we switch to 100% clean power? TRANSPORT: How can we upgrade the way we move people and things? MATERIALS: How can we re-imagine and re-make the stuff around us? FOOD: How can we spark a worldwide shift to healthier food systems? NATURE: How do we better protect and re-green the earth? Countdown is asking companies and organizations to join the Race to Zero through Business Ambition for 1.5C , which is a commitment to set science-based targets aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5C, and through The Climate Pledge , which calls on signatories to be net zero carbon by 2040a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement goal of 2050. "We can inspire others through action and example, because there is no hope without action," said 17-year-old climate justice activist Xiye Bastida, a lead organizer of the Fridays for Future youth climate strike movement. "We are fighting to ensure this planet survives and flourishes for future generations, which requires intergenerational cooperation. Countdown is about coming together across ages and sectors to protect the earth and ensure we leave it better than we found it." "Five years after the unanimous signing of the Paris Agreement, many countries, companies and citizens are doing what they can about the climate crisis. But this is not enough," said Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief (2010-2016), now co-founder of Global Optimism. "We have this decisive decade to achieve what is necessarycutting global emissions in half over the next ten years is vital to meeting the goal of net zero by 2050. I am delighted to partner with Countdown to increase the global stock of stubborn optimism that is needed to push every company and countryand engage citizensin actions that decouple carbon from our economy and way of life in this decade." Following the launch, Countdown will facilitate a number of sector leader working groups along with the initiative's network of partner organizations through November 2021. These will focus on delivering breakthrough progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the lead-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow . During next year's Countdown Summit (October 12-15, 2021, Edinburgh, Scotland), the initiative will share an actionable blueprint for a net-zero future and celebrate the progress that's already been made. Citizens are the critical component of this initiative and anyone can #JoinTheCountdown by: Connect at [email protected] About TED TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of TED Talks are published to TED Talks Daily , available on all podcast platforms. Follow TED on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and on LinkedIn . About Future Stewards Future Stewards is a coalition of partners ( Leaders' Quest , Global Optimism , and We Mean Business ) working together to build a regenerative future where we meet the needs of all, within the means of the planet. Founded after the Paris Agreement, Future Stewards equips individuals, businesses and communities with the awareness and tools required to tackle systemic problems, scale what works, and build cross-sector collaboration. Contact [email protected] SOURCE TED Conferences Related Links https://countdown.ted.com Athens, GA (30605) Today Flurries and a few snow showers throughout the day. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. To deliver innovative new digitally-driven shopping experiences that enhance the convenience and safety of travellers, Unifree Duty Free, the operator of the worlds largest duty free zone, has implemented state-of-the-art retail technologies at the New Istanbul Airport. These solutions which rely on a cutting-edge network infrastructure from Swiss structured cabling specialist R&M include three-dimensional holograms, enhanced digital signage systems, and touch-free digital shopping technologies. Offering an example of how its technology innovations strongly position Istanbul Grand Airport to ensure the safety and well-being of the 90 million travelers expected to visit the Duty Free zone annually, Osman Ayhan, Director of Information Technology at Unifree Duty Free, said: Enhanced digital signage systems give customers the opportunity to virtually try on luxury watches, jewellery and suits before they decide whether to buy or not. This touch-free experience will be especially important to travellers in the post-Covid world. Global events at the start of 2020, have resulted in a spike in digital payments with the total transaction value in the digital payments segment projected to reach $4.4. trillion this year. As retailers see a surge in digital and contact-less payments, the high-performance network from R&M will enable retailers are the Duty Free zone to offer these options in a reliable and highly secure manner. Other systems that are vital to smooth operations and traveler safety such as office workstations, Voice-over-IP telephones, and security systems are also connected to the R&M cabling network. Ayhan explained that the decision to partner with R&M was based on a highly-positive recommendation from the airports IT department which has itself utilised 5,400 km of copper cablings and 3,270 km of fiber-optic cabling from R&M for connectivity of critical airport IT systems. "R&M is characterised by its quality, innovation, fast delivery times, expertise, flexibility and modular products. We also see the team spirit at R&M, the back-office support and the special training of installers on-site as a distinct advantage, he said. We are extremely proud to expand R&Ms footprint at the worlds largest airport. Unifree has demonstrated a commitment to pioneering the new digital shopping experiences that will be essential to travelers in the coming months and years. The technologies we have provided serve as a reliable platform on which the company can continue to innovate with confidence in the performance, security and reliability of the underlying systems, said Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Located at the heart of the terminal of Istanbul Grand Airport (IGA), the Duty Free zone offers state-of-the-art shopping. The sales area run by Unifree covers 56,000 sq m. Since the airport was opened in 2018, 54 brand, concept and flagship stores have moved in. A further 102 sub-operators, exclusive boutiques and a bazaar with local products round out the offer. - TradeArabia News Service On Saturday, conservative Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a purchase of billions of euros in French weaponry and a large increase in the size of the Greek military. This massive increase in military spending, by a country which the European Union (EU) has devastated with billions of euros in draconian cuts to social spending over the last decade, marks a major escalation in Greeces ongoing military standoff with Turkey. Mitsotakis indicated that Greece will purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets, four French naval frigates with naval helicopters, and a large supply of anti-tank weapons, torpedoes and missiles. It will also ask French firms to upgrade four Greek frigates that are already in service. Finally, Mitsotakis said that 15,000 more soldiers would be recruited to the Greek armed forces. The time has come to reinforce our armed forces. This is an important program that will form a national shield, Mitsotakis declared in a speech in Thessaloniki. The sale comes after months of escalating threats and one direct collision last month between Greek and Turkish warships in the eastern Mediterranean, as Athens and Ankara lay competing claims to territorial waters and oil-rich seabeds in the region. In this dispute, Paris has aggressively backed Athens, sending several warships and fighter jets to the eastern Mediterranean to counterbalance Turkeys numerical superiority over Greece. Paris also is seeking to undercut Turkeys position in Africa and specifically in Libya, where French President Emmanuel Macron backs warlord Khalifa Haftar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs the Government of National Accord (GNA). Haftar and the GNA currently lead the two main factions in the decade-long civil war in Libya triggered by NATOs war against the country in 2011. On Thursday, Macron had met other southern European heads of state in a so-called Med7 summit (with Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus) in the Corsican city of Ajaccio. Beyond discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen the southern European powers seek new EU bailout funding, they pledged to renew Frances plans for a Union of the Mediterranean, vetoed by Berlin a decade ago. They also issued joint criticisms of Turkeys maritime claims in waters also claimed by Greece or Cyprus. The Med7 states adopted a statement calling to renew the southern partnership between the European Union, its member states and our southern neighbors. We await with interest the November 27 regional forum of the Union of the Mediterranean. They also pledged to coordinate policy in the Sahel, where they aim to prevent African refugees from reaching Europe and to assist Frances ongoing bloody war in Mali. In addition to hailing multi-trillion-euro EU bank and corporate bailouts adopted to enrich the financial aristocracy during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Med7 states also criticized Turkey. They stated, We reiterate our full support to Cyprus and Greece amid repeated threats against their sovereignty and aggressive measures by Turkey. At a press conference during the summit, Macron declared that the Turkish government today behaves in an unacceptable way and should clarify its intentions. He added that, from the standpoint of the Med7 states, Turkey is no longer a partner in the Mediterranean region. On Saturday, Erdogan replied by criticizing Frances neo-colonial policies in the region. He verbally attacked the French president: Macron, this is not the last problem you will have with me. You dont know history. You dont even know Frances own history. Dont mess with me. Dont mess with Turkey. Citing Frances bloody 1954-1962 colonial war in Algeria and to its complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 people were killed, Erdogan added: You cannot lecture us on humanity. Erdogan instructed Greece not to follow French policy, do not take these paths. You will be left all alone. He added that Greece should demonstrate good-neighborly behavior. Fortunately, we make our own decisions. Turkey can give any fight, if necessary. All of these statements point to the urgent and growing danger of war amid a deepening breakdown of the NATO alliance and growing military tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Frances arming of Greece and growing tensions with Turkey are the outcome of decades of war in the Balkans and the Middle East since the 1991 Stalinist restoration of capitalism in the USSR. The bitter struggle over access to oil and gas profits and trade routes unleashed by the 2011 NATO wars in Libya and Syria are having explosive consequences. France is assembling an alliance including Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to isolate and threaten its ostensible NATO ally, Turkey. As for the Erdogan regime, discredited by its draconian herd immunity policy targeting workers in Turkey, it is aggressively staking oil claims while striking a populist, anti-imperialist stance to try to limit growing opposition at home. This posture is empty, however: Turkeys GNA proxies in Libya are themselves the officially recognized product of NATOs neo-colonial 2011 war in Libya, which Erdogan himself ultimately supported. Above all, the fact that Greece will spend billions of euros on a major increase in its military arsenal underscores that the costs of these reactionary war threats are borne by the working class. While the EU has imposed tens of billions of euros in austerity measures since the 2008, slashing real income levels by an average 30-40 percent, Athens is nonetheless pledging to find billions to spend on armaments that would only be used in an all-out regional war. The risk of such a conflict, amid a surge of global geopolitical tensions linked to Washingtons war threats against China and to the COVID-19 pandemic, is rapidly growing. These tensions are very directly involved in the region, as Russian warships and planes operate out of Syria, which also has a coastline nearby in the eastern Mediterranean. One indication of growing great-power tensions in the region was Fridays announcement that Chinese troops will join forces from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Pakistan in joint military exercises in the Caucasus. The exercises are to involve 80,000 soldiers together with tanks and combat vehicles. Returning to America from Qatar, where he had attended talks with the Taliban on Afghanistan, Pompeo stopped on Saturday in Cyprus and met with Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. Noting that crucial developments are taking place in the eastern Mediterranean, he said: We remain deeply concerned by Turkey's ongoing operations surveying for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction over the eastern Mediterranean. In an indication that Washington and Paris are now pursuing different and conflicting policies in the region, Pompeo called for de-escalation of tensions inside NATO: Increased military tensions help no one but adversaries who would like to see division in transatlantic unity. This was not, however, an appeal for a peace policy. Pompeo went on to demand that Cyprus cut its longstanding relations with Russia, amid the continuing standoff between US and Russian troops in nearby Syria. He told Anastasiades: We know that all the Russian military vessels that stop in Cypriot ports are not conducting humanitarian missions in Syria, and we ask Cyprus and the president to consider our concerns. The escalating chaos and divisions between the major regional and world powers underscore the urgency of the unification of workers internationally in a socialist, anti-war movement. Immigrants have for long contributed to innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and recently, many Indian entrepreneurs have made substantial impact in the U.S.The Bose Corporation, established by my father, Dr. Amar G. Bose, in 1964 was one of the first early ventures by an U.S. born Indian immigrant. I have been fortunate to have my father as a mentor and advisor, and learn from his decades of experience in building and running his company.One important value I learnt from my father, which has served me well in business, is patience. Many of the great companies of today (Intel, HP, Microsoft) took several years to obtain a foothold and position themselves for long-term growth. However, in the recent dot-com boom, many companies lost sight of having patience and three years became a long time horizon for building a company. Many of those companies no longer exist.Along with patience, my father taught me to keep perspective, have a longer-term view and to have faith in a value system, in particular to focus on long-term returns. Focus on the longer-term view requires a constant vigil on the business and balancing revenues with growth. For a small company, this is particularly difficult. At Vanu, we strive to maintain a focus on the bigger picture over a period of time, balanced with the need for short-term revenues to put the company on firm footing for sustainable long-term growth. I firmly believe that this is a discipline, which will serve my company well in the later years.My father successfully built the Bose Corporation over the years by establishing a reputation for the highest quality products and by maintaining substantial investment in R&D. The Bose Corporation has a more serious commitment to long term R&D than any company I have ever known.By way of example, their recently announced automobile suspension system is the result of an on-going 24-year research project. In fact, I remember seeing the first diagrams and equations on pads of paper on our kitchen table in 1981.The Bose Corporation has grown to $1.7 billion in sales today. This phenomenal success required a steadfast commitment to new technology development in the face of economic cycles, technology fads and market swings. Having seen the Bose Corporation when it was smaller than my company has provided a valuable perspective on growth and time. While funding R&D in an early stage company is difficult, we do maintain a small research effort.As a friend at a well-funded startup once told me, Companies will find ways to spend money if it is around. Making profit is a habit that some companies develop and others never do.On a more tactical level, my father explained to me how essential it is to have an excellent assistant and to learn to delegate responsibilities in order to enable me to accomplish more. He pointed out that some employees in his own company had not learned to delegate enough responsibility to their assistants, and how it limited what they were able to accomplish.These lessons, on both strategic and tactical level, have been extremely valuable to me as an entrepreneur building a company, and probably far more practical and valuable education than I would have received in business school. The American ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, announced Monday that he would step down in early October after a tenure that paralleled a sharp deterioration in relations between China and the United States. Branstad, who twice served as governor of Iowa and was a crucial early supporter of Donald Trumps presidential candidacy in 2016, arrived in Beijing in the summer of 2017 with high hopes of using a personal connection to Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, to build stronger ties. Instead, he found himself on the front lines of Trumps trade war and, by this year, a downward spiral of tensions that, to many, has heralded a new era of Cold Warlike confrontation between the worlds two largest economies. Branstad, who is 73, did not say why he was departing now, only months before the presidential election, but it is not unusual for political appointees to serve only a single term. In a statement announcing his departure, Branstad cited his role in two of the most contentious issues between China and the United States during his tenure: the trade war, which ended with a tenuous truce in January, and a pledge by China to crack down on the illicit trade in fentanyl, the synthetic opioid fuelling an epidemic killing tens of thousands of Americans a year. He echoed the arguments of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other hawks in the administration that the United States needed to rebalance the relationship with China but added a conciliatory note that better ties would benefit both countries. We are rebalancing the U.S.-China relationship so that it is fair and reciprocal and can fuel positive growth in both countries, he wrote. He said he informed Trump last week and told the embassy staff, still depleted because of travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, of his decision in a meeting Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the administration would be able to move quickly to appoint a new ambassador. Pompeo said on Twitter that the president had chosen Branstad because his decades long experience with China made him the best person to represent the Administration and to defend American interests and ideals. Branstad kept a lower profile than some of his predecessors at the embassy, though that in part reflected Trumps outsize role as his own public messenger on China. The ambassador met privately with Xi, whom he first met while the future Chinese leader was a county official touring the rural U.S., but the personal relationship failed to translate into closer ties. Branstad travelled extensively throughout the country, visiting 26 of the 34 provinces, capital cities and autonomous regions, including a rare trip to Tibet in 2019. His efforts to build goodwill, however, often faced resistance from the Chinese as tensions rose over trade and the coronavirus pandemic. Last week the State Department complained that the Peoples Daily, the main newspaper of the Communist Party, refused to publish an op-ed by Branstad, who hoped to take his message directly to Chinese readers as his counterpart in Washington, Cui Tiankai, often does with Americans. The Peoples Dailys response once again exposes the Chinese Communist Partys fear of free speech and serious intellectual debate as well as Beijings hypocrisy when it complains about lack of fair and reciprocal treatment in other countries, the department said in a statement. The Peoples Daily responded by saying that Branstads article was full of loopholes and seriously inconsistent with the facts. Read more about: Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, says that the president is a useful idiot to Russia, in his first interview since the impeachment trial. Mr Vindman, formerly of the US Army and National Security Council, spoke with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, author of the recent bombshell article about the presidents disparaging remarks about the military and war dead. Mr Goldberg asks Mr Vindman whether he believes Trump is a Russian intelligence asset. President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveller, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin, says Mr Vindman. Clarifying the terms, Mr Goldberg explains that a useful idiot is a term commonly used to describe dupes of authoritarian regimes. A fellow traveller is a person who shares Putins loathing for democratic norms. Pressed as to whether he thinks Russia is blackmailing Trump, Mr Vindmand says: They may or may not have dirt on him, but they dont have to use it. He continues: They have more effective and less risky ways to employ him. He has aspirations to be the kind of leader that Putin is, and so he admires him. He likes authoritarian strongmen who act with impunity, without checks and balances. So hell try to please Putin. In the Army we call this free chicken, something you dont have to work for it just comes to you. This is what the Russians have in Trump: free chicken. Mr Vindman left the US Army in July. He said that since his impeachment testimony the president had destroyed his army career an allegation the White House denies. He is now studying for his doctorate at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Asked why hes speaking out now about Trump, Mr Vindman says: I was drawn into this by the president, who politicised me. I think its important for the American people to know that this could happen to any honorable service member, any government official. He adds: I think its important for me to tell people that I think the president has made this country weaker. Were mocked by our adversaries and by our allies, and were heading for more disaster. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Final results are trickling in after voters across Russia cast ballots this weekend in local, regional and gubernatorial elections. The ruling United Russia party is declaring victory, with Kremlin-supported candidates sweeping all governorships that were up for grabs. Yet theres plenty for President Vladimir Putin to worry about too in whats considered a dry run for the 2021 parliamentary elections, from a handful of wins for a galvanized opposition to indications the cost of victory is rising. Regional and local polls always harder to massage and coordinate than a single, national race have become expressions of disaffection in Russia, a trend amplified since 2019 by anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalnys tactical voting strategy. That trend was expected to be even more evident this year, given a shrinking economy, a pandemic still taking its toll and lackluster oil prices. As Ive written before, protests in far-flung regions in Russia and in neighboring Belarus, combined with the dramatic poisoning of Navalny last month, made matters worse. With 9,000 races, theres plenty of data to sift through. A few conclusions, though, are already apparent. Its clear that in high-profile gubernatorial races, the party has avoided the embarrassing upsets of the past. United Russias general secretary has called what he sees as a conclusive victory. In a system that is highly centralized, picking a regional boss is supposed to be a formality even after direct elections were restored in 2012. Upsets are keenly felt, as in 2018 when popular governor Sergei Furgal beat the pro-government opponent in the far eastern region of Khabarovsk in a landslide. Furgal was arrested on murder charges in July, a detention that has triggered persistent demonstrations locally. (He denies the accusations.) This time there was no such shock. Thats no small feat, given potential trouble spots such as Irkutsk in southeastern Siberia, a region still suffering the after-effects of devastating floods last year that helped precipitate the exit of the incumbent leader, one of a tiny minority of Communist Party governors. In the end, government-appointed interim head Igor Kobzev, a candidate with no previous links to the region, secured more than 60% of the vote. Story continues While Kobzevs race is indicative of what is possible when the Kremlin deploys its resources, its also a sign of just how much effort it will take to keep winning, specifically when it comes to less subtle tactics. In Irkutsk, a promising opponent was refused registration. Elsewhere, even candidates from tame opposition parties found themselves barred from tight races, as in Kamchatka. Extended voting, brought in because of the coronavirus, helped government candidates too. The election commission has dismissed allegations by Golos, an independent election-monitoring group, of widespread violations, but it is hard to brush away implausibly high turnouts, as in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast or in Tatarstan, where some polling stations registered participation of 100%. Weak showings are no more reassuring, with disaffection visible in regions such as Arkhangelsk, in the far north. For all the victory lapping, the government will be unsettled by the well-publicized wins secured by the Navalny camp. In the Siberian cities of Novosibirsk and Tomsk, where he was working right before collapsing on a flight back to Moscow, United Russia has now lost its majority, a defeat the opposition attributes to the smart voting campaign. As importantly, activists in both places secured council seats. The cities represent a vital Russian middle ground, between conservative rural communities and Moscow urbanites. The protest vote will encourage the Navalny movement even if its as yet unclear how the campaign will turn disparate candidates from different political parties into loyal supporters or even a more coherent electoral program. The Kremlin still has plenty of levers it can pull to secure the majority it needs come the State Duma election in 2021. It has brought in insurance policies, including new parties, three of which have just won seats in regional legislatures, giving them the right to run next year without having to collect signatures. Election officials, meanwhile, are already discussing fresh tweaks to the rules. The weekends results have shown that even a less-popular United Russia can get the job done, but it will have to work harder. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Lake Companies, a U.S. technology company with headquarters in Green Bay, Wis., has received a U.S. patent for technology that monitors and controls complex manufacturing environments, using beacon technology, proximity-based reporting and control software. We are proud of the innovative work that went into developing this technology, thats embedded in our Manufacturing Execution System called Shop-Trak, said The Lake Companies CEO/Founder, Greg Lake. Receiving a U.S. Patent confirms the unique nature of the product. We know that Shop-Trak is already revolutionizing the manufacturing shop floor and this new proximity-based technology will take our customers to an even higher level. Shop-Trak for Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI/SyteLine) is part of The Lake Companies Never Search Again user-experience strategy that provides real-time information to managers as they walk the shop floor and interact with their associates. Using a tablet with a simple touch screen interface, Shop-Trak quickly and easily informs managers of the work center(s) nearest to them on the shop floor, as well as the jobs being worked on, and automatically provides real-time feedback on up/down time, utilization, efficiency, quality, job status and more. It brings all the information together, allowing for better decisions and more collaboration on the shop floor without running reports or searching through screens to piece the information together, added Lake. No longer will managers have to run back to the office to look up information or sort through stacks of reports. All the information is right there, when they need it; something thats not been available before Shop-Trak. # # # About The Lake Companies, Inc. The Lake Companies is a U.S. based technology company providing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to manufacturing companies in the upper Midwest area of the United States, utilizing Infors CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) ERP software solutions. It is also the developer of Shop-Trak, Doc-Trak and Fact-Trak business enhancement applications for CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) ERP. To learn more, go to: http://www.lakeco.com. Also, find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. By Caitlin Johnstone September 13, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The last two days of Julian Assanges scandalously opaque and plainly rigged show trial have brought into focus the reality that the WikiLeaks founders plight is the exact inverse of what the mainstream partisan narratives assert in the nation thats working to extradite him. A new article about the proceedings in The Evening Standard titled Julian Assange targeted as a political opponent of Trump administration and threatened with the death penalty highlights the undeniable fact that this extradition process is only taking place because of a Trump administration agenda which threatens to strike a deadly blow to press freedoms around the world with the precedent it would set. The Evening Standard reports on the following testimony on Wednesday by Professor Paul Rogers, a lecturer in peace studies at Bradford University: Assanges legal team argue that a decision was taken under President Obama not to prosecute the Wikileaks activist, but that move was overturned under Trump. During the Obama presidency there was a greater recognition of the problems and less pressure on those presenting conflicting evidence, said Professor Rogers. But since the election of President Trump there has been a vigorous denigration of the Obama era, a return to the outlook of the Bush administration and even more bitter opposition to those perceived as dissenters, especially those involved in communicating unwelcome information such as Mr Assange. Julian Assange 'targeted as a political opponent of Trump administration and threatened with the death penalty' https://t.co/9szJ9r0b88 Evening Standard (@EveningStandard) September 9, 2020 Rogers is absolutely correct. The Intercepts Glenn Greenwald explained in 2018 that the Obama administration was unable to find an avenue to prosecute Assange for the leaks which began dropping in 2010 without endangering press freedoms, yet the Trump administration worked in concert with London and Quito to drag Assange out of the embassy and slam him with an extradition request (the sole reason for his continued imprisonment) based on the exact same evidence the Obama administration had access to on those exact same leaks. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Greenwald explained in The Washington Post that the Assange indictment was a blueprint for making journalists into felons, writing that the Trump administration is aggressively and explicitly seeking to obliterate the last reliable buffer protecting journalism in the United States from being criminalized, a step that no previous administration, no matter how hostile to journalistic freedom, was willing to take. The argument offered by both the Trump administration and by some members of the self-styled resistance to Trump is, ironically, the same: that Assange isnt a journalist at all and thus deserves no free press protections, Greenwald wrote. Indeed, it always blows Assange-hating Democrats minds when you point out to them that when they defend this extradition campaign they are in fact defending a Trump administration agenda. Not because it isnt true, nor even because the proof that its true isnt publicly available information, but because theres been a massive smear campaign directed at liberal echo chambers to manufacture consent for Assanges silencing and persecution which has been geared toward painting Assange as a Trump supporter. Conversely, when you talk to those who espouse the common position of supporting both Donald Trump and Julian Assange, they are unable to wrap their head around the indisputable fact that their president is ultimately responsible for the campaign to extradite Assange and imprison him with a sentence of up to 175 years. Theyll claim falsely that this is an Obama-initiated operation. Theyll claim falsely that Trump, who could have issued Assange a full pardon at any time since he took office, is actually working to get Assange to America so he can pardon him. Theyll claim falsely that Assange, whos been fighting US extradition tooth and claw for many years, is secretly working with Trump and secretly wants to come to the United States to help him. Again, this is because of establishment propaganda campaigns like QAnon shaping the Assange narrative in a way that benefits the establishment. The extradition trial has been exposing those partisan positions for the power-serving lies that they are. Trumps War On Journalism Takes Centerstage At Julian Assanges Extradition Hearing Read @kgosztola's report from Day 3 of this month's hearing: https://t.co/MgABJ6HjRD Shadowproof (@shadowproofcom) September 9, 2020 In an article titled Trumps War On Journalism Takes Centerstage At Julian Assanges Extradition Hearing, Shadowproofs Kevin Gosztola gives more detail to this Wednesday exposition: Trevor Timm, the executive director for the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), told a magistrate court judge, [President Donald] Trumps administration is moving to explicitly criminalize national security journalism, and if this prosecution is allowed to go forward, dozens of reporters at the New York Times, Washington Post and elsewhere would also be in danger. In Timms statement to the court, Timm highlighted how Trump has attempted to stifle press freedom at all levels. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which FPF uses to track press freedom violations in the U.S., has tallied over 2,000 examples, where Trump tweeted negative remarks, insults, or threats to the press since his presidential campaign in 2016. He has referred to journalists as enemies of the people. The liberal echo chamber has been enthusiastically taking up the banner of Trumps war on the press, but has been pointing its resistance to this war at its most inconsequential and downright idiotic aspects rather than at an extradition trial which would set a precedent that could arguably constitute a greater leap toward Orwellian dystopia than the Patriot Act. Just embarrassing to have treated this coddled, pompous, self-absorbed windbag who is a threat to nobody like hes some kind of press freedom martyr, while ignoring what would be by far the most dangerous precedent for press freedom in years if Assange is successfully prosecuted, Greenwald recently tweeted with a screenshot of a self-aggrandizing book by CNNs Jim Acosta. But that perfectly captures Trump-era journalism: hysterically exaggerating deranged conspiracies & sideshows while ignoring real threats unfolding with little attention. Mean tweets about Chuck Todd and Jim Acosta are treated as grave threats to the Republic while this is ignored. Even if you're someone 100% on the side of the Trump DOJ in trying to extradite & prosecute Assange, it should be genuinely alarming how few media outlets are covering the very consequential proceedings (to press freedoms) underway in London. Follow @kgosztola for great coverage: https://t.co/TXxayDeJ6C Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 8, 2020 The theme of Trumps assault on world press freedoms also featured in the previous day at court. Former UK ambassador Craig Murray wrote the following of the testimony by Professor Mark Feldstein, Chair of Broadcast Journalism at Maryland University, on Tuesday: [Defense attorney Mark] Summers asked about the Obama administrations attitude to Wikileaks. Feldstein said that there had been no prosecution after Wikileaks major publications in 2010/11. But Obamas Justice Department had instigated an aggressive investigation. However they concluded in 2013 that the First Amendment rendered any prosecution impossible. Justice Department Spokesman Matthew Miller had published that they thought it would be a dangerous precedent that could be used against other journalists and publications. With the Trump administration everything had changed. Trump had said he wished to put reporters in jail. Pompeo when head of the CIA had called Wikileaks a hostile intelligence agency. Sessions had declared prosecuting Assange a priority. [Prosecuting attorney James] Lewis said that Feldstein had stated that Obama decided not to prosecute whereas Trump did. But it was clear that the investigation had continued through from the Obama to the Trump administrations. Feldstein replied yes, but the proof of the pudding was that there had been no prosecution under Obama. Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 7 - CLIVE STAFFORD SMITH This morning we went straight in to the evidence of Clive Stafford Smith, a dual national British/American lawyer licensed to practice in the UK. He had founded Reprieve in https://t.co/jaBYpqVOIt Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) September 9, 2020 Maybe its a good thing this trial isnt being televised. The head explosions it would cause among Americas propagandized partisan hacks would destroy the nation. This all highlights the fact that it is impossible to gain an accurate understanding of whats going on in the world through partisan perceptual filters. Partisan echo chambers exist solely to distort peoples understanding of events to the advantage of the powerful, whether youre talking about ensuring the dominance of establishment political factions, the advancement of status quo-preserving wars, or the elimination of voices who punch inconvenient holes in power-serving propaganda narratives. Whoever controls the narrative controls the world. The source of our worlds problems is the fact that the powerful understand this, while ordinary people do not. Things wont change until a critical mass of people begin waking up to this fact. 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 A mother traveling from Florida to Illinois on Southwest Airlines said she was escorted off her flight because her two-year-old son wasn't wearing mask as he snacked before takeoff. Jodi Degyansk and son, Hayes Jarobe, boarded their flight at Southwest Florida International Airport on Saturday with plans to return to their home in Chicago. The pair had previously flown south to visit family in Naples, and didn't expect to have any issues on their return flight. Degyansky, 34, told News Press that the flight attendants on her plane to Florida had been very understanding regarding her son wearing a mask, but that wasn't the case on the trip back. 'On the way back I was surprised the flight attendants were much stricter,' she said. Jodi Degyansk (right), pictured with her son Hayes Jarobe (left), said they were removed from a Southwest Airlines flight on Saturday over the face mask policy Degyansky said that after they were in their assigned seats, Hayes took his face mask off to munch on some snacks that were served. Like many families, Degyansky has been forced to navigate pandemic-era CDC guidelines that might be difficult for young children, including wearing face masks for an extended period of time. 'We are trying to get used to it, but he's two,' she said. On more than one occasion, Degyansky said she was confronted by flight attendants who told her that Hayes would need to wear a face masks throughout the flight. 'Flight attendants kept coming over asking if we would wear it the full flight, and I said he would. It definitely was a struggle but something we're working on,' she told NBC 2. Degyansky (left) said a flight personnel confronted them repeatedly about her son's face mask, and that she tried to adhere to the airline's guidelines Degyansky: 'My toddler who literally turned 2 two weeks ago. ... I know you have to draw the line but let's be a little compassionate with everyone's individual circumstances' She said she repeatedly attempted to keep the mask on her son's face and tried to be in accordance with Southwest Airline's flight rules. After another confrontation with a flight attendant, Degyansky and her son were asked to leave the flight. 'A couple minutes later, we were pulled back into the gate and I was asked to leave the plane accompanied by the manager, the supervisor, the flight attendants, and the pilot,' she said. CDC guidelines state that any children aged two and up should wear a proper face mask if it's difficult to social distance. 'My toddler who literally turned 2 two weeks ago. ... I know you have to draw the line but let's be a little compassionate with everyone's individual circumstances,' she told News Press. The flight attendant explained to Degyansky that some parents had used snacking as an excuse to not put face masks on their young children. But Degyansky said she supports wearing face masks and acknowledged the how it can curb the virus' spread. The pair eventually flew home on an American Airlines flight that day after paying an additional $600 for a new ticket Degyansky: 'I want people to either do their homework before they choose to fly or find an airline that has more leniency' 'I'm sure other parents are going through this,' she said. 'I want people to either do their homework before they choose to fly or find an airline that has more leniency.' Dr. Annette St. Pierre-MacKoul, a pediatrician in Fort Myers, told NBC 2 that she agrees with the CDC recommendations but said compassion should be shown as well. 'Two years old is the youngest they should be wearing masks because under two years of age it can actually be a choking hazard,' she told the publication. 'Between two and three I think it's really not fair depending on the circumstances of where they were flying and what they were doing.' Degyansky said it was embarrassing to have the plane return to the gate and be escorted off with flight personnel. Degyansky (left), pictured with Hayes (right), said Southwest Airlines agreed to refund her the ticket money, but she had not received it as of Sunday She added that Southwest Airlines offered to find her a flight for later in the day, but none were direct to Chicago. The next direct flight was on Monday. She booked a flight on Saturday with American Airlines instead, but it came with a $600 charge. 'I just felt like I can't believe it happened. I was left scrambling how the hell am I going to get home?' said Degyansky. 'What if I didn't have the resources to buy a $600 ticket?' She said that Southwest Airlines agreed to refund her the money, but has not done so as of Sunday. Southwest Airlines sad in a statement that they are investigating the matter, but maintained that their flight policies should be followed as closely as possible. 'If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual. In those cases, we will issue a full refund and hope to welcome the Customer onboard in the future, if public health guidance regarding face coverings changes,' a spokesperson told News Press. 'Caring for others with our Southwest Hearts is at the center of everything we do, which is especially important during this pandemic. 'We appreciate the ongoing support and spirit of cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we collectively take care of each other while striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19.' Between Illinois and Florida, there is about a 400,000 difference in confirmed cases. In Illinois, health officials have recorded more than 262,700 cases and amassed 8,214 deaths over the past six months. Chicago accounted for 75,000 of those infections and Cook County, where Chicago is located, counted 5,100 deaths. In Florida, where cases skyrocketed during the summer, there have been 664,000 cases and 12,600 deaths. The city of Naples, in Collier County, reported 12,200 cases and nearly 200 deaths. One of the crown jewels of Texas camping reopens Tuesday. Big Bend National Park's Chisos Basin Campground will welcome campers for the first time since July. Reservations are required and group sized are limited to one household or eight people. There will be no first come, first served camping. READ ALSO: 'Airbnb for the outdoors': 5 stunning Hipcamp land-sharing spots near San Antonio The campground was recently named the best spot for camping in Texas by Conde Nast Traveler. "Perched atop an uncharacteristically green island in the sky, the Chisos Basin does not feel like Texas," the magazine wrote. "Mountain lions and black bears roam free among the jagged, rust-colored cliffs, and the arid Chihuahuan Desert sprawls out thousands of feet below. If you're looking to hike, the campgrounds 69 sites are the perfect jumping off point for the parks best trails." Many of those trails, including Lost Mine and Window, are currently open. READ ALSO: RockerDogz Gourmet Street Dogz now open on South Side of San Antonio Big Bend National Park shut down all overnight camping in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. The park tried a phased re-opening in June before closing again on July 1 after a COVID-19 case in the park residential community. On Tuesday, all paved roads at the park will be open and the Rio Grande will re-open for day-use river trips. WATERLOO REGION School boards that delayed the start of school are scrambling to hire more than 120 teachers to help about 15,000 students learn remotely. We are hard-pressed to know how we will fulfil our commitments to have teachers for all of our classes, education director Loretta Notten said in a report to the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. The Catholic board is looking for 33 more elementary teachers and four more high school teachers for online learning, hoping to reduce the average size of virtual classes below 38 students. The Waterloo Region District School Board is aiming to hire 90 more elementary teachers plus 30 early childhood educators for its remote learning classes. Education trustees were told Monday that the Catholic board has advertised aggressively and has looked under every rock and every tree but is having trouble finding qualified candidates. It is open to hiring retired teachers. The board could reassign teachers from real classrooms into virtual classrooms. That might upset a board plan to keep average class sizes between 17 and 23 students in face-to-face elementary schools, a number smaller than government guidelines but greater than 15 students recommended by public health experts. Were trying to keep our class sizes manageable in the face-to-face environment, Notten said in an interview. We are definitely pulling out all the stops to try and hire enough teachers for our virtual school but were not quite there yet, particularly in elementary. The public school board has apologized for school delays in a message to families on its website. Ensuring that we have qualified teachers ... in place to support a high-quality distance learning program takes time, the board said. About 17 per cent of students at the English boards are starting the school year learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 83 per cent return to classrooms under health and safety protocols. Boards delayed the return to school for many students and imposed staggered starts to gain time to sort out teachers, schedules and technology. Im really struggling with this government, Catholic trustee Wendy Price said, arguing the province is acting without clear direction, without providing enough funding, and with misplaced priorities. Were not the only board looking for teachers. Theres only so many teachers to go around, she said. Our students are the ones that are going to suffer. Education issues yet to be fully resolved include access to digital devices and internet for some students, and funding for more teachers if they can be found. The Catholic board has disappointed some parents who missed a deadline but now want their children switched into remote learning. Families wont be able to make that switch until next month, the board says, because late changes complicate staffing, busing and contact tracing for disease, if that is necessary. The Catholic board is starting out with face-to-face elementary class sizes at an average of just over 17 students in Grades 1 to 3 and just under 23 students for Grades 4 to 8. The extra staffing needed to maintain these averages while also teaching other students remotely could leave the board facing a funding shortfall of about $6 million, most of which could be pulled from reserves. Were certainly appreciative for whatever funding has flowed to date but the notion of trying to keep class sizes lower really is putting a huge financial burden on the system, Notten said. with files from Laura Booth A 10-year-old boy is currently suffering from several injuries in the arm, chest, and head after a shark attack in the northwest coast of Tasmania. Based on the reports, the shark grabbed the boy off a boat near Stanley. The victim was immediately rushed to the hospital after the attack. According to Fox News, Ambulance Tasmania stated that the boy was on a fishing expedition with his father and two other men. They were aboard a fishing vessel which was about six meters in length when the animal grabbed him and pulled him to the water. The victim's father immediately jumped into the water to rescue his kid, scaring the shark which swam away. At the moment, reports have stated that the boy is currently in stable condition and only suffered minor injuries, such as cuts. He was also wearing a life jacket during the attack which saved him from drowning. Shark Warning Issued Before Attack Meanwhile, it has been noted that before the attack on the boy happened, authorities have issued a shark warning in the area. Police have cautioned that there has been a sighting of a large shark in the waters of the Stanley area. They have also advised people who planned to go swimming, fishing, or do any other marine activities to take extra precautions. In a report by The Guardian, it was noted that the last injury reported from a shark bite in Tasmania was in 2012. This is based on the data maintained by the Taronga Conservation Society which was released by the Australian Shark Attack File. Read also: Fact Check: Was Trump at Ground Zero 2 Days After 9/11 to Look for Survivors? Series of Shark Attacks The incident that happened last Friday was an addition to the string of shark-related incidents that have happened in the waters of Australia. On Tuesday that week, in the far north of Queensland, a shark-documentary maker was swimming in a resort, enjoying one of his days off when he was suddenly mauled by a shark. The documentary-journalist was a 29-year-old woman who was attacked near Cairns at Fitzroy Island. She sustained a bite on her left leg, causing a possible fracture on her ankle and several lacerations. Despite the injuries that she has gotten, the woman told reporters that she still believes that sharks are beautiful and that she still loves the creatures. She was taken to a hospital in Cairns in a wheelchair but she is already in a stable condition. On top of this, the fifth deadly shark attack in Australia this year was reported only this Saturday after a teenager was attacked while surfing. The attack happened in northern New South Wales, at Wilsons Headland at Wooli Beach. Moreover, the weekend before that, a man also died while he was at Fraser Island in Queensland spearfishing and was suddenly attacked by a shark. The man hailed from Sunshine Coast and was 36 years old. Since the year began, there have been a series of shark attacks in Australian waters. Authorities have repeatedly cautioned people to stay alert and take necessary precautions to avoid such incidents. Related article: Great White Shark Brutally Kills Woman Swimming With Daughter Off the Coast of Maine @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Following action by the city of Conroe, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the lowering of both the American and Texas flags to half-staff in honor of Mayor Toby Powell who passed away Saturday following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 79. The action was requested by state Reps. Cecil Bell, Jr. and Will Metcalf. Flags should return to full-staff after the date of interment, Abbott wrote in a release Monday. Individuals, businesses, municipalities, counties and other political subdivisions and entities in the area may fly flags at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of honor and respect. The First Lady and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Powell family and to the city of Conroe staff and community for this loss. Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon ordered the lowing of the flags for city property Monday before Abbott issued his order for the region. Coon thanked the efforts of Metcalf and Bell. This is a great tribute to a great man, he said. Metcalf said the lowering is a perfect way to honor Powell. Mayor Toby Powell was a pillar in our community and a true son of Conroe, Metcalf said. I thought it was important to honor the passing of our mayor and friend by lowering the flags to half-staff in Conroe, and Im appreciative that Gov. Abbott fulfilled our request very quickly. Toby will be sorely missed and his family is in my prayers. Born in the Montgomery County Hospital on First Street in the 1940 to Lewis H. Powell Sr. and Mildred Taylor Powell. Powell grew up in Conroe and graduated from Conroe High School in 1959. Powell attended Sam Houston State University and worked for builder Ernest Butler before becoming a local builder and developer himself. Powell served on the council in 1977 and 1978 and again in 2008-12. He has served as mayor pro tem from 2010-12. He was elected as Conroes mayor in 2016. His term expires in November. Powell was facing Councilman Jody Czajkoski at the polls Nov. 3 and Powells name will still appear on the ballot. If Powell where to win, the city would have to hold a special election to fill the position. Funeral arrangements have not yet been released. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Congratulatory wishes and positive notes are pouring in for Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre as they have gone to welcome their first child together. The actor spilt the beans while he was promoting his latest film Concrete Cowboy at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday. He also confirmed to ET Canada that he and his wife are now parents to a baby boy. During the interview with the portal, the actor went on to talk about the importance of the film. And while he was at it, the actor concluded saying that he is the father of two boys and he definitely cannot wait for his youngest to see this film. The actor is currently married to Sabrina Dhowre and also has an 18-year-old daughter, Isan, and a 6-year-old son, Winston, from his previous relationships. Also read | Idris Elba Breaks Millions Of Hearts, Marries Model Sabrina Dhowre In A Beautiful Moroccan Wedding About the duos wedding Idris Elba tied the knot with model Sabrina Dhowre in a secret ceremony in Morocco. According to British Vogue, Elba and his better half exchanged vows at the Ksar Char-Bagh hotel in Marrakesh. Sabrina was dressed in a head-to-toe custom creation by Vera Wang for her big day. For the ceremony, she donned a classic white off-shoulder gown and later changed into an embroidered dress with pearls and gemstones. While Elba, on the other hand, was seen sporting a bespoke suit tailored by Ozwald Boateng. The wedding celebrations spread over three days, with guests attending a colours of the Souk dinner the evening before. Take a look at the post below. Also read | Idris Elba's Wife Sabrina Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Says 'not Surprised' About him and wife testing positive The actor and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre, had been tested positive for coronavirus early in the outbreak. During an interview with Radio Times, the actor revealed that he had completely recovered and felt very fortunate to be alive. He also said he was very happy that he was able to combat the virus. Idris revealed that he was asymptomatic and had no significant symptoms. He said it struck him very hard emotionally because it wasn't very well known back then. It had an emotional effect on him and his wife, and they were taken back by it. Also read | Idris Elba Does A Little Joyous "dance In Quarantine" As Ellen Replies To His Tweet On the work front The film, Concrete Cowboy, helmed by Ricky Staub was recently on September 13, 2020. The actor is seen sharing screen space with Jharrel Jerome and Lorraine Toussaint in lead roles. The film revolves around a teenager who explores the world of urban horseback riding when he moves to North Philadelphia with his estranged father. Also read | Idris Elba's Diagnosis To Tangled Conspiracies; All That Happened In Hollywood This Week Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Press Release 14 September 2020 Domestic Bookings in Singapore on the Rise: Tripadvisor Advertisements A recent report by Tripadvisor has revealed that Singapore is one of the fastest recovering destinations in Asia Pacific since last year as the recovery is bolstered by an increase in domestic travel bookings. Recent Tripadvisor data showed that international and domestic travel during the fall season (1 September to 30 November 2020) continues to recover gradually, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of all travellers planning for a domestic trip during fall. Of those travellers, 79% of them are planning a September trip, the busiest travel month during fall. Outdoor trips have gained popularity in Singapore, with 45% of Singaporean travellers expressed interest in outdoor or nature trips. 37% are more likely to consider road trips now, compared to pre-pandemic. Jane Lim, Vice President for global markets at Tripadvisor, shared that despite the travel disruptions brought about by the pandemic, 66% of Singaporean travellers continue to express the importance of travelling to them, even if they are unable to have the same experience as before. Presently, the locals are booking more staycations and weekend stays, exploring the city-state. These locals are looking to relax and rejuvenate, as well as creating memories with family and friends. Malaysia Relaxed Entry Ban on Expats, Professional Visit Pass Holders from 23 Countries Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, a Senior Minister of Malaysia, revealed that a special Cabinet committee had decided to relax entry ban on expatriates and professional visit pass holders from 23 countries on 7 September 2020. The countries include the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Peru, Columbia, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iran, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Iraq, the Philippines and Indonesia. Visitors will have to obtain approval from the Immigration Department before entering the country. The application must be accompanied by a support letter from the Malaysian Investment Development Authorities or related agencies. The government has also decided to allow permanent residents, as well as foreign spouses of Malaysian citizens, to enter Malaysia, provided it is a one-way journey and that they remain in Malaysia. Student pass holders from the affected countries will also be allowed into Malaysia. Indonesia Government Inks Agreement on Surakarta-Yogyakarta Toll Road with Private Consortium PT Jogjasolo Marga Makmur, a consortium of state-owned and private firms, has signed a toll road concession agreement with the Indonesia government to build and operate a Surakarta-Yogyakarta-New Yogyakarta International Airport toll road. The toll road will measure over 96.5-kilometre with an invested amount of IDR26.6 trillion (USD1.8 billion). Part of the road is scheduled to open in 2023, with the full completion expected to open by 2024. The consortium consists of state-owned toll road operator, PT Jasa Marga, and construction firm, PT Adhi Karya, as well as private firms, namely construction firm, PT Daya Mulia Turangga and PT Gama Group, who owns majority of the consortium's stake. The consortium possesses a 40-year concession for the toll road. The toll road is expected to boost the connectivity of Yogyakarta-Surakata-Semarang ("Joglosemar") in Central Java and Yogyakarta, as well as nearby tourist destinations such as the historic Prambanan and Borobudur temples. Public Works and Housing Minister, Basuki Hadimuljono mentioned that the government expects to sign another agreement for a Bawen-Yogyakarta toll road in October to further boost the Joglosemar region. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal reiterated that they were fully prepared with hi-tech gadgets to protect properties of the temples run by the TTD. He gave the assurance when a caller from Visakhapatnam expressed concern during the monthly Dial your EO programme on Sunday, over security for temples keeping in view the recent burning of the chariot at Antarvedi temple. Singhal explained, The TTD has the best security system to protect its properties like chariots. Our Chief Vigilance and Security Officer along Tirupati Urban SP had an elaborate meeting recently on how to improve protection at all temples. Tight security is already in place at the temples and there is no need to worry. Maintaining that the trust board decided to entrust auditing of TTD accounts to Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to ensure transparency, he said, The TTD is often dragged into unnecessary controversies by vested interests accusing us of diverting funds to purposes other than those relating to Hindu Dharma Pracharam. So, auditing by CAG will put an end to mischief-mongers, Mr Singhal asserted. Several pilgrims from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were all praise for the TTD for organising parayanams and telecasting them live on SVBC at a time when the Covid pandemic brought life to a standstill. When some pilgrims sought resumption of sarva darshan, he told them that they stalled it till the end of September as they feared crowding at Tirumala. The EO assured that pilgrims who booked online Kalyanotsavam can avail themselves of the opportunity within 90 days from the date of booking and the Udayasthamana seva ticket holders and Vimsathi Varsha Darshini ticket holders will be given darshan in VIP break till situation returns to normalcy. Explorers have spotted polar bear footprints on broken pieces of floating ice in the Arctic. Greenpeace's vessel Arctic Sunrise has been travelling near Greenland where huge chunks of its ice caps have broken off. They spotted the prints on the small sections of ice during their journey as they investigate the effects of climate change on the region. Explorers have found what appear to be polar bear footprints on broken pieces of floating ice in the Arctic Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship spotted the prints on the chunks of ice as huge amounts are breaking off While polar bears often spend time on sea ice, there are fears over its habitat loss due to rising temperatures and melting ice. The small section of ice appeared very far from any other land, which scientists fear could lead to extinction. The lack of sea ice cover forces bears to swim longer distances, depleting their energy stores and leading to drownings. They spotted the prints on the small sections of ice during their journey as they investigate the effects of climate change on the region It will also affect the ability of pregnant females to build suitable maternity dens. It comes after Sir David Attenborough warned that polar bears could be extinct by 2030 because of melting ice. He said: 'The Arctic Ocean is expected to have its first entirely ice-free summer in the 2030s, resulting in open water at the North Pole. 'For the polar bear, which relies on the northern sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals, this is devastating. It comes after Sir David Attenborough warned that polar bears could be extinct by 2030 because of melting ice The veteran broadcaster warned that polar bear cubs are getting smaller and soon won't survive winter 'As the ice-free period lengthened, scientists detected a worrying trend. Pregnant females, drained of their reserves, were now giving birth to smaller cubs. 'It is quite possible that one year, the summer would be just that little bit longer, and the cubs born that year will be so small that they cannot survive their first polar winter. That whole population of polar bears would then crash.' An estimated 42.3 square miles chunk of Greenland's ice cap is floating in the far north-east Arctic, which scientists say is evidence of rapid climate change. The glacier section broke off the fjord called Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, which is roughly 50 miles long and 12 miles wide, the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland said on Monday. Researchers working for the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) studied satellite images of the ice shelf taken over the past seven years. Left is the shelf in 2013 and right is the same shelf this year The glacier is at the end of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, where it flows off land and into the ocean. Annual end-of-melt-season changes for the Arctic's largest ice shelf in north-east Greenland are measured by optical satellite imagery, the survey known as GEUS said. It shows the area losses for the past two years each exceeded 19 square miles. The ice shelf has lost 62 square miles since 1999. 'We should be very concerned about what appears to be progressive disintegration at the Arctic's largest remaining ice shelf,' GEUS professor Jason Box said. Greenpeace spokeswoman Laura Meller, who is aboard the organisation's ship Arctic Sunrise at the edge of the sea ice, said: 'Another massive chunk of vital sea ice has fallen into the ocean. 'This is yet another alarm bell being rung by the climate crisis in a rapidly heating Arctic.' Last week, Ruth Mottram, an ice scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute in Copenhagen, said 'again this year, the ice sheet has lost more ice than has been added in the form of snow'. She added: 'What is thought-provoking is that if we ... had seen this meltdown 30 years ago, we would have called it extreme. 'So in recent years, we have become accustomed to a high meltdown.' The Department of Defense has decided to ground all its F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike fighters while their engines are inspected for a faulty part, on Oct. 11, 2018. (U.S. Navy) Bidens Military Vision: Steady as She Goes, With Liberal Tweaks Biden's pledges include "arms controls for a new era", lifting the transgender ban, and making climate change a defense priority End forever wars and bring home troops? Check. Claim credit for bolstering NATO allies spending? Check. Continue to modernize to counter China and Russia? Check. Some of Joe Bidens election pitches sound a lot like President Donald Trump when it comes to defense. A Biden presidency for the most part also appears unlikely to change much of the status quo when it comes to the military and the cross-party consensus on tackling great power competition. But there are things Biden would do differently, according to his official campaign website, acceptance speech, an article he wrote in Foreign Affairs, and the Democratic Party platform. Biden wants to introduce a new era of arms controls, to overturn the ban on transgender people in the military and to cut back on arms sales to nations where there are human rights concerns. He is also likely to cut defense spending, will make climate change a national security priority, and make inclusion and diversity much more of a feature in military policy. Perhaps most significantly at a strategic levelassuming he follows the Democratic party platformBiden would cut back on the nuclear weapon modernization program. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event Sept. 4, 2020 in Wilmington, Dela. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) That last policy will worry some analysts who say the U.S. nuclear deterrent is getting too old and tired, and that the modernization program is more of a life-support program than an upgrade. Cold War Style Orthodoxy After two decades mired in counter-insurgency, the military is currently revamping equipment and strategies to face great power competition with Russia and China as its top priority, as directed by the 2018 Trump Administrations National Defense Strategy. Biden would likely bring back a lot of President Barack Obamas team to senior national security positions, according to James Carafano, a senior analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. But they likely wont simply roll the clock back, he says. The reality is the world has changed in four years, and they know that, Carafano told the Epoch Times. The geopolitical reality is we are in an era of great power competition. I think thats bipartisan, in the United States. Its almost an orthodoxy, as with the Cold War. Thats a reality you have with the United States as a global power with global interest and responsibilities. Chinese missiles are shown on trucks as they drive next to Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People during a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Nobodys going to back off on competition with China in the South China Seas. Theres no magic answer for North Korea. So the strategic challenges look similar. Most other analysts hold similar views. Trumps military-related election promises take up five of his 50 election pledges under his America First Foreign Policy. They are: Stop Endless Wars and Bring Our Troops Home Get Allies to Pay their Fair Share Maintain and Expand Americas Unrivaled Military Strength Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans Build a Great Cybersecurity Defense System and Missile Defense System Except for that last specific mention of cybersecurity and missile defense, these points have all already featured prominently in the Trump administrations current and past policies, action, and rhetoric. Analysts generally assume that there will otherwise be little change in direction for the military in a second term Trump presidency. Mark Cancian, a senior national security advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies agrees that Biden doesnt appear likely to make any major changes to the broader current defense priorities. Modest Cuts But Cancian says one of the most significant changes under Biden would likely be a cut in overall defense spending. Bidens personal election platform does not explicitly state he would cut the defense budget. The Democratic Party platform, however, does. Cancian says it isnt clear where such cuts will come from. They talk a lot about eliminating legacy systems. They dont really say what that is, he told the Epoch Times. Some of the savings would come from cuts to nuclear weapons programs. The Democratic Party platform states, We will work to maintain a strong, credible deterrent while reducing our overreliance and excessive expenditure on nuclear weapons. Carafano says this policy on nuclear modernization would probably be the most strategically significant change under a Biden administration. The folks around Biden have always been skeptical of nuclear modernizationit is a big price tag. It isnt clear exactly what elements of the nuclear weapons program changes and proposals would be kept says Cancian. I think that Biden will continue those elements that were in the Obama program, he says. Most analysts interpret the Democrat party platform as Bidens de facto position on issues where he hasnt given a clear stance. The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for clarification on this, or whether Biden specifically supports defense cuts. It is generally thought cuts will be modest because moderate Democrats wont accept deep cuts. There was a progressive caucus in Congress that offered a 10 percent cut to defense in the National Defense Authorization Act, says Carafano. A third of the Democrats didnt vote for that. So I just dont think [a big cut] is on the cards. Congress as a whole tends to be very reluctant to shrink forces and retire systems, says Cancian. This budget, the administration proposed doing some of that, and Congress has pushed back. A Biden administration would similarly have to push very hard to retire legacy systems, he says. Thats bipartisanthats not a Democratic or Republican kind of issue. Annual defense spending currently stands at $738 billion. That budget was $662 billion when Trump began his tenure in the Oval Office. The saving grace for Biden is he will not have inherited a force thats burned out, says Carafano. All the Clinton years, all the Bush years, we kind of lived off the fat of land of the Reagan rebuild. Obama really inherited a force that needed to recap, and in the end, he didnt recap it. So Trump inherited kind of the bottom of the barrel reallybut he put a lot of money into it. Inclusion and Climate change In addition to a potential budget cut, Cancian says Biden would also make other changes around personnel. There will be a huge push on diversity and inclusion: theyll reverse the ban on transgenders and push much harder for recruiting minorities and promoting minorities. Biden also describes climate change as a priority for national security, such as the melting ice in the Arctic opening up new strategic dynamics. The Democrat platform states that climate change is a core priority for defense. The Royal Navy Type-23 Duke-class frigate HMS Kent (F78), front, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) conduct joint operations to ensure maritime security in the Arctic Ocean, May 5, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of the Royal Navy/Dan Rosenbaum/Released) Cancian says that a Biden administration will expand the definition of national security to include climate change, to include education, to include pandemicsprobably as a way to move money out of Department of Defense into other agencies. Biden also says he will reduce arms sales to nations where there are human rights concerns, such as Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration viewed arms sales through the lens of manufacturing and employment, says Cancian. Arms sales were [seen as] good because they supported U.S. manufacturing. Biden and the Democratic party also broadly indicate a strong ideological appetite for arms controls. In an article published by Foreign Affairs, Biden wrote that he will commit to arms control for a new era. This marks a typical traditional difference between Republicans and Democrats on arms control, says Cancian. Democrats and the arms control community believe in arms control as an end in itself, that the arms control process is important. Republicans and conservatives are very skeptical about them. A deactivated Titan II nuclear ICMB is seen in a silo at the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley, Arizona, on May 12, 2015. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images) Carafano says that with arms control the traditional conservative approach is to first put the reality in place, then to legitimize it with an agreement. In other words, first establish the military capability, then negotiate. Democrats tend to prioritize the establishment of international agreements and frameworks first, then to work within them. Biden says he would extend the New START treatythe only remaining nuclear arms treaty between Russia and the United Stateswhich is due to expire at the end of the year. Russia and the United States are currently in talks to assess whether to extend it. Biden says that he would sign the United States back up to the so-called Iran nuclear deal, as long as Tehran first showed strict compliance. National Defense Strategy The military is currently pivoting away from counter-insurgency under the guiding star of the national defense strategy, which spelled out for the first time that the United States was in an era of renewed great power competition. While combating terrorism is still a goal, it falls way behind countering China and Russia, and handling rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. The strategy also called for the U.S. military to compete with other nations below the threshold of conflict, sometimes referred to as the grayzone. Defense officials, along with state department officials frequently note that the national defense strategy emphasizes working with allies and partners, such as in the Pacific, as a top strategic priorityas per the Trump administrations America First policy. Cancian says the Biden administration would most likely issue a new defense strategy document, but that likely it wouldnt change much. Theyre going to say this strategy document radically changes the thrust of the Trump administration, breaks with their horrible policies, forges a new path forward. But its going to be an awful lot like the Trump strategy, which was a lot like the late Obama strategy. Cancian thinks that a second Trump administration would likely update their current strategy, although there has been no messaging yet on the issue. Its customary that administrations do that, even in a second term Both Trump and Biden talk in their platforms about pulling troops out of conflicts and ending the so-called forever wars. A B-1B Lancer from the U.S. Air Force 28th Air Expeditionary Wing heads out on a combat mission in support of strikes on Afghanistan in this image released December 7, 2001. (USAF/Getty Images) Cancian says that the difficulty Biden may face is the additional goals and caveats around withdrawing from Afghanistan, such as safeguarding womens and girls rights. He says Obamas attempts to withdraw from Afghanistan were stymied by various stipulations that, when put together, essentially amounted to nation-building. Bidens going to run into the same problem, he says. But Cancian notes that actual troop levels in the middle east are now low, with about 10,000 in Afghanistan, and around 5,000 in Iraq and Syria. These are not big deployments anymore. Once upon a time they were. They arent now. So in a sense, they dont really matter. NATO In his election pitch, Biden takes credit for the agreement that NATO countries would pay at least two percent of GDP on defensean agreement which he says was forged under himself and Obama in 2014. Trump also takes credit for the rise in NATO spending towards that goal since his time in office. Early in this presidency, Trump famously dangled the possibility that the United States could withdraw from NATO as he challenged allies on their levels of defense spending versus the amount they had pledged under the NATO agreement. During the last two years or so, NATO relations with Washington have grown more solid. The head of NATO has praised Trump for strengthening the alliance during his time in office and credited him with the boost in spending. In July, Pentagon announced it will move 11,900 troops, along with its European command headquarters, out of Germany, as it shifts to a more flexible rotational model and reshuffles units closer to NATOs Eastern flank with Russia. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump onstage during the annual NATO heads of government summit on Dec. 4, 2019 in Watford, England. (Photo by Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images) Trump characterized the moving of troops out of Germany specifically as a response to Germany being delinquent in terms of its defense spending. Germany has still not met the 2 percent target. The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for clarification on whether Biden would reverse these changes to EUCOM including the Germany troop deployments. Commander-in-Chief How Biden will perform in the role as commander-in-chief is hard to judge say Carafano and Cancian. Carafano says that he guesses Biden might be more like Bill Clinton in his decision-making, consulting a broad group of people until a decision had to be made, as opposed to the Obama model of a small inner-cadre of decision-makers. Cancian notes that Trump has turned out to be very cautious when it comes to military action, contrary to the fears of those who thought his bombastic style of diplomacy would mean a trigger-happy commander-in-chief. He really does not want to get involved in foreign conflicts. He called off the strike on Iran when they shut down the drone, he said. Trump is, to be generous, really unique. He doesnt like process and is very suspicious of many players and is impatient with the bureaucratic processes of government. Regardless of Bidens particular style, Cancian says that he would definitely mark a clear return to the norms of bureaucratic processes. Biden would go back to those kinds of processes that you saw in really all the previous administrations. That would be a huge relief for the federal bureaucracy, which lives by process. But whatever the difference between Trump and Biden, defense is simply not a high priority when it comes to the election, says Carafano. This is actually a typical national election, he says. On domestic issues, we vote for the guy that believes what we believe. On foreign policy issues, we vote for the guy we believe in. There was no question hour; no well for members to come streaming into; no place for placards and banners; no visitors in the galleries peering excitedly into the two houses to watch democracy at work and history being made. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were virtually unrecognisable, shrouded in plexiglass and an air of sorrow, as Parliament got down to work on the first day of the monsoon session. The melancholy was underlined by obituary notices in both houses, which suspended work for an hour in memory of fallen comrades. These included former President Pranab Mukherjee, former ... LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Assurance named Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) of East Lansing, Mich. and Drake Bank of St. Paul, Minn. as the winners of the 2020 Community Spark Award. The award recognizes banks and credit unions making an outstanding difference in their local communities through unique support, volunteerism, philanthropy, and development initiatives. 2020 Social Assurance Community Spark Award "The Community Spark Award celebrates financial institutions have gone above and beyond to support individuals and small businesses in their communities," shares Social Assurance CEO Ben Pankonin, "We are proud to recognize the local impact these two organizations have made and continue to make in supporting their communities." MSUFCU launched its #MSUFCUEatsLocal giveaway in March to support local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2020, MSUFCU hosted a social media giveaway requesting participants enter by submitting photos of meals from their favorite local restaurants on Facebook or Twitter. A daily winner was awarded two $25 gift cards to local restaurants, one for themselves and one to pay it forward. More than $4,000 in gift cards were awarded. Drake Bank created the Drake COVID-19 Relief Fund to help individuals experiencing financial hardships resulting from the current pandemic. The directors, staff and community members of Drake Bank raised over $80,000 in donations for distribution to members of their community. Grant applications were submitted, reviewed, and funded weekly by Drake Bank from April to June of 2020, providing 155 local individuals with $500 each in relief grants. In addition to recognition, Social Assurance provided each winner with a donation to a local charity of choice. MSUFCU elected to have their donation made to Weekend Survival Kit which provides food on the weekends to children who may otherwise go hungry. Drake Bank selected the Quorom Foundation which supports future LGBTQ+ students through scholarship funds. Named after Social Assurance's newly released Community Spark platform, the award brings recognition to what the platform helps financial brands track, community impact. The platform provides organizations with the tools and processes to track, manage and encourage community investment and engagement. For more information on the Community Spark award winners and platform, visit socialassurance.com/community-spark-award. Founded in 2011 by Ben Pankonin and Matt Secoske, Social Assurance provides marketing, sales, and community development software and solutions to help banks and credit unions do what they do best, support their community. Their software and solutions help financial marketers, compliance and supporting team members to create processes and workflows to manage marketing content and community involvement. Contact Jordyn Swanson Phone 402-875-5636 Email [email protected] Website www.socialassurance.com SOURCE Social Assurance Related Links http://www.socialassurance.com BERLIN Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is able to breathe on his own and briefly leave his hospital bed, his doctors said Monday, while Germany announced that French and Swedish labs have confirmed its findings that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny, 44, was flown to Berlin for treatment at the Charite hospital two days after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20. Germany has demanded that Russia investigate the case, while Moscow has accused the West of trying to smear Russia. Navalny has successfully been removed from mechanical ventilation and is able to leave his bed "for short periods of time, the hospital said. Although noting the improvement in Navalny's health, the statement didnt address the long-term outlook for the anti-corruption campaigner and most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Doctors previously cautioned that even though Navalny is recovering, long-term health problems from the poisoning cannot be ruled out. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders to answer questions about the poisoning, denying any official involvement. The news about Navalnys condition came as his associates made some gains in regional elections held across Russia on Sunday. In Novosibirsk, which Navalny visited before falling ill, the head of his regional headquarters, Sergei Boiko, won a seat on the city council. United Russia, the main Kremlin party that Navalny has dubbed a party of crooks and thieves, lost its majority on the council, according to preliminary returns. Another Navalny representative, Ksenia Fadeyeva, won a city council seat in Tomsk, the city he left on the flight on which he fell ill. The German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up findings by a German military lab that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Story continues The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is taking steps to have samples from Navalny tested at its designated labs, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent examination of the findings. German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took new samples from Navalny. In efforts separate from the OPCW examinations, which are still ongoing, three laboratories have meanwhile independently of one another presented proof that Mr. Navalnys poisoning was caused by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, Seibert said. We once again call on Russia to make a statement on the incident, he added. We are closely consulting with our European partners regarding possible next steps. Seibert wouldnt identify the French and Swedish labs. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory, that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Navalny during a phone call Monday with Putin, Macron's office said. He confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, the statement said. The Kremlin said Putin in the call underlined the impropriety of unfounded accusations against the Russian side and emphasized Russias demand for Germany to hand over analyses and samples. Putin also called for joint work by German and Russian doctors. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a cabinet meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Putin says that a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use and one of his daughters has already been inoculated. Speaking at a government meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, Putin said that the vaccine has proven efficient during tests, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using the incident as a pretext to introduce new sanctions against Moscow. He said Navalnys life was saved by the pilots of the plane who quickly landed in the Siberian city of Omsk when he collapsed on board and by the rapid action of doctors there. The perfect action of pilots, ambulance crew and doctors is being presented as a happy coincidence, in the West, he told RTVI television in an interview broadcast Monday. They dare to question the professionalism of our doctors, our investigators, he said. Arrogance and a sense of ones own infallibility have been seen in Europe before, and the consequences were very sad. Lavrov, who has canceled a scheduled trip Tuesday to Berlin, said Russian authorities have conducted a preliminary inquiry and documented the meetings Navalny had before falling ill, but he emphasized they need to see the evidence of his poisoning to launch a full criminal investigation. We have our own laws, whereby we cannot believe someones say-so to open a criminal case, he said, adding that for now, we have no legal grounds for such a probe. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels on sharing evidence. With Germanys findings corroborated by labs abroad, we do not expect the bringer of the bad news namely us to be attacked further, but rather that they should deal with the news itself, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said of Russian authorities. Asked why no samples from Navalny have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr replied that Mr. Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Omsk said no evidence of poisoning could be found, adding he was too unstable to be transferred. A German charity sent a medical evacuation plane to bring him to Berlin, which it did after German doctors said he was stable enough to be moved. There are samples from Mr. Navalny on the Russian side, Adebahr said. The Russian side is called on, even after three independent labs have established the result, to explain itself, and Russia has ... all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. The 18-day monsoon session, which starts today, will test the robustness of Indias parliamentary system. The government wants to get the legislature to sign off on 40 bills during the session. Its legislative agenda will put pressure on Parliament to pass several bills every day. And with the two Houses meeting in shifts, there will be limited time for discussions. The Lok Sabha can sit late into the evening. But the Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) will have to finish their deliberations by lunch to make room for the Lok Sabha. There are no weekend breaks during the session, so the presiding officers, MPs and parliamentary staff are in for a physically gruelling time. MPs will also face the challenge of debating while being seated with their masks on. On the positive side, the session may see fewer disruptions with MPs spread across Parliament. On the other, discussions on audio and video links may reduce the liveliness of the proceedings. The session will begin on a sombre note. MPs will pay their tributes to former President, Pranab Mukherjee, who served five terms in the Rajya Sabha and was elected twice to the Lok Sabha. During his long parliamentary innings, he served as leader of both Houses and chaired several key committees. There will be a moment of silence in memory of three sitting Rajya Sabha MPs and one Lok Sabha MP H Vasanthakumar, who succumbed to Covid-19 last month. His last parliamentary intervention was to declare Covid-19 a national disaster. Parliamentary attention will then shift to the business at hand. In the Rajya Sabha, one of the first orders of business will be the election of the Deputy Chairman. The position fell vacant after Harivansh completed his term as MP earlier this year. He is now back in the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition is fielding Rashtriya Janta Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha against him. While Harivansh is expected to win easily due to depleted Opposition numbers, the election will be an early test of Opposition coordination in the session. In the Lok Sabha, the constitutional position of the Deputy Speaker has been vacant since last year, the longest in the history of Parliament. Opposition parties are demanding an election be held for this position. Since there is no Question Hour and a curtailed Zero Hour, Parliaments focus will be on law-making. Government plans to pass 11 ordinances and 12 new bills. The presiding officers of the two Houses will have to decide on which bills to take up for debate and which should be examined by a parliamentary committee. The legislative focus will be on four broad areas: Agriculture, labour, health and finance. Four agriculture-related bills will up for discussion during the session. Two of these are ordinances that create a framework for contract farming and a politically-contentious one which allows farmers to sell their produce outside of mandis. Another one is restricting the use of stock limits on farm produce to periods of sharp price rise. And the last one is regulating pesticide usage. Then there are three labour-related bills which were being scrutinised by a parliamentary committee. These bills are about the health and safety of workers, their social security and relations between them and their employers. The committee has submitted its report on these bills, clearing the way for their discussion in Parliament. In the health sector, first, there is an ordinance which provides punishment for harming health care workers who are performing their duties during the pandemic. Then there is a bill which prohibits commercial surrogacy that was passed by the Lok Sabha last year. A select committee of the Rajya Sabha gave its recommendations on this legal measure, and it will again come up for discussion before the Upper House. The government is also planning to get parliamentary approval for a bill regulating assisted reproductive technology. Another legislative proposal on the Rajya Sabhas list is about extending the time limit for terminating pregnancies. During the inter-session period, the government promulgated three ordinances related to finance. The first one extends the time limit for compliances under taxation and other laws. The second provides companies protection from bankruptcy proceedings. And the third brings the management, audit and winding up of co-operative banks under the control of Reserve Bank of India. The government will also be discussing its additional budgetary requirements during the session. While legislative business will be a priority, other items on the agenda for Parliament will be to discuss the governments handling of Covid-19, the border dispute with China, the plight of migrant labour and the countrys economic situation. The cyclone in Odisha and West Bengal and the floods in different parts of the country are other issues that may come up. The number of bills passed in the session will not be the only measure of its success. The spirit in which the government engages in the parliamentary debate will also be reflective of it. Will it only be defensive of its actions or be open to suggestions and criticism? Will the Opposition play the role of an alternative executive by recommending better ideas, or merely be adversarial? And finally, Parliaments rigour in scrutinising the governments legislative proposals will determine the strength of Indias parliamentary system. Chakshu Roy is the head of legislative and civic engagement, PRS Legislative Research The views expressed are personal A major new international study has provided a first worldwide insight into how soil erosion may be affecting the longevity of our soils. A major new international study has provided a first worldwide insight into how soil erosion may be affecting the longevity of our soils. The study, led by Lancaster University in collaboration with researchers from Chang'an University in China, and KU Leuven in Belgium, brought together soil erosion data from around the globe, spanning 255 locations across 38 countries on six continents. This data was used to calculate how long it would take for the top 30 cm of soil to erode at each location - the soil lifespan. The top layer of soil is often rich in nutrients and organic matter, making it important for growing food, fibres, feed and fuel. Soil erosion is a serious threat to global sustainability, endangering food security, driving desertification and biodiversity loss, and degrading ecosystems The study included soils that are conventionally farmed, as well as those managed using soil conservation techniques, to find out how changes to land use and management practices can extend the lifespans of soils. Researchers found more than 90 per cent of the conventionally farmed soils in the study were thinning, and 16 per cent had lifespans of less than a century. These rapidly thinning soils were found all over the world, including countries such as Australia, China, the UK, and the USA. "Our soils are critically important and we rely on them in many ways, not least to grow our food", says lead author Dr Dan Evans of Lancaster University. "There have been many headlines in recent years suggesting that the world's topsoil could be gone in 60 years, but these claims have not been supported with evidence. This study provides the first evidence-backed, globally relevant estimates of soil lifespans. "Our study shows that soil erosion is a critical threat to global soil sustainability, and we need urgent action to prevent further rapid loss of soils and their delivery of vital ecosystem services." However, there are causes for optimism. In the data, soils managed with conservation strategies tended to have longer lifespans, and in some cases these practices promoted soil thickening. Only seven per cent of soil under conservation management had lifespans shorter than a century, and nearly half exceeded 5,000 years. Co-author, Professor Jess Davies, also of Lancaster University, said: "Whilst 16 per cent of soils with lifespans shorter than 100 years is a more optimistic estimate than '60 harvests left', soil is a precious resource and we can't afford to lose that much over a human lifetime. "But importantly what our study also shows is that we have the tools and practices to make a difference - employing the appropriate conservation methods in the right place can really help protect and enhance our soil resource and the future of food and farming." Converting arable land to forest was found to be the best way to lengthen soil lifespans. However, other approaches that allow farming to continue, such as cover cropping, where plants are grown between cropping seasons to protect the soil, were also shown to be highly effective. The ploughing of land along contours rather than down slope, and hillslope terracing were similarly suggested as beneficial for lengthening soil lifespans. Professor John Quinton, of Lancaster University and co-author of the study, said: "It is clear that we have a conservation toolbox that can slow erosion and even grow soil. Action is needed to promote the adoption of these measures so that we can protect and enhance our soil resource for future generations." ### The study is detailed in the paper 'Soil lifespans and how they can be extended by land use and management change', published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The paper's authors are Dr. Daniel Evans, Professor John Quinton, and Professor Jessica Davies of Lancaster University, Dr. Jianlin Zhao of Chang'an University in China, and Professor Gerard Govers of KU Leuven in Belgium. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aba2fd A baby who suffers from kidney stones after drinking tainted milk powder, gets IV treatment at the Chengdu Children's Hospital in China's Sichuan Province, on Sept. 22, 2008. (China Photos/Getty Images) More Than Decade After Chinas Tainted Milk Scandal, Children Still Have Severe Health Problems To some parents in mainland China, Sept. 11 is a traumatizing date, as it marks the anniversary of Chinas most infamous food safety scandal. In 2008, a major manufacturer was found to have produced milk and infant formula powder tainted with a toxic chemical, and to this day, children who consumed the product as infants continue to exhibit health problems. My daughter is 13 years old now, and she is not in good condition, said Wang Hong (a pseudonym) in a recent interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times. She said that her daughter developed kidney stones after drinking the contaminated milk. When she was about 6 years old, the stones disappeared, but other health implications surfaced and she was later diagnosed with growth disorders, Wang said. Her daughter was shorter and skinnier than other children her age, and sufferers from swollen lymph nodes, as well as abnormal liver and kidney function. Later, she came down with epilepsy and now she is mentally retarded. Doctors said that she has the intelligence of a first or second grader. She should be in junior high school now. But she can only be homeschooled, Wang said. I taught her to make fried tomato eggs and how to write eggs [in Chinese], but she has a hard time memorizing them. Her dad asked her whats the sum of 50 and 50, and she said 60. On Sept. 11, 2008, Chinese milk powder maker Sanlu Group announced a recall of some of its products because they were contaminated with the poisonous chemical compound melamine. On the same day, there were reports of 59 cases of babies developing kidney stones and one death in the north-central Gansu Province after consuming Sanlus milk powder. Melamine is a synthetic compound with many industrial applications. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, its used in the manufacture of some cooking utensils, paper, industrial coatings, and other things. It isnt approved to be a direct additive to human food or animal feed. Sanlu added melamine to inflate the protein content of its milk powder, as the synthetic compound is rich in nitrogen, to pass quality-control testing. While its difficult to assess the true number of children affected given Chinas pattern of covering up scandals, former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a 2010 state media interview that at least 30 million children were affected by the tainted milk powder. Chinese state-run media reported that the Chinese regime would set aside 2 billion yuan ($292 million) to compensate victims. However, many parents have complained about not being compensated, and were silenced when they tried to petition for justice for their children. Wang says her family is in financial trouble and that Chinese authorities arent helping enough. My daughter began taking anti-epileptic drugs when she was 5 years old, which costs us nearly 1,000 yuan ($146) every month, she says. As a person with a disability, Wangs daughter gets about 200 yuan ($29) from social security and 60 yuan ($8.70) in government disability benefits every month, Wang says. Children are the hope of any family. After she became sick and then diagnosed with mental retardation, it has been a huge psychological blow to me and my husband, she says. Another parent, Jin Ning (also a pseudonym), says her daughter in junior high school is outgoing and doing well academically. However, she often complains of pain in her kidneys, and she also has some problems with her bladder. Jin said that while there are memorials every year in the United States for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Chinese people are slowly forgetting about what happened in China on Sept. 11 more than a decade ago. Jin added that victims sometimes wore T-shirts bearing the words, Remembering China 911, and local authorities would question why they were wearing the shirt. Dont forget about China 911, Jin urged. Xiang Yu (a pseudonym) said he was lucky because his child, despite having consumed the tainted powder, turned out to be healthy. The compensation offered by the government was unfair. My child had mild symptoms and was not qualified for any compensation. I filed a lawsuit in court, and the court rejected my case, Xiang said. Xiang said he learned from social media chat groups created by victims family members that local insurance companies turned a blind eye when some parents tried to seek compensation. Because authorities shut down many of the chat groups and victims slowly lost contact with each other, Xiang said it feels like China is forgetting about the scandal. Zhao Lianhai, founder of the advocacy group Home for the Kidney Stone Babies, has a son who became sick after drinking tainted milk. In 2010, Zhao was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for disturbing social order after he helped organize a gathering in Beijing of victims parents and he accepted media interviews. Maharashtra accounts for 40 per cent total deaths in the country due to Covid-19, hence Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should fight against Covid-19 rather than the opposition or actor Kangana Ranaut, said Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra BJP leader. Today in Maharashtra there are more than 10 lakh Covid-19 patients and our state accounts for 40 per cent total deaths in the country.... Firstly, our Chief Minister should fight against coronavirus rather than opposition or Kangana, said Fadnavis. Speaking about Bihar elections, Fadnavis said, We will practise making man to man contact while maintaining physical distancing. The credibility of our opposition parties has ended. People will bless our alliance. Earlier on Sunday, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis in Bihars Ara said that the beating up of a former Naval officer in Mumbai is a kind of state-sponsored terror, and reiterated that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should stop the gunda raj. What happened is very wrong. This is a kind of state-sponsored terror. As I did through my tweet yesterday, I call upon the Chief Minister to stop this gunda raj. Six people were arrested yesterday after pressure from the media but were released within 10 minutes. I do not think Maharashtra has ever seen such a situation before, Fadnavis said while speaking to the media here. Fadnavis reached Bihar on Friday ahead of the state assembly elections along with BJP national president JP Nadda as part of his two-day visit to poll-bound Bihar. Earlier on Friday, Madan Sharma, a former Navy officer alleged that he was beaten up by goons from the Shiv Sena after he forwarded a message on WhatsApp. An extremely sad and shocking incident. A retired naval officer got beaten up by goons because of just a WhatsApp forward. Please stop this Gunda Raj Hon Uddhav Thackeray ji. We demand strong action and punishment for these goons, Fadnavis had tweeted on Friday, along with a picture of the officer.Six people were arrested in connection with the incident on Saturday. We on the management team are so proud of our agents, as once again they have stepped up and shown how seriously they adhere to Anserve's Core Values, says Anserve Vice President Nancy Ward. Anserve, Inc. of Butler, NJ received the exclusive ATSI 2020 Award of Excellence for the sixth straight year. The award is presented annually by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI), the telephone answering service industrys trade association. The award was presented to Anserve at ATSIs 2020 Virtual Awards Presentation in August. The ATSI Award of Excellence is a great way for our members and their employees to evaluate how they are providing service to their customers, says ATSI President Joseph Pores. We have members that have been involved in the program for decades and are very proud each year when they win the award. The award started 24 years ago as a vehicle to improve the overall quality of the answering service industry by setting expectations and to ensure a successful call-handling experience across the industry. To determine award winners, independent judges are contracted by ATSI to evaluate message services over a six-month period. The evaluation criteria include response time, the courteousness of the phone rep, accuracy of the call, knowledge of the account, overall impression of the call. Now a six-time winner, Anserve recognizes that their agents are the reason for their repeated success. We on the management team are so proud of our agents, as once again they have stepped up and shown how seriously they adhere to Anserve's Core Values: Accountability, Customers First, Foster a Positive Atmosphere, Integrity, and Team Player, says Anserve Vice President Nancy Ward. By bringing ATSI's Award of Excellence home for the sixth consecutive year, they have shown that they are true winners EVERY day! Adds Quality Assurance Coordinator Danielle Prtune, For the sixth consecutive year, Anserve Inc. wins the ATSI Award of Excellence by employing compassionate employees who deliver superior service where every call matters! Anserve strives to meet and exceed both the callers and the clients expectations for customer service. They offer secure answering services, including HIPAA compliance where applicable, and bilingual agents who can speak over 200 languages. About Anserve: Anserve provides state-of-the-art answering services to contractors, medical and healthcare practices, hospice care, real estate, property management companies, and law offices. Get 24/7 high-quality, specialized answering services all for business types. We will take your business to the next level. For more information visit: http://www.anserve.com About ATSI: The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) was founded in 1942 as a national trade association that represents live answering services. ATSI now encompasses companies across North America and the UK. It stands to reason you probably wouldn't throw a large house party if you tested positive for COVID-19. But that wasn't the case for some students at Miami University of Ohio. When Oxford police arrived to break up a large house party hosted by students over Labor Day weekend, officers discovered one student had tested positive for COVID-19 and been ordered to quarantine a week prior. Bodycam video from the Oxford Police Department shows several students sitting on the porch, unmasked, drinking and listening to music, according to report from WOIO. "I WILL NEVER FORGET THESE WEEKS": Houston ICU doc describes what it's like on COVID-19 frontlines "How many people are in the house? Twenty people inside? You might want to start clearing out, please," one officer ordered the students in the video. After running one student's identification, an officer calls him over. "I've never seen this before, there's an input on the computer that said you tested positive for COVID?" The officer asked the student. The student then informed the officer that everyone at the party has coronavirus. "How many other people have COVID?" the officer asked. "They all do," the student answered, gesturing to other roommates. After the incident, police fined the six men in the house and a guest $500 each. "This particular case is egregious, but I think for the most part, by in large, the students have been very well behaved," Oxford Police Department's Lt. Lara Fening told WKRC. According to Miami University of Ohio health officials, more than 1,243 students at the school have tested positive for coronavirus in cumulative cases since mid-August. Miami University officials say they charge mass gathering citations under endangering public health and safety in the student code of conduct. This violation typically calls for suspension, according to WKRC. "We take these matters most seriously, and students can face suspension or dismissal for these types of violations," a spokesperson for the university told CBS News. According to the Miami University health officials, all students returning to campus for in-person learning must be tested for coronavirus before moving into dorms. "We want to stay safe; we want to be healthy. We want everyone around us to be healthy. We want this town to be thriving. We don't want this town to be shut down again. We want the underclassmen to come back," Fening said. Loading "If you look at places like New York, they have been able to get their hospitality sector back to something approaching normal, faster than what would otherwise have been the case because they have used the footpath and kerbside parking and taken public space and turned it into pop-up cafes, restaurants, bars," the Premier said. "That is what we will do. We will change the way the city operates and the suburbs and regional cities." The Premier said the state government was keen to avoid unnecessary "bureaucratic delays" in allowing businesses to move outside. "I say to local government across the board, we are happy to support you to expedite the planning arrangements here, but there needs to be some urgency with this," he said. "We don't want bureaucratic delays. We don't want arguments and debates. We want as many people seated in as quick a time as possible, utilising public space that has never been on offer previously ... because this challenge is absolutely unprecedented." Joel McKenzie, owner and manager of boutique cocktail venue Bar Clara in Little Bourke Street, shut up shop in late March. Since then he has been offering a cocktail delivery service, but said it was barely paying the bills. He welcomed the announcement, but said most venues would need to be able to serve a certain number of people to make the experiment financially viable. "I think most people want to get up and trading again, so it it's going to work for us, then that's a good thing." Loading Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula said grants would be made available to 16,500 businesses in the city, which employ some 470,000 people. The city recovery package was welcomed by lord mayor Sally Capp, who has been lobbying for greater direct support for the CBD's businesses, which have suffered far greater financial pain than suburban businesses. Cr Capp said as well as outdoor trading, the funding would go towards increased marketing, events and entertainment to attract workers and visitors back to the city. Town Hall will also waive permit fees, and the funding will pay for vacant shopfronts to be used for art installations and pop-ups. This fund will provide support for businesses to trade safely and help encourage customers back into the city once restrictions ease," Cr Capp said. "These businesses are part of the fabric of our city and will be crucial to our recovery." Modelling conducted by PWC and released last week predicted inner Melbourne could lose 79,000 jobs annually, and bleed more than $110 billion in revenue over the next five years, as the COVID-19 recession savages the central city. It showed the Andrews government's decision last month to move from stage three to stage four restrictions will cost the city's economy $61 billion over five years although the modelling did not take into account the economic or health impacts of a worsening pandemic. Job losses across Victoria have already far eclipsed the height of the 1990s recession and are projected to hit almost 400,000 annually over five years. The PwC modelling predicted 22,900 jobs will be lost in Melbourne's accommodation and food services sectors alone this year, equivalent to $1.99 billion in forgone revenue. Under the government's plan to leave lockdown, hospitality businesses will be able to reopen for limited dining and retail businesses will reopen from October 26 if the 14-day COVID-19 case average has fallen to five or fewer, with no more than five cases of an unknown origin. Monday's funding package is designed to offer practical support to help CBD businesses stay afloat. Restaurants and bars will be able to apply for funding for outdoor seating, and screens to separate dining areas, and set up their operations on footpaths and some streets in the CBD. Loading Funding will also be made available to help small- and medium-sized businesses be "COVID safe", and to run cultural activities and events safely. Before Melbourne's rolling lockdowns first took effect, almost 1 million people travelled into a bustling CBD each day. Last month the number of pedestrians travelling into the city centre fell by 90 per cent. The effect on businesses has been devastating. With foot traffic mostly gone, the City of Melbourne estimates retail vacancy rates will rise from 3 per cent before lockdown to 7 per cent. On Saturday, Mr Andrews predicted this would be a "summer like no other", as Victorians come together in the knowledge that coronavirus case numbers had been beaten down. Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Germany's ambassador in Tehran on September 14 over a tweet condemning the execution of a champion wrestler convicted of murder, calling the German reaction an "interference in the internal affairs" of the country. Iranian authorities say Navid Afkari, 27, was executed two days earlier following a trial that was condemned by human rights groups as fraudulent, triggering a chorus of international condemnation. Afkari was convicted of killing a security guard with the government's water and sewage department in the southern city of Shiraz during mass anti-government protests in 2018. It is not acceptable for legal constitutions to be ignored in order to silence dissenting voices, the German Embassy in Tehran said in a September 13 post on Twitter. Afkaris two imprisoned brothers need our solidarity, it added. Iran's Foreign Ministry said in its September 14 statement that it "strongly condemned" the tweet and told German Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel that "interference in the laws, regulations, and judicial procedures of the Islamic Republic of Iran is not tolerable in any way." Separately, Iran's Justice Department said that "foreign embassies should not become the mouthpiece for Iranian opposition groups and should at the very least adhere to diplomatic norms." "Pressure from abroad" would undermine neither the Iranian justice system nor the laws that govern the country, said Ali Bagheri, deputy head of the department's office for international affairs. The official did not mention Afkari by name or which embassies he was referring to. Meanwhile, a German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman cited considerable doubts about the rule of law in the proceedings of Afkaris case and allegations that he "confessed only under torture." Iran's judiciary has denied the torture claims made by Afkaris family and activists. EU Foreign Affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said that the bloc is opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances and cases with no exception. It is a cruel and inhumane punishment, Stano added. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the execution of Afkari "a vicious and cruel act." The International Olympic Committee said it was "deeply upsetting" that pleas by athletes from around the world and international bodies had failed to halt it. Afkari was a national champion in wrestling, which is a widely popular sport with a long and deep history in Iran and often referred to as the country's "first sport." His two brothers, Vahid and Habib, were sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison in the same case, rights activists have said. With reporting by AFP NEENAH, Wis., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TIDI Products, a premier designer, developer, and manufacturer of medical devices, has partnered with Amazon Business to provide personal protective equipment, including eyewear, face shields, and other necessary products to healthcare providers on the front lines. TIDI's new Amazon Business storefront features PPE manufactured in North America, including the TIDIShield Grab 'n Go Eyewear Tower, which includes fully assembled, single-use, disposable eyewear designed to protect healthcare providers from the risk of eye splash, eye injury, and the risk of cross-contamination. The gravity-fed dispenser can be mounted at the point of care for convenience and staff compliance. "As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, TIDI remains committed to our mission of 'Support Caregivers, Protect Patients,'" says Jennifer Jones, Vice President of Marketing. "This support includes developing new PPE options to help keep healthcare providers safe. We're excited about our partnership with Amazon Business and the opportunity to make our domestically-produced PPE solutions more broadly available." TIDI Products has a history of providing forward-looking solutions to healthcare professionalssolutions that help reduce the risk of contamination and deliver the highest-quality patient care. To learn more, visit www.tidiproducts.com. CONTACT: Catie Malooly [email protected] SOURCE TIDI Products, LLC Additional reporting from Reuters and Press Association UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been forced to defend the controversial Internal Market Bill, which is currently behind debated in the House of Commons, after members of his own party voiced their disapproval of the bill. The Internal Market Bill is a piece of legislation Mr Johnson is attempting to pass through the UK Houses of Parliament to ensure goods can continue to move freely throughout the United Kingdom. However, the legislation clashes with key aspects of the UK's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, a major point of which is ensuring no hard-border would exist on the island of Ireland. Politicians from the EU and UK have voiced their concerns that the UK's proposed legislation would constitute a breach of international law, seeing as it would seek to nullify aspects of an international treaty. Advertisement The UKs Internal Market Bill Protects the sovereignty of the United Kingdom Provides certainty for business Preserves our commitment to the people of Northern Ireland pic.twitter.com/1yBsTW0hIF UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 14, 2020 Conservative Party Speaking in the Commons this evening, Mr Johnson said that the bill was needed because the European Union had not taken a "revolver off the table" in trade talks. Mr Johnson accused the EU of threatening to use the withdrawal treaty agreed in January to put up trade barriers between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, and even to impose a food blockade. He said the bill would stop the EU using part of the Brexit divorce deal relating to Northern Ireland as leverage by threatening to block exports from elsewhere in the UK to the province. "The intention of this bill is clearly to stop any such use of the stick against this country," he said. "That's what it does. It's a protection, it's a safety net, it's an insurance policy and it's a very sensible measure." Despite his assertions as to the benefits of the bill, Mr Johnson is facing a growing rebellion from lawmakers in his own Conservative Party. All of Britain's living former prime ministers have expressed concern about his plan. Advertisement His previous finance minister, Sajid Javid, said he could not support the bill unless it was amended. "Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly," Mr Javid said in statement. "Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so." Conservative lawmaker Rehman Chishti, who was Mr Johnson's special envoy for freedom of religion, quit his role over the issue while Mr Johnson's former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was also critical. "No British minister should solemnly undertake to observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back," Mr Cox said in The Times newspaper. Westminster opposition parties Mr Johnson's opposition in Westminster accused the Prime Minister of trashing the country's reputation by putting forward the bill. The Labour Party's policy chief on business, Ed Miliband said: "I never thought respecting international law would in my lifetime be a matter of disagreement [in parliament]. "I could never have imagined [Mr Johnson] coming along and saying 'we are going to legislate to break international law on an agreement we signed less than a year ago'." Mr Miliband said the Prime Minister had united his five living predecessors as British prime minister, both Labour and Conservative, in opposition to his law-breaking bill. Advertisement "He is trashing the reputation of this country and he is trashing the reputation of his office," said Mr Miliband. The Scottish National Party, backed by the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SDLP also want to stop the bill, saying it breaches international law and the devolution settlement in the UK. A separate SDLP motion says the bill should be stopped because it is an outright violation of the Good Friday Agreement. Pete Wishart, SNP chairman of the Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee, told MPs: Never before has there been such a sustained attack on our Parliament or our democracy. The invention and development of the idea of a UK single market has been one of the most spectacular, dishonest pieces of political chicanery we have ever witnessed in recent times. The bare-faced nonsense of this being a power surge is contradicted by practically every detail of this Bill. He said clause 46 of the Bill allows the UK Government to legislate directly in devolved responsibilities, adding: Its a mechanism designed to bypass the Scottish government. However, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross denied the Bill was a power grab. Northern Ireland In the North, First Minister Arlene Foster has criticised the EU, saying they were using Northern Ireland as a "plaything" in negotiations. Advertisement Speaking about the issue in the Assembly, Mrs Foster said: The EU needs to stop using Northern Ireland to get their own way. We are not the plaything of the European Union and it causes great difficulties here in Northern Ireland when people use Northern Ireland in that fashion. She said her hope is the contention around the protocol can be removed with the striking of a comprehensive zero-tariff free trade agreement between the UK and EU, adding that she was amazed that the UK/EU Joint Committee had not yet found a way agree on issues such as state aid and at-risk goods. Sinn Fein have spoken out against the proposed bill, with MP for South Down Chris Hazzard saying the UK government's Brexit plans were "a direct attack on the Good Friday Agreement and devolution". The British Government's new Brexit plans are a direct attack on the Good Friday Agreement and devolution. @ChrisHazzardSF #Brexit pic.twitter.com/o8oU8xvh08 Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) September 14, 2020 Republic of Ireland In the south, the Internal Market Bill has been met with criticism and disbelief. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said he still believes the UK's latest approach to Brexit is a negotiating tactic. Advertisement "I think that most likely this is a negotiating strategy to try to create a lot of tension, to create some straw men that they can knock over in these negotiations as they draw to a close," he said. He added: "That I think is the most optimistic reading of this." This evening, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar made comments in a similar vain, saying it would be a shame to see the UK become a country that does not uphold international agreements. "I do hope it's a negotiating tactic, because then we could continue to negotiate and come to the free trade agreement that all sides say they want. "If it's not a negotiating tactic, it means that Britain has become a very different country, that Britain has become one of those few countries in Europe that doesn't honour treaties and doesn't respect international law. "It would be a really great shame for a country like the United Kingdom to become a shadow of its former self." Europe Chief negotiate for the EU, Michel Barnier tweeted that the Withdrawal Agreement is not a threat to the "integrity of the UK", adding that "sticking to the facts is essential", saying the EU was not refusing to list the UK as a third country in regards the movement of food. Protocol on IE/NI is not a threat to the integrity of the UK. We agreed this delicate compromise with @BorisJohnson & his gov in order to protect peace & stability on island of Ireland. We could not have been clearer about the consequences of #Brexit [1/2] Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 13, 2020 Last week, President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she was concerned about the UK's intentions to breach the Withdrawal Agreement, adding that it would also "break international law and undermine trust." The Intra-Afghan talks being held in Qatar have made some progress following Sundays contact group session. The peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban began on September 12 in Qatars capital of Doha after Afghanistan released the last batch of Taliban prisoners, prompting the Taliban to agree to a concrete date for the talks. Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Make Progress Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, in a press conference said that the Afghan peace talks will be a lengthy affair, but the talks will be worth it as the Afghan people wish for the violence and death to end as soon as possible. No concrete timeline for the discussion has been provided for the peace talks that signify the first direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The first meeting between the contact groups of the two negotiation teams took place today. In this meeting code of conduct between two sides, schedules of upcoming meetings and relevant issues were discussed and progress were made. #AfgPeaceProcess Nader Nadery (@N_Nadery) September 13, 2020 Read: Afghanistan Leader Mohammed Haneef Atmar Thanks India For Its Commitment To Afghan Peace Read: US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo To Attend Intra-Afghan Peace Talks In Qatar Back in February this year, the Taliban and Washington signed a peace agreement wherein the US agreed to move troops out of Afghanistan and both the Taliban and the Afghan government agreed to prisoner exchanges following which the peace negotiation between Afghanistan and the Taliban could begin. The talks had been delayed because the Afghan government was hesitant in releasing the last batch of 400 Taliban prisoners stating that they were all dangerous prisoners who had committed heinous crimes. But eventually, after discussions, the last 400 prisoners were released and the talks could begin. The intra-Afghanistan Peace talks are being considered a diplomatic breakthrough that could potentially stabilise the war-torn country after nearly four decades of conflict. Mike Pompeo, in a statement, said the peace talks were a historic opportunity to end the conflict in the country as the people of Afghanistan have carried the burden of war for too long. Read: Mike Pompeo, Taliban, Afghan Govt Representatives Meet In Qatar For Talks Read: Pompeo Addresses Afghan Peace Talks In Qatar (Image credits: AP) SPRINGFIELD Pope Francis Preparatory School is switching to remote-only instruction for at least two weeks after a student there tested positive for COVID-19. The school year began on Aug. 27 with in-person instruction at the parochial high school. However, a student was diagnosed with coronavirus last week. It was found that two other youths who associated with that student on non-school teams have also tested positive, according to Head of School Paul Harrington. There is no evidence that transmission has occurred through the school. The remote learning period will last a minimum of two weeks with a tentative return date of Sept. 29. At that time, the reentry process may begin under a hybrid plan, he said. I am grateful for the time we have had with in-person learning and I am very disappointed that we find ourselves shifting gears at this time, Harrington said in an email to parents on Monday. For the benefit of our entire school community, I ask that you continue to do your part, both on and especially off campus, to stay healthy by following the same protocols we use at school from mask wearing to hand washing to social distancing. Harrington said the school has been in contact with municipal health officials in the various cities and towns that it serves. The school has an enrollment of 370 students. Last week, the Ludlow and Granby public school systems each reported that a member of their respective communities had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Ludlow identified the individual as working at East Street Elementary School, while Granby did not provide details. Both schools reportedly underwent extensive cleaning after the incidents. Related content: Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Decorative tiles are made from different materials such as ceramic, porcelain, marble, as well as, stone. These tiles are specifically designed to suit the construction theme. These tiles are used to enhance the value of the construction by adding personality to the wall or floor and adding depth to the interior design. As per the report, Market Research Future (MRFR) has stated that the global decorative tiles market is likely to record a healthy CAGR of 4.23% during the forecast period. Various factors are likely to be responsible for the decorative tiles market growth. Governments in various countries have started announcing supportive initiatives to promote their construction sector. Further, an increase in the disposable income of the population in emerging economies is anticipated to contribute heavily to the rising investors and buyers of property. Moreover, lower down payments required to book homes has encouraged many homebuyers to apply for bank loans, in turn, elevating growth in the construction sector. However, even though many factors are propelling the demand for decorative tiles, some factors are posing as market restraints in the long run. One of the primary factors is the lack of experienced and trained workers in the decorative tiles domain. ALSO READ: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/global-decorative-tiles-market-2020-covid-19-outbreak-and-global-countries-data-78-cagr-projection-over-the-next-five-years-predicts-market-research-future-with-market-size-growthkey-vendors-top-most-regions-2020-07-01 Market Segmentation MRFR segments the global decorative tiles market on the basis of product, end-use, application, and region. The global decorative tiles market is segmented into ceramic tiles, stone tiles, and porcelain tiles based on product. The ceramic tiles segment held the biggest market share of 47.92% in 2016 with a USD 53,805.1 million market value. The ceramic tiles segment is also projected to harness a 3.98% CAGR through the forecast period. Factors causative to the growth of the ceramic tiles segment include easy maintenance and high durability of the tiles. Also, ceramic tiles are scratch proof, encouraging a high adoption rate of the same. Porcelain tiles segment was the second largest market share, following the ceramic tiles segment, in 2016. During the same year, the porcelain tiles segment was valued at USD 28,530.6 million. Porcelain tiles boast a low water absorption rate, are denser and also have higher durability than ceramic tiles, fueling substantial growth to the segment. The porcelain tiles segment is estimated to garner the uppermost CAGR at 4.14% during the review period. Whereas, the stone tiles segment is anticipated to ascend at 3.82% CAGR by the end of 2023. On the basis of application, the global decorative tiles market is segmented into floors and walls. The floors segment accounted for the biggest market share of 54.56% in 2016, holding a market value of USD 61,260.6 million. The floors segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.42%, garnering the highest growth during the forecast period. Factors contributing to the growth of the floors segment include changing consumer preferences and rising aesthetic values in the private construction sector. The walls segment is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.46% during the forecast period. Tiles on walls are usually used for decorative and design enhancement purposes. Based on end use, the decorative tiles market is segmented into residential and commercial the residential sector is anticipated to create the largest demand for decorative tiles during the forecast period. The residential segment was valued at USD 64,775 million in 2016, and it held a 57.69% market share for decorative tiles. It is also estimated to record a 4.37% CAGR during the forecast period. Factors contributing to the growth of the residential and private construction sector include the rising disposable incomes and an increasing focus on visually pleasing aesthetics. The commercial segment is anticipated to showcase a 3.34% CAGR during the review period. It was valued at USD 47,506.2 million in 2016. Detailed Regional Analysis The global decorative tiles market is geographically segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific is assessed to grasp the largest market share and grow at the highest CAGR of 4.23% through the assessment period. With an increase in the number of supermarkets in Asia Pacific is anticipated to propel growth in the region. Europe is likely to grow at a CAGR of 3.60% during the review period. North America will witness a 3.44% CAGR during the forecast period. Key Players Some of the remarkable players in the global decorative tiles market include RAK Ceramics (UAE), The Siam Cement Public Company Limited (Thailand), Group Lamosa (Mexico), Roca Sanitario, S.A. (Spain), Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche S.p.A (Italy), Gruppo Concorde S.p.A. (Italy), Mohawk Industries, Inc. (U.S.), Kajaria Ceramics Limited (India), Pamesa Ceramica SL (Spain), and Guangdong Dongpeng Ceramic Co., Ltd. (China). Industry Update March 2019: Rwanda Polytechnic has developed recycled tiles that are sustainable, in collaboration with Coldharbour Tile. These tiles are made from recycled plastic. Coldharbour Tile is a venture that uses high-density polyethylene to create these decorative tiles. FOR MORE DETAILS https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/decorative-tile-market-4277 Eighty-year-old Gloria Smith sits down alone on the carpet of her central Mountain home with a set of dominoes. My right hand and my left one are the two players, she says. The only sounds she hears from people most days are from her television set. Smith is among the Hamilton seniors living alone during the pandemic dealing with loneliness from months of staying at home. A few weeks ago, she received her first check-up call from a volunteer at the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association, and she said it made a difference. Its good to hear somebodys voice on the phone, she said. We make each other laugh. The group launched a project which pairs youth with seniors for regular phone calls to help them feel less alone. The pilot encourages volunteers from the Afro Canadian Caribbean community to participate to encourage interaction within a shared cultural context. The initiative, which has been described as having a virtual grandparent, comes just in time for National Grandparents Day on Sunday. Before the pandemic, Smith volunteered as a server for Meals on Wheels, knocking on doors to make deliveries. But once the lockdown started, she stayed home. It really drives me nuts, said the longtime member of the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association. Stephanie Tavares, a 27-year-old nurse, is the volunteer paired with Smith for the calls. Shes like the same age as my grandma, so its nice checking in with her and catching up and keeping her company, said Tavares. Tavares noted she and Smith both share a Jamaican background, which helped her break the ice. Its nice to have that familiar person to talk with, Tavares said. Evelyn Myrie, president of the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association, said one of the goals of the project is to build relationships across generations. It allows the older people to learn a bit more about the younger people and break down any misunderstandings, she said. On the flip side, a young person might learn something from an older person and develop a greater value for seniors. Myrie said the initiative is still in its infancy, and it may eventually expand to include other racial and cultural communities. Smith continues to look forward to the calls. Its nice company she said. When youre by yourself and you have nobody else to talk to, when you hear the phone ring, you run for it. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Office of STEM Engagement is kicking off the new school year with Join Artemis Week, today through Sept. 18, with resources and opportunities to inspire and engage students of all ages in the future of space exploration. NASA's Artemis program will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before, and every student is part of the Artemis Generation. Scheduled activities include (all times Eastern): Today Educator Opportunities Join the NASA STEM Engagement & Educator Professional Development Collaborative at Texas State University for two webinars. 4:30 p.m. SLS, Artemis and Mars 2020, presented in Spanish In this seminar we will talk about the Artemis program and the Mars 2020 mission and explore related educational resources. 6 p.m. STEM Resources for the Artemis Generation Explore all the resources NASA has developed to help educators engage students at all grade levels in the Artemis program. Tuesday, Sept. 15 Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest NASA is challenging K-12 students to imagine they will lead a crew of astronauts on a one-week expedition to the Moon's South Pole, and then write about it. Every student who submits an essay will receive an official certificate and invitation to a virtual event featuring a NASA astronaut. Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston next summer to learn about lunar exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis test launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 3:30 p.m. NASA STEM Stars will host a special episode featuring Deputy Certification Manager Pedro Lopez. Learn about the importance of humans returning to the Moon and how Artemis I will take them there. Lopez will answer questions about pursuing careers in STEM during this interactive event for students ages 13 and up. Thursday, Sept. 17 STEM Opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions Check out NASA STEM's YouTube channel in the morning for a discussion with representatives from NASA's Minority University Research Education Project and Artemis Student Challenge officials, in which they talk about how minority serving institutions can get involved and help shape the future of space exploration. Students also can participate in the NASA Student Launch Challenge, in which middle school, high school, college, and university students across the United States design, build, test, and launch to at least 3,500 feet above the ground, and land a high-powered amateur rocket. Learn about other Artemis Student Challenges and registration deadlines at https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/. For more information on NASA's STEM engagement efforts, visit: http://stem.nasa.gov SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov Two additional UConn students have tested positive for COVID-19, according to university officials. According to its coronavirus dashboard on Sunday evening, one of the students was a resident on the Storrs campus and the other was a commuter. The university is reporting 32 active cases of the virus among on-campus residents. Of the cumulative 122 Storrs campus residents to test positive for the virus, the university said 118 have recovered and left isolation. It said the on-campus positive rate is 0.64 percent. UConn reports there were 93 off-campus positive cases, noting there were no new confirmed cases among UConn Stamford and UConn Hartford commuter students nor among faculty or staff who will be regularly working on the main campus. No positives have been recorded among residential UConn Stamford students or among Waterbury and Avery Point commuter students, Stephanie Reitz, a university spokeswoman, said in an email Sunday. According to Sacred Heart University, there were no new cases over the weekend, but seven confirmed cases in the past week. The university said there had been 31 cumulative cases since Aug. 27. Central Connecticut State University reported three new resident students and staff for a total of 10 positive cases in that demographics. It said there were 12 students in quarantine and 12 in isolation. As of the most recent information, Connecticut College reported five students to have tested positive since the school year began, with two students testing positive the week of Sept. 7. Florida senator Rick Scott has an advanced degree in winning Hispanic voters as a Republican. It has buoyed him in all his races, most recently his victory in his 2018 Senate race after serving two terms as governor, so he seems a logical person to ask about President Donald Trumps eye-popping improvement among Hispanics in Florida. A Marist/NBC poll last week had Trump narrowly ahead of Biden among Hispanics in Florida, and the president is leading handily among Cuban Americans. Scotts bottom line: What I did, as governor, is I showed up, and Trumps doing the same thing. By showing up, Scott means relentless community outreach and connecting on issues important to Hispanic voters. On jobs, for instance, he says, What I did is I went and announced jobs in all types of businesses, but a lot of the Hispanic businesses, I highlighted them. I created these awards, and I gave the Governors Business Ambassador Award to businesses that had added jobs. He identified himself with the deep-felt anti-Communism of exile communities. I did a lot of rallies against Maduro, a lot of events against the Castro regime, and people care, Scott says. They walked away from socialism. Theyve had to leave from countries that became socialist. And he attended to the needs of Puerto Rico, hit by a devastating hurricane that had added to the population of Puerto Ricans in Florida. I worked hard, Scott says. We opened relief centers in the Orlando and in the Miami airports. I went to Puerto Rico eleven times. I took utilities over, I took goods over. We put in a lot of effort. I sent my agency heads over to be helpful in Puerto Rico after the hurricanes. And Ive done relief efforts after the earthquake, all these things. People see that. Trump isnt Floridas governor, so he obviously isnt going to hold anything like the number of events that Scott did, but the president and Vice President Pence have been in South Florida constantly, often at anti-Maduro events. Story continues Pence rolled out Latinos for Trump in Miami in June of last year, although the group hadnt really stopped its outreach since the 2016 campaign. Its made millions of voter contacts. Meanwhile, according to Politico, Trump has been outspending Biden in the MiamiFort Lauderdale media market, much of it in the form of Spanish-language ads. The Trump team considers the Democrats culturally tone-deaf, whether its the attempted boycott of Goya, a staple of Cuban-American households; the push to use the ridiculous term Latinx; or the emphasis on the word progressive, which echoes the self-description of Latin Americas Communist regimes. On issues, per Scott, it is the basic trifecta of jobs, education, and public safety that resonates with Hispanic voters. What people dont understand, in my opinion, is that Hispanics are just like you and me, he says. They love their family, they love their church. They want jobs, they want their futures, their kids education. And they want to be in a safe community. Hawkishness on the border is not, contrary to the conventional wisdom, a showstopper. They want the immigration laws enforced, Scott observes. They busted their butt to come here legally, and they believe people ought to do it legally. They know that legal immigration is good for the country. Illegal immigrations bad for a country. Scott sees Trump as having an advantage over Biden on jobs, and the socialism issue as hurting Biden, both as a general matter and specifically with regard to policy toward the Castro and Maduro regimes. Trump cares about holding the dictators in Cuba and Venezuela and Nicaragua accountable, and Bidens just the opposite, according to Scott. He cozies himself up to dictators. He looks to appease Raul Castro Biden and Obama did versus Trump, who has done all sorts of things to try to hold the Castro regime accountable. Biden did nothing on Maduro. And the anti-police rhetoric on the left isnt doing Democrats any favors, either. This defund the police stuff? Scott says. I mean, they want to live in a safe community. If you look at the immigrant mentality the immigrant mentality is they dont like socialism, they want to be safe, they want a rule of law; they want people to follow the law because thats what they hated about their countries. Although Cuban Americans have historically been more Republican than other Hispanic groups, they had been trending more Democratic over the last ten years or so. The conventional wisdom was that Obamas opening to Cuba signified a new stage in Cuban-American politics, but that hasnt proven true in part because of the rise of explicit socialists within the Democratic Party. Now, Donald Trump, who is presumed to be anathema to all Hispanics, has notably enhanced his standing with these voters in a material boost to his chances in a must-win swing state. Senator Scott has no doubt what the outcome will be in Florida: Oh, Trumps going to win. I told Trump this back in 16 all the polls said I would lose in all three of my races, and I won. Right? Because the polls are generally in my races it looked like they were off three to seven points. So if the polls are saying Trumps tied, hes up three to seven points. Be that as it may, theres no doubt that Florida has given Republicans an important template for showing up going forward. More from National Review By PTI SHILLONG: Meghalaya Power Minister James P K Sangma has tested positive for COVID-19 during a re-test, a senior health official said on Monday. His brother Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong have also been tested for coronavirus and the results are awaited, they said. The three ministers had travelled together to New Delhi and then to Imphal where James tested positive for COID-19 on his arrival at the airport, the official said. "The power minister tested positive during a retest conducted by RT- PCR," the official said. One of the drivers at the chief minister's bungalow here tested positive too prompting the health authorities to conduct tests on all 70 people living in the premises, he said. The results are awaited and the entire area has been sanitised. As the chief minister and his deputy have returned from another state, both have been quarantined for seven days, the health official said. Meanwhile, another 11 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Raj Bhavan here increasing the tally to 41, the offical said. She welcomed her second child seven weeks ago as lockdown restrictions began to ease. And Vogue Williams spoke candidly about caring for a newborn amid the Covid pandemic as she appeared on Steph's Packed Lunch with TV personality Steph McGovern in Leeds on Monday. The DJ and model, 34, had no time to relax before her interview, as she arrived on set with her newborn daughter, Gigi. Candid: Candid: Vogue Williams spoke candidly about caring for a newborn amid the Covid pandemic as she appeared on Steph's Packed Lunch in Leeds on Monday During her appearance on the show, Vogue discussed her experience of giving birth during the pandemic. The presenter, who shares seven-week-old Gigi and son Theodore, two, with Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, 32, revealed: 'The only bad thing I would say is not being able to go and see family. 'My sister hasnt met her and neither has my brother. Thats the only thing. 'Its been quite nice other than that because weve got to spend so much time together as a family. Its been a good transition for Theodore.' No time: The DJ and model, 34, had no time to relax before her interview, as she arrived on set with her newborn daughter, Gigi New mum: Vogue welcomed her second child just seven weeks ago as lockdown restrictions began to ease across the country When asked how lockdown has been at home with husband Spencer and two young children, Vogue replied: 'I think I cried twice yesterday! Today is a really good day though. 'You just have the odd day where youre exhausted. Its been going quite well!' Despite being a busy mother-of-two, Vogue showed no signs of fatigue as she looked immaculate in a rainbow polka dot midi dress that complemented her tanned complexion. Speaking out: During her appearance on the show, Vogue discussed her experience of giving birth during the pandemic. My sister hasnt met her and neither has my brother' Lonely: The presenter revealed, 'The only bad thing I would say is not being able to go and see family. Ahead of the chat, she arrived on set looking radiant in a lilac floral summer dress, teamed with white trainers and a cream wool cardigan. Keeping her cool in the heat, the mother-of-two swept her golden locks back into a ponytail, with a sweeping side fringe that framed her pretty features. Vogue also kept her accessories simple, opting for a gold necklace and white crossbody handbag. Emotional: When asked how lockdown has been at home with husband Spencer and two young children, Vogue replied, 'I think I cried twice yesterday! Today is a really good day though' Stunning: Ahead of the chat, she arrived on set looking radiant in a lilac floral summer dress, teamed with white trainers and a cream wool cardigan Turning heads: For her TV appearance, Vogue changed into a rainbow polka dot midi dress that complemented her tanned complexion Despite being a busy mother-of-two, Vogue showed no signs of fatigue as she looked immaculate in a rainbow striped midi dress that complemented her tanned complexion Moving on: Waiting around for filming to begin, the Irish presenter seemed to be in good spirits as she brushed off her recent incident with body-shaming trolls Waiting around for filming to begin, the Irish presenter seemed to be in good spirits as she brushed off her recent incident with body-shaming trolls. The broadcaster garnered much adulation when she shared a video of herself donning a skimpy blue bikini for a tan tutorial on Instagram. However, the TV star returned to the image-sharing platform to reveal she had also been subject to some 'awful' comments for appearance. Bold: Host Steph McGovern turned heads in a vibrant cherry red trouser suit that she teamed with a plain white T-shirt and fresh trainers Leggy lady! Miquita Oliver also opted for a scarlet number as she rocked a red floral mini dress that she teamed with black loafers Ladies in red: The pair laughed away together on the set before filming began for the show The Irish beauty wrote: 'There is no secret! I got a lot of comments and mails about the video I posted the other day. Mainly positive but my god there were some awful ones! 'I hate the term "snapping back" its not something I aspire to do after having a child nor do I think its important. My body is different to other peoples, I didnt do anything specific. 'Ive only recently started training again, 4 times a week for 45 minutes a session. I try to eat healthily but I have not cut calories and eat a lot more than usual as Im breastfeeding and its important to keep calories up so you have a good milk supply. Statement: Vogue recently hit back at trolls after she was body-shamed for her post-baby weight loss, six weeks after giving birth to her daughter Gigi 'I trained the whole way throughout my pregnancy and I think that is a factor in the way I look now. Im also VERY tall so theres a lot more room for a baby.' Revealing that she's been a fitness devotee for almost half her life, she continued: 'Ive trained since I was 16, for me its a great thing not only for my body but for my mind too. 'At the moment I feel permanently exhausted but training gives me energy and keeps my hormones under more control (they are still all over the place a little as with any new mother).' 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:44:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - MOSCOW -- Russia registered 5,509 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its nationwide total to 1,068,320, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Monday. Meanwhile, 57 new deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 18,635, it said. - - - - TEHRAN -- The total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Iran on Monday reached 404,648, after an overnight registration of 2,619 patients, the Iranian Ministry for Health and Medical Education announced. Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the ministry, pointed out that out of the new patients, 1,382 people required hospitalization. The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 23,313 people in Iran, after 156 new deaths over the novel coronavirus were registered in the last 24 hours, according to Sadat Lari. - - - - KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Monday reported 708 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 95,472 and the death toll to 563, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,408 patients are receiving treatment, including 86 in ICU, according to the statement. - - - - DOHA -- The Qatari Health Ministry on Monday announced 235 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 121,975, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. Meanwhile, 249 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 118,931, while the fatalities rose by two to 207, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA. - - - - OUAGADOUGOU -- Burkina Faso's total confirmed COVID-19 cases increased to 1,707 as 193 new contaminations were reported on Sunday night, according to an official release here in the capital Ouagadougou. Most of the newly confirmed cases have been registered in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second main city and economic capital of the west-African country. - - - - BEIJING -- Health professionals, staff and vulnerable individuals in venues with gatherings of people, including elderly care centers, nursing and welfare homes, are advised to take flu vaccines on a priority basis. They are among the four key populations who, according to suggestions from the latest technical guideline for influenza vaccination issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention amid the COVID-19 epidemic, should be the first to take flu vaccines. - - - - DHAKA -- Bangladesh reported 1,812 new COVID-19 cases and 26 more deaths on Monday, bring the number of total cases to 339,332 and the number of total deaths to 4,759, the Directorate General of Health Services said. The official data showed that 14,216 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across the country. Enditem Former MMA star Conor McGregor should today be basking in the accolades of having completed a high-profile charity event with Monaco royalty, but instead he is in the spotlight over an alleged attempted sexual assault and "sexual exhibition" in a bar in Corsica. The Crumlin native had been on holiday in the Mediterranean with his partner Dee Devlin, preparing for the charity water cycle that was due to take place on Saturday, when the incident is alleged to have happened. His representatives say he vigorously denies any allegations of misconduct. Reports in France say he was arrested and questioned on Thursday before he was due to take part in the charity water cycle with Princess Charlene of Monaco, a former Olympic swimmer, to help raise awareness of water safety. The event was to involve McGregor pedalling across the sea from Corsica to Monaco on a specially built machine that travels across water. But he had to pull out of the highly publicised event after his arrest and detention following the complaint made against him to authorities. It has been alleged McGregor was responsible for "acts that could be described as attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition". "Following a complaint filed on September 10 denouncing acts that could be described as attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition, Mr Conor Anthony McGregor was the subject of a hearing by the gendarmerie services," the prosecutor's office wrote in a statement. No further details were released by officials. However, France 3 TV reported that the alleged incident took place in a bar in Calvi where McGregor had been drinking. It has been claimed the events that led to McGregor's arrest took place over the night of September 6 and 7. A court official in Corsica confirmed the arrest and said that McGregor had been interviewed and released. Felony This was not the first time that 32-year-old father-of-two McGregor has found himself in trouble with the law. He was arrested and prosecuted for throwing a steel dolly through a UFC bus window in 2018, and he was also arrested for felony robbery for taking a man's cell phone at a Miami hotel in 2019. In November of that year he pleaded guilty to punching a man in a Dublin bar in an unprovoked attack and was fined 1,000. McGregor announced his retirement in June for the third time in just four years. On Friday he claimed in a tweet that the US Anti-Doping Agency, which conducts tests on UFC competitors, had approached his luxury yacht even though he is retired. "What's going on here UFC? Usada has just arrived to my yacht this morning for testing? I've retired guys!" he said. "But go on then, I'll allow them to test me. It's all natural here baby. "Forever and always. 180km across the Mediterranean Sea tomorrow. Let's go," he tweeted. UFC president Dana White is reported to have said that even though McGregor is retired he can still call on him for help or advice. "Conor is retired. I haven't talked to him. I'm sure he doesn't need help or advice, but if he did he can call," White said. Photographs in recent days have showed McGregor training for the water cycle on the unusual pedal-powered sea bikes. The app TikTok has been repeatedly making headlines as governments around the world consider take action against the video platform. Donald Trump has said the app will be banned in the United States on 12 November. TikToks partnership with a US corporation, most likely Oracle, could save it in the country, but details about such decisions remain unclear. Such decisions are being made for a number of reasons, including border conflicts with the Indian government and anti-Chinese sentiment from the United States. Concerns have also been raised about the Chinese government's approach to data and privacy, both with regards to its own citizens and the potential to collect information from foreign citizens. For the average person such decisions are confusing, especially because of the unclear relationship between TikTok (which does not exist in China), its Chinese parent company ByteDance, and the Chinese government. What is TikTok? TikTok is a viral video app. The app lets users record 15-second short form video, and has become popular among young people. The app reportedly has over one billion active users, 100 million of which come from the United States. TikTok was launched in international markets in 2017, and hit the United States when it merged with lip-syncing app Musical.ly in 2018. Who is TikTok owned by? TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The company itself was headed by former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, but he has since left the company during this controversy. TikTok says that its data is kept in the United States with backup servers in Singapore and does not keep data in China. What data does TikTok collect? According to TikToks privacy policy, the company collects a range of personal information including but not limited to: Registration information, such as age, username and password, language, and email or phone number Profile information, such as name, social media account information, and profile image User-generated content Payment information It also collects information from users linked social networks as well as technological data including IP address, browsing history, and location data, as well as information from third-party platforms linked to it such as Facebook friends. In comparison to other social media sites, TikTok has been more open about how its algorithm works and how it uses this collected data to recommend content on the main feed of the app. Amazon tells employees to delete TikTok - video explainer What is Douyin? Douyin, however, is the version of TikTok that is available in China. The app has the same logo as TikTok, as well as the same interface, functions, and content. It was launched in 2016 in China, and has more features than TikTok. This includes more mundane additions, such as the ability to buy products in videos, but also more concerning ones, such as reportedly using facial recognition to ensure that users outside of China cannot stream on the app. TikTok has said that it does not remove videos at the behest of the Chinese government. According to its transparency report, the countries that have most requested videos be removed are the United States and India. However, it is unclear if the same can be said of Douyin. Douyin would not comment. A report from 2019 revealed that TikTok did indeed censor videos that the Chinese government did not approve of, including those that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong, according to internal documents. Bytedance said such documents were retired in May 2019, and that such guidelines did not reference specific countries or issues. Why is it being banned? President Trump signed an executive order which requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. Such action will be taken on 12 November, unless a deal is struck. Downloading the app will be illegal, according to the order from the US Department of Commerce. People who already have the app installed will still be able to use it as normal after 12 November. However, they will not be able to download new updates, which could quickly mean the apps functionality will break since developers will not be able to fix bugs or make changes. After 12 November, it will be illegal in the US not only to distribute TikTok through app stores but also to provide the underlying internet infrastructure that powers it, or to allow its code to be accessible. That would effectively amount to a complete ban, with users unable to access the app at all. The app's founder has claimed that the real goal of the US government is a "ban" on the app because it is "difficult to have a thoughtful and nuanced conversation about complex situations" such as China. TikTok has been at risk of being banned for months, as the Trump administration has expressed concerns about the apps relationship to the Chinese government. A Republican senator banned staff from using the app in March, and following that staff from both the DNC and RNC have warned staff against using the app. TikToks US general manager, Vanessa Pappas, commented that TikTok will remain in the US. We are here for the long run. Continue to share your voice here and lets stand for TikTok, she said in a video. Millions of Americans who use TikTok every day, bringing their creativity and joy into our daily lives. Weve heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. Were not planning on going anywhere" she added. The justification behind such a ban is vague but is rooted in anti-China sentiment that has been exacerbated by the recent political actions of the Chinese government, as well as China's approach to privacy and data. TikTok's privacy policy says that the company reserves the right to share user information with other members of its corporate group. This includes its parent company Bytedance, which could then theoretically share user data with Beijing, according to research from Protonmail. Chinas National Intelligence Law from 2017 requires organisations and citizens to support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work, and although Chinese companies have said they would not comply with such action, experts reportedly believe they would not have a choice. Currently, the Chinese government is in conflict with protestors in Hong Kong due to a new law that banning secessionist activities and subversion of the Chinese state. The Chinese government is also in conflict with India over border tensions which led to 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, being banned in India. PUBG and 117 other mostly Chinese-owned apps have also been banned in India. The Indian government said that some of the apps had been found to be stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India, but did not make any specific allegations. TikTok has denied such claims, and said it would leave Hong Kong. The app was recently found to be copying clipboard data from iOS devices without user knowledge. That said other apps, including LinkedIn, PUBG Mobile (the app for the Player Unknown BattleGrounds video game), and The New York Times app, were also copying clipboard data from iOS devices without user knowledge. Mike Pompeo: US to consider banning TikTok and other Chinese apps What is likely to happen? TikTok will seemingly either be banned from the United States, despite questions raised about the legality of such an option. TikTok recently announced a new data centre in Ireland, following reports that it is moving its global headquarters to London. It appears as if the app will become partnered with Oracle, rather than buying the apps US operations entirely. Experts have said that the move doesnt make any sense. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of President Trump. Microsoft was seen as the favourite to purchase the viral video app, in partnership with Walmart, but has since said that Bytedance declined its offer. Bytedance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests, Microsoft said in its statement. Walmart will reportedly still look to purchase a stake in the company. Donald Trump said yesterday that his administration had spoken to Walmart and Oracle about a possible deal, but that there had been no substantial change in the situation. "We're making a decision. We spoke today to Walmart, Oracle. I guess Microsoft is still involved," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a visit to Wisconsin. "We'll make a decision, but nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon." Twitter has also reportedly looked into buying TikTok. Recently, a consortium of companies that includes Google's parent organisation Alphabet has looked into buying a minority, non-voting stake in TikTok, according to Bloomberg, but apparently that "effort has fizzled in recent days." If TikTok separates as an American company, that doesnt help us, because its going to be worse were going to have to give China billions of dollars for the privilege of having TikTok operate on US soil, said White House adviser Peter Navarro The US government could legally sever TikTok from its parent company Bytedance, as it has done in the past with other Chinese companies. In 2019, the US government demanded Beijing Kunlun Tech to relinquish their control of Grindr. However, such action would be politically troubling because unlike Huawei, which has been charged with of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets, the allegations against TikTok are not as obvious. These Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether its TikTok or WeChat are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with Fox News. It could be their facial recognition pattern. It could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who theyre connected to. These are true national security issues. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 17:12 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44bb330 1 Lifestyle Uniqlo,face-mask,Uniqlo-Indonesia Free Japanese retailer Uniqlo has announced that its AIRism masks will be available at its stores in Indonesia starting on Sept. 21. The face masks are made of fabric used in its AIRism underwear line, in response to health concerns and high demand from Uniqlos customers. The AIRism undergarments use a specially developed fabric to create a cool and comfortable feel in any weather. According to a press release, the masks will have a high-functioning three-layered structure to improve its filter. The middle part features a filter to block water and protect the skin from bacteria and virus-contaminated particles. The filter is covered with a mesh fabric as the outermost layer that can block 90 percent of UV rays. The innermost layer is made of smooth and comfortable AIRism material. Read also: Japans Uniqlo to make masks using underwear fabric It is recommended not to wear the mask while doing heavy exercise or under direct sunlight. The mask is reusable and can be washed in a machine with detergent. It is available in three sizes: small for children aged 3 and above, medium for adults with smaller faces and large for adults with normal-sized faces. Price details are not yet available. The mask caused long lines at Uniqlo stores in Japan and its website crashed when the product went on sale on June 19. Several Twitter accounts posted pictures of people standing in the rain waiting for stores to open. (wng) Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 : P.K. Indira, the wife of Kerala Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan, on Monday expressed her ire over the manner in which a leading vernacular newspaper came out with a report that she broke quarantine norms and visited her bank in Kannur. "How can a newspaper publish such false news? I was never in quarantine as I had come with my husband and I was doing all the domestic chores. It's true that I visited the bank and I did it because I wanted to send a gift to my two grandchildren who are celebrating their birthday on the 25th and 27th. Is giving grandchildren a gift a crime," asked an angry Indira, who appeared on her social media page. On September 11, both Jayarajan and Indira had turned Covid positive and are presently under treatment. Batting for Indira, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that it's very strange that a section of the media is spreading baseless news. "Do not know what is wrong if she went to the bank, where she worked. The news itself says she weighed a gold chain and what's the big deal in it. The news that has come in a leading vernacular newspaper is misleading. There is something called media ethics and which has to be followed. This is not the right path to follow," said Vijayan. New Delhi: After Covid-19 pandemic, India's focus to reduce import dependence of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and key starting material (KSM) for drug manufacturing might just affect the country's position as the 'pharmacy of the world'. Concerns have been raised in the industry that the concentration may divert resources from finished products (drugs). Pharma experts have said to secure its numero uno position in the world, the industry will need to tread with caution and long-term planning coupled with government support. India is currently the largest producer of generic medicines with a share of 20% of total global production globally, catering to over 60% of world's demand. Our import dependence for APIs, however, has been massive up to 60%. The focus on self-reliance was triggered by the supply shock created due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, self-reliance has also been necessitated due to the sharp rise in prices of APIs sourced from China in recent years," said Gurpreet Sandhu, President, Council for Healthcare and Pharma adding that given Indias dependence on China for some sensitive API items such as penicillin and streptomycin critical to public health security, it was high time that the country explored ways to develop inputs indigenously. The fear, Sandhu said, that the focus on domestic API production will divert resources from finished products and somewhat entails an opportunity cost is unfounded. In the long run, we definitely need a strong domestic raw material base. With the country undertaking clustering programmes coupled with offering production-linked incentives (for both fermentation-based and chemical processes-based) to domestic players, it is likely to strengthen its raw material base," said Sandhu. Sandhu argues that if these are combined with further financial assistance in the form of tax exemptions, duty exemption for capital goods, capital subsidies and subsidised loans, as well as subsidised land, power and water with faster clearances, there is a lot that can be achieved. It is important to develop low-cost production technologies by way of facilitating industry-academia collaboration. Health economists hold that the focus is unlikely to make any negative impact on the production capability, unless the manufacturers choose to substitute the current source/s of API completely with the APIs that will be produced in India at one go. This is because APIs produced in India may take a little to scale and become available at cost in which manufacturers are currently procuring it. The same applies for KSMs. This is a time for Indian manufacturers to tread with care and caution. They may opt for a mix of APIs produced in India and the imported ones to ensure the cost doesn't increase sharply," said P.R. Sodani, Health Economist at IIHMR University, Jaipur. Gradually, they can increase the share of APIs produced in India to help the API makers scale healthily. This will ensure that the generics produced by India and supplied to the world is not affected by a sharp rise in price and at the same time, API manufacturing in India scales steadily," he said. Pharmaceutical industry believes that moving forward, while an increased level of self-dependency within India should certainly trend towards higher R&D spend towards APIs, there can always will be a continued focus on finished dosages to ensure the optimal utilization of these self-developed/ manufactured APIs via integration. That said, investing into developing every API out there without focus it is not necessarily the best use of investment. There will be a lot of new opportunities for smaller companies to work with the larger Pharma companies through strategic partnerships," said Priyanka Chigurupati, Executive Director of Granules Pharmaceuticals. With this, while the focus on FDs remains strong as ever, there will be multiple Channels through which there will be a strong supply Of APIs and intermediates, thereby strengthening the ability to supply the finished dosages without disruptions. Indian Pharma companies will emerge stronger with a higher value proposition for their finished dosages," she said. 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 This is the work of Karl Bulla, Russias first accredited photojournalist. Under circumstances lost to history, Bulla made his way to St. Petersburg at the age of 11. It was relatively common then for small-town boys to head for the bright lights of the nearest city for apprenticeships, but its unknown why Bulla set his sights on the distant Russian capital. The German-speaking migrant boy began his career running errands for a St. Petersburg photo-accessory company. Soon Bulla had mastered the Russian language and the burgeoning craft of photography. In 1875, the self-taught photographer opened his own studio. An early advertisement for his services declared Bulla, shoots whatever is necessary, everywhere and anywhere, undeterred by outdoor or indoor location -- during the day or any kind of nighttime with artificial lighting. In 1886, Bulla -- already noted for his talent and intense work ethic -- received a license from the governor of St. Petersburg to create photographic scenes of the capital and its vicinity, on the condition that no impediment is caused to the public and carriages in the course of the work. With his permit allowing him to work largely unimpeded by the authorities, Bulla became Russias first accredited photojournalist. Bulla made the most of his accreditation, which allowed him access to high society, as well as the destitute and sometimes violent world of Russias underclasses. Much of Russias population at the turn of the century was growing restless for political change. The unusually crisp images Bulla created were the result of the backpack-sized cameras he used. Unlike the film and digital sensors of today that are measured in millimeters, Bullas images were shot on glass plates measuring several inches across. One of the only existing descriptions of the photographer describes him only as Of somewhat short stature, thin, stooping, gray-haired, quiet. After Bulla received permission to take photographs in the presence of his majesty the tsar, Bullas career was at its peak. He was a wealthy man with endless artistic opportunities. But around 1917 he abruptly left Russia to live on Estonias Saaremaa Island with his newly married Estonian wife. Its unclear why the famous photographer abruptly packed up his life to head for an obscure island on the Baltic Sea. Some historians have speculated that the increasing hostility towards Germany amid World War I was wearing on the native German speaker. Another theory, that Bulla may have led a secret life in St. Petersburgs gay scene, has been hinted at by Western media. But a book published by a Russian historical organization claims Bulla left Russia with the intention of returning, but events in Russia made that virtually impossible. Whatever the reason for his departure, Bullas timing was fortuitous. After the 1917 revolution the tsar was overthrown, the countrys capital city was thrown into months of chaos, and a ruthless new brand of rulers -- the communists -- seized power. Bullas links to high society as well as his personal wealth would have made him an obvious target in the new Russia. Bulla died in effective exile on Saaremaa in 1929. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed life to a different pace, but Houston interior designer Marie Flanigan is busier than ever. In addition to publishing her first book, The Beauty of Home: Redefining Traditional Interiors (Gibbs Smith; $45; 240 pages), Flanigan has launched a new collection of lighting with Visual Comfort and a collection of natural stone slabs with Aria Stone Gallery. Flanigans distinctive updated traditional style always showcases great lighting, so her collaboration with Houston-based Visual Comfort is a natural fit. It includes a variety of sconces, pendants, chandeliers and table lamps that can be seen on the Circa Lighting website now and will be in stock in December. Book signings Oct. 7: at 11:45 a.m. during Fall Design Week events at James Craig Furnishings at the Houston Design Center, 7026 Old Katy Road (showroom 298) More: Watch for announcements of other book signings at instagram.com/marieflaniganinteriors. See More Collapse My inspiration was taking traditional fixtures and bringing them to life in a modern new way using the organic textures and refined metals and materials that are really representative of my work, said Flanigan, who is 38 and a mother of three. Just like the book is called Redefining Traditional Interiors, in essence, my collection is redefining light fixtures in a fresh new context. Flanigan used some of the new lighting in a House Beautiful showcase house in Colorado, and it will be featured in the November issue of that magazine. Flanigan was in charge of decorating the library/tea room and used a deep red background with antique brass fixtures. For the stone collection, Flanigans director of design flew to stone quarries in Italy to choose distinctive stone slabs that include a creamy white Bianco Dolomite, ruddy Breccia Pernice, veiny Calacatta Gold Borghini Diamond and Fume, a gray marble with spiderweblike veining. The slabs arent just for kitchen and bathroom counters; Flanigan said that in projects shell choose marble for a tabletop or the surface of a side table. And while Cararra and Calacatta marbles remain go-to choices in home design, Flanigans a fan of out-of-the-box choices like green, rust or even deep charcoal. Flanigan, a native of Lake Jackson, studied architecture at the University of Texas and later earned an MBA from the University of Houston, but learned the value of home from her mother, a gracious hostess, and learned to love materials when studying the centuries-old architecture of Italy. Images from more than 20 homes several of them from the Houston area are featured in the book as Flanigan takes a master class approach, teaching the important elements of architecture, composition, character, palette, illumination, detail, simplicity, depth and surprise. I dont want it to be Marie Flanigans view of how you should live. My mission in life is finding what beauty is for the people I work for and helping orchestrate that, she said. Getting to the heart and soul of what a homeowner is looking for is my favorite part of the job. Throughout The Beauty of Home, natural materials shine through in every room, from construction materials to home furnishings. There are beautiful slabs of marble, onyx, travertine and other stone and wood applied in its many forms, natural grains in cabinets, the aging of antique doors, or various cuts in oak flooring. Natural light spills everywhere. Much of Flanigans work is in new construction or dramatic renovations, working hand in hand with an architect and builder or contractor as plans for a home and its contents take shape. I want a home to be a reflection of the people who live there and be a retreat from the world, Flanigan said. Nature is a huge inspiration for me, and I like to call on the texture of authentic materials, things you can run your hand across and experience true marble or real linen. Architecture plays a big role in my work. You can decorate a home and fill it with furniture and only be at a certain level of design. If you consider interiors with architecture and weave them together, you can take it to an elevated level you would not have been able to, she continued. Throughout her book, Flanigan emphasizes the importance of good architecture, elements as simple as placement of windows or more complicated, such as preserving the material details of an historic home. Textures abound, from walls covered in panels of wool or suede, fireplaces surrounded by marble or cast concrete, wood floors topped with rugs of natural materials and fibers. Lighting finished with nickel or brass trim and chairs or barstools with cane backs or seats. Natural stone repeats in kitchens and bathrooms, and Flanigan said that current projects feature slabs of stone on walls as much as tile. And as beautiful as the homes in the photos are, nothings too precious to sit on or use. The era of rooms that people arent allowed to go into is behind us. People are looking for more approachability today. They want to live in their homes and not cringe every time someone has a glass of wine on their rug, Flanigan said. They want beautiful things, but they want to be able to use them. For some, that means lush interiors, fabrics you cant resist running your hand over, soft rugs beneath your feet and draperies that soften a room. In others, though, a more minimalist approach calls for a glass or acrylic coffee table that does its job in an almost invisible way or dining chars completely devoid of ornamentation. Flanigan revels in wall treatments, whether its beautiful wallpaper, lustrous paneling or even stone treatments. And you know were in an era of good self-care when closets are beautiful enough to make the pages of a design book. Flanigans closet treatments for men and women are worthy of any high-end boutique, with built-in cabinetry, lighted sections, chandeliers and furnishings. I style every home we work on, and to be able to put this coffee-table book on their coffee tables will be a thrill, she said. diane.cowen@chron.com (HealthDay)Are infected-but-healthy children major "silent spreaders" of the new coronavirus? New research out of northern Italy, once a COVID-19 hotspot, suggests they might not be. Rigorous COVID-19 testing of children and adults admitted to a hospital in Milan for reasons other than coronavirus found that just over 1% of kids tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to more than 9% of adults. That suggests a very low rate of asymptomatic infection among children, and does "not support the hypothesis that children are at higher risk of carrying SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatically than adults," the researchers reported in the Sept. 14 online edition of JAMA Pediatrics. One U.S. expert in infectious disease found the report encouraging. "Since the start of the pandemic it has been very difficult to determine what the actual role of children in the spread of the virus is," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore. "It is becoming clear that they do not amplify this virus the way they do influenza when it comes to community spread," Adalja said. In the new study, physicians led by Dr. Carlo Agostoni, of the Ca'Granda Foundation Maggiore Polyclinic Hospital in Milan, conducted two sets of nasal swab tests, up to two days apart, on 214 newly admitted patients. Eighty-three of these new admissions were children and 131 were adults. All were admitted to the hospital in March and April, at the height of northern Italy's COVID-19 outbreak. However, all of the patients were admitted for reasons unconnected to COVID-19, and none had shown any symptoms of the illness. So how many were secretly carrying the virus nonetheless? Based on the swab tests, only 1.2% of the pediatric patients turned up positive for infection, compared to 9.2% of adults. The low rate of carriage among kids in a city with a burgeoning number of COVID-19 cases suggests "that [children's] role as facilitators of the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be reconsidered," the study authors wrote. Still, the researchers stressed that this is a small sample from just one hospital, so the findings shouldn't be considered definitive. And of course community outbreaks of COVID-19 tied to asymptomatic but infected children are happening in the United States. On Friday, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report on a cluster of cases originating from two Salt Lake City day care facilities. The report found that 12 youngsters infected with coronavirus (only three showed any symptoms) enrolled at two day care centers easily passed SARS-CoV-2 to at least 12 family members, one of whom ended up hospitalized. So as millions of children head back to school, uncertainty as to their role in the spread of COVID-19 continues, Adalja said. "The new study provides further evidence that children are less frequently infected than adults, even asymptomatically," he said, but "the important question to definitively answer remains: Are they major drivers of outbreaks?" 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: JAMA Pediatrics The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Investor demand for Reliance Industries Ltd.s retail business is so strong that Carlyle Group Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp. are among those that have been put onto a waiting list, according to people familiar with the matter. Carlyle and SoftBank have recently expressed interest in investing in Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Reliance Industries has asked the two companies to wait on the sideline since the Indian conglomerate is already in advanced talks with other financial investors, the people said. Ambani is tapping the backers of his digital services business, which has secured $20 billion in recent months, as he seeks funding for Reliance Retail. Silver Lake Partners, an investor in Jio Platforms Ltd., last week agreed to chip in $1 billion. Other Jio investors, including private equity funds KKR & Co. and L Catterton, are also considering investing, Bloomberg News has reported. Abu Dhabis Mubadala Investment Co., which is a Jio investor as well, is weighing an investment of about $750 million in Reliance Retail, the people said. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund are also mulling investments, one of the people said. The strong response from Jios financial investors means theres not enough for others. Reliance Industries plans to sell about a 10% stake in Reliance Retail to financial investors and almost all the $5.7 billion worth of shares have been taken up, the people said. The largest allocation is reserved for Amazon.com Inc., Bloomberg News reported last week. Ambani is offering to sell a roughly $20 billion stake in the retail business to the U.S. tech giant, which could be equivalent to as much as a 40% holding. A deal, if successful, would be the biggest ever in India as well as for Amazon, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Read more: Big Techs India Plans Cant Seem to Bypass Asias Richest Man Potential investors including Carlyle and SoftBank could still get their hands on Reliance Retail shares should others cut their commitments, the people said. Negotiations are ongoing and could still be delayed or fall apart, the people said. Representatives for Reliance, Carlyle, SoftBank, ADIA and Mubadala declined to comment, while a representatives for PIF didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Ambani has identified technology and retail as future growth areas in a pivot away from the energy businesses he inherited from his father, who died in 2002. Retail is the next frontier for the 63-year-old Indian tycoon, whose ambitions include creating a home-grown e-commerce giant like Chinas Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. 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 An Amnesty International investigation has claimed major international businesses are working with a Burmese company which channels revenue to Myanmars military, accused of human rights abuses and possible genocide against the Rohingya minority. Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) was founded by the military junta which ruled Myanmar in 1990 and is still owned and run by serving army personnel. The companys revenues are funnelled back into the military on top of its regular budget from the government, Amnesty claims, meaning any foreign firms it collaborates with could be unintentionally funding violence and repression carried out by the security forces in Myanmar. Weekends are usually a quiet couple of days for tech news. Not this time, TMA reader. Firstly, Microsoft isnt buying Tiktok, but a similarly senior tech company Oracle is now the most likely (if not the only possible) buyer. Then we have NVIDIA buying ARM, the semiconductor design company, for a cool $40 billion. To top it off, Sony has a PlayStation event scheduled for midweek. Price for the PS5? Or forced to watch Ratchet and Clank gameplay for five minutes again? Sony better not. Oh and then theres that Apple event tomorrow... Mat And investing even more in AI to become a chip behemoth. The deal will make NVIDIA an even larger presence in mobile computing, especially when it comes to bringing its AI technology into platforms like smartphones, PCs and self-driving cars. ARM, meanwhile, will get more support for R&D efforts as well as access to NVIDIAs entire suite of products. While you may think NVIDIA would be quick to keep ARMs technology to itself, the companies have confirmed that ARM will maintain its open licensing model and neutrality with existing customers. Naturally, this opens the door to ARM designs implementing NVIDIAs technology as well, especially its GPUs. That should give NVIDIA an advantage over its graphics rival AMD. Continue reading. Think partnership rather than a full sale. Microsoft is officially out of the running to buy TikTok. The company issued a brief statement on Sunday, confirming that ByteDance, TikToks parent company, rejected its offer to buy TikToks US operations. Meanwhile, ByteDance seems poised to announce a deal with Oracle, the only other known US company left in the bidding war. The New York Times reports that Oracle is the only known American suitor. The Wall Street Journal added that Oracle has been selected as the winner, though as of this morning, this has not been confirmed. This all comes off the back of a report from the China Morning Post that said ByteDance was unwilling to sell its highly effective algorithm to a US bidder. To keep users hooked on the service, an American buyer would have had to rewrite the underlying code that has been so essential to the services success. Expect to hear more about all of this later this week. Continue reading. It has to announce the price, right? Sony has a PlayStation 5 games showcase planned for Wednesday September 16th at 4PM ET. It didnt tease what games would appear, but the 40-minute virtual presentation will include titles from Sonys Worldwide Studios and development partners. Of course, theres a lingering question: What about price and availability for the PS5? Now that Microsoft has revealed Xbox Series X and S pricing and ship dates, surely its time? So far, no promises from Sony. Continue reading. There's no word on what the products will be, but chairs and desks seem likely. IKEA is teaming up with ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) division to create affordable gaming furniture accessories with a line of around 30 products. The gaming range will be developed by the IKEA Product Development Center in Shanghai. IKEA said its designers held workshops with ROG designers, along with professional gamers and gaming lovers to nail down the functionality needed for home gaming furniture. The affordable nod should ensure most items come in cheaper than the Herman Miller collaboration with Logitech. Continue reading. But wait, theres more... After Math: Ninja pulls the old 'Twitcheroo' SpaceX's next Starship prototype will try a 60,000-foot return flight 'Borderlands 3' will get 4K and 4-player split-screen on PS5 and Xbox Series X US Customs thinks OnePlus Buds are 'counterfeit Apple AirPods' Japan will send an 8K camera to Mars and its moons How did the founders know each other; how did they meet and how was the idea conceived or background of the founder? Kredent InfoEdge has 3 founders. The company was started by Vivek Bajaj for training individual investors from Kolkata on various aspects of finance through their offline centre Kredent Academy. Vivek Bajaj is a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and an MBA from IIM Indore and his family owns the largest proprietary trading desk in Eastern India. Vineet Patawari, joined the enterprise to take the working of financial training to all over the country through the online platform elearnmarkets.com. Vineet Patawari is a Chartered Accountant and an MBA from IIM Indore with strong understanding of building digital properties. Vinay Pagaria, the third co-founder is instrumental in building StockEdge, which is gradually recognised as the Bloomberg for retail investors. Vinay has over 15 years of experience in the domain of financial data and software development. He is a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and Certified Systems Auditor. All three are from Kolkata and share the common passion of democratizing financial markets in India. Both Elearnmarkets and StockEdge are working on this mission of simplifying investing for everyone through right learning, access to accurate data and unbiased analytics. What is your company solving? Investment in financial assets is complex and confusing. Traditionally there has been high dependency on financial intermediaries for right advise. However, the wealth creation from financial assets has been limited to only selected population. Only 2% of Indias population is invested in non-banking financial assets. The core reason for such low penetration is lack of trust. This can only be solved with widespread unbiased knowledge dissemination. We are giving power of right knowledge in the hand of retail investors. Knowledge in the form of access to financial data, unbiased analytics and right learnings in the most effective and affordable manner. Explain your business and industry ecosystem in India how are different companies solving different needs, explain the scenario in B2B and B2C? As mentioned earlier in the last 20 years the financial market has been dominated by financial intermediaries and finance media companies. Financial Intermediaries were enthused with the responsibility of providing complete solution viz transaction platform, research service, advisory and training to their clients. Financial Media enterprises have been providing all kind of information e.g. news, views, data etc to the society in large. However, as industry is evolving from sellers side to buyers side, each component of traditional service is witnessing disruption. For example, the transaction service is now been taken over by specialized transaction platforms like discount brokers. Similar research and knowledge service are getting disintegrated and more and more independent platforms are emerging in this space. Less is More has become the new norm in information domain. We are building a neutral value-added platform incorporating research and knowledge service for investors and new generation advisors. This could be compared to other platforms like Bloomberg, Reuters etc which are largely used by large wholesale enterprises. We are building similar ecosystem but for retail investors for cost-effective value additions. There are various individual players emerging in this domain. However, we are providing the most integrated solution with regional focus for better user experience. How does your product or solution work? There are 4 stages of investment lifecycle for any individual: a) To become more self-aware; b) To get access to Data and Analytics; c) To collaborate with others for idea d) To transact with personalized financial goals. We are building an ecosystem for benefit of any user who comes to the market at any stage of the lifecycle. If one is a beginner and want to start, we have developed structured learning flow in multiple language. If someone who is already there in market and would like to become more independent in doing their own analysis, we have built Indias best financial data and analysis tool. All our products are deeply integrated with each other and have strong flow which makes a user move up the value chain for his/her prudent investment journey. We intend to develop more product/features around this Lifecycle which will help the individual to build trust on his/her own ability and become a better investor. What is the USP/value proposition Our USP lies in two aspects: (a) We have strong founding team with relevant experience in finance and we understand what really works in financial market. (b) Our products have deep financial learning integration with regional language focus for better user engagements. We presume that a typical financial market participant does not have knowledge about various aspects of markets and needs a knowledge integrated framework. The centenary of the publication of Dame Agatha Christie's first novel is being marked with the issue of a special 2 coin. The Mysterious Affair At Styles introduced detective Hercule Poirot to the world when it was published in October 1920. The coin, which comes in different metals and features a jigsaw design, is available on the Royal Mint's website, priced from 10 to 1,115. The centenary of the publication of Dame Agatha Christie's first novel is being marked with the issue of a special 2 coin Its designer David Lawrence said: 'The jigsaw turned out to be the best metaphor for an Agatha Christie mystery: It is not until the final missing piece is dropped into place that the whole picture can be seen.' The novel ushered in a golden age of mystery novels in the 1920s and 1930s and Dame Agatha's tales have been published in more than 50 languages and distributed in some 100 countries. The popularity of Dame Agatha's work endures, with a new star-studded film version of another Poirot tale, Death On The Nile, featuring Sir Kenneth Branagh, set for release soon. The coin, which the Mint said will not be released into general circulation, features jigsaw pieces and a replication of Dame Agatha's signature. The novel ushered in a golden age of mystery novels in the 1920s and 1930s and Dame Agatha's tales have been published in more than 50 languages and distributed in some 100 countries The coin's edge is inscribed with the phrase 'Little grey cells', first used by Poirot in The Mysterious Affair At Styles. Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: 'This year marks the 100th anniversary of Agatha Christie's first published novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles. 'To commemorate the significant anniversary, we are delighted to introduce this commemorative 2 coin to celebrate 100 years of mystery and honour the best-selling novelist of all time. The Mysterious Affair At Styles introduced detective Hercule Poirot to the world when it was published in October 1920 'The coin's design is adorned with all the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie novel, with the jigsaw pieces representing ingenious plot twists that we are all familiar with when reading her mystery novels.' Dame Agatha's great-grandson, James Prichard, who is chairman and chief executive of Agatha Christie Limited, said: 'I'm delighted that the Royal Mint are honouring the work of my great-grandmother in this way. 'She was, quite simply, a genius, and it is fantastic to see her stories and characters continuing to receive such recognition 100 years after her first novel was published.' Chinese envoy Sun Weidong on Monday said the five-point roadmap agreed to by India and China to address tensions on the disputed border provides political impetus to efforts to ease the situation, even as he blamed New Delhi for trespassing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and altering the status quo. Sun made the remarks in a lengthy statement issued by the Chinese embassy three days after the two sides finalised the five-point roadmap during a meeting of external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Moscow on Thursday. There was no immediate response to the Chinese envoys remarks from Indian officials. Despite the roadmap, sharp divergences remained between the two sides, with experts pointing out that the joint statement issued after the Jaishankar-Wang meeting made no mention of the restoration of the status quo on the LAC as it existed in April. Sun said the five-point consensus which includes following the top leaders consensus, easing tensions, maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas, continuing diplomatic communications, and expediting work on new confidence-building measures is an important step towards the right direction, and will provide political impetus to ease the border situation and promote the bilateral relations. He added, I hope and believe that as long as the two sides earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two foreign ministers to the frontline troops and adhere to the correct means of dialogue and negotiation, the two sides will find a way to overcome the current difficulties. The Chinese envoy contended that public opinion in India was generally positive towards the five-point roadmap, and was of the view that both sides have demonstrated political will to resolve the border situation. However, Sun referred to statements by relevant Indian ministries that Indian troops pre-empted Chinese military activity on the south bank of Pangong Lake, and contended this obviously revealed that there are illegal trespassing the LAC and status quo change in the border areas (sic). He noted that sections of the Indian media had quoted government sources to disclose that the Indian Army fired shots on two different occasions, and said, For the first time since 1975, the calm in the border areas was broken by gunfire. Sun further noted that Wang had reiterated during his meeting with Jaishankar that the imperative is to immediately stop provocations such as firing and other dangerous actions that violate the commitments made by the two sides, and that it is important to move back all personnel and equipment that have trespassed. He added, The frontier troops must quickly disengage so that the situation may deescalate. The Chinese side supports enhanced dialogue between the frontier troops on both sides to solve specific issues, and will stay in touch with the Indian side through diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side has blamed the tensions on the LAC on unilateral efforts by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to alter the status quo in the Ladakh sector. It has also blamed the latest flare-ups on the LAC on provocative military manoeuvres by the PLA. The external affairs ministry has said the PLA engaged in such manoeuvres during August 29-30 to change the status quo on the south bank of Pangong Lake and Indian troops responded with appropriate defensive measures. The Indian Army has accused the PLA of firing in the air when Chinese troops were prevented from closing in on an Indian forward position on September 7. The Chinese envoy said the way ahead for [a] solution is very clear he pointed to the agreement reached by the two foreign ministers that as the situation eases, the two sides should expedite work on new confidence-building measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Sun said the top leadership of the two countries had reached a series of consensus, including the basic judgement that China and India are partners rather than rivals. Therefore, we need peace instead of confrontation; we need to pursue win-win cooperation instead of zero-sum game; we need trust rather than suspicion; we need to move our relationship forward rather than backward, he said. He reiterated Wang Yis observation that it is normal for China and India to have differences, but it is important is to put these differences in a proper context vis-a-vis bilateral ties. At present, the challenge were facing is to fight the epidemic, revive the economy and improve peoples livelihoods, he said. ... Over the past few weeks, many in the Democratic Party had publicly called out former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg for his lack of financial commitment to help Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump in November. Bloomberg had vowed to open up his personal fortune to help defeat Trump but his lack of financial contributions since he dropped out of the Democratic primary in March had raised eyebrows among Democrats. Now Bloomberg is finally making good on his commitment and has decided he will focus his efforts on the key state of Florida, vowing to spend at least $100 million to help Biden win the Sunshine State. Advertisement Bloombergs commitment to spend big in the swing state known for having expensive media markets comes as polls show a tightening of the race between Trump and Biden in Florida. On Thursday, the Cook Political Report shifted the state from lean Democrat to toss up. Florida is seen as a must win for Trump if he has any hope of reaching the 270 electoral votes needed to win reelection. Mike Bloomberg is committed to helping defeat Trump, and that is going to happen in the battleground states, Bloomberg senior adviser Kevin Sheekey said in a statement. Mikes substantial investment in Florida, in addition to his contributions to the DNC and to voter protection and restoration efforts this cycle, will mean Democrats and the Biden campaign can invest even more heavily in other key states like Pennsylvania, which will be critical to a Biden victory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biden plans to visit Florida on Tuesday in what will be his first trip to the state since the coronavirus lockdowns began in March. Ballots will start to be mailed out later this month and in-person early voting in the state is a little more than a month away meaning that timing is critical for Democrats. Voting starts on Sept. 24 in Florida so the need to inject real capital in that state quickly is an urgent need, Sheekey said. News of the cash infusion comes on the same day as Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders acknowledged the campaign has work to do to appeal to Latino voters. Bloombergs commitment to spend big in Florida caught Trumps attention on Sunday and the president sent out a tweet attacking the former mayor. I thought Mini Mike was through with Democrat politics after spending almost 2 Billion Dollars, and then giving the worst and most inept Debate Performance in the history of Presidential Politics, Trump tweeted. The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said a special force will be constituted on the basis of orders of the Allahabad high court, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts last December. Image used only for representation. Photograph: Pawan Kumar/Reuters Briefing reporters in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, "The state government has given orders for the constitution of a special security force. A roadmap in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP." "This is a dream project of the UP chief minister. The basis of this force is an order of the high court, which had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force," he added. Awasthi said five battalions will be constituted in the first phase and it will be headed by an ADG-ranked officer. "Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around Rs 1,747 crore," Awasthi said. Later in a statement, he said the force will provide security to the high court, district courts, administrative offices and buildings, Metro rail, airports, banks, financial institutions, educational institutions and industrial units. This force will have the powers to search without any warrant. Members of this force can arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant, the statement said. On December 18, 2019, the Allahabad high court had pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over a shootout at a Bijnor courtroom. Three assailants had on December 17, 2019, opened fire in the court of the Bijnor chief judicial magistrate, killing a murder accused and injuring three others -- two policemen and a court employee. The Muzaffarnagar court had witnessed a similar incident in 2015, when an armed man entered the courtroom masquerading as a lawyer and shot dead Vicky Tyagi, an alleged gangster. Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Kumari Yadav, 36, was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the civil court premises in Agra on June 13, 2019. A two-judge HC bench had said that most incompetent police personnel are being posted at the courts, adding that it will seek the deployment of central forces if the state government is not up to the task. Synonymous with style and quality, Max Mara is the expression of the constant search for perfection and balance between material elements, form and color. The first eyewear collection created by Marcolin Group will be unveiled and worn at the Max Mara fashion show in Milan on Thursday, 24 September 2020. Geometric shapes, a harmonious dialogue between materials, and chromatic combinations of soft nuances distinguish the brand's frames. Matteo Blandi, Marcolin Group Marketing Director, affirmed: "The entry of the Max Mara brand in the Marcolin Group portfolio enriches our product offering addressed to womenswear market. Max Mara is an Italian luxury brand synonymous of excellence internationally recognized. We are proud to contribute to further advance and strengthen the brand's positioning and image for the eyewear category". Ian Griffiths, Max Mara Creative Director, declared: "Max Mara has always been committed to women, to make them feel at their best, to make them shine in every occasion, through constant research for the highest quality. The secret of quality is to consider every single technical feature as an essential element of the creative process. The new partnership with Marcolin Group will contribute to ensure the highest quality and design standards for the Max Mara eyewear". The Max Mara eyewear collections will be available starting next year at Max Mara boutiques, on www.maxmara.com website, in department stores, on qualified e-commerce platforms and at select opticians. About Marcolin Group Marcolin Group, among the worldwide leading companies in the eyewear industry, stands out for the pursuit of excellence, continuous innovation and a unique ability to faithfully combine design and Italian craftsmanship with the core values of each brand. The brand portfolio includes: Tom Ford, adidas Sport, adidas Originals, Bally, Moncler, Sportmax, Ermenegildo Zegna, Longines, OMEGA, GCDS, Victoria's Secret, Victoria's Secret PINK, Atelier Swarovski, Barton Perreira, Tod's, Emilio Pucci, BMW, Swarovski, Dsquared2, Guess, MAX&Co., Diesel, Covergirl, Kenneth Cole, Timberland, GANT, Harley-Davidson, Marciano, Skechers, Candie's, Rampage, Viva, Marcolin and Web. In 2019, the company sold about 14 million eyeglasses. www.marcolin.com About Max Mara Max Mara embodies style and Italian luxury with a precise, contemporary collection made of sartorial know-how, careful production and timeless quality. Famous for its coats, suits and elegant accessories, Max Mara was founded by visionary entrepreneur Achille Maramotti in 1951. Today, the collection is available in 700 stores in more than 100 countries. SOURCE Marcolin Group Related Links http://www.marcolin.com The world has seen its largest one-day spike in coronavirus cases with 307,930 new infections reported in 24 hours, according to the World Health Organisation. The new record is just the second time that global cases have passed 300,000 in a day, beating the previous high of 306,857 on September 6. India contributed nearly a third of the new cases with 94,372, as the country of 1.3billion continues to pile up infections at a record pace - with the United States and Brazil both adding tens of thousands of new cases. However, the 5,537 deaths counted by the WHO are a long way short of the record 12,430 in mid-April when the virus was at its deadliest in Western Europe. The world has seen a new record of 307,930 coronavirus cases in a day, only the second time that the daily figure has been above 300,000 While cases (in yellow) have continued to increase during the pandemic, deaths (in red) have held relatively steady. The deaths line is measured on a different axis (right), meaning it appears higher than cases in April in May, but the number of cases has always been higher October and November 'will see more deaths', WHO says The WHO expects Europe to see a rise in coronavirus deaths in October and November, the head of the agency's European branch said today. Deaths have remained relatively stable despite a recent resurgence in cases in Europe - but the WHO says a rise in daily deaths is likely. 'It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,' WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said. 'It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand,' Kluge said, adding that he wanted to send the 'positive message' that the pandemic 'is going to finish, at one moment or another.' The WHO Europe's 55 member states are holding an online meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss their response to the new coronavirus and agree on their overall five-year strategy. Kluge, based in Copenhagen, raised a warning finger to those who believe that the development of a vaccine will bring an end to the pandemic. 'I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not!,' the Belgian said. 'We don't even know if the vaccine is going to help all population groups. We are getting some signs now that it will help for one group and not for the other,' he said. 'And then if we have to order different vaccines, what a logistical nightmare!' Advertisement The WHO first recorded 100,000 cases per day in mid-May after the virus had ravaged Europe and North America and was starting to cause havoc in Brazil. The 200,000 mark was first reached on July 3, by which time India was starting to see an alarming surge in cases which has yet to reach its peak. The total number of cases is now 28,637,952 with infections typically rising by a million every four days. The last two weeks alone have seen more than 3.7million new cases with India, Brazil and the US consistently setting the pace in recent weeks. India recently surpassed Brazil to become the second worst-hit country by number of infections, although the South American country has suffered more deaths. In addition, much of Europe is seeing a resurgence in cases which has led to new travel restrictions and fears of a second wave of deaths in the autumn and winter. France on Saturday recorded more than 10,000 infections in 24 hours for the first time, while Spain is now averaging more than 9,600 per day. Sebastian Kurz, the chancellor of Austria which has so far kept cases and deaths low, warned that his country was facing 'the beginning of the second wave'. The Czech Republic has also faced a surge, with one epidemiologist saying over the weekend that cases could overwhelm hospitals if they continue at the current rate. New restrictions are coming into force across England on Monday, with social gatherings limited to no more than six people. Europe's summer resurgence has not yet led to a major spike in deaths but there are fears that this will change in the autumn and winter. 'It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,' the WHO's Europe director Hans Kluge said. The WHO's figures have shown deaths at a relatively consistent level for months, with an average of 5,000 to 7,000 fatalities per day. The worst single-day spike came on April 17 with 12,430 new deaths at a time when Britain, Spain, Italy and France were recording hundreds per day. The total number of coronavirus cases counted by the WHO, with darker blue countries such as the US, Brazil, Russia and India having the highest number of infections Medics wearing protective suits transport a presumed coronavirus patient to the Kutvolgyi hospital in Budapest, Hungary Other parts of the world are still battling their first coronavirus waves, including Indonesia, where new restrictions came into effect on Monday. Authorities are also struggling to maintain discipline, with anti-lockdown rallies taking place in Germany, Poland and Australia over the weekend. The rallies in Europe were attended by an assortment of anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Such rallies have also been organised frequently in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.4million infections and 193,000 deaths. Governments are being forced to balance the devastating economic cost of lockdowns with the need to contain the deadly virus. Schools in some European nations were set to open on Monday, with millions returning to classrooms in Italy, Greece and Romania. And Saudi Arabia announced it would partially lift its suspension of international flights from September 15, six months after travel curbs were imposed. There was some good news in Britain where Oxford University and AstraZeneca were given the all-clear to resume their vaccine trial. Researchers had 'voluntarily paused' the trial, seen as one of the most promising candidates in the vaccine race, after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. An effective vaccine is seen as the only certain way of bringing the pandemic to a standstill, and scientists around the world are trying to develop one in record time. Even during the pause, AstraZeneca said it remained hopeful that the vaccine could still be available 'by the end of this year, early next year'. ROSH HAAYIN, Israel, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- odix, an Israel-based cybersecurity leader in enterprise CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction) technology, has officially launched FileWall for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). FileWall provides effective malware-disarming capabilities against file-based attacks, leveraging cutting-edge technology previously available only for enterprises. With 62 percent of cyberattacks targeting SMBs resulting in 60 percent of them going out of business within six months, a new cybersecurity solution had to come to the market and at an attractive price point for SMBs. FileWall was built with sponsorship from the European Commission (Horizon 2020) to provide enterprise-grade CDR malware protection for SMBs. FileWall is a native CDR-based security application for Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes available on Microsoft AppSource. FileWall is designed to run in conjunction with existing Microsoft security solutions, such as Exchange Online Protection and Advanced Threat Protection, to provide comprehensive content inspection and malware-disarming capabilities against file-based attacks. The FileWall launch uniquely positions odix as an innovator bringing game-changing security protection for the Microsoft 365 users' community. According to odix CEO Dr. Oren Eytan, "FileWall introduces a new paradigm for SMBs, enabling them to consume an enterprise-grade security solution that is activated in an instant and available at an affordable price. FileWall users have already begun to rave about their experience with the service during the last few months. I am excited to say that, due to high user engagement and such a positive rating already from Microsoft 365 admins, we are looking forward to the potential of FileWall to expand cybersecurity coverage for hundreds of millions of users within the broader Microsoft 365 community." FileWall safeguards users through the filtration of embedded active content, the enforcement of file type policies on nested files, and the disarming of content within. Toby Bowers, General Manager, Business Applications Group, Microsoft Corp., said, "We're happy to welcome FileWall to Microsoft AppSource, which gives our customers access to the best solutions available from our extensive partner ecosystem. Microsoft AppSource offers partner solutions such as FileWall from odix to help customers meet their needs faster." FileWall is now exclusively available for direct purchase through Microsoft AppSource or via the FileWall-certified partner program for Microsoft CSPs. Company bio odix develops and markets advanced anti-malware tools based on its patented Content Disarm and Reconstruction (TrueCDR) technology for preventative cybersecurity in enterprises of all sizes. odix technology prevents the malware infiltration to organizational networks by removing all malicious code from a wide range of file types. Uniquely, odix protects files from unknown attacks, where legacy solutions fall short. odix solutions are trusted by enterprises in diverse sectors such as industrial, finance, insurance, government and others. odix operates from its headquarters in Israel and regional offices in the U.S. and Europe. To learn more about odix, visit odi-x.com. For all media inquiries, please contact: Yehudah Sunshine, Head of PR, odix: [email protected]. SOURCE odix Gov. Kay Ivey has approved using $10 million of Alabamas money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act for a marketing and advertising campaign to help the tourism industry recover from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alabama Department of Tourism requested the money out of Alabamas $1.8 billion share of CARES Act funds. The Ivey administration, through the state Finance Department, is allocating the funds under a plan approved by the Legislature. The $10 million for tourism will be used to reimburse the Department of Tourism for digital, print, broadcast, and social media advertising aimed at out-of-area visitors. The campaign will communicate public health information and changes in tourism-related business operations. It will help in the larger effort to put out the word that Alabama is a destination for responsible travel and that venues are taking necessary steps to keep visitors safe, the governors office said in a press release. "I am pleased to award these well-deserved dollars to an industry that has been hurting so that people can feel confident that they can be safe when visiting Alabama destinations, Ivey said. COVID-19 has taken a hit on our society, but that does not change the fact that Alabama has so much to offer. We look forward to helping our tourism industry grow, come back stronger and welcome visitors for years to come. Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell said, The department will work with tourism professionals in all 67 counties and feature their top assets to bring visitors back. The governors office released a memorandum of understanding between the Tourism Department and the Finance Department to govern the program. The governors office maintains a public dashboard to show allocations of the CARES Act money. Related: Alabama applies $300 million in CARES Act funds to unemployment MONROE, La. The Gulf Coast is looking down the barrel of another violent storm as newly formed Hurricane Sally churned north, threatening to bring heavy rain, howling winds and a dangerous storm surge from Louisiana to Florida. The hurricane comes less than three weeks after Hurricane Laura carved a wide path of destruction that left more than a third of Louisiana a disaster zone. I know for a lot of people this storm seemed to come out of nowhere, said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. We need everybody to pay attention to this storm. Lets take this one seriously. The National Hurricane Center said Sally is likely to bring "life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and flash flooding" along the Gulf Coast as soon as Monday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana early Tuesday as a Category 2 hurricane, however, the Hurricane Center said it was still too early to determine where Sally's center would move onshore. Tyler Anderson loads up water and other supplies at the Costco Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, as New Orleans prepares for the arrival of what is expected to be Hurricane Sally. Hour by hour: Hurricane Laura raged outside my front door. I hunkered down for the night. Hurricane warnings are in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Alabama and Florida border, including New Orleans, the Hurricane Center said. As it lurches over the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Sally could bring 8 to 16 inches of rain, with some areas seeing up to 24 inches. "Life-threatening flash flooding is possible. In addition, this rainfall will likely lead to widespread minor to isolated major flooding on area rivers," forecasters at the Hurricane Center said. Sally is the seventh hurricane of 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Edwards warned people to prepare for the storm immediately. However, Louisiana already is sheltering about 13,000 Hurricane Laura evacuees, most of whom are in hotels in New Orleans, which is in the potential path of Sally. "New Orleans is better prepared for a hurricane than she's ever been before, but if you get 18 inches of water in 10 hours, I think Aspen, Colo., would probably flood. So I'm concerned, but not paralyzed by it," he said. Story continues Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a mandatory evacuation order for Orleans Parish residents living outside of the parishs levee protection system, and residents of Grand Isle, Louisiana, were also told to evacuate. "Residents need to take this storm very, very, very seriously," said New Orleans' Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold. Tens of thousands more also were displaced from their homes after Laura. And more than 82,000 people remain without power in Lake Charles and southwestern Louisiana. More than 210,000 households don't have clean drinking water. Tropical Storm Sally in the Gulf of Mexico as of 10 a.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. Benjamin Schott, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in New Orleans, said Louisianans in the southeastern part of the state shouldn't compare Sally to previous storms Barry, Cristobal and Marco, which ended up to be duds. "I do not believe we'll be that lucky this time," Schott said. More on Laura: 'Extraordinary work' underway to rebuild electric, water, cell grid after Hurricane Laura After Sally makes landfall, it is expected to move slowly over Mississippi, Alabama and Florida's Panhandle on Tuesday into Wednesday. At 11 a.m. CDT on Monday, the hurricane had 85 mph winds and was about 135 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving west-northwest at 6 mph. In Mississippi, officials warned residents the storm would coincide with high tide and could bring significant storm surge It needs to be understood by all of our friends in the coastal region and in south Mississippi that if you live in low-lying areas, the time to get out is early tomorrow morning, Gov. Tate Reeves said late Sunday. Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for Hancock County on Monday morning for residents living in low-lying areas, on or near water sources and in mobile homes. The Hurricane Center said the area from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi could see up to 11 feet of storm surge. Winona "Bebe" McElroy and her husband Victor were staying in their home in Cocodrie, Louisiana, outside of the levee system on Sunday. Winona McElroy said she didn't expect the weather to get bad until Monday afternoon. The two brought their two boats to a farm to protect them from the storm. "We take every storm in the Gulf seriously," she said. "That's why we're spending our Sunday afternoon taking our boats to safe harbor, inside the levee protection area." McElroy said they will monitor the waters and leave if it appears their truck may get trapped by the waters. "We know at what point the truck can't get out," she said. South Florida already took the early brunt of Sally's power over the weekend, soaking the southern Florida Keys. Nine to 12 inches of rain fell Saturday morning to Sunday morning, prompting a flood advisory. Key West reported a little more than 9 inches at midnight, its fifth-highest daily total. That included a one-hour total of almost 4 inches Saturday night. The National Weather Service office in Miami reported about 3 inches of rain in Florida Gardens in Palm Beach County on Saturday. In the Panhandle, The rain is going to be the main threat, along with the beaches, which will see lots of large, surface-breaking waves and a high risk of rip currents, said Jack Cullen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. The Pensacola area can expect to receive between 10 to 15 inches of rain and bursts of tropical storm force winds. Meanwhile, four other storms are swirling in the Atlantic, which is seeing an especially active hurricane season. Hurricane Paulette is moving away from Bermuda as it makes its way east over the ocean. The East Coast could see some swells from the storm. Rene, a tropical depression, is heading southwest but forecast to become a remnant low Monday. Tropical Storm Teddy is strengthening as it moves northwest, and could be a major hurricane by mid-week as it remains far off land northeast of Puerto Rico and southeast of Bermuda. Tropical Storm Vicki also formed Monday in the eastern portion of the Atlantic Ocean. Vicki, the 20th named storm of the season, is expected to be short-lived and poses no threat to land. Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Dan Copp, Houma Courier; Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal; Lici Beveridge, Mississippi Clarion Ledger; and The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Sally: Louisiana, Gulf Coast braces for another hurricane T he judge in Julian Assanges extradition hearing today refused to order everyone to wear masks in the courtroom in the wake of last weeks coronavirus scare. Proceedings ground to a halt last week when one of the prosecutor teams partner came down with a temperature, prompting fears that they had contracted Covid-19. Test results came back negative and the hearings resumed again this morning, but Assanges barrister Mark Summers QC asked for mandatory face coverings within the courtroom. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, sitting at the Old Bailey, said she would allow the practice while the court is sitting, but refused to order everyone to comply. Those that wish to wear masks in the well of the court are welcome to do so unless they are addressing the court," she said. There is no obligation to do so, and I make no direction. A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protests outside the Old Bailey / REUTERS Assange himself donned a mask in the dock for the first time today, having sat flanked by guards with his face uncovered in the first week of the case. Mr Summers was one of the few participants wearing a mask regularly last week and continued to do so today. But he has now been joined in the practice by fellow defence QC Edward Fitzgerald as well as leading prosecutors James Lewis and Clair Dobbin. Giving evidence today, Eric Lewis, an experienced US lawyer, said Assange will likely be held in a US prison with severely limited access to his legal team and documents while preparing for a trial. He gave evidence that Assange would face a possible 175-year sentence if convicted on all 18 charges he faces, pointing out in the US sentences are longer than are found elsewhere in the world. Legal scholars and other observers have expressed the view that if successful the government will press for Mr Assange to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, he said. Assange is facing espionage charges and Mr Lewis said he believes if convicted he would be subjected to significant restrictions beyond the average criminal defendant in US federal prisons, yet he would not be afforded a meaningful process of challenging his regime and its severe restrictions. The parents of premature twins thought to be the first in the UK born with Covid-19 have revealed they have brought their 'miracle' two-month-old babies home after 'fearing the worst' when they arrived 10 weeks early. Sarah Curtis, 32, and husband Aaron, 33, from Cumbria, were horrified when tests came back and revealed she was positive for Covid-19 just days before she gave birth. The stay-at-home mother said she 'feared the worst' before going into labour ten weeks early on July 3 and giving birth to 3lbs Kenna and Lissa alone after Aaron was banned from the hospital due to coronavirus. Doctors went on to confirm the babies had been born with the killer virus, with the parents comparing their ongoing hospital stay to 'a prison sentence.' Six weeks later, the twins have finally been declared fit and healthy, Covid-free and are now being cared for at home. Sarah Curtis, 32, and husband Aaron, 33, from Cumbria, are parents of premature twins thought to be the first in the UK born with Covid-19 (Sarah pictured, with Kenna and Lissa) The expecting parents were horrified when tests came back and revealed Sarah was positive for Covid-19 just days before she gave birth She went into labour 10 weeks early in July and said she 'feared the worst' (pictured in hospital) Sarah, a stay-at-home-mother, said she had a 'hard pregnancy' as she suffered from twin to twin syndrome. Twin-to-twin syndrome is a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta's blood supply resulting in the two foetuses growing at different rates. She had to travel 300 miles from West Cumberland Hospital down to London, on her own, to get a laser surgery which would correct the issue. But she was devastated when she was told it was likely she would lose one of the twins. Sarah, a stay-at-home-mother, said she had a 'hard pregnancy' as she suffered from twin to twin syndrome The couple have now welcomed their twin daughters home for the first time and said they are overjoyed The mother-of-five revealed: 'I had a really hard pregnancy - I had twin to twin syndrome. 'I had to have a laser surgery where we were told they were trying to save one of the babies - we weren't meant to have both. 'Adam was only allowed to come see me at the very end due to coronavirus. 'It was a miracle that both twins survived.' WHAT IS TWIN-TWIN TRANSFUSION SYNDROME? Twin-twin transfusion syndrome is a rare but serious condition that can occur in identical pregnancies when twins share a placenta. Abnormal blood vessel connections form in the placenta and prevent blood from flowing evenly between the babies. One twin then becomes dehydrated, which affects its growth. The other develops high blood pressure and produces too much urine. This leads to an enlarged bladder and excessive amounts of amniotic fluid, which can put a strain on the twin's heart, leading to heart failure. Without treatment, TTTS can be fatal for both twins. The condition occurs in about around 15 per cent of identical twins who share a placenta, according to the charity Tamba. Around 300 twins die from the condition every year in the UK, while 6,000 babies are affected annually in the US. Draining excess amniotic fluid can help to improve blood flow. If this is not enough, laser surgery is used to seal shut abnormal blood vessels and permanently disconnect them. The surgeon then drains excess fluid. Even when treated successfully, most TTTS babies are born premature. However, the majority go on to have long, healthy lives. Source: Cincinnati Children's hospital Advertisement But when Sarah tested positive for Covid-19 days before she went into labour, she was devastated. She was asymptomatic but felt 'scared' and 'annoyed' with herself as she feared she was putting the unborn twins at risk. She felt particularly concerned having previously lost baby daughter Lottie to cot death in 2017. Sarah said: 'I was more scared of having Covid than my water breaking - I was so nervous. The twins were just 3lbs when they were born, and their heads were the size of a digestive biscuit (pictured, Sarah with the twins shortly after birth) Doctors later confirmed to the couple that coronavirus had transferred to the babies via the placenta 'When I got the confirmation that I had coronavirus I was just so angry with myself. 'I didn't know what it meant exactly, it was so nerve wracking. I've lost a daughter and I was fearing the worst.' Doctors were unsure if mothers could pass on the virus to their babies, or what its effects would be, which left them worried. Medical professionals went on to confirm they were born with the killer virus, which was transferred to them via the placenta. The tiny twins Kenna and Lissa left the incubator 3 weeks after they were born in July (pictured) Sarah added: 'No one knew what would happen, my girls were the first babies to be born with coronavirus.' Father Aaron, a security guard, missed the birth of his twins and was only able to see them on July 11, after they'd been transferred to Sunderland for further testing. Aaron: 'It was so hard because she had to do it all herself. I was just waiting. 'I didn't know what was happening at all. I wanted to be there for all three of them. The babies were studied throughout their time in hospital as doctors continue to learn about the coronavirus Father Aaron said he was 'so proud' of his daughters as he welcomed them home for the first time six weeks after they were born 'But when I saw them finally I was so proud. That feeling when you're a dad it's unparalleled.' The twins were only 3lbs and their heads were the size of a 'digestive biscuit' and were studied throughout their time in hospital as doctors continue to learn about the coronavirus. The family say the staff at the West Cumberland Hospital helped them after they struggled with losing baby daughter Lottie to cot death in 2017. Sarah said: 'The staff on the delivery suite at the West Cumberland were fantastic they helped me. I was so scared to bring them home after losing Lottie. Sarah admitted she was 'so scared' of bringing her daughters home after losing her daughter Lottie to cot death in 2017 'It's still scary as they are not past that age where you stop worrying, but the they helped me and showed me that there is happiness after. 'The staff were incredible from start to finish, and made us feel so comfortable despite all of the anxiety surrounding the pregnancy. 'I know people will clap for carers during lockdown but they're brilliant all year round, always. 'We wouldn't be holding our two beautiful and healthy twins if it weren't for their wonderful and determined work.' Sarah said the couple were overjoyed to welcome their daughters home, and said after a 'surreal year' the family is just happy to come away with 'two beautiful, healthy girls' Speaking about their struggles in hospital, Sarah said: 'The last week in hospital felt like a prison sentence. But thankfully the staff were just brilliant. 'They made us feel comfortable despite all of the anxiety. 'In the end it was all worth it. It's been a surreal year but we've come away with two beautiful, healthy girls.' Meisch and Lenert presented the latest data on Luxembourg's large-scale testing process. Claude Meisch, Minister of Higher Education and Research introduced the role of research in the context of the pandemic. Meisch was joined by Professor Ulf Nehrbass of the Luxembourg Institute of Health, a spokesperson for the COVID-19 task force, and Prof Paul Wilmes of the University of Luxembourg, a deputy Spokesperson for the COVID-19 task force, who acknowledged lessons learned from Phase 1 of the large-scale testing project. Scientific Advisory Committee leader Dr Gregor Baertz, a member of Luxembourg's Institute of Health and Chairman of the Board of Directors, discussed the task force's role in future trends. Conclusions on the first phase of large-scale testing were delivered by Minister of Health Lenert along with the details for the launch of the second phase. You can read all of our live ticker translations below. In the fourth of a book series titled From the Memory of Land and River, we fall under the spell of Syria and Lebanon, the land of cupid, poetry and jasmine The land of Cupid, poetry and jasmine, Ibrahim Shalaby, From the Memory of Land and River, Al-Balsam Publishing House, Cairo, 2017, pp.197 Seeking revenge from Apollo (the god of sun), Cupid (the god of love) aimed his golden arrow at Apollos heart and his lead arrow at Daphnes, the fairy. Smitten with love, Apollo kept chasing her until she sought the aid of her father, the god of the river, who transformed her into a Laurel tree. Desperately in love, Apollo proclaimed her his holy tree, keeping her forever green and making the laurel wreath a symbol to honour the heroes, reads the book that delves into the myths and tales along the banks of Al-Asi (Orontes) river. From the Memory of Land and River (Al-Balsam Publishing House) was written by Ibrahim Shalaby, a renowned Egyptian physician who started his writing career in 2013. With the aim of revealing Egyptian and world heritage to the younger generation, Shalaby is inspired by fruits and how they carry the collective memory of the places in which they are planted. In his first book he traced the origins of the Nile civilisation through the life cycle of a guava, named Aziza, and in his second he chose dates that he gave the name Nagham (Tunes) telling the history of Iraq. His third book delves into the land of wonder, India and Pakistan, from the perspective of mango (Soresh) and pomegranate (Rakshanda). His fourth is told through the Apricot fruit. In this book, Shalaby waltzes between the cultural lace tableau of Syria and Lebanon, reflecting their richness and variety which are as enchanting as the art of shadow puppets that flourished in the area back then. Damascus, the city of jasmine, was the capital of the Umayyad state, the biggest in Islamic history. It was ruled by the fifth Caliph Omar Ibn Abdel-Aziz whose reign was known to be the most prosperous and charitable. Damascus has the oldest wall in the world, which was built by Noah after the flood. The Temple of Damascus (currently the umayyad mosque), though claimed by numerous religions, has never seen prayers disrupted in over 3,500 years. My religion is that of love, echoed the famous poetry of great Sufi poet Ibn Arabi, who was buried in Salheia. Adopting the same line of thought that promoted love and respect to all religions is Prince Abdel-Qader Al-Gazaeri, founder of modern Algeria and an icon of resistance against French occupation, who was exiled to Damascus, taught in the Umayyad mosque and combated sectarian violence that started in Lebanon and reached Damascus in 1860. The Umayyad mosque housed the tomb of Prophet Yehia (John the Baptist) whose life was that of an inspiring pious man. The book shares a rare quote of Prophet Yehia: If you are strong, then be splendidly honest... like a king who dons the crown on his head and raises his sword in the face of evil if you are not this strong, then be an honest supporter like a productive farmer who extracts the yield from the soil to provide strength to the splendidly honest. In Lebanon, Baalbek enchanted people with the poetry of Khalil Motran, and the mountains recalled the mystical origins of Cedar trees that date back 3,000 years. The book highlights the iconic Rahbani brothers, the legendary Fairouz and great Lebanese poet Jubran Khalil Jubran. In Qadesh we witness the first peace treaty documented in the history of mankind. The treaty between the Egyptians and Hittites was concluded in 1258 BC and its replica is hung at the premises of the United Nations headquarters in New York. From Maryamein, a Sufi icon in the 10th century, heads of Beni Helal tribe migrated from the Arab Peninsula before they arrived in Upper Egypt. From this spot started their famous Helaly Epic that has over a million stanzas," reads the book. Many more historic gems are revealed in this book briefly telling the history of the Levantine. The book contains an annex of the ancient art of shadow puppets, compiled by artist Ahmed Soliman. Search Keywords: Short link: Credit: CC0 Public Domain A survey of nurses in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry finds that the majority of respondents would feel comfortable assessing firearm access and providing patients with educational resources on safe gun storage if information were available. The results are published online in the September edition of the American Journal of Nursing. "Gun violence in this country is preventable. Strategies to improve awareness and foster safer firearm practices can help address this public health issue and nurses have an important role to play in the process," says Kim Smith Sheppard, RN, clinical research nurse in the Translational Clinical Research Center at MGH and lead author of the report, "Nurses' Knowledge and Comfort with Assessing Inpatients' Firearm Access and Providing Education on Safe Gun Storage." "Assessing a patient's access to firearms and educating them about safe gun storage might prevent accidental shootings, suicides and homicides in our homes and communities," says Smith. In March 2018, investigators conducted an online survey of 21 nurses from MGH's inpatient psychiatric unit and 21 of their colleagues from a general medicine floor. The survey was designed to assess each respondent's level of comfort assessing a patient's firearm access and educating patients about safe gun storage, along with other factors, ranging from knowledge of current Massachusetts firearm safety laws; barriers to discussion; to preferred methods of educating patients and nursing instruction. More than 50 percent of respondents were unfamiliar with Massachusetts safe gun storage laws and none of the 42 nurses surveyed previously received formal training on how to educate others on firearm safety or safe gun storage. Despite the lack of familiarity, 80 percent of respondents from each unit expressed comfort in offering patient education on safe gun storage if it were available. Most respondents said printed materials, patient education pamphlet, coupled with an informed conversation, would be the preferred method of information exchange. Smith Sheppard noted that those surveyed from the general medicine and psychiatric units endorsed a one-hour nurses training led by a multidisciplinary panel which could include a review of national gun violence statistics; review of pertinent literature; information on at-risk populations; and, guidance for nurses on how to talk to patients about firearm safety and storage. Smith Sheppard says, "Our results open the conversation about inpatient nurses playing a role in education. We spend significant time with patients and develop relationships with them; this could be an opportunity for nurses to provide education on safe gun storage." The authors' findings can also influence the development of nurse trainings and hospital-based policies that may improve firearm storage practices. A follow-up study launched in February 2020 will poll a larger cohort of MGH nurses to gather more data from other specialized units within the hospital. A gun violence prevention class is being developed by a multidisciplinary committee within the hospital's Nursing and Patient Care Services department. Explore further Military personnel at risk of suicide store firearms unsafely More information: Kimberly Smith Sheppard et al. Original Research: Nurses' Knowledge and Comfort with Assessing Inpatients' Firearm Access and Providing Education on Safe Gun Storage, AJN, American Journal of Nursing (2020). Kimberly Smith Sheppard et al. Original Research: Nurses' Knowledge and Comfort with Assessing Inpatients' Firearm Access and Providing Education on Safe Gun Storage,(2020). DOI: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000697636.34423.45 Subscriber content preview BOISE, Idaho (AP) Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Friday restored $99 million in K-12 education funding he cut earlier this year amid budget shortfall concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican governor also announced that another $50 million will be made available to parents so they're less likely to leave the workforce while their children learn at home. . . . Wastewater flows through the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) sewage treatment plant on the South Camden Waterfront April 23, 2020. In a proposed Camden microgrid, CCMUA would trade treated wastewater for storm-proof energy from the Covanta incinerator. Read more In response to the protests following George Floyds murder, different leaders, companies, and institutions publicly denounced racial injustices and systemic racism. In New Jersey, that included the new president of Rutgers, Jonathan Holloway, saying we are at a moment of global racial reckoning , and from Sen. Cory Booker: We are in a raw period, and this moment has so just torn up the soil of our souls. However you describe it, we are living in a time where leaders are wrestling with how to translate the current heightened calls for change into meaningful policy in our government and institutions. Removing statues and symbols of racist history is one step, but as a country, we are still deciding just how serious we are about becoming antiracist through public policy. And that has to include environmental policy. READ MORE: Heres how New Jersey can become Americas greenest state | Opinion Two environmental policy examples in New Jersey can be viewed through the lens of a global racial reckoning the proposed microgrid in Camden, and the recently passed cumulative impacts bill (S 232). The proposed microgrid would solve some environmental problems, yet misses the mark by perpetuating others. The cumulative impacts bill points toward long-term solutions to such tensions, by seeking to relieve the increased burden placed on overburdened communities. The proposed microgrid is one answer to a tough lesson that hit New Jersey in 2012, when Superstorm Sandy exposed the vulnerability of our infrastructure. Some sewage treatment plants lost power and ended up releasing billions of gallons of untreated or partly treated sewage into waterways. In Camden, the sewage treatment plant (Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, CCMUA) didnt get hit as hard but decided to prepare for the future. Camdens microgrid study, funded by the Board of Public Utilities and one of 13 launched three years ago across the state, was born out of this desire for storm-resilient energy. The Camden version would connect two county facilities: the trash incinerator operated by Covanta would provide power to CCMUA, and in return, CCMUA would provide treated wastewater to Covanta. This would allow CCMUA to operate regardless of storms and prevent untreated sewage from being released, and provide the incinerator with greywater to prevent drawing hundreds of thousands of gallons from the local aquifer. Resident feedback at city and county meetings has not objected to the microgrid concept itself, but intensely opposed the proposals dependence on an aging, pollution-emitting incinerator as the power source. This aspect has drawn passionate interest from a range of neighborhoods, residents, and activists in ways that few other development plans have recent years in Camden. Camden is host to facilities that process sewage and trash for almost the entire county. So each new proposed project presents an opportunity for change for creating just waste management systems with more equitable outcomes. The struggle during public meetings over the microgrid has demonstrated to decision-makers the connection between reliance on polluting facilities, and the history of environmental racism that we face wherein neighborhoods of color have especially vulnerable to pollution. READ MORE: Wastewater for electricity: South Jersey utility in swap deal with trash-to-energy plant In the Waterfront South neighborhood, where residents share the neighborhood with pollution-emitting industries and the incinerator, environmental racism has been part of our status quo for generations. And while we share our land with these sources of pollution, their impact spreads beyond the borders of our neighborhood. Emissions originating here float toward other Camden neighborhoods and the suburbs. For these reasons, residents and activists during public meetings have requested less polluting means of powering the microgrid than an incinerator, like solar power. Thankfully, in the future, New Jersey leaders and communities will have a new tool for environmental justice with the recently passed cumulative impacts bill (S 232). It would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), when evaluating some project permits, to evaluate environmental and public health stressors of certain facilities on overburdened communities. Overburdened communities are ones that experience disproportionate environmental harms and risks and often deal with the NIMBYisms of neighboring towns. READ MORE: EPA to add toxic Gloucester County metal finishing company site to Superfund list While it is unlikely this bill will be implemented in time to impact the microgrid, it offers hope for overburdened communities to have the power to say no to future undesired land use in their neighborhoods. The choice we face in this moment is whether to return to how things were pre-pandemic or take the opportunity to create more equitable futures. The growing pains will be hard, but if we are earnest about addressing oppressive systems, then approaching environmental policy with a focus on racial justice is necessary to ensure lasting reform. Mike Morgan lives in Camden with his family and thinks about air quality while walking and biking. Julio Cesar Montenegro entered into eternal rest on Thursday, September 10, 2020 at the age of 79. Mr. Montenegro is preceded in death by his father, Julio Montenegro Rego and mother, Rosario Lopez Arias. He was born in La Habana, Cuba and left to Spain in 1970 to be reunited with his father and sister where he lived until 1974. He was given his Refugee Visa in 1974 and traveled to New York, New York. He was then hired by International Stores as a Warehouse Manager arriving in Laredo, Texas on July 1974 where he met the Love of His life Moraima Gallego. They married on December 18, 1974. After International Stores, he worked as a Truck Driver for Laredo Hardware, that is located on Market St. After that, he embarked in his own business opening his first store CAPRI STOP & GO on McPherson Rd and then opening his second store CAPRI STOP & GO on March 1981 which is still operating on 1001 Market St., Laredo, Texas 78040. He enjoyed very much being around his family, friends and customers. He enjoyed the visits and conversations he had with his customers. At the store he handed out pens and yearly calendars as a token of appreciation to everyone that went to the store. He was always seen smoking his Cigar and was known to many as EL CUBANO. Even though he wasnt from here, he was glad to be here in Laredo, Texas and considered himself a Laredoan. He loved going to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, where he had many, many friends. Julio enjoyed spending time with his friend and compadre +Nati Lozano from El Gastronomico along with others that would frequent the bar. He was a very charismatic, funny, strong character person with his usual strong voice but people that knew him, knew he was very kind-hearted and always ready to help someone in need. There is not a person he didnt meet that he didnt impact in one way or another. Julio was a family man that was always attentive to his wife and daughters. He catered to his wife and daughters and loved his grandchildren with all his heart. He suffered with chronic pain and COPD for many years but fought a good fight to stay and take care of his family. Survivors include his wife, Moraima Montenegro, his 2 daughters, Veronica (Margarito) Montenegro Hernandez and Moraima (Harvey) Montenegro McGraw, 7 grandchildren: Marco Antonio Hernandez, Kiara Monique Hernandez, Mario Alberto Hernandez, Kaycee Marlene Hernandez, Kaylee Maylene Hernandez, Denise Villarreal and Julio Daniel Villarreal, 2 sisters, Julita (+Eliseo) Montenegro Vazquez and Maria Luisa (+Amador) Montenegro Lopez of Miami, Florida as well as numerous sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. We would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Norberto Alvarez and Dr. Mummady as well as all of the LMC nursing staff that took great care of him and Doctors Hospital Staff that cared for him for a short time. His family and loved ones will miss him dearly and will always carry him in their hearts. A visitation will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Gamez & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services where a rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 14, 2020, from the funeral home to Christ the King Catholic Church where a funeral mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. Funeral home opens at 7:00 a.m. and a procession departs at 8:00 a.m. Cremation will be held at a later date. In accordance with city ordinance, the number of visitors will be limited to 50 percent occupancy capacity. Please feel free to wait in your vehicle for a turn if the funeral home reaches capacity. All visitors must wear a face mask before entering the building and use hand sanitizer provided upon entry. Visitors must provide their own face covering. Anyone that is knowingly sick or has upper respiratory illness is asked to stay home and may be denied entry. LYONS, Ore. The fire was 15 miles away, so the Oregon family went to sleep but planned to leave soon. On Monday evening, Angela Mosso had packed a few things for the family to take with them and her husband, Chris Tofte, drove to town to borrow a friends trailer to carry the family, their dog and their belongings. But as family members slept, the Beachie Creek Fire bore down, the Statesman Journal reported. Eventually, it reached their house, turning a night of calm preparation into harrowing loss. Gov. Kate Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated from their homes as two large windblown wildfires rage across the Pacific Northwest. About 500,000 people are in different levels of evacuation zones, either having been told to leave or to prepare to do so. Dozens of people are reported missing and at least six fatalities have been reported. Thirteen-year-old Wyatt Tofte of Lyons, Oregon, and his grandmother Peggy Mosso, 71, are among them. They died trying to escape the fire that engulfed their home Tuesday morning. The three initially escaped the house with their dog and three cats, setting out in one of the familys cars. But they didnt make it far. Lonnie Bertalotto, Angelas brother, thinks the tires melted and the car caught fire. As the flames grew around them, Angela Mosso realized she had to save Wyatt. She told him to run for it with the dog. She also realized that if she wanted to survive, she had no choice but to leave behind her mother, Peggy Mosso, whose remains were identified by the Marion County Sheriffs Office on Friday. She had a broken knee that was to be operated on in a few days, Bertalotto said Friday. Angela Mosso walked nearly three miles on the hot asphalt. Sometime around 4 a.m., Chris Tofte returned with the trailer, driving through a blockade that separated him from the inferno and his family. As Tofte struggled to navigate the dark, smokey road, he almost ran over a barefoot woman in her underwear with charred hair and a blackened mouth. Tofte helped her into his car, telling her that he was looking for his wife and son. She told him: I am your wife. Once in the car, Tofte turned around and sped back toward the blockade. He left his wife of 24 years with paramedics and turned back to find his son, Wyatt. But at that point, the fires had spread even farther. Tofte couldnt make it as far as he did the first time, so he searched for his son the next day and night. On social media, friends and relatives posted photos of Wyatt and thousands of people shared his image. Finally, on Wednesday, Tofte spoke with sheriffs deputies from Marion County. They said Wyatt was found behind the wheel of the familys vehicle back at the property with his dog Duke on his lap. Peggy Mossos remains were also found in the vehicle. I dont need to go into too much detail but obviously he turned around to go try and save his grandma, Bertalotto told The Associated Press. Angela Mosso is being treated at the Legacy Emanuel Hospital Burn Center in Portland. She was told Thursday that she lost her son and her mother. Bertalotto said he has not seen his sister or Tofte, his brother-in-law, since the fire because the hospital allows only one guest per patient to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Its just unbelievable when a fire can move that fast, he said. Everything was lined up to be a disaster and no one knew it. ___ The spelling of Tofte has been corrected on several references in this story. In many cases, parties in the tourism supply chain broke their promises to reduce prices, and as a result, travel firms could not provide tours at reasonable fees and travelers felt they were not respected. The He Tre Travel is still maintaining operation and its staff make calls and send emails daily to introduce tours to loyal clients and to seek new clients. However, according to The He Tre CEO Tran The Dung, instead of booking air tickets early as it usually did in the past, the company now only gives one week of advance notice and buys tickets. This is the new approach in the Covid-19 period, Dung explained. Second demand stimulus campaign Travel firms and local authorities are looking forward to the second demand stimulus campaign. However, questions have been raised whether the campaign will be effective when it is now the low tourism season, and people are tightening their purse strings. According to Nguyen Tien Dat, CEO of AZA, people have demand for traveling all year round, not only in summer, so demand stimulus programs are useful at any time, though it may not bring the high results as seen in the summer. Dat believes that the new campaign should focus on safety, price and quality. Travel firms and local authorities are looking forward to the second demand stimulus campaign. However, questions have been raised whether the campaign will be effective when it is now the low tourism season, and people are tightening their purse strings. The demands of most travelers are common, so if travel firms can offer good prices and ensure safety, people will book tours, Dat said, adding that the targets of this campaign will be retired people, small groups of people who want to travel on weekends, and companies that want to organize MICE tours at the end of the year. Ho Xuan Phuc, CEO of Hanoitours, said travel firms want assurance from state management agencies that people can feel secure travelling after the Covid-19 outbreak is controlled, and that there is demand stimulus programme for tours. Regarding the message of the second demand stimulus campaign, Phuc said the price will still be the most important factor. If the prices are not good, travel firms wont be able to persuade people to travel, he said. According to Dung of The He Tre, ecotourism, nature and deserted destinations are popular choices for travelers. Popular tours are to the northeast and northwest in autumn to see terraced fields and ripe rice season, tours to Binh Lieu and Co To (Quang Ninh), to Cat Ba and Ha long, and to southern beaches in Can Tho, Phu Quoc, Con Dao and Da Lat. Breaking promises will kill program In Vietnam, domestic travel makes up 40-45 percent of the total revenue of the tourism industry. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), total revenue from domestic travelers in 2018 was VND254 trillion (39.9 percent) and in 2019 as VND334 trillion (44.2 percent). Experts think domestic travel is the sector that can most easily recover from the epidemic. In June and July 2020, some destinations witnessed a tourism rate as high as in the pre-Covid period. However, they believe that there is no hope to receive foreign travelers this year. Vietnam is going to reopen some international air routes but the pandemic is still serious in many countries. The second demand stimulus campaign which targets domestic travelers will be very important for travel firms. However, experts warn that if the problems seen in the first stimulus campaign cannot be fixed, the program will fail. Dung said hotels and airlines committed to offering preferential service fees under the first demand stimulus program, but when they saw the numbers of clients, they broke their promises and raised prices. Dat also complained that hotels in Cat Ba (Hai Phong), Co To, Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Sam Son (Thanh Hoa) and Da Lat broke their contracts they had signed with travel firms after they saw the high number of guests. Phuc confirmed that as the number of travelers increased sharply in summer, many hotels broke commitments and raised room rates, which caused travelers to lose confidence in demand stimulus programs. The problems must not occur in the second stimulus program, Dung said. Involved parties in the supply chain, from airlines and transport service providers to hotels, must make public commitments on the service rate reductions and the duration of the preferential rates. According to Dat, Sa Pa did very well in the first stimulus campaign. The Lao Cai provincial Tourism Department gathered service providers in the campaign. Under the supervision of the local tourism association, those who broke promises were weeded out from the program. Ngoc Ha Sin Suoi Ho, an attractive community-based tourism village Located about 30km from Lai Chau City, Sin Suoi Ho Village in Sin Suoi Ho Commune, Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province has a beautiful natural landscape and cool climate year-round. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.14 Trend: Resettling Lebanese people of Armenian origin in Nagorno-Karabakh is a provocation by Armenia, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair from the US Matthew Bryza told Trend. Bryza said he just viewed a video showing how some ethnic Armenians resettled from Syria have been placed in Shusha. The video shows happy people, who understandably are glad to be out of a very difficult place. But it is really unhelpful that the Armenian government shows Shusha as the place of all places to resettle these people, because that is such a sensitive place for Azerbaijan. Anybody who covers this region knows that Shusha is considered one of the cradles of Azerbaijans culture. So there is plenty of space in Armenia rather than occupied Azerbaijani territory to resettle these people and to help them have a better life. So to me, it is really a provocation by the Armenian side that makes it much more difficult to consider how negotiations could get back on track for a peaceful and fair settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said. By PTI MOSCOW: Belarus' authoritarian president visited Russia Monday in a bid to secure more loans and political support, as demonstrations against the extension of his 26-year rule entered their sixth week. Alexander Lukashenko's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi come a day after an estimated 150,000 people flooded the streets of the Belarusian capital, demanding Lukashenko's resignation. The Interior Ministry said 774 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities of Belarus for holding unsanctioned rallies on Sunday. Protesters in Belarus have dismissed Lukashenko's reelection for a sixth term in the August 9 vote as rigged. The United States and the European Union have criticised the election as neither free nor fair and urged the Belarusian leader to engage in talks with the opposition, a demand he rejected. In a bid to win Moscow's support, the 66-year-old former state farm director has tried to cast the protests as an effort by the West to isolate Russia, which sees the neighbour as a key bulwark against NATO and a major conduit for energy exports to Europe. Russia and Belarus have a union treaty envisaging close political, economic and military ties, but they have often engaged in acrimonious disputes. Before the election, Lukashenko repeatedly accused the Kremlin of pressing Belarus to abandon its independence. But with the United States and the European Union criticising the election and readying a package of sanctions, Lukashenko now has to rely squarely on Russia's support. Despite frictions in the past, the Kremlin abhors the prospect of public protests forcing the resignation of the nation's leader, fearing it could embolden Putin's critics at home. Putin quickly congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election and promised to send Russian police to Belarus if protests there turn violent, noting that there is no need for that yet. Moscow has also signalled it's ready to discuss the restructuring of Belarus' USD 1 billion debt to Russia, a key issue in Monday's talks between Putin and Lukashenko. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger who moved to Lithuania a day after the vote under pressure from the authorities, warned Putin that any agreements he may reach with Lukashenko will not stand. I'm very sorry that you have opted to have a dialogue with the dictator and not the Belarusian people, she said Monday. Any agreements signed with Lukashenko, who lacks legitimacy, will be retracted by the new government. Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister and ambassador to France who was forced to leave Belarus after joining the opposition's Coordination Council, warned that while the Kremlin is standing by Lukashenko now it may move later to engineer his departure. Lukashenko discredits himself each day, and when he completely loses his authority it would be easier for Moscow to replace him, Latushko told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Poland. The Kremlin already has made a decision and is moving to fulfill a careful plan to have Lukashenko removed." As Belarusian authorities continued to target the opposition with pressure and arrests, the United Nations Human Rights Council agreed to hold an urgent debate on Belarus on Friday. German ambassador Michael von Ungern-Sternberg, who requested the debate on behalf of the European Union, said the council should not stay silent on this matter. Western and Latin American countries supported the motion, while Venezuela and the Philippines sided with Belarus. African nations mostly abstained. In a speech on Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet voiced concern over reports from Belarus indicating unnecessary or excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, thousands of arrests, many of them apparently arbitrary and hundreds of allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including against children, with some reports indicating sexual violence. Re-establishing social peace in Belarus requires far-reaching dialogue, reforms, and accountability for grave human rights violations, she said. All allegations of torture by the security forces should be documented and investigated, she added. A new study comprehensively reveals how civil wars impact wildlife in countries affected by conflict. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), in the UK, Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB), Brazil, and University of Agostinho Neto (UAN), Angola, found that the main impacts of civil wars on native mammals are often indirect, ultimately arising from institutional and socio-economic changes, rather than from direct military tactics. Increased access to automatic weapons and suspension of anti-poaching patrols were leading causes of wildlife population collapse, while installation of military bases within core conservation areas, overhunting of large-bodied mammals, and new settlements of displaced refugees also strongly impacted species. Published today in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, the study suggests that civil wars in low-governance countries can have both positive and negative impacts on native wildlife populations depending on space and time scales, but the overall trend is negative. The authors warn that even during post-war peace times, wild mammal populations will fail to recover as long as rural people living in war-torn countries remain armed and wildlife management regulations cannot be enforced. They call for robust international policies that can prevent the consequences of warfare, warning that restoring depleted wildlife populations may take many decades and require active intervention efforts. Civil wars often coincide with global biodiversity hotspots, however little is known about how they affect wildlife. This study drew local ecological knowledge to assess for the first time the main consequences of a prolonged civil war in Southwest Africa on forest and savannah mammals, using Angola as a case study. The country is home to at least 275 species of mammals, many of them historically hunted by the local communities before, during and after the intermittent 27-year Angolan civil war (1975-2002). In Angola's main protected area, Quicama National Park and Quicama Game Reserve, the abundance of 20 out of 26 wild mammal species studied was 77 per cent lower after the war compared to the pre-war baseline, particularly for large-bodied species such as elephants in open-savannah environments. Significantly, this decline was not reversed by the end of the post-war period (2002-2017). Franciany Braga-Pereira, a Zoology PhD candidate at UFPB, led the study. Ms Braga-Pereira said: "Currently, 36 countries worldwide are experiencing civil wars and most of these conflicts are either fuelled or funded by international interests or began after an external intervention. "These internationalized conflicts are more prolonged and less likely to find a political resolution. Therefore, considering measures that can reduce the impact of warfare on wildlife, we emphasize the intentional or inadvertent complicity of foreign powers, which should promote policies that mitigate the detrimental environmental impacts of armed conflicts." Co-author Prof Carlos Peres, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, said: "Low-governance developing countries are struggling as it is, even during peacetimes, to protect their wildlife resources, never mind the colossal adverse consequences of breakdown in law-and-order brought about by a civil war. Yet there are no adequate international mechanisms to deploy peace forces to maintain the status quo of vulnerable wildlife populations in troubled parts of the world." The research involved interviews with expert local hunters, which revealed that large-bodied mammals, such as red buffalo, kudu and red sable, were preferred targets that had been overhunted during the war. As their populations became increasingly depleted, the size structure of prey species gradually shifted towards smaller-bodied species, for example bushpig, bushbuck kewel and blue duilker, during the post-war period. However, once the depletion in forest was lower than in the savannah, hunters operating in forest areas were occasionally able to kill larger species in the post-war period. In their model of how civil wars impact wildlife, the authors explain that civil war could be a double-edged sword, resulting also in declines in extractive industries such as oil, mining and agribusiness, which can benefit wildlife, and demilitarized and landmine zones, which severely discourage human settlements and game hunters, thereby creating potential game refuges as passive 'no-take' areas. ### 'Warfare induced mammal population declines in Southwestern Africa are mediated by species life history, habitat type and hunter preferences', Franciany Braga?Pereira, Carlos A Peres, Joao Vitor Campos-Silva, Carmen Van?Dunem Santos and Romulo Romeu Nobrega Alves, is published in Nature Scientific Reports on September 14. YEREVAN. The Constitutional Court of Armenia shall cooperate constructively with other subjects of the judicial branch of power. President of the Court of Cassation Yervand Khundkaryan, one of the candidates for a judge of the Constitutional Courtand who is nominated to this post by the General Assembly of Judgessaid this during the debates on the candidacies for judges of the Constitutional Court at Mondays session of the National Assembly. According to him, today this cooperation is implemented in a number of directions. "Particularly in criminal, civil, and administrative cases. A judge who deals with this or that case can apply to the Constitutional Court in case of doubt about the constitutionality of the case," Khundkaryan said. But at the same time, he noted that the Constitutional Court of Armenia does not monitor the work of judges and does not evaluate their decisions. "The main goal of the Constitutional Court is to study the constitutionality of decisions in order to avoid violations of human rights protection," clarified the candidate for a judge of the Constitutional Court. The big picture: In acquiring Arm, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that Nvidia will build the premiere computing company for the age of AI, which Nvidia has long touted as the future. With access to Arm's IP and the Arm instruction set architecture that underpins Arm-based chips, Nvidia will look to develop its own custom CPUs to fuel an ever broadening push into the data center, AI, big data, autonomous vehicles, supercomputers, and more. Follow-up analysis: Nvidia purchase of Arm completely resets semiconductor landscape Nvidia has announced that it has reached an agreement with SoftBank to acquire Arm Limited, in a transaction worth $40 billion financed using common stock and cash. While Nvidia will take possession of Arm and its lucrative IP portfolio, the transaction does not include Arm's IoT Services Group, which will remain with SoftBank. The transaction is expected to be "immediately accretive to Nvidias non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP earnings per share." Additionally, SoftBank notes it will continue to remain invested in Arm through its shareholder stake in Nvidia, which is expected to come in under 10 percent. There will be several regulatory hurdles to be cleared in the process, and Nvidia notes that the acquisition could take up to 18 months to complete. The deal will require regulatory approval from the U.K., China, the European Union, and the United States. Nvidia has stated that they will remain committed to maintaining Arm's neutrality in licensing its IP. "Arms business model is brilliant. We will maintain its open-licensing model and customer neutrality, serving customers in any industry, across the world, and further expand Arms IP licensing portfolio with Nvidias world-leading GPU and AI technology," said Jensen Huang in a letter to Nvidia employees. Furthermore, Nvidia intends to keep Arm based in the U.K., as well as keeping Arm's IP and trademarks registered in the U.K. Nvidia has committed to make substantial future investments in Arm's home base of Cambridge, with plans to expand Arm's research and development presence, as well as building a new Arm-based supercomputer that will be housed at a new AI research center. The new AI research center will also see Nvidia and Arm host research fellowships, AI training, as well as a startup accelerator that will build on Nvidia's Inception program. Nvidia will be hosting a conference call and webcast on Monday, September 14, to further discuss the details of the acquisition. In a recent e-mail to AbbVie employees, CEO Richard Gonzalez said a critical part of the pharmaceutical giants success has been cross-functional collaboration, and to do so means returning to our workplace. AbbVie employees, like many who have had to work out of the office since the health crisis began, apparently like the flexibility of working from home, even with the at-times oddity of Zoom meetings. Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is set to launch later this month. Here are the expected specifications and features of the upcoming smartphone. Its official. Samsung will host a new Galaxy Unpacked event on September 23. The event title Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan is an obvious hint at the launch of rumoured Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. Samsung has earlier held two similar virtual events to launch Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 premium phones. Ahead of the official event, Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has made multiple appearances on the web, leaving very little to our imagination. The S20 FE is said to be a slightly toned-down version of the flagship Galaxy S20 phones launched earlier this year. The phone, however, will be an upgrade over the Lite variant of S10. Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan announced (Samsung) Based on the leaks so far, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will look identical to the S20 with a similar Infinity-O cutout and camera module. The new variant will be available in more colour options, though. The phone is said to be available in at least six colour options including blue, green, pink, gold, red and white colours. The phone also has a flat display instead of curved screens on the premium versions. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is said to launch with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The display will come with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. According to reports, the phone will run on Exynos 990 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. The S20 Fan Edition will have as many as three rear cameras featuring 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. Just like the main variants, S20 FE will have a bigger 4,500mAh battery but with 15W fast charging support. You can also expect the smartphone to offer IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, under-display fingerprint sensor, and wireless charging. (Newser) The swastikas gave it away. Eighty years after a British submarine sank the German warship Karlsruhe during World War II, images from a remotely operated vehicle have helped identify the wreckage. The cruiser is sitting upright 1,607 feet below the surface off the southern coast of Norway, Live Science reports. "Karlsruhe is an impressive sight," an archaeologist at the Norwegian Maritime Museum said. "Most big warships in deep waters have turned [over] on the way down to the seabed because of their large superstructure, but the Karlsruhe has gone straight down and is resting on its keel." The ship's distinctive gun turrets helped with the identification, as did the Nazi symbols. The Karlsruhe is the only large German warship sunk during the invasion of Norway whose location was unknown, the archaeologist said. story continues below Engineers for Statnett, which operates Norway's electric grid, found the wreck during a sonar survey in 2017, per Smithsonian Magazine. The remote vehicle wasn't sent down till this summer. The 571-foot cruiser was hit on April 9, 1940, by torpedoes from the British sub, opening huge holes in the hull, as it left the port of Kristiansand after aiding in the German attack. The crew was ordered to abandon ship, and a German torpedo boat deliberately finished off the Karlsruhe. "The ship was an important actor at a crucial time of Norwegian modern history," the archaeologist said. It had nine 15-centimeter guns and could do 32 knots37 mph. "Apart from the bow, which blew up when the last German torpedo hit the ammunition storage," he said, "the ship is practically intact." (Read more World War II stories.) President Trump called for a "fast trial" with possibility of the death penalty to the shooter of two Los Angeles deputies. Trump first reacted to the ambush police shooter's video on early Sunday morning. "Animals that must be hit hard!" Trump wrote, retweeting footage of the crime that was posted by the deputies' department. He added that if the deputies die, a speedy trial is a rightful penalty for the killer. Trump believed the death penalty was the "only way to stop this." "We also believe that if you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty," he said at the Nevada rally, CBS Los Angeles said in a report. The president said these statements during his first indoor rally since June of Sunday. It was held one day after the deputies were shot and injured in Compton. Trump Calls Shooter "Animal" A surveillance video was shared by the LASD, showing an unidentified man in dark clothing. He walked up to the deputies' patrol car near Metro Blue Line station and opened fire at close range. He described the victims as "fine people" and noted that both the 31-year-old female deputy and the 24-year-old male deputy were in "grave condition." He noted that the crime happened while both deputies were "unsuspecting" of the man. As for the suspect, Trump called him an "animal." "He's an animal. And I called him an animal, as you know, and I was criticized by people for calling him an animal," he said. "They said he's a human being. He's not a human being. He's an animal." An 'Unconscionable' Crime In a tweet, sheriff Alex Villanueva said that he was thankful for Trump reaching out with "kind words regarding the ambush." He added that the victims were safe and survived that night's incident. Other than Trump, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also commented on the matter, Fox News reported. Villanueva also thanked Biden for using his voice to comment on the incident. "This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable, and the perpetrator must be brought to justice," Biden said in a tweet. "Thank you for setting partisanship aside and showing your support for the LASD and all law enforcement across the County of L.A.," Villanueva told both Trump and Biden. Villanueva's department went under fire during race-related protests, noted ABC. He expressed frustration over the anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray that the deputies safely come out of the situation. Meanwhile, the officers were brought to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California. A $100,000 reward will also be given to anyone who may have information on the suspect. The distorted surveillance video did not give much information on the shooter, other than he is male. A second video showed a second person near the scene as the shooter was fleeing, but it is still being looked into. Protesters Gather Outside Hospital Protesters were gathered outside the hospital, where the deputies were being treated for their injuries. As per the department's tweet, they were "blocking the entrance [and] exit of the hospital emergency room." They also tweeted that the people were shouting, "We hope they die," referring to the two deputies. They told people to stop blocking emergency entries and exits to hospitals, "People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through." Check these out! Two Los Angeles Deputies Shot in Ambush Manhunt Continues for Shooter of 2 LA Deputies Trump Gets Second Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Following Historic Deal Its a mystery what happened to Mary Hammond, who went missing 37 years ago this week. And its also something of a mystery why police have released evidence in the cold case, in the form of grainy, security camera photos of four men all hoped to have information about her disappearance, but whose names are unknown even to detectives. She was born Mary Emma Bisenthal, in Copetown, and attended high school in Dundas. When she married she took her husband Larrys last name. This week Brantford police released a detailed reconstruction of events: Mary Hammond was 25, and living in Brantford and working at a Buns Master Bakery on Morton Avenue, just south of Highway 403 near present-day Wayne Gretzky Parkway. Brantford police released grainy surveillance camera photos of four men they are hoping can provide information into a 1983 cold case: the disappearance of Mary Hammond. On Sept. 8, 1983, she walked to work in the dark from her home at 3:30 a.m. for an early-morning shift. The walk was just over one kilometre to the bakery; she declined an offer for a drive from her husband. Hammond never showed for work. Her footprints were tracked through a field she cut across, and police found items including a half-eaten apple from her lunch bag, and one of her white sockettes. A witness said an older-model brown pickup truck with painted bumpers and round headlights, possibly a Ford, left the back of the bakery around the time she disappeared, but no truck matching the description was ever found. Brantford police detectives were not available for comment, and corporate communications manager Robin Matthews-Osmond would not say why details of the case are being circulated now. Police on occasion float unsolved cases to the media, in hopes of inspiring tips from the public. Hamilton police homicide detectives have told The Spectator in the past they may have strong suspicions on suspects in a cold case, but need a key witness to step forward and tell what they know. Homicides sometimes go unsolved for decades because key forensic evidence was destroyed or witnesses have died. To cite one example, the Trisha Roach unsolved homicide is now 38 years old: a 26-year-old Hamilton nurse (married name Paraszczuk) who was found dead from strangulation inside her burning home on Montclair Avenue, just east of Gage Park in March 1982. Brantford police have reached out to media in the past to shine a light on the Mary Hammond case. The difference this time is police have released cryptic kernels of information: the photos of four men detectives believe know something about the case, but who police say they need help identifying. In addition, the news release said these men are believed to have ties to the Hungarian, Ukrainian, Bosnian or Polish community in and around the time of Hammonds disappearance, but offered no hint about the relevance of that detail. In a story in the Brantford Expositor about the case 12 years ago, Hammonds sister-in-law recalled that Hammond had seemed happy four months into her marriage, and the night before she went missing she had called her mother suggesting they get together to can tomatoes after her work shift. Police said advancements in forensic science and DNA technology may help crack the case but expanded no further on the point, although noted that among the evidence found in the field where Hammond walked was a small quantity of blood the Expositor story said the sample was a single drop. Detectives have never disclosed whose blood it is. FIGURE 1 PROPOSED DRILLING AND DOMAINS AT THE HUAYRA KASA UG PROPOSED DRILLING AND DOMAINS AT THE HUAYRA KASA UG TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM)(Eloro or the Company) is pleased to announce that its Bolivian subsidiary Minera Tupiza S.R.L. has commenced the planned 3,500m underground diamond drilling program at Huayra Kasa on its optioned Iska Iska Polymetallic Project in Potosi Department, southern Bolivia. The Company and contractor Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. have implemented safeguards to protect personnel from COVID-19. Drilling, which will be HQ-sized core, is being carried out by Leduc Drilling S.R.L. an experienced Bolivian drill contractor. Details of the initial planned drill holes in the program are listed in Table 1 and shown on Figure 1 (refer to press release of August 11, 2020 for more details). All underground workings are being systematically geologically mapped and channel sampled; to date this work is approximately one half completed. In addition, a surface trenching program is being carried out along with geological mapping and sampling to test the on-strike extension of the Huayra Kasa zone. Assay results for this work are pending. Preliminary geological work indicates that the Huayra Kasa zone extends at least 1 km along strike within the more extensive Iska Iska mineralized system. Silver-polymetallic mineralization within the Iska Iska system occurs over a potential strike length of more than 2.5km along major ring structures in a caldera complex. Tom Larsen, President & CEO of Eloro commented: This program will be the first drilling to ever be carried out on the property and is designed to test the full extent of the mineralized system in and around the Huayra Kasa underground workings. The mineralized/altered zone is exposed in the underground workings over a width of 100m but is likely much more extensive. Drilling will initially test a strike length of approximately 300m to a depth of 100m in the vicinity of the mine workings (Figure 1), however the potential strike length of the Huayra Kasa zone is at least 1 km. Iska Iska is situated in the highly prolific Southern Bolivian Silver belt and has excellent potential to host a significant silver-polymetallic mineral deposit. Story continues Qualified Person Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P. Geo., an expert on Bolivian geology and a Qualified Person in the context of National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Chief Technical Advisor for Eloro, and who has more than 45 years of worldwide mining exploration experience including extensive work in South America, will provide technical oversight to the program in consultation with Eloros Technical Advisory Committee and Micon International. Drill samples will be prepared in SGSs preparation facility in Oruro, Bolivia with pulps sent to their main laboratory in Lima, Peru for analysis by fire assay for gold and silver as well as 31 element ICP. Eloro will employ an industry standard QA/QC program with standards, blanks and duplicates About Iska Iska Iska Iska polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly-controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi. The property can be classified as a polymetallic (Ag, Zn, Pb, Au, Cu, Bi, Sn, In) epithermal-porphyry complex. This is an important mineral deposit type in Bolivia. Eloros Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., has an option to acquire a 99% interest in Iska Iska. Geological mapping on the property by Eloro has revealed the spatial and temporal zonation of alteration and vein minerals in an area of about 5 square kilometres. The polymetallic mineralization occurs mainly as veins, subsidiary vein swarms, veinlets, stockworks, and disseminations, forming a subvertical vein system in both the stock and the volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Preliminary evaluation work including 42 channel samples in underground and on surface workings at Iska Iska returned significant results as summarized below. All of the channel samples included altered wall rock with widths ranging between 1.20 to 5.55 m, averaging 2.90 m (see press release of October 8, 2019 for further details). Silver. Anomalous silver values range between 35.5-694 g/t Ag (46% of channel samples). Gold. Anomalous gold values range between 0.31-28.6 g/t Au (42% of channel samples). Zinc. Anomalous zinc values range between 1.05-16.95% Zn (37% of channel samples). Lead. Anomalous lead values range between 0.41- 16.95% Pb (49% of channel samples). Copper. Anomalous copper values range between 0.1->1% (22% of channel samples). Bismuth. Anomalous bismuth values range between 967-7,380 g/t Bi (22% of channel samples). Indium. Anomalous indium values range between 10.35->500 g/t In (34% of channel samples). The synchrotron study concluded that the mineral cluster analysis identified four mineralogical domains that cover the entire sampling area suggesting they are related and represent a single, large mineralizing system. Furthermore, the mineralogy of the domains is consistent with minerals identified in hand specimen and are likely related to a telescoped porphyry/epithermal style of mineralization. Domain 1 (Figure 1) is the most pervasive while Domains 2, 3 and 4 are more localized. Dr, Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo., Project Manager in Bolivia, commented: The results from this study support the concept of outlining potential bulk mineable silver-polymetallic mineralization at Iska Iska as concluded by Micon. Domain 1 is very widespread with mineralization and alteration occurring in all rock types including granodiorite, dacite and sandstone. Some samples returned grades comparable to those samples in the more restricted domains. Domain 2 contains high silver, zinc, lead and indium values while Domain 3 has high gold and bismuth values. Domain 4 returned the highest gold value with high silver and bismuth. It is likely that the mineralization in Domains 2 to 4 is a precious metal-rich epithermal style that occurs along structures cutting the widespread Domain 1 mineralization that is of disseminated porphyry style. It should be emphasized that this is a preliminary study the conclusions of which will be refined with additional surface/underground geological mapping and diamond drilling (see press release June 25, 2020 for further details). About Eloro Resources Ltd. Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro has an option to acquire a 99% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. Eloro recently commissioned a NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited and is available on Eloros website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of Barricks Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and Pan American Silvers La Arena Gold Mine. La Victoria consists of eight mining concessions and eight mining claims encompassing approximately 89 square kilometres. La Victoria has good infrastructure with access to road, water and electricity and is located at an altitude that ranges from 3,150 m to 4,400 m above sea level. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that statements of forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Thomas G. Larsen (President & CEO) Jorge Estepa (Vice-President) tlarsen@elororesources.com jestepa@elororesources.com ELORO RESOURCES LTD 20 Adelaide Street East, Suite 200 PHONE (416) 868-9168 | FAX (416) 361-1333 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2T6 www.elororesources.com Table 1: Summary of Initial Planned Underground Diamond Drill Holes, Huayra Kasa Mine. DDH No. DRILL BAY No. SECTION EASTING UTM NORTHING UTM ELEV. (masl) AZIMUTH DIP PLANNED LENGTH (m) DHK-01 1 A-A' 205616 7656385 4155 180 -10 100 DHK-02 1 A-A' 205616 7656385 4155 180 -50 100 DHK-03 1 B-B' 205616 7656385 4155 90 00 75 DHK-04 1 B-B' 205616 7656385 4155 90 -45 100 DHK-05 1 A-A' 205616 7656385 4155 N00 -50 100 DHK-06 1 B-B' 205616 7656385 4155 270 00 150 DHK-07 1 B-B' 205616 7656385 4155 270 -45 150 DHK-08 2 C-C' 205540 7656367 4155 150 -10 100 DHK-09 2 C-C' 205540 7656367 4155 150 -45 150 DHK-10 2 D-D' 205540 7656367 4155 30 -50 150 DHK-11 2 C-C' 205540 7656367 4155 330 00 100 DHK-12 2 C-C' 205540 7656367 4155 330 -45 100 DHK-13 2 D-D' 205540 7656367 4155 210 00 100 DHK-14 2 D-D' 205540 7656367 4155 210 -45 100 DHK-15 3 E-E' 205490 7656368 4155 315 00 100 DHK-16 3 E-E' 205490 7656368 4155 315 -45 150 DHK-17 3 F-F' 205490 7656368 4155 270 00 100 DHK-18 3 F-F' 205490 7656368 4155 270 -45 150 DHK-19 3 G-G' 205490 7656368 4155 225 00 100 DHK-20 3 G-G' 205490 7656368 4155 225 -45 150 TOTAL 2,225 Note: Final drill hole coordinates and depths may vary from planned. Figure 1: Location of initial planned underground diamond drill holes, Huayra Kasa Mine. Mineral cluster domains from the synchrotron study (see press release June 25, 2020 for more details) are shown. FIGURE 1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2b5df548-0fb5-450c-b888-5e6452f80a6a PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USI Affinity and the American Bar Association (ABA) recently announced a new partnership with Crum & Forster to offer a cyber liability insurance program for law firms nationwide. As the broker for the ABA Insurance Program, which provides insurance and financial solutions for ABA members and their firms, USI Affinity now offers access to this new cyber liability program designed exclusively for the law firm community. USI Affinity and Crum & Forster have created a premier, market-leading team, with world-class expertise and resources to help protect and insure small and large law firms. USI Affinity will provide cyber liability insurance solutions to law firms in all 50 U.S. states. The legal profession continues to be a target for hackers, and we have an obligation to protect client information and secure our systems, stated ABA Executive Director, Jack Rives. Providing ABA members and the legal community access to insurance coverage and resources to help mitigate these risks is more important than ever. As the legal profession evolves, the ABA remains committed to provide attorneys the tools they need to thrive. USI Affinity and Crum & Forster are helping bring such tools to our members. Together, USI Affinity and Crum & Forster deliver a proprietary, comprehensive cyber liability offering to attorneys and law firms through USI Affinity nationwide. With industry-leading knowledge, solutions and services, were taking a customized approach to maximize bottom-line impact and keep policies current with the changing demands of the cyber insurance marketplace, said USI Affinity Senior Vice President and Professional Liability Practice Leader, Mike Mooney. Our new policy enhancements focus on the continual challenges attorneys and law firms face, providing greater peace of mind. We are excited to partner with USI Affinity and the ABA to deliver a market-leading cyber liability product and service, said Nick Economidis, vice president of eRisk for Crum & Forster. "Cyber liability is evolving, even in the past six months, we have seen changes in the market, and we are actively evolving our products and service capabilities to meet the needs of target segments like the ABA. To learn more about the ABA Insurance Program, visit www.abainsurance.com. About USI USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects over 8,000 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients local, national and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities. For more information, visit www.usi.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. About Crum & Forster Crum & Forster* is a leading national property and casualty insurer, providing specialty insurance products through their admitted and surplus lines insurance companies. Founded in 1822, C&F is one of the oldest U.S. insurance companies, and today has more than 2,300 employees across the country conducting business through a network of independent agents, brokers and wholesalers. C&F had $2.8 billion in gross written premium in 2019 and is rated A Excellent by A.M. Best. *The C&F logo, C&F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company. For more information, visit www.cfins.com. About the American Bar Association The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews. ### The International Olympic Committee in a statement shortly after Saturdays execution said it was shocked and saddened by the news of the wrestlers execution, and that the committees president, Thomas Bach, had made direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran this week and asked for mercy for Navid Afkari. Iranian activists have condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for the execution of Navid Afkari, who was recently sentenced to death for the killing of a government official. Afkaris mother released a video shortly after his sentence saying that Afkari and his two brothers, who also received long sentences, were tortured into confessions during their imprisonment. Afkari had also released audio shortly before his execution proclaiming his innocence. According to the family, evidence was not given in the court case pointing to their guilt in the murder. They also claim they were not allowed to show evidence of their innocence, especially phone records that would put them at another location when the murder happened. After Afkari was executed, his family was forced to bury him at night in a rushed funeral ceremony. The video released of the funeral described the atmosphere as securitized. Iranian officials in the judiciary have issued conflicting reports about the individual Afkari was accused of killing. Earlier reports suggested the victim was a security official who many believed was killed during widespread protests in the country. Later media reports suggested the victim was a security official with the water department. Afkari was executed in accordance with the verdict "ghesas," or retribution in kind. It was rumored that just before the execution, Iranian activists were on their way to visit the family of the victim to get their consent to stop the execution. The quick turnaround between sentence and execution had surprised many Iran observers, especially given the international coverage the case has received. Iranian activist Mostafah Tajzadeh, who addressed the head of the judiciary Ebrahim Raisi in a tweet, wrote, Can you explain the rush to execute Navid Afkari, and why were the relatives of the victim not given a chance to seek the consent of the family so that the blood of another is not spilled? Under ghesas, the family can give their consent to not have the sentenced individual executed. Mahmoud Sadeghi, former Iranian parliamentarian, tweeted that he had been aware of Afkaris case and had been seeking to contact officials involved in the case to have his punishment reduced. Given the highly sensitive nature of the case, many Iranian newspapers did not cover the issue, and news websites published only the statements of the judiciary officials regarding the case. The execution was condemned by many Iranians in exile, including Reza Pahlavi, Omid Jalili and Golshifteh Farahani. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden both tweeted about the Afkari case at separate times. UFC fighter Bobby Green also addressed the case given that Afkari was a former wrestler. The case also appears to have political fallout between Iran and Germany. Iran summoned the German ambassador after the embassy tweeted in Persian criticizing the execution of Afkari. Iran called the tweets meddling in the Islamic Republics affairs. There have also been conflicting reports that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifs trip to Germany has been delayed due to the political fallout. Editor's Note: On Sept. 14, 2020, The Washington Post published an erroneous story about a purported FBI raid on the home of conservative operative Jack Burkman. After the story published, the FBI said that the raid did not take place. The story was published because The Post failed to obtain appropriate confirmation. A story about the hoax has been published under the slug BURKMAN-ANALYSIS. Read More Former FBI analyst admits to snooping on anti-Mueller conspiracy theorist Meet the GOP operatives who aim to smear the 2020 Democrats - but keep bungling it Disgruntled ex-employee of conspiracy theorist admits shooting him Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Pipeline 14 September 2020 Best Western Hotels & Resorts announced today that the construction of its highly-anticipated Vib property in Denver, Colorado is officially underway. Located at 3560 Brighton Boulevard in the River North (RiNo) Art District, Vib Denver will have 140 rooms and be an optimal spot for travelers looking to explore the newly industrialized area. Vib Denver will boast the modern amenities and energetic environment today's travelers have come to expect from the brand, as well as unique design elements that compliment Denver and the RiNo district's local flare. The hotel's 365 degree rooftop bar and eatery will provide guests with stunning views of the Rocky Mountains and Denver's growing skyline, and local art will adorn both the exterior and interior walls to highlight the area's flourishing art scene. The hotel will also include 2,000 square feet of conference space, a state-of-the-art fitness center offering interactive workouts, and a lobby Grab N Go cafe that will transition to a great spot for Happy Hour. With customization and individualism in mind, each Vib hotel highlights local sites and local flare through media walls that electrify artistic expression. Each hotel boasts open spaces with versatile furniture that creates flexibility for diverse business and social events. Vib prides itself on being the place where travelers can be themselves at work or play. Set to open in Q4, Vib Denver will be one of 17 properties in the North America pipeline, with locations already in Springfield, Missouri, Bangkok, Thailand and Antalya, Turkey. NORTHAMPTON - A suspect in the 2018 homicide of Daniel Cruz is due in Hampshire Superior Court on Tuesday for a change of plea hearing, at which time he is expected to plead guilty to his role in the crime, officials said. Nerkin Morales, 24, of Northampton, is accused of shooting Cruz on March 10, 2018 in Meadowbrook Apartments in a dispute over drugs. He is due to appear in court at 11 a.m. for a change-of-plea hearing. Morales and 8 other people are accused of taking Cruzs body to a open field in farmland along Bridge Lane in Hatfield where they set it on fire. The attempt to conceal the crime failed when firefighters responding to the scene to extinguish the flames that night found the body and called police. All nine people have been indicted by a grand jury on charges related to the death and the attempted cover-up. But Morales is the only one charged with with murder. In March, Pedro Soto-Rodriguez, 22, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder and was sentenced to between 7 and 8 years in prison. He also pleaded guilt to intimidating a witness. The trials for five other co-defendants in the cover-up are pending. Morales in March pleaded guilty in Hampden Superior Court to possession with intent to distribute heroin and trafficking in cocaine. Those charges are unrelated to the slaying of Cruz. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and is serving his sentence at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley. A Louisiana U.S. Army Reserve nurse practitioner decided to go above and beyond in her response to the CCP virus pandemic. Rayville resident Capt. Emily Stansbury was deployed in July with Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force-7452 (UAMTF-7452) as part of the Department of Defenses pandemic response. Her unit has been supporting DHR Health facility in Edinburg, Texas. Not only did Stansbury join the front lines in responding to the virus, but she also fulfilled her lifelong dream of serving with the Army. I dreamed of being in the Army since 5th grade, Stansbury said in a public statement on Sept. 10. Years later when an Army recruiter came to my nurse practitioner graduating class and told us the benefits and need for nurse practitioners, I joined that day. However, as part of the Reserves, Capt. Stansbury had never been on deployment prior to the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Not many people can say that their first mobilization with the Army was in response to a global pandemic. When the Army Reserve Medical Command announced the deployment of UAMTF-7452 to Edinburg on Facebook, people were quick to hail Stansbury and her task force as national heroes. Honored to serve with this amazing practitioner, commented Kim Whittaker, a fellow nurse practitioner. Another comment read, Absolutely the hero of our time. Since March, more than 1,000 Army Reserve medical professionals have risen to the call to assist the nations response to the virus. Capt. Stansbury says its not just a duty but her privilege. This is my first mobilization, being called to serve the American people during the COVID-19 pandemic is an honor, she said. She adds that the staff at DHR Health were overjoyed upon the arrival of the UAMTF-7452s 85-member team of doctors, nurses, combat medics, respiratory therapists, and other specialized personnel. They definitely needed support from the long hours they had been working from the massive overload of COVID-19 positive patients needing hospitalization, Stansbury said. It was nothing like her hospital back home. At Richardson Medical Center, Stansbury worked as a surgical prep nurse practitioner. She said the ER had been busy with patients with the virus but nowhere near the sheer overload at DHR. She called out the Richardson Medical Center employees as a vital part of enabling her service in Edinburg. Each soldier left a job that had to be filled by the staff we left behind, she said. Without them covering our jobs at home, like the medical staff in my rural hometown of Rayville, we could not complete our mission. Capt. Stansburys husband has also been supportive of her work with the U.S. Army. She calls him The force behind me; helping my dreams come true. Following in her footsteps, Stansburys two sons are both attending medical school. This deployment even gave her the opportunity to serve in the same area as her oldest son, Will, who is currently undergoing his clinical rotations in McAllen, Texas. Now, the UAMTF-7452 has nearly completed its mission in Edinburg. Being mobilized to the Rio Grande Valley has been a very humbling experience, Capt. Stansbury reflects. Our task force came together as a team to give everything we had to aid in the crisis. I hope the people of Edinburg know we gave our all and that it was a privilege to serve them. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc 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. China opposes interference by the United States in the detention of 12 Hong Kong activists who were reportedly seeking to travel by boat to the self-governing island of Taiwan. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing on Monday that the 12 were under criminal detention for "illegally crossing the border" and the case in under investigation by public security authorities of mainland Guangdong Province. Last month authorities confirmed the detention at sea of the 12, some of whom were linked to the anti-government protest movement in the city last year. The group, aged 16 to 33, were believed to be travelling to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, a popular choice among protesters who have chosen to leave Hong Kong since the passage of a new national security law in June. Critics say the Hong Kong law is Beijing's clearest attempt to erase the legal firewall between the semi-autonomous territory and the mainlands authoritarian Communist Party system. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday the US was "deeply concerned" over the arrests of the 12, whom he called "democracy activists". Wang reiterated that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs and that China would "allow no foreign forces to make irresponsible remarks". At the briefing in Beijing, Wang also congratulated Yoshihide Suga for being elected as the new head of Japan's ruling party. Wang said China was willing to deepen cooperation with Japan in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and economic development. Cameryn Carelock, a senior at Averett University, is worried about the virus in the community. She knows Danville has had high case counts for COVID-19. Even a short trip to Walmart reveals people not wearing a mask or social distancing, she pointed out. "It's troubling," said the Eden, North Carolina, resident. "We really have to enforce the rules set in place on campus." Those rules amount to a range of changes for college life among students and instructors. In some ways, it's a learning experience for everyone where a myriad benefits of online learning are surfacing. COVID on campus Averett University tracks cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, with an online dashboard. As of noon Friday, Averett had a total of 14 positive cases reported from students and workers since the first day of classes on Aug. 19. Of those, nine are current positive infections and five have already recovered. The dashboard provides information on individuals who have been studying or working on campus, according to the website. There are 480 students living on campus this fall, compared to 497 in fall 2019 and 432 last spring. In total, Averett has 888 traditional students and 442 online students this semester. Among new procedures for students and employees, Averett implemented health self-check using an app called LiveSafe or an online link each day before coming on campus or leaving their rooms, said Averett spokesperson Cassie Jones. The quick evaluation consists of four questions surrounding symptoms and exposure. Any student who feels ill and does not clear the screening should call the university's health triage line available during business hours for non-emergency cases, Jones explained. There the student will be walked through what they should do next. There's also a residence life on-call number available after hours and on weekends. "When a student calls, we will help them schedule an appointment with a doctor, find transportation to the health clinic or hospital and coordinate with their professors if they need to miss class," Jones said. Employees who do not clear the screening are asked to notify human resources and their supervisor. Those workers should not report to campus, but may work from home. The university has partnered with Sovah Health, Centra and the Pittsylvania-Danville Health Department to coordinate testing and contract tracing of COVID-19 cases. "This helps identify and notify people on campus who are known to have come into close contact with an infected person," Jones explained. Close contact, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is when someone has been within 6 feet of an infected individual for more than 15 minutes within the last 48 hours. When a student is asked to isolate, meaning they have tested positive for COVID-19, they are encouraged to return home, if possible. If not, Averett will establish housing either on or off campus. Those who have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 or are awaiting a test result are asked to quarantine, again, being urged to return home if feasible. Instruction As the pandemic continued to alter nearly every facet of life, faculty members spent the summer prepping for a mix of online and in-person classes, Jones said. The classroom layout is different this year to accommodate social distancing, and there are fewer students together at once. And those classrooms, along with communal spaces, are cleaned more often. For hybrid instruction, half of the class meets face-to-face one day and others are online or joining the classes using the video conferencing software Zoom, said Susan Huckstep, an associate professor of communion. Jennifer Hughes, an associate professor of English, said she is "definitely looking at fewer faces in each classroom." "For one of my freshmen classes, for example, I am seeing half of the class at a time while the other half does work online; they take turns doing in-person work with me," she said. Averett uses an online learning system that allows for discussions, activities and assignments, Huckstep said. "I believe we are doing a good job of using technology to complement our instruction while maintaining that personal touch we are known for," she said. Carelock, a bio-medical major, said she loves having hybrid classes. "I meet once a week in-person so I still have that connection with my teacher and classmates, and I also get to meet via Zoom where I can socially distance myself from everyone while still being able to communicate with my classmates and teachers," she said. "And with my major I don't feel like it would be beneficial for me to have solely online classes." For some timid students, the online platform has opened avenues previously unavailable and creates an atmosphere where they "really blossom online," Huckstep explained. "They are much more comfortable expressing their opinions and even asking questions," she said. "I also find that even students who are not shy about speaking up in a face-to-face class are able to really think about things and give more well-thought-out responses online." Hughes pointed out that students appear to appreciate the flexibility and always-accessible nature of virtual learning. "We miss the immediacy and the relationship building that comes with in-person teaching, of course," she said. "However, I've been happy to discover new ways through virtual learning to accommodate the needs of students who cannot be in person. I'll keep those methods even after the pandemic." For Hughes, the top benefit right now is safety. Attitude When asked about the overall attitude of students on campus, especially with wearing face masks, Hughes has yet to encounter "a truly resistant student," she said. In fact, she noted most "in the classroom seem content to do their part to keep others safe." In addition to a more intense cleaning regimen, wipes are available for students to clean their desks and chairs if they want. "I am very proud of our students," Huckstep said. "They are coming to class with their masks on, keeping them on and being very respectful of those around them." A casualty of the pandemic is the lack of on-campus activities, an almost rite of passage for college social interaction. Averett originally planned convocation in August but has rescheduled that for Tuesday. "Unlike the usual jam-packed Pritchett Auditorium, this years ceremony will be held on Daly Field on our North Campus," Jones said. "Chairs will line the field, spread out for social distancing, and for those unable or uncomfortable to attend in-person, the event will be livestreamed." Averett also announced this week that homecoming, traditionally a multi-day extravaganza, will be online this year with a week of activities themed as the Roaring 20s. "I do wish that we could have more in-person events on campus, but I also understand everything the school is doing for us right now is for our safety," Carelock said. "I want everyone on the campus to be safe so that we can have a good year despite what's going on around us." 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. MONTREAL - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said following a meeting Monday with Quebec Premier Francois Legault that he supports the province's right to pass legislation banning religious symbols and he wouldn't challenge it in court. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, left, and Quebec Premier Francois Legault get set to start their meeting in Montreal, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz MONTREAL - Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said following a meeting Monday with Quebec Premier Francois Legault that he supports the province's right to pass legislation banning religious symbols and he wouldn't challenge it in court. Canada is facing a national unity crisis, O'Toole told reporters after his first in-person meeting with a premier since winning the leadership race in late August. The federal government, therefore, shouldn't be interfering with the independence of provincial legislatures, he said. "We have a national unity crisis at the moment particularly in Western Canada and I did speak to the premier about that," O'Toole said. "We need a government that respects provincial autonomy and provincial legislatures." O'Toole said he served in the military with practising Sikhs who wore turbans, "and I understand it's a difficult question." "But as a leader, we have to respect the Constitution and the partnerships we have in Canada." Quebec's secularism law, commonly known as Bill 21, bans certain public sector workers from wearing religious symbols on the job. It is currently being contested before the courts and the federal Liberals have criticized the bill. O'Toole also said large, federally regulated companies such as banks as well as airports should be forced to adhere to Quebec's strict language laws. Quebec's minister for the French language recently signalled he plans to subject federal companies such as Via Rail to the province's language law known as Bill 101 which would require them to operate in French. "I told (Legault) personally I think large federal institutions should respect the French-language provisions in Quebec," O'Toole said. "I think it's a question of respect and I understand the priority of protecting a language, culture and identity." O'Toole said much of the discussion with Legault centred on relaunching the country's economy following the COVID-19 pandemic induced shutdowns. That included what he termed a frank discussion on pipelines which the Quebec government is opposed to building on its territory. Legault said last year there is "no social acceptability" for an additional oil pipeline in the province. In 2017, TransCanada abandoned the cross-Canada pipeline dubbed Energy East after protests in Quebec and after changes to the environmental assessment process. The Conservative leader said he spoke with Legault of the importance of pipelines in Western Canada, acknowledging that Energy East is "not on the table" but that the two men did discuss a proposed liquefied natural gas project in Quebec's Saguenay region. "There are projects that will help us get a better price for Canadian resources," O'Toole said. "This is a resource that is important to our national interest, we'd better get the best world price we can. "We had a good, frank conversation and he knows my priority is to get Canadian goods to market and the pipelines will help do that." O'Toole also said it was important for him to hold his first meeting in Quebec the Conservative leader was born in Montreal and has high hopes for increasing the Tory footprint in the province. "Weve got a great caucus from Quebec right now," he said. "I want to double or triple that caucus so were going to work very hard to earn the trust of Quebecers." Daniel Beland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said meeting with Legault first has important symbolism attached to it. 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. Legault's Coalition Avenir Quebec party has strong support in rural and suburban Quebec the same pool of voters O'Toole will want to target, Beland said in an interview Monday. The big challenge, he added, will come from the Bloc Quebecois, who also draw from the nationalist voter pool who support Legault's party. Beland said tripling the number of MPs might be ambitious but it wouldn't be hard for O'Toole to do better than his predecessor, Andrew Scheer. "Will it succeed? A lot will depend on whether Quebecers will want to bet again on the Bloc as the main opposition party to go after the Liberals or, if they don't like the Liberals, if they will be tempted by the Conservative message," Beland said. "The Conservatives can do better in Quebec and especially outside Quebec City, which is their stronghold." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said O'Toole supports Quebec's ban on religious symbols; what he supports is the province's right to legislate on the issue. Norwegian English On behalf of Sbanken ASA, DNB Markets has on 14 September 2020 purchased 19 500 shares for use in Sbanken's share purchase programme for employees. The shares have been acquired at an average price of NOK 70.8155 per share. Before the transaction, Sbanken had zero treasury shares. Contact details, Investor Relations: Jesper M. Hatletveit, Head of IR, Sbanken ASA, +47 959 40 045 Henning Nordgulen, CFO, Sbanken ASA, +47 952 65 990 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act France announces gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions Fountains in Athens' central square illuminated with Armenian tricolor Austria approves Europe's first mandatory COVID-19 vaccination mandate World War II aircraft crashed in India found after 77 years Armenian Parliament Deputy Speaker meets EU delegation Deputy Speaker of Armenian parliament meets Russian Ambassador to Armenia Germany won't pay compensation if Nord Stream 2 doesn't comply with German, EU laws NEWS.am digest: EU special rep. is in Armenia, Roma's Mkhitaryan turns 33 today Child injured in Artsakh car accident taken to Yerevan by Russian peacekeepers' helicopter Taiwanese woman faces death penalty for setting island's deadliest fire Turkey passes law to exempt converted lira deposits from corporate tax Blinken says he discussed Iran nuclear deal with Lavrov Erdogan says Turkey has peaceful relations with Russia like never before New German government wants to attract 400,000 skilled workers from abroad every year Israeli Attorney General orders to investigate police allegations of spyware Blinken: Any Russian invasion of Ukraine will be met with swift response Candidate: Ombudsmans institution is one of few established institutions in Armenia Lavrov summarizes the results of talks with Blinken UN agrees on definition of Holocaust denial Lavrov and Blinken talks kick off in Geneva Australian FM says issue of sending direct military aid to Ukraine is not considered Armenia PM receives EU delegation, need for full operation of Karabakh peace process is stressed Armenia National Assembly debating on new ombudspersons candidacy Katherine Tai: The world can't go back to the 2019 trading system Dollar gains value in Armenia Armenia legislature told hold secret ballot to elect TV and radio commission new members NATO intends to hold largest military exercises beyond Arctic Circle in early March 7 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh 'Zangezur corridor' will unite Turkic world, says Azerbaijan presidential office official Armenia FM highlights need for full resumption of Karabakh peace talks Armenia ex-defense minister: In our time it was shame to immediately turn to CSTO in case of Azerbaijan provocations UN General Assembly head calls for peace during Beijing Olympics Armenia Tourism Committee has new chairperson Russian MFA: Priority today is to start Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation, demarcation process Parliament passes, in first reading, bill restricting gambling advertising in Armenia UK considering sending hundreds of additional troops to Ukraine's neighbors Warships of Russia, Iran and China work out counteraction to maritime piracy Armenia first deputy minister of justice dismissed Israeli defense minister tests positive for COVID-19 Karabakh conflict resumption likelihood is moderate, its impact on US interests is low, report says Antonio Guterres thinks Russia will not invade Ukraine Azerbaijan ambassador to Russia hastens to sweeten the sediment of statement by US embassy in Baku IS fighters attack army barracks in mountainous area north of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers Thomas de Waal: Will Armenia and Turkey be able to normalize relations after 3rd attempt? Armenia Security Council secretary, visiting EU delegation discuss situation on border with Azerbaijan Foreign ministers of Israel and Turkey have talk for 1st time in 13 years Fly Arna shareholders appoint companys Board of Directors 628 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia CSTO chief: Necessary to work on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, demarcation FBI search congressman's home in connection with Azerbaijan probe Newspaper: Armenia PM again goes way of black and white Newspaper: Scenario devised after war to be implemented in Artsakh EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia Quake hits Armenia: 28 km northwest of Jermuk Crete island lighthouse illuminated with colors of Armenian tricolor Aurora Humanitarian Initiative to allocate $500,000 to projects in Artsakh Sajid Javid: Britain must learn to live with COVID-19, it could be with us forever Erdogan suggests Putin and Zelensky meet face to face EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus meets Aliyev US imposes sanctions on Ukrainians related to 'Russian harmful foreign activities' Sabah: Ankara refuses to hold next Armenian-Turkish meeting in a third country US general discusses regional security and bilateral cooperation in Armenia Secret graves of alleged protesters discovered in Almaty Armenian side members to Armenian-American Intergovernmental Commission confirmed WHO advises countries to lift or ease international travel restrictions US sanctions against Vladimir Putin, Ruben Vardanian and members of the Russian government Armenian Foreign Ministry discusses Mirzoyan's participation in Turkey forum Thailand to resume non-quarantine travel scheme from February 1 Instagram introduces paid subscription feature NEWS.am daily digest: 20.01.22 Europe considers new strategy to combat COVID-19 Norwegian prosecutors refuse release Anders Breivik, 2011 mass murderer Erdogan urges Turks to sell foreign currency for liras Azerbaijan not yet returned about 300 sheep of Armenia villager Media: Israeli President thinks about visiting Turkey Dollar quite stable in Armenia Trade turnover between Ukraine and Armenia increases by 24% Armenia legislature speaker meets with of International Republican Institute president, and director for Eurasia Kremlin does not exclude new call between Putin and Biden EU Special Representative for South Caucasus to soon visit Armenia, Azerbaijan State Duma discusses work of biolaboratories near Russia's borders US lawmakers to parliament speaker: Armenian POWs must be returned to their homeland immediately Security Council chief: Armenia expects OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to visit region Armenia government does not approve plan to considerably raise minimum wage Turkish FM: Armenian representatives invited to diplomatic forum in Antalya Twitter suspends Mexican billionaire's account over offensive behavior Armenian PM says Omicron strain is slowly spreading Azerbaijan says it supports launching border delimitation process with Armenia with no conditions Zakharova speaks on Aliyev's visit to Kyiv Zakharova does not comment on Azerbaijan president's threats against France presidential candidate for her Artsakh visit Cavusoglu: Steps to increase mutual trust will be discussed at next meeting with Armenia US gives go-ahead to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send missiles and other American-made weapons to Ukraine Zakharova: Russia, as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, supports continuation of work in this format Cyber attack on Red Cross: data of over 515,000 people compromised Pashinyan: UK has been strong partner of newly independent Armenia Israel hopes UN will unanimously condemn Holocaust denial Armenia, Ukraine depositories sign memorandum of cooperation Azerbaijan advises Armenia to correctly assess the new geopolitical realities and draw conclusions Australia, UK to fight back against cyberattacks from China, Russia and Iran Protesting residents of Armenias Parakar community march to territorial administration ministry Earlier in August, poll officials had indicated that the state Assembly polls could be held sometime in October-November 2020 A team of officials from the Election Commission of India (ECI) is scheduled to visit Patna on Monday to review preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election. "The team will reach Patna before lunch to see the latest developments as far as the preparation for the Bihar Assembly election is concerned," an official from the commission told ANI. In addition, the official said that they will also oversee the latest pandemic situation in the state. The ECI team includes Deputy Election Commissioners Sudeep Jain and Chandrabhushan Kumar. This is the first visit of the Election Commission team before the Assembly polls which is due in October-November. The tenure of the current Assembly is scheduled to end on 29 November. During the two-day visit, the ECI team will hold meetings with DMs and SPs of different districts at Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, and Bodh Gaya. Before returning to Delhi, they will hold a review meeting with the chief secretary and other senior officials in Patna. Earlier in August, poll officials had indicated that the polls could be held sometime in October-November. "Bihar elections are definitely happening on time," a senior official of the poll panel told PTI. (Alliance News) - Jubilee Metals Group PLC said Monday its application for the renewal of its small scale mining licence 7081-HQ-SML in Kabwe, Zambia has been accepted by the minister of Mines & Mineral Development. The renewal has been approved for a period of ten years and is subject to several customary conditions specified by the minister. In addition, Jubilee has appointed Nicholas Taylor as non-executive director with effect on October 1. Taylor's most recent executive role was as European head of Natural Resources Investment Banking at Royal Bank of Canada from 2015 to 2016. "As Jubilee continues to aggressively drive its expansion across both its Zambian and South African operations, the renewal of the licence in Zambia is an endorsement of the work that we are doing on the ground at Kabwe and the support from government and the Department of Mines. We have made significant progress in Zambia since the acquisition of the Sable Refinery in 2019, particularly in recent months with Jubilee securing access to vast amounts of copper containing surface tailings," said Chief Executive Officer Leon Coetzer. Shares in Jubilee Metals closed 5.9% higher at 5.82 pence in London, while its Johannesburg shares ended 7.3% higher at ZAR1.33 on Monday. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Monday, September 14th, 2020 (12:01 am) - Score 3,786 The CEO of London-based broadband ISP CommunityFibre, Graeme Oxby, has told ISPreview.co.uk in a new interview that the biggest obstruction they face in quickly and cost-effectively deploying their 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network is a lack of support from UK landlords, among other things. Until recently CF supported by an initial investment pot of around 90m from private investors (e.g. Amber Infrastructure and RPMI Railpen) and Government backed schemes had been working to deploy their full fibre network to cover more than 500,000 UK premises by the end of 2022. The vast majority of this has been focused upon the London area and large residential apartment buildings / social housing (MDUs) or office blocks. NOTE: CFs full fibre network reached 100,000 premises in January 2020 and rising. However, in July 2020 the aforementioned target was given a significant boost to 1 million homes and businesses by the end of 2023, which occurred after the provider secured a major investment of 400m from global equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC and management group DTCP (here). The extra funding has turned the provider into a much more significant player and thats on top of the fact that they also have some of the cheapest full fibre packages of any commercial ISP. Residential packages tend to start at just 20 per month for 50Mbps (free installation) and that goes up to 49 for 920Mbps. Despite this the providers CEO notes that they and other providers still have some challenges to face, such as the not insignificant problem of a lack of support from landlords (e.g. building owners). This lack of enthusiasm is reflected in slow and long-winded processes to issue wayleaves [legal access agreements] and slow internal approval to build processes, said Graeme. The issue is sadly nothing new and has been raised by most urban-centric broadband network operators at one time or another. The UK Government are moving to try and tackle this via new access rights (here), but CF wants more: We would like to see the Government support PM Boris Johnsons encouragement to scrap local planning consent and Build, Build, Build in the housing sector and do that for the fibre industry. In our full interview (below) we also cover issues of competition and overbuild between networks, as well as the current problem of engineer shortages and various other topics. NOTE: CF also supports local communities by offering free full-fibre to some of the community centres in the London boroughs they operate in, as well as delivering online digital skills training that is free and easy for everyone to access. The Community Fibre Interview Q1. Firstly, congratulations are in order following the new 400m investment deal with global equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC and management group DTCP. Prior to this we recall that Community Fibre originally held an ambition to reach 500,000 premises by the end of 2023, but now youre aiming for 1 million by the end of 2022. Is this forecast increase in build-rate entirely down to the latest investment or have you found efficiencies elsewhere? ANSWER: Thank you, this is an exciting deal for Community Fibre and having Warburg Pincus and DTCP on board is a tremendous endorsement for our business. In a post COVID19 world, digital connectivity will be more crucial than ever, making our plan to get to 1 million homes passed by the end of 2023 vital. Our acceleration from 500,000 to 1 million is down to both investment and efficiencies. We are growing quickly and we are delivering efficiencies in every area of our business. The extra funding allows us to build to a larger number of homes and businesses but well always have a strong focus on efficient network build. Q2. Transitioning from a smaller to larger operator can be hard and sometimes providers dont always get it right (e.g. Gigaclear in 2018/19). What sort of measures are Community Fibre taking in order to ensure that the business scales-up smoothly to cope with a larger and faster build? ANSWER: Transitions can definitely be challenging. Our investment comes from the blue chip investment sector which comes with a successful track record of scaling up businesses, and in particular broadband businesses from a global perspective. This will bring huge learnings for our business and best in class insight. Furthermore, our new executive team at Community Fibre have a vast amount of combined experience in running much larger corporations. However, we are aware of the challenges and are also actively recruiting talent and investing in IT to ensure we can scale up our business and processes. Indeed, the work by OFCOM and Openreach to improve the PIA product has given us the confidence to grow even faster in the future. Q3. Can you tell us anything about the typical cost per premises passed of your deployment and its penetration after the first 1, 2 or 3 years? For example, Openreachs current FTTP roll-out is costing around 300 400 per premises and Virgin Medias estimate is around 620 (VM is seeing about 30-35% penetration after 3 years)? ANSWER: We currently are not publicly releasing our cost per premise numbers but suffice to say we have a very low cost versus industry benchmarks given our primary focus on going to MDUs combined with our rapid deployment methods. Ultimately this allows us to deliver the best broadband at the best prices which is resulting in accelerating customer growth. Q4. Community Fibre are perhaps one of the cheapest of the commercial gigabit broadband ISPs in the market right now. How are you able to maintain that level of pricing and what sort of impact does it have on your expectations for build payback on the long-term investment (e.g. operators tend to have payback windows of 10-20 years)? ANSWER: Community Fibre is the leader in providing the best speeds at the best prices in London and our low cost to build ensures that we have a sustainable model with good paybacks. Q5. Last year we reported that CF were conducting a Single Dwelling Unit (SDU) trial with individual houses in London. Can you tell us a little about that and roughly what plans you might have for deployment to SDUs in the future, which are obviously a lot more costly to tackle than MDUs (apartment blocks)? ANSWER: Our aim at Community Fibre is to provide the highest quality full fibre and the most affordable prices across London. The trial provided useful information about what it might cost to pass single homes and to better understand how we might pass other building types as we extend the network. Q6. Ofcom has begun to consult on some of the changes that might be needed in order to help facilitate investment in new full fibre and gigabit capable broadband networks. Many of the proposals relate specifically to Openreach, but some such as migration processes for full fibre networks (moving away from copper), a new Dark Fibre product and regulation that varies by geographic area may also affect other providers. What are your thoughts on Ofcoms proposals and do you think that they need to make any other changes in order to help the investment case and roll-out of such networks? ANSWER: The single biggest obstruction to quickly and cost-effectively enable fibre adoption in the UK is the lack of support from the majority of landlords in quickly enabling their residents to have the best possible broadband. This lack of enthusiasm is reflected in slow and long winded processes to issue wayleaves and slow internal approval to build processes. Operators like Community Fibre can build at pace and to very high quality and safety standards and clearly have the money available to roll out the networks at no cost to landlords. So, whilst Ofcoms efforts in some sectors of the market are welcome they wont make a lot of difference unless landlords are encouraged or persuaded to support fast full fibre network roll-out. We would like to see the Government support PM Boris Johnsons encouragement to scrap local planning consent and Build, Build, Build in the housing sector and do that for the fibre industry. Q7. The Government are currently planning to invest 5bn in order to help those in the final 20% of hardest to reach (mostly rural) premises gain access to gigabit-capable broadband (aspiration is to cover every UK home by the end of 2025), which could involve various technologies such as FTTP, 5G, fixed wireless and DOCSIS 3.1 etc. Obviously this is somewhat outside of CFs city-centric focus, but do you have any interest in bidding on related contracts at all and what are your thoughts on the viability of that 2025 target in general? ANSWER: At Community Fibre we think there is a large majority of London that is poorly served by the current incumbent providers in the market. We would like to see the Government support the 100% full fibre players that are trying to reach the poorly connected population and lessen the digital divide. To ignore the investment that inner London needs is depriving a necessary utility for many, especially in a post-pandemic world. Q8. Commercial competition between full fibre (FTTP) providers in urban areas has become increasingly aggressive, which is something that CF will be very familiar with. Indeed, over the past few months weve started to see more examples where three providers have all built networks in the same area (overbuild). The Governments 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review made clear that at least a third (with the potential to be substantially higher) of UK premises are likely to be able to support three or more competing gigabit-capable networks. On the one hand this gives consumers extra choice and a better chance of getting a good deal. On the other hand, locals suffer more disruption from multiple builds, while overbuild does little to improve overall UK coverage and can also make it harder for providers to attract investment by stretching the payback period or risk. What is your position on all this and how might it be tackled, if at all? ANSWER: We strongly believe that customer choice is good thing, after all the lack of choice is why the country is so poorly and expensively served by the incumbent providers. Its obviously nice to be the only provider in town, but probably not very realistic over the long term. There arent many streets which have more than one provider, so the much talked about examples with 3 competitors are still very much a tiny minority of cases. For the longer term, if you face an overbuild situation you just need to be very disciplined on costs and have a slick sales effort to quickly gain share, all of which is possible and can lead to attractive returns. At Community Fibre we have the best speeds and the best prices and indeed the best overall service according to customers on Trustpilot, where we have consistently been the UKs number one ISP. While we believe that we will continue to be successful, we are mindful of the prevalent digital divide that exists in London. Of course fibre-optic cables running to the home are small and so it is possible to have multiple cables running to properties discreetly. Landlords and Government should be discouraging the use of larger and older copper based technologies in city centres. Q9. Fears have been raised from a number of quarters, including privately by some other ISPs, that the rush by various companies to build full fibre networks may be putting a strain on the supply of skilled engineers (i.e. demand outstripping supply). Have you experienced this and, if so, what do you think needs to happen in order to resolve it and should the Government be making any changes to facilitate that? ANSWER: We believe that there is a need for the Government to support more education and training/re-training to increase the skill base in the long term, but also there is a responsibility on industry players to do their bit. We look at the skills shortage as a luxury problem in a post-COVID world when compared to the challenges of other industries that have been laid bare by the pandemic. The good news is that with the re-sizing of many industries, we will be able to offer recruitment and training in all areas including technical. Indeed during Lockdown we increased our employee base substantially we will be continuing to grow rapidly in the months to come and if anything see a loosening of supply side constraints as many more people seek employment. Q10. The UK Government is currently providing a 5 year relief from business rates on new fibre and Scotland has just pushed this to 10 years. Do you think that the UK should be extending their 5 year relief further, such as to 10-15 years, and if so then why? ANSWER: Yes we believe Business Rates Relief for new fibre should be extended at least until HM Treasury has completed its review of Business Rates that it is currently consulting on. Q11. Finally, CF has so far been laser focused on London and that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. Weve previously been told by your former CEO that the ISP may look to build outside of London in the future. Are you able to provide any update on your plans for that and where else you might consider targeting? ANSWER: Our recent successful investment round very clearly laid out our plans for London and the work that needs to be done, so at the moment we are laser focussed on delivering on those goals. However, we wouldnt rule anything out in the future. A big thank you to Graeme for agreeing to take part in this interview and for keeping us up-to-date with the operators progress. - DP Ruto said President Uhuru was a democrat and was not interested in extending his presidential term using the BBI - Ruto said the BBI should solve the problems of Kenyans and should not be a tool by politicians to advance their agendas - The second in command fired at Atwoli who recently said the president would extend his term after the Constitution was changed PAY ATTENTION: PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Deputy President William Ruto has rubbished Francis Atwoli's claims that President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking another term through a raft of changes to the Constitution. Ruto, who was talking about the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), said he was certain his boss the president was a democrat and did not need another term as claimed by Atwoli. READ ALSO: MP Ndindi Nyoro's says Uhuru's legacy will be like Idi Amin's William Ruto said Uhuru was not interested in another term. Photo: William Samoei Ruto. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Muigai wa Njoroge warms hearts with photo of himself sandwiched between 2 wives Speaking at his Karen Residence after meeting with opinion leaders, the DP used the viral expression "oliskia wapi" (where did you hear it from?) to question the basis of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) boss' remarks. "So people are saying the report is about the extension of terms, my boss President Uhuru Kenyatta has not told anybody that he wants his term extended. "So where are these people finding all these? I'll dare ask, uliskia wapi, president anataka term yake iongezwe, uliskia wapi (where did you get the report that the president wants another term?)" said Ruto. READ ALSO: Men fall in love with lady's hot 45-year-old mum who looks nothing like her age BBI politics The second in command said BBI needs to be progressive, advancing common purposes and expanding opportunity for all and not a tool by selfish politicians to breed division, hate and ethnic animosity. "It should appreciate our diversity and help build a stronger economy to move Kenyans out of poverty and unemployment," he said. READ ALSO: Meru: Parents storm school, slaughter 2 bulls and share meat William Ruto said the BBI should solve Kenyans' problems. Photo: William Samoei Ruto. Source: Facebook His statements on the documents came a couple of days after ODM leader Raila Odinga said the BBI was not meant to make him president or Uhuru the premier in 2022. Speaking in Mombasa on Saturday, September 12, the Opposition chief maintained the BBI will put an end to some historical injustices as well as offering to unify the country. READ ALSO: COVID-19: Kenya records lowest number of cases at 48, country's tally now 36,205 Raila said BBI was not about power. Photo: Raila Odinga. Source: Facebook "Kenyans want to catch their fish, they are opposed to eating what is already cooked. That's where BBI is coming from, to offer opportunity to everyone. The BBI is not about creating power for Raila or to make Uhuru the prime minister," he told the gathering. Ruto's reservations on the BBI The deputy president has been hesitant to support the BBI which is one of the fruits of the handshake between the head of state and the former prime minister. In the early days of campaigning for the document early this year, Ruto firmly stated he will stop reggae (which is BBI's mantra) since it is promoting negative ethnicity, hatred and ethnic profiling. Ruto said Kenya is a God-fearing nation and would not condone the negativity championed in the BBI rallies. 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 husband, my pain - Violet Andisi | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke When the tactics of Black Lives Matter coincide with the ideology of NPR, Americans should realize that the left has crossed yet another line on the indecency scale. A reporter for an NPR station showed up at the Los Angeles hospital where two sheriff's deputies who had just been shot while sitting in their car were taken. A BLM crowd had miraculously appeared within minutes to block the emergency entrance, some of them shouting "I hope they f------ die." Some were vowing to "rape a cop's girlfriend like a dog instead of a pig." The NPR station's reporter allegedly interfered with the police attempts to control the "protesters." This is the nadir to which the radicalized Democrat party has brought this nation as the election nears. Can it get worse? Most assuredly. These pathetic lefties are on a roll, with a new "bombshell" (not) just about each and every day. The Atlantic apparently made up a story out of whole cloth about the President disrespecting soldiers who gave their lives in battle. It was just another fabricated lie, but it kept CNN and MSNBC delirious with excitement for a few days until a few quotes from Bob Woodward's new book gave them, they assumed, a new scandal Trump "played down" the seriousness of COVID to prevent a panic! OMG! This one was blessedly gone in a day because of course a president in a crisis hopes to allay fear and panic. It is the left that has used and abused the virus as a cudgel in yet another foolish attempt to destroy Trump. At the same time, they blindly defend and promote poor decrepit Joe Biden, who cannot successfully read a teleprompter any longer, let alone discuss policy, any policy. He can barely utter a coherent sentence. Anyone who denies this has not watched the many, many videos of him trying to sound presidential and failing miserably. Not surprisingly, taxpayer-funded NPR has supported the not "peaceful protests" for months. They have been touting that ludicrous book that defends looting and the destruction of private property. They regularly use Trump's words out of context. NPR lost its way long before Trump was elected, but it has been enthusiastically dragged into the anti-Trump fray. Why taxpayers are forced to subsidize this particular branch of the Democrat party is not a mystery; taxpayers are stooges. Throughout these past months of violent looting, arson, death, and destruction, NPR, like the rest of the leftist media, has misled their viewers and insisted these riots were "mostly peaceful." They absolutely were not. They have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, mostly to small businesses, many of them minority-owned. The left media rarely if ever showed their viewers the hundreds of hours of video of the devastation caused by Antifa and Black Lives Matter throughout the nation. (Nor do they show the countless videos of Biden's obvious senility.) They have denied throughout the wholesale evil perpetrated by adherents to these Marxist groups, both of which are generously funded by American corporations like Airbnb, Door Dash, Ford Foundation, and George Soros's Open Society. Are these big donors aware that Antifa and BLM mean to destroy capitalism, the nuclear family, and America as founded? Of course they are. They are all on board with those groups' anti-Americanism. The street level and media dominance of these two organizations are, one can suppose, the natural outgrowth of two generations of educational indoctrination by the Alinskyite left. Hillary Clinton did her undergraduate thesis on Saul Alinsky, so that should give us all an idea of how long the Democrats have been driving us to where we are today, with every tradition and American value long revered and passed on to our children for over two hundred years with the Constitution under assault. The continued murderous attacks on our men and women of law enforcement has been for several years now encouraged by the left. Remember Dallas and the five policemen killed by one cold-blooded, cop-hating sniper there to the tune of "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon"? Those doing the chanting supported the sniper. The left's antipathy for our police has long been on display. That would be the same brand of man and woman who saved thousands on 9/11. And yet just in the past few months, Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Ayanna Pressley, Kamala Harris, and Biden himself have seemed to promote "uprisings in the streets." They seem to think it will benefit their party on Election Day. If it does, even with the cheating the Democrat party is bound to put in play, then America will soon be over. The Democrat party of today is authoritarian, socialist/communist, racist, anti-capitalist, anti-wealth for everyone but themselves, and hypocritical in the extreme. What these people want, what they take, is for them and for them only. The rest of us must learn our place and not strive for what they deem the status, wealth and power reserved for them, that must remain out of our reach. The leftists of blue states have used the pandemic to their own ends to destroy their states' middle class by putting as many small businesses out of business as possible. DeBlasio and Cuomo of NY, Newsom of CA, Whitmer of MI, etc. are each happy to betray their own citizens if it means beating Trump in November. The Democrats in Congress continue to block further aid to the catastrophically unemployed due to the virus. As usual, Pelosi and her vassals in the House are abusing their positions of power, again in some demented logic to defeat the President. With every fiber of their being, they believe most Americans are mind-numbed idiots. They are counting on it, counting on us to ignore the fact that they have been advocating for all the rioting the citizens of democrat-run cities have endured. They assume as well that we will all fail to notice their candidate belongs in a nursing home. The Biden campaign finally released a statement, too little, too late, in support of law enforcement! Harris however is still raising money to bail out rioters. Ilhan Omar said on Saturday that "You can't vote Democrat if you support the police." As a spokesperson for The Squad, that pretty much says it all you need to know about the Democrat party as currently constituted. As Gary Gindler writes, they seem to be following in the footsteps of some very bad tyrants of history: "Minister Goering's first step was staging a grand purge of the police and hiring National Socialist Party activists with no police experience to replace the thousands of dismissed policemen. How could the head of police practically leave citizens to their fate without police protection? This seems more than strange, but Goering had a different task." Read the whole column. Given the enthusiasm of Trump's supporters, the Democrats' game plan will be a bust. More from the Gindler piece: "From a Machiavellian standpoint, the Democrat party thugs Antifa and BLM are simply an extraordinary political gift. Who needs agent-provocateurs if your political opponent has such renegades? Do not forget that the primary damage from democratic pogroms falls solely on the Democrat states and Democrat enclaves. For months now, the "peaceful democratic rioters" have been dragging the model of the "peaceful guillotine" around the Democratic enclaves." Contrary to what the aged Pelosi has said, it is the Democrat party that is the enemy of our country, and a very serious, lethal enemy at that. Photo credit: Andy Witchger, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Australia's genomic sequencing capability will be upgraded as part of a major new project as scientists continue to work through a backlog of cases in Victoria. Genomic sequencing, which interrogates the genetic code of each strain of virus to look for transmission links between infected people as well as tracking the real-time evolution of the virus, has emerged as a crucial technology in the fight against COVID-19. The $3.3 million project aims to bring all genomic sequencing laboratories in Australia together into one system, with all labs using the same standards and data able to be shared in real-time. Credit: Supplied But in Australia, each state runs its own genomic sequencing. Just to get data from NSW, Victorian scientists often have to go through a multi-step process or turn to a public database. This article will reflect on the compensation paid to Graham Stapleton who has served as CEO of Halfords Group plc (LON:HFD) since 2018. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Halfords Group. Check out our latest analysis for Halfords Group How Does Total Compensation For Graham Stapleton Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? At the time of writing, our data shows that Halfords Group plc has a market capitalization of UK373m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK678k for the year to March 2020. That's just a smallish increase of 5.6% on last year. We note that the salary portion, which stands at UK550.6k constitutes the majority of total compensation received by the CEO. On comparing similar companies from the same industry with market caps ranging from UK156m to UK626m, we found that the median CEO total compensation was UK626k. So it looks like Halfords Group compensates Graham Stapleton in line with the median for the industry. Furthermore, Graham Stapleton directly owns UK239k worth of shares in the company. Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary UK551k UK540k 81% Other UK127k UK102k 19% Total Compensation UK678k UK642k 100% On an industry level, roughly 68% of total compensation represents salary and 32% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Halfords Group pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, compared to the 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 Halfords Group plc's Growth Numbers Over the last three years, Halfords Group plc has shrunk its earnings per share by 32% per year. In the last year, its revenue is up 1.5%. The decline in EPS is a bit concerning. And the modest revenue growth over 12 months isn't much comfort against the reduced EPS. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Story continues Has Halfords Group plc Been A Good Investment? Since shareholders would have lost about 30% over three years, some Halfords Group plc investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously. To Conclude... As we touched on above, Halfords Group plc is currently paying a compensation that's close to the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. On the other hand, EPS growth and total shareholder return have been negative for the last three years. It's tough to call out the compensation as inappropriate, but shareholders might not favor a raise before company performance improves. While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. That's why we did some digging and identified 4 warning signs for Halfords Group that investors should think about before committing capital to this stock. Switching gears from Halfords Group, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. 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. Meteorologists say that the storm is a slow mover and looks as if it will strengthen once it makes landfall Just a couple weeks after Hurricane Laura ripped through areas in the Southern Gulf Coast, the region faces the threat of another storm. The National Hurricane Center currently points Hurricane Sallys track to southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi with potential impacts to New Orleans and its surrounding areas. A Hurricane Warning for #Sally is also in effect for parts of southeastern #Louisiana and southern #Mississippi. Tropical storm force winds are likely to begin there on Monday. https://t.co/wVCrCIjDrB pic.twitter.com/sb0ZDH2FxI National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 13, 2020 Local government leaders are urging residents along the storms track to make necessary preparations for strong winds, heavy rains and the chance of a storm surge. Read More: Hurricane Laura destroys Confederate monument after officials vote to keep it Meteorologists say that the storm is a slow mover and looks as if it will strengthen once it makes landfall sometime between late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. Currently, the City of New Orleans is working hard to make sure drainage pumps are fully operational. This weekend two out of 99 pumps were down. Sewerage and Water Board workers fixed one of the pumps Saturday night and plans to have the other drainage pump back online on Sunday. An aerial view from a drone shows a damaged apartment complex after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on August 29, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The hurricane came ashore bringing rain and high winds to the southeast region of the state, reaching wind speeds of 150 mph and a 9-12 feet storm surge. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A couple weeks ago, residents in Louisiana near Lake Charles dealt with the devastating effects of Hurricane Laura. Story continues The powerful storm claimed the lives of 16 people as it left a trail of destruction in southwest Louisiana. More than half of those who died were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Hurricane Laura was the most powerful hurricane to strike the state, even surpassing Katrina, which was a Category 3 storm when it hit 15 years ago. Read More: Twin storms headed for U.S. coast, Louisiana residents evacuate Simply driving was a feat in Lake Charles. Power lines and trees blocked paths or created one-lane roads, leaving drivers to negotiate with oncoming traffic. The parish sheriffs office posted an extensive update on their Facebook page of streets that were impassable. A damaged Waffle House sign is seen on August 28, 2020 in Sulphur, Louisiana. Hurricane Laura came ashore bringing rain and high winds to the southeast region of the state, reaching wind speeds of 150 mph and a 9-12 feet storm surge. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images) Hurricane Laura also killed nearly two dozen people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic en route to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Associated Press journalists Gerald Herbert, Nomaan Merchant, Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Rebecca Santana in New Orleans and Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City contributed to this report. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Southern Gulf states prepare for another storm appeared first on TheGrio. Lukashenko has become a different political subject, Rau says. Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau says the Belarusian government represented by Alexander Lukashenko has lost its legitimacy. "We cannot perceive President Alexander Lukashenko as such who enjoys legitimacy in a democratic society. This is a completely different subject [of politics]. Therefore, our policy is addressed to the Belarusian society," he said, as reported by Radio Poland's Ukrainian service. Read also Lithuania recognizes Tikhanovskaya President of Belarus Recent developments in Belarus in brief 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. Few people are as knee-deep in our work-related anxieties and sticky office politics as Alison Green, who has been fielding workplace questions for a decade now on her website Ask a Manager. In Direct Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better. When I started a workplace advice column 13 years ago, I didnt realize how often the questions Id receive would be rooted in a widespread lack of knowledge about the legal rights Americans do and dont have at work. Every weekprobably every dayI receive questions from people who either dont realize something their employer is doing is flagrantly illegal or who think they have way more rights than American labor law actually gives them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been asked whether its legal for an employer to ban gambling in the office, require overtime, make you pick up your bosss lunch, insist you use your vacation days, fire someone via email, require you to come to work if you skip the company cruise, ban fish from being microwaved in the office kitchen, cross-train someone else in your work, make you feel guilty about not coming in on the weekend, and much, much more. (All these things are legal, although the overtime might have to be paid.) One of the biggest areas of confusion is around whether its legal for your manager or a colleague to be, basically, a jerk. If youve heard the legal term hostile workplace, you might assume that means you dont have to be subjected to a hostile environment at work. But the words are slightly misleading; to be illegal, the hostile conduct must be based on your race, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information, and it must be severe or pervasive. If your boss is just a jerk to you because hes a jerk to everyone, or because he hates your tie, thats legal. Its unwise and unkind, and its bad management, but its not against the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I suspect the root of the disconnect is that people assume employment laws are there to hold employers to a bar of reasonable behavior. But in fact, the employment laws we have are more of a bare minimum. When you expect labor law to do more than that, youll usually come away disappointed. (In fact, I wouldnt be surprised if the reason anti-union sentiment is so strong in the U.S. is at least partly because people assume theyre protected by far more laws than actually exist.) Advertisement Advertisement And yet, at the same time, American workers are often largely unaware of the rights they do have. One of the biggest is the right to discuss your salary and working conditions with your co-workersa right given to (most) employees under the National Labor Relations Act, the same law that protects unionizing. But an astounding number of employers have policies prohibiting salary discussions with co-workers, and they get away with it because their employees dont realize such policies are flagrantly illegal. Advertisement Employees also often dont realize that their employer cant delay their paychecks (state laws usually set out a specific time period in which wages must be received after work was performed), or that they cant be retaliated against for making a good-faith report of discrimination or harassment, or that its not up to their employers discretion whether they receive overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week (it depends on how the government classifies the type of work an employee does), and plenty more. Advertisement Advertisement In fairness to employees, employers frequently break these laws, and employees dont always have much recourse when that happens. Lawsuits are expensive and time-consuming. But much of the time, simply knowing the law and calmly asserting it can get a company to change course. Not always, but enough of the time that its worth it to know your rights. Advertisement Advertisement Of course, many people dont know their legal rights in other areas of life toothey dont know that they arent obligated to consent to a police search or even that they can request a private pat-down at the airport. Its not a problem thats just confined to work. But when people know so little about laws that have an enormous impact on their experiences and quality of life, weve failed them in a fundamental way. And sure, this information is out there for people who think to go looking for it. But even then, its rare to find it all compiled in one place. There have been some efforts to address this in small ways (think of those labor law posters employers are required to hang on their walls) or through, you know, unions, but at the end of the day, were still a nation of workers who think our companies cant ban fish in the office microwave and who dont realize we have recourse when a paycheck is late. In the past 10 days, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has tried twice to define Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a relentless and intimidating bully. The first time paid political dividends; the second was a miscalculation. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk accused the Prime Minister of bullying. Credit:Matt Dennien In the lead-up to the most recent national cabinet meeting, the Premier defined criticism from the Prime Minister and other premiers over her hard-line border lockdown as intimidating. It is relentless, it is intimidating but I will not be intimidated, she declared at a media conference, appearing both resolute and choked with emotion. 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. 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You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. When Shuyu Zhou fell from the balcony of her former girlfriend's apartment in Zetland in June last year, she was badly injured but very much alive. As the 23-year-old lay helpless and writhing in pain, and while a passer-by called for help, Zixi "Jessy" Wang descended from the building, took a 13 centimetre knife from her pocket and inflicted 58 wounds on her former lover, known to friends as Lianne. Zixi "Jessie" Wang has pleaded guilty to the murder of her ex-girlfriend. Credit:NSW Police Graphic CCTV footage of Ms Zhou's final moments totalling 11 distressing minutes was played to the NSW Supreme Court on Monday during a sentencing hearing for Wang, who pleaded guilty to the murder in May. In the footage, Ms Zhou is seen falling onto a corrugated metal fence and then onto the ground. Her legs and arms are flailing but she is unable to get up, having sustained a dislocated hip and fractured lower spine. A pathologist later concluded the injuries sustained in the fall "would not have been immediately fatal", according to court documents. In March, the European Commission published its proposal for a new European climate law. Therefore we asked the Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjard (M, EPP) some questions. In March, the European Commission published its proposal for a new European climate law, which will - among other things - bind the EU to becoming climate neutral by 2050. The proposal, which has received considerable attention, will now be discussed and processed by MEPs and Member States in the Council. What impact will the European Climate Law, if implemented, have on businesses? How does the bill align with the European Green Deal? How will people notice the impact of a new European climate law? We wanted to know more; therefore we asked the Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjard (M, EPP) some questions. She is a member of ENVI, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. 1. In March, the European Commission published its proposed European Climate Law. What significance does this have in your opinion? Is there anything you find better or worse, or would like to see changed in the Commissions proposal? This is one of the most important legislative proposals that we will work on during this term, partly because it is about meeting one of our greatest societal challenges, and partly because it will broadly affect the conditions for companies to operate in Europe. Basically, the European Commission's proposal is good, but I worry that it will be far too much focus on using the forest to absorb carbon dioxide alone, instead of using the forest as a resource to replace fossil-based products and materials. It is also important that all Member States achieve climate neutrality. We must understand that the member states have different conditions to change, but at the same time make demands on those who have not come this far yet. The era when other countries can take advantage of our ambitious climate work must come to an end. 2. The European Climate Law sets out the EUs ambition to become climate neutral by 2050. What concrete tools do you believe Sweden will need to achieve this goal? Sweden has already come much further than many other EU Member States, but there are still many other things we need to do. Not least, we need to give companies and industries the right conditions to adapt and change. It is highly problematic that a small issue such as long licensing processes present such barriers to the many companies that seek to change. This point needs to be properly addressed. 3. How would the proposal affect business in Sweden within the EU and how will it affect the EU relative to the rest of the world, particularly from a competitiveness perspective and the risk of activities and investments being placed moved out of the EU as a consequence? Do you consider there has been an adequate impact assessment on the proposal? I am deeply concerned that Jytte Guteland and the Social Democrats are seeking to raise the 2030 target to 65 percent. This is a proposal that would be directly detrimental to both Swedish and European industry. Europe needs to change, but that does not mean that we should shut down completely. We will make no difference to the climate if we set demands that are so high and unrealistic that the consequences are ultimately that we move both operations and emissions beyond the borders of Europe. Whether we raise the 2030 target by 5 percent or 10 percent, we need a proper impact assessment; otherwise everything else is irresponsible. This is an aspect that we, as moderates, drive; we need to know how the proposals will affect, for example, jobs and companies and whether they have sufficient impact. Unfortunately, other party groups care less about it. 4. How will the Climate Law affect small and medium-sized companies (SMEs)? Greater climate ambitions will require everyone to play their part in reducing emissions, regardless of the size of the company. But it is reasonable to expect larger companies and whole industries to pull a heavier load during the transition. 5. How will you, as a Member of the European Parliament, work on this issue in the future? Above all, I work on issues relating to forestry and nuclear power. Among other things, I work on the protection of active forestry and ensuring that forests are seen as a resource in the climate change transition, used to reduce emissions. We must also not stare blindly at renewables; however the important thing is fossil-free energy sources. Nuclear power will be crucial if we are to succeed in securing clean energy so that the transport and industrial sectors have the required conditions for change. Therefore, it is problematic that the European Commission and the European Parliament are so deeply critical of nuclear power and place its use at a disadvantage. We are working to change this. 6. How well do you think this plan is aligned with the EU Commission's proposed recovery package, and the restart to which the European Green Deal is designed to contribute? The recovery package has many shortcomings, particularly the fact that it is overly based on grants rather than on loans. However, it is good that it gives the EU an opportunity to make investments in the climate and environment arenas earlier than planned. At the same time, it is vital to follow up these investments, to ensure that they actually lead to reduced emissions rather than simply to increased waste. 7. How much attention do you think your constituents will pay to the Climate Law? How will it affect them in their everyday lives? Sweden already has tougher climate and environmental requirements, than other Member States, so I think Swedish voters will generally be less affected compared to countries. This will be a way to bring the rest of Europe reduce their emissions. 8. In September, the European Commission will also present an analysis of how the 2030 climate target can be raised from the current 40 percent to 50-55 percent. What is your view on raising the 2030 target? Do you see any specific risks or aspects that the Commission should specifically highlight in its impact assessment? Moderaterna** support a 50-55 percent increase, as long as there is a thorough impact assessment of what such an increase actually means. It must not dampen down European business 9. What is your position on the European Commission's announced proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment instrument? In addition, if you do think they should be introduced, how do you see them being designed to be WTO compliant and to not adversely affect the EU's external trade? Do you see any special benefits or risks from the proposal? Moderaterna** are still friends of free trade, but we also understand that our companies and industry may lose competitiveness due to increased environmental and climate requirements. This is something we have included in our calculations. We now await the proposal to see in more detail how it has been designed. ** Moderaterna is a Swedish center-right political party member of the EPP HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. - It's been a week since Deborah Stratton breathed clean air. The 54-year-old and her friend evacuated their homes in Estacada, Ore., last week as flames approached. They spent days sleeping in their cars in a Walmart parking lot, using their last $12 on showers at a truck stop. Finally, they found their way here, to a shopping mall about 20 miles away from their town, in a parking lot where a Red Cross volunteer began pitching them a tent. But the smoke followed them, hanging heavy in the air, sticking to the back of Stratton's throat. "It burns your chest," Stratton said, eating nachos in the Clackamas Town Center parking lot Sunday afternoon. "It's gotten thicker and thicker." A week after wildfires began ravaging the state and displacing thousands of people, the air quality in many parts of Oregon ranks among the world's worst, as bad as the pollution "airpocalypse" in Beijing in 2013. As white, thick clouds hover over buildings and highways, a miserable reality is setting in for Oregonians: They can flee from the fires, but they can't escape the smoke. Nauseating and suffocating, it lingers - in clothes, on hair, in bedsheets. No shower seems capable of getting rid of it, no air freshener can mask the scent. It seeps inside, even with windows and doors closed. Crack a car door open and it finds its way in. Turn on the air conditioning and the vents spit out even more. Put on your mask and it smothers you in the smell of ash. "It's like sticking yourself in a little room with 12 people all around you, smoking cigarettes," said Lisa Jones, Stratton's friend. It's a terrifying reminder that somewhere, nearby, a fire is still burning. "It makes me feel like it's not over, like it's still coming." The wildfires ripping through Oregon have claimed at least 10 lives and at least 22 people have been reported missing, state officials said Monday. Lower temperatures and higher humidity have allowed firefighters to make progress on the blazes, but many of the state's fires continue to rage with little containment. A long-awaited rain, originally forecast for Monday, is not expected until Wednesday or Thursday, said Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry. And with it, the rain could bring thunderstorms and lightning, which could ignite more fires, he said. "Without question, our state has been pushed to its limits," said Democractic Gov. Kate Brown. "The smoke blanketing the state is a constant reminder that this tragedy has not yet come to an end." In hospitals across the state, health officials already are seeing the impact of the hazardous air. Ten percent of all emergency-room visits in Oregon are for asthma-like symptoms, said Gabriela Goldfarb, a manager in the environmental public health section of the Oregon Health Authority. State officials said they plan to send 250,000 N95 respirator masks to agricultural workers and Native American tribes to protect them from the smoke. And they do not expect to see somewhat clearer skies until late in the week. "Even in some places where there may be limited improvement at times," Goldfarb said, "that just means dropping from one bad air category to the next." In Portland, the smoke and fog Sunday and Monday covered everything in sight. The waterfront, usually filled with runners and dog-walkers, was empty. On bridges above the Willamette River, nothing but white clouds could be seen on either side. In the city's Hawthorne district, known for its boutiques and restaurants, many businesses were dark Sunday. Coffee shops and storefronts that had recently hung up signs with the words "Welcome back!" and "We're now open" now displayed scrawled-out words on sheets of paper taped to their doors: "Closed due to air." Across town, Mark Rohner sat waiting at a bus stop, wearing a neck gaiter over an N95 mask, dampened with water and eucalyptus to help him breathe. He had stayed home for the past three days, hiding from the smoke that had been giving him headaches and making him dizzy. Even a half-hour trip to the grocery store left him feeling nauseated. He wished he did not need to go out, but he had rent to pay, and he needed to go to his job in property leasing. It felt like the beginning of the pandemic all over again, each trip out of the house bringing risks of exposure. "It's like, OK, what next?" he said. "When is it too much? When do you stop?" Not owning a car, Rohner had no way to escape the city. And even if he could, where would he go? He could take a train to the outskirts of Portland, but "what do you do when you get to the edge of town?" The smoke was even worse in other parts of the state. He envied one of his friends, who fled to Boise, Idaho. "It just feels claustrophobic," he said. Even after being stuck in quarantine in the pandemic, "I feel more trapped than usual." In northeast Portland, DeShawn Brown pulled his FedEx truck to the side of the road, its doors and windows open as always. A delivery driver for a private contractor, Brown rolled a cart up to an apartment building and unloaded cardboard boxes. "It slows me down," Brown, 45, said of the smoke. "The other guys, too, trying to figure out how to breathe. Because this is how we roll, with the door open." Across town, standing outside a church, 60-year-old Teberih Medhanie wore a blue mask and a headscarf as she waited for her son to pick her up from a funeral for a relative. She had been trying to avoid the outside at all costs and was too scared to drive in the heavy smoke. Her son, Jordan Taylor, worried about how the smoke could affect his mother's health, and his own. The outdoors had been his way of coping with quarantine. He missed the sunlight, the vitamin D, the long walks outside. "We can't be inside with people. Now we've got this smoke and we can't be outside," Taylor said. "You can't get a breath of fresh air." As darkness fell Sunday over the Clackamas Town Center parking lot, about 10 miles from Portland, Karol Parham's eyes were swollen and her voice raspy from the smoke. She sat on a lawn chair drinking a beer next to her new friend, Ryan Brault, using an upside-down cardboard box as a makeshift table. After spending days parked next to each other, each living out of a car, they had become neighbors in their community of fire evacuees. A Red Cross volunteer had given them a tent, but neither wanted to sleep in it. They felt more comfortable in their cars, where they could circulate the air to keep from breathing in the smoke. Brault had figured out a nightly routine: He runs the air in his car for half an hour, turns it off, and turns it back on a few hours later. He knows it is time for more air when he feels his eyes start to burn, he said. "Every couple of hours you can just feel it," he said. "It wakes you up." The headaches and pain in Parham's chest always feel worse at night, when the smoke feels thicker, she said. "Your lips get dry," Parham said. "You drink water like crazy." Yards away, Stratton held her inhaler to her mouth and breathed in. Before, she used the inhaler rarely, only about once a week. Since the smoke arrived, she has used it nearly five times a day, she said. With a toothbrush, shampoo and towel in her hands, she walked to the Red Cross showers, hoping to finally feel clean after another day smothered in smoke. It made her anxious to always smell like this, she said: "I just feel dirty, all the time." Minutes later, she returned with wet hair and clean pajamas, ready to crawl into her tent and watch TV on her phone. She opened up the driver's door to her Ford Explorer and spritzed some of her favorite body wash, a "Twilight" scent she hoped would mask the smoke. It barely worked. "I can smell it already," she said. More smoke. To stem the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic, state governments across India have been penalising violators. In order to deter people from offenders, the respective state administrations, police and other agencies are imposing hefty fines. From intensifying crackdown on those violating the traffic rules to enforcing the compulsory use of masks, the Centre has also instructed the state government to impose stricter fines and rules to make people comply with the COVID-19 related guidelines. The central government has already made wearing face masks/covers mandatory in public places/workplaces. Other violations include people consuming paan, gutka, tobacco in public places, spitting in public, not maintaining social distancing, etc. Also Read: Coronavirus: Vigorous contact tracing, surveillance, fines part of Delhi's new containment strategy Here are how states are imposing fines on general public in case of non-compliance with COVID-19 rules:- Tamil Nadu: The state government has announced Rs 200 fine on those not wearing face masks/covers in public, Rs 500 for spitting in public, and violating quarantine and social distancing norms. Furthermore, violating SOPs (standard operating procedures) in gyms, salons, spas and commercial establishments will attract a penalty of Rs 5,000. Jharkhand: The Jharkhand cabinet has levied a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh along with 2 years of imprisonment against violators of coronavirus-related guidelines. The decision was taken by the state cabinet in July this year. Punjab: COVID-19 patients in breach of home isolation directions and owners of restaurants and commercial eating places violating social distancing rules will be fined Rs 5,000, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said in July, adding that Rs 10,000 penalty will also be imposed on social gatherings in excess of permissible strength. Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration has also passed similar orders as Delhi using Section 188. The adviser to the administrator of Chandigarh Manoj Parida has passed orders under which offenders could be incarcerated for a period of up to six months. The decree also makes it mandatory for people to wear face masks/covers while riding their personal two-wheelers and four-wheeler vehicles. The union territory's administration will also charge Rs 2,000 fine for violation of social distancing norms, whereas, those spitting in public will be charged Rs 500 as penalty. The administration has also released the revised amount of penalties for violation of COVID-19 related rules with the maximum fine of Rs 3,000. Ahmedabad: The paan shop owners will be fined Rs 10,000 if people are found spitting in the proximity of their shops. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had earlier increased the fine from Rs 200 to Rs 500 for not wearing face mask/cover and spitting in public places. The enforcement of COVID-19 related rules has been strict in the city. Kerala: The state government has also toughened its position against habitual offenders by imposing a penalty of Rs 5,000. Meanwhile, first-time violators of COVID-19 related guidelines are only being charged Rs 200. Also Read: You'll be fined if you don't do these 8 things in Delhi metro Odisha: In line with the Kerala government, the dispensation in Odisha has also adopted the mechanism of proportionately increasing the penalty with each offence. The (state) government has levied a Rs 200 fine for the first three offences, following which it is increased to Rs 500 for every ensuing offence. Haryana: The state government has also adopted similar guidelines as that of Odisha. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had said earlier that the state government had authorised Block Development Officers, Tehsildars, and other officers in higher authorities to charge a fine of Rs 500 from offenders. Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh: The city administration has found a unique way of punishing COVID-19 rules violators. According to a rule passed by Gwalior Collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, the offenders will have to work as volunteers in police check posts, and hospitals for three days. However, this is apart from the monetary fines which will also be imposed on the offenders. Pune, Maharashtra: Violators of COVID-19-related rules will be fined Rs 500 in Pune which is one of the worst-hit cities in Maharashtra. The decision regarding this was taken by Shekhar Gaikwad, Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in June this year. Following instructions from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as well as Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, the Pune Police have stepped up their crackdown on motorists not complying with the mandatory use of face masks/covers. The police, for around the last two weeks, have been imposing the Rs 500 fine on each violator, thereby penalising over 3,000 offenders per day. Mumbai, Maharashtra: According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), those not wearing face masks/covers in public will be fined Rs 200 from September 13. 10-15 officials in each ward will collect fines which has been lowered significantly from Rs 1,000. The BMC in many cases has also issued warnings to thousands of people. The city municipal corporation, despite increasing house-to-house surveys and tests, will also review containment zones regularly. Also Read: Rs 500 fine for commuters without face mask: Noida Metro Nagpur, Maharashtra: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said people in Nagpur will be fined ?500 instead of ?200 from September 14 for not wearing masks amid the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking to reporters, he said all precautions must be taken and social distancing norms have to be followed strictly until such time as a vaccine is developed for COVID- 19. Delhi: Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev had earlier passed an order whereby offenders could be jailed for a period of up to six months. The rule was passed under Section 188 (Disobedience to an order passed by a public servant). Additionally, a penalty ranging between Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 could also be levied on those coming out of their houses without wearing a face mask/cover. Lt Governor Anil Baijal has empowered, health, revenue and police officials to impose fines of up to Rs 1,000 for violations of COVID-19 rules. A fine of Rs 500 will be imposed on first-time offenders and Rs 1,000 for repeat offenders. Till September 8 (2020), Delhi Police had fined over 27,000 people for not wearing masks and over 3,000 for spitting in public. Delhi traffic police will also levy a fine of Rs 500 if more than one person travels in a car without a face mask/cover. Noida, Uttar Pradesh: People not wearing masks will be fined Rs 500 on the Noida Metro. Meanwhile, those spitting in public will be penalised Rs 100 fine, which is for first time offenders, and Rs 500 for repeat offenders. Any subsequent offence thereon will attract stricter action, including a possible jail term. Bihar: The state government has levied a penalty of Rs 50 on those not wearing face masks/covers at public spaces and offices. The penalty will be imposed under Section 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the IPC. Advertisement The US saw its second lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths since July on Sunday, with just 378 fatalities - but new cases are still trending upward at an alarming rate in at least 11 states. Wisconsin, for example, had an average 1,435 new coronavirus cases a day as of Sunday - 78 percent more than the daily average as of the prior Sunday, September 6. Similarly steep increases in new cases are occurring in Alaska, North Dakota, Maine, Wyoming, Utah, Missouri, Delaware, Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Nationwide, 34,450 new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in the US on Sunday. It comes after thousands of Trump supporters flocked to the President's indoor campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, despite a statewide mandate against gatherings of 50 or more people. Trump said that he did not believe that the order against mass gatherings indoors applied to his campaign rally, and last week claimed that the US is 'rounding the corner' of the outbreak. Wisconsin hit a new record number of cases on Sunday, and is now averaging 1,435 a day, according to the COVID Tracing Project Even as children return to school and restaurants and bars reopen in once hard-hit states like New York and Florida, top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said he 'disagreed' with President's optimistic assessment, calling data on infections and deaths 'disturbing.' And modelers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) now predict that the US coronavirus death toll will reach 415,000 by January 1. If restrictions to slow the spread are eased, fatalities could climb to 600,000. 'When we look ahead into the winter with seasonality kicking in, people becoming clearly less vigilant, you know mask use is down, mobility is up in the nation, you put all those together and we look like we're going to have a very deadly December ahead of us in terms of toll of coronavirus,' IHME director Dr Christopher Murray told CNN on Friday. Messaging from the White House and US health officials is anything but united. After interviews with journalist Bob Woodward revealed that Trump had called the pandemic 'deadly' in private while telling the public it was akin to the flu, the president noted during a Thursday press briefing that weekly new cases are now 44 percent lower than they were in July. Dr Anthony Fauci called the rising daily infections 'disturbing' and said he disagreed with the president's optimism that the US is 'rounding a corner Trump held an indoor campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, flouting the governor's order against gatherings of more than 50 people Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, refuted President Donald Trump who said the US was 'rounding the corner' on Thursday. 'I have to disagree with that, because, if you look at the thing that you just mentioned, the statistics ... they are disturbing,' Dr Fauci said on MSNBC. 'We're plateauing at around 40,000 cases a day. And the deaths are around a thousand.' Dr Fauci said he hoped the country did not see a spike in cases after the Labor Day weekend as it did after other long holiday weekends since May. It was important to get those infection rates down before the autumn and winter seasons when people will be spending more time indoors. 'You don't want to start off already with a baseline that's so high,' Dr Fauci said. New daily cases of coronavirus have steadily declined since the July peak, when more than 77,000 new infections were recorded in a single day. Yesterday saw 55 percent fewer new cases compared to the summer's peak and, while there have been spikes here and there, the trend since July has indisputably been a downward one. As the curve has flattened, the hot spots driving increases have shifted dramatically. The virus spread like wildfire first through New York City, the nation's most populous metropolitan area. After months of lockdowns to slow the spread, transmission is now low there, but spiking in more rural parts of the country. North Dakota has become a top hot spot, as the number of new daily cases compared to its small population continues to surge. Yesterday, 431 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the state, the second largest single-day increase in infections since the state reported its first case in March. The North Dakota Department of Health reported one new death yesterday, bringing the toll to 168. About 5.3 percent of coronavirus tests run in the state came back positive yesterday, but 7.13 percent of all tests conducted there have come back positive. North Dakota has become a top hot spot, as the number of new daily cases compared to its small population continues to surge. North Dakota also now leads the nation for the highest number of per capita cases overall (2,044 per 100,000 residents) and per capita cases in the past week (255 per 100,000 people), according to analysis by the New York Times. Wyoming's outbreak is growing at a similarly alarming rate, with more than 44 new cases reported yesterday. The state is now averaging nearly 30 new cases a day - more than doubling its daily infection rate from a week ago, according to Johns Hopkins's data tracking. No new deaths were reported Sunday, and the state's fatality total remains at 42. While much of the South has managed to curb the spread of coronavirus, cases are surging in Missouri. Average daily infections there have increased by about 75 percent since last week from 1,003 to 1,753. A total of 102,747 people there have tested positive and 1,705 have died. Missouri's average daily infections there have increased by about 75 percent since last week from 1,003 to 1,753 Alaska has not yet reported new data for Sunday, but is averaging 70 percent more new daily infections than it was a week ago (left). The average number of new daily cases in Utah has risen by 56 percent over last week, to about 619 a day (right) In Utah, 77,875 people have tested positive for coronavirus and 433 have died of the infection. The average number of new daily cases there has risen by 56 percent over last week, to about 619 a day. Yesterday, the state reported 614 new cases. Alaska has not yet reported new data for Sunday, but is averaging 70 percent more new daily infections than it was a week ago. It is currently averaging 85 new cases a day, compared to about 50 last week. So far, 6,278 Alaskans have caught coronavirus and 44 have died. The state was one of several states to lift restrictions early - in May - allowing most bars, gyms and restaurants to reopen. But continued easing of restrictions is exactly what scientists worry could drive up the US coronavirus death toll. President Trump flouted such restrictions put into place by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak by hosting an indoor campaign rally in Reno over the weekend, which was attended by thousands. Sisolak called the President's rally 'reckless and selfish' and slammed him for 'putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada in a Sunday night tweet. Asked about the outdoor campaign rallies Trump has resumed before his November 3rd match-up against Democrat Joe Biden, Fauci said they are 'absolutely' risky. 'Just because you're outdoors does not mean that you're protected, particularly if you're in a crowd and you're not wearing masks,' he said. When asked about the ongoing risks of indoor vs. outdoor events, Fauci said, 'if we want to get back to the normal existence of being able to enjoy being in a restaurant, the best way to do that is to get the community level of infection at the lowest level possible.' Fauci was also asked about when it might be completely safe to go to movie theaters or other indoor venues after a vaccine had been made available. 'By the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccinations and you get the majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that's likely not going to happen until the mid or end of 2021. If you're talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to covid, it's going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021,' Fauci said. Fauci, who has contradicted Trump's statements about the virus, denies the administration is pressuring him to keep quiet. 'Anybody that tries to tell me what to say publicly, if they know anything about me, realizes that's a fool's errand,' Fauci said. 'No one is ever going to pressure me or muzzle me to say anything publicly.' FILE PHOTO: Exxon Mobil Corps Altona refinery is seen on the outskirts of Melbourne By Renju Jose and Sonali Paul SYDNEY/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia on Monday proposed offering incentives worth A$2.3 billion ($1.67 billion) over 10 years to keep the country's four remaining oil refineries open and said it would invest in building fuel storage as part of a long-term fuel security plan. The country's refiners have been battered by the coronavirus-driven collapse in fuel demand, racking up losses which they say threaten the future of their plants as they compete against much bigger refineries around Asia. "The government is committed to a sovereign on-shore refinery capacity despite the threat to the viability of the industry," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. To shore up near term fuel security, the government said it would include A$211 million in its upcoming budget to boost storage of diesel, crucial for farms, mines, trucks and back-up power. "The events of 2020 have reminded us that we cannot be complacent. We need a sovereign fuel supply to shield us from potential shocks in the future," Morrison said in a statement. The government said it would work with the industry to design a "refinery production payment" as an incentive to keep the four plants open. Together with an exemption from new fuel storage requirements, the incentives would be worth about A$2.3 billion over 10 years. The four refiners - BP Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp, Viva Energy Group and Ampol Ltd - all welcomed the proposals but made no commitment to keep their plants open. "There's recognition the refining sector is at a bit of a critical crossroads and needs the long-term confidence to maintain operations and investment ... and I think the package goes a long way to achieving that outcome," Viva Chief Executive Scott Wyatt told Reuters. BP and Ampol Ltd said they needed to see details of the measures to understand the impact on their businesses. Viva's shares rose 5.4% while Ampol's rose 1.9%, both easily outpacing a 0.6% rise in the broader Australian market. ($1 = 1.3734 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Diane Craft and Kenneth Maxwell) (Independent) Donald Trump has sharpened his criticism of Kamala Harris, calling the California senator and vice-presidential nominee a super liberal wack job while suggesting Joe Biden would not complete a full term if elected. The president claimed in a Monday morning tweet that Mr Bidens alleged handlers and the Fake News Media were doing everything possible to get him through the Election [sic], adding: Then he will resign, or whatever, and we are stuck with a super liberal wack job that NOBODY wanted! Mr Trump has continued to rail against the Democratic presidential nominee and his running mate, painting the two as figureheads of the far left despite much of the Democratic Party viewing Mr Biden and Ms Harris as centrist picks to lead the ticket. His latest name-calling comments come as Mr Trump attempts to portray himself as the law and order candidate, a message that has reportedly fallen flat on the suburban voters the president has been trying to recruit along the 2020 campaign trail. The police chief of a town in Costa Rica has been arrested for allegedly working with a drug trafficking ring tied to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. The Rio Cuarto top cop was arrested last week after authorities apprehended two women and nine men that formed part of the organization. A judge on Sunday placed the 34-year-old officer, identified by his last name, Barboza Barahona, in preventive custody for up to six months, according to Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion. Four other suspected members also were ordered held without bail for six months. Barboza Barahona held the treasure's post with the Costa Rica National Association of Ultralight Pilots. Pictured above are 259 kilos of cocaine that were seized by Costa Rica authorities in May. An investigation initiated June 2019 linked a drug trafficking ring in Costa Rica to the Sinaloa Cartel. The group, which reportedly included the police chief of the city of Rio Cuarto, received drugs from Colombia which were then shipped to Mexico and the United States Pictured above are two of the nine alleged members of a drug trafficking ring linked to the Sinaloa Cartel who were arrested last Wednesday in Costa Rica, according to the Judicial Investigation Body The local networker, which was linked to Joaquin El Chapo Guzmans old Sinaloa Cartel, was part of an investigation which dated back to June 2019, according to the Judicial Investigation Body. Agents arrested two women and nine men during a series of 11 raids in the provinces of San Carlos, Heredia and Moravia last Wednesday. The investigation netted a total of 13 arrests. Authorities learned of the drug traffickers' link to the Sinaloa Cartel while investigating two men who were only identified by their last names, Patterson and Gomez, and who reported directly to a Mexican individual identified as Leal Garcia. It is linked to a group that settled in our country that had a direct relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel and that was using our territory to transport cocaine to Mexico, said Walter Espinoza, head of the Judicial Investigation Body. The apprehensions were part of an investigation that was initiated June 2019 when Costa Rica officials learned the group was receiving cocaine and marijuana from Colombia before it was ferried through Guatemala and eventually to Mexico Pictured in a motorboat used to traffic drugs by a Costa Rica-based drug ring which was reportedly linked to El Chapo's old Sinaloa Cartel The group reportedly stockpiled cocaine and marijuana that was delivered from Colombia before it was moved through Guatemala before reaching Mexico. The massive shipments were then smuggled into the United States. The Judicial Investigation Body said the drug traffickers also used secret airstrips and vehicles to shuttle the drugs and weapons. The drug ring allegedly used clandestine airstrips to traffic cocaine and marijuana Pictured above is some of the ammunition that was seized during 11 raids in Costa Rica Pictured above is a rifle belonging to a drug trafficking network in Costa Rica with alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel Weapons and ammunition seized last Wednesday by Costa Rica authorities as part of 11 raids which led to the arrest of nine individuals who allegedly trafficked cocaine and marijuana to Mexico for the Sinaloa Cartel The 13-month investigation also led to the arrests of Patterson and Gomez in May when authorities confiscated 259 kilos of cocaine from their minivan during a roadside inspection in Alajuela. A second bust, also in May, led to the arrest of Leal Garcia and 57 kilos of cocaine. The seized cocaine stockpile is valued at $15.2 million in the United States. An unknown number of AK-47s, 9 mm guns, rifles and vehicles were confiscated. Researchers Are Vaccinating Participants to Test the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Developed by Moderna Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have begun participation in the Phase 3 clinical trial of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by scientists at Moderna Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This clinical trial is a key step toward final approval of a vaccine to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that has impacted millions of people around the world. The vaccine trial is being conducted by researchers in UMSOMs Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD). This is the first to be implemented under Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which aims to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19. Principal investigators for the clinical trial are Karen Kotloff, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, and Matthew Laurens, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics. The UMSOM site, expected to recruit several hundred participants, is part of the nationwide trial being conducted at 89 research sites that is expected to enroll 30,000 adults. We urgently need safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to control this pandemic. Vaccines can be rapidly given to protect whole populations, while treatments must be given to one person at a time after illness or exposure occurs," said Dr. Kotloff. "The Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine has already shown promise in early testing in adults of all ages. This next trial will tell us whether it prevents COVID-19. It is critical that we include a diverse group of people in the trial, particularly those communities most impacted by this terrible virus, so the results will apply broadly to the population. This virus disproportionately affects older adults, people with unstable medical conditions, and racial and ethnic minorities, making it critical that the vaccine works well in those who need it most. UMSOM researchers are targeting people who have increased risk of exposure because of location or circumstance, such as occupation, to see whether the vaccine protects them. As part of that plan, the UMSOM researchers will enroll and vaccinate participants in Marylands hardest hit communities, including Langley Park and Baltimore. Researchers have partnered with CASA in Hyattsville, MD, the largest member-based Hispanic and immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region. Vaccinations will take place on campus in Baltimore and in Hyattsville/Langley Park. It is critical that we reach all communities that have been impacted by COVID-19, said Dr. Laurens, highlighting the importance of UMSOMs collaboration with CASA. Moderna is leading the trial as the regulatory sponsor, and it is providing the investigational vaccine for the trial. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and NIAID are providing funding support for the trial. UMSOM is part of the NIAID-supported COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), which aims to enroll thousands of volunteers in large-scale clinical trials, testing a variety of investigational vaccines and monoclonal antibodies intended to protect people from COVID-19. Trial volunteers will receive two intramuscular injections approximately 28 days apart. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive two injections of either the mRNA-1273 vaccine or salt water placebo. The trial is blinded, so the investigators and the participants will not know who is assigned to which group until after the study is over. Participants will be asked to provide a nasopharyngeal swab and a blood sample at an initial screening visit, as well as at several time points after each vaccination and over the next two years after the second vaccination. Scientists will examine blood samples in the laboratory to better understand the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 that provide protection. Our team is contributing to the advancement of several promising COVID vaccine candidates. We are working diligently to ensure that the safety and performance of these vaccines is meticulously assessed, said Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH Professor in Vaccinology and Director, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health. Dr. Neuzil is a co-director of the CoVPN, which brings together experts from existing NIAID-supported clinical research networks to fight COVID-19. The Moderna Phase 3 trial at CVD adds to COVID-19 research already underway at UMSOM. In May, CVD researchers Kathleen Neuzil, MD and Kirsten Lyke, MD, Professor of Medicine, led Phase 1 trials of mRNA vaccine constructs developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Early results published this month in Nature showed that these Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are well tolerated and have produced a robust immune response in healthy adult volunteers. Research on these Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines continues, as UMSOM researchers have now vaccinated a group of adults aged 65 and older as part of this study and are analyzing the results from that cohort. About mRNA Vaccines Both Moderna and Pfizer have chosen to develop mRNA vaccines or messenger RNA vaccines which direct the bodys cells to make the spike protein that projects from the surface of the virus. The vaccine is delivered inside of a lipid (fatty) envelope to strengthen the immune responses. This type of vaccine does not contain any part of the virus that could cause COVID-19. An advantage of an mRNA vaccine over a vaccine that directly injects the spike protein is the ability to rapidly produce large quantities of vaccine doses against a new pathogen. At present, there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed mRNA vaccine. If continued research shows efficacy of this vaccine, it could serve as a key platform for other vaccines. This is an important development toward developing a vaccine against COVID-19. This research conducted by our experts in the UMSOM Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health has the potential for impacting millions of people in the world, as we urgently need a vaccine against this deadly illness, said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. About the University of Maryland School of Medicine Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (University of Maryland Medicine) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu. About the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health For over 40 years, researchers in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health have worked domestically and internationally to develop, test, and deploy vaccines to aid the worlds underserved populations. CVD is an academic enterprise engaged in the full range of infectious disease intervention from basic laboratory research through vaccine development, pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, large-scale pre-licensure field studies, and post-licensure assessments. CVD has worked to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. CVD has created and tested vaccines against cholera, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, non-typhoidal Salmonella disease, shigellosis (bacillary dysentery), Escherichia coli diarrhea, nosocomial pathogens, tularemia, influenza, malaria, and other infectious diseases. CVDs research covers the broader goal of improving global health by conducting innovative, leading research in Baltimore and around the world. CVD researchers are developing new and improved ways to diagnose, prevent, treat, control, and eliminate diseases of global impact. Currently, these diseases include typhoid, Shigella, E. coli diarrhea, malaria, and other vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. CVD researchers have been involved in critical vaccine development for emerging pathogens such as Ebola and Zika. In addition, CVDs work focuses on the ever-growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance. Police check permits and ID of drivers at a checkpoint in Little River for traffic coming from Melbourne into Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in Geelong, Australiaon Aug. 14, 2020. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images) 35 New Virus Cases and 7 Deaths in Victoria Victoria has recorded 35 new cases and seven deaths, as Melbourne takes its first tentative steps out of lockdown. The figures, confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services, bring the states death toll from the virus to 730 and the national count to 817. Its the lowest number of new cases since June 26, when the state recorded 30 infections. From Monday, Melburnians living alone or single parents will be allowed to have one other visitor as part of a social bubble. Outdoor exercise is extended to two hours split over a maximum of two sessions, allowing social interaction with one other person or household members. Playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment will reopen and the nightly curfew will start an hour later at 9pm before finishing at 5 a.m. The 14-day case average for Melbourne sits at 56.9, inching closer to the sub-50 target. Melbourne will move to the second step, including increased limits for public gatherings and a staged return to school for some students, from Sept. 28 if the average falls to 30-50. If you project forward 14 days, you would expect the 14-day rolling average to the end of September would be absolutely no more than 48, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said. It is more likely to be between 20 and 30, I would hope. People in regional Victoria will also enjoy greater freedom from Monday with up to five people able to gather in outdoor places from a maximum of two households. The five-person limit will also apply for religious services that can resume in regional Victoria if theyre held outdoors with a faith leader. Authorities are hopeful regional areas could jump two steps out of lockdown by mid-next week, allowing residents to go out for a coffee or meal. By Benita Kolovos Trend's exclusive interview with Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan, Dato Yubazlan Yusof. Many Malaysian companies are looking at the potential of business opportunities in Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan, Dato Yubazlan Yusof told Trend. "We have and continue to encourage Malaysian companies to be involved in the dynamics of Azerbaijan economic spheres," added the ambassador. The ambassador noted that if the conditions are conducive and there are available opportunities, Malaysia would like to welcome all possible and potential joint projects and collaborations in the future from both sides. In terms of exciting cooperation, the ambassador noted that Malaysias investment in Azerbaijan is currently focused on the oil and gas industry. "As a global energy and solutions company, PETRONAS portfolio includes conventional and unconventional resources and a diverse range of fuel, lubricant and petrochemical products," he added. In terms of PETRONAS activities in Azerbaijan, the ambassador added that the company has acquired a 15.5 percent stake in the Shah Deniz II production sharing agreement operated by a consortium of companies, 15.5 percent share in the South Caucasus Pipeline Company (SCPC), 15.5 percent share in the SCPC holding company, and 12.4 percent share in the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company (AGSC). The total expenditure by PETRONAS in Azerbaijan thus far is estimated at $5 billion. As a stakeholder, PETRONAS's role is to manage its stakes while working together with the other concessionaires to ensure the success of the project. Furthermore, the ambassador pointed out PETRONAS contribution to Azerbaijans Coronavirus Response Fund. "Malaysian PETRONAS has contributed 10,000 manats ($5,882) to the Coronavirus Response Fund," he said. "In Azerbaijan, PETRONAS as one of the co-ventures in the Shah Deniz Consortium has continuously supported the Operator to carry out all necessary measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the operations in Shah Deniz to ensure it continues to run safely and efficiently across the value chain," added the ambassador. The ambassador added, that PETRONAS is working closely with the relevant authorities on the requirements during this COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to exercise strict compliance with the Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) standards and best practices. He added that among the non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan, Malaysia is interested in the tourism industry, alternative banking, information technology & multimedia, as well as education. Furthermore, he noted that the enhancement of connectivity could strengthen trade and economic cooperation through physical, institutions, and people-to-people linkages between the two countries. In terms of cooperation, the ambassador also added that direct flight between Malaysia and Azerbaijan would be an impetus to establish the transport corridor between regions and expand the bilateral cooperation in many potential areas. "This would be beneficial for our growing economies as it will provide the linkages bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally as well as contributing to the development of the surrounding economic zones," he said. Another sector with the growth potential was tourism. The ambassador highlighted that the tourism sector would encourage people-to-people connectivity through social and cultural exchange and also cultivate the growth of the bilateral trade and economy as it can integrate the growing regional community through the development of crucial infrastructures in regions. Overall, talking about the countries cooperation it was noted that both Malaysia and Azerbaijan are interested in mutual economic cooperation and highly focused to strengthen the existing good relations. Ambassador also highlighted its support in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Malaysia gives its full support to Azerbaijan when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and has always shown its support and solidarity for Azerbaijan through The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN)." "Malaysia reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan and the inadmissibility of the use of force by Armenia," added the ambassador. The ambassador added that Malaysia will continue to support international efforts for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. "Malaysia strongly urges the Government of Armenia to fulfill its international obligations, adherence to all UN resolutions and end their occupation of Azerbaijan's territories, as it is the only viable and long-term solution to the root causes of the conflict," noted the ambassador. In terms of recent Armenian provocation on the border area with Azerbaijan, which resulted in casualties, including among the civilian population of Azerbaijan, the ambassador expressed deepest condolences to the loss of lives. "Malaysia calls for an immediate end to the fighting and for the parties involved, to take necessary steps to de-escalate the situation outside of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region," noted the ambassador. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) All Metro Manila mayors have agreed to temporarily close cemeteries and columbarium for one week around the November 1 All Saints Day holiday to prevent mass gatherings that could further spread COVID-19. But MMDA on Monday clarified that the Inter-Agency Task Force has not yet decided on the date and duration of implementation. Metro Manila Council Chairman and Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez said all 17 local chief executives in the region agreed to have a "unified policy" to not allow visitors in public and private cemeteries from October 29 to November 4. He said those who will visit cemeteries before and after the said dates will be required to wear face shields and face masks. "We encourage them to visit the cemetery on a spread time. One month before or one month after Undas para ma-implement pa rin po ang ating physical distancing (so we can implement physical distancing)," he told CNN Philippines. He said interment and cremation services should continue even on these dates. MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said detailed rules and restrictions for Undas will decided by the mayors. Meanwhile, MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago said Metro Manila residents can visit cemeteries beginning today. Maaari na ho [silang] pumunta sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay starting today hanggang October 28 po, Pialago told CNN Philippines Newsroom Ngayon. [Translation: They can visit their loved ones starting today until October 28.] But local government units have yet to release guidelines on the early visitation, she said. The MMDA spokesperson bared that residents may visit cemeteries outside Metro Manila, should they be granted permission by the provincial government. They also need to secure medical certificates and travel passes from the local authorities, she added. Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire lauded the "good practice" initiated by Metro Manila mayors, saying DOH may recommend to implement a similar scheme to be carried out nationwide. "Kapag dumating 'yung panahon na 'yan (Undas), maaaring makapag-recommend din tayo so that it can be implemented across the country," she said in a media forum. [Translation: When that time comes (Undas), we may also give similar recommendations, so that it can be implemented across the country.] Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. Representatives of 42 Chinese companies and 30 ROK-based firms attend a business symposium featuring cooperation in the high-end manufacturing industry, held in Hefei, capital of East Chinas Anhui province, on September 11, 2020. MECOSTA COUNTY Positive coronavirus cases continue to rise in Mecosta County as health officials confirmed seven new cases over the weekend. The seven new cases puts Mecosta Countys total to 156 confirmed cases, according to the District Health Department No. 10. A total of 67 individuals have recovered. As of Monday, Mecosta County has administered 10,168 diagnostic tests and 403 serology looking for antibodies tests, totaling 10,571 tests, according to michigan.gov. A total of 220 tests were performed Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the health department also reported an individual that tested positive for COVID-19 was present and potentially contagious at El Burrito Loco in Big Rapids last week. The individual was at the restaurant between 4-8 p.m. Sept. 6. Anyone who was at the restaurant on the time and day listed should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days from the exposure date. In related news, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services began providing information about school-related COVID-19 outbreaks Monday. In Mecosta County, 28 cumulative cases were reported at Ferris State University. All cases were student-related, the department reported. In accordance with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists outbreak definition, schools that have been found by their local health department to have two or more COVID-19 cases who may have shared exposure at the school grounds and are not from the same household with the exception of dorms and off-campus housing are included. The MDHHS will update its school-related outbreak numbers at 3 p.m. every Monday. The DHD No. 10 serves residents in Mecosta, Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Newaygo, Oceana and Wexford counties. This is Mondays breakdown of coronavirus numbers in the health departments jurisdiction: Cumulative total: 1,457 positive COVID-19 cases in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction. 108 positive cases in Crawford County 64 positive cases in Kalkaska County 31 positive cases in Lake County 63 positive cases in Manistee County 116 positive cases in Mason County 39 positive cases in Missaukee County 301 positive cases in Newaygo County 479 positive cases in Oceana County 100 positive cases in Wexford County Deaths: 25 deaths from COVID-19 in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction. Deaths are included in the positive cases listed above. 5 deaths in Crawford County 4 deaths in Kalkaska County 2 deaths in Manistee County 2 deaths in Mecosta County 1 death in Missaukee County 1 death in Newaygo County 6 deaths in Oceana County 4 deaths in Wexford County Recoveries: 1,142 recoveries from from COVID-19 in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction (based on whether individuals are still alive 30 days past the confirmed date). 94 recoveries in Crawford County 37 recoveries in Kalkaska County 21 recoveries in Lake County 37 recoveries in Manistee County 93 recoveries in Mason County 67 recoveries in Mecosta County 27 recoveries in Missaukee County 250 recoveries in Newaygo County 455 recoveries in Oceana County 56 recoveries in Wexford County As of Monday, there are 111,524 confirmed cases and 6,591 confirmed deaths in Michigan. Some Nigerian states may soon experience blackouts following a sudden burst at the Kainji Hydroelectric Dam in Kainji. The embankments of Kainji dam, one of Nigerias hydro-power stations caved in after the opening of the four spillway gates to free surplus water caused by heavy rains. On Sunday, the management, Mainstream Energy Solution Limited, opened the points but discovered that the dam was impounding more water than it should. We opened the 4 spillway gates because of the water pressure. Now, it is hitting the embarkment and will continue to expand if not reinforced. The embarkment is falling, rocks are falling into the water, an official told Thisday. The dam, which produces hydroelectric power, is located in New Bussa town in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. Authorities and the firm have shut down the hydro-power station for repairs. This will take about 760MW of electricity off the national grid. Abdulrasaq Jakada, a top official of the Emir of Borgus palace said the monarch has been informed of the development. Video: #BREAKING: Kainji Hydroelectric Dam in Niger State has burst its banks. The hydro-power station is about to be shutdown. About 760MW of electricity taken off the grid. Operators rush to forestall environmental disaster. pic.twitter.com/HXmhP0uNyn ARISE News Feed (@ARISEtv) September 14, 2020 Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan has claimed that the novel coronavirus was made in a government controlled laboratory in Wuhan and asserted that she has scientific proof to back the claim. The virologist, who became the whistleblower against the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, was in December last year tasked with looking into a cluster of Sars-like cases coming out of mainland China. The top scientist working in Hong Kong claimed that she discovered a cover-up operation during her investigation and said that the Chinese government knew about the spread of the virus before publicly acknowledging it. Dr Li-Meng, who specialised in virology and immunology at the Hong Kong School of Public Health, was allegedly forced to flee to the United States over safety concerns. On September 11, she participated in an interview on British talk show Loose Women from a secret location and talked about her research on the coronavirus disease and the challenges she has been facing. Dr Li-Meng said that she conducted two researches on the new pneumonia in China between December and early January and the second one in mid-January, and shared the results with her supervisor, who is a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant. She expected her supervisor to do the right thing on behalf of the Chinese government and WHO but to her surprise she was told to maintain silence or else she would be made to disappear, which the virologist said was common sense among the Chinese. Also Watch | Will take Covid vaccine first if people have a trust deficit: Dr Harsh Vardhan No one responded, people are scared of the government and they are waiting to collaborate with the government and WHO to get more benefits to become safe but this is [was] something urgent, Dr Li-Meng said. At the time of the Chinese New Year, big transportations take place from China to all over the world. So, she decided against keeping silent as this is a high [highly] contentious dangerous virus. I mean, this is about human beings and global health. Dr Li-Meng said that it was scary as she was facing threats but I knew if I didnt tell the world the truth I would be regretful. On January 17, she said she contacted a famous Chinese YouTuber in the US. The expose, which was in Chinese, explained that: (1) the Chinese government was just covering the Covid-19 virus, (2) human to human transmission of the disease already existed, (3) Sars-CoV-2 is a high mutant virus that will become an outbreak soon, and (4) the Wuhan seafood market and the intermediate hosts for the virus were just a smokescreen. And the final thing, the scientist said was that this virus is not from nature. This is based on the China Military Institute that discovered and owned some bad coronavirus named CC45 and ZXC41. Based on that, after lab modification becomes a novel virus. Dr Li-Meng dismissed reports suggesting the virus originated in wet markets, claiming her intelligence is from the CDCs in China, from local doctors, doctors and other people around China. The virologist said she is working on a scientific report since January i.e. before leaving Hong Kong along with a small group of top scientists and will soon publish the findings. We are going to publish it. There are two reports, the first one will come in several days and it will tell people about the scientific evidence, she said. Throwing light on the unpublished research, she said, The genome sequence is like our human fingerprint. So, based on this you can recognise and identify this thing. So, I used the evidence existing in the genome sequence of Sars-CoV-2 to tell people why this came from China, why they are the only one who made it. She also said that anyone, even those without any knowledge of biology, can read it. You can check, identify and verify it by yourself. It is the critical thing for us to know the origins of the virus. If not, it will be life threatening for everyone, she added. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Taxation Directorate General building (Photo: Internet) Jakarta Indonesia and Australia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on tax information exchange, announced the Indonesias Taxation Directorate General (TDG) on September 9. The MoU, signed by the TDG and the Australian Taxation Office, will help them exchange tax information automatically under the double tax avoidance treaty from August 19. The move would help fight tax avoidance committed by taxpayers by underreporting their income and assets abroad, in line with a global commitment to create transparent taxation. 'The leverage created by the Indian military must not be lost.' IMAGE: An Indian Army convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies heads to Ladakh, September 2, 2020. Photograph: Yawar Nazir/Getty Images "The Indian soldier has a clear advantage to the Chinese because of his valour and ferocity." "Troops are well-prepared mentally, morally and operationally to confront and overcome a tough winter," says Lieutenant General A B Shivane, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (retd) in the second part of a must-read interview with Rediff.com's Archana Masih. With Indian troops occupying dominating heights in Chishul, do you think it has provided greater leverage to India to negotiate more aggressively with the Chinese on the diplomatic table? The leverage created by the military must not be lost. Theissue should be addressed in a balanced manner. At the same time, the Chinese will also look for a face-saving opportunity. Therefore, we should be very clear that a buffer zone is not acceptable because we cannot withdraw into our own land. Since the perceptions of the LAC differ, what prevents the Chinese from coming to Finger 4 tomorrow and demanding that we retreat by 20 kilometres? Even if we agree to go back to the April positions, we must take a commitment from the Chinese of a methodology, institutional mechanisms and time frame for addressing the delimitation and demarcation of LAC. There must be a mechanism where they inform us when they conduct exercises so that they don't enter our area under the garb of an exercise My recommendation to the political hierarchy is to include military representatives in the delegations while talking to the Chinese. Firstly, it sends a strategic message. Secondly, it speaks well of the political, diplomatic and military harmony which defines the national security calculus of a self-respecting nation. How will the firing on the LAC alter the ground situation and the rules of engagement? The rules of engagement exist for both sides. By using barbaric means and primitive weapons, the Chinese broke the existing rules and widened the trust deficit. The rules of engagement have been totally altered post Galwan because of the Chinese action on June 15. In the process, India has transitioned from following a reactive defensive strategy to being proactive and pre-emptive. The Indian soldier's motivation and training is of very high standard and is unmatched by the Chinese. The Indian soldier has seen blood and bullets. He has a high level of motivation, ferocity and valour. Our leadership at the tactical level is very high. While the PLA is very politicised and lacks will and courage. The Chinese are very conscious of their body bags. They call themselves a global power, but do not give respect to their fallen soldiers. When we lose our soldiers, we honour them and their families throughout our lifetime. The India of 2020 is certainly a wake-up call for the Chinese. They need to realise that the Indian soldier has a clear advantage to the Chinese, irrespective of technology, because of his valour and ferocity. Technology can be acquired, borrowed and collaborated, but the man on the ground cannot be replaced. IMAGE: An Indian Army convoy on its way to Ladakh, September 2, 2020. Photograph: Yawar Nazir/Getty Images Winter is approaching and this is something that the Chinese also are mindful of because their foreign ministry has mentioned the weather challenges ahead. What challenge does it throw for us in terms of men, material and armament? Winter stocking is done routinely, but with the infusion of additional forces, let me assure you, not with statistics, but with military knowledge, that infrastructure and build-up is taking place at a very high pace to make sure that winter stocking, ammunition, administrative/ operational requirements and habitat construction are all taken care of. We are well prepared mentally and morally to confront and overcome a tough winter. What roles do tanks play in such high-altitude warfare? Tanks are a critical component of our credible deterrence. During my tenure I have visited each of these operational locations and have been part of perspective planning, capability building, future threats, operational planning and philosophy. We have done detailed analysis of all the sectors along the LAC looking at locations where tanks and mechanised forces can be employed. I would say we are well placed quantitatively and adequately. Tanks in high altitude are a critical factor of battle winning. Integrated battle groups for the mountains both for defensive and offensive operations are a force multiplier. Today, the Spanggur Gap has been dominated by the T 90 tanks. T 90 has better survivability and a distinct qualitative advantage over the Chinese T 59 tank. But we also need to look into future capabilities of the light tanks which I have extensively spoken, written and professed. The mainstay can be medium tanks, but there needs to be a certain quantum of lights tanks to be utilised in those gaps and corridors where medium tank employment is restricted. IMAGE: Lieutenant General A B Shivane, who served as director general mechanised forces. Photograph: Kind courtesy Lieutenant General A B Shivane In your experience, what do you think irks the Chinese about India's military preparedness? One is the build-up of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in the sea. Second is the build-up of our mechanised forces on the northern borders. Third, the employment of Brahmos missiles. Fourth, the building of infrastructure particularly of our air fields and air strips along the LAC. As a military man, how do you see the next couple of months ahead? Do you think a stand-down is imminent, or do feel there is going to be further escalation? It is not going to be a fast forward solution. Hopefully, sensibility will prevail against an all-out war. The situation is tense because both sides are sitting opposite each other with weaponry and armaments, and an irresponsible spark can escalate, but strategically, war as a solution is not the option. What I see happening is that diplomacy will take its time and winters are here to stay. In the intervening period, there will be pinprick actions to keep the prestige and leverage by both sides till a diplomatic solution arrives. And hopefully that solution will be a very balanced solution like I mentioned earlier. Till then, I think we are going to see an active LAC. The last and the most important issue which I'm sure the security apparatus has already done is that we need to be prepared all across the northern, eastern and central front with very high level of operation readiness, sustainment and further incremental improvement. Unfortunately, we have a history of being surprised repeatedly after Independence. Hopefully, we have learned our lessons. We should occupy criticalities, enhance monitoring and hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. After nearly one month of trials and practice runs, Los Angeles public school officials have announced they're ready to start testing all of the district's students and staff members every so often for COVID-19. L.A. Unified School District officials said the first invitations for coronavirus screenings went out last week: some 5,000 district staff working on campuses and their children, who are receiving special on-site child care, took tests on Thursday and Friday. Testing for this group of employees will continue this week. "We're just getting started," LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said in an interview on Sunday. By the end of this week, Beutner expects all LAUSD staff to receive invitations for COVID-19 tests at one of 42 sites districtwide. Within a few more weeks, he expects the program to expand to all students, starting at the elementary level. MANY LAUSD FAMILIES LACK ACCESS TO TESTS Very few public school systems have attempted what LAUSD is now trying: to stand up a COVID-19 testing regimen at, essentially, the district's expense. Beutner has argued LAUSD is well-positioned to fill not only an existing void of community testing and contact tracing, but also to provide a new epidemiological perspective on COVID-19's impact. He said Sunday: We will be testing many more asymptomatic people ... who might not otherwise have felt symptoms even though they're carrying the virus. We'll be testing a lot more children. We'll be testing many in communities where there's no access to tests. The universe [of people] we'll be testing is different than the universe that has been tested. Beutner also cautioned that because the district's testing is proactive, not reactive, the benchmark "positivity rate" is likely to be far lower. Of those 5,000 initial tests LAUSD conducted last week, five came back positive for COVID-19. LAUSD STAFF, STUDENTS & PARENTS: Has the school district invited you to take a COVID-19 test? We want to hear about your experience! Contact KPCC/LAist reporter Kyle Stokes by email, with a direct message on Twitter or through the form at the bottom of this story. 'OPEN PRACTICES' Beutner has said he expected early glitches in the testing program -- and there have been some. In late August, the Service Employees International Union Local 99 -- which represents many classified staff in the district -- issued a statement "calling out LAUSD's lack of planning and disorganization" at the testing sites. LAUSD workers assigned to these testing sites were given tests themselves -- but it was initially unclear whether these workers had to remain at work while they awaited their results. The union also called for training and personal protective equipment for all workers at these sites. One school nurse told KPCC/LAist she had to supply some of her own PPE in the first days working at a testing site, though this basic concern was addressed within a few days. Beutner chalked these concerns up to expected start-up challenges: "We've had, in effect, open practices," he said. Now, he continued, the sites are ready for ramp-up. HOW THE DISTRICT'S TESTS WILL AFFECT REOPENING It's not clear how often LAUSD students and staff can expect to be tested. The district's program also isn't designed to catch every positive COVID-19 case. But whenever LAUSD students return to in-person instruction, Beutner has said the district's testing program will be useful in tamping down outbreaks. Beutner plans to preview on Monday a COVID-19 "report card" that will inform parents about the results of tests in their school down to the classroom level. Students in a cohort with a positive case would be asked to isolate. If the district's screenings identify three or more positive cases in a single school, that campus would temporarily cancel in-person instruction. At full capacity, Beutner said the program will test roughly 20,000 people each day -- and perhaps as many as 40,000 people. But Beutner said these scenarios are quite a ways off. For the time being, the district is offering extremely limited in-person instruction -- just one-on-one tutoring, outdoors, by appointment. LAUSD hasn't made plans to invite small groups of students back to campus under new public health guidelines. (The district's teachers union has expressed skepticism about whether that step is safe.) L.A. County Department of Public Health officials have also said the green light to begin inviting students back to campuses in larger numbers is likely at least six weeks away. London: A Chinese technology company has compiled a database on tens of thousands of Australian and British figures and their children and families for the use of the country's intelligence agencies. Files on senior Australia and British politicians, members of the royal family, religious leaders and military officers are stored on a Chinese server as part of a worldwide intelligence collection operation by a private firm that describes its mission as "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". Zhenhua refers to its broader set of databases as the Internet Big Data Military Intelligence System. The data includes names, dates of birth, educational history, professional biographies and other information scraped from publicly available sources on the internet. It has compiled profiles on more than 35,000 Australians from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, according to the Australian Financial Review. The company counts among its clients the People's Liberation Army and the Communist Party. With millions around the world stuck at home due to the pandemic, "plane cafes" in Thailand are offering customers the chance to pretend they are in the sky -- and the idea seems to have taken off. On board a retired commercial airplane in the coastal city of Pattaya, coffee drinkers make themselves comfy on first-class-style seats and pose for photos by the overhead lockers. Boarding passes in hand, some "passengers" even opt for a tour of the cockpit. "With this cafe I can sit in first class and also mess around in the cockpit pretending to be the captain of the plane," 26-year-old Thipsuda Faksaithong told AFP. "It's a lot of fun." Chalisa Chuensranoi, 25, said her visit was as good as any trip she had taken before the pandemic, which shuttered Thailand's borders in March. "Sitting right here in the first-class section... really gives me the feeling of actually being on a plane, cruising through the air," she said. In Thailand 'plane cafes' are offering customers the chance to pretend they are in the sky -- and the idea seems to have taken off. Photo: AFP In another cafe at the headquarters of national carrier Thai Airways in Bangkok, hungry diners appear even to have missed plane food as they gobble up spaghetti carbonara and Thai-style beef served on plastic trays by cabin crew. But for Intrawut Simapichet, 38, who came to the cafe with his wife and baby, the experience is about more than a meal. "Normally I'm a person who travels very often, and when we are forced to stay at home... it's kind of depressing," he said as fellow passengers posed with luggage by a fake airplane door. "(The cafe) relieves what's missing." Thailand was the first country outside China to detect a coronavirus case, but it has since registered a low toll, with about 3,400 infections and 58 deaths. Travel restrictions have nevertheless eviscerated the tourism-reliant economy, while Thais have founded themselves stuck due to quarantine requirements in other countries. The government is currently mulling travel bubbles with select countries that also have low tolls. PHOENIX A man has been found fatally shot on the balcony of a Phoenix motel, according to police who are calling it a homicide case. The shooting occurred around 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said 42-year-old Agustin Bustamante was shot by an unknown man who fled the scene before officers arrived. They said city fire department paramedics rushed Bustamante to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead. Police are looking for any witnesses to the fatal shooting so they can possibly identify a suspect. By PTI AGARTALA: Social events and political rallies have led to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Tripura capital after the lockdown was withdrawn on August 5, a study conducted by the state government said. The survey, carried out by the administration of West Tripura district of which Agartala is a part, showed that the COVID-19 tally started rising from August 17. "The lockdown was lifted on August 5. We found that the COVID-19 caseload was increasing from August 17, and a sharp growth was noticed from August 26." "Many social functions, including 3,000 weddings and some pujas, and political rallies took place in the district after the lockdown restrictions were withdrawn," West Tripura District Magistrate Sailesh Kumar Yadav said on Saturday. People became relaxed and they did not follow the health safety norms, he said. "This is the only reason behind the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the district, mainly in Agartala," Yadav said. Currently, 2,400 patients are under home isolation in the district and 1,674 of them are in the state capital. They are being provided free ration, he said. The district administration started the mapping of the coronavirus cases to deal with the situation and identified 10 wards under the Agartala Municipal Corporation to conduct more tests. "We are conducting 400-700 tests every day in these places. We have detected three hotspot areas in Agartala," he said. Delays in visiting hospitals are among the reasons for increased deaths, he added. The headline in Saturdays Daily Telegraph has disturbed me profoundly. It quotes our prime minister accusing the EU of threatening the integrity of the UK. Boris Johnson should know full well that Brexit, not the EU, that has done exactly that. Born and bred in Belfast, I have spent much of my professional life working for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. I entered politics in the 1990s, was involved on the fringes of the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement and I helped set up the first EU Peace programme, which has invested 2bn in cross-community peace building ever since. The Good Friday Agreement won the blessing of the majority in Northern Ireland in a referendum. It was accepted as the best way to end conflict and work towards peace and reconciliation. The result of the UK/EU referendum did not have the blessing of the people of either Northern Ireland or Scotland. Brexit, and the governments handling of the negotiations, has shaken relations between the EU and the UK to the very core. It has led to increased pressure from Scotland for another referendum on independence and from those in Ireland, North and South, calling for a referendum on a united Ireland. These calls have grown as a result of the UK withdrawal from the EU, not as a result of action on the part of the EU. Boris Johnson knows this full well but he is desperate to lay the blame on the EU rather than his own actions. It was his work, exaggerating the bendy banana stories when he was a reporter in Brussels, which helped stir up British animosity to the EU. It was his decision to side with the Leave campaign in the lead up to the referendum that swung many voters in that direction. It is his inability to marry the deal he agreed with Brussels to the promises he made to Northern Ireland business which puts him in the position he finds himself in today. The dogs in the street know there is no way goods could travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland without customs checks somewhere in case they move into the EU single market. Checks on the Irish border would be the worst case scenario for obvious reasons. The fish in the sea know, when it comes to quotas, there is no way a line can be drawn down the Irish Sea, in the middle of Lough Foyle or Carlingford Lough to prevent EU boats, including Irish, fishing in UK waters. The same goes for UK boats in Irish/EU waters. The birds on the wing know only they can have freedom of movement to cross borders without papers to prove where theyve come from, where theyre going and what they intend to do when they get there. Most important of all, right-minded people the world over know you cant break a law even just a little, without facing the consequences. In his Telegraph article, Boris Johnson defends his decision to propose breaking international law on several counts. The first that the EU should be willing to offer the same terms to the UK as it does to Canada. Geography may not be his strong point, but the PM should know Canada doesnt have a land border with the EU. Brexit briefing: How long until the end of the transition period? The second, he says, is that we were negotiating with one hand tied behind our back due to a vote in parliament. He shouldnt need reminding that parliament represents the sovereignty of the nation. His plan to take back control from Brussels should not imply placing it directly into both his hands. He describes the current deal as excellent but blames the EU for its extreme interpretation of the withdrawal agreement. He goes on to claim we are being told the EU might actually stop the transport of food from GB to Northern Ireland. The PM says he doesnt believe the EU would do that but warns by actively undermining the union of our country, such an interpretation would seriously endanger peace and stability in Northern Ireland. This is an astounding accusation which runs counter to everything the EU has done for peace in Northern Ireland. It undermines all the EU stands for and everything it is doing to protect the peace process in the Brexit negotiations. The shocking crux of the PMs justification for the bill is that, It is therefore crucial for peace, and for the union itself. I have seen much in my time as a journalist in Brussels, a BBC reporter in Belfast and deputy speaker of the first new Northern Ireland Assembly working for peace in my country. But rarely have I seen such blatant twisting of the truth for political gain as I witnessed in the years before and after the UK voted to leave the EU. My simple plea to the PM is to ask him to think twice before he drives this wedge further into the growing crevasse between Britain and the EU, the UK and Ireland and between the divided communities in Northern Ireland. Jane Morrice is a Northern Irish politician and journalist who helped architect the Good Friday Agreement. She is the former deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, former head of the European Commission office in Northern Ireland and former reporter for BBC Belfast - NPP MP Kennedy Agyapong was ordered to appear in court, today, Monday, September 14, 2020 - He has been charged for contempt and was invited to prove why he should not be severely punished - Agyapong failed to appear in court as his lawyers argued he was not served Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Information reaching YEN.com.gh indicates that the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has refused to appear before the court on Monday, September 14, 2020, as he was directed. He was ordered to appear before an Accra High Court to prove why he should not be punished for contempt of court. His absence from the court compelled Justice Wuni to direct the court to fix another date for his appearance, Friday, September 18, 2020. Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong Source: Myjoyonline.com Source: Original READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong humbles himself; apologizes to judge In a report filed by Graphiconline, Kennedy Agyapong's lawyers told the court on Monday, September 14, that he was not personally served with the summons. His lawyers filed an application that Agyapong was not personally served with the first order dated September 9, 2020, for him to appear before the court. The court, however, ordered that for the avoidance of doubt and ignorance of the law, the summons to Agyapong should be posted on the courts notice board and on the premises of Oman FM and Net 2 TV. READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong to appear in court for contempt Kennedy Agyapong, was ordered to appear before the court for contempt. Following the case, Agyapong was said to have sat on his Net2 TV to make unwarranted statements about the case while threatening the court, in a programme aired on September 2, 2020. Meanwhile, Kennedy Agyapong apologized for his verbal attacks on the Chief justice, judges and the Magistrates Association of Ghana. His apology didn't seem to go down well with Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, as she called on the judiciary to give the same punishment that was meted out to the Montie 3 to Kennedy Agyapong. READ ALSO: Ken Agyapong should get same punishment as Montie 3 Naana Jane John Mahama's emotional moment on stage at the NDC's manifesto launch | #Yencomgh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page Source: YEN.com.gh S ome of those who just hate the idea of ARM being sold to some American outfit talk as if we were staging a fight for its UK independence. That made have made some sense before ARM was sold to Japans SoftBank four years ago -- at this point it is rather tilting at windmills. If government policy were to foster national champions and protect them at all costs, then getting shirty about foreign takeovers would be fair enough. It isnt, its a free market, the key issue being reciprocity. Can UK companies takeover US rivals? They can and they do, it just tends not to make as big a splash as when it happens the other way around. BAE Systems bought US defence contractor GPS for $2 billion in January, for example. No one complained. On the ARM deal the political pressure is such that the government will ask Nvidia to protect UK jobs and maintain the UK headquarters. Nvidia will nod along, certain in the knowledge that later on it can do what it wants anyway (tricky thing, international law). So the real question is whether Nvidia is the right owner of ARM. On that, well, well find out, but the risk must be that ARMs unique neutrality will be hurt by being owned by the Americans and the Chinese take revenge. At the moment, ARMs designs are used by both US and Chinese companies. It is one of the reasons ARM is so valuable. That must be at risk under US ownership. That would be the better grounds for opposing this deal. At least 29 members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the run-up to Parliaments first session in almost six months, according to officials aware of the matter, casting a shadow over the opening day of the monsoon session of the countrys highest legislative body. Twenty-one of the MPs belong to the Lower House and the remaining eight belong to the Upper House, the people said, requesting anonymity. Most of them tested positive on September 13, the eve of the start of the session which will convene on all days until October 1. According to officials, at least 17 of the lawmakers belong to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and three to the Congress. The list includes minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi and two BJP MPs from Delhi, Meenakshi Lekhi and Pravesh Verma. All three posted tweets confirming that they tested positive. The monsoon session started on Monday, spread over different shifts in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, with staggered seating arrangements and strict health rules in place in the wake of the pandemic. Three-hundred-and-fifty-nine Lok Sabha MPs attended the first day of the session and around 180 MPs were present in the Upper House on Monday, according to official figures. Ministers are not required to mark their attendance. Apart from the Covid results, it was a busy day for both Houses. The Lok Sabha passed two bills (National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill and the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill ); introduced eight more, and tabled the supplementary demand for grants.The Rajya Sabha saw the introduction of five bills. The Upper House also re-elected Harivansh of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as the deputy chairman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke to the media before the session began, noted that Parliaments monsoon session is being held in an extraordinary manner, with social distancing measures and with the two Houses conducting business in shifts. He also urged MPs to send a message to the soldiers that the whole country is with them, remarks that came against the backdrop of tensions at the border in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) are locked in a stand-off. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement on the India-China conflict in Parliament on Tuesday. With a total of 770 seats across the two Houses, India has the worlds fourth-largest Parliament by number of lawmakers after the UK, Italy and France. As a part of the massive preparations to keep the Parliament estate free of Covid-19, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla announced two weeks ago that all MPs, officials and journalists covering Parliament would have to test for the disease before coming to the House. The Rajya Sabha also declared a similar policy. At least 2,000 people were tested in the run-up to the session, officials said. Besides the 29 MPs, around 70 officials tested positive, increasing the burden on the Parliament secretariat in running the session. The positive results came as a temporary setback for the session that has been delayed by at least two months because of the sweeping pandemic. While these 29 MPs are almost ruled out for the session, many senior MPs have already decided to skip it due to the pandemic. Union home minister Amit Shah, who has recovered from the viral infection, is currently in All India Institute of Medical Sciences for routine check-up. New Delhi Municipal Council officials were involved in conducting the tests along with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The apex medical research body tweeted on Monday, ICMR is honoured to have carried out testing of 2500+ samples of Honble Members of Parliament and other officials on war footing over the weekend in service of the nation. Minister of state for railways Angadi announced that he had tested Covid19-positive and that he was doing fine. Taking the advice of doctors. Requesting all those who have come in close contact with me in the last few days to monitor their health and get tested in case of any symptoms, he tweeted. BJPs Rita Bahuguna Joshi; another Uttar Pradesh MP of the BJP, Kaushal Kishore; and Congress lawmaker A Chellakumar have informed the Parliament secretariat that they tested positive. On August 28, the sitting MP of Kanyakumari, Congressman H Vasanthakumar, succumbed to Covid-19. On September 6, Congress s Rajya Sabha MP, Deepender Singh Hooda, declared that he tested positive for the infection. Trinamools Rajya Sabha member, Shanta Chhetri, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams Rajya Sabha floor leader, A Navaneethakrishnan, informed the Rajya Sabha secretariat about their positive status. Apart from these leaders, a Shiv Sena MP, one lawmaker each from the Aam Aadmi Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and two YSR Congress MPs too tested positive. It is a constitutional requirement that the House has to meet. This is an unusual situation and no one can blame the secretariat for not doing enough. Of course, the absence of active members is always a loss, but we cant apply general logic as things are really not in anybodys control, P Sreedharan, a former secretary general of the Lok Sabha, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Tayler Hansen, known for painting 'Baby Lives Matter' murals across the country, claimed that he was beaten by "a group of Antifa and other left wing rioters" on Tuesday night in Portland. He first gained notoriety for painting the slogan in front of Planned Parenthood in Salt Lake City. Hansen had been covering the unrest in Portland in recent weeks and said in a tweet on Wednesday that he was attacked by Antifa members in black bloc attire. Hansen, an independent journalist, returned to cover rioting in Portland on Tuesday after being held in jail over the weekend. "Last night in Portland I was beaten bloody by four people in Black Bloc," Hansen wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. The tweet was part of a lengthy thread detailing his experience in Portland. "It started with a press member recognizing me, he proceeded to get his phone to show a group of Black Bloc what I believe to be my Instagram," Hansen stated in another tweet. "I fled and changed my disguise, and returned once they had arrived at a different location." Also part of the thread was a screenshot of a Twitter user posting a picture of Hansen in the area and accusing him of saying that "he infiltrated antifa." Hansen claimed that this was how he was discovered after he changed his outfit. Hansen also included a video of two "suspicious men" acknowledging his presence. In the video, it sounds like the two men say "How's it going Tayler?" as they walk by. "I began walking away, a few blocks down there was a group of four dressed in Black Bloc waiting for me around the corner," Hansen went on to explain. "They proceeded to beat me. I was punched in the face, thrown on the ground where they began kicking me in the back and hitting me in the face again." Hansen stated that he was just grateful to be alive: "I am thankful they stopped the beating when they did and didn't use weapons to inflict harm or death upon me." Hansen has taken part in painting 5 "Baby Lives Matter" murals across America. He recently raised over $19,000 on GoFundMe to help fund the creation of the murals. The pro-life activist was inspired to paint the murals when the "Black Lives Matter" movement gained traction after the murder of George Floyd in May and racial justice activists began painting the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on streets across the U.S. Oil companies have started evacuating staff and shutting in oil production at about half a dozen platforms in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of tropical storm Sally, which is expected to make landfall in Louisiana as a hurricane. According to Reuters, BP, Equinor, Chevron, and Murphy Oil are the companies that shut in production, while Shell suspended some drilling operations yesterday but has not made changes to production. Philips 66 shut down a 255,600-bpd refinery in Alliance, Louisiana, as it was close to the forecast route of the storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, Sally will make landfall tomorrow. The new hurricane threat comes less than a month after Hurricane Laura forced the oil industry to shut in more than 84 percent of oil production in the Gulf and more than half of gas production. The oil shut-ins accounted for output of over 1.55 million bpd and helped push benchmark prices to the highest since March. Normally, Gulf of Mexico production accounts for about 17 percent of the U.S. total in oil and 5 percent of the total gas production in the country. For now, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has not released an update about the amount of oil production affected by shut-ins but it will likely release one later today. It may help prices, which have recently suffered a string of losses as pessimism about the recovery in oil demand deepens. Earlier today, BP contributed to the sentiment, by saying in an advance release of its Energy Outlook report that it was very likely demand would never recover to pre-pandemic levels. At the time of writing, both West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude were trading below $40, with Brent at $39.99 a barrel and WTI at $37.56 a barrel both modestly up from Fridays close. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Zachary Smith, President of Smith's Pest Management in San Jose, California, has been accepted into the Forbes Business Council, the foremost growth and networking organization for successful business owners and leaders worldwide. Zachary was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors. We are honored to welcome Zachary into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Business Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world. As an accepted member of the Council, Zachary has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum and at members-only events. Zachary will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts. Zacharys vision for Smiths Pest Management is to ultimately franchise and expand to multiple states. Becoming a member of the Council will provide his rapidly growing company with numerous valuable resources, including access to a vetted network of knowledgeable service industry partners. "Joining the Council gives me the opportunity to share my expertise and learn from others who help make our industry successful. I'm proud of developing my company's leadership role, and I look forward to contributing to the value of the Council's work on multiple levels." ABOUT SMITHS PEST MANAGEMENT For over 10 years, Smith's Pest Management has served as a leading pest management company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Smith's specializes in humane burrowing pest removal, including gophers, moles and ground squirrels. The company also offers a full line of insect pest control solutions. Smith's comprehensive services are available for residential and commercial properties, and our quotes are always free. Zachary Smith can be reached by calling (408) 871-6988 or via email at zsmith@gopher-trapping.com. Source: Smiths Pest Management The embryo of an animal first looks like a hollow sphere. Invaginations then appear at different stages of development, which will give rise to the body's structures (the brain, digestive tract, etc.). According to a hypothesis that dates back more than a century, buckling could be the dominant mechanism that triggers invagination - buckling being a term that describes the lateral deformation of a material under compression. Although this explanation has long won the support of biologists, it has never been subjected to formal proof, mainly because of the difficulty - if not the impossibility - of measuring the tiny forces involved. This gap has finally been filled thanks to a study carried out by a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE). This tour de force, published in the journal Developmental Cell, owes its success to a long collaboration between specialists in biological experimentation, analytical theoretical physics and computer simulation. "The basic question underpinning our work is to find out how to shape cellular tissue," begins Aurelien Roux, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry in UNIGE's Faculty of Science. Observing embryo development has made it possible to describe several mechanisms that are at work. One of these is apical constriction: a local curvature of the surface of the embryo under the effect of a coordinated deformation of the cells themselves (their "apex" tightens and their "base" relaxes). But, as Professor Roux continues: "This mechanism is by no means powerful enough to explain the appearance of major invaginations during the development of the blastocyst (one of the early stages of the embryo)." A century ago, biologists suggested that buckling is the physical mechanism that generates these deep folds. The same phenomenon is observed when you flatten a sheet of paper and bring the two opposite edges together: the middle of the sheet rises. In the case of embryos, the lateral force comes from cells which, when they proliferate, exert increasing pressure on the surface. Moreover, this surface is confined in a vitelline envelope, which - although it is elastic - prevents any spatial expansion. Since the description of the phenomenon is quite eloquent and the analogies in nature are legion, the explanation easily won consensus in the biologist community. It has long been unthinkable to measure the forces present on the surface of embryos in order to verify that it really is a question of buckling (which obeys the well-known laws of material physics) and not another mechanism. Analytical, IT and biological approaches Nevertheless, the Geneva scientists - keen to provide quantitative proof of the phenomenon - conducted a long-term study. Anastasiya Trushko, a researcher the Department of Biochemistry, and Professor Roux managed to manufacture small envelopes with all the physical properties of the natural vitelline. They also succeeded in growing a monolayer formed of a hundred cells on the inner surface. These small models, less than half a millimetre in diameter, were perfectly controlled under laboratory conditions, and were used to recreate the phenomenon of invagination in vitro and to study it under microscope. The forces involved were determined in particular thanks to small variations in the thickness of the envelope of the artificial embryos. Meanwhile Carles Blanch-Mercader and Karsten Kruse, respectively a researcher and professor in UNIGE's Departments of Biochemistry and Theoretical Physics, used the measurements to show that the relationship between the strength and shape of the artificial embryos was as expected for buckling. With the help of material physics equations, they were able to extract the macroscopic mechanical parameters from the cellular tissues, such as their stiffness. Finally, in order to link these macroscopic characteristics to biological processes at cellular level, Aziza Merzouki and Bastien Chopard - respectively a researcher and professor in the Computer Science Department at UNIGE - simulated the development of the embryo by computer, viewing it as a set of independent cells. "The IT approach gives the unique possibility of observing certain aspects of the phenomenon that are normally inaccessible," explains Bastien. "We can then follow in detail the temporal evolution of the buckling and, above all, understand how the biological processes (proliferation, contractility) at cell level modify the mechanical parameters of the tissue." Repeated round trips There were endless round trips between the three researchers and their teams to determine the correct values for the numerous parameters that come into play and so that the three approaches arrived at the same result, i.e. as close as possible to reality. It took six years of painstaking work to get there. "By quantifying buckling as precisely as possible, we were able to demonstrate that it is a potential mechanism for explaining the formation of invagination in embryos," concludes Professor Roux, before adding: "It is likely that other mechanisms, such as apical constriction, initiate the folding and that the buckling accentuates it before finally obtaining the expected result." ### Insurance Business Asia, a world-renowned insurance publication, has just named Chubb Life Insurance Vietnam Company Limited (Chubb Life Vietnam) among the Top Insurance Workplaces 2020 in Asia. The award is for companies operating in the insurance industry. Participants were evaluated based on diverse and extensive criteria to demonstrate their business size, human resource management capacity, and human development strategy. Other criteria also include training policies, diversity and openness in corporate culture, beneficial policies catering to employees working conditions as well as their physical and mental health, in addition to awards the company has won. Over the years, Chubb Life Vietnam has been honored with various awards for its working environment by both domestic and international organizations. For three consecutive years, the company has been voted by Anphabe as one of Vietnam Best Places to Work, and recently, one of the Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020 in a survey organized by the reputable HR Asia. A crucial criterion of the award and also the talent attraction factor of Chubb Life Vietnam is a working environment built on harmonic elements. Frequently named among insurers with exceptional working environment, Chubb Life Vietnam has proven its excellent human resource management strategy. Chubb Life Vietnam is proud of all the awards we have won thanks to the combined effort of every Company member. Together we have created a great working environment where everyone can experience, grow and succeed, a companys representative said. A crucial criterion of the award and also the talent attraction factor of Chubb Life Vietnam is a working environment built on harmonic elements. These are the utmost safety of employees, wide open promotion opportunities with a clear development roadmap for every member, well-deserving compensations and attractive benefits, as well as different activities to help employees maintain their work-life balance. Employees are also benefited from comprehensive trainings, encouraged to be creative and empowered to self-explore, which will foster their sustainable development and strong loyalty to the Company. After 15 years of vigorous growth and constant reputation as a Professional Prestigious Benchmark insurer in the market, the company now owns a priceless asset. It is the approximately 400 employees and 46,000 Sales Managers and Sales Representatives across the country with well-trained expertise and highest professional ethical standards. Chubb Life is the international life insurance division of Chubb. In Asia, Chubb Life operates in Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and participates in a joint-venture in China. Chubb Life has been in Vietnam since 2005, and launched its Fund Management Company (Chubb Life Fund Management Company Limited) in 2013. To meet the financial protection and security needs of its broad range of customers, Chubb Life Vietnam offers a range of life protection, savings, and investment-linked insurance solutions through its agents, banks and its wide network of offices. Additional information can be found at: http://life.chubb.com/vn PV THE UNSOLVED: This story is part of a periodic series examining unsolved homicides on Staten Island. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Sitting at his dining room table in Graniteville, Jose Espada, 35, scrolled through pictures on his phone before settling on an image taken a little more than a year ago. It was the last photo he had taken with his brother Carlos Alfonso. Oracle edged out rival Microsoft in negotiations for the U.S. operations of TikTok, people familiar with the talks said, as the Chinese-owned music-video app attempts to avoid getting shut down in a clash between the world's two superpowers. A deal between TikTok owner ByteDance and Oracle will look more like a corporate restructuring than the outright sale Microsoft had proposed, though it is likely to include a stake in a newly configured American business, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. The terms being discussed with Oracle are still evolving, one of the people said. One of the options being explored is that Oracle could take a stake in a newly formed U.S. business while serving as TikTok's U.S. technology partner and housing the video app's data in Oracle's cloud servers. Early offers from both parties valued the U.S. business at about $25 billion, but that was before Chinese officials weighed in with new rules imposing limits on technology exports, said people with knowledge of the matter. The sale of TikTok -- forced by a Trump administration ban on grounds of national security -- is one of the issues at the heart of the fraying Washington-Beijing relationship. Any deal still requires sign-offs from both sides. Microsoft, which was working with Walmart, had been seen as the likely winner but talks cooled in recent days, one person said. Microsoft wasn't asked to make revisions to its initial offer in the face of recent signs of opposition to a deal from Chinese government officials, the person added. It's unclear whether a deal with Oracle would pass muster with the Trump administration, according to a person familiar with the discussions. But couching the deal as a corporate overhaul may help in Beijing. It could allay fears about TikTok's cache of sensitive U.S. data while addressing Chinese concerns over the export of key artificial-intelligence technology, said Yik Chan Chin, who researches global media and communications policy at the Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. "If you say this is a hostile takeover, that may not be nice for both parties," she said. "But if you frame it as like a restructuring or spinoff," that's more acceptable to the two governments. China's government on Monday declined to comment on the prospect of a ByteDance-Oracle tie-up. "China has talked about its position on TikTok many times. The U.S. is now encircling TikTok. This is a typical coerced transaction by the government," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing in Beijing. ByteDance intends to bring a proposal to the White House ahead of a mid-September deadline imposed by Trump, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The progress in the talks with Oracle ignited celebrations among TikTok's mostly young devotees. The app, which lets people record and edit short video clips ranging from lighthearted lip-syncs to more serious political statements, gained popularity during the global pandemic that's kept many people cooped up indoors. TikTok's loyal following of more than 100 million in the U.S. helps explain the strong interest among early suitors, from Microsoft to private equity giants such as Sequoia and General Atlantic. Walmart remains interested in making a TikTok investment alongside a consortium of investors led by Oracle. A spokesperson for the retailer said Sunday it "continues discussions with ByteDance leadership and other interested parties. We know that any approved deal must satisfy all regulatory and national security concerns." Talk of a corporate restructuring harks back to ByteDance's original intentions earlier in the summer to sell a partial stake in TikTok's operations, or restructure the company with a global headquarters and board of directors outside of China. Those aspirations were complicated by Trump's threats to ban the app and subsequent executive orders, which prohibit U.S. people and businesses from doing business with TikTok. If the Chinese company is able to get a deal through the White House that doesn't involve an outright, forced sale, it would be a major feat for ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, who has been reluctant to hand over such a prized asset. Yet critics were still questioning how a technology partnership with Oracle, rather than an outright sale, would assuage the White House's national security concerns. "A deal where Oracle takes over hosting without source code and significant operational changes would not address any of the legitimate concerns about TikTok, and the White House accepting such a deal would demonstrate that this exercise was pure grift," Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook, said in a post on Twitter. Read more: China Throws a Wrench Into Trump's Plan to Force TikTok Sale Beijing's stance is another big question mark. Shortly after bids from Microsoft and Oracle were submitted, the Chinese government announced its right to be closely involved in approval of any deal as well as its opposition to exporting key algorithms, such as a recommendation engine that underpins TikTok. ByteDance appeared eager for a more limited sort of agreement than Microsoft wanted, where it would retain more control, one of the people familiar with the negotiations said. Some U.S. officials would prefer shutting down TikTok's U.S. operations if a sale doesn't meet their demands for putting the business and related data into American hands. "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft," Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said in a statement on Sunday. "We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests." Microsoft representatives declined to comment beyond the statement. Representatives for TikTok declined to comment, and Oracle didn't respond to requests for comment outside normal business hours. The White House also didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Microsoft was the early front-runner for the acquisition, having started talks with ByteDance weeks before Trump's executive orders and believing it had the preliminary framework of a deal the U.S. government could back. Then Oracle, a company with a closer relationship to the U.S. president, emerged as a bidder with the backing of Sequoia Capital, a key ByteDance shareholder. For the corporate software giant, TikTok is a less obvious fit, but may make sense in light of the company's desire to build up its cloud-computing and consumer-data businesses. Oracle creates profiles of ordinary people and sells them to companies looking to reach specific audiences. TikTok stores massive amounts of data and is a large customer of cloud services run by Amazon Web Services and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. A partnership with TikTok also resonates with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison's cheerleading for American tech interests. Oracle has nurtured a relationship with Trump since before his administration began. In 2016, Chief Executive Officer Safra Catz served on the president's transition team, and two years later, dined with him at the White House, where she complained about a government contract she deemed unfair, Bloomberg reported. Vice President Mike Pence visited Oracle's headquarters in Redwood City, Calif. Catz has contributed more than $125,000 this year to support Trump's reelection, according to Federal Election Commission data. And Ellison let Trump use one of his California estates to hold a fundraiser in February. In recent weeks, the U.S. president had publicly endorsed the Oracle bid and called Ellison a "tremendous guy." Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro, who earlier came out against a potential sale to Microsoft and had at one time advocated banning TikTok completely, echoed that endorsement during an August appearance on Fox News. "If you look at Microsoft versus Oracle, the one thing that separates the two companies with respect to national security is that Microsoft has a large footprint in China," Navarro said. "Oracle on the other hand has a strong reputation of really putting a great firewall between its operations and China and that's an important thing." WARNING: Graphic images of burns and other injuries shown in the photos below. MEDFORD Almost a dozen cats rescued amid scorching wildfires in Oregon are being cared for at a veterinary hospital and staff members have posted their photos on social media hoping to reunite them with their owners. An injured cat named Prince is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant Kaity Kelsey, left, and Vet assistant Kayla Weisz, right, both from Medford, Ore., at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC), which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the wildfires devastating the region on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Central Point, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)AP The cats have burned paws covered in bandages. Some of their bellies are seared and, in one case, a cat nicknamed Depot because he was found by the Home Depot, is hooked up to oxygen because its lungs suffered damage from the hot smoke. An injured cat named Prince is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant Kaity Kelsey from Medford at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC), which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the destructive wildfires devastating the region on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Central Point, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)AP Rory Applegate, a veterinarian at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, says staff members are working even though some of them have had to evacuate or had family impacted by the blazes. Veterinary technician Cathy Ackerman checks the medical equipment by the cages for the injured cats at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the destructive wildfires devastating the region on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020 in Central Point, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)AP Applegate says the fires are a huge emotional toll on the staff but they are balancing out the management of critical patients and making sure they can stay stable themselves. An injured cat named Prince is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant Kaity Kelsey, left, and Vet assistant Kayla Weisz, right, both from Medford at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the destructive wildfires devastating the region on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020 in Central Point, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)AP She said she expects animals to feel the impact of the heavy smoke in the coming days, too. The hospital is trying to reunite cats with their owners and has posted pictures on its Facebook page. By PTI MUMBAI: Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Harami", Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's "A'hr" starring Manju Warrier and Anant Mahadevan's "Bittersweet" are among the eight Indian titles selected for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) this year. The 25th edition of the festival is scheduled to take place in the South Korean city from October 21 to 31. The movie gala has been pared down due to the coronavirus situation. "Harami", directed by Shyam Madiraju, is part of the 'New Currents' section of BIFF selections. "Harami" is an Indo- American production feature film penned and directed by Madiraju. Set in Mumbai, the film is described as a "hard-hitting, visually striking street saga of youth crime and broken destinies, love and redemption". "It was Shyam's script that really attracted me to his project. And his obsession with details, it was very contagious," Hashmi said about working on the film. On making to BIFF selection, Madiraju said, "Korea is the epicenter of the filmmaking universe right now, so it's an immense honor to be a part of their celebration of cinema this year." "Bittersweet" follows the first-person account of Saguna, a sugarcane cutter who is inducted into the fields and discovers the frightening practice of hysterectomy that is prevalent amongst the women cutters. "Bittersweet resonates in a universal context with its theme of human exploitation at the cost of scruples and an ecosystem upheaval in the future," Mahadevan said. Sasidharan's Malayalam feature "A'hr", featuring south star Manju Warrier, is narrated through 10 songs, written in Ahr Samsa, a special language devised for the film by the team. "Captive", directed by Suman Mukhoponadhyay, "Matto's Bicycle" by M Gani and Prithvi Konanur's "WHERE IS PINKI" are part of the festival's 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section, which also features Chaitanya Tamhane's "The Disciple" and Ivan Ayr's "Milestone". Tamhane's "The Disciple", looks at the world of classical musicians on the fringes of success. It follows Sharad Nerulkar (Aditya Modak), an Indian classical vocalist trying to achieve purity in his work as he has been raised on the stories of his father and guru about the masters of the past. The film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week and won the best screenplay award at the gala over the weekend. "Milestone", which was also screened at the Venice Film Festival, revolves around a truck driver who after losing his wife, tries to connect with his past and comes to terms with his present. Suman Mukhopadhyay's Hindi film 'Nazarband' (captive), starring a host of young actors, has also been officially selected for screening at the 25th Busan International Film Festival. 'Nazarband', the National Award-winning filmmaker's first outing in Hindi, is inspired by a short story by much- revered Bengali writer Ashapurna Devi and depicts the journey of two young people. The film has been extensively shot in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. "I am immensely happy to announce that my film Nazarband (captive) is in the official selection of the 25th Busan International Film Festival, 2020," Mukhopadhyay, the director of critically acclaimed films 'Char Adhyay' and 'Kangal Malsat', said on Facebook. National School of Drama graduate Indira Tiwari, actors Tanmay Dhanania and Nivedita Mukherjee among others play pivotal roles in film -- shot in 2019. The schedule of BIFF 2020 was announced last week, with the organizers saying that the 25th edition will be downsized and all the outdoor events such as the opening and closing ceremonies are being cancelled to avoid crowds gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also there will be no international invitations, parties or receptions and all the screenings will be held in accordance with government guidelines. Hong Kong's "Septet: The Story of Hong Kong" will be the opening film, while Tamura Kotaro's Japanese movie "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish" will close the festival. This year 192 films from 68 countries are being screened at BIFF. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman has accused the president of bullying and intimidation and said coming forward in impeachment proceedings helped end his career . After 21 years, six months and 10 days of active military service, I am now a civilian. I made the difficult decision to retire because a campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation by President Trump and his allies forever limited the progression of my military career, he wrote in an op-ed with The Washington Post. Lt Col Vindman experienced attacks from Donald Trump after he testified before Congress during the presidents impeachment hearings. His testimony became key in the impeachment inquiry, as he expressed alarm over Mr Trumps phone call with Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky. During the phone call, Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to open an investigation into political rival Joe Biden. Lt Col Vindmans op-ed went on to warn about the dangers of the Trump administration to those who speak out about the president. At no point in my career or life have I felt our nations values under greater threat and in more peril than at this moment. Our national government during the past few years has been more reminiscent of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving, he wrote. The Iraq veteran and Purple Heart recipient was born in the Soviet Union but left at the age of three following the death of his mother. He found himself in the public eye after being assigned to the National Security Council under the Trump administration. Congress subpoenaed Lt Col Vindman to testify during the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry, making him the first from the White House to speak under oath about Mr Trump. During my testimony in the house impeachment inquiry, I reassured my father, who experienced Soviet authoritarianism first-hand, saying, Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth. Despite Trumps retaliation, I stand by that conviction, he wrote. After Lt Col Vindmans testimony, he was denounced by the president and subject to repeated attacks from Republicans. This summer, his promotion in the army from lieutenant colonel to colonel was delayed, triggering speculation that the president was retaliating against Lt Col Vindman. On 7 July, the day after the Pentagon approved Lt Col Vindmans promotion, he submitted a letter of resignation. His retirement came into effect on 1 August. Lt Col Vindman decided to resign because he believed that staying would result in more retaliation from the president and allies. Despite losing his career over this painful experience, however, he stood by his testimony. America has thrived because citizens have been willing to contribute their voices and shed their blood to challenge injustice and protect the nation. It is in keeping with that history of service that, at this moment, I feel the burden to advocate for my values and an enormous urgency to act, he wrote. He added: To this day, despite everything that has happened, I continue to believe in the American Dream. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on the farm sector asserting the Minimum Support Price(MSP) for agriculture produce is here to stay as farmers in Punjab continued their protests against the proposed laws. "I want to assure on behalf of the government that MSP was there, is there, and will continue to be there," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the lower house on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament amid opposition by the Congress and other non-BJP parties against the legislations. Tomar introduced 'The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill' and 'The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill', while Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Danve introduced 'The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill'. The bills seek to replace the ordinances promulgated by the government earlier. The opposition parties have alleged that the new laws will undermine the safety net provided to the farmers by the MSP system and will lead to their exploitation by big companies. "This is a case of legislative overreach and a direct attack on the federal structure of the Constitution," Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said while opposing the bills. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to allege the ordinances were a "deadly attack" on farmers and agricultural labourers. "The three 'black' ordinances of the Modi government are a deadly attack on farmers-agricultural labourers so that they do not get MSP and are also forced to sell their land to capitalists," the former Congress chief said. Farmers in Punjab blocked several roads including the Amritsar-Delhi national highway and held agitations in different parts of the state to protest the farm ordinances. While different farmers' outfits raised slogans against the Centre for bringing the "anti-farmer" ordinances and demanded their rollback, commuters faced inconvenience due to the road blockade as authorities diverted traffic through other roads. A group of farmers from Uttar Pradesh marched to the national capital to protest against the ordinances but they were stopped at the Delhi-UP border, police said. A senior police officer said the farmers, affiliated to the Bharatiya Kisan Union, were headed to the Jantar Mantar, but were stopped at the NH-24 near the Ghazipur border, and were asked to send their representatives who would talk to the authorities. The rest of the group has been told to wait at the border, he said. In the Lok Sabha, Tomar said the proposed legislations will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. The new laws will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice, he added. The minister said these steps are only the latest in a series of measures taken by the government as part of its continuous commitment to championing the cause of welfare of the farmers of India. Tomar said that almost 86 per cent of farmers have agricultural land of less than two hectares and they are often unable to benefit from the MSP. Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha, members of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress(TMC) claimed that the legislations will only benefit capitalists, and accused the Centre of attacking the federal structure of the Constitution. Tomar said the bill will help the farmers as they are unable to invest much in their farm and do not attract investments from others. He also rejected the criticism that it was beyond the remit of the union government to legislate on these issues, saying opposition members should trust the Centre. The Opposition has alleged that the Centre brought in the legislations without consulting the states under whose domain 'agriculture' and 'mandis' fall. Tomar asked the opposition members to study the content of the bills deeply before "running to oppose them". He stressed that farmers will get a lot of benefit from these laws as they can enter into an agreement with private traders for selling their produce. These agreements will be about the produce and not the farmland, he asserted, rebutting suggestions that farmers may lose ownership of their land. Opposing the bills, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said constitutional provisions are very clear that agriculture is a subject on the State List. "Such a law can only be brought by state governments. Through this bill, the centre will nullify Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) law enacted by various state governments," he said. "The central government is not competent to make such a law." Chowdhury also pointed out that farmers of Punjab and Haryana are protesting against these bills. TMC member Saugata Roy claimed that farming will move into the hands of capitalists due to these legislations. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill violates the basic tenets of federalism enshrined in India's Constitution. "It is beyond the legislative competence of this house to enact any law on agriculture, which is a domain of the state governments," Tharoor said The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to increase competition in the agriculture sector and enhance farmers' income. It aims to liberalise the regulatory system while protecting the interests of consumers. "Removing fully the stock limit of farm produce and edible items like fruits and vegetables will be damaging for farmers. This will lead to black marketing and only a few entrepreneurs will benefit," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. "I oppose the way the bill has been presented," he said. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill provides a framework for the protection and empowerment of farmers with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products. The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, bars state governments from imposing taxes on sale and purchase of farm produce undertaken outside the mandis and give farmers the freedom to sell their produce at remunerative prices. Besides, any conflicts arising from the transactions will be dealt with exclusively by the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and District Collectorate within 30 days and not in the jurisdiction of civil courts. At present, farmers are allowed to sell their agriculture produce at 6,900-odd APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees) mandis spread across the nation. There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside the mandis. The ordinances were promulgated on June 5, 2020. However, the Union Agriculture Ministry notified them on July 20. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asserted that his government had been consistently opposing the "so-called reforms" brought in by the ordinances. In a statement, he said that at no point did Punjab endorse any such move, contrary to what was being projected by the central government. In Haryana, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the three agricultural ordinances will completely destroy the farmers who are facing all-round losses which have been made worse by "government apathy". Also, the three-member committee of BJP MPs from the state submitted a report after having a dialogue with farmers and seeking their feedback on the three-farm related ordinances. "The committee constituted to take feedback of farmers on three farm-related ordinances submitted their report to me," State BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar tweeted. Dhankar told reporters that he along with State Agriculture Minister J P Dalal, the three MPs who were part of the panel besides farmers' representatives will meet Tomar in Delhi on Tuesday. (Alliance News) - Vodafone Group PLC on Sunday reported progress on the sale of its majority 55% holding in its Egypt business to Saudi Telecom Co for USD2.39 billion. The FTSE 100-listed telecoms firm said due diligence has been substantively completed, adding that despite the expiry of the memorandum of understanding, it remains in discussion with Saudi Telecom to finalise the transaction in the near future. "Vodafone now looks to stc and Telecom Egypt to find a suitable agreement to enable the transaction to close," the company said. Telecom Egypt holds the remaining 45% stake in Vodafone's Egyptian business. The sale was first announced in January, with Vodafone saying at the time that despite the disposal, it would continue to have a "significant presence in Egypt", including a partnership agreement with Saudi Telecom. Vodafone Egypt contributed EUR1.11 billion in revenue to the telecommunications firm in the year to March 2019. The transaction was originally expected to close in June 2020. This sale comes after Vodafone in December agreed to sell its Malta unit to Monaco Telecom SAM for EUR250 million. In July, it completed the disposal of its New Zealand unit for EUR2.0 billion to a consortium featuring investment firm Infratil Ltd and Canadian alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management Inc. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Reliance Retail's acquisition of Future Group's retail businesses has solidified its position in India's organised retail market and is turning out it be all the rage with global investors. Marquee names, including Carlyle Group Inc and SoftBank Group Corp, want a pie of the retail arm of Reliance Industries even at a tough time like this when businesses have been badly impacted by coronavirus-led lockdown. Given the strong investor demand for Reliance Retail, Carlyle Group Inc and SoftBank Group Corp proposals to buy stake in billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led company have been put onto a waiting list, Bloomberg reported citing sources. Recently, both these companies have expressed interest to buy a strategic minority stake in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. As per the report, oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries has asked these companies to wait on the sideline as it is already in advanced talks with other financial investors. Also Read: How big is Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail US-based private equity Carlyle Group is reportedly looking to invest up to $2 billion in Reliance Industries' retail business. Japan's Softbank is also mulling an investment in Reliance Retail as Ambani looks to deleverage business by selling stakes. Last week, American private equity firm Silver Lake announced an investment of Rs 7,500 crore ($1 billion) in Reliance Retail Ltd, a Reliance Industries Ltd subsidiary, for a 1.75 per cent equity stake on a fully diluted basis. As per reports, US-based PE investors KKR and Co., Mubadala Investment Co., and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) are also in talks to invest in the retail arm of Reliance Industries. Also read: BT Buzz: What next for Kishore Biyani after selling Future Retail to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance? According to Fitch Ratings, the equity stake sale will further strengthen RIL's financial profile and competitive position beyond the proposed acquisition. The global research firm believes that the proposed acquisition of Future Group's retail business will fortify its retail footprint, especially in the grocery retail sub-segment. Also read: Future Uncertain Last month, RIL acquired the retail business of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group for total consideration of Rs 24,700 crore, including a cash payment of about Rs 5,000-6,000 crore and balance as liabilities which would be absorbed by RIL. The Future Group asset acquisition is subject to regulatory, shareholder, creditor and other customary approvals, which may take around six months to complete. By Chitranjan Kumar New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, whose penchant for obscure many-syllable words is well-known, on Sunday had an odd-request from author Chetan Bhagat who asked the word wizard to praise him using "big words". Much to the delight of Bhagat, Tharoor obliged in no time and used choicest of words "sesquipedalian" to "limpid perspicacity" and whatnot from his voluminous vocabulary, famously called 'Tharoorosaurus', in his tweet addressed to the author. It all started after Tharoor, 64, took to Twitter and praised Bhagat for his article in Times of India, titled "The youth need to shut their phones and ask about the economy". The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram termed Bhagat's opinion piece as "superb" and one with a "clear message". "Superb piece by @chetan_bhagat on all that ails our country & what we should do about it. Chetan's great virtue is the simplicity and directness of his writing. His message is clear & I hope his fans in the government act on it," tweeted Tharoor, a best-selling author himself. Taken aback by the lavish praise from Tharoor, Bhagat who said he will be framing the tweet requested the Congress leader to use "big words" to praise him. "Ok I still can't get over this. The @ShashiTharoor has praised @chetanbhagat. I am floating. Just one request sir, next time can you use some big words to praise me, like ones that only you can do. Superb is nice but a big one would really make my day!," Bhagat tweeted. Soon the diplomat-turned-politician replied, "Sure, @chetan_bhagat! It's clear you are not sesquipedalian nor given to rodomontade. Your ideas are unembellished with tortuous convolutions & expressed without ostentation. I appreciate the limpid perspicacity of today's column." The entertaining Twitter exchange gave way to a flurry of memes and hilarious tweets. "Google is also unable to translate," tweeted Raja Ram Singh. "Enjoyed this @ShashiTharoor chetan_bhagat can write another book 'The 4th Mistake of My Life'," tweeted Dominic Savio. "After so many days I needed a dictionary #shashitharoor#chetanbhagat," tweeted Mayur Shinde. BroJack tweeted, "12 years of ICSE upbringing, just to not even be able to figure out if he's talking for or against Chetan Bhagat." For the unversed, 'sesquipedalian' means a word being polysyllabic, 'rodomontade' is boastful, 'convolutions' means complex, 'ostentation' means being pretentious, 'limpid' is clear and 'perspicacity' is to be shrewd. In 2017, Tharoor's tweet, with words like "exasperating farrago of distortions", made headlines and became the buzz word of the Internet. His latest book, aptly titled "Tharoorosaurus", is a collection of 53 such words, one from every letter of the alphabet. COVID-19 has changed many things in the insurance industry. Seemingly overnight everyone is working from home and the companies with the best digital customer experiences have the advantage. Yet, commercial lines insurance has a long way to go when it comes to digital transformation. Services like instant quoting and binding, on-demand access to policy information and mobile claims are all features that can improve the insurance customer experience, but they havent all received enough attention when it comes to creating an excellent digital experience. Some of the lag may be due to resource constraints. Some may be due to the complexity of legacy systems. And some may be due to the complexity of the industry, particularly for carriers that focus on distributing through agents and brokers where they dont control the customer experience end-to-end. But the pandemic has raised the stakes. Carriers and agents need to be able to do much, if not all, of the following: market, sell, bind and service commercial lines insurance online. With inclusive insurtech solutions, carriers can give agents access to tools right away, with information all in one place, streamlining agents workflows. So, how do they get there quickly?Thats where insurtechs come in. The idea of partnering with insurtechs has been around for several years. But its about to acceleratedriven in part by carriers need to rapidly add digital capabilities that can drive growth and solve problems. Other benefits for carriers include: Immediate access to inclusive technology. Automated quoting solutions, lead generators and analytics analysis can take years and a hefty budget for carriers to develop internally. And a carriers standalone solution doesnt necessarily benefit the independent agent who represents multiple carriers and would still need to access individual carrier systems to complete transactions. With inclusive insurtech solutions, carriers can give agents access to tools right away, with information all in one place, streamlining agents workflows. Getting the benefit of an expanded team of talent. Partnerships give carriers access to talent with unique perspectives and skills. For example, an insurtech might have a leader specializing in analyzing data and could help identify new business areas or target populations for the carrier. The ability to compete in more new business. Traditionally, agents have had to go to individual carrier sites to get quotes and process new business. This is time-consuming, and often agents go to the carriers they know will have competitive premiums. The problem is that carriers appetites change, especially in the current market. Working with insurtechs that deliver comparative rating and the ability to assess carrier appetite in real time can provide much larger market opportunities for the carriers. This is something one of our carrier partners experienced firsthand. The insurer was ignored by an agency because the agency had a perception from many years ago that the carrier did not have competitive pricing or coverage. But once that agency started using a comparative rating solution that included the carriers products, they found that the carrier did actually have competitive premiums as well as a modern product offering. The carrier has seen a significant increase in policies with that agency. Becoming a carrier of choice with agents. According to the 2019 JD Power Independent Agent Satisfaction study, independent agents overall satisfaction with both personal lines and commercial lines carriers is low, with personal lines ranking 735 (on a 1,000-point scale) and commercial ranking 720. In fact, carriers received the lowest overall satisfaction scores for any JD Power business study, even ranking lower than financial advisers (737). But the research also found that the more satisfaction an independent agent has with a carrier, the more likely they are to place business with them.\ Partnering with insurtechs can give agents access to solutions that make it easier to serve their clients and provide a better overall customer experience. Agents will be more likely to prioritize those carriers that are working to eliminate re-keying and manual entry, allowing them to get information to the customer quicker. The Risk Is Minimal Many insurtechs that serve the agency distribution channel market to the agents. But they need the carriers to partner with them so agents can access the information to serve clients. For a number of platforms, there is no cost to carriers to partner with the vendor, and the setup from the carriers side requires little effort. There are all types of insurtechsand they dont all provide solutions that benefit carriers and strengthen the agency distribution channel. Its important to seek partnerships that provide real value. Insurtechs that enable quoting, provide data, assess claim information and increase automation all offer great potential. The right carrier-insurtech partnership can create a triple threat: a win for agents, a win for insurtechs and a win for carriers. Agents will be able to provide the service customers demand. Insurtechs will have a larger base of carriers improving their product. And carriers will have access to new market opportunities that will help them grow their business. This article originally appeared in Carrier Management Magazine, Wells Medias publication for the P/C insurance C-suite. Topics Mergers Carriers Agencies InsurTech Commercial Lines Tech Business Insurance Seminole County, just north of Orlando and long a stronghold for Florida Republicans, has emerged as a surprising toss-up this fall in a state that recent polling suggests is up for grabs between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. No Democratic presidential nominee has won Seminole since Harry Truman in 1948, and the county appeared firmly in Republican hands as recently as 2016, when registered Republicans there outnumbered registered Democrats by more than 13,000 voters. But that gap has closed -- and quickly. As of last month's primaries, Democrats trailed Republicans by only 1,000 voters, thanks to efforts to woo moderate Republicans and unregistered voters and to the changing demographic composition of the county, which has brought more liberal-leaning voters inside county lines. In addition, a Democrat won the congressional district that includes Seminole County in 2016 -- the first time since the early 1990s -- while statewide Democratic candidates Andrew Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor who ran for governor, and former Sen. Bill Nelson beat their Republican counterparts in the county two years ago. MORE: Biden struggling to gain support of Latinos in key battleground state of Florida "I would say we're purple at this point," David Johnson, Seminole County's property appraiser, told ABC News. PHOTO: Voters head to a polling station to vote in Florida's primary election in Orlando, Fla., March 17, 2020. (John Raoux/AP) Republican presidential candidates have long been able to rely on the county, often winning by large margins there. In 2000, when Florida was decided by just 537 votes, former President George W. Bush beat former Vice President Al Gore in Seminole by more than 16,000 votes. Rob Bial witnessed the struggles Democrats in Seminole went through then. Having moved to the county in 1998, he remembers attending Seminole Democratic Party meetings. "I was looking at a bunch of old people," said Bial. After Trump won Seminole (and Florida) in 2016, Democrats' attitudes there changed, according to Bial. Story continues "There was a huge outpouring of desire to get involved," he said. "And I was part of that." In fact, when Bial was appointed chair of the Seminole Democrats the following year, he began trying to chip away at Republicans' voter registration advantage. Doing so required greater levels of organization. "I wanted precinct captains in every region," he said. "I wanted to make sure that people knew their neighbors, because that's how you get people out to vote. It's not texting or phone banking from anonymous numbers. It's your neighbor from across the street saying, 'Hey did you see this woman who's running for state senate? She's amazing.'" MORE: Campaign adviser argues Trump 'well positioned' to flip blue states, despite polling Bial had a hunch that there were scores of potential Democrats out there, they just needed the encouragement to register as one and a moderate message to latch onto. Paul Finnegan moved with his wife, Jean, to Winter Springs, just off Lake Jessup, in the mid-1990s. Paul, a Democrat in the couple's previous state of Virginia, registered with the Seminole County Republican Party and Jean, as a no party affiliation voter. Paul, who describes himself as a "liberal Republican or a conservative Democrat" spent his political energy trying to bring more conservative Republicans to the center. Last year, he gave up. A year after Jean, disgruntled by Trump, switched her registration to the Democratic Party, Paul joined her. Jean now volunteers for the Seminole Democrats. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., Aug. 20, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP, FILE) Rep. Stephanie Murphy ran on a moderate platform in 2016 on her way to unseating a 12-term Republican incumbent in Florida's 7th Congressional District, which contains all of Seminole as well as bits of Orange County to the south. Then in 2018, thanks to the voter registration movement and Murphy's own efforts to turn out young voters and voters of color, she retained her seat, winning by an even wider margin. "People in Central Florida are not somehow becoming more progressive," Murphy, a former unaffiliated voter herself, told ABC News. "What they want is somebody who is effective." PHOTO: Rep. Stephanie Murphy speaks during the Problem Solvers Caucus press conference in the Capitol, Feb. 11, 2020, in Wasington. (Bill Clark/AP, FILE) But while Democrats have successfully engaged voters already living in the county, they have also benefited from something out of their control: the migration of voters who already lean left on the political spectrum. Blanketed for decades by quarter-acre lots with front yards and swimming pools, Seminole is now dotted with freshly developed apartment buildings and condominium complexes. Inside of them live young, educated and often liberal voters: Families looking to send their kids to the county's notoriously strong public schools, and recent college graduates working in Lake Mary's burgeoning business center. According to Johnson, the county's property appraiser, the lack of room for new single-family plots of land makes that type of development likely to continue. "We just have run out of space," he explained. PHOTO: Candidate signs are viewed along a street across from an early voting location at the Supervisor of Elections office, Aug. 13, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP, FILE) With Democrats and Republicans nearly tied among registered voters in Seminole, November's elections might come down to the unaffiliated voters, who make up nearly 30% of all registered voters in the county and who are diverse, according to Chris Anderson, the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections. "They're everyone," Anderson told ABC News of those registered as no party affiliation. "There's no one person the same. They're immeasurable." Among them include younger voters "disgusted with both parties," according to Murphy, and Hispanic voters, almost 40% of whom are registered without party affiliations. Seminole County, like others in central Florida, has seen an increase in Hispanic voters since 2017. MORE: Twitter flags Trump tweet. Again. "I had to win NPAs two-to-one (in 2018) in order to win this district," Murphy said of the no party affiliation voters. "I have to be able to turn out NPAs." For their part, Republicans in Seminole County remain confident in their ability to deliver the county to Trump for a second time. "Seminole is Trump country," Linda Trocine, chair of the Seminole GOP, told ABC News in a text message. "His message of law and order resonates with suburban women, who decide the outcome of elections here." This report was featured in the Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Historically red, this Orlando-area county is Florida's surprising new battleground originally appeared on abcnews.go.com London: The chief executive of Qatar Airways says the Australian government should be prepared to offer national carrier Qantas financial support if the coronavirus pandemic keeps borders closed and international flights grounded. Speaking exclusively to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker warned that if there is no coronavirus vaccine, all global airlines would either fold or be nationalised in some form. "Qantas is many times larger than Virgin Australia and what happens if Qantas is in difficulties? If I was the government, I would offer assistance to Alan [Joyce] because it is such an important economic tool," he said. Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker warned that if there is no coronavirus vaccine, all global airlines would either fold or be nationalised in some form. Credit:Bloomberg Qatar Airways is state owned, and Mr Al Baker said opponents of government support needed to be realistic about the challenges airlines face and the benefits they provide. "I'm sure that the people who are complaining about the subsidy and state aid will all go to the state for money to survive, or, because an airline is such an important economic tool, some private airlines will be nationalised, again," he said. Governments across the world have committed vast sums to rescue packages for airlines this year, led by the Trump Administration's $US25 billion ($34 billion) bailout for US carriers, but the Morrison government baulked at bailing out number two carrier Virgin Australia when it collapsed into administration in April. Virgin was subsequently acquired by US private equity firm Bain Capital and plans to relaunch with fewer planes and a smaller network in coming months. NEWARK, NJ The coronavirus pandemic has created a tremendous need in Newark. But its also inspired an unprecedented spirit of cooperation, some say. Recently, United Community Corporation, Roosevelt Community 4U and Bessie Green Community Inc. pulled together to serve more than 23,000 people as part of a massive food distribution event in the Brick City. Over three hours, thousands lined up at Barringer High School to get a much-needed care package of food and drinks. In all, 3,978 cars and 1,251 walk-in clients were served during the event, with family sizes averaging between four and five people. It was a touching display of camaraderie between the community, with more than 270 volunteers and over 20 Essex County groups pitching in for the effort, including North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr., the Anibal Ramos Jr. Civic Association, the Newark Public School District and The Allen Village CDC. The event also saw support from the Newark Police Department, the Newark Essex County Constable, the Essex County Sheriff's Office and the Newark Fire Department. Story continues below Photo: Ashley Grey The pandemic has created a tremendous need in our city, as well as an unprecedented spirit of cooperation, Ramos said. So many organizations participated in this event to make it a success. This is a great example of a community coming together to help those in need, Ramos added. In these days we see how collaboration between the leaders of different communities to support the people that are in need can result in bridges between different communities, cultures, and ethnicities, Roosevelt Community 4U founder Rabbi Moshe Hezrony said. Witnessing the overwhelming number of volunteers, from various organizations, who gave up their time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, was truly uplifting during this time of unprecedented need, Bessie Green Community Board Secretary Pauline McKeown agreed. The number of people served being that high makes me feel good and sad at the same time, United Community Corporation Executive Director Craig Mainor said. Over 20,000 people served makes me very happy, but it also lets me know that there is so much more that we can do. Story continues Luckily, sometimes a worthy event can open its own doors, Mainor said, pointing out that United Community Corporation got a chance to tell people about their other services, such as a 24-hour emergency shelter, a food pantry that served over 20,000 meals in July and housing/energy assistance. Weve already gotten calls for our services from people that were waiting in line, Mainor said. Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com Dont forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters. This article originally appeared on the Newark Patch Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh led the Vietnamese delegation to the meetings. At the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting, both sides emphasised the importance of the relationship between the two regional organisations that are considered the most successful. The two sides acknowledged the positive progress in the bilateral cooperation in recent years, especially in the active implementation of the ASEAN-EU Action Plan for the 2018-2022 period. For many years, the EU has been the most important partner of ASEAN, especially in economic and development cooperation. The EU is currently the third largest trading partner of ASEAN with a two-way trade reaching US$280 billion in 2019 and the third largest source of foreign investment of ASEAN with a total volume of FDI hitting US$16.2 billion last year. The ministers affirmed their strong commitment to strengthen the ASEAN-EU comprehensive cooperation relationship in the coming time, and continue promoting their "Partners in Integration" relationship. The two sides welcomed the 22nd ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers Meeting in Belgium in January 2019. They shared the view in principle on upgrading ASEAN-EU relations to the level of strategic partnership and agreed to formalise the upgrade soon. The two sides agreed to continue effectively cooperating in areas of mutual interest and strengths, including economy-trade, connectivity, transport, counter-terrorism, fighting transnational crime, cyber security, marine security and health care. Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides agreed to work closely to support capacity building and response to the COVID-19 pandemic and promote recovery. The EU is one of the first partners to coordinate with ASEAN to successfully organise the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Online Conference on COVID-19 Epidemic Response on March 20, 2020. ASEAN highly valued the EU's announcement to mobilise a 800 million EUR assistance package for the ASEAN region to prevent and mitigate impacts of COVID-19. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed that as ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam supported efforts to deepen ASEAN-EU relations, towards officially upgrading the bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. Strengthening connectivity plays an important role in promoting economic recovery and maintaining growth, Minh said, and welcomed the EU's proposal on the ASEAN-EU Joint Ministerial Statement on Connectivity and supported promoting connectivity and complementary to the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the EU Connectivity Strategy. Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh at the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (Photo: VGP) At the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, the ministers noted that despite complicated and unpredictable developments, especially the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASEAN- India relations continue to make significant progress across all fields, including the implementation of the ASEAN-India Action Plan 2016-2020. India affirmed its relationship with ASEAN, emphasising that ASEAN plays a central role in India's Act East policy. ASEAN highly appreciated India's commitment and active participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM +) and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) as well as India's support for regional cooperation and ASEAN community building. The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in the areas of economy, trade and investment; maritime cooperation; counter-terrorism and fighting transnational crime; connectivity; science-technology and innovation; natural disaster prevention, control and mitigation; climate change response, cultural and people-to-people exchange, and narrowing development gaps. Regarding response to COVID-19, India affirmed to support ASEAN in overcoming the pandemic's consequences and promoting sustainable recovery and work closely with ASEAN in research and production of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment medicines. ASEAN appreciated India's active support for regional cooperation, including capacity building, narrowing the development gaps, and earmarking one billion USD in credit to support projects connecting the two sides. Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasised the importance of the ASEAN-India strategic partnership and affirmed India as a reliable partner and friend of ASEAN. ASEAN and India should make efforts to strengthen economic and trade connectivity, and maritime cooperation, while coordinating to fully exploit the 1.8 billion-people market, and strengthening cooperation to achieve two-way trade turnover of 200 billion USD by 2022, Minh said. He also affirmed the importance of India's participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and emphasised that the RCEP Agreement is always open to India. In both events, the ministers exchanged views on world and regional issues of common interest. Regarding the East Sea/South China Sea, the ministers continue emphasising the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation; not militarising; avoiding acts that further complicate the situation, and settling disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. The meetings supported the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and early finalisation of an effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. The EU emphasised the need to respect international law, refrain from tense actions and militarisation, and support efforts to build laws governing behaviour in the region. India informed the ASEAN countries of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. The EU welcomed ASEAN to play its role in promoting cooperation, dialogue, building trust in the region, supporting efforts to seriously and fully implement the DOC and develop an effective COC in accordance with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS. At the meetings, Minh highly appreciated the support of the partners for ASEAN's efforts to participate in ensuring peace, security, stability and navigation and aviation in the East Sea. He reaffirmed ASEAN's principled position and emphasised the need to strengthen trust building, avoid militarisation and acts that erode trust and complicate the situation, and settle disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, continue the full and effective implementation of DOC, and early finalisation of an effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS, contributing to peace, security, stability in the East Sea and the region. Following the two meetings, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired an international press conference, announcing the outcomes of AMM 53 and Related Meetings. ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi attended the online press conference. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus taught using parables, and in them were images his audience could relate to. How is heaven like a pearl, and who is the merchant? What Does a Pearl of Great Price Mean in Scripture? This is a parable about what matters most to God and to us. Christ was seeking, finding, and purchasing his elect writes Matthew Henry. His people were lost and going astray but he valued them. Jesus took much pains to buy his people back. Gods people are a pearl of great price; [...] very precious to God, so highly esteemed by Christ, as his portion, his inheritance, and his jewels. Christ was willing to give up everythingeven his lifeto buy us back, to redeem us, for eternal life with the Father in heaven. One devotional writer talking about the pearl of great price asks how strongly do you desire deeper relationship with him? How much would you give up to know him? What do you seek fulfillment in, during your free time? Do we recognize how much we mean to God, and the enormous cost of our salvation? So the parable is about how much we mean to God and how much Christ should mean to us. John Gill wrote that those who are seeking after knowledge in every branch of it, natural, moral, and spiritual [...] may be compared to a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; and who find the Gospel, and prefer it to everything else. Nothing is worth more than this treasure: relationship with Christ. Why Jesus Shares the Parable of the Pearl The Jews were waiting for a soldier-savior, not a shepherd. Jesus was authoritative, confrontational, yet outrageously loving and gentle. Israels view of freedom was short-sighted and narrow and their picture of God was small. He doesnt demonstrate power as men do; the Lord Almighty was offering his blood, the only blood sufficient to pay for all sins for all time for all believers. Jesus used metaphors his audience would relate to. His listeners believed that their salvation was like a financial transaction: they paid for a place in heaven by strictly observing the law. Good behavior was their currency with God. The pearl, however, gave God nothing except the joy of having it. God paid everything for this joy. We dont buy our place with Godwe must accept that we were purchased for his pleasure, and the ransom was Christs very life. For this to make sense, we have to believe that God wants us to be with him, he cherishes us. This is difficult to grasp because we supply nothing he lacks. What Makes This Pearl So Valuable? We gain our value from the price paid for us. The pearl isnt valuable in itself, which is one hurdle to believing: we want to be special. We want to be uniquely valuable in our own right, able to prove our status in earthly ways. Thats bondage. We would cease to matter as soon as age, injury, or illness took these things from us. The difference in worthiness between one person and the next is in whether he acknowledges that he was purchased, and at what cost. The world will pay just a few dollars for trinkets, but do we want to be worth so little? Can we admit that we want to be worthy of eternal love, and that such a thing is possible, even though we can never repay that price? Andheres another hurdlecan we believe there is no catch? The Mormon Controversy Regarding the Pearl of Great Price Terryl Givens says in Why do Mormons ignore the Pearl of Great Price? that in this parable you find all the distinctive doctrines of the LDS faith. This is the parable upon which the covenant theology as defined by Mormonism rests. Through both Abraham and Moses [...] we get the doctrine of premortal existence, the original instantiation of Gods covenant with the human race. Then, in the Pearl of Great Price [...] we get a revised understanding of the nature of God as capable of suffering with humankind, and fully sharing in their pain, both at the level of the Father and the Son. Givens asks, "If the Pearl is so essential to the doctrine of premortal existence and mans potential divinization of humans, why has it not been canonized?" The Mormons read two implications into this verse: that man is more than prized; he can aspire to co-divinity with Christ; and that Christ was sent as a sort of Plan B to fix the problem of sin. No other scripture in their bible does a better job of supporting these claims. They have previously played it down in order to be more mainstream; to be more like other Christian churches. Imagine if we were supposed to achieve co-divinity but we couldnt live up to the expectations, the new legalism? Abrahams faith was counted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:9), not his behavior. I think many people reject Christianity because they fear this type of bait and switch. Protestant Christianity does not believe in the divinity of man, or God revising his plans. The Old Testament told us that Christ would be pierced for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus was him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10) The crucifixion was planned by God from the beginning. Although he desires a relationship with us so much he would give up everything to redeem us, he bought us back with his own blood. The Word became flesh. (John 1:14) Our value comes from the One who bought us. Photo Credit: GettyImages/dvest Other Biblical Translations of Matthew 13:45-46 HSCB: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it. We are priceless, and no price tag sufficiently indicates our worth to the Lord. The Message Or, Gods kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.) I dislike this translation, because we are not flawless. Even if a legally flawless person existed, he would not enter the gates of heaven without humbling himself in faith before Jesus in love and adoration. The Voice Or the kingdom of heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. When he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price. The jeweler was searching for us and we are his pearl. The intimacy of this translation is breathtaking. 5 Valuable Lessons for Christians in the Pearl Parable 1. Our value is determined by the jeweler. The world evaluates a person on the basis of career, appearance, and bank balance. Christ sees what is priceless in us, the Image of the Father, and pursues us lovingly. He was willing to die for us. His sacrifice is the greatest kind of love there is. 2. Jesus parables help us to visualize value. We understand how much a thing can be worth. We have a problem with the idea of non-transactional value. Worldly culture wants a person to earn value and to cultivate self-worth. Instead, our value is equated with our Maker, the one who set AND paid the price. 3. God pursues. No other religion features a god who comes down to his people. We might be undervalued by the world, but we are infinitely loved by God. He didnt send a manager; Jesus wasnt his last-minute rescue plan, and he wasnt just a man. He was God in the flesh. 4. There is value in imperfection. Experts and jewelers can check the natural flaws in a pearl using a magnifying object. God examines our hearts and is well-acquainted with our sin. While we want to kill sin in our lives by the Spirits power, God still loves us with our rough, uneven patches. We canand mustcome to him as we are; broken and blemished. And, while we work to overcome sin by Christs Spirit, we dont lose value when our flaws show. 5. Christ alone is flawless. 1 John 1:5 says God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Jesus was made in the light, One with the Creator. Sin, like a pearl, forms in the dark from our response to brokenness and suffering. When something gets into an oysters shell and irritates it, the oyster protects itself by covering the intruding particle. Layer upon layer of nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, coat the grain of sand until the iridescent gem is formed. Christs perfection exposes sin. In heaven, his light will expose our complete transformation; our sin-free and perfect finish, but not divinity. The glory of God gives [heavens] light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Revelation 21:23 Closing Thoughts We were all made in Gods image, unable to add to or subtract from our value in any way. To demonstrate gratitude, we can act like Jesus by seeing that image in other people. Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2:3: do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. This wont make us equal with Christ, but the image of God within each person establishes common ground. The contrast between our weakness and Christs sufficiency can give us hope, too, that the best is yet to come. Photo Credit: GettyImages/triocean Candice Lucey is a freelance writer from British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with her family. Find out more about her here. This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today. "Be Still and Know that I Am God" "Pray Without Ceasing" "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" "All Things Work Together for Good" "Do Not Fear" Khalid was earlier booked under UAPA in another case related to the riots and was questioned by the police on 2 September New Delhi: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid was arrested late on Sunday night under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots, sources said. He was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police after 11 hours of interrogation. He will be produced before a Delhi court on Monday, they said. Khalid was questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for a couple of hours on 2 September in connection with the riots. He was earlier booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in another case related to the riots. He was also quizzed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police earlier regarding an alleged conspiracy behind the riots. His mobile phone was also seized by the police. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. In their attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel received injuries and two died. The Delhi Police on Sunday said it was investigating the role of all individuals who allegedly took part in the riots and were part of a larger conspiracy in organising violence in the northeast Delhi and inciting communal passion and hatred amongst communities, an official statement stated. According to the force, the Delhi Police has registered 751 FIRs in connection with communal riots that took place in the last week of February this year. As far as the investigation is concerned, Delhi Police has carried it out meticulously in the most professional manner, officials said. After collecting and collating all evidences, the investigation has been finalised in most of the important cases and the charge sheets have been submitted in the court for trial, the police also said, adding the riots also caused large-scale damage to both private and public properties. So far, police have arrested 1,575 people in 751 cases. Over 250 chargesheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused have been charge-sheeted. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education's testing agency on Monday postponed the National Eligibility Test (NET) after its dates were clashing with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) exam. The NET was scheduled to be conducted from September 16 to September 25. It will now be conducted September 24 onwards. "The National Testing Agency will be conducting ICAR exams on 16, 17, 22 and 23 September. In view of that, UGC- NET 2020 Examination will now be held from September 24 onwards," said Sadhana Parashar, Senior Director, NTA. ALSO READ | Adherence to duration of course, no franchising agreement: UGC's checklist for ODL programmes "This is due to some common candidates in both exams and the requests received thereof. The exact schedule of subject-wise and shift-wise details will be uploaded subsequently," she added. The June 2020 exam along with various other exams had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown. The new schedule for various exams was released by the NTA in the last week of August. Firefighting crews in Clackamas County could begin to get containment soon on one of the largest wildfires burning in the area and they have completely contained a couple of smaller fires, officials said in a Sunday afternoon briefing. Youll start in the coming days to see some lines showing containment on the 134,000-acre Riverside fire said Alan Sinclair, incident commander for the Type 1 incident management team. Were having a little bit more favorable weather and things are coming together. Ralph Lucas, operations section chief for the federal Type 1 incident management team, said the Riverside fire is currently a top priority nationally for officials who decide where to deploy limited available firefighting resources. Lance Lighty, an incident commander with the Oregon State Fire Marshals office, said a complex of several smaller fires in Clackamas County is significantly contained. The largest is the Dowty fire at 1,500 acres and 20% containment, followed by the Wilhoit at 776 acres and 100% containment, Lighty said. The 378-acre Unger Road fire is also 100% contained, Lighty said. With the fire outlook potentially improving, Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said he is worried about another threat to life and safety: The possibility that one of the armed residents who have taken it upon themselves to patrol some evacuated areas might harm someone. We have a group of different individuals that have been armed and stopping individuals within the community out there, Roberts said. The first thing Id ask them to do is stop that. Sheriffs deputies have contacted a number of these people already and they have complied with requests to stop, the sheriff said. Its illegal to stop somebody at gunpoint, and many of the people we have seen going into these areas are actually going in to get maybe another load of their personal belongings, Roberts said. The last thing I want to see is anything tragically happen because somebodys overreacting to something they think is criminal and it is not. If that behavior continues, we will have to hold those individuals accountable, Roberts said. Roberts urged anyone who believes they are seeing suspicious activity such as looting to call 911 and let law enforcement which currently includes additional patrols from agencies in Clackamas and neighboring counties check it out. It is an excessively heavily patrolled area, Roberts said. Despite officials' positive predictions for fire containment, residents under Level 3 Go! evacuation orders likely will not see those lifted soon, even though officials removed Level 1 Get ready evacuation notices for parts of the western and northern areas of Clackamas County Sunday. Lucas said the reason is all about public safety. There is a lot of infrastructure and stuff that is damaged out there, Lucas said. We have to make sure the roadways are clear. There are weakened trees, theres electrical wires down, there might be damaged structures out there and things that could be hazardous to the general public. For example, Lucas said, he just met with representatives of Portland General Electric about the status of that companys infrastructure. Clackamas County Fire District staff are out assessing structure damage, Lighty said. Nancy Bush, Clackamas County Disaster Management director, asked people across Clackamas County to conserve water to make sure the water pressure remains adequate for firefighting. She said there have been issues with pressure in some water systems so people should avoid using large quantities right now such as to water lawns and wash vehicles. Capt. Brandon Paxton, Clackamas Fire District public information officer, said the agency has been overwhelmed by the huge amount of items the community has donated. In fact, the donations were so generous the fire agency cannot accept more. People who want to help can consider a financial donation to the Clackamas Emergency Services Foundation, he said. -- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- InsureMyTrip, the nation's first-and-largest unbiased travel insurance comparison site, launched a major new feature to help travelers easily find travel insurance that offers coverage related to COVID-19. Today, the unbiased travel insurance comparison site released a groundbreaking "covid-19 recommendation tool" to guide travelers towards plans best suited to guard against COVID-19-related travel concerns . "This simple recommendation tool can save travelers hours of searching online for travel insurance that may offer coverage for certain COVID-19 related issues, " says Director of eCommerce Cheryl Golden. "While there are limited options in the marketplace for travelers seeking coverage related to COVID-19, we offer these plans at InsureMyTrip and now, thanks to this new recommendation feature, travelers are able to find them with ease." Travelers can review the expanding list of highlighted plans after completing a quote. These plans may offer any or all of the following benefits for those who qualify: Trip Cancellation Coverage While traditional trip cancellation does not allow a traveler to cancel a trip due to COVID-19 fears, it may cover a traveler In the event he or she gets sick from COVID-19 and must cancel a trip. This recommendation feature highlights plans that offer coverage for this specific scenario. Trip Interruption Coverage In the event a traveler gets sick from COVID-19 and the trip is interrupted, this coverage may apply. Cancel For Any Reason Coverage If eligible, this protection allows travelers the option to cancel a trip due to concerns over COVID-19 whereas traditional trip cancellation coverage does not. CFAR is typically an optional, time-sensitive benefit available on some plans that allows a traveler to cancel a trip for any reason, up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure. Reimbursement is usually up to 50-75% of the prepaid, non-refundable trip cost, depending on the plan selected. A traveler must meet specific eligibility requirements and must purchase a policy with CFAR selected within 10-21 days after making an initial trip payment, depending on the plan selected. Quarantine Coverage Quarantine coverage is less widely talked about but is valuable coverage that may trigger Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, and/or Travel Delay benefits. It is designed to provide coverage in the event a traveler must cancel a trip due to a forced quarantine, typically by a physician's order. Only select travel insurance plans will offer this. Note: cancellation due to shelter in place, stay-at-home orders, or a state-mandated quarantine are not covered unless CFAR has been purchased. Emergency Medical Coverage Emergency medical coverage is already included in comprehensive travel insurance plans. This coverage is designed to help cover the cost of unexpected hospital or doctor visits while on a trip. All plans highlighted in the COVID-19 recommendation page do include emergency medical coverage which may help in the event he or she contracts COVID-19 while traveling. Travelers must read the full terms and conditions for the plan, including all the limitations and exclusions. Financial Default Coverage Financial default coverage is already included in many comprehensive travel insurance plans. This specific coverage is designed to help travelers in the event their travel supplier has stopped business operations due to financial reasons. Coverage would need to be purchased prior to any announcement of financial instability. Usually, airlines, cruise lines and tour companies are the kind of suppliers that financial default would be covered under a travel insurance plan. Financial default coverage may reimburse up to the full prepaid, non-refundable insured trip cost only if the traveler is unable to make alternate arrangements to continue on with travel plans. If a traveler is able to book another flight, for example, benefits would then be adjusted according to the specific terms of the policy. Note: Financial default is not the same thing as bankruptcy. While some travel insurance plans may also provide coverage for bankruptcy, most offer only financial default benefits. Financial default coverage is usually considered a time-sensitive benefit. This means it may only be available within a specified period of time after making an initial trip payment. This time period varies by plan and provider, but is typically around 10-21 days. Coverage must be purchased prior to any announcement of financial issues made by the travel supplier. In addition, policyholders may be subject to a waiting period after your policy goes into effect. If that's the case, most plans will not allow benefits to go into effect until after the waiting period has ended. Finally, some companies only offer coverage for the financial default of select travel suppliers. Contact travel insurance companies directly for questions about a travel supplier's eligibility. MORE: Coronavirus & Travel Insurance Information Hub Travel Insurance Expert: Meghan Walch 401-773-9210 [email protected] Travel Insurance & Data Expert Cheryl Golden 401-773-9210 [email protected] About InsureMyTrip It's simple. InsureMyTrip finds you the right travel insurance plan, every time. InsureMyTrip is the authority on travel insurance. We are committed to empowering travelers to make the best possible insurance decisions by leveraging our technology, data intelligence, and expertise. InsureMyTrip is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. SOURCE InsureMyTrip Related Links http://www.insuremytrip.com A National Institutes of Health-funded study found that people with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more susceptible to COVID-19 and its complications. The research, published today in Molecular Psychiatry, was co-authored by Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The findings suggest that health care providers should closely monitor patients with SUDs and develop action plans to help shield them from infection and severe outcomes. By analyzing the non-identifiable electronic health records (EHR) of millions of patients in the United States, the team of investigators revealed that while individuals with an SUD constituted 10.3% of the total study population, they represented 15.6% of the COVID-19 cases. The analysis revealed that those with a recent SUD diagnosis on record were more likely than those without to develop COVID-19, an effect that was strongest for opioid use disorder, followed by tobacco use disorder. Individuals with an SUD diagnosis were also more likely to experience worse COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalization, death), than people without an SUD. "The lungs and cardiovascular system are often compromised in people with SUD, which may partially explain their heightened susceptibility to COVID-19," said Dr. Volkow. "Another contributing factor is the marginalization of people with addiction, which makes it harder for them to access health care services. It is incumbent upon clinicians to meet the unique challenges of caring for this vulnerable population, just as they would any other high-risk group." NIDA's Dr. Volkow and Rong Xu, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, analyzed EHR data collected until June 15, 2020, from 360 hospitals nationwide. The EHRs were de-identified to ensure privacy. The study population consisted of over 73 million patients, of which over 7.5 million had been diagnosed with an SUD at some point in their lives. Slightly more than 12,000 were diagnosed with COVID-19, and about 1,880 had both an SUD and a COVID-19 diagnosis on record. The types of SUDs investigated in the study were tobacco, alcohol, opioid, cannabis, and cocaine. The complicating effects of SUD were visible in increased adverse consequences of COVID-19. Hospitalizations and death rates of COVID-19 patients were all elevated in people with recorded SUDs compared to those without (41.0% versus 30.1% and 9.6% versus 6.6%, respectively). Additionally, African Americans with a recent opioid use disorder diagnosis were over four times more likely to develop COVID-19, compared to whites. Results showed that hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and renal diseases, which are risk factors for COVID-19, were more prevalent among African Americans than whites with opioid use disorder. According to the authors, the study findings underscore the need to screen for, and treat, SUDs as part of the strategy for controlling the pandemic. Additional research needs to be done to better understand how best to treat those with SUDs who are at risk for COVID-19 and counsel on how to avoid the risk of infection. ### Article Wang Q, Kaelber D, Xu R, Volkow ND. COVID-19 risk and outcomes in patients with substance use disorders: Analyses from electronic health records in the United States. Molecular Psychiatry. September 14, 2020. *This research was funded by NIDA, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute on Aging, all parts of NIH, as well as the American Cancer Society and The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative of Cleveland. By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his countrys strong support for Azerbaijan, saying that Ankara will continue to support Baku and that the friendship between the two countries is eternal. He made the remarks while receiving the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova in Istanbul on September 12. Azerbaijans joy is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow. Our countries always take the same position on international platforms and support each other on crucial issues. The recent remarks by President Ilham Aliyev made while accepting the credentials of the newly-appointed Greek Ambassador to Azerbaijan are a clear example of this. Therefore, we once again express our gratitude to all the brotherly people of Azerbaijan, including President Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan said. The Turkish president also touched upon the joint economic projects implemented by the two countries in the region, stressing that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars projects are part of the strategic cooperation between the two countries. He also expressed satisfaction over the relations between the parliaments of the two brotherly countries. Erdogan pointed out that there are ample opportunities for Azerbaijani and Turkish parliamentarians to work together within international organizations. In turn, Gafarova noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey support and rely on each other in all crucial issues. She thanked Erdogan and the members of the Turkish government, including Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar for voicing unequivocal support to Azerbaijan over Armenias military provocation on the border on July 12. Touching upon regional threats to Turkey, Gafarova said: The struggle you have waged in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Aegean is a national struggle to protect the legitimate interests of the Turkish people. We are aware of this. She reiteratd President Aliyev's earlier statement that Azerbaijan stands by brotherly Turkey in this rightful struggle and will support brotherly Turkey in any case. The Azerbaijani speaker also congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the discovery of a natural gas field in the Black Sea and stressed its important role in meeting the energy needs of the brotherly country. It should be noted that on September 11, in her first official visit abroad, Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova met with Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. During the meeting, transport projects, the Free Trade Agreement and increasing trade turnover with Azerbaijan were discussed. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- People who live in areas with poor quality air are 9% more likely to die from the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a study. Previous research has linked smog to deaths from respiratory viruses, according to a report published on the IOPscience website for scientific, technical and medical content. The study evaluated how 2014 National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) respiratory hazard quotient and respiratory hazard index are related to COVID-19 mortality." The NATA is the Environmental Protection Agencys review of air toxins in the United States. Information from NATA is used, in part, to determine risks connected with various types of air pollution. We find that an increase in the respiratory hazard index is associated with a 9% increase in COVID-19 mortality, said the study, which emphasizes the importance of regulations designed to limit the publics exposure to air pollution. The study also linked diesel exhaust and soot, in addition to substances known as naphthalene and acetaldehyde on their own, to increased coronavirus mortality rates. As the common flu season rapidly approaches amid the coronavirus pandemic, the New York State Health Department has adjusted its regulations to increase testing for both viruses even in cases where a patient has died in order to ensure an accurate death count. The recently-announced regulations, which were put into effect on Sept. 1, say that confirmatory COVID-19 and influenza testing must be completed within 48 hours of a hospital patient or nursing home residents death, if they are suspected to have died from either disease and did not previously get tested within the previous 14 days. The guidelines also require that those facilities conduct testing whenever a patient or nursing home resident has a known exposure or symptoms consistent with either disease. While the regulations dont apply to all deaths only those suspected of being caused by respiratory illness Dr. Rosemary She, a pathologist at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine, told the New York Times that the guidelines are designed to catch anything that fell through the cracks. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will try to persuade rebellious lawmakers in his party to vote on Monday for a bill that will break international law by breaching parts of the Brexit divorce deal and which has enraged Brussels. The House of Commons will debate the Internal Market Bill, which the EU has demanded Johnson scrap by the end of September in the latest brinkmanship of a four-year saga since Britain voted narrowly to leave the bloc. After the debate, in a vote that may come late, lawmakers will decide if the bill should go to the next stage. Johnson's plan to explicitly break international law has plunged Brexit back into crisis less than four months before Britain is finally due to leave the EU's orbit at the end of a transition period, and put trade talks with the bloc in peril. EU diplomats and officials said the bloc could take legal action against Britain, though there would be no resolution before the end-of-year deadline for Britains full exit. The EU has ramped up preparations for a no-deal Brexit, which would be chaotic for business, markets and nearly $1 trillion in annual trade. The government has dismissed an ultimatum from Brussels to scrap the main parts of the bill by the end of this month. Johnson, who has a majority of 80 in the lower house of parliament, faces a growing revolt from some of his own lawmakers. All of Britain's living former prime ministers have expressed concern about his plan as have many senior figures in his Conservative Party. "When the queens minister gives his word, on her behalf, it should be axiomatic that he will keep it, even if the consequences are unpalatable," Johnson's former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said in The Times newspaper. Cox, who was sacked by Johnson in February, remains an influential figure with colleagues. The pound fell 3% last week on fears of a no-deal Brexit, but Goldman Sachs said the odds of such a scenario were in fact lower than the market is implying so current sterling levels could be attractive to some investors. British ministers say the bill, which explicitly states that it could be inconsistent with a host of international laws, is intended to clarify ambiguities - particularly over Northern Ireland - and act as a safeguard in case trade talks fall. But some EU diplomats say they think London is playing a game of chicken, inviting the collapse of trade talks to either get the deal it wants or leave without a deal. After former prime ministers John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Theresa May scolded Johnson for considering breaking the law, another ex-premier David Cameron also weighed in saying he had "misgivings." The EU says it cannot trust those who break agreements and that if the bill is not effectively scrapped there will be no trade deal to cover everything from car parts to food. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Johnson's bill was most likely a negotiating tactic and a "thin" free-trade deal was still possible as there were just a few outstanding issues. If, as expected, it is passed in its second reading on Monday, there will be four more days of debate on the bill's fine print - lasting into Tuesday of next week. After the vote on Monday, there will be further votes on attempts to change the wording and meaning of the law, and a final vote to decide whether it goes to the next stage. The most crucial vote is likely to take place next week. If the bill then passes the lower house, it will undergo scrutiny in the House of Lords where opposition from Conservative members is expected to be even stronger. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie UBS Group chairman Axel Weber has been studying the feasibility of a mega-merger with rival Credit Suisse group as part of a regular thought-exercise on future strategic options, according to people familiar with the matter. UBS, the world's largest wealth manager, has been exploring the question with consultants but it hasn't raised the topic at the level of the executive board, the people said. The assessment is part of regular internal planning procedures and there are currently no formal discussions going on between the two banks, said the people, who asked for anonymity because the information isn't public. UBS chief Alex Weber has been among bank leaders calling for Europe's lenders to consolidate so they can better compete with US rivals. Credit:Bloomberg Both banks declined to comment. The two have combined assets of around 4.3 trillion ($7 trillion). Speculation about a deal was stoked earlier Monday (Europe time), when Swiss finance blog Inside Paradeplatz wrote that Weber and Credit Suisse Chairman Urs Rohner could agree on a merger as early as next year. Talk about European banking consolidation has been heating up as the coronavirus pandemic adds to challenges such as negative interest rates that have weighed on profitability for years. Spain's CaixaBank and Bankia said this month they're exploring a merger to form the largest lender in the country. While a deal between the two Swiss banks would allow for overlap to be eliminated, executing such a transaction could be difficult, said Andreas Venditti, an analyst at Vontobel. The Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up a specialised police unit called the Bastar Special Force in which only local young men of the Bastar region will be recruited to counter Maoists. The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday in which senior police officials and home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu were also present. The government has asked the police headquarters to send a proposal in this regard. In the meeting, the chief minister said youths from remote villages of Maoist-affected Bastar division will be recruited in this force which will also create employment opportunities for them. Difficult geographical conditions and local dialects pose a huge challenge for police deployment in Bastar region, hence if local young men are recruited they will be of great advantage for the police, said a senior police official. Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, DM Awasthi told HT that the attempt is to employ the young men in the police force from Maoist affected villages of the region. The recruitment will start in the next few months. We will send a proposal of recruiting around 1,000 personnel from all seven districts of Bastar division, said Awasthi. The DGP further said that district-wise recruitment has been planned in the force. They will be engaged in all police activities including anti-Naxal operations. Since they are well aware of the terrain they can be useful for us, he added. Earlier in 2016, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) raised the Bastariya Battalion, to counter insurgency in which local tribals were recruited. Recently, Baghel wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking deployment of seven battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). As per an estimate of the Chhattisgarh police department, around 60,000 police personnel of state and paramilitary forces are deployed in seven districts of Bastar division. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail Hyderabad: Amazon India announced on Monday the launch of regional language support services for sellers in three Indian languages - Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. Extending its support service offered currently in Hindi & English, sellers will now have the flexibility to opt for a callback option from Amazon India's seller support associates in these regional languages, it said in a statement. "The initiative will enable sellers to comfortably and efficiently receive guidance and resolve their business queries with speed & ease, aiding them to prepare better for the upcoming 'Great Indian Sale' on the marketplace from January 20 to 22, 2016," it said. In addition to states in India with predominantly Hindi speaking population, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana have emerged as the top three states in the country with a huge seller base, who prefer support services in their local languages, the company said. In total, 15,920 tests were conducted in the country in the past day. Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has listed the regions that are in the lead by the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed in the past day. "Speaking per each region, the highest number of confirmed cases in the past 24 hours was registered in the Ternopil region (352 cases), Kharkiv region (269), Odesa region (205), the city of Kyiv (168), and Lviv region (143)," he said at a briefing on September 14, as reported by the Health Ministry on Facebook. A total of 2,462 new active COVID-19 cases were confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of September 14, 2020, the National Security and Defense Council's interactive map says. Read alsoNumber of daily COVID-19 cases in Ukraine on decline first time in past three daysThe government says 15,920 tests were conducted in the country in the past day. In particular, there were 14,323 tests run with the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and 1,597 by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. COVID-19 in Ukraine: latest The total number of confirmed cases has grown to 156,797. Tougher quarantine rules have been imposed in Kyiv after the city was assigned to the "orange zone" in line with the adaptive quarantine criteria introduced in Ukraine on August 1. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey Thursday applauded the announcement that Gila County will receive a $21 million federal grant to build the Tonto Creek Bridge. In January, Governor Ducey called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the bridge project, which was included as a policy priority in the Governors State of the State address. Todays announcement is wonderful news for the people of Gila County and our entire state, said Governor Ducey. This project is about so much more than just a bridge; its about safety and providing residents a lifeline to critical amenities like medical care and groceries. Last year, Arizona lost three young lives when the Creek was experiencing flooding and high waters. With this partnership, we can help ensure no family in Tonto Basin must endure this terrible grief ever again. My sincere thanks to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Trump Administration for delivering in a big way with this funding. Arizona is grateful. On January 8, Governor Ducey wrote to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to prioritize funding the Tonto Creek Bridge, highlighting the projects safety, quality of life and economic competitiveness. In the letter, the governor wrote: The Tonto Creek Bridge has my highest recommendation for BUILD Grant funding, and I urge your support for this project. The Arizona Department of Transportation stands ready to provide technical review and assistance to Gila County through its BUILD Grant application. This award is made possible out of the U.S. Department of Transportations Build Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, signed into law by President Trump in December 2019. UPDATE: Marin County moved into the red tier on Tuesday, Sept. 15 after county officials "successfully appealed" to the state. Last week, Marin County health officer Dr. Matt Willis said that smaller counties can be negatively impacted by the the reopening system's strict criteria, and said he planned to raise this issue with state officials. Click here to read more. Three Bay Area counties San Francisco, Napa and Santa Clara are currently in the red tier of the state's new color-coded COVID-19 reopening plan, and have a green light from state officials to reopen schools, personal care services, gyms, movie theaters and more. The other six are in the much more restrictive purple tier ahead of the state's third weekly assessment on Tuesday. For a county to move into the red tier, it must report fewer than seven daily cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity under 8% for 14 consecutive days. The six purple tier Bay Area counties have reported test positivity figures well under the 8% threshold for quite some time now, leaving the daily case counts as the only obstacle. On each day of assessment, the case counts are calculated by taking a seven-day average of daily cases per capita lagged an additional seven days to account for reporting delays. For example, the seven-day window of importance for Sept. 14 the final assessment day before counties are re-assigned their tiers on Tuesday will be the case totals reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7. Analysis conducted by SFGATE shows that San Mateo, Alameda and Contra Costa counties were not too far from the seven-case-per-100K figure during this timeframe, but the state's testing adjustment actually harmed two of the three during the week of Sept. 1 to Sept. 7. Counties that test more than the state average over a seven-day period are rewarded with a favorable "case rate adjustment factor" of less than 1.0 to lower the case figure, and counties that conduct fewer tests are penalized with an adjustment factor over 1.0, which will increase the metric. Marin, Solano and Sonoma counties all reported well over seven cases per 100,000 residents from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7. In other words, barring the possibility that the state is using data that is wildly different from what is displayed on state and county websites, none of the six purple tier counties will be able to move into the red tier Tuesday. Because counties must meet the case requirement for 14 consecutive days, the analysis also suggests that all six counties will not be able to get off into the red tier for at least two more weeks, as the four failed to meet requirements on Sept. 14, and need to record 14 consecutive days under the seven-cases-per-100K threshold. Here's a breakdown of where each purple tier Bay Area county stands in the daily case metric for the Sept. 14 day of assessment. All data comes from county and state databases for daily cases and daily tests. The conversion rates for the testing adjustment factor and further explanation of the new system can be found here. Alameda Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 7.68 Testing-based case rate adjustment factor: 1 (Alameda County conducted 84% of the state's average number of tests-per capita during this time period, and was neither rewarded nor penalized) Adjusted seven-day case figure for final assessment: 7.68 (purple) Contra Costa Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 7.86 Testing-based case rate adjustment factor: 1.1 (Contra Costa County conducted 71% of the state's average number of tests-per capita during this time period, and was penalized) Adjusted seven-day case figure for final assessment: 8.65 (purple) Marin UPDATE: Marin County officials made an appeal to the state's public health department and was placed in the red tier. Click here to read more. Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 10.54 Testing-based case rate adjustment factor: 1.1 (Marin County conducted 71% of the state's average number of tests-per capita during this time period, and was penalized) Adjusted seven-day case figure for final assessment: 11.59 (purple) San Mateo Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 7.71 Testing-based case rate adjustment factor: 1.2 (San Mateo County conducted 32% of the state's average number of tests-per capita during this time period, and was penalized) Adjusted seven-day case figure for final assessment: 9.25 (purple) Solano Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 10.79 (purple) NOTE: Updated daily testing figures for Solano County are not available on either the county or state's public dashboards. Solano County would need to be testing at twice the state average (adjustment factor of 0.6) to qualify from the red tier. Sonoma Seven-day average of cases per 100,000 residents reported from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7: 17.86 (purple) NOTE: Updated daily testing figures for Sonoma County are not available on either the county or state's public dashboards. It is mathematically impossible for Sonoma County to qualify for the red tier with this daily case rate (the largest possible adjustment factor of 0.6 still leaves the county at 10.72 cases per 100,000 residents). Eric Ting is an SFGATE reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting More than a million people face the prospect of new Covid-19 restrictions on visits to their homes due to concern over the rate of infections in the capital. New limits on visitors to a person's home are expected to be introduced as early as tomorrow in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. The reopening of 'wet pubs' in the capital from September 21 is also at risk as ministers continue to deliberate on the issue amid the surge in Covid-19 cases. Gardai have stepped up visible patrols in the capital in a bid to ensure compliance with Covid-19 regulations. Under new measures to be considered by Government, the number of visitors allowed to a home in Dublin would stay at six. However, the Herald understands the number of households the visitors can come from would be reduced to as low as one from the current three as recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) last week. Infections The Government put off a decision as ministers continue to finalise their broader 'Living with Covid' plan, which is due to be published tomorrow. It comes as another person has died with the virus and there were 255 new cases. 156 of the cases reported last night were in Dublin, representing just over 60pc of the 255 new infections nationwide. Acting chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Ronan Glynn took to social media over the weekend to urge people in Dublin to have fewer people visiting their homes. He said the infection rate in Dublin was 78 cases per 100,000 and there were lots of cases clustered in households across the city and county. Taoiseach Mr Martin last night denied that the Government is acting too slowly on introducing Nphet's recommendations for the capital. He told RTE that ministers will be "acting decisively" when an endorsement of the guidance from Mr Glynn can be anticipated. Asked about the situation in Dublin, Mr Martin also said: "We have to learn also from what we've done in the past. "Certainly the severe restrictions brought in to Kildare, Laois and Offaly did work." Government sources last night played down the chances of any imminent restrictions on non-essential travel into and out of Dublin as were imposed on those three counties last month. One senior source pointed out that the rate of infection was at 200 per 100,000 people when the measure was introduced for Kildare. "It's no small thing to move the capital city into a more intense level of restrictions when it's the centre of economic activity in the country," another source said. Consideration of new restrictions for Dublin comes as gardai increase visible patrols to support the public health response to tackle the rising number of cases in the capital. The patrols will be on foot, in squad cars and on bikes throughout the county, with a focus on health guidelines like social distancing and gathering in large groups. Vital "There has been very good compliance with the public health guidelines to date," Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey said. "We want to thank the public for this. "However, as the acting CMO has said, in Dublin we are now entering a critical phase. "As a result, we will have a high visibility presence throughout Dublin. "It is vital that people living in, working in and visiting Dublin limit their social interactions, maintain social distancing, wear face masks in shops and on public transport, and not gather in groups larger than outlined in the public health advice." The Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 will meet this evening as ministers seek to finalise the medium-term plan for living with the virus. With no end in sight to the pandemic, strict limits on everyday life are set to last at least six months and the plan will set out five levels of restrictions. Pushing Level one will be the most lenient - allowing up to 10 visitors from three households to a person's home - while level five would be a return to the nationwide lockdown imposed in March. We are effectively in level two of restrictions now. Level three would involve instructions to people to stay within defined regions, counties or even areas within counties, though sources stressed no final decisions have been taken. In level one of the plan 500 people would be allowed at sporting ventures with capacity for 5,000. But it is understood that some in Government are pushing for this to be increased for stadiums like Croke Park or the Aviva. The Government is also likely to adopt a traffic light system for foreign travel being developed by the EU. With 50 days to go until Election Day, Joe Bidens campaign is making preparations for a drawn-out legal battle over the November election, as wrangling over mail voting escalates and President Trump refuses to promise that he will accept the official results if he is not victorious. In building what amounts to a legal war room that will be on call throughout the final days of the campaign and beyond, the Biden team has enlisted two former solicitors general and hundreds of other lawyers, our Shane Goldmacher reports. The campaign has described the team as an election protection program unlike any before. The former solicitors general are leading a new special litigation unit, while a major Washington law firm is spearheading efforts to fight state-level restrictions to ballot access and to wage battles over rules on how votes will be counted. Eric Holder, the attorney general under President Barack Obama, is helping coordinate the efforts of various legal groups fighting court battles across the country. Consequential court decisions have already come down in a number of battleground states. See lower in this newsletter for a rundown of where things stand in three key states. A New York Times/Siena College poll released over the weekend showed Biden holding an advantage among likely voters in four key battleground states. (In some states, his lead over Trump was within the polls margin of error.) Each of the four states polled was decided by no more than two percentage points in the 2016 election. One of them, Wisconsin, went narrowly to Trump. The other three fell in Hillary Clintons favor: Nevada, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Bidens five-point edge in Wisconsin was significantly diminished from June, when a Times/Siena poll found him leading there by 11 points. But in none of the states did Trumps support among likely voters reach the 45 percent threshold, a reflection of his eroded standing among political independents, suburbanites and voters 65 and older. Among those groups all of which tended to back Trump in 2016 Biden held a sizable lead over the president when the results from all four states were combined. On a range of issues, voters tended to trust Biden over Trump. The president had the edge in only one area: who was trusted more to handle the economy. In Wisconsin, voters preferred Trump on that front by eight percentage points. In Wisconsin and New Hampshire, his advantage was within the margin of error. Wisconsin was also the only state polled in which voters were just as likely to call urban rioting a larger problem than racism in the criminal justice system. In the three other states, a majority of respondents called racism in criminal justice the bigger problem. With the countrys coronavirus death toll nearing 200,000 and the unemployment rate still twice as high as it was before the pandemic, Trump has sought to place matters of law and order front and center. Hes made those issues particularly central to his campaign in heavily white battlegrounds like Minnesota and Wisconsin. But voters in those states were roughly split over whom they would prefer to see handling these issues, the poll found. When asked which they considered the more pressing concern preserving law and order or confronting the pandemic likely voters there and in New Hampshire were about evenly divided. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, together with colleagues from other universities, have discovered the possibility to prepare one-atom thin platinum for use as a chemical sensor. The results were recently published in the scientific journal Advanced Material Interfaces. "In a nutshell, we managed to make a metal layer just one-atom thick - sort of a new material. We found that this atomically-thin metal is super sensitive to its chemical environment. Its electrical resistance changes significantly when it interacts with gases,", explains Kyung Ho Kim, postdoc at the Quantum Device Physics Laboratory at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience at Chalmers, and lead author of the article. The essence of the research is the development of 2D materials beyond graphene. "Atomically thin platinum could be useful for ultra-sensitive and fast electrical detection of chemicals. We have studied the case of platinum in great detail, but other metals like palladium produce similar results", says Samuel Lara Avila, Associate Professor at the Quantum Device Physics Laboratory and one of the authors of the article. The researchers used the sensitive chemical-to-electrical transduction capability of atomically thin platinum to detect toxic gases at the parts-per-billion level. They demonstrated this with detection of benzene, a compound that is carcinogenic even at very small concentrations, and for which no low-cost detection apparatus exists. "This new approach, using atomically thin metals, is very promising for future air-quality monitoring applications", says Jens Eriksson, Head of the Applied sensor science unit at Linkoping University and a co-author of the paper. ### This study was first made available online in April 2020 ahead of final publication in issue on June 23, 2020. The study was a collaboration between scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, Linkoping University, Uppsala University, the University of Zaragoza in Spain, and the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund., Kyung Ho Kim, Hans He and Sergey Kubatkin from Chalmers contributed to the research together with Samuel Lara-Avila. The work was jointly supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, The Swedish Research Council and the Chalmers Excellence Initiative for Nano. The experiments were performed in part at the Nanofabrication Laboratory at Chalmers. Read the article in Advanced Material Interfaces: Chemical Sensing with Atomically Thin Platinum Templated by a 2D Insulator https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admi.201902104 For more information, contact: Samuel Lara Avila, Associate Professor, Quantum Device Physics Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience - MC2, Chalmers University of Technology samuel.lara@chalmers.se More information about the research: Boosting the sensitivity of solid?state gas sensors by incorporating nanostructured materials as the active sensing element can be complicated by effects on the interfaces. Interfaces at nanoparticles, grains, or contacts may result in nonlinear current-voltage response, high electrical resistance, and ultimately, electric noise that limits the sensor read?out. This work reports the possibility to prepare electrically continuous platinum layers on one atom thickness, by physical vapour deposition on the carbon zero layer (also known as the buffer layer) grown epitaxially on silicon carbide. With a 3-4 A thin Pt layer, the electrical conductivity of the metal is strongly modulated when interacting with chemical analytes, due to charges being transferred to/from Pt. The strong interaction with chemical species, together with the scalability of the material, enables the fabrication of chemiresistor devices for electrical read-out of chemical species with sub part-per-billion (ppb) detection limits. The 2D system formed by atomically thin Pt on the carbon zero layer on SiC opens up a route for resilient and high sensitivity chemical detection and can be the path for designing new heterogenous catalysts with superior activity and selectivity. Anunt de selectare a participantilor si participantelor la cel de-al doilea curs de instruire din cadrul Programului educational pentru dezvoltarea competentelor lucratorilor de tineret Representative image State-run enterprises have been the biggest wealth destructors in the last six years despite operating in monopolistic or oligopolistic setups, asset managers said on September 14. The government has been pressing citizens to pay taxes and be compliant, but they have very little to show regarding improved efficiencies in the companies they themselves own, the managers said. It is time to "hold the mirror" up to the government, they added. Despite disinvestment programmes over the last two decades, the government continues to be the majority shareholder in many companies across sectors, despite calls for the state to move out of the business of running enterprises and play the enabler's role. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in May said public sector firms in non-strategic sectors will be privatised, while those in the identified strategic sector would be capped at four, with the rest to be merged or sold. "If you look at the biggest wealth destroyer over the last six years, it has been the government-owned companies PSUs (public sector undertakings) including PSU banks, PSU utilities, PSU oil companies etc. "While it is nice to tell Indians to reform, we also have to hold mirror in some of these," Franklin Templeton's chief investment officer (CIO) Anand Radhakrishnan said. Speaking at a webinar hosted by the small businesses-focused lobby IMC, Radhakrishnan said the government should either extract efficiencies from the companies or exit the business, adding that the strategic divestments in Concor and BPCL are yet to go through. Navneet Munot, CIO of SBI MF, said the PSU indices have been flat since March 2009 as against a five times return for many other asset class. "That is the kind of wealth destruction that has happened. Several of these companies are monopolistic businesses or oligopoly, they have huge kind of assets and cash flows. I think we need to get that part of the piece right," he said. Kotak Mutual Fund's managing director and chief executive Nilesh Shah, who is also a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, cited the case of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL). At one point of time, MTNL commanded a larger market capitalisation than the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries. But now, Reliance Industries' valuation is higher than all the listed PSU put together, he said. Radhakrishnan said there is a lot of value inherent in the businesses and if the government can pull off reforms in these companies, it can generate a lot of value for shareholders, including the government itself. He, however, rued that in the last six years, there has been "zero" effort at reforms in the state-run enterprises, if one were to exclude the state-run banks where there has been consolidation. "From a rank underperformer perspective, I will put government-owned companies as number one," Radhakrishnan said. Early in Dont Forget the Driver, Pete Green, a tour-bus driver on Englands southern coast, returns from a day trip across the Channel and discovers hes picked up a stowaway, a frightened young African woman. Its a chance for him to do some small thing outside the sad orbit of his daily life, something decent and possibly heroic. And its absolutely terrifying after a weak attempt to assist, Pete has to stagger away and sink to the ground. If helplessness and disorientation are your primary responses to the world we find ourselves in, Dont Forget the Driver, a melancholy BBC comedy premiering Tuesday on the streaming channel BritBox, should speak to you. Pete, played with microscopic gradations of acerbity and unease by the wonderful Toby Jones, has spent years staying out of the worlds way, stitching himself a small cloak of invisibility. But across the shows six episodes (a second season has been ordered) he rallies, rising to a particularly modern occasion with a stumbling, slightly oblivious but undeniable courage. Jones and the playwright Tim Crouch, the shows creators and writers, began work on Dont Forget the Driver five years ago, and Brexit is never mentioned. But the fate of the stowaway, Rita (in an alert and graceful performance by the Eritrean actress Luwam Teklizgi), is both the engine of the modestly screwball plot and an element of abiding anxiety, an intrusion of the collapsing world order into the sunny, bland streets of Bognor Regis. Corpses presumably of desperate migrants have been washing up on Bognors beaches, unsettling the locals, but Rita is a living and increasingly determined force who has to be dealt with. One side of Dont Forget the Driver details the slightly sinister but mostly comic travails of Pete and his daughter, Kayla (Erin Kellyman), as they cope with this new, non-English-speaking member of the family. This involves tortured attempts at communication and a few scenes of whimsical action, including a slow-motion chase by Godzilla-like bus drivers through an English-history-in-miniature park. Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged Ghanaians to compare the track records of the two main political parties in the country before deciding who to vote for in the December elections. According to him, since both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have had a feel of governance, it is better to compare their track records and achievements. Speaking at the maiden edition of the NPPs Round 2 Virtual Rally on Sunday in Accra, Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that the current administration has in three and half years laid a good foundation for the transformation of the country, a record that the opposition NDC under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama has struggled to achieve. There are those who argue that this election is about those who can make the most mouthwatering promises to young people. Promises are important and they are easy to make but I dare say that this election is not so much about who can make the best promises to young people. It is about who has the best track record when it comes to supporting the young men and women of Ghana. This election is about who we can have trust in and who has the credibility to deliver on the commitment to young people. This election is about who demonstrates that he is able to lay a good foundation for the transformation of this country. And finally, this election is about who responds to the single most important thing that young persons worry about, he said. Comparing the track records of both parties, the Minister emphasized that the NPP has in the past initiated social intervention policies that cater to the basic needs of Ghanaians. Some of these policies he said are the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme. He said with the implementation of the Free Senior High School Programme, the current NPP administration is building on where it left off and should be given the nod in the December 7 election to continue. It was the Kuffour administration that brought the School Feeding Programme that was aimed at ensuring that even parents who because of nutrition were worried about taking their kids to school now knew that by taking their kids to school, they would have at least one hot meal a day on campus which caused enrolment to go up The Akufo-Addo administration has been building on it. I will not spend too much time talking about the Free Senior High School Programme because I know all of you are very familiar with it. Most likely at least you know one person who is benefiting from the Free SHS. Not just that one person, but about 1.2 million other young Ghanaians are benefiting from this programme, he added. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Twelfth 2021: What is happening and where parades will be this summer? Navajo Nation leaders are demanding answers following the death of two Navajo US Army soldiers stationed at Fort Hood. Army Specialist Miguel Yazzie, 33, died on July 2 and Private Carlton Chee, 25, died September 2, making them the 27th and 28th deaths at the notorious Army base in Killeen, Texas, this year. Yazzie, of Window Rock, Arizona, was hospitalized for a medical condition the day before he died, while Chee, of Pine Hill, New Mexico, collapsed during a training exercise on August 28 and died five days later, the Navajo Times reported. Army Specialist Miguel Yazzie, 33 (left), died on July 2 and Private Carlton Chee, 25 (right), died September 2, making them the 27th and 28th deaths at Texas' Fort Hood DEATHS OF FORT HOOD SOLDIERS BY YEAR: 2020* 2019 2018 2017 2016 28 38 28 29 37 *up until 04/09/2020 Advertisement Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez told Fox 10 Phoenix that the call for a formal investigation came because they wanted answers. 'The family members felt like the leadership in the Fort Hood Army Base in Fort Hood, Texas wasn't giving them the information that they desired,' he said. 'There are some questions being asked by family members who have lost loved ones. So I'm hoping we can all get answers for all the families that have questions and help them with some closure and of course some answers to what the have seen as very hush hush from the base.' Nez had previously said that the families of the two soldiers suspected that foul play might've been involved in their deaths. 'We spoke with the families of Pvt. Chee and Spc. Yazzie and they have many concerns and questions related to inconsistent information and details provided by military officials,' Nez said in a statement obtained by the Navajo Times. 'It is very troubling that while they are mourning the loss of their loved ones, they are not receiving adequate and timely factual information regarding the time leading up to their deaths.' Miguel Yazzie's father, Michael Yazzie, said he believes negligent Army behavior contributed to his son's death. Yazzie's (right) father questioned whether Army negligence played a part in his son's death Chee (pictured) was believed to have been in 'great physical shape' prior to his collapse Chee (pictured) died five days after he collapsed during a training exercise. Yazzie died the day after he was hospitalized for a medical condition Navajo Nation leaders are demanding formal investigations into the two soldiers' deaths, which occurred while they were stationed at Fort Hood (pictured) 2020 FORT HOOD DEATHS BY CAUSE: Accidents - 8 Suicide - 6 Homicides - 5 Undetermined - 6 Illness - 2 In combat - 1 Advertisement 'How come they took him to an off-base hospital?' Michael said. 'They have a really nice facility on-base. Why didnt they just take him there?' He also noted that other soldiers had led him to believe that Miguel had been targeted by those higher up in the command than he was. Michael did not give any examples, but claimed 'there were some prior incidents' and that his son had been 'denied certain things that he needed.' Nez, meanwhile, said of Chee's death: 'This is just heartbreaking for the family to know that someone that we all believe was in great physical shape collapsed during an exercise and a few days later, dies under the oversight of the federal government.' A GoFundMe established in Chee's name indicates that he joined the military in February and had a fiancee and a two-year-old and three-week-old son. He was also a lifetime member of the Ramah Navajo community. Navajo Nation Speaker of the Council Seth Damon said in a release that he had spoken with new acting senior commander of Fort Hood. Maj. Gen. John B. Richardson IV, who assured him that investigations would be conducted into the two soldiers' deaths. Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer said in a statement that they want the investigation into the two deaths because the council is also concerned about 'the many Navajo men and women who are serving in every branch of the military around the world. 'As you know, the Navajo people have a long and proud history of serving in the Armed Forces at a higher per capita rate than any other demographic in the United States. 'This is not only a call for a congressional inquiry, but it is a call for accountability and answers for the families that are grieving for their loved ones,' he said. Native American 'code talkers' - including Navajo speakers - played a major role in assisting the Armed Forces during World War Two, serving in the Pacific, North African and European theaters, transmitting hard to crack, secret tactical messages in code based on their native languages. General John Murray (left), the head of the Armys Futures Command, will conduct a new investigation into how leaders at Fort Hood handled Vanessa Guillen's reports of sexual harassment, as well as her disappearance and death. Major General Scott Efflandt (right) has been removed from his post following the deaths and disappearances of soldiers connected to the troubled army base Last week, Congress announced that it will launch an investigation into sexual assault, disappearances and deaths at Fort Hood, and examine the base leadership's response to those incidents. The same day as Chee's death, Major General John Richardson was treated to a welcome ceremony as he took over the role of base commander from Efflandt. Richardson vowed to reestablish trust between soldiers, army leaders and the public after the base has been addled with suspicious deaths and allegations of harassment. 'We need to teach young leaders how to ask hard, difficult questions,' he said. 'Those are the one that then allow relationships to build.' He added: 'Trust is strong in the army, but we have individual instances where they trust is broken and one break in that link is one too many.' The new commander announced the launch of Operation Phantom Action, a plan to open up conversations and counseling between soldiers and their chains of command on issues such as sexual harassment. The Army also announced General John Murray, the head of the Armys Futures Command, will conduct a new investigation into how leaders at Fort Hood handled Vanessa Guillen's reports of sexual harassment, as well as her disappearance and death. The probe will assess Efflandts actions, who will remain at Fort Hood in a supporting role until the investigation is completed. The investigation will also be separate from the Independent Review of Fort Hood, which began back in August. Efflandt will also no longer take on the role of commander of a division at Fort Bliss. The leadership shake-up and news of yet another soldier death comes as the troubled base faces mounting scrutiny following numerous deaths and disappearances of soldiers this year. Vanessa Guillen, 20, vanished from the base after telling her family she was being sexually harassed. Her body was discovered in July Timeline of Fort Hood disappearances/deaths February 1, 2020: PVT Eric Christopher Hogan and PFC Anthony Nevelle Peak Jr. die in a car crash March 1, 2020: SPC Shelby Tyler Jones is shot dead at a convenience store in Killeen March 5, 2020: Spc. Christopher Wayne Sawyer found dead at his home. Foul play is not suspected. March 14, 2020: SPC Freddy Beningo Delacruz Jr. is killed in a triple murder March 23, 2020: Fort Hood soldier Spc. Jovino Jamel Roy, 22, was charged with murder after allegedly shooting former Fort Hood soldier Michael Steven Wardrobe, 22 April 22, 2020: Vanessa Guillen goes missing and is last seen in the parking lot of the base. She disappeared after telling her family she was being sexually harassed by a sergeant on the base. May 18, 2020: Body of Army Pfc. Brandon S. Rosecrans, 27, was discovered with gunshot wounds and his Jeep was found three miles away engulfed in flames. June 19, 2020: Search teams discover the corpse of missing soldier Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales following a tip to Army base investigators. Remains were found in a field in Killeen, just over 10 miles from Stillhouse Hollow Lake, five miles from Fort Hood. July 1, 2020: First parts of Giullen's remains found about 20 miles east of Fort Hood. Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, kills himself. Officials say he killed and dismembered Guillen and had the remains disposed of. July 17, 2020: Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, of Pensacola, Florida was found dead July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake, around 15 miles from the Fort Hood base. August 2, 2020: The body of Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas, 24, is recovered from Stillhouse Hollow Lake following boating incident not far from where Morta was found. August 12, 2020: Spc. Cole Jakob Aton, 22, of Kentucky died after he was hit by a car as he was assisting a minor accident scene August 13, 2020: National Guard soldier, Sgt Bradley Moore dies during a training exercise at the base August 19, 2020: Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, is reported missing after he was last seen on August 17. August 25, 2020: The body of Fernandes is believed to have been found about 30 miles from Fort Hood Advertisement US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said in a visit to Fort Hood earlier this month that the Central Texas base had some of the highest numbers of sexual assault, harassment and murder. The body of missing Fort Hood soldier Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, was found last week 30 miles from the Texas base where he was stationed. Killeen police said he had not been seen since August 17 when his staff sergeant dropped him off at home. Fernandes was not reported missing for two days. His body was found on August 29. Fort Hood public affairs officer Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam later confirmed Fernandes had reported sexual abuse before his disappearance and was transferred to another unit, 'to ensure he received the proper care and ensure there were no opportunities for reprisals.' Khawam, a lawyer representing the family of Vanessa Guillen, another Fort Hood soldier who went missing and was found dead, and now the Fernandes family, told ABC News that Elder got 'very, very depressed' after being sexually harassed while working in a supply room in April. 'I am saddened that another soldier who served the country has been destroyed by sexual assault and sexual harassment and this toxic culture in the military that exists,' Khawam added. Fernandes' disappearance comes a year after the disappearance of Pfc. Gregory Morales, 24, a Fort Hood soldier who was reported missing on August 20, 2019. His remains were found June 21 in a field in Killeen, near Fort Hood. Killeen police and Army officials are still investigating his death and foul play is suspected. Vanessa Guillen's body was found a week later in July after her disappearance in April. Fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, killed and dismembered Guillen and had the remains disposed of in nearby woods, federal and state investigators said. Robinson killed himself July 1, the day Guillen's remains were found, officials said. Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, has been accused of disposing of Guillen's remains for Robinson and has been charged with three federal conspiracy counts related to the soldier's death. She has pleaded not guilty. Guillens family has said she was sexually harassed by the soldier suspected of killing her, but the Army has said there is no evidence to support that. There is an ongoing investigation. Other soldiers to have died this year include: Pvt. Mejhor Morta; Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas; Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans; Spc. Freddy Delacruz Jr; Spc. Christopher Wayne Sawyer; and Spc. Shelby Tyler Jones. The two most recent deaths linked to the base include Sgt. Bradley Moore, 36, who died at the base during a training exercise last week. He was with the Texas Army National Guard. Spc. Cole Jakob Aton, 22, was also killed last week while assisting at the scene of a car accident near the base. He had been standing on the road trying to direct traffic around the crash when he was hit by a car. Aton had previously shared petitions and posts on social media demanding answers into the deaths and disappearances at the Fort Hood base. Last week, the body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, (left) was discovered after he went missing back on August 17. Fort Hood soldier, Pfc. Gregory Morales, right was reported missing from the base a year ago on August 20, 2019. The 24-year-old's remains were found on June 21 in a field in Killeen In May of this year the body of Army Pfc. Brandon S. Rosecrans, pictured, was discovered with gunshot wounds and his Jeep was found three miles away engulfed in flames Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, of Pensacola, Florida was found dead July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake, around 15 miles from the Fort Hood base The body of Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas, 24, left, was recovered from Stillhouse Hollow Lake following a boating incident. Shelby Tyler Jones, right, was shot dead at a convenience store in Killeen in March The CEO of America's largest pharmaceutical company has said he believes vaccine for COVID-19 could be ready for approval as soon as next month, and for distribution by the end of the year. Albert Bourla, CEO of New York-based Pfizer, told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday morning that he was optimistic. He said there was a 60 per cent chance that his scientists will know by the end of October whether their vaccine was effective, and that once the green light was given, doses could be produced quickly. 'We have a good chance that we will know if the product works by the end of October,' he said. 'And then, of course, it is regulator's job to issue a license or not.' Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, said he felt that his company could have a COVID vaccine soon Pfizer is currently running trials on 30,000 people, and increasing the trial to 44,000 Bourla was asked whether Americans would have to wait until 2021 to get their vaccine. He replied: 'I don't know if they have to wait until 2021, because, as I said, our studies, we have a good chance that we will know if the product works by the end of October. 'And then, of course, it is regulator's job to issue a license or not.' Asked again whether he thought it could be distributed by the end of the year, he said: 'I cannot say what the FDA will do. But I think it's a likely scenario, and we are preparing for it. 'For example, we started already manufacturing and we have already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses, so just in case we have a good study readout, conclusive and FDA plus the advisory committee feels comfortable that we will be ready.' The pharma giant, with 88,000 employees working in 150 countries, is one of several biotech firms working at full speed on a vaccine. Pfizer has spent $1.5 billion so far, Bourla said. On Saturday Pfizer announced they were increasing the trial size for the new vaccine from 30,000 people up to 44,000, and increasing the range of people who will be sampled. 'Now, we feel quite comfortable with the safety of the product,' he said. 'So we want to expand to more vulnerable populations. For example, we go to younger people. Right now, the study recruits from 18 to 85. Now we will go to 16 years old. ICYMI: Why is @Pfizer financing #Covid19 #vaccine development on its own - instead of accepting government funding? $PFE CEO Albert Bourla says I wanted to liberate our scientists from any bureaucracy. When you get money from someone...that always comes with strings. pic.twitter.com/t2IQPP9Wn4 Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 13, 2020 There have been 6.5 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 200,000 deaths from the virus The United States is the hardest-hit nation for COVID-19 in the world 'Also, we will go to people with special conditions, chronic conditions like HIV patients, but also we will try to use it to increase the diversity of the population.' Around a quarter of the 30,000 people in initial trials were from ethnic minorities - a percentage which Bourla hopes to increase, given the fact that coronavirus is statistically more dangerous for people of color. 'I think we should strive to have as more diverse population as possible, but right now we are not bad,' he said. 'Actually, we have a population that globally only 60 per cent are Caucasians, 40 per cent approximately are minorities. 'Also, 44 per cent are older people. 'And we try, of course, to increase with particular emphasis on African-Americans and Latinos.' Bourla also explained Pfizer's decision - unlike his rivals - not to take government funding for vaccine research. 'The reason why I did it was because I wanted to liberate our scientists from any bureaucracy,' he said. 'When you get money from someone that always comes with strings. They want to see how we are going to progress, what type of moves you are going to do. They want reports. 'I didn't want to have any of that. 'I wanted them - basically I gave them an open checkbook so that they can worry only about scientific challenges, not anything else. 'And also, I wanted to keep Pfizer out of politics, by the way.' Bourla said he ultimately hopes the decisions regarding vaccine distribution will be 'a collaboration between the government of each country and us.' But, he added, it should be up to the government to decide who will be vaccinated first. Jungle Scout's Global Imports Report reveals international trade stats from 2015-2020, explores potential impact from COVID-19 AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jungle Scout, the leading all-in-one platform for selling on Amazon, released a new report exploring the fast-changing landscape of global trade to the United States, and revealing the unprecedented drop in annual U.S. imports for 2020. The 2020 Global Imports Report explores U.S. maritime import data from 2015-2020 from all countries and across all industries, and highlights major shifts in global leaders and how the international trade landscape has shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key insights include: U.S. imports are projected to be down 5% for 2020. Although imports to the U.S. have climbed steadily in past years, total 2020 imports are projected to be down 4.8% year-over-year by the end of 2020. 143 countries had reduced exports to the U.S. between the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020, with an average drop of 21%. China recovered from its February and March import drops and has dominated in 2020. With 41% of the total share of U.S. imports, China maintains a massive lead on all 200+ countries exporting goods to the U.S. China is also the leader for every product category. maintains a massive lead on all 200+ countries exporting goods to the U.S. is also the leader for every product category. China had the most drastic year-over-year reduction in U.S. imports in February and March, but bounced back significantly in April to 40% year-over-year growth. In June, China was the only country to see positive year-over-year growth. Vietnam has climbed the ranks of biggest suppliers to the U.S., rising from #6 in 2015 to #2 in 2020. Vietnam's total exports to the U.S. are up 72% and its share of U.S. imports increased 65% since 2015. For comparison, nearly all other top-10 U.S. suppliers' shares dropped in the same time period, with the exception of small increases for China , Belgium , and Thailand . total exports to the U.S. are up 72% and its share of U.S. imports increased 65% since 2015. For comparison, nearly all other top-10 U.S. suppliers' shares dropped in the same time period, with the exception of small increases for , , and . Higher rates of COVID-19 are associated with reduced U.S. imports. China , Vietnam , and Thailand all saw a stark reduction in COVID-19 cases and related deaths in April, May, and/or June, and were simultaneously among the few countries with positive year-over-year import numbers. Comparatively, in India , when COVID-19 cases began rising in March, India's U.S. imports dropped drastically, and both trends continued through June. , , and all saw a stark reduction in COVID-19 cases and related deaths in April, May, and/or June, and were simultaneously among the few countries with positive year-over-year import numbers. Comparatively, in , when COVID-19 cases began rising in March, U.S. imports dropped drastically, and both trends continued through June. Countries that recovered early from 2020's economic disruption were more likely to "bounce back" and all are in Asia . During the first half of 2020, only five of 20 countries had net-positive growth over the same period in 2019, and all are in Asia : China , Malaysia , Singapore , Thailand , and Vietnam . : , , , , and . Although Vietnam , Malaysia and Singapore saw year-over-year growth of over 100% in February and March, their increases didn't offset the massive share of imports lost from China during those months. "Economic disruption is nothing new for 2020, but some of the effects of the year's turbulence are only just starting to appear," said Greg Mercer, CEO of Jungle Scout. "American small businesses and enterprises alike depend on imports, so it's critical to keep a close eye on changes in consumer demand and global supply chains to be able to adapt." About the 2020 Global Imports Report All data represents United States maritime imports from January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2020 from 237 unique countries. Jungle Scout analyzed more than 63 million maritime U.S. import records, including information on the shipper and shipment, from which country and category are extracted. About Jungle Scout Jungle Scout is the leading all-in-one platform for selling on Amazon. Founded in 2015 as the first Amazon product research tool, Jungle Scout today features a full suite of best-in-class business management solutions and powerful market intelligence resources to help entrepreneurs and brands manage their ecommerce businesses. Jungle Scout is headquartered in Austin, Texas and supports nine global Amazon marketplaces. Read more at www.junglescout.com. Media Contact: Leslie Termuhlen [email protected] PR Strategist 513-600-3353 Related Images global-import-report-2020.jpg Global Import Report 2020 Percent year-over-year change in U.S. imports from China vs. non-China. jungle-scout.jpg Jungle Scout Jungle Scout is the leading all-in-one platform for selling on Amazon. Related Links Jungle Scout Global Imports Report 2020 SOURCE Jungle Scout Related Links http://www.junglescout.com As the demand for the resignation of Kerala higher education minister KT Jaleel,who was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate two days ago, is getting louder; the son of another CPI (M) minister who allegedly figured in one of the incidents related to the sensational gold smuggling case, is likely to be questioned by Central agencies soon. A senior official familiar with the multi-agency probe said national agencies will soon question Industry Minister E P Jayarajans son in connection with the alleged commission in the Life Mission project brokered by Swapna Suresh, main accused in the smuggling case. Considered as the number two in the ministry, Jayarajan is a central committee member of the party. The ministers son also threw a huge party for Suresh in a star hotel in 2018, for settling his cheque case in the United Arab Emirates, said the official. He later emerged as an intermediary in the Life Mission project, funded by a Gulf-based organisation Red Crescent to build free homes for the poor, and reportedly accepted commission; the official said adding that he will be summoned to obtain more details about his association with Suresh. ALSO READ | As Kerala polls draw near, top CPM leaders in limelight for wrong reasons But chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has brushed aside these charges saying it was an attempt to sabotage a people-friendly project. There is a concerted move to topple one of the dream projects of the government Life Mission which is providing shelter to thousands of homeless. Opposition parties and a section of the media are busy cooking up half-baked stories to discredit the government, he said. But the opposition Congress and BJP have raised another serious charge against the ministers family members who are under quarantine after he tested Covid-19 positive last week. Flouting quarantine norms, the ministers wife had gone to the Kerala Bank last week and opened the locker. We have information that she shifted some valuables from there after her sons name cropped up in connection with Swapna Suresh, said BJP state president K Surendran. Later, the bank manager also confirmed that she visited the bank on September 10 and all employees were advised to go into quarantine. The ministers wife PK Indira later admitted that she had visited the bank for her personal needs and she was not in quarantine at that time. Indira had retired as a senior manager from the same bank a couple of years ago. What has raised suspicion is the urgency with which she opened the locker breaking the Covid-19 protocol. There are reports the ED has sought details from the bank about her visit and transactions. As the multi-agency probe gathered speed more shocking details have emergedthe Customs department has found that between 2017 and 2018 about 17,000 kg dry dates was imported by the consular office. The office had mentioned that dates were imported for personal use. But in the small office staff members are below 20 and they never need such a huge quantity that is fit to open at least a couple of dry date shops, a senior Customs officer said. He said Customs will examine the details of all imports from October 2016 when the consulate was opened in the state. The Customs smelled trouble when large quantities of dry fruits, tinned food and bathroom fittings came to the consulate regularly. When one such consignment came in July the External Affairs Ministry sought the UAE permission to open the consignment (under Vienna convention permission is necessary) and seized 30 kg gold hidden in bathroom fittings. Last week, the ED had grilled Bineesh Kodiyeri, CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnans son in connection with the Bengaluru drug haul. In a recent statement in the economic offences court in Kochi, the ED had said the gold smuggling case and drug seizure had close links. The gold smuggling case figured prominently in Parliament on the opening day. In reply to a question, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said the multi-agency probe was going in the right direction and one of the accused in the case was influential. Meanwhile, for the third consecutive day the state witnessed protests seeking the resignation of Jaleel. Many opposition party workers were injured in baton charging. Selbyville, Delaware, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Based on Global Market Insights Inc., report, the EV Battery Reuse Market was estimated at $250 million in 2019 and is slated to exceed $1.5 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 32% from 2020 to 2026. The report provides a detailed analysis of the key investment avenues, competitive scenarios, market estimations as well as size, major winning strategies, drivers and opportunities, wavering industry trends. Second life EV battery deployment is anticipated to rise across base station application on account of growing investment in communication towers across the globe. The base stations require an energy storage system to provide continuous power supply for smooth operations, which can be provided by the reuse of EV batteries. Request for Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4812 The EV battery reuse market from battery electric vehicle is anticipated to witness significant growth on account of growing replacement of batteries. Altering discharge rates, harsh operational temperatures and numerous partial cycles per year are some of the key factors which affect the battery performance in the EVs. As a result, batteries which fail to meet the performance standards are increasingly being made available for reuse. In addition, stringent regulations to reduce mass battery disposal coupled with growing battery demand across stationary storage applications will positively impact the business growth over the forecast period. Some major findings in EV battery reuse market report include: Growing deployment of electric vehicles across the globe will significantly increase the number of available EV batteries for reuse. Fluctuating pricing of fossil fuels will generate a shift towards adoption of electric vehicles, which will benefit the market growth over the forecast time-period. Increasing investments toward fast EV charging infrastructure will complement the adoption of used batteries across EV charging stations. Rising purchasing power along with shifting trends toward electric mobility will propel the Asia Pacific EV battery reuse market. China, Japan, South Korea and India are anticipated to emerge as key markets for repurposed EV batteries on account of growing penetration of EVs. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), a total of 7.2 Million electric vehicles were sold globally in 2019, with China accounting for over 45% of the total sales. Furthermore, soaring energy demand across the developing nations will fuel a requirement for energy storage systems and EV charging stations. Growing investments toward enhancing EV charging infrastructure coupled with EV batterys ability to perform as an ESS or as a charging station for EVs will escalate the technology adoption across the region. Request for customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/4812 Key players operating in EV battery reuse industry include Relectrify Pty Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric, Global Battery Solutions, Groupe Renault, Connected Energy, BYD Co, Ltd., Daimler AG amongst others. They have incorporated several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to heighten their stand in the industry. About Global Market Insights, Inc. Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision making. GMIPulse, our business analytics platform offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company level and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision makers. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media at the daily briefing in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 11, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) Premier Daniel Andrews to Front Vic Quarantine Inquiry Premier Daniel Andrews is set to appear before an inquiry into Victorias botched hotel quarantine program. The states second wave of coronavirus, which has killed hundreds and forced Melbourne into the nations toughest lockdown, can be traced back to returned travellers at two hotels. The premier confirmed on the evening of Sept. 13 he will give evidence to the inquiry, headed by retired Judge Jennifer Coate, on September 23. I established the Board of Inquiry into the Hotel Quarantine Program to find the answers that all Victorians are entitled to, Andrews said in a statement. Given the program was established as a decision of National Cabinet I always anticipated that I would need to appear in order to provide the context for its beginnings. I can confirm I have been asked to appear on Wednesday 23 September and I look forward to assisting the Inquiry in its important work. The Age reports senior ministers Martin Pakula, Jenny Mikakos and Lisa Neville will also front the inquiry in its final week of public hearings. Pakulas Department of Jobs, Precincts and the Regions hired security contractors to oversee the quarantine hotels, while Mikakos Department of Health and Human Services was in charge of infection control. Neville, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, will likely be questioned over the decision to use security guards rather than police or Australian Defence Force personnel. The inquiry has heard former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton played a leading role in the decision. On Sept. 15 the inquiry will hear from Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp, who has claimed ADF support wasnt even offered when the program as established in late March. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton will appear on Wednesday, with his deputy Annaliese van Diemen to also give evidence this week. Ashton will appear on Thursday along with current police chief Shane Patton. By Benita Kolovos via Penny Morales/Twitter The "Be Someone" sign above I-45 has experienced some changes over the years, and we've seen some interesting and demanding messages from it as the original "Be Someone" is periodically altered and defaced from "Be Someone Else" to "Wash Your Hands." The painted mural has become one of the citys most recognizable signs. Just a few weeks ago, the sign briefly said "Save Our Children." Union Pacific was last looking into the matter internally, and enlisting the help of Houston Police Department to investigate. The spread-out format of Gallery Weekend, with shows by 48 galleries around the city, is better suited to these virus-conscious times than the enclosed convention centers of fairs such as Art Basel. But many international collectors continue to be wary of or prohibited from boarding airplanes. As a result, this years Gallery Weekend Berlin attracted a smaller, more local crowd, leaving dealers to rely on online transactions to top up their sales. To ensure safe visits for those who could be here, opening hours were created for V.I.P.s from Wednesday through Friday, before the galleries welcomed the general public over the weekend. A lively Saturday night dinner for more than 1,000 guests that usually takes place on Gallery Weekend was canceled, replaced by an open-air brunch. Face masks were mandatory in galleries. But, as Michael Short, a local art adviser, pointed out, overcrowding is rarely an issue for Berlins widely scattered art dealerships. They dont have a problem with social distancing, Mr. Short said. There arent that many people in the galleries. Most galleries dont sell here. They have long-term relationships around the world. San Francisco, Sep 14 : In one of the biggest tech deals, Graphics giant NVIDIA has confirmed it is acquiring SoftBank-owned UK chip maker Arm for $40 billion with an aim to create a premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The deal would consolidate NVIDIA's position at the centre of the semiconductor industry. While it is the leader for GPUs, it has little to do with CPU design or mobile hardware where Arm is one of the leaders. SoftBank will remain committed to ARM's long-term success through its ownership stake in NVIDIA, expected to be under 10 per cent, the company said in a statement late on Sunday. "In the years ahead, trillions of computers running AI will create a new internet-of-things that is thousands of times larger than today's internet-of-people. Our combination will create a company fabulously positioned for the age of AI," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. Under the terms of the transaction, NVIDIA will pay SoftBank a total of $21.5 billion in common stock and $12 billion in cash, which includes $2 billion payable at signing. SoftBank may receive up to $5 billion in cash or common stock under an earn-out construct. NVIDIA will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees. Arm will remain headquartered in Cambridge. NVIDIA will build a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer, powered by Arm CPUs. "Uniting NVIDIA's AI computing capabilities with the vast ecosystem of Arm's CPU, we can advance computing from the cloud, smartphones, PCs, self-driving cars and robotics, to edge IoT, and expand AI computing to every corner of the globe," Huang said. For Arm's ecosystem, the combination will turbocharge Arm's R&D capacity and expand its IP portfolio with NVIDIA's world-leading GPU and AI technology. The Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank bought ARM for $31 billion in 2016. The company powers major mobile processors from companies like Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung and Huawei. "Since acquiring Arm, we have honoured our commitments and invested heavily in people, technology and R&D, thereby expanding the business into new areas with high growth potential. Joining forces with a world leader in technology innovation creates new and exciting opportunities for Arm," said Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank. "We look forward to supporting the continued success of the combined business." As part of NVIDIA, Arm will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining the global customer neutrality that has been foundational to its success, with 180 billion chips shipped to date by its licensees. "Arm and NVIDIA share a vision and passion that ubiquitous, energy-efficient computing will help address the world's most pressing issues from climate change to healthcare, from agriculture to education," said Simon Segars, CEO of Arm. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, Sep 15 : The Congress slammed the Narendra Modi government and the Arvind Kejriwal government for not taking up the matter of demolishing 48,000 slums near the railway lines in Delhi in the Supreme Court and accused them of doing politics. Speaking to media outside Parliament House on Monday, former Union Minister and Congress leader Ajay Maken said, "On August 31, the Supreme Court ordered to remove 48,000 slums near the railway tracks without making any other arrangements." "Two weeks have passed since then and neither the Delhi government nor the Centre took note of it and were only indulged in political statements," Maken said. Targeting both the governments, the Congress leader said it was the reason why he decided to approach the apex court to stop the demolition and even the Central government's Solicitor General accepted that no action should be taken for four weeks till the time Delhi and the Centre doesn't decide on it. Sharing an incident from 2015, Maken said that a child died during the demolition inside a cement showdown. "Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had then visited the family of the child and then he had asked me to fight for the rights of the slum dwellers. "I filed a petition in Delhi High Court and by 2019 the bench of Justice Muralidhar K gave the judgement which said that poor have right to live in city, have right for shelter and right for a roof. The judgement also prepared a protocol that if any slum need to be removed then first of all a survey will be done, people will be identified and then before the cut off date the slum dwellers will be shifted to other place in the city and then only any action can be initiated," Maken said. Lamenting at the Centre and the city governments, Maken said, we in Supreme Court said that the Railway and the Delhi government were altogether in this and it was the reason why they didn't challenge this in the court. Maken said that he was happy that the top court took the matter on priority and stopped the demolition. To a question on the role of Aam Aadmi Party government in the city, Maken sad it was their responsibility to challenge the court's decision but they remained silent. "Why did they remain silent since August 31? Was it not their responsibility to challenge the judgement in the court," the Congress leader added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text 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 REVEALED: The World Beer Awards 2020 winners Will you find a new favourite IPA, stout or sour among the winners of the 2020 World Beer Awards? This year's competition saw more than 2,200 beers from more than 50 countries entered for judging by an international and highly respected panel. The entrants were blind tasted and scored in three rounds of judging. Traditionally these tastings are done in person, but the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the proceedings. Instead of bringing the judges to the beers, the awards organisers brought the beers to the judges; black-wrapped and sent out across Europe, Asia, Canada and Brazil, the judges tasted the beers at home and connected for each session via Zoom. Adrian Tierney-Jones, the World Beer Awards chair of judges, said: "This year's winners in the World Beer Awards demonstrate the verve and vitality of brewers and their wonderful beers around the globe. The category winners are to be congratulated on their successes, but I would also like to thank the judges in the UK, Germany, North America, Japan and Brazil for the dedication and professionalism they have shown, especially during these challenging times." As well as taste, the awards also rewarded design excellence with samples judged in seven categories. Felicity Murray, founder of TheDrinksReport.com, who led the judging, said: "It is always refreshing to see so many imaginative label designs and this year was no exception. The judges were particularly impressed by the growing number of beer brands breaking away from the category norm with creative new ideas that stand out from the crowd." Here are the winners of the World Beer Awards 2020: Taste World's Best Lager Alpirsbacher - Kloster Starkbier World's Best Stout & Porter McGargles - Export Stout World's Best IPA CREW Republic - Drunken Sailor World's Best Flavoured Beer Amsterdam - Double Tempest World's Best Speciality Beer NBeer - Niubic Riesling Sour World Best Pale Beer Microbrasserie Le Trou du Diable - La Saison du Tracteur World's Best Wheat Beer Unibroue - Blanche de Chambly World's Best Dark Beer Wals - Aroeira World's Best Sourr & Wild Beer Queue de Charrue - Vieille Brune Design World's Best Label Design Round Corner Brewing - Society for the Encouragement of Virtue World's Best Can Design Helmsman Ale House - Hazy IPA World's Best Can Range Design Brixton Brewery - Brixton Brewery Range World's Best Bottle Design Brouwerij Poesiat & Kater - van Vollenoven & Co Extra Stout World's Best Bottle Range Design NOXX Range World's Best New Launch Bach's - Bulldozer World's Best Resdesign/Relaunch Cisco Brewers - Whale's Tale World's Best Multipack Design Cisco Brewers - Whale's Tale All style winners, as well as country, gold, silver and bronze medallists, can be found on the World Beer Awards website. 14 September 2020 - Bethany Whymark Massive borrowing by Vedanta Resources Ltd. has helped push up Indian firms dollar loans to fund the privatization of companies and acquisitions to the most in six quarters. Vedanta, the London-based commodity conglomerate controlled by billionaire Anil Agarwal, raised a $1.75 billion facility in August to finance a plan to take its Indian unit private, and is in talks with banks for a further $600 million. As a result, Indian borrowers are set to get at least $2.6 billion of dollar event-driven loans this quarter, making this the most active since the first three months of 2019, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. A surge in global liquidity following cash infusions from global policy makers to check the pandemics economic fallout is bolstering demand among international lenders for facilities from markets including China, India and Indonesia. Indias $277 billion pandemic stimulus is also benefiting the corporate sector, and the nations borrowers seeking dollars have seen loan rates drop from four-year highs in the June quarter. Other borrowers seeking dollar event-driven loans this quarter include Baring Private Equity Asia, which began marketing a $600 million leveraged buyout loan last month to back the delisting of unit Hexaware Technologies Ltd. and repay dollar bonds. KKR & Co., meanwhile, launched a $206 million borrowing to syndication to finance the purchase of a controlling stake in J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Vedanta Resources is also in talks with banks for a further $600 million to finance the delisting of its Indian unit, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. By Nazish Hussain, TwoCircles.net New Delhi: Former Jawahar Lal Nehru (JNU) student leader and United Against Hate (UAH) activist Umar Khalid was arrested on Sunday night by the special cell of Delhi Police and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the violence that broke out in North East Delhi in February this year against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Support TwoCircles Umar Khalid has been charged under 18 other sections of IPC including sedition and attempt to murder. Umar Khalids father SQR Ilyas took to Twitter announcing that his son has been implicated in Delhi riots. He said the police were questioning Umar Khalid since 1:00 p.m. According to ANI, in a charge sheet filed by Delhi Police crime branch against suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, the investigating officer has alleged that on January 8 more than a month before the riots Hussain met with Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of UAH at the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protests and Umar asked him to be prepared for something big at the time of trumps visit. Umar Khalid has been leading the anti-CAA protests under the banner of United against Hate (UAH). Commenting on the arrest of Umar Khalid, Nadeem Khan, convener UAH said, Umar Khalid has been framed in the Delhi riots as a mastermind by the Delhi Police. Instead of doing FIR investigation in the Delhi riots, police has turned it into an exercise of witch-hunting anti-CAA protestors. The police first misquoted Umars speeches to frame him and then tried to fabricate witnesses. This is a clear attempt to intimidate democratic voices of dissent into silence. For Nabiya Khan, anti-CAA activist being a dissenting Muslim in this country is scary. You can be branded as an anti-national, a terrorist, and a threat anytime, she said, adding, I believe Umars arrest is another act of political vengeance against those who actively spoke truth to power. When the whole world is focusing on fighting the pandemic the vicious Indian state is hunting down all the people who are actively protesting against a communal and anti-constitutional bill. Activism is not a crime. Participating in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Umar Khalid is not a criminal to be booked under UAPA. His only crime in the eyes of the state is his identity of an Indian Muslim. The world is watching as BJP is unleashing the worst attack on Muslims, she says. Senior advocate Prashant Bhusan, while taking to Twitter, doubts on Umars arrest, calling the investigation by Delhi police mala fide. He said, It is a conspiracy by the Delhi Police to frame peaceful activists in the guise of investigation. A joint statement released by activists condemning the arrest of Umar Khalid mentions that of the 20 people arrested by Delhi Police related to North East Delhi violence 17 people have been charged under UAPA. The statement urged for the safety of his life in judicial custody given the past precedence of the attempt on Umars life in 2018 by gunmen in public. Panda Cares Center of Hope at Renown Childrens Hospital in Reno, NV Pandas commitment to helping their local childrens hospitals meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of children has never been more needed or appreciated during these challenging times. Teri Nestel, interim president and CEO of Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals Following a commitment of $25 million to Childrens Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals to fund Panda Cares Centers of Hope, Panda Express, through its philanthropic foundation, Panda Cares, and CMN Hospitals have recently debuted Center of Hope locations at ten hospitals in the U.S. including California, Texas, Nevada, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Arizona and Illinois. Hospitals include: Valley Childrens Hospital, Lurie Childrens Hospital, Childrens National, UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital, Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, Cook Childrens, Phoenix Childrens Hospital, Renown Childrens Hospital, Medical Center Health System and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The Panda Cares Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially curated programs that address each childs entire well-being, including their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. Therapeutic play, art therapy and counseling services are just a few examples of a wide range of offerings at individual Panda Cares Centers of Hope designed to give children the courage and strength to thrive. With the ongoing support of transformational partners like Panda Express and their generous customers and associates, our network of childrens hospitals can continue the urgent work of providing high-quality, life-saving care that children need every day, said Teri Nestel, interim president and CEO of Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. Pandas commitment to helping their local childrens hospitals meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of children has never been more needed or appreciated during these challenging times. This long-term support will continue to help communities and transform how CMN Hospitals meet the most urgent needs, save more lives and protect our collective future. We are proud to partner with Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals to bring the vision of the Panda Cares Center of Hope to life and are humbled to be able to be part of the healing journey for the families and kids at these hospitals, said Dr. Peggy Cherng, co-founder and co-CEO of Panda Restaurant Group. Children are our future, and we hope that through this partnership and curriculum designed to give children the strength to thrive, we will bring smiles and hope to communities nationwide. Across the country, Panda Cares Centers of Hope are specialized spaces dedicated to promoting healing and inspiring hope and are made possible by Panda guest and associate donationsraising more than $85 million for Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals over the past seven years. In 2019, Panda Express guests and associates donated more than $26 million to CMN Hospitals across the country, helping them earn the recent award of PR Daily CSR Campaign of the Year: Panda Express and CMN Hospitals. #### About Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $7 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charit's Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofits mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why childrens hospitals need community support, and learn about your member hospital, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals. About Panda Express On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express, an American Chinese Trailblazer, is the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken and award-winning Honey Walnut ShrimpTM, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,200 locations throughout the U.S. and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to twelve international countries. Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares, the organizations philanthropic arm, has raised more than $216 million and dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 12 million youths, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2020, the organization established the Panda Cares Scholars Program to provide the necessary funding, academic support and leadership development to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. "We are committed to investing in and utilizing technology to deliver the best execution in the marketplace. The relationship with ZOCCAM will significantly improve the closing experience for clients on the residential side of our business," said Matthew Kornfeld, Executive Vice President of Kensington Vanguard's national residential division. ZOCCAM enhances the customer experience when buying a home and increases the geographical reach of customers by providing a secure mobile platform with a user-friendly experience. "Realtors and the consumer are the most critical parties to the transaction, and they must be connected to the settlement service provider to prevent wire fraud and provide more transparency. Rather than focusing on the back and forth of older delivery methods, Kensington Vanguard and its customers can be assured of a simple and secure delivery of the contract and the earnest money deposit," said CEO and Founder Ashley Cook. About ZOCCAM ZOCCAM is the leading payments provider to the real estate industry in all 50 states. ZOCCAM unites the parties of a home purchase transaction through its platform providing a simple, more secure method for delivery of payments. Its mobile app connects directly to the title companies' financial institutions to provide a superior customer experience. For more information, visit www.ZOCCAM.com. About Kensington Vanguard National Land Services Kensington Vanguard National Land Services, headquartered in New York City with offices in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, Missouri, Virginia, and Texas, is one of the largest independent fullservice national title insurance and settlement agencies in the United States. Founded in 2002, Kensington Vanguard provides commercial and residential title insurance, settlement, escrow and 1031 exchange services. Operating in all 50 states, the Company serves as agent to the nation's leading title insurance underwriters. Kensington Vanguard's client base is a highly diversified mix of law firms, investors, developers, operators, opportunity funds, commercial lenders, family offices, realtors, and regional and national residential lenders. For more information, visit www.kvnational.com SOURCE ZOCCAM Related Links http://www.zoccam.com The Pakistani military says it has killed a terrorist commander and three other militants in the countrys northwest. In a major breakthrough, terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah, alias Ihsan Sanray, along with 3 other terrorists were killed during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) today in Ghariom, Shaktu near the inter district boundary of North and South Waziristan, army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar tweeted on September 13. The spokesman said Ihsan Sanray had masterminded numerous terrorist activities, including recent attacks in the Shaktu area that claimed the lives of a lieutenant and a captain. He did not provide further details. The Pakistani military has claimed it had cleared North Waziristan of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan - also known as the Pakistani Taliban - and other militant groups following a major offensive that was launched in 2014, but the region has been the scene of an increasing number of attacks on security forces and targeted killings of civilians. On September 12, at least one Pakistani soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast in North Waziristan. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The next day, a local assembly of elders called on the Pakistani government to ensure peace in the tribal districts, put an end to targeted killings, and repatriate thousands of people who have fled to neighboring Afghanistan after the launch of the military offensive in 2014. (CNN) The blame game over the Oregon wildfires is playing out across social media, and Facebook said Saturday it would remove false claims circulating on its platform. Law enforcement agencies have been flooded with calls since at least Thursday about online rumors that members of Antifa, an anti-fascist, often far-left-wing movement, were arrested for setting fires across the state. "Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue," the FBI Portland said in a tweet Friday. Asked why Facebook only began removing posts on Saturday rather than on Thursday or Friday, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said the company had been labeling some false posts earlier in the week. He added, "As we continued to hear more from law enforcement and see additional activity related to these claims on our platform, we opted to take further action." "This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on," Stone said about the decision. Twitter, on the other hand, did not say it would be removing false posts, but instead would be "taking action to reduce the visibility of these Tweets." That includes not amplifying false tweets with its algorithms. By the weekend, however, posts on both Facebook and Twitter with false claims about the fires had gone viral. The claims that Antifa set the fires was helped when the anonymous account behind QAnon posted a link to a tweet by Paul Joseph Romero Jr., a former Republican US Senate candidate from Oregon, claiming the Douglas County Sheriff's Office had six Antifa "arsonists" in custody. It took hours for the rumors to be amplified by QAnon's followers. Speaking to CNN Saturday, Romero claimed, "My original tweet is not 100% accurate, there is no question about that, but it is mostly accurate." He said he is not a QAnon follower but has seen some of Q's posts and said, "I don't think you can discount [Q] more than you can discount anybody." Romero said he does not plan to remove the tweet. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is urging the public to follow official sources of information and local reputable news outlets. In a Facebook post, the office pleaded: "Do your part, STOP. SPREADING. RUMORS!" At least eight people have perished in the blazes that have scorched more than 875,000 acres across the state. This story was first published on CNN.com 'Facebook says it's removing false claims about who started Oregon wildfires' Three years before COVID-19, choreographer Catherine Galasso began creating a multipart work inspired by a 14th-century tale about a group of people sheltering in the Italian countryside to escape the Black Death. She never would have imagined that she and her company would be making the fourth section of the series while quarantining in an upstate New York village during a pandemic. Field Notes: Outdoor Dances for This 21st Century will be performed this weekend in the apple orchards surrounding PS21 in Chatham, where Galasso and her collaboratorsDoug LeCours, Jordan Demetrius Lloyd, Tara Sheena, Meg Weeks and assistant director KC Atholhave been isolating and rehearsing this month. Admission is free, and audiences will follow a path through the trees to their socially distanced seats. You hear the trickle of the water, the crickets and the wind in the trees, the Brooklyn-based choreographer said in a recent interview. For me, coming from the city, its so immediately calming, and having people park and walk to the site is a valuable aspect. Viewers are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs and battery-powered radios through which they can tune into a score composed by Dave Cerf; radios will be provided for those who dont have one. A New York City native, Galasso spent her teenage years in Italy, where Giovanni Boccaccios The Decameron is required reading in high school. Her series, titled Of Iron and Diamonds, draws from the themes and structure of the work, which is divided into 100 stories narrated by 10 different characters as they wait out the plague in a villa outside of Florence. Other theater and dance artists have looked at the stories themselves, but I decided, lets generate our own characters based on whos in the room, said the Bessie Award nominee (for Get Dancing in 2016). Every cast is different for this series and in general with my workI work with a lot of the same people over time, but each combination of people is unique for every piece. We build the piece in a collaborative way and the relationships that develop become a part of it. Given its source material, many elements of the first three installments seem eerily prescient todayfor example, the title of the third piece, Alone Together, and the motif of handshaking (an everyday action now to be avoided at all costs) that appears in all three. The series is one of some 20 works Galasso has choreographed for traditional theaters as well as unconventional sets and spacesincluding an underground bank vault on Wall Street for Show Me the Money, and a massive marble staircase in a Manhattan mall for Of Granite and Glass, the second in the Decameron series. For Alone Together, Galasso put the audience onstage and the performers in the seats. The visual aspect of performance has always been a driving force in Galassos choreography; she holds degrees in both painting and film. The lineage of avant-garde theater is also an influence, particularly since her mother and fathera dancer and composer, respectivelymet while working with the experimental theater director Robert Wilson. My interest is in creating pictures and situations and relationships and characters, more than any specific technique or creating a new technique, she explained. I call it a sort of virtuosic pedestrianismmovement that looks extremely doable by anyone, but done with a certain speed and rhythm and timing that takes it to this virtuosic place. At PS21, the performers will be moving on the bare, uneven ground rather than on a raised stage, making naturalistic movement a necessity. They will also be keeping space between them in acknowledgement of the current crisis, although the work will allude to rather than directly address or comment on the pandemic and the systemic racism it has magnified. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Despite these weighty underpinnings, Galasso aims to infuse the work with a sense of hope and lightness. We all feel its important to bring a little joy, so we want to find moments that will be funny as well as sad, she said. Especially with so much distance between us and the audience, we might have to work a little extra to get some laughs. (They may receive some assistance there in the form of a possible guest appearance by Galassos 4-year-old son, Atlas, who has been featured in two of her previous pieces, the first when he was just 8 months old.) Part of the joy, the choreographer believes, will come from the live performance itself, and the healing and connection that arises from sharing art and stories in times of distressjust as Boccaccios characters did. This is a very polarizing time and a very isolated time, she said. Even if we cant be close, at least if we can be in a shared space, it feels like theres power to build compassion and unity. Tresca Weinstein is a frequent contributor to the Times Union. If you go Field Notes: Outdoor Dances for This 21st Century When: 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday (both sold out at press time); 3 p.m. Sunday Where: PS21, 2980 Rte. 66, Chatham Tickets: Free; advance reservations required Info: 392-6121 or https://ps21chatham.org/event/pathways-blazing-trails-to-a-sustainable-future/ Nvidia, a Silicon Valley graphics chip maker riding a hot streak, has reached a deal to buy a British chip designer, betting the transaction can propel Nvidia to a leadership position in a new computer era powered by artificial intelligence. AI is the most powerful technology force of our time and has launched a new wave of computing, Jensen Huang, founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia, referring to artificial intelligence, stated in a blog post. Santa Clara-based Nvidia has agreed to pay $40 billion to buy Arm, an England-based unit of tech titan Softbank. In the years ahead, trillions of computers running AI will create a new internet-of-things that is thousands of times larger than todays internet-of-people, Huang said in a blog post on the Nvidia web site. In a previous blog post, Nvidia made it clear that it intended to become an ever-bigger player in the new and increasingly connected world of artificial intelligence. A scalable, accelerated platform is necessary to drive decisions in real-time and allow every industry -- including retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and smart cities -- to deliver automated intelligence to the point of action, Nvidia stated in the prior blog post. Nvidia makes graphics chips and other specialty processors and it is encroaching into the data center market, a fast-growing, highly profitable segment currently dominated by Intel. Arms energy-efficient designs run many smartphones and are the basis for the custom chips in Apples iPhone and iPad. Apple is in the process of dropping Intel processors from its line of Mac PCs and replacing them with its own processors, based on Arm designs. Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang went to Aloha High School and earned a degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University. President Donald Trump listens as California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a briefing at Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) Trump Meets With California Governor for Briefing on Wildfires President Donald Trump met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials on Sept. 14 to receive a briefing on the wildfires raging in the state. The president later addressed the California National Guard before departing for a roundtable with supporters in Arizona. Newsom, a Democrat, said it was good to have the president and members of his administration back in California. Weve got fires all the way at the border of Oregon all the way down to the border with Mexico. 2.8 million acres just in the last 30 days have burned, the governor said. Trump thanked Newsom, saying the White House and the governor have had great coordination, great relationship. Lightning strikes started the wildfires across northern California on Aug. 15, according to state officials. As of Monday, nearly 16,500 firefighters were battling 28 major wildfires. The governor later said a changing climate is contributing to the number of fires. Wade Crowfoot, second from right, secretary of Californias Natural Resources Agency, and other state and federal officials during a briefing with President Donald Trump at Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Mill Creek Hotshots set a backfire to protect homes during the Bobcat Fire in Arcadia, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (David McNew/Getty Images) We feel very strongly that the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting dryer, he said. Somethings happened to the plumbing of the world and we come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in, and observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. Please respect the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue on the issue of climate change, Newsom told Trump, who responded: absolutely. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of Californias Natural Resources Agency, told Trump that the state has seen record-breaking temperatures this year. We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forest, and actually work together with that science. That science is going to be key. Because if we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together protecting Californians. Trump told Crowfoot that temperatures will start getting cooler. I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot responded. I dont think science knows, actually, Trump replied. Newsom and Crowfoot acknowledged that the state could improve its forest management, a point that Trump has hammered in recent days. President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on wildfires in McClellan Park, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) President Donald Trump poses with pilots and crew members of the California Army National Guard and their families at Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) We have not done justice on our forest management, the governor said. But he also said most land in the state is federally owned, so the federal government also has a responsibility for better forest management. Trump told reporters after landing in California that there has to be good, strong forest management. After leaving the meeting, the president delivered remarks recognizing the role the state National Guard has done in fighting the fires, awarding seven soldiers with the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing people. Its such an honor to be in your presence, Trump told the guardsmen. The men were part of a mission on Sept. 5 that took them into flames and smoke to rescue families trapped at the Mammoth Pool Campground. Officials told the men the mission was too dangerous but they decided to persevere and successfully completed what they set out to do. Two hundred and forty-two people were saved from the Creek Fire over three flights. To each of you, your unyielding and undying determination lifts our nation, Trump said. Youre what makes our nation great, and we thank you very much. Augustoberfest to return in 2022, but in a new location This year marks the 25th anniversary of Augustoberfest, usually held in downtown Hagerstown. But this year's festival is moving out of Hagerstown. RAMALLAH, West Bank Ahmed Amarneh, a farmer in the village of Farasin, lives in a state of constant anxiety. He fears the Israeli authorities will demolish the cave enclosure where he and his pregnant wife and young child live. The Israeli Civil Administration had sent him a demolition notice on July 29. The village, near the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, is situated on hills full of ancient caves and ruins and some aged infrastructure such as a well that is more than 200 years old. Residents still use it for drinking water and livestock. The administration delivered 36 other demolition notices concerning residential and service facilities, including two wells and livestock and poultry barns. Israel prevents Palestinians from building in the area known as Area C, which represents 61% of the West Bank and is subject to Israeli security and administrative control under the Oslo Accords. The Israeli Civil Administration cited a lack of permits for the structures and granted residents 14 days to file an objection. Amarneh's notice was different, however, as it came from the Israeli military and he was left only 96 hours to object. He was unable to do so and now dreads the demolition of his home that could come at any moment. In mid-2017, Amarneh began building a small house in the village. His neighbors house was demolished by the Israeli Civil Administration for not having a building permit. Civil Administration staff had warned him that his house would face the same fate should he complete its construction. The warning led Amarneh, who holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from An-Najah National University, to explore living in one of the caves around the village in 2018. He enclosed its entrance with stone walls, installed an iron door and two windows and added some simple pieces of furniture. He also set up a portion for his sheep. I resorted to the cave as I feared the Israeli authorities would persecute me and take arbitrary and racist measures against me. I wanted stability for my family, he told Al-Monitor. I built out the cave as much as possible to make it a suitable place for living. Now, Israel is threatening to demolish everything. I would hear about Israel's racist behavior, and now I'm witnessing it firsthand. He explained, I was able to extend a pipe from a well to collect water using a manual pump. We get electricity for three hours every night from a generator in the village. He added, I received a military notice with a 96-hour time limit to file an objection. That period has expired, and I expect my cave to be destroyed at any moment now. Life in a cave is scary in itself. But now I fear I will lose the only shelter that houses my family. Asked about his options, Amarneh said, I live in a cave. If I lose it, I will live anywhere. I will erect a tent over the rubble and live in it. The 200 residents of Farasin live in a state of fear as the Israeli authorities demolish their homes and tents, pressuring them from their lands to make room for the expansion of the adjacent Halamish settlement. On March 30, the Palestinian government created a village council to independently manage Farasins affairs. It was previously treated as part of the municipality of the neighboring town of Qafin. The head of the Farasin village council, Mohammed al-Nasr, told Al-Monitor that the village faces constant danger and threats, pointing out that the Israeli Civil Administration stormed the village on July 29 and handed its residents 36 demolition notices for homes, tents and barns. It also banned the residents from using the land for agricultural purposes. Nasr said the residents submitted 18 objections, showing title deeds and boundary maps. They are now awaiting the Civil Administrations decisions on their appeals, which also included requests for building permits. Nasr asserted that the residents will not leave their land under any circumstances. They earn their living from agriculture and raising livestock, and are determined to retain their lands despite the lack of basic services. Since the notices arrived on July 29, Israeli military bulldozers demolished a stone and tin house and a 250-cubic-meter water tank, citing unlicensed construction. The owner, who had been served with a military notice, ended up erecting a tent over the rubble. Nasr said that the administration has not given a date for responding to the residents' appeals. The residents fear Israel will carry out large-scale demolitions that would affect the entire village, he said, adding, Israel had denied construction licenses for dozens of residential communities. Yet the residents remained in their village. They still refuse to leave. They will set up tents over the rubble and continue living in them should Israel demolish their houses. The lands registered in the name of residents amount to 6,000 dunams. A flood of Australian celebrities have offered their condolences to Lisa Curry and her family, following the death of her daughter Jaimi at the age of 33. On Monday, Lisa's ex-husband Grant Kenny confirmed that Jaimi had lost her battle with an unspecified illness, prompting an outpouring of grief. Leading the charge was Lisa's former I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! co-star Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who wrote: 'My dear friend! My heart is hurting for you right now! Sending love and light.' Condolences: A flood of Australian celebrities have offered their condolences to Lisa Curry (right) and her family, following the death of her daughter Jaimi (left) at the age of 33 'Jaimi was a beautiful soul inside and out and so very loved. I am here for you,' the TV personality added. Model Tegan Martin, who also starred on I'm a Celebrity alongside Lisa, commented: 'Lis, this is such sad news. I'm so sad for you and your beautiful family. She was so loved. Love you.' Channel 10 presenter Amanda Keller added: 'I can't imagine. Sending love x'. 'My heart is hurting for you': Leading the charge was Lisa's former I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! co-star Natalie Bassingthwaighte, who wrote: 'My dear friend! My heart is hurting for you right now! Sending love and light' Empathy: Channel 10 presenter Amanda Keller added: 'I can't imagine. Sending love' 'She was so loved': Model Tegan Martin, who also starred on I'm a Celebrity alongside Lisa, commented: 'Lis, this is such sad news. I'm so sad for you and your beautiful family' The Block judge Darren Palmer commented: 'So sorry for your tragic loss.' Meanwhile, contestants Kyal and Kara Demmrich added: 'So sorry to hear. Sending you all so much love, Lisa.' The Living Room's Barry Du Bois, who is currently facing his own health battle after being diagnosed with cancer of the immune system, wrote: 'So sorry for your loss, sending love and strength.' Elsewhere, Fat Pizza comedian Tahir Bilgic commented: 'Thinking of you and your whole family, Lisa.' Heartfelt: The Living Room's Barry Du Bois, who is currently facing his own health battle after being diagnosed with cancer, wrote: 'So sorry for your loss, sending love and strength' Tragic: The Block judge Darren Palmer commented: 'So sorry for your tragic loss' Support: The Block contestants Kyal and Kara Demmrich added: 'So sorry to hear. Sending you all so much love Lisa' From the heart: Elsewhere, Fat Pizza comedian Tahir Bilgic commented: 'Thinking of you and your whole family, Lisa' In a gut-wrenching Instagram post on Tuesday morning, former competitive swimmer Lisa spoke of the 'unbearable' grief of losing her eldest child. 'Our hearts are completely broken. Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,' she began her post, which was interspersed with pink floral emojis - an ode to Jaimi's 'love of flowers'. Lisa's update came just hours after her ex-husband, former Ironman Grant Kenny, announced that their 'caring, bright and loving' eldest child had died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The family hasn't revealed the exact cause of death. 'Bright, caring and loving': In a gut-wrenching Instagram post on Tuesday morning (above), former competitive swimmer Lisa spoke of the 'unbearable' grief of losing her eldest child Lisa continued: 'So loved. So beautiful. So kind to everyone... So painful. I can barely breathe. 'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself. Her love of flowers, cooking, art, decorating, photography, babies, the beach, and helping others will always be remembered. 'Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child.' Tragedy: Lisa's update comes after her ex-husband, Grant Kenny, announced that their 'caring and loving' daughter had died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on Monday morning. The family hasn't revealed the exact cause of death. Pictured: Lisa and Jaimi in an undated photo Lisa thanked 'the paramedics, support staff and the incredible team' at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital for the 'extra time we were able to spend with Jaimi'. She added: 'It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for our family and all who knew and loved Jaimi so very much. 'Rest in peace, my beautiful baby. I will miss you every sunrise, I will miss you when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I will miss you when the clouds are dark and stormy and when the rainbow appears. I will miss you when I close my eyes. I will miss you when I open my eyes. I will miss our long hugs and long chats. I will miss watching, feeling and knowing your love for your sister and brother, your little nephew, Cleo, your Ma and dad. 'I just can't believe you're not here anymore. I sit and just shake my head. It doesn't seem real or right. You will forever be with me in my heart, Jaimi. I love you so much.' Sad: 'Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child,' Lisa said Lisa's husband, Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone, also addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Tuesday. 'As the tears flow and the heart aches, I write this as a tribute to beautiful young lady, who's life ended way too soon,' he wrote. 'As your mother and father weep your loss, I too feel lost and heavy hearted. Nobody should ever lose their child. 'You always put everybody else first. You were gifted with many talents, amazing cook, arts and crafts, writing, and your love and creativity with flowers.' Condolences: Lisa's husband, Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone (left), also addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Pictured with Lisa and Jaimi Pillar of support: He thanked the public for their condolences and said his 'job now is to nurture my wife through this unimaginable time' He went on to thank the public for their condolences and said his 'job now is to nurture my wife through this unimaginable time'. The Curry-Kenny family had confirmed Jaimi's death on Monday afternoon, releasing a statement in which they expressed their heartbreak and also asked the public to allow them to 'grieve in privacy'. 'It is with a very heavy heart that Lisa and I confirm that our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital this morning in the company of loving family,' read the statement, which was written by Jaimi's father, Grant. Grieving: Jaimi (centre) is survived by her Ironman father, former pro swimmer mother (right), brother Jett (left) and sister Morgan 'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself,' it continued. 'Our hearts are broken and the pain is immense but we must move forward cherishing every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured first child. 'We thank the incredible team at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital for their tireless commitment to making her better and giving us as the extra time we were able to spend with her. 'It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for family and friends and we trust we will all be allowed to grieve in privacy.' Unclear: Neither the family's statement on Monday nor Lisa's Instagram update on Tuesday specified the exact nature of Jaimi's illness Family ties: Lisa is pictured with her son Jett (left), surviving daughter Morgan (right) and her grandson Flynn Jaimi had just turned 33 in June, with her mother taking to social media at the time to wish her a happy birthday. 'Our first born. Really... where have all those years gone! Have a lovely day bubba. We all love you so much,' Lisa wrote. Jaimi is survived by her Ironman father, former pro swimmer mother, brother Jett and sister Morgan. Neither statement revealed the nature of Jaimi's illness. RIP: Jaimi is pictured as a child with her mother, a three-time Olympian and former swimmer Gone too soon: Jaimi (pictured as a baby with her father, Grant) turned 33 in June Lisa and Grant separated in 2009 after 23 years of marriage, before finalising their divorce in 2017. In May 2018, the three-time Olympian married Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone at their Sunshine Coast hinterland property. In 2013, Grant, 57, welcomed a daughter named Trixie Belle with radio presenter Fifi Box, from whom he had split several months earlier. Fifi, who had a close friendship with Jaimi, did not acknowledge Grant was the father of her daughter until 2016. Co-parents: Lisa and Grant separated in 2009 after 23 years of marriage, before finalising their divorce in 2017. They are pictured with Jaimi on the Sunshine Coast on April 3, 2008 Filipinos usually pour into graveyards on November 1, blending expressions of faith and grief with a party-like atmosphere and impromptu family reunions Cemeteries in the Philippine capital will be closed on All Saints' Day for the first time, officials said Monday, preventing millions in the Catholic-majority country from visiting their dead loved ones as the coronavirus rages. Filipinos usually pour into graveyards on November 1, blending expressions of faith and grief with a party-like atmosphere and impromptu family reunions. But as the number of virus infections continues to rise, mayors across Metro Manila have agreed to shutter the cemeteries for the annual rite to prevent further spread of the contagion. "The reason behind this, of course, is to avoid mass gatherings. We are in a different situation because we are in a pandemic," Jojo Garcia, general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority, told reporters. The authority's spokeswoman Celine Pialago told AFP it would be the first time cemeteries had been closed on All Saints' Day. Cemeteries in the Philippines range from quiet fields of white crosses to dense "apartment" tombs stacked metres high. People in the sprawling capital of 12 million are being encouraged to pay their respects to dead loved ones in the weeks before and after November 1 to avoid crowding. The All Saints' Day ritual stretches back to ancient Rome and honours saints. For the Philippines, it is a day to pray for and remember the deceased by visiting their tombs, lighting candles and offering flowers. Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said the department was considering recommending the closure of cemeteries across the country. Despite six months of tough measures, including travel restrictions and mandatory face masks, the Philippines is struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak. As of Monday it had more than 265,000 confirmed cases, including over 4,600 deaths. mff/amj/rma As the Sept. 6 op-ed on VA privatization points out, the president is bent on privatizing everything he can get his hands on, from the Veterans Administration Health Services (VAHS) to the U.S. Postal Service. Privatization primarily benefits major corporations and their executives, who then send money to politicians running for office, swelling their campaign funds. Privatization does not necessarily improve efficiency, quality or save taxpayer money. The cost of privatization has to include the additional expenses of operating businesses at a profit to benefit stockholders or owners, which includes the cost of advertising, public relations and political support, none of which exist when these functions are handled by not-for-profit government and quasi-government entities such as school boards. Veterans prefer receiving medical, dental and hospital services from the VA rather than private-sector agencies. VA physicians, dentists and other medical providers and hospitals are universally highly appreciated by the millions of veterans who receive them, often on a regular, ongoing basis. Friends of mine have told me that they love their VA doctors and the high level of quality care they receive. The VA is the largest provider of training for medical, dental and other health professionals in the U.S. If these invaluable programs were eliminated, there would be such a loss in medical and dental specialists and other providers the federal government would have to provide money to incentivize additional training programs in the private sector or people would have to wait months, perhaps years, for necessary medical appointments due to a lack of providers. VA hospitals maintain reciprocal relationships with the military, medical and dental schools for shared research, training, service and facility utilization. With privatization, those valuable relationships may cease to the detriment of the military and the medical and dental schools which participated, leading to increased costs for the military and institutions, which may need to be financed by the government. As proud Vietnam-era veterans we dont consider ourselves suckers or losers we dont want to see the VAHS become another insurance company rather than a provider of high-quality health care that best serves the specialized needs of our nations beloved veterans. Privatization simply takes tax dollars out of the VA and puts them into the pockets of millionaires and billionaires. This exact sentiment applies to the post office equally and particularly to Mr. DeJoy, who is one of those billionaires who would directly benefit from the privatization of the post office, a huge conflict of interest if there ever were one. Imperial Valley News Center Russian Project Lakhta Member Charged with Wire Fraud Conspiracy Washington, DC - A criminal complaint was filed Thursday charging a Russian national for his alleged role in a conspiracy to use the stolen identities of real U.S. persons to open fraudulent accounts at banking and cryptocurrency exchanges. According to the allegations in the criminal complaint, Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits, 27, of St. Petersburg, Russia, serves as a manager in Project Lakhta, a Russia-based effort to engage in political and electoral interference operations. Since at least May 2014, Project Lakhtas stated goal in the United States has been to disrupt the democratic process and spread distrust towards candidates for political office and the political system in general. Since 2014, Project Lakhta has sought to obscure its conduct by operating through a number of entities, including the Internet Research Agency (IRA). The Translator Department, where Lifshits served as a manager beginning around January 2017, is alleged to be responsible for much of Project Lakhtas influence operations, which are still ongoing. Lifshits allegedly conspired with other Project Lakhta members to obtain means of identification of real U.S. persons, which the conspirators then used to open fraudulent accounts at banking and cryptocurrency exchanges in the victims names. Lifshits and the conspirators allegedly used these fraudulently opened accounts to both promote Project Lakhtas influence operations and for personal enrichment. Todays charges allege that Russian national, Artem Lifshits, conspired with others to steal Americans identities and use them to open fraudulent bank and cryptocurrency accounts, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. Lifshits participated in this fraud in order to further Project Lakhtas malign influence goals and for his own personal enrichment. This case provides a clear illustration of how these malicious actors fund their covert foreign influence activities and Russias status as a safe-haven for cyber criminals who enrich themselves at others expense. Project Lakhta conspirators used the stolen identities of U.S. persons to further their goals of undermining faith in our democratic institutions and for personal gain, said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Artem Mikhaylovich Lifshits is yet another Russian national charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with engaging in a conspiracy that victimized real U.S. persons and institutions. This case demonstrates that federal law enforcement will work aggressively to investigate and hold accountable cyber criminals located in Russia and other countries, which serve as safe-havens for this type of criminal activity. "According to the complaint, the subject engaged in a wire fraud conspiracy to further Russian foreign influence efforts and to enrich himself and others," said Alan E. Kohler, Jr. FBI Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division. "The FBI will move aggressively to uncover and disrupt any efforts aimed at undermining our democratic institutions." These designations are notable accomplishments in the Secret Services relentless efforts to safeguard the financial system from transnational cyber-crime, said Matthew S. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field office. International cooperation continues to be an essential element in addressing the global challenge of transnational cyber-crime and we greatly appreciate our law enforcement partners for their assistance in this case. The Secret Service will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners to bring transnational cyber criminals to justice. The criminal complaint does not allege that any U.S. citizens knowingly participated in Project Lakhtas influence operations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Carina A. Cuellar are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. In addition to these criminal charges, today the Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Lifshits and two other Project Lakhta actors for sanctions based on the malicious cyber-enabled activity outlined in the complaint. A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. Carlos Sainz has admitted to "frustration" that the current situation in Formula 1 means that the richest team is always the most likely to win. The technical rules are changing markedly for 2022, while the income distribution system will already become fairer next year, when the budget cap will also debut. But at present, McLaren driver Sainz says the current situation means that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are always the most likely to win every race. "Of course there is frustration," said the Spaniard, who is moving to crisis-struck Ferrari for 2021. "But the way F1 works today is that it is clear that the team with the most money will always win," Sainz told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper. "I don't want to take any credit from them, because the way Mercedes is exploiting its full potential right now is spectacular," he added. "In fact, there are teams with similar budgets that are having a hard time reaching their level. But that does not mean that I do not hope that Formula 1 changes. "I think we could have a much more spectacular F1, and I think even Mercedes has realised how exciting a grand prix was without them," Sainz added, presumably referring to the recent Monza race won by Pierre Gasly. "Honestly, behind the Mercedes, our races are always like that," he smiled. (GMM) 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. Dutton You havent seen the original Game of Thrones pilot. Few have. While the HBO fantasy series became a global sensation and the most Emmy-winning drama of all time, the first attempt at bringing George R.R. Martins bestselling novels to life very nearly sunk the series. Below is the first excerpt from the upcoming oral history Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Untold Story of the Epic Series. The book (coming Oct. 6 and available for preorder now) represents the first-ever behind-the-scenes account of making Thrones from start to finish. Its an uncensored look inside the 15-year battle to pull off the show from its earliest meetings to the airing of its final season and is largely told from the perspective of the shows creators, cast, crew and executives. The following picks up midway through the original pilots production in 2009. First-time showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss had struggled for four years to get their fantasy series off the ground. There had been an endless number of meetings, rewrites, negotiations and hiring decisions. "It was a frightening time because it was our first time running a production of any scale," Weiss recalls. "And there are many, many moving parts, human and otherwise, that go into any production, especially one of this size." Finally, the cameras were rolling in Northern Ireland and Morocco. But even the production's most experienced members had never worked on a TV series as ambitious as what Thrones was attempting and some of the veteran actors were getting the sense that not all was well in Westeros... NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU (Jaime Lannister): Nobody knew what they were doing or what the hell this was. During King Roberts arrival I remember finding the whole thing ridiculous. The absurdity of doing this parallel universe with these very noble men. Its a very fine balance between being serious and believing it and just being cosplayers. There was certainly not a sense that this was going to be some game-changer for anyone. But we had a lot of fun. Story continues MARK ADDY (Robert Baratheon): We were trying to establish the rules and order of this new world. In the Winterfell courtyard scene, nobody kneeled when the king arrived in the first pilot. You cant play being the king. You cant display look at how powerful I am. People have to give you that by showing subservience. It has to be afforded to you by others. In the reshoot, everybody kneeled. It made a huge difference in terms of establishing whos in charge. LENA HEADEY (Cersei Lannister): I looked like a Vegas showgirl in the [original] pilot furs and massive hair, like a medieval Dolly Parton. Not that Im complaining, I loved it. My hair devolved. BRYAN COGMAN (then Benioffs assistant; later a co-executive producer): When we first shot the scene where the Starks find the direwolves this was the version you never saw the wonder of what a direwolf was wasnt coming across. It didnt seem important enough to the characters. And Im little assistant Bryan running around the set yelling to anyone who would listen: These are direwolves! No one has seen these in a million years! This is like seeing dinosaurs! Its not like finding puppies! And everyones sort of chuckling. HBO CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN (producer): Joffrey had a different haircut. In the original pilot, it was more pageboy cut, slightly pudding bowl-ish, like Henry V. It wasnt that it didnt suit him being a little shit, but it softened the edge. The modern cut in the version that aired gave him more spitefulness. DAVID BENIOFF (showrunner): At first it seemed to us like it was going well, but that was because we didnt know any better. DAN WEISS (showrunner): As we went on, the cracks turned into bigger cracks, which turned into fissures. You started to feel the wheels coming off by the time we got to Morocco. In Morocco, the production staged the sequence where the smug sociopath Viserys Targaryen sells his sister, Daenerys (played in the first pilot by Tamzin Merchant), into an arranged marriage to the menacing Dothraki warrior Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa). Except this version shot Daeneryss wedding at night, among several other differences. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN (author; co-executive producer): I went to Morocco for Danys wedding in the first pilot. I played a Pentoshi nobleman with beard extensions and an enormous hat. I looked like an idiot, but it was fun. HARRY LLOYD (Viserys Targaryen): I had a different wig. It was titanium and silver, and it was shorter and a bob. Looking back, it was a mistake. There were consultations: Im not like Draco Malfoy, Im not like Legolas how do we do this? IAIN GLEN (Jorah Mormont): It was a bit ragged and, in some ways, ill conceived, and no one had great conviction. Since the wedding was shot at night, quite a lot of money had been spent on seeing absolutely fk-all. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN: There are a couple of stories. As a wedding gift, Khal Drogo gives Daenerys a silver horse and she rides away. For a moment you think shes fleeing. Then she turns the horse around and leaps the horse over a big campfire. Drogo is very impressed, and it starts the relationship on a good note. We tried to film this scene. We got a top stunt rider and a top horse, a silver filly, but the filly would not jump that campfire. She got close and then was like, Theres fire there! and would turn the other way. We tried to film it a half dozen ways. So [director Tom McCarthy] goes, Put out the fire and well do the fire with CGI. They put out the fire and the horse would still not jump the dead fire. Its a smart horse. It knows its not burning now, but it was burning a little while ago! So they had to scrap that sequence, which was unfortunate, as it was a bonding moment between Dany and Khal Drogo. Then came the filming of the wedding night. In the Emilia Clarke version, its rape. Its not rape in my book, and its not rape in the scene as we filmed it with Tamzin Merchant. Its a seduction. Dany and Drogo dont have the same language. Dany is a little scared but also a little excited, and Drogo is being more considerate. The only words he knows are yes or no. Originally it was a fairly faithful version. So were by this little brook. They tied the horses to the trees and theres a seduction scene by the stream. Jason Momoa and Tamzin are naked and having sex. And suddenly the video guy starts to laugh. The silver filly was not a filly at all. It was a colt. And it was getting visibly excited by watching these two humans. Theres this horse in the background with this enormous horse schlong. So that didnt go well either. HBO After the original pilot wrapped filming, Benioff and Weiss presented a rough cut to family and friends to get a sense of how the episode was playing. The experience was, to put it mildly, unpleasant. DAVID BENIOFF: I showed it to my brotherinlaw and sisterinlaw and just watched their reactions. You could tell watching their faces that they were bored. It wasnt anything they said. They were trying to be nice. DAN WEISS: You listen to how sharply the pitch of somebodys voice turns up when they tell you its good Its good! How much higher than their average register is the word good? Thats a gauge of how f---ed you are. Our good was in dog-whistle territory. There were others who werent trying to be nice but were actually trying to be helpful. [Veteran television producer] Craig Mazin told us: You guys have a massive problem. GINA BALIAN (former vice president of drama at HBO): Their screening was the final confirmation for them that we had problems. One frequently cited issue at HBO was that the pilot lacked scope. Thrones was supposed to be an epic fantasy, but the production felt small, particularly for its steep budget and exotic locations. MICHAEL LOMBARDO (former HBO programming president): There were some concerns about whether we were getting enough wide shots. Are we getting the coverage we need? We hired the best costume designer and the best art director and shot this in Northern Ireland and Morocco, yet there was very little scope. I remember the quote was, We could have shot this in Burbank. IAIN GLEN: Some bigwig at HBO said, Why the f--- did we go to Morocco? You cant see f---ing diddly squat, we could have shot it in a car park! GINA BALIAN: Somebody said, It looked like it was shot in my backyard. The tone also felt off, like a series set in the world of Downton Abbey or a Merchant Ivory film, instead of Westeros and Essos. MICHAEL LOMBARDO: Some scenes were fantastic, like at Winterfell with the family. Arya, Sansa, Tyrion. But there was something about it that felt vaguely similar to British period dramas. Another concern was caused by handwringing over the projects fantasy elements. A Song of Ice and Fire is an intensely realistic drama with moments of supernatural magic. But nobody was exactly sure how much Thrones should have of each genre, and it showed. BRYAN COGMAN: Is it fantasy with dramatic trappings? Is it a drama with fantasy trappings? There was a nervousness about the pilot leaning into the fantasy too much ultimately to a fault. Key exposition was cut to make the dialogue sound more real, and as a result, the pilot didnt make much sense. The impulse to not be over-the-top Shakespearian and Tolkien-esque was right youre trying to make it as grounded as possible but this is still an epic fantasy, and if you ignore that, its to the detriment of your story. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN: The biggest thing was Dan and David called me up and had the idea of eliminating Rickon, the youngest of the Stark children, because he didnt do much in the first book. I said I had important plans for him, so they kept him. One confusing aspect wasnt entirely the filmmakers fault they couldnt afford to stage any Kings Landing scenes which more firmly established the Lannister family in the reshoot. But the dialogue didnt help either. The shocking punch of Jaime pushing Bran out the window seemed nonsensical, as viewers didnt realize that Jaime and Cersei were sibling lovers trying to protect their treasonous secret. The producers tried to help explain the shows backstory by adding at least one flashback (of Ned Starks father and brother being killed by the Mad King), but that idea was later scrapped as it just seemed to add to the narrative muddiness. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN: I liked the pilot. I realized later that I was a poor person to judge because I was too close to it. Some didnt know Jaime and Cersei were brother and sister. Well that wasnt a problem for me! My great familiarity with the material made it hard for me to objectively judge. I liked that they kept a considerable level of complexity. Im told Im under penalty of death if I ever show it to anyone. The producers knew they were in deep trouble. Benioff and Weiss drew up a list of what they knew wasnt working and how to fix each issue. DAVID BENIOFF: HBO was very much on the fence. Its a traditional thing at any studio that the last regimes projects are going to be less appealing to the new regime. And this was a very expensive project. DAN WEISS: It seemed like Mike was leaning toward no. He was not at all pleased, and for good reason. He decided maybe it would be better to just take the loss on this one. MICHAEL LOMBARDO: We were in the conference room and had the producers in for a come to Jesus meeting. The question was whether the showrunners thought they nailed it. Because if youre on a different page, thats really a concern. How do we show this pilot to our CEO and convince him to pick this up to series? How do we convince him this is a gamble worth taking? We go into a mode of how do we fix this. DAN WEISS: Wed done a lot of soul searching. The one thing I think we did right is we owned all the mistakes. We didnt point fingers. We said: We know this isnt good, and here is what went wrong and how we would do it differently the next time. We just went down the line. I think they got the sense, which was honest, that we werent coming in trying to explain why the bugs were features. We were all on the same page that where we want to be is many levels up from this. CAROLYN STRAUSS (former programming president at HBO; executive producer): There was a lot of begging and pleading. I think what was clearly evident was that there was a show here. This is why you do a pilot, because youre looking at what works and what doesnt and whether this thing has legs. Once certain things were fixed, this would be a story you can tell over many episodes that keeps moving, with characters that keep evolving, but not so fast that you run out of story. The rough pilot and the revision plan were handed to HBOs copresident Richard Plepler, who was the ultimate decision-maker. The company had already sunk $10 million into a dragon drama. Would they double down? DAVID BENIOFF: We knew going into that screening that his decision was going to make or break us. It was a very tense hour while waiting for a phone call from Gina. DAN WEISS: The line about pain being a great teacher is true. It was so deeply unpleasant to have been given the opportunity to make something like this, an opportunity we knew would most likely never come along again, and then to have the sense there was a 52/48 chance you f---ed it up. It was one of the most horrible feelings I can remember. DAVID BENIOFF: Then Richard came out and said, You know, lets make this. RICHARD PLEPLER (former copresident and CEO of HBO): You could see that some of the casting and the narrative was off. It needed to be fixed; it needed to be reshot. But the overall emotional response was that you could feel how engaging it could be. So just as you could feel there were a range of problems that needed to be addressed, you could equally feel that there was magic in there. DAN WEISS: To his credit, Richard saw through the mistakes to what this could be if the mistakes were fixed. HBO ordered 10 episodes of Game of Thrones, including a reshot pilot. Changes werent only made to the script and the production plan but among the cast and crew as well. First- time TV director Tom McCarthy was replaced on episode one by a top HBO veteran, Tim Van Patten, who had directed many acclaimed episodes of HBO dramas. Meanwhile, British- American actress Jennifer Ehle, whod played Catelyn Stark in the original pilot, had changed her mind about the series. MICHAEL LOMBARDO: The actress who played Catelyn decided she didnt want to move to Northern Ireland. Im like, What? Then you have a conversation with yourself about whether to force her to uphold her contract. In retrospect it was one of the best things that could have happened. Michelle Fairley took over the role and was fantastic. Benioff had spotted Fairley in a London production of Othello, where she played Emilia, whose tragic final scenes of breakdown and murder are not unlike the eventual fate of Catelyn Stark. Emilias not a character I generally notice in Othello, Benioff recounted in Cogmans book Inside HBOs Game of Thrones: Seasons 1 & 2. Iagos wife? Who cares? But Michelle was so absurdly good that I left the theater thinking, Who the hell was that? And is she available? But the teams most difficult decision was to recast Daenerys Targaryen. One source said that breaking the news to Merchant was the hardest phone call [the producers] ever had to make. MICHAEL LOMBARDO: There was a piece of casting we had to rethink, [a role] that was compromised. We all knew Daeneryss journey was critical. Her scenes with Jason just didnt work. JASON MOMOA (Khal Drogo): [Merchant] was great. Im not sure why everything was done. But when Emilia got there thats when everything clicked for me. I wasnt really there until she arrived. BRYAN COGMAN: Everybody involved in making the original pilot scored such a bullseye with so many of our actors. I thought Tamzin did a really good job. Its hard to say why things didnt work out. Ultimately, its obvious Emilia Clarke was born to play that part. Second chances in Hollywood are rare. You take a big swing, you miss, and youre done definitely with that project, and sometimes with your entire career. Game of Thrones was granted a very rare second chance. The producers, cast, and crew were determined not to blow it. HARRY LLOYD: We were very lucky to be given a $10 million-dollar rehearsal. Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon will be published Oct. 6 and is available for preorder now. A version of this story appears in the October issue of Entertainment Weekly, available here or on newsstands beginning Sept. 18. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW. From time to time, Deb Fortier (one of the museums volunteers who's been actively going through old boxes of documents, photos and various artifacts in the hopes of better categorizing them) will bring me a stack of odds and ends shes discovered that she thinks I might find of particular interest. After presenting me with said items, she usually gives me a quick overview of what they are to which I, in turn, say something like, Ill put these off to the side for now and take a longer look at them when I have the chance. A few weeks ago, while I was looking through one of the latest stacks presented to me by Deb, I came across a worn manilla envelope with a postmark dated 1980. Reaching into the envelope I pulled out a photo of a bearded man wearing a hat, whilst striking a pose, while a little girl stands off to the side nearby. Turning over the photo to see if these people were identified, I found the words Grandma and the Blacksmith scribbled on the back of it. Thinking that the photograph was nothing more than another one to put in the unidentified pile, I began to place it back in the envelope when I saw a faded piece of paper inside, took it out and read the following typed-out note: Im enclosing a photograph of my good friend, Mr. Webb, the blacksmith. I believe it should be in the Manistee Museum as he was a useful and well known member of the community in the horse and buggy days. The picture was taken in 1889 by my father, W.J. Forth (whose hobby was photography) in his shop on the northwest corner of Maple and First Streets. When the plate was developed there was I much to their astonishment, I was told. I visited the shop often to watch my father chisel names and dates on the granite tombstones hed sold, and as often crossed Maple Street to watch Mr. Webb shoe the horses. Many, many years later on one of my visits to my hometown, his son, Clinton, a dentist, brought me the picture hed found among his fathers effects. The note was signed, Lulu Forth Vincent and was sent to the museum from Polson, Montana. While the photo and the letter are not the most significant pieces of history in the grand scheme of things, it is worthwhile to take a brief look and remember who the people in this photograph were as well as what connection they have to the history of our city. Using newspapers and a few other miscellaneous documents at the museum, I was able to find out the following: As mentioned, Mrs. Vincents father (the person who took the photograph) was William John (W.J.) Forth, who for 40 years was self-employed in Manistee as a monument contractor. Born on April 4, 1850 in Montpeiler, Vermont, Mr. Forth learned his craft in the Vermont granite quarries as a boy. In the late 1870s he arrived in Manistee and opened a monument/granite works shop. After a few years Forth eventually began operating out of a building formerly located at 96 Maple St. where he continued to work for decades. Forth resided at 379 Second St. with his wife Elizabeth, their two daughters, and one son, Dr. W.S. Forth who grew up to become a local dentist. W.J. Forth passed away on Aug. 25, 1917 and was laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery. Alden H. (A.H.) Webb (the man pictured in the photograph) was born on Nov. 3, 1842 in Bangor, Maine. Learning the trade of a blacksmith, Webb moved to Libertyville, Illinois in 1866 where he supplemented the blacksmith trade by working as a deputy sheriff. In 1882, he arrived in Manistee where he set up his blacksmith shop at 81 Maple St. and became one of the citys most well-known tradesman. He and his family made their home at 65 Poplar St. where two children grew of age: a girl, Olive, and a boy, Clinton (C.C.). Like Mr. Forths son, C.C. Webb would also study to become a dentist and would practice locally for many years. Over time, A.H. Webb continued to supplement the blacksmith trade with law enforcement jobs serving as deputy sheriff under C.A. Waal, William Nungesssor, William Lloyd and August Field as well as being chief of police for a brief period of time. At the time of his passing in 1909 it was made known that he had been in poor health for five years and confined to his bed for six months. According to his obituary published in the Manistee Daily News on July 30, 1909: Yet throughout his long illness he was a most patient sufferer and never once complained. He submitted to two operations in the hope of getting relief, the first in May and the second about two weeks ago. But the result was only to postpone the end. He is laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery. Lulu Forth (the little girl in the photograph) was born on March 12, 1885 in Manistee as the second child of W.J. and Elizabeth Forth. Growing up she attended local schools and in 1913 married William C. Vincent, the son of well-known local engineer and businessman, William Vincent Sr. The couples wedding announcement, published in the Manistee Daily News on Oct. 4, 1913, provides an account of the wedding: The marriage of Miss Lulu A. Forth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Forth, and Mr. William C. Vincent, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Vincent, took place on Wednesday evening at 8 oclock at Holy Trinity Church, Rev. J.E. Wilkinson officiating. Autumn leaves and fall flowers were used as decorations. The wedding was very simple, the bride being unattended except by her father. Her gown was of ivory crepe de chene and she carried a shower bouquet of roses. Following the ceremony a reception was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Forth, at which only relatives were present. Mr. and Mrs. Vincent left Wednesday evening for Red Park to stay a few days, after which they will go to Rapid City, S.D. to visit Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Vincent. They will be at home after Dec. 1 at Springfield, Ill. After some time spent in Springfield the couple moved to Polson, Montana. It was in Polson where they would stay and make a home for themselves with their children. Years passed and in late June of 1980, the aforementioned manilla envelope from Polson, Montana, sent by Lulu Forth Vincent barring the photograph labeled by one of her grandchildren as Grandma and the Blacksmith, arrived at the museum where decades later it was rediscovered by volunteer Deb Fortier. Lulu Forth Vincent would live to the age of 101 when she passed away on March 12, 1986 her birthday. More archival information from the Manistee County Historical Museum can be found online at manisteemuseum.org, and in person at 425 River Street in Manistee. HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today is issuing a Request for Proposals soliciting applications from organizations for projects to improve the availability and affordability of housing across the commonwealth. Funding for this RFP is being provided through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund. The total PHARE funding available this year exceeds $41 million. PHARE receives its funding from the impact fee levied on natural gas drilling companies and a portion of the Realty Transfer Tax. Funding is available for housing initiatives in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. PHFA is charged with administering the allocation of PHARE dollars. "The PHARE program has been providing much needed funding for local housing initiatives for the past eight years," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "It is today more clear than ever that affordable housing is critical for people to be successful in life, and PHARE has proven to be a tremendous tool for helping counties improve their housing resources for local residents." PHARE applications can be completed entirely online, eliminating the need for paper submissions and simplifying the process for applicants. The RFP is located on PHFA's website at https://www.phfa.org/legislation/act105.aspx, and the application is accessible on the PHARE webpage at https://phare.phfa.org/. Applications are due to PHFA no later than 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. PHFA is planning two informational webinars for groups interested in applying for PHARE funds. Both webinars will cover the same information. Webinar dates and times are: Sept. 23 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 29 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Interested groups are encouraged to watch the PHARE webpage, noted above, for links to be posted for webinar registration. Questions also may be directed to Bryce Maretzki at PHFA via email at [email protected] or by phone at 717.780.1867. The PHARE fund has been allocating money for local housing initiatives since 2012. These funds have resulted in significant benefits that include: More than 7,000 individuals and families have received rental or utility assistance More than 2,000 homes have been rehabilitated and preserved for continued use More than 2,500 new rental units have been created 175 new single-family homes have been constructed 400 future home sites have been prepared through site acquisition and demolition More than 200 new residents have received assistance to purchase their first home PHARE funds have been used to leverage an additional $700 million investment in housing across Pennsylvania About PHFA The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $14.8 billion of funding for more than 179,850 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 138,000 rental units, distributed more than $121 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of nearly 50,400 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board. Media contact: Scott Elliott [email protected] 717-649-6522 (cell) SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Related Links http://www.PHFA.org Monday, September 14, 2020 BELLEVUE, WA Democrat Joe Bidens disgusting attempt to exploit the ambush of two Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies to push his anti-gun agenda illustrates the intellectual dishonesty of the gun prohibition mindset, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. The two deputies were shot at close range by an unidentified gunman who can be seen on video raising a handgun to open fire. Yet, the former vice president wasted no time tweeting about weapons of war while declaring, We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Neither an assault rifle or high capacity magazine visibly were used in the crime. Just when you thought Joe Bidens lifelong crusade against firearms couldnt go any lower, he grabs a shovel and starts digging, said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. This illustrates the bankruptcy of the gun prohibition movement. Theyll use a horrific tragedy as a starting point to push their own agenda, which typically has no factual relation to the incident theyre exploiting. There is a heavy disconnect between reality and what the gun control lobby would have people think, he continued, and Bidens attempt to capitalize on this cowardly act by calling for a ban on a type of firearm that wasnt even used is intentionally misleading. Law enforcement agencies are searching for a suspect, and there is a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. The wounded deputies, described as a 24-year-old male and 31-year-old female, were reportedly in stable condition Monday following surgery. We have watched the video of this craven act several times, which is apparently something Biden didnt do even once before he sent out that self-serving tweet, Gottlieb stated. Instead of calling for a ban on a gun that wasnt involved, perhaps Joe Biden should instead focus on the people who gathered outside of the hospital yelling they hope the deputies would die, and simply tell them to shut up and go home. Bidens remarks illustrate an almost amoral attitude about a terrible crime, he said. He seems more interested in how he might use this tragedy to advance his anti-gun-rights agenda than he is about the lives of the two wounded deputies. Were not sure what to call that, but its not moral leadership. The provincial government is under fire for not consulting with Indigenous groups before deciding to turn over the Lifeflight air-ambulance service to STARS, which recently hired a former cabinet minister of Premier Brian Pallister. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (493 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The provincial government is under fire for not consulting with Indigenous groups before deciding to turn over the Lifeflight air-ambulance service to STARS, which recently hired a former cabinet minister of Premier Brian Pallister. "We do not have a voice under the Pallister plan and this Manitoba government," said Alex McDougall, the medical director for four reserves in the Island Lake region (600 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg). Doctors Manitoba, which represents physicians working for both services, said it has questions about how service will be impacted, but is looking forward to a meeting with the province. The Lifeflight air-ambulance service was established in 1985. It provides interfacility air ambulance transport for critically ill or injured Manitobans from areas outside a 200-kilometre radius of Winnipeg. Doctors Manitoba has dubbed the service "essentially an ICU with wings." Last Friday, the province announced that Lifeflight will be absorbed by STARS, a private, not-for-profit operator, in December. Since 2011, STARS has provided helicopter air-ambulance services for southern Manitoba patients. The non-profit is funded by government dollars as well as corporate fundraising. The province insists it will maintain adequate service for patients, and that the same aircraft will be involved. But doctors and nurses want answers on whether the deal will change the personnel involved, and their level of training. About one-fifth of Lifeflights 400 to 500 annual deployments involve First Nations reserves. Yet northern chiefs say theyre only being consulted about the transfer to STARS after the fact. The province has set a meeting this week with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents northern reserves. The group asked for consultation last fall, and in spring 2019 expressed fears privatization would hurt patient safety. A spokesman for Shared Health, the government agency that took over Lifeflight last fall, did not list any consultation with Indigenous groups, saying meetings would occur before the The Lifeflight air-ambulance service was established in 1985 to provide inter-facility air ambulance transport for critically ill or injured Manitobans from areas outside a 200-kilometre radius of Winnipeg. (Ken Gigliotti / Winnipeg Free Press files) December handover to STARS. Shared Health also insisted Monday that like Lifeflight, STARS will have doctors decide what mix of staff are best for patients. "No impact to patients is anticipated to occur as a result of this transition, either during the notice period or after STARS has assumed responsibility for the service," wrote spokesman Kevin Engstrom. He noted that STARS personnel have already staffed Lifeflight transports "on occasion for the last number of months, providing their physician, nurse, paramedic team at different points in time." On Monday, the Manitoba Liberals cried foul, pointing out that recent Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer, who was defeated in last falls election, is now listed as a director for STARS. The Liberals also noted a 2014 provincial audit that found STARS flights were two to six times more expensive than Manitobas other air-ambulance programs, and concerns about oxygen delivery dating back to that year. The party also decried the deal as a sole-sourced contract that would lead to poorer service. 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 Pallister government responded that it instead extended the existing STARS contract, and dismissed concerns over Mayers employment. "This contract extension will provide consistent, reliable air-ambulance service for Manitobans. Any suggestion otherwise is without merit and does a disservice to the dedicated professionals at STARS," wrote a government spokesman. The lack of clarity and consultation is just the latest turbulence since the Pallister government said in early 2018 that it wanted to privatize the service. That fall, all 16 Lifeflight doctors threatened to quit over privatization. In January 2019, unions asked Lifeflight nurses not to take on work outside their range of duties amid concerns about physician short-staffing, which caught the PC government off guard. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca There's something different about North Stradbroke Island; small shacks, quiet streets and a lifestyle that values less rather than more. The architecture of Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah, is a reflection of its community and history, full of ramshackle add-ons with different materials tacked together, large unfenced blocks and a holiday feel. Shaun Lockyer's Straddie shack can comfortably house up to eleven people. Some of the island's architects - big names in the industry - have set about celebrating the uniqueness of Straddie, from its unchanging lifestyle to the community that makes sure it stays that way. On the weekend, architects Shaun Lockyer, Paul Butterworth and Justin ONeill hosted a tour of Straddie's shacks, as part of the Brisbane Open House program. Chinas tourism sector is expected to receive a further boost during the upcoming eight-day combined holiday for the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, which will run from Oct.1 to 8. This years Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Oct. 1, coinciding with National Day, adding an extra day to the seven-day National Day holiday. Tiananmen Square during National Day holiday in 2018. (Photo/CRI Online) From Aug. 31 to early September, the number of people searching online for train tickets for trips during the upcoming holiday surged by 83 percent from last year. Tickets for certain trips during the holiday are all sold out, according to data from qunar.com, a leading online travel services platform in China. Data from Chinese online travel services and social networking platform Mafengwo showed that the first small travel peak of this years combined holiday for the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival is expected to start ahead of Sept. 26, as many young people plan to ask for four days leave so that they can enjoy more than 10 days of travel. The major travel peak will arrive on Sept. 30 and Oct.1, while some tourists who plan to enjoy short and medium-distance tours will start their trips on Oct. 3 to avoid the travel rush, suggested Mafengwo. 80 percent of the people surveyed by aoyou.com, a Chinese travel services website, plan to travel during the upcoming holiday, with white-collar workers between the ages of 26 and 45 accounting for 80 percent of the total. Its also worth noting that modes of travel such as small-scale group tours, customized tours and road trips have become popular as people are now more aware of the necessity of epidemic prevention and control. Customized tours are witnessing rapid development and rocketing popularity, with more than 40 percent of tourists preferring this novel way to travel for the eight-day combined holiday, according to relevant data. The number of orders for customized tours during this years Golden Week holiday has increased by 24 percent year on year, indicated data from Mafengwo. In addition, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Chinese people have shown increasing preference for road trips which are freer and safer. Online searches on the topic road trips during National Day holiday have seen a 153-percent month-on-month surge, suggested big data from Mafengwo. Southwest Chinas Yunnan province, Guizhou province, Sichuan province, Chongqing municipality, Tibet autonomous region and east Chinas Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Shanghai municipality, Shandong province, and Fujian province are the top 10 popular domestic tourist destinations for the combined holiday, with Yunnan being the most popular among tourists. In addition to the traditional popular travel destinations during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, such as Sanya, Lijiang, Kunming, Xiamen, Xian, Lhasa, Harbin, Guiyang, Chengdu, and Jiuzhaigou, other tourist destinations in the northwest of China have become hugely popular this year, with the number of relevant online searches surging by 475 percent from the previous year, according to data released by Chinas largest online travel platform Ctrip. Sightseeing tours of destinations such as deserts, great rivers and Danxia landforms as well as activities including camel-riding camel and visits to the ruins of the ancient Silk Road in northwestern China have become popular choices this year, suggested data from Ctrip. This combined eight-day holiday will be the last statutory holiday in China this year, which is also one of the main reasons for the growing enthusiasm of Chinese people for travels. With more tourists going out to enjoy their travels during the upcoming holiday, Chinas tourism sector is set to see a faster recovery, said Luo Jun, co-founder of Tujia, a Chinese online platform for vacation rentals, and Sweetome, a Shanghai-based global accommodation sharing operator. At least four southern Ontario school boards, including three in the GTA, reported at least one COVID-19 case in their communities Sunday. Three of the schools are Louise Arbour Secondary School in Brampton, Our Lady of Fatima CES in Woodbridge and Walpole North Elementary in Hagersville, just south of Brantford. Each school put out a letter to parents and students notifying them of the cases and how they will be dealing with them moving forward. The Halton District School Boards COVID-19 Advisory Committee also reported that Garth Webb Secondary School in Oakville and Brant Hills Public School in Burlington each have one case, according to its COVID-19 Advisory page. Sharron Kuhl, principal of Louise Arbour in Brampton, says additional cleaning would be done at the school on Sunday, as part of regular protocol. It is important to share that the person got the virus in the community, not at our school, said Kuhl. In Hagersville, Randy Ongena, principal of Walpole North Elementary, is urging students, staff and anyone else who has come in close contact with the infected individual, to self-isolate for the next 14 days. Students and staff were identified through contact tracing as we provided the health unit with our class lists and seating charts as well as information related to transportation and any other special assignments, says Ongena in the letter. In Woodbridge, the person who contracted COVID was a staff worker at the before-and-after school program at Our Lady of Fatima CES, the director of education says. Following an investigation by York Regional Public Health, it was found that the staff member was not showing any symptoms and was following all COVID-19 guidelines including wearing both a mask and face shield and keeping distance. Mary Battista, interim director of education at York Catholic District School Board, informed parents that the case is low risk, however students and staff in the program are still being asked to self-isolate for 14 days. I recognize that this news may cause anxiety and concern, I want to reassure you that we are taking the situation very seriously, said Battista in a letter. Classes will continue on Monday at all the schools. Correction Sept. 14, 2020: This story has been edited to correct Mary Battistas position with the York Catholic District School Board. Breanna Xavier-Carter is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: bxavier@thestar.ca Read more about: The director of a Houston funeral home tried to embezzle millions of dollars from loans designed to help small businesses during the pandemic, pretending to own businesses that happen to belong to the largest Italian oil and gas corporation, federal investigators said. Jase DePaul Gautreaux, the director of Wingate Funeral Home in the Almeda area, filed multiple fraudulent applications with bogus businesses and inflated payrolls to qualify for more funds, in a scheme to steal over $13 million from taxpayers money, federal prosecutors said. Gautreaux is among a handful of Texans accused of trying to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES, according to the Department of Justice. His is among four Houston cases and eight statewide currently under indictment, but at $13 million, may be one of the largest sums attempted by an individual. With the federal government beginning to take cases such as Gautreauxs to court, Texas leads the country in PPP fraud indictment cases, which include over 50 individuals charged nationwide by the DOJs Criminal Division. The PPP program provides forgivable loans backed by the Small Business Administration intended to cover, principally, payroll expenses to keep people employed and businesses running during the pandemic. With a $659 billion budget, the PPP loan received one of the highest fund allocations among all the programs included in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, passed by Congress in March. We estimate that over $1 billion in verifiable criminal fraud exists in the Payroll Protection Program, said Tom Miller, CEO of the risk management firm ClearForce, a company that has worked in fraud discovery with an SBA qualified lender of PPP loans.Whats concerning is that verifiable criminal fraud is just a subset of the total fraud that likely exists in the program. More in Texas Data from the SBA shows that almost 417,300 applications for PPP loans have been approved in Texas as of Aug. 8, when the program ended, comprising $41 billion. The number of PPP loans issued in the state represents 8% of all loans approved in the country, a share exceeded only by California, with 12%, and Florida with 8 %. But even though Texas received fewer loans among the top three states, it has the largest share of all fraud cases prosecuted by the DOJ, with over 20% as of the end of August. Texas may have the most because the state just happens to have the investigative and prospective resources to be first to market, said Victor Hartman, an attorney and former FBI agent in Houston who worked in cases such as the fraud that collapsed the Enron Corporation. Another reason could be either because small businesses here were quicker to apply or because the SBA and authorized lenders worked faster to meet the regions demand for assistance, said Andrew Goldstein, an attorney at Cooley LLP. In the early days of the PPP program, Texans received more loans than in any other state, said Goldstein, who was a top deputy to special counsel Robert Mueller. Goldstein explained that by April 16, about two weeks after the PPP program began, almost 135,000 loans were already approved in Texas. By comparison, California had roughly 113,000 at the time and Florida, 89,000. He said that the number of prosecutions would even out among states in the coming months as investigators continue to prioritize COVID-19 fraud. Car extravaganza The criminal complaint against Gautreaux reflects several characteristics that PPP fraud has in common, said Juan Vasquez, an attorney at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Houston who specializes in tax controversy and auditing. He noted that typical examples are filing applications for businesses that do not exist or where the applicant does not truly have the authority to apply, or providing false information about the businesses such as the number of employees or amount of true payroll costs. When the loan is secured, Vasquez said another fraudulent behavior is using funds for non-qualifying expenditures, typically on expensive products for personal gain. Cars are at the top of the shopping list of many people charged by the DOJ. Gautreaux allegedly sent a check for almost $300,000 to a dealer in New York to buy two limousines and two hearses. Federal authorites have recuperated part of the money he is accused of pocketing. Gautreauxs lawyer, Joshua Lake, declined to comment for this story. But it was the flashiness of a luxurious Lamborghini Urus allegedly bought with a PPP loan by another Houston resident, Lee Price III, that lent his case more notoriety. The criminal complaint against him says he also bought a Ford pickup truck and spent money in strip clubs with a $1.6 million loan. The government has presented me with nothing to suggest that my client is guilty, said Prices attorney Kent Schaffer. They are focusing on how my client spent the money instead of the way the money was obtained; they are presuming all the money he spent came from the loan and not from his business. The criminal complaint accuses Price of applying to several loans for businesses that do not have records of employees and revenues required to be reported to Texas authorities. It says that Price claimed to have 50 workers in one of the companies and that he lied about his criminal record, particularly unrelated current felony charges of tampering with a government record. According to the DOJ, Michael George McQuarn, from Austin, opted to spend part of a $2 million loan on a Rolls Royce and a 26 Pavati Wake boat. In another case, the agency said that Fahad Shah, a wedding planner from Murphy, Texas, bought a Tesla vehicle with part of the $1.5 million he received. Investments in real estate and even cryptocurrency are also popular items. The latter was the main expenditure mentioned in the indictment of Joshua Thomas Argires, from Houston. He allegedly filed fraudulent applications seeking more than $1.1 million on behalf of supposed small businesses called Texas Barbecue and Houston Landscaping. His lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Aisha Dennis, declined to comment citing her offices policy. Lola Shalewa Barbara Kasali, 22, faces charges including making false statements to a financial institution to secure almost $2 million in connection with two businesses named Lolas Level and Charm Hair Extensions. Prosecutors said the funds were confiscated before being spent. The government's challenge to crack down on a program as large as the PPP, as well as other CARES Act packages, has unprecedented characteristics. The past 10 years or so have created a favorable environment for fraudsters, and the COVID epidemic has thrown a target-rich opportunity into that environment for them, said Jon Coss, executive officer and founder of Thomson Reuters Corporations Pondera Solutions, which specializes in data analytics to combat fraud. Coss explained that easy access to stolen identities from massive security breaches, and technical advances to create fake ones offer fraudsters opportunities to scale their operations significantly. They are now more capable of hiding among legitimate applicants as government entities are still technologically behind and under increased pressure to offer more online and readily available services. The CARES Act, however, created a host of oversight measures that include multiple agencies. At the minimum, the government said all loans of $2 million or over would be audited. PPP fraud cases currently prosecuted show that investigators are cracking down on lesser amounts as well, even with the limitations that COVID-19 has imposed on investigators and courts. olivia.tallet@chron.com Twitter: @oliviaptallet Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 13:26 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b05a9 1 City COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,Pondok-Ranggon,coronavirus Free The Pondok Ranggon cemetery in East Jakarta has recorded the highest number of funerals in a week since its establishment as a COVID-19 burial location in March. Nadi, the cemetery's management officer, said 213 bodies had been buried under COVID-19 protocol at Pondok Ranggon last week. "Last week, we buried 213 bodies. Previously, we buried an average of 180 bodies per week," Nadi said on Sunday. However, Nadi said he didn't know how many of the deceased had been confirmed to be COVID-19 positive. Nadi explained that his team had buried 29 bodies on Monday last week, 32 on Tuesday, 30 on Wednesday, 40 on Thursday, 27 on Friday, 27 on Saturday and 28 on Sunday. Thursday also saw the highest number of bodies buried under COVID-19 protocol in a day at the cemetery since the pandemic was first confirmed in the country in March. The spike came less than two weeks after the cemetery had announced its previous highest daily burial on Aug. 31 with 36 bodies. Nadi said the Pondok Ranggon cemetery expected to run out of space for COVID-19 graves in October because of the recent increase in the number of burials. "There is only space left for another 1,100 burials in the cemeterys southern area of 7,000 square meters. The capacity is likely to be critical in mid-October, Nadi said as quoted by kompas.com. It is estimated that, in October, the remaining land may only accommodate 380 to 400 bodies. As of Monday, Jakarta has recorded 54,864 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 12,440 active cases and 1,410 fatalities. (nal) NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Octane , a Fintech company founded in 2014 to better serve the lending needs of the powersports market, today announced it has acquired the digital assets of Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Cycle Volta from Bonnier Corp. "We are acquiring these titles because we want to support brands that get people excited about powersports," said Jason Guss, CEO of Octane. "Our goal for this acquisition is to ensure that unbiased product reviews, rigorous and objective testing, and informed storytelling will continue to be available to powersports enthusiasts. When combined with Octane's financing platform and dealership partners, consumers will soon be able to go directly from researching their dream vehicle to owning it, in a fast, seamless process." "Since acquiring Cycle World in 2011, Bonnier has invested in best-in-class motorcycle content across all media channels, and it is gratifying to see that Octane recognizes and values the consumer trust that these brands enjoy," said David Ritchie, CEO, Bonnier Corp. "We are encouraged by their commitment to content and look forward to seeing these brands continue to grow." Bonnier Corp. will help produce Cycle World's final print issue in October 2020; existing print subscribers will receive a digital edition beginning in 2021. Among the growing brands being acquired, 58-year-old Cycle World reaches more people now than ever. The brand engages more than 1 million consumers monthly, with more than 90 percent of those interactions occurring online. Octane will invest in digital content and website development to further solidify Cycle World's dominance in this space. Octane looks forward to welcoming Mark Hoyer, VP, Editorial Director of the brands, and his exceptional editorial team. Octane's mission is to connect people with their passions. The powersports market (motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, PWCs, snowmobiles) is fast and fun, but too many consumers find the financing experience that powers the majority of purchases to be slow and frustrating. Octane believes that buying a powersports vehicle should be as satisfying as owning one. In order to deliver instant financing offers, Octane developed an automated technology platform that offers prequalification for customers. About Octane: Octane is a Fintech company whose mission is to connect people with their passions. With a focus on the powersports market, Octane reaches riders through editorial brands such as Cycle World ( https://www.cycleworld.com/ ) and UTV Driver ( https://www.utvdriver.com/ ), and helps consumers buy their favorite vehicles with instant, frictionless financing. On Octane.co, powersports shoppers can research vehicles, prequalify for a loan, and instantly check rates with no obligation and no impact to their credit. Octane connects customers with partnered dealerships, where they can complete their purchase with financing. Octane works with more than 3,500 dealers in the USA, provides financing coverage for most major powersports makes, and offers promotional financing with low rates for more than 40 brands. About Bonnier Corp.: Bonnier Corp. is an American enthusiast media publishing group, which includes more than 15 multichannel brands extending into all platforms, including magazines, digital media, events and product licensing. Bonnier Corp.'s iconic brands include Popular Science, Saveur, Field & Stream, Yachting, Flying, Sailing World, Salt Water Sportsman, Working Mother and Outdoor Life. Other business subsidiaries include Bonnier Events, a full-service promotion and events group, and Working Mother Media's diversity and inclusion consulting group. Bonnier Corp. is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating media conglomerate. Brands and Websites Acquired by Octane: Cycle World https://www.cycleworld.com/ Motorcyclist https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/ Dirt Rider https://www.dirtrider.com/ Motorcycle Cruiser https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/ UTV Driver https://www.utvdriver.com/ ATV Rider https://www.atvrider.com/ Cycle Volta https://www.cyclevolta.com/ Click her e to download a high-resolution file of the Octane logo. SOURCE Octane Related Links https://octane.co Its worth remembering that the biggest year for equity issuance by the E&P sector wasnt when oil averaged $100 or more the years leading up to 2014 but 2016, when oil plunged below $30. The narrative of shales resilience, of oils inevitable rebound, of growth, of OPECs omnipotence persuaded investors to look past the carnage of the oil crash and the copious red ink. In the absence of earnings, E&P stocks were borne aloft on higher multiples. Only in the past couple of years have investors seemed to wise up, responding to falling oil prices with falling multiples. In other words, theyre not buying the rebound story until they see hard (and thus far elusive) evidence of it. A 75-year-old man who was investigated by his employer after he was wrongly accused in emails of being a "peeping Tom" has been awarded $20,600 in damages for defamation. The NSW District Court heard the man worked for free as chairman of the strata committee of a mixed retail and residential complex in Church Street, Parramatta, and inspected the windows of an upstairs unit following a report they were broken during a storm. The building complex in Parramatta at the centre of the defamation case. Credit:Edwina Pickles Following that inspection, the owner of the unit emailed the president of the owners corporation and 17 other people, saying his tenant had complained about the man "walking along the balcony" outside and "attempting to look through the windows". The email, sent on August 30 last year, questioned whether the strata committee had "turned into a 'Peeping Tom' committee". With the dust settling on a very different Venice Film Festival it was a stylish Cate Blanchett who bid farewell to the picturesque Italian city for another year on Sunday. The Australian actress, 51, caught the eye in a check blazer and skinny leather trousers as she left her hotel following the festival's closing ceremony the previous evening. She added to her look with a classic white T-shirt from Swedish high street chain COS, while tasteful black leather ankle boots rounded things off. She's off: With the dust settling on a very different Venice Film Festival it was a stylish Cate Blanchett who bid farewell to the picturesque Italian city for another year on Sunday In accordance with current safety guidelines the actress covered her instantly recognisable features with a face mask while making her way to the airport. The previous evening Cate, who served on this year's Venice jury, joined the celebrations as US-produced Nomadland won the coveted Golden Lion prize. The film - directed by Chinese-born Chloe Zhao - stars Oscar winner Frances McDormand as a widow who lives as a nomad after the 2008 economic crisis. Looking good: The Australian actress, 51, caught the eye in a check blazer and skinny leather trousers as she left her hotel following the festival's closing ceremony the previous evening Cate explained that the winner had been chosen are 'healthy and robust', with star Frances accepting the award via. Zoom. The 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival was also the first live event since the COVID-19 pandemic began to introduce a live audience, though all guests were required to wear masks and only half of the seats in the venues were used to ensure social distancing. New Order - directed by Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco - and Wife of a Spy - which was brought to life by Japan's Kiyoshi Kurosawa - were awarded with Silver Lions. Well done: The previous evening Cate, who served on this year's Venice jury, joined the celebrations as US-produced Nomadland won the coveted Golden Lion prize Franco's work also received the Grand Jury prize, while Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky was awarded with the Special Jury prize for his period film Dear Comrades!, about the massacre of protesters in the USSR in 1962. Cate's outing comes after she revealed she prefers to be referred to as an actor than an actress, as she often found the latter term to be used in a 'pejorative sense'. Throwing her support behind Berlin International Film Festival's new plan to do away with gendered awards, she told AFP: 'I have always referred to myself as an actor. 'I am of the generation where the word actress was used almost always in a pejorative sense. So I claim the other space.' The $70 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy program has potentially been rorted by thousands of businesses but not one has been penalised despite more than 8000 tip-offs to the tax office and 2200 employees found to be on multiple applications for payments. JobKeeper began on March 30 and until August 26, more than 15,000 businesses have been removed from the scheme after the Australian Tax Office found them to be ineligible. During the same period, the ATO received 8000 tips from the public pointing to 6250 businesses or sole traders who may have been rorting the system. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's JobKeeper scheme has helped out Australia's largest listed companies to the tune of $1.8 billion. Credit: The ATO has told more than 8000 businesses they may need to repay JobKeeper money because their paperwork did not adequately demonstrate their eligibility. To get onto JobKeeper, employers and sole traders estimate their turnover has, or will likely, fall by 30 per cent or more (if turnover is under $1 billion). For bigger firms, a drop of 50 per cent or more is needed. Businesses are expected to provide evidence of revenue declines. Illegal small-scale gold miners in DR Congo, such as those who were killed when their makeshift mine collapsed last week, are the often-exploited first link in a supply chain that extends to Dubai, according to experts. The bodies of 22 artisanal miners have been recovered as of Monday, a resident at the scene told AFP, after torrential rain flooded their mine in the eastern town of Kamituga three days before. The mining town's mayor has said 20 local families have reported missing loved ones. Rescue efforts continued on Monday to find any survivors of the mining disaster, which are all to common in the vast central African country's volatile east. The "diggers", as the artisanal miners are known, were searching for gold at the site of a subsidiary of Canadian gold mining company Banro. Banro announced last year it was suspending its operations at the site in the South Kivu province. DR Congo's artisanal miners risk their lives in dangerous mines to extract gold and sell it to local traders. "In Kamituga, you can find 300 purchasing counters," said Raoul Kitungano, of the Congolese campaign group Justice Pour Tous (Justice for All). These traders then export the gold to bordering countries -- mainly Burundi and Uganda. The trade almost entirely escapes the Congolese authorities, a blow in a country of huge mineral wealth where 72 percent of the population live on less than $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank. - Smuggled to the Middle East - A United Nations expert report published last year said "a senior official of the mining administration in South Kivu assessed that about 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) of undeclared gold transited each month" through the provincial capital Bukavu. "But provincial government statistics showed about five kilogrammes a month on average," the report said. A lawyer specialising in mining, Me Lambert Djunga, emphasised how the miners are exploited. "Local traders resell the product of the work of poorly paid artisanal miners to cross-border traffickers, who in turn illegally export the product mainly to Bujumbura or Kampala," he told AFP. Rescue efforts continue to find any survivors of the mining disaster / AFP/File The Burundian and Ugandan capitals are home to trading posts that then sell the gold on "at high prices to the Gulf monarchies or to Europe," the lawyer added. The trade route he described was matched by the UN report, which said that "most Congolese gold was smuggled through neighbouring countries to Dubai as the main destination". Djunga said the gold found in these makeshift mines represents 25 percent of industrial production in DRC's gold-rich regions -- South Kivu and particularly Ituri. There is a staggering disparity between what the "diggers" are paid and what the gold is ultimately worth. Gold prices have soared during the coronavirus pandemic as investors seek a safe haven, hitting an all-time high of $2,000 per ounce last month. - 'At the mercy of traffickers' - As well as gold, the Democratic Republic of Congo also has huge reserves of cobalt, copper and coltan. The World Bank estimates that 10 million people -- 12.5 percent of the 80 million population -- in DRC "derive their livelihoods from artisanal and small-scale mining". The loss in potential value from the gold in these eastern areas, which are riven by poverty and grinding conflict between armed groups, could be immense. The UN report said it "documented that some armed groups continued to finance their activities through illegal mining, thereby contaminating the supply chain". After Friday's Kamituga disaster, President Felix Tshisekedi said he asked the government to "take strong measures so that such tragedies are not repeated". The public service Saemape is supposed to provide "technical and financial assistance" to mining cooperatives. But Justice Pour Tous's Kitungano said Saemape "has failed in its mission", and called for reform to close the "many loopholes". Lawyer Djunga had another suggestion. "I invite the authorities to allow the Central Bank of the Congo, like it did under (former dictator) Mobutu Sese Seko, to buy artisanal production from real artisanal miners, instead of putting them at the mercy of these traffickers who pay them almost nothing compared to the selling price," he said. Warning: disturbing footage. Washington: US President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday (Monday AEST) denounced the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and called for the gunman, who remains at large, to face harsh punishment. The LA County Sheriff's Department said on Saturday night that the two deputies "were ambushed as they sat in their patrol vehicle" in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton and were shot multiple times, leaving them in critical condition. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, shows Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva taking questions at a late-night news conference about the condition of two Sheriff's deputies in Compton, California. Credit:AP The department later released a video that appeared to show a suspect walking up to a parked police car, pointing a gun at the passenger side window and then running away. New Delhi: Television sets could cost you dearer this festive season as the price is expected to increase by 20 to 30 percent in October, industry sources say. The price could hurt customers who were looking forward to purchase TV sets on Diwali or Navratri sales, a report in Moneycontrol said. According to experts the price hike is the result of a spike in panels that are key component in television sets. About 60 percent of the price of TV is the cost of the panel that makes the screen. Few panel makers are also trying to create an artificial shortage so that the price of TV sets increase, sources said. The panels were mostly imported from China. The sudden inventory shortage was conveyed to several TV companies just weeks ahead of supply, a TV dealer said. This festive season could witness lower discounts to customers. We will have to pass on the cost increase to customers because TV panel prices are rising by 20-25 percent. Slowdown and aggressive demand are being cited as the reason for the price rise," the TV dealer speaking to Moneycontrol said. The open cell panel was earlier imported from Chinese markers. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the manufacturing in China was shut till April which halted the production of the final product in India. According to Arjun Bajaaj , Director of Videotex International that has the Daiwa and Shinco TV brands in India, the television prices could go up by 20-30 percent and may go beyond if the prices for open-cell continue to increase. As a result of the hike, the dealers in India couldnt import the television sets, as the government has dissuaded dealers from importing TV sets. The duty on the imported TV is at 20%. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who the West says was poisoned allegedly with a Novichok nerve agent, is regaining mobility and able to leave his bed, the Berlin hospital treating him said on Monday. The improvement in his condition came as two European laboratories corroborated the findings that the Soviet-era military grade nerve agent was used on the Kremlin critic, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to demand President Vladimir Putin to shed light on the attempted murder. Hitting back at doubts raised by Russia about the German investigation, Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin had asked France and Sweden for an independent review of the German evidence on the basis of new samples from Navalny. The results of this review at specialised laboratories in France and Sweden are now available and confirm the German evidence of the use of the banned weapons-grade substance, Seibert said. The results prompted Macron to tell the Russian president in telephone talks that it was imperative that all light be shed, without delay, on the circumstances of this attempted murder and who is responsible, the French presidency said in a statement. Putin fired back that the claims remained unsubstantiated accusations based on nothing against the Russian side. In an interview with the RTVI television network on Monday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of going beyond all the limits of decency and reasonableness. Our Western partners look at us arrogantly, but we too have the right to doubt their claims of professionalism, he said. Germany was still waiting for the outcome of a separate evaluation by the OPCW global chemical weapons watchdog, Seibert said. On September 13, scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Childrens Research Institute released the first-ever high-powered microscopic images of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lungs airways. A team of scientists, including Camille Ehre, captured the COVID-19 infection progressing on the lab-grown respiratory tract cells which demonstrates the intensity of the infection across lung tissues and how rapidly it could spread to others. Images depict a large number of coronavirus particles settled on the human respiratory surfaces which were first recorded as monochrome, then later re-colourized and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to the scientists, the images released show the infectious form of SARS-CoV-2 as released by infected host cells onto respiratory surfaces. Scientists first injected the novel coronavirus into the laboratory bronchial epithelial cells of the human lungs and then examined the progress of the COVID-19 respiratory disease for almost 96 hours with a high-powered scanning electron microscopy. Later, the images of the coronavirus on the human respiratory surface were captured that also suggest the importance of the usage of masks, given the large amount of the virus burden observed in the lung airways. Large viral load is a source for the spread of infection to multiple organs and determines the frequency of coronavirus transmission to others, scientists explained in the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read: Scientists Come Up With Atomic-level Resolution View Of Coronavirus' replication System Read: Hong Kong Authorities To Unveil Additional COVID-19 Relief Measures After $37bn Package Hairy ciliated cells infected The scientists from the University of North Carolina (UNC) suggest in the study that the large coronavirus burden on the respiratory surfaces could rapidly lead to the infection of multiple organs in a coronavirus positive individual. Therefore, to limit the amount of this virus load, that determines the intensity of the illness, the use of masks must be mandated. In the images, it can be seen that the hairy ciliated cells in the lungs are infected with strands of mucus attached to cilia tips. These hair-like structures transport mucus and trapped viruses from the surface of airway epithelial cells in the lungs. The density of the coronavirus on the human airway epithelia can be seen in the images, which also depict the large number of virions produced and released per cell in the respiratory system. Virion is an entire virus particle consisting of an outer protein shell (capsid) and an inner core of nucleic acid (either RNA or DNA), Scientists explained in the study. Read: Chinese Virologist Claims COVID-19 Originated From Wuhan Lab, Offers Evidence Read: Post-COVID-19 Care Gains Equal Importance With Daily Recoveries Exceeding 70,000 Mar (Images Credit: New England Journal of Medicine.) Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, Sept. 14, and tales of both narrow escapes and tragedies are emerging from Californias wildfire zones. Heres what you need to know to start your day. The thick, hazardous smoke that cloaked the Bay Area for several days amid a string of wildfires will begin to fade slowly this week as winds shift and temperatures drop, meteorologists say. Winds blowing from the southwest today could make way for clearer skies and better air quality, particularly in the North Bay, said Ryan Walbrun of the National Weather Service. Its going to take a while to flush things out. But there is some hope, Walbrun said. Read more from Tatiana Sanchez. California wildfires cooperated over the weekend, but winds could stir things up. West Coast fires: An overview of the deadly season in California, Oregon, Washington. California fire map: Our interactive map has local and statewide details. Air Quality Tracker: Ratings for Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes. How wildfire trapped Butte County town Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle For years, residents of Berry Creek in Butte County had been ordered to evacuate to escape fires that never came. This year it was different. The North Complex Fire roared through the small mountain town early last week, leaving death and destruction behind. The 12 fatalities confirmed Saturday, two identified from Berry Creek, were the result of a confluence of factors, according to locals. Strong winds pushed the fire straight toward the town, leaving little chance for warning. A planned shut-off by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. left some residents without TV or internet in an area where cell phone service is spotty. Some residents shrugged off the evacuation orders they receive every year. Every year about this time theres been a question of, Am I going to get burned out, said resident Chris Woolf. This was the year it finally got me. Read more from Mallory Moench. They should have just gotten out of there. Family stayed as North Complex Fire approached. Helicopter rescue in the High Sierra: Inside the mission to save hundreds trapped by the Creek Fire. A miracle: How 132-year-old Lick Observatory was saved from one of Californias largest wildfires. Campaign 2020: Bidens climate-change conundrum Joe Biden is passing up a chance to make fighting climate change the centerpiece of his campaign, environmentalists say, at time when wildfires have incinerated 3 million-plus acres in California, a record hurricane season is battering the Southeast, and one of the worst windstorms ever to hit Iowa caused $4 billion in damage. The reason he hasnt, they say, is political. Elevating climate change into a top priority doesnt help the Democratic presidential nominee in states that are competitive in the November election and those dont include California or Oregon. In some swing states, going too green could damage Bidens slim lead. Read more from Joe Garofoli. Are climate change or poor forest management worsening California fires? Yes. This is a climate damn emergency, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says. President Trump coming to Sacramento today for briefing on California wildfires as death toll climbs. California GOP is nearly No. 2 again among registered voters but news isnt all good. Voting in person? Bay Area polling sites will be staffed, but other states are worried. Many Bay Area restaurants say the end is near Constanza Hevia H. / Special to The Chronicle Thousands of beleaguered Bay Area restaurant owners used federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the coronavirus pandemics initial shutdown orders. But for many, that money is gone, and now the industry appears as though its coming back full circle to its precarious position during March and April, when the local food scene was quickly collapsing. Restaurateurs and industry advocates say that businesses will probably close this fall until theres more government funding or the pandemic ends. Some closures will be temporary, but other restaurants will probably never reopen. Nothing has gotten better, said restaurateur Laurie Thomas of Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Honestly, its about to get worse. Read more from Janelle Bitker and Justin Phillips. S.F. had a $6 billion vision for Central SoMa. Then the pandemic hit, and tech pulled back. Even as S.F. gyms partially reopen, fitness companies face an uphill climb. Latest key S.F. dates to know: City to reopen more indoor businesses starting today. Bay Area reopening tracker: Where each county stands in color-coded system. In Vallejo, police encounters often turn violent Vallejos police killings have drawn attention and outrage, but they arent the full story. 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. At least 60 people since 2014 most of them people of color have said they were victims of heavy-handed tactics by city officers. Police stops that were initiated for minor infractions, or for unclear reasons, often turn into violent encounters in Vallejo, a Chronicle investigation found. Residents, some backed by video evidence, accuse police of dragging them from cars, attacking them with dogs and pummeling them with batons, boots and fists. In claims filed at City Hall and lawsuits filed in county and federal courts, people describe coming away bruised and bloodied. Read more from Otis R. Taylor Jr. Around the Bay Investigation under way: Up to seven people hospitalized after suspected fentanyl exposure on Golden Gate Bridge. Shutdown weighed: Costly, nearly empty juvenile halls force Bay Area counties to consider closures. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle 2020 Season opener: 49ers surreal game has odd result a 24-20 upset loss to the Cardinals. From Ann Killion: 49ers lose in an eerily familiar fashion to start a season unlike any other. Letdown after uncertainty: Giants overmatched by Clevinger, Padres in return from coronavirus-test postponements. Plus: Giants Alex Dickerson reveals stress of false-positive virus test for him, pregnant wife. Big transit glitch: BART restores full service after shutdown from systemwide computer problem. 7-0 is mostly how they roll: California Supreme Court consistently unanimous, even in contentious cases. In the spotlight: S.F.s James Juanillo to discuss his viral Karen encounter on Dr. Phil. From Phil Matier: Shopping in SFs Tenderloin is wide open for illegal drugs, that is. Amid one pandemic, S.F. confronts legacy of another Arthur Frisch / The Chronicle 1984 Thirty-six years after San Francisco officials closed gay bathhouses because of AIDS, the Board of Supervisors has voted to overturn the ban. Nothing will actually change until the coronavirus pandemic has passed and broader restrictions on social distancing have been lifted, but supporters of the move say its long overdue if it was ever necessary in the first place. As conversations around COVID-19 and best practices for reopening and curbing the spread of the virus unfold daily, the parallels are hard to ignore. Read more from Ryan Kost about how activists closed the loop on a decades-long fight. Bay Briefing is edited by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders led protests in Kolkata and Hooghly district on Monday demanding an inquiry into the death of party worker Ganesh Roy whose body was found hanging from a tree at Goghat in Bengals Hooghly district on Sunday morning. Relatives of Roy alleged that he was murdered by local Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers. BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu, the partys state youth front president Saumitra Khan and others leaders led a peaceful dharna outside the office of the sub-divisional police officer of Arambagh in Hooghly on Monday. Our protests will continue. Roy is not the first BJP worker who was killed and hanged. This started during the panchayat polls in 2018, said Basu. In Kolkata, BJP youth front workers led a road block on Central Avenue and 10 of them were arrested for violating law. The victims body was handed to his family on Monday evening and cremation was carried out. Today, Roys home was found locked and his family is missing. The police must have taken them somewhere since we wanted to meet them, alleged Khan. Officers at the Goghat police station said they had no idea where the family had gone. Nirmal Das, the sub-divisional police officer, told reporters on Sunday that no external injury was found on Roys body except the ligature mark on his neck. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As we roar down the runway at Biggin Hill Airport in an 80-year-old Hawker Hurricane, propellers a blur, sun burning through the canopy, parachutes firmly strapped to our backs and the noise so deafening that it judders through bones, brains and bowels, those pitifully young pilots of the Battle of Britain couldn't feel closer. I am not flying the plane, but sitting behind pilot Peter Kynsey, 66, in a specially adapted passenger seat, experiencing the first ever passenger flight in a World War II Hurricane to mark the anniversary of the Battle for Britain. But as he grapples with the controls, eases the throttle back and edges her nose up, fear and adrenaline seem to hang in the airless cockpit amid the smell of fuel and hot metal. For three months and three weeks through the summer and into autumn of 1940, a bloody war raged in the skies above the fields, orchards, airfields and city streets of the south of England. The German Luftwaffe was trying to gain control of the Strait of Dover to make way for seaborne landings. But the RAF was having none of it. So every day, as vast formations of German bombers crawled through the clouds, RAF fighters raced up to meet them, doggedly diving, climbing, chasing, blasting cannons, firing guns and scribbling swirly chalky contrails in the sky. Our 3,000 pilots were woefully outnumbered, often grotesquely undertrained and, with an average age of between 19 and 20, many were too young even to vote. (Back then the limit was set at 21.) The skys the limit: The special twoseater Hawker Hurricane in flight. For three months and three weeks through the summer and into autumn of 1940, a bloody war raged in the skies above the fields, orchards, airfields and city streets of the south of England As we roar down the runway at Biggin Hill Airport in an 80-year-old Hawker Hurricane, propellers a blur, sun burning through the canopy, parachutes firmly strapped to our backs and the noise so deafening that it judders through bones, brains and bowels, those pitifully young pilots of the Battle of Britain couldn't feel closer (pictured: Jane by the fighter) But somehow, against the odds and at a cost of 544 lives, they protected the UK from the Luftwaffe attacks. The Battle of Britain, as it became known, was a turning point in World War II, a David-and-Goliath struggle where Winston Churchill's 'Few' ('Never was so much owed by so many to so few') triumphed over the seemingly greater German might. And largely thanks to the two-and-a-half-ton, 339 mph Hawker Hurricane. For while the Spitfire has become synonymous with victory in the air, the real heroine in this battle was the older, larger, slower Hurricane, which made up the bulk of the fleet and was responsible for shooting down nearly 60 per cent (1,700) of the Luftwaffe's casualties. The Hurricane was never sexy like the Spitfire with its impossibly thin wings, catchy name and mythical quality. She was clunkier and in parts covered by just canvas fabric. But the war would not have been won without her, and pilots adored her. Many of the top flying aces including the great double amputee Douglas Bader opted for the Hurricane over the Spitfire. In September 1940 alone, Czech Josef Frantisek of 303 Squadron, shot down at least 17 enemy planes from his Hurricane. They chose it partly because it was a great killing machine, with four guns grouped together on each wing and a powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine that allowed it to climb high and dive down out of the sun perfect for dogfights. But also because, as aviation historian Robin J. Brooks explains, it could take more punishment: 'It was part fabric, so the bullets would go straight through. So the pilots could land, slap a patch on it and go up again, whereas a Spitfire would be badly wounded.' I am not flying the plane, but sitting behind pilot Peter Kynsey, 66, in a specially adapted passenger seat, experiencing the first ever passenger flight in a World War II Hurricane to mark the anniversary of the Battle for Britain As one celebrated ace, James 'Ginger' Lacey, put it, he'd rather fight in a Hurricane on the grounds that it was made of 'non-essential parts'. 'I had them all shot off at one time or another and it still flew just as well without them,' he said. There are numerous stories of pilots landing in Hurricanes with no idea anything was wrong until they saw the horrified faces of the ground staff rushing towards them. All of which is, of course, very reassuring for a novice like me, now swooping at more than 200mph, courtesy of flyaspitfire.com, worrying something could go wrong and trying not to look at the sign by my left shoulder which reads: 'Top speed 350mph, diving.' It is a visceral experience. We swoop above fields and barns, towns and motorways. We see London's skyline, so different now, but protected for us by those brave young pilots. We dominate the sky. Today, the guns are just for show, and, unlike the Battle of Britain pilots, I have company in this specially adapted and painstakingly restored plane that is the world's only two-seater Hawker Hurricane, courtesy of Hawker Restorations. Someone who has been flying planes for 50 years, not just a few weeks like 'The Few' who took to the sky in 1940. It is still astonishingly loud, so bumpy in parts I find myself reaching for the sick bag and, yes, at times, scary. As we roar back to the airfield and Peter Kynsey treats me to an unearned Victory Roll we spin in the air and sky becomes the ground the cockpit suddenly feels very full of all those brave young pilots who gave their lives to protect our country Yet all the while, I can't shake the feeling that while I have lived more than half my life, the pilots who battled so bravely in these planes were barely adult. Their youth and inexperience was breathtaking. They were just starting out. Today, they'd be off to university, learning to drive, or embracing first jobs. Young and idealistic. 'Dear Mum and Dad,' wrote 19-year-old Pilot Officer John Carpenter, of 222 Squadron, on August 29, 1940, just before they moved into the thick of the battle. 'I am writing this at five in the morning, we are leaving at eight and should be there by nine. I hope to be shooting Jerry down by ten.' (Carpenter's next letter came three days later after downing two German planes and himself being shot down and baling out: 'Getting lots of fun here just what we have been waiting for.') No wonder they were known as the Fighter Boys. They were such babies that Air Chief Marshal, Lord Dowding, called them his 'chicks', for goodness' sake. But they enlisted in droves (more than half were non-commissioned officers or NCOs) and completed a 12-week training course, often comprising just 100 flying hours. Then they were off and up, often four or five times a day, decked out in lucky charms and St Christopher pendants and responding to radar early warnings that the Germans were on their way. Each sortie was short between 30 and 45 minutes long and sharp. If they'd downed an enemy plane, their return would include a 360-degree Victory Roll in the sky above the airfield to demonstrate success to those below. While the officers and NCOs had separate messes, 'The Few' were drawn close by their love of flying, willingness to take risks and a courage that was brutally tested. Many a pilot's locker door was garnished by the RAF's Ten Rules of Fighting, as written by the South African Adolph 'Sailor' Malan, who led 74 Squadron during the height of the Battle of Britain. They were simple and pitiless: 'Wait until you see the whites of your opponent's eyes. Fire short bursts of one to two seconds and, while shooting, think of nothing else. Brace the whole of your body, have both hands on the stick. Always keep a sharp lookout, never fly straight and level for more than 30 seconds, go in quickly, punch hard and get out . . . ' were a few of the stark pointers. World's only two seater Hawker Hurricane on the 8th anniversay of the Battle of Britain at Biggin Hill According to historian Mr Brooks, the keys to success were 'good eyesight for shooting, stamina for manoeuvring the heavy plane around in dogfights and courage' Because, time and again, they'd roar down runways at Biggin Hill and other airfields across the south of the country and into the sky. Until one day, despite all their lucky charms, they didn't return. For the 'less able', Brooks says the life expectancy was barely two weeks. The average life expectancy for the rest was just double that. But that didn't stop them. On and on they went, somehow girding their loins for death. Up in the air, they were alone. Each man against the enemy in a battle of wits and skill and luck, in a plane designed under pressure of war, full of idiosyncrasies and far more challenging to master than today's light aircraft. (As I discover when, encouraged by Peter Kynsey a former Thomson Airways pilot with a parallel career in airborne acrobatics I have a go at steering it myself with the joystick in front of me. 'Just gently. Gently!' he shouts over the crackling headset as we veer to the left.) Despite their daredevil image, the pilots' lives were anything but glamorous. As the battle raged, even liaisons with women faded away as the men decided romantic entanglements weren't fair when they might be dead tomorrow. Most were also remarkably modest; they felt they were simply 'doing their job' and were often surprised at the reception they got from the public. Today, just one of 'The Few' is still with us: John 'Paddy' Hemingway, 101, who was shot down four times once over the English Channel and was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. He now lives in a care home in Dublin, where he routinely plays down his wartime bravery. What a man. What men. What astonishing bravery and self-sacrifice. As we roar back to the airfield and Peter Kynsey treats me to an unearned Victory Roll we spin in the air and sky becomes the ground the cockpit suddenly feels very full of all those brave young pilots who gave their lives to protect our country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed his gratitude to all parliamentarians for letting the Monsoon session take place amid coronavirus crisis. "Parliament session is beginning at distinct times. There's coronavirus and there's duty. MPs chose the path to duty. I congratulate and express gratitude to them," PM Modi said in front of Parliament building ahead of the monsoon session that has started today. PM Modi also spoke about the COVID-19 vaccine. He said that he hopes that the vaccine is developed at the earliest from any corner of the world. "There will be many important discussions that will be held in this session. It is our experience that the more intense and diverse the discussion in the parliament is, the more benefits the country gets," the PM added. He expressed confidence that MPs will do "value addition" to discussions. The Monsoon session of the Parliament commences today. Lok Sabha will sit in the morning from 9 AM to 1 PM and Rajya Sabha will sit in the evening starting at 3 PM on Monday. Both the houses will pay obituary references to former President Pranab Mukherjee and other sitting and former members who have died during the interregnum period. Both houses will be adjourned for an hour after the obituary references. It is the fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of the Rajya Sabha. The Monsoon session will conclude on October 1. According to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the monsoon session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days. This time, Saturdays and Sundays will also be working days. It is the first parliamentary session that is being held in coronavirus times. Yesterday, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla sent safety COVID-19 kits to all parliamentarians. Each kit contains 40 disposable masks, five N-95 masks, 20 bottles of sanitisers of 50 ml each, face shields, 40 pairs of gloves, a touch-free hook to open and close doors without touching them, herbal sanitation wipes and tea bags to enhance immunity. The government has listed 23 new legislations for consideration and passage including 11 bills replacing ordinances. There also 20 other bills pending in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. In this Monsoon session there will be no Question Hour. The Question Hour, the first hour in the House, allows MPs to ask questions to the government. Moreover, the Zero Hour, slotted for members to raise matters of public importance, has been cut short to 30 minutes. (With agencies input) Also read: PM Modi said 'what a job you've done' in COVID-19 testing: Donald Trump Also read: GST compensation shortfall: 12 states pick option 1 of borrowing scheme India is proposing to drop a condition that the winning bidder for Air India Ltd . will have to take on $3.3 billion of aircraft debt, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the government struggles to sell the loss-making carrier kept afloat by taxpayer-funded bailouts. Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration is being advised to drop the rule on concern it will deter buyers, the people said, asking not to be identified as the proposal isnt public. A group of bureaucrats has vetted the plan, and under the new proposition, potential buyers will be allowed to bid on the enterprise value and not on the entity value, the people said. A renewed attempt to sell Air India, which hasnt made money since 2007, has been hurt by the pandemic, forcing the government to keep extending a deadline to bid. The offer, announced in January, was sweetened to pass on only the debt related to plane purchases to the new owner. The airline had $8.4 billion in total debt at the end of March, 2019 and posted a loss of $1.2 billion that year -- its highest ever. Despite the losses, the airline has some lucrative assets which include prized slots at Londons choked Heathrow airport, a fleet of more than 100 planes and thousands of trained pilots and crew. The airline will have to shut down if it cant find a buyer, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the parliament last year. The new proposal sweetens the deal. A spokesman for the aviation ministry referred queries to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, a unit of the Finance Ministry. A finance ministry spokesman wasnt immediately available for comment. At least two previous attempts to sell the airline -- once about two decades ago and another in 2018 -- have flopped. In 2001, Singapore Airlines Ltd. dropped its bid for a stake in Air India, citing political opposition as one of the reasons. The Southeast Asian carrier was seeking a 40% stake with Indias Tata Group. Deadline extension Potential buyers this time have requested the government to extend the deadline to submit initial bids due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said last month. Tata SIA Airlines Ltd., a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Group which operates under the brand Vistara, is evaluating a possible bid, its chairman Chairman Bhaskar Bhat said earlier this year. IndiGo, Indias biggest airline thats operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., showed interest in Air Indias international operations and low-cost carrier Air India Express in a previous offer to sale, but it pulled out saying the no-frills airline is unable to buy and turn around Air Indias operations in their entirety. Indian officials met with as many as nine companies during roadshows to gauge interest in a stake sale including British Airways parent IAG SA, IndiGo, SpiceJet Ltd. as well as the Tata Group, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: Armenian armed forces again escalated the situation on the line of contact, Trend reports on Sept.14 referring to Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. The units of the Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Alibayli village of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district on September 13 evening. The fire was suppressed by armed response from the Azerbaijani army. The Azerbaijani side suffered no losses. 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. Seventy-five years ago, soon after the end of World War II, nations worldwide decided to change the course of history and took the commitment to work together for peace through the founding of the United Nations (UN). At a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social impacts, what kind of UN do we need amid these once-in-a-century changes? This is a question requiring deep reflection by all as Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The singing ceremony of the UN Charter held at the Veterans' War Memorial Building, San Francisco, U.S., 26 June, 1945. /UN website UN reforms advance with challenges and difficulties Since the late 1990s there have been many calls for reforms of the UN while there is little clarity or consensus about what reform might mean in practice, until 1997 when Secretary-General Kofi Annan assumed office. Six months after taking office, Annan took immediate steps to improve the functioning of the UN and carry forward reforms instituted by his predecessors by raising Track One and Track Two reform proposals. In December 1997, the General Assembly adopted the Track One measures and most of the Track Two recommendations by consensus, improving the efficiency of UN activities in the areas of development, humanitarian relief, human rights, and peacekeeping. Since then, the UN has gone through reforms in various aspects with the changing global situation under the terms of Annan, Ban Ki-moon and the incumbent Antonio Guterres. However, due to contrasting interests of different countries and diverse cultures, religions and ideologies, UN reform cannot be achieved overnight, observers say. The crucial UNSC reform: In-depth communication, democratic consultation needed In the face of accumulating threats and challenges, especially in the maintenance of unity of the UN, reform of the Security Council, the crucial aspect which scholars consider as most, has attracted almost the greatest global attention. Reform of the Security Council has been a subject of interest for many member states since the early days. Formal discussion about reforming the Security Council began with the 1993 establishment of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council. After more than a decade of the working group, the member states decided in September 2007 to move discussions to an Intergovernmental Negotiations process. Security Council reform concerns the vital interests of all UN members and the future of the UN and will lead to major adjustment of the global governance system and international order, however, decades of attempts to reform the UN Security Council are comprehensively deadlocked. Anticipating an enlargement of the Council and calling for "full representation", there have several main plans on the table proposed by different unions of countries. The People's Republic of China (PRC) won its seat in the UN and membership of the UNSC on October 25, 1971, and safeguards the authority of the UN Security Council. Stressing the importance of the role of Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN), China believes it is the only legitimate platform for discussion among the member states on Security Council reform. The country supports the prioritization of increasing representation and say of developing countries, especially African countries, considering a collective rise of developing countries being the defining feature. The country highlighted that reform must increase the opportunities for the small and medium-sized countries to sit in the Council and participate in their decision-making processes, saying that it is the only way to make the Council more democratic, transparent and efficient. Stressing that the parties currently have serious disagreements on the general direction and approach of reform, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said that "rushing into a text-based negotiation, setting artificial time lines, or even trying to force through any premature reform proposal would do no good to the sound development of the reform process. That would only aggravate division and cause conflict or even confrontation." Besides the SC reform, the U reform also covers other important aspects, such as management reform to increase efficiency, the role of the UN in responding to broader humanitarian crises, among others. With no doubt, the process is full of challenges and uncertaintiesthe U.S.'s retreating from multilateralism, the Trump administration's plans to slash funding for UN peacekeeping and international organizations under the policy of "America First," the anticipation of traditional developed countries represented by Britain and France to maintain their existing dominant position in the UN. Experts said that the UN reform means the readjustment and distribution of interests and powers, and different member states and camps have their own demands. In this regard, reform should be based on enhancing the UN's capacity to address global challenges and to lead the world in sustainable peace and development, they noted, adding that member States should work in solidarity and cooperation to support the UN's cause of peace, development and human rights, based on the consensus that the UN should play a central role in international affairs. The bright side is that in the face of multiple unprecedented challenges and threats as well as snowballing difficulties of global governance, the vast majority of the UN member states are rallying around the lofty ideal: making the world a better and safer place. This is bringing new hopes to the UN, though a long way to go. Erin Lunceford had barely settled into her new judges chambers at the Harris County courthouse before she had to fire up her 2016 re-election campaign. Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in July 2015 to preside over the vacant 61st District Court, one of the countys 24 elected civil courts, Lunceford promptly was swept out of office along with the 10 other Republican incumbents on the ballot. She is running to reclaim her seat four years later from Democrat Fredericka Phillips, as Harris County Republicans look to avoid a third-straight election of unanimous courthouse defeats. Its definitely an uphill climb, Lunceford said, noting that a Republican did not bother to run in half of this years 24 state district judicial contests. Its a huge, tough road. I mean, Im not giving up my day job. Harris County judicial candidates from both parties traditionally have had little control over their electoral fates, with outcomes at the top of the ballot largely dictating results at the bottom in recent years. A single party has won every county-level judicial race in four of the last six election cycles, and from 2008 to 2016, more than half the judges from the party that carried Harris County finished within one percentage point of their fellow candidates that year, according to an analysis from Rice University political science Professor Mark Jones. After Democrats Hillary Clinton and Beto ORourke won Harris County by 12 and 17 percentage points in 2016 and 2018, respectively, Republicans acknowledge they face long odds of winning the countywide vote this year. Party officials and judicial candidates are encouraged, though, that Texas no longer allows voters to cast their ballots for every candidate from one party by pressing a single button, a process called straight-ticket voting the Texas Legislature eliminated. A lot of people do not know the judicial races, said Kevin Fulton, vice chair of the Harris County Republican Party and the head of the partys coordinated campaign for its judicial candidates. Harris County has one of the longest ballots in the country. Most people do not know the difference between their county court and district court judges, and so they were just going in and checking the top of the ballot for straight Democrat and not knowing the impact they were having on the bottom of the ballot. The absence of straight-ticket voting, Fulton said, gives Republican judicial candidates more influence over the outcome and leads to more people voting for a judge that they actually know or a philosophy they actually believe in. Jones offered a different outlook. Barring one of the two dozen Democratic candidates committing a felony between now and Nov. 3, no Republican has any hope whatsoever of winning one of those races, he said. Even if they committed a felony, Id be skeptical that they would lose. Lillie Schechter, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party, said Democrats recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of straight-ticket voting make this years election unpredictable. The party is focused, she said, on telling voters to vote for all the Democrats, start to finish. We are absolutely running a full coordinated campaign, because we dont take any elections for granted, Schechter said. It does look like we are in the best position weve been in decades in Harris County, but we do have some changes this election cycle. Though far less prominent than elections for Congress and the Legislature, judicial contests are just as important, candidates and court observers argue, due to the direct daily influence of the various courts. Harris Countys 60 state district courts divided between civil, criminal, family and juvenile matters have original jurisdiction over cases including felony criminal charges, civil matters involving money, divorce, disputes of title to land and election contests, among others. It affects their lives more than some of the races on top of the ticket, said state District Judge Julia Maldonado, a Democrat who is in a rematch against Republican Alyssa Lemkuil after unseating her from the 507th Family District Court in 2016. At family court, lots of people have issues with divorces, custody, child support. Those are your day-to-day issues. This year, Harris County voters will decide elections for 24 district courts, three county courts at law and justice of the peace courts. They also will weigh in on four races across the two Houston-based appeals courts, which cover 10 counties, along with three elections for the statewide Court of Criminal Appeals and four for the Texas Supreme Court. Harris County Democrats sweeps in 2016 and 2018 ushered in a wave of judges supportive of criminal justice reforms, such as last years overhaul of the system of handling bail for poor people arrested on misdemeanor charges. The bench also has become far more diverse, illustrated by the 17 Black women newly elected last cycle under the Harris County Black Girl Magic slogan. Those trends would continue this year if voters select the handful of Black and Latina Democratic women who unseated white male incumbents during the primaries. Democrat Natalia Cornelio, director of legal affairs for Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and an architect of the countys bail settlement, noted that Latinos make up 44 percent of Harris Countys population, but none of the 38 criminal court judges are Latina. Our county and country are becoming more diverse, said Cornelio, who faces Republican nominee Arlene Hecht for the 351st Criminal District Court. It makes sense that folks who run are more diverse and representative of our population than ever before, that our images of our leaders are evolving and shifting to become more inclusive. Jessica Colon, a Houston Republican strategist, said the recent Democratic wins have led to an influx of activist judges, while Republicans would focus on adhering to the laws that are on the books and not making up laws as you go along if they reclaimed seats. This year, Colon argued, the Democratic judicial nominees are more liberal than in prior years. If you look at who won a lot of those primaries, it is an even more progressive, leftist candidate than the Democrat incumbent that sat there, Colon said. Democrat Amparo Guerra, a former Houston municipal judge who is challenging Republican Judge Terry Adams on the First Court of Appeals, said every case turns on its own facts and the law, but each judge still brings their professional background and their personal background and their education to the table. Lunceford, who testified in favor of eliminating straight-ticket voting at the Legislature in 2017, noted that she received nearly 49 percent of the vote in 2016, ahead of Trumps 41 percent vote share and the 45 percent of straight ticket voters who voted Republican. Id rather have a bunch of under-votes than have people push one button because they dont like the president, said Lunceford, a trial lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright. I dont think that has anything to do with the judges and their qualifications. jasper.scherer@chron.com New Delhi: India has taken notice of the issue of non-payment of salary to Indian workers in Bahrain, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday. M/s G. P. Zachariadis Overseas Ltd., a construction company which employs nearly 1,500 Indian workers has been faced with severe financial hardship. This has resulted in non-payment of salary/dues to workers employed by the company. On 3rd January 2017, nearly 350 workers at a site went on strike due to non-payment of salary for nearly two months. After intervention of the Mission in association with the Labour Ministry, the company paid the pending salaries on 4th January, 2017, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. The matter has been taken up with Ministry of Labour, which had called the company management for a joint meeting the same day. When the company again failed to pay the next salary for January nearly 200 workers of the company started a protest on 15th January, due to non-payment. During the protests, one of the workers Narayanan Pitchai, an Indian national, fainted and was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The Spokesperson later clarified that police authorities have confirmed to the Embassy that since it was a peaceful protest, no police action was taken against them. The Embassy has taken up the matter at a high level. Bahraini authorities have expressed regret over the incident and have assured that safety and well-being of all workers, including Indian nationals, remains their first priority. They have also conveyed that they would do their best on this matter, Swarup said. With PTI Inputs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews left her Vida home last Monday night after she got a call about a brush fire and a power line down. As she headed out about 8:30 p.m. in her yellow firefighter gear and helmet, the east wind was hollering. She knew the land was dry. Be safe, her husband said. Plews, known in town as Chief Rainbow, looked back and told him, I think my worst nightmare is about to come true. She drove her Chevy half-ton fire rig as far as she could, about 20 miles east to milepost 47 of the McKenzie Highway, near the Holiday Farm RV Park. The fire was on the south side of the highway but soon spread. While Plews was there, a report of a second fire about five miles away came in. She quickly called for help from other crews in Lane County as her six volunteer firefighters with the Upper McKenzie Fire and Rescue rural fire district evacuated residents in the immediate area. The initial brush fire now had jumped to both sides of the highway. It was ripping down the valley, she said. By 1 a.m. Tuesday, Plews ordered the evacuation of Blue River, Vida, Nimrod and Leaburg along a 20-mile stretch of the McKenzie River east of Eugene-Springfield. She also had called it in as a conflagration and demanded statewide help, not knowing wildfires in other parts of Oregon were raging as well. The chief reached one of her sons on his cellphone when she couldnt get through to her husband Eric Plews: Get in your car and get out of there, she directed. By Sunday, fire officials said the Holiday Farm fire had scorched 161,872 acres and reported it was 5% contained. While Chief Plews remained with her crew and tried to alert area residents to leave, her husband and two sons who live in adjacent homes pounded on the doors of their neighbors, yelling, We got to get out! Eric Plews grabbed his and his wifes medications, his CPAP machine for sleep apnea and a change of clothes before rounding up their three dogs and leaving. The couples sons packed a few family heirlooms -- including their parents' wedding photo and a grandfathers American flag from World War II -- and drove off. They didnt hear from Christiana Plews until another 24 hours. We were just running and gunning and doing everything we could, but it was against all odds, Plews said. We couldnt get anywhere. The trees were down. The fire was everywhere. Plews, 50, was monitoring radio traffic and knew the fire had spread fast but was hopeful her house was still standing. It wasnt until about 10 p.m. Tuesday, when she was at a fire incident command center at Thurston Middle School in Springfield, that she learned otherwise. A fellow fire chief from a nearby fire district broke the news. My first thought was, How do I tell my family? I didnt know where my family was, she said. Plews was confident that she had given them time to flee to safety and trusted that they had heeded her advice. The chief called her husband, by then settled in a hotel with his sons in Cottage Grove. Devastated and in tears, she told him: Im really sorry everything is gone. Eric Plews couldnt keep from crying himself. We literally lost everything. We had two houses there. Theyre just gone. But he told his wife: Were all safe. Youve got to stay safe. Well rebuild. What remains of the Plews' property in Vida, Oregon, after a wildfire ravaged the area late Monday and early Tuesday morning. Chief Plews remained on the firefighting line, finally driving to her property Wednesday afternoon. Everything was charred rubble except for a concrete shell standing from the canning room in their 1,200-square-foot, single-level house. I threw up. I was sobbing. I was looking at nothing, she recalled. It was the same devastation I had seen all the way down the river, except that was mine. I just dont know how to process that. Where do I go from here? Whats next? And, how do I do that when Im also trying to put a community back together? Four other volunteer firefighters in her crew also kept working after they knew they had lost their homes, she said. She credits their fire training that instinctively kicks in for helping them move forward despite the heart arche. Its really hard to be strong when youre broken, Plews said. But when those four volunteers of mine stood by me those first few days and knew in their hearts that they had lost everything and continued to put water on fire, its really superhuman. To see them continuing on gave me strength because I didnt know where my strength was going to come from. Plews kept going until about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when her husband and sons picked her up at the command center in Springfield. They took her back to their hotel. They found a laundromat to wash her firefighting gear as she slept. She was back at it Thursday. By Sunday, fire officials said the Holiday Farm fire had scorched 161,872 acres and reported it was 5% contained. The districts backup fire station in Blue River, which was recently remodeled, has been reduced to a pile of ashes. One person died in Vida. The chief expects more will be discovered. I know there has been loss of life. I think the darker days are coming. I did everything I could to get everyone out, she said, her voice catching, and I know I didnt get everybody out. Plews told her family, Its really tough to fight a fire with a broken heart. She decided to become a volunteer firefighter in 1991after she had her first son and was looking to do something outside of the house. After a knee injury, she worked as an emergency room technician at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield and at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence. When the chiefs position became open, she put in for it and got the job in October 2018. Its considered a three-quarter-time paid position. Last Wednesday night, Plews stopped by the McKenzie Fire station to grab some supplies. There, she noticed a fledgling Western grebe a type of water bird near her Chevy rig, flopping around on the ground. Rainbow didn't stop until she caught this little sucker and placed him back in the river. I watched this woman in awe. Soot-covered, exhausted, tapped out and hurting. She held a tiny creature in her arms because that's the kind of incredible human she is, her friend Laura Cherry wrote on her Facebook page afterward. Rainbow made the call to raise the evacuation level early so that the citizens in her jurisdiction had time to get out safely, said Laura Cherry, an EMT with the nearby McKenzie Fire District, and a good friend. Rainbow is a full blown, grassroots, salt-of-the-earth hero. Last Wednesday night, Plews stopped by Cherrys fire station to grab some supplies. There, she noticed a fledgling Western grebe a type of water bird near her Chevy rig, flopping around on the ground, according to Cherry and the chief. Rainbow didnt stop until she caught this little sucker and placed him back in the river. I watched this woman in awe. Soot-covered, exhausted, tapped out and hurting. She held a tiny creature in her arms because thats the kind of incredible human she is, Cherry wrote on her Facebook page afterward, and posted a video of the bird being returned to the river. Plews called it just a moment of hope something beautiful in all of this (expletive) mess. A high school friend started a gofundme page for the chief. Darlene Lambert Netzer donated money. She wrote, Chief Rainbow and other volunteer firefighters saved my brothers life and all his livestock on Tuesday morning when wildfires raged through the McKenzie River Valley. But she and others all lost their own homes while they worked to help evacuate others. If anyone deserves our help, its Chief Rainbow. Eric Plews, who works as a sales representative for State Farm Insurance, said he filed a claim for their homes. Until you actually have that happen to you, you dont know how that process works, he said. The insurer has put the family up in two rooms in a hotel in downtown Eugene. I make lists for every day and try to get those things done for that day and try not to think about the long term, Eric Plews said. When you realize everything youve worked for your whole life is gone, its pretty daunting. Chief Plews said she always promised herself that she would mark Sept. 11 as a memorial to the firefighters who sacrificed their lives that day in 2001. This year, the day nearly passed without her paying tribute. I didnt even know what day it was. When I realized it, I just broke down, she said. I was never supposed to forget Sept. 11. How did they put it all back together? I dont know but they did, and we can. The chief said shes unsure whats next. The last two days, she just wanted to make sure her firefighters got time to spend with their families. She said shes also thankful for the communitys remarkable generosity in this difficult time. Without any change of clothes, she mentioned she needed underwear and said she now has some 700 new pieces of underwear. On Sunday afternoon, Plews wrote a message on her fire districts Facebook page. I do not know what the future holds or how to navigate this but I am taking one tiny shaking uncertain step at a time and I ask only that you all do the same, she wrote. Be patient. Be kind. Hold the ones you love. We have to do this together. Towards the end she wrote: "We will come out the other side stronger and more resilient. We have all that matters. We have each other. " -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page My relationship with Chinese food can best be described as a case of arrested development. My constant cravings for old-school American-Chinese takeout fare are firmly lodged in a narrow parameter of dishes that most foodies would scoff at: crab rangoon, cold sesame noodles, orange beef, General Tsos chicken and beef with broccoli. In a city rich in accomplished Chinese restaurants, I remain a disappointment to friends on visits to Asiatown when my eyes immediately go to kung pao chicken on the menu. I admit my heart beats a little faster when I pass by a Panda Express. Sue me. Growing up in the 60s in the deserts of metro Phoenix, we had little to no exposure to Chinese food. But we had family in California who treated us to a Chinese restaurant on summer vacation, and that first fried rice did me in. The soy sauce, the duck sauce, the crispy noodles! I was hooked. Recipe: Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings My mother eventually found a recipe for American chop suey that became a family favorite. That goulashlike sludge of ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce and La Choy sliced water chestnuts was all the rage in the 1970s. My sisters and brother and I consumed it with the same passion we lavished on The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family. That chop suey was a bold new frontier for our family dinner table and, at the outset, daringly exotic in our neighborhood. Recipe: Chicken and Peanuts My college years did little to progress my Chinese-food palate, save for the pan-fried pork dumplings and moo shu pork from the pagoda-sign restaurant in Tucson, Ariz., that claimed my devotion. My post-college years in Connecticut and New York opened what could have been a thrilling immersion into Chinese food, except I didnt venture far. Garlic chicken, fried lo mein and crispy sesame beef always had the upper hand over deeper dives into the dizzying array of dishes in Chinatown. I couldnt get enough of the peanut-buttery cold sesame noodles that Chinese restaurants on every block in New York practically gave away with each takeaway order. Even when I had the money to dine at Mr. Chow, I ordered the brown-sauced fiery beef. I considered the pupu platters, shrimp-fried rice and chicken chow mein at Trader Vics thrilling dining. To me, the firecracker prawns and twice-cooked pork at Shun Lee West were the height of Asian-dining elegance. To this day, when my family back in Arizona wants to celebrate, we do so at a P.F. Changs. Recipe: Stir-Fry Noodles with Shrimp Ive long since stopped worrying about my authentic hunger for inauthentic Chinese. Yes, I know that most of the dishes I craved were as natively Chinese as the fortune cookie, which puts me on shaky ground in an era that champions a deeper understanding of multicultural foodways. And then last week I read this from Momofuku founder David Chang in his new memoir: Nothing we cooked was authentic. So how can my kung pao chicken be so wrong? It isnt. And the coronavirus pandemic has only brought me closer to it. At a time when Americans are turning to comfort foods, my self-quarantining pleasures are built around fried rice, soy-glossed noodles and sticky gobs of chicken. My reluctance to order out or pick up Chinese foods has forced me to be my own Chung King. And I have done so without the benefit of a wok, using a big nonstick skillet to whip up chicken and peanuts, orange beef, lo mein with chicken and shrimp, and even pan-fried potsticker dumplings all with supermarket ingredients that havent required a trip to Asiatown. Recipe: Orange Beef After months of fried rice dinners, I am now as versed in my own style of homemade Chinese takeout food as I am skilled at tacos, casseroles, Crock-Pot stews and pasta dishes that make up my COVID-19 dining repertoire. My love affair with easy, American-Chinese food may not endear me to some, but home cooks who share some of my takeout cravings will understand. greg.morago@chron.com A Harris County grand jury on Monday indicted a Baytown police officer in the 2019 death of a Black woman undergoing a mental health crisis, the latest in a series of recent Houston area deadly police shootings that have led to criminal charges filed or have been deemed unjustified by law enforcement officials. The indictment comes more than a year after police said Officer Juan Delacruz shot 44-year-old Pamela Turner during an encounter at her apartment complex. Her case quickly garnered national attention because of her family's belief that the Baytown Police Department and the officer were aware of her paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis. Delacruz was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant in the May 13, 2019, shooting, according to the Harris County District Attorneys Office. Harris County prosecutors filed the same charge against a deputy in 2018 who shot and killed a man who was caught on video wandering the street with his pants around his ankles. The deputy was acquitted. In a shooting involving a man believed to be dealing with schizophrenia, Houston police last week dismissed four officers who shot 24 rounds at the man, saying 21 of them were unjustified. The case has been sent to the district attorneys office. And earlier this year, in a case that focused on drugs, several HPD officers were indicted after a botched raid that led to the deaths of a southeast Houston couple. In the Pamela Turner case, a bystander video also captured the mother of two yelling "I'm pregnant" just moments before she was shot. That statement turned out to be false, police said, but angered people who felt Delacruz should have done more to de-escalate the situation. Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who represents Turner's family, lamented the 16 months that passed before the case was presented to a grand jury. As a society, we must do better, Crump said. Finally, Pamela Turner; her children, Chelsie Rubin and Cameron January; her sister, Antoinette Dorsey-James; and the rest of Pamelas family, can receive the justice to which they are entitled, equal justice." The aggravated assault by a public servant charge is a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison. Pam Turners killing was a tragedy; it is important to acknowledge that her family and the community are in pain, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. Every aspect of the case was independently investigated by the Texas Rangers and our Civil Rights Division prosecutors, she added. Ultimately, we presented all of the evidence to a grand jury that determined the Baytown Police officer should be charged with a crime for his actions when he shot Ms. Turner. We respect their decision and we will be moving forward with prosecution. The Baytown Police Department released a statement after the district attorney's office announced the indictment. Delacruz is still employed at the agency, where he has been removed from patrol and policing duties since shortly after the shooting, Lt. Steve Dorris said. "We have faith and trust in our judicial system, and as we wait for this case to proceed through the legal process, we ask that our community continue to be patient and have trust and faith in those processes," the statement reads. "We also ask that our community continue to have faith and trust in the Baytown Police Department and the dedicated, professional men and women who are committed to serving all members of our community with integrity, compassion and professionalism." Delacruzs attorney, Gregory Cagle, has not returned requests for comment. As of Monday afternoon, Delacruz had been given the opportunity to turn himself in, according to the district attorney's office. The indictment against Delacruz is the second against a Baytown officer in just a month, and one of several in the area since countrywide protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who died as an officer arrested him with his knee on his neck. Grand jurors in July indicted six former Houston police narcotics officers, charging them with crimes stemming from an investigation into a fatal 2019 drug raid that ended with two southeast Houston residents dead. Grand jurors returned indictments against case agent Gerald Goines and his former partner, Steven Bryant, as well as four others: former Lt. Robert Gonzales, Sgts. Clemente Reyna and Thomas Wood, and Goines old partner, Hodgie Armstrong. All of the officers retired in the months after the raid. Goines and Bryant had already been indicted in January in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. At that time, Goines was charged with felony murder and both were charged with tampering with a government document. A grand jury also indicted former Baytown Officer Nathaniel Brown earlier this month, charging him with misdemeanor assault for allegedly kicking a person recording an arrest during a traffic stop. The department fired Brown less than two months after the June incident. The Delacruz investigation is ongoing at the Baytown Police Department, meanwhile, as an Internal Affairs investigation has been completed but still needs to be turned -over to Chief Keith Dougherty for review, Dorris said. The Texas Rangers also conducted an investigation into the encounter and turned the case over to the Harris County District Attorneys Office, which presents every officer-involved shooting to a grand jury. The shooting The Houston area has also seen a number of instances recently where police were accused of fatally shooting people undergoing mental health crises. In 2018, Harris County Sheriff's Office Deputy Cameron Brewer shot and killed 34-year-old Danny Ray Thomas, who was caught on video wandering the street with his pants around his ankles. A grand jury indicted him that same year, but jurors acquitted him of an aggravated assault by a public servant charge last year. And more recently, Houston police fired four officers accused in the death of Nicolas Chavez, a 27-year-old who video showed cutting himself with a piece of rebar before being shot 21 times. Turners case fell in the same category. Almost immediately after the shooting in 2019, her family revealed that she had paranoid schizophrenia. Turner had been walking at her apartment complex in the 1600 block of Garth Road, when Delacruz approached her to arrest her on open warrants, Baytown police said of the fatal confrontation. The two began to struggle, and Delacruz shocked Turner with the Taser. She deployed the Taser against him, and Delacruz fired his weapon, according to authorities accounts. A bystander video captured the encounter, showing Turner yelling that she was being harassed and that she just wanted to go home. At one point, she yelled "I'm pregnant." The video showed Delacruz standing over Turner before he appeared to back away. Then, five shots rang out. samantha.ketterer@chron.com It is understood one of the victims was convinced to transfer large amounts of cash, having met with fraudsters via an online dating site. The arrests in West Dublin and Navan in Co Meath follow complaints of suspected romance and investment fraud. Officers believe one of the victims in the case was convinced to transfer large sums of cash to accounts in Ireland, Turkey, Dubai and Vietnam over a nine month period. Gardai made three arrests today during search operations, and a number of devices were seized. They say they expect numerous injured parties from all over the world will now be identified, and they are encouraging victims of this type of fraud to report incidents to local Gardai. The men arrested today can be held for up to seven days. How this ISIS operative from Mangaluru lured her victims and converted them to Islam Bengaluru youth who joined ISIS suspected to have been killed in Syria India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: A Bengaluru based youth who had joined the Islamic State has reportedly died in Syria. This revelation was made by a doctor recently arrested by the National Investigation Agency. He said that Faiz Masood had died in Syria. Masood had left the country seven years back to join the ISIS. During the questioning the ophthalmologist, Abdur Rehman said that he had met Masood at the Syrian border town, Atme. They had crossed over from a refugee camp in Turkey in 2013, he also said. Bengaluru ophthalmologist Rehman was developing medical app to help injured ISIS terrorists Abdur Rehman was arrested last week from Bengaluru and taken to New Delhi by the NIA on a transit remand. Rehman had travelled to Dubai along with two of his friends. He had obtained a six month UAE visa, following which he travelled to Dubai. From there, he secretly travelled to Syria. Sources tell OneIndia that it was after this, he may have decided to join the ISIS. The NIA also questioned the two others who travelled with him. However it was found that the two had not indulged in any illegal activity and hence were let off. Rehman visited the ISIS medical camp in Syria in early 2014 for treatment of ISIS terrorists and stayed with Islamic State operatives for 10 days and returned to India, the NIA said. He was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the Islamic State Khorasan Province case. During interrogation, arrested accused Abdur Rahman confessed that he was conspiring with accused Jahanzaib Sami and other Syria-based ISIS operatives on secure messaging platforms to further ISIS activities. He was in the process of developing a medical application for helping the injured ISIS cadres in the conflict-zones and a weaponry-related application for the benefit of ISIS fighters. The case, it may be recalled was initially registered by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in March 2020. The Delhi Police registered this case after arresting a Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla Vihar, Jamia Nagar in Delhi. The couple was found to be having affiliations with ISKP, a banned terrorist outfit affiliated with the ISIS. The couple were found to be involved in subversive activities and were also in touch with Abdul Basith, who is now lodged in the Tihar jail in connection with another case being probed by the NIA. Pakistan strikes Imam of Jihadis, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi off terror watch list Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' The probe also led to the arrest of Sadiya Anwar Sheikh and Nabeel Siddique Khatri, both residents of Pune. They were allegedly part of the conspiracy to carry out subversive activities under the garb of protesting against the amended citizenship law. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 8:55 [IST] Kim Kardashian fired back at the haters after receiving a wave of backlash over her clothing brand SKIMS. The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star recently launched her new maternity line for her shapewear brand, donning different shades and styles for her latest collection. "What you've been waiting for: @SKIMS Maternity is coming soon! Introducing Maternity SolutionwearTM that offers the best in comfort and support for your changing body during and after pregnancy," Kim wrote on her Instagram alongside a campaign ad of her shapewear. This was followed by a series of videos on her IG stories explaining that the new products, which will come in nine different colors, will be released on September 16. Furthermore, the SKIMS maternity collection also includes a one-piece set, separate nursing bras, and full-length leggings and shorts that should give comfort to pregnant women. "If only there were cute bras like this that was holding you up and snatching you and making you feel better about yourself while you can breastfeed - that would have been everything to me," the reality star mentioned on her IG stories. Kim Kardashian Slapped With Criticisms Unfortunately, social media is iffy about the underlying message that encourages pregnant women to slim down during their pregnancy. "Just let people enjoy their pregnancy without thinking they need to maintain the perfect figure," one user tweeted. At the same time, another called the idea "stupid" and questioned the need to wear shapewear during pregnancy: "Why the f*** Do pregnant people need Skims? That's so stupid." Meanwhile, British actress and activist Jameela Jamil took a subtle shot at the reality star shortly after launching the new collection. She took to Twitter to point out that women should celebrate this stage instead of feeling "embarrassed" and "self-conscious." "It would be so cool if pregnant people could just be allowed to be pregnant and get bigger and not be self conscious, and enjoy the miracle taking place inside their body and not have to worry about feeling embarrassed/shamed that their body is changing for an amazing reason," Jamil shared. The "Good Place" actress went on and expressed her hope that women "could just normalize just focusing on the inside of a pregnant body, not the outside." Kim Kardashian Defends SKIMS Maternity Line After all the hate, Kim Kardashian responded to the criticisms and defended her maternity shapewear collection. In a lengthy post on social media, she began her statement by explaining that she knew the struggles of pregnancy, which is why she created the product. "To anyone who has an issue with maternity solutionwear, and if you haven't been pregnant before you may not know the struggle of what it's like carrying all of this weight the way I did along with millions of strong women, @skims maternity line is not too slim but to support," Kim explained. The 39-year-old reality star also pointed out that unlike her SKIMS' regular shapewear, the belly part of the new collection doesn't have any slimming technology. It is made up of a thin material that "provides support to help with the uncomfortable weight being carried in your stomach which affects your lower back - and the compression on the leggings helps with pain relief caused by swelling." TV personality and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, who is currently pregnant with baby number three, shared her experience wearing SKIMS and mentioned that it supports her belly and helps her feel good about herself. READ MORE: Louis Vuitton Face Shield? Fashion House Brings COVID-19 Luxury President Trump's decision to restrict travel from China in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus in January was not his idea, journalist Bob Woodward told NBC's "Today." Why it matters: Trump has frequently cited the restrictions as his go-to defense of the administration's coronavirus response, claiming that it saved "potentially millions of lives." But the assertion that the policy was singularly his idea and that "almost everybody," including public health experts, was opposed to it is "very different" from what actually happened, Woodward said. Woodward reports in his forthcoming book "Rage," that the policy was recommended to Trump at a January meeting by some of the top health experts in the administration, including Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. Woodward also notes that there were some holes in the so-called travel "ban," and that thousands of people still traveled from China to the U.S. after the restrictions went into effect. The big picture: "It is one of those shocks for me, having written about nine presidents, that the president of the United States possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives," Woodward said, recalling the warning Trump's advisers gave him in January. "Historians are going to be writing about the lost month of February for tens of years." What to watch: Woodward had 18 conversations with Trump for the book, which is set to be released Tuesday. Go deeper: Trump told Woodward "nothing more could have been done" on coronavirus DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's long-serving President Emomali Rahmon and four other men have been registered as candidates for a presidential election scheduled for October 11. The Central Election Commission of the Central Asian nation said on September 14 that it had registered as candidates Rustam Latifzoda of the Agrarian Party; Abduhalim Ghafforov of the Socialist Party; Miroj Abdulloev of the Communist Party; Rustam Rahmatzoda of the Party of Economic Reforms; and Rahmon, who is the leader of the People's Democratic Party. The secretary of the Central Election Commission, Navruz Samadzoda, told RFE/RL that a decision on the possible registration of a sixth candidate, the leader of the Democratic Party, Saidjafar Usmonzoda, will be made later in the day. The deadline for filing documents for the registration of presidential candidates was September 11. Many in Tajikistan expect that the incumbent Rahmon, who was nominated by his party, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, and the Union of Tajikistan's Youth will be announced as the winner again, saying that the other candidates were registered just to present the facade that the election has legitimate competition. The campaign will kick off on September 15 after all registered candidates receive official documents confirming their participation. The only opposition party functioning inside Tajikistan, the Social Democratic Party, said earlier that it will boycott the poll. 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. In Tajikistan's last presidential election, in 2013, Rahmon was reelected by a landslide, with 84 percent of the vote. None of the five presidential elections won by Rahmon has been deemed free and fair by Western election observers. Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland is proud to congratulate Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart and the team at Cartoon Saloon on its World Premiere for Wolfwalkers this weekend. Critical response to the animated adventure feature film, which was supported by Screen Ireland, has been overwhelmingly positive across the board, with Variety calling it a stunning artwork for the ages that blend[s] ancient Irish folklore with empowering contemporary values. The films rich and dazzling visual animation, its themes of female empowerment and a stirring, adventure-filled story were all singled out for praise, with predictions that the animated tour de force (Indiewire) seems destined to become an instant classic (Screen International), as well as speculation on its potential for awards success. Desiree Finnegan, Chief Executive of Screen Ireland, commented: Congratulations to directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and all of the team at Cartoon Saloon on the fantastic reaction to the World Premiere of their film Wolfwalkers at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a remarkable achievement with stunning animation artistry and visual design, telling a rich and powerful story immersed in Irish cultural heritage. We cant wait for audiences around the world to see the film when it is released in cinemas and on Apple TV+ later this year. Co-directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and written by Will Collins, Wolfwalkers is the third instalment of the animated Irish folklore trilogy from the internationally renowned animation studio Cartoon Saloon, based in Kilkenny. The Apple Original film was produced by Paul Young, Nora Twomey and Tomm Moore for Cartoon Saloon and by Stephan Roelants for Melusine Productions. Wolfwalkers follows Robyn Goodfellowe, a young apprentice hunter who journeys to Ireland with her father in a time of superstition and magic to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebhs missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. An official Ireland-Luxembourg co-production, Wolfwalkers was produced with the participation of Value & Power Culture Communications Co, Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, Film Fund Luxembourg, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, RTE, Canal +, OCS and the Pole Image Magelis, Charente Region Fund. Wolfwalkers will be released in Irish cinemas by Wildcard Distribution and on Apple TV+ later this year. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/09/13 Various online communities on the South Korean Internet have been discussing a peculiar detail in "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" that had until now largely gone unnoticed. In the eleventh episode of the drama, there was a kiss scene that prompted a rating restriction of 18+ due to its intense content. But behind the scenes still for that scene show something surprising. Kim Soo-hyun appears to be fingering the ear of his co-star Seo Ye-ji. Advertisement This has prompted spirited debate about whether Kim Soo-hyun was, indeed, digging into Seo Ye-ji's ear on the set, or whether this particular still simply looks peculiar out of context. Analysis of the scene in question appears to suggest that the still was just poorly timed. However, some observers have noted that Kim Soo-hyun had his hand similarly positioned in "Producers" during his kiss scene with Cha Tae-hyun. The discussions do not appear to harbor any particular ill will toward Kim Soo-hyun. Indeed, the kiss with Cha Tae-hyun, who is a man, was played for comedy. The kiss scene with Seo Ye-ji was played for serious drama. Nevertheless the apparent tic has interested many fans. Kim Soo-hyun has relatively few kiss scenes over his career, after all, compared to his reputation. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" is directed by Park Shin-woo, written by Jo Yong, and features Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Ye-ji, Oh Jung-se, Kang Ki-doong, Park Gyu-young, Kim Chang-wan. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2020/06/20~2020/08/09, Sat, Sun 21:10 on tvN. Few Americans doubt that this year will result in a contested election. The Republicans are preparing to go to court, while the Democrats are threatening to take to the streets and bring in the military. Under either scenario, there's the real possibility that the House of Representatives will ultimately decide who will be America's next president. Moreover, what most people don't realize is that their votes for the upcoming term of the House of Representatives will affect the vote's outcome. It's relatively common knowledge that if the Electoral College cannot return a majority vote for president, then the House of Representatives is the body charged with selecting which of the three top candidates will become president. When Americans think about this procedure, most probably assume that, because the Democrats hold the House, a House vote inevitably means a Biden victory. That assumption is wrong. The Twelfth Amendment, which defines the procedure for a House vote, makes explicit that this is not an ordinary vote, with each member of the House having a say. Instead, each state gets only one vote (emphasis mine): But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. (U.S. Const., Amendment 12, Clause 3.) Although the Democrats have the majority of House members, under the "one vote per state" rule, the current House (the 116th Congress) would almost certainly end up voting for Trump. Reviewing the list of current members of the United States House of Representatives reveals that many purple states, despite having Democrat senators or even having sent Democrats to the Electoral College, actually have more Republican House members than Democrat House members. Currently, 27 states have sent more Republicans than Democrats to the House. It's true that the big blue states give Democrats a majority for regular House business. However, under the Twelfth Amendment, it's the Republicans who have the all-important majority for selecting the president. Unfortunately, if the election ends up before the House, it may not be the favorably composed 116th Congress that will cast the determining vote. Should the purple states elect more Democrat than Republican House members, Nancy Pelosi can hold off on having the House decide the election until the new House members are seated. Here's how that works: under the Twentieth Amendment, congressional terms end and begin on January 3, over two weeks before the newly elected president assumes office on January 20: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. Nancy Pelosi knows that, under the Twelfth Amendment, the House has until March 4 to cast its vote for president. If the 117th Congress is the same as the 116th Congress that is, 27 states have more Republican than Democrat members Trump wins no matter what. However, if there's a shift within the states, so that just two more states return a majority of Democrat members, then Pelosi will refuse to hold the vote for president during the 116th Congress and wait, instead, for the new House members to be seated. If the House ends up having to decide the election, it's the political allegiance of those House members returned for the 117th Congress that will determine who becomes the president of the United States. The practical implication is that every House vote is more critical than one has ever been in our lifetimes. Conservatives naturally want to retake the House, so there is some incentive to make sure to vote for the Republican candidate in each voter's House district. This year, though, the urgency is even greater. Conservatives must understand as they vote on November 3 that even one Republican House member in their state could make the difference between a Biden versus a Trump presidency. If just one or two districts in a purple state switch to the Democrats, that could throw the House to Biden. Your vote has never been more important. Do whatever you can to vote in person so that you know that your vote will be counted. And when you fill out your ballot, make extra sure that, in addition to voting for the Trump/Pence ticket, you also vote for the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. Image: United States House of Representatives. Public domain. Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmar Official in Suu Kyis Office Tests Positive for COVID-19 A press conference at the Presidents Office in Naypyitaw. / Thiha Lwin / The Irrawaddy Naypyitaw An official at the State Counselors Office has tested positive for coronavirus with at least five COVID-19 cases reported among civil servants in Naypyitaw. The Naypyitaw Health Department has tested civil servants, including Presidents Office staff, who are in quarantine after having contact with a coronavirus-infected assistant director who helped organize a press conference at the Presidents Office on Sept. 4. A State Counselors Office staff member tested positive on Friday, the deputy director-general at Naypyitaw Health Department, Dr. Myat Wunna Soe, told The Irrawaddy. He is the personal staff officer (PSO) to U Khin Maung Tin, the deputy minister at the State Counselors Office but the deputy minister himself tested negative, said U Zaw Htay, the director-general of the Presidents Office. He told reporters on Monday that the deputy minister is in quarantine at a hotel and will be tested again within days. The PSO had close contact with the Presidents Office assistant director who tested positive on Sept. 9. U Zaw Htay, who is senior to the infected assistant director, also underwent two COVID-19 tests but tested negative. The infected assistant director does not normally engage with President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Both are in good health and at work, said U Zaw Htay on Friday. The wife of the assistant director also tested COVID-19 positive. As of Monday, Myanmar has 3,015 COVID-19 cases with 24 deaths and 699 recoveries. All the 39 journalists who attended the press conference on Sept.4 were tested and a female reporter tested positive. It is sad news but, except for her, all the other journalists tested negative. Please stay at home for 14 days, U Zaw Htay told the journalists on Friday. The health authorities are trying to trace and quarantine those who had contact with the female journalist. I would like to request all of them to stay at home. If they have unusual symptoms, like fever, contact us immediately. We will help as quickly as possible, said Dr. Myat Wunna Soe. Travel is restricted into Naypyitaw with ministries working on shifts to ensure physical distancing with restrictions on staff in their offices and during their leisure time. None of Naypyitaws eight townships are under lockdown. As of Monday morning, there have been at least 40 COVID-19 cases in Naypyitaw, including two doctors and other health workers. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Forget Knocking on Doors: Open a Facebook Accountthe New Way to Campaign in Myanmar Amid COVID-19 Myanmar Ministry Places Staff Under Home Quarantine After Two Test Positive for COVID-19 Myanmar Bans Domestic Travel to Stop COVID-19 Spread 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 NEW DELHI: Facebook on Monday announced the appointment of Arun Srinivas as director of global business group. He will lead the strategy and delivery of India marketing solutions focused on advertisers and agencies. He joins Facebook from cab hailing service provider Ola, where he was the chief operating officer (COO), and global chief marketing officer (CMO) at Ola Mobility. Srinivas will spearhead Facebooks strategic relationship with brands, agencies, and partners to drive the companys revenue growth in key channels in India, and partner the media and creative ecosystems for accelerating adoption of digital tools by businesses. The companys key business vertical teams, agency teams, and business solutions teams will report to him. Sandeep Bhushan, director and head of global marketing solutions, Facebook India said Srinivas will "lead the mandate to shape the role the Facebook family apps can play in enabling businesses, supporting Indias economic recovery, and building the digital advertising ecosystem of the country". Srinivas comes with 24 years of experience in senior sales and marketing roles at companies such as Ola, Unilever, and Reebok. He also did a stint at investment firm WestBridge Capital Partners where he led the consumer vertical. Srinivas started his career with Reebok and then moved to Unilever where he spent more than 15 years across food, beverages, skin care, and personal care categories. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. 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 #YourHealthisPriceless campaign to scale down the price of the cure by countering counterfeit medicines in the fast-paced world of e-commerce The EU-funded project IP Key South-East Asia (SEA) initiates #YourHealthisPriceless on 14 Sep 2020 and launches an online campaign to raise awareness of the harms that counterfeit pharmaceutical and healthcare products can cause. The campaign is also a call for the public to share their experiences with counterfeit medicines on social media. "#YourHealthIsPriceless campaign emphasizes the EU mission through IP Key SEA project in raising awareness on IP rights on social media. We also believe that the stories shared will help envisage the current situation and encourage customers to be fully aware of the product's authenticity and buy from legitimate sources," said Tiago Guerreiro, IP Key SEA Project Leader. "The harmful effects of counterfeit pharmaceutical products bring intellectual property (IP) closer than ever to the course of our daily lives. They show that the strong enforcement of IP rights protectionincluding the protection of trade mark, patent, and industrial designcan greatly contribute to consumers' well-being and public health", shared Tiago Guerreiro. The threat to international trade and legal supply chains Cross-border trafficking of counterfeit pharmaceutical products occurs with more ease in the digital age, where e-commerce and logistics have increased access to. Globalization makes it possible for second-tier distributors to sell their fake products globally; that is, they do not have to be produced in the market of distribution as they can be shipped from anywhere. Global trade in counterfeit pharmaceutical products accounts for EUR 11.87 billion, representing more than 3.3% of total global trade in the pharmaceutical sector, according to the 2016 OECD study. It remains to be a challenge for IP and government officials to detect fake products and enforce IPRs protection measures, hence the need for local consumers to be careful when being approached by unauthorized sellers. "The EU is supporting Thailand and ASEAN regional approach and initiatives for combatting substandard and falsified medicines. Harmonized pan-ASEAN safety and control measures allowing easier identification of counterfeit medicines, and improving verification and controls at borders, as well as a system enabling patients to identify legally operating online pharmacies, would certainly help limiting the commerce of these dangerous products", stated Laurent Laurdais, Counsellor at the EU Delegation to Thailand. Purchase genuine products from verified or verified and legitimate distributors and join the campaign by sharing your experiences with counterfeit pharmaceutical products alongside a description, photo, or video, include the hashtag #YourHealthIsPriceless and mention @IPKey_EU Twitter account or IP Key Facebook page. OPEC revised down by another 400,000 bpd its forecast for global oil demand this year, expecting consumption to shrink by 9.5 million bpd over 2019, cutting forecasts for the second month in a row as risks with the pandemic and economic activity remains skewed to the downside. In its Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) published on Monday, OPEC said that it expects global oil demand to average 90.2 million bpd this year, down by 9.5 million bpd compared to 2019. In last months report, OPEC expected the worlds oil demand to drop by 9.1 million bpd in 2020, which was also a larger demand loss than the cartel had previously expected. In todays report, the cartel said that risks remain elevated and skewed to the downside, particularly in relation to the development of COVID-19 infection cases and potential vaccines. Furthermore, the speed of recovery in economic activities and oil demand growth potential in Other Asian countries, including India, remain uncertain. OPEC also lowered its demand outlook for next year by 400,000 bpd, expecting global oil demand to rise by 6.6 million bpd from this years levels. This means that OPEC does not expect oil demand to return to pre-crisis levels next year. As OPEC turns 60 on Monday, the cartel says it is ready to meet the challenges of the next 60 years and ensure a balanced and stable oil market. Sixty years after Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela founded the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on September 14, 1960, OPEC vows to continue playing a major role on the global oil market, as it remains focused on a balanced and stable oil market, in the interests of both producers and consumers, as most recently exhibited through the Declaration of Cooperation and the historic production adjustments of 2020. Related: Citi Bank Sees $60 Oil In 2021 What is clear is that what was set in motion has stood the test of time; OPEC still has the same core objectives, of order and stability in global oil markets, but its role has also broadened considerably, in terms of deeper cooperation with other producers, dialogue with a host of industry stakeholders, and an embrace of human concerns such as sustainable development, the environment and energy poverty eradication, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said in a statement. OPEC and a dozen non-OPEC producers led by Russia are currently withholding 7.7 million bpd of combined crude oil production from the market, hoping to rebalance supply and demand after demand crashed in the pandemic earlier this year. The cartel has succeeded in stabilizing oil prices at around $40 a barrel for a few months, but the faltering demand recovery continues to keep oil prices much lower than all OPEC members need to balance their budgets. At the same time, OPEC+ is easing its production cuts and has yet to (if ever) bring all participating producers into perfect compliance with their quotas. This increased supply and uncertain demand recovery are now tipping the market into oversupply, as the weak physical markets and widening contango structure in the oil futures market suggest. Apart from the short-term challenge to rebalance the oil market, OPEC faces an existential conundrum of how relevant it would be at a time when the pandemic and the push towards low-carbon energy might have significantly accelerated the timeline of peak oil demand. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The people of the world need to fight for their right to global democracy and a global parliament. It is a paradox: The world and its people have never been so closely interwoven than today, yet there are more fences and walls separating them than ever before. Many governments seem to resist the inevitable. World unification is no longer a philosophical consideration. It is becoming a political possibility. And for a growing number of people intellectuals, activists, politicians, academics and others it is a necessity. While it is true that important metrics such as global average life expectancy show impressive improvements over time, the current global situation is characterised by escalating crises and unsolved problems. The danger of global warming was known for decades and yet, to this day, no effective action has been taken, as record levels of carbon emissions testify. Not much time is left, if any, to prevent a runaway climate crisis. It is already creating life-threatening conditions for millions. For a long time, there have been warnings that new pathogens will evolve and trigger global pandemics. The World Health Organization (WHO) was instructed to launch an investigation into its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as many felt it was unprepared, incoherent and ineffective. Inequality is also growing across the world. Addressing this issue in a recent speech, UN chief Antonio Guterres said, While we are all floating on the same sea, its clear that some of us are in superyachts while others are clinging to the floating debris. According to the World Food Programme, 135 million people are facing crisis levels of hunger. There are currently close to 80 million displaced people who have fled war, persecution and instability. It is the worst humanitarian and refugee crisis in 70 years. The advantages of globalisation and rising productivity disproportionately benefit the affluent. Corporate tax rates and corporate tax revenues continue to fall. Multinational corporations and the super-rich are able to avoid paying taxes using loopholes and weaknesses in the international taxation system. Trillions are hidden from tax authorities in offshore accounts. Intergovernmental efforts to stop illicit financial flows and abolish tax havens have achieved little in the past 25 years. Despite an obligation in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that the five official nuclear powers need to seek complete nuclear disarmament, there has been no real progress. Instead, modernisation of nuclear arsenals is pursued. There is a race to build hypersonic missiles and major arms control treaties are crumbling. The destructive power of nuclear weapons continues to represent an existential threat to humanity. The current political order is unable to deliver lasting solutions. It is suffering from a structural problem. With almost 200 states that insist on their national sovereignty, effective international action and regulation are hard, if not impossible, to achieve. Intergovernmental organisations such as the UN or the WHO are only as effective as their member states allow them to be. Otherwise, their hands are tied. In particular, they are dependent on those large contributors who pay the bills. The UN does not represent humanity. It is an exclusive club of government executives whose job it is to pursue national interests. It is time that global institutions be equipped with the power they need to deal with global threats and manage global common goods such as the atmosphere. They need independent legitimacy, authority and funding. There are signs that a tipping point is being reached. Two years ago, in a survey of 10 countries in all world regions, 82 percent of respondents said that the UN needed to be reformed to better address current and future global challenges. Almost 70 percent agreed that a supranational organisation should be able to make enforceable global decisions to manage global risks. An indispensable element of an empowered UN would be a popularly elected global parliament, based on a global constitution, that represents all citizens of the world. Intergovernmental bodies, in which the representation of citizens is mediated by career diplomats appointed by governments, do not have the democratic legitimacy for binding decision-making powers, even if these are strictly limited to matters of global concern. UN chief Guterres himself noted two months ago that a new model for global governance must be based on full, inclusive and equal participation in global institutions. Indeed, as more and more issues transcend national boundaries, the people of the world need to insist on their right to democracy at a global scale. They are the sovereigns. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, government authority needs to rest on the will of the people and this will shall be expressed in periodic and free elections. There is no reason why this should not apply globally as well. Some major countries do not provide for free and fair elections even at home. Efforts for national democracy and global democracy thus are interlinked and depend on each other. In the meantime, the creation of a UN Parliamentary Assembly represents a practical and doable step on the path towards a world parliament. Members initially could be chosen by political groups in national parliaments and pioneering countries could introduce direct elections if they wish to do so. The selection should reflect existing political views as best as possible and not only the government. By contrast to the importance of geopolitical groups at the UN, the work of this complementary parliamentary body should be based on transnational political groups that are established by representatives according to common political views. These groups would have to include members of a minimum number of states from a minimum of world regions. The idea of a global parliament that gives all citizens on the planet equal political representation goes back to the time of the French Revolution. If the people of the world unite behind this vision it can soon be at the top of the political agenda. We are in the middle of a struggle between the forces of autocracy and nationalism on the one hand and democracy and global awareness on the other. In view of the climate crisis and global risks, which of these poles will gain the upper hand may decide the fate of human civilisation for centuries to come. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:26:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close China is one of the few countries that have been on the forefront in helping Zimbabwe fight the COVID-19 pandemic. As a country under Western sanctions, Zimbabwe has failed to obtain significant financial bail-outs from major multilateral lenders to fight the disease, but China has stood behind the country, offering the much-needed assistance that has helped strengthen the country's response to the pandemic. A Michigan woman got quite a surprise when she went to her mailbox this weekamid her regular bills and junk mail was a postcard that had been mailed almost 100 years ago. Brittany Keech told CNN that she didnt give the card much thought at first because she was busy with her kids and her daily hustle and bustle. I thought it was very peculiar that I was receiving a postcard because nobody sends postcards anymore nowadays, Keech said. I went Okay, this is different. Later, she noticed that the card was postmarked on Oct. 29, 1920. It had her Belding, Michigan, address but was written to someone named Roy McQueen in faded cursive writing. (Illustration Chayapak Jansavang/Shutterstock) The card read: Dear Cousins, Hope this will find you all well. We are quite well but mother has awful lame knees. It is awful cold here. I just finished my history lesson and am going to bed pretty soon. My father is shaving and my mother is telling me your address. I will have to close for a night. Hope grandma and grandpa are well. Dont forget to write us Roy get his pants fixed yet. It was signed by someone named Flossie Burgess. The card has a Halloween theme that includes a black cat holding a broom, a bat, a goose, and an owl, along with a woman with a cane and a jack-o-lantern in a witchs hat. The 100-year-old postcard. (Courtesy of Brittany Keech) Additionally, theres a George Washington one-cent stamp on the back, and the smudged postmark says Jamestown, but the state appears to be covered by some kind of sticker. Keech, 30, said she has no idea what delayed the card, which was mailed decades before she was born. A spokesperson for the Postal Service told CNN affiliate WXMI that in most cases these incidents do not involve mail that had been lost in our network and later found. What we typically find is that old letters and postcardssometimes purchased at flea markets, antique shops, and even onlineare re-entered into our system. The end result is what we do bestas long as there is a deliverable address and postage, the card or letter gets delivered. This postcard was mailed in 1920 and arrived in Michigan recently. (Courtesy of Brittany Keech) Keech posted photos of the postcard on a Facebook group in hopes of finding McQueens or Burgesss relatives, or someone who might have known the families. I have two wonderful ladies that are helping me look into their genealogy, she said. (Illustration Thaspol Sangsee/Shutterstock) Several people have posted old documents in the comments section that might help solve the mystery. Keech wants to return the card to a family member and said theyve got a lead on one possible relative. The CNN Wire contributed to this report. Yermak says the return of prisoners is among the president's priorities. Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak has said the issue of prisoner swap with occupied Donbas will be discussed next week. "Of course, we are constantly working since we have a clear task set by president, so the return of prisoners is our priority. We expect the issue and specific dates for the next prisoner swap will be discussed at the next meetings, which will be held in the coming week. To date, there are about 100 persons on the lists from each side," he told the Segodnya newspaper in an interview. According to Yermak, a Red Cross mission will soon head off to the occupied territory of Donbas. Read alsoPreparations for Normandy Four leaders' summit underway ZelenskyThis will be the first stage of preparation for the prisoner swap. A meeting of advisors to the Normandy Four leaders was held on September 11. According to Yermak, the negotiations showed Kyiv enjoys unconditional support of its Western partners. Following the meeting, Deputy Head of Russia's presidential administration Dmitry Kozak said the participants in the negotiations had agreed to support the ongoing ceasefire. Controversial issues are expected to be settled by late September. Prisoner swap: background Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he does not believe the European Union will impose sanctions on Turkey for its dispute with Greece over territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, hinting that should it do so, Turkey could unleash millions of migrants on Europe. We made the decision not to prevent migrants from going to Europe and this decision is still valid, Cavusoglu told the pro-government NTV news channel today. Cavusoglu repeated Ankaras claims that it was France, Greece and Greek Cyprus who were pushing for sanctions that are set to be weighed at a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on Sept. 24-25 in Brussels. Cavusoglu said that Ankara had succeeded in making the EU see reason. As we explained ourselves, EU members came to realize that we were right, Cavusoglu claimed. Recent developments, however, suggest the opposite: that faced with the threat of EU sanctions and rumblings of discontent from Washington, it's Ankara thats backing down. The first signs of a perceived climbdown came over the weekend when the Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis, which had been exploring for hydrocarbons in waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece, sailed back to Antalya in southern Turkey. Cavusoglu had earlier said the ship would continue its mission beyond the Sept. 12 expiration of its Navtex, or navigational notice. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the move. The return of the Oruc Reis is a positive first step. I hope there will be continuity. We want to talk with Turkey, but in a climate with no provocations, Mitsotakis told reporters on Sunday. A sanctions lists exists as an option. Our desire is to not see it implemented, but it will be done if the other side is not returning to the path of logic, he added. Ankara swiftly denied that it had made any concessions to Greece, its NATO ally. Turkeys Energy Ministry asserted in a statement that the vessel had returned for routine maintenance and that it would resume its activities. Cavusoglu echoed the rebuttals today. Yet he described Mitsotakis call for a talks as a positive, moderate step toward establishing dialogue. In a further sign of a thaw, Greek and Turkish military officials are expected to meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels tomorrow. The Oruc Reis journey back to Turkish shores coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the internationally recognized Greek part of the divided island of Cyprus. After a meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Pompeo appeared to lend support to Greek and Cypriot arguments on the eastern Mediterranean that are based on the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea which the United States has yet to ratify, as does Turkey. We remain deeply concerned by Turkeys ongoing operations surveying for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction, Pompeo said. Pompeos trip followed the partial lifting of a decades-long arms embargo imposed by the United States over Cyprus and days after Russias foreign minister traveled to the island. France, however, has emerged as Greeces staunchest ally in recent months, sending a warship to the eastern Mediterranean to participate in joint exercises with Greek frigates and Rafael fighter jets to Crete. Frances President Emmanuel Macron is also leading the chorus of calls for EU sanctions on Ankara. It's made him Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans favorite bugbear, one with which to whip up nationalist fury and hopefully divert the publics attention from Turkeys sagging economy. Macron made it clear that the dislike was mutual ahead of a summit of southern EU member states known as the Club Med that was held on Sept. 10 in Corsica to rally support against Turkey. Macron said Turkey was no longer a partner in the eastern Mediterranean and that the Turkish people deserve something different from how Erdogans government currently behaves. His comments spurred a furious response from Erdogan, who warned him to not mess with Turkey and the Turkish people. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seeking to defuse the crisis through mediation. Ankara has seized on Germanys efforts as proof that the EU is divided and weak and that Macron is isolated. Cavusoglu claimed today that the French leader was dishonest and that he had gone off the rails. For a while it seemed like Merkel was making progress when Greece and Turkey began technical talks in August. But they broke down when Greece announced it had signed an exclusive economic zone agreement with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean. It overlaps with the zone staked out in a controversial deal signed between Turkey and Libyas internationally recognized Government of National Accord last year. Turkeys threats to flood Europe with millions of Syrian and other illegal migrants resonates loudly with Merkel. Her decision in 2015 to let in one million Syrians triggered a huge popular backlash. Far-right populists cashed in. Erdogan has not shied away from mobilizing the millions of diaspora Turks in Europe to create turmoil in Germany and the Netherlands, either. Despite German squeamishness, the emerging consensus among EU diplomats is that the best way to deal with Erdogan is to respond to his hardball tactics in kind. Id say the risk for Turkey is that all of Europe eventually concludes Macrons pushiness is the only way to deal with Erdogan, concurred Nicholas Danforth, a fellow at the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute. Whatever actually prompted the Oruc Reis to return to port, many will attribute it to Europes concerted response. Turkish foreign policy has achieved the unthinkable: make French saber-rattling seem sensible, Danforth told Al-Monitor. A veteran observer of Turkish politics who sought anonymity in order to speak freely warned, however, that through sanctions, the EU risks accelerating Turkeys metamorphosis into a hostile rogue state, which will strategically paralyze the eastern Mediterranean, and end up a formal military ally of Russia and China. Some would argue the EU shared responsibility for Ankara's current trajectory when several EU leaders signaled early on that Turkey, with its large Muslim population, would never be accepted as a full member even as it began now-stalled membership talks in 2005. Either way, recent history suggests that Erdogan knows when to step back from the brink: When Russias Vladimir Putin slapped biting economic sanctions on Turkey after it downed a Russian fighter jet over Syria in November 2015, Turkey gave up its support for Sunni opposition rebels in Aleppo. When President Donald Trump imposed Magnitsky Act-inspired sanctions on two Turkish cabinet ministers after Turkey refused to free North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson in August 2018, Brunson was allowed to walk. Meanwhile, Turkey has still to unpack Russian-made S-400 missiles Ankara claims COVID-19 got in the way to avert congressional sanctions. Yet Erdogan has seen that bullying and disruption can work, as when Trump let Turkish troops attack Washingtons Syrian Kurdish allies in October 2019. His appetite for risk served him well in Libya, where Turkeys military intervention forced the eastern warlord Khalifa Hifter backed by Russia, the UAE, France and Egypt to call off his year-long campaign to capture Tripoli in May and beat a humiliating retreat. But Athens maritime deal with Egypt has thrown a spanner in the works. Italy, which has largely sided with Turkey in Libya, may be changing its tune. Turkeys overt military intervention in Libya and its push to expand its political and economic footprint in the Central Maghreb have caused Italy as well as France to view the Eastern Mediterranean conflict through the lenses of their economic interests in Africa, noted Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy and a professor of Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East affairs at the University of Navarra in Spain. This will impact the politics of the 24-25 European Council meeting and could influence EU politics well beyond. If Italy swings toward a position more similar to France, then the entire EU south will swing in favor of a tougher position toward Turkey. And it is Italys interest in Libya that could be the tipping point. Buses on a HCM City street (Photo: VNA) HCM City - A new project to improve citizens' access to public transport and limit the use of private vehicles is expected to improve the bus system in HCM City, according to the municipal Department of Transport. The project aims to meet 25 percent of the residents travel demand by 2030, set up street lanes for buses, and improve bus service quality. In the 2021-2025 period, the city targets having the bus system connected with new urban areas, industrial parks, satellite urban areas and passenger transport routes. Current public transport meets only 6 percent of local residents' travel demand. In 2012, the citys buses transported 305 million turns of passengers, but the number is expected to fall to 159 million this year. Many buses since 2017 have had to stop operation. As of July, the city had only 128 bus routes. Le Trung Tinh, former head of the departments road transport management division, told Nguoi lao dong (Labourer) newspaper that lanes for buses and mini buses with fewer than 17 seats should be piloted. Dr Vu Anh Tuan, head of Transportation Research Centre at the Vietnam- Germany University, suggested that these lanes for buses should be on Vo Thi Sau-Dien Bien Phu, 3 Thang 2- Kinh Duong Vuong, Truong Chinh-Cong Hoa-Nam Ky Khoi Nghia-Pasteur streets. The lanes could also be used by ambulances, fire trucks and other priority vehicles, Tuan said. In the next five years, the number of bus routes would have to increase by 400-500 compared to the present number, he said. Tinh said that a proposed project on opening six mini buses routes would not require a city subsidy and could transport passengers in the citys alleys. However, the Ministry of Transport has rejected the proposal. The city Peoples Committee this year has approved supplementing more than 141 billion VND (6 million USD) to provide subsidies for buses. The money was disbursed before August 15. Several transport enterprises said the subsidy helped them overcome difficulties because they did not have enough money to pay salaries for their staff or buy buses. The citys subsidy increased from 1,123 billion VND (48 million USD) in 2018 to nearly 1,247 billion VND (53.6 million USD) in 2019 and 1,311 billion VND (56.4 million USD) this year, but was still not sufficient for maintaining bus operations in the city. To improve bus services and increase ridership, the citys Transport Department is expected to open public bidding for bus routes later this year through early next year. LOWER PROVIDENCE An Upper Providence man must answer to charges in Montgomery County Court that he allegedly possessed child pornography on his home computer, including images of an infant being sexually assaulted. Richard D. Gilbert, 31, of the unit block of Sheffield Court, waived his preliminary hearing on charges of possessing child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between December 2019 and January 2020. District Court Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar of Lower Providence set bail at $50,000 unsecured and Gilbert will remain free on his own recognizance while awaiting trial in county court. The investigation began on Dec. 24, 2019, when county detectives received a Cybertip that an internet user had uploaded three child pornographic images, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective James J. Reape. Two photos depicted a female child, aged 2 or 3, in a sexual-related pose, according to court papers. The third file included a video clip of an adult male having sexual contact with what appears to be a 4-6 year old child, according to the criminal complaint. Detectives obtained internet subscriber information, which traced the computer that uploaded the images to Gilberts residence. On Jan. 22, detectives went to Gilberts residence with a search warrant and seized a desktop computer that was submitted for a forensic examination. Contained in the examination results were no less than 10 files depicting children all under the age of 18 years engaging in prohibited sexual acts or in the simulation of such acts, Reape alleged in the criminal complaint. The images included a female infant and other girls between the ages of 6 and 10 being sexually assaulted by an adult male, according to the arrest affidavit. Gilbert potentially faces decades in prison if convicted of all the charges at trial. But in the Republican coalition today these impulses have too much power, or too few checks. Which is why conservatism as a culture has produced so much its just the flu contrarianism, so much social-Darwinist rubbish about the disease being harmful only to seniors and the already-unwell, and so little in the way of policy innovation from its elected leaders some of whom are currently impeding a new wave of coronavirus relief, to their own partys likely detriment. Kentucky congressman against mandates says he has COVID Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (L) and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, in this file photo. (Office of the Governor) Judge Rules Pennsylvania Governors Shutdown Orders Unconstitutional A federal judge has struck down Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs CCP virus restrictions that required people to stay at home, put limits on gatherings, and ordered non-life-sustaining businesses to stay shut down. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV on Sept. 14 sided with plaintiffs that included drive-in movie theaters, hair salons, farmers markets, and several GOP officials who sued as individuals. Butler, Greene, Fayette, and Washington counties were also listed as plaintiffs. Stickmans judgment stipulates that the congregate gathering limits imposed by defendants mitigation orders violate the right of assembly enshrined in the First Amendment, the stay-at-home and business closure components of defendants orders violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the business closure components of Defendants orders violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The judge, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, argued that the actions taken by Wolf and Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, who are both Democrats, were undertaken with the good intention of addressing a public health emergency, but that even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered. The liberties protected by the Constitution are not fair-weather freedomsin place when times are good but able to be cast aside in times of trouble, Stickman said. There is no question that this country has faced, and will face, emergencies of every sort. Stickman added that the solution to the crisis can never be permitted to supersede the commitment to individual liberty that stands as the foundation of the American experiment. Furthermore, he said, the Constitution cannot accept the concept of a new normal where the basic liberties of the people can be subordinated to open-ended emergency mitigation measures. Wolf has lifted a number of restrictions since the lawsuit was filed several months ago, allowing businesses to open again and canceling the statewide stay-at-home order. Pennsylvania also has a gathering limit of 25 people for events indoors and 250 for events outside. Pennsylvania has reported that more than 145,000 people have contracted the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus since the beginning of the pandemic, while more than 7,800 have died. Wolfs spokesperson told The Associated Press that his office is reviewing the judges decision. Its a complete and total victory for the counties, the businesses and the representatives, said attorney Thomas W. King III, who represented the plaintiffs, as reported by Triblive. You cant order the entire population of Pennsylvania to stay at home. (CNN) A lush pocket of northeastern Ireland has been identified as the potential site for a new global city to rival Hong Kong. Under property developer Ivan Ko's original plans, the charter city "Nextpolis" would be wedged between two of Ireland's largest towns and filled with half a million Hong Kongers taking refuge from political pressures in their home city. Charter cities are those given leeway to operate differently to the standard model set by various territories. There are hundreds of such cities in the US, including San Francisco. But while charter cities are fairly common, international charter cities are another matter. The idea, proposed in the late 2000s, was that new cities could be established in developing nations and operated by outside governments or organizations, with a completely different economic and social model to the rest of the country, as a way to supercharge development. If "Nextpolis" goes ahead, it'll be the first bid to establish an international charter city -- albeit one with some tweaks -- in almost a decade, and the first to go beyond the planning stages. Previous attempts were derailed by corruption and instability, while the model itself has been denounced by some as neocolonial and unworkable. Ko, founder of the international charter city investment company, Victoria Harbour Group (VHG), says his plan for a "new Hong Kong" in Ireland is still on track, despite an apparent lack of progress with Irish authorities. What is a charter city? International charter cities were first conceived by economist Paul Romer in the late 2000s. Hong Kong was itself the original inspiration for many international charter city advocates, Romer included, who saw it as a proof of concept: a city that had operated for decades with a British framework in Asia, and then a unique political and economic system within China. International charter cities work like this: a new city is created within a sovereign country but is free to experiment with its own political and economic system -- usually one with low taxes and scant regulations. A foreign country could even act as the administrator of the city -- the idea being that a spillover effect from this city will boost the economy of the developing-world country it is built within. Romer, in a 2009 Ted Talk, gave the example of creating a "special administrative zone" in Guantanamo Bay, on the southeastern tip of Cuba, that would be administered by Canada, and "connect the modern economy and the modern world" to Cuba. This is similar to how China created a special economic zone in Shenzhen to connect the country to the capitalist world and afford urban pockets greater economic freedom to experiment without a wholesale change of the national economic system. But Romer's two attempts to establish international charter cities in Madagascar and Honduras, both ultimately failed. The first project fell apart when Romer's backer, Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana, was forced from power in a coup in 2009. He then turned his attention to Honduras, which had just undergone its own coup, bringing President Porfirio Lobo to power. Concerns about corruption dogged the project, and Romer eventually resigned from a transparency commission that was supposed to be overseeing it, saying he had been blocked from key information. For many critics of the charter city model, the instability and corruption seen in these developing countries pointed to a problem at the heart of the idea itself: that you can't fix countries by parachuting in some neoliberal economists with grand ideas. Others also argued the idea itself was neocolonial. Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist and author of "The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions," said that the closest model to charter cities in practice is free trade zones, which have been "roundly denounced in the literature on economic development because they do virtually nothing to improve actual development outcomes." "Wages tend to be lower than they are in the national territory, labor standards worse (and) environmental regulations non-existent," he said. "This makes it ideal for patterns of accumulation by foreign capital, but not good for national development." New Hong Kong? Ko, the "Nextpolis" founder, told CNN that he had been working on the idea for an Irish-Hong Kong "charter city" since last year, when anti-government unrest rocked Hong Kong, leading many to consider leaving. But while he is reportedly pressing on with his plan, the Irish government is less than keen. In a statement, Ireland's department of foreign affairs said that "following an initial approach in December 2019, the department had limited contact" with Ko, and it had taken "no further action" on this matter. While initially happy to talk, Ko broke off communications in July. The same month several students suspected of committing "secession" were arrested under a new security law imposed on the city by Beijing. Ko's plan had been held up by many as a potential solution to those wary of the law. And if anything is ever realized, it's likely to be a radically reduced version of Ko's original vision. According to a version of the plan leaked to the Times of London, he'd originally proposed a settlement of half a million people. His latest plan is for a town of just 15,000, smaller than some Hong Kong housing estates. According to the Times, officials expressed concern at him acquiring the amount of land required for a city the size Ko initially suggested. Ko is not the only charter city proponent to see this as a potential solution to Hong Kong's current political crisis. But while these proposals nod to Romer's ideas, in practice they would be very different beasts: Ireland is obviously not a developing country, nor is there any chance of the Hong Kong government getting involved to assist with the building of the new settlement. Yet Hong Kong is such an attractive example to charter city proponents of a place that exists within a country but governs itself differently that many feel this model can be transferred to another continent, swapping China for Ireland or the UK, to enjoy the same economic success that Hong Kong has in past decades. The original charter city In a recent essay "Let's build Hong Kong 2.0 here in the UK," Sam Bowman, director of competition policy at the International Center for Law & Economics, wrote that "advocates of charter cities want to replicate the success of Hong Kong and Singapore." But charter city proponents are often guilty of cherry picking characteristics of the city they like and pointing to these as causes for its development, while ignoring other, less palatable issues. What Bowman and others also miss is that accidents of history made Hong Kong what it is today, and the resultant complex economic fabric would be hard to replicate. Hong Kong sprang from colonial rule. The British administered a small piece of what was previously Chinese territory until 1997, giving it an established legal scaffolding and access to expertise in governing. And while the libertarian economist Milton Friedman called Hong Kong under the Brits an "almost laboratory experiment in what happens when government is limited to its proper function and leaves people free to pursue their own objectives," the reality isn't quite so simple. But by the time Friedman made those remarks in the 1980s, when he made a documentary on the city, Hong Kong was booming as a manufacturing center, thanks to sweatshops staffed in part by immigrants from China. The city was also increasingly emerging as a tax haven and financial center, both connected to and sufficiently apart from the global monetary system to avoid regulation. And for all the talk of Hong Kong's former freedoms, its Chinese residents did not have much political representation until near the end of the 20th century. "It's very easy to have a free market libertarian paradise if you don't have democracy," said Sam Wetherell, an expert on the history of cities at the University of York. The legacy of that system can be seen in Hong Kong today, one of the most unequal societies on earth, with low wages and stratospheric rents that force many people to live in tiny apartments or even so-called "cage homes," sharing a small, much-subdivided space with dozens of others. The city is also hugely dependent on a class of low-paid migrant workers, many of whom are forced to live with their employers and earn less than the already low minimum wage of $4.80 per hour. John Mok, an academic at the University of California, Irvine, who studies Hong Kong, said that Western thinkers "always frame Hong Kong as an economically liberal city with good liberal values." "We Hong Kongers know very well that the gap between rich and poor is very, very wide," he said. Supply and demand While Hong Kong may have some connection to the idea of an international charter city, building a "new Hong Kong" for migrants in another country is a marked departure from the original concept. Instead of building a charter city inside a developing country, catering to an existing population in need of work and opportunities, the "new Hong Kong" model relies on Ireland or another government being willing to accept thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of new migrants, on the basis that the proposed city will bring economic benefits. To sell this idea, many proponents have framed the Hong Kong people as economic dynamos, often straying into racially tinged territory about "industrious Asians." Writing in the Telegraph, Daniel Hannan, a former Conservative politician and leading Brexiteer, called for a self-governing Hong Kong in Britain, on the grounds that emigrants "would bring their own wealth. And, once they arrived, they would generate economic activity for the surrounding region, just as they did in their home city." Elsewhere, Bloomberg's editorial board and Australian government ministers have also talked up the potential benefits of migrants from Hong Kong. However, US-based Chinese scientist Yangyang Cheng said such "glistening phrases are not compliments. They are dehumanizing." "The dominant rhetoric from western countries goes beyond the humanitarian principle to emphasize economic self-interest," she wrote. "They paint a caricature of a population where Hong Kong's poor and disenfranchised are never part of the picture, where a life's worth is defined by its productivity." Wealthy, highly educated migrants can be a boon to the countries they move to, these comments ignore the fact a huge proportion of Hong Kong's population are suffering because of the wealth gap -- and overlook the reality that a new city might not offer the same economic opportunity as their home. "By portraying Hong Kongers as the 'right' kind of immigrant, distinct from migrants at the US-Mexico border or refugees across the Mediterranean, Western lawmakers see the Asian city as their own political theatre," Cheng wrote. "They claim the mantle of human rights defenders by feigning solidarity, while espousing racist and xenophobic policies at home." Nor is it necessarily clear that many Hong Kongers would be on board with moving to northeastern Ireland, or an underpopulated part of the UK, as charter city proposals call for them to do. Wetherell, the University of York academic, said that despite promises about somehow recreating the Hong Kong system in Ireland or the UK, a person's ties to any given place "are much more profound than the similarity of physical buildings," economic models or tax regimes. "Ireland is not Hong Kong, it's a different climate, it's a different world," he said. "(Even if you could) rebuild the skyline of Hong Kong in Ireland, it wouldn't be the same." According to Mok, who along with colleagues surveyed Hong Kongers looking to move overseas, the self-governing island of Taiwan was overwhelmingly the first choice, pointing to the shared culture and history, and the island's proximity to Hong Kong. A 28-year-old lawyer who was planning to emigrate told CNN that he, too, was leaning towards Taiwan. He liked the idea of building a new Hong Kong, but said he had "never seriously thought" about Ireland. "I have been there once, for two weeks. It is a lovely place, but I do not know a lot about it," he added, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of this topic. "A lot of Hong Kong people are already living in Canada and US, or Taiwan and there are mini communities of Hong Kong people there already. I am not sure if that's the same for Ireland." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Hong Kong set the bar for charter cities. But it's not a blueprint that can be transported." A man accused of beating his mother to death last year in her Northampton County home has pleaded no contest in the case. Philip Looby, of the 1000 block of East Fourth Street in Bethlehem, was in court Monday morning for a pretrial conference on a single homicide charge in the killing of his mother, Maryanne Looby. The 51-year-old Looby pleaded nolo contendere, or no contest, to third-degree murder in the case. A no-contest plea means a defendant doesnt admit guilt, but admits that prosecutors have enough evidence to prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt. A no-contest plea is treated as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes. Third-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Loobys plea deal came with a sentencing agreement of 20 years to 40 years in state prison, which President Judge Michael Koury handed down at the hearing. My brother is not an evil man, Loobys brother, Timothy, said at Mondays hearing. Timothy Looby spoke of offering compassion for his brother. He is my brother and I do love him, and thats all I have to say, Timothy Looby told the court before his brother was sentenced. Philip Looby only said that if there were words to accurately describe the entire situation, Im not familiar with them. He previously claimed the attack was self defense. Assistant District Attorney James Augustine said at the time of the killing, Philip Looby was helping his mother with taking care of her home at 1997 West Point Drive in Lower Saucon Township home. Prosecutors believe Maryanne Looby was also paying rent for her sons Bethlehem apartment. There was a toxic, co-dependent relationship between mother and son, that was ongoing, Augustine said. Hes the only person who really knows what happened that night, Augustine said, adding there was forensic evidence that would have supported seeking a first-degree murder conviction in the case. The family expressed a desire to avoid a trial, and they were consulted about the plea deal, he added. A 20- to 40-year prison sentence is essentially a life sentence for Philip Looby, Augustine said. This gave the family some closure, without having to go through a trial and without having to look at photographs and hear autopsy testimony. Thats what we looked at," Augustine said. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek previously testified Maryanne Looby suffered extensive injuries in the attack on Feb. 3, 2019. The victim had extensive wounds to her upper body, including cuts on her scalp and defensive wounds on her hands and wrists that she sustained during the beating, Lysek testified. Two stab wounds were found on her abdomen, but they were nonfatal injuries. Lysek said there was a considerable amount of blood underneath Maryanne Loobys body, as well as blood spatter on her and in the room. A bloody candlestick was found near the body, and a bloody box cutter-style knife found in the master bedroom. Maryanne Looby died from blunt force trauma to her head, and the candlestick played a role in her death, the coroner testified. Police were called the morning of Feb. 4, 2019, for a welfare check on Maryanne Lobby; a friend had called Bethlehem 911 and reported Philip Looby said he killed his mother. On Monday, Augustine said Looby called three people that morning and told them he killed his mother. Philip Looby has blood-stained hands when he answered the door at his mothers home, police said. Looby reportedly told the officer his mother was inside, sleeping. An officer testified he then went inside the house, and Looby told him Youre not going to like what you find in there. Officers found 70-year-old Maryanne Looby dead on the first floor of her home. Philip Looby reportedly told officers his mother came after him with a hobby knife and he defended himself. Dressed in a red prison jumpsuit, Looby wore a blue surgical mask and dark glasses in court on Monday. Everyone in the courtroom, from the judge and his staff, to the attorneys, deputies and a handful of people in the courtroom audience wore masks of different styles. The masked attorneys used microphones in order to be heard in the courtroom, and blue and neon green painters tape was used to mark socially distance spots around the room. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans senior political and military officials have visited the military units and village in the foremost line of the front, the Defense Ministry said on September 12. The visit was paid by the Presidential Aide, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev, Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev and other representatives of the ministry under the instructions of the president. During the visit to the military unit, the senior officials met with servicemen serving in combat positions and inquired about the conditions of their service. Furthermore, conveying the greetings of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Hajiyev spoke about the continuation of measures aimed at fulfilling the orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on increasing the combat capability of the Azerbaijan Army and improving the social conditions of the servicemen. Thus, the presidential aide emphasized that these issues are in the centre of constant attention of the country's leadership. The senior officials also took part in a joint lunch with the military personnel who is on the combat duty on the foremost line of the front. Following the visit to the military unit, the presidential aide met with local residents in one of the frontline villages. During the meeting with local residents, Hajiyev conveyed the president's greetings to them and inquired about the concerns of the population. Expressing their satisfaction with the conditions created, the villagers asked to convey their gratitude to the country's leadership. The officials also paid a visit the memorial In memory of those who died in April Battles erected in the city of Horadiz. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to be moving forward withA critical race theory trainings for employees despite an executive order from President Trump ordering federal agencies to end such taxpayer-funded training programs. Trump issued an executive order earlier this month requiring federal agencies to cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions and directing the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance on implementing the order. Nevertheless, the CDC is debuting a 13-week critical race theory program that aims to address the countrys white supremacist ideology. BOMBSHELL: The @CDCgov is moving forward with a critical race theory training programain violation of @POTUS' executive action. I've obtained leaked documents that outline the CDC's plan to "examine the mechanisms of systemic racism" and address "White supremacist ideology." Y Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) September 14, 2020 The training series, dubbedA Naming, Measuring, and Addressing the Impacts of Racism on the Health and Well-Being of the Nation and the World,A will feature anA American Public Health Association presentation from instructor Camara Phyllis Jones, a physician and civil rights activist. The program will teach CDC employees how to identify three levels of racism and examine the mechanisms of systemic racism. The first three sessions focus onA racism, sexism, and other systems of structured inequality, and instruct trainees how toA address institutionalized racism. Later sessions focus on racism as a public health crisis. The CDC blamesA systemic racism for police killings of unarmed Black and Brown men and women and the view of Black men as inherently threatening as well asA the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. Story continues The training sessions also advise CDC employees that they must target certain societal barriers to achieving health equity including a narrow focus on the individual, theA myth of American exceptionalism, and the myth of meritocracy, defined as, If you work hard you will make it. The final session in the training series encourages and instructs CDC employees to take action on racism, including on policy and legislation. Last week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley called on Congress to investigate why federal agencies spent taxpayer dollars onA critical race theory trainings, suggesting that in doing so the agencies may have violated federal law. I think that the presidents action here to stop funding is absolutely appropriate, the Missouri senator said.A I personally wonder if there has been a federal law violation. Its not clear to me that these agencies actually had authority under congressional appropriations to spend that money, the way that they were doing it. So, I really wonder if we got some federal legal issues. More from National Review Hours after Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday launched a fresh assault on Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader and Transport Minister Anil Parab hit back, calling her a "dual personality", while state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the "drama queen" has fled Mumbai. "She clearly has a dual personality and needs a doctor. Kangana is an actor and speaks according to the script given to her. Many such Kanganas have come and gone," said Parab, but refusing to identify those who prepared the "script" for her. On her much-publicised visit to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, he said: "Why should the Governor meet only Kangana? He should also meet the poor people whose illegal slums or roadside constructions are being demolished regularly." Parab wondered why the Bharatiya Janata Party's "stomach is churning" when the illegal construction of Kangana was razed. Targeting Kangana, Sawant asked why the actress - who boasted of information about drug-mafia connections in Bollywood - suddenly returned to Himachal Pradesh without sharing any details with the investigating agencies. "She openly made claims of having knowledge of Bollywood-drugs mafia links, but did not provide the details to the NCB. Withholding such information is a crime under the NDPS Act and IPC Sections 176 and 220. Instead, she kept abusing Maharashtra leaders including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, besides Mumbai Police," he said. Sawant reiterated that her abrupt departure from Mumbai makes it apparent that she "is a puppet" in the hands of the BJP and part of a larger conspiracy to "discredit and defame" Maharashtra with ulterior motives. Parab further warned that the Shiv Sena would not tolerate if Kangana crosses the limits or makes any wild statements about Mumbai or Maharashtra. "We are staying within our limits...They should also observe the limits. We will not keep quiet if she keeps talking ill about Mumbai. If she thinks the city is like PoK, then she must decide if she still wants to live here...," the minister said. On Kangana's fresh salvo after reaching Himachal Pradesh this morning, Parab noted that "this is her only job now". "That is okay. Because of this, her love for the city is known to the people clearly now," he said. Asked about Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale's visit to Kangana's home to express solidarity, Parab termed the Republican Party of India-A leader as "a shop with half shutters down". A gunman walks up to sheriff's deputies and opens fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP) $100,000 Reward Offered in Ambush of 2 Los Angeles Deputies Video appears to show witness laughing about attack An eyewitness to the ambush attack on two Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies mocked the wounded officials and laughed that they were aired out, according to a video that was posted after the incident. It comes as sheriffs officials offered $100,000 for a reward in the case. Them [expletive] just got aired out. They just bust on them [expletive], cuz. Thats crazy, the man, wearing a yellow hoodie, is seen saying in a video that was posted on Twitter. Somebody bust on the police, he said, adding: Two sheriffs shot in the face. They trippin. Its going up in Compton. Somebody ran up on the corner and bust on their [expletive], right through the window, in the face and all, Its a wrap, he said of the attack. The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said. They performed in an admirable fashion in spite of grave adversity, Villanueva said Sunday during a conversation with local religious leaders. God bless them, it looks like theyre going to be able to recover. Meanwhile, the search for the gunman continued. Sheriffs officials announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Capt. Kent Wegener said Saturday that officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect seen on the video opening fire with a pistol. The video can be viewed below (WARNING: foul language): Reprehensible witness reaction video of the 2 officers being shot point blank. pic.twitter.com/LqAe2yj4An The Red-Headed Libertarian (@TRHLofficial) September 13, 2020 The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 4, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Ted Cruz: No Desire to Join Supreme Court After Placement on Trumps List Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) emphasized Sunday his lack of desire for a nomination to the Supreme Court, several days after President Donald Trump included the lawmaker on his expanded list of potential future nominees. Im grateful that the president has that confidence in me. But its not the desire of my heart. I want to be in the political fight. I want to be fighting to nominate and confirm three, four, five principled, constitutionalist justices. But thats not where I want to serve, Cruz said during a virtual appearance on Fox News. I want to stay fighting right where I am in the U.S. Senate. Three other senatorsJosh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah)were on the list. Hawley also said he has no interest in serving on the nations highest court. Cotton and Lee expressed openness to being nominated. I will always heed the call of service to our nation. The Supreme Court could use some more justices who understand the difference between applying the law and making the law, which the Court does when it invents a right to an abortion, infringes on religious freedom, and erodes the Second Amendment, Cotton said in a statement. Few others have commented on being included on the list. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in Washington on July 27, 2020. (Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times) Most of the new additions are federal judges. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron appeared to be the only one outside the senators to issue a statement after being named as one of the 20 additions. It is an honor to be mentioned by President Trump today, he said. I remain focused on serving the people of Kentucky and delivering on my promise to tackle child abuse, human trafficking, the drug epidemic, and other public safety challenges throughout the Commonwealth. The Supreme Court has nine justices. They are on the court for life. Some retire from the court while others remain on the job until death. The oldest justices are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, Stephen Breyer, 82, and Clarence Thomas, 72. Trump had two nominations in his first term in office. Both Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch were confirmed. Cruz warned in the new interview that one vote on the Supreme Court can make a huge difference on the state of the country. The senator referenced Bush v. Gore, which he helped litigate. Four justices were prepared to take away the right to elect our president, to take it away from the voters, and to give it to unelected judges instead, Cruz said, promoting his new book on the subject. The 5-4 decision concluded no constitutional recount of ballots in Florida could be fashioned in time, building on the 7-2 opinion that a scheme from Floridas Supreme Court for recounting ballots was unconstitutional. Even as the regulator and the Centre continue to maintain their stance that the bad loans written off by banks cannot be construed as a waiver, an RTI filed by a social activist shows the extent of the malaise of big loan write-offs and poor recovery across public sector banks. This information pertains only to loan accounts of Rs 100 crore and above. (Image: Shutterstock) Technically, when a bank writes-off its debts, they are removed as assets from its balance sheet as it does not expect any recoveries from borrowers. The beneficiaries of such a move are invariably some of Indias biggest industrialist defaulters. In contrast, when a bad debt is written down, a certain portion of its value remains as an asset on its balance sheet as the bank expects some recovery. However, as shown in the cases of the five banks below, most of the time, there is no or negligible recovery for the amounts written off. (Image: Pixabay) The most uncomfortable moment of any luncheon at a downtown hotel occurs, for me, at least, when a small army of servers marches to the tables with the main course. The attendees and I are usually dressed in nice suits and professional dresses. Most of us are Anglo, speaking in English. Most of us earn good salaries, are covered by health insurance and live in comfortable homes. The servers tend to be Latinos, mostly women, dressed in black and white, nylon uniforms. They avoid eye contact as they deliver plates to our tables. Managers on the sidelines urgently whisper instructions in Spanish. The servers are low-wage workers, many of whom are immigrants without health insurance or secure housing. They work diligently, knowing that one dropped plate could cost them their jobs. They try their best to be invisible, and to most of the guests, they are. TOMLINSONS TAKE: Leverage COVID anger to boost economic justice Whats apparent to me, though, is the inequality in opportunity and incomes, a cultural gap that disguises profound changes coming to Texas and the nation. How we address this divide will determine our future prosperity. Too often, Anglo men sit at the front of these luncheons, perpetuating a stereotypical image of a Texan. And they may have represented the majority in 1980, when Harris County was 63 percent Anglo, 20 percent Black, 16 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian, according to the Census Bureau. But by 2010, Harris County was 33 percent Anglo, 18 percent Black, 41 percent Hispanic, and 8 percent Asian. The same transformation happened in Dallas County. Bexar County and the border have long been majority Latino. When we get the census results back for 2020, experts expect Hispanics will officially become the majority in Texas, according to the Texas Demographics Center. For the first time since the Battle of the Alamo, Anglos will be a minority. Population size, though, does not guarantee political power. Latinos only make up 30 percent of Texas eligible voters, mostly because so many are under 18, according to Pew Research, the polling and data organization. Neither does majority status translate into economic power. Anglos still retain most of the states wealth, and the COVID-19 pandemic is only making matters worse. The K-shaped recovery shows Anglo-majority industries rebounding, while Latino-dominated economic sectors sink. Lack of political and economic power has consequences. As the proportion of people of color has grown in Texas, the Anglo-dominated Legislature has slashed public services. Per capita spending on education is down, poverty alleviation programs are floundering and campaigns to guarantee higher wages and better benefits for people like those servers have stalled. Texas leaders crow about the absence of an income tax, but they are only making matters worse by perpetuating an underclass by denying real opportunities. The children of the people carrying those plates represent the future of Texas, and we need them to fill high-paying jobs in the future. Rather than embrace the vibrant, new generation of Texans working to build better lives and a better community, too many conservatives are leveraging bigotry to hold them back. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Colombian immigrant who attended Stanford and Harvard, is a lightning rod for fear-mongering conservatives. GOP activists have accused and ridiculed the young Latina for trying to introduce Latin American socialism and freeing dangerous criminals, neither of which is true. TOMLINSONS TAKE: Fight for economic justice as important as protesting police brutality On the national stage, the Wall Street Journals editorial page recently evoked a potential Kamala Harris administration to argue for restrictions on what presidents can do through executive order. Nothing seems to frighten or infuriate elderly Anglo men more than young, successful women of color. Ive listened to Republican politicos talk about the need to diversify their party to compete in future elections for more than a decade. They know that Latinos will make up the majority of voters, and not just in Texas. By 2040, the entire country will look like Houston. Today, though, too many conservatives are worried about a future where the roles at the hotel are reversed. Where people of color sit at the table while Anglos dutifully bring out the food. If that image bothers you, please ask yourself why exactly. Despite what some may claim, the United States is not a nation based on bloodlines. An American can be any color and of any religion. The only requirement is a dedication to self-determination and respect for the rights of others, as set out by our Constitution. Americans are confronting the nations historical racism and trying to address it. The sooner we address our separate pasts and concentrate on our shared future, the sooner the United States will thrive again. Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy. twitter.com/cltomlinson chris.tomlinson@chron.com Pearl Maria DSouza By Express News Service BENGALURU: The National Law School of India University, held another slot of its own entrance examination National Law Aptitude Test (NLAT), today, after students' complaints of technical glitches with the exam portal. The examination started at 12:30, and students were told in a personal message that should the students choose to take this examination, the score from the previous attempt and their answers there would be erased. Several students who wrote the test on September 12, said that they were logged out automatically in just minutes of starting the examination. Students also faced difficulties in the verification of their photo and ID card. The pattern of the examination changed this year, was a double whammy for students. "We had extensively practiced another structure," a student told TNIE. The college administration, although did not make the information about the reexamination public, is likely to give out details about the examination only after its completion this noon. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has brought out detailed guidelines that need to be followed when examinations are conducted at physical centres across India amid the Coronavirus outbreak. These standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been released in the run-up to the series of examinations that will be conducted by testing agencies and universities in September and October. The idea here is to minimise the risk of infection since these centres are not just frequented by students and teachers but also by parents. A number of queries have been raised about how the exams will be conducted in the middle of a pandemic. Students are particularly worried about what will happen if they are not allowed inside exam centres. Moneycontrol attempts to answer a few of the questions: Who needs to follow the SOPs? The SOPs with respect to the examinations have to be followed by all testing agencies, universities and institutions conducting exams in physical centres. The MoHFW has said that 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, students and parents) in the exam centres at all times. Who is allowed into the exam centres? The Ministry said that only those examination centres that are outside the containment zone will be allowed to function. Further, staff and candidates from containment zones shall not be permitted. This means that students and institute personnel who belong to the 9,000 odd containment zones across the country cannot enter these examination halls. It does not matter whether the person has symptoms or not. Students/staff will be informed in advance about the restriction on containment zones. Further, the status of those entering the examination hall will be monitored through the Aarogya Setu application. This mobile application status check will notify the authorities in case the candidate or staff belong to a containment zone. Also Read: In the end, 83% of those who applied wrote the JEE 2020 exam What if I get a Covid-19 negative certificate? Even if a student from a containment zone gets a Covid-19 negative certificate after getting tested, entry into an exam hall will be barred. This is because research has shown that RT-PCR and antigen testing may not be 100 percent successful in detecting the Covid-causing coronavirus. A student testing negative could also be early in the Covid-19 cycle or samples may not have been collected properly. This could result in a Covid-19 negative test even though the candidate could be carrying the virus. So, when do I take the examination? The Health Ministry has said that candidates belonging to containment zones will be given an opportunity to write the examination through other modes. So, if there is a physical exam, the candidate could be given a chance to take an online examination from home. However, students must keep in mind that they may not be able to take the exam the same day and delays could be expected. The individual universities and testing agencies will take a decision on when to conduct the examination. I am from a containment zone but have already secured admission for higher studies. Will the Health Ministry exempt me from appearing for my exams? The Supreme Court has already clarified that students cannot be promoted without taking the final-year university examinations. So, if you are part of a containment zone and not allowed inside the exam hall, there is no other option but to wait for further directions from your university. Your degree will be withheld and any future admissions will not be accepted unless the examinations are taken. There is a chance that the university may give you an option to write your exams from home, but this will depend on how many students need this option. Also Read: Hui xue zhongwen: I want to learn Chinese, say Indians as demand for the language picks up after lockdown dip What if I am not from a containment zone, but have symptoms? The Health Ministry has said that only asymptomatic staff and students will be allowed inside the examination hall. If you are detected with symptoms such as fever or cough, you will not be allowed into the exam centre. Post this, the exam centre authorities will refer you to the nearest health centre. You will be given an opportunity to appear for the exams at a later date. But this is only when you are declared physically fit. What if I develop symptoms while writing the exam? In case a student or staff member develops symptoms during the exam, s/he will be asked to sit in a room or area isolated from others. The person will remain isolated while wearing a mask/face cover till such time s/he is examined by a doctor. If the symptoms deteriorate, the individual will be immediately put in touch with State medical services. Following this, the person will be sent for testing. In case the student/staff is found to be Covid-19 positive, the exam centre will have to be disinfected. How will the exam centres ensure safety and hygiene? Authorities have to plan out the exam schedule in such a way that there is staggered entry and exit of students. Appropriate arrangements for personal protection gear such as face covers/masks, and other items such as hand sanitisers, soap, sodium hypochlorite solution have to be provided by the authorities. It will be advisable for everyone to carry their own masks, pen/pencil and water bottles. Sharing of items will not be allowed. EU naval forces tasked to enforce UN arm embargo in the Mediterranean has arrested a ship allegedly carrying fuel from UAE to Libyan rebel war lord Khalifa Haftar, reports say. The forces, Irini, in a statement said that a German frigate, supported by an Italian frigate, stopped the merchant vessel Royal Diamond 7 just after dawn in international waters, 150 km (95 miles) north of the Libyan city of Derna. The vessel reportedly left the port of Sharjah and was heading to Benghazi in Libya. The fuel shipload according to the mission was for military purpose. Irini diverted the ship to unknown European port for further investigations, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports. The UN has since 2011 imposed arm embargo on Libya and the decision was further bolstered early this year during Berlin conference over the oil-rich African country. The North African has slid into chaos since 2011 following the removal and the assassination of former leader Muammar Gaddafi by a NATO-led revolution. Two rival governments are haggling over the control of the resources of the country. UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) supported by Turkey and Qatar is confronted with UAE, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France-backed rival administration supported by Haftar. The GNA has managed to foil Haftars year-long (April 2019-May 2020) military offensive to overrun capital Tripoli. Australia's top medics had not called for - or even discussed - using curfews to slow the spread of Covid-19 before Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews imposed one. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth revealed on Monday that Melbourne's 8pm curfew was not backed by the AHPPC, the group of state and federal public health doctors advising politicians during the pandemic. He said the strict curfew was brought in by the Victorian government to reduce the movement of people during the state's second wave. Australia's top medics have never called for - or even discussed - using curfews to slow the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: Melbourne under lockdown Victoria on Monday recorded 35 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths, as Melbourne takes its first tentative steps out of lockdown. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews Asked for his opinion on the curfew, Dr Coatsworth said the AHPPC has never discussed using a curfew as a method of reducing movement. He told ABC News: 'Well, the curfew obviously was intended to restrict movement as were all stage four restrictions. 'Unfortunately I'm not able to talk about it in too much detail as it wasn't something discussed at the AHPPC. 'It hasn't been a policy that we have discussed or promoted at the AHPPC level, it was clearly a policy that the Victorian government chose to introduce with the overall aim of lowering movement which we know slows the spread.' On Thursday Premier Andrews admitted that he made the decision to introduce the curfew. 'That's a decision that I've made,' he said. Mr Andrews said governments are 'free to go beyond' advice given to them by doctors. On Wednesday Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton said he did not recommend the curfew. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth (pictured) revealed on Monday that Melbourne's 8pm curfew was not backed by the AHPPC Daily exercise: Cyclists riding at Albert Park in Melbourne during the city's strict lockdown 'It was a separate decision-making pathway,' he told Melbourne radio 3AW. The state's police commissioner Shane Patton also said he did not make the decision. 'I was never consulted,' he said. 'I've made enquiries to determine if anyone in the organisation was briefed on the matter.' Victoria on Monday recorded 35 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths, as Melbourne takes its first tentative steps out of lockdown. The figures bring the state's death toll from the virus to 730 and the national figure to 817. From Monday, people living alone or single parents will be allowed to have one other visitor as part of a 'social bubble'. Outdoor exercise is extended to two hours split over a maximum of two sessions, allowing social interaction with one other person or household members. Playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment will reopen and the nightly curfew will start an hour later at 9pm before finishing at 5am. Under Mr Andrews' road-map out of lockdown, regional Victoria and Melbourne must have fewer than five cases per day before restrictions can be significantly eased. Professor Tony Blakely, an epidemiologist at the University of Melbourne who helped the government with its modelling, said this target was 'ambitious' and that ten or 15 cases per day would be more realistic. 'With ten cases per day on our model you only have a 10 per cent risk of a resurgence by Christmas,' he told the ABC's 7.30. 'But I think we can even go higher than ten... and use expert judgement to perhaps release a little bit earlier.' Orange Slovakia was so eager to list the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE that it used images from @evleaks. However, if the rest of the information on the page comes from Samsung itself (rather than something the Orange web admins found on the Internet) were looking at a 700 phone. For context, the Galaxy S20 4G is sold for 900 by the same carrier. Still, this is for a 4G model with with only 6 GB of RAM, two gigs short of what the basic S20 packs. Theres no mention of chipset, unfortunately. Rumors claim that the 4G model will use the Exynos 990 chip while the 5G model is the one getting a Snapdragon 865. Alas, Orange neither confirms nor denies this. Orange.sk's page for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Anyway, the carrier also claims that the display will have 1440p+ resolution instead of 1080p+ as rumors suggested, so everything on the page is suspect. In case that page gets taken down, here are the rest of the details: 6.5 Dynamic AMOLED screen (so 120 Hz), 12+12+8 MP triple rear camera, 32 MP front cam, 4,500 mAh battery and IP68 dust and water resistance. Two color options are listed: Blue and White. This isnt the first time that the Galaxy S20 FE has leaked. It showed up in Canada or rather the 5G version did and it showed a price of CAD 1,150 (735 or so). It also popped up on the Samsung Philippines site, but without a price tag attached. Samsung will officially unveil the phone at the Unpacked for Every Fan event scheduled for September 23. Source (in Slovak) | Via By Stephen Nellis, Josh Horwitz and Hyunjoo Jin SAN FRANCISCO/SHANGHAI/SEOUL (Reuters) - Nvidia Corp's $40 billion agreement to acquire Arm Ltd from SoftBank Group Corp <9984.T> is likely to meet strong opposition from Nvidia's chip industry rivals, analysts say, with murmurs of protest emerging in South Korea and China within hours of the deal's announcement. Arm has unparalleled reach as a supplier of designs and intellectual property to most of the global semiconductor industry, licensing its technology to customers such as Intel Corp , Qualcomm Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> who increasingly compete with Nvidia. Arm's open approach of licensing its designs to all comers has turned the 160 billion chips sold based on its technology into a huge ecosystem of devices from smart phones to smart toasters. Nvidia's deal would put Arm under the control of a U.S.-based combatant amid a battle between the United States and China, which is rushing to develop a domestic semiconductor industry while U.S. officials seek to stem its rise. Geoff Blaber, vice president of research for the Americas with CCS Insights, said the deal "will rightly face huge opposition" from Arm's customers. "An acquisition by Nvidia would be detrimental to Arm and its ecosystem," Blaber said. "Independence is critical to the ongoing success of Arm and once that is compromised, its value will start to erode." Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang and Arm Chief Executive Simon Segars told Reuters in an interview that Nvidia will retain Arm's United Kingdom headquarters - which exempt it from many U.S. export control laws - and open licensing model. Huang also said that Nvidia will expand the model by licensing some of Nvidia's designs - including its graphical processing unit, or GPU, technology - through Arm's network of silicon partners. That move would in theory allow those companies to compete with Nvidia. Story continues Nvidia "took great pains to emphasize that Arm will continue to act as a neutral supplier, and it must not interfere with any of Arm's licensing efforts, even if some Arm customers compete with Nvidia," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst at The Linley Group. But the deal immediately provoked skepticism in the hours after it was announced. "China is going to hate it," said one Chinese chip executive, noting that American companies working with Arm to create server chips would likely have a harder time selling in China if Arm had an American parent company. South Korean chip industry officials and experts said that Nvidia's Arm buy would intensify Nvidia's competition with Samsung, Qualcomm and others in self-driving cars and other future technologies, while raising concerns that Arm could hike licensing fees for competitors. "Arm customers may try to find alternatives to Arm for the longer term," a chip industry source in Korea said. Park Jea-gun, head of the Korean Society of Semiconductor & Display Technology, said the move marks an attempt by Nvidia to make an even deeper foray into the automotive chip market, where self-driving cars are set to take off and where Samsung and Qualcomm are making big pushes. "A formidable competitor will emerge in the automotive processor chip market," Park said. CCS Insights' Blaber said Nvidia's deal could also drive chip companies toward RISC-V, an open-source alternative technology that is supported by a nonprofit foundation but not controlled by any one entity. A source at one U.S. company using Arm designs said the move would likely accelerate an industry shift already under way from Arm designs to RISC-V. "This will only intensify that," the person familiar with the matter said. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco, Josh Horwitz in Shanghai and Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; editing by Greg Mitchell and Richard Pullin) ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok website is displayed on a smartphone in an arranged photograph. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Of the many questions still revolving around the fate of TikTok, the biggest one may be if the Trump administration will approve a restructuring plan that keeps China-based ByteDance in control, both financially and operationally, in the U.S. If you go by his words, President Donald Trump has already ruled this option out. "I set a date of around Sept. 15 at which point it's going to be out of business in the United States," Trump said in an Aug. 3 news conference. "But if somebody whether it's Microsoft or somebody else buys it, that'll be interesting. ... So it'll close down on Sept. 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal, so that the Treasury of the United States gets a lot of money." Yet, according to people familiar with the matter, the proposal that ByteDance and Oracle have sent to the U.S. government would keep TikTok together under ByteDance's operational control. Oracle's role will be as a "trusted technology partner," storing and securing the data within U.S. premises. TikTok has also said it's planning to disclose its algorithm to third parties. ByteDance is having discussions with both Oracle and Walmart for stakes in the U.S. business, according to people familiar with the matter, but the sale will not be for 100% of U.S. assets. That's a departure from the deal that was nearly completed several weeks ago at a value of $20 billion to $30 billion. That transaction fell apart at the 11th hour after China pushed back, saying it would need to approve a deal that involves exporting artificial intelligence technology used by TikTok. ByteDance has submitted a proposal that avoids selling the U.S. assets or all of TikTok which Trump said was necessary to avoid a ban because of conversations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and Treasury officials, according to people familiar with the matter. ByteDance believes its proposal with Oracle addresses CFIUS concerns based on precedent and the nature of the U.S. government's concerns with data sharing, one of the people said. CFIUS is the authority in the U.S. on foreign investments. The White House declined to comment. TikTok declined to comment, and Oracle did not respond to a request for comment. It's still unclear if the Trump administration will accept the ByteDance deal proposal. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told CNBC on Monday that the U.S. government plans to review the deal this week. "I will just say from our standpoint, we'll need to make sure that the code is, one, secure, Americans' data is secure, that the phones are secure and we'll be looking to have discussions with Oracle over the next few days with our technical teams," Mnuchin said on "Squawk Box." Kevin Mayer's plight If Trump does abandon his previous stance, allowing the application to keep running in the U.S. without a full sale, former TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer will serve as an unfortunate casualty of Trump's hyperbole. Mayer had planned to announce his resignation from TikTok in conjunction with a deal announcement, according to people familiar with the matter. But when news leaked to the Financial Times that he planned to step down when a sale was announced which was imminent at the time he preempted the deal announcement and said he was stepping down immediately. Mayer's reasoning for quitting was that he had signed up to run a global company with U.S. operations, the sources said. The deal on the table called for either Oracle or Microsoft to acquire and run TikTok in the U.S. Mayer didn't want to run a U.S.-only company as a division of either Microsoft or Oracle, and he didn't want to be CEO of TikTok without the U.S. (Mayer lives in Los Angeles.) When you think about emotional labour, if you think about it at all, chances are (a) you're a woman and (b) you'd define it as reminding your husband to send his mother a birthday card. You'll be doing this while cross-referencing the family calendar to ensure the play date doesn't clash with the doctor's appointment, remembering who needs a lift where, what time the plumber is coming, and that the dog needs worming, all before breakfast on a Tuesday. It's getting the kids back to school in a pandemic before visiting your parents in a hazmat suit, and making everything seem fun and normal. Emotional labour, as we currently understand it, is the unseen stuff - the organising, overseeing, arranging, remembering, reminding, co-ordinating, multi-tasking. It's the juggling. And juggling is what women do, as well as our paid and unpaid work. In general, according to a 2018 UN study, women do 2.6 times more unpaid work than men. During lockdown, this pattern continued, with women completing just one hour's uninterrupted paid work for their male partners' every three uninterrupted hours. UK researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies at University College London interviewed 3,500 families and found that with male and female parents who had the same paid work arrangements - either at work or furloughed - the mother did more childcare and more housework. Lucy Kraftman, a research economist at the IFS, reported that the only households where childcare and housework were shared equally were those in which the father had stopped paid work, but the mother had continued. Read More Social justice advocate Dr Ebun Joseph noted in a recent series of webinars how female academics were getting less work published during lockdown than their male colleagues - and therefore emerging from lockdown at a career disadvantage - because, despite men and women doing the same paid work from home, the great majority of the unpaid labour was being done by women. When men do unpaid domestic work, she says, it is called "helping", creating further distance from the idea of unpaid work as an equal responsibility. This unequal division of unpaid work is not, however, emotional labour. It's physical (cleaning, tidying, driving) or mental (budgeting, helping with homework). Emotional labour as we currently perceive it, according to US author Gemma Hartley, is an unending lady list that might read: "Arrange play date, call in-laws, choose gifts, manage calendar, send reminder, delegate chores, organise office party, speak softly, explain patiently." This concept of emotional labour came into focus after Hartley wrote a Harper's Bazaar article in 2017, Women Aren't Nags - We're Just Fed Up. It went viral. She followed it with a book, Fed Up, in which she describes how her husband would say, "All you had to do was ask," regarding household/family tasks. This, she says, is the crux of emotional labour: having to ask. Having to remind, cajole, nag, beg. The assumption that the domestic care-management role belongs to the woman, because this is how men and women are socialised. It takes conscious effort, therefore, to step back from our prescribed gender roles - unless, of course, you are a lone parent, in which case you will already be doing everything yourself anyway. (Outsourcing some of the physical, mental and emotional labour to cleaners, nannies and assistants is not usually an option for lone parents, unless you're Madonna.) "There is a lot of temptation to get involved in emotional labour with my partner," says psychotherapist Philippa Vafadari. "If we send birthday cards to his family because I have prompted him to do so, for example, then his family will think we are nice, thoughtful people. But that feels infantilising to me. I might prompt my teenage son to say 'happy birthday' to his grandma, but not my 55-year-old husband. If he hasn't worked it out for himself by now, then it's not my place to remind him. I'm not his mother. "I think [this approach] has been beneficial to our relationship. It cuts out potential codependency but doesn't mean that we don't care about and love each other. In a crisis, we have pulled together and supported each other. That seems like the more important time to emotionally labour. It feels too draining on a day-to-day basis." The origin of the idea of emotional labour does not, however, come from reminding your partner to send their family members greeting cards, or doing it yourself if they forget. It was coined in 1983 by US sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild in connection with the paid workplace, its original definition "to induce or suppress feeling in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others". In other words, to fake emotion for the benefit of your employer's profit margins. Hochschild looked at airline cabin crew and debt collectors as opposing examples of how emotional labour is factored into a job: cabin crew are trained to be "nicer than natural", debt collectors to be "nastier than natural". Between these two extremes, she argues that within the mainstream workforce, a third of men and half of women have jobs requiring substantial emotional labour that requires them to manage their own emotions all day, every day, in order to produce the correct emotional response in others: restaurant workers, care workers, customer service workers, education workers. Nobody likes a grumpy waiter, an unsmiling teacher, a chilly retail assistant. To experience a worker's genuine emotional state - tired, fed up, resentful, bored, preoccupied - would crack the illusion of "service with a smile"; we'd run a mile. Hochschild spoke out strongly against what she saw as the misrepresentation of the term since its re-emergence in 2017 after the Harper's Bazaar article. Housework is emphatically not emotional labour, she says. Nor is emotional labour just a female thing, or even a heterosexual thing, as much as a gender construct. "The gender-equality lens has traditionally focused on women, but it's important to remember that both men and women do 'emotion work' and very often gender makes two jobs out of one," says Suzanne O'Keeffe, lecturer in education at Maynooth University and a member of the Sociological Association of Ireland. "For example, I've spoken with male teachers who've said they're frequently asked to fix boilers, re-set timers and carry out jobs that men are 'expected' to be good at. "Similarly, women are considered naturally good at caring, organising and providing. This suggests why the responsibility of care falls to women inside and outside the workplace. But care is a response to the expressed needs of others, and it's wrong for anyone to assume that it is more naturally suited to one gender rather than another. "A useful way to understand the link between gender and emotional labour is to look at the division of the human subject into mind and body. This idea has dominated Western thought for quite some time. Men have been representationally aligned to mind (reason, judgement, etc) and women to the body (emotion, passiveness, etc). This understanding has informed art, biology, culture, history, philosophy... which makes it difficult to tackle the complex web of gender and emotional labour." Kathleen Lynch, professor of equality studies at UCD, says that emotional labour is all about love - and how the genders have been assigned distinctly different caring roles when it comes to expressing that love. "How does humanity survive?" she asks. "It's through care, not through economics. If we don't receive care, we die." Emotional labour has come about, she says, because of the "segregation of spheres in the Western industrialised world - care was definitively assigned to women after industrialisation". She explains, "The assignment of care is culturally disproportionate to women. The masculine identity of care is being the breadwinner, while women are not deemed successful in their femininity unless they are caring - these are culturally assigned roles. Masculine dominance, feminine nurturing - it's an identity issue. Masculinity is not defined by caring. We need to make care and emotional labour gender-neutral, because without care we are a dysfunctional society. "People die without love. We are sociable mammals and need affiliation. When women perform emotional labour, all of humanity benefits. We are a highly dependent species. "Men are not socialised to see [emotional labour]. It's not an assigned responsibility, which is why the socialisation of children is hugely important. Human beings are ethical, moral beings, yet the will to care for others is not recognised or enabled. "Our culture is driven by the rationalist philosophy of I-think-therefore-I-am, rather than I-feel-therefore-I-am, as though feelings are not rational. Feelings are entirely rational. And by not recognising emotion, we are not recognising emotional labour. We are so much more than just economic and cultural beings." Obviously, we will still want to send birthday cards to Grandma and maintain all the loving bonds that glue families and wider society together - we just don't want it to always be the perceived responsibility of the woman. Which is why socialising our male and female kids to be equally tuned into physical, mental and emotional labour is so vital for our continued social evolution. 1 TALK: In order to communicate the idea of non-gendered caring and emotional labour, we need to talk to children about it, both at home and at school. Group discussions engage children and young people in thinking consciously about care, who gives it, who receives it, and how it is something that involves all of us. Not just your mum. The key is to make it an open subject for discussion, rather than something unquestioned and unexplored. 2 ASK: Why is dad taking the bins out? Why is mum wrapping a birthday present? Why do we think dad knows more about DIY and cars, and mum knows more about everyone's school time table? Is that accurate? Is it like this in your house? Talk to your kids about your own biases and assumptions. Ask their opinions on everything. Get their feedback, and learn from them. They are probably not as biased as you, because they've had less time to form them. 3 PRAISE: Let them know that it's not a quiz or a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. Let your kids know that you value all of their input, even if they come out with the occasional jaded gender stereotype. Ungendering care is a long haul project, undertaken one small step at a time. The main thing is to involve boys and girls equally, and to keep a sharp focus on your own unconscious biases. T he hopeless fight to protect ARM from the outside world kicked off on Monday after US giant Nvidia bought the chip designer for $40 billion (31.2 billion) on Sunday night. Politicians and leading business figures clamoured to ringfence the companys headquarters in Cambridge in a bid to save ARM from being swallowed whole by its new US owner. In 2016 when ARM was sold to Japan's Softbank, the then Prime Minister Theresa May invited chief executive Masayoshi Son to Downing Street and thrashed out reassurances that the UK headquarters would remain intact. Ed Miliband wants to see similar rules put in place but hopes are slim that Boris Johnson can pull off the same feat with the Americans. The emotion around ARM stems from the fact the company hasnt followed the golden path laid out for it. ARM was supposed to be a trailblazer, a poster child for UK tech. There have been two big price tags in just four years, but this was a company that was capable of thriving on its own two feet. Amid the talk about what could have been, perhaps the most interesting comment came from the co-founder Hermann Hauser who still thinks ARM should be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Pure fantasy, but what would the FTSE 100 give for a company like ARM and a fast growing tech sector? The FTSE 100 has lagged its rivals The FTSE 100 has grossly underperformed compared to every other major stock market since coronavirus began. The problem is the index is full of deadweights, large companies with little or no growth prospects. These include banks, insurers, oilers and utility firms. The only attraction to these firms is the dividend, which this year gave bank investors a fresh headache after the FCA said they must suspend this simple function. Investors are so desperate for growth that high tech warehouse maker Ocado trades at a multiple of 300 times earnings as shares soared 100% over the past year. Nothing demonstrates the UKs poor performance better than recent results from the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund which owns 7% of the worlds stocks. The top 20 FTSE 100 companies by market cap value The results show that its UK stock portfolio returned a 25% loss, worse even than the emerging markets. As City commentator Neil Collins explains: The FTSE 100 index is dominated by some big, dud companies, with the banks at the top of the list. The biggest drag on the index has been oil. Two of the worlds biggest half-dozen majors are listed in London, and recent history has not been happy. BP suffered from the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, while the industry has squandered money in recent years, either on vast over-running projects or takeovers. Few deals match Shells $54 billion purchase of BG in 2016. A burgeoning publicly listed tech sector would not just benefit investors and funds. It would also have a transformational effect on the economy, pushing up wages for younger workers and modernising working practises. This in turn would make the UK more productive and enable us to compete with the US. Its too late for ARM but the UK needs to find a tech darling to lead the way. They do exist. Prodways group (Euronext Paris: PWG) will release its first-half 2020 results on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 6:00pm. On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Raphael Gorge, Executive Chairman, Olivier Strebelle, CEO and Laurent Cardin, CFO, will provide the financial community with their comments on Prodways Group half-year results and respond to questions from analysts during a conference call in English starting at 8:30 a.m. CET. To participate in the conference call, you may call any of the following telephone numbers approximately 5 - 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time: France: +33 (0)1 72 72 74 03 United Kingdom: +44 (0) 2 07 19 43 759 Germany: +49 (0) 6 92 22 22 54 29 Access code: 10062727# The press release and slide presentation will be available on our website: www.prodways-group.com. A replay will be available as soon as possible on the Prodways Group's investor site, under "Financial information". . ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: x2hxYZ2bYmjKnW+fY5drnJdsl2llx2CXbGLKlGVqZZedZ29nxZlkbsjHZm9lnm5n - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64991-invitation-to-h1-2020-results-conference-call.pdf ARM: UK-based chip designer sold to US firm NvidiaUK-based computer chip designer ARM Holdings is being sold to the American graphics chip specialist Nvidia.The deal values ARM at $40bn (31.2bn), four years after it was bought by Japanese conglomerate Softbank for $32bn. ARM's technology is at the heart of most smartphones, among many other devices.Nvidia has promised to keep the business based in the UK, to hire more staff, and to retain ARM's brand. It added that the deal would create "the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence" (AI). "ARM will remain headquartered in Cambridge," said Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang. "We will expand on this great site and build a world-class AI research facility, supporting developments in healthcare, life sciences, robotics, self-driving cars and other fields."A senior government source told the BBC that there would not be a move to block the sale, but that conditions could be imposed on the takeover.Softbank made commitments to secure jobs and keep ARM's headquarters in the UK until September next year. "So far, when you read the announcement coming from Nvidia they said they will honour that Softbank has made at the time," said Sonja Laud, chief investment officer at Legal & General Investment Management."But with the expiry about to happen and obviously the Brexit negotiations under way it will be very interesting to see how this develops in the future."This appears to address concerns that British jobs would be lost and decision-making shifted to the US. Last week, the Labour Party had urged the government to intervene.But two of ARM's co-founders have raised other issues about the takeover. Hermann Hauser and Tudor Brown had suggested ARM should remain "neutral", rather than be owned by a company like Nvidia, which produces its own processors. The concern is that there would be a conflict of interest since ARM's clients would become dependent on a business with which many also compete for sales.Moreover, the two co-founders also claimed that once ARM was owned by an American firm, Washington could try to block Chinese companies from using its knowhow as part of a wider trade clash between the countries.Hermann Hauser (left) and Tudor Brown (right) have warned the takeover would have negative consequences"If ARM becomes a US subsidiary of a US company, it falls under the Cfius [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] regulations," Mr Hauser told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "[That] means that if hundreds of UK companies that incorporate ARM's [technology] in their products, want to sell it, and export it to anywhere in the world including China - which is a major market - the decision on whether they will be allowed to export it will be made in the White House and not in Downing Street." He added that he believed the pledge to retain and increase the number of UK jobs was "meaningless" unless UK ministers stepped in to make it legally enforceable. Nvidia has said that it intends to maintain the "global customer neutrality" on which ARM's success rests.ARM creates computer chip designs that others then customise to their own ends. It also develops instruction sets, which define how software controls processors.It is based in Cambridge but also has offices across the world, including a joint venture in Shenzhen, China. Hundreds of companies license its innovations including Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Qualcomm. To date, ARM says 180 billion chips have been made based on its solutions. When Softbank acquired ARM, it promised to keep the company's headquarters in the UK and to increase the number of local jobs, which it did. Softbank's founder Masayoshi Son described the firm as being a "crystal ball" that would help him predict where tech was heading. But losses on other investments, including the office rental company WeWork, prompted a rethink. California-headquartered N vidia overtook Intel to become the world's most valuable chipmaker in July. Until now, it has specialised in high-end graphics processing units (GPUs). These are commonly used by gamers to deliver more detailed visuals, as well as by professionals for tasks including scientific research, machine learning, and cryptocurrency "mining". Nvidia is also one of ARM's clients, using its designs to create its line-up of Tegra central processing units (CPUs). Under the terms of the deal, Nvidia will pay Softbank $21.5bn in its own stock and $12bn in cash. It will follow with up to a further $5bn in cash or stock if certain targets are met.Nvidia will also issue $1.5bn in equity to ARM's employees.Mr Huang has already said that one of the changes he wants to make is to accelerate development of ARM's designs for CPUs used in computer servers - a rapidly growing sector.Amazon is among companies that are already betting on the tech. The use of internet-based services has led to ever-growing demand for computer servers.But experts say one risk Nvidia faces is that the takeover could encourage ARM's wider client list to shift focus to a rival type of chip technology, which lags behind in terms of adoption but has the benefit of not being controlled by one company. "ARM is facing growing competition from RISC-V, an open-source architecture," wrote CCS Insight's Geoff Blaber in a recent research note. "If its partners believed that ARM's integrity and independence was compromised, it would accelerate the growth of RISC-V and in the process devalue ARM."Mr Blaber also suggested regulators might block the deal. "This process will take months if not years with a high chance of failure," he told the BBC. It's a deal which the man who founded ARM says is a disaster. And many in the UK's technology industry will agree with Hermann Hauser.He opposed the 2016 sale of the chip designer to Softbank but accepted that the Japanese firm stood by its guarantees to boost employment and research in Cambridge. But a takeover by Nvidia, one of the many firms that licences ARM's designs, appears to pose a threat to its business model - why will its hundreds of other customers now have faith that they will have equal access to its technology?In recent days leading figures in the Cambridge technology sector have lobbied Downing Street, calling for ministers to intervene to bring ARM back under UK ownership. There have been signs that the government is considering a more active industrial policy. Dominic Cummings, who has talked of the need for the UK to have a trillion dollar tech company, is leading the drive for a more interventionist approach. Now, with Hermann Hauser and others warning that this deal will make Britain a US vassal state, the government is under pressure to step in and ensure that control over vital home-grown technology is not lost to a foreign power. By PTI AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday requested the Centre to immediately take necessary action to abolish the state legislative council. Ruling YSR Congress MPs also urged the central government to consider the AP Disha Criminal Law (AP Amendment) Bill and secure the President's assent for it to become an Act. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy interacted with the party lawmakers via a video conference and directed them to raise the issues during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament as well. The AP Legislative Assembly adopted a statutory resolution on January 27 seeking abolition of the legislative council. To get the council abolished, the Centre's nod is required as per the Constitution. In the 58-member House, the YSRC is facing legislative hurdles in the council as it is unable to push important legislation due to opposition from the Telugu Desam Party that enjoys a majority. Therefore, the chief minister is particular that the council be abolished at the earliest, YSRC sources said. After the brutal rape and murder of a woman in Hyderabad last year, the state government had passed the Criminal Law (AP Amendment) Bill in December 2019 and named it after Disha, the victim, vowing speedy trial in such cases. The Centre's concurrence for the legislation is mandatory for it to become a law. Nine months had elapsed since the state legislature passed the Bill but the Centre was yet to clear it, rendering the proposed legislation ineffective. However, the state government hastily opened special "Disha Police Stations". The chief minister directed the MPs to lobby hard with the Centre to get these two pending issues cleared forthwith. LONDON From a shot in the arm to a shot in the foot. Britains beleaguered retailers reacted with shock and anger this week to a decision by the U.K. Treasury to wipe out the longstanding, tax-free shopping scheme for foreign tourists, a move that will dent sales across fashion, beauty and accessories and impact high-end retailers including Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Liberty. More from WWD From Jan. 1, 2021, international shoppers will be able to buy goods tax-free in the U.K. if they agree to have them mailed back to their home countries. New West End Company, which represents retail and hospitality businesses around Oxford, Regent and Bond Streets, called the decision a hammer blow for British retailers, who are already fighting the triple-headed monster of COVID-19, Brexit-related trade uncertainty and onerous U.S. duties on certain luxury goods made here. British businesses are dismayed at the Treasurys surprise decision to end the tax-free shopping scheme. This is a massive blow to the U.K. economy, with the government effectively telling international tourists, particularly those from the Middle East and Far East, for whom shopping is a major draw, to go everywhere else but the U.K. to spend their money, the lobby group said. Not only will the Treasury save nothing, but the inevitable fall in international tourist numbers and spending in the U.K. will reduce all other VAT income, the organization argued, adding that total annual spending by international visitors is more than 22 billion pounds, of which 10 percent is tax-free shopping. This is going to cost the U.K. billions in lost tourism as we become the only country in Europe not to offer tax-free shopping to international visitors, the lobby added. Tax-free shopping is an institution in the U.K., with the likes of Selfridges which has stores across the country and Bicester Village in Oxfordshire setting up special desks to process the tax-free paperwork as a service to shoppers. Currently, non-EU visitors can shop in the U.K. and claim the cost of local, value-added tax back on their purchases. Story continues Two years ago, Global Blue, which specializes in handling the tax-free payments, opened its own concierge service and lounge on Albemarle Street, offering coffee and Champagne to customers as they wait for their tax-free paperwork to be finalized. Retailers had been expecting the Treasury to retain the tax-free scheme, and to extend it to EU countries as of next year, once Britain is finally out of the EU. New West End Company argued that the Treasurys decision will transform a potential 2.1 billion pound, tax-free shopping bonus from the U.K.s departure from the EU into a 3.5 billion-pound loss of tax-free sales. This is a 5.6 billion pound-hit on the U.K. economy even before accounting for the negative knock-on effect on wider international tourism spending, at a time when retail and tourism across the U.K. are already reeling from the impact of COVID-19, the organization said. The lobby group pointed out that high-spending tourists will now choose to go to Paris, Rome or indeed any European country other than the U.K. to spend their money. The decision will clearly damage the governments ambitions for a Global Britain. Far from securing an extra 500 million pounds in tax from the 3.5 billion pounds spent each year by international visitors, the move risks those sales moving overseas to Paris and other destinations. In a decision published online, the Treasury argued simply that the current tax-free system was too fussy and expensive. The Treasury said it made its decision based on interviews with stakeholders during a review conducted earlier this year, during lockdown. Many stakeholders have told us about the operational challenges of the current system, and that they do not want to see an extension of the scheme to the EU in its current paper-based form. By contrast, other stakeholders have explained the benefits that they see, and that they would like to see the scheme extended to the EU in digital form, which the government continued to explore in parallel with the consultation, the government paper said. However, the VAT Retail Export Scheme is a costly relief which does not benefit the whole of GB equally, with current use of the scheme largely centered in London. Retailers will instead continue to be able to offer VAT-free shopping, consistent with international principles of taxation, to non-EU visitors who purchase items in store and have them sent directly to their overseas addresses. Following the end of the transition period, this will also be available to EU visitors. British shoppers traveling into the European Union will still be able to shop tax-free in every country as of Jan. 1, 2021. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive officer of New West End Company and chair of the Association of International Retail, called the decision a disaster for the U.K., not only to the West End. Retail and tourism across the U.K. are already reeling from the impact of COVID-19 and are in need of a boost not self-inflicted wounds. Were astonished that this decision appears to have slipped through as a footnote on a wider consultation on the expansion of duty-free shopping. In seeking to secure millions in tax revenues, the U.K. is throwing away billions in overseas spending at a time when we need to welcome the world and its wallets to our towns and cities across the U.K. Tyrrell said that annual spending by international visitors in the U.K. is more than 22 billion pounds, so any reduction in the appeal for holiday makers and visitors will have significant financial consequences. He added that New West End Company, along with industry colleagues, are considering legal advice on how best to proceed with the governments decision. Joss Croft, ceo of UKinbound, the trade association that represents inbound tourism, said the Treasurys decision was another nail in the coffin of Global Britain, a short-sighted action that will negatively impact the U.K. economy and reduce our global competitiveness. Instead of putting up barriers to trade, the government needs to urgently consult with businesses, so it fully understands the ramifications of this policy and adapt it before irreparable damage is done. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. Events take place online unless otherwise noted: THURSDAY Valencia Street Shared Spaces: A look at how the Shared Spaces program, the temporary traffic-limiting effort to encourage business recovery, is working on Valencia. Hosted by Mannys. 6 p.m. More information is here. S.F. D1 candidates: Candidates for District One supervisor take part in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. 7 p.m. Register here. FRIDAY Conservation history: An exploration of conservation history of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and how it fits into the larger context of American history of injustices toward indigenous communities and people of color. Hosted by the Peninsula Open Space Trust. Noon. More information is here. SATURDAY Tim Redmond: Longtime Bay Area journalist on the latest local and national election and other issues. Hosted by the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco. 11 a.m. More information is here. Basic income: A car rally and art installation for universal basic income. 1 p.m. Eastshore Park, east end of Lake Merritt, Oakland. More information is here. TUESDAY Rep. Ro Khanna: Fremont Democrat holds a town hall meeting. Noon. Submit question in advance here; join meeting here. Climate change politics: A discussion on how activism can put climate change at the forefront of the countrys political agenda. Panelists include Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace; Gina McCarthy, CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Tamara Toles OLaughlin, North America director of 350.org. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 4 p.m. More information is here. WEDNESDAY Prop. 15: Arguments for and against Proposition 15, which would increase property taxes on some large commercial properties to raise money for schools and local governments. With David Goldberg, vice president of the California Teachers Association, and Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association. Hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California. 11 a.m. Register to watch here. Immigration: NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa on her perspective on Americas immigration system through her upbringing on Chicagos South Side, her early reporting on immigration detention camps and her experiences as the host of NPRs Latino USA. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 12:30 p.m. More information is here. Church and state: The historical and legal underpinnings of the separation of church and state in America. A discussion with constitutional scholars Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley Law School, and Howard Gillman, UC Irvine chancellor. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 3:30 p.m. More information is here. Your vote matters: How to register to vote, the various ways you can vote in the November election, deadlines and a Q&A session. Hosted by the San Francisco Department of Elections and the San Francisco Public Library. 6 p.m. More information is here. Women and the vote: An event marking the centennial of women gaining the right to vote, focusing on the stories of contemporary California women. Panelists include Maxine Anderson of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco; Adena Ishii of the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville; Honey Mahogany of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee; Arianna Nassiri of the Vote16 Campaign; and Kate Schatz of Rad American History A-Z. Hosted by KQED. 6 p.m. More information is here. S.F. D7 candidates: Candidates for District Seven supervisor take part in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. 7 p.m. Register here. Art and abolishing the police: Pendarvis Harshaw interviews art curator Ashara Ekundayo about an upcoming show and auction, Imagine Freedom: Art Works for Abolition, and the role art plays in the movement to dismantle the policing and prison systems in the U.S. Hosted by KQED. 8 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 24 H.R. McMaster: President Trumps former national security adviser in a discussion hosted by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here. SEPT. 28 Election meetup: A Zoom meetup for supporting green candidates and issues in the November elections. Hosted by GreenChange.net. 6 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 29 Juan Felipe Herrera, Naomi Shihab Nye: Former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, author of the new book Every Day We Get More Illegal, and poet, songwriter and novelist Naomi Shihab Nye read and discuss each others work.. Hosted by KPFA-FM and City Lights Books. 7 p.m. More information is here. To list an event, please email Chronicle politics editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com Saabs claims could not be verified independently. Unlike in the May arrest of the two former U.S. Green Berets, the Venezuelans produced no images or videos of Heath in custody or close-ups of his identification. Public records indicate a Matthew John Heath, 38, lived at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in the early 2000s. There was no response at a number believed to belong to him. A Los Angeles county city manager used Malcolm X controversial 'chickens come home to roost' quote to describe the shooting of two officers in Compton. Lynwood, California's city manager Jose Ometeotl (pictured), used Malcolm X's 'chickens come home to roost' quote to describe the shooting of two Compton cops The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department deputies - one the 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, the other a 24-year-old man - were ambushed by an unknown man at 7pm on Saturday night while they sat in their patrol car at the Metro Blue Line station at Willowbrook Avenue and Oak Street. Both officers were shot in the head and underwent surgery. Both are currently in stable condition. Police are still hunting the gunman and have offered $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. In response to the shootings, Lynwood city manager Jose Ometeotl, posted an image with the words 'chickens come home to roost' accompanied by a photo of Malcolm X. In 1963, Malcolm X used the phrase to describe John F Kennedy's assassination in response to what he said was the president's lack of action against violence. Ometeotl then used the phrase to describe the Compton cops, saying that the neighborhood had been 'plagued by deputy gangs that inflict fear and violence in the community'. 'These deputies murdered, framed and stole from the community just because they could,' he said. 'Good deputies never turned on bad deputies for fear of retaliation and when caught most of these bad deputies kept their jobs and continued on their criminal career.' Ometeotl shared a meme of Malcolm X in his post, reading 'chickens come home to roost' Video released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows the moment that male suspect opened fire on two deputies at a Compton bus station After shooting multiple rounds at the deputies, the male ran away Los Angeles Sheriff's Department 'plagued by gang of deputies' The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been plagued by a gang of deputies who sport tattoos with Nazi imagery and have infiltrated a station to enact civil rights abuses against the public, according to a claim made by a whistleblower. In a claim filed in June against Los Angeles County, Deputy Sheriff Austreberto Gonzalez details that roughly a fifth of the 100 deputies at the Compton Station (CPT) are a part of the gang - called the Executioners. Another 20 deputies are considered to be 'prospects' or close associates of the gang, the filing states. Nearly all the members have a matching tattoo to symbolize their status in the gang - comprised of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47. The firearm is heavily associated with gang activity and not with law enforcement, the claim states. 'Members become inked as 'Executioners' after executing members of the public, or otherwise committing acts of violence in furtherance of the gang,' the claim alleges. Those involved in fatal shootings are 'immediately' tatted during one of the many 'inking parties.' African-American deputies and women are not allowed to join the Executioners. Advertisement The reference to 'deputy gangs' refers to a group of 100 deputies at the Compton Station who are part of a gang called 'The Executioners'. A whistleblower complaint filed with LA County claims that nearly all members have a matching tattoo to symbolize their status in the gang - comprised of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47. African American deputies and women are not allowed to join the 'gang', according to the complaint filed in June. After he posted the comment on Instagram, Ometeotl appeared to apologize, saying: 'The shooting of anyone is a wholly unacceptable occurrence in society. I do not condone the type of violence seen in the shooting of the deputies yesterday in Compton.' He finished the post with a demand for justice for people who were killed by police. 'The fact that someone randomly opened fire on deputies is to be expected in the society we live in today,' Ometeotl added. 'The political climate and leadership of Sheriff Villanueva has only sowed the seeds of anger and frustration in the community. I pray for the deputies and their families while still demanding justice for Andres Guardado, Breona Taylor, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery' Ometeotl's social media post made his personal Instagram page private shortly after the image was shared online. The City of Lynwood - which is near Compton - issued a statement clarifying that Ometeotl's post didn't reflect the city council's thoughts. 'There have been comments made today (Sunday) by our City Manager on his personal social media that are his personal opinions and dont reflect the position of the Lynwood City Council,' according to the City of Lynwood statement posted on Twitter Sunday. The city then said that the 'hard-working families,' city employees and elected officials were sending 'heartfelt prayers' to the families of the deputies and praying for their recovery. It's unclear if the city will take any action against Ometeotl, although a petition has been started urging him to resign. The city of Lynwood issued a statement saying Ometeotl's views were personal and didn't reflect those of the city council Yesterday's shooting was caught on CCTV. The gunman is seen walking up to the police car and firing straight into the vehicle. A still from the video showed the female deputy with what looked like blood on her shirt. According to Fox 8, authorities said the female deputy was 'shot through jaw, still radioed for help & applied tourniquet to male deputys wounds.' Police have now released a description of the shooting suspect, who fled the scene. He is being described as a 'male Black, 28 to 30-years-old, wearing dark clothing.' Police said that he was last seen 'heading northbound on Willowbrook Avenue in a black four-door sedan.' Authorities are also searching for the driver of the sedan, which could be a black Mercedes, MyNewsLA reported. Bystanders filmed as the officers rushed to the aid of their injured colleagues, shot by a gunman in an unprovoked attack The smiling man narrates to the camera. 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out,' he says. That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton' Video taken from the incident showed the enormous police response to the shooting, as well as reactions of crowds of people looking on as, sirens blazing, officers raced to help their wounded colleagues. A bystander narrated the action, saying 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out' and added 'That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton.' The smiling cameraman also said: 'It's going up. Somebody bust on their a**. Somebody bust on the police. Two sheriffs shot in the face. Two sheriffs shot in the face - they tripping. 'Somebody just ran up on the corner and bust on their a**, right through the window' He then concludes, grinning: 'It's a wrap.' On Sunday the Los Angeles Times reported that one of the two officers had managed to radio for help. Moments after the gunman runs away, the passenger door of the patrol car opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head. The driver's-side door opens soon after. On the radio, according to footage reviewed by the paper, a shaky voice mutters: '998 Compton Pax.' Recognizing the code for a deputy-involved shooting, a dispatcher asks: 'Just happened?' 'Compton Pax, deputies down,' the voice says, almost unintelligibly. 'Compton Pax 998.' Heavily-armed police officers were seen arriving on the scene in Compton The two officers were shot as they sat in their patrol car shortly before 7pm on Saturday Detectives are pictured arriving at the scene of Saturday night's shooting in Compton Donald Trump on Sunday said the man who opened fire should face a 'fast trial death penalty' if the deputies die. Speaking at a rally in Nevada on Sunday night, he said: 'If you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty.' To loud cheers, he continued: 'I just saw a video of that animal who went up to the car. They were unsuspecting, fine people - very fine people.' A large group of detectives arrived to inspect the scene of the shooting, near the bus terminal Detectives are pictured arriving at the scene of Saturday's shooting in Compton He earlier called the shooter an 'animal' who needed to be 'hit hard' as the FBI was called in to help investigate. The president tweeted: 'If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!' He had retweeted his son Donald Jr. who shared the footage, writing: 'Please pray for these two Sheriff Deputies. Their lives matter!!! #BlueLivesMatter.' Joe Biden said: 'This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.' Kamala Harris added: 'Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice.' The Los Angeles County board of supervisors has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman. Shameful footage said to have been taken outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood on Saturday night shows one protester yelling: 'I want to deliver a message to the family of the pigs, I hope they f***ing die.' The protesters had been connected to the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter but that has not been officially confirmed. Another demonstrator tells police: 'Y'all gonna die one by one. This ain't gonna stop.' On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted: 'To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling 'We hope they die' referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL. On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted about the protests outside the hospital 'People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through.' One local faith leader had told KABC: 'They were saying "Death to the police" and "Kill the police," and these are sheriffs, but the message is still the same. They were using all types of curse words and derogatory terms. Unacceptable behavior, because a hospital should be a sanctuary.' A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody, KABC-TV reported. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester Video released by the sheriff's department Saturday shows the suspect walking up to the car and immediately opening fire on the male and female officers before running off. 'The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,' the department said in a post. Both deputies sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition, according to the department's Twitter account. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago. Neither have been officially named. During the press conference, Sheriff Villanueva said that the two deputies initiated radio contact after they were shot. They were transported with the assistance of other deputies,' he shared. 'That was a cowardly act,' Villanueva added. 'The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train.' 'Seeing somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It p***es me off. It dismays me at the same time. There's no pretty way to say it.' Footage of the protesters surrounding the hospital where they are being treated sparked outrage online. @themetskipper wrote: 'This is the result of the anti police narrative.' Capt. Kent Wegner said: 'He walked along the passenger side of the car. He acted as if he was going to walk past the car and then he made a left turn directly toward the car, raised a pistol and fired several rounds inside of the vehicle, striking both of the sheriff's deputies.' Did Katie Holmes rip apart a lady's heart after snatching her future husband to her? Rachel Emmons - the fiance of Katie Holmes' new lover, Emilio Vitolo Jr., appears to be having a bitter moving on phase after Vitolo dumped her to date the Hollywood actress. When the news broke that Katie Holmes' news boyfriend was actually engaged and just broke up with his fiancee hours before their PDA-packed photo went viral, Rachel Emmons' Instagram page was still filled with happy memories with Vitolo. These photos include one of the images that low-key confirmed their engagement last year. But roughly a week after Emilio Vitolo was photographed getting cheeky and touchy with the 40-year-old actress, the 24-year-old designer appears to have wiped out her Instagram account with any traces of her cheating fiance. Before Holmes and Vitolo's PDA-packed photos hit the headlines, the celebrity chef was reportedly still engaged to Emmons. A source claims that Vitolo just dumped Emmons via text message hours before he and Holmes become a hot topic on the internet. Emmons and Vitolo are not only dating for two years but have been living together and were engaged for 18-months before Holmes happened. Meanwhile, another friend told, "The Sun" that the supposed bride-to-be only learned about Vitolo having an affair when friends sent her articles on Holmes's kissing the love of her life. According to the "Daily Mail," Holmes and Vitolo started getting to know each other in October last year, and the actress is very much aware that the chef is engaged to the bag designer. "Katie definitely knew Emilio had a fiancee and started something with him while he was very much living with his fiance," the source said. Mutual friends introduced them, but things escalated quickly when the actress returned to New York this summer, after spending quarantine with her family in Ohio. While Emmons appears to be having a rough breakup after deleting moments with Vitolo on Instagram, a recent photograph shows that the young lady looks happy and carefree despite the whole cheating scandal. In the photos posted by Emmons' actress friend, Alexandrea Meyer, Emmons looks glowing on the outside as she was all smiles as they duo sit together on the floor for a snap. "What a crazy year & an even trippier birthday week, but a blast nonetheless," Alexandrea wrote, alongside series of photos including one with Emmons. Who is Rachel Emmons? Aside from being the girl dumped for Katie Holmes, there are also many interesting facts about the young designer. Emmons owns her own brand, "Anna Rachel Studio," which she founded earlier this year. According to her website, Emmons specializes in "curated vintage, custom, and hand-made fashion and art objects." Based on her LinkedIn profile, Emmons graduated from NYU's with a degree in Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. She attended high school in Holland Hall - a private school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Emmons is also a travel enthusiast. Her Instagram profile features her travels from Los Cabos, Mexico, the South of France, and the Bahamas! READ MORE: Conor McGregor JAILED For Alleged Sexual Assault and Exhibitionism 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 BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- With COVID-19 throwing wrenches into school schedules, work schedules and daycare availability, parents everywhere have had to scramble to find reliable childcare, whether their children are studying remotely from home or need a place to go before or after in-person school. In the Bay Village City School District, that angst came to a head shortly before the remote-learning start to the 2020-2021 academic year in August. Students will return to a hybrid of in-person classes and online instruction beginning Sept. 14. Before the semester started, some parents who were relying on before and/or after-school care for their school-age children at the school systems Glenview Center for Child Care and Learning said they felt blindsided to learn that children of school district staff members might be taking their spots. No parents were willing to go on the record with their comments about the issue. But several said they had been told to pay for the centers summer program if they wanted to secure their childrens placement for the fall. Now, they say, parents are being told that Glenview will only serve staff members' children during periods of remote learning. Dorothy Chadwick was the schools former director. Alexa Davey took over during the summer. Glenview reopened at the end of June, following the March shutdown of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, it provides paid daycare for toddlers through Pre-K and paid all-day care for about eight school-age children of district staff members. When Bay Village Schools Superintendent Jodie Hausmann was asked if parents were told they should go ahead and pay for the summer program to save them a place for the fall, she said that was part of (Chadwicks) direction. Did Hausmann agree with Chadwick? I didnt do either (agree or disagree). It was sort of a standard protocol, she said. A statement from the school systems public relations office said: The previous Glenview Center director had a procedure that summer tuition guaranteed daycare parents a spot in the fall. The new director will review this procedure and make a decision on if we will honor this moving forward. A few days later, school district spokesperson said in an email to cleveland.com that those promises will be honored once the district returns to in-person classes. No one was told they would not have a spot. No one prepaid any funds (for fall), according to the email. When school resumes in person, any family who reserved a before/after-school care spot will be honored, it said. Some parents had paid the summer tuition, even if they didnt need programming then, because the idea was that Glenview would then either provide e-learning support if we started the year remotely or they would provide after-school care," parents told cleveland.com. According to the parents, They are only opening Glenview for the children of district teachers, so they wont have to take leave to homeschool their own kids, meaning those who paid for the summer in the hopes of securing a spot for fall will be out the money they paid for the summer. Hausmann said that is not true. There is a lot of confusion around that, she said. No, they have after-school care, of course, and the summer day program. No programming has stopped." She said there were misconceptions that parents' spots were being taken by staff and that the daycare would be free to staff members. She addressed those misconceptions in a recent letter to Glenview parents. In the letter, she noted that the district did explore the option of providing tuition-based childcare in our school buildings during eLearning. But that was deemed unfeasible, since it couldnt be opened up to all district students, and opening to only some of our parents would not be fair. Approximately 15 to 20 parents participated in a Zoom meeting earlier in August, held with Hausmann, in which the parents provided pre-written questions. It was said the meeting became very tense and heated. Hausmann said she didnt think that things got heated. I think people are always worried in these times of great change, like all of us. I think it sounds like it was heated; I didnt perceive it that way. I think the conversation was very truthful and honest. Parents shared their worries, but it was not heated. I disagree with that, Hausmann said. District officials explained in an email to cleveland.com that during the current remote-learning mode, the eight children of staff members -- who are paying tuition -- are being kept in a K-2 pod at the center, separate from the younger daycare children. Thats about eight kids out of 400 employees, the email said. It said offering daycare to staff members was prompted by the new federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which gives a variety of employees the option to request up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for their children if they do not have childcare available during the pandemic. Because we rely on the expertise of our teachers, we offered support, the email said. Otherwise, if teachers or staff members took leave, the district would have to pay both them and short-term substitutes. As the largest employer of the city of Bay Village, the school district feels it is important to offer this service to its employees, according to the email. We believe strongly that it is in our students' best interests to have Bay Village teachers and staff working with them, especially remote instruction, it said. Glenview Center for Child Care and Learning is located at 28227 Wolf Road in Bay Village. Phone is 440-617-7330. Read more from the West Shore Sun. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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 Former senior HSBC mainland China banker Zhang Wenjie has jumped to Bank of America as a managing director and president of China, helping the Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered bank navigate the world's second-largest economy. Zhang also will be named Bank of America's Shanghai branch manager, subject to regulatory approval, according to an internal memo seen by the Post. His role will involve driving new business and working with local regulators. He will be based in Shanghai and report to Wei Wang, Bank of America's China country executive based in Hong Kong. A spokeswoman for Bank of America confirmed the contents of the memo but declined to comment further. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Zhang, who was based in Beijing, most recently served as HSBC's co-head of global banking and executive vice-president of China, alongside Eddie Ching. Before HSBC, Zhang worked at JP Morgan. Zhang Wenjie joins Bank of America in Shanghai. Photo: Handout alt=Zhang Wenjie joins Bank of America in Shanghai. Photo: Handout Zhang fills a position at Bank of America that has lain vacant since the departure of Anthony Lin to Standard Chartered in 2017. He will focus mostly on serving financial institutions, corporate banking and transaction banking. HSBC is expected to seek a replacement for Zhang, according to a person familiar with the matter. HSBC declined to comment. His departure comes as HSBC CEO Noel Quinn makes a big bet on future growth in China as part of the lender's third major revamp in a decade. One of three banks authorised to print currency in Hong Kong, London-based HSBC plans to eliminate 35,000 jobs and cut expenses by US$4.5 billion in costs over the next three years. As part of its restructuring, HSBC, which generates the bulk of its profit in Asia, expects to shift capital from underperforming businesses in the United States and Europe to growth markets, including Hong Kong and mainland China. Story continues The lender's shift to an even greater reliance on Asia comes as HSBC has increasingly found itself caught in the middle of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, ranging from its support of a controversial national security law for Hong Kong to its entanglement in a US investigation into Huawei Technologies. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. A new analysis of the successes and failures of green energy companies in the US has found that those with ARPA funding filed for far more patents in the years after launching than other "cleantech" startups from the same time. The "innovation advantage" bestowed by ARPA-E - an energy version of the legendary DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) - was not shared by startups funded via other US government initiatives. ARPA-type agencies were developed in the US to fund "high risk, high reward" research with the aim of fostering major breakthroughs, often by providing greater freedom to take on highly ambitious technical challenges. The new findings offer encouragement to a UK government considering its own British ARPA (or 'BARPA'), but any agency adopting this model requires a focus in order to flourish - and BARPA's should be climate, argues Professor Laura Diaz Anadon from the University of Cambridge. "Our US-based research points to the value of ARPA agencies. The UK may well benefit from such an approach in a post-pandemic world, given the technological capital within its universities and private sector," said Anadon, co-author of the US innovation study. "The UK should adapt the ARPA model to create an agency for the climate challenge as part of any Covid-19 recovery package. Focusing research and development on next-generation energy storage and renewables, and solutions for decarbonizing shipping, aviation and construction, could boost productivity and deliver large benefits to society," said Anadon. Dr Anna Goldstein, first author of the study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said: "ARPA is not a one-size-fits-all solution. ARPA agencies are mission-focused, and there is no evidence to suggest this model would work well as a fund for general science and technology." The research was conducted by the University of Cambridge, UK (Prof. Laura Diaz Anadon), the University of Massachusetts Amherst, US (Dr. Anna Goldstein and Prof. Erin Baker), and the Technical University of Munich in Germany (Prof. Claudia Doblinger). It is published today in the journal Nature Energy. ARPA-E was established at the US Department of Energy under Obama, using a portion of the economic stimulus package that followed the 2009 financial crisis. To date, it has allocated US$3.38 billion. The aim was to accelerate innovation in "clean" technologies such as biofuels, smart grids and solar power at a time when it was out of favour with Venture Capital investors, due in part to long development cycles and low initial returns. For the latest study, researchers investigated whether ARPA-E - a "posterchild" of mission-orientated innovation now under threat from the Trump administration - had translated its unique approach into real-world success. By constructing a database of 1,287 US cleantech startups, and using patents as a proxy for innovation, they found that companies funded by a fledgling ARPA-E in 2010 went on to file patents at an average of twice the rate of other green energy companies in the years that followed. The researchers also measured "business success" by looking at how many companies were taken public or acquired by larger firms, as well as levels of private VC funding and overall survival rates. While ARPA-funded companies do better than those turned down by ARPA-E, in general they fare no better or worse than other cleantech startups with the same amount of patents and private funding before 2010. As such, the researchers argue that ARPA-E support alone does not bridge the "valley of death": the phase between initial funding injection and revenue generation during which startups often fold. Goldstein said: "It appears that ARPA-E helps startups working on riskier but potentially more disruptive technologies to reach the same levels of success as other, less risky, cleantech firms." "However, there is still a need for public funding to bring innovations in clean technology through the 'valley of death' so they can become commercial products that compete with legacy technologies and reduce emissions." Writing for Cambridge Zero, the University's new climate change initiative, Laura Diaz Anadon points out that, at just 1.7% of GDP, the UK lags in R&D investment: below the EU28 average, and way behind the US, South Korea and Japan. "While the UK dramatically increased energy investment over the last 20 years, it is still below the levels this country saw in the 1970s and 1980s," said Anadon, Professor of Climate Change Policy at the University of Cambridge. "My co-authors and I would recommend trialing a UK version of ARPA-E that can ramp up energy innovation, and support selected projects through to demonstration phase. R&D investments in energy transition would be an inexpensive but essential component of a Covid-19 recovery package." "The UK has solid recent experience in the energy space, but in the past several initiatives have fallen prey to volatile government funding before success can be properly gauged. Future efforts will need consistency as well as a set up that would enable state-of-the-art and independent evaluation." ### Three MLAs from Delhi -- Girish Soni, Pramila Tokas and Vishesh Ravi -- tested positive for COVID-19, along with three staff of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on September 14. The Delhi Assembly had called for a special one-day session on September 14. Earlier, news agency ANI had reported that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia would not be attending the session since he was suffering from fever. Ravi, who is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Karol Bagh, had tested positive along with his brother in May. "I am currently in home quarantine. I am asymptomatic but I have tested positive for coronavirus," Ravi had then said. Ravi, a three-time AAP MLA, had been actively involved in relief work in his constituency. A young Slovenian woman was recently sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly cutting off her hand with a circular saw in order to cash a $1.2 million insurance payout. 22-year-old Julija Adlesic allegedly conspired with her boyfriend and her father to commit insurance fraud in an attempt to collect $1.2 million in insurance payouts. The young Slovenian maintains that her injury was accidental, not premeditated, adding that no one in their right mind would want to become crippled at age 20, not for all the money in the world. However, prosecutors provided enough evidence that Adlesic and her co-conspirators had planned the so-called accident to get convictions against all of them. Julija got a 2-year prison sentence, her boyfriend, who was accused of putting her up to it, has been sentenced to three years in prison, while the womans father got a one year suspended sentence. Photo: Jude Beck/Unsplash No one wants to be crippled. My youth has been destroyed, I lost my hand at the age of 20, Julija Adlesic said during the recently-concluded trial. Only I know how it happened. In early 2019, Julija Adlesic was rushed to the emergency room at a hospital in Ljubljana by her boyfriend. Her left hand was severed and the couple claimed that it had accidentally been sawed off while cutting branches at their home. Investigators claimed that Adlesic and her boyfriend had deliberately left the severed hand at the scene of the accident to insure that the injury was permanent. Luckily, it was retrieved in time and reattached at the hospital. But this wasnt the only damning evidence. During the trial, prosecutors showed how Adlesic and her boyfriend had taken out insurance policies with five companies the year before the accident, and stood to win over $1 million in payouts. The investigation also revealed that Julias partner had done an internet search for prosthetic hands, which prosecutors considered conclusive evidence that the accident had actually been premeditated. The verdict in this case was issued this weekend, and it was not clear if Adlesic and her alleged co-conspirators planned to launch an appeal. Interestingly, this isnt the first one we report on someone going to extremes to collect insurance payouts. Back in 2016 we wrote about a Vietnamese woman who had hired someone to cut off her hand so she could claim her health insurance policy. My Phuoc Industrial Park in the southern province of Binh Duong. Photo courtesy of Becamex IDC Corp. Industrial park operators could see H2 post-tax profits fall 23 percent year-on-year to VND4.9 trillion ($211.4 million) over travel restrictions and land acquisition delays. With Vietnam restricting international flights in the second and third quarter this year, investors have mostly been unable to negotiate and seal deals with local operators, resulting in limited leasing activities in the first half this year, according to a report by top brokerage firm SSI Securities Corporation (SSI). Although the government has eased quarantine policies for foreign experts and businesspeople starting this month and several international routes are set to resume soon, the number of flights available will still fall short of demand and negotiations will still be delayed in the remaining months of the year, the report says. This means new leasing will likely fall 12 percent year-on-year in the last six months, it estimates. Furthermore, difficulties in land clearance will lead to new industrial land supply increasing by a modest 5 percent in the last six months. The SSI report forecasts that some operators will see profits plunging below the industry average due to a shortage of new tenants. Sonadezi Chau Duc, which operates an industrial park in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and Becamex IDC Corp, which operates several parks in the south, are likely to see post-tax profits falling 63 percent and 56 percent respectively. However, industrial operators will still benefit from the diversification of supply chains by multinationals next year, the report says. With their government urging Japanese companies to move out of China, the expansion of some companies like chemical producer Shin-Etsu Chemical and optical products manufacturer HoYa Coporation is expected. Vietnam has 261 industrial parks in operation and 75 under construction, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. 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. The China share market finished session higher on Monday, 14 September 2020, as investors sentiments boosted up amid expectations about the economic recovery in China after recent upbeat economic data. Meanwhile, sentiments also lifted up on hopes of fresh funds inflow to the market after securities regulator approval of the first batch of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the benchmark STAR50 index. At closing bell, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.57%, or 18.47 points, to 3,278.81. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, rose 1.15%, or 24.88 points, to 2,189.10. The blue-chip CSI300 index gained 0.51%, or 23.77 points, to 4,651.05. Market commenced trading with firm footing on the back of encouraging China's economic data that showed the world's second-largest economy was on track recovering from the coronavirus crisis. New home prices in China rose at a slightly faster monthly pace in August, as consumer demand showed signs of picking up. Chinese banks extended more new loans in August than expected, while broad credit growth quickened, pointing to continued policy support as the economy recovers from a record coronavirus-induced slump. Meanwhile, sentiments also lifted up on hopes of fresh funds inflow to the market after China Asset Management Co (ChinaAMC), E Fund Management Co and Huatai-PineBridge Fund Management Co received regulatory approval to launch ETFs tracking the benchmark STAR50 index. CURRENCY NEWS: China's yuan appreciation against greenback on Monday, inline with firmer mid-point fixing by central bank. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the yuan's midpoint rate CNY=PBOC at 6.8361 per dollar prior to market open, firmer by 0.04% from the previous fix of 6.8389. Spot yuan CNY=CFXS was traded at 6.8304 around late afternoon, 0.06% stronger than Friday's late session close of 6.8348. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers create morphing crystals powered by water evaporation NEW YORK, September 14, 2020 -- Water evaporation, as observed when a puddle of water disappears on a summer day, is a remarkably powerful process. If it were harnessed, the process could provide a clean source of energy to power mechanical machines and devices. In a newly published paper in Nature Materials, an international team of scientists led by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, CUNY (CUNY ASRC) details the development of shape-shifting crystals that directly convert evaporation energy into powerful motions. These water-responsive materials were created by using simple variants of biological building blocks, known as tripeptides, to create crystals that are simultaneously stiff and morphable. The materials are composed of three-dimensional patterns of nanoscale pores where water tightly binds, and these pores are interspersed with a molecular network of stiff and flexible regions. When humidity is lowered and reaches a critical value, the water escapes from the pores leading to a powerful contraction of the interconnected network. This results in the crystals temporarily losing their ordered patterns until humidity is restored and the crystals regain their original shape. This newly designed process can be repeated over and over and gives rise to a remarkably efficient method of harvesting evaporation energy to perform mechanical work. "We essentially created a new type of actuator, which is driven by water evaporation," said Graduate Center Ph.D. student Roxana Piotrowska, the study's first author and a researcher at the CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative. "By observing its activity we've been able to identify the fundamental mechanisms of how water-responsive materials can efficiently convert evaporation into mechanical energy." "Our work enables the direct observation of materials' evaporation-driven actuation at the molecular scale,'' said the study's corresponding author Xi Chen, whose lab with CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative co-led the research. "By learning how to efficiently extract energy from evaporation, and turn it into motion, better and more efficient actuators can be designed for many applications, including evaporation energy harvesting devices.'' "Importantly, our designed crystals are produced from the exact same building blocks that proteins are made of, but they are radically simplified and as a result, their properties can be precisely tuned and rationally optimized for this application," said CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative Director Rein Ulijn, whose lab, which co-led the work, is responsible for the biomolecular design aspects of the research. "The beauty of using biological building blocks to create this new technology is that the resulting morphogenic crystals are biocompatible, biodegradable, and cost-effective." By using a combination of laboratory-based experiments and computer simulations, the researchers were able to identify and study the factors that control the actuation of these crystals. This approach resulted in new insights that inform the design of more efficient ways to use evaporation for a variety of applications, which may include robotic components or mechanical micro- and nano-machines that are powered by water evaporation. ### This study was executed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and New York University. The work was supported with funding from the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation, and the United Kingdom's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. About the Advanced Science Research Center The ASRC elevates scientific research and education at CUNY and beyond through initiatives in five distinctive, but increasingly interconnected disciplines: environmental sciences, nanoscience, neuroscience, photonics, and structural biology. The ASRC promotes a collaborative, interdisciplinary research culture with renowned researchers from each of the initiatives working side-by-side in the ASRC's core facilities, sharing equipment that is among the most advanced available. About The Graduate Center of The City University of New York The Graduate Center of The City University of New York is a leader in public graduate education devoted to enhancing the public good through pioneering research, serious learning, and reasoned debate. The Graduate Center offers ambitious students more than 40 doctoral and master's programs of the highest caliber, taught by top faculty from throughout CUNY -- the world's largest public urban university. Through its nearly 40 centers, institutes, and initiatives, The Graduate Center influences public policy and discourse and shapes innovation. The Graduate Center's extensive public programs make it a home for culture and conversation. This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Local elections in Ukraine on October 25 can be canceled only if martial law or a state of emergency is introduced, according to Serhiy Postivy, a member of the Central Election Commission (CEC). He said at the 6th Donbas Media Forum on September 13 that the inclusion of a particular district in the COVID-19 "red zone" is not a reason to cancel the elections there, according to UATV. Postovy stressed that the CEC has no information at the moment about the prospects for canceling or postponing the elections in Ukraine or in some of its districts due to lockdown. However, he said that the cancellation or postponement of the election is "theoretically possible" because the country's top leadership may impose a state of emergency. However, according to the expert, this is a complicated process. "Today we have no grounds to say that there will be any cancellations," he said. On July 15, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution scheduling local elections in Ukraine for October 25, 2020. According to the document, local elections will be held throughout Ukraine, except for Russian-occupied Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by the Ukrainian government. op WASHINGTON - Playing defence on his handling of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is letting the falsehoods fly. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden shops for his grandchildren at Three Thirteen in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Biden is visiting Michigan for campaign events. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) WASHINGTON - Playing defence on his handling of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is letting the falsehoods fly. Over the weekend, he railed against cases of voting fraud that didnt exist, asserted that COVID-19 was rounding a corner despite what his top health advisers say and blasted Joe Biden for supposed positions on energy and health care that his Democratic rival doesnt hold. As the rhetoric flew during the past week, both Trump and Biden exaggerated accomplishments Trump about himself and Biden about his son, Beau as well as their own influence in reviving the auto industry. A recent sampling: VIRUS TRUMP: We are rounding the corner." remarks Sunday at a Latino roundtable event in Las Vegas. TRUMP: The coronavirus "is rounding the turn, rounding the corner. remarks Saturday to reporters in Reno, Nevada. THE FACTS: To be clear, that's not what his top health advisers say. Im sorry but I have to disagree with that, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, told MSNBC on Friday, calling the current coronavirus levels seven months into the pandemic disturbing. He expressed concern about a potential spike in cases following the Labor Day holiday beyond a present rate of 40,000 cases a day and 1,000 deaths. What we dont want to see is going into the fall season, when people will be spending more time indoors and thats not good for a respiratory-borne virus you dont want to start off already with a baseline thats so high, Fauci said. Fauci this past week also cautioned that people should not underestimate the pandemic and they will need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter because its not going to be easy. He and other health experts such as Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned of a potentially bad fall because of dual threats of the coronavirus and the flu season. ___ AWARDS and HONORS TRUMP: Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honoured Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! tweet Sunday. THE FACTS: No such award exists. Trump got an endorsement in 2016 from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in the 1961 invasion. But no award comes with it. ___ BIDEN, on a report in The Atlantic that Trump referred to service members killed in war as losers or suckers": My son volunteered to go as the assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia to go into Kosovo. He was there six months. They erected a monument to him thanking him for his service, I think the only American that they did that for. And was he a sucker? interview Thursday on CNN. THE FACTS: Beau Biden isnt the only American to receive such honours from Kosovo. It's true that there is a road named after Biden's late son and a monument in his honour in Kosovo, where he served as a legal adviser as the region recovered from war in 2001. But former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have roadways named after them, and there are statues in Kosovo of Clinton and former Sen. Bob Dole. Trump has denied that he ever called military members losers or suckers. ___ VACCINE TRUMP: Were developing a vaccine in record time. It will be ready before the end of the year and maybe much sooner than that. rally Saturday in Minden, Nevada. TRUMP: Youll have this incredible vaccine, and ... in speed like nobody has ever seen before. This couldve taken two or three years, and instead its going to be its going to be done in a very short of period of time. Could even have it during the month of October. news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: Hes almost certainly raising unrealistic hopes as the November election approaches. The Food and Drug Administration already has told manufacturers it wont consider any vaccine thats less than 50% effective. Getting the right math before November, as Trump has promised, is incredibly unlikely, said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, who is overseeing the U.S. governments vaccine studies. Public health experts are worried that Trump will press the FDA to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governments top infectious diseases expert, has said he is cautiously optimistic that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year. Even then, Fauci made clear that the vaccine would not be widely available right away. Ultimately, within a reasonable period of time, the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021, Fauci told Congress last month. Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, also expressed cautious optimism this past week that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by year's end. But he warned: Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you. The particular date is Nov. 3, Election Day. ___ ON BIDEN TRUMP, on Biden: He wants to do a complete shutdown. Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP: The approach to the virus is a very unscientific blanket lockdown by the Democrats. news conference Thursday. TRUMP: Bidens plan for the China virus is to shut down the entire U.S. economy. news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: Thats not Biden's plan at all. Biden has said he would shut down the economy only if scientists and public health advisers recommended he do so to stem the COVID-19 threat. He said he would follow the science, not disregard it. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event with steelworkers in the backyard of a home in Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Biden told ABC last month he will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives when he was asked if he would even be willing to shut the country again. I would listen to the scientists," he said. If they said to shut it down, I would shut it down." ___ TRUMP: Biden will destroy protections for preexisting conditions. Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: This is baseless. Biden proposes building on Obamacare and does not seek to strip that law's insurance protections for people with preexisting illness. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court for full repeal of the health law, including provisions that protect people with preexisting conditions from health insurance discrimination. Republicans say theyd put new protections in place, but they havent spelled them out. Trump has frequently claimed he will always protect preexisting conditions despite evidence to the contrary and has even asserted falsely that he was the one who saved such protections. With the Obama-era law still in place, preexisting conditions continue to be covered by regular individual health insurance plans. Insurers must take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and charge the same standard premiums to healthy people and those who are in poor health, or have a history of medical problems. ___ TRUMP: He wants to ban fracking. Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: Thats not Bidens position at all. In a March 15 primary debate, Biden misstated his fracking policy but his campaign quickly corrected the record. Biden has otherwise been consistent on his middle-of-the-road position, going so far as to tell an anti-fracking activist that he ought to vote for somebody else if he wanted an immediate fracking ban. Trump continually ignores the correction. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, opened up a yearslong oil and gas boom in parts of the Southwest, Northeast and High Plains when the technique went into widespread use under the Obama administration, although the coronavirus pandemic and a global petroleum glut have now driven down prices and demand. Biden floundered in the March primary debate when Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke of his own proposal, saying he was intending to wind down fracking entirely. So am I, Biden replied. No more no new fracking. Bidens campaign contacted reporters to say he misspoke, and the candidate and his campaign have been consistent in public statements of Bidens position since. Biden supports banning only new oil and gas permits, fracking included, on federal land. But most U.S. production is on private land the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says production on federal land accounted for less than 10% of oil and gas in 2018. That amounts to a far more limited restriction than a full ban as Trump asserts. ___ TRUMP: When Joe Biden was vice-president, his failed approach to the swine flu was disastrous. ... And 60 million Americans got H1N1 in that period of time. ...We did everything wrong, it was a disaster. news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: This is a distorted history of a pandemic in 2009 that killed far fewer people in the United States than the coronavirus is killing now. For starters, Biden as vice-president wasnt running the federal response. And that response was faster out of the gate than when COVID-19 came to the U.S. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions flu surveillance network sounded the alarm after two children in California became the first people diagnosed with the new flu strain in this country. About two weeks later, the Obama administration declared a public health emergency against H1NI, also known as the swine flu, and the CDC began releasing anti-flu drugs from the national stockpile to help hospitals get ready. In contrast, Trump declared a state of emergency in early March, seven weeks after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was announced, and the country's health system struggled for months with shortages of critical supplies and testing. More than 190,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. The CDC puts the U.S. death toll from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic at about 12,500. ___ FBI INVESTIGATION TRUMP: Was Andy McCabe ever forced to pay back the $700,000 illegally given to him and his wife, for his wifes political campaign, by Crooked Hillary Clinton while Hillary was under FBI investigation, and McCabe was the head of the FBI??? Just askin? tweet Saturday. THE FACTS: Trump is distorting facts. This tweet refers to a campaign contribution received by the wife of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe during her unsuccessful bid for the Virginia state Senate. Almost everything Trump says about it is wrong. The contribution to the campaign was not from Hillary Clinton but rather from a political action committee of her ally, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and there was nothing illegal about it. McCabe did not become involved in the FBI investigation into Clinton's email practices until after his wifes campaign had ended, and at no point during the probe which concluded in 2016 was he ever head of the FBI. That did not happen until May 2017, when Trump fired James Comey as FBI director, making McCabe the acting director for several months. ___ AUTOS BIDEN: President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigans economy come roaring back." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Biden is assigning too much credit to Barack Obama and himself for saving the auto industry. As an initial matter, what the Obama administration did was an expansion of pivotal steps taken by Obamas predecessor, President George W. Bush. In December 2008, General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of financial collapse. The U.S. was in a deep recession and U.S. auto sales were falling sharply. GM, Chrysler and Ford requested government aid, but Congress voted it down. With barely a month left in office, Bush authorized $25 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler from the $700 billion bailout fund that was initially intended to save the largest U.S. banks. Ford decided against taking any money. Once in office, Obama appointed a task force to oversee GM and Chrysler, both of which eventually declared bankruptcy, took an additional roughly $55 billion in aid, and were forced to close many factories and overhaul their operations. All three companies recovered and eventually started adding jobs again. ___ TRUMP: We brought you a lot of car plants, you know that right? ... I saved the U.S. auto industry." Michigan rally Thursday. BIDEN, on Michigan's economy: "Donald Trump squandered it and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day. tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Both Trump and Biden are overstating it. Trump did not wreck Michigans economy, but he certainly didn't bring an auto industry boom, either. In fact, the number of auto and parts manufacturing jobs in the state fell slightly between Trump's inauguration and February of this year, before the coronavirus took hold. When Trump took office there were 174,200 such jobs, and that dropped to 171,800 in February, according to Labor Department statistics. While most plants shuttered for about eight weeks after the pandemic hit, many are back running near capacity again, at least for now. In July, the most recent figures available, Michigan had 154,400 auto and parts manufacturing jobs. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, recently said the states economy was operating now at 87% of pre-pandemic levels, citing figures from Moodys Analytics and CNN. ___ ENVIRONMENT TRUMP: Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results. And thats what we have. Right now we have the cleanest air ever weve ever had in this country lets say over the last 40 years. remarks Tuesday in Jupiter, Florida. FACTS: Hes not responsible for all of the progress far from it. All six air pollution measurements monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that in 2019 the U.S. air was the cleanest on record. But the most important pollutant, tiny particles, was essentially about the same as 2016, only down 1%, according to Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Neil Donahue. The same figures also showed that air pollution rose in the first two years of the Trump administration before falling greatly in 2019. Donahue and three other outside experts in air pollution said the president was wrongly taking credit for what years, even decades, of ever-increasing emissions restrictions caused. H. Christopher Frey, an engineering professor at North Carolina State University and former chief of the EPAs air quality scientific advisory board, said that current trends in air quality are for reasons irrespective of, or despite, policies of the Trump administration. Instead he and Donahue attributed it to a shift from use of dirtier coal a shift the Trump administration has fought against and to newer, cleaner cars replacing older vehicles. ___ TROOPS BIDEN: Troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,922. ... Military COVID deaths: 6,114. Folks, every one of these lives mattered. remarks Wednesday in Warren, Michigan. THE FACTS: Hes way off on the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. military. According to the Defence Department, just seven members of the military have died from COVID-19, including reservists and those in the National Guard. The Biden campaign acknowledged he had misspoken. citing overall coronavirus deaths in Michigan instead of U.S. military deaths in a mix-up. ___ TRUMP: Were pretty much out of Syria. news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: Not so much. Last year close to 30 U.S. troops moved out of two outposts near the border area where a Turkish attack on the country was initially centred. But the U.S. currently has about 700 troops deployed to Syria, a number that hasnt changed a lot lately. ___ NOVEMBER ELECTION TRUMP, on mail-in voting: Whos sending it back? Whos signing? They dont even have to have an authorized signature in Nevada. Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: Not true. Nevadas existing law requires signature checks on mail ballots. A new law also spells out a process by which election officials are to check a signature against the one in government records. In Nevadas June primary, nearly 7,000 ballots were thrown out due to mismatched or missing signatures. ___ TRUMP, on Democrats: Theyre trying to rig this election ... Tiny amounts, a congressional race in New York, a small number of votes. If you go to New Jersey, if you go to Virginia, if you go to Pennsylvania, if you go to California, look at some of these races, every one of these races was a fraud, missing ballots. Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP, retweeting an Associated Press analysis projecting the number of ballots that get rejected will soar this fall because of increased mail-in voting: Rigged Election! tweet Tuesday. THE FACTS: No, defective ballots do not equate to fraud. The overwhelming majority arent. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the vast majority of ballots are disqualified because they arrive late what Trump describes as going missing a particular worry this year because of recent U.S. Postal Service delays and an expected surge in mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots also are deemed defective if there is a missing signature common with newer voters unfamiliar with the process or it doesnt match whats on file. In addition, some states require absentee voters to get a witness or notary to sign their ballots. None of those are fraud, said Wendy Weiser, director of Brennans democracy program at NYU School of Law. When suspected cases are investigated for potential fraud, studies have borne out the main reason for defects is voter mistake. The AP analysis published on Sept. 7 found that rejections of absentee ballots could triple compared with 2016 in some battleground states, potentially tipping the election outcome. It said voters could be disenfranchised in key battleground states and that nullified votes could be even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this years primaries. Thats far from an election rigged against Trump. ___ 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. Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in Las Vegas, Eric Tucker, Lauran Neergaard, Seth Borenstein, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Robert Burns and James LaPorta in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit, and Alexandra Jaffe in Warren, Michigan, contributed to this report. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE A look at the veracity of claims by political figures. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck Dhaka, Sep 14 : After a Bangladesh court on Monday issued orders to the PBI to probe and submit a report regarding the false implication of a lawyer's assistant, Samar Krishna Chowdhury, in two cases and threats to kill him in a shootout in 2018, the PBI chief said the agency will follow court orders. Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) chief, DIG Banaj Kumar Majumder, told IANS on Monday that the agency will have to see the details of the court order pronounced during the day. Eight policemen, including former officer incharge of Boalkhali police station, Himangshu Das Rana, and three others are accused in the case. "In our investigation in 2019, we got evidence against the acccused police officials and submitted reports in the court as well as police headquarters. The then Boalkhali police station incharge Das was withdrawn and sent to Chattogram District Police Lines after the incident drew flak," Majumder said. After Chowdhury, an assistant to a lawyer in Chattogram city, filed a new plea in the court of Chattagram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Salem Md Noman on Monday, the court accepted the plea and ordered the PBI to submit a report after investigating the case, the plaintiff's lawyer Jewel Das said. In collusion with Samar's rivals, the police had picked him up on May 27, 2018 from the Chattogram courts area, tortured him and implicated him in two false cases, his family members alleged. The police later produced Samar before a court of Chattogram, showing that he was arrested in two cases over the recovery of yaba pills and firearms. The court later sent him to jail. Banaj Kumar said: "Please look back to 2018 -- there was a lot of hues and cry over Samar's arrest with firearms and yaba pills. His family held an expatriate from Samar's village responsible for his travails." The expatriate now lives in London, police said. Samar has since been acquitted of the charges against him under the Arms Act. The Police Bureau of Investigation, after an inquiry, found no involvement of Samar in the seized weapons and submitted its final report to this effect in the court. District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail Hossain of Chittagong ordered his acquittal in the case after accepting the PBI report on August 28, 2019. Iftekhar Saimul Chowdhury, Samar's lawyer, told IANS: "The PBI Investigating Officer has submitted a report to the court that they did not find any involvement of the accused with the arms recovery case. A hearing was made on this report." "We pleaded during the hearing that Samar is totally innocent. An expatriate from his village misused police owing to a dispute over his ancestral land in the village. The court was satisfied and acquitted the accused." As the media and the Labour Party in the UK fulminated in recent weeks about Boris Johnsons appointment of Tony Abbott to Britains Board of Trade, back here in Abbotts home country there was a strange, muted reaction. Tony Abbott? Oh yes, the pugilistic Howard government minister who became a pugilistic but highly effective opposition leader and then a prime minister who was dumped by his colleagues and then, last year, lost his seat at the election. He was the focus of so much attention not so long ago. But he is so yesterday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is now seven years into a Coalition government. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen How quickly we can dispense with and semi-forget people in the digital age, our minds fogged further by the unyielding fear of catching a new and potentially deadly virus. Then again, the man who replaced Abbott as PM, Malcolm Turnbull, was himself tipped out by his Liberal Party confreres after only three years in the chair. Unless youre paying close attention, the timelines and party room manoeuvrings and even the names can start to become a blur. Because Turnbulls successor Scott Morrison ascended to the Liberal throne only two years ago, theres still a lingering sense of his government as somehow being new, a sort of work-in-progress. But the calendar tells us that only a few days ago, the Liberal-National coalition celebrated the seventh anniversary of its current stint in power. Seven years in office. Three election wins in a row. Its a substantial amount of time to hold the reins. While things have drastically improved across the West for the LGBTQ, even now many countries across the world are not so receptive, including the 15 most dangerous countries for gay travelers. Click to skip ahead and see the top 5 most dangerous countries for gay travelers. The world is made up of hundreds or thousands of cultures, norms and beliefs. This is why while one culture may believe in one thing, the other decries it. The same is true for homosexuality. While some cultures encourage it, others accept it silently while other still consider it one of the most heinous crimes possible. However, even a few decades ago, homosexuality was considered taboo and frowned upon across most societies in the world. Even in the global superpower known as the United States, coming out as gay can often still lead to devastating social consequences, despite the LGBT civil rights movement which led to all 50 states legalizing same sex marriage between 2004-2015. However, more and more people are now feeling accepted when they come out, as shown in the percentage of people who knew homosexuals, which was just 24% in 1983 and 73% in 2001. This will steadily keep on improving as its generally the elder population which is more conservative and against homosexuality. The acceptance also varies strongly among states and you'll have a better idea if you check out 11 states with the biggest gay population in America. Pixabay/Public Domain Netherlands was the first country in 2001 to legalise same sex marriage. There are now 29 countries which have done so, most of which are almost predominantly in the West. If you want to take a look at the best cities for gay people, head on over to the 11 most gay friendly cities int the world. And while homosexuals may feel safe and accepted in Western Europe, the opposite is true for most other countries and continents, including those in Asia and Africa. There are around 50 Muslim majority countries in the world, and while most countries dominated by a specific religion are often secular or liberal, the same is not true for Muslim countries, as Muslims are perhaps the most devout followers. In Islam, there is no scope for acceptance of homosexuality. The Quran makes it clear that this is a despicable act and centuries of Muslim history have lent credence to the same. This is why in most Muslim countries, homosexuality is outright illegal and sometimes punishable by death even. Story continues This is why you will see our list dominated by Muslim countries. I am not saying that only Islam condemns homosexuality; most religions do, but their laws, if any, against homosexuality are not as strict as most Muslim countries and their interpretation of Shariah, or Islamic law. Our list is based on the most restrictive and dangerous laws for gay travelers, taken from here, and any updates made to this, such as the recent change in law in Sudan, removing the death penalty for homosexuals. We would have used physical attacks against LGBTQ travelers to compile this list, but, unfortunately, there is no such reliable data. So let's take a look at the countries which should definitely not be on any gay traveler's itinerary, starting with number 15: 15. St. Lucia One of the most gorgeous places on this list, St. Lucia can turn from heaven to hell for homosexuals, with 10 years in prison for consensual buggery. Pixabay/Public Domain 14. Barbados One of the only non Muslim countries on this list is Barbados, where homosexual acts can lead to up to a decade in prison. Pixabay/Public Domain 13. Malawi Women get off comparatively easier in Malawi, though that is of course relative, to 5 years in prison against 14 for men for homosexual acts. Pixabay/Public Domain 12. Malaysia Malaysia has very strict anti homosexual laws, and whippings and fines are just a cherry on top of the possible 20 years in prison. Pixabay/Public Domain 11. Sudan Sudan would have ranked much higher in our list as it had the death penalty for homosexuals, but this was repealed just a couple of months ago, and now, has been replaced by a maximum of a life sentence. While that may not seem as amazing as no repercussions at all, it's still a slight improvement. Pixabay/Public Domain 10. Tanzania If you are in Tanzania and indulge in homosexual acts, then you can face time in prison from around 30 years to even a life sentence. While it's a stunning country to visit, if you are gay, you might want to forego your plans. Pixabay/Public Domain 9. Somalia While the official punishment for Somalia is 'only' up to 3 years in prison, which isn't bad considering this list. However, Somalia also has a lot of militants ruling different parts, who have been known to actually impose the death penalty against homosexual acts. 16 Countries with the Highest Infant Mortality Rates in the World in 2017 Pixabay/Public Domain 8. Qatar Qatar law imposes several years of imprisonment for such acts. However, it also has Sharia courts which can impose the death penalty. Pixabay/Public Domain 7. Yemen If you're unmarried and engage in homosexuality, then you can receive a 100 lashes and one year in prison. If you're married and do it, then a death sentence awaits you. Luckily, there are no reports of said law being enforced at this point. Pixabay/Public Domain 6. Brunei The tiny kindom of Brunei may have made waves by containing the coronavirus with just 145 cases and 3 deaths, there are still less appealing faucets to the kingdom, such as stoning to death for homosexual acts. While our original source somehow missed it, our up to date research ensured this was captured. Luckily once again, Brunei has backtracked on using this. Pixabay/Public Domain Click to see the top 5 most dangerous countries for gay travelers. Disclosure: 15 Most Dangerous Countries For Gay Travelers is originally published at Insider Monkey. It could take another four years to manufacture enough of a coronavirus vaccine to immunise the entire world population, even if one is found in the coming months, experts have warned. One of the world's biggest vaccine producers, the Serum Institute of India, claimed that companies won't be able to produce jabs fast enough to turn one around for the 7.8billion people on Earth before 2024. Dozens of companies and scientific teams around the world are hurtling through research and development to try and create a vaccine that could end the pandemic, which has almost killed a million people since it began spreading in December. There are promising candidates in the works, with early trials suggesting it's possible to build up immunity against Covid-19. A vaccine made by Oxford University appears to be the front-runner and trials have resumed after being paused last week when a British participant fell ill. But top scientists don't expect a working vaccine to be completed before next year at the earliest, and even then billions of doses will have to be made and delivered. Multiple companies, including AstraZeneca which is making Oxford's jab, have announced plans to make hundreds of millions of doses of their vaccines, but not all of them will turn out to be successful. Chief executive of the Serum Institute, Adar Poonawalla, told the Financial Times that companies don't have the infrastructure to make the billions of doses needed before 2024. It could take even longer if the jab is given in two doses, he said, which is the case for ones given for measles. Mr Poonawalla's comments come after a leading scientist in Britain today warned it's unlikely a jab will be available to members of the public before September 2021. Politicians and researchers around the world are pinning their hopes on a successful vaccine as the way out of the pandemic. It is not clear how the virus will be controlled without one but experts suggest people could eventually become immune to it. The British Government today announced it had invested 1.3billion in a vaccine production facility in Scotland, run by the company Valneva, where 60million doses of the company's own jab could be made by next year. It is still expected to take months to finish making a coronavirus vaccine (Pictured: A woman receives an experimental jab in Brazil), but experts warn it will take a long time even after that to get one manufactured CEO of the Serum Institute, Adar Poonawalla, told the FT that companies don't have the infrastructure to make the billions of doses needed before 2024 Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Poonawalla said: 'Its going to take four to five years until everyone gets the vaccine on this planet... 'I know the world wants to be optimistic on it [but] I have not heard of anyone coming even close to that [level] right now.' Pharmaceutical companies are not increasing the manufacturing capacity fast enough to be able to deliver on a global vaccination programme, he said. The Serum Institute is the largest vaccine producer in the world and makes 1.5billion of them each year. It has struck deals with scientists all over the world who are making Covid-19 vaccines, and has agreed to manufacture huge amounts of various different candidates, including Oxford's. The institute, founded by Mr Poonawalla's father in 1966, develops most of the vaccines sent to poorer countries. It has bought extra supplies of vials and production materials and is raising extra cash from investors to hit the demand a Covid-19 vaccine will bring. But Mr Poonawalla said other companies were not scaling up fast enough to prepare for the mammoth effort. UK INVESTS 1.3BN IN SCOTLAND VACCINE FACTORY The UK Government has given 1.3billion to a vaccine factory in Scotland as part of a deal to buy millions of doses from the firm. French company Valneva will now produce a total of 190million doses of its experimental jab VLA20001, if it works, at its facility in Livingston over the next five years. The vaccine could be completed by December and get official approval in the second half of 2021. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: 'This new agreement could help us vaccinate millions of people across the country, as well as help create a UK vaccine manufacturing facility to speed up access to a potential Covid-19 candidate and boost the countrys resilience against future pandemics.' Valneva will provide the UK Government with 60m doses as part of the deal. There will then be more than 40m doses available in 2022 and a further 30-90m between 2023 and 2025. Advertisement Politicians in the US have claimed that the country could have jabs available before the end of this year, raising concerns about corner-cutting and also a gold rush for the vaccines. Critics said rich countries should not be allowed to buy their way in and that the world should have equal access to immunisation. Mr Poonawalla's 2024 prediction is not the first of its kind and a director at the Foundation for Vaccine Research in the US, Peter Hale, made a similar comment. He said that if there are two or more vaccines that turn out to work, 75 per cent of the global population some 2.6billion people could be immunised by mid-2023. Scientists in the UK have also warned that the wait for a vaccine could be longer than some people have suggested. Professor Peter Openshaw, a scientist at Imperial College London and an advisor to the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he expected a nine-month gap between the vaccine's discovery and it being made available to the public. Professor Openshaw told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday that 'rapid scaling up' would take time. 'With all the vaccine trials now coming through which are scheduled to deliver a result within the next few months, I do feel that on the basis of what we know about the immune system that it's likely that these immune responses that are being induced by these vaccines may be protective for at least a few months, possibly even years, we just don't know yet, it's early days. 'I do think that we will probably have a positive result of at least one of these vaccine trials, probably more than that, by Christmas. Which vaccines has the UK secured deals for? The UK's taskforce has secured more than 200million doses of potential vaccines being produced worldwide GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur vaccine, based on seasonal flu: 60million doses 60million doses AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, genetically engineered virus : 100million : 100million BioNTech/Pfizer, mRNA vaccine using genetic material from virus : 30million : 30million Valneva, an inactivated whole virus : 60million : 60million Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), injects proteins from virus surface : 30million : 30million Novavax, proteins from virus surface: 60million 60million Imperial College London, mRNA vaccine using g enetic material from the virus : Amount not confirmed Advertisement 'And that means that with rapid scaling up we might have vaccination programmes that can roll out to some parts of the world in the next nine months. 'Before the winter of 21/22 I hope that we should have vaccines that are effective.' His words came as China claimed to have found an effective vaccine, according to the state-owned publication Science and Technology Daily. It quoted Zhou Song, the legal counsel for China National Biotec Group, alleging the vaccine had been shown to be effective after it was injected into hundreds of thousands of state employees. 'These tens of thousands of people have been overseas for a few months after being vaccinated,' he reportedly said. 'Among them, in the areas where the epidemic broke out, some left-behind employees were infected but they were not. 'Parallel control data like this is available in multiple countries, which proves the effectiveness of the vaccine.' The Oxford coronavirus vaccine, called AZD1222, restarted its clinical trials on Saturday. 'The independent review process has concluded and following the recommendations of both the independent safety review committee and the UK regulator, the MHRA, the trials will recommence in the UK,' a spokesman said. It had been reported that the trials were stopped due to one of the volunteers developing transverse myelitis, a swelling in the spinal cord. But this was denied by the CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, who said more tests were needed before a final diagnosis could be made. The condition suffered cannot be revealed publicly due to patient anonymity requirements. Speaking last week, Mr Soriot remained confident that the vaccine could be made available by the end of this year. He said that is was 'very common' for trials of vaccines to be paused when possible side-effects are identified, before they can be re-started. The trial was also paused in July, AstraZeneca has revealed, after another possible side-effect was identified. France's Economy Minister has called for 5G mobile phone services to be rolled out as soon as possible, saying any delay would disadvantage the French market. His comments angered dozens of MPs, who have signed a petition calling for a moratorium on the technology until studies are carried out into the effects of on health and the environment. Speaking to France 2 television on Monday, Bruno Le Maire insisted that any delay in getting 5G technology up and running would be handing a gift to our enemies and our competitors. It comes as the country gears up to attribute frequencies for the roll out of the mobile telephone network at the end of the month. "It would be a grave error for the country not to pursue 5G. It would deny us technological advancement in the areas of medicine, energy and transport, he said. "To relocalise, we must offer the best technological environment. 5G without delay is absolutely necessary. France must conquer, not fossilise without moving forward." Concerns over health, environment Since discussions on the topic began, there has been strong resistance. At least 70 MPs from the left and the green party signed an open letter in the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche calling for a moratorium on 5G, among them, far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, environmentalist Yannick Jadot and the Mayor of Marseille Michele Rubirola. European MP for the Greens party (EELV), Jadot insisted on the need for debate, adding that if 5G is deployed "it should be run by European countries, not Chinese or American ones". Benoit Hamon, socialist candidate for 2017 presidential elections and former minister is adamant that French citizens should be informed of what is involved well before a decision is reached. It worries me that the reports are coming after economic decisions and not before, he told France Info, especially when there could be a risk to public health. The government should hold democratic discussions and consult with scientific experts, a necessary step to accompany these major transitions, he said. The French national agency for occupational health and safety (Anses) is expected to issue a report at the start of 2021. 5G 'conspiracy' Arguing in favour of the project, Bruno Bonnell, an MP for the ruling LaREM party, said there was an unhealthy atmosphere of "conspiracy" around the 5G project. He said the technology was the only way to re-boost the flailing economy, and that if cities in France refused to connect with 5G, large companies may pack up and move elsewhere. It's the future of numerous careers. It's health, hygiene, telecommunications and transport," he said, adding he hoped green MPs were not going to become extreme ecologists over the matter. Pushing this project back until next summer will only add to the suspicion floating around the subject, he says. People need to know where they're headed in the future. The debate heats up once again as online buzz is building ahead of the launch of Apple's new 5G-compatible iPhone on 15 September. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / ????In an interview originally published by Reuters, Mariam Almaszade, CEO of SOCAR Trading, announced that the firm has returned to expansion mode and aims to increase its presence in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and U.S. crude. The expansion follows the firm's reorganization two years ago and strong results for the first half of 2020. Almaszade said the Geneva-based trader had hit its full-year profit target in the first half of the year in a conversation with reporter Julia Payne of Reuters. The company was able to balance clearing oil produced by parent company SOCAR and take advantage of the volatility in the market in recent months due to the COVID-19 crisis. Almaszade explained how the group was able to beat the mad scramble to sell its crude in late March. "We saw the depression starting in the Mediterranean, and so we diverted our crude and almost all our Azeri light went to Asia in March," she said. SOCAR Trading's chief trading officer Hayal Ahmadzada said that the firm had only been left with one or two distressed cargoes after deciding early to accept low offers. Almaszade, who took the helm at SOCAR Trading in 2018, stated, "We have a global crude desk now, it was all merged. We hired a few more North Sea traders after cutting back substantially. We still have a U.S. office and we're looking to reinvent it." She had planned to hire more traders in the U.S. expansion earlier this year but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the firm to delay its plans. Along with rebuilding the U.S. desk, SOCAR wants to grow its naphtha and LNG divisions next year, develop light ends trading and move more into southern and eastern European gas trading, chief trading officer Ahmadzada explained. A foray into trading oil in China was also pulled back. The firm hired a China-focused team a few years ago but the area proved hard to penetrate. "Chinese imports are dominated by Chinese majors. We tried to establish a presence in China but we realized there was substantial competition, very thin profit margins and credit issues,"? Ahmadzada said. SOCAR Trading said third-party crude accounted for 65% of its traded volume last year but didn't give a total figure. In 2018, SOCAR traded around 1.2 million barrels per day of crude, according to its website. So far in 2020, third-party crude has fallen to 58% of the total, with lower U.S. activity. Traded LNG volumes were 3.4 million tons in 2019 and are estimated to hit 3.7 million by year-end. Related Files Socar_logo1-01.png Related Images Media Contact Information: Grace Fenstermaker gfenstermaker@geopols.com +41 76 399 61 28 SOURCE: SOCAR Trading SA View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606006/SOCAR-Tradings-Almaszade-Tells-Reuters-That-Firm-Hits-FY-Profit-Target-in-First-Half-Beats-Scramble-to-Sell-Crude-in-March Stephanie Morgan, a longtime home-schooling parent and advocate involved with several home-schooling organizations in Omaha, said home schooling remains a niche endeavor that requires not only a commitment but often the family taking a financial hit. There is an economic impact of home school, and the impact is usually the loss of an income, unless you were already a stay-at-home mom, which there arent very many of those that arent doing some kind of work if their kids are in school, she said. That financial restraint naturally tends to put a ceiling on home-school numbers, she said. Katie Burton, another home-school mom who assists families with the transition to home schooling, said she expects a lasting bump in the numbers, but how big remains to be seen. The people who jumped into home schooling this year likely had the financial wherewithal to make it work, she said. She expects some will stick with it for the long haul. You cant beat the student-to-teacher ratio that home schooling offers, but you also cant beat the convenience of sending kids to school, she said. The Australian sharemarket started the week in front as investors embraced rattled mining giant Rio Tinto and cycled back into beaten-down travel and coal shares, adding to optimism that a major coronavirus vaccine trial is back on track. The ASX 200 brushed aside an uncertain Wall Street lead to rise by 40.1 points, or 0.7 per cent, and finish Mondays trade at 5899.5. The mood was vastly improved after Fridays week-ending slump, where the local bourse sealed a fourth straight week of losses. A major boost to sentiment came via the weekends news that Oxford University will resume its COVID-19 vaccine trial with AstraZeneca, after safety watchdogs gave the pair permission to proceed. Trials were suspended last week after a UK patient reported a side-effect. The key (for markets) today is that the vaccine trial is back on track, Burman portfolio manager Julia Lee said. (Its) been a major boost for markets across the Asian sector. Burman's portfolio manager Julia Lee. Credit:Michel O'Sullivan The big miners did the heavy lifting in Mondays ASX trade with controversy-stricken Rio Tinto having its best day in more than three months. The global miner - which is searching for a new chief executive following a boardroom clean-out on Friday - added 3.9 per cent to close at $103.73. BHP and Fortescue Metals also rose, adding 1.9 per cent and 2.1 per cent with the help of improved commodity prices. Gold miners joined the party with Newcrest rising 3.6 per cent, Northern Star 4.4 per cent, and Evolution 5 per cent. Investment bank Macquarie Group was the most notable drag on the market with a 4.7 per cent decline to $120.20. The firms worst session since May 1 was driven by a warning that first-half earnings could fall by as much as 35 per cent thanks to the pandemic. Tech shares also lagged with Afterpay down 1.8 per cent to $72.58. Travel and coal mining shares, among the more unloved sectors of the market during the pandemic, received plenty of investor attention on Monday. Flight Centre rose 7.8 per cent to $13.44, Corporate Travel jumped 4.8 per cent to $16.25, and Webjet rose 4.5 per cent to $3.97. New Hope Corporation - which had lost more than 40 per cent of its value in 2020 - climbed 8.5 per cent to $1.22. Whitehaven Coal jumped 7.3 per cent to 96 cents. The company had been smashed by more than 65 per cent this year. A member of one of the diamond industry and Amsterdams most well-known families, Edward Asscher was elected President of the World Diamond Council in June 2020 for a two-year term. Asscher is serving a second time as WDC President, having led the organization from 2014 to 2016. Currently, he is also the Vice President of the European Council of Diamond Manufacturers. He is the past President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and the International Diamond Council (IDC), a diamond standards-setting organization affiliated to IDMA and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB). Asscher has also served in other functions outside of the diamond industry. A past president of the Liberal Party in Amsterdam, he was elected Senator of this party in the Dutch parliament, serving in the upper house from 2007 to 2011. Here, in an Interview with ROUGH & POLISHED, Edward Asscher speaks at length about WDCs efforts towards finding solutions for the many issues in the global diamond industry Some excerpts: To date, no progress seems to have been made in WDCs and the Civil Society Coalitions (CSC) efforts to expand the definition of conflict diamonds. How may WDC strategy be affected moving on? While we certainly are disappointed that the conflict diamond definition could not be expanded during the last KP Review cycle, I think it would be wrong to concentrate all of our success on the definition, to the exclusion of everything else we have achieved. The Kimberley Process is a massive enterprise, and much of the work that is done, month in and month out, is of tremendous importance to the industry and the participating countries. So, since the change of the definition continues to be on the agenda of the KP Chair, we shall continue to work towards including universal human rights principles within it, but at the same time, we need to work on other topics, among them the introduction in the KP of the Sustainable Development Goals as formulated by the United Nations. In short, we are not sitting about idly, waiting for the conflict diamond definition to come up again within the KP. By actively supporting initiatives, from mine to retail, we are effectively circumventing disagreement over the definition by continuously striving for more transparency and support, especially for the artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM). How does WDC plan to broach the topic this time with Russia as Chair of KP? As things are, because of the COVID-19 situation, the political process within the KP has been put on the back burner. It was decided that through the end of 2020 the Russian Federation will be the caretaker of the Kimberley Process, and next year will be the Chair. This gives us time to consider all options regarding the definition. In the meantime, we are actively engaging in new and independent projects. The Kimberley Process has lately been more protective concerning artisanal and small-scale diamond miners trying to bring them into the legal diamond market. What are the ways to do this in your view? There is so much more to do in this respect, and indeed we and our members are already active. We are building the capacity of alluvial diamond miners by providing training in rough valuation and educating them about diamond qualities and the pricing of rough diamonds. Various WDC members have developed their capacity building initiatives, supporting the SDGs. These include the Antwerp World Diamond Center with Origuinee in Guinea; De Beers with Gemfair in Sierra Leone; ALROSAs social responsibility initiative Diamonds that Care; Signet, the worlds largest diamond jewelry retailer with their Responsible Sourcing Protocol, and other private initiatives. What steps are being taken to make KP initiatives more result-oriented and effective, and how may the WDC act to support them? Right now, we need to fixate less on the political aspects of the KP and concentrate more on the positive aspects of the KP Certification Scheme, such as the Regional Approach that aims to implement Minimum KP Requirements via cooperation between countries, and also raise awareness of the OECD Due Diligence Guidelines. These processes are complemented by initiatives like GemFair in Sierra Leone, where large mining companies are assisting capacity building by developing and providing advanced technologies that support artisanal miners in the field, ensuring that Minimum KP Requirements are met and at the same time providing them access to the distribution chain at fair market value. WDCs System of Warranties is widely used in the industry to extend the effectiveness of the Kimberley Process from rough diamonds through the distribution chain, including loose polished diamonds in the midstream and finished jewellery at retail. You are in the process of upgrading the system. Where do things stand? The new System of Warranties, which is a revision of the SoW introduced 18 years ago, empowers private companies in their efforts to practice proper Corporate Social Responsibility, meet KP standards and strengthen the business practices with regards to human and labor rights, AML/CT and Anti-Corruption. Once it will be officially launched, it will be made available to all diamond companies, assisting them to assess and report on their practices and look at the standards of companies with whom they do business. You talk about fixating less on the political aspects of the KP and more on the results it achieves. How in practice is WDC working with governments and civil society both to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds and to improve the situation on the ground in affected areas? As we all know Kimberley Process Certification System (KPCS) has been a great success. This is due to the close cooperation of governments in the KP and the Observers, which include the diamond industry itself and the civil society Non-Governmental Organizations, which play an important role. We intend to continue fostering close relations with the Civil Society as we have many shared goals concerning artisanal mining and responsible business practices. WDC is heavily involved in the Kimberley Process Monitoring Team, which supervises KP-certified exports from the Central African Republic (CAR). The country is allowed to export rough diamonds from several authorized green zones, which are under the control of the government. Other parts of the country are experiencing civil unrest, instigated by armed groups. We are closely monitoring the situation and considering its effects on exports. As it has transpired, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis the airport in Bangui has been closed for a long time and very few exports have recorded thus far this year. Great efforts to support CAR have been made and are still needed from donor countries like United States, Canada and members of the European Union; and African countries, including South Africa but especially the neighboring nations. Helping solve the CAR conflict and mitigating its effects on the CAR diamond trade is one of the major issues that will face the KP in the coming years. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished VIENNA, Va., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergy & Asthma Network, the leading nonprofit patient outreach, education, advocacy and research organization, is committed to leading efforts to end inequities in healthcare, especially for those adversely impacted by COVID-19, asthma and COPD. This month, the Network will take action to address these unmet needs in a greater way by hosting a series of COVID-19, asthma and COPD screenings at churches in predominantly African American communities in Atlanta. The screenings are part of the organization's Not One More Life Trusted Messengers program. They are made possible through a new public-private partnership with global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi US, digital implementation partner Self Care Catalysts and numerous other organizations at local, regional and national levels. The first health screening event is Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at: Ebenezer Baptist Church 101 Jackson Street Atlanta, Georgia 30312 The second health screening event is Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at: New Life Church 3592 Flat Shoals Road Decatur, Georgia 30034 Participants will receive results of their COVID-19 and respiratory health screenings the same day. In addition, healthcare professionals will be on hand to discuss results of the screenings, provide referrals, and offer patient education and information. Free flu vaccinations, face masks, school supplies for children and food vouchers will also be available. "COVID-19, asthma and COPD are life-changing medical conditions that can lead to poor health outcomes. We are excited to offer these free screenings to people living in Atlanta," says Tonya Winders, President and CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. "Along with our partners, we are working to reduce barriers to care for at-risk patients and communities of color. We are also supporting the screenings with innovative digital tools that translate patient data into personalized healthcare solutions." "Regular COVID testing is an important tool for fighting the virus. Given our commitment to the health and well-being of all people, particularly those who do not have access to or can afford tests, Ebenezer Baptist Church is proud to be a partner in making this happen," says Reverend Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, Senior Pastor. Patient engagement and intervention is a critical part of the program. Through its digital implementation partner, Self Care Catalysts, Allergy & Asthma Network is making available a free patient engagement app, Health Storylines, to enable participants to access educational resources, monitor their symptoms and interact with Care Navigators. The Health Storylines app includes functionality that allows patients to share an overview of their symptoms and health history. This will help healthcare professionals to make more informed and efficient assessments based on the patient's data. "Healthcare happens in the community and Self Care Catalysts has built a patient-driven digital platform that connects the patient to the often siloed stakeholders in healthcare to improve health outcomes. Faith communities are critical pillars and we at Self Care Catalysts are thrilled to be the lead digital implementation partner for this groundbreaking initiative by Asthma & Allergy Network," says Grace Castillo-Soyao, Founder and CEO. In the months following the screenings, people who test positive for COVID-19 or who have underlying respiratory conditions will be invited to take part in a telehealth program that involves a community health hub and opportunities to participate in research. "We are grateful that our health screenings have received strong support from prominent members of the Atlanta community, including Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and local pastor and musician Montell Jordan," Winders says. People who want to attend the Atlanta health screenings are asked to first register online at www.TrustedMessengers.org. Not One More Life and Health Disparities COVID-19 data reveals the virus has been devastating to communities of color. African Americans in particular account for an alarmingly high rate of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African Americans are 2.1 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than Caucasians. In addition, African Americans face significantly higher rates of emergency department visits and deaths due to asthma. Factors for these disparities include air pollution in urban areas, lack of housing, stable income and inability to access quality and affordable healthcare. Not One More Life was originally founded in 2003 by Atlanta-based pediatric pulmonologist LeRoy Graham, MD. Not One More Life, which merged with Allergy & Asthma Network in 2019, sends doctors, nurses, asthma educators and respiratory therapists to predominantly Black churches to provide asthma screenings and patient education. "By partnering with churches in African American communities, we are bringing quality healthcare to where it is needed most," Dr. Graham says. "We are giving patients and families the knowledge they need from trusted, credible sources to make informed healthcare decisions. Research shows 90% of participants at Not One More Life's asthma screenings report seeing a doctor after the initial screening." The Not One More Life Trusted Messengers Program will be expanded to additional U.S. cities in 2021 and beyond. For more information about the Atlanta health screenings, please call Allergy & Asthma Network at 800-878-4403 or visit www.TrustedMessengers.org. About Allergy & Asthma Network Allergy & Asthma Network is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions, especially for those among at-risk and underserved populations. The Network advances its mission through community outreach, educational initiatives that include sharing practical, medically accurate information through its publications and digital platforms, patient advocacy on national, state and local levels, and research that supports new treatments. About Self Care Catalysts Self Care Catalysts is a patient-centered digital therapeutics, intelligence and analytics company that puts the patient at the center of human networks, technology and science, deriving value from real-world evidence to inform clinical care, product life cycle management and behavior change interventions. Contact: Gary Fitzgerald Allergy & Asthma Network 703-641-9595 [email protected] SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network Related Links http://www.aanma.org NCG Movies, which operates 25 theaters across nine states, including one in Midland, is playing a waiting game. Its 10 Michigan cinemas remain closed and those that are open are patiently watching as crowds slowly return. The business in the states we are able to open in is good. People have different desires about when they are ready to come back to the theater, said Ryan Jankovic, executive vice president of NCG Movies. We really want to open for the people in Midland. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) - The Office of the Ombudsman is urging the Commission on Audit (COA) to file a case against the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) over the non-release of the state auditor's 173-million 2020 budget. If I were in the place of COA chair [Michael] Aguinaldo, I would have filed a case against the DBM secretary or any personnel involved in the non-release of 173 million, said Ombudsman Samuel Martires during the Senates deliberation on the 2021 budget of the Office of the Ombudsman and COA. The amount was supposed to fund COAs capital outlay but was among the public funds realigned to strengthen the governments COVID-19 response. Under the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act, the President is authorized to realign funds from different agencies for additional funding for the fight against the pandemic. According to Martires, the discontinuance of COAs funding could amount to an act of graft. "It created an undue injury not only to the agency but to the Filipino people...If it will affect the work of the Commission on Audit, the DBM is liable for that," Martires said During the interpellation during the COA and Ombudsmans budget deliberations, Senator Panfilo Lacson raised the point that what the DBM did was "a violation of fiscal autonomy under the Constitution. COA Chief Michael Aguinaldo earlier admitted that they have given up the appropriation, considering the difficulties the government was having with funding in view of the pandemic. But in a text message to CNN Philippines, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the 173 million is still available and was not included as part of pooled savings under Bayanihan 1. The amount was supposed to finance the following COA projects: - Provincial satellite auditing offices worth P90 million; - Land improvements for two regional offices worth P20 million; - Purchase of four motor vehicles worth P13 million; - Travelling expenses worth P50million. The amount is a Congress-introduced adjustment and classified for later release. Avisado said that such budget changes are subject to the approval of the President. However, Martires said, by doing this, the DBM gravely abused its discretion and depriving COA of its appropriation could cause undue injury to the people that it serves. Lacson agreed that while this could be a generous act on the part of Aguinaldo, it could also serve as a precedent for future issuances by the DBM. The Office of the Ombudsman also slammed the DBM for reducing its proposed 2021 budget to 3.36 billion which is 742 million lower than its 4.1-billion 2020 budget. Edwards (pictured) killed himself at his rented home near Normanhurst on the night of the murders. Shocking details about the violent history of an evil father who shot dead two of his children before turning the gun on himself have been revealed. John Edwards, 67, killed his daughter Jennifer Edwards, 13, and his son Jack, 15, in West Pennant Hills in Sydney's north-west on July 5, 2018 in a double murder-suicide that shocked Australia. Edwards returned to his rented home in nearby Normanhurst and took his own life just hours after his cowardly attack. His estranged wife and the children's mother Olga tragically died by suicide five months later. An inquest into the teens' deaths began at the NSW Coroners Court last week, where disturbing details about their father's history as a violent, controlling narcissist with six previous partners was exposed. The court heard Edwards had 'a propensity for domestic violence', including physical and psychological assaults against the women in his life and his children. One ex-partner said he was never physically violent but 'controlling' - and another said he was 'unbalanced and a narcissist', the lead investigator told the inquest. While the women's names have been suppressed by the court, details of his shocking behaviour towards his traumatised victims have come to light. The shocking history of John Edwards before he gunned down his two youngest children in cold blood Jack (pictured left) and Jennifer's (pictured right) body were found under his bedroom desk with multiple gunshot wounds Edwards was just 19 when he married his first wife, then 18, The Australian reported. After having two children, she ditched Edwards during a family holiday in the US in 1974 after she discovered he was having an affair with another woman. Edwards returned to Australia with his American mistress, who he later abandoned in a motel with a child and no money. Six months after the murder-suicide, the children's mother Olga (pictured) took her own life His next partner suffered a miscarriage after Edwards hurled a bottle of orange cordial at her. She eventually fled and applied for an apprehended violence order after Edwards threw a rolling pin at her. Edwards then impregnated another woman, but ditched her before the child was born. He later held her captive in his home and pinned her to the bed before she managed to flee. She went to the police, who arrested Edwards outside her home. A fifth partner was so frightened of Edwards, she changed her name and fled to Queensland. A sixth woman told police she slept alone on their wedding night after she copped a scolding from her new husband. She finally left him in 2000 and fled to a woman's shelter after she was forced to give birth alone when Edwards refused to take her to hospital as she went into labour. The woman later made a formal complaint to police about the domestic violence she suffered. Partner two: John Edwards left his first wife for American mistress who was later abandoned in a motel alone with a child and no money (stock photo) Partner three: A pregnant partner suffered a miscarriage after Edwards hurled a bottle of cordial at her. She eventually fled after he threw a rolling pin at her (stock image) His Russian-born estranged wife Olga was just 19, 31 years his junior, when the pair met on a dating site in 2001. It's understood Olga spent the next 15 years trying to salvage the marriage, despite his belittling comments and his controlling nature; he dictated what clothes she wore. She eventually fled the violent marriage and the family home, taking their two children and launched divorce proceedings in April 2016. She told the Family Court that she feared for the safety of the children. Edwards 'became consumed with maintaining a relationship with Jack and Jennifer' and blamed Olga for the children's estrangement, Detective Sergeant Tara Phillips told the NSW Coroners Court last week. Partner 4: Edwards then impregnated another woman but ditched her before the child was born. He later found held captive in his home before she managed to flee (stock image) After the children's murder, Olga detailed to Det Sgt Phillips how Edwards had over the years physically abused the children over minor things, such as touching his phone or CD collection. Including Jennifer and Jack, Edwards had 10 children to seven partners. He threatened to take two of his previous partners' lives and gave another rat poison, while his other kids described being beaten with a belt and cattle whip. Edwards deceitfully told one woman he was in the armed forces and 'Aboriginal chieftain', while another described trying to run escape with the kids while he was in the shower. One of his kids said custody visits were like prison. Partner 5: A fifth partner was so afraid of Edwards, she changed her name and fled to Queensland (stock image) Partner 6: A sixth woman whom Edwards married gave birth alone after he refused to take her to hospital to give birth to their baby (stock image) Edwards was awarded licences to shoot rifles and pistols in June 2017 after NSW Firearms Registry staff used a police database report that had failed to pick up several matters related to domestic violence. Over the next year, he legally acquired five weapons including the Glock 17A 9mm semi-automatic pistol he used to shoot dead Jennifer and Jack. The teens' bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds under a desk in a bedroom where they had been trying to hide from their father. Followed her children's deaths, Olga told her GP that she wanted to stay in the house where they were killed because 'it still had some of Jack and Jenny in it'. She was found dead in the home in December 2018. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or 1800respect.org.au Lifeline 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au New Delhi: Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday (September 14) left Mumbai for her home state Himachal Pradesh, saying she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses". She, however, declared that her analogy comparing the city with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was "bang on". Kangana, whose comments triggered a spat with Maharashtra's ruling Shiv Sena, had come to Mumbai from her home in Manali last week for a short visit. On the same day, her office here faced action for "illegal" alterations by Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), following which she moved the Bombay High Court which stayed the demolition. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on(sic)," Ranaut wrote on Twitter. Targeting the ruling party, the 33-year-old actor said the protectors had declared themselves to be "destroyers" and were working towards dismantling democracy, adding "But they are wrong to think I'm weak. By threatening and abusing a woman, they are ruining their own image." Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur welcomed her return and accused Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-Congress government of having harassed her. Ranaut took a flight to Chandigarh and then travelled by road to reach Manali. Kangana should shift if she thinks Mumbai is PoK: Sena minister Kangana Ranaut should Shift from Mumbai if she thinks the city is like Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and is "bad" to her, Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said in Mumbai today. Parab's comments came hours after the actress left Mumbai for her native Himachal Pradesh, tweeting she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". "If Mumbai is this bad, then she should live where she finds it right. We had said this earlier too and we continue to hold this view," Parab told reporters, adding the Sena had no "personal issues" with Ranaut. Parab further said, "At the same time, the party cannot just listen if someone criticises or says bad things about the megapolis," adding "Kangana Ranaut is not only the Sena's issue, but also of those who love Mumbai and Maharashtra". The minister said, "She has to decide what she wants to do. Maharashtra will decide what it has to do. She should shift from here, if she thinks Mumbai is like PoK." The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Earlier on Sunday, Ranaut met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan to apprise him of the "injustice" done to her. She has been aggressively criticizing the film industry and the way it functions since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. She initially said it was not a suicide but a "planned murder" by an industry that does not acknowledge outsiders. Ranaut escalated her attack to tackle the alleged drug nexus in the industry, as well as targeting the Maharashtra government for its handling of the case. She sparked anger after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A coronavirus vaccine may not be available to the public until at least September 2021, a Government scientist has warned. Professor Peter Openshaw, from Imperial College London and an advisor to the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said he expected a nine-month gap between the vaccine's discovery and it being made available to the public. The Oxford vaccine, which is thought to be the most-promising in the world, re-started its trials on Saturday after they were suspended over concerns it may cause dangerous side effects. A British woman taking part was rushed to hospital reportedly suffering from transverse myelitis, or a swelling of the spinal cord. But these claims were denied by AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine. AstraZeneca has already started producing doses of the vaccine in anticipation of its approval. These will be handed out to countries that have placed orders should they get the go-ahead, with the UK having already bought 100million doses of the experimental jab. It comes as China claims it has found a coronavirus vaccine that is safe and effective, after hundreds of thousands of citizens given doses and sent abroad did not catch the virus. Professor Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, warned there could be a nine-month lag between a vaccine being discovered and its production being scaled up China claims to have a 'safe and effective' coronavirus vaccine China has claimed it has a coronavirus vaccine that is safe and effective after it was injected into hundreds of thousands of people. Doses were administered to citizens working at government-owned enterprises overseas and diplomats, according to state-owned publication Science and Technology Daily. The vaccine is being developed by the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), and is one of its two candidates. Quoted in Science and Technology Daily, the media arm for the country's Ministry of Science and Technology, legal counsel of CNBG, Zhou Song, said: 'These tens of thousands of people have been overseas for a few months after being vaccinated. Among them, in the areas where the epidemic broke out, some left-behind employees were infected but they were not. 'Parallel control data like this is available in multiple countries, which proves the effectiveness of the vaccine.' He added that there were 'no obvious adverse reactions'. CNBG was working on two candidate vaccines, which are both reportedly in final stage trials. It has orders for more than 500million doses. The company is confident that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year, reports The Times. President Xi Jinping has previously stated that should his country develop a vaccine it will be a 'global public good'. 'This will be China's contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries,' he said in a statement. Advertisement Warning of possible delays in making an effective vaccine available, Professor Openshaw told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that 'rapid scaling up' would take time. 'With all the vaccine trials now coming through which are scheduled to deliver a result within the next few months, I do feel that on the basis of what we know about the immune system that it's likely that these immune responses that are being induced by these vaccines may be protective for at least a few months, possibly even years, we just don't know yet, it's early days. 'I do think that we will probably have a positive result of at least one of these vaccine trials, probably more than that, by Christmas. 'And that means that with rapid scaling up we might have vaccination programmes that can roll out to some parts of the world in the next nine months. 'Before the winter of 21/22 I hope that we should have vaccines that are effective.' His words came as China claimed to have found an effective vaccine, according to the state-owned publication Science and Technology Daily. It quoted Zhou Song, the legal counsel for China National Biotec Group, alleging the vaccine had been shown to be effective after it was injected into hundreds of thousands of state employees. 'These tens of thousands of people have been overseas for a few months after being vaccinated,' he reportedly said. 'Among them, in the areas where the epidemic broke out, some left-behind employees were infected but they were not. 'Parallel control data like this is available in multiple countries, which proves the effectiveness of the vaccine.' The Oxford coronavirus vaccine, called AZD1222, restarted its clinical trials on Saturday. 'The independent review process has concluded and following the recommendations of both the independent safety review committee and the UK regulator, the MHRA, the trials will recommence in the UK,' a spokesman said. It had been reported that the trials were stopped due to one of the volunteers developing transverse myelitis, a swelling in the spinal cord. But this was denied by the CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, who said more tests were needed before a final diagnosis could be made. The condition suffered cannot be revealed publicly due to patient anonymity requirements. Speaking last week, Mr Soriot remained confident that the vaccine could be made available by the end of this year. He said that is was 'very common' for trials of vaccines to be paused when possible side-effects are identified, before they can be re-started. The CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot (pictured), said he thought the Oxford coronavirus vaccine would be ready by the end of this year despite delays Which vaccines has the UK secured deals for? The UK's taskforce has secured more than 200million doses of potential vaccines being produced worldwide GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur vaccine, based on seasonal flu: 60million doses 60million doses AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, genetically engineered virus : 100million : 100million BioNTech/Pfizer, mRNA vaccine using genetic material from virus : 30million : 30million Valneva, an inactivated whole virus : 60million : 60million Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), injects proteins from virus surface : 30million : 30million Novavax, proteins from virus surface: 60million 60million Imperial College London, mRNA vaccine using g enetic material from the virus : Amount not confirmed Advertisement The trial was also paused in July, AstraZeneca has revealed, after another possible side-effect was identified. The vaccine is yet to be proven to be effective. It has been trialled in more than 18,000 people around the world to ensure it is safe for use. The UK's Health Secretary said last week that he expected a coronavirus vaccine to be ready in the first few months of 2021. Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Hancock said: 'We have got 30million doses already contracted with AstraZeneca. 'In fact they are starting to manufacture those doses already, ahead of approval, so that should approval come through - and it's still not certain but it is looking up - should that approval come through then we are ready to roll out. 'The best-case scenario is that happens this year. I think more likely is the early part of next year - in the first few months of next year is the most likely. 'But we've also bought vaccine ahead of it getting approved from a whole different series of international vaccines as well.' The Government's chief scientist, Sir Patrick Vallance, has also predicted that a coronavirus vaccine should be available by the end of this year or early next year. He warned at a Downing Street press briefing that although research is 'progressing' a vaccine could still be at least four months away. 'Vaccines are progressing, some will read out this year in terms of efficacy and safety,' he said. 'I think there's a reasonable chance that therefore we can think about the possibility of vaccination next year some time at larger levels.' Sir Vallance added there are 200 possible vaccines in development globally and eight have entered the last stage of clinical trials. 'What we do know already is that many of these vaccines are showing the right immune response,' he said this afternoon. 'So people who have been vaccinated volunteers who've been vaccinated are generating an immune response to the virus. 'We don't know how long that will last but the immune response looks good in many cases and it's seen in the elderly as well as others.' A COVID-19 outbreak at an immigration detention center in rural Virginia was caused by the rapid transfer of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assault teams chauffeured into the area by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of the crackdown on anti-police brutality protests that broke out throughout the United States in late May and early June. As of Sunday, 339 of the facilitys inmates and staff at the Immigration Centers of America (ICA) private prison in Farmville, Virginia have tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak is the most serious recorded at any immigrant detention center across the country. Last month the World Socialist Web Site reported that the outbreak claimed the life of a 72-year-old detainee and Canadian national, James Thomas Hill. The revelation of the source of the outbreak is part of an ongoing lawsuit brought against the detention center by four migrant detainees. According to sources inside ICE that spoke to the Washington Post, prisoners were moved to the Farmville center in order to give cover for the Trump administrations operation involving militarized agents of the state apparatus to repress protests in Washington, DC. Detention facility in McAllen, Texas, Sunday, June 17, 2018 (Photo US Customs and Border Protection). They needed to justify the movement of SRT [special response teams], a Department of Homeland Security official told the Post. According to ICE lawyer Yuri Fuchs, there is an ICE Air regulation that requires detainees and staff to be on the same flight, so theyre being moved around, referring to the colloquial name of a program ICE uses to shuttle prisoners, material, and personnel around the country on charter commercial flights. This open admission by a United States federal official of the use of immigrant detainees as human shields for an operation of mass repression prompted federal judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia to help cover for the overshare of information by rewording the sentence into a legally permissible action: I think what youre saying then is when you move inmates, or detainees, you have to have ICE people with them, Brinkema said. Thats got to be what that means. Fuchs replied: Yes. The units sent on the flights were Special Response Teams (SRTs), ICEs most elite paramilitary units. Actual security and logistics for the transfer of prisoners was handled by private security firms and regular ICE officers, while the SRT troops deployed to the DC protests as soon as they landed. According to the administrations cover story, the prisoner transfers were done to alleviate overcrowding and allow social distancing at ICE prisons throughout the US. This account is directly contradicted by multiple current and former DHS officials who took part in the operation. They confirmed to the Post that the primary purpose of the flights was to mobilize SRTs to DC, over the objections of DC field office commanders. The officials stated that numerous other immigration prisons in the country were less filled than Farmville at that time, including a facility in Arizona that supplied many of the infected inmates who were transferred, which was at only 35 percent capacity at a time when Farmville was 57 percent full. It is also likely that ICE simply fabricated any documents or information needed to effect the transfers. Jeffrey Crawford, Director of Immigration Centers of America (ICA), the for-profit prison company that owns the Farmville facility, told the Farmville Town Council that the local ICE field office rejected the proposed transfer because there wasnt enough room at the nearby jail to quarantine the transferees appropriately. According to Crawford, ICE headquarters responded that quarantine was not necessary because all of the inmates were known to be uninfected. But when they arrived, one was visibly sick with COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive right away. The rest of the group was then tested, with 51 coming back positive. We were assured before they came that these folks were healthy. We were told that one of the facilities where the detainees were coming from had no instances of COVID-19. In hindsight, we believe weve discovered information that that is not accurate. But that is what we were told at the time, the ICA director complained. It is difficult to say which is more jarring, ICEs criminal disregard for detainees health or the ignorance and greed of the ICA officials, who were only too eager to increase the prisoner headcount at the for-profit facility. In essence, these immigrants were collateral damage in the attempted coup detat launched by the Trump administration against Constitutional rule in the United States in June. The apparatus of state repression was hindered not one iota by concerns that this move would seed coronavirus throughout the country, or in Farmvillea rural area with two major universities nearby. SRTs have been central to the Trump administrations strategy of using shock-and-awe tactics, including overtly fascistic methods like snatch-and-grab disappearances in unmarked vehicles, to suppress protests against police murder. In addition to Washington, DC, paramilitary shock troops from Arizona, Texas, and Florida have been deployed against protesting workers and youth in Portland, Oregon. In this episode one sees the American ruling classs equal disdain for democratic rights and the lives of the population. It points to the overtly fascistic character of the US immigration agencies, which are emerging as the incubators for paramilitary domestic repression units. While immigrants currently bear the brunt of this apparatus, it is directed at the working class as a whole. Silvio Berlusconi announced he had gotten 'away with it' again as he left hospital today after being admitted with coronavirus. The 83-year-old former Italian premier tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a holiday at his luxury villa in Sardinia. He was admitted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on September 3 with a lung infection and left today, 11 days after. 'Once again, I seem to have got away with it,' he told journalists as he left the hospital, after walking slowly but without assistance. 'Once again, I seem to have got away with it,' Sylvio Berlusconi told journalists after walking slowly out of hospital without assistance in Milan today, 11 days after he was admitted with coronavirus Mr Berlusconi was all smiles as he left hospital today, despite admitting 'the first three days were extremely difficult The former Italian Premier addressed journalists outside the hospital, removing his face mask to speak 'It was tough. Thank heavens, thanks to the doctors, I got over what was perhaps the most difficult ordeal of my life. 'The first three days were extremely difficult.' Two of his children, daughter Barbara, 36, and son Luigi, 31, also contracted the virus, as did his companion Marta Fascina. A former crooner turned property and media magnate, Berlusconi was Italian prime minister for his centre-right Forza Italia on three occasions between 1994 and 2011. Despite his regular brushes with the law and health concerns, including open heart surgery in 2016, the man known as 'the immortal' for his longevity in politics led the Italian right for more than two decades. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi waves at the press as he leaves San Raffaele hospital in Milan Berlusconi is no stranger to controversy, infamous for his 'bunga bunga' sex parties, where young women would strip at his private villa. He survived a public scandal after there were allegations that some of the women were underage. The flamboyant billionaire had insisted this month that he would continue his political activities despite the positive virus test. Regional elections are to be held in Italy this weekend as well as a referendum on reducing the number of deputies in parliament. Justice Minister Naomi Long is considering establishing a security fund to help places of worship recover from attacks in Northern Ireland (Paul Faith/PA) Justice Minister Naomi Long is considering establishing a security fund to help places of worship recover from attacks in Northern Ireland. More than 600 incidents of criminal damage to religious buildings, churchyards or cemeteries have been recorded since 2014/15. The Rev Aaron McAlister, rector of Derriaghy Parish Church, recently called for action after his church was broken into and vandalised. Expand Close Justice Minister Naomi Long PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Justice Minister Naomi Long Ms Long said: My officials continue to explore evidence-based information in relation to attacks on places of worship to allow me to fully consider if any similar scheme for Northern Ireland is required. This currently includes assessing criteria for the non-statute Places of Worship Security Fund that operates in England and Wales and the development of a similar scheme in Scotland, both of which focus on religiously motivated hate crime. Before making a decision, particular issues need to be considered such as: the types of building to be included; security measures that could be covered; administration of the scheme and available funding. She said she would consider the matter further once she had reflected on her officials findings. Significant damage was caused to the vestry and sanctuary at Derriaghy Parish Church near Belfast. Members had to spend hours repairing the damage caused. Ms Long said: Places of worship play an important role in many communities and in many peoples lives. As I have stated previously, I recognise the effect that an attack on a place of worship can have in terms of the distress and disruption that it causes to members of a faith community and any damage that is done to buildings as a result of an attack. Most recently, St Saviours Church in Craigavon suffered an arson attack in July, while Brantry Parish Church in Co Tyrone was attacked, with a window smashed and damage caused to the interior, in April. The Belfast Synagogue and Belfast Islamic Centre have sustained property damage over the last decade. The justice minister responded to a question from the DUPs Paul Givan. He said: The statistics recently published equate to an attack on a place of worship every three days over the past five years. It is necessary to protect churches and places of worship from attack and vandalism and I support calls for a funding scheme to be implemented to provide additional protective security for these buildings and have raised this with the Justice Minister. With the return of public gatherings in churches and places of worship due to the easing of restrictions it is important that protection is offered to places where a possible risk of damage or attack is presented. Lana Marks, U.S. ambassador to South Africa since October 2019, in New York City, N.Y., on June 4, 2012. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images) South Africa Security Agency Notes Report of Iran Plot to Assassinate US Ambassador South Africas State Security Agency on Monday said it was aware of reports of an alleged plot to assassinate the United States ambassador and said it was taking steps to ensure no harm would come to any diplomats stationed in the country. In a press statement, the countrys official security agency stated that it has noted reports about an alleged plot to assassinate the United States Ambassador to South Africa, Ambassador Lana Marks. Word of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Marks was first reported on Sept. 13 by Politico, which anonymously cited two U.S. officials, including one who reportedly viewed an intelligence report indicative of the existence of such a scheme. A spokesperson for the Iranian embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, rejected the claim in a statement to local outlet Independent Media on Monday. While I deny this baseless accusation, we will provide you with more information soon, Hamid Reza told the outlet. The Politico report claimed Iran was seeking to assassinate Marks as revenge for the January 2020 killing of a senior Iranian army commander by a U.S. air strike ordered by President Donald Trump. Trump said Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in Baghdad, was planning to target U.S. forces and the strike was a pre-emptive bid to protect American lives. The Politico report also claimed that U.S. intelligence has been aware of Iranian plans to assassinate the ambassador for months. Marks, who assumed the role last October, has known Trump for more than 20 years. The U.S. official anonymously cited by Politico presumed she may have been selected as a target because of her friendship with the president. South Africas State Security Agency said reports of the alleged plot are being looked into. The agency has noted the rising public interest on the matter and would like to assure all South African citizens and interested parties that the matter is receiving the necessary attention. The agency is interacting with all relevant partners both in the country and abroad, to ensure that no harm will be suffered by the US Ambassador, including any other Diplomatic Officials inside the borders of our country, the agency stated. It added that, due to the nature of the alleged threat, it would not provide detailed updates on its investigation but that relevant authorities, including in the United States, would be briefed. South African political party Freedom Front Plus, have called on the government to investigate the alleged plot. The reports of a planned Iranian assassination of the American ambassador in South Africa, Lana Marks, are serious and the South African government must immediately take action to determine whether there is any truth to these allegations, said Corne Mulder, a spokesperson for the party, in remarks to The South African news outlet. UN calls Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian crisis with 80 percent of the population of 30 million in need of aid. The Houthi rebels, as well as other parties to the conflict in Yemen, are to blame for obstructing the delivery of desperately needed aid in the country, according to a new report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north, have a particularly egregious record of obstructing aid agencies from reaching civilians in need, according to HRW, including by diverting relief items to their own organisation, blocking aid containers at ports they control, and even preventing aid assessments to identify peoples needs. The human rights organisation also reported that obstruction in government-held areas of Yemen has also increased, and noted the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the Yemeni government, has imposed a naval and air blockade on Yemen since March 2015, restricting the import of food, fuel and medicine. The difficulties facing the work of international aid organisations in Yemen have emerged into the open during the past few years, with allegations that corruption is widespread, and international aid is not being accounted for. And it is not just international aid organisations facing obstructions. Muna Luqman, executive director of Food4Humanity, described the Yemeni NGOs experiences with the Houthis. When our aid is delivered to the port in Hodeidah, we find that a portion of it will have been stolen before it leaves the port, Luqman told Al Jazeera. Theres also pressure to send aid to areas where [the Houthis] want it to go. We had a project in Hodeidah and they forced us to send it to Sanaa. We eventually found a compromise and split the aid, but the international organisations often simply agree with them. For their part, the Houthis responded to HRWs criticisms by saying the group did not want to obstruct aid, and the allegations were coming from aid agencies that followed political orders from the United States. Yemens internationally recognised government and the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which was also accused of obstructing aid, did not respond. Pushback The UN and the international community have pressured the Houthis into some concessions, with the rebel group agreeing this year to not interfere in the independence of aid organisations. The UN has also publicly condemned Houthi restrictions, and refused to pay a 2-percent tax the Houthis attempted to force on aid organisations. The public censure risks blowback from the rebels, however, with the possibility they will clamp down on the work of international groups. We always want to do negotiations behind closed doors, to ensure that the best interests of the people that we serve are not at risk, Abeer Etefa, the WFPs Middle East senior spokeswoman told Al Jazeera. But when its against humanitarian principles we speak out, such as what happened when we discovered the diversion of food assistance in areas under the control of the Sanaa-based authorities. There are red lines and we cannot cross these red lines. An ill baby is seen on a stretcher with his mother as he waits to receive medical treatment in Sanaa [File: AP] But UN aid organisations were also criticised by HRW for shortcomings, including conceding to demands related to the control of the distribution of aid, giving money to corrupt ministries, and failing to investigate the complicity of UN bodies in aid diversion. From her experiences working on the ground in Yemen, it is a criticism that Luqman shares. She criticised international aid organisations for partnering with bodies affiliated with the Houthis, and said the UN had been too soft on the rebel group. International organisations allowed the Houthis to get away with it, Luqman said. They finally kicked up a fuss when the Houthis demanded the 2-percent cut, and the Security Council issued a statement and the ambassadors all spoke up. When they want to put their foot down, they can, and they forced the Houthis to back down. They should have done this previously. Humanitarian impact The United Nations calls Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian crisis with 80 percent of the population of 30 million in need of aid. Despite that, funding for aid projects in Yemen has dried up this year, with UN bodies only receiving 24 percent of the $3.4bn they requested for 2020. This has led to a decrease in the amount of relief the UN has been able to handout in Yemen, with the World Food Programme (WFP) forced to halve food distribution since April. The shortfall is partly a result of donor countries, including many Western and regional nations that are directly or indirectly involved in the five-year conflict, withholding money because of misappropriation of funds. The international donor community should not compromise the protection of civilians just because they want to punish the Houthis, the STC, or the Yemeni government for a network of obstacles imposed on humanitarian groups, Afrah Nasser, HRWs Yemen researcher, told Al Jazeera. There has to be a new way of thinking regarding how humanitarian aid goes to Yemen and make sure that aid getting to people in need isnt jeopardised, Nasser added. The diversion of aid also means assistance has not been reaching those most in need. If one grain of rice is lost then it means it has been lost from someone who really needs it, said Etefa, EFPs spokesperson. The WFPs work, with the support of donors, has stood in between Yemen and a famine so when food is lost it means that people are going hungry. It means that children are falling into the vicious cycle of malnutrition. MBABANE Swaziland Building Societys profit after tax slightly dropped to E100.8 million. The 1.4 per cent decline was reportedly due to a significant increase in impairment charge (ECL). The profit before tax was recorded at E102.2 million the previous year. This is as per the abridged audited financial statements for the period ending March 31, 2020. They were published in terms of SBS Rules and Section 35 of the Financial Institutions Act, 2005. According to FinanceTalking, when an assets value falls so that it is worth less than the book value, it must be written down to the amount that is recoverable. This means a reduction in the asset value in the balance sheet and an equivalent expense against profit - an impairment charge. increase The ECL figures were at E121.3 million. In the past year, it was E71.4 million. This is a significant increase of E49.9 million from the previous year. The significant increase in ECL was as a result of adverse forward looking IFRS 9 macro-economic model adjustments which arose from the deteriorating countrys macro-economic outlook mainly due to COVID-19. Loans and advances, deteriorated by 1.4 per cent consequential to the significant increase in the ECL driven by the IFRS 9 forward looking model attributable to the global COVID-19 impact, reported SBS. Deposits, on the other hand, rose to E1.2 billion. They were at E1.1 billion the previous year. It was an improvement p of 10.6 per cent, as the Society initiated a deposit mobilisation strategy to improve the banks liquidity position. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, SBS reported to have maintained a strong balance sheet growth of four per cent, attributable to property, plant and equipment and financial investments improving from 2019. interest Net interest income grew by 11.1 per cent driven the balance sheet growth on gross loans and advances as the unsecured lending improved by 8 per cent from 2019. Non-interest revenue also improved by 15 per cent. This was largely attributable to business addressing the issues of revenue leakages that was improved by the implementation of the new banking system in October 2019. The NIR to expenses ratio improved to 61 per cent (2019: 59 per cent) as the transactional volumes improve, reads the report in part. Meanwhile, total expenses shot up to E157 million. They were recorded at E142 million the previous year. This is an increase of 10.3 per cent mainly due to costs incurred during the testing and implementation of the new banking system. Despite the tough and uncertain times brought about by COVID-19, the society reported that business had been on resilience producing satisfactory financial performance under the challenging circumstances. Globally, regionally and locally, companies results commentaries for any period 2020 are going to be dominated by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the world faces unprecedented disruptions to businesses. Our experiences will forever change the way we operate, presenting novel opportunities and challenges as we adjust to the new normal with altered trends, demand patterns, regulations and operating protocols, noted SBS. digitalisation The bank promised to offer new products and services by means of accelerated digitalisation as well as agile and more automated service offerings, operating and distribution systems. We continue to face a wide range of potential economic outcomes partly dependent on the extent of any potential impacts of COVID-19. Therefore, business intends to accelerate the implementation of our digitalisation journey to better service our valued customers. We are also looking at what additional actions we need to take in light of the new economic environment to make SBS a stronger and more sustainable business, stressed SBS. SINGAPORE, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Platts, the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets, today announced that Cairn India Ltd., a unit of Vedanta Ltd. has adopted the Platts Dated Brent crude oil benchmark to price the majority of its flagship Rajasthan ("RJ") crude sales. This marks the first time a prominent grade of indigenously produced crude in India has been priced off the global oil benchmark. Cairn India, the largest private crude oil producer by volume in India, began using Platts Dated Brent for sales of Rajasthan crude in contracts beginning April 2020. Platts Dated Brent is the globally recognized crude benchmark, which estimates suggest is used to price more than 60% of the world's oil. With this step, India joins a host of largely sweet crude oil producers in Asia Pacific that have transitioned to using Platts Dated Brent in pricing their crude oil sales over the past decade. Vera Blei, Head of Oil Markets, S&P Global Platts said: "The selection of Platts Dated Brent as the price benchmark to price one of India's flagship crude oil grades reflects the confidence Cairn India and buyers of RJ crude have in the quality of our independent price reporting. The integrity of the methodology underpinning our assessment processes allows Platts price benchmarks to be relied upon by the world's most important energy markets, which explains Cairn's decision to select Platts Dated Brent for use in its term oil contracts." Produced in India's western state of the same name, Rajasthan is a medium-heavy and waxy sweet crude with API of 29.50 degrees and sulfur of 0.086% by weight. The Rajasthan blocks, the first of which was discovered in 2004, are considered to be the largest onshore hydrocarbon find in India in decades. Most of Rajasthan crude flows to refineries located on the west coast of India. Americas Kathleen Tanzy +1 917 331 4607 [email protected] About S&P Global Platts At S&P Global Platts, we provide the insights; you make better-informed trading and business decisions with confidence. We're the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to our expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets. S&P Global Platts coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping. S&P Global Platts is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.platts.com. SOURCE S&P Global Platts Related Links http://www.platts.com The long-awaited negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are underway in Doha from September 12. A recent announcement by Qatar indicated that all major hurdles have been resolved, thereby paving the way for the warring sides to meet face-to-face for the first time to negotiate peace and agree to a political transition. The process gained momentum after President Ashraf Ghani ordered the release of a final batch of 400 Afghan Taliban prisoners. The US-Taliban peace deal signed in February 2020 had pledged to release 5,000 insurgent prisoners. Taliban had declared they would not start talks unless all their prisoners were released. Ghanis government had reluctantly released most of the Taliban prisoners under pressure from the Donald Trump administration but had been holding on to six hardcore detainees (whose release was also opposed by France and Australia). They were reportedly transported to Doha for direct supervision during the talks. This facilitated the removal of the final hurdle for the start of the negotiations. The Taliban delegation is led by its deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. In the recent past, the Taliban has made certain changes in its team composition and has included the hardliner, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of its supreme leader Mullah Omar. On the Afghan governments side, former chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, is responsible for directing the peace negotiations with the Taliban, while Masoom Stanekzai, a former head of the Afghan intelligence agency, leads the Afghan team. The talks kick-started in presence of officials from several countries and international organisations attending (or speaking virtually) at the commencement ceremony. The key speakers at the opening ceremony included Abdullah Abdullah, Mullah Baradar, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Many countries including the US, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Germany, Qatar, and representatives from certain global bodies made remarks at the ceremony and called for an immediate comprehensive ceasefire. The speakers at the opening ceremony hailed the start of the peace talks as a historic opportunity and asked the two parties to keep an open mind during the exchange. Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar reiterated Indias support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process. Elusive peace Despite the signing of the February peace deal, peace has largely remained elusive in Afghanistan. Talibans attacks on security forces and citizens have regularly made headlines. However, to keep the peace process on track, numerous attacks by the insurgent group have been conveniently overlooked and the slightest sign of progress has often been applauded as the harbinger of a breakthrough. Reasonable skepticisms have been brushed aside citing the necessity of bringing an end to the decades of war. There has also been an eagerness to ignore the largely unreciprocated concessions that were made to get the Taliban to come to the table, so much so, that the insurgent groups refusal to acknowledge the Afghan government as its principal interlocutor was also overlooked. During the multiple talks leading to the Khalilzad-Baradar accord of February, Taliban negotiators did not reveal any flexibility on any significant issue. On the contrary, they understood that by standing firm they could push Washington to yield on most key issues. It was Kabul, which was seen offering compromises time and again. For adversaries locked in a war for decades, its never easy to negotiate peace. The meeting of the two sides for the intra-Afghan dialogue undoubtedly is a momentous step. But for any constructive result to come out of it, the difficult task of maintaining domestic and regional consensus will be necessary as will continued international support for the peace process. As far as India is concerned, the prospect of a power-sharing arrangement between Kabul and the Taliban is not a desirable scenario for a country that has pledged $3 billion in assistance since 2001. To mitigate the risks to Indias continued presence in Afghanistan, India must set aside its reluctance to change its policies. It may need to urgently reposition its priorities based on the requirements of the changing circumstances. Amrullah Saleh, the vice president of Afghanistan, has called the talks with Taliban one of the most difficult peace negotiations in history. He believes the discussions on symbolism and values will be the most challenging part of the negotiation. It is fair to say that the talks are merely the initial step in what will be at best a long and complex process. Therefore, any optimism has to be tempered. (Anwesha Ghosh is Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs. She is the author of Identity and Marginality in India: Settlement Experience of Afghan Migrants (Routledge UK, 2019)) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. Ultraviolet light endangers the integrity of human genetic information and may cause skin cancer. For the first time, researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have demonstrated that DNA damage may also occur far away from the point of incidence of the radiation. They produced an artificially modeled DNA sequence in new architecture and succeeded in detecting DNA damage at a distance of 30 DNA building blocks. The results are reported in Angewandte Chemie (DOI: 10.1002/anie.202009216). So far, we have thought that it is impossible for light energy to be transmitted so far in the DNA and cause damage there." Professor Dr. Hans-Achim Wagenknecht from KIT's Institute of Organic Chemistry The research results are presented in Angewandte Chemie and are ranked as extraordinarily important and in the best ten percent by the journal. For the study, a synthetically produced, modified DNA of a certain architecture was used. At certain points of this short gene section, researchers inserted a xanthone molecule as photoenergy injector. To specify where the UV radiation produced by LEDs was to cause damage in the experiment, scientists inserted pairs of thymines at defined distances from this light injector. Thymine is one of four nucleobases and, hence, one of the major building blocks of DNA. The most frequent damage of DNA caused by light results from linking neighboring thymines: Due to the light energy, they form solid compounds of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD). Having defined the positions of CPD formation, the team succeeded in proving migration of photoenergy over 30 DNA building blocks corresponding to a distance of up to 10.5 nanometers. "This surprisingly long range is crucial to the understanding of DNA photodamage," Wagenknecht says. CPD damage is considered the molecular cause of skin cancer, because genetic information can no longer be read or cannot be read correctly. The question of how far energy can migrate is still open. Above all, the scientists wanted to find out where photodamage develops. Another important aspect is that xanthones artificially introduced into the DNA as light injectors may be contained in many common substances, such as antibiotics, and may increase light sensitivity of the skin after intake. Doctoral researcher Arthur Kuhlmann and student Larissa Bihr from the team of Wagenknecht were largely involved in the publication. The project was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with a total of about EUR 430,000 for the position of the doctoral researcher and consumables. In the next step, the group will study the mechanism of energy migration in detail. Inquest: the body of Nora Quoirin was found a mile away from the Dusun resort Searching: A member of a rescue team uses a sniffer dog to look for Nora Quoirin Sniffer dogs led a team of searchers for French-Irish schoolgirl Nora Anne Quoirin to several spots in the dense jungle near the Malaysian holiday resort from where she went missing last year but later lost her scent, the inquest into her death has been told. Fadzil Arshad, a senior officer with the Fire and Rescue Department, who was in charge of a four-man team which included two dog handlers, was the latest witness to appear before Coroner Maimoonah Aid. The 15-year-old, whose mum Meabh is from Belfast, disappeared from her family's cottage at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on August 4 last year, sparking a massive search operation. The body of the teenager, who had physical and learning difficulties, was discovered 10 days later beside a stream in a palm oil estate over a mile away from the resort following a massive hunt involving sniffer dogs and hundreds of searchers. Fadzil told the hearing that his K-9 Detection Unit team - based in Kuala Lumpur - was assigned to join the search for Nora along with two dogs, trained to detect missing persons in the forest. "We arrived at The Dusun on August 5, 2019 and were briefed by the operation officer on the facts of the case. I was then led to the window at Sora House where the victim was claimed to have exited and disappeared. After deciding which way I wanted to begin our search, I encircled the villa and reached the main entrance where I was handed a bag of clothing which the victim had worn by the mother," he said. Fadzil said one of the dogs, a Labrador Retriever, showed a strong response to Nora's scent about 100 metres from the villa window and the assigned handler then encouraged the dog to seek out a potential scent trail. "However as we went further, the scent began to break up which we believed Nora Anne had passed through [the area] before the dogs came to some sort of pond and a rocky stream." He added that the team were then tasked to a new hilly area towards the north of the resort but they had returned with a negative search result. Fadzil said he then informed his superior officer that he wanted to resume his search where the team had left at the pond and water stream with both dogs the following morning. When his team resumed their search, the dogs had reacted strongly near a water stream, before leading searchers past an abandoned toilet over a concrete drain and a three-way intersection to reach a section of the stream with fast flowing water some distance from the resort's rear perimeter. At the water rapid, Fadzil said the dogs continued to react strongly and he subsequently informed his superiors of the latest discovery. The following day, Fadzil said his team focused on the area around the rapids and attempted to get the dogs to the opposite bank to continue the search. However to their surprise, the dogs backtracked back to the spot at the rapids and stood still, showing no response to Nora's scent from that point onwards. Another leading fire officer P. Ravi, said two English Springer Spaniels were brought in on August 10 to assist in the ongoing search operation. According to Ravi, the dogs were specially trained to sniff out dead bodies and his team of four personnel were tasked to look for possible clues as to the whereabouts of Nora's body if any, after the previous day's search team had obtained new clues. However, the dogs failed to detect any sort of human body within their search area which lasted from 8.30am until 5pm. Ravi said their service was terminated following their findings but they were told they might be recalled later. The inquest resumes October 1. Virgin Australia is set to retrench another 150 head office staff as continuing state border closures severely hinder its recovery. The airline relocated its headquarters at the weekend from Bowen Hills in Brisbane's inner north to South Brisbane, on the other side of the Story Bridge. New owners Bain Capital, a US private equity firm, have been forced to keep retrenching staff as state border closures squeeze the domestic tourism industry. Virgin chief executive Paul Scurrah, who remained in the role when the airline was placed into voluntary administration in April, has sent staff a note warning another 150 head office jobs were set to go, on top of the 250 positions made redundant in August. Virgin Australia is set to retrench 250 head office staff as continuing state border closures severely curtail its finances. Pictured are Virgin planes grounded in Sydney He said state border closures had 'severely impacted' the carrier's recovery plans, with Australia now in recession for the first time in 29 years as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns. Virgin CEO Paul Scurrah has sent staff a note warning another 150 head office jobs were set to go, on top of the 250 positions made redundant in August A Virgin Australia spokeswoman confirmed Mr Scurrah had told staff state border closures were hurting the finances of the airline. 'We have informed our people of some minor structural changes which will position the business for the transition period that lies ahead of us,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Unfortunately this will result in around 150 roles being impacted in the corporate and head office workforce, and we will support all team members closely through this process.' Virgin Australia Holdings told the Australian Securities Exchange on Monday it had relocated its head office to Grey Street in South Brisbane. 'We have also been required to review the number of head office team members currently stood up, with a view to make additional stand downs over the coming weeks,' the spokeswoman said. A Virgin Australia spokeswoman confirmed Mr Scurrah had told staff state border closures were hurting the finances of the airline. Pictured are empty check-in terminals at Sydney domestic airport The retrenchments are set to affect corporate affairs staff, who are not part of an enterprise bargaining agreement, as Queensland continues to ban all residents of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia remains cut off from the rest of the country. Virgin losses by year 2009: $160million 2011: $67.8million 2013: $98.1million 2014: $353.8million 2015: $93.8million 2016: $224.7million 2017: $185.8million 2018: $653.3million 2019: $315.4million Source: Virgin Australia Holdings annual reports showing the statutory net loss after tax for the full year Advertisement 'This crisis is having an extraordinary impact on our industry and our people and making decisions which impact their lives is never easy,' the Virgin spokeswoman said. 'However, with the borders remaining closed and travel demand low, we must continue to make the tough calls to help see us through this pandemic.' Retrenched staff will be eligible for JobKeeper wage subsidies, which from September 28 are being reduced from $1,500 to $1,200 a fortnight for those working more than 20 hours a week. Even before the pandemic, Virgin Australia had made a statutory net loss after tax during eight of the past ten financial years as its former CEO John Borghetti sought to take market share away from his former employer Qantas. In April, just a month after Australia closed its border to non-citizens and non-residents, Virgin appointed Vaughan Strawbridge, the partner of restructuring services firm Deloitte, to act as administrator. Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is steadfastly refusing to reopen her state's borders to NSW and the ACT as she faces an election on October 31. Her father Henry Palaszczuk was a minister in Peter Beattie's Labor government, which in February 2000 convinced soon-to-be knighted UK billionaire Richard Branson to establish in Brisbane the headquarters of his budget airline Virgin Blue. The pandemic has forced Virgin Australia to return to its roots as a low-cost carrier but even that is a tough ask. Olive Fertility Centre is proud to announce that Dr Jason Hitkari, Olives co-founder-and co-director, has been elected President of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) for 2020-2021. The CFAS Board of Directors, staff, and myself personally are incredibly excited to work with Dr. Hitkari, says Goldi Gill, the Executive Director of CFAS. Dr Hitkari has demonstrated a commitment to the Society through participating in numerous membership check-ins and co-authoring our Guiding Principles document for the safe resumption of fertility care. He is not only stepping up at a critical time because of the coronavirus situation; he is also taking on the role of President as the CFAS commences another significant project our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan." "As President, Dr. Hitkari will be spearheading a Society-wide initiative to position the CFAS such that it will continue to wield significant impact in the field of ART [Assisted Reproductive Technology] and be set up for a viable future. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with this past year, and I, along with the Board Directors and CFAS team, are looking forward to seeing what we will be able to accomplish under his leadership over the next year. The Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society is Canadas national organization of professionals dealing with reproductive medicine. Its mission is to responsibly advance reproductive science and medicine in Canada through leadership, research, and guidance. Its a great honour to have been elected president of CFAS by my peers, says Dr Hitkari. With technology changing so rapidly in this field, its important to have a national organization that brings us together to develop best practices and discuss new research and medical issues involved in helping to create families. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential role that CFAS plays in providing guidance to reproductive medical professionals and fertility clinics across Canada. Dr Hitkari, along with other CFAS board members, has been instrumental in drafting guiding principles to assist Canadian ART clinics to resume services and care for patients in a safe way. Dr Hitkari completed his training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and went on to do a formal fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at The University of Toronto (Mt. Sinai). In addition to acting as co-director of Olive Fertility Centre, Dr Hitkari is a Clinical Associate Professor at UBC. Nationally recognized as a dedicated and award-winning educator, Dr Hitkari coordinates the UBC Medical School undergraduate teaching in the areas of reproduction and infertility. He is a past examiner in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. As patient advocate, Dr. Hitkari has served as a board member for the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada and is proud of being the recipient of the H. Hill Humanitarian award for exceptional patient care. Olive Fertility Centre Located in Vancouver, BC, Olive Fertility Centre is one of Western Canadas largest IVF and prenatal diagnosis centres. With an advanced IVF lab, and innovative programs that include Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A), egg freezing, and prenatal NIPT testing, Olive Fertility (olivefertility.com) provides comprehensive fertility care to infertile couples, single women, and LGBTQ2 individuals. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Thailand's Central Bankruptcy Court on Monday approved Thai Airways International Pcl's request for restructuring and the formation of the airline's restructuring committee, Judge Kampol Roongrat said. The court's decision will allow the airline to move ahead in setting up a committee to draw up a restructuring plan, a process that would take three to five months. Weddings will be permitted only in open spaces, with a strict commitment to anti-coronavirus measures, the Cabinet said Egypt said on Monday that it will allow funeral prayers and weddings in open spaces only starting 21 September, after a six-month-long closure of these services due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a Cabinet statement, funeral prayers will only be permitted outside mosques or in their open courtyards while adhering to preventive measures. Weddings will be permitted only in open spaces in hotels that have hygiene safety certificates, with a maximum capacity of 300 people under strict commitment to anti-coronavirus measures, the statement said, adding that the health and tourism ministers will review reopening health clubs in hotels starting next week. Theatre and film festivals will be allowed to hold their opening and closing ceremonies in open-air spaces, with their cinema and theatre shows held at 50 percent occupancy capacity. Conferences and symposiums will be allowed at an occupancy rate of 50 percent and a maximum attendance of 150 people. On cultural activities, the Alexandria International Book Fair will be held in an open area, the statement added, allowing a school-focused exhibit to be held at the Cairo International Convention Centre from 20 to 28 September. The Cabinet said that adult education activities and literacy classes will be resumed with preventive measures applied in closed spaces. Training in Egypts Second Division will be resumed, with swimming pools open in clubs in accordance with hygiene requirements set by the health ministry. Egypt has moved towards a gradual reopening of its economy since late June, lifting some of its anti-virus restrictions, including lifting a nighttime curfew, reopening restaurants and places of worship, and resuming regular international flights as part of a plan to coexist with the virus. Cafes, restaurants, and other venues now operate until 12am, with commercial malls and shops to close at 10pm. They currently operate at an increased maximum occupancy rate of 50 percent instead of the previous limit of 25 percent. Authorities have said that lockdown measures would be reviewed periodically before they decide to gradually relax them further, warning that "strict measures" would be imposed if citizens failed to adhere to the rules. Egypt has repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn. Egypt currently has an infection tally of 101,009 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 5,648 deaths since the first case was discovered on 14 February. Search Keywords: Short link: The news that Oracle will partner with TikTok caught some analysts by surprise. (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press) Oracle Corp. has succeeded in its bid to partner with the social media platform TikTok after its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, rejected an offer from Microsoft. The news, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, caught some analysts by surprise because they had widely expected Microsoft, in a partnership with Walmart, to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations. "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks U.S. operations to Microsoft," the Redmond, Wash., tech company said in a statement Sunday. "We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests." A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to say why ByteDance made that decision. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. Walmart said that it is still interested in a TikTok investment and continues discussions with ByteDance leadership and other interested parties. The decision comes a week before the Trump administration plans to ban the social video app if it continues to be owned by ByteDance. The Trump administration has put pressure on ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations because of national security issues. President Trump has raised concerns about whether TikTok gives information about U.S. users to the Chinese government. TikTok says that it has not and that it stores its U.S. user data in Virginia and backs it up in Singapore. Oracle on Monday confirmed its involvement, saying it "will serve as the trusted technology provider" for TikTok. "Oracle has a 40-year track record providing secure, highly performant technology solutions," the company said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported the "deal is likely not to be structured as an outright sale." A TikTok spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment. A sale of TikTok's U.S. operations became more complicated when the Chinese government updated its export rules to require government approval for the sale of artificial intelligence, which many believe would include TikTok's algorithm. Story continues Trump signed an executive order that would bar individuals or U.S. companies from transactions with ByteDance's TikTok starting Sept. 20. Many analysts believe the order could cause TikTok to be removed from Apple's and Google's mobile app stores in the U.S. Any ban on TikTok's app in the U.S. would hurt many of L.A.'s video creators who rely on the platform for income from brand deals. Legal experts say that TikTok's more than 1,500 U.S. employees could be at risk of not receiving a paycheck if the order goes into effect. One hundred million Americans use the popular social video app. TikTok has sued the Trump administration to block the order, arguing it is unconstitutional. Some analysts questioned whether the potential Oracle deal would satisfy the Trump administration because it may not involve a sale of TikTok's operations to a U.S. company. But Trump has spoken favorably of Oracle as a bidder and praised its co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a supporter of the president's. A shutdown of TikTok in the U.S. may still be possible, analysts said. "TikTok's days in the U.S. likely are numbered, with a shutdown now the next step," Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said in a research note. "Unless some last minute changes, ByteDance heads into the White House deadline this week with some dark days ahead as the plug now likely gets pulled on the TikTok app within the U.S." Analysts said they were uncertain whether a technology partnership with Oracle would be enough to meet a separate executive order signed by Trump that requires ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations by Nov. 12. In an interview, Ives said that a technology partnership could mean that Oracle would provide back-end technology to TikTok, helping assure the Trump administration's concerns about national security regarding U.S. user data. "They could control the inflows and outflows from a national security perspective," Ives said. "If that's enough of a stamp for the White House to have comfort with the deal, that is something that remains to be seen." On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that the proposal, submitted over the weekend, included "a commitment to create TikTok global, as a U.S. headquartered company, with 20,000 new jobs." He said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will review the matter this week and then make a recommendation to Trump. Oracle was listed in the proposal as the trusted technology partner with representations for national security, Mnuchin told CNBC. "Well be reviewing it with their technical teams and our technical teams to see if they can make the representations that we need," he said. The Trump administration has taken action against other apps owned by Chinese companies, including messaging platform WeChat, as trade tensions continue between the U.S. and China. Its a way to rally people politically, said Gene Munster, a managing partner at venture capital firm Loup Ventures. Essentially these become political tools. Munster said that he believes that tension will start to recede after the election. Guest Column Myanmar Law Students Provide Free Legal Information to Local Communities A law student who serves as the lead volunteer at the Legal Information Center at East Yangon University explains the centers activities to exchange students in February. (Supplied) Since 2016, law students in Myanmar have been studying human rights law at East Yangon and Dagon universities with the assistance of the Denmark-Myanmar Program on Rule of Law and Human Rights. They are the first group of students in Myanmar to receive a human rights education in over 50 years; during the countrys military rule, this was strictly prohibited. With the help of the program, human rights education in 2019 became available for students at all law faculties in Myanmar. Human rights considerations are now gaining prominence as new generations of legal professionals graduate from university and bring their knowledge to the wider legal communityand societyin Myanmar. Already, students are passing their knowledge on to others. At Dagon and East Yangon universities, many are volunteering at the student-led Legal Information Centers, where people can receive legal information, support in negotiations with disputing parties, and referral of cases to pro-bono lawyers and other service providerssuch as health clinics and psychosocial servicesas needed. In the Legal Information Centers, we provide information on how to go to court and how the litigation process works and much more. We come to the university not only to learn, but also to give something back to the community, said Phone Thit Min, a law student at Dagon University and a volunteer at the Legal Information Center (LIC). Supporting the community The LICs are open to all people in need of help in solving a dispute or legal problem, including the poor and vulnerable. While the spectrum of human rights challenges in Myanmar is broad, people who come to the LICs typically seek help with issues such as domestic violence or labor rights; many are unaware of their rights or national laws, while others are afraid to go to court. While most clients live close to the universities and can easily access the LICs, those further away can also receive support through the LICs social media channels. Most of the people who come to the Legal Information Centers are women who experience domestic violence or sexual harassment in the labor market. But we also have other types of cases concerning land rights, as some of our clients come from rural areas outside Yangon, said Kyaw Lwin, a law student volunteer at the East Yangon University LIC. Another student explained that their work at the LICs is about ensuring access to justice for those people in the community who have nowhere else to turn. Many clients are facing poverty and they need help with a debt case. They come to us because its free of charge, and this is the only place they can go. But sometimes people just come for guidance before hiring a lawyer, explained Thin Shwe Shin Min, a law student volunteer at the Dagon University LIC. Change from within The LICs aim to teach students the practical relevance and application of the law in peoples everyday lives, melding legal theory with practical knowledge to better prepare them for entering the legal profession and facilitating access to justice for their clients. In doing so, LIC students are also supporting their surrounding communities in meeting their articulated justice needs. This includes community outreach and awareness-raising sessions and developing working relations with local justice actors. Reaching out to the community and raising awareness of human rights amongst the people of Myanmar is key to the democratic transition. Especially in a multiethnic society as Myanmar it is important to understand that all people have the same rights, said Danish Ambassador to Myanmar John Nielsen. Eva Grambye, head of the International Division at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, emphasized that human rights education and the LICs are part of the strategy of promoting human rights abroad. We work with partners around the world and support them in their work to promote human rights, and therefore we are supporting human rights education in Myanmar. We are very pleased to see how the young people take it upon themselves to pass on knowledge of human rights to one another and help their fellow citizens with advice on how to fulfil their human rights. Hopefully this is the first step towards a future with greater respect for human rights in Myanmar, Grambye said. The Embassy of Denmark in Myanmar has contracted the International Commission of Jurists and the Danish Institute for Human Rights in a joint venture to provide technical assistance and capacity building to all partners within the Denmark-Myanmar Program on Rule of Law and Human Rights. The Legal Information Centers were established with the support of the Danish Institute for Human Rights working under the Denmark-Myanmar Program on Rule of Law and Human Rights. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Bans Domestic Travel to Stop COVID-19 Spread Myanmar Ministry Places Staff Under Home Quarantine After Two Test Positive for COVID-19 Ministers Team Caught in Attack by Arakan Army in Myanmars Chin State Oregon is preparing to pay out the $300 weekly unemployment bonus President Donald Trump approved last month, but for most the money wont come unless they take an extra step to certify theyre eligible. Here are the basics: Trump redirected federal emergency funds to pay six weeks of $300 weekly unemployment bonuses. People who lost work due to the pandemic are eligible for an extra $300 a week for the weeks ending August 1 through September 5. The program requires most participants to certify that they lost work due to the pandemic. Oregonians who received unemployment benefits during that period can certify their eligibility here . (Scroll down to the Lost Wages Assistance program.) Self-employed workers participating in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program dont have to certify their eligibility. Their money will come automatically. And heres the backstory. Congress approved $600 weekly unemployment bonuses in March, at the beginning of the pandemic. The program expired in July and Congress hasnt been able to agree on an extension. So Trump tapped those federal relief funds to pay several more weekly of $300 benefits. The president initially described $400 payments, but the administration later clarified the additional $100 would have to come out of state coffers. Most states, including Oregon, declined to pay the extra $100 in the face of a budget crunch triggered by coronavirus recession. Most states have taken several weeks to begin implementing the new $300 bonus program. The Oregon Employment Department hopes to begin paying the $300 bonuses for all the eligible weeks by the end of September. Oregon is sending emails out to workers Monday who may be eligible and the employment department says it will follow up with mailed notices later. The department hasnt said how many are eligible for the payments, but an average of 174,000 Oregonians filed continued unemployment claims during the six-week eligibility period. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | You think your week/month/year has been weird? Imagine finding an escaped prisoner hiding in your home. Terry Pierson of Brooklyn found himself in that unusual situation after a young man escaped federal custody, leading to an hourslong manhunt. Pierson said he saw an odd lump under a sheet covering his looms, and was greeted with a person when he lifted the cover. The prisoner was quickly arrested and Pierson said he would recover from the nerve-wracking incident with a stiff drink. Keep reading for the rest of this weeks news. Upheaval in Rochester continues Protests have continued in Rochester after police body camera video was released of Daniel Prudes arrest in March, which led to his death a week later. State Attorney General Letitia James announced that she will empanel a grand jury to consider evidence in the case of Prudes death after Rochester police for months treated it as a drug overdose rather than a homicide as the medical examiner determined. James office had already begun investigating the incident well before the grand jury announcement. Soon after that, Rochester Police Chief LaRon Singletary and the rest of the command staff announced they were retiring. Singletary denied any wrongdoing by the officers involved in Prudes death, who have been suspended, and said he would not sit idly as people attempted to destroy my character. When she announced the retirements, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren did not say whether she asked them to resign. Meanwhile, protesters have marched every night since Prudes family released the body camera footage. Two protesters are now facing federal charges after being accused of attacking police officers. Indoor dining to resume in NYC At long last, struggling restaurateurs in New York City have been thrown a lifeline by Gov. Andrew Cuomo when he announced that he would allow eateries to reopen for indoor dining on Sept. 30. Until now, Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have resisted permitting indoor dining, even though it has been allowed in the rest of the state for weeks if not months without causing a spike in coronavirus cases. The city has long met the necessary criteria that theoretically should have allowed for limited indoor dining. Both officials argued that the city is different from other areas in New York, and therefore indoor dining posed a greater risk. Just the day before his announcement, Cuomo said it would be negligent and reckless to allow indoor dining in New York City before ensuring compliance mechanisms were in place. However, he posed a theoretical situation where city restaurants would be allowed to open with 25% capacity, half that of the rest of the state. The next day, that hypothetical became reality when he announced the citys indoor dining plan. NYC relocates homeless people After an intense backlash from wealthy Upper West Side residents, de Blasio decided to relocate 300 homeless men from the Lucerne Hotel on West 79th Street to midtown Manhattan. The men had been moved to the hotel to help alleviate crowding at homeless shelters, where coronavirus outbreaks were a large concern, and provide the men with a safer alternative. Like many hotels that are being used to temporarily house homeless people, it was empty due to a lack of tourists during the pandemic. However, the decision to house the homeless men in the neighborhood led members of a neighborhood typically considered one of New York Citys most liberal to threaten to sue the city. Although de Blasio said conditions at the hotel were not up to snuff, advocates for homeless people and Upper West Side lawmakers lambasted the mayor for apparently giving in to NIMBYism. 2021 election moves Theres still plenty of time before the 2021 New York City election cycle truly ramps up, but several candidates have begun making their moves. City Comptroller Scott Stringer made his run for mayor official, launching his campaign with a slew of support from lawmakers, including progressives like state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou. Stringer will try to establish himself in the ever-growing pack of candidates as the progressive choice with a multiracial coalition behind him. City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, de Blasios go-to problem solver, announced shes resigning from the administration. Although she said her decision was due to recent budget cuts, Garcia is also considering a run for mayor herself, so the resignation could be a sign that shes getting more serious. Tiffany Caban, who made headlines last year when she almost won the Queens district attorney race and has since become something of a progressive celebrity, also announced that she is running for City Council in Astoria, Queens. By Jeff Mason PHOENIX (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday intensified his efforts to win over Latino voters as polls show their support increasingly up for grabs ahead of the November presidential election - a flashing warning light for Democrat Joe Bidens campaign. Trump hosted what was billed as a roundtable with local Latino supporters in Phoenix, a day after holding a similar event in Las Vegas. Unlike the Nevada event, the Phoenix stop featured a raucous audience of hundreds, sitting close together in the indoor venue, despite public health concerns about the coronavirus. "This is supposed to be a roundtable, but it looks like a rally," Trump told the crowd. Biden was scheduled to travel to Florida on Tuesday in a bid to shore up flagging support from Hispanic voters in that key battleground state. The former vice president has seen his edge with Latino voters shrink in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. The most recent national Reuters/Ipsos poll of the presidential race saw his lead over Trump among Hispanics fall to 9 points in August from 30 points in July. At the Phoenix event, Trump was praised by small-business owners and members of local law enforcement, among others, while continuing to criticize Democratic protests against racism in U.S. cities, saying they threatened Latino businesses. "They'll rip down your community," Trump said. "Many of these are Hispanic-American small businesses, stores, shops and they rip them down and call it peaceful protesting." A day earlier, Trump held an indoor campaign rally in Las Vegas, drawing the condemnation of the state's Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, who said the event ran afoul of the state's coronavirus guidelines. Ahead of Trumps visit to Phoenix, Latino Democratic officials in Arizona said the administrations halting response to the pandemic had devastated Latino families in the states. So many Latinos in my community are essential workers who are on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus, but Trumps failed response has treated our essential workers like theyre disposable, and its a disgrace, state Senator Rebecca Rios said in a call with reporters. Story continues 'SELF-LOATHING' Alfredo Gutierrez, a former Democratic state Senate majority leader, called the Latinos who met with Trump on Monday self-loathing, citing Trumps history of incendiary rhetoric concerning Latino migrants and his efforts to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Why would they deign to sit, agree to sit, next to this guy who has spent the last three years spewing hate against us?" he said. Trump won Arizona over Democrat Hillary Clinton by less than 4 points in 2016. Since then, the state, once a hotbed of conservatism, has elected a Democratic senator, Kyrsten Sinema, and the Biden campaign has hopes of scoring a win there. Recent polls have shown Biden with a slight edge in the state. A CBS News/YouGov poll taken last week showed him with a 3-point lead. Nationally, Hispanics make up the largest minority voting group at more than 13% of eligible voters. Clinton in 2016 won about two-thirds of the Latino vote, with Trump earning a 28% share, according to exit polls. Bidens trip to Florida on Tuesday comes as polls show the race there to be tight, and with Trump holding a 4-point lead with that states Latino voters including its large Cuban-American community. Biden will hold events in Florida in the cities of Tampa and Kissimmee, which have high Puerto Rican populations. "I am going to work like the devil to make sure I turn every Latino and Hispanic vote," Biden told reporters on Monday. As part of his Western swing, Trump met with firefighters and officials in California earlier on Monday to discuss the largest wildfires in state history. He said forest management was key to controlling the blazes. Biden addressed the fires in remarks at his home base of Wilmington, Delaware, calling Trump a climate arsonist for failing to acknowledge the role of global warming in the Western wildfires. (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Phoenix and Trevor Hunnicutt in Wilmington, Del.; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax and Maria Caspani; Writing by James Oliphant; Editing by Peter Cooney) In a major diplomatic jolt to China, Germany has decided to focus on maintaining stronger partnerships with democratic countries in the India-Pacific region in order to promote the rule of law. Berlin's drift towards the India-Pacific strategy comes as Europe has expressed concerns over China's track record on human rights and its economic dependence on the Asian country, Nikkei Asian Review reported. In a major diplomatic jolt to China, Germany has decided to focus on maintaining stronger partnerships with democratic countries in the India-Pacific region in order to promote the rule of law. Berlins drift towards the India-Pacific strategy comes as Europe has expressed concerns over Chinas track record on human rights and its economic dependence on the Asian country, Nikkei Asian Review reported. We want to help shape (the future global order) so that it is based on rules and international cooperation, not on the law of the strong. That is why we have intensified cooperation with those countries that share our democratic and liberal values, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on September 2. That day, Germany adopted the new guidelines pertaining to the India-Pacific approach, stressing the importance of promoting the rule of law and open markets in the region. The India-Pacific strategy has been endorsed by other countries including India, Japan, Australia and ASEAN members. According to Nikkei Asian Review, China had been Germanys diplomatic focal point in Asia, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting the country almost yearly. It also must be noted that China also accounts for 50 per cent of Germanys trade with the India-Pacific region. However, as per expectations, economic growth has not opened the Chinese market. German companies operating in China have been forced to hand over technology by the Chinese government. Also, talks between the European Union (EU) and China regarding an investment treaty to resolve such issues have stalled, giving rise to concerns about Berlins increasing economic dependence on Beijing. Also Read: US State Dept releases new webpage on Chinas atrocities on Uyghurs in Xinjiang This came amid growing criticism of Chinas draconian national security law in Hong Kong and its concentration camps for the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, which has fuelled increasing resistance to Merkels pro-China policies. Germanys new India-Pacific approach takes a tough stand on China, including criticism of the huge debt burden of countries participating in Beijings Belt and Road initiative (BRI). German firms have also expressed concerns about doing business and protecting their intellectual property in China, especially after Chinese appliance maker Midea Group bought German robot maker Kuka in late 2016. Europe is appearing to re-evaluate its diplomatic relations with China. Last year, the EU termed China a strategic competitor, focussing its trade and technological rivalry with Beijing. A shift toward a more sober strategy on Beijing has occurred, Patrick Koellner, at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, was quoted by Nikkei Asian Review as saying. Germany now plans to work with France regarding EU-wide strategy on India-Pacific. Berlin will be looking to strengthen its influence on this issue by having the bloc on its side. France and the United Kingdom have begun freezing Chinese telecom giant Huawei out of their 5G networks. Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had undertaken a five-nation official tour in Europe, but the visit did not gain traction and instead led to a growing rift between the two sides. (ANI) Also Read: Covid-19 was made in Wuhan lab controlled by China govt, claims Chinese virologist Madrid: Spain's first trials of a coronavirus vaccine are scheduled to begin on Monday, Alberto Borobia, the chief of the clinical trials unit of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, said on Sunday. The vaccine to be tested was developed by US corporation Johnson & Johnson. Phase 1 trials were held in the United States and Belgium. The trials in Spain will fall under Phase 2, to be also held in Germany and Belgium. Three Spanish hospitals will be administering the trials -- the Marques de Valdecilla hospital in Santander will launch then on Monday and the La Paz and La Princesa university hospitals in Madrid will join in on Tuesday, according to Borobia. The expected pool of participants includes 190 volunteers, of which La Paz University Hospital's share will be 50 adults aged 18-55 and 25 seniors aged over 65, Borobia told Spanish news agency Servimedia. The participants will get either one shot of the vaccine or two shots a month apart. There will also be a group that will be given a placebo. Doctors will monitor the participants throughout the entire period of trials. "If everything goes well," Borobia said, the first wave of vaccination will end on September 22. While the final results on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness are expected no sooner than in 16 months, Borobia said the transition to Phase 3 clinical trials was permissible upon satisfactory preliminary results. The epidemiological situation in Spain, which used to be Europe's second-worst outbreak at the beginning of the year, worsened again in July. More than 560,000 cases were confirmed by Spanish health authorities, as of Sunday. Over the past week alone, 53,000 new cases were detected and 241 people died from the coronavirus. According to WHO protocols, a candidate vaccine has to complete three phases of clinical trials to be approved for industrial production. Phase 1 normally involves small-scale studies on up to 100 participants to determine a candidate vaccine's safety and clinical tolerance. Phase 2 can include up to 1,000 and is more representative in terms of their age, ethnicity, and other statistically significant factors. This phase pursues to determine the optimal dose, intervals between doses, and the minimum necessary number of doses in a target population. Phase 3 trials are the largest and can include up to 10,000 participants with the maximum representation of target population categories. A candidate vaccine is ready to move into industrial production if this last phase provides clear and definitive evidence of its safety and efficacy. 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!! The Police are appealing to the general public to provide more information about the murder of the former University of Ghana Senior Law Lecturer, Prof. Emmanuel Yaw Benneh. According to them, though 4 suspects have been picked up concerning the murder, they still need more information to enable them to put their leads together. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' program, Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Afia Tenge added that the police are on a manhunt for more suspects. Professor Emmanuel Yaw Benneh was a Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Ghana Law Faculty. He was found dead in a pool of blood at his Agyiriganor home, a suburb of Accra. DSP Afia Tenge said on Saturday, September 12, 2020, at about 0730 hours, a report was received by the East Legon Police that Professor Benneh had been found dead at his residence and the Police Crime Scene Investigation Team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) proceeded to his residence, where they found him lying in a pool of blood with some cuts on the body. The body, she added had been deposited at the Police Hospital Morgue pending further investigations. 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 Florida bars will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity starting Monday, state officials announced Thursday. At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears issued an emergency order rescinding a previous order that halted the sale of alcohol at bars, an agency news release said. In meetings with hundreds of owners of bars and breweries across the state, Ive heard their stories of struggle, and Ive observed their serious commitment to making health and safety a continuing priority in their businesses, Beshears said in a statement. Its time that we take this step, and its vital that we start moving forward with this sector of our hospitality industry who have endured one of the toughest paths for sustaining a business during this pandemic. DeSantis said earlier Thursday he was planning to soon ease restrictions imposed on the states restaurants. He told a meeting of restaurant industry executives in Fort Myers that the current limitation of 50% capacity for indoor dining and requiring that tables be kept 6 feet (2 meters) apart seems arbitrary. Why 50 and not 40? Why 50 and not 70? And then the 6-foot is not evidence-based, per se. The World Health Organization says 3-foot distance. In Asia, they are doing less than that. I think they do 2, two-and-a-half feet. Europe does less than 6. Are they not doing science or are we not doing science? DeSantis said. DeSantis suggested eateries will know best how to govern their behavior as they dont want to scare off customers by becoming coronavirus hot spots. Just have some common sense on how you are doing it, DeSantis said. He gave no specifics on when the restrictions would be eased, but said it would be soon. DeSantis also said he supported the European and Brazilian travel restrictions, but they have served their purpose. I have told the president we would like to see those lifted, said DeSantis, who is a strong Trump ally. He said he sees no difference if someone travels across the border from Georgia to visit Florida than if they arrive by plane from a foreign country. I am comfortable with it. Meanwhile, the state reported 213 new deaths Thursday, the highest daily total in more than three weeks. That brings Floridas overall death toll to 12,482. The latest update, which would include deaths over several previous days, brings the average daily reported fatalities over the past week up to 97. Only Texas with an average of 117 deaths per day over the past week has a higher number. It has about 50% more residents. Over the past two months, Florida has averaged 133 reported COVID-19 deaths per day. That would make the disease the states biggest killer during that period cancer and heart disease each average about 125 deaths per day, according to the health department. The number of people being treated in Florida hospitals for the disease continued a seven-week downward trend, following peaks of more than 9,500 in late July. There were 2,922 patients being treated in the late morning Thursday, according to a hospital census posted online by the state, down from 3,075 the previous morning. Also, Florida had 36,541 new claims for unemployment benefits last week, a 25% drop from the previous week, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. Florida officials told the federal labor officials that the drop was due to fewer layoffs in agriculture, construction, manufacturing, trade and service industries. __ Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Florida Monday is the final day for Laredo ISD and the Get Out the Vote Coalitions curbside voting registration, where eligible students can register to vote prior to the states deadline, which is Oct. 5. According to coalition member Martha Villarreal, efforts to register students have been slowed due to the pandemic. Considering that many students are learning remotely, Villarreal said that she has averaged approximately 25 students per campus, compared to the 400 students she has registered in years past. Regardless, she and other volunteers have already visited a majority of the LISD high schools, with only Valdez High school left on Monday. The drive will go from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Villarreal added that she has also visited St. Augustine High School and has also helped parents and employees from several campuses register to vote. To encourage students to sign up, community service hours will be provided to those who register. Additional hours are given to students who go on to vote this year. Villarreal said that due to the fewer opportunities to get service hours this year, this will be a great way to gather some during the early part of the year. A second push for voter registration will occur on Sept. 19 where the coalition will invite the entire eligible Laredo community to Jett Bowl North to register to vote. For students who were unable to attend the curbside registration events, the event will serve as another opportunity to receive the service hours and be registered before the deadline. It doesnt matter how you vote; everybody has to. That is a civic responsibility, it is a civic duty, Villarreal said. We are Americans and certainly as Americans, its our responsibility to engage in the political system. ... Its our voice, our vote and thats the only way to get it done. READ MORE: Voting sites in Webb County approved for general election The process involved messaging students through the district messaging system and working with counselors who reached out to students. Villarreal said she strongly believes in what the coalition is doing and has also called out to government teachers to help communicate to the students about the importance of the youths vote. Weve had many important races. This is a very controversial race. It has implications; whatever result that comes out, the implications are going to be great, she said. She tells students to find an issue they relate to and research it to better inform themselves prior to voting. Students have told her that the cost of college tuition or the potential pandemics effect on their family have been the issues that concern them. Villarreal recommends that students who are interested in learning about a particular issue look for facts from multiple credible sources and to not let erroneous sources sidetrack their research. You need to inform yourself, get away from all this propaganda, Villarreal said. You have all the people that are praising this party and another group praising this party; they are constantly exaggerating things that are happening, and my concern is that students are being led to the wrong direction. While voting registration will continue until Oct. 5, Villarreal said a virtual Rock the Vote event is being planned for the week before elections. She said that while the plan is still in the planning phase, she wants to invite all of the youth of Laredo to vote, regardless of party affiliation. Early voting will begin on Oct. 13 and Election Day is on Nov. 3. TikToks parent ByteDance has decided it wont sell or transfer the algorithm behind the video-sharing app in any sale or divestment, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a source briefed on the Chinese companys boardroom discussions. The company will not hand out the source code behind the social media platform but the companys US based technology team would be free to develop a new algorithm, the newspaper said, adding that this would be a condition for a sale of the companys US assets. ByteDance and TikTok didnt immediately respond to the newspapers request for comment. Separately, Fox reporter Charles Gasparino tweeted on Sunday that any TikTok deal would probably require negotiations between the US government and its Chinese counterpart to succeed. SCOOP (1 of 2): Execs @tiktok say sale of US operations now faces just ONE roadblock: China, which is balking at a sale to either @Microsoft or @Oracle. @WhiteHouse is prepared to approve any deal, but the sale -- if it occurs--will likely be negotiated by the US-China government Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) September 13, 2020 Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sales Benchmark Index (SBI), a management consultancy specializing in B2B revenue growth, today announced the publication of their latest research report, "Revitalizing Growth: Accelerate While Others Stand Still." The report uncovers how market leaders have responded to the disruptive economic climate to outpace the competition. SBI's study surveyed 353 CEOs from both public and private B2B companies and have found that business services companies have found themselves in one of three categories: Survivors, Observers, or Accelerators. While the research has shown that 65% of industry leaders fit within the Observers category, only 11% were identified as Accelerators based on their ability to remain pragmatic, agile, and vigilant throughout the planning process. "Often business services companies lack strong sales cultures and functional alignment," said Matt Sharrers, CEO of SBI. "As a result, market leaders have spent the last quarter prioritizing accounts and standardizing processes to position themselves for a faster rebound." This report outlines how CEOs and their teams can make strategic decisions to outpace their competition and industry by adapting best practices form the Accelerators. Namely, how to: Re-assess the revenue growth strategy to adapt to changes over time. Re-imagine the commercial engine to evaluate new opportunities in the market. Re-allocate resources and execute to implement quickly and flawlessly. "Market leaders are looking to expand their footprint with existing customers," said Andrew Urteaga, Managing Director, Business Services Practice. "In addition, deploying buyer-centric processes across business units has enabled Accelerators to improve pipeline and customer satisfaction." You can access the full research report here and subscribe to get more information on upcoming webinars and virtual annual planning workshops. About Sales Benchmark Index: SBI is a management consulting firm specializing in sales and marketing that is dedicated to helping you Make Your Number. SBI is a firm comprised of former sales and marketing senior executives and top tier management consultants that help clients accelerate their rate of revenue growth. SBI provides consulting, insights, research and advisory services, and benchmarking data to private equity clients and enterprise clients across North America and Europe. Founded in 2006, SBI is headquartered in Dallas, TX. For more information, please visit: www.salesbenchmarkindex.com. Contact: Brian Waters (407) 228-0523 SOURCE SBI Related Links http://www.salesbenchmarkindex.com F irefighters are tackling a large blaze at a group of warehouse units in south east London. Video footage shared on social media shows thick black smoke billowing from the warehouse in Thames Road, Crayford in south London. Fifteen fire engines and 100 firefighters are at the scene. Neighbouring fire services are also assisting the London Fire Brigade. A Brigade spokesperson said: "Firefighters are tackling a large warehouse blaze which is producing thick black smoke and we'd ask anyone in the local area or driving past to keep their windows closed." People said on social media that they could smell smoke from the fire as far out as Lewisham and Welling. The cause of the fire is not yet known. More follows... Health workers in Nigeria including nurses, laboratory scientists and pharmacists have began a nationwide strike to demand improved working conditions and payment of outstanding salaries. They also want a review of Covid-19 allowances. The strike by one of Nigerias largest healthcare unions comes just days after doctors in the country suspended their strike last week over similar demands. The umbrella body of health workers in Nigeria, known as Joint Health Sector Union, says the seven-day nationwide warning strike became necessary after they exhausted other means of dispute resolution with the authorities. They want an improvement to poor funding and infrastructural decay in Nigerias health sector. The union said its members will go on an indefinite strike if the government fails to respond to its demands within seven days which could further cripple health services across the country. 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 ZAMBOANGA CITY Eight villages in the southern Philippine province of Sulu are now free from the influence of the pro-ISIS group Abu Sayyaf... South Africa: President Ramaphosa declares special official funeral for George Bizos President Cyril Ramaphosa has honoured the late human rights lawyer and social activist, Advocate George Bizos, by declaring a Special Official Funeral Category 1 for him. President Ramaphosa authorised that the national flag be flown at half-mast at every flag station in the country from Saturday, 12 September, until the evening of the Special Official Funeral on Thursday, 17 September. The renowned human rights lawyer passed away on the afternoon of 9 September 2020 at the age of 92. Bizos was born in Kirani, Greece. He came to South Africa with his father in 1941. He dedicated his legal career to fighting for basic human rights, while representing numerous high-profile activists in political trials including Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others accused in both the 1956 Treason and 1963 Rivonia trials. President Ramaphosa described Bizos as one of the best legal minds in South Africa, who contributed immensely to the attainment of democracy. George Bizos was a well-known name and he had an incisive legal mind. He was also one of the architects of our Constitution, who contributed immensely. He will be sorely missed. "We bow our heads in honour of the contribution he made to our democracy, said President Ramaphosa at the time of Bizoss passing. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. To describe the ongoing agitation for OODUA Republic as a tragic comment on the assumed Integrity, Intelligence and Enlightenment of the people of the region is for want of better words to describe the distasteful drama. It is unthinkable that a race reputed as the most educated in this contraption called Nigeria will choose miscreants to fight their cause, appoint an erudite Professor as Prime Minister before asking for the republic through rallies. While the miscreants can be forgiven for not knowing that a project such as this is a mirage, the Professor and the elite cannot be pardoned. It is a mirage for two reasons. One, it is ill-timed and, therefore, ill-fated. Two, it is in violent clash with enlightened procedures which the educated people of the region should know even if the miscreants could not learn from the recent experience of fellow Nigerians. It is not now that people of goodwill are beginning to question the appropriateness of a region always being used to install tyranny and always being the victims that we should be asking for a Republic that will compromise our chances in the next dispensation. We cannot afford to divide before a battle with our enemies. Not now that our political structure is at the weakest and our politicians are most vulnerable. Not now that some great minds are beginning to objectively appraise the merit of true Federalism and the value of unemotional restructuring. NOT NOW. The miscreants could be forgiven for not knowing that to create a Republic from an existing one requires two popular methods especially where there are no Secession Clauses in the Constitution: 1. Universal Referendum procedure for which may take several years. 2. Unilateral Declaration otherwise known as Secession. Either way, nothing good will come to the South West People. The first one will take our time , energy and resources while the rest of the World will carry on ignoring our grumblings. The Second option will be suicidal. The remaining part of the country will jump at the opportunity to crush the arrogant but envied race. They have done it before. They will want to "Keep Nigeria One" as usual and , in the process, move over and level the region. At the end of the day, the rich miscreants and their sponsors would run away to their Masters to leave the poor masses to sulk as they often do. The Foreign Powers will pretend they are officiating/mediating while they sell their weapons. And that may be the end of the race. The bitterest setback would be if there is counter rally on October 1st and we are further divided along sectarian sentiments. If the traditional rulers, the Governments and the enlightened people of the South West are not in support of this imminent bloodbath and self annihilation, they should speak up NOW or declare their supports so that ordinary people will know who to old responsible. We are watching and while doing so, we would hold our rulers and Governors responsible for every drop of the precious blood of our people from this moment on. Signed Taofiq Adesina Azeez Professor of Communication Department of English. University of Abuja September 14, 2020 Originally entrants from 20 countries had signed up for this beautiful and challenging venue in Montenegro, but with COVID-19 still looming large this race took place on a very small scale. Only 14 men and 1 woman started the race,a but with so many races cancelled this year and social distancing still important, this was maybe the best way to go: an actual race but folks widely spread out, and simply not enough folks to bunch up anywhere. The only physical contact folks really had was with their support crew during the race, and a volunteer at the swim exit. The water temperature was about 17c (62.5F) and the air temperature ranged from 9c (48F) in the morning to 21c (69.8F) during the day. French athlete Quentin Grieu finding his way on the beautiful and challenging trails of Savin Kuk. In the end he finished in 9th place. The race started at 4:30am and thus it was pretty dark for the swim. Athletes actually had to negotiate 2 lakes during the swim segment before they could get on their bikes. Out of the water and back on the land briefly. Between the 2 lakes, a volunteer assists athlete out of the water of Small Lake to cross the land bridge before getting into BlackLake. The weather did cooperate with the race all day and beautiful sunshine accompanied the athletes on their 182k bike journey. But the course profile with 3200 meters (10,500 feet) of elevation gain was no joke. There were many narrow mountainous climbs to negotiate but with such views who would not want that opportunity? Up and up and no other athlete in sight. Italian Michele Petrone on the way to second place. Folks who have watched Treasure in Silver Lake and any of the Winnetou movies might find that this terrain looks familiar. Many of the Karl May based films were indeed shot in that region. But Marko Butulija has other things on his mind - likely a black t-shirt. The running course of the Black Lake Xtreme Triathlon had 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) of elevation gain and plenty of tricky section crossing the Savin Kuk. With determined steps towards the finish. Damian Faulkner from Ireland spent 9:01:12 on the run course and in the end that meant 7th place and a black t-shirt. Croatian Dino Belakusi with a support runner in tow on the way to third place in 15:57:17. With views like this maybe next year this venue will see many more applicants and starters. With a white Norseman shirt on the way to hopefully a black Black Lake Xreme Tri shirt, but first a rest. The only female starter Dragana Tabakovi from Serbia pulled out 150km into the bike segment. Initially 5 women had signed up to do the race, and that is an issue much on the mind of the XTRI tour organizers. "We understand that it's still difficult to get female athletes to do XTRI but in the last 8 years we have increased applicants from 4% to 17% on average and this year our XTRI Magazine will be entitled The Women of XTRI with stories from every angle; organizers, safety, athletes, crew etc to really try an encourage an increase," said Stuart McInnes, the CEO of the Xtri World Tour AS. Results: 1. Guillaume Boisgontier (FRA) 13:42:48 2. Michele Petrone (ITA) 14:21:11 3. Dino Belakusi? (CRO) 15:57:17 4. Dmytro Sharov (UKR) 16:05:12 5. Marko Butulija (MON) 17:27:29 6. Filip Zok (POL) 18:21:35 7. Damian Faulkner (IRE) 18:31:58 8. Janos Pepo (HUN)18:31:58 9. Quentin Grieu (FRA) 18:48:29 10. Massimo Xodo (ITA) 18:48:47 All these great images Kai-Otto Melau Of today's cases, 98 were men, 110 were female and 62 per cent of the cases were recorded in people under the age of 45. 108 cases were recorded in Dublin, 19 in Louth, 10 in Meath, nine in Kildare, eight in Waterford, seven in Cork, six in Limerick and six in Waterford. The remaining 24 cases are located in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn confirmed that the required self-isolation period for people who test positive for the virus has been reduced from two weeks to ten days. Dr Glynn also confirmed that nasal swabs would now be an acceptable sample for children who require a Covid test, saying: This will hopefully make testing a simpler process for children going forward." Restrictions The number of cases in Dublin has been an area of concern over the past number of weeks as the county's 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 people on August 13th was 89.1. Advertisement Dublin's incidence rate is the highest in the country, followed by Limerick and Leitrim with 65.7 and 65.5 respectively. Earlier today, Tanaiste Leo Varakdar hinted that restrictions may be on the way for Dublin, to try and halt the spread of the virus in the capital. The increased restrictions are expected to be announced tomorrow, as the Government is due to announced their 'Living with Covid-19' plan. The plan will include guidelines for workers returning to offices, international travel ans sporting events. A scale from one to five will also be adopted to represent the level of restrictions, with five representing the most severely restricted conditions. It is thought that most counties will be placed on level two, while Dublin may find itself higher up the scale. Charlevoix man denies wrongdoing despite signing illegitimate election document Charlevoix resident John Haggard is among a group of Republicans who signed an Electoral College certificate attempting to award the states 16 votes to Donald Trump following the 2020 election a document now under federal investigation. There's now a deal on the table to let TikTok continue operating in the U.S. with the backing of a major American tech firm, potentially staving off President Trump's plan to ban the popular Chinese-owned video app by mid-month. Yes, but: Software giant Oracle's proposed deal isn't the straightforward acquisition that Microsoft had jockeyed for until falling out of the running this weekend, and the whole affair is still rife with unknowns. Driving the news: The Trump administration is reviewing a deal that would make Oracle TikTok's "trusted technology partner" in the U.S., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed to CNBC Monday, after multiple press outlets reported Sunday night that Oracle had made such an offer. The proposal includes "many representations for national security issues" from Oracle, Mnuchin said, as well as a commitment to establish TikTok's global headquarters in the U.S. and create 20,000 new American jobs. Meanwhile: Chinese state media reported early Monday that TikTok parent ByteDance isn't selling its U.S. operations or the algorithm driving the app to Microsoft or Oracle. Some commenters took that as a sign that Beijing is quashing all hopes of a deal of any kind. Yet the report would also appear to track with the more limited arrangement Mnuchin described. Between the lines: In the middle of talks last month between U.S. companies and China's ByteDance, which owns TikTok, the Chinese government instituted new rules that prevent "technology based on data analysis for personalized information recommendation services" from being exported without a license. China's move threw a new spanner in the works of a TikTok deal because TikTok's recommendation algorithm is the "secret sauce" that has won the app its success. It also transformed the conflict from one where U.S. and Chinese businesses served as shadow proxies for their governments to one where the two nations' leaderships are directly clashing. The intrigue: Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison is a prominent Trump supporter and the company has close ties to the administration. That could give the company an edge in trying to win White House approval for a deal that might not meet all the demands Trump has made. The president has said that TikTok must become a fully U.S.-owned company so the "trusted technology partner" approach may not fly. Trump has also insisted without providing any rationale for such an unprecedented demand that the U.S. Treasury receive a cut of any deal. The catch: The U.S. has argued, without providing evidence, that TikTok's ties to the Chinese government imperil the data of its U.S. customers. It's unclear how a deal that gives TikTok an American "partner" to run its cloud operations would satisfy U.S. security concerns. "A deal where Oracle takes over hosting without source code and significant operational changes would not address any of the legitimate concerns about TikTok," Alex Stamos, a cybersecurity expert and former Facebook security head, wrote on Twitter. Of note: Last year TikTok signed an $800 million contract with Google to provide cloud services, according to The Information. What's next: For a deal to happen, ByteDance, Oracle, and both the U.S. and Chinese governments would all need to sign on. They have enjoyed a glamorous few days soaking up the sights and sounds of the first-ever socially distanced Venice Film Festival. And James Norton and his girlfriend Imogen Poots wrapped up their Italian trip as they prepared to head home from the annual movie event on Saturday. The actor, 35, and the Vivarium star, 31, wore protective face coverings as they headed back to London after it was revealed Imogen had moved into her long-term love's Peckham home. Homeward bound: James Norton and his girlfriend Imogen Poots wrapped up their Italian trip as they prepared to had home from the Venice Film Festival on Saturday James kept casual in a white T-shirt and stone-coloured shorts, teamed with trainers and a shoulder bag as porters packed up their suitcases and a haul of Prada shopping. Imogen opted for an equally low-key look in a patterned tie-up shirt and denim shorts, teamed with trainers and a backpack. The actress wore her blonde locks in a low ponytail and went make-up free, while accessorising with huge square sunglasses. Imogen joined her boyfriend of over two years in the Italian city while he promoted his latest cinematic offering, Nowhere Special. Glamorous couple: The Vivarium star, 31, opted for a low-key look in a patterned tie-up shirt and denim shorts as she posed for pictures with her actor boyfriend, 35, Low-key: James kept casual in a white T-shirt and stone-coloured shorts, teamed with trainers and a shoulder bag, as porters packed up their suitcases and a haul of Prada shopping The movie is an upcoming internationally co-produced drama film, written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini. James, who plays window cleaner John, dedicates his existence to his three-year-old son after his mother left them soon after she gave birth. But when John is given just months to live, he sets out to find a perfect family for his little boy once he is gone. James and Imogen took their relationship to the next level earlier this year when she moved into his home in Peckham, south-east London. Safety first: James wore a star-print protective face covering as the couple headed back to their London home A friend of the couple told the Mail On Sunday: 'They have been dating now for two years but were getting tired of having a long- distance relationship. 'James has been settled for a while in Peckham, while Imogen was splitting her time between London and New York. They are much happier with their new set-up.' The couple met when they co-starred in the West End production of Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse in 2017, and began dating soon after James split from Chernobyl actress Jessie Buckley. They made their red carpet debut as a pair at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. When will Covid-19 end? Scientists are racing to produce safe and effective vaccines by next year. Progress is now accelerating and becoming more focused. There are 36 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, plus 89 pre-clinical vaccines under active investigation, two vaccines approved for early or limited use but at present no vaccine is yet approved for full use. There are several different approaches to vaccine design. These include: Genetic vaccines: These use one or more of the coronavirus own genes to provoke an immune response. One genetic vaccine is being developed by bio-technology company Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health, with US Government funding of $US1 billion. Phase 3 started in late July and the final trial will enroll 30,000 healthy people across 89 sites. The US Government has pre-purchased 100 million doses, provided the vaccine is approved. Viral vector vaccines: These use a virus to deliver coronavirus genes into cells and provoke an immune response. A viral vector vaccine is being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford with US Government Funding of $US1.2 billion. Early trials confirmed the vaccine is safe. Phase 2 and 3 are underway. If successful, emergency vaccines could be delivered as soon as October 2020. Governments in vaccine-manufacturing countries will first plan to over-supply the needs of their own citizens. In New Zealand, we do not have a vaccine manufacturing capability and will need to secure millions of approved vaccine doses from one or more manufacturing countries. New Zealand will need to negotiate for some priority in the national and international queues for doses in the intense international market. You may feel this is a weak position, yet in recent years our country has attracted many international friends and admirers. This soft power is likely to prove valuable during negotiations. How long will vaccine immunity last? Parallels with vaccines for other related viruses suggest a safe and effective vaccination may be required once or even twice a year, like influenza. However, this may be optimistic, and will only be known after the successful vaccine clinical trials are complete. If the vaccines chosen for New Zealand and the wider world are effective in providing year-to-year protection for the global population, then there will be a pathway to returning to some degree of normal life, travel and business. In this journey, humanity must also consider the vaccine needs of poorer countries, refugees and those in war zones. Until a vaccine is available, follow the essential precautions of distancing, hand hygiene and please wear a mask. How do we know that COVID 19 vaccines will not harm us? New Covid-19 vaccines are subjected to rigorous clinical trials before being approved. These include: Preclinical Testing: The vaccine is given to animals (mice or monkeys) to see if it produces an immune response. Phase 1 Safety Trials: The vaccine is given to a small number of people to test safety and dosage and to confirm that it stimulates immune response. Phase 2 Expanded Trials: The vaccine is given to hundreds of people who are split into groups, such as children and the elderly, to see if the vaccine acts differently in each group. These trials also test safety and ability to stimulate the immune system. Phase 3 Efficacy Trials: The vaccine is given to thousands of people. Researchers wait to see how many become infected compared to volunteers who receive a placebo. These trials determine if the vaccine protects against the virus. These trials are large enough to reveal evidence for rare side effects. Regulator approval: Regulators in each country review the trial results and decide whether to approve each vaccine or not. During a pandemic, a vaccine may receive emergency use authorisation before getting final approval. Once a vaccine is licensed, researchers continue to monitor people who receive it to make sure it is safe and effective. Emeritus Professor Ralph Cooney r.cooney@auckland.ac.nz 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. Chemical signature of phosphine, a gas that on Earth is only associated with life, has been spotted in Venusian clouds. Astronomers have found a potential sign of life high in the atmosphere of neighbouring Venus: Hints there may be bizarre microbes living in the sulfuric acid-laden clouds of the hothouse planet. Two telescopes in Hawaii and Chile spotted in the thick Venusian clouds the chemical signature of phosphine, a noxious gas that on Earth is only associated with life, according to a study in Mondays Nature Astronomy journal. Several outside experts and the study authors themselves agreed this is tantalising but said it is far from the first proof of life on another planet. As astronomers plan for searches for life on planets outside our solar system, a major method is to look for chemical signatures that can only be made by biological processes, called biosignatures. Three astronomers in Hawaii decided to look at the closest planet to Earth: Venus. They searched for phosphine, which is three hydrogen atoms and a phosphorous atom. On Earth, there are only two ways phosphine can be formed, study authors said. One is in an industrial process. (The gas was produced for use as chemical warfare agent in World War I). The other way is as part of some kind of poorly understood function in animals and microbes. Some scientists consider it a waste product, others do not. Phosphine is found in ooze at the bottom of ponds, the guts of some creatures like badgers and perhaps most unpleasantly associated with piles of penguin guano, Clements said. The clouded globe of Venus is a world of intense heat, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of corrosive acid [File: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Reuters] Study co-author Sara Seager, an MIT planetary scientist, said researchers exhaustively went through every possibility and ruled all of them out: volcanoes, lightning strikes, small meteorites falling into the atmosphere Not a single process we looked at could produce phosphine in high enough quantities to explain our teams findings. That leaves life. The astronomers hypothesise a scenario for how life could exist on the inhospitable planet where temperatures on the surface are about 425 degrees Celsius (800 degrees Fahrenheit) with no water. Venus is hell. Venus is kind of Earths evil twin, Clements said. Clearly something has gone wrong, very wrong, with Venus. Its the victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. But that is on the surface. Seager said all the action may be 50km (30 miles) above ground in the thick carbon-dioxide layer cloud deck, where it is about room temperature or slightly warmer. It contains droplets with tiny amounts of water but mostly sulfuric acid that is a billion times more acidic than what is found on Earth. The phosphine could be coming from some kind of microbes, probably single-cell ones, inside those sulfuric acid droplets, living their entire lives in the 16km-deep (10-mile-deep) clouds, Seager and Clements said. When the droplets fall, the potential life probably dries out and could then get picked up in another drop and reanimate, they said. The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu in 2012 [File: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters] More proof needed Life is definitely a possibility, but more proof is needed, several outside scientists said. Cornell University astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger said the idea of this being the signature of biology at work is exciting, but she said we do not know enough about Venus to say life is the only explanation for the phosphine. Im not sceptical, Im hesitant, said Justin Filiberto, a planetary geochemist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston who specialises in Venus and Mars and is not part of the study team. Filiberto said the levels of phosphine found might be explained away by volcanoes. He said recent studies that were not taken into account in this latest research suggest that Venus may have far more active volcanoes than originally thought. But Clements said an explanation would make sense only if Venus were at least 200 times as volcanically active as Earth. NASA has not sent anything to Venus since 1989, though Russia, Europe and Japan have dispatched probes. The US space agency is considering two possible Venus missions. One of them, called DAVINCI+, would go into the Venutian atmosphere as early as 2026. Home and Away star Pia Miller and her multi-millionaire American talent agent boyfriend Patrick Whitesell reunited in Sydney last week. And after being separated for months amid the pandemic, the pair had a lot of catching up to do. The smitten couple headed out for a romantic date in Sydney's Surry Hills on Tuesday evening. Locals: Home and Away star Pia Miller and her multi-millionaire American talent agent boyfriend Patrick Whitesell headed out for a romantic date in Sydney's Surry Hills on Tuesday evening. Both pictured Pia, 36, and Patrick, 55, stopped by the Dolphin Hotel and headed home afterward with takeaway pizza. The actress was absolutely glowing, smiling as she left the venue hand in hand with her man. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans and knee high suede boots in the same dark tone. Treats: Pia, 36, and Patrick, 55, stopped by the Dolphin Hotel and headed home afterward with takeaway pizza So happy! The actress was absolutely delighted, smiling as she left the venue hand in hand with her man Chic: The star added a black, longline blazer to her ensemble, which was open to reveal a dark silk shirt, with a crossbody bag completing the look The star added a black, longline blazer to her ensemble, which was open to reveal a dark silk shirt, with a crossbody bag completing the look. She wore peachy makeup and nude lipstick, with her brunette locks in waves around her face. Patrick meanwhile dressed down in blue jeans, a zip-up jumper and pair of crisp white sneakers. The couple were reunited last week after a long stretch apart, with Pia in Sydney and Patrick in Los Angeles. Casual: Patrick meanwhile dressed down in blue jeans, a zip-up jumper and pair of crisp white sneakers Time away: The couple were reunited last week after a long stretch apart, with Pia in Sydney and Patrick in Los Angeles A while! As evidenced by her Instagram, they were last together in February, when Pia visited her beau at his LA mansion In an Instagram photo shared last Wednesday, Pia beamed as she sat next to Patrick in a car, after having spent months apart on opposite sides of the globe. 'Can't keep us apart! Two Ps in a pod,' Pia wrote online, adding a love heart emoji. As evidenced by her Instagram, they were last together in February, when Pia visited her beau at his LA mansion. Pia was first linked to the Hollywood power agent in August last year, following her split with her longtime fiance, Tyson Mullane, 31. Together again! In an Instagram photo last Wednesday (pictured), Pia was glowing as she sat next to Patrick in a car, after having spent months apart on opposite sides of the globe The couple made their public debut at a Halloween party in Los Angeles in October, amid reports they'd started dating back in May. She finally made their relationship 'Instagram Official' on Christmas Eve, sharing a loved-up photo with Patrick outside of the Louvre in Paris, and captioning it 'P'. The couple made their red carpet debut at this year's Academy Awards held in Los Angeles in February. Mali's Largest Opposition Party M5-RFP Rejects Military-Proposed Power Transition Plan Sputnik News 17:29 GMT 13.09.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The June 5 Movement-Assembly of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP) opposition party of Mali has rejected the plan, put forward by the restive military who made the old government resign last month, of how the government should organise the transitional period before new elections. "M5-RFP distances itself from the adopted document which does not reflect the opinions and decisions of the Malian people", the opposition party said in a statement. What the party found unacceptable, in particular, was that the document did not reflect the fact that the majority of participants at the consultations wanted the transitional president to be civilian, not military. The same applied to the prime minister of the transitional government, according to the statement. Additionally, M5-RFP said the document contained provisions which were not at all discussed during the consultations, including the transitional prime-minister's mandate and the electoral process of the transitional president. "As a result, M5-RFP denounces the intimidation and undemocratic and unfair practices, belonging to the old era against which the fight for change and reconstruction was initiated. The desire to grab and seize power in the benefit of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People does not justify the means which undermine the transition process", the statement read. Following a coup on 18 August, the military established its own agency, dubbed National Committee for the Salvation of the People, and launched broad consultations with the country's political and civil forces from 10-12 September in a bid to agree on a governance model for the period before new elections. On Saturday, they adopted a plan to form a transitional government that would rule the country for the next 18 months led by a president, who could be both military or a civilian. On 18 August, a group of Malian soldiers initiated an uprising at a military base near Bamako. They demanded political reforms, the transition of power and a new general election. Rebels kidnapped several high-ranking officials, including then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Keita subsequently announced the resignation of the government and parliament. The M5-RFP movement, which had led anti-government protests in Mali for months before the coup, has initially supported the military, vowing to cooperate in organizing the power transition period. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address One of Australia's cheapest towns to enter the property market has been revealed after some houses sold for just $60,000. Real estate agent Ian Miers said buyers have been snapping up properties in and around Mildura, north west of Victoria, for bargain prices as people escaped the city life for the country. A recent sale saw one three-bedroom home in Underbool sell for just $63,500. Mr Miers, from Burns & Co Mildura said: 'Everyone wants to escape (Melbourne). Mildura and its surrounds are proving popular among home buyers looking to snap up a bargain, with properties in the area selling for as little as $60,000 to $75,000 (Underbool property which sold for $63,500 is pictured) Burns & Co Mildura agent Ian Miers said listings in the region were being 'swarmed' by potential buyers, especially people from Melbourne looking to escape the COVID-19 situation ($95,000 home for sale in Walpeup is pictured) '(One of the buyers) made it perfectly clear to me (COVID-19) is the reason he's leaving, as he can now work from home more.' Mr Miers said demand was so strong he was having trouble keeping enough listings on the market, realestate.com.au reported. Two homes in Ouyen, south of Mildura, sold for $73,000 and $90,000 while a city couple bought a shop for $85,000 cash. Meanwhile the median house price in Melbourne is around $850,000. According to a Regional Australia Institute study half a million people moved from cities to regions in the five years to 2016. Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide all experienced net losses in population to the regions, ABC News reported. Dr Kim Hougton said there were a number of factors which accounted for the move from cities to the country. 'In complete contrast to the rest of the industrialised world, the overall flows in Australia were actually more towards regions than towards cities,' Dr Houghton said. 'It says something, I think, about the affordability factors around the outer suburban areas, the congestion that's going with that and the alternative lifestyles that we do have in many parts of regional Australia.' He said the RAI also predicted the COVID-19 pandemic would be a factor in people deciding to relocate. CHICAGO - Gun violence in Chicago left 10 people dead over the weekend and 43 others injured. The gunfire came amid a surge in violence this year in the nations third-largest city. Statistics released by the Chicago Police Department bring the number of shooting victims for the year thus far to 2,887 and the number of homicides to 542. Last year at this time, according to police statistics, there were 1,862 shooting victims and 364 homicides. The violence follows the longer Labor Day weekend that ended with the same number of homicides and roughly the same number of shooting victims. Before that weekend, the Police Department had been encouraged by recent statistics that showed a drop in the number of homicides and shootings in July and August compared with the same two-month period last year. Police Superintendent David Brown on Monday was back to lamenting, as he has in the past, that at least some of the shootings involved people he contends should not have been on the streets. He pointed to a suspect in the shooting of six people, two of whom died. He said the person had seven felony arrests and at the time of the shooting and had been released from jail and placed on electronic monitoring after being charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Its beyond frustrating, he said. Tran Thi Hien, mother of Anna Bui Thi Nhung, one of 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a truck near London last year, cries while following an ambulance carrying her daughter's coffin during the funeral ceremony at her village in Nghe An province, Vietnam, on Nov. 30, 2019. (Kham/Reuters) Vietnam Jails Four Over Migrant Deaths in British Truck HANOIA court in Vietnam on Monday sentenced four Vietnamese people to between 2-1/2 and 7-1/2 years in prison for their role in the deaths of 39 migrants whose bodies were discovered in the back of a truck near London in October last year. The deaths shocked Britain and Vietnam and shone a spotlight on the illicit global trade that sends the poor of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East on perilous journeys to the West. The defendants, aged between 24 and 36, were found guilty of organizing and brokering illegal emigration, after a one-day trial in the central province of Ha Tinh, Pham Van Thin, the father of one of the victims, told Reuters. The victims, who included two 15-year-old boys, were mostly from Ha Tinh and its neighboring Nghe An province, where poor job prospects, encouragement by authorities, smuggling gangs, and environmental issues have fueled migration. They were discovered last October in a container at the back of a truck on an industrial estate in Grays in Essex, about 20 miles (30 km) east of London. A police statement said earlier on Monday the defendants arranged for Pham Thi Tra My, whose desperate text messages sent from inside the container first alerted the world to the victims plight, to travel illegally to France and then to Britain for $22,000. My, 26, was found dead with the 38 other victims in the container. I honestly dont want the defendants to face long prison sentences as I know that it was just an accident, said Thin, Tra Mys father, who attended the trial. Handing them long prison terms wont help me get back my daughter, Thin said. Last month, a 40-year-old Irish haulier, Ronan Hughes, became the second man to plead guilty over his involvement in the case. The other was Maurice Robinson from Northern Ireland, who was driving the truck when the bodies were found. A third man, Eamonn Harrison, 23, also from Northern Ireland, pleaded not guilty to the same charges. A trial is due to begin on Oct. 5. By Khanh Vu BERLIN Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who is recovering from being poisoned, has spoken to a German prosecutor about the attempt on his life and says he plans to return to Russia as soon as he has recovered, a senior German security official said on Monday. Mr. Navalny had been in a medically induced coma at the Charite hospital in Berlin and it was not clear what condition he would be in once he regained consciousness. But the security official, who was briefed on his condition, said Mr. Navalny seemed mentally sharp. Hes fully aware of his condition, hes fully aware of what happened and hes fully aware of where he is, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the case. The news came hours after the German government announced that laboratories in France and Sweden had confirmed that the substance used to poison Mr. Navalny was a form of the nerve agent Novichok, results that match Berlins own findings and provide additional confidence that the Russian state was involved. In the Bengaluru drug racket case in which leading actors and other personalities are accused of being involved, a court in the city has extended their judicial custody. In the 1st ACMM court, actor Ragini Dwivedi who had been arrested on September 4 on charges of drug procurement, consumption, and peddling was remanded to 14-day judicial custody along with other accused, Prashant Ranka, Loum Pepper, Rahul Tonse, and Niyaz Ahmed. All of them have been lodged at the Central Prison in Parpanna Agrahara. Authorities indicated that Ragini Dwivedi had been placed in the barrack next to another high profile prisoner Sashikala Natarajan a close aide of former TN CM J Jayalalithaa who is serving a four-year prison sentence. The same court also granted the Central Crime Branch (CCB) request for police custody of Sanjjanaa Galrani, Viren Khanna and Ravi Shankar for three more days till September 16. CCB police said that further questioning needs to be done for the three accused. Vaibhav Jain another accused is already in police custody. In an unrelated development, but as a part of a broader crackdown on drug peddlers, Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant said that two inter-state drug peddlers had been arrested in JP Nagar locality of the city and 50 kilograms of ganja had been seized from them. Cases under relevant sections of NDPS and CrPC have been filed against the alleged drug peddlers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 100% Website aclfestival.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and WebFonts. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 160368 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 14888 bytes (14.54 kb uncompressed) and 4789 bytes (4.68 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-09-14, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is privileged to share time-honored relations with Egypt and with the Arab world, a relationship of trust and friendship between the two peoples. In various parts of history and today as well Armenians have been a part of Egypt, part of its civilization, integral part of the Middle East, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in remarks during a joint press conference with Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry in Cairo as part of an official visit. It is my first visit to the Middle East and North Africa in my capacity as Foreign Minister of Armenia, and it starts from Egypt. A country, which was the first among the Arab countries to recognize the independence of Armenia and back in 1992 host the first diplomatic mission of Armenia in the Middle East. Relations between our countries, our nations are not assessed exclusively through the prism of these past 28 years. We are privileged to share time-honored relations with Egypt and with the Arab world. It is a relationship of trust and friendship between our peoples. In various parts of history and today as well Armenians have been a part of Egypt, part of its civilization, integral part of the Middle East. In the very difficult part of our history when the survival of the Armenian people was at stake, Egypt along with other Arab countries received thousands of Armenians fleeing from the horrors of the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Our compatriots made an important contribution to the establishment and development of the state institutions of Egypt and we take great pride in that. Armenians, my compatriots, are provided with all the opportunities to maintain their national identity, their language and traditions. They are proud citizens of Egypt, they are proud Egyptians, and they are provided with every opportunity to also manifest and celebrate their national identity as Armenians and of course, we are deeply grateful to the Government and the people of Egypt for these efforts and the protection of our people. It is a community of about ten thousand people here, and they are, of course, the bridge through genuine deeply-rooted friendship between our nations. With Egypt we have very firmly established friendship and very practical relations and this visit is also an opportunity in manifesting, assessing our present state of play in our relations and also we share similar interests in peace, security and development. We know that we have been doing best when we were working together and closely cooperating with each other. We had a very good discussion in our bilateral agenda, and here we see a good and interesting potential; we are keen to take practical steps in this direction. We have enhanced political dialogue with Egypt, we have trade-economic, cultural relations between our countries. We believe that in the IT sector, in e-governance, in pharmaceuticals, in tourism and education we have interesting potential to further expand, and we will certainly continue doing that. We have the respective platforms for that: we have the platform of political consultations, the Intergovernmental Commission, and of course the dialogue between the leaders. We do absolutely look forward to welcoming the President of Egypt in Armenia, and I personally also look forward to welcoming my good friend Sameh in Armenia. The visit of the President, that we have in mind and look forward to working very closely together, is an important deadline in our mind to work to consolidate all those important issues of bilateral cooperation. Within the context of bilateral cooperation, we also value the interest of Egypt in working closely with the Eurasian Economic Union. There is an ongoing negotiating process to sign the free trade agreement and Armenia is very interested to have this process successfully concluded and to have this agreement signed. We will work closely with Egypt and with our partners in the EAEU to achieve this objective. We have had very extensive discussion on many issues of regional and global security. Weve exchanged views on recent developments in our respective regions. And we see as never before specifically those developments do underline the need for security and for peace in the region. As we see the serious challenges, the security challenges are expanding from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Middle East, to North Africa -we see the same challenges in the South Caucasus. They are interrelated, characterized by the same sources of destabilization. We have been following closely the developments in the East Mediterranean, we are in solidarity with Greece and Cyprus on their inalienable rights to economic activities in the exclusive economic zone in line with international law. I want to also emphasize our solidarity and support to Egypt in the same way. Any attempt to export instability and escalation to different regions as part of power projection is deplorable whether it is in North Africa or in the South Caucasus. Transnational threats, including that of movement or transfer of foreign terrorist fighters to conflict areas are of great concern, they are deplorable and they should be addressed. I also briefed my colleague on the developments in our region and the recent escalation due to the aggression of Azerbaijan on the state border of Armenia. We are fully committed to this approach that conflict situations are different; if there is any commonality, it is that there is no military solution to any of them. Only peaceful dialogue, peaceful process, involvement of all stakeholders and ability to move towards a compromise are the important ways of resolving conflicts. We need peacemakers who are able to draw red lines to war. In this regard, Armenia appreciates the strong commitment of Egypt to peace and stability everywhere, including in Libya. We very much welcome your efforts in this regard. Once again, thank you for a very warm welcome, this is an extremely important visit that I appreciate, I value and especially value that very warm hospitality that is very much extended to me, to my colleagues, to my friends. In fact that I represented here by a very strong delegation, I mean the company of three ambassadors - the current and two former ambassadors of Armenia to Egypt, who have had very important, strong professional contributions to promoting our bilateral agenda and our broader agenda in regional and multilateral format, FM Mnatsakanyan said. Bella Thorne recently apologized to sex workers on OnlyFans, after her presence on the adult monetization platform caused some trouble. But the former Disney Channel star is continuing to churn out some relatively mild content for the otherwise X-rated website. She teased her decolletage Monday, as she went topless under a black satin robe, posting some sexy selfies to her Instagram Story to promote the $20 monthly subscription. Back in black: Bella Thorne teased her decolletage Monday, as she went topless under a black satin robe, posting some sexy selfies to her Instagram Story to promote her OnlyFans The 22-year-old went for old Hollywood glamour, wearing her red hair in a wavy updo with a dark red smokey eye. She donned a pearl necklace, layered with a diamond necklace, a pair of pearl earrings and some jewels on her face. Bella launched her controversial OnlyFans last month, charging $20 a month, $51 for a three-month subscription or $102 for six months. She was reportedly the first content creator on the platform to earn $1million in their first 24 hours, after briefly crashing the site. Old Hollywood glam: The 22-year-old went for old Hollywood glamour, wearing her red hair in a wavy updo with a dark red smokey eye Breaking the internet: Bella launched her controversial OnlyFans last month, becoming the first content creator on the platform to earn $1million in their first 24 hours, after briefly crashing the site The Assassination Nation actress told the Los Angeles Times that she made $2million in the first week, and she's 'putting the earnings into her production company and toward charity.' Although the site is mostly for adult entertainers to monetize their work, Thorne tweeted: 'Also nooooo Im not doing nudity!!!' But she quickly stirred up controversy, when she charged $200 for nude photos, which weren't actually nude, prompting many users to complain and request refunds. The site subsequently implemented some unwelcome changes, like capping payments at $50 for pay-per-view posts, as well as a hold that would require some international users to wait 30 days for their payout. Many sex workers who rely on the platform for their livelihood blamed Bella for making their jobs more difficult. The Babysitter actress later apologized on Twitter, writing: 'I wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalize the stigmas, And in trying to do this I hurt you. A little controversy: But she quickly stirred up controversy, when she charged $200 for nude photos, which weren't actually nude, prompting many users to complain and request refunds (pictured in February, 2020) Unwelcome changes: The site subsequently implemented some unwelcome changes, like capping payments at $50 for pay-per-view posts, as well as a hold that would require some international users to wait 30 days for their payout Public apology: Many sex workers who rely on the platform for their livelihood blamed Bella for making their jobs more difficult, encouraging her to post an apology 'I have risked my career a few times to remove the stigma behind sex work, porn, and the natural hatred people spew behind anything sex related.' She added: 'I am a mainstream face and when you have a voice, a platform, you try to use you in helping others and advocate for something bigger than yourself. Again in this process I hurt you and for that Im truly sorry.' A spokesperson for OnlyFans clarified to BBC: 'Spending limits are in place to protect all OnlyFans users and to allow them to use the platform safely. 'The newly introduced limits on tips and paid posts is a change that has been in the pipeline for a while, and has not been implemented in response to any one creator or fan.' Bella told Paper of her reasons for joining the site: 'OnlyFans is the first platform where I can fully control my image; without censorship, without judgement, and without being bullied online for being me.' She also retweeted a journalist who claimed she joined as research for an upcoming project with director Sean Baker. Directorial debut: Bella previously won the Vision Award at last October's second annual Pornhub Awards, following her adult film directorial debut (pictured in October, 2019) Pornstar: She released Her & Him (featuring ex Mod Sun, 33, on the soundtrack) as part of the adult streaming site's Visionaries series The Florida Project director subsequently posted a statement, revealing that the film would be in the 'far future' and nothing was concrete. He wrote: 'I advised her team to consult with sex workers and address the way she went about this so as NOT to hurt the sex work industry. This has been the extent of my involvement.' Bella previously won the Vision Award at last October's second annual Pornhub Awards, following her adult film directorial debut. She released Her & Him (featuring ex Mod Sun, 33, on the soundtrack) as part of the adult streaming site's Visionaries series. It came after the Famous In Love actress released her own nudes in June of 2019, after she was threatened by a hacker. Bella posted the screenshots and a note to Twitter: 'F*** u and the power u think you have over me. I'm gonna write about this in my next book. Here's the photos he's been threatening me with, in other words here's my boobies.' By Evans Yang, VP, PUFsecurity Artificial intelligence will play a pivotal role in the future of information security. By combining big data, deep learning, and machine learning, AI give machines life; they can imitate human learning, replicate work behaviors, and bring new ways to operate businesses. However, AI assets are very valuable, making them the target of hackers. Once a hacker has an opportunity to discern how the AI model is trained and operated, the model can be easily manipulated. For instance, hackers can destroy the data in the training model, causing major disruption in both the supply and demand side of the entire AI system. Therefore, this article will discuss how to strengthen the security of AI systems from the structure of the AI hardware device, to the security requirements, solutions, and etc. To do this, we will use PUFsecuritys hardware root of trust module, PUFrt, as an example to help readers understand how combining AI application architecture and physical unclonable function (PUF) can benefit hardware security technology. Introducing the AI Hardware Device Architecture and Manufacturing Process The main structure of an AI application device can be roughly divided into three sections: AI application algorithm model and parameters (soft know-how), storage unit (storage), and AI computing unit (AI accelerator). The storage unit usually uses flash memory to store AI application algorithm models and parameters, while the AI operation unit (AI chip) is used to perform operations on the AI algorithm model. From product design, to manufacturing, to implementing market applications, the main process will include: Preparing AI model and parameters Encrypting and protecting the AI model and parameters used for implantation and storing it in the storage unit Writing the key and trust certificate used for the encryption on the AI chip, which will be used as the key and authentication information required for decryption when the program starts. Once the AI application starts, the encryption algorithm model and parameters stored in the flash memory will be loaded onto the AI chip. After this is completed, the algorithm model and parameters are decrypted by the pre-implanted key and authentication information. Then, the AI chip will execute the decrypted AI algorithm model and parameters to start the AI application function. Figure 1: AI device architecture and manufacturing process The security requirements of AI applications There are many aspects to the security requirements of AI applications. One is to protect important assets in AI design such as big data, algorithms, etc. The second is to protect AI machines from attacks through malicious third parties that secretly disrupt the learning mechanism or behavior of the machine when its performing deep learning or executing tasks. The third is to protect the relevant information involved in the AI technology such as personal medical privacy, communications, and other consumer information. When discussing possible security gaps in AI applications, it is important to consider it from the perspective of the system architecture and discuss the issued related to the integrity of the AI chip hardware. If the chip (AI accelerator) that performs AI algorithm calculations experiences any integrity issues, such as loading a tampered firmware, it may lead to unauthorized functions or malicious attack commands being placed on AI chips. When this happens, it disrupts the operations because the original design function can be hijacked and controlled by the attacker. The original mechanism will therefore be unable to run effectively due to tampering, which can lead to a whole slew of security problems. Why do people suggest including hardware root of trust to the design of AI chips when mitigating the concerns surrounding hardware integrity? In the absence of a hardware root of trust, the chips protection mechanism will be relatively easy to bypass. As a result, it will be unable to effectively protect the keys and trust certificates required for encryption and decryption. This leads to key leakage or inability to resist anti-assembly translation of reverse engineering. This results in giving malicious third parties a chance to obtain AI inference models. Consequently, the intellectual property (AI know-how) of a company will be exposed, which leads to a risk of being illegally copied and eventually, huge commercial losses. Furthermore, the attacker can also tamper with inference model which causes errors in the AI operation and user losses. For example, if the active safety function of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) suddenly fails during a drive, the driver can easily misjudge the situation and end up in a car accident. Figure 2: The security risks of AI applications How to effectively improve AI application security and asset protection It is important to consider the needs of AI application security and the protection of company assets when developing AI products. In addition to the performance of the AI algorithm model, the AI chip itself must have built-in hardware root of trust that is used simultaneously with other security measures to protect the key, strengthen the algorithms storage, and ensure the originality of the chip design. That way, it will be easier to prevent the falsification and theft of the AI algorithm model and avoid the loss of business and intellectual property. The executable security deployment are as follows: 1- Protecting AI chips with built-in PUF-based root of trust PUFrt is a PUF-based security root of trust solution designed for chips. It uses a random number generated by the physical unclonable function (PUF), which acts as a chip fingerprint and unique identification code (UID). In addition, the original password derived from PUF can also be used in storing the secret key through encryption. Furthermore, PUFrt can be used on algorithms as a true number generator to enhance security functions. In terms of AI applications, after PUFrt is built into AI chips, the chip fingerprint derived from PUF can be used as a secure root of trust. It can also protect and store the global key used for the encryption of AI algorithms. 2- Re-encrypting the AI algorithm model and parameter data While operating the AI production supply chain, the global key is used to encrypt and protect the AI model and parameter data, which is then written in flash memory for storage. Security concerns often arise due to the insecure key storage function on the chip and the lack of security in the entire supply chain operation which can result in the leakage of the global key. When AI chips and external flash memory are paired for the first time, the local key generated by the PUF inside the chip is used to re-encrypt the AI algorithm model and parameter data stored in the flash. At the same time, the global key that the customer used to originally encrypt AI assets will also be written onto the OTP and stored securely. The process is as follows: Under a secure environment, the client encrypts the AI asset with a global key The data encrypted by the global key will be written into the flash memory and installed on the circuit board At the same time, the global key is also written onto the OTP and stored securely The system will use the global key to decrypt the AI assets and temporarily store them in SRAM The PUF (UID) in PUFrt is then used to generate the local key The unique PUF-based local key in each chip system will be used to re-encrypt and protect AI assets in the flash Figure 3: The operation of AI system with embedded PUFrt The purpose of the approach mentioned above is to avoid security risks that may result from externally injected keys. Protecting the data with a local key generated inside the chip can lower the chances of the key being revealed during the injection process. Using the unique PUF fingerprint of each chip as the encryption key of the system can also prevent the internal secrets in the flash memory from being stolen or forged. In a competitive situation where AI applications are booming and companies are investing in the development and protection of intellectual properties (i.e. AI chip design, AI algorithm models, and parameters), security protection should not be overlooked. If the AI chip or algorithm models and parameters are maliciously tampered with or stolen, it will jeopardize the rights of both the AI developers and users. This can lead to doubts and mistrust in the security of user applications, leading to huge losses for companies. The author of this article provides a proposed hardware security solution that is more secure than regular software protection. Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) is a concept that is similar to a unique chip fingerprint. When each device has a unique password that is difficult for outsiders to steal, it is easier to prevent large scale remote cracking of these devices. For many, AI devices installed in public spaces is an easy target. Therefore, it is undoubtedly important to protect them with hardware mechanisms. Not only can ensure that AI application products can be safely executed in various environments, it also ensures that the applications function properly, provide users with a good experience, and guarantees the trust in a companys intellectual property assets and competitiveness. For more information about PUFsecurity company and PUFrt product introduction, please visit: www.pufsecurity.com If you wish to download a copy of this white paper, click here A sixth resident has died of the coronavirus in an outbreak at an aged care facility in the southwestern town of Aveyron, where a Covid-19 cluster has now infected more than two-thirds of the 75 residents and 20 staff members. The mayor of Severac-d'Aveyron, Edmond Gros, expressed his concern, saying he fears more residents will die. "There will be many more deaths," Gros told Midi Libre newspaper. "Our residents are in a very fragile state of health. I think we are looking at around a dozen deaths." The regional health authority announced the sixth death at the Gloriande de Severac-d'Aveyron nursing home on Monday morning. The first cases were reported on 4 September and quickly multiplied contaminating both residents and staff. Around 50 residents and 20 staff members have tested positive, raising fears the facility could become a new hotspot of the Covid-19 crisis. Officials have issued an appeal for help from other retirement communities in the area to send in additional staff. Volunteers Gloriande, a sprawling retirement community in the south-western Occitanie region has faced severe staff shortages since the outbreak. The Aveyron prefecture said last week that it had activated several levers to respond to the request for assistance, by putting the establishment in touch with voluntary health professionals from all over France. Residents have been placed under lockdown and confined to their rooms. Only elderly patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease have been the spared the isolation measures. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to negative mental health effects for many in the U.S., according to new Penn State research. But the researchers also found that some coping techniqueslike wearing masks and focusing on self-carewere linked with positive mental health. Erina MacGeorge, professor of communication arts and sciences, said the resultsrecently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Healthmay give clues about how people can continue to cope with the pandemic, as well as which populations may need extra care and assistance. "These populations may include young people, those with pre-existing conditions, and those who don't have much social support from family and friends," MacGeorge said. "As individuals, we can help bolster our own mental health by protecting ourselves from COVID-19 as much as possiblelike with social distancing, hand-washing, and mask-wearingby seeking support when we need it, and choosing activities that keep us moving forward, such as looking for safe ways to have fun and help others." After the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in the middle of March 2020, a cascade of measures meant to slow the spreadsuch as school and business closures and social distancing requirementswent into effect. The researchers said that while necessary, these measures helped contribute to people experiencing excess stress not only from fear of the disease itself, but also from other factors such as financial stress, problems finding child care, and separation from friends and family, among others. "I've spent much of my career studying social support, which is one important factor in how people respond to traumatic events," said MacGeorge. "Living through the earliest weeks of the pandemic, talking with friends, and reading news stories about the challenges we were all facing, I wanted to study relationships, supportive communication, and health during the pandemic." The researchers recruited participants between the ages of 18 and 90 for the study. Participants were asked to complete surveys at three points in time: one on April 20, one between May 4 and 8, and one between May 18 and 22. A total of 442 participants participated in all three surveys. In each survey, participants answered questions designed to measure symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as ones designed to measure how well participants were coping with traumatic events. The surveys also measured how much the participants felt the pandemic was affecting them financially, physically, socially and mentally, as well as whether participants were adhering to recommendationssuch as mask wearingand what kinds of coping strategies they were using. The researchers found that levels of stress, anxiety and depression were highest at the beginning of the study, at the end of April. By the time the study ended near the end of Maywhen many states were making plans to reopenthese levels were lower. Younger people and people with pre-existing health conditions were more likely to have negative mental health outcomes. According to the researchers, social strainsuch as someone making demands, giving criticism, or simply getting on your nerveswas the strongest and most consistent predictor of mental health. "This suggests that in difficult times like this, it could be particularly important to proactively structure our social networks in ways that minimize negative social experiences," said Yanmengqian "Alison" Zhou, a graduate assistant in communication arts and sciences. However, MacGeorge said that several "forward-focused" coping strategies were associated with better mental health. "Things like keeping a consistent schedule, reminding yourself that things will get better, finding activities to distract yourself, and taking care of others who need help are all helpful," MacGeorge said. "Additionally, adhering to the national recommendations for protecting oneself from COVID-19, like hand-washing, social distancing and masking, was also associated with better mental health." Jessica Myrick, associate professor of media studies, said the study suggests that physical and mental health are interconnected. "Sometimes we need to take a break from thinking about how we feel and do something to help alleviate the threat and make us feel a lot better about our situation in life," Myrick said. "COVID-related messages that emphasize that even small actions are worthwhile might have the doubly positive effect of getting people to take small actions, like washing their hands more often, but also alleviate some mental strain, too." MacGeorge added that it's important to note that the data for their study was collected in April and May, before the protests following the killing of George Floyd and the ramping up of presidential campaigns. "The pandemic had not been going on very long at that point," MacGeorge said. "Many states were just starting to 'reopen,' and there was a temporary flattening of the COVID-19 illness and death curve at that time. There is reason to believe that the mental health impacts of the continuing pandemic will be stronger than they appeared in our study in May, especially for people who have lost loved ones, who are now out of work, or who have suffered racial prejudice and discrimination." Explore further Older adults with existing depression show resilience during the pandemic More information: Yanmengqian Zhou et al, Mental Health and Its Predictors during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience in the United States, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2020). Yanmengqian Zhou et al, Mental Health and Its Predictors during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience in the United States,(2020). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176315 The robotics industry is having a major moment amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its true that category has been an exciting target for investments for a number of years now, but labor issues and concerns over transmission have led many sectors to take a good, long look at automation. Meal preparation is a prime target. Its an essential service and one that finds human hands coming into direct content with food. Leipzig, Germany-based DaVinci Kitchen is looking to tackle issues around food preparation with the launch of a modular robotic kiosk that cooks Italian-themed pasta dishes. In 2018, German incubator 2b AHEAD Ventures assembled the team that would become DaVinci to address concerns around labor shortages in the food preparation industry. The catering industry is gigantic, CTO Ibrahim Elfaramawy told TechCrunch on a call ahead of the startups participation in Disrupt Battlefield. Everyone has to eat. We see our clients struggling to find qualified personnel. The jobs are getting tougher, the pay is not increasing, unfortunately. A lot of restaurant owners are looking for solutions to increase their capabilities and quality. Robots can work 24/7. This is the opportunity that we see and many of our clients are excited about it. Image Credits: DaVinci Kitchen The first batch of robots will focus on pasta a relatively easily prepared dish with universal appeal. The machine creates the pasta, cooks and serves it all in around six minutes, according to Elfaramawy. It can prepare two dishes simultaneously and cleans the dishes in around 20-30 seconds. The system is modular, so the machine can potentially be outfitted to prepare other foodstuff, including salads or prepare different takes on the pasta theme, swapping Italian style for an Asian dish, for example. Thus far, the small company has raised around $780,000 in a seed round, courtesy of 2b AHEAD and Rheine-based frozen food company, Apetito, which is also one of DaVincis first clients. The startup is also in the process of raising a Series A with a target of $1.7 million. Its first kiosks are on track to be delivered in late-2020 or early 2021, depending on COVID-19s impact on the companys supply chains. The first batch will include 10 machines. The company is targeting restaurants and food courts, which can buy or lease the robots. https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/themes/techcrunch-2017/features/shortcodes/vidible-callback-js.php?id=2 More than three decades after a 14-year-old girl was found raped and brutally murdered in Rochester, New York, police armed with a DNA match arrested a Florida man in connection to the cold case. Timothy Williams, 56, faces second-degree murder charges in the Thanksgiving Day 1984 killing of Wendy Jerome. He was arrested at his home in Melbourne, Florida, last Wednesday, and authorities are bringing him to New York, Rochester officials announced at an emotional news conference on Friday. Timothy Williams, 56 (left), has been arrested in Florida in connection to the 1984 rape and murder of 14-year-old Wendy Jerome (right) in Rochester, New York 'It's finally over': Wendy's mother, Marlene Jerome, spoke at a press conference in Rochester last week, saying through tears that she never thought this day would come Familial DNA information provided a list of names, including that of Williams, as investigative leads, police said. WESH2 reported that he made his initial court appearance on Thursday and waived his right to an extradition hearing. Marlene Jerome, who worked with police investigating her daughters death for more than three decades, told reporters she thought shed never see this day. 'I just wish my husband was alive to see this,' she said through tears, as Democrat and Chronicle reported. 'He died in 2011. And I know hes up there, with her, smiling and saying its over. Its finally over.' Wendy Jerome left a friends house in Rochester on the evening of November 22, 1984, after delivering a birthday card, but never made it home. Her body was found a few hours later in an alcove of a school located just three blocks from her home. Wendy left a friends house in Rochester on the evening of November 22, 1984, but never made it home. Her body was found a few hours later just three blocks from her home Wendy was raped, repeatedly stabbed and beaten to death, despite her efforts to fight back. Williams was about 20 years old at the time and lived in the same neighborhood as his alleged victim. The Rochester native moved to Florida shortly after the killing, police said. 'He did not know the victim, nor did the victims family know him,' Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino said. Over the past 20 years, several attempts have been made to identify the suspect through DNA evidence. In 1999, investigators submitted a DNA sample from semen collected during the autopsy to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, but it failed to produce a match, CNN reported. Police arrested Williams at his home in Melbourne, Florida (pictured), on September 9 Williams is pictured making his initial court appearance last week In 2017, after New York legislators passed a law allowing law enforcement agencies to use DNA to look for suspects' relatives, the Rochester Police Department asked the state crime lab to conduct a familial DNA search using evidence from the scene. The search suffered an initial setback when lab officials told police that the sample they had submitted did not meet testing requirements. In April of last year, police submitted a sample that could be tested. This past July, the lab was able to develop a familial profile that generated a list of names, which police narrowed down to possible suspects, among them Williams, according to Urbino. District Attorney Sandra Doorley said an additional DNA sample from Williams confirmed his connection to Jerome's killing, but she declined to say how that sample was collected. Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino told Wendy's mother: 'Marlene, I'm sorry it took so long, but we finally did it' Little information is available on Williams, beyond the fact that he had traveled between Rochester, New York, and Florida over the years and was unemployed. He has not been linked to any other crimes in either state. Umbrino fought back tears as he recounted how police arrived at the home of Wendy's mother last week to tell her of Williams' arrest. 'Marlene, I'm sorry it took so long, but we finally did it,' Umbrino said, addressing the sobbing woman standing behind him before sharing an embrace. 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. There is no data available or maintained on the number of migrant workers who lost their lives during the 68-day nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25, in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the Centre informed Parliament on Monday. The response by the labour ministry was on a question raised in Lok Sabha seeking information on whether the Government was aware that a number of migrant workers lost their lives during their return to their hometowns and if so, the details of the same, state-wise. It further added, Whether the Government has provided any compensation/economic assistance to the victims families. The labour ministry stated that no such data was maintained and it further added that the question of compensation does not arise in view of no recorded data available. ALSO READ | Parliament monsoon session: MPs should send our message the whole country is with the soldiers, says Narendra Modi It also said there is no data on the job losses among migrant workers since the pandemic. The labour ministry said no such data is maintained to a question seeking a response on whether the government has done any assessment of the job losses among migrant workers due to the Covid-19 crisis. In order to mitigate the financial crisis of the migrant workers and protect them against the economic disruptions due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown, the Central Government has taken numerous measures to provide them financial assistance, food packages ration and other benefits, the labour ministry said. On May 30, Hindustan Times had reported there have been almost 80 deaths on board the Shramik Special trains (for stranded migrant workers) between May 9 and May 27, according to data from the Railway Protection Force. The ages of the dead ranged from 4 to 85. The data also mentioned the co-morbidities or accidents that caused the deaths in a few cases. The labour ministry also informed that more than 1.04 crore migrants have returned to their home state with the highest number of migrants returning to Uttar Pradesh (32.4 lakh) Bihar (15 lakh) and Rajasthan (13 lakh), in the first such centralized database record on migrants. It added that the Indian Railways has operated more than 4611 Shramik Special trains for ferrying migrant workers and more than 63.07 lakh have been shifted to various destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states. The trains were started from May 1 to ferrying migrant labourers during the lockdown to their home states. The railway ministry had last month said many migrants have begun going back to the places where they worked and added it indicates that economic activity has begun picking up after India began easing lockdown restrictions. The unplanned lockdown created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. The BJP government has shunned its basic responsibility of not even knowing who bore the maximum brunt of the lockdown. Their response indicates their continued callousness towards the poor. What is worse is that there is still no announcement of any cash support or universalisation of rations, said Rajendran Narayanan, assistant professor at Azim Premji University. The States/UTs have been advised to take adequate steps to streamline the migration of the workers to mitigate the hardships of migrant workers returning to the destination States/UTs, the labour ministry told Parliament. The States/UTs have been advised to implement the advisory guidelines by quickly gearing up their Labour Law enforcement machinery and ensuring statutory compliance by all the stake-holders which could provide migrant workers much needed help to mitigate the financial crisis and empower them to deal with the pandemic. The States/UTs have also been advised to maintain updated data of the migrant workers to facilitate the administration to extend benefits of the welfare schemes of the Government to the migrant workers, it added. Another question was asked on whether the government failed in its in assessment of problems faced by migrant workers during the lockdown, including in Tamil Nadu. Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (MoS) with independent charge in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said: India, as a nation, has responded through the Central and state governments, local bodies, self-help groups (SHGs), Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), medical health professionals, sanitation workers as well as large number of genuine and bona-fide non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the nations fight against the unprecedented humanitarian crisis due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and country-wide lockdown, including in Tamil Nadu. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev Prof. Joaeph Obiri Yeboah Mante has encouraged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to be focused and courageous in his passion of providing health care and education for the people of Ghana. Your Excellency all I want to say is I like your passion, and be focused. You are doing, for me, what God will have us do. Hospitals, schools, things that will better the life of people like John chapter 10:10; and Jesus said: I came that you will have life and have more abundantly. May your passion be followed by this scripture verse. Be courageous, and I know that God will bless you. I know you; I know who you are, and I know where your heart is. May God bless the passion of your heart. Rt. Rev. Prof. Mante made the statement when he joined the President to cut the sod for the construction of an accident and emergency centre at the Presbyterian Hospital at Dormaa Ahenkro in the Dormaa Municipality in the Bono Region. Upon completion, the 45-bed accident and emergency centre would have a 12-bed Triage, 33-bed ward, surgical suite, imaging services, laboratory, plaster room and a laboratory. The Moderator thanked President Akufo Addo for the project. He mentioned that Jesus in His ministry preached, taught and healed so anything relating to health and education is always backed by the spirit of the living God. He expressed the appreciation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to the President for the project. The Moderator mentioned that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana is currently the third largest single provider of health services in the country and therefore would continue to partner the state to run these health facilities. President Akufo Addo in his address expressed his gratitude to the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in particular who continue to partner Government to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the ordinary citizen. I am very hopeful that, by the grace of God, we are on the threshold of something remarkable in Ghana, and, hopefully, with four more for Nana and the NPP, I expect that all of us, gathered here, will be present again, God-willing, for the commissioning of this project, once it is completed, he added. President Akufo-Addo said the people of Dormaa, with a population of about a million, deserved a befitting modern accident and emergency facility to replace the existing one. President Akufo-Addo said the project was being undertaken at great cost to the taxpayer and, therefore, appealed to the chiefs and people of Dormaa to help ensure that the infrastructure and equipment were duly maintained for the benefit of all. Source: Presbyterian Church of 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 President Trump has officially announced that TikTok and other China-based apps will be banned in the US. In the interim Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok and complete the procedure by September 15th 2020. If the deal goes through, then, TikTok will continue to offer its services in the US. Trump banned TikTok after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) concluded that ByteDance, TikToks parent company should sell the US part of the business owing to security concerns. Trump was initially against Microsoft taking over TikTok; however, he later changed his decision. In the meantime, Microsoft publicly announced that they would come up with a plan to acquire ByteDance by mid of next month. Trump asked TikTok to sell off its domestic operations to an American company by September 15th or face a ban in the US. He also added that the US treasury should get a lot of money. Microsoft is ready to acquire TikTok after complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the US. We are unsure of how the US Treasury will get a cut of the deal. I dont mind whether its Microsoft or someone else, a big company, a secure company, a very American company buys it, Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. Itll close down on Sept. 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal, so the Treasury of the United States gets a lot of money. #BREAKING: President Trump says TikTok must be bought by US company and pay cut of selling price into US Treasury: "Right now they don't have any rights unless we give it to them." pic.twitter.com/VJ7gC1u6nc The Hill (@thehill) August 3, 2020 Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that they are considering banning TikTok. He also added that people should download TikTok only if they want their private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. Although their business relationship has ended and they have gone their separate ways, CEO of Media Excel, Kwesi Ernest still has Gospel musician, Joyce Blessing's interest at heart and says he won't hesitate to work with her again. Kwesi Ernest managed Joyce Blessing for three years and can be credited with helping to make her a star. Her husband, who is popularly known as Davejoy, took over her affairs but since the marriage crashed earlier this year, she has not had it easy. She and her ex-husband had been at loggerheads over her social media pages among other issues which were resolved last week by Despite Media's Fadda Dickson, Kwasi Aboagye as well as Kwesi Ernest. And while admitting that their split was due to a misunderstanding, Kwesi Ernest said he was ready to help Joyce Blessing get back on her feet. We had some misunderstanding in the past, the reason we stopped working but I am willing to give my all in helping her again. "Joyce Blessing is one fine artiste I have worked with and I know what she possesses. It is unfortunate what she is going through now with her marital issues and this the time I must show her love. I dont care whatever anyone says about me or her but that is what the Lord said I should do, he told Graphic Showbiz. According to Kwesi Ernest, he was going to make Joyce Blessing an African star. I plan on having her tour some African countries and doing collaborations with top musicians in those countries. If we succeed with those collaborations we automatically enter that country and that is one of my plans for breaking into the African market, he said. Asked why he was willing to revive their working relationship, Kwesi Ernest said Joyce Blessing is of the best musicians he ever worked with and she has a lot to offer Ghanaians. Tell me which female Gospel artiste rocks better on stage than Joyce Blessing. In spite of whatever she is going through with her marital issues, she is a strong woman who never gives up and this is the time she needs support and prayers from all of us. Her marital issues should not end her career and will see to it that it doesnt, he said. Kwesi Ernest revealed that he had already discussed working again with Joyce Blessing and she had agreed to it. Joyce Blessing gained fame with her hit song Heavy Price. Some of her other songs are Monko Mo Akyi, Adam Nana, Nyame Aguamma featuring the late Jewel Ackah, I Swerve You, La Mia Praise, Y'Endanase, Menka Nkyere Obiaa and The Lord's Prayer. Source: Graphic Showbiz 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 Catherine Mumbua and her husband Chege Wanjoya started Silmak as a family business in 1988, In the beginning, they worked with non-governmental organisations, taking blow after blow on their way to establishing a formidable business venture. After a steady growth, they founded Genesis Care in 2015, a brand of Silmak Agencies that offers end to end menstrual hygiene solutions, and more. Today, Silmak Agencies is an impact company that manufactures adult diapers, sanitary pads, coin-based sanitary pad vending machines, smart sanitary pad vending machines and sanitary pad incinerators which are environmentally safe. 56-year-old Mumbua talks about her journey and experiences. How did Silmak start? I had worked with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and was privy to how orders and procurement of goods happened. There were so many inquiries coming through KNCCI. When I quit and we started Silmak, we were taking orders for companies. But (she looks up thoughtfully) it was not easy. The first jobs were so tough we almost threw in the towel. What happened? A European company needed us to supply French beans. We did not have the money to do it and told them as much. They opened an LC (letter of credit, also known as a documentary credit or bankers commercial credit, or letter of undertaking, which is a payment mechanism used in international trade to provide an economic guarantee from a creditworthy bank to an exporter of goods). The contract was worth $600 (Sh64,000). But we did not know how all this worked. We waited for the money only to be told that the money could only be released once we had supplied the goods. The deal did not go through. The second time, a German company gave an LPO (Local Purchase Order) where they wanted us to supply sorghum and simsim to Sudan. The contract asserted that we could be surcharged for late deliveries. We could get sorghum in Kenya, but we had to go for simsim in Uganda. There, we met and dealt with a company that was anything but straightforward. Being green in business, we did not know how to navigate the situation and ended up getting the deliveries late. The contract was cancelled. We learnt never to bite more than we can swallow. And Genesis Care? How did it come up? My father was sick and bedridden since 2010. He needed adult diapers, and the good quality was available at Sh1,500 a pack. This was too expensive owing to the fact that a pack barely lasted three days. When I checked online and studied diapers made in China, I realised they were way cheaper. I spoke to some manufacturers and studied the specifications of making the diapers. Tired of buying them, I struck a contract with a manufacturer and, on my specification, we started manufacturing our own diapers from outside the country. How was the experience in the new world of manufacturing? Our first shipment was a whole container. A container is so big and carried so much. The problem was how to sell them all. With my son, we started touring hospitals and supermarkets to market them. My background as a marketer helped. Did you get it easy in the market? Not at all. Some of the big hospitals and supermarkets turned us away rather nonchalantly. We, however, continued lobbying for our products and managed to find a way into many towns. We were offering high quality at way lower prices, but the lack of straightforwardness in some of these institutions meant our products were barely welcome. One pack of Genesis Care adult diapers costs Sh750. See what I mean? Yes. And what about the sanitary pads? I grew up in Makueni and did not enjoy the privilege of using sanitary pads. In an effort to give back, I once went to my primary school and distributed sanitary pads. But I realised that was not sustainable in the long term. As such, we sought to manufacture our high-quality sanitary pads, which are actually cheaper, and also came up with a dispenser to sell the pads in individual pieces which were more affordable than buying the whole pack. How does the dispenser work? The coin-based sanitary napkin vending dispenser has a slot through which a user can deposit a coin and a pad will automatically dispense. The users need to deposit coins of Sh10, or Sh20, way less than the cost of the whole pack of sanitary pads off the shops. This creates employment for the owner of the dispenser and gives dignity to girls who can now go through their menstrual cycles without issue. But we also realised that so many sanitary pads are dispatched by donors and never reach the girls. So we designed an automatic machine that we can lease to schools, then allocate each girl a unique pin, through which they can acquire sanitary pads from the dispenser. By keeping data on the frequency of pad use among individual students, we will then keep tabs on their menstrual health. Wont the pads mean more non-biodegradable waste? Those are concerns that we have addressed. We built an incinerator for these pads. It is a noiseless, electric machine that reduces a pad to a gram of sterile ash within minutes. A standard one, which could serve a school of 300, costs Sh75,000. We also have a prototypical incinerator for diapers that works pretty much the same. We exhibited at a Mombasa conference for heads of secondary schools and received an overwhelming endorsement for our dispensers. Developed anything in the Covid-19 era? Of course yes. We piloted a used-mask incinerator, funded by United Kingdoms Royal Academy of Engineering, who gave us 5,000 pounds (Sh725,000). The machine can be automated and can burn down ten masks at a time, and produce sterile ash within moments. Many years in business. What has kept you going? At first, it was the children. They had to keep learning, and we had to keep providing for them. Now that they are fully grown, the desire to give back to society and make an impact among the less fortunate is a great driver. We are targeting to reach more girls in the country. How many people does the company employ? We have eight employees, but we outsource quite often and partner with interested parties. Of course, there are many more across the value chain. How do you balance family and work? Pulling together. Pulling in the same direction. The collaboration and unity of purpose among the family help us. We trust one another. We work as a unit as it is a family business. We will be passing the baton to the next generation very soon so we have to keep on training them and getting them more and more interested. What would you advise a potential entrepreneur? Failure is a very crucial part of the business. There are a lot of lessons to learn about failure. You cannot progress without failing first. But never giving up is what distinguishes those that make it from those that never make an impact. Fall. Learn where you tripped. Dust yourself up. Dont make the same mistake in future. But by all accounts, keep trying. Keep moving. Courtesy/ The Standard Insider (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Tech has suddenly become a defining issue for the U.K. government. A $40 billion deal for Cambridge-based chip designer Arm Ltd. comes as technology policy has created an obstruction in Brexit negotiations. The government that hailed Arms first sale in 2016 as a sign of Britains post-Brexit allure has come a long way. Britains EU trade talks and possibly a future trade deal with the U.S. are poised on a knifes edge. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief advisor, Brexit campaign mastermind Dominic Cummings, believe the EUs rules governing subsidies and other state aid to industry get in the way of post-Brexit Britain becoming a science and technology powerhouse. They are threatening to walk away from the trade talks, and to break the U.K. treaty commitments, to avoid the EUs rules. On one level, this seems an odd fight to pick. Its not that Britain lacks innovation as the spinoff of Arm from the now defunct British computing company Acorn shows. On the contrary, the U.K. has a thriving startup scene at least, by European standards. By the end of 2019, the U.K. had 77 startups valued at more than $1 billion, more than twice as many as Germany, the next biggest, according to Dealroom, a data provider. Nor can it be said that U.K. startups are starved of capital. The $13 billion in venture funding secured by British firms last year was more than that won by French and German startups combined. The U.K. government also provides tax credits and investments to spur innovation and startups. But you can see the concern. The country that invented graphene has struggled to commercialize its innovations and hold on to companies once they reach a certain size. Arm, acquired by Japanese group Softbank Group Corp. and now by U.S. chipmaker Nvidia Corp., isnt alone. Artificial intelligence firm DeepMind was bought by Google. Those losses, as well as the U.K.s dependence on Chinese mobile company Huawei Technologies Co.s 5G technology, seem to be what has prompted the focus on building better state support for the countrys tech sector. Story continues One long-standing problem is that Britain underfunds research compared to its major trading partners. The 37.1 billion pounds ($47.5 billion) that the U.K. cumulatively spent on R&D in 2018 represented just 1.7% of the countrys gross domestic product less than both the 3.1% spent by Germany and the OECD average of 2.4%. Google parent Alphabet Inc. alone spent $27 billion on R&D in the 12 months through June. But the EU state aid regime isnt to blame. The vast majority of state aid is allowed automatically. Rather, the U.K. has generally chosen to provide less aid than other members. In 2019 Britain, for example, spent far less on subsidies to companies (0.34% of GDP in 2019) than Germany (at least 1.45% of GDP) and France (0.79%) did. In 2018, the European Commission approved a plan to give 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion) of public funding to the semiconductor industry, whose research and development costs are the highest in tech. France committed to contributing as much as 355 million euros to help its chip companies, Italy chucked in 524 million euros and Germany gave 820 million euros. All have chipmaking giants, from Franco-Italian STMicroelectronics NV to Infineon AG and Robert Bosch GmbH in Germany. The U.K. sought permission for just 48 million euros, yet still hasnt paid any of it. Thats partly because the U.K. has tended to invest upstream, particularly in academic research, leaving far fewer funds available to help innovative companies translate their ideas into products. A revised state aid policy could provide R&D cash credits to foster technology clusters and help them move toward commercialization. There is no question that, done well, governments can make a huge difference in the development of a vibrant technology sector; Singapore, Taiwan and Israel are good examples of this. And yet the idea of an expansive, new policy strategy for the tech sector makes many Conservatives nervous, not least because picking winners is risky. France, Japan and China have done a better than job than we have over the years, said Julian Birkinshaw, a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School. But they've also had more failures than they've had successes. Even so, investing in later-stage ventures is often a safer bet than the scattergun academic approach. Government funding can be an accelerator, but it has to come at the right juncture. Alok Sharma, Johnsons secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, insists the governments intentions arent to return to the failed industrial policies of the 1970s. But the government hasnt yet published its new state aid program. Cummings says he wants to fund only the best projects and sectors. But politics may muddy the picture. Johnsons big governing vision is to rebalance the U.K. economy to provide jobs and opportunity in the north of the country, where many of his new voters live. Its hard to imagine that state aid decisions wont in part be governed by keeping these voters happy. Many of the governments tech investments have already raised eyebrows. For example, earlier this year it took a 45% stake in bankrupt satellite company OneWeb, arguing the purchase would help fill the gap left by the U.K. losing access to the EUs Galileo navigation satellite system and also help domestic broadband. But the investment was rushed through with little scrutiny and over the reservations of internal experts. In some ways the governments failed foray into developing its own Covid contact-tracing app, instead of using the joint Google-Apple approach adopted elsewhere in Europe, reflects the hubris that could get it into trouble as it sets out to nurture a British Google. Its a mindset that has been aptly called the Minitel illusion. Minitel, recall, was the 1980s French terminal that was backed by the state as an alternative to the U.S.-developed Internet but finally retired in 2012. It was a brilliant invention for its time, but the high-cost terminals could not compete with the multitasking personal computer and it had little usefulness outside France. The French government, with financial backing from the EU and technical support from Germany, also tried to create a literal competitor to Google, dubbed Quaero, from the Latin for I seek, in 2008. It ended in 2013. Picking winners is problematic, but so is focusing R&D funding so heavily on the university sector. Helping later stage corporate research may split the difference effectively for Britain. But apart from the danger of repeating the errors of the past, the U.K. could pay a high price, in terms of market access, for Johnsons determination that Britain should have an independent state aid policy. As for Arm, its re-sale stands as both a sign of the ingenuity of Britains tech sector, but also limitations that have nothing to do with Britains EU membership. Arm co-founder and venture capitalist Hermann Hauser has argued that the sale to Nvidia will result in job losses in the U.K. and compromises Britains technology sovereignty. Its an interesting concept and one with innate appeal to the economic nationalism of Johnsons Conservatives. But ultimately technological sovereignty, if it exists at all, cannot be decreed. It must be built. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe. Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe's technology, media and communications industries. He previously covered Apple and other technology companies for Bloomberg News in San Francisco. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:04:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official You Quan on Monday called for persistent efforts to foster ethnic unity and progress while focusing on creating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. More efforts should be made to extend the use of Mandarin and Chinese characters and promote exchanges and integration among ethnic groups, said You, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a conference on ethnic solidarity in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The conference was jointly held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission. Bater, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, also attended the meeting. Enditem HOUSTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Texas prosecutors agreed to drop assault charges against chemical maker Arkema SA and one of its executives over injuries suffered by workers during a fire triggered by a 2017 hurricane. Assault charges against the French chemical company and logistics executive Michael Keough "cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in a Harris County District Court on Friday. Arkema's Crosby, Texas, plant became waterlogged and lost power needed to keep stored organic peroxide chemicals cooled after Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the area. The judge in the case has not yet ruled on the motion. "A prosecutor felt that there was enough evidence for a criminal charge, but he could not prove that charge beyond a reasonable doubt," said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's office, explaining the motion. A grand jury had charged the two with assault against a public service over injuries to sheriff's deputies guarding the plant. Arkema Chief Executive Richard Rowe and the former manager of the company's Crosby, Texas, plant, Leslie Comardelle, continue to face criminal charges for recklessly releasing toxic emissions from a chemical fire. The trial was suspended in the spring due to the pandemic. Rusty Hardin, defense attorney for Arkema, declined to comment through a spokeswoman. (Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Louisiana Supporters Rally for Trump on the Water Supporters of President Donald Trump in the solid Republican state of Louisiana showed their support over the weekend in a very Louisianan wayby taking to the water. By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Turkeys Parliament Speaker Mustafa Shentop has said that his country is by Azerbaijans side over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said that Armenian occupation poses a threat not only to Azerbaijan but to the entire region. Shentop made the remark during the meeting with the Azerbaijani delegation headed by the Parliaments Speaker Sahiba Gafarova on September 11. Welcoming the Azerbaijani parliament speaker and members of the delegation, Shentop said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are brotherly countries. They are two states and one nation connected by deep historical roots of friendship and brotherhood for centuries. Azerbaijan's sorrow is our sorrow, Azerbaijan's joy is our joy, Shentop said. In turn, Gafarova said that it was her first foreign visit since her appointment, reminding that there is a tradition between the two countries officials to make their first official foreign visits to the fraternal country. It is very commendable and I am sure that this wonderful tradition between the two fraternal countries will continue," she added. While speaking about the Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, Gafarova stressed that there is no alternative to these relations in the world political system. Our relations are based on the true spirit of brotherhood of our peoples. Today, the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are at the level of strategic partnership, she said. She also brought to the attention of the Turkish colleague that the Azerbaijani parliament and the Turkish Grand National Assembly are the fraternal parliaments following the spirit of relations between our peoples. This brotherhood is observed in the cooperation of the parliaments both on a bilateral basis and within the international organizations. There are interacting friendship groups in our parliaments, Gafarova said. These groups are led by Ahliman Amiraslanov from the Azerbaijani side and Shamil Ayrim from the Turkish side. Shamil Ayrim was awarded the Dostlug Order by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his services in the development of fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Furthermore, Gafarova stressed the importance to expand mutual visits and meetings between the heads of the parliaments and friendship groups as the intensification of contacts between friendship groups makes an important contribution to the further deepening of ties between the two countries. The speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament expressed gratitude to the Turkish politicians and political parties as four parties represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly issued a joint statement on the cross-border provocation committed by Armenia in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district on July 12. Being one nation and two states, our history has a lot in common. Therefore, both countries must build the future to preserve this commonality. Furthermore, Gafarova stressed that President Ilham Aliyevs earlier comments on the Mediterranean crisis voiced while receiving the Greek ambassador in Azerbaijan was the position of Azerbaijani people. She reminded that Azerbaijan and Turkey have very close relations. To date, 249 documents have been signed between the two countries. These documents cover a wide range of spheres beginning from the education sector and ending with energy projects. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, TAP, TANAP projects are important projects not only for our countries but for the entire region. The fact that we are implementing these projects together testifies to our unity, brotherhood, and friendship. I think that we should further expand these relations," she noted. MERINGO, Australia On the mountainous South Coast of Australia, spring has begun which means there are only a few more weeks to prepare for another fire season, looming in the distance like a villain on the march. After last years blazes burned through 46 million acres, a chunk of Australia larger than Syria, brick chimneys are all that sit on spacious lots where homes used to welcome laughing children. Animals appear in smaller numbers. Hillsides once lush and green are now covered with trees as dead as matchsticks, and even the rivers are choking with ash. A landscape once so welcoming and majestic now feels forever threatening. The fires were so big, no one knows how to cope with the enormity of it, said Julie Taylor Mills, one of many anxious property owners rushing to prepare for another summer of dry, hot and frightening weather. Were all scared and only just starting to deal with it. From the American West, where hundreds of thousands of acres are now burning, to Australia, Siberia, Portugal, Brazil and Indonesia, the world is being forced to change how it lives with fire. Some call it natures revenge. As the earth warms from the burning of fossil fuels, wildfires are becoming larger, hotter, more frequent and far more destructive. An investment in the Offered Shares involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors should read the entire prospectus, and, in particular, should see "Risk Factors" for a discussion of certain factors that should be considered in connection with an investment in the Offered Shares, including the risks that (i) even though the Company has obtained regulatory approval (CE-mark) in Europe for the Genio system based on first positive clinical trial results, this does not imply that clinical efficacy has been demonstrated and there is no guarantee that ongoing and future clinical trials intended to support further marketing authorizations (such as in the US) will be successful and that the Genio system will perform as intended, (ii) the Company's future financial performance will depend on the results of ongoing and future clinical studies and the commercial acceptance (including reimbursement) of the Genio system (the Company's only commercial-stage product at the date hereof), (iii) the Company has incurred operating losses, negative operating cash flows and an accumulated deficit since inception and may not be able to achieve or subsequently maintain profitability, (iv) the Company will likely require additional funds in the future in order to meet its capital and expenditure needs and further financing may not be available when required or could significantly limit the Company's access to additional capital. Not taking into account any proceeds of the Offering, the Company does not have sufficient working capital to meet its working capital needs for a period of at least 12 months from the date of the prospectus. All of these factors should be considered before investing in the Offered Shares. Prospective investors must be able to bear the economic risk of an investment in shares in the Company and should be able to sustain a partial or total loss of their investment. A picture containing clock, light, drawing Description automatically generated ADVERTISEMENT Story continues Nyxoah Initial Public Offering Multiple Times Over Subscribed and Early Closing Announced Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium 14 September 2020 Nyxoah S.A. (Nyxoah or the Company) a health-technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat sleep disordered breathing conditions, today announces that its initial public offering of new shares (the Offered Shares) with admission to listing on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels (the "Offering") in its maximum size, is multiple times oversubscribed at the upper end of the price range. Consequently, the Offering will close ahead of schedule at 4:00 pm (CEST) on Wednesday, 16 September 2020. A press release with the final results of the Offering will be published on Thursday, 17 September 2020. Offering The Offering was announced on Wednesday, 9 September 2020 and relates to an offering of up to 3,871,000 Offered Shares of the Company, which number may be increased by up to 15% (the Increase Option). Any decision to exercise the Increase Option will be communicated, at the latest, on the date of the announcement of the final results of the Offering, including the final offer price per Offered Share (the "Offering Price"). The price range of the Offering is between 14,00 and 17,00 per Offered Share. The initial offering period of the Offering started on Wednesday, 9 September 2020 and was scheduled to run until 4:00 pm (CEST) on Tuesday, 22 September 2020 subject to early closing, possible as of Wednesday, 16 September. The initial offering period of the Offering will be closed earlier on 4:00 pm (CEST) on Wednesday, 16 September, in application of the possibility provided for in the section "The Offering" of the Prospectus (as defined below). Conditional trading is expected to start on Friday, 18 September (the "Listing Date") and settlement of the Offering is expected to take place on Monday, 21 September. Belfius Bank NV/SA will, on the Underwriters behalf (as defined below), act as stabilization manager (the Stabilization Manager). The Stabilization Manager will be able to over-allot Offered Shares in the Offering in order to facilitate stabilization. The Stabilization Manager is expected to be granted a warrant to subscribe for additional new shares in the Company in a number equal to up to 15% of the number of Offered Shares subscribed for in the Offering at the Offering Price (as defined above) (the Over-allotment Option). The Over-allotment Option will be exercisable for a period of 30 calendar days following the Listing Date (as defined above) (the Stabilization Period). The Stabilization Manager may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the Company's shares during the Stabilization Period. These activities may support the market price of the Company's shares at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. Stabilization will not be executed above the Offering Price. Such transactions may be effected on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels, in the over-the-counter markets or otherwise. The Stabilization Manager and its agents are not required to engage in any of these activities and, as such, there is no assurance that these activities will be undertaken; if undertaken, the Stabilization Manager or its agents may discontinue any of these activities at any time and they must terminate at the end of the 30-calendar day period mentioned above. Prospectus and other information A prospectus and a supplement to this prospectus have been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, respectively on 8 and 10 September 2020 (the "Prospectus"). The FSMA only approved the Prospectus (including the summary of the Prospectus, the Summary) as meeting the standards of completeness, comprehensibility and consistency imposed by the Prospectus Regulation. Such approval should not be considered as an endorsement of the Company or the quality of the Offered Shares that are the subject of the Prospectus. Investors should make their own assessment as to the suitability of investing in the Offered Shares. The full Prospectus is available to prospective investors in Belgium in English and French with a summary in Dutch. The Prospectus is available to investors free of charge at the registered office of the Company (Nyxoah SA, Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) and on the websites of Nyxoah ( www.nyxoah.com ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( www.belfius.be and www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). The Prospectus and the Summary are also made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: www.nyxoah.com , www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 . The Prospectus can also be consulted on the website of the Company ( www.nyxoah.com ), whereby the access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. An investment in the Offered Shares involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors need to base their investment decision on the entire Prospectus and particularly, the risk factors, as described in the Prospectus. Prospective investors must be able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Offered Shares and should be able to sustain a partial or total loss of their investment. The Offering is subject to Belgian law and the courts of Brussels are exclusively competent to adjudicate any and all disputes with investors arising out of or in connection with the Offering and/or the Offered Shares. - ENDS - For further information, please contact: Nyxoah Remi Renard, VP Therapy Development and Education remi.renard@nyxoah.com +32 472 12 64 40 For media enquiries, please contact: Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Ashley Tapp, Lindsey Neville, Taiana De Ruyck Soares Nyxoah@consilium-comms.com +44 (0)20 3709 5700 About Nyxoah Nyxoah is a healthtech company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services for sleep disordered breathing conditions. Nyxoahs lead solution is the Genio system, a CE-validated, user-centered, next generation hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for OSA, the worlds most common sleep disordered breathing condition that is associated with increased mortality risk1 and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, depression and stroke. Following successful completion of the BLAST OSA study in patients with moderate to severe OSA, the Genio system received its European CE Mark in March 2019. The Company is currently conducting the BETTER SLEEP study in Australia and New Zealand for therapy indication expansion, and a post-marketing EliSA study in Europe to confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of the Genio system. For more information, please visit www.nyxoah.com . Caution CE marked since 2019. Investigational device in the United States. Limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use in the United States. Important Notice Any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares to be issued by Nyxoah (the "Company") in connection with the intended offering should only be made on the basis of information contained in the prospectus in connection with the intended offering and any supplements thereto, as the case may be (the "Prospectus"). This announcement is not a prospectus. The information contained in this announcement is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. Investors should not subscribe for any securities referred to in this document except on the basis of information contained in the Prospectus. The Prospectus contains detailed information about the Company and its business, management, risks associated with investing in the Company, as well as financial statements and other financial data. This announcement cannot be used as basis for any investment agreement or decision. The date of completion of listing on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels may be influenced by things such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that such listing will occur and investors should not base their financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to such listing at this stage. This communication is directed only at persons (i) who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who fall within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the Order) or (iii) who are high net worth entities or other persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as Relevant Persons). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person must not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. These materials do not constitute, nor form part of, an offer to purchase or sell or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities, and there shall not be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to its registration or qualification under the laws of such jurisdiction. A prospectus for purposes of Regulation 2017/1129, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a "Relevant State"), the Prospectus Regulation) and a supplement to the prospectus have been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority. The Prospectus and its supplement are made available to investors free of charge at the registered office of the Company (Nyxoah SA, Rue Edouard Belin 12, 1435, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium) and on the websites of Nyxoah ( www.nyxoah.com ) and of the Joint Global Coordinators ( www.belfius.be and www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). The Prospectus shall also be made available free of charge to investors (i) upon request by phone: +32 2 287 95 52 (Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA) and +32 222 12 01 and +32 222 12 02 (Dutch) (Belfius Bank NV/SA), and (ii) on the following websites: www.nyxoah.com , www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 and www.belfius.be/Nyxoah2020 . Access on the aforementioned websites is each time subject to the usual limitations. Investors are invited to consult section 2 of the Prospectus which contains specific information about risk factors. The distribution of this press release may be restricted by law or regulation in certain countries. Accordingly, persons who come into possession of this press release should inform themselves of and observe such restrictions. The securities referred to in this press release will not be publicly offered, and will not be registered, in any jurisdiction other than Belgium. In any Relevant State other than Belgium that has implemented the Prospectus Regulation, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Relevant State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. This announcement and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities of the Company, and are not for publication, distribution or release in, or into the United States of America, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be prohibited by applicable law. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering such investments should consult an authorized person specializing in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the intended offering. The value of the shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of the intended offering for the person concerned. No action has been taken by the Company that would permit an offer of Company's shares or the possession or distribution of these materials or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction outside of Belgium where action for that purpose is required. The release, publication or distribution of these materials in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which they are released, published or distributed, should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions. The issue, the subscription for or purchase of shares of the Company can be subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person. The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes", "estimates," "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "plans", "continue", "ongoing", "potential", "predict", "project", "target", "seek" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategies, plans, objectives, targets, goals, future events or intentions. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, its results of operations, prospects, growth, strategies and dividend policy and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. New risks can emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such risks, nor can the Company assess the impact of all such risks on its business or the extent to which any risks, or combination of risks and other factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Given these risks and uncertainties, the reader should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Without prejudice to the Company's obligations under applicable law in relation to disclosure and ongoing information, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements. Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA (the "Underwriters") are acting for the Company and no one else in relation to the intended offering, and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections offered to their respective clients nor for providing advice in relation to the intended offering. The Company assumes responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. None of the Underwriters or any of their respective affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made avail-able or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Each of the Underwriters and each of their respective affiliates accordingly disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which they might otherwise be found to have in respect of this announcement or any such statement or information. No representation or warranty express or implied, is made by any of the Underwriters or any of their respective affiliates as to the accuracy, completeness, verification or sufficiency of the information set out in this announcement, and nothing in this announcement will be relied upon as a promise or representation in this respect, whether or not to the past or future. 1 Young T. et al: Sleep Disordered Breathing and Mortality: Eighteen-Year Follow-up of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, Sleep. 2008 Aug 1; 31(8): 10711078. The deputies representing the opposition Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Bright Armenia (LHK) parties again challenged the legality of constitutional changes enacted by the parliaments pro-government majority. The changes call for the gradual resignation of seven of the Constitutional Courts nine judges who have been locked in a standoff with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians political team. Three of them were to resign with immediate effect. Also, Hrayr Tovmasian had to quit as court chairman but remain a judge. Tovmasian and the ousted judges refused to step down, saying that their removal is illegal and politically motivated. They appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to have them reinstated. Despite the legal action, Pashinian, President Armen Sarkissian and a national convention of Armenian judges have each nominated a candidate to replace the ousted judges. Under the Armenian constitution, all new members of the Constitutional Court must be appointed by the parliament in secret ballot. The National Assembly discussed the three candidacies ahead of the vote scheduled for Tuesday. The candidates held separate meetings with deputies from Pashinians My Step bloc prior to the parliament session. None of them met with the BHKs and the LHKs parliamentary groups, a fact deplored by the latter. I have been a member of the parliament since 2007 and cant recall any other case of parliamentary opposition factions being ignored in this fashion, said the BHKs Naira Zohrabian. Ruben Rubinian, a senior My Step lawmaker, criticized the opposition boycott. He also dismissed other critics claims that all three candidates for the vacant Constitutional Court seats were linked to Armenias former leadership in one way or another. The candidates were asked tough questions by other pro-government lawmakers. One of the candidates, Yervand Khundkarian, has headed the Court of Cassation, the countrys highest body of criminal and administrative justice, for the last two years. He was nominated by fellow judges in early August. According to media reports, the state Commission on the Prevention of Corruption has advised the parliament against appointing Khundkarian, citing his judicial track record. Also, My Steps Taguhi Tovmasian cited a 2013 report by the countrys former human rights ombudsman which accused Khundkarian of helping the former Armenian authorities suppress judicial independence. The nominee strongly denied that. Another candidate, Artur Vagharshian, was picked by President Armen Sarkissian. Vagharshian is a chair of jurisprudence at Yerevan State University. Sarkissian already nominated him for a vacant seat in the Constitutional Court as recently as in May 2019. The parliament majority rejected his candidacy at the time. Pro-government lawmakers were clearly unhappy with the presidents decision to again try to have Vagharshian appointed to the high court. From the editorial pages of the official media and the statements of leading politicians, the uninformed observer would have no idea that a world-famous Australian journalist is enduring extradition hearings that have been condemned as a legal travesty by rights organisations and United Nations representatives, or that he faces 175-years imprisonment for publishing evidence of war crimes. Because it is Britain that is staging the current show-trial of Julian Assange, and the US government that is seeking his destruction, the WikiLeaks publisher is largely being treated as a non-person by the Australian political and media establishment. Moreover, they, no less than their counterparts internationally, are committed to an agenda of militarism and escalating attacks on democratic rights, of which the persecution of Assange is a central component. A week since British hearings for Assanges extradition to the US resumed, his name does not appear to have passed the lips of a minister in the federal Liberal-National government or a prominent representative of the Labor Party opposition, publicly, at least. And nor does it seem that they have been asked by any members of the fourth estate about their silence. Assange in 2011. (Credit: Jacob Applebaum) Not a single editorial in the establishment media has called for Assange to be defended. This includes outlets such as the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, and the state-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which regularly proclaim their commitment to press freedom. The disinterest is not because the British proceedings have been uneventful, or the attacks on Assanges legal and democratic rights carefully concealed. Last weeks hearings began with Assange emerging for the first time in months from Belmarsh Prison, a maximum-security facility, where he has been detained for the past year-and-a-half, even though he has not been convicted of a crime. There he has been imperiled by the coronavirus pandemic, with the authorities failing to provide him with such basic protection as a mask, as dozens of inmates and staff have contracted the potentially deadly-virus. Before the trial, Assange was rearrested, despite the fact that there had been no change to his incarceration. The reason was that, weeks out from the trial, a new superseding indictment was filed by US prosecutors. This was plainly aimed at overwhelming Assanges lawyers with thousands of legal documents, after they had already finalised their defence case. Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected a defence request that the additional material in the superseding indictment be excised. But she also dismissed a defence motion for a delay, to allow Assanges lawyers to respond to the new allegations. Meanwhile, the US prosecutors have stated that the new material in the indictment, despite the fact that it does not contain additional charges, could itself be the basis for extradition. The US government is seeking to ensnare Assange in a Kafkaesque nightmare, where, even if extradition is blocked on the basis of the Espionage Act charges against him, he can still be dispatched to his American persecutors, based on the additional material in the new indictment, largely furnished by FBI informants, including a con-man previously convicted of impersonating Assange and stealing money from WikiLeaks. Taken together, the judicial abuses of the past week alone could be the subject of a short volume. They have been reviewed in the daily court reports published on the WSWS. But the travesty has not caused a scandal or provoked any opposition from the Australian establishment. This silent complicity is a continuation of the collaboration of every Australian government since 2010 in the US-led vendetta against Assange, beginning with the Greens-backed Labor administration of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. This has only become starker since the US first publicly sought Assanges extradition in April last year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has alternated between assurances that Assange will be provided with worthless consular assistance, and prejudicial declarations that he must face the music. Labor leader Anthony Albanese, like his predecessor Bill Shorten, has not said a word. Some of his colleagues, however, have given vent to Labors intense hostility to the WikiLeaks founder. Tanya Plibersek, then Labors deputy leader and still a prominent MP, responded to the scenes of Assange being illegally arrested and manhandled by British police, on April 11, 2019, by sharing a tweet branding anyone who defended him as a cultist. The bipartisan stance is inextricably tied to the Australian ruling elites support for US-led predatory wars and military preparations, including the criminal, 19-year occupation of Afghanistan, which WikiLeaks did so much to expose, and Washingtons economic, diplomatic and military confrontation with China. At the same time, Labor and Liberal-National governments have passed a battery of anti-democratic laws, first under the bogus war on terror, and more recently on the pretext of unsubstantiated claims of foreign interference. They have repeatedly increased maximum terms of imprisonment for whistleblowers, and introduced laws that would make it a criminal offence to even possess classified national security information. The line-up extends beyond the major parties. A handful of individual Greens MPs, current and retired, have made comments condemning the British hearings over the past week. Speaking for affluent layers of the upper-middle class, and preoccupied with seeking coalitions with Labor, or even the Liberals, the Greens, however, are organically hostile to any fight against war, authoritarianism and the major parties. That is why they have rejected calls, including from within their ranks, for a public, party campaign demanding the Australian government defend Assange. A couple of other MPs, including independent Andrew Wilkie, have also spoken out. He is the co-chair of a cross-party group of parliamentarians that claims to be committed to Bringing Assange home. Most of its 24 members have never mentioned Assange publicly, and its activities appear to be limited to the occasional statement or letter of opposition. Like similar toothless committees, its primary function is to bolster the illusion that a section of the political establishment will address Assanges dire plight. For their part, the pseudo-left organisations, such as Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance, have boycotted the campaign in defence of Assange for years. This has gone hand in hand with their increasingly open support for US regime-change operations in Syria, Libya and the Ukraine, and is bound up with their promotion of middle-class identity politics, which have been used to slander Assange on the basis of the discredited, frame-up allegations of sexual misconduct that were leveled against him by the Swedish state years ago. The refusal of the entire political establishment to uphold Assanges rights has been facilitated by the corporate media. Having repeated all of the slanders concocted by the intelligence agencies to undermine support for Assange over the course of a decade, dozens of prominent reporters discovered, when the WikiLeaks founder was charged by the Trump administration for publishing activities, that he was not really a journalist. To the extent that these assertions are based on a coherent argument, it appears to be that Assange is not part of their closed order, because he has never been employed by a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate and publishes information without having it vetted by the authorities. The shameful role of the media is underscored by the fact that the Assange precedentthe escalation of attacks on press freedom following the unveiling of the Espionage Act charges against himhas been evident here, including in the form of federal police raids targeting journalists, and threats of prosecution over stories exposing war crimes. Ironically, Assanges resumed hearing has coincided with a renewed campaign by the official media over press freedom. Its areas of focus are revealing. Numerous journalists have lined up with both their bosses and the federal government, to demand that Google and Facebook provide the media conglomerates with millions of dollars in advertising revenue, for the privilege of listing their content in search results and allowing it to be shared by social media users. Numbers of reporters have also condemned attacks on the press in China, dovetailing with stepped-up provocations against Beijing by the US and Australia. These concerns do not seem to extend to Britain. The reporters who have consistently opposed the attacks on Assange, such as the award-winning investigative journalists John Pilger and Andrew Fowler, and former SBS newsreader Mary Kostakidis, are notable, not only for their forthright defence of democratic principles, but also because they are the exception that proves the rule. The official mediaand most of the affluent careerists who staff itfunctions ever more as a willing adjunct of governments, intelligence agencies and the corporate elite. The response to the first week of Assanges resumed hearings has again demonstrated that the fight for his freedom must proceed through the development of a political movement of the working class. This is the only way that an Australian government will be compelled to uphold its obligations, under domestic and international law, to intervene in defence of Julian Assange. New Delhi, Sep 14 : In its ambition to expand its global influence, China is depending heavily on its United Front Work Department (UFWD)-a Mao-era contraption, which has been thoroughly revamped on Chinese leader Xi Jinpings watch. The UFWD was formed as a psychological tool to extend the influence of the Communist Party of China (CPC) within and beyond the Chinese borders. It has specifically targeted "influencers" among ethnic groups, business organisations, students, media organisations, politicians and more-in fact all those who can extend the Chinese official line, both domestically and abroad. At home the UFWD plays a critical role in channelling the CPC's narrative in restive areas, with sizeable non-Han populations, such as Xinjiang and Tibet. "Essentially it (UWFD) coordinates the party's 'scientific' efforts to win 'friends' - in ethnic groups, foreign political parties, western think tanks, overseas Chinese communities, private companies, non-Chinese nationals sitting on the advisory boards of Chinese companies like Huawei," writes Will Hutton in The Guardian, in his review of the book "Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World" by Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg. Mao Zedong, the architect of the Chinese revolution, had asserted that the UFWD had the power of a "magic weapon". "The Party is the heroic warrior wielding the two weapons, the united front and the armed struggle, to storm and shatter the enemy's positions," Mao wrote in 1939. Following Mao's footsteps, Xi swiftly recognised the value of the UFWD in soft-landing and dwarfing resistance to his Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-a trans-continental connectivity initiative, which serves the CPC as a powerful engine for elevating China as an unrivalled global power. During his address at the 19th edition of the twice-a-decade communist party congress in 2017, Xi had made China's aspirations in the so-called "new era" transparent. He had stressed that after becoming moderately prosperous by 2020, China would tread on a path of becoming the world's peerless superpower by 2050. Unsurprisingly, within three years of becoming China's paramount leader, Xi re-launched a revamped UFWD, whose primary purpose was now to make BRI palatable, especially abroad, by co-opting foreign elites, who could then become torchbearers for advancing Beijing's blueprint. Xi's overhaul of the UFWD began in 2014. Relying on his anti-corruption campaign, China's new leadership under Xi, which had acquired centre-stage at the end of 2012, began a comprehensive purge. Ling Jihua, the UFWD head then, was unceremoniously removed. Later he was sentenced to life in prison for corruption, abuse of power and clandestinely gathering state secrets. Ling's dismissal followed the month-long demonstrations in Hong Kong, and election of Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in November 2014-both events seen as failure of the UFWD and its leader to impactfully anchor China's interests. Next summer, following a national conference, major changes were made in the UWFD's architecture. A new centrally-controlled leading small group-a typical high-level body of the CPC, usually headed by a top-ranking leader, was formed to steer and tightly monitor the Fronts' functioning. According to some accounts, Xi personally heads the UWFD small leading group. It is estimated that the UWFD, which reports to the powerful Central Committee of the CPC has around 40,000 people in its ranks. With Xi's second term in office coming under the scanner, following military provocations in the South China Sea, the beginning of a new Cold War with the United States, and the China-India border in Ladakh, more details are emerging about UWFD's machinations on foreign soil. A study by, The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments-a Washington-based think-tank-has nailed the modus operandi of China's influence grab in three arenas-the European Union, Italy and the Czech Republic. In all three cases, specific influential individuals have been identified and cultivated to amplify, and if necessary, firefight, the narrative of the Party-state. On the institutional plane, Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), is the UFWD's public face. In a speech that he delivered in February, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described CPAFFC as the "public face of the Chinese Communist Party's official foreign influence agency, the United Front Work Department". The CPAFFC, in turn sponsors and mentor's numerous friendship associations comprising political, business, and other elites, in several countries across the globe. Those individuals who allow themselves to be co-opted then cascade the CPC's propaganda and robustly deflect or counter anti-China rhetoric. They also host public events showcasing CPC's merits, promote trade and investment and technology transfers. In Europe, they have become bullhorns calling for European policies that support China. Critics say that these bilateral associations have become a major cause of concern as they leverage Europe's open civil societies and free speech to wrest access to higher government decision-making channels. The CSBA study has analysed the EU-China Friendship Group, Italy-China Friendship Association and the Czech-China Chamber of Collaboration, to draw conclusions about China's current approach to shape European opinion in Beijing's favour through targeted elite co-option. Expanding on the EU-China Friendship Group, which was formed in 2006, the study reveals that this body comprises members of the European Parliament (EP). The CSBA analysis narrows its focus on the activities of Nirj Deva, a former British Member of European Parliament, who was the Chairman of the EU-China Friendship Group until mid-2019. The findings show that Deva undertook a government-guided tour of Tibet in 2016, and later lauded China's policies in Tibet. He also became an active defender and promoter of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xi's signature trans-continental connectivity project. In March 2019, Deva established the BRI Policy Coordination Committee, of which he became the Executive Chairman. Shortly afterwards, he attended the Second BRI summit in Beijing. Deva also stood out for defending China when the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China over the South China Sea in 2016. The tribunal had ruled that that China has "no historical rights" based on the "nine-dash line" map-a reference to China's unilateral declaration of its maritime boundary in the South China Sea. Deva also ran an unsuccessful public relations campaign that favoured Huawei, China's telecom giant, ahead of the European Parliament's vote on cyber-security and 5G technologies. Deva's defence of China's growing profile in Central and East European Countries has also not gone unnoticed. There are plenty of similarities in the modus operandi of the EU-China Friendship Group, and the functioning of the Italy-China Friendship Association (ICFA). CPAFFC officials in Beijing were closely involved in establishing ICFA in 2013. Irene Pevetti, is a former President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, with deep political and business connections in China became ICFA's President. Pivetti has been feverishly trying to shape a pro-China perception in Italy, using the ICFA as the platform. She has defended China's detention of Uighur Muslims, praising it as an "efficient anti-terrorism policy". Her stance on Tibet has also been predictable. In 2016, she expressed "regret" over Milan City Council's decision to bestow the title of "honourary citizen" on Dalai Lama. Like Deva, Pivetti has been a vigorous supporter of BRI. In October 2019, she signed a memorandum of cooperation between ICFA and the Silk Road Planning Research Center, a think tank on BRI. This think tank is overseen by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body, indirectly controlled by the UFWD. Pivetti has been involved in formally appointing several prominent overseas Italian-Chinese individuals to leadership positions in ICFA. In the Czech Republic, the Czech-China Chamber of Collaboration, has been nodal in projecting Chinese interests after signing a cooperation agreement with the CPAFFC in 2012. The Chamber plays multiple roles, which transcend economic partnerships. For instance, it has been engaged in linking local governments, and even facilitating visits by Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping in 2016. Once again, the Chamber has targeted key influencers, to push Chinese interests. The Chamber's first chairman was Jan Kohout, a former Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs. Apart from working to alter his country's traditional position on Tibet and human rights in China, he established the New Silk Road Institute Prague after leaving the Chamber in 2015. The Institute promoted China's foreign and economic policy goals until its closure in 2019. Former Czech Defence Minister Jams lav Tvrdik succeeded Kohout. From a Chinese perspective, this was a coup, for Tvrdik became personal advisor on China to Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Beijing leanings after he became Czech President in 2013. Tvrdik closely cooperated with the CPAFFC in various domains, including culture, economics, and business, according to the CSBA study. Tvrdik apparently facilitated and strengthened the CPC's relationship both at the local level within the Czech Republic and at the national and local levels with other European countries. It is almost certain that so long as Xi is in power, Beijing will continue to expand and embellish the global UFWD network to promote the BRI as the keystone for realising the Chinese Dream of making China an unrivaled hard and soft power by 2050. An equally robust and coordinated riposte by world's democracies and like- minded countries now becomes imperative to prevent the rise of a totalitarian international system led by China. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) Chandler Kinser wants to work in Homeland Security. Lupita Rodriguez is interested in Juvenile Probation. Being a detective is Jose Cedanos dream. And Ariel Sanford would like to start out as a crime scene investigator and work her way up to the FBI. Though their career paths may be different, these four Dalton State College students recently received an up-close look at how they could all end up working together someday in the real world of law and order. As part of Dr. Natalie Johnsons Advanced Criminological Theory course, the students first watched as team members discussed Drug Court participants during their weekly staff meeting in the Juror Assembly Room at the Whitfield County Courthouse. Then it was a short walk over to Courtroom 3, where Judge Jim Wilbanks presided over his weekly Drug Court session. This is one of the highest level courses our students can take, Dr. Johnson explained. Theyre learning about how theory informs social policy, so what theyre doing here today is seeing policy in action. We know a lot of times addiction starts from trauma, but how are we going to help people rather than just send them to prison? What other ways can we help them? And thats what these students are here to learn about and see first and foremost. Then in the courtroom, we can see how Drug Court operates, looking at how it gives people a second chance. During the staff meetings held each Thursday morning at 8 a.m., members of the Drug Court team talk candidly about participants and possible participants with other members of the judicial system. These staff meetings, Judge Wilbanks tells the students, are just a very dynamic mixture of community resources that are part of the Drug Court team. Its a pretty amazing process, he says. Ive got the district attorneys office at the table, state probation at the table, a Dalton detective at the table, the public defenders office at the table. So Ive got all these people coming together who typically are on opposite sides of the law, but for this purpose, theyre all working together trying to help people that are in addiction, which is the goal. Pandemic hasnt stopped Drug Court The pandemic may have reduced the number of active participants in the program, but Judge Wilbanks points out that theyve still managed to hold two graduation ceremonies since March, where people who have completed the stringent requirements for the program were honored for their two or more years of work. One graduation was by Zoom, the other a combination of Zoom and social distancing and masks in the large meeting room at Edwards Park. At this meeting in August, a young woman who just delivered a baby a few days earlier is being considered by the staff to enter the program. Normally, participants are housed in shelters to remove them from the environment that often facilitates their addiction, but because the womens shelter at Providence Ministries is still being renovated, the staff struggles to find a place for the woman and her baby before learning late in the meeting that they may be able to stay in transitional housing at the Salvation Army. Judge Wilbanks also hears updates from the staff about other participants, including how each of them is progressing, and later that morning, in the Drug Court session, hell use that information to encourage them along the way. He smiles when he hears that one man in particular has successfully completed the program after 51 months (normally it takes 24 months, though the time varies from person to person) and will be graduating with a few others on Sept. 24 during a ceremony at Edwards Park. Another woman draws praise from staff member Lisa ONeal. Shes opening up and is in such a different place mentally, physically, and spiritually, Ms. ONeal explains. Its like a light bulb has come on. Wait till you see her today! She looks alive now. Judge Wilbanks tells the students that sometimes such a change is like a flip of a switch. It can be that sudden, he says, and as black and white as me going and turning these lights off and on. Its physical we can see it in the way they look, we can see it in the way they present themselves, we can see it in the way they talk. This particular participant has been a real challenge, the judge says, and I had to send her off because of sanction issues (to RSAT, Regional Substance Abuse Treatment, where participants receive intensive treatment behind bars). Weve got to work on our families Hearing about progress like this now, Judge Wilbanks says, is the part of the program that I love, and I think everybody loves, too, because if we were to place bets, probably half of us would say theyll never make it, and the other half would say we hope and pray they will. Then as we get a few months into the program, we see them transitioning, see them growing, see them changing in a very positive way, and we look at each other and go, wow wow. "Its quite an amazing feat, and its the part I really love because most of our folks really make a change in their lives and not only that, they make a change in their spouses life, if theyre married, or their significant other, certainly their children. And if you want to change this community, if you want to change this state and this country, we need to put families back together. Ive said several times, the dysfunction and the breakup of our families is the core cause of our societal issues, so weve got to work on our families. This young woman had actually asked to be terminated from the program at one point, struggling to meet the expectations, but the judge and his team refused. We told her we care too much, Ms. ONeal says. Were not gonna let you go down that path. She was a hard case; she had literally given up. But now that she sees we actually care, shes texting us now - you guys really care, its not just your job. And its been awesome to see her transition to where she is right now. Unfortunately, such a storybook ending doesnt always happen. Weve got three people that have fled, Judge Wilbanks explains to the students a few minutes later. Theyve absconded and for whatever reason have decided theyve had enough of us in recovery, so they have warrants out for their arrests. They will be arrested and will be back in court, and a decision will be made at that time whether or not they stay in the program. Drug Court is often the only thing standing between an addict and a trip to prison. If a staff evaluation determines a person is a good fit for the program, he or she receives an invitation to join instead of serving time in prison. However, Judge Wilbanks has often pointed out that being in Drug Court will probably be the hardest thing the participants will ever do, and if they fail to live up to their end of the legal agreement, they can wind up back in prison to serve the remainder of their sentence. At first, participants have to appear weekly to report on their progress before Judge Wilbanks, who says he can often see a noticeable difference in their demeanor as they pass through the five phases of the program. Not a typical role of a judge As far as my responsibilities as a judge, he says, I need to engage these people for at least three minutes. The concept is they dont care how much I know until they know how much I care. Basically the concept is that I engage them in conversation, make eye contact, have a conversation with them about their recovery, their progress, their family, their lives. They understand my role is not a typical role of a judge. My role is to support them and help them grow in recovery successfully, whereas a judges role in a typical courtroom setting in most cases is just to decide how long Im going to put them in jail or on probation. So this is a very different role. As the participants progress through their recovery and reach the higher phases of the program, then we require less of them, and we step down the intensiveness of the program, Judge Wilbanks said. We step down the personal appearances in front of me (to monthly by Phase 5). Drug Court is all about personal accountability the structural part of that personal accountability is they have to show up and engage me and catch up with me as to whats going on with them. Its not always the Drug Court staff that makes a difference, though. Often, the participants themselves bond together and offer support during what can be very trying times. On this day, Ms. Lawson points to the case of a young man who is brand new to the program. Today is his first time coming before the judge in the program in street clothes, she explains. When he pled in last week, the guys pooled their money and bought him a phone. They took him out and got him something to eat said, hey, you need some clothes, got him an outfit. Theyll make sure today when he walks into court, hes got a button-down and tie on. Theyll make sure hes prepared for that, that he knows what hes doing. They just kinda take him under their wings and make sure hes okay. That kind of emotional support is often new to addicts. In the conversation I had with this young man, he was tear-driven talking about how he couldnt believe how willing to help him, everyone is, Ms. Lawson said. I told him, yeah, you get to where theyre at, youre gonna do the same thing for someone else, brand new, coming in not knowing what to expect next. So its just kinda paying it forward. In recovery, one of the sayings is you cant keep what you have unless you give it away. Thats their thinking, that if Im gonna keep my gratitude, I gotta give away gratitude. If Im gonna keep my sobriety, I gotta help someone else, so its not just about me getting to the front of the line, but dragging everybody else with me on my way there. I am my brothers keeper Ms. Lawson says she tries to stress to the participants that I am my brothers keeper I am responsible for the guy sitting next to me, and if hes successful, then Im successful. They build friendships, but they also build a brotherhood. They become like brothers and family. Like if they become roommates, we have guys that have gone through this whole program, even after the program, they stay roommates and friends and become part of one anothers families. Theyre uncles to their kids. Its a pretty awesome process to watch for us, too. Seeing a person complete the program and turn their lives around is a pretty awesome process, too. Take the story, literally, of a young man named Storey, who was honored during the Drug Court session on this day and received a temporary diploma in advance of his actual graduation ceremony on Sept. 24. I came into this program fearing the consequences of the life that I was living, he told Judge Wilbanks. But for years I was too afraid of dealing with my baggage and find out who I really am to even think about trying recovery. I bucked the rules in this program. I used substances for over a year. I went to RSAT and still had no intention of changing. I wanted to do the bare minimum and handle my problems my way. Finally, after going to PDC, it flipped my world upside down, Storey said. I took a long hard look in the mirror and saw the monster I had become after 14 years of fighting the system, fighting change, and fighting the rules. For the first time in my life, I saw how wrong I really was. Coming back from PDC, I still had a bad attitude, and I still carried all the hurt that I carried my entire life. Dont get me wrong. I still hurt, but every days a little better than the last. He thanked Judge Wilbanks and the Drug Court staff, his friends, and his sponsor for their help in his recovery. Its because of this program and all the people involved that I pushed myself every day to be the best father, husband, son, grandson, employee that I could be. Its because of this program that I now know theres no limit to what I can do with this life. Addiction no longer defines me, its just a trait that I live with. Judge Wilbanks admitted its been a bumpy road for Storey, but youre still here, not because of me making you be here per se, but its because you finally made a decision - look, I can do this, and I want to do this, and I am gonna do this. And you did it. I will tell you, Storey, that its been a journey for you, its been a journey for us and for me. I have seen you mature and become a very positive young man and the father that you are. So thank you for that. Everyone knows that you wouldnt be here if you didnt want to be here. You are where you are because of your hard work, and were just happy to have been a small part of it. Multiple violator terminated but still has hope Sometimes, though, the story isnt so happy. On this day, the judge has the unenviable task of revoking one participants probation and sending him back to prison for two years (with more than 17 years of probation hanging over his head), though even at that, Judge Wilbanks was still offering hope for the young man to turn his life around. He came before the judge with 16 prior violations in Drug Court fired from job, relapsed, quit job, no-contact violation, oversleeping and disrespectful to staff and not following directives, kicked out of Providence, not following staff directives, missed drug screening, overslept, missed drug screening, not following program directives two times, violated home confinement order, late to work while on a do-or-die contract with this court, and not following program directives three times. My feeling is Ive listened to your attorney and I want to believe what she says about your desire to get through your prison sentence, get out on probation, and do the right thing, Judge Wilbanks says to the young man, and I certainly want you to, too. I feel like Im gonna have you for 17 years, and Ive got plenty of time to revoke your first offender status in the future, should you put me in that position again. I hope thats not the position you put me in. I am going to give you another opportunity to maintain your first offender status, which means you can get through this not being a convicted felon and do what your lawyer has expressed so eloquently on your behalf of having a future. Thats my goal, thats my wish, thats my prayer for you at this point. Theres still opportunity, and thats what Im trying to make sure you understand, the judge adds. You still have opportunity; you still have a reason to be successful on this probation. If you choose not to, Ive got plenty of time to revoke it and resentence you, and trust me, I will. I try not to make the same mistake twice. Ive given you multiple opportunities, and Im giving you another one, even as I sentence you to 17-plus years, Im giving you another one. I wish you the best and I trust youre going to make the best out of the circumstances youve gotten yourself into. I would be one of your biggest fans to hear about a graduation and a profession that you decide to get into. Good luck, sir. Seeing that sentence handed down was an emotional moment for the Dalton State students to witness, Mr. Cedano said. All the other participants, you got the feeling that they were making some sort of progress, but then we see one of them going back a few steps, he said. That was powerful. Watching somebodys freedom being taken away like that is never easy, Dr. Johnson said. Sometimes its deserved, she said, but its never easy, so I dont envy the judges position. To get back to competition, the Nebraska athletic department announced Thursday it had secured 1,200 rapid antigen tests capable of telling Husker athletes if they have contracted the coronavirus within an hour. The Big Red's testing plan, developed in conjunction with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, uses a front-of-the-nose swab to gather samples and will allow the athletic department to test entire teams in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln continues to rely on the state's $27 million coronavirus testing program, Test Nebraska, to provide free COVID-19 testing for students who fall sick or may have been in contact with someone who is, as well as the Nebraska Medicine-run University Health Center. Both testing sites available to students rely on the longer nasal swabs run through a polymerase chain reaction, which looks for traces of the virus' genetic material in samples. But as it formed its plan to safely bring students back to campus this summer, UNL officials heard a pitch from experts on campus for a preemptive, saliva-based rapid testing option similar to what's in use at other universities across the country. The saliva tests, which were given emergency-use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in August, require students to simply spit in a plastic tube to be turned over to health professionals, making them less invasive than the swabs. They can also be processed with equipment commonly found in most university labs using chemical reagents easier to obtain than those needed for the tests done by Test Nebraska. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said the testing method has allowed it to identify students who have contracted COVID-19 within three to six hours of a test, while the University of Utah found the results were as accurate at detecting the coronavirus through nasal swabs. Colin Meiklejohn, an assistant professor in UNL's School of Biological Sciences who studies evolutionary genetics, said a white paper about a saliva test developed by a team at the University of Colorado-Boulder caught his eye earlier this year. The saliva test requires little more than a tube, pipettes, a heating source and an enzyme mixture that alerts the user if the virus is present by changing colors. Colorado deployed the test to 7,500 students before they moved back to campus in mid-August as part of its unique, multi-pronged campus surveillance program being built from the ground up by university scientists and researchers. Meiklejohn said he followed the approach developed by the Colorado researchers and ordered a kit from a biotech company to test its effectiveness. The test took 60 minutes from sample to result, he said. In all, he estimated the university could administer the tests for as little as $5 and "possibly much less if things were done at scale." Meiklejohn showed his results to Michael Herman, the director of the School of Biological Sciences, who also specializes in genetics, and explained the potential benefits of mass rapid testing, as well as the limitations of his expertise. "I can envision the science part of the testing, because that's what I know," Meiklejohn said at the time, adding the details of how to get approvals for the test, how to pay for it, as well as how it would work in conjunction with UNL's other COVID-19 response plans would still need to be worked out. Herman said he was sold on the idea and agreed to pitch it to administrators. I read this thing and I said, I think we can do this, Herman said. We can do it using instrumentation that we have in most molecular biology labs. If UNL could harness the machines needed to run the samples that were scattered across campus, as well as secure enough of the "easily obtained" reagents, Herman estimated the process could yield as many as 1,000 tests per day five times the daily capacity of the Test Nebraska site on campus. "We weren't inventing anything, just applying technology others had developed," Herman said. "We've all been concerned about testing and having adequate testing, and all of us in the community want to pitch in and help as much as we can." But by the time Herman put the proposal in front of UNL's "Forward to Fall" planning committee in late July, including a plan to have the School of Biological Sciences and the Nebraska Center for Virology run the test samples, he found it was too late in the process. The dean of UNL's College of Arts and Sciences, Mark Button, followed up with Amy Goodburn, senior associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate education, and Bob Wilhelm, the vice chancellor for research and economic development, soon after in an email obtained by the Journal Star through a public records request. "I understand the testing protocols for campus are still in progress and I have heard you each say that you are confident that Test Nebraska will provide us with sufficient testing capacity to go along with the rest of our layered intervention strategies," Button wrote. "I am just writing to see if you think there would be any benefit in exploring ways that (School of Biological Sciences) and (Nebraska Center for Virology) faculty might add another layer to our campus public health strategies," he added. "They certainly seem willing and eager to help." In a reply, Goodburn said the university was nearing an agreement to bring a Test Nebraska site to campus. The state-funded program could be scaled to meet the needs of 30,000 students, faculty and staff at no extra cost to the university, a spokeswoman said. Goodburn added UNL also hadn't received a go-ahead to do saliva testing from the health experts it relied on to build its COVID-19 response plans. "Baseline saliva testing hasn't been recommended by (Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department) or our UNMC consultants, but many other campuses are rolling it out so it's good to know we have expertise on this campus in case we head that direction," she wrote. "The situation is ever evolving and it might be a possibility to explore in these changing conditions," Goodburn added. As of Thursday, more than 3,200 students at UNL have been tested since the on-campus site opened Aug. 12, with 545 testing positive. Since classes began, UNL students have accounted for nearly half of all new cases in Lancaster County. Chancellor Ronnie Green has said UNL is looking at how it can implement surveillance testing on campus after clusters have occurred in several Greek houses and residence hall floors, but no firm plans have been announced. Deb Fiddelke, UNL's chief communications officer, said the university is watching the breakthroughs in various testing methods taking place across the country and will try to remain flexible in its approach to its public health guidelines as it can. "Before we can roll something out on campus, we need to see something go from 'we really believe this can be done' to 'we absolutely know this can be done,'" she said. Herman said the scientists and researchers on campus are willing to pitch in where they can. "This is super important, and if we can shift gears to help out with it, we will," he said. Milestones in state's coronavirus fight Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS A species of mosquito originally from Asia threatens to put tens of millions of city-dwellers in Africa at higher risk of catching malaria as the invading insect spreads throughout the continent, a study said Monday. Malaria -- which killed 400,000 people in 2018, mainly children in Africa -- is caused by parasites that roughly 40 mosquito species spread among humans when they feed. The Anopheles gambiae group of mosquito species are the main drivers of malaria's spread in Africa, but these insects dislike the polluted puddles seen in cities and haven't learned to lay their larvae in urban fresh water tanks. For these reasons, most malaria transmission in Africa occurs in rural areas. In a new study published in the Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), medical entomologist Marianne Sinka, of the University of Oxford, charted the spread of another species, Anopheles stephensi, which originated in Asia. This species has learned to slip through cracks to access water tanks, favoring those made from brick and cement. "It's the only one that's really good at getting into central urban areas," Sinka told AFP. Anopheles stephensi caused a major outbreak in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa in 2012, a city where malaria hardly existed, and has since been observed in Ethiopia, Sudan and elsewhere. Sinka and colleagues combined location data for the species with spatial models that identified the environmental conditions characterizing its preferred habitat: high-density urban areas where it is hot and rainfall is plentiful. Their study found that 44 cities are "highly suitable" locations for the insect, putting 126 million more Africans -- mainly around the equatorial regions -- at risk of malaria, compared to today. "That means that Africa, which has already got the highest burden of malaria, could have an even bigger impact," said Sinka, with 40 percent of the continent's population in urban areas. Unlike African mosquitoes, which like to bite humans when at night when it is cool, Anopheles stephensi can feed in the evening when it is warmer, making bed nets less effective. So installing mosquito nets on windows, soaking the walls in insecticides, and covering the body are better ways to protect against this species. Longer term, the most effective measure is to target the larvae: eliminate stagnant water and tightly seal water tanks from intrusion. These methods proved effective in India, said Sinka. Questions around the state of economy and GST compensation, and the fate of migrant labourers and job losses dominated the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. A total of 55 questions were asked to the Ministry of Finance by over 100 Lok Sabha MPs, while 31 questions were asked to the labour ministry by around 70 Parliamentarians. The Lok Sabha MPs asked finance ministry about decline in imports and exports, to which the MoS Finance Anurag Thakur responded that 30.2% decrease in imports and 46.7% decrease in exports, during the months of pandemic compared to corresponding months in the previous year, was in line with the global trends. The MoS finance gave examples of the Rs 20 lakh crore Atmanirbhar package, faster clear of MSME dues, collateral-free lending programs and cash transfers under the Rs 1.70 lakh crore relief under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the poor, as examples of incentives given by the government to tackle the slump in economy. Earlier this month, the government had announced that the countrys April-June quarter GDP had contracted by a massive 23.9% year-on-year (YoY), the first GDP contraction in more than 40 years. Several MPs also questioned the government about the shortfall in GST collection and about the GST compensation to states. MoS Anurag Thakur said that as far as compensation to the state was concerned, loss of revenue to the States shall be calculated and released at the end of every two months period. The government admitted that private consumption spending fell by 26.7 per cent and Investment demand also declined by 47.1 per cent and expressed hope of reviving the economy through the special economic Atmanirbhar package. As many as 10 MPs also asked the MoS Labour and Employment ministry for data on the number of deaths of migrant labourers who were returning to their home states after the implementation of the lockdown. In response to two separate questions, minister Santosh Gangwar said that the government did not have any data on the deaths of migrant workers. Various studies have come out with different estimates on the number of casualties of migrant workers as they desperately tried to reach their homes, dying on railway tracks, in road accidents, from police brutality, from exhaustion, suicides and out of starvation. Estimates vary from 200 to 400. Santosh Gangwar was also asked whether there were incidents of migrant labourers being prevented from returning to homes. Gangwar claimed that forced retention during Covid-19 has not been reported. Although there were reports of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa cancelling movement of Shramik trains and appealing workers to work in the construction sector. Many opposition leaders had called Yediyurappas treatment of migrant labourers in his state as worse than treating them as bonded labour." The government was also asked to furnish the number and details of migrant workers, labourers, daily wagers for whom the arrangement of job has been made". Gangwar said that the government does not maintain such data. The government of Ghana has revealed that it has secured 71.5 million Euros in funding for the construction of and equipment of 12 new hospitals across the country. The 12 40-bed hospitals, when completed will also have associated staff accommodation facilities for hospital workers. This was announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo during his tour of the Bono East region. Performing the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the Mim Community Hospital, on Sunday, 13th September 2020, President Akufo-Addo explained that the rationale for the construction of these hospitals is to guarantee access to healthcare for all Ghanaians, through improving existing healthcare facilities, and constructing new ones in places where none exist in the country. According to President Akufo-Addo, the funding for the construction of these hospitals has been secured from Erste Group Bank AG and Ceska Sporitelna a.s., with the hospitals set to be constructed by VAMED Engineering GmbH of Austria, a global leader in the construction of healthcare facilities. The beneficiary communities are Jumapo, Kwabeng, Nkwatia, Achiase and Adukrom in the Eastern Region; Suame, Drobonso, Sabronum, Manso Nkwanta, Twedie in the Ashanti Region and; Kpone Katamanso in the Greater Accra Region. These projects, including that of Mim, are expected to be completed in twenty-four (24) months. The commencement of these projects serves as further evidence of Government's commitment to achieving the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and Universal Health Coverage for all Ghanaians, the President said. He continued Bringing primary health care services to the doorstep of communities and individuals remains a priority agenda of my government, and will be sustained beyond 2020. These health infrastructures represent great assets for our nation, and will help reduce maternal and child health morbidity and mortality. Upon completion, the Mim Community hospital will be fitted with the following staff offices; outpatient department and a public health wing; surgical suite consisting of a theatre, recovery ward, and a sterilisation unit; delivery unit and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); laboratory, pharmacy and x-ray; thirty (30)-bed ward for males, females and paediatrics; services block containing the laundry, stores and a cold room; and staff accommodation. Other components of the project package include supply and installation of medical equipment; 1-year post completion warranty and maintenance; and a training component for staff. President Akufo-Addo urged the contactor, VAMED Engineering GmbH, to work assiduously, and ensure that this project is delivered on time and on budget, and was expectant that that they will employ indigenes during the construction period. He assured the chiefs and people of Mim that the construction of the hospital project is a sign of greater things to come for the town, adding that with four more for Nana and the NPP, I expect that all of us, gathered here, will be present again, God-willing, for the commissioning of this project, once it is completed. ---CitiNewsRoom Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:18:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli strikes targeted positions of the pro-Iran fighters in eastern Syria on Monday, killing 10 of them, a war monitor reported. Six powerful explosions were heard in the al-Bukamal city in the countryside of Deir al-Zour early on Monday in what appeared to be Israeli strikes targeting pro-Iran fighters, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strikes also destroyed ammunition depots and vehicles, said the Observatory. It added that ambulances were seen rushing to the targeted areas. The strike is the latest Israeli targeting of pro-Iran fighters in Syria. On Sept. 3, Israeli strikes targeted pro-Iran fighters in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, killing nine fighters. 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 New Delhi, Sep 14 (UNI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday assured 48,000 slum dwellers of Delhi, that their homes will not be demolished, and ensured them of giving pucca houses before they are moved. Addressing a special session in the Delhi Assembly today, Mr Kejriwal said, "I assure all the 48000 slum dwellers that until your son, your brother is alive, your homes will not be demolished. We will ensure pucca houses to all 48000 slum dwellers before they are moved. Even if I have to touch someone's feet, even if I have to struggle, I will provide a house to you." "As this issue is already subjudice in the Supreme Court, I would like to assure this assembly with a very brief statement. First of all, there has been an order to remove 48000 slums in three months. I believe that during this time of COVID-19 pandemic, it will not be advisable to remove these 48000 slums," he said. Ukraine drastically cuts imports from Russia in seven years 21:59, 14.09.20 1635 The Ukrainian banking sector is seeing a serious outflow of Russian capital. LG is opening a new page in its smartphone history with the Wing 5G. The company felt that the current candybar smartphone design has been stagnant and could use a refresh with a swivel. Weve seen phones with two screens and swiveling was a thing back in the early 2000s on several feature phones but LG is re-imaging how and what you can do with a secondary screen. LGs Explorer Project an initiative that aims to breathe new life in smartphone design. Its about taking risks and bringing practical innovations to customers and the Wing is just the beginning. LG also revealed it will partner with a range of partners including Qualcomm, search engine Naver and streaming platforms Tubi and Ficto to take advantage of its new design. The LG Wing comes with a curved 6.8-inch P-OLED main display with FHD+ resolution and a 20.5:9 aspect ratio. The selfie camera is a 32MP pop-up solution. The secondary screen is a 3.9-inch G-OLED with FHD+ resolution and a 1.15:1 aspect ratio. As you can imagine theres no official IP rating but the screens do come with a water repellent coating. The big deal with the Wing is that you can use it as a regular phone if you so please but once you pop the main screen horizontally you get a whole new form factor with its own unique use-cases. LG is betting big on content consumption and is targeting the Wing at users who love watching videos on the go. Thanks to the second display you get no screen interference when you receive notifications and youre left with a more immersive viewing experience. You can also edit videos directly after you shot them straight on the secondary screen or use GPS navigation while managing incoming notifications on the smaller screen. The swivel design comes with a dual lock mechanism and a hydraulic damper which absorbs shock. LG claims the Wing should last 200,000 swivels. LG also managed to get the dimension close to regular smartphones at 169.5 x 74.5 x 10.9 mm. The phone weighs in at 260 grams. The rest of the specs include a 64MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide shooter specifically for swivel mode and another 13MP ultrawide. Theres a gimbal mode with a virtual joystick on the secondary screen. The Wing is powered by the Snapdragon 765G paired with 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage. The battery comes in at 4,000 mAh and theres also wireless charging support on board. LG did not reveal pricing details but the Wing will come to the US on Verizon first, followed by AT&T and T-Mobile. Theres no exact release date though LG will reveal more details soon. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday called for equal respect to all the languages and emphasised that no language should be either imposed or opposed. Addressing an online event organised by Madhuban Educational Books on the occasion of Hindi Divas 2020, the Vice President said that all our languages have a rich history and we should be proud of our language diversity and cultural heritage. Mentioning that Mahatma Gandhi had found the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in 1918, the Vice President emphasised that Hindi and other Indian languages should be seen as complementary to each other. To increase goodwill, love and affection among the citizens, Shri Naidu suggested that students from non-Hindi speaking states should learn Hindi and the students from Hindi speaking states should learn one more Indian language such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada etc. Expressing happiness over the importance given to mother tongue in NEP-2020, the Vice President called for providing education in mother tongue for inclusive education. "This helps the children in learning and understanding the subject better and they are able to express themselves better", he said. Noting that education in mother tongue would necessitate the easy availability of good books in Hindi and other Indian languages, the Vice President said publishing houses will have an important role in this. Expressing the need for all Indian languages to grow together, Naidu called upon the publishers and educators to work for enhancing dialogue between our languages. David Wilcox I edit The Citizen's features section, Lake Life, and weekly entertainment guide, Go. I've also been writing for The Citizen and auburnpub.com since 2006, covering arts and culture, business, food and drink, and more. Follow David Wilcox 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 After the University at Buffalo removed Millard Fillmore's name from a building there, one of the 13th U.S. president's descendants is hoping to educate students in his native county about him. Joyce Hackett Smith-Moore, of Auburn, hopes to launch an essay contest involving Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES high schools later this school year. The contest will ask seniors at each of the nine schools in the area to write essays about Fillmore based on their reading of former Moravia history teacher Robert Scarry's 2009 biography of the president. Copies of the book will be provided to the schools' libraries before the contest, Smith-Moore told The Citizen. She is organizing the contest with a committee that includes officials from the town of Summerhill, where Fillmore was born in a log cabin in 1800. A quilt raffle will be held to raise money for a $500 scholarship for the overall winner of the contest, as judged by the committee. The winner from each school in the contest will receive a watch, Smith-Moore said. The contest will address what she believes is the reason for the contemporary backlash against Fillmore that led the University at Buffalo to remove his name from its academic center in August. "People don't really know that much about Fillmore," she said. "It's just unfortunate that they don't have his full story." What most do know about the president, and what ultimately led the university to remove his name from its building, is his signing of the Compromise of 1850 that included the Fugitive Slave Act compelling U.S. citizens to help recapture runaway slaves. Fillmore also ran for president in 1856 as the candidate of the nativist Know Nothing Party. Buffalo university strips Cayuga County native Fillmore's name from building Three historic figures whose legacies included the espousal of slavery or promotion of racist policies will have their names stripped off buildings, facilities and roads at the University at Buffalo. Commemorating the name of a figure so intertwined with racist policy and values can "send a chilling message," said Robert Silverman, a University at Buffalo professor who called for the institution to stop honoring Fillmore. The Buffalo politician was the university's first chancellor, from the time he helped found it in 1846 to his death in 1874. A statue of him also sits outside Buffalo City Hall. But Smith-Moore believes there's more to Fillmore's story worth knowing. She's spent years researching it, many of them at the Cayuga-Owasco Lakes Historical Society in Moravia where some of his belongings are displayed and she once served as president. It was also there that she learned of her distant relation to Fillmore while doing genealogy research, she said. For instance, Fillmore was actually opposed to the Fugitive Slave Act, Smith-Moore said. He was born in an area that became part of the Underground Railroad, she noted, and also hosted speeches by abolitionists like Frederick Douglass. But as president, he believed it was his constitutional duty to carry out the will of Congress by signing the act. "God knows I detest slavery, but it is an existing evil, for which we are not responsible, and we must endure it and give it such protection as is guaranteed by the constitution, till we get rid of it without destroying the last hope of free government in the world," he wrote in a letter to his secretary of state, Daniel Webster. Smith-Moore also believes it's worth celebrating Fillmore for his role in sending Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan to open the isolationist country to trade with America. The president was an early proponent of the transcontinental railroad as well, urging Congress to authorize it. And along with Webster, Fillmore increased the country's influence in Hawaii. Those are some of the reasons why the president has "a good reputation" in Moravia and Summerhill, Smith-Moore said. The area celebrates him at not only the local historical society, but a marker and pavilion at his birth site. His name also lives on in Fillmore Glen State Park, the village's Fillmore Days and Millard Fillmore Elementary School. Smith-Moore said she's unaware of any efforts to remove Fillmore's name in the area. Moravia's mayor, Gary Mulvaney, said the same, and that he would like to see the name remain where it is. Multiple members of the Moravia Central School District and school board did not respond to requests for comment. Regardless, Smith-Moore doesn't want to wait for the efforts that began in Buffalo to reach Moravia. With the upcoming essay contest, she hopes to help the next generation understand the historical context that she believes has been overlooked when it comes to Fillmore. "He grew up at a time when it was really bad," she said. "That's why it's important to get those books in the school libraries." Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @drwilcox. Love 7 Funny 2 Wow 0 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. New Jersey has received more than $75.7 million in federal funding to support the states response and recovery to the novel coronavirus. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, both Democrats, announced the state funding coming from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Community Development Block Grant program. The funding, which was secured by the senators in the CARES Act, is in addition to the $53 million and $31 million in CDBG grants that were announced earlier this year, according to a news release. Although our state is in a much better place than we were six months ago, New Jerseys families and communities are still struggling, said Menendez. This funding is a lifeline for so many communities throughout our state and will ensure homeowners, renters, families and seniors have the tools and resources to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Booker said the COVID-19 health crisis requires a coordinated response from all levels of government. Woman wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks by a SAIC Motor logo at a sales event in Shanghai By Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese automakers have announced plans to increase sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a niche segment in the world's biggest auto market, and the government is expected to announce supportive new policies, possibly as early as this month . SAIC Motor <600104.SS>, China's biggest automaker which has partnerships with Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co , said on Sunday it plans to sell over 10,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2025. Commercial vehicle maker Beiqi Foton Motor <600166.SS>, a BAIC's unit, said last week it aims to sell 4,000 hydrogen vehicles by 2023, and 15,000 such vehicles by 2025. The announcements came after a finance ministry official said earlier in September that China will roll out a new package of policies to support hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. China now only has a fleet of over 7,000 hydrogen vehicles, compared with over 4 million pure battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Current policies to support electric vehicles offer subsidies on sales. But new supportive policies will require local city governments and companies to build up a more mature supply chain and business model for the industry. Three industry sources familiar with policy discussions said authorities could announce a new policy as early as this month. Pilot cities will likely include Beijing, Shanghai, as well as those in northern Shanxi and eastern Jiangsu provinces, according to sources, who declined to be named as the issue is not public. The Finance Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some global automakers from Toyota Motor <7203.T> to Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> have already announced plans for hydrogen vehicles in China. (Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) In the space of ten days, two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State were arrested by the states police command over allegations of connivance to disrupt peace in the state through alleged use of bandits. But in both instances, higher authorities of the police directed the release of the suspects citing orders from above, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. The development, this newspaper learnt , is raising tension within the Zamfara State government and the state police authorities, raising fears of possible breakdown of law in the state. The state was for years dogged by routine killings and attacks by armed bandits which only recently started subsiding. Although the killings started off as conflicts between farmers and herdsmen, security experts have linked the spate of violence to unregulated mining activities, politics and infiltration of terrorists. The arrests First was the arrest of Abdulmalik Bungudu, popularly known as Zannan Bungudu, who was picked up in Kaduna by men of the Zamfara State Police Command, citing a court order. Using the court order issued by a sharia court judge in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, the police tracked down Mr Bungudu, an associate of former governor Abdulaziz Yari, and took him to the Zamfara State capital to face charges. A copy of the court order dated September 3, 2020 indicated that Mr Bungudu was wanted for breaching provisions of the sharia penal code in the state. He was accused of mobilising thugs and armed bandits to terrorise residents of his local government. But followers of Mr Yari said the charges against Mr Bungudu were politically-motivated. Not long after Mr Bungudu was received at the Police Criminal Investigation Department offices in Gusau ahead of his arraignment, he was ordered to be released. The police set him free unconditionally. The release of Mr Bungudu led to tongue-wagging among security and government officials in the state who expressed displeasure at the Abuja influence over the matter. While that dust was yet to settle, the police, acting on a tip off, swooped on a meeting convened by another associate of Mr Yari, Abu Dan-Tabawa , which was being attended by some alleged leaders of Fulani bandits. Mr Dan-Tabawa was arrested along with 17 attendees of the meeting on Saturday. But not long after the arrest, the police commissioner in Zamfara was ordered by the police high command to release the suspects, all of whom have been released. High-level interference Police sources in Abuja and government sources in Zamfara lamented meddling into Zamfara security issues by highly placed persons in the presidency. A Zamfara government official, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said President Muhammadu Buharis interest for peace and justice in Zamfara is being subverted by persons close to him. To be fair to the president, he has no hands in this. He has told the governor ay one occasion that he would never support anyone to commit criminality or shield any criminal but persons around him are throwing their influence around. The source lamented that preferential treatment on persons accused of crimes is not in the interest of the state or the nation. The governor is doing his best. He has been supportive of security forces and even the government, in spite of political differences, if he is not encouraged to continue his effort should not rubbished in this manner. A senior police officer in Abuja confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES what he called interest of the Villa on some politicians in Zamfara state. Like in the case of the latest arrest of Dan-Tabawa, the IGP was called directly from the Villa and the man was specifically mentioned to him that he should be released. He just had to obey. Our men in Zamfara also had to release the rest of the suspects arrested with the man since there was no basis for them to hold the rest and release just one person. They were all released. Advertisements The Nigeria police spokesman, Frank Mba, did not respond to questions on our findings about the police headquarters role. He did not pick calls and did not reply a message sent to him. Zamfara APC kicks Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have differed with the police and the state government over the allegations against their members. On Sunday, scores of the partys supporters marched on the police headquarters in Gusau to demand release of Mr Dan-Tabawa and others. They accused the state governor, Bello Matawalle, and police commissioner of conniving to harass opposition elements in the state. Arrests in the interest of peace Police The State Police Command in a statement released Sunday evening said the arrest of Mr Dan-Tabawa and 17 others was not politically-motivated. The arrest was an intelligence-driven and proactive action by the state police command to prevent a possible breach of public peace and ensure that the state continue to enjoy the relative peace that is been enjoying in the recent time. The arrest was carried out in the overall interest of public peace, public security and public safety. The statement signed by Mohammed Shehu, a police superintendent, warned all citizens of the state irrespective of their political affiliation, their status or their standing in the society , to desist from actions that are inimical to the safety and security of the citizens of the state. "The doctor recommended that my son take at least a three-month leave to recuperate, but he returned to his base after less than a month," she said. "I first want to say I am deeply sorry to the public," she wrote on Facebook, but she claimed that no laws were broken in the process of extending her son's leave from military service to undergo knee surgery. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae apologized on Sunday amid allegations that she used her influence to seek special favors for her son during his mandatory military service. Choo denied having an aide call a military officer to discuss her son's leave. She offered no explanation for the absence of any records of her son's sick leave and allegations that Choo or her husband called the Defense Ministry to ask for an extended leave, although it normally requires a soldier to return to his base first and obtain approval. All surgery and medical treatment are normally carried out at a military hospital instead of a private one except major surgery. Opponents accuse the minister of exonerating herself and tacitly forcing prosecutors to find her innocent in the upcoming proceedings. Choo said it is her "sworn duty" to pursue prosecution reforms, which has been read as a refusal to resign. Critics accused Choo of compromising prosecutors' independence and intervening in their probe. After a public outcry, prosecutors summoned Cho's son for questioning on Sunday. Ministry insiders said Choo must have consulted Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party about her statement. "The Defense Ministry said last week that extending leave by phone is not a violation of regulations and Cheong Wa Dae issued a statement on Friday countering demands for her ouster," a ministry source said. "Since then, ruling party lawmakers have been tripping over each other to defend her." One ruling-party source said, "The issue won't have much effect because people are more worried about their livelihood due to the coronavirus epidemic." In other words, the issue is less damaging to the government as its failed real-estate policies or coronavirus relief payouts, which caused President Moon Jae-in's approval rating to plummet. It could cost the ruling party some young voters who had to serve their full military service but does not seem to be a serious concern. A Gallup Korea survey on Sept. 11 showed Moon's approval rating up one percentage point from the previous week at 46 percent, while the Minjoo Partys approval rating remained unchanged at 39 percent. Choo is also suspected of abusing her powers to get her daughter a fast-track visa to France. Allen Little, who retired as a math teacher in Sioux City, Iowa, this past spring, said the complexities of teaching during the pandemic made him decide to retire three years earlier than he had planned. Although he anticipated returning to work as a part-time substitute this fall, fears about the virus are holding him back. He encouraged his son, who is studying to be a social studies teacher and who considered getting experience as a substitute, to weigh the risks carefully. Labor and the unions are demanding the government do more to ensure JobKeeper payments are being used properly as many casuals and others miss out after The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed the tax office had issued no penalties under the scheme. But economics experts said the scheme was designed to get money out the door quickly with few safeguards, which resulted in a far larger amount of money being directed to businesses that did not need it than potential rorts. ACTU president Michele O'Neil has urged the government to make sure JobKeeper money goes where it is needed. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen No business has been fined for defrauding the $110 billion JobKeeper scheme despite more than 15,000 ineligible businesses being removed between the scheme's start in March and August 26 and the Australian Tax Office receiving more than 8000 tips about reported abuse. Ten cases are being investigated by the office's financial crime taskforce. Australian Council of Trade Unions President Michele ONeil said the "urgent priorities" for JobKeeper are to expand its eligibility to the thousands of workers who have been excluded and to continue payments at the current rate. Two Passavant Area Hospital employees with a combined 94 years of experience recently retired, and both are proud of the way theyve been able to adapt to the major waves of change that have washed over the health care profession during their decades on the job. Patty Kircher of rural Chapin retired Aug. 27 following 51 years of service at the hospital as a registered nurse, and Carl Darr of Jacksonville retired Aug. 11 after working at Passavant for 43 years as a medical technologist. Kirchers career started on July 14, 1969, as a staff nurse on Passavants medical-surgical floor. More Information If you have a suggestion about someone who should be profiled, send their name and any contact information available to communitynews@myjournalcourier.com. See More Collapse Its been a long journey, one I didnt expect it to even last a year, said Kircher, 72. I graduated from nursing school on Friday the 13th, got married on Sunday the 15th of June, and then my husband had to go into the service. I had planned to follow him to basic training, but it didnt work out that way. She signed a contract to have her senior year tuition reimbursed if she worked a year at Passavant. My husband was wounded in Vietnam and came back, so I ended up staying at Passavant, Kircher said. She was made assistant head nurse on her floor after a year, and seven years later transferred to the intensive care unit and coronary care. Kirchers experience working in the ICU after-hours with recovering patients convinced her to transfer to the recovery room one year later, and she was there ever since. For the past 38 years until her retirement, Kircher was regularly on call to staff the recovery area for after-hours emergency cases. Taking calls can be exhausting, but since 1982 it was just part of my life, Kircher said. My girls werent interested in the medical field because I was gone all of the time. Kircher has experienced many changes in the healthcare field in 51 years, and for the most part the new technology she has gotten to use has made her job easier and more efficient. Automatic blood pressure cuffs are awesome because at times we were taking manual blood pressure readings every five minutes, Kircher said. We have devices now that measure carbon dioxide and oxygen saturation so we can tell if a patient is having any respiratory problems prior to them even realizing it and we can adjust their oxygen levels accordingly. But the newest technology isnt a substitute for the human touch. Some patients I have visited with on the floor and have kept in touch with them all the way through our grandchildren playing on teams together, Kircher said. Bad outcomes can very much weigh on you, but Ive been very fortunate that throughout my career at Passavant we have had a high success rate during recovery room care. Kircher is widowed, has three married daughters all of whom live in the area and six grandchildren. She had hoped to make some post-retirement trips through a local banks travel club, but those plans have been postponed due to COVID-19. So for now, Kircher will return occasionally to part-time nursing work as needed. I was always told to go into nursing because you will always have a job, Kircher said. Its been a good experience, Ive learned a lot, and it gives you some knowledge to be able to take care of your family and loved ones. Carl Darr started working at Passavant in June 1977 and said his 43-year career of choice is also a good field for employment. Theres a pretty big shortage in the medical technologist field, the 65-year-old Darr said. So I have mixed feelings about leaving because I know its going to hurt my co-workers and leave them even more short-handed than they already are. Darr grew up in Carrollton and moved to Jacksonville when he took the medical technologist evening shift at Passavant. He worked the evening shift for five years, four as evening supervisor, before he was promoted to the day shift as the hematology supervisor. Darr supervised the hematology, coagulation, serology, and urinalysis testing processes. Basically, if a patient had any fluid taken for testing, that was Darrs bailiwick. I heard one time about 70% of physicians diagnoses are due to information they get from the laboratory, Darr said. You know what you do is an important job, but its a job most people dont know about. Important, yes. Impatient patients? Yes as well. They think you can push a button and have a result in five seconds, but it doesnt work that way, Darr said. I dont know how many times I say this will be 30 minutes or this will be an hour, and the patient is like, that long, huh? Darr said technology had a huge impact on his profession and it allowed him to get more results more quickly than when he first started working. But he said the human factor is still a vital part of medical laboratory testing. Its the problematic specimens where you have to take extra care and you have to know what to do in order to get a correct result, Darr said. With 20 to 25% of the CBC (complete blood count) specimens the analyzer will alert us that we need to take a closer look at it. You are always going to have those specimens that technology cant resolve. Recently we had a specimen where we saw some bacteria in the white blood cells, which told us right away that the patient was septicemic, which can be a fatal condition, Darr said. We know somethings wrong, so we pass those slides on to the pathologist and the pathologist will call or issue a report to the physician. Humor can be found anywhere in the hospital, Darr said, including the laboratory where they used to allow college students to work as lab assistants. When Darr started more than four decades ago some bodily fluids were transferred by people using pipettes, where the liquids were transferred in a manner similar to siphoning gasoline. Just like when siphoning gas, you didnt want to suck too hard. Darr is married, has three children and three grandchildren with one on the way. Now that hes retired, Darr plans to travel and visit the grandchildren as soon as COVID becomes more under control. Darr also plans to help his mother on the family farm near Carrollton. Darr looked back on his career with fondness, and like his long-term co-worker Patty Kircher, he has no regrets. It was a great job, and I enjoyed doing it, Darr said. We really made a difference in many peoples lives. Tourism industry representatives want reopening of the Ajanta and Ellora caves, arguing that if the is reopening for public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, why not the two world famous heritage sites located near here in Maharashtra. Digital promotion of tourist spots is also needed to resume tourism activities during the pandemic, they said during a panel discussion on 'Aurangabad Tourism: Changed World and Challenges on Sunday. The at Agra in Uttar Pradesh is set to reopen on September 21, over six months after it was shut. However, the Ajanta and Ellora caves, the UNESCO heritage sites located in Aurangabad, and other monuments in Maharashtra are yet to be reopened for visitors. "When the Archaeological Survey of India's Agra circle has decided to reopen the Taj Mahal, why Ajanta and Ellora can't be opened?" Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation's (ATDF) civil aviation committee chairman Sunit Kothari asked during the discussion. He also called for the use of social media and digital platforms to promote tourist spots in Aurangabad. Videos showing safety precautions being taken at tourist spots could also help in drawing visitors here, he said. "As long as foreign tourists are unable to come to Aurangabad, the tourism industry here should focus on attracting local tourists and visitors from neighbouring districts and states," Kothari said. ATDF president Jaswant Singh said Aurangabad's tourism potential still remains untapped. "To get more foreign tourists here, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) needs to reach out to different countries. Besides visionary leaders, citizens must also pitch in to promote our tourism assets," he said. Aurangabad Hotel and Restaurant Association president Harpreet Singh said government policies were creating hurdles in resumption of the hotel industry amid the pandemic. Hotels have been opened with limited scope, which is not enough to make the economic cycle run, he said. "Aurangabad is said to be the state's tourism capital, so the head office of MTDC should be shifted here. This city should be projected as the gateway of tourism," he added. Dr Bina Sengar, assistant professor of history at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University here said focus should also be on cleanliness and maintenance of monuments. Suggestions made during the discussion would be forwarded to state Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, the event organisers 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.) Qatari Ruler Helps Kabul, Taliban Envoys Kick Off Day Two Of Intra-Afghan Talks By RFE/RL September 13, 2020 Qatar's ruler helped launch the second day of long-awaited Afghan peace talks in Doha on September 13 between representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban militants, but reports of ongoing clashes back in Afghanistan were a reminder of obstacles ahead. The first day included a formal ceremony and efforts to agree on a framework and other broad aspects of the first direct negotiations between the two sides since a breakthrough agreement between the United States and the hard-line Taliban in February. But the Afghan Defense Ministry said that, even hours after the official start of talks, Taliban and central government forces were still fighting in many places in Afghanistan. "With the start of intra-Afghan talks, we were expecting the Taliban to reduce the number of their attacks, but unfortunately their attacks are still going in high numbers," Reuters quoted Fawad Aman, a ministry spokesman, as saying. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is hosting the negotiations in Doha, met with both sides on September 13 and wished them success, according to Qatari state media. The peace talks could quickly turn to a discussion of a lasting cease-fire. Abdullah Abdullah, the country's former chief executive officer who is heading an Afghan negotiating team that includes members of the opposition and individuals outside the government, told AFP that the Taliban could offer a truce in exchange for the release of more of their jailed fighters. "This could be one of their ideas or one of their demands," Abdullah, who is also chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said. 'A Momentous Occasion' At a ceremony opening the talks a day earlier, the Afghan government and allies, including the United States, called for a cease-fire. But the Taliban did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table.. Abdullah said during the opening ceremony that history will remember the start of the talks "as the end of the war and suffering of our people." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the start of the talks was a "momentous occasion," telling participants that they carry "a great responsibility" and an opportunity to overcome divisions. Taliban leader Mullah Baradar Akhund said that Afghanistan should "have an Islamic system in which all tribes and ethnicities of the country find themselves without any discrimination and live their lives in love and brotherhood." "Negotiations may have problems but should move forward with patience," he said. Washington helped broker the on-and-off peace talks in Qatar, where the Taliban has a representative office. Analysts said that, although getting both sides to the negotiating table was a major achievement, this does not mean the path to peace will be easy, especially with violence increasing around the country. "Nothing should prevent a cease-fire being accepted and implemented by both parties," Josep Borrell, the high representative for foreign affairs of the European Union, told the Doha meeting via video link. Negotiations will be arduous, delegates warned, and are starting even as deadly violence continues to grip Afghanistan. "We will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days, weeks and months," Pompeo said as he called for the warring sides to "seize this opportunity" to secure peace. President Donald Trump made the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan a promise before the 2016 presidential election. In the countdown to this November's presidential polls, Washington has ramped up pressure to start intra-Afghan negotiations. Trump has said Washington expected the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be down to 4,000 troops by November. Nearly two decades since the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, the war still kills dozens of people daily and the country's economy has been shattered. The talks are expected to tackle thorny issues, including a permanent cease-fire, the rights of women and minorities, and the disarming of tens of thousands of Taliban fighters and militias loyal to warlords, some of them aligned with the government. Constitutional changes, power sharing, and even the name of the country and the flag are expected to be on the agenda as well. Many people in Afghanistan fear a return of the Taliban as part of a governing arrangement. The extremist group was accused of human rights violations and abuse of women during its years of rule, which ended when U.S. forces invaded and drove the militants from power in 2001. The Taliban controlled Afghanistan at the time and harbored Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, AFP, Reuters, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ intra-afghan-talks-day-two-cease -fire/30835865.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 Turkey to Deploy Second Drilling Ship to Black Sea, Energy Minister Says Sputnik News 17:32 GMT 13.09.2020 ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey will deploy another drilling ship, named Kanuni, to the Black Sea, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said on Sunday. Kanuni will support another Turkish vessel, named Fatih, which in mid-August discovered gas deposits in the Black Sea of 320 billion cubic meters with an estimated value of $65 billion, the energy minister said. "The countdown has begun. Our naval fleet, which is a symbol of our energy independence, will be bolstered with another vessel. The exploration vessel Kanuni, which is currently being prepared, will begin work in the Black Sea and will reinforce our vessel, Fatih", Donmez wrote on Twitter. Turkish ships are also conducting seismic surveys in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, drawing the ire of the Greek and Cypriot governments, which have both accused Ankara of violating their territorial integrity. On Sunday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara is determined to continue its exploration in the region despite the escalation in tensions with Greece and the European Union. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After a devastating week of wildfires in the western U.S., meteorologists say today could bring even worse conditions. California fire officials are emphasizing the historic nature of the wildfires currently raging through the state as the death toll and total number of scorched acres continue to grow. More than 3.3 million acres have been burned in the Golden State this year -- more than 27 times more than in 2019, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Firefighters in the state have not seen anything like this season in more than a century, when the Great Fire of 1910 blazed through more than 3 million acres. At least 27 people in three states have died in the last week as a result of the fires. The two latest deaths were reported late Sunday in Californias Butte County. In total, 35 people have died this year in West Coast wildfires. (ABC News) Featured stories Dense smoke smothers Pacific Northwest, shutting residents indoors and complicating fire response (Washington Post) Oregon fire chief loses her two homes as she battled wildfires with her volunteer crew (oregonlive.com) Fires raise fight over climate change before Trumps visit (Associated Press) National news Supporters cheer as President Donald Trump speaks Sunday at a rally at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, Nev. (Andrew Harnik, Associated Press) Thousands attend a Trump rally indoors as others ask why he played down the virus threat (New York Times) Why did Trump speak to Bob Woodward? (CBS News) Mike Bloomberg to spend at least $100 million in Florida to benefit Joe Biden (Washington Post) Trump unveils plan to slash drug costs tied to whats paid abroad (Politico) Federal judge grants temporary restraining order to prevent USPS from sending election mailers with false statements (CNN) Temple University students move out amid COVID-19 concerns (ABC News) Authorities seek suspect in ambush of Los Angeles deputies (cleveland.com) Georgia deputy fired after video shows him punching suspect (cleveland.com) Louisville anxiously awaits Breonna Taylor decision and whether justice or chaos reigns (USA Today) 2 killed, 6 seriously injured in New Jersey shooting near Rutgers University campus (USA Today) U.S. Marine deported from Philippines after presidential pardon for killing of transgender woman (CNN) World news Yoshihide Suga picked by Japans governing party to succeed Shinzo Abe (BBC) As some small gulf states normalize relations with Israel, Palestinians see fraying support (Los Angeles Times) Coronavirus: Israel to impose three-week national lockdown (BBC) Brexit trade talks have window before contentious UK law can take effect (Reuters) Belarus: 100,000 join rally against Lukashenko on eve of Putin showdown (The Guardian) Brexit trade talks have window before contentious UK law can take effect (BBC) Thousands made homeless by refugee camp fires to be housed within days, Greece says (NBC News) Kremlin set for election wins, but Navalny supporters make rare gains in Siberia (Reuters) Nepal landslide killed at least 11 people, 20 others remain missing (CNN) Hyderabad: A troupe of monkeys living on the hill where the Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy temple is located in Yadagirigutta in Telangana received a special treat on Sunday. Chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao stopped after seeing them gathered by the roadside and fed them bananas. Chandrashekar Rao was in Yadadri to review the ongoing temple reconstruction work. On his way back, he asked his vehicle be stopped after he spotted a troupe of rhesus macaques by the roadside. He got down from the car and proceeded to feed them bananas. The fruits were being carried in his vehicle. Monkeys are considered holy, particularly around pilgrimage centres and as representatives of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god. Incidentally, Hanuman is also the Kshetra Palaka or the protector of the temple and its surroundings. The original renovation and reconstruction plans for the temple at Yadadri also involved installation of 108-foot tall Hanuman statue. While monkeys that have made their home around temples or in temple towns usually do well for themselves, thanks to pilgrims who feed them, in other parts of the state troupes of marauding monkeys in several districts have been causing untold trouble for villagers. It was to take care of the problem of feral monkeys that the government in 2016 announced a monkey capture and rehabilitation programme. A rescue centre has been constructed at Chincholi near Nirmal town where the plan was to sterilise them before releasing back in the open. Though the centre, that can house 200 monkeys at a time in four compartments that can hold 50 of the animals each, has been built, it is yet to become functional. There are some issues relating to procurement of equipment and other facilities that is holding it up from beginning operations, a forest department official said. The chief minister has been a passionate advocate of planting fruit-bearing trees in forest fringe areas to encourage monkeys to return to the wild. Where there are no natural forests, the plan was to develop monkey food courts with various species of fruit trees that the monkeys would find attractive and eventually leave human habitations and thus reducing monkey-man confrontations in the states villages and towns. As covid cases rise with increasing economic activity, the only way forward for India is to formulate a sensible acquisition and pricing policy for a coronavirus vaccine, when it becomes available. The goal is simple: a policy that ensures the fastest delivery of a vaccine for the largest number of people. The only way to achieve it is to rely on and work with the private sector to acquire and allocate the vaccine across India, and shun price and quantity controls. The country needs dual acquisition and pricing strategies. First, vaccines for the poor should be paid for by the government at cost; and second, a free market for the vaccine should operate for those who can afford it. The private testing market was crippled by slow approvals and court-mandated pricing. This must not happen with a vaccine. The good news first. Unlike other illnesses, where the chance of vaccine development, production and availability for the poor is low, the pandemic has created a very large market for the vaccine, and the incentives of vaccine developers are well-aligned with society at large. Second, Indian manufacturers, frontrunners at mass producing vaccines, have struck deals with most vaccine developers and global pharmaceutical companies. This places India in a unique position to get early access to a vaccineone it must not squander. The next step would be vaccine delivery across India. The government is already working with pharmaceutical companies like Serum Institute of India. Ideally, it must acquire about 500 million doses in the first year and ensure delivery to the poor. Here, the government must resist Indias past impulses of nationalizing private firms, or imposing price and quantity controls, or strong-arming manufacturers on pricing. Instead, the government must pay for vaccine doses at cost, the only way to ensure India doesnt destroy its own long-term private vaccine production capacity. Currently, Indian vaccine companies can produce at a scale that brings costs down to 150-225 per dose; 500 million doses would cost the government just over 110 billion to acquire at cost. In comparison, India spent almost a quarter of that on the Statue of Unity, and the 2014-19 NDA government spent half of that on publicity and advertising. Paying 110 billion to acquire vaccines for half a billion Indians is a steal. The economic loss because of 2020-21s first quarter contraction was 8.45 trillion. So a small and sensible investment by the government will be worth every rupee in jumpstarting economic activity and helping the poorest Indians who have suffered acutely in this crisis. There are many delivery strategiesreimbursing the poor for getting vaccinated, reimbursing private vendors for each patient administered, setting up a government-provisioned free vaccination drive, etc. But getting the pricing and quantities right with the private sector is crucial, and paying private firms for doses will not only pay for itself and more in increased economic activity, but also help develop India as a pharmaceutical hub. Simultaneously, the government should allow a completely free market for vaccines that it doesnt reimburse or acquire. Even if doses are priced well above cost, courts and governments should not worry about the rich getting the vaccine first in the market. Unlike other essentials, vaccines provide a huge positive externality, and also protect the unvaccinated. When individuals get vaccinated against a disease, it reduces (or eliminates) their chances of getting it. Plus, it also reduces the chances of others getting the disease, as the recipient is less likely to transmit it. So, the social value of a single dose of vaccine is higher than the private value of that dose. The rich, even after paying a lot for vaccination, absorb only a part of the benefit. In standard neoclassical economics, this calls for a subsidy of some sort, since social benefits exceeding private benefits would imply the vaccine could be under-consumed. Aside from helping the poor, this is an economic reason for the government to reimburse the poor for getting vaccinated. Counter-intuitively, the same logic also requires us to ensure a free market even if the rich get the vaccine first. Any vaccinated person, rich or poor, will inadvertently protect others. If the rich get vaccinated first by buying it at a market price, their actions will have two effects. They are more likely to venture out and spend, helping the economy. While doing so, they are less likely to transmit the disease. They are also less likely to burden the medical system. So the self-serving behaviour of wealthy Indians will benefit others. And high prices will also incentivize greater supply of vaccines swiftly to locations where they are most in demand. The rich, civil society and vaccine producers could consider special pricing strategiesfor every person buying well above cost, firms will give one free to the poor. Lets restate the goalthe fastest delivery for the largest number. The moment a vaccine becomes available, goals will start shifting. There may be the usual outrage over pricing, profits and distributive concerns. India must resist the temptation to give in to the outrage of sociologists, lawyers, judges, doctors, social workers, politicians and journalists, who all have important roles to perform in the pandemic but could botch up vaccine delivery because of a misunderstanding of market processes and the price mechanism. Given that a vaccine is well on its way, its acquisition and allocation should be based on an economic way of thinking. Shruti Rajagopalan is a senior research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, US Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:35:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAIKOU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The southern Chinese province of Hainan on Monday unveiled a plan aimed at drawing more high-skilled overseas personnel to work and start business on the island. According to the plan, universities, hospitals, scientific research institutes and statutory bodies in Hainan will reserve a number of posts for overseas talent. Qualified personnel will be allowed to serve as legal representatives of statutory bodies, public institutions and state-owned enterprises. "They will be offered an annual salary ranging from 300,000 to 800,000 yuan (about 43,880 to 117,000 U.S. dollars)," said Li Jing, an official with the provincial human resources and social security department. On June 1, China released a master plan for Hainan free trade port, aiming to make the island a globally influential high-level free trade facility by the middle of the century. Enditem MIAMI George Soros directs a deep state global conspiracy network. A Joe Biden win would put America in control of Jews and Blacks. The Democratic nominee has a pedophilia problem. Wild disinformation like this is inundating Spanish-speaking residents of South Florida ahead of Election Day, clogging their WhatsApp chats, Facebook feeds and even radio airwaves at a saturation level that threatens to shape the outcome in the nations biggest and most closely contested swing state. The sheer volume of conspiracy theories including QAnon and deceptive claims are already playing a role in stunting Bidens growth with Latino voters, who make up about 17 percent of the states electorate. The onslaught has had an effect, said Eduardo Gamarra, a pollster and director of the Latino Public Opinion Forum at Florida International University. Its difficult to measure the effect exactly, but the polling sort of shows it and in focus groups it shows up, with people deeply questioning the Democrats, and referring to the deep state in particular that theres a real conspiracy against the president from the inside, he said. Theres a strain in our political culture thats accustomed to conspiracy theories, a culture thats accustomed to coup d'etats. Gamarra, a political science and international relations professor with extensive experience polling in Latin America and Hispanic voters in Florida, pointed to recent large-sample surveys of Latinos in the state and in the Latino-heavy county of Miami-Dade. They showed Biden underperforming with this crucial Democratic leaning segment of the electorate, though hes still running ahead of President Donald Trump by double digits. The race overall in the state is essentially tied . Floridas Latino community is a diverse mix of people with roots across Latin America. Theres a large population of Republican-leaning Cubans in Miami-Dade and a growing number of Democratic-leaning voters with Puerto Rican, Colombian, Nicaraguan, Dominican and Venezuelan heritage in Miami and elsewhere in the state. Many register as independents but typically vote Democratic. Those independents especially recently arrived Spanish-speakers are seen as more up for grabs because theyre less tied to U.S. political parties and are more likely than longtime voters to be influenced by mainstream news outlets and social media. Story continues Democrats fear thats where the role of disinformation and conspiracy theories might prove effective against Biden, because it plants seeds of doubt in an otherwise-Democratic bloc of the electorate that the former vice president needs to win. The net effect would be to depress turnout, possibly enabling Trump to carry a state that is essential to his reelection. Bidens struggles cant all be chalked up to election disinformation. The GOP under Trump mastered social media, especially Facebook use, in 2016 and even Democrats acknowledge that Republicans have made inroads in the aggressive use of WhatsApp encrypted messaging. Billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros is the subject of many conspiracy theories that are often anti-Semitic in nature. At the same time, there has been a rise of Spanish-language conservative media, especially revolving around politics connected to Colombia and Venezuela, that are increasingly showing up in the social media feeds of South Floridas Latin America diaspora communities. Theyre finding common cause with Cuban-Americans, who dominate Spanish-language radio airwaves and have been a bulwark of Republican support in Floridas otherwise Democratic-leaning and diverse Hispanic communities. But where radio is easy to hear for all, Facebook is harder to track. And the encrypted messaging system it bought, WhatsApp, is even more difficult. WhatsApp group chats are widely popular among Latin Americans and other immigrant communities in the U.S. because the app doesn't require a U.S. phone number or specific mobile service provider, making it easy to stay in touch with family abroad via text or voice communication. Group chats within the closed network can easily be created with dozens of people anywhere in the world. Plus, iPhones arent as popular in Latin America meaning iMessage chats are not an option for many. Political campaigns, social justice movements and support groups have followed along, making WhatsApp a top tool for reaching voters in Latin America and from Latin America. In South Florida, veteran Latino Democratic strategist Evelyn Perez-Verdia noticed this summer that the WhatsApp groups dedicated to updates on the pandemic and news for the Colombian and Venezuelan communities became intermittently interspersed with conspiracy theories from videos of far-right commentators or news clips from new Spanish-language sites, like Noticias 24 and PanAm Post, and the YouTube-based Informativo G24 website. Ive never seen this level of disinformation, conspiracy theories and lies, Perez-Verdia, who is of Colombian descent, said. It looks as if it has to be coordinated. Republicans say people on both sides of the political aisle are sharing disinformation organically, although they cant point to similar conspiracy theories espoused by the left. And they accuse Democrats of labeling every opinion or news story they disagree with as disinformation. For instance, in a Covid WhatsApp chat group, a Republican posted a statement that real Catholics cant be Democrats, which Perez-Verdia found objectionable. But the group chats founder and administrator, businessman and former Republican Miami-Dade County Commission candidate Alfred Santamaria, said he didnt ban the comment because he believed people should have freedom of expression. Still, Santamaria conceded, political toxicity is rising on the platform. I see more tension, more fighting, more radicalism. I see a level of tension of people posting for and against the administration, he said. Some of the information shared in chat groups and pulled from YouTube and Facebook goes beyond hyperbolic and caustic rhetoric. On Informativo G24, longtime Colombian news anchor Sandra Valencia brings on guests via webcam for discussions about Latin America and U.S. politics with analysis that often relies on conspiracy theories, such as how Black Lives Matter and other activist groups are planning a siege on the White House later this month. The site does not detail who funds it, but asks supporters to donate to a PayPal account registered to Valencia. Valencia bills her Spanish-language YouTube page, which has more than 378,000 followers, as a channel for geopolitical analysis. But it often resembles English-language right-wing news sources, such as Infowars, sharing conspiracy theories and strong anti-globalization messages. And unlike the conspiracy theories that circulate in English-language news media and social media, theres relatively little to no Spanish-language media coverage of the phenomenon nor a political counterpunch from the left. Some of the disinformation discussed on Informativo G24 has been led by Omar Bula-Escobar, a former United Nations representative and Colombian geopolitical analyst, who in recent years has become a frequent guest on various Latin American radio and television news shows to talk about globalization. Bula-Escobar, whos also a frequent guest on Miami-based Radio Caracol which is one of Colombias main radio networks and widely respected throughout Latin America has gained an increasing amount of notoriety for pushing the claim, often seen as anti-Semitic, that billionaire George Soros is the worlds biggest puppet master and is the face of the American Democratic Party. Whos going to celebrate the day, God forbid, Trump loses? Cuba; ISIS, which Trump ended; Hezbollah, which Obama gave the greenlight to enter Latin America; Iran; China All the filth of the planet is against Donald Trump. So, if you want to be part of the filth, then go with the filth, Bula-Escobar said in a recent episode of Informativo G24. Other shared content has included a translated clip of Christian conservative pastor John MacArthur claiming there is no pandemic and coronavirus death numbers have been wildly exaggerated. In June, a Noticias 24, a Venezuela-focused news site that has a large following in Latin America, amplified disinformation with a story bearing the headline social networks also accuse Joe Biden of being a pedophile. A month later, when the lie resurfaced, #BidenPedofilio trended in Spain. On Facebook, a Puerto Rican-born pastor Melvin Moya has circulated a video titled Signs of pedophilia with doctored videos of Biden inappropriately touching girls at various public ceremonies to a song in the background that says, I sniffed a girl and I liked it. The fake video posted on Sept. 1 has received more than 33,000 likes and 2,400 comments. Much of the shared content cannot be traced to a specific campaign or political organization. Still, fake videos and news stories are being widely shared in Facebook groups offering support for Trump. And various fake stories across WhatsApp and Facebook claim that Nicolas Maduros socialist party in Venezuela and U.S. communist leaders are backing Biden. Its really just a free-for-all now, said Raul Martinez, a Democrat who served as mayor of the largely conservative, heavily Cuban-American city of Hialeah for 24 years and is now host of a daily radio show on Radio Caracol. Its mind boggling. I started in politics when I was 20. Ive never seen it like this. Martinez, 71, said it has been particularly frustrating to see the prevalence of disinformation in South Florida Spanish-language stations, which many older Latinos in the area still rely on for information. When I hear from other stations, they havent just sipped the Kool-Aid. They drank the whole thing, Martinez said. Radio Caracol, for its part, received unwelcome attention Aug. 22 when it aired 16 minutes of paid programming from a local businesssman who launched into an anti-Black and anti-Semitic rant that claimed a Biden victory would mean that the U.S. would fall into a dictatorship led by Jews and Blacks. The commentator claimed that Biden is leading a political revolution directed by racial minorities, atheists and anti-Christians and supports killing newborn babies. When Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Colombian-American who is also Jewish, heard the programming, she quickly called out the station on Twitter for the disgusting message, spoken by Trump supporters, adding that We all regardless of parties have an obligation to repudiate and condemn this pro-Nazi and racist discourse. However, the 16-minute program did not receive coverage from local media outlets despite the outwardly racist and xenophobic messaging, a reminder that much of the Spanish-language disinformation and conspiracy theories circulating in South Florida remain unchecked. Caracol management promptly apologized for the content and said it banned the commentator, local businessman Jorge Gonzalez, from the airwaves. A Caracol spokesman said Gonzalez had initially purchased the radio time to talk about business, not politics, let alone racist politics. Gonzalez couldnt be reached for comment. Then, on Friday, the editor of the Spanish-language sister paper of The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, publicly apologized for its own paid-media scandal after running a publication called Libre as a newspaper insert that attacked Black Lives Matter and trafficked in anti-Semitic views. "What kind of people are these Jews? They're always talking about the Holocaust, but have they already forgotten Kristallnacht, when Nazi thugs rampaged through Jewish shops all over Germany? So do the BLM and Antifa, only the Nazis didn't steal; they only destroyed, the ad insert said . The publication said it's suspending its relationship with Libre. Conspiracy theories especially revolving around QAnon, which posits that Trump is fighting a global cabal of satanic pedophiles are spreading across Spanish-language radio in Miami as well, said Roberto Tejera, a political independent who has a show on Actualidad Radio. Tejera said QAnon is a constant on another station, La Poderosa, whose station management also did not respond to messages seeking comment. Its not right wing. I dont have a problem with right-wing stuff. Its QAnon stuff. This is conspiracy theory. This goes beyond. This is new. This is a new phenomenon in Spanish speaking radio. We Cubans are not normal, Tejera laughed, but this is new. This is crazy. This is f---ing crazy. The City of Laredo owns two cold storage inspection facilities, one at the World Trade Bridge and one at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge. They provide a temperature-controlled space for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to inspect produce being hauled from Mexico so that it doesnt spoil in the process. Both facilities are run by Garros Services, a business owned by Uni-Trade founder Eduardo Garza. Its a contract that has drawn scrutiny in the last few years, and lit up council chambers on Tuesday. Last week, Laredo City Council voted to execute an agreement with Garros for a third inspection facility, this one on Garros property near the Colombia Solidarity Bridge. In 2011, when the city solicited an operator for their two inspection facilities, three vendors submitted proposals. This time, Garros came to the city, a deal that one councilman and several members of the trade community called monopolistic and unfair. The new inspection facility will be built and paid for by Garros, an estimated investment of $10 million, said City Manager Robert Eads. Although this is largely a private endeavor made possible with CBPs stamp of approval, Garros still needed the city to authorize the new project because it owns the bridges. They signed a 10-year agreement with the option for two additional five-year terms. The city will collect 12.5% of each inspection fee and Garros will collect the rest, about $83 per inspection. There is also a minimum revenue guarantee for the city of over $965,000 upon termination of the agreement. READ MORE: Webb County Commissioners Court to review pared-down budget Eads said this project was presented to the city like any other investment, with the developers coming to them. Garros isnt asking for a tax abatement, the property will add to the citys tax rolls and the additional inspection facility will expand the citys capacity to cross produce, therefore encouraging job creation, the city manager said. Councilman George Altgelt, however, was not shy about his displeasure for this deal. The trade community does not like when theyre not consulted or given the opportunity to bid on something, he said. And this deal turns them off. He said they should have gone out for bids. By Garros operating this inspection facility, it gives the company access to everyones clients, Altgelt argued. There could be competition between the bridges, but the fact that Garros will be operating all three inspection facilities creates a monopoly, he said. And the agreement gives Garros an unfair advantage because they can advertise to clients to do both the brokerage and inspection with them, Altgelt contended. I dont care how good of a deal it is, I dont care how much yall sugar coat it. Its not fair. Its bull---- is what it is, he said. Councilman Marte Martinez noted that Garros came to the city with this idea, and argued that for the city to tell the whole trade community about the project and let them bid on it would show potential investors that the city cant be trusted to engage in good faith negotiations. Thats why people dont like, sometimes, investing in our city. Because this is exactly what happens, he said. (Garros) saw the market and chose to make an investment before everyone else. Thats the most American thing you can possibly do. And to think otherwise is un-American. Monopolies are un-American, Altgelt replied, and it is godless communism for the city to pick winners and losers. As Martinez tried to interject, Altgelt asked if he could bite his forked tongue for a minute. Eads said that if another company has a similar idea and the OK from Customs and Border Protection, that they would likewise encourage the business to come to them for authorization. U.S. customs broker JD Gonzalez submitted a comment to council, arguing that this opportunity should have been opened up to other stakeholders in Laredos trade community. Garros is not an independent party. For that company to operate the cold storage inspection facility at both bridges, and now at this off-site location, changes the rules, Gonzalez said. READ MORE: Cuellar protests partial border shutdown, presents plan for reopening These inspection facilities are really saturated, he noted. His solution would be to run a central examining station with CBP, which would involved a bidding process. And thatd be the most efficient and the fastest solution. In the mean time while theyre building their facilities, the city should go out there and offer bidding to a qualified individual that has a facility available. Because theres other investors that want to be part of this business, Gonzalez said. In 2015, a local watchdog group called Voices in Democratic Action lambasted the citys initial contract with Garros. The city borrowed $2.1 million to construct these facilities, but in the two years that they had operated, the city made only $90,000 from the 12.5% of inspection fees, while Garros made over $800,000. VIDA maintained that the citys little revenue from this project wasnt even enough to cover the interest payment on the bonds. But with the revenue from the third facility and the minimum revenue guarantee, the city will be able to pay off the cost for their facilities, Eads said. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com The Cropwise brand is the latest example of how Syngenta is accelerating innovation to address the increasing challenges for farmers and the environment. It eliminates a key issue facing the digitization of agriculture, which is ensuring different systems developed in the market can connect with one another to provide growers with quality data. The tool builds on technology that combines artificial intelligence, two decades of agronomic information and a simple user interface. Along with the added benefit of being connected to a larger network of digital technologies from Syngenta, the Cropwise Seed Selector introduces NK resellers and customers to several new features designed to streamline and optimize the seed selection process, including satellite imagery for crop diagnostics and a tool that expedites field-by-field hybrid decisions. "Our goal from the start with digitizing seed selection has been to support growers from the ground up combining the expertise of our retailers and agronomists with data-driven technology," said Justin Welch, Syngenta digital product manager. "By looking at what data and science are saying through an unbiased, fact-based lens, innovations like the Cropwise Seed Selector are helping farmers make better business and agronomic decisions." An archive of agronomic information allows users of the Cropwise Seed Selector to tailor their seed portfolio based on geographic location, soil productivity, precipitation levels, historic crop stress and performance of products by year and region. Users are able to adjust these factors to understand how a specific corn hybrid or soybean variety would perform under an array of different conditions information critical to making confident seed selections. The platform is highly adaptable, allowing retailers and farmers to proactively plan for weather volatility, soil variability and planting specifications by being able to see real results from real places. When employing the Cropwise Seed Selector, users benefit from: An unbiased assessment of NK product performance Centralized access to product information and characteristics Customized recommendations and comparisons specific to each field Deepened customer connectivity Added value through a no-cost online system "The Cropwise Seed Selector helps growers make the tough decisions by simplifying the entire process and taking out a lot of the guesswork," Welch said. "Through the tool, they can figure out which hybrids and varieties will work best and have the highest yield potential in their specific fields and individual growing conditions." To learn more, visit www.NKseeds.com or contact a local NK retailer. Join the conversation online connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social and follow @NKSeeds on Facebook and Twitter. About Syngenta Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS. 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For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. Syngenta hereby disclaims liability for third-party websites. 2020 Syngenta. 2001 Butterfield Road, Suite 1600, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Cropwise, NK, and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Syngenta Related Links http://www.syngenta.com Press Release September 14, 2020 Hontiveros seeks immediate Senate hearing on the AFP-Dito deal "Nagpapasakop ba tayo? Ang isang China-owned telco sa kampo ng sarili nating militar ay lubos na kaduda-duda, lalo na at ang Tsina ay hindi humihinto sa agresibong pag-angkin sa West Philippine Sea, pagsira sa ating likas-yaman, at pag-abuso sa mga mangingisdang Pilipino." This was the remark made by Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday, highlighting Senate Resolution No. 137, a resolution she filed in September 2019 that sought to probe the national security implications of the agreement that allows Dito Telecommunity Corp. to set up equipment and facilities within the military bases of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the country. "I will request the Committee on National Defense to hear this resolution in the Senate immediately. Kailangan mabusisi ang kasunduang ito kasi mahirap paniwalaan na walang pansariling interes ang Tsina sa pagtayo nito ng cell sites sa sarili mismo nating military camps. Wala bang ibang cell sites? Bakit kailangan sa military bases? It's as if the Chinese state itself is present within our military camps. Our national security is at risk here," the senator said. Hontiveros reiterated that Article 7 of the Chinese National Intelligence Law states that Chinese corporations are obliged to support intelligence-gathering efforts: "any organization or citizen shall support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law." "There is also the Chinese Counter-Espionage Law that Chinese corporations cannot refuse to assist their government in this regard. This is already a warning signal, and yet the AFP seems to have forgotten the warning its mother department itself raised last year," Hontiveros said. The senator also said that defense officials have previously looked into security concerns vis-a-vis the proximity of facilities belonging to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, which largely employ Chinese nationals, to military bases and installations. "Nabahala nga ang mga defense officials natin sa mga POGOs na malapit sa military bases, hindi ba dapat mas mabahala tayo sa isang China-backed telco sa loob mismo ng mga kampo? It should have been common sense not to allow this," the senator said. "We, in the Senate, should exercise our oversight powers at once to ensure that our national security is not undermined. Nangangamba na ang publiko sa patuloy na panghihimasok ng Tsina sa ating bansa, kaya imbestigahan na natin ito para maliwanagan at mapanatag ang mamayang Pilipino," the senator concluded. When the Edenville and Sanford dams failed after a heavy rain event in May, thousands of Midland County residents experienced a first wave of grief. Then they got to work, cleaning up their properties and, in some cases, rebuilding. Now, after months of busyness, residents have slowed down enough to reflect on the cumulative damage. The result has been a second wave of grief. People have had a chance to lift their head up and say, That was really painful, said Dolores Porte, Sanford village president. Everybody experienced the flood differently. People just want to talk about it. Sanford resident C. Edward West, a retired social worker with 40 years of experience in behavioral health, noticed a post on Facebook in August expressing anxiety about the flood. So he shared a post of his own, offering emotional support for anyone affected.. The Facebook likes, comments, and messages started pouring in, West said. The concept of a local flood support group was born. The response was overwhelming, West said. It just took off. West has already held an informational meeting to create a framework for the group. He expects an informal, short-term setup to discuss problems related to the flood. In other words, it will end at some point. Its a support group, not a therapy group, West said. People want a place to share their feelings and get support. If a group member has more serious emotional needs, he will refer them to longer-term professional help. Depending on numbers, there will be one or two groups that meet weekly in a location to be determined. Other local counselors have offered their support if needed, West said. Porte said whether people were homeowners, first responders, or volunteers, their perspective about the flood is welcome and necessary. I hope people will come and this takes off, she said. If interested in joining the support group, e-mail West at cwest9245@gmail.com. BOISE Idaho has been lucky again this summer. Though a handful of mostly small wildfires are burning around the state, Idaho has had a relatively mild wildfire season for the second year in a row, a stark contrast to the fires now raging across the West. Last week, a group of climate scientists released a report warning that climate change is contributing to larger and larger wildfires, and the devastating blazes in California, Oregon and Washington show what Idaho could experience during its next big burn. Idaho dodged a bullet this year ... but we dont have to go back too many years to see something similar to whats going on in other states, said John Abatzoglou, a climatologist at University of California, Merced. Its hard to not expect that Idahos time will come soon. Whether Idaho wildfires will prove to be as destructive and fatal as those in neighboring states remains to be seen, but experts say theyll almost certainly burn more of our state than they have in years past. Data shows temperatures rising, more acreage burned across Western U.S. For years, scientists have pointed to connections between climate change and the megafire era that began in the late 1980s in the Western U.S. So it comes as no surprise that a recent report from Climate Central, a nonprofit of scientists raising awareness about climate change data, again emphasized that average temperatures have increased in the region since 1980, while average acreage burned by wildfire has also grown. Fires arent caused by high temperatures, Abatzoglou explained, but temperature is a key factor in active fire seasons. Temperature is certainly important, but temperature itself doesnt directly influence fire, he said in a phone interview. Its indirectly influencing fire by influencing the rate at which fuels are going to dry out. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Central found that, on average, temperatures in the Western U.S. have increased about 2 degrees in the last 40 years. Climate change can also influence precipitation. In many cases, lack of precipitation can lead to dry fuel loads that become tinderboxes for wildfire. But increased precipitation isnt necessarily beneficial either. Often some of the worst fire seasons happen when you have a really wet spring, because you have a lot of underbrush growth, said Russ Qualls, a climatologist at the University of Idaho, in a phone interview. Qualls said its still not clear what impact rising temperatures might have on precipitation trends in the future. Scientists have noted in recent years that climate change is affecting global wind patterns, causing winds to speed up. Heavy winds over Labor Day weekend helped fan flames across the West. (The current wildfires) were facilitated by extremely strong winds, for the most part these downsloping winds moving down the Cascades, the Sierra Nevadas and into mountain communities, Abatzoglou said. All of those factors combine to create large wildfires that can be difficult to control and burn more area than they used to. Climate Central created charts using federal fire data that show Idaho experiences larger fires more frequently, and the average yearly acreage burned has grown in the past two decades despite the mild fire seasons weve seen recently. Every year we have a possibility of having a large fire season in Idaho, Abatzoglou said. It doesnt always happen. These ingredients (like fuel loads and ignition) dont always align. What Idahos wildfire history and future look like Idaho is regularly one of the states with the worst fires in the nation. Idaho is up there with California as the state in the lower 48 that has the most fire in general, Abatzoglou said. (It has) a lot of open space and complex topography, plus a good, long fire season. He said Idaho also has a much lower fire return interval than many states, meaning our landscape is prone to burning more regularly than some other environments. According to Abatzoglou, part of Idahos exploding wildfire problem is that we got a little too good at putting fires out. That created an excess of fuel, even in places like Idahos forests, which are less inclined to burn than the Great Basin that stretches into Southern Idaho. The warming and drying climate is basically exposing that legacy of fire suppression, Abatzoglou said. We often talk about these forests having a deficit of fire, and the warming and drying climate is making us pay that debt back. The combination of contributing wildfire factors has fallen in Idahos favor the last several seasons. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group has recorded just under 55,000 acres burned statewide in 2020, while the average annual burned acreage in the 2010s was about five times that at 278,000 acres. At its worst in the early 2000s, Idaho saw an average of 334,000 acres burned each year. Thats due in part to the 2007 fire season, when 1.3 million acres of Idaho land burned. In contrast, Idaho averaged an annual 178,000 acres burned during the 1980s and only 123,890 annually during the 1990s. Idaho also sees a major wildfire season every seven to 10 years, when far more area than usual burns. The last time the state had such a significant season was in 2012, when more than 1 million acres burned amid a wildfire season that scorched more than 9 million acres across the region. Does that mean Idaho is due for another massive burn year? Abatzoglou said its not easy to predict, but we should err on the side of caution. We should expect more seasons like (2012) moving forward, he said. We should expect more records to be broken moving forward. But if we can prepare and act ... we might be able to mitigate some of those effects on humans. Will Idaho wildfires burn homes, damage health? Part of the horror of the current wildfires in the West is the destruction theyve inflicted, burning entire towns in Washington, Oregon and California while claiming multiple lives. Idaho has largely avoided similar catastrophes since the Big Burn of 1910 in North Idaho, which killed 86 people and burned much of the town of Wallace. It still stands as largest single fire (in Idaho history) even though temperatures were cooler, said Qualls, the U of I climatologist. He said the devastation was likely due to a lack of resources and knowledge of fire science rather than environment. Abatzoglou said part of the reason fires in California tend to destroy homes and kill people is because most of the states fires are human-caused. Human-caused fires tend to happen where people live, Abatzoglou said. That makes them more dangerous to humans. In Idaho, about 31% of fires have been human-caused over the last 25 years, he said. Many of the rest have been caused by lightning strikes. They often occur in rural areas and have more room to burn without significant loss of life or property. Abatzoglou said Idahos smaller population certainly contributes to its wildfire makeup which means the states fires could change as people continue to move here. But even if Idaho wildfires arent burning entire towns, Abatzoglou said theyre certainly harmful to humans. In the massive bushfires that burned across Australia earlier this year, he said, more people were killed by smoke inhalation than by flames. We expect more years like were seeing, with fires burning for a long time and smoke impacting populations, Abatzoglou said. Theres not a great solution to smoke. Fighting fire with fire Qualls said at some point, repeated megafires could start to burn themselves out by destroying future fuel loads. But Abatzoglou said invasive vegetation like cheatgrass seems to be preventing that. Fire is a negative feedback, Abatzoglou said. As a fire burns, its going to remove fuel. So that can reduce the potential for fire carrying into that landscape in subsequent years. The issue though is what were seeing in many parts of the West. Fires are burning in the footprint of fires that burned in recent years, even three or four years ago, he added. The idea that fires will basically chew up enough real estate to not have fire in the future is probably not going to work and is going to be particularly problematic in areas where we have invasive grasses come into a post-fire environment and colonized the area. Abatzoglou said a major solution is fighting fire with fire specifically with prescribed burns and backburns that can act as natural fuel breaks. Flames will never completely leave the West, nor should they, he said. We have to have fire on the landscape. Even though wed like to have no fire, thats not an option, he said. We should have a little more fire that we can control and less that we cant control. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 - Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend real-time, interactive presentations on LifeSciencesInvestorForum.com - MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nuvo or the Company) (TSX: NRI); (OTCQX:NRIFF), a Canadian focused healthcare company with global reach and a diversified portfolio of commercial products, today announced Jesse Ledger, Nuvo's President & Chief Executive Officer and Kelly Demerino, Nuvo's Interim Chief Financial Officer will present live at LifeSciencesInvestorForum.com on September 17th. DATE: Thursday, September 17, 2020 TIME: 1:30 p.m. ET LINK: https://bit.ly/30GjErk 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 Lifesciencesinvestorforum.com. About Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc. Nuvo (TSX: NRI;OTCQX: NRIFF) is a Canadian focused, healthcare company with global reach and a diversified portfolio of commercial products. The Company targets several therapeutic areas, including pain, allergy and dermatology. The Company's strategy is to in-license and acquire growth-oriented, complementary products for Canadian and international markets. Nuvo's head office is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the international operations are located in Dublin, Ireland and the Company's manufacturing facility is located in Varennes, Quebec, Canada. The Varennes facility operates in a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) environment respecting the U.S, Canada and E.U. GMP regulations and is regularly inspected by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For additional information, please visit www.nuvopharmaceuticals.com. For additional information, please visit www.nuvopharmaceuticals.com . About Life Sciences Investor Forum Life Sciences Investor Forum is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for Life Sciences companies to meet with and present directly to investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Life Sciences Investor Forum is powered by Intrado Digital Media and specifically designed for more efficient investor access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Life Sciences Investor Forum combines leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network. SOURCE Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc. Related Links nuvopharmaceuticals.com Sometimes it seems as if Democrats are so preoccupied with opposing reopening policies, many times viewed as Republican-oriented, that they fail to consider more nuanced responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly harmful as the continuing closures of public schools, libraries and playgrounds exacerbate inequality and facilitate a relapse to American individualism. Rather than merely opposing reopening policies, Democrats should promote creative alternatives that will enable safe and equal access to public services in the COVID-19 era. Otherwise, they will end up contributing to the already alarming inequality that prevails in the U.S. Public services are not a luxury, and their closure comes at a high cost. As we debate the way forward, we must face the implications of the disappearance of the public in the COVID-19 era. When public schools, playgrounds, pools and libraries were closed in the spring, each of us was asked to seek private shelter. For many of us, however, there is no shelter. Weve already witnessed how the shelter in place phase in New York City, for example, wasnt as effective in stopping the spread of the virus in lower-income neighborhoods. Research conducted by the NYU Furman Center found that for those living in small apartments and crowded neighborhoods who cant work remotely, private shelter was not enough. Such disparities will persist and increase if public services, and especially public schools, remain closed. The modern economy is grounded on the ability to rely on schools to enable parents to work a 40-hour week. Without public schools, millions of American working parents are left without access to the labor market. Millions of kids are left without an adequate education. When public schools do not offer a safe in-person alternative, parents have to find solutions based on their differential resources: paying a tutor to facilitate home-schooling while they work from home, quitting a job or relying on their social networks. Some families have opted to create small pods of children, alternating adult supervision between multiple households. For many Americans, however, this is not an option. Online-only instruction is not a viable solution for millions of children and working parents. With limited public-school services, childrens academic prospects depend largely on their parents unequal capacities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that online learning disproportionately harms low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. These students are far less likely to have access to private instruction and care and far more likely to rely on key school-supported resources like food programs, special education services, counseling and after-school programs to meet basic developmental needs, it says. The lack of a nationwide concerted effort to contain the spread of the virus is frustrating. And in locations with more severe restrictions on social and commercial activity, the numbers of cases have decreased significantly. In other words, closures work. Yet as we move forward, Americans need to generate creative solutions for safe access to public services. Instead of saying no to reopening, advocate within your district for what can make reopening imaginable: providing tutoring services, offering smaller classes, having an outside library and classes. Extend medical health coverage and increase public school funding. With these issues at the heart of a national strategy, the American public may be preserved when COVID-19 is behind us. Inbal Leibovits is a doctoral student in communication studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 11:46:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday said it voluntarily deported 110 illegal Sudanese migrants from Libya to their home country. "IOM assisted 110 Sudanese migrants with Voluntary Humanitarian Return home via a charter that departed from Tripoli. Among those returning were 13 migrants with health conditions, requiring IOM medical escort," IOM said in a statement. "More than 500 migrants have left Libya since IOM's Voluntary Humanitarian Return program resumed its operation three weeks ago," the statement said. The Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, run by IOM, arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their homeland. The program was resumed on Aug. 20 after a five-month suspension due to COVID-19 mobility restrictions in Libya. IOM estimates that more than 600,000 illegal migrants are living in Libya currently. Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores, in order to escape insecurity and chaos that have plagued Libya since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Enditem For Adrienn Braun, early March was a rude awakening. Brides just started calling me and said, Hey, we canceled the wedding, the bridal fashion designer says. It was one call, two calls, three calls. Her business, Adrienn Braun Bridal and Fashion Studio, based in Hoboken, New Jersey, was badly impacted. Balances were not paid in full, consultations got canceled, and brides began asking for less elaborate dresses for smaller-scale, backyard weddings. Many of her plans to custom-design dresses turned into alterations a fraction of the price she earns to design from scratch. There were over 2 million weddings in 2019; 2020 is expected to see just 1 million half that of the year prior, according to The Wedding Report. Braun went from working on 200 to 250 weddings a year to an expected 160 for 2020. Niki Siracusa, one of Brauns clients, had to postpone her wedding three times due to COVID-19. Adrienn Braun works with her husband Emilio Mazzucotelli to create face masks using extra fabric in her store. Sweet success: This Black-owned small business in Detroit is battling odds. Improvising to survive: How a Nashville guitar maker, Novo, survives when COVID-19 shuts down business It was very emotional. We were all set to go. All the venues, all the vendors were paid, Siracusa says. Siracusa now plans to get married in March 2021 and is working with Braun to custom-design a dress. Wedding industry workers like Braun have a choice: Lose revenue or pivot. As the calls from distressed brides came in early March, Braun began getting calls from friends working in hospitals around New York and New Jersey who were desperate for masks. Braun believed she could help. She took leftover fabric from her store, made of 100% cotton, and made and donated over 6,000 masks not just to hospitals, but also to shelters, volunteer ambulance corps and police departments. The silver lining of my business during COVID-19 was definitely the opportunity to meet other people that I never thought that I would, Braun says. Adrienn Braun works with her client Niki Siracusa, who had to delay her wedding three times due to COVID-19. Siracusa now plans to get married in March of 2021. The new work also helped Braun get closer to her husband. Because her seamstresses were working from home during the pandemic, Braun had to take on a bigger load herself. Her husband, Emilio Mazzucotelli, who had no experience sewing prior to this year, stepped in and helped her make the masks. We did whatever we could, she says. Story continues Word of her masks began spreading among the community in Hoboken. Soon she was not just donating masks, she was also selling them to the general public. Now she makes more elaborate masks for wedding parties as well. All the attention Braun has gotten brought her new potential customers. People who were already married or who had no plans to wed asked how they could support her. So this summer, Braun began designing childrens clothing and summer dresses. Why not? If I can make a wedding dress, I can make a summer dress, she says. Brauns advice to other businesses struggling during the pandemic ask yourself: What are (you) good at? What tools do (you) have in your hand to go and take other steps? And then adapt and be flexible, she says. You will have little bumps," she says. "Just dont give up. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Small business: Bridal fashion designer keeps studio going in COVID Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae bows during an intepellation session at the National Assembly, Sept. 14. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The opposition is stepping up its pressure on Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae to step down amid a widening scandal over her alleged influence peddling to get her son special treatment during his mandatory military service a few years ago. Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Kim Chong-in said that Choo and her predecessor Cho Kuk, who is on trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling regarding his children's education, have enraged the people. The Korean public is very sensitive to illegalities of elected officials and high-level public servants particularly involving education and the mandatory military service of their children. "It's like the country is fighting two kinds of viruses," Kim said during a party meeting, Monday. "One is the coronavirus and the other is the virus of inequality. "Within the Moon Jae-in administration, justice ministers are the super spreaders of the inequality virus. The people are infuriated with the privileges given the children of former justice minister Cho and minister Choo in the areas of education and military service," he said. The PPP leader said the ruling bloc calls a misconduct a "privilege and foul play" when others commit it, while calling it "equality" when its people do the same. He called on Moon to make his position clear about the calls for the dismissal of Choo, criticizing the President's silence on the issue. "President Moon should dismiss the justice minister in accordance with the people's call," Kim added. "The President is ultimately responsible for the controversy over the unfair favors surrounding the justice minister. The situation should not be aggravated by his silence." So far the President has chosen not to mention anything publicly related to the controversy about the justice minister, who was appointed in January following the departure of her scandal-ridden predecessor. Moon's office has also shunned touching on the controversy, saying the prosecution's investigation of the allegations regarding Choo's son is underway. The PPP leader's remarks came a day after Choo made an online apology about causing a stir. But the message resulted in more public anger as it lacked any real explanations about the core controversies regarding her son's military service. She also repeated her resolve to carry out "judicial reform" no matter what, signaling that she was intended to carry out her job despite the mounting calls for her dismissal. Minor opposition People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo also criticized Choo, who talked about her husband's leg disability and her son's leg surgeries in her online apology. "People are talking about fairness and justice so why does Choo give irrelevant answers with tear-jerking stories?" Ahn said in a party meeting, Monday, adding the allegations involving her son and judicial reform are two different things. "Is Choo resisting (calls for resignation) because the President supports her?" he said. "I hope Moon and Choo will make an administration that deprives people of hope and trust." The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been trying to stand by her and defined the allegations as a "political attack." "Yesterday, the justice minister explained about her family situation and showed her commitment for judicial reform," DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon said during a Supreme Council meeting, Monday. "The prosecution will uncover the truth behind the allegations. The political circle must refrain from political wrangling and wait for the results of the prosecution's investigation." The DPK's reaction is also causing the public to turn their backs on the ruling party and the President as well. A Monday survey showed support ratings for Moon and the ruling party have been declining Moon's job approval rating dropped by 2.5 percentage points from the previous week to 45.6 percent, and that of the DPK was down 4.4 percentage points to 33.4 percent. DUBLIN, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Egypt Energy Monitor" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Egypt Energy Monitor covers the fast-changing energy and power sectors in the Arab world's most populous country. The Egypt Energy Monitor is an essential resource for companies and other organizations seeking to understand and do business in the market. It features: Daily media monitoring of local and international news as well as original content and analysis across key subsectors and Q&As interviews with key industry players Unique project tracker with 130+ profiles of current and future power plants, spanning solar, wind, gas, coal, hydro and nuclear Comprehensive profiles of local and international, private-sector and government players including contacts and key activities in Myanmar A comprehensive and searchable database of tenders A library of data, laws and other useful resources and third-party reports The content covers upstream and downstream oil and gas, conventional and renewable power, transmission infrastructure, fuel, and related areas. It spans issues such as contract awards, new entrants, legislation, projects, company news, public-sector changes and more. Companies Mentioned 365 Ecology Alexandria Specialty Petroleum Products Company (ASPPC) DB Schenker East Gas Company (EGC) Egyptian International Gas Technology Company (Gastec) Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) EGYTRAFO Group El-Neel Oil Marketing Company (Petroneel) Enviromena Environics Gama Construction Ganoub el Wadi Petroleum Holding Company (GANOPE) Gas Metro Industries Gas Regulatory Authority (GRA) Gastone Global Energy Services (GES) Hydro Power Plants Executive Authority (HPPEA) Kom Ombo Petroleum Company Masader Environmental and Energy Services Middle East Oil Tankage and Pipelines (MIDTAP) NEDCO for Engineering, Contracting, and Supplies Neptune Energy Egypt OCA International Offshore Shukeir Oil Company (OSOCO) Petrotreatment Petroleum and Environmental Services Sojitz Solanile Solargy Renewable Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Wood Group For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nlxa6k 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 Actor Ayushmann Khurrana turns 36 years old on Monday and we are celebrating his big day with something special. Ayushmann is among the most sought after romantic heroes in Bollywood who has worked with the likes Bhumi Pednekar, Yami Gautam, Kriti Sanon and so may other popular female stars but his best jodi is still the one he shared with his wife, filmmaker Tahira Kashyap. Ayushmann and Tahira share a love story so adorable, it could make for the perfect Bollywood romantic blockbuster. Theres a perfect meet cute, a childhood romance, a young wedding, some jealousy, some tension but like the best romances, the couple ultimately gets their perfect happily ever after. Did you know that Ayushmann and Tahira met at a physics tuition when they were still at school in Chandigarh? Tahira wrote about her love story with Ayushmann for India Today in 2016.Both of us attended the same Physics tuition class when we were in the 12th standard. It was a batch of around 60 students and when I first met Ayushmann I thought his name was Abhishek. Both me and my friend had a crush on him but outwardly ignored him throughout the year. I later discovered that he also had a crush on me; I think I was popular with the boys because I was tall and had an arrogant air about me, because I was always on my guard. One entire year went by without either of us talking to each other and thats how it would have remained if our story hadnt taken a filmi twist, she wrote. Tahiras father one day decided to take the family to meet his astrologer friend. She was excited to meet the astrologer and ask him about her upcoming board exams. However, the astrologer turned out to be Ayushmanns father. Ayushmann then sang a song with Tahiras father--Hamein tumse pyaar kitna--and easily wooed Tahira. The couple dated for years, saw each other grow up, witnessed each others dorky college phase and tied the knot in 2008. They are now parents to son Virajveer and daughter Varushka. Soon, Ayushmann became a star after the release of Vicky Donor and as excited as Tahira was for her husband, jealousy also crept in. Ayushmann in earlier interviews has spoken about his marriage going through a tough time. She wanted that I should not kiss on screen. You see, we were like each others first boyfriend and girlfriend, Ayushmann told SpotboyE. We were also going through a rough patch. She was not ready for all this, he added. Every relationship needs time. If you give time to your partner, he/she will feel much more secure. The actor said that the rough patch lasted for about three years. Tahira told Spotboye in an interview, I had a problem with him kissing on screen. I felt like a big, huge fat whale sitting at home. When you are pregnant your hormones also go up and down. Here this boy is looking at his youngest youth best and he is romancing women and what is this onscreen kiss! We both were very young. He didnt have the time and patience to take me along and I didnt have the patience to understand. There was this disconnect that we were not there for each other to take each other along in that journey. Somewhere he knew that she doesnt mean mad. I also knew he wasnt cheating. I had to evolve as a person to understand what art is. Talking about how she couldnt deal with it, she said, I had given up many times but he did not. He didnt use to give up but he also didnt make up... We both have really evolved as artists, as companions and we have seen a journey including cancer being a part of it. Where we are right now, it is at its strongest best. Tahira was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and has now recovered from it. Also read: From being asked to serve food to Ayushmann Khurrana to getting groped at 12, Tahira Kashyap opens up on need to smash patriarchy Now, Ayushmann credits the success of their relationship to the long friendship that they have had. Shah Rukh Khan had once said Pyaar dosti hai and I believe that. Tahira and I have been great friends since Class 12. So that dosti evolved into a relationship and finally culminated into marriage, which has lasted because of companionship more than anything else. You discover each other emotionally and physically but if you are not friends, it wont survive for too long, he told DNA. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For Subscribers Farmers concerned about chemical costs, supply issues heading into 2022 Higher fertilizer and chemical costs are on the minds of farm groups as they look toward spring planting. MONTREAL - Conservative Leader Erin OToole said following a meeting Monday with Quebec Premier Francois Legault that he supports the provinces right to pass legislation banning religious symbols and he wouldnt challenge it in court. Canada is facing a national unity crisis, OToole told reporters after his first in-person meeting with a premier since winning the leadership race in late August. The federal government, therefore, shouldnt be interfering with the independence of provincial legislatures, he said. We have a national unity crisis at the moment particularly in Western Canada and I did speak to the premier about that, OToole said. We need a government that respects provincial autonomy and provincial legislatures. OToole said he served in the military with practising Sikhs who wore turbans, and I understand its a difficult question. But as a leader, we have to respect the Constitution and the partnerships we have in Canada. Quebecs secularism law, commonly known as Bill 21, bans certain public sector workers from wearing religious symbols on the job. It is currently being contested before the courts and the federal Liberals have criticized the bill. OToole also said large, federally regulated companies such as banks as well as airports should be forced to adhere to Quebecs strict language laws. Quebecs minister for the French language recently signalled he plans to subject federal companies such as Via Rail to the provinces language law known as Bill 101 which would require them to operate in French. I told (Legault) personally I think large federal institutions should respect the French-language provisions in Quebec, OToole said. I think its a question of respect and I understand the priority of protecting a language, culture and identity. OToole said much of the discussion with Legault centred on relaunching the countrys economy following the COVID-19 pandemic induced shutdowns. That included what he termed a frank discussion on pipelines which the Quebec government is opposed to building on its territory. Legault said last year there is no social acceptability for an additional oil pipeline in the province. In 2017, TransCanada abandoned the cross-Canada pipeline dubbed Energy East after protests in Quebec and after changes to the environmental assessment process. The Conservative leader said he spoke with Legault of the importance of pipelines in Western Canada, acknowledging that Energy East is not on the table but that the two men did discuss a proposed liquefied natural gas project in Quebecs Saguenay region. There are projects that will help us get a better price for Canadian resources, OToole said. This is a resource that is important to our national interest, wed better get the best world price we can. We had a good, frank conversation and he knows my priority is to get Canadian goods to market and the pipelines will help do that. OToole also said it was important for him to hold his first meeting in Quebec the Conservative leader was born in Montreal and has high hopes for increasing the Tory footprint in the province. Weve got a great caucus from Quebec right now, he said. I want to double or triple that caucus so were going to work very hard to earn the trust of Quebecers. Daniel Beland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said meeting with Legault first has important symbolism attached to it. Legaults Coalition Avenir Quebec party has strong support in rural and suburban Quebec the same pool of voters OToole will want to target, Beland said in an interview Monday. The big challenge, he added, will come from the Bloc Quebecois, who also draw from the nationalist voter pool who support Legaults party. Beland said tripling the number of MPs might be ambitious but it wouldnt be hard for OToole to do better than his predecessor, Andrew Scheer. Will it succeed? A lot will depend on whether Quebecers will want to bet again on the Bloc as the main opposition party to go after the Liberals or, if they dont like the Liberals, if they will be tempted by the Conservative message, Beland said. The Conservatives can do better in Quebec and especially outside Quebec City, which is their stronghold. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said OToole supports Quebecs ban on religious symbols; what he supports is the provinces right to legislate on the issue. Read more about: Russian lawyers propose to recognize ownership of social media profiles RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 15:03 14/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 14 (RAPSI) The Russian Bar Association for Human Rights (RBAHR) believes it is necessary to introduce ownership rights as to social media accounts of authenticated users, the press service of the body informs RAPSI on Monday. Recognition of ownership rights with respect to social media profiles for users who could prove their identities by producing passports or equivalent documents is the only logical solution permitting to protect the rights of owners; user profiles or pages are to be blocked only by court rulings, members of the Association observe. According to the RBAHR press service, over the past two months a flow of complaints against blocking of social media profiles and pages users believe were unjustified has intensified; it especially concerns Facebook. Chair of the Association Maria Arkhipova takes the view that owners of social networks need to understand that they produce public goods and have to bear the respective burden, first of all, to guarantee the rights to ownership of the content created by users, including their pages and profiles. Digitalization has resulted in the fact that public goods produced on the internet are owned by a single person; it could be acceptable in the very beginning when technologies just started to develop; nevertheless, when technologies become public goods they should not be owned by a single person as in such a case it is a monopoly bringing with it respective negative externalities and abuses, Arkhipova stresses. YEREVAN. The Constitutional Court of Armenia should have the right to independently interpret the norms of the Constitution. President of the Court of Cassation Yervand Khundkaryan, one of the candidates for a judge of the Constitutional Courtand who is nominated to this post by the General Assembly of Judgessaid this during the debates on the candidacies for judges of the Constitutional Court at Mondays session of the National Assembly. According to him, the need for further revision of the Constitution of Armenia cannot be ruled out. "Improving the institute of interpretation of the Basic Law is an alternative to revising the Constitution. When applying any norm of the Constitution, it is necessary to reveal the content of that norm. It is in this matter that the Constitutional Court must manifest itself most effectively. I believe the Constitutional Court should have independent powers, by officially interpreting the constitutional norms," Khundkaryan explained. About 8 mln Britons face tighter lockdown rules as UK reaches "critical time" in virus fight Global Times Source: Xinhua Published: 2020/9/13 8:33:35 Almost 8 million Britons will be subjected to tighter lockdown restrictions next week after fresh measures were imposed in the West Midlands and Scotland, local media reported Saturday. From Tuesday, households in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull will be banned from mixing after the region reported a surge in coronavirus cases, according to the Evening Standard newspaper. Further north, Lanarkshire joins areas around Glasgow subject to tougher controls, with the new rules in force as of midnight on Friday. Previously, nine new local authorities were added to Public Health England's watchlist, meaning they, too, could soon see new restrictions imposed. They are: Gateshead, Sunderland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hertsmere, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, Sheffield and St Helens. Some 5.8 million people in England (one in 10) will be forced to follow tougher rules than the rest of the country, when the new measures take effect in the West Midlands, according to analysis by Sky News. Designated areas in Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Greater Manchester where restrictions are already in place remain as areas of national intervention, the British Department of Health confirmed. The British government imposes the new restrictions at a time when countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are engaged in a race against time to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus. A study by Imperial College London found that coronavirus cases in England were doubling every seven to eight days at the beginning of September. The findings of the Real-Time Assessment of Community Transmission study suggest the virus is now spread more widely in the community. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The East End Farmers Market is once again ready to bring you fresh homegrown products as it reopens on the Navigation Esplanade. What better way to celebrate National Support Latino Business Day than to visit the market, which is every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EVA LONGORIA TEAMS UP TO SUPPORT FARMERS: Eva Longoria teams up with Tillamook to launch the 'All For Farmers' campaign This Latinx-owned and operated market offers up some of the freshest and locally produced farm and dairy products, as well as unique handcrafted items from various vendors showcasing their talents. The market had been closed since March, according to Roy Rodriguez, market manager. "We tried opening in June, but that was during the spike in COVID-19 cases, and we had to shut down again," he told Chron.com. "Since then, we started doing interviews with different vendors to highlight how they got started and shared their interviews on our Facebook page." According to East End District director of public affairs Dan Joyce, many vendors were hard-hit during the pandemic and were forced to cease operations. "As such, some of the vendors may change week to week," said Joyce. The market reopened Sunday, Sept. 13 with its renowned vendors selling everything from bunuelos to Texas homegrown salsa and handcrafted furniture. "We were definitely encouraged by the showing of community support as we reopened and hope to see the trend continue, especially as fall weather arrives to the Houston area," said Joyce. He says the market will remain responsive to updates from local officials as they move to keep their staff, vendors, and community healthy. The weekly street market stands out as one of Houston's premier events, shining a light on the culture and beauty of the East End. As the push for equity and racial justice sweeps across all sectors of society, lawyers and legal organizations are calling for the federal government to take a hard look at the lack of diversity among the countrys judiciary. In a letter to Justice Minister David Lametti sent Monday, 36 bar associations, legal clinics and advocacy groups are urging Ottawa to fill all six current vacancies on the Federal Court with Black, Indigenous and People of Colour judges. They also recommend the revision of assessment criteria for judicial appointments to recognize systemic barriers faced by BIPOC candidates, such as the bilingualism requirement. It is undeniable that the current racial composition of our federal courts does not reflect the diversity of Canada, said the letter, spearheaded by the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. The legacy of centuries of institutional racism has led to a dominantly white federal bench making decisions governing the actions and behaviours of BIPOC communities, without ever having experienced the prejudices and racial biases faced by these communities. There are currently two BIPOC judges one Indigenous and one of Kurdish heritage in the roster of 44 judges in the Federal Court, where immigration and refugee and Indigenous cases, mostly involving visible minorities, make up 63 per cent of the dockets. Despite the Liberal governments commitments to racial inclusion, both the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada continue to be completely white benches, the groups said. Under the Liberal governments previous mandate, between 2016 and last October, of all new federal judicial appointments including those to the provincial superior and appellant courts, only three per cent self-identified as Indigenous, with eight per cent being visible minorities. Their representation was far behind the 27 per cent of Canadians who are BIPOC. The people sitting on the bench look incredibly different than the people appearing before them. Increasingly theres this glaring disconnect, said Anthony Navaneelan, vice-president of the refugee lawyer association. This summer, thanks to the protests were seeing on systemic racism, it gave us a shot in the arm that we really needed to look around at our own backyard and to say justice doesnt only have to be done but has to be seen to be done. Navaneelan, who is of Tamil background and self-identifies as brown, is the first lawyer in his family; his parents fled unrests in Sri Lanka in 1981 to Ireland before settling in Newfoundland in 1983. As a member of the bar, its hard to go before the court and time and time again never get to see someone up on that bench who looks like you, he said. If the person on the bench doesnt understand or hasnt been in the same position of the person that you are representing, then your task is doubled. You are trying to translate for them the experience of your client in the terms that they will understand. In 2016, Ottawa professionalized the court appointment process from what many considered a patronage system by establishing judicial advisory committees to screen and recommend candidates. Officials also began tracking applicants ethnocultural backgrounds as well as disabilities and sexual orientation. In 2019, there were 17 BIPOC applicants recommended to the Attorney General for court appointments. Out of 86 new federal and provincial judges appointed, only two were Indigenous persons and only four were from visible minority groups. Officials said there was a five-month moratorium on appointing new judges due to the federal election last year but that progress has been made under the governments new mandate. Of the 64 new appointments made since December, 38 appointments (59 per cent) have been women; two (three per cent) are Indigenous; 12 (19 per cent) are visible minorities and six (nine per cent) identify as LGBTQ. Candidates are asked which court they prefer to serve, and there is a special requirement for the Federal Court that they must agree to live in the Ottawa area. Who gets selected also depends on whether the persons expertise is in need on the bench at the time. The face of Canadas judiciary has changed considerably since our government took office, reflecting our appointment of highly meritorious jurists who bring with them a broad range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, said Rachel Rappaport, press secretary of Lametti. We are committed to having a judiciary that looks more like Canada, one in which all Canadians can see themselves reflected. There is no doubt that there is more work ahead to continue seeing these numbers rise, but we are on the right track. Laura Sharp, a board member of the Indigenous Bar Association, lamented that there is currently no Indigenous judge at the appellate level on any court in Canada after the recent retirement of former Justice Leonard S. Mandamin from the Federal Court. Those courts decide many of the most important cases involving Indigenous Peoples including Aboriginal rights, treaty rights and land claims, said Sharp, whose organization endorses the letter. Ottawa can and must do better in order for the federal courts to adequately serve Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian public at large. Many BIPOC justices have cited bilingualism requirement as an obstacle to appointments to the Supreme Court, where three of the nine judges must also come from Quebec. Although being bilingual is not mandatory for federal court and appeal court appointments, it is still part of the competence assessment criteria. Not every single judge has to be bilingual in order to have a strong federal court. You are screening out other diversities that are equally important, said Navaneelan. A better balance has to be struck. Calling judges gatekeepers of the administration of justice, Fareeda Adam, staff lawyer at the Black Legal Action Centre, another signatory to the letter, said now is the time to act and overcome the trust deficit in the Canadian judiciary. Until everyone has full confidence in our justice system, she said, it will be impossible for our communities to access justice in a meaningful way. Lametti is set to host a virtual forum this week on diversity on the bench. Correction Sept. 15, 2020: This story has been edited to note that Justice Leonard S. Mandamin retired from the Federal Court. Read more about: Suspected bandits killed one person, and abducted a nursing mother, an infant and 15 other family members at Udawa village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. PREMIUM TIMES findings revealed that the incident occurred around 7 a.m. on Saturday at Gonar Lema. Those abducted were all members of the same family and were on their way to the farm when the bandits attacked them. Three members of the family who sustained injuries Blessing Yakubu, Omega Yakubu and Baby Yakubu and the head of the family, Yakubu Gurmi, were rushed to hospital for treatment. The head of the family Mr Yakubu, popularly called Yakubu Jakuta, is being attended to at Birnin Gwari hospital for the gun shots sustained on his two legs, while the three others were initially taken to Kaduna hospital for scanning but were later moved to Birnin Gwari General hospital on Sunday evening. A community leader in the area, Muhammad Hussaini, who confirmed the incident, said one of the injured victims died in the early hours of Monday. They were attacked at a place called Gonar Lema a few kilometres from Udawa town. They were on motorcycles going to their farms. The bandits then abducted 17 other members of the family including a nursing mother, Abigail, with her infant. But the head of the family Mr Yakubu was shot on his two legs and three others sustained injuries. But, sadly, one of them died this Monday morning, he said READ ALSO: He said the deceased was shot on his mouth by the bandits during the attack. He explained that the corpse will be conveyed from Birnin Gwari to Udawa for burial. The bandits are yet to contact the family for ransom. The Kaduna State Commissioner Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, could not be reached on Monday as his phone was switched off and a text message sent to him was not replied. Similarly, the Kaduna State Police Public Relations officer, Mohammed Jalige, did not pick his call. Chikun is one of the local governments battling with bandits activities in Kaduna State. Many residents have been killed and abducted in many communities bordering Birnin-Gwari LGA of the state. Recently five students and their teacher, Christiana Madugu, were abducted by gunmen at their school, prince Academy, located at Damba-Kasaya, in the same Chikun local government. Their abductors have demanded for over N20 million ransom. The students and teacher are yet to be released. The Michigan State Capitol Commission voted down two proposals to impose weapons bans in the state Capitol building Monday but members are leaving open the option to come back to the subject after talking it over with legislative leaders. The six-member appointed state panel voted down a proposal to completely ban firearms in the Capitol 2-4 and split 3-3 on a motion to ban open carry in the building. Members who voted against the measures said they wanted to hold off on a decision until commissioners could sit down with House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake. The lawmakers requested a meeting in the next couple of weeks to see if we can arrive at common ground on the issue, Commission Chair Gary Randall said. One of the criticisms that this commission has received is there seems to be an appearance that we are just trying to stall or drag our feet on this issue, he said. I can assure you that is not the case...I think this invitation from the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House is good indication that we can eventually come to an understanding and implement something thats well thought out. The commission, which is tasked with managing Capitol grounds and facilities, typically isnt in the political spotlight, and several members initially questioned whether they even had the authority to set firearms policies on Capitol grounds. Both Attorney General Dana Nessel and independent counsel retained by the commission found the panel does indeed have the authority, although some commissioners remain hesitant to make a determination without some legislative input. Mondays votes came after Commissioners Bill Kandler and John Truscott presented a report laying out the logistics of what banning firearms at the Michigan Capitol might entail, based on consultation with the Michigan State Police, the Department of Technology, Management and Budget and the state Supreme Court. Kandler said the Michigan State Police could easily enforce a ban on open carry and long guns on the state Capitol premises. But enforcing a full firearms ban would likely require a substantial investment in screening equipment, staff and additional security measures like limiting access points into the building, he said. He expressed concern that enacting a ban on firearms without that investment would encourage people to flout the law. If we pass this today, tomorrow nothing changes, he said. While Id like to see this happen eventually, we cant do it today. We cant implement it, we cant enforce it. Firearms have long been allowed in and around the Michigan Capitol building, and members of the public are allowed to enter the building without being checked by security. Thats not the case in the U.S. Capitol and many other state Capitol buildings around the country. Commissioner Joan Bauer said the issue of guns in the Michigan Capitol has been researched, analyzed and talked about for months, if not years, already, and said the panel needs to take action. The legislature could have and should have dealt with this issue by putting parameters on guns in the Capitol building, but they havent done so, as we all know, she said. So it is time for this commission to act. Commissioners were initially prompted to discuss the buildings lack of a firearms policy after protests of the states stay-home order in late April, when many armed protesters demonstrated in and around the state Capitol building while lawmakers were in session. State Reps. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, and Brenda Carter, D-Pontiac, criticized the commission following Mondays votes for placing more emphasis on Capitol restoration projects and repairs than safety and security concerns of people who work in or visit the building. In emotional public comments, Anthony said the presence of weapons in the Capitol creates an environment of panic and anxiety" and puts pressure on lawmakers to vote a certain way to avoid violence. This is not that difficult, Anthony said, noting that many other state and city government buildings in Lansing already ban firearms on the premises. By not banning firearms in this building, you are telling me that my life does not matter. Related: Gun ban debate at Michigan Capitol to resume this week Michigan Capitol Commission agrees it can ban guns, but stops short of doing so Should Michigan keep allowing guns in the Capitol? Committee to investigate Guns can be banned at Michigan Capitol, says AG Dana Nessel Commission second-guesses AG Nessel, wants another opinion on authority to ban guns at Michigan Capitol Ben Wallace signalled tonight that drones will replace troops in future wars as he warned Britains enemies have adapted far more quickly than us. The Defence Secretary set out his plan for the military to become relentlessly innovative as he unveiled new lethal autonomous kit for use by the Royal Navy. He was flanked by a quadcopter drone carrying a torpedo which could also be used to evacuate casualties - and a flying battering-ram drone-bashing machine. Mr Wallace said a future fighting force would not be about mass mobilisation like the wars of the past but instead about speed and readiness. The Malloy Aeronautics T-400 could also be used to evacuate casualties by putting them in a tube fixed to the pilotless drone, or search for migrants in the Channel. Meanwhile the autonomous Anduril Anvil piece of kit uses sensors to find out where drones are The former Scots Guards officer was speaking ahead of the publication of a major defence review whilst touring Britains newest navy ship, HMS Tamar, in London. In a hint that troop numbers could be slashed in favour of modern kit and specialist forces, he said: Instead of mass and mobilisation, this future force will be about speed, readiness and resilience, operating much more in the newest domains, in space, cyber and sub-sea, and working to prevent conflict as well as winning it. He said that the review which is ongoing will lead to a step change with a reshaping of the military like never seen before. He added: The global picture has changed, our enemies have studied our vulnerabilities and have adapted far more quickly than us. He went on: We will pivot away from what weve become used to and instead reshape our armed forces to become a force fit for tomorrows battles, not fighting yesterdays. He said the future military will be modern, versatile and innovative. Mr Wallace said a future fighting force would not be about mass mobilisation like the wars of the past but instead about speed and readiness General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said: Whilst the character of conflict evolves continuously - and this integrated operating concept is a response to that - the nature of war never changes' Unveiling world-beating systems, including a quadcopter drone that carries a torpedo, he said the UK military would need to be nimbler in future. He pointed to a drone with a spying capability able to reach many many miles from the edges of the ship and an autonomous patrol ship which is currently undergoing trials. This test bed of innovation is one we seek to embrace in the Integrated Review going forward, he said. The new kit included a quadcopter drone, known as the pilotless pick-up truck of the air that can either carry a torpedo, huge payloads of ammunition or medical supplies. The Malloy Aeronautics T-400 could also be used to evacuate casualties by putting them in a tube fixed to the pilotless drone, or search for migrants in the Channel. A technical adviser to the navys chief technology officer said: Its not all about delivering payloads and weapons, you could use it for border control, going up and down the Channel. It could be boxes of ammunition, which are really heavy, and you might need to get it across unhospitable terrain, snow, sand, rocks. He went on: Think Amazon, deliver it to anywhere. It could be whatever you want it to be. It could be for bringing out someone that is injured. You could put them in a tube, they have looked at it for casevac (casualty evacuation), because it can get someone who is injured back far quicker than going by roads or putting medical people where it is dangerous. The adviser, who did not wish to be named, said the navy wanted such kit to be integrated with the ships system so it could be deployed from the control room rather than by a separate remote. He went on: You could draw a search zone, or a point of interest, and you could tell it to go to there. If its just looking for something, its a camera, you can automate it. If it has a function you have to have a man in the loop, we arent in the world of Terminator. The ship also showcased a flying battering-ram counter drone system that is used to smash drones out of the sky by crashing into them. The autonomous Anduril Anvil piece of kit uses sensors to find out where drones are relying on light and shadows and then bashes into drones, rendering them useless. Mr Wallace said the future force would project itself as a global military power, with a more flexible force structure that is better equipped for lighter tasks. Mr Wallace said the future force would project itself as a global military power, with a more flexible force structure that is better equipped for lighter tasks He made the comments whilst on a tour of HMS Tamar, the fourth of five new offshore patrol vessels being built for the Royal Navy, as it was docked at London Bridge. Mr Wallace said the ship was Swiss army knife of the Royal Navy, saying it was capable of everything from guarding our shores to anti-smuggling and counter terrorism operations. He said: Shes a great example of innovation and some of our ambitions for the future. She is going to be a critical part in our royal navys armoury and will play an important part in protecting our shores from our future dangers. The head of the military also suggested that despite the new approach, modern warfare would still require troops and heavy armour. General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said: Whilst the character of conflict evolves continuously - and this integrated operating concept is a response to that - the nature of war never changes. It will always be visceral, violent and about politics, and ultimately it will always require people to go head to head on the ground to seek a result and a decision. It never changes and we should bear that in mind and history would underpin it. The Integrated Review of foreign policy, defence, security and international development is due to conclude in the autumn. It is regarded as the biggest assessment of foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. PULLMAN, Wash. - For the first time, scientists have created pigs, goats and cattle that can serve as viable "surrogate sires," male animals that produce sperm carrying only the genetic traits of donor animals. The advance, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Sept. 14, could speed the spread of desirable characteristics in livestock and improve food production for a growing global population. It also would enable breeders in remote regions better access to genetic material of elite animals from other parts of the world and allow more precision breeding in animals such as goats where using artificial insemination is difficult. "With this technology, we can get better dissemination of desirable traits and improve the efficiency of food production. This can have a major impact on addressing food insecurity around the world," said Jon Oatley, a reproductive biologist with WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. "If we can tackle this genetically, then that means less water, less feed and fewer antibiotics we have to put into the animals." A research team led by Oatley used the gene-editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to knock out a gene specific to male fertility in the animal embryos that would be raised to become surrogate sires. The male animals were then born sterile but began producing sperm after researchers transplanted stem cells from donor animals into their testes. The sperm the surrogate sires produced held only the genetic material of the selected donor animals. The gene-editing process employed in this study seeks to bring about changes within an animal species that could occur naturally, such as infertility. The study is the result of six years of collaborative work among researchers at WSU, Utah State University, University of Maryland and the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. The researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to produce mice, pigs, goats and cattle that lacked a gene called NANOS2 which is specific to male fertility. The male animals grew up sterile but otherwise healthy, so when they received transplanted sperm-producing stem cells from other animals, they started producing sperm derived from the donor's cells. The surrogate sires were confirmed to have active donor sperm. The surrogate mice fathered healthy offspring who carried the genes of the donor mice. The larger animals have not been bred yet. Oatley's lab is refining the stem cell transplantation process before taking that next step. This study provides a powerful proof of concept, said Professor Bruce Whitelaw of the Roslin Institute. "This shows the world that this technology is real. It can be used," said Whitelaw. "We now have to go in and work out how best to use it productively to help feed our growing population." Latest step in animal husbandry Scientists have been searching for a way to create surrogate sires for decades to overcome the limitations of selective breeding and artificial insemination, tools which require either animal proximity or strict control of their movement--and in many cases, both. Artificial insemination is common in dairy cattle who are often confined so their reproductive behavior is relatively easy to control, but the procedure is rarely used with beef cattle who need to roam freely to feed. For pigs, the procedure still requires the animals be nearby as pig sperm does not survive freezing well. In goats, artificial insemination is quite challenging and could require a surgical procedure. The surrogate sire technology could solve those problems since the surrogates deliver the donor genetic material the natural way--through normal reproduction. This enables ranchers and herders to let their animals interact normally on the range or field. Donors and surrogates do not need to be near each other since either frozen donor sperm or the surrogate animal itself can be shipped to different places. In addition, female NANOS2 knockout animals remain fertile - since the gene only affects male fertility - and could be bred to efficiently generate sterile males to be used as surrogate sires. This technology has great potential to help food supply in places in the developing world, where herders still have to rely on selective breeding to improve their stock, said Irina Polejaeva, a professor at Utah State University. "Goats are the number one source of protein in a lot of developing countries," Polejaeva said. "This technology could allow faster dissemination of specific traits in goats, whether it's disease resistance, greater heat tolerance or better meat quality." The surrogate sires technology could also open up a new option for genetic conservation of endangered species, whose dwindling numbers leave animal communities isolated from each other, limiting their genetic diversity. Perception and policy hurdles None of the benefits of surrogate sires can be realized, however, without changes in the current landscape of government regulations and public perception. Even when the technology is advanced enough for commercialization, gene-edited surrogate sires could not be used in the food chain anywhere in the world under current regulations, even though their offspring would not be gene-edited. This is due in part to the misperceptions that gene editing is the same as the controversial gene manipulation, Oatley said. Gene editing involves making changes within a species that could occur naturally. It does not combine DNA from different species. Oatley realizes there is a lot of work to do outside of the lab and recently joined the National Task Force on Gene Editing in Livestock to bring together researchers, industry representatives, bioethicists and policymakers to find a path forward for the technology. "Even if all science is finished, the speed at which this can be put into action in livestock production anywhere in the world is going to be influenced by societal acceptance and federal policy," said Oatley. "By working with policymakers and the public, we can help to provide information assuring the public that this science does not carry the risks that other methods do." ### This study was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, WSU's Functional Genomics Initiative and Genus plc. The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as part of U.K. Research and Innovation, and it is part of the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. At Utah State University, this study was supported by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. Finance Minister on Monday sought the nod for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, which include cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore, primarily to meet expenses for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the total cash outgo Rs 40,000 crore is towards enhanced expenditure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program and Rs 33,771.48 crore have been sought for direct benefit transfer under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and National Social Assistance Programme. As part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Rs 33,771.48 crore have been transferred to beneficiaries of both women Jan Dhan Account holders and Old Age Pension holders. "For providing Grants-in-aid General for Direct Benefit Transfer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna Women Accounts Holders (Rs 30,956.98 crore) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (Rs 2,814.50 crore) under the scheme National Social Assistance Programme," the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 tabled in the Lok Sabha said. The government has also sought Rs 46,602.43 crore towards providing additional allocation under Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to the states as per recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 includes 54 Grants and 1 Appropriations. "Approval of the is sought to authorise gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore. Of this, the proposals involving net cash outgo aggregate to Rs 1,66,983.91 crore and gross additional expenditure, matched by savings of the Ministries/Departments or by enhanced receipts/recoveries aggregates to Rs 68,868.33 crore," it said. To augment the health infrastructure to combat COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the government has sought Rs 14,231.96 crore including Rs 5,915.49 crore for meeting additional expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General for containment of pandemic and Rs 2,475 crore to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). For meeting expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General under the scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) related to the Labour Ministry, the government has sought Rs 4,860 crore. With regard to meeting expenditure towards food subsidy to decentralized procurement scheme states under National Food Security Act, Rs 10,000 crore has been sought from the For meeting an additional expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for the Guarantee Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility to eligible MSME borrowers, Rs 4,000 crore has been sought. On May 20, the Cabinet approved additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore at a concessional rate of 9.25 per cent through Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSME sector. Under the scheme, 100 per cent guarantee coverage will be provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs 3 trillion to eligible MSMEs and interested Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) borrowers in the form of a guaranteed emergency credit line (GECL) facility. For this purpose, a corpus of Rs 41,600 crore was set up by the government, spread over the current and next three financial years. The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31, or till the amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier. (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.) Europe is likely to see a resurgence in coronavirus deaths in October and November, the WHO warned today. Deaths have remained relatively stable even as cases have surged in many European countries over the summer, but the WHO's Europe director Hans Kluge is expecting a rise in daily fatalities in the autumn. 'It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,' he said. Kluge also warned that a vaccine breakthrough would not necessarily mean the end of the pandemic - predicting a 'logistical nightmare' if different jabs are needed for different groups of people. Current infection rates in Europe according to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), with Spain and France among the worst-affected countries in the recent rebound WHO Europe's 55 member states are holding an online meeting today and tomorrow to discuss their response to the coronavirus and agree an overall five-year strategy. 'It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand,' Kluge said in an interview with AFP as he predicted a rise in daily deaths. He stressed that he wanted to send the 'positive message' that the pandemic 'is going to finish, at one moment or another.' However Kluge, based in Copenhagen, raised a warning finger to those who believe that the development of a vaccine will bring an end to the pandemic. 'I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not!,' the Belgian said. 'We don't even know if the vaccine is going to help all population groups. We are getting some signs now that it will help for one group and not for the other,' he said. 'And then if we have to order different vaccines, what a logistical nightmare! 'The end of the pandemic is the moment that we as a community are going to learn how to live with this pandemic. And it depends on us and that's a very positive message,' The number of cases in Europe has risen sharply in recent weeks, especially in Spain and France - leading to new travel restrictions months after borders re-opened. French doctors have urged people to avoid private gatherings to contain the spread of the virus, while measures are being toughened in high-infection areas. In Spain, measures are being imposed by 17 regional authorities - with gatherings of more than 10 banned for weeks in some places, but only recently in Madrid. 'This rebound has a lot to do with the structure of Spain's healthcare system,' said Jose Molero, the secretary general of doctors' union Csit. Europe's daily number of cases (shown on this chart) has reached record levels, according to WHO figures, although deaths have so far remained relatively stable On Friday alone, more than 51,000 new cases were reported in the 55 countries of WHO Europe, which is more than the highest peak in April. Sebastian Kurz, the chancellor of Austria which has so far kept cases and deaths low, warned that his country was facing 'the beginning of the second wave'. The Czech Republic has also faced a surge, with one epidemiologist saying over the weekend that cases could overwhelm hospitals if they continue at the current rate. New restrictions are coming into force across England on Monday, with social gatherings limited to no more than six people. Europe has now recorded nearly 4.8million cases in total, although its share of global cases has fallen sharply after huge outbreaks in India, Brazil and the United States. Meanwhile, the number of daily deaths has remained at around the same level since early June with around 400-500 deaths per day, WHO data showed. There was some good news in Britain where Oxford University and AstraZeneca were given the all-clear to resume their vaccine trial. Researchers had 'voluntarily paused' the trial, seen as one of the most promising candidates in the vaccine race, after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. Even during the pause, AstraZeneca said it remained hopeful that the vaccine could still be available 'by the end of this year, early next year'. Thirty eight people being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for financial frauds fled the country in the four-year period between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019, the finance ministry has said. The government also noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has informed that applications for Red Corner Notices against 20 people, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, have been filed with the Interpol. In addition to this, extradition requests for 14 people have been sent to various countries, while applications under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, had been filed against 11 people. The details were provided in response to an unstarred question during the Monsson Session on September 14, in which Congress leader Dean Kuriakose had sought data available with the government on businessmen who had fled the country after defrauding banks, and the number of such cases reported during the last five years. Responding to the question, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said, "The CBI has apprised that 38 persons involved in the cases registered by the probe agency related to financial irregularities with banks fled the country during 1.1.2015 to 31.12.2019. Action is taken as per law in all such cases." Also Read | Bank fraud cases see a major spike in 2019-20: How prepared is the RBI? A red corner notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is published by the Interpol at the request of a member country. As per public data available on the Interpol's website, Red Corner Notices have been issued for fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi and businessman Mehul Choksi, both of whom are wanted in India in connection with the Rs 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. Also Read | 5 promoters who left Indian banks high and dry Once the 'king of good times' and now fighting his extradition to India, former owner of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya is also one among the many fugitive economic offenders. He fled the country after defrauding a consortium of banks to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. U.S. President Donald President Trump faces reporters after it was announced Bahrain has joined the United Arab Emirates in striking an agreement to normalize relations with Israel during a brief appearance in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2020. Journalist Bob Woodward said Monday that he was shocked when he learned that President Donald Trump "possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives" in January. In an interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC's "TODAY" show, Woodward said he found out about a briefing the president received from his national security advisers on Jan. 28 about the pandemic coming to the United States and, only a few days later, Trump didn't share that information in his State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 4, which 40 million people watched. Woodward said Trump missed an opportunity that night to convey that warning, but the president said only that the U.S. was doing everything possible. Woodward said it's like if President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the American people the truth after Pearl Harbor that a lot more could have been done. "It is one of those shocks, for me, having written about nine presidents, that the president of the United States possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives and historians are going to be writing about the lost month of February for tens of years," Woodward said. Woodward also released a new audio clip on "TODAY" from one of his 18 interviews with Trump for his book "Rage," which is set to be released Tuesday. In the recording, Trump talks about having positive relationships with leaders like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of many strongmen the president has praised. "I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to because everyone says, 'What a horrible guy.' But, you know, for me it works out good. It's funny the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them. You'll explain that to me someday, OK? But maybe it's not a bad thing. The easy ones are the ones I maybe don't like as much or don't get along with as much," Trump told Woodward. Asked for his reaction to those comments Monday, Woodward said added that Dan Coats, when he served as Trump's director of national intelligence, came to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin had something on Trump and suspected the worst. "Dan Coats, who was the number one intelligence officer in the country, did not have proof. They went through all the intelligence, but he indeed harbored that suspicion," Woodward said. History TV18 HD is taking its viewers on a quest to unearth one of the largest treasures in modern-day history. The team of explorers on the channels latest premiere, Lost Gold of World War II, premiering on the 14th of September at 6 PM, are going to hike through the dense jungles of South-east Asia, following signs and symbols, to search for a rumoured treasure that is popularly known as the Yamashita Gold. The hundreds of billions of dollars of stolen loot supposedly hidden in the region by Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita has lured treasure hunters from around the world for decades. This hidden haul is now being tracked on an exciting 8-part series airing Monday to Friday evenings at 6, only on History TV18 HD. Towards the end of the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Army allegedly built a series of underground tunnels across South-east Asia to hide vast amounts of stolen money, jewels, art, and valuable artefacts. When General Yamashita was assigned to defend the Philippines in 1944, it is alleged that he hid the war loot in secret spots across the country. And, when he was eventually executed in 1946, he died taking the location of the tunnel system with him to the grave. Now, a team of American explorers on History TV18 HDs exclusive premiere, Lost Gold of World War II, premiering on the 14th of September at 6 PM, are going all out to try to unearth one of the greatest mysteries of the Second World War. On the series, the treasure hunters will encounter booby-traps, hidden trap-doors, secret underwater tunnels, possible links to an old CIA controversy, and dire warnings of deathly risks. In the treasure hunting world, it is believed that animal face symbols can direct a search in the direction of where the eyes are looking. On one of the episodes, a rock carved to look like a gorillas face points to a possible secret tunnel hidden below a gushing waterfall. With access to advanced metal detectors, laser scanning equipment, and drones, the team will also be guided by secret treasure markers, like pointing arrow heads, Japanese box symbols carved into rocks, the direction of the tail of an animal marker, and even boulders shaped like animals. Watch Lost Gold of World War II Monday to Friday evenings at 6 PM, starting on the 14th of September, only on History TV18 HD. A Navy commander in charge of a technical training center in Texas was removed from his position Friday. Cmdr. Robert Arias, the former commanding officer of Naval Technical Training Center Lackland, was relieved of command by Capt. John Ferguson, the head of the Center for Security Forces. Ferguson lost confidence in Arias' ability to lead, the Navy announced. The decision was made following an investigation completed by the Center for Security Forces, said Cmdr. James Stockman, a Naval Education and Training Command spokesman. Stockman declined to provide details about the investigation since the matter is still "pending final decision." Read Next: She Once Was Barred from Fighter Jets. Now She's the Pentagon's Only Female Four-Star "Command leaders are held to a high standard," he added. "Their positions require the utmost in responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable in cases where they fall short of those standards." Arias, who declined a request for comment, will be temporarily assigned to Naval Education and Training Command in Pensacola, Florida, Stockman said. Cmdr. Brian Carroll, director of Center for Security Forces Learning Site Gulfport in Mississippi, has assumed Arias' former duties at the training center in Lackland. A prior-enlisted sailor, Arias joined the Navy in 1988 and earned his commission in 2000. The security officer reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in October 2017. Arias deployed to Iraq's Anbar province, leading intercoastal waterway military- and police-transition teams there. He also completed several tours at sea, including aboard the guided-missile cruisers Lake Champlain and Cowpens; destroyer John Paul Jones; and dock-landing ships Pearl Harbor and Rushmore. He has two Meritorious Service Medals, 10 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, six Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and three Good Conduct Medals, according to his official biography. Arias is at least the third Navy commander removed from his job in recent weeks. Cmdr. John Gaines was relieved of command of the guided-missile destroyer Arleigh Burke on Sept. 3 after an investigation into self-reported personal misconduct. Cmdr. Erin Borozny was relieved of command of Navy Operational Support Center Portland, Washington, in late August over a loss of confidence in her ability to lead. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Related: Navy Fires Destroyer Commander Amid Investigation 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 Baldwinsville, N.Y. A student at Van Buren Elementary School has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Baldwinsville School Superintendent Matthew McDonald. The district was informed of the positive case around noon Saturday, and immediately began investigating, McDonald said in a statement. The district announced the case in an email to the school community, and on its website. The student attended school only on Wednesday, the superintendent said. The Onondaga County Health Department is notifying individuals considered to be close contacts of the student who tested positive. The teacher and students in the class are being required to quarantine for 14 days, per health department instructions, McDonald said. "News like this can be tough to hear as we have students who are starting their first day of school tomorrow,'' the superintendent said. The district has been cleaning and sanitizing the classroom and surrounding areas, and a transportation crew has been cleaning the school bus. The school will be open Monday. The district asked families to be alert for symptoms for the next seven to eight days. A student at Jamesville Elementary School also has tested positive, and that school will be closed Monday. Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com MORE STORIES ON EDUCATING CNY CNY schools open with masks, temperature checks, small classes, no hugs; the new normal NY says schools can get rid of snow days this year (Wearing your pajamas inside out wont help) Will CNY schools shut down if a student gets the coronavirus? A look at the rules 9 things to know about New Yorks move of HS football, volleyball from fall to spring Masks, air purifiers could slash odds of coronavirus spread in classrooms: SU report A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle early Monday in Gloucester Township, police said. The man was hit just before 12:45 a.m. by a vehicle traveling north on Black Horse Pike near the intersection of Hilltop Avenue, according to Capt. Brendan Barton. The pedestrian, whose identity was not released pending family notification, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver stopped and cooperated with police. Black Horse Pike was closed between Oak Avenue and Landing Lane for several hours while police investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call Gloucester Township police at 856-228-4500 or the departments anonymous tip line at 856-842-5560. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. She's the former child star whose wild life of partying has been documented feverishly over the years. But Miley Cyrus has now admitted that her new song Midnight Sky was inspired by a raucous bender which took place shortly before lockdown commenced in March. Speaking on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa breakfast show on Monday, the American superstar, 27, explained she forced herself to go home after catching a glimpse of her 'horrible, sweaty and flat' appearance. Scroll down for video 'Mascara dripped down my face': Miley Cyrus admitted that her new song Midnight Sky was inspired by a wild night of partying, which took place shortly before lockdown commenced in March Addressing Midnight Sky's lyrics 'it's been a long night and the mirror's tellin' me to go home', Miley explained that it was 'inspired by one of the last nights she went out before the Corona[virus] craziness and lockdown.' Miley star said: 'I went and performed at the Morrison hotel anniversary with The Doors. 'I ended up going out that night, and I went to take a picture because there was so many icons, Billy Idol, all these legends. 'I go to take a picture, and it was on selfie-style. With all this partying, I looked horrible, sweaty and flat, mascara dripping down my face and I thought well it's time to go home!' she said. Calling it a night: Speaking on Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa breakfast show on Monday, the American star, 27, explained she forced herself to go home after catching a glimpse of her 'horrible, sweaty and flat' appearance. Pictured in the video for her song Midnight Sky The former Disney Channel star famously shed her wholesome girl-next-door image in 2013, opting for a series of sexually provocative outfits, outrageous behaviour and wild nights of partying. Miley's love life has also proven to be dramatic with her recently parting ways from Australian model Cody Simpson. In 2019, her marriage to hunky actor Liam Hemsworth ended for good following their long term on/off relationship which first began in 2010. The Hannah Montana star also had a very brief and public relationship with Kaitlynn Carter. Miley said: 'I go to take a picture, and it was on selfie-style. With all this partying, I looked horrible, sweaty and flat, mascara dripping down my face and I thought well it's time to go home!' Transformation: The former Disney Channel star famously shed her wholesome girl-next-door image in 2013, opting for a series of sexually provocative outfits, outrageous behaviour and wild nights of partying. Pictured in 2014 Meanwhile, on the Australian radio show, Miley also spoke passionately about the importance of voting in the next United States presidential election. She said: 'Listen Im 27 and I know Ive never experienced an election this important in my life and hopefully not again in my lifetime. 'I cant express the importance enough, especially if young people getting out there and being active and making sure that their friends, their family are voting and have the information about whether its mailing in, about the state of our country right now. 'Its just crucial that we get out there and make changes and we have someone fit for the job of running our country.' Splitsville: Miley's love life has also proven to be dramatic with her recently parting ways from Australian model Cody Simpson Officially over: In 2019, her marriage to hunky actor Liam Hemsworth ended for good following their long term on/off relationship which first began in 2010 When asked if she thought US President Donald Trump would stay in office for another four years, Miley explained: 'I think young people are really stepping up to the plate, really taking charge and getting mobilised working and advocating tirelessly. 'I think that you know it's kind of rock bottom here right now. I think it's desperate times, I think people will really step up. 'I don't believe in "don't worry and be happy", I believe that worry is healthy. Worry is why we are washing our hands, wearing our masks, keeping our distance. I believe in realism and not saying everything is going to be okay,' Miley concluded. The Pound is seeing slightly stronger performance this morning, and the British Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate is recovering just slightly after the huge losses it experienced last week. It comes as markets continue to digest and reassess last weeks shocking rise in no-deal Brexit fears, while the Australian Dollar sees more mixed movement as markets calm from last weeks risk-off movement. Last week was a hugely bearish one for GBP/AUD. After opening the week at the level of 1.8230, GBP/AUD spent the entire week tumbling. The pair shed over a cent for each day of the week, ultimately closing the week over 6 cents lower in the region of 1.7574. On Friday, GBP/AUD also touched on a low of 1.7502. This was the worst level for the pair since the end of 2018, over a year and a half ago. GBP/AUD is edging away from those lows since markets opened today though. At the time of writing, GBP/AUD has rebounded about a cent and is trending in the region of 1.7689. The primary drive of movement today so far is once again the Pound. As markets digest and reassess last weeks huge Pound selloff, the British currency is regaining some ground. Some analysts still believe that the chances of a no-deal Brexit have been overblown. According to Analysts at Goldman Sachs: Odds of a damaging no-deal Brexit are meaningfully lower than the market is implying. The market was pricing 40%-45% odds of Britain ending its post-Brexit transition period without reaching a free-trade agreement with the European Union. The UK government was aware how damaging a no-deal outcome would be to the economy. For investors willing to look through some near-term volatility, current levels for sterling longs now look attractive, in our view. There are also hopes that the UK government will soften its position, amid huge backlash against the governments aim to rewrite parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. According to Geoffrey Cox, former Attorney General: The breaking of the law, ultimately, leads to very long-term and permanent damage to this countrys reputation. And its also a question of honour, to me. We signed up, we knew what we were signing. We simply cant seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that. Australian Dollar (AUDs) Exchange Rates Struggle for Direction as Coronavirus Second Wave Spreads The Australian Dollar was one of the currencies to benefit most from lingering risk-sentiment last week. While many investors moved towards safer assets, lingering hopes for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic did help keep risk-sentiment afloat in some ways. As the Australian Dollar has been among the most appealing risk-correlated currencies in recent months, it was able to sustain strong gains against a plummeting Pound. However, investors remain hesitant to take risks this week, and concerns over the second wave of coronavirus infections persist. With infections still rising in Australia and mere months until the key holiday season, the Australian Dollar has been under pressure today. In New South Wales (NSW), where cases are rising, police have announced that groups of more than 20 could be fined. According to Tony Crandell, Assistant Commissioner of Operation Coronavirus: Coming into the warmer months, and with end-of-year festivities around the corner, its only natural that people will have additional reasons to want to gather and get together. These amendments aim to ensure that an increase in expected gatherings doesnt mean an increase in Covid-19 cases. GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Key Australian Data Could Drive Aussie While no-deal Brexit fears and UK-EU Brexit developments will remain the focus for the Pound for much of this week, the Australian Dollar could remain mixed unless some Australian news surprises investors. Some key Australian news expected in the coming sessions could influence AUD movement. The Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) latest meeting minutes report will be published during tomorrows Asian session. Australian housing stats will be published tomorrow and Wednesday, but the biggest data of the week will be published on Thursday. Australias job market is highly influential for Australias economic outlook. As a result, Thursdays Australian job market report will be closely watched. Thursday will also see the Bank of England (BoE) hold its September policy decision. Brexit and BoE developments are still likely to be most influential in the Pound to Australian Dollar exchange rate this week overall. Egypts irrigation minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati said the only solution to the long-running dispute between Cairo, Addis Ababa, and Khartoum over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is reaching a fair and sustainable agreement that secures the interest of the three countries. Abdel-Ati received on Monday a delegation of coordination of youth parties as part of the ministry's efforts to raise public awareness about national security issues. He informed the delegation about the history of GERD negotiations, according to a statement by the ministry. The minister stressed that Egypt has been supporting all African countries. "There is no way out but reaching a fair and sustainable agreement (on GERD) that leads to regional integration and guarantees the joint interests of the three countries," the minister was quoted as saying during the meeting. He expressed his hope to reach a binding deal on the rules of filling and operating the dam that ensures the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan. Egypt will never relinquish its riparian rights under any circumstances, the statement added. The recent round of talks mediated by the African Union (AU) came to a close in late August without reaching consensus on the legal and technical points of contention. Egypt and Sudan have been in talks with Ethiopia for years now to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the massive hydropower dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile. Tripartite negotiations reached deadlock last year as did talks sponsored by the US and World Bank in February. There was a hiatus between 27 July and 3 August after Ethiopia had announced it had completed the first phase of filling the GERD reservoir. The talks were further halted when Sudan called for a suspension of meetings to allow for consultations after Addis Ababa had proposed a package of non-binding guidelines for the filling and operation of the mega-dam. Cairo fears the $4.8 billion hydropower project, built 15 kilometres from the Ethiopian border with Sudan, will significantly cut its crucial water supplies from the River Nile, while Sudan fears it could endanger the safety of its own dams. Ethiopia says the project is key to its development and hopes to become Africas biggest electricity exporter. Search Keywords: Short link: Now this is a story all about how one of our fave sitcoms is celebrating 30 years! The cast of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' has gotten back together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show. The one-off reunion special will air on the HBOMax streaming service in the US later on this year. Most of the original cast is coming back for it, including Will Smith! "Today is exactly 30 YEARS since The @FreshPrince of Bel-Air debuted!" Will wrote on Instagram. Luke Lankford waited an hour and half in a long line outside of the Saraland Public Works Department on Monday so that work crews could put 10 bags of sand into his truck bed. It was time well spent. Lankford, keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Sallys trek, is worried about a drenching tropical system flooding his home. Were looking for 10 inches of rain but if we get much more than that, a sandbag is all that will save me, said Lankford, 35. Saraland residents who live near low-lying areas close to flood-prone areas like Bayou Sara showed up on Sunday and Monday for sandbags. City work crews provided the bags, but with a limit of about 10 or 12 per vehicle. I think this is great, said Lankford. The men are up there working as hard as they can work especially in the hot, humid conditions. They are inside in those buildings and they dont have that air flow. A hurricane warning was issued Monday for the Alabama Gulf Coast as Hurricane Sally formed in the Gulf of Mexico - the storm was upgraded to hurricane status at 11 a.m. Monday - ahead of its anticipated arrival late Tuesday or early Wednesday between the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. Gov. Kay Ivey, earlier Monday, issued a state of emergency. As of 10 a.m., Sally was 185 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, and moving to the west-northwest at 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. 11 AM CDT UPDATE: NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft finds that #Sally has strengthened into a hurricane with 85 mph max sustained winds. Special advisory to follow shortly. https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/elyQPCgELT National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 14, 2020 In Alabama, the biggest concern is focuses on heavy rains. The National Weather Center in Mobile anticipates 15 to 20 inches of rain near the coastal areas, and 10 to 15 inches within the interior portions of Mobile and Baldwin counties. South central portions of Alabama are expected to 8 to 10 inches of rain. In the Bayou Sara area of Saraland, residents are preparing for the rising waters less than seven months after experiencing flooding that was described as historic." The flooding in late February was the result of torrential downpours that occurred in north and central Alabama, which flowed into the Mobile River and caused Bayou Sara to flood. Jack Cullen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Bayou Sara is expected to crest to 5 feet on Wednesday morning, and above the typical 4-foot flood stage. Bill Marzett, 69, who lives close to Bayou Sara, was hoping the sandbags he got would keep his house dry. I live where all the water runs down hill and Ive had a lot of water before, said Marzett. Were just hoping this is not as bad as they are saying with the rain. John Johnson, a 10-year employee with the citys public works department, said there would be enough sandbags for everyone who waited in line. The work crew was expected to keep loading sandbags through the afternoon, after loading up 129 of them on Sunday. They are appreciative of this, said Johnson. Not everyone living near Bayou Sara or other areas of Saraland prone to flooding were getting sandbags to fight the expected flood waters. Van Fountain, 45, lives within a stones throw from a Bayou Sara boat launch at Walter V. Colfield City Park, and was contemplating whether he should evacuate a house that is owned by his father-in-law for another house the family owns on higher ground within Saraland. He stood outside the house on Monday morning, watching TV weather reports and keep an eye on how much rain is expected to inundate the region. If it gets too bad, well load up the vehicles and the dogs and head to the other house, said Fountain. Rarely is a politician cherished across the political spectrum as Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was, for, he was a fine human being first and then a politician. But whether as a person or as a politician, he was humble, likeable and approachable. With his socialist background and deep knowledge of rural and agrarian India, Raghuvansh Prasad of Rashtriya Janata Dal, was allotted the crucial Ministry of Rural Development in the division of portfolios during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance governments first term at the Centre. That was the time UPA-1 worked out the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, (NREGA) 2005, which gave a livelihood guarantee to the poor in rural India. The portfolio afforded Raghuvansh Babu (as he was popularly known) an opportunity to work with the National Advisory Council chaired by Sonia Gandhi. Subsequently, the Congress President and Member of Parliament made her fondness for him known by thumping her desk loudly whenever he intervened during debates in the House. Raghuvansh Prasad was member of Lok Sabha from Vaishali in Bihar for five consecutive terms between 1996-97 and 2009. He lost in 2014 and again in 2019. Recently he lost more, when his party of 32 years announced its plan to admit his bete noire, Rama Singh, into its ranks, upsetting the veteran leader. Formerly of the Lok Jan Shakti Party, Rama Singh had broken Raghuvansh Prasads winning streak in Vaishali in 2014 general election. When his protests were ignored, Raghuvansh Prasad put in his papers with the party of which he was a founding member, and took the final bow. In a hand written note from his hospital bed to party Chief Lalu Prasad, he said, I have stood by you for 32 years and you have sidelined me. No more. Three days later, he breathed his last from Covid-19 related complications at the Delhi All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, aged 74. Some say his action came too late, when he was unwell and vulnerable. A PhD in Mathematics, Raghuvansh Prasad would never sign an official paper before reading it in full even in a room full of media persons. He had an open house for those of us covering the Ministry of Rural Development or the RJD, and while he was particular about keeping Cabinet decisions close to his chest, he would share ministry decisions with a select few. One such achievement he was excited about in 2008 was how he had persuaded the government and the Planning Commission for larger fund allocation to upscale MGNREG scheme from 320 districts to all of the 625 districts in the country. Hum iss proposal ko Cabinet mei pesh karne jaa rahe hain, aur aane wale Parliament satra mei announce kar denge. (We are bringing this proposal to the Union Cabinet [chaired by Prime Minister] for approval and will announce it in the forthcoming session of Parliament, he shared informally. However, in a subtle fight between coalition partners over the ownership of the programme, his thunder was stolen by Rahul Gandhi who went with a petition to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking to raise the MGNREG scheme coverage to all districts in the country and for better implementation of the programme. Naturally, the proposal was agreed to and the credit went to Mr Gandhi for what the Ministry had already worked out under Raghuvansh Prasad. Asked about this later, Raghuvansh Prasad hid his disappointment and circumvented the answer: Theek hai. Unhe laga ki unhe announce karna chahiye, toh unhone kar diya. (Its okay. They [Congress] thought they should announce it, so they did), he said. Even though this was an off-the-record interaction, not once did he speak against the Congress or Gandhi, such was his decency. He was the Union Rural Development Minister from 2004 to 2009 and steered the flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme into becoming NREG Act, 2005. Later the Act was renamed MGNREGA. Always politically correct, Raghuvansh Prasad would silently listen to journalists outpourings on how instead of an inexperienced Rabri Devi, he should have been made the Chief Minister of Bihar in 1997 when incumbent Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav went to serve a jail term in fodder scam. However, Lalu Yadav has never been apologetic about the dynastic rule in his party which prevented Raghuvansh Prasad from attaining his full potential and rising to the top position. Even now when Yadav is serving a jail sentence, Raghuvansh Prasad, though party vice-president, had to play second fiddle to his sons, Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, in the party. Raghuvansh Babus famous dahi-chura (yogurt and flattened rice) parties on Makar Sankranti (harvest festival in January) were very popular and his list of invitees swelled over the years to include print and electronic media, bureaucrats and ministerial colleagues from Bihar. He would personally escort every guest to the laid out buffet and not allow anyone to leave without at least having `gajak (dessert made from jaggery and sesame seeds) on the festive occasion. There was no formality and no security hindrances at such dos. He was such a perfect host that the spread would not just comprise `dahi-chura but also include north Indian delicacies for the uninitiated. One hardly ever saw him lose his cool. He was always smiling and welcoming and maintained an open house for journalists at his Ministry office in Krishi Bhavan. In fact, he had earmarked afternoon time for milna ho toh (if you want to meet), a rarity now. And, while he did not talk much about his own ministry, he would share nuggets about other departments. As for political news: Such was his understanding of the political nuances, so well-informed was he and so affable, that he was amongst the most sought-after politicians amongst the media. Such politicians are rare to come by. He deserved better and more. The author is a New Delhi-based senior journalist. Views expressed are personal. Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) announced Monday that he is introducing legislation to repeal permanent most favored nation trade status, a designation that guarantees equal trading opportunity among a nations trade partners. In an appearance on Fox & Friends, Cotton criticized Chinas status as a most favored nation, and said he would introduce legislation this week that would require the president and congress to reassess the status each year. Under Cottons new legislation if China were to shoot missiles at our ships in the Western Pacific or crack down on Hong Kong as it has done this year, then we would be able to say each year we are not going to renew most favored nation status for China, he said. China should be stripped of its permanent most-favored-nation status. Joe Biden voted to give the communist country the special trade status 20 years ago, supercharging the loss of American manufacturing jobs. I'm introducing legislation to end it. pic.twitter.com/LWPXmcORlf Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) September 14, 2020 The senator also blasted Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for his decades of support of increased trade opportunities with the Chinese Communist Party. This week is the twentieth anniversary of Joe Biden voting to give permanent most favored nation status to China, he said. Just think about that most favored nation status to a communist country. He said the status had supercharged the loss of American manufacturing jobs and criticized the former vice president for defending it last week during an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper. Tapper asked Biden, A lot of people think that allowing China into the World Trade Organization, which you supported, extending most favored nation status to China, which you supported, that those steps allowed China to take advantage of the United States by using our own open trade deals against us. Do you think, in retrospect, you were naive about China? Story continues Biden defended the stance saying, No, here is the thing. In the context of that, we want China to grow. We dont want a war with China. Cotton has shown repeated disapproval of Bidens stance on China and in March published an article at National Review titled Joe Biden Is Chinas Choice for President, in which he criticized Bidens support for Chinas most favored nation status. In the critical fight over whether to grant most-favored-nation trade status and World Trade Organization membership to China in the 1990s a fight in which, again, many of his partys leaders in Congress were on the right side Biden carefully shepherded China through the process from his powerful perch as the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the longtime China hawk wrote. In 2000, Biden voted to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the country, which created a path for China to become a member of the World Trade Organization one year later. Wherever a brake might have been applied by placing human-rights or labor conditions on most-favored-nation status, for example Biden voted the measures down and lobbied other senators for Beijing, Cotton continued. Unfortunately, China and Biden got their way, and American workers are still suffering from it. More from National Review This new normal scenario is compelling many to tap the businessman within, and an executive for Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) believes that the 2020 Hilux can be a good tool for such endeavors. During a virtual presser, TMP marketing vice president Elijah Sue Marcial said that since many have adjusted their ways and means to earn a living, the newly-revealed Hilux can be a tool to help them generate more income. According to her, the new trend, where small businesses have sprouted to adapt to the new normal scenario, can benefit from the 2020 Hilux's many commercial applications. During this time, maraming naging plantita, many started baking, yung iba nagbebenta by parking on the side of the road, Marcial noted. 2020 Hilux conquest Citing that, we believe that Marcial could be alluding to the reliability of the Toyota Hilux as a means to haul loads of items anyone is planning to sell, with its improved output of 201 horsepower and 500 Nm torque for the Conquest 4x4 AT variant and a lower 420 Nm for the manual transmission type. The Hilux also offers 4x2 Cargo MT variant, which has recently been added to the Hilux roster. 2020 Hilux cargo To note, this Thailand-based pick truck has already seen around 7,000 vehicles rolled out for this year, which comprises about 13.2 percent (6,935 Hilux units) of the total vehicles sold for 2020 so far. The total sales for TMP as of the moment reached 52,525covering all vehicle offerings across its lineup. Last year, Hilux sales held only a 12.9 percent of the total market share for the local arm of the Japanese automotive marque. TMP First Vice President for Vehicle Sales Operations Sherwin Chua Lim said that Hilux is one of the vehicles that has shown quick recovery during this time of pandemic, as many are trying to address the hampered mobility and transport needs. 2020 Hilux engine Meanwhile, TMP senior vice president Jing Atienza said that they are eyeing to deliver around 5,000 units of the 2020 Toyota Hilux as the country gears towards the end of the disaster-riddled 2020, translating to about 1,400 units to be sold every month till December. Story continues TMP first vice president Rommel Gutierrez reminded that in the pick-up segment, the refreshed Hilux, enjoys zero excise tax, which makes it relatively affordable than the other members of the automotive lineup. Gutierrez encouraged buyers to take advantage of the said program, The updated Toyota Hilux is now the fourth vehicle of the TMP line-up that has been revealed through digital means, following the introduction of the Vios, Corolla Cross, and Wigo earlier this year. Photo/s from Toyota Motor Philippines Also read: This just in: Toyota to unveil refreshed Hilux next week Catch the online reveal of the refreshed Toyota Hilux this weekend Toyota Corolla Cross finally arrives on PH shores WASHINGTON - When federal agents arrested former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon off the coast of Connecticut on Aug. 20, he was relaxing on a 150-foot yacht belonging to a flashy Chinese billionaire whose efforts to obtain asylum in the United States have divided top allies of President Donald Trump. Most of the attention after Bannon's arrest has been on the federal charges he faces for allegedly fleecing donors to a nonprofit group that claimed it was privately building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. But it has been Bannon's partnership with Chinese businessman Guo Wengui, on whose yacht Bannon had told friends he had been living in recent months, that has come to dominate his post-White House career - a partnership that is now also under scrutiny. A company linked to both is a focus of a separate federal investigation, according to people familiar with the probe. Guo, who fled China after he was accused of bribery and other crimes there, forged a relationship with Bannon after he left the White House in 2017. At about the same time, Guo began a vociferous campaign attacking corruption in Beijing and what he says is a politically motivated prosecution against him. In the past several years, a company linked to the billionaire, who also goes by Miles Kwok and Miles Guo, has given Bannon a consulting contract. Guo has also publicly pledged to donate $100 million to a Bannon-led charity. Most recently, the month before Bannon's arrest, Guo announced that Bannon would serve as chairman of a new social media company he was launching. Bannon, in turn, has emerged as one of the biggest champions of Guo, who casts himself as an anti-communist dissident in dozens of fiery videos posted online. Even as other critics of the Chinese government have grown skeptical of Guo's claims that he is a political victim of Beijing, Bannon has said Guo has valuable insider information that could help take down China's Communist Party, or CCP, and says he has been prescient about China's crackdown on Hong Kong and its handling of the novel coronavirus. "Miles Guo has been the toughest Chinese opponent the CCP has ever encountered," Bannon said in a statement to The Washington Post. "He has been the world's leading fighter exposing the lies, the infiltration, and the malevolence of the CCP." Bannon added that he thinks the United States owes Guo "a debt of gratitude for his relentless mission against the Chinese Communist Party - the existential threat against the United States." But there are now signs that federal investigators are scrutinizing Guo's financial activities in the United States and GTV Media Group, a social media company that Guo said raised $300 million from investors, according to people familiar with the investigation. Some of those investors now say they were defrauded by the company and have been interviewed repeatedly by the FBI in recent months, according to three people familiar with knowledge of the case. The Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the inquiry. The FBI declined to comment. In a statement, Guo said the company followed U.S. securities laws and was guided by legal counsel as it raised money. He said the "overwhelming majority of investors are fully satisfied" and alleged that the CCP had "proxies infiltrate the offering and file politically motivated complaints." Bannon, who until his arrest served as a director at the company, declined to comment on the investigation. A person close to him, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the probe, said he, too, views the allegations against GTV as being driven by the Chinese government, which he thinks sees the independent media enterprise as a threat. Separately, Bannon has pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the wall charity. The person close to him said Bannon's work with Guo had no connection to that effort. Meanwhile, another long-running federal investigation involving Guo is gaining steam. In that case, the billionaire has been described as the target of a failed attempt to lobby the Trump administration to extradite him to China, a complex campaign that allegedly involved two prominent GOP fundraisers, a former member of the Fugees hip-hop group and a fugitive Malaysian financier. Late last month, a consultant pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an unregistered agent for China as part of the case. Prosecutors are also prepared to file charges against investor Elliott Broidy, a former top fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, for allegedly taking part in the effort, The Post has reported. They also might reach a plea deal with him, people familiar with the matter have said. An attorney for Broidy declined to comment. Broidy has previously called claims about his role "a fabrication." The parallel cases spotlight how figures in the president's circle have sought to influence the administration's China policies on behalf of foreign interests. Bannon's alliance with Guo meshes with his long-standing nationalist message and hawkish views on China. People familiar with his relationship with the billionaire said they also came to think Bannon - one of the chief promoters of Trump's "drain the swamp" message - was driven by the lucrative aspects of the partnership. "Bannon didn't care about clothing or appearance - but that's small money," said Sasha Gong, a Chinese American writer and journalist who briefly served on the board of an anti-Communist Party charity launched in 2018 by Bannon and Guo. But, she added, "if you want to change the world, that kind of money, you have endless needs." Bannon, who said he parted ways with Gong after losing trust in her, said his partnership with Guo is driven by a strong belief that his work is essential. - - - A real estate developer and investor, Guo for a time thrived in Communist China, at one point ranking as the country's 73rd-richest person. He built one of the premier skyscrapers in Beijing, next to the Bird's Nest stadium, entertaining the city's business and political elite there. He has acknowledged in videos he posted on YouTube that he maintained a relationship with officials in the state security apparatus. At one point, Guo said, he traveled to India on behalf of the Chinese government to convey messages to the Dalai Lama, who posed for a photo with Guo that he posted to social media. Guo's downfall came soon after President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive in 2014 netted one of Guo's close allies, senior intelligence official Ma Jian, who in a 20-minute video released by the government confessed to taking millions in bribes from the developer and described an "alliance of shared interests" with him. Guo denied the charges and fled China, resurfacing dramatically in 2017 in New York, settling in at a $67 million penthouse apartment at the Sherry-Netherland hotel overlooking Central Park. He has used a YouTube channel to tell sensational tales of money, violence and sex among the Communist Party elite that he claimed to have gleaned from his time as an insider. Many of the allegations, often centered on Xi's confidant and anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan, cannot be substantiated. "If they weren't so corrupt, they wouldn't be scared of me," Guo told The New York Times in 2017 as he began to speak out. Guo, who said he joined Trump's private Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida in 2015, can be Trump-like in his boasts about his wealth and power to take down his enemies, said people who have encountered him. One guest who visited his New York penthouse and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid attracting Guo's ire said Guo served a rare tea he claimed was worth $1 million a kilogram and gave an impromptu fashion show in which he modeled bright red and yellow alligator-skin jackets. The centerpiece of Guo's ornate living room, the person said, was a giant model of London's Tower Bridge constructed out of Legos. As Guo became more vocal, Interpol issued a "red notice" in April 2017 declaring him a fugitive wanted on charges of bribery, kidnapping, money laundering, fraud and rape and pressed to have him returned to Beijing. Guo denied the charges. That September, he formally applied for asylum in the United States. In a statement to The Post, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on Bannon or Guo other than to note Interpol's filing of the notice against "the criminal suspect Guo Wengui." China made it clear to the United States that it wanted Guo turned over. People familiar with the efforts who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal government discussions said top Chinese officials personally lobbied then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other U.S. officials. Behind the scenes, the Chinese government also was working other avenues, according to court documents filed in connection with the guilty plea of consultant Nickie Mali Lum Davis. In her guilty plea, Davis acknowledged that she met with a Chinese government minister to discuss Guo in May 2017. According to a charging document filed in her case, Davis admitted that she aided and abetted the efforts of two others involved in the influence campaigns, identified as Person A and Person B. People familiar with the matter identified them as former Fugees rapper Pras Michel and Broidy, then serving as deputy finance chairman of the RNC. Michel has denied wrongdoing. His attorney has declined to comment. According to court documents, Broidy allegedly lobbied to have Guo removed from the United States at the request of a Chinese government official and Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier who has since been indicted on separate charges of conspiring to launder money and bribe foreign officials. As part of the effort, prosecutors say in court filings that the person identified as Broidy contacted several top Trump aides and enlisted RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn, who operated a casino in the Chinese gambling enclave Macao. In text messages quoted in court filings, Broidy described how Wynn assured him that he had taken the issue straight to Trump. During a private meeting in about June 2017, Wynn told Trump why Xi felt so strongly about the United States returning Guo to China, handing the president two pictures of Guo, The Post previously reported. Reid Weingarten, an attorney for Wynn, has declined to comment but said his client has been cooperating with investigators. Trump initially appeared persuaded, telling aides in an Oval Office meeting that he supported the plan, according to a former administration official familiar with his views. But the Justice Department, the National Security Council (NSC) and then-White House-lawyer Donald McGahn did not think the move was appropriate, people familiar with the discussions said. A White House spokesman referred questions about the episode to the NSC. An NSC spokesman declined to comment and referred questions to the Justice Department, which also declined to comment. In a statement, Guo said he helped the FBI expose the scheme and called it "only the tip of a far-ranging campaign the CCP has undertaken utilizing corrupt lawyers, prominent U.S. businessmen, government officials, and so-called lobbyists and political consultants to influence the U.S. government at the highest levels to take action against me." The FBI declined to comment. Bannon has told others that in his role as chief White House strategist he personally shielded the billionaire. "I was the protector," he told The Wire China in an interview conducted with the publication before his arrest. "When I was inside the White House, I took the files and put them in my office and said, 'Whoever wants this guy, this guy is a pretty valuable hombre.' " - - - Since his ouster from the White House in August 2o17, Bannon has focused on what he describes as the rising threat from China. Bannon told The Wire China that a visit to Beijing during the 2008 Olympics shaped his view of the country. "It was very obvious that these guys want to be a hegemonic power," he said. "They need total control." During his trip, Bannon said, he also noticed the Guo-constructed hotel across from the Olympic stadium. "Miles was the man," Bannon said. "He was the Donald Trump of China at the time." By fall 2017, Bannon was lunching with Guo at the Hay-Adams hotel in Washington, introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Bannon has said in interviews that he began meeting frequently with Guo to discuss their shared dim views of the Chinese government. This year, he began featuring the billionaire regularly on his "War Room" podcast. Their relationship, Guo said, was rooted in their shared ideology. "While my pairing with Mr. Bannon may seem a bit odd, an enemy of my enemy is my friend," he told The Post in his statement. "I believe he has been effective in raising America's understanding of the severity of the CCP threat." Bannon's financial relationship with Guo began about the same time. According to an internal memo obtained by The Post, sometime before the end of 2017, a company linked to Guo loaned Bannon $150,000. A spokesman for Guo told The New York Times, which first reported the loan, that it related to a film project critical of the CCP. Guo told The Post it was part of a now-concluded consulting agreement. In 2018, Bannon invited Hudson Institute scholar Michael Pillsbury to dine with him and Guo in a suite at the Hay-Adams. Over a feast of steak, lobster, crab and an array of desserts, Pillsbury, who shares Bannon's hard-line views on China, said the two men worked to convince him that Guo had valuable information he could offer the United States and should be embraced by American scholars and advocates. "Bannon wanted me to vouch for him to others," Pillsbury said. "It's as if he was obligated to Mr. Guo to deliver people who were influential." Pillsbury said he came away with the impression that Guo was a knowledgeable businessman but did not necessarily have access to internal secrets of the Chinese government. He said he later came to regret attending the meeting, especially after he was given a "friendly warning" by a Chinese Communist official during a visit to Beijing that the Chinese government had heard about the dinner. "There's a cost to poking around about Mr. Guo," he said. "Whatever he is is complicated." - - - In August 2018, Bannon signed a one-year deal to consult for Guo Media, owned by a company incorporated in Delaware, for $1 million. Bannon's contract was first reported and posted online by Axios. By then, Guo and Bannon both began appearing frequently on Guo Media's G News website. Bannon was also given an office at Guo Media's New York headquarters, which was co-located with Guo's offices for other business interests in the United States, Gong said in a deposition for a lawsuit related to a Guo business dispute. Guo "pointed out an office . . . on the top floors. That was Mr. Bannon's office," said Gong, the former board member at Bannon and Guo's charity. Bannon also began flying frequently on Guo's private airplane. In a 2019 documentary, Bannon was filmed aboard the jet flying to campaign events, where he endorsed and promoted Republican candidates in the midterm elections. (Guo said he "occasionally" invited Bannon to join him when they were traveling to a similar destination.) At a news conference in November 2018, Bannon and Guo announced that they were launching two charities that would investigate Chinese corruption and financially support victims of the regime. Bannon would lead the nonprofit Rule of Law Society, they said, which would be backed by a $100 million donation from Guo. Bannon told The New York Times that he would take no pay. Gong, who had interviewed Guo the previous year as a reporter for Voice of America, was invited to join the charity's board the following year, she said. But she said she was growing concerned that the Chinese businessman had not been honest about his personal and business history. "I'm a China hawk, and my fear is that [Guo] will harm the entire hawk argument," Gong said. She said she got involved with the group to try to guide and protect Bannon from getting into trouble. "Steve Bannon has a lot of influence in media and the Republican Party," she said. "I thought it was my duty to keep reminding him what is wrong." Bannon said he came to believe Gong was not supportive of the protests in Hong Kong and was "troubled she lacked the sense of urgency" in taking on the Chinese Communist Party. She remained on the board for a few months before resigning in September 2019. In her deposition, Gong said she had seen the group's internal financial information and worried that it was not being transparent with donors. "I realized whatever money they promised never exist," she testified. Guo said the organization was formed "to help Chinese people stand up to the criminal regime of the CCP and educate the Western world on how truly evil the CCP is." He said that he has supported the project financially and remains committed to doing so. Guo said Gong turned on him after he declined to give $5 million to help produce a documentary she was filming and called her complaints "a case of sour grapes." Gong disputes that assertion, saying she never asked Guo for funding for her documentary, which cost less than $600,000 and is nearly complete. - - - Online, Guo's influence was growing, particularly with Chinese dissidents and Chinese Americans appalled at the country's crackdown on Hong Kong and China's handling of the virus. In April, he began soliciting funds for a new company called GTV Media, a social media platform that he said in online videos would be free from Chinese or American control and a safe place to invest should the Chinese currency collapse. Guo told The Post he is an "adviser to and sponsor of" GTV, which his lawyer said is a new version of Guo Media. Jiamei Lu, a Chinese American pastry chef and Web designer living in Hawaii, said she and her mother, visiting from China, became entranced as they watched Guo online. "His word is very attractive," Lu said. "He said he's the only one who can save the world." Lu said she briefly got a job at GTV, working for one week as a Web designer before being terminated as result of disputes with Guo. She went on to send a total of $40,000 of her mother's pension savings from China to a Guo associate, thinking she was investing in the new company. She said she grew concerned when no one from the company countersigned a document she sent to reflect her investment. She said she has been interviewed by the FBI and agents for the Securities and Exchange Commission three times since June and knows of others who have been in touch with U.S. investigators. Among them is real estate developer Gao Yuan, who said his father, a former developer in China who lauds Guo as an anti-Communist Party figure, invested $1.1 million of their family savings into GTV. Gao said he was so concerned that he reached out to U.S. authorities. Gao, speaking from Thailand, where he lives with his parents, said he "strongly objected and pleaded" with his father not to invest. But his father, he said, has become a Guo devotee. "He can't fall asleep without listening to Guo first," he said of his father. He said his father was impressed by Bannon's involvement, too, which he said was the subject of "incessant advertising" on Guo's videos. "My dad thought Bannon had an enormous influence on President Trump and his administration," he said. "He was convinced that these guys basically had influence over all U.S. policy related to China." In a separate interview, Gao's father, Gao Baolin, said he thinks his investment in GTV is money that was well spent. Guo "is the only one in the world who descended from heaven to eliminate the demon that is the party," he said. Guo said in his statement that all of the funds raised for the company are "intact," adding that most of GTV's investors are satisfied and that the company followed SEC rules. He described Lu as a disgruntled former employee. She said her complaints were unrelated to her employment, noting that after it ended she continued to volunteer for Guo and invested additional money. Guo has touted Bannon's role in GTV, saying in Chinese in a video posted online in July that the former Trump adviser had been elected chairman of the company. In the recording, filmed on the deck of his yacht, Guo is wearing a tailored business suit and aviator sunglasses. Bannon can be seen lounging on a banquette behind him, wearing cargo shorts and a polo shirt, tapping on his phone and periodically tipping his head back to bask in the sunshine. Guo told The Post that Bannon had been removed from his role as chairman of the board after his arrest and played no part in raising funds for the company. However, the men's partnership has continued. Bannon was released from custody last month on a $5 million bond while he awaits a trial scheduled for May. On Tuesday, Guo appeared for nearly 30 minutes on Bannon's podcast, recording from his living room to discuss their joint goal of overthrowing the Chinese government. The men debuted a rock song targeting the Chinese regime, with the chorus: "Follow me, and I'mma set us free! Take! Down! The CCP!" Bannon termed the new song "an incredible cultural assault on the Chinese Communist Party." It featured, he explained to viewers, "the voice of the one and only, Miles Guo." - - - Shih reported from Taipei. The Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig, Alice Crites, Felicia Sonmez and David A. Fahrenthold in Washington contributed to this report. Wisconsin hit a record high number of average daily new coronavirus cases. Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Wyoming saw increases of more than 5% on their weekly averages. The current Covid-19 situation in the US is not looking good, and one of the highest profile experts in the country remains concerned. Fauci calls US statistics 'disturbing' Top government infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said on Friday he disagreed with President Donald Trump's assessment the United States has "rounded the corner" on the coronavirus pandemic, saying the statistics are disturbing. Fauci, the outspoken director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the United States was starting the flu season with a high baseline of around 40,000 new Covid-19 cases a day and deaths are averaging around 1,000 daily. Trump, who has admitted playing down the severity of the virus since it emerged early this presidential election year, said on Thursday he believed the United States was "rounding the corner" on the crisis. "I have to disagree with that, because, if you look at the thing that you just mentioned, the statistics ... they are disturbing," Fauci said on MSNBC. "If you're talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it's going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021," he said. Labor Day impact ahead of fall and winter Fauci said he hoped the country did not see a spike in cases after the Labor Day weekend as it did after other long holiday weekends since May. The lesser-spotted MAGA mask-wearer | Supporters hold up signs during a campaign event for US President Donald Trump. Ethan Miller (AFP) It was important to get those infection rates down before the autumn and winter seasons when people will be spending more time indoors. "You don't want to start off already with a baseline that's so high," Fauci said. Asked about the outdoor campaign rallies Trump has resumed before his 3 November matchup against Democrat Joe Biden, Fauci said they are "absolutely" risky. "Just because you're outdoors does not mean that you're protected, particularly if you're in a crowd and you're not wearing masks," he said. Fauci, who has contradicted Trump's statements about the virus, denies the administration is pressuring him to keep quiet. "Anybody that tries to tell me what to say publicly, if they know anything about me, realizes that's a fool's errand," Fauci said. "No one is ever going to pressure me or muzzle me to say anything publicly." The Laredo Rotary Club held a school supply donation drive Wednesday for students from Nuevo Laredo. READ MORE: Laredo officials point to falling number of active cases, hospitalizations as good indicators of recovery The organization is aiming to get all students in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo supplied with all the educational materials they need to succeed. Event organizers called it a major success as they received more contributions than expected. The event went very well. We had lots of donations from the community, including parents and students looking for community service, and donations even from people within our organization and people who work in the city, Laredo Rotary Club President Dr. Marissa Guerrero said. We saw a great number of both school supplies and monetary donations. Guerrero was concerned that most students have already started school and that the many people suffering financially from pandemic might not have the resources to donate. However, she was pleasantly surprised that was not the case. We are actually very pleased that we exceeded our goal in many ways and might be able to not just help one school from Nuevo Laredo that we had originally planned to help, but may actually be able to help another school as well in Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero said. I am very pleased that even at the time of COVID, the community could come together in such way to help our fellow students. We know that a great lot of people here in Laredo and elsewhere are in immense need. The donated items were enough to fill a trailer, Guerrero said. The items will not be distributed immediately to the students from Nuevo Laredo but will rather be taken to their warehouse. The monetary donations will be used to buy any missing supplies before they begin distribution. Guerro said she expects the donations to be ready by next week when they hope to deliver the items to Nuevo Laredo. In total, about 400 students from Nuevo Laredo will be provided with school supplies. This includes 200 students that attend Primaria Miguel F. Martinez and 200 from Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia. The purpose is to provide school supplies to needy children in Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero said. It is part of our comprehensive service program focused on education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It started with a food drive for Texas A&M International students, a grant for the Laredo College food pantry and recently a grant for Chromebooks for Los Obispos Middle School students. Now we lend a helping with the great need for students in Nuevo Laredo schools. Guerrero said the need is real in the sister city even since many parents lost their jobs during the pandemic. Therefore, the need for supplies like pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, markers, erasers, sharpeners, crayons and glue was stressed. People from Nuevo Laredo were pleasantly surprised about the events intentions when asked what they thought. I believe that this is what we need to ensure that even though we are separate and we cannot go over there, through organizations like that we remain united, Ruben Perez said. Perez said some children he knows are limited due to their parents losing their jobs. He hopes the children can receive the resources necessary to succeed. What can you expect if a child does not have his materials to succeed? He will not, Perez said. But I hope these donations make it to the right individuals and the people that truly need the help are given the opportunity to strive in a world where it is a lot harder to do anything, from getting a new job to finishing and getting an education. There are more donation drives in the works. Guerrero said another event is expected to be held prior to Thanksgiving. This event will focus on selling antiques to local donors and using the funds to purchase more educational materials, she said. As she plans the next event, Guerrero said she is more than grateful for what Laredoans have done already. We thank the Laredo community for their continued support in all that we do, Guerrero said. jorge.vela@lmtonline.com Steam rises from the cooling towers of the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant at night near Grafenrheinfeld, Germany, on June 11, 2015. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) US Government Issues Draft Amendment to Cut Reliance on Russian Uranium The U.S. Department of Commerce and Russias state atomic agency have initialed a draft amendment extending a 1992 agreement that will, if finalized, slash Americas reliance on Russian uranium. The Commerce Department is hoping to seal the deal by Oct. 5 at the latest, the agency stated in a press release, noting that the amendment would extend the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation to 2040 and so reduce U.S. reliance on uranium from Russia for the next 20 years. Under the 1992 agreement, which saw a series of amendments added over the years, with the latest in 2008, the amount of Russian uranium entering the American market is restricted by quotas. The most recently agreed upon limits are due to lapse this year. This draft agreement represents an important step forward for the American nuclear industry, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. If finalized, it will contribute to the restoration of Americas nuclear energy advantage and protect the domestic industry from dumped Russian uranium. The draft amendment, which has been released by the Commerce Department for public comment ahead of its expected adoption, would see Russian uranium exports to the United States drop from the current approximately 20 percent of U.S. enrichment demand to an average of around 17 percent over the next two decades, before falling to a target of 15 percent starting in 2028. By extending and reducing the Agreements export limits, the draft amendment would enable the U.S. commercial enrichment industry to compete on fair terms, the Commerce Department stated. Then-Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency Director Sergey Kiriyenko (L) and then-U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez (R) confer during the signing of a uranium export agreement near Washington on Feb. 1, 2008. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images) The amendment would also establish more protections for U.S. uranium miners and the U.S. uranium converter. Currently, Russia can use all of its export quota to sell not just the enrichment portion of low-enriched uranium, but also natural uranium concentrates and conversion components. The amendment would cap the uranium components at around 7 percent of U.S. enrichment demand until 2026, at which point it would drop even further to just 5 percent. Another measure includes preventing so-called returned feed uranium to be traded outside the current export quotas. This is natural uranium delivered by U.S. customers to Russian exporters, which is enriched in Western Europe and exported to the United States outside the agreements current export limits. The amendment would subject this type of returned feed uranium to export restrictions. In May, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged the Commerce Department to extend the uranium agreement, calling for the agency to to reduce imports of Russian uranium, protect Americas energy and national security interests, and to limit Russias ability to manipulate Americas uranium markets. In a letter (pdf), the senators called for a reduction of imports of Russian uranium to below existing limits, which they said would protect Americas natural uranium fuel supply chain from aggressive and illegal trade practices of nuclear state-owned enterprises of foreign adversaries. In 2019, President Donald Trump created the Nuclear Fuel Working Group (NFWG) to recommend actions to strengthen Americas nuclear fuel supply chain. On April 23, the Department of Energy published a report (pdf) that documents Russias approach to the U.S. nuclear sector and concludes that Russia has weaponized its energy supplies and that its efforts to dominate Americas nuclear fuel cycle pose a serious threat to national security. By PTI BENGALURU: Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder of three temple priests in Mandya after a brief encounter in the wee hours of Monday, police said. "We have arrested five people while four others are absconding. In all, there are nine people involved in this case," said Mandya Superintendent of Police Parashurama K. He said eight of them hailed from Mandya and Ramanagara districts while one was from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. The nine had brutally murdered three temple priests - Anand, Ganesh and Prakash - in their sleep inside the Arkeshwara Temple in Mandya town on the night of September 10. The priests were also the security guards of the temple, police sources said. After killing them, the robbers had decamped with the currency notes in the donation box and did not take the coins. Police launched a massive manhunt for the accused and got information that some people were moving around in a suspicious manner at a bus stand in Maddur Taluk in Mandya district. When the police surrounded them and asked them to surrender, they tried to escape after attacking the policemen with sharp-edged weapons and injured an inspector, police sources said. "The police had to open fire in self-defence. At least three of them received bullet injuries in their legs," a police officer told PTI. Police are verifying their involvement in other crimes. It is suspected that they had robbed another temple in the town. Spanish aristocrat Fernando Fitz-James Stuart and his wife Sofia Palazuelo have shared the first photos of their newborn daughter. Fernando, 29, Duke of Huescar and heir apparent of the dukedom of Alba, and radiant wife Sofia took part in a public photocall in Madrid to introduce their daughter Rosario to the world. The couple, who tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2018, welcomed Rosario at Madrid's Hospital Nuestra Senora del Rosario last week. The baby was named in honour of Fernando's grandmother, the late Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, who was known as Spain's richest woman. Welcome to the world! Spanish aristocrat Fernando Fitz-James Stuart and his wife Sofia Palazuelo have shared the first photos of their newborn daughter Proud parents: Fernando, 29, Duke of Huescar and heir apparent of the dukedom of Alba, and radiant wife Sofia took part in a public photocall in Madrid to introduce their daughter Rosario News of the birth comes just days after his brother, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Solis, Count of Osorno, 28, announced his engagement to his heiress his girlfriend Belen Corsini de Lacalle after two years of dating. Fernando and Sofia, who worked in luxury fashion PR before marrying, wed at Fernando's 18th century family estate, Liria Palace in Madrid, in October 2018. The couple were joined by no less than 750 wedding guests including the likes of Spain's Emeritus Queen Sofia, and designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. Following the ceremony the newly weds hosted an aperitivo and long lunch on the same estate serving beer from the family's own brewery La Casa de Alba. Taking precautions: The couple arrived wearing face masks but removed them for the photos Radiant: First-time mother Sofia looked beautiful in an off-white dress and sandals Picture perfect: Fernando and Sofia smile for a photo with their beautiful baby daughter Precious: The couple chose to obscure Rosario's face in order to protect her privacy The couple performed their first dance to a waltz before their guests joined them on the dance floor and partied until the early hours. It is no surprise that the wedding was a lavish affair with the groom being the grandson of the late Duchess of Alba, who was known as Spain's richest woman Worth an estimated 2.2billion, the Spanish duchess was one of Europe's wealthiest aristocrats when she passed away in November 2014 at her Seville residence, Duenas Palace. The baby was named in honour of Fernando's grandmother, the late Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, who was known as Spain's richest woman. Pictured, the Duchess and Alfonso Diez walk out of the chapel after their wedding in October 2011. It was the Spanish billionaire's third wedding Friends, relatives and well-wishers paid their respects to the duchess, also known as 'Cayetana', after she died following a battle with pneumonia. Her husband Alfonso Diez, who was 24 years her junior, is thought not to have received any of her fortune, which included an impressive property portfolio, 50,000 pieces of artwork and 18,000 rare books, after he signed a document renouncing any claim to her wealth prior to their marriage in October 2011. Instead, the Duchess - who is a direct royal descent from King James II of England - left her entire estate to her six children, with them each receiving a palace, as well as thousands of acres of land. Her eight grandchildren are also said to have inherited a substantial chunk of her estate. Fernando, 29, Duke of Huescar and heir apparent of the dukedom of Alba, was by Sofia's side when she gave birth to their daughter Rosario at Madrid's Hospital Nuestra Senora del Rosario. Pictured, the couple at their stunning wedding in Madrid in October 2018 A relative of Winston Churchill, the duchess shared toys with England's future Queen Elizabeth while living in England as a girl. She was 14 times a Spanish grandee, five times a duchess, once a countess-duchess, 18 times a marchioness, 18 times a countess and once a viscountess, according to the entry. With her cloud of white hair and face moulded by plastic surgery, she was rarely out of the Spanish gossip magazines. 'If they forget you, you are nobody,' she once told one of the Spanish celebrity magazines of which she was a fixture. The 13th Duchess of Alba was a muse of artist Francisco Goya in the 18th century and is rumoured to be the subject of 'La Maja Desnuda', his famous portrait of a reclining nude which hangs in Madrid's Prado gallery. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) Tycoons Manny Pangilinan and Dennis Uy are looking to explore areas in the West Philippine Sea for oil deposits, the Department of Energy revealed Monday. The agency opened bids for four nominated areas under its Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program, which covers possible petroleum deposits near Recto Bank, an area subject of the country's territorial row with China. Uy's Udenna Corporation submitted bids for nominated areas 7 and 8 identified by DOE. The area is also called Reed Bank, an oil-rich sea feature within the Philippines 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone that China is also claiming despite the ruling of an international arbitral tribunal which negated Beijing's sweeping claims. Pangilinan's PXP Energy applied for Area 6, which covers a different section in the disputed waters. All bids were found compliant with the DOE's legal, technical and financial requirements. Its subsidiary, Forum Energy, holds the rights to drill the adjacent area under Service Contract 72, which it secured in 2012. This was put on hold as the government is now looking into a joint oil and gas exploration deal with China in the disputed waters. However, the two camps have yet to finalize rules on how they will carry out the new agreement. READ: PH-China joint oil, gas exploration a win-win solution to South China Sea dispute Carpio Meanwhile, the bid submitted by Troika Giant Power Corporation for Nominated Area 5 covering the Mindoro-Cuyo Basin also passed this stage. Bids are charged 200,000 per area. Following the acceptance of application documents, the DOE will then review a company's qualifications before it is chosen as the area contractor and is awarded a petroleum service contract by President Rodrigo Duterte, according to DOE guidelines. RELATED: DOE eyes own marine exploration vessel Uy has been aggressively expanding his fuels business, having begun with his retail brand Phoenix Petroleum. In October 2019, he signed a deal with Chevron Philippines which allowed him to take a 45 percent stake in the Malampaya consortium, which extracts fuel reserves off Palawan province. Pangilinan's PXP Energy was also eyeing Malampaya and offered to take over the operations of the gas facility, but was rejected by DOE. The search for additional oil reserves proves crucial for local supply. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi earlier said back that the Malampaya reservoir which is located near Recto Bank is only good until 2027. READ: Duterte considers lifting moratorium on South China Sea explorations Once the petroleum exploration and production contract expires in 2024, full control and ownership of the Malampaya natural gas and oil facilities will be turned over to the national government. RELATED: DOE approves US firm's plan to build natural gas facility near Batangas Today Gallaudet University was recognized as the No. 3 Best Value School among national universities in the prominent 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. This follows a No. 18 ranking in the same category last year. The No. 3 honor places Gallaudet among some of Americas most well-known universities and highest among all Washington, D.C. schools. We are honored with this years rankings by U.S. News & World Report, said Roberta J. Cordano, President of Gallaudet University. For more than 156 years, Gallaudet has delivered quality education to deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind students from all over the world. We are especially proud of our ability to do so while delivering significant value to our students. With the current challenges we face as a society, it is more important than ever to ensure that quality education is not only accessible to students of all backgrounds, but also allows for the most direct and open path possible for career and lifelong success. The U.S. News & World Report Best Value Schools ranking examines academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid. Among the factors contributing to its ranking, Gallaudet had a favorable quality-to-price ratio the schools overall score in the Best Colleges rankings divided by its net cost for the 2019-2020 academic year. Other factors included 89 percent of students receiving need-based aid and a 72 percent average discount from total costs. Well after submitting its 2019-2020 data to U.S. News, Gallaudet University made a significant move to add further value by reducing its Fall 2020 semester tuition by 15 percent for all full-time and part-time students. The single-semester discount applied to both U.S. and international students and also included students in the university's English Language Institute. In addition to the Best Value Schools ranking, Gallaudet jumped 55 places to a tie at No. 124 in the overall rankings of national universities. The university also improved scores in several other U.S. News metrics. Gallaudet was ranked No. 24 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (up from No. 45 last year), which measures how well schools graduate student recipients of Pell Grants. The institution also was ranked No. 21 in Economic Diversity among national universities, which measures the number of undergraduate students receiving Pell Grants. For more information on the national rankings please visit U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges and please visit Gallaudet University rankings for more details on Gallaudet's 2021 rankings. Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind individuals through American Sign Language and English. The university enrolls over 1,300 students in more than 40 undergraduate majors, as well as many graduate programs at the masters and doctoral level. It also conducts much research in a variety of fields, including brain imaging, educational neuroscience, education, linguistics, psychology, Deaf history and culture, and Black Deaf history and culture. Media Contacts: The Durkin Agency Alana Cowan alanacowan5@gmail.com Gallaudet University Robert Weinstock robert.weinstock@gallaudet.edu A Good Man, the latest film from French filmmaker Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, is facing backlash at the Toronto International Film Festival for casting a cis actor in a transgender role. Based on true events, A Good Man stars Noemie Merlant as Benjamin, a trans man in the midst of his transition while working as a hospital nurse. He and his wife, Aude, want to have a child, but Aude is barren. Despite having already completed his name change and struggling for acceptance among his family and friends, Benjamin decides to bear the child himself through in vitro fertilization, making his road to discovering his new identity even more turbulent. While critics have praised the film for its empathetic approach, it has come under fire in LGBT circles as the latest example of the film industry not casting trans actors for trans roles. While there have been some notable exceptions, such as Daniela Vega in the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, Hollywood stars like Eddie Redmayne, Jared Leto, Scarlett Johansson and most recently Halle Berry have been criticized for taking trans roles. Also Read: Halle Berry Drops Transgender Role in Response to Criticism: 'I Vow to Be an Ally' In defense of Merlants casting, Mention-Scharr said in the program notes for A Good Man at the Cannes Film Festival that there are few trans male actors in France and that she did cast Jonas Ben Ahmed, a trans actor, to play a cis male role in the film. She also argued that cis actors can provide strong depictions of the trans experience, pointing to Hilary Swanks Oscar-winning performance in the 1999 film Boys Dont Cry. For me, it would be stupid, unfair and counter-productive to only give trans roles to trans actors and cis roles to cis actors, Mention-Schaar said. Before his gender, his sexual identity, his skin color, an actor or an actress is above all an actor or actress. And I believe the character that he or she embodies needs his technique and his talent. Story continues But trans film critic Danielle Solzman rejected this argument, telling TheWrap that she finds it tiring and exhausting to hear that there are not enough trans actors to cast in a film about the trans experience. She also lamented that it was Merlant who took the role of Benjamin, as she was praised last year for her work in the LGBT period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire. She encouraged Mention-Schaar to watch Disclosure, a Netflix documentary on the history of trans depiction in pop culture whose filmmakers urged Berry to drop her plans to take a trans role. Also Read: MGM's Orion Pictures Rebrands as Label for Underrepresented Voices, Names Alana Mayo President Ill say the same thing now that I said in 2018 when The Danish Girl was getting all the outrage: if you cannot find a transgender actor for the project, maybe you shouldnt be going ahead! Solzman said. I was watching No Ordinary Man during my TIFF coverage and this film featured a beautiful display of trans-masculinity on screen. The idea that filmmakers cant find trans-masculine actors is complete BS. It just proves to show that they arent looking hard enough. Bryan Glick, producer at The Film Collective, also criticized TIFF for including the film on its program. They cannot claim to support my community while actively working to erase our own voice. Worse, they exploit my community in pursuit of prestige. Transface only serves to reinforce the idea that I and other trans and non-binary people are pretending, he wrote on Facebook. TIFF cannot claim to support inclusion when year after year they push transface from transphobic talent. Read original story French Film A Good Man Faces Backlash for Casting Cis Woman in Lead Trans Role At TheWrap State senate republicans are hailing a ruling by a federal judge in western Pennsylvania declaring that Gov. Wolfs coronavirus-related shutdown is unconstitutional. In a press release, the Senate Republican Communications Office said that the courts have validated what we have been saying all along Governor Wolfs arbitrary and open-ended decisions violate the Constitution." While we work to protect lives, we cannot disregard the civil liberties of Pennsylvanians, the statement went on to say. We hope that this ruling will signal to the Governor that he must no longer spurn attempts by the General Assembly to provide input through legislation. On Monday, U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV ruled said the limits on gatherings of 25 people indoors and 250 out of doors, as well as the stay-at-home and business closure components of the orders issued by Wolf and Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine were both unconstitutional. According to the press release, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) has called on Gov. Wolf to work with the General Assembly to develop a plan to move the state forward. Below is the full statement: "The courts have validated what we have been saying all along Governor Wolfs arbitrary and open-ended decisions violate the Constitution. The founding fathers established a system of checks and balances that even in an emergency can and do function within the bounds of the Constitution "By his own statement, the Governor has indicated that we are returning to a new normal and we have long questioned his ability to do without the involvement of the legislature. The federal court has upheld that the laws of this country do not provide for a Governor to create his new normal, rather the law provide for three separate but equal branches of government who have sworn to uphold the Constitution. "The General Assembly proved that time and again as we acted in a bipartisan manner to pass dozens of pandemic-related bills. Including efforts to reopen the state, extending necessary resources to vulnerable populations and nursing homes, ensuring our states children are educated and hold the administration accountable for unilateral actions. "While we work to protect lives, we cannot disregard the civil liberties of Pennsylvanians. We hope that this ruling will signal to the Governor that he must no longer spurn attempts by the General Assembly to provide input through legislation. We remain open and willing to work with Governor Wolf on a real plan to that puts Pennsylvania first. It is far past time for him to abandon his go-it-alone approach and come to the table to work with the General Assembly on real solutions. New Delhi, Sep 14 : General insurer SBI General and private sector bank YES Bank have signed a Corporate Agency Agreement for the distribution of retail products of the insurance company for the bank's corporate and retail customers. The products of SBI General Insurance Company will be offered to YES Bank's customers across 28 states and 8 Union Territories. SBI General has been associating with banks, payments apps, ecommerce players, brokers, etc. to strengthen its distribution footprint across the country. This partnership will offer customers a range of non-life insurance products and services and deploying technology across the customer value chain to facilitate superior experiences for them. Commenting on the tie-up, Amar Joshi, Chief Business Officer, SBI General Insurance, said: "The tie-up will help us reach out to the last mile and serve untapped markets, thereby increasing insurance penetration." By Akbar Mammadov Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev has said that Armenia is trying to change the format of the current negotiations and seeks to annex occupied Azerbaijani territories. In order to cover up the fact of occupation and evade responsibility for the crimes committed, Yerevan presents the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region as a "party" to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. These attempts completely contradict the format of negotiations established in the relevant OSCE documents, Ganjaliyev said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Style International. The head of the community pointed out that they have repeatedly offered dialogue to the Armenian community in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, our proposals have always been rejected, Ganjaliyev said. Ganjaliyev emphasized that this clearly proves that Armenia is not interested in negotiations and peace. He also added that Armenia's goal is to stop the negotiation process and annex the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armenia must withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands and ensure the return of more than one million IDPs to their homes. The conflict can be resolved only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We, the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, are ready to live together with the Armenian community of the region within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan," Ganjaliyev stressed. The head of the community also touched upon the illegal settlement policy pursued by Armenia. Ganjaliyev noted that Armenia pursues a policy of illegal settlement in order to change the demographic composition of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Thus, he said that this is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Armenia settles ethnic Armenians from Syria and Lebanon in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, thus deliberately destroying cultural and historical monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis, he added. In the article, Ganjaliyev said that in order to cover up the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Armenia claims that the Armenian community living in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is based on the principle of "self-determination". Armenia has established a puppet regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, he said. Additionally, Ganjaliyev underlined that in recent years, Armenia has intensified its illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to strengthen the consequences of the occupation. Inspired by the indifference of the international community, Armenia has resorted to numerous provocations over the years to further expand the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. The last sabotage attempts were made in April 2016 and July 2020. The head of the community pointed out that Armenian Defense Minister threatens Azerbaijan with "new war for new territories" and added that Armenian Prime Minister's wife Anna Hakobyan has recently organized military exercises for Armenian women in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. What does the peace-loving wife of the peace-loving Prime Minister of Armenia, dressed in a military uniform, do in the territory of another country?", Ganjaliyev said. Armenia has started military training for women in occupied territories of Azerbaijan to prepare them for military combats and operations. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans wife Anna Hakobyan initiated and participated in military training for fifteen civil women in one of the Armenian military units in the occupied Karabakh region of Azerbaijan from 25 August to 31. The military training involved women spend the night in the military unit, master different types of weapons and fire training. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz TUSTIN, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Terracon, a leading provider of environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services, has named Jeff Davis, F.SAME, national director of Federal Services. Davis joins Terracon with a proven track record of federal leadership and successful sales management. His diverse expertise in federal marketing and sales has provided clients in the public and private sectors with engineering, science, and construction solutions to complex challenges. Based in Terracon's Orange County office, Davis will focus on leading strategy for Terracon's federal sector, including client development and program management, while providing technical oversight. "I am excited for the opportunity to join an employee-owned legacy company like Terracon," Davis said. "With over 150 offices, the firm is well-positioned to respond and support federal agencies everywhere, including those with facilities in remote locations. I am looking forward to working with a great team of engineers and scientists to expand our services and continue providing value within the federal sector." With nearly 30 years of industry experience, Davis also has a distinguished record of accomplishment with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). Most recently, he has been serving as California regional vice president and is on the SAME national board of directors. Previously, he held tenure as past president of the SAME Orange County Post, and chairman of several major events. Davis earned his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in atmospheric science from the University of California, Davis. Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 150 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon ranks 22nd on Engineering News-Record's 2020 list of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, visit terracon.com. SOURCE Terracon Related Links http://www.terracon.com The state health department has decided to move forward with aerial spraying for mosquitoes without giving residents an option to opt out. As of Sunday, Sept. 13, the potentially fatal mosquito-borne illness Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) has been confirmed in 10 counties. The virus has been confirmed in 22 horses this year in Michigan. No human cases have been reported. Additional animal cases are under investigation, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This is twice as many animal cases as the same time last year. There is an EEE vaccine available for horses, but not for people. Last year, 10 people in Michigan were infected and six died from the virus. As a preventive measure, the 10 counties with confirmed cases in 2020 have been selected to be sprayed on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The aerial spraying is scheduled in Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland counties. People can be infected with EEE from one bite of a mosquito carrying the virus. The virus has a 33% fatality rate in people who become ill, according to MDHHS. Persons younger than age 15 and over age 50 are at greatest risk of severe disease following infection. More than 25% of the nations EEE cases last year were diagnosed in Michigan. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, noted the intersection of EEE season with the ongoing COVID-19 in a statement released Monday, Sept. 14. We are taking this step in an effort to protect the health and safety of Michiganders in areas of the state where we know mosquitoes are carrying this potentially deadly disease, Khaldun said. As people are spending more time outdoors because of COVID-19, they also need to be protecting themselves from mosquito bites. The World Health Organization has stated that there is no evidence that mosquitoes can carry COVID-19. Signs of EEE infection include the sudden onset of fever, chills, body and joint aches which can progress to a severe encephalitis, resulting in headache, disorientation, tremors, seizures and paralysis. Anyone who thinks they may be experiencing these symptoms should contact a medical provider. Permanent brain damage, coma and death may also occur in some cases. Last year, aerial spraying was proposed by the state health department. The proposal was met with swift and fierce backlash in Southwest Michigan, where the majority of cases were. Enough residents opted-out in Kalamazoo County that the majority of the county was not sprayed. On Monday, the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development issued an emergency rule temporarily amending the standard on notification and participation for community pesticide applications. Under the emergency rule, mosquito control treatment will be required for those areas that are identified by the aerial treatment plan, with exception of federal properties and tribal lands. The emergency rule outlines that normally a community mosquito control program takes weeks to provide notifications to residents and landowners in an impacted area, and allows additional time to establish a framework for individualized participation. The notification and opt-out process have been temporarily suspended due to the seriousness and swiftness of EEE, said Gary McDowell, Director of Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development. As recent history has shown us, EEE can strike fast and it can be deadly to humans and animals, McDowell said. MDARD fully supports the work and commitment of MDHHS to protect public health, which is why we have removed an obstacle that might have prevented them from taking action quickly. Aerial treatment is conducted by specialized aircraft, beginning in the early evening and continuing up until the following dawn. Treatment will be conducted using Merus 3.0, the same product used in 2019. The health department did not observe any increased human, animal or insect adverse effects associated with aerial treatment last year when more than 557,000 Michigan acres were treated with the same pesticide. Residents who have known sensitivities to pyrethrins can reduce potential for exposure by staying indoors during treatment. The health department continues to encourage residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by doing the following: Avoid being outdoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus are most active. Applying insect repellents containing the active ingredient DEET, or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved product to exposed skin or clothing, and always follow the manufacturers directions for use. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to clothing to help prevent bites. Maintaining window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside. Emptying water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs. Using nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas. More on MLive: Testing for mosquito-borne EEE in Kalamazoo County delayed by coronavirus pandemic Mosquito trapping starts in Kalamazoo County for EEE, zika surveillance Kalamazoo professor discusses ethics of mosquito spraying at statewide conference Health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are to begin a nationwide strike from midnight on Sunday. The strike is over Federal Governments inability to meet their demands. JOHESU President Josiah Biobelemoye, announced the strike in a letter addressed to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workers had issued a notice to the government, saying that it would embark on a nationwide strike, if their demands were not met. JOHESUs demands include addressing of structural and infrastructural decay in the nations health sector and review of the implementation of Covid-19 special inducement and hazard allowance. Ngige had on Friday called for a conciliatory meeting between the Federal Government and JOHESU. The government directed that in view of the understanding reached at the meeting, JOHESU should consult with its members and report back to the government on Sept. 12. Biobelemoye said on Sunday that the outcome of the meeting between the joint unions and the government was reported back to the unions expanded National Executive Council meeting on Saturday. He said that it was unanimously agreed that nothing concrete was achieved at the meeting with the government, and the strike notice was, therefore, germane. Therefore, the 15-day ultimatum still subsists, and with effect from midnight of Sept. 13, 2020, our members shall withdraw their services due to the governments inability to meet their demands, he said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Ajay Devgn and Kajol have been married for 21 years and are like any other couple when it comes to taking digs at each other. The two did not let go of any opportunity to burst each others secrets during their joint appearance on Karan Johars talk show Koffee With Karan. In fact, the two reached a moment when Kajol couldnt help abusing Ajay and was even ready to throw her heels at her. Karan is known for asking some not so safe questions during the rapid fire round on the show. He asked Ajay to name an actor from the current generation who would look good opposite Kajol. Ajay, who is known as one of the biggest pranksters among his co-stars, quickly came up with a witty reply. He asked Karan, As a son? This left Kajol fuming who went on screaming, Kutte, kameene! Joota... while pointing at her shoe. The Fanaa actor cooled down only after Karan warned her that she cant say that on the show. However, this was not the only moment which tested Kajols patience on the show. When Ajay was asked to share the one lie that everyone says in Bollywood, he replied, I love my wife. And immediately got a death stare from Kajol who asked him, Ghar jaana hai? (Do you wish to go home?) Ajay quickly fixed his mistake by adding that he was talking about other men. Ajay also dubbed Kajol an oldie, though indirectly. He was discussing Kajols fixation with taking selfies and then editing them over three hours before sharing them on Instagram. He said, She has never done this in her life and I dont know budhaape mein aake... (She has never done this in her life and I dont know why in such old age), This again made her eyes roll and she shut him, saying, Tumhara budhaapa hoga, mera toh nai hai (You must be in old age, I am not). Also read: Tahira Kashyap turns a tree for kids Virajveer and Varushka, Sameera Reddy and Yami Gautam are left in awe Ajay and Kajol were recently seen together on screen in period drama, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. While Ajay played the titular character of Tanaji Malusare, Kajol played his wife Savitribai. The couple have a daughter Nysa and son Yug. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chinese company ByteDance has decided not to sell or transfer the algorithm behind its video-sharing application TikTok in any sale or divestment deal, according to South China Morning Post. Citing a source briefed on the Chinese company's boardroom discussions, South China Morning Post reported, "The company [ByteDance] will not hand out source code to any US buyer, but the technology team of TikTok in the US can develop a new algorithm." South China Morning Post further reported that ByteDance has reportedly informed the US authorities and potential bidders of the decision. On September 10, US President Donald Trump said, "There will be no extension of the TikTok deadline...We will either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons or it will be sold. ... We will see what happens." On August 6, Trump signed an executive order banning any US transactions with ByteDance, set to take effect in 45 days. On August 14, the US President issued another executive order, requiring ByteDance to divest its interests in TikTok's operations in the US within 90 days. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed TikTok and other applications like WeChat are feeding data directly to China's national security apparatus. 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 Solidaridad, an international civil society organization, has partnered the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to promote high quality food safety standards among artisanal palm oil producers. The move is to help enhance market access for workers in the palm oil value chain by ensuring that finished products meet both local and international standards. Under the partnership, Solidaridad, the FDA, and the Environmental and Health Units of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in palm oil-producing districts will train 260 artisanal mill owners and over 3,000 machinery fabricators and processors in the last quarter of 2020. It will also strengthen the capacity of environmental health officers in palm oil-producing areas. The FDA is statutorily mandated to work with the assemblies, particularly the Environmental and Health Units, to monitor and enforce standards for the preparation and sale of food products in Ghana. Solidaridad, on the other hand, through its Sustainable West Africa Palm Oil Programme, has been working to transform the oil palm sector in Ghana by promoting best management and milling practices. The collaboration will enable the FDA to strengthen the capacity of the assemblies to monitor and enforce standards in the preparation and sale of palm oil. Moreover, Solidaridad's deployment of field officers in palm oil-producing districts will also make up for the FDA's lack of offices at the district level, which makes it difficult for the authority to reach palm oil processors in the districts. Under the partnership, a training programme, on food safety and good manufacturing practices in the palm oil production process would be held for workers in the value chain. It will cover topics such as hygienic sterilisation and digestion of the palm fruits, identifying food safety hazards during processing, the use of potable water for palm oil processing, waste handling, test management techniques, cleaning and siting of milling equipment, and personal hygienic of workers at the mills, among others. This effort will build on two training programmes that Solidaridad and the Food and Drugs Authority recently organized at Boadua and Assin Fosu in the Eastern and Central regions of Ghana respectively for staff of the Environmental and Health unit of the assemblies, the Business Advisory Centre, and Women in Agriculture Development of six district assemblies. According to Nicholas Issaka Gbana, Oil Palm Programme Manager for Solidaridad, a substantial part of Ghana's palm oil imports could be sourced locally from artisanal palm oil producers if they meet the quality requirements of both industrial users and palm oil exporters. The requirements, he explains, include palm oil with low free fatty acid below five per cent, low rancidity that is, having the right taste, smell and colour and has no physical, biological or chemical contaminants. Our expectation is that our two organizations would pull resources together to support artisanal palm oil producers to meet these requirements, says Gbana. Kofi Essel, Head of Industrial Support Services Department of the Food and Drugs Authority, says his outfit is pleased with the partnership and hopeful that the collaboration would equip artisanal oil palm producers to process safe and quality products to position them to expand their market base. He adds that food hygiene and safety should be a core element of all food preparation processes, including palm oil, hence the need for processors to obtain and regularly update their knowledge in food safety and good manufacturing practices. On food safety, Essel advised consumers to stop demanding for palm oil with a redder hue, explaining that such market preference causes some unscrupulous palm oil producers to add substances to the product to change its natural colour, which could compromise food safety. Solidaridad and the FDA are pursuing this course as part of the implementation of the second phase of the Sustainable West Africa Palm Oil Programme funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands (EKN) in Accra and the Swiss government through its State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The programme seeks to contribute to the transformation of the oil palm sector in West Africa, increase incomes of smallholder farmers and processors, and generate economic growth and jobs. SWAPP II is part of Solidaridads global agenda to build sustainable production for oil palm and other commodities. 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 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rennova Health, Inc. (OTC: RNVA) (OTC: RNVAW), today announced that it has purchased and taken delivery of equipment to provide rapid testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) at three sites, two of its hospitals in East Tennessee and its rural clinic in Kentucky. Rennova entered an agreement with Abbott laboratories to install and provide the ID NOW testing to our facilities. ID NOW provides results in 15 minutes utilizing state of the art molecular techniques (isothermal amplification of viral RNA). This test is approved under U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from direct nasal or noso-pharyngeal swabs. Testing is expected to begin in September at all 3 facilities. Patients may come to the facilities at their own wish or with a doctor's order for the testing and leave with a result. It has become apparent that for diagnosing and managing COVID-19, laboratory testing should provide rapid and sensitive results on a same-day, current status of an individual regarding infection by the SARS-CoV-2 said Seamus Lagan, CEO of Rennova Health, Inc. Particularly in acute settings such as emergency rooms, primary care visits, and surgery a fast result is necessary. We believe this investment in a FDA approved COVID-19 rapid test offers an excellent solution that can be used by our patients and the community and offered to a broader population in coming months About Rennova Health, Inc. Rennova owns three rural hospitals and a physicians office in Tennessee and a rural clinic in Kentucky, and provides industry-leading diagnostics and supportive software solutions to healthcare providers. Through an ever-expanding group of strategic brands that work in unison to empower customers, we are creating the next generation of healthcare. For more information, please visit www.rennovahealth.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors are contained in the Company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Story continues Contacts: Rennova Health Sebastien Sainsbury 561-666-9818 ssainsbury@rennovahealth.com # # # At the end of the 19th century southern women preferred "ao ngu than" (five-piece ao dai) and beaded jewelry. According to designer Sy Hoang, rich women used to wear this type of ao dai, with four layers representing the parents of the wife and husband and the fifth, the wearer. The tunic also had five buttons, symbolic of the five qualities everyone should have - nhan (kindness), le (decorum), nghia (uprightness), tri (wisdom) and tin (faithfulness). These photos are in a book called "Indo-Chine Pittoresque & Monumentale: Annam Tonkin", by Dieulefils, who was a soldier in Indochina before returning to Vietnam in 1888 to follow his passion for photography. ConsumerAffairs is not a government agency. Companies displayed may pay us to be Authorized or when you click a link, call a number or fill a form on our site. Our content is intended to be used for general information purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment based on your own personal circumstances and consult with your own investment, financial, tax and legal advisers. Company NMLS Identifier #2110672 Copyright 2021 Consumers Unified LLC. All Rights Reserved. The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission. Participants in the peace talks between the Afghan government and the that are currently underway in have made some progress during the Sunday contact group session, Ahmad Nader Naderi, a member of the government's negotiating team, said. "The first meeting between the contact groups of the two negotiation teams took place today. In this meeting code of conduct between two sides, schedules of upcoming meetings and relevant issues were discussed and progress was made," Naderi said on Twitter on Sunday. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said at a press conference on Sunday that the peace talks between the Afghan government and the in the Qatari capital of will be lengthy, but the two sides are aware of the Afghan people's desire to end violence as soon as possible. The peace talks started on Saturday after both sides successfully completed a long-awaited prisoner exchange arrangement. There is no timeline on the discussions, which are the first direct talks between the two warring sides. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo attended the opening ceremony of the talks on Saturday. On February 29, the United States and the movement signed a peace deal in Doha, Qatar, stipulating a gradual withdrawal of US troops as well as the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations and prisoner exchanges. The talks were delayed multiple times as the Afghan government and the Taliban disagreed over the prisoner exchange process. (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.) LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. Four years after President Trump won Florida by just over a percentage point, polls show that the state is, true to form, sitting on a knifes edge and looming again as a potential tipping point. On Tuesday, Joseph R. Biden Jr. will make his first trip to the state since claiming the nomination last spring. Mr. Trump, guarding a state that no Republican president has lost since Calvin Coolidge, has made a number of visits to the state, including last week. In an era of polarization, where swing voters are scarce, elections in Florida are won by driving up turnout among the faithful and running up margins in favorable terrain while losing more closely in hostile precincts. In a state so evenly divided that races are often decided by a few thousand votes or, more memorably, a few hundred mobilizing the converted outweighs preaching to the undecided few. The secret to Florida now is that its a margins game, said Gwen Graham, a former congresswoman who worked for decades in the campaigns of her father, the governor-turned-senator Bob Graham. The Bihar government has deliberately posted 3,186 doctors, appointed as general duty medical officers (GDMOs) under Bihar health services on September 11, outside their home districts. Given the urgency during the coronavirus pandemic, their recruitment and posting was done simultaneously in a record time of 36 hours since the Bihar Technical Service Commission declared their result on September 10. The recruitment of 5,000 nurses last month was also done in 48 hours. In posting the newly recruited doctors, the health department has, however, ensured that most of them were posted nearest to their home district. For instance, those belonging to Patna were posted preferably in Vaishali, 32 kms north-east of Patna considered to be close by Delhis standard. Alternatively, they have been posted in adjoining districts of Saran, Bhojpur, Jehanabad or Nalanda, all within 64 to 85 kms radius from Patna, with a travel time of around two hours. Merit was the top criteria for posting doctors after which we considered their location. Only a small percentage who could not be accommodated at locations adjoining their home district were considered for posting in the same division as their home district and a negligible percentage may have been posted elsewhere, said an officer privy to the decision who did not wish to be identified. The Patna division, for instance, comprises the districts of Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur. Bihar is divided into 38 districts under nine divisions, including Patna, Tirhut, Saran, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Munger and Magadh. There are two reasons for not posting doctors in their home districts. First, there is an advisory of the state cabinet coordination department to not post class II employees in their home districts; and second, to ensure better efficiency among doctors, said the officer. Absenteeism among doctors in government facilities is a common issue, Bihars principal secretary, health, Pratyaya Amrit, found after he inspected eight of the nine state-run medical colleges within a month of his posting on July 27. He is scheduled to visit the Vardhaman Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri, this week. Amrit was drafted in place of Uday Singh Kumawat as Covid-19 cases were on the ascendancy and testing of samples was low. Bihars total Covid-19 case burden then was 41,111, having tested the highest 14,236 samples in a day (July 27), with a cumulative test count of 4,70,560. The comparative figures have now risen to a total 1,58,389 Covid-19 cases against 48,84,417 samples tested, with 1,10,500 samples tested on Saturday. Recruitment and shortage of doctors The recent appointment of doctors as GDMOs was against 4,012 vacancies advertised a year ago. The government had recruited last month around 950 specialist doctors, having post graduate degrees, against 2,400 posts advertised a year back. Bihar has been guilty of not appointing doctors in a time-bound manner, adding to a shortfall of around 5,000 as on date. As many as 4,115 of the 7,956 doctors appointed since 1990 were recruited in the last one month after Amrit joined the health department. Previously, 2,486 doctors were appointed in 2016. Prior to that, 1,355 doctors were recruited between 1990 and 2011 646 in 1990, seven in 1992, 29 in 1997, 12 in 2000, 272 in 2007 and 389 in 2011. There are around 8,000-8,500 doctors against 13,500 sanctioned posts under Bihar health services. A shortage of around 3,000 doctors exists in the rank of senior medical officer to director-in-chief, even as most vacancies at the GDMO level have been filled up after this round of appointment in the basic grade, said Dr Ranjeet Kumar, general secretary of the Bihar Health Services Association. Amrit was not available for comments. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A former charity fundraiser once described as a 'high-achiever' has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of drug trafficking in Melbourne. Jessica Legg, 29, was sentenced to eight months' jail in the Victorian County Court on Monday for selling 235 grams of meth as well as synthetic drugs and valium between July 2017 and August 2018. Police were investigating a 'Breaking Bad' style drug syndicate when Legg sold meth to Danny Vassallo, who was under surveillance, the Herald Sun reported. Phone recordings and physical surveillance revealed she was also selling drugs from her Blackburn north home, a leased storage unit and multiple locations across Melbourne. Jessica Legg (pictured) was sentenced to eight months' jail in the Victorian County Count on Monday for selling 235 grams of meth as well as synthetic drugs and valium between July 2017 and August 2018 Vassallo, from Melbourne's eastern suburbs, was being watched because he was part of a group trying to produce a highly potent type of synthetic meth. Investigators set up surveillance on Legg after she sold the drugs to Vassallo. Evidence submitted to the court showed police intercepted a call between the two discussing imitation meth or 'Bute' she had for sale. 'It's yellow gooey and fake the stuff you were asking about the other day,' Legg said in the call. The publication reported it was similar to the product Vassallo's operation had tried to produce. Police phone intercepts revealed Legg used coded terms with her buyers such as 'cold' for meth as well as phrases such as 'usual order'. Police recorded her making deals across Melbourne at places including Bunnings, Woolworths and McDonald's car parks. The court heard Legg sold 235g of meth, 1.8L of bute and 48 Valium tablets while police had her under surveillance between July 2017 and August 2018. Police were investigating a 'Breaking Bad' style meth syndicate involving Danny Vassallo when Legg (pictured) sold meth to the tradesman Police arrested Legg at her Blackburn North home in August 2018 with investigators taking drugs, cash and various stolen tools from the Bayswater storage unit police alleged she sold drugs from. The 29-year-old had previously worked for her father as a bookkeeper. She had also held a full-time role with Coca-Cola and raised money for cancer research organisation Monash Health. The court heard Legg became addicted to drugs and at times was living in her car with her dog. She was unemployed at the time of her arrest. Judge Lyon said during sentencing that Legg's 'protracted and substantial' offending was a 'serious example' of drug dealing, according to the publication. Legg was sentenced to eight months in jail and was placed on a 24-month community corrections order. Vassallo, his father Dennis Vassallo, Lawrence McArthur and Victoria O'Neil were all sentenced in the Victorian County Court in April over the synthetic drug ring. TikTok has finally picked its new heir and no it is not Microsoft. The Bytedance-owned company had picked Oracle over Microsoft for TikTok's US operations, reports state. However, the reports claim that Bytedance has made Oracle its technical partner for TikTok and will not sell the complete operations to the company. It was earlier reported that US President Donald Trump, who had given an ultimatum of 90 days to the Chinese company to sell its US arm, had refused to extend the deadline. For the unversed, Trump had ordered Byetdance to sell the US operations of TikTok by September 15. Just a day before the deadline expires, Bytedance seemed to have reached a conclusion with Oracle. So here are some of the important things to know about the deal. It is important to note that Bytedance will not sell the US operations of TikTok to any of the companies. It is being reported that Bytedance has chosen Oracle as its "technical partner". The companies have signed an agreement that doesn't mention the complete sale of the operations. Reports have stated that through this partnership, Oracle and Byetdance have aimed to address the national security concerns raised by the Trump administration. However, in order to proceed with the deal, Byetdance will have to seek approval from Beijing and Washington. Even Trump's approval of this is very important. Bytedance had rejected the offer made by Microsoft. The tech giant was one of the first companies to express its desire to buy the US arm of the short video platform. Informing the same, Microsoft said in a blog, " "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas." Microsoft had even partnered with Walmart to acquire the US operations of TikTok. The company was eyeing not only the US operations but also the operations of Australia and New Zealand Trump had earlier said that "there will be no extension of the TikTok deadline. We'll either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons, or it will be sold." Earlier, Trump had signed an executive order announcing that the app will be taken down in the US if it fails to sell its operations to a US company within 90 days. The Trump administration had raised national security concerns with the app. This was also the reason why TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer stepped down only after 100 days of assuming the chair. The four per cent reduction in Communications Service Tax (CST) will take effect Tuesday, September 15, 2020. The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta at the presentation of the 2020 mid-year budget review in July announced the reduction of the tax from nine per cent to five per cent. A statement from the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications on Monday the modifications would represent 5% CST charge and would be applied through a tariff adjustment on products and services. It added that the Mobile Network Operators would notify customers on the completion of the modification exercise and provide further transparency on the adjusted tariffs of their products and services while offering other relevant information post usage of the services. The CST was introduced in 2008 at an ad valorem rate of six per cent. The tax is levied on charges payable by consumers for the use of communication services. In 2018 the tax brought in a total of GH420 million, representing a 27.7 per cent increase from the estimated 304 million accrued in 2017. The amount generated from the levy was 4.56 per cent more than the projected 401.8 million in the 2018 mid-year budget. The telcos started charging customers the revised CST from October 1, 2019, after the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, announced an increment in the tax from six to nine per cent in the Supplementary Budget. The Finance Minister in justifying the increment had said it was aimed at creating a viable technology ecosystem to among other things identify and combat cybercrime. Source: 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 US accuses China of 'escalation' over retaliatory measures on American diplomats Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 8:58 AM The United States has accused China of "escalation" over Beijing's restrictions on all American diplomats on its soil in response to a similar move by Washington. China on Friday announced "reciprocal restrictions" against US diplomatic personnel, in response to Washington's announcement of new restrictions on staff working for Beijing's foreign missions in the United States. The measures would apply to all US embassy and consulate staff, including the consulate general in Hong Kong and its personnel. A US State Department spokesperson said on Saturday that China's move was an "escalation," citing the targeting of its representative in Hong Kong and restrictions on Chinese citizens meeting with Americans. The requirements, the official said, "now include American citizens with no affiliation to the US government," claiming that Washington has "no such requirement" for Chinese citizens. In July, Washington first ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston in a move that prompted Beijing to shutter the American presence in Chengdu. The dispute over foreign missions is only one front in an escalating confrontation between Washington and Beijing. Last month, the US blacklisted Chinese officials it accused of suppressing "freedom and democratic processes" in Hong Kong after Beijing introduced a new security law in the Chinese territory. China in response issued its own sanctions against several American individuals. The two top economies of the world are at loggerheads over many other issues, including trade, the origins and handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan, as well as the disputed South China Sea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) says the GH100,000 nomination filing fee fixed by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the 2020 presidential election is too high. According to the PPP, it is a difficult decision coming at a difficult time, the National Secretary of the PPP, Papa Kow Ackon said. "They have taken this decision without consulting IPAC [Inter Party Advisory Committee]...we find it a bit troubling that this decision has come at this time." In a radio interview with Accra based Joy FM on Monday evening in a reaction to the announcement of the nomination filing fee and date, Papa Kow Ackon said, "we all know the fee for 2016, the EC charged about GH50,000 and so for this to be increased by over 100 percent, this is just not on. He said the EC needs to be questioned whether it has the necessary statutory backing to fix the new fee. He said on Wednesday [September 16] the PPP will have its national committee meeting and it would be discussed "but clearly it is a difficult decision, we are in a difficult moment in our history and it is important if the EC is making decisions, it must factor all the economic challenges people are going through in this country. We should not fix fees at that high level and say that becoming a president is a tough thing or a serious thing and so anyone who expresses interest must cough some high fees." The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has also expressed concern about the fee. The General Secretary, Nana Yaa Juantuah said in the Joy FM radio interview that the EC should not just set charges without explanation and without consulting IPAC. "Whatever it is, we should know the reason for the increase. Why did they leave the parliamentary one at the same level [GH10,000] Presidential and parliamentary aspirants for the December 7, 2020 Elections in Ghana are to file their nomination from October 5th to 9th, 2020, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced. The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa made this known at a press briefing Monday evening, [September 14, 2020]. The nomination fee for presidential aspirants is GH100,000. This is a 100 percent increase from the GH50,000 fee which was paid in 2016. That of parliamentary aspirants, is GH10,000, same as what was paid in 2016. Unlike in the past where aspirants picked up the nomination forms from the office of the EC, this year the forms have been uploaded on the website of the EC. Aspirants are therefore to download their forms from the EC website and submit it as part of measures to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the past, the EC used just two days for the filing of nominations but this year, it has been increased it to five days. The Chairperson of the EC explained that to "ensure the security and integrity of the nomination process, each political party will be provided with a unique password to enable them access the password protected nomination forms...the passwords will be provided to the general secretaries of the political partieis." "It is important to note that independent candidates will also be issued with unique passwords. We entreat the general secretaries of political parties and representatives of independent candidates to kindly call and contact the Head of IT [at the EC] for to receive access to their passwords." Guidelines for filling nomination forms The EC has provided a detailed guideline on its website for filling the nomination forms. The EC will receive the filled out nomination forms for the presidential and parliamentary aspirants from Monday October 5 to Friday October 9, 2020. The forms are to be submitted in quadruplicates. That of the presidential aspirants are to submitted at the EC head office by the aspirants themselves or their supporters and to be received by the EC chairperson who is the Returning Officer. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EC has limited the number of persons to submit the forms at the head office or at the district office to five persons. Watch the video below 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 NEW SHAH OF MUTUAL FUNDS Lets roll with mutual funds. The mutual fund industry like most of us has had a terrible year so far, but this top honcho seems unscathed by the avalanche of bad news. If anything, he is set to play perhaps a bigger make that the biggest role of his career. We heard our bossman is headed to HDFC Mutual Fund as its big cheese. You know him he is well networked, media savvy and a shah of Twitter. The buzz on this movement has been so strong for weeks now that some offhand denials have been issued. Be that as it may, weve learnt that he has been offered upwards of Rs 100 crore in Esops to take the job. That is an amount his current employer will find hard to match. For decades, legacy dairy cooperatives have dominated the southern states and made a tidy profit selling milk. Now, Indias largest dairy brand, Amul, is making a push to expand in the south, which could shake up the milk industry in the five states of the region. Amul, the force behind the white revolution that makes India the largest milk producer, has been selling other dairy products such as cheese and butter in South India. Its plan now is to sell 3-4 million litres of milk across the region, with Andhra Pradesh as hub. We started with the west, then went to the north, and east... Somehow we had not gone to the south," said R.S. Sodhi, managing director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which sells its products under the Amul brand, in an interview. We realized in the past 10 years that a lot of private players have come, and some of them are not giving good prices to the market. So we thought this is the best opportunity. Now if we dont enter the south, we will be losing, and we will be giving a cakewalk to other players." Sodhi said the aim is to take the business to around 10,000 crore. The company will make an investment of about 200-300 crore over the next two years, he added. Amul has an annual sales of 52,000 crore. Its entry into the south could see a collision between a giant cooperative and numerous regional players. Ironically, popular dairy brands in the SouthKarnatakas Nandini, Keralas Milma and Tamil Nadus Aavin, among otherswere all once formed as farmers cooperatives, emulating the roaring success of Amul. Regional dairy cooperatives are, however, not sitting idle. Since we came to know that Amul is doing surveys in southern towns recently, we have been creating our own plans," said Rajesh Nair, marketing manager at Milma, owned by Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. Brands such as Milma think the trick lies in the right kind of marketing as there is no clear way to distinguish oneself in the milk business. It has forced us to do bigger and newer ways to market ourselves. From spending 1-3 crore, we are now spending 10-15 crore on advertising. We are also empanelling a national agency for advertising," he said. The entry also foreshadows a political fight. The Andhra Pradesh government led by chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy recently signed an agreement with Amul, extending support to start its milk business. The states dominant dairy company, Heritage Foods Ltd, is run by the family of N. Chandrababu Naidu, Reddys main political rival and predecessor. Andhra Pradesh is already one of Indias largest milk-producing states, churning out an estimated 40 million litres every day. Amuls entry could also lead to ice creams wars: the companys surveys show good demand for milk-based products such as ice cream, Sodhi said. Geographically, Andhra Pradesh is a large market, which is connected to various good markets like Chennai, Hyderabad, Vizag. So, we thought we can make Andhra a hub and enter fresh markets of the south," said Sodhi. Nandini, owned by Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation, has been aggressively increasing its presence. It is now setting up more cafes that serve coffee or tea or sweets or snacks made of milk products to attract youngsters and highway riders," said a person associated with the brand, requesting not to be named. Sodhi disagreed that the local cooperatives will suffer from the entry. Wherever we have gone, we have seen that with our entry, local cooperatives have also flourished," said Sodhi. 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 MONTREAL - A teachers' union is suing Quebec to obtain documents used to prepare the province's back-to-school plan, claiming authorities are not being transparent about the number of infections in schools. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. People wear face masks as they walk through a market in Montreal, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. The Quebec government has introduced fines for individuals caught not wearing face masks or coverings in indoor public spaces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - A teachers' union is suing Quebec to obtain documents used to prepare the province's back-to-school plan, claiming authorities are not being transparent about the number of infections in schools. The Federation autonome de l'enseignement filed its legal action Monday, requesting the Superior Court order the province to immediately release documents related to the back-to-school strategy and to reveal whether it has set up a rapid-testing system for schools. FAE's request for judicial review and for an interlocutory injunction came the same day authorities reported 276 new COVID-19 infections across the province. Roughly 246 Quebec schools have reported at least one case of COVID-19 since classes resumed in late August, Union President Sylvain Mallette said in an interview Monday. Last week, health authorities suspended daily updates on the number of schools with cases of COVID-19, saying they were "adjusting" the system. Mallette said his union, which represents about 49,000 teachers, has been trying since Aug. 10 to get the government to say whether it has a system in place to rapidly test students, teachers and other school staff for COVID-19 and to quickly obtain testing results. "We don't know if there is (a rapid-testing system), and if there is one, we don't know what it looks like and how it functions," Mallette said, adding the province had promised in early August to implement a rapid-testing system for schools. The group's legal claim names Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube, Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge, and the province's chief public health officer, Horacio Arruda. "It's not normal that we don't know where the outbreaks are, how they are being reported, and what the delay is between the moment someone says they have symptoms and the moment they get their (testing) results," Mallette said. Quebec's back-to-school plan, unveiled in August, has also drawn criticism from parents. Last week a judge denied a request by a group of parents to force the province to provide an online learning option for families worried about sending children to school amid the pandemic. Only children with serious medical conditions or who live with someone at risk of severe complications from COVID-19 can be exempted from physically attending classes. Quebec's government has insisted that getting students back into classrooms would benefit them and their families. The province has seen a recent increase in daily COVID-19 cases. Dube, the health minister, said Sunday that cases have been reported in regions across the province and described the situation as "under control, but concerning." A spokeswoman for Dube said the department would not comment on the lawsuit. "It is important to note, however, that our government has made testing in schools one of its main priorities," Marjaurie Cote-Boileau said in an email Monday. She said each school is assigned to a testing centre and that the province's back-to-school plan was formulated according to public health recommendations. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Department officials are working "non-stop" to update the government's list of schools that have reported cases of COVID-19, Cote-Boileau added. Public health officials reported 276 new COVID-19 infections Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 65,262. That marked the second consecutive day Quebec has reported more than 275 cases of COVID-19 over a 24-hour period, after 279 infections were reported Sunday. No additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus occurred over the past 24 hours, leaving the total at 5,780, authorities said. The number of hospitalizations remained unchanged at 124. Of those patients, 19 people were in intensive care the same number as the previous day. Quebec said 20,639 COVID-19 tests were conducted Saturday, the last date for which testing data is available. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. With files from Caroline Plante in Quebec City. No one will ever need to worry about rust on this highly valuable muscle car. For collectors and racers who wish to re-create the best of the past, well, it's happening. The carbon fiber Shelby GT500CR Mustang concept car has officially gone into production as of Thursday. Only 25 of the vehicles will be made per year, at a starting price of $298,000 each. Designers will take 12 to 18 months to assemble the made-to-order classic known for its speed and design. The price point is competitive. A carbon fiber Lamborghini, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin all easily exceed $200,000. Classic Recreations has moved the 1967 Shelby GT500CR from a carbon fiber concept car into production. It starts at $298,000. The car will be powered by a Stage 2 Whipple supercharged Ford 5.0L Coyote engine mated to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission. Retirement planning: Six easy steps to get started 'Payroll Tax Holiday': Here's why many employers are passing it up Each new carbon fiber Shelby requires an estimated 2,500 hours to build. "This is like taking a 1960s muscle car to NASA and having the space program bring it into the 21st century," Jason Engel, co-owner and lead designer of the company crafting the cars, Dallas-based Classic Recreations, told the Free Press. Never before has a Shelby Mustang been made of carbon fiber, the material that's used to make spacecraft, airplanes, sailboat masts and even outrigger canoes. Carbon fiber is known for its high strength, low weight and temperature tolerance. Buyers of these kinds of vehicles traditionally have been mostly male entrepreneurs, pro-athletes and car collectors, Engel said. Women who collect tend to be CEO-types, he said. "One of them I sold to in the past, from a famous shoe company you've seen in many stores, I can't mention the brand, she was super awesome. Another woman won the lottery." Jason Engel, co-owner and lead designer at Classic Recreations based in Dallas, in Yukon, Oklahoma in 2018. This car is now available to order and already attracting serious interest. One new buyer for the Shelby GT500CR is an engineer who works in research and development, and he likes to "track cars" with his business partners, said Bryan Stone, a partner in Classic Recreations. "So he wants a high performance carbon fiber vehicle over 1000 horsepower. That customer has specified that he wants to be sure when he goes into a sustained turn on the racetrack, which increases the G-force, that oil would not crawl away from the oil sump." Story continues The company building the reborn Shelby has an agreement with Ford Motor Co. and Carroll Shelby Licensing to build Shelby edition Mustang restorations. The vehicles come with a Shelby serial number and is listed on the Shelby Registry. To be clear, each car begins with the original chassis from a 1967 or 1968 Ford Mustang using the original Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). They'll have the original VIN and a separate Shelby serial number. Classic Recreations has moved the 1967 Shelby GT500CR from a carbon fiber concept car into production reality with only 25 made each year at a starting cost of $298,000. It has an original VIN. While some people buy the cars as high-performance showpieces, adding perhaps 300 or 400 miles only, others absolutely take them to the track, said Engel, 46, of Oklahoma City, who works at the original site of the company. As the son of a car dealer in Oklahoma and Las Vegas, Engel has been eating, sleeping and breathing cars his entire life. He has owned probably 150 vehicles since age 15. "It's in your blood," he said. From dream to reality Designers initially planned to simply make the vehicles more efficient and it turned into "Oh, my God, what do we have here," Stone told the Free Press. Each piece of the carbon fiber Shelby GT500CR is essentially flawless because it's designed and modified with CAD computer-aided design, Engel said. "When you build something by hand, it's virtually impossible to be identical. This whole car is digitally scanned, and a designer went in and perfected the entire car, front to rear. Everything is perfect." It's really a celebration of the legacy of the legendary Carroll Shelby. Eight years after his death, he remains revered for his passion to sacrifice everything to pursue his dream of designing and building and racing cars. Shelby is synonymous with innovation and quality. "He won Le Mans. The 1967 GT500 is still today the most sought after muscle car," Engel said. "Even in new cars, in new Mustangs, you see Carroll's designs." Mainstream moviegoers discovered his brilliance with "Ford v Ferrari," the Oscar-nominated blockbuster that featured the story of Shelby and British race car driver Ken Miles in their fight against Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. The iconic 1967 Shelby GT500 is reimagined with "a powerful contemporary engine, upgraded suspension, better braking systems" and the latest technology, the company said in a news release. Original Shelby molds reproduce the lines of the 1967-68 Shelby. "The result is stunning perfection in a car that is an astounding 600 pounds lighter than stock," Engel said in the news release. "The power-to-weight ratio is on par with the most exotic vehicles, making it a modern world-class supercar with American muscle at its soul." A hand-painted, limited edition model exterior stripe can be any color a customer chooses, while the body of the car will be treated with clear coat to show its carbon weave patterns. Custom options include painting the vehicle Wimbledon White and Ebony are popular colors for muscle cars. The purchase price includes closed-trailer transportation of the car to Las Vegas, a client "experience" that includes a night at a luxury hotel, a private tour of Shelby American and a photo with the vehicle. A donation in the customer's honor will be made to the Carroll Shelby Foundation, which benefits children medically and educationally. Find additional information at Classic-Recreations.com. Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid. Sign up for our autos newsletter. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Carbon fiber Shelby GT500CR Mustang starts at $298K, made by hand Its just as fly as it was when I first rolled up the driveway, Smith wrote of the house used for his famous NBC series. In this January 2009 photo, actor Will Smith attends a photocall for his film Seven Pounds at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images) In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the debut of his hit 90s NBC series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith and Airbnb are teaming up to give a few lucky fans an interactive experience at the shows iconic mansion. Starting September 29 at 11:00 a.m. PDT, groups of up to two Los Angeles County residents will have the chance to book one of five nostalgic stays in Wills wing of the home occurring on October 2, October 5, October 8, October 11, and October 14 for only $30 a night, recognizing the 30 years since the world-famous mansion became a pop culture architectural icon, Airbnb said in a statement. Its just as fly as it was when I first rolled up the driveway, Will Smith wrote of the house used for his famous NBC series. (Airbnb) The stays will take place for one night each in Wills wing of the decked-out mansion. they said, with access to Wills posh bedroom and bathroom, a poolside lounge area, and an elegant dining room. Its just as fly as it was when I first rolled up the driveway, Smith wrote in the description. And this time, Im handing you the keys so youll have my wing of the mansion all to yourself but my sneaker collection is off-limits, aight? Per Californias COVID-19 guidelines, only two guests who currently live in the same household will be able to book the house. Further, Airbnb has committed to an enhanced cleaning protocol. Smiths longtime friend and former musical partner is targeting Airbnb users too. DJ Jazzy Jeff will also be hosting an Airbnb Online Experience in which hell teach guests how to spin & scratch like a hip-hop legend, the statement continues. Aspiring DJs can request to book this one-time event at a special link. The virtual experience will take place on October 1. In addition, the popular home-sharing site will be giving a financial gift to the Boys & Girls Clubs of both mens native Philadelphia. The donation will help provide skill-building programs, recreational activities and empowerment tools to youth in need. Airbnb offers other off-the-beaten-path experiences, including filming locations, on its Unique Stays page. The post Will Smith hosting Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion on Airbnb appeared first on TheGrio. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. On September 14, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsaknayan, who on an official visit is in Egypt, was received by Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the MFA of Armenia told Armenpress. Minister Mnatsakanyan expressed his deep gratitude for warm welcome, reiterating the willingness of Armenian side to take steps for further expanding and strengthening the Armenian-Egyptian cooperation. The interlocutors highlighted the spheres of information technologies, governance, pharmacy, tourism and science and education as important directions of cooperation. Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Egypt commended the Armenian-Egyptian relations based on traditional friendship and mutual respect, emphasizing the bridging role of the Egyptian-Armenian community in strengthening the ties between the two countries and peoples. The Foreign Minister of Armenia highly assessed the historical role of Egypt and its current experience in preserving and consolidating the religious diversity and solidarity. The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues on regional and international peace and security. In this regard, the Foreign Minister of Armenia expressed his concern over the attempts to export instability to the Middle East and South Caucasus, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation aimed at preserving peace and security in this regard. He said he had tried to visit Monday to check on the well during the recent heat wave, but he was turned away by a deputy who wouldnt tell him what was going on. He said he left his phone number, but authorities never called. After being outmatched by the likes of Filibuster Hanover at Pocono, Southwind Ozzi ($4.80) returned to the site of his only prior win to date this yearHarrah's Philadelphiaand delivered a decisive 1:51 score in Sunday afternoon's (Sept. 13) $14,400 top-level pacing feature. The four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere stallion landed in midfield in the early stages while Joesstar Of Mia A strode clear to control soft early fractions of :28 and :57.2. Before the midway stage, driver Daniel Dube angled Southwind Ozzi off the pegs from fourth to gain ground, and gain ground he did. Southwind Ozzi attacked Joesstar Of Mia A up the backstretch and sprinted a :25.4 third quarter to seize command. After hitting the three-quarter mark in 1:23.3, Southwind Ozzi opened a three-and-a-half length lead through the final turn, three of which he maintained at the winning post. Joesstar Of Mia A narrowly held second over Jacks Legend, who sustained his pursuit after losing cover up the far side. Bill MacKenzie trains 12-time winner Southwind Ozzi for Vincent Ali Jr. and Alma Iafelice. In the sub-featured $11,600 pace, Rock The Devil ($3.80) rode the pocket in progress to a 1:49.2 victorythe day's fastest mileover pacesetter Imarocnrollegend N. Todd McCarthy drove the six-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven gelding for trainer Richard "Nifty" Norman. Tim Tetrick led all drivers with five wins on the program, winning with Barbados ($3.60, 1:51.3), Rockabilly Charm ($28.60, 1:52.1), Rock The Town ($8.40, 1:51.1), Daddyofemall ($3.20, 1:52.2) and Melanie's Tedy ($6.40, 1:53.1). Racing returns to Harrah's Philadelphia with a 14-race program on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 16). Post time is 12:25 p.m. (EDT). (Harrah's Philadelphia) President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend a 9/11 anniversary ceremony in Shanksville, Pa., on Friday (Associated Press) The tiny Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain has agreed to begin efforts to normalize ties with Israel, the Trump administration announced Friday. The three countries released a joint six-paragraph statement saying Bahrain agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates as the first Gulf countries expressing willingness to end their long-standing refusal to recognize Israel. Only Egypt and Jordan currently have diplomatic ties with Israel, with the rest of the Arab world demanding the Israeli government must first come to a peace agreement with the Palestinians before normalization. Bringing the UAE and Bahrain into the fold is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to drive a wedge between the Palestinians and their Arab supporters, to isolate the Palestinians and further erode their standing. Trump has been pushing a plan to settle the conflict between Israelis and the Palestinians that is widely seen as overly favorable to Israelis and has been rejected by the Palestinian leadership. It was not clear how far the Bahrain agreement goes. President Trump exaggerated the reach of the UAE deal when he announced it earlier this month, with UAE officials saying it only bound them to finding a road map toward normalization with Israel as opposed to the immediate opening of full diplomatic relations. Trump portrayed the arrangements with Bahrain and the UAE as historic peace deals, although neither country was at war with Israel. He said it was significant to announce the agreement on the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, which were carried out primarily by Saudi militants. Trump announced Fridays agreement, he said, after a three-way phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrains King Hamad bin Isal Khalifa. A Bahrain representative will join Trump, Netanyahu and the foreign minister of the UAE for a signing ceremony Tuesday at the White House. The crown prince of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayad, de facto ruler of the emirates, declined to attend. Story continues Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and point man on the Middle East, said he believed the developments with Bahrain and the UAE would "reduce tensions" in the region and allow Arab states to "separate" their national interests from those of Palestinians. He said he was confident there was a momentum in the direction of broader recognition of Israel. However, the Bahraini foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Zayani, later interjected a note of caution. He said the deal with Israel "will help strengthen regional security and stability including achieving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." The UAE agreed to work toward ties with Israel based on two major concessions. Washington agreed to sell an undisclosed number of F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Emiratis and Israel agreed to halt the annexation of large parts of the West Bank claimed by Palestinians. (Netanyahu later said the halt was only temporary and voiced opposition to the sale of the fighter jets more signs of the distance that remains between the signed agreements and facts on the ground.) Kushner would not say what concessions had been made to Bahrain, a country of 1.5 million people which has a less robust military partnership with Washington but nevertheless hopes to buy weapons. The U.S. Congress has opposed such sales to Bahrain because of its abysmal human rights record. Kushner and Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo made separate trips to the region in recent weeks attempting to persuade other Arab countries to follow the UAE. Most refused. Only Bahrain agreed, acting with the consent of Saudi Arabia, experts said, because Riyadh, as custodian of the most holy sites in Islam, is loath to join in. Arab countries with sizable populations of people who would protest the perceived betrayal of Palestinians would find it politically untenable to recognize Israel without progress toward a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. By contrast, both the UAE and Bahrain are monarchies that can more easily repress any domestic opposition. "This one is totally expected. Bahrain could very easily have gone before UAE," Jonathan Schanzer, head of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said on Twitter. "The next one (assuming more are coming) will be more of a wild card." Thomas Warrick, a Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, said the actions in detente by the UAE and Bahrain are "as much due to their well-founded concerns about their Iranian neighbor to the north as to their recognition of the strategic relationship that both have with the United States." The Palestinian Authority, as it did with the UAE agreement, reacted with anger. The Bahrain deal is a "betrayal" of Jerusalem and "the Palestinian cause," as well as a "step that supports the legalization of Israel's ugly crimes against the Palestinian people." The Trump administration has also worked to build common cause among several Sunni-dominated Persian Gulf and Arab states, plus Israel, in opposition to predominantly Shiite Iran, a longtime rival accused by the U.S. and others of supporting militant groups throughout the region. Lebanons Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib has met Lebanons president for more consultations over the formation of his cabinet instead of presenting its lineup, as anticipated by some raising doubts about meeting a deadline agreed with France. Lebanese political leaders promised French President Emmanuel Macron in Beirut on September 1 that a government would be formed in two weeks, part of a plan drawn up by Paris to start reforms that would unlock much-needed aid for the crisis-hit nation. God willing, all will be well, Adib told reporters following his meeting with President Michel Aoun on Monday. An official source had previously said the prime minister-designate, a Sunni Muslim under Lebanons sectarian system of power-sharing, would present plans for his cabinet on Monday. But on Sunday, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri a top Shia politician and head of the Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah said in a statement that his group opposed the manner the cabinet was being formed and did not want to join. Berri cited a concern about a lack of consultation and what he called resorting to foreign leverage in forming the cabinet. The same phrase was used in a speech on Sunday by another Hezbollah ally, Christian politician Gebran Bassil. Citing political sources, reports have said Berris position towards the cabinet hardened after the United States imposed sanctions on allies of Hezbollah, a group Washington deems terrorist but which Paris says has a legitimate political role. On Saturday, Macron spoke to Berri over the phone in an effort to remove an obstacle around the finance ministry post, which is traditionally controlled by Shias, according to a political ally of the speaker. The (French) president continues his calls with the various political players in Lebanon, the French presidential office said in a statement, without giving details about any discussions. #Lebanon PM meeting president; seems govt formation on hold; Shia camp insists on finance ministry -behind scenes talks but political class faced w/choices: facilitate formation, implement French plan or face sanctions stakes high; total economic collapse, possible strife https://t.co/bGdn79HCoJ Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz) September 14, 2020 Adib, meanwhile, has so far made few public comments since his designation after the government of his predecessor, Hassan Diab, resigned in the wake of a devastating explosion in Beiruts port last month. Reports say the prime minister-designate wants to shake up the leadership of ministries, some of which have been controlled by the same groups for years. Any government needs the blessing of the main Christian and Muslim factions to ensure it conforms with Lebanons confessional power-sharing system. The process of forming a government has in the past taken many months. Donors have demanded to see reforms before unlocking billions of dollars in aid that was originally pledged in 2018 but never disbursed. Lebanese soldiers killed Separately on Monday, the Lebanese army said four of its soldiers were killed while attempting to arrest a suspected terrorist in northern Lebanon. The troops were trying to detain Khaled al-Tallawi, who heads a militant cell behind the August 21 murder of two police officers and the son of the mayor of Kaftoun village in the countrys north, the army said. Al-Tallawi opened fire and lobbed a hand grenade at the troops who raided his home in the Beddawi area near the northern port city of Tripoli late on Sunday, it added. Three soldiers were killed on the spot while another was severely wounded and later succumbed to his injuries. The army said al-Tallawi was later shot dead after soldiers chased him and affiliated men in a hunt that lasted into the early hours of Monday morning. Troops are still searching for other members of Tallawis cell, it added. Lebanese security forces have been chasing suspects over the Kaftoun murders for weeks. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Republican state lawmakers on Monday rejected Secretary of State Frank LaRoses request to pay for return postage on absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential election. The Ohio Controlling Board, a panel of state legislators that approves spending requests from state government agencies, voted 4-2 on Monday to reject paying for the postage, with the boards four Republican members voting no and two Democrats voting yes. Republicans questioned whether state law allowed LaRose to provide postage-paid envelopes, and also raised concerns about changing voting procedures weeks before the election. LaRose, a Republican, last month requested permission to spend $3 million to provide pre-paid postage with all absentee ballots. Lawmakers requested extra time to consider the matter before voting to reject it on Monday. LaRose previously tried and failed to get the legislature to pay for the postage, so he decided to try to do it out of his previously approved budget. For eight years, Ohio has mailed absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, but provided the return postage for the actual ballots for the first time this past primary, which was converted to an all-mail format amid the coronavirus pandemic. LaRose said providing return postage would be a convenience that would help ballots get returned more quickly. Elections officials expect the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a much higher than normal rate of mail voting. Early returns of absentee ballot applications support that prediction, and already are approaching 2016 totals with nearly two months to go until the election. A no vote today is a no vote thats over the objections over our Ohio elections officers in a bipartisan way, and of myself, Ohios chief elections officer," LaRose said during Mondays meeting. He added: I think theres a tendency that this benefits a particular political party. Thats just not the case. Thats borne out state after state What it does do is get them back to us sooner, and thats what our objective is here today. But State Rep. Scott Oelslager, a Canton Republican, pointed out Ohio has ample early-voting opportunities. Im highly reluctant to change the rules of any election, let alone a presidential election, at the eleventh hour," he said. State Sen. Vernon Sykes, an Akron Democrat, said approving postage would help the election go more smoothly. This is an unusual time that requires some unusual provisions by us. We elected leaders are the servants of the people, he said. I believe this will be helpful in the election process to get those ballots back as early as possible. State Sen. Matt Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican, is a statutory member of the Controlling Board, due to his role as the chairman of the Senate finance committee. He issued a statement Monday saying he supported providing pre-paid postage, but said Senate President Larry Obhof had named someone else to permanently take his seat. Dolans replacement, Republican Newark Sen. Jay Hottinger, was absent Monday, and was himself replaced by Sen. Bill Coley, a Butler County Republican who voted no. Dolan said he would have voted yes had he been on the board. At the end of the day, I dont think this is going to help or hurt either party," he said. "But in this timeframe, in this pandemic, if we could have made it one step easier, I am for that. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced new collaborations of the Thermo Fisher Precision Medicine Science Center (PMSC) with AstraZeneca and the University of Nebraska Medical Center as part of its ongoing development of innovative solutions for unmet needs in clinical biomarker discovery. The new alliances strengthen the PMSC's mission of creating standardized workflows with pharma and academic partners to streamline the transition from biomarker research to clinical implementation, creating new opportunities for precision medicine. Ongoing and planned studies with both AstraZeneca and the University of Nebraska Medical Center will utilize standardized plasma protein profiling workflows, including Thermo Fisher's newly developed ultra-high throughput plasma protein profiling (uHTPPP) workflow, for biomarker discovery, for a range of conditions. The standardized workflows consist of automated sample preparation for untargeted and targeted methods in combination with the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 480 and Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometers. "Precision medicine is becoming a greater area of interest across a range of different diseases and has, therefore, faced challenges effectively scaling to meet clinical needs," said Emily Chen, senior director, Precision Medicine Science Center, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "The goal of the Precision Medicine Science Center is to construct end-to-end workflow solutions that generate impactful data from discovery studies with large human cohorts and to harness the power of molecular profiling to improve the outcomes of patient care. Our ongoing work with AstraZeneca and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are paramount to realizing the potential of these technologies." Ventzi Hristova, senior scientist, dynamic omics, antibody discovery and protein engineering, R&D at AstraZeneca, said, "Powered by technological innovation, omics is proving to be one of the richest sources of data in all of science. Clinical proteomics is an emerging field aimed at improving patient care through the development of sensitive, high-throughput methods for in-depth proteomic characterization of clinical samples. This collaboration aims to evaluate and establish a model for clinical proteomics, using advanced sample processing and downstream analytical applications, that has the potential to help us identify new drug targets and biomarkers." Subsequently, The University of Nebraska Medical Center is collaborating with Thermo Fisher's PMSC to utilize the company's standardized plasma protein profiling workflows to analyze clinical samples in an aneurysm study. The study is supported by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging (NIH-NIA) and done in collaboration with Vanderbilt University, the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin. Merry Lindsey, Ph.D., chair and stokes-shackleford professor, department of cellular and integrative physiology, director, center for heart and vascular research, University of Nebraska Medical Center, said, "Thermo Fisher's mass spectrometry platform and workflow will allow us to analyze a large cohort of plasma samples and answer highly significant clinical questions. As a cardiovascular physiologist and proteomics expert, I am a bridge between mass spectrometry analyses and the clinical world and am very interested to see the results from this collaboration." Bernard Timothy Baxter, MD, professor, department of surgery division of vascular surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, who is leading the NIH-NIA aneurysm study said, "There is a drastic need for this type of technology that can produce better indicators/blood tests and can tell us who has an undiagnosed aneurysm, and which aneurysms are likely to progress rapidly and need closer observation. Clinically, the current treatment plan for abdominal aortic aneurysms is to watch and wait. We image and when aneurysms reach a certain size threshold, we surgically repair them. Unfortunately, there are a number of patients who first realize there is a problem when they present with a ruptured aneurysm the mortality in this situation exceeds 50%." For more information on the Thermo Fisher Precision Medicine Science Center please visit http://thermofisher.com/pmsccambridge. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. Media Contact Information: Laura Bright Thermo Fisher Scientific +1 562-335-8318 [email protected] Janice Foley BioStrata +1 617-823-5555 [email protected]ng.com SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com ROXBORO, N.C., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its mission to keep its clients on the vanguard of cannabinoid innovation, Open Book Extracts (OBX) is now manufacturing highly-pure, hemp-derived cannabinol (CBN) isolate at scale. Through a proprietary process, OBX is producing commercial quantities of bulk CBN at greater than 99% purity, making this increasingly popular rare cannabinoid widely available at the lowest cost on the market. CBN Isolate Cannabinol or "CBN" as it is known, is a highly sought after cannabinoid known for its potential health benefits on sleep, stress, and pain. In June 2020, OBX announced their acquisition of Chilmark Labs, and today, OBX is pleased to announce the successful consolidation of CBN production to OBX headquarters in Roxboro, North Carolina, allowing for further cost efficiencies, and expanded production capacity powered by their cGMP operations and team of industry experts. "OBX strives to be the cannabinoid enterprise of the future. We have put together a team committed to identifying forward-thinking technologies, and applying pharma grade R&D rigor to continuously develop and optimize methods for efficient, scaled cannabinoid production," said Scott Thorn, OBX COO. "You will see that commitment and tenacity woven into the fabric of everything we do, including most recently our commercial production of CBN, and the forthcoming launch of additional high-demand products expected later this year." OBX is producing kilogram quantities of 99%+ pure CBN, currently available for bulk and wholesale purchase or under supply contract. In addition to CBN isolate, OBX is currently distributing pure isolates of CBG, CBD, and CBC, various THC free broad spectrum distillates, water soluble powders and liquids, and a portfolio of finished products including edibles, soft gels, tinctures, and topical products. Our in-house formulation team can also support development of products for white label and private label manufacturing. "Adding CBN to the OBX product portfolio aligns with the latest research supporting its therapeutic benefit and commercial readiness," says Dave Neundorfer, CEO of OBX. "This important milestone enables OBX to supply cGMP-certified CBN and high-quality finished products to our global customers. We continue to expand our offerings to correspond to the latest commercial demands and applications for cannabinoids, and the OBX team is determined to maintain the fastpaced development for which we are known." OBX exists to empower the innovators, inviting qualified companies in the cosmetic, nutraceutical, personal care, skin care, animal health, and cannabis industries to become part of their growing roster of unique companies across the globe using pure isolated cannabinoids in consumer products. For those interested in learning more about OBX products and services, please reach out directly to Nicole Brown, Chief Commercial Officer, at [email protected]. About Open Book Extracts Headquartered in Roxboro, N.C., Open Book Extracts is a cGMP-certified manufacturer of premium plant-based cannabinoid products, aiming to be the industry's true north by delivering premium products, exceptional service, and industry-leading transparency. With control of the entire supply chain, a state-of-the-art extraction campus near North Carolina's Research Triangle, proprietary refinement and conversion methods backed by a growing IP portfolio, and a team of PhD chemists and seasoned business leaders, OBX is positioned to be the trusted partner for global brands seeking to enter the marketplace. OBX Asia, with its headquarters in Hong Kong, provides strategic guidance and on-the-ground support for our Asia customers. For more information, visit https://www.openbookextracts.com. Media Contact: Nicole Brown 336-592-7317 [email protected] SOURCE Open Book Extracts Celebrity The Daily Beast Reuters/Arnd WiegmannTheatrical rock superstar Meat Loaf, whose Bat Out of Hell is one of the bestselling albums of all time, has died at the age of 74. Reports say the singer and actor had recently fallen sick with COVID-19.In an emotional statement posted to Facebook early Friday, the performers family said he was with his wife when he died and had said his final goodbyes to his two daughters in the past 24 hours. The star sold 100 million albums in his five-decade career and starred in movie VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU) is pleased to announce an updated, pit constrained, National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Mineral Resource Estimate for the Company's 100% owned Enchi Gold Project ("Enchi" or the "Project"), in southwestern Ghana. Enchi hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 52.9 million tonnes grading 0.72 g/t Au containing 1.22 million ounces gold (see Table 1 below). Compared to the pit constrained mineral resources used in the Enchi Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") with an effective date of June 30, 2015, the updated resource has added an additional 503,000 ounces gold for a 70% increase in Inferred resources. The Enchi PEA contemplated an open pit, heap leach gold operation (see Newcore news release dated November 6, 2019 (https://newcoregold.com/news/pinecrests-enchi-gold-project-update/)). The 2015 PEA is no longer current and as such should not be relied upon. The updated Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by independent qualified person ("QP") Todd McCracken, P. Geo. of WSP Canada Inc. ("WSP"). Highlights Updated NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource estimate for Enchi of 52,926,000 tonnes grading 0.72 g/t Au containing 1,223,800 ounces gold Estimate has been pit constrained, and represents an increase of 70% or 503,000 ounces gold when compared to the PEA contained ounces of 721,000 Newcore is evaluating the benefit of updating the PEA given the significant increase in contained ounces when compared to the most recent economic study. The 2015 PEA is no longer current and as such should not be relied upon Significant resource growth potential exists as all deposits are open along strike and at depth, with several additional exploration targets identified on the district scale property An 8,000 metre RC drill program is on-going at Enchi, focused on expansion of existing resource areas as well as exploration drilling at a number of high priority gold targets Luke Alexander, President & CEO of Newcore stated, "We are extremely pleased with the result of the updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Enchi Gold Project with the addition of 503,000 ounces gold from the prior resource for a total of 1,223,800 inferred ounces. The significant increase in gold ounces further emphasizes the robust nature of the Project and has led us to consider the merits of updating the economic study to highlight the Project's current potential. The primary goal near-term however is to focus on proving out the potential of this district scale asset through drilling, targeting both extensions of our known deposits along strike and depth, while also testing high priority targets on the property designed to define additional oxide gold resources." Greg Smith, VP of Exploration for Newcore stated, "We are very excited about the resource growth potential that exists at Enchi. Drilling is on-going at the Project, with a focus on defining further potential ounces at both the existing resource areas as well as delineating the potential for new resources from the numerous targets across the property. With the potential for over 100 kms of favourable shear zones and structures on the Enchi Gold Project, the current resource provides a solid base to grow resources through further drilling." Table 1 - Inferred Mineral Resource for the Enchi Gold Project 1 Zone Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) Boin 19,837,000 0.84 533,000 Sewum 27,600,000 0.60 535,800 Nyam 5,489,000 0.88 155,000 Total 52,926,000 0.72 1,223,800 1 Notes for Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate: CIM definition standards were followed for the resource estimate. The 2020 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids and constrained by whittle pits shell A base cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t Au was used with a capping of gold grades at 18 g/t A US$1,500/ounce gold price, open pit with heap leach operation was used to determine the cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t Au. Mining costs of US$2.27/mined tonne and G&A and Milling costs of US$9.84/milled tonne. The Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate is pit constrained. A density of 2.45 g/cm3 was applied. Numbers may not add due to rounding. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability. The updated Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by independent qualified person Todd McCracken, P. Geo. of WSP. The resource estimate is based on the combination of geological modeling, geostatistics and conventional block modeling using the Ordinary Krig methodology of grade interpolation. The mineral resources were estimated using a block model with parent blocks of 10m x 10m x 10m. A capping study was made using histograms, probability plots, quantile plots and deciles plots to define the capping values resulting in capping value of 18 g/t Au. WSP also evaluated the pit constrained Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate for Enchi at a range of cut-off grades between 0.1 g/t Au and 0.6 g/t Au (Table 2 below). Table 2 - Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity of Pit Constrained Inferred Mineral Resource Cut Off Tonnes Au Grade (g/t) Contained Au (ounces) 0.1 76,700,000 0.56 1,381,900 0.2 66,126,000 0.63 1,330,300 0.3 52,926,000 0.72 1,223,800 0.4 40,096,000 0.84 1,080,600 0.5 30,762,000 0.96 945,800 0.6 23,515,000 1.08 818,200 The Mineral Resource Estimate for Enchi incorporates assay results from 180 diamond drill holes totaling 22,703 metres, 226 RC holes totaling 26,794 metres, 319 RAB holes totaling 12,443 metres and 169 Trenches totaling 15,578 metres, variably spaced from 25 to 75 metres apart targeting the Boin, Sewum, and Nyam deposits. The data base comprises both historic and recent drill holes and trenches completed by Newcore. The resource includes three deposits Boin, Sewum, and Nyam, each of which is open along strike and down dip. A number of additional exploration targets have also been identified outside of the existing resource area that present an opportunity for resource growth. A full technical report, which is being prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, will be filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com)) under Newcore's issuer profile within 45 days. 2020 Drill Program As highlighted in Newcore's news release on August 12, 2020 (https://newcoregold.com/news/newcore-gold-announces-start-of-drill-program-at-its-100-owned-enchi-gold-project-ghana/), Newcore has commenced an 8,000 metre Reverse Circulation drilling program focused on testing extensions of the existing Inferred Mineral Resource at Enchi. The program is comprised of 8,000 meters in approximately 60 RC drill holes at 6 separate areas on the Enchi Project including testing gold targets that are not currently in the Inferred Resource. Enchi's Inferred Resource remains open for further resource expansion along strike and to depth. Numerous, additional high priority gold targets exist on the 216 km2 property. COVID-19 Protocols Newcore's first priority is the health and safety of all employees, contractors, and local communities. The Company is following all Ghana guidelines and requirements related to COVID-19. The Company has implemented COVID-19 protocols for its on-going drill program consisting of the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (including facemask for all employees), maintaining social distancing, frequent hand washing, and daily temperature checks at the start of each shift. Newcore Gold Best Practice Newcore is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling activities. Drilling was completed by independent drilling firm using industry standard Reverse Circulation (RC) and Diamond Drill equipment. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Intertek Labs located in Tarkwa, Ghana for 50 gram gold fire assay. The mineral resource estimate, including verification of the data disclosed, has been completed by independent consulting engineering firm WSP and reported in accordance with NI 43-101 requirements and CIM Estimation Best Practice Guidelines. Qualified Person Mr. Gregory Smith, P.Geo, Vice President of Exploration of Newcore, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and is responsible for the accuracy of the technical data and information contained in this news release. The resource estimate was prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo. of WSP. Todd McCracken, P.Geo. who is an independent qualified person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. About Newcore Gold Corp. Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold project located in Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer. The Project currently hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.2 million ounces of gold at 0.72 g/t1. Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 39% ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchi's 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghana's prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including Kinross' Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcore's vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd. Luke Alexander President, CEO & Director For further information, please contact: Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations +1 604 484 4399 info@newcoregold.com www.newcoregold.com (http://www.newcoregold.com) Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or does not expect", "is expected", anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements including but not limited to those with respect to the price of gold, potential mineralization, reserve and resource determination, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide funding for the construction of the Susay-Khinalig highway. Under the presidential order, 20.1 million manats have been allocated to the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency for the construction of the road connecting eight residential areas with a total population of 8,000 people. The Nationals MP sitting on an inquiry into koalas supported findings that habitat conservation for the marsupials needed to be strengthened, raising fresh questions over why his party suddenly threatened to bring down the government over the issue. Ben Franklin, an upper house member who took part in the year-long inquiry, supported its final report, including the finding that the koala state environmental planning policy (SEPP) needed to be strengthened. Ben Franklin, a Nationals MP, had the opportunity to object to the koala planning policy during the upper house inquiry into habitat protection but did not use it, the chairwoman of the probe Cate Faehrmann says. Credit:Barry Smith The SEPP last week became the trigger for John Barilaro, the Deputy Premier and Nationals leader, to demand a weakening of constraints on the right of farmers to destroy koala habitat and to threaten to move Nationals MPs to the crossbench without it. Premier Gladys Berejiklian refused to budge, prompting Mr Barilaro to back down. Every government since 1947, irrespective of political affiliation, has expressed frustration at the inefficiency of Indias vast bureaucracy and the maze of red-tape. Hundreds of committees have provided recommendations but the basic structure of public administration has remained unaltered. Therefore, it is no small matter that the government has embarked on an ambitious effort in recent weeks to reform the administration from its roots. A careful observer would have noticed that some of its key elements have already been introduced. Just weeks before he passed away in 1964, Prime Minister (PM) Jawaharlal Nehru had commented that his greatest regret had been his failure to change an essentially colonial administration. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi expressed similar sentiments in Parliament in 1966. What India needs today is a revolution in the administrative system without which no enduring change could be brought about in any field. The first Administrative Reform Commission was set up in 1966 under Morarji Desai but it became a victim of bureaucratic sloth. Its report of 20 volumes and 537 recommendations would be placed in Parliament in 1977. Desai had become PM by then, but he was unable to implement the recommendations. The reforms of 1991 freed many parts of the economy from direct government control. But the functioning of the bureaucracy went through few changes. Therefore, a second Administrative Reform Commission was set up in 2005 under Veerappa Moily. In the preface of a report tabled in 2008, Moily wrote of the bureaucracy, It believes that its authority and legitimacy is derived not from the mandate of the people but from an immutable corpus of rules that it has prescribed for itself, without any correspondence to the needs and aspirations of the people. This brief historical background is important in order to appreciate what is now being attempted. PM Narendra Modis government has been experimenting with reforms such as lateral entry and digitisation since 2014. However, the new effort has a totally different level of ambition. Here are measures introduced in the last six weeks: One, a national platform for recruitment. Almost all discussion around government recruitment tends to focus on that of the higher bureaucracy through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations. However, this thin layer of gazetted officers accounts for a tiny fraction of the civil service. The rest of the recruitment is done through a bewildering network of agencies and examinations. The lack of transparency not only makes it difficult for candidates but has led frequently to allegations of manipulation. The government, therefore, has announced the establishment of a National Recruitment Agency that will conduct a Common Eligibility Test across the country. For now, it will be a standardised first-level filter that will enable candidates to take things forward for final selection. The scores will be shared, so state governments, public sector and even private sector can use them as they deem fit. Two, compulsory retirement to remove the unfit. The health of any organisation is dependent on systematically weeding out deadwood. Unfortunately, entry into the Indian civil service is seen as a ticket to guaranteed employment till retirement. Interestingly, service rules have long included provisions that allow for civil servants to be compulsorily retired after he/she has completed 30 years of service and crossed the age of 50 (or 55 even if less than 30 years in service). This can be done under the Fundamental Rule 56(j)/(l) and Rule 48 of CCS (Pension) Rules. Around 320 senior officers have already been retired through this route since 2014, but the government reissued the guidelines on August 28 along with supporting Supreme Court judgments. It also provided basic criteria and procedures for using these provisions to remove officials whose integrity is doubtful or found to be ineffective. Three, rationalisation of autonomous bodies. The central government alone has hundreds of autonomous bodies think-tanks, industry bodies, advisory boards and so on. These entities have a role in the delivery of public services but, inevitably, there is also a large amount of duplication and redundancy. It is rare that a government body, once established, will be wound up. For the first time, the central government is carrying out a comprehensive initiative to review the functioning of these institutions. In August, the ministry of textiles alone abolished the All India Handicrafts Board, Cotton Advisory Board, Jute Advisory Board, and the All India Handloom Board. Their duties have been transferred to other existing bodies for better delivery. Other ministries are also carrying out similar exercises. Four, taxpayers charter and faceless assessment. An important aspect of administrative reform is to improve the interface with the citizen. The tax department is an obvious place to start. In August, the PM announced a Taxpayers Charter that clearly lays out 14 rights for the taxpayer. The announcement of the Charter accompanied a shift to a system of faceless assessment where cases are to be assigned by an automated system. Together, it is hoped that the measures will significantly reduce persistent complaints of harassment and rent-seeking. The overall direction of the reform effort should be clear to improve the inflow/outflow of personnel, rationalise processes, weed out redundant bodies and upgrade the interface with the citizen. The momentum is only going to accelerate. Sanjeev Sanyal is principal economic adviser, Government of India The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nearly 2.5 lakh riders take Delhi Metro till 7.30 pm on Monday India pti-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 14: Nearly 2.5 lakh commuters used the services of the Delhi Metro across various corridors till late evening on Monday, the first working day since the resumption of full services post 169-day hiatus due to COVID-19. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Saturday had gone back to its schedule as it was before the services were suspended on March 22 to contain the spread of infection. "The ridership on Monday till 7:30 PM stood at 2,49,884. Coronavirus outbreak: Kolkata Metro resume services after over five months The figures for the three of the main corridors are -- Line-1 or Red Line: 29,394; Line-2 or Yellow Line: 76,266; Line-3 or Blue Line: 67,114 ; and Line 4 or Blue Line branch: 7908," a DMRC official said. On Airport Line, 4,237 riders used the services on the first working day since the resumption of full services. This corridor was reopened on Saturday. Ridership for other lines were Line-5 or Green Line: 10370; Line-6 or Violet Line: 21354; Line-7 or Pink Line: 15420; Line-8 or Magenta Line: 16349; and Line-9 or Grey Line: 1472, the official said. The DMRC has been reaching out to commuters through social media to inform them that peak hour services are now available in non-peak hours too. "Delhi Metro's peak hours are from 8AM - 12 noon and from 4PM - 8PM. To facilitate passengers, a headway of 2 min 45 sec to 6 min will be maintained from 8AM to 8PM. Please stagger your journeys so that adequate social distancing can be maintained in the Metro. #MetroBackOnTrack," it tweeted on Monday. Phase 4 stations to accept 'One Nation One Card': Delhi Metro Chief The Delhi Metro had resumed services on September 7 with curtailed operation of the Yellow Line and Rapid Metro, since the closure of the urban transporter on March 22. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recently issued guidelines allowing the Delhi Metro to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the DMRC had said it would be done in three stages from September 7 to 12 Under stage one, Yellow Line or Line 2 and Rapid Metro were made operational with restricted service hours. Stage two kicked in from Friday with extended service hours, and stage three came into effect from Saturday onwards with metro services going back to pre-COVID-19 time schedule of 6 am to 11 pm. Over 1.5 lakh people had used the services across the various corridors till 7.30 pm on Saturday, with 2,268 of those having used the Airport Line, a senior DMRC official had earlier said. IRGC destroys headquarters of counter-revolutionary groups in Iraqi Kurdistan IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Orumieh, Sept 13, IRNA -- Deputy commander of operations of Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shuhada (AS) Headquarters said that in response to the counter-revolutionary evil acts, the fighters of this camp have targeted the headquarters of the opposition groups in the Iraqi Kurdistan region in artillery, missile and UAV operations in recent days. Brigadier General Esmaeil Khalilzadeh told reporters on Monday that with the complete destruction of terrorist groups in the northwestern borders, the Americans have been disappointed in recent years, and for the same reason, since last year, the agents of the arrogant powers have put creating insecurity on the borders of Iran on their agenda. In the operations of the last few days, the counter-revolutionary headquarters were completely destroyed, and in addition, a number of terrorist groups that were stationed on the border between Turkey and Iran with the aim of creating insecurity were also targeted, he said. In this operation, the counter-revolutionary miscreants suffered significant casualties and a large amount of equipment, including explosives, was discovered from their headquarters. The IRGC's recent operation was in response to the counter-revolutionary evil acts of a terrorist attack in Kurdistan province, Khalilzadeh said, noting, "The enemies must know that our redline is the security of the country and the people of Iran." 8072**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi, Sep 14 : Nepal's policymakers are undergoing 13 days' offline and online training for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in Beijing after China "especially invited" them to attend it, sources said. China has reserved several seats for policymakers of the mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project at its Science Academy in Beijing. The programme started on September 4 and will end on September 20, sources said. "China has invited policymakers of Nepal to attend the training programme so that they can understand how these GPS and its application works in the field of education, research, science and other fields," they said. The move of China is seen as a counter to the US-based Global Positioning System (GPS) hegemony and push for its own indigenously developed navigation system in the region. China uses its homegrown navigation system BeiDou for both military and civilian purposes. BDS, stated to be rivalling GPS, is the fourth global satellite navigation system in the world. Other systems are Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo. India too is developing its own navigational system called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC. Sources said that BDS' implementation will not only reduce the dependence of Chinese aircraft, vehicles and anti-missile systems on GPS and GLONASS, but it will enhance the People's Liberation Army's capabilities in conducting overseas operations. BeiDou started providing independent navigation services over China in 2000 and will serve many countries part of BRI. Currently, BeiDou covers nearly 30 countries including Pakistan, Egypt and Indonesia. China's BRI is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping. It is aimed at furthering China's influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka handed over its strategic Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China has inked 198 cooperation documents with 167 countries and international organisations under the BRI. China sees its trade expansion with the BRI countries as a way out to sustain its exports amid declining trend in the US and European Union, its top export destinations till now. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) LIVERMORE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AFWERX, the catalyst for fostering innovation within the U.S. Air Force, announced New Frontier Aerospace (NFA) as one of 178 top teams selected from the AFWERX Space Challenge initiative to exhibit at EngageSpace, a virtual two-day event on September 29-30. The initiative is made up of four challenges targeted at creating integrated space operations by leveraging the best in technology: Persistent ISR, DoD Commercial Space Partnerships, Global Space Transport and Delivery (GST&D) and Space Asset Resiliency. NFA is competing in the GST&D Challenge, which strives to leverage existing and future technologies to create a resupply and delivery system that can quickly and accurately deploy packages, supplies, and equipment anywhere on Earth. To meet this challenge, NFA proposes its rocket-powered HyperDrone - for global air mobility, hypersonic test, space launch and many other missions. NFA is competing alongside entrepreneurial startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academic institutions and research labs. "The solutions submitted for these challenges represent the bleeding edge of space innovation," stated Brennan Townley, AFWERX Challenge Collaboration Lead. "We're excited to highlight these innovators and connect them with opportunities across the Space ecosystem." "NFA is honored by our selection to participate in EngageSpace. We look forward to demonstrating how our leading edge hardware and flight systems can meet some of the warfighter's biggest challenges," said Bill Bruner, NFA CEO. EngageSpace will connect NFA with other like-minded attendees, industry leaders, individual innovators, academia, investors, as well as military and government leaders. The event will enable government buyers to pursue the most promising innovative solutions to the most pressing and threatening space scenarios. Register to attend EngageSpace here. ABOUT NFA NFA's HyperDrone combines the capabilities of the helicopter and the jet airplane to speed transplant organs to patients in need; resupply military forces; and deliver express parcels many times faster than airplanes or conventional drones. NFA is supported by i-GATE, operator of Daybreak Labs in Livermore, California an incubator for hard tech startups on a mission to change the world. i-GATE was founded by the City of Livermore, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories (California) ABOUT AFWERX Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force, directly envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Her vision of AFWERX to solve some of the toughest challenges that the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration amongst our nation's top subject matter experts. AFWERX serves as a catalyst to unleash new approaches for the warfighter through a growing ecosystem of innovators. AFWERX and the U.S. Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Air Force, which could lead to additional prototyping, R&D, and follow-on production contracts. Fast Company named AFWERX Best Workplaces for Innovators on the 2020 List, honoring the top 100 businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. AFWERX, U.S. Air Force's innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation within the Air Force, came in at #16 ranking in the top 20 alongside brands such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Preview the live announcement with Stephanie Mehta, Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company, unveiled during the AFWERX Fusion 2020 Base of the Future Event & Showcase. Media Contacts: Tracy Skenandore / Makenzie Coombs [email protected] Media Contact: [email protected] Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/12838013 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE New Frontier Aerospace Related Links https://www.afwerx.af.mil In a video announcement following the online service at First Baptist Church in Atlanta on Sunday, longtime pastor Charles Stanley announced his transition to pastor emeritus. Stanley, who came to First Baptist as an associate pastor in 1969 before being named pastor two years later, informed the churchs board earlier this month of the decision. Im so grateful [God] saw fit to allow me to serve as your pastor for more than 50 years, he said. As much as I love being your pastor, I know in my heart this season has come to an end. Stanley explained he isnt retiring, but will focus his energies on In Touch Ministries, which he founded in 1977. As you know, I dont believe in retirement. Ill continue to preach the gospel as long as God allows, he added. My goal remains the sameto get the truth of the gospel to as many people as possible as quickly as possible in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God. [Editors note: Stanley said the same in a 2016 interview with CT. I just to want to be used to the maximum of my potential through the last day of my life, he said. I cant even see myself retiring because I have a message, and I cant wait to tell it to the whole world.] Anthony George will transition from his position of associate pastor, which he accepted in 2012, to senior pastor. In 2017, the church announced a succession plan for Stanley, George, and First Baptists pastorate. He followed Stanleys comments in the video with some of his own. Thank you for being strong and of good courage through every battle that youve had to fight, through every trial youve had to overcome, said George. You have stood tall and confident through all these years while at the same time remaining dependent and prayerful before an almighty God. Because you were a yielded vessel, the gospel of Jesus Christthrough youhas blanketed this globe. Truly, God has been with you wheresoever you have gone. Calling the last eight and a half years the honor of a lifetime, George directly addressed Stanley in the video on how the now-pastor emeritus will have a continued presence at the church. It will be your legacy, sir, that is my standard, the standard that will inspire me to always do my best with Gods help for as long as God gives me to serve here. Stanley, who will turn 88 later this month, led First Baptist through a time of rapid growth not long after becoming pastor that eventually strained its space. In 1997, the church sold its properties in downtown Atlanta and relocated to its current location just north of Interstate 285 on North Peachtree Road in Dunwoody. First Baptist currently counts more than 12,000 members and an estimated global viewing audience in the millions. Stanleys election as Southern Baptist Convention president in 1984 and reelection in 1985 came during a crucial junction of the Conservative Resurgence. His 1985 election to another one-year term, specifically, has been called a watershed moment for the SBC and came in front of an estimated crowd of 45,519 messengers at the Dallas Convention Center. Last year, the church held a celebration of Stanleys 50 years at First Baptist. His childrenpastor Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, and Becky Stanley Broderson of Dallastestified about their father, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a proclamation in Stanleys honor. The words in this proclamationI can promise youcannot do honor and justice to everything that youve done, Kemp stated. But it is a symbolic gesture on behalf of your state for your service Dr. Stanley. Thank you for your service and God bless you. Stanley issued a final challenge to the congregation in his address today. I will do what Ive encouraged all of you to do, he said. Im going to obey God, and leave all the consequences to him. God bless you all. Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said coronavirus pandemic is providing a harsh test of the worlds preparedness. Global health monitor Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GBMB) said the world is doing far too little to prepare for the future and to prevent such disasters. The World Health Organization has reported a record-breaking number of coronavirus cases worldwide, with at least 307,930 cases confirmed in just one day. Victoria, the second-most populous state in Australia and the epicentre of the countrys coronavirus outbreak, has reported 35 new cases the lowest daily rise in three months. More than 28.9 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and more than 922,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 19.5 million people have recovered. Here are the latest updates: Monday, September 14 22:54 GMT No deaths in Australias Victoria for first time in two months Victoria, the Australian state at the centre of Australias latest coronavirus outbreak, has reported no deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in two months. The state confirmed 42 new cases in a 24-hour-period, compared with 35 the previous day. 22:40 GMT Brazil registers 15,155 new cases Brazil registered 15,115 new cases of coronavirus, totalling 4,345,610, the health ministry said. Deaths rose by 381 to 131,625 according to ministry data. 20:40 GMT Turkeys virus deaths rise to levels not seen since May Turkeys daily coronavirus deaths have topped its numbers from early May, with 63 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The number of positive COVID-19 cases to stands at nearly 293,000 since March. The death toll now is 7,119, but experts say all numbers undercount the true impact of the coronavirus pandemic due to limited testing and missed mild cases, among other factors. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that the rate of infections was not slowing and urged people to take precautions. Turkey eased restrictions like temporary weekend lockdowns at the end of May and reopened businesses and travel routes in June. 20:25 GMT US officials: 500,000 counterfeit N95 masks seized in Chicago About 500,000 counterfeit N95 respirator masks have been seized in Chicago by Customs and Border Protection officers, federal officials said. The shipment of masks from China was seized on September 10 at OHare International Airport, according to the federal agency. It said the masks were headed to a company in Manalapan, New Jersey. The masks are used to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These masks did not meet the safety standards outlined by the CDC, which puts the public at risk, jeopardising the health and well-being of everyone, said Shane Campbell, port director for the Chicago area. 20:00 GMT US eases China travel warning, citing virus progress The United States has eased its warning against travel to China, acknowledging that the nation had made progress against COVID-19 despite frequent US criticism of its pandemic role. The State Department still urges its citizens to reconsider travel to China, but it upgraded its advice from a blanket warning not to go to the country. The Peoples Republic of China has resumed most business operations (including day cares and schools), the State Department said. Other improved conditions have been reported within the PRC, it said. 19:30 GMT Jordan to close mosques, restaurants and schools for two weeks People sit in their cars during the official opening of Amman International Film Festival in the first drive-in cinema during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Amman, Jordan [File: Muhammad Hamed/Reuters] Mosques, restaurants, street markets and most schools will be closed for two weeks starting on Thursday in Jordan, amid an unprecedented increase in coronavirus infections and deaths in the kingdom. These measures will help to avoid a total lockdown, government spokesman Amjad al-Adaileh said. In recent days, Jordan has reported more than 200 cases and several deaths every day, a record high it avoided earlier in the year due to a tight lockdown. Despite previous warnings, we have seen recklessness and complacency that unfortunately led to dozens of cases in different provinces across the kingdom. So, concerned authorities will take very strict measures against those who violate the rules, al-Adaileh said in a televised address. 19:00 GMT Canadas Trudeau worried about uptick in virus cases Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference at a cabinet retreat in Ottawa [Blair Gable/Reuters] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned that Canada was not out of the woods with the coronavirus, urging citizens to be vigilant as more than 1,300 cases were recorded over the weekend a level not seen since early summer. One of the things were seeing is, with numbers rising across the country, we are not out of the woods, Trudeau told a press conference in Ottawa. He said the resumption of classes and the reopening of the Canadian economy, meaning more people are back to work, had led to an increase in case numbers. 18:30 GMT UAE announces emergency approval for use of COVID-19 vaccine The United Arab Emirates has granted emergency approval for use of a coronavirus vaccine, six weeks after human trials in the country started. A phase III trial of a COVID-19 inactivated vaccine developed by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopham began in the UAE in July and is yet to be completed. The vaccine will be available to our first line of defense heroes who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus, said the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in a tweet. The clinical trials for the third phase are continuing under the strict supervision of medical teams, while following all measures to control the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine.#CommitToWin NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) September 14, 2020 18:00 GMT Testing positive: half of Argentinas coronavirus checks yield infection Argentinas coronavirus positive rate, the number of daily infections to the number of tests carried out, has topped 50 percent, underscoring how much work the South American country has to do to bring the virus under control. Health ministry data showed the country carried out 17,955 tests the day before, when it recorded 9,056 confirmed COVID-19 cases. That indicates a positive rate of 50.4 percent, one of the highest in the world. The country, which has been trying to open its hard-hit economy, has a total of 555,537 confirmed cases, the tenth-highest case load in the world, with 11,412 fatalities. 17:30 GMT Egypt to allow wedding ceremonies, cultural events in open-air venues Egypt will allow wedding ceremonies and cultural events to be held in open-air venues from September 21, after months of banning them in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the cabinet said. Open-air weddings would be allowed in tourist and hotel facilities that obtained health safety certificates, with a maximum of 300 invitees, it added in a statement. These facilities would also be able to host meetings and conferences with not more than 150 participants, it said. Cultural exhibitions, including book fairs, would be allowed in open-air venues with a maximum attendance of 50 percent of capacity, the statement said. 17:00 GMT UK reports 2,621 new cases of COVID-19 People sing and dance in Leicester Square amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain September 12, 2020. Picture taken September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A total of 2,621 new positive cases were recorded across the United Kingdom, Public Health England said. The new cases take the cumulative total number of cases to 371,125. Public Health England also said nine new deaths had been reported, taking the UK total since the start of the pandemic to 41,637 16:35 GMT World dangerously unprepared for next pandemic: monitor In a new report, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), an independent body created by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, decried that the coronavirus pandemic had revealed how little the world had focused on preparing for such disasters, despite ample warnings that large disease outbreaks were inevitable. The COVID-19 pandemic is providing a harsh test of the worlds preparedness, the report said, concluding that little progress had been made on any of the actions it had called for in its initial report last year, before COVID-19 struck. Failure to learn the lessons of COVID-19 or to act on them with the necessary resources and commitment will mean that the next pandemic, which is sure to come, will be even more damaging, it warned. 15:45 GMT Bayern Munich offers free virus tests to fans German football club Bayern Munich has offered free coronavirus tests to fans with tickets for next weeks Super Cup in Hungary. The Hungarian authorities require fans arriving for the traditional European season opener to have a certified negative result from a recent test for the virus before they are allowed into the country. The club says 3,000 Bayern fans with tickets for the game can be tested on September 21 and 22 at a car park next to the stadium. 15:15 GMT Russia completes volunteer recruitment for COVID-19 vaccine trial Russia has recruited sufficient participants for its large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trial, known as a Phase III trial, according to the head of Russias sovereign wealth fund, which is backing the vaccine. In just two weeks, 55,000 volunteers have already been recruited in Moscow, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Russia began recruiting for what was billed as a 40,000-strong Phase III trial on August 26. Initial results are expected in October or November this year. 14:50 GMT At least 1.7 million jobs lost in Kenya due to coronavirus fallout The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics estimates that around 1.7 million people have been made redundant due to the outbreak. According to the Fedreration of Kenya Employers (FKE), a total of 604 firms in Kenya have sent workers home due to the coronavirus fallout. Speaking to Kenyas local daily the Nation, the FKE said at least 33 jobs were lost in every modern sector company between March and August 2020. The worst is yet to come as workers continue to grapple with the impact of the pandemic, especially the consequences of the abrupt shutting down of economic activities, Jacqueline Mugo, the FKE executive director, said. 14:20 GMT Romania reopens schools under strict rules as coronavirus cases rise A teacher shows children a mascot, small star, as they attend the first day of school amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bucharest [Octav Ganea/Inquam Photos via Reuters] Romania has reopened more than 17,000 schools for 2.8 million children after a six-month closure to fight the coronavirus outbreak, ordering pupils to wear face masks as infections rise. With 104,000 cases, and new infections jumping above 1,000 a day since July, millions of teachers, students and parents face a tough challenge to adapt after months of online teaching at home. President Klaus Iohannis urged students to become super-heroes who wear the mask, wash hands and listen to their teachers, protect parents and grandparents, the most exposed to the danger of getting sick. 13:50 GMT Mnuchin says he will continue to work on COVID-19 deal US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said there could still be a deal with Congress for more federal coronavirus aid. I will continue to work on this. Ive told the speaker Im available anytime to negotiate, no conditions, he told CNBC in an interview. Efforts to provide additional financial aid amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic have stalled all summer even as the number of US cases continues to climb, now exceeding 6.5 million. Democrats who control the House of Representatives passed their $3.4 trillion aid bill in mid-May. The Republican-led Senate failed to get traction on a $1 trillion counterproposal before taking up a slimmed-down $300bn measure last week that failed to pass. Hello, this is Linah Alsaafin taking over the blog from my colleague Farah Najjar. 12:11 GMT Pope Francis constantly monitored for virus: Vatican Pope Francis is being constantly monitored for signs of the coronavirus, a top Vatican official said, after the 83-year old pontiff met with a cardinal who later tested positive. Philippine cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 63, had a private audience with Francis on August 29. He went on to test positive for COVID-19 on his return to Manila on September 10. We are being prudent, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told ANSA news agency. There is no particular alarm [in the Vatican], but the health of the head of the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics was being constantly monitored, he added. Pope Francis, whose birth name is Jorge Bergoglio, has shown little fear for his own health since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic early this year. 12:04 GMT Scotland says concerned about coronavirus testing backlog Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was concerned about a backlog of coronavirus test results which was starting to affect the swift reporting of the state of the national outbreak. We now have a very serious concern about the backlog of test results being faced by the UK lab network, Sturgeon told reporters. This apparent delay in turnaround is causing us concern. 11:14 GMT UKs opposition Labour leader Starmer is self-isolating The leader of Britains main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, is self-isolating after a member of his household showed COVID-19 symptoms. The member of his household has now had a test, a Labour spokeswoman said. In line with National Health Service guidelines, Keir will self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test and further advice from medical professionals. 10:45 GMT Eli Lillys rheumatoid arthritis drug helps recovery in COVID-19 patients Eli Lilly and Co said its rheumatoid arthritis drug Olumiant helped reduce the time taken to recover from COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in a clinical trial. The US drugmaker said the drug, in combination with Gilead Sciences Incs remdesivir, met the main goal of shortening recovery when compared to remdesivir alone. 10:41 GMT Indias parliament meets after six months as COVID cases surge Indias parliament met for the first time in six months, as coronavirus cases across the country rose by more than 90,000 in the space of a day and the total number of infections neared 5 million. Members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wore masks and sat in seats enclosed by glass partitions designed to prevent the spread of the virus. The assemblys hours have been truncated; the lower house will sit in the morning and the upper house in the afternoon. There can be no laxity when there is no medicine. We hope that a vaccine is available soon, whichever part of the world it comes from, Modi said in remarks to the media before the session began. Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, Modis close aide, was absent from Mondays session. He spent most of August in hospital after contracting the virus, and returned to hospital over the weekend for what hospital authorities said was a check-up. 09:48 GMT Sweden drops travel restrictions to Britain despite pick up in cases Sweden took Britain off its red-list of countries it advises citizens not to travel to, despite a pick-up in new coronavirus cases and restrictions on public gatherings. Swedes can now travel freely to most European destinations, though Finland, Ireland, the Baltic countries and Malta remain on the red-list. Britain recorded its highest daily rate of new infections since mid-May last week and gatherings of more than six people were banned across most of the country from Monday. 09:28 GMT Italys schools finally reopen after six-month closure After a six-month shutdown, the longest in Europe, Italy reopened most of its schools, testing the organisational skills of the government, the nerves of teachers and the self-control of excited students. Schools in 13 of the countrys 20 regions cautiously resumed face-to-face lessons, calling back 5.6 million students to their desks. The remaining seven regions have decided to delay for another week. Battling to halt the spread of coronavirus, the government shut the nations schools in early March. Efforts to make classrooms safe again and limit the possibility of fresh contagion have been mired in controversy. At the beginning there are going to be problems, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. In Italy, about 35,500 people have died of COVID-19, the largest death toll in the European Union, and the number of new cases has picked up recently raising fears of a second wave. The morning bell Monday marks the first entrance to the classroom for the children of Codogno since February 21, when panicked parents were sent to pick up their children after the northern Italian town gained notoriety as the first in the West to record local transmission of the coronavirus [Luca Bruno/AP Photo] 08:47 GMT Indonesia reports 3,141 new infections, 118 deaths Indonesia reported 3,141 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of cases in the Southeast Asian country to 221,523, data from the countrys COVID-19 task force showed. The data added 118 new deaths, taking the total to 8,841, the highest death toll in Southeast Asia. An Indonesian nurse walks through a football stadium which is being converted into a hospital for COVID-19 patients in Jakarta [Ed Wray/Getty Images] 08:46 GMT Philippines reports another record spike in daily coronavirus deaths The Philippines reported a record daily increase in new coronavirus deaths for the second time in three days, adding 259 more fatalities to bring the total to 4,630. In a bulletin, the health ministry said the Southeast Asian country also recorded 4,699 newly-confirmed cases, taking its total infections to 265,888, the highest in the region. 07:38 GMT Spain to extend furlough scheme into 2021, Labour Minister says The Spanish government is considering extending the nationwide ERTE furlough scheme that guarantees workers part of their income into 2021, Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said. The date is open, but likely [December 31] would not be the most adequate and we have to extend a little beyond, Diaz said in an interview on Spanish state TV station. She added the extension might be longer for different industries. She said for instance the tourism industry would benefit from the scheme so long as they need it. 07:28 GMT Crowded Marseille soccer celebrations condemned by French minister French interior minister Gerald Darmanin criticised Olympique Marseilles (OM) fans for celebrating en masse on the streets of the city after Marseille beat Paris Saint Germain (PSG), given the risks from the COVID-19 virus in France. One can only condemn the images that we are seeing, Darmanin told LCI television, when shown TV footage of hordes of Marseille supporters partying after the win in close proximity to one another, with many not wearing masks. Last week, French Prime Minister Jean Castex singled out Marseille and Bordeaux as among the mainland French cities hardest hit by the resurgence of the COVID virus in France. Marseilles hospitals have also been put back on a crisis footing as the virus has started to spread again in France, which has the worlds seventh-highest COVID-19 death toll. 06:43 GMT Japan will not play again in 2020 due to COVID-19 JRFU Japans national rugby union team will not play again this year because of safety fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) said. Japan, who had games against England and Wales cancelled earlier this year due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, were due to play Scotland and Ireland in November. 06:20 GMT Scheffler out of US Open after positive COVID-19 test Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from this weeks US Open after testing positive for COVID-19, the United States Golf Association (USGA) said. The 24-year-old American, who is a contender for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, finished fourth at last months PGA Championship and fifth two weeks ago at the Tour Championship. The world number 29 shot a sizzling 59 en route to a fourth-place finish in the FedExCup playoffs opener at TPC Boston. We are sorry to lose a member of the USGA family in this years field, said the USGA senior managing director John Bodenhamer. We look forward to welcoming him back to the US Open for many years to come. Scheffler will be replaced in the field by South African Branden Grace. 06:18 GMT Czech Republics daily count of cases drops below 1,000 after 5 days The Czech Republic recorded 792 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a drop after five consecutive days with more than 1,000 cases each, Health Ministrys data showed. The ministry has not yet updated the daily number of tests. There are usually fewer tests done at weekends. The overall number of confirmed cases rose to 36,188 in the country of 10.7 million. 06:15 GMT Oct, Nov to be tougher with more coronavirus deaths: WHO Europe The World Health Organization expects Europe to see a rise in the daily number of COVID-19 deaths in October and November, the head of the bodys European branch told AFP news agency. Its going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality, WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said, as the continent currently experiences a surge of cases though the number of deaths has remained relatively stable. Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Ted Regencia. 05:45 GMT India reports 92,071 new coronavirus cases; deaths near 80,000 Indias health ministry reported on Monday at least 92,071 new cases of the coronavirus, taking total cases to 4.85 million. The figure is slightly lower than the more than 94,000 cases reported on Sunday, but India continues to report cases over 90,000 for days. More than 1,100 deaths were also reported, taking the death toll to almost 80,000. 05:18 GMT Ethnic groups in Myanmars Rakhine fear army more than COVID-19 Amid the coronavirus virus pandemic, which has infected almost 3,000 people in Myanmar, ethnic groups in Rakhine state are fearing the miliary onslaught more than the spread of the disease. According to reports obtained by Al Jazeera, more than 100 houses in two villages had been razed, forcing as many as 8,000 villages to flee their homes. An estimated three million people of Rakhine are caught in the intensifying armed conflict between the military known as the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group. To read more details, click here. 05:00 GMT Doctors in Indonesia fight spread of fake news on COVID-19 The Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF) has called on the Indonesian government to step up education regarding the spread of the coronavirus in the country, saying that the spread of rumours and fake news is creating panic in many communities. We needed to help them find a way to educate and inform the community quickly and on a large scale. Fear can be just as harmful as COVID-19, said Dr Dirna Mayasari, the MSF deputy medical coordinator in Indonesia. MSF said that in one community in South Jakarta, for example, villagers were so confused after receiving inaccurate information, some of which are defined as fake news regarding the spread of the deadly disease. 04:40 GMT 10 new COVID-19 cases reported in China Chinas National Health Commission has reported 10 new coronavirus cases, bringing the countrys confirmed cases to 85,194. In a statement on Monday, the commission also said that there were no additional fatalities reported keeping the death toll unchanged at over 4,600. China also reported 39 new asymptomatic cases, which the government does not include in its total count. 04:10 GMT Coronavirus panel slams failure to head warnings The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, a panel reviewing the response of the coronavirus pandemic, has denounced the collective failure by political leaders that led to the current disorder. Financial and political investments in preparedness have been insufficient, and we are all paying the price, according to the report prepared by the panel organised by the World Bank and the World Health Organization. It is not as if the world has lacked the opportunity to take these steps, it added. There have been numerous calls for action over the last decade, yet none has generated the changes needed. You can read more on that story here. 03:35 GMT Doctors oppose easing of social-distancing rules in the Philippines Doctors in the Philippines have expressed opposition to the governments plan to easing physical distancing regulations in the country, saying it is too early to relax the rules. In an online forum on Monday, Dr Antonio Dans, a leading expert on the countrys university health care law, said that the department of transportation should not change its rule of one metre between passengers, as it could lead to more transmission. The government plans to gradually reduce social distancing rules on public transportation to just half a metre on September 28 and 0.3 meters on October 12 to increase capacity of trains and buses. The country has over 261,000 cases and at least 4,371 deaths due to the pandemic. A security officer in a protective suit walks past commuters at a metro station in Manila [File: EPA] 03:05 GMT Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 927 to 260,355 Germanys monitor for infectious diseases has reported that the countrys COVID-19 cases have gone up by 927 to 260,355. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also reported on Monday that the death toll rose by one to 9,350. 02:50 GMT Israel to reinstate lockdown Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the country will reinstate a strict new countrywide lockdown this week amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Starting on Friday, schools, restaurants, malls and hotels among other businesses will shut down and restrictions on movement will be imposed. The lockdown is expected to last at least three weeks, when measures may be eased depending on the rate of increase of cases and fatalities. Israel has over 155,000 cases and around 1,100 deaths. 02:01 GMT Saudi to lift international restrictions Tuesday Saudi Arabias interior ministry has announced that it will partially lift restrictions on international flights beginning on Tuesday, six months after travel curbs were imposed due to the pandemic. After January 1, Saudl will also end all restrictions on air, land and sea transport for Saudi citizens, but the exact date will be announced later in December. According to Saudi Press Agency, non- Saudi residents with valid travel documents can enter Saudi as long as they are free of the virus. 01:42 GMT New Zealand to lift most of coronavirus curbs on September 21 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that coronavirus restrictions across the country will be lifted on September 21, except in its biggest city of Auckland which is the epicentre of a second wave of infections. Ardern said Aucklands restrictions would be reviewed next week. 01:25 GMT Trump indoor rally plan prompts virus warning Supporters many not wearing masks gather for an indoor rally with US President Donald Trump in Henderson, Nevada [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] US President Donald Trump was due to hold his first fully indoor rally in months in the state of Nevada, but authorities warned the gathering could violate coronavirus restrictions on crowd sizes. Indoor rallies during the pandemic have proven problematic for Trump, who was heavily criticised after one in June that was later linked to a spike in virus cases. Plans for the rally in the Nevada city of Henderson on Sunday drew a rebuke from local authorities who noted events with more than 50 people are not allowed due to the coronavirus, according to Reuters news agency. 01:02 GMT South Korea reports decline in new cases with 109 testing positive South Koreas coronavirus monitoring agency reported on Monday at least 109 COVID-19 cases the 12th straight day that infections stayed below 200. Yonhap quoted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as saying that of the new cases reported, 98 were of domestic origin, with the overall total hitting 22,285. Five more deaths were also reported, compared to three on Sunday, raising the death toll to 363. 00:45 GMT Mexicos coronavirus deaths near 71,000 Mexicos health ministry has reported reported 4,408 new coronavirus cases and 217 additional deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 668,381 and the death toll to 70,821 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely higher than the confirmed cases, and the country has also reported over 120,000 in excess deaths in recent months. 00:10 GMT Australias Victoria sees lowest rise in COVID-19 cases Victoria, the second-most populous state in Australia and the centre of the countrys coronavirus outbreak, has reported its lowest number of new cases in three months. The state reported 35 new cases on Monday, and seven deaths. Melbourne has begun to ease some of the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease. Residents are now allowed to spend an additional two hours outside every day, and the citys controversial overnight curfew has been shortened by one hour. 00:05 GMT WHO reports record one-day increase in cases, up over 307,000 The World Health Organization has reported another record-breaking number of coronavirus cases, worldwide with at least 307,930 cases in just one day. The previous record reported by WHO was 306,857 on September 6. India, the United States and Brazil posted the highest number of cases, with India reporting over 94,300 cases on Sunday. Europe has also seen a resurgence of cases. India, the United States and Brazil posted the highest number of cases, with India reporting over 94,300 cases on Sunday [Divyakant Solanki/EPA] 00:01 GMT Greece reports 207 new COVID-19 cases as it prepares to reopen schools Greek health authorities have reported 207 new coronavirus cases including 29 infections from abroad, with three more fatalities, as the country prepares to reopen its schools on Monday. The total cases now stand at 13,240 and 305 deaths. Of the total number of cases, about three-quarters were recorded in August, with a median age of 39. Meanwhile, among the fatalities, the average age is 78. ______________________________________________________________ Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For all the key developments from yesterday, September 13, go here. Advertisement Advocates for the homeless called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to rethink kicking out hundreds of displaced people from hotels on the Upper West Side on Sunday, after locals complained about drug use. The city held a press conference earlier in the day about the removal of 300 men from the Lucerne Hotel, a temporary shelter used to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in crowded facilities. The displaced people moved into the place in July and are to be moved after the complaints and threats to sue the city. People alleged that the hotel residents were causing quality of life issues. Some have claimed that the same people living inside the hotel temporarily were urinating in public, plus using and selling drugs. Protesters stood outside NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's Mansion on Sunday to protest against a recent decision to move hundreds of people out of hotels serving as homeless shelters A sign read: 'Because you are displacing 900 homeless NYers and think that "shelters are better environments" please be advised that you will be transferred from Gracie Mansion to a homeless shelter' About 900 are being turfed from hotels and shelters after residents complained about seeing them. A group of presumably homeless people pass around a bottle of alcohol out in the open at the corner of West 79th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side on September 3 But other New Yorkers were determined to make sure the homeless don't end up even worse off amid the pandemic and marched across 86th Street to get to as close as possible to Gracie Mansion. Protesters marched from Carl Schurz Park and demanded the Mayor resign with chants as police guarded the property. A large sign read: 'Because you are displacing 900 homeless NYers and think that "shelters are better environments" please be advised that you will be transferred from Gracie Mansion to a homeless shelter.' In response to the men being moved to the Harmonia shelter, south of the Empire State Building, Harmonia residents are being kicked out. The Department of Homeless Services only paused plans for families accommodated at Harmonia after Legal Aid filed a lawsuit on their behalf. New Yorkers want the city to announce a longer-term plan to help tackle the problem of homelessness after this summer 10,000 displaced people were moved into some of 600 hotels that had become vacant in lockdowns. Protesters organized by @UWSOpenHearts arrive at Gracie Mansion calling for De Blasio's resignation. pic.twitter.com/gpdukll8qA PROTEST_NYC (@protest_nyc) September 13, 2020 Police are seen guarding the property (left) but Mayor Bill de Blasio (right) was no where to be seen Protesters marched to Gracie Mansion in Manhattan to demand Mayor Bill de Blasio resigns Earlier placards on the Upper West Side read 'make room for compassion on USW' New Yorkers pushed for safe housing for everyone amid a wave of homelessness in the city Members of the Open Hearts Initiative on Sunday urged Upper West Siders to show compassion for the people stuck without homes, ways to make a living and many living with mental illness. 'A lot of us are just trying, like I said, get on out feet and move on,' Shelter resident Mario Charles told the station. State Senator Brian Benjamin attended the demonstration to voice how the local government was not showing enough kindness to the less fortunate. Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal said that while officials have been listening to people who 'don't like to see poverty. the mayor's decision to move people out of the Lucerne had a ripple effect that no one could've expected.' NYS Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal added: 'It's our responsibility as a society to save those less fortunate than us during a pandemic.' After four hours of efforts from activists and politicians outside Gracie Mansion, the Mayor's administration agreed to open a line of communication with houseless constituents who are affected by relocation and displacement. 'Victorious councilmember @HelenRosenthal can finally go home and eat!!!! She fought side by side with us for EIGHT hours today,' the Open Hearts Initiative tweeted. The protests on Sunday followed a night where demonstrators shut down the George Washington Bridge, stopping traffic to demand changes to the New York City Police Department funding and to advance their legislative efforts for the Breathe Act. While some waved Black Lives Matter banners and donned T-shifts with the slogan on it, others linked arms as they came face-to-face with cops in the name of the Act which calls for a multitude of changes, including a 'time-bound plan' to close all federal prisons and immigration detention centers. Protesters marched to and briefly shut down the George Washington Bridge in New York Protesters turned out for the BREATHE march to demand changes to the New York City Police funding and to advance their legislative efforts for the Breathe Act on Saturday A group is seen linking are as they approach a barrier of police on the bridge The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has started online registration of farmers who want to join the protest against the Centres three agriculture ordinances beginning from September 15 at the district headquarters in Haryana. To ensure a huge gathering, BKU state president Gurnam Singh Chaduni, has urged farmers to fill the online forms to join the protest. The online form has the name, village, district, contact number and the state of the farmer. As per the farmer leaders, there is a possibility that the state government may use police force and this form will help them contact the farmers and their family if required. The mobile numbers of farmer leaders have also been provided for assistance. Chaduni said the farmers have unanimously decided to begin the protests at district headquarters from September 15 to September 19. On September 20 all roads of the state will be blocked for three hours, he added. He said the protests will be peaceful and a foot march will be launched from September 27 to ensure that all farmers in Haryana can join the protest. BKU state secretary Harpal Singh Sudhal said, Thousands of farmers have already expressed their interest to join the protests and we are expecting a huge gathering at the district headquarters across the state. He said it has been decided that the protests will be held from 10:00am to 4:00pm. There are reports that the BKU leaders are contacting leaders of other farmer organisations in the state seeking their support during the protest. The U.S. commander of troops in Afghanistan said that American intelligence officials have not been able to confirm the existence of a Russian bounty program offering Taliban militants rewards for targeting U.S. troops in Afghanistan. It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me, General Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NBC News. We continue to look for that evidence. I just havent seen it yet, the general said, adding, its not a closed issue. Reports broke in June that U.S. intelligence found that at least one American soldier, as well as a number of Afghan civilians, died as a result of the secret bounty payments. Some bounties as high as $100,000 were reportedly paid for each U.S. or allied troop killed, and several American service-members were reported to have died as a result of monetary rewards that a Russian military intelligence unit offered to terrorist militants to target U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. But McKenzie doesnt believe the intelligence is conclusive. I found what they presented to me very concerning, very worrisome. I just couldnt see the final connection, so I sent my guys back and said, look, keep digging. So we have continued to dig and look because this involves potential threats to U.S. forces, its open, McKenzie said of reviewing the intelligence on the issue. I just havent seen anything that closes that gap yet. People that are involved in it get very emotional about it, he added. I cant afford to be emotional about it. Ive got to step back and look at the totality of the picture. Intelligence about the alleged bounty offerings by Russia was reportedly included in the presidents daily written intelligence briefing in February, but the White House claims Trump was not verbally briefed on the matter until media reports on the claim. In July, President Trump said he has never discussed the intelligence with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite several phone calls between the two heads of state since the intelligence was made known. Trump has argued that reports of Russian bounties, which were disputed by the National Security Agency, were inconclusive and thus didnt rise to the level at which he would be verbally briefed. Story continues Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly warned Russias foreign minister against placing bounties on the heads of American soldiers during a July 13 phone call. McKenzie said that if Russia is targeting American troops in Afghanistan he wont hesitate to take action if thats the case. I just havent seen it. Theres a lot of conflicting information out there, but nothing was out there that I could grasp that connect together in a pattern that I would consider actionable, McKenzie said. In response to the media reports of bounties, the House Armed Services Committee voted to add an amendment to the latest defense bill that makes any further withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan contingent on whether any country has paid the Taliban or any other groups to attack American troops. More from National Review After nine seasons of hosting Flip or Flop, Tarek El Moussa has inspired many an American to pick up a sledgehammer and try renovating their own home. After all, based on what you see on TV, how hard could it be? Well, on El Moussa's new show, Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa," it's painfully clear that flipping a house is not for the faint of heart. On the show, El Moussa helps novice house flippers with their renovations. But even with his guidance, they still make tons of mistakes. Yet from these disasters come some hard-won lessons on the right (and wrong) way to embark on a renovation. So whether you're thinking of buying a fixer-upper or you just want to see how fast a flip can go off the rails, here are a few of the biggest renovation mistakes from "Flipping 101" so far. Consider this a list of what not to do. Don't rely on YouTube to teach you how to flip a house Lidia and Fernando planned to renovate this house on their own. HGTV In the episode Failing to Plan, Lidia and Fernando have zero experience when it comes to construction and house flipping. So, El Moussa is surprised when Fernando says, Our plan is to do a lot of the work ourselves. In fact, they plan to watch how-to videos online to learn how to fix up their Rancho Cucamonga, CA, house! Right away, they realize that they cant do it all on their own. But instead of hiring a professional contractor, they try to cut corners again by hiring someone sketchy who rips them off. Twice, they learn the hard way that they need to spend money and hire professionals in order to get the job done right. Don't fight nonstop with your flipping partner Tarek El Moussa knew these brothers had to stop fighting in order to finish their renovation. HGTV In the episode Fighting All the Way, El Moussa works with Jesus and Marco, brothers who cant stop arguing over their Santa Ana, CA, flip. Soon, El Moussa is fed up with the fighting. Whats the point of having two guys stand around fighting over every single detail? El Moussa asks. Its a big waste of time, and its the primary reason why Marco and Jesus cant grow their business. So El Moussa settles the disputes by putting the brothers in charge of different aspects of the project. Since Jesus has a background in real estate, El Moussa says he can have final say on buying and selling. Meanwhile, Marco, who has a background in construction, can have the final say on the renovation choices. This arrangement helps considerably, and serves as a good reminder to us all that if you have members of your flipping team with different expertise, use that to your advantage. Don't forget to factor in installation costs The flooring looks great, but it was too expensive. HGTV In the episode Broken Slab to Totally Fab, Cesar and Sahar flip a house in Anaheim, CA. Cesar knows that he often spends too much money on renovations, so he chooses a tile flooring that's on sale, thinking hes saving money. However, installing tile flooring can be expensive, and Cesar doesnt account for the thousands of dollars that will cost. El Moussa says the tile is nice, but laminate would have looked just as goodand would have saved them money. We thought we were going to spend about $50,000 on this flip, and were now, like, over 60 [thousand]" because of the tile installation costs, Sahar says ruefully. Don't delay ordering your material Even though it wasn't El Moussa's first choice, this backsplash ended up looking great. HGTV When it comes to real estate, time is money. Even the smallest delays can mean big money in holding costs. In the episode That New Flipper Smell, it's such a problem when novice flipper John doesnt pick a tile for the kitchen backsplash in time. When El Moussa finds out about the mistake, he's disappointed, explaining that some of the biggest delays happen when materials arent chosen on time. In order to finish this Fullerton, CA, house, they skip their top tile choice in favor of one that's available immediately. Luckily, the tile they end up with looks fineand keeps this flip moving forward. Don't forget to check your deliveries El Moussa noticed the problem with these counters right away. HGTV In the episode Horrible Hoarder House, El Moussa realizes the countertop slabs in Allison and Armando's Cypress, CA, flip are different colors. This is a shame, because this problem could have been easily avoided if Allison and Armando had been paying attention when the counters were being installed. Of course, buyers notice the color issue and it makes these flippers look bad. It's a tough lesson, but this couple is sure to remember to keep an eye on every step of the renovation from now on. ___ Watch: Exclusive: HGTV's Orlando Soria Gives Us a Tour of His Home ___ Don't take a huge design risk El Moussa was right: Patricia and Legacy probably should have gone with a different kitchen design. HGTV In the episode Dancing With Disaster, Legacy and Patricia want to give their Brentwood, CA, kitchen a unique look. So, Patricia orders gray and white kitchen counters with grainy red oak cabinets. El Moussa warns that this particular combination will definitely look busy. Plus, he says, the oak cabinet style won't be popular with buyers. People are ripping oak cabinets out of their houses," he says, "not putting oak in. When the cabinets and counters are finally installed, El Moussa is proved right. Not only does the kitchen look dated, but the cabinets and counter don't work well together. So they have the cabinets refinished, and they end up looking better. Still, Patricia and Legacy likely would have had more success if theyd stuck to a more popular design. Don't go rogue on your flipping team This kitchen would have looked better with the backsplash El Moussa chose. HGTV In Shared Driveways, Slim Margins, El Moussa helps married couple Victor and Deanna flip a house in South Los Angeles. But the team runs into some serious problems when Victor goes rogue and wont take El Moussas style advice. The three decide on a glamorous tile for the kitchen backsplash, but Victor later changes his mind and picks a plain white tile instead. Unfortunately, once installed, this white tile ends up looking dull. Heres the thing, El Moussa says disapprovingly, I walked through that door, all I saw was white. Don't leave outdated electrical that could start a fire The fire caused extensive damage. HGTV In the episode A Baptism by Fire, El Moussa teams up with Audrey and Anthony on a flip in Woodland Hills, CA. This mother-and-son duo gets in big trouble when the house catches fire. The fire causes extensive damage, but the worst part is, it could have been avoided. I think, possibly, some of the old electrical that we didnt replace caused it, Audrey says. These two got a powerful and expensive lesson in making sure a flip is safe. The post The Biggest Mistakes Tarek El Moussa Has Seen on 'Flipping 101' appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. MONTREAL, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Novatek International is proud to participate in the MedTech conference as we continue to highlight the challenges about mental health and the societal stigmas and the blame or burden it puts on patients, reinforcing negative stereotypes. Novatek was invited to be part of the Panel Session: "Astronaut Reveals Next Generation Space Health Technologies with Meaningful Earth Applications." The Virtual MedTech Conference Alongside Canadian Astronaut, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and the National Research Council of Canada, President and CEO of Novatek, Mr. Parsa Famili contributed to the panel with a presentation on "Reimagining Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation on Earth and Space." "We are grateful for your service; Mr. David St-Jacques. Your courage and that of your colleagues during their missions to achieve new frontiers is the motivational force behind Novatek. We strive to innovate and continuously brining new technology to address our current needs both hear on earth and in space," said Mr. Famili. The MedTech Conference invites the world's top medical executives, innovators, and global policy makers to come together. This year's conference, made virtual, is especially important as the world needs more automated assessment tools that can be deployed remotely. With over 20 years of offering the medical & healthcare industry innovative technologies, Novatek is pleased to be part of this year's program. Novatek's family of companies continuously develop and incorporate new innovative technologies to the healthcare system: Cognistat - A rapid, reliable, and affordable non-invasive neurocognitive assessment that provides healthcare professionals with leading edge screening technology and efficiently screens major areas of brain function. Cognistat can be used in large scale screening thus substantially decreasing cost of care. Learn more at: http://www.cognistat.com/ Novatek International provides software solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare industries to leverage data into sound decision making reducing risk in their everyday operations. Additionally, we are developing new rehabilitation procedures through virtual reality and augmented reality and artificial intelligence to determine the effectiveness of the rehabilitation. Learn more at: https://ntint.com/ Hope for Dementia, a registered charity to raise awareness on mental health and remove the societal stigmas that come with it. Hope for Dementia is dedicated to supporting the early diagnosis and prevention of dementia and other cognitive disorders in addition to raising funds for research to find a cure. Learn more at: https://hopefordementia.org/ The MedTech Conference will be on demand and live throughout September to October 23rd, 2020 with Novatek's Panel Session on Monday Sept. 14th. Visit ntint.com for more information or request a meeting to discuss any of their leading healthcare industry technology products. ABOUT NOVATEK INTERNATIONAL Established in 1996, Novatek's mission is dedicated to help pharmaceutical companies and other life science organizations leverage their investment in information technology and quality processes by reducing cost, improving productivity, and enhancing compliance. With 20+ years of user experience and developer level technical support, simple or complex installations are seamless and rapid. The architecture of all Novatek solutions are modular and process-based, enabling the applications to be delivered "business-ready" providing the building blocks for a complete quality solution. For more information on Novatek International visit: www.ntint.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook MEDIA CONTACT: Nissa Barkat 514-668-2835 ext: 3604 [email protected] SOURCE Novatek International Related Links http://www.ntint.com Much like the soldiers and settlers that took refuge inside Fort Dobbs in the 1700s, Scott Douglass is glad to be back inside the recreation of the fort after a six-month hiatus. "For most of the summer we were able to talk to people about the history outdoors, but it's very different for people to see the inside of the building, see all the furnishings in there, and really be able to get in-depth about the lives of the soldiers here," Douglas said. He is the manager of the Fort Dobbs Historic Site. "We're excited to be back inside." He said that masks are required to enter the fort and capacity is cut to 50%. Fort Dobbs was built in 1761 and served as an outpost during the French and Indian War. Visitors could tour the grounds over the summer, but guided tours inside the fort had come to a halt back in March due to the coronavirus. The reconstruction of the fort just opened on Sept. 21, 2019, but the historic site was seeing more than 25,000 visitors a year even before that. Despite the virus, Douglass said they've had more than 15,000 visitors in the last 12 months. Courtesy of ExxonMobil Cities trying to recover from Hurricane Laura have received a gift from the ExxonMobil Beaumont Refinery and one of its distributors, Tri-Con, that could help in the work ahead. The companies announced announced Tuesday that a combined donation of almost 15,000 gallons of Synergy gasoline and Synergy Diesel Efficient to support recovery efforts in the Orange and Vinton, Louisiana, communities. A young man stabbed to death in the car park of a housing estate was one of four people to lose their lives in four days of bloodshed in London. Residents said the 26-year-old victim was attacked after reportedly confronting a neighbour who he had allegedly seen kicking his BMW in the early hours in Enfield yesterday. He was pronounced dead after police and paramedics were called to Purcell House, a tower block in Holbrook Close, at 12.40am. A 43-year-old man was today being questioned on suspicion of murder. Officers were not seeking anyone else over the incident. Neighbours said the white BMW, marked with the victims blood, was taken away for forensic tests. A witness said: It all started when a guy kicked the BMW. The owner shouted for him to stop. They scuffled and it looked like it was all over. But then it kicked off again and the guy was stabbed. He added: The guy who was killed was lovely. He was a very hard-working young man. He was always smart and would be kind and polite to neighbours. His family are chauffeurs I believe. He was successful and proud of his achievements. He had even bought his mother her own house. About 20 minutes before the killing, police received a call from the 43-year-old man alleging an assault. As a result of this call, the Mets Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. A separate murder investigation was launched today after a 47-year-old man died in a suspected hit-and-run in Dagenham. Police were called to a car park in Whalebone Lane South at 11.43pm last night after reports of a collision. The victim died at the scene. Police believe the man was hit by a car. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley said: We need to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious. There have been no arrests. It came after a man in his sixties was stabbed to death at a block of flats in Wembley at 10am on Saturday. Police said that while officers were fighting to save his life, a suspect barricaded himself into an address in Barnhill Road. After a period of negotiation, he refused to comply with officers instructions and was Tasered. The man, 45, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Daniel Bytyci, 18, died on Thursday, two weeks after being stabbed at Montesole Playing Fields in Pinner on August 26. Two 15-year-old boys were due to appear at the Old Bailey today. Anyone with information on the Enfield incident is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD369/13Sep. Islamabad has for the past several years maintained that its influence over the Taliban is overstated but that it would do whatever is possible for peace in Afghanistan, saying that a stable Kabul was in its own interests. The CBC Institute For Professionals provides a collegial and intellectually stimulating environment in which to receive comprehensive training, supervision, and consultation in CBT and DBT. "The continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing rates of trauma to skyrocket, leading to an increased need for professionals well equipped in evidence-based trauma treatments," stated Dr. Lata K. McGinn, co-founder of Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants. The continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing rates of trauma to skyrocket, leading to an increased need for professionals well equipped in evidence-based trauma treatments. In response, Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants (CBC) will be launching a Trauma Training Series http://bit.ly/cbctrauma in collaboration with Dr. Elissa Brown of St. Johns University. The series will be conducted in two parts. An adult-focused training led by CBC co-founder Dr. Lata K. McGinn and Dr. Lauren Bonavitacola, licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of the Trauma-Focused Treatment Programs at CBC, will be a three-day workshop on October 12, 13, 14. A child/adolescent focused training workshop led by Dr. Elissa Brown will be held in the Spring of 2021. The first workshop on cognitive behavioral therapy for adults with PTSD is designed for mental health professionals interested in pursuing specialized training to deepen their understanding of CBT approaches for treating trauma and PTSD symptoms, primarily Prolonged Exposure (PE). PE is considered a gold standard treatment for PTSD as recommended by the National Center for PTSD, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). Participants will receive 18 Continuing Education Credit Hours for New York Social Workers and all Psychologists, which is the required number of hours of training necessary to apply to become a Certified Diplomate through the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (A-CBT). The price is $950 for the three-day training and participants have the option to get individual case consultation (capped at five people) for $250 per session ($6,000 for 24 sessions). This includes a 30-minute meeting and 45-minute case review, necessary for PE certification. PE certification requires the completion of two cases in consultation with a certified PE consultant, including session review. For more information, please contact Dr. Bonavitacola at lbonavitacola@cbc-psychology.com. The second workshop, conducted by Dr. Elissa Brown, Professor of Psychology at St. John's University, will focus on treating children and adolescents with PTSD through Trauma-Focused CBT. This training will be offered as three, half-day virtual training days starting in Spring 2021 and will include group consultations towards certification in TF-CBT. Find additional information or to register please visit the Trauma Training Event Page on our website by http://bit.ly/cbctrauma . For questions, please email Dr. Bonavitacola at lbonavitacola@cbc-psychology.com. This required text of the training is this book: Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD About Cognitive Behavioral Consultants CBC is an evidenced-based clinical and training center comprised of a group of internationally recognized mental health professionals who have pioneered and are experienced in delivering cutting edge treatments to adults, adolescents, and children to live more fulfilled lives. Founded in 2004 by Drs. Lata K. McGinn and Alec L. Miller, leaders in the fields of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, the CBC team provides a large array of Clinical and Wellness services to the public and builds on this methodology to provide Custom Designed Programs for schools, agencies, businesses, and continuing education credits for professionals in the field of psychology. Explore our website to learn more http://www.cbc-psychology.com Co-Founder Lata K. McGinn, Ph.D the co-founder of Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants (CBC), an evidence-based clinical and training center in New York. She is also a tenured Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical Program and CBT training program at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. She specializes in the prevention and treatment of trauma, stress, anxiety, OCD, depression, and related disorders. Her extensive publications span peer-reviewed journal articles, chapters, and her co-authored books, "Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" and "Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders. In recognition of her achievements in the field of CBT, Dr. McGinn has earned the title of Beck Scholar and was appointed a Fellow of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapies (ABCT). She was awarded a certificate of appreciation by ABCT in recognition of her professional contributions to disseminating trauma prevention interventions on a Trauma Taskforce following September 11, 2001 and has just won the Outstanding Service to ABCT award in 2020. Dr. McGinn is a founding fellow and certified trainer of the Academy of CBT, is the associate editor of the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research and serves on the editorial board of several other peer-reviewed journals. In 2019, Dr. McGinn spearheaded a global initiative to found the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WCCBT) and currently serves on its Board of Directors. She is also the Past-President of the Academy of CBT (A-CBT) and the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACP) and has also served on ABCTs Board of Directors and continues today as the chair of ABCTs International Associates Committee. Dr. Lauren Bonavitacola is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of the Trauma-Focused Treatment Programs at CBC where she supervises the trauma team in adherently applying evidence-based treatments for PTSD. She has extensive training and experience treating trauma and PTSD utilizing Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and DBT-PE. Dr. Bonavitacola is a certified Prolonged Exposure therapist and consultant, having received her PE certification from the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at UPenn under the direction of Dr. Edna Foa and her consultant certification from Emory University's PE Consultant Training Program under the direction of Drs. Barbara Rothbaum and Sheila Rauch. Dr. Bonavitacola has experience treating PTSD and disseminating its treatment across many domains and settings including with Veterans in the VA, in academic medical centers, community mental health clinics, schools, and private practices. Dr. Elissa Brown is a Professor of Psychology and Executive Director of the Child HELP (Heal, Empower, Learn, Prevent) Partnership at St. Johns University. Her primary clinical and research interests include the prevention and treatment of child trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder. She has participated in research on the assessment and treatment of sexual assault, child physical abuse, and bereavement related to traumatic circumstances (such as September 11th, 2001). Dr. Brown has received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, New York State Office of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Justice, and Private Foundations to evaluate treatments for traumatized children and adolescents, many of whom are from culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged populations. She is the Director of a Category III affiliate site of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, housed at Child HELP Partnership. She is co-developer of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a treatment for family conflict and physical abuse and a certified trainer of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a treatment for traumatized youth and their non-offending caregivers. Dr. Brown is a member of several national and international organizations dedicated to improving mental health services for traumatized children and has served on the Board of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) held intensive consultations in Paris on September 14. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the meetings, Armenpress reports citing the OSCE website. The Co-Chairs reviewed the situation in the region with particular focus on new developments following the mid-July violent escalation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The Co-Chairs carefully considered and assessed the private and public messages and concerns of the sides. The Co-Chairs were briefed by the PRCiO on the security situation on the ground and welcomed his concrete preparations for the resumption of monitoring activities. The Co-Chairs spoke separately by phone with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and invited the ministers to meet individually with the Co-Chairs in person in the coming weeks to further clarify their respective positions, with the aim of resuming serious substantive negotiations without preconditions. The Co-Chairs remain actively and fully engaged in facilitating negotiations for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement in accordance with their OSCE mandate. A San Antonio teenager was arrested Thursday after allegedly encouraging her 3-year-old brother to smoke marijuana, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. Larissa Contreras, 18, was charged with endangering a child. Her boyfriend Thomas Esquivel, 19, and a 16-year-old male who allegedly recorded the video have also been arrested. Both face charges of child endangerment. Deputies began investigating the case Monday after a local nonprofit worker reported seeing a video on social media of a child smoking in a car. Sheriff Javier Salazar said Contreras and others encouraged the 3-year-old boy to smoke a blunt, which made the child ill. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox This suspect and several other persons of interest were taking quite a bit of joy at that. They were laughing at it and making fun of the fact that this little boy was just about as sick as he could be, Salazar said. The child took "2 or 3 hits" after Esquivel handed him the blunt and Contreras told the child to "inhale the smoke deeply," an arrest affidavit said. After Contreras' arrest Thursday, Salazar did not rule out additional arrests in connection with the incident. Contreras parents are not facing charges. The video was allegedly recorded while the teenager was taking care of her brother at a family function. The child, who will be drug tested to see what he ingested, is currently at home with family. Contreras, who was identified through the video posted on social media, livestreamed a conversation with deputies during the investigation. People have made death threats regarding the case in recent days, Salazar said, though its unclear to whom they were directed. Child Protective Services is involved in the case. - Carlo Aquino and Trina Candaza recently welcomed their first baby together and announced it on social media - In a social media post, Trina showed a photo of Carlo being a hands-on father to baby Enola Mithi - She shared that she did not expect for Carlo to take good care of them the way he does now - Trina also thanked everyone who welcomed their baby Enola Mithi with them PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed! Recently, Carlo Aquino shocked the people when he shared on social media that he is now a father. KAMI learned that Carlos non-showbiz partner, Trina Candaza, shared a glimpse of Carlo being a dad. Photo from Flickr Source: UGC In an Instagram story, Trina showed a photo of Carlo carrying their baby, Enola Mithi. Thank you, love, for taking care of me and Mithi. Hindi ko akalain na aalagaan mo kami nang ganito, Trina said. Mahal ko kayo ng anak natin, she added. Trina also thanked those who welcomed their baby Enola with them. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Check out Trinas Instagram story here: Screenshot from @trinacandaza on Instagram Source: Instagram PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Carlo Aquino is a famous actor and endorser in the Philippines. Some of his recent films are Isa Pa With Feelings, Ulan, and Exes Baggage. On September 13, Carlo shared a close-up photo of his baby with Trina. It was the first time he announced that he is now a father. Last year, Carlo confirmed his relationship with Trina. She also posted a photo with Carlo that went viral and the netizens reacted to it. It can be recalled that before Carlo dated Trina, he received a lot of criticisms after he was labeled paasa to his ex-girlfriend, Angelica Panganiban. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh La polizia della Somalia sta indagando sullo stupro e sull'omicidio di una ragazza di 19 anni in un albergo della capitale, Mogadiscio. A oggi quattro persone sono state arrestate in relazione alla morte di Hamdi Mohamed, avvenuta nel quartiere di Waberi. I media locali riferiscono che la ragazza e stata violentata prima di essere gettata da un edificio di sei piani e la sua famiglia ha richiesto un'indagine completa sul caso, che ha suscitato indignazione in citta. Le donne, infatti, hanno manifestato nella capitale somala in sostegno della famiglia e chiedendo indagini che portino in carcere i responsabili. Riproduzione riservata (Unioneonline/F) Mangala Cement Udyog told to withdraw product from market 14 September 2020 Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has barred Mangala Cement Udyog from selling certain products after they failed to meet the quality standard. During a market inspection, NBSM found Mangala Cement Udyog's PPC Ohm Mangala cement defective. According to NBSM officials, the collected specimen of cement had a compressive strength of 14MPa for three days and 19MPa for seven days. The NBSM-prescribed standards for the products are 16MPa and 22MPa, respectively. According to the NBSM, Mangla Cement has been asked to retrieve all products of the batch sold out in the market and to be present with clarification within 15 days. Published under Nvidias chief executive said hes interested in using Arms network of partners to license its GPU technologyand that it might be in your smartphone someday. In a conference call early Monday morning, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said he wants to use Arms relationships as a distribution channel to license a broad set of Nvidia technology, including graphics. The first obvious thing for us to make available through ARMs vast network is our GPU and our accelerated computing architecture, Huang said in a conference call on Sunday evening. Nvidia said Sunday that it had agreed to acquire Arm for up to $40 billion in cash and stock, in a deal that still has to pass regulatory approval. Huang described the deal as complementary, as the Arm technology will be used to bolster Nvidias AI efforts and its push into the data center. But Nvidias role as a GPU provider and Arms dominance of the smartphone industry means that regulatory agencies may look hard at the proposed deal. Nvidia, however, may have bought more than Arms smartphone CPU cores; it may be leveraging its relationships, too. Id like to take Nvidias technology and offer it to all the companies that are building with Arm, Huang said. SOCs [system-on-chips] really dont have the benefit of the amazing GPUs that we make, and Nvidia is well known around the world for for the energy efficiency and advanced capabilities of our GPUs, Huang added. But what GPUs? Huang didnt say, and its not clear if the GeForce brand will be coming to smartphones if this deal passes. Huang talked about the pervasiveness of the existing Mali core within Arms CPUs, and implied that Nvidia could add its GPU technology to the mix. It seems likely that Nvidia would also be interested in designing its GPU cores into data center chips, as well, though the companys hardware already has a strong foothold there. What the deal implies, then, is that if Nvidia begins making its GPU technology through Arms distribution channel, it will likely end up as part of Arms cores. And since Arm dominates the smartphone market, its very possible that a future Mali logic block within Arms Cortex CPU cores could be powered by Nvidia. How soon will that happen? Well, Huang said he thinks the Nvidia-Arm deal could take a year or more to close, and that the two companies will operate independently until then, as defined by law. Only after the acquisition is completed can design work start. So eighteen months? Three years? Who knows. But one thing is sure: Huang wants to start selling Nvidia GPUs into more than just your PC. Your next (next-next?) smartphone is a likely target. Convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall, one of the so-called Scissor Sisters, has denied having liaisons while behind bars, including an alleged one with a female prison officer. In a High Court filing, Mulhall (37) disputed claims she had been found in a very compromising position with the prison officer on December 23, 2018. She was transferred from Mountjoy Prisons Dochas Centre in Dublin to Limerick Prison the following day. The mother-of-one made the denials in judicial review proceedings against the Irish Prison Service and the State where she is seeking damages and an injunction directing her return to the Dochas Centre. In an affidavit she admitted she had been seen by a prison officer sitting on another prison officer, but said this was for the purposes of performing a beauty treatment. Mulhall said the transfer had resulted in her being deprived of visits from her mother and her son and claimed the actions of the prison service had inflicted great injury to her emotional well-being. It has caused untold stress and upset to me, my son and my family, she said. Her counsel, Conor Power SC, told the court no proper or timely reasons had been given to her for the transfer. Mr Power, who appears in the case with Cian Kelly BL and Tracy Horan & Co Solicitors, said Mulhall had been given no hearing in respect of the allegations. The transfer was in effect the unlawful imposition of a punishment, in breach of fair procedures and constitutional justice, he said. The court was told during an ex parte, or one side only, leave application that Mulhall was not afforded the opportunity to challenge the allegations, which she entirely disputes. Mr Justice Charles Meenan adjourned the case to next month, ruling the application would have to be made on notice to the Irish Prison Service and its co-defendants, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Justice Minister, Ireland, and the Attorney General. Mulhall is serving a life sentence for the gruesome murder of her mother Kathleens boyfriend Farah Swaleh Noor in Ballybough, Dublin in 2005. The Kenyan was repeatedly stabbed, hit with a hammer and dismembered, with some of the body parts being thrown into the Royal Canal. His head was never recovered. Her sister Linda (45) was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter and has since been released. In an affidavit, Mulhall said her transfer to Limerick came without any notice or warning to me or my family. She said a draft Prison Review Committee report from December 2019 said she had been transferred for operational reasons on foot of a number of inappropriate associations with other prisoners and staff. Mulhall disputed this and said she only became aware of this reason for her transfer recently when the report was released under freedom of information rules. In her affidavit, Mulhall outlined the contents of an incident summary which had also been released to her. This stated: This prisoner has been involved in a number of liaisons while in Dochas, all of which have received significant media coverage, including adverse publicity. She should be transferred to Limerick females by direction as soon as possible, preferably immediately, until further notice. Mulhall said she disputed the contents of the document. A separate Irish Prison Service document said she had been transferred for her own safety and well-being. Mulhall said a number of differing grounds for the transfer had been put forward to differing parties. I dispute these and if I had been afforded the opportunity at the outset I would have told the governor exactly what happened and this situation could easily have been avoided, she said. Canadas July 2020 permanent resident intake fell by 63 per cent compared with last July. Canada admitted 13,645 immigrants in July 2020 Canadas July 2020 permanent resident intake fell by 63 per cent compared with last July. Canada admitted 13,645 immigrants in July 2020 Canadas July 2020 permanent resident intake fell by 63 per cent compared with last July. Canada admitted 13,645 immigrants in July 2020 Canadas July 2020 permanent resident intake fell by 63 per cent compared with last July. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada welcomed 13,645 new permanent residents in July 2020. This was an extremely low figure considering that July is one of the busiest months for Canadian immigration. On a year-over-year basis, Canadas July 2020 permanent residence (PR) intake fell by 63 per cent compared with July 2019. Last July was the busiest month for Canadian immigration in 2019. That month, Canada welcomed 36,615 new permanent residents. Canada welcomed 13,645 new immigrants in July 2020 (63% decline) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows Canadas July 2020 permanent resident intake fell by 63% compared with July 2019. Canada welco Canada usually welcomes some of its highest levels of new immigrants each July. This is due to immigrants moving to Canada during the warm summer months, and to enroll their children in school before the academic year starts across Canada in late-August and early September. Canadas July 2020 intake was also lower than the 19,200 immigrants Canada welcomed in June of this year. June 2020 has been the strongest month for Canadas PR levels since the coronavirus was labelled as a pandemic in March. Prior to June, Canada welcomed 11,000 immigrants in May, and just 4,000 in April. Following the start of the pandemic, Canadas PR intake plummeted in April due to Canada introducing travel restrictions, which remain in place, plus other coronavirus-related disruptions such as approved immigrants not being able to find available flights to get them to Canada. It is important to note that some approved permanent resident applicants are eligible to move to Canada right now despite the travel restrictions. For instance, confirmation of permanent residence (COPR) holders who obtained their COPR on or before March 18, 2020 are among those who are exempt. The weak July PR figures are due to ongoing coronavirus-related challenges. Travel remains difficult during the pandemic, with flights in and out of certain countries being limited since March. This has meant that even individuals who obtained their COPR on or before March 18 may not be able to travel to Canada to complete their permanent residence process. Top 15 countries of new immigrants in July 2020 Canadas top 15 source countries of new PRs in July were (PR figures in brackets): 1) India (3,195) 2) China (870) 3) Philippines (865) 4) Pakistan (640) 5) Nigeria (555) 6) Morocco (515) 7) Iran (405) 8) United States of America (405) 9) Algeria (335) 10) France (290) 11) Syria (245) 12) Egypt (225) 13) United Kingdom (225) 14) Cameroon (220) 15) South Korea (205) Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration The current state of Canadian immigration Canada is still processing immigration applications during the pandemic and issuing new permanent residence invitations to successful applicants. Canadas flagship system to manage economic class immigration applications is called Express Entry. Express Entry draws have continued to happen on a bi-weekly basis since March. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more Express Entry invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residence on a year-over-year basis. As of the last Express Entry draw which took place on September 2nd, IRCC issued 69,950 ITAs in 2020 thus far compared with 56,200 at the same point in 2019. In addition, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) continues to operate. Canada also remains committed to its 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan. When you add these factors together, IRCC expects that Canadas PR figures will surge once the pandemic is over. Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Results of a recent survey by Axxess, the leading technology innovator for healthcare at home, in collaboration with Home Health Care News, the leading daily news publication serving the in-home care industry, indicate the COVID-19 pandemic has had a mixed impact on the home-based care industry during 2020 but far outweighs all other uncertainties as possibly having the biggest impact in the coming year. The survey results showed that of those organizations experiencing a revenue decline, care challenges and staffing challenges related to COVID-19 were the dominant reasons. Survey respondents indicated recruitment and retention continue to be a high priority in addressing staffing challenges, and that developing referral relationships will be the primary growth opportunity in the months ahead. The survey examined challenges of creating and sustaining growth for home-based care organizations and measured the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. "This year has brought many important issues around healthcare to light as we all navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19 and issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion," said John Olajide, founder and CEO of Axxess. "The results of this survey show how these challenges are affecting organizations in unique ways and the steps our industry is taking to prepare for future growth. Even as we find our way through this uncertain time, I continue to have no doubt the future of healthcare is in the home." Key takeaways include: Organizations are experiencing mixed results due to COVID-19 While virtually identical percentages of organizations responding indicated they have experienced revenue increases or decreases this year, of those experiencing a decline the pandemic has made it more challenging for organizations to care for patients and staff their operations. Survey respondents indicated that uncertainty around the virus will have the biggest impact on in-home care for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. While virtually identical percentages of organizations responding indicated they have experienced revenue increases or decreases this year, of those experiencing a decline the pandemic has made it more challenging for organizations to care for patients and staff their operations. Survey respondents indicated that uncertainty around the virus will have the biggest impact on in-home care for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. In-home care organizations are taking steps to address racial issues Addressing racial inequality is top-of-mind for home-based care organizations. Nearly 80% of respondents say they either have increased resources for staff diversity, equity, and inclusion or they plan to do so before the end of the year. Addressing racial inequality is top-of-mind for home-based care organizations. Nearly 80% of respondents say they either have increased resources for staff diversity, equity, and inclusion or they plan to do so before the end of the year. New referral relationships and recruitment and retention are the top growth strategies for home-based care organizations While new referral relationships were cited as the best growth opportunity, many respondents felt that the staffing challenges for the industry also present an opportunity. Talent availability due to higher unemployment rates was seen as a real opportunity for growth in 2020. The full report, including detailed results, can be found here. "Growth During Uncertainty: 2020 In-Home Care Industry Survey and Report" is based on the views of 315 industry participants polled online in July 2020. About Axxess Axxess is the leading technology innovator for healthcare at home, providing solutions that help improve care for more than 2 million patients worldwide. Trusted by more than 7,000 organizations, Axxess offers a complete suite of easy-to-use software solutions that empower home health, home care and hospice providers to grow their business while making lives better. The company's collaborative culture focused on innovation and excellence is recognized nationally as a "Best Place to Work." About Home Health Care News Home Health Care News (HHCN) is an independent source for breaking news and up-to-date information on the senior in-home care industry. HHCN's coverage spans the home care world specifically, from large, national service providers to independent care companies. Its news and perspective give industry professionals the information they need to make the best decisions in their day-to-day business operations. HHCN distributes industry news through its website, daily emails and a syndicated RSS feed. HHCN is owned and operated by Chicago-based Aging Media Network. SOURCE Axxess Related Links http://www.axxess.com/ Greece announces major weapons purchase amid tensions with Turkey Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 5:28 AM Greece has announced a significant arms purchase deal with France and a decision to overhaul its military as tensions continue to rise with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. "The time has come to reinforce the armed forces... these initiatives constitute a robust program that will become a national shield," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday during an economic address in the northern city of Thessaloniki. The weapons purchase will include 18 French Rafale fighter jets, four frigates and four navy helicopters. Tensions have flared between Greece and Turkey over oil and gas exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, prompting fears of more severe conflict. Turkey has dispatched a seismic research vessel and warships to escort it to an area in the sea that is disputed with Greece. There have been encounters with rival Greek vessels. Mitsotakis said that Greece will also strengthen its armed forces after years of "de-investment." "The time to balance our needs and our capabilities has arrived. We must strengthen our armed forces for the safety of our country, it is our utmost duty towards the Greeks, who will bear the cost - the price of our place on the map," he said. The country's armed forces, the premier said, will also hire 15,000 soldiers over the next five years. The European Union - of which Greece is a member - has previously called for dialog, but has sided with Athens. Last week, Mitsotakis said resolving the dispute with Turkey through dialog was important provided that the talks were held on peaceful terms, and not "at gunpoint." Ankara, for its part, has said it was open to resolving the territorial dispute via dialog, warning that Athens would face "painful" consequences otherwise. Greece's most ambitious military overhaul in nearly two decades is unveiled as the bitter row with Turkey has roped in other European powers. French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to show a united front against the "unacceptable" conduct of Turkey, saying Europe needed "to be clear and firm with Ankara. 'Don't mess with Turkey' The Turkish president warned Macron on Saturday "not to mess" with Turkey. "You will have many more problems with me," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech. "Don't mess with the Turkish people. Don't mess with Turkey." France last month deployed forces to the Eastern Mediterranean to assist Greece, including a frigate, an amphibious helicopter and two warplanes -- further escalating the standoff with Turkey. Relations between the two NATO members have been strained by several other issues, including the divided island of Cyprus and the crossing of migrants into Greece from Turkey. Cyprus has also accused Turkey of breaching its sovereignty by drilling in the waters. During a visit to Cyprus on Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Turkey's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, while explicitly backing Greece. "We remain deeply concerned about Turkey's ongoing operations searching for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean," Pompeo said. "The Republic of Cyprus has the right to exploit its natural resources, including the right to its hydrocarbons found in its territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone," he added. Ankara earlier accused Washington of poisoning "regional peace and stability." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands of inmates eligible for early release, dreading the fate of those who died from COVID inside a Jersey prison cell, were preparing to line up at the jailhouse door today release papers signed, exit photos snapped, just steps from the divine surreality of freedom. Then, in what seemed like a cruel joke, these older, non-violent, at-risk inmates were told to forget it, because the Assembly failed to act on a bill that mandated their release. This is the kind of bureaucratic snafu that is classic Trenton, and the kind of failure that should inspire a long discussion about our flawed prison reentry system. The consensus is that the holdup was over $12 million for reentry services that was missing from the emergency three-month budget proposed recently. No doubt, prison releases must include addiction treatment, housing assistance, and other social services for inmates emerging from behind the wall. The Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, the venerable non-profit that provides housing for the needy, couldnt support the bill because it wanted its three halfway houses funded. So its aggressive lobbying forced the Assembly to shelve the bill on August 27. As a result, 3,000 candidates eligible for release are staying in this weekend. For the record, none of those 3,000 will use VOA halfway houses upon their release. There is daylight, however: The VOA says it will support the bill once funding is restored, and Legislative leaders expect the $12 million to be in the final version of the budget. Speaker Craig Coughlin has essentially guaranteed it, confirming that he will put the bill up for a vote when his chamber convenes on Sept. 24. But by the time it recirculates through the Senate and reaches Murphys desk, however, a month will have passed. We should use the interim to review what we have learned. Its unclear whether Hicks is constrained by appalling indifference or startling incompetence, but were grateful that the Legislature was exasperated enough to seize control of this process last week... https://t.co/qtjpTjt5GP Jennifer Sellitti (@j_sellitti) August 6, 2020 Many advocates, such as Pastor Amos Caley of NJ Prison Justice Watch, are still fuming over the delay and points the finger at VOA: It is unconscionable for any organization that purports to serve people who are coming out of prison to say, Were underfunded, so keep everyone inside, Caley said. Especially during a pandemic. But the state can do its own soul searching, and we had a preview of an edifying exchange during budget hearings Thursday, when Sen. Troy Singleton challenged Department of Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks with this question: Why must the DOC maintain 15 facilities and a $1.1 billion budget, when it is dropping its prison population from 18,000 to fewer than 15,000? Hicks had no answer. Then he asked whether it would be easier to fund reentry programs if the DOC didnt spend $90 million on overtime pay for corrections officers the last two years. Again, no good answer. But good questions, and they reinforce doubts about Hicks' core competence. To this day, he has only released 329 inmates (out of 3,000 eligibles) since Gov. Murphy gave him the green light on April 10. Coronavirus has killed dozens in state prisons. How N.J. failed to stop it. https://t.co/fpnl4mn8mu pic.twitter.com/Z0LahuCDrW njdotcom (@njdotcom) May 13, 2020 Gov. Jim McGreevey, whose NJ Reentry Corporation serves 8,000 former inmates on a shoestring, put it this way: Were all fighting over scraps from Lazaruss table, while the DOC is groaning under the weight of bricks and mortar, he said. We need to thoughtfully design a mechanism toward more community-based services. The brick-and-mortar now groans with despair and foreboding. The virality of this disease in confined spaces is lethal: Prisoners are 5.5 times more likely to get coronavirus and three times more likely to die from it, according to Johns Hopkins. This has gone on long enough. Let them out, and then build a smarter system. I get New Jersey is broke, but this is just wrong. It's pennies. It's the back end of criminal justice reform, a crucial piece.https://t.co/VWDN8HMYrm tom moran (@tomamoran) June 28, 2020 Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. 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. The cost of renting a double room in Dublin continues to rise (Brian Lawless/PA) There is huge unmet demand for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) across Irelands four major cities, an economist has said. Ronan Lyons, assistant professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin, said that the 19,000 units available in Dublin fall well short of the 26,000 needed this year. The Student Housing report, published by property website Daft.ie, also shows that the cost of student accommodation in Dublin either for a single or double room, or for an entire property has stayed largely unchanged. Meanwhile, rents elsewhere in the country are on average up slightly compared with a year ago. Mr Lyons said the picture reflects not short-term disruption due to Covid-19 but a long-term mismatch between supply and demand. The cost of renting a double room in Dublin continues to rise and now tops 800 euro per month. Outside Dublin, in the rest of Leinster, room rates are up year on year, with a single room available for 350 euro in west Leinster. Nationally, rents for full properties rose by 1.2% in the year to July but were largely unchanged in Dublin city, rising by just 0.2%. The cost of renting a room in Munster, Connacht and Ulster has risen, on average, over the last year, with Munster seeing 4% increases and Connacht-Ulster seeing double-digit increases. The average monthly cost of a room varies from just over 300 euro per month for a single room in Connacht outside Galway city to 600 euro for a double-room in Cork city centre. Countrywide, the current shortfall is estimated to be close to 19,000 and without more projects coming into the pipeline in coming years, it will grow to 23,000 Ronan Lyons, economist Mr Lyons said that students still drive seasonality in the rental market. This year, students face largely unchanged rents compared to a year ago. If you had offered this to students last year or the year before, they would have happily taken this rents have risen every year since 2012 in some parts of the country, he added. This year, though, it would have seemed reasonable to think that students might have been able to derive some small benefit from the Covid-19 economic crisis. With unemployment soaring, surely rents should be falling? It seems that rents are, for the moment, stuck where they are either due to the hopefully temporary nature of the unemployment shock or perhaps more likely due to the nature of the Rent Pressure Zone rules, which punish landlords that cut their rents to fill the tenancy. He added that there is demand for PBSA in Cork, Galway and Limerick. The three cities combined are similar in scale to Dublin, in terms of current need and the shortfall, Mr Lyons continued. Countrywide, the current shortfall is estimated to be close to 19,000 and without more projects coming into the pipeline in coming years, it will grow to 23,000. More than 2,000 farmers from 20 villages in Hisar held a mahapanchayat at Balsamand village on Monday seeking special girdawari for damaged crops including cotton, bajra and moong. Kurdaram Nambardar, a farmer leader, said they have been demanding compensation for almost all Kharif crops, which have been damaged due to scanty rainfall, whitefly attacks and other diseases, since the last 10 days. We had launched a dharna after revenue officials showed only 10% damage to the cotton crop by whitefly in 20 villages, which was a false report. We want a written assurance from Hisar deputy commissioner Priyanka Soni that she will initiate a special girdawari. If not, then we will intensify our stir, he said. Meham MLA extends support Independent MLA from Meham, Balraj Kundu, reached the dharna site and extended support to the agitating farmers. Kundu said the government is reluctant to solve the issues of farmers and asked them to snatch their rights from the blind and deaf government. I condemn the use of force by police on farmers at the Pipli rally on the state governments direction. The BJP-JJP government is anti-farmers and have brought three ordinances from back door. This government wants to give your lands to private players and destroy farming, he added. He also urged the farmers to ban the entry of BJP leaders in their respective villages. The BJP leaders had promised to implement the Swaminathan commission report six years ago but they failed to do so. After the Pipli attack, it is now time to restrict the entry of BJP leaders in the villages, Kundu said. Farmers in several parts of Bhiwani district have also been holding protests seeking special girdawari for damaged crops. By Kim Ae-ran How are we to serve and act in a world wounded by the COVID-19 pandemic? How are we to overcome the problems before us and survive together in this critical period? "Serving a wounded world in interreligious solidarity" co-published in August 2020, by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) is a joint ecumenical appeal to all Christians, including the young and people of all beliefs, to reflect and act during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This short document in 24 pages poses a question: "What does it mean for Christians to love and serve our fellow human beings in a world in which the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted widespread suffering?" And it invites us to regard the current crisis as an opportunity to discover new forms of solidarity in five parts: the current crisis, solidarity sustained by hope, the basis for interreligious solidarity, principles, and recommendations. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is a good example to ponder on the meaning of service and solidarity. "Whom are we called to love and care for?" The Good Samaritan invites us to reflect on the need to transcend boundaries, religious prejudice, and cultural biases in our service to the suffering. The current crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic has a grave impact on the global community with much despair, anxiety, and insecurity. The whole of humanity, rich or poor, the elderly or children and especially the sick are gravely wounded by the coronavirus. Healthcare workers, many kind-hearted Christians, and people of goodwill have collaborated with compassion and solidarity. In this way, we are called to work together and collaborate with others with goodwill to fulfill our hope and dream for a better world of justice and peace. This document shares the basis for interreligious solidarity in our belief in God as follows: First, all human beings are creatures of the One God with a plan for all. We are sisters and brothers, connected by love and we are responsible for one another. Second, our trust and hope are in Jesus Christ who heals by His wounds, love, compassion, and mercy. Third, we see Christ in the wounded man by the wayside. In the suffering of people, we encounter the face of the suffering Christ. Fourth, we are connected by the work of the Holy Spirit when we are in solidarity with others. It is the Spirit that sends us out into the world to be the good news in it and to be the hands of Christ caring for all who suffer. The common principles in walking the path of solidarity are highlighted as humility and vulnerability, respect for each individual, community and compassion and the common good, dialogue and mutual learning, repentance and renewal, gratitude and generosity, and love. We are all called to live God's love. All Christians are invited to serve others based on several recommendations: find ways of bearing witness to suffering; promote a culture of inclusiveness which celebrates difference as God's gift; nurture solidarity through spirituality, widen the formation of the clergy, religious communities, laypeople and pastoral workers; engage and support young people; create space for dialogues; and restructure projects that promote interreligious solidarity. "Be through my lips to unawaken'd Earth/ The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,/ If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" (Percy Bysshe Shelley). The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr. China issued new rules on Sunday to regulate financial holding companies, in its latest move to prevent systematic risks to the nations vast financial sector. The new rules were set to stem loopholes in supervision and regulation systems, as a small number of companies expanded blindly into the financial sector without isolation mechanisms and while accumulating risks, the central bank Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement. To be licensed as financial holding firms, companies must have at least 5 billion yuan ($731.74 million) in capital, according to the rules. The rules also set requirements in total assets that financial holding firms can manage. Companies that hold banking assets will need to have at least 500 billion yuan in total assets, and those that do not hold banking assets should have at least 100 billion yuan in assets. In 2018, the central bank put five financial holding companies, including fintech giant Ant Financial, retail conglomerate Suning.com and state-owned China Merchants Group, in a pilot scheme to test their ability to manage risks. Jack Mas Ant Financial, now renamed Ant Group, is seeking dual listings in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The regulation will take effect on November 1, 2020, and will give companies a one year grace period to comply with the rules. ($1 = 6.8330 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Leng Cheng, Hallie Gu and Ryan Woo Editing by Alexandra Hudson) Photo: Beijing, China. Topics China It took only a few days for COVID-19 to enter a school in Haldimand-Norfolk. Classes started at Walpole North Elementary School near Hagersville on Thursday, and by Sunday night the health unit confirmed a positive case at the school. The health unit and the school are not saying whether the affected person is a student or staff member. I cant really comment any more on the specifics of this case because of privacy reasons, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Haldimand-Norfolks chief medical officer of health, said Monday, citing the need for privacy in the small, rural community. The provinces database distinguishes between staff and students when reporting COVID cases, but the case at Walpole North was not included in the Monday morning online update. Nesathurai said the exposure happened on Friday, and 12 students and two staff are currently in self-isolation. In an email to students, staff and families late Sunday, principal Randy Ongena said the COVID-positive person and everyone in their household will self-isolate for 14 days. Ongena said the school provided the health unit with class lists and seating charts, as well as information about busing, to aid in identifying the persons close contacts. Contact management is just not identifying the individuals who may ultimately get sick, but also following up with them to make sure they maintain their self-isolation, Nesathurai said. To that extent, contact management has been initiated and is continuing. School custodians disinfected the school over the weekend and classes resumed Monday. Walpole North staff will work with students and families to ensure learning continues for those who are self-isolating, Ongena said. Those now self-isolating will have to pass the provinces COVID-19 self-assessment tool before they can return to class. There are now 21 known cases of COVID-19 in Haldimand-Norfolk, with three added over the weekend. According to the provincial database, a child at the McKinnon Park Child Care Centre in Caledonia tested positive, though it is not known when that exposure happened. Nesathurai said that with schools reopening, it is not entirely unexpected that we would see more cases, adding that he is concerned about the health units ability to track and manage contacts and should the case count continue to rise. It is something that weighs on my mind. Contact tracing is very resource-intense from a human resource perspective. Thats one of the reasons we work very hard to contain cases, he said. I am concerned about that if we get a large wave of cases all at one time that will saturate our ability to do contact tracing. In total, there have been 485 lab-confirmed COVID cases in Haldimand-Norfolk, with 32 deaths and 432 patients having recovered. Positive test at Burlington school A student at Brant Hills Public School in Burlington has COVID-19. The Halton District School Board confirmed its first case of the virus five days after classes started. There is an exposure risk related to this case and a small cohort of high-risk close contacts has been identified by Halton Region Public Health, Brant Hill principal Drew Donaldson told families in an email on Sunday. Donaldson said the school has been disinfected and staff will work with the affected families to make sure students who are self-isolating can continue their studies remotely. J.P. Antonacci s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk. Read more about: We feel now is a pretty good time to analyse Allegiance Coal Limited's (ASX:AHQ) business as it appears the company may be on the cusp of a considerable accomplishment. Allegiance Coal Limited engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of coal tenements. The AU$43m market-cap company announced a latest loss of AU$9.2m on 30 June 2020 for its most recent financial year result. Many investors are wondering about the rate at which Allegiance Coal will turn a profit, with the big question being when will the company breakeven? Below we will provide a high-level summary of the industry analysts expectations for the company. See our latest analysis for Allegiance Coal Expectations from some of the Australian Metals and Mining analysts is that Allegiance Coal is on the verge of breakeven. They expect the company to post a final loss in 2020, before turning a profit of AU$13m in 2021. Therefore, the company is expected to breakeven roughly 12 months from now or less. How fast will the company have to grow to reach the consensus forecasts that anticipate breakeven by 2021? Working backwards from analyst estimates, it turns out that they expect the company to grow 110% year-on-year, on average, which is extremely buoyant. Should the business grow at a slower rate, it will become profitable at a later date than expected. We're not going to go through company-specific developments for Allegiance Coal given that this is a high-level summary, though, take into account that typically a metal and mining business has lumpy cash flows which are contingent on the natural resource mined and stage at which the company is operating. So, a high growth rate is not out of the ordinary, particularly when a company is in a period of investment. Before we wrap up, theres one aspect worth mentioning. The company has managed its capital judiciously, with debt making up 28% of equity. This means that it has predominantly funded its operations from equity capital, and its low debt obligation reduces the risk around investing in the loss-making company. Story continues Next Steps: There are too many aspects of Allegiance Coal to cover in one brief article, but the key fundamentals for the company can all be found in one place Allegiance Coal's company page on Simply Wall St. We've also put together a list of essential aspects you should further research: Historical Track Record: What has Allegiance Coal's performance been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on Allegiance Coal's board and the CEOs background. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks 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. Photo: pixabay A new study says more Canadian university and college students who identify as women were sexually assaulted in a postsecondary setting over a year than those who identify as men, with the majority of sexual assaults perpetrated by other students. Data released today by Statistics Canada show 11 per cent of students who identify as women were sexually assaulted in a college or university setting in the year before the survey, compared with four per cent of those who identify as men. The study says sexual assaults in the post-secondary setting during that period most often took the form of unwanted sexual touching, which accounted for 86 per cent of incidents for women and 83 per cent for men. It says other students were behind the sexual assaults in similar proportions for women and men -- 60 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively. The data show students also carried out the majority of other unwanted sexualized behaviours such as catcalls and unwelcome physical contact, with 80 per cent of women and 86 per cent of men who experienced such behaviours saying their peers were behind the incidents. The study says relatively few students reported that a person in a position of authority, such as a professor, engaged in such conduct, but it was more common for women who had experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours than men. The study notes that while the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a shift to online learning over in-person classes, the data provide "important insight" for schools on how to better prevent and address such behaviours in post-secondary institutions. "People who experience unwanted sexualized behaviours can feel disrespected, uncomfortable and unsafe, and this type of victimization can have immediate and long-term impacts on well-being and mental health," the study says. Seventy-one per cent of post-secondary students said they witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours involving students or other people associated with the school either on or off campus or online, though more women were on the receiving end than men. Forty-five per cent of women reported personally experiencing such behaviours, which include inappropriate communications and suggested sexual relations, compared with 32 per cent of men, according to the survey. Women were more likely than men to view unwanted sexualized behaviours as offensive, though some, such as taking or posting inappropriate photos of any student without consent, were seen as offensive by large proportions of both women and men. Forty per cent of male students agreed or strongly agreed that "people get too offended by sexual comments, jokes or gestures," nearly double the proportion of female students who shared that view, the study showed. More than half of women and just over 40 per cent of men said they had intervened at least once when witnessing unwanted sexual behaviours, though more than 90 per cent overall said there was at least one instance where they did not step in. Women were more likely to report that they didn't intervene because they felt uncomfortable, with 48 per cent citing that reason compared with 25 per cent of men. More women also said they feared negative consequences -- 28 per cent compared with 18 per cent of men -- or were worried for their safety -- 18 per cent compared with eight per cent of men. More women who experienced unwanted sexual behaviours in a college or university setting also reported they felt fearful as a result, with 23 per cent of women and four per cent of men saying that was the case. But few students who experienced unwanted sexual behaviours or were sexually assaulted said they discussed it with someone associated with the school. Nine per cent of women and four per cent of men who experienced unwanted sexual behaviours said they disclosed what happened to someone at the school; eight per cent of women and six per cent of men who were sexually assaulted did so, the study says. Three per cent of women who were sexually assaulted in a college or university setting said they reported an incident to police. While the survey found most students expressed positive views about their school's policies and procedures on sexual assaults and unwanted sexual behaviours, students who had experienced those things generally had more negative opinions on school policies than those who hadn't. (Images courtesy of KCET) KCET, Southern California's home for award-winning original public media programming, and Link TV, the national independent non-commercial satellite television network, announced today details regarding the local and national premiere dates for the upcoming 90-minute documentary The New West and the Politics of the Environment which explores how iconic Nevada Senator Harry Reid set the foundations for a green new deal in the state using power in new ways to settle water wars with respect for Native Americans, protect endangered species and usher in a just transition to renewable energy. The New West and the Politics of the Environment is partially funded and produced by the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA. Details for a virtual screening event in collaboration with Vegas PBS and UNLVs William S. Boyd School of Law were also announced (see below). The feature-length documentary, The New West and the Politics of the Environment will premiere in Southern California on Tues. Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. PT on KCET and Thurs. Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal. National airdates kick off Wed., Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV nationwide (DirecTV 375 and DISH Network 9410)) as well as on Sun., Oct. 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET on WORLD Channel. A special airing in the Las Vegas region will take place on Mon. Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. on KLVX (Vegas PBS) in Las Vegas. In this special 90-minute documentary from EARTH FOCUS, the story of the new American West is told through the eyes of legendary Nevada Senator Harry Reid, as he forged allegiances between unlikely allies and crafted policy to grow the economy of his home state while protecting its wilderness and in the process, redefined the future of the West. As a Congressman and Senator, Reid created Nevadas first national park and protected more than 4 million acres of wilderness. He brokered historic pacts to end water wars on the Truckee and Carson Rivers that reframed water in the West, as well as set in place new agreements at Lake Tahoe and other signal public lands and water deals. He also sparked a renewable energy revolution in the Southwest. He accomplished all of this while often getting re-elected by slim margins. Reid has been the architect of a Western strategy built on a pragmatic approach to environmental politics that was about getting things done across the aisle. While focusing on his passionate connection to the environment in a state not known as a bastion of green thinking, let alone politics, the documentary explores the political savvy and strategy that enabled Reids extraordinary accomplishments, and points the way forward for a pragmatic environmental politics in the American West. Senator Reid will take part in a special virtual screening premiere and Q&A session on Tues., Sept. 22 from 4 - 5 p.m. PT, ahead of the The New West and the Politics of the Environment airdate. The event will be hosted by Tom Axtell (General Manager of Vegas PBS) and will feature panelists Juan Devis (KCET/Link TV Chief Creative Officer), Joe Ely (Stetson Engineers Director of Indian Project Development), Mauricia Baca (Get Outdoors Nevada Executive Director). The panel will be moderated by the documentarys executive producer Jon Christensen, UCLA Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. A special introduction will be given by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. To register for the virtual event, please visit: TheNewWest.eventbrite.com. The new documentary The New West and the Politics of the Environment is part of a programming lineup focused on politics this election season, where PBS SoCal and KCET explore the past, present and future of democracy. KCET and PBS SoCal are committed to bringing viewers a broad array of initiatives as part of a VOTE 2020 campaign, with both national and locally-produced programming, online content (including the always popular Props in a Minute) and virtual local events focused on this election cycle. Programming includes NewsHour's unbiased coverage of the conventions and the debates, FRONTLINE's investigative reports on the candidates and Washington Week's analysis, as well as all-new KCET original documentaries that spotlight California's changing population, values and social movements. Local election coverage both on-air and online deciphers the issues that viewers will find on the ballot and how they will impact the city and state. Finally, a partnership has been formed this year with the nonpartisan organization I Am A Voter to highlight the civic responsibility of voting. For more election-related content and news articles go to kcet.org/vote2020 and pbssocal.org/vote2020 Join the conversation on social media using #EarthFocus and #TheNewWest ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EARTH FOCUS is supported by generous institutional funders. The EARTH FOCUS series was created by Raisa Scriabine. ABOUT EARTH FOCUS EARTH FOCUS is an environmental multimedia news magazine featuring investigative reporting, in-depth stories, features and profiles about the people, places and species affected by our changing environment, and the tools we have to understand, mitigate, and adapt to that change. EARTH FOCUS is the longest running environmental series on American TV. In production since 2006, the series features in-depth reports on key issues such as endangered species, climate change, environmental health and sustainable practices, with a library of more than 60 episodes, 35 of which are currently broadcast on KCET, PBS SoCal and Link TV. In 2018, KCET relaunched EARTH FOCUS with a new format and a fresh approach focusing on urban biodiversity, transnational migration, endangered species, the impact of climate change and other key environmental threats, as well as energy alternatives and cleantech innovation. The new season of EARTH FOCUS is in partnership with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA and the Thomson Reuters Foundation. ABOUT KCET On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community platforms and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, Samsung devices, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps. KCET is a content channel of the Public Media Group of Southern California. ABOUT LINK TV Founded in 1999, Link TV is an independent viewer-supported media organization dedicated to providing programs that engage and inform its audiences with unique perspectives, and empower them to become involved in the world. Reaching more than 31 million U.S. satellite households nationally (DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410), Link TV connects American viewers with people at the heart of breaking events, organizations at the forefront of social change and the vibrant cultures of an increasingly global community. Select programming from Link TV is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube and Roku platforms. For additional information about Link TV productions, web-exclusive content and program schedules, please visit linktv.org. ABOUT THE THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. As an independent charity, registered in the UK and the USA, we work to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights. Through news, media development, free legal assistance and convening initiatives, we combine our unique services to drive systemic change. ABOUT THE LABORATORY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVE STRATEGIES AT UCLA The Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) is an incubator for new research and collaboration on storytelling, communications, and media. LENS begins with the idea that the environmental, sustainability, and justice challenges that we face are as much cultural and political as they are scientific and technological. At LENS, scholars investigate environmental stories across cultures and contexts, research the impact of environmental media and communications, teach multimedia storytelling, and collaborate to create new environmental narratives. The Illinois attorney general files suit against e-cigarette maker Juice Man on Sept. 10, alleging deceptive marketing practices aimed at enticing youth. The move follows a similar Illinois complaint filed in December against Juul, the nations biggest e-cigarette maker. Juice Man, based in Dana Point, California, focused on children and teens with flavors like cotton candy and through social media advertising using cartoons and giveaways. The company also misled consumers on the amount of nicotine in its products, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the lawsuit caps an investigation and is timely as COVID-19 can cause severe breathing problems. Those who vape and who have potentially done damage to their lungs render themselves more vulnerable to a pandemic, Raoul, who has recovered from COVID-19, told The Associated Press. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and to end the alleged deceptive practices. The use of e-cigarettes among youth has grown in recent years. In 2018, roughly 27% of Illinois high school seniors reported using an e-cigarette within the last month, up from 18% in 2016, according to state data cited in the lawsuit. The company didnt immediately respond to an email. A person answering a company number declined comment. North Carolinas attorney general filed a lawsuit against Juice Man last year. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Illinois LOD, Israel An Israeli settler was sentenced Monday to three life terms in prison plus 20 years for killing a Palestinian couple and their young son in a firebomb attack on their home in July 2015. The attack on the Dawabsheh family in the northern West Bank village of Duma horrified Palestinians, who have long denounced what they see as Israels lax attitude toward settler violence. But the gruesome nature of the killings shocked people on both sides of the divide, and drew condemnation from Israeli leaders as well. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an act of terrorism. In addition to the prison sentence, a three-judge panel at the Lod District Court in central Israel ordered the settler, Amiram Ben-Uliel, 26, to pay members of the Dawabsheh family $288,893 in compensation within 90 days. The defendant is particularly concerned about 'the tendency of prosecutors to use competency evaluations as Trojan horses for their own penalty phase preparation in death penalty cases,' Forgey said. But the judge went on to stress that rules exist in Wyoming to make competency evaluations fair, including that the evaluator will be selected by the Wyoming State Hospital, an agency independent of the district attorneys office. In this case, the defendant has counsel who are aware of the impending evaluation in its scope, and the defendant will have the opportunity to consult his counsel regarding the evaluation, Forgey said during a 10-minute virtual hearing. Eatons evaluation will be conducted in person and outside the Wyoming State Hospital, Forgey said. Eaton is currently being held at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington. CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- North Park University (North Park) jumped 22 spots in the 2021 Midwest regional rankings, U.S. News & World Report announced today. The nearly 3,000 student campus community on Chicago's near northside with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio moved from 61 up to 39 this year out of 87 schools. In the sum of its three distinct attributes Christian, city-centered and thoroughly intercultural North Park finds its unique value, its competitive advantage, and its opportunity to continue this upward trajectory and emerge as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America. The 2021 U.S. News & World Report Midwest regional rankings also measured: Campus Ethnic Diversity, Social Mobility, and Best Undergraduate Teaching. Campus Ethnic Diversity North Park tied for third most diverse institution in the region. "North Park is a thoroughly intercultural institution fully committed to the success of every student," said North Park President Mary K. Surridge, "and we were encouraged to recently be named a Hispanic Serving Institution." The University's Office of Diversity and Intercultural Life helps students of all backgrounds feel welcome and included. "Cultural clubs, student success programming, and advocacy are just a few ways we support students in our missional commitment to prepare them for lives of significance and service," Surridge said. College-bound students who seek a diverse environment will appreciate North Park's thoroughly intercultural campus. Social Mobility North Park ranked 14th out of 87 in Social Mobility as measured by graduated students who received federal Pell grants. "North Park's active recruitment of promising Pell eligible students compels our responsibility to support them in achieving their goals, preparing them to contribute to their families, the workforce, and their faith communities," Surridge said. Best Undergraduate Teaching North Park was one of only 17 schools recognized for Best Undergraduate Teaching, based on responses to a 2020 U.S. News peer assessment survey of college presidents, provosts, and admissions' deans. "At North Park, our talented and committed faculty embrace the extraordinary opportunity to educate a thoroughly intercultural student population, in the world-class city of Chicago, at a University deeply rooted in the Christian faith," Surridge said. ABOUT NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America. SOURCE North Park University Related Links http://www.northpark.edu Lugano, Switzerland, 14 September 2020 - Delays and cancellation of cancer treatments and other safety measures undertaken to minimise the risk of exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19) have generated a huge backlog in oncology care and research. The threat of delayed diagnoses looms while oncology professionals face burnout, according to new studies discussed at the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020. But is only COVID-19 to blame? "Whether the risk for dark statistics is real or not will only become evident in the future when more robust results from real-world studies and registries are available," said Dr Stefan Zimmermann, ESMO Press Officer, at the congress opening press conference. "For now, it is legitimate to ask ourselves if there are other factors beyond COVID-19 that currently put strain on oncology as the pandemic has also revealed some weaknesses in how cancer care is resourced and organised," he added. Prior to the pandemic, Europe's cancer burden was estimated by the ECIS - European Cancer Information System (1) to reach 2.7 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths in 2020. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has placed unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems around the world. A study (2) to be presented at the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 highlights the extent to which COVID-19 has challenged the organisation and delivery of cancer care. Responses were obtained from oncology centres in 18 countries. Overall, 60.9% reported that clinical activity was reduced at the peak of the pandemic, while nearly two-thirds (64.2%) cited under-treatment as a major concern and 37% expected to see significant reductions in clinical trials this year. Study author Dr Guy Jerusalem, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart Tilman, Belgium, said: "COVID-19 has had a major impact on the organisation of patient care, on the wellbeing of caregivers and clinical trial activities. There is a risk that the diagnosis of new cancer cases will be delayed and that more patients will be diagnosed at a later stage of their disease." The data also revealed that the cancer treatments most likely to have been cancelled or delayed were surgery (in 44.1% of centres), chemotherapy (25.7%) and radiotherapy (13.7%), while an earlier end to palliative care was observed in 32.1% of centres. The impact of COVID-19 on patient care worldwide is also highlighted in another study (3) which gathered data from 356 cancer centres across 54 countries during April 2020. The vast majority (88%) reported facing challenges in providing care during the pandemic, with 54% and 45% reporting cases of coronavirus among their patients and staff, respectively. And while half (55%) reduced services pre-emptively, others were forced to do so after being overwhelmed by the situation (20%) or following a shortage of personal protective equipment (19%), staff (18%) and medicines (9.8%). As a result, 46% of centres reported that more than one in 10 patients missed at least one cycle of treatment, with some estimating that up to 80% of patients were exposed to some harm. To continue providing treatment to patients throughout the pandemic, most centres (83.6%) adapted, by implementing virtual clinics and virtual tumour boards (93%), with more than half of respondents suggesting that both will continue beyond the pandemic (55.5% and 60%, respectively). Centres also performed routine tests in laboratories close to patients' homes (76%) and shipped medication to patients (68%) so that treatment could continue. Study author Dr Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said: "The detrimental impact of COVID-19 on cancer care is widespread, with varying magnitude among centres worldwide. The pandemic has impacted healthcare systems globally, interrupting care and exposing cancer patients to significant risks of being harmed." "Even before the pandemic, pressure on healthcare professionals and systems was mounting as a result of the growing cancer burden in Europe and globally," said Dr Rosa Giuliani, ESMO Director of Public Policy. "A harmonised EU action that provides comparable cancer burden indicators across European countries is extremely important. In this context, the JRC-IARC scientific collaboration has resulted in the computation of up-to-date figures for 2020 new cancer occurrences and cancer deaths. These numbers help to support the development of national policies, tackling the rising burden of cancer with prevention measures as well as with the provision of the necessary resources." Cancer patients are not the only ones at risk. The results of two online surveys undertaken by the ESMO Resilience Task Force in May 2020 (4) - the largest ever COVID-19 survey of the oncology workforce - reveals the impact of the pandemic on oncology professionals. The first survey showed that more than one-third (38%) experienced feelings of burnout and 25% were at risk of distress, while two-thirds (66%) said they were unable to perform their duties as well as they could prior to the pandemic. This survey, involving 1,520 participants from 101 countries, also found that levels of wellbeing and job performance declined as national COVID-19 mortality rates rose. A follow-up online survey undertaken in July-August 2020 showed that while job performance had improved compared to the first study, indicating early signals of taking control of the emergency, both wellbeing and burnout rates had worsened. The main factors associated with distress and burnout were increased working hours, feeling worried about wellbeing, less resilience and oncologists' concerns about training and career. "The ESMO Resilience Task Force surveys indicate that COVID-19 is having an impact on wellbeing, burnout and job performance," said Dr Susana Banerjee, ESMO Director of Membership, lead author of the surveys. "As an oncology community, we must work collaboratively, individuals and organisations, to ensure that resources are used in the best way possible to support oncology professionals and make sure that ?distress and burnout do not increase. The ESMO Resilience Task Force will look into developing more specific interventions so that we can further help and support oncology professionals during and beyond the pandemic." Dr Giuseppe Curigliano, ESMO Guidelines Committee Chair, added: "ESMO has responded quickly to the crisis brought by the pandemic, developing a series of specific recommendations across different diseases, to guide oncologists in providing cancer care under unprecedented circumstances. (5) It is now crucial to avoid delays to any treatment which could impact survival by re-allocating resources to cancer patients and continuing to deliver the best possible treatment." ### Notes to Editors The recording of the ESMO 2020 Opening Press Conference can be viewed online using the passcode: ESMO_PC_2020 The shadow of dark statistics in cancer: is COVID-19 the only one to be blamed? Moderator: Stefan Zimmermann, CHUV - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland - ESMO Press Officer Panellists: Solange Peters, CHUV - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland - ESMO President John Haanen, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands - ESMO 2020 Scientific Chair Rosa Giuliani, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, UK - ESMO Director for Public Policy Pilar Garrido, Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Spain - ESMO Women for Oncology Committee Chair Giuseppe Curigliano, IEO - Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Italy - ESMO Guidelines Committee Chair Manola Bettio, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Italy Guy Jerusalem, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart Tilman, Belgium Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Susana Banerjee, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK References (1) Measuring cancer burden and its time trends across Europe: https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ Abstract 1581O "Estimation of European cancer burden for the year 2020" will be presented by Tadeusz Dyba during the Proffered paper session "Public policy" on Monday, 21 September 2020, 14:25-16:05. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (2) LBA76 "Expected medium and long term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in Oncology" will be presented by Guy Jerusalem during the Mini Oral session "SARS-CoV-2 and cancer" available on demand as of Friday 18 September at 09:00 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (3) Abstract 1678P "The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care: A Global Collaborative Study" by Abdul-Rahman Jazieh will be available as e-poster on demand as of Thursday, 17 September at 09:00 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (4) LBA70 "The Impact of COVID-19 on Oncology Professionals: Initial Results of The ESMO Resilience Task Force Survey Collaboration" will be presented by Susana Banerjee in the Proffered paper session "SARS-CoV-2 and cancer" on Saturday, 19 September 2020, 14:25-16:05. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (5) Cancer patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/cancer-patient-management-during-the-covid-19-pandemic About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. http://www.esmo.org New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha will elect its Deputy Chairman today (September 14) which is the first day of the Monsoon session. NDA`s Harivansh Narayan Singh and RJD`s Manoj Jha are in the fray for the post. For the ruling National Democratic Alliance, BJP chief JP Nadda will move the first motion in support of Harivansh Narayan Singh while Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad will move the first motion for Manoj Jha, and voting may take place if required. Rajya Sabha MP Harivansh filed the nomination for the post on Wednesday (September 9) as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate. Harivansh has been widely appreciated, across the party lines, for running the Rajya Sabha for the last two years. Also Read: Parliament's Monsoon session begins today, 18 sittings to be conducted till October 1 On the other hand, RJD MP Manoj Jha on Thursday submitted his nomination as the Oppositions joint candidate for the post. He later wrote to his fellow parliamentarians and asked them to stand up and be counted in front of the people of the country. The last date for filing the nomination was September 11. The upper house of Parliament will also pay condolence to former President Pranab Mukherjee and 18 sitting and former MPs, including Amar Singh. The government will introduce four ordinances as bills. This is the first parliament session after the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Therefore all safety measures have been taken to conduct the session to ensure no health risk to parliamentarians and staff. This move to carbon neutrality eliminates the organization's 800,000-ton annual carbon footprint, the equivalent of taking 175,000 cars off the road. The U.S. health care industry overall is responsible for roughly 10 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. "As wildfires rage across the Western U.S., we can all see that the health impacts of climate change are not abstract or far in the future they are here today, and they disproportionately impact the most vulnerable among us," said Greg A. Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. "We must recognize, for example, that the pollution that leads to respiratory illnesses and is linked to higher mortality rates from COVID-19, disproportionately impacts Black and low-income communities. In order to create a healthier, more sustainable path forward, we must address the inseparable issues of climate and human health as one." Climate change causes many conditions that drive poor health, including damaging extreme weather events such as wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts, increased rates of asthma and respiratory diseases, and the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and Zika virus. "As physicians, climate change is absolutely in our lane let's educate ourselves, our patients, and our communities," said Imelda Dacones, MD, president and CEO of Northwest Permanente Medical Group. "As a world, we will develop vaccines and effective medicines to treat the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change, on the other hand, is a public health crisis where there will be no point of return if we don't act today." Certified by the CarbonNeutral Protocol, the milestone comes as Kaiser Permanente has for decades embraced renewable energy and embedded sustainable practices throughout its business operations. The certification applies to its Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from sources it owns or controls) and Scope 2 emissions (emissions attributable to the electricity it consumes), as well as select Scope 3 emissions (emissions from sources it does not directly own or control), including corporate travel. In order to reach this milestone, Kaiser Permanente first improved energy efficiency in its buildings, installed on-site solar power, and made long-term purchases of new renewable energy generation. Kaiser Permanente then invested in carbon offsets to counter the currently unavoidable emissions from the natural gas power that heats and cools its hospitals. The carbon offsets were chosen for their strong health benefits. One project funds clay pot water filters in Guatemala that avoid burning wood or gas to boil water, and also reduce fatal childhood waterborne diseases. Another project prevents Indonesian peatland from conversion into high-pollution palm oil production while funding a floating health clinic for riverside communities. "We are proud of this accomplishment, but the urgency and scale of climate change require even greater and more widespread innovation," said Rame Hemstreet, vice president of operations for Kaiser Permanente's National Facilities Services, and chief energy officer. "As we set our sights on new goals, we hope our example inspires others in our industry to do the same." Looking forward, Kaiser Permanente will expand its focus by reducing its Scope 3 footprint, including its supply chain. The organization will identify a Science-Based Target for additional emissions reductions in 2021. "To have the necessary impact on the health of our climate and communities, we must continue to set and achieve bold, audacious environmental goals," said Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente. "We must commit to doing the difficult work of decarbonizing our supply chain to greatly broaden our contribution to a carbon-free economy." About Kaiser Permanente For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente's mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, contact: Hilary Costa, [email protected] (510) 406-6654 SOURCE Kaiser Permanente Related Links http://www.kaiserpermanente.org Sushil Kumar won Rs 5 crore in the fifth season of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. He is among the biggest winners of the show but says that his life post KBC win has been nothing but full of trials and tribulations. In a detailed Facebook post, Kumar talked about the worst times of his life after winning KBC when he did not know what to do. In this post titled 'Worst time of my life after winning KBC', Kumar talked about getting addicted to alcohol and smoking, getting duped, relationships within his family getting ruined and making some really bad decisions. In this post, Kumar says that right after his win at KBC, he was asked to appear for various functions and events in Bihar for ten to fifteen days in a month, due to which his education took a backseat. Because of the keen interest of the media in his life, he made investments in some businesses just so that he could answer the journalists. Most of these business ventures, however, turned out to be flops. Following this incident, he became a philanthropist and donated approximately Rs 50,000 only to realise that he is being duped. He also talked about how he became obsessed with movies and would spend hours on his laptop watching films. This inspired Kumar to become a filmmaker. Kumar arrived in Mumbai with the hopes of becoming a filmmaker but was advised to work on TV soaps instead. He would watch films and smoke cigarettes the entire day. "Staying in all day and reading about things made me take an unbiased look at myself and I realized that I didn't come to Mumbai to become a filmmaker but to run away from my own self. The true happiness is in doing what your heart wants to do. You can never calm down my ego. It's a thousand times better to be a good human than a famous one." BANGALORE, India, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Major factors driving the Smart Manufacturing Market size include the increasing adoption of Industry 4.0, increased focus on industrial automation in manufacturing processes, increased government participation in promoting industrial automation, increased emphasis on regulatory enforcement, growing supply chain complexities, and increased demand for time and cost-effective software systems. The Global Smart Manufacturing Market is expected to grow from USD 157,289.47 Million in 2019 to USD 314,839.98 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.26%. Get Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Smart Manufacturing Market: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/360I-Auto-2H346/The_Global_Smart_Manufacturing TRENDS INFLUENCING THE SMART MANUFACTURING MARKET SIZE Government policies and investments to encourage smart manufacturing adoption are expected to increase the smart manufacturing market size during the forecast period. The implementation of international standards on environmental management systems has developed considerably. This also forces manufacturers to invest in energy-saving strategies, thereby fuelling the smart manufacturing market size. Although cost reduction and industrial intelligence are the primary goals of industry players, the emphasis on product quality, sustainability, and compliance is gaining prominence. The return on investments in smart manufacturing is one of the major drivers, with multiple producers reporting quantifiable benefits. It includes energy conservation, reduced incidences of injury, reduced cycle times, and lower maintenance costs. Data & security-related problems, which occur due to a high reliance on technology & data integration, could hamper the smart manufacturing market size. Intelligent production and supply chain networks are linked with data resources that can be targeted for different cyber-attacks. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-2H346/the-global-smart-manufacturing SMART MANUFACTURING SHARE ANALYSIS North America is expected to hold the largest Smart Manufacturing Market share during the forecast period. The US is at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution, where data are used to manufacture on a large scale, and data are combined into a wide variety of distribution processes around the supply chain. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period due to rapid industrial development, increased foreign direct investment, and the establishment of large multinationals in the sector. Based on Geography, the Smart Manufacturing Market studied across Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East Africa . Inquire for Regional Data: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/360I-Auto-2H346/The_Global_Smart_Manufacturing SMART MANUFACTURING MARKET SEGMENTATION Based on Technology, the Smart Manufacturing Market studied across Based on Component, the Smart Manufacturing Market studied across Hardware, Services, Software. Based on End User, the Smart Manufacturing Market studied across Aerospace & Defence, Agriculture, Automotive, Chemical & Materials, Food & Beverage, Mining, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Semiconductor. Key Companies: ABB Ltd, Emerson Electric Co., FANUC CORPORATION, Honeywell International Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Siemens AG, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Yokogawa Electric Corporation. THE REPORT ANSWERS QUESTIONS SUCH AS What is the market size and forecast of the Global Smart Manufacturing Market? What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Smart Manufacturing Market during the forecast period? Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Smart Manufacturing Market? What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Smart Manufacturing Market? What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Smart Manufacturing Market? What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Smart Manufacturing Market? Buy Now for Single User: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=360I-Auto-2H346&lic=single-user Buy Now for Enterprise User: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=360I-Auto-2H346&lic=enterprise-user SIMILAR REPORTS Smart Factory Market The Global Smart Factory Market is expected to grow from USD 152,243.88 Million in 2019 to USD 267,421.67 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.84%. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-4W350/the-global-smart-factory-market Manufacturing Execution System Market The Global Manufacturing Execution System Market is expected to grow from USD 10,802.78 Million in 2019 to USD 24,344.35 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.50%. The automotive Industry expected to account for the largest Manufacturing Execution System Market share in 2016. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-3Z262/the-global-manufacturing-execution-system Smart Manufacturing Platform Market View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0V316/smart-manufacturing-platform Industry 4.0 Market Industry 4.0 Market to grow from USD 68,125.13 Million in 2018 to USD 205,236.13 Million by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.06%. Some of the major market players include ABB, Basler AG, DENSO CORPORATION, IBM, and SAP. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-4S58/industry-4..0 Industrial Controls and Factory Automation Market The global Industrial Controls and Factory Automation market size is projected to reach USD 194170 Million by 2026, from USD 128090 Million in 2020. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0O1583/global-industrial-controls-and-factory-automation ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. 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 [email protected] 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 SOURCE Valuates Reports GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When making a significant purchase such as a car, buyers are increasingly becoming concerned about future maintenance costs, which makes quality assurance a critical consideration. Often, consumers are attracted to the "extended warranty" deals advertised by manufacturers. This warranty sounds attractive, but is it reliable? Reading into the fine print, we realized when brands advertise an "extended warranty," this usually does not cover the whole car. Instead, different parts of the vehicle have separate warranty periods. However, how many consumers have realized this "secret"? Comparing time-based warranties: A comparison based on individual car mileage A full warranty is the leading advertising attraction for car manufacturers today. To a certain extent, it reflects the confidence the car manufacturers have in their products. However, we found out that a full car warranty coverage does not necessarily include a warranty for all the vehicle components. It typically covers only large pieces that are not easy to wear out. GAC MOTOR's extended warranty is valid for five years or up to 150,000 kilometers, while another brand covers six years or up to 200,000 kilometers. However, does the duration in the warranty coverage make it necessarily better? Based on an average car mileage for better consideration, we believe it is a negligible difference. For example, a family car would clock an average distance of 20,000 kilometers annually. Based on this data, there was no discrepancy in the condition of the main components when comparing between five or six years. Comparing component warranty policies: The more components covered, the better Consumers often overlook the lifespan of consumable car components which requires constant replacement every three years. If manufacturer warranties do not encompass these items or the warranty period covered is too short, this will increase the periodic maintenance expenditure for car owners. Under the warranty terms for consumable car components, GAC MOTOR covers up to 20 items, which is significantly more than the industry average. Warranty duration of accessories: Focus on car components which are frequently used Consumers should also pay attention to the duration of the warranty period for accessories. Most car components warranties are shorter than the full car warranty duration. For example, the commonly used headlights and suspension warranty period are typically three months or up to 5,000 kilometers, or three years or up to 10,000 kilometers. However, GAC MOTOR extends the same warranty duration of 5 years or up to 150,000 kilometers for these same parts. In conclusion, when purchasing a car, consumers should be aware of extended warranties and their conditions. Through comparison, we found out that GAC MOTOR has a competitive edge through its offerings of extended warranty policies, car components coverage, and warranty period duration for peripherals. These truly safeguard car owner's interests, which lets buyers achieve a worry-free experience when purchasing a car. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1273034/GAC_MOTOR_Warranty_Secrets.jpg Representational picture Of all the migrant workers who returned home during the coronavirus pandemic, 75 percent hailed from five states, data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment showed. More than 1.04 crore migrant workers across the country headed back to their home states amid the pandemic-led livelihood crisis. The labour ministry put forth this data in Parliament during the session on September 14, in response to an unstarred question seeking state-wise details pertaining to the number of labourers who had migrated to their hometowns from cites or their work places due to loss of jobs. Five states, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, saw the highest number of migrant workers return amid the pandemic. The query also sought details regarding assistance provided by the Centre to states to help rehabilitate these labourers and give them employment. Responding to the question, the government said, "In order to mitigate the financial crisis of the migrant workers and protect them against the economic disruptions due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and Country-wide lockdown, the Central Government has taken numerous measures to provide them financial assistance, food packages ration, and other benefits." 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 Centre also said that a Rs 1.70 lakh crore-relief package under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) was announced in order to help the poor people and migrant workers, as well as their families and dependents, fight the battle against coronavirus. Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said, "In order to provide employment to migrant workers at their native places the Government has launched a number of schemes like Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan to boost employment and livelihood opportunities, Anganwadi Service, employment in Food Processing Industries, Prime Minister Employment Generation Program, Scheme for the regeneration of Traditional Industries, Gram Udyog Vikas Yojana, identification of ongoing works/new works for road construction." As the December 7th elections draw nearer, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has underscored the critical need to make way for unity among party members as a key factor in securing the NDC victory. According to her, unity of purpose was required to clinch the beckoning political victory in the upcoming general election, adding that the leaders and members of the Party in the Region should not allow any form of division among themselves. According to a statement signed by Mawuena Trebarh, Spokesperson and copied to the Ghana News Agency, she was addressing party supporters at a mini rally at the forecourt of the Essikado Palace after calling on the paramount chief of the area. Prof Opoku-Agyemang assured the members that the NDC had the wherewithal to win the election. We have our enviable performance record which is clear to all Ghanaians, she said. The Running Mate, therefore urged the members to use the party's achievements and manifesto plans to campaign. It is not a matter of engaging in unnecessary argument. Showcase what we have done and plan to do, and let those who have a different view also show theirs, she said. In addition, she admonished the members against politics of insults and violence, and rather explained to the electorate the manifesto plans for the meaningful development of their communities and their welfare. We are not seeking power to mismanage the country, intimidate people or marginalize others. We are seeking to return to power to save the nation from destruction, and to make Ghana more prosperous with equal opportunities for all, she said. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang thanked the members and supporters of Sekondi for their commitment to the progress of the party, in spite of the intimidation from political opponents, and gave the assurance that the leadership of the party would not fail them. ---GNA Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been hailed as game-changer in Ghana's politics. According to the Paramount Chief of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, it appears Jane Naana within a short period is changing the face of Ghana's political terrain. Nana Nketsia also believed her involvement as Running Mate for the 2020 election, had changed the dynamics of the political system in the country. According to a statement signed by Mawuena Trebarh, her Spokesperson and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Ghanaians desired politicians who were honest, diligent, peace-loving and development oriented, which were her attributes. Nana Nketsia made the observation when the Vice-Presidential Candidate called on him and his sub-chiefs at his palace in Essikado in Sekondi in the Western region, as part of her campaign tour region. Expressing worry about the present acrimonious political system in the country, characterised by insults and violence, the paramount chief said Ghanaians were now more discerning and wanted an issue-based campaign devoid of deceit and insults. We see that you have brought that change, he told Prof Opoku-Agyemang. In that regard, Nana Nketsia encouraged her to stick to her true nature of being an honest and decent political leader, which Ghanaians appreciated more, and not allow herself to be swayed into the usual politics. He prayed for her successful campaign, and assured the Running Mate of their support and wise counsel, adding that a good venture was worth supporting. For her part, Prof Opoku-Agyemang thanked the chiefs for their expression of support and assured them that she and the NDC would continue to pursue an issue-based campaign. She explained that because politics and governance were about development for the people, the electorate must understand what the party had to offer to improve the lot of Ghanaians. This election is about performance record, and so we will continue to showcase our achievements and fulfilled promises for Ghanaians to judge, she added. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged the people of Essikado to grant the NDC the mandate to return to power to continue the various development projects the previous NDC administration initiated for the area. ---GNA Summit Public Schools in California receives donations from the philanthropic organizations of Michael Bloomberg and other billionaires. (Brittainy Newman/The New York Times) Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomoberg, then a Democratuc candidate for president, waits to speak at a campaign event in McLean, Va., on Feb. 29, 2020. Credit - Brittainy NewmanThe New York Times/Redux This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is opening his deep pockets and shaking at least $100 million loose with a singular purpose: to deny President Donald Trump a victory in Florida on Election Day, now just seven weeks from tomorrow. The bold spending, unprecedented in its single-state intensity, may still prove insufficient to calm the nerves of Democrats who worry that their nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, is simply sucking air in the critical swing state. Democrats, including former rivals Bernie Sanders and Julian Castro, have spoken publicly about their fears that Biden is letting the race slip from his grasp in large part because of insufficient courtship of Latino and Hispanic voters, who comprise one-in-five of the states potential electorate. That fear isnt limited to the Sunshine State: Arizona, Colorado and Texas all have significant Latino populations that Biden needs to win. According to Pew research, an estimated 32 million Latinos could be eligible to vote this year, and Bidens courtship of this crucial bloc appears to be coming up short. As this newsletter reported last week, some Latino leaders fear that Biden is taking them for granted. Enter the media billionaire, nicknamed El Bloombito by New York bloggers for his hackneyed attempts as mayor to speak Spanish. Details were unclear, but Bloomberg advisers said the cash injection would be handled through Bloombergs existing super PAC, Independence USA, as well as other Democratic-leaning outside groups already working on voter turnout, voting rights and targeted outreach through Spanish-language media. The solution, however, may prove more elusive than Bloombergs botched Spanglish. Story continues Floridas politics are their own complicated mix of cultures that cant be approached as a monolith. The state is home to conservative-minded Cubans, more liberal members of the Latino community, and a generational gap that splits households. The dynamics within the broader community are also shifting: the influx of Puerto Ricans post-Hurricane Maria swung the states vote in unexpected if not contradictory ways, as evidenced by the win of Sen. Rick Scott, atypical for Republicans in 2018. At least some Latino voters are listening to Republicans efforts to brand Democrats as socialist sympathizers, as evidenced in a pool report from Kamala Harris visit last week to Miami, where a pro-Trump protester greeted the Democratic V.P. pick as a communist and socialist: Kamala Harris representa el comunismo y el socialismo. Then, theres the absent ground game. Normally, by this point in a traditional campaign, campaign offices are aplenty especially along the swingiest of swing regions, the I-4 Corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach. This year, Bidens campaign has chosen not to engage in the door-to-door campaigning that these offices power through staff and volunteers, yet another reason some Democrats are nervous about the state of the race. Bloomberg, who ran his own ill-fated campaign for the Democratic nomination and spent $1 billion to earn just 59 delegates, had pledged to pay for the mother of all super PACs. He transferred millions to the Democratic National Committee, spoke at Bidens e-convention and still kept needling Trump. But the mega-checks were slow to arrive. Heading into Bidens nominating convention, Democrats grumbled about his slow giving. Even after seeing his nine-figure outlay, there were still groans that he wasnt looking beyond Floridas borders. Florida is crucial for a Trump win but Bidens road back to the White House can get there without the state especially with polls suggesting that the economy is a lesser concern to voters than leadership style, a capacity for compassion and understanding of the racial wounds in this country. In polling from Florida, Biden is running stronger than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama among seniors and white voters, but is lagging them among Hispanic and Latino voters. Nationally, not even the most optimistic Republican would argue that Trump can win a majority of Latino voters. But thats not the campaigns goal. As with Trumps efforts to win over Black voters, the idea is to keep Biden from carrying the demographics with blowout margins, the same way George W. Bush increased his share of the Latino vote by 10 percentage points between 2000 and 2004. As New York Mayor and as presidential hopeful, Bloombergs mangled Spanish was the source of endless mockery. Now, out of office, hes trying again to reach these voters. This time, hes wisely going to let others do the talking. His money has already said enough. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter. HATTIESBURG, Miss., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BXS Community Fund LLC, a subsidiary of BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS), donated $200,000 to Oseola McCarty Youth Development Centera nonprofit organization that provides educational and recreational services for youth, kindergarten through 12th grades, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and the surrounding areas. The donation will assist the organization with its efforts to provide programs and resources that help children reach their full potential. BancorpSouth has a strong history of partnering with community organizations that help its communities thrive. "We're proud to support the work Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center does in our community," said Ted Webb, BancorpSouth president - Pine Belt, Mississippi division. "It is providing vital services that empower our youth to lead successful lives." Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center offers an after-school mentoring and tutoring program, youth summer camp, health education, monthly-activities programs and other services for the area's local youth. "This donation from BancorpSouth will help us with our efforts to empower area youth to have the skills and opportunities to take charge of their lives and positively impact their community," said Janet Baldwin, executive director of Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center and member of the bank's Community Advisory Council in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. "We are so grateful to live in such a giving and supportive community that share our belief of a family being our greatest blessing in life." For more information about Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center, visit www.oseolamccartyydc.org. About BancorpSouth Bank BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $23 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 310 full-service branch locations as well as additional mortgage, insurance, and loan production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn more, visit our Community Commitment page at www.bancorpsouth.com; "Like" us on Facebook; follow us on [email protected]; or connect with us through LinkedIn. About Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center Our mission is to "Empower Youth to Win in Every Area of their Lives." Our goal is to devote the necessary resources to ensure that all young people are able to build new skills, make contributions, and become a productive part of a community and feel in control over their future. We are committed to good family values, and we are committed to assisting families to instill successful behaviors in our youth. We do not leave this to schools, daycare centers, or even the church alone. Children are taught to be obedient and respectful to parents and adults. We teach them the principles of right and wrong, honesty, integrity and morality from God's word. SOURCE BancorpSouth Bank Related Links http://www.bancorpsouth.com Japan opts for continuity with Yoshihide Suga Mr. Suga, the longtime chief cabinet secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, swept an election for the leadership of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party all but assuring that he will become prime minister after a vote in Parliament in the coming days. Mr. Suga, 71, should have little trouble sliding into the job, our correspondents write. He has vowed to pick up where Mr. Abe left off. A bland politician?: While most leading Japanese lawmakers come from elite political families, Mr. Suga is the son of a strawberry farmer and a schoolteacher from the rural north. But in many ways, he seems like yet another in a long line of dour Japanese politicians. The most exciting recent revelation about Mr. Suga, a teetotaler with a sweet tooth, was that he starts and ends each day with 100 situps. Challenges ahead: One major question is just how long he will last. Though he is seen as a safe pair of hands to grapple with the countrys economic and strategic challenges, Mr. Sugas longevity may be determined by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the postponed Tokyo Olympics and the countrys increasing tensions with China. Continental asked the department to add an exception for such leaks in state rules, as long as emission control equipment is installed and operating. But the department concluded in a March decision that the language Continental proposed would lead to ambiguity and said the company's argument was unconvincing. The company also did not demonstrate flaw in the rules that would require such a change, the department said. State officials had been concerned that accepting Continental's request would inhibit their ability to ensure oil companies were maintaining emission controls once installed, and they worried that ultimately could lead to greater emissions. Continental also sought to address its concerns about leak detection through a lawsuit, but the state Supreme Court upheld the case's dismissal late last year, saying that the company had not exhausted its "administrative remedies." President Donald Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico (AFP via Getty Images) The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has resumed deportation arrests after halting briefly at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced in March that ICE and the Trump administration would be temporarily halting enforcement across the United States except efforts to deport foreign nationals whove committed serious crimes or pose a threat to public safety. This halt was in an effort to curb the spread of the novel virus. In a notification sent to Congress in March, the agency said its Enforcement and Removal Operations agency would delay enforcement actions and use alternatives to detentions, The Washington Post reported. The notification added that the agencys highest priorities are to promote lifesaving and public safety activities. During the COVID-19 crisis, ICE will not carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances, the notification added. Individuals should not avoid seeking medical care because they fear civil immigration enforcement. But a report in The New York Times has revealed a return to the agencys deportation arrest, and government data has suggested ICE was not only targeting criminals in its arrests. Since mid-July, ICE agents have detained more than 2,000 people after they were taken from their home, workplaces, and other sites, including the US post office. Of these arrests, 300 were made in Los Angeles. Other cities impacted are in states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Wyoming. About 85 per cent of those arrested either had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, according to the agency, The New York Times reported. Fourteen of those people were convicted of homicide and 12 people faced murder charges, the report added. Other convictions or pending charges included domestic violence and family offences, which made up the bulk of those detained by ICE. Story continues An analysis done by The New York Times of the governments data has found that the Trump administration was actually arresting a large number of undocumented immigrants who had committed minor crimes or no crimes at all. About 10.5 million US residents are undocumented immigrants. Of those immigrants, three out of four said they would choose a legal route to become a legal citizen, according to the Pew Research Centre. Donald Trump has built his election platform on cracking down on immigration. Since the president has taken office, there has been a steady increase in immigrants detained by ICE without a criminal record, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. On the last day of April 2019, nearly two-thirds of immigrants in detention facilities, of the 50,000 in total, had no criminal record, which was up 40 per cent from four years earlier when ICE was under President Barack Obamas administration, according to TRAC. A higher percentage of those detained with criminal records have convicted minor infractions like driving without a legal license compared to previous years, TRAC reported. When looking at the first five months of 2020, TRAC found that 52 per cent of those removed from the US had no criminal record, which was up 40 per cent from the previous three fiscal years. Read more 'Trees can explode': Trump again blames California for causing wildfires with poor forest management Trump calls Kamala Harris a super liberal wack job and claims Joe Biden will 'resign, or whatever' Michael Cohens daughter speaks out about creepy encounter with Trump at age 15 Este es el lugar donde se produjo emergencia al interior del Santuario Historico de Machupicchu. Zona agreste dificulto atencion de emergencia pero luego de varias horas y gracias al esfuerzo de bomberos forestales se logro controlar. pic.twitter.com/l31eUmAVc6 She's been busy planning her wedding to fiance William Lee-Kemp after he proposed during a trip to Courchevel in February. And Jess Wright looked sensational as she marked her 35th birthday on Monday with some stunning snaps. The TOWIE star flaunted her incredible figure in a yellow floral set which boasted a chic rara skirt to accentuate her toned legs. Happy birthday! Jess Wright looked sensational in a yellow shirt and matching rara skirt as she celebrated turning 35 on Monday Jess completed her stylish look with a matching off-the-shoulder shirt with a pretty ruffle detail across the shoulders and bust. She wore her sleek brunette locks down for the birthday photoshoot, letting her tresses cascade over her shoulders for some of the sizzling snaps. The beauty also added a full face of makeup for her big day including a slick of pretty pink lipstick and a touch of rouge blush. Jess captioned her stunning snaps: 'Feeling so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life & its birthdays that really highlight that. Glam! The birthday girl posed up a storm as she held onto a pink and gold balloon Thanks: The TOWIE star thanked her fans and friends for all their wishes in a gushing caption 'This one has been extra special Im feeling so loved. Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes. Heres to 35.' She quickly received several well wishes from her fans and friends, including actress Millie Bobby Brown. The Stranger Things star, who has been pals with the Wright family since meeting Jess' brother Mark in 2017, wrote: 'Happy birthday jess! thank u for all of the greatest memories. sisters 4 L love u. Xx' While Love Islander Demi Jones commented: 'Happy birthday angel!! I hope your day has been as beautiful as you' Celebrations: Jess exuded glamour as she let her dark tresses cascade over her shoulders Well wishers: Among those to wish Jess a happy birthday was actress Millie Bobby Brown who has been a friend of the Wright family since meeting Mark in 2017 The celebrations come after Jess revealed plans for her upcoming nuptials to fiance William Lee-Kemp. She told Hello! how the pair have planned a ceremony in Majorca next June, overlooking the Mediterranean sea, and that there will be 15 bridesmaids - including her sister-in-law Michelle Keegan, actress wife of her brother Mark. Mark himself will act as master of ceremonies. 'I've been dreaming of a fairytale wedding since I was little, when I used to dress up in my mum's net curtains,' she said. Will you marry me? William proposed to Jess in ski resort Courchevel, France, in February 'Now I can't wait for the moment I've been imagining for so long, walking up the aisle in a fabulous dress to marry Will.' Of the location, she revealed: 'We've enjoyed some amazing holidays here and I practically grew up on the island because it's where my family has a second home.' William proposed to Jess in ski resort Courchevel, France, in February. 'At breakfast one morning he told me he was feeling unwell and returned to our room. When I went to find him, the door was ajar and there was music playing. 'There were candles lining the hallway, red rose petals scattered across the floor, flowers, red heart-shaped balloons and two glasses of champagne waiting. I was stunned. On cloud nine: On Friday evening the former TOWIE star enjoyed an early birthday dinner at the Ivy Asia in St Paul's 'Then Will called me out on to the balcony. With the snowy mountains behind him, he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him.' Jess has already delivered socially distanced formal invites to her 15 bridesmaids for their upcoming wedding. The TV star wrote on Instagram: '2020 has been a strange year for us all. 'I got engaged just before this pandemic, & when rules were eased, told my (many) nearest & dearest that I wanted them to be my bridesmaids, from a distance. 'I hope everyone is keeping safe & we get through this soon & a big thank you to all our NHS & key workers for supporting us.' The grieving mother of schoolboy Noah Donohoe said yesterday she is still seeking answers about how her son died in June this year. Posting on social media, Fiona Donohoe said she still did not know how St Malachy's College pupil Noah (14) knew of the existence of the storm drain in north Belfast in which his body was found, nor why he had discarded his clothes during his journey across the city. Noah was last seen in north Belfast on June 21, prompting a massive search operation that saw hundreds of volunteers take to the streets in a desperate bid to find the missing boy. His body was discovered in the storm drain near the M2 Motorway six days later. A post-mortem examination found he had died from drowning. The cover of the drain was unlocked. Ms Donohoe set up pages on Twitter and Facebook, called MyNoah, in her quest to find out what happened to her son. But almost three months later questions around his death remain unanswered. She tweeted yesterday: "Until factual evidence is found to say my Noah knew of that storm drain on Northwood Road, I will keep asking for answers. "Until factual evidence is found how my Noah came to be in a state of undress, I will keep asking for answers." There has been intense speculation about the circumstances surrounding Noah's death in the weeks following the grim discovery of his body. But last month Coroner Joe McCrisken branded some of the social media commentary about the teenager's death as "inaccurate, baseless and potentially criminal". At preliminary hearing into Noah's death the coroner said: "At present there is no evidence linking Noah's death to the death of any other individual or with an attack on any other individual or individuals in that area or in close proximity to Northwood Road. "There is no evidence at present to suggest that any other person was involved in Noah's disappearance and death." A further preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on November 2. A full inquest into the schoolboy's death will take place in January next year. The Parliament is all geared up to begin the 18-day Monsoon Session from today under the shadow of pandemic-induced guidelines and strict social distancing norms. The first session of the COVID-19 era is expected to be stormy as the Opposition has plans to corner the government over a host of contentious issues such as handling of the pandemic, economic crisis, rise of unemployment and dismal GDP figures. The last session was the Budget Session which was held in March and had to be cut short because of the COVID-19. The two Houses-- the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha-- will work in separate shifts without any weekend offs for the members who would not be allowed inside the premises without a negative COVID-19 report and a mask. This session will be the fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha and will conclude on October 1. The Monsoon Session that usually starts in mid-July had to be pushed back due to the Coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Staggered timings The session will follow staggered timings to accommodate members of one House at a time in both chambers as per the strict social distancing norms. In all, there will be 18 sittings, including two working Saturdays and Sundays. Each house will operate for four hours each day. The Lok Sabha will operate between 9 am and 1 pm on the first day of the session today. But from September 15 onwards till October 1, the Lok Sabha will sit for four hours daily between 3 pm and 7 pm. The Rajya Sabha will sit between 3 pm and 7 pm on the first day and for the rest of the session it will function for four hours every day between 9 am and 1 pm. The two-hour break (1 pm to 3 pm) between the two Houses will be used to disinfect both the chambers, officials said. Unlike usual proceedings, the Question Hour- the first hour of the session where the members ask questions to the ministers- has been reduced to un-starred questions for 30 minutes. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had held a series of discussions with officials of the Union Home Ministry, Union Health Ministry, ICMR and the DRDO to make the Parliament complex a safe zone. As per the standard operating procedures for the Monsoon Session, the MPs and staff of secretariats of both Houses and the media personnel covering the proceedings, had to undergo COVID-19 test, within 72 hours of the start of the session. A special seating arrangement following social distancing guidelines has been prepared by both houses for the members. Follow this link to track our LIVE blog on Parliament's Monsoon Session Sonia, Rahul to miss first few days Interim president of the Congress, country's main opposition party Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi will not attend the first ten days of the session, according to the sources. Rahul is accompanying his mother Sonia for a health check-up abroad. The proceedings are expected to be stormy with the Opposition set to corner the government on issues such as handling of the pandemic, economic crisis, rise of unemployment and dismal GDP figures. Opposition is also expected to attack the government for naming of CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury; political activist Yogendra Yadav, JNU professor and economist Jayati Ghosh; Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, and filmmaker Rahul Roy in a supplementary chargesheet related to the Delhi riots last week. As per the business schedule of Parliament, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will make a statement regarding the government's handling of COVID-19 pandemic in both houses of the parliament. The election of deputy speaker of Rajya Sabha is also expected to take place on the first day. Important bills The government has listed 38 new bills, including 11 to replace ordinances, for introduction in the 18-day session. Among the ordinances that to be taken up include the one seeking to provide preventive measures against violence on healthcare workers. An ordinance pertaining to reduction in the salary of MPs by 30% for a period of one year beginning April 1, 2020 is also listed in the schedule. The amount will be utilised in the fight against coronavirus. Among the key bills to be introduced is the The Jammu and Kashmir Official Language Bill, 2020. As per the bill, Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the Union Territory. The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, replacing ordinances, will also be introduced in this Session. The Congress, the Left, among other Opposition parties, have opposed the ordinances. THE row between the government and teachers over the reopening of schools for face-to-face teaching for examination classes is escalating, the Daily News on Sunday reports. The teachers have now accused Primary and Secondary Education minister Cain Mathema of allegedly misleading Cabinet on authorities state of preparedness. At the same time, Mathema has dismissed the teachers concerns while declaring that partial-reopening of examination classes will go ahead tomorrow as planned. This comes as the government has allowed partial reopening of schools to allow students sitting for this years exams to have face-to-face learning. Public schools will reopen on September 28 for Zimsec examination classes, with Cambridge classes starting tomorrow. In a scathing letter to Mathema last week, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary -general Raymond Majongwe said educators were shocked that their input and advice to stop the re-opening of schools was ignored. It is with disbelief, shock and surprise that we note that you have hoodwinked Cabinet and other stakeholders into the false belief that your ministry is ready to reopen schools, which we believe has led to Cabinet resolving that schools should reopen on 14 and 28 September for those writing Zimsec exams. has also promised that Grade Seven examinations will be written, marked and results published in December, which we believe is both impractical and imprudent, Majongwe said in his letter. We also note that Zimsechas also promised that Grade Seven examinations will be written, marked and results published in December, which we believe is both impractical and imprudent, Majongwe said in his letter. He said teachers were particularly unhappy that Mathema allegedly made the Cabinet to pass the resolution on the basis of advice from an organisation called NASID whose members were not education practitioners. We note that you pretended to consult stakeholders, only one group of which called for the reopening of schools. Recommendations by the PTUZ, the Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) and the National Association of Secondary Heads indicated that schools are not ready to reopen because a lot of material and moral comfort as well as WHO regulations have not been met, Majongwe further said. But Mathema told the Daily News on Sunday that there was no going back on the governments plans to reopen schools after his ministry successfully ran the June Zimsec examinations with no cases of Covid-19 reported in schools. The same people who were raising red flags when we ran the June exams are the same people making noise again. We are going ahead whether they like it or not. We are ready to go, Mathema said defiantly. In the letter, Majongwe said a survey carried out by teacher organisations indicated that despite getting $300m for the purpose of ensuring schools have personal protection equipment, sanitisers and Covid-19 necessities, nothing had been received by schools. He said the fact that no covid-19 cases were recorded in schools during the June exams was because no one was ever tested. We know that your ministry also does not have the capacity to test anyone and will, therefore, claim that there is no Covid-19 case in schools. We demand that all teachers, learners and ancillary staff be tested in the week approaching the opening date,Majongwe also said. Zimta chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu concurred with Majongwe, saying the majority of schools in rural areas were the least prepared to open this month. We are worried about what measures are there for learners with underlying health problems, transport facilities for teachers and learners which are crowded. The number that will be coming is bigger compared to the numbers who came for June examinations. What the government has done so far is not enough so we are saying we must evaluate the state of preparedness one week before we open, Ndlovu said. As the monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday, a total of 23 MPs tested positive for the coronavirus COVID-19. The monsoon session is scheduled from September 14 to October 1. Six Rajya Sabha MPs have tested coronavirus positive including two MPs each from the BJP and Congress and one each from RJD and TMC, according to sources. At least 17 Lok Sabha MPs tested positive for COVID-19 including Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde and Parvesh Sahib Singh, added the sources. Other MPs who have been found COVID-19 positive are Sukhbir Singh, Hanuman Beniwal, Sukanata Majumdar, Goddeti Madhavi, Pratap Rao Jadav, Janardan Singh, Bidyut Baran, Pradan Baruah, N Reddeppa, Selvam G, Pratap Rao Patil, Ram Shankar Katheria, Satya Pal Singh and Rodmal Nagar. The BJP has a maximum number--12, the YRS Congress has two MPs, the Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP one each. Hectic preparations were underway for the Monsoon Session with several first-time measures taken because of the coronavirus pandemic. These new measures include testing of MPs, staggered seating arrangements in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and the use of both chambers and galleries to accommodate the members. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had said that 257 members will be seated in the Lok Sabha hall, 172 in Lok Sabha gallery, 60 in Rajya Sabha and 51 in the Rajya Sabha gallery due to the COVID-19 crisis. He had said attempts were made to mimise the use of paper and MPs will mark their attendance digitally. Screen LEDs will be put up to conduct the proceedings smoothly. Chambers will be sanitised and the MPS will have to undergo the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 before the session begins, the Lok Sabha Speaker had said. Amid the Opposition's demand for the election of the Deputy Speaker, the Lok Sabha Speaker had said the house and the government have to take a call on it. Birla had said holding the monsoon session this year was a challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic but it will be "historic". "Holding the monsoon session was a challenge during the pandemic but we have to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities. We want Parliament to become more accountable and answerable to people," Birla had said at a press conference. "This session will be a historic session as it is being held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our effort is to conduct the session as per the guidelines issued in the wake of the pandemic," he had added. Birla had said the Zero Hour will be of half-an-hour duration and there will no Question Hour but written questions could be asked and they will have to be answered. When asked about opposition leaders asking about the Deputy Speaker election, Birla had said he doesn't have to elect, and it is for the house and the government to decide. CARBONDALE Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace Your Future is the theme of Southern Illinois University Carbondales 2020 Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month celebration. Many special events, including guest speakers, pinatas, cooking demonstrations, dancing and more are happening all virtually between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Whats really special about this year is that for the first time it is a system-wide celebration involving SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine, Cristina Castillo, coordinator of SIU Carbondales Hispanic/Latino Resource Center, said. This is historic. The virtual live kick-off begins at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, featuring opening remarks by SIU President Daniel Mahony. Carmen Suarez, an assistant professor of practice in SIU Carbondales Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education, is the kick-off keynote speaker. Suarez has extensive experience in higher education diversity, inclusion, bias prevention, cultural competence, equity and related areas. A Chicago native, she is a triple alumna of SIU Carbondale, earning her bachelors degree in history, a masters degree in medieval history and a doctorate in higher education administration. She previously served at SIU as the affirmative action officer, Hispanic community liaison, assistant dean of the School of Law Career Services Office, interim assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management and director of the Office of Diversity and Equity. Suarez earned a number of awards at SIU, including the Lindell W. Sturgis Public Service Award in 2006 and the Outstanding Administrative and Professional Staff Award in 2008. She went on to serve as the founding chief diversity officer at the University of Idaho and as the vice president for global diversity and inclusion at Portland State University before returning to her Midwest roots and SIU. Suarezs career has focused on equity and inclusion for all groups, sexual harassment prevention, career development, and institutional inclusive excellence and strategic planning. SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane, SIU Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook and Dr. Jerry Kruse, dean of the SIU School of Medicine will also speak at the kickoff. Several events are planned during the month to help participants expand their knowledge and understanding of diversity and the varying communities found within the SIU campuses. A pair of Zoom training sessions at 10 a.m. on Sept. 17 and 21 will focus on Best Practices: How to Better Serve Hispanic/Latinx Students in Higher Education. Two virtual live inclusive conversations are set, each featuring a different topic. The session at 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 18 will highlight Colorism in the Latinx Community while the 12:15 p.m. Oct. 2 session will spotlight the LGBTQ community. Torn Between Tongues is a panel discussion focusing on differing opinions regarding some Hispanic/Latinx students being bilingual while others speak only English. It is set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. Students from Maryville University will also participate. A panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 13, Proud to be the First: Struggles and Successes of First Gen Latinx, will feature first-generation Hispanic/Latinx students sharing their stories including their successes and struggles. Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity Inc., Delta Phi Chapter is sponsoring the event. Castillo said the goal through the various presentations is to highlight the history, culture, customs, contributions and advocacy of the Hispanic/Latinx people. An assortment of entertaining Hispanic/Latinx activities also will take place during the month. Julio Barrenzuela, an acclaimed professional dancer and salsa ambassador will present a virtual live salsa dance lesson at 6 p.m. Sept. 23. And the opportunity to learn about the history of the pinata and how to make a pinata will happen during a livestream virtual event at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. There is a chance to win prizes during Loteria of Latinx personalities, a Hispanic game similar to Bingo, with the virtual game set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 5. Participants will also learn to make Latin food during a virtual live cooking demonstration at 6 p.m. on Oct. 14. Find the complete schedule of events, including links to all virtual events, at hrc.siu.edu. For additional information, call 618-453-1843 or email cristina.castillo@siu.edu. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A glimpse on what might happen to kids when they fall sick this winter and how to get them back into school. The new school year brings reunions with old friends, new teachers and new classrooms. But this year, it also brings a heightened awareness of back- to -school illnesses. My partner and I had made the decision, with scant information and many unknowns, to send both of our children to school this September. The measures being taken by schools to minimize transmission of covid- 19, and our commitment to err on the side of caution influenced the decision. Also, they both have good health conditions and our childcare options are limited. So, while we knew it wasnt a perfect decision, it made sense for our family, and we were looking forward to it. Also read: Italy: School bells ring for first time in six months Over the two years that my daughter has gone to school, she has often come home with colds, coughs, and stomach bugs. Our pediatrician has assured me, time and again, that these illnesses are a perfectly normal response to the germs that are shared between children. Therefore, when my daughter developed a fever, after just five days of her new school, I felt equipped to handle what was going to be a weekend of rest for my daughter (and a lot of hand washing and vitamin C consumption for myself). I planned to notify her school and sent a message to her pediatrician. The response really put in perspective the difficulties of the choice we had made in sending our children back to school. Also read: Covid-19: Italy reopens schools as 13,000 staff test positive The pediatrician answer The protocol and guidelines that my daughters pre- school released, state that in the event of illness, a medical certificate is required after three days of absence. In the case of my daughter, who was experiencing a runny nose and fever, it made sense to have her evaluated by her pediatrician before returning to her class. But, her pediatrician had different instructions. You need to take her Bambin Gesu, where she will need a medical exam and a Covid nasal test, she told me. It appears that pediatricians are not accepting responsibility for children returning to school, and will not issue a medical certificate until children test negative for covid-19. The new disease- control rules that I am learning only as we go along, make me nervous for my daughter and raise a whole new set of questions. Nonetheless, my partner and I woke up early on a Sunday morning and headed to Bambin Gesu childrens hospital, on the Janiculum Hill. We miraculously found parking and entered the structure. Also read: Covid-19: Italy's new rapid saliva test gives result in 3 minutes Covid-19 test at Bambin Gesu Only one parent is allowed to accompany a child inside the examination room, so I brought my daughter to have her nasal swab. The waiting time was short, and the staff were very kind. But the swab was unpleasant for both of us, and I found myself wondering: "how were we going to do this every time my daughter got sick at school?" Seeking testing at a single public site, that currently employs just one nurse to perform the covid test, will likely cause delays in testing, results, and a childs return to school. As we get later into the fall, and flu season approaches, how will the public system sufficiently manage cases of illness? While I do not expect schools to become hospitals, and trust that families will take the responsibility of screening kids seriously, I am once again at a crossroads. There is no secret formula to prevent kids from getting sick. But, how will I take time off of work, to bring my feverish child to wait in line at a hospital, to have an abrasive nasal swab, stay in isolation at home until we receive the results, make an appointment for the pediatrician, and attain a medical certificate, every time she comes home with a common school illness? I appreciate the strategy of local, state health, and education officials working together to remain vigilant, but it will be a difficult fall. Is it worth it? This open letter was sent to us by one of our readers, C.W.F. What happens if.... Main ph: MikeDotta / Shutterstock.com For nearly all of August and early September, Nantucket was reporting one or two new coronavirus patients daily. Those low numbers ended last week, when, within two days, the Massachusetts island identified 14 COVID cases, the highest number of new patients the town has seen in such a short period of time since the viral outbreak ramped up across the United States in March. Nantucket Cottage Hospital had tested nearly 7,900 individuals as of Sunday. Eighty-nine people in total have tested positive for the viral respiratory infection, and 68 tests are still being processed. Obviously, there is a great concern with this particular cluster, Gary Shaw, CEO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital, said. We are reviewing all of our protocols at the Cottage Hospital. We do feel that were ready, as we have said in the past, to address what comes our way. #Nantucket COVID-19 testing update Total COVID tests: 7,893 Positive: 89 Negative: 7,736 Pending: 68 Current COVID positive patients hospitalized: 0 Current hospitalized patients under investigation for COVID: 0 COVID patients recovered: 58 COVID patients in isolation: 30 pic.twitter.com/OrhatKOL8I Nantucket Hospital (@ACKHospital) September 13, 2020 Island officials are now seeking to surgically respond to the spike, which has been linked to tradespeople and spreader events over Labor Day weekend that helped spark the community spread of the virus. The island reported 30 cases within five days, and contact tracing is still underway, officials noted. Town authorities are now using the states contact tracing collaborative to track some patients, as Nantucket continues to combat the outbreak. Authorities hope to provide even more outreach, education and, potentially, enforcement to stave off transmission of the virus. According to Nantucket Health Director Roberto Santamaria, the majority of those who have tested positive in the past few weeks work in trades such as landscaping, construction, carpentry and painting as well as cleaning. Some workers have traveled to workplaces as groups live together. Its mostly because they are working together on the job site, sharing tools and sharing housing, so what were trying to get information out is outreach and education to them," Santamaria said during an emergency meeting Monday with the Nantucket Board of Health and Select Board. Other businesses on the island, like restaurants, hotels and movie theaters, have not been involved in the recent coronavirus case uptick, he noted. It doesnt make sense to enforce against them at all," Santamaria said. When we look at enforcement, we want to reach out and educate to the landscaping community, which is the primarily hit community. Second behind that is cleaning and then construction. Authorities' two-pronged effort at combatting transmission on the island will involve first providing education to impacted communities on the island and then enforcing safety measures, if necessary. A seasonal employee with the Nantucket Health Department will be visiting housing complexes to drop off masks and quarantine information in English, Spanish and Portuguese to affected residents to avoid communal spread. Officials will continue to reach out to those who have been sickened by and exposed to the virus. They will also monitor daily COVID-19 health metrics and sewage data, which has helped authorities respond to the outbreak on the island, according to Santamaria. Individuals who receive a phone calls from contact tracers have been urged to answer and cooperate fully with case investigations. Contact tracing is among one of the most important tools authorities have to stave off transmission, Santamaria and Shaw said in a joint statement. However, island officials have run into resistance with their contact tracing efforts. Santamaria attributed the difficulties partially to some residents immigration status. In Mondays meeting, Santamaria emphasized that authorities on Nantucket are not reporting anyones documentation status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By law, they are not permitted to share such information. We do not ask about immigration status. We do not report immigration status. We do not even report points of origins. We dont appoint addresses," Santamaria noted If the island does not see any improvement in its daily health metrics and sewage data, authorities will implement more restrictions, according to Santamaria. Employees at job sites who do not abide by face covering orders will be fined $300 per violation, he noted. Along with health officials, personnel from the Nantucket Planning & Land Use Services and Natural Resources departments will also be tasked with enforcing safety rules, Santamaria added. We are hoping they can be our eyes and ears as well," he said. Business owners on the island who are working in the industries most impacted by the pandemic have been told to not let employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 to return to work. Doing so will only worsen the situation, according to Santamaria. If youre a landscaping, construction or cleaning business owner, expect communication from my office, he said. What we are is asking is that if you know any of your staff members are sick, please let them stay home. Do not force them to work. It only makes things worse. We are hearing of that anecdotally already. Eventually, officials will have to suspend work if coronavirus restrictions are not followed. A full moratorium on affected businesses will be implemented if case numbers get that bad, Santamaria said. However, that is unlikely, according to the health director. Were trying to avoid that as much as possible," he said. Santamaria pointed out that Nantucket authorities are attempting to take a step-by-step approach to preventing the spread of the virus on the island and not a blanket strategy. Were not looking to move to curbside delivery any time soon. Were not looking to shut down hotels and movie theaters any time soon. That is far the distance, if we even are thinking of that," he said. Related Content: Do we need another 672 million people in this country? That's the argument advanced in Matt Yglesias's new book One Billion Americans. By accepting a great many more immigrants, and increasing the birthrate with pro-family policy, we might roughly triple our population. The billion-person mark is basically a loose framing device for a discussion of several of the Vox writer's favored policies: upzoning cities to allow more housing construction, more public transit, congestion pricing, Matt Bruenig's Family Fun Pack, and so on. One might quibble here or there with Yglesias' agenda, but the individual elements are defensible on their own terms. (Immigration reform and family policy are particularly welcome.) However, they also don't require a billion people to be worthwhile. No, the actual justification for that particular population mark is mainly nationalist. China is coming back into its own after two centuries of recovering from colonialist meddling, and "against China, we are the little dog: There are more than one billion of them to about 330 million of us," he writes in an excerpt. "America should aspire to be the greatest nation on Earth." I disagree. America's status as global hegemon has been devastating for both ourselves and the world. It is high time the U.S. accustomed itself to normal country status a great power to be sure, but no longer drastically more powerful than any other. The rise of China as the first peer nation we have had in decades just possibly might remind America of the value of diplomacy, international institutions, and minding our own business. Now, as I have written before, Yglesias is correct to note that China is a menacing country. It's a ruthless dictatorship in the midst of a horrifying ethnic cleansing campaign against its Uighur minority that may well count as genocide. It is slowly crushing a peaceful pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. It runs an incredibly pervasive surveillance system. It is constantly bullying its smaller neighbors, particularly Taiwan. Its "Belt and Road" and other initiatives are clearly aimed at establishing a kind of economic empire by roping dozens of poorer nations into a relationship of dependency on Beijing (in a way familiar to students of the British Empire). Story continues However, America remaining physically the most powerful single country is not the most important factor in whether China will be able to dominate the globe in future, or continue to roast the biosphere with greenhouse gases. (It currently emits twice what the U.S. does.) China is a nuclear-armed power, so physical might has only limited influence on it anyway. What matters is the political character of China's closest competitors namely the U.S., the E.U., and India plus the functioning of the global economy, and the broader diplomatic context. Absent some kind of disaster, just the historically close bloc of Western Europe and the U.S. could provide an effective counterweight to China for the rest of the century at least. Unfortunately, America has spent the last two decades tearing at the postwar alliance of Western democratic states by going on an international killing spree. China's authoritarianism is indeed terrible, but its behavior outside its borders has not been even close to as bad as the so-called War on Terror. Indeed, with the rise of Donald Trump and an increasingly extremist Republican Party, there is a real danger the U.S. will abandon ties with democratic Europe altogether and become just another authoritarian kleptocracy like China, except orders of magnitude more incompetent. I submit that winning the Cold War and emerging as by far the world's most powerful country was one of the worst things that has ever happened to America. We spent the 1990s drunk on our own success and power, believing that neoliberal capitalism marked an "end of history" written on American lines. Then 9/11 happened, and the nation went berserk. As Derek Davison writes at Foreign Exchanges, it was a terrible tragedy, but as far as actual body count not even in the same time zone as, say, the siege of Leningrad, or indeed the several catastrophes America would go on to inflict on the Middle East in a frothing desire to inflict vengeance on somebody, never mind who. The Costs of War project at Brown University recently calculated that the various post-9/11 wars have created 37 million refugees. "The real trauma that America suffered on 9/11 was to its collective self-image, its belief in its own overwhelming power, and control of the rest of the world," Davison writes. When one country is so strong that it can do basically whatever it wants, its internal pathologies or neuroses become the world's problems. It is not a coincidence that the most decent, best-governed countries in the world places like Taiwan, New Zealand, or the Nordics do not have the option of flying off the handle at a minor provocation and turning half a subcontinent into a smoking blood-drenched hellscape. It is also likely not a coincidence that as America has torched international treaties banning wars of aggression and torture, Chinese leaders have felt a freer hand to oppress neighbors or their own population. American hypocrisy is too glaring for any kind of values-based criticism to bite anymore, and we have sowed too much disunity with Europe to present any kind of united front against genuine horrors. "Stand with the U.S. against China?" Germany might say. "What, are they not torturing enough people?" It would be a good idea for decent democratic nations to try to check the power of China as it continues to grow and assert itself, and encourage it to behave decently. But the only effective way to do that is through setting a good example, and through the soft power of a united democratic bloc. Internal reform to make U.S. welfare institutions, infrastructure, and climate policy less of an international laughingstock, and restoring ties to alienated European allies, would also be helpful. Rolling back the military-industrial complex would help even more. Let us do that rather than trying to add another digit to the national population clock simply to remain the biggest dog in global politics. More stories from theweek.com Cousins of man killed in accident involving South Dakota's AG share concerns over investigation The climate refugees are here. They're Americans. Trump says he'll be on Fox & Friends every week but host Steve Doocy doesn't agree to have him For decades, Sunbelt states like Arizona and Florida have helped their economies grow by targeting an oft-overlooked population: retirees. Despite its abundant sunshine and other draws, New Mexico has yet to fully take advantage of the same trend. But a new group, Retire New Mexico, has set out to change that, citing the economic benefits that go along with attracting older adults. Its not the sexiest thing to say, but it really is a real deliberate economic strategy, said John Garcia, one of the founders of Retire New Mexico. Retire New Mexico is the brain-child of a trio of New Mexico economic development leaders, and has been in the works for more than half a decade. Garcia and his colleagues penned a report in July 2015, laying out the strengths and weaknesses of attracting retirees as an economic strategy. With a focused and deliberate approach to attracting active adults to our state, we can benefit by increasing our population and adding millions of dollars of discretionary spending to parts of our state that need it most, the report said. Bob Grassberger, another co-founder of Retire New Mexico, said retirees function like turbo-tourists, as they bring many of the same spending boosts that tourists do, just on a year-round basis. You can kind of consider them as permanent tourists, in terms of how their spending is, Grassberger said. Those permanent tourists also act as a magnet, bringing friends and family to visit from out of state, Grassberger said. Some even start their own companies or continue working remotely on a part-time basis. New Mexico still has a ways to go to catch up with its Sunbelt neighbors. A study from SmartAsset examining the states where retirees are moving ranked Florida first and Arizona second. New Mexico was nowhere to be found in the top 10. Still, Grassberger said the state does have some key advantages. In a survey put together by Retire New Mexico, good weather topped the list of desirable attributes among retirees, with cost of living also ranking highly. Grassberger said New Mexico fares well according to that combination. Even with our housing prices escalating, we still are a bargain compared to a lot of the rest of the country, he said. So why hasnt the state become more of a hit? Garcia noted that New Mexico is one of only 13 states that taxes retirement income. As with many economic development projects, New Mexicos high crime rate works against it when attracting retirees. Grassberger added that the state also lacks the name recognition with retirees enjoyed by more established destinations. While Retire New Mexico is still working to make this a priority at the state level, individual communities have already seen the benefits of catering to retired people. David Wilson, managing partner of Wilson Binkley Advertising & Marketing in Las Cruces, said the firm ran an advertising campaign targeting retirees in 2015 and 2016, when the city was still struggling to shake off the effects of the Great Recession. Since then, Wilson said the number of new housing starts each year in the city has more than doubled, and retirees from the Midwest, Colorado and West Texas settling in the southern New Mexico city are a key reason why. Wilson said Las Cruces affordability, warm winters and reputation as a college town helped attract older adults and reinvigorate the economy. We realize that this is a big part of our economic recovery, he said. Likewise, Farmington propped up its own campaign Retire Northwest New Mexico last year, according to Nancy Shepherd, chair of the Farmington Chamber of Commerces retirement committee. Shepherd said the community has seen a handful of new retirees, coming from Texas, Colorado and Arizona. If the program can grow, Shepherd said it could dovetail with efforts to boost outdoor recreation in the region. Were trying very hard to diversify, so we certainly see it as a piece of the puzzle, she said. Stephen Hamway covers economic development, healthcare and tourism for the Journal. He can be reached at shamway@abqjournal.com. Donald Trump has said he has signed a new executive order aimed at lowering the cost of medicines in the United States. Critics of Americas healthcare system - among then progressives such as Bernie Sanders - have long denounced the fact that prescription medicine costs far more in the US compared to other nations. The president has often vowed to take on big pharma, which benefits from the fact the government does not regulate prices, unlike many countries where government agencies negotiate prices for every drug. During the 2016 campaign he said he would lower their cost, and his first speech to the joint houses of Congress in February 2017, he vowed to bring them down immediately. Trump signs executive orders on lowering drug prices Critics say he has not done that. On Sunday he tweeted that he had signed a new executive order aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations. My Most Favored Nation order will ensure that our Country gets the same low price Big Pharma gives to other countries. The days of global freeriding at Americas expense are over, he wrote. Also just ended all rebates to middlemen, further reducing prices. The details of the order were not immediately clear. The president this summer signed four executive orders that he claimed would lower the costs of medicine. These included allowing certain drugs to be imported from Canada and making changes to the way discounts negotiated by middlemen were passed on to Medicare patients. A report by the House Ways and Means committee published last year found individual drug prices in the country ranged from 708 to 4,833 per cent higher than the combined mean price in 11 other countries studied. On average, US drug prices were 3.7 times higher than the combined average of the other 11 countries. MBABANE Reverend Johannes Mazibuko of the Alliance Church has found a companion. Mazibukos partner was officially introduced to the church during yesterdays service. Reverend Mazibuko lost his wife in July this year after battling a long illness. In an interview with the man of God, he confirmed that his soon-to-be wife was introduced by the chairman to the congregants. He said this was the first step they had taken before their families could be involved. According to Mazibuko, although it was a fact that he had recently lost his wife, however, the consideration that him finding a companion was too soon was based on who or what? Remembered He said biblical teachings informed him that when a person dies, he or she could not be remembered, which was stated in the book of Ecclesiastes 9 verses 3-5. Mazibuko said this did not mean that one did not care but the truth was that when the person has passed away, they would not wake up even when you mourn for 12 years. He stated that what was important was to respect the person, love and take good care of the person during their lifetime but when they die, it is finished. Mazibuko said what people needed to understand was that the Bible taught that married people were separated by death and his spouse had passed on. Sex Meanwhile, he noted that as a pastor, he worked with a lot of personalities and knew that in a persons mind, once you marry for the second time they think about sex. To remarry is not about sex but companionship as it is clearly stated in the Bible. He said he was an elder and needed a companion as he was alive and had to move on with life. Mazibuko said as a pastor, he travelled a lot and when he came back home, he needed a companion who would keep him company and talk about certain things and someone who would comfort him. In 1st Corinthians 7 verse 39, Apostle Paul speaks about the fact that once you are married, you are tied to your partner until death, once one dies the one left behind is a free person. Also, he noted that if a person who is widowed decides to find a companion they are free to take whoever but they should be a Christian when they are also Christians, he explained. The reverend said they took some time to find out more about his bride-to-be and they were satisfied with what they found. My wifes death was not an accident, she was ill for a while, he added. Israel will go into full lockdown this week starting Sept. 18, the eve of the Jewish New Year. Once that happens, Israel will be the first country in the developed world to impose a second lockdown. How did Israel go from being the country that world leaders wanted to study because of its successful approach to dealing with the coronavirus, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted, to a red-zone state with significantly higher infection rates than the rest of the world? In a report by Johns Hopkins University, Israel ranked first in the world in per capita infection for the week ending on Sept. 2, with an average of 199.3 infections per million inhabitants every day of that week. On Sept. 6, the government announced a curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and the full closure of all educational institutions in 40 towns, most of them Arab or ultra-Orthodox communities. The Arab population is having a very different experience in the second wave. During the first, Arab society excelled at following guidelines and just 5% of infections were among the Arab community. Today, new infections from the Arab community make up about 30% of the nations total. What happened in the second wave? How did the Arab community go from being a source of admiration to one of infection since life went back to normal in May? The main source of infection seems to be weddings and other special events. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, the Ministry of Healths spokesman for the Arab sector, Dr. Zahi Said, explained, Unlike during the first wave, the current situation in the Arab population does not bode well. Some 40% of coronavirus patients who are hospitalized and 30% of newly infected patients come from the Arab community. After investigating the matter, we discovered that the main cause of infection is weddings, while in mosques and other houses of worship, we found that the people in charge have been following the rules and guidelines. The problem with weddings is that there is no one to take charge or assume responsibility, as they have been taking place in the yards of private homes instead of event halls. During the first wave, people obeyed the instructions to the letter. And it should be remembered that wedding season in Arab society lasts mainly from June to October, explaining the outbreak in the second wave. When asked why the Ministry of Health wasn't better prepared to deal with weddings, Said answered, We did work together with the coronavirus czar, Roni Gamzu, and with the head of the coronavirus staff for Arab society, Ayman Saif, on plans to open event halls with restrictions on the number of attendees, fully in line with the guidelines. Unfortunately, the government then made a sweeping decision to close all halls, causing people to get married in their homes instead. Inevitably, there was no insistence on following the guidelines. The holy month of Ramadan took place this year in April-May, at the height of the first wave. Ramadan is a time of family gatherings, crowded shopping expeditions and group preparations for the evening meal to break the fast. Nevertheless, despite concerns among the local authorities about a Ramadan outbreak, the Arab community followed the guidelines and faced the challenge successfully. This time, however, people seem less worried about the virus due to the low rate of infection in Arab society. There are even some who claim that it was all a conspiracy in the first place, that the virus doesnt really exist. One hub of infection is the Arab town of Tira. In a conversation with Al-Monitor, chemist Riam Samara-Abu Much of Tira explained, Tira may be considered a red city, but the apathy and indifference are widespread among the inhabitants. Weve seen weddings with hundreds of participants, restaurants are full and the stores are packed with shoppers. In other words, life continues as normal. I feel as if people were more concerned during the first wave. Today I hear from quite a few people that this virus is one big lie, as much as I try to tell them that theyre wrong. She went on, I do support the decision to impose a total lockdown, because I am worried that we will reach the point that Italy and Spain did. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the government has been a complete failure in everything to do with fighting the coronavirus. This is an emergency government that was formed to fight the virus, but it looks like the coronavirus is at the bottom of its list of priorities. The government is dealing with everything except for COVID-19. Such is the predominant feeling among a large part of the Arab population, which is aware the rise in infection is due to weddings and other events. The current government was formed last May under the banner of fighting the coronavirus, but its real focus seems to be Netanyahu's political and legal survival. There is also deep distrust in a system known for its lack of enforcement, with the guidelines allegedly flaunted by senior officials, including Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. Attorney Shady Zaher of Nazareth told Al-Monitor, There isnt enough enforcement. Weddings won out over fear of the virus a long time ago. The fine for holding a wedding in violation of the guidelines should be 50,000 or even 100,000 shekels [$14,000 to 28,000], and not the laughable sum of 5,000 shekels [$1,400]. That way, people will think twice before holding some event or other. Even if the government failed in informing the public and fighting the virus, the very least it could do is enforce its own guidelines. NEET exam Santosh Kumar Yadav, a student from Darbhanga in Bihar, travelled more than 24 hours and took two buses for a 700 kilometre journey to reach Kolkata for attending National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), but couldn't attend the exam as he was late by 10 minutes. Exams Yadav was not allowed to enter the examination centre which was a school located in Salt Lake, a township located east of Kolkata. Advertisement Yadav pleaded the authorities but didn't allow him stating that he was late. NEET exam The examination had started at 2 pm and Yadav reached the centre around 1.40 pm and it was said that the last deadline for entering the centre was 1.30 pm. Advertisement Yadav said with desperation that he lost a year. NEET examinees were asked to report three hours to undergo security and health checks due to the corona crisis. Acquisition positions i3 to rapidly expand service territory and provide Fiber-to-the-Home broadband to consumers in new communities. Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited ("Wren House") today announced that it has agreed to acquire i3 Broadband ("i3" or the "Company") from Seaport Capital ("Seaport") and Countrywide Broadband. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, i3 is the leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator in Illinois, providing gigabit-speed broadband, as well as video and voice services, to residential and commercial customers in Central Illinois. It also serves select markets in the East Bay of Rhode Island. Under Seaport's ownership, the Company has become one of the country's leading fiber-to-the-home providers, offering fiber-based broadband internet to residential and commercial customers with nationally recognized customer service. Wren House's investment will support the Company's continued growth in its existing markets and the buildout of new communities in Illinois and surrounding states. "i3 is committed to providing local communities with access to the most reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity available. These services are more critical than ever, allowing residents to easily e-learn and work-from-home, and communities to grow. Wren House's investment will allow us to expand our network and enhance our services, all while remaining committed to our customer-first culture," said Dan Kennedy, CEO of i3 Broadband. "We are excited to have Wren House as our partner in this next chapter of i3's growth, and Sam Valencia, Executive Vice President and CFO, and I are pleased to be major investors in this new venture." "i3 is perfectly positioned to meet the growing demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses. i3 has built an impressive fiber network and cultivated strong customer relationships throughout their local markets. We are excited to partner with i3's exceptional management team to accelerate the Company's growth, while continuing to deliver category-leading service to i3's communities," said Hakim Drissi, CEO of Wren House. "The impressive growth i3 generated over the course of our four-year partnership with Chairman Grier Raclin, CEO Dan Kennedy, CFO Sam Valencia, and VP Mike Whitaker is a testament to the entire i3 management team and their focus on delivering high-quality products over a state-of-the-art fiber network backed by superior customer service," said Bill Luby, a Founding Partner of Seaport Capital. Scott McCormack, Partner at Seaport Capital, added, "We want to thank the entire i3 team and wish the Company continued success in the future with their new partner, Wren House." Lazard Middle Market acted as sole financial advisor to i3 and Thompson Coburn acted as i3's legal counsel. Rothschild Co acted as financial advisor to Wren House and Sullivan Cromwell acted as Wren House's legal counsel. About i3 Broadband i3 Broadband is the leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator in Illinois, providing gigabit-speed broadband, as well as video and voice services, to residential and commercial customers in Central Illinois. It also serves select markets in the East Bay of Rhode Island. www.i3broadband.com About Wren House Wren House, based in London, UK, was established in 2013 as an operationally independent UK limited company. Wren House is a captive global infrastructure investment manager, with a clear mandate that drives a flexible and commercial approach to investment and a focus on delivering attractive risk-adjusted equity returns. To learn more about Wren House please visit http://wrenhouseinfra.com/. About Seaport Capital Founded in 1997, Seaport Capital is a lower middle market buyout firm that invests in communication infrastructure and services, business and information services and media companies (the "Focus Sectors"). Seaport's senior investment team has over 100 years of combined experience investing in the Focus Sectors, and the team has worked collectively for over 15 years. Seaport's substantial industry expertise and investing experience enable it to develop successful strategies; its relationships and team help achieve them. Nearly all of Seaport's platform investments have been owned by founders or entrepreneurs seeking a collaborative institutional partner to provide the financial and operational resources to grow their businesses and execute on a successful strategic plan. To learn more about Seaport Capital please visit www.seaportcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005251/en/ Contacts: For Wren House: Simone Selzer Sumeet Desai Brunswick Group LLP +44 (0)207 404 5959 +44 (0) 7515 187438 WRENHOUSE@brunswickgroup.com For Seaport Capital: Kathleen Holohan Investor Relations Associate Seaport Capital 212-847-8915 Kholohan@seaportcapital.com Popeyes website shows burger meal items. / Screen captured from Popeyes website By Kim Jae-heun American multinational fried chicken restaurant chain Popeyes is said to be pulling out of Korea. Last week, a memo written by a Popeyes restaurant employee in Seoul went viral online that read "Popeyes brand will no longer pursue business in Korea as of November." The employee further noted that the chain's branch in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, will be the last restaurant before the company withdraws its business here. However, an official from TS Corporation, the mother company of TS Food & System that operates Popeyes, denied the rumor. "It may be true that some of the restaurants in the country will close down but not all will. I cannot give further details except that the company will continue to sell its brand here," the official said. Popeyes has been attempting to liquidate its business here through a local accounting firm since 2018 but the process has not gone smoothly. Recently, it has been privately contacting potential buyers directly without going through a broker. "Popeyes has made no progress while looking for a buyer among investment banks in the last two years. However, it looks like they are in negotiation with one candidate recently," an industry source said in an interview with local media. Popeyes entered the Korean fast food market in 1993 when TS Food & System signed an exclusive sales contract with parent company America's Favorite Chicken to bring Popeyes to Korea. The following year, the fast food chain opened its very first restaurant in southern Seoul's upmarket Apgujeong, and at its height it had nearly 200 stores. However, TS Food & System recorded an impaired equity ratio of 40 percent in 2018 and last year it was in negative equity. The company wants to increase the brand value and restructure restaurants to improve the firm's profitability. It believes finding a new operator is the best option for doing so. Popeyes has allegedly approached SPC Group, which operates popular international fast food chains including Shake Shack and Eggslut here. SPC Group can also create synergy with the fried chicken brand as it runs food businesses capable of supplying flour, processed meats and egg products to related franchises. Meanwhile, TS Corporation possesses knowhow from establishing and operating chicken and burger franchise restaurant Mom's Touch. However, it sold off the fast food chain to Haimarrow Food Service when it showed poor business performance in 2004. Last year private equity firm KL & Partners acquired Mom's Touch. Last week, a handful of NPP supporters went on the street demanding an apology from our Flagbearer, H.E. John Mahama. The reason was that H.E. John Mahama had shared on his Facebook wall a post inscription Akyem Sakawa Boys. We condemn the organisers of this unpopular and unnecessary demonstration, and we ask the good people of Ghana to condemn this demonstration in no uncertain terms it deserves. We would like to state emphatically clear that, the leader of the largest opposition party, who Ghanaians will give him another mandate to return to power on 7 December 2020, has done nothing untoward. We believe that these shenanigans are cowardice attempts by the NPP government and his hirelings to frustrate Ghanaian voters to make an informed decision to vote. We believe such hullabaloo is an attempt to cover up the abysmal performance of NPP government under President Nana Akufo-Addo. As the saying goes se wontumi w'adesoa a, wo se, wo kahyire nnye We would like to state that, H.E. John Dramani Mahama has never said or indicated anywhere that the good people of Akyem is fraudsters. NDC boasts of numerous people from Akyem who have worked and continue to work in various positions within the party. Unlike other parties, everyone has the chance of progression should they join NDC. We are not like those whose upper echelons run it as a tribal clique. Unfortunately, those referred to as Akyem Sakawa Boys are a few greedy people surrounding around President Akufo-Addo. An apology is rendered when one has done something that has major negative consequences for someone else. But as far as we are concerned, our Flagbearer has not done anything that brings his credibility to disrupt between him and the good people of Akyem. The Former President is a man of integrity and has never beaten war drums in his political career. Therefore, it is unfair and disingenuous for NPP to hide behind a few people to taint his records. It is rather President Akufo-Addo who has to render apologies to Ghanaians for his lies and deceits Ghana is a Nation, not a George Orwells Animal Farm. Ghana cannot be George Orwell's fairy tale description in Animal Farm, where "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others". Orwells quip is viewed widely as an allegorical critique of a failed system supposedly set up in an egalitarian ideal of communism. The Orwell's witticism cannot be accepted in any modern political system, such as our current political dispensation. Ghanaians are tired of President Akufo-Addo oligarchy and kleptocracy type of government. We cannot allow Ghana, the first African independent country, to operate a system like Sudan where racism is insidious. In Sudan, most senior positions are filled by people from the north - the Arab (coloured) and Nubian ethnic groups, while the black Africans are regarded as a slave. President Akufo-Addo has inherited the UP tradition, who is since independence has manoeuvred to scheme up tribalism and nepotism in Ghana. When seeking Ghanaians mandate, President Akufo-Addo promised to make Ghana a paradise for all. At the Jubilee Park in Tamale on 22 November 2016, he said I am promising you that within 18 months of a new government of the NPP, under my leadership, the face of our country, Ghana, is going to change. Then he added, This new Ghana will be a Ghana with opportunities for all, and where everybody is taken care off. Assuming office, he appointed only families and favourite friends to juicy positions. At least 51 family members are now holding key positions. He engaged his nucleus families and friends, mostly from the Akyem caucus, to loot the state by creating unconventional companies to engage in dubious and fraudulent businesses at the detriment of the state. We know of PDS, who has still not accounted for over Ghc1 billion collected on behalf of ECG and yet, no one has been prosecuted. We read about Agyapa Royalties; a private offshore company created to handle our mineral royalties when there are other local companies to do so. We have seen family-friends companies engaged to scheme up the plan, and gave themselves managerial positions. Has the Former President and the Leader of the largest opposition party not gotten the right to question the legality of these nefarious activities, such as Agyapa Royalties? Why is it a problem to mention Akyem Sakawa Boys if indeed proven that the same people are behind the deal? And what makes the President angry to quickly summon the clergies to lodge a complaint? President Akufo-Addo was part of Prof. Albert Adu-Boahen NPP campaign slogan Ye gye ye man in 1992. Nana Akufo-Addo has classified his NPP as Yen Akanfo which he meant NPP is Akan party. On 13 April 2012, the acerbic-tongue NPP MP for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, declared war on the Ewes and Gas in Ashanti Region. Then Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo made an ethnocentric statement which echoed NPP tribalistic sentiment that even though close to 90% of Ghana's resources are concentrated in Akan-dominated areas, it is non-Akan who come from areas without resources that are at the helm of governance. Then on 20 February 2020, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communication, went on Asempa FM to say that the NDC MPs have lost their senses for staging a walk-out in Parliament during President Akufo-Addos State of the Nations Address. The Minister also said they the Akyems own the country which can be referenced to an old saying by some NPP kingpins Ye gye ye man. If President Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP are clinically clean devoid of any tribalism, he would have condemned Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong. President Nana Akufo-Addo has for the past made statements which were not only derogatory, tribalistic and divisive but also incendiary, such as all-die-be-die. Today, he sees the wisdom to complain about his opponent? NDC Holland challenges NPP supporters home and abroad, that they have no moral right to dictate to H.E John Dramani Mahama what to do and what ought not to do. H.E. John Dramani Mahama, the former first gentleman of the Nation, has the constitutional duty to say anything so far as it is in the interest of the majority of Ghanaians. H.E. John Dramani Mahama is not a tribalist and he dislikes tribalism. It is unequivocal that the demonstration against H.E. John Mahama was needless and senseless. The government who created Akyem Sakawa Boys is to be blamed. They are Sakawa Boys because they are always behind any fraudulent deals at the expense of the state, and we will not stop referring to them. Ghana is a peaceful and democratic country and we would not be kowtowed by fears and intimidation. On 7 September 2020 H.E. John Dramani Mahama and Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyamang launched the NDC PEOPLES MANIFESTO. Even though we are not yet governing, our manifesto has started to work in Ghana. Ghanaians are ready to see President Nana Akufo-Addo and H.E. John Dramani Mahama debate on policies and on records of economic development that will move Ghana forward. We challenge the President Akufo-Addo for debate instead of inciting his people to go on unnecessary demonstration. We also challenge Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to debate with Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang instead of preaching tribalism in the north to score political points. God Bless Our Homeland; And Help Us to Resist Oppressors Rule God Bless NDC !, God Bless John & Jane ! Eye Zu, Eye Za ! - Signed - Lewis Kwame Addo Communication Officer NDC Holland Chapter Paris Hilton has received praise from former classmates for speaking out about the abuse she says she suffered at her former boarding school. The heiress, DJ, and businesswoman opens up about the alleged abuse in the new documentary This Is Paris, released on YouTube on Monday. She refers to Provo Canyon School, a residential facility located in Utah where she spent 11 months, as the worst of the worst. Theres no getting out of there, Hilton says. Youre sitting on a chair, staring at a wall all day long, getting yelled at or hit." She also says she felt that some of the people who worked there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked". Hilton alleges that she was sent into solitary confinement after not taking pills that were prescribed to her. I got in so much trouble for that, she adds, describing the conditions like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Provo Canyon School has previously told People in a statement: Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time. The school further told Fox News: We do not condone or promote any form of abuse. Any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement and Child Protective Services immediately as required. We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric needs. A former student at the school praised Hilton for coming forward, telling the network: Paris coming out about this could make really large changes in the industry as a whole. She's a hero. The former student added: Someone like Paris to share this kind of story is really brave. This isn't just Provo Canyon School. This is a multibillion-dollar industry and it's been overlooked for many because programs often say the kids are 'emotionally unstable.' With Paris speaking out, it's getting a lot more attention. The Independent has contacted Provo Canyon School for further comment. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72066020R10018 ISSUANCE DATE: September 15, 2020 CLOSING DATE/TIME: October 13, 2020 at 17:00 (Kinshasa Time) SUBJECT: Solicitation for a Cooperating Country National Personal Service Contractor (CCNPSC - Local Compensation Plan) USAID Project Management Assistant (HIV/AIDS), based in Kinshasa Dear Prospective Offerors: The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation. Offers must be in accordance with Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offers. Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the Attached 1. Sincerely, /S/ Priscilla Sampil Contracting Officer I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72066020R10018 2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 15, 2020 3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 13, 2020, at 17:00 (Kinshasa Time) 4. POINT OF CONTACT: Christiane Lemba at usaidhrkinshasa@usaid.gov 5. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Assistant (HIV/AIDS) 6. MARKET VALUE: equivalent to FSN-7 in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/DRC. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value. 7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years, estimated to start o/a February 2021. The services provided under this contract are expected to be a continuing nature that will be executed by USAID through series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of funds. 8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties. 9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Cooperating Country Nationals as defined in AIDAR Appendix J: Cooperating country national (CCN) means an individual who is a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country. 10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security Certification issued by the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office Click here to download the full document - PDF format Verizon is appealing for the public's help in identifying a woman who was seen in a viral video throwing a trash can at an Upper East Side cellphone store employee and using a racial slur after being asked to wear a face mask. The incident took place at around 5pm on Thursday at the Verizon store located at East 69th Street and 3rd Avenue. Video documenting the confrontation opens with the unnamed woman yelling an expletive at a masked worker while sitting at a table inside the store and charging her phone. A woman flew into a rage and assaulted a worker after reportedly being asked to wear a mask inside a Verizon store on the Upper East Side last week Video capturing the incident shows the customer throwing a metal can at the worker after being asked to leave the store The female employee tells the irate customer, 'You have to leave,' then approaches her and attempts to take the cellphone charger out of her hands, saying that it does not belong to her, as Gothamist first reported. 'Get your f***ing s*** away from me, b****!' the woman shrieks as she shoves the Verizon staffer away. 'Do not grab my f***ing hands!' The employee calmly notes that she did not touch the woman and tells her to get out. That is when the furious customer grabs a small metal trash can from the table, hurls it at the worker, and then threatens to 'beat the s***' out of her. Another staffer then intervenes and orders the woman to leave the store, sparking a foul-mouthed tirade. 'You can f*** yourself, you f***ing ugly h*,' she screams at the injured worker, before launching into a rant criticizing Verizon's service. The angry customer could be heard ranting about Verizon's enforcement of 'illegal laws,' yelling profanities and hurling a racial slur at a Black employee 'I'm not walking around the goddamn f***ing city without data, you pieces of s***,' she hollers at the top of her lungs. 'You're not only f***ing breaking contract, you're enforcing illegal laws, and you don't f***ing tell me what to do!, and you don't grab my f***ing hands!' As she is escorted to the door by the male worker, who is African-American, the woman, who appears to be white, calls him a 'fat, ugly n*****.' An NYPD spokesperson has confirmed that a female employee at the Verizon store suffered minor injuries and was treated at New York Presbyterian Hospital after a customer threw a bin at her face because she was angered by the store's policy requiring everyone to wear a face covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Police have launched an investigation into the assault, but so far no arrests have been made. Verizon is asking for the public's help in identifying the woman who assaulted the worker at this location so that she could be banned for life Verizon released a statement, thanking the injured worker for her professionalism and asking for help in identifying the irate customer 'We would like to ban her for life from entering our stores and terminate her ability to do business with us,' the company said. 'The health and safety of our employees and customers is our number 1 priority. We will not tolerate behavior like this.' Anyone with information on the woman seen in the video is being asked to call the the Verizon security hotline at 800-483-0722. President Trump insisted the U.S. was "making the last turn" against the coronavirus as he held his first fully indoor rally since June in Nevada against state regulations and his administration's pandemic health guidelines, AP notes. The big picture: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) tweeted that Trump's actions were "shameful, dangerous and irresponsible." Trump told the mostly maskless crowd the U.S. "will very easy defeat" the virus. "We are not shutting the country again," Trump said. "A shutdown would destroy the lives and dreams of millions Americans." By the numbers: Nevada has limited gatherings to 50 people in response to the virus, which has in the U.S. killed more than 194,000 people and infected 6.5 million, per Johns Hopkins. The World Health Organization announced Sunday that U.S. cases were a leading factor in a record 307,930 new coronavirus cases reported in the previous 24 hours. India reported the most new cases (94,372), followed by the U.S. (45,523) and Brazil (43,718), per the WHO. The U.S and India both reported more than 1,000 deaths in 24 hours from COVID-19. Of note: While many attendees at the Henderson, Nevada, event didn't wear face coverings, those right behind Trump in the stands were required to wear masks, AP notes. Following Trump's last rally, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a health official said the event "more than likely" contributed to a surge in coronavirus cases in the city. Among those in attendance in Tulsa was former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who died of COVID-19 weeks later. It's unclear whether he contracted the virus at Trump's rally. What they're saying: "If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States," a Trump campaign official told NBC. Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. sacw.net compilation of selected statements regarding the North Delhi Communal Violence of February 2020 and the naming and intimidation of prominent citizens and the arrests conducted by Delhi Police [1] Urgent Press Statement - Concerned Citizens [2] Text of Statement by the Communist Party of India [3] Statement by Communist Party of India (Marxist) [4] Statement issued by The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [5] Statement by Prof Apoorvanand [6] Statement by JNUTA on the Arrest of Former Student Umar Khalid - 14 Sept 2020 [7] Statement from Human Rights Forum - 14 Sept 2020 [8] PUCL - Representation to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi about nature of Investigation by Delhi Police into incidents of violence in NE Delhi in February 2020 [9] Criminalising and Silencing Dissent: Delhi Police Investigations into the February Violence - Press Statement by Concerned Citizens at the Press Club of India, New Delhi | Sept 16, 2020 ++ [1] Urgent Press Statement Sept 14, 2020 WE CONDEMN THE ARREST OF UMAR KHALID, ONE OF OUR BRAVEST YOUNG VOICES WHO SPOKE FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES OF OUR COUNTRY WE DEMAND HIS IMMEDIATE RELEASE & ASK DELHI POLICE TO STOP THIS WITCHHUNT As citizens deeply committed to Constitutional values, we condemn the arrest of Umar Khalid who has been subjected to a malicious investigation targeting peaceful anti-CAA protestors. He has been booked under several charges including UAPA, sedition and conspiracy for murder. With deep anguish we have no doubt in saying that this investigation is not about the violence in February 2020 in the national capital but on the completely peaceful and democratic protests across the country against the unconstitutional CAA. Umar Khalid was one of the hundreds of voices that spoke up in favour of the Constitution across the country during these anti-CAA protests, always foregrounding the need for peaceful, non-violent and democratic means. Umar Khalid has emerged as a strong and powerful voice of young Indians in favour of the Constitution and of democracy. The repeated attempts by the Delhi police to implicate him in a number of fictitious cases of conspiracy for the Delhi violence are part of a brazen attempt to try to suppress his voice of dissent. It is very significant that of the 20 arrested, 19 are under the age of 31. Of which 17 have been charged under the draconian UAPA and have been imprisoned on charges of a conspiracy for the Delhi violence whereas those who actually instigated and participated in the violence has not been touched. Of the ones incarcerated, five are women, except for one all are also students. The essence of our democracy is the freedom of conscience and the strength of any country is in its young minds. We strongly condemn the targeting of Umar Khalid and other young activists, both women and men. The right to life, is not just to be allowed to eat, live and breathe; it is to live without fear, with dignity and with freedom of expression, including dissent. The nature of investigation has been mainly to silence democratic voices and instill fear, and this is precisely the objective of this witch hunt. Given the precedence of physical attacks in court premises in the instance of Kanhaiya Kumar, and the attempt on Umaras life in 2018 by gunmen in public, it is imperative that all measures are taken to avoid any threat to his life and safety so long as he remains in the custody of the state / judiciary. It has also been observed by the court that the media is peddling false information and selective leakages in an attempt to conduct a full-fledged media trial and influence the course of justice. This must cease immediately. If we let law take its own course, we are confident that justice shall prevail. Signed, 1. Saeed Mirza, filmmaker 2. Syeda Hameed, ex-Planning Commission 3. Arundhati Roy, Writer 4. TM Krishna, Artist 5. Ramchandra Guha, Historian 6. Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate 7. P. Sainath, Senior Journalist 8. Brinda Karat, CPI (M) 9. Jignesh Mewani, MLA Gujarat 10. Kavita Krishnan (AIPWA) 11. Mihir Desai, Senior Advocate 12. Aakar Patel, Journalist & Activist 13. Biraj Patnaik, Public Policy expert 14. Darab Farooqi, Writer and lyricist 15. Farah Naqvi, Writer and Activist 16. Githa Hariharan, Author and Activist 17. Harsh Mander, Author & Activist 18. Jayaram Venkatesan, Social Activist, Chennai 19. Kavita Srivastava, Activist 20. Navsharan Singh, independent researcher 21. ND Pancholi, Senior Lawyer 22. Prabir Purakayastha 23. Prof. Atul Sood, JNU 24. Prof. Nandini Sundar, Delhi University 25. Prof. Apoorvanand, Delhi University 26. Prof. Jayati Ghosh, JNU 27. Prof. Mary John 28. Prof. Prabhat Patnaik 29. Prof. Satish Deshpande 30. Prof. Surajit Mazumdar, JNU 31. Prof. Ayesha Kidwai, JNU 32. Prof. D. K. Lobiyal, JNU 33. Purwa Bhardwaj, Educationist 34. Ravi Kiran Jain, PUCL 35. Shuddhabrata Sengupta (Raqs Media Collective) 36. V Suresh, PUCL o o o [2] Text of Statement by the Communist Party of India New Delhi September 14, 2020 Press Release CPI Condemns Naming of Yechury and others in Delhi Riots Case The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India has issued today (September 14, 2020) the following statement condemning the naming of Yechury and other prominent activists in the Delhi riots case investigation: The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India strongly condemns the naming of CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, Prof. Jayati Ghosh, Prof. Apoorvanand and Producer Rahul Roy in the supplementary chargesheet prepared by the Delhi Police in February riots in North-East Delhi. The naming of these prominent personalities at the behest of the Union Home Ministry is blatant violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. While the Delhi Police is refusing to take any action and file any FIR against Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and others belonging to BJP who made hate speeches and instigated violence, same Delhi Police is continuing to interrogate activists including women activists, who went there to express solidarity with the anti-CAA protestors. The Party feels the conspiratorial moves to suppress dissent and differing views are part of RSS-BJP combineas intolerant and authoritarian ways of governance. The Party appeals to all the progressive, democratic and secular forces to rise against such authoritarian and onslaughts against democracy by giving a proper rebuff to the continuing suppressive moves. (Roykutty) Office Secretary o o o [3] Statement by Communist Party of India (Marxist) Condemn These Arrests Date: Monday, September 14, 2020 The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement: The arrest of Umar Khalid under the provisions of the draconian UAPA is condemnable. This comes following the detention, under UAPA, of Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita (JNU), Ishrat Jahan, a former Councillor of the Congress Party, Jamia students Meeran Haider also an RJD youth leader, Asif Tanha, Safoora Zagar and Gulfisha Fatima and Shifr-ul-Rehman. Top BJP leaders who made hate speeches and incited violence are protected by the Central Government, while young peaceful protesters against the CAA are being targeted and arrested citing the utterly manufactured version of the countryas Home Ministry and the Delhi Police linking anti-CAA protests with communal violence. The Central Government must stop the practice of the Special Branch summoning anti-CAA activists for questioning and trying to coerce them into implicating those targeted by the Home Ministry and the Police. The use of UAPA is to block the normal processes of justice by which they would have been out on bail since, as many of the lower courts have mentioned, there is not a shred of evidence against any of them for inciting violence. The arrests constitute an assault on the constitutional guarantees of the democratic right to dissent. The CPI(M) has opposed the CAA-NRC-NPR from the beginning both in Parliament and outside in multiple protests throughout the country. It reiterates its strong opposition. It expresses its solidarity with all those facing the repression of the Central Government. It demands the release of all those arrested under UAPA in the Delhi communal violence case. Recent developments point to the urgent necessity of an independent investigation, under a retired judge, into the causes of the violence as against the biased investigation being conducted by the Delhi police under Union Home Ministryas guidance. o o o [4] September 13, 2020 The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement: Strongly protest this criminalising of peaceful protests in defence of Indian Constitution The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is shocked by the brazenness with which the Delhi Police, acting under Home Minister, Amit Shah has tried to implicate prominent political leadership, academics, cultural personalities and activists in connection with the horrific communal violence in North East Delhi in February. No condemnation is strong enough for this act of crude partisanship and vengeance. In scripting its own narrative of the organised communal violence, it is amply clear that BJP-RSS has gone about to portray Delhi riots being a adeep-rooted conspiracya by anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters. In the latest sequel, the Delhi police have dragged in Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, renowned economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy, among other prominent personalities, as persons who had, encouraged the protesters as part of a aplana. The names of these eminent personalities have emerged in the supplementary charge sheet filed by the Delhi police for FIR 50/20 in connection with the alleged role they played in motivating anti-CAA-NRC protesters. This is in line with the growing pattern of the most blatant abuse of the Police and other central agencies like CBI, NIA, ED to frame prominent opponents and demonise them. The pattern includes slapping of provisions of draconian NSA, UAPA and Sedition Act to harass and incarcerate those who vigorously oppose such blatant misuse of powers by the government contrary to that as ordained by the Constitution. The arbitrary conduct of the NIA in the Bhima-Koregaon case and expanding its ambit is telling commentary of this course. Similarly, the dropping of the provisions of NSA and granting of bail to Dr Kafeel Khan by Allahabad High Court has graphically underlined this. Overall, this outlines a severe onslaught on democracy and the Constitution. The CPI(M) condemns this obnoxious action by the Delhi Police to further the narrative of its political masters and urges the government to desist from such acts of criminalising peaceful political protests. The CPI(M) also strongly demands unconditional release of political prisoners who are incarcerating in cases under trumped up charges. The Polit Bureau urges its units all over the country and appeals to all the parties, organisations and individuals who are committed to democracy and values of the Constitution, to protest this dastardly attack on democracy. For CPI(M) Central Committee Office o o o [5] Statement by Prof Apoorvanand September 13, 2020 It has been brought to my notice that a supplementary Chargesheet filed in connection with FIR 50/2020 has certain disclosure statements by accused in custody, that mention my name, together with that of Rahul Roy, Umar Khalid, Jayati Ghosh , Sita Ram Yechuri and Yogendra Yadav. These names are mentioned in uncorroborated statements attributed to accused who are in custody, where it is claimed that they provided support in organising the anti- CAA protests. The supplementary CS proclaims that the accused persons were continously poisoning the minds of common people against the CAA/ NRC. This is the governments political position; surprisingly being parroted in the supplementary CS as a legal offence. Although FIR 50/2020 was registered in connection with the death, from gunshot injury, of one Amaan, the investigation seems to have focussed on deligitimizing the protests and in trying to make the protestors indirectly responsible for Amaans death. While I am not made accused, it is very surprising that the police should even accuse three young women, without any basis, of having murdered a 17 year old boy, Amaan. It would seem that the accused women are not directly linked to the murder, but the allegation is that they instigated some unknown shooter. The investigation has not revealed who shot at Amaan, but it insists that whoever it was, was instigated by the anti-CAA stance of the accused individuals. It is also pertinent that on September 1st, the Delhi High Court, while hearing a bail application by Devangana Kalita, has categorically held that the police has not been able to give any evidence of any incendiary speech by her. The court also said that the statements of the witnesses were produced belatedly, as an afterthought by the police. The supplementary CS does not improve upon the legal case, but only seems to be furthering the political agenda of discrediting the protestors, and uses all our names as part of the discrediting exercise. Their act of having planned a protest is being treated as a conspiracy to violence, in which me, along with others, are projected as having abetted that cause, without any basis in law or facts. We are still waiting for the Delhi police to start investigation to find out the truth behind the actual act of the February violence. It needs to stop its exercise of criminalising the anti CAA protests which were perfectly legitimate act of citizenship. [6] Statement by JNUTA on the Arrest of Former Student Umar Khalid - 14 Sept 2020 Statement by JNUTA on September 14, 2020 [7] Statement from Human Rights Forum Press Release The Human Rights Forum (HRF) condemns the arrest of activist with United Against Hate and former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid late last night by the Delhi Police Special Cell. He has been charged under the obnoxious Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged involvement in the violence in North East Delhi during February this year. HRF believes the charges against Umar Khalid to be completely fabricated with evidence being sought to be systematically manufactured. Over several months, the Delhi police has been relentlessly targeting and incarcerating anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) activists, most of them young, under plainly bogus charges. While organisations and individuals working for communal harmony are being vilified and booked in false cases, the real instigators and conspirators of the brutal violence this February continue to stalk Delhi roaming scot-free. They clearly enjoy State patronage, many of them being active functionaries of the BJP and its affiliates. The ideological progeny of MS Golwalkar and KB Hedgewar who are presently ruling us imagine they can recreate our nation into an aggressive and deeply undemocratic power-mongering polity based on a hierarchical and monolithic society. Their project is bound to fail. In the words of Umar Khalid: aThe rulers of India have lost one battle a that is the battle over young minds. They came to bury us; but they didnat know we were seeds.a Umar Khalid is among the finest of our Republicas young. He has consistently evoked - in his speeches, writings and vibrant activism - a peaceful and non-violent defense of the best values of our Constitution and of the freedom to dissent and live without fear. His political life is marked by deep compassion for the poor and the marginalized and he has always espoused the values of equality, justice and dignity. HRF demands that Umar Khalid and all anti-CAA activists arrested by the Delhi police be set free immediately and the farcical charges against them be dropped. We call upon democratic forces to build a strong campaign for repeal of the UAPA and scrapping of the Sedition law. VS Krishna S Jeevan Kumar HRF AP&TS Coordination Committee members 14-9-2020, Visakhapatnam [8] PUCL - Representation to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi about nature of Investigation by Delhi Police into incidents of violence in NE Delhi in February 2020 http://www.sacw.net/article14436.html [9] India: Criminalising and Silencing Dissent: Delhi Police Investigations into the February Violence - Press Statement by Concerned Citizens at the Press Club of India, New Delhi | Sept 16, 2020 http://www.sacw.net/article14438.html [SEE ALSO: 1.) Julio Ribeiro hauls Delhi Police chief over the coals Asks why Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have not been arraigned before the Courts of law? https://sabrangindia.in/article/julio-ribeiro-hauls-delhi-police-chief-over-coals 2.) An Open Letter to the Police Commissioner, Delhi, regarding the flawed investigation into the Delhi riots, February 2020 Shri S.N.Shrivastava, IPS Commissioner of Police, Delhi cp.snshrivastava@delhipolice.gov.in Dear Shri Shrivastava, We, the undersigned, are retired officers of the Indian Police Service and belong to a larger group of retired officers belonging to different services and known as Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG). Mr Julio Ribeiro is a living legend of an IPS officer (as one publication put it) and is one of the most valued members of the CCG. We would like to endorse the letter he has written to you regarding the flawed investigation into the Delhi riots. In addition, we would like to say that it indeed is a sad day in the history of Indian police that investigations and challans submitted in the court by Delhi Police in connection with riots of this year are widely believed to be partisan and politically motivated. It pains all those police officers, serving as well as retired, who believe in upholding the rule of law and our Constitution. We were sad to note that one of your Special Commissioners had tried to influence investigations claiming resentment among Hindus over the arrest of some rioters belonging to their community. Such a majoritarian attitude in the police leadership leads to a travesty of justice for the victims of violence and their family members belonging to minority communities. This would further mean that real culprits of the violence belonging to majority community are likely to go scot free. What pains us more is implicating all those who spoke and joined protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). They were simply exercising their fundamental rights of freedom of speech and peaceful protests as guaranteed by the Constitution. Basing investigations on adisclosuresa without concrete evidence violates all principles of fair investigation. While implicating leaders and activists, who expressed their views against CAA, all those who instigated violence and are associated with the ruling party have been let off the hook. Such investigation will only make people lose faith in democracy, justice, fairness and the Constitution. A dangerous thought that may ultimately shake the pillars of an orderly society and lead to breakdown of law and order. We would, therefore, earnestly request you for reinvestigation of all riot cases fairly and without any bias based on sound principles of criminal investigations to provide justice to the victims and their families and for upholding the rule of law. Yours sincerely, Name Service Last post/designation before retirement 1. Shafi Alam IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General, National Crime Records Bureau, GoI 2. K. Saleem Ali IPS (Retd.) Former Special Director, CBI, GoI 3. Mohinderpal Aulakh IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General of Police (Jails), Govt. of Punjab 4. A.S. Dulat IPS (Retd.) Former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Ministeras Office, GoI 5. Aloke B. Lal IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General (Prosecution), Govt. of Uttarakhand 6. Amitabh Mathur IPS (Retd.) Former Director, Aviation Research Centre and Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI 7. Avinash Mohananey IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim 8. P.G.J. Nampoothiri IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat 9. A.K. Samanta IPS (Retd.) Former Director-General of Police (Intelligence), Govt. of West Bengal ] Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - As Arizona prepares for influenza season amid COVID-19, Governor Doug Ducey Tuesday issued an Executive Order extending the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory for COVID-19 and adding new influenza reporting requirements for health care facilities. Arizonas Enhanced Surveillance Advisory, established by Executive Order 2020-13 in March, required hospitals, testing laboratories and other health care facilities to report detailed information about COVID-19 cases, health care capacity and more. Todays order extends the COVID-19 reporting requirements and further strengthens the ability of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to respond to COVID-19 during influenza season this year. COVID-19 and influenza season pose a dual threat to Arizona this year, said Governor Ducey. Thats why it is so important to get your flu shot and continue making responsible choices, such as masking up and staying physically distant. We are committed to keeping Arizonans healthy and safe throughout influenza season, and we will continue our states around-the-clock efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health. Our team remains committed to doing everything we can to fight the spread of COVID-19, said Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ. The enhanced surveillance advisory has been critical to our awareness of COVID-19 in Arizona, allowing us to understand the situation throughout the state and respond effectively. To better understand and fight the spread of COVID-19, the advisory has required hospitals in Arizona to report daily statistics on staff resources, ventilator availability, intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability, inpatient bed availability, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply levels, medical supply levels and more. New reporting requirements for influenza include: Number of inpatient influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza; Number of ventilators in use by influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza; Number of ICU beds in use by influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza; and, Number of influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza seen in the Emergency Department per day. Last week, Governor Ducey joined ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ and health care leaders representing hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, nurses, public health, universities and more to announce the states plan of action to increase influenza vaccination rates and urge Arizonans to get the flu shot. Information about COVID-19 in Arizona is updated daily on the ADHS Data Dashboard at azhealth.gov. For more information about COVID-19, visit azhealth.gov/COVID19. For more information about influenza, visit azhealth.gov/Flu. Press Release September 14, 2020 Villanueva: 'Landmark' Doktor Para Sa Bayan bill passes 3rd and Final Reading The Senate has passed on third and final reading the Doktor Para Sa Bayan bill, which Senator Joel Villanueva described as a landmark legislation with dual objectives of expanding access to medical education and augmenting our human resource for health. "This bill will be a legacy of this Senate, Mr. President. And I'm sure that the generations of Filipinos that will come after us will be thankful for the passage of this measure which also is a proof that amid the pandemic, the priority of the People's Senate is our people's health," said Villanueva, principal author and principal sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1520, which the Senate adopted unanimously by the body during Monday's session. The bill sets up a medical scholarship and return service program, which grants scholarships to deserving students aspiring to become physicians. Villanueva, chair of the Senate higher and technical education committee, defended the bill in plenary together with Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senator Grace Poe, who are also authors and sponsors of the measure. The lawmaker said the bill seeks to encourage more students to take up medicine, and help improve the the country's doctor-patient ratio, which is currently at a dismal 3 doctors per 10,000 population according to health department data. The country needs to produce over 80,000 doctors to meet the WHO-prescribed ratio of 10 doctors per 10,000 population. "Medical education remains the most expensive course in the Philippines. Ngayon, kahit sinong Pilipino, anuman ang antas sa buhay, kaya nang tuparin ang pangarap na maging doktor," Villanueva said. "With the swift passage of SBN 1520 or Doktor Para sa Bayan Bill, there is hope that our situation can change. The government will grant free tuition and miscellaneous fees and provide a comprehensive set of schooling allowances to poor and deserving medical students in all our regions, and upon their conferment of physician license, will require them to render a return service. This is fitting and proper to the Filipino people, from medical doctors who were educated from the government's coffers. The bill intends to double right away the number of scholars under existing scholarship programs of the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education, which currently have around 3,000 scholars, explained Villanueva. Under the bill, medical students in state universities and colleges, as well as private medical schools can apply to be included in the program. Aside from setting up the scholarship program for deserving students seeking to study medicine to become a licensed doctor, Senate Bill No. 1520 sets up a mechanism for state universities and colleges to partner with government hospitals to serve as training institutions. "Ginoong Pangulo, kapag nakapagtapos ang isang anak at nagkaroon ng trabaho, inaasahang siya naman ang magtutustos sa kanyang mga magulang. Ganun din po ang intensyon ng panukalang ito. Pag-aaralin ka ng medisina ng estado pero inaasahang magsisilbi ka rin sa bayan," Villanueva said. The Advertising Club Bangalore, as part of the ongoing webinar series hosted a webinar on September 9th. The 15th installment of the webinar series witnessed VikramMehra, Managing Director, Saregama, making a very interesting Presentation onthe Success of Carvaan Innovation is about Anthropology and not Technology. The Webinar began by Radhika Ramani, Chair person of Ad club Bangalore Programs Vertical, who said Todays webinar is about a story of how simplicity and nostalgia triumphed the new age and shiny, a story about innovation being about anthropology and not technology, a story about Carvaan. Vikram began the session with factors and challenges that led to the birth of Saregama Carvaan. Today everyone talks about Carvaan as a success and an out of the box idea. But, when the first time I proposed the idea internally and to investors, there were enough number of sceptics all around. It is the story of some craziness we did; it is also the story of innovation, said Vikram. He continued, We often start thinking that to come up with an idea, we need to be aware of the latest technology. But for any new idea for it come up, you need to be close to customers. Carvaan is a great example of that if you base your product on a deep customer insight, even if its not regarded as a high-tech product you may still have a winner coming way. Vikram further spoke about the history of Carvaan. He said, Saregama had over 120 thousand evergreen songs belonging to the 20th century. We had the greatest library. While we were doing an internal analysis in early 2015, it was said that the music was not moving and was not giving us the dividend. The general feedback was nobody wanted to listen to old music any longer. But the customers started giving us diametrically opposite feedback. We did studies in 23 cities across India and they started accusing us of not releasing the music. We were putting up music on all three major streaming application of that time. That was the time when we took a tough call that we wont believe in every armchair consultant. We believed that customers were primary consumers of Saregama Music. We went there and took a pledge and that led to the birth of Carvaan, he added. According to Vikram, the entire ethos of Carvaan is lean back listening experience. He added, We dont want our customer to go back every 3 minutes and decide which song they are going to hear next. Vikram further spoke about brand positioning. Brand positioning is about what you want to be. At the same time, I have an equally strong school of thought that says, brand positioning also means what you are not, the strategy also means what you are not going to do. Carvaan is not a product designed for 27 years old. So, why should we give them features when we know that product is not designed for them. This is one of the biggest challenges I faced apart from selling the idea internally, he said. Vikram then elaborated on the four pillars of Carvaan, the target age group, the functional pay off- Convenience, emotional pay off-Nostalgia, and premium imagery. According to Vikram, 2 Million units of Carvaan was sold as of January 2020. He said, The total amount of paid subscription of all the streaming apps in India is less than 1 Million. If you find the right target segments and you position the product correctly. There is money to be made everywhere. Speaking on Carvaans focus on regional language space Vikram said, Of all the content owners in the country, we people are more focused on regional language space. We are investing heavily on Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, and Carnatic Music. We have got out of Hindi serials completely, the only languages we produce our TV serials are in Tamil and Kannada. On the movie side, we are playing across all languages. We believe the next big movement will be in the regional space. Sneha Walke, National Director- Growth & Strategy, exchange4media Group conveyed the vote of thanks. She said, The Adclub Bangalore has done 15 webinars so far and around 3500 people have logged in the past 3 months which is getting a lot of traction. A big thank you to all the people who put the webinars together. I thank Bijoya Ghosh of AdGully and Umanath , Vijay of Medianews4u. Like the previous installments, the webinar was a success with over 100 participants on Zoom. The webinar was hosted with the support of Ad Club's Managing Committee and Online partners Medianews4u and AdGully. The video of the Webinar is available on The Adclub Youtube channel and facebook page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QZvwP5U4Wc https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=315640249505244&extid=ZrBZFVF0cBDVnAfu By PTI MUMBAI: Actress Kangana Ranaut should shift from Mumbai if she thinks the city is like Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and is "bad" to her, Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said here on Monday. Parab's comments came hours after the actress left Mumbai for her native Himachal Pradesh, tweeting she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". "If Mumbai is this bad, then she should live where she finds it right. We had said this earlier too and we continue to hold this view," Parab told reporters. ALSO READ | Kangana Ranaut leaves Mumbai for home state, calls her analogy about POK 'bang on' The minister said the Sena had no "personal issues" with Ranaut. "At the same time, the party cannot just listen if someone criticises or says bad things about the megapolis," he said. Parab said, "Kangana Ranaut is not only the Sena's issue, but also of those who love Mumbai and Maharashtra". "She has to decide what she wants to do. Maharashtra will decide what it has to do. She should shift from here, if she thinks Mumbai is like PoK," the minister added. ALSO READ | Kangana-Sena row: Actress meets Maharashtra Governor Koshyari, discusses 'injustice' done to her The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after she expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Asked about Ranaut meeting Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday and raising concern over partial demolition of her Pali Hill office by the Mumbai civic body last week, Parab questioned why the governor met only the actress. "If the governor meets her after the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) took legal action at her office, then he should also meet all those, including the poor, whose illegal structures in Mumbai are demolished by the BMC," Parab said. Ranaut had said that she met Koshyari to apprise him about "injustice" done to her. Parab termed as a "legal step" the action taken by the BMC against "illegal alterations" made at the actress' office. Without naming the BJP, the Sena leader asked why the opposition party was "pained" after Ranaut's office was razed partially. "That means the one (read Ranaut) who was parroting on its (read BJP) behalf suffered (due to the demolition) and therefore, the opponents are pained," he added. Parab also took a dig at Union minister and BJP ally Ramdas Athawale who too had met the governor on the issue, saying the "shutter of the RPI-A leader's shop is half down and he is trying to reopen it fully". Parab added that all know how much importance is to be attached to Athawales remarks. About Sena workers assaulting a retired Navy officer in the city for allegedly circulating a cartoon lampooning Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the minister said the incident cannot be defended. He, however, added that both sides should have stayed in their limits. "Who gave him (the retired officer) the freedom to launch a verbal attack on our deity (Thackeray)? Had he observed restraint, Shiv Sainiks would not have lost their (patience). Just because he was a Naval officer does not mean that he will not observe restraint," Parab said. EDWARDSVILLE While the positivity rate and the number of overall COVID-19 cases in Madison County remain high, at least two local long-term care facilities are reporting a positive trend. Both Edwardsville Care Center and University Care Center have been COVID-free for several weeks. That is particularly good news for Edwardsville Care Center, which was hit hard by an outbreak earlier this summer. There have been no positive cases for several weeks and for University Care Center in particular, it has been quite a while, said Wanda Todoroff, director of business development for University Care Center and Edwardsville Care Center. We are now testing all staff and all residents twice a week. It had been mandated for once a week, but the Madison County numbers overall are high right now and Im sure thats where that directive came from. Every Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health updates its list of reported cases and deaths at long-term care facilities at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/long-term-care-facility-outbreaks-covid-19. Statewide, there have been 28,189 reported cases at long-term care facilities through Sept. 11, with 4,617 deaths. On the IDPH website, previous outbreaks with no cases in the last 28 days are listed as closed. Current outbreaks with cases in the last 28 days are listed as open. Edwardsville Care Center, for instance, had 97 reported cases and 22 deaths in its initial outbreak, which is now listed as closed. A more recent outbreak, with its status listed as open, includes seven reported cases and no deaths. Edwardsville Care Center did indeed have a setback and there is no way not to say that, but by testing twice a week we now have a better feeling for exactly what is going on, Todoroff said. The problem is that people can be positive and be asymptomatic. You feel well and you have no idea youre spreading the virus, and more frequent testing helps to eliminate that problem. University Care Center, in a previous outbreak which is now closed, had three reported cases and no deaths. More recently, it has three reported cases and one death, and the status of that case is still listed as open. University Care Center was listed with one (COVID) death and we felt that was controversial because this resident returned from the hospital with three consecutive negative tests after testing positive, Todoroff said. The resident did not have COVID when they returned here. Someone who dies within 30 days of their COVID-19 diagnosis will have COVID listed as one of the causes of death unless the cause of death is clearly unrelated, such as an auto accident or homicide, according to Amy Yeager, public information officer and director of community health for the Madison County Health Department. Six months into the pandemic, its not unusual to see two or more outbreaks listed for a particular facility, as in the case of Edwardsville Care Center and University Care Center. The difference is that many of the recent outbreaks are much less severe, with fewer reported cases and fewer deaths. It wasnt until about the last six weeks that weve had some of these original outbreak cases closing, Yeager said. Edwardsville Care Center, for instance, had that original outbreak and that investigation is now closed because they met the core criteria, which is being 28 days case free. What a lot of people dont realize is that the staff of these facilities is tested as well, so the case reports include staff and residents. Overall, the COVID numbers for the county have not been encouraging lately. On Thursday, the Madison County Health Department announced 74 new COVID-19 cases and an additional two deaths: one female in her 70s and one female in her 80s. The positivity rate out of the 418 tests was 17.7 percent for that day. The three-day average was 17.16 percent and the seven-day average was 9.11 percent. People keep thinking that if you test more, the positivity rate will go down, but that is not necessarily the case, Yeager said. They are not co-dependent variables. Positives are only reported once. One positive test equals a person and they become a case. While some long-term care facilities still have a fairly high rate of positive cases or deaths, the number of deaths and more serious cases of the virus have trended downward at many facilities in the last couple of months. I think the long-term care facilities have been able to catch it sooner, Yeager said. Part of that is because of the strict protocol that was put into place over the summer and the stringency in which our long-term care facilities abide by those protocols. Youve seen a much higher number of facilities with cases and thats reflective of the community spread. But the fact that you have seen very few facilities with a high number of cases is because they are catching it sooner. At Edwardsville Care Center and University Care Center, both facilities are accepting admissions, with a negative COVID test within 48 hours of admission. New residents or residents returning from hospital dialysis or physician visits are quarantined for 14 days. Were very strict on our no-visitor policy and there are no visitors coming and going out of the building, Todoroff said. The only exception to that may be something like an emergency X-ray and that person would be screened at the door like every employee is. We screen every employee twice a shift for temperature. For our residents who are at the very end days of life, if there is a hospice providing care, family members can go through that screening process and wear the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) so they can be with their loved one. Still, the combination of a vulnerable population and the recent rise of coronavirus cases among the general population is a cause of concern for Yeager and other health officials, in the county. Sometimes, as Yeager notes, diligence is not always enough to prevent an outbreak, whether its at a nursing home or somewhere else. We have a couple of facilities right now that have some pretty high numbers, but that does not mean that they didnt do what they were supposed to do, Yeager said. This virus is a monster its sneaky, its conniving, its tricky and its fast. It acts differently in different people and sometimes it doesnt matter how stringent those facilities are. Sometimes, it just grows like wildfire. The number of cases and deaths among the elderly and most vulnerable had decreased, and now they are on the uptick again. Thats another indicator for us of how much there is of community spread. For Edwardsville Care Center and the University Care Center, the staff knows that it must not waiver in its commitment to provide the safest care possible to its patients and residents. I think we turned the corner and were doing well right now, Todoroff said. We never let our guard down with the numbers in the county being as high as they are. We never take anything for granted because it could change in a heartbeat. Nine retired IPS officers have written an open letter to Delhi police commissioner SN Shrivastava, saying they were pained at the police implicating those who spoke and joined protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but letting off the hook those who instigated violence and are associated with the ruling party. The letter was shared on social media platforms a day after the Delhi Police arrested former JNU student Umar Khalid in connection with the Delhi riots. Prominent among the nine who have written the letter are AS Dulat, former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Ministers office; Shafi Alam, former director general of the National Crime Records Bureau; K Saleem Ali, former CBI special director; Amitabh Mathur, former special secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat and PGJ Nampoothiri, former director general of Gujarat Police. Commenting on the investigation, the nine retired officers in their letter wrote, ....Such investigation will only make people lose faith in democracy, justice, fairness, and the Constitution. A dangerous thought that may ultimately shake the pillars of an orderly society and lead to breakdown of law and order. We would therefore request you for reinvestigation of all riot cases fairly and without any bias based on sound principals of criminal investigation to provide justice to the victim and their families and for upholding the rule of law. In their letter to Shrivastava, the nine officers, said they endorsed the recent letter that former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro had written, questioning the police investigation into the riots. Though the letter did not mention any names, BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma were criticised at the time for speeches and slogans ahead of the Delhi elections. Verma declined to comment on the allegations of hate speech. Besides the officers, senior advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan also criticised the police. Sharing a video of Khalid, in which he is speaking about peaceful protests, Bhushan tweeted: This is Umar Khalid who has been arrested for instigating riots in Delhi. People like Kapil Mishra who incited violence have not been arrested. Mishra, a Delhi BJP leader, has been named by several anti-CAA protesters of orchestrating the riots, a charge he has denied in his previous statements to the press. On the afternoon of February 23, a day before violence erupted in parts of north-east Delhi, Mishra had led a group of CAA supporters near Jafrabad Metro station, and shouted slogans against the anti-CAA group. Standing next to a senior police officer, Mishra had said that he has given the police three days ultimatum to clear the road and remove the anti-CAA protesters, failing which they would not even listen to the police. The riots started the following day. Delhi police have not charged Mishra in any riots case. JNU students union president Aishe Ghosh tweeted that people such as Mishra who said Goli Maaro saalo ko (shoot the traitors) were spared while anti-CAA protesters were arrested. Safeguarding Constitution and democracy has officially become a crime in our country, she tweeted. In response to the growing clamour for his arrest, especially after Khalids arrest, Mishra tweeted a video, saying, People like Umar Khalid, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Safoora Zargar, Apoorvanand carried it (riots) out after careful planning. This was a terrorist attack just like 26/11 (in Mumbai). These terrorists, murders should be hanged. I congratulate Delhi Police for nabbing these people. The Delhi BJP also defended Mishra. Those asking for Mishras arrest should know that the police didnt find anything against him. The arrest of people like Umar Khalid and Tahir Hussain is a different matter. Police found proof of their involvement in the riots and this is why they were arrested, said Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta. Commenting on the letter by the former IPS officers, Delhi police spokesperson, Anil Mittal said, Delhi police has investigated all riots cases professionally and meticulously. The matter is subjudice. Any grievance in this regard has to be raised at appropriate platform. With regard to the letter, the matter has been adjudicated by Delhi HC and prima facie it found nothing wrong in issuing directions by the senior officer. Mittal was referring to the nine officers writing about a media report that one senior Delhi police officer had issued a controversial order to influence the investigation. The high court had ordered that prime facie the top cops order did not cause prejudice and cleared the officer of the alleged charges. A SUSPECTED thief travelled around Dublin in a rented GoCar to carry out a series of 15 transaction reversal frauds at ATMs, it is alleged. Dad-to-be Elvis Chiriac (34) is accused of stealing more than 8,000 from bank machines in a spate of thefts across the city earlier this year. Judge Bryan Smyth remanded him in custody but with consent to bail, despite the objections of gardai who believe the accused came to Ireland from the UK to commit crime. Mr Chiriac, with an address at Erris Square, Blanchardstown is charged with 15 counts of theft from ATMs in Crumlin, Killiney, Clonskeagh, Firhouse, Rathfarnham, Santry, Artane, Clonee and Carpenterstown between January 6 and 10. Objecting to bail, Detective Garda Garvan Lennon of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said a total of 8,520 was stolen in transaction reversal frauds where ATMs were manipulated and the cash forcibly removed. He said the accused was allegedly captured in very vivid colour CCTV footage at all the ATMs. Mr Chiriac had rented a GoCar vehicle which he used for all the crimes, Det Gda Lennon said. He booked this using his Romanian driving licence, his own name and with a credit card and selfie photograph, it was alleged. The car had GPS which was located at the ATMs at night, over numerous nights. The go-car company provided gardai with maps of the vehicles movements. Det Gda Lennon said there was a possibility there would be further charges in relation to damage to the ATMs. There had been 22 incidents in total, with further attempted thefts and a large amount of damage caused, he said. A co-accused had already been before the courts and others were involved, the garda said. Det Gda Lennon said he believed the accused had come from the UK, where he was insured on a car that was registered to his fiancee. He had London addresses for his insurance and UK drivers licence. He said Mr Chiriac had no ties to this jurisdiction and was a flight risk. Applying for bail, defence solicitor Donal Quigley said Mr Chiriac was presumed innocent and had been living at the Blanchardstown address for a year with his fiancee, who was due to give birth shortly. He had been arrested outside the Rotunda Hospital, where she was an in-patient. An ESB bill and PPS number were presented to the court and Mr Quigley said the accuseds responsibilities were in Ireland and he was an easy man to find. Mr Chiriacs fiancee told the court the accused had gone to the UK to get her car for her, and got insurance to bring it back. Judge Smyth said he would grant bail but understood the gardas concern and said there would need to be an independent surety of 2,000, half in cash. The accused must live at the address provided, not apply for any travel documents, sign on at a garda station, and observe a curfew except when his fiancee goes into labour. He was remanded in custody, with consent to bail, to appear in Cloverhill District Court on September 18. Online gambling company PointsBethas launched in Illinois.Its the companys fourth online sportsbook operation in the States with Colorado and Michigan to follow.Illinois is the first state to launch following the companys partnership with NBCUniversal which was announced late last month and saw the companys market value tip over a billion dollars.The media giant is the bookmakers official betting partner. The company says it will utilise NBC Sports premium television and digital assets to promote the PointsBet brand across the sixth largest US State by population.Shares in Pointsbetare trading 0.5 per cent higher at $10.97 Advertisement German researchers, in a preliminary finding, have shown that during the period where the mother withdraws attention, babies of anxious and depressed mothers had a significant increase in heart rate, on average, eight beats per minute more than that of the babies of healthy mothers. These babies were also rated by their mothers as having a more difficult temperament than healthy babies."To our knowledge, this is one of the first times this physical effect has been seen in three months old infants. This may feed into other physiological stress systems leading to imprinted mental health problems", said researcher Fabio Blanco-Dormond of the University of Heidelberg.The researchers studied a total of 50 mothers and their babies: 20 mothers displaying anxiety or depression disorders around the time of birth, and 30 healthy controls. Each mother-baby couple underwent the Still Face Paradigm.The researchers recruited a total of 50 mothers and their babies: 20 mothers exhibiting with depression or anxiety disorders around the time of birth, and 30 healthy controls. Each mother-baby couple underwent the Still Face Paradigm. Mothers were requested to play with their babies for 2 minutes, then to cut off all communication while maintaining eye contact. After two more minutes, mothers then resumed playful interaction. Throughout the analysis, researchers measured the heart rates of both mother and baby.The study found that if a mother was anxious or depressed, their baby had a more sensitive physiological answer to stress during the test than did the babies of healthy mothers. This was a statistically significant increase of an average of 8 beats per minute during the non-interactive phase.Source: Medindia Joe Biden has delivered a mocking attack on Donald Trump, saying the real threat faced by the nations suburbs are raging wildfires. As more than a hundred wildfires continued to threaten the western states of California, Oregon and Portland, Mr Biden said the president had roundly failed to even acknowledge the cause of the blazes. How many suburbs will be burned? How many suburbs will be blown away in superstorms? Mr Biden said. If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is under water? His comments, delivered from Wilmington, Delaware, came as Mr Trump visited California, which has been badly impacted by the fires, which have killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate from the American West. Mr Trump, who has variously dismissed the climate change crisis as a hoax, has angered local Democratic leaders, with his claims the wildfires have been caused by poor forest management, and a lack of raking. Experts say the fires, long a feature of California and the Pacific Northwest have become more frequent and more intense as result of climate change. Joe Biden mistakenly claims that 150 million Americans have been killed by guns since 2007 Mr Biden also mocked Mr Trumps election strategy of seeking to present himself as a law and order candidate, a tactic long used by candidates seeking to deliver a coded racist message about the purported threat to the suburban life from the inner cities. Critics say Mr Trumps efforts echo those of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, who appealed to white voters, without actually using racist language. Speaking at the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Wilmington, said: We have to act as a nation. It shouldnt be so bad that millions of Americans live in the shadow of an orange sky, and theyre left asking Is doomsday here. On the issue of a alleged threat to the nations suburbs, he said: Donald Trump warns that integration is threatening our suburbs. Thats ridiculous. But you know whats actually threatening our suburbs? He added: Wildfires are burning the suburbs in the West. Floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest. And hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coasts. Just as cases of coronavirus seem to be trending downward nationwide, many states are seeing the opposite. "Covid-19 cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a weekly average to smooth out daily reporting, in 11 states as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data collected by Johns Hopkins University, an increase from eight states on Friday," reports the network. Read on to discover which ones, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss this entire list of Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus. 1 Alaska Anchorage Alaska skyline in winter at dusk with the Chugach mountains behind. "The deaths of two women, one in her 40s and one in her 80s, both of Anchorage, are the 43rd and 44th fatalities attributed to COVID-19 in Alaska, according to the latest data summaries put out by the Department of Health and Social Services," reports the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. "The case count summaries show that 200 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Alaska on Friday and Saturday." 2 Arkansas Tree line leading to the State Capitol of Arkansas, Little Rock "Arkansas on Friday reported 1,107 new cases of the coronavirus, a new daily record," reports KATV. "Gov. Asa Hutchinsonsaid he was not surprised by the spike in cases. He said it's possible the increase is connected to Labor Day activities but that hasn't been confirmed by health officials. Hutchinson said the state will consider 'additional action' such as enhanced contact tracing and testing if there are more days with higher than 1,000 new cases. He said he would not consider more broad and restrictive measures." 3 Connecticut A waterfront estate sits on the shores of Indian Harbor in Greenwich, Connecticut. "Connecticut had its third day in a row of a positive coronavirus test rate above 1 percent. There were 233 positive cases out of 21,509 test results reported Friday," reports Patch. "Another two coronavirus-related deaths were reported, which brought the state total up to 4,480. Net hospitalizations dropped by one patient down to 51 patients." 4 Delaware Traffic trails on Delaware Memorial Bridge at dusk "Back to college means back to parties for many young adults. And in Delaware, that's becoming a major concern according to health officials," reports KYW. "There's been a recent uptick in coronavirus cases in the state. Gov. John Carney is looking at college students as a big reason why." "We know where the challenges are," he said. "They're increasingly in unstructured environments house parties not so much in bars and restaurants, we're doing a much better job there." Story continues 5 Maine Augusta, Maine, USA downtown skyline on the Kennebec River. "Another Mainer has died as 31 coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine, health officials said Sunday," reports the Bangor Daily News. "There have now been 4,863 coronavirus cases reported across Maine since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention." RELATED: 11 Signs You've Already Had COVID-19 6 Nebraska An evening view of the Omaha, Nebraska "The toll in lost lives from the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow across Nebraska. The number of Nebraskans who died from COVID-19 rose to 440 this week, according to data compiled by the New York Times," reports Omaha.com. "In just the last two weeks, the toll has grown by 46 people 16 reported on Wednesday alone, according to the Times data. That is Nebraska's single worst day of reported results during the entire pandemic." 7 New Hampshire New Hampshire State House, Concord "At least 11 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after attending or being linked to a 'reckless' party at the University of New Hampshire's Theta Chi fraternity at the end of August, officials announced," reports Fox News. "UNH President James W. Dean Jr. said that, as of Sunday, 11 cases had been traced to the Theta Chi frat party on Aug. 29, which was attended by more than 100 peoplestudents and non-studentswho were 'not wearing masks,' he said." 8 New Jersey Newark, New Jersey, USA skyline on the Passaic River. "New Jersey reported four more deaths attributed to the coronavirus and 306 more positive tests the second day in a row daily new cases were below 500," reports NJ.com. "The state's rate of transmission dropped slightly for the fourth straight day to 1.06 but remained above the critical mark of 1 that shows the state's outbreak is expanding. New Jersey has now reported 196,634 cases out of more than 3.2 million tests in the more than six months since the state announced its first case March 4. That's the eighth-most cases of any U.S. state." 9 Rhode Island beavertail state park rhode island "Rhode Island is tied with Alabama for the most crowded intensive-care units, according to a website that tracks state-by-state data related to the coronavirus pandemic," reports the Providence Journal. "Both states have 80% of their ICU beds occupied, according to a Friday update on covidexitstrategy.com, which is run by a nonpartisan group of public-health and crisis experts. That's the same website that Massachusetts uses to gather new-case and positive-testing data to decide which states' residents can travel in the Bay State without quarantining." 10 Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA downtown city skyline on Lake Michigan at twilight. "Wisconsin hit a record high in its average of daily new cases, reporting 1,353 new infections, a roughly 32% increase from a week ago," reports CNBC. "Wisconsin is quickly nearing 90,000 total coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, according to state and county health officials," says Channel 3000. 11 Wyoming Wyoming welcome sign "The total number of coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 65 on Friday, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 46 and the number of probable cases rising by 19, according to the Wyoming Department of Health's daily update," reports Trib.com. "A record 171 new coronavirus recoveries were also announced: 146 confirmed (also a record) and 25 probable. The previous records were 99 confirmed recoveries and 103 total recoveries on Sept. 4." 12 How to Stay Healthy During the Pandemic woman is putting a mask on her face, to avoid infection during flu virus outbreak and coronavirus epidemic, getting ready to go to work by car If you feel any of these symptoms, contact a medical professional immediately and visit the support groups so as not to feel alone. And 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 ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch Coronavirus. Christian schools open up for in-person classes after Wis. Supreme Court temp suspends restrictions Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily suspended restrictions barring most schools in Dane County including private and religious schools from holding in-person classes, ruling against the county which argued that restrictions were necessary to stem the spread of COVID-19. Schools that educate students in grades three through 12 had been ordered by the county to educated students virtually. But after the court ruled in favor of a coalition of private religious schools that challenged the order, many private schools are preparing to restart in-person learning for their students, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The court recognized this attempt to shut down private schools for what it is a slap in the face to educational choice, an affront to families who believe that children should be in school, and a direct violation of parental rights, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Erick Kaardal said. Kaardal is part of the team representing the independent schools and their constituencies that filed a lawsuit against the county. We really believe that in-person instruction is the better mode, compared to virtual, Chuck Moore, principal of High Point Christian School, which has campuses in Madison and Mt. Horeb, told WPR. Were a religious school, and we have a dual mission we want to help the students grow academically, but we also want them to grow spiritually, and both of those modes seem to be less well done, from the perspective of parents, and also from national testing that is showing that children are struggling to get the same value from education when it's virtual, Moore added. The conservative legal groups Executive President and General Counsel Andrew Bath said, We are pleased that the court has seen the problems with Dane Countys illegal order and has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the county from enforcing it. Public Health Madison & Dane County issued Emergency Order No. 9 on Aug. 1 and amended it on Sept. 1, which prohibited schools throughout Dane County from providing in-person instruction to students. The courts opinion declared that the petitioners have substantial interests in advancing childhood education and providing students a stable and effective learning environment. It also noted that they went to great lengths and expended non-negligible sums to provide students, teachers, and staff the ability to resume in-person instruction with safety precautions in place. Angela Hineline, director of Learning and Enrollment Services at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, said 64 of the 66 families had told the school they wanted an in-person option, according to WPR. We just really believe that the right to determine what is the safest, most secure, most stable situation for a child really needs to be in the hands of a parent, because they have a full picture of each child's life circumstance, she was quoted as saying. It was really upsetting for us, given what we know especially about our families in risk situations. It was really distressing for us to see that they would be blocked from something that they needed. The court also observed that these educational institutions and parents voluntarily seek in-person instruction, understanding the health risks associated with doing so, and deemed the county's order as both broad and without apparent precedent. Will Mainprize, 27, is the second Australian who is still missing from the disaster The devastated wife of an Australian father who vanished after a typhoon capsized a livestock ship has pleaded with authorities to continue their search. Lukas Orda, from the Gold Coast, was lost at sea when the Gulf of Livestock 1 sank on September 2 in the East China Sea, off the coast of Japan. He was among a crew of 43, including a second Australian, William Mainprize, from Sydney, on board the ship - which was also carrying 6,000 animals. Japan's Coast Guard suspended the search for 40 missing sailors a week later after struggling to find survivors. But the 25-year-old's wife Emma has not given up hope, posting an emotional video with their six-month-old son, Theodore. Lukas Orda (pictured with his wife Emma) was lost at sea when the Gulf of Livestock 1 capsized on September 2 'Each moment is a living nightmare,' she said. 'To the Japanese coast guard, your ongoing search inspires our hope. 'I beg you to help us keep the search going so that this nightmare can end for all of us.' Mr Orda's parents Ulrich and Sabine were teary eyed as they issued their plea to the Japanese government on Monday. 'We implore you not to give up on the chance of there being survivors,' Ulrich said, according to 9 News. 'Please go out and search for our boy,' Sabine added. Mr Orda's parents Ulrich and Sabine (pictured) were teary eyed as they issued their plea to the Japanese government on Monday Young father and veterinarian Lukas Orda (pictured with wife Emma) is among 40 crew members still missing after their live export ship disappeared in the East China Sea The Orda family said a New Zealand maritime expert told them the Japanese coastguard may have been looking in the wrong place. They claimed to have maps of the searched area, along with maps predicting where the seamen may have washed up. 'And this reinforces our concern that they may have already been well out of the area searched,' they said. The network reported that a survivor told authorities everyone on board was wearing a life jacket before the ship sank. Mr Mainprize's family are also hopeful the lost men could be found alive after his brother Tom said last week they had received 'good snippets of information'. 'It's a pretty tough time, it's a bit of a mixture of emotions as well because obviously Will's missing,' he told Today on Friday morning. Mr Mainprize's brother Tom (pictured) said the family are hopeful the 27-year-old is still alive following 'good snippets of information' Rescue teams have scaled back their search for the ship and the remaining 40 crew members 'We went through a period of mourning but then we got all these good snippets of information that's giving us hope that he's still out there and with the other crew and just waiting to get picked up.' Tom said they first thought the ship was hit by a rogue wave they 'weren't ready' for. 'But then we've got indications that they were kind of floundering for a while with the engines cut off and they had time to prepare,' he said. 'Considering that and what they'd do in that situation, we think there'd be time to get off the boat. 'We know that the life rafts were deployed so there is a change they're on a vessel somewhere.' 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 He explained that the raft could have taken crew members to one of many nearby islands, where they could still be desperately waiting for help. Tom said the it's 'very strange' authorities decided to scale down the search with 40 people still missing. The teary-eyed brother pleaded for anyone able to help reignite a search. 'We just need everyone, not only our government, but all the other governments involved, even like private enterprise, who ever can help us with the search,' he said. A petition calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to resume its search has gathered more than 50,000 signatures. 'Anything we can do right now to make noise, spread awareness and create attention to this issue is absolutely necessary,' the petition reads. 'We believe Will and these men to still be alive, but time is of the essence.' Japan's coast guard rescued a second survivor on Friday (pictured) after rescuing the first survivor on the same night the ship was lost Footage also emerged showing panicked crew trying to stem the flow of water in the hours before it sank (pictured) The vessel left New Zealand on August 14 and was due to arrive at the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China four days later. Footage emerged of New Zealand man Scott Harris, 37, standing in ankle deep water as it flooded a cabin inside the ship a day before it capsized and sank. As the ship sways in the ocean water is seen gushing from one side of the vessel to the other while Mr Harris grips the wall for support. 'Really safe, really really safe,' the man filming is heard saying. As it headed across the East China Sea, the vessel began to flounder and the crew battled to keep it afloat. The clip then cut to footage from outside the ship, which was carrying 43 crew and 5,800 cows, showing heavy conditions bearing down on them, One News reported. Footage emerged showing the panicked crew trying to stem the flow of water in the hours before it sank Another video showed the panicked crew trying to stem the flow of water in the hours before it sank. Seawater inundated the interior of the vessel and was seen cascading over the electrics and machinery. The dramatic images came as it was revealed Japan's coast guard had rescued a second survivor on September 4. Hours earlier, an unconscious crew member was also recovered but later died. The first survivor, a Filipino crewman, was found floating in the East China Sea in a life jacket on the same night the ship was lost. For generations, America considered itself a democratic beacon, a shining exemplar of responsible self-governance. Now, it seems we have given up on the very idea of a one-person, one-vote democratic republic in which ordinary citizens voices count equally. Part of the blame lies with the Founders. But much of it lies with us, Americas citizens, for supinely accepting a system that disenfranchises the majority, diminishes Americas welfare, silences outsiders and marginalizes ethnic and racial minorities. In 2016, for the second time in 16 years, the United States elected a president who lost the popular vote. That also happened in 2000, when the Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of halting Floridas recount, effectively awarding the presidency to George W. Bush. Before that, you had to go back to 1888 and Benjamin Harrison to find a candidate who won the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. There was also the infinitely contentious election of 1876. Since the Electoral College couldnt decide on a winner, a congressionally appointed commission gave the nod to Republican Rutherford Hayes, but only after both parties agreed to end Reconstruction and effectively put Black Americans back in chains. The notorious Compromise of 1877 ended any chance of racial equality in America for nearly a century. Congress verifies the counting of the presidential vote between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden in 1877. (Engraving by Ovejero/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) There was also the election of 1824, in which Andrew Jackson got more votes than John Quincy Adams; but the popular vote was meaningless back then. Only 18 states even held a vote; six left the appointment of electors to state legislatures. Because electors couldnt agree on a winner, the House had to choose among the top three candidates. The fourth most popular was Henry Clay, speaker of the House, who threw his support behind Adams and ended up as secretary of state. That maneuver came to be known as the corrupt bargain, and that election brought the winner-take-all system to the Electoral College. Until this century, the Electoral College has not much mattered. In almost every case it simply affirmed the popular vote. We sometimes overlook the fact that the Founders didnt intend to empower ordinary citizens to choose a president; they created the body precisely because they didnt trust them with such a task. Electors, and Congress if necessary, were assumed to be capable of making wiser decisions. The Founders also considered letting governors or state legislators or a committee of congressmen chosen by lot pick the president. After delegates to the Constitutional Convention deadlocked on the issue, the matter fell to the Committee of Eleven on Postponed Matters. Story continues George Washington at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. (via Wikicommons) The system they invented almost immediately imploded. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who belonged to the same party, received the same number of electoral votes. The decision went to the House, which, on the 36th ballot, picked Jefferson. Burr became vice president. The fix was the 12th Amendment, which mandated separate votes in the College for president and vice president but did not deal with the underlying faulty assumption: that a group of virtuous gentlemen, in the words of historian Andrew Shankman, would rise to the task of selecting the best possible president. Instead, electors turned out to be party hacks, sworn to back whomever the system coughs up. And because the vast majority are chosen by a winner-take-all system, they can seriously distort the popular will, especially when it comes to states polarized along racial lines which, unfortunately, happens to be much of America. In the 2010 Census, 106 counties were majority Black; 105 of those were in the South (the exception being the county that includes St. Louis). Blacks, who dont constitute a majority in any of those states, are routinely outvoted by whites. The history of racialized voting goes back to the post-Civil War era, when the 15th Amendment theoretically gave Blacks the vote which white Southerners immediately subverted. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to end voter suppression and racial intimidation but was eviscerated by the Supreme Court (Shelby County v. Holder) in 2013. A study by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund found that when candidates are of different races, voters tend to go with their own kind. Barack Obama received only 10 percent of the white vote in Alabama in 2008, about half of what John Kerry, a white Democrat, received four years earlier. Much the same was true across the South. Even nationally, the study found, Whites were the only racial group that did not cast a majority of their votes for President Obama. In the Yale Law Journal, Matthew Hoffman observed that African-American voters in the South have little or no hope of choosing even a single member of the Electoral College. A mother votes in Chicago in 2008 as her kids look on. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images) Outside the South, blacks live disproportionately in big cities, notably New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Houston. In such places, Black votes can count, but because they are concentrated in particular states (60 percent of Blacks live in 10 states), the impact of those votes is diminished in the Electoral College. Latinos are similarly concentrated in a few states. They make up nearly half the population of New Mexico, and close to 40 percent of California. Roughly 55 percent of Americas Latinos reside in just three states: California, Texas and Florida. President Trump has made headlines by attacking Democratic states and cities (including the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Chicago) as teeming with rioters, criminals, illegal immigrants and anarchists. What Trump does not say out loud is that part of the reason he dislikes blue states and blue cities is that they (comprising largely minorities and progressive whites) dont like him or his policies, which most whites seem fine with. America was polarized along racial lines long before Trump came on the scene, a situation that Richard Nixon exploited in his quest for the White House. Trump has just made racist appeals more blatant and, some fear, more reckless. According to Gallup, Trumps approval among whites has rarely dropped below 50 percent. Among white men, it has hovered between 54 and 63 percent. Among white males without a college degree, it has ranged from 60 to 71 percent. In contrast, his highest support level among Black men was 22 percent, 13 percent among Black women. His support among nonwhites collectively has never been higher than the low 30s, and it typically has been in the 20s or lower. As Trump stokes white resentment, he rejects the possibility that structural racism mandates any sense of historical obligation, observed Casey Ryan Kelly of the University of Nebraska. That message of white grievance and white innocence is warmly received in some quarters of a country witnessing the intensification of white racial anxieties in anticipation of an impending demographic shift toward a nonwhite majority, believes Kelly. Consequently, Trump keeps the loyalty of his base irrespective of his performance. President Trump at a campaign event in Henderson, Nev., on Sunday. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) That brings us back to the Electoral College. Recently I received a mass email warning, Trump could lose the popular vote by 8 MILLION votes in 2020 and still ride the Electoral College to reelection. That certainly is possible. In 2016, Trump lost California by nearly 4.3 million votes and New York by more than 1.7 million. Put another way, some 6 million Democratic voters could have stayed home in those states and the Electoral College count would have been unchanged. As the minority population continues to grow (assuming the Republican Party remains the party of whiteness), so does the possibility of a growing mismatch between the popular vote and the outcome in the Electoral College. So, yes, Trump could lose states with large Black and brown populations by untold millions, but as long as he finds favor in battleground and whiter states, he could still be on a golden path back to the White House. The problem, as noted, is not just the Electoral College, but the winner-take-all scheme. So why not follow the lead of Maine and Nebraska and choose electors by congressional district, which would require no constitutional amendment? Instead of battling over a handful of blue and red states, presidential contenders would battle over 435 districts, which would force candidates to contest a larger and more geographically diverse percentage of the population than the current system, argues professor Robert Turner of Skidmore College. But why not just let the American people choose our president directly, instead of relying on some clumsy work-around to the Constitution? The unfortunate and obvious answer is that many of us believe America is incapable of doing any better. But to accept that view is to accept the idea that polarization and racial antagonisms will remain a fundamental feature of our presidential elections at least as long as Republicanism is largely defined by whiteness. To accept that is to accept the death of the American dream a tragedy that would haunt us long after Trump is gone. Ellis Cose is the author of numerous books, including The Rage of a Privileged Class. This column was adapted from The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America, to be published Tuesday by Amistad. Copyright 2020 HarperCollins. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: 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... Analysts See Israel-Bahrain Peace Deal as Protection Against Iran By Linda Gradstein September 13, 2020 Israelis are delighted the government has reached another peace deal with an Arab country, this time Bahrain, following last month's agreement with the United Arab Emirates. Analysts say the Gulf states see the deals as a way to discourage potential attacks from Iran. But Palestinians are furious at the deal, calling Bahrain's move "another knife in the back." President Donald Trump announced the latest Arab-Israeli peace deal was in Washington on the anniversary of the September 11th 2001, terrorist attack. "There's no more powerful response to the hatred that spawned 9/11 than the agreement that we're about to tell you," he said. "You will hear something today. It's very very important not only for the Middle East but for the world. In the spirt of peace and cooperation both leaders also agree that Bahrain will fully normalize its diplomatic relations with Israel." He said the deal will include an exchange of ambassadors, and a series of agreements in fields including high tech and tourism. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly pleased, especially as he faces growing anger among the public for what many say is his mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis. The rate of new infections in Israel per day is among the highest in the world. "It took us a full 26 years from Israel's second peace agreement with an Arab state to the third peace agreement, and now it's taken us only 29 days from the third peace agreement to the fourth. What a change," he said. "I want to express my appreciation for His Majesty the King of Bahrain for joining the Circle of Peace, and my appreciation for crown prince Mohammed Bin Zayed for working with Israel and the United States to expand the circle of peace." Netanyahu will be in Washington on Tuesday, alongside President Trump and the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain, to sign the peace deals. There is no mention of military alliance in the deals, but many analysts see the Gulf states acting in order to give themselves extra protection from any Iranian attack. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat is one who holds that point of view. "The Bahrain-Israeli agreement to normalize relations is now part of a bigger package in the region. It's not about peace, it's not about relations between countries," he said. "We are witnessing an alliance, a military alliance being created in the region, maybe they want to call it an Arab-Israel NATO. As far as we, as far as Palestinians are concerned, big Israel can bring 193 ambassadors to Tel Aviv, but then what? I am what needs to be solved, I am the problem. They are my problem. I am what needs to be solved and the only way to have peace in this region is to solve the Palestinian question." Israeli analysts said that Bahrain is close to Saudi Arabia, and the deal could only have been reached with tacit Saudi approval. Some Israelis now believe it is only a matter of time before the Saudi kingdom itself makes peace with Israel. Meanwhile, the first business deals between Israel and the UAE are being signed, and direct flights between the two countries are set to start next month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A circus troupe is surviving on savings and the kindness of strangers while they're stranded in a paddock in Melbournes outer east, six months after their last performance. Circus folk are hardy by nature but Circus Royale owner and ringmaster Damian Syred said the COVID-19-imposed hiatus has been the toughest period he has seen in 19 years in the business. Owner and ringmaster Damian Syred with the high wire act. Credit:Justin McManus The circuss last performance was on March 15, on the corner of Dorset and Canterbury roads in Bayswater. And thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, 33 of its staff, including 22 foreigners, have been stuck there ever since, unable to go home. Just two staff are receiving JobKeeper benefits. Irans execution of national wrestling champion Navid Afkari has drawn widespread condemnation, including from regional and world leaders who have reacted with alarm and are concerned the execution is part of Irans efforts to silence opposing voices. Afkari was convicted of murder and executed on Saturday despite an international outcry. His case drew attention after a social media campaign portrayed him and his brothers, who remain in prison, as victims who were targeted because they participated in protests against Irans Shia theocracy in 2018. Authorities accused the 27-year-old of fatally stabbing a water supply company employee in the southern city of Shiraz amid the unrest. On Monday, Irans foreign ministry summoned Germanys envoy to strongly protest against the condemning of Afkaris execution in comments on Twitter. 200913085711606 Earlier this month, Iran broadcast the wrestlers televised confession. The segment resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last 10 years in the country. The case revived a demand inside the country for Iran to stop carrying out the death penalty. European Union The European Union said the death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment that it opposes in all cases. Iran: condemns the execution of Navid Afkari in the strongest terms. Human rights remain a central feature in EU's engagement with , also on individual cases such as this one. #DeathPenalty is cruel inhuman punishment which fails to act as deterrent. https://t.co/XrE99iJHea Peter Stano (@ExtSpoxEU) September 14, 2020 The European Union is opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances and cases with no exception, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Monday. Human rights remain a central feature of our engagement with Iran. We will continue to engage with Iranian authorities on this issue including through the local EU representation in Tehran and also on individual cases such as this recent execution. United States The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the execution an outrageous assault on human dignity, even by the despicable standards of this regime. President Trump had pleaded for Afkaris life earlier this month, saying his sole act was an anti-government demonstration on the streets. The International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee, in a statement shortly after Saturdays execution, said it was shocked and saddened by the execution and the committees president, Thomas Bach, had made direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran this week and asked for mercy for Navid Afkari. When I interviewed #NavidAfkaris mother she told me that she checked the judiciary website every day to check if her son is alive and today hes not. She said I cannot even say the word execution. He was murdered. pic.twitter.com/kMb96uk7Ew Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) September 13, 2020 United Nations In Geneva, the UN human rights experts condemned the execution and raised the alarm that it was the latest in a series of death penalty sentences handed down in the context of protests in Iran. Such flagrant disregard for the right to life through summary executions is not only a matter of domestic concern, said the UN experts statement on Monday. We call on the international community to react strongly to these actions by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Amnesty International Amnesty International named the death sentence a horrifying travesty of justice that needs immediate international action. The August Complex, the massive fire still raging near the Northern California coast, became the largest fire in California history late last week, eclipsing the Mendocino Fire Complex of 2018, covering almost double the acreage in only a third of the time. The blaze currently covers 755,603 acres and is at 30% containment per Cal Fire. It is still burning in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, and Trinity Counties. While the sheer size of the wildfire is staggering, the human casualty of the fire that is burning through largely remote locations, has been relatively small, with no civilian fatalities. One volunteer firefighter, Diana Jones, 63, died on Aug. 31 battling the blaze. The fire was ignited over the weekend of August 15th when lightning strikes, hot dry weather and gusty winds sparked numerous blazes across the region. The fires quickly exploded in size, combining to create the giant complex. Elsewhere across the state, numerous fires have combined since mid-August to burn more than 3.3 million acres across California this year, an increase of 27 times that of 2019. While the vastness of the August Complex shattered records for the state, when compared to historical global fires, it is by no means the biggest. The worst wildfire in American history, in both size and fatalities, was the Great Peshtigo Fire that burned 3.8 million acres and took at least 1,500 lives in Michigan and Wisconsin in October 1871. The worst urban fire in American history, the Great Chicago Fire, happened the very same week, killing over 300. (The casualties of the 1906 San Francisco fire are largely recorded as earthquake-related.) The second largest historical wildfire in the United States was the Great Fire of 1910, that burned over 3 million acres in Idaho and Montana in August, 1910, killing at least 87 people. Outside of the United States, Australia, Canada, Russia and China have seen historically mighty infernos over the years that eclipse even California's 2020 record breaking fires. The Canadian Chinchaga fire of 1950 is the largest recorded fire in North American history. The forest fire that incinerated northern British Columbia and Alberta grew to a final size of over 3.5 million acres. The largest wildfire in modern history was the Black Friday Bushfire in Australias Victoria State in January 1939, burning some 4.9 million acres and claiming 71 lives. Giant fires are also common across Siberia's Taiga forests. Though the blazes were separated, on one day in June 2003 satellites recorded 157 fires burning over 27 million acres of land an expanse larger than the entirety of Portugal. The smoke cloud from the fires darkened the skies 3,000 miles away in Japan and ash from the blazes fell in Seattle, Washington. The Black Dragon fire that originated in the forests of the Greater Khingan Range, a mountain range in northeastern China, and spread into the Soviet Union burned over 2.5 million acres in 1987. At 30% containment, the current August Complex may yet grow to over one million acres and make a further mark on the history books. Find daily updates on the current wildfires burning across California here. MORE WILDFIRE COVERAGE: California wildfires: Is it safe to look at the sun through the smoke? SF records highest daily AQI of wildfire season Poor air quality brought on by wildfires stretches from Vancouver to Tijuana Trump, still making misleading statements on California wildfires, will visit the state Monday Studies show wildfire smoke linked to spike in asthma, strokes and heart attacks Burn scars from Bay Area wildfires are so massive they can be seen from space Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings Naira Zohrabian of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) announced last week that she and fellow BHK deputy Shake Isayan will circulate a draft law on unborn childrens right to life in the coming days. Zohrabian cited a large number of abortions carried out in the country. She said the bill is also necessary for tackling the chronic problem of gender-based selective abortions. Health experts and civic activists strongly objected to the proposed ban. They argued, among other things, that Armenian law already prohibits selective abortions. Zohrabian complained about critics attacks but sought to distance herself from the bill on Monday. She said that it was drafted and put forward by several pro-governmental organizations. Zohrabian, who also heads the Armenian parliament committee on human rights, said she and Isayan decided not to press for the bills passage by the National Assembly because other NGOs came up with substantiated arguments against the proposed ban. According to Zohrabian, parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan recently forwarded the same bill to a parliament committee on public health and social affairs after receiving it from the same authors. Most members of the committee spoke out against banning abortions, she wrote on Facebook. Abortion has been legal in Armenia since Soviet times. Armenian law currently allows the procedure during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. By PTI NEW DELHI: Parliament is fully prepared for the 18-day Monsoon Session from Monday under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic with many firsts, including sitting of the two Houses in shifts without any off day, entry only to those having a negative COVID-19 report and compulsory wearing of masks. In run-up to the session, while over 4,000 people including MPs and staff have been tested for COVID-19, most parliamentary operations have been digitalized, entire premises sanitised and doors made touch-free. The first-of-its-kind Monsoon Session will see Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sitting in two different shifts, while special seating arrangements have been made for MPs in adherence to social distancing guidelines. Barring on the first day, Rajya Sabha will convene in morning shift from 9 am till 1 pm, and Lok Sabha in evening shift from 3 pm to 7 pm. The chambers of both houses along with their respective galleries will be used for sitting of the members in each shift. In between the two shifts, the entire complex will be sanitised. ALSO READ | Parliament monsoon session: Opposition to protest against agriculture-related legislations, Banking Act changes Entry in the premises will be allowed only on production of a COVID-19 negative report, with the test conducted not more than 72 hours before the start of the session. Frequent sanitisation of the entire parliament complex will also be carried out, while arrangements have been made to sanitise various parliamentary papers as well as footwear and cars of MPs, officials said. Frisking of people will also make way for touch-less security scanning, while thermal scanning will also be totally touch-free. For making the entire Parliament complex a safe zone in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had held a series of extensive discussions with officials of the Home Ministry, Health Ministry, ICMR and the DRDO. As per the standard operating procedures finalised for holding the session from September 14 till October 1, the MPs and staff of secretariats of both houses, as also the media personnel covering the proceedings, will be asked to undergo COVID-19 test, not more than 72 hours before the start of the session. Officials said arrangements were made for tests of close to 4,000 people, including the MPs, staff members and journalists. Only MPs and ministers will be allowed inside the main building, while necessary seating arrangements will be made for separate sitting of their personal staff in the complex. A new seating arrangement following social distancing guidelines has been prepared by both houses for their respective members. The MPs will also be allowed to address the Chair while seated and wearing their masks so that the risk of infection might be minimised. It has also been decided that air of air conditioners will be exchanged six times every day to avoid any possible infection. The DRDO will also provide multi-utility COVID-19 kits to all MPs. Each kit will contain 40 disposable masks, five N-95 masks, 20 bottles of sanitisers of 50 ml each, face shields, 40 pairs of gloves, a touch-free hook to open and close doors without touching them, herbal sanitation wipes and tea bags to enhance immunity. ALSO READ | BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar tests positive for COVID-19 ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session The two houses together have more than 780 members at present. The Health Ministry has also suggested that the movement of Members of Parliament in chambers of both the houses can be made unidirectional to avoid face-to-face interactions. The Ministry will make available short video clips to all MPs on awareness about COVID-19 infections and the benefits of wearing masks, etc. Touchless sanitisers will be kept at 40 different places within the Parliament House complex, and emergency medical teams and ambulances will also be stationed. All guidelines related to COVID-19 prevention will be strictly followed, the presiding officers of both houses have said. The provision of ultraviolet boxes has also been made to sanitise various parliamentary papers handled by the presiding officers and members. Arrangements are also being made for sanitisation of footwear and cars used by the members and those provided by the Secretariat by providing mats of required dimensions soaked in Hypochloride gel placed in troughs. Marshals will also wear masks and face shields. Advertisement Put away your woolly jumpers and bring out the sunscreen - as an Indian summer heatwave is set to make parts of Britain warmer than the Bahamas. Temperatures in southern England could reach 29C (83F) today and rise as high as 31C (88F) by tomorrow. Meanwhile the mercury in the West Midlands will top 28C (82F), while 24C or 25C (75-77F) is expected in northern England. It compares to a seasonal average daytime temperature of 18C (64F) for England and Wales in September. The Bahamas is currently recording temperatures of 31C (88F). Met Office spokeswoman Bonnie Diamond said the heatwave is being caused by warm air being drawn north from Spain and Portugal by an area of high pressure. She said: The warm weather is being drawn north from the Iberian peninsula. Beachgoers and September staycationers soak up the sun on the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset By lunchtime today crowds had filled most of Bournemouth beach, but there was still room to adhere to two-metre distancing Groups gathered in Warleigh Way in the River Avon near Bath, Somerset, on Monday afternoon, as temperatures soared across the country While the new Rule of Six Covid-19 rule came into effect today, the unseasonable sunshine couldn't stop groups gathering on Brighton beach Sunbathers enjoy the start of a week of sunshine forecast for most of England, with crowds gathering on Brighton beach today Miss Diamond added the weekend is due to be fine and dry across England and Wales, with temperatures on the rise. A maximum of 22C (72F) is expected in southern areas and 18-19C (64-66F) further north. She said: For the start of next week, we are looking at warm air arriving from the continent bringing temperatures into the high 20s, with the highest figures in the south and east but it will be warm, too, for much of the UK. Maximum temperatures of 29C are expected on Monday and on Tuesday we could see, 29, 30 or even 31C. Groups of young people have gathered outdoors to enjoy the sunshine, including in Primrose Hill, London, earlier today Sunbathers are soaking up the weather in socially-distanced chairs at St James' Park, in Westminster, London this lunchtime Despite new rules on gatherings coming into effect today, it appears more than six people have gathered in some groups along Bournemouth's seafront Most groups in Brighton appear to be sticking to the new Rule of Six, which was announced by Boris Johnson last week Londoners are getting out in the open on the banks of the River Thames this afternoon - as temperatures could reach record-breaking levels tomorrow Families have flocked to Bournemouth beach as temperatures top 80F today, with warm weather expected to stick around this week Relaxing on the beach was the order of the day in Brighton, with some tucking into some food while they lounged into the sun Visitors are enjoying cloudless skies above Tower Bridge in London, as they sit near the edge of the River Thames today A sunseeker in St James Park strips down to enjoy the rays in London during the Indian summer spell, which could pause on Wednesday, before continuing for the rest of the week Sunshine in London this afternoon has given some Brits the excuse to go topless and try to catch a mid-September sun tan Bournemouth beach is set for a busy weak, with temperatures expected to stay well into the 80s throughout this week Further north, Birmingham could reach 28C. The figures compare with 29C (83F) forecast for the Bahamas on Monday and Tuesday. Should temperatures reach 31C (88F) tomorrow, it will be the hottest September 15 on record - the previous record was 30.6C, set in 2016. Warm temperatures are expected in Wales, where parts of Snowdonia are predicted to hit 25C (77F), and North East England, where 23C (73F) is forecast for Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Monday. A 1,500 mile 'Saharan spurt' of hot air has spread across the UK, with similar heat across Europe, bringing a mid-September heatwave The new Rule of Six Covid-19 restriction comes into effect today, with members of the public still allowed to gather outside, there was plenty of room left for social distancing at Potters Field Park near City Hall in London There were similar scenes along Bournemouth's seafront, as Brits made the most of the unseasonable September sun Ziplining is still open for the public to take part in on Bournemouth Pier, as the South coast town basks in September sunshine Sunbathers are out in St James Park, London, at the start of this week's mid-September heatwave, amid predictions tomorrow could be the hottest September 15 on record Luna Eddy, two, and her family headed to the water feature at Centenary Square, in Birmingham, to cool off during Monday's heat. The Met Office said warm weather could last until Wednesday, when thunderstorms may roll in Miss Diamond said the heatwave may break down with thunderstorms on Wednesday as cooler air attempts to move in from the west. But she added: Warmer weather could stay around for the rest of the week in the southern and eastern half of the country - although what happens further north and west is less certain. Miss Diamond said the fine and settled weather in England and Wales contrasted sharply with Scotland, where a washout weekend is expected. Its going to be nice everywhere except Scotland, where we are expecting up to a months rain to fall, she said. In its longer-range forecast for the rest of the week and into the following week, the Met Office said: Beyond midweek it is uncertain how long this spell of settled conditions will continue for. There is a broad signal for the potential return of more unsettled and changeable conditions to extend across western and in particular south-western areas. The south east of the UK looks to be set for glorious sunshine for the next week, while the north is predicted rain Horse riders took a walk along the shore at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire on Monday morning, as a September heatwave gets underway It may be a little cloudier in Scotland, but Scots are still heading out to Portobello Beach's promenade ahead of a warm week for the UK Battersea Park in South London was a popular destination today as the hot weather treated families to a warm September blast Clear skies and sunshine have been forecast across England today, even in North Yorkshire, where couple took a chance to dip in the sea Groups are keeping well apart on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today, with groups appearing to adhere to the new Rule of Six guideline, which prevents seven or more people gathering indoors or outdoors Conditions may remain more settled across eastern and in particular north-eastern areas, albeit with temperatures falling closer to average here. The fine and sunny forecast follows an unsettled end to the summer with two named storms, Ellen and Francis, and one of the coldest August bank holiday weekends on record. The hot weather comes as rules on socialising are tightened across England in a bid to halt the growing numbers of coronavirus cases. A swimmer thought it was so warm this morning she hit the waves in the River Mersey off New Britain in Merseyside A balloon rises out of early morning mist on a day when an Indian summer hits the UK for the next week at least A group of ladies finish their swim in The Channel as the sun rises in St Margaret's Bay near Dover in Kent earlier today From Monday, it will be illegal to meet in groups of more than six people with the threat of fines for anyone found flouting the law. The new rules apply both inside and outside, meaning that large groups in parks will be banned from meeting together in the heat. The September heat follows on from an August heatwave which saw temperatures top out at 34C for six days running last month. (Bloomberg) -- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is in talks to invest $3 billion in Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The Chinese e-commerce giant, a sole investor in the round, will spend a portion of the funds to acquire some of the Grab stock held by Uber Technologies Inc., one of the people said, asking not to be named as the discussions are private. The deal may represent one of Alibabas biggest bets on Southeast Asia since its first investment in Lazada in 2016. Chinas largest corporation has previously had limited forays in ride-hailing but a potential tie-up with Grab gives it access to data on millions of users in eight countries, a growing delivery fleet as well as a stake in digital wallet and financial services. One specific plan under discussion is to integrate Grabs delivery network into Lazada, giving the Singaporean startup access to a wider network of consumers, one of the people said. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says Alibabas potential $3 billion investment in Southeast Asias Grab, as reported by Bloomberg News, could boost the user growth of e-commerce subsidiary Lazada, which has been losing ground against Tencent-backed Shopee. Lazada may tap the sizable ride-hailing and food-delivery user base of Grab, whose services typically have higher usage frequency than e-commerce. - Vey-Sern Ling and Tiffany Tam, analysts Click here for the research Read more: TikTok Owner to Spend Billions in Singapore After U.S. Ban The funding -- about a fifth of Grabs last known valuation of $14 billion -- comes amid growing questions over the companys ability to live up to its lofty price tag as it grapples with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Executive Officer Anthony Tan said the company is facing its single biggest crisis, while co-founder Tan Hooi Ling warned in May of a long winter. Existing investors have also been frustrated by what they see as value-destroying competition with Grabs regional arch-rival Gojek. Story continues The worlds biggest ride-hailing companies have waged years of costly battles in each others territories before they agreed to stay out of each others core markets. The truce left Uber with considerable stakes in its rivals worth more than $9 billion, including a 23.2% stake in Grab at the end of 2018. Under the terms of a deal that Uber struck to exit Southeast Asia, Grab is on the hook for more than $2 billion to the San Francisco-based company if it doesnt go public by mid-2023. Masayoshi Sons SoftBank Group Corp., an investor in all of the worlds biggest ride-hailing companies, is at the center of the discussions. The Japanese company has used its position as a major shareholder to push Uber to unload stakes in Grab, Didi Chuxing of China and Russias Yandex, the person said. Uber said in April it would write down about $2 billion in those investments after the coronavirus pandemic upended the ride-hailing business. Representatives of Grab declined to comment, while Uber and SoftBank didnt immediately reply to queries. Alibaba offered no immediate comment. SoftBank has also pushed Grab to make peace with Gojek. Even as speculations about a possible merger have re-surfaced, the two are far from reaching a deal, according to people familiar with the matter. The negotiations are hampered by a hostile relationship between the two companies and the complexity of coordinating between so many investors, they said. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is advising Grab and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is advising Gojek, other people familiar with the matter said. One scenario discussed in the past is potentially combining only the companies transportation business in Indonesia, one of them said. Grab and Gojek, valued at $10 billion, are fierce rivals with an ambition to create an all-in-one super app. They also compete in food delivery and financial services. Indonesia, by far the largest and the most promising market in Southeast Asia, remains the key sticking point in any potential merger, with both companies wanting a majority stake in the merged business there, according to the people. Gojek, seen as Indonesias national champion, wont be squeezed into a deal, according to another person familiar with the discussions. It has in the past denied merger speculation. Grab is ahead of Gojek in Indonesia, based on the total number of app downloads to date, according to App Annie. Gojek was the most widely used on-demand app by Indonesians in 2019, based on App Annies 2020 State of Mobile Report. Any deal would also likely face regulatory hurdles because it would combine the top two players in the region, reducing competition in ride-hailing and newer fields like food delivery and finance. The pandemic and lockdown measures have battered both companies, forcing them to cut jobs and streamline their businesses. Still, Gojek pulled in new capital from Facebook Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc., a show of confidence in its efforts to create a digital payments platform in the region. (Updates with mobile app data in ninth paragraph.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. By Maria Tanatar The steelmaker had originally planned to restart the BF in the middle of September this year. "[There is] no firm date set for when it will re-start," the spokesman said. The steelmaker stopped BF No1 at Fos-sur-Mer as well as the converter and continuous caster... The increase in trade tensions has continued to undermine Pound Sterling exchange rates support with further sharp losses on Friday. Improved risk conditions have provided an element of relief with the Pound-to-Dollar rate recovering from 6-week lows and the Pound-to-Euro rate recovering slightly from 5-month lows. Image: GBP/EUR chart Angry exchanges as Brexit war of words returns to parliament The rapid deterioration in UK/EU relations has continued to dominate market sentiment. Over the weekend, the government continued to defend its Internal markets Bill which would override part of the Northern Ireland protocol contained within the Withdrawal Agreement. Three former Prime Ministers, Blair, Major and Brown all called on the government to drop the plans. Major and Blair wrote; What is being proposed now is shocking. How can it be compatible with the codes of conduct that bind ministers, law officers and civil servants deliberately to break treaty obligations? There was also further strong criticism of the UK stance from EU officials including Irish Foreign Minister Coveney. The Bill will be debated in the House of Commons on Monday and the mood in parliament will be watched closely during the day amid reports of a significant rebellion by Conservative Party backbenchers. There was also fresh lobbying over economic Brexit fears with the UK and EU automotive industry warning of potential losses of 100bn over the next 5 years if there was no trade deal. As far as the EU/UK negotiations are concerned, talks will continue on an informal basis in Brussels this week. There were further tensions between EU Chief Negotiator Barnier and UK counterpart Frost over the weekend with a row over access for UK goods to the EU market. Image: GBP/USD chart ING maintained a negative stance; Despite its profound fall in the past few days, we expect the pressure on GBP to continue building next week as until-recently complacent investors adjust to the new reality of a heightened no-deal Brexit risk and start/continue building GBP shorts. The bank expects GBP/USD to slide to 1.2500 and GBP/EUR to 1.0525. Goldman Sachs took a more optimistic view; For investors willing to look through some near-term volatility, current levels for Sterling longs now look attractive, in our view. Speculators caught out by Pound Sterling slide COT data released by the CFTC indicated that long, non-commercial Sterling positions had increased to 6-month highs in the latest reporting week to September 8th. Most of the Sterling slump came after this date and there may have been a clear-out of long positions since then. Nevertheless, the data does suggest that there is scope for further Sterling selling unless there is an improvement in sentiment. There will also be caution ahead of Thursdays Bank of England policy decision. The latest labour-market data will also be released on Tuesday. Risk recovery provides some relief Global risk conditions will also have a significant impact on Sterling. Equity markets posted net losses last week, but there was a significant recovery on Monday with S&P 500 futures posting a gain of over 1.0%. A resumption of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial helped underpin confidence. Image: GBP/JPY chart NAB analyst Tapas Strickland noted; A wild ride indeed and one that is likely to continue as phase 3 vaccine results starts to roll through over the coming weeks. If global equities make headway, underlying selling pressure on Sterling will be reduced. The sterling-to-Japanese yen rate was still close to 6-week lows. UOB commented; the outlook for GBP remains weak and the next level to focus on is at 1.2680. The next support is at 1.2610 if this level is broken. Geoffrey Cox, who was attorney general during the unlawful suspension of parliament, has confirmed he will vote against Boris Johnsons attempt to override the Brexit deal. The Tory MP said it was unconscionable that the UK should seek to break international law by rewriting the withdrawal agreement with the European Union. Writing in The Times, Mr Cox, who backed the Leave campaign, warned that he would not back the UK Internal Market Bill unless ministers dispel the impression they plan to "permanently and unilaterally" rewrite an international agreement. The QC, who resigned in February at the prime ministers request, said tariffs and customs procedures on certain goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain were part of the deal. There can be no doubt that these were the known, unpalatable but inescapable, implications of the agreement, he added. He said if the powers in the bill were used to "nullify those perfectly plain and foreseeable consequences" then it would amount to the "unilateral abrogation of the treaty obligations" signed in October. "It is unconscionable that this country, justly famous for its regard for the rule of law around the world, should act in such a way," he said. Mr Cox urged ministers to use the "clear and lawful" options under the agreement to remedy their concerns that food imports may be blocked from Britain to Northern Ireland. Or, "in extremis" he said, they could take "temporary and proportionate measures" during an independent arbitration process. "What ministers should not do, however provoked or frustrated they may feel about an impasse in negotiations, is to take or use powers permanently and unilaterally to rewrite portions of an international agreement into which this country freely entered just a few months ago," he said. His intervention came ahead of MPs debating the legislation on Monday, when the bill returns to the Commons amid growing criticism that breaching international law would jeopardise the UK's standing in the world. The current attorney general, Suella Braverman, and justice secretary Robert Buckland, have both been heavily criticised for their roles during the controversy. Mr Buckland told the Andrew Marr Show that he would only resign "if I see the rule of law being broken in a way I find unacceptable" and insisted ministers were committed to getting a trade deal with the EU. It comes after the prime minister warned that Brussels could "carve up our country" without his new bill and impose a food blockade in the Irish Sea. Outrage at the bill has come from across the political spectrum, including from Conservative former prime ministers Theresa May and Sir John Major and the former Conservative Party leader Lord Howard. Sir John and fellow former PM Tony Blair described the legislation as "shaming" and said it questions the very integrity of our nation. Mr Johnson, with a large Commons majority, should win an expected vote of the bill's principles during the second reading on Monday. However, Commons justice committee chairman Sir Bob Neill is laying an amendment, which he said would impose a "parliamentary lock" on any changes to the Brexit deal. Labour minister Rachel Reeves said the party will vote against the government's bill if it still contains clauses overriding the withdrawal agreement. Additional reporting by Press Association Ahead of Tuesday's full session of the Balearic parliament, the first since the summer recess, the Partido Popular's spokesperson, Toni Costa, said on Monday that the "time for photos" was over and that the government has to propose "effective measures" to combat the "dramatic health, economic and social situation" caused by coronavirus. At a press conference, the spokesperson for the main opposition party criticised the management of President Armengol and her government. It has been characterised by "much decoration and little effectiveness". The Balearics, he added, have been relegated to the "back of queue" in Spain in terms of health and economic results. Costa argued that the infection rate in the Balearics is out of control, that the economic crisis has led to historical rises in unemployment and falls in GDP, and that poverty is increasing rapidly. The situation, he maintained, could have been alleviated. "As other regions and countries have done better, then the Balearics could have done better." "We don't have health or an economy," Costa stated. The PP, he explained, will now support effective measures but will reject a government policy of "advertising without content". "Our attitude will be one of constructive criticism and it will be a proactive attitude." Japan's SoftBank Group Corp will sell chip-maker Arm to US-based Nvidia Corp for $40 billion, the companies confirmed on Monday. Nvidia is the biggest chip company by market capitalisation in America. The company's purchase of the UK-based chip designer marks the exit of SoftBank, which had bought the chip-making company for $32 billion in 2016. The deal is going to reshape the global semiconductor landscape as it will put an important supplier to Apple Inc and others across the industry under the control of a single player. Nvidia will pay SoftBank $12 billion in cash and $21.5 billion in stock for the Arm, comprising a $2 billion payment on signing the deal. SoftBank may also get an additional $5 billion in cash or stock if Arm's performance matches specific targets. The deal will see SoftBank and its $100 billion Vision Fund, which has a 25% stake in the arm, take a stake in Nvidia of between 6.7% and 8.1%. Also Read: Softbank Corp to sell upto $41 billion to expand share buyback, reduce debt Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the deal, which will boost his firm in data centre chips, was "pro-competition". It marked "the first time in history the industry could see something that is genuinely alternative" to Intel Corp's domination of the sector, he said. The move comes as SoftBank executives, frustrated at the group's share performance, have held early-stage talks about taking the Japanese technology group private, a source told Reuters. Those talks could gain momentum following the Arm sale. SoftBank's shares soared 10% in Tokyo. With potential pushback looming, Taiwan-born Huang emphasised that he will retain Arm's neutral licensing model and expand it by licensing out Nvidia intellectual property for the first time. Nvidia said it will license its flagship graphical processor unit through Arm's network of silicon partners. It will build chips for devices like self-driving cars but also make its technology available for others. The companies did not discuss the deal with the British government until shortly before the announcement because the talks were secret, Huang said. A new artificial intelligence research centre will be built at Arm's Cambridge headquarters."Cambridge is going to be a site of growth," Huang said. Also read: Sequoia, SoftBank, Steadview Capital lead unicorn investments in India China scrutiny Arm does not make chips but has created an instruction set architecture - the most fundamental intellectual property that underpins computing chips - on which it bases designs for computing cores. Arm licenses its chip designs and technology to customers like Qualcomm Inc, Apple, and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Apple's forthcoming Mac computers will use Arm-based chips. The chipmaker will not become subject to US export controls under the deal, said Huang. The purchase, which is subject to regulatory approvals including in Britain, the US, and China, is likely to come under close scrutiny in China, where thousands of companies from Huawei to small startups use Arm technology. Nvidia will take control of the minority stake in joint venture Arm China. Arm is in dispute with the venture, which licenses chip architecture to local companies, over its management. Co-founded by Huang, who has a penchant for leather jackets and an Nvidia arm tattoo, the firm began as a graphics chip designer but has expanded aggressively into products for areas including artificial intelligence and data centers. Also Read: SoftBank takes direct role in managing Oyo's operations in Latin America The acquisition of Arm will put Nvidia into even more intense competition with rivals in the data center chip market such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Inc because the chipmaker has been developing technology to compete with their chips. In what would amount to a direct challenge to those rivals, Huang said it is "possible" Nvidia will build its own server chips based on Arm designs. Nvidia is buying up technologies in parts of its booming data center business where it does not currently play. In April, it completed the purchase of Israel-based Mellanox Inc, which makes high-speed networking technology that is used in data centers and supercomputers. The Arm deal is expected to close by March 2022. SoftBank could be paid an additional $5 billion in cash or shares depending on the chip designer's business performance, with Arm employees to be paid $1.5 billion in Nvidia shares.(With inputs from Reuters.) By PTI NEW DELHI: Yogasana, Pranayama, meditation and intake of chyawanprash are among some of the suggestions given by the Union Health Ministry in its new management protocol for patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Calling for a holistic approach for follow up care and well-being of all post-COVID recovered patients, the Health ministry said such patients must continue COVID appropriate behaviour by use of mask, hand and respiratory hygiene, physical distancing. The protocol provides an approach for managing patients who have recovered from COVID-19 for care at home. However, the procedure is not meant to be seen as preventive or as a curative therapy. "The recovery period is likely to be longer for patients who suffered from more severe form of the disease and those with pre-existing illness," it said. At individual level, the protocol suggested drinking adequate amount of warm water (if not contra-indicated), taking immunity promoting AYUSH medicine prescribed by a qualified practitioner of AYUSH and if health permits then regular household work to be done. It advised people to resume professional work in a graded manner. Daily practice of Yogasana, Pranayama and meditation, as much as health permits or as prescribed, breathing exercises as prescribed by treating physician and daily morning or evening walk at a comfortable pace as tolerated were among other measures. The protocol also called for self-health monitoring at home of temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar (especially, if diabetic), pulse oximetry etc (if medically advised). "If there is persistent dry cough/sore throat, do saline gargles and take steam inhalation. The addition of herbs/spices for gargling/steam inhalation. Cough medications, should be taken on advice of medical doctor or qualified practitioner of Ayush. Look for early warning signs like high grade fever, breathlessness, unexplained chest pain, new onset of confusion, focal weakness," it said. At the level of community, the ministry said recovered individuals should share their positive experiences with friends and relatives using social media, community leaders, opinion leaders, religious leaders for creating awareness, dispelling myths and stigma. "Take support of community based self-help groups, civil society organizations, and qualified professionals for recovery and rehabilitation process (medical, social, occupational, livelihood). Seek psycho-social support from peers, community health workers, counsellor. If required seek mental health support service," the protocol said. The ministry also advised recovered patients to participate in group sessions of yoga, meditation etc. while taking all due precautions like physical distancing. In healthcare facility setting, the ministry advised the first follow-up visit (physical/telephonic) should be within seven days after discharge, preferably at the hospital where he/she underwent treatment. "Subsequent treatment/follow up visits may be with the nearest qualified allopathic/AYUSH practitioner/medical facility of other systems of medicine." "Poly-therapy is to be avoided due to potential for unknown drug-drug interaction, which may lead to Serious Adverse Events or Adverse Effects," it said. The use of chyawanprash in the morning with luke warm water/milk is highly recommended. Immunity promoting AYUSH medicine like mulethi powder, ayush kwath, Samshamani vati and Ashwagandha powder have also been recommended by the Health Ministry in its protocol. MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP >> A car stop in Middletown Township and a subsequent investigation by police is likely to clear several catalytic converter theft cases in the area. It all began on January 14 at 1:26 a.m. when Officer Mark Leonhauser conducted a traffic stop on a silver 2019 Dodge Charger rental vehicle with Florida registration on Route 1 in Langhorne for... The smear continues By Gary Bauer Predictably, the fake news media did their best to make the disgusting smear by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg the dominant three-day news story over the Labor Day weekend. As you recall, The Atlantic alleged that Trump disparaged our veterans during a 2018 trip to France. Sadly, Fox News was indistinguishable in its coverage from the leftist media. Fox dredged up things Trump said about John McCain without reminding viewers of the evidence that McCain helped to circulate the fake Steele dossier that started the Russian-collusion hoax. Fox noted that Trump got five deferments during the Vietnam War. So did Joe Biden. At least a dozen individuals who were with the president in France have all publicly rejected Goldberg's claims. The allegation is that these offensive remarks were said during a particular meeting. Everyone, with the exception of Gen. John Kelly, who was in that meeting has publicly denied it. But Kelly's top aide, Zach Fuentes, who was at the meeting, also rebuked The Atlantic story, adding, "Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let anyone call fallen Marines losers?" First Lady Melania Trump denounced the report. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vehemently denied ever hearing the president use such rhetoric about our veterans. Jamie McCourt, the U.S. ambassador to France who was with the president virtually the entire time, denied it. Even John Bolton, who is no fan of the president, said that The Atlantic story is "simply false." Goldberg should either name his four sources or retract the story. Trump's History With Veterans In 1983, Mayor Ed Koch needed to raise money for a memorial honoring New Yorkers who died in the Vietnam War. He called Donald Trump, who immediately wrote a $1 million check, 40% of what Koch needed. Trump's support was key to getting other donors to step up. In 1995, New York City almost canceled its annual Veteran's Day parade due to a lack of funds. Organizers solicited donations from 200 corporations and walked away empty-handed. Donald Trump saved the parade. Here's what he said at the time: This donation is the single most important thing I've ever done. This is more important than all of my buildings and my casinos. This is my way of saying "Thank You" to all the men and women in the Armed Services who have made it possible for me to become a success. Without them freedom and liberty would be gone. In January of 2016, Trump skipped a Fox News presidential primary debate and instead held a fundraiser for veterans organizations that raised $5.6 million. In March of 2017, President Trump held the first Medal of Honor Day ceremony in the White House in 25 years. In June of 2017, he signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability Act making it easier to fire or suspend VA employees for poor performance. In June of 2018, Trump signed the Mission Act, greatly expanding healthcare choices for veterans. In November of 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to attend New York City's Veterans Day parade in its 100-year history. These are not the actions of a man who is contemptuous of our veterans and war dead. Donald Trump has been trying to change a lot of things about the Republican Party trade policy, foreign policy, China policy, getting serious about the sanctity of life. But the one thing he did not have to change was the Republican Party's advocacy for our men and women in uniform and our veterans. The Democrats' History Before there was antifa, radicals were rioting in the streets in the 1960s. They were harassing U.S. soldiers coming back from Vietnam and protesting the military, law enforcement, and the U.S. government. The radicals marched by the hundreds of thousands behind the flag of North Vietnam chanting, "One, two, three, four, we don't want your fing war!" Later they would add to it, "Five, six, seven, eight, turn the war against the state!" When pilots were shot down over North Vietnam, leftists like Jane Fonda posed in North Vietnamese anti-aircraft weapons. It was leading left-wing senators who undermined the war effort and blocked funding for our troops. One future Democrat senator came back from Vietnam and accused his fellow soldiers of committing war crimes. Liberals finally found a veteran they loved. They brought him to Capitol Hill for a hearing, and before a national audience John Kerry indicted his fellow soldiers. Years later, Senator John Kerry accused U.S. troops of "terrorizing" women and children in Iraq. And Secretary of State Kerry negotiated the terrible Obama/Biden nuclear deal with Iran. Barack Obama and Joe Biden insulted virtually every soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan when they traded five terrorist leaders at Guantanamo Bay for Bowe Bergdahl, a deserter who abandoned his unit. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin compared U.S. guards at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis. Rep. Ilhan Omar smeared U.S. troops, accusing them of war crimes in Somalia. Her daughter accused U.S. troops of killing innocent children. The idea that Joe Biden and the left-wing media are accusing Trump or any conservative of not supporting the military is laughable. 2020 Gary Bauer Home The latest "elections" are the latest among Russia's violations of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's permanent envoy for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Anton Korinevych, has said the so-called "regional and local elections" Russia held in the occupied Crimea on September 13 constitute yet another violations of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The so-called 'regional and local elections' in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are a continuation of the Russian Federation's violations of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity," Korinevych's Office wrote on Facebook. Commenting on the EU's statement on the so-called "elections" in Crimea, Korinevych noted the EU's active position in opposing the occupation of the peninsula and expressed gratitude for the consistent continuation of the non-recognition policy. Read alsoUkraine responds to Russia's accusations of "torturing" Crimea by severing water suppliesThe president's representative office continues to work to inform Ukraine's partners about the systemic violation of human rights, politically motivated persecution, population replacement, as well as persecution of representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in Crimea to continue international pressure, isolation and sanctions policy toward the Russian Federation. "Elections" in Crimea The Ministry of Defence has come under fire for having more diversity and equality officers than the Royal Navy has warships. The figures emerged yesterday, after veterans minister Johnny Mercer told parliament that there were 44 civil servants in the ministry and its executive agencies who had 'diversity' and 'equality' in their job title. In comparison, the Royal Navy possesses only thirteen frigates, six destroyers, two aircraft carriers and eleven submarines, a total of 32. The details emerged in a question from Neil O'Brien, the Conservative MP for Harborough in Leicestershire. Despite its abundance of equality officers, the ministry is looking to recruit a diversity and inclusion director on a 110,000 annual salary. The sum is more than what is earned by an army colonel, who commands a battalion of 800 soldiers. The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Naval Base last week. The navy has less warships than the MoD has diversity and quality officers Richard Kemp, the former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, has criticised the emphasis on inclusion in the armed forces Richard Kemp, the former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, has criticised the emphasis on inclusion in the armed forces. He told the Sunday Express: 'There are always bad apples, and racist incidents can never be tolerated, but in my experience the British Army is less racist than society at large. 'The soldiers I commanded saw each other as comrades upon whom their lives often depended. And that applies to the Royal Navy and RAF too. 'The British Army is about ... depending on the person next to you; it's about service before self. There's no room for identity politics within that.' The MOD has a target of increasing the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic personnel from 8 per cent to 10 per cent. A ministry spokesman told the Times: 'Defence is at its best when it's diverse ... Our appointment of these diversity and equality officers shows that we are moving beyond platitudes and putting our words into action.' General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, previously wrote to every serving member acknowledging that the Black Lives Matter movement had brought racism and discrimination 'sharply into focus'. There are 44 civil servants in the ministry and its executive agencies who had 'diversity' and 'equality' in their job title. n comparison, the Royal Navy possesses only thirteen frigates, six destroyers, two aircraft carriers and eleven submarines, a total of 32 Veterans minister Johnny Mercer made the revelation about the figures in Parliament yesterday Sir Nick said in July that 'laddish culture' is driving out talented female and minority ethnic personnel from the Armed Forces. He said such culture needed stamping out and it was 'simply unacceptable' that they had so far failed to 'move the dial' on the issue. The comments come after a review last year concluded that the forces were led by a 'pack of middle-aged white men' resulting in unacceptable levels of bullying, sexism and racist behaviour. Giving evidence to the Commons Defence Committee he said: 'The thing that I think is really worrying particularly is the culture. 'What I am looking for is people being judged on their moral courage and their ability to look after the people they have the privilege to command and to lead. 'If they do that I think we have got a much better chance of stamping out the laddish and, often much worse than that, thoroughly unacceptable behaviour that means that we undoubtedly push some of the really talented female, but also black, Asian and minority ethnic people that we have in the armed forces, out after only a few years. 'It is simply unacceptable that we are not moving the dial on this thing.' The report, by Air Marshal Michael Wigston, was commissioned after a 17-year-old female soldier was allegedly sexually assaulted by six male personnel. Daily wage migrant labourers gather alongside a road as they wait for work, amidst the outbreak, in Ahmedabad The government does not have data regarding the number of migrants who died or were injured during migration to their native places due to the lockdown, Union minister Santosh Gangwar told the Lok Sabha on Monday. "No such data is available," the Labour Minister said in a written reply. The response was to BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab's question on the "the number of such labourers died/ injured during migration to their native places due to such lockdown, State/ UT-wise". A nationwide was imposed on March 25 to contain spreading of infections. There was an exodus of a large number of to their native places from different parts of the country during the The restrictions were eased from late May. Mahtab also asked whether the government has taken adequate measures to safeguard social, economic, legal and health rights of migrant labourers before implementing lockdown in the country due to COVID-19. "India, as a nation, has responded through the central government, state governments, local bodies, self-help groups, resident welfare associations, medical health professionals, sanitation workers as well as large number of genuine and bonafide non-governmental organizations in the nation's fight against the unprecedented human crisis due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and country-wide lockdown," the minister said in his reply. In order to mitigate the financial crisis of and protect them against the economic disruptions due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the country-wide lockdown, the central government has taken numerous measures to provide them financial assistance, food packages and other benefits, the minister 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 Belarusian-American political strategist who has been held in a Minsk jail for nearly six weeks has suffered a broken finger and had a high fever in recent days, his lawyer said, with his jailers refusing his demands to test him for COVID-19. Vitali Shkliarovs detention by Belarusian security agents in late July has spurred increasingly urgent warnings from U.S. government officials, who have called his jailing unjust. Shkliarov, who has worked on political campaigns for former U.S. President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders, has had a constant cough and high fever for several days, his lawyer Anton Gashinsky told RFE/RL. His client has demanded that he be tested for the coronavirus, but jail officials have refused, Gashinsky said. In response to his fever, a jail medic prescribed him only a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Gashinsky said he visited the Minsk jail where Shkliarov is being held on September 11, but that he was not allowed to see him. Shkliarov, who has also worked on the political campaign of the Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak, was arrested on July 29, 10 days before Belarus held its presidential election. He has said he was visiting relatives in rural Belarus. But law enforcement officials have asserted he was trying to assist blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski to register as a candidate in the election. Tsikhanouski was himself detained prior to the election; his wife, Svyatlana, then stood for election in his place and has since become a leading Belarusian opposition activist. On August 7, Belarusian prosecutors charged Tsikhanouski with organizing mass disorders. He could get up to three years in prison if convicted. In a first-person statement released by Gashinsky in early August, Shkliarov likened his conditions to that of the Soviet gulag prison camps, and he said his jailers were trying to pressure him psychologically. "They are trying to break me using all means possible," he wrote. In a public statement on September 8, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo specifically named Shkliarov, calling his detention unjust and saying he should be released immediately. It was at the beginning of his second term that President Muhammadu Buhari perhaps realised the enormous challenge of power supply which had outlived all successive governments before him. While billions have been squandered, there has not been any significant improvement in power supply in Nigeria for decades, with each government coming up with its own promises and plans resulting in no improvement. President Buhari had in 2015 appointed former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, as not just minister of power but also put him in charge of two other ministries works and housing a responsibility many critics said was too daunting for one person to take on, and it proved to be so. Although Mr Fashola promised improved power supply and came up with an incremental, stable and uninterrupted electricity roadmap, there was no remarkable shift from the usual epileptic power experience Nigerians are generally used to. In 2019, Buhari realized that Nigerias power sector requires a hands-on supervisor, one who is available round-the-clock without any distractions like heading the ministries of works and housing. The Ministry of Power was among the five new ministries created by the president last August, carving the ministry out from the two other ministries as it was before he came to power in 2015. While Fashola still held on to the Ministry of Works and Housing, he lost the power ministry to Saleh Mamman, who holds a higher national diploma in electrical electronics from Kaduna Polytechnic. Goddy Agba was appointed the minister of state for power. Can Mamman generate power? Will Mamman be able to solve the intractable power problem? This was the question on the lips and minds of many Nigeria who are longing to see a change. A masters degree holder in business administration from Bayero University, Kano, having served as a former assistant director, electricity, in the Ministry of Works before he retired in 2002, a lot was expected of Mamman, especially with the level of confidence reposed on him by the president to pilot the enormous task of revamping the power sector. Since his assumption of office, Mr Mamman has tried his best to identify the challenges confronting the countrys power sector, pledging to stem the tide. However, as it is common with many promises of the Buhari administration, evidence abounds to show that the pledge has not been matched with equal action as power supply has barely improved with recurring exorbitant tariffs. In the last one year that Mr Mamman has been in the saddle, his significant achievements have been limited to what some stakeholders describe as a cosmetic approach to addressing biting power challenges. Rough start While he pledged to focus on creating synergy within the sector between all government agencies under the ministry and also pull all stakeholders towards the same direction, his resumption was heralded with the 12th power grid failure of the year, which occurred after electricity workers downed tools, resulting in a nationwide blackout. Internal scuffles continued with the ongoing probe of the embattled outgoing managing director of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading company (NBET), Marilyn Amobi, for financial mismanagement, disrespect for due process, and contract fraud. Also, there are squabbles within the management of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) that are yet to be resolved. Asides constant power outages, the new minister has not been able to find a solution to the plight of Nigerians who are irked by the outrageous estimated bills electricity companies serve them monthly. A recent investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed just how Nigerias electricity problem cripples small businesses across the country. According to the 2020 Doing Business report, getting access to electricity ranks as one of the major constraints for the private sector in Nigeria. While big companies operating on big budgets and debt financing can afford to seek alternative means of power through off-grid energy sources, small businesses operating on shoe-string budgets are left at the mercy of Nigerian electricity operators. The epileptic nature of electricity, coupled with the high bills, have left many businesses with no other option than to rely fully on generators, which are mostly hazardous to health, the PREMIUM TIMES report showed. Early this year before the COVID-19 outbreak, Mammans power ministry said it was focusing on ending estimated and arbitrary billing for electricity through a nationwide mass-metering programme. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission directed the distribution companies (DisCos) to ensure that all electricity consumers are metered by April 30. Advertisements The order said all other customers on higher tariffs shall be metered by April 30, otherwise they shall remain connected to supply, but without further payment to the DISCos until a meter is installed for them. The order directed that any customer whose current estimated bill was below the capped price shall remain so without upward review until the installation of a meter by the DISCos. The deadline of April 30 has long elapsed, yet many households are still without prepaid meters and are still getting exorbitant bills. For the wrong reasons While he has been unable to get a handle on Nigerias electricity woes, Mr Mamman has been on the news for the wrong reasons. A statement by the ministry had described disconcerting views over the ministers stance on the appointment and removal of controversial heads of two key agencies in the ministry the REA and NBET as that of wailers, to the chagrin of many Nigerians. This newspaper reported that the ministry, in a statement early January posted on its Twitter page, described reports and criticism of the ministers decisions as myopic and illogical arguments questioning its discretionary judgement. A section of the media supported as usual by the so-called wailers have gone to town with the sickening and boring allegations of ethnic, regional or religious discrimination without examining the substance of the changes, the statement said. The ministry also accused what it called a cabal using some faceless groups in Lagos of attempts to undermine the efforts of the new minister. The minister should not be distracted by the detestable and nauseating appeal to sentiment at the expense of the need for genuine change in the power sector in line with the next level agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari, the statement added. But many Nigerians in their reaction to the press statement attacked the ministry for its vulgar and abusive language. Others noted that the reaction calls to question the suitability to office of those charged with the responsibility of serving the Nigerian people. In a later statement, the minister debunked insinuations that the invectives from the ministry were directed at Mr Fashola, his predecessor. Pockets of achievement Mr Mamman has however recorded a few pockets of achievement in his one year in charge of the power sector. Under his watch, Nigeria participated actively in strengthening the ECOWAS regional electricity market. The Ministry of Power and the Transmission Company of Nigeria partnered with the West African Power Pool, a specialised agency of ECOWAS, the World Bank, AfDB, and other development partners on a number of regional integration projects under his leadership. Key among which is the North-Core (Nigeria-Niger-Benin/Togo-Burkina Faso) Regional Inter-connector project, which is aimed at actualising an efficient, unified regional electricity market, as part of the ECOWAS Master Plan for the Development of Regional Power Generation and Transmission Infrastructure. This master plan will ensure that citizens of ECOWAS member states are provided with stable and reliable power supply at competitive costs. Siemens solution? Meanwhile, salvaging Nigerias power challenges is now largely hinged on a deal the government struck with German firm, Siemens. Even before appointing new ministers last August, Mr Buhari had already set his sights on reforming the power sector with the arrangement. In July last year, the president brightened the mood of Nigerians after he announced a new plan with German tech giant Siemens AG to reverse the hex that is electricity supply in the country, where about half of the population lacks grid access, and the rest long-accustomed to blackouts. The plan, designed by the German company, has three phases, and ultimately targets 25,000 megawatts (MW) of operational capacity long term, from 7,000 MW and 11,000 MW that are to be achieved by 2021 and 2023, respectively, through the first two phases. The ultimate target is roughly at par with the countrys current peak demand of nearly 26,000 MW. Removing severe bottlenecks within the transmission and distribution grid is necessary to allow free flow of electricity, noted Siemens in its proposal obtained by PREMIUM TIMES. This includes rehabilitating defective connections of key substations to the existing control center in order to improve the operation of transmission network and to unlock its potential. In May, President Buhari kicked off the second phase of a deal with Siemens, to upgrade the nations dilapidated power infrastructure. The expectation is that the partnership will propel Nigerias economy to prosperity and put an end to its long, bumpy journey into darkness. At the moment though, Nigerias installed electricity generation capacity, according to the system operator, is 12,910 MW, less than 8,000 MW of that is available and less than 4,000 MW reaches the final consumers on average, about one-third of what Singapore delivers to its 5.6 million people. However, our findings, based on interviews with sector operators, including government officials and private investors, suggest that the Siemens plan, as it is, may count for nothing after all. There are no estimated prices for the phase 2 projects except the Abuja power project put at $770-$815 per kilowatt. In all the discussions, details about financing the projects were not discussed with the private sector, PREMIUM TIMES investigation showed. Concerns also remain about incurring debts to fund development in an industry that suffers from a heavy liquidity crisis. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun delivers a speech on the government's fourth supplementary budget bill in a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, as parties start reviewing the bill this week. The government submitted the 7.8 trillion won ($6.59 billion) supplementary budget bill to the Assembly, Friday, aimed at minimizing the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Controversy is growing over the government plan to give 20,000 won ($17) to all people over 13 to help them pay their phone bills, as a part of the fourth extra budget. The opposition parties, and even some members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), claim the plan is against the government's initial plan to provide "tailored" disaster relief for people heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including small business owners, the self-employed, young jobseekers and other low-income groups. The parties started scrutinizing this year's fourth extra budget set at 7.8 trillion won, Monday, after the government submitted the relevant bill to the National Assembly last Friday. The ruling party plans to approve the bill in a plenary session scheduled for this Friday. The DPK said the subsidy was to help people with their contactless activities which have soared in line with the government's social distancing restrictions. President Moon Jae-in said the money would be a "small consolation" from the government for all citizens. But many cast doubt whether it would help boost the economy when the money will just be paid to telecom companies. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has said it would remove the phone bill payment from the budget. "The around 1 trillion won to be spent for mobile phone bills can be otherwise spent to provide 500,000 won in scholarships to the nation's 1.99 million college students who are receiving low-quality education due to online classes," PPP spokesman Rep. Bae June-young said in a statement. "What we want is not 20,000 won worth of equality." Not only opposition lawmakers but some ruling party members also remained skeptical about the idea. Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung said last week that he would introduce a total of 100 billion won to help the 3.33 million residents in the province as he saw little practical help for the people with the government's phone bill subsidy. South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo also wrote on Facebook, Sunday, that he proposes the government invest in expanding free Wi-Fi networks instead of giving out the 20,000 won. "Rather than paying one-time communication costs with a budget of 900 billion won, it would be of great help for the people to reduce their communication costs if the government expanded free Wi-Fi networks in public places including schools, public transportation and senior citizens centers," Kim wrote. The public is also negative about the 20,000 won plan. In a poll of 500 adults conducted by Realmeter last Friday, 58.2 percent of respondents did not support the government's idea of offering the money, while 37.8 percent liked the idea. Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry enjoyed a very boozy night out in London on Sunday night, despite not even filming for the sure. The reality star, 25, struggled to contain her assets in a form-fitting rust coloured mini dress and was pictured grappling with her assets as her night came to a close. Having partied up a storm at London's Tree House Hotel, Chloe appeared bleary-eyed as she headed home, pausing to sit down in the road. You're not filming Geordie Shore now! Chloe Ferry struggled to contain her assets in a skimpy mini dress after partying at the Tree House Hotel in London on Sunday Having a rest: She sat down in the street to take a breather before heading home She teamed her dress with white mules and carried a matching white Gucci bag in hand. Chloe had a glamorous friend in tow on the night out, as she partied hours ahead of the government's new rules which limit gatherings to six people. Back in May, Chloe cried 'tears of happiness' as she thanked her followers for their support during her weight loss journey in an emotional Instagram clip. Take it easy: The reality star, 25, struggled to contain her assets in a form-fitting rust coloured mini dress and was pictured grappling with her assets as her night came to a close Wait a second: She kept adjusting her dress to make sure she didn't have a wardrobe malfunction Details: She teamed her dress with white mules and carried a matching white Gucci bag in hand Despite her transformation, the beautician recently admitted she still doesn't 'feel great' about her figure. Chloe said the trolls have got 'inside my head' after being inundated with cruel taunts calling her 'fat and ugly every day'. The blonde recently enjoyed a trip to Marbella which came after she ignored speculation she had faked a trip to Ibiza and had instead secretly joined her ex Sam Gowland, 25, in Dubai. Not confident: Despite her recent weight-loss transformation, the beautician recently admitted she still doesn't 'feel great' about her figure Sad: Chloe said the trolls have got 'inside my head' after being inundated with cruel taunts calling her 'fat and ugly every day' Oh no: She looked a little worse for wear as she struggled to compose herself Holding on: Chloe patiently waited in the street for her friend to rejoin her It had been reported that the star had back together with her co-star ex - despite being in the throes of filming Celebs Go Dating. A source told The Sun the former-couple were said to be 'reconnecting'; but fans also connected the dots. An insider said: 'Chloe's taking it really slowly and she's keen to keep it quiet as her friends will all be furious after all the drama. It's a chance for them to reconnect.' Changing things up: The outing comes hours ahead of the government's new rules which limit gatherings to six people You put your right leg in... Chloe put on a very animated display outside the hotel Two's company: Chloe had an equally glam pal out with her on the night in question (Independent) A federal judge has struck down Pennsylvanias coronavirus pandemic restrictions calling them unconstitutional. Governor Tom Wolf had implemented limits on the size of gatherings and ordered people to stay home and for non-life-sustaining businesses to close in an attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19 infections. However, on Monday US District Judge William Stickman IV sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theatres, a farmers market vendor, a horse trainer, and several Republican officeholders who sued as individuals. Judge Stickman, an appointee of president Donald Trump, ruled that the Wolf administrations pandemic policies are overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens constitutional rights. The judge wrote that the governors decisions were undertaken with the good intention of addressing a public health emergency, but even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered. Many of the restrictions imposed by the governor have been lifted since the lawsuit was filed in May including the stay-at-home order. Businesses have also reopened, though capacity limits still apply and there are restrictions on alcohol sales in bars and restaurants. Indoor events are limited to 25 people and outdoor events to 250. A spokesperson for the governor said that they are reviewing the decision. There have been 145,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state, and more than 7,800 officially recorded deaths. Smita Gupta By Swami Agnivesh was perhaps best known for his campaign against the horrific practice of bonded labour. But there were many other causes that he was associated with in his more than four decades of public service: Alongside his fellow citizens, he unflaggingly battled injustice, communalism and authoritarianism. He was a constant and persistent presence, fighting the battle of the day to preserve the foundations of Indian democracy and uphold the values of the Constitution. If he was jailed for 14 months for his opposition to the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975, he joined forces with former chairperson of the National Minority Commission Wajahat Habibullah and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad more than four decades later to file a petition against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), pointing out that the amended Act created a classification based on religion, thereby violating the basic structure of the Constitution. He lent his voice to many major peoples movements over the last few decades, whether that was the Narmada Bachao Andolan, against economic globalisation or Anna Hazares anti-corruption campaign. He was at the forefront of demanding the abolition of manual scavenging, an end to the practice of sati and female foeticide, and the entry of Dalits into temples. In 2010, during the Congress-led UPA governments second term, he was appointed as a mediator for a dialogue with the Maoists. He led marches with Asghar Ali Engineer to defuse communal violence and helped launch a multi-religious forum called Religions for Social Justice, leading a group of 55 religious leaders to the place where Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned to death in their sleep by members of the Bajrang Dal. For the BJP and its RSS affiliates, that he carried out all his activities dressed in a saffron turbanthat resembled the one worn by Swami Vivekanandaand robes as a member of the Arya Samaj (in 2004, he became President of the World Council of the Arya Samaj), was an affront. It was not surprising, therefore, that he was assaulted by BJP activists in New Delhi outside their party headquarters in 2018 when he was on his way to pay his respects to the mortal remains of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The assailants grabbed his turban and shawl and beat him up. For the soft-spoken, then 78-year-old Swami Agnivesh, it was a great shock. In an article in another media platform, he later wrote: I have been an eyesore to the RSS for long because of my life-long commitment to social justice. The ideal of justice is an irritant to the RSS. Swami Agniveshs great contribution will always remain what he was able to achieve through the Bandhua Mukti Morcha (BMM), the organisation he set up in 1981 that since then has freed more than 1,72,000 workers. Not to mention the trade unions he set upincluding those for brick kiln, stone quarry and construction workers. For his pioneering work, he was thrice elected as Chairperson of the UN Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. But despite his life-long battle against the BJP/RSS combinehe famously said that it was citizenship rather than Hindutva that bound the people of India togetherhe failed to deploy the Arya Samaj, of which he was a leading light, to counter the Hindutva narrative. He was uniquely positioned to do so, but perhaps, he spent his time fighting too many battles. Born Vepa Shyam Rao on 21 September 1939 in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, Swami Agniveshs maternal grandfatherin whose home he grew upwas the Diwan of a princely state called Shakti, now in Chhattisgarh. With degrees in law and business management, he became a lecturer at St Xaviers, Kolkata and, for some years, practised law under Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who later became the Chief Justice of India. Though he belonged to an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family, he became a full-time worker of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reformist movement, in 1968. Two years later, he became a sanyasi, renouncing worldly possessions and becoming, in the process, Swami Agnivesh. After the general elections of 1977 that swept Indira Gandhi from office, he was elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly, becoming the education minister. He rapidly became disillusioned and resigned, deciding to devote all his energy and time to social justice movements. His social and educational background could have taken him down another path, but he chose not to. For that alone, perhaps, posterity will remember him. And for the reporters of my generation for whom he was part of the political landscape, he will always remain a beacon of hope. Smita Gupta Senior political journalist (smita_g@hotmail.com) The step assumes significance as capital infusion will provide support to state-owned lenders as the deepening covid-19 crisis that has put borrowers under pressure, increasing the threat of higher non-performing assets (NPAs). Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday tabled the first batch of supplementary demand for grants in the Parliament, which reflects the additional expenses sought by various ministries over and above the amount allocated in the Budget. It also indicates the spending appetite of the government. For meeting expenditure towards recapitalization of public sector banks through issue of government securities 20,000 crore," according to the supplementary demand for grants document. Capital infusion through government issue of bonds will not impact fiscal deficit in the current financial year as there is no cash outgo. While the Budget for 2020-21 did not make any allocation for recapitalization of public sector banks, in the previous fiscal, the government had announced infusion of 70,000 crore into state-owned banks to boost credit for a strong impetus to the economy. During 2017-18 and 2018-19, the mobilization of capital took place through budgetary provisions as well as recapitalisation bonds. Experts said recapitalization of state-owned banks is a crucial step to propel economic growth. Given the impact of pandemic on the economy, it is essential for the banks provide credit support to get the economy back to growth trajectory. If banks are saddled with non-performing assets, new credit inflows will be difficult. To make the banks lend more the government wants to infuse capital, which may have eroded due to higher pandemic provisions," Kuntal Sur, Partner at PwC said. The central bank had also called for capital infusion into banks to help them deal with the concerns of rising bad loans and capital erosion of banks. Going forward, there are certain stress points in the financial system, which would require constant regulatory and policy attention to mitigate the risks. The economic impact of the pandemic - due to lock-down and anticipated post lock-down compression in economic growth - may result in higher non-performing assets and capital erosion of banks. A recapitalization plan for PSBs and private banks (PVBs) has, therefore, become necessary," Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das had said in July. The RBI had also said that bad loans are expected to rise to a 20-year high to 12.5% of total advances by March 2021 and had warned that if the economic conditions worsen further, this may soar to 14.7% under the very severely stressed scenario. 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 China's 3rd aircraft carrier 'progressing smoothly' Global Times By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 20:38:40 Warship to be launched in late 2020 or early 2021: reports, experts say It has been nearly two years since the Xinhua News Agency revealed that China's third aircraft carrier was under construction, and recent media reports suggest that work is progressing smoothly and the launch of the warship is near. A weekend report by a Chinese defense industry magazine predicted that the carrier could be launched as soon as the end of 2020, although experts said on Sunday that the launch could also take place in early 2021. Citing photos taken by local residents and commercial satellite images widely circulated on social media, Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based defense magazine, reported on Friday that a dock at Shanghai-based Jiangnan Shipyard was cleared in June, after which the hull sections of what are believed to be the country's third aircraft carrier were brought in for final assembly. According to photos taken in early September, the general shape of the warship has taken form, with only the bulbous bow missing, the report said. If everything goes well, the third aircraft carrier should be completed in November or December, be launched by the end of the year and then be fitted out, the report predicted. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times on Sunday that the launch date would need to be decided based on the actual progress of construction. While that could happen by the end of the year as the report said, it could also take place in early 2021, which is more likely, if construction goes according to plan. Chinese military experts predicted in November 2018, when the existence of China's third aircraft carrier was revealed to the general public for the first time by Xinhua, that the warship was expected to be launched in two and a half years. Xinhua reported at that time that the carrier was being built on a berth. Unlike the Shandong, China's second aircraft carrier, the third one used a more advanced construction method, in which large hull sections were built in different places and sent to the final assembly site for assembly, Ordnance Industry Science Technology reported, noting that this method can shorten the construction time. This method is widely used across the world, Li said, noting that after the hull sections are separately built, some outfitting work will be conducted in advance before the final assembly, which will also shorten the total outfitting time. Citing approximate measurements by military enthusiasts based on these photos, Ordnance Industry Science Technology predicted the size of the third carrier. It said that the warship will be about 320 meters long, surpassing the Shandong's 305 meters. Although these measurements are only approximate, the report said that this means the third aircraft carrier will surely have a full displacement of more than 80,000 tons, making it a heavy aircraft carrier. By comparison, China's first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, have about 60,000-ton full displacements, and are considered medium-sized aircraft carriers, observers said. Another Chinese military expert, who asked not to be identified, told the Global Times on Sunday that since the new carrier is larger than previous carriers and will likely feature many new technologies including the electromagnetic catapult technology, the ship's construction, outfitting and sea trials could take longer compared with the Shandong. Judging from the photos, the progress of construction seems to be smooth, the expert noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies guard the entrance to St. Francis Medical Center early Sept. 14, 2020, after two deputies were rushed there after being shot in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Jintak Han/AP Photo) California City Manager After Police Officers Are Shot: Chickens Come Home to Roost A city manager in California posted that the chickens [had] come home to roost after two police officers were ambushed in Los Angeles County on Saturday. Jose Ometeotl serves as the city manager of Lynwood. He took to Instagram to say that the shooting of anyone is a wholly unacceptable occurrence in society and that he doesnt condone violent attacks against police officers. But Ometeotls post included a graphic saying, chickens come home to roost, an alternative way to say what goes around comes around. I will say that communities like Compton have been plagued by deputy gangs that inflict fear and violence in the community, the city manager wrote. These deputies murdered, framed, and stole from the community just because they could. He later added, The fact that someone randomly opened fire on deputies is to be expected in the society we live in today. The post was later deleted. A gunman walks up to sheriffs deputies and opens fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department via AP) Video footage showed two deputies being ambushed in Compton on Saturday by a man who then ran away. A $100,000 reward is being offered for his capture. Lynwood is located near Compton. The city issued a statement following the city managers social media post. There have been comments made today (Sunday) by our City Manager on his personal social media that are his personal opinions and dont reflect the position of the Lynwood City Council, the statement read. Ometeotl didnt respond to a request for comment. A petition calling for his resignation has garnered over 200 signatures. Both President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said they want quick justice for what happened. We also believe that when you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty, Trump told a rally in Nevada, calling the shooter an animal. This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice, Biden said on Twitter. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean calls herself a big hugger, but theres none of that in-person campaigning in the Philadelphia suburbs as the House freshman runs for reelection largely online to protect against the health risks of COVID-19. Traveling the heartland, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is taking the opposite approach. She just completed an annual 99-county tour of her state, mostly masked, but sometimes not, talking to modest-size groups and, at one point, gathering close for a photo. The two lawmakers show the different tactics underway in a pandemic election year unlike any other as candidates try to win over voters beyond the White House in down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress. President Donald Trump is setting the tone for his party, with big rallies and few masks. Democrats, led by presidential nominee Joe Biden, are keeping events small and mostly virtual, confident that voters will reward them for adhering to public health protocols. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calls the campaign decisions a matter of life and death. The GOP leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump ally, says the presidents party is showing up. By November, voters will decide who had the right approach a high-stakes gamble as the coronavirus pandemic rewrites the rules of political campaigning. Its a different world, Dean said during a recent Zoom call with reporters. I cant wait for the day when I can go back to knocking on doors and being at train stations to speak to people directly, she said. But were making the most of it. The House and Senate campaigns are courting voters as attitudes shift about COVID-19. In July, an AP-NORC poll showed 85 percent of Americans said they were staying away from large groups, including 95 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans. By August, about three-quarters of Americans said they were at least somewhat concerned about themselves or a family member being infected, according to the AP-NORC poll. Public health experts warn that even as the number of cases levels nationwide, Americans behavior will determine whether theres another spike this fall with colder weather and the flu season. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told lawmakers its up to them to set an example. Campaigns are looked to as leaders in the community, said a DCCC memo obtained by The Associated Press, and their health and safety precautions should reflect that. Virtual town halls, phone banks, texting and Zoom-style meet-ups are replacing the traditional campaign events and door-knocking operations, which in years past have been seen as crucial to coax voters to the polls. One party strategist said Democrats believe voters will appreciate candidates who take COVID-19 risks seriously, attempting to draw a contrast to Trump and Republicans. The strategist and others were granted anonymity to discuss tactics the parties are employing. In Georgia, Senate candidate Jon Ossoffs campaign is drawing thousands of people to online forums, more than strategists said could be reached by traditional canvassing. He is running against first-term GOP Sen. David Perdue. Republicans appear more willing to venture out. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held public events in some 20 Kentucky communities during August, showing up mostly masked. He faces Democratic former fighter pilot Amy McGrath this fall. Republicans are defending a narrow three-seat Senate majority as Democratic candidates gain traction in more than a half-dozen states, including Iowa, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina. Thats twice as many that Democrats would need to flip to tip party control. Even in these challenging times, its my job to show up and hear directly from all Iowans, Ernst said in a video message after finishing her all-county tour. Typically outside groups provide much of the legwork knocking doors to reach voters. This year, they, too, are taking divergent approaches. The Congressional Leadership Fund announced its unleashing $3.5 million to start put boots on the ground with personal protective gear in 12 House districts as Republicans stage a longshot fight to wrest control from Pelosi and Democrats. Republicans would need to win some 19 seats. A Republican strategist said the GOP reckons that with so many Americans home because of the coronavirus crisis theres a captive audience of voters to reach. Tim Phillips of the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action said his group started testing door knocking on June 1 to see what worked, what didnt. Standing 8 to 10 feet away seemed better than 6, he said, and visitors followed local rules about mask wearing sometimes on, sometimes just in hand. By July, the group expanded door-knocking nationwide and found people are very willing to open up, he said. I cant tell you how many times now Ive had people say, Youre the first human interaction Ive had for months now, said Phillips, who has knocked doors himself in several states, including North Carolina, where AFP Action is investing $11 million in the Senate race. He said the rate at which people answer the door is up at least 18 percent compared with pre-pandemic numbers. Elsewhere, the powerful American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees is launching its big green machine -- thousands of union workers and retirees to virtual field offices to help elect Biden and candidates up and down the ballot, the union said. Volunteers can call voters, send texts and take other actions. A union official, granted anonymity to discuss the organizing effort, said they find that people want to do something. Pelosi noted that in some places it may be safe to go door to door. In Maine, where the number of virus cases has been low, both campaigns are stepping out. Democratic Senate candidate Sarah Gideon has resumed town-hall Suppers with Sara but with a socially distant, outdoor version of the states traditional dinners. Incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins recently launched a bus tour to meet with voters. Dean, in Philadelphia, acknowledged theres nothing to replace personal interaction. But she said shes confident the virtual campaigns will meet the moment of these rocky times. The energy is high, said Dean. Sadly, it is so laced with anxiety. BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Monday release final July numbers for industrial production, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In the previous reading, output was up 1.9 percent on month and down 18.2 percent on year, while capacity utilization gained 6.2 percent on month. Japan also will see July figures for its tertiary industry index; in June, the index climbed 7.9 percent on month. Hong Kong will see Q2 numbers for industrial production; in the three months prior, industrial output sank 4.6 percent on year. Singapore will provide Q2 data for unemployment, with the jobless rate expected to come in at 2.9 percent - up from 2.4 percent in the previous three months. China will release August results for its house price index; in July, prices were up 4.8 percent on year. New Zealand will see August results for the Performance of Service Index from BusinessNZ; in July, the index score was 54.3. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. Back in March, two days after the coronavirus pandemic forced Pasadena's John Muir High School to close its doors, history teacher Manuel Rustin sent his juniors an assignment: a simple, three-page essay. "If you would've told me at that time, when I sent that out," Rustin recalled over Zoom, "that I would arrive at a place where I'd give all my students A's, I would be like, 'Impossible!'" Not just A's on that assignment; A's for the entire semester -- and for Rustin, this essay was the turning point. Rustin had practically spoon-fed his students everything they'd need to write this paper: primary source documents, court cases, class notes. They'd been studying the topic -- school segregation -- for weeks before the lockdown. All they'd have to do while in quarantine was watch one last documentary film. "I thought it was fine," Rustin said. "And it was not fine. The essays that were done were a whole mess." Of Rustin's 50 juniors, only around 20 even turned in a completed paper. "Less than 10" of those essays would've been acceptable, Rustin says -- and this from a group of students he considered academically strong. "That's when I realized, 'Okay, I've got to pump the brakes,'" Rustin recalled. "In my head, we're all at home chilling. In their head, the world's falling apart." "Kids weren't prepared," he added. "Staff weren't prepared." 'THOSE POLICIES FELL APART FASTEST' So Rustin confronted a question that many teachers and school districts faced last spring: How is a teacher supposed to grade these mostly-unfinished, mostly-awful essays? Across Southern California, the abrupt switch to distance learning forced many school districts to relax their student grading practices. Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pasadena Unified -- where Rustin teaches -- all promised no student would receive an "F" last semester. Many schools also promised students' grades wouldn't decline from where they stood in mid-March. These choices were fraught. Some teachers felt relaxed grading policies actually caused students to tune out last spring. But to Susan Brookhart, who's studied grading for 30 years, the pandemic simply exposed flaws at the core of how most teachers grade. "Some of those policies," said Brookhart, a professor emerita at Duquesne University, "make an assumption that grades are 'pay' for work students do; essentially that means I'm grading effort, and that's not what grades should be." And when the coronavirus hit, she said, "Those are the traditional grading policies that fell apart fastest." Manuel Rustin (right), a teacher at Pasadena's John Muir High School (Submitted photo) EVERYONE GETS A 'TROPHY' To Rustin -- a 17-year classroom veteran and a 2011 winner of the prestigious Milken Educator Award -- the inequity was obvious. John Muir High School's students are mostly low-income. Many didn't have working internet. His students were squeezed between crises at home and a crisis at school. So as Rustin looked over his pile of lackluster segregation essays, at first he considered making the assignment extra credit -- but then quickly dismissed the idea. "Students," he figured, "who are really chilling at home in a comfortable environment-- I'm going to let them have extra credit, but the other students, they're just stuck?" Hence Rustin's decision: He gave every student in his classes last spring an A. Not only the juniors in his history class, but the seniors in his economics classes, and the students taking his hip-hop studies elective. "It felt good, too," he remembered with a grin during an interview over Zoom. Why not just give students a pass-fail grade? Because, he figured, fancy private schools would give their kids A's -- and put his students at a disadvantage with a "public school 'P.'" By giving them an A, "I'm not giving them a mark of excellence," Rustin explained. "This is to make sure nobody else out there could look like they did better than you right now. I'm not giving you a trophy, I'm giving everyone a trophy, and now we don't know who did better or not because it's just not fair to judge each other in that way, right now, for this one semester." Rustin said many of his colleagues disagreed; he said a viral Medium essay he wrote about his all-A's choice generated so much debate that he called an informal staff meeting to clear the air. But Brookhart said Rustin had keyed on a big flaw with traditional grading practices: Awarding students points just for meeting deadlines or understanding a worksheet on the first try is inequitable, especially now, as students navigate all the hurdles of distance learning. Those hurdles include spotty internet connections, broken laptops, distractions -- or all-out turmoil -- at home. "My completing this worksheet might be no skin off my nose," Brookhart said. "You completing your worksheet might be a huge effort because you had to fight to get it done." Plus, asking whether a student completed a worksheet -- or even whether he understood this one worksheet -- doesn't really answer the bottom line question: when the course is over, did he learn the material? A PANDEMIC-PROOF GRADING POLICY? As districts across L.A. County relaxed their grading policies, Yvette King-Berg decided the charter schools she oversaw would hold firm. "I was like, 'No,'" recalled King-Berg, who runs the YPI Charter Schools network. "You have had 10 weeks of instruction. You need to continue to work for your grades. We 're going to continue to check for mastery." King-Berg was able to make that call because her charter school network uses a very different method for determining student grades; it's called "standards-based grading." Instead of counting each assignment for points, or rewarding students for grasping something on the first worksheet, "you're assessing students on what they know at the end," explained Mark Rothenay, a science teacher at YPI's Bert Corona High School in Pacoima. "They're not really penalized if they make those mistakes," Rothenay said, "because it's okay to make mistakes." Boiling student grading down to that bottom-line question -- "do you know the material or not?" -- requires filtering out all the ways traditional, point-based grading systems measure students' effort and punish students' non-compliance. In standards-based grading, homework becomes more about practice; teachers often don't grade it. Deadlines on assignments become more flexible. Even on projects or tests that do count, students get do-overs and retakes. If that sounds simple, it's not. Doing standards-based grading right involves complex changes to everything, from classroom management to report cards. Teachers need training so they can not only learn, but embrace the new system. But YPI Charter Schools have been giving standards-based grades for years -- and the system's strengths basically made Bert Corona High School's grading policies pandemic-proof. For one thing, there's no need for a hold-harmless policy; in a standards-based system, you don't really need to worry about students' grades backsliding because of a missed deadline. "If we already said, in our judgment, that a student has mastered that skill," explained math teacher Nestor Garcia, "we can't take that back and say, 'Oh no, the student didn't do it on the final so they actually don't know it,' if we've already seen evidence that they do know it." 'I'M GLAD I BROKE AWAY FOR ONE MOMENT' Bert Corona carried out King-Berg's directive. Some students did receive F's last spring, Garcia said. But overall, YPI Charter Schools officials say the semester went alright. Students stayed engaged in classes. And while they don't have data to compare, they were pleased with students' scores on some internal standardized tests. Perhaps that's because of extensive efforts by the school's support staff to hunt down students who didn't show up for online lessons. But Brookhart wouldn't be surprised if standards-based grading deserved some of the credit for the school's ability to maintain continuity. "Standards-based grading has proved quite robust, and I've heard that. Anecdotes are not research data, but I have heard anecdotes like that," said Brookhart. In her semi-retirement, Brookhart does consulting work, and she's received a lot of calls from schools intrigued by standards-based grading. Pasadena teacher Manuel Rustin was intrigued, too. He had hoped to learn some standards-based grading practices over the summer break, and use it this year. But he ran into the wall a lot of teachers find: Without training in standards-based practices, or a mandate from your school's administration, reforming your grading policy is really hard. (For the record, Rustin also cautioned that he felt comparisons between a district-run school like his and a charter school like Bert Corona aren't always fair; too many variables differ between his school and a charter.) There was another reason Rustin delayed exploring a new grading system: for much of the summer, he didn't know whether his classes would be all online or partially in-person. "So, right now I'm pretty much [grading] the way I've always done it," he said. Still, "I'm glad I broke away at least for a moment," Rustin added, "at least for that one semester, giving them all A's, and standing by my principles of not wanting to punish a kid or letting them be disadvantaged." 'A PROMISING PRACTICE' The good news, though, is that Rustin's fall semester is so far going much better than last spring. He said attendance has been strong. Students are much more engaged, he said -- and much less panicked about the world outside of school. Many schools' grading policies are not as relaxed this year as they were during the pandemic. In Rustin's Pasadena Unified School District, the regular A-F policy is back in effect. And in L.A. Unified, there's no longer a blanket "no-F's" policy; the elementary and secondary grading policies have more-or-less returned to normal. But LAUSD guidelines for this year do discourage teachers from giving out failing grades, encouraging teachers to make special arrangements with students who are missing assignments and give "Incompletes" rather than "F's" to students whose attendance is spotty. And the district has also provided some training in mastery grading -- a close cousin to standards-based grading. "While it is not yet a directive," an LAUSD representative said in a statement, "we continue to encourage its use as a promising practice." English French OTTAWA, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HEXO Corp. (HEXO, or the Company) (TSX: HEXO; NYSE: HEXO) today announced that it has hired Trent MacDonald to join the Company in the role of Chief Financial Officer, with a start date expected in the coming months. Mr. MacDonald will begin as Chief Financial Officer upon following Health Canadas Key Personnel change and security clearance processes, as required for his position under the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. He will succeed Stephen Burwash, who will remain on as Chief Financial Officer through the transition period. Mr. MacDonald brings more than 15 years of financial executive experience to HEXO, working for both publicly listed and private enterprises. Most recently, he served as the CFO for Rx Drug Mart, a private pharmacy operator/consolidator, helping to guide it through significant growth in sales. Prior to that, he served as Vice President Finance of Indigo (TSX: IDG) and Vice President Finance for some of Sobeys (TSX: EMP.A) largest divisions and regions. Throughout his career, Trent has focused extensively on strategic, profitable growth, designing and implementing processes and solutions to ensure operational effectiveness and scalability. In addition to his financial executive experience, Mr. MacDonald is an award-winning entrepreneur, having owned and operated successful businesses across several different industries, from aquaculture and industrial services, to mens grooming product retail and barbering. He holds a BBA (Honours, Accounting and Finance) from St. Francis Xavier University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA). He has held accounting positions at Deloitte and Crowe Soberman. "We are very pleased to welcome Trent to the HEXO leadership team. We are excited about the experience he brings to HEXO as we continue to deal with challenging but exciting and promising times for the cannabis industry , said Sebastien St-Louis, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of HEXO. We also thank Stephen for his tremendous contribution to HEXO during his tenure as CFO. It has been an extremely busy period in which he made a number of lasting contributions to our success. As our business grows and we execute our strategic plan, the Board and I felt it important to ensure that our management team have the skill set most beneficial for HEXO, and Trents mixture of financial leadership roles in combination with his proven entrepreneurial abilities make him a great fit. Stephen has worked tirelessly during his time as CFO and his efforts and contributions have been very much appreciated by all members of the Board of Directors. We thank him for his positive input and unwavering commitment to HEXO and wish him the best in his future endeavours, added Michael Munzar, Chair of the Board of Directors of HEXO. We look forward to Trent building upon this solid foundation for HEXO and bringing his own unique experience and leadership to the CFO position as we continue our goal of building a great consumer packaged goods cannabis company. About HEXO HEXO Corp is an award-winning consumer packaged goods cannabis company that creates and distributes innovative products to serve the global cannabis market. The Company serves the Canadian adult-use markets under its HEXO Cannabis, Up Cannabis and Original Stash brands, and the medical market under HEXO medical cannabis. For more information please visit hexocorp.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are based on certain expectations and assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, or for any other reason. Investor Relations: invest@HEXO.com www.hexocorp.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal When it comes to the border wall, New Mexico voters find themselves on both sides of the issue, that is. Slightly more than half of likely voters in New Mexico would prefer to stop building a wall on the Mexican border, and they say the U.S. should deport only undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes in the United States, according to a new Journal Poll. Still, 38% support the wall and more deportations of people living in the country illegally, and 10% dont know or said it depends. New Mexicans are divided on this issue, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., the firm that conducted the survey. Slightly more than half of likely voters support stopping the wall. But there are a substantial share of likely voters who do prefer stronger immigration policies. Political ideology is the biggest indicator for how people view immigration policies. About three out of four New Mexico Republicans prefer the border wall and stricter deportation policies. Conversely, 81% of Democrats want to stop building the wall and relax deportations. Among likely voters who support Democrat Joe Biden for president, 83% say stop building and 9% say continue. Among likely Donald Trump voters, 81% say keep building and 9% say stop. Trump made immigration a cornerstone of his initial run for president. New Mexico has added 31 miles of new border wall since January 2017, according to Customs and Border Protection. Thats part of the administrations plans for 753 miles of new and replaced wall on the border. Voters of different ethnicity have different views on the issues. Two-thirds of Hispanic voters in the state who were surveyed favor deporting only immigrants who have committed serious crimes and want the U.S. to stop building the wall. One in four Hispanic voters prefers stricter immigration policies. Anglo voters are nearly equally divided. Among Anglo voters surveyed, 45% were in favor of the wall and 44% were against it. Proximity to the border had little or no effect on voter opinion. In north-central New Mexico, which includes Santa Fe and Espanola, 62% of those surveyed prefer more relaxed deportation policies and to stop wall construction. In the Albuquerque area, 59% want to stop the construction while one-third of likely voters want to keep building the wall. New Mexicos east side has the most support for the wall, with 61%. Among likely voters in Las Cruces and southwestern New Mexico, including Luna and Hidalgo counties, 51% want to stop border wall construction and 37% want to continue building. Thats nearly the same spread as statewide opinion, which is 52% to 38%. Thats where you have more of the border, Sanderoff said. And they mirror the states numbers. Education level provides some indication of how likely voters view the topic. Among those surveyed who had a high school diploma or less, 46% were in favor of the wall and 43% against it. A little more than half of the respondents who had a college degree wanted to stop wall construction and 36% were in favor of it. Two-thirds of likely voters with a graduate degree are against the wall. For the most part, New Mexico voters have made up their mind on this issue. Only 4% of likely voters had mixed feelings, and 4% were undecided. There were 2% of respondents who didnt say. Few people are on the fence, Sanderoff said. Methodology The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of likely general election voters. The 457 people surveyed had voted in either the 2016 and 2018 general election, or both. The people surveyed were asked that when considering immigrant policies, which would you prefer: Continue building the border wall with Mexico and deport more people who enter and live in the country illegally, or stop building the border wall and allow deportation only for people who have committed serious crimes in the United States. The poll was conducted Aug. 26 through Sept. 2. The sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. The margin of error increases for subsamples. Professional interviewers conducted the surveys. The interviewers called back households that did not initially answer the phone. Both cellphone numbers (74%) and landlines (26%) of general election voters were used. Sunrise host Samantha Armytage has been left shocked after the Queensland Premier refused to help a woman trying to see her gravely ill father before he dies. Helen Dudok travelled to Brisbane from a COVID-19 hotspot in the Macedon Ranges in regional Victoria to visit her dying dad. On Monday she told Sunrise that Queensland Health denied her request to quarantine at her parents' isolated home south of Brisbane. Ms Dudok was left heartbroken as her 87-year-old father may pass away before her 14-day quarantine period is over - and called on Annastacia Palaszczuk to intervene. She claimed Queensland Health told her 'they would hold the body in the morgue' if her father died while she was in mandatory isolation. The Sunrise host said they reached out to the Premier and Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeanette Young, for help but they both refused to appear on Monday's show. Helen Dudok travelled to Brisbane from a declared COVID-19 hotspot in the Macedon Ranges in regional Victoria but is not allowed to quarantine at their isolated proprety Sunrise asked Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) and Qld Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young to help Ms Dudok but both refused to appear on the show Ms Dudok was overcome with emotion as she tried to explain what was happening. 'They said that should my dad pass away, that's ok, because they will hold his body in a morgue and I can arrange the funeral once I come out,' she told viewers. Ms Armytage was left visibly shocked and described the situation as 'unbelievable'. 'That is one of the most heartless things I have ever heard,' she told viewers. 'Helen, I am so sorry for you and I hope that some sense comes fast to Queensland Health and that you are allowed out to see your parents.' Ms Dudok said that both her parents require 24 hour a care and she also wanted to help her sister look after them as her father's condition worsens. 'I only asked to go there to help so between the two and us we can look after mum and dad. 'I've offered to have a COVID test, I've offered to have an ankle bracelet to prove that I won't be leaving my parent's place.' The shocked daughter does not understand why she can't stay at the isolated home in Browns Plains. 'There's no one at my parent's house except for my parents and my sister who is looking after them day and night, 24/7, completely alone,' she said. Ms Dudok does not understand why she can't stay at the isolated home in Browns Plains south of Brisbane. Pictured: Mrs and Mr Dudok Sam Armytage (left) was speaking to Helen Dudok (right) and described the situation as 'unbelievable' and 'heartless' The chief health officer is under fire for writing to the state's Border Force boss asking permission for Hollywood star Tom Hanks to enter Queensland while families like the Dudok's are banned from visiting sick and dying relatives. The actor landed from the US on Tuesday night after he was granted an exemption and given permission to quarantine in a resort of his choosing. Ms Palaszczuk also sparked outrage when she allowed 400 people from the AFL community to skip mandatory quarantine and go straight to the Mecure Resort in Carrara on the Gold Coast in July. Despite the allowances for AFL stars and actors, Sarah Caisip who lives in coronavirus-free Canberra missed the chance to her dying father and missed his funeral in Brisbane on Thursday. She was forced to see her father's body by herself, dressed in full personal protective equipment because of the state's draconian border closures. Groupe Gorge (Euronext Paris: GOE) will publish its half-year 2020 results on Tuesday September 22, 2020 at 6:00pm Paris time. On Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 10:00am, Raphael Gorge, Chairman & CEO, as well as Loic Le Berre, Deputy CEO in charge of Finance, will comment on Groupe Gorge's results and answer questions from the financial community during a conference call in French. To participate in the conference call, you may call any of the following telephone numbers approximately 5 - 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time: France: +33 (0) 1 70 71 01 59 Royaume-Uni: +44 (0) 2 07 19 43 759 Allemagne: +49 (0) 6 92 22 22 54 29 Etats-Unis: +1 64 67 22 49 16 Access code: 80305337# The press release and slide presentation will be available on our website: www.groupe-gorge.com. A replay will be available shortly on Groupe Gorge's investor website, page "Financial press releases". ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: x2xrY5eal2aYm5qbkspla2iWbG2Vk2TIl5OWyWiZk8eWnXKRyJpnacnKZm9lnm5m - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64990-invitation-to-h1-2020-results-conference-call.pdf Unisuper members are bracing for an overhaul of the $80 billion fund's approach to climate change after facing sustained pressure from academics and university professionals to divest holdings in fossil fuel producing companies. The industry fund for university workers told members it would make an announcement this week that would demonstrate its position as an "industry leader" on climate change. "Unisuper supports the aims of the Paris Agreement and sees decarbonisation as a key investment theme for at least the next decade," an email to members, obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, said. UniSuper chief investment officer John Pearce is expected to announce changes to the fund's climate policy this week. The fund told members its investment teams had pushed all companies in particular oil and gas companies to align their business models with a net zero trajectory. Journalists attacked, arrested or killed in 21 protests between January and June of this year, UNESCO said. The number of incidents of violence against journalists covering protests across the world has risen sharply, with police and security forces the main culprits, the United Nations cultural agency has said. UNESCO said on Monday that it had counted 21 protests between January and June this year in which journalists were attacked, arrested or killed. The organisation, whose role includes monitoring media developments, said in a report that the spike came as part of a wider upward trend in the use of unlawful force by police and security forces over the last five years. At least 10 journalists were killed during protests between 2015 and mid-2020 when there were 125 instances of attacks on, or arrests of, reporters, according to UNESCO which investigated protests in 65 countries for the report. The reporters who died on the job worked in places including Syria, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Nigeria and Iraq. One of the journalists killed in 2018 was Yaser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, who was shot in the stomach in the south of the Gaza Strip covering the Great Return March protests, despite wearing a flak jacket with the word PRESS on it. Hundreds of journalists around the world trying to cover protests have been harassed, beaten, intimidated, arrested, put under surveillance, abducted, and had their equipment damaged, the report said, adding that the majority of the attacks were carried out by police and security forces. Police use of non-lethal ammunition ranging from rubber bullets to pepper balls has injured dozens of journalists, with a few having been left blinded in one eye, it said. The report also said local government officials doxxed or revealed the identities of journalists, including sharing their addresses or the names of their children. Shutting down news outlets, blocking websites, as well as text messaging, were all methods used by authorities to stifle new reporting during protests, the report noted. Impunity has continued to remain the norm in recent years for attacks on the press covering protests, UNESCO said. UNESCO said protests are often about economic injustice, government corruption, the decline of political freedoms, and growing authoritarianism, giving some governments a vested interest in preventing balanced reporting. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:13:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has seen comprehensive enhancement in the intellectual property rights (IPR) sector over the past decade, with remarkable results, said a report released by the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) on Monday. Over the 2010-2019 period, the comprehensive development index of China's IPR sector increased from 100 to 279.2, according to the 2019 annual evaluation report on China's IP development. The annual report was compiled by the Intellectual Property Development and Research Center of NIPA, which began research on the topic in 2012. The country has achieved all-round development in the IPR sector, with rapid development of intellectual property creation, improved quality and efficiency, and increased benefits of utilization, said the report. China's comprehensive enhancement in IPR protection has greatly contributed to its socio-economic development. In 2018, the added value of China's patent-intensive industries reached 10.7 trillion yuan (about 1.57 trillion U.S. dollars), about 11.6 percent of that year's GDP. China has also been endeavoring to cultivate a good environment for IPR development, with increasing institutions, professionals and service patterns. In 2019, the number of patent and trademark agencies increased to 51,000 and the number of practicing patent agents exceeded 20,000. Domestically, Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Beijing, Zhejiang and Shandong were the country's top performers in terms of their comprehensive IPR development index. In the global perspective, China has seen improved international status in terms of general IPR development conditions. Among 40 sample countries, China jumped from 20th place in 2014 to eighth place in 2018, according to the report. China has taken the global lead in the number of applications for patents. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, with 59,000 applications filed in 2019 via the Patent Cooperation Treaty System, China overtook the United States as the biggest user of the system. China has vowed to work with all countries to enhance IPR protection. With the continued growth of patents and strengthened protection efforts, China has basically achieved the goal of building a country with high-level IPR creation, utilization, protection and management. Enditem Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube made their entry in the media market, the PatnaDaily had already registered its presence in... Members of the Center for Advanced Research in Drying at a meeting held last fall at WPI. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a $4 million award from the Department of Energy and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to support innovative advanced manufacturing research and development with a special focus on energy efficiency in industrial drying. WPI will act as project lead and expand its smart drying work with colleagues at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to develop cutting-edge, energy-saving drying technologies, mainly in the food and forestry product industries. This research is part of WPIs work as the lead institution on the Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD), a research center focused on industrial drying that also includes the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (co-site). WPI announced its lead role with CARD in 2016. Project lead Jamal Yagoobi, the head of WPIs mechanical engineering department and director of CARD, said 1.2 percent of the United States total energy is consumed in the drying process. Thats a lot of energy, he said. People dont realize how much energy is consumed inefficiently in these industry sectors and how much that negatively impacts the environment and global warming. Our goal is to develop novel energy-efficient drying technologies for food, pulp and paper, and other energy intensive manufacturing industries. The largest project task is to develop state-of-the-art test beds to increase product quality of various food and forest products while decreasing the energy required to dry them. The innovative research could have large-scale future impact in the chemical industry as well, Yagoobi says, while also furthering the development of the next generation drying process and workforce. Yagoobi notes this research includes the specific challenge of building multidrying mechanismsessentially smart dryers and adapting them to work in sync, research to which both graduate and undergraduate students will contribute. The three-year project will yield test beds at WPI and in Illinois that will eventually be available for industry use. The bulk of the funding$3.5 millionis part of approximately $187 million awarded by the Department of Energy to support innovative advanced manufacturing research and development. Of the $187 million, $10 million was allocatedincluding WPIsto conduct novel research on industrial drying technologies to increase energy efficiency and product quality. Yagoobi noted that Oak Ridge National Laboratory is also serving in an advisory role on the WPI project. The remainder of WPIs funding$450,000 over three yearscame from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, (D-Mass.), an advocate of the project, in past years has urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development to help fund energy efficiency research. Smart investments in energy efficiency research like this are exactly how America can solve the climate crisis, said Congressman McGovern. When I wrote to the appropriations committee last year, I told them that the cutting-edge smart drying work happening at WPI is a tremendous opportunity to create innovative manufacturing processes that reduce energy consumption and lower emissions. Through our advocacy, we were able to help secure a $10 million investment, and Im thrilled that much of this groundbreaking work will be going on right here in Worcester. About Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI, the global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Recognized by the National Academy of Engineering with the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, WPIs pioneering project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 50 project centers around the world. WPI offers more than 50 bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs across 14 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. Its faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research to meet ongoing challenges in health and biotechnology; robotics and the internet of things; advanced materials and manufacturing; cyber, data, and security systems; learning science; and more. Contact: Andy Baron, Associate Director of Public Relations Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts 508-831-5916; 978-235-3407 (cell), ajbaron@wpi.edu Stree is set in small town of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, where an evil spirit abducts men in the night during festival season. The 2018 hit Indian horror comedy Stree is all set to be released in Japan today. This milestone comes just days after the movie completed two years of its release. The worldwide coronavirus outbreak led the Japanese government to declare a nationwide state of emergency in April, following which cinemas were shut down. In May, cinemas reopened after the emergency restrictions were lifted, according to Variety. Shradhha Kapoor shared the news of the film hitting Japanese cinemas Writers of the film Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK had also celebrated their labour of love with a tweet. Aparshakti Khurana tweeted a still from the film as a nod to the second anniversary as well as lead actor Rajkummar Raos birthday. When Stree released in theatres in 2018, the great success of the movie was hardly expected. Directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Raj and DK, the film managed to hook the audience to their seats while commenting on the deep rooted misogyny of the society using sarcasm. Abhishek Bannerjee and Pankaj Tripathi also starred in pivotal roles in the feature that was able to achieve much more than what is expected of the horror genre in India. Stree is set in small town of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, where an evil spirit abducts men in the night during festival season. The men disguise themselves as women and write 'O Stree, kal aana' on the walls of their homes to keep themselves safe. It was based on the urban legend of "Nale Ba" that went viral in Karnataka in the 1990s. There have been reports that the core cast of Stree will be returning for a sequel. Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour on Monday after paying tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee, a sitting MP and 13 ex-parliamentarians who died in the recent past. The first-of-its-kind Monsoon session being held amid the Covid-19 pandemic saw members sporting masks and following social distancing guidelines while attending the proceedings. As soon as the House assembled for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid glowing tributes to the departed leaders and security personnel who have laid down their lives while protecting the nation since March. Birla also remembered Corona warriors like doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police personnel and voluntary workers who died while fighting the pandemic. Apart from Mukherjee, the House paid tributes to sitting MP from Tamil Nadu H Vasanthakumar, eminent vocalist Pandit Jasraj, former MPs Gurdas Singh Badal, Nepal Singh, Ajit Jogi, P Namgyal, Paras Nath Yadav, Madhav Rao Patil, Haribhau Madhav Jawale, Saroj Dubey, Lalji Tandon, Kamal Rani, Chetan Chauhan, Surendra Prakash Goel and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. The speaker then adjourned the House for an hour, after about 20 minutes of business. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, DMK leader T R Baalu, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and NCP leader Supriya Sule were among those who were present in the House. The 18-day session is being held amid unprecedented precautionary measures in view of Covid-19. India witnessed a single day spike of 92,068 Covid-19 cases, and 1,136 fatalities taking the countrys virus caseload to 48,46,424 and death toll to 79,722 on Monday. MPs attending the House had to undergo a Covid test and only those with a negative report were allowed to sit in the House. The security and secretarial staff in Parliament also had to take coronavirus tests before their entry. While on the first day of the session on Monday, Lok Sabha is sitting in the morning from 9 am to 1 pm, Rajya Sabha is sitting in the evening starting at 3 pm. On the rest of the days, Rajya Sabha will sit for four hours in the morning and Lok Sabha in the evening. The chambers of both houses and the galleries are being used for the session and big screens have been installed to enable members to witness proceedings. Perfume company Jo Malone has apologised to the black British star John Boyega for cutting him out of an advert when it was remade for the Chinese market. The Star Wars actor came up with the idea for the original advert, which shows him enjoying time with his friends and family where he grew up in Peckham, south London. Mr Boyega, 28, also directed the advert, based around his personal experiences, for the scented candle brand, titled London Gent. But in China the advert was recast without any black actors. Jo Malone has apologised to the black British star John Boyega for cutting him out of an advert when it was remade for the Chinese market Boyega in his Jo Malone advert. In the Chinese version he was replaced by actor Liu Hoaran Instead it features Chinese actor Liu Hoaran in Mr Boyega's starring role. Jo Malone has now apologised to Mr Boyega, saying it was a 'mistake' to try and replicate his personal experiences using a different actor. The company said in a statement: 'We deeply apologise for what on our end was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign. 'John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John's personal experiences and should not have been replicated.' Boyega's advert, which he directed and appeared in, featured him riding a white horse By the time the advert reached screens in China, a local actor replaced the Star Wars actor All the black cast members were replaced when the advert was recast and remade for the Chinese audience Liu Hoaran gazing at a bottle of perfume in the Chinese version of the advert John Boyega originally conceived for the brand The company said that while it 'immediately took action' and removed the local version of the campaign, 'we recognise that this was painful and that offence was caused'. It added: 'We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward.' Mr Boyega, who is a global ambassador for Jo Malone, did not know about the recasting of the Chinese advert and only found out about it on Twitter, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Mr Boyega, 28, also directed the advert, based around his personal experiences, for the scented candle brand, titled London Gent The actor has previously said of the advert: 'There are several people in this video that have either given me a place to stay in LA while I haven't had one or just have been consistent in our friendship for years. 'It's about breaking free of the concept of 'going back or returning to your roots', but more about the roots existing with this new side of my life.' He has been minimised in Chinese marketing material before. In 2015, the Chinese poster for the new Star Wars film featured a much smaller version of his character Finn compared with the original. The actor has recently spoken out about the racism he experienced after taking the Star Wars role. Referring to a social media campaign to boycott the films because of his casting, he said: 'I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race... it makes you angry with a process like that.' Umar Khalid arrested under anti-terror law for making a speech during nationwide protests against a citizenship law. A former student leader in India has been arrested for his alleged role in the deadly violence that broke out in the capital New Delhi in February, a move activists have dubbed a witch-hunt exercise. Umar Khalid, 33, was arrested on Sunday night under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the violence that left at least 53 people dead, most of them Muslims. Legal experts have questioned the polices application of the UAPA on students and activists, as the law reduces the scope for bail, meaning jail terms without trial. A number of other students and activists behind the nationwide peaceful protests against a controversial citizenship law have been arrested under the UAPA, which was passed last December. The police instead of doing a fair investigation in the Delhi riots has turned it into an exercise of witch-hunt against anti-CAA protesters. Nadeem Khan from United Against Hate The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which has been dubbed fundamentally discriminatory by the UN, fast-tracks citizenship for religious minorities from three neighbouring countries, but does not include Muslims. Civil society group United Against Hate (UAH), of which Khalid is a member, said the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student has been framed. Umar Khalid has been framed in the Delhi riots as a mastermind by the Delhi Police. The police instead of doing a fair investigation in the Delhi riots has turned it into an exercise of witch-hunt against anti-CAA protesters, Nadeem Khan from UAH told Al Jazeera. The passing of the CAA sparked nationwide peaceful protests [File: Imtiyaz Khan/Anadolu] The police first misquoted Khalids speeches to frame him and then tried to fabricate witnesses. This is a clear attempt to intimidate democratic voices of dissent into silence. Frame peaceful activists The arrest comes a day after Delhi Police filed cases against prominent activists and academics, accusing them of provoking and mobilising anti-CAA protesters. So far, the police have filed more than 700 First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with the riots, but activists say politicians from and supporters of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who gave hate speeches were spared. Instead of filing FIRS against those responsible who were actually responsible for the riots, cases are trying to implicate Umar Khalid and some other people. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, Khalid's father Violence broke out in February after a pro-CAA mob attacked peaceful protest site in northeast Delhi. Its a conspiracy by the police to frame peaceful activists in the guise of investigation, prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan tweeted. A Delhi Police spokesperson refused to comment on the issue but later shared a statement with Al Jazeera that said Khalid would be produced before the court on Monday. Khalids father Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas told Al Jazeera that his son was interrogated for the entire day on Sunday. He was later arrested at 11pm local time. Its common in India for police to question suspects in a case before formal arrests. In April, Khalid, who has a PhD on tribal rights, was charged under UAPA in another case related to the worst violence in the capital since anti-Sikh violence in 1984. The first FIR, which was filed long back, they have made Umar Khalid the main accused. So many charges were put against my son including sedition charges, Ilyas told Al Jazeera. Its known to everyone who started the riots, who were the people who made hate speeches, who were the main sufferers and who lost the property and lives. Instead of filing FIRS against those responsible for the riots, police are trying to implicate Umar Khalid and some other people. Remember yesterday the @DelhiPolice was trying to claim it wasn't accusing/arresting activists based on "disclosure statements"? Well, they were lying. @UmarKhalidJNU, a fine young activist defending India's democracy, has been arrested under UAPA, sedition etc. Shame! Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) September 14, 2020 Amnesty International India in its report published last month accused Delhi Police of complicity and bias in the February violence. But the police have defended its investigation into the deadly riots for which they have arrested 1,575 persons. Over 250 charge sheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused (571 Hindus and 582 Muslims) have been charge-sheeted, the Delhi Police said in a statement on Sunday. The police said that the accusations against them were motivated. With additional reporting by Bilal Kuchay The markings of a rollercoaster year are plastered over Sutiwets small Jakarta restaurant plastic barriers on the counters, stickers on the glass urging customers to wear masks, and a gallon of water out front for people to wash their hands. But just as life in the Indonesian capital was starting to return to normal, the citys 10 million residents are heading into partial lockdown for the second time. Jakartas tightened social restrictions, effective from Monday for two weeks, mean businesses, malls and houses of worship can only operate at limited capacity, while dining in at restaurants and cafes is not allowed. Small business owners such as Sutiwet, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, are bracing themselves for the economic impact. We almost managed to survive the first round of large-scale social restrictions, and here comes another one, Sutiwet, 45, told Reuters. For now, I am relieved that we are almost surviving, but it will definitely have an impact on income. The second round of social restrictions, known locally as PSBB, comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and as Jakartas 67 designated coronavirus hospitals near full capacity. The capital has recorded a daily average of more than 1,000 new cases this month, with 43,400 cases in total and 1,330 deaths since March, according to government data. Months into the pandemic businesses are feeling the crunch, said Shinta Khamdani, from the Indonesian employers association. This (PSBB) policy is very deadly for us, depressing demand so much so that there is no driver for businesses to improve our economic performance, said Khamdani. Right now, businesses are desperately trying to maintain their existence. If social restrictions are implemented long term, many small and medium enterprises would not survive, she said. With more than 218,000 coronavirus cases nationally, Indonesias government has the difficult challenge of balancing health and economic concerns, as the country faces a recession in the third quarter. Heading to work on Monday, Lila Pratiwi, 34, said she was trying to adapt. Public transportation is my biggest concern, the government should pay attention as most of the new clusters are from offices and public transport, she said. Thats why I decided to walk today. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pigmentation, redness, dark spots. These are the common skin complaints that many of us just can't find a beauty solution for. This was exactly the dilemma that former US news presenter Jamie Kern Lima found herself facing while being in front of the cameras for years, as she struggled to find something that helped cover her hereditary rosacea. However, instead of letting it hold her back, she quit her job to start the skin-loving make-up brand, IT Cosmetics, from her living room. The mission was simple: to develop formulas which combine skincare with makeup to help real women solve their every day beauty concerns, easily and effectively. MailOnline spoke to 3 women who road tested their no.1 best-selling product, Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF50, and you might just be amazed at what it did for the look of their skin. I feel lovely! Like I can finally feel really good about my skin again!' 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The CC+ Cream covers and cares for problem skin while the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer helps hide those hard to tackle dark circles Beauty fans also love IT Cosmetics Brow Power, a brow pencil that features an oval tip to help mimic the look of real hair, and the Superhero Mascara, which can increase lash volume with one coat. After trying IT Comestics CC+ Cream for the first time, Merin says: Ive found my perfect foundation! I didnt use much: just a pea-sized dab and it easily smoothed over those uneven areas that were concerning to me. My skin has got a lovely glow to it and the product smells lovely, too. Merin adds: I feel lovely. I feel more confident. Empowered. I feel really good about my skin, again. The CC+ Cream makes me feel my best - I feel confident when I'm wearing it' THE PROBLEM: PIGMENTATION Make-up artist Ritika, 39, was looking for something that would help correct the look of her skin pigmentation and last all day long. Ritika says: The CC+ Cream covers my skin beautifully. I struggle with pigmentation issues, which can make my skin look discoloured or blotchy, but the product evened it out effortlessly. Ritika, 39, struggles with pigmentation and wanted long-lasting, natural-looking coverage. She tried the CC+ Cream and loved it The texture is very smooth. Its a light and soft product that glides onto my skin and I dont even need to use a lot to achieve a nice healthy glow. Ritika has already been recommending the CC+ Cream to all of her friends and family, rating the product a firm 5 out of 5 stars. She adds: I feel so confident when Im wearing the CC+ Cream because it gives me that beautiful skin finish. It makes me feel my best. I get so many compliments: my skin looks really healthy, like Ive had a great nights sleep, every night! THE PROBLEM: REDNESS Beauty blogger Rose, 30, suffers from rosacea. She relies on IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream to cover redness and create an even complexion Just like founder Jamie, 30-year-old beauty blogger and IT Cosmetics UK Brand Ambassador Roses main skin concern was rosacea, which often left her feeling self-conscious about her skin. She explains: My skin is clear but often red with a raised texture, particularly at the cheeks and managing it is hard. In the past, Ive been self-conscious that my redness is showing through my make-up and that mindset can affect the way that you carry yourself. Unlike Merin, beauty devotee Rose is an avid make-up user who believes she has tested every single complexion product in her quest for her mythical redness solution. She says: I definitely found my perfect foundation when I discovered IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream. I used to have to layer on a number of products - something for coverage, something for glow, something for hydration - but this is one product that does everything for me! I don't know anything that covers my redness like the CC+ Cream, without drying out my skin. I love the texture, which is almost like a light gel, that feels instantly hydrating, so it gives my skin that fresh and dewy appearance that you dont usually get with this level of coverage.' Rose adds: 'For me, this is so much more than a foundation, you can tell that it's good for my skin at the same time because it moisturises and makes my skin look really healthy, as though Ive had a great nights sleep. Ive had so many compliments since I started using it, as if Ive got naturally great skin. 'I just feel lovely when Im wearing this CC+ Cream, like the best version of myself. I would definitely recommend trying it.' IT Cosmetics is now available at Boots. Discover the range of problem-solving products and receive 8 worth of Advantage Card points when you buy 2 IT Cosmetics products, 1 to be CC+ Cream*. Find your nearest Boots IT Cosmetics counter at boots.com/it-cosmetics *In a single transaction until 31st March 2020, subject to availability. Offer excludes CC+ Cream 12ml. Points indicated are the total number of points awarded. Normal Boots Advantage Card terms and conditions apply, see application form for details. Actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday left Mumbai for her home state Himachal Pradesh, saying she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and declaring that her analogy comparing Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was "bang on". IMAGE: Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut gestures as she leaves after a meeting with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, in Mumbai, on Sunday. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo The actor, whose comments triggered a spat with Maharashtra's ruling Shiv Sena, arrived in the city from her home in Manali last week for a short visit. On the same day her office here faced action for "illegal" alterations by Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, following which she moved the Bombay high court which stayed the demolition. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on(sic)," Ranaut wrote on Twitter. Targetting the ruling party, the 33-year-old actor said the protectors had declared themselves to be "destroyers" and were working towards dismantling democracy. "But they are wrong to think I'm weak. By threatening and abusing a woman, they are ruining their own image," she added. On Sunday, Ranaut met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan to apprise him of the "injustice" done to her. The actor has been aggressively criticizing the film industry and the way it functions since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. She initially said it was not a suicide but a "planned murder" by an industry that does not acknowledge outsiders. Ranaut escalated her attack to tackle the alleged drug nexus in the industry, as well as targeting the Maharashtra government for its handling of the case. She sparked anger after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Her spat with Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut led to her receiving Y-plus security -- a detail of around 10 armed commandos who accompany the actress whenever she travels. On her arrival in Mumbai last week, BMC exempted Ranaut from the 14-day home quarantine rule for those arriving from outside the state after she submitted an online application for the exemption as she was on "a short visit." By Jason Gale Internet searches on gastrointestinal symptoms predicted a rise in Covid-19 cases weeks later, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found, demonstrating a novel early warning system for hotspots of the pandemic disease. Researchers at the top-ranked hospital in Boston compared search interest in the loss of taste and appetite, and diarrhoea with the reported incidence of Covid-19 in 15 US states from January 20 to April 20. Using Alphabet Inc.s Google Trends online tool, they found the volume of searches correlated most strongly with cases in New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois -- states with high disease burden -- three to four weeks later. For live updates on the coronavirus outbreak, click here The research, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, showed that the same approach used to monitor pandemic influenza trends more than a decade ago could be deployed for the coronavirus, the hospital said in a report this month. Patients with Covid-19 often report gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea, sparking interest in conducting the study. Our data underscore the importance of GI symptoms as a potential harbinger of Covid-19 infection and suggests that Google Trends may be a valuable tool for prediction of pandemics with GI manifestations, Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist and the director of Mass Generals gastrointestinal motility laboratory, and colleagues wrote in the study. Scientists are also testing for traces of the coronavirus in wastewater to identify places where Covid-19 is spreading. Three months after the demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, his sister Shweta Singh Kirti on Monday shared that a plantation drive in the name of the late actor has given rise to over one lakh plants. Three months after the demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, his sister Shweta Singh Kirti on Monday shared that a plantation drive in the name of the late actor has given rise to over one lakh plants. Shweta took to Twitter to share a video featuring clips of Rajputs fans planting saplings and also shared that over one lakh trees have been planted to celebrate the late actor. Shweta Singh Kirti said in a tweet that more than 1 lakh trees were planted across the globe under Plants for SSR campaign. She added in her tweet, Thank you so much for making it happen. The Plants4SSR campaign was launched by Shweta on Twitter in remembrance of her brother, following which several fans of the actor across the globe joined the campaign and planted saplings. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. Also read: Chaitanya Tamhanes The Disciple wins big at 77th Venice Film Festival More than 1 lakh trees were planted across the globe. #Plants4SSR Thank you so much for making it happen. pic.twitter.com/o7Gh88OeQd Shweta Singh Kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) September 14, 2020 Also read: Hope justice will be given to me: Kangana after meeting Maha Governor A special court in Mumbai on Friday rejected the bail plea of actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and others in connection with a drug case related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. The Special NDPS court also rejected the bail plea of Abdul Basit, Zaid Vilatra, Dipesh Sawant and Samuel Miranda, who were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the case. During the hearing before the court yesterday, the NCB had opposed the bail application filed by the accused. It had said that Showik Chakraborty is an active member of a drug syndicate connected with drug supplies. While opposing the bail to Showik, NCB said that if released on bail he may tamper with the evidence and also will try to win the witness by using her (Rhea) position in the society and money power. Also read: Nothing is more real and humbling: Anushka Sharma shares lovely picture cradling her baby bump According to Carol Sullivan, one of the plaintiffs in the case, who is no longer a party in the appeals process, legal fees paid by the group of residents who filed the suit added up to just under $40,000 prior to the recent appeal. She said about half the fees were raised through online campaigns, and the rest was paid for by nearby residents. In January - July 2020, the balance-of-payments current account posted a deficit of EUR 4,863 million, compared with EUR 6,083 million in the same year-ago period, the National bank of Romania (BNR) informs on Monday. The deficit on trade in goods widened by EUR 635 million, the surplus on services increased by EUR 370 million, the primary income balance saw its deficit narrowing by EUR 945 million, and the surplus of the secondary income balance rose by EUR 495 million.In January - July 2020, total external debt increased by EUR 9,616 million, of which: long-term external debt at end-July 2020 stood at EUR 82,499 million (71.4 percent of total external debt), up 12 percent against end-2019;short-term external debt at end-July 2020 amounted to EUR 32,990 million (28.6 percent of total external debt), up 2.4 percent from end-2019.Long-term external debt service ratio ran at 17.6 percent in January - July 2020 against 18.6 percent in 2019. At end-July 2020, goods and services import cover stood at 5.9 months, as compared to 4.6 months at end-2019.At end-July 2020, the ratio of the National Bank of Romania's foreign exchange reserves to short-term external debt by remaining maturity came in at 81.4 percent, against 73.8 percent at end-2019. The attack occurred on Sunday in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse when perpetrators rammed their vehicle into security officers and attacked them with knives Tunisian authorities say that they have arrested seven people suspected of links to a deadly weekend attack that left one security officer dead and another injured. The attack occurred on Sunday in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse when perpetrators rammed their vehicle into security officers and attacked them with knives. National guard spokesman Housameddine Jbabli said Monday on Radio Shems that seven suspects are being held by anti-terrorism authorities. On Sunday, Tunisian forces fatally shot three alleged attackers. Among the seven detained is the wife of one of the dead attackers and the two brothers of another. Jbabli said that a preliminary investigation showed that the attackers had developed online links with foreign networks to find out how to make explosives. Sousse was the site of Tunisia's deadliest extremist attack in 2015, when a massacre killed 38 people, most of them British tourists. That attack dealt a heavy blow to Tunisia's tourism sector, a pillar of the North African nation's economy. Search Keywords: Short link: A 20-year-old Weymouth woman is now in custody and facing an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge in connection with the Friday afternoon fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old woman in Attleboro. The Bristol District Attorneys Office said Massachusetts State Police detectives, Attleboro police and Rhode Island State Police arrested Kayla Cantu in Providence on Sunday. Cantu has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the Friday killing of Kimberly Duphily in Attleboro. Cantu waived rendition in Rhode Island and is expected to appear in Attleboro District Court Monday. Attleboro police received several 911 calls around 3:55 p.m. Friday in regard to a commotion at 6 Leroy St. When first responders arrived on scene, they located a female bleeding profusely, authorities said. The Attleboro woman, later identified as Duphily, had been stabbed and was later pronounced dead after she was rushed to Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Another woman at the scene had also been injured. Authorities confirmed to MassLive that the second woman injured at the scene was Cantu. She was taken to an area hospital where she was treated and released. Authorities then arrested her Sunday as part of their investigation. A Chinese newsstand with state-run newspapers on sale, in Beijing on December 6, 2016. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) Australia Pushes Back Against Beijing Propaganda Peddled by Journalists The Australian government is pushing back against Beijings overseas propaganda operations. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has warned that foreign journalists in Australia will face scrutiny from federal agencies if they provide a slanted view to a particular community. If people are here as journalists and theyre reporting fairly on the news, then thats fine, Dutton told ABCs Insiders program on Sept. 13. If people are masquerading as journalists or business leaders or whoever they might be, and theres evidence that they are acting in a contrary nature to Australian law, then ASIO and the Australian Federal Police and other agencies will act, he added. His comments come after revelations emerged on Sept. 10 that two Chinese academics were barred re-entry into Australia, with four journalists leaving the country, following investigations by the Australian Federal Police and Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) over foreign interference concerns. Tao Shelan, one of the Chinese nationals implicated in the raids, is the Australian bureau chief of China News ServiceBeijings second-largest state-run media outlet following Xinhua. China News Service is one of nine Beijing-backed media organisations that the U.S. State Department has designated a foreign mission, meaning they are deemed to be substantially owned or effectively controlled by a country. The ruling by the U.S. State Department ultimately removes any notion that China News Service is an independent entity. The service is controlled by the United Front Work Department (UFWD), the Chinese communist regimes leading overseas infiltration organ. The UFWD gained notoriety with its connection to the downfall of former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari. China News Service acts as the media arm of the UFWD and plays an integral role in building partnerships with overseas media outlets to offer free content, which includes pre-approved material from Beijing. Read More How One Chinese Media Outlet Subtly Spreads Propaganda in US and Beyond Currently, it supports over 200 Chinese-language publications globally. In Australia, it runs the Pacific Media Group out of Melbourne. Leaders from China News Service and UFWD also headlined the biennial Global Chinese Language Media Forum. The Epoch Times revealed that the conference is a major event, attended by CCP heavyweights looking to mix and mingle with hundreds of media proprietors and senior managers from around the world. Tao has attended the forums twice. In 2019, she was part of a 37-strong delegation from Australia. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge warned on Aug. 28 that foreign actors were seeking to grow division in Australia and sow distrust in the government and institutions. Tudge was particularly concerned about the reach of foreign actors in multicultural communities and warned that malign information or propaganda could be spreading through ethnic media, including outlets controlled or funded by state players. Community members with poor English-language skills were considered highly vulnerable. Every year, harvesters from Fort Smith, N.W.T., set up camp for a week on the land with the hopes of bringing back lots of caribou meat for their community. Hunter Earl Evans said the Qamanirjuaq caribou, the most common type of barren-ground caribou in the region, are above the treeline in an area too far north for them to hunt this year. That, coupled with the herd's dwindling numbers, made the community's caribou harvest unfeasible for the first time in 40 years. "It's a big blow for the people, you know," Evans told CBC. "Caribou is a main staple for a lot of people here. People weren't happy, but there's not much you can do." Sima Sahar Zerehi/CBC Evans, who also chairs the Beverly-Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board, is one of a few northern leaders calling for more protections for critical caribou calving grounds throughout the N.W.T. and Nunavut. The calls come in the wake of a WWF-Canada report that found some herds are losing up to 90 per cent of their peak populations. The report says the decline is caused by a number of factors, including climate change and more development projects close to their habitats. Barren-ground caribou are considered a threatened species by the N.W.T.'s species at risk committee and the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent advisory committee for the federal government. Calving grounds mostly 'unprotected' in law Calving is the time of the year when caribou give birth. The N.W.T. is home to three barren-ground caribou calving grounds in the high Arctic. GNWT-ENR Yellowknife The territory's recent caribou recovery plan, released in April by the Conference of Management Authorities, says calving grounds are "consistently identified" as necessary for barren-ground caribou survival. Industrial development like roads, mines or oil and gas projects near key calving grounds, the plan continued, pose a "significant potential threat" to herds because almost all females are in the same area to give birth. Story continues Still, the plan notes calving grounds "remain mostly unprotected" under the law. No projects planned for N.W.T. habitats In a statement to CBC News, the territory confirmed there are no development projects currently operating or planned for calving areas in the territory. Two N.W.T. calving grounds are protected under co-management plans which include "environmental screenings," the statement continues. The third calving ground is part of Tuktut Nogait National Park near Paulatuk, N.W.T. True North Safaris The government says they are working with communities to identify key habitats like water crossings for the Bathurst caribou herd. The territory also hosts ongoing meetings with Nunavut leadership to collaborate on how to support threatened barren-ground caribou herds. 'Protect calving grounds in your own country' Five other barren-ground caribou herds calve in Nunavut in the spring, then migrate south to the N.W.T. for the winter months. Paul Okalik, WWF-Canada's lead Arctic researcher, told CBC the federal government controls most of the land in the territory, and therefore needs to step up to the plate to protect calving areas from oil and gas developments. Sima Sahar Zerehi/CBC "[The federal government] has the ability to control the activity taking place on Crown lands," Okalik said. "That's the area where we need to focus some of the work as well." Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's environment and climate change minister, released a statement last week supporting Indigenous groups who oppose a recent move by the United States to open Alaskan caribou calving grounds to energy drilling. "Why not practice what you preach and protect calving grounds ... in your own country." - Paul Okalik, WWF-Canada's lead Arctic researcher Now, Okalik said it's time for them to do the same in Canada. "Why not practice what you preach and protect calving grounds ... in your own country," he said. CBC reached out to the Department of Environment and Climate Change for more information but did not receive a reply. Pandemic a 'good time' to test out protections Kevin O'Reilly, a N.W.T. MLA, says it's a good time to test out temporary protections in Nunavut, like short-term shutdowns for companies close to caribou habitats during the calving season. Mario De Ciccio/Radio-Canada "Now's a good time because the level of [industrial] activity out there is pretty low given COVID[-19]," O'Reilly said. Work is also being done in Nunavut at the territorial level, Okalik said. The 2016 draft of Nunavut's land use plan designates core calving areas and caribou ice crossings as protected areas. The plan is still undergoing revision. CBC has asked the Nunavut government for an update on the territory's land use plan but did not hear back. Whats more important: personal liberty or national security? Is it better to conform or resist? What can result from unchecked authority? How do we decide who belongs? These are among the questions the Benton County Historical Society would like patrons to consider as they move through the latest exhibit at the Philomath Museum. And no, they have nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter movement. Or the upcoming presidential election. Or anything else related to current politics. The exhibit is Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II, and examines the impact of Executive Order 9066, which sent 75,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry and 45,000 Japanese nationals to incarceration camps following Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. Admission is free. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, but visitors are asked to call to confirm before traveling because of scheduling complications caused by the global pandemic. Told through a series of photos and captions, the traveling exhibit was developed by the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. Mark Tolonen, curator of exhibitions for the museum, said the Smithsonian sends regular catalogs of its traveling exhibitions. This one, he said, particularly appealed to staff. The museum chose to augment the showing by adding a set of Japanese kimonos from Corvallis fiber artist Karen Miller. The exhibit opened Aug. 21 but does not yet have a closing date. It will definitely go through September and hopefully longer, he said. Tolonen said he understands why viewers might see parallels between the exhibit and some of the questions Americans find themselves asking today, but the museum didnt seek to show the posters for that reason, necessarily. I believe its an objective look at the history. Hopefully visitors will draw their own conclusion, he said. Each poster starts with a question, something like, Why did this happen, or, How could we keep from happening again, that kind of do fit in with our current political situation. But I dont think theyre politically left or right. Righting a Wrong looks at immigration, prejudice, civil rights, heroism and what it means to be an American. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on Dec. 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the order that forced Japanese Americans out of their homes and scattered them among 10 camps west of the Mississippi. From March 1942 to March 1946, families lived crammed together in barracks and converted animal stalls surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. One of the temporary camps was in Portland, where 3,676 people stayed for five months in the livestock pavilion of what is now the Portland Expo Center, waiting to be transferred to large camps elsewhere. Citizens had little to no notice before being rounded up and could take few of their belongings with them. After their relocation, the government froze bank assets while FBI officials searched the homes of thousands of Japanese residents and seized items they deemed to be contraband, such as cameras, weapons and radio transmitters. While Japanese American soldiers fought for the United States, camp residents were required to complete allegiance questionnaires that asked them whether they were willing to serve in the United States military if so ordered and if they would swear unqualified allegiance to the U.S. and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor. The camps closed following a Supreme Court decision. Congress issued a formal apology in 1988 that provided some $20,000 each to more than 80,000 Japanese Americans in restitution. How does democracy work? How can we have liberty and justice for all? How will you shape the future? Tolonen said he hopes visitors ask themselves the prompt questions each poster offers and come to their own conclusions. Its a small exhibit, (but) I found it emotionally heavy. It gave me a lot to think about, he said. Theyre really quite impactful. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Three of John Barilaro's Nationals MPs will desert the Coalition if the Liberals refuse to implement major changes to the government's divisive koala planning policy. The Coalition will meet on Tuesday in NSW Parliament for the first time since the Nationals threatened to move to the crossbench and plunge the Berejiklian government into minority. NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro leaves his Rushcutters Bay apartment on Monday morning. Credit:Nick Moir Mr Barilaro, the Deputy Premier and leader of the Nationals, will front his party room on Tuesday, as well as a Coalition joint party room meeting. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday said the Coalition was "a strong stable government" despite persistent threats from Nationals MPs over the policy. The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar has spoken about his dramatic transformation in Netflixs series, Criminal. The actor, who became famous for his starring role as Raj Koothrappali in the hit sitcom, will now return to screens as a cold and calculating killer, Sandeep Singh. Nayyar said that he wanted to ensure his next project after The Big Bang Theory was completely different to Raj. He apparently reached out to producers for a role after admiring the episodes led by David Tennant. It was important to do something that completely breaks the barrier, he told Metro.co.uk. I wanted to make sure that whatever I did next was like, Wait, who is this? Oh My God. Is that the guy from The Big Bang?!, as opposed to Oh theres Raj, playing a killer. Nayyars performance has received praise from his Criminal co-stars Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf. The new series is set almost entirely in an interrogation room, and will also star Game of Throness Kit Harington, Sophie Okonedo, and Sharon Horgan. Each episode focuses on a different suspect, with Nayyar as a hardened criminal seeking an early release by playing mind games on the detectives. The new, four-part series of Criminal is released on Netflix on 16 September. TEL AVIV - The district court of Lod (Tel Aviv) on Monday sentenced Amiram Ben Oliel, 25, to three life terms and an additional 27 years in jail for killing an entire Palestinian family when he threw a molotov cocktail against a home in the West Bank village of Duma in July 2015. Two parents, Saad and Riham Dawabshe, and their baby Ali died in the fire. Another child of the couple, Ahmed, survived although he sustained extensive burns. Ben Oliel will also have to pay to the family of Ahmed Dawabshe 258,000 shekels, or 65,000 euros. During the trial, the prosecutor was able to probe Ben Oliel's guilt but not the fact that he allegedly belonged to an extremist far-right Jewish group. The youth had pleaded not guilty and claimed he was tortured by the Israeli security service Shin Bet. His appeal was refused by judges. The family of Ahmed Dawabshe expressed satisfaction of the severity of the ruling. Interior view of the Wisconsin Supreme Court courtroom, inside the Wisconsin State Capitol building, Madison, Wisconsin, on July 24, 2013. (CCO 1.0 via Wikipedia) Wisconsin Supreme Court Overrules Countys Order, Allows Private Schools to Open Local health officials in Wisconsin dont have the legal authority to shut down private schools to contain the spread of the CCP virus, the states Supreme Court ruled. This is a great victory for religious liberty, attorney Erick Kaardal told The Epoch Times in an interview. Kaardal, special counsel to the Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm headquartered in Chicago, is part of the team representing the independent schools and working directly with St. Ambrose Academy, one of the schools that petitioned for relief. Once again, a court has stepped in and stopped the government from shutting down Christian and private schools, Kaardal said. Its real late in the day for Dane County to go off the constitutional scripts and attempt to shut down Christian and other private schools. Located in southern Wisconsin, Dane County includes the state capital of Madison. The cases, consolidated by the court, are James v. Heinrich, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools v. Heinrich, and St. Ambrose Academy Inc. v. Parisi. The litigants challenged Dane County Emergency Order #9, which was issued Aug. 21 and amended Sept. 1. The ruling, which includes a temporary injunction, was approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on a 43 vote. The court ruled the petitioners are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim, concluding that local health officers do not appear to have statutory authority to do what the Order commands, namely, to carry out the broad closure of schools. Quoting state law, Janel Heinrich, public health director for the county, had argued the law empowered her to do what is reasonable and necessary for the prevention and suppression of disease, and that the emergency order under challenge constituted a permissible restriction on public gatherings. However, what is reasonable and necessary cannot be read to encompass anything and everything, the court stated in the Sept. 10 order. Such a reading would render every other grant of power in the statute mere surplusage. And a reading that gives carte blanche authority to a local health officer to issue any dictate she wants, without limit, would call into question its compatibility with our constitutional structure. The private schools have also gone to great lengthsand expended non-negligible sumsto provide students, teachers, and staff the ability to resume in-person instruction with safety precautions in place, the ruling stated. Dane County corporation counsel Marcia A. MacKenzie, who represented the county in court, didnt immediately respond to telephone calls from The Epoch Times seeking comment. County Executive Joe Parisi, a Democrat, criticized the decision, saying it comes as the pandemic hits a new peak in this community. The public health departments order prioritized the safety and well-being of kids, parents, teachers, and the communities they call home, Parisi said Sept. 10 in a statement. Tonights order will jeopardize those goals and may lead to more illness and needless human suffering. Lawyer Andrew Bath, executive president and general counsel of the Thomas More Society, disagreed. The states high court stated unequivocally that Overriding the choices of parents and schools, who also undoubtedly care about the health and safety of their teachers and families, intrudes upon the freedoms ordinarily retained by the people under our constitutional design. Thats something that none of us can allow to go unchallenged, Bath said in a statement. The court recognized this attempt to shut down private schools for what it isa slap in the face to educational choice, an affront to families who believe that children should be in school, and a direct violation of parental rights, Kaardal added. NEW DELHI: Nepal is undergoing a 13-day training programme of 'BeiDou' Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in Beijing after it received a special invitation from China to attend the event. The programme kickstarted on September 4 and will commence on September 20. In July, China formally launched full global services of its BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to rival the widely-used American GPS and provide independent navigation structure for its increasingly modernising military. The move of China to launch its BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to compete with GPS which is a US-based navigation company. China has been using its homegrown navigation system BeiDou for both militaries as well as civil purpose. BDS, stated to be rivalling US' GPS, is the fourth global satellite navigation system in the world. Other systems are Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo. Meanwhile, India too is developing its own navigational system named - Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC. BDS's implementation will not only reduce the dependence of Chinese aircraft, vehicles and anti-missile systems on GPS and GLONASS, but it will enhance People's Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities in conducting overseas operations. BeiDou started providing independent navigation services over China in 2000 and will promote its use in countries, signed for its mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Currently, BeiDou covers nearly 30 countries including Pakistan, Egypt and Indonesia. Chinas BRI is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping. It is aimed at furthering China's influence abroad with infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investments all over the world. The initiative also led to allegations of smaller countries reeling under mounting Chinese debt after Sri Lanka gave its strategic Hambantota port in a debt swap to China in 2017 on a 99-year lease. Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far At least 6 members of Sushant Singh Rajputs family killed in road accident in Bihar Sushant Singh Rajput drug probe: 3 accused in NCB custody till Sep 16 India pti-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Sep 14: Three suspected drug peddlers, arrested in the probe related to drug angle in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, were on Monday remanded to NCB custody till September 16 by a court here. On Sunday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested six more persons, taking the count of people held so far in the case to 16. These half a dozen accused were identified by the agency as Karamjeet Singh Anand, Dwayne Fernandes, Sanket Patel, Ankush Anreja, Sandeep Gupta and Aftab Fateh Ansari. Shiv Sena accuses BJP of politicising Sushant Singh Rajput's death for upcoming Bihar polls They were on Monday produced before a magistrate court which remanded three of them - Anand, Anreja and Patel - to NCB custody till September 16 and sent the rest to jail under 14-day judicial remand. While praying for their custody, the NCB told the court that Anand appears to be a "major player" in "drug syndicate active in Bollywood and high society". He is not cooperating with investigation and vital information related to the case is yet to be disclosed by him, the apex drug law enforcement agency said. It further argued that Anreja was directly connected with another accused, Anuj Keshwani, from whom commercial quantity of narcotics had been seized. It is necessary to interrogate Anreja to find out to whom he was delivering contraband in Bollywood, the probe agency told the court. Sushant Singh Rajput's death case: Rhea Chakraborty moves court again to seek bail The NCB submitted that Patel, too, is part of this drug syndicate. Special public prosecutor (NCB) Atul Sarpande told that the court investigation in the case was at preliminary stage and revelations made by the accused were yet to be verified. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB is probing the drug case in which actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajput's manager Samuel Miranda, domestic help Dipesh Sawant and others have been arrested. They are currently in judicial custody. Rajput (34) was found dead in his flat in suburban Bandra on June 14. The CBI is separately probing "abetment to suicide" case related to his death. New Delhi: BJPs Central Election Committee held a meeting on Sunday night to finalise its candidates for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly polls. The party is likely to announce candidates for a majority of 70 seats in the hill state, which goes to polls on February 14 and for the seats in UP. The seven-phase UP assembly polls start from February 11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah besides other CEC members attended the meeting. Another CEC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in which names of more candidates will be finalised. It had held its first meeting on January 11 in which candidates for Goa and Punjab polls were finalised. In the run up to the CEC meeting, Shah has been holding deliberations with top party leaders from Uttar Pradesh to narrow down differences over likely party candidates and evolve a consensus. 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)Shah has been pulling out all stops to lead the party to victory in UP, which in terms of political implications is more important than all other four poll-bound states combined. It has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 2002 and was a declining force till the Modi wave catapulted the party to an unprecedented success in 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it won 71 of the 80 seats. Party sources believe that it may not be possible for the saffron outfit to repeat the 2014 feat of capturing over 42 per cent of vote share but it hopes to emerge a winner in the states fractured polity by garnering more that 30 per cent of votes. SP and BSP won a majority of 403 seats in 2012 and 2007 assembly elections by pulling in 30.4 and 29.16 per cent of votes. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Montefiore Medical Center announced today that it is mailing letters to some patients alerting them of a data security breach involving one of its vendors, Blackbaud, Inc. ("Blackbaud"). Blackbaud provides software and cloud-based data storage solutions for Montefiore. In the Blackbaud Cyberattack, an individual illegally hacked into its systems and took copies of customer databases in order to extort ransom. According to Blackbaud, ransom was paid and the data was destroyed. The incident occurred between February 7, 2020 and May 20, 2020. Blackbaud first notified Montefiore on July 16, 2020, and since then Montefiore has been communicating with Blackbaud to better understand the nature and the extent of the breach. This incident did not expose all Montefiore patient information, only the information held in Blackbaud's database, which includes patient names, addresses, names of treating physicians, date(s) of service and clinical department. To date there is no evidence that this data has been used illegally. Blackbaud confirms Social Security numbers, financial accounts and credit card information were encrypted, and not accessed by the unauthorized individual. In addition, this incident did not involve access to Montefiore's medical system or electronic health records. Montefiore has set up a dedicated call center to answer questions about this incident, at 833-755-1027, between 9 am - 9 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Montefiore recommends that patients carefully review any communication from their providers and immediately initiate direct contact regarding any questionable services, billing or requests for information. Protecting privacy is one of Montefiore's top priorities. To help prevent something like this from happening again, Montefiore is reviewing the way secure information is stored with Blackbaud and is evaluating Blackbaud's safeguards. About Montefiore Health System Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube. SOURCE Montefiore Medical Center Related Links http://www.montefiore.org New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday attached movable and immovable properties valued at Rs 91.8 crore in connection with a bank fraud involving Rs 1,267 crore. An ED official said that the agency attached the properties -- owned by Udaipur's CA Bharat Bomb, Shankar Lal Khandelwal and others -- in the loan fraud case reported in the erstwhile Syndicate Bank. The attached assets include agricultural land, plots, shops, offices, flats, and bungalows in Jaipur, Udaipur, and Sri Ganganagar districts of Rajasthan and the money lying in bank accounts. The ED took over the case on the basis of an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against officials of the erstwhile Syndicate Bank (now Canara Bank) and certain private persons. It was alleged that the fraud's mastermind Bharat Bomb, an Udaipur-based Chartered Accountant, in collusion with bank officials had defrauded the bank of Rs 1,267.79 crore. During the ED's probe into the money laundering aspect of the case, it was revealed that the proceeds of the crime were transferred by Bharat Bomb into various bank accounts through a complex maze of transactions. "He had invested the money in the purchase of immovable properties in his name and that of his family members, associates, employees, fictitious firms and companies, and real estate projects in Udaipur," an ED official said. The official said that such properties were held in the name of Bharat, his wife Pooja, father Shanti Lal, and accomplices Mahendra Meghwal, Vineet Jain, Pradeep Nimawat, and various entities like Rameshwaram Material Trading Company Private Limited, EWDPL, Chandigarh Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Khandelwal's company Shree Govind Kripa Buildcon Pvt Ltd, and others. Earlier, the ED had attached properties valued at Rs 386.58 crore and announced seizure of Rs 2.25 crore in the form of a demand draft in the case. The ED had filed a charge sheet against 81 accused, including Bharat Bomb, Vineet Jain, Mahendra Meghwal, Vipul Kaushik, Khandelwal, Anoop Bartaria, Himanshu Verma, certain bank officials and others in a special PMLA court in Jaipur. Fading blues the decline of the Tory tradition in Canada since the 1980s (Part Two) By Mark Wegierski By the early 1990s, the federal PC party had conclusively proved to most people that it did not really embody the traditions and principles of Canadian conservatism. The three largest groupings in the federal PCs were mostly anti-conservative. Probably the largest of these groupings were the "situationists" (1) -- persons such as Brian Mulroney, who could be considered "conservative" only in the sense of wanting to maintain the status-quo, and keep themselves in so-called "power", without any reference to conservative principles. In the run-up to the 1983 Party convention, and to the 1984 federal election, Mulroney had, by a few partisan-sounding statements, allowed the mantle of being a right-winger to fall on him. He probably did so because he believed that it would be to his advantage in the upcoming election. The mood of the electorate was unusually tending towards a sense of revulsion against what were becoming perceived among considerable numbers of people (outside of the media and intellectual elites) as the excesses of the radical Trudeau social experiments. One especially remembers Mulroneys statement that he would try to appoint every living, breathing Tory to government positions ahead of Liberals. But his behaviour upon attaining office was completely different. Mulroney governed with a timidity that suggested that he had won a minority, not a majority government. The ferocious, round-the-clock media attacks against the allegedly hard-right Mulroney regime, in a period when the conservative media presence in Canada was virtually non-existent, did not increase his confidence. The situationists or upholders of the status-quo were the ones who aspired to be superficial administrators or managers, rather than trend-setting political leaders of the country. The support of the status-quo, no matter what it is, is obviously not the key tenet of conservatism -- by that calculus, the geriatric Soviet Politburo members (with their official atheism and Marxism-Leninism) could have been seen as the greatest "conservatives" in the world! To be a "situationist" is to sacrifice principles for the sake of a blind support of the status-quo, and one's place in it. It is the very opposite of what has been called in earlier articles "governing strategically". The second major grouping were persons who could be called the "social democrats", such as Joe Clark (Canadas Prime Minister for nine months in 1979-1980, and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative party from 1976-1983, and 1998-2003) and Flora Macdonald. They were, in their arguments, very similar to the situationists, but as "Red Tories" they also made the claim of representing "the real tradition" of the Tory party, which they defined as an extensive welfare-state and intense government interventionism. They appeared to forget that the core of a real "National Policy" could only be an authentic Canadian nationalism. It could be argued that their support of the excesses of multiculturalism, of virtually the entire social agenda of left-liberalism, of special benefits for recognized minorities, and so forth, contradicted the notion of a more traditionally-based "Tory welfare-state", which was, historically-speaking, grounded on the social unity and cohesion generated though such immemorial institutions as family and church. Indeed, the term "Red Toryism" may be seen as a misnomer. Rather than representing a more positive synthesis of toryism and social democracy (as typified by George Parkin Grant, Eugene Forsey, and certain elements of the old Co-operative Commonwealth Federation - CCF) -- such persons typically combine the less salubrious aspects of both liberalism and socialism, i.e., socially-anarchic liberalism without individual enterprise, and collectivistic socialism without any genuine social sense. Most of the so-called "Red Tories" have only a superficial and tenuous resemblance to the real Tory tradition. Thirdly, there were the so-called "libertarians", persons like Sinclair Stevens, who looked to America for inspiration and were, above all else, gung-ho free-marketeers and capitalists. It is a fundamental mistake to automatically and totally equate conservatism and capitalism. How can the strong traditional ethos of conservatism endure within a system that places its highest values on hyper-consumption, the unrestricted inflaming of the lower human desires, and the promotion of a soulless and rootless "market-ethic"? As the preeminent Canadian political philosopher, George Parkin Grant, once remarked, it is liberalism, not conservatism, that is "the perfect ideology for capitalism". The "Red Tories" are right insofar that Sir John A. Macdonald was no fan of either America or materialistic capitalism. Canadians should remember that the United Empire Loyalists came here precisely because they did not want to be Americans. They chose loyalty to their Sovereign, and a higher order, to the freewheeling liberal republicanism of America. Canada was itself created as an act of national and political will in direct contradiction to "basic economic realities" (which dictated north-south trading patterns). To a large extent, Canada attempted to maintain its independence in contradiction to the notion that economic forces are the overwhelming factor in history. The defining moment of the Dominion of Canada, the British North America Act (1867), established "peace, order, and good government" as Canada's founding principle, not the ultimately liberal "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". For most of Canada's history, "Free Trade" was fiercely opposed by the Conservative Party, as a fundamental threat to Canada's once considerably tory identity. To be continued. Footnotes: (1) The author is aware that there is a big-S philosophy of Situationism, which originates in the radical thought of media critic Guy Debord. The terms are obviously unrelated. The author uses the term situationist to suggest in situ sitting in one place and also because a locution like status-quo-ist sounds too awkward. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home The agency announced 1,249 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the states overall total to nearly 106,000 since early March. Indiana has had 18 days with more than 1,000 new infections being reported since first topping that mark on Aug. 5. The seven-day average of new cases was at 859 as of Saturday after reaching 965 in early August. is "pride" of Maharashtra and India and to demean thecity by likening it to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is "blasphemy", All India Committee (AICC) secretary Ashish Dua said on Monday without naming actress Taking to Twitter a day after Ranaut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan here over partial razing of her office by the civic body, Dua also said the governor's office is "not for politics". "# is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. Guv office is not for politics," Dua tweeted. He said the BJP should refrain from "dividing citizens on the basis of region". Ranaut had said that she met Koshyari to apprise him about "injustice" done to her. The is one of the ruling constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghahdi (MVA) dispensation; the other being the Nationalist Party (NCP). Earlier in the day, the actress, who left Mumbai for her native Himachal Pradesh, reiterated her PoK barb, which had riled the Sena and other members of the MVA. Ranaut has tweeted that she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena MP Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after the latter expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh 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.) On September 13, a few of the thousand asylum seekers who were left homeless after fires moved into temporary tent housing in Greece. According to the reports by AP, more than 100 people moved into the new camp built with UNHCR tents. Greece's Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis is reported to have said that a total of 1,000 Moria residents will be relocated to the new tent city. He added that those who are entering the new camp will have to go through rapid testing for the novel coronavirus and also mentioned that 5 new cases have been reported so far. New permanent refugee camp Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed some residents of the camp for trying to blackmail the Greek government by 'deliberately' setting the fires. According to reports, the blaze has left about 3,500 living in and around the Lesbos island camp homeless. The European Union has over the years made various attempts to resettle these migrants that have poured in from different countries. However, very few people were transferred from the Moria camps of Greece. Moria migrant camp was set up back in 2015-16 and was constituted to handle the massive wave of migration into Europe. The camp is currently occupied by people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and was originally designed to house 2,750 people. Read: Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis Urges Greater EU Involvement On Migration After Moria Fire At a press conference, Mitsotakis said, It (the burning of Moria) was a tragedy. These images were bad. It was a warning bell to all to become sensitized. Europe cannot afford a second failure on the migration issue. The Greek Prime Minister added that he has been in touch with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the reallocation of at least some migrants from Moria. However, he added that there will be a new permanent refugee camp on Lesbos. Read: Moria Migrants: Greece Sends Three Ships To Help Shelter 13,000 Refugees After Fire At least 10 European Union Member States have agreed to take in some 400 unaccompanied minor migrants from Greece. EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson informed on September 9 that all 400 unaccompanied children and teenagers have been flown to mainland Greece adding that the safety and shelter of all people in Moria is the priority. As per reports, Germany and France will take in 100-150 migrants each, while the Netherlands will accept 50. Finland is also expected to take in 11 minors with countries including Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Portugal taking the remaining. Meanwhile, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have refused to take any migrants, which sheds light on the European Union's outdated migrant policy. Read: Locals In Lesbos Oppose Moria Camp Reconstruction Also Read: Moria Migrants Clash With Local Police While Protesting Over New Camp, Face Tear Gas (Image Credits: AP) New Delhi, Sep 14 : Actress Soundarya Sharma, who was stuck for seven months in Los Angeles due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will finally fly back to India in an air bubble flight. She will take the flight on September 15. Soundarya was in LA attending classes at New York Film Academy when lockdown was announced. "I came here at the start of the year and have been away from home for more than seven months. It got really difficult after a point of time. My tickets were cancelled so many times that I have lost count. I had to change apartments a few times. Staying away from my family at such an hour has been extremely difficult," Soundarya said. "However, I am blessed to have had friends who were family to me and they kept on giving strength!! I am very happy to be coming back to my country. I have to start working on certain projects. I can't wait to get back. This time away has been an eye opener in every sense. Really looking forward now," she added. The actress will start shooting for two projects back to back after her mandatory quarantine period. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) For the first time in years, the deliberation on the 2021 budget of the Office of the President lasted almost two hours before it got approved, due to issues on its intelligence funds and supposed line item allocations. The House of Representatives' appropriations committee approved the OP's 8.238 billion budget for 2021, this time, with opposition lawmakers actively grilling officials on the utilization of its funds over the past years. This is contrary to the previous hearings on Duterte's office budget, which in the past years usually took ten minutes or even less without interpellation. In 2018, the OP's budget was approved in just three minutes out of "courtesy." Lawmakers of the Makabayan bloc brought to the panel recent criticisms of the proposed 2.25 billion allocated for confidential funds and another 2.25 billion for intelligence funds for next year. This is equivalent to a 4.5-billion funding altogether, which accounts for more than half of the total budget for Duterte's office. "Yung gastusin po sa intel funds ay nagmumula sa intelligence estimates of foreign and local situations for the formulation of national policies by the President," said Deputy Executive Secretary Alberto Bernardo. Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago hit the lack of transparency and accountability of such funds, which could have been used to respond to the health and economic sector amid the pandemic. Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro also hit the 16 billion "line item" budget supposedly allotted to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which is assigned to end the communist insurgency. The task force plans to grant 20 million for each barangay ravaged by communist rebels' armed attack. READ: Ano denies 16-B budget to end communist insurgencies a form of 'pork barrel' Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite criticized the OP's "lack of awareness" of information on Chinese companies involved in the militarization of the West Philippine Sea, despite its high intelligence funds. "We are not aware on the specific companies as of now, we haven't gotten into it," Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said. He then reasoned that just because the United States moved to ban such companies, the Philippines need not follow suit due to certain economic implications. "Hindi naman dahil iyan ang kagustuhan nila susunod tayo diyan. (Just because that's what the US wants, we will follow suit). We have an independent foreign policy, we should do it on our own." Senator Panfilo Lacson said in a television interview on Friday that he intends to look at how the Office of the President utilized its increasing intelligence funds over the past years. He said 4.5 billion is "a bit too much" for a small office. Last year, it only took about five minutes for the House panel to approve Duterte's office without scrutiny on its 8.25 billion allocation for 2020, a bit higher than the proposed 2021 budget. Former appropriations committee chair Isidro Ungab was the one who moved to terminate panel discussions on the budget for the OP, after incumbent panel chair Eric Yap advised him that his initial request to approve the budget altogether will still have to undergo plenary debates. 90 Day Fiance star Larissa Dos Santos Lima has unveiled her new body after undergoing a dramatic plastic surgery makeover. The 33-year-old, whose disastrous seven-month marriage to Colt Johnson was documented on the hit TLC reality show, underwent $72,000 worth cosmetic surgeries earlier this year in an effort to look like Kylie Jenner. The plastic surgery procedures include breast implants, fat transfer to her butt, liposuction for her waist, hips and abs area, as well as a nose job, fillers, Botox and laser facials. New look: Since her divorce, Larissa Dos Santos Lima has spent $72,000 for an array of cosmetic surgeries in an effort to look like Kylie Jenner Before: She appeared on 90 Day Fiance Season six, tying the knot with Colt Johnson in June 2018 before splitting seven month later Inspiration: You could definitely see what Larissa was aiming for The star and mother of two got a breast implant that took her from 34A to 34DD with Dr. Lane Smith in Las Vegas, as well as nose job in February. She went back in August as an early birthday present to herself; she went under the knife to get liposuction on her waist and abs, and hips. Dr. Smith of Smith Plastic Surgery removed three pounds of fat from her hips a and several more from her waistline, transferring over one pound to each butt cheek for a larger backside. The full abdominoplasty with abdomen liposuction, flank liposuction and fat transfer to her buttock plus her breast implants cost $50,000. The total amount of time under the knife was seven hours for the second round of surgeries last month. Strike a pose: The plastic surgery procedures she underwent include breast implants, fat transfer to her butt, liposuction for her waist, hips and abs area, as well as a nose job, fillers, Botox and laser facials Curves: The reality star was set on mimicking Kylie's bombshell figure In addition to the body enhancements, Larissa has also had laser facials, fillers and botox done at the Center For Aesthetic Medicine, which cost $22,000 (bringing the total to $72,000). The star is set to show off her figure off again in a CamSoda performance on Monday night - just hours away - with her wearing lingerie that includes a g-string. She first appeared on 90 Day Fiance in season five for its Happily Ever After? episodes. A new start: The plastic surgery procedures she underwent include breast implants, fat transfer to her butt, liposuction for her waist, hips and abs area, as well as a nose job, fillers, Botox and laser facials Under the knife: In addition to the body enhancements, Larissa has also had laser facials, fillers and botox done at the Center For Aesthetic Medicine Coming soon: The star is sent to show off her figure off again in a CamSoda performance on Monday night - just hours away - with her in lingerie that includes a g-string Larissa and Colt, 36, met on season six of 90 Day Fiance in Mexico, getting engaged five days later. They said their I do's June 2018 but he filed for divorce seven months later, with it being finalized April 2019. One month prior to the divorce being finalized, Larissa wrote on Instagram: 'Yes, we had many fights and problems, but deep down I wish him happiness and peace. I loved him with all my heart, affection and respect. Today, he is no longer part of my life.' In July, Colt said he doesn't recognize her anymore: 'I mean I looked at the wedding photos I have of her and was like, "This is not the same person,"' he told Us Weekly. Adding: 'When I was married to her, she maybe augmented her breasts or fillers, but I never knew the extent that she would do it. And so quickly,' noting that she looks 'like a different person.' What a difference: In two years time, Larissa has gone under the knife multiple times to achieve looks like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner Last year, in February, she showed off her lip injections and Botox effects in a snap, adding that she 'gotta look and feel my absolute best now that I'm back on the dating scene,' Us Weekly reported. In July 2019, she also got butt injections for a Kim Kardashian makeover, according to Us Weekly, as well as a non-surgical nose job. Larissa is currently living with boyfriend Eric Nichols; they reconciled after briefly splitting up in September 2019 after eight months of dating. She has two children from previous relationships, a son named Arry with ex boyfriend Marcos Hack; their son lives with his sister - Arry's aunt, whom also adopted him. She has a daughter from another relationship, who is also lives in her native country of Brazil. Transformation: In July 2019, she also got butt injections for a Kim Kardashian makeover, according to the Us Weekly as well as a non-surgical nose job; pictured nine weeks ago with boyfriend Eric Nichols PEORIA, Ill. and LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited ("Wren House") today announced that it has agreed to acquire i3 Broadband ("i3" or the "Company") from Seaport Capital ("Seaport") and Countrywide Broadband. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, i3 is the leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator in Illinois, providing gigabit-speed broadband, as well as video and voice services, to residential and commercial customers in Central Illinois. It also serves select markets in the East Bay of Rhode Island. Under Seaport's ownership, the Company has become one of the country's leading fiber-to-the-home providers, offering fiber-based broadband internet to residential and commercial customers with nationally recognized customer service. Wren House's investment will support the Company's continued growth in its existing markets and the buildout of new communities in Illinois and surrounding states. "i3 is committed to providing local communities with access to the most reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity available. These services are more critical than ever, allowing residents to easily e-learn and work-from-home, and communities to grow. Wren House's investment will allow us to expand our network and enhance our services, all while remaining committed to our customer-first culture," said Dan Kennedy, CEO of i3 Broadband. "We are excited to have Wren House as our partner in this next chapter of i3's growth, and Sam Valencia, Executive Vice President and CFO, and I are pleased to be major investors in this new venture." "i3 is perfectly positioned to meet the growing demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses. i3 has built an impressive fiber network and cultivated strong customer relationships throughout their local markets. We are excited to partner with i3's exceptional management team to accelerate the Company's growth, while continuing to deliver category-leading service to i3's communities," said Hakim Drissi, CEO of Wren House. "The impressive growth i3 generated over the course of our four-year partnership with Chairman Grier Raclin, CEO Dan Kennedy, CFO Sam Valencia, and VP Mike Whitaker is a testament to the entire i3 management team and their focus on delivering high-quality products over a state-of-the-art fiber network backed by superior customer service," said Bill Luby, a Founding Partner of Seaport Capital. Scott McCormack, Partner at Seaport Capital, added, "We want to thank the entire i3 team and wish the Company continued success in the future with their new partner, Wren House." Lazard Middle Market acted as sole financial advisor to i3 and Thompson Coburn acted as i3's legal counsel. Rothschild & Co acted as financial advisor to Wren House and Sullivan & Cromwell acted as Wren House's legal counsel. About i3 Broadband i3 Broadband is the leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator in Illinois, providing gigabit-speed broadband, as well as video and voice services, to residential and commercial customers in Central Illinois. It also serves select markets in the East Bay of Rhode Island. www.i3broadband.com About Wren House Wren House, based in London, UK, was established in 2013 as an operationally independent UK limited company. Wren House is a captive global infrastructure investment manager, with a clear mandate that drives a flexible and commercial approach to investment and a focus on delivering attractive risk-adjusted equity returns. To learn more about Wren House please visit http://wrenhouseinfra.com/ About Seaport Capital Founded in 1997, Seaport Capital is a lower middle market buyout firm that invests in communication infrastructure and services, business and information services and media companies (the "Focus Sectors"). Seaport's senior investment team has over 100 years of combined experience investing in the Focus Sectors, and the team has worked collectively for over 15 years. Seaport's substantial industry expertise and investing experience enable it to develop successful strategies; its relationships and team help achieve them. Nearly all of Seaport's platform investments have been owned by founders or entrepreneurs seeking a collaborative institutional partner to provide the financial and operational resources to grow their businesses and execute on a successful strategic plan. To learn more about Seaport Capital please visit www.seaportcapital.com. SOURCE i3 Broadband Related Links www.i3broadband.com The potential threat of a third-party ticket has been on the minds of Democrats and liberals, who have filed ballot-access challenges in other states, too. In Pennsylvania, because of pending litigation over whether the Green Party will appear on the ballot, the secretary of state so far has been unable to certify the presidential candidate list. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Chang'e Project is an ongoing sequence of robotic Moon Missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The program is also known as the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). The program focuses on landers, lunar orbiters, and rovers launched using Long March rockets. Chang'e-4 is a robotic spacecraft that made the first soft landing on the dark side of the moon. The landing took place on 3rd January 2019. Chang'e-4 spacecraft was initially designed to backup Chang'e-3. Following the successful land in 2013, Chang'e-4 was adjusted to meet new objectives. The name Chang'e refers to the Chinese Moon goddess. Chang'e-4 has now resumed operations for the 22nd lunar day. This is in line with the four operational phases of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The rover and lander will conduct lunar missions on the dark side of the moon. READ ALSO: China's Space Robot Look Like Iron Man The Jade Rabbit-2 or Yutu-2 rover woke up on Friday at 11:54 a.m. Beijing Time. The lander was up on Saturday at 5:15 a.m. Chang'e-4 was launched on the 8th of December 2018. The spacecraft then landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on Von Karman Crater. Chang'e-4 has been on the moon for 618 Earth days. However, the spacecraft switched off at some point due to the lack of solar power. The rover (Jade Rabbit-2 or Yutu-2) will head Northwest towards the basalt area. These impact craters have high reflectivity in the 22nd lunar day. The scientific mission is carried out by high-end scientific instruments. These instruments include a neutral atom detector, panoramic camera, infrared imaging spectrometer, and lunar radar. Yutu-2 or Jade Rabbit is the longest-working lunar rover. This solar-powered rover has surpassed its design lifespan. The Von Karman crater has a diameter of 90 km (56 mi) and is located at 64.6S latitude and 58.5W longitude. It contains large dune fields with dark volcanic rock basalt. During the winter, the dunes are covered with frost. Chang'e-4 will undertake missions in such harsh conditions with high latitudes. Chang'e-4 has 5 scientific objectives to achieve. They include studies on cosmic rays and chemical compositions of soils and lunar rocks. The other objective involves radio astronomical research and observation. The mission will also conduct investigations on coronal mass ejections between Earth and Sun and measure temperatures of the lunar surface. READ ALSO: The Moon's Surface is Rusting: Is Earth Partly to Blame Chang'e-4 mission called for the collaboration of China and the U.S. Scientists in both countries kept regular contact and coordination. The collaboration helped Chang'e-4 observe particles and plumes lofted from the lunar surface. The rocket exhaust lofts the particles during the landing process. Scientists from the U.S. and China intended to compare their results with the theoretical predictions of this phase. However, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was not ready. Chinese scientists were also informed of the satellites in the moon's orbit by their U.S. counterparts. The Chinese scientists shared the timing, longitude, and latitude of Chang'e-4. This mutual co-operation brought about success. NASA requested China to grant it access to the Chang'e-4 probe for upcoming missions. In response, China agreed to this request. READ ALSO: Atlas 5 Scheduled Launch of NRO Satellite; Vehicle to Fly Northrop Grumman's Solid Boosters Christina Ruggiero, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCCB), is one of the few women bosses in the FMCG space. Ruggiero began her career as a cryptologist, and currently manages a 7,000 strong workforce and a Rs 10,000 crore company, Indias larget beverage maker. She had already worked in 54 countries before she moved to Bengaluru three years ago. What time do you like to be at your desk? 7 am is when I start. I believe in the importance of an early and prepared start.Each day should start with purpose and organized intent. Where is the best place to prepare for leadership: at business school or on the job? I have met many people who have been successful using either routes.But I do think it is important for students to obtain some work experience during their studies. In my experience, the leadership potential differentiators are often an individualistic trait. It is a blend of capability, capacity, curiosity, and attitude. Growing up, my personal choice was to do both simultaneously. I finished business school while I was working full time. It was a remarkable learning experience for me because I was able to implement in real time whatever I was learning. I was able to share practical experiences in class and share learnings from case studies in the office. Describe your management style. Energetic, authentically inclusive, empowering and growth oriented. Are tough decisions best taken by one person or collectively? I believe in the importance and criticality of collaboration and inclusion. I believe empowerment with accountability is critical.It is important to ensure that decision makers have the data, input and wisdom of other thoughts and perspectives. Leaders should be comfortable to make clear decisions in a timely fashion. Do you want to be liked, feared or respected? Respected.Always respected. Coca-Cola, Fine Hygienic Holding, PepsiCo, RB and DHL will lead for the 2020 Middle East Edition of House of Rose Professional's Break the ceiling touch the sky - the success and leadership summit for women which will be held virtually on October 1. AmCham Dubai, AmCham Abu Dhabi and French Business Council Dubai & Northern Emirates are the official industry partners for the summit, according to a statement issued. The 2020 Middle East Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky showcases the best practices on leadership, diversity and inclusion and success of the leading companies and leaders in the region. Participants can access cutting-edge knowledge to inspire and enable their leaders and enhance the leadership skills of their leaders to navigate these volatile, uncertain, complex and uncertain (VUCA) times and accelerate their career and business growth despite the challenges. Speakers at the summit include Shahzeb Mahmood, Regional Director and GM, MENAP, Reckitt Benckiser (RB); James Michael Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer, Fine Hygienic Holding; Ozlem Fidanci, CEO Middle East & Turkey, Philips; Claudia Navarro, Marketing Director, Middle East and North Africa, The Coca-Cola Company; Ana Raposo, Country Director, Gulf countries, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Johnson & Johnson; Monique Lanaux, Senior Director, Global Diversity & Engagement at PepsiCo; Eva Mattheeussen, Head of HR, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa (MEA); Mohammed Samir, Executive Chairman, Alyasra; Former President, India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) Selling & Market Operations, P&G; Jia Gay, Chief Human Resources Officer, Aramex International; Assaf AlQuraishi, HRVP North Africa Middle East, Turkey, Russia Ukraine and Belarus (NAMETRUB); Delel Chaabouni, Executive Partner Gartner, Gulf & Emerging Markets; Sheena Ganesh, Chief Operating Officer -Audit, KPMG Lower Gulf; Andrea Janjua, Chief Marketing Officer, Fine Hygienic Holding; Ranu Gupta, Managing Partner, Performance Leverage and Consultant, House of Rose Professional. James Michael Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding, commented: "In 2018 we joined the Break the ceiling touch the sky movement via a partnership with the summit in the Middle East and in Singapore. Inspired by the many sharings of success on gender diversity in particular we have made rapid progress, going from zero women leaders on our Executive team to over 30% in under six months. Since then we have step-changed our business results. Learning and sharing across industries on Diversity & Inclusion is a critical part of our game plan for success and we are proud to be a Platinum sponsor of the 2020 Middle East Edition of the summit." Eva Mattheeussen, Head of HR, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa (MEA) said: "We consider the diversity of our workforce to be a great strength. We bring together people from a wide range of societies and cultural backgrounds all of them with differing skills, experiences and views. All with the goal of achieving creativity and productivity at the highest levels." Shahzeb Mahmood, Shahzeb Mahmood, Regional Director and GM, MENAP, RB, said: "At RB, we actively seek to integrate diversity into our business. This is for us the most obvious continuing enabler to unlock the full potential of our people, our brands and our businesses. We believe this integral to be able to provide innovative solutions to our consumers, and positive impact in the communities we operate in. Gender diversity in particular is a stated priority for our Company and we are delighted to be one of the leading industry voices in enabling the advancement of gender diversity in the Middle East. This is important to our customers and our employees and to every one of us at RB." The 2020 Middle East Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky is supported by Coca-Cola as World sponsor, PepsiCo and Fine Hygienic Holding as Platinum sponsors and RB and DHL as silver sponsors. Concluded Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO, House of Rose Professional and best-selling author of the book Break the Ceiling, Touch the Sky: success secrets of the world's most inspirational women which inspired the summit: "Break the ceiling touch the sky is a unique opportunity for companies in the Middle East to support their leaders to greater excellence and contribution, learn from the best practices of other great companies and to enable their businesses to greater growth ahead."--TradeArabia News Service NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ Nearly 200 families forced hundreds of miles from their homes when Hurricane Laura struck southwest Louisiana are now facing threats of eviction, an attorney said Saturday. Bill Quigley, an attorney at Loyola Universitys College of Law, said 191 people who live at Wilshire Apartment Homes in Lake Charles received letters from their landlord saying they must retrieve their belongings from their homes by Monday or their property will be put on the street. Documents residents received, and provided to The Associated Press, also show their leases have been terminated as of Sept. 3, Quigley said. These documents and the actions described in them clearly violate numerous laws, and I ask you to immediately stop these illegal actions, Quigley said in a cease-and-desist demand letter sent to the complexs management. These actions by your corporation are particularly cruel when they target people who have been displaced through no fault of their own due to the hurricane and during a time when people are especially vulnerable from the effects of displacement due to the COVID-19 crisis. The documents provided to tenants said their lease agreements were being terminated effective immediately due to the natural disaster of Hurricane Laura. A telephone call and text message to a contact for the apartment complexs management was not immediately returned Saturday. Hurricane Laura made landfall Aug. 27 near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm. It raked coastal communities as well as the city of Lake Charles, where buildings were demolished and trees feel down. At least 28 deaths have been attributed to the storm. Many of the residents are being sheltered in hotels in the New Orleans area. Tyneesha Jackson, 22, is one of them. In an interview with The Associatad Press, she said she moved into the unit in April and from postings on Facebook, her building appears to be intact. She said management initially told her theyd be able to move back once utilities were restored. That sounded reasonable, Jackson said. They told us we wouldnt have to pay rent for September, then the next thing we see in a post was that they were going into apartments and messing with peoples property. Then management, in a post under that one, denied touching anyones stuff. Then the next thing we get is a text about our lease being terminated. Jackson said the whole ordeal has been challenging, Mentally, its taken a huge toll. I was already in a tough spot, but I was finally independent and handling my business. This is the first time Im handling the aftermath of a hurricane as an adult. I was blessed enough not to have any damage but now were seeing posts where they want to give the unaffected apartments to someone else so they can make money. Quigley notes no one can be evicted in Louisiana without legal process. You have completely disregarded this required legal process and no court has given you permission to violate the rights of these residents, Quigley said in his letter, which also was sent to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson as well as the HUD acting field director for Louisiana. In addition, Quigley notes, the City of Lake Charles has directed residents not to return to the area until further notice. We hope the letter will stop the (eviction) process, Quigley said. Our hope is that the landlord is not malicious, just unaware of the law. Once they understand the law, we hope they will stop. Quigley said they also have reached out to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriffs Office about the matter. If the landlord does not voluntarily stop, we will ask the sheriff to stop illegal evictions and stop the landlord from throwing peoples stuff out on the street, he said. If the sheriff does not stop them, we will go to court. In addition, Quigleys letter asks the landlord for information on whether electricity and water has been restarted in any of the apartments and written information on access to renters insurance that the landlord has been collecting premiums for. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. As the coronavirus pandemic rages, disposable masks have become a serious source of plastic waste. There is pressure to get the people from using disposable masks and switching to various reusable face coverings. (Photo : Pixabay) As the coronavirus pandemic rages, disposable masks have become a serious source of plastic waste. There is pressure to get the people from using disposable masks and switching to various reusable face coverings. Major Pollution Liberal Democrats are saying that single-use masks are causing a large amount of waste. There must be more environment-friendly alternatives. According to the Green Party, ministers must induce media to show less of these disposable masks and stop normalizing them. These masks have plastics that cause water pollution, harming wildlife if they are eaten or get entangled by them. The government of the UK is investigating if PPEs or personal protective equipment may be reused safely. READ: Persil Washing Detergent Product has Removed Its Plastic Dosing Ball and Made Its Bottles 100% Recyclable Coverings are Mandatory Disposable and reusable face coverings are currently required when riding public transportation, in retail shops, as well as in enclosed areas in the UK to curb the coronavirus spread. In Wales, it applies only on public transport but will be applied to other regions starting Monday. Britain's Statistics office suggested that 96% of the adult population who went out last week wore face cover. The official policy means wearing reusable and washable ones whenever possible. It says that disposable facial coverings usually have polypropylene plastic. Environmental groups report that maybe millions of such single-use coverings are dumped irresponsibly. Beach Cleaning From September 18 to 25, the Marine Conservation Society will record the number of masks picked up in its beach cleaning activities. Clean seas head Laura Foster says one can see them floating in the Thames. She adds that wildlife will get tangled in it or ingest it. The plastics won't biodegrade, and as they break up, they become microplastics that will continue to pollute the seas and our food chain. READ ALSO: Microfibers From Blue Denim Jeans in the Arctic Threatening Aquatic Life Preventive Measures RSPCA wants people to snip the masks' straps once used to prevent wildlife from being trapped in them. Liberal Democrats want ministers to encourage reusable masks and guide the people on how to clean them. Sarah Olney, business and climate spokeswoman, says that in the COVID-19 pandemic, we must fulfill our part in keeping other people safe from infection. However, at the same time, she says that wearing masks must not be detrimental to the planet. She says that people can choose from many environment-friendly and reusable alternative face coverings beyond clinical areas and settings. Wales and England Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack says that the massive surge in using disposable masks came at a period when we are already swamped with plastic pollutants. As the public may be asked to use face coverings in the coming years, she urges more substantial government guidance. Womack says that the media must not show masks in non-clinical and daily situations and that the government must ban them on its websites, films, and leaflets. According to a government spokesperson, the priority is to uphold public health, saying that the National Health Service and the government are investigating reusing PPEs, including decontaminating them. He says that the next two months must be devoted to informing the long-term use of PPEs, with environmental concerns being considered. The coronavirus pandemic must not cause ecological destruction from disposable masks that become plastic waste. READ NEXT: Seaweed May Replace Plastic as Future Source of Fuel and Food Check out for more news and information on Plastics on Nature World News. Residents of a landmark building that was damaged by drilling works in the upscale Zamalek neighbourhood may return back to the building after engineering measures to fix the damage were finished in less than two months, the transportation ministry said. The 12-storey Sharbatly building, which was once home to a number of Egypts golden age stars, is located near ongoing excavation work to extend Cairo's underground metro to run through Zamalek. Slight ground subsidence occurred at one of the corners of building number 17 in Brazil Street in Zamalek as well as at the front yard and fence of the [adjacent] Bahraini embassy," read a statement by the National Authority for Tunnels. A corner of the building was damaged during the work of the tunnel boring machine, the ministry said on Monday, adding that all the engineering recommendations of a committee formed from professors of Egypts Ain Shams University were implemented to restore the building. The residents appeared in photos published by the ministry offering roses to the Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir, who was present when they were allowed to return to the building. El-Wazir said the building can now carry five times the weight it was designed for, adding that it is totally safe. He noted that the ministry, represented by the National Authority for Tunnels, is also ready to reform the facilities of the building as per the request of the residents. The minister also gave roses to the workers, technicians and engineers who managed to carry out the required restorations in a short time, according to the statement. When the incident occurred in July, El-Wazir said in TV comments that the residents were given EGP 30,000 each in order to find a temporary residence until they are able to return to the building. Since the announcement that the extension of the third metro line would pass through Zamalek, many residents of the upscale district have expressed concern, including about the impact of the construction on the islands older buildings. The metros extended third line will run from Heliopolis to the Ataba district in Downtown Cairo and then through a Maspero stop to a new Zamalek stop, and on to the densely populated district of Imbaba on the Giza side of the Nile. Search Keywords: Short link: By PTI ALIGARH: Two people have been booked on the charge of showing disrespect to the National Flag in Kol tehsil of the district, police said on Monday. They were booked on the complaint of Charra BJP MLA Ravinndra Pal Singh, according to him the National Flag was not accurately displayed on plaques installed near 45 hand pumps at several villages. The hand pumps were funded by an an NGO. The plaques carry Arabic text and the flag of Kuwait is also found adjacent the Tricolor, police said. ALSO READ | Man arrested under National Security Act for selling beef in Indore In his complaint to the Akrabad police of Kol tehsil, the MLA alleged that the hand pumps were not of standard specifications and there were concerns that water drawn from these could be contaminated, defaming the state government. Those booked have been identified as Shansher and Bariq Ali. Kol Sub-Divisional Magistrate Anita Yadav is conducting an inquiry into the antecedents of the NGO, which had funded the hand pumps. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 09:11 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a3cb8 1 World #refugees,refugees,Rohingya,#Rohingya,Indonesia,#Indonesia,Myanmar,#Myanmar Free Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has expressed the governments concern about the increasing number of Rohingya refugees arriving on Indonesias shores, calling on other countries in the region to share responsibility for addressing the core issues that led to the crisis. In the last two months, Indonesia received almost 400 boat people of Rohingya ethnicity. [] Myanmar is their home, so a voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation should be continuously pursued, Retno said at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Saturday. Indonesia has rescued and taken in 395 Rohingya people who were adrift at sea on cramped boats. The first group was rescued by fishermen in Aceh on June 24, and the second arrived on Sept. 7. Of the 296 refugees in the second group, 105 are men and 191 are women. They are mostly under 18. Based on preliminary information, we have found that they came from a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, 119 of them claiming to have refugee status from the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]. This will be verified directly by UNHCR Indonesia, Retno said. She reiterated that Indonesias decision to temporarily accommodate the refugees was based on humanity and overcoming the emergency situation. The refugees had been adrift at sea for seven months, after being pushed away by other countries. Read also: Rohingya refugees rejected everywhere as countries grapple with COVID-19 concerns We also received reports that there were three refugees who died [after being rescued]. Presumably due to fatigue, beriberi [thiamine deficiency] and weakened bodily conditions as a result of long sea voyages, Retno said, adding that health authorities had found no evidence that the three deceased refugees had suffered from COVID-19. The refugee crisis was one of a number of issues discussed at the ARF, which ended on Saturday. Other issues included the tension in the South China Sea and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Indonesia has raised the Rohingya refugee issue not only at the ARF but also in many other ASEAN meetings hosted virtually by Vietnam. Read also: Indonesia appeals for end to Rohingya crisis I have reiterated to the Myanmar government [the need] to resolve this problem from its roots and have urged concrete action [] through safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation to their place of origin in Rakhine State, Retno said. We also urge [] responsibility sharing, especially among countries party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, international organizations and NGOs that are concerned with this issue, to contribute significantly to dealing with refugees in transit countries such as Indonesia, she said, echoing the opinion of Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein. Hishammuddin lamented that his country continued to bear the brunt of the spillover effects from the prolonged crisis in Rakhine, Myanmar. He also said Malaysia could not take in any more Rohingya refugees because its resources had been stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Malaysia is unfairly expected to do more to accommodate incoming refugees, with added pressure from humanitarian groups, he said. Read also: UN calls out failure of Bali Process to save refugees Some 177,920 refugees and asylum-seekers are registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, and 153,190 of them are from Myanmar, consisting of 101,320 Rohingyas, 22,510 members of the Chin ethnic group and 29,350 people from other ethnic groups. As of July, 13,653 refugees and asylum seekers were registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia, but most of them were from Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. Malaysia reaffirms the need for proportionate burden and responsibility sharing and calls for the signatory countries of the 1951 Convention to uphold and stand committed to their international legal obligations to receive more refugees for resettlement or relocation, Hishammuddin said. Former prime minister Paul Keating says the ballooning cost of aged care should be met by a HECS-style funding model, where every Australian is extended a loan to pay for their care and the costs are recovered from their estate. The model, which has been cautiously welcomed by peak seniors groups, would reduce the fiscal burden on a younger generation already carrying the costs of the coronavirus pandemic. Each person's assets would help to maintain them in later life and it would be more difficult for family members to call on those assets. "We're not forcing anyone out of their home, we're not obliging aged persons to negatively mortgage their home, you're not asking families to chip in and pay for their relatives in their accommodation or their care, and so I think such a system has a lot of advantages," Mr Keating said. A union boss who slated 'out of touch' university vice-Chancellors' salaries has been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged she was paid over 500,000 herself. Sally Hunt, 56, was named today as the highest paid public sector trade union leader in 2019 for the 534,805 total remuneration she is said to have received. The numbers were revealed by the Taxpayers' Alliance's Trade Union Rich List over her former role as the general secretary of the University and College Union. Ms Hunt stepped down from her role in 2019 on health grounds but during her time in charge led a number of strikes at universities and criticised vice-Chancellors' salaries. Former University and College Union general secretary Sally Hunt earned over 500,000 Bolton University and Bath Spa University came under fire from the union boss in recent years. In 2018 she slammed Bolton head George Holmes' 55,000 pay rise and in 2017 slated Bath's vice chancellor Christina Slade's 429,000 'golden goodbye'. Research director of the TaxPayers' Alliance Duncan Simpson said trade union leaders being paid massive amounts were 'hypocritical'. He added: 'Taxpayers have had enough lectures from loaded union leaders, claiming to represent the workers earning a fraction of their bumper pay packets. 'Hypocritical union heads should be making the same sacrifices as everyone else, cutting back these whacking great wages and contributing to the national effort against covid-19.' Ms Hunt's University and College Union on a march to protest over lecturers pensions His research said the average remuneration of the 29 union bosses on more than 100,000 was 153,935 in 2019. After Ms Hunt Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, got 166,461 in total remuneration. It said in 2019, the public sector trade unions with the most senior staff on total remuneration more than 100,000 were the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and the POA, with two each. The report continued: 'Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair and general secretary of the British Medical Association, received 193,414 in total remuneration. Ms Hunt lives in a Brighton house worth 640,000 and is a keen Arsenal FC supporter 'His salary alone (171,000) was over 6 times what a foundation (FY1) doctor working in the NHS receives in 2020 (28,243).' Ms Hunt lives in a 640,000 house in Brighton, East Sussex, and has a daughter. She is currently working with an organisation providing food to those who need it with and has previously been involved with migrant charity Care4Calais. The former union boss has been off social media since she stepped down last year, but often tweeted her views. One in 2017 complained of a noisy eater: 'Ucu NEC today. Thanks all. Lots done. 'Now on a train next to man eating wine gums, mouth open, headphones on. I confess to violent thoughts.' She appeared to have been a Jeremy Corbyn supporter as well as Arsenal fan and once claimed the 'left' had the best music. No one has to tell R. Shaun Rainey about the importance of education and the difference it can make in the trajectory in a persons life. Rainey, who is running for the Place 7 seat on the Midland College board, used education to open a pathway into Rice University and then the Texas Tech University School of Law. Today, he is a shareholder with Cotton Bledsoe, Tighe & Dawson. I had the opportunity because of the hard work of people before me to graduate from college and go to law school, Rainey said. Education opens pathways. Rainey is one of three people on the ballot of Midland College, Place 7; the others are Will Green and Adrian Carrasco. Midland Colleges seats are at-large positions, so a person can run for any seat, and all eligible voters within the college district vote on each place. The election will take place Nov. 3. Rainey talked about challenging a person who has been on the board for 24 years or longer than many students have been alive. He said in the campaign sprint to Election Day that he plans to remind voters that the needs today are different than they were even 20 years ago. He said from an input standpoint, it is time to reinvigorate the board with fresh information and that community input will tell the board if Midland College is meeting the needs from a community standpoint and business standpoint. Raineys experience includes service on boards with different organizations. He states he is presently the vice chair for Community Development for the Midland Chamber of Commerce. He was named volunteer of the year this month at the chambers Annual Meeting. He also states he has served as an adjunct professor in the Paralegal/Legal Studies program at Midland College, teaching courses in Wills and Trusts and Civil Litigation. He also serves as a member of the advisory committee for the annual Estate Planning Seminar, co-hosted by the Midland College Foundation and Midland Memorial Foundation. As Midland College enters its next 50 years as an institution, the pace of change in education and industry continues to quicken. Now is the time for revitalized vision and voice on the board as MC strives for even greater future success, Rainey stated. Rainey said technological learning for every student will be important as Midland College attempts to prepare every student for life after school. To be cutting edge is how he described it. Being innovative in technology is a great way for workforce to be prepared for that first day in the office, Rainey said. Rainey, on his campaign bio, reported that Bruce Peeler, local businessman and son of long-time Midland College Trustee Ken Peeler, is his campaign treasurer. Midland College is one of the greatest community resources we have in Midland, Rainey stated. No other institution has a more direct connection to the economic livelihood of the community than MC. Midland College must be integrally connected with the community while simultaneously innovating to an ever-changing student to provide the most-skilled and knowledgeable workforce available for our region. Gina Carano, star of the Disney+ Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, has faced criticism from fans after making transphobic social media posts. She had faced calls to add her pronouns to her Twitter biography (a common practise among transgender and cisgender social media users to help avoid misgendering). However, in response to the demand, the actor added the words boop/bop/beep to her Twitter name, in apparent ridicule of the convention. Defending her actions in a subsequent Tweet, Carano wrote: Theyre mad cuz I wont put pronouns in my bio to show my support for trans lives. After months of harassing me in every way. I decided to put 3 VERY controversial words in my bio.. beep/bop/boop. Im not against trans lives at all. They need to find less abusive representation, she added. Carano played mercenary Cara Dune in three episodes of The Mandalorians first season, and is set to return in season two, released on Disney+ this October. On Twitter, she recently said that Pedro Pascal, who plays The Mandalorians lead character, explained to her the purpose behind including pronouns in ones biography. Yes, Pedro & I spoke & he helped me understand why people were putting them in their bios, she wrote. I didnt know before but I do now. I wont be putting them in my bio but good for all you who choose to. Carano with director Bryce Dallas Howard on the set of 'The Mandolorian''s first season (Disney+) She also defended the joke, saying: Beep/bop/boop has zero to do with mocking trans people & [everything] to do with exposing the bullying mentality of the mob that has taken over the voices of many genuine causes. However, many Star Wars fans still took offence at Caranos actions, with some even calling for her removal from the series. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up I dont think people have to put pronouns if they do not want to but do not mock people who do. You might not think it has a mocking tone but it clearly does. Can you see how some would read that as mocking? asked one commenter, to which Carano replied: I dont think trans people would like all of you trying to force a woman to put something in her bio through harassment & name calling EVERYDAY for MONTHS. Another responded: Im sorry but if people are telling you that it is offensive and hurtful then why keep it up? Cis people do not get to determine what is and isn't harmful to trans people, responded someone else. Many trans people have said any sort of pronoun mocking/jokes from cis people, no matter the intent, causes harm. She's one of Bravo's Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. But on Sunday, Garcelle Beauvais headed to the neighboring community of Sherman Oaks to get a little salon pampering. The 57-year-old got her nails done, making sure to wear a face mask to abide my COVID-19 rules in Los Angeles. Leggy look: Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais stepped out on Sunday in a pair of distressed Daisy Dukes and a lemon yellow blouse to get her nails done at a salon The actress and reality star showed off her legs in a pair of distressed Daisy Dukes. She tucked a lemon yellow blouse into the denim cutoffs and added a leopard-print belt. She paired her outfit with yellow flip-flops and yellow-tinted glasses and carried a large leather designer tote over one shoulder as she walked. Beauvais completed her look with a gold nameplate necklace and a luxury watch. Casual style: The actress and reality star, 57, paired her outfit with yellow flip-flops and yellow-tinted glasses and carried a large leather designer tote over one shoulder as she walked In early July, Beauvais had revealed her reservations about becoming the first black castmember on RHOBH. 'I definitely felt pressure that people wanted me to come in and do a certain thing or have a chip on my shoulder,' she explained in an episode of podcast Reality Life with Kate Casey. 'I really didn't want to be labeled an angry black woman. That's not who I am,' she said. 'I just wanted to stay true to who I am, and I think that's what people have been able to see so far,' she added. Beauvais has enjoyed a successful Hollywood career with roles on TV's The Jamie Foxx Show, NYPD Blue and Grimm. On the big screen she's been seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming, White House Down, Flight and Barbershop 2: Back In Business. She's also reprised her original Coming To America role opposite Eddie Murphy in a sequel scheduled to be released in December. The Central Bank of BH does not expect major challenges related to the introduction of the euro in Croatia, said the Governor of the Central Bank of BH He said that the foreign exchange risk in transactions with Croatia will remain insignificant, as long as the Currency Board regime is in force in BH, or until BH introduces the euro. How much will the adoption of the euro in Croatia, sooner or later, have an impact on Bosnia and Herzegovina, given the border connections and the turnover that still exists?We do not expect major challenges regarding the introduction of the euro in Croatia. On the contrary. The exchange rate regime in force in Croatia is a managed fluctuating exchange rate. The fact that Croatia is in ERM II means, among other things, that the CNB has successfully maintained the exchange rate of the kuna against the euro in a certain narrow spread. Therefore, fluctuations in the exchange rate of the kuna against the euro, and consequently against the KM, were not strong. This means that foreign exchange risk in the financial system and the real sector, from this aspect, was not emphasized. With the introduction of the euro, foreign exchange risk in transactions with Croatia will become negligible, as long as the Currency Board regime is in place in BH, or until BH introduces the euro. Therefore, when Croatia introduces the euro, the risks of doing business with Croatia will be lower because the foreign exchange risk of changes in the value of the kuna against the euro will be eliminated. Also, exchange operations (currency exchange operations) will be simpler because the same money will be used in 17 other countries. It is possible that in the medium term, the Croatian economy will become more integrated and turn to countries that have the euro. But I repeat, there should be no major challenges. The CBBH will monitor the developments very carefully and take measures in time, if necessary. Joe Biden called for gun control less than 24 hours after two LA County deputies were shot in the head and wounded during an ambush in Compton. 'Weapons of war have no place in our communities,' the former Vice President tweeted. 'We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.' Donald Trump's comments were in stark contrast to Biden's, calling for a 'fast trial' and the death penalty for the 'animal' who carried out the attack. The gunman was still at large on Monday after the 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery on Saturday evening. 'Weapons of war have no place in our communities,' the former Vice President tweeted. 'We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines' Donald Trump's comments were in stark contrast to Biden's, calling for a 'fast trial' and the death penalty for the 'animal' who carried out the attack The victims are expected to recover, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday. 'They performed in an admirable fashion in spite of grave adversity,' Villanueva said during a conversation with local religious leaders. 'God bless them.' The deputies, who graduated together from the sheriff's academy 14 months ago, were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station and were able to radio for help, the sheriff said. The department has faced criticism during recent protests over racial unrest but it's unclear if that was a factor in the shooting. Officers have only a 'very, very generic description' of the shooter to go on, officials said. Surveillance video shows a person approach the parked patrol car on foot and shoot with a handgun through the passenger-side window. 'The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,' the department stated. Despite calling the shooting 'unconscionable' earlier in the day and demanding justice, Biden's comments were in stark contrast to Trump's call for a 'fast trial' After shooting multiple rounds at the deputies, the male ran away An extended version of the video reviewed by the Los Angeles Times shows the shooter running away in the direction from which he came. He turns a corner out of the frame, past a second figure lingering on the sidewalk, according to the Times. It's unclear if the second person was involved in the attack. A Sheriff's Department spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Moments after the shooting, the passenger door opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head, according to the newspaper. The driver's-side door opens soon after. The video sparked reaction from President Trump who responded on Twitter: 'Animals that must be hit hard!' 'This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice,' Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. 'Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.' A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated. The protesters tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point were prevented from entering the emergency room, Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez with the Churches in Action group told the TV station KABC. 'Unacceptable behavior. The hospital should be a sanctuary, we should leave hospitals alone,' he said. Mendez and members of his group gathered nearby in prayer for the wounded deputies. Videos from the scene recorded at least one person in the crowd yelling, 'I hope they ... die.' The two deputies, a male and female officer with the Transit Services Bureau, have undergone surgery During the press conference, Sheriff Villanueva said that the two deputies initiated radio contact after they were shot A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester. 'The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person,' the department stated. After being released, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, a National Public Radio affiliate, said on Twitter that she had been covering the sheriff's news conference when she returned to the hospital after hearing protesters shouting. She was wearing her press pass, she said. One of several videos Huang said she shot moments before her arrest showed two men carrying red, black and green flags and yelling at deputies outside the hospital while a few other people stood by recording on their cellphones. Huang tweeted that she began walking behind deputies who were following the small group of protesters. 'I was filming an arrest when suddenly deputies shout `back up.' Within seconds, I was getting shoved around. There was nowhere to back up,' Huang said on Twitter. In another video, Huang can be heard shouting, 'I'm a reporter... I'm with KPCC' as she falls to the ground. The executive editor of the station, Megan Garvey, expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her credentials and had shouted her KPCC affiliation. NPR's Editorial Director Nancy Barnes said the network was 'appalled' by the arrest of a reporter doing her job. Joe Biden called for gun control, less than 24 hours after two LA County sheriff's deputies were shot in the head The office of the Los Angeles County Inspector General, which oversees investigations and actions of the sheriff's department, has opened an investigation into the reporter's arrest. Protesters have railed against the LA Sheriff's Department for weeks over recent shootings by deputies, including the killing of a man on a bicycle last month. There was no known connection between the recent shootings and Saturday's ambush and investigators are 'chasing all leads,' Villanueva told the Times. 'Of course, there's an important conversation going on about policing in this country, but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us, and we will find justice for them,' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday. File image Last week, two cheating casesPopular Finance fraud and Fashion Gold scammade the headlines in Kerala. By now, the script is all too familiar. A company promoted by a few well-connected people offers unusually high returns. Looking to double their gains, people rush to these schemes with their hard-earned money. When the promoters vanish with their money or default on payments, the reality hits home but is always too late. Savings of a lifetime are wiped out in one stroke. Of late, there has been a rash of cases where hundreds of investors have lost money due to alleged misselling, promoter fraud or poor regulation. Popular, Fashion Gold Popular Finance is the latest such story but is unlikely to be the last. Popular Finance was a known name in the southern state, a gold loan lender that offered handsome returns on gold deposits. On a recent morning, investors found the firm they trusted with their savings was no longer operational most of its branches had shut down overnight and the promoters were missing. Police complaints followed and soon headlines were screaming about the Rs 2,000-crore deposit scandal. The family-run company, it emerged, had defrauded investors by allegedly moving their money abroad for personal gains of the promoters. Across India, more than 200 cases have been filed by depositors. Promoters Thomas Daniel and his wife, Prabha Thomas Daniel have been arrested. Their daughters Rinu Mariam Thomas and Riya Ann Thomas were arrested from Delhi airport as they were trying to fly abroad, police said. Another Kerala-based jeweller, Fashion Gold, with links to a local politician, is also alleged to have cheated investors. About Rs 150 crore worth of deposits are said to be at stake. The promoters have promised to return money to all investors within six months. What went wrong? A mix of factors is at play but it is greed that drives investors to ignore the risks in favour of higher returns. Companies like Popular Finance promised far higher returns than banks but operated without adequate approvals and operated several companies to dupe investors. PMC and CKP banks The problem is not confined to Kerala. A few months ago, investors in Maharashtra were in for a shock when Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank was hit by fraud. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on deposit withdrawals and superseded its board in September 2019. Here, too, investors were attracted to higher returns. Co-operative banks typically offer much higher returns compared with banks. Of PMCs total loan book of Rs 8,383 crore, as on March 31, 2019, about 70 percent had been taken up by one company--real estate firm HDIL. The bank had Rs 11,600 crore in deposits. Former managing director of the bank Joy Thomas was arrested in October. Also read: PMC Bank | Not possible to raise Rs 1 lakh withdrawal limit due to lack of liquidity: RBI to Delhi HC Investigators found that for several years the bank had facilitated lending to HDIL through fictitious accounts and in violation of single-party lending rules. To the surprise of many, even RBI officers had invested in PMC Banks schemes. There has been no resolution for investors so far. On May 2, 2020, the RBI cancelled the licence of Mumbai-based CKP Co-operative Bank, saying its financial position was highly adverse and unsustainable. The bank, as per the RBI, also did not have a revival plan or proposal for a merger with another bank. The bank had nearly 97 percent of Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPAs), a bulk of which was loans given to small and mid-sized real estate developers. What went wrong? Poor regulation, mainly. Until recently, co-operative banks were largely out of the ambit of the RBI in terms of regulatory powers. Co-operative banks, run by local politicians in many cases, flouted lending rules and manipulated accounts. Yes Bank In March 2020, hundreds of investors lost over Rs 8,400 crore in Yes Banks AT1 bonds. This was a unique case. Investors were caught by surprise when the Yes Bank bail-out plan was announced on March 13. One of the conditions for the reconstruction of the beleaguered bank was to write down the Additional Tier I Bonds, which are quasi-debt instruments. Investors alleged that Yes Banks executives were misselling these instruments, pitching them as super FDs (fixed deposits), offering higher returns than an FD but with the safety of a fixed deposit. But that is not how it played out and investors have moved court. They have a long battle ahead of them. Also read: Yes Bank saga: Rs 8,415 crore at stake, will AT1 bond holders ever get their money back? What went wrong? Investors of AT1 Bonds allege that the regulator was unfair to them and treated them below par equity investors. The fact, however, is that the investors werent careful enough to understand the pitfalls of perpetual bonds. The promise of higher returns forced them to take hasty decisions, without studying the product thoroughly. Whats the lesson? The promise of high returns is irresistible even for an informed investor. The same goes for smaller investors. The lure of higher return clouds their risk assessment as well. At a time when bank fixed deposits are turning unattractive, investors find high-risk schemes even more attractive. The first line of defence in such cases is the investors judgment. Before falling for the promise of unusually high returns, take a pause and think. Go through the details of the schemes carefully, read the fine print. Cross-check the companys credentials, check with certified experts and regulators to make sure that what you are about to step into isnt a trap. Nishikori finds feet on Rome clay with first win in a year Kei Nishikori of Japan advanced to the second round of the Italian Open in Rome Japan's Kei Nishikori got his first win in a year at the Italian Open on Monday with former Rome semi-finalists Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic also easing into the second round of the clay-court tournament. Nishikori needed six match points to get past Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) in two hours behind closed doors at the Foro Italico for his first win since reaching the 2019 US Open third round. "It's been a long time since the US Open last year," said the 30-year-old, who reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals in 2019 before undergoing elbow surgery. "I still don't have confidence but little by little I'm getting better." Nishikori will next meet either three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, or Italian qualifier Lorenzo Musetti, as he builds his fitness towards the French Open later this month. The Japanese player skipped the US hard court tour, opting to warm up on clay at Kitzbuehel, Austria last week. "It sucks missing Grand Slam, big tournaments, but this year is going to be a little bit strange anyways," he said. "I wanted to come back for the US Open and Cincinnati, but I felt like I wasn't ready for playing five sets, so I chose to play last week in Austria. "I'm not rushing myself to be 100%. For me, I think this year is going to be one by one, one match at a time. "I think slowly I'm getting recovered. It will take some time, but I'm happy to be here in Rome. "Today was much better than last match last week. I would say twice better." - Nadal, Djokovic set for return - Top seeds Novak Djokovic, a four-time Rome winner, and defending champion Rafael Nadal, winner nine times, have first round byes in a tournament rescheduled from May due to the coronavirus pandemic. They will begin their campaigns on Wednesday. Elsewhere 15th seed Dimitrov, a 2014 Rome semi-finalist, saw off Italian wild card Gianluca Mager 7-5, 6-1. Story continues Bulgarian Dimitrov pulled ahead from 5-5 in the first set to win seven straight games and next meets either Yoshihito Nishioka or Kitzbuehel champion Miomir Kecmanovic. Cilic, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the Rome semi-finals two years ago, battled past Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4 for a second round meeting with sixth seed David Goffin. France's Benoit Paire, who was removed from the US Open after testing positive for Covid-19, lost his opener 6-2, 6-1 to Italian teen Jannik Sinner. The 19-year-old Sinner, ranked 81, needed just over an hour to advance following a nervy performance by the 24th-ranked French player. Next Gen ATP Finals champion Sinner will play third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the next round. US Open quarter-finalist Borna Coric eased past 14th seed Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-4, while Frenchman Ugo Humbert defeated two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in his Rome debut. He will try to upset seventh seeded Italian Fabio Fognini in the second round. In the women's tournament, US Open quarter-finalist Elise Mertens showed no problems switching from hard court to clay with the 11th seed disposing of Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3, 6-1. "My serve was better in the second set, which made all the difference," said the Belgian. Italian wildcard Jasmine Paolini eased past Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-3 to earn a second round clash with top seed Simona Halep of Romania. Second seed Karolina Pliskova opens her title defence against fellow Czech Barbora Strycova who strolled past Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-3. ea/mw Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Coveney has admitted trust in the UK government is now a huge problem after they announced their intention to renege on the Withdrawal Agreement recently. This comes as the controversial proposed Internal Market Bill is set to be debated by the House of Commons today. Speaking on Newstalk, Mr Coveney said that while the EU wants to get a deal done soon, trust levels toward the UK in the EU and Ireland are low. I think trust is a huge problem. I think we have to be up front about that and find a way to build trust but we dont have much time to do it," he said. Many in the EU are now saying, if we cant even get agreement on the implementation of an international treaty that we signed less than a year ago with Britain, how can we put a new agreement in place when we cant even trust Britain as a partner to implement what has already been agreed. In saying that, it is balanced by Britains history, which is one of a very good relationship with the European Union. We have very close relationships on so many levels, and of course, the future relationship the EU wants with Britain. A close one, a friendly one. One that is borne out of friendship and cooperation and partnership and not the opposite of that, Coveney said. Read More Another issue is Boris Johnsons threat to desert the European Human Rights Act, Mr Coveney said. Its Potentially very concerning. Boris Johnsons commentary over the weekend threatening to move away from the European Court of Human Rights and the European Human Rights Act which is very much part of the basis for the Good Friday Agreement. Its hard to know whether that is a serious threat and whether they are proposing to do that within the context of Northern Ireland. If they are, that would also be very problematic because the British Government has said over and over again in the last few days that they are trying to protect peace and stability in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. "Certainly, a move away from the European Court of Human Rights would be contrary to all of that and I certainly hope it isnt the case. The Bill has caused a stir in the UK, with five former Prime Ministers criticising the proposed document. You have got to call Britain out on what theyre doing right now. Former Prime Ministers are doing that. The Attorney General that signed off on the legalities of the Withdrawal Agreement is saying it today," Mr Coveney said. "Yet, Boris Johnson is still trying to drive this thing through, with all of the damage it will cause in terms of relationships with Britains closest neighbour, and with the EU - who want to get a deal done in the weeks ahead. This is a very strange negotiating tactic, if this is what it is, he added. An oil tanker is discharging Iranian condensate for Venezuela as both countries continue to avoid U.S. sanction tripwires. The ship, identified as Honey, turned off its satellite signal and started unloading about 2 million barrels of South Pars condensate at Venezuelas state-controlled port of Jose on Saturday, according to a report and a person with knowledge of the situation. The cargo will most likely be used by the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA to blend with Venezuelas tar-like crude and help prop up production in the Orinoco oil belt. PIPELINES: Venezuela is tearing apart oil pipelines to sell as scrap metal OPEC founding member Venezuela, owner of the worlds largest oil reserves, has been struggling to stave off a fall in production after U.S. sanctions cut off access to equipment and buyers for its oil. Output slumped to 339,000 barrels a day in July, the lowest level seen since the 1910s, according to OPEC and government data compiled by Bloomberg. This is the first time Venezuela has imported crude from Iran, although its imported gasoline. Its also the countrys first oil import since April 2019, when it got a parcel of Nigerian oil Agbami to mix with its heavy oil and produce flagship Merey 16, the countrys top exported blend. Imports are used to offset Venezuelas declining production of light oil, used to make Merey, or to act as a diluent and blend with viscous types of crude to make them more marketable. Venezuelas information ministry, PDVSA and Irans foreign ministry didnt return calls and email seeking comment. The U.S. has been ratcheting up sanctions, leaving little room for companies to work with the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. FUEL FIX: Our energy news. Your inbox. A perfect combination. Last month, the U.S. seized four tankers carrying Iranian gasoline bound for Venezuela in an unprecedented move by the Trump administration. The tankers were transporting 1.116 million barrels of petroleum, confiscated after help from foreign partners, the Justice Department said at the time. After Russian companies Rosneft Trading SA, TNK Trading SA and Mexican Libre Abordo SA de CV cut ties with the regime, Caracas expanded business with Iran. So far this year Tehran has supplied 1.5 million barrels of gasoline to PDVSA and food for the first Iranian supermarket in the South American nation. A shortage of gasoline is forcing Venezuelans to queue for hours and even days, while Caracas is hit by rationing. The prospect of worsening fuel shortages and increased social unrest in the country has PDVSA grappling to revive a refining network crippled by years of mismanagement. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Sabrina Dhowre and Idris Elba attend the world premiere of Congratulations are in order for Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre - the couple have welcomed their first child together! While promoting his new film, Concrete Cowboy, at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, the 48-year-old actor confirmed to ET Canada that he and the Somali model are now parents to a baby boy. "So, it really resonates with me, I'm a father of two boys, and definitely I can't wait for my youngest to see this film," Idris said as he discussed the importance of the film, though he didn't reveal the little one's name. Idris is also a father to 18-year-old daughter Isan and 6-year-old son Winston, whom he has from previous relationships. Idris and Sabrina first began dating around March 2017 before he popped the question at a London screening of his film Yardie in February 2018. They eventually made things official with a gorgeous wedding in Morocco a year later, and now they've expanded their family! Boris Johnson and the Queen are among 40,000 Britons listed on a database compiled by a Chinese tech firm with reported links to Beijing's military and intelligence networks, it can be disclosed. Files on senior British politicians including the Prime Minister, members of the Royal Family, UK military officers and their families, and religious leaders are currently being stored by Zhenhua Data, a technology company based in Shenzhen, China as part of a 'global mass surveillance system on an unprecedented scale'. It is understood the information was leaked to US academic Christopher Balding, who was previously based in Shenzhen but returned to America citing security concerns, and published by the professor online. The database is thought to be used by Chinese intelligence agencies for monitoring British civilians in a shock worldwide espionage campaign also affecting millions of people in the US, Canada, India and Japan. The names, dates of birth, educational and professional histories, criminal records and social media accounts of politicians, Royals, business people, academics, military officers, and civilians convicted of drug and terror offences are being harvested by Zhenhua for the reported benefit of the Chinese Communist Party. Senior MPs are now calling on the UK Government to stamp out Chinese interference in UK society, with Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Tom Tugendhat thundering: 'This is an indication that they are now seeing the West, and particularly the United Kingdom, as the kind of sphere of influence in which they wish to have this level of granular detail.' It comes amid heightened tensions between the UK Government and Beijing, as London accuses China of covering-up the outbreak of coronavirus and lost the international community precious time in its response to the pandemic. Britain is also furious at China's decision to impose new security laws in Hong Kong earlier this year which forbid secession, treason and collusion with foreign powers and allow for the prosecution of Hong Kong dissidents in mainland China. Boris Johnson and the Queen are among 40,000 Britons listed on a database compiled by a Chinese tech firm with reported links to Beijing's military and intelligence networks Files on senior British politicians including the Prime Ministe (left), members of the Royal Family including the Queen (right), UK military officers and their families, and religious leaders are currently being stored by Zhenhua Data, a technology company based in Shenzhen, China as part of a 'global mass surveillance system on an unprecedented scale' The names, birthdates, CVs, criminal records and social media accounts of politicians including Foreign Affairs Select Committe chair Tom Tugendhat (left), Royals, business people, academics, military officers, and civilians - including cultural icons like the late Richard Attenborough (right) convicted of terror offences are being harvested by Zhenhua for the reported benefit of the Chinese Communist Party The families of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis are included on the list, while files also exist on the late actor Richard Attenborough, Lord Lloyd-Webber's mother, Sian Lloyd (left), the television presenter, and the wife of Gareth Bale, the Welsh footballer (right) - in an apparent nod to UK culture WHO'S WHO ON CHINESE DATABASE Politicians Boris Johnson Keir Starmer Tom Tugendhat Bob Seely Tony Blair John Prescott David Lidington Anne Marie Trevelyan Norman Lamb Paul Scully Richard Harrington Rosena Allin-Khan Tim Farron Theresa May Wes Streeting Roy Jenkins Dominic Grieve James Cleverly Andrew Bridgen Julian Knight Kate Forbes Sir Winston Churchill Esther McVey Darius Guppy, a friend of the PM Rodney Starmer, Sir Keir's father Anissa Morel, Tom Tugendhat's wife Alastair Campbell Nicholas Blair David Prescott Helen Lidington, David Lidington's wife John Trevelyan, Anne-Marie Trevelyan's former husband Stephen Parkinson Hugo Grieve Jacqueline Bridgen Nicholas Soames Flora Soames Isabella Soames Royals The Queen Prince Philip Prince Charles Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall Prince William Prince Edward Prince Andrew Prince Michael Princess Anne Mark Phillips Zara Tindall Peter Phillips Military General Sir Nick Carter Sir George Zambellas Richard Barrons General Richard Dannatt Ben Key Alasdair Walker Peter Hudson Anthony Dymock Tony Radakin Malcolm Pledger Adrian Johns Paul Lambert Trevor Soar Alan Massey David Richards John Dunt Jonathon Band General Sir Peter Wall Business Tesco KPMG BP GLAXOSMITHKLINE Barclays British American Tobacco British Gas Astrazeneca Unilever Richard Desmond HSBC BAE Systems Babcock International Huawei Academics The Henry Jackson Society International Institute for Strategic Studies Royal United Services Institute University of Oxford University of Cambridge University of Durham University of Portsmouth Imperial College London University College London Institute for Fiscal Studies Centre for Policy Studies Other Richard Attenborough, late actor and brother of David Attenborough Emma Rhys-Jones, wife of Welsh footballer Gareth Bale Sian Lloyd, TV presenter Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury Advertisement Mr Tugendhat, who has also expressed fears he is being watched by the Chinese Government, said the data leak showed an 'important change' in Beijing's approach to electronic surveillance. 'This is a further indication that their interest in UK politics has gone beyond the general and into the specific,' he told The Telegraph. 'What's clear is that the Chinese Government is seeking to get increasingly involved in politics abroad. 'Many of us know, through direct targeting in a crude way, that attempts to influence the UK have gone beyond what was normal a few years ago, and this seems to indicate that private companies in China are being used as part of a wider information-gathering effort.' The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne, Zara Tindall and the late Princess of Wales Diana are all listed on Zhenhua's comprehensive index - alongside their relations to each other. Most of Boris Johnson's Cabinet including Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis are being tracked by the tech firm, as well as dozens of MPs including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Ed Davey, Esther McVey, Norman Lamb, Kate Forbes and Gisela Stuart. Tony Blair, his children, and the children of John Prescott, Amber Rudd, Dominic Grieve, Ed Vaizey, Menzies Campbell and Chris Philp are included, while the wives of Johnny Mercer and David Lidington are named. Jennifer Mordaunt, the mother of former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt and a relative of Labour's first Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Snowdon, is also listed by Zhenhua. There is also a partial family tree of Britain's wartime hero Sir Winston Churchill, including his grandson - the former MP Sir Nicholas Soames, his granddaughter Arabella Churchill and greatgranddaughter Flora. The Chinese tech firm is also storing information on high-ranking officers in the UK Armed Forces, including General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Lord Dannatt, former Head of the British Army, former First Sea Lord Sir George Zambellas and General Sir Richard Barrons, a former Head of the UK's Joint Forces Command. Information about UK and US warships, including tweets that name the location of the ships when docked in ports, is being kept by Zhenhua, as well as files about British diplomats and their families posted around the world - including Dominick Chilcott, the British Ambassador to Turkey. Thousands of profiles of British business people working at some of the UK's biggest companies have been scraped together - such as Tesco, BP, Barclays, KPMG, GLAXOSMITHKLINE, British American Tobacco, British Gas, AstraZeneca and Unilever. More than 200 people with professional connections to HSBC, which declared support for China's draconian new security laws in Hong Kong imposed by Beijing earlier this year, are also being monitored. Roger Carr, the chairman of BAE Systems, Britain's biggest manufacturer and supplier of weapons, is listed in the database, while data on two employees of UK defence company Babcock International is also being kept. Richard Desmond, the property tycoon and Tory donor, is listed as a businessman. Zhenhua's database also contains thousands of mentions of British universities including Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCL and Durham. The families of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis are included on the list, while files also exist on the late actor Richard Attenborough, Lord Lloyd-Webber's mother, Sian Lloyd, the television presenter, and Emma Rhys-Jones, the wife of Welsh footballer Gareth Bale - in an apparent nod to UK culture. A spokesman for Zhenhua refused to comment on allegations that it was engaged in China's surveillance programme, telling The Telegraph: 'These questions touch upon our trade secrets. It's not convenient to disclose.' A Chinese Government spokesman also refused to comment on its connection with Zhenhua, adding: China has not asked and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide data, information and intelligence stored within other countries' territories for the Chinese Government by installing 'backdoors''. Around 2.4 million people are included in Zhenhua's database, assembled mostly based on public open-source data including social media profiles. Canberra-based cybersecurity consultancy Internet 2.0, whose customers include the US and Australian Governments, said it had recovered the records of about 250,000 people, including about 52,000 Americans and 35,000 Australians. Internet 2.0 was givene the data by Christopher Balding, an American academic who left Shenzhen to return to the US because of security concerns. In a statement shared on his blog, Professor Balding called the Zhenhua data leak 'staggering' and said experts 'continue to radically underestimate the investment in monitoring and surveillance tools dedicated to controlling and influencing, not just its domestic citizens and institutions, but assets outside of China'. 'Last year I began research into Huawei, simply because I thought I was well placed to figure out some basics I had heard people talk about but remained open questions,' Professor Balding wrote on his blog. 'I never guessed the relatively abrupt turn my research focus would take due to stumbling into what, for China researchers, is something akin to discovering the Holy Grail. 'Out of this initial research question, a series of events and introductions took place that unveiled enormous amounts of data collected by activists from China. This data provides proof of activities that China was believed to engage in, but for the first-time, data confirmed these activities. 'Our team has an enormous amount of work provided to us that we are working through and intend to publicize about the authoritarian threat that is China under Chinese Communist Party rule. 'Reviewing the raw data, even Chinese 'experts' continue to radically underestimate the investment in monitoring and surveillance tools dedicated to controlling and influencing, not just its domestic citizens and institutions, but assets outside of China. WHAT IS ZHENHUA? Zhenhua Data, a technology company based in Shenzhen, China, is thought to be part of a network of private Chinese firms conducting electronic surveillance on individuals worldwide for the Chinese Government. The company says it has sold 'services for military, security and foreign propaganda' to 'domestic institutions' in China, including the Government and security services. Its website describes social media and online analysis as a 'weapon of intelligence warfare' that can be used to 'shape people's perceptions and redesign society'. It has data processing centres in more than 20 countries around the world, as well as regional offices in Beijing, Wuhan and Wuxi. Advertisement 'We are working with governments, journalists, and select academics or think tanks around the world to help provide the necessary range of expertise needed to analyze and understand the data. What cannot be underestimated is the breadth and depth of the Chinese surveillance state and its extension around the world. 'The world is only at the beginning stages of understand how much China invests in intelligence and influence operations using the type of raw data we have to understand their targets. 'A project of this size would not be possible without multiple people. The first thanks goes to Rob Potter and his entire team at Internet 2.0. They brought significant technical expertise to the data across a range of areas. 'From working through how databases were constructed, to how governments use this data, their work has been vital to realizing this project. 'The individual who provided the Shenzhen Zhenhua database by putting themselves at risk to get this data out has done an enormous service and is proof that many inside China are concerned about CCP authoritarianism and surveillance. 'The journalists who worked so hard on this story to understand the data, its intended use, the company, and the technical tools behind the database deserve enormous praise. This was a difficult and complex story, but their commitment to working collaboratively and in good faith as a team and with us to understand and fact check everything represent the standard journalism strives for. 'Finally, there are many people who contributed in big and small ways that deserve recognition, but for various reasons wish to remain or need to remain anonymous. Their contribution was instrumental in bringing this project forward and for their work I am deeply grateful for seeing the vision. 'I am motivated by the concern that the scope of the authoritarian threat from Communist China remains poorly understood, by even many China experts. The depth and capabilities of their desire to engineer the soul, as John Garnaut so eloquently put it, must be acknowledged. 'They have and are building the tools to accomplish these objectives. Hopefully, this provides some small evidence to their objectives and that we in open liberal democracies begin taking them seriously.' From 'Golden Period' to 'Ice Age': How relations between Britain and the People's Republic of China deteriorated in just a few chaotic months By Jack Wright for MailOnline Britain had previously enjoyed a warm, if unequal, relationship with the People's Republic of China during David Cameron and George Osborne's 'Golden Age' - in which the UK hung as tightly as possible to Beijing. However, this year the UK Government has come under enormous public and political pressure to 'reset' its relationship with China following the outbreak of coronavirus, the suppression of freedom in Hong Kong, and the serious national security risks associated with China's involvement in Britain's 5G network. Beijing has been accused of concealing the outbreak of coronavirus, which it has long claimed began at a wet market in Wuhan in December of last year, from the World Health Organisation. Critics of the Chinese Government believe its alleged 'cover-up' cost the international community precious time to prepare for a global pandemic which has changed the fabric of British society. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pictured leaving Downing Street for the Commons Anger at the regime in Beijing grew louder following reports that Covid-19 had been accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, near the apparent source of the disease. It led to claims in Britain that WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had been 'bought' by China through large donations to the UN body. The Chinese Government also came under criticism for its flouting of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, an international treaty created in the final days of British imperialism in the Far East which established a certain degree of autonomy for the territory of Hong Kong as it became a part of the People's Republic of China. Following major demonstrations in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition treaty which would allow the Chinese Communist Party to prosecute dissidents from the island on the mainland, Beijing imposed draconian security laws which banned demonstrations, secession, treason and collusion with foreign powers. It led to howls of indignation from Government officials such as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, as well as UK partners in the US, Australia and Canada all part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance founded after World War Two. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, then came under fierce pressure from Conservative backbenchers to pause plans to green-light China's unofficial involvement in the creation of the UK's 5G network. At the heart of the controversy is Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications giant which is accused of enjoying a special relationship with China's security state. Critics point out that Huawei's founder is Ren Zhengfei, who was a member of the People's Liberation Army and current member of the Chinese Communist Party. After the prospect of a significant Tory revolt to shut down the Prime Minister's initiative to approve Huawei's involvement in the 5G network, Mr Johnson announced a ban on use of the company's network equipment. He also vowed to shrink down its role in the construction of the broadband network by 2023, to cheers from backbenchers including Sir Iain Duncan Smith. Netflix recently released the first official teaser trailer for The Trial of the Chicago 7, an original film depicting the events resulting from Chicago protests during the late sixties. Directed by Aaron Sorkinthe creative mastermind behind works such as The Social Network and A Few Good Menthe movie follows the story of defendants Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner as they face a coterie of charges such as conspiracy and incitement to riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The films starring roster includes names such as Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl). Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman in "The Trial of the Chicago 7." The story of the Chicago Seven (originally the Chicago Eight, as Black Panther Bobby Seale requested to be tried separately) arose during a time when the United States was fraught with tension over the Vietnam War. The Chicago riots flamed specifically by the Seven created a hectic clashing between police and protesters which lasted for two days and led to hundreds of arrests. The Netflix teaser drives home the cultural significance and heightened coverage of the proceedings by looping in the rioters' repeated shouts of The whole worlds watching. Dragging over nearly five months, the trial is viewed by many to symbolize the divide between older generations and the rising counterculture movement. This divide is most clearly symbolized by the constant butting of heads between hippie leader, Hoffman (played by Cohen), and the trials presiding judge, Julius J. Hoffman (played by Frank Langella) who are of no relation despite similar last names. The defendants also became notorious for aggravating the courts proceedings with outrageous antics; Seale himself was sentenced to four years in prison for contempt of court. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is set to premiere on Oct. 16. The Masons of Peterborough District recently donated $17,253.25 to the YWCAs Crossroads Shelter for women and children. The leadership of caring men in our community who understand that responding to the impact of violence against women and their children is a responsibility we all share is especially important in these uncertain times, stated Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, in a press release. Right Worshipful Brother Tom Mortlock, district deputy grand master, his family and the MortWalk Construction Team have been actively involved in the YWCAs Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event for years. The essential service provided by the caring YWCA Family is a resource that the Masons of Peterborough District were very proud to support this year, says Mortlock. Funds raised by the Masons of Peterborough District throughout the year were added to proceeds from The Associations Stand a While in Her Shoes, a drive-thru and drop-off fundraising event and bottle drive held at the Peterborough Masonic Temple on Rubidge Street on June 13, a YWCA press release states. Members of the community wanting to support YWCA crisis and support services can visit www.ywcapeterborough.org or call 705-743-3526. Anyone interested in learning more about corporate and community partnership opportunities can contact Ria Nicholson at 705-743-3526 ext. 113 or rnicholson@ywcapeterborough.org. Office workers wearing face masks walk in Singapore's central business district, during the coronavirus disease outbreak on 17 August, 2020. (PHOTO: Reuters) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 48 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore as of Monday (14 September), bringing the countrys total to 57,454. The MOH also announced two additional clusters linked to foreign worker dormitories: Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 and 2 at 58 and 36 Penjuru Place, respectively. All but one of the 48 new cases are asymptomatic and were proactively detected, the ministry added. Of them, none are classified as cases in the community. Five are imported cases who had been placed on a stay-home notice upon their arrival here and were tested while serving the notice at dedicated facilities. The remaining 43 cases are foreign workers residing in dorms, of which 29 had been identified earlier as contacts of previous cases, and had already been quarantined. One of them is linked to a new cluster of 10 cases at Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1, while another is linked to a new cluster at Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 2. Overall, four per cent of the new cases have no established links. UPDATE: Almost all 48 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore asymptomatic; 2 more dorm clusters https://t.co/HzLr3b23jK pic.twitter.com/onxGSEujWc Yahoo Singapore (@YahooSG) September 14, 2020 Among the five imported cases, one is a permanent resident who returned to Singapore from India on 30 August. Another two are work pass or permit holders currently employed here who arrived from India on 2 September. Another case is a short-term visit pass holder, whose parent is a Singaporean, who had arrived from India on 5 September. The remaining case, who is also a short-term visit pass holder, is a technician who arrived from the US on 1 September on a work project. The MOH noted that the number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of two cases per day in the week before to an average of one per day in the past week. Story continues Similarly, the number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased, from an average of two cases per day in the week before, to an average of one per day in the past week. Separately, two fast-food restaurants including a newly-opened Shake Shack outlet a gym, and a shopping centre were added by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (10 September) to a list of public venues visited by community cases while infectious. 14 cases in dorms detected via surveillance testing Among the 43 cases residing in dorms, 29 had been identified earlier as contacts of previous cases and were tested during quarantine. The remaining 14 cases were detected through surveillance testing, such as the bi-weekly rostered routine testing of workers living in dorms, said the MOH. Besides the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, or swab test, serological tests were also conducted to determine if some of the cases are current or past infections, it added. The serological test results for 31 cases have come back positive so far, which indicate likely past infection, said the MOH. Of Singapores COVID-19 tally, 54,214 or 94.4 per cent are foreign workers living in dorms. Some 99% of total cases have recovered With 38 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Monday, 56,802 cases or 98.9 per cent of the total have fully recovered from the infection. Most of the 53 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. A total of 572 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities. Apart from 27 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: Parti Liyani case: Acquitted maid's pro-bono lawyer lauds NGOs for giving migrant workers hope Malaysia looking to reopen border with Singapore in January: report Singapore, Japan to set up green lane travel arrangement from 18 Sept A business symposium focusing on cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the high-end manufacturing industry was held Friday in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province. More than 90 business representatives and government officials from both sides attended the meeting, including those from Chinese semiconductor display manufacturer BOE Technology Group, Chery Automobile, and ROK chemical giant LG Chem. The symposium was co-hosted by the foreign affairs office of the provincial government of Anhui, the Anhui provincial department of economy and information technology, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea Display Industry Association. Cooperation in the new display, integrated circuit and automotive industries between Anhui and the ROK has a good foundation and wide market prospects, said Niu Nutao, director of Anhui's department of economy and information technology. Economic and trade exchanges between Anhui and the ROK maintained steady upward momentum in the first half of 2020. Data from Hefei customs showed that in the January-June period, the trade volume between the two sides topped 14.74 billion yuan (about 2.16 billion U.S. dollars), up 37.1 percent year on year. Jang Ha-sung, ROK's ambassador to China, said both countries have a solid industrial foundation and strong innovative power. The two should utilize this advantage and deepen cooperation in high-end manufacturing and emerging industries. Enditem If Australia once rode on the sheep's back, our film industry has done a fair bit of riding on the crocodile's. As well as Paul Hogan in three Crocodile Dundee movies and Steve Irwin in The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, killer crocs have featured in the horror thrillers Dark Age in the 1980s, Rogue and Black Water, both released in 2007, and now the sequel Black Water: Abyss. They are part of a genre of "natural horror" films around the world that cover killer sharks (Jaws), wild boars (Razorback), bears (Grizzly), birds (The Birds), spiders (Arachnophobia), dogs (Cujo), snakes (Anaconda), killer whales (Orca), giant octopuses (Tentacles) and fish (Piranha). Australian filmmakers have also thrived when it comes to sharks with The Reef popular a decade ago, Bait 3D released two years later and Great White in post-production after shooting in Queensland. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 20:12:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Iran on Monday reached 404,648, after an overnight registration of 2,619 patients, the Iranian Ministry for Health and Medical Education announced. Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the ministry, pointed out that out of the new patients, 1,382 people required hospitalization. The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 23,313 people in Iran, after 156 new deaths over the novel coronavirus were registered in the last 24 hours, according to Sadat Lari. A total of 3,798 patients are currently in a critical condition in intensive care units, while 348,013 others have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, she added. The spokeswoman said the number of laboratory tests for COVID-19 carried out in Iran is 3,586,848 by Monday. The risk of infection is high in 13 Iranian provinces out of 31, while 15 others remain in alert over the virus. Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China. In return, China delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem Kangana heads to Manali, leaves Mumbai 'with a heavy heart' Actress Kangana Ranaut returned to hometown Manali on Monday, amid rising tension in her relationship with the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on," the actress tweeted from her verified account on Monday morning. Good morning friends, just a thought I feel children are capable of thinking and feeling way more than we assume, when he is lost in thoughts like this I wonder what is he feeling! pic.twitter.com/LwMqUD4iMU Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 On Sunday afternoon, Kangana and her sister Rangoli met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan. Following her meeting, Kangana had expressed in a tweet: "A short while ago I met His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ji. I explained my point of view to him and also requested that justice be given to me, it will restore faith of common citizen and particularly daughters in the system." KEY FACTS 4:43 p.m.: TDSB delays start of virtual learning until Sept. 22 12:26 p.m.: The Middlesex-London Health Unit declares outbreak after 5 Western University students test positive 10:18 a.m. Ontario reporting the most COVID-19 cases in the province in more than three months 8:25 a.m.: Tory to ask Ford if strip clubs should be ordered closed 7:37 a.m.: Three southern Ontario school boards report infections The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file is no longer updating. Click here to read the latest. Web links to longer stories if available. 5:47 p.m.: A House subcommittee examining President Donald Trumps response to the coronavirus pandemic is launching an investigation into reports that political appointees have meddled with routine government scientific data to better align with Trumps public statements. The Democrat-led subcommittee said Monday that it is requesting transcribed interviews with seven officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, including communications aide Michael Caputo. Caputo has often publicly pushed back on CDC statements about the coronavirus and said falsely in a Facebook video on Sunday that the CDC has a resistance unit to undermine Trump, according to The New York Times. His page has since been made private. 5:39 p.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 5:38 p.m. EDT on Sept. 14, 2020: There are 137,693 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Quebec: 65,262 confirmed (including 5,780 deaths, 57,428 resolved) _ Ontario: 44,817 confirmed (including 2,816 deaths, 39,974 resolved) _ Alberta: 15,833 confirmed (including 254 deaths, 14,041 resolved) _ British Columbia: 6,962 confirmed (including 213 deaths, 5,273 resolved) _ Saskatchewan: 1,731 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,604 resolved) _ Manitoba: 1,449 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 1,176 resolved) _ Nova Scotia: 1,086 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,020 resolved) _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 271 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 266 resolved) _ New Brunswick: 194 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 189 resolved) _ Prince Edward Island: 55 confirmed (including 47 resolved) _ Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved) _ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved) _ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) _ Nunavut: No confirmed cases _ Total: 137,693 (0 presumptive, 137,693 confirmed including 9,173 deaths, 121,051 resolved) 5:30 p.m.: The Salvation Army is starting its annual holiday fundraising campaign earlier than ever in an attempt to rescue Christmas. Facing an increased demand amid the coronavirus pandemic with high unemployment, the nations largest social services organization said it will start collecting donations in its iconic red kettles with bell-ringing volunteers Monday instead of waiting until closer to Thanksgiving as in past years. 4:43 p.m.: (Updated) A few hundred Western University students lined up on campus Monday to get tested for COVID-19 after five students living off campus tested positive for the disease over the weekend. A spokeswoman said the school in London, Ont., is using harm reduction education to help students understand the risks involved with large gatherings and not following physical distancing and mask-wearing rules. "We want our students to make wise choices, to take care of themselves, to take care of each other and to take care of our community," said Jennifer Massey, the associate vice president of student experience at the school. 4:30 p.m.: The Manitoba government is once again expanding a wage-subsidy program designed to help create jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Back To Work program, which offers money to businesses that hire new staff or rehire people who have been laid off during the pandemic, is being extended by two months until Dec. 31. 4:22 p.m.: The Bloc Quebecois says leader Yves-Francois Blanchet and the party's whole caucus are in self-isolation after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19. A statement from the party says the employee received the positive test today, days after the Bloc held a full caucus meeting. Bloc spokeswoman Carolane Landry says everyone potentially affected will be screened to ensure they're healthy and will follow public health guidelines. 4 p.m.: The Toronto District School Board has delayed its virtual learning again for its high school and elementary school students, to Sept. 22, to allow time to assign teachers and timetable our secondary classes. The first day of the virtual school had already been delayed once and was supposed to start this Thursday. Since that decision was made, the number of families choosing the Virtual School has continued to grow largely from families switching from in-person learning, the board wrote in a letter sent out to parents Monday afternoon. Between Tuesday of last week and today, we have gone from approximately 66,000 students to more than 72,000 students in the Virtual School resulting in the addition of more than 200 virtual classrooms all requiring a teacher. 3:50 p.m.: A trio of federal cabinet ministers is warning COVID-19 researchers to take additional precautions to protect their efforts from thieves and vandals. The statement today says the federal government is concerned about "hostile actors" targeting pandemic-related research in this country and urges government scientists, academics and private-sector workers to double- and triple-check their security measures. 3:38 p.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 3:38 p.m. EDT on Sept. 14, 2020: There are 137,275 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Quebec: 65,262 confirmed (including 5,780 deaths, 57,428 resolved) _ Ontario: 44,817 confirmed (including 2,816 deaths, 39,974 resolved) _ Alberta: 15,415 confirmed (including 253 deaths, 13,718 resolved) _ British Columbia: 6,962 confirmed (including 213 deaths, 5,273 resolved) _ Saskatchewan: 1,731 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,604 resolved) _ Manitoba: 1,449 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 1,176 resolved) _ Nova Scotia: 1,086 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,020 resolved) _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 271 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 266 resolved) _ New Brunswick: 194 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 189 resolved) _ Prince Edward Island: 55 confirmed (including 47 resolved) _ Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved) _ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved) _ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) _ Nunavut: No confirmed cases _ Total: 137,275 (0 presumptive, 137,275 confirmed including 9,172 deaths, 120,728 resolved) 2:40 p.m.: As Ontario reported the most COVID-19 cases in the province in more than three months, Premier Doug Ford fears a second wave is set to hit. Is it coming? Yes, I believe its coming, Ford said at his daily teleconference at Queens Park on Monday. A consistent spike over a two-week period, its concerning, he said. Every option is on the table ... including further shutdowns. His comments came after in the wake of 313 new infections being detected Sunday, when 31,143 tests were conducted. 2:28 p.m.: Canadians should brace for a shortage of office furniture, such as desks and chairs, as people continue to study and work from home this fall. Ikea Canada spokeswoman Kristin Newbigging says the company has seen an increase in demand for office furnishings and other gear needed for work-from-home set-ups. This comes as a looming second wave of COVID-19 means many Canadians are not returning to the office or school just yet. 2:24 p.m.: The Quebec Student Sports Federation has cancelled university sports for the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities are permitted activities with another school in cross-country, soccer and golf. But "interteam activities" are not allowed in football or rugby. The federation is continuing to allow elementary schools, high schools and CEGEPs to announce if they will play out their fall seasons, as long as they are in accordance with their recovery plans and provincial health directives. 2:13 p.m.: Panama lifted a five-month-old coronavirus measure Monday that had restricted women from going out one day, and men the next. The rules limiting when people can could go out for essentials proved controversial because it led to harassment and discrimination against transgender people. Health Minister Luis Antonio Sucre said urged caution despite lifting of the rule, which had been in place since March. 2 p.m.: Two of Frances biggest cities with COVID-19 infection rates gathering speed even faster than the national surge in new cases are tightening limits on public activities as the French government seeks to ward off a new nationwide lockdown. The stricter restrictions announced Monday in Marseille and Bordeaux were responses to a demand from Frances prime minister that both cities take additional steps to stem their growing numbers of infections, which were putting pressure on regional health services. In Bordeaux, the top government official for the region announced a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in public parks, along the citys picturesque river and on beaches. Also banned are fun fairs, antique fairs and neighbourhood parties. The new rules also limit the size of large public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people, below the national benchmark of 5,000 people. That limit covers places like stadiums and concert halls, as well as demonstrations. To counter partying, Bordeaux cafes and restaurants will also no longer be able to serve clients who are standing up and will not be able to play music outdoors. Dancing is forbidden in public venues, including at weddings. Drinking alcohol in public is also banned in Bordeaux, a centre of the French wine industry. The regional government also asked Bordeaux residents to limit private family gatherings, singling out weddings, to a maximum of 10 people. 1:53 p.m.: A federal judge has struck down Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs pandemic restrictions that required people to stay at home, placed size limits on gatherings and ordered non-life-sustaining businesses to shut down, calling them unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV on Monday sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theatres, a farmers market vendor, a horse trainer and several Republican officeholders who sued as individuals. Stickman wrote in his ruling that the Wolf administrations pandemic policies have been overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens constitutional rights. Wolf has lifted many of the restrictions since the lawsuit was filed in May, allowing businesses to reopen and cancelling a statewide stay-at-home order. But his administration has maintained some capacity restrictions and limitations. A spokesperson for Wolf said the administration was reviewing the decision. 1:07 a.m.: The head of the Ontario Hospital Association is warning that increasing COVID-19 case rates could lead to another provincial lockdown. OHA president Anthony Dale says the province's accelerating infections rates in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa could spread to the rest of Ontario if people don't respect public health guidelines. He says Ontario residents must practise physical distancing, wear masks when required, and neither host nor attend unsafe gatherings and parties. Dale says he is making the request of Ontario residents on behalf of hospital staff who are the anchor of the province's pandemic response. He says some people have been lulled into a false sense of security by case numbers which had been decreasing last month. His statement comes as Ontario's new case count increased for the fourth consecutive day, with 313 cases reported today along with one new death from the virus. 12:28 p.m.: Voters in New Brunswick headed to the polls Monday after a provincial election campaign notable for the unusual steps candidates had to take to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. After casting his ballot at a church hall in his riding of Quispamsis, Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs said voting went smoothly, despite COVID restrictions. Well that was well setup, Higgs told reporters. It was very well organized, very disciplined. Thanks to health and hygiene rules, there were no handshakes, no kissing of babies, no rallies and no community barbecues during the provinces 28-day campaign. Much of the low-key campaign was conducted on social media, though there was some door-to-door campaigning all done at a safe distance. Higgs said the biggest difference he noticed at the polling station was the hand sanitizer and everyone wearing masks. This is just another example that democracy will continue. We were confident we could make this work safely, he said. Higgs who often wore a full face shield while on the hustings called the election only 21 months into his first term, saying his minority government needed stability and a majority to govern a province initially left reeling by the pandemic. 12:26 p.m.: The Middlesex-London Health Unit is declaring a community COVID-19 outbreak after five Western University students tested positive for the virus. The unit says all five students live in the area and had multiple interactions with people at downtown bars and restaurants. It says more positive cases are expected in the coming days because of the number of contacts associated with the investigation. The MLHU says the students werent attending classes or activities on campus, but did have multiple interactions with people in neighbouring houses. Its advising anyone who went to downtown clubs, bars and restaurants to self-monitor for symptoms and to get tested if any surface. Contact tracing staff are continuing to reach out to people who came in close contact with the positive cases of COVID-19 in the region. 10:32 a.m.: Mayor Tory is urging residents to become tourists in their own city and explore new neighbourhoods in an effort to help support businesses being crushed by the impacts of COVID-19. It will allow the darkness to subside, said Tory, speaking at a press conference on Monday at Hotel X overlooking Ontario Place. The initiative, called ShowloveTO, will launch programming in all 25 wards in the city, including video art installations and an app offering self-guided walking tours that Tory promised will introduce even lifelong residents to parts of the city that will be new to them. Residents are also being asked to support local restaurants if they can, to help shore up one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic. Tory said all the activities can be undertaken safely. In a way the pandemic hurt the soul of the city, he said. We have to have a program to give the city some life, give it some of its soul back. 10:18 a.m.: (updated) Ontario is reporting the most COVID-19 cases in the province in more than three months. Health Minister Christine Elliott said there were 313 new infections detected Sunday when 31,143 tests were conducted. Thats the most in one day since there were 415 on June 7 when there were 19,374 tests done. The news comes as millions of Ontario schoolchildren are back in classrooms for the first time in six months. Elliott noted more than three-quarters of the cases are from three regions with 112 in Toronto, 71 in Peel Region, and 60 in Ottawa. All other PHUs (public health units) have fewer than 10 new cases, except for York with 13 cases. Fifteen PHUs have no new cases, she said on Twitter Monday. The minister noted 67 per of todays cases are in people under the age of 40. Queens Park says 2,816 people have died from the virus since the outbreak struck in March. Data reconciliation actually lowered the death toll by one from the day before. Read the full story from the Stars Robert Benzie 10:04 a.m.: A global development agency said the worlds 20 major industrialized nations have seen their economies shrink in an unprecedented manner between April and June amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Monday that the gross domestic product dropped by a record 6.9 per cent in the second quarter of this year in the G-20 area. This organization noted that is significantly larger than the 1.6 per cent fall recorded in the first quarter of 2009 at the height of the financial crisis. Between April and June this year, the GDP most dramatically fell by 25.2 in India, by 20.4 per cent in the UK and by 17.1 per cent in Mexico. It plunged by 9.1 per cent in the United States. The OECD said that China was the only G-20 country recording growth (11.5 per cent) in that period. The organization said that reflects the earlier onset of the pandemic in this country and subsequent recovery. 9:40 a.m.: Officials in southern Germany are considering imposing hefty fines against a 26-year-old American woman linked to a cluster of coronavirus cases in the Alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, including at a hotel that caters to U.S. military personnel. German media report that the woman, who lives locally and wasnt named, had visited several bars in the town last week despite having symptoms and being told to quarantine while waiting for her COVID-19 test result. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a model case of stupidity and an example for how quickly one can become infected, said Bavarias governor, Markus Soeder. Such recklessness must have consequences, he added. Thats why its reasonable for the health authorities to consider, after carefully examining the case, whether to impose appropriately high fines. The woman, who wasnt named for privacy reasons, has been blamed for a spike in cases that pushed Garmisch-Partenkirchen above the threshold of 50 new cases per 100,000 in a week at which authorities are required to impose further infection control measures. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, these include a 10 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants and a rule that no more than five people can gather in public. Germanys disease control centre on Monday reported 927 new cases across the country in the past day. 8:30 a.m.: The Ontario government said Monday it is investing $175 million this year for upgrades, repairs and maintenance in 129 hospitals across the province, including $50 million for COVID-19 related and other urgent projects. Trillium Health Partners will receive over $3.4 million to support projects across all three sites. Projects include replacing HVAC systems to improve indoor air quality, installing newer and more reliable nurse call systems for patients, and repairing roofs and elevators to maintain the facilities, the province said. The announcement was made by Health Minister Christine Elliott. 8:25 a.m.: Mayor John Tory told CP24 on Monday he will ask the Ontario government if strip clubs should be ordered closed. Tory was reacting to an outbreak at Club Paradise on Bloor Street West that follows infections at the Brass Rail on Yonge Street. Do they really need to be open? Tory said, noting the provincial order forces small theatres to stay closed while strip bars reopened. Tory also said hell meet with officials including public health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa on Monday to talk about rising COVID-19 infection rates and what the city can do to slow them. He praised UHN president Kevin Smith for speaking out in the Star, agreeing with Smith that people have relaxed their personal anti-virus habits and that is helping drive the virus resurgence. People arent wearing masks as much and going to dinner parties outside their social bubble, he said. Were going to have to redouble our efforts, to enforce responsible behaviour, especially with kids heading back to school, Tory said. Its a very complicated, unknown enemy were dealing with here. 8:20 a.m.: As COVID-19 swept through southern U.S., Mel Prince watched with alarm as some of the HIV positive patients she helps in the rural Black Belt stopped showing up for lab tests and doctors visits. Some fell back into drug and alcohol abuse. Others feared the AIDS virus made them more vulnerable to the coronavirus and refused to leave their homes. Around the same time, Princes HIV organization in Selma, Alabama, stopped sending staff to health fairs and other sites to test people for HIV. The virus has made it very challenging for us, said Prince, executive director of Selma AIR. We just continue to let people know were here, and were trying our best to take care of their needs. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the delivery of all types of health care services in the U.S. Doctors have put off surgeries to conserve hospital beds and medical supplies for COVID-19 patients and turned to telemedicine for routine consultations to avoid potentially exposing patients to the virus. The fight against HIV has not been spared. Clinics have stopped or limited testing for the disease, and public health officials overwhelmed by demands to control COVID-19 have shifted staff away from tracking HIV patients. 7:48 a.m. Global shares mostly rose Monday, continuing a period of increased volatility, as traders awaited cues from the U.S. central bank later in the week. U.S. shares appeared set for gains with Dow futures up 1% and S&P 500 futures up 1.3 per cent before the market open. Frances CAC 40 gained 0.2 per cent to 5,041, while Germanys DAX dropped 0.1 per cent to 13,189. Britains FTSE 100 edged down 0.2 per cent to 6,023. Shares in SoftBank, which announced Sunday that it was selling Britains Arm Holdings to computer graphics chip company Nvidia for $40 billion, jumped 9 per cent. SoftBank spent $32 billion to acquire Arm in 2016. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processing chips, while Arm is renowned as an innovator in the internet of Things. 7:37 a.m.: Three southern Ontario school boards, including two in GTA, have reported at least one COVID-19 case in their communities on Sunday, according to public health. The three schools are Louise Arbour Secondary School located in Brampton, Our Lady of Fatima CES in Woodbridge and Walpole North Elementary in Hagersville, just south of Brantford. Each school put out a letter to parents and students notifying them of the cases and how they will be dealing with them moving forward. Read the full story by Breanna Xavier-Carter 6:48 a.m.: Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who has made a career out of bouncing back from setbacks, was released Monday from the hospital after an insidious bout of COVID-19 that he said was the most dangerous challenge he had ever faced. Wearing a suit and smiling after taking off his face mask, the 83-year-old Berlusconi said doctors at San Raffaele hospital in Milan told him he had the highest levels of virus they had seen in the tens of thousands of samples they had taken over the past six months. An emotional Berlusconi urged Italians to take the virus seriously and rigorously adhere to mask mandates, social distancing norms and frequent handwashing. 6:20 a.m.: South Korea has reported its lowest daily virus tally in about a month as it began easing its tough social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the 109 new cases took the countrys total to 22,285 with 363 deaths. The daily increase has stayed in the 100s for 12 straight days, but Mondays increase was the lowest since mid-August. The government on Sunday relaxed its physical distancing guidelines in the Seoul area, citing a downward trend in new infections and economic worries. 6:19 a.m.: India reopened its Parliament after more than five months Monday even as the country continues to report the most daily new infections of the coronavirus in the world and daily virus deaths remain above 1,000. Lawmakers must wear masks and follow other sanitization protocols, sit on seats separated by transparent plastic sheets and keep their meetings limited. 6:18 a.m.: Pakistans prime minister and education officials say all arrangements are in place to ensure that every child can go to school safely. Authorities are preparing to reopen schools from Tuesday amid a steady decline in COVID-19 deaths and infections. Prime Minister Imran Khan took to twitter Monday saying tomorrow we will welcome millions of children back to school. It is our priority & collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. 6:17 a.m.: Sweden has removed Britain from its list of countries with travel warnings, allowing Swedes to travel to the United Kingdom. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm said Sweden is now part of a group of countries for which the United Kingdom considers that the risks regarding the virus are lower and is no longer covered by Britains quarantine regulations. 6:15 a.m.: Berlins top health official has expressed concern about the rising number of coronavirus cases in Germany, particularly among young people. Dilek Kalayci told public broadcaster rbb that experience showed young people could easily become super spreaders resulting in older, more vulnerable people becoming sick with COVID-19 too. Germanys disease control centre on Monday reported 927 new cases across the country in the past day. One county thats seen the number of infections in a week rise above the threshold of 50 per 100,000 is Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Locals there have reacted with anger to news that a 26-year-old American woman with symptoms had visited several local bars despite being told to quarantine while waiting for her test result. As a result, all restaurants in the Alpine town must close at 10 p.m. for the next week. 5:47 a.m.: There are 136,659 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 64,986 confirmed (including 5,780 deaths, 57,268 resolved) Ontario: 44,504 confirmed (including 2,815 deaths, 39,841 resolved) Alberta: 15,415 confirmed (including 253 deaths, 13,718 resolved) British Columbia: 6,962 confirmed (including 213 deaths, 5,273 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,726 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,603 resolved) Manitoba: 1,428 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 1,173 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,086 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,020 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 271 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 266 resolved) New Brunswick: 193 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 189 resolved) Prince Edward Island: 55 confirmed (including 47 resolved) Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved) Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved) Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) Nunavut: No confirmed cases Total: 136,659 (0 presumptive, 136,659 confirmed including 9,171 deaths, 120,431 resolved) 5:44 a.m.: Ontarios legislature returns for its fall session today, but with the COVID-19 pandemic still affecting daily life, the Progressive Conservative governments house leader says it will not be business as usual. Paul Calandra says the legislature will continue to respect public health rules while returning to its regular four-day-a-week schedule for proceedings. He says the government will be focused in the coming weeks on the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy, school reopenings, and the health-care system. Calandra says Ontarios 2020-2021 budget which was delayed by the pandemic will be delivered on November 15. The government is also expected to table a formal report on the state of emergency declared by the province earlier this year in response to the pandemic. Calandra says the government is also leaving itself leeway in the legislative schedule in case it needs to introduce additional legislation to address COVID-19 this fall. 5:41 a.m.: Infectious-disease specialists warn we could face a double whammy of COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter. Among those urging vigilance is Jeanne Marrazzo, a director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a physician researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The big concern this year, of course, is that we are going to see what could be a perfect storm, she said. We really cant be complacent about this. The difficulty is not just that flu and COVID-19 will be circulating at the same time, said John Zurlo, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Thomas Jefferson University. It is hard to tell one disease from the other. Both illnesses can be characterized by fever, aches, and shortness of breath. Among the few distinguishing features is the sudden loss of smell experienced by some COVID-19 patients. Flu can impair the sense of smell, too, but in that case the culprit is a stuffy nose, whereas in COVID-19 the reason is temporary damage to olfactory cells, Zurlo said. Monday 5:39 a.m.: The morning bell Monday marked the first entrance to the classroom for the children of Codogno, Italy, since February 21, when panicked parents were sent to pick up their children after the northern Italian town gained notoriety as the first in the West to record local transmission of the coronavirus. While the reopening of Italian schools marks an important step in a return to pre-lockdown routine, the step bears more symbolic weight in the 11 towns in Lombardy and Veneto that were the first to be sealed off as coronavirus red zones. Codogno Mayor Francesco Passerini said the town of 17,000 has had virtually no new cases for months now, but authorities are not being complacent. He said they have spared no effort in working with school administrators to provide maximum protection to the citys 3,500 students. Monday 4 a.m. Some Ontario school boards are delaying the start of virtual learning due to a growing demand for online education in the run-up to back-to-school. Three Toronto-area boards say theyve seen a surge in parents opting to keep their kids out of the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic in the eleventh hour, further complicating the already difficult task of co-ordinating classes. The Peel District School Board, for instance, says it had to push back live online classes because 10,000 students signed up for virtual learning in the past week. It says such classes will now start on Sept. 21 for elementary students and Sept. 22 for high schoolers a weeks delay so the board can wrangle more staff to account for the 64,000 students who are now learning from home. The Halton District School Board advised parents Friday that online learning will begin on Wednesday rather than Monday because of recent and increased demand for the remote option. That board says it working through a significant waitlist for virtual school and advised people who are currently attending in-person classes to continue doing so, as some virtual classes are full. Meanwhile on Thursday, the Toronto District School Board announced that while elementary students attending classes in-person will have a staggered start to the school year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, those doing online learning and most high school students will begin on Thursday. Click here to read Sundays COVID-19 coverage. Read more about: Already rejected in one Lehigh Valley township over COVID-19 concerns, a local GOP event featuring the McCloskeys, the couple facing charges after going viral over photos showing them aiming weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters in their St. Louis neighborhood, is now slated to be held in a Lower Saucon Township park pavilion instead. The Northampton County Republican Committee says Mark and Patricia McCloskey are scheduled to talk Thursday evening about the Second Amendment, rights to protect self and property, and drum up support for President Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election. These people are real, Gloria Lee Snover, who chairs the county party committee, told lehighvalleylive.com. They have an experience, they have a story to tell. The event will now be held in Lower Saucon Townships Town Hall Park pavilion from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It had originally been planned in Palmer Township on the same date and time, but that township last week rejected the event over fears the publicity would push the attendance beyond 250 people, the limit Pennsylvania has put on public gatherings during this stage of the coronavirus pandemic. A pair of Northampton County GOP Facebook posts last Friday blamed the rejection on radical progressive Democrats and cancel culture, but said it had a Plan B all along, which turned out to be Lower Saucon. In fact, Snover told lehighvalleylive.com that there was a Plan C ready in case their backup in Lower Saucon also fell through. You never know whats going to happen, she said. Lower Saucon received the GOPs pavilion application on Sept. 10, one day before Palmer Township publicly rejected the event. In the Lower Saucon application, the party committee estimated 100 people will attend. Snover said it may end up between 125 and 150, but added that she does not expect a crowd anywhere near the 250-person state-imposed limit. If the audience is larger than expected, Snover said people can spread out in the park. Lower Saucons township administrator, Leslie Huhn, said the application to use the pavilion was processed in the normal course of business. The matter does not appear on the township councils Wednesday meeting agenda and Huhn said she has seen no indication that it would be brought up. The McCloskeys made national headlines after a June standoff outside their St. Louis mansion, when the couple brandished an AR-15-style rifle and handgun at Black Lives Matter protesters who were marching to the mayors house nearby. The McCloskeys, both attorneys who were charged with felony weapons offenses for the confrontation, got prime time speaking roles during the Republican National Convention. (Nine protesters also have been cited for trespassing.) Northampton County is an especially important county in the 2020 presidential election, one that could tip Pennsylvanias crucial Electoral College votes go Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden. A century of election returns shows Northampton backing the winning national candidate all but three times. The county voted for President Barack Obama twice before flipping for Trump in 2016. The latest RealClearPolitics polling average for Pennsylvania shows Biden leading Trump by 4.3 percentage points. This is one in a series of stories that are part of Swing County, Swing State, a collaborative project between lehighvalleylive.com and nj.com that explores Northampton Countys critical role in the upcoming presidential election. The project is being generously supported in part by a $25,000 grant from The John Farmer Memorial Journalism Fund. Read more about it here. And please consider supporting ambitious local news like this with a subscription to lehighvalleylive.com. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts for the full episode. Last week, the Washington Posts Shane Harris was one of the very first people to get his hands on a Trump administration whistleblower report. The allegations, coming from Brian Murphy, who was the head of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security, are about how intelligence has been manipulated by DHSintelligence about immigration, election security, and domestic terrorism. To Harris, its quite striking to see such a top level officiala career national security guy who seemed pretty on board with the administrations law and order messagespeaking out. Advertisement On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Harris about what these latest allegations mean and why we shouldnt let ourselves go numb to all the evidence stacking up against Donald Trumps White House. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mary Harris: Can we tick off exactly whats in the complaint from Brian Murphy? Shane Harris: The most serious allegation comes from back in May, in which he says on two separate occasions he was told to essentially stand down from his office compiling any reports about Russias interference in the 2020 election. In one instance, he says that acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told him I dont want you writing any reports about Russian interference because it makes the president look bad. So this was specifically in order to help the president, he says. He says that Wolf told him, in addition to not reporting on Russia, I want you to spin up your focus on Iran and China and make more reports about their election interference. Advertisement Advertisement Murphy objected to this, saying essentially that what Russia is doing is in a category of its own. And what Iran and China are doing isnt the same thing. And if we try to tell the public Iran and China are the big threats to worry about, were going to be misleading the public on this very serious issue. And he says that he was told by Wolf that this order came directly from Robert OBrien, who is the White House national security adviser. So there hes alleging the White House is putting its thumb on the scale and trying to color the intelligence in a way that looks better for President Trump specifically. Hes really laying out a breadcrumb trail, saying, I heard this from this person. He heard this from that person. Go figure it out. Advertisement Exactly. Hes telling an investigator, These are people you should go talk to. And this is the date that it happened. And this theme here that hes laying out of the Trump administration trying to fudge, or color, or shade intelligence reports, that is the overall theme of all his allegations. Advertisement Advertisement Another one that he details from some time ago deals with pressure that he says was applied on the office to inflate the number of known suspected terroriststheyre called KSTs in the parlancethat were being detected crossing the border with Mexico in order to provide more justification for building the presidents border wall. The reality is that a handfulin the single digits probablyof these so-called KSTs are ever confirmed. The administration, he says, wanted to say that there were thousands of these known suspected terrorists, which is just so wildly inaccurate, according to people weve talked to. Advertisement Advertisement Wow. And on separate occasions, he was told to amplify, or put more information in, reports about far-left groups and antifa groups and their role in the protests that weve seen. So he says in this instance, Ken Cuccinelli tells him more or less to juke up the numbers and the language on antifa and tamp down the language on white supremacists and far-right groups, when we know that actually FBI and DHS and others have actually studied this and found the far-right extremists are more of a homeland security threat. And that antifa and far-left groups are not really driving these protests. So, he says again, here is the White House and the administration trying to color these reports in a way that fits the political argument that the president is out there making on the campaign trail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of what I think is interesting about the complaint is that it builds on itself. The complaint encompasses years of disagreements between Murphy and his bosses about what to say. It starts with these fine-grain details, and then it builds to what was going on this spring and summer where it sounds like the new leadership of the Department of Homeland Security came in and basically said, Listen, we need to not be talking about Russian intelligence threats to the election because thats going to be threatening to the president. And so in some ways, it creates a very strong narrative and you can see things getting more extreme. I dont know if you saw it that way. Advertisement Advertisement The president views the entire government as an apparatus that is supposed to be in service of him and helping him win an argument. Shane Harris I did. What he is alleging here is not an instance of behavior. Hes alleging a pattern of behavior that each one of these allegations is of a piece with the overall pressure that he says has been applied for years now by the administration to color intelligence and distort the facts to fit a political narrative and a political argument. And importantly, Brian Murphy, although he is a very senior witness to all of these alleged activities, is hardly the only one providing evidence of that. Just looking at Russian election interference in the past month or so, the director of national intelligence put out a statement talking about the threat from Russia, China, and Iran and immediately got opposition from Democrats and experts saying, Why are you putting all of these three countries together? Why are you conflating this in a way that makes it look like theyre all on the same playing field when Russia, we know, is the one thats actively trying to hurt Joe Biden and help Donald Trump and these other two countries are kind of in the realm of election security? Its clearly not the same. Why are you confusing people? Enter Brian Murphy saying, Hey, this was happening at my department, too. I saw it happening. I objected to it when it happened and now Im going to lay it all out in a story. Frankly, its quite breathtaking to hear this level of manipulation of intelligence, which is what hes essentially alleging. Advertisement Advertisement There may be some people who hear about this complaint and think, so what? Didnt we know this? After all weve seen over the summer, with how the Department of Homeland Security has been used when it comes to protests in Portland, when it comes to border securitywhy should we click in to these office struggles at DHS that seem to show us what we might feel like we already know? Advertisement Advertisement As somebody who reports on intelligence, Im highly aware of the very ugly history that this country has of abusing intelligence authorities and national security powers to political ends. The laws that we have in place now came out of the era of Watergate and the FBI spying on protesters in the Vietnam War and wiretapping Martin Luther Kingreal abuses of civil liberty and government power to constrain peoples First Amendment rights and in many cases to trample them. And so when we see allegations that a presidential administration is trying to manipulate information or use these national security authorities for political ends, that should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. This is precisely how we have tried to construct our intelligence community not to perform. The way that we have a strong national security apparatus in a free and open society is to have transparent regulation of that system and to have rules and boundaries that you cant cross. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It stood out to me that just a few days after your reporting into what happened here in the Department of Homeland Security, there was reporting that the administration has been interfering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their reporting about the coronavirus, which almost seemed like the same thing, transferred to another agency. And I wonder if you see those two reports as kind of companions in a way. I do, because I think that the president, who lies repeatedly, views the entire government as an apparatus that is supposed to be in service of him and helping him win an argument. And I think that you can view pressure on the CDC or the DHS or any other agency to change information, to color information, to take out inconvenient facts and put new facts in that help your argumentthats not just spin. What were talking about here is distortion and manipulation, and its just standard procedure in so many cases in this administration. I think people are kind of numb to that because they think all presidents lie and all administrations try to win an argument. But this is just qualitatively different. Youre talking about marching orders that have gone out to senior officials in government to manipulate official reporting down into the bowels of bureaucracies in a way that doesnt make the president look bad or that helps give him talking points. That is anathema to the way that the intelligence community is supposed to work. Certainly, its not what we think of when we talk about the president trying to preserve the public trust. This is turning government into almost essentially an arm of his campaign. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. A huge chunk of the Spalte glacier has broken off. (GEUS) A vast piece of ice measuring 42 square miles has broken off from an ice shelf in north-east Greenland and has now fragmented in the sea. It comes as experts warned that melting ice in Greenland could lead to widespread sea rises around the world. Satellite imagery shows that the ice separated from the last remaining ice shelf in the Arctic, 79N, or Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden. This ice chunk, called the Spalte glacier, has already fragmented. Experts have warned that the rapid melting affecting Greenlands ice is caused by climate change, according to a BBC report. Read more: Antarctic records hottest temperature ever Dr Jenny Turton, of Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany, told BBC News: The atmosphere in this region has warmed by about 3C since 1980. "And in 2019 and 2020, it saw record summer temperatures. Last year, the ice over the Arctic Ocean shrank back to an extent never seen before, or since weather satellites first took images. The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) said that the chunk of ice broke off following several unusually warm years. Greenland's glaciers have seen widespread melting. (Getty) Professor Jason Box, of GEUS, warned that the melting of 79N could lead to further collapses in Greenland. Box said: What makes 79N so important is the way it's attached to the interior ice sheet, and that means that one day if the climate warms as we expect this region will probably become one of the major centres of action for the deglaciation of Greenland. Read more: Scientists drill into mysterious lake buried 3,500 feet under Antarctica In 2019, experts warned that coasts could be swamped by regular floods by the end of this century, leaving up to 400 million people homeless, if Greenlands ice continued to melt. The figure was far higher than previous estimates, and is 40 million more than the numbers predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Last year, a study found that Greenland's ice is melting faster than expected, with researchers forecasting sea levels could rise 67 cm by 2100. Story continues Unless measures are taken, millions of people will be devastated by coastal floods, scientists have warned. Researchers found that the region has lost 3.8 trillion tonnes of ice since 1992, far higher than predicted. Specialist labs in France and Sweden have confirmed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, the German government said Monday. A German military laboratory previously confirmed the substance in his samples. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert also said that the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is taking steps to have samples from Navalny tested at its reference laboratories. Independently of the ongoing examinations by the OPCW, three laboratories have now confirmed independently of one another the proof of a nerve agent of the Novichok group as the cause of Mr. Navalnys poisoning, Seibert said in a statement. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent review of the German findings. German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took their own new samples. Navalny, the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on Aug. 20 on a domestic flight in Russia and is being treated at Berlins Charite hospital. Berlin has demanded that Russia investigate the case. Seibert on Monday renewed Germanys demand that Russia explain itself on the matter. He added that we are in close consultation with our European partners on further steps. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders for Russia to answer questions in the case, denying any official involvement and accusing the West of trying to smear Moscow. Russian authorities have prodded Germany to share the evidence that led it to conclude without doubt that Navalny was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group, the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels. Seibert wouldnt identify the specialist French and Swedish labs at a regular government news conference. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory, that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. Asked why no samples have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied that Mr. Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. There are samples from Mr. Navalny on the Russian side, she added. The Russian side is called on, even after three independent labs have established the result, to explain itself, and Russia has all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote, before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. The Charite hospital didnt immediately have an update on Navalnys condition Monday and it was not clear when it would next issue one. The coronavirus pandemic has emptied juvenile halls across the Bay Area, but spending on the facilities remains stubbornly high, spurring renewed debate over whether its time to shutter the jail-like facilities once and for all. In mid-August, about 220 teens were detained in the nine-county Bay Area, according to state data. Thats half the figure from the same period last year. In San Francisco, the number of youths in the 150-bed juvenile hall dropped as low as five one day this summer, according to probation officials, down from around 30 last August. Other Bay Area counties reported similar vacancy rates: San Mateo had 18 youths in a space built to hold 180; Alameda had 34 in a 358-bed facility. Todd Trumbull Based on the recent population in juvenile hall and its current budget, the annual cost to incarcerate a single youth could approach $2 million in San Francisco as staffing and spending remain mostly constant despite the dramatic decrease in young offenders. Other Bay Area counties are facing similar increases in per-youth spending as populations nosedive across the region. The trend has bolstered the belief among a growing number of policymakers and activists that the juvenile justice system should move more swiftly toward cheaper and more humane options. The hundreds of millions of dollars spent on mostly empty juvenile halls in California, they said, is a waste of taxpayer funds. We could house kids, we could educate kids and we could give them the best opportunities available, said Dan Macallair, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, an advocacy group based in San Francisco. But its all being sucked up by this bureaucratic structure. Probation officials believe new booking practices during the pandemic that limit detention to only the most serious offenders will stick, but it would be premature to downsize or shut down facilities due to the unprecedented conditions that caused juvenile halls to empty out. COVID created such a unique set of circumstances that its really hard to utilize that as a blueprint for what can be done moving forward, said San Mateo County Probation Chief John Keene. I think its premature for any of us to say, I think we can shut down the hall, or, We can cut services here or there. We really dont know yet. Plummeting crime About Vanishing Violence Violent crime by youths in California plummeted over the past two decades and arrests of juveniles for violent felonies fell dramatically. Juvenile halls that were expanded across the state stand mostly empty, while their costs per youth have skyrocketed. This Chronicle investigation examines this unexpected and largely unrecognized shift and its implications for criminal justice and society. Read all our reporting at sfchronicle.com/vanishingviolence. See More Collapse Over the past few decades, juvenile crime has plummeted across California and the rest of the country. Juvenile halls, built or expanded in recent years in response to a youth crime wave in the late 1980s and early 1990s, have instead sat mostly empty, entire wings shut down and dormant. Arrests of young people for serious and violent felonies a measure used by government agencies to track juvenile crime rates have fallen threefold since they peaked in 1994, even as the youth population has grown. San Francisco officials voted last year to close juvenile hall by the end of 2021 following The Chronicles yearlong Vanishing Violence investigation of juvenile crime rates and youth incarceration. San Mateo and Contra Costa are now also among the California counties looking at a similar course of action. When the pandemic hit, health officials urged communities to avoid placing individuals in group settings as much as possible, including jails, prisons and juvenile halls. Bookings dropped as most people were spending more time at home and police were making fewer arrests. Even when youth were brought to juvenile hall, probation officers and juvenile court judges detained as few as possible, said Brian Richart, president of the Chief Probation Officers of California. Theyve avoided locking up teens for low-level offenses or technical violations, such as breaking curfew or skipping school while on probation. In the past, probation and the courts would sometimes book teens into juvenile hall for short periods simply because they were being self-destructive habitually fighting with family members, using drugs or running away. The practice has become less common due to public health concerns, Richart said. The resulting decline of teens in custody has been staggering. Alameda County recently held just 33 youths in juvenile hall, down from 57 last August and 70 last September. We have never in the history of this county had 33 youth in detention, said Wendy Still, the countys probation chief. Ten years ago, when they built the new facility, they had over 320 youth in detention. Fears that public safety would suffer from the release of youth into the community have so far not panned out, Richart said. This shift away from incarceration has not resulted in chaos in the streets or a noticeable jump in delinquent behavior, and there has been little pushback from judges, prosecutors or victims rights groups. I dont think were going to see a return to pre-COVID booking rates when this is over, because we havent seen things get out of control, Richart said. Staggering costs But juvenile justice reformers say costs remain a significant issue. In San Francisco, there were just 11 to 14 young people in the citys juvenile hall during the month of August, according to weekly snapshot figures reported to the Board of State and Community Corrections. Yet there are 90 staff members assigned to the facility, including 73 counselors, two laundry workers, and 12 cooks and food workers. There are often more cooks in the kitchen at juvenile hall than kids, said San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen. This is just insane, she said. This is hard to justify under normal budget circumstances. In the middle of a pandemic, with close to a $2 billion hole in our budget, this is impossible to justify. The process to close juvenile hall by the end of 2021, as required by unanimously approved legislation, stalled earlier this year because of the pandemic. The urgency to meet that deadline remains, Ronen said. As far as Im concerned, we have no intention of changing the timeline, she said. Currently, San Francisco has budgeted $16.2 million this year for juvenile hall operations, but city money also flows into the facility from other sources, including nearly $240,000 to pay for 1.5 library staff members and $43,000 in materials and $1.4 million on cultural and community programs, like yoga, meditation and arts. All told, including all revenue sources from various departments, the city has budgeted $23.5 million for juvenile hall, which is the equivalent of nearly $2 million annually for each incarcerated juvenile based on the current population count. Its totally overblown and overstaffed, said Margaret Brodkin, a member of the citys Juvenile Probation Commission. Its all about jobs. Everybody knows it. Youth advocates believe juvenile hall staff could be trimmed by leaving positions open as people retire and by moving employees to other city departments, avoiding layoffs. Reassigning staff to match the shrinking population, however, can be challenging. The pandemic has forced probation officials to house teens across various units to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which requires a certain level of staffing, said Juvenile Probation Chief Katy Miller. We need to follow state and federal laws around the number of people staffing a unit, whether we have one kid or 20 kids, she said. So while the number of youths held has dropped, staffing has not. Following S.F.s lead 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. Across the Bay Area, the skyrocketing costs of maintaining nearly empty juvenile halls has pushed elected officials to consider following San Franciscos lead in closing, shrinking or repurposing juvenile hall. In Contra Costa County, District Attorney Diana Becton has long looked at juvenile justice reform, back to when she was a judge, frustrated by the lack of rehabilitative programs or other options besides a cell for young people. They dont have to be there, she said. We have to begin to think there has to be something else. Becton formed a task force in early August, to identify a process to close juvenile hall. The effort should wrap up by the end of the year, with a recommendation to close the facility presented to the Board of Supervisors in January, she said. San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa wants his county to look at the bottom line as well. There have been around 20 youths in the juvenile hall and camp in recent weeks, according to state data. If those numbers remain that low and the county continues to spend the same amount on the facility, it could end up costing taxpayers around $1 million annually to detain each youth, Canepa said. Were in a pandemic here, he said. Counties are going to have to make tough decisions on their budget and seriously, if were going to make these tough decisions, why not look at the easiest solutions. The hall, he said, could be turned into a center for nonprofits to help young people address mental health, trauma, substance abuse and other issues. Get rid of the bars, get rid of the jail atmosphere, he said. I think it would be a transformative place for our youth. San Mateo County Probation reduced its overall budget by about $8 million during the last budget cycle, Chief John Keene said, though its unclear how much of that came out of the juvenile hall and camp, which continue to eat up roughly $20 million annually. For some reason in the juvenile justice system, when the number of young people goes down, theres no pressure to rightsize, said Nicole Lee, executive director of Oaklands Urban Peace Movement, which has fought against expanding camps and detention centers in the Bay Area. Return to normal? Yet even as some counties consider shutting down juvenile hall, others question whether these pandemic-fueled population declines will last once life returns to normal. In San Francisco, the number of juvenile cases referred to the district attorneys office declined 67% from March to June compared to last year, Miller said. Few young people have been on public transit while malls and stores havent been open, she said. These are locations often subject to criminal activity among youth. People just havent been out, Miller said. I just think we have to consider the factors of the current moment. In addition, the governor is expected to sign legislation in the coming days that would phase out state youth prisons, with counties required to stop sending young people to the facilities starting next July and instead house them locally likely in juvenile halls. The roughly 800 people aged 16 to 25 currently in the youth prisons would continue to serve out their time there and wouldnt be returned to the counties. The idea, said state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, who authored the measure, was to close the state facilities, giving local communities more flexibility to meet the needs of the youth closer to home. Its just a handful (of juveniles) from each county, Skinner said. For the Bay Area, for example, we may need a single secure facility. If our counties were smart and they would come together, that would save them a lot of money and provide better support and programming for the kids. Editors note: This story has been updated to provide more context for the nearly $2 million annual cost per youth figure for San Franciscos juvenile hall. It is based on a recent population count and its current budget. Jill Tucker and Joaquin Palomino are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, jpalomino@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker, @joaquinpalomino Republicans in the Oregon legislature are accusing Democrats of sanctioning lawlessness after the arrest of a top aide to the Democratic Oregon House speaker this month during protests that devolved into riots in downtown Portland. Kristina Narayan, who serves as legislative director for Oregon House Speaker Representative Tina Kotek, was arrested late at night on Saturday, September 5 and charged with interfering with a police officer after Portland Police declared a riot. Kristina Narayan was arrested for Interfering with a Police Officer after the event became a riot and the crowd was given multiple orders to disperse, which she did not do, a Portland police department spokesperson said. Narayan, 29, has worked for Kotek since September, 2016 and has served as the House speakers legislative director since May, 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile. Republican state lawmakers in Oregon criticized their colleagues across the aisle for declining to denounce the ongoing nightly violence wracking Portland, and accused Democratic lawmakers of protecting their staffers and supporters who participate in the riots. The Democrat supermajority in Oregon have had instances where their publicly-employed staff have been involved in the violent riots and looting in downtown Portland, said GOP state Senator Dennis Linthicum, who represents the southeast city of Klamath Falls. Knowing this, it becomes obvious why Democrats in Oregon and across the nation have not stood up for law enforcement and condemned the lawlessness in the streets because within these Democrat-controlled cities they would be alienating their own staff members who are participating in the riots, Linthicum said. Republican Oregon Senator Alan Olsen agreed, adding that Democratic lawmakers in the state despise the very police protecting them. Oregon Democrats are the party of lawlessness because instead of denouncing the violence, they largely have remained silent. The top Democrat leaders are protected by the police but despise and have absolute animosity towards them, said Olsen, who represents Canby, a city just south of Portland. Story continues Its obvious that Oregon Democrats are protecting their own extremist staffers and supporters over innocent Oregonians who are the collateral damage of over 100 days of violence, Olsen added. Narayans arrest came a week after pro-Trump demonstrator Aaron Danielson was fatally shot in the chest during clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and a caravan of pro-Trump demonstrators who drove through the streets of downtown Portland. Two days later, Portland Police declared a riot after about 200 demonstrators marched to Mayor Ted Wheelers residence to demand that he resign as violent demonstrations continue to rock the city. Koteks office did not respond to a request for comment. More from National Review Natalie Portman is set to wield the mythical hammer in the next film Thor film, set for release in 2022. But that doesn't mean Chris Hemsworth, 37, will be stepping away from the action hero role which made him a global megastar. Speaking to Poland's Elle Man this month, Chris confirmed he won't be retiring his famous character after Thor: Love and Thunder. Is this his last Thor film? Hollywood actor Chris Hemsworth, 37, has set the record straight on rumours he is leaving the Marvel superhero role Are you crazy?! I'm not going into any retirement period,' he said. 'Thor is far too young for that. He's only 1,500 years old. It's definitely not a film that I say goodbye to this brand. At least I hope so.' Not going anywhere! Speaking to Poland's Elle Man this month, Chris confirmed he won't be retiring his famous character after Thor: Love and Thunder, set for release in 2022 Thor: Love and Thunder has already started production in Australia and Oscar winner Natalie Portion landed Down Under earlier this month to start filming the movie. Chris said he expected the film's script would be a huge hit with fans while speaking with the Philadelphia Inquirer in April this year. 'It's one of the best scripts I've read in years,' he told the publication. 'It's [director] Taika [Waititi] at his most extreme, and at his best. If the version I read is the one we get running with, it's going to be pretty insane.' The movie, the fourth in the action franchise, reunites Hemsworth with Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman, and also features Christian Bale. Natalie will be playing The Mighty Thor in the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie. Female lead: Natalie Portman will be playing The Mighty Thor in the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie. She arrived in Australia earlier this month to film the installment. Here: September, 2018 The actress revealed at San Diego Comic-Con last year that she will return as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder. Meanwhile, before production began Australian-born Chris said he had been adjusting to the slower pace of life during the coronavirus pandemic. Relaxed: Chris has been adjusting to a slower pace of life while riding out the pandemic at his Byron Bay home The Hollywood actor told the same publication he had wanted to dive into the 'stillness' for many years, which the pandemic has allowed him to. 'Not to diminish by any means the challenges that are occurring, the absolute uncertainty, the anxiety that is happening in the world, but me personally, and to that question, it's (created) a forced sort of meditation and forced sort of stillness that I haven't been able to dive into like I've wanted to for many years,' he said. Jared Kushner said it was 'disgusting' that the coronavirus crisis has become politicized, though championed his boss and father-in-law's response. 'I just think it's absolutely disgusting that a lot of politicians are going out there criticizing, trying to politicize a pandemic,' Kushner said Sunday night on Fox News Channel's 'The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton.' 'We just had the anniversary of 9/11, people did not politicize that crisis.' The top White House aide and presidential son-in-law said after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, 'we came together as a country.' White House aide and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner said it was 'disgusting' that the coronavirus pandemic has been politicized, though criticized Joe Biden over the course of his Sunday night Fox News Channel interview 'President Trump has continued to lead, continued to do the right thing,' Kushner continued. 'But it's very sad for me to see how a lot of these politicians have tried to politicize this. But that's just what they do.' Kushner used the opportunity to attack President Donald Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, who he pointed out has been in politics for 'almost half a century.' 'In Washington, D.C. - I'm not from Washington - but there's more than enough hypocrisy to go around,' Kushner said. 'They're very quick to criticize, but very slow to provide actual solutions,' he added. Biden has come under scrutiny for not having pushed out a concrete plan to deal with the virus in the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis. His campaign has pushed back and pointed out that he wasn't getting briefed like Trump. The president revealed to journalist Bob Woodward in early February that he knew how deadly and contagious COVID-19 was. In mid-March, he said he purposely was downplaying it, in order to prevent a 'panic.' The tapes of his interviews with Woodward have become politically problematic for Trump since being released Thursday. Kushner said Trump's response to the virus was to jump to action. And he gave his father-in-law credit for preventing the country from being in a 'much worse position.' On Sunday night in Nevada, President Donald Trump hosted his first indoor campaign rally since the disastrous Tulsa rally in June 'They said we would have shortages on the frontline workers' PPE, they said we were going to have people dying because they weren't in ventilators,' Kushner told Hilton. 'That didn't happen.' Kushner also said that vaccine development was happening under Trump 'faster than anyone thought possible.' The reality of Trump's coronavirus response is more complicated because at times Trump, himself, has been an unwilling participant. On Sunday night, as his son-in-law was praising his performance, the president was holding an indoor campaign rally in Nevada against local officials' wishes, where his supporters were not social distancing nor broadly wearing masks. For months the president has been resistant to mask-wearing and he's also pushed states to open quickly, resulting in new spikes in coronavirus cases. Tech has reported 633 coronavirus cases since early August, with 212 students and seven employees reporting positive within the last seven days, according to university data on Friday. My commitment, and I said this to my leadership team, is once were in, were committed, Sands said. Sands and other university officials on Friday afternoon fielded questions from students that touched on testing, the universitys dashboard data and student conduct violations. Sands chortled after Maruf Hoque, president of the Graduate Student Assembly, raised the question of a lot of rumors going around claiming that Tech would close shortly after tuition refund deadlines pass. Ive heard that rumor many times, Sands said. For the most part, we are set up to be in community as learners. We have been so insistent on having an in-person component, not because we want to gather peoples tuition dollars or room and board dollars or whatever it may be. Its really about doing what we do. Robin L Marshall/Getty Andrew Gillum, who ran for governor of Florida in 2018, says he is bisexual. I dont identify as gay but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that Ive never shared publicly before, the Democrat said on The Tamron Hall Show Monday. Its the first time that Gillum has addressed his sexuality since March, when he was found with two men in a Miami Beach hotel room by police called to a suspected overdose. The former Tallahassee mayor appeared on the show with his wife, R. Jai, who said she believes sexuality exists on a spectrum and that all she cares about is what agreement she and her husband have. The bombshell emerged from the politicians first major interview since March, when Gillum announced he would voluntarily enter a rehab facility two days after the hotel incident. According to the Miami Beach Police Department report obtained by The Daily Beast, two officers responded to reports of cardiac distress at a Mondrian South Beach hotel room at around 1 a.m. on March 13, when they found Miami Beach Fire-Rescue already on the scene and treating Travis Dyson, 30, for a possible drug overdose. Aldo Mejias, who initially called police, later said that he arrived at the hotel room shortly after 11 p.m., where he discovered Dyson and Andrew Gillum inside the room under the influence of an unknown substance, the report states. Mejias said Dyson opened the door but immediately collapsed in a prone position near the bed and started to vomit, the report says. Gillum, 40, was reportedly seen inside the bathroom vomiting. When Dyson, a reputed escort, started having trouble breathing, Mejias, 56, said he started to perform CPR and called authorities. Inside of the hotel room, officers observed in plain sight three small clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth on both the bed and floor, the report says. Dyson, who was in stable condition, was later transported to Mount Sinai for further medical treatment, the report states. At the time, Gillum said he had been in Miami for a wedding celebration when fire responders were called to assist one of my friends. Story continues While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement, Gillum said in a statement to The Daily Beast at the time. Two days later, Gillum announced he was going to rehab, calling the hotel incident a wake-up call. He also admitted in March that after losing the governors race in 2018 to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than 34,000 votes, he fell into a depression that led to alcohol abusesomething his father also suffered from. During his interview with Hall, Gillum also addressed photos taken inside the Miami hotel room apparently showing him naked and lying in his own vomit. When that photo came out, I didnt recognize the person on the floor, he said. I would say the reason why I went to that room is probably no different than how anybody might communicate with someone that they are in a friendship, relationship, whatever, with. I understand very well what people assume about that. 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. Large-scale COVID-19 vaccine injections not needed as domestic pandemic curbed: CDC director Global Times By Fan Anqi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 21:37:36 As China has already curbed the coronavirus contagion, a COVID-19 vaccine could be injected sparingly rather than on a large-scale, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Experts remind that while vaccines are useful, the public should remain on high alert for any potential resurgence. While COVID-19 vaccines are making major breakthroughs both abroad and domestically, there is no need to carry out large-scale injections, given that pandemic infections in China have been brought under control, Director of the CDC Gao Fu said at a vaccine summit held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Saturday. Instead, Gao suggested that the vaccines could be injected sparingly, prioritizing those most in need, such as people working overseas in countries where the contagion risks are high, or medical staff working closely with coronavirus related issues, China News reported on Sunday. As a medical researcher himself, Gao was injected with an experimental COVID-19 vaccine in late July, a move that was intended to enhance the public's confidence in vaccines amid spreading sentiment against immunizations. People engaged in public service sectors such as catering, public security, and cleaning, as well as government officials and school staff are also recommended for vaccine injections, Gao noted. When asked about the cost of the vaccine, Gao explained that although he would like to see them provided to the public for free, the government must take into consideration the balance between its fiscal capacity and the actual needs for epidemic prevention and control. In response to concerns over possible antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) effects brought by vaccination, which could lead to failures in people's immune response systems and cause the disease to worsen instead of being cured, Gao said that he holds a cautious but optimistic attitude towards the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. "Since there has never been a COVID-19 vaccine developed before, which makes this case the very first in science, it is possible that it may induce ADE effects as any other firsts we will possibly face," he said. Experts said that while vaccines are useful in facing the long-term battle against COVID-19, the public should always remain on high alert for any potential resurgence of the pandemic. "Cutting off the viral transmission by washing hands, wearing protective masks, and keeping social distance are always the most effective measures against viral infections," Wang Guangfa, a leading Chinese respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday. Wang pointed out that unlike influenza, which usually sees high incidences in winter, the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus remains high throughout the next 2-3 years, and people should prepare themselves for co-existence with the disease for a long period of time. "But chances of another pandemic outbreak in China are small, as long as epidemic monitoring and management systems remain on high alert to detect and deal with potential dangers in a timely manner," noted Wang. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A house being filmed for Grand Designs Australia has tragically been burnt just 3 weeks before its owners planned to move in. The house owned by architects Marc and Felicity Bernstein is a low budget, sustainable house built on a reclaimed junk yard next to a railway line in Melbournes Coburg. Producers Fremantle and host Peter Maddison have been following the build for 3 years. But disaster struck last Friday when a blow torch flame licked the homes insulation, with the fire racing up the internal lining of the house. Eight fire trucks attended the site pumping over 30,000 litres of water into the structure. Despite the fire seemingly out by the end of the day, it flared up again at 2am and 6am. Amazingly, the first call the owners made after the fire brigade was to Grand Designs. Host Peter Maddison and producer Mark Hanlin also attended the scene to witness drama they had certainly not anticipated. But the young family, who have been living in a campervan for the last two years while they build the house, are already facing the monumental challenge head on with a new target of Christmas. They are obviously trying to cope with a lot at the moment but they hope they can rebuild the house, Brooke Bayvel, Supervising Executive Producer told TV Tonight. Grand Designs Australia celebrates 10 years since its debut this October. Its very first episode, Calignee House showcased a house that was destroyed by Black Saturday bushfires and was rebuilt exactly as it had been before the fire. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz officially backed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, sending out a note to former supporters Monday morning. Schultz had briefly thought about running for president as an independent, but came to the conclusion that he might play 'spoiler' and help re-elect President Donald Trump. 'In my view, our choice this November is not just for one candidate over another. We are choosing to vote for the future of our republic,' Schultz wrote, according to Fox Business. 'What is at risk is democracy itself: Checks and balances. Rigorous debate. A free press. An acceptance of facts, not "alternate facts." Belief in science. Trust in the rule of law.' Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Monday that he was officially backing Democrat Joe Biden, writing that this year's election was about 'choosing to vote for the future of our republic' Joe Biden, speaking Monday about climate change in Wilmington, Delaware, has attracted the support of a number of billionaires including Schultz, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, all who are using their cash to help him win the election over President Donald Trump Schultz referenced Trump's statements to his supporters, sowing doubt about the legitimacy of mail-in voting, something Democats have pushed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The ex-coffee boss wrote that it's 'essential that Americans turn out to vote, that every American is able to vote safely, whether by mail or in person, and that every vote is counted.' 'It would be a grave miscalculation to think this election is secured for a Biden victory,' Schultz added. Schultz, whose estimated worth is more than $4 billion, said he was 'supporting nonpartisan initiatives to defend the legitimacy of our elections and ensure that the winner is not declared in the presidential contest until all votes are tallied.' His commitment to the Democratic hopeful follows the announcement that Michael Bloomberg, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat ex-New York City mayor who briefly ran for president earlier this year, will toss at least $100 million in cash toward Biden flipping Florida. The Sunshine State was among the handful of states that had voted for President Barack Obama and then won the Electoral College for Trump. And in May, Biden scored the commitment of $45 million from Democrat Tom Steyer's NextGen America group, according to U.S. New & World Report. Those funds have been more recently tailored to go toward helping young voters understand the mail-in balloting process. Steyer, like Schultz, came from the business world, though decided to actually run for president. He spent $200 million of his own money to launch a bid that saw him drop out after the South Carolina primary in late February, putting his weight behind Biden. Oil markets were paralyzed on Thursday by uncertainty over exactly when global fuel demand will rebound from a pandemic-driven collapse. Some of the worlds largest oil suppliers are painting a bleak picture for crude demand, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cutting the demand estimate for its oil by 1.1 million barrels a day and BP Plc saying the relentless growth in oil demand is over. But U.S. stock markets gained, signaling that investors may have a higher appetite for risk, which helps support oil prices. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery was virtually unchanged, falling 7 cents to settle at $37.33 a barrel in New York. PREVIOUSLY: Oil suffers consecutive weekly loss as demand recovery wavers Theres no demand for crude oil and theres plenty of supply if you actually needed it,said Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA. Thats the killer here. Trafigura Group expects the market to return to surplus. Meanwhile, Citigroup Inc. analysts expect global refinery utilization may stay around 75% until early 2021 to clear the ongoing surplus in gasoline and distillate inventories. Oil has erased much of its gains from the summer as the coronavirus pandemic surges worldwide, clouding the outlook for a sustained demand rebound as global virus cases top 29 million. Nigerias crude, often viewed as a bellwether for the wider global oil market, is again selling slowly as traders report lackluster demand for the grades. On the supply side, compliance with OPEC+ output cuts may be an issue during talks this week after new signs of exporters reneging on the deal. The sentiment has shifted from positive to negative, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS Group AG in Zurich. Concerns on a stalling oil demand recovery and concerns of cheating OPEC members have been a drag on oil prices. The oil demand recovery is still taking place -- its just uneven. FUEL FIX: Get our energy news in your inbox each weekday. A widening contango in Brent crude is also heightening concerns about over-supply. Iraq has cut pricing for all of its crude grades to Asia and the U.S. for October following similar curbs by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers as demand stalls. Even BPs most bullish scenario sees demand no better than broadly flat for the next two decades as the energy transition shifts the world away from fossil fuels, according to a report from the company. Vitol Group, however, predicts there will be 10 years of growth before a steady decline. In the U.S., Gulf Coast oil producers and refineries have begun preparing for Hurricane Sally. Phillips 66 has started a shutdown of its Alliance refinery in Louisiana and Royal Dutch Shell Plc has curtailed operations at three Gulf of Mexico platforms. This is a storm where youre more worried about flooding from rain, said Michael Hiley, head of over-the-counter energy trading at New York-based LPS Futures. Still lots of tropical activity, but I dont know if its enough to jack up crude prices. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. by Shafique Khokhar Civil society organisations demand that the government take concrete measures to defend women's rights and against a mindset that blames the victim. Lahore (AsiaNews) Sana, 30, a Pakistani woman with French nationality, who lives at Lahores Defence Housing Society, was stranded on the highway with her two children at around 1 pm after her car ran out of gas. Whilst asking for help, two men approached her and took her and her children (under eight years old) to a nearby field where she was raped. Lahore's Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Shaikh CCPO was tasked with investigating the case. Speaking to the media, he criticised the woman, saying she should have taken a different, less deserted route and checked that her gas tank was full before embarking on the journey. In a video message Ms Sana said that last Thursday she was driving from Lahore to Gujranwala with her two children when the car stopped on the highway after running out of fuel. I called the police for help. Whilst waiting, some men broke my car window, dragged me and my children into a field, and raped me several times in front of my children. They also stole my jewellery, cash and credit cards. She added that "police investigator Umar Sheikh blames me for the rape because I travelled alone without a male figure. Other than that, this is the story of another Pakistani woman and countless Pakistani women who have experienced extreme sexual violence and have been accused of it, forced into silence as society continues to close its eyes on what is happening ". Following the incident, scores of women across Pakistan protested against Sana's rape on the Lahore-Sialkot highway and the CCPOs statement. In Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Hyderabad, everywhere, people are calling for his resignation. On Saturday, the Peace and Development Organisation (PDO) and the Siasi Ortein (Political Women) held a large-scale rally at the Karachi Press Club with hundreds of women protesting against this heart-breaking incident on the Gujranwala-Lahore highway. PDO president Safina Javed, a Christian woman who defends human rights, strongly condemned the brutal act, saying that the Pakistani government must take strong action against the rising number of incidents against women and children. It was really shocking news, Safina noted. We have all heard about the CCPO; he must be suspended for his typical and narrow mindset. Instead of standing by the innocent woman, he supported the criminals. All the laws made recently have undermined women. We ask that some strict laws be made in favour of women so that we can feel safe wherever we go. The Women Democratic Front, the Women 'Action Forum, Besharam Banghi Tehreek, Tehrik-e-Niswaan, Siasi Aurtain, Aurat March, the Inter University Feminist Union along with the Peace and Development Organisation issued a statement after the protest: End all violence against women, [and] trans women by patriarchal forces, including the procedures supported by the state. the government should take positive steps to uphold our rights and ensure justice when those rights are violated; the Lahore CCPO and any public official who does not recognise our rights, perpetuating the culture that blames the victims, should be called to answer; radical structural and procedural reform are called for in all government institutions to ensure they respect our rights and reflect our core interests; the Pakistani criminal justice system should conduct effective and transparent investigations into gender crimes and act fairly and rapidly. BALTIMORE, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CULTA , Maryland's top producer of craft cannabis and extracts, is the exclusive cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution partner in Maryland for Cookies, the leading lifestyle and cannabis brand in North America. The two brands are celebrating their tenth product release, featuring new strain Sticky Buns and a restock of classic strains like Cereal Milk, Gary Payton, London Pound Cake #75 and Cake Mix. The strains will be available to Maryland medical cannabis patients on September 18, 2020, at 10 a.m., through CULTA's online menu at www.Culta.io and at CULTA's flagship store, located at 215 Key Highway, Baltimore, Md., 21230. The product release or "drop" marks the tenth event in which CULTA's curated selection of Cookies strains have been released to the Maryland cannabis market. CULTA will celebrate the special occasion with free giveaways, such as coolers, backpacks, and t-shirts, totaling $2K and a special appearance by the Cookies strain breeder known as Powerzzzup. "Ten drops in and we could not be happier with CULTA and the way they represent the Cookies brand as our only partner on the East Coast. We look forward to expanding this relationship and announcing some exciting developments very soon," said Cookies President Parker Berling. "Our tenth drop is the culmination of hard work from many talented teams. I am indebted to Berner and Parker, the entire Cookies family, our wholesale partners, employees, and patients," said CULTA President, CEO and co-founder Mackie Barch. "Thank you for continuing to support our new product releases." In addition to CULTA's retail location, it has expanded inventory to other dispensaries, ensuring wider access to the Cookies brand. "Throughout Maryland, our top accounts are receiving regular distribution of Cookies' flower and concentrates. CULTA's passion for quality and the Cookies brand name allows dispensaries to provide a consistent, connoisseur product to their patients," said CULTA Director of Sales Jared Miller. CULTA's tenth drop follows a string of newsworthy stories this year. A Clean Green certificate , the largest and most award-winning cannabis certification program in the world, was awarded to CULTA for its environmentally friendly agricultural process, which uses only natural-based products. As reported by the Baltimore Business Journal , CULTA invested $6M in technology and farming resources to expand its outdoor footprint from one to three acres, and is believed to be the largest legal outdoor cultivation east of the Mississippi. ABOUT COOKIES Cookies was founded in 2012 by Berner, the prolific Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur, and his partner Jigga, Bay Area cultivator and breeder. The combination of new genetics, the internet, music and being one of the first companies to establish an identity and streetwear company based on the brand represents a priceless time that may never come back. With the music industry backing Cookies and social media and Youtube vlogs documenting the growth of Cookies and breeding projects, the community was able to take that ride with the brand which build a grassroots cult following. Today, Cookies is one of the most respected and top-selling cannabis brands in California and is globally recognized, amassing a stable of over 50 cannabis varieties and product lines including indoor, outdoor and sun-grown flower, pre-rolls, gel caps and vape carts. With two flagship Cookies stores in Los Angeles on Melrose and Maywood and a third location in Redding, Cookies' overall vertical integration and seed to sale business allows for complete quality control at every step from cultivation and production to retail experience. In 2015, the brand's hip-hop credibility effortlessly expanded Cookies into streetwear and today offers a range of products for both men and women in the apparel and accessories categories as well as a curated selection of smoking supplies. To learn more, please visit www.CookiesCalifornia.com . ABOUT CULTA Born in 2015, CULTA is Maryland's premier craft quality producer of cannabis flower and cannabis extracts. We are proud and passionate cultivators, scientists, activists, musicians and global citizens. We believe in the power of cannabis to heal and for cannabis to be the catalyst to a long overdue conversation on ending the war on drugs. For many who have quietly battled chronic conditions with cannabis, it is more than a plant, it's lifesaving medicine and a lifestyle. To learn more, please visit www.Culta.io . MEDIA CONTACT Renier Fee [email protected] www.Culta.io SOURCE Culta LLC Related Links https://culta.io Intensive care consultant Dr Catherine Motherway has warned that there cannot be a return to the packed pubs of the past. While there was a need to return to some sort of normal, uncontrolled groups in indoor settings was a worry she told RTE radios Morning Ireland. The consultant, who is past president of the Intensive Care Society, said she would prefer to see people gathering in a controlled manner in small groups. The level of intensive care beds in the country remained an issue of concern, she added and any expansion in such numbers would be welcome in the national plan due to be announced on Tuesday. The rise in the numbers of people contracting Covid-19 in recent weeks had been predominantly among younger people who did not need same levels of hospitalisation, which was good, she said, but there remained the fear that the virus could spread in the community to more vulnerable people. Dr Motherway said that while the vulnerable have gotten better at protecting themselves, there remained a risk. She said that she hoped that as numbers rise people would be more careful. The survival rate in Ireland's intensive care units for Covid-19 patients was good, she said, 79%, which compared well internationally. Read More Sub-committee to finalise new plans for living alongside coronavirus Dr Motherway said she was confident that the HSE was committed to improving intensive care bed capacity, but the lack of ICU beds was one of the reasons why there had been such a severe and prolonged lockdown. The consultant, who is based at University Hospital Limerick where she has not seen a Covid-19 case in the intensive care unit for some time, called on people to gather in a controlled manner, it was uncontrolled indoor gatherings that were the problem, she said. While we needed to get back to some sort of normal life, it was not going to be the same as before, there could not be a return to packed pubs, she said. Pubs that do not serve food are due to open again on September 21. Last night, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said that if Dublin pubs are not allowed to open on that date it would completely destroy any trust publicans have in the Governments management of this crisis. Chief Executive Donall OKeeffe said: The mixed messages coming from NPHET and the Government is really adding to the uncertainty facing the publicans, their staff, suppliers and all the families involved. They feel like the ground keeps shifting around them. This is not the way a crisis should be managed. The LVA said another delay would be the fourth one, with the non food pubs in Dublin having previously been preparing to reopen on the 20th July, 10th August and 31st August. Chief Executive Donall OKeeffe said: The mixed messages coming from NPHET and the Government is really adding to the uncertainty facing the publicans, their staff, suppliers and all the families involved. They feel like the ground keeps shifting around them. This is not the way a crisis should be managed. BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- After a China-Europe cargo train left east China's Jinhua city for Baku in Azerbaijan on Thursday, an inbound train carrying 50 containers of polyethylene arrived in the coastal city of Xiamen the next day. With the new Jinhua-Baku route, the number of China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train routes starting in Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province, has increased to 12. The train from Russia's Tobolsk was the first return train fully loaded with bonded cargo to Xiamen, Fujian Province. As the coronavirus pandemic severely hits international transport, the China-Europe freight trains play a pivotal role in land transport among countries, as shown by the rising number of trains, opening of new routes, and the volume of goods. The China-Europe freight trains, first launched in 2011 in the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, are running more frequently than ever this year ensuring trade and transport of epidemic prevention materials in both directions. They have been an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013. By the end of July, the China-Europe cargo train service had delivered 39,000 tonnes of goods for epidemic prevention, providing strong support to international COVID-19 control efforts, data from the China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. showed. The number of China-Europe freight trains hit a record high of 1,247 in August, up 62 percent year on year, transporting 113,000 TEUs of goods, an increase of 66 percent. Outbound trains carry goods like daily necessities, equipment, medical supplies and vehicles while inbound trains transport milk powder, wine and automobile parts among other products. By Aug. 20, Xi'an, a major city on the Silk Road Economic Belt, had launched 2,305 freight trains this year, transporting a total of 1.79 million tonnes of goods, 1.9 times and 1.8 times the number and volume respectively of the same period last year. Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province, has 15 international trunk freight train lines, covering 45 countries and regions in central Asia, western Asia and Europe. During the epidemic, the China-Europe freight train service showed how it could promote win-win situation that would be mutually beneficial. It also highlighted the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits embodied by the Belt and Road Initiative, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday. The China-Europe freight train has not only delivered to European countries anti-epidemic materials and daily necessities that are in short supply, but also shipped a large number of quality foreign products to China. "This is conducive to the resumption of production and the rapid economic restart of countries along the Belt and Road, providing a strong impetus to the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and bringing new opportunities for the recovery and development of the global economy," Zhao said. A number of Chinese provinces and regions have reported growth in foreign trade with Belt and Road countries. The China-Europe trains have accelerated the city's opening up, said Li Mingyuan, mayor of Xi'an. In the first half of this year, Xi'an's foreign trade grew 2.9 percent to reach 166.15 billion yuan (about 24.3 billion U.S. dollars). In the first seven months, central China's Henan Province saw its trade with Belt and Road countries increase by 28.8 percent year on year to reach 76 billion yuan. Trade between the eastern province of Shandong and countries along the Belt and Road hit 346.3 billion yuan, up 5.5 percent year on year, accounting for 30.4 percent of the province's total foreign trade. "Good connectivity is a hugely important factor facilitating growth in international trade. We believe that much of China's experience in terms of improving connectivity can be replicated elsewhere, to the benefit of trade, companies and local economies," said Jens Eskelund, vice chairman of European Chamber of Commerce in China and managing director of Maersk China Limited. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, from January to July, the non-financial direct investment of Chinese companies in countries along the Belt and Road reached 10.27 billion U.S. dollars, up 28.9 percent year on year. Three Bethlehem Area School District schools reported COVID-19 cases this weekend, although the schools will remain open, according to alerts sent home to parents in each of the schools. On Sunday, the district was notified of a case at Liberty High School and a case at both Thomas Jefferson and Governor Wolf elementary schools. The district reported its first case at Donegan Elementary School on Sept. 2. After consulting with local public health officials, school officials determined there is no need to close the schools at this time. The classroom and spaces used by the individual will be closed off, cleaned and disinfected according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Anyone who may have come in close contact -- defined as within six-feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes -- will be contacted directly by the Bethlehem Health Bureau and/or district health services staff with instructions to self-quarantine. Monday is a virtual learning day for all district students. Bethlehem has a COVID-19 dashboard on its website, although the three new cases are not yet reflected. Students and parents with concerns should contact district Supervisor of Health Services Dr. Kim Brannan at kzsitekbrannan@basdschools.org. Staff should contact Carole Hall at chall@basdschools.org. On Thursday, St. Lukes University Health Network announced a partnership with Bethlehem Area School District to provide expedited medical evaluations and priority processing of COVID-19 testing. A handful of Lehigh Valley schools have reported cases since schools reopened in late August. Editors note: This story has been updated Monday to reflect a case at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Turnover of trade 2021, November Published: 14 September 2020 Turnover in trade started to grow in July According to Statistics Finland, turnover in total trade adjusted for working days rose in July by 1.1 per cent from July 2019. Over the same time period, the working day adjusted volume of sales, from which the impact of prices has been eliminated, increased by 2.8 per cent. Turnover grew in July in all sectors of trade apart from wholesale trade. In retail trade, the growth continued steady and the development of motor vehicle trade also turned positive. Annual change in working day adjusted turnover and sales volume in total trade (G), % As in the previous months, working day adjusted turnover in wholesale trade decreased by 2.6 per cent in July, whereas sales volume in the industry started to grow by 1.2 per cent from one year ago. The working day adjusted development of turnover in motor vehicle trade turned positive in July, as the growth amounted to 5.0 per cent year-on-year. Sales volume grew more moderately by 3.8 per cent compared with July 2019. In retail trade, working day adjusted turnover grew in July in total by 4.9 per cent and sales volume by 4.5 per cent. In the more detailed industries of retail trade, working day adjusted turnover grew by around five per cent both in daily consumer goods, department store and specialised store trade. The volume of sales in these industries also developed favourably. The great differences in working day adjusted turnover and sales volume in daily consumer goods trade are explained by risen prices and correspondingly, in wholesale trade by fallen prices. Annual change in working day adjusted turnover and sales volume in industries of trade, July 2020, % (TOL 2008) Turnover and sales volume grew from the previous month Seasonally adjusted turnover in total trade grew by 1.5 per cent in July compared to June. Sales volume grew by 1.2 per cent during the same period. In June, turnover rose by 4.9 per cent and sales volume by 3.4 per cent from the month before. Change in seasonally adjusted turnover and sales volume in total trade (G) from the previous month, % Trend of turnover and sales volume in total trade The calculation of indices of turnover of trade is based on the Tax Administrations data on self-assessed taxes, which are supplemented with Statistics Finlands sales inquiry. The volume index of sales is calculated by removing the effect of price changes from the value index series. The factors caused by the variation in the number of weekdays are taken into account in adjustment for working days. This means taking into consideration the lengths of months, different weekdays and holidays. In addition, seasonal variation is eliminated from seasonally adjusted series, on account of which it makes sense to compare observations of two successive months as well. The data for the latest month are preliminary and they may become significantly revised particularly on more detailed industry levels in coming months. Source: Turnover of trade, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Suvi Kiema 029 551 3509, Reetta-Maria Salokannel 029 551 3657, palvelut.suhdanne@stat.fi Head of Department: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (294.9 kB) Updated 14.09.2020 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Turnover of trade [e-publication]. ISSN=1799-0939. July 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/klv/2020/07/klv_2020_07_2020-09-14_tie_002_en.html P ersonal details of more than 18,000 residents in Wales who tested positive for coronavirus were accidentally uploaded to a public server, where it was searchable by anyone using the site. In the cases of 16,179 people, the information published consisted of their initials, date of birth, geographical area and sex. For 1,926 people living in nursing homes or other enclosed settings such as supported housing, or residents who shared the same postcode as those settings, the information also included the name of the setting. The data was for every Welsh resident who had tested positive for Covid-19 between February 27 and August 30. Public Health Wales said the data breach was the result of "individual human error". The health body removed the data on the morning of August 31 after being alerted to the breach. In the 20 hours it was online, it had been viewed 56 times. A spokesman said there was "no evidence at this stage" that the data had been misused. Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures 1 /30 Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People have been warned against having a "party weekend" PA A former chief scientific adviser said the UK is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus PA People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA A group of friends enjoy the Autumn sunshine at a bar in Brighton PA Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton AFP via Getty Images General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People gather in the Soho area REUTERS People dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton i AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People gather in the food market in Camden AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People attend a busking show in Leicester AP "We take our obligations to protect peoples data extremely seriously and I am sorry that on this occasion we failed," Tracey Cooper, chief executive of Public Health Wales, said. "I would like to reassure the public that we have in place very clear processes and policies on data protection. "We have commenced a swift and thorough external investigation into how this specific incident occurred and the lessons to be learned. "I would like to reassure our public that we have taken immediate steps to strengthen our procedures and sincerely apologise again for any anxiety this may cause people. The Information Commissioners Office and the Welsh Government were informed of the breach on September 2 and an external investigation has been launched, which will be led by the head of governance at the NHS Wales Informatics Service. A risk assessment and legal advice have concluded that the risk of identifying the individuals affected by the data breach "appears low", Public Health Wales said. Coronavirus: Areas in England with most new cases per 100,000 people The Welsh Government said it was not commenting on the data breach. Andrew RT Davies MS, shadow health minister for the Welsh Conservatives, questioned why Health Minister Vaughan Gething had not spoken about the breach during a press conference on Monday. "I acknowledge that the risk is considered to be low, but Im not sure that that will be much comfort to the nearly 2,000 residents of care homes or other enclosed settings whose albeit limited information was posted along with their place of residence," Mr Davies said. "The Health Minister appears to have sat on this for two weeks and done a press conference earlier today without disclosing this significant failing and thats unacceptable. "When people across Wales are being asked to provide our personal data for the purposes of track and trace this revelation could well damage public confidence. Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, shadow health minister for Plaid Cymru, said the breach must not happen again. "Any data breach is serious, and this data breach including potential means of identifying patients is of serious concern," he said. "Public Health Wales and Welsh Government have to be able to explain how exactly this happened, and give assurances that this cant happen again. "People need to know that information held about them and their health is in safe hands, and this will raise questions in the minds of many people." A spokeswoman for the ICO said it would be "making enquiries" into the breach. "Trust and confidence in the way NHS Wales Test, Trace and Protect Service uses and safeguards personal data is essential to public participation, so the programme is successful in helping tackle the coronavirus pandemic, she said. "Public Health Wales has made us aware of an incident and we will be making enquiries." GENEVA, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercuria Energy Group Limited ("Mercuria") is pleased to announce a new JPY 55.5 billion, three-year Samurai Term Loan Facility (the "Samurai Loan"). This is the fourth time that Mercuria have visited the Japanese syndicated loan market with four new financial institutions joining a total syndicate of twenty banks. The facility replaces the existing JPY 46.5 billion Samurai Loan signed in 2018 and will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes. Although the economic and social impact of COVID-19 is developing rapidly, the closing of this transaction demonstrates the resilience of the samurai loan market to support Mercuria who have been active in this market since 2014. The increase of JPY 9 billion of the size of the facility is a testimony to the long-term relationships formed with the existing lenders and new participants into the banking group. Guillaume Vermersch, Mercuria Group CFO, also noted "This is our fourth Samurai Loan and our most successful yet, demonstrating a strong vote of confidence from our Asian banking partners in Mercuria's business model and performance. It raised an additional JPY 9 billion of liquidity and was very competitively priced compared to recent margin increases observed in an otherwise challenging market environment." The Samurai Loan was coordinated by Mizuho Bank, Ltd., MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation acting as Joint Bookrunning Mandated Lead Arrangers. SOURCE Mercuria Energy Trading The Trump administration announced Monday that it would block shipments of certain cotton products and computer parts from the Xinjiang province in China, but is still considering a broader ban on imports from the region. The details: Customs and Border Protection will issue five new "Withhold Release Orders" on hair products, linen and cotton fabrics and computer parts from four companies in the Xinjiang region, as well those coming from a Chinese "reeducation" facility for Muslims that the U.S. government says amounts to a concentration camp. The orders stop short of outright bans on imports of cotton products and tomatoes from the Muslim-majority province. Department of Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said on Monday said the administration is still weighing a wider ban. "These are not the first WROs the U.S. has issued on Chinese goods, and I can tell you Im absolutely confident they're not going to be the last," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters on a press call. Context: The five new orders follow pressure from unions and activists groups for clothing brands to stop sourcing from the Uighur region within 12 months. The groups estimate about one-fifth of all cotton garments sold in the world contain Xinjiang cotton or yarn. CBP has also issued a dozen previous WROs on various products from the Xinjiang region to combat concerns of forced labor, Morgan said on the call. About 85 percent of Chinas cotton is grown in Xinjiang, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Residents stand near barbed wire fences and a Chinese national flag in a community in western China's Xinjiang region. Morgan said CPB has used "variety of sources" to determine that the blocked goods are being produced by forced labor, like federal agency reports, nonprofit research and media investigations. Cuccinelli added that the U.S. government is trying to develop methods to determine if other products are produced with forced labor. "We are working on advancing the technology to trace even directly where product like this comes from," he said. "Wed like businesses in other parts of the world that would like to do business in the U.S. to disentangle themselves from this set of horrific practices." Story continues Pressure ramping up: The move puts further strain on U.S.-China relations, which have already deteriorated this year because of tensions over the coronavirus and Beijing's crackdown on political dissent in Hong Kong. The United States imported close to $50 billion worth of textiles from China last year. Uighur cotton, yarn and fabric is used by other countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to make clothing. Policing that volume of imports would be a massive undertaking for the CBP. Xinjiang, a vast province in northwestern China, produces an estimated 70 percent of Chinese tomatoes, which find their way into a variety of products, such as tomato paste or ketchup. Most U.S. fresh tomato imports come from Mexico or Canada. An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule - phosphine - in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments. Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes - floating free of the scorching surface, but still needing to tolerate very high acidity. The detection of phosphine molecules, which consist of hydrogen and phosphorus, could point to this extra-terrestrial 'aerial' life. The new discovery is described in a paper in Nature Astronomy. The team first used the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii to detect the phosphine, and were then awarded time to follow up their discovery with 45 telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Both facilities observed Venus at a wavelength of about 1 millimetre, much longer than the human eye can see - only telescopes at high altitude can detect this wavelength effectively. Professor Greaves says, "This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really - taking advantage of JCMT's powerful technology, and thinking about future instruments. I thought we'd just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus' spectrum, it was a shock!" Naturally cautious about the initial findings, Greaves and her team were delighted to get three hours of time with the more sensitive ALMA observatory. Bad weather added a frustrating delay, but after six months of data processing, the discovery was confirmed. Team member Dr Anita Richards, of the UK ALMA Regional Centre and the University of Manchester, adds: "To our great relief, the conditions were good at ALMA for follow-up observations while Venus was at a suitable angle to Earth. Processing the data was tricky, though, as ALMA isn't usually looking for very subtle effects in very bright objects like Venus." Greaves adds: "In the end, we found that both observatories had seen the same thing - faint absorption at the right wavelength to be phosphine gas, where the molecules are backlit by the warmer clouds below." Professor Hideo Sagawa of Kyoto Sangyo University then used his models for the Venusian atmosphere to interpret the data, finding that phosphine is present but scarce - only about twenty molecules in every billion. The astronomers then ran calculations to see if the phosphine could come from natural processes on Venus. They caution that some information is lacking - in fact, the only other study of phosphorus on Venus came from one lander experiment, carried by the Soviet Vega 2 mission in 1985. Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist Dr William Bains led the work on assessing natural ways to make phosphine. Some ideas included sunlight, minerals blown upwards from the surface, volcanoes, or lightning, but none of these could make anywhere near enough of it. Natural sources were found to make at most one ten thousandth of the amount of phosphine that the telescopes saw. To create the observed quantity of phosphine on Venus, terrestrial organisms would only need to work at about 10% of their maximum productivity, according to calculations by Dr Paul Rimmer of Cambridge University. Any microbes on Venus will likely be very different to their Earth cousins though, to survive in hyper-acidic conditions. Earth bacteria can absorb phosphate minerals, add hydrogen, and ultimately expel phosphine gas. It costs them energy to do this, so why they do it is not clear. The phosphine could be just a waste product, but other scientists have suggested purposes like warding off rival bacteria. Another MIT team-member, Dr Clara Sousa Silva, was also thinking about searching for phosphine as a 'biosignature' gas of non-oxygen-using life on planets around other stars, because normal chemistry makes so little of it. She comments: "Finding phosphine on Venus was an unexpected bonus! The discovery raises many questions, such as how any organisms could survive. On Earth, some microbes can cope with up to about 5% of acid in their environment - but the clouds of Venus are almost entirely made of acid." Other possible biosignatures in the Solar System may exist, like methane on Mars and water venting from the icy moons Europa and Enceladus. On Venus, it has been suggested that dark streaks where ultraviolet light is absorbed could come from colonies of microbes. The Akatsuki spacecraft, launched by the Japanese space agency JAXA, is currently mapping these dark streaks to understand more about this "unknown ultraviolet absorber". The team believes their discovery is significant because they can rule out many alternative ways to make phosphine, but they acknowledge that confirming the presence of "life" needs a lot more work. Although the high clouds of Venus have temperatures up to a pleasant 30 degrees centigrade, they are incredibly acidic - around 90% sulphuric acid - posing major issues for microbes to survive there. Professor Sara Seager and Dr Janusz Petkowski, also both at MIT, are investigating how microbes could shield themselves inside droplets. The team are now eagerly awaiting more telescope time, for example to establish whether the phosphine is in a relatively temperate part of the clouds, and to look for other gases associated with life. New space missions could also travel to our neighbouring planet, and sample the clouds in situ to further search for signs of life. Professor Emma Bunce, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, congratulated the team on their work: "A key question in science is whether life exists beyond Earth, and the discovery by Professor Jane Greaves and her team is a key step forward in that quest. I'm particularly delighted to see UK scientists leading such an important breakthrough - something that makes a strong case for a return space mission to Venus." Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: "Venus has for decades captured the imagination of scientists and astronomers across the world." "This discovery is immensely exciting, helping us increase our understanding of the universe and even whether there could be life on Venus. I am incredibly proud that this fascinating detection was led by some of the UK's leading scientists and engineers using state of the art facilities built on our own soil." ### North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stripped to his undershirt in a show of hands-on assistance to flood-hit parts of the North. The official [North] Korean Central News Agency showed the portly leader wearing only a t-shirt and voluminous dress pants as he revisited flood-hit regions in North Hwanghae Province. The pictures suggest not so much a man used to heavy lifting as to heavy eating but may be intended to bolster his image as an approachable, hands-on leader. During an earlier visit last month Kim ordered officials to tap into the state's rice reserves to feed locals and sent soldiers to handle recovery efforts. A Georgia sheriffs deputy has been fired after being caught on video repeatedly punching a Black man he had pinned to the ground during a traffic stop. Authorities in Clayton County said the deputy was terminated for excessive use of force but did not identify the officer. A criminal investigation of the incident will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorneys Office. The victim, Roderick Walker, was a passenger in a car pulled over on Friday due to an alleged broken taillight. Also in the vehicle were Mr Walkers girlfriend, their five-month-old child, and young stepson. Attorney Shean William says that the deputies asked Mr Walker for identification and then demanded that he exit the vehicle. Mr Walker asked why he needed to, as he wasnt the driver. The vehicle was a Lyft rideshare service that was taking the family home having dropped off a rental car. After Mr Walker exited the vehicle a bystander caught the assault by the officers in a shocking video lasting almost four minutes. Both deputies can be seen on top of Mr Walker, with one repeatedly punching him. The officer claims Mr Walker bit his hand. Mr Walkers girlfriend is seen screaming and both she and a bystander yell for the officers to get off him when he says that he cannot breathe. A child in the vehicle calls out: Daddy. Mr Williams says that his client denies biting the officer and lost consciousness during the beating. After being handcuffed and pulled to his feet he appears unsteady. A photo of Mr Walker taken in custody shows a large welt under one of his eyes. Records show Mr Walker was arrested on suspicion of obstructing officers and battery. Mr Williams is demanding the release of his client on bond. A statement released by the Sheriffs office on Sunday reads: The Sheriff ordered a signature bond courtesy for Mr Walker 48 hours ago. Unfortunately, Mr Walker has a felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and a failure to appear warrant out of Hapeville which resulted in Magistrate Court denying him a bond. Roderick Walker at the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, Georgia, having been punched repeatedly by a sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop (AP) The statement also said that Mr Walker was receiving medical treatment and is being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor. The driver of the car was released without a citation and reportedly also did not have any identification with him. Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said its likely" the U.S. will deploy a Covid-19 vaccine to the public before year-end and that the company is prepared for that scenario, pushing back against more tepid expectations shared by health authorities. CEO Bourla said Sunday that hes quite comfortable" that the vaccine the company is developing in partnership with BioNTech SE is safe and that it could be available to Americans before 2021, Bloomberg cites CBSs Face the Nation" show. Bourla added that vaccine development is contingent on an approval from U.S. regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I cannot say what the FDA will do," Bourla said. But I think its a likely scenario, and we are preparing for it." New York-based Pfizer and Germanys BioNTech are seen as frontrunners in the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, alongside Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc. Bourla said Pfizer and its partner have a 60% chance of knowing the efficacy of its still experimental vaccine by the end of October. Of course that doesnt mean that it works; that means that well know if it works," Bourla said. The timing of clinical trial results depends on enough people in the study getting Covid-19 to make a calculation. But positive results could clear the way for approval, he said. Bourlas assurances come just as Pfizer and BioNTech have expanded the number of clinical trial participants theyre seeking in order to include more people with diverse backgrounds. Expanded Enrollment The companies said in a statement Saturday that they expect to enroll the 30,000 patients they originally sought for its final-phase clinical trial this week. They are also expanding that target to 44,000 participants to include people as young as 16, and to allow those with HIV and Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Bourla said on CBS that they will also focus on recruiting more people of color, including African Americans and Latinos, to the late-stage trial in coming weeks. He said the study participants are currently 60% White and 40% people of color, and that older volunteers make up 44% of the cohort. The companies joined other vaccine developers last week in an unusual pledge to only submit applications with the FDA for vaccine clearance when the drugs have shown to be safe and effective in large clinical trials. That followed concerns that President Donald Trump is pushing the agency to cut corners to get a vaccine to market before the Nov. 3 election. Bourla said part of the reason Pfizer didnt accept taxpayer dollars to fund its Covid-19 vaccine research and development was to avoid government bureaucracy and influence. I wanted to keep Pfizer out of politics," he said. Political Pressure Trump has said publicly that a vaccine could be authorized by the November election even though other top U.S. health officials, including National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, have said they think closer to the end of the year is more realistic. Even then, enough vaccine wont be available to cover most Americans until well into 2021. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, also speaking on CBS, said its atypical" that the approval process of any drug or vaccine would be discussed within a political context. I dont think were going to see an authorization before the election," said Gottlieb, who sits on Pfizers board of directors. He added that Americans distrust in a Covid-19 vaccine will likely dissipate after the election. The former FDA chief said he expects most Americans wont be vaccinated until 2021 or later. This is likely to be a very staged market entry," Gottlieb said. He described a process in which regulators will first issue an emergency use approval providing a limited supply of shots to those at high risk of infection, including frontline workers. Then the FDA will slowly walk down that approval" to make it more broadly available, Gottlieb said. 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 Hyderabad: Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash on Sunday said allowing private FM stations to air news might have security implications and that the government needs to keep that in mind if it wants to give the nod. From democracy point of view, the idea of allowing them to do so looks very simple and must be done, but given the diversity and internal security concerns of India, which also has thousands of kilometres of borders, the move has a lot of implications, he told PTI in Hyderabad. Noting that new FM channels are going to come in as a few months ago the government had auctioned frequency bandwidth for a few hundreds of them, he said, You need to seriously ponder over this (whether to allow FM channels to air news) before you take that step. While its true that private television channels have been allowed to telecast news and current affairs programmes, radio has a different audience, different kind of reach and there are lot of issues about them, he said. Surya Prakash was here in connection with Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Unions first edition of International Television Dance Festival, hosted by Prasar Bharati, in the city today. Asked if he was in favour of making All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan - owned by Prasar Bharaticorporate entities so that dependence on the government for funding was reduced and there was greater flexibility in decision-making, he said he had heard that somewhere a group of government secretaries made that recommendation, but added that he did not exactly know what they had in mind. AIR and Doordarshan are already part of Prasar Bharati. Prasar Bharati is an autonomous corporation established by Parliament. Now, suppose if you want to hive off AIR and Doordarshan from Prasar Bharati...yes you can do that but first you have to repeal the Prasar Bharati Act. Once you take away AIR and Doordarshan, there is nothing left there (with Prasar Bharati). You have to repeal the Prasar Bharati Act if you want to do it, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Getty Images Bank By Lee Min-hyung Life insurers are scrambling to launch data-driven healthcare products to win licenses for the MyData business at the earliest possible date and enjoy a "first-mover advantage" in the promising business segment, industry officials said Monday. They are rolling out and promoting their own data-controlled financial products as part of efforts to win the license in a timely manner. If they fail to do so before February 2021, their data businesses are at risk of being suspended under a new Financial Services Commission (FSC) regulation. About 120 firms in areas such as banking, fintech and insurance are scrambling to jump in. If they fail to take part, the trajectory of their key businesses may hit a major snag amid the rise of big data and data-sharing. Under the MyData drive, financial firms should provide personal information of customers to a third-party MyData business operator. Customers will then be able to access their comprehensive financial information easily through the operator. MetLife Korea is one insurance company pursuing aggressive expansion into the data-oriented healthcare business by launching its "360Health" end-to-end health service. It allows users to monitor their health condition in detail including sleeping patterns and nutrition intake. The company seeks to improve the platform by collecting and analyzing more datasets. The capacity to analyze and process datasets is growing more important for insurers because they need to launch more customized products to survive toughening competition in the local insurance industry, industry officials said. Other life insurers are also paying keen attention to expanding their business portfolios into the data-driven areas at a time they need to secure next-generation revenue streams by cutting their heavy reliance on traditional profit drivers. Hana Life Insurance also launched a personalized insurance platform recently, through which customers can check information on their health condition, pension and even the amount of loans by analyzing National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data. In July, Shinhan Life Insurance has also won an exclusive license to apply the health age provided from the NHIS when calculating insurance premiums on some products. Some healthy customers can reduce their insurance fees. KB Insurance, a property insurance affiliate of KB Financial Group, won a qualification last week to offer big data consulting and sales services. According to the company, data it collects from customers can be processed and converged with other marketing or statistical information. The company expects the converged big data to diversify customers' choice. "The company has been able to create more customer-oriented services by combining financial information and customers' health-related data," a company official said. Starting next month, the FSC will announce the first round of permits for companies to operate the MyData business. The Governor of the Irish Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, today pointed to the legacy of structural change left by Covid-19, noting two important and changing areas - globalisation and digitalisation which "will have implications for the way we live, work, consume and communicate and, therefore, the effective transmission of monetary policy across the euro area." Speaking today at a webinar hosted by Institute of International and European Affairs, Makhlouf highlighted other factors that impede the transmission of monetary policy such as "risk aversion across national lines, an incomplete banking union and the absence of fully integrated financial, capital and credit markets all of which have been thrown into sharp relief as a result of the pandemic." Governor Makhlouf said that monetary policy makers need to understand the nature of any structural shifts underway in the economy (as well as to the prevailing macroeconomic and institutional framework) so that they continue to deliver on their mandate. Makhlouf said that these issues will form part of the ECBs strategy review. Source: www.businessworld.ie [September 14, 2020] ams and vivo Deepen Cooperation and Lead the New Trend of Smart Phone Development for the Android Market ams (SIX: AMS (News - Alert)), a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor solutions, and vivo a global brand that designs and develops smartphones, smart terminals, and smart online services, held a technology seminar for development teams and senior executives. ams demonstrated its extensive portfolio of products and solutions - covering Optical Sensing, 3D Sensing, Color Sensing, Audio Sensing, and Image Sensing - to showcase its technology leadership and innovation in the smartphone segment. During the intensive full-day meeting, senior representatives from both companies held in-depth discussions on existing cooperation and future technical innovation around the mobile phone ecosystem. ams and vivo have collaborated at a strategic technology level for over five years. During this time, ams has contributed to innovation breakthroughs in the company's smartphone products, particularly in the area of improved display and image performance of smartphones for the Android (News - Alert) market. Focused on delivering value to consumers, the collaboration has resulted in several advancements - including Behind OLED (BOLED) display optical and proximity sensing, multi-camera imaging, camera white balance and laser detection auto focus (LDAF) - with joint achievements from the cooperation applied to many vivo smart phones. Increased consumer interest in and knowledge of smartphone video has made demand for improved technology that enables high-pixel smartphone cameras an inevitable trend. However, with the popularity of 48 megapixel cameras the problem of slow focus speed has gradually emerged. The TMF8801 time-of-flight sensor from ams addresses this challenge by providing accurate measurement in the 2 cm to 2.5 m range. When applied to the mobile phone rear camera with LDAF technology, TMF8801 can further improve the performance of the camera, ensuring that users can focus quickly and take sharper photos. vivo's latest X50 series professional image flagship mobile phone, based on Android, is dedicated to creating smart images covering full focal length, which can meet users' different purchase demands. The vivo X50 series mobile phones are equipped with a micro tripod head with super light sensitivity, creating a new era of image stabilization for mobile phones compared to traditional approaches. In the rear camera, vivo adopts a multi-camera design using ams sensor solutions to develop a brand-new algorithm for automatic scheduling among multi-cameras, creating a smart multi-camera system with excellent image performance that enables the X50 mobile phones series to achieve the best imaging effect. Mobile phone users increasingly want a full-screen phone. vivo, a leader in display advancements, cooperates extensively with ams to realize technology that optimizes display size - taking full-view display smartphones to a new level. In particular, BOLED display optical and proximity sensors play an important role. ams' industry leading device sensitivity and supporting software algorithms, combined with sensors optimized to operate BOLED display, bring more full-view display design possibilities to vivo's full-view display smartphone products. Pinglu Chen, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Greater China of ams, said: "We work together with vivo to develop the smartphone sensor technology of tomorrow in the Android market. Through industry-leading optical, proximity, and imaging technologies and solutions in the field of sensors, vivo and ams have created some game-changing technology focused on full-view screens, and advanced smartphone technology and design. In future, we want to further deepen cooperation with vivo and together continue to create products that provide the best-in-class experience for consumers." For more information on ams' time-of-flight sensor TMF8801 please go to https://ams.com/TMF8801. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005348/en/ [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] The Ukrainian side only "informed" other participants in the meeting about the existence of a draft resolution proposing to amend the resolution on local elections already adopted. During the meeting of the advisors to the leaders of the Normandy Four [Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia] held in Berlin on September 11, the Ukrainian side undertook no obligations to amend the Parliament resolution on the appointment of local elections for October 25. "There were no obligations undertaken by the Ukrainian side to revise the Verkhovna Rada resolution [scheduling local elections for October 25]. It's impossible. Because we cannot interfere with the Ukrainian Parliament's operations. We only informed our colleagues within the Normandy format that a deputy with the Servant of the People party registered back on July 28 a resolution on changes [to the resolution on scheduling local elections for October 25]," Yermak told Ukraine 24 TV channel. According to Yermak, the corresponding draft resolution will soon be submitted to Parliament where "its fate will be decided." Read alsoElections in Donbas amid "leaky" border unimaginable KulebaIdea of local elections in occupied territories: background Russia sees the Minsk agreements as tools with which to break Ukraines sovereignty. Its interpretation reverses key elements in the sequence of actions: elections in occupied Donbas would take place before Ukraine had reclaimed control of the border; this would be followed by comprehensive autonomy for Russias proxy regimes, crippling the central authorities in Kyiv. Ukraine would be unable to govern itself effectively or orient itself towards the West, according to Chatham House. On July 15, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution scheduling local elections across Ukraine for October 25. Legislators note that the elections in the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas shall not be scheduled or held. On August 19, at a meeting of the delegates to the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement, Ukraine's delegation chief, first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk informed the team members of the appeal he had submitted to the Verkhovna Rada to consider the issue of the resolution's compliance with Law "On a special procedure for local self-government in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions" and a Package of Measures for the implementation of Minsk agreements. On August 20, journalist Sergiy Garmash, another member of Ukraine's delegation representing certain areas of Donetsk region, opined that by "leaking" to the media a document demanding to cancel the decision of the Verkhovna Rada on local elections, Moscow, makes it impossible to fulfill the requirement or even put the relevant question before Parliament. Garmash believes that in this way Russia has deliberately driven the settlement process into a dead end, thus blocking a meeting of advisors to the Normandy Four (Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia) leaders earlier scheduled for late August. On the same day, Kravchuk said that Russia was blocking the TCG work with a demand to repeal the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on the impossibility of holding local elections in the occupied territories. At the TCG meeting on August 19, he said, representatives of the Russian Federation and their proxy forces in Donbas stated that they "do not object to the elections being held throughout Ukraine," but demand that the paragraph on the impossibility of voting in the occupied territories be repealed. On September 11, Berlin hosted a meeting of political advisors to the leaders of the Normandy Four member states. According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, the advisors supported Kyiv's call to take exhaustive measures to extend a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form On a warm, cloudy Friday afternoon at the end of August, Doug Perryman was being followed by a cormorant or merganser while kayaking in a location where Irondequoit Creek empties into Irondequoit Bay. The bird would pop up to the surface, look at him, and disappear underwater again. It was going my way and that routine happened more than 10 times, said Perryman, of Webster. After suffering from cabin fever from the prolonged statewide shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Finger Lakes residents like Perryman found themselves with a pent-up desire to go outdoors and have fun in local bodies of water. They have rented canoes, kayaks and paddleboards from businesses at the Irondequoit Creek, Cayuga Inlet and other locations for exploration and recreation. Perryman rented a kayak from the BayCreek Paddling Center for two hours. On his trip, he encountered a turtle that was sunning itself. This is a phenomenal place, Perryman said. A blue heron swooped by and I was able to approach many groups of ducks and geese and swans. I even got a long enough look at a groundhog to prove it wasnt a beaver (no tail). The boon in outdoor recreation has caused many rental businesses to have noticed large increases in sales compared to past summers. Ken Altfather, CEO of BayCreek Paddling Center, said rentals at his business have increased twofold this summer compared to last summer. He attributes two-thirds of the increase to the pandemic and one-third to the sunny weather the Finger Lakes has experienced. Its been a phenomenal occurrence, Altfather said. People have been dying to go outside and get exercise in a safe and enjoyable and socially distant manner. Theres something about the water that restores people restores their balance, reinvigorates them, and relaxes them. Other rental businesses in the Finger Lakes region have had plenty of customers as well. Puddledockers, a rental and retail shop by the Cayuga Inlet in Ithaca, is receiving 50 reservations on weekends, according to its owner. This past Friday, Claire Agrawal, a 31-year-old physical therapist from Ithaca, and Jeff Tyson, a 31-year-old Cornell media relations specialist, rented a canoe for two hours. It was Agrawals first time canoeing. Like Altfather, Agrawal said canoeing is an opportunity for people to have fun in a safe manner and physically distance. Prior to getting on the canoe, Agrawal and Tyson said they hoped to see sailboats, eagles and a nice view of Ithaca while they were out on the water. I dont know what to expect, Agrawal said. Im hoping for a workout. Jodi Lee Denman, who manages the WaterWorks District in that area along with G. Lincoln Morse and Sue Manning, bought Puddledockers this year. After acquiring the watersport rental and retail shop, Lee Denman increased the number of rental boats to 23. The shop rents out canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, stand up pedal boards. The facility also has a family tour boat and a water taxi that Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick has taken for a spin. Puddledockers staff has also doubled. Previously, Puddledockers had three or four employees, but has employed 12 people on a living wage this year, and currently has six employees and sales staff. The business also added a launch pad to make it easier for kayakers to enter into the water and prevent them from tipping over. Customers are given life vests and a map for when they travel out onto the water. If anything goes wrong during the trip, Puddledockers has a water scooter the business uses to rescue people. Many of Puddledockers customers have been family groups and other residents local to Tompkins County, but a large portion have also come from Rochester, Binghamton and Syracuse, and some have come from other locations all across the state, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The conversations weve had with Ithaca is that Ithaca is a COVID sanctuary city, Morse said. People who didnt know about us before have found that these lakes are beautiful, are 42 miles long and within a 250-mile drive. They come here to find that beauty instead of getting on a plane. Puddledockers plans to stay open until October. When the governor isolated the states, it concentrated the efforts to stay in the state and meet. It promoted business in the Finger Lakes. Retailers also have had large increases in sales for watersports merchandise and equipment. The saying is if it floats, it sells, said Scott Janas, the department manager for the L.L. Bean store in Victor. This coincides with people looking to us to find out how they can be outside and be more active with their families. L.L. Bean had to cancel its company-wide outdoor discovery program because of distancing guidelines, but the company continues to play a role in getting people into watersports by selling kayaks, canoes and related merchandise and equipment. The store in Victor did not reopen until June, at which point, all online inventory was already purchased, and boats in store were sold just within a few days of reopening. We were getting boats for the store and they would be sold immediately, Janas said. People were calling and getting on a wait list. The inventory doesnt stay. Suppliers are backed up. Theres a 10- to 12-week wait on the store getting boats. Perryman has gone kayaking multiple times in his life, but just twice at BayCreek. After being asked why he enjoys kayaking, Perryman said, The silence. Youre a couple of inches below water. Youre right in touch with water. You can feel the temperature. In weedy water, you can feel temperature changes. Its a full body experience. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tiktok will have a new buyer in Oracle, sources told Reuters as September 15 deadline to complete the sale looms large. Earlier Satya Nadella-led Microsoft was seen as leading the race to buy the Chinese app currently at the centre of violating privacy concerns of its users. Under the proposed deal, Oracle will be ByteDances technology partner and will assume management of TikToks US user data. Oracle is also negotiating to take a stake in the TikTok US assets, Reuters said. It is unclear whether US President Donald Trump, who wants a US technology company to own most of TikTok in the United States, will approve the proposed deal, the agency further said. Last month, President Trump said he will allow TikTok to function in the US if it didn't have an American owner. This led to Microsoft confirming its interest in buying Tiktok's US business. Later, the software major expanded the talks to include TikTok's operations in some other countries as well, including India. TikTok had a deadline of September 15 to either complete a sale of its US operations or face a ban in the United States. On June 30, Narendra Modi-led Indian government banned TikTok as part of its strategy to stop 59-apps from Chinese companies to operate in India. Later, the government expanded the ban to 47 more Chinese apps in August. This was followed by a further ban on 118 Chinese apps at the beginning of September On Sunday September 13, ByteDance declined to sell or transfer its algorithm behind the video-sharing app TikTok. Chinese newspaper South China Post said the company said it won't transfer the technology to the new American buyer but the latter is free to develop a new algorithm. This deal comes at the heal of President Trump reiterating that ByteDance will not be given any extension to the original September 15 deadline to sell TikTok. FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- Referred to as a levy for learning, Fairview Park City Schools' Issue 72 -- which voters will decide on Nov. 3 -- is all about keeping the school district strong and moving forward, school officials say. Superintendent Bill Wagner said the district will spend the fall spreading that message to the public about the continuous 7.9-mill operating levy. If passed, residents would pay $23.04 monthly per $100,000 in home value. Due to COVID-19, its very difficult for us to get information out to people, simply because you cant do those in-person events, Wagner said. "Were going to have some community Zoom presentations coming up at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 14 where we talk about the logistics, dollars and all of the levy information. Well also have a series of mailers that will go to every mailbox in the community. Were having to run social media campaigns a lot more, but getting information out to people beyond those who have kids in school is a much greater challenger this time around," he said. While theres never a perfect time to put a tax increase on a ballot, doing so in the middle of a pandemic definitely adds a level of uncertainty. But Wagner said the districts hands are tied regarding the need for new money. In each of the past four States of the Community, we mentioned that we were going to try to get to November 2020 (for a new-money levy), Wagner said. In just the past year, we cut nearly $1 million in operating costs trying to offset the recent shortfalls and keep this request as low as possible to voters. Earlier this year, Fairview Park City Schools dealt with Gov. Mike DeWines reduction in state funding of Ohios public K-12 schools, with the district experiencing a $375,718 cut for fiscal year 2020. In addition, the superintendent is anticipating reductions for fiscal year 2021. Combined, that could equate to 3 mills. If residents pass Issue 72, and there arent further cuts to state and federal funding, the Board of Education has promised that it wont return to the ballot for five years. However, if the levy is defeated, the superintendent said the community can expect immediate reductions in the current school year, as well as seeing another new-money levy on the May ballot. Despite the hurdles associated with COVID-19, Wagner remains optimistic that voters will approve Issue 72 in November. Its our first operating-dollars levy campaign in 14 years, Wagner said. "Weve done everything in the past several years to pinch pennies, tighten the belt and stretch that 2006 operating levy as far as we possibly could. In conversations Ive had, people in the community have been truly supportive. Were greatly appreciative of that. Read more news from the Sun Post Herald. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo, Japan Mon, September 14, 2020 09:32 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a48db 2 Business SoftBank-Group-Corp,Nvidia,chip,European-Union,Japan Free Japan's SoftBank Group said Monday it is selling British chip designer Arm to United States chip company NVIDIA for up to US$40 billion, potentially creating a new giant in the industry. "We reached a final agreement with... NVIDIA to sell all shares in Arm... at the value of up to 40 billion dollars (about 4.2 trillion yen)," SoftBank said in a Japanese statement. The deal is subject to approval by authorities in several jurisdictions, including Britain, China, the United States and European Union, the statement added. If approved, it will be one of the biggest merger-acquisitions in the world this year and promises to propel NVIDIA to the forefront of the semiconductor sector. Founded in 1990 in the United Kingdom, Arm specialises in microprocessors, and dominates the global smartphone market. But its chips are also found in countless sensors, smart devices and cloud services. NVIDIA, well known for graphics cards that are favoured in the video game industry, has seen sales skyrocket during the coronavirus crisis, with gaming a popular past-time in lockdown. Its products are also increasingly used for artificial intelligence and in data centres. SoftBank bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion in a deal that left investors cold and saw the conglomerate's stock plunge sharply. Analysts at the time said SoftBank had paid too much for the firm and the purchase revived concerns about the Japanese company's balance sheet. NVIDIA said in a statement that under the deal it will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in common stock and $12 billion in case, $2 billion of which will be payable at signing. SoftBank may receive up to another $5 billion in cash or stock, dependent on Arm's performance. And NVIDIA will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees, for a deal worth a total of up to $40 billion. SoftBank said it felt Arm would perform better in combination with NVIDIA and the sale would "contribute to an increase in our company's value for shareholders". It said the deal would give it a combined total of 6.7-8.1 percent in NVIDIA's outstanding shares, but insisted that would not make the US firm a subsidiary or affiliate. By Jason Laughlin, The Philadelphia Inquirer PHILADELPHIA It was a struggle Saturday afternoon for Yvan Pierrelouis just to shift from his wheelchair to a stretcher outside a rehab center at 18th and Lombard streets. Two medical technicians from the NYPD, sent to Philadelphia to bring home a fellow officer, supported his weight. Im, like, holding back my tears, said Diane Latham, Pierrelouis' daughter. One hundred and thirty-six days earlier, Latham had rushed from work to drive from Philadelphia to North Shore University Hospital on Long Island to see her father on what doctors said would be his deathbed. Even then, she refused to accept the diagnosis. I just never believed it in my heart, she said. I never thought it was the end. Latham, a nurse at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was shocked by what COVID-19 had done to her father when she saw him April 29. The robust, garrulous New York City police lieutenant was unconscious on a ventilator, bloated by 50 pounds of fluid, with sores on his face from lying on his stomach, a position that helps COVID-19 patients breathe. His doctor told Latham and her mother, Isabelle, he would soon be taken off the ventilator whether they approved or not. Pierrelouis had no chance of surviving, Latham recalled the doctor saying, and the ventilator was needed for other patients. Saturday, Latham escorted her father out of Good Shepherd Penn Partners in Center City. He needed a wheelchair, still too weak to walk any distance, and oxygen tubes snaked out from beneath his surgical mask. But he was alive. Weve seen people who have been as sick as him, but not just to have a recovery that was so prolonged, but ultimately was so successful. Its a remarkable testament to him and his family, said Andrew Courtwright, a Penn transplant pulmonologist who oversaw Pierrelouis' treatment. All told, Pierrelouis spent 75 days comatose on a ventilator, and for the past two months, has contended with an arduous physical and emotional recovery from the trauma. While he lay unconscious, he was treated at three hospitals, finally being brought to Penn, where his daughter works as a nurse. Pierrelouis himself never believed he would die from the virus. The 59-year-old said hes always been a fighter. Im an immigrant, you know, he said. Thats why I work so hard for my children to be better than me. Hes very energetic, said Garfield McLeod, a New York City police captain. Hes the life of the room. He has a lot of charisma. Yvan Pierrelouis, 59, of Long Island, N.Y. (Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) TNS A platoon commander overseeing booking at New York Countys Criminal Court, Pierrelouis stood out for his compassion toward the people who passed before him, his commanding officer, McLeod, said. He treated everyone fairly, from the guy thats charged with murder to the guy charged with petty larceny, McLeod said. If they were being uncooperative he would take the initiative to try to talk to them, to try to listen to their problems. It was that job, though, that likely led to Pierrelouis' infection. As the virus spread through New York City, bookings were divided, into people suspected of being sick and those who were not. Pierrelouis was assigned to work with those believed to be infected. It was a scary time, McLeod said. We wore latex gloves, we tried to do a little social distancing, and we did the mask, but at the same time we were very, very nervous. Pierrelouis was among the New York City Police Departments 5,800 members who have tested positive for the virus. Of those, 46 have died. After he was put on a ventilator on March 29 in the Long Island hospital, doctors tried treating him unsuccessfully with hydroxychloroquine and proning. You could tell a story about the pandemic just based on kind of the understanding of the disease at different times, Courtwright, the Penn doctor, said. Toward the end was steroids. That seemed to make the biggest difference for him. Even when doctors told her Pierrelouis would not survive, Latham saw hope in her fathers chart. His lungs were badly scarred, but he showed no sign of the widespread organ failure that had doomed other victims of the virus. He was a person who came here at the age of 13 from Haiti, she told his attending physician in Long Island. He gave 29 years to the NYPD. He was a front-line personnel. This is how he got it. You need to help him out. The next day, Latham arranged to have her father transferred to Philadelphia. Latham recalled when her father called her mother to tell her he would have to be put on a ventilator, his last words were, Im going to continue to fight. He did exactly what he said he was going to do, Latham said. Yvan Pierrelouis, 59, of Long Island, N.Y., is loaded into an ambulance as his son, Ralph Remy, a fellow NYPD officer watches. The elder Pierrelouis was released from Good Shepard rehab in Center City after five and a half months of fighting COVID-19. (Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) TNS While Penn Medicine evaluated Pierrelouis for a transplant, Courtwright saw positive signs. The officer was requiring less oxygen from the ventilator and there was evidence the scarring left on his lungs was beginning to heal. Rather than go forward with a transplant, Courtwright elected to give Pierrelouis time. As he lay unconscious, receiving oxygen through a tracheotomy, his dreams swung wildly, he remembers. In one he had become the police commissioner back home in Haiti. In another, he walked ceaselessly, but never reached his destination. Every time we tried to take the paralytics off, he was too unstable, Courtwright said. He was in that coma for a really long time. Latham became the de facto decision maker for her fathers care. She visited daily once he transferred to Penn, and continued working full time on her own ward. It became her routine to call the hospital four times a day, her husband, Kristian, said. If it wasnt for my wife pressing and calling and challenging, he said, his father-in-law definitely wouldnt have made it. Pierrelouis came off the ventilator on July 12, and initially he experienced bouts of delusion, where he was convinced he was in jail. That gave way to a long, arduous recovery. One of his therapists, Natalia Sobotka, said his enthusiasm quickly became apparent even as he struggled with basic, painful tasks. I dont want to miss one minute of my exercise, said Pierrelouis, who received three hours of therapy each day. I even ask for more. Among the New York City police escort outside Good Shepherd Saturday was one man in dress uniform. Ralph Remy, a patrol officer, said Pierrelouis, his father, was more than an influence in his decision to become a cop. He was pretty much all the influence, he said. Yvan Pierrelouis, 59, of Long Island hugs his grandson Kristian Latham, 3, before they head out to go back home after being released from Good Shepard Penn Partners in Philadelphia. (Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) TNS After being loaded into the ambulance, Pierrelouis' 3-year-old grandson, Kristian, waved goodbye to him. I love you, Pierrelouis said. One of the EMTs lifted the boy into the ambulance to give his grandfather one more hug. Pierrelouis remains deeply proud of his profession, he said, but will not return to the NYPD. He described his recovery as a second chance, and as he looked ahead to a long recovery, his priorities have shifted. I want to enjoy life, spend some time with my grandchildren, he said. I dont have any desire to go back. Kristopher Smith holds his dog Tripp outside his tent at an evacuation center at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, in Oak Grove, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2020. (John Locher/AP Photo) Winds a Worry as Death Toll Reaches 35 From West Coast Fires BEAVERCREEK, Ore.Nearly all the dozens of people reported missing after a devastating blaze in southern Oregon have been accounted for, authorities said over the weekend as crews battled wildfires that have killed at least 35 from California to Washington state. The flames up and down the West Coast have destroyed neighborhoods, leaving nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars, forced tens of thousands to flee, and cast a shroud of smoke that has given Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, some of the worst air quality in the world. The smoke filled the air with an acrid metallic smell like pennies and spread to nearby states. While making it difficult to breathe, it helped firefighters by blocking the sun and turning the weather cooler as they tried to get a handle on the blazes, which were slowing in some places. But warnings of low moisture and strong winds that could fan the flames added urgency to the battle. The so-called red flag warnings stretched from hard-hit southern Oregon to Northern California and extended through Monday evening. Beth Deleo holds her dog as Ben Quaempts loads donated items into their van at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, in Oak Grove, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2020. (John Locher/AP Photo) Lexi Soulios, her husband, and son were afraid they would have to evacuate for a second time because of the weather. They left their small southern Oregon town of Talent last week when they saw a big, huge flow of dark smoke coming up, then went past roadblocks Friday to pick through the charred ruins of their home. While they are staying farther south in Ashland, known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she said by text message that the forecast may mean they could be on the move again. So this isnt over yet but we just had the car checked so we feel prepared, Lexi Soulios wrote. Authorities last week reported as many as 50 people could be missing after a wildfire in the Ashland area. But the Jackson County sheriffs office said late Saturday that four people had died in the blaze and that the number of missing was down to one. At least 10 people have been killed in the past week throughout Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing from other fires, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. In California, 24 people have died, and one in Washington state. Thousands of homes and other buildings have burned. 25-year-old Barbara Rose Bettison left her farm among the trees and fields of Eagle Creek, outside Portland, when a sheriffs deputy knocked on her door Tuesday. They drove away on a road that became an ominous dividing line, with blue skies on one side and the other filled with black and brown smoke. Smoke fills the air in the area of Detroit, Ore., on Sept. 11, 2020. (Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP) She took shelter at an Elks Lodge near Portland, where evacuees wrapped themselves in blankets and set up tents out back. Its terrifying. Weve never had any form of natural disaster, she said. Bettison, a UPS driver, was able to get out with her chickens, rabbits, and cats. She hasnt been back, but neighbors said it is so smoky they cant see their hands in front of their faces. Im hoping there has not been too much damage because it would break my heart, she said. Farther south in the town of Talent, Dave Monroe came to his burned home, partially hoping hed find his three cats. We thought wed get out of this summer with no fires, he said. There is something going on, thats for sure, man. Every summer were burning up. A sign advises to social distance at a marina building on Detroit Lake burned by the Beachie Creek Fire, in Detroit, Ore., on Sept. 12, 2020 (John Locher/AP Photo) At a rally in Nevada, Trump blamed inadequate forest management, which White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed on CNNs State of the Union, saying that for many years in California, particularly because of budget cutbacks, there was no inclination to manage our forests. Firefighter Steve McAdoo has run from one blaze to another in Oregon for 6 days, seeing buildings burn and trees light up like candles. We lost track of time because you cant see the sun and youve been up for so many days, he said. Forty-eight to 72 hours nonstop, you feel like youre in a dream. As he and his team battled the blazes, McAdoo worried about his wife and daughter at home just miles away. They evacuated safely, but at times he could communicate with them only in one-word text messages: busy. McAdoo and other firefighters got their first real break Sunday to take showers, shave, and check their equipment. And though its a faint shadow of its usual self, he can finally see the sun. Its nice today to at least see the dot in the sky, he said. Meanwhile, Oregons fire marshal, who resigned after being placed on leave amid a personnel investigation, says he was trying to help a colleague and didnt do anything wrong. Jim Walker told TV news station KOIN in Portland that state police leaders put him on leave after he tried to help a co-worker whose family was missing in a fire zone, saying his superiors decided he had overstepped his authority. By Lindsay Whitehurst and Sara Cline Love & Hip Hop star Moniece Slaughter does not have any major injuries after she was involved in a car accident over the weekend. She talked about everything that happened on social media. Moniece Slaughter | Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic Who is Moniece Slaughter? Slaughter was a main cast member on Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood for the first five seasons. She was a supporting cast member in the recent sixth season of the show. Though a lot of storylines have been about her feuds with various cast members, her most prominent storyline deals with her co-parenting relationship with Lil Fizz. Over the course of the show, there have been ups and downs in their co-parenting journey, The most recent season saw them at odds a lot because Lil Fizz started dating Apryl Jones, the ex of his B2K bandmate, Omarion. Details about the car accident While in Alabama visiting family members, she was involved in a car accident with some other members of her family. She said that she lost feeling in one of her arms but is beginning to gain it back. The reality star said she made the decision to not go with paramedics. In a post on Instagram, Slaughter detailed exactly what happened. I cant believe I walked away from this accident, she wrote. Lost feeling in my left side from the airbags being deployed. Im starting to feel it. My arm was hanging out of the window (window was down & my cigarette was lit). Airbag blew my arm back in the car. Left arm is swollen & cut up my left leg is inflamed. But God has yet again showed up and showed me favor. RELATED: Love & Hip Hop: Moniece Slaughter Once Said Lil Fizz Told Lie After Lie About His Relationship With Omarion She continued in part, The driver that hit us ended up underneath someones house. They had to lift the house off its foundation and use the jaws of life to get them out of the car. Talk about divine intervention. I refused to go with paramedics so my aunt called my dad. He was there within what felt like a flash. Our family has had one hell of an emotional day. Slaughter reflects on the situation In another Instagram post, she confirmed to fans that she was back and her grandfathers house and safe and sound. She also said that a drunk driver hit them. RELATED: Love & Hip Hop: Moniece Slaughter Talks Relationships With Shaq and Shemar Moore; Says Fizz Doesnt Pay Child Support The inebriated driver that hit us, and her passenger werent as lucky, she said. While they survived, they didnt get to walk away. You guys HAVE GOT TO STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING. PLEASE. This is a CRAZY year for people all around the world. Never in a million years did I think that this would have been my reality & grim possibility when I boarded my flight to come see my family. I was so anxious to fly for the first time since the announcement of this global pandemic. I was worried about something thats totally out of my control. The saying that were more likely to die in a car accident than we are in a plane crash has an all new meaning for me. Our thoughts go out to Slaughter and everyone else involved, hoping that they have a safe and speedy recovery. GOP Congressman Asks Why Theres No Plan for Reopening the Hill Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), the top Republican on the House Committee on Administration, says congressional Democratic leaders still dont have a plan for safely reopening Capitol Hill to members, staff aides, or the public. Members are set to return this week again without a comprehensive plan from the majority to reopen the Capitol complex, Davis said in a Sept. 14 statement accompanying the release of his letter to committee Chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). As we saw in July, the return of members means more staff, press, and others frequenting the Hill. The House has been out of session for the last six weeks, yet there has been no movement to establish testing, additional guidance for offices and support services, or a plan to re-welcome visitors, Davis said. He noted that the White House and multiple museums within the Smithsonian Institution have implemented such plans and are reopening to the public. The White House resumed public tours Sept. 12 after a six-month suspension, but with limited days and limited capacity. This is not the way private businesses and other governments are operating across the country, and the American people deserve better from their representatives, Davis said in the statement. The administration committee oversees the daily operations of the House of Representatives, including the chamber itself, and the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn House office buildings, where members and committees maintain offices and staffs, and thousands of visitors from across the country gather to lobby officials. In his letter to Zofgren, Davis said, The House of Representatives needs to do more to support its essential workers. It has been 25 weeks since the House began to feel the impacts of COVID-19 and it is past time that a transparent, wholistic plan for supporting a safe and phased physical reopening of the House be made available to our workforce. Some measures have been implemented in response to the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. Davis told Lofgren, however, that despite the adoption of hybrid hearings, increased telework operations, and proxy voting, we need to recognize that there are still a substantial number of staff that perform their duties in person. House officials should recognize, Davis wrote, that the essential first step to reopening the House is adoption of a wholistic health monitoring program that equally leverages personal responsibility and institutional prudence. The current system, a 5-point questionnaire, is not sufficient to ensure the safety of our Members and staff, particularly when there is no training or incentives in place to ensure truthful compliance. Furthermore, no support has been provided to automate the process to help drive compliance. In his letter to Lofgren, Davis pointed to an analysis by the committees Republican members that argued the current program falls short of what is needed to ensure that member offices are compliant with Office of Attending Physician (OAP) guidance recommendations. We need to craft and implement a health monitoring system that empowers staff and Members with tools to show beyond a reasonable doubt that they are not infected and that, if they show symptoms, we can aid in their diagnosis by providing testing resources and contacting other individuals with whom they had contact. The analysis also said reopening the Capitol complex to the general public should be a top priority for the administration committee. A staged reopening plan must include strategies for how the House will begin to re-welcome in-person visitors on official business and tours, the analysis said. Although it will be up to each Member office discretion what limitations their in-person meetings and tour offerings will include, it is House Administrations responsibility to establish guidance on what is baseline acceptable for the health and safety of the House community. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc The US interlocutor for Afghan-Taliban talks Zalmay Khalilzad is on a short visit to India on Tuesday to hold discussions with external affairs minister S Jaishankar on the intra-Afghan talks that started on Sunday in Doha, six months later than planned due to disagreements over a prisoner swap agreed and the continuing Taliban offensive against high-value targets in Kabul. Zalmay, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, is scheduled to reach Islamabad on Monday to impress upon the Imran Khan government the need to reduce violence in Afghanistan if the talks with the Taliban to end the 19-year-long violence are to succeed. The US interlocutor wants to ensure that Rawalpindi GHQ takes steps so that the Taliban stays on course in the peace talks. It is widely believed that the Taliban, if it had not been under US military pressure, would prefer to militarily take over the country and turn it into an Islamic Emirate as it had done in 1996. Also Read: Afghan forces, Taliban continue to clash even as peace talks start At the opening ceremony for the talks on Sunday, Afghan government, and allies including the US, had called for a ceasefire. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the peace process for the Afghan government, said the Taliban could offer a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more of their jailed fighters. But the Taliban did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table. The first meeting between the contact groups of the two negotiation teams took place today. In this meeting code of conduct between two sides, schedules of upcoming meetings and relevant issues were discussed and progress was made, Ahmad Nader Naderi, a member of the governments negotiating team, said on Twitter on Sunday. Apart from the US, Afghanistan, the Taliban and Qatar which is hosting the talks, the discussions over the weekend were also attended by representatives from India, Pakistan, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Norway and the United Nations. People familiar with the matter said this is the first time that India participated in the intra-Afghan talks at the level of external affairs ministry with joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) JP Singh leading a delegation to Qatars Doha that includes Deepak Mittal, the Indian ambassador to Qatar and a Pakistan-Afghanistan expert. Also Read: Peace process must be led, owned and controlled by Afghanistan: India According to diplomats in Doha and New Delhi, Zalmay, in his short four-hour-long trip to India, will share details of the Afghan peace process, appreciate Indias constructive role in Kabul for the past 20 years. Pakistan has been deeply concerned about Indias participation in the intra-Afghan talks at Doha but the US, its other allies and the Afghan government have been deeply appreciative of Indias reconstruction effort. The Afghan governments 21-member negotiating team was led by Masoom Stanekzai, a former intelligence chief. The Taliban was led by Mawlavi Abdul Hakim, the terror groups chief justice and a close aide of the groups chief Haibatullah Akhunzada. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in Doha for the opening ceremony, said the negotiations would be difficult. We will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days, weeks and months, Pompeo said, calling for the warring sides to seize this opportunity to secure peace. Zalmay Khalilzad told Afghanistans TOLO News that there are indeed some people in Afghanistan who prefer the current situation to peace with the Taliban while some are attempting to keep Washington engaged in war so that it could pay the price, It is not acceptable and there is a solution to every problem, and a solution must be found. We are ready to help if the countrys interests come first and personal interests do not come first. I am confident that a solution will be found and we will not allow personal interests to take precedence. This is the promise of the US to the people of Afghanistan, Khalilzad said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Participants are encouraged to run or walk their 'virtual race' independently to support 36 participating charity partners from 16 countries TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, RBC opened registration for its first global and virtual charitable running event, as part of its signature Race for the Kids series. Fundraising from the event will benefit youth and children's causes around the globe, with 36 charity partners that participants can elect to support. Facing the significant disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the youth-focused services provided by these charity partners are needed now more than ever. Instead of a standard running event format, participants will enjoy an innovative virtual experience through the event's online registration and fundraising website: Registering for the event is free and open to all, regardless of geography, age, or running ability. Participants can elect to support any of the participating 36 charity partners, regardless of where they are physically located. Participants will be able to select their personal race distance and route in their local community (with no pre-determined race course). Participants are encouraged to complete their run or walk independently or with family members (while observing local public health advice and government guidelines) over the October 17-18 weekend. weekend. The event website integrates with many running apps, allowing participants to record and map their virtual run or walk. Runner bibs, event posters, and completion certificates will be available for download through the event website. Participants will also receive digital medals and recognition which can be shared on social media. RBC's goal for the event is to create 'the world's largest virtual family fun run,' with all RBC employees, their family/friends, charity partner supporters, and members of the public invited to take part. "The global pandemic has disrupted several aspects of our lives. For many young people, the crisis has negatively impacted their mental health and well-being, access to education, and employment opportunities," said Dave McKay, President and Chief Executive Officer, RBC. "That's why we're taking our RBC Race for the Kids to a virtual format this year - to ensure we can continue to address these needs, supporting young people and their families facing these challenges. I want to thank our 36 charity partners for their ongoing dedication to youth in this critical year and am looking forward to Race weekend." Prior to 2020, RBC Race for the Kids events took place in 17 physical locations, including: Bahamas, Barbados, Calgary, Chicago, Hong Kong, Jersey, Kuala Lumpur, London, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, St. Paul, Sydney, Toronto, Trinidad & Tobago, and Vancouver. Since its inception in 2009, the series has attracted more than 260,000 participants and raised over $57 million for youth and children's causes around the world. In addition to hosting this virtual event, RBC has committed $10.5 million to date towards food security, mental health, and strategic preparedness in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, RBC donated $130 million to nearly 5,000 charitable organizations, globally. To learn more about RBC Race for the Kids, its charity partners, or register for the virtual event, visit: www.rbcraceforthekids.com. About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 86,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.? We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact. Josh Humeniuk, Corporate Communications, RBC, 416-567-5607, josh.humeniuk@rbc.com Children's Hospital Los Angeles is US site for $7M study of COVID-19 transmission Los Angeles (September 14, 2020) -- One of the mysteries about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is how it is spread within households, including why some family members develop the viral infection and others do not. Is there a way to predict who will be symptomatic or asymptomatic and how long someone remains infectious? Are asymptomatic and symptomatic cases equally able to transmit infection? Are there "super-spreaders" within families--and do they include children? Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, as well as in Nicaragua and New Zealand, are enrolling 250-325 households in a new study designed to answer these questions. The study was awarded $7.1 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. "We have seen some families where only one person was infected and others where the entire 11-person household became infected," says Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, who is leading the U.S. study site. "The pattern varies widely, probably due to a combination of factors, from a family's living situation to their individual immune systems." The effort to learn more about household transmission is an extension of a seven-year NIAID-funded study into influenza, which focuses on how a child's first exposure to the flu virus might produce a long-lasting immunological response. This "imprinting" can impact the child's ability to respond to future flu strains. The influenza study, which launched in fall 2019, will involve recruitment of about 3,100 children in Los Angeles, New Zealand, and Nicaragua and 12 institutions from all over North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The multi-center investigation into the flu virus was already in place when the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 hit. "We immediately realized the value in also knowing more about what happens after the first infection with SARS-CoV-2," Dr. Pannaraj says. Among the key questions investigators want to explore is how differences in family members' immune systems may dictate transmission patterns. Also of interest is whether children contribute to household transmission of the novel coronavirus. "With the flu, we see that children are the main vectors, or infection hosts, who spread it to other people," says Dr. Pannaraj. "For COVID-19, we don't yet know the role children play in transmission within a family. Our goal with this study is to find out." Children's Hospital Los Angeles researchers received $1.2 million of the total NIAID funding for the U.S. portion of the study, and plan to enroll up to 100 households. At least one member of each participating household must have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study spans all ages, from newborns to seniors. Investigators will follow each household over the two-year study, enabling them to observe when each family member becomes symptomatic or infected (or not), along with the pattern of infection, such as whether everyone gets infected around the same time or if the virus is passed sequentially from person to person. In addition to providing information that could help limit transmission between family members, findings from this study will be used to optimize vaccination strategies and COVID-19 vaccine development. ### Funding for the study is provided under NIAID grant #U01AI144616 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Michigan, University of Rochester, Washington University, Institute of Environmental Science & Research Limited, Sustainable Sciences Institute, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked the top children's hospital in California and fifth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of children's hospitals. Clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also leads the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children's hospital of its kind in the western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles encompasses basic, translational and clinical research conducted at CHLA. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and visit our blog. This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Gopinath Rajendran By Express News Service When did you realise cinema was your calling? I had an affinity towards drawing during my early days and as I got to high school, I became interested in penning poems and stories. I liked being in this dream world of mine where creativity took many forms. During my 11th grade, I learned that cinema was a place where all of these passions of mine could come together. So, I decided to get into it. From 1999, I spent about seven years in libraries reading about films, watching movies in Sathyam theatre for Rs 10, and being among friends who were already in the industry. Only after that did they tell me that it was high time I professionally joined the industry, and thus began my journey. Ive never worked anywhere else apart from the film industry. What have you learned from your directors? Sugha and Vikram, despite being from different backgrounds, taught me the importance of loving and feeling proud of ones culture. Only then will we able to show it in the best way possible in our films. Hemambar and Ranjith, on the other hand, will venture into cultures that are foreign to them. They taught me how to get accustomed to these new cultures, so that when we make a film set in that land, it will feel like we belong to the same place too. Whats the oddest or most memorable thing you have seen or done as an AD? For the film Padithurai, I was in charge of casting and I got this elderly woman to play the role of a dead body. Ironically, she had never even seen a film in her life. I helped her feel comfortable by making her laugh and then taught her how to stay still despite being weighed down by the garland. During post-production, I got to know that she had passed away. She died without watching a single film her entire lifetime, even the one she appeared in. Another memorable experience was filming Sinamkol in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Out of the entire cast, only three had any acting experience and the rest were all people who belonged to that locality; I even picked an artiste right off a market. That experience was new and interesting. Whats one area of filmmaking you had a tough time with, but are better at now? After a master shot, we go for close up shots and if the scene is a conversation between two people, we have to make sure their looks stay the same. Its a term we use to know where a character is looking so that when we change the position of the camera, we can make sure that the look is retained and the continuity is intact. The looks being maintained was something I had a hard time learning. What is your take on presentday cinema? Tamil cinema seems to be in a state of confusion. It doesnt seem to know which route to take to go forward and so, its taking baby steps in every direction possible both technically and creatively. This approach has its own set of pros and cons, but Im sure cinema as a whole will eventually get to a better place. Whats one change you wish to see in Tamil cinema? Our people have a lovely taste as an audience and weve also got talented directors who can cater to anyone. But producers and actors are the bridge between a director and their audience, and these people have to change. Right now, theyre not ready to try new ideas. Big stars should also work on films that do not project them as a hero. A good example of this are the kinds of roles Fahad Faasil does in Malayalam. Actors and producers here feel that audiences will welcome only a certain style of film, but thats not true. People are ready to welcome all types of films and thats why films from other languages are getting rave responses here in Tamil Nadu. Who would be the dream cast and/or crew for your debut project? Ive got a few scripts in hand. For my dream project, I need an actor who can pull off five different characters from different age groups and Suriya would be perfect for that. PHATHMEN Films worked on: Padithurai, Madha Yaanai Koottam, Haridas, Wagah, C/O Kaadhal Directors worked with: Sugha, Vikram Sugumaran, GNR Kumaravelan, Ranjith Joseph, Hemambar Jasti Main responsibilities: Scripting, Casting, Artist Coordination, Art Department Back to school looks different in 2020 and as many students stay home for remote learning due to the pandemic, those who depend on free lunches are facing new challenges and disparities around food. The National School Lunch Program, managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), extended its flexible waiver program through the end of the 2020-2021 school year to help keep kids nourished. While the way meals are being prepared at school cafeterias, served, distributed and consumed will change, accessibility to those free lunches remains the driving force in keeping students fed. PHOTO: A student picks up a free individually bagged lunch in the cafeteria during the first day of school at Stamford High School on Sept. 08, 2020, in Stamford, Conn. (John Moore/Getty Images) How an East Los Angeles school has served the food-insecure community in need As the director of school operations for the Arts in Community Charter Schools in East Los Angeles, Stephanie Conde always made sure that the school was prepared to feed free lunches to nearly 800 students each day before the coronavirus outbreak. But as the pandemic wore on -- bringing with it compounding medical and economic tolls -- she found that not just students but the entire community was in need. PHOTO: Stephanie Conde and the team at Arts in Action Community Charter Schools after handing out free lunches for pickup. (Stephanie Conde) Conde told "Good Morning America" she created a system to harness resources to feed the larger community in need, including elderly and disabled individuals. "When COVID all started, we were one of the few charter schools in our area that decided to feed the community in addition to the students -- we had a really big demand," Conde said. "To me it was about giving access to food to everybody we could." "The extension of the waiver has been really helpful to us because we're now able to start serving the community," Conde explained. Families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level and children in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and kids in families who receive food stamps are eligible for free lunches. Reduced-price lunches are available for any child in a family with income between 130% and 185% of the poverty level. The School Nutrition Association requires the daily meals include 3/4 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of 1% or fat-free milk, 1/2 cup serving of fruit, and an entree with whole grains and a lean protein, but daily menus vary by school district based on market availability. Story continues PHOTO: A student prepares lunch in the cafeteria during the first day of school at Stamford High School on Sept. 08, 2020, in Stamford, Conn. (John Moore/Getty Images) "We were serving breakfast, lunch and supper, so it was three meals per student per day," she said of their operation during the pandemic. "We handed out meals to everybody that was 18 years and younger who qualified and adults with disabilities." As cases of COVID-19 increased in Los Angeles County, Conde said she could feel people's fear of leaving their homes to get food, so she used the USDA meal waiver as a way to deliver meals contact-free. PHOTO: A staff member from Arts in Action Community Charter Schools in East Los Angeles hands out free packaged lunches the pandemic. (Stephanie Conde) "We went on to serving almost 6,000 meals, so it was a big jump, but we saw the need, especially in our area with lots of low-income housing. A lot of those have several families in each apartment, and that's the reality," she said of the community in close proximity. "One person got infected, then another. So when someone would get infected we would go deliver the meals to them." Conde also contacted building managers that housed seniors with disabilities and found out how many people were in need of a delivered meal. PHOTO: The staff at Arts in Action Community Charter Schools in East Los Angeles. (Stephanie Conde/Arts in Action Community Charter Schools ) She tapped other employees from the school, such as playground supervisors and janitorial staff, who had less work to do because children were not on campus. "My team said, 'Yes, we believe in it, we know our kids need it. Tell us what to do,'" Conde told "GMA." They created guidelines of what the employees were responsible for at the grab-and-go centers, with five people at each site preparing and delivering the meals, and a couple people who came "early to prepare the packs of meals for the people who were going to go deliver," she said. One employee with a truck "put everything in boxes and coolers" and delivered them to buildings and families. PHOTO: A line of parents and guardians wait to pick up free school lunches from Arts in Action Community Charter Schools in East Los Angeles during the pandemic. (Stephanie Conde) "It's hard -- a lot of these families don't have family leave, they don't have the same access, they can't get unemployment -- but they still have to buy food," said Conde. "Taking that burden off, or at least giving them access to food, or knowing that they could count on our school and give them a meal was very important." Coming from a Latino household herself, Conde said she was inspired to advocate for her own community, especially families who are fearful of, or feel shame in, asking for government assistance. "I think one of the things that came with COVID is that this attacks so many people equally," Conde said. "Even if you don't have food stamps or rely on free or reduced lunch, it's opened the eyes and really brought us into the same boat and has given a voice to say, 'I do need help.' And then actually requesting help -- the two have aligned." PHOTO: Stephanie Conde holds a certificate of recognition for the Arts in Action Community Charter Schools in East Los Angeles before the pandemic. (Arts in Action Community Charter Schools) For many parents and guardians, the free lunch pickup model being used in districts across the country that requires an adult to come to a predetermined location at a specific time to reduce contact, became a hurdle in actually getting their child's grab-and-go meals. With the school year already underway, Conde adjusted the in-person schedule for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to "decrease exposure to our staff and for those who come get meals." "We're reducing the number of pickup visits to be proactive and conscious about [social distancing]," she explained. "Families have really appreciated that they don't have to come everyday -- especially since it's so hot and many come walking. I know I can't send a whole week's worth. They don't always have the fridge space. In our school community I need to be conscious of their day-to-day reality." PHOTO: Bus driver Treva White and nutritionist Shaunte Fields deliver meals to children and their families on May 6, 2020, in Seattle. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images) Other school districts out West have enlisted bus drivers to give the lunches a lift. #TucsonUnified Families: Due to early out days next week, 9/16 - 9/18, our Grab-n-Go Meal bus routes cannot run those days as buses will not be available during the meal route times... pic.twitter.com/fAIGnN9wX5 Tucson Unified (@tucsonunified) September 10, 2020 The Tuscon Unified School District in Arizona has mobilized its grab-and-go meal system to 67 stops along 12 bus routes, organized by region to distribute school-provided breakfast and lunch. Tuscon Unified also made its verification process more flexible for more efficient meal pickup. Guardians can provide a student ID, report card or some school-issued documentation. If that's not available, they can do a video call to show their student at home, and for any child not enrolled in school, the parent can provide a medical document with the child's name and date of birth. Food Insecurity and COVID-19 Childhood hunger since 2010 and the COVID-19 spike (GMA) According to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by the nonprofit organization Share Our Strength that works to solve problems of hunger and poverty, COVID-19 has been a major setback for ending childhood hunger. "Some organizations have reported data showing 1 in 4 households with children facing hunger and our new research shows an even higher figure. This represents a huge leap from the 1 in 7 reported in September 2019," the nonprofit reported. According to No Kid Hungry, 74% of food-insecure parents who are still working are in essential industries. "The pandemic has shown how critical schools are to feeding kids. They will need more support as they reopen and explore new ways to reach students, whether thats meals delivery or alternatives to how traditional school meals like lunch are served," No Kid Hungry explained in a new report. "Over 20 million kids rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the food they need." Food is the most important school supply. It helps students learn, focus and thrive. But 1 in 4 kids in the U.S. could face hunger this year because of #COVID19. When you dine, shop or share, you can change that. Learn how: https://t.co/NQtaxr1E6w #DineShopShare pic.twitter.com/DQIRT0hwxF No Kid Hungry (@nokidhungry) September 1, 2020 Sonny Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture, said that as the nation begins to reopen and as more people return to work, "it remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food" from the National School Lunch Program. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA has provided an unprecedented amount of flexibilities to help schools feed kids through the school meal programs," Perdue said last month upon extending the waivers for the reimbursement program, which is backed by Congressional funding. He added that it will continue "for as long as we can, legally and financially. The No Kid Hungry organization has found drastic increases in children facing hunger as a result of COVID-19. (GMA) Reggie Ross, president of the School Nutrition Foundation -- the charitable arm of the School Nutrition Association, which is a nonprofit organization that represents over 55,000 members who provide meals to students -- said in a statement that he "greatly appreciates USDA addressing the critical challenges shared by our members serving students on the front lines these first weeks of school." He also said that the waivers allow school nutrition professionals to focus on nourishing hungry children rather than spend time processing paperwork to verify eligibility in the midst of a pandemic. Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength, said that the extension "is important for hungry kids headed back to school, younger siblings not yet in school, parents struggling to make ends meet and for the schools and community groups rising to the challenge to feed them during this pandemic." But while she hailed the critical action by the USDA, Davis said it's "not enough" because with COVID-19 cases on the rise, "the health and economic effects of this pandemic will likely continue to impact children, families and schools well into 2021." PHOTO: Burleson Elementary School's cafeteria manager Geneva Garcia hands a sack lunch to a family outside a school building in Odessa, Texas, March 17, 2020. (Ben Powell/Odessa American via AP, FILE) "Last minute, stop-gap measures like these can create confusion for parents and barriers to the long-term planning needed to reach the unprecedented number of kids going hungry in our country right now," Davis said. As Conde noted, the extension for the free lunch program is a step toward helping already hard-hit communities amid the pandemic, but more resources and awareness is needed to help the free lunches have more reach and direct impact. "Now with COVID we don't know what the ramifications are going to be," she said. "Our families need this help for kids and families having access to this food." This story was originally published on Sept. 14, 2020. Free lunch may not be enough to aid hunger as pandemic impacts food security in US originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Joe Biden on Monday denounced President Donald Trump as a climate arsonist whose unwillingness to acknowledge the threat posed by climate change was characteristic of his inability to steer the country through various concurrent crises. Once again, he fails the most basic duty to a nation, the Democratic presidential nominee told reporters in a roughly 25-minute speech delivered outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Wilmington. He fails to protect us from the pandemic, from an economic free fall, from racial unrest, from the ravages of climate change, Biden said, before parroting one of the presidents signature lines of attack: Its clear that were not safe in Donald Trumps America. This is Donald Trumps America. Hes in charge. Bidens remarks on Monday were meant to address the wildfires that have been raging across Western states for three weeks, and they came as Trump traveled to California for a briefing with emergency response officials after having faced criticism for ignoring the devastation. During the briefing in Sacramento, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot both challenged the president on his climate change views while praising the federal assistance he had provided to fight the blazes that have killed nearly three dozen in California and Oregon. I think we want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means for our forests, and actually work together with that science, Crowfoot told Trump, adding that science is going to be key. While he applauded Trumps focus on vegetation management as a method of controlling and fighting wildfires, Crowfoot warned Trump not to ignore the science of climate change, arguing that it would be misguided to sort of put our heads in the sand and think its all about vegetation management a course of action he said would not ultimately protect Californians. Trump, however, pushed back on Crowfoots assessment, telling him that itll start getting cooler, just watch. Story continues I dont think the science agrees with you, Crowfoot responded, to which Trump retorted: I dont think science knows, actually. Biden likened Trumps management of the coronavirus pandemic to his lack of a national strategy to combat climate change, accusing the administration of leaving the U.S. with a patchwork of solutions. The manifold effects of rising global temperatures require leadership, not scapegoating, Biden said, and they demand that the president meet the threshold duty of the office: To care. To care for everyone. To defend us from every attack, seen and unseen. Always and without exception. Because heres the deal, Biden continued. Hurricanes dont swerve to avoid red states or blue states. Wildfires dont skip towns that voted a certain way. The impacts of climate change dont pick and choose. Thats because its not a partisan phenomenon. Its science, and our response should be the same. Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Throughout his speech, the former vice president repeatedly cast Trump as a leader averse to scientific evidence and driven by political impulses, even in times of national disaster. Biden mentioned Trumps suggestion that windmills cause cancer, his claim that energy-efficient light bulbs make him look orange, his tossing of paper towels to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and his admonition that forest management officials in California should clean your floors. Hes already said he wanted to withhold aid to California, to punish the people of California, because they didnt vote for him, Biden said, referring to allegations leveled last month by a former high-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security. This is another crisis. Another crisis he wont take responsibility for. The West is literally on fire, and he blames the people whose homes and communities are burning, Biden said. He says, quote, Youve got to clean your floors. You got to clean your forest. Biden, citing a Pentagon study on climate change, even invoked reports from earlier this month that the president had made derogatory comments about fallen U.S. service members, and he conjured a dystopic vision of America when describing a potential second Trump term. If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? Biden said. If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater? Carla Marinucci in Sacramento and Caitlin Oprysko in Washington contributed to this report. Reindeer herders in a Russian Arctic archipelago have found an immaculately preserved carcass of an Ice Age cave bear, researchers said Monday. The find, revealed by the melting permafrost, was discovered on the Lyakhovsky Islands with its teeth and even its nose intact. Previously scientists only had been able to discover the bones of cave bears that became extinct 15,000 years ago. Scientists of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, the premier center for research into woolly mammoths and other prehistoric species, hailed the find as groundbreaking. In a statement issued by the university, researcher Lena Grigorieva emphasized that this is the first and only find of its kind a whole bear carcass with soft tissues. It is completely preserved, with all internal organs in place, including even its nose, Grigorieva said. This find is of great importance for the whole world. A preliminary analysis indicated that the adult bear lived 22,000 to 39,500 years ago. It is necessary to carry out radiocarbon analysis to determine the precise age of the bear, the university quoted researcher Maxim Cheprasov as saying. The bear carcass was found by reindeer herders on Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island. It is the largest of the Lyakhovsky Islands, which are part of the New Siberian Islands archipelago that lies between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea. At about the same time, a well-preserved carcass of a cave bear cub has also been found in another area in Yakutias mainland, the university said. It didnt describe its condition in detail but noted that scientists are hopeful of obtaining its DNA. Recent years have seen major discoveries of mammoths, woolly rhinos, Ice Age foal, several puppies and cave lion cubs as the permafrost melts across vast areas in Russias region of Siberia. Former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 candidate for Florida governor Andrew Gillum came out as bisexual on on Monday, the first time he has publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation. Mr Gillum addressed the topic in his first public interview since reports surfaced earlier this year of police finding him passed out from drunkenness in a Miami hotel room with a male escort who had allegedly overdosed on crystal meth. I don't identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual, the Florida Democrat, a rising star in his party as recently as two years ago, said in an interview with Tamron Hall that aired on Monday. That is something I've never shared publicly before, he said, flanked by his wife. Mr Gillum checked into a rehab facility to help treat alcoholism and depression in March after the initial story from the hotel incident broke. He said in his interview with Ms Hall that he had felt deep shame when a British tabloid published the photo of him passed out in the hotel room. When that photo came out, I didnt recognize the person on the floor," Mr Gillum said. "That was not anything more than a person being at their most vulnerable state, unconscious, having given no consent, and someone decided to use a moment where I was literally lying in my own vomit, he said. Mr Gillum lost the 2018 Florida governors race to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than 33,000 votes out of more than 8.1m cast, a margin of less than half a percentage point. That close margin triggered an automatic machine recount, which confirmed Mr DeSantis had won. Mr Gillum conceded 11 days after Election Night. The former Tallahassee mayors wife, R. Jai, told Ms Hall she had known about her husbandss sexuality before they got married. So many people just don't understand bisexuality, R. Jai said. Bisexuality is just something different. I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum. All I care about is what's between us and what agreement we make. Mr Gillum urged viewers of the segment with Ms Hall not to automatically associate bisexuality with infidelity. Bisexuality in and of itself doesn't lead to unfaithfulness, he said. There are men who are in marriages with women who just because they're married to a woman doesn't mean they're not attracted to other women, and at any point can slip up, make a mistake, do something, and that is what it is. The same thing in bisexual relationships. He continued: You can be attracted to both, you got a bigger terrain out there that you have to contend with, but you can still choose to be physically with one person. Ram 1500 classic stands out visually with its different styling cues. The cladding over the wheel arches, the black grille, and the rebel-like bumpers give it an aggressive look. Ram 1500 Classic will make a comeback in 2021. The classic will offer three trim levels and an off-road package. The new Warlock All-Terrain comes with a superior package. The features include 17-inch aluminum wheels, front and rear all-weather floor mats, and Yokohama all-terrain tires. The Ram 1500 Classic is not a substitute for TRX off-roaders. However, the truck is more capable and comes with durable tires. It also comes with heavy-duty rear shocks, Rebel-like bumpers, and a one-inch suspension. The Ram 1500 entry-level model will sell at $30,145. However, the Ram 1500 Warlock model will sell at $38,040. The pricing is worth the aggressive capabilities that this truck offers. The new front end design features a black powder-coated bumper and some black tow hooks. The Ram 1500 Classic Warlock has an aggressive and commanding presence. Thanks to the unique Sport hood and revamped front end design. The fender flares add an appealing sporty appearance to the blacked-out exterior accents. The 20-inch black aluminum wheels complement the bold truck's dominant look. Climbing into the Ram 1500 has never been this easier. It comes with black tubular side steps for climbing in and out of the cabin. The all-black interior features split-folding bench seats with front and rear floor mats. If you upgrade to the ultimate you get 8.4-inch touchscreen and premium bucket seats. As stated by RAM, the Ram 1500 is a special tribute to the original Warlocks from the 1970s. However, not everyone agrees with this idea. According to Jared Balfour, who's the Co-Editor at Motor1, "What I don't understand about this truck is why would RAM goes through so much trouble of making it look like the fourth-generation Rebel and even include a 1-inch suspension lift, yet neuter it with these crappy Goodyear tires on black-painted 20-inch aluminum wheels from the Express model? I know that it is easy to change after the fact, but from the factory, it doesn't look right. In my opinion, they should have gone with the older Rebel wheels and a set of all-terrain tires or at least put some decent all-terrain tires on these wheels. Then it would have been a Rebel Classic, minus the interior features." Read also: A Buyer's Guide to Buying a New or Used Car or Truck Despite such opinions, the truck's sales have not stopped. The Ram 1500 Classic Warlock remains one of the hottest in the Ram 1500 classic. However, the introduction of the 2021 Ram 1500 Classic Warlock All-Terrain is a big milestone. This redemption will restore motorist's confidence in the "Rebel Classic". The truck features a budget-friendly off-road package with 4th generation Ram 1500's Rebel looks. This package also comes with a 1-inch factory lift, black badging, heavy-duty rear shocks, hood decals, sport hood, LED fog lamps, and dark bezels. For those RAM enthusiasts out there, this is a package worth upgrading to. This throwback will appeal to the RAM community. The RAM 1500 classic is a worthwhile upgrade in the RAM lineup. Thousands of residents from two new Melbourne hotspots have been urged to get tested for coronavirus. Nine of Victoria's 35 new cases identified on Monday were in Hallam and Narre Warren, in the city's outer south-east. Authorities are concerned the COVID-19 cluster will grow as testing rates have dropped across the state over the past few weekends. Chief health officer Brett Sutton called on residents from the two suburbs to attended testing clinics if they experience any symptoms. Residents in Hallam and Narre Warren have been urged to get tested for coronavirus after a spike of cases in the city's outer southeast VIC Premier Dan Andrew said weekend testing rates had recently dropped, sparking fears cases could go undetected. A healthcare worker conducts a test in Bendigo last month Victorian Premier Daniel Andrew warned decreased testing rates could jeopardise the state's roadmap to recovery. 'We dont want a situation where test numbers are not an accurate measure not enough tests being done for us to have confidence that we have a clear picture of how much virus is out there,' he said. 'We dont want any steps in this safe and steady roadmap to be deferred or to be compromised. It is important that each and every Victorian comes forward and gets tested.' Victoria recorded 7 deaths on Monday taking the state's toll to 729 and the national figure to 816. The deaths include one man in his 70s, one man and one woman in their 80s, and three men and one woman in their 90s. All were linked to age care. Meanwhile, the city took its first tentative steps out of lockdown, with those living alone or single parents allowed to have one other visitor as part of a 'social bubble'. Melbournians have been prohibited from leaving home for non-essential reasons since stage four restrictions were implemented on August 2. Outdoor exercise is now two hours per day and the 8pm-5am curfew will start an hour later at 9pm. Melbournians have been prohibited from leaving home for non-essential reasons since stage four restrictions were implemented on August 2. Two masked women are seen walking near the Tan in Melbourne last month Hospitality in regional Victoria, which moved into eased restrictions on Monday, is expected to reopen as early as this week. Under the state government's roadmap, Melbourne's bars, cafes and restaurants can open for outdoor dining from October 26. The changes come after a weekend of heated protests in the city's CBD as fed-up residents called on the Andrews' Government to ease restrictions. Footage on social media showed demontrators clashing with police, some throwing fruit as they chanted 'Freedom' at the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday. Seventy four people were arrested with at least 176 fines handed to protesters. In the past 24 hours, Victoria police have issued another 170 infringement notices, including 25 for not wearing a face covering, 46 for curfew breaches and 23 at vehicle checkpoints. In Brazils Pantanal, the worlds largest wetland, weeks of raging fires driven by climate crisis, have decimated wildlife populations. The remote region, close to the countys western border with Bolivia and Paraguay, has been burning since mid-July. The charred aftermath stretches across an area bigger than New York City. A team of veterinarians, biologists and local guides arrived in late August to prowl the bumpy dirt road known as the Trans-Pantanal Highway in pickup trucks, looking to save what injured animals they could, Reuters reported. Jaguars were wandering the blackened wasteland, they said, starving or going thirsty, with paws burnt to the bone, lungs blackened by smoke. They saw bodies of alligator-like caiman, jaws frozen in silent screams, the last act of creatures desperate to cool off before being consumed by flames. The number of fires in the Pantanal more than doubled in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, according to government data. Officials said it was the largest number of fires in a six-month period in the last two decades. There were 2,534 recorded fires in the Pantanal between January and June, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said. Between January and June 2019, the institute recorded 981 fires. The 2020 numbers represent a 158 per cent increase on the 2019 numbers. A fire has been burning since mid-July in the remote wetlands of west-central Brazil (REUTERS) Climate scientists fear these fires are becoming the new normal, echoing the rise in climate-driven blazes that are roaring across the American West and in other countries from Australia to Greece. The Pantanal is smaller and less-known than its famous cousin, the Amazon jungle. But the regions normally abundant waters and strategic location - sandwiched between the rainforest, Brazils vast grasslands and Paraguays dry forests - make it a magnet for animals. The fires are now threatening one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, biologists say. The Pantanal is home to roughly 1,200 vertebrate animal species, including 36 that are threatened with extinction. Across this usually lush landscape of 150,000 square kilometres (57,915 square miles) in Brazil, rare birds flutter and the worlds densest population of jaguars roam. Fire is not new here. For decades, ranchers have used flames to cheaply return nutrients to the soil and renew pasture for their beef cattle. But those blazes, fueled by drought, now burn with historic force, racing across desiccated vegetation. The biggest fires in the Pantanal this year are quadruple the size of the largest fire in Brazils Amazon rainforest, NASA satellites show. A record 23,490 square kilometres have burned through 6 September - nearly 16 per cent of the Brazilian Pantanal, according to a Federal University of Rio de Janeiro analysis. This year, the floods never came. Only a little bit of water pooled in a ditch nearby, he said. Now as water evaporates in the dry season, the Paraguay River that traverses the Pantanal has receded to its lowest point since 1973, according to Julia Arieira, a climate researcher at Brazils Federal University of Espirito Santo. Scientists blame the drought on warming in the Atlantic Ocean just above the equator thats drawing moisture away from South America and will send it north, likely in the form of stronger hurricanes. NASA scientist Doug Morton said this phenomenon is caused by shifts in ocean temperature known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation - the Atlantic Oceans equivalent of El Nino in the Pacific. Unlike El Nino, which typically happens every 2-7 years, the oscillation alternates between hot and cold roughly every 30-40 years. When it runs hot, as it has been since the 1990s, the warming in the tropical North Atlantic is more likely to occur, contributing to South American droughts and fires. Changing ocean temperatures are a likely driver of the dry conditions weve seen so far this year in the Pantanal, according to Morton, who leads NASAs biospheric sciences lab. Morton said the warm spot could also be contributing to more dryness in the southern part of the Amazon, where fires likely hit a 10-year high in August; and in Argentinas wetlands where the blazes are the worst since 2009. More worrying still, Morton is concerned global warming could disrupt the Oscillation and leave it permanently in the warm phase, contributing to more fires. Even if that does not happen, scientists fear global temperature increases on their own would make vast burning ever more common. Destruction of the Amazon rainforest to the north is exacerbating drought in the Pantanal over the long-term, said Philip Fearnside, an ecologist at Brazils National Institute of Amazonian Research. Thats because jungle trees recycle rain and push the moisture back into the air as water vapor, which winds then carry to neighboring regions in so-called flying rivers. Amazon deforestation has surged 34.5 per cent in the 12 months through July, compared to the same period a year ago, according to preliminary data from government space research agency Inpe. The sharp increase in fires comes amid domestic and international concern over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's calls to clear land in order to drive economic development, and follows a surge in fires, many set to make land available for farming and other industry, in the Amazon last year. Environment Minister Ricardo Salles visited the Pantanal in August, saying that federal environmental agencies had sent five aircraft and additional workers to assist the more than 100 state firefighters battling the blazes. The fires are causing great damage to fauna, flora and to the Pantanal region, Mr Salles said, according to Reuters. Mato Grosso state firefighting Lieutenant Colonel Jean Oliveira, who has been leading all government agencies in the fire response, said that no people have died in the fires. The victims, he said, are wildlife. While there arent exact counts, at a minimum thousands of animals have perished, according to biologist Rogerio Rossi at the Federal University of Mato Grosso. The roving veterinary team is able to save only a tiny fraction of the injured animals. Many of these creatures are difficult to catch, far from accessible roads. Veterinarian Jorge Salomao Jr. rattled off an inventory of the carnage. Weve seen a lot of dead animals, mainly reptiles, serpents, caimans, he said. Weve seen a lot of dead deer, dead tapirs, dead monkeys, dead coati, a cousin of North American raccoons. In the burned expanse of 520 square miles (1,347 sq km) near the town of Pocone, dead snakes are seen every few metres. Local guide Eduarda Fernandes, who is working with the rescue team, wandered the area, feet sinking into the deep soot. She picked up a snake petrified in the fire. It had bitten its own flesh, in what a biologist said was likely an involuntary reaction as it sought any escape from the pain of being burned alive. Asked what she thought happened, Ms Fernandes responded, Pain. Despair. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt got together online for their table read of Fast Times At Ridgemont High and images from the session debuted on Monday. This is the first time the ex spouses have been seen together since they said hello to each other backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January - he won for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and she got an away for The Morning Show. The 50-year-old blonde beauty and the 56-year-old veteran movie star - who were married from 2000 until 2005 - both beamed during the charity event which will air on September 17. Two good to be true! Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt got together online for their live table read of Fast Times At Ridgemont High. This is the first time the exes have been seen together since they said hello to each other backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January Jennifer looked far younger than her years with her blonde hair worn down as she sported a fresh tan with a dark, sleeveless top. Brad had longer than usual blonde hair, a slight beard, and a green top as he resembled his scruffy image from his hit film Legends Of The Fall from 1995. The former power couple famously worked together in 2001 on the episode The One With The Rumor for season eight of her hit TV series Friends. Aniston and Pitt seem to have become friends again since he split from his second wife Angelina Jolie in 2016. Natural beauty: Jennifer looked far younger than her years with her blonde hair worn down as she sported a fresh tan wit a dark top Scruffy thanks to the pandemic: Brad had longer than usual blonde hair with a green top as he resembled his scruffy image from his hit film Legends Of The Fall from 1995 Rare: Brad famously made a guest appearance on Friends in 2001, but the couple have rarely worked together despite maintaining a friendship even after their divorce; shown in 2001 Last year, Pitt made an unexpected appearance at Aniston's 50th birthday celebration. Aniston had invited him, and the two reportedly had a significant chat, though she cut it short to allow other guests to spend time with her. He is currently reportedly romancing model Nicole Poturalski with whom he has been spending time in France and Berlin. Also on the Fast Times live read was Dane Cook, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Roberts, John Legend and Ray Liotta. Pitt's friend Sean Penn, who was the star of FTARH, was also on the screen. The film came out in 1982 and was an instant cult classic. All here: Also on the Fast Times live read was Dane Cook, Morgan Freeman, Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Roberts, John Legend and Ray Liotta. Pitt's friend Sean Penn, who was the star of FTARH, was also on the screen. The film came out in 1982 and was an instant cult classic The live virtual table read Dane Cook Presents Feelin A-Live Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which is sponsored by SnackPop.com, was supposed to air on August 20 but was pushed to September 17. Proceeds from the show will go toward Penn's nonprofit CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) and REFORM Alliance. In August Cook said it was Aniston who made the live read star studded. He told Extra the Friends veteran was the first star to sign on for the live table. 'I think Jennifer Aniston was lovely and the first person to say, "Im in," and then it just started to rocket after that,' said the 48-year-old Dane Cook. Seen in 2017 'I think Jennifer Aniston was lovely and the first person to say, "Im in," and then it just started to rocket after that,' said the 48-year-old Employee Of The Month star. Cook told Extra's Billy Bush: 'I wanted to do something that lightens the mood, can help people, and at the same time, I wanted to do something that felt celebratory, because we dont have movies.' The stand-up comedian then added: 'We started making phone calls. I think Jennifer Aniston was lovely and the first person to say, "Im in," and then it just started to rocket after that.' Dane said a lot more big named were coming forward. 'You havent even heard all the names. In the next 24 hours, your mind is going to be blown!' On Friday more stars will be announced. Details: The live virtual table read Dane Cook Presents Feelin A-Live Fast Times at Ridgemont High will debut on Friday, August 21, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Facebook Live and TikTok via COREs official Facebook page and TikTok account. It will also stream via LiveXLive Cook, who's appearing in the read, will also present the reading. 'On behalf of our dedicated team at CORE, Im so appreciative of the support Dane has given and continues to give to our work,' Penn wrote in a press release. 'I'm always game for a giggle. So to gather remotely for a night of laughs with so many talented folks while providing CORE with much-needed resources to continue our vital work then consider us fully onboard to play!' Penn has stayed mum on which character he'll play in the table read, though he has confirmed he won't be reprising his star-making turn as Jeff Spicoli. Friends is available to stream on Stan in Australia All-stars: Eric Stoltz, Sean Penn and Anthony Edwards in Fast Times At Ridgemont High in 1982 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK, Tahir Taghizade sent a letter to Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the UKs House of Lords, the Azerbaijani embassy in the UK told Trend. Baroness Caroline Cox, the member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament, known for her firm pro-Armenian stance, sent a congratulatory letter to the puppet regime in connection with the 29th anniversary of the illegal regime created in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia. In this regard, Taghizade sent a letter to Baroness Cox. It is utterly regrettable that the language of your letter, the one signed by a long-standing member of such a distinguished body as UK House of Lords and somebody who is verbally committed to peace, justice, and morality so closely reminds me of the inflammatory rhetoric used by the Armenian propaganda, the letter said. First of all, realities unlike the fantasies do not have alternatives, the letter said. In that sense, alternative accounts of reality in your letter are plain impossible. Thus, allow me to draw your attention to something in terms of dry facts while trying to leave aside emotions and delusions alike. 1. Nagorno Karabakh I am sure that as a strong fan of Armenia, you have seen BBCs recent Hard Talk featuring Armenias Prime Minister Pashinian where he tries to mislead the British audience with a ridiculous history lesson, whereas the presenter invites him to address the realities referring to the UN Security Council Resolutions confirming Nagorno Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan and demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian forces from the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the letter said. While Armenia and most of its supporters resort to false history lessons to validate their cause, Azerbaijan and anybody advocating justice adhere to international law which is quite unequivocal and does not need further justification. Armenia, in contravention of the UN Charter, occupied through use of force, Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and conducted notorious ethnic cleansing against a million Azerbaijanis in the seized lands, the letter said. In order to disguise its direct responsibility for military aggression against Azerbaijan, Armenia distorts and misinterprets the principle of the peoples right to self-determination and, attempts to impose the view that this principle may be applied in the form of unilateral secession for the Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, thus leading to the establishment of the second Armenian state, the letter said. In reality, such a view has nothing in common with the principle of self-determination as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and other international documents, the letter said. Moreover, it is abundantly clear that claims of self-determination are unsustainable when they are accompanied by egregious violations of international law, including its peremptory norms (jus cogens), such as those prohibiting the threat or use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. The inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are entitled to the internal right of self-determination within the boundaries of Azerbaijan, the letter said. It envisages that Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan will live together in peace, dignity, and prosperity without violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. This is what my government has been offering all along the way: the highest degree of self-rule within Azerbaijan. On the other hand, interventions like yours only serve to further delay the resolution of the conflict. 2. Shusha Shusha is Azerbaijani city that was occupied by Armenian aggressors on May 8, 1992, after being greatly damaged and completely cleansed of its Azerbaijani population (which comprised 98 percent back in 1989 according to the census data), the letter said. The entire cultural heritage of the city was either looted, destroyed or pillaged by the Armenians in flagrant violation of relevant international Conventions. Azerbaijans historical links to Shusha can be proven by an endless list of prominent personalities born and raised in that city including Bulbul, a famous tenor; Uzeyir Hajibeyov, composer; Khurshud Banu Natavan, 19th-century Azeri poetess; Molla Panah Vagif, 18th-century poet and many more, the letter said. Even a local British-Azerbaijani legislator in the Borough of Westminister was born and has spent his childhood near Shusha. Would you be able to name a single prominent Armenian who was born or at least lived in Shusha? 3. Nakhchivan Distortion and denial of historical facts are powerless to change them, the letter said. Nakhchivan has always been an integral part of Azerbaijan and no Armenian claims to change that. Your offer of trade of Nagorno Karabakh versus Nakhchivan is unthinkable, the letter said. It may sit well only with Armenia which has never had the slightest attachment to any of these territories and thus, would see this as a win-win situation. It will be a logical continuation for a country which evolved along the line of grab as much as you can theory. Second, probably influenced by your Armenian friends you are willing to turn everything into an object of trade. But for us Azerbaijanis those territories are part of our ancestral home and can neither be bought nor sold. Historically speaking, during Soviet Russia and even Russian Empire before that, it was a traditional policy to chip away at Azerbaijans territories in favor of Armenia, the letter said. But, my lady, enough is enough. The fact that Azerbaijan is not pushing for the return of its historical lands that are currently part of Armenia, does not mean that we will give up the rest complacently. 4. Escalation of tensions Azerbaijan did not violate the Convention you mentioned, the letter said. However, I would list a dozen international documents which Armenia violated and continues to do so in the most blatant way including but not limited to: the UN Charter, the UNSC resolutions, four Geneva Conventions, the Helsinki Final Act and many more. This country is so shameless in disrespecting the accepted norms and values of the modern international system that it did not hesitate to erect a monument to a proven Nazi collaborator, certain Garegin Nzhdeh in its capital city, the letter said. When it comes to who is committed to war and peace, I would like to draw your attention to only a few of Prime Minister Pashinians consecutive provocative actions after he came to power in 2018: May 2018 Nikol Pashinian sends his son to military service in Nagorno Karabakh which represents yet another example (this time on the level of the Prime Ministers family) of recruitment of Armenian citizens for military service in Azerbaijani territories. August 5, 2019 Nikol Pashinian visits the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and claims that Karabakh is Armenia. Then he leads the crowd in the chants of Miatsum (Armenian term for the unification of Karabakh and Armenia). May 21, 2020, Pashinian inaugurates the illegally elected president of a puppet regime established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, and to make sure that they add insult to the injury, they celebrate it in Shusha. July 12, 2020. Armenia attacks the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan alongside the international border between the two countries. This was yet another violation by Armenia of the norms and principles of international law against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In light of Azerbaijans decision to gradually de-militarize the non-occupied part of the border and to put it under the control of the State Border Service, Armenia made an attempt to exploit this goodwill gesture of Azerbaijan to conduct a surprise attack on Azerbaijan on the basis of its aggressive military doctrine, which according to Minister of Defense of Armenia envisages preemptive strikes aiming at creating more favorable security situation and new war for new territories. It was also an unsuccessful attempt to draw CSTO into the conflict as well as provoke Azerbaijan further by endangering energy communications. As a result, Azerbaijan lost more than 10 servicemen, including a general. Also, all the official and media reports including those of the BBCs, the Independents confirm the killing of 76 years old civilian from Azerbaijan as the only civilian killed during recent clashes. September 2020 As the world countries, including Azerbaijan, are trying to alleviate the consequences of the tragedy which happened in Lebanon on August 4, Armenia is exploiting this tragedy and illegally resettling families from Lebanon in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan to alter the demographic situation, the letter said. In the words of Stephen Sackur, in the above mentioned BBC program with these provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric Armenias Prime Minister is clearly not a peace-maker and his policy does not appear to be designed to achieve peace, the letter said. Instead, this countrys main intention is to dismantle the negotiation process and secure the annexation of Azerbaijans occupied territories. Of course, you are entitled to your own sympathies or lack of such when it comes to your foreign political affiliation, but it is at least not fair if you only judge it from point of view of moral justice to force this position on the UK government, the letter said. If after this letter you desire to sit down and discuss the injustices perpetrated by Armenia against my country, I would be more than willing to meet the Honorable Lady, the letter said. Last, but not the least, with your kind permission, I am going to repeat the tradition started by yourself and disseminate this letter among media outlets for a publication before becoming aware that it reached its addressee. Food lovers can now get their hands on a weird and wonderful 'Donug' hybrid between a chicken nugget and a doughnut in Australia. The Red Hill Hotel in Victoria dates back 165 years and has added the huge chicken nugget doughnut to the menu. The savoury 'donug' is made from a delicious free-range chicken mix, coated in crispy panko crumbs and topped with sauce. The Red Hill Hotel in Victoria dates back 165 years and added the huge chicken nugget doughnut to the menu. Unfortunately due to coronavirus restrictions in Victoria, the venue is temporarily closed The $12 'donug' is best served with hot chips and a cold beer, and customers can choose between three different toppings including cheese, curry or chilli. Customers on social media shared their excitement and seemed very eager to try the chicken doughnut for themselves. 'That is amazing!' one woman said, and another man added: 'Awesome! Looks so good!' Unfortunately due to current coronavirus restrictions in Victoria, the venue is temporarily closed. The donug is best served with hot chips and a cold beer, and customers can choose between three different toppings including cheese, curry or chilli The savoury donug is made from a delicious free-range chicken mix, coated in crispy panko crumbs and topped with sauce Married couple Crag Carrick and his chef wife Rachel Dutton started selling the unique hybrid food in 2018 after launching their business and appeared on Shark Tank. The Melbourne couple sealed a $100,000 deal after pitching their culinary idea. 'I'm not changing the world with this product. I'm giving something that's fun, it's easy to understand, people get it straight away,' Mr Carrick explained to the judging panel. Crag Carrick and his wife Rachel Dutton launched a start-up business selling the Donug Ms Dutton is the chef behind the business - combining the two humble fast foods together The fried finger food called Donugs is a cross between a chicken nugget and a doughnut 'Nothing's sweet about it. All savoury product. It's 98 per cent chicken that has our unique and top-secret spice mix that goes through it,' Mr Carrick explained. 'It's got then a cornflakes and panko crumb and three different sauces - a cheesy dijon bechamel, a golden Japanese curry and mozzarella, a hot chilli, or you can have it just on its own.' After seeing quirky food trends sweeping social media from Japan and LA, Mr Carrick said he wanted to create something crazy too. What is a Donug? 98 per cent free range chicken Cornflakes and panko crumb Three different sauces to choose from - a cheesy Dijon bechamel, a golden Japanese curry & mozzarella and a hot chilli Advertisement Donugs are made from free range chicken, coated with crispy cornflakes and panko crumb RedBalloon founder Naomi Simson offered the pair $100,000 for 25 per cent of the business 'I want this to be the crazy new food trend coming out of Melbourne,' he said. Poll Would you try a Donug? Yes No Would you try a Donug? Yes 223 votes No 69 votes Now share your opinion And so he teamed up with his chef wife, who has been in the food industry for 15 years, to whip up a combination of the two humble fast foods. 'It's made with care, it's a chef's recipe,' Mr Carrick added. Besides the delicious taste, the investors were far more impressed with the numbers. Donugs sell for $9 a pop but cost just a measly $2.20 to make - but the figure will rise to $4 at production cost - that's still a 225 per cent return and a 125 per cent profit. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 14 said it has registered a case against Mumbai-based private company Ess Dee Aluminium (EDAL) and others, including its chairman and director, on allegations of having defrauded State Bank of India (SBI) of over Rs 338 crore. The case was filed following a complaint by SBI, wherein it was alleged that the Mumbai-based company and the others accused in the matter entered into a conspiracy and submitted fake documents. The accused were allegedly involved in diversion of funds. EDAL is a manufacturer of aluminium foils used as packaging material in the pharmaceutical, food, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors. "An alleged loss to the tune of Rs 338.52 crore (approximately) was caused to SBI. Searches were conducted at the premises of accused/company in Mumbai which led to recovery of incriminating documents," the CBI said in a statement, adding that the investigation is underway. This comes less than a week after another private company based in Mumbai, M/s Spanco and its directors had been booked by the probe agency on a complaint from the Central Bank of India, for causing an alleged loss of Rs 103.27 crore to the bank. Ahead of the 75th United Nations General Assembly which begins in New York on Tuesday, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a coalition of 44 low-lying nations sounded alarm bells saying they were sinking not just because of climate change impacts like sea-level rise but are also neck-deep in debt. We are sinking in debt. This situation has been building up for quite some time now. But with the collapse of the tourism sector due to Covid-19 pandemic, we are in a state of emergency. We need systemic changes and not short-term measures. The climate crisis is unabated. The promise of green recovery cannot be rhetoric, said Lois Michele Young, a Belizean diplomat and ambassador of AOSIS. She called on donor, developed countries to honour their commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Official development assistance is needed leading up to COP 26 in 2021. COP 2021 should have enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to keep global warming under 1.5-degrees C. We are on the trajectory for a 3 degree C rise now over pre-industrial levels. 2020 is a critical year, we have a ten-year window according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to correct the trajectory and we are at end of year one, Young said. Also read: Wont be enough Covid-19 vaccines till 2024: Serum Institutes Adar Poonawalla Marla Dukharan, economist and advisor on the Caribbean, said, Small island countries were in debt even before the Covid-19 pandemic. But now they have to borrow more and the debt to the GDP ratio is skyrocketing as economies are contracting due to the pandemic. They are in unsustainable territory and governments soon will be defaulting. A natural disaster or even Covid-19 can wipe out 40 percent of the GDP for any of these countries in a go. Dukharan explained that high vulnerability to natural disasters, higher imports, lack of efficiency or achieving economies of scale for various public services have led to debt. According to Climate Action Tracker, only 8 countries have submitted updated NDCs; 2 have proposed updated NDCs; 7 have declined to update and 172 countries havent updated their NDCs. On 4 November 2019, the US started the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. They can effectively withdraw after November 4, 2020. Also read: US lawyer says Julian Assange faces decades in prison if convicted Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are likely to fall by 4 to 7 percent in 2020 due to Covid-19 lockdown and associated slowdown according to a United in Science 2020 report released by UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres last week. During the peak of Covid-19 lockdown in early April, the daily global CO2 emissions dropped to 2006 levels falling by 17 percent as compared to 2019. By early June, however, daily fossil fuel CO2 emissions returned to within 5 percent below 2019 levels. But, this dip in CO2 emissions hasnt made any impact on global co2 concentrations. The world is set to see its warmest five years on record and is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets to keep global temperature increase well below 2 degrees C or at 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, stated the report drafted by multiple agencies including the World Meteorological Organisation. President Donald Trump has clashed with the Governors in the fire-ravaged West Coast states ahead of his visit to California later today. Trump will visit McClellan Park, California, on Monday for a briefing with local and federal fire and emergency officials on the state's wildfires. California governor Gavin Newsom said he will also attend. After weeks of remaining silent about the blazes, Trump took to Twitter on Friday to thank firefighters and first responders before mentioning the fires over an hour into his keynote speech in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night. "Our hearts are with all of the communities in the West battling devastating wildfires," Trump told his supporters, adding that "my administration is closely coordinating with state and local leaders." Trump repeatedly said the fires are about "forest management," a characterization he has repeatedly offered of such blazes. "It is about forest management, please remember the words, very simply, forest management, please remember, about forest management, and other things," he said, also thanking the firefighters and first responders who are reacting to the fires. Trump had last addressed the wildfires during an August 23 news conference, announcing the approval of a disaster declaration for California and that the federal government had deployed thousands of first responders and personnel to the area. But the Democratic governors - including California's Gavin Newsom, Washington's Jay Inslee and Oregon's Kate Brown- say the fires are a consequence of climate change. But the Trump administration has blamed poor forest management for the flames that have raced through the region and made the air in places like Portland, Oregon, Seattle and San Francisco some of the worst in the world. Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in the U.S. to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas. California, Oregon and Washington state have seen historic wildfires that have burned faster and farther than ever before. Pictured: The Oak Park Motel was destroyed by the flames of the Beachie Creek Fire east of Salem, Oregon on Sunday Trump has blamed poor forest management for the flames that have raced through the region The governors have been blunt: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday called climate change 'a blowtorch over our states in the West.' 'It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires,' Inslee said Sunday on ABCs 'This Week.' As Newsom toured a ghostlike landscape destroyed by flames Friday, he called out the 'ideological BS' of those who deny the danger. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the media after he toured the North Complex Fire zone in Butte County on Friday and demanded action on climate change. He called out the 'ideological BS' of those who deny the danger Evacuees from the Riverside Fire stay in tents at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge on Sunday Kristopher Smith holds his dog Tripp outside his tent at an evacuation center at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Oak Grove, Oregon 'The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California, observe it with your own eyes,' he said. He noted that just in the last month, California had its hottest August, with world-record-setting heat in Death Valley. It had 14,000 dry lightning strikes that set off hundreds of fires, some that combined into creating five of the 10 largest fires in the states recorded history. And it had back-to-back heat waves. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said about 500,000 acres typically burn each year, but just in the past week, flames have swallowed over a million acres, pointing to long-term drought and recent wild weather swings in the state. 'This is truly the bellwether for climate change on the West Coast,' she said Sunday on CBS 'Face the Nation.' 'And this is a wake-up call for all of us that we have got to do everything in our power to tackle climate change.' Workers continue to repair the power system after flames from the Beachie Creek Fire burned through Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site east of Salem, Oregon on Sunday Shayanne Summers holds her dog Toph while wrapped in a blanket after several days of staying in a tent at an evacuation center at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Oak Grove, Oregon Beth Deleo holds her dog as Ben Quaempts loads donated items into their van at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Oak Grove, Ore. The two have been living in their van for the past several days after evacuating from Molalla, Oregon, which was threatened by the Riverside Fire At a rally in Nevada, Trump blamed the way states have run the land, saying 'it is about forest management.' White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed that Sunday on CNNs 'State of the Union,' saying that for many years in California, 'particularly because of budget cutbacks, there was no inclination to manage our forests.' Forest management, which includes tree thinning and brush clearing, is costly, labor-intensive work that is effective in reducing fuel for wildfires. Millions of dollars are spent on such reduction efforts every year in Western states though many argue more needs to be done. The efforts can also be undercut when homeowners in rural areas dont undertake similar efforts on their own properties. An aerial shot of the aftermath of the Almeda wildfire that swept through Talent, Oregon, pictured on Sunday Mill Creek Hotshots set a backfire to protect homes during the Bobcat Fire on September 13, 2020 in Arcadia, California A helicopter drops water to help extinguish the Bobcat Fire, in Arcadia, California A chicken wanders through charred remains from the Beachie Creek Fire near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti accused Trump of perpetuating a lie that only forest management can curtail the massive fires seen in recent years. He pointed to drought and the need to reduce carbon emissions. 'Talk to a firefighter, if you think that climate change isnt real,' the Democratic mayor said on CNN's 'State of the Union.' It isnt clear if global warming caused the dry, windy conditions that have fed the fires in the Pacific Northwest, but a warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity, said Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. Oregon Governor Kate Brown toured the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, Ore., Saturday afternoon, Sept. 12, 2020, where she spoke with volunteers and evacuees. Brown also toured the animal facility where evacuated animals are being kept. Fires along Oregon's Cascade Range grew Saturday, but at a slower rate than earlier in the week Boats are partially obscured by smoke from a wildfire at a marina on Detroit Lake burned by the Beachie Creek Fire, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Detroit, Oregon Shayanne Summers walks her her dog Toph at an evacuation center at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Oak Grove, Ore. 'It's nice enough here you could almost think of this as camping and forget everything else, almost,' said Summers about sleeping in a tent for the past several days at the center after evacuating from near Molalla, Oregon which was threatened by the Riverside Fire A sign advises to social distance at a marina building on Detroit Lake burned by the Beachie Creek Fire, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Detroit, Oregon George Coble carries a bucket of water to put out a tree still smoldering on his property destroyed by a wildfire Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Mill City, Oregon Warnings of low moisture and strong winds could fan the flames in hard-hit southern Oregon to Northern California and last through Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as the fast-moving flames turned neighborhoods to nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state. Washington Governor Jay Inslee speaks during a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Malden, Wash., while linemen repair a damaged power pole behind him. Inslee was visiting Malden to meet with first responders and community members after the town was damaged by a wildfire on Monday Firefighter Steve McAdoo, who has run from one blaze to another in Oregon for six days, said his neighbors in rural areas outside Portland should clear trees near their homes because a week like they just survived could happen again. 'I would think the way the climate is changing, this may not be the last time,' he said. In the small southern Oregon town of Talent, Dave Monroe came back to his burned home, partly hoping hed find his three cats. 'We thought wed get out of this summer with no fires,' he said. 'There is something going on, thats for sure, man. Every summer were burning up. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 11, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Calls for Quick Justice in Shooting of Ambushed LA Deputies President Donald Trump on Sunday called for the death penalty after a suspect ambushed and shot two Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies in Compton, California. If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this! he wrote, referring to the two deputies who were shot in the head on Saturday. Video footage showed a suspect approaching their vehicle before opening fire as they were sitting inside. Later, Trump went after Democratic rival Joe Biden for allegedly being weak on crime. Hes not strong for law and order and everybody knows that, Trump said of Biden on Sunday. When you see a scene like happened just last night in California with the two police peoplea woman, a manshot at stone cold short range. The president added: Were looking for him and when we find that person, weve got to get much faster with our courts and weve got to get much tougher with our sentencing. A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated. The protesters tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point prevented deputies from entering the emergency room, Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez with the Churches in Action group told the TV station KABC. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) deputies walk outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters) Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) deputies stand outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters) Trump and GOP allies have frequently tried to cast Biden and Democratic elected officials as weak on crime in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests and a wave of anti-police sentiment following George Floyds death in May. Far-left activists and some Democratic politicians have also called to defund or abolish police departments over the summer. Biden has said he does not want to defund police departments. Lets get the facts straight, I not only dont want to defund the police, Biden said in August, I want to add $300 million to their local budgets to deal with community policing to get police and communities back together again. Biden, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter after the deputies were killed that it is a cold-blooded shooting that is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. However, on July 8, Biden said that he would redirect police funds to non-police areas when he was asked about it. Yes, absolutely, he replied. Trump, meanwhile, has frequently touted himself as the law and order candidate. There is currently a $100,000 reward for information leading up to the arrest and conviction of a suspect. The Associated Press contributed to this report. America will see an all-new 2021 Ranger Tremor off-road package that enhances the look and feel of the midsize pickup as Ford steps up its fight against the Toyota Tacoma. This is the latest effort to win over drivers who enjoy using their trucks for off-roading and for commuting to work. "Our target customer wants to have adventures, be free and get away from the daily grind but also needs to carry gear, supplies and passengers," said Chad Callander, marketing manager for the past five years for Ford Ranger. Sales tend to be higher on the coasts, in larger metropolitan areas, with 15% to 20% in California. Los Angeles is a huge market. But Seattle, San Diego, Dallas, Houston, Boston and New York also are hot spots for sales of the truck, which is smaller than the best-selling F-150. New 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor Off-Road Package creates the most off-road-ready factory-built Ranger ever offered in the U.S., adding a new level of all-terrain capability without sacrificing the everyday drivability, payload and towing capacity Ranger owners expect. More pay cuts: More workers hit with pay cuts than in last recession, and stagnant wages could linger Hot collectibles: These 1990s vehicles are hot on the collectible car market "Anywhere it's easier to maneuver the vehicle into a parking space," Callander said. After unveiling the vehicle at the Detroit auto show in 2018, and hitting dealerships in 2019, Ranger is one of the few vehicles to gain sales in 2020. In the second three months of 2019, buyers purchased: 68,683 Toyota Tacomas 31,669 Chevy Colorados 20,880 Ford Rangers In the second three months of this year, consumers bought: 51,063 Toyota Tacomas 25,008 Ford Rangers 19,843 Chevy Colorados Ranger rose from 10.2% of its market segment during the first six months of 2019 to 17% of the market a year later. Ranger prices start around $24,300 and can easily grow past $43,000 loaded up with accessories. The Tremor off-road package is available on 2021 XLT and Lariat SuperCrew 4x4s. The package costs $4,290. Ford builds the Ranger at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. Tremor production is expected to begin in early 2021. Ranger 'black package': 2019 Ford Ranger truck buyers want custom design, sexy 'black package' Story continues "We're getting momentum in the marketplace," Callander said. "But our most off-road capable Ranger wasn't really at the level we needed it to be ... So we went to work on the Tremor package. It has a better suspension, more aggressive knobby tires for the off-road trails but you don't want to lose any of the on-road comfort. This isn't just a weekend warrior vehicle. It's my daily driver." F-150's little brother Mark Douglas, president of Avis Ford in Southfield, Michigan, said shoppers get the Ranger when they want truck capability in a compact, fuel-efficient "easier-to-drive-in-the-city package" with useful payload and towing. Mark Douglas, president of Avis Ford in Southfield, sees Ranger appeal increasingly growing. He is seen here in the showroom in July 2020. When not having his photo taken, Douglas wears a face mask in the office. ""At the end of the day, an F-150 is a big truck," he said. "This would be the equivalent of an Explorer versus (the bigger) Expedition. Certain customers just aren't comfortable with full-size vehicles. The Ranger will fit into your garage, no problem." More pay cuts: More workers hit with pay cuts than in last recession, and stagnant wages could linger Hot collectibles: These 1990s vehicles are hot on the collectible car market This latest Tremor package, Douglas explained, reflects deep research over the past two years by Ford and a recognition that consumers were "upfitting" their vehicles after purchase. By offering all the bells and whistles from the factory, customers get what they want without needing to add on themselves. And those dollars stay with Ford. New goodies Compared with the base model, Ranger Tremor front suspension travel increases to 6.5 inches. Rear suspension travel increases to 8.1 inches. The Tremor also includes a frame-mounted steel front bash plate and underbody skid plates, different drive modes and traction control that is "recalibrated for improved acceleration and traction in gravel, so customers can punch it in a washout with gusto," the company said in a news release. New 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor Off-Road Package creates the most off-road-ready factory-built Ranger ever offered in the U.S., adding a new level of all-terrain capability without sacrificing the everyday drivability, payload and towing capacity Ranger owners expect. "This off-road Ranger is going to command F-150 prices," said Ivan Drury, senior manager of insights at Edmunds, the online automotive research site. "But with Ranger buyers focused more on recreation and being located on the coasts versus towing and living in the center of the country, the two groups are so divergent from one another there is little to no risk of cannibalization. Midsize buyers want a smaller, easier truck to live with and are willing to pay near full-size price for it." Ranger vs. Colorado Improving the Ranger creates a killer opportunity for Ford, said Eric Noble, president of The CarLab, a car design consultancy based in Orange, California. "At one point, together with only Toyota, Ford owned the compact truck market," he said. "Ford left that market. Then General Motors entered with the (Chevy) Colorado, which still is the best of the compact trucks. Far and away, it's the benchmark of the segment. Tacoma you couldn't consider best in segment. Its updates have been limited. Tacoma is running off Toyota-brand inertia." New 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor Off-Road Package creates the most off-road-ready factory-built Ranger ever offered in the U.S., adding a new level of all-terrain capability without sacrificing the everyday drivability, payload and towing capacity Ranger owners expect. Despite encouraging sales, the Ranger now feels "overly heavy, crude and unrefined on-road," Noble said. "From a driving standpoint, it isn't even close to the everyday usability that Colorado offers. Rangers base suspension, clearly carried over from markets outside North America, could only get better by any engineering time spent on it. Thats been its weakness." This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford Ranger Tremor features challenge Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado Colombian oil company Ecopetrol SA aims to drill a total 100 wells by end-2021 in the Permian Basin of West Texas as global oil prices recover, Chief Executive Felipe Bayon said on Monday. Global oil prices plunged to decade lows, with US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropping to negative $40 a barrel on April 20 as supplies ballooned while the coronavirus pandemic ravaged demand. The majority state-owned company, which entered a joint venture with Occidental Petroleum in November last year, said it plans to drill another 22 wells this year. The company drilled 22 wells between November 2019 and June, but production slowed during the pandemic, Bayon told the virtual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC). "By the end of next year we should have over a hundred wells ... Ecopetrol has a portfolio that is largely heavy crudes," he said. "This is 40 API crude. So it's very good in terms of balancing the portfolio." Crude oil's density is measured in API gravity. Light crudes produce more high quality fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Heavy crudes require further processing of residues to produce these fuels. Asia takes the biggest chunk of Ecopetrol's crude output, and it is currently working on expanding crude oil sales to India and South Korea, he said. The majority state-owned company was able to avoid production shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic as some Chinese refiners are using Colombian crude to meet baseload demand, Bayon said. Bayon expects Colombia's gasoline and diesel demand to return to pre-pandemic levels "probably by the end of this year, early next year", while jet fuel will take much longer. The raids against militant positions south of the town of Albu Kamal took the lives of eight Iraqi and two Syrian combatants as well as destroying munition depots and vehicles Suspected Israeli air strikes in eastern Syria on Monday killed 10 pro-Iran fighters, most of them Iraqis, a war monitor said. The raids against militant positions south of the town of Albu Kamal took the lives of eight Iraqi and two Syrian combatants as well as destroying munition depots and vehicles, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Search Keywords: Short link: On September 15, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed will meet at the White House for the first Middle East peace treaty signing ceremony in 26 years. Meanwhile, Bahrain at the weekend agreed to a full normalisation arrangement with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces full diplomatic ties will be established with the United Arab Emirates. Credit:EPA The UAE and Bahrain will become the third and fourth Arab countries to break ranks from the crumbling pan-Arab boycott against the Jewish state and open diplomatic relations, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). However, these new, historic deals, unlike those before them, have not grown out of the cold, transactional land for peace framework that followed the 1967 Six-Day War, but a new model of peace for peace and shared mutual interests. They are the organic product of both economic opportunity and common security concerns, particularly regarding the threat to all three countries from Iran through conventional warfare, proxy militias and terror groups, and nuclear weapon ambitions. But the agreements represent more than this. Civil society groups working in Southeastern Europe are calling on the European Union to step up its actions on legal violations of EU law by Chinese state-owned enterprises in Europe. The CEE Bankwatch Network made the plea on September 14 as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Council President Charles Michel, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet online with China's President Xi Jinping to discuss a planned investment agreement, among other things. The network noted in a statement that Chinese state-owned companies have been particularly active in Southeast Europe in recent years, citing signed contracts to build four new coal plants, rehabilitate two coal plants, invest in heavy industries, and construct other infrastructure. In Serbia, Chinese firms have also bought a steel plant and a copper mine and are planning to build a tire factory, it said. But most of the projects breach national and EU environmental, procurement, and state-aid law, according to the CEE Bankwatch Network. It added that none of the projects is in line with the latest EU pollution control standards of 2017, most have very weak environmental assessment studies, and the Drmno lignite mine expansion project in Serbia had none at all. Quite often we hear that these are win-win projects. Unfortunately, this is true only for the Chinese side that is producing and exporting all of the equipment and using Chinese workers to install it, said Denis Zisko from the Center for Ecology and Energy in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. For the Bosnian side, this is more of a lose-lose case, since we will end up with a huge debt and a stranded asset, he added. The CEE Bankwatch Network pointed out that a federal loan guarantee for Bosnias Tuzla 7 coal-power project is subject to an infringement procedure by the secretariat of the Energy Community Treaty due to state aid violations. The Energy Community Treaty creates an internal market in electricity and natural gas bringing together the EU member states and six Balkan countries. Under a 2013 agreement between Belgrade and Beijing, Chinese projects in Serbia do not undergo tender procedures, in clear violation of EU procurement rules, it also said. The coalition of civil society groups want the EU to clearly tell China to stop building new coal plants in EU and accession countries and set this and compliance with EU law as binding conditions in the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment currently being negotiated between Brussels and China. They said law enforcement in accession countries should also be improved, including by strengthening the Energy Community Treaty to enable penalties to be issued, while a carbon border tax for electricity must be introduced to help reinforce the message that coal is no longer economic. The need to limit climate change clearly means that no more fossil fuel infrastructure can be built anywhere. Southeast European governments bear the primary responsibility for poor decision-making and enforcement on Chinese-built projects, but they will ultimately create problems for the whole EU as the accession countries struggle to comply with EU law, warned Zvezdan Kalmar from the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development in Serbia. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-13 23:43:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to leave late on Sunday for the United States, where he is slated to sign historic normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on Tuesday. The UAE and Bahrain will become the third and fourth Arab country to ink a peace agreement with Israel, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. "This is a trend that appears to continue and puts the Palestinians in a very difficult position," said Nimrod Goren, head of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. "If Saudi Arabia advances toward peace with Israel, then we will know that we are heading for a major change." "This was a way to portray that the normalization with Israel was not really going against the Palestinians but actually preventing something that would have been decimation for them," noted Joshua Teitelbaum, a professor in Department of Middle Eastern Studies of Bar-Ilan University. In a statement, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said the agreement with Israel will "promote security and stability in the region, ensure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and achieve sustainable peace." Still, the announced peace agreements are a major setback for the Palestinians who have always relied on Arab support in confronting the Israelis, especially since the last round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations broke down in 2014. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has alluded to the possibility that other countries may soon announce peace agreements with Israel, probably at the time of Tuesday's signing ceremony in Washington. "For the Gulf countries, they want to benefit from Israel being at the forefront of hi-tech ... They have to diversify their economic base and Israel can help them," said Teitelbaum. "Relations with the Gulf states are not a replacement for peace with Palestinians, but they can be used to promote the process," Goren noted. Enditem An activist atheist organization recently criticized Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) for posting scripture to Twitter and Facebook on weekends. The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Cassidy engaged in a back and forth of tweets and statements following the initial statement from the FFRF. Cassidy's tweets from August are simply quotes from scripture without proselytizing or excessive endorsement of Christianity. The Bible is also the most read book in the world-and not exclusively to Christians-as many find use in the Bible for scholarly research, inspiration, and wisdom. The FFRF wrote that a concerned resident of Louisiana contacted the organization to report that on Sundays, bible verses were being posted to Cassidy's official social media profiles, including Twitter and Facebook. The atheist activist group argued that the powerful influence of social media and the religious diversity of America make Senator Cassidy's posts inappropriate and "alienating to non-Christians." The FFRF accused Cassidy of "violating the spirit of the First Amendment" and requested that he remove "all religious posts from his official government Facebook page and avoid making similar posts in the future." The post was written by FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor who argued that "the First Amendment prohibits government sponsorship of religious messages." The authors attempt to substantiate their claim through Supreme Court interpretations: "The Supreme Court has long held that the Establishment Clause 'mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion.' Your office violates this constitutional mandate when it proselytizes the Christian faith to all constituents, such as directing them to 'Trust in the LORD.'" Cassidy responded in a tweet that reads "The Freedom From Religion Foundation has demanded that I stop sharing Bible verses with you. The left won't bully me into canceling Christianity. Their request is denied." The FFRF ultimately responded again, telling Cassidy "cool it with all the religion" and reiterating their argument that Cassidy is "alienating non-Christians." FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor stated in the letter, "As someone serving the Constitution, he can't impose his religion on his constituents using official channels." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 04:23:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2020 shows the wreckage at the site where a wildfire swept through in Vacaville of Solano County, Northern California, the United States. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua) Wildfires have burned more than 3.2 million acres in California, a swath larger than the state of Connecticut. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- There have been at least 19 people killed in the past month, 3.2 million acres (about 12,950 square km) burned, and 4,000 structures destroyed in the fires across the U.S. state of California as of Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant said that wildfires have burned more than 3.2 million acres in California, a swath larger than the state of Connecticut. About 16,570 firefighters were battling 29 major wildfires statewide Sunday. The federal, state and local resources assigned to active wildfires include more than 2,200 fire engines, 388 water tenders, 304 bulldozers and 104 aircraft, according to Cal Fire. The August Complex in Mendocino and Humboldt counties, the largest fire in state history, grew more than 2,000 acres overnight to 877,477, and is 28 percent contained, Cal Fire officials said on Sunday. So far, 365 structures have been destroyed and 32 damaged, and 14,074 are threatened, according to an incident report of the Creek Fire that is covering 201,908 acres with 8 percent containment. Officials fighting the Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera counties said that forecasted wind gusts of up to 35 mph will continue to move the flames deep into canyons of the Sierra National Forest on Sunday. Their focus will be on structure defense, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle. Air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area remained unhealthy on Sunday morning. was elected as the new head of Japan's ruling party on Monday, virtually guaranteeing him parliamentary election as the country's next prime minister. Suga received 377 votes in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party election to pick a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced last month that he would resign due to health problems. The other two contenders received a combined 157 votes. The expected victory in the party vote by Suga, currently the chief Cabinet secretary of Abe's government, all but guarantees his election in a parliamentary vote Wednesday because of the majority held by the Liberal Democrats' ruling coalition. Despite his low-key image as Abe's right-hand man, Suga is actually known for his iron-fist approach to getting jobs done as a policy coordinator and influencing bureaucrats by using the centralised power of the prime minister's office. Suga says that he is a reformist and that he has worked to achieve policies by breaking territorial barriers of bureaucracy. He has credited himself for those efforts in achieving a booming foreign tourism industry in Japan, lowering cellphone bills and bolstering agricultural exports. Compared to his political skills at home, Suga has hardly travelled overseas, and his diplomatic skills are unknown, though he is largely expected to pursue Abe's priorities. In addition to the coronavirus and the economic fallout, Suga stands to inherit several other challenges, including China, which continues its assertive actions in the East China Sea. He also will have to decide what to do with the Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back to next summer due to the coronavirus. And he will have to establish a good relationship with whoever wins the US presidential race. (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.) Oregon State Police have opened the first-ever mobile morgue in response to historic wildfires that are expected to result in dozens of deaths. The morgue was set up in a state facility in Linn County. A separate facility is expected to open this week where families of the dead and missing can undergo rapid DNA testing to aid in identification. So far, the state has reported at least 8 deaths from the wildfires. (Officials in Jackson County said Monday that two sets of remains thought to be human were determined to be animals, reducing the statewide death toll, though state officials have not yet updated their official count from 10.) Another 50 people are unaccounted for, a number that officials stress is fluid and may rise as recovery efforts continue. Of those 22 are confirmed as missing, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. Oregon State Police Capt. Tim Fox urged people whose loved ones are presumed missing to report those cases to their local sheriffs offices. People may list themselves as safe or search the registry here. The state has activated a 75-member regional response team to recover remains in the field and operate the mobile morgue. The state received grant funding for the program a dozen years ago and has trained for such an event ever since but has never had to use it. The state is relying on dozens of experts such as certified death investigators, law enforcement personnel, criminalists and forensic scientists to aid in the effort, said Cathy Phelps, who is overseeing the team. Phelps said once remains arrive at the facility, an official will remain with them at all times as they are processed. The process includes fingerprinting, dental and X-ray stations, as well as an examination by forensic anthropologists and pathologists. We have set up a small city here, she said. Fox said out-of-state resources, including equipment and workers, are on the way to Oregon to aid in the identification of remains. He said the state is awaiting a machine that will perform rapid DNA testing on relatives of those who are missing or dead. He said the state opened the facility so it can ease the burden on local medical examiners offices and work to quickly identify remains so we can give family members closure as soon as possible. We understand this is a super tragic event. We understand this is hard. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. by Ngoc Linh The US is developing a strategic partnership to counter Beijing's interests, providing more than US$ 150 million to support development projects. The Mekong-US partnership deal is signed on the sidelines of the 53rd meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, plus partners. Hanoi (AsiaNews) The Mekong-US Partnership (MUSP) between the United States and countries in the downstream of Mekong River seeks to promote greater economic ties, better water and natural resource management, more effective health and disaster management, environmental protection, and non-traditional security and human development. Thanks to the agreement, the six nations of the lower Mekong, a river threatened by Chinas mega-dams, will be able to pursue more sustainable development for the region, a Vietnamese expert said. This is especially true for the 60 million people who live in the region, involved in farming, fishing, livestock, vegetables and tropical plants. The hope is that hunger and water shortages will end. In addition to the US, the MUSP includes Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. Representatives from these countries met a few days ago on the sidelines of the 53rd ten-member ASEAN meeting in Hanoi, chaired by Vietnam. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASEAN meeting brought together 27 delegations from four continents, to improve multilateral cooperation. Fridays MUSP meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit ended with the United States announcing an assistance programme of US$ 153.6 million to support development projects. This includes at least US$ 55 million to fight cross-border crime; US$ 1.8 million for the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Increasingly, Washington is becoming more involved in the region to counter Chinas interest and strategies. 'I Was Born In Kenya' Obama Jokes In South Side Summit Address By Rachel Cromidas in News on Oct 31, 2017 10:39PM President Obama at the #ObamaSummit in Chicago: "This isn't where I was born. I was born in Kenya." pic.twitter.com/Z1tnyFk3u1 Charlotte Morabito (@MorabitoCM) October 31, 2017 The Obama Foundation's first global summit kicked off today, with speakers including Chicago-native Common, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and, of course, President Barack Obamawho opened things with a bit of his signature humor. ''The reason I'm so excited to see you all here today in part is because this is where I started,' Obama said during a welcoming statement to the summit participants, who are gathering at the South Side Marriott Marquis, Tuesday afternoonwith a nod toward his history as a local community organizer and law professor before he went into politics. "Now this isn't where I was bornI was born in Kenya. That's a joke. I was born in Hawaii." The comment, which brought a ton of levity to his welcoming address, was met with laughter from the room. Many of the invitees hail from the South Side themselves, but many are also from around the world and have been identified by the foundation as rising leaders in their communities and the world. About 20,000 people applied for just 500 seats at the summit, according to the Sun-Times. The summit is not designed to focus on one specific issue, but will touch on subjects that include environmental justice and the designs for the Obama Center, museum and presidential library, which are slated to be built a few miles south near Chicago's Jackson Park. Some other quirky tidbits of news are also already coming out of the Summitthe latest, that Obama and Michelle Obama would prefer not to take selfies with the participants this week: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 00:33:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni delivers a speech at the agreement signing ceremony in Chato, Tanzania, on Sept. 13, 2020. Tanzanian President John Magufuli and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni have signed an agreement for the construction of a 3.5 billion-U.S.-dollar crude oil pipeline. (Tanzania State House/Handout via Xinhua) DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni have signed an agreement for the construction of a 3.5 billion-U.S.-dollar crude oil pipeline. The agreement, signed in Magufuli's native town of Chato in northwest Tanzania on Sunday, paved the way for the progress of the 1,445 km pipeline running from Uganda's oilfields in Hoima to Tanzania's Tanga port. The two leaders urged officials from both countries to immediately conclude remaining issues for the project and move on. "Our signing of the agreement today is an important step towards the implementation of the project," said Magufuli shortly after signing of the agreement. "This is a milestone achievement for both countries as we have reached a final decision on the eagerly awaited project, we believe that this is a project of its kind and it will benefit people from both countries," he added. He said the deal has taken a long time to be sealed due to the sensitivity of the project, adding that the two sides has been in negotiations for years and that finally they have come to a consensus. Hassan Abassi, the Tanzanian government chief spokesperson, said that 80 percent of the pipeline will run through Tanzania. The project, upon completion, will enable Tanzania to earn 7.5 trillion shillings (about 3.2 billion U.S. dollars) and create between 10,000 to 15,000 jobs over the next 25 years, said Abassi. Uganda discovered oil reserves in 2006 and has has over 6.5 billion barrels of oil. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: As Mizoram faces a shortage of healthcare facilities, two churches in the Christian-majority state came forward to offer their halls to be used as Covid-19 care centres. The states Health and Family Welfare Board vice-chairman Dr ZR Thiamsanga, who is also an MLA of the ruling Mizo National Front, said the offer had come from two Presbyterian churches in the state capital Aizawl. I thank church leaders, community leaders, and people at large for helping the government at this hour of crisis, Thiamsanga said. ALSO READ | Unlock 4.0: Velankanni church in Nagapattinam opens its doors for all At the same time, he had a word of caution as he said the state government would face a huge challenge in treating people if the number of Covid-19 cases continued to rise. Mizoram is perhaps the only state in the country that has not recorded a single Covid-19 fatality. It has so far recorded 1,428 cases. There are now 598 active cases. Over 35% of the cases were reported from paramilitary forces. The states recovery rate is 58.13%. ALSO READ | Volunteers from Kerala's Syro-Malabar Church give decent funeral to COVID-19 victims Till Sunday, 50,259 samples were tested for the disease. The state has a population of 11.2 lakh, according to a survey in 2014. Health Minister Dr. R Lalthangliana said cooperation from all quarters helped the government fight the pandemic. We have managed the pandemic very efficiently by forming several task forces at district and village levels and involving the administration, NGOs, and villages. The opposition parties are also extending their cooperation, Lalthangliana said. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- For the month of August, both Toyota and Honda sustained double-digit growth in their China deliveries. Nissan and Mazda failed to gained increase, while only faced year-on-year decrease below 3%. Regarding year-to-date performance, Toyota was the only one that garnered growth. The other three all posted smaller drop compared to the previous month. Toyota's China sales leap 27.2% in August Toyota saw its China sales jump 27.2% from the previous year to 164,400 units in August, making the year-to-date volume total 1,083,100 units (+4.3% YoY). (Avalon, photo source: FAW-Toyota) For the first eight months, Toyota has completed 61.54% of the 1.76 million-unit sales target it set for China business in 2020. The premium car brand Lexus sold 20,698 vehicles in China last month, a 22.3% robust growth over the year-ago period. Of those, 8,403 units were electrified vehicles. FAW-Toyota announced an Aug. delivery volume of 72,110 units, exceeding 70,000 units for the fourth month in a row. A total of 12,366 consumers in China took delivery of the Avalon sedans. According to the data offered by GAC Toyota, the joint venture's Aug. sales amounted to 70,247 units, jumping 19% over a year ago, and its Jan.-Aug. sales rose 10% to 462,632 units. The vehicles sold last month included 7,353 Wildlander compact SUVs (26% of which were HEVs), 8,259 Highlander SUVs, 4,763 C-HR SUVs, 21,022 Levin sedans and 17,526 Camry sedans. Honda's China deliveries grow 19.7% from prior-year period in August Honda saw its China deliveries jumped 19.7% year on year to 148,636 units last month, the highest-ever Aug. volume the Japanese automaker has achieved in the world's largest auto market. The double-digit growth should be equally credited to the upturn achieved both two joint ventures. GAC Honda's deliveries also leapt 19.7% from a year earlier to 71,143 units, while Dongfeng Honda scored a 19.8% robust increase with 77,493 vehicles delivered in August. (Breeze, photo source: GAC Toyota) Thanks to the two-digit increase in both Jul. and Aug. deliveries, Honda's decrease in Jan.-Aug. China deliveries contracted to 9%, versus the 13.1% decline in Jan.-Jul. volume. For the first eight months, GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda delivered 455,362 units (-8.1% YoY) and 441,927 units (-9.8% YoY) respectively. There were four models from GAC Hondathe Accord, the Vezel, the Breeze and the Criderwhose respective deliveries all exceeded 10,000 units in August. As for Dongfeng Honda's products, the respective deliveries of the Civic, the CR-V and the XR-V all topped 10,000 units last month. Notably, both Civic and CR-V had Aug. retail sales exceeding 20,000 units. The sales of the Civic had been above 20,000 units for five consecutive months. Nissan sees Aug. China sales drop 2.4% year on year Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd. said its sales in China edged down 2.4% from a year ago to 126,592 vehicles. However, compared to July, it still gained a 4.7% growth. Selling 843,879 vehicles in total, the automaker recorded an 11.8% decline in China sales for the first eight months, 1.4 percentage points lower than the decrease in Jan.-Jul. volume. (X-Trail, photo source: Dongfeng Nissan) The PV business unit of Dongfeng Motor Company Limited (DFL) saw its Aug. sales slid 2.9% year over year to 105,395 units. Within DFL, Dongfeng Nissan sold 100,287 vehicles (including the sales of imported vehicles models), a slight year-on-year growth of 0.3%. As of August, the joint venture had garnered increase for the fifth month in a row. As for the specific performance of products, the sales of the seven-generation Altima and the Sylphy jumped 11.8% and 43% over a year earlier to 11,693 units and 46,688 units respectively, both hitting their best-ever Aug. volume. Besides, Dongfeng Nissan sold 15,304 X-Trail and 14,061 Qashqai vehicles, which served major driving forces for the joint venture's SUV unit. Mazda's China business records 2.3% year-on-year drop in Aug. deliveries Mazda Motor (China) Co.,Ltd. reported a retail sales volume of 17,327 units in August, a year-on-year decrease of 2.3%. The downturn should be completely attributed to the plunge in FAW-Mazda's sales. Last month, the joint venture saw its deliveries plunge 35% from a year ago to 5,013 units, which were also 26.3% fewer than that of the previous month. (All-new Mazda CX-4, photo source: FAW-Mazda) With 3,293 units delivered, FAW-Mazda's CX-4 was the second best-selling model among those Mazda currently sells in China. Its Jan.-Aug. delivery volume amounted to 31,655 units. Retailing 12,314 vehicles, Changan Mazda boasted a robust 23% year-on-year leap in August, which significantly counteracted the decrease caused by FAW-Mazda. Last month, Changan Mazda's Mazda3 Axela was once again honored the best-selling model within Mazda's China product lineup. The Mazda CX-5 took the second runner-up place, which was outperformed by the CX-4 by only 249 units. For the first eight months of the year, Mazda saw its cumulative China deliveries fall 6.2% from a year ago to 132,407 units. To be specific, FAW-Mazda and Changan Mazda delivered 52,196 units (-3.2% YoY) and 80,211 units (-8% YoY) respectively. The Daily Beast Reuters/Arnd WiegmannTheatrical rock superstar Meat Loaf, whose Bat Out of Hell is one of the bestselling albums of all time, has died at the age of 74. Reports say the singer and actor had recently fallen sick with COVID-19.In an emotional statement posted to Facebook early Friday, the performers family said he was with his wife when he died and had said his final goodbyes to his two daughters in the past 24 hours. The star sold 100 million albums in his five-decade career and starred in movie TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Monday summoned Germanys ambassador following his embassys criticism of the execution last weekend of a wrestler after President Donald Trump asked for the 27-year-old mans life to be spared. The official IRNA news agency said a foreign ministry official told Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel at the meeting that the tweet about the wrestler, Navid Afkari, amounted to an intervention in Irans domestic affairs and strongly protested the move. Intervention in Irans independent judicial affairs is not acceptable, the statement quoted the unnamed official as saying, adding that the ambassador was advised the embassy should not go beyond its diplomatic duties. The embassys had earlier on Monday said on its Twitter account that it was deeply surprised about the execution and suggested the wrestler was executed as part of Irans efforts to silence opposing voices.. Iran on Saturday executed Afkari, who was convicted of murder, despite an international outcry to stop the execution and following Trumps plea. Afkaris case had drawn attention after a social media campaign portrayed him and his brothers, who remain in prison, as victims who were targeted because they participated in protests against Irans Shiite theocracy in 2018. Authorities accused Afkari of fatally stabbing a water supply company employee in the southern city of Shiraz amid the unrest. Earlier in September, Iran broadcast the wrestlers televised confession. The segment resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last decade in the Islamic Republic. The case revived a demand inside the country for Iran to stop carrying out the death penalty. Even imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, herself nearly a month into a hunger strike over conditions at Tehrans Evin prison amid the coronavirus pandemic, passed word that she supported Afkari. The International Olympic Committee in a statement shortly after Saturdays execution said it was shocked and saddened by the news of the wrestlers execution, and that the committees president, Thomas Bach, had made direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran this week and asked for mercy for Navid Afkari. Germany, alongside other world major powers, signed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran aimed at capping Irans nuclear activities in return of sanction relief. Trump pulled out the U.S. from the deal and reimposed sanction on Iran in 2018 but European powers including Germany remain in the deal. Read more about: As the Republican-backed "Skinny" COVID-19 relief bill failed to pass in the Senate, most of us are thinking about the next step and the areas of agreement to make an economic stimulus bill to help Americans. The White House and Democratic negotiators need to retrace their steps to craft another bill to ease the eligible beneficiaries' burden. On Friday, the top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said, "We compromised last winter. We should be able to do it again." At the same time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the lawmakers must strive to find common ground. "I'm optimistic. I do think we should have an agreement. That's what we all want." GOP leadership is guarded with Congress producing a new bill before the November election, while the House of Representatives returns to work, as per CNET. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, said Friday he could not predict if they will get together in the last two months prior the election. McConnell hopes that he could tell if the lawmakers would get another stimulus package, "but it doesn't look that good right now." Amid the failures to agree with the proposals, at least five possibilities could happen, depending on what will happen on Capitol Hill: 1. Smaller bills could pass instead The House presented one of the piecemeal bills seeking funding to the US Postal Service (USPS) ahead of the general election, which will likely be voting through the mail. On September 6, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in support of the GOP skinny bill, "Let's do a more targeted bill now. If we need to do more in 30 days, we will continue to do more." 2. Executive acts could arise instead of a bill On August 7, President Donald Trump took unilateral action after the talks initially collapsed. Trump signed three memoranda and one executive order on August 8. That's why there may be more executive actions coming. Trump said during a news conference on September 4 that the administration might consider another executive action to release the unspent $300 billion in stimulus aid for Americans if Congress does not vote to redirect those unused funds. Trump's current coronavirus relief executive actions target extending unemployment benefits, slowing evictions, and deferring payroll taxes until next year. 3. One comprehensive relief bill could be back on the table The formal discussion of a comprehensive bill is yet to restart. However, the Senate has returned from recess, and the House of Representatives will go back to work this week after the USPS bill passed during the break. The total cost of the relief bill is the root of the disagreement. The Democrats have come down from their initial $3 trillion proposals to $2.2 trillion, while the White House has hinted it could go up to $1.5 trillion. The failed Republican proposed bill was estimated at between $650 billion and $300 billion. The expectation that another stimulus bill will pass before the presidential election fluctuates. On the campaign trail, it is expected that the leadership's COVID-19 response will be the center stage for candidates, increasing the political pressure to pass the second round of stimulus bill or at least formulate another plan. We could see the timeline for when we could see a relief bill passed when the discussion resumed next week. It draws from the potential of postponing a planned recess or the House's return earlier to pass a bill and from Congressional voting schedules. 4. Relief might be on hold until after the election Washington's atmosphere could be politically charged to pass economic relief bills as the November election becomes two months away. Lawmakers may want to act after the election. The response of the leaders to the COVID-19 pandemic plays heavily in the campaign for all candidates. If there will be no deal to reach soon, the relief bill's issue could very well come up during town halls or when debated in the coming weeks. 5. No additional action According to the Washington Post, unemployment remains intensely high levels, and the housing crisis looms. It could cause the economy to plunge into a deeper recession if no action is taken on relief packages, ndividual bills, or executive orders. As per the economists, the damage already done is starting to reflect the Great Recession of the late 2000s. Check these out: Social Security May Shortfall of Money Sooner New Stimulus Bill Could Fix These Problems If Lawmakers Agree Stimulus Check 2: Is It Possible to Receive a $4,000 Check? NYPD officers stand guard during a protest in New York City, N.Y., on Sept. 3, 2020. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images) Protesters March Through New York City, 6 Arrested in Scuffle With NYPD Around 100 protesters reportedly marched through two boroughs of New York City before they were confronted by the NYPD Saturday night, the New York Post reported. The protesters, reportedly affiliated with Black Lives Matter, marched from the Bronx into Manhattan and ended up blocking traffic on the George Washington Bridge until officers broke up the group, according to the Post. The protesters then reportedly marched back into Manhattan. Six protesters were arrested in Washington Heights near the 34th Precinct, the Post reported. Officers in riot gear clashed with protesters, video shows. Clashes and Arrests happened outside 34th precinct today in Manhattan, following protesters shutting down George Washington Bridge for #breathebill By Oliya Scootercaster and @yyeeaahhhboiii2 Desk@scootercaster.com to license pic.twitter.com/by4TWqyj5G @SCOOTERCASTER (FNTV) (@ScooterCasterNY) September 13, 2020 Look how much power we had. We sat on the bridge for 20 minutes. We shut the whole city down, a protester said, the Post reported. Then we came down here and police started beating the st out of us, the protester reportedly added. Its going to take 100,000 years to clean all this up. A protester was reportedly forced to the ground by an officer when he attempted to approach a woman who seemed to be arrested, according to the Post. As people were speaking, riot cops attacked us, shoving and arresting multiple people for no reason, Joshua Potash said on Twitter. Police said the protesters dispersed by 10 p.m. and no injuries were reported, according to the Post. By Kaylee Greenlee From The Daily Caller News Foundation Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Two accused cybercriminals have been extradited from Ghana to the United States to face charges for their roles in separate multi-million dollar scams. Deborah Mensah, a 33-year-old Ghanaian citizen who was arrested on January 16, 2020, in Accra has been "charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison," the US Department of Justice said in a statement. The Department in a separate statement announced that another accused BEC scammer, Maxwell Peter, also a Ghanaian citizen had been extradited to the U.S. to face charges in an unrelated case. Mensah is also charged with one count of receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of conspiracy to receive stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. What Deborah Mensah is accused of In a statement, the US Department of Justice said Mensah is accused of stealing over $10million between 2014 and 2018 through business email compromises (BEC) and romance scams that targeted elderly Americans. She is the eighth person to be charged as part of the investigation and made an appearance before a Manhattan federal court on August 26, 2020. Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: Deborah Mensah is alleged to have been a participant in a conspiracy that resulted in the theft of millions of dollars from businesses and vulnerable individuals across the United States, and the laundering of that money through a network of bank accounts in the Bronx to co-conspirators in Ghana. Now she is in the United States and facing charges under U.S. law. FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: Ms. Mensah may have believed hiding in Ghana protected her from facing justice for her alleged role in this scheme. She now knows the FBIs reach is global through our formidable network of law enforcement partners. Others should take heed we wont go away simply because it may take time to go get you. If you break our laws, you will pay the price. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen said: As alleged in the criminal complaint, Ms. Mensahs desire for money drove her to prey upon the vulnerable in our society. Thanks to the financial expertise of IRS-CI special agents working side-by-side with our law enforcement partners, the long arm of the law caught up to Ms. Mensah in Ghana, and she will now face the consequences of her alleged actions. According to allegations in the Complaint and the Indictment and other filings in the case: "From at least in or about 2014 through in or about 2018, MENSAH was a member of a criminal enterprise (the Enterprise) based in Ghana that committed a series of business email compromises and romance scams against individuals and businesses located across the United States, including in the Southern District of New York. Mensah and her co-conspirators received or otherwise directed the receipt of over $10 million in fraud proceeds from victims of the Enterprise in bank accounts that she and other members of the Enterprise controlled in the Bronx, New York. Some of these bank accounts were opened using fake names, stolen identities, or shell companies in order to avoid detection and hide the true identities of the members of the Enterprise controlling those accounts. Once Mensah received the fraud proceeds in bank accounts under her control, she withdrew, transported, and laundered those fraud proceeds to other members of the Enterprise, including those located in Ghana. Mensah also used the name and identity of another person to withdraw or otherwise direct the withdrawal of stolen funds. Other defendants in this case who have been sentenced include Muftau Adamu, alias Muftau Adams, of the Bronx, New York, who was sentenced to 51 months in prison on June 7, 2019; Prince Nana Aggrey, 45, of the Bronx, New York, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison on May 10, 2019; and Assana Traore, 41, of the Bronx, New York, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison on October 8, 2019. Adamu and Aggrey each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and Traore pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive stolen money. Each of the defendants was sentenced by Judge Cote. What Maxwell Peter is accused of The department said Maxwell Peter, 27, who resided in Tamale, Ghana, before his extradition is standing trial for an indictment charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that Maxwell and his various Africa-based co-conspirators committed, or caused to be committed, a series of intrusions into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in June and July 2016. Using sophisticated anonymization techniques, including the use of spoofed email addresses and Virtual Private Networks, the co-conspirators identified large financial transactions, initiated fraudulent email correspondence with relevant business parties and then redirected closing funds through a network of U.S.-based money mules to final destinations in Africa. The defendant is specifically alleged to have directed the transfer of funds from a June 2016 BEC to a co-conspirator in Africa. In addition to BEC, the defendant is also charged with perpetrating romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams, advance-fee scams and credit card scams. The indictment alleges that the proceeds of these criminal activities, both money and goods, were shipped and/or transferred from the United States to locations in Africa through a complex network of both complicit and unwitting individuals that had been recruited through the various Internet scams. The defendant is specifically alleged to have created and used the alias Sandra Lin in furtherance of these crimes. From May through June of 2017, Peter is alleged to have communicated with an FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity to receive the proceeds of fraud. Along with his coconspirators over the life of the conspiracy, the defendant is believed to have caused millions of dollars in losses to victims across the globe. Seven other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in these schemes. Benard E. Okorhi, 41, was extradited in March 2020 from Canada, and is detained pending trial. Two others, Olufalojimi Abegunde, 33, and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 30, were convicted in March after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Abegunde received a 78-month sentence and Ramos-Alonso received a 31-month sentence for their roles in the scheme. Several individuals remain at large. 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 (L): Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 1, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm-Pool/Getty Images); (R): Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters at her weekly press conference at the Capitol in Washington, on Aug. 22, 2020. (Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images) Mnuchin Concerned That Stimulus Deal Wont Be Done Soon Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed concerns that another stimulus measure might not be approved by Congress before the November election, suggesting that Democrats may be unwilling to pass a bill because it could benefit President Donald Trumps reelection chances. Well, Im not going to speculate on whether were going to get something or not, Mnuchin said in a Sept. 14 interview. I think there is a compromise if the speaker is willing to move forward. I am somewhat concerned that shes afraid any deal will be good for the president, and, obviously, we have politics that are getting in the way. Mnuchin was referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has rejected Republican and White House proposals that are narrower than she is seeking. I will continue to work on this. Ive told the speaker Im available anytime to negotiate, no conditions, he said. Mnuchin said hes now working with Pelosi on a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down. The speaker and I will be working on the [continuing resolution] this week, which is obviously a priority for us to make sure that we dont shut down the government, he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Aug. 13, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) Efforts to provide additional fiscal stimulus amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic have stalled. More than 194,000 people are reported to have died from the virus in the United States, which also has above 6.5 million reported cases. The pandemic has also negatively affected the U.S. economy as states moved to close down businesses and events in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. While Pelosi and other House Democrats passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act in May, the measure hasnt been taken up by the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans. The Senate last week failed to overcome a 60-vote threshold to send a smaller, $300 billion deal to the floor for debate. Mnuchin said that Trump is limited in what executive orders he can implement, adding that bipartisan congressional support is required for sweeping measures. There are limitations. Thats why its very important that we have stimulus that helps areas of the economy that need support, he said on Sept. 14. But he stressed that he hopes that as the House returns to session, there will be a push for a bipartisan measure. In recent weeks, Republicans and Democrats have differed on whether to provide funding for state and local governments. Democrats HEROES Act sought nearly $1 trillion in aid, while Republicans favor a lesser amount. Trump has called it a bailout for badly run states. Some Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, are wary of passing any bill at all. If youd asked me two or three weeks ago, Id say very, very negative, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), referring to stimulus aid. However, now he sees a lot less of an impact than I would have thought two weeks ago, according to The Wall Street Journal. About a year before cutting her hand off, Andlesic signed contracts with five different insurance companies. She stood to collect more than 1 million, about half payable immediately and the rest in monthly instalments, the AP reported. After Andlesic severed her hand, her boyfriend and his father took her to the hospital, claiming she had injured herself while sawing branches. Authorities alleged that they left the hand behind rather than bringing it to the hospital to ensure that Andlesics disability would be permanent. However, police recovered the hand and it was reattached, the AP reported. Prosecutors also said that prior to the incident, Andlesics boyfriend had searched the internet for information about prosthetic hands. Andlesic insisted that she was innocent, the AP reported. No-one wants to be crippled, she said in court. My youth has been destroyed. I lost my hand at the age of 20. Only I know how it happened. The Slovenian case isnt the only incident of limb-lopping for cash. In the 1950s and 60s, the city of Vernon, Fla., gained notoriety due to the improbably high number of residents who made insurance claims for accidental limb loss, leading many to speculate that town residents were dismembering themselves for insurance payouts. At the time, Vernon accounted for nearly two-thirds of accidental-dismemberment claims nationally, according to Wikipedia. Vernons second-largest occupation was watching hound dogs mate in the town square, insurance investigator John J. Healy told The New York Times. Its largest was self-mutilation for monetary gain. Japan's SoftBank Group said Monday it is selling British chip designer Arm to US chip company NVIDIA for up to $40 billion, potentially creating a new giant in the industry. "We reached a final agreement with... NVIDIA to sell all shares in Arm... at the value of up to 40 billion dollars (about 4.2 trillion yen)," SoftBank said in a Japanese statement. The deal is subject to approval by authorities in several jurisdictions, including Britain, China, the United States and European Union, the statement added. If approved, it will be one of the biggest merger-acquisitions in the world this year and promises to propel NVIDIA to the forefront of the semiconductor sector. SoftBank said it hoped the deal would be completed by around March 2022. The firm's shares soared in early morning trade in Tokyo, rising by almost 10 percent before settling slightly, up 7.78 percent to 6,316.0 yen around 30 minutes into the day. Founded in 1990 in the United Kingdom, Arm specialises in microprocessors, and dominates the global smartphone market. But its chips are also found in countless sensors, smart devices and cloud services. NVIDIA, well known for graphics cards that are favoured in the video game industry, has seen sales skyrocket during the coronavirus crisis, with gaming a popular past-time in lockdown. Its products are also increasingly used for artificial intelligence and in data centres. SoftBank bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion in a deal that left investors cold and saw the conglomerate's stock plunge sharply. Analysts at the time said SoftBank had paid too much for the firm and the purchase revived concerns about the Japanese company's balance sheet. NVIDIA said in a statement that under the deal it will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in common stock and $12 billion in case, $2 billion of which will be payable at signing. SoftBank may receive up to another $5 billion in cash or stock, dependent on Arm's performance. Story continues And NVIDIA will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees, for a deal worth a total of up to $40 billion. SoftBank said it felt Arm would perform better in combination with NVIDIA and the sale would "contribute to an increase in our company's value for shareholders". It said the deal would give it a combined total of 6.7-8.1 percent in NVIDIA's outstanding shares, but insisted that would not make the US firm a subsidiary or affiliate. kh-sah/ (Photo : pexels) Students of all ages have taken center stage now that "back to school" has arrived in many parts of the country. Throughout the pandemic, it seems that certain demographics have been taking the brunt of complaints-and now it's students' turn. There have been recent headlines touting students at traditional in-person campus environments breaking the rules and getting together in large groups. Of course, any large gathering has a high chance of spreading COVID-19. Students are not, and have not been, the only groups to be doing this. You will find risk-taking in virtually every facet of American life. However, it's undeniable that the strong desire for a "normal" campus experience has led some students to taking unnecessary risks. This is only one way students are impacting the global coronavirus pandemic. Yes, these in-person campus environments are creating hot spots of COVID; however, they're no more dangerous than the recent Sturgis motorcycle rally or the hubs of in-person church gatherings. This is no excuse, but rather a singular example of how students are affecting the spread of coronavirus. Here are a few more: Changing the Face of Education for Good We're definitely still in the early stages of figuring out how distance learning works. Just like in-person learning, there are some students (and parents!) who are better suited for it than others. There are issues of socio-economic factors to take into account. However, some students and families are finding that at-home learning actually works better for them. It also prepares students for an increasingly virtual and global career future. Even better, it is also a fantastic means of reducing bullying. Making More Time for What Matters If you have a student, have you noticed they seem to have more time with distance learning? If their learning capabilities and grades have stayed the same or improved, that's a great thing. Removing the time necessary to commute, physically change classes, and all of the time waste that happens in traditional settings gives students more precious time. This means students can prioritize rest, hobbies, and even family time. Tech Skills are Improving There's no getting around the fact that students need a certain level of tech skills in order to undertake at-home learning. This leads to disparities for families and/or school districts that can't afford to provide this. However, for those who do get the tech and Wi-Fi they need, students are enjoying stronger tech skills than ever. They're negotiating virtual meetings with the same finesse as their business leader parent, learning real life skills they can translate to their careers. Stress Management Techniques are Being Tested Maybe your student counted on regular recess breaks to manage their stress or anxiety. If that isn't built into an at-home model, that could be dangerous. We will all figure out the quickest and easiest ways to self-soothe, including students, and that could lead to drug use and coronavirus-required distance learning. If parents have to work during the day, even if they're in the same house as their children, they simply can't watch them as closely as they should. Keep an eye out on older children who might be using vices as a means of handling their stress. There's no learning environment that is ideal for every student, and there never will be. For decades, there has been a very specific format followed by most of the U.S. and that included in-person learning in increasingly crowded classrooms. Now is a time to assess how distance learning works and doesn't. We can see the pros, cons, and how we can make modifications to improve it. Students as well as teachers are the driving force behind this "experiment," and they're the best resources for when the pandemic is over to gauge whether or not virtual learning should continue. When R+Co CFO Sam Paik, CPA, CGMA, realised the severity of the coronavirus crisis sweeping the globe, and the impacts it might have on his business, he quickly called his executives together to make a plan of action. R+Co, a prestige hair care company based in Miami in the US, had set out its short- and long-term strategic objectives for 2020 last year, but Paik knew his team would need to revisit them in light of the crisis. They reassessed their priorities, cut spending in some areas, and adjusted their distribution channels as part of their short-term crisis response. But, with a view to the longer-term payoff, they also took steps to support their customers and partners who were at risk of closure. That way they have been able to weather the ongoing COVID-19 storm and prepare for the next potential disaster, whatever it may be. Like most executives around the world, Paik is worried about a potential second wave of the pandemic in the fall. But there are numerous other possible threats on the horizon, too. Businesses could suffer from knock-on effects of the virus, such as supply chain disruptions or lasting changes to consumer behaviour. Alternatively, for some companies, the next crisis might come in the form of an unusually bad US hurricane season, drought, a trade war, the fallout from Brexit in the UK, or as more and more people work from home cybersecurity attacks. Regardless of what the next disaster might be, it is essential for finance departments to allocate enough strategic and financial resources to sufficiently prepare for those possibilities while simultaneously putting out the current COVID-19 fire. Back to the drawing board According to Andrew Grimstone, a financial advisory partner at Deloitte based in London, the first thing to do is revisit your business plans and think about your "must-haves". "Decide what's the primary purpose of your business. What are the core activities? To preserve the business, what do you have to do? And spend money on that," he said. At R+Co, the executive team got together the first week of March to reassess strategic objectives and establish new ones. They decided that, in order to not only survive the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 crisis but also to be well-positioned should another crisis emerge, it was essential to adapt their distribution channels. But rather than merely diversifying away from brick-and-mortar salons, which are key partners with whom R+Co has long-lasting relationships, they worked together with those businesses to help ensure their survival. They created an affiliate programme for the salons, many of which are small, family-run businesses that faced a real risk of closure. Now, each time a salon refers a customer to one of R+Co's products online, it receives a 40% commission on the sale notably higher than the industry standard of 5%15%. R+Co also creates fresh content each week to help the salons market the products. "If our objective was merely to focus on our own short-term survival without thinking of our sales partners and the long term, then we would not have made our affiliate program so rich with a 40% commission to salons," said Paik. "But our objectives were different keep all of our distribution channels warm, focus support for the salon community, and do our best to generate cash flow for them while their doors were unable to open, and hopefully generate goodwill and be recognised as the hair care brand that demonstrates we value customer relationships as much as financial success." He noted that R+Co's 2020 strategic objectives were different than what's being executed, but that COVID-19 had allowed the team to reconsider their identity and business plan. Paik also stressed the importance of having good fundamentals in place, which helped him make quick decisions during the crisis and which he would fall back on if another disaster were to occur. Those fundamentals include accurate and timely reporting from the accounting department; planning for contingent moves; having a creative, business-minded treasury group; adopting a more customer-centric focus; and taking a data-focused approach to financial analysis. Reprioritising spending Financial directors must next take steps to adjust the business and do what is necessary to meet the objectives they have outlined. For many CFOs, building up cash reserves was top of mind when the COVID-19 crisis swept the globe. "Everyone's eyes turned to cash," said David Biggs, ACMA, CGMA, CFO of Farewill, a UK-based digital service for wills, probate, and cremation. "You need enough cash to get you through the unknown circumstances to keep operating." Importantly, having cash on hand enables you to keep financial and risk teams well staffed. "It means you don't drop the ball on things like cybersecurity, the possibility of a second wave, or potential Brexit fallouts," Biggs said. One way to preserve cash is to simply not waste it. According to Gregg Thomas, CPA, managing director, BDO USA, some businesses in the US have mistimed their reopenings, and should be more carefully weighing the pros and cons of doing so. "Don't hurry to reopen if you're not going to have a prayer of making money," he said. As a rule of thumb, Thomas advises the restaurants and other businesses he works with to keep 90120 days' worth of cash on hand. To build up R+Co's cash reserves, Paik and his team accelerated payments from customers in return for discounts and concessions, while simultaneously renegotiating contracts with vendors. They also thought critically about return on investment and only prioritised investments that they agreed upon unanimously. R+Co even delayed a product launch during the pandemic because the forecasted time it would take to recover the cost of development and inventory wasn't fast enough to risk launching it during the pandemic. "Everything has to be on the table for discussion and consideration," said Deloitte's Grimstone. But, while cutting back on spending and investments can be helpful, in order to ensure you are prepared for future shocks, it is crucial to avoid scorched-earth strategies that could damage your business down the road. Unless you are in absolute survival mode, you should do what you can to maintain your talent as well as relationships with key partners and clients. "We know there will be a tomorrow, and for us, to hit our long-term objectives tomorrow, it's our talented people that are going to get us there," said Paik. He chose to prioritise staff as much as possible. And, just as R+Co supported salons in its distribution network, Deloitte's Grimstone said finance teams need to identify critical partners, whether suppliers or customers, and ask what they can do to help if they are struggling. "Communication with those people understanding what their financial position is and consequences of them having problems is just as important," he said. Look for opportunities within the crisis Farewill is in a unique position in that it is a countercyclical business. Because it operates in the funeral industry, it has experienced an increase in activity during the pandemic. That said, like any executives, Farewill's team must also think about external factors such as cybersecurity and potential disruptions to the technology or financial facilities the startup relies on. But businesses do not have to be countercyclical to find opportunities within a crisis. Disruptions offer any company the chance to diversify revenue channels, update product offerings, or strengthen balance sheets. According to BDO USA's Thomas, many restaurants he advises have opted to shrink their menus since the COVID-19 crisis. They might have originally gone this route because they did not have enough staff to produce a full menu, but many are now realising that smaller menus could drive down food and labour costs in the long term, too. Another example he cited was a restaurant he works with that offers organic fare and began examining alternative distribution channels when it was forced to close during lockdown. Grocery stores have generally not been as negatively impacted by the crisis, so the restaurant chain decided to pursue small, independent grocery stores as new distribution channels, leaving it in a stronger position should a second lockdown occur. Don't wait for a return to routine Though many CFOs already had disaster plans in place, the COVID-19 crisis is unique in that it is longer lasting and more wide-ranging than the one-off disasters most finance departments had planned for. It affects all parts of businesses and economies, and could also have lasting knock-on effects on various industries. "If I had to go back in time, the first thing out of my mouth would be: 'This is not going away we have to make permanent changes,'" said Thomas. According to Deloitte's Grimstone, even businesses that previously had disaster response plans in place should be revisiting them regularly and incorporating lessons learned from the pandemic. "You've got to dedicate sufficient resources to upgrading and putting in place these things, and if you haven't got the right capabilities, get some advisers in hire additional people to get this up and running," he said. That should be a top priority, even as the COVID-19 fire rages on. "You've got to stop waiting for 'normal'," he said, "because it may never be normal again." Portia Crowe is a freelance writer based in the UK. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Drew Adamek, an FM magazine senior editor, at Andrew.Adamek@aicpa-cima.com. File photo taken on July 11, 2018 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) By Liu Peng The Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020 recently issued by the US Department of Defense (DoD) deliberately distorts relations between the CPC and the Chinese military, misinterprets China's national defense policy and military strategies, denigrates Chinas national defense and military modernization development, and makes groundless accusations of China on its defense spending, nuclear policy, and Taiwan policy. In sum, the report spares no effort in hyping up the so-called military threats from China. Compared with previous years, the report this year stands out for three points. First, it highlights the worries about the Chinese militarys rapid progress on the technological front. The DoD is so concerned about the PLAs advances in emerging technologies that the report includes a special topic on The PLAs Approach Toward Informatization and Intelligentization, in which it points out with great concern that these technical improvements are notably boosting PLA operational flexibility and responsiveness. Second, it denigrates the PLAs fulfillment of responsibilities as a major global military player. Turning a blind eye to ironclad facts, the report tries hard to stigmatize the humanitarian assistance, naval escorts at the Gulf of Aden, UN peacekeeping operations, arms sales, and bilateral and multilateral military exercises carried out by the PLA, which it claims are aimed to expand the PLAs global military presence. Third, it smears Chinas normal nuclear force development. China resolutely follows the path of peaceful development and adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. It commits to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at all times and in all conditions, and will unconditionally not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or in nuclear-weapon-free zones. The DoD report, turning a blind eye to all facts, not only groundlessly accuses China of a lack of transparency in its nuclear policies, but also makes irresponsible remarks about Chinas normal nuclear buildup. By doing so, the US seeks to hype up nuclear threats from China, so it could drag the country into the so-called China-US-Russia trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiation, thus meeting its goal of curbing and weakening Chinas nuclear deterrence capability and maintaining its own nuclear hegemony. In general, the latest release of the 2020 China military power report is teeming with the Cold War mentality of a zero-sum game like always. Its ridiculous condemnation of Chinas normal military development is, on the one hand, to materialize the major-country competition concept, step up the containment of China and restrict its military buildup. On the other hand, the hyping of the so-called military threats from China is nothing but an excuse to further augment its own military forces, sell weapons to other countries, and maintain Americas global hegemony, especially its control in the Indo-Pacific region. Meanwhile, the report and Pentagons recent moves send a clear signal that the US that has been stressing major-country competition feels strong strategic anxiety. The US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper recently instructed the National Defense University to recalibrate its courses to be 50% focused on China and requested other military academies to study China as a major threat as well. The DoD also newly set up a China-focused defense policy office. China has repeatedly made the solemn declaration to the international community that it will never seek hegemony or expansion, and will always be the mainstay in safeguarding peace. In recent years, the PLA has taken an active part in international humanitarian assistance, UN peacekeeping missions, escort missions at the Gulf of Aden, and other operations, making contributions to building the community with a shared future for mankind. History has proved and will continue to prove that China will remain a staunch guardian of international order and system. Trying to portray China as a rival is a serious strategic misjudgment on the American side, who is investing its strategic resources in the wrong direction. The China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. Maintaining and stabilizing this relationship concerns the wellbeing of their peoples as well as people around the world, and concerns world peace, stability, and development. We advise the US side to view Chinas progress and the PLAs normal development with calm and reason, refrain from baseless anxieties, and stop making groundless accusations. Instead, it should walk toward China and make joint efforts for world peace and stability. Disclaimer: The author is from the War Studies College of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of China Military Online. The European Union was a remarkable human artifactstill is. And for us to smash down our part in it is . . . I suppose you just have to expect that people cant sustain positive actions for very long. Sooner or later, they just want to behave badly and do something very simple, kick something or hit someone. The New Yorker A special force will be set up in Uttar Pradesh that can search and arrest without a warrant, said the government on Sunday. Called the Special Security Force, the government plans to launch it within the next three months. The force will be deployed for the security of strategic and vital installations, high court, district court, state government administrative premises, religious spots, Metro Rail, airports, banks, industrial undertakings and any other establishment notified by the state government. Additional chief secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said the SSF has been established in view of an Allahabad high court order to the state government for security and protection of all court premises in the state. The force will have the power to search and make arrests without a warrant, he added. The state legislative assembly passed the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force Bill-2020 in the monsoon session, paving the way for constitution of the specialised force. He added that the director general of police (DGP) had been directed to submit a road map for constitution of SSF within three days, a proposal for various posts in the force within seven days and rules for implementation of the SSF Act within 15 days. The DGP has directed to submit a suggestion for the launch of the first phase of the SSF within three months, Awasthi said. Considered the dream project of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government has decided to constitute five battalions of SSF in the first phase with 1,913 personnel. The total strength of the force will be 9,919 personnel. The state government would spend Rs 1,747.06 crore on the constitution of five battalions, he said. In the first phase, the state government will take the assistance of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and use its infrastructure. An IPS officer of additional director general (ADG) rank will head the force, but superintendence of the force will vest in DGP. Ayatollah Sistani supports early legislative elections following meeting with top UN official Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 1:29 PM Iraq's top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed his support for early parliamentary elections, a key demand of protesters who staged months of demonstrations last year against corruption and poor economic conditions. "The parliamentary elections scheduled for next year are of great importance," Ayatollah Sistani said in an online statement after a meeting with UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in the holy city of Najaf on Sunday. He added that Iraqis should be encouraged to actively participate in the polls, warning that failing to hold the elections as scheduled or in a free and fair way would "threaten the unity and future of Iraq's people." For her part, the UN official said, "If done in the right way, in the right and credible way, they (early elections) could open an important chapter for the country." Ayatollah Sistani has himself been a proponent of early elections, which is seen as an important step to help overcome the existing problems gripping the Arab country. Iraq's parliament approved on December 24 last year a new electoral law, which allows voters to elect individual lawmakers instead of choosing from party lists, and requires each member of parliament to represent a specific electoral district instead of groups of legislators representing entire provinces. Prime Minister Mustafa al- Kadhimi announced in late July that Iraq would hold parliamentary elections nearly a year early. "June 6, 2021, has been fixed as the date for the next legislative elections. Everything will be done to protect and ensure the success of these polls," he said in a televised speech on July 31. The next parliamentary elections in Iraq had originally been set for May 2022. The UN praised Kadhimi's announcement, saying it would promote "greater stability and democracy" in Iraq. Kadhimi was sworn into office in May after his predecessor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, stepped down last year in the face of mass anti-government protests and rallies. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SELBYVILLE, Del., Sept. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on Global Market Insights Inc., report, the Protein Hydrolysate Market for Animal Feed Application was estimated at $610 million in 2019 and is slated to exceed $890 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 5.5% from 2020 to 2026. The report provides a thorough analysis of the major winning strategies, market estimations as well as size, main investment avenues, competitive scenarios, drivers and opportunities, and wavering industry trends. Global Market Insights, Inc. The protein hydrolysate market for animal feed applications from sardines is likely to surpass $30 million by the end of 2026 owing to the increasing demand for low fat and high protein feed products. Sardine hydrolysates provide protein with high nutritional properties with a high concentration of essential amino acids. Sardine waste protein hydrolysate is effectively used in catfish feeds, cat food, and aquarium feed solutions owing to its economical nature. Furthermore, the easy availability of sardines, high nutritional content, rising awareness on the potential benefits of sardine protein hydrolysates is likely to trigger market demand. Request a Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2413 Increasing demand for cured meat products and pre-packaged breakfast meat solutions to boost penetration in swine feed products, thereby boosting the protein hydrolysate market share for animal feed application market. Manufacturers in the protein hydrolysate market for animal feed applications are rapidly engaged in new product development in an attempt to retain their market share in the competitive industry sphere. Industry players are also investing in branding & marketing initiatives to improve brand equity and to stay competitive in the post COVID economy. Furthermore, key market players are opting for consolidation and strategic measures to increase their presence, thus propelling market share. Some major findings of the protein hydrolysate market for the animal feed application report include: The demand for protein hydrolysate for animal feed applications is likely to grow owing to increasing consumption. Protein hydrolysate for animal feed application from the cattle segment is likely to grow with CAGR of over 5.5% by the end of 2026 owing to increasing demand for high-quality dairy products. Industry players are rapidly investing in new product development in an attempt to capitalize on emerging trends in the market sphere. Strict fishing restrictions are rapidly increasing the penetration of salmon in the aquaculture industry, thereby boosting protein hydrolysate for animal feed application market share. Increasing demand for fish products such as caviar, cod liver oil, and fish oil products is likely to boost market share. Increasing demand for whey feed solutions for calves & swine feed is likely to boost market share from the enzymatic hydrolysis manufacturing method. Protein hydrolysates for animal feed application market from powder is likely to grow with CAGR of over 5% by the end of 2026 owing to rising demand for easily digestible. Request customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/2413 Asia Pacific is likely to surpass USD 275 million by the end of 2026 owing to growing marine aquaculture production. The increasing consumption of salmon, mollusks, and shrimp is rapidly increasing product penetration in the aquaculture industry. Aquaculture breeders are rapidly opting for high protein feed solutions to reduce the outbreak of viral & bacterial diseases and improve their yield which is likely to boost the protein hydrolysate market growth for animal feed application. Primary players in the protein hydrolysate industry include SOPROPECHE, Royal Canin, Nutrifish, SAMPI, ATA Foods, FASA Group, Azelis Italina SRL, and Kemin Industries. Manufacturers are rapidly engaged in developing indigenous technology and new product development measures to stay competitive in the industry sphere. Related Reports: Fish Protein Hydrolysate Future Business Strategies and Revenue Impact Analysis - 2026 Protein Hydrolysate Market Future Business Strategies and Competitive Analysis - 2024 About Global Market Insights, Inc. Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision making. GMIPulse, our business analytics platform offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top-level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company level, and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision-makers. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights, Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.gminsights.com Related Images protein-hydrolysate-market-outlook.jpg Protein Hydrolysate Market Outlook - 2026 Related Links Plant Protein Ingredients Market Statistics - 2025 Protein Ingredients Market Statistics - 2026 SOURCE Global Market Insights, Inc. Related Links https://www.gminsights.com Police say the man who was stabbed to death outside a Rexdale mosque was a member and caretaker there. Officers responded to a call just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday for a reported stabbing at the International Muslim Organization (IMO) at Rexdale Boulevard and Kipling Avenue. Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, 58, was working as a volunteer caretaker there, and had been sitting outside on a chair when the suspect approached and attacked him. Zafis was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say this is an ongoing investigation, however security footage of the suspect has been released to the public. There are no words for what happened to the member of this congregation, said a statement from the National Council of Canadian Muslims on Saturday. Police report finding Zafis on the ground when they arrived and described lots of blood from trauma to the head, including stab wounds to his neck. The suspect fled the scene on foot. Police described him as slim, wearing a black hoodie and pants. The homicide unit has taken over the investigation. We further encourage our community not to speculate on what happened as the investigation is ongoing, the statement from the Muslim council said. Instead, we ask that you keep our brother and his family in your prayers. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS. With files from Kevin Jiang Breanna Xavier-Carter is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: bxavier@thestar.ca Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said it was the priority of his government and the nation's collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely as educational institutes across the country will reopen on Tuesday after a six-month-long closure due to Covid-19. Educational institutions in the country will begin reopening in phases, following a fall in new coronavirus case numbers, ending the long closure that led to exam cancellations and introduction of online classes, The Express Tribune reported. Welcoming millions of children back to school, the premier assured the people that the government has worked to endure that school operations align with public health safety rules on coronavirus. "Tomorrow we will welcome millions of children back to school. It is our priority and collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. "We have worked to ensure that school operations are aligned with public health safety rules on Covid-19," Khan tweeted. According to Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood, higher education institutions and senior school classes will reopen on Tuesday, classes six till eight will open on September 23, and on September 30 primary classes will reopen. KENILWORTH, N.J., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dehydration is a serious condition that can require medical attention if not properly addressed. Dehydration is a deficiency of water in the body. When the body loses too much water, it can lead to dangerous symptoms including light-headedness, weakness and confusion, and, if not treated, shock, a loss of consciousness and even death. Recognizing the signs of dehydration, and knowing what steps to take to prevent it from getting worse, are essential. In a new editorial on MerckManuals.com, James L. Lewis, III, MD, of Brookwood Baptist Health and Saint Vincent's Ascension Health in Birmingham, AL, outlines five facts about dehydration patients, parents and caregivers should know. 1. Dehydration has two main causes Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid or taking in too little fluid. Think of your body like a giant reusable water bottle. Throughout the day, your body loses water through a few different processes namely going to the bathroom, sweating and breathing. You take in water through eating and drinking. Dehydration occurs when your body loses more water than it brings in for a prolonged period of time. 2. Recognizing the Early Warning Signs of Dehydration Is Critical There are several stages of dehydration. It's important to recognize the early symptoms and drink water before dehydration becomes more serious. The most obvious early symptom to watch for is thirst. Other symptoms to keep an eye out for include muscle cramps, reduced sweating, light-headedness and confusion. 3. Some People Are at Greater Risk of Dehydration Dehydration is more common in some populations. Specifically, infants and younger children and older people are at greater risk. Certain conditions, such as diabetes, and drugs, such as diuretics (water pills), can also increase the risk of dehydration. 4. It Is Possible to be Overhydrated Having too much water in the body isn't healthy either. In most cases, overhydration is caused by medical disorders that limit the body's ability to excrete water or increases the body's tendency to retain water. 5. The Average Person Should Make a Point to Drink Water Throughout the Day Because people vary a lot in how much water they take in and lose each day, it's not possible to recommend a daily water intake that applies to all people. In general, you should drink as much water as you eliminate each day at a baseline. As a general rule, people who anticipate doing exercise or heavy work that will make them sweat should make a conscious effort to drink water before and during exercise or physical exertion in the heat. They should make sure to drink before they feel thirsty. You can read more about dehydration in Dr. Lewis' editorial on MerckManuals.com. About The Merck Manuals and MSD Manuals First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, The Merck Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the world's most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. As The Manual evolved, it continually expanded the reach and depth of its offerings to reflect the mission of providing the best medical information to a wide cross-section of users, including medical professionals and students, veterinarians and veterinary students, and consumers. In 2015, The Manuals kicked off Global Medical Knowledge 2020, a program to make the best current medical information accessible by up to three billion professionals and patients around the world by 2020. For access to thousands of medical topics with images, videos and a constantly expanding set of resources, visit MerckManuals.com or MSDManuals.com and connect with us on social media: For Consumers in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook For Professionals in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook About Merck For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. SOURCE The Merck Manuals New Delhi, Sep 14 : Swiss banking giant UBS is leading talks for a merger with fellow bank Credit Suisse which would create the leading banking giant in continental Europe. Swiss news agency Inside Paradeplatz reported that the merger project has been named Signal and is headed by UBS chairman, Axel Weber, who is in talks with Urs Rohner of Credit Suisse. The report said that the merged UBS-CS would become the leading banking giant in continental Europe. The group could compete with the Anglo-Asian HSBC and the American houses. Both headquartered in Switzerland, Credit Suisse and UBS are two leaders in the global investment banking industry, and the merger of such big companies would give birth to a massive entity. It is the German Axel Weber who wants to catapult UBS into the next sphere. Weber, is planning a merger with Urs Rohner from Credit Suisse. The project is called Signal, as reported from inside the two big banks. Axel Weber is the driving force, says an informant, he talked to Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer about it, Inside Paradeplatz reported. The Swiss banking supervisory authority Finma is also in the picture about Weber's plans which would push the pace. The merger should be agreed in early 2021, and at the end of 2021 Switzerland would have a new financial giant, the report said. A second source reports from McKinsey, which says that one is involved in something that "would overshadow everything that has existed in the financial center". McKinsey has been a consultant for both multinationals for years. Weber is likely to become the chairman of the combined entity, so someone from Credit Suisse might take up the position of CEO. It is to be noted that Ralph Hamers will become UBS CEO in November replacing Sergio Ermotti. Furthermore, the report detailed that they approached Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer and is aiming to close the deal by early next year. However, neither of the banks disclosed anything officially. Despite the agreement of both parties, such a deal would face harsh regulatory scrutiny and might not see an approval easily. But if approved, the merged entity would become one of Europe's largest investment entities and become on par with Wall Street giants. However, there would be some repercussions of the merger, as the report pointed out, this might lead to 10 to 20 per cent job cuts from the banks, meaning almost 15,000 staff across the world would lose their jobs, the report said. Facebooks threat to block Australia from news on its platform comes at an opportune time. As social media-enabled chaos disrupts the political order of the US, Australia should think about the role it wants social media to play in forming political opinions at home. From Donald Trumps tweets, to anti-5G protests, to QAnon the rising trend of conspiracy theory is a cost imposed on society by social media different yet relevant to the financial consideration sought by Australia from the Big Tech platforms. If Facebook went dark for our news, how much would Australia suffer? Credit:AP Under the proposed reforms, technology platforms like Facebook and Google would be forced to reimburse Australia's media companies for use of their articles and allow their algorithms to be scrutinised for their effects on consumers and the market. The government hopes to pass the bill before the end of the year. In the run up to the assembly polls in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated three petroleum sector projects, gave a big thumbs up to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and reached out to voters, calling the state a "powerhouse of talent". Modi's praise of alliance partner Kumar came weeks ahead of the elections that are likely in October-November, as he dedicated three petroleum projects worth nearly Rs 900 crore to people. These included a gas pipeline that extended from Durgapur in West Bengal to Banka in Bihar. Banka was also the beneficiary of an LPG bottling plant while another such unit is located at Harsiddhi in East Champaran district. I had the opportunity of flagging off the work on extension of the gas pipeline a year-and-half ago. I am delighted to see its completion. The country and Bihar have come out of an era when a project was announced and a generation had to wait for its completion. Nitish ji has played an important role in ushering in this change in the state, Modi said. In his trademark style, the prime minister began his speech with a few sentences in Angika, the dialect spoken in Banka and adjoining districts. He marvelled at the gas pipeline project which was no mean feat" as it involved working across a stretch of nearly 200 km of difficult terrain dotted with many rivers, dense forests and hills. I would like to use the terms gas-based industry and petro-connectivity, which may sound very technical but actually impact the lives of the common people, he said, addressing the function virtually from the national capital. Just imagine what would have been the situation if people were to keep venturing out in search of wood and other fuel for cooking their meals. The need is no longer there thanks to schemes like the Ujjwala Yojana which has ensured that LPG reaches households of the poorest of the poor," he said while talking about the coronavirus outbreak. The prime minister recalled how people would queue up in front of the residences of MPs for a cooking gas connection from their quota. "There was a time when having an LPG connection was a luxury not many could afford," he said. Launching a veiled attack on RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who he did not mention by name, Modi said Bihar has come out of an era when rail, road and internet connectivity were made light of and people used to say of what use roads are for those who walk on their feet. He said Bihar, like the rest of eastern India, never lacked samarthya (potential) and sansadhan (natural resources) but suffered for want of political will and faulty priorities. Being a land-locked state, Bihar was obviously at a disadvantage when it came to availing petroleum projects. All that is going to change. The gas pipeline and the bottling plants will not only make things easier for the consumers, but also open up lots of employment avenues in the state. Showering praise on the state for its rich art, culture and cuisine, Modi said, It would not be an exaggeration to call Bihar a powerhouse of talent. Its people can be found in all IITs and centres of excellence. Bright minds from here are serving in important capacities at the Centre. We all are indebted to Bihar. And it is our duty to ensure that Bihar gets a government that ensures that good governance it has seen in the last 15 years continues and realises its full potential, he said. Turning his attention to the education sector, the prime minister blamed the "indifference" of the past governments for the lack of quality institutions in Bihar which compelled the states youth to move out for pursuing higher learning. "But now things are changing. The state has many new agriculture, engineering and medical colleges. Under Nitish ji, the state has seen a massive rise in the number of polytechnics besides having its own IITs, IIMs, two central universities and top-class institutions offering courses in law and fashion technology, Modi added. He also said central schemes like Start Up India and Mudra Yojana were empowering the states young men and women to set up their own businesses while Kaushal Kendras (skill development centres) were making them employable. There are more than 8,000 gas-based projects worth Rs six lakh crore. Many of these are new while others that were shelved have been re-started. These hold out a huge promise for the unemployed youth of Bihar," he noted. The prime minister ended his speech with a reference to the COVID 19 pandemic, and repeated his slogan jab tak dawaai nahin, tab tak dhilai nahin (no laxity until a cure is found)". I salute the people of the country, and Bihar in particular, who did not get bogged down on account of the hardships that the pandemic brought. I congratulate my mothers and sisters whose lives will become much easier because of these gas-based projects, he added. Among those who attended the function were Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Governor Fagu Chauhan, Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Cloud Equity Group The Advantagecom Networks acquisition represents a synergistic expansion of ComfortHosts geographical and product capabilities that compliments the companys strategic goal of being a diversified provider of all major hosting solutions, Cloud Equity Group, a New York-based private equity investment manager focused on leveraged buyouts of tech-enabled business service providers, and its portfolio company ComfortHost recently acquired the assets of Adantagecom Networks Inc. (Advantagecom) in a strategic deal to expand ComfortHosts global hosting footprint. Advantagecom will maintain its own brand and will continue to be supported by the existing team. The acquisition of Advantagecom is consistent with ComfortHosts strategy of providing a diversified hosting service offering across multiple geographical locations worldwide. ComfortHost is interested in customer service-focused hosting providers that can strategically help it to expand into new markets. Originally founded in 1995, Advantagecom Networks is based in Washington and operates out of its custom-built local datacenter facility to provide a variety of cloud, virtual private server, and web hosting services. The Advantagecom Networks acquisition represents a synergistic expansion of ComfortHosts geographical and product capabilities that compliments the companys strategic goal of being a diversified provider of all major hosting solutions, said Sean Frank, Managing Partner at Cloud Equity Group. With datacenters located across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, the Advantagecom acquisition will expand ComfortHosts global footprint into the Northwest region of the United States. This acquisition also adds new technology, such as hardware-based virtualized cloud infrastructure, to ComfortHosts existing service offerings. In nearly 25 years in the web hosting industry, Advantagecom Networks has launched some great ideas, created some dynamic technologies, refined processes, and serviced many really great customers. I am pleased that Cloud Equity Group and their affiliated companies can continue to provide great service to the customer base we built and expand the service available to these customers, said Andrew Kinney, Chief Technology Officer and President of Advantagecom Networks. About Advantagecom Networks Advantagecom Networks provides web hosting, virtualization, dedicated servers, and colocation with integrity. Because of its integrity, it does not claim to be perfect. However, when Advantagecom Networks has a problem that causes issues with a clients service, it owns up to it, provides a full analysis, and engineers a permanent solution whenever possible. Data shows that this approach has led to high reliability over the long term and has resulted in 1-minute resolution from 5 global locations and history back to 2007. About Cloud Equity Group Cloud Equity Group is a strategically positioned investment management firm capitalizing on the rapidly expanding industries of web hosting and cloud-based infrastructure. The companys primary focus is leveraging investor capital in the acquisition of private lower middle market companies that possess high levels of unlevered free cash flow and/or significant opportunity for exponential growth. Investor Relations P : (212) 618-1298 ir@cloudequitygroup.com NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Preclinical Data Forum (GPDF; https://www.preclinicaldataforum.org/), a jointly sponsored U.S. and European initiative, funded by Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB) and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), announced today the winner of the 2020 "Best Negative Data Prize." The prize is awarded to the researcher or research group whose neuroscience study best exemplifies data where the outcomes do not confirm the expected results or working hypothesis. The goal of the unusual award is to incentivize researchers to publish negative findings to demonstrate that all data holds value for the scientific process. This year, after an extensive review, the GPDF is pleased to report that the Best Negative Data Prize award will be presented to Dr. Jeremey Bailoo, PhD, for the following paper: Bailoo, J (2018) Evaluation of the Effects of Space Allowance on Measures of Animal Welfare in Laboratory Mice. Nature.com Scientific Reports. "I've always advocated for publishing negative results and many of my experimental papers reveal full or partially failed replication attempts. In my opinion, the factors determining the publication of findings should largely pertain to the experimental study design. After all, we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in biomedical research and awards such as this one contribute to moving transformational science forward," says Jeremy Bailoo PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University, USA. First launched in 2017, the Best Negative Data Prize is just one of the many initiatives of the GPDF to address modern issues in preclinical research, with the goal of enhancing data utility for clinical research and development (R&D). The GPDF has emerged as an important voice in the global effort to counteract poor preclinical research reproducibility, highlighting the contributing issues and developing solutions to minimize its impact. The challenges of publishing negative data are just one of the factors that contribute to poor reproducibility. The Best Negative Data Prize aims to initiate a paradigm shift in which negative data is valued according to the same standards as positive data. According to Magali Haas, MD, PhD, CEO of CVB and Co-Chair of the GPDF, "Motivating scientific researchers to adjust their perspectives on negative data and to regard these results as meaningful as positive data will accelerate advancements. Otherwise, researchers are only looking at one half of the research equation. By making null findings from well-designed sufficiently powered studies available, the research community will be better equipped to interpret the body of evidence supporting an outcome, optimize limited-resources and increase the likelihood of scientific progress. CVB is proud to sponsor the Negative Data Prize as it aligns with our vision of supporting robust, reproducible research to advance brain health." Publication Award The award itself, presented on September 14, from 15:30 to 15:50 CEST at the 33rd ECNP Congress Virtual, is a monetary prize of 10,000 (ten thousand) Euro, made available through the generous sponsorship of Cohen Veterans Bioscience ( https://www.cohenveteransbioscience.org/ ). The prize will be awarded by Dr. Chantelle Ferland-Beckham, a member of the GPDF Steering Committee and Prize Review Committee. Evaluation Process Each submission for the Best Negative Data Prize was rigorously evaluated by a Prize Review Committee, comprised of members of the GPDF Steering Committee and with the support of leading experts from the scientific community and ECNP leadership. The multi-step review process evaluated each submission based on the data analysis and statistics, adherence to research rigor standards, a technical review of the materials and methods used in the study, and a field-specific scientific review by two subject matter experts, in accordance with recommendations developed by GPDF experts (2019). "Studies with positive results are several times more likely to be published than those that do not result in a positive result. Consequently, these important data are lost to science and there is potential for other researchers to unintentionally duplicate literature results. A study by Freedman and colleagues (2015) estimates that this costs the US economy alone, $28bn each year - similar in scale to the total $35bn National Institute of Health annual budget**," asserts Dr Thomas Steckler (Co-Chair of the GDPF Steering Committee, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV). About Cohen Veterans Bioscience Cohen Veterans Bioscience is a non-profit 501(c)(3) research biotech dedicated to fast-tracking the development of diagnostic tests and personalized therapeutics for the millions of veterans and civilians who suffer the devastating effects of trauma-related and other brain disorders. To support & learn more about CVB's research efforts visit www.cohenveteransbioscience.org. About the ECNP The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) is an independent scientific association dedicated to the science and treatment of disorders of the brain. It is the largest non-institutional supporter of applied and translational neuroscience research and education in Europe. To support & learn more about ECNP visit https://www.ecnp.eu SOURCE Cohen Veterans Bioscience Related Links http://www.cohenveteransbioscience.org Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan is known to be quite active on social media. From sharing posts about the current happenings in the world to treating fans with throwback pictures, Big B stays connected with his followers. Recently, the Don actor hit the nostalgia button and pulled out a picture from the days when he was a toddler. He posted a then-and-now collage which featured this picture and another one which had the actor sporting a funny and surprised look on his face, seeing his own childhood picture. Watch out for the thick layer of kajal in the picture which featured him as a kid! He captioned his post as, "... that be me .. then ..... that be me .. now .. NOW ?" Big B's post left netizens impressed. Actress Mouni Roy dropped a bunch of hug and heart emojis in the comment section. Senior Bachchan's Bhootnath 2 co-star Usha Jadhav too, commented with a heart emoji on his post. An Instagram user wrote, "the original swagger", while another one commented, "still young! dynamic! evergreen." Speaking about work, Amitabh, who recently recovered from COVID-19, has started shooting for Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) 12. Sharing a bunch of pictures from the redesigned sets, he had written, "20 saal, 12 seasons, KBC, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Aarambh (20 years, 12 seasons, KBC, Kaun Banega Crorepati begins)." When it comes to films, Big B's upcoming projects include Nagraj Manjule's Jhund, Rumi Jaffery's Chehre and Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra. In July this year, Amitabh Bachchan tested positive for COVID-19, and was admitted in Mumbai's Lilavati hospital. The actor had taken to his Twitter page to share this news and written, "I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. family and staff undergone tests , results awaited ..All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested!" Later, Amitabh's son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya and granddaughter Aaradhya also tested positive for the highly contagious virus. ALSO READ: Kaun Banega Crorepati 12: Amitabh Bachchan Starts Shooting; Shares Pictures Of First Day On Set ALSO READ: Amitabh Bachchan Buys Swanky Car, Netizens Shame Him Saying 'Learn Something From Sonu Sood' A Laois business has appealed for help after their expensive tools were stolen. CPD Decorators is a high end painting and decorating business that has restored Ballyfin House along with many other exclusive clientele around Ireland. Their sister business The Paint Store in Mountmellick put out an appeal after a van was broken into on Thursday night September 10, at their shop on the one-way street off O'Connell Square, at 10.30pm. Specialist sanding equipment was stolen, namely a Festool Rotex sander and accessories. See photos of it below. Con Farrell, proprietor of both businesses, says it will cost several thousands to replace and to fix his van. "They cut a hole in the back of the van to get at the handle," he said. Another van belonging to his business was damaged on Sunday night September 14, in an attempted robbery. Con is warning other local tradespeople to watch their properties. "Tradespeople in Mountmellick need to be mindful of this," he said. The Paint Store put out a call for help on Facebook after the robbery. "We are wondering if anyone can help, One of our vans belonging to our sister company Cpd decorators was broken into last night at approx 10.30 out side our shop, We are wondering if anyone seen anything could they send us a private message" Hong Kongs security chief has doubled down on his calls for Taiwan to hand over five detained residents who allegedly fled to the self-ruled island in an asylum bid, as its premier said his government hoped to offer substantial help to people in need. Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu also revealed his side had yet to receive any information from Taiwanese authorities on the condition of the individuals. We did not receive any request for assistance from their families either, he wrote on his official blog on Monday. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. The groups detention was confirmed on Sunday by Taiwans semi-official Central News Agency, which quoted an unidentified source. Secretary for Security John Lee has urged Taiwan to shoulder its responsibility in combating cross-border crime. Photo: Nora Tam The group was intercepted by the Taiwan Coast Guard at the end of July after their boat ran out of fuel and drifted towards the Pratas Islands, also known as the Dongsha Islands in Chinese, Taiwanese newspaper China Times reported late last month. The islands are controlled by Taipei but claimed by mainland China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province. At least two faced rioting charges stemming from anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year, it said, although the identities of the five have not been confirmed. The Security Bureau first appealed for their return two weeks ago. Lee called on Taiwan again to shoulder its responsibility in combating cross-border crimes. If they are suspected of committing crimes in Hong Kong, do not harbour criminals, he wrote. We hope that Taiwan will hand them back after going through legitimate procedures, so that Hong Kong will handle them in accordance with the law. According to Hong Kong authorities, dozens of protesters have fled to Taiwan, but no extradition treaty exists between the two jurisdictions. Hong Kong cited the lack of a formal arrangement in launching last years ill-fated extradition bill that triggered months of social unrest. The introduction of the national security law targeting acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, along with its reach into other jurisdictions, has further complicated ties between the two governments. Story continues [The suspects] should calmly face their legal responsibilities, Lee wrote. It would be much better than bearing with fear the stamp of having absconded for the rest of their lives. Other jurisdictions must not interfere with the citys law enforcement efforts, he said, adding police had made inquiries with their Taiwanese counterparts about the matter. When Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang was asked on Monday whether his government would hand the five back, he refused to comment on specific cases but said it hoped to provide people in need with substantial assistance. The government and people from all walks of life care about Hong Kong and its people, Su said. [We] have also set up a dedicated agency and allocated special funds, hoping to offer help to Hongkongers in need. Taiwan said in June it would establish an office dedicated to assisting residents from the city who wanted to seek asylum on the island out of fear they would be prosecuted at home over alleged involvement in the anti-government protests. The new office would be funded by the government and work with human rights and civil groups to help the individuals with residency, settlement, employment and protection issues, along with providing a basic living allowance. Taiwanese journalist Edd Jhong earlier said he had been trying to help the five reach the island. Photo: Facebook The Central News Agency reported late on Sunday the five had basic rights, including access to lawyers, citing an unnamed source. Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, the governmental body responsible for cross-strait, Hong Kong and Macau affairs, said Taipei would provide humanitarian assistance to those in need according to established mechanisms. Regarding the conjecture circulating around, we think it might serve specific purposes, harming the whole mechanism and individuals, the council said. Taiwanese journalist Edd Jhong, who earlier said he had been trying to help the five reach the island, appealed to Hong Kong protesters to avoid making such asylum bids on Sunday. Jhong urged the council not to provoke anyone who hoped to help with such bids while also fulfilling its promises of assistance. Hong Kong Outlanders, a civic group established by the citys residents in Taiwan, also called on people to refrain from reposting, responding or commenting on any information concerning details of how residents fled to the island. Any descriptions of assisting organisations, routes and processes of their escape will bring unnecessary danger to Hong Kong people who stay here now, under the national security law, it said on its Facebook page. A Taiwanese resident who was involved in assisting asylum-seeking Hongkongers in recent months said his government preferred to keep its involvement out of the limelight. It wont benefit anyone if its escalated into a diplomatic row, he said, requesting anonymity. More from South China Morning Post: This article Hong Kong steps up pressure on Taiwan over five residents detained in reported asylum bid, as islands premier offers help to anyone in need first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. South Africa: 13 135 nurses employed since COVID-19 outbreak South Africas nine provinces have collectively employed 13 135 nurses during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said he was pleased with the numbers saying this proves that it is possible to achieve such numbers in such a short space of time. Speaking at the Society of Private Nurse Practitioners of SA conference on Sunday, the Minister said government is cautiously breathing a sigh of relief as the country continues to see a decline in detected cases, hospital admissions, deaths and excess deaths. This as South Africa recorded 20 deaths on Sunday, the countrys lowest one-day death toll since 23 May 2020. In addition, 649 793 people have contracted the disease since the outbreak in March. Our recovery rate is now almost at 90% and our mortality rate has remained stable at around 2%, he said. He said mothers affected by COVID-19 have given birth to healthy babies. They are breastfeeding and physically bonding with their children, laying foundations for the wholesome upbringing and solid building blocks for a healthy and prosperous society. Saluting nurses Mkhize said these achievements have been possible because of the passion, dedication and sheer diligence of nurses and midwives. We thank you for braving the threat of being infected yourself, and even of death. To date, over 31 000 healthcare workers have contracted Coronavirus, of which many of them are nurses and midwives, while 240 health practitioners succumbed to the disease. Mkhize conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the families of those nurses who lost their lives. Nursing Now campaign and roadmap In December last year, I had the privilege of launching the Nursing Now campaign, a three-year campaign initiated by the global nursing community with the sole objective of improving health care delivery to our people. The five key areas focus for this global campaign are ensuring that nurses and midwives have a more prominent voice in health policy-making; encouraging greater investment in the nursing workforce and recruiting more nurses into leadership positions. It also involves conducting research that helps determine where nurses can have the greatest impact and sharing of best nursing practices Indeed, these key focus points align perfectly with the objectives of the Presidential Health Compact, The Quality Improvement Plan and, ultimately, the National Health Insurance. The Minister said his department will soon publish the Strategic Direction for Nursing Education and Practice that outlines a roadmap for strengthening nursing and midwifery in South Africa for the next five years. In addition, work has been done to promulgate and subsequently proclaim various sections of the Nursing Act, he added. He also thanked the nurses for making his job easier as Minister of Health. I want to assure you that I share your aspirations of a better world through the work that we do to secure a healthy population for quality of life and prosperity for all. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Meng Tao creates a vivid, beautiful world with a surrealistic sensation in his works. [For China Daily] Sichuan-born artist Meng Tao's upcoming solo exhibition, Humanity Vs. Materialism, marks his devotion to painting over four decades. It also expresses his thoughts on the existence and crisis of humankind. The exhibition, to be open at the Blue Roof Museum of Chengdu on Sept 12 till Oct 10, will display Meng's recent oil works in which he creates a vivid, beautiful world with a surrealistic sensation. While after a close, careful examination of these scenes, people will find confusion, anger and despair. In this way, Meng invites the audience to reflect on the problems arising from the fast-paced social development, such as over consumption and the deterioration of wildlife habitat. Meng Tao's upcoming solo exhibition, Humanity Vs. Materialism , expresses his thoughts on the existence and crisis of humankind. [For China Daily] Meng Tao's upcoming solo exhibition, Humanity Vs. Materialism , expresses his thoughts on the existence and crisis of humankind. [For China Daily] (Source: chinadaily.com.cn) After weeks of protests, what had been a carnival atmosphere has been replaced by tension and fear as police officers revived some of the heavy-handed violence seen when people first took to the streets after the much-contested election. More than 400 people were arrested, the police said. Many said they had been beaten at the time of detention. The protests come ahead of talks between Mr. Lukashenko and President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday the first meeting between the two leaders since the crisis in Belarus began. The talks would focus on developing the strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Belarus, Mr. Putin said. Analysis: Mr. Lukashenko cannot possibly expel or jail everyone in Belarus who wants him gone, said one opponent, and so does not know what to do anymore. Our strategy of peaceful protest really works. Opinion: The crackdown on peaceful protests over a blatantly fixed election is an affront to everyone who cherishes democracy and elemental fairness, writes the Timess editorial board. T he FTSE 100 is forecast to open higher this morning as M&A activity dominates trading led by the $40 billion takeover of UK tech giant ARM. Overnight US semiconductor specialist Nvidia confirmed it is buying the Cambridge-based company after a summer of talks with its owner, SoftBank. The acquisition will likely spark a political row amid concerns of UK jobs the previous government secured assurances when the Japanese investor snapped up ARM from the public markets in 2016. Arm, which designs chips for smartphones and tablets, was spun out of Acorn in the Nineties. Nvidia, meanwhile, has just overtaken Intel to become the worlds largest semiconductor group sparking fears that Arm will be drawn into competition wars between US companies. Nvidia sought to quell worries over jobs, committing to the assurances made at the time of the SoftBank deal which expire next September. Sonja Laud, chief investment officer at Legal & General Investment Management, told the BBC: With the expiry about to happen and obviously the Brexit negotiations underway it will be interesting to see how this develops. Nvidia has said they will continue investing in particular in research and development using Im sure the proximity to Cambridge University, particularly around artificial intelligence they will continue to use Cambridge as a hub. CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: SoftBank shares have moved sharply higher in Asia trading this morning on news of the sale, however this optimism needs to be tempered. Not least because the proposed sale has already attracted the attention of the UK government with respect to the thousands of UK jobs based in and around Cambridge, with the CMA likely to take an interest in the sale. He added: The government is likely to want assurances that Nvidia wont do what Cadbury did with respect to any assurances regarding UK jobs and say one thing and do another. This means there is a high chance that Nvidia may well find it much more difficult than Softbank did when they bought the business under the previous government. The increase in mergers and acquisition activity in recent weeks has put a brighter spin on markets for the week ahead. US stocks struggled again last week, notably with tech stocks enduring a further sell-off as investors fret that a Joe Biden win in Novembers presidential election will bring taxes hikes to Silicon Valley. Deal fever appears to be gripping the City and Wall Street with the virus crisis making assets cheaper. As well as the ARM deal, US pharma company Gilead Sciences said it is buying cancer drug maker Immunomedics for $21 billion. The rise in Asian markets is expected to feed through into European trading, and the FTSE 100 is expected to open 18 points higher at 6050 as investors shrug off a rise in coronavirus cases across Europe. Astrazeneca will be closely watched after the pharma giant said its Covid-19 vaccine trials with Oxford university have resumed. News that a trial patient had become ill and the tests halted last week knocked the drug giants share price, so theres potential for a mini rally back in the stock today. Sterling will also be in focus as several more months of post-Brexit deal brinkmanship appear likely to spark plenty more action in trading in the pound. PITTSBURGH, Sept. 14, 2020 - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that completely and specifically neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of COVID-19. This antibody component, which is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody, has been used to construct a drug--known as Ab8--for potential use as a therapeutic and prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2. The researchers report today in the journal Cell that Ab8 is highly effective in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters. Its tiny size not only increases its potential for diffusion in tissues to better neutralize the virus, but also makes it possible to administer the drug by alternative routes, including inhalation. Importantly, it does not bind to human cells--a good sign that it won't have negative side-effects in people. Ab8 was evaluated in conjunction with scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, as well as the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan. "Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections," said co-author John Mellors, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UPMC and Pitt. "Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune." The tiny antibody component is the variable, heavy chain (VH) domain of an immunoglobulin, which is a type of antibody found in the blood. It was found by "fishing" in a pool of more than 100 billion potential candidates using the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as bait. Ab8 is created when the VH domain is fused to part of the immunoglobulin tail region, adding the immune functions of a full-size antibody without the bulk. Abound Bio, a newly formed UPMC-backed company, has licensed Ab8 for worldwide development. Dimiter Dimitrov, Ph.D., senior author of the Cell publication and director of Pitt's Center for Antibody Therapeutics, was one of the first to discover neutralizing antibodies for the original SARS coronavirus in 2003. In the ensuing years, his team discovered potent antibodies against many other infectious diseases, including those caused by MERS-CoV, dengue, Hendra and Nipah viruses. The antibody against Hendra and Nipah viruses has been evaluated in humans and approved for clinical use on a compassionate basis in Australia. Clinical trials are testing convalescent plasma--which contains antibodies from people who already had COVID-19--as a treatment for those battling the infection, but there isn't enough plasma for those who might need it, and it isn't proven to work. That's why Dimitrov and his team set out to isolate the gene for one or more antibodies that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which would allow for mass production. In February, Wei Li, Ph.D., assistant director of Pitt's Center for Therapeutic Antibodies and co-lead author of the research, began sifting through large libraries of antibody components made using human blood samples and found multiple therapeutic antibody candidates, including Ab8, in record time. Then a team at UTMB's Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases and Galveston National Laboratory, led by Chien-Te Kent Tseng, Ph.D., tested Ab8 using live SARS-CoV-2 virus. At very low concentrations, Ab8 completely blocked the virus from entering cells. With those results in hand, Ralph Baric, Ph.D., and his UNC colleagues tested Ab8 at varying concentrations in mice using a modified version of SARS-CoV-2 . Even at the lowest dose, Ab8 decreased by 10-fold the amount of infectious virus in those mice compared to their untreated counterparts. Ab8 also was effective in treating and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters, as evaluated by Darryl Falzarano, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan. Sriram Subramaniam, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of British Columbia uncovered the unique way Ab8 neutralizes the virus so effectively by using sophisticated electron microscopic techniques. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge facing humanity, but biomedical science and human ingenuity are likely to overcome it," said Mellors, also Distinguished Professor of Medicine, who holds the Endowed Chair for Global Elimination of HIV and AIDS at Pitt. "We hope that the antibodies we have discovered will contribute to that triumph." ### Additional co-lead authors of this research are Xianglei Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of Pitt; Alexandra Schafer, Ph.D., and David R. Martinez, Ph.D., both of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Swarali S. Kulkarni, M.Sc., of the University of Saskatchewan. Additional authors are Chuan Chen, Ph.D., Zehua Sun, Ph.D., Liyoung Zhang, Ph.D., all of Pitt; Sarah R. Leist, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Aleksandra Drelich, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch; Marcin L. Ura, Ph.D., and Eric Peterson, M.S., both of Abound Bio; and Alison Berezuk, Ph.D., Sagar Chittori, Ph.D., Karoline Leopold, Ph.D., Dhiraj Mannar, B.Sc., Shanti S. Srivastava, Ph.D., and Xing Zhu, Ph.D., all of the University of British Columbia. This research was funded by National Institutes of Health grants F32 AI152296, T32 AI007151, AI132178, AI108197 and P30CA016086, as well as UPMC; the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; a Canada Excellence Research Chair Award; Genome BC, Canada; Canadian Institutes for Health Research; and Canadian Foundation for Innovation. To read this release online or share it, visit https://www.upmc.com/media/news/091420-mellors-dimitrov-covid-ab8. About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support. Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www.medschool.pitt.edu. 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. http://www.upmc.com/media US President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for doing a great job in coronavirus testing, as he continued to slam his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for being a complete disaster in handling the swine flu during the previous administration. "By far, we've tested more people than India, than many, many big countries put together. India is second (in coronavirus testing after the US). We're 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi calls me and says, what a job you've done with testing," Trump said at an election rally in Reno, Nevada. Trump is currently making a swing of some of the key states in the West Coast and has been spending a considerable amount of time in Nevada. The president said that Modi's comment on testing being done by the US needs to be explained to the media, which is after him over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I said, explain that to these dishonest people (media people) back (at the election rally). Biden's record demonstrates that if he had been in charge, when the China virus arrived, hundreds of thousands of more Americans would have died. As vice president, he presided over the worst and the weakest and the slowest economic recovery, since the great depression, Trump said. Trump said that it was the most pathetic recovery, since the depression. No state was hit harder by Biden's failure than Nevada. This is not the guy you want, he said. Trump said that he has spent the last four years bringing jobs back to America, securing borders, rebuilding the military and standing up to China, like never before. "Nobody had ever stood up to China like we have stood up to China and you haven't seen the last of it, he said. Biden, if he wins, would be controlled by the left radicals. Now he wants to surrender our country to the violent left wing mob. If Biden wins, China wins. If Biden wins, the mob wins, Trump said. If Biden wins the rioters win, the anarchists win, the flag burners, the anarchists...they all win, he alleged. Alleging that this is a rigged election, Trump said that this is the only way he could be defeated. But I'll tell you what, he (Biden) is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics. He doesn't know he's alive. He doesn't know he's alive, he said. Also read: US to reduce troop strength in Afghanistan to 4,000 'in a very short period of time': Trump Also read: President Donald Trump's Nobel Peace Prize nomination hard-earned, well-deserved: White House Television sets could become costlier right at the onset of the festive season in October. According to industry sources, the price increase could range between 20-35 percent and will primarily because of a spike in prices of panels that are a key component of the television set. The price increase will be a dampener for customers who were looking to postpone purchases till Navratri, Diwali sales. About 60 percent of the price of the television is the cost of the open-cell panel that makes the screen. Sources said a few panel makers are also creating 'artificial shortage' scenarios to hike the prices. Panels are imported mostly from China. A Delhi-based dealer said the sudden inventory shortage has been communicated to several companies just weeks ahead of supply. The head of the televisions category at a large white goods firm told Moneycontrol that this year's festive sale could see lower discounts due to a sudden rise in panel prices. "We will have to pass on the cost increase to customers because TV panel prices are rising by 20-25 percent. Slowdown and aggressive demand are being cited as the reason for the price rise," he added. The consumer durables industry was eyeing festive season sales because the Coronavirus-led lockdown had impacted revenues. TV prices have already been up to 10 percent hike this year due to production disruption of components in China. Panel prices have risen by 20 percent over the last few weeks. Every year ahead of the festive season, the demand hike leads to a price increase in panels. This year, Coronavirus-led product shortage has added to the price hike. The open cell panel used in TVs is imported from markets like China. With production in China almost shut, the export of this component had been halted till April, which impacted the production of the final product in India. Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics which is the licensee of Thomson TV and Kodak TV in India said prices could go up by as high as 35 percent. Whenever there is a price rise, small screen sizes sale always gets affected. But on the other hand, due to the pandemic, we are seeing continuous growth in smart television sales since customers are at home, he added. An added pain to the pricing would be a comeback of the 5 percent customs duty on open-cell panels. In September 2019, the Ministry of Finance had said open-cells for LCD/LED panels will not attract any customs duty. The ministry had said it would be valid till September 30, 2020, after which local manufacturing of open cells could be incentivised. The zero customs duty is applicable for open cells (15.6 inches and above) used in the manufacture of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) TV panels. Moneycontrol had reported that the government wants to boost local production and hence is not looking to extend the zero-customs-duty regime for the open cell. Arjun Bajaaj , Director, Videotex International that has the Daiwa and Shinco TV brands in India said that television prices are expected to go up by 20-30 percent and may go beyond that if the prices for open-cell continue to increase. In case the custom duty of 5 percent on an open cell is added next month then again the prices will be impacted. So far with the increase in price, there is also a huge shortage in supply of open-cell but the demand has been rising consistently for TVs, he added. A complete import of television sets is also not an option, since the Indian government has dissuaded players from importing TV sets. The duty for importing a completely built unit of an electronic appliance is set at 20 percent. Further, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a July 30 notification placed import of colour televisions of all sizes in the restricted category. Those looking to import TV sets need a licence. Moneycontrol had reported that import licenses would be very selective and that the process would be lengthy. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan filed a review petition before the Supreme Court on Monday challenging his conviction by the apex court in criminal contempt of court case. This came hours after he deposited the fine of Re 1 imposed on him by the top court as punishment in the case. Bhushan maintained that depositing the fine amount does not signify that he agrees with the top courts verdict. I am going to the Supreme Court registry to deposit Re 1 fine imposed on me in relation to the contempt of court case. That I am depositing the fine does not mean I am accepting the judgment. I will be filing a review petition against the judgment today, Bhushan told media persons outside the Supreme Court on Monday morning. Later in the day, he filed the review petition. The apex court had, on August 14, held Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for his two tweets, one criticizing the Supreme Court and the other against Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde. The court then held a separate hearing on the punishment to be handed down to the activist lawyer. During the hearing on sentencing, Bhushan was afforded opportunities by the court to apologise but he refused to do so and stood his ground. Also read: 24 Lok Sabha MPs test positive for Covid-19 on first day of monsoon session A 3-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra then pronounced its sentence on August 31 and imposed a token fine of Re 1. He was asked to deposit the fine with the registry of the court by September 15 failing which he would have to undergo imprisonment of 3 months and will also be debarred from practising before the Supreme Court for 3 years. In his review petition, Bhushan challenged the August 14 judgment contending that the judgment suffers from various errors and also renders any criticism of the Supreme Court an offence of criminal contempt. The review petition said that a detailed reply was filed by Bhushan in defence of his tweets but the court did not take into account the contents of his reply while convicting him. He also questioned the manner in which the court initiated the case and heard him which he contended violated the principles of natural justice since he was not afforded a proper opportunity to present his case. In this regard, Bhushan highlighted the fact that the court had taken note of his tweets after one Mehek Maheshwari, an advocate, filed a petition before the Supreme Court on July 9 seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Bhushan for the tweets. A copy of the petition of Mr Maheswari that was the basis for initiating the suo motu proceedings was not supplied to the review petitioner (Bhushan). It is respectfully submitted that this violation is fundamental and goes to the very root of the matter, as the Review Petitioner could not address before the court whether the basis on which the Court formed its view was substantial or not, the review petition said. Importantly, Bhushan submitted that the case should not have been heard by Justice Arun Mishra since he has, on previous occasions, orally accused Bhushan of committing contempt of court when he had merely mentioned that it may be inappropriate for judges to hear cases in which conflict of interest was involved. The petition listed various instances wherein Justice Mishra had heard cases to Bhushans detriment. Bhushan had filed a petition before the Supreme Court on September 12 praying that an additional legal remedy should be provided in those cases where persons are convicted by the Supreme Court in original criminal contempt cases. Original criminal contempt cases are those which are heard directly by the Supreme Court in the first instance. In such cases, if a person is convicted, he or she is left with no further remedy as the Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. Bhushan has prayed that in such a case, the convicted person should be afforded the right to an intra-court appeal, i.e. a larger bench of the Supreme Court, different from the bench which convicted the concerned person, should hear an appeal against such conviction. There is a chance of arbitrary, vengeful, and high-handed decisions in such contempt cases where the apex court is not only the aggrieved party but also the prosecutor, the witness, and the judge, raising the fear of bias, Bhushans plea had said. Bhushan also told the media on Monday that he received Re 1 from various people across the country expressing their solidarity with him and this was part of a larger campaign called Rupee one, everyone. He said that the money collected would be used to set up a fund called Truth Fund which will be utilised to fight legal cases for the benefit of those who have been arrested for speaking out against the government. Yesterday, Umar Khalid was arrested only for the reason that he is in support of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The government in India today is cracking down on dissenters to silence them. The Truth Fund will be utilised to defend such people, Bhushan said. Former SC judge expresses concerns over misuse of sedition law Earlier in the day, retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan Lokur spoke in support of Bhushan and decried the use of sedition laws by government machinery at the drop of the hat. Lokur was speaking at a video conference meeting organized by non-governmental organization, Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms, and socio-political organisation Swaraj Abhiyan, in support of Bhushan. Lokur said that many citizens who express their opinions and views are slapped with sedition cases while those who call for violence dont face any state reprimand. State is using sedition as an iron hand to curb free speech which I think is an overreaction to people expressing their views. On the other hand, those who call for violence and breaking up things, nothing happens to them, Lokur said. He also highlighted an episode from Uttar Pradesh wherein a person whose speech called for unity of citizens was detained by the government on the ground that the speech threatened the integrity of the country. The incident he was referring to was the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan who was kept in prison under the National Security Act concerning a speech relating to the Citizenship Amendment Act delivered by him at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 12, 2019. The detention order by District Magistrate said that Khans speech of December 12 instigated the students of AMU and there were continuous and violent protests by the students due to which public order in Aligarh was disturbed. The Allahabad High Court quashed Khans detention on September 1 observing that Khans speech did not promote hatred or violence, instead it deprecated violence and called for national integrity and unity. He was kept under detention for 6 to 7 months because his speech was misinterpreted. Thus, free speech is curbed is by misreading the statements of citizens, Lokur said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 01:00:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of refugees killed in a clash with locals in northwestern Uganda has reached eight, a police statement said here on Sunday. According to the statement issued here two more South Sudan refugees died in the Friday incident that happened at Rhino Refugee Settlement in Madi Okollo district. "One more body of a refugee by the names Abraham Angeth Micheal, male adult, 23 years was recovered very far in the bush. Meanwhile, one Amat Garang, 15 years, who was injured and admitted to Olujobo health center, Madi Okollo district died today (Sunday)," the police added. The clash started when a local was allegedly assaulted by the refugees. "It is alleged that on Sept. 11 at about 17:30 local time, one Ajute Rahman Yassin was looking after cattle near the resettlement camp and that he was assaulted by refugee youths," the Police said. As the injured national was being taken to a nearby health facility, one person informed motorcycle taxi operators near the camp about the incident. "Hence, the angry mob organized, went and attacked the refugee settlement camp, killing six and injuring four others," the Police said. "The scene was visited by Regional Police Commander and a team of detectives," the police noted, adding that the bodies had been taken to the mortuary. "We have made a combined deployment of police supported by military in the area. The manhunt for other suspects is ongoing as investigations continue," the Police said. Clashes between Ugandan nationals and refugees, mainly of South Sudanese origin are common in the east African nation which hosts about 1.4 million refugees. In December last year, four people were killed and 16 others injured following a clash between South Sudan refugees and the local community in Uganda's northwestern district of Adjumani. In July, three South Sudan refugees in Uganda were killed, six injured and hundreds displaced after tribal clashes erupted in Palorinya refugee settlement, in the northwestern district of Obongi. Enditem NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Ceramics Market Research Report by Material (Alumina, Aluminium Nitride, Magnesium Silicate, Pyrolytic Boron Nitride, and Silicon Carbide), by Type (Ceramic Coatings, Ceramic Matrix Composites, and Monolithic Ceramics), by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953127/?utm_source=PRN The Global Advanced Ceramics Market is expected to grow from USD 7,425.63 Million in 2019 to USD 10,962.91 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.70%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Advanced Ceramics to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Material, the Advanced Ceramics Market studied across Alumina, Aluminium Nitride, Magnesium Silicate, Pyrolytic Boron Nitride, Silicon Carbide, Silicon Nitride, Titanate, and Zirconia. Based on Type, the Advanced Ceramics Market studied across Ceramic Coatings, Ceramic Matrix Composites, and Monolithic Ceramics. Based on Application, the Advanced Ceramics Market studied across Automotive & Transportation, Chemical Manufacturing, Consumer Electronics, Electrical Equipment, Medical Devices, and Military & Aerospace Equipment. Based on Geography, the Advanced Ceramics Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Advanced Ceramics Market including Active Enterprises, Advanced Ceramics Ltd, Ants Ceramics, Bhise Ceramics Pvt. Ltd., Ceradyne Inc., Ceramitec Industries, CeramTec, COI Ceramics Inc., CoorsTek Inc., Corning Incorporated, Kyocera Corporation, Morgan Advanced Materials, Morimura Group, Ravikiran Ceramics Pvt Ltd, SAINT-GOBAIN, and SCHOTT AG. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Advanced Ceramics Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Advanced Ceramics Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Advanced Ceramics Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Advanced Ceramics Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Advanced Ceramics Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Advanced Ceramics Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Advanced Ceramics Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05953127/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com An Ontario Superior Court judge has dismissed a rare motion to have the court toss its own findings in the case of off-duty Toronto police officer Michael Theriault, who was convicted in June of assaulting Whitby man Dafonte Miller. A court in Oshawa heard brief arguments Monday on a legal challenge filed by lawyers for Theriault, which argued the guilty verdict for the lesser count of assault wasnt an option for the judge at trial. Theriault was originally charged with aggravated assault in connection to the December 2016 assault on Miller, a 19-year-old Black man, on a residential Whitby street. Miller was seriously injured, suffering catastrophic injuries to his eye, which later had to be removed. In a widely watched decision released on YouTube in June, Justice Joseph Di Luca acquitted Theriault and his brother Christian of aggravated assault, finding they had fought back against Miller in self-defence during the first phase of a fight that began after the brothers caught Miller stealing change from their family truck. But Di Luca also found that later, near the end of the altercation, Michael Theriault swung a pipe at Miller at least once in the face, and convicted him of assault. Theriaults lawyers Alan Gold and Michael Lacy argued Di Luca lacked jurisdiction to convict (Theriault) of that charge on that count, and asked the court to vacate the conviction and launch a new trial. Theriaults lawyers argued that it had not been explicitly spelled out during trial that a conviction on the count of assault alone was a possibility namely, that assault was whats known as a lesser included offence of aggravated assault. Di Luca dismissed the motion Monday and will release reasons for the decision at a later date. Sentencing arguments in the case will go ahead as planned at the Oshawa courthouse next week. In written submissions responding to the motion, Crown lawyers Linda Shin and Peter Scrutton said Theriault is asking the court to reopen the case not because there is fresh evidence that could establish his innocence or raise a reasonable doubt. Instead, he seeks solely to make technical legal arguments that are little more than a dressed-up attempt at a second kick at the can. In any event, the substance of his legal arguments lack merit. As a matter of law, assault is always an included offence to an aggravated assault charge, they wrote, requesting that the application be dismissed. Theriault is suspended with pay from the Toronto Police Service. Sentencing arguments will be heard Sept. 25. Assault carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail. Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis SAN FRANCISCO - The cityscape resembles the surface of a distant planet, populated by a masked alien culture. The air, choked with blown ash, is difficult to breathe. There is the Golden Gate Bridge, looming in the distance through a drift-smoke haze, and the Salesforce Tower, which against the blood-orange sky appears as a colossal spaceship in a doomsday film. San Francisco, and much of California, has never been like this. California has become a warming, burning, epidemic-challenged and expensive state, with many who live in sophisticated cities, idyllic oceanfront towns and windblown mountain communities thinking hard about the viability of a place many have called home forever. For the first time in a decade, more people left California last year for other states than arrived. Monica Gupta Mehta and her husband, an entrepreneur, have been through tech busts and booms, earthquakes, wildfire seasons and power outages. But it was not until the skies darkened and cast an unsettling orange light on their Palo Alto home earlier this week that they ever considered moving their family of five somewhere else. "For the first time in 20-something years, the thought crossed our minds: Do we really want to live here?" said Mehta, who is starting an education tech company. It would be difficult to leave. They love the area's abundant nature and are tied to Silicon Valley by work and a network of extended family members, who followed them west from Pittsburgh. But Mehta says it is something she would consider if her family is in regular danger. "Yesterday felt so apocalyptic," Mehta said. "People are really starting to reconsider whether California has enough to offer them." This is the latest iteration of the California Dream, a Gold Rush-era slogan meant to capture the hopeful migration of an old nation to a new, rich West. For generations, the tacit agreement for California residents resembled a kind of too-good-to-be-true deal. Live in the lovely if often drought-plagued Sierra, or beneath the beachfront Pacific Coast cliffs, and work in an economy constantly reinventing itself, from Hollywood to the farms of the San Joaquin to Silicon Valley. But for many of California's 40 million residents, the California Dream has become the California Compromise, one increasingly challenging to justify, with a rapidly changing climate, a thumb-on-the-scales economy, high taxes and a pandemic that has killed more here than in any other state. During the course of his term, President Donald Trump has singled out California, a state he lost by 30 percentage points, as an example of Democrat-caused urban unrest, irresponsible immigration policy and poor forest management, even though nearly 60 percent of the state's forests are managed by the federal government. Several are burning today, with millions of acres already scorched. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has responded specifically in some cases, but in others, he has invoked the California Dream, an adjective attached to no other state. In his January 2019 inaugural address, Newsom warned that "there is nothing inevitable about" that dream. "And now more than ever, it is up to us to defend it," he said. As the state's climate has shifted to one of extremes, soaking wet seasons followed suddenly by sharp, dry heat and wind, no region has been safe from fire. This year - even before peak fire season has gotten underway - widespread fires have forced evacuations, from San Jose in Silicon Valley to the distant hamlet of Big Creek along the western slopes of the Sierra. More than two dozen major fires are burning around the state and have consumed a record 3.1 million acres of land, more than 3,000 homes and at least 10 lives. Los Angeles has reported the worst air quality in three decades as a result of fires surrounding that city, already notorious for orange air and seasonal dry cough. Wine Country is burning for the third year straight, with a number of vineyards lost. Homes have been destroyed far to the south in San Diego County, and more than 200 campers had to be airlifted to safety amid the Creek Fire, still burning hot and fast between Fresno and Mammoth Lakes. The mountains behind Santa Barbara County, which gave way after being burned bare by the Thomas Fire three years ago, have turned a worrisome gray-brown tinder in recent weeks. Those slopes, prepared by one of the state's largest fires in history at the time, slid during rain-saturated mudslides in January 2018. Twenty people were killed in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, sweeping some from inside their foothill homes all the way to the sea. The mandatory evacuation orders issued then included the home recently bought by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, newcomers to Santa Barbara's shifting climate. "Hopefully, this is a wake-up call," said Anne-Marie Bonneau, who two decades ago left her home in Ontario, Canada, for the Bay Area but misses the clean air and less-fractious political environment beyond the northern border. "What is it going to take for this country to do something about the climate crisis? Millions of people are affected by this." She sees what is happening in California as just the beginning of what is to come across the continent. "As always, California's sort of on the leading edge," she said. "We're always ahead of everybody." Kim Cobb is among the climate scientists who, for years, have warned that the consequences of a warming planet will grow more intense, more deadly and more costly over time. But even she has been startled by the scenes unfolding across the West as wildfires rage this summer. "It's an entirely different thing to look at this footage and hear the sobbing voices of people who have lost loved ones and property and livelihoods," said Cobb, a professor at Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Science. "It's shocking for us emotionally, as well as for any global citizen who is watching this." She is also adamant that on our current trajectory, the worst lies ahead. "The science couldn't be any clearer on this point. The links between warming temperatures and these wildfires are clear," Cobb said. "This is going to get a lot worse. . . . I know that challenges the imagination." The fire fallout and the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 14,000 people in California, have provided a kind of CT-scan view of the state and its many inequities. Accounting for 61% of cases, Latinos comprise the vast majority of the coronavirus victims, an infection rate disproportionately high given that they make up just 35% of the overall state population. Many are the "essential workers" serving food, picking crops and living lives that are not privileged enough to take refuge in the safety of telecommuting. During the summer, the novel coronavirus and wildfires have revealed much for Californians: who stays safe from fire and disease, who keeps their jobs, who waits at home for a shrinking benefits check, and who has a soft-landing evacuation site or a hard shelter bed. This is the debit side of the California Compromise. It is an economy, the world's fifth largest, that is built by government policy and private enterprise to favor the skilled in Silicon Valley, Hollywood and the wealthy everywhere else. The rest of California is increasingly a service economy that pays a far larger share of its income in taxes and on housing and food. Median income in the state is $75,277. The median home price in San Francisco is $1.3 million, nearly twice that of Los Angeles. The state government is doing next to nothing to close the gap. Three years ago, state lawmakers approved the nation's second-highest gasoline tax, adding more than 47 cents to the price of a gallon. With home prices skyrocketing along the coast, service workers in particular are moving farther inland from their jobs and into fire country, meaning they are paying far more as a share of their income on fuel just to stay employed. The taxes raise more than $5 billion in annual revenue for roads and transportation projects. But the sometimes hours-long commutes, with affordable housing so far from job centers, also undermine the state's goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2045, an achievement that could alleviate some of the extreme weather. A poll conducted late last year by the University of California at Berkeley found that more than half of California voters had given "serious" or "some" consideration to leaving the state because of the high cost of housing, heavy taxation or its political culture. The draw for some, and the magnet that keeps many here, is the state's breathtaking physical beauty, family history and a liberal political culture appealing to supporters, many of whom in the north are inheritors of a counterculture ethos. Through legislation or direct action at the ballot box, California voters established the country's first "sanctuary state" for undocumented immigrants, built from the ground a vibrant justice-reform movement, and committed to some of the boldest environmental protection goals in the country. In addition, a measure to restore affirmative action to college admission decisions, banned since 1996, is on the November ballot. The legislature just created a committee to study the cost of reparations to racial and ethnic groups the state has historically mistreated. Marijuana is legal. So are hallucinogenic mushrooms in Oakland. The political gulf once ran between north and south in California, a Bay Area vs. Los Angeles standoff for power and resources. Now the delineation is east and west, including between liberal San Francisco and towns such as Oroville, now threatened by fire. Sarah and Joey Wilson, a therapist and the owner of a gold mining supply shop, respectively, live 15 minutes from Oroville in Kelly Ridge and are experienced evacuees. But what most bothers them, beyond the frequent fires, is encroachment by the government on their outdoor lifestyles. Lakes that Joey used to fish are now off-limits. State-erected gates now block public roads he used to drive to access recreational land. And regulations have limited some kinds of gold prospecting, the hobby that supports his business. "That's actually probably made us want to move more than something like this," Sarah Wilson, 45, said of the close-by wildfire flames. The loyalty to liberal politics serves as an anchor for many of the state's urban - and most-entrenched - residents. But it has only light, if any, appeal to newcomers or those here specifically for work. Peter Alvaro has lived in his rent-controlled apartment in the heart of San Francisco since 1999, when he moved from New Jersey for a taste of the city's famed counterculture. He knows the fires will only get worse, as they have steadily in the past three years. But Alvaro feels his identity is tied up in the city and in the surrounding nature. He loves raising his two daughters here, going to the beach three times a week and watching the city constantly change around him. Many of the people leaving San Francisco are tech workers, newly freed from the city they helped make so expensive by the ability to work remotely during the coronavirus outbreak. "The tech workers weren't necessarily attached to the city, they came here because there was opportunity," said Alvaro, a professor of computer science at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "I hope the city can regrow some of the unique character that was lost in the last boom. The fact that young, wealthy adults are fleeing is good for the culture." Just after the first fires started last month, Gary Cook and his wife packed their three rescue cats into a rented SUV and drove from Napa to their new home in Idaho. After 18 years in Wine Country, Cook and his wife felt California was not right for them anymore. It was not the fires, which Cook said were not an issue for him, but the area's cost of living, high taxes, power outages and political climate. Cook, who recently retired, felt that as a conservative, he no longer had a voice politically in California. "There were significant changes going on that changed our outlook on the whole California dream," Cook said. He said he will miss Napa's famed restaurant scene. Idaho is laid back, and the people are more aligned with his views, but it is more of a steak-and-potatoes kind of place, he says. Business is booming for Scott Fuller, who runs a real estate relocation business. Called Leaving the Bay Area and Leaving SoCal, the company helps people ready to move away from the state's two largest metro areas sell their homes and find others. Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Idaho are the top four states his clients are buying in, and many tech workers are trying out smaller industry hubs such as Denver, Austin, Phoenix and Seattle. Since the pandemic began, he also has been helping people move to less-populated areas within the state such as Placerville or Lake Tahoe. But that trend could reverse quickly because of the record wildfire season, which has been burning around those regions. "For a lot of people, [California's] losing its luster," Fuller said. "For the average person who maybe came out here for the weather, I think they're saying the trade off is just not worth it any longer." It has been hard to locate a place on the map, outside the city centers, where a fire has not cropped up in the past month. Some are burning deep in wilderness, a possible long-term benefit for the health of the forests struggling now for the same scant water supply, and others along costal stretches that have never seen fire in modern history. Others are haunting the dry foothills where fire - and death - have been commonplace in recent years. Just a few miles north of Oroville lies the Sierra foothill town of Paradise, having burned to the ground in just hours on Nov. 8, 2018, in a wind-whipped tragedy of historically deadly proportions. Eighty-five people died, many simply overwhelmed by the sprinting flames as they tried to flee in cars and on foot. The Bear Fire is at Paradise's door again, with much less there to burn as the city slowly rebuilds. Now a thick layer of black and white ash covers the streets, sidewalks and shops of Oroville, a city of 15,000 people that swelled by 25 percent virtually overnight with evacuees from the fire in Paradise, also known as the Camp Fire. The fire followed a near-disaster by a year when the Oroville Dam spillways almost failed with the flooding of the Feather River, threatening to inundate the city. It is difficult today to find an Oroville resident who did not know someone who perished or lost a home in the Camp Fire. Now, amid a pandemic, the fast-moving Bear Fire is forcing new evacuations as it burns northeast of town. The fire already has wiped out the small town of Berry Creek, which sits just north of Lake Oroville. Just outside of Oroville, police cars block entry to the roads that lead to the lake, which this time of year would normally be abuzz with Jet Skis and motorboats. But few residents of Oroville, a conservative, roll-with-the-punches kind of frontier place, are discouraged enough to leave California. More than natural disasters, many residents say it is the liberal overreach of the Democrat-dominated government of their state that has them frustrated. In 2016, Trump won Butte County in a state where he was trounced almost everywhere else. "California is always going to be California," said Judy McClure, 69, a retired school librarian. Rather than leave, she said, she would like to see the government loosen regulations and allow more aggressive forest management to prevent bigger fires. "There's too much government," she said. - - - Albergotti reported from Oroville, Calif.; Dennis reported from Washington; and Wilson reported from Santa Barbara, Calif. A group of six leading French doctors and professors have called for an end to private get-togethers as the Covid-19 epidemic worsens, echoing the government's appeal for more responsible behaviour. But other health specialists say the government lacks a strategy in how to stem the resurgence of the virus. We are entering a new stage in the epidemic: it is spreading, the six health specialists wrote in a tribune published in Sunday's Journal du Dimanche newspaper, warning there was probably little time left to act collectively. Few could dispute their analysis: a record 10,561 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in the last 24 hours; 17 people have died. Forty-two of France's 94 departments are now classified as red zones (50+ cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and there are critical zones around Marseille, Bordeaux and in French overseas territory Guadeloupe. After the joy on getting together in the summer, it is now time to pay attention to private gatherings, they wrote, citing the example of Birmingham in the UK which on Friday introduced a ban on get-togethers between friends and family members. It is perhaps time to blow the final whistle on playtimeand avoid, as far as possible, private gatherings, they continued. Lack of strategy Their explanation is not new: the smaller the room, the closer people are, the less ventilation there is and the greater the risk of transmitting the virus. The French government has also appealed to individuals to behave responsibly to stem the severity of the second wave, repeating the message to respect the face mask, hand-washing, physical distancing mantra. On Friday the French prime minister Jean Castex also provided local authorities with the power to work out local strategies. Prefects in the 42 red zones are allowed to introduce extra measures such as compulsory face mask wearing, limiting numbers at gatherings, and modifying shop, cafe and restaurant opening hours. But there is no obligation to do so, leading to a lot of disparity among the "red" departments. In Paris, Marseille and Lyon, mask wearing is compulsory everywhere. In in other big cities like Nantes, Montpellier or Lille it's only mandatory in some busy streets. While some are considering closing markets once more, others continue to authorise gatherings of up to 5,000. The policy on schools also varies widely too: some schools have closed classes after one child tests positive, others remain open despite several cases. The test, trace, isolate 'fiasco' Individual responsibility is important, but it's not enough, epidemiologist William Dab told JDD, insisting France's strategy is still not clearly defined. Dab is particularly critical of the test, trace and isolate scheme which Health minister Olivier Veran said was reaching around 700,000 people each week. But people are struggling to get tested and we're reassuring anxious people rather than identifying those who are ill. You can't follow the chain of contacts when the results are only available five days after the first symptoms, he regretted. We identified five contacts per case in July, now it's less than two. It's a fiasco. Dab is in favour of saliva tests, which people can easily administer themselves and get immediate results. France is still doing research on the feasibility of widespread saliva testing so, unlike in Hong Kong and the United States, they are not yet approved. Even if they are less sensitive than the PCR [nasal version], we have to use them," said Dab. "Should we be losing even more time evaluating the test when they could be reducing queues at laboratories? Having those tests quickly would be a game-changer." The demonstrations mirror similar recent protests over power cuts and corruption in the capital Tripoli and other western cities in recent weeks. The protests have led to a power struggle within the UN-supported government The government in eastern Libya resigned on Sunday amid street protests that erupted across the divided country over dire living conditions, officials said. Prime Minister Abdallah al-Thani submitted the resignation of his government to Aguila Saleh, speaker of the eastern-based House of Representatives, said the government's spokesman, Ezzel-Deen al-Falih. Abdallah Abaihig, a spokesman for the parliament, confirmed the government's resignation, saying lawmakers would review it in their next meeting. No date set for the session. The parliament on Friday accused the Central Bank and government in the capital of Tripoli of ``plundering'' the country and neglecting the east, in apparent efforts to deflect blame for the deterioration of public services. Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations. Both the parliament and al-Thani's government, based in the east, are allied with Khalifa Hafter, commander of the Libyan National Army, which controls Libya's east and south. Hundreds of young Libyans flooded the streets of Benghazi and other eastern cities in the past couple of days in a spontaneous outburst of anger over the area's crippling electricity shortages. Protesters in eastern Libya set piles of tires a blaze and blocked traffic in several major roads. On Saturday, protesters attempted to storm a security headquarters in eastern town of Marj. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya, or UNSMIL, said at least one civilian was reportedly killed and three others were wounded. It called for ``a thorough and immediate'' investigation into ``the reported excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrations'' and the speedy release of a number of detained protesters. The demonstrations mirror similar recent protests over power cuts and corruption in the capital Tripoli and other western cities in recent weeks. The protests have led to a power struggle within the U.N.-supported government. The recent protests across Libya were ``motivated by deep-seated frustrations about sustained poor living conditions, shortages of electricity and water, rampant corruption, misgovernance, and a lack of service provision throughout the country,'' the UNSMIL said. The U.N. mission said the protests underscore ``the urgent need to lift the oil blockade'' and the return to a ``full and inclusive'' political process to end Libya's yearslong conflict. Hafter's forces launched an offensive in April 2019 trying to capture Tripoli. But his campaign collapsed in June when the Tripoli-allied militias, with heavy Turkish support, gained the upper hand, driving his forces from the outskirts of the city and other western towns. Fighting has died down in recent weeks amid intensive international efforts, including from the United States, to establish a lasting cease-fire and avert a battle over the strategic city of Sirte, the gateway for vital oil facilities. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Heartiest of congratulations go to Microsoft Corp. Six weeks after announcing to the world it was in talks to buy TikTok, the American software giant comes out to tell us it didnt get the gig. Instead, Oracle Corp. looks set to buy the international version of the short-video service from Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., though deal terms are still to be finalized. In missing out, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella dodges a bullet. Now, its aimed straight at Oracle and Chairman Larry Ellison, a cheerleader for American technology and supporter of President Donald Trump who fired one of the guns in this bizarre scenario. What Nadellas team started out offering around $25 billion for ended up being a whole lot less than they thought, and will go down in history as one of the most calamitous examples of government interference in corporate history. Lets recap: TikTok went viral around the world as an app popular with lip-syncing kids, but the U.S. government claims its a national security threat because the company collects reams of data on American citizens. Recognizing those concerns, Microsoft announced in early August it was in talks to buy TikTok, and would let us know the result by Sept. 15 (it subsequently brought Walmart Inc. into the deal). Days later, Trump issued an executive order banning any American entity from doing business with ByteDance. That effectively forced the sale of TikTok, with a deadline this week.Beijing eventually called Trumps bluff and decided that any sale of Chinese artificial intelligence technology needs to get prior approval. That threw a spanner in the works, because while data is what Washington fears, its the technology and algorithms that are truly of value. TikTok had developed its share. Beijing is reported to prefer that the service be shut down entirely than have it carved up in a forced sale. While Microsofts initial interest is a head-scratcher its been moving away from consumer technology for the past decade the reality of this involuntary divestiture has become clear. TikTok and ByteDance are caught between two governments that maybe arent so different after all. That the pawn in this tech Cold War doesnt make weapons or semiconductors but purveys short videos for adolescents makes the situation even more absurd. Story continues Just weeks ago, there was reportedly a lineup of big names keen to get their hands on this hip new app, which makes Instagram look middle-aged. Oracle figured it should have a shot, perhaps reasoning that the technology and algorithms that TikTok developed are of greater value beyond a library of teenage make-up tutorials. But now a deal may go ahead, to a company with no business in consumer technology and most likely without the underlying technologies that helped make TikTok such a phenomenon. Despite Ellisons backing for Trump, theres no guarantee the separation of TikTok from ByteDance will be clean enough to pass White House muster. There's also great uncertainty whether Beijing will let the deal proceed at all. Welcome to the new era of tech Cold War deal-making: absurd, calamitous and only just beginning. The companies that win in this new world order of cross-border acquisitions will be the those most willing to walk away when things fall apart. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Tim Culpan is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Bloomberg News. 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. Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, September 14)- A church in Tacloban City now has an option for people to attend Mass while in the comfort of their own vehicles amid the pandemic. The St. Josemaria Escriva Station in Apitong District has scheduled a Park and Attend the Mass every 6 p.m. on Sundays aside from its regular Masses where people can sit inside the church. The drive-in Mass is just an additional schedule of St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station to accommodate those who cannot attend the Mass inside the church due to immune compromise or those who are not qualified for QR coding, said parish priest Fr. Kim Margallo. The church is also offering online service for those who cannot go outside their homes. Margallo also shared that he was already thinking about conducting a drive-in Mass before. Now is the right time since people are afraid to go to Mass for the fear of close contact yet they are hungry for the Eucharist, he said. Tacloban City is placed under general community quarantine, in which only 10-percent capacity is allowed for religious gatherings. Parishes in the city have already opened their churches for physical attendance of churchgoers, but under strict compliance to minimum health protocols set by the Department of Health. Tacloban City stringer Wilmark Ali contributed to this report Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 11:43:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris said Sunday that he was concerned about the growing number of the COVID-19 infections in the past week in four southern regions. The regions of Araucania, Aysen, Los Rios and Maule, all south of the capital city Santiago, have registered an increase in cases in the last seven days, he said. "We are not going to deny the reality. We are very concerned," said Paris. Paula Daza, deputy health minister, added that officials were closely monitoring the situation in southern towns, such as Coyhaique in Aysen. The regional health secretariat "has actively searched for close contacts and we are following up on each case," said Daza. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said Sunday that the likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19 dropped from 17 percent to 6 percent in the last 90 days nationwide, including Santiago. In the past 24 hours, tests detected 2,082 new infections, taking the total caseload to 434,748, while 54 more deaths pushed the death toll to 11,949. Enditem Mumbai, Sep 14 : Three days after crossing the one-million-mark, Maharashtras Covid-19 cases and fatalities shot past Russia - which stands fourth on the Worldometer dashboard after USA, India and Brazil, health officials said here on Monday. With 17,066 new cases - considerably lower than the peak of 24,886 (September 11), the state's total zoomed from 10,60,308 to 10,77,374 cases now. Adding 363 more fatalities, including 106 old deaths that have been reconciled on Monday - much lower than the peak of 495 (September 10) - the death toll increased from 29,531 to 29,894 now. Maharashtra's case tally (10,77,374) is now higher than Russia's 10,68,320 cases on Monday, ranking fourth on the Worldometer dashboard after USA, India and Brazil, but the state's death toll (29,894), is much higher than Russia's 18,635 fatalities till date. Simultaneously, Mumbai circle deaths crossed 14,000 and the total cases shot past 4 lakh. There was one death roughly every 3.96 minutes and a whopping 711 new cases added every hour to the state tally. The state recovery rate increased after four days of decline - from 69.08 per cent to 70.16 per cent, while the current mortality (death) rate stood at 2.77 per cent on Monday. Against this, a record high of 15,789 fully recovered patients returned home, taking the total number of discharged patients from 740,061 to 7,55,850 till date - much higher than the 291,256 active cases currently in the state. Restricted in the sub-50 range for the past 34 days, with 31 fatalities, Mumbai's death toll increased from 8,150 to 8.181 and the number of corona cases shot up by 2,269 to jump from 169,741 to 172,010 now. Of the total 8 circles, the Mumbai circle (MMR - comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad) remains on the brink as deaths spiral and cases pile up, with the fatalities shooting up by 73 - from 13,951 a day earlier to 14,130 and with another spike of 5,280 new infectees, the total cases shot up from 398,938 the previous day to 404,218 now. Pune district Covid cases touched 235,419 till date with the fatalities increasing from 4,813 a day earlier to 4,838 now. Thane district is at the third spot and witnessed 158,908 cases and the death toll increased from 4,162 the previous day to 4,301 now. With another 44 fatalities, the Pune circle's (comprising Pune, Solapur and Satara districts) death toll increased from 6,364 to 6,408 and the case tally zoomed up by 3,639 - from 284,350 a day earlier to 287,989 now. Nashik circle recorded 2,923 fatalities and 138,742 cases, followed by Kolhapur circle's 1,962 deaths and 67,735 cases, and Nagpur circle recorded 1,523 deaths and 67,538 cases. Aurangabad circle had 1,108 fatalities and 42,192 cases, Latur circle recorded 1,096 fatalities and 40,320 cases, followed by Akola division with 642 deaths and 27,537 cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased significantly, jumping from 16,83,770 to 17,12,160 now - while the number of those in institutional quarantine went down from 37,294 to 37,198 on Monday. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Education Minister asks everyone whether they have children or not to help keep schools open This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 14th, 2020 If we want to keep schools open, weve all got a role to play, is the message to members of the public from Wales Education Minister. Last week saw primary and secondary school students across Wales return to full-time education for the first time since since the start of the pandemic. Colleges and universities have also started to return to normal activity. Speaking to Wrexham.com, Education Minister Kirsty Williams broadened out her appeal for cooperation during the pandemic away from just parents, but society in general, saying: If we want to keep schools open weve all got a role to play by following the rules, whether we have children or not. Asked whether shes confident that people will continue to comply with the guidelines to help prevent a return to the situation in March and April, the Minister said: People have been very anxious to see schools re-open because parents understand how important it is for their children to be back learning with their teachers. We all have to do the right thing and it is by doing the right thing that we will keep ourselves safe, we will keep our relatives and our loved ones safe and we will create communities that are safe and schools and colleges that are open. I would just appeal to people, if you want just children to be back in school, lots of lots and lots of parents have been really looking forward to this day when schools are open, then weve all got a part to play. I would particularly say for instance to parents dropping their children off at school, watch out, and dont fall foul of inadvertently breaking social distancing rules at the school gate at the beginning of the day. Its great to see everybody again isnt it, being back out there and seeing everybody. By all means have a chat but do it two meters apart, because it can be so easy sometimes to to forget or to be carried away in the moment and youre not quite as alert as you need to be. Thats potentially a real challenge. So if youre at the school gate please remember to keep your distance from other parents and carers. Although the return to school in Wales has broadly been a success, the Minister acknowledged that there have been a number of incidents where staff and students have tested positive for coronavirus. In Wrexham the opening of St Christophers School was pushed back 48 hours after a member of staff tested positive and Coleg Cambria confirmed that there had been a number of positive tests amongst students. None of the cases locally have been linked to any outbreak at the schools or colleges themselves. Weve had obviously some issues in some schools and thats very much reflective of whats going on with the virus in the community, explained Ms Williams. I think its really important to recognise that the cases that we have seen in school are cases where the virus has been contracted in the community. The cases that were seeing associated with school its not an issue of transfer within the school. People have unfortunately caught the virus whilst theyve been out and about living their lives. It is now as we return to school perhaps where we know people are being very, very mindful to watch out for symptoms and were seeing some of that. Weve managed to get the vast majority of children back to school safely and securely and thats a testament to very much the hard work that has been put into place by individual head teachers and their colleagues and individual schools. The Minister also noted that it was important that institutions are as transparent as they possibly can be with parents, their students, and the wider community where there have been positive cases in the school. Last week saw Wales impose its first local lockdown in Caerphilly as cases in Wales particularly in the south started to rise. Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taff are also being monitored after an increase in positive coronavirus cases. New restrictions on mask wearing in shops and a limit on the number of people who can meet indoors are also coming into force across Wales from today in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus further. Asked how schools and colleges could remain open if there is a second wave, Ms Williams said it remained a priority to not see closures on the same scale as earlier this year. She said: In the first local lockdown that weve had to experience in Wales, despite restrictions being placed in other aspects of peoples lives, so were all working really hard to make sure that schools and colleges remain open because we know that further disruption to childrens education will harm them in the short term and the long term. Keeping education open is a priority for this government. Its a priority for me as the minister and shared priority with the health minister and the first minister. Weve had to take some very difficult decisions about not unlocking other parts of lockdown just so that we can ensure that weve got that headroom to get our schools open. In the future it may mean some tough decisions. But we are determined to take all steps necessary to limit the disruption on our childrens education. Weve already seen that theyve already had so much of their education disrupted in this calendar year and we want to minimise that as much as possible. For people looking for the official guidance, along with Q&As around education and coronavirus the dedicated Welsh Government website can be found on gov.wales/education-coronavirus Is it possible for any of the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd to receive a fair trial? In Minneapolis? If not in Minneapolis, anywhere else in Minnesota? Is it possible that a Hennepin County jury wont have the external effects of not guilty verdicts in mind when they retire to deliberate? Ive had those questions in mind since expedited criminal charges were filed following the rioting that convulsed the Twin Cities. Public officials including Governor Walz have repeatedly declared the officers guilty of murder. We are deep into a verdict first, trial later mode. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is not the man for the prosecutors job, but he is the man whom Governor Walz has assigned to undertake it. Ellison made his name around town leading crowds chanting support for the (subsequently convicted) defendants charged in 1992 with the cold-blooded murder of Officer Jerry Haaf. Having teamed up with former Vice Lords gangbanger Sharif Willis, himself a suspect in Haafs murder the murder had been planned at Williss house Ellison led crowds in a chant of We dont get no justice, you dont get no peace. In the context of Haafs murder, it was a credible threat. I wrote about Ellisons unlikely background for the job of attorney general in the Weekly Standard column Can Keith Ellison turn lawman? Ellison himself has no experience as a prosecutor. He has retained former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal, now a partner at Hogan Lovell and a regular commentator on MSNBC, as well as Medtronic litigation and investigation counsel Lola Velazquez-Aguilu, Blackwell Burke founding partner Jerry Blackwell and Maslon partner Steven Schleicher to serve as special assistant attorneys general on the case. Ellisons press release announcing their appointment is posted here. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank is the lead lawyer from Ellisons office prosecuting the cases. The four cases have been assigned to Hennepin County District Judge Pete Cahill for trial. On Friday morning Judge Cahill held a hearing on pending motions that went on for some three-and-a-half hours. The court has set up pages on each of the cases that provide access to the parties filings. The Chauvin case, for example, has its own page here with links to the three other cases. Defendants have filed change of venue motions. Tou Thao has filed a memorandum of law in support of his change of venue motion. It is posted online here. After setting forth the governing law, the memo urges the court to adopt a new standard for change of venue. It suggests to me that the governing law doesnt strongly favor the motion. In court on Friday Thaos attorney cited his concern that Minneapolis residents fear the impact their verdict would have considering the recent lawlessness. Judge Cahill reportedly responded that the problem of pretrial publicity is inescapable. The problem, however, isnt just pretrial publicity. If I lived in Moorhead I wouldnt worry about the streets of Moorhead being burned after a trial, Thaos attorney argued. I would. I would worry about Moorhead, or Rochester, or Duluth, or St. Cloud, or Rochester. Wherever in the state the trial or trials are held, the mob will follow. One is left I am left with the thought that the judicial system is ill equipped to deal with cases holding the venue hostage to the jurys verdict. Chao Xiong reported on the motion hearing for the Star Tribune in Judge disqualifies some prosecutors for sloppy work in George Floyd case. Jon Collins and Brandt Williams reported on the hearing for MPR in George Floyd killing: Judge disqualifies Freeman from cops trial. The headlines refer to Judge Cahills disqualification of prosecutors including Assistant Hennepin County Attorneys Amy Sweasy and Patrick Lofton from the case. As I understand it, they had already withdrawn from the case this past June. Sweasy and Lofton successfully prosecuted the case against former Officer Mohamed Noor last year. Sweasy is in incredibly talented prosecutor. Whether or not Cahill reverses himself on his disqualification order, Sweasy wont be prosecuting the case. My guess (and thats all it is) is that she doesnt want to play second fiddle to Ellison. The charges against the officers proceed in an atmosphere of mob justice. Perhaps Ellison is the man for the job after all. We are one step removed from The Ox-Bow Incident. TMZ covered this aspect of the case here on Friday. The video in the tweet below provides a glimpse of the gauntlet defendants and their attorneys are walking. Nigerias Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday announced that it would begin to regulate digital currencies and crypto-based companies. A statement by SEC said the general objective of regulation is not to hinder technology or stifle innovation but to create standards that encourage ethical practices that ultimately make for a fair and efficient market. The Nigerian government had in the past described digital currencies as illegal and warned its citizens against it. The crypto-coin investment environment in Nigeria has, thus, been devoid of extant regulation, despite a surge in peoples interest in the digital offerings. According to the 2020 Global Crypto Adoption Index compiled by blockchain data analytics firm, Chainalysis, Nigeria ranked highly among other countries where cryptocurrency adoption was quite significant. Nigeria was ranked alongside Ukraine, Russia, China, South Africa, Kenya, and the U.S. all countries listed among the top-ranking countries by cryptocurrency adoption. The capital market and investment regulator on Monday said digital assets provide alternative investment opportunities for the investing public and it therefore becomes essential to ensure that they operate in a manner that is consistent with investor protection, the interest of the public, market integrity and transparency. Section 13 of the Investment and Securities Act, 2007 conferred powers on SEC as the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market to regulate investments and securities business in Nigeria, it said. In line with these powers, SEC said on Monday that it has adopted a three-pronged objective to regulate innovation, hinged on safety, market deepening and providing solution to problems. This will guide its strategy, its regulations and its interaction with innovators seeking legitimacy and relevance, the statement said. Consequently, the SEC will regulate crypto-token or crypto-coin investments when the character of the investments qualifies as securities transactions. What to Regulate SEC said that its position remains that virtual crypto assets are securities, unless proven otherwise. Hence, it said, the burden of proving that the crypto assets proposed to be offered are not securities and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the SEC, is placed on the issuer or sponsor of the said assets. Issuers or sponsors are expected to satisfy the burden of proving that the virtual assets do not constitute securities by making an initial assessment filing, SEC said. However, where the finding of the Commission is that the virtual assets are indeed securities (not structured to be exclusively offered through crowdfunding portals or other exempt methods), then the issuer or sponsor must register the digital assets. The registration process for virtual assets will therefore involve a two-prong approach an initial assessment filing to satisfy the burden of proof and a filing for registration proper, either made directly by the issuer or sponsor or where the burden of proof is not satisfied. Similarly, SEC said all Digital Assets Token Offering (DATOs), Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), Security Token ICOs and other Blockchain-based offers of digital assets within Nigeria or by Nigerian issuers or sponsors or foreign issuers targeting Nigerian investors, shall be subject to the regulation of the Commission. Existing digital assets offerings prior to the implementation of the Regulatory Guidelines will have three (3) months to either submit the initial assessment filing or documents for registration proper, as the case may be, it said. The commission said those to be regulated include any person, (individual or corporate) whose activities involve any aspect of Blockchain-related and virtual digital asset services, must be registered by the Commission and as such, will be subject to the regulatory guidelines. Such services include, but are not limited to, reception, transmission and execution of orders on behalf of other persons, dealers on own account, portfolio management, investment advice, custodian or nominee services. Others are issuers or sponsors (start-ups or existing corporations) of virtual digital assets who shall be guided by the commissions regulation. The commission said it may require foreign or non-residential issuers or sponsors to establish a branch office within Nigeria but foreign issuers or sponsors will be recognised by the commission where a reciprocal agreement exists between Nigeria and the country of the foreign issuer or sponsor. A recognition status will also be accorded, where the country of the foreign issuer or sponsor is a member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), it said. The commission added that Crypto Asset means a digital representation of value that can be digitally traded and functions as (1) a medium of exchange; and/or (2) a unit of account; and/or (3)a store of value, but does not have legal tender status in any jurisdiction. A Crypto Asset is neither issued nor guaranteed by any jurisdiction, and fulfils the above functions only by agreement within the community of users of the Crypto Asset; and Distinguished from Fiat Currency and E-money. Haiti - USA : The future of the textile assembly industry in Haiti in danger Last week, the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington, Herve Denis explained by videoconference, before the Sub-Committee on Trade of the Ways and Means Committee of the American House of Representatives, the importance of the extension of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) entered into force on October 5, 2000 which will expire on September 30, 2020 and urged Congress to renew the CBTPA before its expiry. This legislation provides economic benefits for the United States and for Haiti. The CBTPA provides duty free for textile and apparel assemblies made from US yarns and fabrics, allowing eligible countries to compete with China and other Asian apparel suppliers. This provision, among other benefits, supports the production of thread in the United States and encourages investment in this sector. The assembly industry in Haiti is the industrial foundation of the country's economy and its existence depends on the preferences granted under the CBTPA and additional HOPE/HELP programs. According to the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), this industry, which provides approximately 60,000 direct jobs in Haiti, began to suffer from the delay recorded in the renewal of the CBTPA from the beginning of the current year, preceding the pandemic of Covid-19. Buyers and investors reluctant to make new commitments as the future of the program remains uncertain. Additionally, it should be noted that the demand for clothing has also declined and potential buyers who are still able to place orders are unwilling to commit until Congress renews the CBTPA before its expiration date. The future of the assembly industry in Haiti, and therefore the jobs and economic stability of many Haitian families, will remain in danger until legislation is renewed. HL/ HaitiLibre Some areas in the West Coast were issued a "red flag warning" by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), as high winds threaten to spread scorching wildfires further. BBC reported that gusts up to 40 mph (64 km/h) are expected in some parts of the West Coast, with no rain. Washington, California and Oregon has been seeing three weeks of raging wildfires, burning land and destroying homes. Thousands of people in the West Coast had to evacuate and at least 35 have died, according to Associated Press. On Saturday, cooler conditions let firefighters make some progress with containing the fires, but the winds might make matters worse. Red Flag Warning Raised The forecast for Sunday prompted a warning of 15 to 25 mph winds and gusts of 30 to 40 mph. "Air quality will likely remain poor through the weekend due to continued fire smoke," the forecast said. A red flag warning is the highest alert level for events that could possibly cause major fires. These kinds of warnings demand extreme caution by residents. Warnings were raised in some areas like Jackson County, Oregon, and others. Oregon was where the Almeda fire started. It destroyed many homes and only 50 percent contained. Officials said the fires have, so far, burned down an area that is as big as New Jersey. Reports also said the smoke made the air in the West Coast have and "acrid metallic smell like pennies." Oregon suffered from smoke pollution from the wildfires. According to IQAir.com, it had the worst air quality in the world, followed by San Francisco and Seattle. While it made people have a hard time breathing, it also helped firefighters block off the sun and turn the weather a little cooler in the area. What is happening in Oregon? Oregon is currently battling 16 large fires, with 40,000 of its residents under mandatory evacuation orders. There were 10 people killed in the blazes, said Oregon's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), but officials warned the public that the death toll could still go up much higher. The state is now hoping for a chance of rain by Monday, which might help solve their smoke problems and extinguish the fires. Oregon's Alameda fire is being treated as a possible arson case. What is happening in Washington? In Washington, firefighters are fighting off 15 large fires. It suffered the loss of one young life after a one-year-old boy died earlier this week as his family tried to escape the fire. His parents are still in critical condition. What is happening in California? President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in California on Monday. There, he will be briefed on the fires. According to Orange County Register, more than 14,000 fire crews are fighting at least 28 wildfires. The death toll is at least 22 in total from fires since August 15. Tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders due to the major fires in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five counties on September 6. Check these out! Newsom Declares State of Emergency in Five California Counties California National Forests to Close Due to Extreme Fire Threat Favorable Weather Boosts Battle Against California Wildfires In a tweet on Monday she said "We are having an open discussion on my show on RTE 2fm tomorrow about face masks. "Do you have strong opinions on wearing them or not wearing them ? Id love to hear from you." When someone responded to Zamparelli's tweet asking 'why?' she responded by saying 'why not?' A number of others responded to her tweet questioning the need for a discussion around face masks because of the current guidance from the Government around wearing them. She recently tweeted clarifying the discussion saying "Wow so much abuse so few characters... "Firstly considering the protests on the weekend we want to look at the psychology behind someone who does not wear a mask despite the overwhelming medical advice. Wearing a mask is not a debate. No one said that. Advertisement "We know what is right and we know we should wear a mask. But there are still those who feel it is a discussion that should be had, why is that? According to the Government's current guidelines, face masks must be worn in a number of indoor locations. These included places like the shops, pharmacies, libraries, cinemas, musuems, theatres, concert halls and hair saloons. They are also mandatory on public transport as well. During the weekend an estimated 2,000 people took part in anti-mask demonstrations in Dublin, organised by a group called Yellow Vest Ireland. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Ashok Leyland has launched Bada Dost, a single cab, light truck developed on a completely new platform to take on the segment leader Mahindra Bolero pick-up. With a starting price of Rs 7.75 lakh (i3 LS), the Bada Dost is positioned at a segment above the regular Dost light truck, which was developed by the joint venture between Ashok Leyland and Nissan. Three other variants are priced at Rs 7.95 lakh (i3 LX), Rs 7.79 lakh (i4 LS) and Rs 7.99 lakh (i4 LX). The new vehicle will address a near-white space in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment dominated by Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). Meet Bada Dost The Bada Dost will be offered in two variants 2.49 and 3.49 tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) -- powered by an 80hp BS-VI diesel engine. The regular Dost has a GVW of 2.5 and 2.8 tonnes. It will be the first Ashok Leyland product addressing the LCV segment developed on its own platform. The Chennai-based CV maker invested Rs 350 crore into the product and began work on it in 2017. The Bada Dost will be sold through 570 touch points of the company. The light truck has three seats instead of the usual two certified by the Automotive Research Association of India. Ashok Leyland claims that the Bada Dost has several car-like features, which are a first for the segment driving up the USP quotient. Dashboard-mounted gear lever, provision for music system, USB provision for mobile charging, digital instrument cluster, dual tone dashboard, doors equipped with bottle holders, dual glove box, reverse parking assist and LED tail lamps, to name a few. Market share in LCV segment to rise Speaking to Moneycontrol, Nitin Seth, Chief Operating Officer, Ashok Leyland, said: In the LCV segment, we enjoy only 34 percent of the market. Obviously, your market share cannot go beyond 18 percent if you have a limited product portfolio. With the launch of the Bada Dost, our addressable market goes up to 65 percent in 2-3 years. As per Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) data, the market size for light trucks in the 2-3.5 tonne segment is the biggest in the entire LCV segment, generating volumes of 2.32 lakh units as at the end of FY20. M&Ms Bolero range controls 65 percent of the 2-3.5 tonne segment, where the Bada Dost is being introduced. Though the segment contracted by 17 percent, it was lesser than the total LCV sales fall of 21 percent and the total CV segment sales decline of 29 percent in FY20. Ashok Leyland, with the Dost, dislodged Tata Motors in FY21 in the same segment, with a share of 18 percent. At 15 percent, Tata Motors market share slipped the most despite products like the Super Ace and Yodha. As per Ashok Leylands predictions, the sub 7.5-tonne (goods + passenger) segment is expected to increase to 6.55 lakh units a year by FY25 after closing the current year (FY21) at 3.91 lakh. Global aspirations Ashok Leyland has designed the Bada Dost to accommodate the left- hand drive (LHD) option, allowing it to address markets outside India, too. About 80 percent of the world market is left-hand driven. The Bada Dost will be exported to markets like Africa, SAARC, Gulf countries and ASEAN. For the next two years, every three months, you will see something coming out from this platform. We can do a variety of applications on this platform such as cargo vans and ambulances. In three months, we will have a left-hand drive. We are attempting various emission norms with this vehicle, such as BS-III, BS-IV, BS-VI, CNG for Delhi and also an EV (electric vehicle), added Seth. As of FY20, less than 4 percent of Ashok Leylands production was exported at 1,570 units from the LCV segment. Though Seth did not provide details of the companys aspirations, he did not rule out the possibility of the Bada Dost clocking more sales outside of India than within the domestic market. The completely unsafe routine operation of schools threatens the health and lives of millions of educators, parents, children, young people and their families. Teachers and pupils are exposed to a deadly risk in overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated sanitary facilities and crowded public transport on their way to school. All the safety measures that were developed in the last school year in weeks of work by teachers, parents and pupils are being thrown overboard. Even the rules on minimum distances and the use of protective masks do not apply in classrooms. These conditions alone make it clear that the welfare of children and young people is not the authorities concern. The same politicians who are now shedding crocodile tears over the fact that poor pupils are being left behind have been ruining the public education system for decades and are responsible for growing educational inequality and the present social disaster. They have not done the slightest thing to support working class families while schools were closed. Now, this poverty is being used as a warped argument to put the very survival of those affected at risk. The opening up of schools is really about the interests of big business and the large corporations. To enable them to ramp up production, workers children have to be looked after. The employers organisation Bundesverband mittelstandische Wirtschaft (BVMW), for example, declared that a second lockdown must be prevented at all costs. According to the association, the government must not again give priority to excessive infection control over the appropriate protection of the economy and prosperity. To this end, there was no alternative to the opening up of schools, even in the face of a rapid increase in infections. The mass deaths of teachers, parents and even pupils are deemed acceptable to force workers back to work and to secure the profits of the wealthy. The hundreds of billions of euros handed out to the corporations and banks since the beginning of the pandemic are now to be recovered from the populationno matter the costs. At the same time, politicians claim in uncertain conditions that there is no alternative to restarting the economy. Resistance to this madness is growing among teachers, parents and students. All over the world, tens of thousands of those affected are linking up in Facebook groups and, as in the US, organising themselves in independent action committees. Headmasters in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) wrote an open letter against the insecure conditions in reopening schools, while pupils and teachers in Dortmund joined together in an action committee fighting for fixed learning groups and online teaching. We aim to drive this development forward and to unite educators with young people, parents and the entire working class to fight against the dangerous re-opening of schools and against the social interests that are driving this murderous policy. Teachers, students and workers first need the scientific facts to counter the misinformation and lies peddled by politicians and the corporate media. The campaign to reopen schools is based on three fundamental lies. Lie #1: Young people are less susceptible to infection and do not develop serious symptoms from COVID-19 According to the official figures of the Robert Koch Institute, the number of cases among children and adolescents has risen rapidly since the opening of schools. By September 6, 6,756 COVID cases among children and adolescents in care had been reported to the authorities from facilities such as day nurseries, schools and homes alone. Of these, just under 2 percent were admitted to hospital. International figures confirm that one in three children in hospital has to go to intensive care, just as often as adults. Six percent of them need respirators. Lie # 2: Young people rarely transmit COVID-19 Ten leading virologists declared in a joint statement shortly before the opening-up of schools, We warn against the idea that children play no part in the pandemic and transmission and warned of a lack of prevention and control measures. Recent large-scale studies in the US, Italy and South Korea all concluded that children are more likely to transmit COVID-19 than adults. One of the studies from Chicago found that babies and young children who are infected with the virus can carry up to 100 times more viral load in their throat and airways than adults. The spread of the deadly disease in Israel was largely attributed to the reopening of schools. Lie # 3: Routine classroom teaching can take place without danger Neither masks nor social distancing offers sufficient protection against the transmission of the coronavirus via aerosols in crowded trains and classrooms. The spread of the virus can only be prevented if small and fixed study groups meet in well-ventilated places, separated from each other. Therefore, in their joint paper on the opening of schools, the leading virologists called for further measures, such as reducing class sizes depending on the number of new infections, exhausting the space available and finding pragmatic solutions for improved air circulation in public buildings such as schools. But nothing of the sort happened. The summer holidays were not used to install good ventilation systems, nor were new premises acquired or measures developed for permanent learning groups. In NRW, scientific studies have categorized half of all classrooms as hygienically unacceptable, according to current workplace guidelines. Under these conditions, schools inevitably turn into breeding grounds for the pandemic. But governments of all stripes do not care about the thousands of deaths that this policy will cause. They are only interested in the banks and corporations that walk over dead bodies for their profits. It is therefore up to workers to take immediate action. The crucial task is to build a cohesive network of independent Action Committees for Safety to prepare for the immense struggles that lie ahead. These action committees must fight to unite all workersteachers, school bus drivers, caretakers and workers in manufacturing, health care, logistics, retail and food processingin a nationwide general strike to stop the regular operation of schools and save lives. To lead this struggle, we raise the following demands and call on all workers to campaign for them: * Stop the dangerous routine operation in schools! During the pandemic, teaching should only take place online or in small, fixed study groups that are physically separated and safely housed. This is especially true in the daycare centres, where other hygiene approaches are hardly practicable. * Billions for more teachers, new class rooms and online teaching! To guarantee safe supervision and teaching, additional premises must be rented or requisitioned, and many more teachers must be employed. There are enough trainee teachers, students and other professionals who would be willing to lead small groups under the guidance of experienced educators if they were paid properly. In addition, all teachers and students must be provided with good computers and high-speed Internet access to ensure quality online teaching. Families need comprehensive financial and social support during the pandemic. * Full pay for all parents and carers who stay at home with their children! Instead of throwing hundreds of billions down the throats of the banks and corporations, those who look after and educate their children at home must be supported. Tenant protection against eviction must be extended, and poor families, in particular, must receive additional support. * For complete protection of risk groups! No disadvantages for children, pupils and educators who stay at home! Teachers and educators who refuse to work in insecure conditions must receive full income and benefits for the duration of the pandemic and must not be put under pressure. Children and young people with risk factors, or with family members at risk, must also be given the right to online education. * For freedom of speech and free access to all information! All those who speak out against unsafe working conditions and expose abuseswhether in schools, factories, warehouses, hospitals or officesmust be defended against any harassment by employers, state officials and government representatives. All information about cases of infection and COVID-19 disease in schools and daycare centres must be disclosed. The public must be informed of the number of cases, the facilities affected, and the measures taken. Stop the authorities cover-up and game of hide and seek! Full transparency for parents, teachers and pupils! For regular and comprehensive tests of pupils and teachers! Central to the safety of daycare centres, schools and other care facilities is the regular testing of children, young people and staff. Only in this way can immediate quarantine measures be taken and the spread of the virus limited. * Stop all unessential production! Until the pandemic is contained, only key industriessuch as food production, medical care and logisticsshould remain open. Workers in these industries must be equipped with the most advanced protective measures to prevent infection. All others must receive full pay! The fact that the pandemic has taken the form of a global disaster is above all a social and political issue, not just a medical one. The technology and medical expertise are available to contain the virus and ensure the safety of all workers, but under capitalism, everything is subordinated to the profit interests of the banks and corporations. While share prices skyrocketed and the federal government transferred hundreds of billions to benefit the big companies as part of the so-called Coronavirus package, workers are forced back to work by the same companies under completely insecure conditions. At the same time, long-fostered restructuring operations are being carried out in the auto industry, retail trade and the airlines, and hundreds of thousands of workers are being thrown onto the streets. This merciless policy in the interests of the banks and corporations is supported by all parties in the Bundestag (parliament). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), neo-Nazis and coronavirus-deniers demonstrate against protective measures and the federal and state governments put their demands into action. Regardless of whether the Christian Democrats (CDU, CSU), Social Democrats (SPD), Greens or the Left Party head the government, they proceed with breath-taking ruthlessness. The trade unions Verdi and GEW also support the opening up of schools and have often helped organise the insecure conditions. In the current round of collective bargaining, they have not tabled a single demand for coronavirus safeguards in the workplace for public sector workers, but are preparing a real wage cut for educators, carers, caretakers and refuse workers who are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. Therefore, the action committees must be established completely independently of the parties in the Bundestag and the trade unions. They must be oriented towards the whole working class in Germany and internationally and fight for the unification of educators with workers in the automobile industry, health care, logistics, meat processing and all those who are exposed to the same deadly conditions worldwide. These demands must not be based on what the corporations and politicians consider affordable, but on what is necessary for the life and well-being of children, young people, educators and the entire working class. By setting up action committees, we want to mobilise the working class as an independent social force against the insecure reopening of schools and for the defence of public education. All educators, teachers, school staff, parents and students who support this initiative should join our Facebook page and contact us to set up local action committees in their school and neighbourhood. Please also provide us with all relevant information about the situation on the ground so that we can make it available to a worldwide audience. On Monday, September 14, at 7:00 p.m., we will organise a preliminary online meeting to discuss how to proceed. Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Monday deposited the Re 1 fine imposed on him by the Supreme Court, but said this doesnt mean that he is accepting the courts judgement. Bhushan spoke to mediapersons outside the Supreme Court and said that he is going to file a review petition against the top courts judgement today. I am going to the Supreme Court registry to deposit Re 1 fine imposed on me in relation to the contempt of court case. That I am depositing the fine does not mean I am accepting the judgment. I will be filing a review petition against it today, he said. He had filed a fresh petition on Saturday, seeking the right of appeal against the original criminal contempt cases. Bhushan has demanded that his appeal should be heard by a larger and different bench of the Supreme Court. In the plea filed through lawyer Kamini Jaiswal, Bhushan has suggested procedural changes to reduce the chances of arbitrary, vengeful and high-handed decisions in criminal contempt cases saying that in such cases the top court is the aggrieved party, the prosecutor, the witness and the judge and hence they raise fear of inherent bias. This would act as a vital safeguard against wrongful conviction and would truly enable the provision of truth as a defense, Bhushan said in his plea. The Supreme Court recently held Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for his tweets criticising the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India SA Bobde. The court had on August 31 imposed a token fine of Re 1 as a punishment. Bhushan was asked to deposit the amount by with the Supreme Court registry by September 15, failing which he would have to undergo three-month jail term and debarment from law practice for three years. Another contempt case against Bhushan, initiated by the top court in 2009 for his remarks that some past Chief Justices of India were corrupt, is also pending before the apex court. Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hunan have secretly tried three non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, family members and rights groups said. Cheng Yuan, Liu Dazhi, and Wuge Jianxiong were indicted in secret for "subversion of state power" by prosecutors in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, on June 24. They were tried behind closed doors at the Changsha Intermediate People's Court last week. Their families weren't informed of the trial until afterwards, they told RFA. Cheng's wife Shi Minglei said she had only discovered that the trial had already happened when she called the court on Sept. 11 for an update on her husband's case. An official said the trial had taken place, and had been "open to the public," but a second official who attempted a search of court records for the trial said it had returned no results. "They confirmed that the trial was held last week. They didn't tell me the outcome," Shi told RFA. "When we went to the court to ask about the outcome of the trial, they couldn't find the case at all in the system," she said. "How can they call this a public trial?" Shi rejected the charges against her husband and the other two defendants. "None of the work or activities undertaken by the Changsha Three was criminal in nature," Shi said. "They have no evidence or material facts [to back them up]." Shi said government-appointed lawyers wouldn't dwell on the lack of evidence against their clients. "This trial was held secretly so as to cover up the illegal methods [they are using]," she said. The three defendants have been denied meetings with attorneys hired by their families since being detained on July 22, 2019. Fired under duress The lawyers were told in March this year that the defenders had "dismissed" them and that the government had assigned them government-funded lawyers. The families said they believe that the lawyers were fired under duress, and said they have had no contact with the government-appointed lawyers. Rights lawyer Xie Yang said that was highly likely. "They must have used means we don't know about to force the defendants to dismiss the lawyers hired by their families," Xie said. He said the court may also decide to issue the verdict and sentence in secret. Authorities in China have repeatedly put pressure on political prisoners to accept government-appointed lawyers, and to achieve a more lenient sentence by "confessing" to the charges against them. In some cases, they have issued letters "firing" the defense attorneys hired by their families. Changsha Funeng founder Yang Zhanqing, who is now in the U.S., said the Changsha Three were detained as part of a general crackdown on the organization. Yang has said that the main reason the authorities had targeted the three men was the fact that their rights work had received overseas funding, which the ruling Chinese Communist Party regards as "collusion with hostile foreign forces," and a threat to its national security. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:07:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BELGRADE, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro's long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) won 30 out of 81 MP seats in the Aug. 30 parliamentary election, according to the final results published on Monday by the State Electoral Commission. According to the Commission, the opposition coalition "For the Future of Montenegro" won 27 seats, the coalition "Peace is Our Nation" got 10 seats, while the "Black on White" coalition settled at four seats. Although DPS nominally won most votes, the three opposition coalitions -- which signed a coalition agreement last week -- hold a majority of 41 out of 81 seats in the new parliament and are very likely to form a new government, local media reported. According to the coalition agreement signed on Sept. 9 among the three opposition coalitions, the new government they are about to form will "responsibly implement all international obligations undertaken by the state, strengthen and improve cooperation with NATO and ... implement all reforms necessary for Montenegro's full membership in the European Union." After almost three decades, the DPS, led by current President Milo Djukanovic, will not be a part of the new government, local media reported. Enditem Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah 14.09.2020 LISTEN The Korle By Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) has pledged to offer their support to the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah. The Director of the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was on September 4, 2020, appointed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the new CEO of the Hospital. In a press statement from the Senior Staff at the hospital, they have expressed their appreciation to the President for elevating one of their own to the position of high position. We highly and respectfully acknowledge that this appointment of one of our own, is a clear evidence that you have listened to our concerns, a statement from KOSSA dated September 14 and signed by its President Charles Ofei-Palm has said. The association further stresses that they will offer the needed support to Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah to ensure the Hospital attains the height it yearns for. We hereby pledge our unflinching support and look forward to collaborating with our new CEO to take Korle By Teaching Hospital to the heights of quaternary healthcare institution to where it rightly belongs, another portion of the statement reads. Find the full statement below: Press Release September 14, 2020 Drilon calls out DBM-PS for overpriced medical supplies Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon questioned the purchases of the Department of Budget and Management - Procurement Service of various medical supplies, saying they are overpriced compared to those procured by the private sector. "There are a number of procurements done by the DBM-PS and based on our research, the prices were higher compared to the prices in the private sector," Drilon said. "From the three awards that we have studied alone, we could estimate that the total price was jacked up by almost half a billion. We could have saved around P422 million in taxpayers' money if we exercised due diligence," Drilon said. At the hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance on the budget of the Department of Budget and Management and its attached agencies, Drilon cited, for instance, the procurement by the DBM-PS from the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. of 2,000 units of Covid-19 test kits for P688 million or P344,000 per kit. Drilon said the purchase is overpriced by P208 million since the said kit could be bought for P240,000 or for a total of P480 million for 2,000 units. The Senate chief fiscalizer said the price is also bloated in the purchase of macherey nagel/nucleospin RNA virus preps kit from Lifeline Diagnostics Supplies, Inc. The government bought the kits at P108,304 each or a total of P73.1 million for 675 units. Drilon, however, said the private sector could buy it for only P47,199 each. For 675 units, the contract could have just amounted to P31.9 Million as opposed to the procurement price of P73.1 million. The overpricing, per Drilon's computation, is P41,245 million. In a separate statement, Drilon also cited as overpriced the procurement of Universal Transport Medium and the naso pharyngeal swab, which the Department of Health bought from Biosite Medical Instruments for P415,638,000 for a total of 1,611,000 sets, or at P258 per set. Drilon said the purchase could be overpriced by P173 million citing the price of the product in the market at roughly P150 per set. The minority leader asked the budget department to look into the matter closely. Drilon warned that overpricing is a ground to cancel the contracts. The company may also be held liable to refund the excess. It has also been pointed out during the hearing that procuring these kinds of supplies for a Department or Agency is not the usual practice. In a statement, Drilon said that the usual practice is, for common use supplies go through the Procurement Service - these are bond papers, ballpens, tissue. Drilon also called out the DBM-PS for not exercising due diligence in awarding contracts to backlisted companies, citing the case of Ferjan Health Link Enterprises, a sole proprietorship which was awarded a contract worth P727.5 Million. The DBM reasoned that the blacklisted company is in fact a corporation - Ferjan Healthlink Philippines, an entity different from the sole proprietorship. But Drilon said these companies should not be allowed to hide behind the corporate structure to skirt their disqualification. According to the Procurement Service, upon checking, they saw that one of the directors/incorporators is the owner of the sole proprietorship and that the contract has been cancelled based on other grounds such as overpricing and delay in delivery. "While it is good that the contract was cancelled, this begs the question: Why is the proper due diligence not conducted prior to the award of such a huge contract. Despite this being a negotiated/emergency procurement, blacklisted entities should not have been allowed to participate. Considering the lapses in screening Ferjan, it is highly possible that similarly situated suppliers may have also secured contracts with the DBM Procurement Service," Drilon said. BERRIEN COUNTY, MI A 14-year-old Illinois girl has died after she was pulled from Lake Michigan on Sunday, Sept. 13. Her name has not been released. Our thoughts & prayers are with the victims family, friends along with all the first responders involved in this incident, Bridgman police Chief Daniel Unruh wrote on Facebook. Rescuers responded to a 1:12 p.m. report of a possible drowning at Weko Beach in Bridgman. Police were told that two girls were in the water south of the beach area but both were out when rescuers reached the sceen. One of the girls was unresponsive after she was rescued by a bystander. Another person performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on the girl until police reached the scene and took over. She was taken to Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph then airlifted to Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital where she later died. A 15-year-old girl who was swimming with the victim was able to reach shore safely. She also is from Illinois. Multiple police and fire departments responded to the scene. Read more: Body recovered in Lake Michigan in South Haven MLive matching advertising program to continue through 2021 Knife-wielding home invader threatens 81-year-old man near Muskegon, police say The Delhi High Court has rejected an application filed by Gurinder Singh Dhillon, head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), seeking exemption on filing of income tax returns (ITR) and other financial documents. The court, in its order dated September 11, said that the said documents "essential to enable the learned Joint Registrar/Court to determine the merit in the stand of the garnishees who are disputing their liability qua the JDs." The court further stated that it sees "no reason to exempt the applicants from filing copies of their income tax returns, bank statements, and the balance-sheets." Also Read: Daiichi-Ranbaxy case: Delhi Police summons Radha Soami Satsang chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon Dhillon had sought exemption from filing ITRs in the Delhi High Court, citing that it includes "personal information" and that it was not an "appropriate stage" to furnish such documents. The court had earlier asked Dhillon and his family members to file ITRs following his denial of any liability towards RHC Holdings Pvt Ltd., promoted by Malvinder and Shivinder Singh. Dhillon, in an affidavit filed before the court, has stated that being individuals, he and his family do not "maintain balance sheet" thereby filing ITR would cause "severe prejudice" to them. Although Dhillon had earlier acknowledged that he had done financial dealings with the Singh brothers by appending copies of bank statements, he however denied any liability towards RHC Holdings. Following the denial, the court had asked him and his family to file their ITRs, balance sheets, and bank statements. Also Read: Ranbaxy case: Malvinder Singh submits 'proof' of Rs 1,473 cr Dhillon family owes him Dhillon, in an affidavit filed on January 30, sought an exemption from filing ITRs for himself and his family- his wife-Shabnam Dhillon, his sons-Gurkirat, and Gurpreet, and his daughter-in-law, Nayantara Dhillon. In an affidavit filed before the Delhi High court in November last year, Dhillon divulged details about the financial dealings between RHC Holdings and his family dating back to 2006. I am sure by now, everyone is aware of the video at Congressman Bobby Rushs Office. It is unfortunate that we got caught in this situation, but we now have to deal with the consequences and fall out from this incident, said McDermott, who has since been promoted two ranks as one of Browns closest deputies to chief of operations for the entire 13,000-plus department. Remember, it is our job to protect the officers, and sometimes that means making hard decisions that will not be received well. With that being said, we need to support everyone that was involved in this incident and think of it as a learning experience. President Donald Trump told Bob Woodward in an interview for the journalist's new book that he gets along better with strongmen like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan than leaders of countries that the U.S. gets along with. 'I can tell you the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,' Trump is heard telling Woodward in a sound clip that debuted on the 'Today' show Monday. 'The easy ones I don't like as much or don't get along with as much.' Woodward's new book 'Rage,' which comes out Tuesday, uses the contents from 18 recorded interviews with Trump. In the clip Woodward shared Monday, Trump specifically brings up Erdogan as he talks about his relationships with world leaders. 'I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to, because everyone says, "What a horrible guy." But, you know, for me it works out good,' Trump says. The president then adds, 'You'll explain that to me some day, OK. But maybe it's not a bad thing,' Trump says. 'Rage' author Bob Woodward released a new interview clip of President Donald Trump Monday morning on the 'Today' show in which the president talks about getting along with strongmen leaders like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Woodward released an audio clip where Trump (pictured) says, 'I can tell you the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them.' The president also says, 'The easy ones I don't like as much or don't get along with as much' Trump (right) also speaks at length in his book about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left), with Woodward saying on 'Today' that Trump would often disparage the leadership of South Korea, who's long been an American ally Critics of Trump have long lambasted his affinity for leaders like Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has talked up having good relationships with those three, while criticizing NATO members for not paying enough. Woodward, who concludes his book by saying that Trump is the 'wrong man for the job,' explained to NBC's Savannah Guthrie on Monday why the president's comments on world leaders are troubling. 'As you know, under the Constitution the president controls foreign relations unilaterally,' Woodward said. 'He decides and has decided, "Oh, I'm going to get along with Putin. I'm getting to get along with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, MBS. I'm going to try to get along with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea,"' Woodward said. On the other hand, Woodward continued, Trump 'smears South Korea time and time again' during their conversations. South Korea has long been an American ally. 'He is the face of the United States to the world,' Woodward said. 'And he has said, and there is it, "Hey, look, I get along with these bad guys, but not the good guys."' Woodward also reported in his book that former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats remained suspicious that Putin 'had something' on Trump. 'Yes. But Dan Coats, who was the number one intelligence officer in the country did not have proof,' Woodward said Monday to NBC's Savannah Guthrie's questioning. 'They went through all the intelligence. But he, indeed, harbored the suspicion.' Woodward's latest revelation came as former national security official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman called President Donald Trump a 'useful idiot' for Vladimir Putin in his first interview since serving as a star impeachment witness. Vindman, who testified in Congress about Trump's infamous call with the president of Ukraine, spoke about his time on the Trump national security council as a Ukraine expert. 'President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin,' Vindman told the Atlantic. He describes Trump as an 'admirer' of the Russian strongman and says Putin is able to have a hold over Trump even without the presence of any 'dirt' as leverage. 'They may or may not have dirt on him, but they don't have to use it,' he told the magazine. 'They have more effective and less risky ways to employ him. 'He has aspirations to be the kind of leader that Putin is, and so he admires him. 'He likes authoritarian strongmen who act with impunity, without checks and balances. So he'll try to please Putin,' he said. He colorfully described it as 'free chicken.' 'In the Army we call this 'free chicken,' something you don't have to work forit just comes to you. This is what the Russians have in Trump: free chicken,' he said. Vindman was escorted from the White House in February, weeks after the impeachment saga ended, and was removed from his NSC post. Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, former director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, said in an interview President Trump 'should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler' for Russia's Vladimir Putin Vindman called Trump a 'fellow traveler' of Russian President Vladimir Putin He made the comments to interviewer Jeffrey Goldberg, who produced this month's bombshell report citing unnamed officials that Trump had called fallen U.S. troops 'suckers' and 'losers.' Trump defended Vindman's firing at the time, tweeting that he was 'very insubordinate, reported contents of my 'perfect' calls incorrectly, &. was given a horrendous report by his superior, the man he reported to, who publicly stated that Vindman had problems with judgement, adhering to the chain of command and leaking information. In other words, 'OUT.' Vindman's lawyer countered that Trump's statements 'conflict with the clear personnel record and the entirety of the impeachment record of which the President is well aware.' Vindman says of Trump: 'The president destroyed my Army career.' He added: 'Im not crying over spilled milk. I have other things to do' but says the episode prompted him to miss a chance to get promoted to full colonel. Vindman's verdict - which comes before a television interview later this week - is the latest in a barrage of books and interviews which have hit Trump in the last few weeks. Those have been led by Bob Woodward's Rage, in which the veteran Watergate reporter revealed tapes of Trump admitting coronavirus is 'deadly stuff' in early February, despite then telling the public it was 'going to go away' and 'like flu,' and in late March saying he liked to 'play it down' because he did not want 'panic.' On Monday Woodward revealed how Trump told him that he gets along better with strongmen like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan than leaders of countries that the U.S. gets along with. 'I can tell you the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,' Trump is heard telling Woodward in a sound clip that debuted on the 'Today' show Monday. 'The easy ones I don't like as much or don't get along with as much.' The UK and Japan post-Brexit trade deal announcement could turn out to be 'very positive' for British farming, the NFU has said. The UK's trade pact with the world's third largest economy aims to increase trade between the countries by around 15 billion. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss called the announcement a 'historic moment' for the UK - bringing with it 'new wins' for British food and drink. The deal will mean that around 99% of exports between the two nations will be tariff-free, with a particular focus on the food and drink. The NFU welcomed the announcement, explaining that it had lobbied for a deal that did not disadvantage British farmers. The union said it sought the same level of market access that was afforded to EU farmers through the EU - Japan deal. This trade agreement, which the NFU called 'very positive', sees around 85% of EU agri-food products allowed to enter Japan duty-free over time. NFU president Minette Batters said the UK and Japan trade deal was 'good news'. "It is an important step to ensuring some continuity in our existing trading relationships before the end of the transition period. We will continue to analyse this agreement to properly assess the impacts and opportunities this will bring to British farmers." She said aspects of this agreement that were positive for agriculture include reduced tariffs on agri products and the increased number of geographical indications. Safeguards on some of our iconic products through these indications recognise the quality of the food we produce in this country. "We hope this will further grow the fantastic British brand in overseas markets, Mrs Batters said. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the UK-Japan agreement will mean that 99 percent of exports to Japan will be tariff-free. "The agreement we have negotiated - in record time and in challenging circumstances - goes far beyond the existing EU deal, as it secures new wins for British businesses," she said. "This deal will help build back better as we create new opportunities for people throughout the whole of the UK." Coronavirus outbreak: Kolkata Metro resume services after over five months India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Kolkata, Sep 14: Metro rail services in Kolkata resumed on Monday after a gap of more than five months, a senior official said. The regular services were suspended on March 23 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Special trains, however, were run for NEET aspirants and their guardians on Sunday. "Services have resumed at 8 am and around 3,000 people have commuted in the first two hours," Kolkata Metro Railway General Manager Manoj Joshi told reporters. "The last trains from the originating stations on both sides will commence their journey at 7 pm and complete it by 8 pm," he said. Explained: Do graphene face masks work better than commonly used surgical masks to prevent COVID-19? Joshi said all safety protocols including social distancing are being followed. A train is halting at a station for 30 seconds instead of the previous duration of 20 seconds to avoid rush during boarding and deboarding, a Metro Railway spokesperson said. A total of 110 services are being run on the Noapara- Kavi Subhash line at an interval of 10 minutes during peak hours, she said. The services will remain suspended on Sundays for the sanitisation of rakes and stations, the spokesperson said. India has successfully prevented the aggressive progress of COVID-19: Health Minister Commuters can book their tickets online and download the e-passes or use smart cards, she said. The e-passes mention the departure and destination points along with time slots. Sandeep Tewary, a middle-aged commuter, said he faced difficulty in downloading the e-pass to board a train at Sovabazar metro station. Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' Young executives like Aparna Maity, however, felt that the no contact ticketing system is ideal in the present situation. The Metro Railway has decided to allow a maximum of 400 passengers on a train to avoid over-crowding. Passengers will have to wear masks covering their mouth and nose and sanitise their hands before boarding a train, another Metro Railway official said. They will have to undergo thermal screening while entering a station, he said. Metro Railway authorities urged elderly people and children, besides those with fever, cough and cold, not to undertake the journey. Special services were run for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) candidates and their guardians between 10 am and 7 pm on the previous day. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 14:01 [IST] In this article UPS U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Smith Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, N.C., September 8, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters It's been nearly two weeks since President Donald Trump's payroll tax deferral took effect and large employers so far seem to have little appetite for the holiday. Starting on Sept. 1, employers could defer collection of the 6.2% tax employees pay toward Social Security. This deferral is in effect through the end of the year and applies to workers making less than $4,000 per biweekly pay period roughly $104,000 on an annualized basis. Though implementing the deferral would give workers a temporary 6.2% bump in pay, the employer is responsible for recouping the deferred taxes along with the regular withholding from Jan. 1 through April 30. More from Personal Finance: Unemployment benefits. Stimulus checks. Here's where aid measures stand Americans are raiding retirement savings Dreaming of retiring abroad? Here's what you need to know That means take-home pay will go down early next year for those workers. There is no guarantee of forgiveness of those taxes, as that would require Congress to pass legislation discharging the liability. "For employers looking at the deferral, they see this as a minimal benefit like a short-term loan, if you will, because the amount has to be paid back next year," said Robert Delgado, principal at KPMG in San Diego. "Oftentimes the cost of implementing it will outweigh the benefit to the employee, as well as the potential complications," he said. Indeed, a few major firms have already said they wouldn't change their withholdings, including Costco Wholesale Corp., the United Parcel Service, FedEx Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Home Depot Inc., Wells Fargo and CVS Health, according to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. The House of Representatives has also said that it would not roll out the deferral to its employees. As of Monday, the Senate is still weighing how it will proceed. Higher expenses sierrarat | E+ | Getty Images One of the issues employers are currently grappling with is the fact that they are on the hook for penalties, interest and "additions to tax" starting on May 1 if they are unable to withhold and pay the deferred taxes from workers' paychecks. Questions still remain on how employers would recoup the funds from workers who leave before the year is over. Some say that employers could pull a lump sum of the deferred taxes from a departing employee's last paycheck. Firms can "make arrangements" with workers to collect the funds, according to guidance from the IRS. But that could lead to higher costs for companies. It's an all-around lose-lose. Albert J. Campo managing partner at AJC Accounting Services "There's the cost of compliance from the employer's side," said Albert J. Campo, CPA and managing partner at AJC Accounting Services in Manalapan, New Jersey. "Even if you had an employee sign a contract and say that if they leave that they agree to pay it back, are the employers going to go through the legal expense of suing?" he asked. "It's an all-around lose-lose," Campo said. "You're spending more money to pursue the legal action, and the employer would probably suck it up and pay it." Some of the difficulties employers face in implementing the tax holiday include tracking which workers get the deferral. This means "turning off" withholding for some employees but not others, according to Delgado of KPMG. Other complexities may arise, including the fact that a worker may not always qualify for the deferral. For instance, commissions, bonuses and exercising stock options might bump an employee out of the sub-$4,000 threshold in a given pay period. That means they won't be subject to the deferral for that particular paycheck, said Delgado. "Many employers don't have a large payroll department," he said. "They're often hiring a third-party to manage the payroll." Bad news in 2021 for workers Employers taking on the deferral also have the task of explaining to workers that they're going to see a decrease to their pay in early 2021 as the employer withholds and remits the deferred payroll tax to the IRS. Workers will need to understand that they may need to save the increase in pay they receive this fall to make up for the decrease in pay early next year. WASHINGTON President Trump on Sunday issued a far-reaching executive order aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs, but the pharmaceutical industry immediately denounced it and experts said it was unclear whether the White House could carry it out. The order belatedly makes good on and expands upon a promise Mr. Trump made at a July 24 White House signing ceremony, though it has no immediate effect. It directs the health secretary to begin the process of creating demonstration projects requiring Medicare to pay the same price for prescription drugs as those sold in Europe and other developed nations, which often have lower prices. The process could take months, if not longer, and it would almost certainly be challenged in court. The order covers all drugs paid for by Medicare including those sold at pharmacies and not just those administered in doctors offices, as the president initially announced. It is unacceptable that Americans pay more for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same places, the order says. Other countries governments regulate drug prices by negotiating with drug manufacturers to secure bargain prices, leaving Americans to make up the difference effectively subsidizing innovation and lower-cost drugs for the rest of the world. Computer software company Oracle has won the bidding for TikTok's US operations, a source told the Wall Street Journal. It comes a week before President Donald Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the US. A person familiar with the matter told the WSJ that Oracle will be announced TikTok's 'trusted tech partner' in America. They added it is unlikely to be an outright sale. ByteDance will need approval for the deal from governments of the United States and China. Last month, Trump threw his support behind Oracle buying TikTok and called them a 'great company'. 'I think that Oracle would be certainly somebody that could handle it,' he said Computer software company Oracle has won the bidding for TikTok 's US operations, a source told the Wall Street Journal It comes a week before President Donald Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the US US officials have criticized the app's security and privacy, suggesting that user data might be shared with Beijing. TikTok has said it would not comply with any request to share user data with the Chinese authorities. Oracle will handle TikTok's US user data, the source added. The deal will be structured not as a sale but as a restructuring, the source said, without disclosing how much of TikTok's US operations ByteDance and its investors will continue to own. It was unclear if General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, both of which were previously reported to have spurred on the Oracle deal, ended up being a part of this agreement. Trump supporter Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle Corporation in 1977 with Bob Miner and Ed Oates. It now has 136,000 employees. In February 2020, Ellison hosted a Trump fundraiser at his Rancho Mirage home where tickets cost up to $250,000 to attend. In April 2020, Ellison said in a Forbes interview: 'We only have one president at a time. I don't think he's the devil I support him and want him to do well.' According to Forbes, Ellison, who stepped down as CEO of the firm in 2014 but remains executive chairman of the board and chief technology officer, has a net worth of $72billion and is the fifth richest person in the U.S. The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok by mid-September and ordered ByteDance to sell its US business, claiming national security risks due to its Chinese ownership. Microsoft had said earlier Sunday that its bid to buy the popular video-sharing app had been rejected. Microsoft said in a Sunday statement that TikTok's parent company, Bytedance, 'let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft.' 'We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests, 'the company said in a statement. 'To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas.' A person familiar with the matter told the WSJ that Oracle will be announced TikTok's 'trusted tech partner' in America Microsoft said it was 'confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests.' The company said it 'would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation.' It is not clear whether President Trump, who wants a US technology company to own most of TikTok in the United States, and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US will approve the proposed Oracle deal. The government worries about user data being funneled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national-security risk and is suing to stop the administration from the threatened ban. Walmart had planned to partner with Microsoft on the deal. TikTok didn't immediately return requests for comment Sunday. Reuters reported on Friday that Beijing opposes a forced sale of TikTok's US operations and would prefer to see the short video app shut down in the United States, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Chinese officials believe a forced sale would make both ByteDance and China appear weak in the face of pressure from Washington, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ByteDance said in a statement to Reuters that the Chinese government had never suggested to it that it should shut down TikTok in the United States or in any other markets. Two of the sources said China was willing to use revisions it made to a technology exports list on August 28 to delay any deal reached by ByteDance, if it had to. They revised a list of technologies that would need Chinese government approval before they are exported. Experts said TikTok's recommendation algorithm would fall under this list. Asked on Friday about Trump and TikTok, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing that the United States was abusing the concept of national security, and urged it to stop oppressing foreign companies. Reuters has reported that TikTok's prospective buyers were discussing four ways to structure an acquisition from ByteDance. Within these, ByteDance could still push ahead with a sale of TikTok's US assets without approval from China's commerce ministry by selling them without key algorithms. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 03:26:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair delivers a speech on Brexit in an event in London, Britain, on Dec. 14, 2018. (Xinhua) -UK OUT- Two British former prime ministers, John Major and Tony Blair, who unsuccessfully opposed Brexit in the 2016 referendum, claimed in their article carried by the Sunday Times newspaper that Johnson's UK Internal Market Bill will "jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland, make it harder to negotiate trade deals and destroy trust in Britain." LONDON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- John Major and Tony Blair, two former British prime ministers, have teamed up to accuse the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson of "shaming" Britain by proposing legislation which undermines his own Brexit deal, local media reported Sunday. The two former prime ministers, who unsuccessfully opposed Brexit in the 2016 referendum, claimed in their article carried by the Sunday Times newspaper that Johnson's UK Internal Market Bill will "jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland, make it harder to negotiate trade deals and destroy trust in Britain." Their statements came just one day before the Internal Market Bill, which was published by the British government on Wednesday, is to be debated in the House of Commons (lower house of parliament) on Monday. The bill overrides key elements of Johnson's Brexit deal with Brussels, despite a senior minister explicitly acknowledging that the plan would breach international law. It is intended to ensure Northern Ireland can continue to enjoy unfettered access to markets in the rest of Britain, according to the British government. Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2020 shows the European Parliament Liaison Office in the United Kingdom in London, Britain.(Xinhua/Han Yan) Major and Blair also urged MPs to reject Johnson's attempt to override parts of the Brexit deal, calling "this way of negotiating...is irresponsible, wrong in principle and dangerous in practice." Johnson is facing mounting criticism over the Internal Market Bill as leaders from across the political spectrum raised grave concerns over breaking the international law and damaging Britain's reputation, according to local media. Leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, accused Johnson of having "reigniting old rows" by working to flout the Withdrawal Agreement, but pledged Labour support if he addresses "substantial" concerns. Meanwhile, senior Conservatives were not backing down on their rebellion against the prime minister's plans despite his warning that the European Union (EU) could "carve up our country" without the bill. Tory rebels suggested their numbers were growing and opinions were only hardened by Johnson's increased rhetoric that the EU could impose a trade border in the Irish Sea. Despite the criticism, British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove on Friday defended the new bill, saying Britain had made clear during discussions with EU officials on the UK Internal Market Bill that legislative timetable for the bill would continue as planned. Gove also reiterated the government's commitment to implementing the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, including the protocol covering Northern Ireland. The embattled president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has met his last ally standing Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, less than 24 hours after more than 100,000 people took to the streets in the latest round of protests to demand his resignation. The pair held a working meeting at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi their first face-to-face meeting since a protest movement emerged across Belarus after the contested Aug. 9 presidential election. Protesters accuse Lukashenko of rigging the election in his favor. Often referred to as Europes last dictator, Lukashenko has maintained his grasp on power in the former Soviet nation for the last 26 years and met the protests with a violent crackdown. Hundreds have been arrested and there have been allegations of torture from people held in custody. The Kremlin said in a statement ahead of the meeting that the leaders will discuss key issues for the development of bilateral relations, including trade, economy, energy and culture. It made no mention of the political turmoil in Belarus. But during a televised portion of the meeting Monday, Lukashenko thanked Putin for his "moral support in this difficult period, alluding to protests that he has struggled to contain. A friend in need is a friend indeed. I say that sincerely, Lukashenko said, leaning toward Putin, with the Russian leader exuding no obvious warmth toward his Belarusian counterpart. Putin reaffirmed previous commitments under mutual treaties with Belarus, including a 1994 security agreement, which mandates that both countries offer assistance including military help if necessary if one faces an external threat. We see Belarus as our closest ally, he said, while promising a $1.5 billion loan to its neighbor as the country struggles with a tanking economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of planned joint military drills involving Belarusian and Russian troops in the city of Brest, on the border with Poland, the Russian state news agency Tass reported Sunday. Story continues Putin, one of only a few foreign leaders to congratulate Lukashenko on his election victory, has offered military assistance should the situation worsen. So far, no Russian troops have crossed the border. Putin's relationship with Lukashenko became frosty after the failure of talks last year to deepen the integration between the two countries, with Lukashenko rejecting what he saw as an assault on his country's sovereignty. Those ties were further strained just before the election after Belarus detained a group of suspected Russian mercenaries, whom Belarusian authorities accused of being in the country to destabilize it. Russia denied employing mercenaries for that purpose. Lukashenko has since said the arrests were a mistake. In an all-encompassing interview with Russian journalists from state news agencies last week, he called Putin his older brother, emphasizing the strength of their relationship and blaming Americans, Czech, Lithuanians and Ukrainians for orchestrating the protests. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts Putin has refrained from directly commenting on Lukashenko's crackdown on the protests and their leaders. Last week, one of the most high-profile protest figures, Maria Kolesnikova, said she was forcefully taken to the border with Ukraine last week as Belarusian security officers tried to force her out of the country. Kolesnikova said she received death threats as she tore her passport to avoid being expelled from the country. Nearly all senior figures in the coordination council, created in the aftermath of the protests by the opposition to negotiate a peaceful transition of power, have either been detained or forced to leave the country. Image: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greets officials upon his arriving at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia (Andrei Stasevich / AP) Keir Giles, of the London-based foreign policy think tank Chatham House, said the stakes were high for both sides in the talks both men must decide how much each needs the other. "If Russia turns against [Lukashenko], his days are numbered; but if he places himself too much in Putin's hands, his independence and that of his country risk being terminally compromised," Giles said. "Whatever the official announcements from this meeting ... we can be sure that much more has been agreed behind the scenes, the real meaning [of which] will be played out in Belarus over the coming weeks and months" he added. Meanwhile, the United States signaled Friday, that it will soon punish individual Belarusians with sanctions for election fraud and crackdown on protests as Washington urged Russia to tell Lukashenko to step down. Speaking to reporters during a conference call, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Lukashenko is increasingly reliant on Moscow to maintain his rule. This could turn Belarusian public opinion against Russia, he added. It risks turning the Belarusian people, who have no grievance with Russia, against Moscow, he said, adding that he hoped the Kremlin would voice concern about the violence against protesters in Belarus and the abductions of opposition figures. Reuters contributed to this report. York Countys Republican delegation voiced approval of a federal judges order issued on Monday declaring parts of Gov. Tom Wolfs response to control the spread of COVID-19 unconstitutional. In a statement about U.S. Western District Judge William Stickman IVs ruling, House Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor and Reps. Mike Jones, Kate Klunk, Seth Grove, Dawn Keefer, and Keith Gillespie said, "We applaud the federal judges ruling that upheld the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment in the United States Constitution. For months we have argued that Gov. Tom Wolfs unjust restrictions unfairly and negatively impacted small businesses, the cornerstone of our economy, that were forced to shutter while big corporate businesses were permitted to remain open. "As the judge wrote in the opinion: In fact, while attempting to limit interactions, the arbitrary method of distinction used by (the governor) almost universally favored businesses which offered more, rather than fewer products Even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered. "From the start, the governor' s response to the pandemic was marked with inconsistencies that favored big businesses as family-owned small businesses suffered. His arbitrary, archaic orders put hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians needlessly out of work, which left thousands of families in peril and put a strain on our administrations failed unemployment compensation system. We believe it is time for the administrations unconstitutional restrictions be lifted so Pennsylvanians can go back to work and carry on with their lives. Gov. Tom Wolfs spokeswoman issued a statement say the governor does intend to seek a stay to the order and file an appeal. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Recovered COVID-19 patients who will donate Plasma for those who still continue to combat the infectious and deadly virus will receive cash incentives. Plasma is now considered in the country as one of the treatments after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave a green light. Plasma treatment is also used in other countries and is treated for those experiencing severe symptoms. This time, authorities are now looking for ways to entice those who recovered from the virus to donate plasma, and in return, they will be given cash incentives. According to Justin Rodriguez, the Precinct 2 commissioner in Bexar County, Texas, the county has secured $150,000. The fund is from the federal government to fund a new stipend to encourage residents to donate plasma. Rodriguez said that those who will donate plasma would receive an amount between $50 to $100 per donation. It is believed that Plasma from COVID-19 recovered patients help to produce antibodies that fight the virus. The county decided to give cash incentives because out of 40,000 people who survived the infectious and deadly virus, only a few hundred donated their plasma. However, it is also important to note that plasma should be donated and not be sold to families who have members who tested positive for the virus. According to the county's health department, nearly 49,000 COVID-19 cases in the county, including San Antonio and 992, died due to the virus. The health department also noted that plasma is used as a treatment and not a cure. It can be remembered that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, and the National Institute of Health also warned that there is no sufficient study to prove that plasma treatment is effective for those who tested positive for the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health experts suggested that more studies be conducted to support the claim of plasma treatment. Moreover, some countries were already using plasma treatment and claimed that none of them died. Rodriguez also added that they are now finalizing the stipend for those who will donate their plasma. They are expecting that they will start paying plasma donors at the end of this month. He also said that those who have donated and can show any proof of donation would also be paid. The United States remains to have the highest COVID-19 infections and a death toll in the country. As of today, the country has recorded 6.7 million confirmed cases and with a death toll of over 198,000. They are followed by India, Brazil, Russia, and Peru, according to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Moreover, Texas is the second state in the country with the highest infection and first in terms of the death toll. Texas has recorded over 691,000 confirmed cases and more than 14,500 COVID-19 related deaths. They are just a little bit lower from California. The country continues to struggle in combating the infectious and deadly virus. Moreover, they are also worried that it will increase during the flu season. Check these out! Families of victims of Saturday night's club stampede in Peru's capital waited outside Lima's Central Morgue on Monday for the release of the bodies of loved ones who died in the tragedy. According to authorities, 11 of the victims tested positive for the virus. Of 23 people who had been detainees in connection with the incident, 15 also tested positive. Authorities are investigating who closed the door of a narrow passageway that caused 13 deaths in a nightclub in Peru during a police raid for violating regulations in place meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The tragedy, the first of its kind in Latin America during the pandemic, prompted the police to arrest 23 partygoers and the Peruvian parliament to summon Interior Minister Jorge Montoya and Felipe Castillo, the mayor of the Los Olivos district of Lima, where the deaths occurred. The stampede happened at the Thomas disco in Lima, where about 120 people had gathered for a party on Saturday night, the Interior Ministry said. People tried to escape through the only door of the second-floor disco, trampling one another and becoming trapped in the confined space, according to authorities. After the stampede, police had to force open the door. Nightclubs have been banned from operating since March 16 and gatherings, including family ones, are suspended. The government has also ordered Peruvians to stay at home on Sundays, a rule that will run until the end of August. Infections in the South American country add up to an average of 9,000 new cases per day. Hospitals are collapsing and the country has one of the highest mortality rates in the world, second only to Belgium, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Peru has more than 594,000 infected and 27,663 have died from the virus. The country is the second -most infected in Latin America after Brazil and the third with the most deaths after Brazil and Mexico. Lancaster City police said Monday that they have arrested eight people on charges tied to the disorder that erupted outside their station Sunday night following a fatal officer-involved shooting of a 27-year-old man. Ricardo Munoz was killed while attacking an officer with a knife as the officer responded to a domestic disturbance call, police said. The shooting is under investigation by the county district attorney and police have released video from the officers body camera. Only two of those charged in connection with Sunday nights protest are residents of the city, police said. Several participants in the demonstration told PennLive it began peacefully and remained so until outsiders began damaging property. The front window of the police station was damaged as was a window of the nearby post office and a parked car, police said. They said they sprayed the protesters with an irritant as some of them piled debris at Prince and Chestnut streets and set a Dumpster on fire. We have also been receiving calls all morning from downtown business owners as they discovered damage from vandalism to their businesses, police said. Police said handguns were seized from two of the arrested protesters. Charges filed included arson, carrying a firearm without a license, riot, disorderly conduct and defiant trespass. Those arrested are Jamal S. Newman, 24, of Lancaster, who is listed as homeless and was on probation; Barry Jones, 30, of York; Frank Gaston, 43, of Ephrata, also listed as homeless and on probation; Yoshua D. Montague, 23, of York; Matthew Modderman, 31, of Lancaster; Talia Gessner, 18, of York; Kathryn Patterson, 20, of Mercersburg; and Taylor Enterline, 20, of Manheim. This office fully supports the right to gather and peacefully protest, however, the riotous behavior exhibited last night is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said Monday. Such lawless conduct only takes away from those working with the community to address issues worthy of discussion. Make no mistake, those who cannot peacefully protest and instead resort to violence will be prosecuted and held fully accountable. Adams said law enforcement officers acted professionally in protecting the lives of those in potential danger. Adams said police used tear gas when objects were hurled at the station and at officers. An armored vehicle was used by the county SERT team to destroy a barricade the demonstrators erected on West Chestnut Street, she said. The acts of police/SERT prevented further damage to property and vehicles, and protected individuals in the area from being harmed, the DA said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:39:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGCHUN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 3,900 people have been evacuated after a dike breach in northeast China's Jilin Province Sunday afternoon, local authorities said. Affected by continuous rainfall and flood discharge from an upstream reservoir, the dike at the Yinma River adjacent to Wujiazi Village in the city of Dehui suffered a breach at 4:40 p.m. Sunday, leading to a 30-meter wide gap. Some houses in the village have been flooded and workers are repairing the breach. Some 2,800 residents from Wujiazi and Huanzidong villages have been evacuated. Another 1,124 people of Caiyuanzi town downstream have also been evacuated as a precaution. So far, no casualties have been reported. Enditem The former office manager of the Iowa City Area Development Group was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison for a 13-year theft scheme in which she misspent more than a half-million dollars, federal prosecutors said. Sheri Jelinek, 48, of North Liberty, Iowa, was also ordered to make full restitution to the nonprofit and its insurance company. The nonprofit, which promotes workforce and economic development, is funded by local businesses. Jelinek pleaded guilty last year to seven counts of wire fraud. The U.S. attorneys office said in a news release that Jelinek worked for the nonprofit from 2003 until January 2017, and that after she left employees discovered she made more than $460,000 in improper or personal charges on the organizations credit cards over several years. Jelinek was released after sentencing and will be allowed to self-report to federal prison. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Carriers Fraud Iowa By PTI MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday came under a stinging attack from the Congress over her "Mumbai-PoK" remarks and leaving the city for her home state without giving information about drugs to government agencies. Mumbai is "pride" of Maharashtra and India and to demean thecity by likening it to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is "blasphemy", said All-India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Ashish Dua without naming Ranaut, who is already facing fire from the party's ally, the Shiv Sena. Taking to Twitter a day after Ranaut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan here over partial razing of her office by the Mumbai civic body last week, Dua also said the governor's office is "not for politics". "#Mumbai is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. Guv office is not for politics," Dua tweeted. He said the BJP should refrain from "dividing citizens on the basis of region". Ranaut had said she met Koshyari to apprise him about "injustice" done to her. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant hit out at the actress for leaving Mumbai for her home state Himachal Pradesh without giving information about drugs to government agencies. ALSO READ | Kangana-Sena row continues as party's Anil Parab asks actress to shift for likening Mumbai to PoK "@KanganaTeam has returned to HP. Really surprised! What abt her knowledge of drug mafia and bollywood connection? Wasn't it her duty to give information she has to NCB?" "Isn't it a crime to withhold information about a crime under IPC 202 & 176 also in ndps act? Or was it a hoax?" Sawant asked on Twitter. The Congress is one of the constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government - the other being the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Earlier in the day, the "Queen" star, before leaving for Himachal Pradesh, reiterated her PoK barb, which had riled the Sena and other members of the MVA. Ranaut has tweeted that she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena MP Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after the latter expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. NEET aspirant Santosh Kumar Yadav of Bihars Darbhanga covered a distance of 700 kilometers in 24 hours to reach Kolkata to write the exam. He changed two buses to appear for the exam for which he had been preparing for months. However, as fate had it, Yadav missed the test by a mere 10 minutes. He was late by 10 minutes and was not allowed to enter the exam centre in Salt Lake, the Hindustan Times reported. I pleaded the authorities but they said I was late. The examination started at 2 pm. I reached the centre around 1.40 pm. The last deadline for entering the centre was 1.30 pm, Yadav told a local television channel. I lost a year, he was quoted as saying. The NEET examinees were directed to reach the exam centre three hours before the commencement of the test keeping in view the security and health checks amid the Covid-19 crisis. Yadav said that he boarded a bus at Darbhanga at 8 am on Saturday to reach Muzaffarpur. From there, he took a bus to Patna. But a traffic jam on way to Patna caused him a delay of six hours. From Patna, Yadav took a bus to Kolkata at 9 pm and reached Sealdah station at 1.06 pm. He took a taxi to the exam centre, but missed the exam by 10 minutes. Earlier, a 19-year-old boy, Diganta Mondal, from Gosaba in Sunderbans cycled for six hours to reach the exam centre in the city suburbs 75 km away to appear for the JEE exam. He had to travel for two more hours on public transport to finally reach the exam centre in Salt Lake Sector V. The entrance exam in the middle of a raging pandemic in the country has been a matter of debate. Activists, students and leaders of the several political parties had opposed the exam fearing the safety of the students. Floods and lack of transport due to lockdown restrictions in several paces added to the woes of the students. A few days ago, a 19-year-old girl from Madurai and two other medical aspirants in Tamil Nadu had committed suicide, prompting the opposition parties to demand the scrapping of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). On A drunker tractor-trailer driver making a delivery to the Walmart in Secaucus struck a vehicle in the parking lot and then admitted to police that he had a loaded gun, authorities said. Secaucus police responded to 400 Park Plaza Dr. at 9:45 p.m. Friday on the report of the minor crash. During the course of the investigation it became apparent to police that the driver, 30-year-old James Milien, was intoxicated, Police Chief Dennis Miller said. The police also found that Milien had a handgun loaded with illegal hollow-point that he had placed in a backpack that he had discarded nearby after the crash, Miller said. Milien had an expired carry permit for the gun. Under certain exceptions, it is legal to carry a firearm in New Jersey, as long as the weapon is unloaded and the weapon and ammunition are securely stored. Police searching Miliens truck found an empty bottle of the Jack Daniels whiskey, the criminal complaint said. Milien, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a prohibited weapon, specifically hollow point bullets, transportation of a firearm without being registered or licensed and driving while intoxicated. He was also charged with endangering another person because he tossed the backpack with the gun in an area where it could have been found by anyone in the area. Milien was issued his complaint warrant along with his motor vehicle summons for DWI and other motor vehicle summonses and he was then transported to the Hudson County jail. The logo of Chinese video app TikTok is seen on the side of the company's new office space at the C3 campus in Culver City, in the westside of Los Angeles, California on August 11, 2020. (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images) Oracle Reportedly Wins TikTok Bid, After Microsoft Gets Rejection WASHINGTONTikTok, a video-sharing mobile application, reportedly accepted a bid from Oracle for its U.S. business, rejecting the other contender Microsoft. President Donald Trump earlier set a mid-September deadline for TikToks parent company ByteDance to sell the apps American operations. Microsoft Corp. on Sept. 13 confirmed in a statement that its bid was rejected. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks U.S. operations to Microsoft, the statement said. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. TikTok received bids from Oracle and also Microsoft in partnership with Walmart. I told them that they have till Sept. 15 to make a deal. After that we close it up in this country, Trump told reporters on Sept. 1. He said that the U.S. Treasury must be well-compensated in any agreement. The Epoch Times has reached out to Oracle for comment. The video-sharing app, which is wildly popular among American teens, has been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and sees over 1 billion users across more than 150 countries. The platform, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., has come under bipartisan scrutiny over national security and privacy concerns. In early August, Trump issued executive orders that would ban transactions with TikTok and social media app WeChat within 45 days. The orders also banned transactions with ByteDance and WeChats parent company, Tencent Holdings. Chinese Intervention The Chinese regime recently threw a wrench into the sales plan. On Aug. 28, Beijing introduced new rules on the export of artificial-intelligence technology to foreign companies. The move requires TikToks parent company to get approval from the Chinese government for the deal, according to state news agency Xinhua. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Fox Business on Aug. 31 that Chinas restriction of tech export is ironic considering much of Chinas AI technology came from Google and Microsoft. The rule change that restricts the export of artificial intelligence technology includes the algorithm TikTok uses to recommend videos for users to watch based on their preferences and behavior. Is TikTok a Threat? The Trump administration has raised concerns that TikTok could be forced to pass user information on to the Chinese regime. Under a 2017 national intelligence law, Chinese firms are required to provide their data to the countrys ruling Communist Party. TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories, Trumps executive order stated. This data collection could allow China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage. The Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Armed Forces have already barred TikTok on government devices. TikTok has also met with criticism from users for censoring content concerning protests in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The Epoch Times recently reported that more than 130 ByteDance employees are part of a Chinese Community Party (CCP) committee embedded in the company. Many of these employees hold managerial positions, according to internal documents. Besides TikTok and WeChat, the Trump administration could crack down on other China-based apps, according to Navarro. 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. That data will be used to surveil, monitor, and track you, he told Fox Business last month. The Epoch Times staff Bowen Xiao contributed to this report. A group of Uttar Pradesh farmers marching to the national capital to protest against the three recently cleared central farm ordinances were stopped at the Delhi-UP border, police said. A senior police officer said the farmers, affiliated to the Bharatiya Kisan Union, were going to the Jantar Mantar, but were stopped at the NH-24 near the Ghazipur border, and asked to send their representatives who would talk to the authorities. The rest of the group has been told to wait at the border, he said. They were raising slogans against the ordinances - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance. On Thursday also, the Bharatiya Kisan Union and other farmer organisations in Haryana had blocked the national highway at Pipli in Kurukshetra district in protest against the ordinances, which they claimed were anti-farmers. The Pipli Chowk on the National Highway 22 had remained tense as the agitating farmers also blocked the road for over four hours, causing hardship to thousands of commuters who used village link roads to bypass Pipli. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Arizona News Sierra Vista, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that a State Grand Jury indicted Heather Buhr and Isaac Butts each for one count of Theft/Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult. At the time of the purported events, the alleged victim was 83-years-old. The vulnerable adult hired a local company to provide a caregiver to assist them with daily living services. Heather Buhr was a caregiver working for the company, and began providing living assistance to the victim in December 2017. While working for the victim, Buhr introduced her father, Isaac Butts, to the victim. Buhr and Butts are accused of stealing over $53,000 from the victim between February and March of 2018. This case was investigated by Arizona Department of Economic Security, Adult Protection Services, and Arizona Attorney Generals Office Special Agent Mike Carroll of the Heath Care Fraud and Abuse Section. All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Assistant Attorney General Sterling Struckmeyer is prosecuting this case through the Attorney Generals Southern Arizona Office in Tucson. Below is a photograph of Heather Buhr: Below is a photograph of Issac Butts: The Syrian National Coalition has met to discuss ongoing developments and the need for a political solution and a ceasefire across the country. The 52nd meeting of the General Authority of the Syrian National Coalition, began on Saturday morning, chaired by Coalition President Dr. Nasr al-Hariri, and in the presence of the head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission, Anas Abdah, and the head of the Syrian Interim Government, Abdurrahman Mustafa. The attendees discussed the latest on the ground and political developments. They also reviewed the reports of the President, his deputies, the Secretary-General, the Syrian Interim Government, and the Assistance Coordination Unit. The meeting began by paying tribute to the souls of the martyrs of the Syrian revolution and member of the National Coalition, Muhammad al-Nabhan, who passed away last month of the coronavirus, as well as Dr. Adnan al-Jasem, who died two days ago while performing his humanitarian duty fighting the virus in the liberated areas in the countryside of Aleppo. Hariri talked about the work of the coalition during the past two months, and its ambitions to improve the living conditions of Syrians, strengthen communication with components of Syrian society, and emphasize partnership with Syrian political parties and efforts to reach a common political vision for a solution in Syria. Hariri briefed the participants on the major political and international developments in Syria, chief among which is the unprecedented calm in the liberated areas of northern Syria. He stressed the need to preserve and strengthen the ceasefire agreement and develop it into a nationwide ceasefire. Hariri considered the ceasefire to be one of the pillars that must be built on should a political solution be reached, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. He zoomed in on the crimes and violations of PYD militias in the eastern Euphrates region, noting that the National Coalition, through the al-Jazira and Euphrates Committee and the rest of the departments and institutions, is working on addressing all these crimes, expose them, and prevent them through a set of steps and procedures. He stressed that despite the approaching one-year anniversary of the formation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the Assad regime continues to impede its progress. Hariri talked about the development of the internal work of the National Coalition, especially the activation of the work of departments, offices, and committees. He praised the work of the National Dialogue Committee, which has been holding meetings with various components of Syrian society with the aim of enhancing communication, cooperation and coordination, and reaching an inclusive national vision. 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. But the database, combined with Zhenhuas digital trail marketing materials, patents and employees resumes provides a small window into the firms ambitions, if not actual capabilities, to glean insights by aggregating and analyzing publicly available, or open-source, data. The potential power of big data has been a long-standing concern for privacy advocates and governments alike, and its use is not exclusive to China. Large-scale open-source collection is undertaken by U.S. government agencies and American companies the source of much of Zhenhuas data. Adani Green Energy Ltd on Monday inched closer to 1 trillion market capitalisation, becoming Adani Groups most valued stock, piping Adan Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. At 10.08 am, the Adani group firm saw its market capitalisation touch 99,917 crore, just 83 crore away to join the elite club of 1 trillion m-cap. The scrip traded at a record high of 638.85 apiece on the BSE, up 5% from previous close. The stock gained in 17 out of 21 trading sessions and rose over 78% during this period. So far this year it has gained 275%. The company on Friday posted a standalone net profit of 138 crore for the quarter ended June 2020, against 5.52 crore in the previous-year period. Its standalone total income for the quarter stood at 253 crore ( 192 crore). Adani Green Energy is also looking to tie up with nearly a dozen foreign banks to avail greenfield funding for its under-construction assets. The company will raise $1.8 billion for the under construction and contracted portfolio of 12 GW, which includes the countrys first manufacturing-linked solar power plant of 8 GW. In terms of market value, the Adani Group firm has surpassed Bajaj Finserv, Hindustan Zinc, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, Power Grid Corp, ONGC Ltd, NTPC, Britannia Industries Ltd and Dabur India Ltd. Reliance Industries Ltd is Indias most valuable company with a market capitalisation of 15.26 trillion, followed by TCS and HDFC Bank Ltd at 8.75 trillion and 6 trillion, respectively. Recently, Mercom Capital Group, a clean energy communications and consulting firm, ranked Adani Green as the largest solar power producing company in the world. As per Mercom Capital's study, Adani Green's solar portfolio stands at 12.32 GW now, which exceeds the total installed capacity of the US in 2019. The company has 10.1 GW projects under construction. Adani Green on 9 June announced that it bagged a manufacturing-linked solar contract from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to develop 8 GW of projects. The transaction is valued at 45,000 crore, or $6 billion. With this win, Adani Green will have 15 GW capacity under operation, construction or under contract. The company targets achieving an installed generation capacity of 25 GW of renewable power by 2025 at an investment of $15 billion, in the renewable energy space in the next five years. Earlier in April, Total invested about 3,707 crore for 50% partnership with Adani Green Energy in a joint venture that will house 2.148 gigawatts (GW) of operating solar power projects across 11 States in India. 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 Mary's Meals provides, a meal for more than a million of children every school day. (ANSA) Proceeds from the race on September 19 will ensure food for children in many African countries and beyond. By Vatican News The charity Marys Meals has gone from strength to strength since it was founded by Scotsman Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow after visiting Malawi in 2002. While there, he met a dying mother with AIDS. He is said to have asked the woman's son what his dreams and ambitions were. The boy answered that he wanted to eat every day and go to school. Mary's Meals now works with communities in 12 different countries around the world, providing a meal for more than a million children every school day. Charity Run The charity has become well known in Slovakia, and after the phenomenal success of a charity run organized last year, Marys Meals Slovakia is hoping that this years event will be just as fruitful. Among those taking part in the 2020 charity race on September 19 will be Slovak sprinter Jan Volko. This initiative guarantees a meal to a poor child for a whole school year, helping him or her to learn to read and write. After last years run, the charity was able to provide 43,000 meals. The registration fee is 18.30 euros, which is the amount needed to buy a meal for a child for an entire year. Ahead of the September 19 race, a "virtual" run is already underway all over Slovakia, and will end next Sunday. A coordinator and volunteer for Mary's Meals Slovakia, Alexandra Murinova explains, "The food is prepared by volunteers in the same schools, using locally grown products. She adds that the food also attracts the attention of children who would otherwise not attend lessons. Thanks to the work of Marys Meals, around 1,667,067 children have benefited in countries such as Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Kenya, India, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Benin, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, Thailand, Ecuador, Nigeria, Madagascar and Romania Pope Francis support During his General Audience on 11 May 2016,- Founder and CEO Magnus MacFarlane- met with Pope Francis in St Peters Square. After hearing about Marys Meals work, Pope Francis offered his encouragement saying Onwards! Onwards! Onwards! May God bless your work. Following the meeting at the Vatican, Magnus said: Those forceful words of Pope Francis, spoken from the depths of his heart, will remain forever a source of encouragement to me, and I hope for all of us in the Marys Meals family. He urges us to go forward always onwards towards that next hungry child waiting, towards this vision of ours that every child in the world might receive a meal every day in their place of education. We will remember his words especially whenever we feel discouraged, or tempted to think that the obstacles are too great. The mayor of Rochester, New York, has called for a federal investigation into the death of Daniel Prude, a black man who was suffocated by police officers in the street nearly six months ago. Mayor Lovely Warren disclosed her request for a federal probe on Monday and said that she had relieved Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary of his duties effective September 21, according to News8. Singletary had announced his retirement - along with several other members of the police department - last week. His last day was supposed to be September 29. Warren did not say who would oversee the department after Singletary's departure but said she was looking for an interim chief to hold the position until June 2021. The mayor also revealed that the city's communications director, Justin Roj, and its city corporation counsel, Tim Curtin, have been suspended without pay for 30 days. Her announcement came as Rochester has endured nearly two weeks of nightly protests since a video of 41-year-old Prude's fatal encounter with police on March 23 was made public on September 2. Prude's family filed a civil lawsuit against the city, alleging that its leaders and police department covered up the details of his death. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (left) on Monday called for a federal investigation into the death of Daniel Prude (right) who was suffocated by police officers in the street back in March Warren ordered Police Chief La'Ron Singletary (pictured) to step down effective September 21 Warren also revealed that the city's communications director, Justin Roj (left), and its city corporation counsel, Tim Curtin (right), have been suspended without pay for 30 days 'I have directed the deputy mayor to initiative an internal management review of the city handling of the mental hygiene arrest and subsequent death of Daniel Prude,' Warren told reporters at a press conference. 'Frankly the public should have been informed of Mr Prude's death and the circumstances that led to his death in March, and after seeing the video, I should have conducted a formal review.' The mayor continued: 'This initial look has shown that we have a pervasive problem in the Rochester Police Department, one that views everything through the eyes of the badge and not the citizens we serve. 'I have apologized to the Prude family and this community for the failures that have happened along the way, including my own as mayor. Never again can we allow any man or woman to needlessly die in police custody.' Warren then disclosed that she has asked the US Attorney's Office to conduct its an investigation into 'possible violations of Mr Prude's civil rights'. 'This tragic loss of life has shown that we have systematic failures,' she said. 'We have to acknowledge these failures and put in place these forms that create transparency. We will regroup in a few days when I will answer any questions you have given the documents you will receive today.' Prude was naked and in handcuffs when the 'spit hood' was put over his head during an arrest on March 23 - after his brother called 911 seeking help for his erratic behavior Paramedics arrived as Prude was wrestled to the floor, still wearing the 'spit hood' The New York State Attorney General's Office opened its own investigation into Prude's death after his family released body cam footage of the incident earlier this month. Officers had responded to a 911 call made by his brother, seeking help for Prude's erratic behavior on March 23. Prude, who had mental health issues, was naked at the time of his arrest, and was handcuffed and pinned down to the pavement with a 'spit hood' placed over his head as officers restrained him for two minutes before he lost consciousness. He was taken off life support a week after the arrest on March 30. The autopsy report from the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Prude's death was a homicide caused in part by 'complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint'. The autopsy also showed that Prude had a small amount of PCP in his system at the time of his death, which could explain his erratic behavior. Seven Rochester police officers have been suspended with pay in connection with the case: Mark Vaughn, Troy Taladay, Paul Ricotta, Francisco Santiago, Andrew Specksgoor, Josiah Harris and Michael Magri. Roj, the city communications director, responded to his suspension without pay in a statement shortly after Warren's press conference on Monday. 'I accept the discipline issued by Mayor Warren today,' he said. 'At no time, before August 4, was I aware of what had happened to Mr Prude, and when I saw the video I immediately expressed by opinion within City Hall that the officers involved should no longer be on our streets. 'I personally believe that Mr Prude would be alive today if the responding officers recognized his humanity and acted with compassion and restraint.' Roj went on to say that he did not disclose the video's existence publicly after he saw it because he was informed that an investigation was underway and did not want to hinder it. 'In hindsight, I agree I should have questioned the Chief further and/or taken the opportunity to discuss his email with the Mayor,' he said. New Delhi: British multinational tobacco company British American Tobacco on Tuesday agreed to pay almost USD 50 billion for control of US firm Reynolds American, creating the world's largest listed tobacco company. BAT will purchase the 57.8-per cent of Reynolds American that it does not already own, BAT said, unveiling an improved cash-and-shares offer after the US giant had rejected its previous USD 47-billion bid. The deal brings together a galaxy of global brands, including BAT products Lucky Strike, Rothmans and Kent, and Reynolds' brands such as Newport, Camel and Pall Mall. The combined company will have a strong foothold in the United States, and a significant presence in high-growth markets including South America, the Middle East and Africa. BAT added it would also create a "truly global" business for fast-growing next generation products (NGP) like e-cigarettes or vaping. "We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Reynolds and we look forward to putting the recommended offer to shareholders," said BAT Chief Executive Nicandro Durante in a statement. He added that the blockbuster deal "will create a stronger, global tobacco and NGP business with direct access for our products across the most attractive markets in the world". "We believe this will drive continued, sustainable profit growth and returns for shareholders long into the future." Reynolds shareholders will receive USD 29.44 in cash and 0.5260 BAT ordinary shares, under the terms of the transaction. That represented an increase of 26 per cent compared with the closing Reynolds share price on October 20 -- the day before BAT's unsuccessful bid. The offer comprises USD 25 billion worth of BAT shares and USD 24.4 billion in cash and values the entire Reynolds group at more than USD 85 billion. BAT forecasts that it will make at least USD 400 million in annualised cost savings following the purchase, while the deal remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. The London-listed firm plans to expand further in the vaping and e-cigarette market where it is already the largest international company outside the US adding Reynolds' popular Vuse vapour brand to its portfolio. Major global tobacco companies are smoking out emerging markets to offset sliding demand in Western Europe, where high taxes, public smoking bans and health worries have persuaded many people to give up or turn to e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that heat a nicotine liquid. The world's biggest cigarette producer by market share is the state-owned China National Tobacco Corporation, followed by Marlboro maker Philip Morris International. However, BAT says the Reynolds deal will create the biggest listed tobacco firm by net turnover and operating profit. Reynolds is the second biggest player in the US market and has three out of the four top-selling cigarette brands. KALAMAZOO, MI As a groundswell of Black Lives Matter demonstrations, protests and counterprotests have filled streets across America this summer, a new collection of leaders is emerging and giving voice to a movement that is often misunderstood. A number of those voices are emerging right here in Kalamazoo. We didnt ask to be in this place, but now that were here, were not going to be silent, said Ryan Singleton, executive director of Uplift Kalamazoo, during a recent rally in Bronson Park. Uplift Kalamazoo, a grassroots movement dedicated to actionable solutions for ending systemic racism toward Black people in the Kalamazoo area, is one of many area organizations that has committed itself to the overarching goals of the Black Lives Matter movement. If you have never met Black America, you dont know, this is emotional labor for us to get up here and speak our truths, said Singleton, who also goes by King Ryan." He said it is tiring to put in that labor and still not see change. Weve only been at it a couple months and it feels like a year," Singleton said. I cant imagine working for years and seeing very little change, still having to push a rock up a hill in the name of justice, tolerance, inclusion and in the name of Black Lives Matter. Similarly, Village in the Valley founder and executive director Tamara TC Custard said she did not ask for the spotlight. A sense of responsibility has driven her into it. If we cant be the voices of our current generation, were failing our next one, said Custard, who has helped to organize a series of rallies demanding accountability from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety in light of its handling of protests this summer. Custard, like fellow Kalamazoo-based activists Quinton Bryant and Aerick Burton, cares deeply about the next generation. All three, each in their 30s, are parents of young, Black children. Part of their intent, they each said, is to help build a world where their children do not have to live in fear of being treated differently by others, including police, because of the color of their skin. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY Ive got two children who are more afraid to step outside the door than anything, and I know Im not the only one, Custard said. It comes down to the notion that this is our life. "Youre talking about 400 years of oppression against an entire race. Another hashtag daily, monthly, count the victims. Were walking away with scars that are so deeply rooted that we dont feel beautiful for being Black. And this is a culture that should be embraced. That is why Black Lives Matter is more than just a movement, said Burton, who works with Solidarity Kalamazoo, an organization that uplifts area Black businesses. For us, its life, he said. And now that their collective voices are being heard at protests throughout the area and as part of a greater national movement, the Kalamazoo resident said, it is overwhelming. It can be comforting at times but its also very scary at times," Burton said. "Its scary being out there and having people not just dislike what you are saying but truly hate you as a person for an idea that they have based on the color of your skin. On top of that, many people feel emboldened and almost glorified when they act violently on those thoughts." Bryant blames rhetoric coming out of the White House. People may have the courage to incite violence and allow their racism to show, he said, because President Donald Trump does not denounce it. Violence has no place While some have chosen violence as a path to retaliation or in response to the presence of known hate groups such as the Proud Boys who recently visited Kalamazoo Bryant, Singleton, Burton and Custard all have said there is no place for it within the Black Lives Matter movement. Just the thought of grouping violence in the context of us invoking our rights goes all the way back to when Rosa Parks was on that bus and wouldnt move and they treated her inhumane with violence, Custard said. "Think about what happened with Malcolm X with violence. Think about what happened to our ancestors with violence. You are talking about something that was invoked on us without us even understanding why. Why were we slaves? Why were we beaten with whips and taken from our home to serve and build? she asked. So why put violence into something you already instilled in our culture from day one? Burton echoed Custards sentiments, stating that there has been enough violence already. We are already traumatized seeing violence happen to people just like us, for no reason," he said. "We arent trying to go somewhere and get violent, we are trying to get rid of all that. I bring my daughters out here (to protests). I have a 9-year-old and almost 2-year-old, so I definitely think these should be peaceful. For Bryant, if he sees people inciting or getting violent, he said he tells them they are not welcome to protest alongside them because they are taking away from a message that needs to be heard. What makes it hard, Bryant said, is nine times out 10, it is a white ally he sees crossing the line. The consequences of that are then felt by the Black community, he said, as those on the outside looking in tend to lump all the protesters together and say it is the Black protesters who are all looting, being violent or causing trouble. They dont want us to put violence and police in the same sentence but we have violent police, Bryant said. They dont lump them together and say, Thats just a bad cop, they dont look at them and say All cops are bad, so why do they do that to us? As a Black man, it wouldnt make sense for me to go somewhere and be violent to give the police or others a reason, because thats like putting a target on you as a Black man ... Anyone that thinks thats what were about, youve got the wrong message." A message misconstrued When it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, Burton said the message of equality and being treated fairly is a simple one, but all too often it gets misconstrued especially as it pertains to how those involved feel about police in general. Im definitely not someone who believes that every single police officer is a bad person, he said. For example, Burton said, Portage police treated he and others very well when they held a Black Lives Matter protest in the city earlier this summer. They contacted us, asked what we needed, respected our boundaries and they served through that," he said. "We felt safer because they were there. Burton said he has not always experienced the same thing in Kalamazoo and that police in the city have been a very intimidating presence at events hes attended or helped organize. That feeds into the whole fear of being a Black male in Kalamazoo, let alone someone who is actively and outwardly fighting for things some people feel so hateful about, he said. Its scary when you think about a department that is funded by the citizens, that is taking away funding from our education, taking away funding from our everything. Yet what are they giving back to the community, what are they doing for us? For Singleton, one issue is a misunderstanding of what defund the police means. We cant just say defund the police, we have to say what it means, he said. "We need those resources put into our community because they are not being delivered to us at the hands of the police. Were not seeing it and we certainly dont feel it. If you cant deal with mental health then put that money in the people who can. There are so many Black-led groups and organizations, so many people who have committed themselves to doing this work. Custard, who herself attended the police academy at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, said no one is trying to abolish the police. And she wants to be clear, its not police she and others hate, but the brutality and injustice that is happening around the country. Anybody can wear that badge but not everybody honors it and thats the problem, she said. A key turning point for Custard taking on a leadership role and finding her voice within the movement in Kalamazoo occurred after she was among those tear-gassed by police while laying down in Bronson Park on June 1, she said. It was horrendous she said. "The thought of children being with me and being down there in that group, invoking their rights the correct way, and not being the ones breaking windows or harassing police or taunting them, but laying down on the ground and being approached and being pepper-sprayed. Its trauma. At Village in the Valley, our goal is to alleviate trauma for any child, not just Black children, but any child. And it resonated with me because they are instilling more fear and trauma into the youth in our community whether they are Black, white, Asian, Latino, Hispanic. I was appalled." Custard, who is a graduate of KVCCs police academy, said she wasnt trained that way. Living in Fear Its that exact sort of fear that Bryant and Burton said they have as Black men, for both themselves and their children, when it comes to dealing with police. Bryant said its not only a way of life as a Black man but now that he has been identified as an emerging leader in the Black community in Kalamazoo that fear of police has only grown. I have to worry about, maybe this cop recognizes me as being part of a movement that he might not agree with," Bryant said. "Is he going to follow me, harass me, give me a hard time? Just seeing a police car, that gives me anxiety, even though Im not doing anything wrong. Burton said his own fear this summer has been elevated not just by what has happened locally during Black Lives Matter protests in May and June, but by the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin a Midwest city not too much bigger than Kalamazoo. People cannot stay stagnant and complacent within the same mindset that we were building on, Custard said. "Police training cannot stay stagnant. "They say dont fix something if it aint broke, but its broke, so fix it. While its a peaceful fight as far as Kalamazoos emerging leaders are concerned, lets not get it twisted, its a fight," Singleton said. "We shouldnt have to fight this hard. Were not going to keep turning on our computers and seeing our brothers and sisters being murdered. Custard said in order for change to happen, police need to become culturally competent and learn how to better work with the Black communities both in Kalamazoo and around the nation. The problems, she said, are deep-rooted in American history and until people recognize that, real systemic change wont happen. Weve had movements and weve made progress, but over the past 10 years, weve been set back heavily. 2020 has definitely taken us back to the Civil Rights movement," she said. "We want change. We want the right change and we want to feel like were valuable so we can go home and tell our children that their Black is beautiful. Also on MLive: Kalamazoo activists call for unity, accountability during protest outside county courthouse We as a community have to come together, Kalamazoo assistant police chief says Activists say Kalamazoo blew it with preliminary report on police response to Proud Boys rally City review of police response to Kalamazoo Proud Boys rally finds areas for improvement Critics continue calls for resignations over Kalamazoos response to Proud Boys event Counterprotester aggression was catalyst for violence at Proud Boys event in Kalamazoo, officers report says Kalamazoo police chief responds to criticism of handling of Proud Boys rally FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The logo of SoftBank Group Corp is displayed at SoftBank World 2017 conference in Tokyo By Sam Nussey and Stephen Nellis TOKYO/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nvidia Corp will buy UK-based chip designer Arm from Japan's SoftBank Group Corp for as much as $40 billion, the companies said on Monday, in a deal set to reshape the global semiconductor landscape. The sale puts a vital supplier to Apple Inc and others across the industry under the control of a single player and faces likely pushback from regulators and rivals to Nvidia, the biggest U.S. chip company by market capitalisation. Within hours of the announcement, critics questioned how Arm would maintain its open approach under U.S. ownership and at a time of friction with China. For Softbank, the sale marks an early exit from Arm, just four years after the technology group's $32 billion acquisition. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has lionised the potential of Arm but is slashing his stakes in major assets to raise cash. The move comes as SoftBank executives, frustrated at the group's share performance, have held early stage talks about taking the Japanese technology group private, a source told Reuters. Those talks could gain momentum following the Arm sale. SoftBank's shares soared 10% in Tokyo. Nvidia will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in shares and $12 billion in cash, including $2 billion on signing. The deal will see SoftBank and its $100 billion Vision Fund, which has a 25% stake in Arm, take a stake in Nvidia of between 6.7% and 8.1%. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the deal, which will boost his firm in data centre chips, was "pro competition". It marked "the first time in history the industry could see something that is genuinely alternative" to Intel Corp's domination of the sector, he said. Taiwan-born Huang emphasised he will retain Arm's neutral licensing model and expand it by licensing out Nvidia intellectual property for the first time. Nvidia said it will license its flagship graphical processor unit through Arm's network of silicon partners. It will build chips for devices like self-driving cars but also make its technology available for others. The companies did not discuss the deal with the British government until shortly before the announcement because the talks were secret, Huang said. A new artificial intelligence research center will be built at Arm's Cambridge headquarters. Story continues "Cambridge is going to be a site of growth," Huang said. CHINA SCRUTINY Arm does not make chips but has created an instruction set architecture - the most fundamental intellectual property that underpins computing chips - on which it bases designs for computing cores. Arm licenses its chip designs and technology to customers like Qualcomm Inc, Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Apple's forthcoming Mac computers will use Arm-based chips. Arm will not become subject to U.S. export controls under the deal, said Huang. The purchase, which is subject to regulatory approvals including in Britain, the United States and China, is likely to come under close scrutiny in China, where thousands of companies from Huawei to small startups use Arm technology. Nvidia will take control of the minority stake in joint venture Arm China. Arm is in dispute with the venture, which licenses chip architecture to local companies, over its management. Co-founded by Huang, who has a penchant for leather jackets and an Nvidia arm tattoo, the firm began as a graphics chip designer but has expanded aggressively into products for areas including artificial intelligence and data centers. The Arm acquisition will put Nvidia into even more intense competition with rivals in the data center chip market such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Inc because Arm has been developing technology to compete with their chips. In what would amount to a direct challenge to those rivals, Huang said it is "possible" Nvidia will build its own server chips based on Arm designs. Nvidia is buying up technologies in parts of the booming data center business where it does not currently play. In April it completed the purchase of Israel-based Mellanox Inc, which makes high-speed networking technology that is used in data centers and supercomputers. The Arm deal is expected to close by March 2022. SoftBank could be paid an additional $5 billion in cash or shares depending on the chip designer's business performance, with Arm employees to be paid $1.5 billion in Nvidia shares. (Reporting by Sam Nussey, Stephen Nellis and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Richard Pullin) Gardai are continuing to question a juvenile in relation to the murder of a homeless man in Dublins south inner city. The remains of a man, aged in his 40s and believed to be Eastern European, were found on a laneway off the South Circular Road, in the early hours of Monday. Gardai are satisfied they have identified the victim but are still trying to contact relatives abroad before releasing any details. A minor, aged 16, was subsequently identified by gardai and arrested. Charges may be brought as early as Tuesday. It is thought that witnesses put the suspect at the scene. Gardai, who arrived at 1.30am, were able to trace him to accommodation. The minor is thought to have moved to Ireland from abroad when he was very young. A 'serious physical beating' Gardai had received reports of a serious assault taking place on the alleyway off Hamilton Road in Kilmainham at 1.30am. Garda sources said the victim sustained a serious physical beating, that was severe enough to inflict fatal injuries. The victim died at the scene. Detectives are investigating the circumstances behind the attack, including suspicions that there may have been previous interactions between the suspect and the victim. This may relate to the theft of a mobile phone from the victim. The youth is thought to have been hanging around with other teenagers in the area at the time. Gardai are investigating reports that the juvenile was involved in a separate robbery on the North Quays at the weekend. Part of this incident, in which there was a fight between a group of people, was recorded and shared on social media. The youth was arrested in relation to that incident, but officers are confident there is no link to the murder. It is thought that the youth does not have a record of criminal activity, but was considered to have behavioural issues. Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry in their investigation, sources said. The laneway was sealed off pending a forensic examination and the arrival of the State Pathologist. The remains were later removed for a full post mortem examination. Gardai do not believe any weapon was used. Flowers at the scene today. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie The laneway runs along the side of two rows of houses, one on Madison Road and the other on Mayfield Road. The laneway is parallel to South Circular Road, a busy thoroughfare, though it is not thought many would have been out at the time of the assault. Some flowers were placed nearby during the day. While the area is considered a quiet residential area, some residents have complained of gangs of youths causing trouble. A Garda statement said officers in Kevin Street were appealing to anyone who might have any information in relation to this matter to come forward. It said that anyone who was in the Madison Lane area between the hours of 11pm and 2am should contact Kevin Street Garda Station on 01 666 9400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. Why does exercise training make you more fit? It's well established that exercising enhances insulin sensitivity and improves our metabolism that, in turn, increases exercise performance. But the biological mechanisms underlying this adaptation are not fully understood. New research published in the journal PNAS suggests that part of the explanation rests on how skeletal muscle and fat tissue communicate with each other. The research was led by CBMR's Associate Professor Jonas Treebak from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen, together with Assistant Professor Marcelo A. Mori from the University of Campinas. DICER primes fat to help muscles In experiments in both mice and humans, they found that short-term exercise training increases levels of the enzyme DICER in fat cells. DICER in fat helps muscles adapt to exercise and increase performance because it primes fat cells to release fatty acids into the bloodstream that muscles need. The scientists argue that DICER works by regulating a microRNA molecule that stops fat from utilizing glucose from the bloodstream. Their study shows that mice, which cannot produce DICER, do not get more fit from exercising, and even develop obesity. However, if you transfer blood from previously exercised mice into non-exercised mice, it increased levels of DICER in the fat of non-exercised mice. This suggests that exercise training causes muscles to release a molecule that causes fat cells to produce more DICER. An unknown circulating factor Associate Professor Jonas Treebak says: "The idea that skeletal muscle signals to other tissues in response to exercise is not new, and although the specific signal from muscle remains elusive, we have identified a signalling axis between muscle and fat that is central for the adaptive response in muscle to exercise training." He adds: "The next steps are obviously to identify the circulating factor from skeletal muscle as well as to identify the target(s) of the specific microRNA." ### Read the full article in PNAS here: Dynamic changes in DICER levels in adipose tissue control metabolic adaptations to exercise At just 23-years-old, Dr. Veeragandham Teja had already worked in 16 private hospitals, conducted several medical camps and had volunteered with Bengaluru police and local migrant workers during the pandemic. Not a bad record for any doctor, let alone a 5th grade dropout with no medical education and little training Veeragandham Teja had been working as a doctor for over four years when his luck finally came to an end. It was a double whammy that got him in the end: his second wife filed mental and physical harassment against him, and he made the mistake of making a recommendation to police to cancel a persons rowdy sheet (criminal record), only to then be spotted driving that persons registered SUV. All it took was a bit of digging and police uncovered a web of lies going back over a decade, false degrees and certificates and several aliases. Their conclusion was that Tejas career and pretty much all of his life, for that matter, was a fabrication Photo: Unsplash He is very clever, senior officer from Rachakonda police described Teja. As he meets someone he finds out that persons likes and dislikes and acts accordingly. Even when he was arrested in Bengaluru for cheating and impersonating as IPS officer, he managed to safeguard his identity as a doctor. In 2016, soon after beginning his career as a doctor, Veeragandham was caught by Bengaluru police impersonating an IPS officer and also used official vehicles claiming to be a senior IPS officers son, but he managed to get himself acquitted in that case. Since then he had worked as a doctor in several high-profile specialty hospitals, but because he had basic medical skills, which he learnt during his internship, nobody suspected him. As it turns out, Veeragandham Tejas curricular achievements were nowhere as impressive as his CV suggested. He was a class 5 dropout who had reportedly run away from home in 2005 and traveled to various big cities like Tirupati, Howrah, Lucknow, etc, selling water bottles and snacks on trains. That was how he met one YS Purushottam Reddy and secured a job with him. It was during this time that he experienced the social and financial benefits of the medical profession and decided to experience them firsthand. Dr. Reddy, who had offered Teja shelter and financial support, after hearing that he was an orphan, also helped him get a drivers license and voter ID on his address as well as other important documents. The ambitious teen would later borrow the doctors surname, YS, and worked towards getting all sorts of fake certificates and degrees to facilitate his scam. After securing fake certificates of Class 10 and 12, Teja bought an MBBS certificate with the help of an educational consultancy in New Delhi, and used it to obtain an internship at a hospital, where he picked up the basic medical skills he subsequently used to avoid suspicion. After the internship, he went to Bengaluru, where he worked as District Medical Officer for some time. He then moved to Hyderabad where he worked as a doctor in several hospitals. Interestingly, if not for his wife complaint against him, which triggered an investigation, and his brazen recommendation to police to cancel the criminal record of one of his many aliases, Veeragandham Teja would still be practicing medicine, without a care in the world. Photo: Bill Oxford/Unsplash Investigators found that while some documents claim Teja was only 23-years-old, in reality is much older. Their report also mention that he had treated numerous patients during his 4-year-long medical career, including Covid-19 patients Interestingly, impersonating doctors, which seemingly difficult, is not at all uncommon. A couple of years ago we wrote about a teen who managed to pose as a doctor just by wearing a face mask and a stethoscope, and there was also the story of the fake dentist who ran his own dental clinic. Oh and who could forget the Florida teen who ran his own medical practice. The outgoing prime minister resigned on August 28 due to health problems. Suga has obtained the support of all the main factions of the Liberal Democratic Party: on September 16 he will be formally elected by Parliament. He promises continuity with Abe's policies. Covid-19 emergency, Olympics, chronic economic stagnation and military defense are the main challenges for the new executive. Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Yoshihide Suga will be Shinzo Abe's successor to lead the country. The current cabinet leader of the Abe government won today's vote for the choice of the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which controls the two houses of parliament. On August 28, Abe resigned from his post as prime minister for health reasons. In office since 2012, on August 24, he became the longest uninterrupted prime minister in the country's history. Already at the helm of the government from 2006 to 2007, Abe had left office due to persistent intestinal problems. 394 parliamentarians and 141 local delegates participated in the internal voting of the LDP. Suga, a close ally of Abe, won the support of the main party factions. His rivals, but only on paper, were former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. On September 16, in an extraordinary session of Parliament, the powerful head of cabinet will be elected as the new prime minister: his mandate expires next year. Suga promised continuity with Abe's policies, including "Abenomics", a monetary expansion and fiscal stimulus launched - without much success - to lift the country's economy out of chronic stagnation. The new prime minister will have to deal with the Covid-19 emergency, where Abe's executive has been teh target of criticism, and face the challenge of holding the Olympics, postponed to next summer due to the pandemic. The outgoing premier also bequeathed a controversial proposal to allow the Armed Forces to strike the bases of a foreign power in the event of a missile threat, a provision that many say violates Japan's pacifist constitution. Marcus Lewis Jr., an eighth-grader at Rodeo Palms Junior High School in Alvin ISD, had never thought of himself as a writer. But when the 13-year-old learned that his essay on the value of free speech in a democracy had won the Popular Vote category in a national contest, his mother could tell he was pleased. Marcus has a dimple, and when he smiles really big, you can see that dimple, said Kimberly Lewis. The contest, announced in April and organized through a partnership of major news outlets across the country, including Black Voice News, Boston Globe and the Tennessean, invited students at levels ranging from sixth grade to college to write a 500-word essay on why the First Amendment matters. For Marcus, it was gratifying that he had received $1,000 in prize money, that he had been recognized by major news publications and a panel of judges that included academics and renowned journalists and that he was one of five students chosen nationally. But it was also an unexpected win. When my essay was recognized, I was surprised, he said. After I finished (submitting the essay) I didnt really worry about the outcome. I felt like I didnt have anything to lose. According to his mother, Lewis is more of a science-math-and-tech student, and writing for him had always been a chore. What was valuable about this contest beyond the recognition and prize money is that it allowed young participants to put pen to paper on things that matter to them during a pivotal time. The more research he did, the more he was intrigued, because it began to tie into the things that were going on in the world, Lewis said. We began to go through a very tumultuous time peoples thoughts about COVID, peoples thoughts about Black Lives Matter, it began a really good conversation in a nonacademic setting. Lewis described her son as something of an introvert, and said the essay gave him a forum to speak through words. More Information Youths' thoughts on freedom of the press To read the essays by Marus Lewis Jr. and others who were recognized in the national student essay competition on the importance of a free press, visit https://bit.ly/2FiS6Ao For more on the contest, sponsored by MKL Public Relations, visit https://bit.ly/3hkY8xq See More Collapse I think the contest helped Marcus to find his own voice and it gave him permission to have his own opinions about things, she said. In his essay Why a Free Press Matters in a Democracy, Lewis takes the reader through various examples on how a free press played a role in history. The contest, he said, led him to discover some of that history. In the essay, he wrote: A democracy ceases to exist without honoring the First Amendment. My research taught me about the Pentagon Papers, the Vietnam War and censorship, Lewis said. Those issues matter now more than ever, he said. Lewis has watched the last few years unfold in the news, whether it is how the press reports on the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic or how the citizens react. In todays society its important to have a voice, because its important for people to hear different opinions, he said. Its important to not have a fixed mindset and think theres only one true answer. In some cases, like in my geometry class, all answers can be correct but for different reasons. Lewis mother believes the contest gave Marcus the sense that he had a voice. To Marcus, as a young black male, that voice and presence in his community can make a difference. For me being a black male in this society means I have to do my best to prove that Im not less than others because of the color of my skin, Lewis said. Black-owned businesses make me proud because they are an example to the world. They show the world blacks are just as capable of success as nonblack businesses. yorozco@hcnonline.com Turkish and Russian officials will meet in Ankara this week for a new round of talks on developments in Syria and Libya, where the two countries back opposing sides, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. "Consultations between Turkish and Russian interagency delegations on Libya and Syria will continue at a technical level on 15-16 September 2020 in Ankara," the ministry said. Ankara and Moscow are the main power brokers in Libya's war and have been holding talks on a lasting ceasefire and political settlement. Russia supports the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) lead by Khalifa Haftar, while Turkey has helped the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) repel LNA's offensive. Last month, the GNA declared a ceasefire in Libya and called for a lifting of a blockade on oil facilities. Aguila Saleh, the leader of a rival parliament to the east, also called for a halt to hostilities. But Haftar, who is also supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, dismissed the move. Ankara and Moscow also back opposing sides in Syria. Russia, along with Iran, supports President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Turkey backs rebels looking to oust him. After an escalation of violence displaced nearly 1 million people and brought the two sides close to confrontation, Turkey and Russia agreed in March to halt hostilities. Both sides have said the ceasefire has held despite minor violations. The last round of talks was held in Moscow on Aug. 31-Sept. 1. * This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: BY THE NUMBERS IN THE NEWS TODAY STOCKS TO WATCH Nikola (NKLA) shares dropped another 6.7% as the electric truck maker faces allegations of fraud from a short seller, Hindenburg Research. In a press release Monday, Nikola said the allegations are "false and misleading, and designed to manipulate the market to profit from a manufactured decline in Nikola's stock price." An analyst at Goldman Sachs upgraded Micron Technology (MU) to "buy" from "neutral," sending the stock up 3.8%. The analyst said Micron is "well-positioned competitively as it continues to execute on its tech transitions and risk/reward on the stock skews positive." Overstock.com (OSTK) was initiated by a Needham analyst with a "buy" rating and a price target of $96 per share, implying an upside of 47.4% from Friday's close of $65.15 per share. The analyst said Overstock is "benefiting from external and internal factors that are driving an acceleration in revenue growth and market share gains." Overstock shares traded 6.5% higher. Morgan Stanley initiated Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) with an "overweight" rating and a price target of $485 per share, sending the stock up 1.9% before the bell. That price target implies an upside of 12.6% from Friday's close. MGM Resorts (MGM) shares fell more than 1% after a Goldman Sachs analyst downgraded the casino operator to "sell" from "hold." The analyst said he expects "a slower recovery in Las Vegas which will drive downside to consensus estimates and fundamental underperformance relative to peers." Kroger (KR) was downgraded to "neutral" from "buy" by a Bank of America analyst, citing a potential deceleration of same-store sales moving forward as restaurants start reopening. Shares of the grocery store chain slipped 0.9%. WATERCOOLER Photo-Illustration: Joe Darrow/Photograph: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images (TRUMP); Hennepin County Sheriffs Office via Getty Images (jumpsuit) The defendant looked uncomfortable as he stood to testify in the shabby courtroom. Dressed in a dark suit and somber tie, he seemed aged, dimmed, his posture noticeably stooped. The past year had been a massive comedown for the 76-year-old former world leader. For decades, the bombastic onetime showman had danced his way past scores of lawsuits and blustered through a sprawl of scandals. Then he left office and was indicted for tax fraud. As a packed courtroom looked on, he read from a curled sheaf of papers. It seemed as though the once inconceivable was on the verge of coming to pass: The countrys former leader would be convicted and sent to a concrete cell. The date was October 19, 2012. The man was Silvio Berlusconi, the longtime prime minister of Italy. Here in the United States, we have never yet witnessed such an event. No commander-in-chief has been charged with a criminal offense, let alone faced prison time. But if Donald Trump loses the election in November, he will forfeit not only a sitting presidents presumptive immunity from prosecution but also the levers of power he has aggressively co-opted for his own protection. Considering the number of crimes he has committed, the time span over which he has committed them, and the range of jurisdictions in which his crimes have taken place, his potential legal exposure is breathtaking. More than a dozen investigations are already under way against him and his associates. Even if only one or two of them result in criminal charges, the proceedings that follow will make the O. J. Simpson trial look like an afternoon in traffic court. It may seem unlikely that Trump will ever wind up in a criminal court. His entire life, after all, is one long testament to the power of getting away with things, a master class in criminality without consequences, even before he added presidentiality and all its privileges to his arsenal of defenses. As he himself once said, When youre a star, they let you do it. But for all his advantages and all his enablers, including loyalists in the Justice Department and the federal judiciary, Trump now faces a level of legal risk unlike anything in his notoriously checkered past and well beyond anything faced by any previous president leaving office. To assess the odds that he will end up on trial, and how the proceedings would unfold, I spoke with some of the countrys top prosecutors, defense attorneys, and legal scholars. For the past four years, they have been weighing the case against Trump: the evidence already gathered, the witnesses prepared to testify, the political and constitutional issues involved in prosecuting an ex-president. Once he leaves office, they agree, there is good reason to think Trump will face criminal charges. Its going to head toward prosecution, and the litigation is going to be fierce, says Bennett Gershman, a professor of constitutional law at Pace Law School who served for a decade as a New York State prosecutor. Clockwise from left: From World Leader to Convicted Felon: Silvio Berlusconi, Prime minister of Italy. Convicted: 2012. Crime: Tax fraud. Photo: Stefano Porta/EPA/Shutterstock/Stefano Porta/EPA/Shutterstock Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan. Convicted: 2019. Crime: Money laundering. Photo: EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea. Convicted: 2018 Crimes: Bribery, extortion Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Clockwise from left: From World Leader to Convicted Felon: Silvio Berlusconi, Prime minister of Italy. Convicted: 2012. Crime: Tax fraud. Photo: Stefa... more Clockwise from left: From World Leader to Convicted Felon: Silvio Berlusconi, Prime minister of Italy. Convicted: 2012. Crime: Tax fraud. Photo: Stefano Porta/EPA/Shutterstock/Stefano Porta/EPA/Shutterstock Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea. Convicted: 2018 Crimes: Bribery, extortion Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan. Convicted: 2019. Crime: Money laundering. Photo: EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images Here, according to the legal experts, is how Trump could become the first former president in American history to find himself on trial and perhaps even behind bars. You might think, given all the crimes Trump has bragged about committing during his time in office, that the primary path to prosecuting him would involve the U.S. Justice Department. If Joe Biden is sworn in as president in January, his attorney general will inherit a mountain of criminal evidence against Trump accumulated by Robert Mueller and a host of inspectors general and congressional oversight committees. If the DOJs incoming leadership green-lights an investigation of Trump after being briefed on any sensitive matters contained in the evidence, federal prosecutors will move forwardat the fastest pace they can, says Mary McCord, the former acting assistant attorney general for national security. Theyll have plenty of potential charges to choose from. Both Mueller and the Senate Intelligence Committee a Republican-led panel have extensively documented how Trump committed obstruction of justice (18 U.S. Code 73), lied to investigators (18 U.S. Code 1001), and conspired with Russian intelligence to commit an offense against the United States (18 U.S. Code 371). All three crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison per charge. According to legal experts, federal prosecutors could be ready to indict Trump on one or more of these felonies as early as the first quarter of 2021. But prosecuting Trump for any crimes he committed as president would face two significant and perhaps fatal hurdles. First, on his way out of office, Trump could decide to preemptively pardon himself. I wouldnt be surprised if he issues a broad, sweeping pardon for any U.S. citizen who was a subject, a target, or a person of interest of the Mueller investigation, says Norm Eisen, who served as counsel to House Democrats during Trumps impeachment. Since scholars are divided on whether a self-pardon would be constitutional, what happens next would depend almost entirely on which judge ruled on the issue. One judge might say, Sorry, presidential pardons is something the Constitution grants exclusively to the president, so Im going to dismiss this, says Gershman. Another judge might say, No, the president cant pardon himself. Either way, the case would almost certainly wind up getting litigated all the way to the Supreme Court, perhaps more than once, causing a long delay. Even if the courts ultimately ruled a self-pardon unconstitutional, another big hurdle would remain: Trumps claims that executive privilege bars prosecutors from obtaining evidence of presidential misconduct. The provision has traditionally been limited to shielding discussions between presidents and their advisers from external scrutiny. But Trump has attempted to expand the protection to include pretty much anything that he or anyone in the executive branch has ever done. William Consovoy, one of Trumps lawyers, famously argued in federal court that even if Trump gunned someone down in the street while he was president, he could not be prosecuted for it while in office. Although the courts have repeatedly ruled against such sweeping arguments, Trump will continue to claim immunity from the judicial process after he leaves office a surefire delaying tactic. If federal charges were ever brought, it is unlikely that a trial would be scheduled or start anytime in the foreseeable future, says Timothy W. Hoover, president of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. By the time any federal charges come to trial, Trump is likely to be either senile or dead. Even if he broke the law as president, the experts agree, he may well get away with it. But federal charges arent the likeliest way that The People v. Donald J. Trump will play out. State laws arent subject to presidential pardons, and they cover a host of crimes beyond those committed in the White House. When it comes to charging a former president, state attorneys general and county prosecutors can go places a U.S. Attorney cant. According to legal experts, the man most likely to drag Trump into court is the district attorney for Manhattan, Cyrus Vance Jr. Its a surprising scenario, given Vances well-deserved reputation as someone who has gone easy on the rich and famous. After taking office in 2010, he sought to reduce Jeffrey Epsteins status as a sex offender, dropped an investigation into whether Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. had committed fraud in the marketing of the Trump Soho, and initially decided not to prosecute Harvey Weinstein despite solid evidence of his sex crimes. He has a reputation for being particularly cautious when it comes to going after rich people, because he knows that those are the ones who can afford the really formidable law firms, says Victoria Bassetti, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice who served on the team of lawyers that oversaw the Senate impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. And like most prosecutors, Vance is exceptionally protective of his win-loss rate. But it was Vance who stepped up when the federal case against Trump faltered. Hes a politician, observes Martin Sheil, a former IRS criminal investigator. Hes got his finger up. He knows which way the winds blowing, and he knows the wind in New York is blowing against Trump. Its in his political interest to join that bandwagon. Last year, after U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District dropped their investigation into the hush money that Trump had paid Stormy Daniels, Vance took up the case. Suspecting that laffaire Stormy might prove to be part of a larger pattern of shady dealings, his office started digging into Trumps finances. What Vance is investigating, according to court filings, is evidence of extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization, potentially involving bank fraud, tax fraud, and insurance fraud. The New York Times has detailed how Trump and his family have long falsified records to avoid taxes, and during testimony before Congress in 2019, Trumps longtime fixer Michael Cohen stated that Trump had inflated the value of his assets to obtain a bank loan. Crucially, all of these alleged crimes occurred before Trump took office. That means no claims of executive privilege would apply to any charges Vance might bring, and no presidential pardon could make them go away. A whole slew of potential objections and delays would be ruled out right off the bat. Whats more, the alleged offenses took place less than six years ago, within the statute of limitation for fraud in New York. Vance, in other words, is free to go after Trump not as a crooked president but as a common crook who happened to get elected president. And the fact that he has been pursuing these cases while Trump is president is a sign that he wont be intimidated by the stature of the office after Trump leaves it. In writing up an indictment against Trump, Vances team could try to string together a laundry list of offenses in hopes of presenting an overwhelming wall of guilt. But that approach, experts warn, can become confusing. A two- or three-count indictment is easier to explain to a jury, says Ilene Jaroslaw, a former assistant U.S. Attorney. If they think the person had criminal intent, it doesnt matter if its two counts or 20 counts, in most cases, because the sentence will be the same. There are two main charges that Vance is likely to pursue. The first is falsifying business records (N.Y. Penal Law 175.10). During Cohens trial, federal prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum that explained how the Trump Organization had mischaracterized hush-money payments as legal expenses in its bookkeeping. Under New York law, falsifying records by itself is only a misdemeanor, but if it results in the commission of another crime, it becomes a felony. And false business records frequently lead to another offense: tax fraud (N.Y. Tax Law 1806). If Trump cooked his books, observes Sheil, that false information would essentially flow into the tax returns. The first crime begets the second, making both the bookkeeper and the tax accountant liable. Since you have several folks involved, Sheil says, you could either bring a conspiracy charge, maximum sentence five years, or you could charge each individual with aiding and abetting the preparation of a false tax return, with a max sentence of three years. To build a fraud case against Trump, Vance subpoenaed his financial records. But those records alone wont be enough: To secure a conviction, Vance will need to convince a jury not only that Trump cheated on his taxes but that he intended to do so. If you just have the documents, the defense will say that defendant didnt have criminal intent, Jaroslaw explains. I call it the Im an idiot defense: I made a mistake. I didnt mean to do anything. Unfortunately for Trump, both Cohen and his longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg, have already signaled their willingness to cooperate with prosecutors. Whats great about having an accountant in the witness stand is that they can tell you about the conversation they had with the client, Jaroslaw says. Through appeals, Trump has managed to drag out the battle over his tax returns. The case has gone all the way to the Supreme Court, back down to the district court, and back up to the appeals court. But Trump has lost at every stage, and it appears that his appeals could be exhausted this fall. Once Vance gets the tax returns, Eisen estimates, he could be ready to indict Trump as early as the second quarter of 2021. Sheil, for one, believes Vance may already have Trumps financial records. Its routine procedure, he notes, for criminal tax investigators working with the Manhattan DA to obtain personal and business tax returns that are material to their inquiry. But issuing a subpoena to Trumps accountants may have been a way to signal to them that they could face criminal charges themselves unless they cooperate in the investigation. Once indicted, Trump would be arraigned at New York Criminal Court, a towering Art Deco building at 100 Centre Street. Since a former president with a Secret Service detail can hardly slip away unnoticed, he would likely not be required to post bail or forfeit his passport while awaiting trial. His legal team, of course, would do everything it could to draw out the proceedings. Filing appeals has always been just another day at the office for Trump, who, by some estimates, has faced more than 4,000 lawsuits during the course of his career. But this time, his legal liability would extend to numerous other state and local jurisdictions, which will also be building cases against him. Theres like 1,037 other things where, if anybody put what he did under a microscope, they would probably find an enormous amount of financial improprieties, says Scott Shapiro, director of the Center for Law and Philosophy at Yale University. Even accounting for legal delays, many experts predict that Trump would go to trial in Manhattan by 2023. The proceedings would take place at the New York State Supreme Court Building. Assuming that the judge was prepared for an endless barrage of motions and objections from Trumps defense team, the trial might move quite quickly no longer than a few months, according to some legal observers. And given the convictions that have been handed down against many of Trumps top advisers, theres reason to believe that even pro-Trump jurors can be persuaded to convict him. The evidence was overwhelming, concluded one MAGA supporter who served on the jury that convicted Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman. I did not want [him] to be guilty. But he was, and no one is above the law. Trumps conviction would seal the greatest downfall in American politics since Richard Nixon. Unlike his associates who were sentenced to prison on federal charges, Trump would not be eligible for a presidential pardon or commutation, even from himself. And while his lawyers would file every appeal they can think of, none of it would spare Trump the indignity of imprisonment. Unlike the federal court system, which often allows prisoners to remain free during the appeals process, state courts tend to waste no time in carrying out punishment. After someone is sentenced in New York City, their next stop is Rikers Island. Once there, as Trump awaited transfer to a state prison, the man whod treated the presidency like a piggy bank would receive yet another handout at the public expense: a toothbrush and toothpaste, bedding, a towel, and a green plastic cup. *This article appears in the September 14, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! A family takes temporary shelter at the community clinic after the landfall of cyclone Amphan in Assasuni, Satkhira district, Bangladesh. Taken on 5 June 2020. Zabed Hasnain Chowdhury | SOPA Images/LightRocket | Getty Images SINGAPORE Bangladesh is confronting a twin crisis of extreme weather disasters, and a pandemic that's killed thousands so far. In addition to battling its heaviest rainfall in recent years, the South Asian nation is also struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has hampered recovery efforts and dealt a blow to job prospects. The people who are most vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic are the same people who are "living on the front lines of climate change," Afsari Begum, senior specialist for disaster risk reduction at the development charity, Practical Action, told CNBC. "We're concerned that a lot of people will be pushed further into poverty because of Coronavirus. If communities are battered by intense storms and floods that destroy or damage homes, agricultural land, schools and hospitals, it will only make things worse," she said in a report commissioned by the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, which aims to help countries build their flood resilience. Extreme weather We see desperate workers willing to accept very low wages in extremely dangerous conditions, with no serious health and safety protections, let alone social distancing measures or personal protective equipment. Jon Hartough country director for Bangladesh, Solidarity Center However, this year, economic stagnation and job losses amid Covid-19 have forced workers to return to their flood-prone villages, where there are even fewer economic opportunities. This has devastated remittance flows from overseas and Bangladesh's urban centers. Many more of Bangladesh's rural poor are afraid to take shelter at evacuation centers, with some even opting to live on their rooftops to escape the waters instead, said Begum, who said they fear losing what little land they own. Yet, their tenuous grip on their sole life asset is steadily slipping away. Over the years, rising sea levels have resulted in fresh water supply being infiltrated by salt water and affecting agricultural production. In addition, soil erosion has ravaged their land due to climate change, forcing them to increasingly prioritize fresh water for irrigation and their livestock, while traveling further to find safe drinking water for their own households. 'Vicious cycle' of poverty and disaster By 2050, rising sea levels will forcibly displace 18 million Bangladeshis from their homes and submerge almost a fifth of the nation's land mass, according to the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, a non-governmental research institution. Bangladesh is already experiencing waves of forced migration, with over 400,000 people alone flocking to Dhaka annually in part due to the loss of land and dwindling economic opportunities, according to the World Bank, which cited the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. After some time, these poor people stopped caring about what is going to happen. They see really very little difference between starvation and dying from the virus. Afsari Begum Practical Action When Bangladesh reopened hundreds of garment factories in April, thousands of desperate workers flocked back to overcrowded industrial areas, including the capital of Dhaka, which currently has the bulk of the country's reported coronavirus infections. "We see desperate workers willing to accept very low wages in extremely dangerous conditions, with no serious health and safety protections, let alone social distancing measures or personal protective equipment," said Jon Hartough, country director for Bangladesh at the labor advocacy non-profit firm, Solidarity Center. "It is a vicious cycle of poverty, disaster and recovery," said Rahman, adding that the cumulative effect of one shock after another is taking its toll on Bangladeshi locals, whose meager life savings have dried up. Begum agreed, saying: "After some time, these poor people stopped caring about what is going to happen. They see really very little difference between starvation and dying from the virus." Uncertainty of climate change LONDON An American lawyer told an extradition hearing in Britain for Julian Assange on Monday that the WikiLeaks founder faces decades in prison if he is convicted on spying charges in the United States. U.S. prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 17 espionage charges, and one of computer misuse, over WikiLeaks publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Attorney Eric Lewis, appearing as a defense witness, said the scope of the indictment pointed to a very aggressive approach to sentencing on the part of the government. All signs point to a very long sentence, measured in many decades, said Lewis, a senior partner at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss in Washington, DC. We are looking at a sentence somewhere between 20 years, if everything goes brilliantly, to 175 years, which the government could easily ask for, he said. Assanges lawyers say the prosecution is politically motivated and that he will not receive a fair trial in the United States, They also argue that the conditions he would face in prison would breach his human rights. Assanges legal woes began a decade ago, when WikiLeaks published classified U.K. military documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been in a British prison since he was ejected from his refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in April 2019. The extradition hearing began a week ago at Londons Central Criminal Court and is due to last until early October. On Monday, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied a request by Assanges lawyers that everyone in the court wear masks to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus. The hearing was briefly suspended last week while one lawyer for the U.S. government was tested for COVID-19. The test came back negative. Baraitser said masks were required in communal areas of the court building, and that anyone who wanted to wear one in the courtroom could do so. A Hollywood screenwriter helped arrange to have 60 boulders lined up on a pedestrian sidewalk in a Los Angeles underpass to keep homeless people from setting up tents in the shaded area on a day when temperatures reached 111 degrees. Peter Iliff and other residents outraged advocates who condemned what they regarded as a cruel measure that forced homeless people into the unseasonably hot sun. Iliff, 63, whose credits include Point Break and Varsity Blues, along other local residents had a crew place the boulders in the I-10 freeway underpass that connects Reynier Village with the Culver City Arts District last Sunday, September 6. The city was not able to do it for us, so we took action, Iliff, who moved to Reynier Village two years ago, told Los Angeles Magazine. A group of West Los Angeles residents placed boulders in the Cattaraugus Tunnel, the Interstate 10 underpass that connects Reynier Village with the Culver City Arts District, in order to keep out homeless people as temperatures soared on September 6 The placement of the boulders prompted outrage from local advocates for the homeless and other residents The boulders were placed there to prevent homeless people from setting up tent encampments as temperatures reached 111 degrees last Sunday Peter Iliff, a Hollywood screenwriter and resident of nearby Reynier Village, helped organize the boulders When an opportunity arose and there was no homeless in the tunnel, we moved very quickly, because we were kind of laying in wait for this opportunity. Iliff said that the area was left filthy by homeless people who took up residence in the underpass. Jugs filled with urine and bags of meth pipes were among the items removed from the area, Iliff told KABC-TV. But local advocates for the homeless and other residents said they were outraged. During a Zoom meeting held by the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council last Tuesday, more than 60 people called in to express their opposition to the boulders while just four spoke up in favor, according to LA Magazine. Herb J. Wesson Jr, a city councilman who represents the area, slammed the boulders as wrong on so many levels and promised that he would work to ensure they are removed. Advocates for the homeless didnt wait for Wesson, however. Around 40 of the boulders were removed by volunteers with the Services Not Sweeps coalition. They left behind signs condemning the boulders and urged the public to focus on raising money to provide housing solutions. A group from an organization that aides homeless people removed the boulders last week Iliff claims that the boulders were a last resort after members of community offered housing to the homeless people in the area but were turned down. 'We offered an apartment - not talking shelter - an apartment. They still refused,' he said. Iliff has been publicly open about his desire to keep homeless people out of the area. He recently set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding effort titled Cattaraugus Tunnel Safety & Beautification Project. Do you feel safe walking with your loved ones through Cattaraugus Tunnel? the page reads. Here in Reynier Village, the underpass is the gate way to Reynier Park, Helms District, Metro, and Culver City...Help us clean up the tunnel, make it safe, and a beautiful gateway to and from Reynier Village. The page continued: In July, a local resident was walking his infant in a stroller, along with his his 2-yr-old and 4-yr-old, when a mentally ill individual physically attacked him with a weapon. He was forced to run with his infant and small children for safety. This is just one of many violent incidents. Many of us are frightened to use Cattaraugus Tunnel because of the long history of assaults. Iliff is a screenwriter whose credits include Varsity Blues and Point Break. He is seen right alongside filmmaker Rick King at the premier of Point Break in Los Angeles in 2015 Iliff recently set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding effort titled Cattaraugus Tunnel Safety & Beautification Project. The campaign raised $3,650 before it was taken down. It set a goal of $5,000 The police can only do so much. We must stand together to protect ourselves. We concerned residents of Reynier Village, working with LA City, intend to clean up and beautify Cattaraugus Tunnel with the goal of making it a safer place to walk through. Only we residents can get this done, and only if we work together to make our neighborhood a safer and more beautiful place. The campaign raised $3,650 before it was taken down. It set a goal of $5,000. This is all about us trying to keep our community from [having] our children have to witness this stuff, Iliff told LA Magazine. The choke point has become dangerous. Data released earlier this year found that homelessness in Los Angeles County rose for the third time in the last four years. Experts said 66,433 people now live on the streets, in shelters and in vehicles within the county, which is the most populous in the nation. The above image shows a homeless person using a tarp cover as a tent in Los Angeles in December 2019 Rhiana Casterisano, an activist with Services Not Sweeps, believes that those who put the boulders in the underpass had the tacit approval of the city council. City council is so known for, like, these shady backdoor deals, Casterisano says. You really never know whats going on behind closed doors. Iliff told the South Robertson Neighborhoods Executive Council on Thursday that he was threatened by law enforcement with a charge of illegal dumping if he didnt have the boulders removed within 24 hours. Iliff claimed he was helped by the city council office in nearby districts and that it cost him more money to remove the boulders than he raised on GoFundMe. The boulders were seen being hauled away on Thursday afternoon. An estimated 130,000 people are homeless somewhere in California on any given day, more than any other state, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. California is the most populous state in the United States, home to about 39.6 million people. In September, HUD Secretary Ben Carson rejected requests from California for more money from the Trump administration to fight homelessness, blaming state and local leaders for the crisis. Data released earlier this year found that homelessness in Los Angeles County rose for the third time in the last four years. Experts said 66,433 people now live on the streets, in shelters and in vehicles within the county, which is the most populous in the nation. That's up 12.7 per cent from 2019. Homelessness advocates say the rising cost of living is to blame for the increase. A $1.2billion program aimed at building housing for homeless people in Los Angeles has been plagued by delays and soaring costs that have seen the average price of constructing a single unit jump to nearly $559,000, according to a city audit. Voters passed a 2016 bond measure to help ease the deepening homelessness crisis by creating up to 10,000 housing units over a decade. Since then, only three new housing projects have been completed and others that are under construction wont be open for at least two more years, City Controller Ron Galperin said in a report released Wednesday. The homelessness crisis is visible in downtown Los Angeles, where hundreds of people live in makeshift shanties that line entire blocks in the notorious neighborhood known as Skid Row. Tents regularly pop up on the pavement outside City Hall, and encampments are increasingly found in suburban areas under freeway overpasses. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 06:14:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Firefighters battle the wildfire in Arcadia, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 13, 2020. An evacuation order was issued Sunday morning for residents in parts of the City of Arcadia in Southern California as a massive wildfire is burning closer to the populated communities. All residents north of Elkins Ave. and east of Santa Anita Ave. were ordered to evacuate due to dangerous wildfire conditions, said the city in an order. (Xinhua) LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- An evacuation order was issued Sunday morning for residents in parts of the City of Arcadia in Southern California as a massive wildfire is burning closer to the populated communities. All residents north of Elkins Ave. and east of Santa Anita Ave. were ordered to evacuate due to dangerous wildfire conditions, said the city in an order. "Do not wait until it is too late," warned officials. "If you have not already done so, quickly gather your family, pets, important papers, medications, and any emergency supplies, and evacuate the area as soon as possible. If your family must split up, determine a designated meeting place to account for every member." The blaze, dubbed Bobcat Fire, has scorched around 32,000 acres (around 129.5 square km) with only 6 percent containment in a week as of Sunday morning, according to InciWeb, an interagency all-risk incident web information management system. "The fire continues to actively grow to the north and south, with keeping it out of the foothills communities as the top priority. Crews are constructing handline and dozerline where possible to stop the downhill progression," InciWeb said, adding that helicopters are being used to support the ground forces as air conditions allow. Over 800 firefighters are battling the blaze and a Red Cross evacuation center has been established in Arcadia. Evacuation warnings are still in effect for other cities nearby, including Monrovia, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena. Arcadia and some other cities in San Gabriel Valley have the most populated Chinese American community in Southern California. Nearly half of the 60,000 residents in Arcadia are Chinese Americans. "The air quality is very poor due to smoke from the Bobcat Fire in recent days," said Linwood Zhou, an Arcadia resident who lives near Santa Anita Ave. "It's my first time to see a terrible wildfire so closely. We can watch the blaze burning in the mountains just in front of my residence," he told Xinhua, expressing his admiration for the firefighters who are battling wildfires across California. Enditem The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it has appointed Takeo Konishi as its new Country Director for India. Takeo Konishi succeeds Kenichi Yokoyama who has taken over as Director General of ADBs South Asia Department and will be based at ADB headquarter in Manila, ADB said in a release. As head of the country office in New Delhi, Konishi will lead ADB operations and policy dialogue with the government and other development partners in India, it said. He will oversee the implementation of ADBs India Country Partnership Strategy, 2018-2022 that focuses on building industrial competitiveness to create more jobs, providing inclusive infrastructure networks and services, and addressing environmental and climate change concerns. "My priority is to build on ADBs long-standing and robust partnership with India," said Konishi. "ADB is committed to working closely with the government to support the country in accelerating its inclusive and sustainable economic transformation. We will explore all options to help India in mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and assist in its rapid economic recovery process, he said. Konishi has 22 years of professional experience, including almost two decades with ADB in many senior roles including as Country Director of Uzbekistan Resident Mission and Advisor in the Central and West Asia department. In his latest role as Director of Public Management, Financial Sector, and Trade Division (SAPF) in ADBs South Asia Department, Konishi has pro-actively supported fast-tracking of ADBs COVID-19 programmes in the South Asia region, said the multi-lateral funding agency. He holds a Masters degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, USA and a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Lynchburg College, USA. India is currently ADBs fourth largest shareholder and has been its largest borrower since 2010. Since commencing its lending operations to India in 1986, ADB has committed 242 sovereign loans amounting to $44.1 billion. This year, ADB has so far committed $2.2 billion in sovereign lending, which includes $1.5 billion support to the governments immediate response to COVID-19 including disease containment and social protection measures. The current India portfolio comprises 68 projects worth about $13.7 billion. Importantly, ZC45 and ZXC21 are bat coronaviruses that were discovered (between July 2015 and February 2017), isolated, and characterized by military research laboratories in the Third Military Medical University (Chongqing, China) and the Research Institute for Medicine of Nanjing Command (Nanjing, China). The data and associated work were published in 2018. Clearly, this backbone/template, which is essential for the creation of SARS-CoV-2, exists in these and other related research laboratories. What strengthens our contention further is the published RaTG13 virus, the genomic sequence of which is reportedly 96% identical to that of SARS-CoV-2. While suggesting a natural origin of SARS-CoV-2, the RaTG13 virus also diverted the attention of both the scientific field and the general public away from ZC45/ZXC21. In fact, a Chinese BSL-3 lab (the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre), which published a Nature article reporting a conflicting close phylogenetic relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and ZC45/ZXC21 rather than with RaTG13, was quickly shut down for rectification. It is believed that the researchers of that laboratory were being punished for having disclosed the SARS-CoV-2ZC45/ZXC21 connection. On the other hand, substantial evidence has accumulated, pointing to severe problems associated with the reported sequence of RaTG13 as well as questioning the actual existence of this bat virus in nature. A very recent publication also indicated that the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the RaTG13s Spike protein could not bind ACE2 of two different types of horseshoe bats (they closely relate to the horseshoe bat R. affinis, RaTG13s alleged natural host), implicating the inability of RaTG13 to infect horseshoe bats. This finding further substantiates the suspicion that the reported sequence of RaTG13 could have been fabricated as the Spike protein encoded by this sequence does not seem to carry the claimed function. The fact that a virus has been fabricated to shift the attention away from ZC45/ZXC21 speaks for an actual role of ZC45/ZXC21 in the creation of SARS-CoV-2. ERIE, Pa., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Life insurance can pay for final expenses and provide financial security for loved ones left behind, but a new national survey from Erie Insurance shows many people are confused about it. Large percentages of respondents were unsure how various occupations and health conditions might affect who can or can't get life insurance, and many significantly overestimated the cost. Respondents also shared the reasons they first got life insurance, and the reasons they do or don't have it now. People discuss their reasons for buying life insurance in response to a survey conducted by Erie Insurance. "Getting a life insurance policy is one of the most important things a person can do to take care of their families and yet, it's a topic that many people don't want to think about. As a result, there is a lot of confusion about it," said Lou Colaizzo, senior vice president, Erie Family Life. "Erie Insurance commissioned this survey to help raise awareness of the benefits of life insurance and to take some of the mystery out of it." Reasons for not having life insurance When asked why they don't have life insurance, almost four in 10 (38%) said it would be too expensive. However, the survey suggests most people probably overestimate the cost. For example, at Erie Insurance, a 20-year, $250,000 term policy would cost roughly $200/year for a healthy 30-year-old male and $185 for a healthy 30-year-old female.* But more than half of respondents (56%) estimated it would cost $300/year or more, including 10% thinking it would be $500/year and 11% guessing it would be more than $500/year. Reasons and motivations for having life insurance Of those who have purchased life insurance, people were asked to list their one or two top reasons for doing so. The top five reasons were: To have money to leave as an inheritance for loved ones 37% So my loved ones would have money to pay for my funeral expenses 37% So my spouse and/or children would have enough money to maintain our current standard of living without my income 32% So my loved ones could pay my debts 17% So my spouse and/or children could keep our current home 10% When asked which life event first motivated them to buy a life insurance policy, 38% said no particular life event had motivated them. But of those who were motivated by a life event: 20% said it was that they got married; 20% said it was that they had a child, and 14% were motivated to buy life insurance after they bought a home. COVID confusion Four in 10 people (41%) said they don't know whether people who have had COVID-19 can get life insurance. 10% of respondents believe people who have had COVID cannot get life insurance. In fact, many insurance companies have developed specific questionnaires related to COVID-19. A person who had tested positive but had been asymptomatic may see no impact on their ability to get life insurance, whereas a person who had tested positive and been hospitalized may. Other health matters The majority of people know that certain health conditions affect the price of a life insurance policy, but there is some uncertainty. For example, 65% of people accurately said that insurance companies consider if a person has high blood pressure when determining the price of a policy, but 15% thought they don't and one in five (20%) weren't sure. Many people were also unsure about how a history of cancer might affect someone's ability to get life insurance. Almost one in five (19%) think a person who has had cancer cannot get life insurance, while 37% don't know whether they could or not. In fact, cancer, along with other past serious conditions like a heart attack or stroke, often will not disqualify a person from getting life insurance. Erie Insurance considers the type and severity of the illness, the time that has elapsed since the diagnosis, and current medications or treatment regimen when determining if a person is eligible for a life insurance policy. Taking care of Max and Luna* Most people name their spouse (59%) or child/children (38%) as their life insurance policy beneficiaries, but some people want to take care of their furry friends who are left behind. 10% listed their dog as their beneficiary while 4% listed their cat. (*Max and Luna are the among the most popular dog and cat names in the U.S.) In fact, a person cannot literally name a pet. Anyone wishing to do this should consult with their insurance agent to ensure the policy is set up properly. Whether it's a question about whom to name as a beneficiary, what type or how much life insurance to have, or how different health conditions or occupations may affect life insurance, Erie Insurance's Lou Colaizzo says the best thing to do is talk with your insurance agent about it. "Just as with any type of insurance, what's right for your neighbor may not be right for you," said Colaizzo. "Your agent can help you determine the best life insurance policy for you and your family based on your individual circumstances and needs." For more results from the Erie Insurance life insurance survey, see this infographic. *The insurance products and rates, if applicable, described in this article are in effect as of September 9, 2020 and may be changed at any time. Rates for a particular product will be determined by underwriting at the time of application. Methodology This survey was conducted online by Falls on behalf of Erie Insurance, from July 10 through July 15, 2020, among 650 U.S. residents ages 19 and older. Falls established the sampling quotas, designed the questionnaire, tabulated the survey responses, and managed the overall project. Falls used Dynata (Plano, TX) to administer the survey via the internet, including mobile devices, to Dynata's captive U.S. panels who met the age, gender, income, and regional demographic criteria. About Erie Insurance According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 11th largest homeowners insurer and 12th largest automobile insurer in the United States based on direct premiums written and the 16th largest property/casualty insurer in the United States based on total lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has nearly 6 million policies in force and operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Erie Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 company. ERIE life insurance products and services are provided by Erie Family Life Insurance Company (home office: Erie, Pennsylvania). Erie Family Life Insurance Company is not licensed to operate in all states. Go to erieinsurance.com for company licensure information. Life insurance products are not available in New York. News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group are available at www.erieinsurance.com. SOURCE Erie Insurance Group At least 13 states have conveyed their preferred borrowing options that were discussed at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Councils meeting last month for meeting their GST revenue gap. An additional six are expected to give their options in the next two days, said a person privy to the development. Of the 13 states that have already given their borrowing preferences, only Manipur opted for the second borrowing option that allows the state to borrow its entire GST revenue shortfall, including the gap in revenue receipts caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The other 12Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odishahave opted for borrowing funds from an RBI window that would cover the GST revenue shortfall that can be attributed to the implementation of GST, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity. The six other statesGoa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Himachal Pradeshare expected to give their options shortly. A few states, which are yet to decide on the options, have submitted their views to the chairperson of the GST CouncilUnion finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Non-BJP ruled states, including Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab and Delhi, have already turned down both the borrowing options and are urging the Union government to borrow and pay states instead of asking states to borrow themselves. The central government recently clarified to states that it was committed to fully honour the shortfall in revenue, which entails the payment of revenue losses that can be attributed to GST implementation within the five-year transition period itself (2017-22) while the revenue lost due to the coronavirus impact can be paid thereafter by extending the GST cess on luxury and sin goods beyond 2022. With these states taking an uncompromising posture so far, the next GST Council meeting is expected to be stormy. The Council has 33 members, including the chairperson and Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur. So far, all the decisions in the council, barring one on taxation of lotteries, have been taken by consensus. The fiscal woes of the central and state governments appear to have dealt a blow to the consensus-based approach. In the federal tax body, neither the Centre nor the states together can take a decision without the support of each other. According to the central government, there is enough space for the states to borrow as on an average, states have borrowed so far only about 1.25% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) and only a few states have reached around 2% of the GSDP. Besides, the Centre has already enhanced borrowing limit from 3% to 5% of GSDP. The central government argues that borrowing by the Centre would have a higher impact on the market and push the G-Sec rate, the benchmark rates for other borrowings, including borrowing by state governments. Therefore, any borrowing by the Centre would crowd out borrowings by the private sector and would make borrowings costly for entrepreneurs. 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 Friday brought disturbing and horrifying images, as it has every year for the past 19 years as we think about that terrible Sept. 11, 2001, when a beautiful day was destroyed by a dastardly attack on America and all that is good in this country. The images remind of us the day two hijacked passenger jets deliberately flew into the World Trade Center, the pride of New York City, and a third crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth plane was headed toward Washington to wreak even more destruction, but alert passengers rushed the captors and the plane crashed in field north of rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It's hard to believe, but few students now at A&M have any memory of that day, but those of us older than the typical student certainly remember where we were when we learned about the assault on America and its values. Some were watching the morning news shows, when the hosts said what at first was believed to be a small plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, a symbol of America's greatness. Soon, as cameras went live, a second jet crashed into the South Tower and we realized this was no terrible accident. We were under attack. The annual discussions are scheduled for 15-16 September and will be attended by officials from several countries and regional and international organisations Egypts foreign minister Sameh Shoukry will head to the Greek capital of Athens on Tuesday to take part in the 24th roundtable with the government of Greece to discuss Europe and Eastern Mediterranean developments. The annual discussions are scheduled for 15-16 September and will be attended by officials from several countries and regional and international organisations. Foremost among the issues to be discussed are the impact of the coronavirus on the global economy, Brexit, migration flows, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions in the region. The Egyptian foreign ministry stated on Monday Shoukry is set to meet with the Greek president, prime minister, and foreign minister. The ministry's statement added that the talks will tackle ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as regional and international issues of common interest. Tensions have been rising in the Eastern Mediterranean amid Turkeys claims to drilling rights in the region. On 7 August, Egypt and Greece signed an agreement establishing an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between the two countries' borders for oil and gas drilling rights. The Egyptian-Greek deal came after a similar agreement between Turkey and Libyas Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea was signed last year. The accord was decried by Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus as illegal, a violation of international law, and an infringement on their economic rights. Five countries including Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus called on the United Nations not to register the maritime boundaries deal, describing it as "illegal", particularly after the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh, in his letter to the UN, rejected the agreement. Search Keywords: Short link: Everyone talks about the Space Force lately. No one talks about the Civil Air Patrol much. There's definitely no Netflix show about it -- but maybe there should be. If you've never heard of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and you aren't in the U.S. Air Force, then good for you. A civilian whose life has been touched by CAP was probably in a really bad place and needed to be rescued. Although emergency assistance is just one of the organization's missions, it's an important part and has saved hundreds, maybe thousands, of lives over the years. Like the Air Force, CAP pilots integrate technology to every aspect of their mission. One of the unique areas of the CAP rescue mission is its cellphone forensics team. Of the hundreds of rescue missions involving the Civil Air Patrol, an estimated 95% have involved that team. Since people tend to bring their phones wherever they go, CAP rescuers use data provided from cell towers to zero in on the locations of missing people. But the CAP mission takes that data further. According to the National Headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol, cellphone providers give only latitude and longitude for missing persons' phones. CAP analysts have developed methods and software that narrow the area tremendously. Larry Rehn (left) studies a suggested flight plan from Lt. Col. Brian Childes (center) while 2nd Lt. Don Hunt (right), looks where his mission will take him. Civil Air Patrol pilots from across the nation came to Houston to support the assessment of Hurricane Rita's impact. (U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Lance Cheung) Before the use of cellphone "pings," Civil Air Patrol rescuers would have to search for an aircraft's transponder, which could take days. Three survivors of a 2018 mountainside plane crash in Massachusetts were found in just 48 minutes using this technology. In April 2020, the cellphone forensics team celebrated its 1,000th find of a lost or missing person. The Civil Air Patrol is a group of 60,000 civilian aviation enthusiasts, who have volunteered their time, money and aircraft to support Air Force and law enforcement operations here at home. With 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and 1,944 small unmanned aircraft systems, it's the world's largest fleet of single-engine, piston-powered aircraft. CAP members have flown aerial reconnaissance missions over the 2020 SCU Lighting Complex Wildfires near San Jose, California. The photos they take as they fly their privately-owned aircraft over the hazardous skies help the Federal Emergency Management Agency track the containment and damage caused by wildfires. Civil Air Patrol pilots were also the first in the air to help rescue efforts associated with Hurricane Laura in rural Louisiana. But it's not just disasters the pilots of CAP respond to. As the congressionally mandated Air Force auxiliary, these civilian aviators have conducted 90 percent of all search operations within the United States, says the Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters. Founded in 1941, the Civil Air Patrol started as a collection of civilian aviators who contributed to protecting the continental United States during World War II. Some 200,000 people used their own aircraft to hunt Nazi submarines, rescue sailors and airmen adrift at sea, and report seaborne mines, among other missions. Today, their mission is to maintain air supremacy here at home, training pilots and teaching CAP enthusiasts about flying; to assist the Air Force and law enforcement in noncombat operations; and educate the public on the importance of air power. The Civil Air Patrol is a great place to start for any young person with the dream of flying for the U.S. military or for any aviation enthusiast who wants to be more involved in their community. For more information, visit the Civil Air Patrol website. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers, as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. WASHINGTON (AP) Playing defense on his handling of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is letting the falsehoods fly. Over the weekend, he railed against cases of voting fraud that didn't exist, asserted that COVID-19 was "rounding a corner" despite what his top health advisers say and blasted Joe Biden for supposed positions on energy and health care that his Democratic rival doesn't hold. As the rhetoric flew during the past week, both Trump and Biden exaggerated accomplishments Trump about himself and Biden about his son, Beau as well as their own influence in reviving the auto industry. A recent sampling: VIRUS TRUMP: "We are rounding the corner." remarks Sunday at a Latino roundtable event in Las Vegas. TRUMP: The coronavirus "is rounding the turn, rounding the corner." remarks Saturday to reporters in Reno, Nevada. THE FACTS: To be clear, that's not what his top health advisers say. "I'm sorry but I have to disagree with that," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, told MSNBC on Friday, calling the current coronavirus levels seven months into the pandemic "disturbing." He expressed concern about a potential spike in cases following the Labor Day holiday beyond a present rate of 40,000 cases a day and 1,000 deaths. "What we don't want to see is going into the fall season, when people will be spending more time indoors and that's not good for a respiratory-borne virus you don't want to start off already with a baseline that's so high," Fauci said. Fauci this past week also cautioned that people should not "underestimate" the pandemic and they will "need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter because it's not going to be easy." He and other health experts such as Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned of a potentially bad fall because of dual threats of the coronavirus and the flu season. AWARDS and HONORS TRUMP: "Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population!" tweet Sunday. Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2020 THE FACTS: No such award exists. Trump got an endorsement in 2016 from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States' failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in the 1961 invasion. But no award comes with it. BIDEN, on a report in The Atlantic that Trump referred to service members killed in war as "losers" or "suckers": "My son volunteered to go as the assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia to go into Kosovo. He was there six months. They erected a monument to him thanking him for his service, I think the only American that they did that for. And was he a sucker?" interview Thursday on CNN. THE FACTS: Beau Biden isn't the only American to receive such honors from Kosovo. It's true that there is a road named after Biden's late son and a monument in his honor in Kosovo, where he served as a legal adviser as the region recovered from war in 2001. But former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have roadways named after them, and there are statues in Kosovo of Clinton and former Sen. Bob Dole. Trump has denied that he ever called military members losers or suckers. VACCINE TRUMP: "We're developing a vaccine in record time. It will be ready before the end of the year and maybe much sooner than that." rally Saturday in Minden, Nevada. TRUMP: "You'll have this incredible vaccine, and ... in speed like nobody has ever seen before. This could've taken two or three years, and instead it's going to be it's going to be done in a very short of period of time. Could even have it during the month of October." news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: He's almost certainly raising unrealistic hopes as the November election approaches. The Food and Drug Administration already has told manufacturers it won't consider any vaccine that's less than 50% effective. Getting the right math before November, as Trump has promised, is "incredibly unlikely," said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, who is overseeing the U.S. government's vaccine studies. Public health experts are worried that Trump will press the FDA to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, has said he is "cautiously optimistic" that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year. Even then, Fauci made clear that the vaccine would not be widely available right away. "Ultimately, within a reasonable period of time, the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021," Fauci told Congress last month. Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, also expressed "cautious optimism" this past week that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by year's end. But he warned: "Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you." The "particular date" is Nov. 3, Election Day. ON BIDEN TRUMP, on Biden: "He wants to do a complete shutdown." Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP: "The approach to the virus is a very unscientific blanket lockdown by the Democrats." news conference Thursday. TRUMP: "Biden's plan for the China virus is to shut down the entire U.S. economy." news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: That's not Biden's plan at all. Biden has said he would shut down the economy only if scientists and public health advisers recommended he do so to stem the COVID-19 threat. He said he would follow the science, not disregard it. Biden told ABC last month he "will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives" when he was asked if he would even be willing to shut the country again. "I would listen to the scientists," he said. If they said to shut it down, "I would shut it down." TRUMP: Biden will "destroy protections for preexisting conditions." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: This is baseless. Biden proposes building on "Obamacare" and does not seek to strip that law's insurance protections for people with preexisting illness. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court for full repeal of the health law, including provisions that protect people with preexisting conditions from health insurance discrimination. Republicans say they'd put new protections in place, but they haven't spelled them out. Trump has frequently claimed he will always protect preexisting conditions despite evidence to the contrary and has even asserted falsely that he was the one who "saved" such protections. With the Obama-era law still in place, preexisting conditions continue to be covered by regular individual health insurance plans. Insurers must take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and charge the same standard premiums to healthy people and those who are in poor health, or have a history of medical problems. TRUMP: "He wants to ban fracking." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: That's not Biden's position at all. In a March 15 primary debate, Biden misstated his fracking policy but his campaign quickly corrected the record. Biden has otherwise been consistent on his middle-of-the-road position, going so far as to tell an anti-fracking activist that he "ought to vote for somebody else" if he wanted an immediate fracking ban. Trump continually ignores the correction. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, opened up a yearslong oil and gas boom in parts of the Southwest, Northeast and High Plains when the technique went into widespread use under the Obama administration, although the coronavirus pandemic and a global petroleum glut have now driven down prices and demand. Biden floundered in the March primary debate when Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke of his own proposal, saying he was intending to wind down fracking entirely. "So am I," Biden replied. "No more no new fracking." Biden's campaign contacted reporters to say he misspoke, and the candidate and his campaign have been consistent in public statements of Biden's position since. Biden supports banning only new oil and gas permits, fracking included, on federal land. But most U.S. production is on private land the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says production on federal land accounted for less than 10% of oil and gas in 2018. That amounts to a far more limited restriction than a full "ban" as Trump asserts. TRUMP: "When Joe Biden was vice president, his failed approach to the swine flu was disastrous. ... And 60 million Americans got H1N1 in that period of time. ...We did everything wrong, it was a disaster." news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: This is a distorted history of a pandemic in 2009 that killed far fewer people in the United States than the coronavirus is killing now. For starters, Biden as vice president wasn't running the federal response. And that response was faster out of the gate than when COVID-19 came to the U.S. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's flu surveillance network sounded the alarm after two children in California became the first people diagnosed with the new flu strain in this country. About two weeks later, the Obama administration declared a public health emergency against H1NI, also known as the swine flu, and the CDC began releasing anti-flu drugs from the national stockpile to help hospitals get ready. In contrast, Trump declared a state of emergency in early March, seven weeks after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was announced, and the country's health system struggled for months with shortages of critical supplies and testing. More than 190,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. The CDC puts the U.S. death toll from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic at about 12,500. FBI INVESTIGATION TRUMP: "Was Andy McCabe ever forced to pay back the $700,000 illegally given to him and his wife, for his wife's political campaign, by Crooked Hillary Clinton while Hillary was under FBI investigation, and McCabe was the head of the FBI??? Just askin'?" tweet Saturday. Was Andy McCabe ever forced to pay back the $700,000 illegally given to him and his wife, for his wifes political campaign, by Crooked Hillary Clinton while Hillary was under FBI investigation, and McCabe was the head of the FBI??? Just askin? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2020 THE FACTS: Trump is distorting facts. This tweet refers to a campaign contribution received by the wife of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe during her unsuccessful bid for the Virginia state Senate. Almost everything Trump says about it is wrong. The contribution to the campaign was not from Hillary Clinton but rather from a political action committee of her ally, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and there was nothing illegal about it. McCabe did not become involved in the FBI investigation into Clinton's email practices until after his wife's campaign had ended, and at no point during the probe which concluded in 2016 was he ever head of the FBI. That did not happen until May 2017, when Trump fired James Comey as FBI director, making McCabe the acting director for several months. AUTOS BIDEN: "President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan's economy come roaring back." tweet Wednesday. President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan's economy come roaring back.Donald Trump squandered it and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day. pic.twitter.com/kXjyPbsj8s Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 9, 2020 THE FACTS: Biden is assigning too much credit to Barack Obama and himself for saving the auto industry. As an initial matter, what the Obama administration did was an expansion of pivotal steps taken by Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush. In December 2008, General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of financial collapse. The U.S. was in a deep recession and U.S. auto sales were falling sharply. GM, Chrysler and Ford requested government aid, but Congress voted it down. With barely a month left in office, Bush authorized $25 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler from the $700 billion bailout fund that was initially intended to save the largest U.S. banks. Ford decided against taking any money. Once in office, Obama appointed a task force to oversee GM and Chrysler, both of which eventually declared bankruptcy, took an additional roughly $55 billion in aid, and were forced to close many factories and overhaul their operations. All three companies recovered and eventually started adding jobs again. TRUMP: "We brought you a lot of car plants, you know that right? ... I saved the U.S. auto industry." Michigan rally Thursday. BIDEN, on Michigan's economy: "Donald Trump squandered it and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Both Trump and Biden are overstating it. Trump did not wreck Michigan's economy, but he certainly didn't bring an auto industry boom, either. In fact, the number of auto and parts manufacturing jobs in the state fell slightly between Trump's inauguration and February of this year, before the coronavirus took hold. When Trump took office there were 174,200 such jobs, and that dropped to 171,800 in February, according to Labor Department statistics. While most plants shuttered for about eight weeks after the pandemic hit, many are back running near capacity again, at least for now. In July, the most recent figures available, Michigan had 154,400 auto and parts manufacturing jobs. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, recently said the state's economy was operating now at 87% of pre-pandemic levels, citing figures from Moody's Analytics and CNN. ENVIRONMENT TRUMP: "Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results. And that's what we have. Right now we have the cleanest air ever we've ever had in this country let's say over the last 40 years." remarks Tuesday in Jupiter, Florida. FACTS: He's not responsible for all of the progress far from it. All six air pollution measurements monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that in 2019 the U.S. air was the cleanest on record. But the most important pollutant, tiny particles, was essentially about the same as 2016, only down 1%, according to Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Neil Donahue. The same figures also showed that air pollution rose in the first two years of the Trump administration before falling greatly in 2019. Donahue and three other outside experts in air pollution said the president was wrongly taking credit for what years, even decades, of ever-increasing emissions restrictions caused. H. Christopher Frey, an engineering professor at North Carolina State University and former chief of the EPA's air quality scientific advisory board, said that "current trends in air quality are for reasons irrespective of, or despite, policies of the Trump administration." Instead he and Donahue attributed it to a shift from use of dirtier coal a shift the Trump administration has fought against and to newer, cleaner cars replacing older vehicles. TROOPS BIDEN: "Troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,922. ... Military COVID deaths: 6,114. Folks, every one of these lives mattered." remarks Wednesday in Warren, Michigan. THE FACTS: He's way off on the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. military. According to the Defense Department, just seven members of the military have died from COVID-19, including reservists and those in the National Guard. The Biden campaign acknowledged he had misspoken. citing overall coronavirus deaths in Michigan instead of U.S. military deaths in a mix-up. ___ TRUMP: "We're pretty much out of Syria." news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: Not so much. Last year close to 30 U.S. troops moved out of two outposts near the border area where a Turkish attack on the country was initially centered. But the U.S. currently has about 700 troops deployed to Syria, a number that hasn't changed a lot lately. NOVEMBER ELECTION TRUMP, on mail-in voting: "Who's sending it back? Who's signing? They don't even have to have an authorized signature in Nevada." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: Not true. Nevada's existing law requires signature checks on mail ballots. A new law also spells out a process by which election officials are to check a signature against the one in government records. In Nevada's June primary, nearly 7,000 ballots were thrown out due to mismatched or missing signatures. ___ TRUMP, on Democrats: "They're trying to rig this election ... Tiny amounts, a congressional race in New York, a small number of votes. If you go to New Jersey, if you go to Virginia, if you go to Pennsylvania, if you go to California, look at some of these races, every one of these races was a fraud, missing ballots." Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP, retweeting an Associated Press analysis projecting the number of ballots that get rejected will soar this fall because of increased mail-in voting: "Rigged Election!" tweet Tuesday. THE FACTS: No, defective ballots do not equate to fraud. The overwhelming majority aren't. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the vast majority of ballots are disqualified because they arrive late what Trump describes as going "missing" a particular worry this year because of recent U.S. Postal Service delays and an expected surge in mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots also are deemed defective if there is a missing signature common with newer voters unfamiliar with the process or it doesn't match what's on file. In addition, some states require absentee voters to get a witness or notary to sign their ballots. "None of those are fraud," said Wendy Weiser, director of Brennan's democracy program at NYU School of Law. When suspected cases are investigated for potential fraud, studies have borne out the main reason for defects is voter mistake. The AP analysis published on Sept. 7 found that rejections of absentee ballots could triple compared with 2016 in some battleground states, potentially tipping the election outcome. It said voters "could be disenfranchised in key battleground states" and that nullified votes could be "even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this year's primaries." That's far from an election "rigged" against Trump. Photos: Scenes from last week on the campaign trail Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in Las Vegas, Eric Tucker, Lauran Neergaard, Seth Borenstein, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Robert Burns and James LaPorta in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit, and Alexandra Jaffe in Warren, Michigan, contributed to this report. The Associated Press has been fact-checking politicians since 1996, when Bill Clinton was president. These are not opinion pieces but instead are straight-news items that adhere to AP's Statement of News Values. The AP encourages readers to reach out with comments, fact-checking suggestions and corrections at FactCheck@ap.org. Learn more about the team and how this content is produced at apnews.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 07:59:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Students queue outside an examination center of an eligibility test held for selecting students for under-graduate medical courses, in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) Malaika Arora reveals she worked and travelled through her pregnancy, says marriage was never a hindrance By day, Afghan-American social media fashion creator Safia models clothing for her growing Instagram platform, @bestdressedafghan, where she acts as a muse for designer brands. By night, she is a designer and fashion stylist for private clients. The fashionista, who goes by her first name only, is the co-founder of Washington, D.C.-based luxury accessory line Kochaii. Founded in 2015, the brand sells handcrafted, embroidered iPhone covers with ornate designs. Safia has been featured in Washingtonian magazine and named by Vogue Arabia as an It Girl. She says she is as committed to her roots as she is to her brand. By sharing with her 17,000 followers on social media her sense of style that comprises a mix of East and West heavily influenced by Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian designs, Safias goal is to place her country, Afghanistan, on the fashion map. I want our Afghan culture and sartorial designs to be celebrated in the global fashion industry, and my biggest dream is to see our people represented everywhere, she said. When Safia started her Instagram page in 2018, she realized there was no other social media account dedicated to Afghanistans fashion and textile history. Thats when my interest grew in researching and collecting historic fashion archives, books, and magazines on Afghanistan, she told RFE/RLs Gandhara website. Safia, 26, was born in Pakistan to Afghan parents and has lived in the United States since 2002. She says growing up surrounded by glamorous women largely inspired her interest in fashion. Once she had decided to pursue it as a career, she aimed to showcase Afghanistan's rich culture by putting together looks combining traditional Afghan pieces with those from the West. She says it was a natural choice to highlight Afghan designs in her work. My Afghan identity means everything to me, Safia said. I grew up in a family that took pride in being Afghan. My parents always told my siblings and me stories of Afghanistans modern and glorious past, and now that I am older I am even more proud of my heritage, and I want to celebrate it. Kabul's Fashion Heyday In the 1960s and 70s, Afghanistan and particularly the capital, Kabul, was a fashion hub for groovy and Silk Road-inspired couture. Models dressed in Afghan goat-skin coats, short dresses, and ornate jewelry posed in front of the countrys historic hotspots, an era often remembered as the golden age of fashion in the country. Today, many middle and upper-class Afghans are passionate about fashion. The countrys plethora of quality raw materials like silk, wool, and gemstones helps continue the tradition of handcrafts and textile designs. Safia says she wants to preserve Afghanistans fashion legacy and remains undeterred by challenges in her own journey. When I started my Instagram page, I was advised by many people not to bring up my Afghan identity, she said. However, my family has sacrificed so much for the betterment of Afghanistan, and that motivates me to do my small part. I am proud of my heritage and would never try to hide my Afghan identity in order to get opportunities. A recurring issue Safia encounters is cultural appropriation. For Afghan fashion marketed abroad, most clothing designs or accessories are filed simply as tribal boho, or ethnic. Safia says she hopes to use her platform to inform, educate, and hold brands accountable. If its a smaller brand, I always reach out to them privately first and request they give credit to Afghanistan, and most of the time they do the right thing, she said. Other times, I have to post about certain brands publicly in the hope they will listen and change their ways. She recently posted about Re-SEE, a Paris-based luxury vintage retailer that was selling vintage Afghan dresses without identifying them. After she pointed this out on Instagram, the brand credited Afghanistan. With Safias help, Re-SEE then published an article on its website about Afghan fashion. Another European brand called Zazi Vintage sells Afghan coats and dresses, but while the brand credits Afghanistan it does not feature Afghan models or work with Afghan influencers, according to Safia. She says she continues to question their lack of representation. I have called them out many times for their lack of Afghan representation and actually got blocked by the founder, Jeanne de Kroon. Gandhara contacted the European designer via email, but she refused to comment on the issue. Reclaiming Afghan Origins Afghans living in the diaspora are pleased to see someone like Safia publicly fighting for proper representation of their culture and fashion. The Royal Agricultural University has partnered with a Chinese university to help expand transnational higher education in the land-based sector. Gloucestershire-based RAU and Qingdao Agricultural University (QAU) was one of only 11 that were selected by the Chinese Ministry of Education to be established this year. The timing comes as Covid-19 heightens both the UK and Chinas awareness of international food security, global food supply chains and the interdependence of agribusiness. Named 'The RAU Joint Institute for Advanced Agritechnology at QAU', the partnership will see double-award degrees offered across four BSc (Hons) programmes. These will include Agriculture; Environment, Food and Society; International Business Management; and Food Production and Supply Management. The degrees will be delivered at the QAU campus, with students being taught in English by both RAU and QAU academics. RAU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joanna Price said establishing the Joint Institute was a key strategic initiative for the RAU. She also noted that RAU was the only small specialist university in the UK to have established a Joint Institute with endorsement from the Chinese government. The ability to share insight, knowledge and expertise across global boundaries is vital if our graduates can provide the solutions needed to tackle key emerging issues and shape the future of sustainable food production in the face of climate change. QAU President Professor Song added: This collaboration provides an opportunity to showcase the value of international partnerships and strengthen the quality of student experience and academic expertise at the QAU. "We look forward to deepening our working relationship with the RAU in the future. SACRAMENTO President Trump resisted calls to confront the reality of climate change during a brief visit to California on Monday a position that his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, signaled he may focus on as wildfires burn across the West. During a two-hour stop at an airfield near Sacramento, Trump met with state officials for a briefing on the fires. Gov. Gavin Newsom took the lead, urging the president to consider how the plumbing of the world has changed, intensifying hot and dry conditions that have pushed California into a record wildfire season. Trump cast doubt on that analysis and climate science as a whole instead renewing his concerns that the state has not done enough to thin out trees and other vegetation fueling devastating fires. Well talk about forest management. Ive been talking about it for a long time, Trump told reporters at McClellan Park, a decommissioned Air Force base outside Sacramento that is now a hub for state firefighting operations. They have to do that. You go to other countries and they dont have this problem. Biden slammed Trump during a speech Monday in Delaware as a climate denier and a climate arsonist who was failing his most basic duty to keep Americans safe. If he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly, Biden said. Newsom has praised the president for providing disaster aid to California, but he has become increasingly critical of Trumps record on climate change, which Newsom blames for worsening the severity of wildfires. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle The governor tried to drive home that point during their meeting, telling Trump that weve known each other too long and, as you suggest, the working relationship I value. Somethings happened to the plumbing of the world, and we come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in ... that climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this, Newsom said. Please respect, and I know you do, the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue on the issue of climate change. Trump replied, Absolutely. But when Wade Crowfoot, Californias natural resources secretary, later urged Trump not to ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, Trump said, OK. Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot responded. I dont think science knows, actually, Trump said. Trump asked during the briefing how many fires are burning at the moment and whether the heat has ever been this bad in the state. Newsom, who wore a mask, and Trump, who did not, sat at a horseshoe table with Crowfoot and several other officials. I think were totally in sync, Trump said as reporters were led from the room, according to a pool report. Later Monday afternoon, while visiting fire evacuees on the grounds of the Camelot Equestrian Park in Oroville, Newsom said the conversation presented an opportunity to remind Trump that 57% of forested land in the state is under federal jurisdiction, and that forest management is a collaboration between federal and state governments. I wanted the President to know that we have established an engagement we would like to build on, Newsom said. And yes, frankly, to state in a way that wasnt trying to take a cheap shot, wasnt trying to score political points, but to make the argument, we believe in climate change out here. We dont believe it just because science says it; we observe it, we experience it, and that was an opportunity to remind him of a point hes very familiar with, but to do so in an honest and forthright way. At the Democratic National Convention last month, Newsom touted the states dozens of environmental lawsuits against the Trump administration. During a news conference in Oroville (Butte County) on Friday, he encouraged people to reject politicians who are still in denial about the reality of climate change. Neither he nor any other official was on hand to greet Trump as the president disembarked from Air Force One. But scores of Trumps supporters and protesters lined the roads outside the airfield, and confrontations turned tense as the day wore on. NBC Bay Area filmed an incident in which a man appeared to be injured when he climbed onto a California Highway Patrol car and fell from it as it sped away. Trump, who once called climate change a hoax, had said little about the dozens of wildfires that have burned more than 3 million acres in California, killed at least 20 people and covered the state in smoke. He broke a three-week public silence at a campaign rally in Nevada on Saturday, when he briefly mentioned the fires and said, Its all about forest management. Trump made similar assertions after the Camp Fire in November 2018, which destroyed much of the Butte County town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Although the federal government controls more than half the forestland in California and state and local agencies oversee just 3%, the president blamed California for logging restrictions and not doing more to thin out forests. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Trump returned to the subject Monday. He said he had recently talked to the head of a major country in Europe who he said told him, We have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California, and we dont have any problem because we manage our forests. So we have to do that in California, too. Trumps assessment of the problem has been disputed by many forestry experts in the past. While clearing forests of heavy timber would help reduce the fire threat in some places, many of Californias most disastrous recent fires have been in grasslands and on oak-studded hillsides. Last month, Newsom announced a state-federal agreement to reduce wildfire risks on 1 million acres of forest every year. Under the deal, governments will spend as much as $1 billion on fire preparedness in California by scaling up vegetation treatment over the next five years. The pact commits to a 20-year program of forest and vegetation management, including wildland and watershed restoration. Trump said Monday that forest management is not only the leaves that have been sitting there for many years that are dry as a bone. But there are also the trees that go over. Anything over 18 months, thats just a matchstick. Its absolutely a matchstick. The federal government is now starting to do it in a very big way, but the state has to really do that, he added. The president dodged questions about the role of climate change and Newsoms assertions that it is worsening the severity of wildfire season. Thats up to him. Look, he does agree with me on forest management, Trump said. But he forcefully pushed back on criticism that he was too slow to publicly acknowledge the disaster unfolding in California, calling it a nasty question. I got a call from the governor immediately. I called him immediately. In fact, he returned my call. And on that call, I declared it an emergency, Trump said. A lot of presidents wait for months and months and months. They wait until after its all over, and then they consider it and then oftentimes they dont do it. I did it right at the beginning. Biden, in a speech about his climate agenda in Delaware, said Trump was not treating the wildfire disaster with the urgency it demanded. He flipped a criticism of Trumps that Biden wants to abolish the suburbs by forcing low-income housing into more communities on its head. You know what is actually threatening our suburbs? Wildfires are burning the suburbs of the West, Biden said. If we have four more years of Trumps climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires? Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff A US Judge has ruled that two members of the Saudi royal family will have to answer questions about the September 11, 2001 attacks, in what attorneys for the victims call a 'turning point in a long-running lawsuit,' according to AP. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in a written ruling unsealed late Thursday ordered Saudi Arabia to make the royals and other Saudi witnesses, including current and former government official available for depositions. It was unclear how and when the witnesses will be deposed, but the decision means we can start uncovering what they know, plaintiffs attorney Jim Kreindler said Friday. -AP Bandar (left) has been close to multiple US administrations One of the two ordered to give depositions is Prince Bandar bin Sultan - a former Saudi intelligence chief who was the kingdom's US ambassador from 1983 to 2005, according to court papers. His involvement in world events ranges from Reagan's Nicaraguan Contra program (including direct involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal), to making the case for the Iraq War as a trusted friend of Bush and Cheney, to directing US-Saudi covert operations overseeing the arming of jihadists in Syria. Former President George W. Bush and Prince Bandar bin Sultan. Bandar - who earned a reputation as one of Saudi Arabia's most famous arms dealers, was detained in the 2017 Saudi "corruption purge," according to Middle East Eye's reporting at the time. Meanwhile, per AP: Some relatives of Sept. 11 victims claim that agents of Saudi Arabia knowingly supported al-Qaida and its leader at the time, Osama bin Laden, before hijackers crashed planes into New Yorks World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field. The nearly 3,000 deaths were commemorated Friday on the 19th anniversary of the attacks. The families are seeking billions of dollars in damages. Attorney for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Michael Kellogg, declined comment. St Petersburg: After 37 years behind bars, a Florida man was formally cleared Monday of a 1983 rape and murder that DNA evidence proved he did not commit after a long-ago trial that relied on a sketchy jailhouse informant and faulty bite mark analysis. Robert DuBoise was released from prison last month. A hearing before Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Christopher Nash resulted in an order wiping away the previous convictions and life sentence, and also removing DuBoise from the state's sex offender registry. "This court has failed you for 37 years," Nash said during the hearing, held remotely. "Today, it has finally succeeded." DuBoise, 55, was convicted in the 1983 murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams. She had been raped and beaten while walking home from her job at a Tampa mall. He was initially sentenced to death, then resentenced to life in prison. Expert testimony at Monday's hearing showed that bite mark evidence on the victim's left cheek used in his trial has now been determined to be unreliable police used beeswax to take an impression of DuBoise's teeth and that DNA showed conclusively that he was eliminated as a suspect in the assault of Grams. The jailhouse informant's testimony also has subsequently been discredited. "It's been 37 years," said Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren. "We're righting this wrong today, finally." The exoneration came as a result of cooperation between prosecutors in Warren's office and the Innocence Project, which works to free prisoners who have been wrongly convicted. Susan Friedman, the Innocence Project lawyer who represents DuBoise, said he consistently maintained his innocence even as he languished on Death Row initially and then often in solitary confinement on a journey through six Florida prisons. "The state took 37 years away from Robert," Friedman said. In brief remarks during the hearing, DuBoise, who was only 18 at the time of the crime, said he hasn't always trusted the judicial system "because I've had a lot of roadblocks thrown in my path." "There are really true-hearted people in these offices now," added DuBoise, dressed in a suit and tie he just recently got. "It's been amazing. I'm just very grateful to all of you." There are indications of the North Korean production of enriched uranium at a Yongbyon facility, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday. There were indications consistent with the production of enriched uranium at the enrichment centrifuge facility in Yongbyon. It is also likely that North Korea has continued construction work inside the experimental light water reactor. However, there is still no work at the 5-megawatt nuclear reactor and radiochemical laboratory, Grossi said, speaking to the agency's board of governors. He added that the North Korean nuclear activities continue to cause serious concern, the country's nuclear program violates the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Grossi again called on North Korea to cooperate with the IAEA to resolve all issues, especially those that arose in the absence of agency inspectors in the country. Two well-known restaurants in Colorado Springs have combined forces and menus under one roof. Famous Daves, the national barbecue chain, shuttered its 13-year-old restaurant Aug. 23 on the citys north side near the Chapel Hills Mall. But on Aug. 31, Famous Daves reopened at 5245 N. Academy Blvd. and now shares the space with Texas T-Bone Steakhouse, which has operated at the location for 15 years. Texas T-Bone, which had been closed for 5 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened the same day with Famous Daves. RELATED: What's next for In-N-Out in Colorado? End of the line for popular Colorado Springs bistro and bakery Two legendary restaurants, one building, according to a now open banner that carries the logos of the businesses in whats being called a dual-branded restaurant concept. The decision to combine the restaurants in one building reflects a change in corporate strategy for Famous Daves, while providing an opportunity for the owner of Texas T-Bone to expand his sales by tapping into Famous Daves popular carryout and catering business. Famous Daves, based in suburban Minneapolis, announced in late 2019 that it would begin rolling out smaller restaurants of about 3,000 square feet roughly half the size of its traditional buildings. The chain said it would open five to 10 of the smaller spaces by the end of 2020. The chain had 134 locations in 33 states as of early this year; about three-fourths of those restaurants were operated by franchisees and the rest were company owned. Famous Daves decision to add smaller locations was planned before the advent of the pandemic, which led Colorado and other states to temporarily close restaurant dining rooms to control the spread of the coronavirus. Al Hank, Famous Daves senior vice president of operations, said the chain already had taken note of changing habits on the part of its customers. In the past, 20% to 30% of Famous Daves revenue came from takeout and catering; that number has soared to 50% over the last couple of years, Hank said. In Colorado Springs, 40-year restaurateur Dave Crimmins, who owns the Texas T-Bone Steakhouse brand, said he saw Hank interviewed about Famous Daves plans to introduce smaller restaurants. Crimmins contacted the chain and launched talks about combining their restaurants in the Springs; coincidentally, Hank said, Famous Daves lease on its building near the Chapel Hills Mall was expiring. The two parties reached an agreement, and Crimmins now is a franchisee for Famous Daves. He operates that brand alongside his Texas T-Bone Steakhouse inside the 6,360-square-foot building he owns on North Academy. Crimmins Texas T-Bone had been closed since mid-March, when Gov. Jared Polis ordered the temporary shutdown of restaurant dining rooms. Even after that order was relaxed in late May, dining rooms were capped at 50% capacity or 50 people, and Crimmins decided against reopening Texas T-Bone until the pandemic had passed. With the arrival of Famous Daves at his building, however, Crimmins reopened Texas T-Bone. Up to now, Texas T-Bone did not offer takeout, delivery or catering, he said. But Famous Daves had a thriving takeout business, which Crimmins continues to offer adding his Texas T-Bone steaks to Famous Daves barbecue fare. Hes also continuing Famous Daves catering, though he hasnt yet added steaks to that portion of his business. If 50% of my business now is takeout, thats 50% that I didnt have before, Crimmins said. With the social distancing that we have to have, thats reduced our inside dining by 50%. So with the carryout that were doing, the catering that were doing, its just been a tremendous boost. Were actually more than double what we were doing the same time last year, pre-COVID, he added. Its the takeout, its the catering and its the stronger lunches that Famous Daves has brought to the table. Famous Daves already had streamlined its menu because of the pandemic, though its core barbecue items remain. Texas T-Bone has done the same, Crimmins said. Some of Famous Daves barbecue equipment was moved to the Texas T-Bone Steakhouse building, which was freshened up with the addition of some of Famous Daves tables, booths and wall decor, Crimmins said. He also upgraded the property, adding more patio seating for social distancing purposes and xeriscaping a lawn area. Crimmins said he offered jobs to all of Famous Daves 40 employees, most of whom came over to Texas T-Bone. The dual-branded restaurant now employs about 55 people, he said. Crimmins also licenses his Texas T-Bone Steakhouse brand to two operators in Nebraska and Kansas. He also licensed it to an operator of a Texas T-Bone at 2070 S. Academy in Colorado Springs, but that location closed permanently in April, Crimmins said. The Clinton, Bush, and Trump families will forever be intertwined in not just American history, but the history of the world. The past several years have certainly seen a major change in what once seemed to be a warm relationship between the Trumps and the Clintons, two elite New York clans inhabiting similar circles that have now become the political equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys. To a lesser extent, because they never seemed particularly close, the same can be said about the Trump and Bush families as well. We also all remember prior to his being nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, that President Trump had to contend with the man who was considered by many the most powerful threat to his possible presidency in the GOP establishment -- former Florida governor Jeb Bush. During the early portion of the primary, Bush, whose campaign never recovered from the early attacks from Trump, was continually embarrassed and even seemingly bullied by the cocksure future president. But, despite a past prior to politics that was full of congenial exchanges, former candidate Trump was well aware of the failures of the Clinton and both Bush administrations, as much of his America First policy was predicated on undoing the damage of a combined 20 years of pro-Globalist American leadership. At the top of the list of these failures is the issue of Americas previous China polices. The Red Dragon, which had been rightly banished from most of the global economy until the 1970s, was unwisely allowed to be put on the fast track to global economic inclusion beginning in 1986 when at the behest of politicians including then-vice-president George H.W. Bush, the communist nation achieved observer status with the predecessor to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). This, along with other smaller and incremental steps would set the stage for the country to eventually join the WTO as a founding member in 2001. This only occurred after President Clinton signed the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 on October 10th of 2000. This consequential bill finally granted China full, permanent, and normal trade relations (NTR) status. These extremely dangerous developments were enabled by not only Clinton, but with a major push from the previous president, George H.W. Bush, who unfortunately also saw Red China through rose-colored glasses. It was Bush 41s administration that, in addition to playing an instrumental role in the formation of the WTO, also planted the seeds for Americas subsequent deference to globalism. These moves did not come without warning however, as the years leading to United States ascension into the WTO saw major labor unions in the manufacturing sector oppose the organization due to fears (that would later be realized) that as a result of the deal, much cheaper labor in China would lead to massive job losses and factory closings in America. And truth be told, between the years 1999 and 2011, more than five million U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost. Further reinforcing fears of the globalization of vital manufacturing was a landmark study that attributed nearly one million of these manufacturing job losses, and almost 2.5 million total job losses, to competition from China. Even worse, perhaps, than just the economic decimation that would be suffered by American workers, was what became the legitimizing of the brutal and corrupt Communist Chinese government. Over the years, the Chinese government has leveraged their advantage in technological manufacturing to continually attempt to execute international espionage campaigns. Earlier this year, it was reported that Chinese-made phones issued by the U.S. government to low-income households were infected with malware. This phenomenon is not limited to attempted hacks against Americans exclusively, as a recent CNN report detailed how thousands of low-cost phones manufactured by Chinas Tecno and sold in some of the poorest and most vulnerable countries in Africa including Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Ghana were sold with Triada malware pre-installed. In addition to collecting personal data, this strain of malware runs up mobile data and registers users for unwanted subscriptions. Recent reports have also cited Chinas inhumane treatment of their Uighur Muslim minority that has seen as many as one million Uighurs being detained in what the Chinese government calls voluntary education centers in Xinjiang. As a result of that, this week saw more than 130 UK lawmakers address a letter to Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming condemning China and accusing Beijing of ethnic cleansing. The truth in all this is, both political parties prior to the 2016 election victory of Donald Trump had largely failed America. American Politicians sat on a global lead and allowed for the emergence of a new evil empire that has effectively filled the power vacuum left behind by the collapse of the Soviet Union. For the survival of America in the new global landscape, at a minimum, another term from the political outsider Trump is of vital necessity. Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, the Editorial Director for Reactionary Times, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, has been published by websites including The Hill, Real Clear Politics, Townhall and American Thinker. Image: Pete Souza Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is pitching a documentary about a Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder, as part of her and Prince Harry's lucrative Netflix deal, it has been reported. Patrisse Cullors, one of the three individuals who founded the BLM movement, would be the target of the documentary that the Duchess of Sussex wants to produce. Cullors is said to have 'hugely inspired' Meghan, and she pitched the documentary to Netflix because she has been 'blown away by the incredible work Patrisse has done. 'She thinks her story needs to be told and she would love to be the one to make it,' a source told The Mirror. Should the documentary be given the green light by Netflix, it would be part of a deal with the streaming giant said to be worth upwards of $100 million, signed by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Meghan, 39, and husband Prince Harry, 35. The documentary about Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors would be part of the deal Harry and Meghan (pictured) signed with Netflix - thought to be worth over $100 million As part of the deal, the couple will make documentaries, films, scripted and kids programmes for the platform's 193m subscribers. Insiders have however said the commercial deal will be "scrutinised" by the Palace. Los Angeles-born Patrisse, 36, founded Black Lives Matter in 2013 with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, for shooting dead Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. The movement began with the simple #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, but grew following a Facebook post by Alicia Garza called 'A Love Letter to Black People' which was published and shared with the hashtag following Zimmerman's acquittal. The Black Lives Matter movement saw a surge in support following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, whilst he was being taken into custody by police in Minneapolis. Ms Cullors has previously said she would refuse to meet with President Trump who she has reportedly described as the 'epitome of evil'. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors speaks at the campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders in Los Angeles in 2020. Now, Meghan Markle has reportedly pitched the idea of a documentary about Cullors to Netflix Los Angeles-born Patrisse, 36, founded Black Lives Matter in 2013 with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, after they were driven into action following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who was accused of killing Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. Pictured: Black Lives Matter demonstrators march along Key Bridge in Washington D.C. on Saturday Harry and Meghan now live in a $14.7 million home in Los Angeles. The Netflix deal will help them pay for their new home and for their security costs, said to be over $5 million a year Harry and Meghan follow President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who announced in 2018 they had entered a multi-year producing partnership with the online streaming service. In January, the couple announced that they would be stepping back as senior members of the British Royal Family, and now, eight months later, live in a $14.7 million estate near Los Angeles. It was learned last week that Prince Charles had cut off his private funding support for Harry and Meghan after they secured the Netflix deal and paid back 2.4million ($3 million) for Frogmore Cottage - their UK residence. Last year's royal accounts showed the cost of the renovations at the Frogmore cottage - paid for from taxpayers' money - was 2.4 million ($3 million). Following the Netflix deal, Harry and Meghan were able to pay the cost to the taxpayer off in full In a move which surprised some royal sources, Harry and Meghan reimbursed taxpayers in full amount used to renovate their Windsor home. The couple who had been paying back the cash in monthly instalments announced that they had totally refunded the Sovereign Grant for the redevelopment of five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage on the Queen's Berkshire estate. The couple are 'relieved and pleased' to pay off renovation costs, a source claimed. New York: US President Donald Trump has come under fire for encouraging thousands of supporters to cram into an indoor venue for his latest campaign rally, despite federal guidelines warning against mass gatherings inside. But the President has continued to downplay the risks, telling supporters who attended the Nevada event that the country was turning a corner on coronavirus, and that a vaccine was likely to be announced within weeks. Trump has come under fire for putting on his first indoor rally in months. Credit:AP "We're developing a vaccine in record time," he told the cheering crowd. "Its going to be announced very soon; we'll be ready before the end of the year." As the race to the White House tightens, Trump headed to Henderson in Nevada to hold his first indoor rally since his Tulsa campaign rally in June, which was linked to a coronavirus spike about two weeks later. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden departs the Delaware State Building after early voting in the state's primary election, in Wilmington, Del., Sept. 14, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Biden Votes in Person in Delaware Primary Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden voted in person on Sept. 14. Biden cast his ballot in the state primary election along with his wife, Jill Biden. The couple traveled to the New Castle County Board of Elections in Wilmington, a 15-minute car ride from their home. Bidens campaign said the nominee and his wife made an appointment to cast their ballots. Asked what his message is to Delaware voters, Biden said: Vote, vote, vote. He said he was voting early, one day before the primary, because he planned to travel on Sept. 15. Because Im going to be inwhere am I tomorrow? Biden asked those with him. Aides and his wife shouted, Florida. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and wife, Jill Biden, leave the Delaware State Building after early voting in the states primary election, in Wilmington, Del., Sept. 14, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) According to his campaign, Biden was scheduled to travel to the state for a roundtable with veterans and a Hispanic Heritage Month event. Biden said he encourages people to vote early if they can. He also said he believes every vote will be counted in the upcoming national election. I have confidence that Trump will try to not have that happen but Im confident the American public is going to insist on it, he said. Biden over the weekend traveled to St. Joseph on the Brandywine church for his granddaughters confirmation. He spent the bulk of his time over the weekend out of the public eye. The nominee planned to deliver remarks in Wilmington later Sept. 14 about the ongoing wildfires in the western United States. Biden will discuss the threat that extreme weather events pose to Americans everywhere, how they are both caused by and underscore the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis, and why we need to create good-paying, union jobs to build more resilient infrastructure, according to his campaign. President Donald Trump, whom Biden is challenging, spent Sept. 13 holding roundtable and a large rally in Nevada. Several thousand people attended the event at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson. It was Trumps first indoor rally since June 20. President Donald Trump rallies with supporters at a campaign event in Henderson, Nev., Sept. 13, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Trump stressed the importance of voting in November. Whoever wins will get at least one Supreme Court nomination and control of the Department of Justice and other agencies, he said. Biden will always do whatever the radical left demands and, if elected, his radical supporters wont just be causing mayhem on the streets, theyll be running the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and, by the way, the United States Supreme Court, and we will have a very different country, he said. Our country will never be the same, well never be able to recover from it. So youve got to get out on November 3rd or early voting. Youve got to get out and vote and you could send your ballot and then you have to check that your ballots counted because they might not count your ballot in this state. Trump voted by mail in the Florida primaries last month. The president headed to California on Sept. 14 to tour damage inflicted by wildfires. He planned to hold a Latinos for Trump Coalition roundtable in Phoenix, Arizona, later in the day. Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of Serum Institute of India (SII), has warned there wont be enough vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for everyone in the world till the end of 2024, according to a report on Monday. The CEO of the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer has estimated that the world will need around 15 billion doses of the Covid-19 shot if it is a two-dose vaccine. Its going to take four to five years until everyone gets the vaccine on this planet, Poonawalla told the Financial Times. The Pune-based pharma firm has partnered with five international pharmaceutical firms, including AstraZeneca and Novavax, to develop a Covid-19 vaccine and committed to producing one billion doses, of which it has pledged half to India. Also Watch | Covid-19: India at 80k deaths, cases move closer to 5 million Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Poonawallas remarks came a day after Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said a vaccine against the coronavirus disease would be ready by early next year. It may be ready by the first quarter of next year, he had said. On SIIs word to produce a billion doses, he said that the commitment far exceeded the capacity of other vaccine producers. I know the world wants to be optimistic on it... [but] I have not heard of anyone coming even close to that [level] right now, he told the business daily in a video call from London. The Financial Times reported that as part of SIIs agreement with AstraZeneca, the firm will aim to produce vaccine doses that cost around $3 for 68 countries and under its agreement with Novavax, for 92 countries. The company may also partner with Russias Gamaleya Research Institute to manufacture the Sputnik vaccine, according to the newspaper. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage Last week, human trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate by AstraZeneca were halted after a volunteer fell sick in the UK following which the Serum Institute of India also paused the trials as it was issued a show-cause notice by the Drug Controller of India. The trials, however, have resumed in Britain. After the human trials of the Oxford vaccine resumed in the UK late last week, Poonawala had tweeted, As Id mentioned earlier, we should not jump to conclusions until the trials are fully concluded. The recent chain of events are a clear example why we should not bias the process and should respect the process till the end. -Satire- President Trump has been the victim of numerous unhinged and unverified attacks recently, each one more preposterous and less vetted than the one before. "Anonymous sources" say he secretly loathes the military and thinks those who serve are "pathetic" and "losers." His deeply troubled, publicity-seeking niece claims he is "fundamentally a racist" and unfit for office. Joe Biden hilariously claimed that Trump was a danger to Israel...during the same week that the president negotiated a historic peace agreement between Israel and Bahrain and days after he negotiated a similar deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel (for which he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize). And the mainstream media hurl smears and lies at the president like a berserk Pez dispenser. Yet I'm here to tell you: you ain't seen nothing yet. As we get ever nearer to Election Day, anti-Trumpers will pull out all the stops, and accusations will fly with breathtaking rapidity and frequency. What follows is a short list of what you probably can expect in the coming weeks. Circa September 15: CNN will cite anonymous sources in a report claiming that Trump once ran while carrying scissors in a fifth-grade art class, needlessly and recklessly endangering lives. Eventually, the anonymous sources will admit that he wasn't truly running, but proceeding at a slow trot, while emphasizing that his behavior was "inexcusable nonetheless." Circa September 21: The New York Times will cite anonymous sources in a front-page story alleging that Trump once looked only one way before crossing a street, not both ways, in direct contravention of his mother's express wishes and direction. Days later, another source will surface on Fox News, noting that there was no traffic coming from the other direction because the road was closed, but the rest of the legacy media will refuse to acknowledge the new information. Circa September 30: MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, hands trembling, breathlessly will recount a story an "anonymous insider close to the Trump family" gave her. Maddow says, "Apparently, when younger, Trump once called a drugstore and asked the clerk who answered if the store had Prince Albert in a can. The clerk said that, yes, the store did have the then popular tobacco product, to which Trump replied, 'Well, you'd better let him out then, hadn't you,' and promptly hung up." Circa October 5: Salon will cite highly placed, "unimpeachable" (though anonymous) sources in a story alleging that the president recently killed and ate his son Barron. Circa October 13: The Daily Beast will run a story claiming that, though Trump is a known misogynist, he has a "micro-penis," and will note how the latter may explain (but not justify) the former. Circa October 21: The Drudge Report will feature a story purporting to show that Trump is secretly a proud, card-carrying member of the Church of Satan. Circa October 26: The Huffington Post will run a story alleging that, while in college, Trump liked to go to restaurants and loosen caps on salt shakers. He found that "funny" according to the report, obtained from anonymous sources. November 2: The Washington Post will run a front-page, above-the-fold story claiming that Trump abuses animals "for kicks." The story's anonymous sources allege that a young Trump used to take a magnifying glass outside on hot summer days and burn up ants on the sidewalk. The same sources say he now prefers to pluck individual hairs from the hides of black labs. November 3: On the morning of Election Day, NBC will break the explosive news that a member of Trump's Cabinet says Trump does not particularly care for the television show This Is Us. NBC's president, Noah Oppenheim, says this is clear evidence of Trump's "hatred for humanity" and his "general unfitness for office" and notes that Joe Biden claims to be a big fan of the emotional and unifying drama. Photo credit: YouTube screen grab (cropped). "Unfortunately, the political crisis is not new. Tensions have been on display for the last four years. The impact of this crisis taking as reference similar situations in the past has temporarily deteriorated the expectations. However, the impact will be lower if it (the crisis) is overcome as soon as possible," he commented. Armas stated that in these cases it is important to overcome the temporary deterioration that these situations may generate in the economy. Referring to what the Comptroller's Office said, that Peru lost S/23 billion (around US$6.49 billion) last year because of corruption and functional misconduct, which mainly consisted of the budget execution, the BCR manager noted that this is a burden the country has borne for many years. Regarding the economic activity, the BCR representative affirmed that it is recovering, although it shows levels below those seen last year. "We are in a process of recovery, specially a recovery of employment , which has seen a very sharp fall in April and May," he explained. LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (NYSE: TPX, "Company") today announced that quarter-to-date order trends have improved from previous expectations and the Company now estimates total third quarter net sales to grow more than 30% compared to prior year. The change in expectation was primarily driven by improving order trends on U.S. Tempur-Pedic products. The Company continues to experience capacity constraints for U.S. Sealy products, including supply chain limitations outside the Company's control. The Company is working closely with suppliers to find solutions for component shortfalls to support the elevated U.S. Sealy demand. Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO Scott Thompson stated, "Over the last five years, we have made tremendous progress in strengthening the foundation of our Company. The strong foundation we have in place with our brands, products, operations and people have positioned us well to capitalize on industry growth for years to come." Thompson continued, "We continue to see strong growth that is broad-based across geographies and channels. Tempur-Pedic branded products are now growing materially higher than the growth on Sealy products in the U.S. which has raised our profit expectations for the quarter. Free cash flow has also been strong and our confidence in positive industry trends has increased. Accordingly, in September, we are using operating cash flow to repay the $200 million 364-day incremental Term Loan we closed in the second quarter. This repayment will remove certain restrictions on share repurchases and dividends and result in an annual interest saving of approximately $5 million. Additionally, with this improved outlook, we expect to reach the higher end of the payout under our long-term aspirational plan at the end of the third quarter." The Company's Board of Directors has approved the early termination of its shareholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan") to now expire at the close of business on September 14, 2020. The limited duration Rights Plan was adopted on March 27, 2020 with a previous expiration date of March 26, 2021. Shareholders are not required to take any action as a result of this expiration. The Company also announced Cliff Buster will be promoted to the CEO of Tempur Sealy North America effective January 1, 2021. Buster has served as Executive Vice President, President U.S. Direct to Consumer, and is on the Board of Directors of the Company's highly successful Asian Joint Venture. He joined the Company in 2017, leading the domestic direct-to-consumer business from an almost standing start to a top 10 bedding retailer in the U.S., and has previously held various executive operational and financial management roles at Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Inc., Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Reporting to Buster in leading the North American operations will be the current U.S., Canadian, and Mexican executive teams, including Steve Rusing, Executive Vice President, President, U.S. Sales, and Tom Murray, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Marketing U.S. Thompson said, "Cliff's intense focus on execution and fostering a strong culture played a key role in the rapid and successful expansion of our omni-channel strategy. Today's announcement reflects the Board of Directors' continued actions to strengthen our leadership bench and optimize our structure for continuing growth. As I continue to serve in my role as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Tempur Sealy International, Cliff's promotion will allow me to spend more of my efforts on capital allocation, our international operations and global strategy, while facilitating the development of our leaders. This is consistent with our culture and track record of internal promotions." Forward-Looking Statements This press release may be deemed to include statements that are "forward-looking" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which include information concerning one or more of the Company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies, and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words "expects", "estimates", "will" and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify such statements. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's expectations regarding sales and demand trends, performance generally for the third quarter of 2020 and subsequent periods, the potential vesting of the Company's long-term aspirational plan and the Company's expectations for emerging from the market downturn. There can be no assurance that the Company will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from any that may be expressed herein as forward-looking statements. These risk factors include the duration, scope and severity of COVID-19 and its effects on the Company's business and operations, including the disruption or delay of production and delivery of materials and products in the Company's supply chain; the impact of the macroeconomic environment in both the U.S. and internationally on the Company's business segments; uncertainties arising from global events; the impact of travel bans, work-from-home policies, or shelter-in-place orders; a temporary or prolonged shutdown of manufacturing facilities or retail stores and decreased retail traffic; the efficiency and effectiveness of the Company's advertising campaigns and other marketing programs; consumer acceptance of the Company's products; general economic, financial and industry conditions, particularly conditions relating to liquidity, financial performance and related credit issues present in the retail sector; financial distress among the Company's business partners, customers and competitors, and financial solvency and related problems experienced by other market participants, any of which may be amplified by the effects of COVID-19; and disruptions to the implementation of the Company's strategic priorities and business plan caused by changes in its executive management team. Other potential risk factors include the risk factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Part I, ITEM 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in Part II, ITEM 1A of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. There may be other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made. About the Company Tempur Sealy International, Inc. (NYSE: TPX) is the world's largest bedding manufacturer. Tempur Sealy International, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets mattresses, foundations, pillows and other products. The Company's products are sold worldwide through third party retailers, its own stores, and online. The Company's brand portfolio includes many highly recognized brands in the industry, including Tempur, Tempur-Pedic, Sealy featuring Posturepedic Technology, and Stearns & Foster. World headquarters for Tempur Sealy International is in Lexington, KY. For more information, visit http://www.tempursealy.com or call 800-805-3635. Investor Relations Contact Aubrey Moore Investor Relations Tempur Sealy International, Inc. 800-805-3635 [email protected] SOURCE Tempur Sealy International, Inc. Related Links http://www.tempursealy.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 12:09:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is expecting cooperation and dialogue with China in various fields as bilateral ties are faced with both opportunities and challenges in a post-pandemic world, an expert has said. In an interview with Xinhua ahead of a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting, Gu Xuewu, director of the Center for Global Studies at Germany's University of Bonn, said that the European political circles attach great importance to the meeting because it is expected to provide guidelines for future EU-China ties. The virtual meeting, slated for Monday, was also an effort by German Chancellor Angela to lead the EU to pursue a pragmatic China policy. "She wants to push China-EU ties onto a healthier track after Germany took the rotating EU presidency on July 1, and before her tenure ends as German chancellor next year," Gu said. Merkel has ruled out plans to run for a fifth term despite her relatively high popularity. The German government has recently announced a set of diplomatic guidelines in a policy document named "Germany-Europe-Asia: shaping the 21st century together," in which partnership with China is focused on such areas as clean coal projects, nuclear non-proliferation and strengthening the functions of the United Nations, Gu noted, adding that 5G infrastructure, public health and digital economy are also the EU's points of interests. In the 72-page document, which emphasizes partnership, coordinations and interactions, China is mentioned 59 times, said Gu. He added that the document sends a signal that Germany and the EU will not pursue "decoupling" with China despite U.S. pressure. "Germany and the EU are currently under immense pressure from Donald Trump's government, a few like-minded politicians and media outlets. It's no picnic for EU core leaders to stick to the right policy of cooperating and holding dialogue with China," said Gu, adding that there is more cooperation between China and Europe than competition, more consensus than disagreement. Although China and the EU have different opinions on some issues, high-level exchanges between the two sides have been conducted frequently this year, Gu noted. Both sides support cooperation for mutual benefit and hold similar views on the future world order, the expert added. "Both China and the EU ... advocate multilateralism. They do not approve of unilateralism, power politics and bullying," Gu said. Enditem The eastern-based government of Libya, headed by Abdullah Al-Thani, on Sunday presented its resignation to the House of Representatives following three days of protests in several eastern cities, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The resignation was presented during an urgent meeting between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, and Al-Thani, where they discussed the demands of the protesters, according to a statement issued by the House of Representatives. Protests broke out in a number of cities in eastern Libya against lack of basic services, mainly electricity, healthcare and funds in local banks. Amid insecurity and escalating violence, Libya remains politically divided between eastern and western governments, both competing for dominance. Al-Thani's eastern-based government is not internationally recognized, unlike the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord. Nearly every hour of your waking life is now spent consuming stories. The Nielsen media consumption metrics for the first quarter of 2020 found American consumers now clock over 12 hours of media each day, a record high. Whether the media type be television, social media, podcasts or other apps, the one thing these vehicles for content have in common is that they tell stories. Stories capture and hold our attention, and with the attention economy only growing in size, storytelling is a wise messaging vehicle. The inscription on my bottle of mezcal tells a story. The imagery on pamphlets I receive in the mail tell a story. The bread I buy to make my toast each morning is made by former convicts to encourage job security post-incarceration another story. Stories tap into our innate curiosity for human behavior. So when Bill Gates met Warren Buffett for the first time in 1991 and asked him what his favorite book was, it shouldnt come as a surprise that Buffetts recommendation was a collection of stories. Ill lend you my copy, Buffett said. In a blog post written 20 years later, Gates joked that he still has the book in case Buffett wants it back. Related: Identifying Your "Curiosity Type" Is The Key To Getting More Done The book that enthralled two titans in the business space above all others was a collection of stories from longtime New Yorker contributor John Brooks entitled Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street. Why stories capture our attention Business Adventures tells a dozen stories from mid-20th-century commerce in a prosaic, character-driven style; its actually a collection of stories from past issues of The New Yorker. And if we look to recent blockbuster content created in the last few decades and focused on business Succession, Mad Men, and Shark Tank, to name a few a common centerpiece is effective storytelling. Thats because stories elicit emotion, and research has shown emotion embeds memories more deeply in our minds. If you want your message to stick, leverage psychology and elicit emotion in some way. Related: Copywriters Use These 4 Psychological Tactics to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines Of course Gates and Buffett love this book its about business, but told through story. As Gates describes in a blog post, many of the particulars of business have changed, but the fundamentals have not. Learn from past business opportunities Gates insights are interesting considering that one of the cautionary tales references advantages and opportunities found by, among many other businesses, Microsoft. Here are some of Business Adventures most popular parables: Xeroxs innovation faux-pas, in which the company extensively funded Ethernet research in the 1970s, opening the door for other companies to run to the front and capitalize on opportunity. The launch of the Ford Edsel, a cautionary tale about the timeliness of customer research, the importance of product quality and the shifting desires of markets. Insider trading, which shares the story of how insider trading laws became more strictly enforced following a 1959 expose of corruption at Texas Gulf Sulphur amidst exploding investor gains. Related: Bill Gates Made These 15 Predictions Back in 1999 and It's Scary How Accurate He Was Sharpening your business acumen doesnt have to be a boring affair. Look at what past organizations have encountered, and youll find stories of the human condition to be a common denominator and information you can use to achieve your own competitive advantage. Related: Can You Start a Business With a Criminal Record? The pandemic closes 7 companies every hour, according to Endeavor Setting Up Logistics For A Startup In The UAE: The How-To Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved A group of people thought to be migrants arrive in an inflatable boat at Kingsdown beach, near Dover, Kent, after crossing the English Channel. (PA) A boatful of migrants have been pictured landing on a beach in Kent and sprinting ashore as the row continues over unviable Channel crossings. Several people were seen crammed on board the small rubber dinghy as it was pictured approaching the shingle beach at Kingsdown, near Dover, on Monday morning. The migrants, who werent wearing any life jackets, were heard cheering as the vessel neared the shore and ran aground. Watch: Nearly 1,500 migrants made journey to UK in small boats during August As the dinghy ground to a halt, they were seen leaping out and running across the beach towards some scattered trees. Kent Police and immigration enforcement officers were seen in the area. Several more boats carrying migrants are also believed to have crossed the English Channel on Monday as calm sea conditions continued for them to make the journey from northern France. The pictures come as lawyers attacked Priti Patels Home Office after it issued criticism of immigration solicitors helping refugees who have crossed the English Channel. The migrants, thought to be mostly men, are crammed into the inflatable dinghy before it reaches the shore. (PA) An angler watches as a group of people thought to be migrants arrive in an at Kingsdown beach. (PA) Lawyers representing asylum seekers have previously argued many of the people who have made the dangerous crossing are victims of torture, sexual assault and trafficking. On Friday, at least 319 people travelling in 27 boats made the dangerous crossing, according to the Home Office, which takes the total number for the year above 6,000. Analysis of data, compiled by Sky News, found that at least 5,385 migrants have landed in small boats or been rescued between 1 January 2020 and 6 September, compared with at least 1,110 between the same dates in 2019. Border Force and French patrols have been active in the Dover Strait since the early hours of Monday morning. The group, who appeared to all be men, arrived squeezed on board a grey dinghy with a black outboard motor on the back. The group run ashore after their journey. They made the crossing without life jackets. (PA) Many wore hoodies and one was seen carrying a backpack as they all headed off from the shoreline at speed. The PA news agency, which tracks and analyses migrant crossings, understands that more than 6,100 migrants have successfully crossed to the UK in small boats this year. Story continues The Home Office and French authorities have been struggling to agree on an approach of how to deal with the situation, as EU rules hamper Patels efforts to tackle the crisis. However, following talks in Paris in August, British immigration minister Chris Philp said that Britain and France were working on a new operational plan that would make the Channel route unviable for "illegal migrants" in a bid to cut off smuggler networks. Read more: Priti Patel accused of spreading Trump-like propaganda The numbers of migrants arriving so far in 2020 has far exceeded previous years. Patel said in August that the number was appalling and unacceptably high and that she was working to make this route unviable. She said that this would work by stopping small boats leaving France and intercepting any that were crossing. Many wore hoodies and one was seen carrying a backpack as they headed off from the shoreline at speed. (PA) Border Force staff recover the inflatable boat at Kingsdown beach, near Dover, Kent, where it was abandoned. (PA) This is complex to do and we face serious legislative, legal and operational barriers, she said in a tweet. We also need the co-operation of the French to intercept boats and return migrants back to France. Read more: Priti Patel hits back at Labour MPs in major racism row She said the system was being exploited by leftie Labour-supporting lawyers who were doing everything they could to stop the government removing people. However, the law society attacked Patel saying such attacks on the legal profession undermine the rule of law. There are legislative, legal & operational barriers to stopping small boats. System to return people not fit for purpose & once boats reach UK waters were duty bound to help. Route is incredibly dangerous & were doing all we can to make it unviable.https://t.co/aM9LlFe7l0 Priti Patel (@pritipatel) August 8, 2020 She was also accused of spreading Donald Trump-like propaganda after the Home Office published a graphic-based video showing deportation planes alongside text reading: We are working to remove migrants with no right to remain in the UK. But current return regulations are rigid and open to abuse allowing activist lawyers to delay and disrupt returns. Law Society president Simon Davis said of the video: Solicitors advise their clients on their rights under the laws created by Parliament. To describe lawyers who are upholding the law as activist lawyers is misleading and dangerous. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has called for online applications from qualified and experienced Indian citizens for filling Two Hundred and Four (204) vacancies to the post of Specialist Grade-III Assistant Professors (Anaesthesiology, Epidemiology, General Surgery, Microbiology or Bacteriology, Nephrology, Pathology, Paediatric Nephrology, Pharmacology), Assistant Director Census Operations (Technical), Livestock Officer and Assistant Engineer through direct recruitment on a fulltime basis to be posted anywhere in India. The registration-cum-application applications process towards the same started on September 12, 2020 and closes on October 1, 2020 by 11:59 pm. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Specialist Grade-III Assistant Professors (Anaesthesiology, Epidemiology, General Surgery, Microbiology or Bacteriology, Nephrology, Pathology, Paediatric Nephrology, Pharmacology), Assistant Director Census Operations (Technical), Livestock Officer and Assistant Engineer Organisation Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Educational Qualification Bachelors Degree in the Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry; MBBS Degree and Post-Graduate Degree in the concerned speciality or super speciality; Masters Degree in Statistics or Operation Research or Mathematics (with Statistics) or Economics (with Statistics) or Commerce (with Statistics) or Anthropology (with Statistics); Bachelors Degree in Drilling or Mining or Mechanical or Civil or Electrical Engineering or Petroleum Technology Experience Three years in relevant domain Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Teaching Job Location India Salary Scale Level 8 to Level 11 of the pay matrix as per 7th CPC Industry Civil Service/UPSC Application Start Date September 12, 2020 Application End Date October 1, 2020 UPSC Recruitment 2020: Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 must not have exceeded 35 years of age (40 years for Specialist Grade-III Assistant Professor posts) with relaxation (upper age limit) up to 5 years (SC/ST) and 3 years (OBC) respectively as specified in the UPSC Recruitment notification. Candidates must remit a prescribed amount of Rs. 25 (Gen/OBC/EWS) as application fee to apply for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 at any branch of the SBI by cash or by using net banking facility of the SBI. However, SC/ST/PWD and Female candidates are exempted from pay the application fee as mentioned in the UPSC Recruitment notification. SAIL Recruitment 2020 For 82 Proficiency Trainees Post, E-mail Applications Before September 26 UPSC Notification 2020: UPSC Vacancy Details Post Name No. Of Vacancies Specialist Grade-III Assistant Professor 175 Assistant Director 25 Live Stock Officer 03 Assistant Engineer 01 Total 204 UPSC Recruitment 2020: Education And Experience Desirous candidates applying for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 must possess a Bachelor's Degree in the Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry; MBBS Degree and Post-Graduate Degree in the concerned speciality or super speciality; Master's Degree in Statistics or Operation Research or Mathematics (with Statistics) or Economics (with Statistics) or Commerce (with Statistics) or Anthropology (with Statistics); Bachelor's Degree in Drilling or Mining or Mechanical or Civil or Electrical Engineering or Petroleum Technology from a recognised University/Institution with minimum three years of work experience in the concerned area/field as detailed in the UPSC Recruitment notification. UPSC Recruitment 2020: Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 will be done through an Interview or by Recruitment Test (RT) followed by an Interview and Document Verification as detailed in the UPSC Recruitment notification. Candidates selected for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 will be paid emolument under Level 8 to Level 11 of the pay matrix as per 7th CPC as stated in the UPSC Recruitment notification. HPCL Recruitment 2020 For Company Secretary/Officer Posts, Apply Online Before October 16 UPSC Recruitment 2020: How To Apply Candidates applying for various posts through UPSC Recruitment 2020 must register online through ORA on the official UPSC website and submit their applications on or before October 1, 2020 by 11:59 pm as specified in the UPSC Recruitment notification. Download UPSC Recruitment 2020 Notification PDF for Asst. Professors, Asst. Directors and Officers post. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 21D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), 15. U.S.C. 78u-4, that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Vivint Solar, Inc. (Vivint) (NYSE:VSLR) and certain of its officers and directors. The class action, styled In re Vivint Solar, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 1:20-cv-07051 (S.D.N.Y.), asserts that a joint proxy statement/prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, soliciting stockholder approval of a merger agreement Vivint entered into with Sunrun Inc. and Sunruns wholly-owned subsidiary, fails to disclose material information in violation of Section 14(a) the Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. 78n(a). The claim is brought on behalf of current holders of Vivint stock. Section 21D(a)(3) of the Exchange Act allows any investor holding Vivint common stock to seek appointment by the Court as a lead plaintiff within sixty (60) days of this notice. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court by no later than November 13, 2020. If you have any questions about this Notice, the action, your rights or your interests, you may contact: Michael J. Klein Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP One Penn Plaza, Suite 2805 New York, New York 10119 Tel: (212) 279-5050, Ext. 1608 Fax: (212) 279-3655 Email: mklein@aftlaw.com In the last three presidential elections, Nevada has been a solidly Democrat state. Even now, polling shows Biden slightly ahead in Nevada. President Trump, though, thinks Nevada is up for grabs. He blew through Nevada over the weekend, like an energetic tornado, holding a rally in tiny Minden, Nevada, near both Lake Tahoe and Reno, and in Henderson, near Las Vegas. The following polling chart for Nevada, from Real Clear Politics, shows that Nevada is technically a Biden state. It's noteworthy, though, that Biden's lead has dropped by 50% between January and September. Additionally, Biden's lead in the latest poll is within the 5.3 margin of error: With Biden's lead tiny to nonexistent, it's no wonder that Trump thought Nevada was worth a visit. On Saturday night, after only 24 hours warning, he showed up in tiny Minden, Nevada, which is strategically located near Lake Tahoe (which straddles the California-Nevada border) and Reno, Nevada. Trump had originally planned to speak at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, but Governor Steve Sisolak's directives against large indoor gatherings (something that hasn't applied to casinos) blocked that plan. The Minden location was a last-minute find, and attendees had only 24 hours' warning about the change in plan. They did not let that stop them. This is Reno reports: For hours leading up to and following the event, US 395 in and around Minden was clogged with traffic. Several thousand vehicles were parked along the highway and tightly packed into a nearby field. Rally attendees loaded onto buses to finish the last few miles of their journey to the Minden airport, where Trump spoke on the tarmac. This was the line for the rally: Wow. This was the line to get into the Trump Rally in Minden, Nevada today. VC: @cuorerosso_us2020 (Instagram) pic.twitter.com/4CFbrl7Y7U Courtney Holland Text COURTNEY to 88022 (@hollandcourtney) September 13, 2020 One of American Thinker's readers attended the rally: Wildly exceeded expectations. Absolutely massive crowd. Allegedly 25k but looked bigger to me. Closer to an SF pride parade size. Almost all cars where we parked had CA plates, but plenty of others like Wyoming, Arizona, Idaho... The Donald absolutely on fire. Ripped on the press. Disgusting human beings. Crowd adored him for it. Spoke just over 100 mins. Usual rhetoric but delivered with passion and fury. Awesome crowd. Super friendly, diverse, inclusive, happy. Not the slightest conflict, even with a few token protesters - who were simply laughed at. Incredible logistical operation. The traveling circus swooped in, set up, delivered, then started packing - flawless. Secret service in huge abundance. Nothing but respect from attendees. Truly impressive. Made great new friends among the crowd. Super sociable and so happy to be there among friends. Some superbly innovative tee-shirts on display. Couldn't resist a selfie with a drag-queen-for-Trump. Dems just don't get Trump fans at all. It's 100% grassroots. Blue-collar, white-collar, every diversity. All loving America and the giant tent of welcome therein. The major takeaway: beware election fraud, show up for the vote, stay for the count. Crowd incandescent on that. We shall see if the self-selecting sample represents the broader population as it did in 2016. From Minden, Trump held an indoor rally in a warehouse in Henderson, outside Las Vegas, another last-minute venue. During the rally, which had thousands of happy attendees, Trump lambasted Governor Sisolak: You have a governor right now who is a political hack, Trump told the audience. Tell your governor to open up your state, by the way. Open up your state. President @realDonaldTrump speaking to Great American Patriots in Henderson, Nevada at a MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY! Moments ago, POTUS in response to Sleepy Joes FAKE military commercials: THE GLOVES ARE OFF!#TrumpPence2020 #MAGA pic.twitter.com/teX0PVPRB5 Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) September 14, 2020 When Democrats, predictably, insisted that Trump was trying to kill people by having an indoor rally, his campaign was ready with a response: The Trump rally tonight in Henderson, NV will be INDOORS. This is his first indoor rally since Tulsa. Statement from campaign: pic.twitter.com/479wDDMBbN Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) September 13, 2020 Once again, the Democrats are blind to what's happening here. They don't understand that, even though voters answering their phone to pollsters might say they want Biden, the energy all runs to Trump. What we see with Biden is not the energy that brings people out to vote: Joe Biden held a Labor Day Event in Lancaster, PA. pic.twitter.com/LDhvhfaLmF Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) September 7, 2020 No wonder the Democrats are so gung-ho for frauding...er, voting by mail. It's their only hope as Trump brings peace to the Middle East (Saudi Arabia next?); jump-starts the economy; builds his wall; and, after the election, will surely end the lawlessness taking over too many American communities. This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Creeping closer to resolving a monthslong saga over the future of TikTok in the United States, the Chinese video app looks likely to have a new American partner. TikTok will stay open in the United States. Probably. Behind the mess over TikTok were profound questions for Americans: What should we do about technology companies that can influence our understanding of the world whether its TikTok or Facebook? And what should the United States do about a future in which technology is becoming less American? The future of TikTok might be maybe! close to a resolution, but those important questions remain untouched. We learned nothing from this big, ugly drama. Let me catch you up: TikTok, an app for short videos that took off in the United States and other countries, is owned by the Chinese internet giant ByteDance. Its one of the first popular global internet gathering spots to have originated in China, and that has caused consternation in the United States and some other countries. She has made a series of shock revelations in the lead up to the premiere of her new documentary, This Is Paris. And now Paris Hilton has stunned fans once again, debuting her real voice during a live TV interview. The 39-year-old, who has long been known for her 'baby voice,' spoke with a deeper baritone during an appearance on Australian breakfast TV program Sunrise on Monday morning. 'I've been playing a character': Paris Hilton shocked fans this week when she debuted her REAL voice during a live TV interview on Australian breakfast TV program Sunrise (pictured) After stunning hosts Sam Armytage and David Koch, Paris said she's just been 'playing a dumb blonde' over the years. 'This entire time, I have been playing a character, so the world has never truly known who I am,' she explained. 'The real me is someone who is actually brilliant. I'm not a dumb blonde, I'm just really good at pretending to be one.' She added: 'I don't want to be remembered for some airhead, but the businesswoman I am.' The way she was! The 39-year-old has long been known for her 'baby voice' Shocked: Paris has been promoting her revealing new documentary by doing rounds of press around the world. And with her baby voice noticeably missing in all of her interviews, many of her fans have been left confused Paris has been promoting her revealing new documentary by doing rounds of press around the world. And with her baby voice noticeably missing in all of her interviews, many of her fans have been left confused. 'Paris Hilton talking in her real voice and not her baby voice is SUCH a f**king SERVE!' one recently tweeted. Another added: 'Paris Hilton's real voice is deep.' Meanwhile, one fan said they were truly 'shook' to hear her real voice. 'So Paris Hilton FAKED her voice?? I'm shook but I just heard her real voice and it's rlly (sic) nice.' 'This entire time, I have been playing a character, so the world has never truly known who I am': Paris has insisted that she's just been 'playing a dumb blonde' over the years Meanwhile, over on rival breakfast show Today, Paris elaborated on her achievements in business. The former socialite also explained that her YouTube documentary was initially intended to be about her life now as a businesswoman. However, she revealed that she became close friends with the documentary's director Alexandra Dean and began speaking about the physical and mental abuse she faced as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah. 'There are families that have approached me who have pulled their children out of that school that I was at because they saw the trailer to my film,' she said. 'It's exciting that this is making a difference and going to help save children's lives.' Revealing: This Is Paris was initially intended to be about her life now as a businesswoman. However, she speaks about the physical and mental abuse she faced as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah Paris' wealthy parents, Kathy and Richard, sent her to many boarding schools following a rebellious phase after living at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Paris spent 11 months at Provo Canyon School, the last in a series of institutions which focuses on behavioural and mental development. Between 2011 and 2014, police responded to 56 calls for assault at Provo and 25 for sexual offences. In a statement to People, the boarding school said: 'Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. 'We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.' MailOnline has contacted Provo Canyon School for further comment. Abuse: The former socialite also explained that her YouTube documentary was initially intended to be about her life now as a businesswoman. However, she revealed that she became close friends with the documentary's director Alexandra Dean and began speaking about the physical and mental abuse she faced as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah Elsewhere in the documentary, the heiress opened up about enduring 'multiple abusive relationships' in her life. Paris says she was abused by five of her exes, who were all sweet and kind to her in the beginning of their relationship before making a dramatic change. Nowadays, Paris is in a 'safe' and healthy relationship with entrepreneur Carter Reum, whom she has been dating for nine months. This Is Paris is set for release on YouTube on Monday, September 14 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend: German company expressed readiness to expand cooperation with Uzbek textile factories and place new orders for sewing finished textile products with subsequent import to European countries, Trend reports with reference to Dunyo information agency. The issue was discussed by representatives of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany and the leadership of the Teamdress Holding GmbH German Company, which is one of the largest European suppliers of workwear for various sectors of the economy. From 2019, with the assistance of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Berlin, the German company has begun fruitful cooperation with Uzbek textile enterprises, which, in full compliance with the strict technical requirements of the German side, produce professional protective clothing according to European standards. Uzbekistan has a huge potential in the textile industry, and local specialists are distinguished by high professionalism and the ability to quickly master new skills and production technologies, said the representative of Teamdress Holding GmbH. The presence of a rich raw material base in the country and the possibility of soon mastering large-scale production of organic cotton make Uzbekistan even more attractive for foreign partners, added the representative. The representative of German company also noted the interest in organizing deep processing of organic cotton grown in Uzbekistan on the territory of the country, which implies the creation of a joint venture to produce high-quality products from this material. In order to discuss further stages of the implementation of these cooperation plans, the parties agreed to hold a video conference with the Uztekstilprom Association and interested Uzbek textile enterprises in the near future, as well as to organize a visit of Teamdress Holding GmbH specialists to Uzbekistan to determine potential local partners and specific terms for the implementation of joint projects. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 14:20 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b21eb 2 Business AXA-Financial-Indonesia,executive-column,sharia-insurance,insurance-companies,insurance-industry Free Indonesia has a huge Muslim population that has long attracted many insurance firms to develop their own sharia products, including the local arm of French multinational insurer PT AXA Financial Indonesia (AFI). Despite the large population, awareness of sharia insurance products among Muslims is still very low as many still think that insurance goes against sharia principles. To raise the awareness, AFI president director Niharika Yadav said the firm actively offered financial literacy programs to the public. It also comes up with the innovation of introducing a waqf (charitable endowment in the form of assets such as land or buildings) feature for its sharia insurance products that allows policyholders to give waqf while they are still alive and do not have to wait until they die to do so. It also partnered with the Indonesian Ulema Councils (MUI) waqf institution to further seal its dedication to not only helping its policyholders to complete their religious commitment but also to developing the countrys waqf and sharia insurance industry. The Jakarta Posts Riska Rahman interviewed Yadav along with AFI director Cicilia Nina Triana in late May to find out more about the importance and challenges of developing sharia products, as well as the most recent development of its business amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Question: How big is the opportunity for the sharia insurance business for AFI and how has your partnership with MUI help you to seize it? Niharika Yadav: Sharia business is a very strategic topic for AXA Indonesia, and the opportunity in Indonesia is massive. Indonesia has the biggest Muslim population in the entire world and sharia business awareness is about 6.9 percent, according to the Financial Services Authority [OJK], and only 40 percent of that number are aware of sharia insurance products or are keen to get it. Through the partnership with MUI that we have built since May 2019, we partner with MUIs waqf institution and have come up with a very innovative and the first time in Indonesia where the active policy, while the insured is alive, can make contributions toward waqf. The partnership with MUI also helps us show our commitment to be the partner that provides comprehensive insurance solution and sharia business remains very strategic for us. Cicilia Nina: Responding to this opportunity and noble intention of sharia concept, what AFI already did was to tap into the market by educating people on the two layers of insurance and sharia. What we do is give them explanations on insurance, then we link that to what Islam has taught and educate them on how sharia products can help with their financial planning. With this opportunity, we partnered with MUI because recently, it found that in order to help waqf awareness, [we must let people know that they] dont have to wait until they die or be wealthy to use insurance as a tool. How hard is it to build awareness on sharia products? Yadav: Its a real challenge to penetrate the sharia market for the entire Indonesian insurance industry. Everybody realizes the potential and massive opportunity for us to grow. I think the first step is to penetrate the social strata where perhaps insurance is out of reach. I think a crisis like [the COVID-19 pandemic] teaches us a lesson or two and helps insurance companies like us convey the message that everybody needs protection. Its not a luxury item for the rich and affluent but a necessity. Other than literacy, distribution also plays an important role. As this partnership [with MUI] also helps us get more agents [] it will also help us expand penetration. Product will always play an important role in insurance and thats why we always try to beat the benchmark and always try to invest in good quality assets because in sharia, theres more transparency, our promise is fairer and there are fewer hidden charges. So, it becomes imperative for us to handle fund management in the sharia business even more wisely. How do you see the pandemic transforming the insurance industry in the future, especially in terms of interacting with customers? Yadav: The new normal for insurance will be in four segments. First, theres the customer. We do think a new breed of customers will join insurance, so the acquisition for us should go up because of rising awareness and vulnerability. In terms of products, they will shift toward protection and health. The demand for this new breed of customers will not come from investment. People will be more focused on protecting their families, get income protection or hospital benefits. In terms of our employees, this new normal will be very good because it has taught us to work on digital platforms and be even more productive during these times. This will induce efficiency in insurance, so the pricing can be more competitive and more customers will join. Last but not least is the distribution. I think its very clear that our agents have adapted the new norm of non-face-to-face selling. Everybody has tried to find out new ways of selling using digital tools. The dream that we always have to have a digital agency and office-less network is coming true. This is the new way to accelerate the digitization of our distributors and our professionalism. How do you see your business grow this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic? Yadav: It depends how soon the economy and consumers confidence will bounce. The good thing is, all the fundamental things weve done using digital tools for recruiting and training will come in handy when the situation bounces back to normal, because the improvisation that weve done will give us more efficiency gains in the third and fourth quarters of this year. I also think that we will be more resilient than other market players because our market competitors will be more focused on investment-linked products, but as I said, AFI is more of a protection player. Most of our products focus on protection and health, which represent about 80 percent of our sales. We are less exposed by products most affected by the coronavirus, and I hope that we will be a little bit more resilient than our colleagues in the industry. The Express Tribune journalist Bilal Farooqi, arrested by Karachi police on September 11 for posting allegedly anti-military and sectarian posts on social media, was released on September 12. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Pakistan affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) are concerned by the arbitrary arrest and warn the Pakistan government against any efforts to silence dissenting voices. Journalist Farooqi was arrested at his residence in Karachi after a resident of Majeed Colony in Landhi filed a First Information Report (FIR) accusing him of sharing highly provocative posts against the Pakistan army and inciting religious hatred. According to Karachi police chief, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Ghulam Nabi Memon, Farooqui was arrested under Sections 500 ((defamation) )and 505 ((statements conducing to public mischief)) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 11 and 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). Farooqi was released on September 12 on a "personal guarantee" from his lawyer, Jibran Nasir, after the police officers preliminary investigation report showed that Farooqi had not committed any offense under Pakistan Penal Codes Section 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) and Section 500 (Punishment for defamation). Two other accusations against him still stand. The arbitrary arrest of journalists and their release following a public outcry is becoming more common in Pakistan. In a similar incident, Matiullah Jan, a senior Pakistani journalist was abducted in broad daylight on July 21 in Islamabad and then released late at night on the same day near Fateh Jang, Punjab. The PFUJ Secretary General Rana Azeem said: The PFUJ urges the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation before making an arrest. Arresting journalists arbitrarily is not acceptable. The IFJ said: The arbitrary arrest and detention of the journalists is one of the strategies authorities in Pakistan have used to silence independent voices. The IFJ urges the Pakistan government to respect freedom of press and expression and ensure that journalists are not harassed and intimidated for doing their job. Save yourself the stress and pre-order a Thanksgiving turkey at Crowd Cow. Recommendations are independently chosen by Revieweds editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. Thanksgiving may be a ways away but its never too early to start preparing for the food-centric holiday. In fact, there's never been to start thanks to Crowd Cows new limited-time deal on holiday pre-orders, during which early birds can snag their turkey at a discounted price. Need help finding products? Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Its free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Through Saturday, October 31, Turkey Day shoppers can get $10 off their order of a nice, juicy bird that will arrive at a date of their choosing using the serviceone of Reviewed's favorite go-tos for all-things meatalong with a free apron. Not only will your pre-order deal rid you of the stress of finding the perfect turkey in the chaotic days leading up to Thanksgiving, we had an awesome experience with Crowd Cow when we tested it out. Our trending content editor, Amanda Tarlton, eagerly placed an order for ribeye steak, ground beef and a sirloin steak (other delivery options include everything from Wagyu beef to Maine lobster) and found all of the meat to be "deliciously juicy and [of] great quality."What's more, when Amanda used the ground beef to make burgers, she noted that they were the best she had ever made. We were also thrilled by the retailers farm-to-table mission. Crowd Cow only works with farms that they trust to raise livestock sustainably and ethically. While it does mean prices will be a bit steeper than your average supermarket meats, Amanda found it to be 100% worth the moneyespecially if youre passionate about high-quality ingredients from independent farmers. Crowd Cow lets you plan ahead by bringing the freshest sustainable meat, fish, and poultry options right to your door. As for the retailers Thanksgiving turkey, it received 5-star ratings from plenty of happy customers who were pleased with the delivery process: The turkey arrives frozen and the retailer recommends allowing three to five days for defrosting. Each bird comes from Gunthorp Farms in Indiana, and you can choose from a medium (12.5 pounds, serves up to eight people), large (15 pounds, serves up to 10 people) or extra-large (18.5 pounds, serves up to 12 people). Story continues Regardless of how you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, Crowd Cow can take a huge weight off your shoulders by streamlining your meal's centerpiece. Make sure to snag one of these hormone-free birds at a discount before they sell out! The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest deals, reviews, and more. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. This article originally appeared on Reviewed.com: Crowd Cow: Save on a farm-to-table turkey with this popular service Ashok Leyland expands LCV portfolio with BADA DOST Mumbai, Sep 14 (UNI) Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group and Indias leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, today launched the BADA DOST, reinforcing its offering in the LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) range. Through this, the Company increases its addressable domestic LCV market. BADA DOST builds on the strong foundation laid by the DOST brand, which is known for reliability, mileage and comfort. It features customer-centric offerings on technology and driver comfort, while being contemporary and futuristic. Equipped with the latest BS-VI engine, it has two variants, i4 and i3, with a best-in-class payload capacity of 1,860 kg and 1,405 kg, respectively. BADA DOST is being launched initially in 7 states and will gradually be available pan-India over the next 3 months and is open for bookings and delivery through both, physical and digital platforms. The ex-showroom prices (Mumbai) is Rs 7.75 Lacs & 7.95 lacs (i3 LS and LX) 7.79 & 7.99 lacs (i4 LS and LX). UNI JM PS 1722 We knew in advance about the Mexican Anti-Rapist and Drug-Pusher Wall. But the invasion of Canada came as a surprise As the battle for the presidency rages on, Donald Trump has claimed he received a highly-honoured Bay of Pigs Award from Cuban Americans in an attack on his rivals alleged poor track record with Latin Americans on Sunday. The president also confused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for former president Barack Obama when boasting about his Nobel Peace Prize nominations during a campaign rally. In a tweet on Sunday, following reports that Vermont democratic socialist senator Bernie Sanders has concerns about Mr Bidens campaign, Mr Trump said: Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honoured Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! But as it turns out, there is no such award as a Bay of Pigs Award, as many on the social media platform pointed out and mocked the president for. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961, carried out by Cuban exiles trying to overthrow Fidel Castro. The operation was sponsored by the CIA and its failure continues to plague US-Cuban relations. The Obama administration sought to improve relations and he became the first US president to visit Havana in nearly a century in 2016. But Mr Trump reversed his predecessors efforts to foster relations with Cuba, rolling back its people-to-people educational travel permits and prohibiting cruise ships from calling into the island. Mr Trump previously visited a Bay of Pigs museum in Little Havana, in Miami, in October 2016. During the visit, he received a hand-painted Brigade 2506 shield, which is the award in question, his campaign has insisted. Brigade 2506 is the unit which carried out the failed invasion. Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2020 The Bay of Pigs Veterans Association gave Mr Trump an endorsement in 2016, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans but no award comes with it. Story continues Having been nominated for a second Nobel Peace Prize, Mr Trump also took the opportunity to brag about his nominations and criticise the fake news media again for not applauding him highly enough. Speaking to a cheering crowd during a rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Sunday, he said: They nominated your president twice last week, for two different subjects, for a Nobel prize but the fake news media didnt cover it. He then continues to say that Mr Biden got it, before pausing and correcting himself, adding: Remember when our great president Barack Hussein Obama, he got it. Mr Biden has never received a Nobel Peace Prize, but he has been endorsed by 81 American winners of the prize in the fields of chemistry, medicine and physics for his support for science. Mr Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people, as well as his promotion of nuclear nonproliferation. Last week, a right-wing Norwegian politician told Fox News he nominated Mr Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Christian Tybring-Gjedde said he believed Mr Trump has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees. Days later, Magnus Jacobsson, a member of the Swedish Parliament, announced he nominated the presidents administration alongside the governments of Kosovo and Serbia for brokering a peace deal between the two European nations. Under Nobel Peace Prize rules, any member of a national parliament can nominate a candidate for the award, among others, including university professors. Read more Does the media really want Donald Trump to be re-elected? We all do stupid things at 17: Donald Trump Jr refuses to condemn Kyle Rittenhouse killings in interview Donald Trump calls generals serving under his administration a bunch of p****ies, bombshell new book claims This may most shameful moment in history of US science policy: Science journal editor launches attack on Trump over coronavirus Biden continues to lead Trump in polls but is still vulnerable on the economy Trumps nomination makes a mockery of the Nobel Peace Prize MBABANE - If the words of Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi are anything to go by, the once controversial Kholwane Declaration will be challenged in Parliament. The infamous declaration is the one that made it compulsory for pupils to be taught strictly Christian education in schools. The move to teach strictly Christian religion in Eswatini schools was announced by the late former Prime Minister, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, in December 2016 and it became known as the Kholwane Declaration as the decision was made at an area known as Kholwane. The declaration meant that pupils would no longer be taught using any other religious book except for the Holy Bible. This declaration by the late former PM is set to be challenged in Parliament. Syllabus Previously, the Religious Education syllabus consisted of topics on Christianity, Islam, Bahai faith and Eswatini ancestors. Schools opened in January 2017 for the new academic year under the new government orders to teach only Christianity, a move which was criticised by opponents as fuelling intolerance of Muslims and other religions that are practised in the country. MP Buthelezi made it known during a sitting last Thursday, where the Ministry of Education and Training appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that a motion would be moved in Parliament soon. This was when the PAC queried the warehousing of school books at the Macmillan Education premises. He was speaking in relation to the auditor generals report where it was revealed that a sum of E615 896.70 was paid to Macmillan Education in the financial year ended March 2018, for 1 451 textbooks that were not delivered. Report It was stated in the report that there was also no signed delivery note and proof of receipt for the books. According to the AGs report, a response given by the controlling officer of the ministry at the time was that for a long time, government had purchased and kept learning material at Macmillan Education premises. Regarding the money, the AGs report stated that the controlling officer said the payment was in line with the distribution agreement that government had with Macmillan, which stipulated that all stock purchased by the ministry belonged to government. The controlling officer, according to the report, had also stated that the stock was checked, signed for and recorded at the ministrys warehouse. A recommendation given by the AG, as contained in the report, was that the controlling officer should revisit and normalise the agreement between government and Macmillan Education. Also recommended was that the arrangement regarding the warehouse needed to be revisited and be run by an officer from the ministry. Company During the sitting last Thursday, Principal Secretary (PS) Bertram Stewart was asked to shed light on why the warehousing was done by the very same company government purchased school books from. In response, he stated that it was something that was done by government consciously since it owned shares there. In the agreement, the warehousing of books is the responsibility of Macmillan unless we review it, he said. The PS informed the PAC that so far the ministry had not received any reports of a shortage of books and that all procedures were followed whenever they were delivered. We have tried to ensure that the receiving of books is done properly, he said. However, his response seemingly did not convince Buthelezi, who mentioned that shortages were there and caused by the fact that government gave the responsibility of storing the stock to the same entity it purchased the books from. Buthelezi said during an audit, it was discovered that what appeared on the inventory was not available at the warehouse. Following this, the outspoken MP, who is also the deputy speaker in the House of Assembly, lamented that the previous government made a mess. By making Christian education compulsory it is much against the Constitution. The previous government announced that even if one is Islam they will have to learn Christianity and this is wrong. As a matter of fact, a motion is coming to challenge that. The Constitution is clear that you cannot force a person to learn Christianity, he said. He then recalled how there were reported shortages of Religious Education textbooks which disrupted the operations of schools in the country. The issue will be brought back when we move the motion because it is wrong to take a person who is a Buddhist and force them to learn the Holy Bible. The subject you removed taught all religions. It gave children an idea of how it is done in the Bahai culture. By the same token, it gave them an idea of what ancestral spirits (emadloti) mean to emaSwati, he mentioned. Emadloti He said it was not good that todays children had no idea what emadloti were all about. Do not get rid of those books, that issue is coming back. Our children need to be aware of all religions and not be forced to stick with the Bible all the time. Yes, while we were young we had to learn the Bible and be asked about Genesis and it was frustrating. Yes, we are a Christian nation but we also have to respect the Constitution, he emphasised. It should be noted that when the issue of the implementation of the policy was debated in Parliament in 2017, tempers flared as most MPs at the time were against it. This took place during a budget debate where MPs worked as late as 12:15am to ensure that about E20 million, which had been allocated for the new syllabus, was not passed. Implementation The MPs who were against the implementation of the programme, insisted that government was not ready to roll out the programme while others, including the then Minister of Education and Training, Phineas Magagula, insisted that government was more than ready. The then portfolio committee of the ministry, which was chaired by former Hosea MP Thulani Masuku, had initially recommended that the E20 million be sent back to the Consolidated Fund as government was not ready to roll-out the programme, however, the vote that eventually won was that the money be released immediately so that the ministry could start working. One of the concerns raised at the time was that government kept saying it was ready yet the ministry had said it had 840 schools and at the time only had 50 teachers for the subject. It should be noted that a year after the Christian Education was introduced in schools, some of them came out to allege that they had not received the much needed textbooks and other material. As expected, critics strongly condemned the decision by government as they argued that the Constitution of 2005 provided citizens with freedom of choice and religion. Section 23 (1) of the Constitution reads, A person has a right to freedom of thought, conscience or religion. Subsection (2) reads: A religious community is entitled to establish and maintain places of education and to manage any place of education which that community wholly maintains, and that community may not be prevented from providing religious instructions for persons of that community in the course of education provided at a place of education which that community wholly maintains or in the course of any education which that community otherwise provides. The Anopheles gambiae group of mosquito species are currently the main drivers of malaria's spread in Africa A species of mosquito originally from Asia threatens to put tens of millions of city-dwellers in Africa at higher risk of catching malaria as the invading insect spreads throughout the continent, a study said Monday. Malariawhich killed 400,000 people in 2018, mainly children in Africais caused by parasites that roughly 40 mosquito species spread among humans when they feed. The Anopheles gambiae group of mosquito species are the main drivers of malaria's spread in Africa, but these insects dislike the polluted puddles seen in cities and haven't learned to lay their larvae in urban fresh water tanks. For these reasons, most malaria transmission in Africa occurs in rural areas. In a new study published in the Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), medical entomologist Marianne Sinka, of the University of Oxford, charted the spread of another species, Anopheles stephensi, which originated in Asia. This species has learned to slip through cracks to access water tanks, favoring those made from brick and cement. "It's the only one that's really good at getting into central urban areas," Sinka told AFP. Anopheles stephensi caused a major outbreak in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa in 2012, a city where malaria hardly existed, and has since been observed in Ethiopia, Sudan and elsewhere. Sinka and colleagues combined location data for the species with spatial models that identified the environmental conditions characterizing its preferred habitat: high-density urban areas where it is hot and rainfall is plentiful. Their study found that 44 cities are "highly suitable" locations for the insect, putting 126 million more Africansmainly around the equatorial regionsat risk of malaria, compared to today. "That means that Africa, which has already got the highest burden of malaria, could have an even bigger impact," said Sinka, with 40 percent of the continent's population in urban areas. Unlike African mosquitoes, which like to bite humans when at night when it is cool, Anopheles stephensi can feed in the evening when it is warmer, making bed nets less effective. So installing mosquito nets on windows, soaking the walls in insecticides, and covering the body are better ways to protect against this species. Longer term, the most effective measure is to target the larvae: eliminate stagnant water and tightly seal water tanks from intrusion. These methods proved effective in India, said Sinka. Explore further Invasive mosquito found in Finland could potentially transmit malaria More information: M. E. Sinka el al., "A new malaria vector in Africa: Predicting the expansion range of Anopheles stephensi and identifying the urban populations at risk," PNAS (2020). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences M. E. Sinka el al., "A new malaria vector in Africa: Predicting the expansion range of Anopheles stephensi and identifying the urban populations at risk,"(2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2003976117 2020 AFP The outgoing Bihar assembly has 136 MLAs, over 55 percent, facing criminal cases and while 94 MLAs, nearly 39 percent, have serious criminal cases against them, said a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Bihar Election Watch released on Monday. Assembly elections in the state are due in October-November. The report has brought to spotlight the Supreme Court order passed in February this year which made it mandatory for all political parties to publicise, on their respective party websites, social media handles and in newspapers, the details of candidates with criminal background. It also said that parties must explain the reasons for selecting the candidate and why someone without a criminal record was been selected instead. The ADR report, which analysed the 2015 election affidavits of 240 sitting MLAs (three seats are vacant), said 11 MLAs had declared cases related to murder, 30 related to attempt to murder and five declared cases of crime against women, including one of rape. Also read: He was compelled - Raghuvansh Singhs letter sparks row after his demise This analysis is based on the affidavits submitted by the candidates before the 2015 assembly elections and bypolls conducted thereafter. Party-wise, out of 80 MLAs of RJD, 45 (56%) had criminal cases, while 34 (49%) out of 69 MLAs from JD(U) had criminal cases against them. JD(U)s alliance partner in the NDA, the BJP, was not far behind, with 34 (63%) of its 54 MLAs facing criminal cases, followed by 14 (56%) out of 25 MLAs from Congress, two out of two (100%) of LJP, three (100%) out of 3 MLAs from CPI(ML)(L) and four (80%) out of five Independent MLAs. The outgoing assembly had 160 (67%) crorepati MLAs, which works out to Rs 3.06 crore per MLA. Of these, 51 (74%) out of 69 MLAs are from JD(U), 51 (64%) of 80 MLAs are from RJD, 33 (61%) of 54 MLAs are from BJP, 17 (68%) of 25 MLAs from INC, 2 (100%) out of 2 MLAs from LJP, 1 (100%) of 1 MLA from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and 5 (100%) out of 5 MLAs from Independent have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore. The average assets per MLA for 80 RJD lawmakers analysed is Rs 3.02 crore, Rs 2.79 crore for 69 JD(U) MLAs, Rs.2.38 crore for 54 BJP MLAs and Rs 4.36 crore for 25 Congress MLAs, reveals the study. Similarly, 94 (39%) MLAs have declared their educational qualifications to be between 5th pass and 12th pass while 134 (56%) MLAs have declared having an educational qualification of a graduate or above. Nine MLAs have declared in their affidavits that they are just literate. SALEM, Ore. Deadly West Coast wildfires are dividing President Donald Trump and the states Democratic leaders over how to prevent blazes from becoming more frequent and destructive, but scientists and others on the front lines say its not as simple as blaming either climate change or the way land is managed. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington have all said global warming is priming forests for wildfires as they become hotter and drier. But during a visit Monday to California, Trump pointed to how states manage forests and said, It will start getting cooler, just you watch. Scientists say wildfires are all but inevitable, and the main drivers are plants and trees drying out due to climate change and more people living closer to areas that burn. And while forest thinning and controlled burns are solutions, they have proven challenging to implement on the scale needed to combat those threats. As crews battled wildfires that have killed at least 36 people, destroyed neighborhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke, Trump contended that the states are to blame for failing to rake leaves and clear dead timber from forest floors. However, many of the California blazes have roared through coastal chaparral and grasslands, not forest, and some of the largest are burning on federal land. In Oregon, it was the forests that burned at unprecedented levels this past week. Almost the same number of megafires defined as having scorched 100,000 acres or more were burning last week as have occurred during the entire last century, said Jim Gersbach, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Monday requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration, saying it would bring much needed resources to Oregons response and recovery efforts. Experts, environmentalists and loggers largely agree that thinning trees and brush through prescribed burns and careful logging will help prevent forests that cover vast tracts of the American West from threatening cities with fire. But whether that would have spared towns is less clear. Strong winds sent flames racing down the western slopes of the Cascade Range into small towns like Detroit, Oregon, wiping them out. In a wind-driven event at 30 miles an hour, where youve got embers flying far ahead of the actual flame fronts and flame lengths being much greater than normal, is thinning going to really be enough to stop a home from burning in an inferno like that? Gersbach said. Millions of dollars are spent on tree thinning and brush clearing every year in Western states, though many argue more needs to be done. But scaling up the costly, labor-intensive work as more people move into mountains and forests has many challenges. Forest thinning helped save the town of Sisters, Oregon, from a wildfire in 2017. But out of 30 million forested acres statewide, prescribed burns have been used on only roughly a half-percent a year, Gersbach said. In Washington state, a prescribed burning program hasnt yet begun on state lands, said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Thomas Kyle-Milward. The state helps manage deliberate fires on thousands of acres of federal lands each year. Many places dont have the capacity or the money to do the work, said John Bailey, an Oregon State University professor of tree growth and fire management. There are no longer enough mills to handle salvageable timber, whose proceeds can help offset the costs of forest thinning. Sometimes I feel like we are making progress at increasing the pace and scale of resilience treatments, but largely, the same issues are at play, and progress has been slow, Bailey said. More folks are probably on board to the ideas, but implementation is hard. And as more people move into rural areas or build vacation cabins in the woods, prescribed burning is less of an option. Where you have lots of people living on small acreages close together, and youve got houses and barns and sheds and corrals and fences, its very difficult to do a prescribed burn, Gersbach said. Youve got a lot of things that, if that fire for some reason escapes, youre almost immediately into someone elses property. West Coast governors have bluntly blamed climate change and accused the Trump administration of downplaying the threat. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was tempered Monday in his meeting with Trump, saying: We come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. He also pointed out that 57% of forest land in California is controlled by the federal government. Just Friday, Newsom called out the ideological BS of those who deny the danger of climate change. In southern Oregon to Northern California, warnings of low moisture and strong winds conditions that can drive the flames are in effect through Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as the fast-moving flames turned neighborhoods to nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials more than 20 people are still missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise as authorities search. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state. ___ Beam reported from Sacramento, California. By PTI NEW DELHI: Seven former civil servants have moved the Supreme Court to become parties to a pending plea seeking stay of telecast of Sudarshan TV's 'Bindas Bol' programme on alleged "infiltration" of Muslim into bureaucracy. The Delhi High Court, on September 11, had declined to stay the telecast of the series of programmes, whose promo had claimed that the channel would show the 'big expose on conspiracy to infiltrate Muslims in government service'. Prior to this, the top court on August 28, had refused to restrain pre-broadcast ban on the channel from telecasting the programme while hearing a plea of lawyer Firoz Iqbal Khan. The former civil servants including Amitabha Pande and Navrekha Sharma have made an informal collective "Constitutional Conduct Group" and have filed the plea seeking to intervene in the pending petition of Khan. They said that the apex court should lay down an authoritative pronouncement on "hate speech" in view of the fact that it had expressed an intention to consider the balance between free speech and other constitutional values in the instant case. The scope and meaning of hate speech should be decided so that the citizens, law enforcement authorities, and the courts have clarity on speech which is protected and the speech which falls outside such protection. ALSO READ | Delhi HC declines to stay telecast of Sudarshan TV programme on Muslim infiltration in govt services "There is no bright line between hate speech and offensive speech. Each case requires the application of judicial mind," it said. Earlier, the bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and K M Joseph had said it has to first "circumspect in imposing a prior restraint on publication or the airing of views". "At this stage, we have desisted from imposing a pre-broadcast interlocutory injunction on the basis of an unverified transcript of a forty-nine seconds clip. The Court has to be circumspect in imposing a prior restraint on publication or the airing of views. We note that under statutory provisions, competent authorities are vested with powers to ensure compliance with law, including provisions of the criminal law intended to ensure social harmony and the peaceful coexistence of all communities," the bench had said. The apex court had issued notices to the Centre, Press Council of India, News Broadcasters Association and Sudarshan News on a plea filed by advocate Firoz Iqbal Khan against the programme. The top court, which has posted hearing on September 15, had said that it will consider appointing amicus curiae to assist it towards a resolution which advances the protection of constitutional rights. The Delhi High Court is hearing a separate plea filed by former and present students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University challenging the nod given by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to Sudarshan News and its Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke to air the show. The High Court has also issued notices to the Centre and others on the petition. The High Court on August 28 had stayed the telecast of the programme which was scheduled the same evening. On August 29, it had disposed of the plea with a direction to the ministry to take a decision on the prohibition of the proposed Show pursuant to its August 28 show-cause notice. Later, the government and the High Court allowed the telecast. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The last decade belonged to Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The actor, who broke out with his performance as a police officer in Kahaani, and conquered the heartland with Gangs of Wasseypur, has emerged as one of the finest performers in India. Eight of his films have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2018, his debut Netflix series, Sacred Games, catapulted him to international stardom. Even during the lockdown, while stars are starved for releases, Nawaz has had them coming. Yet, none of this has been easy. In the latest edition of Time Pass, a series of webinars organised by The New Indian Express group, Nawaz sat down with senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai to discuss his 21-yearlong journey. Ive faced many disappointments in life, he shared. Rejections would hurt. Even more stressful was the question of survival. Thankfully, I had many friends who helped me get by. I would eat at one friends house and bathe at anothers. Thats how I managed. One companion during this phase was actor-comedian Rajpal Yadav. Rajpal had done movies like Jungle (2000) by then and was earning well. He helped me a lot. He also introduced me to Anurag Kashyap. With his leading turns in Gangs of Wasseypur, Sacred Games and the recent Raat Akeli Hai, Nawaz has shattered the myth of the chocolate boy hero. Raat Akeli Hai even has a scene that has him throwing away a fairness cream product. Nawaz feels the obsession over looks is a permanent folly in Bollywood. In the 2000s, a lot of new directors emerged who began casting us in their films. However, the formulaic cinema in India hasnt changed. It still needs a good-looking boy, a good-looking girl, five songs and a happy ending. The box-office performance of these movies is always high.. Besides Sacred Games, Nawaz has appeared in the global series McMafia, directed by James Watkins. He was also a part of Garth Davies Australian co-production Lion (2016). Speaking about his international career, Nawaz says, Global projects have a different rhythm. Theres a lot more professionalism and discipline. They are also well-prepared with the script. Nawaz names Thackeray as his favourite role in recent years. An actor always likes the role where he has to work the hardest. Thackeray, for me, was a huge challenge. I worked on his physicality, dialogue delivery, thought process. While doing a biopic, you are always scared that you dont mimic a personality. So, that was really difficult. Released in 2019, the film was criticised for glorifying Bal Thackerays exclusionist politics. Nawaz, too, was slammed for playing a character at odds with his political identity. For an artist, its always important to do different kinds of roles, Nawaz says. That was also my search with Thackeray. Commenting on the present situation in Bollywood, Nawaz says its unfair to assume that only insiders make it in the industry. There are many outsiders who have established themselves. Sooner or later, work comes around. You need to have patience for it. You cant come with a fixed target. Every person has to struggle a little in this profession. American billionaire Ronald Perelman has agreed to sell his stake in Scientific Games to Australian investment firm Caledonia Investments, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Caledonia is set to pay more than $US25 ($34) per share for Perelman's roughly 39 per cent stake in Las Vegas-based Scientific Games, which provides gambling products and services such as slot machines, said the people, who requested anonymity because the transaction isn't yet public. Will Vicars, co-chief investment officer of Caledonia Investments. Credit:Louie Douvis That's at least a 32 per cent premium to the company's closing price Friday of $US18.97 apiece and values the stake at more than $US920 million ($1.3 billion). Caledonia, which also has large stakes in companies such as Grubhub, Warner Music Group and Zillow, will get two board seats as part of the transaction, one of the people said. WILLIAMS BAY After landing a $300,000 transportation grant in March, Williams Bay is no longer eligible for the funds after a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision. But the village may be in the running for another award to help with the same project. On March 4, Williams Bay was one of 152 communities throughout the state to receive a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to fund road improvement projects. The grant was intended to fund 42 percent of the costs to construct a pedestrian pathway along Theatre Road, or about $300,000 of the projected $700,000 project. The village has been discussing and planning the pedestrian walkway and bike path since 2016, when construction of nearby Williams Bay Elementary School increased foot traffic on Theatre Road. The proposed pathway along the west side of Theatre Road would extend from the Lakewood Trails neighborhood to soccer fields at Theatre Road Park. The village became eligible for a state grant to help fund the project when Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a provision in the state budget that had excluded the use of Multimodal Local Supplement grant dollars for pedestrian walkways and bike trails. The repeal created an opportunity for communities like Williams Bay to apply for state grants previously reserved strictly for road improvements. But on July 10, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the governors veto and struck down the budget change, rendering Williams Bay ineligible for the state grant. Village Administrator Jim Weiss said the village has been contacted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and was told the village can no longer receive the $300,000 grant. Due to that change, we no longer qualify, Weiss said. Mae Knowles, spokeswoman for the state transportation department, said Williams Bay is one of 12 communities that are no longer eligible for grants under the Supreme Courts action. Knowles said her department is working with the affected communities to seek alternative funding options for their projects. The department, she said, has gone to great lengths to investigate all potential funding options. Weiss said while the village is no longer eligible for the state grant, it may still be in the running for a federally funded grant, potentially worth even more money. The village has applied for a grant through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, which could fund up to 80 percent of the Theatre Road construction costs. We are waiting to find out if we have qualified, Weiss said of the new grant prospect. While the grant could fund up to 80 percent of the project, it also is possible that less will be provided if more communities get in line to seek the federal assistance. The federal grant recipients were originally scheduled to be announced at the end of July, but no announcement has been made. As Williams Bay begins to draft its budget for the next fiscal year, delays in funding may push the Theatre Road project back yet another year. Jen McMannamy, village trustee and chair of the streets and highways committee, said the village might be unable to budget for the project this year, without knowing if the federal grant is coming. Its really at a standstill now, she said. McMannamy said the coronavirus pandemic has caused more people to seek out outdoor activities like walking and biking, making the path more necessary than ever. McMannamy added that she is hopeful that Williams Bay will be eligible for a federal grant. The village engineer is confident that we met the eligibility requirements for all the things the grant needs, she 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. Northeast Delhi riots: Police arrest former JNU student Umar Khalid India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: Umar Khalid, a former student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi riots case. Former JNU student Umar Khalid arrested in Delhi riots case | Oneindia News The special cell of the Delhi Police which is probing the case is also looking into the larger conspiracy angle. 53 persons had died in the riots that took place in February. Khalid has been interrogated twice for his alleged role in the riots. He was called in for questioning on Sunday. An officer who did not wish to be named told OneIndia that the police arrested him on Sunday night. Investigation is on and we cannot reveal anything further at this stage, the officer also said. Delhi riots: Police name Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh as co-conspirators The police had told a court last month that Khalid along with other accused, former AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi had hatched a conspiracy to orchestrate the riots just before the visit of US President Donald Trump in February. Recently the Delhi Police had filed two chargesheets against Hussain. The two chargesheets were filed in connection with two separate incidents of violence. The first related to arson and rioting at a parking lot in Chand Bagh, while the second related to arson and robbery at godown in Karawal Nagar. Along with his Hussain, his brother, Shah Alam and 10 others have been charged. Earlier the police had said that Hussain instigated the mob into killing IB staffer, Ankit Sharma as he was trying to pacify the mobs of both sides. It may be recalled that during the riots, Sharma had gone missing on February 25. His body was recovered from a drain in the Chand Bagh the next day. The chargesheet described the killing as cold blooded. It said that there were 51 injuries on Sharma's body and he was brutally killed. Hussain had gathered a mob based on religious sentiments and had also provided to logistic support to the rioters, whom he knew before hand. Citing witnesses, the chargesheet said that Hussain led the mob at Chand Bagh. The witnesses also told the police Hussain was very much present at his house, from where the mob was pelting stones. Hussain also provoked the mob based on religious sentiments and he was urging the mob against the Hindus/Kafirs to kill them, the chargesheet also said. Sharma on the other hand was trying to pacify both sides. However a mob of 25 equipped with rods, knives and stones attacked him. He was attacked after being instigated by Hussain. Sharma was dragged to the Chand Bagh areas and was beaten to death. The mob also inflicted injuries with knives, thus causing his death in a brutal fashion, the chargesheet further said. The chargesheet also said that Hussain had said a month before the riots that something big would happen. Be prepared for something big when Donald Trump visits India, suspended AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain had said at a January meeting, a good one month before the northeast Delhi riots. The chargesheet against Hussain says that on January 8, a month before the riots, the suspended councillor had met with former JNU student, Umar Khalid at Shaheen Bagh, where the anti citizenship law protests were being held. Hussain also met with Khalid Saifi of the United Against Hate at Shaheen Bagh and said that be prepared for something big or riots at the time of Trump's visit to India. During hiss questioning, Hussain said that Saifi had given him money for the preparations. This was given from the account of the companies that he owned and an amount of Rs 1.10 crore was transferred to fake companies in the second week of January. The amount was later received by him in cash, following a chain of transactions, after which the preparations began, the chargesheet, while citing Hussain's questioning and call records also stated. Hussain is then alleged to have distributed cash among the protestors and he further told his supporters to prepare for the big action. It was during this time that Hussain got wind of the pro-citizenship law protests. He went to the Khajuri Khas police station and got his licensed pistol released. He is alleged to have said that this he did to teach them a lesson. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 8:17 [IST] A Suffolk farm has created a unique maze which pays gratitude to the UK's key workers for their commitments during the pandemic. The maze at Undley Farm spells out 'Thank You NHS Key Workers' and shows pictures of different key workers. The farm, located near Beck Row, has hosted a maze every year for over two decades. But this year the attraction aims to raise money for the NHS due to the work key workers have done during the Covid-19 crisis. The 50p entrance fee to the 'maize maze' will be donated to NHS charities. Undley Farm farm said: "The 2020 Maize Maze has been custom designed to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff and key workers, as well as Captain Sir Thomas Moore." "Its also been especially created with wider pathways to make social distancing easy, one of the measures were taking to make the patch a safe environment for you to visit." The maze will open to the public on Saturday 3 October and Sunday 4 October. It comes after a Merseyside farmer planted 35,000 sunflower seeds across one acre of land as a way of saying 'thank you' to NHS staff. The yellow sunflowers, symbolic of joy and happiness, were planted for the hundreds of thousands of NHS staff who continue to make huge sacrifices. By PTI MUMBAI: As she left for her hometown Manali after week-long friction with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday said her analogy about Mumbai being Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) was "bang on." The actor, whose comment likening Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir triggered a spat with Maharashtra's ruling Shiv Sena, arrived in the city from her home state Himachal Pradesh last week. On the same day her office here faced action for "illegal" alterations by Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) following which she moved the Bombay High Court which stayed the demolition. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on(sic)," Ranaut wrote on Twitter. Targetting the ruling party, the 33-year-old actor said the protectors had declared themselves to be "destroyers" and were working towards dismantling democracy. "But they are wrong to think I'm weak. By threatening and abusing a woman, they are ruining their own image," she added. On Sunday, Ranaut met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan to apprise him of the "injustice" done to her. The actor has been aggressively criticizing the film industry and the way it functions since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. She initially said it was not a suicide but a "planned murder" by an industry that does not acknowledge outsiders. Ranaut escalated her attack to tackle the alleged drug nexus in the city, as well as targeting the Maharashtra government for its handling of the case, sparking anger after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. , ! , !! Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 Her spat with Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut led to her receiving Y-plus securitya detail of around 10 armed commandos who accompany the actress whenever she travels. On her arrival in Mumbai last week, BMC exempted Ranaut from the 14-day home quarantine rule for those arriving from outside the state after she submitted an online application for the exemption as she was on "a short visit." Joe Biden's team are said to adhere to strict social distancing rules in an effort to shield the 77-year-old from the coronavirus. New details shed light on his team's approach to protecting the Democratic presidential candidate, including orders for him to 'keep back' at public events. Biden's cars and planes are also said to be constantly disinfected, as is the equipment he uses right before he gives speeches, Politico reports. Journalists are temperature checked with only a select few allowed to have access and those attending his events are kept in spaces marked out with a tape measure. Biden, who is rarely seen without a mask in public, is also said to wear one when the limited members of his team allowed in his home do visit. And campaign aides say if someone takes a sip of water, they are said to turn their head away from others. Crowds are kept to low numbers and reporters segregated with sticky notes marking safe spots. New details shed light on Biden's team's approach to protecting the Democrat. It includes orders for him to 'keep back' at public events and constant cleaning Reporters and guests practice social distancing as Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about climate change during a campaign event at the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Wilmington, Delaware, Thursday At an event in Wilmington aides are said to have shouted 'six feet, six feet' as Biden walked towards attendees. In Wisconsin they shouted 'keep back' to the former vice president. Rev. Jonathan Barker attended a Biden event in Kenosha. He said: 'They actually had a measuring tape and they were measuring where people could be and using dots to mark the places.' Guests were given N-95 masks, even if they had been wearing others, and escorted to assigned seats, according to reports. Biden is also said to wear a mask at his home when members of his team visit Wearing a face mask to reduce the risk posed by the coronavirus, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden talks with members of the United Steelworkers union in a supporter's back yard September 9 in Detroit, Michigan Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and grandchildren Natalie Biden, left, and Hunter Biden II, center, depart St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church after Natalie's confirmation Mass on Sunday in Wilmington, Delaware One supporter, Terrance Warthen, said of Biden's canceled Milwaukee acceptance speech: 'He could have had a very safe, and isolated trip.' By contrast Donald Trump is rarely seen in public with a mask; on Sunday he held an indoor rally in Nevada in violation of state rules. More than 6.5 million Americans have tested positive for the virus; the death toll stands at 194,339. Both Biden and Trump are at an increased risk from complications due to their age and are said to be regularly tested. Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said: 'We dont want any more Americans to contract the virus. '[People] are frustrated when they see Donald Trump behaving irresponsibly at a political event.' But the president has said of Biden: 'Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him? Have you ever seen the gyms with the circles? Thats his crowd.' By contrast Donald Trump is rarely seen in public with a mask; on Sunday he held an indoor rally in Nevada in violation of state rules Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all the latest news and other updates from Hindustan Times. Row ensues over removal of Question Hour on Day 1 of monsoon session Several opposition parliamentarians questioned the government over the removal of Question Hour on day one of the Parliaments monsoon session proceedings on Monday. Parliamentarians from Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) said that there are several issues like unemployment, NEET exams and national security should have been discussed. Read more Prashant Bhushan deposits Re 1 fine in contempt case, but says filing review petition against Supreme Court judgement Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Monday deposited the Re 1 fine imposed on him by the Supreme Court, but said this doesnt mean that he is accepting the courts judgement. Bhushan spoke to mediapersons outside the Supreme Court and said that he is going to file a review petition against the top courts judgement today. Read more Delhi riots: Filmmakers Saba Dewan, Rahul Roy called for questioning The Delhi police on Monday summoned documentary filmmakers Rahul Roy and Saba Dewan for questioning in connection with the North-East Delhi riots in February, a day after they arrested former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid on charges of conspiracy in the case. Read more IPL 2020: Gautam Gambhir highlights the biggest difference between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohlis captaincy The Indian Premier League title is something that has eluded Royal Challengers Bangalore since its inception in 2008. They have been called favourites due to their power-packed batting department with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers leading the line. Read more Kangana Ranaut leaves Mumbai after being terrorised all these days, says her PoK comparison was bang on On Monday, Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter and wrote, With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. Read More Swan teaches woman how to wear mask correctly, video gets over 25 million views A video circulating on the Internet shows a woman sitting in front of a swan. Her mask can be seen hanging below her chin, leaving her nose and mouth exposed. As the woman tries to interact with the swan, the bird seems less than impressed and ensures the mask is worn the correct way. Read more LG Wing to launch today, heres what to expect from the T-shaped phone LG is scheduled to launch its new Wing smartphone later today. Its a dual-screen phone but with a unique T-shaped design. LG has confirmed this although weve already seen the phone in leaked videos. The LG Wing launch event will take place later today at 7:30 PM IST. Read more Kia eyes large SUV for select markets to challenge might of Toyota Prado: Report Kia is reportedly looking at bolstering its already strong line-up of SUVs with a product that could become the flagship and take on the heavy-duty candidates in the rival camp. Read more Is Covid-19 less fatal in Indias villages; Delhi gyms, yoga centres to reopen Hindustan Times National Political Editor, Sunetra Choudhury brings you the top stories you need to know. Sunetra talks about the number of Covid-19 cases in India so far; spread of Covid in rural areas of the country; monsoon session of Parliament; Delhi gyms, Yoga centres to reopen; Donald Trump names PM Modi in speech on Covid. Watch the full video for more. Watch Delhi on Sunday recorded over 4,000 fresh coronavirus cases on the fifth consecutive day, taking the cumulative tally past 2,18,000. The death toll climbed to 4,744 after 29 new fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours. CNN-News18 on Monday spoke to the Delhi Health Minister, Satyendra Jain, to discern the state governments initiatives taken to arrest the resurgence of a high Covid-19 daily count and their effectiveness. In Delhi, the number of Covid-19 cases and its testing rate is rising. The daily case count has also crossed the 4000-mark. What steps is the Delhi Govt taking so that we dont see the situation that was witnessed in June again? Even now, the occupancy rate in government hospitals is below 50%, so half of the beds are free. However, in some private hospitals, ICU beds are fully occupied. So, we have issued an order that 80% of ICU beds in the 33 private hospitals, which have high demand, will be reserved for coronavirus. Is this with immediate effect? Yes. However, we will wait for patients to be discharged in case of beds that are already occupied. Maybe, it will take another two to four days. But, 80% of the beds will be reserved for Covid-19. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken a decision to increase ICU beds. How many ICU beds is the government aiming to add to avoid another crunch? We are aiming to add at at least another 500 beds, which will also enhance the choices available with people when it comes to hospitalisations. Any trend over the past few days that you could read as positive? Any ray of hope? The number of testing has almost quadrupled. The Delhi government used to conduct around 16,000 -17,000 tests daily that has been increased to over 60,000. Early detection is the aim of this exercise, which will help in isolating a Covid-19 patient quickly so that the disease does not spread. If we dont do that, the infected person may choose to get tested after ten days and by then, would have spread the infection to ten more people. In another two weeks, we will see a favourable trend. Cases are on the rise across the world. One country has re-imposed lockdown. Is re-imposing a lockdown an option for the Delhi government? Let me tell you that we are following the right strategy for the current situation. Here, the mortality rate used to be 3.5% to 4.5%. In the past ten days, the mortality rate has been 0.68%. Our primary aim is to save lives. On that count, we are fairly successful. Many people are complaining about various symptoms even after being discharged. There is no cure, it seems? There is no specific cure to Covid-19. Yes, even after testing negative, people are complaining of fatigue and breathlessness. We have formed a post-Covid-19 center in the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. If anyone has these symptoms, they can visit this hospital. Dr. Stefano Navas symptoms were mostly mild at first some intestinal issues and what felt like the flu. But by late March, he had treated enough coronavirus patients to know that things can take a turn. And fast. Patients would come in with moderate symptoms, but they became very severe in just a matter of days, he said, recalling the harrowing months this spring when Italy was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. His hospital, in the countrys northern Emilia-Romagna region, was overrun with patients with COVID-19. Nava, chief of respiratory and critical care at SantOrsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, tested positive for the coronavirus on March 24. He remembers the psychological horror of that time, made all the more vivid because he had seen firsthand how the disease could ravage peoples lungs, stealing away some patients ability to breathe without the help of a mechanical ventilator. Over 31 subsequent days, as his body battled the infection, Nava reckoned with the unthinkable: Every night, as I was going to bed, I would phone my attending physician and ask, Is that bed and that ventilator still there if I need it? Is there still a spot for me in my unit? Today, Nava said he is grateful that his situation did not escalate to the point where he needed intensive care. Though hes still coping with some lingering effects of the disease, he said his bout with the virus has transformed the way he practices medicine. With Italy facing the possibility of a second wave of infections in the coming months, Nava said he has been steeled by his own experience. It changed my state of mind, Nava said. As doctors, we know that some people survive and some people die, but this disease gave me a real idea of human limit. Italy was one of the first countries hit hard by the pandemic, with skyrocketing cases and deaths from late February through much of March. Hospitals, particularly in northern Italy, were quickly overwhelmed, and the country imposed a strict lockdown on March 9 that lasted roughly 2 1/2 months. The Emilia-Romagna region, where Nava lives and works, had the countrys second-highest number of confirmed cases and deaths, after Lombardy. In the earliest days of Italys outbreak, Nava said it was a scary time. Doctors and nurses were only just learning how the virus attacks the body, how it spreads and what they could do to treat infected individuals. To cope with the influx of patients, most of the wards at SantOrsola were converted into coronavirus units. Nava and his colleagues also took the time to train hospital personnel in other divisions how to effectively use personal protective equipment, such as masks and face shields, and how to supply oxygen to patients. Even with help from other divisions, plus doctors and nurses who volunteered from other regions of Italy, Nava said hospital resources were stretched thin. Our daily work hours increased to 14, 16, sometimes 18 hours a day, he said. I remember going home at 11 p.m. and starting work again at 7 a.m. In some cases, health care systems in Italy particularly in the countrys northern regions came perilously close to their breaking point. We were very close to the failure threshold, said Roberto Cosentini, head of the emergency medicine unit at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, in Italys Lombardy region. Our biggest fear was to fail as a system not just from a professional point of view, but also from a human point of view. For a doctor, to feel useless is the worst thing. Front-line workers were also making big sacrifices in their personal lives, with many opting to be separated from their families to protect them from being infected. It was very demanding from a psychological point of view, Nava said. And then Nava fell ill. His symptoms were moderate, but after weeks of treating people in intensive care and seeing many patients die alone with him and his colleagues often being forced to relay the news to loved ones by Skype or FaceTime because relatives were barred from coming to the hospital Nava knew not to underestimate the virus. I would get this sudden sense of death, he said. I would be going to bed and think: Im not sure if tomorrow morning I will be here. Four others in Navas unit also contracted the virus, and he estimates about 2 percent of hospital personnel at SantOrsola got sick from late February through April. In June, Nava co-authored a study in the European Respiratory Journal, titled An Italian sacrifice to the COVID-19 epidemic, that detailed how 151 doctors and more than 40 nurses died during that stage of the pandemic and what other health care systems could learn from it. In the months since he was infected, Nava said he has mostly recovered. He still struggles with some fatigue, and his lungs are noticeably not at their pre-coronavirus capacity. During strenuous exercise, I cannot reach what I was doing before, he said, adding that he used to run three times a week. Im up to about 80 percent of what I used to do. Occasionally his heart rate spikes for no apparent reason a lingering symptom that other recovered patients have also described. Sometimes, his elevated heart rate lasts for around 30 minutes, Nava said. Its likely too soon to know how the coronavirus may affect people over the long term, but some early studies have suggested that patients could experience respiratory, heart and even neurological problems long after theyve recovered from the disease. Yet, through all the suffering, Nava has come to see his illness as a valuable lesson. The disease taught us one important thing: Medicine is a probabilistic science, he said. In medicine, 1+1 may give you 3 because something unpredictable can really screw things up. He also describes surviving Italys first wave as a humbling experience. It brought us back down to Earth a bit. Doctors now have incredible medicine and robots doing surgical procedures, and then all of a sudden a small virus changed everything, he said. It changed my life because I got the sense of being mortal. Source: NBC 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 Days after Indian and Chinese foreign ministers met on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Moscow, situation remains unchanged at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. A government source told WION that while situation remains "quiet" at the LAC, "no major movement has been seen by the Chinese troops". The source confirmed that build up by Chinese troops remains along the LAC. The 5 point joint statement after the 2 hour long meet between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi called troops of both sides to continue "dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions." Asked if Foreign Minister-level level talks between the two countries yielded results, the source said, these are still "very early days". It is expected that 6th Corp Commanders level meet between the two nations would take place soon and this meeting will decide the future action on the ground vis-a-vis disengagement. The date and time of the meet is still to be determined. Live TV A statement released by Indian government about the Foreign Minister level talks said, "the final disposition of the troop deployment to their permanent posts and the phasing of the process is to be worked out by the military commanders." The meeting between Jaishankar and Wang was the first in person meet between the two foreign ministers since the start of the border dispute between two countries over 100 days ago. The U.S. Justice Department has brought charges against a North Korean apparatchik suspected of masterminding the assassination of leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, though not in connection with the murder. The department said on Sept. 11 that Ri Jong-chol has been charged with violation of international sanctions and financial fraud. According to the department, Ri established a shell company in Malaysia and laundered funds by accessing the U.S. financial system to purchase materials for the North Korean regime for more than a year since August 2015. The charges, filed in a federal court in Washington, identify Ri as an executive of the shell company under the North Korean Ministry of People's Armed Forces, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. His daughter Ri Yu-gyong was also charged for supporting her father with translation services. Ri was arrested in Malaysia after the killing of Kim Jong-nam in 2017 but swiftly repatriated when the regime took Malaysian nationals working in North Korea hostage. In Peru they called him Tasorentsi: 'divine messenger and world transformer.' During the first half of the 20th century, Jose Carlos Amaringo Chico rose to power as a charismatic Ashaninka shaman-chief. His personal evolution mirrored the tumultuous times. His unwavering belief in the potential to transform the world and achieve immortality contributed to his success as a leader. Fernando Santos-Granero, anthropologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, tells Tasorentsi's story in Slavery and Utopia: The Wars and Dreams of an Amazonian World Transformer, now available in Spanish and English editions. Tasorentsi lived for 83 years (1875-1958). To understand his life, it is useful to understand the evolution of the rubber industry. Made from latex extracted from Hevea brasiliensis and Castilla elastica trees, rubber was invented by Amerindians. But it was not in great demand until 1839 when Charles Goodyear invented vulcanization, a process that made rubber harder and more durable. When the bicycle became a popular form of transportation in the late 1800s, rubber was needed for tires, but it was expensive because it was still harvested from wild trees by Indigenous and mestizo workers. The workers were often paid in advance by rubber companies to travel to areas where latex was being harvested and thus became permanently indebted. By the late 1800s, people realized that it was easier to grow rubber trees in plantations and exploit inexpensive labor--especially in British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia. As new banks sprang up in China to finance the Asian plantations, the supply of cheap rubber soon far exceeded demand and the wild rubber economy collapsed in 1910. As an adolescent, Amaringo worked as an indentured, quasi-slave laborer for a local rubber extractor and knew well the sufferings of Indigenous people forced to extract rubber. After escaping from his master, he became a shaman and engaged, first as a middleman and later as a slaver, in the capture and trafficking of children and young women on behalf of white-mestizo rubber extractors. By the time the wild rubber economy collapsed, Amaringo was to experience a moral conversion, which changed the course of his life. The Ashaninka believed they had once been as immortal as the gods but had been cast out because they did not uphold a moral code. As the rubber economy evolved and then collapsed, Amaringo took a strong anti-slavery stance and rose as the leader of several major social liberation movements, fueling his efforts with the idea that if a morally just culture could be reestablished, immortality would follow. When Seventh Day Adventist missionaries arrived, telling a similar messianic tale, he skillfully blended the two ideologies to achieve a peaceful transition. According to the publisher of the 2018 English edition, the University of Texas Press, "Slavery and Utopia convincingly refutes those who claim that the Ashaninka proclivity to messianism is an anthropological invention." The Spanish edition was featured virtually on the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos' Facebook page Sept. 3 as part of Lima's annual Book Fair. In a YouTube interview in Spanish by Javier Torres on his channel, La Mula, Torres describes the book as a "collective collaboration." "Learning about the life of someone who lived in a remote area at the turn of the twentieth century and who left few tracks in the oral tradition and fewer in the written record, was a challenge," Santos-Granero said. "I have to thank a large group of anthropologists, historians and linguists who shared their data in ways that are not necessarily customary in our profession." One of the central clues to the impact that Tasorentsi played as a multicultural mediator was a song from the early 20th century, La Cancion del Rio Celeste, which Santos-Granero found in an interview of Carlos Perez Schuman recorded by anthropologist Jeremy Narby from the 1980s. With words in Ashaninka, Yine and Shipibo, the lyrics describe a time when Indigenous groups will regain their immortality and people of the Earth will once again become part of the celestial matrix. "The song mirrors Tasorentsi's moral conversion from a person who actively supported slavery to a person who rejected violence as the road to Indigenous liberation and advocated a strategy to attain autonomy through economic independence, rejecting slavery and providing formal education to children," Santos-Granero said. Santos-Granero's work at the Smithsoninan ranges from the historical study of native Amazonian peoples in colonial times to the analysis of present-day Indigenous cultural practices, through the examination of the historical processes leading to the configuration of modern Amazonian regional economies. He also authored The Power of Love: The Moral Use of Knowledge among the Amuesha of Central Peru (1991) and Vital Enemies: Slavery, Predation, and the Amerindian Political Economy of Life (2009). He is co-author of Selva Central: History, Economy and Land Use in Peruvian Amazonia (1998) and Tamed Frontiers: Economy, Society, and Civil Rights in Upper Amazonia (2000) (both with Federica Barclay). He edited the following volumes: Comparative Arawakan Histories: Rethinking Language Family and Culture Area in Amazonia (2001) (with Jonathan D. Hill), The Occult Life of Things: Native Amazonian Theories of Materiality and Personhood (2012), Images of Public Wealth or the Anatomy of Well Being in Indigenous America (2015) and the six volumes of the Guia etnografica de la Alta Amazonia (1994-2007) (with Federica Barclay). The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Promo video. ### References: Santos-Granero, Fernando. 2018. Slavery and Utopia: The Wars and Dreams of an Amazonian World Transformer. Tucson: University of Texas Press. Santos-Granero, Fernando. 2020. Esclavitud y utopia: las guerras y suenos de un transformador del mundo ashaninca. Lima: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos/ Centro Amazonico de Antropologia y Aplicacion Practica/Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales. A young mother from Co Down is encouraging men and women to regularly examine their bodies after receiving a shock diagnosis of grade three breast cancer. Gillian McCord (30) from Donaghcloney received the shock of her life in January after she discovered a lump while breastfeeding her baby son - despite her age and no notable history of the disease in her family. Juggling the difficulties of the Covid-19 lockdown, along with looking after her two sons Dylan (3) and Riley (1), became an even bigger task as the then 29-year-old had to take on the daunting prospect of chemotherapy and surgery following her diagnosis. Gillian is now recovering at home with her partner Robbie and their two boys after undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. To increase awareness of checking your body and to raise money for Breast Cancer UK, Gillian's sister Kirstin and her fiance Jordan Wilson are walking one million steps this month. The couple have already smashed their 2,000 target and are well on course to the one million mark as each of them are aiming to walk around 18,000 steps per day. Looking back to when she discovered the lump in December, both Gillian and her GP believed it would disappear but five weeks later it had doubled in size. After being referred to the breast clinic it was initially thought that Gillian's lump was a cyst but tests revealed that she had developed breast cancer which had spread to the lymph nodes in her armpit. Gillian, who is a civil servant, said her diagnosis was the last thing she was expecting and had to wait another week for the full biopsy results. "My breast surgeon told me it was a grade three tumour which is the fastest growing, and that's why it had already spread to my lymph nodes in such a short space of time," she said. "It was kind of shocking and scary but she was confident that with the full course of treatment that I would recover from it." Treatment began three weeks later and Gillian underwent two rounds of chemotherapy, which made her the sickest she has ever felt. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic her third and final round of chemotherapy in Craigavon Area Hospital's Mandeville Unit was called off as it was deemed too dangerous by her doctors. However, Gillian was able to undergo surgery to remove the tumour and cancerous lymph nodes at Daisy Hill Hospital. "I had a full mastectomy and 23 lymph nodes removed from my arm pit," she said. "I was in and out the same day because of Covid. "The surgery really wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be. The chemotherapy was way worse. "It must have been another seven weeks before I had my third round of chemotherapy and that finished on July 8. "I had to wait another three weeks before the radiotherapy started and I had 15 sessions to go through." Praising the NHS staff who helped her throughout her treatment Gillian said she couldn't thank them enough as they "would have bent over backwards". Gillian is now hoping her story will encourage others to check themselves as there was no history of cancer in her family. Her diagnosis was "completely out of the blue". "I never expected in a million years to be having breast cancer when you've just had a baby and just about to turn 30," she continued. "The fact I got it and got it so young, and even though I had breastfed both of my boys which is supposed to help prevent breast cancer, the odds were very slim for me to get it. "I was the sort of person who wouldn't have checked but it was just because I was breastfeeding Riley that I noticed anything." To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/million-in-a-month WAVELAND, Miss. Hurricane Sally, one of four storms churning simultaneously in the Atlantic, closed in on the Gulf Coast on Monday with rapidly strengthening winds of at least 100 mph (161 kph) and the potential for up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of rain that could bring severe flooding. The storm was on a track to brush by the southeastern tip of Louisiana and then blow ashore late Tuesday or early Wednesday near the Mississippi-Alabama state line for what could be a long, slow and ruinous drenching. Storm-weary Gulf Coast residents rushed to buy bottled water and other supplies ahead of the hurricane, which powered up to a Category 2 in the afternoon. Forecasters said sustained winds could reach 110 mph (177 kph) by landfall. This is the real deal, and it deserves your attention, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter, shortly after the storm was upgraded. He urged people in low-lying areas to prepare to evacuate. Be smart. Prepare for worst. Pray for the best, he said. Seawater and sand swept onto roads on one end of Dauphin Island off the coast of Alabama, washing away several cars, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier said. He said about a dozen people had to be evacuated by Humvee. To the west, in Mississippi, Jeremy Burke lifted things off the floor in case of flooding in his Bay Books bookstore in the Old Town neighborhood of Bay St. Louis, a popular weekend getaway from New Orleans, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) to the west. Its turning into a ghost town, he said. Sally has lots of company during what has become one of the busiest hurricane seasons in history so busy that forecasters have almost run through the alphabet of names with 2 1/2 months still to go. For only the second time on record, forecasters said, five tropical cyclones swirled simultaneously in the Atlantic basin at one point Monday. The last time that happened was in 1971. In addition to Sally were Hurricane Paulette, which passed over a well-fortified Bermuda on Monday and was expected to peel harmlessly out into the North Atlantic; and Tropical Storms Rene, Teddy and Vicky, all of them out at sea and unlikely to threaten land this week, if at all. Rene was downgraded to a trough of low pressure Monday evening. As of late afternoon, Sally was about 145 miles (230 kilometers) southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, moving at 6 mph (9 kph). The hurricanes sluggish pace could give it more time to drench the Mississippi Delta with rain and storm surge. The storms forecast track was nudged east Monday afternoon but much of southeast Louisiana remained under a hurricane warning. Storm surge warnings stretched from Port Fourchon in Louisiana to the line between Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida. Also included: lakes Pontchartrain, Maurepas and Borgne in the New Orleans area and Mobile Bay in Alabama. People in New Orleans watched the storms track intently, worried that Sally would pose the latest test for pumps used in the low-lying citys century-old drainage system. In eastern New Orleans, drainage canals were lowered in anticipation of torrential rains, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. New Orleans police went on 12-hour shifts, and rescue boats, barricades, backup generators and other equipment were readied, Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said. In coastal Mississippi, water spilled onto roads, lawns and docks well before the storms arrival. The town of Kiln, Mississippi, where many homes sit high on stilts along the Jourdan River and its tributaries, was under a mandatory evacuation order, and it appeared most residents obeyed. Many of them moved their cars and boats to higher ground before clearing out. Michael Mac Mclaughlin, a 72-year-old retiree who moved to Kiln a year ago, hooked his boat up to his pickup truck to take to his sons house in another part of Mississippi before heading to New Orleans to ride out Sally there with his girlfriend. It would be dumb to stay here, Mclaughlin said. He said his home was built in 2014 to withstand hurricanes, but I just dont want to be here when the waters that deep and be stranded. That wouldnt be smart. On Aug. 27, Hurricane Laura blow ashore in southwestern Louisiana along the Texas line, well west of New Orleans, tearing off roofs and leaving large parts of the city of Lake Charles uninhabitable. The storm was blamed for 32 deaths in the two states, the vast majority of them in Louisiana. More than 2,000 evacuees from Hurricane Laura remain sheltered in Louisiana, most of them in New Orleans-area hotels, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. The extraordinarily busy hurricane season like the catastrophic wildfire season on the West Coast has focused attention on the role of climate change. Scientists say global warming is making the strongest of hurricanes, those with wind speeds of 110 mph or more, even stronger. Also, warmer air holds more moisture, making storms rainier, and rising seas from global warming make storm surges higher and more damaging. In addition, scientists have been seeing tropical storms and hurricanes slow down once they hit the United States by about 17% since 1900, and that gives them the opportunity to unload more rain over one place, like 2017s Hurricane Harvey in Houston. In Mississippi, Reeves said Sally could dump up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain on the southern part of the state. Shelters opened, but officials urged people who are evacuating to stay with friends or relatives or in hotels, if possible, because of the coronavirus. People in shelters will be required to wear masks and other protective equipment, authorities said. Planning for a Cat 1 or Cat 2 hurricane is always complicated, Reeves said. Planning for it during 2020 and the life of COVID makes it even more challenging. In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey closed beaches and called for evacuations. Associated Press reporters Rebecca Santana in New Orleans; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Emily Wagster Pettus and Leah Willingham, in Jackson, Mississippi; and Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia, contributed to this report. TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerro Grande Mining Corporation (the Company or CEG) (CSE:CEG) announces that, further to its news release dated July 15, 2020 in which the Company announced that it had entered into a non-binding letter of intent (the LOI) with Minera Tamidak Limitada (Tamidak), a private Chilean company owned by David Thomson and his family, to acquire from Tamidak certain assets, rights and obligations of Tamidak relating to the Pimenton Copper Gold Mining Project, the Company has negotiated with Tamidak a substantially final execution ready form of asset purchase agreement (the APA), including the final Purchase Price (as defined below), pursuant to which CEGs Chilean subsidiary Minera Til Til SpA (Til Til) would acquire from Tamidak the mining concessions and other assets covering the Pimenton Mining Project as well as Tamidaks rights and obligations under the Exploration and Option to Joint Venture Agreement (the FQM Agreement) entered into on or about April 27, 2020 between Tamidak and FQM Exploration (Chile) S.A. (FQM), a Chilean subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals Ltd. The Pimenton Copper Gold Mining Project covers 3,121 hectares located approximately 120km northeast of Santiago in the Andes mountains in Chile, and hosts the Companys former Pimenton gold mine. As such, in accordance with the terms of the LOI, the Company will hold a special meeting of shareholders on November 10, 2020 to approve the entering into of the APA between Til Til and Tamidak. In the event the APA receives the requisite approval of shareholders and is subsequently entered into, the total purchase price (the Purchase Price) payable under the APA for the acquisition of Tamidaks assets relating to the Pimenton Copper Gold Mining Project and the rights and obligations of Tamidak under the FQM Agreement will be $3,900,000,000 Chilean Pesos (approximately CDN$6,713,142 based on the nominal exchange rate of the Chilean peso to the Canadian dollar determined on September 11, 2020 as published by the Central Bank of Chile), will not be subject to adjustment after the execution of the APA, and will be payable in three equal installments as follows (i) $1,300,000,000 Chilean Pesos (approximately CDN$2,237,714) upon execution of the APA (the Execution Date), payable in common shares of CEG at a price per share equal to the greater of (A) the simple average of the closing price per CEG common share on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) for the 10 consecutive trading days ending on the date immediately prior to the date of execution of the APA; and (B) CDN$0.05 per share (or such other minimum price per share as may be in effect pursuant to the policies and rules of the CSE at the relevant time); (ii) $1,300,000,000 Chilean Pesos (approximately CDN$2,237,714) on the date that is not more than 18 months following the Execution Date, payable in cash or its equivalent in common shares of CEG, as Tamidak may elect in its sole and absolute discretion, at a price per share equal to the greater of (A) the simple average of the closing price per CEG Common Share on the CSE for the 10 consecutive trading days ending on the date immediately prior to such payment being made; and (B) CDN$0.05 per share (or such other minimum price per share as may be in effect pursuant to the policies and rules of the CSE at the relevant time); and (iii) $1,300,000,000 Chilean Pesos (approximately CDN$2,237,714) on the date that is not more than 36 months following the Execution Date, payable in cash or its equivalent in common shares of CEG, as Tamidak may elect in its sole and absolute discretion, at a price per share equal to the greater of (A) the simple average of the closing price per CEG Common Share on the CSE for the 10 consecutive trading days ending on the date immediately prior to such payment being made; and (B) CDN$0.05 per share (or such other minimum price per share as may be in effect pursuant to the policies and rules of the CSE at the relevant time). In case of payments to be made in shares of CEG as aforementioned, the number of CEG shares issuable shall be determined based on the nominal exchange rate of the Chilean peso to the Canadian dollar determined on the day before the applicable payment as published by the Central Bank of Chile. The execution of the APA and the completion of the transactions thereunder remains subject to following conditions precedent: (i) satisfactory completion of legal and technical due diligence by CEG in its sole discretion; (ii) there being no material adverse change in the business, results of operations, prospects, condition (financial or otherwise), as applicable, relating to the assets and the mining concessions to be purchased according to the APA and the FQM Agreement and (iii) obtaining all applicable corporate, legal, shareholder and/or stock exchange approvals or permits, including minority approval of shareholders for the transaction in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). Pursuant to MI 61-101, the transaction would not be subject to the formal valuation requirement because the common shares of the Company are not listed on a specified market being those markets described in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101. This news release was prepared by management of CEG which takes full responsibility for its contents. Cerro Grande Mining Corporation is an exploration and development company with properties and activities currently focused in Chile. Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking Information: This press release contains certain forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, the completion of the anticipated transaction described in this news release) constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company as well as certain assumptions including, the ability of the Company to obtain the requisite minority shareholder approval and to enter into the APA and to complete the acquisition of the assets, mining concessions and rights and obligations of Tamidak under the FQM Agreement in a timely manner and there being no material adverse changes relating to the assets and the mining concessions to be purchased according to the APA and the FQM Agreement. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, include, but are not limited to, an unsuccessful due diligence review by the Company of the assets and the mining concessions, the inability of the Company to obtain the requisite minority shareholder approval as required by MI 61-101 and/or the ability of the Company to complete the transactions contemplated by the APA and other factors that are out of the control of the Company. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. CERRO GRANDE MINING CORPORATION Cleaner and more efficient infrastructure is boosting investor attraction to Danang city According to Pham Truong Son, director of Danang High-Tech Park and Industrial Zones Management Authority, the city has so far implemented a plan to construct an eco-industrial model in Hoa Khanh Industrial Park. This plan is contributing to limit the impact of the industrial zones (IZ) on the environment. The efficiency from cleaner production has been not only breaking the urban chain in the west of the city but also linking urban areas turning the high-tech park into a highlight in the formation system of eco-industrial real estate products, which is attracting many investors in the city. Currently, the high-tech park bears the character of an urban area inhabited by professionals, scientists, investors, employees, and their families. Adjacent to the high-tech park is Danang IT Park, invested in by Danang Information Technology Park Development JSC (DITP). The park will be an ideal living and working environment for more than 25,000 employees including professionals, senior engineers, and other workers. In the next 10 years, Danang IT Park Phase 1 has a scale of 131 hectares and this land will be increased to 341ha in the second phase. The project will become a satellite city in the northwestern region of Danang with about 100,000 residents. In addition to improving infrastructure projects, DITP is investing a sum of VND1.7 trillion ($74 million) to develop an accommodation project serving experts and utilities for Danang IT Park. According to Nguyen Tam Thinh, chairman of DITPs Board of Directors, this is a large-scale industrial real estate project to promote investment attraction for Danang IT Park and catch the new investment shift after COVID-19. Lam Quang Binh, director of Investment and Business Services Company in the city, said that the emergence of extra demand in attracting new-generation capital flows is requiring changes in the existing industrial park model. This means the requirement of an industrial real estate system is enhanced with higher technical standards. Among those, within current requirements, it is necessary to focus on planning clean, ecological, environmentally-friendly IZs and industrial clusters, attracting high technologies with sustainable goals and long-term development, Binh explained. Planning must be synchronously made and publicly announced for investors to research and take opportunities and jump into investment early, he added. Danangs favourable attributes make it a key regional seaport location Developing a logistics centre Strong prospects are becoming clear but will also quickly pass if Danang authorities are slow compared to other localities making similar moves. Binh added that the proactiveness of Danang to develop ecological IZs will help improve the economic development of the city and, at the same time, minimise the impact on the environment, improving the efficiency of natural resource usage and reducing waste. Therefore, the opportunity to own a land fund to approach and develop the industrial real estate segment is huge for both existing and potential investors in the future. Ecological industrial real estate will emerge as the dominant segment in the market in the coming time, experts say. Danang has nearly 800 companies specialising in the field of transportation and warehousing. In addition, around 60 bank branches are connected to international transactions and 30 domestic and international insurance companies covering almost all fields. These are considered part of the most favourable conditions for Danang to become a logistics centre by 2050 with a range of new bases and logistics centres such as those established at Lien Chieu Port, Hoa Nhon, New Kim Lien Cargo Terminal, Danang International Airport, and many other small-scale centres and warehouses. With such an improved infrastructure system, Danang has been meeting the necessary and sufficient conditions for the development of the logistics industry for the entire central region and is attracting interest from overseas groups and corporations. At the end of August, LOGOS Group, a member of ARA Fund Management and headquartered in Sydney, began working with Danang authorities to establish a joint venture in Vietnam. Convenient infrastructure LOGOS Vietnam Logistics Venture is the fourth joint venture of the Australia-based investor LOGOS established in 2020. The group has raised more than $1 billion of investment capital to penetrate the Vietnamese and South Korean markets accordingly, LOGOS and its partners will build a portfolio of logistics facilities throughout Vietnam. LOGOS will reserve an initial investment capital of $350 million to develop logistics property in key locations such as Danang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. LOGOS is investing in Danang because the city has a lot of room for investment and development, in which Lien Chieu Port is a strategic investment project to strongly develop the fields of logistics, e-commerce, and food products, the group explained. LOGOS Vietnam Logistics Ventures entry into the countrys real estate logistics market is an important step in its development strategy in the region based on customer demand and interesting economic growth forecasts for Vietnam. Currently, the groups portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region has 100 logistics properties in nine countries, with total assets under management of about $ 9.5 billion. According to a representative from LOGOS, the convenient transportation infrastructure will help Danang become a major seaport service centre for the whole region. Danang is developing its urban area in a sustainable way, restructuring the economy towards service development. These are favourable factors for Danang to develop the logistics sector and open a new direction for investors, according to the group. The adjusted master plan in Danang towards 2030 with a vision until 2045, carried out by a joint venture of Sakae Corporate Advisory Ltd. and Surbana Jurong (Singapore), has determined that Danang will develop a seaport and aviation system associated with logistics services towards forming a supply chain of logistics services in the central region where the logistics heart is the seaport system of Tien Sa and Lien Chieu, as well as Danang International Airport. According to Nguyen Thanh Tien, director of Danang Urban Department, the plan has breakthrough proposals such as building a compressed urban model, airport urban area, seaport urban area, and forming new functional areas such as an innovation and renewables zone, a high-tech agricultural zone, and a logistics service centre. Ho Ky Minh, Deputy Chairman of Danang Peoples Committee, said that in order to build such a logistics centre, Danang has to mobilise and call for investment capital from both society and the domestic and international business communities. There is only one Macoupin County in the world and it is generally agreed that the county takes its name from the creek that bisects it. Where the name Macoupin itself came from, though, is highly debated mystery. Most believe that Macoupin originates from some type of plant, though exactly what type of plant is the question. In his 1911 county history, former state Sen. C.A. Walker reports that Macoupin is of (American) Indian origin and is abbreviated from Macoupina, which signifies in their tongue white potato for that is the name they gave to the wild artichoke which grew abundantly along the water courses. In 1905, historian Henry Gannet, who compiled various reference works on place names in the United States, wrote that Macoupin was so named by Indians because of the white potatothat was found abundantly along the banks of the creek. A century before, an explorer along the Illinois River country wrote in 1796 that Macoupin came from the Indian language white yam, which Dr. William Werner, a professor of biology at Blackburn College from 1954 to 1989, theorized might still refer to the Jerusalem Artichoke since it is often known as the Canadian Sweet Potato. Flash-forward to today, and youll find the following definition on the website of Secretary of State Jesse White, whose many duties include publications on the origin and naming of Illinois counties. The secretarys website states that Macoupin is derived from the Indian word for the water lilies that grew along the creek. The tubers of the water lilies were a food source for the Indians. Similarly, a site for the Illinois State Museum says the name refers to a yellow pond lily. At least a water lily sounds more exotic than a white potato, though farmers in Idaho and Maine, where potatoes are a cash crop, would certainly disagree. A thorough analysis by the late Dr. Werner offers additional credence that potatoes, while versatile and tasty, did not give rise to the name. In a submission to the 1979 sesquicentennial history of Macoupin County, Werner painstakingly presented accounts that lean away from the belief that Macoupin comes from a potato or artichoke. Werner cites information from early French explorers, who originally named the Illinois River after Macoupin, spelled either as Macopins or Macoupines. He bolsters his argument with a 1913 source, claiming that the river had been named the Macoupin after our beautiful pond lilies that adorn its nooks. Moreover, Werner offered an account from a 17th century Jesuit missionary who wrote the Illiniwek people gathered macopin, a long tuberous swamp root which must be leached before eating, as well as a 1721 source on the macopine a big root which (Indians) get in the marshes. They are poisonous when raw (and) the women have peculiar difficulty cooking them. Werner then considers various aquatic plants used by American Indians in the region, and concludes the actual source of the name Macoupin may be the arrow arum. That plant, writes Werner, has a large root, sometimes six inches in diameter, and weighing five or six pounds with a poisonous substance which can be removed by preparation. Indeed, a 1624 account from an Englishman noted that the arrow arum raw is no better than poison. Among other health risks, eating the plant raw can cause severe breathing problems, unless cooked in a certain manner. The plant seems likely to be named for its arrow-shaped leaves, which measure 14 inches long by 7 inches wide. The arrow arum is found in 23 Illinois counties, including Macoupin, as well as from Maine to Texas. Upon recommendation of Dr. Werner, the Sesquicentennial Committee of 1979 selected the arrow arum as its logo, another unique footnote in county history. But as Werner freely states, the arrow arum comes the closest based on available accounts and was probably the real Macoupin but not definitely. So, 191 years after the county was founded, we still dont know for sure where Macoupin comes from, other than it was some type of plant. One thing, however, is for certain dont eat it raw. On Friday, this nation marked the 19th anniversary of the day when 19 men boarded airliners filled with civilians, hijacked them and rammed them into iconic American symbols of power and prosperity. Weve come a long way as a country in the decades since the shock and sorrow of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But whats on our minds as we sort through the coverage of the anniversary is where we are headed as a country. Looking back now, its easy to see that we were a bit naive as a people before the attacks. Osama bin Laden had been waging a campaign against this country for years, but before it touched American soil in a devastating way most Americans saw the conflict as a far off problem. Now, 19 years later, weve been hardened by wars and shaped by division. No one should pretend that the work of building democracies is easy or that success is assured. And we dont think there is a compelling case that the United States should be obligated to underwrite the cost and sacrifice of building every democracy in the world. It should be clear that there is plenty of work that needs to be done at home. But it should be equally as clear that it is in our immediate national interests to build bulwarks against the spread of totalitarian ideologies that would rise up, carry out attacks against us at home and abroad, and otherwise undermine our interest at every turn. We suspect many agree with the view that freedom is best defended by going on offense against the ideology of hate and oppression. But we also understand there is a sharp debate in this country about how and when the military should be deployed, which is why we believe both Joe Biden and Donald Trump should better articulate their views on specific military deployments and, more importantly, on the underlying principles that will guide their future decisions. Its easy to issue one-liners about stopping endless wars or offer gauzy language about promoting democracy. The real work of a president comes in rallying others in defense of the institutions that make democracy possible. That work entails leading the American people and, very often, it entails forging coalitions with key allies. It involves having the moral clarity to identify objectives and rally others. And it always involves expending the political capital to continue to move toward those objectives even when doing so proves to be unpopular. In the end, our great presidents have understood this dimension of presidential leadership. Abraham Lincoln was prepared to make the hard decisions to win the Civil War even if he lost reelection in the process. Franklin Delano Roosevelt never wavered once America entered World War II. But more recently, as a country we seem to have lost our sense of whats worth fighting for. As we now reflect on the 19th anniversary of the day a major attack come to our shores, we believe its worth remembering that principles of individual liberty which undergird our society are always under assault by would-be aggressors in the world, so its always incumbent on the president of the United States to offer moral clarity and the political courage necessary to push back and defend the foundation of our free society. Dallas Morning News The wife of former Tory MP Sir Hugo Swire's explosive new diary reveals the day that David Cameron wanted to take her into the bushes because he was enamoured by her perfume and how Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi had a two-way mirror installed in his official residency. Extracts from Sasha Swire's amazing tell-all diary reveal how the Conservative Prime Minister asked Mr Swire's wife not to walk ahead of him on a coastal path in Polzeath because her scent was 'affecting my pheromones'. Writing about the alleged incident, which Mrs Swire claims occurred in August 2011 on a three-day break to Cornwall, she claims: 'At one point, on the coastal path, he (David Cameron) asks me not to walk ahead of him. "Why?" I ask, and he says: "Because that scent you are wearing is affecting my pheromones. It makes me want to grab you and push you into the bushes and give you one!" 'This is not flirting by the prime minister. This is probably lewdness. But hell, I'm so starved of masculine interest at my age it made me smile.' Mrs Swire's book Diary of an MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power, which is being serialised in The Times, also recounts a dinner in Dorneywood, the Chancellor's country house, where Mr Cameron shares anecdotes about foreign leaders including 'the Sarkozys' fake marital displays' and Italian premier Berlusconi's two-way mirror. 'I sit next to Dave at dinner. He gives us wonderful vignettes of the Sarkozys' fake marital displays and of being given a tour around Rome's equivalent of No 10 by Berlusconi,' she writes. 'When they come to his bedroom he points at a Renaissance two-way mirror above the bed and with his characteristic grin says, "Well, they didn't have porn channels in those days, did they?"' Extracts from Sasha Swire's amazing tell-all diary reveal how David Cameron asked hernot to walk ahead of him on a walk in Polzeath because her scent was 'affecting my pheromones' Sasha Swire, the wife of former Tory MP Sir Hugo Swire (pictured together), will reveal her experiences inside the world of politics in her new book . Mrs Swire, who worked as a journalist before taking on the role of political researcher for her husband's office from 2001 to 2009, also reveals George Osborne's motivations for never playing croquet - not wanting to be seen lounging on the job as Chancellor during a time of austerity. Describing Dorneywood when it was taken over by John Prescott, she writes: It seems half of his family moved in here at some point, and why not? Then there was the outcry over photographs of him playing croquet here when Tony Blair was out of the country and the deputy PM was supposed to be in charge. George says he doesn't dare take out the croquet set, which now sits rather famously in the loggia.' Mrs Swires, 57, offers a candid account of life as an MP's wife and lifts the lid on the inner Tory circles thanks to the secret diary she kept for 20 years. During one entry early in the book, which is set to hit the bookshelves later this month, the former MP's wife describes how she is scared that others do not see how the now Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a 'calculating machine'. She writes: 'It scares the s*** out of me that people don't see [Johnson] as the calculating machine he really is.' Writing about the alleged incident in Cornwall in August 2011, Mrs Swire: 'At one point, on the coastal path, he (David Cameron) asks me not to walk ahead of him. "Why?" I ask, and he says: "Because that scent you are wearing is affecting my pheromones. It makes me want to grab you and push you into the bushes and give you one!"' Mrs Swire writes: 'This is not flirting by the prime minister. This is probably lewdness. But hell, I'm so starved of masculine interest at my age it made me smile' However after she and her husband are invited to a dinner at No 10. by the Prime Minister, Mrs Swire comes round to him and goes on to describe how Mr Johnson didn't want them to go. She adds: 'Boris just came across as someone who is desperately lonely and unhappy on the inside.' Mrs Swire, the daughter of former Defence Secretary Sir John Nott, also reveals how only 'ten per cent' of politics was 'above the surface' and there were many others, including the wives of MPs and civil servants, who were all a part of the equation. Speaking to The Sunday Times she later explained: 'So you have these show ponies - the MPs - at the top, but there are certain wives - Samantha [Cameron], me - we were all part of the equation.' In her tell-all book, Mrs Swire narrates the tale of her husband bunking off parliament to go shooting and addresses his joke about people on benefits during a Tory fundraising event in 2015. During the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, London, covert filming showed Mr Swire - a former director of Sotheby's - trying to persuade a guest, who is sitting on the same table as Iain Duncan Smith, to increase his bid. Mrs Swire's book Diary of an MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power, which is being serialised in The Times, also recounts a dinner in Dorneywood, the Chancellor's country house, where Mr Cameron shares anecdotes about foreign leaders including 'the Sarkozys' fake marital displays' and Italian premier Berlusconi's two-way mirror Mrs Swire also reveals George Osborne's motivations for never playing croquet - not wanting to be seen lounging on the job as Chancellor during a time of austerity In her book, Mrs Swire goes on to question the condemnation former Prime Minister David Cameron received for his resignation honours list, asking why the politician was called out for listing his cronies if he wanted to. Her comments come years after Mr Cameron came under fire from senior Conservatives for his resignation honours list of gongs for his friends and allies in 2016. The list of of 48 recommendations included a gong for Isabel Spearman, a personal aide to Samantha Cameron. Mrs Swire first decided to email the extracts of her diary to a literary agent after her husband stood down in 2019. Within three weeks she found herself signing a non-fiction book deal and becoming a debut author. Old Etonion Sir Hugo was MP for East Devon from 2001-2009 and also served as minister for the foreign office. He left the Commons on November 6, 2019. Activist Umar Khalids father, Sayed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, on Monday accused the Delhi police of trying to mute the voices of dissent against the government and weaving a false story a day after his son was arrested under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Delhi polices special cell on Sunday arrested Khalid, 33, for his alleged role in the conspiracy behind the February riots in the national capital. Ilyas said Khalid is being targeted for participating in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This is nothing but an attempt to corner the activists and silence the voices of those who dissent against the government. The Delhi police have been trying to weave a false story by naming few people who participated in the anti-CAA-NRC protests, including Umar, as the masterminds behind the north-east [Delhi] violence. However, everyone knows who was actually behind the riots. Also Read: Umar Khalid arrested in connection with North-East Delhi riots The CAAs passage in December to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, triggered protests across the country. Opponents of the law insist it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it leaves out the Muslims and links faith to citizenship in a secular country. They say it could result in the expulsion or detentions of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of a proposed pan-India NRC. A process carried out in Assam to detect undocumented immigrants led to the exclusion of around two million people from the NRC in 2018. Illyas alleged the Delhi police were using the same tactic as used in the Bhima Koregaon case in which intellectuals and activists have been accused of conspiring with Maoists to foment violence near Pune two years ago. He added stringent provisions of UAPA have been invoked in the case to ensure that the arrested persons stay in judicial custody for a longer duration. The Delhi police are replicating what has been happening in the Bhima Koregaon incident investigation for the last two years. They have been arresting activists without any concrete evidence and invoking UAPA against them. The Delhi police are doing the same in this case. Every time they questioned Umar, they told him that they do not have concrete evidence against him but still, they have arrested him, he said. Also Read: Delhi riots: Filmmakers Saba Dewan, Rahul Roy called for questioning In at least four charge sheets related to the riots, police have said Khalid met suspended and jailed Aam Aadmi Partys councillor Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi on January 8 at the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest site against the CAA-NRC to allegedly plan the riots. He has been interrogated twice in the last two months for his alleged role. Illyas accused the police of carrying out a witch-hunt. It is the clear message from the Delhi police that no one will be spared if they raise a voice against the CAA and NRC. It is just an attempt to curtail any possibility of protests against this Act in the future They are recording false statements against certain people. At a virtual press conference on September 4, Khalid said the police have been following two kinds of laws in Delhi -- one is for the supporters of the ruling party and another is for the people against whom evidence is being manufactured. Ilyas said the family will fight for justice. They [police] have been trying to seek his custody. We will fight against it. But the family is not afraid. We are used to this witch-hunt now. Hussain, Jamia student Meeran Haider, Jamia Coordination Committees Safoora Zargar, and Pinjra Tod activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita have also been arrested under UAPA on charges of allegedly planning and executing the north-east Delhi riots. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mali junta adopts 'charter' for 18-month transition government, opposition rejects it Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 10:16 AM Mali's military junta has vowed to establish an 18-month transition government as fear over the role of military hampers efforts aimed at restoring political calm to the African country following a coup last month. Colonel Assimi Goita, the head of Mali's military junta, announced on Saturday that a junta-appointed committee had adopted a "charter" for the 18-month transition government, without clarifying whether its president would be a military officer or a civilian. "We make a commitment before you to spare no effort in the implementation of all these resolutions in the exclusive interest of the Malian people," Goita said. The announcement was said to have been made after three days of talks with opposition groups, religious leaders and political activists on the length of the transition government and the military's role in it in Mali's capital of Bamako. Moussa Camara, the spokesman for the talks, reportedly said in remarks at the end of the three-day negotiations that the interim president would be selected by electors chosen by the junta. Coalition rejects junta's post-coup charter The M5-RFP coalition, comprised of 500 delegates that organized protests against Malian President Ibrahim Boubcar Keita before the August 18 coup, has forcefully opposed the idea that a military officer could be at the helm of the transition. The coalition responded to the announcement and said the final version of the charter failed to reflect the results of the talks, which it said included a majority vote for a civilian interim president. "M5-RFP distances itself from the resulting document which does not reflect the views and decisions of the Malian people," it said in a statement released late on Saturday. After an escalating series of mass protests, young army officers mutinied on August 18, seizing Keita and other leaders and declaring they now governed the country. The coup shocked Mali's West African neighbors and ally France, heightening worries over instability in a country already struggling with a Takfiri insurgency, ethnic violence and economic malaise. The coup has been condemned abroad, with regional countries calling for a return to civilian rule and threatening to impose sanctions if that does not happen. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Word spread quickly among Tottenham players on Sunday night about the manager branding them 'lazy'. Some saw it as a tactic to trigger a reaction following a lacklustre display against Everton. Others were not so understanding. Jose Mourinho was furious with his Tottenham players on Sunday as he brandished them 'lazy' Jose Mourinho still has the support of the majority of his squad, but his record of falling out with his players suggests this might not be a one-off. Asked directly about Mourinho's comments, left back Ben Davies did not appear to agree with his manager. He said: 'I think everybody worked hard. Me, personally, I gave it my all. The performance wasn't up to scratch. It's hard to put it down to a lack of effort.' It's important to stress Mourinho employed the term 'lazy pressure' when complaining about his side's performance in the 1-0 defeat by Everton. Ben Davies did not appear to agree with his manager after Sunday's defeat against Everton He may argue he wasn't directly accusing his players of being lazy, rather identifying a tactical flaw. But he knows the consequences of language used in post-match interviews. The club's significantly disrupted pre-season is a valid excuse for their lethargic start. At least two Tottenham players tested positive for Covid-19 during pre-season. Mourinho confirmed on Sunday that a number of his squad missed parts of pre-season because they were in quarantine - star striker Harry Kane among those who were required to self-isolate. Kane's lack of match fitness was clear during England's games against Iceland and Denmark, as it was against Everton. Mourinho has support from most of his squad but has a track record of falling out with players Without a genuine back-up option, Mourinho has no option but to continue deploying his talismanic forward. The problem is persuading strikers to sign when they know they will be mostly on the bench. The willingness to strengthen - within reason - from the Spurs board is there, albeit on a restricted level due to the financial consequences of Covid-19. There remains concern about Mourinho's seeming reluctance to utilise young players. But there remains concern about Mourinho's seeming reluctance to utilise young players Record signing Tanguy Ndombele, 23, and Ryan Sessegnon, 20, have struggled for game time. Loaning out Oliver Skipp and Troy Parrott has reinforced the unease. As ever with Mourinho, there is negativity from sections of the fan base with regards to the team's playing style. But Mourinho will take substance over style, and victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Europa League on Thursday and another versus Southampton on Sunday should settle any early anxieties. But stockpiling and other behavior changes related to the coronavirus pandemic have boosted Kraft Heinz's revenue in recent months and revived sales of some of its lagging brands. In both the first and second quarters this year, revenue rose more than 3%, marking the largest improvement to quarterly sales since 2016, when the impact of the previous year's mega-merger was first tallied. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv are forecasting third-quarter revenue to rise 2.1% to $6.2 billion, although earnings are expected to fall to 56 cents, down nearly 20% from the same time a year ago. In recent years, Kraft Heinz has struggled as consumers shopped more around the perimeter of the grocery store in search of fresh foods. The sales downturn led the food giant to report billions of dollars in write-downs on some of its brands, including Cool Whip, Oscar Mayer, Kraft and Maxwell House, and to reshuffle its leadership. Kraft Heinz is scheduled to present its new strategy for the company on Tuesday morning to investors, who are looking to hear more details on coming innovation and cost savings and any hints about plans to further downsize its portfolio of iconic brands. The market reaction to Kraft Heinz's higher sales has been muted, even though the stock remains one of Warren Buffett's top five investments. Shares of the company, which has a market value of $38.8 billion, are down 1% so far this year. "While many food companies have enjoyed meaningful multiple expansion related to COVID-19 restrictions and stock-up, KHC shares continue to trade at a 25% discount to packaged food peers and a 33% discount to consumer staples peers," Bank of America analyst Bryan Spillane wrote in a note to clients on Friday. While the pandemic has lifted sales for Kraft Heinz and its fellow food companies, it has also pushed the U.S. economy into a recession, leaving millions of Americans without jobs. Penny-pinching consumers may be looking to cut costs by switching from name brands such as Jell-O and Planters to generic store brands. "Given the categories in which KHC operates, some believe that private label is a more meaningful threat to KHC in the US than it is for other packaged food peers, which causes an existential threat to market shares and margins," wrote Spillane. Analyst speculation about potential divestitures tends to focus on categories where private label brands present the biggest challenge. According to Spillane's research, private label brands have disrupted Kraft Heinz's cheese, meat and coffee businesses the most. UBS analyst Sean King found that Kool-Aid, Capri Sun, Ore-Ida and Maxwell House are among the Kraft Heinz brands trailing private label products in market share. People familiar with the matter told CNBC that the company had put Maxwell House up for sale last year but encountered tepid interest from potential buyers. Kraft Heinz's coffee business took another hit after McDonald's switched its McCafe licensing partner from Kraft Heinz to Keurig Dr Pepper. The U.S. exit from McCafe coffee began in July, which will hit the company's earnings in the latter half of the year. Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner also listed a sale of Kraft Heinz's "operationally challenged" Australia and New Zealand business, valued at $1.5 billion, as a possibility. Beyond slimming down its portfolio, investors are also expecting to hear more about what categories and products it targets for innovation and investment. The pandemic has introduced new customers and brought others back, presenting new opportunities for Kraft Heinz. "An important element of the strategy reveal next week, we expect, will focus on improvement KHC has made to its product and marketing programs," Spillane wrote. "This will likely include a look into how KHC is prioritizing category/country opportunities." Carlos Abrams-Rivera, head of Kraft Heinz's U.S. business, said on the company's second-quarter earnings call that it will be focusing on "fewer, bigger innovation" and sharing more details during Tuesday's investor presentations. The changes to its innovation strategy coincides with an overhaul of its marketing and advertising approach. In February, the company announced plans to cut its roster of advertising agencies in half but raise media spending by 30%. CEO Miguel Patricio, who joined the company more than a year ago, said in late July that it had recently hired new heads of marketing for its geographic zones. Kraft Heinz has also brought on new leadership for its U.S. team, which manages the company's most important market. In mid-August, it named former J.M. Smucker executive Cory Onell as head of U.S. sales and former Mike's Hard Lemonade executive Sanjiv Gajiwala as U.S. chief growth officer. Based on the increase in services already provided in response to the pandemic, the organization could serve up to 155 percent more people in 2020 with Christmas assistance, including putting food on the table, paying bills, providing shelter and helping place gifts under the tree assuming the resources are available. At the same time, due to the closing of retail stores, consumers carrying less cash and coins, and the decline in foot traffic, The Salvation Army could see up to a 50 percent decrease in funds raised through the red kettles, which would limit their capability to provide services for the most vulnerable. To put this in perspective, last year $126 million was raised through about 30,000 red kettles. "Our ability to raise vital funds to serve those in need this Christmas and beyond is at risk," said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, National Commander of The Salvation Army. "We need everyone who has the capacity to come alongside us and ensure that the holiday season is bright for millions. We're asking you to help rescue Christmas with us by providing support in any way you can. Our hope is to offset these challenges to meet the increasing demand for services across our nation." Since March, The Salvation Army USA has provided more than 100 million meals, 1.5 million nights of safe shelter, and emotional and spiritual support to over 800,000 people. Now more than ever, they're making it safer and simpler to donate in order to support the most vulnerable in our nation: The best way to ensure that these vital services continue is to enlist in Love's Army with a sustaining monthly gift of $25 per month. per month. To help ensure the safety of bell ringers, donors and partners, The Salvation Army has adopted nationally mandated safety protocols. Donate digitally with Apple Pay or Google Pay at any red kettle across the country. Ask Amazon Alexa to donate by saying, "Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army," then specifying the amount. Give any amount by texting "KETTLES" to 91999. Donate physical gifts in bulk. Adopt additional Angels to give hope and joy to kids and families in need through The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program. program. And across the nation, including bell ringers on Michigan Avenue in Chicago , local Salvation Army corps will be raising awareness of the need to rescue Christmas in their communities. Two-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artist Lauren Daigle's hit "Rescue" serves as the anthem for this effort, a fitting soundtrack for the help that The Salvation Army provides to more than 23 million people a year. Every donation provides help and hope to those in need, and all gifts stay within the community in which they are given. Visit RescueChristmas.org to donate or learn more about how you can help The Salvation Army rescue Christmas this year. If you need services or know of someone in need, please visit SalvationArmyUSA.org to find a location near you. About The Salvation Army The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. In the first-ever listing of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country's largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood. SOURCE The Salvation Army USA Former students of Provo Canyon School in Utah have come forward to confirm Paris Hilton's abuse allegations, recounting their own experiences of being force-fed, restrained by six staff members at once, and in one case, allegedly being sodomized. In her new documentary, 'This is Paris,' the 39-year-old star opened up about the 'continuous torture' she suffered at the boarding school and psychiatric residential treatment center, claiming she was bullied and physically abused during the 11 months she spent there. Now six other former students and a former staff member who was so uncomfortable with the school's methods that he quit have shared their own experiences, detailing how multiple staff members would 'tackle' disobedient students, bully them, and physically abuse them in numerous ways. Support: Former students of Provo Canyon School in Utah have come forward to confirm Paris Hilton's abuse allegations Candid: The 39-year-old opens up about her experiences in her new documentary, This is Paris, which debuts on YouTube today 'This is Paris' premieres on YouTube today, but the heiress shared details ahead of its release. Speaking to People about her time at Provo Canyon School, she said: 'From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture. 'The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. 'And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so wed be too scared to disobey them.' She said she was subsequently placed in solitary confinement as punishment, and 'they would use that as punishment, sometimes 20 hours a day.' Paris explained that at the time, Provo Canyon portrayed itself as 'a normal boarding school' not a psychiatric care center and that's why her parents sent her there. Three of her former classmates from Provo Canyon also appear in the documentary, making similar allegations about the use of restraints and being force-fed medication and now several more are coming forward to share their own stories. Abuse: Other former students are recounting their own experiences of being force-fed, restrained by six staff members at once, and in one case, allegedly being sodomized Horror: One student remembers a classmate being 'shoved into the ground' and that 'staff rubbed her face into the carpet until her entire face was covered in burns' 'The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me,' Paris said. 'And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us' In one of the most shocking allegations, Lee Goldman, 33, of Toronto, Canada said that a therapist at the school sodomized her during her time there as a way to inject medication against her will. She sued the school for it, but the case was dismissed due to failure to prosecute. 'I did experience some of the same abuse,' she told Fox News. 'I didn't experience strangling but I did experience manhandling. The school recorded that they had five or six staff members restrain me at once. I'm all of 100 pounds.' She said another student had their teeth knocked out by staff, while yet another was in a medically-induced coma after being denied medical care. Another former student said her time there was a 'living nightmare.' She recalled an accident that left her with a concussion, and how staff didn't notify her mother for hours and when they did, they minimized its seriousness. She said she has since developed a stutter. Meanwhile, former student Jen Robison, 31, said she remembers a classmate being 'shoved into the ground' and that 'staff rubbed her face into the carpet until her entire face was covered in burns.' Free at last: Paris left the school in 1999, after she turned 18 (pictured in August 2000) Yet another student recalls being force-fed, which led to her gaining 30 pounds. She said Paris was force-fed, too. Stefanie Tapley, 38, of Texas, specifically recalled Paris being bullied by staff, saying the staff 'made fun' of her frequently. All seven people who spoke to Fox News detailed the 'Dial 9' emergency protocol used when students were supposedly self-harming or being harmful to others and up to six members of staff would respond by 'tackling' that student. One former staff member who was hired at age 23 and says most of the staff was similarly young and inexperiences said they ended up quitting two weeks after a particularly upsetting 'Dial 9' incident. 'Staff would tackle kids I can't tell you how many times I saw that,' the former staffer said. 'One incident involved an African American boy at the school during my time. A staff member woke him up at 3 a.m. because he forgot to take his meds. The kid didn't like getting woken up in the middle of the night, and the staff ended up calling a 'Dial 9' and tackled him. 'We all had to go and watch staff pin this kid down, drag him to isolation. The guy who beat him was my boss. This was 100 per cent instigated by staff. A bully picking on a defenseless little kid.' 'Paris coming out about this could make really large changes in the industry as a whole. She's a hero,' said another fellow student Not taking responsibility: Provo Canyon has not directly addressed the allegations, but says that the facility changed ownership in 2000. Paris left in 1999 They noted that staff were not properly trained for restraining students. Their only instruction was a week of 'looking at slides,' with no actual physical training component. Provo Canyon has not directly addressed the allegations, but says that the facility changed ownership in 2000. Paris left in 1999, but two of the students who shared their own abuse allegations with Fox News attended after the change in ownership. A representative told the New York Times that the facility does 'not condone or promote any form of abuse and that 'any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement and Child Protective Services immediately as required.' But the former staffer who spoke to Fox News calls this response a 'cop-out,' and former students have pointed out that while ownership may have changed, there are still some staff members at the school now who were there before. Paris' allegations do seem to have opened the floodgates, empowering more of her classmates to share their own stories. 'Paris coming out about this could make really large changes in the industry as a whole. She's a hero,' said Goldman, who made the sodomy allegations. She added there is a whole 'industry' to be exposed. Robison, the former student who saw her classmate's face rubbed into the carpet, said she was 'thrilled' that Paris used the hashtag #BreakingCodeSilence in an Instagram post this month. Robison is among the leadership of the Breaking Code Silence movement, which encourages survivors to tell their stories about institutional child abuse. 'By her breaking her own silence, she's giving a stage for all of these people to share their stories of what happened to them. If this is all that happens, this is a huge thing because these people have been waiting to be heard for decades,' she said. Paris only just broke her silence about her abuse to her own parents while she was making the documentary, having kept it a secret for years. Cruel: Paris said she was subsequently placed in solitary confinement as punishment, and 'they would use that as punishment, sometimes 20 hours a day' Hidden: Paris only just broke her silence about her abuse to her own parents while she was making the documentary, having kept it a secret for years (pictured in February 2020) She told People: 'I buried my truth for so long. But Im proud of the strong woman Ive become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am. 'I didnt really get to speak to my family, maybe once every two or three months. We were cut off from the outside world. And when I tried to tell them once, I got in so much trouble I was scared to say it again. 'They would grab the phone or rip up letters I wrote telling me, "No one is going to believe you." And the staff would tell the parents that the kids were lying. So my parents had no idea what was going on.' 'They just assumed it was like a normal boarding school because thats the way that they portray it to parents and people who are putting their children in these places,' she added to the Times. She also said that she had avoided therapy since her time there. 'From being at Provo and those types of schools, just the therapists in there I felt were just not good people. I just have never, ever trusted them,' she said. Opening up: With the debut of the documentary today, Paris' sister Nicky took to Instagram to share a throwback photo from filming an interview for the film 'I am so incredibly proud of this woman for sharing her story,' she said With the debut of the documentary today, Paris' sister Nicky took to Instagram to share a throwback photo from filming an interview for the film. 'Last year, here I am sitting in my living room shooting an interview for #ThisIsParis,' she wrote. 'As I say in the film, usually I shy away from these types of interviews, but there couldnt be a film about Paris without the person in the world that knows her best. That would be me. 'Last month we watched the film for the first time together... we laughed, we cried. It brought up so many memories and emotions. 'I am so incredibly proud of this woman for sharing her story. She has been judged, ridiculed, bullied... At the end of the day she is resilient, loyal and, most importantly, treats everyone the same. 'This film took a lot out of her, and this normally guarded sister of mine made herself vulnerable for the sake of her truth,' she said. Myanmar should immediately engage non-military civilian observers from friendly countries, including India, to make the Rohingyas repatriation process effective, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Momen has said, warning that the failure in resolving the humanitarian problem would lead to radicalism and terrorism that would hamper peace and stability in the region. Addressing the virtual ministerial meeting of 27th ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum on Saturday, Momen said Rohingyas are not returning to their homeland (Myanmar) primarily because they do not trust their government over safety and security issues. "Despite the threat to our economy, ecology, and overall societal impact, Bangladesh gave shelter, on a humanitarian ground, to nearly 1.1 million persecuted people fleeing a massacre in Myanmar, their homeland. Myanmar is our friendly country and therefore, Bangladesh signed 3 instruments with Myanmar for repatriation. Myanmar agreed to take back them after verification," the minister said during his address of the summit organised by Vietnam this year. "They also agreed to create a conducive environment for their voluntary repatriation and they agreed to ensure safety and security of the displaced people. But unfortunately, till today, none went back and instead of creating a conducive environment, fighting and shelling is ongoing in the Rakhine state," he added. According to the United Nations, more than 9,00,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's restive Rakhine State since 2017 after large-scale violence following a military crackdown. The exodus of refugees in large numbers has resulted in a major crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. While Bangladesh has been pushing for the repatriation of the refugees, mostly residing in the congested camps of the country's Cox's Bazar, through talks with Myanmar and raising the issues with the UN, nothing concrete has happened so far. Momen raised fears that if the problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to radicalism and terrorism. "Our fear is that, if this problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to pockets of radicalism and since terrorists have no borders, no faith, there's a high possibility of creation of uncertainty in the region which may frustrate our hope for a peaceful, secure and stable region," he said. The minister also urged Myanmar to allow non-military observers from its neighbouring nations to resolve the problem at the earliest. "In order to reduce trust deficit and confidence building, we suggested Myanmar engage non-military civilian observers from friendly countries like China, Russia India or other friends of their choice," he said. This may reduce the trust deficit for a sustainable return, the minister said. "We solicit support from our ARF partners so that these hapless Rohingyas can return to their home in safety, security and dignity, resettle there, and reintegrate in their society. Once they return to their homeland they could be contributing members in the development of Myanmar," he added. During the occasion, the minister also urged the region to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic effectively and expressed hope that the vaccine for the diseases would solve the problem permanently. "COVID-19 showed us that the accumulation of stockpiles of weapons can not save human lives. Rather investment in medical and social areas can protect us from this COVID," Momen said. The foreign minister also said that once a vaccine against COVID-19 is developed, it must be available to all without discrimination. (Image credit: PTI) The Houston region will experience longer and hotter summers, heavier bouts of rain and stronger hurricanes through the end of the century due to climate change, according to a climate assessment report published Monday. Using data from 11 weather stations across the Greater Houston area, Texas Tech Climate Center scientists Anne Stoner and Katharine Hayhoe found that Houston has already experienced significant increases in temperature since 1950 due to climate change. Over the rest of the century, the region will see even longer summers, more days of 100-degree heat, hotter nights and more intense rainstorms. While other assessments have projected climate changes impact to Texas and the Gulf Coast region at large, the report marks the first climate assessment focused on the Houston region, scientists and city officials said. The results suggest that while some of the worst effects of climate change on Houstonians may still be prevented, the region is already feeling the impact. Some amount of change is inevitable because of our choices, Hayhoe said. But the greater impacts are avoidable. We can no longer choose between mitigation and adaptation. We have to do both. The report, which was limited to temperature and precipitation, makes projections under two different emissions scenarios one for what the regions climate would look like with no change in fossil fuel use and carbon emissions, and one that projects the regions climate if the majority of the world follows Paris Agreement targets, which includes a transition to clean energy sources and significant reductions in carbon emissions. Increases in temperature and more intense hurricanes are expected under both scenarios, with more extreme changes under the higher emissions scenario, the report produced by Hayhoes ATMOS Research and Consulting firm found. The assessment was commissioned by the City of Houston. Hotter days, nights All seasons are projected to become warmer in Houston under both emissions scenarios, with summer heat lasting longer and winters becoming much warmer. Summer temperatures in Houston begin when the average temperature for 10 days is 81.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In this century, that threshold is occurring nine days earlier than it had in the past now, around June 4 instead of June 13. Those summer temperatures last longer too, now ending around Sept. 27 instead of Sept. 18. Were like frogs in boiling water, Hayhoe said of the already-present heat increases. Summer is already longer. Climate change is not a distant issue. By the end of the century, summer temperatures will begin as early as May 1 and last through late October, the assessment forecasts. That means summer temperatures in Houston would last more than a month longer by the end of the century, even under the lower carbon emission scenario. On HoustonChronicle.com: Climate change might make Hurricane Lauras 150 mph winds less rare The number of days above 100 degrees will increase too, the assessment estimates. Over the coming two decades, the Houston region can expect seven days per year with temperatures above 100 degrees, compared to only three days per year, on average, between 2001 and 2020. At night, Houston will likely see temperatures surpass 80 degrees 10 times each year. Just a few decades ago, nights rarely became that warm. Heavy rain, big hurricanes The number of hurricanes hitting the Houston region will likely remain the same, but those storms will be stronger and move through the area more slowly, dumping catastrophic amounts of rain as Hurricane Harvey did in 2017, scientists forecast. While the assessment does not analyze projections for hurricanes independently, scientists warned of more intense storms due to warmer air and oceans. Warmer air holds more water vapor, Hayhoe said, which increases the amount of rainfall during hurricanes. Warming ocean temperatures increase the strength of hurricanes. Theres no question that strong and deadly hurricanes have happened before, she said, but we know now that they have a lot more rainfall associated with them than they would have 50 or 100 years ago. Prior research cited in the report found rainfall during Hurricane Harvey was likely 19 to 38 percent higher than what would have fell if the same storm occurred outside of human-induced climate change. Under both emissions scenarios, by the end of the century Houston will see heavier rain on rainy days and droughts will be more common, the assessment found. Climate Week starts The assessment report was financed by C40 Cities, a network of megacities addressing climate change. Its release kicks off Houstons Climate Week, which had been delayed due to Hurricane Lauras hit along the Texas/Louisiana border three weeks ago. Lara Cottingham, the citys chief sustainability officer, called the report crucially important. It shows the positive impact we can have on our future by taking action today, Cottingham said. Implementing the Houston Climate Action Plan can help make the difference between the lower and higher scenarios. The week marks the citys implementation of the Houston Climate Action Plan, the citys plan to reduce the effects of climate change, and Resilient Houston, its natural disaster strategy. City leaders said the projections highlighted in the climate assessment report and the recent storms in the Gulf highlight the need for action on climate change. We need to be on offense, which includes being informed and taking immediate action to reduce emissions, said Mayor Sylvester Turner in a statement on the assessment. We know the damage that a changing climate can cause. erin.douglas@chron.com Twitter.com/erinmdouglas23 Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday in a message to his email list that warned that "what is at risk is democracy itself." The coffee titan had publicly mulled the possibility of running in the 2020 race as a "centrist independent" but dropped the plan last September. The prospect of a Schultz bid outside the two-party system spooked Democrats who worried that he could take away votes from the Democratic nominee and potentially throw the race to President Donald Trump. "While my exploration revealed that a run for office was not the best way for me to give back to a country that has given me so much, I continue to believe that our nation can live up to our ideals, and that we all must envision and fight for a new American future," Schultz wrote in the email. Schultz wrote that he and his wife, Sheri Schultz, will vote for Biden and donate to his campaign. Schultz, who has an estimated net worth of more than $4 billion, also wrote that he and his wife will support nonpartisan democracy initiatives aimed at ensuring the legitimacy of the vote and organizations geared toward mobilizing infrequent voters and minorities. Schultz is among the last of Biden's rivals or would-be rivals to line up behind him. The bulk of the Democratic primary field endorsed Biden months ago, including progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who placed second. Schultz did not gain any traction as a potential candidate in his own right, so whether his political backing will make any difference in the race is uncertain. But his support does lend further credence to Biden's efforts to show support across ideological lines, given Schultz's moderate positioning. "Trump's defeat is but the first step to repair and rebuild our country," Schultz wrote. "The months and years to follow are a time not for Democrats to exact revenge and enact a far-left agenda." The announcement comes as another one of the 2020 race's several billionaires, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, steps up his support for Biden. Bloomberg announced Sunday that he would spend at least $100 million to help Biden win in Florida, a key battleground. Schultz joined Starbucks in the 1980s and served two stints as the company's CEO, from 1986 to 2000 and again after the financial crisis, from 2008 to 2017. You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Subscribe/follow and rate the podcast via your favorite app. Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | Sept. 14, 2020 One man is dead and another is critically wounded after being shot by police in two Pennsylvania counties. California and Texas are taken off of Pennsylvanias travel quarantine list. There wont be any Halloween or Christmas peeps this year, as the marshmallow treat company focuses on having enough creations for Easter 2021. Bird lovers, tonight is going to be one of the largest bird migration moments in the year for Pennsylvania, with tens of thousands of birds per square mile flying across the sky. Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state. Todays episode refers to the following articles: If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, we like to know what you think of the program. Will the end of the cashflow boost for business affect you? Image: Getty As many of you will know, Australia is officially going through a recession. Its the first time our country has been in a recession since 1991, with the economy shrinking 7 per cent from April to June thanks to Covid-19. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this is the biggest fall since the government began keeping records in 1959. Its a big deal. As a result, the government has been doing all they can to stimulate the economy, support the population and our businesses. In addition to measures like JobKeeper and JobSeeker, this has also included the Cashflow Boost for Business Package which was one of the very first measures introduced by the Australian government in March of this year. What is the Cashflow Boost for Business Package? Dont remember what the Cashflow Boost for Business Package was? Fair enough - a lot has happened since March! Basically, this package consisted of temporary cash flow boosts aimed at supporting not-for-profit, small and medium businesses to help handle the economic downturn that occurred as a result of the pandemic. Under the program, eligible businesses would receive $20,000 to $100,000 when they lodged their business activity statements. The amount would be equivalent to the amount that companies withheld from employees salaries (also known as PAYG). This money would then be delivered as credits within the activity statement system and be applied to reduce liabilities arising from the same activity statement. Businesses didnt need to apply for the cash flow boost, but would automatically receive it when they lodged their BAS. This boost came in two waves. The first applied from March to June 2020 and the second from June to September 2020. And, while we know that the boost will be finishing up at the end of September, the government hasnt explicitly told the public how this will happen - whether the boost will be immediately cut off or slowly phased out. Story continues How will the end of the cashflow boost affect me? Whether you are a business owner or an employee, the end of the cashflow boost will definitely affect you - so its best to start preparing your budgets and wallets for the coming months. For employees As an employee, its important to realise that your workplace may not be able to keep all its employees on board at its current capacity. Coupled with JobKeeper being reduced by 20 per cent, this could mean reduced hours, reduced pay or - in the worst case scenario - loss of staff members. Your employer will have already started thinking about how theyre going to handle this, but if they havent yet communicated to you, its definitely worth asking your boss what the next steps will be. Consider asking questions such as: Is there going to be a reduction of my hours or salary? If so when will this take place and for how long? What will this mean for the support that our customers/clients will receive? What does this mean for the workload of my fellow colleagues? For employers For employers who are preparing for the end of the cashflow boost, youll need to start considering how you will manage this for both your business and your staff members. I recommend asking yourself questions like: Will you be applying for JobKeeper 2.0? Can your current cashflow support the reduction of JobKeeper and removal of the Cashflow Boost? Have you considered other funding support? Can you support the payment of Activity Statements and PAYG without the Cashflow Boosts? Have you made a plan for your changing staffing and resource needs? Will you need the same amount of staffing support in the coming months? Have you amended your business plan and budget to account for the upcoming changes? Have you communicated your plans to employees? Its no secret - these are tough times and there are further challenges ahead that we need to start preparing for. And while there are significant questions that stand unanswered by the government, its important to keep informed and aware of updates in these areas and how they may have a very real impact on you and your finances. Regardless of whether youre an employee or business owner, I highly recommend speaking to your financial advisors about how you can best prepare for the upcoming months should they have a negative financial impact on you. As we adjust to the new norm of the Australian economy, and the recession we unsurprisingly find ourselves in, its important to look forward, plan where possible and most importantly, look after one another! Its a wild world out there - but we truly have it better than most here in Australia and for that, and the beautiful Spring weather, Im grateful. Shivani Gopal is the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman; a womens mentoring and leadership platform. 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. United States President Donald Trump was reportedly at Ground Zero two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan. Search and Rescue A meme underscores President Trump's 2001 comments regarding the search for survivors by hundreds of workers he paid for in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2019, at the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Trump asserted, "Soon after, I went down to Ground Zero with men who worked for me to try to help in any little way that we could ... We were not alone. So many others were scattered around trying to do the same. They were all trying to help," reported NPR. However, according to Richard Alles, battalion chief of the New York Fire Department at the time of the attacks, who spent numerous months in the smoking, choking ruins at Ground Zero, "I was there for several months -- I have no knowledge of his being down there." Trump Marks 9/11 on Air Force One Aboard the Air Force One, the president recently commemorated the 19th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a moment of silence. He traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to be in the presence of a scaled-back version of the yearly Flight 93 memorial service on Friday, reported Greater Kashmir. Pentagon Remarks Trump commemorated thousands of fatalities as aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks during remarks at the Pentagon last year. Also Read: Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian Official Claiming he helped in the aftermath of the terror attacks, he stated, "I was looking out of a window from a building at Midtown Manhattan directly at the World Trade Center when I saw a second plane at a tremendous speed go into the second tower, reported USA Today. He added, "It was then that I realized the world was going to change. I was no longer going to be, and it could never, ever be that innocent place that I thought it was." President Trump has told varying versions of the narrative of sighting the second jet hitting the World Trade Center in 2001. He often remarks that he was in Trump Tower located four miles from the World Trade Center. According to his more recent remarks, he was inside a Midtown Manhattan building after reportedly being at home (in the Trump Tower) when the first plane struck. The First Official Record The initial official record of the US President at Ground Zero dates from Sept. 13, 2001 which was two days following the terrorist attacks. Snopes' fact-checkers contacted two men greatly involved in Ground Zero and they remarked that they did not witness evidence of Trump or his men in the area after the attacks. 'Spent a Lot of Time' With 9/11 Responders When Trump signed into legislation a bill that would permanently provide financial aid for emergency workers who became ill after Sept. 11, 2001, he revived the old claim that he was at the site of Ground Zero along with police officers and firefighters. According to John Feal, founder of the 9/11 first responder health advocacy non-profit the FealGood Foundation and who also responded to Ground Zero on the 12th of September in 2001 as a construction demolitions expert, he did not witness evidence of hundreds of workers hired by Trump at Ground Zero after the 9/11 incident. Related Article: Second Stimulus Check At Risk Again? Democrats, Republicans Disagree On Specifics @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 'What Jaishankar says is simplistic.' 'The past does not matter that much.' 'If we think that it does it is because we are not good enough at running the nation competently today and are searching for excuses why,' argues Aakar Patel. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaks to the media after the 2019 US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue at the State Department in Washington, DC. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters India's foreign minister comes from a family of scholars. His father K Subrahmanyam was the founder of the famous think-tank IDSA in Delhi and advised Indira Gandhi. On the weaponising of India's nuclear programme and on military intervention in Bangaldesh, Subrahmanyam had a hand. Subrahmanyam's son Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Jaishankar's younger brother, is one of the world's most famous scholars of medieval India. He has written books on commerce in Surat (my home town) and South India as well as on Vasco Da Gama. My point is that Dr (he is a PhD himself) S Jaishankar has a background which is not the same as our other ministers. Jaishankar has recently released a book a few days ago that said three things had negatively affected India foreign policy. The first was Partition, which reduced the size of India and gave China even more important than it was. The second was the delay in the economic reforms of 1991, which had they come earlier would have made India a wealthier nation earlier than it will become. And third the delay in choosing to make atomic weapons. He called them the three burdens. What should we make of what he is saying? We need to examine two separate things, first to see to what extent what he says is true. India's Partition did reduce the size of the country and if India had not been partitioned, the undivided nation would be larger geographically, stretching from Burma to Iran and with a population of 1.7 billion people. It would not be particularly different in terms of its economy, per capita income, productivity or any other way. South Asia has developed together, none of the three countries which were part of British India have either become a developed country and none on the other hand has not succeeded in developing at least a little. A visit to Pakistan and Bangladesh reveals them to be no different than most parts of India. IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar presents a copy of his book, The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, to Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, August 25, 2020. Photograph: Kind Courtesy S Jaishankar/Twitter The second issue is the delay in economic reforms. This is not Jaishankar's subject because he is not an economist. So we must be cautious when we accept what he is saying as true. The Indian economy of Nehru's time had little capacity. State capital was needed as an element, especially in heavy industry. And without the State, the institutions we take for granted, for example in higher education, would not have come at all. Whatever bhajans we may sing to privatisation there is no private equivalent of the IIT or IIM even today in India. This is not to say that the license raj of Indira Gandhi was a good thing. It was not. The best we can offer Jaishankar's statement on the delay in reforms is a qualified yes, not a full endorsement. The third is the exercise of the nuclear option, which happened in May 1974. India makes a big deal of having an atom bomb. It is not such a big deal. Many nations in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa had the capacity to make one, but choose not to. The other thing is that India violated its foreign commitments to make the bomb. The reactors producing the material used in our bombs came from Canada whom we had promised that we would only use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes (this is why Indira Gandhi made the claim that the 1974 was a 'peaceful explosion'). We have held these weapons for 45 years now. How have they helped us? We cannot use them against Pakistan which for 30 years we have accused of terrorism. We cannot use them against China which is today inside our borders. It is debatable that the early weaponising of our programme could have helped us in any way. Jaishankar calls these three things 'burdens' and he lays them at the Congress's door. Let us see what his party has done and is doing. India may have been partitioned, but its Pakistan and Bangladesh are still next to us. They have not been relocated to Africa. What stops India from unifying the subcontinent through trade or travel? It is our nationalism. We have free movement (without visas) with Nepal, but not with Bangladesh. Why? We could unify South Asia with visa free travel and trade if we chose to. The BJP does not want it. The assumption Jaishankar makes about liberalisation automatically producing economic growth is false. Under the BJP, India's economic growth has been declining since January 2018 according to its own figures. That is two-and-a-half straight years of decline in six years of government. This did not happen during Socialism or license raj. This year we will see a contraction of the economy. Mere liberalisation does not mean economic growth. What Jaishankar says in his three points is reductive and simplistic. The past does not matter that much. If we think that it does it is because we are not good enough at running the nation competently today and are searching for excuses why. If Jaishankar's diagnosis is correct, what stops him from correcting it today? His book does not say that. Perhaps that will come in a future book. Aakar Patel is a columnist and writer. You can read Aakar's columns here. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com The Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa, U.S. intelligence reports say, according to a U.S. government official familiar with the issue and another official who has seen the intelligence. News of the plot comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate for President Donald Trumps decision to kill a powerful Iranian general earlier this year, the officials said. If carried out, it could dramatically ratchet up already serious tensions between the U.S. and Iran and create enormous pressure on Trump to strike back possibly in the middle of a tense election season. U.S. officials have been aware of a general threat against the ambassador, Lana Marks, since the spring, the officials said. But the intelligence about the threat to the ambassador has become more specific in recent weeks. The Iranian Embassy in Pretoria is involved in the plot, the U.S. government official said. Still, attacking Marks is one of several options U.S. officials believe Irans regime is considering for retaliation since the general, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike in January. At the time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. killed Soleimani to reestablish deterrence against Iran. An intelligence community directive known as Duty to Warn requires U.S. spy agencies to notify a potential victim if intelligence indicates their life could be in danger; in the case of U.S. government officials, credible threats would be included in briefings and security planning. Marks has been made aware of the threat, the U.S. government official said. The intelligence also has been included in the CIA World Intelligence Review, known as the WIRe, a classified product that is accessible to senior policy and security officials across the U.S. government, as well as certain lawmakers and their staff. Marks, 66, was sworn in as U.S. ambassador last October. Shes known Trump for more than two decades and has been a member of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Critics of Trump have derided her as a handbag designer, but her supporters retort that she is a successful businesswoman her eponymous handbags run as much as $40,000 with numerous international connections. A personal friend of the late Princess Diana, she also was born in South Africa and speaks some of the countrys key languages, including Afrikaans and Xhosa. Story continues In this photo taken Monday May 11, 2020 at OR Tambo Airport Johannesurg and supplied by the United States Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, showing U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks posing with ventilators donated by the U.S. Government. The United State is donating up to 1000 ventilators to assist with South Africa's national response to COVID-19. (Photo/Leon Kgoedi, United States Embassy South Africa via AP) The intelligence community isnt exactly sure why Iranians would target Marks, who has few, if any, known links to Iran. Its possible the Iranians took her long friendship with Trump into consideration, the U.S. government official said. The Iranian government also operates clandestine networks in South Africa, the officials noted, and has had a foothold there for decades. In 2015, Al Jazeera and The Guardian reported on leaked intelligence documents that detailed an extensive secret network of Iranian operatives in South Africa. Marks may also be an easier target than U.S. diplomats in other parts of the world, such as Western Europe, where the U.S. has stronger relationships with local law enforcement and intelligence services. Irans Islamist leaders have a history of carrying out assassinations beyond their countrys borders, as well as taking hostages, since seizing power following a popular uprising in the late 1970s. In recent decades, Iran has generally avoided directly targeting U.S. diplomats, although Iranian-backed militias have long attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel in Iraq. Trump alleged after Soleimanis killing that the Iranian general had been plotting attacks on American diplomatic missions, although U.S. officials later cast doubt on his claims. They were looking to blow up our embassy, Trump said in January, referring to the massive, heavily fortified U.S. diplomatic compound in Iraq. Later, in a Fox News interview, he said, I can reveal I believe it probably wouldve been four embassies. Days after Soleimanis death, Iran launched a ballistic missile salvo at a military base in Iraq that housed U.S. forces, causing traumatic brain injuries among dozens of American troops. Trump declined to retaliate and said, Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world though he announced fresh sanctions on the Iranian regime and warned it against further retaliatory moves. Some analysts, however, said at the time that Iran likely would seek other ways to avenge Soleimanis death. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, was at the top of Irans hit list earlier this year, according to media reports. McKenzie said last month that he expected a new response from Iran to Americas ongoing presence in Iraq. I do not know what the nature of that response will be, but we will certainly be ready for it, should it occur, he said. On Wednesday, McKenzie confirmed plans to cut the U.S. troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September. During an online forum in August, McKenzie said Iran was our central problem in the region, and acknowledged that the danger from Iranian proxies in Iraq had complicated U.S. efforts against ISIS, the radical Sunni terrorist organization and movement. The threat against our forces from Shia militant groups has caused us to put resources that we would otherwise use against ISIS to provide for our own defense and that has lowered our ability to work effectively against them, he said. The White House-based National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did an Iranian official with Irans mission at the United Nations, nor a South African Embassy official in Washington. Spokespeople for the State Department, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. The U.S. and Iran have been bitter foes for decades, openly confronting each other at times and gingerly engaging in diplomacy at others but more often waging a shadowy battle for power and influence across the broader Middle East. Under Trump, the two countries have veered toward outright military conflict on more than one occasion. Last summer, the U.S. blamed Iran and its proxies for a series of explosions aimed at oil tankers. Iran took down a U.S. drone, and the U.S. later managed to take down an Iranian drone. Trump acknowledged that, after Iran took down the U.S. drone, he nearly authorized a direct attack on Iranian soil, but he held off after being told 150 people could die a toll he said was disproportionate. The countries dispute deepened in the months afterward, especially in Iraq, where America and the U.S. have long engaged in proxy warfare. In December, an American contractor was killed in Iraq after an attack by an Iranian-allied militia. The U.S. reacted by bombing sites held by the group, killing around two dozen of its fighters. Soon afterward, protesters believed linked to the militia breached parts of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. Then, in early January, the United States staged an airstrike that killed Soleimani as he was visiting Baghdad. It was a major escalation given Soleimanis importance in Iran, although U.S. officials described it as a defensive measure. Soleimani led the Quds Force, a unit of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that oversees much of the countrys military activities outside its borders. Americans blame him for the death of numerous U.S. troops in the region. Iran vowed to retaliate. Its first major move was the Jan. 8 missile attack on the al-Asad military base in Iraq. But around the same time, an Iranian missile took down a civilian airliner, killing 176 people and leading to fury inside Iran at the regimes incompetence and shifting explanations for the incident, along with condemnation abroad. Iran and South Africa have cooperated on a number of fronts in recent decades, including at the U.N., where South Africa has at times advocated for Iran. South Africas uranium deposits are believed to have been a major interest for Iran as it was ramping up its nuclear program, which Tehran has always insisted was meant for peaceful energy purposes, not a bomb. The pair also have a military relationship, having signed some basic defense pacts. Strange Iran-connected plots have been uncovered before. Almost a decade ago, the U.S. arrested and eventually sentenced to prison an Iranian-American man who was alleged to have tried to hire Mexican drug cartel assassins to kill Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States as he dined in Cafe Milano, a swanky Washington restaurant frequented by the citys wealthy and powerful. The U.S. accused Soleimani of overseeing the plot. If you really want to honour him, implement his inclusive ideology: SC Bose's grandnephew Ahead of PM Modi's 70th birthday, JP Nadda launches week-long 'Seva Saptah' campaign India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Sep 14: To mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 70th birthday that falls on September 17, BJP president JP Nadda on Monday launched a week-long campaign. JP Nadda launched the campaign, named "Seva Saptah", at Chhaprauli village in western Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district near Delhi. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning 70 on September 17. If we look at his life and his journey, seva (service) has been the prime focus in his life. His life has been dedicated into the seva of people and the country. Hence, the BJP has decided to observe September 14-20 week as 'Seva Saptah'," Nadda said. "Crores of BJP workers will serve the people as part of the campaign during the week," he told a gathering, including party leaders and workers. 'Save your own life as PM busy with peacock: Rahul Gandhis dig at Modi govt Among those present at the campaign launch were BJP's state unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh, Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Nagar and local MLAs Pankaj Singh, Dhirendra Singh and Tejpal Nagar. The BJP President said that PM Modi had the drive to work for others since childhood and it is not something that came to him only after he became the prime minister. 'What a job you have done': Trump claims PM Modi's praise in COVID fight Citing the prime minister's life as an example of service to others, Nadda said BJP workers will take up cleanliness and plantation drives, blood and plasma donation, across all districts in the country. "Since he (Modi) is turning 70, we have decided to work at 70 spots in every district for cleanliness, fruit distribution. We will visit hospitals and take care of the ill. There will be blood donation drives with a special focus on plasma donation," he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 15:13 [IST] UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is saddened and alarmed by the violent events that left 10 refugees dead and 19 injured, including one member of the host community, in Madi Okollo district in the northern region of Uganda. According to information received so far, on Friday 11 September 2020 at around 5 pm a dispute between locals and refugees near a shared water point quickly escalated into a violent attack against refugees at the Tika village in Rhino refugee settlement, where refugees from South Sudan reside. In addition to the high number of casualties, 15 refugee houses were burnt to the ground and another 26 are confirmed to have been looted and vandalized. UNHCR is deeply concerned about the safety of ten refugees who remain missing and call upon authorities to search for them immediately. We offer our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a quick recovery for those people who were injured. The disproportionate violent reaction by the host community to a communal dispute signals a threat to the delicate balance of peaceful coexistence in the rural villages where refugees live alongside their Ugandan hosts, said Joel Boutroue, the UNHCR Representative in Uganda. In an environment of scarcity of resources, tragic incidents such as that of last Friday are alarming, as both the host and refugee communities face increased hardships and decreased access to basic services and livelihoods. We urge for calm and are working with the authorities to ensure that additional security measures are adopted, and this deadly incident is investigated to help clarify the circumstances, including the role of local authorities. UNHCR has immediately deployed teams on the ground to support refugees who are deeply traumatized by the attack and work with government counterparts and partners to respond to the needs of those affected while also initiating reconciliatory efforts. For more information on this topic, please contact: This satellite image provided by the NOAA shows five tropical cyclones churning in the Atlantic basin at 5:20 p.m. GMT on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. The storms, from left, are Hurricane Sally over the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Paulette over Bermuda, the remnants of Tropical Storm Rene, and Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky. (NOAA via AP) Louisiana and Mississippi residents were under evacuation orders on Monday as Hurricane Sally churned across the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to a hurricane ahead of expected landfall on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The second storm in less than a month to threaten the region, Sally was headed toward a slow-motion landfall that could dump damaging rains on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Residents from Louisiana to Florida were told to also expect storm surge and high winds. Sally is the 18th named storm in the Atlantic this year and will be the eighth of tropical storm or hurricane strength to hit the United States - something "very rare if not a record" said Dan Kottlowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. He added that accurate data on historic tropical storms can be elusive. Mississippi and Louisiana issued mandatory evacuation orders to residents of low-lying areas while Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency, closed the state's beaches and recommended evacuations low-lying areas. Mississippi ordered its coastal casinos to close by late Monday afternoon. Schools in coastal communities from Louisiana to Florida were canceling classes ahead of the storm. We are going to bear the brunt of this storm, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves told residents on Monday, warning that rainfall along the coast could exceed 50 cm. "We have to make sure that everything is tied down and out of the way so it doesn't float away or become airborne," said Steve Forstall, a Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, port employee. In the coastal town, located roughly 80 km northeast of New Orleans, water from the bay was spilling onto the beach roadway early on Monday. Workers were seen boarding up homes and securing items like trash cans that can become projectiles in high winds. Residents helped each other fill sandbags at a do-it-yourself station, and some people parked cars and boats on higher ground, anticipating flooded roads. The U.S. Coast Guard was limiting traffic from the Port of New Orleans, while energy companies slowed or cut refinery output and scrambled to pull workers from offshore oil and gas production platforms. At 1 p.m. CDT (1800 GMT), Sally was 210 km east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, packing sustained winds of 45 km per hour, according to the NHC. The storm will approach southeastern Louisiana on Monday night but not make landfall until sometime on Tuesday, the NHC said. Its slow movement is expected to dump 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm) on the coast and cause widespread river flooding. An expected turn to the north is "going to be critical for the New Orleans area," said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist at DTN, an energy, agriculture and weather data provider. Mississippi appears more likely for landfall, but Sally's biggest threat is that it will be a "rainmaker" across a wide swath of the Gulf Coast and drop much as 7.62 to 10.2 cm in areas as far inland as Atlanta, Foerster said. Residents of southwestern Louisiana are still clearing debris and tens of thousands of homes are without power after Hurricane Laura left a trail of destruction. Sally's path remains east of that hard-hit area. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent additional resources ahead of Sally to avoid taking help away from southwestern Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards said on Monday. There are more than 12,000 Laura evacuees staying in hotels in New Orleans, and Edwards advised them to "stay put in your shelter." Damage from Sally is expected to reach $2 billion to $3 billion, but could exceed that if the storm's heaviest rainfall happens over land instead of in the Gulf, said Chuck Watson of Enki Research, which models and tracks tropical storms. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:17:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. computer giant Nvidia Corporation has signed an agreement to purchase British chip house Arm Ltd., its founder and CEO Jensen Huang said on Sunday. NVIDIA and SoftBank Group Corp. (SBG) also announced the definitive agreement under which NVIDIA will acquire Arm Ltd. from SBG and the SoftBank Vision Fund in a transaction valued at 40 billion U.S. dollars through a combination of NVIDIA shares and cash. "We are joining arms with Arm to create the leading computing company for the age of AI," Huang, a Chinese American entrepreneur, said in a letter to his employees, adding that by uniting NVIDIA's AI computing with the vast reach of Arm's CPU, the company will engage the giant AI opportunity ahead and advance computing from the cloud, smartphones, PCs, self-driving cars, robotics, 5G and IoT. Huang said NVIDIA will maintain Arm's open-licensing model and customer neutrality, serving customers across the world, and further expand Arm's IP licensing portfolio with NVIDIA's GPU and AI technology. NVIDIA said that Arm's headquarter will remain in Cambridge and its name and brand identity will be retained. Enditem Bogdan Terzi, a co-owner and head of the advertising company Amillidius, spoke about the massive information attack by the TeleTrade broker against Amillidius - both the companys staff and himself have experienced it recently. Amillidius, my business partner Elvira Gavrilova, and I became the victims of the well-planned information attack, claimed Terzi. - We carried out an investigation and discovered that Teletrade initiated and executed this attack. The reason behind it is quite apparent - Amillidius offered a helping hand to the TeleTrade customers, who fight desperately against the broker that scammed them. Describing the current situation, Bogdan Terzi demonstrated what Amillidius opponent was like. TeleTrade is a company, founded by the Russian nationals and operating globally. The large-scale fraud investigations were filed against TeleTrade in Russia and Kazakhstan. In Ukraine, the National Securities and Stock Market Commission through its official website warned the citizens about a risk to suffer losses at the TeleTrade-affiliated Center of the Stock Technologies. Bogdan Terzi supported these facts with the information from the official resources of the law-enforcement bodies of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Quite recently, the Internet saw the articles, accusing Amillidius of cooperation with the separatists from the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic. The articles assured that Alexey Muratov, the head of the so-called DPRs Executive Committee, hired Amillidius to promote his cryptocurrency. As a proof, the article featured a doctored snap, showing the Amillidius owner Elvira Gavrilova, allegedly accompanied by Muratov. The processed nature of the photo could be seen with an unarmed eye. We believe the TeleTrade co-founder Oleg Suvorov is behind this defaming fake, said Terzi. The Amillidius head made an official statement that his company had never had any relationship whatsoever with the separatists of the so-called DPR. What is more, a web-site, specifically created for the purpose, published an article, written by the Yegor Filimonov, the alleged Amillidius employee. It goes without saying, this person has never worked at our company, emphasized Bogdan Terzi. The article contains accusations, threats, and obscene vocabulary, targeted at Terzi himself and many Amillidius employees. The Amillidius boss emphasized that the companys activities were transparent, so one could find photographs of all its employees in the open sources and social media. The authors of the fake article, in fact, exploited it. TeleTrade itself published several articles saying that Amillidius was attacking their network. Bogdan Terzi indicated that their company, indeed, used to work with the broker but terminated the cooperation on moral grounds, when TeleTrade changed its management. Later on, Amillidius was approached by a group of TeleTrades defrauded customers, who provided the evidence and facts of the brokers scam. So, Amillidius decided to help. Bogdan Terzi emphasized that Amillidius help was absolutely legal. The reason behind TeleTrades intrigues and apparent lie about Amillidius is that TeleTrade feels threatened,- said the speaker. He named the criminal cases, initiated against TeleTrade broker and its subsidiaries. He also demonstrated hundreds of claims of the customers, having lost their money to TeleTrade. Bogdan Terzi provided the proof of the brokers fraud - the video record of the confession of the trader, who used to be a part of the Traders Stock Exchange project by TeleTrade. Our goal today is to expose the true picture of the conflict between the defrauded customers and TeleTrade - said Bogdan Terzi. He also announced the following press-conference of Amillidius, where he promised to speak about the tools and schemes TeleTrade still utilized to scam its customers. AR Rahman To Compose Music For Adipurush? The recent back to back poster releases of the film announcing the inclusion of Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan has indeed raised the expectations of the fans and followers of the stars, and therefore the makers are not leaving any stone unturned to make the film a grand hit. If reports are to be believed, the makers are trying their best to convince music maestro AR Rahman to compose music for the film. AR Rahman-Bhushan Kumars Masakali Row Taking a note of the rift between Rahman and T-Series, thanks to the recent Masakali' remix video song backed by the company that surfaced the internet, there are least chances that the music composer might nod a yes to the makers. For the unversed, the renowned composer, who was evidently unimpressed with the 2.0 version of his hit track Masakali' from Delhi 6, slammed the team indirectly with his no shortcuts, 365 days of creative brainstorming' note that he released along with the original song on his social media handle. Will AR Rahman-Bhushan Kumar Come Together For Adipurush? With Adipurush being a big project with the theme of Ramayana, roping AR Rahman will prove an absolute brownie point for the makers. It is to be noted that the composer's collaboration for a mammoth project, has always done an impressive job at the theatres, especially his tracks. Few examples include 2.0, Jodha Akbar, and Roja among the innumerable films on the list. Adipurush The bilingual project directed by Om Raut will be shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. The film will also have a mammoth release with the dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and several other foreign languages. Adipurush is expected to start rolling in 2021 and release in 2022. Adipurush is bankrolled by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Om Raut, Prasad Sutar and Rajesh Nair. As geopolitical tensions at the Ladakh border between India and China continue to simmer, the conflict hardly seems to be restricted at our physical borders. In over two months, the government of India has banned over 200 apps that had some form of ties to China. Government officials, through a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directive, stated that these apps were found to be harvesting user data, and in turn, posed considerable threat to the sovereignty of India. The same effect has now been revealed by an Indian Express investigation, which found Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., a private Chinese company with strong ties to the Chinese government, to be collecting, analysing and charting a huge database of information about over 1,000 publicly influential figures in India. Zhenhuas Big Data-driven hybrid warfare According to the Express investigation, Zhenhua publicly advertised threat intelligence services as its key offering. Put simply, Zhenhua uses cyber tools to target and identify key individuals in its clients opposition. It then uses a host of tactics, including scraping information off public databases, social media, government documentation and all other sources of information it can find, in order to track the digital footprint of individuals. This, in turn, also helps it keep track of institutions and groups as well something that it does by establishing a relational database between the individuals that are being surveilled. This relational database is all important, since this is what helps Zhenhua tie down critical aspects in India, such as political alliances between individuals, behavioural traits among key personalities, opinions and the extent of influence that a person holds in both regional and national spheres. Not only does Zhenhua limit its cyber surveillance to the personalities in question, but also regularly scan through their relatives, peers and acquaintances. As part of its investigation, The Indian Express has revealed that Zhenhuas database includes detailed information trees about at least 1,350 individuals in the field of politics and law. Their surveillance of Indian politics include national parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, and also regional ones such as Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena and more. This list seemingly included 700 politicians who were directly tracked, and over 400 individuals that are closely linked to them. There were over 350 current and former Members of Parliament, and a further family list that apparently includes over 100 individuals and are said to be linked closely to the key personalities as well. ALSO READ | USA May Go the Opposite Way of China on Facial Recognition: Where Does India Stand? How and why is China doing this At the centre of Chinas cyber espionage activities is its attempt to infiltrate Indias political structure, thereby gaining an upper hand on its geopolitical rival. Threat intelligence, as Zhenhua puts its own service as, is a known tactic that is often employed by many law enforcement agencies nowadays to apply surveillance on crime suspects and track them down. While this would prove to be productive for a nation, the same, when applied by a foreign nation on another, turns into state-sponsored cyber espionage and cyber warfare activity a key part of hybrid warfare. By tracking down the key political and legislative personalities of India, China and its government may look for cues towards tracking down Indias strategic leanings and try to win an upper hand at the border be it in warfare or during negotiations. Even harvesting the data of Indians en masse, akin to what the Indian government mentioned was the security flaw in the banned Chinese apps, gives China the ability to apply Big Data analysis and eke out behavioural and sentimental analysis something that can prepare them to launch seemingly innocuous cyber attacks on Indian citizens. At the end of the day, the key takeaway from Chinas cyber and hybrid warfare activities against India is tactical advantages. What makes matters worse is that the process of legal recourse for India is also not clear. Speaking to News18, N.S. Nappinai, senior advocate of cyber laws at the Supreme Court of India, says, What is important to note is the mode and manner through which the data collection is done. For data being scraped off social media, there is no Indian law that bars it, and a lot about it also depends on the specific terms of usage of the social media platforms themselves. The real grey area persists in the data collection from non-public information platforms. Nappinai further says, If China is deploying a bot to collect mass information about individuals from the internet, that can be penalised under more than one provision of Indias laws. As far as the banned Chinese apps are concerned, unfortunately the data collection there is legal. If a specific app is hosted in another country, whose laws govern it and mandate that it has to share information with the government under specific circumstances, that is unfortunately legal. It may be so that Indias analysis has showed that China will legally have the right to access information collected, gathered together and assessed on Indian residents. Nappinai also states that many nations may also use this legal entry point into the available data to carry out social engineering and thought influence manoeuvres, which falls in line with the risks that Express report highlighted on Zhenhuas threat intelligence analysis activities for China. Given Indias strategic importance, Chinas latest hybrid warfare tactic appears to be an attempt to gauge Indias prevalent most critical narratives, and attempt to influence the same too. Mel Prince, executive director of Selma AIR, looks at a quilt that remembers people who lost their lives to AIDS, at her office in Selma, Ala., on Sept 3, 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the delivery of all types of health care services in the U.S., and the fight against HIV has not been spared. Health experts and HIV advocates worry the country is at risk of backsliding, with a spike in new HIV infections. The issue is of particular concern in the South, which has been a focus of the Trump administration's goal of eradicating the disease by 2030. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler) As COVID-19 swept through the South, Mel Prince watched with alarm as some of the HIV positive patients she helps in the rural Black Belt stopped showing up for lab tests and doctor's visits. Some fell back into drug and alcohol abuse. Others feared the AIDS virus made them more vulnerable to the coronavirus and refused to leave their homes. Around the same time, Prince's HIV organization in Selma, Alabama, stopped sending staff to health fairs and other sites to test people for HIV. "The virus has made it very challenging for us," said Prince, executive director of Selma AIR. "We just continue to let people know we're here, and we're trying our best to take care of their needs." The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the delivery of all types of health care services in the U.S. Doctors have put off surgeries to conserve hospital beds and medical supplies for COVID-19 patients and turned to telemedicine for routine consultations to avoid potentially exposing patients to the virus. The fight against HIV has not been spared. Clinics have stopped or limited testing for the disease, and public health officials overwhelmed by demands to control COVID-19 have shifted staff away from tracking HIV patients. Progress against the virus had already stalled in recent years. Now, health experts and advocates worry the country is at risk of backsliding, with a spike in new HIV infections because people don't know they have the disease, aren't aware if their treatment is working or aren't getting a drug that can prevent them from getting HIV in the first place. "We're losing people who are doing HIV testing and focusing on HIV to the COVID-19 response," said Ace Robinson, with the national nonprofit HIV eradication group, NMAC. "And that means that we're not able to support people to maintain the care that they deserve." The issue is of particular concern in the South, which accounted for more than half of the country's roughly 37,000 HIV infections in 2018 and has been a focus of the Trump administration's goal of eradicating the disease by 2030. Fewer people in the South are aware that they have HIV compared with other regions in the U.S, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parts of the Black Belta poor agricultural region stretching from Louisiana to Virginia that was first known for the color of its soil and then for its mostly Black populationhave particularly high rates of new HIV infections. HIV workers contacted by The Associated Press in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas all reported a drop in HIV testing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Mildred Harper, who is HIV positive, was too afraid to go to a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital in April for a blood test to check on her HIV treatment. Harper is on medication that can give people with the AIDS virus a near-normal life expectancy and make it effectively impossible for them to infect other people. Elsewhere in the world, the coronavirus has disrupted the supply of those drugs. Mel Prince, executive director of Selma AIR, poses for a photo at her office, Sept. 3, 2020, in Selma, Ala. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the delivery of all types of health care services in the U.S., and the fight against HIV has not been spared. Health experts and HIV advocates worry the country is at risk of backsliding, with a spike in new HIV infections. The issue is of particular concern in the South, which has been a focus of the Trump administration's goal of eradicating the disease by 2030. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler) But people on the medication need periodic lab work to make sure the drugs are keeping the amount of virus in their bodies low. If their treatment is effective, they are not believed to face any additional risk for COVID-19, according to the CDC. Harper, 56, said the coronavirus had sent her into a depression, and she was "paranoid" about contracting it at the hospital. "It kind of felt like I was diagnosed with HIV again because it isolated me from everybody," Harper said. Lee Storrow sought an HIV test in North Carolina in June, but staff at the clinic he contacted said they were focused on testing for COVID-19. Local health officials had stopped testing for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, and a Planned Parenthood clinic could not see him for weeks, he said. Storrow, an HIV policy advocate and educator, said he was eventually able to get a home test kit online from a company called NURX. The CDC has encouraged HIV health providers to mail testing kits to people's homes. "It took me four different steps to figure out how to get my own STI test, and I'm someone who thinks about STI testing on a daily basis," he said. "It does make me concerned and wonder about folks who are so much more on the margins." Testing at the HIV clinic at Augusta University in Georgia stopped completely for two weeks early on, said Raven Wells, the clinic's community outreach coordinator. Tests are now conducted by appointment "instead of just driving around trying to contact as many people as you can," Wells said. At sites run by the Birmingham, Alabama-based social services organization AIDS Alabama, testing is down roughly 75%, from about 30 tests a week before the pandemic to 30 tests a month now amid a drop in walk-in clients, said Tony Christon-Walker, the organization's director of prevention and community partnerships. Meanwhile, scores of state social workers in Alabama who were trained to track down and reengage people who dropped out of HIV treatment have instead been put to work investigating COVID-19 cases, said Sharon Jordan, director of the HIV Prevention and Care Office at the Alabama Department of Public Health. "I feel like the HIV community, those who are infected, probably feel as if nobody is thinking about us anymore," she said. Annual HIV infections in the United States have dropped by more than two-thirds since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, but the number of new infections has leveled off in recent years, according to the CDC. An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, but more than 40% either do not know they are infected or don't have the virus under control. President Donald Trump's administration announced an ambitious plan last year to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by focusing on hot spots for the infection and getting people on drugs. Federal health officials say that remains a priority, though they acknowledge challenges posed by COVID-19. "We don't have the luxury of pulling back," said Rev. A.J. Johnson, CEO of an HIV testing organization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "This is a war against HIV-AIDS, not a battle." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Three months after about a dozen tribals in the Maoist-affected Malkangiri district of Odisha died of unknown ailments, at least 10 people in a village of the district have fallen victim to some unknown waterborne disease in last 3 months. Reports of deaths of at least 10 tribals in Sodiguda village under Mathili block of the district surfaced. Malkangiri district collector Manish Agrawal said a medical team had visited the village and taken blood sample of the people in the area. We have also taken a sample of the drinking water available in the area. Our medical team is making regular visits to the village to conduct tests. But the exact cause of deaths is yet to be known, said Agrawal. Local villagers said the disease reportedly starts with swelling of the body following which the patients lose appetite. Those who died had become weaker by the day and succumbed, said a villager. Also read: BSP MP Ritesh Pandey to marry UK-based psychology student Katharina Malkangiri chief district medical officer Dr PK Nanda said the administration has admitted 14 villagers in hospital and conducted tests on them. While some were found to be anaemic others had a malaria attack. A few others may have consumed a local brew laced with urea for more intoxication, he said. In June, similar deaths were reported from another village of the district. In Kenduguda village of Malkangiri block, 15 people had died with many of them complaining of swollen legs and stomach. Nutrition expert Basanta Kumar Kar said most of the deaths in tribal families of Malkangiri could be attributed to lack of proper nutrition. As per the National Family Health Survey 4, malnutrition is as high as 51.8 percent, way below the state average. While essential micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are necessary to prevent mortality, the availability of nutritious foods may have worsened during the lockdown. Besides, malaria too plays a role in undermining the immunity of the tribals, said Kar, who received the Global Nutrition Leadership Award last year. In September 2016, over 100 children, most of them malnourished, in Malkangiri had succumbed to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome and Japanese Encephalitis. According to the 2014 Annual Health Survey report, seven out of ten children in Malkangiri are underweight while district ranked third in the country among 100 districts that have the highest prevalence of underweight children under the age of five. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Its a clever effort to help a restaurant industry that has been pummeled by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and, to a smaller degree, a summer of civil unrest. Nearly 600,000 people across Illinois work in restaurant and food service jobs, and the Illinois Restaurant Association estimates more than half of them have been laid off or furloughed during the pandemic. Analysts from Technomic say the U.S. restaurant industry is on track to lose up to $300 billion in sales this year compared with 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:25:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Monday reported 708 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 95,472 and the death toll to 563, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,408 patients are receiving treatment, including 86 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 506 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 85,501. On Aug. 30, the Kuwaiti government lifted a nationwide partial curfew, while activities, including celebrations, parties, weddings, gatherings, banquets and funerals, 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, 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 their counterparts experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem Hamilton police are investigating two shootings hours apart Sunday night. No one was hurt in either shooting one where a vehicle was struck and the other a residence in central Hamilton. We have received limited co-operation from the witnesses, said Const. Jerome Stewart. However, at this time there is no evidence to suggest the incidents are related. The first shooting happened around 6:05 p.m. Sept. 13 at John Street North and Burlington Street East. Police believe a black Ford F150 pickup with tinted windows pulled up beside the victims vehicle and fired multiple times, Stewart said. The victim was not hurt. Police are searching for the pickup. If the truck is spotted, police ask residents not to approach but call police right away. Several hours later, shortly before midnight, police were called to a second shooting. Police say several shots were fired through the front window of a home on Wentworth Street North. Two people were home, but were not hurt. A vehicle was heard driving away. As in all cases where violence occurs on the streets of Hamilton, we are concerned, Stewart said, adding that police are asking anyone with information to come forward. This includes asking residents near the shooting scenes to check surveillance cameras for any suspicious activity. The shootings mark at least the 31st and 32nd shootings in the city this year. Both Sunday night shootings remain under investigation by the central criminal investigation branch. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Const. Sami Haddad or Det. Const. Alexis Petrovic at 905-546-3816. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com. WASHINGTON - Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean calls herself a big hugger, but theres none of that in-person campaigning in the Philadelphia suburbs as the House freshman runs for reelection largely online to protect against the health risks of COVID-19. Travelling the heartland, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is taking the opposite approach. She just completed an annual 99-county tour of her state, mostly masked, but sometimes not, talking to modest-size groups and, at one point, gathering close for a photo. The two lawmakers show the different tactics underway in a pandemic election year unlike any other as candidates try to win over voters beyond the White House in down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress. President Donald Trump is setting the tone for his party, with big rallies and few masks. Democrats, led by presidential nominee Joe Biden, are keeping events small and mostly virtual, confident that voters will reward them for adhering to public health protocols. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calls the campaign decisions a matter of life and death. The GOP leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump ally, says the presidents party is showing up. By November, voters will decide who had the right approach a high-stakes gamble as the coronavirus pandemic rewrites the rules of political campaigning. Its a different world, Dean said during a recent Zoom call with reporters. I cant wait for the day when I can go back to knocking on doors and being at train stations to speak to people directly, she said. But were making the most of it. The House and Senate campaigns are courting voters as attitudes shift about COVID-19. In July, an AP-NORC poll showed 85% of Americans said they were staying away from large groups, including 95% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans. By August, about three-quarters of Americans said they were at least somewhat concerned about themselves or a family member being infected, according to the AP-NORC poll. Public health experts warn that even as the number of cases levels nationwide, Americans behaviour will determine whether theres another spike this fall with colder weather and the flu season. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told lawmakers its up to them to set an example. Campaigns are looked to as leaders in the community, said a DCCC memo obtained by The Associated Press, and their health and safety precautions should reflect that. Virtual town halls, phone banks, texting and Zoom-style meet-ups are replacing the traditional campaign events and door-knocking operations, which in years past have been seen as crucial to coax voters to the polls. One party strategist said Democrats believe voters will appreciate candidates who take COVID-19 risks seriously, attempting to draw a contrast to Trump and Republicans. The strategist and others were granted anonymity to discuss tactics the parties are employing. In Georgia, Senate candidate Jon Ossoffs campaign is drawing thousands of people to online forums, more than strategists said could be reached by traditional canvassing. He is running against first-term GOP Sen. David Perdue. Republicans appear more willing to venture out. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held public events in some 20 Kentucky communities during August, showing up mostly masked. He faces Democratic former fighter pilot Amy McGrath this fall. Republicans are defending a narrow three-seat Senate majority as Democratic candidates gain traction in more than a half-dozen states, including Iowa, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina. Thats twice as many that Democrats would need to flip to tip party control. Even in these challenging times, its my job to show up and hear directly from all Iowans, Ernst said in a video message after finishing her all-county tour. Typically outside groups provide much of the legwork knocking doors to reach voters. This year, they, too, are taking divergent approaches. The Congressional Leadership Fund announced its unleashing $3.5 million to start put boots on the ground with personal protective gear in 12 House districts as Republicans stage a longshot fight to wrest control from Pelosi and Democrats. Republicans would need to win some 19 seats. A Republican strategist said the GOP reckons that with so many Americans home because of the coronavirus crisis theres a captive audience of voters to reach. Tim Phillips of the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action said his group started testing door knocking on June 1 to see what worked, what didnt. Standing 8 to 10 feet away seemed better than 6, he said, and visitors followed local rules about mask wearing sometimes on, sometimes just in hand. By July, the group expanded door-knocking nationwide and found people are very willing to open up, he said. I cant tell you how many times now Ive had people say, Youre the first human interaction Ive had for months now, said Phillips, who has knocked doors himself in several states, including North Carolina, where AFP Action is investing $11 million in the Senate race. He said the rate at which people answer the door is up at least 18% compared with pre-pandemic numbers. Elsewhere, the powerful American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees is launching its big green machine -- thousands of union workers and retirees to virtual field offices to help elect Biden and candidates up and down the ballot, the union said. Volunteers can call voters, send texts and take other actions. A union official, granted anonymity to discuss the organizing effort, said they find that people want to do something. Pelosi noted that in some places it may be safe to go door to door. In Maine, where the number of virus cases has been low, both campaigns are stepping out. Democratic Senate candidate Sarah Gideon has resumed town-hall Suppers with Sara but with a socially distant, outdoor version of the states traditional dinners. Incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins recently launched a bus tour to meet with voters. Dean, in Philadelphia, acknowledged theres nothing to replace personal interaction. But she said shes confident the virtual campaigns will meet the moment of these rocky times. The energy is high, said Dean. Sadly, it is so laced with anxiety. ___ Associated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago and Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report. APs Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/ (Newser) South Dakota's attorney general called 911 Saturday night to say that he'd struck a deer on a local highway, per his office. As it turns out, AG Jason Ravnsborg fatally struck a 55-year-old pedestrian whose body wasn't found until the following morning, reports the Rapid City Journal. The crash is now under investigation, and the 44-year-old Ravnsborg says he is "shocked and filled with sorrow" and cooperating with the investigation, per the Argus Leader. The AP reports Ravnsborg was driving home to Pierre from a political fundraising dinner in Redfield about 110 miles away when the collision took place on Highway 14. His office says he immediately called 911 about 10:30pm after colliding with what he thought was a deer. story continues below A Department of Public Safety news release doesn't say whether Ravnsborg stopped to confirm or inspect his vehicle's damage. Ravnsborg's office says he didn't realize he hit a person until news broke on Sunday that a body was found. The victim is Joseph Boever, and family members say he had earlier crashed his truck into a hay bale near where he was fatally struck. A spokesperson for Ravnsborg says that while the attorney general does drink, he "has made it a practice not to drink at the Lincoln Day events," per the AP, referring to the name of the political function he attended. To avoid a conflict of interest, the accident will be investigated by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in neighboring North Dakota, notes the Journal. (Read more South Dakota stories.) WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is a climate arsonist bent on watching the country burn, his Democratic challenger said Monday as climate change and presidential politics collided on the campaign trail. Joe Biden chose to exploit Trumps contempt for the climate crisis on a day when the U.S. president was en route to California for an update on the deadly blazes ravaging tinder-dry parkland up and down the U.S. west coast. For Biden, the arrival of a category-1 hurricane churning in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida panhandle a queue of other tropical cyclones lining up in the Atlantic Ocean behind it couldnt have come at a better time. Donald Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly, Biden said from his home state of Delaware. If we give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? If we give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if more of America is under water? Trump, who famously tried to blame California wildfires two years ago on the states failure to conduct proper raking and cleaning of its forest floors, doubled down on that remark prior to Mondays briefing. Wildfires are also terrorizing residents of Oregon and Washington state. There are 60 firefighters from Quebec who are currently helping battle the North Complex fire in California, and federal officials in Ottawa say they dont anticipate sending more unless asked. But in an update on the fire Monday, Jake Cagle of the U.S. Forest Service sounded an anxious note. We are getting stretched thin, Cagle said during his daily update. Smoke from the fires is already having an impact on the other side of the Canada-U.S. border, said Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who represents the riding of North Vancouver. The air quality in Vancouver is as bad as any air quality in the world, Wilkinson said as some of his cabinet colleagues gathered in Ottawa for a two-day meeting prior to next weeks throne speech. Its an important lesson for all of us that we need to think forward about the crisis that looms on the horizon. And that is the crisis of climate change. The wildfires and the resulting smoke has at least helped to drive home the importance and the urgency of the climate crisis particularly in Canada, where the variations in seasonal temperatures can make people complacent, said Kyla Tienhaara, a School of Environmental Studies professor at Queens University in Kingston, Ont. In Canada, I think weve often felt sort of sheltered, not only in terms of time, like this is something thats going to happen in the future, but also in terms of our location, Tienhaara said. If youre on the west coast of Canada right now where, for example, my family lives youre experiencing really terrible air quality. A catastrophic wildfire season in Australia just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic claimed at least 34 lives, destroyed nearly 6,000 buildings and razed more than 18 million hectares. In the end, the smoke claimed more lives than the flames did, Tienhaara said. For years, activists have struggled to convince people to make environmental concerns a priority, particularly in times of high unemployment or fiscal uncertainty, which invariably end up pulling public and policy focus. But the sheer scale of the fires, the fear of a coming historic barrage of hurricanes, the flooding that swamped the upper midwest last spring all of it appears to be adding up to a paradigm shift. Californias climate apocalypse, the Los Angeles Times declared Sunday in its banner front-page headline. Fires, heat, air pollution: The calamity is no longer in the future its here, now. Trump nodded politely as Gov. Gavin Newsom, who does not shy away from linking the fires to climate change, spelled out the scale of the disaster for the president on Monday. The hots are getting hotter, dries are getting drier, said Newsom, who acknowledged the state has more to do when it comes to forest management. He also noted more than half of the states forests are federally managed. Somethings happened to the plumbing of the world ... humbly, we submit that the science is in, and the observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this. In an exchange with someone else at the table who blamed climate change, Trump pushed back: It will start getting cooler, he said, eliciting chuckles from elsewhere in the group. Just watch. When the official tried to point to scientific evidence, the president said: I dont think science knows, actually. Biden sought to put the climate emergency on the same tier as the other three crises roiling the U.S. and the world: the pandemic, the ensuing economic collapse and the racial upheaval sparked in May by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump, who also spent part of Monday bestowing honours on a group of National Guard pilots who rescued trapped residents from the wildfires last week, is likely to try to do the opposite, particularly given how much an economic recovery is likely to mean for his re-election chances. The government has sort of taken advantage of the COVID crisis in order to try to push a gas-led recovery, which is catastrophic in environmental terms, Tienhaara said of the Australian aftermath. I hope to God that they dont have anything catastrophic happen again this season, but you know, the timing is important because things do fade from peoples memory very quickly, unfortunately, when they have so much to deal with. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version neglected to make clear Tienhaaras comments about a gas-led recovery were in reference to Australia. Advertisement Coronavirus cases are rising in all but 17 areas of England, official data shows, after the same figures last month showed that the number of infections was falling in most corners of the country. Statistics released by Public Health England (PHE) reveal that 132 out of 149 parts of the country have all seen an increase or no change in infections since the start of September. Sunderland's weekly infection rate the number of cases for every 100,000 people soared seven-fold during the start of the month, from 8.3 to 59.8. Bolton, currently considered England's Covid-19 hotspot, saw its infection rate nearly double over the same time-frame to 122. Other areas in lockdown, such as Bradford, also suffered a spike in cases. The data comes amid fears a second wave is beginning in Britain, with tighter social distancing rules from today banning people from meeting in groups larger than six. Such is the concern about the rising numbers of cases the average number of people testing positive each day has doubled from 1,500 to 3,000 in the past 10 days that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief advisers held a press conference last week to warn that the disease is surging among young people. But the most up-to-date statistics from PHE reveal a handful of authorities, including Bedford, Buckinghamshire and Cambridge, have yet to experience the same spike in cases. The infection rate in Buckinghamshire fell by 10 per cent last week, with the cases per 100,000 dropping from 12.4 to 11.1 in a week, while there was an 83 per cent fall in Rutland, from 15 cases per 100,000 to just 2.5. There is no clear trend among areas with falling infections: boroughs ranging from London to the South West to Norfolk to Manchester all feature. This week's data is less promising than that for the end of August, however, when 76 out of the 149 local areas (51 per cent) had recorded a drop in their infection rates. Covid-19 infection rates declined in only 17 areas of England between September 4 and September 11 (pictured), while cases were on the rise everywhere else in the country, Public Health England data showed People walk past an information board following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Bolton, Britain, September 14 Areas where the infection rate has fallen since the start of September were Bedford, Bexley, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Camden, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Norfolk, Oldham, Plymouth, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Swindon, Trafford and Wandsworth. Covid-19 was on the up in all other areas of England, the data released on Friday night showed. While the rates of infection were rising in all areas, most still only had low levels overall. More than half of places 86 out of 149 have levels of coronavirus lower than 20 cases per 100,000 people, which is the threshold at which the British Government starts to consider international quarantine for visitors returning from other countries. Out of those, 29 have rates lower than 10 per 100,000 a fifth of all areas. Among this week's fallers, the biggest drops in case rates were in Rutland, where it fell by 83 per cent (15.1 to 2.3), 44 per cent in Norfolk (13.2 to 7.3), 44 per cent in Southampton (7.9 to 4.4), 35 per cent in Swindon (20.3 to 13.1) and 24 per cent in Trafford, Manchester (36.8 to 27.9). WHERE ARE CASES RISING THE FASTEST? Area % change, Sep 4 - 11 Infection rate per 100,000 (Sep 11) Infection rate per 100,000 (Sep 4) Sunderland Solihull St. Helens Herefordsh. Dorset Wiltshire Halton Warrington Barnsley Doncaster +620% +475% +381% +371% +357% +353% +279% +274% +268% +258% 59.8 53.5 32.2 9.9 9.6 14.5 26.5 43 26.9 9.3 8.3 9.3 6.7 2.1 2.1 3.2 7 11.5 7.3 2.6 Advertisement WHERE ARE CASES FALLING THE FASTEST? Area % change, Sep 4 - 11 Infection rate per 100,000 (Sep 11) Infection rate per 100,000 (Sep 4) Rutland Norfolk S'thampton Swindon Trafford Bexley Plymouth Bucks. Southend Gloucs. -83% -45% -44% -35% -24% -19% -16% -10% -10% -9% 2.5 7.3 4.4 13.1 27.9 8.5 9.9 11.1 10.4 6 15.1 13.2 7.9 20.3 36.8 10.5 11.8 12.4 11.5 6.6 Advertisement There are now 49 areas on Public Health England's watchlist, according to its weekly report, which rounds up areas where officials are concerned about outbreaks. The list is significantly longer than it has been in previous weeks, with many areas in the north and Midlands populating it, as well as increasing numbers of places in Norfolk in the East of England. 'NO TESTS AVAILABLE' IN COVID-19 HOTSPOTS No walk-in, drive-in or postal coronavirus tests are available for people suffering from symptoms of the disease in England's ten outbreak hotspots, it was claimed today. Swabs are not available in Bolton, which is fighting the largest outbreak of the virus in the country with an infection rate of 168 cases for every 100,000 people. The Government website where testing slots are booked also shows there are no tests available in Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester, according to LBC radio. When postcodes in each area are put into the testing system it allegedly comes up with the message: 'This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later.' It comes as Nicola Sturgeon today accused the UK government of trying to limit the number of slots available for testing in Scottish mobile and regional test centres. Those trying to get tests in the ten UK hotspots are being greeted with this message She said the Health Secretary had made the request after telling her a 'demand issue' had led to a reduction in test availability. LBC's Westminster correspondent Ben Kentish said that when people tried to get tests in any of the ten areas, they were not offered one. 'The government testing website simply says the service is very busy and people should come back in a few hours,' he said. 'We tried to get a test in the top ten areas. In all ten they were unable to get any sort of tests in any of the ten areas.' All the ten areas that currently do not have tests available are listed by Public Health England as the areas of England with the biggest coronavirus outbreaks. Advertisement There were concerns last week that bad situations in a small number of areas are scaring politicians into making sweeping decisions about curbing people's social lives all over the country. Some cities' inability to control infections Leicester has had some level of local lockdown now for more than two months, while cases in Bolton are high and rising at 122 per 100,000 may have caused health chiefs to push for stricter social distancing rules across the entire country. A 'rule of six' was today written into law, allowing police to fine anyone caught socialising in groups of more than six people unless they all live together. A Conservative former minister last week criticised the measures as a 'very broad brush' and said that something 'more concentrated' would have been better. David Jones MP told MailOnline: 'I can understand that the Government has to do something, because there is certainly an uptick. 'But it is not an uptick across the country as a whole. There are some parts of the country such as Devon, Dorset where there is very little virus activity at all. 'So it does seem to be very broad brush... I would have thought something more concentrated would be better.' Mr Jones's comments came as a data analysis showed that some 38million people were being lumped into tighter lockdown rules coming in today, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week urging people to 'limit social contact' in a televised speech reminiscent of the darkest days of Britain's crisis. Local authority data revealed last week that that 65 per cent (210 out of 320) of local councils have a rate of coronavirus cases below 20 per 100,000. And an analysis of postcode data by The Telegraph showed 75 per cent - or 5,157 areas - had a lower rate. Around 7,200 people are estimated to live in each postcode, which when multiplied gives 38 million. The UK's coronavirus outbreak is mostly being driven by cases in hotspots including Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Birmingham and Leicester, with many areas in local lockdown measures or receiving extra Government support. Hundreds of towns and villages all over the country have managed to keep their coronavirus cases low but will still be subject to the draconian new measures. Rural areas in the South West, for example, have escaped the worst of the virus's impact for most of the outbreak but are still being subjected to the tough rules faced by the rest of the country. Christopher Snowdon, the Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute for Economic Affairs, said the Government had 'over-reacted' to a rise in cases by bringing in the draconian measures. 'Figures show that the (coronavirus) problem is still quite highly localised, despite what was said yesterday,' he told MailOnline at the timje. 'I look at the map where you can check outbreaks and, in my neck of the woods, there are huge stretches of land where there are less than two cases. 'It suggests to me that local lockdowns or local restrictions are still the best way forward and the broad brush approach is, at best, premature. 'I think the Government has maybe decided to bring in this "Rule of Six" because it will have a smaller economic impact than closing pubs or schools, but there will be an economic impact. You can't have more than six people in a group in restaurants, for example. 'I know the hospitality industry is very concerned. (They) are still trying to balance the economy and risk to some extent, but they got the balance wrong.' - Karen Davila revealed on Instagram that she and her husband had to rush their son David to a hospital after he suffered a seizure - She wrote in her post that David had a seizure while greeting his parents at the lobby of their condominium - Fortunately, David was able to recover from the seizure and that his memory and mental faculties were not affected - The newscaster also explained that aside from this recent episode, David, who has autism, also had a scary seizure when he was just 7 years old PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Photo from Karen Davila's Instagram account Source: Instagram Karen Davila took to social media to post a terrifying but inspiring story about her 18-year-old son, David. KAMI learned that Karen and her husband had to rush David to a hospital after he suffered a seizure. According to the newscaster, David had a seizure while greeting his parents at the lobby of their condominium. Fortunately, David was able to recover from the seizure and that his memory and mental faculties were not affected. He is still being monitored so that doctors can figure out how to prevent him from having a seizure again. Karen also explained that aside from this recent episode, David, who has autism, also had a scary seizure when he was just 7 years old. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Yesterday afternoon, my husband DJ & I arrived from an overnight trip to Sorsogon. Our son David welcomed us at our condo lobby... when out of the blue, he just started having a full blown seizure! Now, seizures can be common for kids with autism but David has never really had them. He has only had one scary episode when he was 7 yrs old. Thank God for my husband & the first responders of our condo lobby. They were fast thinkers, equipped to assist & knew what to do to make sure he would stay alive. And all I did was shout the name of our Lord Jesus Christ non-stop, asking HIM to heal & save David. And this is why I am sharing this. I thank our Lord Jesus Christ for saving David yesterday. David slowly woke up and we rushed him to the ER. I thank God his memory and faculties are perfect. I thank Dr. Francis Dimalanta, his pedia with autism expertise. Doc Francis recently survived COVID19 & he shared that all he could do during his darkest times was call on Jesus too. David is OK now and undergoing a 24 hour video EEG which helps monitor brain movement. Our goal is to prevent this from happening again, Karen posted on Instagram. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Karen Davila is a journalist, radio broadcaster, newsreader, and television presenter in the Philippines. She is best known for her news programs on ABS-CBN. The newscaster recently went viral for sharing her sentiments on the retrenchment of many employees in the Kapamilya network. The prominent Kapamilya broadcaster even compared the pain she feels to "death by a thousand cuts. She also expressed her heartbreak after Ces Drilon confirmed that she has been let go by ABS-CBN. Karen Davila tweeted that she is heartbroken over what happened and that it was an honor to work with Drilon. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh Yulia Ilchenko hasnt seen her imprisoned husband since March, when Kazakhstan locked down its 82 penitentiaries as part of nationwide measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Her husband is in a prison in the southern city of Taraz at which several inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent months. Ilchenko fears he could also be infected as he shares an overcrowded cell with some two dozen others. The prisoners dont get masks [and] no sanitary cleaning is carried out, Ilchenko says. There are up to 25 inmates sharing one cell. Prison officials have suspended family and other visits since the pandemic began, and only allow occasional phone calls. According to several inmates relatives who spoke to RFE/RLs Kazakh Service, some prisons no longer allow prisoners to exercise or walk outside every day. The measures have effectively left Kazakhstans estimated 30,000 inmates confined to their cells. Partial or full prison lockdowns have become a new reality in many countries in the era of COVID-19. But in Kazakhstan, activists say that many penal institutions didnt meet international standards -- in terms of living conditions and upholding prisoners rights -- even before the pandemic and certainly fall far below acceptable levels now. They add that the lockdown measures further violate the inmates rights and put their physical and mental health at risk. There are ongoing calls by human rights advocates for Kazakhstan to offer a special amnesty to prisoners and detainees because of the high risk of coronavirus infections in prisons. Lawyer Abzal Quspan was among the first to call on President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev to grant an early release to the most vulnerable groups of prisoners -- such as the elderly, women, and teenagers -- as well as those convicted of minor offenses. Also, the detainees who havent yet been found guilty of any crimes could be transferred from pretrial detention facilities to house arrest during the pandemic, he suggested. But the Prosecutor-Generals Office has rejected all of the appeals. Kazakh officials have refused to say how many coronavirus infections have been discovered among the country's prison population. As of September 14, there have been more than 106,000 coronavirus infections officially reported in Kazakhstan and some 1,634 deaths. But several investigative reports by media organizations suggest that both numbers are grossly underreported. Old Cells With No Sunlight, Fresh Air Quspan, who has worked as a defense lawyer for a decade, says most Kazakh prisons dont meet the standards set by international organizations. The cells are old and cramped, he said, and a living space designed for four inmates is often occupied by eight people. He adds that no fresh air or sunlight reaches the cells and inmates often have to eat their meals near the toilets inside their cells in what the lawyer said is a degrading and unhygienic situation for so many prisoners in Kazakhstan. Quspan said previously in April that prisons could become a hotbed for infectious diseases such as the coronavirus. Some families of some inmates say they even send clean bedsheets to their incarcerated relatives because they dont get them in prison. Albina Kishtai, a resident of Taraz, says she sends face masks, sanitizers, medication, and foodstuffs to a family member who is serving a prison term. Confirming an account repeated by many relatives and lawyers, Kishtai said her relative is being held in an overcrowded cell. Kazakh officials insist all measures are in place in prisons and detention facilities to protect the staff and the inmates from the coronavirus. They say doctors routinely check anyone newly admitted to a detention center before they are sent to jails and prisons. Anyone who shows any COVID-19 symptoms is placed under a quarantine, officials say. Those who get sick will be transferred to hospitals. Our facilities have coronavirus test kits. Weve installed sanitizers. Our staff also undergo tests, said Zhandos Murataliev, the head of Almaty city police administration. But some defense lawyers tell a different story about how their clients have got infected in pretrial detention facilities. In the capital, Nur-Sultan, Asel Toqaeva says that one of her clients developed COVID-19 symptoms on June 19, a month after he was detained. It took the authorities four days to allow the detainee to take a test and another 20 days to give him the results. The detainee tested positive for COVID-19 but wasnt taken to a hospital, she says. Instead he was treated in the jail with medication provided by his family. In Almaty, lawyer Aset Berdaly says that one of his clients recently tested positive for COVID-19 while in pretrial custody. The detainee was transferred to an infectious disease hospital but the following day was brought back to jail with medication paid for by his family. They didnt even isolate him in the jail. He was placed back in a common cell, with at least four other detainees, Berdaly says. The lawyer appealed to a court to release his client on bail so he could get proper treatment for COVID-19. But the court rejected his request. Rights Undermined During the pandemic lockdown, detainees arent allowed to meet with their defense lawyers in person. Instead their meetings take place via video links. Lawyers and right advocates fear that under such circumstances authorities can easily record or monitor confidential conversations between lawyers and clients. Activists also criticize the ban on family visits in which there is not any physical contact. Before the pandemic, such visits often occurred with a glass partition between the prisoner and the visitor. Activists say family visits should be reinstated because there is no physical contact between the parties. Some critics say Kazakh authorities have banned the visits because they dont want the outside world to know how inmates are being treated during the pandemic. Kazakh prison officials are not handling the criticism very well. Activist Yelena Semyonova has even been sued by several prison administrations for her public criticism of the conditions, authorities mishandling of the situation during the pandemic, and what she described as the mistreatment of prisoners. It remains unknown when the pandemic-related restrictions will be entirely lifted in Kazakh prisons. Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service September 14 : After a dramatic entrance in Mumbai last week amidst heavy security, Kangana Ranaut left Mumbai for her hometown Manali today with a heavy heart, and reiterated that she still believes that Mumbai has turned into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Taking to her Twitter handle, the Panga actress wrote, With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. Maharashtra: Actor Kangana Ranaut leaves from her residence for Mumbai Airport. pic.twitter.com/lnzPneAshP ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Earlier, when Kangana commented on social media and compared Mumbai to PoK, she entered into a war of words with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, and faced massive controversy. The day the actress arrived in Mumbai on September 9 with her sister and manager Rangoli Chandel, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished a part of her office in Bandra after they slapped a notice on her regarding illegal construction and asked her to produce documents within 24 hours. Kangana shared pictures of the damage done to her Bandra office on social media and claimed that BMC destroyed everything inside the office including furniture and lights. She also alleged that during her stay in Mumbai, she received threats that they will also demolish her house in Mumbai. With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. https://t.co/VXYUNM1UDF Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 During her short stay in Mumbai, Kangana met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday. She also met Karni Sena functionaries as well as Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. Kangana told the media that she informed the governor about the unjust treatment she received. She also hoped that she would receive justice so that the citizens, particularly young girls have faith in the system. The actress also said that the Governor listened to her like his own daughter. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus A.Guryanov meets the Ambassador of Uzbekistan On September 14, 2020 the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Guryanov, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan, Nasirjan Yusupov. During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects for development of bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, as well as Belarus-Uzbekistan cooperation within international organizations. The parties reviewed the schedule of official events for the current year and discussed the implementation of joint projects in the field of industrial cooperation print version Saudi warplanes attack Houthi sites in Yemeni capital: Report Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 7:59 AM Saudi fighter jets have reportedly conducted airstrikes on positions belonging to the Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen's capital city of Sana'a. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel reported that the aerial assaults targeted Houthi barracks and military sites early on Sunday and destroyed four drones at al-Delmi air base north of Sana'a. On Saturday, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported six Saudi air raids on the Military Engineering Department in Sana'a's Shoub district. Saudi warplanes, the report said, also targeted a citizen's farm in Sana'a's Bani Heshaesh district. The strikes come a few days after Yemeni armed forces launched missile and drones strikes against a strategic target in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in retaliation for the regime's deadly bombing campaign and inhumane siege on their country. Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Thursday that a domestically-developed Zofaqar ballistic missile and four Samad-3 drones were used to hit the "important target" in Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition, however, claimed that it had intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and explosive drones launched towards the kingdom. Since early 2015, Riyadh and a coalition of its vassal states have been engaged in a military campaign against Yemen in a futile attempt to reinstall a Saudi-friendly government there. The Western-backed war, which has been accompanied by a crippling blockade of Yemen, has killed tens of thousands of people and afflicted the already-poorest Arabian Peninsula nation with the "world's worst humanitarian crisis," according to the UN. Backed by the armed forces and allied popular groups, the Houthi movement has been defending Yemen against the Saudi-led offensive. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NSW recorded just one locally acquired case of COVID-19 on Monday, but the Premier warned the community not to become complacent. Four new cases were recorded in NSW overnight. Three were in returned overseas travellers and one was a locally acquired case linked to a known cluster. "Positive news": Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello on Monday. Credit:Edwina Pickles NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was "positive news" the state had just one case of community transmission. "Our state is doing very well," she said on Monday morning. This past March was a blur for Arianne Allan, a mother of two who lives in a Brooklyn homeless shelter. She spent the entire month battling the coronavirus in her small shelter unit. It was impossible to maintain distance from her son and daughter, and they both got sick, too. As soon as her family recovered, Ms. Allan set out on a mission that, five months later, is still unfinished: making sure her children could learn. It took weeks for her son and daughter, then in the third and twelfth grade, to receive iPads from the Department of Education. They were weeks behind in schoolwork by the time they were able to start remote learning. After Ms. Allans family was forced to move into a different shelter this summer, there was a new problem. The shelter has no Wi-Fi and barely any cell service, so Ms. Allan has had to dip into the money she makes as a housekeeper to pay for an unreliable wireless hotspot. I dont pass up an opportunity when it comes to education for my children, Ms. Allan said. But with the start of the citys school year just a week away, she still isnt sure that her son will be able to learn remotely on the days he is at the shelter. New York City students will attend school in-person one to three days per week this year, and learn at home the rest of the time. iWorld | OTT Disney+Hotstar taps 13 sponsors for IPL 2020 Disney+Hotstar has bolstered its sponsorship portfolio for IPL 2020 with 13 sponsors. The brands which have onboarded for the largest cricket showbiz span across categories. The start-up unicorn Dream11 is the co-presenting sponsor and Boost is co-powered by sponsor. Read More... MAM | Media And Advertising Shashi Sinha's journey from a shy executive to the CEO-India of IPG Mediabrands Coming from a sales background, Shashi Sinha had to actually take a pay cut to join the flamboyant team of Anil Kapoor at Ulka in the mid-80s, with the likes of Arvind Wable, Ambi Parameswaran, Niteen Bhagwat, and Nagesh Alai. Read More... iWorld | Social Media YouTube starts rolling out YouTube Shorts, a TikTok like platform, in India After TikTok was banned in India, the short format video app category has seen a rapid explosion of small and big players attempting to fill the void. While the first wave of these players were the homegrown apps, the second wave is seeing interest from the tech giants. YouTube is rolling out a new short-form video creator called YouTube Shorts in India. Read More... MAM | Media And Advertising The Script Room wins creative mandate for Vedantu The Script Room, a fast-growing writers' hub wins the creative mandate for the upcoming campaign of Vedantu, a popular online education brand. Having successfully created over forty ad films in their first year of operations, across brands like Netflix, OYO, Chumbak, Beck's Ice and Groww, The Script Room now gears up for an impactful campaign for Vedantu, an EduTech brand. Read More... The Bureau aimed to obtain reliable evidence on possible illegal action by Ukrainian officials in favor of another state. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's ex-chief of staff Andriy Bohdan during his questioning on September 14 provided no confirmation or evidence of possible wrongdoings on part of Ukrainian officials in favor of "another state." In a commentary, SBI said summoning Bohdan for questioning came after the latter claimed in an interview relased earlier about possible wrongful contacts of Ukrainian officials with the Russian government. The Bureau aimed to obtain reliable evidence on possible illegal action by Ukrainian officials in favor of another state. "During the official questioning, the witness said he had no such information, no confirmation, and no evidence, and that he learned about possible wrongdoings by Ukrainian officials from open sources and media," the SBI said. Bohdan's questioning: background This file photo taken on May 27, 2019 shows a photographer taking pictures in front of the logo for British chip designer ARM in Taipei. Japan's SoftBank Group said on September 14, 2020 it is selling British chip designer Arm to US chip company NVIDIA for up to 40 billion USD, potentially creating a new giant in the industry.(photo: Sam YEH / AFP) If approved, the deal will be one of the largest acquisitions anywhere in the world this year, and will propel NVIDIA to the forefront of the semiconductor sector. The announcement also renewed speculation about SoftBank Group's future, with Bloomberg News reporting it is set to revive talks about going private via a management buyout plan. The Arm sale is valued at up to $40 billion and is subject to approval by authorities in several jurisdictions, including Britain, China, the United States and European Union, SoftBank Group said. It hopes the deal will be completed by around March 2022, it added in a statement. SoftBank Group shares soared in early morning trade in Tokyo, rising by almost 10 percent before settling slightly, up 7.78 percent to 6,316.0 yen around 30 minutes into the day. Founded in 1990 in the United Kingdom, Arm specialises in microprocessors, and dominates the global smartphone market. But its chips are also found in countless sensors, smart devices and cloud services. NVIDIA, well known for graphics cards that are favoured in the video game industry, has seen sales skyrocket during the coronavirus crisis, with gaming a popular past-time in lockdown. Its products are also increasingly used for artificial intelligence and in data centres. SoftBank bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion in a deal that left investors cold and saw the conglomerate's stock plunge sharply. Analysts at the time said SoftBank had paid too much for the firm and the purchase revived concerns about the Japanese company's balance sheet. - SoftBank speculation - NVIDIA said in a statement that under the deal it will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in common stock and $12 billion in case, $2 billion of which will be payable at signing. SoftBank may receive up to another $5 billion in cash or stock, dependent on Arm's performance. And NVIDIA will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees, for a deal worth a total of up to $40 billion. SoftBank said it felt Arm would perform better in combination with NVIDIA and the sale would "contribute to an increase in our company's value for shareholders". It said the deal would give it a combined total of 6.7-8.1 percent in NVIDIA's outstanding shares, but insisted that would not make the US firm a subsidiary or affiliate. "Our belief in the power of Arm's technology and its potential remains unchanged, and we, as a strategic major shareholder in NVIDIA, will be committed to Arm's long-term success," SoftBank added. NVIDIA said the acquisition would help "create the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence". It said Arm would retain its name and remain in Cambridge in the UK, where a new global centre for excellence in AI will be set up. The sale, which comes as SoftBank engages in a massive push to boost its cash reserves, renewed speculation about the firm's future plans. Bloomberg News, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, said senior SoftBank executives planned to revisit a management buyout, which had previously met with internal opposition. The report said the discussions were at an early stage and might not result in the firm going private, but reflected pressure from those who feel SoftBank would be subject to less scrutiny if it were not publicly listed. SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son has made no secret of his frustration with varied criticism of his investment strategy, from his dogged commitment to floundering start-up WeWork to recent derivative trading that spooked investors. A major tragedy was averted after a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was defused by a joint Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) of Army and Jammu and Kashmir police near Baramullah-Srinagar national highway on Monday (September 14). The BDS was called to the spot after a road opening party of Army found a suspicious bag at Kuta Morh Pattan in apple orchards adjacent to BaramullahSsrinagar national highway. Talking to Zee Media, a top police official said, Suspicious explosive probably IED was found in orchard near Kuta mode Pattan. Army BD squad and Police BD squad are analysing the suspicious material which could be IED." Later, the joint BDS team of Army and police destroyed the IED after analysing it. On September 10 too, an IED was detected and defused by security forces on North Kashmir highway. The IED was planted near a passenger shed in Chatloora Watergam area of Rafiabad in Baramullah district of Jammu and Kashmir. The IED was detected by a road opening party of security forces. On September 7, a joint team of police and Army had found some explosive and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in a sand bag under a bridge on Sopore-Kupwara road near Arampora in Jammu and Kashmir. By Trend The Ana Veten (Motherland) Union of Azerbaijani women of Europe has expressed a protest against the participation of Anna Hakobyan, wife of the Armenian prime minister, in illegal military exercises in the occupied Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the dissemination of photographs in which she aims from a machine gun at the Azerbaijani trenches, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora, told Trend on Sept. 14. The issue that Armenia has been holding the Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts under occupation for 30 years and the fact that international organizations and the leading countries recognize this, was stressed in the statement addressed to the international community and signed by the Chairperson of the Union, Maisa Agamirzoyeva. Yerevan ignores the demands of the world community to withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories as well as stop provocations on the line of contact and the state border with Azerbaijan, which is trying to resolve the conflict [Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] peacefully, the statement said. During the July clashes, the whole world witnessed Armenia's aggression. Following the statement, to conceal the fact that the provocation in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district was initiated by the government headed by her husband, disguised as peacefulness, Hakobyan appealed to Azerbaijani mothers. The recent photos of Hakobyan, who in 2018, declaring herself to be the defender of peace in the region, invited Azerbaijani women to join the campaign "Women for Peace", her call to the Armenian women to defend the occupied territory of the neighboring country with arms in her hand testifies Armenia's hypocritical foreign policy, the statement said. If women in Armenia are already preparing for war, what is the point of this country's peace-loving statements?! The Union said that despite the recent calm on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the contact line, worrisome moments persist and the messages on social networks and world media only increase this concern. While demanding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, the Union stated that Armenia must stop the attacks on civilians in Azerbaijan and immediately withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories under the decisions of the UN Security Council and OSCE. 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. SPRINGFIELD Amy Elik of Fosterburg joined state Rep. Patrick Windhorst in a virtual press conference Monday afternoon on ethics reform and House Speaker Michael Madigan. Elik is the Republican candidate challenging state Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, on Nov. 3. Elik said Bristow is comprimised because of past campaign contributions from Madigan. The residents of the Riverbend deserve a representative who will stand up against corruption and corrupt leaders, Elik said. She (Monica) will never fight for our families against Chicago politicians. Elik, Windhorst and David Friess of Red Bud, the Republican candidate for the Illinois House 116th District, also signed a No Madigan Pledge. Windhorst said Madigan has been the Speaker of the House for all but two years since 1983. That is too much power, for too long, for one person to have, he said. Windhorst also stressed the importance of ethics reform proposed last year by House Republicans. A committee was formed of House members from both parties, but the group has not met since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Windhorst said the lack of urgency by House Democrats was frustrating. There is no shortage of work to be done, he said. We must make ethics reform a reality, and that reality starts with ending Mike Madigans reign as House Speaker. The third man arrested in connection with an April murder testified last week in the first day of testimony that will decide whether the case will proceed to trial. Robert Ray Jamison, 20, of Chicago, took the stand in the preliminary exam for himself, Miykael Norfleat and Justin Collins in the shooting death of Raven Tre-Von Edelen in a Campus Habitat apartment on Edgewood Drive on Mt. Pleasants south side. Jamison was arrested in connection with the death of Edelen, a 21-year-old from Wyoming (Mich.) man, just before 6 p.m. on April 20. He was not believed to have taken an active role in the shooting, but instead drove the two other men to and from the apartment in question. Both Michael Nichols, Jamisons attorney, and Isabella County Prosecutor Dave Barberi confirmed that Jamison took the stand. Jamison faces the same charges as Norfleat, a 20-year-old Chicago man, and Collins, a 22-year-old Mt. Pleasant man: open murder, first-degree home invasion and felony firearm. Norfleat, accused of firing the gun that killed Edelen, was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Thursdays first day of the preliminary exam featured testimony from the prosecutions five witnesses, Barberi said. That included Jamison. The second day of the exam is currently scheduled for Oct. 6. On that day, Barberi said they expect to call a witness who is an expert in ballistics and detectives Chuck Morrison and Dave Subuda of the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. Norfleat is accused of having burst into the apartment in which Edelen was playing video games in the early evening. He yelled a curse at them and fired shots from a 9mm pistol. Two other men in the apartment told police they fled through a window while Edelen struggled with Norfleat, when Edelen was shot. One of the other two men told police he saw Collins standing outside the apartment. Edelen was already dead by the time officers from the Mt. Pleasant Police Department arrived. Jamison is believed to have driven Norfleat and Collins to the apartment from Deerfield Village Apartments shortly before the shooting and then returned there. When police searched the apartment later, they discovered a gun with serial numbers removed that was later determined to be stolen from Hamtramck. READ MORE: New Delhi: Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla has denied sending resignation to the party high command over the differences on the ticket distribution for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. There were reports that Sampla had offered to quit the post accusing the party leadership of not paying heed to his suggestions in the ticket distribution for the upcoming assembly elections Sampla met senior BJP leaders in Delhi on Tuesday in this regard. Sources said that Sampla met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi but his resignation was not accepted. However, Sampla later denied that he had any plans to quit and he had gone to meet senior leaders in connection with some important work. Sampla, who is a cabinet minister in the SAD-BJP government, is reportedly unhappy over partys decision to field Som Prakash from Fagwara constituency. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-13 23:55:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli exports fell 11 percent in the first eight months of 2020, according to a report issued on Sunday by the state's Central Bureau of Statistics. It showed Israeli exports have totaled 31.5 billion U.S. dollars since the beginning of 2020, compared with 35.4 billion dollars in January-August 2019. In addition, exports of the Israeli hi-tech industry have fallen by 5.45 percent this year, totaling 10.4 billion dollars, lower than 11 billion dollars a year ago . Also, Israeli pharmaceutical exports shrank by 47.8 percent year on year from 2.3 billion dollars in the first eight months of 2019. According to the report, Israeli imports also decreased, from 51.2 billion in January-August 2019 to 44.8 billion dollars this year, down by 12.5 percent. As a result, Israel's trade deficit decreased by 15.8 percent from 15.8 billion dollars to 13.3 billion dollars. Enditem September 13, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Bob Woodward writes that Trumps Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, and Trumps Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, spoke together about taking collective action to remove President Trump from office. General Mattis said Trump is dangerous. Hes unfit. This is the same thing that the Generals and the CIA said about President John F. Kennedy. When Generals and the CIA say that a president is unfit and dangerous, they mean he is dangerous to their budget. By unfit they mean he is not a reliable cold warrior who will keep hyping Americas enemies so that money keeps pouring into the military/security budget. By serving defense contractors instead of their country, generals end up very wealthy. Both Kennedy and Trump wanted to normalize relations with Russia and to bring home US troops involved in make-war operations overseas that boost the profits of defense contractors. To stop Kennedy they assassinated him. To stop Trump they concocted Russiagate, Impeachgate, and a variety of wild and unsubstantiated accusations. The presstitutes repeat the various accusations as if they are absolute proven truth. The presstitutes never investigated a single one of the false accusations. These efforts to remove Trump did not succeed. Having pulled off numerous color revolutions in which the US has overthrown foreign governments, the tactics are now being employed against Trump. The November presidential election will not be an election. It will be a color revolution. See, here and here. We have reached the point in the demise of our country that a simple statement of obvious truth is not believable. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter As a number of carefully researched and documented books, some written by insiders, have proved conclusively, the CIA has controlled the prestige American media since 1950. The American media does not provide news. It provides the Deep States explanations of events. This ensures that real news does not interfere with the agenda. The German journalst, Udo Ulfkotte, wrote a book, Bought Journalism, in which he showed that the CIA also controls the European press. To be clear, there are two CIA organizations. One is an agency that monitors world events and endeavors to provide more or less accurate information to policymakers. The other is a covert operations agency. This agency assassinates people, including an American president, and overthrows uncooperative governments. President Truman publicly stated after he was out of office that he made a serious mistake in permitting the covert operations branch of the CIA. He said that it was an unaccountable government in inself. President Eisehnower agreed and in his last address to the American people warned of the growing unaccountable power of the military/security complex. President Kennedy realized the threat and said he was going to break the CIA into a thousand pieces, but they killed him first. It would be easy for the CIA to kill Trump, but the lone assassin has been used too many times to be believable. It is easier to overthrow Trumps reelection with false accusations as the CIA controls the American and European media and has many Internet sites pretending to be dissident, a claim that fools insouciant Americans. Indeed, it is the leftwing that the CIA owns. The rightwing goes along because they think it is patriotic to support the military/security complex. After the CIA overthrows Trump, they will use Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and their presstitutes to foment race war. Then the CIA will ride in on the Pale Horse, and the population will submit. The scenario is unfolding as I write. Very few will believe it until it happens. Even then the CIAs ability to control explanations will keep the population in hand. In America today, liars have more credibility than truth tellers. Reinhard Butikofer, co-chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, says that the European Union must take a firm stance in today's summit with Xi Jinping. For him, Europe cannot allow Beijing leaders to bully any of our member states or our partners. China's peaceful rise has turned hegemonic. China has breached the Sino-Vatican agreement. Brussels (AsiaNews) "I expect European leaders to talk truth about the PRC's (Peoples Republic of China) aggression, said Reinhard Butikofer, co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, speaking to AsiaNews about todays meeting between European Union leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Foreign Minister Wang's comments on the Czech President's visit to Taiwan is a case in point. Europe cannot allow Beijing leaders to bully any of our member states or our partners, he explained. The meeting via videoconference aims primarily to smooth out the differences that hinder the conclusion of a major investment deal between the EU and China before the end of the year. For Butikofer, co-spokesperson for the European Green Party, the policies of the Chinese Communist Party systematically ignore China's international obligations, undermining trust. This comes with a price. He laments that What used to be promoted as China's peaceful rise has now turned into arrogant policies with hegemonic ambitions. Butikofer notes that China is currently involved in disputes with India, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. The German Member of the European Parliament is also worried about Chinas domestic repression against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, Tibetans, ethnic Mongolians, human rights lawyers and Hong Kong residents. The latter are deprived of rights and autonomy once guaranteed them. Hence, there are many reasons to be concerned and the EU should have to raise these issues with the Chinese president. Lastly, Butikofer notes that Beijing has also violated an agreement with the Vatican over the appointment of Chinese bishops. "I would hope that the Vatican finds adequate language to deal with this transgression." China has received caution that they should be pressurized over the United States' authority over the South China Sea. The country claims it has a significant right of ownership to nearly the whole South China Sea. The risk of World War III has increased. Missle Threat from the US The tension in the matter is growing after the breakdown of a missile weapons agreement. United States President Donald Trump cautioned that the US should contravene China's increasing missile inventory. On the 2nd of August last year, America officially backed out from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This ignited alarm that a new arms race could occur, reported Express. China's Secret Weapon South China Sea pressure has prompted China to deploy a "secret weapon" as antagonism with the US in the location ensues, reported another article from Express. It has honed a remarkable military presence in the South China Sea as China contentiously tries to sustain power in the region. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned the US for regional strain. China to Work with ASEAN Members According to Chinese analysts on Sunday, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe made a visit to Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines to solidify relations. Between September 7 and 11, Wei visited the four ASEAN member countries in order to meet with their leaders. These include Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and Bruneian Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. China to Use Global Crisis to Aid Territorial Authority According to a top strategic analyst, China could utilize the current crises crippling the world's powers and increase its power over the South China Sea in the next months with the probability of WWIII with the US. Also Read: China Shows Off COVID-19 Vaccines for the First Time, Expected to Hit the Market by Year-End Peter Jennings, an Australian Strategic Studies Institute executive director, cautioned last April that China's intentions to acquire territorial sovereignty over the maritime territory could set forth an appalling international conflict. US Touted as Most Dangerous Regional Threat According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as a retaliation against US allegations over China's actions regarding the South China Sea, Washington was the most powerful driver of militarization and the most harmful factor in damaging peace in the region. Wang addressed a meeting of East Asian foreign ministers through video link, blaming the US of prompting frictions between China and countries bordering on the South China Sea. He also accused the US of undercutting China's efforts to negotiate contentions with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad Steps Down Amid Tension With Beijing According to a source, Terry Branstad is slated to step down as the United States Ambassador to China following over three years in Beijing. He is expected to leave Beijing prior to the US Presidential election in November. Moss: China Should Be Fearful of the US Being Involved DWF's Head of Transport, Jonathan Moss, stated that "I think it would be US influence so if the US decides to debate, negotiate and adopt the mantel for the countries," reported another article from Express. He underscored regarding the probability of WWIII between China and the US, "If they become the parole for those particular countries I think that will be more of an issue for China because at the moment we have got this discussion and debate between the two leaders about trade deals." Related Article: Germany Tells China to Stop Threatening Europe @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The 66-year-old government critic who inspired the Hollywood film about 1994 genocide was arrested abroad last month. Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwandas 1994 genocide, has faced 12 charges including terrorism in a case shining a spotlight on opposition to President Paul Kagame. Brought to a Kigali court handcuffed in a van inscribed RIB for Rwanda Investigation Bureau, Rusesabagina wore an anti-coronavirus mask and sat pensively during the hearing on Monday. He did not immediately offer a plea but one of his government-appointed lawyers, David Rugaza, said Rusesabagina was on trial for exercising his freedom of speech. Rusesabagina, who once called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video, was accused of terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming or joining an armed group, among other charges. The 66-year-old former hotel manager was portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda using his connections with the Hutu elite to protect more than 1,000 Tutsis fleeing the genocide. After the genocide, Rusesabagina acquired Belgian citizenship and became a resident of the United States, turning into a strong critic of Kagame whom he accused of stifling the opposition. He got a Belgian citizenship in 1999 and therefore there is another key issue here where one might say that Rwanda is trying a foreign citizen on freedom of expression that he enjoyed while abroad, Rugaza told the one-judge hearing. Rusesabagina is the recipient of several international honours, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President George W Bush awarded him in 2005. However, some in Rwanda, including Kagame, have accused Rusesabagina of exaggerating his heroism, which he denies. Kagame has ruled Rwanda since the end of the genocide and won the last elections in 2017 with nearly 99 percent of the vote. He has enjoyed widespread credit for restoring Rwanda to stability after the genocide and boosting economic growth. But international rights groups and political opponents say his rule is increasingly tainted by repression. It is still unclear how Rusesabagina came to be in Rwanda, although Kagame hinted in an interview earlier this month that he may have been tricked into boarding a private jet. Rwandan police have said Rusesabagina was arrested on an international warrant. His family dispute that and say he was kidnapped from Dubai. Human Rights Watch last week said Rusesabagina was a victim of enforced disappearance. In a statement on Wednesday, Amnesty International called on Rwandan authorities to guarantee his right to a fair trial. The lack of transparency around the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina and reports that he has been denied access to the lawyer hired by his family are red flags that cannot be ignored as the authorities prepare for his trial, said Deprose Muchena, Amnestys director for East and Southern Africa. Kagame has said Rusesabaginas trial will be held openly and conducted fairly. We are obligated to do this, he said in the televised interview. We want to do things in a right way. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 04:04:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link. They reached consensus on advancing ties, safeguarding multilateralism, and jointly addressing global challenges. SOUND, STABLE CHINA-EU TIES URGED "The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the once-in-a-century transformations unfolding in the world and placed humanity at a new crossroads," said Xi. It is important that China and the EU remain steadfast in pursuit of sound and steady growth of their comprehensive strategic partnership and adhere to four principles, namely peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism, and dialogue and consultation, said Xi. This year marks the 45th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties. Despite the pandemic of COVID-19, which is still raging globally, communication between China and the EU does not stop. The frequency and intensity of bilateral high-level exchanges speak to the strong commitment of China and the EU to promoting the partnership. "Under current circumstances, closer high-level communication between the two sides on this relationship and issues of mutual interest can help strengthen political mutual trust, promote practical cooperation and advance China-EU relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Sept. 10. Observers held that though the world is undergoing huge changes, mutual benefits, complementarities, as well as dialogue and cooperation remain fundamental features in China-EU ties. Moreover, China and the EU have carried out effective anti-epidemic cooperation, which will inject impetus for them to promote ties in the future. "We hail the frankness and pragmatic spirit in which this meeting took place. We believe that by bringing the commitment of cooperation into substantial dialogues, both Europe and China can benefit, share and learn a lot from each other," said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international digital association in Brussels. CONSENSUS ON COOPERATION During the meeting, the Chinese and EU leaders stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year. The Chinese and EU leaders announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications. The leaders also decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships. "If China and the EU could finish the negotiations by the end of this year, it will be of special significance. It will send a positive message of China and the EU working together during the trying times, and give a strong boost to the business confidence on both sides. It will also contribute to the post-COVID-19 global economy recovery and to the concerted efforts to safeguard an open trade and investment environment," said Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, at a briefing on the meeting on Sept. 11. "They enjoy cooperation space as the two sides look forward to exploring opportunities in each other's market," said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noting that mutual benefit is the essence of China-EU cooperation. For China and the EU, cooperation is far greater than competition, while consensus far exceeds differences, said Chen. In August this year, the China-Europe freight trains have maintained strong growth. The trips made and the volume of goods delivered were 1,247 and 110,000 TEUs respectively, up by 62 percent and 66 percent year on year. The growth once again indicates that economic globalization is an irreversible trend of the times as countries are economically interdependent with unprecedented integration of interests. JOINTLY SAFEGUARDING MULTILATERALISM In the meeting, Xi said under the current circumstances, it is only more imperative for China and the EU, as two major forces, markets and civilizations, to inject more positive energy into COVID-19 response efforts, economic recovery and championing justice in the world. Xi stressed China is ready to work with the EU to step up dialogue and coordination at bilateral, regional and global levels, stay committed to a global governance outlook featuring consultation, contribution and shared benefit, defend the international order and system with the United Nations at the core, promote the political settlements of international and regional hot-spot issues. For their parts, Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen said it is imperative for Europe and China to strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism, resist unilateralism and protectionism, and respond more effectively to various global challenges. The European side is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in international organizations, promote anti-pandemic international cooperation, maintain free trade, and promote the economic recovery in Europe, China as well as the world at an early date, said the European leaders. "The slowdown caused by the pandemic also holds a lot of potential that must now be tapped together," Robby Schlund, member of the German Bundestag, told Xinhua that it is particularly important to stress that people should support good relations in the sense of economic multilateralism for mutual benefits. Enditem GENEVA - The Swiss federal prosecutors office said Monday it is taking over an investigation into the weekend stabbing death of a 29-year-old Portuguese man in a town near Lausanne, adding that a possible terrorist motive cannot be ruled out. Further details have come to light for investigators and the suspect has been linked to a criminal case led by the prosecutors office, it said in a statement. The suspect, who was not identified, is known to the Swiss federal intelligence service. The prosecutors office did not comment further. On Saturday, police in the Vaud canton, or region, said the Portuguese man had been mortally wounded by a knife in the town of Morges, calling the incident a homicide. It said the suspect had not been taken into custody. Three-week lockdown starting Friday afternoon will last through the entire Jewish holiday season. Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown, starting Friday, to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus after a second-wave surge in new cases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced the lockdown ahead of the Jewish holiday season, which starts with the Jewish New Year on September 18 and ends with the Tabernacles holiday on October 9. Our goal is to stop the increase, to reduce the contagion, he said. Last week, the daily rate of new COVID-19 cases crossed 4,000 for the first time since the pandemic reached the country in February, prompting the second lockdown. During the lockdown, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their homes but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. The public sector will operate with fewer staff, but non-governmental offices and businesses will not have to close, as long as they do not accept customers. Indoor gatherings would be limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 20, meaning prayers at synagogues would be severely impacted. It remains to be seen what impact this lockdown will have on protests against Netanyahu that have entered their 13th week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in political trouble at home [Yoav Dudkevitch/AFP] Israels finance ministry said the lockdown will cost the economy, which has slipped into a recession in the wake of the pandemic, an estimated 6.5bn shekels ($1.88bn). Netanyahu, who has faced increasing criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, said the finance minister has been asked to come up with a new economic package to assist businesses hit by the lockdown. On Sunday, Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman of the ultra-orthodox United Torah Judaism party resigned in protest of the lockdowns timing, which he said was an affront to Israels Jews. Israel had declared an even tighter lockdown in March when the virus first arrived, after which daily cases dropped to low double digits among a population of nine million. Since the outbreak began, the country has reported more than 156,000 cases and 1,119 deaths. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Reserve Bank of Australia will on Monday release the minutes from its September 1 monetary policy meeting, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. At the meeting, the RBA held the country's benchmark lending rate steady at the record low 0.25 percent but increased the size of the Term Funding Facility. Under the expanded Term Funding Facility, authorized deposit-taking institutions will have access to additional funding, equivalent to 2 percent of their outstanding credit, at a fixed rate of 25 basis points for three years. Australia also will see Q2 numbers for house prices; in the three months prior, house prices were up 1.6 percent on quarter and 7.4 percent on year. China will release August figures for industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment and unemployment. Industrial production is tipped to rise 5.1 percent on year, up from 4.8 percent in July. Retail sales are expected to add an annual 0.1 percent after slipping 1.1 percent in the previous month. FAI is expected to sink 0.4 percent on year after losing 1.6 percent a month earlier. The jobless rate in July was 5.7 percent. Indonesia will provide Q2 numbers for business confidence and August trade data. In the first quarter, the business confidence index had a score of 102.90. In July, imports were down 32.55 percent on year and exports dropped 9.9 percent for a trade surplus of $3.26 billion. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has held a phone call with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto and invited him to make a joint visit to Zakarpattia region, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service has reported. "Dmytro Kuleba invited his Hungarian counterpart to visit Zakarpattia region on September 23 to discuss further steps to implement the agreements already reached on the development of cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres, and to take part in joint events," the report reads. Kuleba said that restrictions on the entry of foreigners that were introduced in Ukraine and Hungary due to the spread of coronavirus impose certain restrictions on all citizens, regardless of their status. "Against this background, our meeting is a clear signal that both countries are determined to find mutually acceptable solutions without delay," he said. The ministers agreed that the socio-economic success of Zakarpattia region could be a shared success story in relations between Ukraine and Hungary and a sign that friendly relations between the two countries are important for the entire Central European region. Ukraine's government banned the entry of foreigners until September 28 in order to prevent the spread of the second wave of coronavirus in Ukraine. op A robber has been captured stealing a woman's phone as she walked along a street with a young girl in Leeds. CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment the man sneaked up behind the woman, 15, before grabbing her in Harehills on September 5 around 2.45pm, according to reports. The attacker, who wore a pair of red jogging bottoms and a black hoodie, managed to snatch her mobile phone before running away. CCTV footage showed a man sneak up behind the woman, 15, before grabbing her in Harehills on September 5 around 2.45pm, according to reports The victim dropped a bag of shopping as she ran after the man, leaving the young girl waiting at the corner of the street. It was reported online that members of the public later managed to identify and trace the suspect. His landlord was informed of the incident and the alleged thief was subsequently evicted from his home along with his family, reports claimed. This has not been confirmed. A 15-year-old, from Harehills, appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court on September 7 charged with robbery. A Delta plane passes a Delta bus on the tarmac at LAX airport in Los Angeles. Reuters A passenger was kicked off of a Delta Airlines flight on Saturday because she did not want to wear a face mask, according to local reports. The passenger's refusal caused the flight that was leaving from Detroit Metro Airport to Los Angeles to return to the gate causing a 30-minute delay, according to the Detroit Free Press. As of late August, Delta had banned at least 240 customers so far who have refused to wear a face covering and follow airline guidelines. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Delta Airlines flight had to return to its gate after a woman refused to wear a face mask, the Detroit Free Press reported. The plane was about to take off from Detroit Metro Airport to Los Angeles on Saturday when the flight turned around because the woman refused to put a face covering on, causing a 30-minute delay, according to the outlet. "The customer was removed from the plane and the flight departed without incident," a Delta spokesperson told Deadline Detroit. "Delta requires masks on every flight for the safety of our customers and crew." Both outlets reported that the incident gained traction after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's chief of staff, Alexis Wiley, tweeted that mother was on the plane. Wiley thanked Delta Airlines in the tweet posted Saturday night for enforcing the face mask policy. Delta did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. The woman who was removed from the flight has not been publicly identified. According to Delta's policy, face coverings are required for travelers and employees in the airport and onboard during the entire flight, except during meals. Business Insider reported in late August that the airline has banned at least 240 travelers who refused to comply with the strict face mask policies. In an August memo to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline was maintaining a "no-fly list" of customers who did not adhere to the company's coronavirus preventive measures. "Although rare, we continue to put passengers who refuse to follow the required face-covering rules on our no-fly list," Bastian wrote in the memo. "I want to thank everyone for your continued vigilance of our policy requiring masks be worn by our people and our customers." Read the original article on Insider Single mom Shashona Holmon couldnt stop smiling as she dropped off her daughter Brooklynn at the Merced Heights Playground on Monday morning. For the first time in six months, Brooklynn Holmon, 9 and 800 other San Francisco students got dressed, pulled on a backpack and left home to learn. They didnt go to school. Instead they headed to their first day at a learning hub, a safe space for families struggling without child care since schools shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus. The hub means Holmon, who lives in public housing, can go back to work. At the citys 45 learning hubs at parks, libraries and recreation centers across the city, kids had access Monday to Wi-Fi, academic support, three meals, play time with friends and something close to normalcy from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. An additional 55 hubs are scheduled to open in the coming weeks, eventually serving up to 3,000 students, with capacity depending on evolving health guidelines. The impact of school closures on many students and families has been devastating, resulting in significant learning loss and financial desperation given the lack of child care options, officials said. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle The free program, for kindergarten through sixth-grade students, was a lifeline when she needed it most, said Holmon. Its been really, really hard, she said. In the spring, she used up her vacation and sick leave from her home health aide job to be at home with her daughter. When those days were used up, Brooklynn lived in Vallejo with her uncle during the week so Holmon could work. When school started again, Holmon was out of child care options and quit her job. I had to, she said. A few days later she heard about the hubs, submitted an application to get Brooklynn a spot and started sending out her resume for work. On Monday morning, Brooklynn was sitting at her desk working on a lesson about metaphors when her mom learned she got the job she wanted at a youth services agency. Its a big, big relief, Holmon said, watching her daughter, who had used birthday cash to buy new sneakers and a colorful sweatshirt to wear on her first day at the hub, money her mom later put back into her daughters piggy bank. The kids are tired of being home, online. More for you Coronavirus live updates: Bay Area sees plunge in COVID-19 deaths The 800 kids at hubs on Monday were just a fraction of the 53,000 students enrolled in San Franciscos public schools, who are all still learning remotely. Nearly 70 private and charter schools in the city have applied to public health officials to reopen in the coming weeks, but its unlikely the citys public schools will bring their students back to classrooms anytime soon, possibly not for months. In the meantime, the city has budgeted $64 million to pay for the hubs, with another $10 million in expected donations to cover food, technology and other supplies, enough to cover the entire school year if necessary. Officials hope thats not necessary. Our greatest wish is that the school district puts us out of business, said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the citys Recreation & Parks Department. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle The city-funded hubs will primarily serve children with the greatest needs, including those living in public housing, English learners, homeless students and foster children, among others, officials said. The logistics required to open hubs across the city were mind-boggling, said Maria Su, executive director of the citys Department of Children, Youth and Their Families. Nonprofit agencies are running many of the hubs, with funding and protective equipment and supplies provided by the city. The students are assigned to groups of up to 14 children, with no interaction with other groups. If staff members or students test positive for the coronavirus, the site will follow Department of Public Health protocols, Su said. Staff members will get tested before a site opens and then at least every two months. With most schools closed for the foreseeable future, families desperately needed another option, said Mayor London Breed. We knew it would take a village to get our young people the support and education they need, and city departments and our community partners have stepped up and worked together to turn our vision for the Community Hubs into reality, she said in a statement. On Monday morning, several city officials gathered at the Merced Heights hub, their wide smiles mostly hidden behind masks. 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. Ginsburg left the official huddle to run around with a couple of students, demonstrating how to get a roundabout platform to spin before taking a turn down the slide. Play is serious business, Ginsburg said as he stopped to rest, adding play requires creativity, risk and teamwork. Kids also need imagination right now, a way to escape in a pretty cruddy world. Inside the makeshift classroom next to the playground, students wearing masks and headphones sat at tables, with small desk-size cardboard dividers separating them from others. Most stared at a computer screen as their teachers offered instruction. Isaiah Howard, 9, worked on a lesson about rounding large numbers. School was school, but the fourth-grader was thrilled to be at the hub. Its great, he said. because I finally have a reason to get out of the house. The organization, Youth 1st, which typically provides after-school and summer programs, is running the Merced Heights hub. Weve been waiting for this day, said Renard Monroe, director of the program. A lot of our kids have fallen behind. We need to catch them up and provide stability for them. But more than that, perhaps, every child needed to be a kid again and play. Just before 11 a.m., Shermar Noriega left his computer on as he sprinted outside to the playground for his 10-minute school break, jumping on big rocks and playing chase with a friend before slipping down a spiral tube slide. The 10-year-old emerged at the bottom, laughing and breathing hard. It feels good, he said. I havent done this in six months. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals building in San Francisco. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) A federal appeals court decided 2 to 1 Monday that the Trump administration may deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants who previously received temporary protected status for humanitarian reasons. The ruling by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an injunction protecting immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan from being deported pending litigation. The Trump administration ended their protections, saying their home countries were now safe for them. The decision affects 300,000 non-citizens and 200,000 of their children who are U.S. citizens. Many of the immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades. Judge Consuelo M. Callahan, writing for the majority, said federal law does not permit the judiciary to second-guess decisions by the secretary of Homeland Security on which countries' citizens receive protected status. "To the extent the TPS statute places constraints on the Secretarys discretion, it does so in favor of limiting unwarranted designations or extensions of TPS," wrote Callahan, an appointee of President George W. Bush. She was joined by Judge Ryan D. Nelson, an appointee of President Trump. Judge Morgan Christen, an appointee of President Obama, dissented. She said the Trump administration had changed policy and practice without public review. She described the administration's action as "an abrupt and unexplained change." She noted that the lawsuit challenging the deportation notices said they were motivated by racial and ethnic bias. Trump reportedly called Haiti and El Salvador "shithole countries" and characterized immigrants from Mexico and Central America as criminals and snakes. "We cannot sweep aside the words that were actually used, and it would be worse for us to deny their meaning," wrote Christen. "Some of the statements expressly referred to people, not to places. The Presidents statements require no deciphering." Story continues An unnamed Department of Justice representative said Monday the DOJ was pleased with the appeals court ruling. "For approximately two years, the district courts injunction prevented the Department of Homeland Security from taking action that Congress has vested solely within the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security action that is statutorily precluded from judicial review," said the spokesman, who agreed to provide a statement on background. "We applaud the Ninth Circuits recognition of the plain language of the Immigration and Nationality Act and its rejection of the baseless accusations of animus behind the actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security." A statement by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, which represented the immigrants and their children, said the ruling would not immediately end temporary protected status. Such holders from these countries will be permitted to maintain their status until at least February, and those from El Salvador until at least November. The challengers said they would appeal the ruling to a larger panel of the 9th Circuit. Sudan first received protected status in 1997 because of civil war. Since then, Sudan's status was extended or redesignated 15 times by prior administrations. The reasons included forced relocation, human rights abuses, famine and denial of access to humanitarian agencies. Nicaragua gained protected status in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch struck. Earlier administrations extended the protection 13 times, citing droughts, flooding and other natural disasters. El Salvador received the status in 2001 after three earthquakes displaced 17% of the population. Previous administrations extended protections 11 times because of a tropical storm and a volcano eruption. Haiti, designated for protection in 2010 after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, received extensions five times for natural disasters and a cholera outbreak. The Trump administration revoked the protections in 2017 and 2018. The immigrants and their children sued, and a San Francisco-based federal judge in 2018 blocked Trump's action. Challengers hope an 11-judge panel will overturn Monday's decision. If the circuit judges vote to reconsider the case, it would be heard by randomly selected judges and the Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas, a Clinton appointee. The decision could then be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit has long been considered a bastion of liberal voices. But Trump has now appointed more than one-third of the circuit's judges, and decisions have become more conservative. Paul Andre Mondesir, lead organizer for the National TPS Alliance, said more than 130,000 members of the families challenging Trump were essential workers who have been going to their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We will exhaust every legal recourse at our disposal to protect our community and our loved ones," he said. "We will take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary and continue to demand that Congress act now to pass a permanent residency." Ahilan Arulanantham, senior counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California, said Trump's "vile statements" about the people in the countries affected by Monday's decision "made perfectly clear that his administration acted out of racial animus." "The Constitution does not permit policy to be driven by racism," he said. JERSEY CITY, N.J., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (NYSE: CLI) announced today that it will be participating in the virtual 2020 Bank of America Global Real Estate Conference from September 15, 2020 to September 17, 2020. Management hosting meetings with the investment community include MaryAnne Gilmartin, Interim Chief Executive Officer, David Smetana, Chief Financial Officer, Marshall Tycher, Chairman of Roseland Residential and Nick Hilton, Executive Vice President of Leasing. An updated investor presentation will be posted to the Mack-Cali website after the market closes on September 14, 2020 at http://investors.mack-cali.com. The Company is also providing an operational update as of August 31, 2020 on its office and residential portfolios, as follows. Office portfolio collections were 97.5% and residential collections were 99.6%. About Mack-Cali Realty Corporation One of the country's leading real estate investment trusts (REITs), Mack-Cali Realty Corporation is an owner, manager and developer of premier office and multifamily properties in select waterfront and transit-oriented markets throughout New Jersey. Mack-Cali is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, and is the visionary behind the city's flourishing waterfront, where the company is leading development, improvement and place-making initiatives for Harborside, a master-planned destination comprised of class A office, luxury apartments, diverse retail and restaurants, and public spaces. A fully integrated and self-managed company, Mack-Cali has provided world-class management, leasing, and development services throughout New Jersey and the surrounding region for two decades. By regularly investing in its properties and innovative lifestyle amenity packages, Mack-Cali creates environments that empower tenants and residents to reimagine the way they work and live. For more information on Mack-Cali Realty Corporation and its properties, visit www.mack-cali.com. Forward Looking Statements Statements made in this communication may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "plan," "potential," "projected," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "target," "continue," or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are advised to consider the factors listed above together with the additional factors under the heading "Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are incorporated herein by reference. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. Contacts: David Smetana Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Chief Financial Officer (732) 590-1035 [email protected] Deidre Crockett Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Chief Administrative Officer (732) 590-1025 [email protected] SOURCE Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Related Links www.mack-cali.com For the better part of the last four months and more, strategic experts, China watchers around the world, military institutions and others have been wracking their brains about the course of events in Ladakh. With close to 80,000 troops concentrated in balance on both sides of the LAC, the chances of a decisive military engagement appears close to zero. The winter is six-eight weeks away and fresh positions at the LAC have recently been occupied by both sides. At the same time, two sets of high-level political engagements have taken place in Moscow during the SCO meetings. Nothing negative has emerged from these but there have been no breakthroughs either, placing the onus of further talks at the military level for a possible step forward; that is at best a decision to wait and watch. The external affairs ministers meeting resulted in a broad understanding that transactionally reiterates the past protocols. The question then arises as to where all this is heading because none of it inspires any hope for disengagement on the ground. China has had issues through 2020 with many nations, including the US, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan, but nowhere has it come down to a near military showdown. Why it decided to move militarily against India and then did not fully pursue that line is a question begging an answer. Strategic clarity is missing. There could yet be military exchanges in the period leading up to winter; for Xi Jinping, this is an awkward period, especially with the fifth plenary of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in October 2020. Equally, October is likely to see the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which has suddenly emerged as a very important platform for India and China. If the Russians want to add value to the SCOs Moscow summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi would be urged to attend. A raging turbulence at the LAC is hardly the environment the Russians would like at such a juncture and the Chinese too may not wish to perturb them. Thus, a tenuous peace could exist but shorn of all trust. With an unlikely reduction of forces and a stiff winter ahead, the military resources of both sides are likely to stay put. Chinas PLA could still afford to partially draw down, retaining the ability to rapidly reinduct. On our side, that luxury is difficult due to terrain constraints in winter. The feasibility of an odd skirmish exists if China wishes to make a statement before winter. Contingent upon when the heavy snow comes, and that could be as late as December, an effort to put India on warning by attempting eviction of one or more of the fresh Chushul occupations by the Indian Army remains a possibility, but the chances of it succeeding appear extremely remote. China is likely to stay put with an optimum number of troops and seek to build up from a new and indeterminate situation in April-May 2021. All the more reason why we need to know what its intent is. The initial postulation was that it was to set a new narrative for Chinese domination for the post-Covid world order, against nations considered to be emerging as immediate competitors. The use of wolf warrior diplomacy to cow down these nations was alluded to. If we go by that understanding, a conflict situation should have been expected. The PLA came with insufficient troop strength to inflict a defeat or it came with unrealistic contempt and realised the Indian military and political confidence a little too late. Alternatively, China perhaps completely misread Indias ability to defend its interests and raise the stakes by a near mobilisation to all the potential pressure points along the northern border, that too with a Covid-affected economy looming in the backdrop. What perhaps started as a short-term coercive action by China to set the stage for the nebulous post-Covid situation has now turned into a millstone. It therefore needs to be converted into and pursued more with a long-term perspective. Chinas ill-conceived strategy has actually resulted in enhanced Indian strategic confidence, especially after the recent turn of events in Chushul. That strategic confidence must be seen as a continuum from the events of 5 August 2019 when India abrogated the special constitutional provisions for J&K and published new maps of its territories, which included Gilgit-Baltistan, PoK and Aksai Chin. It had perturbed Pakistan no end and many of the Indian actions related to this had effectively limited Pakistans options. Chinas initial coercive action in May-June 2020 was visualised by some as collusion with Pakistan to dilute the emerging Indian strategic confidence. With none of that achieved, its a long call that China is now awaiting the world of 2021 after the US Presidential election and potentially the beginning of a post-Covid-19 world. How must India prepare itself for such an eventuality? While military resources for the moment appear reasonable, fast-track acquisitions for the prioritised domains of air defence, artillery, anti-tank missiles, surveillance equipment, protective gear and more must continue irrespective of the economic conditions. India is paying the price for past tardiness and cannot ignore the transformational needs of the Armed Forces. The Ladakh deployment is near permanent now; that means more formations are required because reserves have been sucked in here. At least two additional divisions as reserves for the Army HQ and Northern Command are an imperative. The Navy and the Air Force have their share of needs. The Indian Navys more proactive involvement in the Indian Ocean appears a given if we have to be seen as an effective player of the Quad and the maritime domain. On the diplomatic front, Indias squaring up to China has given a boost to its image. It must use this image positively with the right strategic messaging to Beijing of the futility of its intent. India has the will and potential to look at its future position in the world order delinked from China. This needs to be clearly projected through its military actions and diplomatic dealings. As a start, it must ensure there is no stepping back from the Kailash Range positions in Chushul, something now set in stone. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) Former Commander, Srinagar-based 15 Corps. Now Chancellor, Central University of Kashmir (atahasnain@gmail.com) Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The composite slate roofing market 2020 is prognosticated to attain a healthy valuation in terms of revenue. In a composite slate roofing, at least two surface made from different materials is combined. Durability of the product is likely to drive the growth of the market in the near future. In an observation offered by Market Research Future (MRFR), the global composite slate roofing market is projected to register 2.90% CAGR over the prognosis period 2017 to 2023. The valuation of the market is projected to reach USD 3438.1 Mn by the close of the assessment period. Key players are innovating their product portfolio to sustain the curve. Composite slate roofing is being manufactured that contains fire retardant and UV inhibitors. These products offer extra protection which is anticipated to drive the growth rate of the composite slate roofing market in the foreseeable future. Urbanization has further pushed the demand for the product in recent years. This trend is assumed to continue in the upcoming years. Furthermore, industrialization in developing regions is also anticipated to generate demand for the product and augment the composite slate roofing market. Increasing population suggests a steady growth trajectory for the market. However, the availability of high-performance and low maintenance alternatives is projected to restrict expansion of the composite slate roofing market in the nearing years. ALSO READ: https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/20/03/ab15587902/composite-slate-roof-tiles-market-2020-global-industry-analysis-by-size-trends-share-growth-compe Market Segmentation On the basis of type, the composite slate roofing market has been segmented into tiles, shingles, and shakes. Among these, the shingles segment accounted for 67.42% share of the market in 2016. Also, it is expected to strike the highest growth rate of 4.23% over the forecast period. On the basis of application, the composite slate roofing market has been segmented into residential and non-residential. Among these, residential segment is projected to dominate the growth of the market. It is anticipated to lead the expansion due to rising population coupled with rapid urbanization. Developing nations are anticipated to exhibit more growth potential n the foreseeable future. Regional Analysis The geographical evaluation of the global composite slate roofing market is covered to present a detailed analysis. The regional segments covered in this report are as follows North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and the Rest of the World (RoW). All these segments are then analyzed on the basis of countries. Asia Pacific is the largest segment based on region. Rising population of the region has been observed to lead a demand growth in the construction industry. It is expected to drive the growth of the composite slate roofing market in the upcoming years. Industrialization is also poised to uncover new growth potential over the next few years. This regional segment was valued at USD 1136.6 Mn in 2016 and is projected to register 4.82% CAGR. Europe is also projected to attain a decent value reflecting a CAGR of 4.02% over the prognosis period. Competitive Dashboard DaVinci Roofscapes, LLC (U.S.), CertainTeed Corporation (U.S.), Ply Gem Roofing (U.S.), Enviroshake Quality Engineered Roofing (Canada), Moderne Slate Roofing Systems (U.S.), EcoStar LLC. (U.S.), Baker Roofing Company (U.S.), Inspire Roofing Products (U.S.), Colorado Roofing Contractors, LLC (U.S.), and Brava Roof Tile (U.S.) are the key participants of the composite slate roofing market. These players are innovating product lines to align themselves with ongoing industry trends. It is assumed to intensify competition among the participants of the market. Some of the growth strategies that can be witnessed in the market place are collaborations, agreements, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, and alliances, among others. The composite slate roofing market is characterized by the presence of international and regional players. These players are trying to expand their footholds and the market is also anticipated to observe the entry of new participants. FOR MORE DETAILS https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/composite-slate-roofing-market-4506 Oracle Corp. edged out rival Microsoft Corp. in negotiations over the weekend for the U.S. operations of TikTok, moving closer toward a deal for the Chinese-owned music-video app that could thwart a threat by U.S. by President Donald Trump to shut it down. A deal between TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. and Oracle will look more like a corporate restructuring than the outright sale Microsoft had proposed, though it is likely to include a stake in a newly configured American business, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who asked not to be identified because the information isnt public. The terms being discussed with Oracle are still evolving, one person familiar with the talks said. One of the options being explored is that Oracle could take a stake in a newly formed U.S. business while serving as TikToks U.S. technology partner and housing the video apps data in Oracles cloud servers. Early offers from both parties valued the U.S. business at about $25 billion, but that was before Chinese officials weighed in with new rules imposing limits on technology exports, said people with knowledge of the matter. In a statement Monday morning, Oracle confirmed it is part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend. Oracle shares gained 6.5 per cent at 10:29 a.m. in New York Monday. The sale of TikTok forced by a Trump administration ban on grounds of national security is one of the issues at the heart of the fraying Washington-Beijing relationship. Any deal still requires sign-offs from both sides. Early on in the discussions, Trump had voiced support for a bid from Oracle, calling it a great company and co-founder Larry Ellison a great guy. Ellison is also one of the few Silicon Valley moguls to openly support Trump. Microsoft, which was working with Walmart Inc., had been seen as the likely winner but talks cooled in recent days, one person said. Microsoft wasnt asked to make revisions to its initial offer in the face of recent signs of opposition to a deal from Chinese government officials, the person added. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed on Monday that the administration received a proposal from TikTok that includes Oracle as the apps trusted technology partner. He said hell be reviewing the proposal this week and making a recommendation to Trump, reiterating that a deadline to make a deal remains Sept. 20. We need to make sure that the code is, one, secure, Americans data is secure, phones are secure, and well be looking to have discussions with Oracle over the next few days with our technical team, Mnuchin told CNBC, adding that he had a lot of confidence in both Microsoft and Oracle. The Oracle proposal contains a commitment to make TikTok global a U.S. Headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs, Mnuchin said. Couching the deal as a corporate overhaul could help win approval in Beijing. It could allay fears about TikToks cache of sensitive U.S. data while addressing Chinese concerns over the export of key artificial-intelligence technology, said Yik Chan Chin, who researches global media and communications policy at the Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. If you say this is a hostile takeover, that may not be nice for both parties, she said. But if you frame it as like a restructuring or spinoff, thats more acceptable to the two governments. Chinas government on Monday declined to comment on the prospect of a ByteDance-Oracle tie-up. China has talked about its position on TikTok many times. The U.S. is now encircling TikTok. This is a typical coerced transaction by the government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing in Beijing. The progress in the talks with Oracle ignited celebrations among TikToks mostly young devotees. TikTok sold, you guys, that means were not going anywhere, declared @ElianaGhen, who has 2.4 million followers, in a video touting the Oracle deal. Best birthday gift ever, TikTok is here to stay! said @mrsscott_teaches, who has 22,000 followers. The app, which lets people record and edit short video clips ranging from lighthearted lip-synchs to more serious political statements, gained popularity during the global pandemic thats kept many people cooped up indoors. TikToks loyal following of more than 100 million in the U.S. helps explain the strong interest among early suitors, from Microsoft to private equity giants such as Sequoia and General Atlantic. Walmart remains interested in making a TikTok investment alongside a consortium of investors led by Oracle. A spokesperson for the retailer said Sunday it continues discussions with ByteDance leadership and other interested parties. We know that any approved deal must satisfy all regulatory and national security concerns. Talk of a corporate restructuring harks back to ByteDances original intentions earlier in the summer to sell a partial stake in TikToks operations, or restructure the company with a global headquarters and board of directors outside of China. Those aspirations were complicated by Trumps threats to ban the app and subsequent executive orders, which prohibit U.S. people and businesses from doing business with TikTok. If the Chinese company is able to get a deal through the White House that doesnt involve an outright, forced sale, it would be a major feat for ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, who has been reluctant to hand over such a prized asset. Yet critics were still questioning how a technology partnership with Oracle, rather than an outright sale, would assuage the White Houses national security concerns. A deal where Oracle takes over hosting without source code and significant operational changes would not address any of the legitimate concerns about TikTok, and the White House accepting such a deal would demonstrate that this exercise was pure grift, Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook, said in a post on Twitter. Beijings stance is another big question mark. Shortly after bids from Microsoft and Oracle were submitted, the Chinese government announced its right to be closely involved in approval of any deal as well as its opposition to exporting key algorithms, such as a recommendation engine that underpins TikTok. ByteDance appeared eager for a more limited sort of agreement than Microsoft wanted, where it would retain more control, one of the people familiar with the negotiations said. Some U.S. officials would prefer shutting down TikToks U.S. operations if a sale doesnt meet their demands for putting the business and related data into American hands. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks U.S. operations to Microsoft, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said in a statement on Sunday. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. Microsoft representatives declined to comment beyond the statement. Representatives for TikTok declined to comment. The White House also didnt respond to a request for comment. Microsoft was the early front-runner for the acquisition, having started talks with ByteDance weeks before Trumps executive orders and believing it had the preliminary framework of a deal the U.S. government could back. Then Oracle, a company with a closer relationship to the U.S. president, emerged as a bidder with the backing of Sequoia Capital, a key ByteDance shareholder. For the corporate software giant, TikTok is a less obvious fit, but may make sense in light of the companys desire to build up its cloud-computing and consumer-data businesses. Oracle creates profiles of ordinary people and sells them to companies looking to reach specific audiences. TikTok currently stores massive amounts of data and is a large customer of cloud services run by Amazon Web Services and Alphabet Inc.s Google. Oracle has nurtured a relationship with Trump since before his administration began. In 2016, chief executive officer Safra Catz served on the presidents transition team, and two years later, dined with him at the White House, where she complained about a government contract she deemed unfair, Bloomberg reported. Vice President Mike Pence visited Oracles headquarters in Redwood City, California. Catz has contributed more than $125,000 (U.S.) this year to support Trumps re-election, according to Federal Election Commission data. And Ellison let Trump use one of his California estates to hold a fundraiser in February. In recent weeks, the U.S. president had publicly endorsed the Oracle bid and called Ellison a tremendous guy. Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro, who earlier came out against a potential sale to Microsoft and had at one time advocated banning TikTok completely, echoed that endorsement during an August appearance on Fox News. If you look at Microsoft versus Oracle, the one thing that separates the two companies with respect to national security is that Microsoft has a large footprint in China, Navarro said. Oracle on the other hand has a strong reputation of really putting a great firewall between its operations and China and thats an important thing. Read more about: Image for illustration (Photo: VNA) The airlines representative said on September 11 that flights aim to meet demand of Vietnamese passengers travelling to Japan for study and work. Accordingly, flights will depart from Hanoi for Tokyo at 11:45pm on September 18, 25, 30 and leave Ho Chi Minh City at 0am on September 30, using Boeing 787 - the largest wide-body and most modern aircraft of the carrier. The airline is building a plan to resume flights to the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan (China), Laos and Cambodia in the near future. Earlier from June, Vietnam Airlines conducted several one-way flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul in the RoK and Frankfurt in Germany. Many of its aircraft were also upgraded to carry cargo instead of passengers to help it through the pandemic crisis. Further information could be found on the website www.vietnamairlines.com, Vietnam Airlines mobile app and Facebook page www.facebook.com/VietnamAirlines, its ticket agents nationwide or customer care hotline 1900 1100./. Madhya Pradesh will celebrate an Anna Utsav (food grains festival) on September 16, the eve of PM Narendra Modis birthday, during which 37 lakh new below poverty line (BPL) beneficiaries will be covered under the governments scheme to provide food grains to them on highly subsidised rates, as per a decision taken by state government on Sunday evening. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will get rice, wheat and salt at Re 1 per kg. Every beneficiary will get 5 kg of food grains per month, according to the food and civil supplies department. Earlier, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had informed PM Modi that he intended to hold the programme on the eve of his birthday. The state government made the announcement to organise the festival after a meeting held on Sunday evening to review the preparations for mass distribution of eligibility slips (patrata parchi) to the 37 lakh new BPL beneficiaries to give subsidised ration to them. In the Utsav, 37 lakh people covered under the Food Security Act will be provided eligibility slips to provide ration under Annapurna Yojna. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also directed authorities to cover auto rickshaw drivers too under the scheme, said an official communique. Rural Development and Panchayatraj Department and Urban Development department in coordination with Food and Civil Supplies department will organise the programme. According to the release, the CM will also hold discussions with the beneficiaries as part of the statewide programme to be organised in Bhopal on September 16. Ministers, MPs and MLAs of the state will start the ration distribution simultaneously in programmes organised in each district of the state. Along with this, the Anna Utsav will also be celebrated in all gram panchayats and wards of urban areas, as per the official information. At present there are more than 1.16 crore below poverty line (BPL) and Antyodaya cards holders in the state covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA), as per the state governments data. Earlier, the government had decided to cover the beneficiaries under the scheme on September 1 but it was deferred. An Uzbekistani tourist has died after falling off the edge of a 50-feet waterfall in southern Thailand while taking a selfie, officials have said. Soipov Abdullokh, 22, had been hiking through Ngao Waterfall National Park in Ranong province with six friends on Saturday morning when the accident took place, according to the Chiang Rai Times. The backpacker, who was stuck in Thailand due to the coronavirus pandemic, allegedly ignored warning signs not to stand at the top of waterfalls as he tried to take a photo in the national park. He slipped on the wet rocks and plunged some 50 feet to his death. Paramedics arrived at the scene about two hours later to find his body on the jagged rocks below the waterfall, with a deep wound to his head. The 22-year-old was declared dead at the scene and his body was transported to the Ranong Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Chalit Sinrojthanakorn, head government officer for the national park, said Mr Abdullokh had ignored warnings not approach the edge of the waterfall due to its slippery surface. He said: As soon as we received the call we immediately co-ordinated with the rescue foundation and the police. The young foreign tourist and his friends rented motorbikes and travelled from Phuket to view the beautiful scenery. The deceased walked off the path set out by authorities to climb the waterfall. He then slipped on a rock and fell. His body crashed against the rocks below and he was bleeding through the mouth and nose. The death was very quick. The Samuel Adams and Auntie Anne's limited-edition Oktoberfest At Home Kit offers drinkers everything they need to get into the spirit and prost from home. The kit is packed with all the Oktoberfest party essentials, including curated Oktoberfest-inspired recipes, DIY pretzel ingredients, classic Samuel Adams OctoberFest beer, and themed apparel, perfect for a virtual get-together or socially distanced gathering with friends. Starting today, drinkers 21+ can visit givethembeer.com/products/oktoberfest-at-home to start their own Oktoberfest celebrations for $89, plus shipping, while supplies last. 2 "From brewing the most authentic, traditional marzen to celebrating at festivals across the world, and at our own brewery and taprooms, Oktoberfest has always been a special time of year for Samuel Adams," said Lesya Lysyj, Chief Marketing Officer, Boston Beer Company. "Pretzels and beer are at the core of any Oktoberfest celebration, so who better to help us redeem 2020's celebrations from home than Auntie Anne's? We've joined forces to offer drinkers a one-stop solution to celebrate this year's Oktoberfest from home, with the help of two brands they know and love." "We can all agree that there is no better pairing than pretzels and beer, especially during Oktoberfest," said Marcel Nahm, Auntie Anne's Vice President of Marketing. "And since this historic celebration was cancelled in Germany and so many Oktoberfest celebrations are being held virtually in the states, we knew we needed to step in and offer a fun way for snackers and drinkers to still create an authentic experience at home. It was the perfect fit to team up with Samuel Adams to create these Oktoberfest At Home Kits. We hope fans love them as much as we do!" The Oktoberfest At Home Kit comes to life as the ultimate prost package for you and your lederhosen-laden guests in five simple steps: Unbox the kit essentials. We've conveniently included all the gear and decorations you need to outfit your space and up your Oktoberfest game from home or virtually. We've conveniently included all the gear and decorations you need to outfit your space and up your Oktoberfest game from home or virtually. Plan your menu. Our chefs and brewers have curated Oktoberfest-inspired recipes using Samuel Adams OctoberFest beer and the Auntie Anne's DIY Pretzel Kit, like beer pretzels, a beer cheese dip, and a pretzel-wrapped brat. Our chefs and brewers have curated Oktoberfest-inspired recipes using Samuel Adams OctoberFest beer and the Auntie Anne's DIY Pretzel Kit, like beer pretzels, a beer cheese dip, and a pretzel-wrapped brat. Set the mood. Stream our "Prost from Home" playlist for authentic tunes. Stream our "Prost from Home" playlist for authentic tunes. Host a friendly competition. Stein hoisting is a traditional Bavarian endurance contest held at Oktoberfest. Watch this how-to video to learn the basics. Stein hoisting is a traditional Bavarian endurance contest held at Oktoberfest. Watch this how-to video to learn the basics. Share your experience on social! Show us how you celebrated with #ProstFromHome @auntieannespretzels @samueladamsbeer If you can't get your hands on a limited-edition kit, Samuel Adams has you covered. Just grab an OctoberFest and head to SamAdams.games to kick off this year's festivities with a virtual stein-hoisting competition, complete with bragging rights and pretzel prizes. To explore all of Sam Adams' fall beer style offerings near you, including OctoberFest and Jack-O, visit samueladams.com/find-a-sam. The Return of Samuel Adams OctoberFest Samuel Adams OctoberFest is a highly acclaimed seasonal favorite that is synonymous with fall and has captured the Oktoberfest tradition for 31 years. In 1810, Oktoberfest was born when Munich celebrated the Crown Prince Ludwig's wedding with a special beer and 16-day party. Today, the traditional marzen stylenamed for the spring month that the beer is brewed insignals the change to cooler and crisper weather, featuring four different malts aged over the summer months to create a rich, smooth, almost creamy beer and russet amber color that is the centerpiece of celebrations all fall long. OctoberFest's blended hearty malts are balanced with just enough bite from the hops for pairing with any Oktoberfest plate, from bratwursts to pretzels. OctoberFest is available nationwide in 6-pack, 12-pack, 24-pack, and 28-pack 12-oz. bottles and in the Sweater Weather Variety Pack alongside new limited release, Jack-O Pumpkin Ale. Introducing Samuel Adams Jack-O Pumpkin Ale Samuel Adams is warming up to sweater weather early this year with the introduction of Jack-O, a brand-new limited-release pumpkin ale. Jack-O prominently features bright cinnamon and nutmeg aromas, recalling memories of freshly baked pumpkin pie with subtle notes of citrus, creating an ideal balance of seasonal spices topped off with a crisp, refreshing finish. Jack-O is available nationwide in 6-pack and 12-pack 12-oz. bottles and in the Sweater Weather Variety Pack. About Samuel Adams Samuel Adams is a leading independent, American craft brewer that helped to launch the craft beer revolution. The brewery began in 1984 when Founder and Brewer Jim Koch used a generations-old family recipe to brew beer in his kitchen. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life with hopes drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavor and started sampling the beer in Boston. He named the flagship brew Samuel Adams Boston Lager in recognition of one of our nation's founding fathers, a revolutionary man of independent and pioneering spirit. Today, Samuel Adams is one of the world's most awarded breweries and remains focused on crafting the highest quality beers through innovation and experimentation in the relentless pursuit of better. Samuel Adams remains dedicated to elevating and growing the American craft beer industry overall, including providing education and support for entrepreneurs and fellow brewers through its philanthropic program, Brewing the American Dream, which helps others pursue their American Dream. For more information, visit www.SamuelAdams.com. About Auntie Anne's With locations in 49 states and more than 25 countries, Auntie Anne's mixes, twists, and bakes pretzels to golden brown perfection all day long in full view of guests. Auntie Anne's stores can be found in malls and outlet centers, as well as in non-traditional spaces including universities, airports, Walmarts, travel plazas, military bases, and food trucks. Fans can now also order their favorite pretzel snacks for delivery, pickup, and catering in the Pretzel Perks app. For more information, visit AuntieAnnes.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Samuel Adams, Sam Adams, and Samuel Adams Boston Lager are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company. 1 IRI Total US MULO + C; L13WE 10/27/2019 2 Not available in AL, AK, KY, HI, MS, and UT. Other terms and conditions apply. SOURCE Samuel Adams That the 10-day Venice festival took place at all was something of a miracle, given that northern Italy in late February became ground zero for Europe's coronavirus outbreak. The Cannes Film Festival was canceled and other big international festivals in Toronto and New York opted to go mostly online. Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for best director for "Wife of a Spy," while the Silver Lion grand jury prize went to Mexico's Michel Franco for his dystopian drama "Nuevo Orden." The Russian film "Dear Comrades!" about a 1960s-era massacre in the former Soviet Union, won a special jury prize while Chaitanya Tamhane won best screenplay for "The Disciple," about an Indian man's pursuit to be a classical vocalist. Britain's Vanessa Kirby won best lead actress for "Pieces of a Woman," a harrowing drama about the emotional fallout on a couple after their baby dies during a home birth. Italy's Pierfrancesco Fabino won best lead actor for "Padrenostro," ("Our Father"), an Italian coming-of-age story that takes place after a terrorist attack in the 1970s. A favorite going into the awards season, "Nomadland" is screening at all the major fall film festivals in a pandemic-forged alliance involving the Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride festivals. Zhao and McDormand appeared by video from the United States to accept the award, given virus-related travel restrictions made reaching the Lido in the Italian lagoon city difficult if not impossible for many Hollywood filmmakers and actors. "Thank you so much for letting us come to your festival in this weird, weird world and way!" McDormand told the masked audience as the Italian marketing team for the film actually accepted the award. "But we're really glad you let us come! And we'll see you down the road!" Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland," a recession-era road trip drama starring Frances McDormand, won the Golden Lion for best film Saturday at a slimmed-down Venice Film Festival, which was held against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. But after Italy managed to tame its infections with a strict 10-week lockdown, Venice decided to go ahead, albeit under safety protocols that would have previously been unthinkable for a festival that has prided itself on spectacular visuals and glamorous clientele. Face masks were required indoors and out. Reservations for all were required in advance, with theater capacity set at less than half. The public was barred from the red carpet, and paparazzi, who would normally chase after stars in rented boats, were given socially distanced positions on land. While it's too soon to say if the measures worked, there were no immediate reports of infections among festivalgoers, and compliance with mask mandates and social distancing appeared to be high. "We were a little bit worried at the beginning, of course," said festival director Alberto Barbera. "We knew that we had a very strict plan of safety measures and we were pretty sure about that, but you never know." Hong Kong director Ann Hui almost didn't make it after she couldn't get on her flight because of virus border restrictions. In the end, she arrived to collect her Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award and to see her out-of-competition film "Love After Love" make its world premiere. Movie lovers applauded Venice's effort and the symbolic significance of the world's oldest film festival charting the path forward. "It's a moment of rebirth for everyone, for the whole world," said Emma Dante, the Italian director of the in-competition film "The Macaluso Sisters. This festival is really an important moment of encounter, of beginning to dream again and be together again, even with the norms and following all the safety protocols." Film writer Emma Jones said aside from "a few teething problems" with the online reservation system, the festival went off better than she expected. "It feels safe in there, it feels socially distanced," she said of the venues. Jones noted that the lineup of films lacked the usual Hollywood blockbusters -- think "La La Land," and "The Shape of Water" -- that have used Venice as a springboard to Oscar fame. While the festival featured films from Iran, India, Australia and beyond, it was heavily European. "This is a COVID festival. There's no use pretending anything else," Jones said. But she added: "It would feel really off-note, I think, to have had a red carpet with screaming fans and celebrities walking down it and people talking about who wore what. 2020 is not the year for those kind of discussions." Instead, she said, Venice focused on the integrity of the films and the diversity of the countries represented. "We were lucky to receive a lot of submissions from all over the world, and apart from a few missing titles from the Hollywood major film studios, most of the countries are represented in Venice and the quality of the lineup is really very high," said festival director Barbera. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 02:50:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday lambasted an American press report about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the U.S. ambassador to South Africa in revenge for the killing of the top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, official news agency IRNA reported. "We advise U.S. officials to refrain from resorting to repetitive and rotten methods to create an anti-Iranian atmosphere on the international stage," the ministry's spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by IRNA as saying. On Sunday, the American website Politico published a report claiming that intelligence reports from two U.S. government officials showed "the Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa." Iran, Khatibzadeh said, is a responsible member of the international community and has demonstrated its continued adherence to international diplomatic principles and customs, while the "current regime in the White House" has perpetrated countless actions outside internationally accepted standards. The Iranian spokesman cited as examples "the (U.S.) design and execution of dozens of assassination plans and military and intelligence interventions," its withdrawal of "numerous" international agreements and violation of the territorial integrity of countries. The United States, Khatibzadeh noted, has become an "rebellious regime" in the international arena. The "baseless" and "purposeful" allegations in the press report are "part of the Trump administration's counter-intelligence campaign against Iran ... in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election" in November, he said. Enditem MANILA (AP): The Philippine defense chief has told his Chinese counterpart that Manila will adhere without any possibility of compromise to a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated most of Beijing's rival claims in the South China Sea, according to a Philippine statement about the meeting. But the statement was later withdrawn and the contentious comment removed. Chinese Gen. Wei Fenghe is in Manila for talks with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and President Rodrigo Duterte. His visit follows a series of protests by the Philippines over China's increasingly aggressive actions in the busy waterway. The territorial disputes between the countries remain unresolved, although their ties have improved greatly under Duterte, who has sought investment, infrastructure funding and military assistance from China. After the defense chiefs met, the Philippine defense department issued an initial statement saying Lorenzana had reaffirmed Philippine adherence without any possibility of compromise to the arbitration ruling that invalidated China's territorial claims in the sea on historical grounds. China refused to participate in the arbitration by a U.N.-backed tribunal, and then dismissed its ruling as a sham and continues to defy it. The statement las Friday said the Philippine military will continue to conduct routine, legitimate maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea and challenge any activities that infringe on Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, using the Philippine name for the portion of the South China Sea closest to it. While we may not agree on some issues, as good friends and neighbours we remain firm in finding ways to improve our relations, it quoted Lorenzana as telling Wei. The defense department, however, later recalled the statement without any explanation and replaced it with a version that removed Lorenzana's assertive remarks. The new statement said the defense chiefs discussed how to avoid misunderstanding and to resolve differences amicably in the South China Sea. Wei met later with Duterte, but officials did not immediately release details of their talks. After taking office in 2016, Duterte took steps to improve relations with China that had been severely strained under his predecessor due to the territorial conflicts. Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims to the waterway, one of the world's busiest. Indonesia has also had confrontations with Chinese fishing fleets in coastal waters facing the South China Sea. Although the United States lays no claims to the disputed waters, it has challenged China's sweeping territorial claims by deploying warships and fighter jets for what it calls freedom of navigation and overflight patrols. In July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Washington regards virtually all of China's maritime claims in the area outside of its internationally recognised waters to be illegitimate. Although the U.S. officially remains neutral in the disputes, the Trump administration in effect sided with China's rival claimants. China accused the U.S. of sowing discord in the region, and last month reportedly test-fired two missiles in the South China Sea during live-fire exercises. Donnette Beckett "Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter Together Decatur columnist and food and drink reporter for Lee Enterprises Central Illinois. Follow Donnette Beckett 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 DECATUR Since he was 2, Isaiah Bradford has had an interest in trains and railroads. I was either watching videos or going down to watch trains with my grandpa, he said. Its always been my enjoyment. At 14 years old, his hobby is starting to get serious. With a camera in hand, Isaiah can often be found behind the Wabash Depot Antique Centre watching the trains go by. The Eisenhower High School freshmen began taking photos only eight months ago. I started this little photography journey of mine, Isaiah said. Ever since then Ive been snapping pictures of trains. Although the job of a photographer is to get close to the subject, Isaiah takes the necessary precautions. He must remain no closer than 25 feet from the tracks. You want to respect the engineers, he said. Trains are a favorite subject of the teens, but his talent has expanded in such a short time. Isaiah has taken portrait photos of families and individuals. I did my first wedding a few weeks ago, he said. And Ive been doing photography for the automotive world also. But his interests are still focused on trains. Isaiahs Instagram page has already begun to draw attention. He said the editor of Trains magazine recently reached out to him with an interest in publishing his work. Norfolk Southern railroad company has also contacted him. Taking photos of the majestic locomotives requires Isaiah to stay behind the scenes. But thats not enough for the teenager and his love for trains. Isaiah also volunteers at the Monticello Railway Museum. He is currently help restore a train car. Hes picking away at it, said his supervisor Kent McClure. McClure began visiting the railway museum when he was 12 years old. Now at 58, he sees a similar spark in Isaiah. He reminds me a lot of me when I was that age, McClure said. The experiences have allowed Isaiah opportunities to get up close to the trains. Im in training and learning how to operate a locomotive, Isaiah said. I drove a train for my first time last week. A career among trains is an option. Ive always wanted to work for the railroad, Isaiah said. But Im kind of leaning on the photography world. Photography experience for the teen has come by trial and error. Ive been going out, taking pictures of trains or people, Isaiah said. Im learning every time. Through meeting those in the railroad business as well as fellow photographers, his interests have grown since he began his journey. Christian Clayton, 20, can be found along with Isaiah taking pictures of local locomotives. Each photographer has their own style. He uses more selective editing than me, Clayton said. I use a little more clarity on the photos. The two often visit with the experienced railroaders. They sit for hours in the lawn chairs, Isaiah said. I love talking to them, hearing their old railroad stories. Another train enthusiast has become a mentor to the teenager. And Mike Jacobs, 51, has also found an admiration in Isaiah. Im just proud of him, Jacobs said. When the two met a year ago, Jacobs taught him what he knew about the railroad. The discussions have turned into life lessons. Well see a train and make assumptions, Jacob said. But I show him, making assumptions without all the facts is just an assumption. The photography portion of the hobby has been a lesson for Jacobs as well. Im learning from him too, he said. Its a two-way-street. The two have studied train photos, noticing photographers focus on a certain engine, or they will only shoot in specific weather. The two will instead look for various sceneries or backdrops behind any train. And you dont go to work just on sunny days, Jacobs said. I tell him to tell a story when you take a picture through the train. Grab the persons eye. Decatur isnt Isaiahs only train stop. He also visits others throughout the state, including Chillicothe, Streator, Edelstien, Springfield, Riverton and Oakley. The various railway companies and what they deliver is an interest to him. The faster ones are also an interesting subject. Isaiah said he uses the hobby as train therapy. Its relaxing, its therapeutic, he said. The motion of something that big, the sounds, the sights. 16 photos of Decatur's railroad past Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 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. Sam Newman has suggested Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews should face manslaughter charges over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Newman criticised the coronavirus-stricken state after officials commended the efforts of all Victorians on Sunday for helping to bring case numbers under control. Just 35 new cases were diagnosed on Monday, along with seven new deaths. But Newman questioned whether any progress had actually been made since the peak of the second wave - even though daily new infections were soaring beyond 700 at that point. 'This, apparently, is getting the virus under control,' he said alongside an info-graphic of all the coronavirus statistics in Victoria. 'You cannot be serious! Daniel Andrews should face a manslaughter charge.' Newman questioned whether any progress had actually been made since the peak of the second wave - even though daily new infections were soaring beyond 700 at that point Sam Newman has suggested Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews should face manslaughter charges over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic The polarising 300-game AFL champion and former Footy Show host last month urged his fellow Victorians to protest the lockdown. 'Of all the protests that we have put up with, how about a quarter million of us gather in the CBD to take the City/State back, before EVERY previous march will have been pointless,' Newman tweeted on Sunday night. 'And hopefully a state day of coordination. Any takers? #StateofSurvival.' After one Melburnian suggested Newman had 'incited a riot' with his comments, he added: 'There'll be no rioting. No looting. No arson. No violence. Just an expression of desperation for our sanity.' The tweet landed Newman in hot water with Victoria Police, who threatened to arrest him for 'inciting a mass protest' against the measures introduced by Mr Andrews. In spite of the seemingly ludicrous suggestion that the premier could face criminal charges, Mr Newman is not the first to make the suggestion. Police arrest a protester during an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on Sunday, September 13 Protesters scuffle with police during an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on Sunday September 13 Ken Phillips, the executive director of Self Employed Australia, penned an article last month which suggested Mr Andrews could find himself in the court room. He explained the COVID-19 deaths resulting from the bungled hotel quarantine system could potentially be investigated under Victorian Occupational Health and Safety laws. Mr Andrews introduced new Industrial Manslaughter legislation in 2019 which holds management and supervisors accountable for workplace-related deaths. Employers are generally investigated to prove they did not fail in their duty to avoid recklessly endangering employees and customers. 'What could not be anticipated then, was that within months there would be a situation that could arguably be captured under the Act as mass manslaughter. This is for the justice system to sort out,' Mr Phillips wrote. 'The known circumstances of the hotel quarantine mess demand each of these statutory requirements be investigated.' But supporters of the Andrews government reminded Newman while the statistics might seem glum when compared to the rest of Australia, Victoria was still leaps and bounds ahead of many parts of the world. Police detain an anti-lockdown protester at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market during a rally on September 13 Mr Andrews (pictured at a press conference on September 11) has extended the State of Emergency and State of Disaster for a month One follower used the US state of Massachusetts as an example, given the similar population range of between 6.6million and 6.8million in each state. Victorian case numbers have so far totalled at about 19,000, while Massachusetts has surpassed 125,000. Similarly, Victoria has recorded about 723 fatalities - a stark comparison to the 9,200 in the US state. On Sunday, Mr Andrews announced an extension of the State of Emergency and State of Disaster in Victoria. Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos said the extension of the State of Emergency, which will now last until at least October 11, was crucial for the implementation of necessary COVID-safe guidelines. 'The State of Emergency ensures we have all the tools we need to fight this virus keeping all of us safe,' she said. Meanwhile Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville said it wasn't an easy decision to make. 'Extending a State of Disaster is never a decision we make lightly and it won't be in place a moment longer than it needs to be,' she said on Sunday. Signage is seen in a window of a closed pub in Melbourne on Thursday, September 10 'We are at a critical point right now. And we have to do everything we can to hold onto the gains we've made, which means giving Victoria Police everything they need to enforce the Chief Health Officer's directions as we keep driving down cases.' From Monday, the city of Melbourne will move from the strict Stage Four lockdown into the first step of the roadmap toward reopening. While modest, the changes will allow for more time outdoors and social interactions. Mr Andrews said if numbers were kept low the state could open with 'real confidence' and keep them low. 'You can open up and stay open,' he said. 'That is what we want and that is what we will deliver. 'That is what we will deliver in regional Victoria and right across metropolitan Melbourne, not bouncing in and out of lockdowns, but making sure that everything that Victorians have given counts for something and delivers us, as I said, a summer that will be like no other.' What is the difference between a 'State of Emergency' and a 'State of Disaster'? State of Emergency A State of Emergency can be declared when there is a serious risk to public health. It first came into effect in Victoria on March 16 to give Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton wide-ranging powers to enforce new coronavirus restrictions. Professor Sutton had the authority to direct health officials to detain people, force entire suburbs and regions into lockdown or search premises without a warrant if he felt it was necessary to protect the health of the public. The State of Emergency initially allowed the government to enforce social distancing and mandatory quarantine. State of Disaster While the State of Emergency grants powers to Professor Sutton, a State of Disaster grants additional powers to police and enforcement agencies. The State of Disaster came into effect on August 2nd and has faced several one month extensions since then. To declare a State of Disaster, the premier must be concerned that an emergency 'constitutes or is likely to constitute a significant and widespread danger to life or property in Victoria'. A pandemic, plague or epidemic falls into this bracket. The State of Disaster allows the enforcement of curfews and restrictions of movement within a city. Advertisement People living alone or single parents will be able to invite one other person into their homes. Mr Andrews said he would allow 'social bubbles' even when exercising outdoors, which will now be extended to up to two hours per day - which can be split over two sessions. Playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment will reopen, and Melbourne's 8pm lockdown has been pushed back to 9pm. Regional Victoria will also enjoy the loosening of several restrictions after successfully stemming the spread of the virus. Up to five people from two separate households will be able to gather in public places, while outdoor pools and playgrounds will also open. Religious services will be able to go ahead with up to five people. AFL champion and former Footy Show host Sam Newman is known for his polarising views At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series The World Through a Lens in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planets most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Stephanie Foden shares a collection of images from Brazilian state of Bahia. The first time I told someone I was traveling to Salvador, I was discouraged from going. I was heading south along the coast when a Brazilian woman I had befriended at a pousada (a guesthouse) explained how bad the crime was, and how I was bound to get robbed. A bug in Joe Bidens official campaign app may have exposed the personal information of millions of Americans, according to security researcher the App Analyst. One of the features of the Vote Joe app allows users to sync their phones contact list with the software to see if their friends and family have registered to vote in the upcoming presidential election. When it finds a match, the app displays the persons name, their approximate age and birthday, as well as a list of the recent elections they voted in. The data is provided by TargetSmart, a company that claims to have information on approximately 191 million American voters. The idea here is that Biden supporters will use the feature to leverage their existing network in support of their candidate. However, the App Analyst found they could use that same feature to get the software to share someones personal information simply by creating a contact in their phone with that persons full name. While someone could get some of that same information through other means, the Vote Joe app trivialized obtaining it (among other issues, the software also doesnt require users to verify their email). Moreover, the App Analyst found Vote Joe pulls in more data than it displays through its user interface, including what seems like a guess on TargetSmarts part whether a person voted for the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate in a particular election. The Biden campaign says it fixed the bug on Friday when it rolled out an update for the app. We were made aware about how our third-party app developer was providing additional fields of information from commercially available data that was not needed, a spokesperson for the campaign told TechCrunch. We worked with our vendor quickly to fix the issue and remove the information. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our staff, volunteers and supporters and will always work with our vendors to do so. Notably, the campaigns website reveals its hiring a cybersecurity analyst, in addition to a cybersecurity manager. As TechCrunch notes, this isnt the first time data from TargetSmart may have leaked online. In 2017, a cache of nearly every registered voter in Alaska, totaling approximately 600,000 individuals, was exposed through a server misconfiguration by a third-party firm that had access to the data. That information is something that state-sponsored hackers could use to sway an election. Its also not a hypothetical threat either. Microsoft recently warned that Russia, China and Iran are actively trying to interfere in the 2020 elections. The company said the majority of attacks on both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigns had failed, but that hasnt stopped those groups from continuing their efforts. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Madras High Court Justice SM Subramaniam on Sunday wrote a letter to Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi seeking to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Tamil actor Suriya over his remarks about the Court order to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test despite Covid-19 pandemic. Actor Suriya in a statement on Sunday said three NEET aspirants in Tamil Nadu died by suicide due to fear and stress. Suriya urged the government to scrap NEET permanently since it kills the dreams of the children who hail from poor families. He also said that the entire stakeholders have to raise their voice in scrapping NEET. ALSO READ: She was brave, never put any pressure on her: Tamil Nadu NEET aspirant's father on teen's suicide In his one page statement, the actor also made remarks about the functioning of the court, claiming that the courts in the country were rendering justice only by holding virtual proceedings, however, they want students to take the NEET exam without any fear. The justice in his letter to the Chief Justice stated, "The Statement reveals that the Hon'ble Judges are afraid of their own life and rendering justice through video conferencing. while-so, they have no morale to pass orders directing the students to appear for NEET Exam without fear." ALSO READ: In a span of 24 hours, three TN youngsters end life fearing failure in NEET "The said statement in my considered opinion amounts to contempt of Court as the integrity and devotion of the Hon'ble Judges as well as the Judicial System of our Great Nation are not only undermined but criticised in a bad shape, wherein there is a threat for the public confidence on the Judiciary," he added. It is to be recalled that on August 17, the Supreme court had refused to entertain the plea made by students to postpone the NEET and JEE due to the pandemic. DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today announced that associates working at 98 stores across Kroger's Dallas division ratified a new labor agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1000. "Across the Kroger family of companies, we are proud that by the end of 2020 we will have increased our associate wage investments by approximately $800 million$300 million more than we had originally planned as part of our Restock Kroger initiative," said Tim Massa, Kroger's senior vice president and chief people officer. "Kroger in Dallas is one of the numerous markets across the country that is rewarding and recognizing associates for their hard work with wage increases." The improvements accompany Kroger's continued efforts to rebalance pay and benefits. The Kroger agreement includes: Increased wages for all associates Ratification bonuses and retroactive pay for department heads, store leads, high-performing associates and other store positions Improved Kroger health benefits including lower associate contributions and lower deductibles "We are pleased to reach an agreement that benefits our associates, including significant wage increases and enhanced Kroger-sponsored health care," said Adam Wampler, Kroger's Dallas division president. "I appreciate our associates for supporting this agreement and continuing to provide uplifting service to our customers each and every day." Leaders of the United Food and Commercial Workers also praised the deal. "We stuck together and reached an agreement that increases pay; protects affordable, quality health care; and secures benefits for the future," said UFCW Local 1000 President Ricky Burris. "This contract creates more opportunity for our members to have a better life." The new agreement impacts more than 11,000 associates covered under the Kroger Dallas division collective bargaining agreement with UFCW Local 1000. About Kroger's Dallas Division: Kroger operates 109 retail food stores in the Dallas Division. More than 15,000 division associates are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit, serving the region through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), visit our newsroom and investor relations site. SOURCE The Kroger Co. Related Links http://www.kroger.com BRUSSELS - Greece will build new refugee camps on Lesvos with the European Union's support after the fire in Moria. A number of sites have already been selected and funding for their construction should come from the EU, a spokesman of the EU executive told reporters on Monday. Meanwhile Greece has requested further assistance to deal with the humanitarian disaster through the Union's civil protection mechanism. In an immediate response, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Germany have offered hundreds of tents, blankets, kits for the winter and sleeping bags. LIBERTY, Mo. - A sheriffs deputy who shot and killed a Missouri woman after a traffic stop this summer will not be charged in her death even though it was possibly avoidable, a special prosecutor announced Monday. The Pettis County sheriffs deputy shot Hannah Fizer, 25, after stopping her for traffic violations in Sedalia on June 13. There are aspects of the case that lead me to believe that an alternative approach might have avoided the confrontation that led to the officer having to discharge his weapon, but that is not relevant under Missouri law to whether criminal charges should be filed, special prosecutor Stephen Sokoloff wrote. The deputy, who has not been identified, told investigators Fizer said she had a gun and was going to shoot him. She reached down to the floorboard of her car and then raised up toward the deputy, prompting him to shoot, Sokoloff said in a report to Pettis County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Mittelhauser. Missouri law requires that officers have a reasonable belief they are in danger before firing their weapon and based on the circumstances it cannot be said that the officer did not have a reasonable belief that he was in danger of serious physical injury or death from the actions of the deceased at the time he fired, the prosecutor said. No gun was found in Fizers car, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Fizers family and friends have disputed investigators version of events, saying Fizer was on her way to work, did not own a gun and would not have shot anyone. Fizers father, John Fizer, said Monday he was dumbfounded after hearing Sokoloffs findings. He said his daughter would have done absolutely nothing to draw the officers fire. She probably did run a red light. He probably pulled her over for a good reason, Fizer said. His good reason stopped right there. Seconds later shes dead. Im just numb. I dont understand it. No dashcam or body-camera video of the shooting was available because Pettis County does not provide them to deputies, which Sokoloff said made his findings somewhat more difficult. Video from a nearby restaurant had no audio and was not clear, but it showed Fizer moving around the vehicle vigorously and bending down. During the officers radio dispatch, Fizer can be heard yelling at the officer and he repeated her threat to shoot him, the prosecutor wrote. The Pettis County Commission in August approved spending about $43,000 for body cameras for the sheriffs department. The shooting came during nationwide protests over police use of force, after George Floyd died after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed Black mans neck for several minutes. Fizer was white, as is the deputy. Fizers family and friends held several protests in Sedalia criticizing the shooting and demanding answers. After the findings were announced Monday, Pettis County Sheriff Kevin Bond issued a statement urging the community to remain calm as we work together to reduce the polarization this emotional and traumatic event has caused. Bond said his office and the Pettis County prosecutor, who asked for a special prosecutor to investigate, had ensured transparency and thoroughness during the investigation. He said the office was awaiting the prosecutors report before completing its internal investigation. Sokoloff suggested in his report that more training in deescalation techniques and sometimes more experience might be necessary for officers. The recent spate of these types of avoidable deaths would certainly suggest that a reexamination of training techniques may be in order, he wrote. Terry Branstad, the U.S. ambassador to China, in 2017. (Associated Press) U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad announced Monday that he will retire from his position and return to the United States by early October, a departure that comes amid extreme political and diplomatic tension between the two nations. He confirmed the decision to President Trump by phone last week, according to a statement from the embassy in Beijing, and will return to Iowa, where he previously served six terms as governor. No successor has been announced. The reason for Branstads departure was not immediately clear. However, Trump said in a phone call shared via Twitter on Sept. 12 to Joni Ernst, a Republican senator for Iowa who is running for reelection, that Branstad was returning to the U.S. to campaign. The move seemed to come as a surprise to Chinas Foreign Ministry, which told the Associated Press on Monday afternoon that it had not heard the ambassador was leaving. Last week, Branstad submitted an op-ed to the Communist Partys official newspaper Peoples Daily in which he argued that American companies, journalists, diplomats and civil society are blocked from the same access to China that the United States provides to their Chinese counterparts. He called for unrestricted engagement and uncensored discussion between Chinese and American people, pointing to Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankais access to the public in the United States. When the Peoples Daily rejected the op-ed, calling it full of loopholes and seriously inconsistent with facts, the U.S. Embassy published the op-ed in Mandarin on its Chinese social media accounts. It was quickly censored. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo called the incident a demonstration of the Chinese Communist Partys fear of free speech and serious intellectual debate in a statement last week. Also last week, the only two Australian journalists working for Australian media in China returned to Sydney after state security police showed up at their doors past midnight, forbidding them to leave the country and demanding that they submit to questioning. Story continues Australia's embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai offered assistance and shelter to the two journalists, then negotiated on their behalf to secure their departures from China after they agreed to police questioning. Chinese state media then released stories accusing Australian security services of raiding Chinese journalists homes in Australia and subjecting them to mistreatment. The stories have not been confirmed by Australian authorities, but seem to imply that Chinas treatment of the Australian journalists was a tit-for-tat response to the treatment of Chinese journalists abroad. Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian citizen working for Chinese state TV channel CGTN, has also been detained for a month. Cheng had disappeared for several weeks with little information on her whereabouts or charges until last week, when Chinas Foreign Ministry confirmed that she was arrested on national security grounds. Branstad's departure may or may not be related to political tensions, but is likely to heighten the sense of vulnerability among American citizens living in China. The State Department has warned that U.S. citizens in China could be subject to exit bans, arbitrary detention and prolonged interrogations, as well as detention or deportation for sending private electronic messages critical of the PRC government. A key part of the U.S.-China dispute over reciprocity is centered on journalist access. China expelled all U.S. journalists working for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal this year. Several dozen Chinese journalists are meanwhile waiting for visa renewals in the United States. Chinas Foreign Ministry has announced a pause on press visas for American outlets until the Chinese journalists visas are renewed. Last week, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman also said that it had revoked the U.S. visas of more than 1,000 Chinese nationals under a presidential proclamation issued in May blocking entry of Chinese students and researchers believed to have military connections. Branstad was appointed by Trump and arrived in Beijing in June 2017. He was governor of Iowa when Chinese President Xi Jinping, then a lower-level official, visited his state in 1985 with a delegation learning about farming technology. Xi made a point of visiting Iowa again when he was vice president in 2012, where he told a group of Iowans: You were the first group of Americans I came into contact with. To me, you are America. Branstad was also present then, and told Xi that he was a great friend of Iowa, according to local newspaper the Muscatine Journal. Years later, Iowa became one of the farming states critical to electoral support for Trump and directly affected by the U.S.-China trade war. Branstads personal connection with Xi from his Iowa days did not seem to play a significant public role in trade negotiations or in tempering hostilities between the two countries. In July, the U.S. closed the Chinese Consulate in Houston over alleged spying and intellectual property theft activity. China closed the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu in response. Dampening hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine by year-end, the chief executive of the worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines has said that adequate coronavirus vaccine will not be available for everybody in the world to be immunised until the end of 2024. In an interview with the Financial Times, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, said that pharma firms were not ramping up production capacity swiftly to be able to innoculate the world population in less duration. Its going to take four to five years until everyone gets the vaccine on this planet, Poonawalla was quoted as saying. Poonawala had earlier predicted that if the coronavirus shot is a two-dose vaccine, as is the case with measles or rotavirus, then the world would require 15 billion doses. The family-operated Serum Institute, which is in Pune, has partnered with five international pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and Novavax, to develop a coronavirus vaccine and pledged to manufacture one billion doses, out of which it has promised 50% to India. The firm may also tie-up with Russias Gamaleya Research Institute to produce the Sputnik vaccine. Poonawallas remarks on vaccine production and distribution are crucial, in view of the Serum Institute taking on the task of manufacturing shots for the majority of the developing world. Furthermore, his statements have increased scepticism on claims by political leaders who have committed to vaccines by next month amid concerns that huge pre-orders from Europe and US will result in developing countries being bumped to the bottom of the list. Poonawalla added that the commitment had outdone the capacity of other vaccine manufacturers. I know the world wants to be optimistic on it . . . [but] I have not heard of anyone coming even close to that [level] right now, he told the publication. As part of its agreement with AstraZeneca, the firm will seek to produce Covid-19 vaccine doses that cost closed $3 for 68 countries and under its deal with Novavax, for 92 countries. Poonawalla, who is the son of Cyrus Poonawalla, Indias seventh-richest billionaire, minimised the risks over the halt in AstraZeneca trials last week after a participant fell saying, and described it as very normal. Were doing a . . . raise and diluting equity so that we have enough capital to manage the raw materials and equipment we need in the next one or two years to operate at this scale, he told FT. Poonawalla had in Apri ordered 600m glass vials and other particulars to gear up for the mass manufacturing of the Covid-19 vaccine. However, he expressed worries over distribution in India, which is witnessing a rapid rise in the number of coronaviruses infections, and said that the process would be difficult as there is an absence of a sophisticated cold chain system to transport the vaccine safely to its 1.4 billion people. I still dont see a proper plan on paper to do that [in India] beyond 400m doses, he was quoted as saying. ST. LOUIS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced it is working with Samsung Electronics America to expand access to telehealth for individuals living in rural and underserved communities. The initiative will supply providers with Samsung Galaxy A10e smartphones to disseminate to patients who would not otherwise have the ability to receive their healthcare virtually. Additionally, some providers will receive Samsung Galaxy tablets to use to conduct telehealth visits. With this initiative, Centene and Samsung will deploy 13,000 Galaxy A10e smartphones, with 90 days of free wireless service, to approximately 200 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), other providers and community support organizations throughout Centene's markets, with a particular focus on rural and underserved areas. The providers and organizations will then determine which of their patients need the devices and distribute them accordingly. Centene previously announced the creation of a Medicaid Telehealth Partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to help FQHCs quickly ramp-up their capacity to provide telehealth solutions to meet the needs created by the COVID-19 crisis. As of mid-July, a CDC survey found that 44.4 percent of respondents reported delaying or not receiving care for various reasons, including concerns and challenges around COVID-19. Meanwhile, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, rural residents already exhibited higher mortality rates and higher incidences of preventable inpatient and emergency room admissions than their counterparts in urban areas. "We are committed to ensuring our members, providers and communities have access to the care they need, especially during this unprecedented time when patients might not feel safe going to the doctor in person or have reliable means to get there," said Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman, President and CEO of Centene. "We believe telehealth solutions will significantly improve access to care and are pleased that we can help give providers the telehealth infrastructure they need to take care of underserved communities across the nation." "The global pandemic has prompted the rapid acceleration of digital transformation, especially in healthcare," said Taher Behbehani, General Manager and Head of Mobile B2B Business at Samsung Electronics America. "With one billion telehealth visits expected to take place by the end of 2020, Samsung is committed to supporting healthcare institutions with solutions that transform the patient experience remotely and help doctors and nurses work more efficiently. We're thrilled to partner with Centene on this effort to create critical healthcare access for vulnerable patients during this uncertain time." About Centene Corporation Centene Corporation, a Fortune 50 company, is a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping people live healthier lives. The Company takes a local approach with local brands and local teams to provide fully integrated, high-quality, and cost-effective services to government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Centene offers affordable and high-quality products to nearly 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, including Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace, the TRICARE program, and individuals in correctional facilities. The Company also serves several international markets, and contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term growth and the development of its people, systems and capabilities so that it can better serve its members, providers, local communities, and government partners. Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor relations website, http://investors.centene.com/. Forward-Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of current or historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can," "continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative thereof). Centene (the Company, our, or we) intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of complying with these safe-harbor provisions. In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about our future operating or financial performance, market opportunity, growth strategy, competition, expected activities in completed and future acquisitions, including statements about the impact of our recently completed acquisition (the WellCare Acquisition) of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WellCare), other recent and future acquisitions, investments and the adequacy of our available cash resources. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic, regulatory, competitive and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date hereof. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, variables and events including but not limited to: the impact of COVID-19 on global markets, economic conditions, the healthcare industry and our results of operations, which is unknown, and the response by governments and other third parties; uncertainty as to our expected financial performance during the period of integration of the WellCare Acquisition; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the WellCare Acquisition will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the integration of the WellCare Acquisition or that the integration of WellCare will be more difficult or time consuming than expected; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the WellCare Acquisition; the inability to retain key personnel; disruption from the integration of the WellCare Acquisition, including potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships with customers, employees, suppliers or regulators, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that we may not be able to effectively manage our expanded operations; our ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses and reserves, including fluctuations in medical utilization rates due to the impact of COVID-19; competition; membership and revenue declines or unexpected trends; changes in healthcare practices, new technologies, and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs; changes in economic, political or market conditions; changes in federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, collectively referred to as the ACA and any regulations enacted thereunder that may result from changing political conditions or judicial actions, including the ultimate outcome in "Texas v. United States of America" regarding the constitutionality of the ACA; rate cuts or other payment reductions or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties affecting our government businesses; our ability to adequately price products on the Health Insurance Marketplaces and other commercial and Medicare products; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; the outcome of legal and regulatory proceedings; changes in expected contract start dates; provider, state, federal, foreign and other contract changes and timing of regulatory approval of contracts; the expiration, suspension, or termination of our contracts with federal or state governments (including but not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other customers); the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of pending or future litigation or government investigations; challenges to our contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from acquired businesses, including businesses we may acquire in the future, will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the exertion of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required in connection with complying with the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for acquisitions; disruption caused by significant completed and pending acquisitions, including, among others, the WellCare Acquisition, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of acquisition transactions; changes in expected closing dates, estimated purchase price and accretion for acquisitions; the risk that acquired businesses will not be integrated successfully; restrictions and limitations in connection with our indebtedness; our ability to maintain or achieve improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth; availability of debt and equity financing, on terms that are favorable to us; inflation; foreign currency fluctuations and risks and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs. SOURCE Centene Corporation Related Links http://www.centene.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Joe Stenson (Agence France-Presse) Dublin Mon, September 14, 2020 07:03 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a051e 2 Art & Culture Dublin,Museum Free A huddle of specialized staff at Dublin's "dead zoo" perform a high-wire puzzle, delicately disassembling two whale skeletons that have dangled airborne for over a century. Nigel Monaghan, who as keeper of the Natural History Museum is in charge of the extensive, and sometimes alarming, collection of taxidermied creatures within, looks on. "Dismantling a whale skeleton when you have no manual and user guide, you're relying on the general knowledge of animal skeletons," he told AFP. "It's a little bit like working with a jigsaw, but without a box and a nice picture on the front." The boxy museum tucked away beside the prime minister's office in the city center is known affectionately to Dubliners as the "dead zoo". Dating back to 1856, it is part of the sprawl of the National Museum of Ireland and is currently at the start of an extensive 15-million-euro (US$18-million) renovation project. "We see our museum... as a stately home of death," said Monaghan, as he surveys the work from a balcony filled with jars of snakes, antelope heads and a stuffed penguin with a severe expression. "But it has a lot of those issues around stately homes and large historic properties." Save the whales Those issues are manifold -- no elevators for disabled access, no fire exits from the impressive balcony collections and poor insulation. But the biggest hurdle for the major works planned for the tattered glass and metalwork roof is that the structure acts as a hanging bracket for the museums' two prize possessions. The first is a 20-meter fin whale -- the second largest species on the planet after the blue whale -- which has towered over the higher portion of the hall since the late 19th century after its body was towed to Ireland's south shore in 1851. The second, of a smaller but still impressively long, 29-foot juvenile humpback whale, has hung directly underneath since 1909. A grisly narrative in the 1893 edition of the Irish Naturalist tells how the ill-fated mammal came ashore at Enniscrone, County Sligo. It "lived for some hours, lashing the water furiously with its tail, and spouting from its blow-holes, and from time to time, opening and shutting its mouth, occasionally giving vent to great sighs or grunts", the journal recounted. Around the lower humpback, a makeshift wooden scaffolding has been built, rigged with a two-ton capacity crane and an elaborate system of pulleys and wires. As the work is carried out, the museums' other preserved and taxidermied denizens have been safely mothballed. A hippo's head is braced with packing paper, a solitary tusk lies on a foam pad and hulking, rust-colored skeletons are boxed inside wooden frames. Monastic dedication As might be expected, dismantling a whale is a specialist profession -- and a leviathan task. The Dublin museum has flown over two experts from the Netherlands to work with local staff who label every bone for storage, ready to be replaced after the renovation. Owing to COVID-19 restrictions, the Dutch visitors perform their work with monastic dedication. Traveling between their accommodation and the museum and back again, they are "fed and watered" by their Irish hosts to limit their contact with others. Overall, the work will take three months, although the Dutch team will fly home for periods of time as the scaffolding is towered up to reach the second skeleton. The work itself takes place at a strange pace. Hours of examination, strategizing and meticulous tinkering are followed by minutes of high-stakes activity. If the task is a puzzle, it is one which becomes harder as it is completed. Removing one portion of the skeleton changes the center of gravity, threatening to send the crumbling bone structure lunging uncontrollably into open air. As the team pull the left fin from the body of the humpback, it is bound together in elaborate knots, hooked to a slow crane and gently lowered from the arms of workers above to staff below. For a moment, it is controlled by neither. Dangling in space, it pulls to the right and voices are raised in the usually hushed museum, before control is regained and it is lowered safely onto a foam mat. "First one down," quips a staff member in a hard hat beneath the 170 bones of the first whale, yet to be delivered below. Topics : Dublin Museum KYODO NEWS - Sep 14, 2020 - 19:13 | Arts, All, Japan Japanese actress Sei Ashina was found dead at her Tokyo apartment by family on Monday morning, her agency said, following what investigative sources believe was a suicide. The 36-year-old Ashina, who began her career as a fashion model, starred in numerous movies and TV series including the NHK period drama "Yae no Sakura" (Yae's Sakura) and the police drama "Aibo" (Partner). The Fukushima Prefecture native also landed a role in the 2007 film "Silk," an adaptation of an Italian novel of the same name, in which a French silkworm smuggler and his wife, played by Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley, journey to Japan in search of silkworms in the 19th century. Related coverage: Reality show "Bachelor Japan" cast member dies in suspected suicide Mother of "Terrace House" star to press charges against cyberbullies Popular Japanese actor Haruma Miura dies in suspected suicide Ashina made her voice acting debut in the Japanese language version of the 2011 American TV series "Revenge" as the leading character Emily Thorne, and most recently appeared in the TV series "Theseus no Fune" (Ship of Theseus) and the movie "AI Hokai" (AI Amok) released in January. 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. LOS ANGELESFor Alicia Flores Gonzalez, Aug. 4 began like any other day. She dropped off her little girl at daycare and drove to work at a winery in the Sonoma Valley. But as she was parking her white Toyota Tacoma, she found herself surrounded by armed men. What happened? What did I do? Flores recalled asking them. Hands up! Turn around, ordered one of the men, who shackled her and escorted her to a van. Six agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in three unmarked vehicles had been deployed to arrest her. Within 24 hours, the 43-year-old single mother of four U.S.-born children had been deported to Mexico. She had lived without legal permission in the United States for 27 years. Flores was seized during a new nationwide enforcement operation announced this month, the first large-scale arrests and deportations in the interior of the country since the coronavirus pandemic halted field operations for several months. Since mid-July, immigration agents have taken more than 2,000 people into custody from their homes, workplaces and other sites, including a post office, often after staking them out for days. In Los Angeles, agents made 300 arrests. More than 1,000 others were rounded up in New York, Atlanta and Phoenix, as well as in cities in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Utah and Wyoming. President Donald Trump has made curbing immigration a cornerstone of his agenda. He has blocked most asylum-seekers and refugees, built 300 miles of border wall and invoked the health crisis to seal the border to non-essential travellers. During the Republican National Convention, he reiterated his pledge to clamp down on illegal immigration, and his reelection campaign has emphasized the restrictive immigration agenda that was central to his platform in 2016. A recent television ad airing in battleground states said former Vice President Joe Bidens support for offering a path to citizenship to millions of immigrants unlawfully in the country would undermine Americans by creating more competition for jobs and more beneficiaries of welfare programs. The United States is home to about 10.5 million people living in the country illegally. In a June survey by the non-partisan Pew Research Center, three out of four adults said they favoured a pathway to legal status for them. Thirty-two per cent of Trump supporters said immigrants strengthen society, up from 19 per cent in 2016, according to a Pew survey of voters released Thursday. While the issue of immigration still appeals to Trumps base, concerns about the economy and the coronavirus pandemic animate more voters, strategists say. The wide-ranging immigration operation, which had been underway for weeks before it was publicly announced, was touted by officials as a mission designed to capture hardened criminals. The aliens targeted during this operation preyed on men, women and children in our communities, committing serious crimes and, at times, repeatedly hurting their victims, said Tony Pham, the new interim director of ICE. Through our targeted enforcement efforts, we are eliminating the threat posed by these criminals, many of whom are repeat offenders, he said. About 85 per cent of those arrested had either criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, according to the agency. Fourteen people had been convicted of homicide, and 12 faced murder charges. Assault, domestic violence and family offences made up the bulk of convictions or pending charges, it said. But analysis of the totality of the governments own data shows that the administration is arresting large numbers of immigrants whose crimes are minor or who have not committed any crime at all. They are easier to locate and remove precisely because they are not trying to evade law enforcement, even if they have outstanding deportation orders. Flores has no criminal record but had lost an appeal to stay in the country after she was ordered deported more than a decade ago. Like millions of immigrants who are quietly living and working in the country illegally, she had managed to avoid arrest, working in Northern California and seeing her children through school. My mom has always been a hardworking lady who just minds her business and takes care of my brothers and sister, said her oldest child, Alex Salinas, 26, who lives in Healdsburg, California, with his three siblings. I am shocked that this happened the way it did. In the 2019 fiscal year, federal agents arrested more than 143,000 people in the interior of the country. The most common convictions or criminal charges pending against them were for driving under the influence (74,000) and drug offences (67,000). Only 1,900 had been charged or convicted of homicide. Under the Trump administration, there has been a steady rise in immigrants detained without a serious record, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, which has compiled data obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. TRAC found that a jump in the number of detained immigrants in 2019 was a direct result of arrests of people with no criminal records. ICE makes it sound like they are snatching wanted felons off the streets when it conducts these operations, said Austin Kocher, a geographer at the university who analyzes immigration enforcement data. We dont get a full picture, he said. They downplay the large numbers of people detained and deported who committed minor offences, usually a long time ago, or who had no crime on record. Of the 50,000 people in immigrant detention facilities on the last day of April 2019, nearly two-thirds had no criminal record, up from 40 per cent four years earlier, under the administration of President Barack Obama, according to TRAC. Among detainees who had committed crimes, a higher percentage had been convicted of infractions such as driving without a license or immigration violations; a lower proportion of detained immigrants had committed violent crimes than before. The most recent deportation data available, for the first five months of the 2020 fiscal year, shows that 52 per cent of those removed from the country had no criminal record, according to TRAC, up from about 40 per cent in each of the previous three fiscal years. The Obama administration set records for deportation, removing 409,849 people in the 2012 fiscal year, an all-time high, and 235,413 in the 2015 fiscal year. By comparison, the Trump administration deported 267,258 people in the 2019 fiscal year. In its second term, the Obama administration put into place a policy of discretion that spared immigrants who were long-term residents of the United States, especially if they had American children and had not run afoul of the law, even if, like Flores, they had outstanding removal orders. The impact of the pandemic on ICEs ability to hold immigrants in detention could have played a role in the agencys targeting of immigrants like Flores, who can be rapidly bused out of the country because she is Mexican. In Northern California, where Flores was living, 47 immigrants living in the country illegally were apprehended during the recent operation, according to the regional ICE office. In a statement, a spokesman cited as examples a 34-year-old Mexican who had been convicted of committing battery against a former spouse and a 57-year-old Mexican who had been convicted of petty theft and inflicting corporal injury to his spouse. Both had been previously deported. Katie Kavanagh, a lawyer with the Rapid Response Network of Northern California, which provides emergency legal assistance to people detained by ICE, said that in the span of five workdays in early August she handled the cases of four Mexicans arrested in Californias wine country. ICE was going after people who they quickly could deport, said Kavanagh, who was contacted by Flores employer. They were low-hanging fruit. They were the most legally vulnerable. Among them was a Mexican man who had missed an immigration hearing because his lawyer had not notified him and a grandmother who was arrested outside a post office after missing a hearing because of a family tragedy. Kavanagh filed motions to reopen their cases, which were granted by a judge. Flores came to the attention of immigration authorities around 2008 when she landed in a local jail after a brawl with her former partner. The episode set in motion deportation proceedings. In 2012, she lost her appeal to remain in the country. Like many others, she did not leave. In Healdsburg, she had been working two jobs, cleaning the winery and a clinic. Feeling relatively secure, she had recently retired her 2002 Honda sedan and made a down payment on a 2020 Toyota truck. On Aug. 4 about 10 a.m., her eldest son, a carpenter, was at work when he received a call from his distraught mother informing him that she had been taken away. She was scared, Salinas recalled. I was scared. We didnt know what was going to happen. She told me to pick up my little sister at daycare. She was worried Child Protective Services would take her. His sister Kimberley is five. A couple of hours later, he answered a call from Kavanagh, who had met Flores in San Francisco at the ICE processing centre. After assessing her case, she had concluded that nothing could be done to prevent his mothers deportation. Salinas shoved some clothes and $250 into a backpack and rushed to San Francisco to bid his mother goodbye. Their brief encounter happened in a no-contact visitation room. Separated by a glass panel, mother and son spoke to each other through phones. She arrived in Tijuana at dawn. Only deportees who can prove that their absence causes hardship to a spouse or parent a child does not count are eligible for an exemption from a 10-year bar to re-entering the United States, so Flores is unlikely to be allowed back unless there is a change in the law. I am thinking of my children, nothing more, she said, breaking down during a telephone interview from Mexico. I worry for them. We have never been apart. I hope I can go back. Flores oldest son has picked up his mothers evening job, cleaning the clinic. He is completing paperwork to obtain guardianship of his three siblings. We feel emptiness because the most important person in the family is missing, Salinas said. On top of that, I have to figure out all the new responsibility. Read more about: A freight train loaded with cars at Hamburg Port on June 10, 2020. According to Germany's Federal Statistics Bureau total exports fell by 31% in April as compared to one year ago due to the pandemic. Photo: Morris MacMatzen/Getty Images German businesses are watching nervously as the clock ticks down on negotiations between the UK and the European Union to secure a trade deal, according to the director of Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK). In an interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper published Monday, DIHK managing director Martin Wansleben said there is growing concern in the economy that the Brexit negotiations will fail. Wansleben said that the automotive industry would be badly affected if both sides cant agree on a deal, by tariffs as well as by "broken supply chains and long waiting times at the borders, as there is still no functioning infrastructure for customs clearance on the British side. "For the automotive industry alone which has the largest share of the trade volume between Germany and Great Britain there is a risk of tariffs of at least two billion euros in less than four months without an agreement," Wansleben said. His warning echoes the joint appeal by UK and European automotive industry leaders this weekend, urging negotiators to reach a free-trade deal, or risk sever repercussions for the sector, which employs 14.6 million. Watch: Yahoo UKs Finance Reporter, Edmund Heaphy explain what a no-deal Brexit actually means, and its potential consequences... READ MORE: UK car makers face 102bn 'no deal' Brexit cliff-edge The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the UK, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association and the German Automotive Association said in their joint statement that failure to seal a deal could results in trade loss worth up to 110bn (102bn, $130.2bn) over the next five years a bleak picture for an industry already devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Wansleben noted that the years of Brexit uncertainly have already taken their toll on German exports to the UK. Since the referendum in 2016, German exports to the British island have fallen noticeably - from 89bn in 2015 to 79bn in 2019, he said. As a result, the United Kingdom has slipped from third to fifth most important export market in Germany. "The trend is continuing this year - and will be exacerbated by the Corona crisis," Wansleben added. READ MORE: Automotive industry no longer growth engine of German economy Scott Morrison is facing growing criticism as 23,000 Australians remain stranded overseas with no way of getting home. Labor is demanding the government lifts strict arrival caps which have led airlines to cancel hundreds of flights and only sell business and first class tickets. The caps were brought in to ease the pressure on the quarantine system in the wake of Melbourne's second wave which started when the virus escaped from a hotel. Kate Biggers Smith (pictured right with a family member) is stranded in the United Arab Emirates trying to get on a flight back to Australia Sheree Richardson, from Perth, and her three young children were forced to sleep on the floor of London's Heathrow airport for three days after being bumped from flights because of coronavirus travel caps The federal government wants to increase the caps but claims it needs to persuade reluctant state leaders to agree. Labor Home Affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said the Commonwealth should provide charter flights and put Aussies in federal quarantine facilities in the Northern Territory or on Christmas Island. 'It is Peter Dutton's responsibility under the constitution to ensure that citizens can cross the border and can come home. And if they need quarantine, then that is a federal responsibility,' she told the ABC on Monday. 'Let's remember, at the beginning of this health pandemic, the Commonwealth brought people home from Wuhan, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, they quarantined them in federal quarantine facilities. Current caps on overseas arrivals Sydney limit of 350 passenger arrivals per day; Perth limit of 525 passenger arrivals per week; Brisbane limit of 500 passenger arrivals per week; Adelaide limit of 500 passenger arrivals per week; Canberra, Darwin passenger limits on each flight to be discussed with jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis; Hobart no international flights Melbourne - International flights suspended Advertisement 'Now, if the Commonwealth Government is serious about getting a stranded Australian home, they need to step up, show leadership, put a plan in place.' Senator Keneally said if she were in power it would be her 'number one priority' to bring home 3,500 overseas Australians who are medically or financially vulnerable. She said Darwin, Canberra and the Gold Coast should be taking international arrivals to help ease the pressure on the major cities. 'There is capacity within our system, both international airports and hotel and quarantine facilities to take more,' she said. Mr Morrison has previously pointed out it is difficult to persuade commercial airlines to fly to smaller cities. Senator Keneally said a couple stranded in Canada with a one-year-old child have written to her office after they were referred to a homeless shelter. 'They've lost their jobs due to Covid-19. They're running out of money. They've had to give up the lease on their home. They can't get back because of the caps. They keep getting bumped off flights. They called the Australian Consulate in Vancouver on 19 July and they were offered a list of local homeless shelters,' she said. 'I mean, is this what we are coming to in Australia? Where we just abandon Australians in the middle of a global pandemic, to the charity and the welfare system and the homeless shelters of a foreign country? Come on!' Speaking on ABC show Insiders on Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said he 'would be happy to double the number of people tomorrow' if states agreed. Senator Keneally said sarcastically: 'I missed the memo where we decided in Australia that international borders and quarantine responsibility were a state responsibility. They are the Commonwealth's responsibility.' She added: 'Is he a minister, or is he a mouse? Take a plan forward. Come up with a plan to get these stranded Australians home.' Health Minister Greg Hunt said: 'If we can lift hotel quarantine numbers, we can increase the number of Australians that can return home. 'We are working constructively with the states to that effect. 'We want to ensure that every Australian that wants to come home is home by Christmas.' The family of a father-of-three who was rammed by a police car and stomped in the face during a violent arrest have called for an independent investigation. Disturbing footage shows Timothy Atkins 32, running from the Northern Hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Epping after 4pm on Sunday. The roof plumber, who has bipolar disorder, was then sent flying after he was struck by a police car. Six officers pounced on him, with one officer appearing to stomp on his head during the arrest. His father Glen was furious about the incident that left his son in an induced coma with potential brain damage. Pictured: Footage of a roof plumber wit bipolar disorder who was rammed with a police car 'They could've killed him. These people need to be held to justice and accountable. The police had no right to do what they did,' he told reporters on Monday. Mr Atkins is calling on Victoria Police to sack the officer who allegedly kicked his son. 'It's disgusting,' he told 3AW. 'This bloke needs to be accountable. He needs to lose his job. Policemen like that should not be in the job.' He explained his son, who is a successful business owner and just finished building his dream home, was suffering through his first bipolar episode in nine years. He had tried to admit himself to a psychiatric ward in the hospital on Saturday but was unable to secure a bed after a day-long wait. 'He called me on Saturday. He was crying and he wanted me to come in,' Glen said. 'I can't, because of the COVID thing, and he started crying on the phone.' His father Glen (pictured) was furious about the incident that left his son in an induced coma with potential brain damage Six officers pounced on the man, with one officer allegedly kicking him in the head His son called his apprentice to pick him up before he ran out the front door of the hospital. Glen said his son was considered to be a 'danger to himself' and doctors rang the police. He claimed the matter got out of hand when police arrived on scene and attempted to apprehend his son. The man's family are still not allowed to see him as hospital are restricted for patients only to curb the spread of coronavirus in Melbourne. Eyewitnesses Jake Edwards and his partner George Michael were driving down Cooper St when they stopped and filmed the shocking incident. Mr Edwards described what they pair witnessed as 'unjustifiable' and 'disgusting' behaviour from Victoria Police. Witnesses George Michael (left) and Jake Edwards (right) filmed the incident and posted the shocking video to social media 'We've seen a police car ram into (the man) sending him flying a few metres across the road,' Mr Edwards recalled to Daily Mail Australia. 'He got up and the foot chase continued. They run up to the median strip (and) the man did throw a punch or two. 'Then pepper spray was used, punches from the police were thrown. While they were bringing him down and he wasn't restrained yet there were kicks to the head. 'The worst part of it all is while he was restrained with five to six officers on him, there was a stomp to the head and then a knee to the head. Disgusting.' Outraged, the pair both posted their footage to Facebook where it was broadcast on last night's news. A mentally unwell roof plumber living with bipolar disorder has been placed into a coma after video showed him being kicked in the head during a brutal arrest Eventually the man's shocked wife contacted them on social media, trying to find out details of what had happened. In their video, one of the witnesses can be heard crying out: 'Are you f*****g kidding me?' A motorist yells at the police to stop kicking the man before the other witness urges him to be quiet. Victoria Police said the incident unfolded after officers were called over reports of a male behaving erratically about 4.10pm. 'Upon arrival the male allegedly became aggressive and damaged a police vehicle whilst attempting to avoid arrest,' a police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'During the highly dynamic incident a police officer was assaulted and OC spray was deployed before the man was arrested and subsequently taken to hospital for assessment.' The arrest has been referred to Professional Standards Command. COLUMBUS, OhioOhio Attorney General Dave Yost on Monday joined three other state attorneys general in asking Netflix to take down the movie Cuties, arguing that it sexualizes children in a way that is counterproductive in the fight against human trafficking. Yost and the AGs of Louisiana, Texas, and Florida are the latest politicians to condemn the movie, whose plot centers on an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant in France who joins a twerking-heavy dance troupe. In a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Yost wrote that although the director of Cuties, Maimouna Doucoure, has stated the film is meant to fight the hypersexualization of young girls, the manner in which the film attempts to do so is misguided and does more harm than good. Yost stated the movie at one point shows a young girls breast, portrays children using their bodies in a sexual manner to get themselves out of trouble, graphically focuses on the clothed genitalia of children, and shows the creation and publication of child pornography. Such images, Yost writes, serve as fodder for those with criminal imaginations, serving to normalize the view that children are sexual beings. It whets the appetites of those who wish to harm our children in the most unimaginable waysways I have had to prosecute. Cuties was uncontroversial when it was first released in France, and the film won Doucoure a directing award at this years Sundance film festival. However, when Netflix began streaming the movie, the poster it released to advertise it stirred up major criticism for sexualizing young girls. Netflix apologized and removed the artwork, but soon afterward a second wave of criticism began to grow about the film itself, including from several members of Congress and proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Supporters of Cuties say critics' narrative about the film is inaccurate or distorted, noting that many prominent detractors havent actually seen it. Yost spokesman Steve Irwin said he didnt know whether the Ohio AG has seen Cuties, though he said at least one if not multiple staffers in Yosts office reviewed the film. Read Yosts letter here: Read more Ohio politics and government stories: Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill giving Ohio schools, employers legal immunity from coronavirus lawsuits GOP Ohio lawmakers reject Secretary of State Frank LaRoses request to pay for return postage on absentee ballots Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof self-quarantines after another senator tested positive for coronavirus Ohio House Bill 6 legislative opponents make case for repeal Ohio teachers can carry guns at school without needing peace-officer training, AG Dave Yost tells Supreme Court Donald Trump President Donald Trump greets supporters following a Fox News Town Hall event with moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on March 05, 2020 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Among other topics, President Trump discussed his administration's response to the Coronavirus and the economy. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images For all the demands that former Vice President Joe Biden condemn rioting and looting, no serious observer actually thinks he supports violence in the streets. The most plausible criticism of Biden is that he's a creature of the existing political system a product of and adherent to the established institutional order. He doesn't want violence and chaos to shake the foundations of society. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, really does relish chaos, and he cares little for any institutions that he doesn't see as directly benefiting him. And in a new Fox News interview this weekend, he made clear that he's not just a fan of violence a view he has expressed repeatedly, even if he occasionally reads from scripts that say the opposite but he is actively pleased by the deaths of his political enemies. While discussing with host Jeanine Pirro the fact that U.S. Marshals a part of the Justice Department, a part of Trump's administration killed the avowed antifa activist Michael Forest Reinoehl, the president expressed no regret at his death. In fact, he was triumphant about the killing. Here's the section of the transcript, per Factba.se: Trump: They are arresting a lot of people. Now, we sent in the U.S. Marshals for the killer, the man that killed the young man in the street he shot him, I mean it was on television. Pirro: Right. Yes, cold blood. Trump: Cold blooded killed him. He didn't like his hat or he didn't like something and it wasn't a Trump hat. Pirro: Right. It was peaceful [Inaudible] prayer. Trump: It was a lot it was a religious hat. Pirro: Right. Trump: And he shot him cold blood. Two and a half days went by and I put out, when are you going to go get him? And the U.S. Marshals went in to get him and in a short period of time they ended in a gun fight, this guy was a violent criminal Pirro: There are a lot of them out there. Trump: and the U.S. Marshals killed him. And I will tell you something: That's the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this. There can't be guys standing up that want to fight, they want to fight you can't throw bricks at people with shields on. Story continues Here's what we actually know. Contrary to Trump's claim, Reinoehl's killing of Aaron Danielson, who was wearing a hat for the far-right group Patriot Prayer, was not clearly in "cold blood." Video suggests a conflict between the men in which Danielson began firing pepper spray at Reinoehl, who then shot Danielson twice with a gun. That day, Portland had been the site of a pro-Trump caravan, which at times turned violent. Trump supporters fired pepper spray and paintballs into crowds, and at least one video showed them aggressively driving through a crowd of pedestrians. Before his death, Reinoehl claimed he was acting in legitimate self-defense against Danielson, who he said he believed had a knife. It's not clear Danielson actually had a knife. It's also hard to see how plausible a self-defense argument would have been had a case or trial proceeded, and now we'll never know. It is reasonable to believe that Reinoehl would have rightly been found criminally culpable in Danielson's death. But Trump showed no interest in actually determining Danielson's guilt through the criminal justice process. It is truly a shame that we won't ever have a better understanding of the incident, but not in the president's view. He's already made up his mind. He demanded the U.S. Marshals act, and he's pleased that Reinoehl was killed. "That's the way it has to be," he said. "There has to be retribution when you have crime like this." Usually, political leaders call for justice in these cases, not retribution. And justice would have entailed letting the criminal proceedings play out, rather than having law enforcement kill Reinoehl upon finding him. The circumstances of Reinoehl's death remain murky. Witness accounts of his death conflict, and it's not clear whether the killing was justified. In this case, not only should we regret the fact that the Danielson killing cannot be resolved through the criminal justice process, but we should demand that Reinoehl's killing be vigorously examned to determine whether the officers acted legally and with necessary force, or if they unjustly killed him. But again, Trump showed no interest in getting to the bottom of Reinoehl's death. He only cares about the death of Danielson, one of his supporters. The death of Reinoehl, a political opponent, leaves open no questions of justice for the president it's just "the way it has to be." This is even clearer when examining Trump's reaction to another shooting that of Kyle Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Illinois resident who brought a semi-automatic rifle in a misguided effort to respond to the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He ended up shooting three people there, killing two. According to the criminal complaint, Rittenhouse first shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, who was not armed. One witness said Rosenbaum tried to disarm Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse ran away from the scene, and a group of people eventually caught up with him, trying to stop him. He fell to the ground and shot two more people who had come after him. One person hit him with a skateboard, video showed. Another was holding a handgun. Rittenhouse again fled the scene, walking past police even while still armed, and returned home. He was later arrested in Illinois, and he is facing charges of murder. His attorneys have claimed he is innocent and was acting in self-defense. Though the Rittehhouse shootings extend over a longer time period than the Reinoehl's shooting, the incidents bear striking similarities. Both Rittenhouse and Reinoehl were armed with guns and killed others who were not armed. Both claimed they were acting in self-defense, despite the fact that they apparently used disproportionate force to respond. But Rittenhouse, who has painted himself like Trump as a defender of the police, is still alive. And instead of arguing that his death would be good or that he was a cold-blooded killer, Trump has defended Rittenhouse. "That was an interesting situation," Trump told reporters of the Rittenhouse killings. "You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them. I guess it looks like he fell and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that we're looking at right now, and it's under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been probably would have been killed, but it's under investigation." In this case, Trump argued in favor of a self-defense case for Rittenhouse. He showed no sympathy for the people Rittenhouse killed, as he did for Danielson. When discussing Reinoehl, Trump didn't even mention the fact that he had similarly claimed self-defense. Though the groups involved in both incidents have clear partisan valences, the reaction to the cases need not be partisan. It should be easy to say, at a 1,000-foot level, that the tensions need to come down and the escalation must stop. We can say that anyone who has a hand in the death of someone else should be investigated, regardless of their political affiliation, and everyone should have the right to put forward a legal defense if they face criminal charges. But this is not the president's view. When someone he views as on his team kills others, he looks to exonerate them. He has no sympathy for those killed. And when someone on his team is killed by someone who he views as an opponent, they have no right to due process, no benefit of the doubt. We shouldn't be surprised. Trump previously shared a video that declared: "The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." Related Articles MUMBAI: Three suspected drug peddlers, arrested in the probe related to drug angle in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, were on Monday (September 14) remanded to NCB custody till September 16 by a court here. On Sunday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested six more persons, taking the count of people held so far in the case to 16. These half a dozen accused were identified by the agency as Karamjeet Singh Anand, Dwayne Fernandes, Ankush Anreja, Sanket Patel, Sandeep Gupta and Aftab Fateh Ansari. On September 14, they were produced before a magistrate court. Karamjeet, Dwayne and Ankush were remanded to NCB custody till September 16; whereas Sandeep, Sanket and Aftaab were sent to jail under 14-day judicial remand. The NCB told the court that Anand appears to be a 'major player' in 'drug syndicate active in Bollywood and high society'. The agency told the court that he was not cooperating with investigation and vital information related to the case is yet to be disclosed by him. The probe agency said it was necessary to interrogate Anreja to find out to whom he was delivering contraband in Bollywood. The NCB submitted that Patel, too, is part of this drug syndicate. Special public prosecutor (NCB) Atul Sarpande told that the court investigation in the case was at preliminary stage and revelations made by the accused were yet to be verified. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB is probing the drug case in which actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Rajput's manager Samuel Miranda, domestic help Dipesh Sawant and others have been arrested. They are currently in judicial custody. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his flat in suburban Bandra on June 14. The CBI is separately probing 'abetment to suicide' case related to his death. Over the last year, Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas has been the scene of a string of murders, deaths, assaults, and other criminal behavior. The military newspaper Stars and Stripes has dubbed the base the Armys most crime ridden post. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy stated in a visit to the base that it had the highest, the most cases for sexual assault and harassment and murders for our entire formation of the US army. Just within the past year 27 soldiers have died either on the base or in Killeen, with five homicides, seven suicides, eight accidents, two deaths from disease, and five as-of-yet undetermined deaths. A 28th soldier from the base was killed in combat. Democrat representatives Stephen Lynch (Massachusetts), who chairs the House Subcommittee on National Security, and Jackie Speier (California), who chairs the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel, sent a letter Tuesday to McCarthy requesting information and documents on the deaths and announcing a joint investigation by the subcommittees into the spate of deaths. The letter cited Army data that documented an average of 129 felonies annually at Fort Hood between 2014 and 2019. These felonies include homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and robbery. For a base which hosts many active military personnel deployed around the world, Fort Hood has seen more soldiers die at the base and in the city of Killeen than soldiers killed in combat since 2016. Fort Hood was also the site of some of the most infamous deadly shootings on a military bases with 13 dead and 30 wounded by then Major Nidal Hasan in 2009, and another shooting in 2014 carried out by Army Specialist Ivan Lopez who killed 4 and injured 14. Representatives Lynch and Speier claimed that they would investigate and report on the reasons behind the murders and seek justice for the soldiers and families who may have been failed by a military system and culture that was ultimately responsible for their care and protection. An independent command climate review has been announced by McCarthy. The investigation was prompted by protests over the murder of a female soldier, Specialist Vanessa Guillen, who was allegedly sexually harassed before her murder. Her family called for a congressional investigation because of the long delay in searching for her by the military. Her family also alleged that Guillens fear of retribution prevented her from reporting the harassment to her superiors, a move that could have prevented her murderer from remaining in a position to kill her. The leading causes of death at Fort Hood this year were accidents, followed by suicides, then murders. This only deviates slightly from the US military as a whole, where murders rank behind illness and injuries (which are distinct from accidents) as causes of death. Otherwise, the deaths on the base correspond to the militarys casualties on bases in general. A July 2020 report by the Congressional Research Service found that between 2006 and 2020, a total of 17,645 active-duty personnel have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Of these deaths, 74 percent, or 13,068, are attributable to Non-Overseas Contingency Operations (Non-OCO), meaning on military bases outside of combat. Out of these, 93 percent happened in the United States, with the rest happening in countries with bases such as Germany and Japan. Accidents accounted for 39 percent of Non-OCO deaths, while self-inflicted deaths accounted for 30 percent and illness / injury accounting for 23 percent. Homicide accounts for 4 percent of Non-OCO deaths. Of the murders at Fort Hood this year the victims were overwhelmingly soldiers drawn from working class areas and of low-rank. On March 1, Specialist Shelby Tyler Jones, 20, was shot in Killeen outside of a strip club and later died of his wounds, with 15 people either witnessing or involved in the incident. Jones joined the Army in 2017 as a cavalry scout from the small town of Jena, Louisiana. According to US Census numbers, 20 percent of residents of the parish where Jena is located live in poverty. It is likely that Jones joined, as many others do, to escape poverty. The Army Times reports that Jones was a member of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, also called the Brave Rifles, and deployed to Iraq in Operation Inherent Resolve between May 2018 and January 2019. The 3rd Cavalry regiment commander said that Jones was a dedicated professional who truly loved his family and the Army. Guillen, 20, was killed with a hammer in a base armory by a fellow soldier after having been continuously sexually harassed, reportedly by the suspect. The suspect shot himself after having been confronted by law enforcement. Guillen was born to immigrant parents and grew up in Houston, Texas. The poverty rate in Harris County stands at 1 out of every 5 people. During the search for Guillen the body of another missing soldier, Private Gregory Morales, was found. Morales had been put down as a deserter at the time that he went missing in August 2019. On May 18, Pfc Brandon Scott Rosecrans, 27, was shot and killed in his Jeep Wrangler by a civilian allegedly following a disagreement over a gun sale. Rosecran hailed from Kimberling City, Missouri, a town with around 2,300 people located in Stone County, Missouri. Rosecran joined the Army in May 2018 and had served as a quartermaster. By and large, the military enlists working class people from impoverished areas who have few other options to make decent living or afford higher education after high school. The aforementioned are representative of the rank-and-file. US Army infantry usually receive around $20,000 in pay, not including benefits and housing. Despite the Pentagons massive budget, the rank-and-file of the US military is still afflicted by poverty, and with that comes social ills, suicide, homicide, and poor health. Fort Hood, which is situated in Killeen, Texas, is one of the largest military bases in the country, housing 36,500 soldiers and another 30,000 family members. It is situated on 340 square miles of land and is home to an almost 200,000-acre training area and two airstrips. According to the US Armys website, it is home to an extensive collection of military units that play and have played key roles in the last three decades of unending war with seven brigades, two divisions, a battalion, III Corps headquarters, a regiment, a garrison and medical center, and the US Army Operational Test Command. The base also has around 500 tanks, 1,600 tracked vehicles, 10,000 wheeled vehicles, and 200 aircraft including AH-64 attack helicopters. Many of the bases brigades are deployed or have been deployed recently overseas in some capacity and have long histories of being used in US imperialisms wars and occupations, with most recent being Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Hundreds of soldiers based at Fort Hood have been killed in these deployments. This, combined with the poverty of the rank-and-file, the absolute indifference of the military to them, and the fostering of backwards and reactionary sentiments in the military, provides the necessary context in order to understand why the base, in fact the entire military, is beset by this wave of death. During a meeting Sept. 13 with the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on the Iraqi government to go ahead with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's plans for early elections and to impose rule of law, confiscate illegal arms, stop certain groups from dividing Iraq into spheres of influence forcibly under different excuses, fight corruption unselectively and seek justice for all who were killed, injured or abducted during the ongoing reform protests in Iraq. The parliamentary elections scheduled for next year must be provided with the necessary conditions that result in a high degree of credibility, so that the citizens are encouraged to participate in the elections widely, Sistani said. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had announced last month that he is planning to organize early elections in June 2021. However, early elections require three essential steps. The first step is the finalization of the elections law that is still disputed among the political parties. The second step is the amendment of the Elections Commission that was formed recently but has not been accepted by the protesters due to the political parties' role in selecting its members. Serving judges make up the current commission, but the protesters are asking to replace them with retired judges to prevent any kind of influence from the judiciary system or political parties that some judges are affiliated with. The final step is the formation of the Federal Court that is in charge of overseeing the elections. Furthermore, the Political Parties Law should be amended in a way that prevents the militias from participating in the elections and the political parties from receiving foreign support and corrupt money, forcing them to show full transparency. "[Early elections] must be conducted in accordance with a fair and equitable law, far from the personal interests of some political parties, Sistani said. Integrity and transparency must be taken into account in all of its [the elections] stages and strict supervision and control over the elections should take place with coordination of the relevant department of the United Nations mission. He also issued a warning against the high level of fraud and corruption of past elections, calling for a solution rather than increasing the problems. The 2018 elections that brought former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi into office is the source of Iraqs current dilemma, due to a high degree of fraud and wide participation of the militias in the elections that led to their domination over the state, allowing them to build and expand their deep state, which is the main cause of the protests and the current political crisis. Further delay in early elections or holding it without the necessary conditions will lead to deepening the country's crises and will threaten its unity, Sistani noted. He also highlighted the need to fight corruption and outlawed military groups, calling upon the government to continue its efforts in this regard. The current government is required to continue and proceed firmly to implement social justice, control border crossings, improve the performance of security forces to reach a high degree of discipline and professionalism, impose the prestige of the state and withdraw unauthorized weapons, Sistani added. In July, Kadhimi had launched a campaign to impose state control on the border crossings and fighting militias and political parties that are benefiting from corruption in these outlets. He also launched a new campaign this month to withdraw illegal weapons in the southern provinces. [The government should] not allow certain groups to divide the country into enclaves controlled by force of arms under different excuses far from the rule of law, Sistani said. This is the first time that Sistani has spoken about the Kadhimi government, and these are the most powerful remarks he has made about any Iraqi government since 2003. In 2015, he had called upon the government led by Haidar al-Abadi to strike them [corrupt politicians] with an iron fist. Abadi, however, was not able to fulfill Sistani's demand due to the war against the Islamic State (IS) and his weak position in the Iraqi political scene. With Sistani's remarks, Kadhimi has the backing of the highest religious authority, as well as a substantial sector of the protest movement and the international community. Not to mention that the president and the head of the Judiciary System in addition to all political parties expressed support to Sistani's advice. But Kadhimi only has a short window to accomplish this. Kadhimi must take action against both the corrupt mafia and outlawed militias before the political scene undergoes a change, especially given that the elections in Iran and the United States would affect the political situation in Iraq. Since Sistani's speech yesterday, the militias have been silent, presumably taken aback by his remarks. Late last week, the four pro-Sistani factions of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) had met with the counterterrorism apparatus as part of ongoing negotiations to leave the PMU and joining the state security forces. Sistani had also called on the government to conduct a serious investigation on groups that have killed, injured or abducted protesters in recent months. He said the government should fight corruption and seek justice unselectively. This is a strong message to the government to avoid any kind of politicizing judicial process that was common during the post-2003 era. As an example of the politicization of the judicial process, it is interesting to see that shocking cases like Mosul falling in the hands of IS and billions of dollars wasted in several corrupt projects have not been addressed at all, but all of a sudden former Electricity Minister Luay al-Khateeb who is not supported by any political party, militia or other strong groups has been prosecuted after only a year in office, despite the limited budget due to country's financial constraints. Sistani did not talk about the US withdrawal of some 2,000 troops from Iraq, and he did not mention the wave of normalization with Israel, despite these issues having been the top priorities of the militias in the last few weeks. This shows clearly that Sistani's priorities are completely different from those of the militias. It seems that Sistani is assertive and persistent in advocating for Iraqi sovereignty in response to the actions of corrupt political parties and outlawed militias. Sistani, who turned 90 this year, may also be aware that like Kadhimi the window for reform in Iraq may be short. 4. Lie. Fixing the pensions is putting the cart before the horse. The pension system is just another victim of the states structural deficit. For years now, the state has underfunded the pensions. Since 1990, it has done so to enable passage of a balanced budget. In short, it borrowed or robbed the pensions to fill up the budget hole. Contrary to some, when you remember that the core of the pension is the designed to be the equivalent of the Social Security payment, pension benefits are neither excessive nor expensive. The benefits fall right in the middle of the pack when compared with other states. The pension crises can simply be resolved with passage of a rational plan to re-amortize the pension debt. This can actually result long-term in lower costs than paying Social Security and a 401(k) contribution. Passage of the graduated tax amendment will take pressure off of the practice of underfunding, thereby removing pensions as the scapegoat for all of the states financial ills. The television industry is reeling from the coronavirus just like everyone else, but like the old saying goes, the show must go on. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said both deputies had graduated from the police academy 14 months ago (stock photo) Police were last night searching for a gunman who shot and wounded two LA officers who were sitting in their squad car in an apparent ambush on Saturday night. The incident drew an angry response from US President Trump and sparked an anti-police protest outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated. The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy had surgery and are in a critical condition. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said both deputies had graduated from the police academy 14 months ago. The deputies were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a rail station in Compton, south of downtown LA, and were able to radio for help, the sheriff said.. Mr Villanueva, whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies. The department tweeted a video of the shooting that shows a person open fire through the passenger-side window of the patrol car. "The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation," the department said. The video sparked reaction from president Trump who responded on Twitter, "Animals that must be hit hard!" "This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice," Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. "Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished." A handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the injured deputies were being treated. The protesters tried to provoke deputies stationed outside and at one point were prevented from entering the emergency room. "To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling "We hope they die" referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL," the sheriff's department tweeted. "People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through." A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester. "The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person," the department stated. After being released, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, showed a video she said she shot moments before her arrest which showed two men carrying red, black and green flags and shouting at deputies outside the hospital. The executive editor of the station, Megan Garvey, expressed outrage over the arrest and said her reporter appeared to be wearing her credentials and had shouted her KPCC affiliation. Captain Kent Wegener said officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect but admitted they had only a generic description. WILMINGTON, Del. Joe Bidens chartered airplanes and SUVs are meticulously sprayed with disinfectant and scrubbed. The microphones, lecterns and folders he uses are wiped down in the moments before his arrival. News reporters covering the campaign have their temperature taken. People he meets are scanned in advance with thermometer wands and guests at his events are cordoned off in precise locations mapped out with a tape measure. The former vice president is seldom without a mask when in public or around anyone other than his wife, Jill Biden. Access to their home is limited to only a few staffers and when theyre inside, each wears a mask, including Biden. The level of discipline is such that at times when someone stops to take a drink of water, that person will turn their head away from the others to reduce the chances of scattering droplets, according to campaign aides. With more than 6 million people infected and nearly 200,000 dead from the coronavirus, the former vice president is taking no chances with his safety. He operates in a sanitizer-saturated bubble within the traditional presidential campaign bubble, an environment designed and obsessively cultivated by staff in an attempt to protect him from a possible encounter with the virus. The rationale behind the painstaking attention to safety is both personal and political. For months, aides have privately acknowledged being concerned about his health. At 77, Biden is more susceptible to the virus that causes Covid-19 and his age alone puts him at higher risk of serious complications from the illness. Yet the campaign is also committed to modeling responsible behavior to avoid undermining their blunt Covid-19 messaging and sharpen the contrast with Donald Trump, who, at the big, nonsocially distanced events the president has resumed holding around the country, delights in deriding Biden for frequently wearing a mask. Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said the campaigns reasoning for being so cautious is simple: We dont want any more Americans to contract the virus. Story continues What we consistently hear from people is that theyre frustrated by how Trump has engaged over the summer that he doesnt follow public health guidelines while theyre not going to funerals and are sharing in the sacrifice for six, seven months now, Bedingfield said. They're frustrated when they see Donald Trump behaving irresponsibly at a political event. Joe Biden salutes people across the street at he leaves a news conference site in Wilmington, Del., on Sept. 4, 2020. As his public schedule has intensified, late last month the campaign announced Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris would be tested for the coronavirus regularly, and any positive tests for the virus would be publicized. The tests are now happening weekly, and extend to staffers and security who keep in close proximity to them. Trump said in July he takes a test every two to three days on average. Bidens campaign is also closely adhering to occupancy guidelines in each state. To get a picture of the lengths they are taking, in addition to drawing on firsthand observations from the road, POLITICO interviewed close to 20 campaign aides and advisers, Democratic officials and event participants. Biden's crowds are generally kept in the low dozens. Members of the media are segregated in individual white circles sketched on the ground. Staffers arrive early to venues to measure distances and place sticky notes marking locations where masked guests are instructed to hold their position to ensure at least 6 feet of separation. An event with union auto workers last week in Warren. Mich. where outdoor gatherings are capped at 100 people revealed the full measure of the efforts. Attendees were asked to stay home if they were feeling Covid-19 symptoms. United Auto Workers President Rory Gamble planned to greet Biden but went into precautionary quarantine late Tuesday after a family member had symptoms and was tested. Before the event began, Bidens trip director asked the audience to stay still so she could complete an accurate headcount one that included Secret Service, staff, media and a production crew. An announcement implored the crowd to please remain in your circles and keep your mask on for the duration of the event. Campaign eyes are always trained on the bubble. When Biden inadvertently wanders too close to others, staff pounces with warnings: Six feet! Six feet!" aides called out in unison at a recent news conference in Wilmington. Keep back! Biden was instructed by staff while in midsentence during a meeting in Wisconsin. At AFL-CIO headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa., during a meeting where guests wore black masks emblazoned with the motto Union yes, fist bumps replaced the traditional handshakes. On Friday at the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan, Biden walked over and extended an elbow to Vice President Mike Pence, and images of their "elbow bump" made the front-pages of several newspapers the next day. There was a ton of effort into how to do it in a Covid-safe way, said the Rev. Jonathan Barker, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wis., referring to the flurry of exchanges between the Biden campaign and attendees before a recent meeting. They actually had a measuring tape and they were measuring where people could be and using dots to mark the places. Those allowed inside Grace Lutheran were asked to remove the mask they were wearing and handed more protective N-95 masks. They were escorted, one at a time, to assigned seats, which were spaced at least 6 feet apart from one another. It was very deliberative and careful, said Lori Hawkins, Democratic chair in Kenosha.It was good to see that theyre really walking the talk and keeping [Biden] safe and keeping everyone else safe. Barker said his church venue could have easily fit another 75 people, but that it might have made for bizarre optics. They wanted to get people 6 feet apart, but also have people relatively toward the front, he said. The president, who has resisted wearing a mask in public and played a starring role in politicizing the debate surrounding the use of masks, has taken to mocking the rigor of his challengers approach. And hes flouted outdoor state mandates on attendance limits in numerous states in recent weeks, including Michigan and North Carolina. Have you ever seen the gyms with the circles? Thats his crowd," Trump said gleefully in Winston-Salem, N.C., contrasting Bidens low-key events with his own high-energy jamborees. In Latrobe, Pa., Trump asked his crowd: Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him?" "It gives him a feeling of security," Trump said of Biden. "If I were a psychiatrist right? I'd say, this guy's got some big issues." Aides have joined in the jeering, teasing Biden for Labor Day pictures of him solemnly masked with a handful of union workers perched in picnic chairs. On Sunday night, Trump defied state regulations in Nevada and his own federal health guidelines by hosting his first indoor campaign event before a packed crowd since June. At Trump's recent speeches his campaign no longer refers to as rallies many in the audience openly disregard local regulations by huddling close together without masks. But Trump believes he has an advantage to press with voters who are leery of government overreach and tired after months of keeping their distance. Tim Murtaugh, Trumps communications director, said Bidens above-ground excursions are proof the president has momentum in the race. President Trump has always had a huge edge on enthusiasm, and draws big, boisterous crowds, he said, while Biden could hold a campaign event in a broom closet. On Thursday, Biden seemed to return the taunts, releasing an Instagram Reel of him standing silently and sliding a large black mask over his face. Trump's disastrous rally in Tulsa, Okla., in late June, which saw lower-than-anticipated turnout and likely contributed to spreading the virus , helped Biden justify his slow summer ramp-up. But now that the former vice president has reemerged on the campaign trail stumping three out of five days last week and four of five the previous week the differences are coming into starker relief. Nowhere was it more obvious than at the August party conventions. At the Democratic convention, any person who entered the Chase Center in Wilmington in the days where Biden was speaking had to submit to Covid tests and receive negative results for two consecutive days. The testing regimen extended even to people delivering food and custodial workers. News reporters covering Biden and Harris also arrived days in advance to take consecutive tests and were asked to self-isolate in their hotel rooms. Their "crowds" were limited to a couple dozen reporters and some Secret Service, all of whom were masked. Trumps renomination speech, meanwhile, was delivered to a large, mostly maskless crowd on the South Lawn of the White House. Polls show a majority of Americans across party lines say that wearing a mask helps limit the spread of coronavirus. But those same polls also show a partisan divide over the issue. Republicans (32 percent) remain far more likely than Democrats (3 percent) and independents (17 percent) to say masks dont help to limit the spread, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health tracking poll on Thursday. While Bidens increasing public appearances will test the campaign's ability to keep him at a safe distance, Democrats are not eager to see Biden try to match what they view as his opponents rashness. The worst thing he could possibly have happen is to try to do what Trump is doing and then a bunch of people get sick, said Joel Rutherford, chair of the Democratic Black Caucus of Macomb County in Michigan. Trump is a showman. Hes all about the optics of things, not the safety. He doesnt care about social distancing; hes not concerned about masks. He just wants to look impressive on TV and that means focusing on the more people he can get out [to his events]. Still, Bidens precautions have at times drawn criticism and chafed some in his party. Media access to Bidens events during his travel has been restricted to a small pool of reporters, who then shares quotes and observations with the campaign press corps. Critics say this has allowed the Biden campaign to control its message and candidate in ways that would be more difficult with a large group of media following him. Terrance Warthen, former co-chair of Our Wisconsin Revolution, said Biden took it too far when he cited Covid-19 concerns in moving his nominating speech to Wilmington, instead of Milwaukee, where the national convention was originally scheduled to take place. Warthen said Biden should have given the speech and could have even taken a safe bus trip and waved out the window, to at least pay respects to the city and state. He could have had a very safe, and isolated trip, Warthen said. That would have been a cherry on top of a decent remote convention. He has the resources to do it, its the middle of a presidential race Is he taking Wisconsin for granted? In Kenosha, there was private grousing from attendees who said they expected to pose for individual pictures with Biden. And on Labor Day, a Milwaukee TV reporter told Harris that locals were disappointed Wilmington was treated to a post-convention fireworks show, rather than their city. Harris responded that it was a decision no one was excited to make and emphasized that her own Labor Day gatherings were small and vigilant: all of us wearing our masks, indoors, being at least 6 feet apart, not having as big of a group as we would have liked, she said. Added Harris: This is what we have to do in a Covid world. Eager to project a sense of normality, Mr Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside a warehouse in Henderson, on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Not since his humiliating rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June which featured rows of empty seats and was blamed for a local spike in Covid-19 cases has he gathered supporters indoors. There was no early mention from the president that the pandemic had killed nearly 200,000 Americans and was still claiming 1,000 lives a day. Few in the crowd wore masks, with one clear exception: those in the stands directly behind Mr Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings. The rally in Tulsa, which was his first in three months after the coronavirus reached American shores, was a disaster for the campaign. One prominent Trump supporter at the rally, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of Covid-19 weeks later, though it was not clear if he contracted the virus in Tulsa. Advertisement Recognising that many supporters were uncomfortable gathering in a large group indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, the Trump campaign shifted to holding smaller, outdoor rallies, usually at aircraft hangers. But those rallies have grown in size in recent weeks, with little social distancing and few masks. On Sunday, they returned indoors, in part as a nod to the Las Vegas-area heat. Temperature checks were given to all upon entrance at the industrial site in Henderson and while masks were encouraged, few wore them. Nevadas Democratic governor Steve Sisolak has limited in-person gatherings indoors and outdoors to 50 people since May, a recommendation based on White House reopening guidelines. (Trump) didnt have the guts to make tough choices ... he left that to governors and the states. Now hes decided he doesnt have to respect our States laws. As usual, he doesnt believe the rules apply to him In a statement released just before the rally began, Mr Sisolak said Mr Trump was taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada. To put it bluntly: he didnt have the guts to make tough choices, Mr Sisolak said of Mr Trumps handling of the virus. He left that to governors and the states. Now hes decided he doesnt have to respect our States laws. As usual, he doesnt believe the rules apply to him. The city of Henderson informed Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday that the event as planned was in direct violation of the governors Covid-19 emergency directives and that penalties would follow. The Trump campaign pushed back against the restrictions. Advertisement If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States, campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said. To this point, the campaign has not been played out as a choice election between Mr Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, but rather a referendum on the presidents handling of the coronavirus. By wide margins, Americans have disapproved of Mr Trumps leadership, as the United States has suffered more deaths than any other nation. Therefore, the presidents campaign believes it needs to change the subject and project the sense despite evidence to the contrary that the pandemic was winding down and that a vaccine was on the horizon. Part of the plan involves creating images of normality, like the packed White House lawn for Mr Trumps convention speech, though it was unclear if viewers were reassured or frightened. The Nevada rally came the night before Mr Trump was due to travel to California to receive a briefing on the devastating wildfires racing through the region. He has largely been silent on the blazes that have claimed dozens of lives in Oregon and California. Advertisement Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump sought further inroads with Latinos who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine the White House race, promoting economic gains they made before the pandemic. Though Mr Trump has made scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latinos, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and Nevada. Winning support from Latinos has been an uphill climb for Mr Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics. In the first moments of his 2016 campaign, he declared that many Mexican immigrants were rapists. He has drawn criticism for his tepid response to a hurricane that ravaged Puerto Rico, for his polices to separate children from families at Mexican border, and his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program that allows young immigrants living in the country illegally who were brought here as children to remain in the US. They understand the situation at the southern border. They want people to come in, and so do I, but they want them to do it legally, Mr Trump told a small group of supporters earlier on Sunday in Las Vegas. While Joe Biden has failed, I have delivered for Latinos. Judge Disqualifies District Attorney From Trial of Officers Involved in George Floyd Arrest A judge on Sept. 11 disqualified four prosecutors, including Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman, from being part of the cases involving the four police officers who arrested George Floyd in Minneapolis on Labor Day. Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill dealt with a number of motions and matters, including whether evidence regarding Floyds criminal history could be admitted during the trials. Cahill disqualified Freeman and three others from the district attorneys office from participating in the case because of a meeting they had with the medical examiner who determined Floyds cause of death with no outside attorneys present. Senior attorney Amy Sweasy, attorney Andy LeFevour, and attorney Patrick Lofton were barred. It was sloppy not to have someone present. Those four attorneys are off the case, Cahill said. They are now witnesses. Freemans office responded in a lengthy statement, saying the joint team led by Freeman and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison disagreed with the ruling. Any suggestion by Judge Cahill that the work of Sweasy and Lofton was sloppy is incorrect. The Hennepin County Attorneys Office fully stands by the work, dedication and commitment of two of the states best prosecutors, the office stated, with no mention of LeFevour. The ruling is meaningless because the third party the judge said needed to be present doesnt need to be an attorney, according to Hennepins office. Because Sweasy and Lofton asked to leave the case in June, they are valid third parties, the statement said. The ruling was made because of a memo from Eric Nelson, an attorney representing former police officer Derek Chauvin, prosecutors said. Cahill took the memo at face value even though the meeting was completely routine and if the ruling stands, would make it nearly impossible for prosecutors to obtain, understand and introduce evidence in a case, the office stated. A courtroom sketch shows the former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd sitting with their lawyers during a court hearing in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 11, 2020. (Cedric Hohnstadt via Reuters) Hennepins office said prosecutors asked Cahill to reconsider his decision and that officials are confident the order will be withdrawn or modified. Cahill granted the reconsideration motion, Fox 9 reported. Dates for the reconsideration havent yet been set. The hearing was the first time Chauvin and the other three former officers who were involved in Floyds arrest appeared at the same time. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder while J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting. All four defendants have opposed a prosecution motion to consolidate their cases into one trial. They have requested that their cases be moved outside Minneapolis and have filed motions to dismiss the charges. Cahill said it was premature to decide whether to move the trial. He said he wanted to send a questionnaire to potential jurors to see how they had been affected by media coverage, and whether a fair jury could be selected in Hennepin County. Cahill said he was leaning toward having an anonymous jury, citing potential security threats. The judge said a trial would likely last six weeks, including two weeks for jury selection. Reuters contributed to this report. Over the past few weeks, historic wildfires have raged across the west coast of America, resulting in thousands of people having to be evacuated from their homes in response to the uncontrolled blaze. It has been reported that around 35 people have died in the fires, including 24 victims in California, 10 in Oregon and one in Washington state. In many locations the sky has turned completely orange and smoke is being seen as far north as Canada. On Tuesday 8 September, the California Fire Foundation tweeted that rescue operations were underway as the Creek Fire destroyed more than 5,000 homes. 25 major wildfires continue throughout the state with red flag warnings in place. Dont wait for the order evacuate early. Every second counts, the organisation stated. Several organisations are working hard to provide support for those who are affected by the wildfires, by offering humanitarian aid, support for firefighters and protection for animals in the impacted area. Here is how you can help those affected. Wildlife Relief Fund Fundraising website GoFundMe has set up a fundraiser specifically to aid those affected by the wildfires in California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado. On the fundraiser, it says that GoFundMe will provide monetary contributions to individuals, organisations and communities who have either been affected directly by the wildfires or are supporting others. We'll continue to expand the Fund as needed to support wildfires that might appear in other areas as well, it states. On 4 September, the organisers behind the fundraiser stated that donations had already helped to provide families with temporary housing and a burn victim to pay for their medical bills. To donate, click here. Herd and Flock Animal Sanctuary The Herd and Flock Animal Sanctuary, based in Vacaville, California, is a non-profit organisation that safeguards farm animals from abuse. On a fundraiser set up on GoFundMe in support of the organisation, it states that the sanctuary suffered considerable loss during wildfires in April. Luckily all the animals were evacuated, but their big barn burned, it states. The organisers said they were raising money to benefit their rebuild and to help provide food for their animals while they are temporarily displaced at Charlies Acres Sanctuary, which is located in Sonoma, California. To donate, click here. Direct Relief On 13 September 2020, humanitarian aid organisation Direct Relief announced it was committing $1.5m (1.16m) towards its response to the wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington, in addition to making available its substantial inventory of particulate respirators, oxygen concentrators, and other medical resources to hundreds of organisations in need. The organisation also said it was donating Wildfire Health Kits to health centres and public health agencies, each of which is capable of treating approximately 250 people for several days. You can help support the vital work Direct Relief does by offering a donation. To donate, click here. California Fire Foundation The California Fire Foundation is dedicated to providing support to individuals affected by wildfires in the state, including victims, local communities and firefighters. Through its Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) programme, the organisation is able to offer short-term relief to those impacted by fires and other natural disasters by providing gift cards that can be used to purchase food, clothing and medicine. To donate, click here. American Red Cross The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organisation that provides emergency assistance and disaster relief in the US, stresses that people can help those affected by the wildfires in various ways, whether by donating money or offering their time as a Red Cross volunteer. In addition to donating, individuals who wish to make a positive impact can also check out volunteer positions being advertised by the organisation, in addition to donating blood. More than 30 blood drives have been cancelled in California and Oregon due to the wildfires, resulting in approximately 850 blood and platelet donations that have gone uncollected, American Red Cross warns. We stand ready to provide more blood and blood products as needed in response to this disaster. To find out more, click here, and to donate, click here. Salvation Army The Salvation Army is providing meals at evacuation centres for people who have had to flee their homes due to the wildfires across the west coast, in addition to sustenance for first responders working throughout the disaster. The organisation states that no administrative fee is placed on disaster donations, meaning that all money donated as part of the wildfire relief effort will go towards the cause at hand. To find out more and to donate, click here. United Way Several wildfire relief funds have been set up by the various branches of non-profit organisation United Way, including in Mid-Valley, Northern California and the Bay Area. On the website for United Way Bay Area, it says that the Greater Bay Area Central Coast Wildfire Relief Fund was launched to provide immediate and long-term recovery assistance to Bay Area and Central Coast residents affected by the August 2020 wildfires. Wildfires spread across California in pictures Show all 32 1 /32 Wildfires spread across California in pictures Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle a blaze at the Salvation Army Camp in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Cathy Fallon (centre) who stayed behind to tend to her horses during the Camp Fire, embraces Shawna De Long (left) and April Smith who brought supplies for the horses Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A helicopter drops flame retardant on a wildfire in Malibu Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures An air tanker drops water on the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures An abandoned car from fleeing residents of Paradise in the Pentz road area EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures A firefighter tackles the fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures A Jack In The Box fast food restaurant burns as the Camp fire moves through Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers label a body bag AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters hose down trees on Bell Canyon Road, near Malibu AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A fire burns at the Salvation Army Camp Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A firefighting DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop over a wildfire in the mountains near Malibu Canyon Road AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Bins have melted and ballooned in the heat in Magalia, Butte County EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Satellite image taken on 8 November shows plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire stretching across portions of Northern California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures Deputy Coroner Justin Sponhaltz, of the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, recovers human remains found at a home destroyed by the Camp Fire AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Buildings burn in Paradise, California EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Local residents bring their horses to Zuma Beach and away from the Woolsey Fire in Malibu Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A used car dealership burns in Paradise, California Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures Yuba and Butte County Sheriff officers inspect a burned vehicle after discovering remains nearby in Concow AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters battle the flames in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures Search and rescue teams work to evacuate patients from the burning Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures Embers blow in the wind in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures In Butte County, the sky is filled with the smoke of the Camp Fire EPA Wildfires spread across California in pictures Firefighters at work in Thousand Oaks Reuters Wildfires spread across California in pictures A house burns in Paradise, California AP Wildfires spread across California in pictures The burned remains of a house and car are left after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California AFP/Getty Wildfires spread across California in pictures A shop burns in Paradise, California AFP/Getty On 10 September 2020, United Way of Northern California announced it was providing $80,000 (62,120) to eight organisations offering aid to people forced to leave their homes in Butte, Plumas and Siskiyou due to the wildfires. These emergency grants will put resources immediately on the ground to help people displaced by these fires, said Larry Olmstead, president and CEO of United Way of Northern California. These organisations included the American Red Cross, Oroville Hope Center and Plumas Crisis Information and Resource Center. To donate to United Way Northern California, click here, to donate to United Way Mid-Willamette Valley, click here, and to donate to United Way Bay Area, click here. Center for Disaster Philanthropy The Center for Disaster Philanthropy, an online resource that helps donors choose where to donate their money during international disasters, has set up a California Wildfires Recovery Fund. The aim of the fund is to help communities rebuild and recover in the wake of wildfires, having raised millions of dollars since it was first launched three years ago. Since its inception, CDP has awarded more than $3m [2.m] in grants to nonprofits and community groups in northern and southern California to help families and entire communities recover through targeted grantmaking that prioritizes medium- to long-term recovery especially among vulnerable populations, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy says. To find out more and to donate, click here. Food banks On the website for the California Association of Food Banks, the organisation offers a list of food banks across California and the extent to which they have been affected by the wildfires, emphasising that the totality of the damage caused by the fires is still being determined. The Napa Valley Food Bank, for example, did not sustain any damage but lost power, phone and internet service, while the Redwood Empire Food Bank stated that while it is fully operational, some of its employees homes were destroyed and all are coping with profound loss among family, friends and the community. For more information on the food banks and how you can donate, click here. CLEVELAND, Ohio There is a hint of fall in the forecast for Northeast Ohio this week, especially by the weekend. The week gets off to a pleasant start Monday, with highs in the upper 60s in Cleveland and the low 70s in Akron. It will be humid in the morning but the air will dry out during the afternoon under mostly sunny skies. It will be very cool overnight, with mostly clear skies and lows in the upper 40s in Cleveland and mid-40s in Akron. It will remain sunny Tuesday but it will be a bit warmer, with highs in the low to mid-70s. Temps will dip to the mid-50s overnight under mostly clear skies. Wednesday brings the warmest conditions of the weeks. Highs will be around 80 in Cleveland and the low 80s in Akron, and it again will be mostly sunny. It will be partly cloudy overnight with temps in the low 60s. There is a 30 percent chance of showers Thursday in both Akron and Cleveland. Otherwise, look for partly sunny skies and highs in the low 70s in Cleveland and mid-70s in Akron. Chances of showers remain overnight as lows drop into the 50s. Mostly sunny skies return Friday but with cooler temperatures, as highs will be in the mid-60s in Cleveland and upper 60s in Akron. The forecast calls for similar conditions through the weekend. Mondays sunrise: 7:07 a.m. Sunset: 7:37 p.m. Pollen count: 3.2 (low-medium) An Israeli delegation headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Sunday night to Washington to sign normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, Trend reports citing Xinhua. The delegation includes also the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency Yossi Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. "Tonight, I'm embarking on a historic mission on behalf of the citizens of Israel," Netanyahu told a press conference earlier on Sunday evening, saying the agreements will bring "peace and billions of dollars into the (Israeli) economy." Cohen said before boarding the plane that Israel is working to achieve peace deals with "more countries." The ceremonies are scheduled to be held on Tuesday in the White House, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. A man who allegedly stored more than 5,000 worth of sedative tablets at the home of a relative handed himself in to gardai when she was arrested, a court heard. Cian Fay (23) went to the station after his "traumatised" relative told gardai she knew nothing about the diazepam found in a search at her address. Judge Bryan Smyth granted Mr Fay bail despite garda objections and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court. Mr Fay, of Empress Place in the north inner city, is charged with possession of diazepam with intent to sell or supply at an address at nearby James Larkin House on August 31. Objecting to bail, the prosecuting garda said a search was carried out at the address and a relation of Mr Fay was arrested on suspicion of possession of the drugs. Fay made his way to Store Street Garda Station when he heard his relative was in custody. He told gardai the items belonged to him. Predicting Notwithstanding this, Mr Fay still enjoyed a presumption of innocence, his solicitor Tony Collier said. The garda said he believed the accused would commit offences if granted bail, but Mr Collier said: "You are predicting the future, I don't think the Bail Act goes that far." He said his client had been "cooperative and proactive" in going to gardai himself. "It's rare that people would come into a garda station and fess up to something uninvited, isn't it?" Mr Collier said. The garda said he believed the only reason the accused presented himself at the garda station was because his relative was in custody. "She has never been in trouble before, she has a couple of kids, she was upset and traumatised," the garda said. The woman told gardai she knew nothing about the drugs. The accused had turned up at the station with no coercion, Mr Collier said. Judge Smyth said the value of the seizure "isn't insignificant", which put the case in a more serious category. Mr Collier said it was "not an enormous amount". Bail was granted on certain conditions. The guidance highlights the extreme difficulties facing blind and partially sighted people living in Northern Ireland - made worse by social distancing requirements. (Victoria Jones/PA) The Federation of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland has been commended by a charity for circulating guidance on coping with sight loss. The Royal National Institute of Blind People said that by circulating its practice guidance to its 6,000 members, the FSB was helping the 55,600 people living with sight loss in Northern Ireland. The guidance highlights the extreme difficulties facing blind and partially sighted people living in Northern Ireland - made worse by social distancing requirements. RNIB said it's trying to raise awareness of how businesses can be more aware about catering for the needs of their customers and colleagues with sight loss. Dr Jacqueline Witherow of the RNIB said social distancing had been a tremendous challenge for people with sight loss, with two-thirds of blind and partially sighted people saying that they feel less independent since lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the measures contained in the Bill to override the Withdrawal Agreement would 'never be invoked' if an agreement was reached with Brussels - AFP/AFP Boris Johnson has failed to quash a growing Tory revolt over plans to amend the Brexit divorce deal, as senior figures, including Sajid Javid, joined the rebels. Mr Javid, the former chancellor, said he would regretfully be unable to support legislation that would give the Government the power to go back on parts of the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Mr Johnson last year. He is one of 18 Tory MPs who have publicly opposed legislation which cleared its first Commons hurdle on Monday night, while David Cameron became the fifth former prime minister to express misgivings about it, as seen below. The rebels include 10 former ministers, five of whom served in the Cabinet. MPs voted to give the UK Internal Market Bill a second reading by 340 to 263 - a Government majority of 77. They are joined by Lord Hague, who writes in Tuesdays's Telegraph that international law is not some abstract concept. Five former Conservative Party leaders have now criticised Mr Johnsons actions. Downing Street hinted that the rebels could all have the whip withdrawn if they do not back down, with a source saying all options are on the table. The Prime Minister remained defiant as he opened the debate on the contentious Internal Market Bill, the legislation that would give him the power to override some elements of the Withdrawal Agreement. He told MPs he needed the armature of our law to prevent the EU from imposing barriers to trade across the Irish Sea, saying the Bill should be welcomed by everyone who cares about the sovereignty and integrity of our United Kingdom. Mr Johnson argued that Brussels had made the absurd and self-defeating threat of making it illegal for animal products to be sold from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and the EU still have not taken this revolver off the table. MPs have now voted on moving the Bill to its next Parliamentary stage, with the real battle expected next week when rebels are expected to table an amendment demanding the Commons has the final say over whether the Withdrawal Agreement is broken. Story continues Mr Javid, who lost out to Mr Johnson in the Conservative Party leadership contest last year, argued that breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly and said it was not clear why the Government had chosen to do so. He said: I will therefore regretfully be unable to support the Bill... and urge the Government to amend it in the coming days. Other Tory MPs who have said they will oppose the Bill include Jeremy Wright, the former culture secretary and attorney general; Sir Charles Walker, the deputy chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, and Rehman Chisti, who resigned his role as Mr Johnsons freedom of religion envoy to oppose the Government. In a sign of the growing concern in Downing St, Mr Johnson spoke to several of the rebels by phone, while others received calls from Suella Braverman, the Solicitor General, and Mark Spencer, the Chief Whip, urging them to reconsider and offering them an audience with the Prime Minister. Lord Hague said: Whenever I spoke as foreign secretary about the upholding of laws and treaties, to the UN or any errant state, I did so with the utter confidence that my country stood on solid ground. We undermine that ground at our peril. The Prime Minister said the measures contained in the Bill to override the Withdrawal Agreement would "never be invoked" if an agreement was reached with Brussels. He said that if Brussels failed to negotiate in good faith then it would be necessary to introduce the package of protective powers. He said MPs would then be able to vote on whether to rescind the powers, but rebel MPs said they would need to be given a vote before, not after, the powers were used. Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative MP behind the rebel amendment, said the Prime Minister's promise of a vote did not provide enough scrutiny for such a constitutionally significant issue. The rebels will need to number at least 50 to defeat the Government, as Mr Johnson has an 80-seat majority and the DUP has also said it will vote for the Bill. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said the Prime Minister had severely damaged the UKs reputation as an upholder of the rule of law with his legislative hooliganism. Behind the scenes, Government whips are continuing to try to find a compromise that would satisfy the rebels. A supporter of the Neill amendment said discussions with the whips office had been perfectly cordial and insisted discussions to urge the Government to adopt the amendment were ongoing. They said: I know that most of us supporters are prepared to work with the Government to ensure terms that both sides are happy with. We do want to support the Prime Minister. A separate senior backbencher added: Many MPs are talking about this as being the Government's Gallipoli. Its a totally unnecessary battle that we dont need to have. Downing Streets warning that MPs who rebelled against the legislation could be stripped of the Tory whip was dismissed by rebels as posturing and bluster. One said: Its one thing when you want an election to expel MPs from the party, it's another when youre less than one year into your term and face losing your majority. The editor of a respected science magazine has strongly condemned the president, as it emerged he had intentionally played down the threat posed by the coronavirus. As the number of infections in the US passed 6.5m and the number of fatalities approached 200,000, excepts of a new book by Bob Woodward revealed the president privately was aware of the seriousness posed by the virus and the pandemic it had triggered. This is deadly stuff, the president told Mr Woodward in February, one of 18 he had with the veteran reporter and exposer of the Watergate scandal, for his new book, Rage. You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. Coronavirus: Weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in England Questioned over the discrepancy over what he was saying in private and his proclamations in public - the president repeatedly claimed the virus was no more deadly than the flu - Mr Trump said he did not want to overly scare people. The fact is, I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country. And I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic as you say, he said. And certainly, I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength. We want to show strength as a nation. And that's what I've done. Mr Trump has been widely criticised over his decisions. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, termed them a life-and-death betrayal of the American people. He knew how dangerous it was. And while the deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose, he said. Now the editor in chief of Science magazine, Herbert Holden Thorp, has also admonished the president, saying his actions represented the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy. When President Donald Trump began talking to the public about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in February and March, scientists were stunned at his seeming lack of understanding of the threat, he wrote in an editorial. We assumed that he either refused to listen to the White House briefings that must have been occurring or that he was being deliberately sheltered from information to create plausible deniability for federal inaction. He said that because Mr Woodward recorded the interview, the world can hear Mr Trump in his own words admitting how serious it actually was. As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people, he wrote. These lies demoralised the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States. Mr Thorp, whose comments were highlighted by HuffPost wrote that over the years the magazine had commented often on the scientific foibles of US presidents. Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations has been criticised frequently, he said. But now, a president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans. He added: This may be the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy. The long queues of people standing and waiting for their turn to buy face masks show the great potential of the drug and medical equipment market. While many retail chains have had to shut down or reduce operations because of Covid-19, drug retail chains have been thriving because of the increased demand. This has prompted retailers to expand their chains. The long queues of people standing and waiting for their turn to buy face masks show the great potential of the drug and medical equipment market. Pharmacity is the drug retail chain with the highest number of stores. Established in 2011, it had 328 stores as of April 2020. The chain plans to open 350 more stores this year to increase the total number of stores to 602. Long Chau drugstore chain said it has found 40 retail premises for the opening of new stores in Q2. It plans to have 200 stores by the end of the year. It has been expanding very rapidly. It had 83 stores in 19 cities and provinces as of late Q1 2020. In 2017, The Gioi Di Dong, a mobile phone distribution chain, said that it would join the drug retail market. Nguyen Duc Tai, chair of The Gioi Di Dong, said he would expand the chain through M&A deals. It is expected that it will have 500 stores from the initial 10-15 stores. To implement the ambitious plan, in 2018, The Gioi Di Dong poured capital into the Phuc An Khang chain, which was managing 20 medium-scale stores in HCM City. Foreigners also have also jumped on the bandwagon. Century Pharma from Indonesia is one of them. The chain of Century Healthcare stores took shape after the retailer bought Vistar, which then had 24 stores, located at large shopping centers in HCM City, including Bitexco, Saigon Center, Aeon Mall and Giga Mall. The drug market is described as "the goose that lays golden eggs" because of its promised high profits. Nikkei reported that the Japanese drug chain Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings is planning to expand business to Vietnam. The company said the activities in Vietnam would be carried out in cooperation with the HCM City-based Lotus Food. Meanwhile, Guardian and Medicare are dominating the distribution of health care and beauty care products targeting individual consumption. Great potential The drug market is described as "the goose that lays golden eggs" because of its promised high profits. BMI, a market analysis firm, believes that market value would rise from $7.7 billion in 2021 to $16.1 billion by 2026 with the CAGR of 11 percent based on Vietnam dong. IMS Health predicted that the average spending for drugs would increase from $20 per head per annum in 2015-2017 to $50 in 2020. It is estimated that 25 percent of revenue of the pharmacy industry in Vietnam, or $2 billion in 2021 and $4 billion in 2026, would be poured into the drug retail market through drugstores. Vietnam is increasingly attracting investors, especially after the government decided to reduce many business conditions and loosen requirements on foreign investors. In early February, when Covid-19 broke out in many countries, Pharmacity got another $31.8 million from a series-C round. In May 2019, MEF III also announced investment in Pharmacity, but the value was not unclear. Analysts guess the investment was worth $8-15 million. Money not easy to be made Analysts said the drug retail market is large, but there is no outstanding retailer that dominates the market. A report of Rong Viet Securities showed that there are 30,000 drugstores, which means that the market is fragmented. Rong Viet believes that limited market share is a great challenge to retailers. At present, it is not drug retail chains, but individual stores, which dominate the market. The stores have advantages in low rent and store owners who offer consultancy to buyers. They have high flexibility and competitive operation costs. According to Rong Viet Securities, drug retail turnover in Vietnam just accounts for 30 percent of total revenue from the pharmacy market. The figures are 64 percent in Brazil and 80 percent in the Philippines. Chair of The Gioi Di Dong Nguyen Duc Tai recently told the press that he doesnt intend to make heavy investment in An Khang drug chain because he thinks the environment is not favorable enough. Thu Ky The EVFTA 'dose for the drug market With EVFTA, Vietnams pharmacy firms will have to compete fairly with the manufacturers from the EU. Comparing prices before renewal can save you hundreds of dollars per year. Visit our website to get free quotes, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post that explains why drivers should compare car insurance quotes before renewing coverage with the current insurer. Many policyholders in the United States prefer to keep the same insurance provider and automatically renew coverage once it expires. It seems easier this way. However, this is a big mistake that could cost them a lot of money. 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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 http://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Juan Jose Rodriguez (Agence France-Presse) Panama City, Panama Mon, September 14, 2020 19:09 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44bff72 2 Environment frogs,animals,Panama,conservation,fungi,Science,nature Free Cocooned from the outside world, some 200 critically endangered golden frogs are living a sheltered existence in Panama, protected from a devastating fungus that threatens to wipe out a third of the country's amphibian species -- a situation scientists describe as "critical." The frogs, which are yellow or gold with black spots, enjoy a controlled environment inside fish tanks installed at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), a 5,000-square-foot (465-square-meter) facility in Gamboa, north of Panama City. Though endemic to the lush Central American country, no Panamanian golden frog can be seen in its natural habitat, threatened as it is by a so-called "superfungus" that has decimated amphibians in the wild. According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) published this week, the planet has lost more than two-thirds of its vertebrates in less than 50 years. The situation is especially dire in the tropical areas of Central and South America, where the extent of loss is pegged at 94 percent. Believed extinct in the wild, only about 1,500 of the tiny Panamanian golden frogs are found in zoos where they can reproduce. But it is not only frogs that are vulnerable to the fungus. Toads, salamanders and caecilians -- limbless amphibians similar to snakes -- are also at risk. "In Panama, we can say that about a third of the 225 species of amphibians are threatened in some way," said STRI researcher Roberto Ibanez. Gina Della Togna, a specialist in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Maryland, described the situation as "critical". Read also: International team of scientists to preserve Lake Titicaca giant frog 'Superfungus' The biggest threat posed to amphibians is chytrid fungus, which spreads through water. The pathogen is responsible for chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that scientists say has already caused the disappearance of some 30 species. The fungus becomes embedded in the animal's skin and infects it, causing it to be unable to exchange salts and water with the environment. The disease causes irreparable damage to vital functions. Eventually the animal dies of heart failure caused by asphyxiation. "It's a pretty dramatic and painful disease," said Angie Estrada, a biologist at Virginia Tech University and administrator of Panama's Summit Park. "When the fungus gets to a place where it wasn't, it affects populations very much and animals die en masse. It causes certain death in the individuals it infects. It's a devastating phenomenon," said Della Togna. The microorganism was first detected in the 20th century in the Korean Peninsula and scientists warn that it has already spread throughout the world. "Anywhere in the world where there are amphibians, the fungus is already there," said Estrada. It arrived in Panama in the early 1990s and has been wreaking havoc ever since. "It's a superfungus that can even affect other species that are not amphibians," according to Ibanez. He warned that deforestation, environmental destruction and pollution of streams and rivers caused by humans exacerbate the problem. Read also: Male Brazilian frog stays loyal to two females in 'harem' Glimmers of hope Despite the gloomy scenario, scientists point to some glimmers of hope, saying that in the past few years some species believed to have gone extinct have been re-discovered. Specialists suspect that some amphibians have been able to bolster their defenses against infection. "This gives us hope, knowing that some frogs are returning and that they have ways to counter-attack" the fungus, said Estrada. Meanwhile, in Gamboa, the STRI maintains some 2,000 specimens from 12 frog species in the hope they can one day be released into the wild to fend for themselves. "The idea is not to keep these animals in captivity forever. We want to be able to reestablish populations in their natural habitat," said Ibanez. To that end, Smithsonian researcher Della Togna is carrying out an assisted reproduction project, where she freezes the animals' semen in order to impregnate the females and increase their numbers. With great care, she injects hormones into the tiny frogs that appear to get lost in the palm of her hand. "Of all the different animals, amphibians are the world's most threatened," Della Togna said. Topics : frogs animals Panama conservation fungi Science nature SoftBank has sold the processor architecture company, ARM to NVIDIA for a deal valued at $40 billion. The deal could bring about a tighter integration of Nvidias technology with Arms IPs. What has been mostly rumours in the air has turned out to be true. SoftBank has sold the processor architecture company, Arm to NVIDIA for a deal valued at $40 billion. Reports about NVIDIAs interest in Arm were doing the rounds earlier this year with many suggesting the company was in advanced talks to acquire the the semiconductor company. NVIDIA will be putting in a mix of cash and stock options, which includes $21.5 billion in NVIDIA stocks and $12 billion in cash. NVIDIA will be paying $2 billion at the time of signing the deal, along with $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees and $5 billion in cash or stock to Softbank. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals in US, UK, China and EU and is expected to take around 18 months to complete. So, sometime in 2022, Arm will officially come under Nvidia. What does the NVIDA-ARM acquisition mean for mobile users? The deal could bring about a tighter integration of Nvidias technology with Arms IPs. That could mean a GeForce-powered SoC design from Arm in the future, but whether that would bring about a change in the licensing models that Arm has in place with silicon makers, remains to be seen. Its likely that Nvidia wont disrupt the previously established status quo to preserve licensing revenues. Its Arms intellectual property that powers mobile processors for Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Apple and Huawei, while Nvidia is a leader in GPUs in PCs. Both companies release their roadmaps every year. Arm outlines the mobile CPU and GPU IPs, which are then used by fabless chip designers like Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek to design their custom chips for mobile devices. NVIDIA also attempted to make mobile CPUs once upon a time with its Tegra lineup of chips, but it never became quite popular and is presently used in the Nintendo Switch. And while the deal should eventually get NVIDIA into the mobile computing side of things, the company states that its main focus is going to be on data centres right now. Theres also movement in the opposite direction. With Apple going public with its plans to power MacBooks with silicon-based on Arm IP, NVIDIAs acquisition might do the same for Windows PCs as well. There are already Qualcomm chips available for PCs, but we arent seeing very many devices powered by those chips yet. According to the deal, Arm will continue to be headquartered in Cambridge, UK with NVIDIA investing in a new AI research centre there. In fact, NVIDIA has signalled the acquisition is done to set up the next stage of AI computing. Spanish infrastructure major Acciona said it has achieved a key construction milestone on the Al Khobar 1 project with the production of the first cu m of water (equivalent to consumption of a four-member family for a day) at its desalination plant on the east coast of Saudi Arabia. Acciona is a world leader in desalination using reverse osmosis technology, which emits 6.5 times fewer greenhouse gases than thermal desalination. The Spanish group is the EPC contractor for Al Khobar 1, which it expects to complete before the end of the year. Once operational, the desalination plant, which is owned by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), will produce 210,000 cu m of potable water per day, serving a population of 350,000 inhabitants. On the key milestone, Ignacio Lobo Gutierrez, Acciona Project Director, said: "It is the result of good teamwork between the client, our engineers and the construction teams. Now that we are entering the final stage of construction, we will undertake a number of trials and tests to make sure everything works perfectly." The plant, equipped with energy-efficient Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology, is a critical project in the modernisation of the water sector being undertaken by SWCC. Acciona Middle East Managing Director Jesus Sancho said while it was delighted over the achievement at Al Khobar 1, it was equally proud of another miletone - relaated to workers' safety. "We have successfully clocked five million man-hours without lost-time injuries, an example of Accionas dedication to the health and wellbeing of our employees and our partners, and our commitment to our client and to the local authorities." Saudi Arabia, with a population of about 33.4 million, is the worlds third largest per capita consumer of water, behind the US and Canada. The kingdom has introduced measures to rationalise water consumption as part of its Vision 2030 program, with the goal of achieving a 24 per cent reduction in consumption in 2021 and by as much as 43 per cent by the end of this decade. According to Accionas latest Sustainability Report, desalinated water production in the Middle East will be 13 times higher in 2040 than it was in 2014. In a region with acute water scarcity, demand for desalinated water is being driven by climate change and population growth. India on Monday recorded 92,076 fresh cases of the coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours which took the overall tally to 48,46,427. According to Union health ministry update, there are 9,86,598 active cases while 37,80,107 patients have been discharged. More than 1,100 (1,136 to be exact) fatalities were recorded in the said perid which pushed the death toll up to 79,722. India has been recording at least 1,000 fatalities everyday due to the coronavirus disease for the last three weeks. Maharashtra, which has the highest number of Covid-19 cases, also tops in terms of the death toll. The fatalities count in Maharashtra reached close to 30,000 after 416 patients died due to the infection on Sunday, according to health ministry. Apaert from Maharashtra, the Centre on Sunday urged Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to ensure adequate oxygen availability in all healthcare facilities and unrestricted intra- and inter-state movement of oxygen cylinders because of the coronavirus pandemic. The health ministry held a virtual meeting where Union health secretary, secretary DPIIT and secretary Pharmaceuticals participated. Union minister Piyush Goyal addressed them. The states were advised to ensure facility wise/hospital wise oxygen inventory management and advance planning for replenishment so that there are no stockout, the health ministry said in a statement. Health minister Harsh Vardhan, meanwhile, said on Sunday that a vaccine for the disease is likely to be available by early next year and the government is considering its emergency authorisation for high-risk people. Vardhan said the government is taking full precautions in human trials of vaccines and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration is drawing up a detailed strategy on how to immunise the majority of the population. Special advisers for Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan are set to cost taxpayers at least 1.5m a year, the Irish Independent can reveal. The Coalition leaders have 17 special advisers between them, with salaries ranging from 74,000 to as much as 180,000. The Government has come under opposition criticism for the number of advisers being appointed by the party leaders. The most highly paid are Mr Martin, Mr Varadkar and Mr Ryan's chiefs of staff. Deirdre Gillane, Mr Martin's chief of staff, is entitled to pay of 180,276 as she is on the deputy secretary salary scale for the civil service. Brian Murphy, Mr Varadkar's chief of staff - now and in the last government - is in line for the same salary. The 180,276 is actually just over 8,000 more than the 172,263 Mr Varadkar will be paid after government ministers agreed to waive 10pc of their salaries. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has joint chiefs of staff - Anna Conlan and Donall Geoghegan. They are both on the assistant secretary salary scale of between 139,628 and 159,725. Details of the salary scales for special advisers came in response to parliamentary questions from Labour leader Alan Kelly and Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. The precise pay for each adviser was not revealed. The Department of the Taoiseach did not provide the Irish Independent with details on how much three advisers who work part-time are paid. But the cumulative total salaries for the 14 full-time special advisers - based on the figures for the lower end of the salary scales - comes to at least 1.5m. Mr Martin has six special advisers, including deputy chief of staff Pat McPartland who is on the assistant secretary salary scale of 139,628 to 159,725. NUI Galway professor Alan Ahearne is Mr Martin's economic adviser. He is listed as part-time on a salary scale described as "assistant secretary equivalent". Mr Varadkar also has six special advisers, with his head of policy and programme implementation, John Carroll, on the assistant secretary scale. Nine of the advisers to the three leaders are on the principal officer salary scale that starts at 87,325. They include advisers to Mr Martin, Kevin Dillon, Grainne Weld and Diarmuid Lynch, who worked in Fianna Fail's policy and research office; and three advisers to Mr Varadkar: Angela Flanagan, Philip O'Callaghan and Clare Mungovan. Mr Ryan has one full-time adviser on the principal officer salary scale, Eamonn Fahey, and two others who work part-time in the same bracket, David Healy and Niamh Allen. A government statement said special advisers have been appointed since the early 1990s. "They perform an essential role in government, providing external expertise, acting as a liaison between a minister and their department and with the wider civil service, and monitoring implementation of the Programme for Government," it said. They provide briefings and advice on a wide range of policy matters and are required to be available to advise their minister at all times, it added. Nearly Rs 40,000 crore was withdrawn from the Employees' Provident Fund account during the coronavirus-led lockdown period from March 25 to August 31, Minister of State Independent Charge (MoS IC) for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar said. Gangwar gave the details while answering a question during the first day of the Parliament's monsoon session on September 14. Follow our LIVE blog on the Parliament Monsoon session here Among the states, Maharashtra led the pack with the highest withdrawal amount of Rs 7,837.85 crore; followed by Karnataka (Rs 5,743.96 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 4,984.51 crore), Delhi (Rs 2,940.97 crore) and Telangana (Rs 2,619.39 crore) who rounded off the top five. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here 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 Sr. No. State/Union Territory (UT) Amount withdrawn (25.03.2020 31.08.2020) 1 Andhra Pradesh Rs 1,232.48 crore 2 Assam and other north-eastern states Rs 227.15 crore 3 Bihar Rs 309.95 crore 4 Chandigarh Rs 506.73 crore 5 Chhattisgarh Rs 402.59 crore 6 Delhi Rs 2,940.97 crore 7 Goa Rs 184.27 crore 8 Gujarat (includes Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) Rs 2,115.17 crore 9 Haryana Rs 2,220.82 crore 10 Himachal Pradesh Rs 267.55 crore 11 Jammu & Kashmir And Ladakh Rs 0.44 crore 12 Jharkhand Rs 294.03 crore 13 Karnataka Rs 5,743.96 crore 14 Kerala (includes Lakshadweep) Rs 1,288.09 crore 15 Madhya Pradesh Rs 941.30 crore 16 Maharashtra Rs 7,837.85 crore 17 Odisha Rs 512.64 crore 18 Punjab Rs 642.93 crore 19 Rajasthan Rs 868.40 crore 20 Tamil Nadu (including Puducherry) Rs 4,984.51 crore 21 Telangana Rs 2,619.39 crore 22 Uttar Pradesh Rs 1,613.03 crore 23 Uttarakhand Rs 398.79 crore 24 West Bengal (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) Rs 1,249.90 crore Total: Rs 39,402.94 crore On what further steps are being taken by the government to help labourers by generating more employment in the country, Gangwar outlined steps such as encouraging private sector, fast tracking various projects involving substantial investment and encouraging public expenditure on schemes such as Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana National Uraban Livelihoods Mission, National Carrier Service, Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana. He however denied that the government is planning other social security measures for those in the provident fund network, stating: There is no such proposal under consideration at present. A 12-year-old student has adopted a tiger at Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) here for three months by spending his birthday budget. Chinmay Siddharth Shah, a class 7 student of a city school, has come forward to adopt a Royal Bengal Tiger named Sankalp". He along with his father Siddharth Kantilal Shah visited the office of the curator and handed over a cheque of Rs 25,000 to Deputy Curator A.Nagamani towards adoption of the tiger for a period of three months. Five other children also presented a cheque of Rs 5,000 each to adopt nocturnal animals and small birds. Havisha Jain and Vihaan Atul Shah, Preksha, Priyal, Dhwani and Bhakti Nagda handed over the cheques to NZP official. Nagamani thanked the children for showing great gesture, love and affection towards the conservation of wildlife by adopting the tiger and birds in the Zoo Park. She also appealed to the citizens to come forward in more numbers and adopt the animals. The zoo, which has suffered a loss of more than Rs 6 crore due to the ban on entry of visitors since March 22, is looking for celebrities and businessmen to come forward and adopt the animals, by sponsoring their expenses for a fixed period. The officials hope that this gesture would help the zoo tide over the financial constraint triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. In July, Tollywood actor Ram Charans wife and superstar K. Chiranjeevis daughter-in-law, Upasana Kamineni konidela came forward to adopt an elephant for one year. A businessman also adopted a Royal Bengal tiger for one year. Spread over 300 acres, the zoo is home to nearly 181 indigenous and exotic species, including 1,716 animals, birds, and reptiles. Known as one of the best zoos in Asia, it attracts around 30 lakh visitors every year on an average. Expect the U.S. Navy carrier air wing to have extended ranges in dealing with threats in the future. This was expressed by officials who are tasked with the improvement of United State's air warfare. According to experts, the U.S. Navy will focus on giving aircraft carriers and its air wings with enhanced capabilities to increase its operational range. One of the reasons is to counter long-range weapons of their adversaries, including China. Rear Adm. Greg Harris highlighted the analysis of the carrier air wing and how it is impacted by several factors. These factors are the planes, ship crew, and the different systems that will be used with new weapon systems. The carrier platform has more opponents who fear the massive firepower of carrier strike group (CSG), using beyond visual range weapons and missile systems to take out a U.S carrier, according to Defend News. Instead of relying on Air Force aerial tankers, the navy is developing the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tanker drone. This will extend the range of fighters that already takes advantage of the steam catapult. Refueling with UAVs adds more punch to the air wing. The addition of the unmanned tanker will not only increase the range of conventional fighters but also of the 5th generation F-35s and newer planes. Longer ranges are more lethal with standoff weapons that will add more value to planes. The remarks of Harris follow after China demonstrated their DF-26 and DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles fired in a test in the South China Sea. China has always been wanting to send the U.S. a message after American CSGs have been roaming the South China Sea region, reported Global Times. Also read: US Navy Destroyer Sent to South China Sea After China Tests Aircraft-Carrier Killer Missiles It is the status quo for the Chines People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to ride the waves unopposed, but the U.S. Navy never listened to their complaints. Last July, two supercarrier strike groups did maneuvers and exercises in a literal show of force that sent Chinese in diplomatic protests. One of the biggest challenges for the aircraft carrier weapons plant form is how to survive and prove its value. Other proponents are saying that the CSG will be developed with a stronger weapons system to strike and disable enemy assets. For some, bringing in the carrier strike group into the range of China's rockets is harrowing and questionable. Believers in the power of the aircraft carrier think that ways can be found to face Chinese missile barrages. Admiral Harris admitted the study has opened questions about the range and warfighting efficacy that are needed to be brought in naval might. Devising how to get closest to the enemy without fear of its missiles is one of the priorities of analysts and planners. Based on the study of the naval forces, the carrier air wing is the focus of the analysis. Traditionally, the CSGs need to be within striking distance to deliver its weapons and payload which is not feasible anymore in the modern battflefield. Thus, there's a growing need to strike at a distance without getting into enemy range too much. This is the expectation requiring the Navy to adopt counter-measures that are already in development. He added that the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is a mobile airfield that has a chance of surviving better than a static land base. Place a carrier air wing with carrier strike group, with all assets working together and they can strike at a distance effectively. Related article: Analysts Say That China Is Exceeding Naval Growth Than Expected @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Kolkata, Sept 14: A 40-year-old Trinamool Congress worker was found dead in West Bengals Malda district, police said on Monday. The deceased was identified as Subodh Pramanik, a wood trader. He was a resident of Habibpur village in the district, they said. Pramaniks body was found near his agricultural land where he had gone on Sunday evening, police said. Police have launched a probe into the matter as the TMC held the local BJP responsible for the killing. The BJP leadership, however, rubbished the allegations and blamed the TMCs internal feud as the reason behind the death. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 01:41:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Capitol and a stop sign are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "'To be friends against someone,' in my opinion, contradicts the very meaning of the word 'friendship,'" Lavrov said. MOSCOW, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the U.S. policy of forming alliances against third countries, including China. Responding to a question about Washington's attempt to pitting other countries against China, Lavrov said "the policy is alien to us." "Neither Russia, nor China, nor our allies ever offer someone to be friends against someone," Lavrov said Sunday on a local TV program. "We have a completely different diplomatic and political culture. We have a desire to develop good relations with everyone," he said. Russia never puts forward preconditions for cooperation that its partners must deliberately worsen relations with some countries in the first place, Lavrov noted. "'To be friends against someone,' in my opinion, contradicts the very meaning of the word 'friendship,'" he added. To the Editor: Re New Reasons to Doubt That Pope During 40s Sought to Save Jews (news article, Aug. 28): I was a member of the International Catholic-Jewish Historical Commission comprising three Catholic and three Jewish international scholars to review the 11 volumes of archival Holocaust material published by the Vatican and to raise relevant questions that were not satisfactorily resolved by the available documentation. We released a preliminary report in October 2000 posing 47 questions that have not been fully addressed by the Vatican. You cite previously unpublished documents related to the Finaly brothers, which the historian David I. Kertzer published, that describe the churchs refusal to return them to their Jewish aunt after the war. During the Holocaust the brothers were put in the care of local Catholics and secretly baptized after their parents were killed in Auschwitz. If they had not been baptized, it is not certain that the church would have protected them from the Nazis, and they would have been shipped to concentration camps. And after the war the church resisted returning them to their Jewish family, claiming that they were Catholic. New Delhi: The Monsoon session 2020 of Parliament is set to commence today amid strict COVID-19 precautions in place. A total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days will be conducted during the monsoon session and 47 items have been identified for being taken up during the Monsoon Session 2020, said Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. This is the first parliament session after the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Therefore all safety measures have been taken to conduct the session to ensure no health risk to parliamentarians and staff. "As you are aware, the Monsoon Session of Parliament is commencing on 14 September 2020 and will last up to October 1 without any holiday in between. This session is being held in extraordinary circumstances. While discharging our Constitutional responsibilities, we also have to comply with all the Covid-19 related guidelines," Birla stated in the letter to parliamentarians. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday has sent a safety COVID-19 kit along with a letter to all the parliamentarians amid the pandemic. The MPs will be given packed food in the canteen during the Monsoon session. Live TV Among few other changes this year, the all-party meeting held prior to the parliament session also remained cancelled due to coronavirus. The all-party meeting is held to discuss the agenda and set targets before the Parliament session. In the meeting, the Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman discuss the issues and the list of Bills to be introduced in the session. This is the fourth session of 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha which is scheduled to start from today. There will be a four-hour session for each House each day (9 am to 1 pm) for Rajya Sabha and 3 pm to 7 pm for Lok Sabha. But on the first day, only i.e. on September 14, of the Lok Sabha will meet in the morning session. Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not attend the first part of parliament's monsoon session as she left the national capital for her annual check-up abroad today. She is accompanied by her son, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is expected to return after a few days. The Zero Hour will be there and the un-starred questions will be laid on the table. The total 11 Bills to replace ordinances are as follows: (i)The Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. (ii) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.(iii) The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (iv) The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (v) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.(vi) The Insolvency & Bankruptcy (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020 ( vii) The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (viii) The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 (ix)The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (x) The Salary and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (xi) The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are required to be passed during the ensuing Monsoon Session. What China is trying to do by sending representatives linked to UFWD India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: China has been upping the ante with aggressive posturing. Now comes the posting of hardcore ambassadors in a bid to influence South Asia. China has sent Nong Rong as ambassador to Pakistan. Rong is closely associated with the United Front Works Department (UFWD), where Chinese President, Xi Jingping served for many years. The mandate of the UFWD is influencing political, economic and intellectuals in other countries. They largely achieve their mandates by penetrating into the system of a country. Military level talks would determine how serious China is about disengagement The current Chinese representative in Bangladesh Li Jiming and former ambassador to. Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan also had links with the UFWD. The UFWD was created during the Chinese Civil War and then re-established in 1979 under Deng Xiaoping. Since the year 2012, the role of the UFWD was expanded and intensified under Xi. The UFWD has over 40,000 personnel and it oversees eight minor and subordinate parties and the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce. The organisation has also taken a leading role in anti-religious campaigns in China under the garb of sinicizing religions. A 2018 report by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission said that the UFWD regularly attempts to suppress overseas protests and acts of expression critical of the Communist Party of China. In May 2020, the White House released a report titled, "US Strategic Approach the People's Republic of China which stated that the CCP United Front Organisations and agents target businesses, universities, think-tanks, scholars, journalists and local state and federal officials in the United States and around the world. The report said that this is an attempt to influence discourse and restrict external influence inside the PRC. In June 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute issued a report advocating a multi dimensional response involving law enforcement as well as legislative reform for greater transparency of foreign influence operations. In the same month, the Republican Study Committee in the United States called for sanctions on the UFWD and its top leadership. Under Xi, the UFWD became more centred on promoting him and his key idea known as the Xi Jinping Thought. It also focuses on the social stability and China's national rejuvenation. This also includes the claims over the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Sending Rong to Pakistan also means that a clear message is being sent out on the Belt and Road Initiative. This also would mean that China wants to reduce India's civilisational influence and push for the BRI in a very aggressive manner. Take irreversible action against terror groups, India-US tell Pakistan Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World by Clive. Hamilton and Marieke Ohlberg reveals how the Chinese Communist Party has been spreading its tentacles to subvert the democratic world and also pursue its agenda of global dominance. It also says that the UFWD work is carried out by a network of party agencies and organisations that are linked to the party. The UFWD which has formed 100s of organisations in various countries gather information to feed the Chinese consulates. Further espionage activities are closely integrated into those influence operations. This includes information on personal lives, health status, political affiliations and sexual proclivities of leaders, businessmen, opinion makers, university heads. This is used to build personal profiles and also coerce targets. The seafloor of Vietnams waters will be mapped to serve the sustainable maritime economic development strategy. The largest project, worth VND500 billion, aims to map the seafloor terrain for the entirety of Vietnams waters to serve the sustainable maritime economic development strategy until 2020 with a vision to 2045. It will be undertaken by the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands in partnership with the authorities concerned, with the final products being maps at the scales of 1:10,000, 1:50,000, 1:250,000 and 1:500,000, which will be stored electronically and printed on paper. Other projects include the surveying of the resources and environment of the southwestern waters; and of the natural conditions, resources and environmental state of the central regions waters to a depth of 1,000 metres. The geological structure and geodynamic characteristics of the deep-water area in the East Sea/South China Sea will also be surveyed in order to assess its oil potential and orientate deep-water exploration in conjunction with asserting national sovereignty. MONRE is also looking to assess the potentials of wave energy and wind power from Quang Tri to Ca Mau; draw a map of marine environmental pollution risks; and simulate the saltwater intrusion process in underground water layers along with its impacts on water security, food security and the ecology of coastal areas./. TDT | Manama The Cities and Villages Development Project, meant for improving the living standards of low-income families in the Kingdom, is moving on attracting huge interest, said a top municipal services official. Shawqia Humaidan, the Assistant Undersecretary for Joint Municipal Services, said the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning is exerting all its capabilities to implement the project in a desirable way. 423 houses completed Around 67 of the projects accepted by the ministry for restoration between 2019 and mid2020 were completed in 2019 and 78 this year. In total, the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning has completed the renovation of more than 423 houses within the Cities and Villages Development Project in cooperation with various municipal councils during the period. Work is also currently underway to restore 44 homes within the project, Humaidan said. On the Rain Coatings Project, the ministry announced completing the works of 145 projects in 2019 and 132 in the first half of 2020, in all governorates. The Cities and Villages Development Project was launched in Bahrain in 2006 to improve the living standards of low-income families in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The criteria for the Rain Coatings Project are the same as those for the restoration project. Application criteria Ministry said it accepts a project for restoration, if an applicant owns the dwelling in whole, partially, and is residing there for more than 10 years. CPR and address of the applicant must be identical, and the applicant should have the consent of all owners in case of multiple owners. The approved cost of maintenance and restoration per house under the project should not exceed a maximum of 10,000 dinars. The project allows families to add facilities to suit their needs, within an area not exceeding 60 square meters. Request for Home Waterproof Project also fall within the purview of the restoration project. Ceiling raised to BD800 Humaidan also confirmed that the ceiling of the total income of the beneficiaries in case of fire (emergency cases) was raised to 800 dinars from the 600 dinars earlier, following the Capital Municipality and municipal councils. On the approval process, Humaidan said the requests submitted online by the municipal councils and the Capital Municipality Council are then reviewed and audited by the Urban Development Department. If the department confirms that a request fulfils all necessary criteria, it will be accepted, and a tender is issued. CORINTH - Tuesday, Sept. 15 is maybe a first for a village election date in New York. But nothing is normal after society shifted in response to the coronanvirus pandemic. And village elections were originally supposed to be on March 18 - just after students were set home in preparation of the pandemic. The elections were then rescheduled for Sept. 15. Some races in the Capital Region are uncontested, such as the mayor and trustee races in the Village of Colonie. But others remain competitive even after the delay, like the mayor's race in the Saratoga County village of Corinth. Voters there can go to the polls on Tuesday to chose between Deputy Mayor and Democrat Maureen Kelly and Trustee and Republican Charles Pasquarell. While not much separates them as they both want to see the redevelopment of the abandoned International Paper property as well as a revitalization of local businesses, they are divided on the controversial issue of having a designated Saratoga County Sheriff's deputy for the village. Pasquarell said one is important while Kelly, who voted to eliminate the deputy two years ago, says the village could not longer afford the $360,000 a year cost. Kelly, 52, said the village is in a good position moving out of the pandemic even though it suffered a blow to its sale tax revenue. She said the village has a strong fund balance and a AAA+ credit rating. She also touts her efforts on the new waste water treatment plant, sewer and water projects and the beach. She has also worked on the Palmertown Range project with Saratoga PLAN. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Pasquarell, 59, said in addition to reinstating the deputy, he would like to improve cell service and help people with their water bills, which have gone up significantly. He would also like to see development of more affordable housing, particularly for seniors. He he would also like to see better cell phone services. Both would like to improve their working relationship with the town board and town of Corinth Supervisor Richard Lucia. The winning candidate will replace retiring Democratic Mayor Dennis Morreale, who served two terms. The ballot also includes two unopposed trustees. Incumbent Timothy Halliday seeks a third term and Michael Bedell is looking for his first. Both trustee candidates are Republicans. If Kelly wins, Pasquarell would remain on the board of trustees. If Pasquarell wins, he would appoint someone to fill his term for one year and a special election would be called in 2021 to select a trustee to officially run out his term that expires in 2022. The magazines stall introduced signature cultural, tourism and cuisine products of Vietnam, such as conical hats, photos and paintings, and spring rolls, drawing a large number of visitors. Vice Mayor of Augsburg City Martina Wild, who is in charge of immigration issues, thanked Vietnam for participating in the event and expressed her opinion on Vietnamese conical hats and food. In particular, each visitor to the stall was presented with a mask which features a Vietnamese map including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, thus affirming the countrys sovereignty over the two archipelagos. To celebrate the anniversary, the magazine had also joined a five-day AFA Augsburg spring fair 2020 on a site of 500 sq.m in order to popularise the country, people, tourism, culture and food of Vietnam. LONDON Matchesfashion has announced two executive appointments, naming Sean Glithero as its new chief financial officer and Jason Weston as chief operating officer. Glithero, who will be joining the retailer at the end of the month, previously held coo positions at the British automotive marketplace Auto Traders Group and the global loans platform Funding Circle Holdings, where he spearheaded both companies public listings. More from WWD Matches is a business with strong foundations, operating in a growing market thats benefiting from increasing online penetration. The company has a unique capacity to inspire luxury customers in the digital age, and I look forward to readying the business for long-term growth, said Glithero. Weston joins from Amazon, where he held various leadership roles, overseeing special projects in Europe and the giants Prime Now one-hour deliveries. He has also served as coo of the online marketplace Notonthehighstreet.com, which helps small creative businesses expand their online exposure. During lockdown, Ive been impressed by the businesss ability to remain fully operational, continuing to supply its 100 million global customers. I look forward to playing my part in the growing and scaling of this resilient and innovative company, said Weston. The new appointments follow the arrival of Ajay Kavan, also a former Amazon exec, who joined the retailer as chief executive officer earlier this year. Close Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court judge dies aged 87 Barack Obama has warned US democracy is at risk if Republicans press ahead with plans to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her death just over six weeks before US election day is likely to trigger a fierce battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate her replacement at the highest court in America, or if the seat should remain vacant until the result of the race in November against Democratic challenger Joe Biden is known. In a statement, Mr Obama said: A basic principle of the law and of everyday fairness is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on whats convenient or advantageous in the moment. The rule of law, the legitimacy of our courts, the fundamental workings of our democracy all depend on that basic principle. Democrats are still seething over the Republican Senate's refusal to act on Mr Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016 after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died 10 months before that election. Mr McConnell in 2016 said the Senate should not act on a court nominee during an election year, a stance he has since reversed. Despite that anger, Democrats have little chance of blocking Mr Trump's pick. His fellow Republicans control 53 of the Senate's 100 seats and Mr McConnell, who has made confirmation of Mr Trump's federal judicial nominees a top priority, said the chamber would vote on any Trump nominee. Even before justice Ginsburg's death, Mr Trump had made public a list of potential nominees. Conservative activists for years have sought to get enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. During the 2016 campaign, Mr Trump promised to appoint justices who would overturn that decision. But the court in July, even with its conservative majority, struck down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law on a 5-4 vote. The two justices already appointed by Mr Trump were Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Kavanaugh's confirmation process was particularly heated, as he faced accusations by a California university professor, Christine Blasey Ford, that he had sexually assaulted her in 1982 when the two were high school students in Maryland. Justice Kavanaugh angrily denied those accusations and was narrowly confirmed. Republicans risk the possibility of liberals embracing more radical proposals should Mr Trump replace justice Ginsburg but Democrats win November's election, with some activists on the left suggesting even before her death that the number of justices on the court should be expanded to counter Trump's appointees. Confirmation votes could also put more pressure on incumbent Republican senators in highly competitive election races, including Maine's Susan Collins and Arizona's Martha McSally, at a time when Democrats are eying a chance to win control of that chamber. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also could play a pivotal role. Many court-watchers expect Mr Trump to attempt to replace Ms Ginsburg with a woman. One possible contender on Trump's list is Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who was under consideration in 2018 before Mr Trump picked justice Kavanaugh. Additional reporting by Reuters. Check out The Independents live updates and coverage below: How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous! Dear How to Do It, My boyfriend of just under a year, Tom is pansexual, which has never been a problem (Im a straight woman, FYI). However, the night we met he told me that he had recently hooked up with a straight male friend, Brandon, and then been rejected, and this situation in particular is an issue. It is obvious that Tom has a huge crush on Brandon. Tom has said on a few occasions that he was ready to come out to his religious parents for Brandon and was hoping to be his boyfriend, but Brandon told him that the sex was a one-time thing and asked him not to tell anyone (a request which he obviously did not honor). Instead of backing off, Tom will text Brandon to join our group at any outing unless I expressly ask him not to by saying that I would like tonight to be just us, or that our friends have invited only us out. When Tom does invite Brandon places, Brandon often does not respond or responds hours later vaguely. Once, Tom said that he wanted to use my phone to call Brandon because he thought hed actually get him to pick up by using a number not his own that Brandon didnt recognize. If we pass a bar that Brandon is known to frequent regularly, Tom likes to stop in to see if hes there, and will want to hang out if Brandon is there. He also repeatedly violates Brandons request to keep their hook up under wraps. Hes told many people, not just me. The one time he did get Brandon to hang out, Tom pissed me off by staying out hours after he told me he was coming back, letting his phone die so that I couldnt reach him, and then waking me up at 3:30 in the morning to let him in because he didnt have his keys. Hes also lately been floating the idea of Brandon joining us in a threesome, because I have expressed interest in us finding a male partner for one and wants me to spend one on one time with Brandon as a start to getting him home with us. At this point, I think Im about ready to throw in the towel and let Tom chase this man and implode their friendship unencumbered by a relationship with me. What do you think? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brandon Blues Dear BB, It does indeed seem like its time to throw in the towel. Fleeting distraction that comes from what some in the poly world call new relationship energy (or NRE) is one thing, but it seems that Toms infatuation with Brandon has spanned your entire relationship with him and its not getting better. Hes only been distracted for the duration of your time together. And then theres the badgering, the refusing to take a hint, the let-me-use-your-phone-to-call-this-guy-who-wont-pick-up-when-I-call, the violation of Brandons trust. All red flags that would inspire me to question not merely the viability of the relationship, but Toms character. Hes foisting himself upon someone who is clearly not interested, despite having someone who is: you. And now hes trying to rope you in to his unceasing mission to get Brandon back in his bed? Hell no, forget it. Advertisement Advertisement But then, youve given me nothing to work with in Toms favor. While I understand that you may have edited for brevity, its telling all the same that you have little to say of Toms direct treatment of you or whats good about your relationship with him. Try making a list of those things to yourself right now, and if you cant, well, thats even more proof that your coupling is doomed. I have to assume that in casting your question the way that you did, you are essentially asking for a co-sign on an already-determined decision to end your relationship. Well: Co-sign. Dear How to Do It, I keep having really intense fantasies, and I think they are a problem that needs to stop. Some context: When I was a child, my father sexually abused my sister, and she took it out on me. I didnt find out about my fathers abuse for years, and growing up I never questioned my sisters behavior because I took that as normal. My sister needed me to be a good man to contrast my fathers bad man, but if I didnt live up to her ideal image, she would scream and curse at me. Eventually, I started living for myself and trying to be a better version of the me I am, instead of the me my sister wants me to be. And I feel much happier and healthier for it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But I keep having these really intense fantasies about bad girls, the kind of girls my sister calls sluts and whores and wouldnt let me be friends with growing up. Like, shes everything my sister hates in women, but shes kind and I feel safe with her. She doesnt always take the lead during sex, but she gives me positive reinforcement and I can be as passionate as I want. But I know that sometimes a bad girl can really just be a shitty person. My previous attempts at dating have only put me in repeats of my relationship to my sister. And the me that I am is still a goody-two-shoes nerd. I genuinely dont enjoy activities you associate with bad girls like clubbing or drinking. And as a man, I know my nervousness around sex and kissing and stuff isnt attractive, especially now that Im 25. My heart says that a bad-girl-good-boy relationship would make me happy. But my head keeps telling me that such a relationship is unfeasible, and I have to stop having these fantasies. I thought, as people more familiar with bad girls, you all could give an informed second opinion on the matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good Boy Dear Good Boy, Lets put aside any moral judgement on your fantasies and desires, which I think your anxiety suggests are beyond your control, as they are for many people. The problem that I see here is of expectation: Its one thing to fantasize; its another thing to believe the inventions of your own mind (in this case, clearly influenced by your sisters mistreatment of you). I dont want to tell you it is impossible to find a woman who identifies as a bad girl because she enjoys sex, alcohol, and going to clubs, but I know a lot of women who enjoy those things and dont subscribe to that identity or, in fact, consider their behavior bad. I understand from straight porn and Fiona Apple that Ive been a bad, bad girl is something someone might say to titillate, but there is more to a partner than dirty talk and pop-song lyrics. Unless you find a domme or someone committed to doing as many crimes as humanly possible, I dont believe youll have any ease in finding a full-time bad girl. I think this one-dimension notion of a partner will inhibit connection. Just try finding a girl first. You say you feel happier and healthier now that youre living for yourself, trying to be a better you for you and not your sister. Well, dont impose the same restrictions on other people that you found necessary to liberate yourself from. You know better than that. Advertisement Advertisement Get the How to Do It Newsletter Sex advice from Rich and Stoya, plus exclusive letter follow-ups, delivered weekly. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Dear How to Do It, I am a 56-year-old man married for 26 years to a wonderful woman. We have had our ups and downs, but as we hit middle age, we experienced a renaissance in our marriage sparked by sexual awakenings. My wife admitted that she has always been bisexual, and actually dated women in college. She had never told me this before. I always had felt like I wasnt enough, and that moment was oddly liberating for me and for her and especially for us as a couple. We worked in therapy and came to an agreement that she could date and sleep with women separate from me. I still support this, because I see how it helps her experience her complete self. Advertisement As for my fantasies and desires: I put them on the backburner because they are out of bounds. I find myself wanting to go on dates with other women. Honestly, its not really about sex or physicality. I have issues with erectile dysfunction, and sex feels like so much pressure anyway. For me, its about capturing that feeling of being desired and wanted by someone new, and the enjoyment of expressing that feeling to someone else. Getting dressed up. Going out. Butterflies. Nerves. And the enjoyment. The spark or connection. Advertisement Advertisement This isnt something Ive had with my wife in awhile. We make great life partners and are committed to each other. She has been able to explore and feel the energy she desires both sexually and interpersonally. Id like to revisit the boundaries with her, but I fear she will think this is about sex. Its not. Ive had to work hard to process jealousy and any feelings of inadequacy that Im not enough for her. She as told me she is thankful and grateful, and doesnt see how I do it. It isnt easy. But its important to her and to me, so its worth the work. But she doesnt seem willing to do it for me. I feel like shes basically saying shes not capable of this. I also dont want this to feel like an ultimatum when we do talk about it. Whats a good way to approach this? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interested in Illinois Dear Interested in Illinois, Your craving for newness is completely understandable and quite common. This feeling is something that a partner of more than 25 years is, by definition, incapable of providing in its raw form, so craving it does not necessarily indicate inadequacy on your wifes part. But have you actually raised this with her, directly? Your wife doesnt seem willing to allow you the same freedom that you have to her, and you feel like shes basically saying she wont be able to do so. Instead of reading into a cliche that itself bespeaks a lack of rigorous engagement (I dont know how you do it), its high time for a direct discussion. Perhaps illustrating how you do it would be a useful in: Through your recounting, you can show her how, despite your intial misgivings and the considerable work involved, you were able to get to a place where you dont feel threatened by her desires that extend beyond your capability. Explain your process. Show her how the sausage is made. If you dont want her to think that your interest in dating other women has anything to do with sex, explain that up front. Tell her that while you remain committed to her as a life partner, you have your own itch that a partner just cant scratch. Given how the nature of your and her desires diverge considerably and present differently, she may push back, so you should choose your words carefully and provide plenty of reassurance and compassion. Let her take her time processing your request and, depending on her comfort levels, maintain it as an ongoing conversation without the expectation that your arrangement will change after just one talk. What you wish for is something that a lot of people do (many of them identify as poly), and its also something theyre able to explore without detriment to their primary relationship. I think the main thing to do is to make clear that this is not your way of dog-whistling discontent or an evaluation of what you have with your wife, but desires that extend beyond the realm of your relationship and that, ideally, will stay there, even if youre given the green light to pursue them. Advertisement Advertisement Dear How to Do It, I have been casually seeing a guy for almost a year. We do relationship-y stuff and we genuinely care about each other, but no one is pushing for more. Were both in our late 30s with kids, so the current setup works. What doesnt work is the sex. I mean, its good, but Im looking for great. It starts out really hot and he gets me going, but once hes inside me, he always comes too fast. Three pumps and its over. I have the best orgasms when Im being penetrated, so this is big for me. Ive also never have never had this issue with someone I actually care about. I feel like its something that we could work on, but he gets very embarrassed when I bring it up. And he is very concerned that Im not satisfied, so he tries harder to make me come orally and digitally, but its like hes rushing to get me to come because he cant hold it. Im not afraid to have the conversation again, but Id like to offer suggestions or try some things that could help instead of just airing my frustration and so far Googling has given me nothing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Extended Release Dear Extended Release, A few things to try: ED drugs (especially in guys who come as fast as possible for fear of losing their erection), a topical aenstethic to desensitize the penis, pelvic floor exercises (useful not just in a PVC-muscle-toning sort of way, but also some report the ability to help them last longer when performed during sex), and the so-called pause-squeeze techique where your parter, upon nearing orgasm, withdraws his penis and either you or him sequeeze where the head meets the shaft until the feeling of imminent ejaculation subsides. I think you should also just ask him to slow down in generalI know things can get fraught in the moment when one partner is desperate to satisfy the other, but hes tripping over his own dick here and demonstrating the ineffectiveness of his methodology as he exercises it. Advertisement Advertisement Good for you for not being afraid to talk about this stuff. Keep it uplet him know that you have faith in his ability to work through this and that your ability to share a satisfying sex life with him. Your confidence may rub off on him, proving utterly essential. Advertisement Rich More How to Do It My husband and I have been together for two years. Just married nine months ago now. I noticed that he was being distant from me, and also that he was constantly hiding his phone. Every time he would go to bathroom, he was always keeping the volume on vibration, always face down. He never put it down. One day, he wasnt feeling good and he left his phone on the bed, so I picked it up to plug it in the wall charger. My gut told me to check it, so I did. In his Google search history, I found several different times he Googled Pornhub. I lost it, of course. Sharon Stone (PA Images via Getty Images) Hollywood legend Sharon Stone has said it is a big, fat stupid lie when people claim a persons physical appearance doesnt matter. The Basic Instinct star spoke about how society and Hollywood treats women in a candid recent interview. Speaking to the Telegraph, she said: You dont even realise how much [looks] matter until they start to go. Its a big, fat stupid lie if anyone says that they dont. Watch: Sharon Stone urges everyone to wear masks as she shares a video of her sister gasping for breath Read more: Sharon Stone asks for prayers after sister hospitalised with COVID-19 "Im done letting other people tell me how my face and body are, for one thing: This part is not OK and those big cellulite close-ups. All womens bodies have those kinds of things. You dont have to stay a beautiful girl forever, and we really have to start dealing with the fact that its cool to be a grown-up and intelligent woman. Sharon Stone (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) The 62-year-old also spoke of her lockdown workout routine, which includes 30 squats a day and lifting 7lb lead balls while watching TV, just because I cant get to the gym these days. Stone has spoken of the standards women in Hollywood are expected to meet before. Speaking to Allure in 2019 she said: I'm so grateful to my body. When I was younger, everybody was telling me what was wrong with my body too this, too that. Read more: Sharon Stone on being struck by lightning When I got on Basic Instinct, they hired a makeup artist that put on pounds of makeup every day, and every day I went to my trailer and took the makeup off. But I wasn't allowed to choose my makeup artist. I started to understand that I was going to go for being more like a European woman who got more beautiful with age and who could understand that women are more beautiful than girls because they know something. La presente informativa e resa, anche ai sensi dellart. 13 del D. Lgs. 196/2003 Codice in materia di protezione dei dati personali (Codice Privacy) e degli artt. 13 e 14 del Regolamento (UE) 2016/679 (GDPR), a coloro che si collegano alla presente edizione online del giornale Tribuna Economica di proprieta di AFC Editore Soc. Coop. Leggi di piu WASHINGTON (Sept. 14, 2020) -- In a new report commissioned by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), Georgetown global health experts say the success of any effort to redress pandemic preparedness failures demonstrated by COVID-19 requires a re-centering of governance that would include greater accountability, transparency, equity, participation and the rule of law. The report, Governance Preparedness: Initial Lessons from COVID-19, was published today by the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center. "The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a failure in preparedness arising from a failure of governance in global collective action, including coordination and engagement with multilateral systems, and financing, including chronic underinvestment in preparedness as well as states withdrawing financial support," write the report's authors, global health legal and policy expert Alexandra Phelan, SJD, LLM, LLB and global health security expert Rebecca Katz, PhD, MPH. The work of this report informed the GPMB 2020 Annual Report also released today. Phelan and Katz have identified key strategies to re-center and improve governance preparedness: 1. Re-establish global norms of solidarity and multilateral cooperation, including through critical reform of the International Health Regulations; 2. Consider new mechanisms to support data sharing, research and development, and equitable access to diagnostics, treatments, vaccines, and medical goods; 3. Immediately address funding constraints on the World Health Organization through increases in assessed contributions; 4. Develop frameworks and processes for more cohesive and responsive coordination between international institutions and instilling pandemic preparedness in all policies at the international level; and 5. Actively incorporate principles of good governance into international and national decision-making bodies and processes. Using lessons from governance of other global challenges, the authors say these strategies would ensure better preparedness for collective action and financing in the medium- and long-term future. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions, views, or recommendations of the GPMB. ### About the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board As an independent monitoring and advocacy body, the GPMB urges political action to prepare for and mitigate the effects of global health emergencies. Co-convened by the World Bank Group and the WHO, the GPMB works independently to provide expert assessments and recommendations on the state of global preparedness. The opinions and recommendations of the GPMB are those of the Board and do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank Group and WHO. About Georgetown University Medical Center As a top academic health and science center, Georgetown University Medical Center provides, in a synergistic fashion, excellence in education -- training physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, as well as biomedical scientists -- and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research collaboration, enhancing our basic science and translational biomedical research capacity in order to improve human health. Patient care and clinical research is conducted with our clinical partner, MedStar Health. GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on social justice and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." GUMC comprises the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing & Health Studies, Biomedical Graduate Education, and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a "very high research activity university," Georgetown is home to a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, and a Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. Connect with GUMC on Facebook (Facebook.com/GUMCUpdate) and on Twitter (@gumedcenter). Bus passengers in Quezon City wear masks and face shields, both mandatory on public transportation as the Philippines seeks to curb the spread of COVID-19, Aug. 19, 2020. The leading association of Philippine health care professionals objected Monday as authorities relaxed physical distancing rules on public transportation in a bid to spur economic activity in the country that has the highest coronavirus caseload in East Asia. The Department of Transportation reduced the required distance between public transit passengers from 1 meter (3.3 feet) to 75 cm (2.5 feet) on Monday, with further reductions scheduled on Sept. 28 and Oct. 12. Travelers are required to wear masks and face shields and are prohibited from making or taking phone calls. The Healthcare Professionals Alliance against COVID-19 (HPAAC), the largest organization of health workers nationwide, appealed to the government to reconsider its stand. HPAAC is not in favor of relaxing social distancing measures in public utility vehicles because we think its still too early, said Dr. Antonio Dans, an internist and spokesman for the group. We think its too early because we think the cases will likely increase and or recovery will slow down if we implement this now. The announcement also goes against a recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding physical distancing. In a statement, the Philippine health department said that while it was focused on protecting lives, it was also cognizant of the need to spur the economy. Still, it called on Filipinos to remain extra vigilant in situations where distancing cannot be practiced, and said they should try to participate in activities or use transport options that can afford at least one meter distancing. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, meanwhile, defended the move. There is a need to safely optimize the carrying capacity of the various public transport modes as metro Manila and its adjacent areas continue with the transition toward the new normal where more workers are expected to return to their re-opened workplaces and more businesses are expected to resume operations that were stopped during the enforcement of strict quarantine measures, Tugade said in a statement. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that after the immediate backlash, government officials would review the measure. The concerns of medical front-liners cannot be disregarded, he said. In fairness, that was approved by the IATF and no one objected, Roque said, referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19. Much of the Philippines remains under lockdown, but President Rodrigo Duterte and his cabinet have relaxed quarantine protocols. Shops, restaurants and other business have been allowed to reopen in part because of appeals from business groups trying to survive a sharp economic downturn. The controversy erupted as the health department reported 259 new COVID-19 deaths, increasing the death toll to 4,630, along with 4,699 new infections, bringing the total to 265,888. Globally, more than 29 million have been infected and nearly 925,000 have died, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. THUNDER BAY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Wolfden Resources Corporation (TSXV:WLF) ("Wolfden" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the positive results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") for its wholly owned Pickett Mountain high-grade polymetallic project in Northeastern Maine. The Base Case Financial Model Yields: After-tax IRR of 37% After-tax NPV8% of US$198 million to Wolfden for an underground mine plan scenario Initial capital expenditure of US$147.4 million including 20% contingency and closure costs Payback 2.4 years The PEA financial model used consensus metal prices assumptions of $1.15/lb Zinc, $1.00/lb Lead, $3.00/lb Copper, $18.00/oz Silver and $1,500/oz Gold. Full details of the Preliminary Economic Assessment in the form of a technical report for the purposes of NI 43-101 will be filed on SEDAR within the next 45 days. All financial figures are in US dollars. "The PEA underscores our belief that the solid economics of the Pickett Mt. Project and its resource are still largely unrecognized by investors and not reflected in the current market capitalization of the company," stated Ron Little President and CEO of Wolfden. "With base metal prices moving higher, these results reaffirm our commitment to increase and upgrade the mineral resources through aggressive exploration and to further de-risk the project with our ongoing pre-permitting efforts and additional technical and baseline studies." "The Pickett Mountain deposit represents one of North America's highest-grade undeveloped polymetallic deposits with fundamentals that are indicative of a top quartile project, including one of the lowest C1 Costs $0.38/lb zinc (Net Direct Cash Cost) in our sector," stated Jeremy Ouellette Vice President of Project Development. "With this kind of a break-even zinc price, the project can sustain metal price market declines that have not been seen in decades. In addition, the project is extremely well located close to infrastructure and services yet is far enough removed from the nearby towns (10 miles) with a site location that exhibits very low environmental and social impacts. The project is expected to generate over 100 full time jobs and add significantly to the local and state economies." Story continues Summary of Base Case Financials The PEA for NI 43-101 purposes, is considered preliminary in nature which includes inferred resources within the economic analysis 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 preliminary economic assessment will be realized. The Base Case assumptions include revenues using $1.15/lb Zinc, $1.00/lb Lead, $3.00/lb Copper, $18.00/oz Silver, $1,500/oz Gold prices. Cost inputs are generally constructed by first principle or by estimates supplied within the region. The financial highlights are as follows: Description Base Case Results (financial figures in USD) Mine Life (years) 10.7 NPV after tax (5%) ($M) $258.7 NPV after tax (8%) ($M) $198.3 IRR after tax 37.0 Payback (years) 2.4 Gross Revenue ($M) $1,359 C1 - Net Direct Cash Cost ($/lb Zn) $0.38 Operating Cost ($/tonne) $93.07 Initial Capital ($M) including 20% Contingency and Closure $147.4 Sustaining Capital ($M) $74.7 Mineral Resource used in Mine Plan (tonnes) 4,470,688 Planned tonnes (Recovered/Diluted) 4,180,094 Average Diluted Grade (% ZnEq) 15.11 Average Diluted Grade (% Zinc) 8.56 Average Diluted Grade (% Lead) 3.40 Average Diluted Grade (% Copper) 1.11 Average Diluted Grade (g/t Silver) 88.80 Average Diluted Grade (g/t Gold) 0.79 Average diluted NSR ($/t) 260.54 Processing Throughput (tpa) 432,000 Zinc Recovery (%) 89.5% Lead Recovery (%) 80.5% Copper Recovery (%) 77.5% Silver Recovery (%) 38.1% Gold Recovery (%) 68.6% Payable Zn Produced (lbs) 600,145,735 Payable Pb Produced (lbs) 230,414,715 Payable Cu Produced (lbs) 78,314,898 Payable Ag Produced (Oz) 8,129,054 Payable Au Produced (Oz) 38,324 The PEA was completed by A-Z Mining Professionals Ltd. of Toronto, Canada ("A-Z Mining") and included inputs by ProSolve Consulting Ltd, Mine Paste Ltd., Wood Environment and Infrastructure Inc. and SLR Consulting Ltd., and was based on an updated resource estimate prepared by A-Z Mining of Toronto. Mineral Resources used in the Mine Plan The mineral resource used in the PEA includes indicated and inferred resources and is an update from the January 7th, 2019 mineral resource statement. The estimate uses a 7% cutoff grade (or an NSR value of $139/t) rather than the previous 9% cutoff grade ($178/t NSR). The same methodology used in the 2019 estimate was applied to the updated estimate where the metal prices were not updated (to those used in the PEA financial model) and no additional information was either included or excluded. Infill drill results since the 2019 resource estimate are expected to upgrade the mineral resource and could potentially lead to an increase. Tonnes Zn % Pb % Cu % Ag g/t Au g/t Density ZnEq % Indicated Resource 2,177,000 9.25 3.68 1.32 96.4 0.9 3.98 18.23 Inferred Resource 2,294,000 9.79 3.88 1.15 101.1 0.9 3.99 18.62 The mineral resources were estimated using the metal prices of US$1.20/lb Zn, $2.50/lb Cu, $1.00/lb Pb, $16.00/oz Ag, and $1,200/oz/Au, using a 7% cutoff grade that equates to an NSR cut-off of $139/tonne at the same metal prices. An average recovery of 75% for all metals was assumed. A 10% mining dilution at zero grade was only added to the financial model which also used different metal prices. Estimated Annual Production Production at Pickett Mountain will be using combined Long Hole Open Stoping and Alimak mining methods. Since the deposit is near surface, ramp up to full production is possible within one year of development and construction. Estimated throughput is 432,000 tonnes per annum (1,200 tonnes per day). Yr -1 Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5 Yr 6 Yr 7 Yr 8 Yr 9 Yr 10 Average Mill Feed (kt) 64.8 367.2 432.0 432.0 432.0 432.0 432.0 432.0 432.0 432.0 292.1 418.0 Mined Grades Zn (%) 8.43 8.43 8.43 11.79 11.46 11.46 9.04 6.43 6.52 5.93 4.93 8.56 Cu(% ) 1.52 1.52 1.52 1.01 1.02 1.02 1.03 0.92 0.97 1.08 0.98 1.11 Pb (%) 3.47 3.47 3.47 4.64 4.53 4.53 3.56 2.48 2.53 2.36 1.89 3.40 Au (g/t) 0.80 0.80 0.80 0.92 0.90 0.90 0.78 0.76 0.71 0.65 0.59 0.79 Ag (g/t) 94.34 94.34 94.34 118.82 116.62 116.62 92.17 65.88 67.44 59.08 50.19 88.80 NSR ($/t) 293.28 293.27 279.03 328.80 321.93 321.93 265.27 200.07 204.10 194.43 166.00 260.54 Summary of Project Costs All cost inputs were estimated on the basis of first principals as well as several local and regional contract estimates. Project Operating Costs Underground Mining ($/t) $47.73 Processing ($/t) $31.25 Dry Stack Placement of Tailings ($/t) $1.30 Surface Services ($/t) $2.63 General and Administration ($/t) $7.95 Environmental and Sustainable Development ($/t) $2.21 Total $93.07 Cost inputs are generally constructed by first principle or by estimates supplied within the region. Capital Costs Capital Expenditures Initial Capex Sustaining Capex Underground Development $21,435,688 $65,987,769 Mine Facilities and Equipment $10,167,505 $7,021,481 Mine Equipment Leasing and Remanufacturing $1,974,859 $15,277,454 Infrastructure $20,112,000 $0 Surface Mobile Equipment $1,000,000 $0 Tailings Storage Facility $2,001,495 $11,670,655 Build and equip mill $34,581,000 $0 Owners Indirects $6,333,000 $0 Reclamation and Closure $13,684,557 $0 Working Capital $11,524,000 -$11,524,000 Contingency @ 20% $24,562,821 $0 Total $147,376,925 $88,433,359 Initial Capital costs include $24.6M based on a flat 20% contingency estimate on all capital items. In addition, the $13.7M in reclamation and closure costs will be required as financial assurance in trust to the state of Maine redeemable upon the commencement of reclamation and closure of the project. Project Sensitivities The project is sensitive to metal prices and head grade, and to a lesser extent the capital and operating costs as demonstrated in the following table: Qualified Person The Preliminary Economic Assessment was prepared by A-Z Mining Professionals Ltd under the supervision of Brian Leblanc, P.Eng., with input by Deepak Malhotra of ProSolve Consulting Ltd, Frank Palkovits of Mine Paste Ltd., and Eric Sellars of SLR Consulting Ltd. whom are "qualified persons" under the standards set forth in NI 43101. All four are independent of Wolfden for purposes of NI 43-101. Jeremy Ouellette, Vice President of Project Development, Don Dudek, Vice President Exploration, and Ron Little, President and CEO, are the Company's designated Qualified Persons for the purposes of the PEA. All parties have reviewed and approved their respective content of this press release. Full details of the PEA in the form of a technical report for the purposes of NI 43-101 will be filed on SEDAR within the next 45 days. About Wolfden and the Pickett Mountain Project With the support of major investors Kinross Gold Corporation and Altius Minerals, Wolfden plans to explore and develop its wholly owned Pickett Mountain Project in Maine, USA, one of the highest-grade polymetallic projects in North America (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ag, Au). The project is well-located near excellent infrastructure and services that will support straight forward development as outlined in a robust Preliminary Economic Assessment released on September 14, 2020. For further information please contact Ron Little, President & CEO, at (807) 624-1136 or Jeremy Ouellette, VP Project Developments at (807) 624-1134. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation) that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, and include, without limitation, statements relating to metal price assumptions, cash flow forecasts, projected capital and operating costs, metal or mineral recoveries, mine life and production rates, and other assumptions used in Preliminary Economic Assessment dated September 14, 2020, infill drill results since 2019 that are expected to upgrade resources and could potentially lead to an increase in resources, information about future activities at the Pickett Mountain Project that include plans to complete additional drilling and pre-permitting (rezoning petition), the results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment dated September 14, 2020 and potential upside of the Pickett Mt. Project. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information in this news release, including without limitation, the following risks and uncertainties: (i) risks inherent in the mining industry; (ii) regulatory and environmental risks; (iii) results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; (iv) risks relating to the estimation of mineral resources; (v) stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations; and (vi) general market and industry conditions. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management on the date hereof and is expressly qualified by this notice. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by applicable law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Wolfden Resources Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/605923/Wolfden-Announces-Robust-Preliminary-Economic-Assessment-for-Pickett-Mt-Project-in-Maine During the global financial crisis the Coalition accused the Rudd-Gillard government of wasting money on the construction of school halls and other facilities via the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program to stimulate the economy. That should make it especially concerned about reports of waste in its own huge JobKeeper stimulus program. The program pays a flat rate of $1500 per fortnight per worker to those employers with a projected monthly decline in revenue of 30 per cent or more, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This massive stimulus announced in March was undoubtedly welcome and necessary to avoid a wave of bankruptcies and layoffs when the pandemic hit. The great advantage of JobKeeper over other forms of stimulus was that it encouraged employers to keep a connection with their workers, making it easier to return to normal when the pandemic receded. The wage subsidy is now being paid to about 3.5 million workers at an estimated cost to the federal budget of about $70 billion. But when you spend a lot of money quickly, some of it inevitably gets wasted. This is just as true of JobKeeper as it was of the spending during the GFC. In this case the main source of waste is that a lot of the cash may not have actually increased employment. The Herald reported on Monday that the Australian Tax Office had notified about 8000 businesses that they may have to repay money because they do not seem to be eligible for the scheme. Some of these businesses may have not suffered the fall in revenue required to qualify for the scheme and they may well be receiving a subsidy for workers they would have kept on anyway. Others may be pocketing much of the subsidy rather than passing it on to employees. That seems to lie behind many of the 8000 complaints about potential rorts. Some warn that zombie employers are remaining in business solely to pocket JobKeeper. You are here: World Flash An Israeli delegation headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed on Sunday night to Washington to sign normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. The delegation includes also the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency Yossi Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. "Tonight, I'm embarking on a historic mission on behalf of the citizens of Israel," Netanyahu told a press conference earlier on Sunday evening, saying the agreements will bring "peace and billions of dollars into the (Israeli) economy." Cohen said before boarding the plane that Israel is working to achieve peace deals with "more countries." The ceremonies are scheduled to be held on Tuesday in the White House, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The South Sulawesi water and police unit have arrested three student journalists in Makassar while they were covering a protest to reject sand mining on Saturday, September 12. The authorities released them on Sunday, September 13. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stands in solidarity with its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia to demand an investigation into the arrest. Student journalists are together with the fishermen after the police released them. Credit: Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Makassar The student journalists arrested were Hendra, the chairman of press student at the Hasanuddin University, Mansyur, the chief editor of CakrawalaIde at the Muslim Indonesia University, and Muhammad Raihan Rahman, who also a member of the CakrawalaIde publication. The young journalists joined fishermen on their boat to protest sandmining on Kodingareng island. On the way back to Makassar, the boat was blocked by water and police unit vessels. Although the three student journalists showed their identity cards and a letter of assignment, the officers still arrested them. They were also reportedly intimidated and harassed before being escorted to the police office. Sand mining is a controversial activity in Indonesia. Sand mining is a controversial activity in Indonesia. The operations of sand mining has impacted the fishermen and the coastal communities in the country. The Indonesian Safety Committee for Journalists, which also supported by AJI Indonesia as its member, has condemned the arrest and remind the police that journalists are protected by the Press Law. According to the Press Law, everyone found guilty in obstructing journalists works will be sentenced to jail for two years at the maximum or charged with a maximum fine of IDR500 million or US$33,000. The Committee calls the police to investigate the officers who obstructed and intimidated the journalists. The Committee urges all the authorities to respect journalists who are on duty, Committee added. The IFJ said:Despite the student journalists showing their identity cards, the police still arrested them for covering a legitimate protest. IFJ urges authorities to show constraint and let journalists do their work without fear of harassment. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia - KREMLIN HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to prop up Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko with a $1.5-billion loan, but said the time was right for constitutional reforms that could pave the way for the embattled leaders early exit. Mr Lukashenko had travelled to Russia to seek support from Mr Putin, as ongoing mass protests at home threaten his 26-year rule. With his hands clasped together and his body turned towards his Russian counterpart, a deferential Mr Lukashenko described neighbouring Russia as our big brother and said when theres trouble you find out who your friends are. In televised comments ahead of talks at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Mr Putin said Russia would grant a loan and fulfil its military obligations under a union treaty between the two countries. We are waiting for Belarusians to resolve the situation without any interference from the outside, Mr Putin said on Monday, adding: I think that starting work on changing the Belarusian constitution is timely. Protests broke out last month when Mr Lukashenko claimed 80 percent of the vote in a presidential election widely seen as rigged. Amid a brutal police crackdown on demonstrations he said fresh elections would only be held if you kill me. But he later appeared to row back on the comments, saying there could be another vote before the end of his current term if a new constitution was adopted. The Belarusian opposition has dismissed the suggestion as playing for time. Moscow has remained tight-lipped throughout the crisis as to exactly how far it would go to keep Mr Lukashenko in place. While the neighbours have traditionally close ties, in recent years these have become strained as Belarus resists moves towards closer integration with Russia. Analysts have suggested Moscow may shore up the dictator in the short term while working behind the scenes to promote a replacement. In the meeting on Monday, Mr Lukashenko pointed to Nato drills near Belaruss border as a sign that the country was under threat. Story continues Russia this week sent paratroopers to Belarus for joint military drills, and Mr Putin said similar exercises would be held every month for the next year. The Russian leader earlier said he had put a reserve police force on standby to enter Belarus if the situation there deteriorated. Minsk and Moscow have both accused foreign forces of attempting to destabilise Belarus. The EU and US have called for fresh elections and are planning sanctions in response to police violence. Mr Lukashenkos visit to Russia came a day after an estimated 150,000 people took to the streets of Minsk in the latest demonstration calling on him to go. Police said they detained more than 700 people across the country and videos from one rally showed a woman being punched to the ground. In the days after the August election, the rule of former Soviet farm boss Mr Lukashenko looked all but over amid popular protests and mass strikes. But since then authorities have clamped down on the opposition, arresting key figures and forcing others into exile. Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Lithuania after apparent threats to her children, on Monday criticised the Russian president for inviting Mr Lukashenko for talks. I am very sorry that you have opted to have a dialogue with the usurper and not the Belarusian people, said Ms Tikhanovskaya, who earlier declared herself the legitimate winner of the presidential election. Any agreements signed with Lukashenko, who lacks legitimacy, will be retracted by the new government. Laboratories in France and Sweden have confirmed German findings that show the nerve agent Novichok was used to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has emerged from a coma. It comes as two of Navalny's allies won local parliament seats in the Siberian city of Tomsk, where he fell ill while campaigning. The 44-year-old Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month and was hospitalised there before being flown to Berlin for treatment. Germany said two weeks ago there was "unequivocal evidence" that he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok but Russia dismissed the findings, saying its doctors found no trace of poison. Navalny has now emerged from a medically induced coma and is reacting to speech, Berlin's Charite hospital has said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement on Monday that results of an independent review at specialised laboratories in France and Sweden confirm the German evidence (of Novichok poisoning)". Calls for transparent investigation He said Germany was still waiting for the outcome of a separate evaluation by the OPCW global chemical weapons watchdog. Navalny's supporters believe the use of the banned chemical weapon shows that only the Russian state could be responsible. Novichok was used in an attempt to kill Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March 2018 in Salisbury, England. Navalny's case has prompted international calls for Russia to carry out a transparent investigation or risk sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia was probing the incident and wanted to question Navalny at his Berlin hospital. He also said Moscow would be preparing a request for its officers and an "expert" to shadow German investigators. Symbolic gains for opposition Russia's opposition claimed a symbolic victory in regional elections held over the weekend. According to early poll results, two of Navalny's allies won local parliament seats in the Siberian city of Tomsk, where he fell ill while campaigning. One seat goes to his local campaign manager, 28-year-old Ksenia Fadeeva. In Russia's third-largest city of Novosibirsk, another ally Sergei Boyko also claimed a seat on the local council. However, vote observers said the poll was marred by fraud. The independent election monitor group Golos said on Sunday it had received a "stream of reports" that observers had been denied their legal rights to view documents and submit complaints. It said it also received reports of ballot stuffing and officials switching ballot papers cast by real voters for ones they had filled in. United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev praised the ruling party's electoral successes, saying that according to exit polls it was heading for victory in regional legislatures. According to initial results, a second-round runoff was not expected in any of 18 regions that elected governors. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the automotive industry, the use of mobile collaborative robots (cobots) enhances the output quality and makes the production process standardized. Additionally, such cobots perform a wide range of tasks, including material handling, welding, and assembling, more efficiently. This is one of the primary reasons because of which the global mobile collaborative robots market, which generated $543.3 million in 2019, would grow at a 26.3% CAGR between 2020 and 2030, to reach $6,827.0 million by 2030, according to the market research report published by P&S Intelligence. China, the U.S., Germany, South Korea, and numerous other developing as well as developed nations have a strong presence of many globally operating automakers, which are focusing on increasing the level of automation in their factories. These companies are rapidly procuring mobile cobots, especially for two-wheeler production lines, which require extensive labor and high-precision machines. Get the sample copy of this report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/mobile-collaborative-robots-market-report/report-sample The effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have been quite negative on the industry, as the ceasing of the industrial activity in China has disrupted the supply of mobile cobots' components and raw materials. This has, in turn, led to the stoppage of cobot manufacturing, thereby halting the shipment of the final product to end users. Even the end users have been hit hard by the lockdown in their countries, and with the shutting down of their factories and declining focus on industrial automation, for the time being, the demand for mobile cobots has come down. In the coming years, services will be the fastest growing category in the industry, on the basis of offering, witnessing a 28.1% CAGR. This is attributed to the rising demand for consulting, integration, deployment, and maintenance services for mobile cobots and aftermarket components, as the focus of companies on procuring these platforms, for automating their production process, increases. In 2019, the highest revenue in the industry was generated by the material handling classification, based on application. This was because of the increasing deployment of mobile cobots in the electronics, automotive, healthcare, and many other industries for material handling tasks, which are repetitive in nature. Browse report with detailed TOC on Mobile Collaborative Robots Market Research Report: By Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Payload (<5 Kg, 510 Kg, >10 Kg), Application (Pick & Place, Material Handling, Welding, Machine Tending, Assembling), End User (Automotive, Agriculture, Retail, Mining & Mineral, Manufacturing, Aerospace & Defense, Healthcare, Electronics)-Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030 @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/mobile-collaborative-robots-market-report The deployment rate of mobile cobots has been the highest in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region so far, and the situation is not expected to change in the future. This is ascribed to the booming regional population, which is resulting in the growing demand for consumer electronics and automobiles. Presently, the rising popularity of electric vehicles (EV) is driving the APAC automotive sector, especially in Japan and China, where the government support for their adoption is quite strong. In a bid to expand their presence among end users and consolidate their position in the industry, companies are comping up with new and advanced mobile cobots. For instance, Robotnik Automation S.L.L. launched the 16 kg-payload RB-KAIROS 16 omnidirectional autonomous mobile robot in November 2019. Designed for pick & place, screwing, quality control, drilling, and many more operations, it is integrated with the UR-16 manipulator developed by Universal Robots A/S. Make enquiry about this report @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=mobile-collaborative-robots-market-report The key companies in the global mobile collaborative robots market are Aubo Robotics Inc., Teradyne Inc., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., FANUC Corporation, Fetch Robotics Inc., Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Bosch Rexroth AG, OMRON Corporation, ABB Ltd., Doosan Corporation, and KUKA AG. Browse More Reports Modular Robotics Market Geographically, the APAC region held the largest share in the modular robotics market and is expected to maintain the dominance during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the increasing investment in automation by the automotive, electrical, and electronics players, especially in China, South Korea, and India. https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/modular-robotics-market-report Autonomous Mobile Robots Market During the forecast period, the autonomous mobile robots market is expected to witness the fastest growth in Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. This can be ascribed to the growing e-commerce industry in countries like China, India, Japan, and South Korea. With rising e-commerce industry, supply chain network is getting more complex and sophisticated. Thus, to streamline the supply-chain, e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com Inc., Alibaba Group, JD. Com Inc., Rakuten Inc, are anticipated to adopt these robots significantly in coming years. https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/autonomous-mobile-robots-market About P&S Intelligence P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. Contact: Prajneesh Kumar P&S Intelligence Contact: +1-347-960-6455 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com SOURCE P&S Intelligence Greece on Monday accused migrants of deliberately burning their overcrowded camp last week on Lesbos island, where hundreds reluctantly moved to a new temporary site with "no showers or mattresses". Families, children, young men and pregnant women have been left wandering aimlessly since a blaze ripped through the Moria camp on the night of September 8. The fire has forced its 12,000 former occupants to sleep rough in abandoned buildings, on roadsides and even rooftops. "The camp was burned by refugees and migrants who wanted to blackmail the government in order to be rapidly transferred from the island (to the continent)," Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters in Athens. He gave no further details. Greece's migrations minister last week made similar accusations, even before the conclusion of the investigation into what happened. Officials have been hastily erecting a new camp of white tents near the eastern port-village of Panagiouda as exhaustion, hunger and fear set in among the migrants, and locals look on with trepidation. Many of the former residents of Moria camp have refused to go there, fearing they will just be forgotten inside. Others are reluctantly making their way to the site in the searing heat. The new camp "seems harsh, with its direct sunlight and no shade. But I'm entering tomorrow as I have no choice," said Pariba, an Afghan woman. Inside the site, which is closed to the press, Malik, an Algerian migrant, told AFP by phone that he had settled there with his wife and five children. "There's nothing in the camp, no shower, no mattresses. There is only one meal per day, and they give us a carton with six bottles of water," said the French teacher. He was living alongside some 200 refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and African countries, he added. Mutual Fear Island residents meanwhile looked on with a wary eye, calling on European countries to lend a helping hand. "We're afraid," said Savvas Afentoulis, 70, sitting at a cafe in Panagiouda. "Ninety percent of the people here are against the new camp, and all of us, we want them to leave the island. "Greece can't handle the situation alone, the EU has to find a solution." Afentoulis was quick to point out this was not always the case in Lesbos, the main port of entry for arrivals in EU member state Greece because of its close proximity to Turkey. At the height of the migrant crisis that started in 2015, Lesbos saw hundreds of thousands of people arrive, many of them Syrians fleeing war, and residents united in solidarity to help them. "But after, when Moria got full with people, they started to steal our sheep, and made damage," Afentoulis said. Kostas Mountzouris, governor of the North Aegean region covering Lesbos, called on entrepreneurs and professionals to protest Tuesday and ask for "the removal of migrants from the island on board boats". Not far from Panagiouda, four young Somalis who dream of going to France or Germany hoped to be allowed into the new camp. They too were scared. "If we go there we are killed," said Ahmed, 18, showing the road where thousands of refugees are sleeping rough and then pointing to the nearby village. European Council Head to Athens Several European countries have signed up to a scheme to host unaccompanied minors from the destroyed Moria camp. But that's around 400 people, a drop in the ocean. Germany said Monday it was mulling taking in more migrants, possibly families with children. In the meantime, Petsas said the government aimed to house everyone in the temporary camp within three to four days. He also promised a permanent migrant processing centre in Lesbos soon, which would involve the European Union "so that (asylum-seeking) procedures progress more quickly". European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas is "open to the idea", a commission spokesman said. European Council President Charles Michel, meanwhile, was due to discuss the situation on Lesbos when he meets Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday in Athens. Search Keywords: Short link: 14.09.2020 LISTEN It is good for public officials to be given some form of protection. Judges, nurses, police, in-flight attendants, public transport drivers/conductors and others, all fall within this category. As annoying, unfair and unjust as some of them may be and often are without that kind of protection, public service would cease to function. Just imagine a court room without the strictures of contempt. It is not for the judge alone but society as a whole. With the courts, they can go after you inside or outside of the chamber where a case is being heard and slap contempt on you. By this same principle, those who find themselves enjoying this protection are expected to be so above reproach that a citizen or the general public would have no excuse to hold them in contempt. It is a two-way highway of responsibility and accountability Going down memory lane, I can still remember when and how the court of appeal, acting for a lower court, decided I should be incarcerated for 30 days for a contempt accusation brought against me by the lower court, which had in fact refused to take that drastic action when the accusation was laid before it in a case of libel/defamation. This was such a minor infraction, if ever there even was one, to merit a custodial sentence. It was a purely civil case of the media facing the wrath of a powerful political personage. Our law courts archives have countless contempt precedents for reference. Mine was a celebrated case for two reasons: One, the office of the personality who wanted me to be taught a lesson and two, the question of how to interpret the freedom of expression. Immediately after sentencing that late August morning, over 20 years ago, at about 11am, a police constable was at hand to cuff me for the journey to begin my sentence of 30 days. The handcuffs remained that way to early evening, all because my lawyer was dashing all over the courts to file stay of execution pending appeal. It was a day of drama! No judge wanted to have anything to do with it and eventually it had to get to the chief justice. It did, but my lord had also disappeared from the court premises. With much sadness, regret and pain on his face, the lawyer bid me farewell as the security van started me on my journey to the Nsawam medium security prison. No wonder I ended up with blistered wrists, A week later, back I was at the appeals court to plead for bail again pending appeal. The two elderly judges of the panel of three, refused bail and once more, I was driven off in the company of heavily armed prison guards to Akuse local prison where I had been transferred after a sojourning for a few days at the medium security prison. I served the full 30 days and years later, I can now look back and even chuckle at it all. The lady who wanted me to be taught a lesson, had had her day and rumours had it that as reward, the two elderly judges were nominated for the supreme court. Not much can be said now as they have long since been called to their maker, before whom, they must be accounting This morning, all eyes and ears will be on our courts where a remarkable contempt case is being heard in one of them: The case in which a politician, who should know better, was blatantly in contempt in a case involving him and other parties in land litigation. Almost four years ago, to the day, another case, a carbon-copy of the one being heard today, was enacted in the chambers of the highest court. As precedents go, the court hearing todays contempt case would not have far to go. The so-called Montie 3 docket, judgement and sentencing are there to guide the court. The politician has since apologized, so did the Montie 3, which was not enough to tamper justice with mercy. Even an institution like the Catholic Church, which trades in mercy and such holy things, jumped into the fray and backed the court to insist on its pound of flesh. God is not an entity to be used in partisan politics, so today He is looking on from on high to hear what His representatives on earth are saying on this oneChristian Council, Peace Council, Bar Association and all the other institutions baying for the blood of the Montie 3 four years ago, where are their voices today? Where are their cries of self-righteous indignation? Has Nana Akufo-Addo got such a hold on their consciences? But leaving the deity out for the moment, the issue is what decision would be handed down this morning. Theres been much speculation in the public domain that in this particular case, there is enough room to suspect collusion between the judiciary and executive, making the case moot even before it has been settled. The politician would be let off altogether or with only a mild slap on the wrist. Should that be the case, who will cite me for contempt if I adopt the Dickensian expletive of shouting out loud that the law is an ass! Not only that, I would also wail openly about how the Ghanaian judiciary can be cited as being in contempt of Ghanaian democracy to satisfy partisan political ends...Ghana is waiting to exhale. PS There was another individual involved. I have judiciously left him out of this narration as his documents could provide another version. By Amb. Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah, MOV Choice of words not correct, but strictness was needed: Haryana CM on Karnal lathicharge Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar recovers from Covid-19, returns to Chandigarh India oi-Deepika S Chandigarh, Sep 14: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday returned to state capital Chandigarh after recovering from COVID-19 and urged people to religiously follow all the guidelines like wearing masks and social distancing to stay safe. He asserted that there was no need to be afraid of coronavirus, but we have to remain vigilant. After testing positive for novel coronavirus on August 24, barely two days before the day-long monsoon session of the state assembly, Khattar was admitted to Gurgaon's Medanta Hospital for treatment. Mr Khattar, 66, had developed fever and body ache three days prior to testing positive for COVID-19. He was taken to the hospital around 2.30 am on August 25 where he remained admitted for the next 17 days and after being discharged he rested for a few more days in PWD rest house in Gurgaon. Coronavirus outbreak: Kolkata Metro resume services after over five months After being admitted to the hospital, a multidisciplinary team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; PGIMS, Rohtak, Gurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr Virender Yadav, Medanta's Dr Sushila Kataria had reviewed his condition, line of treatment and progress made, a state government statement had said earlier. Talking to reporters in Gurgaon shortly before leaving for Chandigarh, Khattar said he has fully recovered though doctors have advised him to monitor his health for the next 10 days. "I want to thank all those who wished and prayed for my speedy recovery as well as the doctors who were involved in my treatment," he said. Replying to a question, Khattar urged people to religiously follow all the guidelines issued by the government and other authorities in the wake of the pandemic. "We all have to act responsibly and follow all the guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and hand sanitising to stay safe," he said. "We don't have to be afraid of coronavirus, we have to be vigilant. Being vigilant is essential to defeat this pandemic," the chief minister said. Khattar also advised people, especially those who are at a higher risk, To avoid going out of their homes. "Because we have seen instances where an entire family became infected after one of its members contracted the virus," he said. Replying to a question, he said while he was on road to recovery, he tried to keep himself engaged in some official work. To another query, he said he cannot say for sure from where he contracted the infection, but just before catching the virus, he had been attending many official meetings in Delhi. One of the meetings Khattar had attended days before he tested positive was with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who also tested positive for COVID-19 later. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 16:44 [IST] According to the Ukrainian newspaper "Evropeyskaya Pravda", the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has received a proposal to build eight large missile boats for the Ukrainian Navy under the British project. The first two boats are to be built in Great Britain, the remaining six - at Ukrainian shipyards. According to the Ukrainian newspaper "Evropeyskaya Pravda", the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has received a proposal to build eight large missile boats for the Ukrainian Navy under the British project. The first two boats are to be built in Great Britain, the remaining six - at Ukrainian shipyards. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Large missile boat Q 04 Barzan of the Vita project of the Qatar Navy, built by the British company Vosper Thornycroft (now part of BAE Systems Corporation) in the 1990s. (Picture source: BAE Systems) The project is to be financed through a loan of 1,25 billion ($ 1,6 billion), which will allegedly be provided by the UK for a period of 10 years. Also, the funds of this loan should be used to modernize the bases of the Ukrainian Navy. The proposal was made during a visit to Kiev by British Defense Secretary Robert Ben Lobban Wallace. If agreed, the agreement could be signed during the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the UK in October this year. According to the newspaper "Evropeyskaya Pravda", the design of the boats should be a derivative of the Vosper Thornycroft 56m patrol craft built for Oman and Kenya, with a redesigned internal arrangement and superstructure to provide a second deck at tank level. The overall length is 56m with waterline length, 52m. The moulded breadth is 9m and the draught amidships is 2.5m. The displacement is 380 tonnes. The freshwater capacity is 8.0 tonnes and the oil fuel capacity is 8.0 tonnes and 44 tonnes. The Vita class carries a complement of 7 officers, 12 senior ratings, 12 junior ratings and 4 trainees. The main weapon should be the Neptune anti-ship missiles of foreign or Ukrainian production. Each boat must carry eight anti-ship missiles. The maximum speed is 35 knots and the range is in excess of 1800nm at 12 knots. Rajya Sabha pays tributes to former MPs who passed away recently Rajya Sabha adjourned for an hour in honour of MPs who recently passed away 359 members attended Lok Sabha on first day of monsoon session I congratulate him: Cong RS MP Ghulam Nabi Azad on the election of NDA's Harivansh The respect I hold for Harivansh ji, each member of the House shares: PM Modi 3,186 incidents of ceasefire violations along LoC between Jan 1 till Sep 7: MoS Defence Shripad Naik Eight bills were introduced, two passed: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla RS adopts motion against starred questions and introduction of 'private member business' Rajya Sabha adopts motion to do away with Question Hour, private members' business during Monsoon session Govt introduces five bills in Rajya Sabha on first day of Monsoon session ANI photo The Lok Sabha on Monday saw opposition parties, led by the Congress, up in arms against the decision to do away with Question Hour and private members' business during the monsoon session. The lower house adopted the motion to suspend Question Hour as the government maintained that it was not running away from any discussion and will reply to all questions raised by the opposition. Opposition members accused the government of stifling democracy. Some members of the lower house attended the proceedings while being seated in the Rajya Sabha chamber as Parliament met for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic. It was later adjourned till 3pm on Tuesday. Catch major highlights here: The worrying rise in Covid-19 cases in Dublin will need additional restrictions compared with the rest of the country, the Tanaiste has said. Leo Varadkar said there has been a 20-fold increase in the incidence rate of the virus in Dublin over the last few weeks. The Government is to unveil its medium-term plan for living with Covid-19 on Tuesday, which includes different levels of restrictions ranging from one to five. The Cabinet sub-committee will meet with acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn on Monday. Mr Varadkar said that based on the evidence and data, Dublin is markedly different from the rest of the country. That will require a different response and that will be borne in mind as we make announcements tomorrow, he said. Any decisions on any additional restrictions in Dublin will be made tomorrow by Cabinet. But the truth is the situation in Dublin is worrying. Weve seen a situation where the incidence of the virus was as low as five or six per 100,000 over 14 days and now its hitting about 80. Depending on how you count it, a 10 or 20-fold increase in the incidence of the virus in Dublin in the space of a few weeks, and while that has not yet resulted in a dramatic increase in people in hospitals, ICUs or deaths, the truth is its probably going to head that way if we dont get on top of it. Weve watched it happening in Madrid and we dont want to go there. There is an opportunity to flatten the curve and we will have to make a decision as a Government tomorrow as to what mix of additional restrictions will be required in the capital. He said the Government is not considering introducing level five of the restrictions, which would see counties or regions going into full lockdown. Expand Close Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, left, at the K Leisure facility in Naas Co Kildare (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, left, at the K Leisure facility in Naas Co Kildare (Niall Carson/PA) Speaking at K Leisure in Naas, Co Kildare, where he announced a scheme aimed at helping small businesses impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, Mr Varadkar warned that some regions and counties will see local restrictions like those introduced in Kildare, Laois and Offaly. The good news about that is that it worked and those restrictions used and released after a few weeks, he added. If we work together, we can get on top of it. The phase we are entering into is to try and suppress the virus and in some ways its a game of cat and mouse, and that does mean local restrictions of different levels being turned on and off for the next couple of months. He added that the Government will take some time to consider advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team before making a final decision. On Monday evening, the latest coronavirus figures from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) revealed another 208 positive cases, of which 108 were in Dublin. No new deaths were reported. Dr Glynn also announced that NPHET has decided to reduce the period of isolation from 14 to 10 days for confirmed cases from the onset of symptoms. In addition, it has been agreed that nasal swabs are an acceptable alternative to nasopharyngeal swab for use in children in the community, he said. This will hopefully make testing a simpler process for children going forward. Covid-19 is an evolving pandemic and NPHET is committed to adapting advice and guidelines based on emerging evidence. China accused the U.S. of "coerced robbery and economic bullying" by threatening to ban TikTok, a popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. President Donald Trump's administration announced to ban TikTok by Sept. 20 and ordered its owner to sell its U.S. business, claiming national security risks due to concerns that the company would share user data with Chinese government. "We urge the US government to provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies' strategic investment and operation," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The owner of TikTok has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as the American tech partner that could help keep the popular video-sharing app running in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. Wang also commented on reports suggesting a senior US delegation was planning to visit Taiwan, saying "we urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques and stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan." Neither the US or Taiwan has commented on reports suggesting that US Under Secretary of State of Economic, Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach would. Separate from recent gradual and silent encroachment on, and outright abridgements of the masses welfare by the Federal Government via increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) from five to 7.5 per cent, re-introduction of Stamp Duty Charge, re- introduction of Stamp Duty on house rents and C of O transactions and the electricity and Petrol price hikes crisis which are inextricably linked both in their causes and solutions, and have caused Nigerians to stagger in confusion and incomprehension, more facts are beginning to emerge in support of the age-long believe that some knowledge of history is useful in leadership. As all the evidence and arguments necessary to have made the right decisions were incredibly available, but proclivity for ignoring lessons from, and failures to study the actions of past leaders, to see how they conducted themselves and discover the reasons for their victories or their defeats, have left us as a nation to wonder in dilemma. From this awareness flows another meaning, relevance and sharp contrast about history. This is perhaps more noble than the first. It is the fact that not all historical accounts are worth remembering; particularly, accounts of unpalatable injustices and hopelessness fueled by leaders past decision/policies devoid of consideration for connecting the poor with good means of livelihood-food, job and security. Of which such commissions have partially or wholesomely left the masses at the basement of economic structures. And in more than one way prompts the thought where the living considers and envy those who are dead and gone as better than those who are still alive. Take Nigeria where the statistics of anti people policies and injustices are staggering and mind-numbing as an example. Historical accounts become painful when one commits to memory the fact that they(past leadership decision that formed history) are responsible for todays abiding tradition of development challenges such as; insecurity, widespread poverty, terrorism, unchecked population explosion, technological backwardness, corruption, poor planning and implementation of policies, infrastructural decay, gross injustice, ethnic politics, and practice of democracy that neither underwrites social justice nor promotes social mobility. Each of these crises has its roots in, or a combination of, leaders payment of low attention to warnings about what is certain to come, and what is to come if the situation is not changed; formulation of policies with no clear definition of problem, the goals to be achieved, or the means chosen to address the problems and to achieve the goals. Adoption of coquettish tactics that make the masses fall in love with excitement while they (leaders) remain inwardly detached; keeping them in control There are recent examples. First and very key is President Muhammadu Buharis double-faced expression of concern about the sudden spiral of food prices, at a time when the economy is already mired in a slowdown occasioned by the global coronavirus situation. He said: While Providence has been kind to us with the rains and as such an expectation that a bumper harvest would lead to crashing of food prices and ease the burdens on the population, governments concern is that the exploitative market behaviour by actors has significantly increased among traders in the past few years and may make any such relief a short lived one. This feeling of anxiety by Mr. President came barely few weeks after a similar declaration by him during an interview with The Signature 50 magazine, where he noted that, his greatest regret is that despite international ratings, lives of Nigerians are yet to improve as he had expected. Submitting that the progress being made in the last five years has only reflected on the international rating of the nations economy not on the lives of Nigerians. But why should this piece be fixated to the extent of describing the above well considered expression from Mr. President as double-faced? One possible answer lies in the philosophical idea of reality. Nigerians and of course the global community are in agreement that one cannot be talking about improving the masses life chances with hikes in electricity and Petrol. From the present reality comes another striking observation that history not only qualifies as sad but a reality that Nigerians should worry about. In May 2013, General Buhari, a former Head of state and presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) (as he then was), going by media reports told Nigerians that the economy of the country would continue to slide unless the security and other challenges were checked. Many agreed that though Buhari may not be an economic Buff, but his statement paints a precarious picture of the ugly economic situation in the country, especially regarding the revenue accruing to the nation. Today, Nigerians have matched with Buhari as President for over 5 years. Yet, the country is still going through the pangs of hardship resulting from those economic challenges he (Buhari) complained about in 2013. Infact, those challenges are not only alive and active but in some cases tending from bad to worse. From this account, one may be tempted to ask; why is Mr. President finding it difficult to fix a problem he personally identified two years before he became the President? Is it that the so called challenges talked about in 2013 never existed? Was he just playing to the gallery? On the much talked costs of food and commodities, why cant the cost of goods and services including agricultural produce go up when it is obvious that deregulation of the energy sector would discourage the production and increase unemployment as there are direct relationship between energy cost and the vibrancy of local production? While it is expedient at this point for all to draw a moral lesson from the above that it is easy to criticize than raising fingers to solve a problem, it is important to add that Nigerians have in the past five years under the present administration seen oppression. And there is no one to comfort them because on the side of their oppressors there is power. But more important than this fact, if we look honestly at our nationhood, the most telling reason for the nation not matching forward but groping and stumbling goes beyond the President to include some Nigerians who still believe that Mr. President should not be blamed for the nations present predicament and fragile state that has gotten to the extent that it is difficult to build consensus around important things that matter for our progress. While arguing in a recent conversation that no leader is held to perfection in formulation and execution of policies, this circle of friends told me that the present hardship in the country is not Nigeria specific as Saudi Arabias finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan also in a recent statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency stated that the cost of living allowance has been halted from June 2020 and VAT raised from 5 percent to 15 percent from July 1. Though totally disoriented by the logic as it is obvious that what they are giving to Mr. President is a forlorn hope, I however tried not to betray my disconnection. But not without asking these questions; why amplifying Saudis belt tightening policies and silent about how the same governments have drastically caught the cost of governance? Why cant President Buhari copy a similar policy? Why did he suddenly change his promise from revamping Nigerias moribund refineries and construction of new ones to achieve self-sufficiency in access to refined products, to the continuous importation of petrol at prices to be determined by international market forces? While answers to these questions will be well appreciated by Nigerians, it will equally be rewarding in political and socioeconomic terms to remind Mr. President that in 2015, his administration was born into history, presently lives and exists in history and definitely will transmit to future accounts as history is never static, fived, frozen but remains a living issue. As the nation therefore wait on history to unfold, the current happenings in the country in my views is a betrayal of the trust of millions of Nigerians who defied all odds to vote out the PDP and vote him into power. Jerome-Mario Utomi ( [email protected] ), is a Lagos-Based Media Consultant. Should the Midland ISD board decide on an interim superintendent at its special meeting Monday, it will be a person that stays with the district for the balance of the school year. That is the expectation of board President Rick Davis, who also stated this weekend that the board is looking not for merely a caretaker, but someone who will move us forward this school year much like Rod Schroder did for the 2016-17 school year. The 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting will include a public comment period, the board going into executive session and then possibly the selection of an interim superintendent. Currently, Chief Financial Officer Darrell Dodds is the districts acting superintendent, having been selected on Aug. 31. During that same meeting, district leaders stated they still planned to hire an interim superintendent, which they described as a non-existing staff person, a third party, that you ask to come in and act as superintendent until such time as you (find) your permanent superintendent replacement. Should trustees select an interim superintendent, it would be the districts second in four years. In 2016, that board selected Schroder -- a former superintendent at Amarillo ISD -- to be the interim superintendent after Ryder Warren left Midland ISD for a district in the Metroplex. Schroder was with the district for a full academic year, allowing the district to avoid quick superintendent search. He was generally well-received within the community and made academics the focus of his short time in Midland. Although Mr. Schroder is not available this time, we are interested in finding an academic leader like him who will focus on teaching and learning, Davis stated this weekend in an email to the Reporter-Telegram. Davis previously referenced Schroders time in a leadership position with the district in an August opinion article in the Reporter-Telegram. (In the fall of 2017, Midland ISD) received exciting news from the Texas Education Agency: the number of MISD improvement required campuses had been reduced from nine to four in a single school year even though TEAs criteria to be a non-IR campus had actually been increased from the previous year, Davis wrote. We believed such dramatic improvement in one year had much to do with the leadership of our then interim superintendent, Rod Schroder. On Aug. 31, the board voted to put Superintendent Orlando Riddick on administrative leave. At a prior meeting, the board set in place the termination process for MISDs current superintendent. Both sides are still trying to find a mutually agreeable resolution, Davis wrote, but in the event such efforts fail, he has a few days to decide whether to accept or contest the boards decision to provide notice to terminate his employment. Russia to Send Airborne Forces to Military Drills in Belarus From 14-25 September Sputnik News 12:06 GMT 13.09.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian airborne forces will participate in the Slavic Fraternity military drills in Belarus from September 14-25, the Russian Defense Ministry's press office said on Sunday. "In accordance with the schedule of international events for 2020, the planned joint Belarusian-Russian tactical exercise Slavic Fraternity, which has been held annually since 2015, will be held from 14 to 25 September at the Brestsky training ground in Belarus", the ministry said. The ministry added that the paratroopers from the two countries will exercise the interaction of troops while performing military tasks and specified that units of airborne forces from Russia's Pskov region will join the drills. Overall, Russia will send 300 troops and 70 pieces of military equipment to Belarus. Serbia was supposed to participate in the exercises together with Russia and Belarus, but Belgrade has decided to suspend participation in all military drills for six months, citing aspirations to neutrality and pressure from the European Union. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address One of the most imaginative big-name music videos to be released this year has been the short film for POPSTAR, the latest single from Miami mega-producer DJ Khaled featuring chart-topping Toronto rapper Drake. The video, which sees fellow Canadian superstar Justin Bieber fill in for Drake in a debaucherous jaunt through a party-ravaged mansion, is sneakily hilarious and self-referential, Bieber lip-syncing Drake as he raps about his songs needing Biebers face for his songs to get big. Biebers clearly enjoying stepping into Drakes shoes in the video, playing as a playboy. Its delightfully meta, especially when Drake, through Bieber, imparts some surprisingly sage advice about investing in watches, as Bieber flexes a completely iced-out Rolex Datejust (ref.116300). Its a perfectly extravagant watch for an extravagant music video: another example of this icy timepiece is currently selling for 28,000 AUD on Chrono24. At first glance, the watch looks as if its just plain steel an easy trap to fall into. Upon closer inspection, its clear that its no ordinary Datejust, but its a testament to the skill of Rolexs jewellers that they can make the watch appear so subtly glamourous. That relates to the wisdom Drake shares about watch collecting in the song, actually: Two, four, six, eight watches, factory, so they appreciate / Crown in my hand and Im really playin keep-away The crown line is a clear reference to the Rolex logo: a spiky coronet thats known the world over. But the crucial part is the first line. Icing out watches is a hugely extravagant move, and youd be confident in assuming that adding diamonds to a watch is only going to increase a watchs value. However, thats not necessarily the case. In some cases, it can actually devalue your timepiece. Beyond the quality of the actual gemstones themselves, there is still the issue of originality and factory-intended condition that can affect the prices of diamond-set watches, Rolex experts Bobs Watches relate. In the same way that a serious collector would rather have an entirely original, completely unpolished vintage Rolex Submariner than one that had been fully restored, a diamond-set Rolex is only of additional value to the purist collector if it was Rolex who supplied and set the diamonds. In some extreme cases, custom-set diamonds can actually detract from the overall value of a watch. If someone were to alter the original dial and bezel of a vintage Rolex Daytona by setting it with a slew of poor quality, low-carat diamonds, the end result would be a timepiece that was worth significantly less than what it was before the modifications had ever taken place. Additionally, customizing or modifying a new Rolex watch will void its factory warranty, and in certain cases, make it ineligible for future factory services to be performed While this is completely irrelevant to some Rolex owners, it can be of significant importance to others, especially if their watch was recently purchased and still has multiple years left on its warranty period. Thats why Drakes line about only buying factory watches is so significant. It reveals a truth about investing in watches: if you want your timepieces to stand a chance at appreciating in value, steer clear of customising them. RELATED: Excessive $1,000,000 Richard Mille Watch Underscores How Far Online Retailing Has Come In 2020 Drake doesnt always follow his own advice, however hes also a fan of customised watches, such as this 289,000 AUD Chrome Hearts x Rolex Day-Date he showed off in July. Hes also known to be in possession of a Virgil Abloh-designed, emerald-encrusted Patek Philippe Nautilus and a minimalist 1017 ALYX 9SM x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Biebers quite the fan of expensive watches too, recently posting a photo of him leaning against his Lamborghini Urus flexing a yellow-gold Rolex Daytona. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Sep 8, 2020 at 7:11pm PDT Drake also appears on another DJ Khaled single, GREECE, which along with POPSTAR serve as twin lead singles for Khaleds forthcoming 12th studio album, Khaled Khaled. Bieber released his fifth studio album Changes in February this year, which has already become Biebers seventh US number-one album. Bieber became the youngest solo artist to have seven US number-one albums by the age of 25, breaking the record being previously held by Elvis Presley. Read Next Engaged couples, new retirees, graduates, newlyweds and the like havent exactly had their dreams come true in 2020. Im one of them. My husband and I eloped at the end of January, and we had plans for a reception in May and a honeymoon this summer. But the pandemic dashed our plans, and we even lost money in the process because one of our vendors fell victim to the financial pressures of COVID-19. At first we wanted to rebook, but life has moved on and rebooking isnt that appealing anymore. Saving that money is. Even if we do rebook, it will be at a drastically scaled-back level, because large group gatherings and international travel are just not happening, thus we will still save a lot of money. Here are a variety of other ways to invest the money youve set aside for your big event. If you had committed a deposit, its prudent to see what you can do about getting that money back, or a credit for the future. Start an emergency fund Most financial educators suggest that you set aside a minimum of three months worth of essential expenses for what if scenarios like job loss or an unexpected uninsured incident in your home. But that was pre-pandemic. Now we recommend six months. Whats the status of your emergency fund? Why not funnel the savings from your event into your high-interest savings account? And, if you dont have an account, open a no-fee one. Earmark the savings for a different big-ticket item Life looks different from six months ago and your list of future big-ticket purchases has probably changed. Maybe you dont need that new car, but do need to renovate. Maybe its time to buy a home and this money could kick-start savings for a down payment. Perhaps you want to blow the doors off on a pricey vacation when travel resumes. Or, maybe youd like to reinvest in yourself with a degree or certificate upgrade, orthodontic treatments or a new laptop for your home office. My advice is to spend on what matters most to you, and based on your needs. Open an RESP for your kids or contribute to one for your grandchildren Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) are a terrific tool to help parents save for their childrens future education costs. When you contribute to one, the Canadian government matches a portion of your contribution (up to 20 per cent or $500, annually) through the Canada Education Savings Grant. So, if you contributed the amount that would get you the maximum match $2,500 annually per child your money is supercharged with another $500 annually per child. You may be eligible for more money through the Canada Learning Bond. So, consider rerouting your savings here. Give this money Not everyone is financially OK right now, even with government benefits. If a member of your family is struggling, this might be your chance to help them out with no strings attached (strings are usually bad news for healthy relationships). You may also consider making a donation to a charity thats doing great things in your community. Youll even get a tax receipt for donations to registered charities (typically issued if the donation is more than $25). Make an RRSP or TFSA contribution If you have room in your RRSP and TFSA accounts (check your available limits in CRA My Account), you could put your savings here, and invest it for the long-term. These accounts are tax-advantaged, and that means youll save money on taxes. The earlier you start to build up your long-term savings, the greater opportunity you give this money to grow through the power of compounded interest and reinvested returns. Pay off your debts Stats show that a good chunk of Canadians are struggling with debt, and that a lot of couples were planning to use credit to pay for their weddings and honeymoons. So these cancelled plans may have actually been good in that they have prevented further debt. Why not use any savings to decrease remaining balances on lines of credit, consumer loans or credit cards. The social implications of cancelling your big event are hard to put a price tag on. But, this is your money. Its your future. It was your event to begin with. My advice is to do whats best for you, your health and your finances. LS Lesley-Anne Scorgie is a Toronto-based personal finance columnist and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @lesleyscorgie Hindenburg says these industrial powerhouses did not do their homework before backing Milton. However, all will have done due diligence on Nikola a point the company stressed in Mondays rebuttal. And even the most cursory examination will have uncovered two things. First is that Nikola has comparatively little technology of its own, and instead its strength is in integrating innovations from others. In announcing their partnership last week, neither Milton nor GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra were able to provide many convincing examples of innovations Nikola would bring to the table. Zimbabwean authorities on Wednesday arrested four foreigners at Chirundu for smuggling 25 monkeys from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Two Congolese nationals, a Malawian and a Zambian were intercepted by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) officials with the assistance of the police. The suspects are in custody and are believed to have been transporting the monkeys to South Africa. The smuggled monkeys are a rare species only peculiar to DRC, and were being transported in a closed truck. ZimParks is taking care of the monkeys and will soon be repatriated to DRC. We intercepted monkeys that were being smuggled from DRC and their destination was possibly South Africa. Four foreigners, two Congolese, a Malawian and a Zambian have been arrested in connection with the crime. They appeared before a Karoi Magistrate and were remanded in custody, said ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo. We are nursing them and we are keeping them in cages. We are giving them food and fruits that were sourced from well-wishers. They are suffering from stress because of travelling, he said. ZimParks intended to give them medications and was still assessing the primates condition before repatriating them. We are in communication with authorities there, said Mr Farawo. Meanwhile, three people were killed this week by animals, two by elephants and the other by a crocodile. Another person is recovering from injuries suffered in a leopard attack. Two people, one in Chirundu and the other one in Binga were attacked and killed by elephants. In Kariba, there is a person who was attacked and killed by a crocodile. In Makuti, a child is recovering from a leopard attack, said Mr Farawo. The Angels are back! Drew Barrymore kicked off her new talk show by bringing on her Charlie's Angels costars Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu as her first guests on The Drew Barrymore Show. While the trio starred together in the iconic 2000 action movie, they're also close friends in real life. "I couldnt begin this journey without two women who have been a part of my heart for over 20 years. We are friends, we are fellow angels. Please welcome my partners in crime and life Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz," Barrymore, 45, said at the beginning of the show. The three then walked onstage and sat in socially-distanced chairs. (Barrymore began filming her show during the COVID-19 pandemic.) "The thing that I love about our friendship is that we have been there in all the big and important moments, weve also been there in the small moments and the casual moments and the reason we are such good friends is because its real and we go through real stuff with each other. Its not a Hollywood fairytale," Barrymore said about their bond. The Drew Barrymore Show/ Youtube RELATED: Charlie's Angels Reunion! Lucy Liu Joined by Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz at Walk of Fame Ceremony Barrymore had a surprise for viewers as it turns out the three weren't actually together like it seemed. The Drew Barrymore Show/ Youtube "I love being together, although are we really together? Are we all together in this room?" Barrymore said later. "For all of us watching can you guess which one of us isnt really here?" "Im the one in Los Angeles," Diaz, 48, revealed after she disappeared and came back. Barrymore and Liu were together in-studio in New York City. "Youve got to try this its so incredible. The ether, the little particles going out into space and coming back re-massing into this beautiful space. You guys, its crazy, you should try it, it tingles!" Diaz joked of being virtually added into the reunion. Story continues The trio last reunited back in May 2019, when Liu, 51, was joined by Diaz and Barrymore at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, where she received one of the iconic stars. Liu took a moment to thank the two fellow Charlie's Angels stars for coming out to support her, pointing out that it serves as a de facto reunion for the 2000 movie. "My dear Angels, its a 20-year reunion," Liu said as she looked over at her friends. "20 years ago we were an elite crime-fighting team, and now look at us." Residents of Ansan south of Seoul are growing uneasy after news that infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon wants to return to his hometown after finishing his 12-year sentence later this year. There are increasing calls for city officials to bolster security to keep tabs on the whereabouts of Cho, who brutally raped a 12-year-old girl back in 2008 causing her permanent physical damage. The victim, who is now at university, still lives there, and there are no laws that can prevent him from approaching her in any way. Parents of young children and women who run small businesses alone in the area are especially nervous since Cho has a long rap sheet. Were familiar with the 12 apostles of Jesus in the Bible, as well as with Saul, later renamed Paul and responsible for writing most of the books in the New Testament. But there are other great men and women of faith also mentioned throughout Scripture, and one of them, Barnabas, was highly influential when it came to sharing the gospel. But who was Barnabas in the Bible, and what can we learn from him? Who Is Barnabas in the Bible? Most of what we know about Barnabas comes from the Book of Acts, which details his ministry both alongside Paul and in general as he traveled throughout Judea and Asia Minor spreading the Good News to all who would hear. According to the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Characters, Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus who led not only Jews but many Gentiles to the Christian faith. Acts 11:24 identifies Barnabas as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith who brought a great number of people to the Lord (NIV). Barnabass travels and ministry for Jesus are described throughout Acts, as well as mentioned in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and Colossians. We first see his name mentioned in Acts 4:36-37, where it describes how Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet. Indeed, this penchant for encouragement, support, and generosity would stay with him. When he saw how Paulthen still known as Saulhad become a fervent follower of Christ, Barnabas took the then-unknown disciple under his wing and introduced him to the other apostles in Jerusalem. These other apostles were afraid because of Saul/Pauls past actions, but Barnabas vouched for him, and because of this, the new convert stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:28). Later passages detail how Barnabas was doing the work of God in Antioch but decided to find Paul so the two could work together for the faith (Acts 11:22-25). The church grew steadily under their leader-partnership, both in size and finances. While the two later disagreed over a ministry colleague and parted ways, their efforts for Jesus netted tremendous results and helped spread the faith far and wide. What Is Barnabas Background? As a Levite, Barnabas would have been raised a Jew, most likely wealthy, and schooled in Hebrew in religious foundational instruction. References in the Bible indicate he was a respected figurein Acts 14:12, Barnabas was referred to as Zeus while his companion, Paul, who did most of the speaking, was called Hermes. To the Ancient Greeks, Zeus was the lead god, considered the god of sky and thunder and ruler of all other gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus, so the reference to Barnabas as Zeus would have been an acknowledgment of his leadership and authority, and possibly also his age and stature. Easton, in his Bible dictionary, noted Barnabas was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi and probably educated as a Pharisee in the school of Gamaliel. And, of course, it was on Barnabass introduction that Paul was first welcomed into the Jewish Christian apostolic sphere in Jerusalem upon Pauls conversion. Was Barnabas One of the Apostles? Yes, Barnabas was considered an apostle. While not one of the original 12, he nevertheless was set apart with Paul by the Holy Spirit and sent out by the early church to spread the Good News across the land. In that sense, sent out as an itinerant missionary to spread the message of Jesus to others, he was an apostle. In fact, in the Book of Acts, the writer titles the missionary pair as the apostles Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14:14). While the Bible does not mention how Barnabas died, he reportedly was martyred for his faith, like some of the other apostles; he was either stoned or burned to death in Salamis, Cyprus. How Was Barnabas Connected to Paul? Easton, in his Bible dictionary, believes Barnabas and Paul probably knew each other because they had been taught together in the school of Gamaliel. But while Barnabas was the one who did the primary introduction, it appears Paul, with his zeal for speaking, soon became more well-known for his evangelism efforts. After Barnabas found Paul in Tarsus (Acts 11:25-26), they pooled their energies and established a foundational church in Antioch, which is also where the first Christ-followers became known as Christians. Their work expanded, and in Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit called for Barnabas, along with Saul/Paul, to be set apart for holy work. Prior to this, the Bible named the pair in that orderBarnabas and Saulbut around this time, something clearly shifted, and they became known in reverse order: Paul first, Barnabas second. The word of God continued to flourish, and soon they brought another disciple, John Mark, with them to many places throughout the region, from Seleucia to Cyprus to Salamis and then to Paphos. Expelled finally by the Jewish leaders for their work with the Gentiles, they moved on to spread the gospel in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, eventually back to Antioch. Around this time, over deep disagreement with other apostles about whether or not Gentile believers needed to be circumcised, the pair traveled to Jerusalem to settle the matter. When all was resolvedthe Gentiles would not be required to be circumcised, as they were saved, as Peter said, by the grace of the Lord Jesus alone (Acts 15:11) Barnabas and Paul delivered the encouraging message to the people in Antioch. That is when the two had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company (Acts 15:39). Quarreling over whether or not to bring John Mark along with them, after John Mark had deserted them, they chose to go their separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark, his cousin, and sailed for Cyprus, while Paul took Silas and headed through Syria and Cilicia. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul spoke harshly about his friend and brother in ministry, noting that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray (Galatians 2:13). Still, it appears the quarrel resolved itself over time. In what appears to be a gesture of reconciliation at the close of Pauls letter to the Colossians, Paul offers these forgiving and grace-filled words: My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him) (Colossians 4:10). While the two appear to have no longer been ministry partners, they were still brothers in Christ. What Can Christians Learn from Barnabas? Barnabas was someone who had worldly respect, wealth, and other standing and gave it all up for Jesussomething todays Christians would do well to learn from. As a Levite who owned property, he heeded the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:21, when Jesus told the young man of wealth how to get eternal life: Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. Barnabas sold his field and put the money at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:37). He then spent the rest of his life traveling as a missionary, leading others to Jesus at great personal risk. He also saw Paul, the very man hed taken under his protection, rise to greater fame in the ministry world. Yet Barnabas did not falter. He persisted in his work, even after he and Paul parted ways over a quarrel, even after Paul blasted him for going astray from hypocrisy (Galatians 2:13). Barnabas stood fast, led others to God, and did extraordinary work for the Kingdom. In conclusion, Barnabas truly was a man of encouragement. He gave his life to the church and sacrificed much for the faith. He, along with Paul and other Christian leaders of his time, was instrumental in spreading the gospel across the land and converting great numbers, both Jew and Gentile. Because of him, and others like him, today we know Jesus. We can honor Barnabas by sharing our testimony and sharing the Good News near and far, no matter the risk. Photo credit: GettyImages/pcess609 Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional, too. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. Shes also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When Youre Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed. WLTP SUV EV kW It was back in January when Toyota first revealed the European counterpart of the RAV4 Prime the name was changed to RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, but the credentials remained. Well, it turns out the efficiency figures released back then for the European specification were quite... pessimistic.To be more precise, Toyota only announced back then its pre-homologation data. The spec sheet included aCO2 figure of just 29 g/km, which translated to an incredible average fuel economy of 1.25 liters per 100 km (over 188 mpg). Its internal battery was also said to be large enough to carry the RAV4for more than 65 km (40 miles) solely on electric energy.Well, all those figures can go out the window right now, simply because theyre wrong. And we mean that in the best possible way, as Toyotas final homologation figures are even better. Believe it or not, but the European-specification model has a fuel consumption of just one liter per 100 km (over 235 mpg) and corresponding CO2 emissions of 22 grams per kilometer (WLTP).More so, the electric driving range on a fully charged battery is of up to 75 km (46.6 miles). No one really expects to reach home with such fuel economy after a journey, or even go for the full 75 clicks in full electric mode but we all know the drill: the higher the figures, the more chances to be impressed in real-world driving situations as well.Even the available performance has been enhanced, because Toyota initially announced a 100 kph (62 mph) acceleration time of 6.2 seconds. It now settled down to a rounder, and better figure of exactly six seconds. Additionally, you can do the sprint inmode as well, though in this case you need to wait for ten seconds to achieve the same speed value.The rest of the details remain largely unchanged the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid will arrive at European dealer lots (at a yet unspecified date and for unknown prices) with standard intelligent all-wheel drive, a new plug-in hybrid system good for 306 PS (302 hp) / 225, and Toyotas all-encompassing TNGAK architecture. The University of Edinburgh has come under fire after it renamed a tower bearing the name of 18th century philosopher David Hume over his links to slavery. The David Hume Tower will now be known as 40 George Square, the university confirmed, following pressure from activists, despite a petition amassing less than 2,000 signatures. The campaign to rename the tower began in July at the height of protests around the world after the killing of George Floyd in the US. Dr Felix Waldmann, a former Edinburgh professor who is now at Cambridge University, called Hume 'unashamedly racist' after discovering a previously unknown letter the philosopher wrote encouraging his patron to buy a plantation. This led to the petition demanding action from the university over its links to Hume amid his use of 'racial epithets'. However, the university's decision to rename the tower has led to fury, with academics and politicians leading the backlash. Neil O'Brien, the Conservative MP for Harborough, in Leicestershire, wrote: 'Edinburgh University has cancelled / deleted the great enlightenment philosopher David Hume. What a cowardly, stupid, craven, pathetic, spineless, dumb thing to do. Shame on them.' Last night, leading historian Sir Tom Devine, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The current Principal of Edinburgh University [Peter Mathieson] should hang his head in absolute shame.' The University of Edinburgh confirmed it has renamed its tower commemorating 18th century philosopher David Hume over his links to slavery Dr Felix Waldmann, a former Edinburgh professor who is now at Cambridge University, called Hume 'unashamedly racist' after discovering a previously unknown letter the philosopher wrote encouraging his patron to buy a plantation Protesters celebrate outside the building formerly known as David Hume Tower in George Square on the campus of Edinburgh University Sir Tom said that if he was still employed by the university, 'I would have fought tooth and nail against this decision'. He added history students are taught 'never to indulge in the intellectual sin of anachronistic judgment - i.e. never to impose the values of today on those of the past'. Sir Tom also said Hume was the 'greatest philosophical mind Scotland has ever produced'. 'In the year of David Hume's reported letter on the plantations, there is no evidence that any groups in Scotland opposed chattel slavery in the colonies. In that sense, Hume was a man of his time, no better and no worse than any other Scot at the time. 'By the criterion of this stupid decision, the whole of Scotland in that period deserved moral condemnation.' Sir Tom Devine, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The current Principal of Edinburgh University [Peter Mathieson] should hang his head in absolute shame.' Asanga Welikala, a lecturer in public law at Edinburgh university and co-convenor of the Keith Forum on Commonwealth Constitutionalism, said: 'I do not agree with this decision. 'David Hume's thought has inspired me throughout a 20-year career working to further constitutional democracy in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. 'As an employee of Edinburgh University I was not consulted in this.' Another critic added: 'It's not clear to me how cancelling David Hume - whose racist views are not what he is known for; views which are consistent with his intellectual milieu - is meant to improve the lives of black people today.' A second added: 'I am sceptical that the university of Edinburgh has much evidence of a building being named after the famous 18th century Enlightenment philosopher David Hume causing 'distress' to contemporary students. David Hume: Philosopher, historian and economist and father of the Enlightenment who rejected religion and believed passions governed human behaviour rather than reason David Hume (1711-1776) was a UK philosopher (pictured, statue in Edinburgh) David Hume (1711-1776) is one of the most important UK philosophers, best known for his work on scepticism and empiricism and his contribution to the Enlightenment. Hume saw philosophy as experimental science of human nature and tried to describe how the mind works in acquiring what is known as knowledge. He had a profound and lasting impact on academics, his views said to have influenced the likes of economist Adam Smith, known as the Father of Capitalism, German philosopher Immanuel Kant and French sociologist Auguste Comte. Hume also influenced the US following the American Revolution. James Madison defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution in the Federalist Papers, greatly influenced by Hume's work and drawing on his History of England. He is also said to have influenced the French Revolution, having been hailed as the eighteenth-century British writer whose works were most widely known and acclaimed on the Continent during the later Enlightenment period before the overthrow of Louis XVI. Hume's work is influential to this day, topping a 2010 survey of most admired philosophers and knocking Aristotle into second. At the age of only 28 he released his groundbreaking philosophical work, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40), an attempt to introduce scientific reasoning into moral subjects. In it, Hume argued against the existence of innate ideas, and concluded that no theory of reality is possible. He wrote that there can be no knowledge of anything beyond experience, with his views, particularly on religion, highly controversial at the time, including his rejection of miracles and the argument for God's existence. Hume argued that there was no soul and wrote in the Treatise: 'When I enter most intimately into what I call myself. I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe any thing but the perception.' The Roman Catholic Church, in 1761, put all his writings on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, its list of forbidden books. Hume was one of the leading voices of the Age of Enlightment, which dominated scholarly and academic discourse in the 18th century. The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that spread through Europe. It advocated ideals such as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and also emphasised the separation of church and state. Science was a key driver of change, with the movement split into two distinct camps. Firstly was the radical Enlightenment, which pushed for democracy, individual liberty, freedom of expression, and the eradication of religious authority. A second, more moderate variety, sought reform between the traditional systems of power and faith. Hume is one of the most respected voices from the period. He believed that passions rather than reason govern human behaviour, proclaiming that 'reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions'. He studied law initially, following in the footsteps of relatives on both sides of his family, though he found the subject distasteful. Later, because of the intensity of his intellectual discovery, he had a nervous breakdown in 1729, from which it took him a few years to recover. In 1734, after working in a merchant's office in Bristol, he came to the turning point of his life and retired to France for three years, where he wrote his treatise. The Treatise was seen as Hume's attempt to formulate a full-fledged philosophical system. He later attempted to run for the chair of moral philosophy at Edinburgh in 1744, though he faces accusations of heresy and atheism that saw him defeated. In 1748, he rewrote parts of his treatise, including a chapter on miracles where he controversially stated that a miracle can never be proved by evidence. Though Hume's views on slavery were ambiguous, he infamously claimed there were human races and that non-whites were inferior to whites. The passage, from Essays, Moral, Political and Literary, reads: 'I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites. 'There never was a civilized nation of any other complexion than white, nor even any individual eminent either in action or speculation. 'No ingenious manufacturer amongst them, no arts, no sciences. 'On the other hand, the most rude and barbarous of the Whites, such as the ancient German, the present Tartars, still have something eminent about them, in their valor, form of government, or some other particular. 'Such a uniform and constant difference could not happen in so many countries and ages, if nature had not made an original distinction betwixt these breeds of men. 'Not to mention our colonies, there are Negro slaves dispersed all over Europe, of whom none ever discovered any symptoms of ingenuity; though low people, without education, will start up amongst us, and distinguish themselves in every profession. 'In Jamaica, indeed, they talk of one Negro as a man of parts and learning; but it is likely he is admired for slender accomplishments, like a parrot who speaks a few words plainly.' Advertisement 'This sounds like an imagined projection of hypothetical distress. While philosopher Christina Sommers said: 'My God. David Hume is cancelled. Shame on U of Edinburgh.' The university said it is renaming the tower after an investigation involving its equality and diversity committee and its race equality and anti-racist sub-committee. The 342,000-a-year vice-chancellor behind Edinburgh University's decision to rename David Hume tower University of Edinburgh Vice-Chancellor Peter Mathieson The University of Edinburgh's decision to rename its David Hume tower has come under fire, with vice-principal Peter Mathieson bearing much of the scrutiny. Sir Tom Devine, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The current Principal of Edinburgh University [Peter Mathieson] should hang his head in absolute shame.' It is the latest controversy Mr Mathieson has faced. In 2018, when he moved from Hong Kong to Edinburgh, it was revealed that the university paid to transport his pets as part of a 26,000 removals bill for his belongings. Mr Mathieson's cat and dog were transferred to Edinburgh amid a row over lecturers facing cuts to their pensions. When he took over at Edinburgh, he accepted a 342,000 salary - 85,000 more than his predecessor - as well as a five bedroom house in the city. In 2019, during another row over staff pensions, Mr Mathieson faced cries of 'Peter Peter pension eater' as he gave an interview to the BBC. During the broadcast, students from the Occupi.Ed action group heckled Mr Mathieson, saying they were doing it to 'call out his lying and lack of accountability.' Earlier this year, Mr Mathieson said he is to take a 20 per cent pay cut due to the impact of coronavirus, warning the pandemic will have a 'huge impact' on the university. Advertisement It said its work had been 'energised' since the death of George Floyd in the US in May and campaigning by the Black Lives Matter movement. A statement read: 'It is important that campuses, curricula and communities reflect both the university's contemporary and historical diversity and engage with its institutional legacy across the world. 'For this reason the university has taken the decision to rename initially temporarily until a full review is completed one of the buildings in the central area campus. From the start of the new academic year the David Hume Tower will be known as 40 George Square. 'The interim decision has been taken because of the sensitivities around asking students to use a building named after the 18th-century philosopher whose comments on matters of race, though not uncommon at the time, rightly cause distress today.' The university said the decision was taken ahead of a 'more detailed review of the university's links to the past' and work is 'considering many other issues beyond the naming of buildings'. Dr Waldmann, a former David Hume fellow at the university, discovered a previously unknown letter Hume wrote in 1766, encouraging his patron Lord Hertford to buy a plantation in Grenada. He also wrote to Victor-Therese Charpentier, the French governor of Martinique, on behalf of his friend, John Stewart, a wine merchant and lent Stewart 400 in early 1766. Records of one plantation owned by Stewart, held in the National Library of Jamaica, show that by November 1767, it had 42 slaves. Dr Waldmann said: 'Anyone possessed of Hume's talents would recognise the obvious enormity of slavery. 'But Hume endorsed slavery; indeed, he justified it.' Hume is celebrated for his contributions to the Enlightenment and is best known for his work on scepticism. In A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-40), Hume argued against the existence of innate ideas, and concluded that no theory of reality is possible and there can be knowledge of anything beyond experience. Hume believed that passions rather than reason govern human behaviour, proclaiming that 'reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions'. His views on philosophy of religion, including his rejection of miracles and the argument from design for God's existence, were especially controversial for their time. Though Hume's views on slavery were ambiguous, he infamously claimed there were human races and that non-whites were inferior to whites. The passage, from Essays, Moral, Political and Literary, reads: 'I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites.' Burma Myanmar Military Demands Return of Two Soldiers Who Confessed to Rohingya Atrocities Private Myo Win Tun of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 565 (left) and Private Zaw Naing Tun, from LIB 353, confess to taking part in atrocities against Rohingya in 2017 in these stills from videos shot by the Arakan Army. A spokesman for the Myanmar military said two army privates who were taken to The Hague, the Netherlands, after allegedly confessing to committing atrocities against Rohingya civilians should be returned to Myanmar. Last week, confessions made by the two soldiers while they were in the custody of the Arakan Army (AA), in which they reportedly admitted to involvement in atrocities against Rohingya during the militarys 2017 clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in western Myanmar, were made public by rights group Fortify Rights. The group also said the two soldiers were now in The Hague, where they were believed to be in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The two were filmed separately making the confessions in July by the AA, an ethnic armed group that is currently engaged in active military operations against the Tatmadaw in northern Rakhine State. The AA shared the confessions with Fortify Rights, which published details of the privates admissions last week. As long as Myanmars civilian and military courts are functioning normally, taking two soldiers to face trial or serve as witnesses at the ICC is an intervention in the national judicial process, said Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun. The two soldiers were arrested and have been sent there, therefore they should be returned to Myanmar and to the military, he told The Irrawaddy. He said the militarys court of inquiry into the alleged Rakhine atrocities had already begun, and he urged anyone with evidence of human rights violations to send them to the military (or Tatmadaw) via email, telephone or post. The spokesman said the government and Tatmadaw are taking steps to ensure accountability, including opening courts-martial to prosecute those involved in atrocities against Rohingya, as recommended by the government-backed Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE). In a report issued early this year the ICOE said government security forces clearance operations in Rakhine didnt have genocidal intent, contradicting the findings of UN investigators. But it admitted that war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law took place against the Rohingya. The two former soldiers, Myo Win Tun, 33, from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 565, and Zaw Naing Tun, 30, from LIB 353, confessed in the videos shot by the AA to taking part in atrocities committed by the Myanmar army against Rohingya people in 2017. The soldiers were recorded as saying they were involved in killing more than 180 Rohingya men, women and children in Taung Buzar and surrounding villages in Buthidaung and five villages in Maungdaw during military operations in late 2017. Myo Win Tun from LIB 565 also admitted to committing rape in Taung Buzar Village. The military clearance operations, in which disproportionate force was used, followed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)s coordinated attacks on 30 police outposts on Aug. 25, 2017, which killed at least a dozen security personnel. The military operations caused a mass exodus of Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. Fortify Rights urged that the two privates be swiftly prosecuted and then made to testify as witnesses to the Tatmadaws atrocities against Rohingya. However, the military spokesman last week cast doubt on the authenticity of the soldiers admissions, saying they were probably made under duress. Major General Zaw Min Tun insisted the privates were arrested before being sent to the Netherlands, contradicting the AAs claim that they deserted from the military in May and June respectively. The major general said certain groups involved in the matter had provided the soldiers with passports and visas, but did not identify the groups. Fortify Rights said last week the two deserters arrived at Myanmars border with Bangladesh in mid-August and asked Bangladesh authorities for protection. Bangladesh officials then notified the ICC about their presence, and the two men are currently under a global witness protection program in The Hague. Myanmar is currently fighting a lawsuit filed by Gambia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague alleging genocide against the Rohingya. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi defended the country against the charge in December. As the ICJs rulings are not binding, rights groups are pursuing an alternative approach by attempting to bring military generals to the ICC in order to seek justice for the victims of human rights violations. Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this report from Naypyitaw. You may also like these stories: KNU Secretary Calls for Constitutional Change to Alleviate Rakhine Crisis Rohingya Robbery Suspect Killed in Gunfight After Refugee Camp Shooting Myanmar Military to Probe Two Alleged Massacres by Troops in Rakhine In spring 2019, Donald Ray Pollock found himself in a thickly wooded landscape somewhere outside of Birmingham, watching a peculiar scene. Bill Skarsgard and Michael Banks Repeta were kneeling in front of a large log, surrounded by white crosses and praying feverishly. The actors were portraying a shellshocked Army veteran and his bewildered son, characters directly pulled from Pollocks 2011 novel, The Devil All the Time. The moment was intense. Skarsgard, as Willard Russell, was urging his boy, Arvin Russell, to make a visceral appeal to God, shouting his wishes that the Almighty would save his dying mother. The author, whos from Chillicothe, Ohio, was visiting the movie set of a Netflix production based on his book. Pollock had imagined this scene many times -- after all, its a key part of his gut-wrenching storyline -- and now it was happening, right in front of his eyes. Pollock was moved. At one time, theres a line Bill says that almost teared me up a little bit, the author says. It felt surreal to be there, Pollock says, watching his vision for The Devil All the Time come to life. The book -- a gritty and violent examination of the lives of several people in Knockemstiff, Ohio, and Coal Creek, West Virginia -- weaves together the stories of a corrupt cop, a morally bankrupt preacher, a deluded faith healer, two serial killers, a damaged son trying to cope with a blood-soaked past and much more. Although he cant remember exactly which line of dialogue prompted his surge of emotion -- Pollock says his day-and-a-half on set are all pretty much a blur to me -- he left Alabama feeling hopeful about the prospects for the film. It was a good experience, Pollock says in a phone interview with AL.com. It also gave me a newfound respect for actors and the people who make movies. We were filming in the woods -- I think it was part of a park -- and it was wet and muddy. I think we were there from 10 in the morning until 10 at night. The Devil All the Time filmed in Alabama from mid-February through early April of last year, in locations such as Montevallo, Jacksonville, Birmingham, Helena, Anniston and Riverside. Pine Flat Church in Elmore County is prominently featured on screen, and at least one scene was filmed near a lake at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham. Aside from Skarsgard and Repeta, the star-studded cast includes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Harry Melling and Mia Wasikowska. The movie, which has been hotly anticipated, will debut on Netflix on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Pollock says he was approached with the idea of a movie adaptation of his book about six years ago. My first thought was: How much money am I going to make out of this? the author says, laughing. Randall Poster, a music supervisor for movies ranging from Zoolander to The Irishman, secured the rights to produce a film adaptation, and in 2015, Poster sent Pollocks novel to his friend and frequent collaborator Antonio Campos. Campos, a producer, writer and director with credits such as Christine and The Sinner, has said he was drawn to Pollocks sprawling tale because it struck him as really hard-boiled noir and Southern Gothic. Campos wrote the screenplay for The Devil All the Time with his brother, Paulo Campos. He also signed on to direct the film. Pollock says hed heard horror stories about books being ravaged by the movie industry, but his working relationship with the Campos brothers was a positive one. Ive heard of Hollywood taking a book and by the time they get done with it, its a different movie, Pollock says. I got to see the screenplay, as they worked on it and revised it. I might have made a few little suggestions, but mostly, I think they were waiting to get my OK on it. It was impossible to put everything in, but it turned out better than I ever hoped for. As a novel, The Devil All the Time probes the thoughts, feelings and motivations of complex characters who are far from saints. Their actions may be twisted by religious fervor, spurred by sexual desire, riddled with guilt or motivated by revenge. Pollock says he didnt worry about the movies ability -- or inability -- to capture all of that. Theres still a lot of action, instead of all interior thinking or whatever, Pollock says. I thought it had a good chance of being a decent movie. Despite the books title, Old Scratch never makes a personal appearance, wearing red horns and brandishing fire and brimstone. But the concept of evil, and how it manifests itself in ordinary life, is a running theme. Pollock also makes it clear that religion and faith can be used in dark and damaging ways. Its not really the devil Im going after, but more the way that evil has an influence on people, Pollock says. I do go after some preachers, I guess, in the book, and thats only because I know a few very decent preachers or ministers, but Ive always had a difficulty with someone who uses religion to enrich themselves. Maybe as a writer, I see a way to sort of comment on that. As far as the devil goes and the theme of it through the book ... Theres a lot of evil in the world and Im not the most optimistic person, anyway. Anyone whos read Pollocks three books -- his catalog includes 2008s Knockemstiff," a group of short stories, and 2016s The Heavenly Table, a novel about two farm families -- knows that uplift isnt part of his playbook. In fact, hes the polar opposite of a feel-good writer. Pollock knows this, and is making no excuses for it. There arent many nice stories that are any good," Pollock says. "Really, its almost impossible for me to write one. I stick to what I do best. With The Devil All the Time, I didnt want it to be total doom and gloom, but the way the story played out, it wasnt going to have a happy ending. No spoilers here, of course, but we can confirm that Pollock serves as a narrator for the movie, tying together various storylines and guiding the viewer with his voice-overs. Antonio Campos asked him to play that role, Pollock says, and he was reluctant at first. When he asked me about doing it, I thought, Man, you can find somebody better than me to do it, Pollock says. I live in Ohio and its not a Southern twang, but Ive got a hillbilly thing going on. He thought it would fit. I read lines and recorded them on my cell phone and sent them to him. I sat in the library and recorded for a couple of days, then we did that again. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, because we did so many takes. But I thought: Its the only time in my life Im going to be involved in a movie, so ... Its a strange thing, because Ive done a lot of radio interviews and I never listen to them," Pollock continues. I have to say that I cant stand the sound of my own voice. But in the movie, it didnt bother me. Maybe because there was so much going on, and I didnt focus on it." Pollock was concerned, however, that the actors in The Devil All the Time sound authentic, as if they might actually live in rural Ohio or the hollers of West Virginia. He pulled out his cell phone again, to help the director make that happen. One of the things we did, I took some of the lines (in the script) and recorded people around here saying them, Pollock says. I think the actors did a really good job of sounding like Southern or Midwestern people. It was important that they get that part of it right. I cant really say they were Ohio or West Virginia accents, but theyre south of the Ohio River accents. They could have easily gone overboard with the Southern accents. I think they sounded natural. Now, as the author waits for The Devil All the Time to be released on Netflix, Pollock says hes feeling excited and grateful. Ive been really lucky, Pollock says. I worked in a paper mill for 30-some years, and Ive written a couple of books and now one of them is going to be a movie. Thats pretty surreal. In this still image from police body camera video, a man chases a police officer while wielding a knife, in Lancaster, Pa., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Lancaster Bureau of Police) Riot Breaks out in Pennsylvania After Police Officer Shoots Knife-Wielding Man A riot broke out in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, late Sunday. Over 100 people gathered, enraged over the police shooting of a knife-wielding man earlier in the day. Video footage from downtown showed rioters smashing windows at businesses, the police station, and a post office. They also lit multiple fires. After the crowd ignored warnings to disperse, law enforcement officers fired tear gas and used other crowd control methods. At least four people were arrested. During the dispersal, people hurled glass bottles, bricks, and other projectiles at police officers, the Lancaster Bureau of Police said in a statement. Lancaster is located about 75 miles west of Philadelphia. The picturesque area is known for its farms. Many Amish families reside in the county. The police shooting took place at approximately 4:24 p.m. on Laurel Street. Officers responded to a 911 call about a man becoming aggressive with his mother. The man was trying to break into the mothers house, the caller said. The first officer on the scene walked to the front of the home and made contact with the woman. Thats when the man sprinted out of the residence and began chasing the officer, body camera footage showed. The man was holding a knife. Warning: Footage contains violent images. The officer initially began running away before turning around and firing several shots. The 27-year-old man who was chasing the officer was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lancaster County District Attorneys Office is investigating the shooting. Theres an investigation that has to play out here and were just asking everybody to maintain peace and allow the investigation to play out allow the district attorneys office to do their jobs, Lancaster Police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser said at a press conference shortly after the shooting. It does us no good to create other harm, or other, you know, to have other loss of life or injury or any type of property damage within the city that does absolutely nobody any good because it actually detracts investigators away from that investigation. Prosecutors later identified the deceased as Ricardo Munoz. According to online court records, Munoz has a criminal record that includes disorderly conduct. He was awaiting trial on four charges of aggravated assault at the time of his death. A police-involved shooting has significant impact on a community, as we are seeing with the large number of individuals gathering in the streets, District Attorney Heather Adams said in a statement. However, I am asking that all reaction be tempered as the investigation is ongoing. We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods, she added. Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace, a Democrat, said in a statement: This has been a heartbreaking day for our city. I grieve for the loss of life and know that there are more questions to be answered as the investigation continues. Sorace said the officer involved in the shooting has been placed on leave. THE way long-term, large-scale forest management planning is approved by the Pallister government is about to change and not for the better. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion THE way long-term, large-scale forest management planning is approved by the Pallister government is about to change and not for the better. In the spring of 2020, Manitobas minister of the environment and climate issued a mandate letter to the chair of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission (CEC), which requested that the CEC provide the minister with a report that "reviews the existing approvals process for Forest Management Plans (FMP) in this province." In the terms of reference, issued by the minister to the CEC, it was very clear in whose interest this report should be focused, as the minister stated clearly that, "(t)he forest industry has raised concerns that the two approval processes for a FMP are duplicative and are not in line with the approval processes of other Canadian jurisdictions." This, despite the fact that there are a multitude of other users of our publicly owned forests, none more important than First Nations, who have specific Section 35 rights that are enshrined in the Canadian Constitution. These rights are directly affected, and probably adversely, when it comes to forest management planning in this province. This forest-industry focus in this report is also reflected in the fact that CEC never once consulted with any organization or group that represents the interests of other users of our publicly owned forests. The current broad-strokes approval process for long-term 20-year FMPs for forestry companies that hold forest management licence agreements to harvest trees on very large tracts of forested lands in this province there are two such companies, Louisiana Pacific and Tolko Industry is to prepare a 20-year FMP in accordance with the Manitoba Forestry Act. This then gets approved via the Manitoba Environment Act, as a Class 2 development project. This so-called "two approvals process" acts as a check and balance mechanism for both the government department that manages our publicly owned forests and for the forest industry that harvests our public forest. Given the length of time, the sheer volume and the area harvested over this 20-year period, these FMPs then undergo a full public panel review by the CEC. All of this is about to change, based on the report prepared and submitted to the minister in May 2020, by the CEC which, in my opinion, will only serve to reduce public and government oversight in the planning process, while saving both the government and the forest companies money in the approvals process stage. This should come as no surprise, given that the Pallister government has made it very clear it wants less government and less government spending as it has cut back government departmental spending at all levels since coming into power. This governments preoccupation with instituting government austerity measures is to the direct detriment of peoples health and welfare and the protection of our provinces environment. 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 new FMP regime being recommended to the minister by the CEC would see FMPs exempt from approval, as a Class 2 Development, under the Manitoba Environment Act, and approval of 20-year FMPs would be done through "ministerial agreements" that may or may not be legally binding or enshrined in legislation and if so, it will be done at some future date. I have had many problems with the current approval process for FMPs, mostly because there is far too much discretionary power given to the the director of environmental approval under the Manitoba Environment Act, and FMPs should have been designated as a Class 3 development to begin with under the act. However, what is now being recommended by the CEC is a total regression, not a progression. If it were progress, it would provide for more public and government oversight to ensure our publicly owned forests in Manitoba are managed properly for all forest users, not just for the forest industry. It does not do this. Finally, I am appalled, in this age of reconciliation, that there is not one word in this entire CEC document that mentions First Nations Section 35 rights and how these rights are dealt with in this new FMP regime, nor how these rights will be accommodated in the new proposed FMP approval process. The changes proposed by the Pallister government regarding how it will manage and plan for our forests into the future are not in the interests of the vast majority of Manitobans. They should be opposed. Don Sullivan is a landscape photographer, freelance writer and former director of the Boreal Forest Network. He has served as special adviser to the government of Manitoba on the Pimachiowin Aki UNESCO World Heritage site portfolio and is a research affiliate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Manitoba. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she would rather lose the state election next month than bow to pressure and reopen the states borders before her chief health officer advises it is safe. Political rivals laid a fresh round of border criticism on Ms Palaszczuk on Monday as it was revealed Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was placed under police guard following death threats. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks at a press conference as Dr Jeannette Young looks on. Credit:Getty State Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington accused the Premier of "making the borders into a political weapon". Ms Palaszczuk said she was following the advice of Dr Young and would continue to do so even if it meant she was ousted from office when Queenslanders headed to the polls on October 31 to decide who would lead the state for the next four years. Major-General Qassem Soleimani was seen as a national hero to some in Iran before he was assassinated by the US this past January. (AFP via Getty Images) Iran has considered an assassination attempt against the US ambassador to South Africa as a retaliatory measure against the US for its drone strike in January that killed Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani. The ambassador, Lana Marks, a longtime friend of Donald Trump who was unanimously confirmed to her post by the Senate in 2019, has been informed of the potential plot, Politico reported, citing two anonymous sources, one of whom was familiar with the issue or another who had seen intelligence suggesting the potential assassination. For months, Iran has been weighing different ways to retaliate against the American drone strike that took out Mr Soleimani and at least six others in Iraq on 3 January. Mr Soleimani for years was seen as the main and most dangerous opponent by Iran's adversaries in the Middle East and beyond. Inside the country, many people viewed him as a national hero. As the leader of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), he had survived several attempts to kill him by western, Israeli and Arab states over the past two decades. The Quds force that Mr Soleimani commanded before his death oversees Irans military operations outside its own borders. The unit has frequently supported proxy militias that were adversaries of US-backed groups in the region, though it has seldom directly engaged American troops. In April 2019, however, the US State Department accused Mr Soleimanis units of killing more than 600 American soldiers over the course of the Iraq War. In 2018, former FBI agent and national security analyst Ali Soufan wrote of Mr Soleimani: "More than anyone else, Soleimani has been responsible for the creation of an arc of influence which Iran terms its 'Axis of Resistance' extending from the Gulf of Oman through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.'' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterised the drone strike against Mr Soleimani as a step to re-establish deterrence after a tumultuous year of confrontations between the two countries. Story continues Iran subsequently launched a rocket strike against a joint US-Iraq airbase, injuring more than 100 US troops but killing none. US officials believe a plan for an attack against Ms Marks has been in Irans back pocket since the spring, but that it has become more specific in recent weeks, Politico reported. The publication reported that intelligence officials are unsure why Iran is potentially targeting Ms Marks, who does not have any known links to the country. Ms Marks was born in South Africa and speaks Xhosa and Afrikaans, two languages native to the region. She has known Mr Trump for decades, and was a member of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. She made her fortune as the designer of an eponymous high-end fashion line known most prominently for its leather handbags. Read more Iranian anti-hijab activist says she is safe - for now - after fears of deportation to Iran Trump administration resumes deportation arrests after halting amid pandemic, report reveals 'Trees can explode': Trump again blames California for causing wildfires with poor forest management Biden news - live: Former VP accuses Trump of law and order fear-mongering and calls him a climate arsonist Trump is planning an October surprise insiders say he wants to redo 2016 JACKSON, Miss., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP) (the "Company" or "EastGroup") announced today that it will hold its Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call and Webcast on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time. On the call, Marshall Loeb, CEO, and Brent Wood, CFO, will review the third quarter results and discuss EastGroup's current operations. EastGroup plans to release financial results for the quarter after the market closes on October 27, 2020. The earnings release and supplemental information package will be posted on the Company's website, www.eastgroup.net, at that time. A live broadcast of the conference call is available by dialing 1-877-876-9173 (conference ID EastGroup) or by webcast through a link on the Company's website at www.eastgroup.net. If you are unable to listen to the live conference call, a telephone and webcast replay will be available on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The telephone replay will be available until Wednesday, November 4, 2020, and can be accessed by dialing 1-800-753-5212. The replay of the webcast can be accessed through a link on the Company's website at www.eastgroup.net and will be available until Wednesday, November 4, 2020. 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 Well have to watch the Maxs when they come back. The minute you have a Max divert, it will cause people to become a bit nervous, said the former Boeing engineer. Boeing will be on top of that. We know something can happen. The head of U.S. Strategic Command, who is in charge of the nation's nuclear triad, declined to back up President Donald Trump''s alleged claim in the Bob Woodward book "Rage" that the U.S. has a secret new nuclear weapons system to deter Russia and China. "I have not seen [the book]," Adm. Charles A. "Chas" Richard, the STRATCOM commander, said in response to questions at a Pentagon briefing. "I'm not in a good position to help you address that question." Read Next: Navy Commander at Lackland Training Center Fired After Investigation In Woodward's book, based on tapes recorded with Trump's permission, the president spoke to how close the U.S. had come to war with a nuclear-armed North Korea in 2018, and said the U.S. has since developed a new weapon at his direction. "I have built a nuclear, a weapons system that nobody's ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven't even seen or heard about,""Trump told Woodward, the longtime Washington Post investigative journalist. "We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before," Trump added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "There's nobody -- what we have is incredible." When asked again about the new system, Richard said he could not discuss what may be classified and referred questions to the White House and the secretary of defense. Trump may have been referring to the new low-yield W76-2 nuclear warhead for missiles on Trident submarines. The development of the W76-2 was publicly announced in the February 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Richard said the W76-2 was developed to counter the possibility that an adversary might use its own low-yield nuclear weapon, thinking the U.S. might then not respond with the full force of its nuclear arsenal. In assessing the readiness of the nation's nuclear triad of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and strategic bombers, Richard said, "The bottom line is we're ready," but pointed to the challenges ahead, particularly from China. The Pentagon's annual "China Military Power" report to Congress, released Sept. 1, projects that the number of warheads on China's land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. will grow to roughly 200 in the next five years. Richard said he backs that assessment. "China, in particular, is developing a stack of capabilities that, in my mind, is increasingly inconsistent with their stated ''no first use' policy," Richard said. "My responsibility is to deter what they're capable of doing, as opposed to what they're saying." He referred to Beijing's longtime stated policy that China will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in the event of war. U.S. deterrence policy has been not to rule out first use. Richard was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in November 2019 to head STRATCOM and succeed Air Force Gen. John Hyten. Hyten has since been confirmed as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: US Adds ''Low-Yield'' Nuclear Weapon to Its Submarine Arsenal The future of a nine-acre historic property near Browns Ferry, whose history stretches back to before the founding of the city of Chattanooga, is secure, thanks to its purchase by the American Battlefield Trust. Earlier efforts to protect Browns Tavern were ultimately unsuccessful, but the Trust was able to muster donor support and matching grants from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program and the Tennessee Historical Commissions Civil War Sites Preservation Fund to secure the site, officials said. The Trust anticipates transferring the land and historic structure, as well as two other properties previously purchased at Browns Ferry, to National Park Partners, the acclaimed friends group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the six units of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to the protection of hallowed ground, said organization President James Lighthizer. But protecting properties like this one, whose significance stretches across multiple eras and narratives, is particularly sweet. After its defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863, the Union Army of the Cumberland was trapped and besieged in Chattanooga, dependent on a single, fragile supply line. The October 27 Battle of Browns Ferry (or Wauhatchie) was fought for one reason: Food. In a bold plan to open a more direct supply line, Union troops used bridge pontoons to float past Confederate guards on Lookout Mountain and along the banks of the Tennessee River, putting in at Brown's Ferry on the far west bank. Having established a bridgehead, these Federals drove back opposing forces in sharp fighting. The resulting Cracker Line facilitated the men, food and supplies necessary for Novembers Federal assaults on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Officials said, "But the propertys significance long precedes the Civil War. The original Browns Tavern, a log-construction building dating to 1803 still stands on the site. It was operated by Cherokee businessman John Brown, who owned 640-acres, including the ferry and the tavern that took his name. Brown served as a private in Col. Gideon Morgans command of Cherokees who fought for the United States in the War of 1812. Brown operated the tavern until 1819, then spent a decade living elsewhere before returning in 1830. The family was forced to leave their home in 1838, as a part of the Cherokee Removal in Chattanooga, a phase of the Trail of Tears, although they later received special federal permission to return to their home. In recognition of this significance, Browns Tavern is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is included as a stop on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail." Tennessees history is rich and multilayered, said State Historic Preservation Officer Patrick McIntyre, who serves as executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission. It is an honor to have played a role in ensuring that this special place will stand for generations to come, so that our children and grandchildren can feel a tangible connection to these important moments in our past. The purchase of Browns Tavern was a fully cooperative effort, it was stated. The Trust was able to secure matching grants from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program, administered by the National Park Service, and the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund, administered by the Tennessee Historical Commission/Tennessee Wars Commission, which were leveraged against private donations from Trust members. A conservation easement donated by the Trust and held by the Tennessee Historical Commission will ensure that the property is protected in perpetuity. Earlier efforts to secure a permanent preservation status for the property were ultimately unsuccessful. In the wake of that attempt, local businessman Bill Chapin, chairman of See Rock City Inc., purchased the site to safeguard it in the short term. I am honored to have played a role, even if relatively brief, in the long history of Browns Tavern, the oldest structure in Hamilton County, said Mr. Chapin, the 2019 recipient of the Southeast Tourism Societys Spirit of STS Award. All residents of Chattanooga, Hamilton County and Tennessee, plus American history enthusiasts, should be pleased to know that this incredible piece of American history will face no further threats. Acquisition by the Trust is not the final step in the preservation journey for Browns Tavern; the national organization has made arrangements to transfer it to National Park Partners, knowing that this outstanding regional group is ideally positioned to steward the site. The Trust anticipates that transfer - which will also include 15 acres on two properties elsewhere at Browns Ferry - to occur this autumn. National Park Partners exists to champion conservation of the natural, historic, and cultural resources of all six units of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park: Chickamauga Battlefield, Lookout Mountain Battlefield, Missionary Ridge, Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, Orchard Knob and Signal Point. National Park Partners stands ready to protect, interpret and steward this remarkable property, said the organizations executive director, Tricia K. Mims. Being entrusted with preserving the complex history of Browns Tavern and surrounding land for many years to come is truly an honor." The American Battlefield Trust has protected a total of 119 acres associated with the Battles for Chattanooga, inclusive of the Browns Tavern property. Fifty-one of those acres are tied to the Battle of Browns Ferry; other properties are relevant to the fighting for Tunnel Hill during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. The Trust is currently raising funds to secure an additional parcel at Missionary Ridge - the site where, on November 25, 1863, 17-year-old Ohio drummer boy John Kountz received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions. The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving Americas hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 53,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War. Dave Poms, president of Poms & Associates Poms & Associates, an independent, full-service insurance brokerage and risk management firm, announced today that its founder and president Dave Poms has been awarded a Gold 2020 International Stevie Award in the "Entrepreneur of the Year: Insurance category at The 17th Annual International Business Awards (IBA). Poms win of the global awards programs top prize recognizes his entrepreneurship and industry leadership in risk management and loss control and his community advocacy of child welfare and school safety. Its a great honor to receive this recognition from the International Business Awards, said Dave Poms, president of Poms & Associates. This award is a testament to the fact that inspiration can strike in the most unlikely places where frustration with the status quo or dealing with complex problems when conventional solutions have failed and it is these kinds of challenges that make you think outside-the-box. With enough persistence, ingenuity, resourcefulness and compassion, we can all find solutions and make real progress on the issues that matter most. Poms founded Poms & Associates in 1991 based on the premise that knowledge is the best insurance that the best way to help businesses and organizations is to serve not only as an insurance broker but also as an educator about best practices in how to reduce risk and prevent loss before an incident occurs. With a company-wide emphasis on education, Poms & Associates today is among the top 50 privately held brokerage firms in the U.S. with six branch offices in three states. The company has been repeatedly recognized as one of the Top Insurance Workplaces by Insurance Business America magazine. Over his career, Poms has been a driving force behind the creation of many public entity pools in the western U.S., including the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority (NMPSIA), which helps New Mexicos school system provide unique coverages that are not commercially available in the insurance market. Within the past year and under Poms leadership Poms & Associates achieved a number of major accomplishments, including implementing an innovative risk management program in New Mexico schools that provided active shooter training and the tools for school administrators to make safe decisions and quickly report incidents to authorities. This training led directly to lives saved in shooting incidents in both Roswell and Aztec, N.M. Poms also helped write two school safety legislative bills that define and limit who can be armed in New Mexicos public schools by requiring certain qualifications before an individual can become an armed security employee. As the issue of sexual abuse continues to present a serious challenge for the insurance industry, Poms is a vocal advocate for the need for a major cultural change within companies and institutions one where processes and tools are put in place to improve the safety of young people, and training and education are made central to enabling quick action that protects them when potential issues arise. In 2019, Poms successfully built bipartisan political support in New Mexico for legislation that created a task force to address the issue of child predators in the states public schools. The task force serves as a national model for schools in other states. Poms is an advocate of the international Olympic Movement and has served on the board of directors for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation for the past eight years. He also supports the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a federally authorized nonprofit organization that is working to end all forms of abuse in sports. The International Business Awards are the worlds premier business awards program. The 2020 IBAs received more than 3,800 entries from organizations in 63 nations and territories. Despite the unprecedented impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on organizations and working people worldwide, the number and quality of nominations we received in this years International Business Awards attests to the continued outstanding performance of many organizations. The commitment weve seen through these nominations to maintaining the success, health, and safety of employees, customers, and communities is truly impressive, said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. For more information about Poms & Associates, visit https://pomsassoc.com/. About Poms & Associates Poms & Associates is a leading independent, full-service insurance brokerage and risk management firm with a proven track record of providing innovative and customized solutions to businesses in high-risk industries. Founded in 1991, the company was built on the premise that knowledge is the best insurance that is, the best way to help businesses and organizations is to serve not only as an insurance broker but also as an educator about best practices in how to reduce risk and prevent loss before an incident occurs. Poms & Associates today offers a wide range of products and services, including property and casualty insurance for commercial organizations and public entities, risk control, human resources and employee benefits and private services for high net-worth individuals. Among the top 50 independent brokerage firms in the U.S., Poms & Associates is headquartered in Woodland Hills, Calf. It maintains branch offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Calif., the San Francisco Bay Area, Albuquerque, N.M. and Dayton, Ohio. For more information, visit https://pomsassoc.com/. Russia said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed he plans to change the constitution as the two leaders held talks in Sochi on Monday. The meeting came as Lukashenko faces mass protests at home following a presidential election on August 9, which the opposition claims was rigged. Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, began raising the question of changing the constitution several years ago. He has since presented this as a way to respond to public desire for social change. He has also proposed holding the next presidential polls early. Lukashenkos plane landed in the Black Sea region a day after police arrested 774 people at anti-government rallies across the country, including 500 in the capital, Minsk, the Belarusian interior ministry said. At least 100,000 protesters flooded the streets of Minsk on Sunday. Lukashenko confirmed his intention to make changes to the constitution, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov after talks at Putins residence in Sochi. They talked for almost four hours, he said, calling their conversation constructive, lengthy and substantive in content. Peskov added that Russia wants everything that happens in Belarus not to be in the form of unconstitutional processes but within the framework of the law. The Belarusian strongman has said he wants to hold a referendum on reforms, although he has not made clear what these would be. He has suggested reducing the presidents powers in appointing judges. Lukashenko has previously changed the constitution to increase his presidential powers. The opposition wants to change the constitution back to its original form, but Lukashenko has said this would be a backward step. Moscow has recognised Lukashenko as the legitimate president after he claimed victory in disputed elections that the main opposition contender Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she rightfully won. Putin and Lukashenko also agreed on Monday that Moscow would withdraw reserves of troops that were deployed at the border with Belarus, Russian news agency TASS reported. An important result of the two presidents talks in Sochi became an agreement that Russia removes the reserve of law enforcement bodies and the national guard, which was deployed near the Russia-Belarus border, and withdraws people to their permanent bases, Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS. The widow of PC Andrew Harper has said she fully supports Arlene Foster's call for tougher sentences for people found guilty of killing police officers and public servants. Lissie Harper, whose husband of just four weeks died after being dragged for over a mile by a criminal gang's getaway car in 2019, also told the Belfast Telegraph that she would be happy to meet with victims' relatives such as PSNI widow Kate Carroll and murdered prison officer's son Kyle Black. The self-employed businesswoman said changes to the current UK laws "cannot come soon enough" and is encouraged by First Minister Foster pushing for Northern Ireland to introduce tougher jail terms. Here, the starting tariff for the murder of a public servants is 15-16 years - which Mrs Foster described as "morally indefensible" - while in the Republic, for example, the sentence for the capital murder of a police officer is 40 years. Capital murder legislates specifically for gardai, or prison officers, who are murdered in the line of duty. In England and Wales, the mandatory minimum sentence is 30 years and there is a minimum sentence of 20 years in Scotland. Mrs Harper, who has been campaigning for change since she was widowed in west Berkshire last August, gave the DUP leader her total backing. "I'm fully behind what Mrs Foster is trying to achieve," she said. "I'm not sure why it has taken all regions of the UK so long to make changes. "The public support has been astronomical and that goes to show we all want change." The 29-year-old, whose campaign for automatic life sentences for those found guilty of killing public servants has cross-party support in Westminster, said she doesn't believe the current sentencing reflects the severity of the crime. "To take somebody's life is a huge thing, yet Andrew's killers will be out in less than 10 years potentially," she said. "Police officers and people in that environment are the ones running towards danger, and they need that extra protection." Expand Close Lissie Harper with late husband Andrew on their wedding day / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lissie Harper with late husband Andrew on their wedding day Mrs Harper, whose 28-year-old husband's killers were acquitted of murder but convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter, said it was ironic that our prison sentences are the most lenient in the UK when dissident republican paramilitaries are still targeting police officers. "I was shocked when I learned that the jail terms in Northern Ireland are so low," she said. "It's ridiculous in the UK - we're all part of the same country but jail terms vary. "Sentencing of 15-16 years in Northern Ireland is very insufficient. If you take somebody's life, the sentence should reflect that. Until you've experienced it first hand, many people don't realise what the situation is like." Mrs Harper said it was encouraging that her 'Harper's Law' campaign is supported by high profile people in Northern Ireland such as Mrs Carroll, whose husband Stephen was the first PSNI officer to be murdered by paramilitaries 11 years ago, and Mr Black, whose father David was also gunned down in 2012. "I can certainly relate to people like Kate and Kyle," she said. "When this sort of thing happens, there's no right way to deal with it and there's no handbook for it. If, on top of all that, you still don't even get any justice, you feel totally let down. It's just awful because you're not only dealing with your grief and loss, the injustice is just so much worse. "In circumstances like Kyle's, there's no closure at all because the killers were never caught." Lissie said she was "absolutely" open to meeting Mrs Carroll and Mr Black. "I'm currently communicating with a family in New Zealand who are campaigning for the same things as me," she said. "It's important that places like Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK, Australia and New Zealand work together if we can." Mrs Harper revealed that Andrew and herself had Northern Ireland "on their list of places to go" prior to the police constable's shocking death after he and a fellow Thames Valley officer had responded to a report of burglary. The car driver, Henry Long (19) was jailed for 16 years while passengers Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, were sentenced to 13 years each following the Old Bailey trail. By contrast, last month Co Armagh man Aaron Brady was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in the Republic for fatally wounding Garda Adrian Donohoe with a shotgun during a credit union heist in 2013. Mrs Harper - who described her late husband as a "fearless warrior who knew what he was signing up for" - is hoping that the proposed passing of Harper's Law Act in parliament would act as a future deterrent to anyone considering putting police, prison officers, soldiers or health workers in the line of fire. "At the moment killers know they could be potentially released in seven or eight years and are thinking, 'Well, that's not that big a deal'," she said. "If it was a lot more, however, maybe people would think twice and that's something that we really need." Mrs Harper has contacted the Fire Brigades Union, the Prison Officers Association, Unison, Unite, the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council in an attempt to harvest the backing of hundreds of thousands of emergency workers. Over half a million people have signed a petition backing Harper's Law. It's also supported by the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 120,000 rank-and-file officers. Mrs Harper said she finds strength in pursuing her campaign, which could take several years to bear fruit, because she's "doing it for Andrew" and the relatives of others who have had their lives taken. "The court case was totally out of my hands and I had no control over it," she recalled. "We would just sit and wait for things to happen or not happen. It made me think 'This isn't right, this isn't good enough'. "These people shouldn't be getting away with this. When the verdict and the sentencing came in they were celebrating, knowing that they hadn't been convicted of murder and that's just disgusting. "I remember thinking, 'Why is it like this?' Our justice system isn't working and something needs to change.' "Obviously I can't do anything about Andrew's killers but for people in the future who find themselves in that position it shouldn't be that way. "I just thought 'if I'm not going to do it nobody else might' and I think Andrew would be proud of that. "If I can get it through then that will be a legacy that is worthy of him and hopefully families in the future." The UP assembly passed the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force Bill-2020 during its monsoon session, paving the way for constitution of the Special Security Force. The SSF formation was announced in December 2019 after heeding orders of the Allahabad high court which expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts. On December 18, 2019, the Allahabad high court had pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over a shootout in a Bijnor courtroom. The basis of the high court order was that there should be a specialised force for civil courts, but the UP government has gone far ahead and given the SSF the power to search any premises without any warrant. SSF members can also arrest anyone without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant. With the graph of crimes in Uttar Pradesh in upswing mode, Dominic Xavier wonders if the SSF can curtail the increasing lawlessness in UP. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Boris Johnson had barely begun speaking when the Opposition benches began bobbing up and down, shrieking and squawking like an aviary of demented cockatoos. Will he give way? Will he give way? Will he give way? The Prime Minister was presenting his Internal Market Bill and for a moment it was as though we were back to 2019. With Sir Keir Starmer forced into emergency isolation, it was left to hell yeah Ed Miliband to make the Oppositions case. Bet a few fist bumps were exchanged in Downing Street when that news broke Each of the old gang were there: Hilary Benn (Lab, Leeds C) Joanna Cherry (SNP, Edinburgh SW), Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, all desperately trying to intervene, their mouths wobbling, eyes popping, veins throbbing. Good old Brexit. Nothing like it to send the House quite so doolally. Tensions around the chamber were tight as catgut. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewiss admission last week that the Bill, which proposes changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, would break international law was causing disruptions on all sides. Some of the Governments top legal brains had already fled for the hills. Boris laid out his stall calmly. The Bill, he said, should be supported by anyone who cared about the sovereignty and integrity of our United Kingdom. Without the Bill, we could end up with a situation where the EU refused to list any of our agricultural products for sale anywhere in the EU. The Government benches gurgled with indignation. Shocking! they cried. Arch Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash (Con, Stone) making his first appearance since lockdown, curled his upper lip archly. Youd have thought someone had just slid a pot of ammonia under the old boys hooter. The EU, Boris said, was threatening to carve tariff borders across our own country and to divide our own land. No Parliament could accept such an imposition as part of the Withdrawal Agreement. You signed it! screamed eternal loudmouth Chris Bryant (Lab, Rhondda). The PM had not been scheduled to open the debate. That task was originally awarded to Business Secretary Alok Sharma. With the whiff of rebellion in the air, Boris probably felt it would look better if he presented the Bill himself. With Sir Keir Starmer forced into emergency isolation, it was left to hell yeah Ed Miliband to make the Oppositions case. Bet a few fist bumps were exchanged in Downing Street when that news broke. Ed had been bursting for his chance, rocking back and forth excitedly and pumping his legs as he waited his turn. He was keener than a college leaver at his first job interview. The Bill was not an argument of Leave versus Remain but an argument about right versus wrong, said Ed. Britains reputation for rule-making and not rule-breaking was one reason we are so respected around the world. To give the former Labour leader his due, he was better than I thought hed be, but he still debates the same way he goes at a bacon sandwich: awkwardly, without delicacy or guile. Boris simply stared down at his lap shaking his head. On and on Ed honked, his quivering lips giving the despatch box a liberal soaking as he belted out lachrymose statements about Britains proud place in the world. Magna carta mother of all parliaments rule of law' He lacks the authority that comes naturally to orators, causing him to keep repeating phrases until hes sure everyone has heard them. He spent most of his speech speaking directly at the PM. For a man who said he wants to get Brexit done this gets Brexit undone! he yelled. In a rather hokey piece of grandstanding, he goaded Boris to intervene and challenge him. Boris simply stared down at his lap shaking his head. On and on Ed honked, his quivering lips giving the despatch box a liberal soaking as he belted out lachrymose statements about Britains proud place in the world. Magna carta mother of all parliaments rule of law. The Bill, he said, was an admission that the Withdrawal Agreement on which Boris based his election victory wasnt properly thought out. What incompenten-th! he bellowed. What poor governan-th! Ed sat down, eyes darting left to right, pining for approval. Rachel Reeves, Labours Cabinet Office spokesman, perched to his left, offered a thin smile. The dreaded Cherry clucked her approval from the SNPs corner. When Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing gently informed the House that some 101 members had all requested to speak, Boris took that as a cue to quietly make his exit. The House was in for a long old evening. Johnstech International, a global leader in the semiconductor test industry, will unveil the ES-P Series, a new line of low electrostatic discharge test contactors at Semicon Taiwan 2020 in Taipei, Taiwan. The ES-P is Johnstechs new ROL technology housing and alignment plate material. Currently offered with the Pad ROL 200, Pad ROL 100A, and Leaded ROL 200, contactors with ES-P material are designed for devices that exhibit higher sensitivity to electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. Johnstech Vice President of Global Engineering, Sales and Service Bob Chartrand explains that while ESD-safe materials are not new to the industry, what is new, is this proprietary material limits the triboelectric charging of the contactor to low levels while having a minimal effect on RF performance. This unique combination of material properties provides our customers with the benefits of ESD protection, without the typical AC performance compromise. Johnstech has a reputation for delivering the best-in-class electrical performance for device testing in the marketplace and this new series only proves our commitment to pushing the envelope to enable the next generation in technology, says Chartrand. Johnstech customers know that they will receive premium test solutions and services that accurately and consistently replicate device specifications a must have for the ongoing challenges for both automotive and 5G devices. JOHNSTECH INTERNATIONAL is a global R&D leader in the field of microcircuit testing, providing reliable, cost-effective testing solutions for automotive, commercial, and industrial applications. Founded in 1991 by David Johnson, Johnstech works together with the worlds most respected OSATs, foundries, and EDA companies to develop the most precise and dependable test contactors and test sockets on the marketplace today. For more info, visit http://www.johnstech.com. MANAMA The First High Criminal Court acquitted a Bahraini businessman and his partner of the charge of laundering 20 million dinars by distorting the data of a telecommunications company, while the civil lawsuit was rejected. The court stated in the reasons for the verdict that the statements of the witnesses were contradictory and contradictory and that the court reassured the report of the competent expert who confirmed that the victim company had made profits. The Public Prosecution assigned to the first accused that during the period from 2011 to 2014 a letter of the information technology device of the victim company, where the percentage of partners and the profits owed to it were diverted, and its percentage in the shares of the victim company was skewed from 15.83% to 20% and 40%. I instructed the second accused that, as a member of the board of directors of the victim's company, and authorized to sign financial transactions, he participated with the first accused by agreement and assisting in the commission of the charges set forth, to the detriment of the victim's company, and the crime was carried out based on this agreement and that assistance. A street performer plays the bagpipes next to a statue of Scottish philosopher David Hume on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 25, 2016. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images) University of Edinburgh Re-Names Building Over Namesakes 260-Year-Old Comments on Race The University of Edinburgh has renamed a building that was dedicated to an 18th-century philosopher due to his comments on matters of race that rightly cause distress today. Campuses should reflect contemporary and historical diversity and there are sensitivities around asking students to use a building named after David Hume, one of Scotlands most lauded philosophers, the university said in a statement on Thursday. The David Hume Tower will be temporarily known as 40 George Square until a full review has been carried out. The building renaming is part of the universitys diversity and race-related committees ongoing evaluation, which has been energized by the death in May of George Floyd in the United States, the university said. Old College at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, which was founded in 1852, making it the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world. (Kim Traynor/Public Domain) The committees work was also influenced by the ongoing campaigning by the Black Lives Matter movement, and the committees Equality and Anti-Racist Action Plan was accelerating and amplifying their efforts. Pressure on the university to rename the building also came in the form of an online petition started 3 months ago and signed by over 1,800 people. Nobody is demanding we erase David Hume from history. However, we should not be promoting a man who championed white supremacy, wrote Elizabeth Lund, the petitions author. That is mutually exclusive with the goal of reducing the harm caused by racism at Edinburgh University to students of color. Criticism University of Edinburgh staff as well as politicians have criticized the decision to rename the David Hume Tower. Asanga Welikala, a lecturer in public law at Edinburgh Law School and the director of the Edinburgh Center for Constitutional Law, said that he has been inspired by Hume and doesnt agree with the re-naming decision. David Humes thought has inspired me throughout a 20-year career working to further constitutional democracy in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, he wrote on Twitter on Sunday. As an employee of Edinburgh University I was not consulted in this, added Welikala, who is also a research fellow at the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in Sri Lanka. I do not agree with this decision. David Humes thought has inspired me throughout a 20 year career working to further constitutional democracy in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. As an employee of Edinburgh University I was not consulted in this. https://t.co/uRV19e052H Dr Asanga Welikala (@welikalaa) September 13, 2020 David Hume was an empirical philosopher born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1711, and was a leading voice, along with his friend Adam Smith, in the Scottish Enlightenmenta period that led to the development of modern economics, sociology, and linguistics. His most famous works include A Treatise of Human Nature (17391740), An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), as well as the posthumously published Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). Jonathan Hearn, a professor of political and historical sociology at the university, wrote on his blog Uneasy Essays, that Humes comments in a footnote to an essay he wrote in 1753 were racist, offensive, and worthy of condemnation. But he still admired him. Hume deserves to be criticized for this belief, and if that were all there were to him, to be largely forgotten, Hearn said. But his copious writings on philosophy, history and political economy are full of profound and lasting insights into human nature and history, that do not absolve, but do outweigh this error. By all means, criticize his errors, debate his ideas, and if necessary, remove his name from buildings. But he deserves to be remembered, Hearn said. The University of Edinburgh said, despite the renaming and the coincidental discontinuation of the David Hume Fellowship, they were committed to scholarship, teaching and learning around David Hume and the Scottish Enlightenment. Wrong to be Ashamed Maurice Golden, the Scottish Conservative culture spokesman, told The Telegraph that David Hume is one of the greatest and most influential Scots in history. Its wrong to suddenly be ashamed of someone who is clearly not known across the world for his links to the abhorrent slave trade. He is globally renowned as a philosopher and thinker, he said. Golden also called for a more reasonable, mature, debate about the rights and wrongs of the past. We can proudly respect our history and recognize when people got it very wrong at the same time, he said. This decision does not do that. In a tweet, Conservative Member of Parliament Neil OBrien also spoke out strongly against The University of Edinburghs decision, calling it a cowardly, stupid, craven, pathetic, spineless, dumb thing to do. The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Russell Group, a group of 24 top UK universities. A spokesperson for the group told The Epoch Times in an email that Our members are autonomous institutions and take their own decisions on these matters. The University of Edinburgh had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication. Renaming Streets The renaming follows widespread unrest in both the UK and the United States that has seen the tearing down and defacing of statues of historical figures. The university said it was looking at many other issues beyond the naming of buildings, and highlighted that The City of Edinburgh Council was undertaking a similar review. The councils review is to include its own employment policy and procedures, as well as diversity in all council-run school settings across Scotlands capital city as part of a council-wide response to Black Lives Matter. The council is reviewing a number of features in the Capital which commemorate those with close links to slavery and colonialism including public statues and monuments, street and building names, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email. Council Leader Adam McVey of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) said in a statement that the council wanted to consign racism and prejudice to history. He wanted the council to look at all options for rectifying the glorification of slavery and colonialism in our streets, he said. Talking about Edinburghs links to slavery, Cammy Day, the councils deputy leader and Edinburgh Labour Group leader, said the council was looking at how they can highlight this side of Edinburghs history to our young people, parents and teaching staff so that they have the support and tools they need to make black history a core part of school life. Day also said the council was already committed to review our museum and gallery collections through the lens of BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] history. Weve also put a temporary plaque in place to more accurately tell the history of the statue of Henry Dundas, a man who had links to the slave trade, Day said in a statement. Professional women turned to phone sex hotlines in a bid to earn extra cash during lockdown, it is claimed. The operator manager of the UK's oldest chat line, Datapro Services, told Air Mail that there was an influx in 'teachers, nurses and solicitors' who were interested in joining the company while their day jobs were on hold, or not paying as much. Identified only as Gayle, 52, the expert explained there was also an increase in the number of lonely callers looking for some company when their face-to-face socialising dried up. The operator manager of the UK's oldest chat line, Datapro Services, told Air Mail that there was an influx in 'teachers, nurses and solicitors' who were interested in joining the company while their day jobs were on hold, or not paying as much. Stock image 'We've had a huge amount of women wanting to join to earn some extra cash,' she said in an interview with the online publication. 'Teachers, nurses, solicitors, you name it, they've all shown interest.' She continued: 'A lot of girls feel like they're doing a public service by chatting to them [the lonely callers].' The company has also had its fair share of lockdown mishaps with wives and children walking in halfway through a call. Gayle explained that in order to be successful, a woman needs to be an 'actress' who can quickly adapt to the needs and desires of the person on the other end of the line. She added: 'Its all about the voice you choose. This is your chance to perform, so think about how you use it the tone, the speed, the volume.' It comes after research showed the number of people engaging in phone sex has soared since the start of lockdown, when couples found themselves spending weeks apart due to social distancing rules. A survey revealed there has been an overall increase of 23 per cent compared to pre-lockdown levels. The practice, which sees couple arouse each other using voice alone, has seen the biggest increase in popularity in Belfast and Sheffield, according to the research by Vivastreet. One US-based chatline veteran said she anticipated phone sex remaining popular even once Covid-19 restrictions have ended because younger generations are more comfortable with their sexuality and are open to exploring. Cidney Green, 30, who once earned $150,000 a year working as an operator, now offers courses to women who dream of becoming an operator themselves. She added: 'The next generation are fluid in their sexuality, and they dont have an attachment to how they do it. Phone sex is part of that movement.' Other anecdotal reports suggest millennials feel 'safer' doing phone sex as opposed to video chats or sexting because there is less of a risk that the interaction will be saved and re-shared at a later date. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 06:12:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close By Grandesso Federico VENICE, Italy, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Vanessa Kirby, 32-year-old British actress, did not really know what real childbirth is like. But she won best lead actress at the Venice film festival for drama film "Pieces of a Woman", which opens with Kirby in a sensational 25-minute childbirth scene. "The minute that I knew that I had to do a real birth on screen, I just thought I don't want to pretend. I want it to feel as authentic as possible," Kirby said in a group interview. Kirby won the Best Actress Award in Venice on Saturday for her performance in "Pieces of a Woman" by Hungarian film director Kornel Mundruczo. Kirby was also in Venice with another movie "The World to Come" by Norwegian film director Mona Fastvold. "Pieces of a Woman" tells about Martha and Sean Carson, a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably during a home birth at the hands of a flustered midwife, who faces charges of criminal negligence. The impressive birth scene, together with the death of their baby, immerses the viewer in an intense moment of joy and sadness. Thus begins a year-long odyssey for Martha, who must navigate her grief while working through fractious relationships with her husband and her domineering mother, along with the publicly vilified midwife whom she must face in court. When Kirby knew she had to present the delivery of the baby in one take, she was excited because "the idea of doing something uninterrupted was really exciting," she said. But she did not really know what real childbirth was like. She started to watch lots of documentaries and none of them showed anything in its entirety, Kirby recalled. Kirby then contacted obstetricians, asking if she could shadow them and spend time in a labor ward meeting women and trying to experience real births. She was admitted to a hospital in North London and spent many days in a labor ward with midwives, who taught her all about their job. She also had the possibility of seeing a real difficult birth at the hospital. "This was a game-changer for me because I thought I have now seen birth and I was surprised about the things I saw," Kirby said. Her goal was to represent a moment on screen in a way that women and men who have experienced it together would recognize. Kirby, who portrayed Princess Margaret in Peter Morgan's Netflix series The Crown, recalled the difficult emotional moments she had on set, like the one when the baby goes blue after the birth and it is taken away -- apparently, it took her a long time to reset. "I was sobbing for about ten minutes. I tried to stop myself and for a second I felt I thought I really have lost a baby. Kornel (the director) hugged me really tight for ten minutes as I sobbed. This was such a bonding, incredible thing," she said. "It was such a gift to act that, to just get out of my mind and just let the body take over." The honored actress explained that she felt so nervous about sharing the film with people because she felt it was like sharing a really vulnerable part of herself, more than she has done in other movies. Asked about her acting preferences, Kirby said she likes to play characters who have contradictions. "I like something that pushes me way beyond the limit of what I would think to do. I like something that frightens me," she said. Enditem Mike London wasnt holding out much hope for a ball python that had been slithering through the brush and backyards of a Beamsville neighbourhood for at least two weeks. But the owner of Reptile Kingdom in Thorold said the harmless reptile somehow managed to beat the odds, and is now in his care recovering from its ordeal. The two biggest dangers the snake faced were temperature and predators, and I was surprised it was found alive or in such good shape, London said. Ive been doing this a long time and even in the middle of the summer, snakes like boa constrictors that are bigger and more capable of taking down big meals, they look like theyve had a few bad days out there. They dont look like theyve had a good time gobbling up native wildlife. Theyre pretty much hiding and theyre susceptible to predators. Niagara SPCA and Humane Society executive director John Greer said the snake was located at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday after an area resident saw it on Ashby Drive not far from the location where the snake was first seen on Aug. 30 and managed to trap it in a cardboard box. Despite a few scrapes and scratches, London said the snake was in relatively good shape. Id give it a nine our of 10 for a clean bill of health. Im surprised it didnt get chewed up pretty badly or eaten by a coyote or a raccoon or something. Its a pretty docile type of python that only wants to eat small meals like mice or small rats, he said. Less than a metre long and weighing less than one kilogram, London said the snake posed no threat to the community despite causing some anxiety in the neighbourhood. Its all because of what kind of snake it is, he said. Even if it was a large ball python, itd still be pretty much the same scenario. Theyre a pretty docile type of python. I wouldnt say theyd have a lot of confidence in taking down bigger meals or defending themselves. They have small heads, small teeth. Its a friendly, nice snake, London added. Niagara Regional Police spokeswoman Stephanie Sabourin said officers from the Grimsby detachment were called to the area where the snake was reported, and ensured it was safely contained before calling in the humane society to retrieve the reptile. Luckily, it survived, Greer said, adding he, too, had his doubts the snake would be recovered alive. Considering our native wildlife, he definitely beat the odds. If the snake hadnt been rescued, he said it wouldnt have lasted much longer. Even now, overnight temperatures are enough to stress the snake. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Ball python on the loose in Beamsville described as harmless As soon as the weather starts to drop a little bit, these guys dont do well at all. He found somewhere to curl up and stay warm enough that he survived, he said. But definitely now that were coming into the really cold weather, he would never have survived that. After retrieving the snake, Greer said the SPCA representatives brought it to Reptile Kingdom to be cared for. Reptile Kingdom runs an animal welfare facility for reptiles, taking in animals recovered from throughout southern Ontario and sometimes farther, London said. He said no one has come forward claiming to be the snakes owner, and the reptile will likely be put up for adoption. Photo: (Photo : GoFundMe) A five-year-old Illionois boy tragically dies after he was crushed by a granite tabletop at a wedding he attended. The supposedly happy event ended with a tragedy after the horrific incident killed the child. Oak Brook Police Department reported that Luca Berlingerio was with his family on September 4, attending a wedding. It noted that the family was at The Drake Hotel of Chicago when the sad accident occurred. Police and fire's response with a 911 call At around ten in the evening, the Police and Fire Departments in Oak Brook responded to a 911 call. They received a report saying that a child was at a wedding when he sustained a traumatic head injury. See also: Former NYPD Detective Finds Biological Parents After Current Family Dies The police personnel helped an emergency room physician who was also a guest upon their arrival. The doctor was doing CPR to the child but there was no response from the child. Based on the hotel's CCTV footage, the boy was laying across a granite tabletop that was behind a couch where other children were seated. Berlingerio tried to slide off the table when the other children started to leave the couch. Then, he grabbed onto the table edge with his fingers to keep himself stable. The table fell on top of the little boy's head while he was getting off from it. The police explained that it is how it caused a head injury on the kid. See also: 13-Year-Old Utah Boy with Autism Allegedly Shot by Police After Having Breakdown Pronounced dead at the hospital Immediately, medics brought the hurt boy to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. It was where he was pronounced dead. Based on the "New York Post," the hotel was heartbroken about the tragic accident that happened. It said in a statement that it is sharing their grief to the family and friends of the little boy that died. It also noted that it will not share other details about what happened as respect to keep things private for the bereaved family. Berlingerio was wearing a three-piece suit and a white boutonniere. He also wore a polka-dot tie to complete his handsome look. See also: Alabama Student Tragically Dies After a Boat Accident [She Was Loved by Everyone] To raise money for Berlingerio's family, a GoFundMe page was created. As of writing, the fundraiser as already collected $19,000 after it was launched on Septemeber 10. The pages stated that there are no words to explain what it feels to lose a child. It also stated in the GoFundMe account that while the times are hard, anything could be of help to the child's family. Berlingerio's obituary stated that on Saturday, a funeral for the boy will be held. People who will attend will have to follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Realme C17 Teaser Poster Surfaces Online; Launch Set For September 21 News oi-Sandeep Sarkar Realme has launched multiple smartphones in its affordable 'C' series. The most recent offerings by the company are the Realme C12 and the Realme C15. Now, another device in this budget smartphone series is excepted to arrive in the coming weeks. Dubbed Realme C17, the device has already made an appearance on Geekbench. Now, a new teaser poster hints its launch slated for this month itself. Realme C17 Official Launch Date The Realme C17 is set to launch on September 21 in Bangladesh. A teaser poster shared by tipster Mukul Sharma on Twitter confirms the aforementioned date. Not just the official launch date, the teaser poster which seems to be official also reveals some of the key features of the upcoming handset and also the design aspects. Turns out the Realme C17 will launch in Bangladesh on September 21. #Realme #RealmeC17 pic.twitter.com/X47PxxIq0O Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) September 14, 2020 As per the leaked poster, Realme will be incorporating the new punch-hole design on the Realme C17. The device will flaunt a 6.5-inch display that will offer a screen-to-body-ratio of 90 percent and a peak brightness of 600 nits. The poster doesn't mention the display type as well as the resolution. It would be interesting to see if the company adds an FHD+ resolution on the budget smartphone or will stick to the basics. The poster also confirms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor which has been tipped via previous leaks including the Geekbench database. The new entry-level processor is based on 11nm architecture and has a base frequency of 1.8GHz. The chipset will be aided by Adreno 610 GPU. Moving to the rear, the image shows a quad-lens setup packed inside a rectangular module for imaging. The poster indicates there will be a 13MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. The imaging setup at the rear will also comprise an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with 119-degree FoV and a pair of 2MP sensors with an f/2.4 aperture. The teaser poster also hints two different shaded of the Realme C17 including Lake Green and Navy Blue colors. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Blissets lawyer, Julie Herrera, said Blisset, 55, plans to retire on Tuesday after 30 years with the department because of the allegations outlined in his lawsuit. She thinks his allegations are somewhat worse even than the code of silence an unwritten understanding that cops protect each other at all costs that has led to federal oversight of the department. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14 2020 The Jakarta administration has decided to reimpose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) starting on Monday, but the curbs are more relaxed than when they were first implemented in April, leading experts to doubt the policy will bring down cases and deaths in the capital. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said at a press conference on Sunday that the measure would last for two weeks and could be extended. Workplaces in 11 essential sectors including health, food, energy, communications, finance, logistics and daily needs retail will be allowed to remain open at 50 percent of capacity, while private companies outside these sectors as well as government offices must implement work-from-home policies and allow no more than 25 percent of their employees to work in the office at the same time. 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 Delhi Police arrested former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with northeast Delhi riots that broke out in February this year. Umar Khalid has already been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with Jamia student and RJD youth wing president Meeran Haider, JCC media coordinator Safoora Zargar, and Danish, a resident of northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura. Earlier this week, Khalid was called by the Crime Branch for questioning in the northeast Delhi riots case. He was let off after the questioning. Since December, Delhi was brimming with tensions after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed. A sit-in protest against it started at various parts of the national capital. An agitation also started near Jafrabad metro station in northeast Delhi. The protest in northeast Delhi turned violent and around 53 people were killed. happenings Ouachita Baptist Universitys Elrod Center for Family and Community will host Tiger Serve Day on Saturday, Sept. 26, encouraging Ouachita students, faculty and staff to serve the Arkadelphia community even amid a global pandemic. The Elrod Center is continuing its semi-annual event as it has every fall for the past 23 years, with Back to the Streets as the theme for the 2020-2021 academic year. The idea of the Elrod Center is to highlight service, said Ian Cosh, vice president for community and international relations. We should have an impact on the community were a part of. Due to public health concerns, members of the Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team carefully formulated a plan to take precautions concerning COVID-19 that meet Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and Ouachitas Health Monitoring and Action Team (HMAT) guidelines, particularly by preventing close contact among students and those they will be serving. In previous years, participants were assigned a project working closely with individuals. This year, the Elrod Center has organized a city-wide cleanup that gives students the opportunity to directly serve their city. With the theme Back to the Streets, project areas will include parks, school grounds and neighborhood trash pickup, as well as painting and lake cleanup. This will be a great opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to give back to the city that offers them so much, said Judy Duvall, associate director of the Elrod Center. The Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team began meeting six weeks before the event to begin preparations. The student group works tirelessly to publicize, recruit volunteers, create teams and prepare tools for the event. The team has also been working with Arkadelphia city officials to assemble jobs for volunteers. It is so special to see the community being served so well, said Ali Chapman, a senior business administration/management & marketing double major from Bentonville, Ark., and member of the Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team. I look forward to it every single year because it warms my heart to see students serving with such humility. For more information on Tiger Serve Day, visit www.obu.edu/serve or call the Elrod Center at (870) 245-5320. Volunteers are encouraged to register by Friday, Sept. 18. This is hope in action. But returning this intangible feeling to the public is a tall order when it's common knowledge recessions leave long-lasting scars on our finances and our children's futures. The Grattan Institute is already predicting a longer recovery from this recession than the bounce back from the 1990s and 1980s downturns. The think tank's researchers predict an even slower recovery than the sluggish improvements in the US after the Global Financial Crisis (when it took five years to reduce the unemployment rate from 10 per cent to 5.7 per cent). Without stronger action now, unemployment in Australia could stay above 6 per cent for the next five years, the researchers warn. So, what can be done to restore hope? The brightest light so far for public confidence has been the positive signs of a possible COVID-19 vaccine. Yet even this is an emotional rollercoaster, with the trials of the leading candidate put on hold last week to investigate a participant's adverse reaction. That's why the stakes get very high on October 6 - budget night - for the Morrison government. Designing a politically-palatable budget is hard enough at the best of times but it's even tougher during a recession when every dollar spent will be under scrutiny and the public needs a vision they can hold onto. Frydenberg and Morrison have to present us with the best plan possible to improve the future. It has to be bold and it has to be believable. The government's ad nauseam reminders it is focusing its attention on jobs growth might sound like a broken record but it is actually part of the solution. Some of how we feel about the position we're in will undoubtedly be improved by a boost to the jobless rate, not to mention that getting shovels into the ground and ribbons cut on new projects is a highly visible adrenaline shot to the nation. Loading But there is definitely room for improvement in presenting a clear direction for where we are heading. It's not going to be an easy road for a government which launched its own range of merchandise in 2019 with the slogan "Back in Black" ahead of an expected budget surplus. It's also not going to be an easy road for the public when we eventually emerge from social distancing, lockdowns and restrictions and take stock. Morrison and Frydenberg will need to show new levels of courage and grit. They are going to need to spend - even more than has been so far - and to deal with the deficit that comes with it. For his part, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has already put his stake in the ground on Wednesday about his vision for a recovery for regional Australia from what he has dubbed the "Morrison recession". He sees a future where more people relocate out of CBDs and work from home and promises an injection of funds for education institutions in the country will be one of the promises he takes to the next election. He also wants a Brisbane to Melbourne high-speed rail line. The Grattan Institute recently revised the amount of fiscal stimulus it thinks is needed to between $100 billion and $120 billion, up from $70 billion to $90 billion estimated in June, and estimate this could shave 2 per cent off the unemployment rate by 2022 to about 5 per cent. Deloitte Access Economics partner Chris Richardson told the National Press Club in Canberra last week that the mounting debt level would normally be concerning but this was no ordinary situation. He is a proponent of higher spending to get us all to the other side of the recession and thinks the days of being focused on surpluses are over. "Although debt is going up a lot, interest rates have gone down even more," Richardson says. "And they're set to stay down as the Reserve Bank has promised us for at least three years." Clearly, no one wants this recession to go on for longer than it has to. We're just waiting for the government to find hope at the bottom of the box. If you were looking for fine furniture in Hamilton in the latter part of the 20th century, chances are you would have talked to the Patterson brothers. Before the arrival of big-box stores, Harvey and John Patterson operated a popular furniture store on Ottawa Street North. J.E Patterson and Son Ltd. started by their father Jack sold everything from bedroom to dining room suites to living room furniture, lamps, chandeliers and tea trolleys. It aimed to cater to every budget and counted customers from all over southern Ontario, from steelworkers to justices of the Ontario Supreme Court. It may have been one of the first in the area to set up furniture in a room setting to show potential customers what it might look like in their homes. This was in the 1960s, and making the store look more like a finely furnished residence rather than a shop helped win Harvey Patterson vice-president and general manager three Golden Chair awards between 1962 and 1965 from the Furniture Travellers Association of Canada. It was the highest award presented by the association, and was given to the retailer who did the best job of promoting Canadian furniture. Harvey was also the recipient of the inaugural award. Harvey and John have died, just months apart from each other. Harvey died at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto on July 9. He was 97. John Patterson died Feb. 2 in Hamilton. He was 93. There might not have been a partnership between the brothers if Harveys life had taken a different direction. I almost missed coming into the business, Harvey told The Spectator in 1966. That was in 1945. I was leaving the RCAF and had made arrangements to enrol in forestry at the University of New Brunswick when my father wrote and told me he wasnt feeling well and asked me to come home and help him. The business began as an appliance store by their father Jack in 1930 on Ottawa Street. It slowly moved to selling furniture in the 1950s through the initiative of Harvey and moved totally in that direction in 1958 when the family moved the business into a new building at 34 Ottawa Street North, just north of Main Street East. John came aboard after university studies in the early 1950s. Harvey believed there was a growing need in Hamilton for a quality furniture store, but he knew it was a gamble. We really went out on a limb when we moved up here, Harvey told The Spectator. We had to judge what people would like and what wasnt available in the Hamilton area. Fortunately, I had a father who backed me all the way. We were convinced there were enough people in the Hamilton area to keep us in business. From then on, it was a matter of education. The brothers assumed control of the business after their father died in 1965, but Harvey was the major shareholder, perhaps because he was the oldest and got into the business before John. In November 1990, the brothers sold what was now called Pattersons Furniture and Interiors to a similar-run family business, Muellers Furniture and Interiors of Toronto. John Patterson said it was not an easy decision to make, but the brothers decided to sell because both had experienced heart troubles and had to undergo bypass operations. The store name did not change and the new owners said it would be business as usual. The brothers hoped to retire but had to step back into the picture when the parent firm, now called Mueller Fine Furniture Ltd., fell into bankruptcy. The brothers assumed control of Mueller to avoid dealing with a receiver. They settled all accounts and helped Mueller keep one outlet open, but they moved to close their own family business for good. The final day was July 30, 1994, and it attracted people from all over. Many were sad. I feel like crying, Geoff Small of Ancaster told The Spectator. He and his wife Enid had bought their dining room and bedroom furniture from Pattersons and, on that last day, walked out with a chandelier. The former store now houses the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre. The brothers had other interests. John was active with the Paramount Drive Alliance Church in Stoney Creek and led the male chorus for many years. Harvey was a Rotarian and served as secretary of the Credit Bureau of Southern Ontario for more than 25 years, and was an active parishioner at Park Bible Church in Burlington for 60 years. He also volunteered at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum and helped restore a Bolingbroke patrol bomber, which he had flown during the Second World War. The brothers are survived by their sister Eleanor Kucharsky. Harvey is survived by his wife Marilyn, children Judy and David, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is also survived by three stepchildren, Lori, Sandra and Doug. He was predeceased by his first wife Evelyn and son Mark. John is survived by his children Mary, John, Donna and Paul, 15 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Barbara, who died in 2018. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 14:31 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b36bb 1 City COVID-19-Jakarta,Bekasi,Bekasi-City,COVID-19,Bekasi-administration,Bekasi-mayor,PSBB,psbb-total,PSBB-Masa-Transisi,PSBB-transisi Free The Bekasi administration in West Java is preparing new strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic, focusing on strengthening the quality of patient care and small-scale virus control in subdistricts, as the administration is unlikely to follow Jakarta in imposing full-scale restrictions. Bekasi, one of Jakarta's satellite cities, has been imposing transitional large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), known as the adaptation to a new normal (ATHB), a policy with eased restrictions that recently failed in the capital. We are discussing what to take on with Muspida [consultative leadership board] [on Monday]. Of course, we wont have the PSBB, Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com. Rahmat said Bekasi would improve the quality of patient care, including by preparing a hotel designated for the isolation of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, with the help of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). In addition to Patriot Stadium, isolation will be carried out at the [hotel] if the BNPB is [ready to help]. We have to know the operational standards and the technical instructions, he said. The Bekasi administration will strengthen the implementation of RW Siaga (community unit alertness) in every subdistrict, with the aim of controlling COVID-19 transmission and maintaining food security, Rahmat said. The [West Java] province recommends micro PSBB, aiming to strengthen alertness in community units and apply local quarantines in that scope, he said. Read also: Jakarta back under PSBB, but less strict than before He said the administration would extensively trace and prevent COVID-19 family clusters in community units categorized as red zones. Rahmat expressed hoped that such strategies could also help improve the economy. During the adaptation period, there are things we need to open, namely the economy and employment. Now, if we return to PSBB, we have to [restrict vehicle mobility with] 32 checkpoints and go back to the initial process, he said. Similar to Jakarta, Bekasi has been experiencing a constant increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two months, especially since the city began to relax the PSBB. Bekasi has confirmed 2,072 cases as of Sept. 6, an increase from 1,324 cases as of Aug. 18, meaning an average of 24 people has tested positive for COVID-19 a day. From the total cases, 254 cases are active, including 207 patients under self-isolation and 47 patients under treatment. Rahmat said hospital bed capacity in Bekasi was almost full. The city has 198 isolation beds in 45 referral hospitals. (syk) New Delhi : Efforts to form grand secular alliance in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh gained momentum on Monday after the Election Commission recognised Akhilesh Yadav-led faction as Samajwadi Party and granted it the "bicycle" poll symbol. Soon after the EC order, SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav, a close associate of Akhilesh, expressed hope a grand alliance will be formed to fight elections in the state. "It is Akhilesh Yadav who will decide on the alliance. But I am hopeful it will happen," he added. Congress leader Sheila Dikshit also congratulated Akhilesh on the Election Commission allotting the 'Bicycle' symbol to his faction of the Samajwadi Party amid indication that talks were on between the two parties for an alliance for the upcoming polls. "I congratulate Akhilesh Yadav on getting the party symbol. It is good that the Election Commission has taken a decision on the issue," she said. Read | Akhilesh Yadav gets Samajwadi Party, cycle symbol: Who said what after EC's landmark decision Asked about Congress' possible alliance with Akhilesh-led Samajwadi Party, she refused to give a direct reply but indicated that talks were underway between the two sides. "I will not say anything at this point. The party will take a call on the issue. Let's see what happens. It will not be proper to say anything till something happens," Dikshit, Congress' chief ministerial face in Uttar Pradesh, told PTI. Sources said talks for a possible alliance between Congress and the faction-led by Akhilesh were on as both sides were keen for it. Congress spokesman and former Union minister RPN Singh was among the first to hail the EC order, which he said, shows that Akhilesh enjoys "90 per cent support" in the organisation as also among the legislators of the Samajwadi Party. Talk in Congress circles was that party General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ramgopal Yadav from SP are sorting out disputes over some seats. Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly constituencies where Akhilesh's party would be contesting the majority of seats and would also have RLD as a junior partner in Western Uttar Pradesh, which was once a stronghold of Ajit Singh. The three parties will have to race against time to finalise the seat arrangements in the next two days as the Western Uttar Pradesh, where Ajit Singh enjoys some influence, goes to polls in the first two phases. Talk is that the three parties would come out with a common minimum programme. The SP general secretary also said the list of party candidates will be released in a day or two. Leaders from the three parties insist that the main task in Uttar Pradesh is to stop the Narendra Modi-led BJP from coming to power. In 2015 assembly elections in Bihar, the Congress had joined hands with JD(U) and RJD to form a grand alliance, which caused a major upset for BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by easily securing power. For complete coverage of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2017, click here For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bengaluru, Sep 15 : The Karnataka government gave its approval to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for prosecution of two senior IPS officers and three other police personnel in the multi-million I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) ponzi scheme in which fraudsters had cheated over Rs 4,000 crore. The IMA ponzi fraudsters had cheated more than lakh people who were promised higher returns using Islamic (Halal) ways of investment. According to the state government orders on Monday, these five police personnel had delayed and suppressed information after an inquiry, giving undue advantage to the IMA ponzi scheme operator Mohammmed Mansoor Khan and others associated with the scam that came to light in June last year. The government in its September 9 order accorded sanction to the CBI to prosecute Bengaluru Additional Commissioner Hemant Nimbalkar and Superintendent of Police rank officer Ajay Hilori. Deputy Superintendent of police E. B. Sridhar, inspector M. Ramesh and sub-inspector P. Gowri Shankar are the others whose prosecution was cleared in a separate order on September 11. According to the CBI, which took over the case in August last year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had flagged its concern and conveyed to the state Director General of Police about the wrongdoings of the ponzi scheme operators. Accordingly, the investigation was initially handed over to the Economic Offence Wing of the state CID and as the then head of it Nimbalkar had supervised the probe conducted by Sridhar. The government order further read that Nimbalkar endorsed the findings of the inquiry conducted by Sridhar and forwarded the report to the DG and IGP "in which he asserted that the IMA and its group entities are not financial establishments under the definition of Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors (KPID) Act" and recommended closure of the probe. The CBI has also charged him with allegedly resisting conducting further inquiry into the matter as directed by the DGP. "Hemant Nimbalkar, IPS, thus showed undue interest in order to favour Mohammed Mansoor Khan and IMA that he wanted to protect the activities of Mohammed Mansoor Khan and save him from any action by government under the KPID Act," the order said. In the case of Hilori, the order said as the then DCP of Bengaluru East division he had demanded and accepted illegal gratification on various occasions from Mohammed Mansoor Khan through Nizamuddin, Director and Operational Manager, IMA for favouring IMA by delaying the report to RBI and for not taking action in connivance with other public servants on various complaints against the company. Hilori had allegedly accepted furniture and interior items for his house from IMA when the matter was pending with him by misusing his official position. The others too had allegedly connived with these officers, the order said. The Nivesh Mitra portal of the Uttar Pradesh government, which works as a single window system for application and clearance of projects, has successfully addressed 98 percent of grievances till last week. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at investors summit in 2018. The portal received 18,386 grievances till September 11. Out of this, the government has addressed 17,982 (98 percent) issues successfully. With an aim to attract investment in Uttar Pradesh and ensure the ease of doing business, the Yogi Adityanath government had conceptualised this portal to address all grievances of investors through this single window system. The Nivesh Mitra portal offers 146 services across 20 departments. Till last week, the portal received 2,33,944 applications out of which 32,106 were rejected due to various issues. Some 7,328 applications were pending at the end of entrepreneurs due to various queries raised by the departments. In addition to this, 8036 applications are under evaluation. We are getting feedback from all across the state about the Nivesh Mitra portal. It has proved to be of great help in addressing grievances of industrialists and issues of investors, said Pankaj Kumar, national president, Indian Industries Association (IIA), an industry lobby body of the MSME sector. 186 reforms across 20 departments To fulfil its commitment towards providing a conducive atmosphere to investors, the Uttar Pradesh government has implemented 186 reforms across 20 departments, including labour, environment, land administration and construction permit and inspection, among others. Among key reforms implemented by the state government are elimination of the requirement of renewal under shop and establishment act, single integrated return under various labour laws and online permission of drug manufacturing licences. District level ease of doing business ranking Since May last the state government has started ranking all 75 districts based on three key parameters, including disposal of NOC applications, user feedback and grievance redressal. In August last, 64 out of 75 districts improved their District Level ease of doing business score. Due to district level ease of doing business ranking, user satisfaction has gone up to 73 percent and grievances disposal rate has also increased from 72 percent to 75 percent in August last. A student appeared in court today after allegedly sending 'incendiary' devices in parcels disguised as iPhone boxes - before triggering them to set fire to labels so he could claim refunds from Amazon, a court heard. Ovidijus Margelis, 26, allegedly posted suspicious packages containing explosives while studying at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. But the Lithuanian disputes his charge of intent to cause an explosion because, his defence says, the incendiary devices inside the parcels were only intended to trigger a small flame. The third-year Business Management student was said to have posted packages to addresses and claimed they were iPhones and other 'commercial items'. Ovidijus Margelis (pictured), 26, allegedly posted suspicious packages containing explosives while studying at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge But the carton boxes actually contained small devices that set alight when Margelis used his mobile phone to call them, it was said. The fire made the packages untraceable, and allowed the student to claim refunds from Amazon and Paypal, according to the prosecution. A Cricklewood resident received a suspicious package containing an explosive device on Thursday, September 10 and called the police immediately. Margelis was arrested at his home in Cambridge by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command on Saturday and charged with three counts of intent to cause an explosion. He is also charged with four fraud-related offences relating to the three-month scheme he is said to have carried out. The student appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today via video link in a prison-issued grey tracksuit. He is currently in custody and spoke to confirm his name and address. The third-year Business Management student was said to have posted packages to addresses and claimed they were iPhones and other 'commercial items' (file image) Misba Majid, prosecuting, said: 'This is a sophisticated offence, it has taken the defendant some time to put these things together.' Margelis, of Cambridge, is charged with three counts of intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or injure property. He is also charged with possessing a controlled article for use in fraud, using criminal property and possessing identity documents with intent. No plea was entered. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: 'I will deny bail for now but may reconsider the matter next Monday.' He was remanded in custody and will next appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on October 21. Pompeo Says Concerned About Eastern Mediterranean Tensions, Turkey's Actions Sputnik News 06:08 GMT 13.09.2020 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concerns over tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during his Saturday visit to Cyprus. "We remain deeply concerned by Turkey's ongoing operations surveying for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Republic of Cyprus has the right to exploit its natural resources, including the right to hydrocarbons found in its territorial sea and its economic exclusive economic zone", Pompeo said, as quoted by the US State Department. Pompeo stressed that regional cooperation is essential for energy security in the Eastern Mediterranean. "We also believe that the resources of Cyprus should be shared equitably among the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots communities", he said. Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean have been brewing for many months around Turkey's exploration for gas in waters which Cyprus and Greece claim as their exclusive economic zones. Turkey has been ignoring calls to leave the disputed waters and has conducted military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean in response to drills organized by Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy this summer. On Friday, Ankara said it was going to conduct artillery exercises from Saturday to Monday. The new drills will be carried out in the Mediterranean Sea northwest of Cyprus. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The U.S. ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, is apparently being replaced. Initial word on the move came in overnight tweets from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who offered lavish praise. But there was no immediate word on whether a change was actually being made or why. There also was no mention of who President Trump would nominate to replace Branstad, 73, or what Branstad's next step would be. He's a former two-term Iowa governor. All that was certain is that the move would come at a time of rising tensions between the two superpowers on any number of fronts and with Mr. Trump's re-election campaign in high gear. The president has been blaming Beijing for the coronvirus pandemic, dubbing COVID-19 "the China virus." Then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad speaks with members of the media at Trump Tower following meetings in New York City, in this Dec. 6, 2016 file photo. President Trump tapped Branstad as U.S. Ambassador to China. / Credit: Getty Branstad was involved in a recent flap when China's official People's Daily newspaper rejected a column he'd written but there was no indication of whether the controversy had anything to do with his departure. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while notings Pompeo's tweets, said it hadn't received notice of his resignation, according to Agence France-Presse. "I thank Ambassador Terry Branstad for his more than three years of service to the American people as U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China," Pompeo tweeted. "President Trump chose Ambassador Branstad because his decades long experience dealing with China made him the best person to represent the Administration and to defend American interests and ideals in this important relationship," Pompeo continued. "Ambassador Branstad has contributed to rebalancing U.S.-China relations so that it is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair. This will have lasting, positive effects on U.S. foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come." West Coast has some of worst air quality in the world amid wildfires Iran executes 27-year-old wrestling star Navid Afkari Inside the model shop behind bin Laden raid The national brand will help build a new flag to turn all Vietnamese people around the world to look forward a common vision. In late March 2019, the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) held a large-scale forum gathering influential Vietnamese people to discuss on the topic "raising the Vietnamese brand to a new height in Paris, France. Building a national brand requires scientific research and durable operation More recently, after the success in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, many experts have suggested the idea of positioning the "Vietnamese brand" in association with the image of a "safe destination". The whole country is a product However, the national brand is a rather complicated topic because there is no national brand model that is considered the norm and the branding process in each country is completely different. Therefore, before reaching a common vision in building the Vietnamese national brand, we should understand this concept correctly. According to Ying Fan, former professor of Queen Mary University of London, a national brand is the gathering of impressions, beliefs and feelings that external subjects give to a country. The images can be fuzzy or deep, uniform or spread, true or prejudiced. British branding expert, Simon Anholt, father of the concept of National Brand, most recently said that "a national brand is an image of the competitive identities of a country". National brands should therefore be understood with the viewpoint of "the whole country is a product". It is the positive impressions, beliefs and good feelings that external subjects (consumers, tourists, talents, investors and politicians) give to a country. The national brand is therefore a multifaceted category including the typical images of goods, landscapes, people, culture, and the political behavior of the government to the worlds matters of concern... that are the factors will then resonate and create trust, emotion and empathy for brand personality in the heart of target audience. Create new, distinct, profound and consistent images Ying Fan said that, unlike products or businesses, each country has its own brand, because it has inherent images in the minds of outside subjects. However, the images may be fuzzy or deep, uniform or spread, true or prejudiced. Therefore, one of the important tasks of building the national brand is to erase prejudiced images and create new, profound and uniform ones. In his book, Simon Anholt affirmed: "National brand will be a tool of justice in the new millennium" in the sense that it will help underdeveloped countries to have an opportunity to rise up the in the context of globalization if they use it properly. The Korean wave 'and the dream destination of Bhutan That has been demonstrated by the sweep of the "Korean Wave" or a recent example of the small country of Bhutan, which has become the dream destination of many tourists to feel the happiest place in the world. However, in Vietnam today, national brand is often misunderstood with the concept of a famous product brand on the national level (national brands). The national branding is often identified with the promotion of the image of tourism abroad or for some people it is a program on cultural diplomacy. With the inconsistent and ambiguous understandings, it must be admitted that for many years, Vietnam is still struggling in positioning the country's common brand. Thus, the promotion of national brand has been temporary and passive with obscure slogans. Bhutan is small but a dream destination for many tourists to feel the happiest place in the world. In this country, cutting down trees is considered illegal and severely punished Strategic decisions In this regard, Alholt warned that building a national brand is not about building a short-term culture promotion or trade promotion campaign. It must be a strategic decision to go hand in hand with a country's socio-economic development strategy. In other words, national brand is the image of socio-economic goals. It is a general vision of the country that can be easily visualized without having to read numbers. Therefore, the image of a national brand is not a mere word but through which it must describe the economic nature that the country wants to target. From the success of many countries such as South Korea, Estonia, Singapore ... both academia and the fact acknowledge the urgency of national branding, because the image of a country with national brand will make positive impacts on the behavior of consumers, tourists, talent, investors and politicians from other countries. More simply, if the national brand is properly positioned and built, and can help the country become good in the perception of the target audience, then goods, tourism products, Investment associations, foreign policy ... of that country will be prioritized to choose by them, from which the country's competitiveness will be strengthened. However, a country must select a set of distinctive images. Consumers usually infer according to a rigid logic: The German are principle and disciplinary and Germany has a developed science and technology, so the German mechanical products are number 1. The French are polite, France is romantic and lavish, fashionable and French perfumes are number 1. On the contrary, one cannot believe that a country can be both a resort kingdom while having developed heavy industries. If the conflicting media images exist, it is difficult to create emotions and beliefs. Towards a common vision Brand ratings released by Future Brand in 2019 Therefore, choosing a "competitive identity" in the process of building a national brand is an extremely difficult job, which requires an attachment to economic reality and the consensus of people (brand owner). Building a national brand is therefore a determination that requires scientific research and persistent operation. It is unlikely to succeed if it has not been included in the State's strategic documents. Vietnam's economy has been obtained many important achievements; the country's position and power are increasing but the images of those achievements as well as the vision of a prosperous Vietnam in the future are still has not been communicated consistently and persistently due to the lack of an overall action plan. Many Vietnamese are still skeptical of a prosperous future. Therefore, the national brand, if it is implemented properly, will help to set up a new flag to turn all Vietnamese around the world to look to a common vision for the "I am Vietnamese" pride. Dr. Luong Ha (from Paris) President Trump walks to speak to reporters as he arrives at Sacramento McClellan Airport on Sept. 14, 2020, for a briefing on the California wildfires. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press ) As wildfires raging through the West force millions of voters to confront the consequences of a warming planet, the presidential race became intensely focused Monday on climate change an issue that has been overshadowed through much of the campaign. The realities of communities ablaze, mass evacuations and curtains of thick smoke settling over large, densely populated swaths of the Pacific coast pushed the rival candidates to detour from the battleground states and lay out starkly contrasting visions for reversing the cycle of worsening natural disaster. Landing in California, where state officials say his unyielding efforts to undermine global action on climate have intensified the crisis, President Trump continued to express skepticism about climate science. In a briefing with state and federal officials, Gov. Gavin Newsom told Trump: "We feel very strongly the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier." "Something has happened to the plumbing of the world, and we come from a perspective, humbly, that we assert that the science is in, and the observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real. Please respect the difference of opinion out here with respect to the fundamental issue of climate change, he said. The president said, "Absolutely." A few moments later, however, during a presentation by California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, Trump said: It will start getting cooler, you just watch. When Crowfoot said that science disagreed, Trump shot back: I dont think science knows." The exchange came as Crowfoot emphasized the effect of warming by noting Death Valley has broken a world record with temperatures reaching 130 degrees. Trump raised his eyebrows and smiled, signaling he was impressed but not alarmed. Just before Trump landed, Democratic nominee Joe Biden denounced Trump as a "climate arsonist" and laid out how different policies would be under a Biden administration. Story continues "It shouldnt be so bad that millions of Americans live in the shadow of an orange sky and are left asking, 'Is doomsday here?'" said Biden, delivering remarks in a meadow outside the natural history museum near his home in Wilmington, Del. Biden pilloried the president for his response to the fires which has included blaming the state for doing a poor job of raking leaves in forests and threatening to withhold desperately needed federal aid and he took aim at Trump's broader effort to scrap federal action to curb climate change. He accused the president of trying to stoke racist fears among suburban voters about inclusive housing policies when, Biden said, it is natural disasters caused by climate change that pose the biggest threat to suburbs. "If we have four more years of Trump's climate denial, how many more suburbs will burn from wildfires?" Biden said. The effects of the infernos could be felt even thousands of miles away in the mid-Atlantic region where Biden spoke, after the intense smoke drifted east in the jet stream, tinting the sky over Washington with haze. "Donald Trump's climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly," Biden said. He continued his critique in a virtual fundraiser later in the day hosted by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) and entertainment mogul Haim Saban: "The West is literally on fire, and it's still all about him." Biden has proposed an aggressive $2-trillion plan for climate action that has gotten little voter attention in a race dominated by concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, protests over racial injustice, and disputes over the integrity of America's election systems. For his part, Trump focused Monday on forest management and the role of what he described as "exploding trees," further exasperating scientists and state officials. "When trees fall down after a short period of time, they become very dry really like a matchstick ... and they can explode," Trump said. "Also leaves. When you have dried leaves on the ground, its just fuel for the fires. "I was talking to the head of a foreign country and they said, We consider ourselves a forest nation. We have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California, and we dont have that problem.' Newsom, in his remarks, acknowledged that both state and federal officials have fallen short in forest management. Forestry officials have said that years of policies designed to suppress as many fires as possible have allowed fuel to accumulate in forests across the West. But, the governor stressed, all of those problems have been intensified by drought that climate change has worsened. Biden, in his remarks, said Trump's hostility to climate science reflects a president who "wont listen to the experts or treat this disaster with the urgency it demands, as any president should do during a national emergency." Biden is pledging to immediately move to revive and update Obama-era climate initiatives that Trump scrapped and push for a large-scale investment in public works that would reorient the economy toward green energy. Trump has characterized such measures as the agenda of the far left and out of sync with American attitudes about energy. https://twitter.com/RiegerReport/status/1305582670727049217 Polls have shown voters are increasingly concerned about global warming and in favor of the types of investments Biden promises, although the issue has never been a top priority for most voters. California and other states are already pushing forward in the direction of more green energy, in face of fierce headwinds from the Trump administration. The state is mired in 100 lawsuits against the federal government, some of them triggered by administration efforts to block California from taking its own climate action. The biggest and most consequential dispute is over the state's ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards. Car and truck emissions are the single biggest contributor to climate change, and California has long been empowered to set its own rules. The state's outsize influence over automobile sales has traditionally pushed automakers to adopt the California rules as their national standard. The Trump administration is seeking to stop California from imposing those rules, even after several automakers voluntarily agreed to embrace them. The Trump administration has also stymied the state's race to move its electricity grid entirely to clean energy. It eliminated an Obama-era plan to help all states move in that direction, instead embracing an energy policy focused heavily on boosting the use of coal and other fossil fuels. One of Trump's first moves as president was to withdraw the United States from the Paris accord on global warming, which would have held the nation to a strict timeline for reducing fossil fuels. On landing in Sacramento, Trump was asked why he waited so long to visit California, as the fires have been raging for weeks. Thats a nasty question," said the president, who noted he ultimately did approve disaster aid for the state. "I got a call from your governor immediately. On that call, I declared it a national emergency. Thats a nasty question. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. With Nov. 3 fast approaching, city and county officials recognize the importance of securing elections, while struggling to ensure they can, an expert says. Everybody is so resource-constrained right now, said Mike Hamilton, chief information security officer at CI Security, a cybersecurity firm specializing in protecting local governments. Budgets are tightening, people are losing staff. For the most part, the larger ones are in better shape financially, but there are a lot of counties in the United States, and as things are contracting, they have even less access to qualified people that know how to deal with security. Support is available from the federal government, but its not enough, he said. For instance, the Homeland Security Departments Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) provides real-time network monitoring, threat analysis and early-warning notifications through a round-the-clock security operations center. Similarly, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offers free Cyber Resilience Reviews to assess enterprise programs and practices across 10 domains, including risk and incident management. But if a locality lacks a security point person, that assistance could be moot. Theres not a lot of information security officers in local government, Hamilton said. In my experience theres nobody thats been assigned to be responsible and accountable for security at smaller governments. High-profile cyber incidents such as the ransomware attacks that shut down Baltimore and Atlanta have made localities more aware of the threats, but without staff and budgetary resources, their ability to take action is limited. A regional monitoring project is one solution to these challenges, said Hamilton, who started one when he was CISO for Seattle from 2006 to 2013. That project involved the real-time monitoring of nine cities and counties, six maritime ports on the Puget Sound and several hospitals. All the results were presented on one dashboard, and the team was able to alert their homeland security fusion center a state-owned and -operated center that received, analyzed, gathered and shared threat information -- to particularly worrisome data. CI Security, which Hamilton co-founded, replicates this idea by monitoring small cities and counties for free in return for collecting data from their networks and using it as real-time curriculum for universities. It works with with the Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System, DHS Science and Technology Directorate and CISA. There are two problems we are trying to address here, he said. No. 1 is local governments dont have a lot of money, and theyre easy to knock over, he said. Moreover, theyre involved in critical areas such as water purification, waste treatment, 911, elections, traffic management, communications for law enforcement and public safety, and they arent getting help, he said. But if we can go out and monitor them for free, we get infrastructure protection [data], and if we bolt all that onto universities, university students are getting this live-fire training. And when they roll off the assembly line, they are much more prepared to go out and do the work that we need them to do. There are two steps that governments can take immediately to improve their cybersecurity posture, Hamilton said. The first is to implement multifactor authentication, which is underused at local levels. One reason why is that not all county and local governments use the dot-gov domain, which would require the use of multifactor authentication. The second step is to rescind the de minimis use policy that states that government workers may use government technology for personal activities as long as it doesnt cost more, cause a security problem or affect productivity. I can prove it does all three, he said. If they would rescind the policy of de minimis use and make all personal use on a personal device, a whole bunch of problems would be driven off a cliff. Hamilton pointed to Microsoft as a bright spot in terms of county and local government security. Many agencies use the companys technology, which includes monitoring products such as Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection. That gives good telemetry to distributed endpoints, he said. Thats a real help. Ultimately, he said, the onus is on the federal government to support state and local agencies. A standard reporting structure on local government attacks would bring insight into the breadth of the cyber issues. If there was some kind of clearinghouse that was focused on events in local government -- specifically, sharing with local governments -- I think that would really help to move the needle, Hamilton said. Their inability to properly resource these kinds of things becomes very much more obvious when you see whats happening around you and to you. The National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19) today highlighted that the number of active COVID-19 cases has increased over the past two weeks, surpassing 750 cases on some of the previous days, due to non-compliance of health and precautionary guidelines during the Ashura holidays. The Taskforce underscored the importance of social responsibility to safeguard individuals, families and the community, by vigilantly adhering to all health guidelines aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus, reducing infection rates and flattening the curve. The Taskforce noted that the virus does not discriminate between race, religion, or faith and therefore unified efforts are required to ensure a commitment to following all precautionary measures aimed at preserving the health of the community. The Taskforce stressed the importance of safeguarding the community as a national duty, as reflected in the national efforts of frontline workers who tirelessly work around the clock to support monitoring and mitigation efforts. The Taskforce noted that following all precautionary guidelines and social distancing measures are important to mitigating the spread of the virus, and have been introduced based on scientific facts, and international statistics and data on the virus. On this note, the Taskforce added that official statistics have revealed a spike in active COVID-19 cases due to an increase in social and religious gatherings during the Ashura holidays, as a result of non-compliance to precautionary health measures that have been put in place in partnership with the Jaffaria Waqf Directorate and the heads of the Maatams in Bahrain. The Taskforce noted that the percentage of Bahraini citizens with active COVID-19 has more than doubled than that during the Eid Al Fitr holidays. The Taskforce emphasised that two weeks after the Eid Al Fitr holidays, active cases reached 5568, of which 37% of cases were Bahraini citizens, adding that Bahraini citizens with active COVID-19 then doubled two weeks after the Ashura holidays, reaching 7451 active cases, of which 82% of cases are Bahraini citizens. This represents a 34% increase in cases existing between the two occasions, as the indicators showed an increase in the number of existing cases among children and women after the Ashura season, amounting to 2,787 existing cases for women and 1,480 cases for children. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah and Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta and Batam Mon, September 14, 2020 18:09 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44be243 1 World EEZ,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,sovereignty,China,Bakamla,Navy,Batam,Riau-Islands,Natuna,nine-dash-line,ship,vessel,coast-guard Free Indonesia has reasserted its sovereignty in talks with the Chinese government in light of the controversy surrounding the unauthorized deployment of a Chinese coast guard vessel into Indonesias exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the North Natuna Sea off Riau Islands province. The Foreign Ministry said the government had discussed the issue with the Chinese deputy ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta on Sunday in the hopes of clarifying the intent behind Chinas deployment of its coast guard vessel. The ministry emphasized that [] Indonesia's ZEE does not overlap with Chinese waters and [the government] therefore rejects Chinas nine-dash line claim because it contradicts the 1982 UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], Mondays statement said. It was reported that the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) drove away a Chinese coast guard vessel from North Natuna waters on Saturday. The vessel, identified as Chinese coast guard ship 5204, was detected by Bakamla patrol ship KN Nipah 321 through an automatic identification system at around 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday. In a statement on Sunday, Bakamla reported that the crew of the Chinese vessel had insisted they had the right to patrol the so-called nine-dash line a boundary denoting Chinas territorial claim to the South China Sea based on what it claims are traditional fishing grounds. One of the nine dashes slices through waters north of the Natuna Islands. Natuna Legislative Council (DPRD) speaker Andes Putra said on Monday that the presence of foreign vessels in the regions waters was not a surprise to locals. Every week, we receive reports from residents regarding the unauthorized activity of foreign fishing vessels, Andes said. We have relayed the information to the TNI AL [Indonesian Navy] and other related [departments], but it has yet to reduce the number of foreign vessels [entering the region]. 14.09.2020 LISTEN The battle lines have been drawn in Dome-Kwabenya constituency elections of the Greater Accra region between the incumbent Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo and Parliamentary Candidate for the NDC, Elipklim Akurugu. Across the constituency, the two candidates are matching each others campaign strategy boot- for-boot as the electorates lace their boots to elect their voice in Ghanas next Parliament on December 7. There seems to be an emerging swing of voting pattern in the Dome Kwabenya constituency elections in favour of the biggest opposition party, NDC. Parliamentary Candidate for the NDC, Elipklim Akurugu, in the area, has been touring the constitutency, touching base with residents and garnering votes, to unseat the deputy majority leader in parliament. Sources disclosed, that the incumbent is gripped with fear as the PC continuous to engage residents in the constituency. As part of the campaign tour, residents of Boi, Taifa, Ashongman, Atomic Roundabout through Kwabenya, Abokobi, Haatso, Westlands, Musuku and Ashongman Estates, Dome among others have pledged their support to the parliamentary candidate of the NDC, to unseat the incumbent. According to some residents, the NPP as the people's representative over the years has presided over non-developmental projects in the constituency. The contituency under the Mahama administration, however, have in their name the NDC's government community day school E-block facility. As one of the most densely populated constituency in the country, Elipklim Akurugu says she's poised to capture the seat from the NPP. According to her, discussions with residents revealed majority are yearning for change and has vowed to meet demands of constituents when given the nod in the December elections. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the area is seeking for a third term mandate in the December elections. The Dome Kwabenya according to the electoral commission's provisional data after compilation of the new voters register, is projected at 172,907. BroadSources EMA places the end customer in the drivers seat and offers a mobile-centric experience that is easy to manage, something which is not the norm in Cloud Collaboration user experiences. EMA uses the latest in mobile web architectures for anyone, anywhere, on any device. The increasing demand to move staff from the physical office environment to working from home has accelerated the transition from premise-based telephone systems to feature rich and economical Cloud Collaboration services for most businesses around the globe. Unfortunately, the on-boarding process can be complex leaving the promise of better business communications and productivity a distant goal. The most successful service providers will be those who not only leverage their networks functionality but those that can give their customers access to their network in a simple and hassle-free way. BroadSources technology, EMU Mobile Assistant (EMA), a patented Progressive Web Architecture for mobile devices, expedites the on-boarding process putting the power of mobile devices and Cloud Collaboration in the hands of the end customer. EMA provides the opportunity for end users to move to the Cloud simply and quickly which means they get to enjoy the benefits faster without the need for complex technical and administrative intervention. Vodafone Germany has harnessed the efficiency and simplicity of EMA as a key differentiator in the recent release of their One Net Express (ONX) Cloud Collaboration offering. Vodafones Mein One Net (My One Net) mobile application is EMA and it guides their customers through the One Net Express (ONX) onboarding journey. BroadSources EMA places the end customer in the drivers seat and offers a mobile-centric experience that is easy to manage, something which is not the norm in Cloud Collaboration user experiences. EMA uses the latest in mobile web architectures for anyone, anywhere, on any device to interact with their Cloud Collaboration service. We are humbled and privileged to be working with the wonderful Vodafone team in Germany to create these world first customer experiences. Haydn Faltyn, BroadSource CEO said. Martin Grabowski, Vodafones Director of Marketing & Products Business said, What makes me particularly happy is that our customers are onboarded quickly. The process is not complicated, so they can start using ONX without delay and without technical intervention and high investment costs. Our virtual telephone system One Net Express is set up in no time thanks to EMA. Vodafones ONX is a virtual PBX that offers Internet telephony for small businesses from a mobile phone, PC or fax, through fixed or mobile networks. Business communication is via a single user interface. ONX is ordered, ready for use and most importantly there are no complex portals to navigate. Using the access link from a confirmation email, customers register online and configure ONX to their own specifications. About BroadSource BroadSource is a world leader in software development and engineering for the globes most sophisticated Cloud Collaboration Service Providers. The team has eighteen years of design, deployment and software development experience. BroadSource solves many challenges that Service Providers face in managing and transitioning to their Cloud Collaboration and Cloud Contact Centre solutions. With offices in Melbourne, London, Seattle, Dusseldorf and Delhi, BroadSource delivers Products and Services to customers in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. Media Contact Jacqui Thals marketing@broadsource.com.au The Government has been accused of prioritising flag flying over critical challenges facing Northern Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. A Sinn Fein MLA branded an Assembly debate on increasing the number of designated days the Union flag flies over government buildings in Northern Ireland as absurd and bizarre. The DUP welcomed the move to add three more designated days and add two more buildings to the list of properties where the flag should fly. However, the party said it did not go far enough and raised concern that laws determining when and where the Union flag could be flown may prevent it being raised above Stormont to mark Northern Irelands centenary in 2021. MLAs debated the Governments proposed amendments to flag legislation on Monday. While the legislation is being amended at Westminster, the views expressed by Assembly members were placed on the record in the take note debate at Parliament Buildings. Expand Close The Union flag only flies above Parliament Buildings on certain designated days (Steve Parsons/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Union flag only flies above Parliament Buildings on certain designated days (Steve Parsons/PA) The Government committed to update the flags regulations in the New Decade, New Approach deal that secured the return of powersharing at Stormont. It has agreed to add three new designated days marking the birthdays of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall on which the flag can fly from government and civic buildings. The number of buildings that can fly the flag on designated days is also set to be increased by two. During the Assembly debate, Sinn Feins Emma Sheerin said the Government had failed to deliver on many other commitments made in the agreement. Like most people on a Monday in the middle of a global pandemic the Union flag isnt my top priority today and I suppose its fair to say that Union flag is never my top priority, she said. The Mid Ulster MLA added: In the current context I think this motion is at best bizarre and inappropriate and at worst insulting. Were in the middle of a global pandemic where thousands are worrying about their business going bust, being made redundant, balancing and managing the threat of Covid with the need to maintain employment and put food on the table. Ms Sheerin questioned the Governments priorities. With everything thats going on around us right now, ensuring the increased flying of the flag seems like a strange item to be making top of the agenda, she said. Its a damning indictment that this is something that theyre choosing to prioritise. Considering all the important commitments that the British Government are not honouring, its nothing short of absurd to me that were standing here today discussing flags. Expand Close DUP MLA Christopher Stalford urged parties to show some give and take (Rebecca Black/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP MLA Christopher Stalford urged parties to show some give and take (Rebecca Black/PA) DUP MLA Keith Buchanan said flying the Union flag was a basic but central expression of pride in Northern Irelands Britishness. He insisted the flag should fly 365 days a year on major civic buildings in Northern Ireland. While welcoming the move to increase the number of designated days, he added: It does not address overarching concerns we hold about the general direction of travel nowhere else in the United Kingdom has designated flags legislation. Mr Buchanan continued: Its unjust that our national pride is subject to the veto of certain political parties. We on these benches seek a fundamental reform of these structures as we approach the centenary of our foundation of Northern Ireland. We will be strongly making the case to Her Majestys Government for greater assurances that the celebrations do not fall victim to inflexibility of the current legislation. The flying of the national flag is not divisive or disproportionate, its display from public or civic buildings does not invoke fear or division it simply recognises Northern Irelands constitutional status and gives due regard to the principle of consent. His party colleague Christopher Stalford raised concern that the legislation would not allow for a one-off flying of the flag when Northern Ireland marks its centenary next May. I think that it would be the worst possible thing for us as a community if we descend into the trenches over the issue around the foundation of the state, he said. People are going to have very, very different interpretations of that and I accept that. He said politicians needed to show a bit of give and take toward each other. Why shouldnt, for example, on the actual day itself, why shouldnt the flag be on the roof of this building? What would that really cost, what would that really hurt anyone to just on that one off day, perhaps, accede to that request, and show a bit of generosity to people who believe different things from you, but want to work with you to run the country. New Delhi: The Delhi government on Sunday allowed gyms and yoga centres to reopen after being shut for more neraly six months under the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. In an order issued late in the night, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said that gymnasiums and yoga institutes will be permitted to reopen in the city, except in the containment zones, with immediate effect. Acoording to a report in Hindustan Times, there are over 6,000 gyms and fitness centres across Delhi employing over 100,000 people. The Central government under its unlock-3 guidelines issued on July 29 had allowed gyms and yoga centres to open across the country from August 5. But DDMA headed by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal did not allow resumption of these services owing to the rising Covid-19 cases in the city. The AAP dispensation and the Lieutenant Government office have recently been at loggerheads over the reopening of gyms in the national capital. Last month, the Delhi government had sent a proposal to Lt Governor Anil Baijal in this regard, but it was turned down. According to the order, weekly markets have also been allowed on a trial basis till September 30 under 'Unlock-4'. The decision about reopening gyms and yoga centres comes at a time the city has been witnessing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases. On Sunday, the tally of coronavirus cases in Delhi rose to 2.18 lakh with 4,235 more people contracting the viral disease, while 29 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours pushed the death toll to 4,744. This was the fifth day in a trot that the national capital recorded a daily spike of over 4,000 fresh cases. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The top communications official at the Health and Human Services Department warned in a bizarre Facebook Live session that political opponents 'are going to have to kill me' and claimed Democrats are plotting an armed insurrection. Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaing official, issued the warnings after publication of a Politico story Friday that indicated Caputo and other political appointees were pressuring Centers for Disease Control officials to alter weekly coronavirus reports. 'You understand that they're going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think that's where this is going,' he said, the New York Times reported on his Facebook live post. 'If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it's going to be hard to get,' warned Health and Human Services communications advisor Michael Caputo 'And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin,' he said. 'The drills that you've seen are nothing.' Said Caputo: 'If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it's going to be hard to get.' During his rant posted Sunday, Caputo said his 'mental health has definitely failed.' 'I don't like being alone in Washington,' he continued. He said there were 'shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long.' He also blasted government scientists 'deep in the bowels of the CDC have given up science and become political animals' who he said 'haven't gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops.' Caputo is a protege of Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on wildfires with local and federal fire and emergency officials at Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park, California on September 14, 2020. Trump said this weekend he would 'negotiate' for a third term if he wins reelection He said the officials ''walk around like they are monks' but in fact practice 'rotten science.' Caputo is an associate of longtime informal Trump advisor Roger Stone who provided his own violent imagery about what could be in store during an experience on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' radio show. Stone said Trump should consider imposing 'marshal law' or invoke the Insurrection Act should results show he lost the election. Stone, who had his jail sentence commuted by Trump, said 'the ballots in Nevada on election night should be seized by federal marshalls and taken from the state.' He said the ballots 'are completely corrupted' and claimed: 'we can prove voter fraud in the absentees right now.' Caputo, 58, was appointed to his post by Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar in mid-April. It was cast at the time as a move by the White House to assert control over Azar's agency. 'I'm delighted to have Michael Caputo join our team at @HHSGov as our Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, especially at this critical time in our nation's public health history,' Azar tweeted at the time he was named Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. Caputo's comments come after Trump said this past weekend he will 'negotiate' for a third term if he wins the election. Caputo was an advisor to the Trump campaign, lived in Russia in the 1990s and advised state energy company Gazprom. He was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller's team, and was featured briefly in his report as having learned through a Florida-based Russian business partner about another Florida-based Russian who 'claimed to have information pertaining to Hilary Clinton.' 'Caputo notified Roger Stone and brokered communication' that helped set up a May 2016 meeting, according to the report. Caputo told the Times Monday, Since joining the administration my family and I have been continually threatened.' He continued: This weighs heavily on us, and we deeply appreciate the friendship and support of President Trump as we address these matters and keep our children safe. HHS said in a statement: 'Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the presidents coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.' Caputo's rant came on a weekend after it was reported he has been interfering with COVID-19 reports by health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because their data doesn't match the 'optimistic messages' sought by the White House. In one instance, CDC Director Robert Redfield and his scientists were accused of trying to 'hurt the president' with their reports about COVID-19, according to POLITICO. The reported interference was learned a day after it was revealed that the same group of Trump loyalists were seeking to muzzle Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. Since being named spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, Michael Caputo, the Republican Party operative and former Trump campaign official, and his staff have pressured CDC personnel to alter the wording of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report has usually been published without any political interference and is a key method by which the CDC advises doctors and the general public about COVID-19. Caputo has no medical background. Since then, he and his team have tried to stop the CDC from releasing some of its findings that do not line up with messaging from Trump, POLITICO is reporting. Caputo and his staffers reportedly tried to retroactively change agency reports which they claimed inflated the risks of COVID-19. The political appointees reportedly sought to make clear in the reports that American who became infected with the virus did so due to their own behavior, according to POLITICO. Two people were killed and six others were wounded during an early Sunday morning shooting at a home near New Jersey's Rutgers University campus. The shooting occurred at 1.18am Sunday during an apparent house party in New Brunswick, authorities said, although it appears no students were involved in the incident. Nearby surveillance cameras caught the moment when four people jumped out of a dark-colored car that stopped in the middle of the street near the house where the shooting occurred. Surveillance cameras caught the moment when four people exited a car and started shooting at an apparent house party in New Jersey at about 1.18am Sunday The shooters then ran back to the car and took off, leaving two dead and six wounded The people - who were seen wearing hooded sweatshirts and long pants - then hustled towards the direction of the house while firing their guns, before running back to the car and driving away. The whole incident took place in under 30 seconds. When police arrived at the scene, they found eight people with gunshots wounds. Two of the victims - unnamed men - were declared died at the hospital, News 12 reported. More than 40 shots were reported to have been fired during the incident Neighbor Jacob Beacher, 20, told the news station that he ran over and tried to perform CPR and 'check for a pulse and stuff' when he saw two people lying on the pavement following the shooting. Police are seen at the site of the shooting, located near Rutgers University's campus, although no students were said to have been involved in the incident More than 40 shots were said to have been fired during the incident, which may have occurred after an argument involving party's entry fee Police have not yet identified a motive for the shooting. One of the victims who died was said to have been celebrating his birthday that night He said he 'couldn't believe it,' when he saw someone his own age 'just bleeding out' on the ground. It's unclear whether the people Beacher tired to help survived the shooting or not, as none of the shooting victims have been named yet. ABC 7 NY reported that one of the men who died had been celebrating his birthday that night. A man told NBC New York that he was the organizer of the party - calling it a 'post-COVID party - and said that the shooting may have followed an argument over the event's entry fee. Police have not yet determined a motive for the shooting, the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office said in a statement obtained by the New York Times. Locals said that the area where the shooting took place was known for housing students and for the parties held there. Resident George Biedenkapp told NJ.com that there had been a heavy police presence in the neighborhood for the past month, presumably on the lookout for parties, 'But then this weekend, nothing.' Authorities are looking for the four gunmen, but have not yet released descriptions of them. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call New Brunswick Police Department at 732-745-5200 the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office at 732-745-3948. Charles Stanley on New Book 'Emotions': I've Been There, I'm Not Just Telling People What I Think First Baptist Church Atlanta Pastor Discusses Latest Book in Exclusive Interview With CP Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 2 photos (Photo: In Touch Ministries) Dr. Charles Stanley, 81-year-old pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, knows a thing or two about anxiety and the fear of rejection. When he was just starting out over 40 years ago as pastor of the Georgia megachurch, he was scared to death he would end up looking like a failure and being severely criticized. Although he dealt with that issue throughout most of his ministry, Stanley says he finally found freedom when he confronted those fears and turned them over to God. "I want you to find liberty from your apprehensions as well," the In Touch Ministries leader writes in his latest book, Emotions: Confront the Lies. Conquer with Truth. The megachurch pastor and former two-term Southern Baptist Convention president writes in the new book that everyone grapples with deep and seemingly overwhelming emotions in life, and gives examples of King David, the apostle Paul and even Jesus Christ experiencing such moments. Stanley, a New York Times bestselling author who has penned more than 50 titles, told The Christian Post on Monday that his underlying message in Emotions is that it is possible to overcome, what is for some people, the most crippling negative emotions and live a fuller life, not only for themselves but also in service to others. "There is deliverance and victory and peace and joy over whatever these emotions may be in their life," he told CP. "They can experience it if they choose to." In an exclusive Q&A conducted via phone, the First Baptist Atlanta pastor shared what he believes is God's purpose for human emotion and his take on the devil's most-used tactic to keep Christians from experiencing the love and peace of God. Below is a transcript of CP's interview with Stanley, followed by a previously unpublished email exchange CP conducted with the Christian leader in September 2012, when he marked his 55th year in ministry and the 35th anniversary of In Touch Ministries. CP: You write in Emotions that emotions are a gift from God. Do you mean all emotions, ranging the spectrum from joy and peace to anger and anguish? And if so, what is there purpose? Stanley: The capacity to have an emotion all comes from God. Bad emotions are coming from our conduct, or from those things that have happened early in our life and we wonder where they came from and oftentimes they're handed down to us by parents who reject us, for example, or who are bitter toward us or who didn't really want us to begin with. So there's a whole range of emotions that are good, emotions of love and joy and peace and all the rest. But it's those that devastate us that oftentimes we don't even know where they come from or why we feel them. CP: How is God glorified through human emotion? Stanley: God is glorified, for example, by the fact that we can love Him, that we obey Him, we cherish Him, we serve Him. We live our lives for Him because of who He is, so its really in our emotions that we express our true feelings toward God. We love Him and so we sing that, we pray to Him because we believe in Him. So He gave us emotions to enjoy life and to be able to express ourselves toward Him and toward others. It's when these emotions get bent out of shape, it's when they get off track and we begin to feel guilty or we begin to feel rejected and bitter in our life, that everything turns sad. CP: In the Emotions you highlight anxiety or fear, and rejection as perhaps two of the most devastating human emotions. Why do you believe that? Stanley: If you'll think about it, if your life's full of fear, you can't have any peace and be afraid at the same time. You can't have any joy and be afraid at the same time. If you feel rejected, you can't have any real good relationships in life, you can't feel good about yourself, you can't feel good about other people, you can't feel that they feel good about you devastating emotions. CP: This is a common question, which you state in Emotions: "Why would our gracious Father allow grief and suffering?" What's your answer to that, Dr. Stanley? Stanley: If somebody I love very very much passed away or was killed in an accident, naturally I would grieve. That's my capacity to express my regret, and my hurt and pain over someone. All emotions are permitted by God. The emotions that are profitable are those emotions of peace and joy and happiness and contentment and forgiveness and concern. Those emotions that result in my being willing to give myself away in order to help someone else. CP: What do you consider as one of the go-tos of Scripture for a reminder of God's truth for those who are dealing with some of those heavy emotions, such as grief and suffering? Stanley: I think if you read for example in the Book of Philippians, which is all about joy, primarily. I think that and ... Second Corinthians is one of the primary ones when it comes to understanding why God allows suffering in our lives. He says, for example, very clearly in that first chapter of 2 Corinthians, he talks about how God allows us to go through these problems in order to be a help and to lead others who likewise are suffering the same thing, he makes it very clear. CP: In a few chapters you have a series of "the enemy's lies" answered by statements of "God's truth." What would you say is perhaps one of the enemy's most common or crippling lies? Stanley: One of his most crippling lies I think is that 'you're no good, you don't count, you're a nobody...no matter who you are or what you've done, but you, but you, but you' I think it's one of the most crippling lies of all. God loves and has accepted us, yet the devil does his best to deprive us of that. CP: You also close out several of the chapters in Emotions with a prayer. Why is that? Stanley: Because talking to God about our circumstances is the key to getting delivered. In other words, if I go to His Word and see what He says, then I got o Him in prayer and thank Him for what He says. 'Lord, here's what you said, you said if I confess my sin or my failure...' or 'Lord, I don't understand this, I'm trusting You to give me understanding because You promised to do it.' That is the way to nail down the victory over whatever you're going through in life. CP: In terms of dealing with our emotions, for some folks prayer and right thinking are enough. However, others need counseling and in specific cases, medication, as you mention in the book. Would you like to clarify your view on holistic emotional healing when some of these factors might be involved? Stanley: I think we have to be careful when it comes to suggesting that people take a particular medicine. I think we have to primarily deal with their relationship with Jesus Christ first. Because many people are addicted to all kinds of drugs trying to deal with their emotional problems. Drugs don't heal emotional problems. A personal relationship with Jesus and understanding his acceptance and his forgiveness and his kindness and his salvation and all the rest and that he loves us, that's where the healing comes. I think many people easily become addicted because it makes them feel less painful for the time, but it does not heal. CP: You share some of your own personal emotional issues in the book as well, obviously showing that pastors and ministry leaders don't always necessarily have it together. Why did you include that information about yourself? Stanley: I want people to realize that I've been there. I'm not just telling them something that I think. I know what each one of those emotions feels like, and how God delivered me from every single one of them. Refiners, ports and offshore platforms are racing to shut down as Hurricane Sally moves towards US central Gulf coast. Energy companies, ports and refiners on Monday raced to shut down as Hurricane Sally bores in on the central United States Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month. Sally was upgraded to a hurricane on Monday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, but its trajectory has shifted east towards Mississippi, likely sparing some of Louisianas refining operations. The hurricane is disrupting oil imports and exports, as the nations sole offshore terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, stopped loading tanker ships on Sunday, while the port of New Orleans is closing on Monday. Numerous offshore production facilities have been shut, including those operated by Chevron Corp and BP Plc. Last month, Hurricane Laura forced roughly 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of output to temporarily close. The port of New Orleans and LOOP combined exported about 307,000 bpd of crude and 411,000 bpd of refined products and imported about 342,000 bpd in crude for the June-to-August period, according to Kpler data. As of 12:05pm EDT (16:05 GMT), Sally was about 220 kilometres (135 miles) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour). Officials in states issued mandatory evacuations for residents in low-lying areas. The US Coast Guard said all southbound vessel traffic from the port of New Orleans would be brought to a halt at 17:00 GMT on Monday and stop all traffic from the port at 23:00 GMT. Refiners in the region are winding down operations. The Phillips 66 Alliance oil refinery, which processes 255,000 bpd at a site along the Mississippi River on the coast of Louisiana, shut on Monday, said energy industry intelligence service Genscape. Shell cut production to minimum rates on Monday at its 227,400 bpd Norco, Louisiana, refinery, including idling the refinerys crude distillation unit, said sources familiar with plant operations. Valero Energy Corps 125,000 bpd-refinery plans to continue normal operations as the storm will pass to the east, sources told the Reuters news agency. Chevron, BP, Equinor and Murphy Oil all evacuated some offshore workers from production platforms, the companies reported. Royal Dutch Shell Plc curtailed production at its Olympus, Mars and Appomattox platforms on Monday, the company said. US Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production delivers about 17 percent of US crude oil and 5 percent of US natural gas output. As much as 1.5 million bpd of offshore oil production was shut in by Hurricane Laura last month. The U.S. emergency department, long an imperfect shelter for those with non-urgent medical needs, is perhaps the last place you want to be amid a pandemic. Covid-19 has aggravated an already-broken U.S. health-care system in which at least 30% of emergency department visits were deemed unneeded before the viruss arrival. Patients with less urgent conditions often wait hours for care, and theyre usually left with a hefty bill. Now, a new heath-care model is seeking to bridge the gap between clinical care and telemedicine, offering hands-on medical aid inside peoples homes. In a time of Covid, a company known simply as Ready is logging more than 15,000 visits and 10,000 Covid-19 tests a month to patients in New York City, Los Angeles, the District of Columbia, Reno, Miami, and even the marshy bayous outside New Orleans. When called, Ready quickly dispatches an EMT or paramedic to a patients home. There, its so-called Responders work with doctors linked through iPads to take vitals, diagnose problems, prescribe therapies or, if needed, escalate cases to the closest ER. While this may sound like a concierge service for the rich, Readys target market is Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income Americans thats accounted for about half of its patient visits. Covid accelerated a trend that had already begun, which is a shift from institutional brick-and-mortar urgent care to the home setting, according to Julian Harris, a Ready board member. Its impressive to see the organization rise to the challenge of providing care in the most difficult of times, in places and to populations that other companies have not focused on. Thats compelling for an investor, he said. In Readys latest Series C fundraiser, to be announced this week, investors including GV, the venture-capital arm of Google parent Alphabet Inc., pumped in another $54 million to help boost Readys valuation to $354 million. Other repeat investors included Deerfield Management Co. and Town Hall Ventures, the fund launched by Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama administration. The idea for Ready came during a trip to Israel by serial entrepreneur Justin Dangel, 46, now the companys chief executive officer. Dangel was galvanized by a nonprofit that equipped Israeli EMTs with motorcycles and defibrillators, with the objective of beating ambulances to patients and victims of trauma. A health-care outsider, Dangel later spoke with EMTs in the U.S. about the service. That sparked talks about ways to utilize EMTs to relieve pressure on the U.S. system and, eventually, to the birth of Ready, which treated its first patient in 2018. But its been the pandemic thats validated the business model, drawn new capital and talent, and fueled the companys growth. With Covid-19, telemedicine use has reached record highs. Ready, meanwhile, has seen a five-fold surge in demand for its services since March. This is a social impact project thats gotten out of control, Dangel said. On the last Monday of March, as a flood of virus cases pushed New York to a breaking point, Governor Andrew Cuomo pleaded during a news briefing for health-care workers to come to the city to help. Ready had planned to begin services in New York in 2021. But hearing that call spurred the company to reach out to Cuomos office with an idea: Ready could conduct Covid-19 tests within the citys public housing complexes. It was the perfect fit, said Gareth Rhodes, deputy superintendent to the New York State Department of Financial Services. It wasnt just about bringing a test, it was about providing an opening to a whole plethora of health-care services. Abel Collado, 25, is a paramedic and firefighter from the Bronx. He was just weeks into his new job at Ready when the partnership launched. The company had fewer than 15 Responders in the city at the time, and Collado was tasked with conducting testing in the communities he grew up in. Words cant describe what its like to be a young adult who is born and raised, and grew up on these streets, and is still living in them, to serve these people, Collado said. Treating patients from within their homes has allowed Collado to better address the socio-economic factors that influence health outcomes. Some have little means of transportation, while others lacking a primary care physician arent able to easily get their medications. Many cant speak English. Collado has since become a supervisor, and has been pivotal to the recruitment of 150 full and part-time Responders employed by the company that have conducted more than 5,500 visits and 3,600 Covid-19 tests for New York City Housing Authority residents. Now, Ready is seeing New Yorkers outside of the partnership with the state as well. More than 1,300 miles away in Louisiana, Ochsner Health System Inc. has also turned to Ready to conduct Covid-19 tests. In this case, theyre not just for symptomatic patients, but for the immuno-compromised preparing for surgery or chemotherapy. Ready also handles follow-up when patients are discharged. Well before the virus swept the nation, Louisianas largest health system decided to take a chance on a startup headquartered in New Orleans after struggling for years to reduce unneeded ER visits. Ready was integrated into Ochsners medical triage platform in 2018, creating a pathway for Responders to beeline directly to some of their first patients homes. It also created an appointment-based community health-care program for Ochsners Medicaid frequent-fliersunderserved patients who often seek care in the ER. Alexi Deville is a 26-year-old EMT from Metairie, Louisiana. She meets with Medicaid patients identified by Ochsner once a week for as long as three months. Working with doctors online, she treats their allergies, coughs, and rashes. She also finds them in-network primary care doctors, schedules appointments and gets prescriptions refilled, she said. Ive been here all my life, Deville said. I know these faces. Ochsner saw a 70% reduction in non-emergency ER visits between June 2018 and Dec. 2019 as a result of this service, said Harry Reese, Jr., the systems vice president of post-acute and home care. We saw it as a cost-effective model that could be scaled quickly, Reese said. New York and Ochsner dont pay Ready directly for these services. Instead, the company gets reimbursed by insurers. Its pitch to health-systems: Give us access to your patients and well take care of the rest. Its pitch to payers: Were cheaper than the ER. The average ER bill is $2,000 per visit, according Premier Inc., which helps thousands of hospitals and health systems manage costs. Premier estimates that if those 3 in 10 unnecessary visits could be prevented or managed in lower-cost settings, $2.5 billion could be saved yearly. Readys services cost payers $150 to $200. For patients seeking Covid-19 tests who dont have insurance, Ready is reimbursed by the U.S. government under a series of recent economic stimulus packages. Its cheap in comparison because Ready has little overhead, employing around 70 physicians, clinicians and nurse practitioners who squeeze plenty of 20-minute stops into the workday, a time frame Dangel said is more than two-times longer than the average ER or urgent-care visit. Ready contracts with Teledoc Health Inc. when it needs additional licensed medical officials. Meanwhile, its 450 full and part-time EMTs and paramedicsa cheaper form of medical laborare able to deliver the care in person. That gives the company a structural advantage over an emerging field of rivals, Dangel said. Its not like the hospital, where brick-and-mortar business is such that it loses money on Medicaid, but makes it on commercial patients, said Harris, the board member who is also a partner at Deerfield, and who was the federal governments chief health-care financial officer from 2013 to 2015.In 2021, Ready plans to launch a pilot program that will allow more than 100 doctors to dispatch responders into their patients homes. Were building a technology platform that can be sold separately, and scaled nationally, Harris said. You can expect that ultimately people will have access to Ready Responders in every city in America. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Advertisement Shocking satellite images show how smoke from the devastating wildfires ravaging the Western United States stretches as far as Michigan, following the destruction of five million acres of land and the deaths of at least 35 people. Imagery provided by the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center shows smoke billowing across the West, right in to Michigan - a distance of around 2,000 miles. 'Here is a visible satellite image valid at 2pm PDT showing the vast extent of the wildfire smoke,' the agency tweeted on Saturday. 'The area in the orange contour is smoke in the mid-upper levels of the atmosphere that has reached as far east as Michigan! 'The red contour is the dense smoke near the West Coast.' Satellite imagery on Saturday showed an area, marked orange, of smoke that has reached as far east as Michigan The smoke was blanketing an area of almost one million square miles, according to new photos Oregon's Bureau of Land Management produced a map showing the fires in red, concentrated in Oregon and California President Donald Trump, who has said relatively little about the devastating fires, traveled to California on Monday, and visited McClellan Park, near Sacramento. 'There has to be good strong forest management. So hopefully they'll start doing that,' Trump said when he landed in Sacramento, refusing once again to acknowledge that climate change may play a role in the increasingly common wildfires. Wade Crowfoot, California's secretary for natural resources, told Trump climate change was real. 'We've had temperatures explode this summer. We broke a record in the Death Valley, 130 degrees,' Crowfoot said. 'We're seeing this warming trend make our summers warmer and our winters warmer. We want to work with you to recognize our changing climate. 'If we ignore that science and out our heads in the sand and think it's all about vegetation management, we're not going to succeed in protecting Californians.' Trump replied: 'OK. It'll start getting cooler. You just watch.' Crowfoot replied: 'I wish science agreed with you.' Trump said, laughing: 'I don't think science knows actually.' The president has long been focused on forest management as the key to solving the fires. 'When trees fall down after a short period of time they become very dry really like a matchstick... and they can explode. Also leaves. When you have dried leaves on the ground it's just fuel for the fires,' Trump said. On Friday he tweeted to thank the fire fighters - his first response in over a month of blazes. 'I have approved 37 Stafford Act Declarations, including Fire Management Grants to support their brave work,' he said, referring to an act that frees up federal funds and other resources to help supplement state and local efforts. 'We are with them all the way!' On Saturday on Saturday night, Trump dismissed the wildfires by blaming them on California's Democratic leadership. 'It is about forest management,' he said at a rally in Nevada. Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles, said Trump's remarks were an insult. 'Anybody that lives in California is insulted by that,' he said. 'Talk to a firefighter if you think that climate change isn't real. 'We need real action. We need to reduce the carbon emissions that we have. And we need to make sure we can manage this water. This isn't about forest management or raking.' A firefighter in California is pictured on Saturday attacking the Bobcat Fire, near Arcadia Skies above Encinitas, California, were thick with orange smoke on Sunday morning The usually blue skies above Encinitas were orange with smoke and ash on Sunday The August Complex fire, started by lightning on August 17, is now the largest wildfire in California's history. It is still burning fiercely, 120 miles north of the state capital, Sacramento. As of Monday, 877,000 acres had burnt and the fire was only 28 per cent controlled. 'Fire is threatening residential homes, historic structures, prehistoric sites, infrastructure (powerlines, communication towers, hydroelectric plant), timber, grazing lands, old-growth trees, threatened and endangered species habitat, and campgrounds,' the local authorities said. Forty miles south of the August Complex, the North Complex fire was encroaching upon the town of Paradise, where more than 80 people died fires two years ago. The smoke from the series of fires turned the skies in orange San Francisco, 180 miles to the south. Some of the worst conditions remained in Oregon, however, where more than 30 active fires have burned 900,000 acres. A heavy layer of wildfire smoke hangs in the air as deer forage on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon on Monday Thick fog and smoke covers Solana Beach, California, on Monday amid record-breaking wildfires The Beachie Creek fire, a blaze south of Portland that has destroyed almost 200,000 acres and killed four people, continued to burn uncontrolled on Monday morning. 'They never had anything like this,' said Trump, who systematically downplays global warming. 'Please remember the words, very simple, forest management.' Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Saturday it was 'undeniable' that 'climate change poses an imminent, existential threat to our way of life.' His running mate, California senator Kamala Harris, backed him up Sunday on Twitter, saying Trump 'denies the evidence.' 'Over the past few years, CA has experienced some of the largest, most destructive wildfires in history - fueled & intensified by the climate crisis,' Harris wrote. Charred machinery, cars and buildings smolder in the Meadow Lakes area of California following the Creek Fire A police vehicle drives past a destroyed petrol station on State Route 168, which was devastated by the Creek Fire Burnt out homes and cars are pictured in the Meadow Lakes area of California after the Creek Fire swept through Outdoor furnituire stands next to a destroyed petrol station on State Route 168 after the Creek Fire passed though Law enforcement officers watch flames into the air as the Bear Fire continues to spread in Oroville, California, on Wednesday More than 14,000 firefighters are out battling 25 separate blazes in California. Pictured: The Bear Fire in Oroville Garcetti's comments came after the White House announced Trump's plans to meet with the heads of California's emergency services on Monday Berry Creek volunteer firefighter Zack Gable sifts through charred rubble from the Bear Fire Fire damage is seen in Mill City, Oregon, on Saturday after a blaze ripped through the town Worsening the sense of doom, all five of the world's most air-polluted cities Saturday were on the West Coast, according to IQAir, with dense smog and ash coating the atmosphere from Los Angeles up to Vancouver in Canada. 'It's apocalyptic,' Washington state governor Jay Inslee told ABC. 'It's maddening right now we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires,' Inslee said. More than 20,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, with officials warning that cooler weather could end Monday as warmer, drier conditions return. Most of the fatalities have occurred in California and Oregon, with emergency services in the two states recording 30 deaths. Among them was a 13-year-old boy in Oregon, found in a car with his dog in his lap. The road was so hot it had melted the tires as he tried to flee. Las Vegas In open defiance of state regulations and his own administrations pandemic health guidelines, President Donald Trump hosted his first indoor rally since June, telling a packed, nearly mask-less Nevada crowd that the nation was making the last turn in defeating the virus. Eager to project a sense of normalcy in imagery, Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside a warehouse Sunday night. Relatively few in the crowd wore masks, with a clear exception: Those in the stands directly behind Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings. Not since a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was blamed for a surge of coronavirus infections has he gathered supporters indoors. The pandemic had killed nearly 200,000 Americans and was still claiming 1,000 lives a day. We are not shutting the country again. A shutdown would destroy the lives and dreams of millions Americans, said Trump, before using his inflammatory moniker for the coronavirus. We will very easy defeat the China virus. The rally in Tulsa, which was his first in three months after the coronavirus reached American shores, was a disaster for the campaign, a debacle that featured a sea of empty seats and a rise in COVID-19 cases, including on his own staff. One prominent Trump supporter at the rally, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of COVID-19 weeks later, though it was not clear if he contracted the virus in Tulsa. Recognizing that many supporters were uncomfortable to gather in a large group indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, the Trump campaign shifted to holding smaller, outdoor rallies, usually at airplane hangers. But those rallies have grown in size in recent weeks, with little social distancing and few masks. And on Sunday, they returned indoors, in part as a nod to the Las Vegas-area heat. Temperature checks were given to all upon entrance at the industrial site in Henderson and while masks were encouraged, few wore them. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, has limited in-person gatherings indoors and outdoors to 50 people since May, a recommendation based on White House reopening guidelines. In a statement released just before the rally began, Sisolak said Trump was taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada. To put it bluntly: he didnt have the guts to make tough choices, Sisolak said of Trumps handling of the virus. He left that to governors and the states. Now hes decided he doesnt have to respect our States laws. As usual, he doesnt believe the rules apply to him. The city of Henderson informed Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday that the event as planned was in direct violation of the governors COVID-19 emergency directives and that penalties would follow. The Trump campaign pushed back against the restrictions with the president saying he would support those in attendance if the governor came after you. If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States, campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said. To this point, the campaign has not been played out as a choice election between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, but rather a referendum on the presidents handling of the coronavirus. By wide margins, Americans have disapproved of Trumps leadership, as the United States has suffered more deaths than any other nation. Therefore, the presidents campaign believes it needs to change the subject and project the sense, despite evidence otherwise, that the pandemic was winding down and that a vaccine was on the horizon. Part of the plan: create images of normalcy, like the packed White House lawn for Trumps convention speech, though it was unclear if viewers were reassured or frightened. In a rambling, hourlong speech, Trump mused on mandatory prison sentences for flag burning, praised various UFC fighters in attendance and appeared to endorse extradjudicial killings for those who target police officers. And Trump unleashed a series of attacks on Biden, labeling him a him a tired career politician and declaring him unfit to be president. But, Trump ruminated, while complaining about the medias coverage: Maybe hell win because they dont like me, they dont like my personality. The crowd answered with a deafening We love you chant. The rally came the night before Trump was to travel to California to receive a briefing on the devastating wildfires racing through the region. He has largely been silent on the blazes that have claimed dozens of lives in Oregon and California. Earlier Sunday, Trump aimed for further inroads with Latinos who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine the White House race, promoting economic gains they made before the coronavirus pandemic. Though Trump has made scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latinos, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and Nevada, his target this weekend, Winning support from Latinos has been an uphill climb for Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics. In the first moments of his 2016 campaign, he declared that many Mexican immigrants were rapists. He has drawn criticism for his tepid response to a hurricane that ravaged Puerto Rico, his polices to separate children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border and his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program that allows young immigrants living in the country illegally who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S. Trump tailored his pitch to Latinos on Sunday, noting their low unemployment rate before COVID-19 reached American shores and affirming his anti-abortion stance. He again hammered home his recent push on law and order, saying that recent violence in American cities endangered Latinos. He was set to hold a similar event in Arizona on Monday. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 15) - Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte urged private hospitals to increase allotted beds for infected patients. "I'm appealing for the country and for the people Your help will go a long way," said Duterte during his recorded national address aired on Monday. The President said COVID-19 infections vary across different places in the country, where some areas tally fast recoveries while others take time in detecting new cases. "Everybody will remember someday that there is a great epidemic that passed by our lives and we were able to deal with it with a lot of mutual help," added Duterte. COVID-19 National Task Force chief implementer Carlito Galvez reported to the President that over 1,000 additional dedicated beds for COVID-19 patients will be available by November. He added hospitals like Rizal Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, and Batangas Medical Center will beef up their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients. "It's high time that we should modernize DOH (Department of Health). We need to modernize our hospitals," Galvez appealed to Duterte in improving the country's healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Monday afternoon, the country has confirmed 265,888 COVID-19 cases along with 53,754 active infections. Some 4,630 persons died and 207,504 patients recovered from the virus. President Trump has been unwilling or unable to put in place a coordinated national plan to address the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The consequence has been devastating with almost 200,000 American deaths. I feel the Presidents appalling response to the COVID-19 pandemic relates directly to his lack of the requisite cognitive structure needed to formulate solutions to complex problems. His former chief economic adviser, Gary Cohen, got it right when he described President Trump in Michael Wolffs book Fire and Fury as dumb as sh-t explaining that Trump wont read anything no one-page memos, no brief policy papers, nothing. He gets up halfway through meetings with world leaders because he is bored. Likewise, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon, the worlds sixth largest company, called Trump a f-king moron and media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, called him a f-king idiot. Further, he has not shown that he is capable of making up for his decision-making deficiencies by surrounding himself with people who have the requisite skills, abilities and qualifications he lacks. By and large, President Trump has selected simpletons like himself to lead key departments of government. One of the Presidents most ill-equipped appointees is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a billionaire Republican Party donor, whose claim to fame has been her advocacy for school choice and charter schools as an alternative to public education. Mrs. DeVos has no education degree or teaching experience (she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business education from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan), has never attended a public school or sent her children to one. She got the top education job because she donated $9.5 million to the Trump campaign. When it came to her confirmation, two Republican senators said they could not back her, leaving the vote at 50-50. Vice-President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote to break the tie. In the weeks building up to her hearing, labor unions, civil rights groups and teaching organizations spoke out against her appointment. An editorial in The Detroit Free Press in December highlighted concerns in her home state over her appointment: DeVos isnt an educator, or an education leader. Shes not an expert in pedagogy or curriculum or school governance. In fact, she has no relevant credentials or experience for a job setting standards and guiding dollars for the nations public schools. She is, in essence, a lobbyist someone who has used her extraordinary wealth to influence the conversation about education reform, and to bend that conversation to her ideological convictions despite the dearth of evidence supporting them. In perhaps the most uncomfortable moment during her confirmation hearing, she struggled to show she was familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that requires public schools to make accommodations for disabled students. The American Association of People with Disabilities said it was very concerned that she seemed unfamiliar with the IDEA and the protections it provides to students with disabilities. Fast-forward to how the President and his education chief have responded to the incredibly difficult problem of reopening schools amid the pandemic. On July 7th in the East Room of the White House, the President said the following in reference to Democratic governors: Were very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools. The Voice of America reported on July 12th that the U.S. education chief, in lockstep with President Trump, pressed local communities throughout the country to reopen schools with a five-day-a-week, in-person instruction in the coming weeks, saying it was entirely safe even as the number of coronavirus cases surges to new highs. The Education Secretary threatened to cut off funds to public schools that dont fully open in the fall and suggested that those funds could be diverted to private and religious schools. When pressed about whether or not she has a plan for safely reopening schools, DeVos was unable to answer. Instead of exerting pressure, the President and Secretary of Education should have said that the that reopening of schools needs to be based on sound research, best practices and the situation in which each local school district finds itself regarding the rate of new coronavirus cases and the communitys transmission rate. In communities where the virus is still spiraling, getting the pandemic under control needs to happen before schools are reopened. Clearly one size is not going to fit all school districts. Hybrid models, staggered schedules, outdoor education and effective remote learning all need to be on the table. Most studies Ive seen suggest that schools in most states should remain partially or fully closed for now. It also appears, based on research, that it makes sense for State Departments of Education to mandate that local school boards implement daily temperature-taking, the wearing of masks by staff and the six-foot distancing of desks. Beyond that, most decisions regarding reopening schools should be based on a careful appraisal of local conditions (there are 14,000 school districts across the nation), including everything from climate, conditions and configurations of a school districts buildings, number of classrooms, demographics of student body and workforce, and student/teacher ratios. There should not be a mandated single state or national approach. The federal government should provide information and I believe financial support for districts with significant vulnerable populations, aging buildings and unanticipated new cost resulting from the virus. In New Jersey, we have made real progress, through the implementation of stringent measures, to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We should heed the words of Richard T. Smith, president of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association who recently wrote that we should not jeopardize the health of the 1.5 million students and staff by rushing the in-person reopening of our schools. With the U.S. elections just two months away, we compare the immigration policies of the main presidential candidates. How Biden and Trump differ on immigration With the U.S. elections just two months away, we compare the immigration policies of the main presidential candidates. How Biden and Trump differ on immigration With the U.S. elections just two months away, we compare the immigration policies of the main presidential candidates. How Biden and Trump differ on immigration With the U.S. elections just two months away, we compare the immigration policies of the main presidential candidates. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A On November 3rd of this year, the U.S. will choose which presidential candidate will lead the country for the next four years. U.S. immigration will look vastly different depending on if America votes in Joe Biden or if incumbent president Donald Trump reclaims the Oval Office. U.S President Donald Trump has had restrictive immigration policies over his term. Recently, Trump announced an immigration ban until the end of the year, stopping foreign workers from seeking employment in the country. The ban has affected half a million people. The decision was made in an effort to ensure jobs are going to American citizens, rather than immigrants, at a time of rising unemployment due to COVID-19. This wasnt the first time Trump carried out strict immigration measures. The president has previously issued a visa ban against certain Muslim-majority countries and introduced restrictions on the H1-B visa as well as green cards. Should Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, win the November 3rd election he would look to address, what he considers, the shortcomings of Trumps immigration policies. Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration Biden would also look to reform U.S. immigration and provide a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., which former president Barack Obama failed to achieve. Here is where both presidential front-runners stand on immigration. Joe Biden Joe Bidens approach to immigration consists of reversing Trumps policies. Biden will look to bring back many of the policies introduced under Obamas presidency. Biden looks to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants as well as a fast-track pathway to citizenship for farm workers. The former vice president would also look into reversing the funding of a border wall, which he supported in 2006 when he voted in favour of the Secure Fence Act, and instead use these financial resources to improve security at ports of entry. Biden also promises to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which Trump is looking to end. DACA was introduced under President Obama, and allows the deferral of deportation of undocumented individuals who moved to the U.S. as children. The deferred action lasts for two years and is renewable. He also plans to rescind Trumps travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries, as well as raise the number of annual refugee admissions to 125,000. Biden suggests that to decrease migration to the U.S., it is essential to address the root causes: poverty and violence. In particular, Biden will develop a four-year $4 billion program to address factors driving migration from Central America focusing on the Northern Triangle El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration Donald Trump Trump has been clear about his immigration policies since he was first elected into office. One of the main promises of his presidential campaign four years ago is the building of a wall on the southern border to stop immigrants from irregularly entering the U.S. Trump continues to push for the wall. He has made gaining asylum almost impossible for people fleeing violence. Immigration detention centers have been expanded. Any person crossing the border without proper authorization faces prosecution. Trump now seeks a second term while still planning for more immigration policies. For instance, the president will be looking to end the DACA program. In addition, Trump will look to introduce merit-based immigration, in an effort to become more selective of immigrants coming into the country. He has cited Canada as an example of what an American merit-based system could look like in the future. Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration How to immigrate to Canada There are more than 100 ways to move to Canada. The most popular way is through economic-class immigration as skilled workers. Many skilled workers turn to the Express Entry system when considering applying for immigration. Express Entry is the system that the Canadian government uses to manage applications for three federal immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class. Canada regularly invites the highest-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool to apply for Canadian permanent residence. In fact, Canada recently invited 4,200 immigration candidates to apply for permanent residence in its latest Express Entry draw. In addition to Express Entry, some foreign tech workers may benefit from a fast-track option through the Global Talent Stream. This allows Canadian employers to quickly hire suitable talent. The processing time is just two weeks after obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) which also takes two weeks. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is another major way to immigrate to Canada as an economic class skilled worker. A provincial nomination practically guarantees receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system. Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved 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. Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 : As many as 2,540 new coronavirus cases were reported in Kerala on Monday, even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ruled out the reopening of educational institutions either in September or October. He said that 2,110 more patients were cured and discharged in the state. "At present, we have 30,486 positive cases, whereas 79,813 patients have been cured in Kerala. The cases are expected to go up as lockdown relaxations are in place. Even though public transport is not fully operational at present, the cases are likely to go up once normal activities are resumed," Vijayan told the media here, adding that the state was planning to conduct 50,000 tests daily. "In the given situation, it's not possible to open educational institutions (schools) either in September or October. This is also the thinking of the Centre," said Vijayan. On Monday, 15 more fatalities took the state's COVID-19 death toll to 454. As many as 2,05,158 persons are under observation in Kerala, including 22,917 in hospitals. As many as 615 coronavirus hotspots have been earmarked in the southern state. Vijayan also slammed the violation of Covid-19 protocols by vested interests, asserting that it won't be tolerated. "On Sunday, angry protesters tried to waylay State Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel. Appropriate action has been taken against such troublemakers," said Vijayan. As for Jaleel's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the ongoing probe into the gold smuggling case, the Kerala Chief Minister said that the Minister was called in for quizzing following complaints against him regarding distribution of the holy Quran. "Jaleel holds charge of Wakf Board and minority affairs. It was the UAE Consulate here that handed over the holy Quran (for distribution). They (ED) asked him about it. There is no charge against Jaleel. Baseless allegations are being floated against Jaleel under the guise of gold smuggling case. Why should Jaleel resign?" Vijayan asked. He also said that a new committee under senior police officer Manoj Abraham has been constituted to track fake news in Kerala. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Democrat Sara Gideon's campaign is knocking on voters doors in her close Senate race in Maine. So is Steve Bullock in Montana, another one of the nations most competitive Senate contests. Democratic candidates in state legislative races in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Louisiana are doing the same. For months, down-ballot Democrats followed Joe Bidens lead and stopped door-to-door campaigning in an effort to prevent people from catching Covid-19 and appear more socially responsible than Republicans. President Donald Trumps campaign and other GOP candidates, by contrast, have downplayed the pandemic and been knocking on voters doors for months. But with anxiety growing in the final sprint before Election Day, an increasing number of Democrats up and down the ballot are making the call to stop ceding voters doors to the GOP a decision that could increase pressure on Bidens campaign to restart the traditional election-year practice. Democratic candidates who have returned to canvassing said they are adhering to strict safety protocols, as well as asking voters if they are comfortable with their presence. The campaign is knocking, but its entirely volunteer for staff and volunteers, said Matt McKenna, a spokesperson for Bullocks campaign. Everyone is wearing masks and taking every precaution. Fearful that they might be out-organized by Trumps campaign aides to the president have bragged that they are knocking on 1 million doors a week nationwide some outside groups have pressed Bidens campaign to hit doors again. But if the campaign resumed, Biden could open himself up to criticism: It would be an implicit admission that he thinks the public health crisis has eased after making Trumps mishandling of the coronavirus the centerpiece of his campaign. "While you might hear our opponent spend a lot of time talking about the millions of door knocks or attempts that they're making week to week, those metrics actually don't have any impact on reaching voters," Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's campaign manager, said during a call with reporters earlier this month. "Our metric of success, the numbers we look at and use, are conversations [with voters]." Story continues Even so, canvassing has been a constant topic of debate among Democrats in recent weeks. In calls between the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its frontline candidates those vying for the most competitive seats in the country some campaigns are bringing up door-knocking nearly every week, said a person familiar with the talks. The candidates have expressed concerns about the DCCCs decision to avoid door-knocking, the source said. Some campaigns are looking to restart canvassing in the final stretch regardless of what the Biden campaign does, according to one Democratic campaign official. The DCCC told POLITICO that resuming door-knocking requires an approach that you can replicate everywhere, from the suburbs of Cincinnati to a Native American reservation in Montana. Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden departs after speaking about climate change and wildfires affecting western states, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) In-person campaigning was one of the subjects of a private call last week in Pennsylvania between Biden campaign officials and state party leaders. In a sign of the partys mounting anxiety over the issue, Democrats in the critical battleground state left the call with wildly different interpretations of the conversation. Some top state party officials told POLITICO after the call that the Biden team discussed the possibility of a return to door-knocking, though it had not made any final decisions. But Biden aides insisted they are not considering that and that there must have been a misunderstanding: They said they only talked about plans to begin door-to-door literature drops essentially canvassing, but with more limited, if any, human contact and open distribution centers where people can pick up signs and other campaign materials. If you asked anybody off the record from the Biden campaign, I think theyd be like Yeah, we want to be on doors. The reality is we still have a pandemic going on, said Jason Henry, executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, afterward. Those conversations are still being had because we want to make sure we do this safely. Some Pennsylvania Democrats are not waiting for Bidens imprimatur and have taken matters into their own hands. The Democratic Party in Erie County, Pa. a key area that Trump won in 2016 after former President Barack Obama carried it four years earlier said it has engaged in what it calls soft talk with voters while dropping off literature and materials at their homes. Folks will come out and talk to us and I feel like its a more fruitful conversation, said Jim Wertz, chair of the Erie County Democrats. They come out and talk to us about Joe Biden and how do I get signs." The Maine Democratic Party field staff is also doing some limited door-knocking with public health precautions in place, including masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and keeping more than six feet of distance from the doors after knocking, said a spokesperson for Gideon's campaign, which, by tradition, coordinates its field program through the state party. The Montana Democratic Party is doing door-to-door campaigning as well. Julie Slomski, a state Senate candidate seeking to flip a red seat in Pennsylvania, said she wears a mask, uses hand sanitizer, rings doorbells with her knuckles and stays 12 steps away while door-knocking. She said she always asks voters if they are comfortable with her being there when she greets them. I havent had anybody say no yet, she said. I start off with, How have you been during the pandemic? Is there anything we can do to help connect some dots? Some folks say they might need some masks and I purchase them masks. Ryan Bizzarro, a state representative running for reelection in an Erie County, Pa., district that Trump won in 2016, said his campaign resumed door-knocking with multiple safety precautions more than a month ago. I think running a virtual campaign is important, he said. But on Nov. 3, I dont want there to be a, 'What if? What if I would have been on the ground? What if? I dont want that. In the swing state of Wisconsin, Lee Snodgrass one of the state party's vice chairs also running for the state assembly has also been knocking on doors herself. "Voter contact is how you get votes," she told her local NPR affiliate. For many Democrats, though, door-knocking remains a fraught topic. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did not respond to repeated questions about whether its coordinated campaign supporting Biden and down-ballot candidates is discussing the possibility of door-knocking again. Some congressional candidates likewise did not respond to inquiries about their plans. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee said they knocked on 150,000 doors in Pennsylvania last week alone, for a total of 1 million since it restarted canvassing there in mid-June. The campaign also claims to have knocked on 14 million doors in targeted states since that period amid the pandemic, with many volunteers posting pictures of themselves with the hashtag #leadright. Some media reports have raised questions about the veracity of the Trump teams ground game strength, however. Republicans have criticized Biden as hypocritical for supporting Black Lives Matter protests amid the pandemic. In June, a Biden aide argued that there was no evidence that a spike in Covid-19 cases was the result of protests, and that the campaign was following guidelines from public health officials. The RNC declined to say whether any field staffers or volunteers have tested positive for Covid-19, but said every staff member is provided an eight-page document of health protocols, including guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The committee said it provides canvassers with masks and encourages them to take a few steps back after knocking on doors. A spokesperson added that the committee has spent over $100,000 on personal protective equipment and office cleaning. David Siders contributed to this report. Mr. Alex Kweku Tetteh, CEO of CITEG Group Of Companies and Barrister Logistics, who is also a firebrand of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has thrown punches at Senior Broadcast Journalist Captain Smart for allegedly calling Chairman Wontumi a thief on LIVE Radio. He has by this cautioned journalists to be more professional and avoid open biased partisan politics. According to him, Captain Smart is fond of branding Chairman Wontumi as a thief and he should put an end to such pronouncements on air. He threw this caution in a video making rounds on Social Media. Some journalists have been parading themselves as angels but have turned out to be political beggers, he said. Mr. Tetteh also admonished journalists to watch out for fake information since 2020 is an election year and politicians will try to use them for their agenda. See excerpts here: Ricardo Munoz charging a police officer while holding a knife. The image was captured on a police body camera. (Lancaster Bureau of Police) Police in Pennsylvania have begun using teargas to disperse protesters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania who are demonstrating after officers shot and killed a local man. A Lancaster police officer shot and killed Ricardo Munoz, 27, on Sunday while responding to a domestic disturbance call, according to the Associated Press. According to police reports, Mr Munoz emerged from the house and began chasing the officers with a knife before he was shot and killed. The Lancaster Bureau of Police released body camera footage from the confrontation on Monday. The footage shows an officer approaching a house in response to a domestic disturbance call. Initially the police officer has a conversation with an individual through the house's screen door. A moment later a woman steps out of the door and steps to the side. Mr Munoz bursts through the door, which prompts the officer to begin sprinting down the sidewalk away from the house. The footage of the encounter, which appears below, is graphic and depicts the fatal shooting of Mr Munoz. Viewer discretion is advised. #BREAKING @Lancaster_DA release body cam video from todays fatal Officer involved shooting. Video shows 27 year old Ricardo Munoz running toward an officer with a knife above his head before being shot *GRAPHIC* . @CBSPhilly #LancasterPA pic.twitter.com/ERXKhNijMh Joshua Crompton (@PhillyNewsGuy) September 14, 2020 Mr Munoz sprints after the officer and appears to be holding a large knife. The officer turns around and fires several rounds into Mr Munoz, who then drops to the sidewalk. Story continues Mr Munoz died from his injuries at the scene. Local news sources reported that the officer who shot Mr Munoz was put on administrative leave. The killing has spawned protests in Lancaster, where hundreds gathered outside the city's police station and reportedly caused some damage to surrounding municipal property. Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams called for the protests to remain peaceful. "We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods," she said. Mr Munoz was arrested in 2019 for attacking a group of four people with a knife. Lancaster police claim that in 2019, Mr Munoz was involved in a fight with a group of individuals that escalated into a brawl in which Mr Munoz was beaten and kicked. After the brawl ended, Mr Munoz left the scene and retrieved a knife from his backpack. He returned to the four individuals and began stabbing and slashing them. Police arrived and eventually subdued Mr Munoz with a taser. Read more Compton police shooting: Everything we know about 'ambush' gun attack on two police officers in LA The Iranian government is weighing a plot to assassinate the US ambassador to South Africa, a report said on Sunday. Authorities have been aware of a general threat against ambassador Lana Marks since the spring, but intelligence reports about the plot have become more specific in recent weeks citing two unnamed government officials. The intelligence community isnt sure why Iran would target Marks, who does not appear to have any known links to the country, according to the report. But the plot seems to be an effort by Iran to retaliate against the Trump administration for the killing of its top general Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in January. Days after Soleimanis death, Iran launched multiple ballistic missile attacks targeting two bases housing US forces in Iraq, causing traumatic brain injuries among dozens of American troops. President Trump announced fresh sanctions on Iran and warned it against other retaliatory moves. But US officials believe attacking Marks is one of several options Irans regime is considering as payback. A personal friend of the late Princess Diana, Marks, 66, has known Trump for more than two decades. She was sworn in as US ambassador last October. The report said that she has been made aware of the possible threat to her life. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Police in Lancaster fatally shot a 27-year-old man, and officers in Reading critically injured another person in separate shootings Sunday, authorities said. In the hours after the Lancaster shooting, police used pepper spray to disperse protesters, some of whom were later arrested, after they threw bricks through the glass doors of the city police station and the front of a nearby post office, according to news reports. The Lancaster Bureau of Police said that at about 4:15 p.m., an officer responded to a home on the 300 block of Laurel Street for a report of an in-progress domestic disturbance. A man, who was reportedly armed with a knife, was fatally shot by police. The Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, in a Sunday night news release, identified the man killed as Ricardo Munoz. He was pronounced dead at the scene. On Sunday night, a crowd that grew to about 400 protesters gathered outside the Lancaster police station calling for justice and shouting Not one more! according to LancasterOnline. At first, the protesters were relatively peaceful, a LancasterOnline reporter said during a live broadcast. But as night turned to morning, the situation became more volatile as police fired what they said was pepper spray into the crowd, according to news reports and a statement from the police department, and protesters then threw bricks into the police department, a post office, and a county vehicle parked on the street. The police department defended their use of pepper spray in a statement, saying protesters locking arms was blocking an access ramp on the side of the station and the group did not move after several requests by officers. The department also noted the property damage, and the water bottles, glass bottles, rocks, bricks, gallon jugs of liquids and parts of plastic road barricades that were thrown at police on the scene. Lancaster Police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser earlier said that the shooting was captured on an officers body camera, and the officer has been placed on administrative leave per the departments policy, LancasterOnline reported. Any loss of life, regardless of how it happened, is devastating, Berkihiser said, according to LancasterOnline. Its devastating for everybody involved. Its devastating for our police department, the families, and our community." Late on Sunday night, possibly in response to the protesters outside, police released new details about the incident and also released the officers body-cam video. (Warning: The video in this link is graphic.) In a statement, they said that the 9-1-1 caller told a Lancaster County dispatcher that her brother Munoz was reportedly becoming aggressive with his mother and was attempting to break into her house. The video, which is graphic, shows a woman coming out of the house when the responding officer arrives outside. A man is heard shouting inside. The video then shows a man coming out of the house and running toward the officer as the officer runs away. The officer is then heard and seen firing his gun several times toward the man . He lies motionless face down on the sidewalk. Included in the video is a still image of the man with a knife in his hand just before he was shot. Earlier Sunday night, the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office said in a tweet: We have reviewed body cam footage which shows man ran at @LancasterPolice while brandishing a knife above his head. Our investigation is ongoing. The body-cam footage showed that when the officer arrived in front of the residence, Munoz immediately emerged from inside and runs toward the officer, brandishing a knife above his head, in clear view, in a threatening manner, the DAs Office said. The officer then fired. No one else was struck by gunfire. A police-involved shooting has significant impact on a community, as we are seeing with the large number of individuals gathering in the streets, District Attorney Heather Adams said in the release. However, I am asking that all reaction be tempered as the investigation is ongoing. The District Attorneys Office asked that acts of protest remain peaceful and said in the release that any violence or destruction of property "will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods. The office investigates all officer-involved shootings in Lancaster County, and Adams will make the final determination on whether force was justified, the release said. Separately, about 7 a.m. in neighboring Berks County, police officers responding to a 911 call of a person with a gun on the 800 block of Franklin Street in Reading shot and critically wounded the individual, the Berks County District Attorneys Office said in a news release. Authorities did not provide details on the persons gender or age. Numerous commands were made by the uniformed officers to this individual to drop the weapon, the release said. The individual refused and continued to point the weapon at officers. As a result, officers fired shots at the individual, who was struck at least one time, and was rushed to Tower Healths Reading Hospital in critical condition, the release said. Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams plans to hold a news conference in the near future" to discuss his offices investigation into the shooting, which the office called an isolated incident that no longer presents any threat to the community. Ive never seen or heard of attacks: scientists baffled by orcas harassing boats Guardian (Re Silc). Mosquito Clouds Killing Deer, Cattle In Southwest Louisiana HuffPo. Aftermatch of Hurricane Laura. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions: New Mexico sees massive migratory bird deaths USA Today (dk). Citizen science: UPDATE (13 Sept 2020): We've created an @inaturalist Project where you can submit photos of dead birds. We can use this data to fully understand the extent of this mass mortality. More info here: https://t.co/6phHxipCRL #SouthwestAvianMortalityProject #communityscience More than 400 sealed craters are ticking time bombs from a total 7000+ Arctic permafrost mounds Siberian Times Bank of England tells insurers to step up climate change preparations Reuters The appallingly bad neoclassical economics of climate change Steve Keen, Globalization (KF). A Secret Recording Reveals Oil Executives Private Views on Climate Change NYT How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled NPR Oracle wins bidding war for TikToks US operations FT (Furzy Mouse). The V-Shaped Recovery Marches On Project Syndicate Wildfires Wildfires Cant Hide from Earth Observing Satellites NASA. From the FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) mapping system, fires worldwide in the last 24 hours: #COVID19 Christine Lagarde: Economic, financial and monetary impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and post-crisis options for policies and tools (PDF) Bank of International Settlements Not enough Covid vaccine for all until 2024, says biggest producer FT Trump officials race against time to build massive vaccine tracking system Politico. Most software projects fail. OTOH, its hard to have much confidence in state systems, either. Rebuilding the airplane while its in the air is never fun. US hospitals turn down remdesivir, limit use to sickest COVID-19 patients Channel News Asia COVID Is Turning Out To Be Very Good For Bad Businesses DC Report Understanding COVID-19 risks and vulnerabilities among black communities in America: the lethal force of syndemics Annals of Epidemiology Snack, scratch in safety: New COVID-19 helmet brings comfort to frontline workers Channel News Asia Q&A with Richard Horton (video) C-SPAN. Horton is editor of The Lancet. New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that for the time being there will be no removal of 48,000 slums along railway tracks in Delhi. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Centre, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian that the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the government of NCT of Delhi are going to take a decision on the issue raised in the instant interlocutory applications and "till then they will not take any coercive action against the slum dwellers." Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted before the bench that the court should order a status quo. The bench replied that it will not, as the Centre has already stated that there will be status quo till a decision is taken. Senior advocate Salman Khurshid submitted before the bench that he appeared on behalf of the applicants who are directly affected as they are jhuggi dwellers. Khurshid emphasised that they need to be heard and urged the court to make them a party in the case. Singhvi argued that demolitions have taken place on Friday and Monday, therefore the instructions need to be given to stop it. Mehta replied that such demolitions may have taken place in pursuance to some other matter, but not in this case. Delhi government counsel contended before the court that the government will fully co-operate in regard to the laws and rules in place for rehabilitation. The top court has listed the matter after four weeks. The top court, in its order, said: "Stand over for four weeks. Put up along with the interlocutory application(s) for impleadment as prayed for by Salman Khurshid, senior sounsel assisted by Lubna Naaz, Advocate-on-Record for the applicant(s)." Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken had moved the Supreme Court challenging its order to remove nearly 48,000 jhuggis along the railway tracks in Delhi. On August 31, the Supreme Court had ordered removal of around 48,000 slum dwellings across railway tracks in Delhi within three months and said no political interference will be entertained in the matter. Maken, in an intervention application, said the agencies - Ministry of Railways, Delhi government etc - have already initiated the process of identification and removal of jhuggis and have issued demolition notices in various slums in Delhi. "Further, while doing so they have circumvented the established procedure by law with respect to rehabilitation of the slum dwellers prior to eviction/demolition of their jhuggis and ignorance of the procedure enshrined in the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015 and the Protocol (for removal of jhuggis)," said the application. More than two weeks since Hurricane Laura, the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana since the antebellum era, made landfall, the picture of the social and ecological crisis wrought in its wake is coming into focus. With the total economic cost of recovery expected to be in the tens of billions of dollars, over 100,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity and access to clean water; over 10,000 evacuees are still scattered throughout the area; and with Tropical Storm Sally on its way to Louisiana, the impact of the storm has exposed the underlying social disaster in the state 15 years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. As of this writing, the death toll in Louisiana stands at 28, and eight in Texas. In Louisiana, nine deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from improper usage of a portable generator, and eight due to a heat-related illness, including heatstroke. This underscores the fact that many are trying to endure the dangerous summer heat levels in and around the hardest hit areas, such as Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes in southwest Louisiana, without electricity for fans or air conditioning. Due to the speed with which Laura strengthened into a category 4 hurricane, mandatory evacuation orders were enforced on more than half a million residents in the hurricanes path. Louisiana state government is still sheltering around 12,000 people in hotels throughout the state, with the number expected to grow. The Department of Children and Family Services stated that 10,000 people are in hotels in New Orleans, around 1,000 in the capital of Baton Rouge and the cities of Shreveport and Houma, and around 500 in congregate shelters. As many as 10,000 have been placed in hotels in Texas, who have been advised to stay there due to declining vacancies in Louisiana. Over a dozen hospitals and nursing homes had to evacuate their patients and residents, with many others running off backup generator power. The Lake Charles Memorial Hospital had to evacuate its patients after the citys water supply and electricity went offline, forcing the hospital to import up to 100,000 gallons of water a day and run off of generator power to maintain limited emergency services. Fully back to normal is really going to come down to the water supply and the electricity, spokesman Matt Felder told the New Orleans Advocate. Over 50,000 people remain without power in Louisiana as a result of the hurricanes impact on the electrical grid. About 500 electrical towers were downed in the Lake Charles area, home to over 75,000 people. The hurricane caused over two dozen community water systems to go out across the state. Additionally, water wells, lines, and treatment facilities already outdated and under-maintained before the hurricane have been heavily damaged, leaving thousands without access to clean or even running water, and placing thousands under boil water advisories where there is still power to run the water systems. Phillip May, the president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana, estimated that it will be weeks until the companys electrical system is back to normal due to how extensive the hurricanes damage was to the electrical grid. Thousands of high capacity transmission structures, poles, transformers, and distribution wire have either been destroyed or severely damaged. Its not a restoration, its literally a rebuild of our system, May said. The costs for the restoration will undoubtedly lead to an increase of the power bill for Entergys customers throughout the state. According to Brandon Frey, secretary of Louisianas Public Service Commission, Laura did more damage to the electrical grid than Hurricanes Katrina and Rita combined, stating, this is the worst damage to the transmission grid ever. The combination of no electricity, high temperatures, and standing flood water has been a source of attraction for a massive swarm of mosquitoes from the outer marshland areas, which has already killed off hundreds of cattle in Evangeline and surrounding parishes. Entomologist David Price said that some of these species of mosquitoes can spread Chikungunya and Dengue fever, another source of danger for residents trying to rebuild in the area. David Currie, a store owner from Hackberry, a small town in Cameron Parish, said that Hurricane Laura was a lot worse than Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008). Everywhere you look, somebody has got something tore up, a lot of people dont have homes to live in, trailer houses turned over, its just a mess, he told WWL-TV. The displacement of tens of thousands amid the COVID-19 pandemic and crowding in shelters will facilitate the spread of the coronavirus in the state and beyond. Lake Charles resident May Gutowski told Voice of America: Ive been in the hospital three times in the last year, and were both very worried about being out in crowds and getting the virus. But we couldnt stay home with a Category 4 hurricane coming at us. What are we supposed to do? Calcasieu Parish Administrator Bryan Beam, commenting on the destruction the wind damage from Laura caused, said that Ritawhich was a big, nasty stormfrankly pales in comparison to this one, and I dont have any problem saying that. The disaster unfolding in southwest Louisiana, which has largely gone underreported in the mainstream media following the first couple of days of the hurricanes landfall, is feeding the growth of opposition to the federal governments response. An episode of this was seen when two dozen evacuees from Lake Charles, DeRidder, and elsewhere marched to the federal building in New Orleans on September 10 to express their outrage at the inadequate assistance theyve received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so far. FEMA has so far released around $30 million in aid, providing a maximum payout amounting to a derisory $35,000 per applicant. The estimated damaged to the city of Lake Charles, the fifth largest in the state, and its surrounding areas is upwards of $12 billion. Pollution from the states oil, gas, and shipping industries in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura is still being assessed. Approximately 1,400 active oil and gas wells, as well as hundreds of orphaned wells were in Hurricane Lauras path. The orphaned wells, thousands of which are inactive or low production, are owned by small companies, and many more are set to be orphaned as oil prices continue to fall. Offshore oil platforms, pipelines, and other chemical and gas plants and refineries in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes were in the path of Laura. Bob Bea, a specialist in catastrophic risk management and former well manager for Shell, told Nola.com that When it comes to how we manage our platforms, pipelines, and wells, we here in the U.S. are not world leaders in risk management. Desmongblog.com reported that oil sheen from affected sources has been spotted along at least 20 miles of marsh and bayous that absorbed the full strength of the storm. Wilma Subra, a chemist and technical adviser for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, added: All the focus at first was on that chlorine leak from BioLabs and the fire they had there, but a number of other facilities have had small leaks. Shipping navigation to and around the Port of Lake Charles, the 12th largest in the nation, which normally sees 1,200 ships aiming for the major petrochemical facilities and refineries pass through its vicinity annually, has been impaired. Channing Hayden, navigation director at the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District, said that Lake Charles produces about 6 percent of the nations fuel, and that [i]f you see a spike in gasoline prices, its going to have a lot to do with the situation in Lake Charles. In the vein of his criminal remark last month that the death toll from the COVID-19 pandemicwhich is now more than 920,000 worldwideis what it is, President Trump responded at a press briefing in Orange, Texas on August 30 that youve had tremendous storms in Texas for many decades and for many centuries, and thats the way it is. Trump speaks on behalf of an entire ruling capitalist class which has expressed its disinterest at every level of government in providing any progressive solution to the natural disasters conditioned by human-induced climate change. Giving a cruder echo of Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards remark that it is impossible to determine when a large portion of southwest Louisiana will be inhabitable again following the hurricane, Trump continued: We handle them as they come. All I can do is handle them as they come, and thats what we do, and nobody has ever done a better job of it. Miami, Florida, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lacthosa SULA, is widening its market to the United States by offering its products through the Sula Food & Beverage Corporation, a distribution company dedicated to promoting food products made by socially responsible companies. Lacthosa Sula is a leading brand in the production and distribution of milk, juices and soft drinks in in the Central American region, it has just been positioned in fifth place as one of the preferred brands competing in quality and prestige with major international brands, according to Kantar Worldpanel's 2020 Brand Footprint annual study. SULA is the primary brand of LACTHOSA, Lacteos de Honduras SA, a recognized Honduran company that asserts its production processes, quality control, focus on innovation and new markets expansions. The company has been certified by the FDA since 2001, approving the export authorization to the USA, validating that these are products that meet high quality and safety standards to enter the USA market. Sula products are present in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Panama, Grand Cayman, and Haiti. The portfolio of products is manufactured in 5 processing plants in Honduras. Lacthosa maintains an annual purchase of 140 million liters of fresh milk, which make it the leading company in the dairy sector in Honduras. It also provides jobs to more than 3,000 employees, has 639 sales routes and 23 distribution centers. Through the production value chain, Lacthosa works directly with more than 4,000 milk suppliers and local citrus growers from different areas of Honduras. Due to innovation, quality and 60 years trajectory, Sula has been on the market in the United States since 2001, specifically in the states of Florida , Maryland, New Jersey where it has been present for 19 years and sought by Honduran and Central America families. The community of Central Americans and Hispanics in the United States has grown exponentially, and as a brand we want to be present for that nostalgic market that wants to preserve its customs, roots, but above all enjoy the flavor of the Sula products. Sula is here to stay, and we want to invite all cultures in general to savor and discover the quality of our genuine and unique products, expressed Mrs. Stephanie Kafie, Sula Food & Beverage Corporation. Where can you find SULA products? Sula Products can be found in Florida, at the President, Sedanos and Bravo supermarkets. We invite all to visit these supermarkets so that you can share Sula products with your families. SULA is also present in other states such as Tennessee, Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey. We offer a wide range of products in different categories. For further information and interest in Sula Products please contact The Sula Food & Beverage Corporation Juan Carlos Tenorio, operations Manager, contact information jtenorio@sulafbc.com , telephone +1 (786) 792-1746. For more information: https://bit.ly/31OzBwy Attachment STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On September 11 during a Dine Out to Remember fundraiser, a State Liquor Authority (SLA) inspector checked up on Joyces Tavern. The upshot of the visit: the Eltingville eatery has lost its license to sell booze. A Special Full Board Meeting of the SLA was live streamed to YouTube on Saturday, Sept. 12. Counsel for the SLA made the case that at 9:25 p.m. on Friday Inspector Matthew Davis observed a capacity-filled rear patio at Joyces but did not find any violations. When the inspector proceeded inside, however, he noted 10 seated patrons who appeared to be consuming beverages. Another person referred to as a patron who sat a separate table also appeared to be consuming food and wine, according to the SLA hearing. Also as per the SLAs account of the matter, Joe OToole, an owner of Joyces, supposedly confirmed to the inspector that the 10-top had just finished eating. In the recording of the hearing, OToole reportedly maintained that a pregnant woman was in the party. Over the weekend, the SLA revoked Joyces Tavern liquor license for raising money for the @tunnel2towers foundation. They were busy, but followed the rules. There was no warning - just an arbitrary and unpatriotic punishment. This must be reversed. @NYGovCuomo @NYCMayor Max Rose (@MaxRose4NY) September 13, 2020 Technology giant Oracle is in the box seat to make a deal with TikTok after Microsoft's offer to buy the viral social media platform's US operations was rejected by its Chinese parent company ByteDance. ByteDance's rejection of Microsoft leaves Oracle as the sole known remaining bidder for TikTok and The Wall Street Journal reported Oracle is set to be announced as TikTok's "trusted technology partner" in the United States with the deal not likely to be structured as an outright sale. However a partnership with Oracle may not address security concerns and the involvement of TikTok's operations in Australia in any deal is unclear. Microsoft had been considered the lead contender in the race to buy TikTok after President Donald Trump made an executive order banning the social media platform unless it was sold. Credit:Bloomberg Microsoft was considered the lead contender in the race to buy TikTok after United States President Donald Trump made an executive order banning the social media platform unless it was sold and a deal with Microsoft included the sale of TikTok's Australian operations. A couple in north east Delhis Welcome sold their one-month-old daughter to a childless neighbour for R 30,000 on Saturday and filed a complaint with the police alleging that their baby had been stolen during a funeral procession, Mohammad Akhtar Rizvi, additional deputy commissioner of police (north east), said that the incident came to light after investigators found contradictions in the statements of the complainants and the CCTV footage that was scanned. Police said a total of six people the couple who allegedly sold their baby, the childless couple and two others who facilitated the process have been arrested in the incident. Since the child is just one-month-old and needs her mothers care, she will be staying with her mother in jail, said the officer. Police said that the babys 27-year-old mother is a homemaker and father a tailor and the couple was struggling to make ends meet, said Rizvi. The couple has two other sons. Police said that incident took place after the childless couple, who lived in the same Welcome neighbourhood, got in touch with the 27-year-old woman. A couple of months ago, the childless couple happened to speak to the 27-year-old woman about wanting a child. They said that they were willing to even spend money if that helped them in procuring a child, said a second investigator involved in the probe. At that point, the 27-year-old woman was already eight months pregnant. She later discussed with her husband and struck a deal with the childless couple. If it was a boy, he would be sold for 2 lakh and if it was a girl, the price was set at Rs30,000, said Rizvi. Since the expecting couples joint family knew about the pregnancy, it wasnt possible to simply handover the child. So, they allegedly planned to portray the incident as that of kidnapping. On Saturday, the 27-year-olds mother-in-law passed away. The same evening, the woman approached us with a complaint that stated that while accompanying the funeral procession, she needed to visit the washroom and handed over her baby to an unknown young woman. When she returned, she found that the child was missing, said Rizvi. The police registered a kidnapping case and began speaking to the missing childs family. There were discrepancies in the statements of the husband and wife. First we were told that it was the mother who was carrying the child, then we heard that it was the father who was carrying the baby, said Rizvi. When the police checked the CCTV footage of the area, they found that it was the babys mother who had casually handed her daughter over to an unknown woman. The way the child was handed over came across as fishy. When we questioned the couple further, they spilled the beans, said the officer. The child was later recovered and the police went on to arrest her biological parents and the childless couple. The police also arrested a man who had facilitated the sale and another woman to whom the baby was handed over during the funeral procession. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Panaji, Sep 15 : Former Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, Sudin Dhavalikar, on Monday wrote to acting Goa Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, urging him to call a five-day session of the state legislative Assembly to discuss the government's preparedness to address the Covid-19 pandemic, among other issues. In his letter to Koshyari, who is the Governor of Maharashtra, Dhavalikar also said that the failure of the state government to create adequate infrastructure for the treatment of Covid-19 patients as well as testing of suspect cases had led to the rise in the fatality rate in the state. "I would like to reiterate on the Covid-19 pandemic issue which has slipped away from government control due to inadequate infrastructure specially dedicated Covid-19 hospital with comorbidity patients, Covid care centres, and specialised equipment machinery for testing as well as treatment. The fatality graph is ascending at an alarming rate," Dhavalikar said in his letter to Koshyari. On Monday, a record 14 persons died across the state due to Covid-19. The former Deputy Chief Minister said that a five-day session of the state Assembly should be called to discuss the key pandemic issues, along with other concerns related to environment, and the ongoing Mhadei river water sharing dispute with Karnataka etc. In his letter, Dhavalikar also slammed the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led ruling dispensation for passing the state budget without any discussion during the one-day budget session which was held on July 27. "Perhaps it might have been the first time in Goa's history that such a malpractice (was) adopted by the government," Dhavalikar said. Our representative form of government is based upon the principle of checks and balances among three separate branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. The people have granted specific and separate duties to each branch under our Constitution. By design no one branch is supposed to usurp the role of another branch this concept is known as separation of powers. Equally important, each branch has an obligation to ensure its constitutional authority is preserved and faithfully executed to maintain this separation of powers. Failure to do so allows one to become more powerful, upsetting the balance. A lack of balance will ultimately weaken the foundation of our representative government and increase the likelihood of a constitutional crisis. Unfortunately, our state may be on the verge of such a constitutional moment in regard to the governors recent expenditure of $30-plus million out of the state treasury not appropriated by the Legislature. Under our Constitution, the Legislature has the sole authority to provide for the expenditure of money from the state treasury. The Legislature granted the executive limited authorization of expenses during an emergency to $750,000. Expenditures over that limit must go through the legislative process. Appropriation of money is central to the functioning of the Legislature and in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities. I have urged my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take action and protect legislative authority. We can no longer rely on the governor to call a special session to deal with the emergency orders. Having a seat at the table in dealing with the protracted state of emergency and authorizing the expenditure of public money is constitutionally necessary for us, as legislators, to meet our obligations to the citizens of this state. In response to pleas for further action, the Legislative Council, a panel consisting of House and Senate leadership, approved in early July a bipartisan investigation to determine whether our governor violated the $750,000 limitation and usurped the Legislatures constitutional authority. The investigation was also to address what steps the Legislature should take to restore the constitutional balance of power and holding the governor accountable. As part of this investigation, the Legislative Councils co-chairs sent a letter to the governor requesting clarification as to why she exceeded the $750,000 limit. Sadly, the governors response made no serious effort to justify her actions as it stated the investigation was a pedantic matter. This is a direct affront to the entire Legislature, and to the people we represent. The governors response is not surprising as she has been acting as if she is accountable to no one. Unfortunately, progressives in the House echoed the governors mantra that the entire matter is trivial, claiming the governor was justified in exceeding her constitutional authority due to the pandemic. Yet, adherence to our Constitution is not dependent on circumstances; no individual or governmental entity has the power to ignore its provisions, and to do so sets a dangerous precedent. The speaker (of the state House of Representatives) now claims the investigation was an effort to score political points. Yet, it is the speaker and his partys House leadership who are playing politics by doing everything they can to prevent the investigation from being finalized, reported and acted upon. The Legislature should quickly conclude the investigation, take all necessary action to ensure accountability and weigh in on the direction the state will take in handling the pandemic. It is the Legislature that holds the power of the purse, and its the peoples representatives who should engage in that debate. The future of representative government demands it. Rep. Nibert was a co-sponsor of House Bill 10 introduced in the June special session to limit the governors emergency powers. It did not get a hearing in that session. R ussian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is now able to briefly leave his hospital bed after he was reportedly poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. The Berlin hospital that is treating Mr Navalny said his health has improved and he is able to leave his bed for short periods of time. It comes after the German government said scientists in France and Sweden confirmed that the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin was poisoned with Novichok. Mr Navalny was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on August 20 on a domestic flight in Russia. 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 He is being treated at Charite hospital in Berlin, which said Mr Navalny has now been successfully removed from mechanical ventilation. He is currently undergoing mobilisation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time, it added. The statement does not address the long-term outlook for the 44-year-old Russian politician and anti-corruption investigator. Doctors have warned that even though he is recovering well, long-term health problems from the poisoning cannot be ruled out. A portable isolation unit used to transport Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny / Getty Images The Kremlin has denied any official involvement and accusing the West of trying to smear Moscow. Earlier on Monday, the German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden had backed up earlier findings by a German military lab that Mr Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. It is the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018. The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is taking steps to have samples from Mr Navalny tested at its reference laboratories, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent examination of the findings. Police officers check documents of a man standing with a placard with an image of Alexei Navalny during a gathering to express support for the opposition leader / Getty Images German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took their own new samples from Mr Navalny. In efforts separate from the OPCW examinations, which are still ongoing, three laboratories have meanwhile independently of one another presented proof that Mr Navalnys poisoning was caused by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, Mr Seibert said. We once again call on Russia to make a statement on the incident, he added. We are closely consulting with our European partners regarding possible next steps. Mr Seibert would not identify the specialist French and Swedish labs at a regular government news conference. A file photo of Vladimir Putin / AP But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Mr Navalny during a phone call with Mr Putin on Monday, his office said. Mr Macron confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, according to the statement. A clarification is needed from Russia within the framework of a credible and transparent investigation, it added. The Kremlin said Mr Putin underlined the impropriety of unfounded accusations against the Russian side and emphasised Russias demand for Germany to hand over Mr Navalnys analyses and samples to Russian experts. Mr Putin also called for joint work on the case by German and Russian doctors. Russian authorities have asked Germany to share the evidence that led it to conclude without doubt that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. But Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels. Asked why no samples have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied: Mr Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. There are samples from Mr Navalny on the Russian side. She added Russia has all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Once he became ill, Mr Navalny was treated at a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Russian doctors said no evidence of poisoning could be found and claimed he was too unstable to be transferred. A German charity sent a medical evacuation plane to take him to Berlin for treatment, which it did after German doctors said he was stable enough to be moved. Mr Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. Additional reporting by PA Media. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband she 'can't take it any more' after a new court case against her in Iran was postponed at short notice with no explanation. The mother-of-one has been detained in Iran since 2016 when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government. She denies the allegations and was due to be released from prison in Iran in the coming months. But her husband Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was expecting to be tried on Sunday on new charges of 'spreading propaganda against the regime'. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured under house arrest in March) told her husband she 'really can't take it any more' after a new court case against her in Iran was postponed at short notice with no explanation Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, was not taken to the Revolutionary Court and the case against her was postponed indefinitely. If convicted, she could face a further year in prison, her lawyer Mahmoud Behzadi told CNN. She told her husband on Sunday morning: 'People should not underestimate the level of stress. 'People tell me to calm down. You don't understand what it is like. Nothing is calm. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was expecting to be tried on Sunday on charges of 'spreading propaganda against the regime' 'And this morning I just wanted to scream out loud for 10 minutes or to bang my head against the wall just to let it out. 'I really can't take it any more. They have all these games and I have no power in them. 'Sometimes I am just full of anger ready to explode. I find myself hating everything in this life, including myself. There is no escape. 'I would have rather it happened today. I do not sleep at all while the case is hanging over me. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was not taken to the Revolutionary Court and the case against her was postponed indefinitely. If convicted, she could face a further year in prison, her lawyer said 'This morning I wanted to get it over with to know where I stand now rather than continue with this whole stupid game.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was moved to house arrest in March, when thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak She was returned to court on Tuesday only months from her expected release date and told she would face a second trial. Mr Ratcliffe said neither his wife nor her lawyer were given any explanation about why or when the trial might be rescheduled. He said: 'It is too early to say what the postponement means, except that this remains a game of cat and mouse between governments, with us living life as a piece of bait. 'For Nazanin, the uncertainty remains deeply traumatic as we await the next move. 'As we do so, the importance of the Government's diplomatic protection grows.' Amnesty International UK accused Iranian authorities of 'playing cruel political games' with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and called on the UK Government to make it an 'absolute priority' to get her home for Christmas. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured embracing her daughter Gabriella) has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokeswoman said: 'We welcome the deferral of this groundless court hearing and call on Iran to make Nazanin's release permanent so that she can return to her family in the UK.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week described the decision to bring new charges as 'indefensible and unacceptable', according to Downing Street. Mr Ratcliffe said the new charges against his wife are further evidence she is being held for 'political leverage' amid a multimillion-pound dispute between the UK and Iran. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe previously said Sunday's trial would hear charges of spreading anti-government propaganda It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held to force the UK to settle on a debt dating back to the 1970s when the then-shah of Iran paid the UK 400 million for 1,500 Chieftain tanks. After he was toppled in 1979, the UK refused to deliver the tanks to the new Islamic republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid. Leanna Burnard, legal officer at Redress, which has acted as legal representatives for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband, said: 'The complete absence of the rule of law in this case ensures that Nazanin is held in a constant state of stress, not knowing if she might be returned to prison or when she might see her husband and daughter again. 'This amounts to psychological torture and places Iran in breach of its obligations under international human rights law. 'The Iranian regime has been intermittently threatening Nazanin with a second trial for three years. 'In denying her the most basic due process, Iran continues to flout its fundamental obligations under international law and Iranian law.' She added: 'Today's events are further confirmation of what we have long known that Nazanin is being held as a pawn for political leverage. 'The UK Government promised to protect Nazanin's rights when it granted her diplomatic protection last year. 'It is critical that it maintain pressure on Iran and assert its right to attend the trial when it takes place.' HMD officially sent out invites for a September 22 event that promises new Nokia phones and a special guest. The event will be live streamed on YouTube, however the cast of phones starring in the show is kept under wraps. One leakster has some ideas, however. HMD ill unveil new Nokia phones on September 22 They claim that the Nokia 7.3 will get top billing at the event and that its unlikely that the flagship Nokia 9.3 will launch alongside it (instead, it will arrive by the end of the year). As proof of those claims, the leakster points out that the Nokia 7.2 (which was announced last September) is being discontinued. Indeed, the Nokia online stores in Germany, France, Spain, Finland, India and other countries say that the product is no longer available. It is available in the UK (of course, that may change in a day or two). And you can still find it at third-party retailers. Besides the Nokia 7.3, there's a good chance that we'll see the models initially rumored for IFA, including the Nokia 6.3, 3.4 and 2.4. The Nokia 9.3 PureView, which has faced numerous delays, is still not ready to launch. Recent rumors claims that it hasnt even gone into mass production yet, something that is expected to happen this month or in October. So at best we may see a teaser for it at the 7.3 event. Source | Via 1 | Via 2 THE return of duty free shopping for people travelling between Ireland and Britain post Brexit would have a negative impact on public health and could significantly affect Exchequer returns. The warning made by Department of Finance officials comes as the Government considers a proposal to fast-track the reintroduction of duty free from January 1 for all UK routes to help airports and ports crippled by the pandemic. The Tax Strategy Papers say that Duty Free sales would return for people travelling to parts of the UK excluding Northern Ireland unless the Irish or British governments take action to restrict it. Read More The finance officials warn: "The wider availability of low priced tobacco and alcohol products in the State would obviously have a negative impact on the Government's public health policy and is also likely to promote further fiscally motivated travel. "This has the potential to significantly affect the Government's Exchequer figures," they add. The officials also say a duty free regime for UK/Ireland travel will "create significant tax administration difficulties and compliance costs, will reduce indirect tax revenues and will have a negative and distorting impact on the retail sector in Ireland given the frequency of air/sea passenger movements involved." They say they duty free regime would also apply to high value products like jewellery, cosmetics and IT devices. The report says that 2019's Brexit Omnibus Act includes a measure to restrict duty free sales on excise products like tobacco and alcohol between Ireland and Britain. The intention of this policy was to commence the measure if the UK decided to restrict the scope of duty free sales on excise products on a reciprocal basis. They say it was not possible to devise a similar measure in relation to VAT on goods sold in duty free shops. The officials say the option to restrict duty free sales on excise goods on a reciprocal basis will be included in this year's Brexit Bill. It will also allow for tax free shops to be established at ports as well as airports. The report says: "if the UK decides to restrict Duty Free sales in relation to excise duty, Ireland will seek to implement similar measures on a reciprocal basis." It was revealed by the Irish Independent today that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan are considering the proposal as part of a series of measures aimed at helping the countrys airports cope with the escalating financial fallout from the virus pandemic and collapse in air passenger numbers. If reintroduced, the ability to purchase cheap alcohol and tobacco products as well as perfumes and luxury goods is gauged to act as a strong encouragement for people to resume flying on Irelands busiest air routes to cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. People chant during a protest at the scene of a police shooting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. A man was shot by police earlier in the day after a reported domestic dispute, police said. A Lancaster city police officer fired at a 27-year-old man who was armed with a knife. The man, identified as Ricardo Munoz, was killed and pronounced dead at the scene. LANCASTER, Pa. Demonstrators in Pennsylvania took to the streets for the second night in a row, this time more peacefully following the fatal shooting of a man by police on Sunday. About 40 protesters gathered outside the police station in downtown Lancaster shortly before 7 p.m. EDT, chanting "No justice, no peace." That came hours after video showed police escorting a man in handcuffs into the station and a night after protesters broke windows of police vehicles after the fatal shooting of Ricardo Munoz, 27. Earlier Monday, Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace issued a clear and emotional message less than 24 hours after a city police officer shot and killed a man who was chasing him with what appeared to be a large knife. A man is arrested near the county building. Police yell at protesters to back up. pic.twitter.com/z2w4rfTwMA Junior Gonzalez (@LNPjunior) September 14, 2020 "I need help. We need help," Sorace said, calling on leaders across Pennsylvania to help forge a solution to shootings involving police officers. "I am clear beyond a doubt that we lack the tools, the resources, the expertise and the capacity to do this on our own here in the City of Lancaster." "We need an evidence-based protocol for responding," she said. "What is that protocol?" Video: Rochester Mayor apologizes to family, community about Daniel Prudes death "Additionally, how do we create and staff a system that can respond 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and within minutes? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered to create a countywide plan," she said. The mayor said budget cuts have hampered the police department's ability to respond to high-risk situations. She called on Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and police departments and community leaders across the state to find new solutions to problems that have long plagued police departments. Story continues She said officers need to be dispatched with information that will help them make better decisions when they arrive on scene. Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace speaks with reporters Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in the wake of protests that erupted after a city police officer shot and killed a man who chased him with a knife. Ricardo Munoz: Fatal police shooting of man in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sparks protest; pepper spray used on crowd Less than 24 hours after Munoz was killed Sunday afternoon, the city released police bodycam footage that shows what happened from the time the officer arrived on scene to the time of the shooting. Protests erupted after a police involved shooting in Lancaster killed 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz. Several city leaders took to the podium after the mayor and expressed condolences to Munoz's family and offered support for the mayor and the police department. City council member Janet Diaz said social media played a big role in spreading false rumors and fanning the flames of anger based on misunderstandings of the facts of the case. City council President Ismail Smith Wade-El said he saw peaceful protesters repeatedly try to quell potential violence. Sorace was blunt when a reporter asked if she expected more violent protests tonight. "You're asking that question that quite honestly makes me want to throw up. It is my fervent hope that there will be no more violent protests tonight," she said. Contributing: Neil Strebig, York (Pa.) Daily Record; Jessica Flores, USA TODAY. Follow the York Daily Record on Twitter: @ydrcom This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, police shooting prompts plea from mayor Star impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman called President Donald Trump a 'useful idiot' for Vladimir Putin and is now calling himself a 'never-Trumper' in a pair of new interviews. Vindman came forward in a pair of interviews Monday for the first time since serving as a star impeachment witness in the House impeachment inquiry. He said he was a non-partisan public official before but said when asked he is a 'never-Trumper now,' using the phrase first-adopted by Republicans who firmly resisted Trump's ultimate takeover of the party. 'In taking a very sober view of where this president is taking this country, the divisions, the catering to our adversaries, the undermining of national security interests, that I am absolutely a never-Trumper,' Vindman told NBC News. Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, former director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, said in an interview President Trump 'should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler' for Russia's Vladimir Putin Vindman, who has now retired from the Army after serving on the White House National Security Council, said he was 'was not a never-Trumper before I was nonpartisan' but said that changed 'as the president's attacked and politicized me directly.' 'I joined the president's team, I joined this administration ... with the hopes of being able to do my job, with the hopes of being able to advance U.S. national security interests. I could say that I am now a never-Trumper. I was not a never-Trumper before. I was non-partisan,' Vindman said. In another interview, Vindman, who testified in Congress about Trump's infamous call with the president of Ukraine, spoke about his time on the Trump National Security Council as a Ukraine expert. 'President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin,' Vindman told the Atlantic. He describes Trump as an 'admirer' of the Russian strongman and says Putin is able to have a hold over Trump even without the presence of any 'dirt' as leverage. 'They may or may not have dirt on him, but they don't have to use it,' he told the magazine. 'They have more effective and less risky ways to employ him. Vindman called Trump a 'fellow traveler' of Russian President Vladimir Putin VINDMAN'S SOVIET INSULTS FOR TRUMP The terms 'useful idiot' and 'fellow traveler' have intentionally Soviet echoes. Leon Trotsky coined the term 'fellow traveler' after the Russian revolution of 1917, as a phrase for those who were waveringly sympathetic to the Communist party. But it became an insult in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s and used during the McCarthy era to characterize people suspected of Communist sympathies without evidence they were card-carrying members of the Communist party. 'Useful idiot' has long been associated with Vladimir Lenin - although there is no evidence he actually said it - as a term for those who mistakenly help Communist goals through their actions. It may have come from Tito's Yugoslavia and was in widespread use by the 1950s in the west. Advertisement 'He has aspirations to be the kind of leader that Putin is, and so he admires him. 'He likes authoritarian strongmen who act with impunity, without checks and balances. So he'll try to please Putin,' he said. He colorfully described it as 'free chicken.' 'In the Army we call this 'free chicken,' something you don't have to work forit just comes to you. This is what the Russians have in Trump: free chicken,' he said. Vindman was escorted from the White House in February, weeks after the impeachment saga ended, and was removed from his NSC post. He made the comments to interviewer Jeffrey Goldberg, who produced this month's bombshell report citing unnamed officials that Trump had called fallen U.S. troops 'suckers' and 'losers.' Trump defended Vindman's firing at the time, tweeting that he was 'very insubordinate, reported contents of my 'perfect' calls incorrectly, &. was given a horrendous report by his superior, the man he reported to, who publicly stated that Vindman had problems with judgement, adhering to the chain of command and leaking information. In other words, 'OUT.' Vindman's lawyer countered that Trump's statements 'conflict with the clear personnel record and the entirety of the impeachment record of which the President is well aware.' Vindman says of Trump: 'The president destroyed my Army career.' He added: 'Im not crying over spilled milk. I have other things to do' but says the episode prompted him to miss a chance to get promoted to full colonel. Vindman's verdict - which comes before a television interview later this week - is the latest in a barrage of books and interviews which have hit Trump in the last few weeks. Those have been led by Bob Woodward's Rage, in which the veteran Watergate reporter revealed tapes of Trump admitting coronavirus is 'deadly stuff' in early February, despite then telling the public it was 'going to go away' and 'like flu,' and in late March saying he liked to 'play it down' because he did not want 'panic.' On Monday Woodward revealed how Trump told him that he gets along better with strongmen like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan than leaders of countries that the U.S. gets along with. 'I can tell you the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,' Trump is heard telling Woodward in a sound clip that debuted on the 'Today' show Monday. 'The easy ones I don't like as much or don't get along with as much.' Vindman retired this summer and says the events began by the Ukraine call kept cost him his chance of being promoted to full colonel Woodward's new book 'Rage,' which comes out Tuesday, uses the contents from 18 recorded interviews with Trump. In the clip Woodward shared Monday, Trump specifically brings up Erdogan as he talks about his relationships with world leaders. 'I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to, because everyone says, "What a horrible guy." But, you know, for me it works out good,' Trump says. The president then adds, 'You'll explain that to me some day, OK.' 'But maybe it's not a bad thing,' Trump says. Critics of Trump have long lambasted his affinity for leaders like Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has talked up having good relationships with those three, while criticizing NATO members for not paying enough. Woodward, who concludes his book by saying that Trump is the 'wrong man for the job,' explained to NBC's Savannah Guthrie on Monday why the president's comments on world leaders are troubling. 'As you know, under the Constitution the president controls foreign relations unilaterally,' Woodward said. 'Rage' author Bob Woodward released a new interview clip of President Donald Trump Monday morning on the 'Today' show in which the president talks about getting along with strongmen leaders like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 'He decides and has decided, "Oh, I'm going to get along with Putin. I'm getting to get along with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, MBS. I'm going to try to get along with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea,"' Woodward said. On the other hand, Woodward continued, Trump 'smears South Korea time and time again' during their conversations. South Korea has long been an American ally. 'He is the face of the United States to the world,' Woodward said. 'And he has said, and there is it, "Hey, look, I get along with these bad guys, but not the good guys."' Woodward also reported in his book that former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats remained suspicious that Putin 'had something' on Trump. 'Yes. But Dan Coats, who was the number one intelligence officer in the country did not have proof,' Woodward said Monday to NBC's Savannah Guthrie's questioning. 'They went through all the intelligence. But he, indeed, harbored the suspicion.' We dont want to see any escalation in the region, and weve seen that the region needs to be more peaceful, more focusing on prosperity and development rather than buying military equipment, he said. We hope that anything under consideration is just to defend our countries and not to be aggressive to other countries. Relations between Qatar and the UAE have been extremely tense in recent years. At Sacramento McClellan Airport in McClellan Park on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and President Trump are briefed on the wildfires burning in California. (Associated Press) President Trump arrived in California Monday to offer his own assessment of the wildfires that have left vast swaths of the West charred and smoky. Its not climate change driving the ever worsening fires, in the president's view. Its the exploding trees. And all those dried leaves piled up on the ground. If California would just clean up its messes and do more forest management, Trump suggested, the problem could be solved. If only it were that easy. Yes, California and other Western states could be doing a lot more to make forests more resilient to wildfires. But as Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed out, the federal government owns 57% of the forest land in California. The state owns just 3% and the rest is in private hands. Despite that lopsided ownership ratio, California spends five to six times more than the federal government does on fires and forestry in the state, according to a briefing Newsom gave to Trump. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spent $3 billion in 2018 on fire management. The U.S. Forest service budgeted $500 million for the state. So, yes, there does need to be a lot more forest management done by the federal government, in partnership with the states and private land owners. None of this will be simple or fast. Decades of fire suppression by land managers and fire departments prevented the regular, low-level wildfires that once served as natural forest management. Returning the forests to better health will be labor intensive, time consuming and really expensive. Trump can talk about more effective forest management as much as he wants. It will come to pass only if he works with Congress to budget a lot more money for the U.S. Forest Service. Its also worth remembering that some of the most destructive fires in recent years have been in the chaparral-covered hills, such as the Woolsey fire in Malibu. Forest management is important, but its not the one-size-fits-all solution to Californias worsening fire season. Story continues Beyond that, Trumps myopic focus on forest management misses the big picture. Climate change is undeniably behind the worsening fires. Forecasters have long warned that higher temperatures and prolonged droughts will make more areas vulnerable to fire. The number of days with extreme wildfire weather in California has more than doubled since the early 1980s, primarily due to warming temperatures drying out vegetation, The Times reported. Wildfires have raged through geography usually considered at low risk of severe fire, such as the cool, damp coastal redwood forests near Santa Cruz. And all of this is happening now. Imagine how much worse it could get as the world continues to burn fossil fuels and warm the planet. Californias Climate Change Assessment released in 2018 warned that if greenhouse gases continue to rise, extreme wildfires would become more frequent and the average area burned statewide would increase by 77% by the end of the century. We have a president who is not just pooh-poohing the threat, he's exacerbating the problem by aggressively promoting the use of fossil fuels. In fact, when California's Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot pressed Trump to not ignore the impact of climate change on the state's wildfires, the president responded, Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. No, we really cannot sit and watch and hope for a cooler tomorrow or next year. California and Western states could rake the forests all day long, but it will be little help if the U.S. and the world dont do more to slash greenhouse gases and slow climate change. Despite a widely-touted recent joint pledge of prudence and caution on trial safety by 9 drug companies working on COVID-19 vaccines, most-especially Pfizer and AstraZenca-fall far short on transparency NY Times: "'Trust is in short supply,' said Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and health care researcher at Yale University ... who has spent years prodding companies and academic researchers to share more trial data with outside scientists. 'And the more that they can share, the better off we are.'" AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, today sharply criticized drug companies working on COVID-19 vaccines over a near total lack of transparency on the companies' respective trials, including setbacks with AstraZeneca's vaccine trial that briefly forced its suspension last week as well as Pfizer's claims Saturday that it could have an answer about whether its vaccine works before the end of October-six weeks from now and mere days before the U.S. presidential election-despite also announcing that it was expanding its vaccine trial to 44,000 people, up from its previous goal of 30,000. On Saturday, AstraZeneca, a perceived frontrunner in the vaccine race, also announced it was resuming its COVID-19 vaccine trial in the U.K. after abruptly halting it earlier last week after 'a serious adverse reaction' occurred in one patient in its Phase 3 study in the U.K. which had only begun in late August. According to the New York Times, "AstraZeneca did not initially report that a participant's illness had halted its clinical trials around the world. The studies were paused last Sunday, but not reported until the news was broken by STAT on Tuesday. The company still has not disclosed the patient's illness that led to the pause, even though it has discussed the medical condition of another participant who developed multiple sclerosis in July, which led to another brief halt of the trial. That illness was determined to be unrelated to the vaccine." An unnamed individual familiar with AstraZeneca's trial told the New York Times that the patient whose serious adverse reaction briefly halted the trial had symptoms "consistent with inflammation of the spinal cord, known as transverse myelitis. The condition can be treated and is typically resolved in a few months, but severe attacks can cause major disabilities." "100% transparency on COVID-19 vaccine trials is essential to public trust," said AHF President Michael Weinstein. "Despite corporate culture and potential market and/or political pressures falling on their heads, the leaders of these drug companies must be transparent about their vaccine trials. The damage done to the public trust from lack of transparency could be so great and so long-lasting that it could severely affect uptake of an eventual successful COVID vaccine as well as any other vaccines that follow." AHF also repeated its call on the global public health community and governments to exercise caution and due diligence in fast-tracking vaccine candidates for prevention of COVID-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 has infected 28.9 million people and claimed over 922,000 lives. The devastating effects of the pandemic on all aspects of human activity cannot be overstated. The impact of the virus on public health, the global economy, politics and civic institutions will likely be felt for generations. Amid this crisis, the possibility of an effective vaccine for COVID-19 holds a hopeful promise for a gradual end to the pandemic. In a typical vaccine development cycle, initial small-scale efficacy and safety trials in animals and humans are usually followed by large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving thousands of people over a period of years. This final and most rigorous step is designed to confirm with a high degree of certainty if a vaccine is safe and effective on a population level. Rushed vaccine development increases the risk of unforeseen negative health outcomes. Setting aside any economic or political reasons governments and private companies might have in being first to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine, this striving is understandable on humanitarian grounds millions of people are suffering, and thousands are dying. Vaccines have saved millions of lives across the world from death, disability, and illness. Smallpox, which typically killed 30% of infected patients, was eradicated in 1980 thanks to an effective vaccine. Polio, a crippling disease primarily affecting children, has been eradicated in many parts of the world as a result of a concerted vaccination campaign spanning decades. The safety record of vaccines speaks to how well the development and approval process works. There have only been a handful of serious vaccine adverse events in recent history, but they underscore the fact that there are risks associated with vaccines. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.4 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200913005063/en/ Contacts: U.S. MEDIA CONTACTS: Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF +1.323.308.1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile gedk@aidshealth.org Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy Communications, AHF +1.202.503.4743 denys.nazarov@ahf.org Operations of Arik Air were on Monday shut down by the aviation unions over alleged non-payment of staff salaries since April after placing many of the workforce on compulsory leave and other anti-labour practices. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that unions included the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN). A NAN correspondent, who monitored the situation in Lagos, reports that all Arik Air operations were shut down including airlines as passengers expressed reservations. The Chairman, ATSSSAN, Arik Air Branch, Innocent Atasie, told NAN that the workers resolved to shut down Arik operations nationwide when all efforts made to resolve the problem failed. Mr Atasie said that the unions were miffed that there had been no payment of staff salaries since April after placing 90 per cent of the workforce on compulsory leave. The unions said the strike would continue indefinitely, until their demands were met by the management of Arik Air. Their demands included- payment of outstanding salaries arrears, signing of Conditions of Service, remittance of Pension, Tax, and statutory deductions to the appropriate authorities and to resolve other anti-labour issues. Others were payment of salary arrears of seven months, with a commitment to pay salaries as at when due, henceforth. Mr Atasie said that the unions also wanted the immediate review of all employee remunerations which had remained stagnant since the inception of Arik Air, over ten years ago. He said that the unions decided to shut down all operations nationwide when all efforts by the unions were aborted. NAN reports that on September 13, the management of Arik Air asked for the intervention of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over the planned industrial action by unions scheduled to commence on September 14. The Chief Executive Officer of Arik, Roy Ilegbodu, made the appeal in a letter to the minister entitled, Re-Unions in Arik Air threaten to down tools. NAN visit to local terminals in Lagos, indicated that stranded Arik Air passengers expressed disappointment over the airlines shut down workout informing the passengers. A passenger, Julius Anifowoshe, told NAN that l was shocked when l came to the airport at about 6.30a.m., to board and found out that the airline workers are on strike without due notification. Im forced to buy another ticket from another airline to meet up with my appointment in Abuja. Government should sanction Arik Air for not reaching out through text messages or e-mail to customers on the planned strike. Am going to seek refund of my money whenever Im back to Lagos. Arik Air took customers for granted, he said. Another passenger, Beatrice Ikechukwu, expressed disappointment over sudden shut down of the operations without due notice to passengers. Mrs Ikechukwu said, l have to source for money to buy another ticket for what l did not plan for. Arik Air operational system is porous, nobody came to address passengers on what was happening. This is really pathetic and disheartening, she said. However, Adebanji Ola, the Communications Manager of Arik Air, said that the management has scheduled a meeting with the unions on September 15, to resolve all matters. (NAN) MARIGOT:--- Members of the Soualiga United Movement (SUM) are busy finalizing their plans for the protest action they will commence after September 15th against the border controls that are manned by the Police Aux Frontiers (PAF) and the Gendarmerie. Members of SUM told SMN News that they intend to do what is necessary to remove the border controls and reinstate the free movement of people between St. Martin and St. Maarten. The members are calling on the entire population when more details on the action are released. They said they will begin the protest action with a motorcade in order to sensitize everyone on St. Martin and St. Maarten about the actions that will be taken. The SUM said that they are waiting until September 15th since that is supposed to be the last day for the controls and are hopeful that the Prefet Delegue Madame Sylvie Feucher respects the wishes of the people and have the checkpoints removed. Currently, the Oyster Pond and Low Lands borders are closed while checkpoints are in Bellevue and Belplaine. These border controls are not helping to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in fact it's killing the economy on St. Martin and St. Maarten the SUM members said. The SUM along with the Chamber of Commerce and several businesspeople including some doctors on St. Martin have expressed their concerns about the border controls which they said are hindering the free movement of people as well as hindering the economy. Washington: The US on Monday (Tuesday AEST) blocked imports from four companies and a manufacturing facility in northwestern China suspected of using forced labour from people detained as part of a sweeping crackdown on ethnic minorities in the region. Companies that ship clothing and other cotton goods, computer parts and hair products from the Xinjiang region were named in the order issued by US Customs and Border Protection. The manufacturing facility is a centre where Uighurs and other minorities have been detained and compelled to produce goods for export to the US and elsewhere. A file photo of a government detention centre in Artux in the Xinjiang region of China. Credit:AP Forced labour is an atrocious human rights abuse that is completely against the values that we all share," acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said as he announced the orders halting the imports in a call with reporters. TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Revival Gold Inc. (TSXV: RVG, OTCQB: RVLGF) (Revival Gold or the Company), a growthfocused gold exploration and development company, reports on the status of exploration and development activities at the Companys Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project (Beartrack-Arnett) located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Following a successful C$15 million equity financing in August, Revival Gold doubled its planned drilling program to 10,000 meters with two drill rigs covering four target areas. The Company today reports that the expanded drill program is now 25% complete and that a third drill rig will soon be mobilized. Meanwhile, Revival Golds Preliminary Economic Study (PEA) on the potential restart of heap leach operations at Beartrack-Arnett is progressing through trade-off studies and remains on track for completion and release by year end. Revival Golds exploration team has made solid progress to-date with this years drilling at Beartrack-Arnett. The project hosts 10-11 km of favourable structure and the addition of a third drill rig will accelerate the pace of the remaining program this year, said President and CEO Hugh Agro. We are also encouraged by the progress being made by Wood plc on Revival Golds heap leach PEA, Agro added. Details 15 holes totaling approximately 2,450 meters have been completed this season to-date at the Haidee target at Arnett. Drilling to-date amounts to approximately 25% of the 10,000 meters of drilling planned for Beartrack-Arnett in the current program. Assay results from the first batch of drill holes this season are expected to be released by mid-October; A third Boart Longyear core drill rig has been secured and is due to arrive on site in late September. Drilling this year at Beartrack-Arnett will continue, weather and access dependent, through to the end of December; Revival Golds geophysical contractor, Geofisica TMC, S.A. de C.V., arrived on site in late August. Twenty-one line-kilometers of gradient array induced polarization-resistivity (IP-RES) geophysical survey has been completed at Arnett and the geophysical crew has moved on to initiate planned surveys at Beartrack; The program of geologic mapping and sampling at Arnett that commenced in July is expected to be completed by the end of September. The program has covered approximately 19 square kilometers to date. Over the past year, geologic work on the Arnett property has clarified several important geologic relationships including expanding Revival Golds understanding of potential host rocks for gold mineralization and clarifying the structural model for the district. The result of this work has been the identification of new conceptual targets for potential future testing, and; The Beartrack-Arnett heap leach PEA is on track for completion and release by year-end. Wood plc, the principal consultant for the study, is completing trade-off studies this month. Trade-off study work has focused on trucking ore from Arnett to a heap leach pad at Beartrack, crusher configurations at Beartrack, mining equipment selection, and grade optimization in the early part of the mine life. Engineering work will now focus on completing capital and operating cost estimates and finalizing the project financial model. Story continues Steven T. Priesmeyer, C.P.G., Vice President Exploration, Revival Gold Inc., is the Companys designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved its scientific and technical content. About Revival Gold Inc. Revival Gold Inc. is a growth-focused gold exploration and development company. The Company has the right to acquire a 100% interest in Meridian Beartrack Co., owner of the former producing Beartrack Gold Project located in Lemhi County, Idaho. Revival Gold also owns rights to a 100% interest in the neighboring Arnett Gold Project. Beartrack-Arnett is the largest past-producing gold mine in Idaho and hosts the second largest known deposit of gold in the state. A Preliminary Economic Assessment is underway on the potential re-start of a phase one open-pit heap leach operation and exploration continues focused on expanding the current Indicated Mineral Resource of 36.4 million tonnes at 1.16 g/t gold containing 1.35 million ounces of gold and Inferred Mineral Resource of 47.2 million tonnes at 1.08 g/t gold containing 1.64 million ounces of gold. The mineralized trend at Beartrack extends for over 5 km and is open on strike and at depth. Mineralization at Arnett is open in all directions. For further details, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate the Mineral Resources, please see the Companys technical report titled Technical Report on the Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project, Lemhi County, Idaho, USA dated February 21, 2020. Revival Gold has approximately 71.2 million shares outstanding and a current cash balance of approximately $13.9 million as at September 1st, 2020. Additional disclosure including the Companys financial statements, technical reports, news releases and other information can be obtained at www.revival-gold.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information, please contact: Hugh Agro, President & CEO or Adam Rochacewich, CFO Telephone: (416) 366-4100 or Email: info@revival-gold.com Cautionary Statement Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Steven T. Priesmeyer, C.P.G., Vice President Exploration, Revival Gold Inc. a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. This News Release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company, or management, expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys intentions regarding its objectives, goals or future plans and statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the Companys ability to predict or counteract the potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Companys business, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, 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. 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, other than as required by law. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman is widely considered next in line to ascend to the chambers top leadership post. Read more 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. HARRISBURG Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman has tapped a top lobbyist with a politically connected Harrisburg firm to serve as his new chief of staff, the latest high-profile example of the cozy relationship between elected officials in the Capitol and special interests trying to influence them. Corman, a Centre County Republican who is widely considered next in line to ascend to the chambers top leadership post, told senators last week in an email that he had hired Krystjan Callahan, a partner at Maverick Strategies, a well-known lobbying firm run by Ray Zaborney, who also runs Cormans campaigns. Callahan, 40, was once the top staffer to a Republican leader in the state House of Representatives. For the last five years, however, Callahan has worked for Zaborney, who together with his wife runs a trio of companies known as the Mavericks. The companies help elect lawmakers and then lobby them once they are in office, a practice that good-government advocates say blurs the line between politics and policy. Among Zaborneys marquee clients is Corman, whose campaigns he has run since 2015. Separately, Jen Zaborney, Zaborneys wife, runs the fund-raising arm of the Mavericks and has helped Corman raise millions of dollars over the years. And last month, the Caucus and Spotlight PA revealed that Corman helped raise money at an exclusive event in California for a dark-money group launched by Zaborney whose donors and agenda are largely a secret. The event coincided with a fund-raiser, organized by one of the Maverick firms, that Corman was having at the same resort. Corman and the group said they did not coordinate the events, which would be illegal. Cormans decision to hire Callahan heightens Zaborneys already vast influence with the Centre County Republican, who is a favorite to take over the top leadership position in the Senate when Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) retires later this year. Its ripe for undue influence, said Brian Cullin, chair of Common Cause Pennsylvania. It is certainly an area that needs to be explored to reform the process. It is problematic to see that level of coziness. Jennifer Kocher, Cormans spokesperson, said Corman hired Callahan because of his qualifications, which she called second to none. She said Corman should not be precluded from hiring the best-qualified person simply because of an association with Zaborney. In an email to Republican senators announcing Callahans hiring obtained by the news organizations, Corman wrote: I believe Krystjans years of experience in state government will be an asset to me and my staff as we continue to work toward our caucus goals going into the fall and beyond. Callahan, who will begin his new job Monday, declined to be interviewed. His salary was not immediately available. Zaborney did not respond to questions. There has long been a revolving door between the legislature and the lobbying world. But it more often than not has worked the opposite way, with legislative or state government staffers taking their experience and inside knowledge to jobs in private industry or lobbying firms, where they can earn significantly more money. In Harrisburg, that has given rise to a handful of powerful lobbying firms that trade on having close relationships with the GOP lawmakers who set the legislative agenda. Aside from Zaborney, dominating that market is Long, Nyquist & Associates. The firm is named for Mike Long, the Senates onetime top Republican staffer and strategist, and Todd Nyquist, who served as chief of staff to Scarnati and describes himself on the firms website as Scarnatis alter ego. Like Zaborneys companies, Long, Nyquist operates both a campaign and a lobbying arm, helping to elect candidates or reelect sitting officials and then lobbying them once they are in office. Few other firms in Harrisburg offer both political and lobbying services. The DT Firm, run by Dave Thomas, formerly a top Republican lawyer in the Senate, recently added some political work to its company portfolio, which appears to still largely focus on lobbying. Zaborney and Mike Long have long argued that their work is legal and protected by the First Amendment. But critics believe that their business model perpetuates a culture of undue access and favoritism. Several lawmakers have, over the years, attempted to ban the dual practice but have not succeeded. An analysis of campaign finance records shows that firms run by the Zaborneys and Long and Nyquist have together been paid at least $26.3 million since 2011 by legislative candidates, the state Republican party, GOP legislative campaign committees, congressional candidates, and various political action committees. By contrast, the DT Firm has been paid just under $300,000 for campaign work, including for Republican leaders in both the House and Senate. Campaign committees for all three firms' lobbying arms, meanwhile, have given more than $900,000 to GOP legislative leaders and others during that same time frame, the records show. Because of Pennsylvanias weak lobbying disclosure laws, it is impossible to know which lawmakers the firms have lobbied, or on what issues. Unlike other states, Pennsylvania requires that private interests, and their lobbyists, report only the total amount of money they spent on lobbying activities, without having to provide any detail. To be sure, Zaborney, Long, Nyquist, and Thomas' firms represent a range of clients, from big energy to casinos to unions to the Catholic Church. Callahan, the onetime top aide to former Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai, was credited in late 2017 with helping persuade his former boss to support a vast expansion of gambling in the state, including legalizing and regulating slots-like machines called video gaming terminals, or VGTs. Zaborneys firm, and by extension Callahan, represented the pro-VGT interests. Long, Nyquist represented a key maker and distributor of so-called games of skill, which compete with VGT companies and have led efforts to tamp down VGT expansion. In the end, the legislature approved VGTs only in truck stops. But VGT companies and their advocates have kept up their campaign since then, pushing to allow the terminals in bars, taverns, social clubs, and other venues with a liquor license. Such a move would vastly expand their reach and result in millions in profit. This summer, Republicans who control the Senate mounted a feverish, behind-the-scenes push for more VGT terminals. Corman became the efforts public face. The campaign ultimately failed but could likely be revived this fall, as the legislature grapples with ways to raise new revenue to offset the economic harm brought on by the pandemic. 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. LAS VEGAS - In open defiance of state regulations and his own administrations pandemic health guidelines, President Donald Trump hosted his first indoor rally since June, telling a packed, nearly mask-less Nevada crowd that the nation was making the last turn in defeating the virus. Eager to project a sense of normalcy in imagery, Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside a warehouse Sunday night. Relatively few in the crowd wore masks, with a clear exception: Those in the stands directly behind Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings. Not since a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was blamed for a surge of coronavirus infections has he gathered supporters indoors. We are not shutting the country again. A shutdown would destroy the lives and dreams of millions Americans, said Trump, before using his inflammatory moniker for the coronavirus. We will very easy defeat the China virus. He didnt mention the pandemics death toll its killed nearly 200,000 Americans and still claiming about 1,000 lives a day. The rally in Tulsa, which was his first in three months after the coronavirus reached American shores, was a disaster for the campaign, a debacle that featured a sea of empty seats and a rise in COVID-19 cases, including on his own staff. One prominent Trump supporter at the rally, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of COVID-19 weeks later, though it was not clear if he contracted the virus in Tulsa. Recognizing that many supporters were uncomfortable to gather in a large group indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, the Trump campaign shifted to holding smaller, outdoor rallies, usually at airplane hangers. But those rallies have grown in size in recent weeks, with little social distancing and few masks. And on Sunday, they returned indoors, in part as a nod to the Las Vegas-area heat. Temperature checks were given to all upon entrance at the industrial site in Henderson and while masks were encouraged, few wore them. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, has limited in-person gatherings indoors and outdoors to 50 people since May, a recommendation based on White House reopening guidelines. In a statement released just before the rally began, Sisolak said Trump was taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada. To put it bluntly: he didnt have the guts to make tough choices, Sisolak said of Trumps handling of the virus. He left that to governors and the states. Now hes decided he doesnt have to respect our States laws. As usual, he doesnt believe the rules apply to him. The city of Henderson informed Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday that the event as planned was in direct violation of the governors COVID-19 emergency directives and that penalties would follow. The Trump campaign pushed back against the restrictions with the president saying he would support those in attendance if the governor came after you. If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States, campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said. To this point, the campaign has not been played out as a choice election between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, but rather a referendum on the presidents handling of the coronavirus. By wide margins, Americans have disapproved of Trumps leadership, as the United States has suffered more deaths than any other nation. Therefore, the presidents campaign believes it needs to change the subject and project the sense, despite evidence otherwise, that the pandemic was winding down and that a vaccine was on the horizon. Part of the plan: create images of normalcy, like the packed White House lawn for Trumps convention speech, though it was unclear if viewers were reassured or frightened. In a rambling, hourlong speech, Trump mused on mandatory prison sentences for flag burning, praised various UFC fighters in attendance and appeared to endorse extradjudicial killings for those who target police officers. And Trump unleashed a series of attacks on Biden, labeling him a him a tired career politician and declaring him unfit to be president. But, Trump ruminated, while complaining about the medias coverage: Maybe hell win because they dont like me, they dont like my personality. The crowd answered with a deafening We love you chant. The rally came the night before Trump was to travel to California to receive a briefing on the devastating wildfires racing through the region. He has largely been silent on the blazes that have claimed dozens of lives in Oregon and California. Earlier Sunday, Trump aimed for further inroads with Latinos who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine the White House race, promoting economic gains they made before the coronavirus pandemic. Though Trump has made scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latinos, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and Nevada, his target this weekend, Winning support from Latinos has been an uphill climb for Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics. In the first moments of his 2016 campaign, he declared that many Mexican immigrants were rapists. He has drawn criticism for his tepid response to a hurricane that ravaged Puerto Rico, his polices to separate children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border and his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program that allows young immigrants living in the country illegally who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S. Trump tailored his pitch to Latinos on Sunday, noting their low unemployment rate before COVID-19 reached American shores and affirming his anti-abortion stance. He again hammered home his recent push on law and order, saying that recent violence in American cities endangered Latinos. He was set to hold a similar event in Arizona on Monday. ___ Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire ___ APs Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/ British Prime Minister says his plan to unilaterally rewrite Britain's divorce deal with the is an insurance policy against the bloc's unreasonable behavior, comments that came as his former attorney general joined a growing number of once-loyal lawmakers condemning the contentious move. Johnson said Monday that a planned law designed to override portions of the Brexit withdrawal agreement was needed because the EU might go to extreme and unreasonable lengths in its treatment of former member Britain. I have absolutely no desire to use these measures, Johnson told lawmakers as he introduced the Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons. They are an insurance policy. The U.K. formally left the bloc on Jan. 31, but existing trade rules remain in effect until the end of this year under a transition designed to provide time to negotiate a long-term trade agreement. Johnson's Conservative government has acknowledged that the bill breaches the legally binding withdrawal treaty that Britain and the EU have both ratified. The legislation threatens to sink the already-foundering negotiations between Britain and the EU on a post-Brexit trade deal. Ed Milliband, business spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, accused Johnson of trashing the reputation of this country and trashing the reputation of his office. With an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons, Johnson is expected to have enough votes to push his legislation through Parliament but there is wide unease within the Conservative Party about the law-breaking move. Geoffrey Cox, who was the government's top legal officer when Johnson negotiated the Brexit withdrawal agreement less than a year ago, said reneging on the deal would be an unconscionable breach of law. Cox, previously a strong supporter of Johnson on Brexit, said he wouldn't support the proposal at its first House of Commons vote on Monday. I simply cannot approve or endorse a situation in which we go back on our word, given solemnly, Cox said on Times Radio. The breaking of the law ultimately leads to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation. Sajid Javid, a former Treasury chief in Johnson's government, also said he would not vote for the bill, because I cannot support the pre-emptively reneging on the withdrawal agreement. The formally left the bloc on Jan. 31, but existing trade rules remain in effect until the end of this year under a transition arrangement designed to provide time to negotiate a long-term trade agreement. As part of the Brexit divorce deal, Britain and the EU agreed to keep Northern Ireland the only part of the U.K. to share a border with the bloc bound to some EU rules on trade, to avoid the need for border checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Both sides accepted the compromise to protect the open border, which helps underpin the peace process in Northern Ireland. The Internal Market Bill, which the government hopes to pass into law within weeks, would give the British government the power to override the EU's agreed role in oversight of trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the Johnson claims the EU has threatened to use an extreme interpretation of the withdrawal agreement to blockade food shipments from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland unless Britain agrees to accept EU regulations. (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.) His former fixer says unlimited terms in office are one of the things Trump admires about autocrats like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) For over a year, President Donald Trump has been pushing for a third term in office in 2024. The incumbent, who is currently trailing his challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, for the presidency, insisted again that he could negotiate a third term. At a campaign event in Nevada on Saturday night, Trump proclaimed that he would win Nevada, a state that he lost in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. He declared that he would win four more years in the White House. Security guards remove a protester wearing a Black Lives Matter mask during a Sunday campaign event by President Donald Trump at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) And then after that, he said, well negotiate, right? Because were probablybased on the way we were treatedwe are probably entitled to another four after that. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1951 after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to the presidency four times. The amendment limited presidents to two terms in office. There are no provisions or reasons that a president would be able to negotiate. Read More: Bloomberg to spend at least $100M to help Biden in Florida Some media pundits have said that the president is joking about staying in office for the third time. However, Trumps former fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, told Don Lemon last week that Donald Trump does not have a sense of humor. (He) believes that he should be the rulerthe dictator of the United States of America, Cohen contended on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. He actually is looking to change the Constitution. Read More: Fox News host Tucker Carlson says only liberals believe climate change and systemic racism are real Cohen maintains that unlimited terms in office are one of the things Trump admires about autocrats like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. So I want you to understand that when he says 12 more years if he wins, he is going to automaticallyday number onestart thinking about how to change the Constitution for a third term and then a fourth term, Cohen said. Story continues In order to change the 22nd Amendment, Trump would need an affirmative vote from two-thirds of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, and given the opposition to his presidency, that is highly unlikely. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! The post Trump says hed negotiate a third term as president in 2024 appeared first on TheGrio. Nearly half a million patients have been waiting six weeks or more for key diagnostic tests to detect cancer, heart attacks and other serious conditions. The figures have increased 12-fold in just a year as hospitals struggle with a post-Covid backlog. Charities fear the long waits will have a devastating impact on NHS patients, particularly those who have cancer which may become untreatable. Nearly half a million patients have been waiting six weeks or more for key diagnostic tests to detect cancer, heart attacks and other serious conditions (file image) Separate data shows that the number of patients having cancer treatment is down by a quarter on the same time last year. The total has fallen by 6,647 to 21,599. Yesterday the Mail revealed that hospital admissions had plummeted across seven serious illnesses. There is a growing backlog of patients who were unable to receive treatment at the height of the pandemic and who are now at risk of serious complications. This number is continuing to rise because social distancing and infection control measures mean hospitals can deal with only a limited number of patients. The latest NHS data shows that 489,647 patients had been waiting more than six weeks for one of 15 key diagnostic tests in July, the last month for which there are figures. Charities fear the long waits will have a devastating impact on NHS patients, particularly those who have cancer which may become untreatable (file image) A shocking 291,982 of them had been waiting at least 13 weeks. By comparison, in July 2019, just 40,099 had been waiting six weeks or more and 5,675 for at least 13 weeks. Michelle Mitchell of Cancer Research UK said: 'Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on cancer services and the lives of cancer patients. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment will not be even more impacted by any future waves of Covid-19.' Alex Norris, a Labour health spokesman, said: 'Patients waiting for these tests cannot afford for the Government to be as slow as they have been in other areas. Some of these tests will be used to diagnose cancer, and for those patients, we know that early diagnosis leads to better treatment and survival.' An NHS spokesman said: 'Hospitals have been working round the clock throughout the pandemic so that patients can continue to receive vital tests and treatment while staying safe between March and July.' The backlog is also affecting routine surgery such as hip and knee operations and NHS figures last week showed that 2.1million patients had been waiting at least 18 weeks. The number of children receiving their first MMR jab dropped by 20 per cent in the first few weeks of lockdown. The analysis by Public Health England found that the numbers had since climbed but were still several per cent lower in August than a year earlier Cancer backlog is 'frightening' By Kamal Sultan The country's 'frightening' cancer backlog will only clear if treatments run at 135 per cent capacity for six months. The chairmen of four cancer-related allparty parliamentary groups wrote to the Health Secretary over concerns that an estimated 55,000 cancer patients could die without urgent action. Research from charity Action Radiotherapy calculated that cancer services would have to run at 135 per cent capacity for six months to clear the backlog caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A letter co-signed by Tim Farron has raised concerns that an estimated 55,000 cancer patients could die without urgent action Founder Professor Pat Price has warned the UK is 'past the point of no return' and it is inevitable patients will die unnecessarily. The letter was signed by former Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron, Conservative MP Henry Smith and Labour MPs Tonia Antoniazzi and Mark Tami. It read: 'Without an urgent boost to services to catch up, the only way the backlog disappears is through patients dying.' On September 8, Mr Hancock said the cancer backlog had come down by half. But campaigners and politicians believe the backlog is much greater than initially thought. They say the Government estimates do not include patients who have relapsed or those still waiting to be diagnosed. A new hub for teaching and research on commercial and residential real estate has opened at Concordia Universitys John Molson School of Business. Touted as the first of its kind in Canada, the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate will be particularly relevant amid the sea changes in the real estate space, according to Michel Deslauriers, the centres director and a Concordia finance lecturer. Among these shifts are demographic trends, technological advancements, environmental concerns, and the omnipresent influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #37 Posted on 13 September 2020 by John Hartz Story of the Week... La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Humans exploiting and destroying nature on unprecedented scale report Animal populations have plunged an average of 68% since 1970, as humanity pushes the planets life support systems to the edge Mass soybean harvesting in Campo Verde, Brazil. Intensive agricultures has contributed to the collapse of some animal populations. Photograph: Alffoto/WWF Wildlife populations are in freefall around the world, driven by human overconsumption, population growth and intensive agriculture, according to a major new assessment of the abundance of life on Earth. On average, global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles plunged by 68% between 1970 and 2016, according to the WWF and Zoological Society of London (ZSL)s biennial Living Planet Report 2020. Two years ago, the figure stood at 60%. The research is one of the most comprehensive assessments of global biodiversity available and was complied by 134 experts from around the world. It found that from the rainforests of central America to the Pacific Ocean, nature is being exploited and destroyed by humans on a scale never previously recorded. The analysis tracked global data on 20,811 populations of 4,392 vertebrate species. Those monitored include high-profile threatened animals such as pandas and polar bears as well as lesser known amphibians and fish. The figures, the latest available, showed that in all regions of the world, vertebrate wildlife populations are collapsing, falling on average by more than two-thirds since 1970. Click here to acess the entire article originally published on the The Guardian website. Humans exploiting and destroying nature on unprecedented scale report by Patrick Greenfield, Environment, Guardian, Sep 9, 2020 La Nina Update... La Nina develops during peak hurricane season A La Nina climate pattern has developed and is likely to persist through the winter, according to an advisory issued today by NOAAs Climate Prediction Center. La Nina translated from Spanish as little girl is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator, the opposite of El Nino (little boy) which features warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in that region. La Nina can contribute to an increase in Atlantic hurricane activity by weakening the wind shear over the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Basin, which enables storms to develop and intensify, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAAs Climate Prediction Center. The potential for La Nina development was factored into our updated Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued in August. For the months ahead, scientists say there is a 75% chance that La Nina will be in place from December 2020 through February 2021. La Nina develops during peak hurricane season, NOAA News, Sep 10, 2020 Toon of the Week... Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page. Quote of the Week... Mojave Desert fire in August destroyed the heart of a beloved Joshua tree forest J.T. Sohr, fire engine captain in the Mojave National Preserve, walks in the charred Cima Dome Joshua tree forest. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The first day of Californias lightning siege, thunderstorms rolled across the Mojave National Preserve, slicing the afternoon sky with dry strikes. Smoke rose from the top of Cima Dome, marking the start of a wildfire that would ravage the heart of one of the worlds largest Joshua tree forests. A drive down Cima Road that only weeks ago was a trip through a magical landscape is now a tour of the worlds biggest Joshua tree graveyard. Most of the charred trees are still standing. In the evening light, their leaves, bleached with scorch, take on an eerie beauty. But they are doomed, and the 43,273 acres of the Dome fire are forever transformed. That stand with that many big trees was developing for thousands of years, said Todd Esque, a U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist who has studied the forest. We wont replace that. Mojave Desert fire in August destroyed the heart of a beloved Joshua tree forest by Bettina Boxall, Environment, Los Angeles Times, Sep 12, 2020 Coming Soon on SkS... My Climate Story: Coming full Circle (Baerbel) (Baerbel) A first-hand look: What it's like to live in a 2020 California wildfire evacuation zone (Daisy Simmons) (Daisy Simmons) SkS New Research for Week #37 (Doug Bostrom) (Doug Bostrom) 90 Percent Clean Energy by 2035 (Peter Sinclair) (Peter Sinclair) Wind and solar are 30-50% cheaper than thought, admits UK government (Simon Evans) (Simon Evans) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38 (John Hartz) Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... A: The app is a home for fun, goofy videos that are easy to make and to watch. Thats made it immensely popular, particularly with young people, and U.S. tech giants like Facebook and Snapchat see it as a competitive threat. TikTok says it has 100 million U.S. users and hundreds of millions globally. It has its own influencer culture, enabling people to make a living from posting videos on the service, and hosts ads from major U.S. companies. George Coble walks through what remains of a home on his property destroyed by a wildfire in Mill City, Oregon (AP) Wildfires that have killed at least 35 people, caused massive damage and enveloped many parts of the US west coast in smoke have focused attention on climate change as Donald Trump prepares to visit California. Crews are still battling historic wildfires that have burned faster and further than ever before in the Democratic-led states of California, Oregon and Washington. Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in the US to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas. State governors say the fires are a consequence of climate change, while the Trump administration has blamed poor forest management for the flames that have raced through the region and made the air quality in cities like Portland, Seattle and San Francisco some of the worst in the world. Expand Close A chicken wanders through charred remains from the Beachie Creek Fire near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A chicken wanders through charred remains from the Beachie Creek Fire near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry (AP) The US president is heading to McClellan Park, a former air base just outside Sacramento, California. State governor Gavin Newsoms office said he would be meeting Mr Trump. Washington governor Jay Inslee called climate change a blowtorch over our states in the west. He told ABCs This Week: It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire west coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires. As Mr Newsom toured an eerie landscape destroyed by flames on Friday, he lambasted what he called the ideological BS of those who deny the danger. Expand Close Many parts of the US west coast have been enveloped in smoke after the devastating fires (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Many parts of the US west coast have been enveloped in smoke after the devastating fires (AP) The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California, observe it with your own eyes, he said. He noted that just in the last month, California had its hottest ever August, with world-record-setting heat in Death Valley. The state suffered 14,000 dry lightning strikes which set off hundreds of fires, some that combined into creating five of the 10 largest fires in its recorded history. This coincided with back-to-back heatwaves. Expand Close Workers damp down smouldering remnants of the fires in Oregon (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Workers damp down smouldering remnants of the fires in Oregon (AP) Oregon governor Kate Brown said about 500,000 acres typically burn each year, but just in the past week, flames have swallowed over one million acres, pointing to long-term drought and recent wild weather swings in the state. This is truly the bellwether for climate change on the west coast, she told CBSs Face the Nation. And this is a wake-up call for all of us that we have got to do everything in our power to tackle climate change. At a rally in Nevada, Mr Trump blamed the way the states have run the land, saying it is about forest management. White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed that Sunday on CNNs State Of The Union, saying that for many years in California, particularly because of budget cutbacks, there was no inclination to manage our forests. When President Trump talks about America leading the world, this is what he means. pic.twitter.com/z2KpYhojtB Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 13, 2020 Forest management, which includes tree thinning and brush clearing, is costly, labour-intensive work that is effective in reducing fuel for wildfires. Millions of dollars are spent on such reduction efforts every year in western states, though many argue more needs to be done. The efforts can also be undercut when homeowners in rural areas do not undertake similar efforts on their own properties. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti accused Mr Trump of perpetuating a lie that only forest management can curtail the massive fires seen in recent years. He pointed to drought and the need to reduce carbon emissions. Talk to a firefighter, if you think that climate change isnt real, the Democratic mayor told CNN. Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon, said it is not clear if global warming caused the dry, windy conditions that have fed the fires in the Pacific north-west, but a warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state. 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. An American lawyer told an extradition hearing in Britain for Julian Assange on Monday that the WikiLeaks founder faces decades in prison if he is convicted on spying charges in the United States. U.S. prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 17 espionage charges, and one of computer misuse, over WikiLeaks publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Attorney Eric Lewis, appearing as a defense witness, said the scope of the indictment pointed to a very aggressive approach to sentencing on the part of the government. All signs point to a very long sentence, measured in many decades, said Lewis, a senior partner at Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss in Washington, DC. We are looking at a sentence somewhere between 20 years, if everything goes brilliantly, to 175 years, which the government could easily ask for, he said. Assanges lawyers say the prosecution is politically motivated and that he will not receive a fair trial in the United States, They also argue that the conditions he would face in prison would breach his human rights. Assanges legal woes began a decade ago, when WikiLeaks published classified U.K. military documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been in a British prison since he was ejected from his refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in April 2019. The extradition hearing began a week ago at Londons Central Criminal Court and is due to last until early October. On Monday, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied a request by Assanges lawyers that everyone in the court wear masks to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus. The hearing was briefly suspended last week while one lawyer for the U.S. government was tested for Covid-19. The test came back negative. Baraitser said masks were required in communal areas of the court building, and that anyone who wanted to wear one in the courtroom could do so. Relatives of 12 Hong Kong people currently detained in mainland for reportedly trying to flee to Taiwan, attend a press conference in Hong Kong Concerns were growing Monday for the fate of a group of Hong Kongers in mainland custody after a senior Chinese official declared them "separatists" and lawyers were pressured to drop them as clients. Authorities said they intercepted the 12 Hong Kongers trying to flee by boat to Taiwan last month, with the group handed over to police in neighbouring Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland. Those on board were facing prosecution in Hong Kong for alleged crimes linked to last year's huge pro-democracy protests. China says the group, aged between 16 and 33, are being held for illegally crossing its border -- but there are fears they will face national security charges, which can carry a life prison sentence or execution. Mainland lawyers appointed by the families were warned off the group, according to sources and individuals familiar with the case. On Sunday Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raised the prospect Beijing was treating the group as national security threats. "They are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China," Hua tweeted after her counterpart at the US State Department voiced concerns about the group's disappearance into China's opaque justice system. Authorities only confirmed the group were in criminal detention late Sunday, more than 20 days after their initial arrest. Conviction in the party controlled courts is all but guaranteed for those charged, especially with national security offences. Two sources with direct knowledge of the cases said Monday mainland lawyers appointed by families to represent their loved ones were now being warned to abandon their clients in favour of "government appointed" lawyers. One person, who was involved in the campaign to get the detained legal representation and requested anonymity to speak freely, said China's Ministry of Justice had ordered "all levels to do well in managing and controlling the lawyers". Story continues - Fleeing charges - Rights groups and legal analysts have previously documented how Chinese authorities use "government appointed lawyers" to stop families hiring their own legal representatives in high profile cases. One lawyer assisting one of the 12 detainees said cutting off family-hired professionals would help mainland authorities retain more control over the case. "Eventually the defendants will be besieged and hunted by government-assigned lawyers, the police, the prosecutors and the court," the lawyer said, requesting anonymity to speak openly. On Saturday, family members of those detained gave an emotional press conference saying they had no idea where their relatives were being held and that lawyers had been repeatedly denied access. James To, a veteran democratic Hong Kong lawmaker assisting the families, rejected Hua's comments that the group were separatists and had shown no intent to enter China. "Whatever they did was done in Hong Kong and should be tried in Hong Kong," he told AFP. The territory's pro-Beijing government has said it will only consider requesting the return of its residents once they have completed any legal procedures or jail terms in the mainland -- even though most are wanted for serious crimes in the financial hub. Neither Hong Kong nor Beijing have named the 12 detained people. But on Monday, Hong Kong security chief John Lee confirmed the charges they face in the city. Ten are charged with "manufacturing or possessing explosives, arson, conspiring to harm, rioting, assaulting police officers and possessing offensive weapons," he wrote in his official blog. Another is suspected of possessing or manufacturing explosives, while the last person is wanted for "colluding with foreign forces" -- an offence under the new security law. su/jta/rbu SBI: Bohdan says during interrogation he has no confirmation of possible contacts of Ukrainian officials with Russian authorities Ex-head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Bohdan, during interrogation at the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), has said that he has no information about the commission of illegal actions by Ukrainian officials in favor of another state. "During the official interrogation, the witness said that he did not have such information, he did not have confirmation and evidence, and he learned about possible illegal actions of Ukrainian officials from open sources and the media," the press service of the SBI said following Bohdan's interrogation on Monday. As reported, the SBI handed Bohdan a summons for interrogation on September 11. The SBI noted that on September 9, Bohdan released information about the alleged existence of agreements with Russian officials regarding the status of Crimea, air traffic with the Russian Federation, exchange of prisoners and a number of other agreements not foreseen by laws and regulations or other directives of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Charleston Grill next month will reopen without general manager Mickey Bakst, downtown Charleston hospitalitys greatest champion and most familiar face. Bakst, 68, this weekend retired from Belmond Charleston Places signature fine dining restaurant after 17 years of fussing with equal deference over longtime regulars with a weakness for white Burgundy and penny-pinching newlyweds unaccustomed to tables draped in white linen. No matter how busy the restaurant was, he crafted an experience for you, Mike Lata, chef-owner of FIG and The Ordinary, says. He wanted you to have a great time, and it was genuine, which was the beautiful part. To see him in action was always really fun to watch. Lata credits Bakst with shining a light on Charleston restaurants at a time when the food scenes scant appearances in the national press were limited primarily to asides about quirky cafes and traditional Southern dishes. Tapping into his extensive network, Bakst invited influential chefs and restaurateurs to participate in the early editions of Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Soon thereafter, Lata says, they started circling Charleston names and venues on their James Beard Foundation award ballots. Mickey came in from Detroit with his Gucci suits and connections, and he wasnt afraid to kiss cheeks and hug people, recalls Lata, who was introduced by Bakst to legendary French chef Daniel Boulud. There were some things happening here, but had he not been here, the accolades would not have happened so fast. Furloughed since Charleston Grill closed in March, Bakst attributed his departure to how the coronavirus and efforts to contain it have fundamentally changed the nature of his chosen work. Ive loved it every day, and I couldnt envision not being able to touch customers; not being able to kiss customers; not being able to hug customers, and have them see the joy in my face, he says. I couldnt see ending my career doing it that way. Although Bakst says the decision was his alone from a professional standpoint, he allows that his wife, Ellen Gansen, had a say in the timing of his retirement. Theyve discussed the possibility for at least two years, and had the opportunity during quarantine to better appreciate what more time together and Bakst spending nights at home could mean for their marriage. I was torn, because I love the Grill, Bakst says. But I have some respiratory issues, and she was afraid of me going back to work, and I dont blame her. Although he jokes hes had seven job offers since he announced his retirement, Bakst says he has no plans to seek other paid work. By contrast, celebrated Charleston Grill wine director Rick Rubel has taken another position: He is now managing director of Advintage Distributing. "It's very 2020 when two of the biggest titans tell you in the span of one month that theyre both out," says Graft Wine Shop co-owner Femi Oyediran, who's so indebted to Rubel that he tries to make sure the self-effacing sommelier's name appears in print whenever his does. "Its monumental." Oyediran, who joined Charleston Grill as "a degenerate 20-year-old," remembers Rubel and Bakst talking about hospitality as though it was a refined martial art deserving of protection and respect. "It makes me dream about what the restaurant industry was like in the 1980s," says Oyediran, born in 1987. Rubel will be succeeded by assistant wine director Andrew Marshal. He has deserved it for a long time and he will do far better than I ever could," Rubel says. "I will be cheering for the Charleston Place team every step of the way. Julie Hennigan, who spent five years with Danny Meyers Union Square Hospitality Group before relocating to Charleston in 2015, will take over as general manager. Marshall, Hennigan and Bakst this summer held weekly meetings in Baksts backyard. Theyre passionate about the details, Bakst says. They have a sense of crispness that is going to make the dining experience even better. I no longer (care) about serving from the left or the right, or anything other than the customers. Beyond the dining room, Bakst parlayed his charisma and concern for others into several successful charitable efforts, including Feed the Need, designed to ease the burden on food banks; Teach the Need, which trains at-risk teenagers for front-of-house restaurant work, and Bens Friends, an organization he and friend Steve Palmer founded to support fellow hospitality professionals struggling with substance abuse and addiction. The group now has chapters in more than a dozen U.S. cities. He also spearheaded major fundraisers following the Sofa Super Store inferno and the Emanuel AME Church massacre. Following the shooting, Bakst was initially hesitant to ask Belmond if he could use the hotel for a benefit because hed already approached them about so many charitable causes. An executive called him and said, I know you want to do it. In 2015, when Bakst was honored at the Charleston Wine + Food Festivals then-annual tribute dinner, he pegged his entry into philanthropy to a $10 million relief effort he led on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in his hometown of Detroit, which in 1995 lost a warehouse of donated goods to fire. With one call or email, everyone would say yes, because we knew he wouldnt ask us to do something that wasnt good and important, says Lata, pointing to Baksts various community initiatives as his most important achievement. During retirement, Bakst will continue building up Bens Friends and Feed the Need, particularly as he worries about drug overdoses and food insecurity mounting if bleak economic forecasts hold. Hell also keep rooting for the local hospitality industry and serving as a sounding board for its members as they cope with the pandemics fallout. I dont want people to think Im leaving the community, he emphasizes. Weve got one of the tightest restaurant communities in the country, and I going to help as much as I can to keep it solid and tight. When Bakst and Lata got together on Sunday night, Bakst cried when he realized he wouldnt ever again get to work a dining room the way he did before COVID-19. Lata parried his tears with congratulations: You made it, he told him. Youre one of the few people Ive known who left the industry on such a high note. Charleston Grill will reopen on Oct. 1. MOSCOW Belarus authoritarian president visited Russia on Monday in a bid to secure more loans and political support, as demonstrations against the extension of his 26-year rule entered their sixth week. President Alexander Lukashenkos talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi came a day after an estimated 150,000 people flooded the streets of the Belarusian capital, demanding Lukashenkos resignation. The Interior Ministry said 774 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities of Belarus for holding unsanctioned rallies on Sunday. Putin said Russia would provide a $1.5 billion loan to Belarus and fulfill all its obligations under a union treaty between the two neighbors. Speaking at the start of the talks, he emphasized that the Belarusians themselves must settle their political situation without any foreign meddling, and commended Lukashenko for his pledge to conduct a constitutional reform. Protesters in Belarus have dismissed Lukashenkos reelection for a sixth term in the Aug. 9 presidential vote as rigged. The United States and the European Union have both criticized the election as neither free nor fair and urged the Belarusian leader to engage in talks with the opposition, a demand he has rejected. The opposition has dismissed Lukashenkos talk about constitutional reform as an attempt to buy time and assuage the protesters anger. Putin hailed it as a timely and reasonable move that would help reach a new level in the development of the political system. In a bid to win Moscows support, Lukashenko, a 66-year-old former state farm director, has tried to cast the protests as an effort by the West to isolate Russia, which sees Belarus as a key bulwark against NATO and a major conduit for energy exports to Europe. As he sat across the table from Putin, Lukashenko pointed at NATOs drills near Belarus borders and said the two countries must strengthen their defense ties. Putin emphasized that Russian paratroopers who were sent to Belarus for joint drills will leave the country after the exercise. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after the four-hour talks that the leaders did not discuss the possibility of basing Russian forces in Belarus. Peskov also reiterated that Russia regards Lukashenko as Belarus legitimate president. Russia and Belarus have a union treaty envisaging close political, economic and military ties, but they have often engaged in acrimonious disputes. Before the election, Lukashenko repeatedly accused the Kremlin of pressing Belarus to abandon its independence. But with the U.S. and the EU criticizing the election and readying a package of sanctions against Belarus, Lukashenko now has to rely squarely on Russias support. Despite frictions in the past, the Kremlin abhors the prospect of public protests forcing the resignation of the Belarusian leader, fearing it could embolden Putins critics at home. Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election and promised to send Russian police to Belarus if protests there turn violent, noting that there is no need for that yet. We see Belarus as our closest ally and we will undoubtedly fulfill all our obligations, the Russian leader told Lukashenko during Mondays talks. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko, left for Lithuania a day after the August vote under pressure from Belarus authorities. She warned Putin that any agreements he may reach with Lukashenko will not stand with a new opposition-led government. Im very sorry that you have opted to have a dialogue with the usurper and not the Belarusian people, she said Monday. Any agreements signed with Lukashenko, who lacks legitimacy, will be retracted by the new government. Commenting on the new Russian loan to Belarus, she added: I hope Putin realizes that it will be Lukashenko, and not our people, who will have to repay that loan. Dear Russians, your taxes will be used to pay for the beating of us, she added. We are sure you wouldnt like to see that happen. It may extend the agony of Lukashenko, but it will not prevent the peoples victory. Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister and ambassador to France who was forced to leave Belarus after joining the oppositions Coordination Council, warned that while the Kremlin is standing by Lukashenko now it may move later to engineer his departure. Lukashenko discredits himself each day, and when he completely loses his authority it would be easier for Moscow to replace him, Latushko told The Associated Press. The Kremlin already has made a decision and is moving to fulfill a careful plan to have Lukashenko removed. Alexander Klaskousky, an independent Minsk-based analyst, believed that for the Kremlin, a push for deeper integration between the two countries makes no sense now because of Lukashenkos precarious position. Klaskousky predicted that the Kremlin might prod Lukashenko to de-escalate the crackdown on protests and engage in political maneuvering to ease tensions, while looking behind the scenes for a candidate to replace him. Massive protests arent abating, and the barbed wire, water cannons and hundreds of detainees underline Lukashenkos pitiful condition, forcing the Kremlin to start looking for an alternative, Klaskousky said. Putin would hardly want to put all eggs in one basket. The U.N. Human Rights Council, meanwhile, agreed to hold an urgent debate on Belarus on Friday, given the mass detentions and police beatings of protesters. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet emphasized Monday that all allegations of torture by the Belarus security forces should be documented and investigated. ___ Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report. Reformist Iranian Cleric Ayatollah Yousef Saanei Dies In Qom 07/22/20 Source: RFE/RL Ayatollah Yousef Saanei, a pro-reform Iranian cleric and a critic of the establishment who sided with the opposition movement following the controversial 2009 presidential election, has died. He was 83. Ayatollah Yousef Saanei Born: 16 October 1937 in Isfahan, Iran Died: 12 September 2020 in Qom, Iran Ayatollah Saanei died in a hospital in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom after being hospitalized for two days with a broken hip and wrist, Iranian state media reported. In 2009, Saanei had supported opposition figure Mir Hossein Musavi and criticized hard-liner Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who beat Musavi in that year's disputed election. Ahmadinejad's reelection led to mass street protests and a brutal state crackdown. Sanei came under pressure by hard-liners over his support for Musavi and the opposition movement. The Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom stripped him of his authority to issue religious edicts, and his website was blocked. Sanei had issued several religious edicts banning discrimination based on gender. With reporting by AP and IRNA Pope Francis is being 'constantly monitored' for signs of the coronavirus, a top Vatican official said Monday, after the 83-year old pontiff met with a cardinal who later tested positive. Philippine cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 63, had a private audience with Francis on August 29. He went on to test positive for Covid-19 on his return to Manila on September 10. 'We are being prudent,' Secretary of State Pietro Parolin told ANSA news agency. Pope Francis is being 'constantly monitored' for signs of the coronavirus, a top Vatican official said Monday. Above, Pope Francis arriving for weekly prayer overlooking St. Peter's Square on Sunday Philippine cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 63, had a private audience with Francis and went on to test positive for Covid-19. Above, Cardinal Tagle pictured with Pope Francis in this 2015 file image 'There is no particular alarm (in the Vatican)', but the health of the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics was being 'constantly monitored,' he added. Pope Francis, whose birth name is Jorge Bergoglio, has shown little fear for his own health since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic early this year. The pope talks to those who visit him at the Apostolic Palace without wearing a face mask. Last week the pope removed his mask and reached out to touch the faithful, pictured above Last week he was spotted wearing one for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but he took it off to chat to the faithful. Francis shunned however his usual practice of shaking hands and kissing babies, and used hand sanitiser which was handed to him by a personal assistant. The pope was tested for the coronavirus in March when a prelate living in the same residence as him was found to be positive. What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts' businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. ________________ There are not many instances where Annie Jenkins, who has owned Annies Clark Brunch on Main Street in Worcester for 34 years, is not busy busting her butt attending to everyone around her mainly customers and family. The award-winning short-order cook has an uncommon talent of churning out breakfast and lunch staples at an incredibly fast rate, all the while remaining jovial and unflustered, for the most part. If you ask her daughter Megan Zawalich, who is a server at the diner, she might give you a different answer. But Annies work, like her grill, is swift and relentless and it took a global pandemic to force her to slow down. And, admittedly, she enjoyed having some time off. She did something she had never done in her life: she binge-watched a television show. I spent the first six weeks watching E.R,' she said. From six in the morning until noon time. Monday through Friday. I watched it from George Clooney all the way up to the last episode ... It was something I did every morning with my coffee. Jenkins' lifestyle is not one that leaves much time in the day for watching television. Prior to the pandemic, shed typically run the diner from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., close up shop and run to a grocery store to stock up on all the items needed for the next day. She decided to shut the diner down on March 14 and, luckily, had not gone grocery shopping the day before. Most of the food had been used up, so there wasnt much left to go to waste, she said. Jenkins and Zawalich thought theyd be closed for about a month. It actually turned out to be five months. We understand why it happened and were doing the best we can to follow all these new rules, said Zawalich. Were just happy to be back. People missed us and we missed our people. Throughout the pandemic, there were moments where Jenkins thought the diner might not re-open, but she claims a modest lifestyle and smart savings put her in a good position to be able to survive the five-month period the diner was closed. It turns out Worcester had her back, too. The city of Worcester gifted Annies Clark Brunch a grant worth $10k as part of the citys coronavirus relief funding, which granted 189 small businesses $1.4 million . She received a personal phone call from mayor Joesph Petty to inform her of the award. On top of that, her landlord, Clark University, gave her a break on rent for the three months of April, May and June. That saved us, said Zawalich. We had so many people that were behind us. We really felt supported. And there was one other thing Jenkins did during the pandemic that she had never done before that helped: she sold gift certificates. Zawalich put a post up on the diners Facebook page announcing customers would be able to purchase gift certificates or Annie bucks." But instead of being mailed to your inbox, these gift certificates would be sent to your mailbox. As most businesses across the country turned to online ordering to conduct sales, Annies Clark Brunch took a more personal approach instead: snail mail. Customers wishing to order a gift certificate were to send a check with their desired amount to Annies personal home address in North Oxford. Jenkins was surprised by the overwhelming amount of people that mailed checks, which totaled $4,000, she says. In return, she made it a point to send each customer a handwritten thank you note. After the outpouring of support from both the city and her customers, Jenkins says she had to re-open. I had to come back just to give my people their thank you, she said. People were so, so generous. I cant get over how generous people are. Jenkins received gift certificate orders from people all across the country including California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Illinois and Atlanta, she said. People we know were never going to see, but they bought gift certificates anyways, said Zawalich. Annies Clark Brunch re-opened on Sept. 3. For now, the restaurant is focused on takeout and doing limited seating at booths and tables spaced six feet apart. One day theyll have to close for good, Jenkins and Zawalich reflected. But, not now. There are so many good people out there, said Jenkins. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise. MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Related Content: Todays National Anthem was performed by Gabe Vitalone. The 98-year-old Pompton Plains, New Jersey native served as part of General Pattons Third Army. He fulfilled a lifelong dream to honor the memory of his best friend Joe Romano who was killed in action in World War II. pic.twitter.com/0GQqsIn0Iw New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 13, 2020 To borrow a line from legendary New York Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen, How about that? On Sunday, Gabe Vitalone, a 98-year-old World War II veteran from Pompton Plains, N.J., performed the national anthem before the Yankees hosted the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers According to the Yankees, Vitalone served in General George Pattons Third Army during World War II. Vitalone sang the national anthem to fulfill a lifelong dream to honor the memory of Joe Romano, his best fried who was killed in action during World War II. Following Vitalones performance, the Yankees went out and beat the Orioles, 3-1, to complete a four-game sweep of the series. Buy Gerrit Cole Yankees gear: Fanatics.com, MLBShop.com, Lids The Yankees are off Monday and return to action Tuesday to host the Toronto Blue Jays, who are half-game ahead of New York in the American League East. The Yankees and Blue Jays will meet seven times during the final two weeks of the regular season as both clubs jockey for playoff positioning. Rookie Deivi Garcia will get the ball Tuesday to open the must-win series. Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. A senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, has defended the N100 million suit filed against Lagos State police commissioner over the detention of late Moshood Abiolas sons. Two sons of the late presidential candidate, Kassim and Aliyu, were arrested and detained over a robbery incident that took place at their fathers residence on September 2. They claimed they were unlawfully arrested and detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja, sequel to a complaint that was lodged by their step-mum, Adebisi Abiola, after the robbery incident. On Friday, the duo approached a Lagos State High Court in the Ikeja Judicial Division for the enforcement of their fundamental rights. However, their step-mum, Adebisi Abiola, had denied being behind the continued detention of the two and faulted the suit filed against the police. In a statement issued by Debo Adeleke, the familys lawyer, Mrs Abiola said the arrest of her stepsons is as a result of their unruly acts during police interrogation after the robbery. Mr Adeleke said the law suit thwarted the familys effort to secure an administrative bail for Kassim and Aliyu. He also accused Mr Ozekhome of prying into the affairs of the family because the lawsuit was not instituted by any member of the family. the wrong and ill-advised move by a third party who is not a known member of the family in filing a fundamental right enforcement suit for the release of Kassim and Aliu Abiola. Defence Responding to the accusations, Mr Ozekhome said his firm was briefed to handle the case after a series of telephone calls by Olive Abiola, the Cameroonian mother of the duo, who lives in Zimbabwe. He said the firm instructed two senior lawyers, Chimaobi Onuigbo and Ejieke Onuoha, to interview the two detained children of late Abiola, afterwards. The two detained young men gave our lawyers further full verbal briefing, in addition to that already given by their mother via a series of telephone conversations. It is therefore professionally unfair and extremely preposterous for anyone (let alone a law firm), to suggest, imagine, or even day-dream, that at our level, we would ever jump up and take up a matter we have not been properly and adequately briefed on to handle. We are the more taken aback that such a most unfounded allegation could ever be made against us, and signed by Mr Debo Adeleke, on behalf of the above law firm. Mr Ozekhome noted that the facts given by both mother and detained children were enough to include Adebisi as second defendant in the fundamental rights matter, save for the respect of her late husband. Also, in the statement, the human rights lawyer challenged Mr Adelekes law firm to massage the ego of the concerned Police Officers to kindly release the duo of Kassim and Aliu Abiola from illegal detention. Do they not also deserve to have a decent life, free from intimidation, harassment and humiliation, like all other Abiola children? he asked rhetorically. BOSTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceres and its leading climate experts will hold a virtual media briefing on Tuesday (Sept. 15) to outline the key action steps large emitters, as well as investors, policymakers, and regulators can take right now to address the climate crisis and prevent the next climate catastrophe. The experts will highlight the latest actions and trends that have emerged across sectors as businesses adapt to tackling this systemic threat. They will discuss newly released thought leadership resources and investor-led initiatives Climate Action 100+ and The Investor Agenda that are already inspiring positive climate action and engagement. The briefing comes on the heels of an urgent call for action to 161 of the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to become net-zero businesses. Climate Action 100+ laid out for the first time how it will assess and benchmark the companies' progress towards achieving this goal. What: Ceres Climate Week 2020 Media Briefing Ceres is an official host of Climate Week NYC 2020. You can find a link to the sessions that Ceres is hosting at: ceres.org/ClimateWeek2020 . Who: Mindy Lubber, CEO and President, Ceres Anne Kelly, Vice President of Government Affairs, Ceres Kirsten Spalding, Senior Program Director, Investor Network, Ceres Dan Bakal, Interim Senior Program Director, Climate and Energy, Ceres Veena Ramani, Senior Program Director, Capital Market Systems, Ceres When: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) on Tuesday, Sept. 15 How to join: Please RSVP Troy Shaheen [email protected] or Barbara Grady [email protected] to receive the log-in information for the media briefing. The media briefing is open to journalists only. About Ceres Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews . SOURCE Ceres Related Links https://www.ceres.org/news-center/press-releases/ceres-leading-experts-highlight-key-action-steps-stop-climate-crisis Mumbai, Sep 14 : Actress Kangana Ranaut claimed that the basic problem of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is that she has exposed the movie mafia, the murderers of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the drug racket. She also claimed the chief minsiter's son Aaditya Thackeray hangs out with such people. "Basic problem of Maharashtra CM is why I exposed movie mafia, murderers of SSR and its drug racket, who his beloved son Aaditya Thakeray hangs out with, this is my big crime so now they want to fix me, ok try let's see who fixes who," she tweeted on Monday. Earlier in the day, Kangana returned to her hometown Manali as her relationship with the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government got worse. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on," the actress had tweeted on Monday morning. The war of words started after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and called the city's police force a "sham". Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Several academics, politicians, and lawyers on Monday expressed solidarity with activist Umar Khalid a day after the Delhi polices special cell arrested him under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Protection) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the conspiracy behind the February riots in Delhi. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called for standing with people like Khalid citing imperilling of civil liberties and democracy. ....When democracy & civil liberties are imperilled by the actions of the Govt [government], whether it is [Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram] Yechury, Umar Khalid or Kafeel Khan, we must all stand with them. Swaraj India chief, Yogendra Yadav, called Khalid a thinking idealist, who has always opposed violence in any form. Shocked that an anti-terror law UAPA has been used to arrest a young, thinking, idealist like @UmarKhalidJNU who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form. He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves. @DelhiPolice cant detain Indias future for long, he tweeted. Shocked that an anti-terror law UAPA has been used to arrest a young, thinking, idealist like @UmarKhalidJNU who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form. He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves.@DelhiPolice can't detain India's future for long. Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 14, 2020 Lawyer Prashant Bhushan called Khalids arrest a conspiracy to frame peaceful activists in the guise of investigation. Umar Khalids arrest by Delhi police after naming Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, [academics] Jayati Ghosh & Apoorvanand, leaves no doubt at all about the malafide nature of its investigation into Delhi riots, he tweeted. Bhushan was referring to a charge sheet related to the riots filed last month that has the statement of an accused attached to it claiming Yechury, Apoorvanand, former lawmaker Chaudhary Mateen and advocate Mahmood Pracha instigated anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protestors. The Delhi police have issued a clarification saying these individuals have not been named as accused in the case. Also Read: Umar Khalid arrested in connection with North-East Delhi riots The riots were triggered following clashes between supporters of the CAA and its opponents. The CAAs passage in December to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, triggered protests across the country. Opponents of the law insist it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it leaves out the Muslims and links faith to citizenship in a secular country. They say it could result in the expulsion or detentions of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of a proposed pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC). A process carried out in Assam to detect undocumented immigrants led to the exclusion of around two million people from NRC in 2018. Activist Harsh Mandar said Khalid speaks about Gandhi and non-violence. ...Hes a youth a country should be proud of - idealistic, progressive, brave. We spoke together in anti-CAA protests: he spoke always of non-violence & Gandhi. Today hes arrested under draconian UAPA on trumped up charges of conspiracy. Cry out, my country, he tweeted. #StandWithUmarKhalid He's a youth a country should be proud of - idealistic, progressive, brave. We spoke together in anti-CAA protests: he spoke always of non-violence & Gandhi. Today he's arrested under draconian UAPA on trumped up charges of conspiracy. Cry out, my country https://t.co/cvS7ysd5Ls Harsh Mander (@harsh_mander) September 13, 2020 A group of academics and activists separately issued a statement in Khalids support and called his arrest a witch-hunt. As citizens deeply committed to Constitutional values, we condemn the arrest of Umar Khalid who has been subjected to a malicious investigation targeting peaceful anti-CAA protestors. He has been booked under several charges including UAPA, sedition and conspiracy for murder. With deep anguish, we have no doubt in saying that this investigation is not about the violence in February 2020 in the national capital, but on the completely peaceful and democratic protests across the country against the unconstitutional CAA, the statement said. The signatories to the statement include Ravi Kiran Jain and V Suresh of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties; lawyers Mihir Desai and ND Pancholi; academics Satish Deshpande, Mary John, Apoorvanand, Nandini Sundar and Shuddhabrata Sengupta; and rights activists Aakar Patel, Mander, Farah Naqvi and Biraj Patnaik. Also Read: Delhi Police trying to mute voices of those who dissent against govt: Umar Khalids father It is very significant that of the 20 arrested, 19 are under the age of 31. Of which 17 have been charged under the draconian UAPA and have been imprisoned on charges of a conspiracy for the Delhi violence whereas those who actually instigated and participated in the violence have not been touched. Of the ones incarcerated, five are women, except for one all are also students, the statement added. Jamia Millia Islamia student Meeran Haider, Jamia Coordination Committees Safoora Zargar, and Pinjra Tod activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita have also been arrested under UAPA on charges of allegedly planning and executing the riots. Left-wing All India Students Association (AISA) said all the speeches of anti-CAA protesters are in the public domain and to claim a conspiracy is not only laughable but points fingers at the credibility of the investigation. Activists, students and political leaders who participated in these spontaneous protests that erupted across India were fighting to defend the constitution and plurality of our society. Umar Khalid along with Khalid Saifi and other activists was doing the very same i.e. defending the constitution and democracy, AISA said in a statement. Actors Swara Bhaskar, Prakash Raj, and Zeeshan Ayyub also tweeted in Khalids support. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 100 Years Ago 1920: School directors, councilmen and commissioners of boroughs and townships are wrestling with an important question relative to taxation for women voters which is causing much concern at this time for these officers. The women in the county have already been assessed a county and poor tax which is necessary to make them eligible to vote. Now comes the question of the women paying a school, borough or township tax. 75 Years Ago 1945: The Ray Wanzel Rehabilitation Fund grew to over $2,000 today as the 11-year-old victim of a post V-J Day celebration left Crozer Hospital to return to his home at 1513 Walnut St. The largest single contribution to the fund will be the $554 netted from the city-wide paper drive on Thursday in which the resident of Chester responded overwhelmingly with 89,485 pounds of paper. The boy lost his left hand and suffered burns about the legs and face when a dud bomb exploded in the Martin schoolyard the day after the citys V-J celebration at PMC Stadium. 50 Years Ago 1970: Chester School Board President Clarence H. Roberts expressed confidence today that city school directors at their meeting tonight at 8 would give the green light to Chesters proposed multi-million high school building project. He labeled today as hot air rumors circulated during the last week which alleged a movement was afoot to scuttle the current $18.3 million version of the project because of over ambitious pupil population projections for the new school. 25 Years Ago 1995: More than 100 residents who turned out at last nights public hearing left with the news theyd hoped to hear Aston commissioners vowed their support in seeing a community center/library come to fruition, be it through leasing a wing of the former Green Ridge Elementary School or building a complex on township-owned land. Commissioners agree to appoint representatives from Aston A.A., Aston Free Library and local senior citizens groups to a new committee on the issue. 10 Years Ago 2010: A theft suspect fled from the crime scene on an unusual set of wheels, according to Upper Darby police. An 18-year-old homeless man was cruising along on his in-line skates at 5 a.m. Sept. 13 when he was stopped by police in Drexel Hill. Moments earlier he was allegedly seen inside a womans car on the first block of Revere Road, in the Drexelbrook complex, police said. Apparently, he steals for a living, police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. The man was later seen rollerblading on Woodland Avenue by Officer Michael Crosby. COLIN AINSWORTH DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Coca-Cola, Fine Hygienic Holding, PepsiCo, RB and DHL will lead for the 2020 Middle East Edition of House of Rose Professional Pte. Ltd.'s Break the ceiling touch the sky - the success and leadership summit for women which will be held virtually on Oct 1, 2020. AMCHAM Dubai, AMCHAM Abu Dhabi and French Business Council Dubai & Northern Emirates are the official industry partners for the summit. The 2020 Middle East Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky showcases the best practices on leadership, diversity & inclusion and success of the leading Companies and leaders in the region. Participants can access cutting-edge knowledge to inspire and enable their leaders and enhance the leadership skills of their leaders to navigate these volatile, uncertain, complex and uncertain (VUCA) times and accelerate their career and business growth despite the challenges. Speakers at the summit on Oct 1, 2020 include Shahzeb Mahmood, Regional Director and GM, MENAP, Reckitt Benckiser (RB); James Michael Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer, Fine Hygienic Holding; Ozlem Fidanci, CEO Middle East & Turkey, Philips; Claudia Navarro, Marketing Director, Middle East and North Africa, The Coca-Cola Company; Ana Raposo, Country Director, Gulf countries, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Johnson & Johnson; Monique Lanaux, Senior Director, Global Diversity & Engagement at PepsiCo; Eva Mattheeussen, Head of HR, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa (MEA); Mohammed Samir, Executive Chairman, Alyasra; Former President, India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) Selling & Market Operations, P&G; Jia Gay, Chief Human Resources Officer, Aramex International; Assaf AlQuraishi, HRVP North Africa Middle East, Turkey, Russia Ukraine and Belarus (NAMETRUB); Delel Chaabouni, Executive Partner Gartner, Gulf & Emerging Markets; Sheena Ganesh, Chief Operating Officer -Audit, KPMG Lower Gulf; Andrea Janjua, Chief Marketing Officer, Fine Hygienic Holding; Ranu Gupta, Managing Partner, Performance Leverage and Consultant, House of Rose Professional. Commented James Michael Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding, "In 2018 we joined the Break the ceiling touch the sky movement via a partnership with the summit in the Middle East and in Singapore. Inspired by the many sharings of success on gender diversity in particular we have made rapid progress, going from zero women leaders on our Executive team to over 30% in under six months. Since then we have step-changed our business results. Learning and sharing across industries on Diversity & Inclusion is a critical part of our game plan for success and we are proud to be a Platinum sponsor of the 2020 Middle East Edition of the summit." Eva Mattheeussen, Head of HR, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa (MEA) commented, "We consider the diversity of our workforce to be a great strength. We bring together people from a wide range of societies and cultural backgrounds - all of them with differing skills, experiences and views. All with the goal of achieving creativity and productivity at the highest levels." Commented Shahzeb Mahmood, Shahzeb Mahmood, Regional Director and GM, MENAP, RB, "At RB, we actively seek to integrate diversity into our business. This is for us the most obvious continuing enabler to unlock the full potential of our people, our brands and our businesses. We believe this integral to be able to provide innovative solutions to our consumers, and positive impact in the communities we operate in. Gender diversity in particular is a stated priority for our Company and we are delighted to be one of the leading industry voices in enabling the advancement of gender diversity in the Middle East. This is important to our customers and our employees and to every one of us at RB." The 2020 Middle East Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky is supported by Coca-Cola as World sponsor, PepsiCo and Fine Hygienic Holding as Platinum sponsors and RB and DHL as silver sponsors. Concluded Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO, House of Rose Professional and best-selling author of the book Break the Ceiling, Touch the Sky: success secrets of the world's most inspirational women which inspired the summit: "Break the ceiling touch the sky is a unique opportunity for Companies in the Middle East to support their leaders to greater excellence and contribution, learn from the best practices of other great companies and to enable their businesses to greater growth ahead." For details please visitwww.houseofroseprofessional.com. House of Rose ProfessionalPte. Ltd. is headquartered in Singapore and works across the Talent (Dream Job International), Training (Break the ceiling touch the sky) and Transformation (CEOSmith) areas of business internationally. For media/sponsorship inquiries contact: Anthony A. Rose House of Rose Professional Pte. Ltd. Email: anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1229876/House_of_Rose_Professional_Logo.jpg BERWYN, Pa., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PPR Note Co. (https://pprnoteco.com/) has secured its reputation as a leader in the alternative investing and private fund management sectors by earning a place on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately-held American companies. For 2020, PPR ranked #1,835 on the list by recording a 3-year growth rate of 231%. At PPR, we are dedicated to socially conscious investing and practices. With our investors, homeowners, and staff, we strive to make a positive impact for the community every day and with every level of service we have to offer. PPR honored by inclusion in the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately-held US companies. As listed on the Inc 5000 Official List for 2020, PPR Note Co. "directs and advises investment funds focused on acquiring distressed residential mortgage debt nationwide, providing passive income for private investors." Founded in 2008, PPR Note Co. "connects Wall Street to Main Street" by providing opportunities for individual investors usually reserved for big banks, servicers and hedge funds. PPR's experienced team helps create these opportunities for private investors by sourcing, acquiring, and managing mortgage debt backed by real estate nationwide. PPR Note Co.'s offerings to investors include: Income Funds (generally with higher rates and longer terms) Liquidity Funds (generally with shorter terms) Individual Note Sales (both 1 st and 2 nd position loans) and 2 position loans) REO Sales (offered through a network of REO Agents) PPR serves the investor community in a variety of ways. For accredited investors, the fund offerings provide several different rates and terms in order to satisfy a particular investor's needs. For non-accredited investors, purchasing individual notes (aka mortgage loans) can be a good way to diversify one's portfolio with a cash-flowing asset that requires minimal management. "Since we began buying notes back in 2008, our partnership with fund investors and note buyers has been critical to our success. We certainly wouldn't be the recipient of this award today without having had the support of our investors over the years. Our goal is to continue to provide excellent opportunities to these investors in the years to come," says Dave Van Horn, President & CEO of PPR Note Co. About PPR Note Co As of Q2 2020, PPR Note Co. manages a portfolio of residential mortgages and REO valued at $139M. This portfolio contains a mix of loan types secured by property nationwide. Above all, at PPR, we are dedicated to socially conscious investing and practices. With our investors, homeowners, and staff, we strive to make a positive impact for the community every day and with every level of service we have to offer. Contact: Chris Van Horn, Director of Marketing [email protected] 877-395-1290 SOURCE PPR Note Co. Related Links https://pprnoteco.com (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @curtiswalker) Hiding From Someone? Google Street Could Accidentally Your Location; Here's How You Can Blur Your House (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @a_centrism) Hiding From Someone? Google Street Could Accidentally Your Location; Here's How You Can Blur Your House Google Street View could accidentally show some of the unwanted things inside your house. Because of this app's feature, your location is now revealed in public. I found the low-income housing spot closest to the block on which @mattyglesias lives, and screenshot the Google street view. A New Radical Centrism (@a_centrism) September 12, 2020 I wasn't prepared for the unimaginable poverty and urban blight. pic.twitter.com/riWII0gL0a Also Read: Google Search Blocks Autocomplete Functions Before Election Day 2020 to Prevent Misinformation The good thing is, there's still something you can do to blur your home. What you need to do is simply ask Google to blur your house out permanently. Also Read: Google's New Feature Prevents Unwanted Robocalls; 'Verified Calls' Will Inform You the Unknown Call's Reason To do this, you need to open Google Maps and enter your home address. After that, change the app's mode to Street View mode by dragging the small yellow human-shaped icon, located at the bottom-right corner of the display, onto the map in front of your place. Once you have a good view of your house, tap the "Report a problem" option at the screen's bottom right corner. Then, position the red box on your house and select "My home" in the "Request blurring" field. After you completed the process, your house will only be a smeared suggestion. Google Street View, launched in 2007, provides accurate images of the street-level view of many towns and cities across the globe. Every year, the company would send roving vehicles and photographers equipped with camera-laden backpacks so that Street View is up to date. Proofs that Google Street View will approve your request The Google app previously faced many controversies, with companies reporting them for trespassing and other issues. In 2008, the Minnesota suburb of North Oaks threatened Google that it would cite the company for trespassing. Touring Las Vegas on Google Street View is quite entertaining. pic.twitter.com/kEWcZt6boy Curtis Joe Walker (@curtiswalker) September 12, 2020 The company decided that it didn't want its pictures posted on Google's service. Another formal complaint was filed in 2009. The lobbying organization Privacy International sent a complaint to the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), accusing the app of failing to accurately de-identify the people Google captured. For more news updates about Google services, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Also Read: [VIRAL] Researchers Claim Google Searches for Gut Symptoms is Related to Number of COVID-19 Cases and Show New Hot Spots This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Since the beginning of Term 3, on July 21, at least 32 schools in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have been forced to close temporarily after staff or students returned positive COVID-19 tests. These closures have gone virtually unreported by the corporate media, assisted by the complicity of the trade unions covering teachers. In many cases, despite government promises of deep cleaning, schools have been swiftly reopened. Schools in NSW reopened for face-to-face teaching early in Term 2 as a component of the return-to-work drive enforced by the state and federal governments, endangering the health and lives of students, teachers and their families. The state government had only briefly moved to online learning late in Term 1, during the first pandemic wave, after many parents defied the urging of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and refused to send their children to school. Despite numerous scientific studies proving the opposite, Australian governments have insisted that children are not susceptible to the coronavirus, or that they do not transmit it to adults. In fact, 12 percent of confirmed cases in the country are children and teenagers. The largest school cluster in the state has been at Tangara School for Girls, a private Catholic school in the western Sydney suburb of Cherrybrook. The school was closed for two weeks after a student tested positive on August 8. In total, 26 students, teachers and other close contacts were diagnosed with the coronavirus as a result of the outbreak. Teachers and students at Tangara were subjected to a police investigation, which found that no public health orders were breached at the school. Following reports that several Tangara students had attended a study-and-prayer retreat before testing positive, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian seized upon the news to suggest that the outbreak was the result of a protocol breach, and not an inevitable outcome of face-to-face teaching during the pandemic. She said: Can I please remind everybody who manages an organisation or manages a non-government school or any other entity that large gatherings, or mixing between organisations or between schools is something which is not allowable under the COVID rules? Yet the NSW government allows gatherings of up to 500 for community sportmostly involving schoolchildrenas well as crowds of up to 10,000 at major sporting events. The Independent Educators Union (IEU), which covers teachers at non-government schools, echoed the premiers claim that outbreaks were the result of schools failing to adhere to COVID-safe plans. The unions August 10 press release also stated: Older school aged students, those in Years 11 and 12 in particular, are often working part-time jobs, doing extra-curricular activities, and are otherwise mobile in our communities in a way similar to adults. In other words, coronavirus outbreaks in schools are the result of the irresponsible actions of individual students, and not the reckless reopening of schools that is entirely bound up with the demands of big business for an economic snapback. The restrictions that do apply to schools are minimal. Schools are encouraged to maintain smaller classes, but no funding has been provided to public schools to employ additional teachers. Under the regulations, field trips are limited, choirs and wind bands are prohibited, school dances and social events are cancelled, and assemblies are restricted in size and duration. As was the case with the provision of online learning, the implementation of COVID-19 rules and recommendations has varied widely between schools, and sharpened the divide between wealthy private schools and the states overcrowded and underfunded public schools. A 2017 report by the NSW Auditor-General found that more than half of all government primary schools in Sydney were operating at or above capacity, meaning that even if sufficient teachers are found to facilitate smaller class sizes, no classrooms are available. Speaking to the World Socialist Web Site, teachers reported that while some schools have implemented regular temperature screening, mandatory sanitiser stations, social distancing in corridors, and supervised hand washing for younger children, others did not even have soap in the student toilets until teachers provided it themselves. The burden of preventing COVID-19 outbreaks has been borne almost exclusively by school staff. In addition to their existing duties, teachers have been asked to send children home if they show symptoms, to police social distancing in the classroom and playground, and to provide online learning for self-isolating students. Many have brought in their own supplies of soap, hand sanitiser and other basic hygiene items. On May 25, the NSW Department of Education ordered all staff back to work, including those who had previously been allowed to work from home due to their age or underlying health conditions. While the updated rules do allow the possibility of working from home for teachers aged 70 and over, and those with compromised immune systems, this is at the discretion of school principals, and on the proviso that suitable work is available. If teachers in these high-risk categories are not allowed to work from home, they are offered a maximum of 20 days special leave, after which they must return to school, or apply for annual or long-service leave. Pregnant women and teachers who live with people at high risk for COVID-19 are explicitly excluded from these high-risk categories. Despite the obvious danger confronting teachers and students, the unions have been virtually silent. On March 25, two days after Berejiklian had caved in to public pressure and asked parents not to send their children to school, the NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) released a statement calling for an end to normal school operations. Since then, the NSWTF has not issued a single press release in relation to the health and safety of teachers during the pandemic. The Victorian branch of the NSWTFs parent Australian Education Union (AEU) has supported an imminent return to face-to-face teaching in that state, although there are still almost 1,500 active cases of COVID-19, and close to 400 new cases have been reported in the past week. An IEU August 11 statement called on the government to provide clear and decisive guidance to schools, in particular making an explicit recommendation for staff and students to wear masks within school settings. When updated guidelines were released on August 17, containing no such recommendation, the IEU nevertheless endorsed the Reset for Term 3 in a press release headlined New guidelines for schools are goodcompliance is crucial. The union merely instructed its members: You dont need to ask, just wear a mask. The statement flagged the unions commitment to returning teachers to classrooms. IEU secretary Mark Northam said: No one knows better than our members the benefits of face-to-face learning. School employers must comply with these detailed guidelines to ensure minimal disruption to teaching and learning throughout Terms 3 and 4. The response of the unions to the pandemic, in the face of the concerns of teachers, parents and students, demonstrates that these organisations do not represent the interests of their members. Instead, teachers, school staff and parents need to follow the lead of US educators and form rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the unions, to fight for their safety and that of students. The Committee for Public Education (CFPE), which has fought against the reckless school reopenings and for the development of rank-and-file safety committees among teachers and educators, can be contacted here: Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation Twitter: @CFPE_Australia Smoke-veiled country roads in Clackamas County are taking on a dystopian feel, as residents in the wildfire evacuation zone post signs boasting of armed patrols and threatening to shoot and kill looters. Several signs contain some variation of You loot, we shoot. One sign captured by a photographer for the Portland television station KPTV between Estacada and Colton was more detailed. We wont call your family. Your body will never be found!! Bang bang! Its a grim scene, even in a year that has already brought a global pandemic and recession. At the same time, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office has fielded hundreds of calls in recent days from residents who were worried about suspicious vehicles and people and potential burglaries. The vast majority (of reports) were determined to be non-criminal in nature, the sheriffs office said in a news release Saturday night. Some of the many warnings residents have posted between Colton and Estacada. @fox12oregon pic.twitter.com/gOstHelXH0 Devin Eskew (@Devin_Eskew) September 12, 2020 Law enforcement officials around the state have spoken out to dispel false reports spreading on social media of widespread looting in evacuation zones, as tens of thousands of Oregonians have been forced to flee wildfires. Multnomah County sheriffs deputies are helping to patrol evacuated areas of Clackamas County, and Oregon State Police and National Guard members are also assisting with traffic control and other tasks in fire zones. Law enforcement and community members have also had to contend with armed residents in both counties setting up illegal roadblocks to control who enters and leaves. On Saturday, Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese issued a video statement to address illegal roadblocks set up by residents in east Multnomah County, after someone in the Corbett area started a fire with a firework that was quickly extinguished Friday. We understand everyones concerns and anxiety during this unprecedented fire season, especially our neighbors living in rural areas, Reese said, noting the sheriffs office added extra patrols. We told people engaging in this behavior that roadways are open to all users and their actions are illegal and they could be subject to a citation or arrest. Sheriff Mike Reese issues a statement regarding illegal roadblocks and fire concerns in East Multnomah County. pic.twitter.com/WvmIavU39V Multnomah Co Sheriff (@MultCoSO) September 12, 2020 Armed people also tried to control who left and entered the Clackamas County city of Molalla in recent days and have reportedly done so elsewhere in the county, prompting other residents to express both approval and fear in private Facebook groups in recent days. The situation also led Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts to publicly call on self-appointed, gun-toting patrols to immediately stop during a media briefing on Sunday afternoon. The last thing I want to see is anything tragically happen because somebodys overreacting to something they think is criminal and it is not, Roberts said. Clackamas County deputies did arrest more than a dozen people in recent days on suspicion of offenses including driving under the influence of influence of intoxicants, theft, domestic violence including felony strangulation, possession of heroin and methamphetamine and criminal trespass. Many of the people arrested in Clackamas County on suspicion of theft, burglary and other crimes are from Clackamas County. On Friday, a deputy apprehended two people Buck Adam Nickel, 41, of Estacada, and Kimberlee Tipton, 52, of Milwaukie who were trying to take a trailer that the owners left by the side of Judd Road in Eagle Creek while they went to get supplies to fix a flat tire. The owners were Good Samaritans who were traveling around the county to help people evacuate, according to the Sheriffs Office. 3. We've been busy on enhanced fire patrols in Level 2 and Level 3 areas. Last night we published "Tales from the #ClackamasWildfire Patrols," which gathered some fascinating patrol stats. Read our roundup here:https://t.co/b05dliBon5 pic.twitter.com/uJX3ndJ0Sd Clackamas Sheriff (@ClackCoSheriff) September 13, 2020 The Clackamas County deputy cited Tipton for theft and arrested Nickel on suspicion of theft and felon in possession of a firearm. Deputies also arrested James Dean Shotwell and Sandy Faye Lenox Friday on suspicion of theft and burglary, after they found the pair walking onto a property on Ringo Road near Mulino. Deputies determined Shotwell and Lenox had stolen two gas-powered generators, a box of hand tools including a cordless drill, two leaf blowers, and at least one gas can from a neighboring property, according to a news release. Molalla police arrested Duane Schlip of Molalla Friday on suspicion of stealing a John Deere Gator side-by-side utility vehicle and potentially other property, in collaboration with Shotwell. Shotwell had the key to the stolen utility vehicle in his pocket, according to the sheriffs office. -- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Partly to mostly sunny, brisk, and very cold. Below zero wind chills in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills again late at night towards sunrise. Westpac Bank signage is displayed on a building in this photo taken in Sydney, Australia, on 13 July 2006. (Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images) Australias Strategic Interests Influence Westpac Banks Pacific Sell-Off Westpac Bank will take into account Australias strategic needs if it goes ahead with the sale of its pacific banking arms in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Westpac is reportedly looking to divest more than $3 billion worth of non-core assets, including its wealth management platform, general insurance business, car and auto loans business, as well as the long-running Pacific Bank. CEO Peter King appeared before the House of Representatives Economics Committee on Sept. 11. The committee chairman, Liberal MP Tim Wilson, questioned whether King would consider the geopolitical risks to Australia associated with the sale of its pacific interests. Asking twice, Wilson sought assurances from King that Westpac would rule out selling to a Chinese financial institution because of issues around Australias national interest and strategic interests in the region. In response, King noted that currently Westpac had not yet decided on a path for its pacific operations, but said he would need to consider that aspect. I would take into account all considerations, think about the business, who are the potential owners, and whether they meet requirements, said King. Westpac Reduces Portfolio to Survive On May 4, Westpac announced to the ASX (pdf) that it had experienced a 62 percent drop in profits in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019 with earnings of just $1.19 billion. According to King the drop in profits was one of the most challenging results of the COVID-19 pandemics financial impact and it was clear Westpac needed to simplify and focus on its Australian and New Zealand banking businesses. As a result, Westpac has moved its Pacific businesses, superannuation, wealth investments, insurance, and auto finance divisions into the Specialist Businesses division, under the leadership of Jason Yetton. Yetton, a former CEO of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia is tasked with reviewing Westpacs Pacific operations to see if they would be more successful under different ownership. The changes today are a significant step to reducing our portfolio and will allow the Group Executives to focus on improving performances in our Australian and New Zeland banking business, King said. Westpac has openly stated it sees its role in the Pacific is to be part of the economic stability and security of the region. One of the longest-serving banking institutions in the sphere, it has run financial operations in Fiji for 113 years and was also the first bank in Papua New Guinea. In 2015 Westpac sold its South Pacific banking operations, including those in Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga to the Bank South Pacific (BSP) for $125 million. BSP is run by the government of Papua New Guinea. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. Chatham High School has switched to all-remote classes for two weeks after at least a dozen students who attended a Labor Day weekend party tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said. Chatham Superintendent Michael LaSusa said in a letter to parents and staff Friday that the confirmation of additional cases led to the decision to close the school building and switch to virtual instruction for 14 days. The district confirmed the first case last week and canceled in-person classes at the high school Thursday and Friday while investigating the extent of the outbreak. Based on its contact tracing process, the Department of Health believes there was likely active transmission of the virus at a non-school event over the weekend, though it is possible that there may have been other gatherings during or before the weekend where transmission could have occurred, LaSusa said in the letter. Westfield Health Officer Megan Avalone, who also oversees health services in Chatham Borough, said most of the students had mild symptoms like headaches and body aches and none were seriously ill. She credited fast communication between the school district and the health department for stemming the outbreak before it spread within the school. There was great communication really early on, the superintendent was really proactive in closing the high school so no transmission at the school took place, Avalone said. Parents also kept students home once they learned of a possible exposure, and, as a result, no teachers came into direct contact and are required to quarantine, Avalone said. The district had its first day of school Tuesday as schools reopened under a hybrid learning plan. Extracurricular activities are also suspended for the next two weeks, LaSusa said. Classes and activities will resume in-person Sept. 29. Classrooms will be cleaned during that time. Keep up with the latest in N.J. schools coverage. Sign up your email here: Representatives for the Chatham Education Association did not respond to requests for comment. LaSusa declined to comment beyond the letter sent to parents over the weekend. According to a matrix published by the Department of Education, districts are required to consult with the local health department about closing schools if there is a significant community outbreak involving students, staff or their families. LaSusa previously said he contacted the health department as soon as the district was notified of the first case last week. The school going virtual for two weeks is proof that these safeguards work, Avalone said. She also called on parents to stress to their teens the importance of mask wearing and social distancing even outside of school. We are working to keep school safe, the system is working, but its really important that parents tell their children that whatever protective measures (they do) in school should be carried on over to the weekends and days off, Avalone said. Chatham isnt the only school to have confirmed cases of the coronavirus since students began heading back into classrooms for the first time since March. At least five other districts have had to modify schedules after students or teachers tested positive for the virus. The New Jersey Department of Health issued several matrices to help schools decide if and when they should ask students to quarantine or shut down school buildings if someone tests positive for COVID-19. Islamabad, Sep 14 : United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad will land in Islamabad later on Monday to meet with the Pakistani leadership and discuss the future course of action in the Afghan peace process. As per diplomatic sources, Khalilzad will be holding important meetings with the civilian and military leadership of Pakistan and discuss findings during the first round of the intra-Afghan dialogue that is in progress in Doha. "He will discuss the next phase of the Afghan peace process with important deliberations and guidance on the reconciliation process," said a Pakistani government source. The visit holds importance as it comes at a time when Afghan government and the Taliban have started the first round of the intra-Afghan dialogue with optimism of ending the decades-long conflict which has claimed lives of tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan. The Afghan government negotiation team, led by Abdullah Abdullah has called for an immediate ceasefire to ensure smooth and positive forward movement in the dialogue process, which is aimed at bringing back peace in the country, region and the world at large. "The ongoing toll of the war has claimed at least 12,000 civilians while another 15,000 have been critically wounded since the US and the Taliban signed a deal in February," he said. It is expected that the same demand will be part of the agenda of talks during Khalilzad's stay in Islamabad as he will be seeking Islamabad's support in convincing the Taliban to announce a ceasefire till the intra-Afghan dialogue continues. Pakistan has played a key role in bringing the Taliban to the table for talks with the Afghan government and holds major stakes in the ongoing intra-Afghan dialogue. "Pakistan has fully facilitated the process that culminated in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on February 29, 2020 and has reached this juncture," said Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, addressing the opening session of the intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha through video link. Khalilzad's next stop after Pakistan will be in India where important discussions on the Afghan peace process will be further taken up. (CNN) It's been five months since Lucy Gahan contracted Covid-19, and her life still hasn't returned to normal. Gahan, a clinical psychologist in Shrewsbury, United Kingdom, hasn't been able to return to work. The disease causes what she calls "storms," disabling periods when she feels shortness of breath, numbness in her hands and feet and her heart rate shoots up from simple tasks. Even taking a shower is possible only during an occasional respite in symptoms. "In May and June, I could barely talk because I was so ill," she said. Before contracting the disease in early April, the mother of two ran three times a week and had a regular yoga routine. "I can only walk as far as the corner," she said. "In terms of running, I can't imagine when that will happen, if ever." She is one of thousands around the world for whom Covid-19 has turned into a chronic condition. Gahan and other Covid-19 "long haulers" feel they aren't yet getting recognition for an illness that has disabled them for months, with no end in sight. "I'm a clinical psychologist, and this is not anxiety," she said. "If doctors just say 'We don't know,' it's better than saying Covid symptoms only last two weeks." Many hospitalized for Covid-19 at risk to become 'long haulers' About three-quarters of those hospitalized for Covid-19 could become long haulers, according to a paper uploaded to the pre-print server medRxiv on August 14 without having yet been vetted by outside experts or accepted for publication. Researchers from the Academic Respiratory Unit of the North Bristol NHS Trust in the UK looked at 110 Covid-19 patients, whose illnesses required hospital stays for a median of five days between March 30 and June 3. Twelve weeks after patients were released from the hospital, 74 percent of them reported symptoms, including breathlessness and excessive fatigue. Despite these symptoms, however, 104 of the 110 patients in the study had normal basic blood test results, with just 12 percent showing an abnormal chest X-ray and 10 percent showing restrictive lung function through spirometry tests. The British Medical Journal released new guidance for health providers in August on how to treat long-haul Covid-19 patients, estimating that up to 10 percent of all people who have tested positive could develop a prolonged illness. The guidance includes specific blood tests to perform, possibly referring patients to pulmonary rehabilitation and having them use pulse oximetry at home to measure oxygen saturation in the blood. Results like these fly in the face of a narrative that took hold early in the pandemic, in which many medical professionals believed that the average Covid-19 patient would be sick for a couple weeks, clear the virus and be fine afterward. That turns out not to be the case for everyone. The BMJ guidance cited "weak or absent antibody response, relapse or reinfection, inflammatory and other immune reactions, deconditioning, and mental factors such as post-traumatic stress" as contributing to longer-term symptoms. It acknowledged that similar parallels had occurred in patients with SARS and MERS. "The classic case we all have in our hands is not always what really happens," said Dr. MeiLan King Han, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine at the University of Michigan. "For the patients I have followed, many continue to complain of cough, breathing issues and severe fatigue long after their first infection." Long haulers and dysautonomia One of the key issues in caring for each long-haul Covid-19 patient is to figure out how many of their symptoms can be chalked up to the heart and lungs and how much of the illness is actually the result of a deeper form of neurological dysfunction the coronavirus has unspooled, according to Noah Greenspan, a New York-based physical therapist and founder of the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation. Before engaging in physical or respiratory therapy, he asks that all his patients get a full workup from their doctor to rule out a cardiac condition, stroke or pulmonary embolism before starting physical therapy. Some patients' symptoms are mild and can start a more traditional rehab plan, he said, "but there are others, which are turning into the biggest group of people, which are these long haulers." The primary trend across the Covid-19 long haulers that Greenspan is working with is a condition called dysautonomia, a condition marked by a miscommunication between the autonomic nervous system and the rest of the body. The autonomic nervous system regulates automatic body functions such as breathing, sleep and digestion. When it's not working, symptoms can present in myriad different ways, depending on the person. "Reach into a bag of symptoms and pull out a bag of symptoms, and that's what they have for the day," Greenspan said. "It's a twisted ball of yarn and takes a week to unravel one string." While shortness of breath and cardiovascular problems do present in his patients, Greenspan said, these are not usually the most common underlying cause of their misery. Gahan and others with long-haul Covid-19 symptoms face a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which refers to a sharp rise in heart rate that occurs when moving from a reclining to standing position. The pull of gravity causes blood to pool in the legs. This condition can cause dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting. "Their heart rate goes up 50 to 75 points if they get up to get water," Greenspan said. "They have fast heart rates that don't have anything to do with what they're actually doing, that are not commensurate with their workload." Many patients are exhibiting neurological symptoms consistent with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, according to the BMJ and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. That diagnosis requires at least six months of symptoms, a benchmark most long haulers haven't yet reached. For many, lung damage not the biggest issue Many Covid-19 patients feel that the medical system is gaslighting them, telling them there's nothing wrong even though their whole lives have been upended by Covid-19's aftermath. Corey Coopersmith, a 36-year-old fitness consultant in Las Vegas, hasn't been able to work since first getting sick in late February. He suffers a constant ebb and flow of symptoms, and yet visit after visit to medical specialists has turned out a series of "normal" lab tests. "A month ago, I had a pulmonary exam, and I got 120% on the gas exchange test," Coopersmith said, noting the doctor told him, "Your lung function is amazing." But a breakthrough came when he finally visited an immunologist who performed tests that indicated abnormally low function of immune cells, including T cells and B cells. "Have you been tested for HIV?" the immunologist asked Coopersmith, he recalled. "Your blood work looks like someone about to get AIDS." A mixed martial arts fighter in his 20s, Coopersmith was in great shape when he contracted Covid-19 in February, boasting of a resting heart rate of 58 beats per minute. Now though, when he wakes up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, POTS can drive his heart rate to 200. To make it possible to sleep under his new constraints, he bought a continuous positive airway pressure machine, a device with a face mask that pushes oxygen into his lungs. "I lie there gasping for air, fighting for life," he said. For many, lung damage not the biggest issue Coopersmith is one of many Covid survivors trying to grasp why he feels so breathless even though his lung function is excellent. "I feel like my lungs have recovered quite well," Gahan, the clinical psychologist in the UK, said. Her main issue has been pinpointing what has been causing the storms of illness, which are primarily neurological symptoms, including migraines and numbness in her feet and hands. She feels they can be explained by dysautonomia. "I can't do anything except to just go to bed," she said, noting how lights and sounds and emotional stressors exacerbate her ongoing sickness. "I can't stand any interaction." Patients hope their stories of halted recoveries might dissuade others from taking risks with infection by traveling, partying or gathering in large groups prior to development and distribution of a vaccine. "It's not about fatigue. It's about really nasty symptoms that take over your whole life for who knows how long," Gahan said. "Think about people like me when you're thinking about what decisions you should make." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Redefining Covid-19: Months after infection, patients report breathing difficulty, excessive fatigue." Patricia Wilson Aden, president and CEO of the African American Museum of Philadelphia. Read more The leader of the African American Museum in Philadelphia is stepping down. President and CEO Patricia Wilson Aden will leave at the end of September to take the same role at the Blues Foundation in Memphis. During her tenure, Aden conceived a Re-Imagine AAMP campaign to engage new audiences, heighten the museums visibility, and increase admissions, said a museum announcement Monday of her departure. Under Adens leadership, AAMP increased and diversified its revenue streams by growing the museums corporate partnerships, gaining the support of local and national foundations, and cultivating relationships with individual donors. The museum, at Seventh and Arch Streets, was recently part of competing proposals for further development of Penns Landing that would have moved the museum to the waterfront, though the prevailing proposal did not include the museum. Mondays announcement did not make reference to a search for a new president and CEO. Rather, in the near future, AAMP will announce its strategy to ensure a smooth leadership transition that continues our positive momentum, said board chair Sabrina Brooks in a statement. We are committed to building on AAMPs success with our stellar staff and talented and dedicated board of directors. We welcome the continued support of the museums stakeholders and partners during this transition period. READ MORE: As the nation reckons with racism, Phillys African American Museum is wildly underfunded | Opinion Aden joined the museum in 2010 as senior vice president, becoming president in 2012. Brooks became board chair in July after six years on the board of directors. Mondays announcement also noted the election of three new board members: Alex Alston, a senior vice president at Macquarie Group; Nicole Dye-Anderson, assistant vice president for media relations at Barclays; and Greg Deavens, executive vice president, CFO, and treasurer at Independence Health Group. Prior to joining the museum, Aden served several years as the executive director of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, based in Philadelphia. In her new role with the Blues Foundation in Memphis, she will oversee two major annual programs: the Blues Music Awards and the International Blues Challenge, a global competition held in Memphis. The African American Museum in Philadelphia, which shut down in mid-March because of the pandemic, is tentatively scheduled to reopen to the public on Oct. 16 with a new exhibit, Rendering Justice, a collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia focused on incarceration and social justice. The museum, with an annual budget of $2.5 million, relies heavily on public admissions and facility rentals, so the pandemic has really been a challenge for the museum, Aden said. The museum was able to secure a federal pandemic loan and received a small boost in funding from the city. Despite the virus-related adversity, Aden said she believes the museum is in a very good place. Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article. Gartner US Cloud Microsoft Support Guide 2020 Creating an entirely new category in tech services is no easy feat, especially when going head-to-head with an industry giant. The Market Guide for Independent Third-Party Support is Gartners definitive annual report on the support ecosystem for major enterprise software platforms. Until this year, the Guide only covered IBM, Oracle, and SAP. However, with US Cloud arriving onto the scene and creating a new market for Microsoft 3rd-party support, Gartner was compelled to add a Microsoft category to their Guide for the first time ever. Notably, US Cloud was identified as the only provider in the new Microsoft category, appearing alongside other trail-blazing tech service firms such as Oracle and SAP specialists Rimini Street and Spinnaker. The hardest part was getting IT leaders to realize that they should even look for an alternative to their OEM support, said US Cloud founder and CEO, Rob LaMear. Despite well-established markets for other technologies, no one had tried to take on the full depth and breadth of the Microsoft stack and support it 24/7. The price increases for Microsofts new Unified Support model finally pushed companies to look for alternatives and we were able to step into that gap. Its a really big deal for us and, I think, the St. Louis tech community, added Matt Harris, US Cloud President. Creating an entirely new category in tech services is no easy feat, especially when going head-to-head with an industry giant. Our success is a testament to the remarkable tech talent pool in St. Louis that allowed us to compete at that level. A spin-off of 20+ year Microsoft Partner FPWeb, US Cloud has seen significant growth over the last 24-months. The company was named to the annual Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. for the first time in August 2020 and expects to double in size again within the next year. US Cloud also recently closed on a $4.4 million deal to acquire a vacant 50,000-square-foot office building at 12855 Flushing Meadows Drive in Town & Country. A free copy of the Gartner Market Guide is available here: Download the Report About US Cloud: Based in St. Louis, MO., US Cloud offers a complete 3rd-party alternative to Microsoft Support. After 20+ years of providing Microsoft managed services, US Cloud remains fixated on providing USA-based, high-quality Microsoft support at savings of up to 50%. A Penns Grove man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly assaulted an acquaintance Sunday night, authorities said. The 24-year-old victim walked into the borough police station shortly before midnight bleeding profusely from cuts and puncture wounds to the upper torso, according to Officer in Charge Lt. Jason Spera. Officers helped the victim until EMTs arrived. The victim was transported to Christiana Hospital in Delaware and was listed in stable condition Monday morning. Authorities declined to reveal the gender of the victim. Lynn Banks, 43, was arrested at his home without incident and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses. The weapon was described only as a cutting instrument. No motive has been revealed, but the incident began at a private residence and included three crime scenes, Spera said. Surveillance camera video recovered by police led to Banks' arrest, he noted. The incident remains under investigation, with Penns Grove Detective John Nero and Salem County Prosecutors Office Senior Investigator Jessie Venello leading the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact them at 856-299-0304. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil, according to the agency's website. Deaths rose by 5,537 to a total of 917,417. India reported 94,372 new cases, followed by the United States with 45,523 new infections and Brazil with 43,718. Both the United States and India each reported over 1,000 new deaths and Brazil reported 874 lives lost in the past 24 hours. The previous WHO record for new cases was 306,857 on Sept. 6. The agency reported a record 12,430 deaths on April 17. India leads the world in new cases reported each day and set a global record last week with 97,570 cases reported in a single day, according to a Reuters tally. In some parts of India, medical oxygen is becoming hard to find as total cases exceed 4.75 million. Only the United States has recorded more cases at 6.5 million. COVID-19 infections are still rising in 58 countries, including surges in Argentina, Indonesia, Morocco, Spain and Ukraine, according to a Reuters analysis. New cases are falling in the United States and are down about 44% from a peak of more than 77,000 new cases reported on July 16. Cases in Brazil are also trending downward. Also read: Google Doodle today: Google thanks coronavirus frontline workers The College of Educations PIRATE Leadership Academy will build on ECUs principal preparation program and provide funding for 30 fellows over the next five years. | Photo: Cliff Hollis The first eight PIRATE fellows are from school districts in northeastern North Carolina. | Graphic: Kristen Martin THE FIRST COHORT The first eight fellows in the PIRATE Leadership Academy are from northeastern North Carolina school districts. They are: Kristal Brooks Gates County Public Schools Gates County Public Schools Jessica Prayer Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools Mara Swindell Camden County Schools Camden County Schools Sharita Wade Northampton County Schools Northampton County Schools Lynetti Warden Currituck County Schools Currituck County Schools Patrice Watford Hertford County Public Schools Hertford County Public Schools Holly Winslow Perquimans County Schools Perquimans County Schools Darrick Wood Weldon City Schools The first eight fellows in the PIRATE Leadership Academy are from northeastern North Carolina school districts. They are: This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services . The author of this post is Kristen Martin East Carolina University's College of Education received a $3.7 million grant to establish the PIRATE Leadership Academy for principal preparation to serve eastern North Carolina.Department of Educational Leadership professors Dr. Hal Holloman and Dr. Karen Jones lead the program, which is funded by the UNC System's North Carolina Principal Fellows program.Holloman said.Eight PIRATE principal fellows will be admitted each year for the next five years. Each of the 30 school districts will have the opportunity to have one PIRATE fellow starting with the first cohort this fall in the northeastern region of the state.said College of Education Interim Dean Art Rouse.The academy will collaborate with superintendents and district leaders to identify and nominate proven teacher leaders who have not seriously considered pursuing an educational leadership degree due to time restraints, potential financial costs and other concerns.Holloman said.The goal is to train and revitalize future principals who will understand the realities of teacher burnout and will promote restorative and vitalizing practices for themselves and others. These principals will be effective advocates for the success of all students, families and teachers.Holloman said.Each PIRATE fellow will receive funding equivalent to their salary for both years in the program as well as their tuition, fees and textbooks.Holloman said.Educational Leadership professors will travel to rural school sites to deliver leadership training and provide coaching. This year, due to the coronavirus, professors will engage in telecoaching. In the fall and spring of the first year, the candidates will complete projects with their district's leadership team that have a direct impact on that district.To learn more about the program and when a cohort will be offered in your area, contact Dr. Hal Holloman at hollomanh@ecu.edu Actress Kangana Ranaut should shift from Mumbai if she thinks the city is like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and is "bad" to her, Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said on Monday. IMAGE: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on her arrival at Mohali International Airport in Punjab. Photograph: PTI Photo Parab's comments came hours after the actress left Mumbai for her native Himachal Pradesh, tweeting she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". "If Mumbai is this bad, then she should live where she finds it right. We had said this earlier too and we continue to hold this view," Parab told reporters. The minister said the Sena had no "personal issues" with Ranaut. "At the same time, the party cannot just listen if someone criticises or says bad things about the megapolis," he said. Parab said, "Kangana Ranaut is not only the Sena's issue, but also of those who love Mumbai and Maharashtra". "She has to decide what she wants to do. Maharashtra will decide what it has to do. She should shift from here, if she thinks Mumbai is like PoK," the minister added. The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after she expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Asked about Ranaut meeting Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday and raising concern over partial demolition of her Pali Hill office by the Mumbai civic body last week, Parab questioned why the governor met only the actress. "If the governor meets her after the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) took legal action at her office, then he should also meet all those, including the poor, whose illegal structures in Mumbai are demolished by the BMC," Parab said. Ranaut had said that she met Koshyari to apprise him about "injustice" done to her. Parab termed as a "legal step" the action taken by the BMC against "illegal alterations" made at the actress' office. Without naming the BJP, the Sena leader asked why the opposition party was "pained" after Ranaut's office was razed partially. "That means the one (read Ranaut) who was parroting on its (read BJP) behalf suffered (due to the demolition) and therefore, the opponents are pained," he added. Parab also took a dig at Union minister and BJP ally Ramdas Athawale who too had met the governor on the issue, saying the "shutter of the RPI-A leader's shop is half down and he is trying to reopen it fully". Parab added that all know how much importance is to be attached to Athawales remarks. About Sena workers assaulting a retired navy officer in the city for allegedly circulating a cartoon lampooning chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, the minister said the incident cannot be defended. He, however, added that both sides should have stayed in their limits. "Who gave him (the retired officer) the freedom to launch a verbal attack on our deity (Thackeray)? Had he observed restraint, Shiv Sainiks would not have lost their (patience). Just because he was a naval officer does not mean that he will not observe restraint," Parab said. Likening Mumbai to PoK is blasphemy: Congress Mumbai is "pride" of Maharashtra and India and to demean thecity by likening it to Pakistan occupied Kashmir is "blasphemy", All India Congress Committee secretary Ashish Dua said on Monday without naming actress Kangana Ranaut. Taking to Twitter a day after Ranaut met Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, Dua also said the governor's office is "not for politics". "#Mumbai is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. Guv office is not for politics," Dua tweeted. He said the BJP should refrain from "dividing citizens on the basis of region". The Congress is one of the ruling constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghahdi dispensation; the other being the Nationalist Congress Party. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Excavator Market In Japan 2020-2024 The analyst has been monitoring the excavator market in Japan and it is poised to grow by $ 657.44 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 4% during the forecast period. Our reports on excavator market in Japan provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04391029/?utm_source=PRN The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Japan market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the growth of construction industry, infrastructure development, and development of healthcare facilities and disaster prevention projects. In addition, growth of construction industry is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well. The excavator market in Japan market analysis includes type segment and application segment. The excavator market in Japan is segmented as below: By Type Crawler excavator Mini excavator Wheeled excavator By Geographic Landscapes Construction Mining Utilities This study identifies the use of energy-efficient solutions as one of the prime reasons driving the excavator market in Japan growth during the next few years. Also, growth of equipment rental business and high demand for remote monitoring systems in excavators will lead to sizable demand in the market. The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our excavator market in Japan covers the following areas: Excavator market in Japan sizing Excavator market in Japan forecast Excavator market in Japan industry analysis Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04391029/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com KIGALI, Rwanda - A Rwandan court on Monday charged Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, with terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group. Rusesabagina declined to respond to all 13 charges, saying some did not qualify as criminal offences and saying that he denied the accusations when he was questioned by Rwandan investigators. Rusesabagina, 66, asked to be released on bail, citing poor health that has caused him to be taken to hospital three times in the time that he has been held in Rwanda. I request that I am given bail and I assure the court that I will not flee from justice, Rusesabagina said. The court said it will rule on his bail application on Thursday. Rusesabagina, credited with saving more than 1,000 lives during Rwandas 1994 genocide, appeared in handcuffs in Kagarama Court in the capital for a pre-trial hearing, in which the prosecution requested court permission to continue detaining him until investigations are completed. Rusesabagina was represented by Rwandan lawyers David Rugaza and Ameline Nyembo, who have been discounted as state-imposed representation by his family outside Rwanda. Neither his lawyers nor the prosecution explained the circumstances under which Rusesabagina arrived in Kigali at the end of August from Dubai. He had travelled from the U.S. to Dubai and then mysteriously appeared in Rwanda. The Rwandan court said the suspect was arrested at Kigali International Airport, contradicting the earlier police version that he was arrested through international co-operation. When Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke on national broadcasting about the case, he indicated that Rusesabagina may have been tricked i nto boarding a private plane in Dubai that took him to Rwanda. Amnesty International on Monday urged Rwandan authorities to guarantee Rusesabagina his right to a fair trial. The lack of transparency around the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina and reports that he has been denied access to the lawyer hired by his family are red flags that cannot be ignored as the authorities prepare for his trial, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals Director for East and Southern Africa. Rusesabaginas daughter Carine Kanimba told The Associated Press that the family was not even aware he was to appear in court Monday as the state-appointed lawyers didnt inform them. She said they learned of the court hearing through the media. This is a travesty of justice, Kanimba said of the hearing. Speaking on the phone from Belgium, she said her father was the victim of an abduction, disappearance, and extraordinary rendition from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates to Kigali, Rwanda. The international group Human Rights Watch last week said that Rusesabagina had been forcibly disappeared. The fact that Rwanda did not pursue Rusesabagina through lawful extradition proceedings suggests the authorities do not believe their evidence or fair trial guarantees would stand up to scrutiny before an independent tribunal, and so opted to circumvent the rule of law, said Human Rights Watchs Central Africa director, Lewis Mudge. Rusesabagina became famous for protecting more than 1,000 people as a hotel manager during Rwandas 1994 genocide in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. For his efforts he was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. But Rwandan authorities accuse him of supporting the armed wing of his opposition political platform, which has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks inside Rwanda. Rusesabagina in the past has denied funding rebel groups and said he was being targeted over his criticism of Kagames government and alleged rights abuses. Rusesabagina has not lived in Rwanda since 1996. He holds Belgian citizenship and is a permanent resident of the U.S., living in San Antonio, Texas. Rusesabaginas family has appointed a team of international lawyers to represent him. Those lawyers are planning to fly to Rwanda later this week, said one. We hope that the Rwanda government will accept that we have visas in order for us to defend Mr. Rusesabigna, said Belgian lawyer Vincent Lurquin, in an interview with AP in Brussels. But I have to tell you that the talks between the Belgian and the Rwandan authorities on that front have not progressed much. Lurquin said that neither Rusesabaginas lawyers nor his family has been able to speak to him privately. If we are alone together, he will be able to explain maybe how he ended up in Rwanda flying from Dubai, said Lurquin. It is not the first (time) that something like this happens with Belgian citizens, there are precedents. Every time Belgium said this was not something they could allow and those people were sent back. Lurquin said that the international community must press Rwandas government to respect international law regarding legal extradition proceedings. It is a judiciary problem, and obviously a political problem. So it is now time for states such as Belgium, as he has Belgian citizenship, but also the European Union and the United States, to wake up and tell President Kagame that this cannot be tolerated, said Lurquin. Where would we go if some states could just abduct nationals from other states? Of the upcoming trial, Lurquin said, It is good that there is a trial, there is no problem there. He is not afraid of a trial, as we can prove that he is innocent. The only thing he is guilty of is to be an opponent to President Kagame and to be famous for saving so many Tutsis during the genocide. But this is not something legally punishable. ___ AP journalist Bishr Eltouni in Brussels contributed to this report This is the shocking moment an out-of-control bin lorry smashed into a home and parked cars leaving the 29-year-old driver dead and a child for for their life. Several people were injured after the HGV hurtled down the suburban street in Kidbrooke, south east London, during the morning rush hour. The lorry struck two cars, before then hitting two more cars and the house. Police, firefighters, paramedics and an air ambulance were scrambled to the scene at around 8am. Emergency crews confirmed the lorry driver died at the scene and an 11-year-old child is in a 'life-threatening' condition. Two other men, one understood to be the child's father, have been taken to hospital, but their injuries are not life threatening. The child was on the school run with his father when the green truck ploughed into them, according to witnesses. A lorry driver has died and an 11-year-old child has been rushed to hospital following the crash in Kidbrooke, south east London, at around 8am this morning The lorry struck two cars, before then hitting two more cars and the house The lorry drove through one of the vehicles and then hit and house on the suburban road The lorry is understood to have hit a number of cars before crashing into a house The crash has left one driver dead and a youngster fighting for their life in hospital A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the scene was 'utterly tragic' The owner of the house, a 55-year-old barber called Niko, told the Mirror he was asleep when the lorry hit the home he has lived in for 33 years. He said: 'There was just dust and bricks everywhere. I just thought how the hell has a lorry ended up in my house? 'I'm in shock - I feel numb. I was in my bedroom directly above it. My first thought was to get out the house with my two sons. 'I feel very lucky to be alive but of course also very unlucky - and it's tragic that somebody has died. 'I heard the driver had a heart attack at the wheel. I think the child that was injured was in a car with his dad possibly. I really hope he's ok. 'At the end of the day this is just a house - it's bricks and mortar.' He added that his son was just 'seconds away' from being killed as he made his way down to stairs to make a cup of tea while his wife was at work. London Fire Brigade said it appeared a lorry had collided with two cars and crashed into a house, causing structural damage to the building. Station commander Nathan Hobson said: 'Specialist Urban Search and Rescue crews attended the scene and efforts were made to free the lorry driver but sadly he was pronounced dead at the scene.' The London Ambulance Service treated a further three patients. One was taken to a major trauma centre, one was taken to hospital, and one was discharged. Five vehicles were severely damaged in the crash while several others suffered minor damage. A black Land Rover Freelander 2 - which the injured father and son had been in - had careered into the side of the property. A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the scene was 'utterly tragic' after the lorry crashed just 30 metres from his home. 'About 8am when I was preparing school run for my kids, all (of a) sudden police, ambulance siren, helicopter sound went on,' he said. 'Bit emotional myself right now after hearing an 11-year-old is in a serious condition. It's utterly tragic - my thoughts are with their loved ones.' One neighbour said she heard a loud bang that sounded like 'an earthquake' Aerial images from the scene show the trail of devastation. According to onlookers, the lorry hit a child who was en route to school The London Ambulance Service treated a further three patients. One was taken to a major trauma centre, one was taken to hospital, and one was discharged. Emergency services at the scene of devastation in south east London this morning One woman, who asked not to be named, told the PA news agency: 'I woke up and just heard a loud bang - it sounded like an earthquake.' A 35-year-old builder, who did want to be named, would have been inside his leased grey Peugeot Partner van setting off for work had the crash happened 10 minutes later. His vehicle had been parked outside his home when the lorry smashed into it and caused it to drag a grey Volkswagen Passat into a neighbouring wall. He said: 'I was just getting ready to go to work when I heard this huge smash. I looked out and my van was destroyed. 'It's only a piece of metal - just a van which is replaceable. But another 10 minutes and I would have been dead had I been inside it.' Locals said the family were not in the house when the lorry smashed into the front room. One neighbour said: 'They're so fortunate. It could have been an unthinkable tragedy had they all been home.' This afternoon, the distraught homeowner was sat on the wall opposite watching officers search for clues through the rubble of his house. He was too upset to comment. The green industrial bin lorry had smashed into the side of his home and ploughed into the front room. The road has speed bumps along it as it is used as a rat run in rush hour. One theory being investigated by Scotland Yard is the possibility the lorry driver may have suffered a medical episode while behind the wheel. Police were called to Kidbrooke, south east London , around 8am this morning to reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles and a building The youngster was flown to hospital by air ambulance following the crash on Monday morning London Fire Brigade said it appeared a lorry had collided with two cars and crashed into a house, causing structural damage to the building A Met Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at approximately 08:05hrs on Monday, 14 September to Broad Walk in Kidbrooke, SE3 by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to a road traffic collision involving multiple vehicles and a residential building. 'Officers attended alongside the LAS and London Fire Brigade. 'Officers are aware that a number of people were injured. 'A man, aged 29 years old, was sadly declared dead at the scene. Work is ongoing to trace his next of kin. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course. 'An 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital; his condition has been assessed as life-threatening. 'Two men have been taken to hospital, and their injuries assessed as neither life-changing nor life-threatening.' An 18-day monsoon session of India's parliament has gotten underway with extraordinary safety measures to protect against the coronavirus, including staggered sittings of both Houses and social distancing between MPs. With 200 of the 785 members of parliament over 65 years of age, and at least seven ministers and two dozen lawmakers recovering from Covid-19 infection, the pandemic has cast a shadow over the session, which takes place after the end of the monsoon season. The session, which usually starts in mid-July, had to be deferred due to the pandemic, which enforced a sweeping federal lockdown from 25 March. When proceedings began on Monday, the sitting was adjourned for an hour to mark the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee. Parliament meets against a background of escalating tensions along the Line of Actual Control, where Indian and Chinese troops have clashed along the Himalayan border. And everything is overshadowed by the government's measures to counter the raging coronavirus pandemic. In his traditional comments before the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a strong message on the China border stand-off. "We hope parliament and all members will unitedly send the message that the nation stands with our soldiers," Modi said. Sanitised session According to parliamentary officials, the session is expected to be short but will be supported by unprecedented logistics and infrastructure arrangements. These include ultraviolet germicidal treatment of the air-conditioning systems to kill microorganisms, 10 display screens relaying live proceedings, designated seats for top leaders, and special communication cables linking the two Houses. Attendance of parliamentarians will be recorded through a mobile app. There will be fibre-glass sheets separating their seats, and those in the visitors' gallery, said Lower House Speaker, Om Birla. Parliament protocols curtailed Instead of the regular Question Hour, only written questions and answers will be allowed in a move which has hugely upset Opposition MPs. Question Hour is the golden hour but you say that it can't be held due to the circumstances. You conduct the proceedings but single out Question Hour. You are trying to strangulate the democracy," said Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The session, with four-hour sittings for each House in shifts, including weekends, will see the government line up 11 ordinances, which were cleared during the lockdown. The government is also expected to table nearly 45 Bills in both Houses for approval. Ahead of the session, all members were requested to get themselves tested for Covid-19 and one of them tested positive. Home Minister Amit Shah continues to be under observation at Delhi's prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences after he tested positive for the virus. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not attend the first part of parliament's monsoon session as she has left the national capital for the US for her annual check-up. South Korea already announced its bank on German pork imports last week, immediately after the suspected case of African swine fever was confirmed. Photo: Jens Buttner/picture alliance via Getty Images China said it will ban imports of pork products from Germany after a case of African swine fever was discovered in a dead wild boar in Germany, near the countrys border with Poland last week. The Chinese customs office and Agriculture Ministry said the ban will take effect immediately, and cover all pork products. Pork products already on route to China will be returned or destroyed, it said. South Korea already announced its bank on German pork imports last week, immediately after the suspected case of African swine fever was confirmed. Japan also imposed a ban on Friday 11 September. The ban be an enormous blow for German pork producers, who exported around 1bn (924m, $1.2bn) worth of pork to China last year. According to the German office of national statistics, the country exported around 424m worth of pork to China between January and April 2020. READ MORE: German pork producers could face Asian bans after first African swine fever case After African Swine fever forced China to cull around 50% of all its pigs since 2018, it turned to the global markets for pork, which was a boon for German pork industry, but also drove up prices in Germany and around the world. The president of Germany's Farmers' Association, Joachim Rukwied, called Chinas decision "clearly disproportionate and simply unacceptable." The German Press Agency (DPA) reported that the German government is attempting to limit the ban. Talks between the Chinese and German agriculture ministries are ongoing. African Swine fever, for which there is currently no vaccine, cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans, but it fatal for the pigs. There have been cases in around 10 European countries, particularly Poland. Earlier this year, hundreds of pig farms in the west of Poland were quarantined after the disease was discovered at one of the farms. Electric fences were erected this summer between the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg and Poland, to try and stop infected wild pigs coming across. An Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo today remanded a 27-years-old popular porn star, Tobilola Jolaoso popularly known as Tblack and his colleagues, Ladiva Aije, Juliet Semion, Ahmed Olasunkanmi, Adeniran Eritosin and Tunde Jimoh for recording sex scene at Osun Osogbo grove. The Police Prosecutor, ASP Idoko James told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on 25th of July, 2020 at about 12:30pm at Osun-Osogbo shrine, Osogbo. Idoko James said that the accused persons did act a drama or film which appeared on the face of it to bear pornographic pictures of young girls who were half naked and thereafter published and sent same for public consumption. Inspector Idoko James spoke further that the accused persons at the Osun-Osogbo traditional and/or religious ground did an unlawful act, by acting a film thereafter published same with the knowledge that the same traditional ground or any other class of persons especially within Osun State will consider an insult to their religious belief. He added that the accused persons on the 10th of September, 2020 at Ataoja Estate Police Station, Osogbo did willfully damaged the window louvers property of Nigeria Police Force. The prosecutor stated that the offence committed by the accused persons was contrary to and punishable under Section 516, 233, 517, 451 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 vol. II Laws of Osun State Nigeria, 2002. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the offence leveled against them. The Defense Counsel, Tunbosun Oladipupo applied for bail of the accused persons in the most liberal terms. The Prosecutor opposed the bail of the suspects stating that the act is an economic sabotage and a detriment to Osun State. He also added that the scene of the act is sacred to religion and might tarnish the image of the religion and if they are granted bail there will be breakdown of law and order of the State. He added that the accused persons are not resident of Osun State also that one of them is a Cameroonian. In his ruling, Magistrate Ishola Omisade remanded the accused persons in Ilesa correctional center till 17th of September, 2020 for ruling on bail. New Delhi, Sep 14 : "No imposition, no opposition" was how Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu encouraged the use of mother tongues along with Hindi while being cautious over speaking about the 'Hindi Diwas'. It was in contrast to Home Minister Amit Shah's message for larger use of Hindi. "While encouraging Hindi, we should also encourage use of mother tongues. This is the need of the hour. No language is superior," Naidu remarked. He also urged everybody to encourage children to learn Indian languages, be it Tamil, Assamese, Telugu or any other. The Vice-President also urged residents of North India to encourage their children to learn a South Indian language to create an "atmosphere of harmony". He said he was mindful of the "apprehensions by some of the "friends", referring to a few MPs. However in contrast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is now re-admitted to AIIMS, appealed to countrymen for more and more use of Hindi to contribute to the promotion of the national language on Monday. In a video message released on the occasion of 'Hindi Diwas', Shah said it was only due to Hindi that the perennial river of Indian civilisation, culture and values had been kept alive. He emphasised the use of Hindi in official work rather than translation of documents. All Indians should take a pledge to work for a "self-reliant" India through the use of Hindi while keeping other vernacular languages on the same pedestal, Shah added. Naidu also referred to Covid-19 as the worst disaster in the last 100 years. "Covid-19 is the worst disaster to have hit mankind since the Spanish Flu 100 years ago. Despite having the second largest population, India has managed to control the pandemic," said the Rajya Sabha Chairman while appreciating the work done by the frontline workers. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healeys COVID-19 workplace complaint form shut down with no public notification as the Baker administrations reporting line ramped up, processing hundreds of complaints over the past two months. Healeys Fair Labor Division set up the reporting form in May for essential workers concerned their workplaces were failing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as for employees concerned their workplaces were resuming too early during the non-essential business closures in the spring. In the rush and the pressure to open businesses, employers may threaten employees and tell them they have to come back to work even if theyre sick, Healey told NEPR in May. And under the law, employers cant retaliate against their workers if they are doing something lawful, like speaking up for their own health and safety. By Sept. 10, the webpage had been removed. In a statement to MassLive, spokeswoman Margaret Quackenbush said the form has been replaced by a COVID-19 workplace violation reporting form created by the state Department of Labor Standards, the enforcement arm for workplace safety standards. We have met with DLS to transfer this important work to the appropriate agency, but our Fair Labor Division remains a constant resource for workers throughout this crisis," Quackenbush said in a statement. "We still maintain a Fair Labor hotline and online complaint form where workers can file wage and hour and earned sick leave complaints. The division received more than 3,000 complaints through the Workplace Safety During COVID-19 complaint form before the online complaint form was removed, according to Healeys office. Healeys office said it set up the complaint to offer a resource for workers while other agencies stepped up enforcement on workplace safety issues. The Baker administration launched its own online portal in July, two months after the AGs reporting form launched, for residents and employees to report businesses that dont comply with the states COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. A spokesperson from Healeys office said workers can still file wage and hour complaints through the Fair Labor Division at www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-workplace-complaint. People who want to file complaints about health and safety standard violations should contact DLS or fill out the form on the state website. Healeys office says people can still reach out to the Fair Labor Hotline at 617-727-3465 for any inquiries. 10/25/2018 - Springfield - Attorney General Maura Healey meets with The Republican's editorial board members. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)(Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Repub The Baker administrations complaint form, overseen by the Department of Labor Standards, received hundreds of emails and calls in the first week. Some were bogus; one was even pornographic. Most of the complaints, however, raised genuine concerns about employees and customers failing to wear masks, standing too close to one another and other safety violations that could risk spreading COVID-19. In its first month, state hotline has processed more than 400 complaints and detected more than 100 violations, according to data obtained through a public records request. More than 100 violations have been detected between mid-July and late August. The Fair Labor Division created an internal Health and Safety Task Force in March to help local, state and federal agencies respond to safety concerns at work sites during the pandemic. Healeys office enforces the states wage and hour laws but typically does not handle workplace safety complaints. DLS and OSHA are supposed to handle those complaints. The division worked with the state health and labor agencies, as well as the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, to help 1,200 people who complained about workplace safety issues. Overall, the division responded to more than 15,000 people who sought assistance on workplace safety concerns, wage and hour laws and other labor-related issues between March 11 and June 30, the end of the fiscal year. While the office offers resources and advice to workers, the Department of Labor Standards, the Department of Public Health and OSHA will focus on health and safety work, Healeys office said. A spokesperson said Healeys staff met with those agencies to make sure they are aware of the trends spotted in the complaint, key contacts and resources that Healeys office created for the public. Related Content: A white commercial farmer, Martin Grobler, has been evicted from Protea Valley Farm in Ruwa following a protracted legal battle over the ownership of the piece of land. Ivy Rupindi of the Ministry of Agriculture says she is now the new owner of the farm after getting a court eviction order. Did our shore summer weekend weather make the grade in 2019? Complaints about rainy weekends at the shore were few and far between this summer, and for g A grades were given to weekends that were rain-free, with low dew points, plenty of sunshine, light winds and high temperatures between 75 and 90 degrees all perfect for getting outside to the shore while still maintaining safe social distancing on the sand. That happened twice during the summer, June 19 to June 21, and Labor Day weekend. At Sen. Frank S. Farley Marina in Atlantic City, no rain fell from Sept. 4 to 7. High temperatures were between 78 and 82 degrees, with a sunny to partly sunny sky. This was welcome news for many shore businesses. Good weather drives people to the shore. When they come, they look for the experiences theyve had for years. All of our businesses have made every effort to deliver that in a safe and responsible manner, Chait said. Five weekends earned a B+, six earned a B, one earned a C+ and two earned a D+. Those two failing grades were for Memorial Day weekend and the weekend of Aug. 14 to 16. The best stretch of weekends was from June 19 to 21 to July 17 to 29, which featured all As and B pluses. The trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard allegations that the defendants repeatedly abused the two children in the years between 1979 and 1988. One of the complainants testified that he was raped up to 1,200 times over a number of years. The boys were members of a large family and the alleged abuse occurred at the family home in Dublin. Neither of the defendants can be named to protect the anonymity of the complainants. The eldest brother, who is now aged 55 and living in Co Meath, had pleaded not guilty to 35 sample counts of indecently assaulting his two younger brothers on dates between 1979 and 1985. The second oldest brother, now aged 50, pleaded not guilty to 16 sample counts of indecently assaulting his younger brother between 1985 and 1988. On day six of the trial, the jury of seven women and five men deliberated for just under five hours before the jury fore-person told Judge James McCourt that they were unable to reach a verdict. Advertisement She told the court that they were deadlocked. Judge McCourt had earlier directed jurors that the court could accept a majority verdict on which at least ten of them agreed. Judge McCourt thanked the jurors for their service. He had been addressing the jury throughout via video-link from his home where he is social isolating because of a close contact with somebody who has Covid 19, After discharging the jury, Judge McCourt remanded the defendants on continuing bail to appear at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on October 12th. At least 30 staff of the Raj Bhavan here have tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Sunday. Governor Satya Pal Malik and his ADC have tested negative for COVID-19, a senior Raj Bhavan official said. "At least 30 staff members have tested positive for coronavirus at the Raj Bhavan since Friday and more tests will be conducted tomorrow," the official told PTI. He said the Governor has gone into self-isolation at the Raj Bhavan itself although he has tested negative for COVID-19 and entry into the Raj Bhavan has been barred until further orders. "His personal staff and one of the ADCs (Aide-de-Camp) to the Governor have also tested negative and more tests are awaited," he said. Raj Bhavan Secretary Pravin Bakshi tested positive for COVID-19 in the RT-PCR test conducted on Friday. But a second test conducted at a private hospital here on Sunday came out negative and one more test will be conducted on Monday, the Raj Bhavan official said. As positive cases are increasing, the Health authorities have also sealed the Health Dispensary at Laban for disinfecting the premises following the visit of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, according to East Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner Isawanda Laloo. Meghalaya on Sunday reported 109 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the state's tally to 3,724, while the coronavirus death toll climbed to 26 with one more person succumbing to the disease. Also read: Amid spurt in COVID-19 cases, Delhi govt asks 33 private hospitals to reserve 80% ICU beds Will Facebooks New Music Terms of Service, Algorithm Upset Artists and Hurt Copyright Law? Music attorney Andrew Rossow, Esq. and indie rapper Rami Matan Even-Esh aka Kosha Dillz investigate Facebooks new music terms of service that arrive alongside the platforms new free ticketed livestreams. By: Rami Matan Even-Esh aka rapper Kosha Dillz and Andrew Rossow, Esq. The music scene and copyright law are about to get lit! Effective October 01, 2020, Facebooks newest additions to its Terms of Service addressing music now speak directly to the use of Facebook Live for content creators and artists: You may not use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience If you use videos on our Products to create a music listening experience for yourself or for others, your videos will be blocked and your page, profile or group may be deleted. This includes Live. (our bolding). There is a possibility for a stream to now be shut down entirely. We spoke with indie hip-hop artist and rapper, Kosha Dillz about how these new changes impact artists like himself who have started to take to Facebooks live-streaming for distribution and revenue. For me, this change might be difficult, he says. While freestyling live over classic beats, there is a possibility for a stream to now be shut down entirely. But for the rapper, who now splits his time between Israel and NYC, his international dream of bridging the gap between music and global prosperity is far from dead. While this change isnt exactly what he expected, he does admit that there is some good that can come from this. It will force me to get unknown producers to send beats, which is good, and of course I will have to switch up my approach. I will have to always create different content, so this keeps me on my feet. So, in order to not have our page taken down, we need to now be more creative to make new styles of content that is original. The problem, according to Kosha, applies more to DJs who are spinning other musicians work to entertain their crowd. This brings in potential legal implications, according to internet attorney and Hollywood brand manager, Andrew Rossow, who, believes that intellectual property law is about to change, significantly. And perhaps for the better. Rossow, an adjunct cyberspace law professor at The University of Dayton in Ohio and a frequent cybersecurity consultant to major news outlets like ABC, FOX, Cheddar, and Bloomberg Law, emphasized the public policy interests associated with Facebooks recent move. On one hand, the public policy interests associated with protecting intellectual property are always strong in todays digital age, Rossow admits, requiring copyright holders to nurture and protect their baby. But on the other hand, weighing those interests against an individuals right to earn a living creates some tension. Speaking directly to Facebooks new Terms, the young attorney presented a more interesting question for practitioners: What happens when public policy interests of protecting said intellectual property is weighed against an algorithm that cant possibly be that sophisticated enough to detect licensed, copyrighted material such as those you would find in an electronic DJs set? These algorithms dont care. And does he have a point? For those who are familiar with the electronic dance music scene, or EDM as its commonly referred to, its not uncommon for DJs to take previously copyrighted music tracks and transform it into something bigger, better, and more energizing. These algorithms dont care, even if those DJs have the proper licensing permissions from the original copyright holder. Hell, the algorithm cant even detect malicious, nihilistic, or hateful behavior unless it involves politics. How can it now claim to protect IP, while keeping the music industry alive, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic? From an artists perspective, streams and broadcasts cant be taken down. We need to figure out ways to reproduce classic songs with acapellas on new beats, while adding new twists and collaborations with producers, Dillz suggests. While the chance is slim, we cant afford to have a page shutdown. Let us use this as a good way to create music differently. Unfortunately, according to Rossow, we will have to see the implications this change brings at the expense of the artist. With potential impact this change to Facebooks Terms brings, theres no question that this will see a courtroom, as there is clear discrimination here against a particular class of users. However, this is a necessary evil that will initially affect the artist, but for a greater purpose of changing legal precedent when addressing the modernization of the Copyright Act for todays digital age. And its about damn time. Facebook shouldnt necessarily be punished here, but it should be held accountable for what appears to be on its face a protective measure for artists, but inadvertently an impulsive move without much thought for the impacts on users. As we said, copyright law is about to get lit for artists! Rami Matan Even-Esh (Kosha Dillz) Andrew Rossow, Esq. | Photo Credit: Amaris Mendoza Photography Rami Even-Esh is a hip hop artist known as Kosha Dillz, who recently released his song W9, an independent blue-collar DIYanthem produced by Sad Pony , who is recently known for producing the #1 hit song Trollz by Tekashi 69 and Nicki Minaj. Dillz album Nobody Cares Except Youcomes out on October 16. and features Matisyahu, Gangsta Boo, and Fat Tony. He is a regular contributor at Hypebot on DIY music . Andrew Rossow is an internet attorney, brand manager, entrepreneur, and anti-bullying activist. He has written for Forbes and has been featured by Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and The Jewish Journal. Share on: KCPD officers head to court in excessive force case involving arrest of transgender woman KANSAS CITY, MO (KTV) - Two officers with the Kansas City Police Department will be in court Monday facing assault charges stemming from an excessive force case in an arrest of a transgender woman. It was outside a beauty supply store on brush creek parkway in May of 2019 when officers restrained Breona Hill and a bystander caught the arrest on video. What local media and activist continually refuse to mention is that the now-dead suspect in this case was allegedly shouting anti-Asian racial slurs when she was taken into custody . . . Read more: Speaking on the contempt of court issue related to lawyer Prashant Bhushan, the former apex court judge said his statements were misread New Delhi: The government is using the sedition law with an iron hand to curb free speech in an overreaction to people's opinion, former Supreme Court justice MB Lokur said on Monday. Another method by which the State is curbing free speech is to crack down on critical opinions by charging them with spreading fake news, Lokur said at a webinar on ''Freedom of Speech and Judiciary''. He cited examples of journalists reporting about coronavirus cases and related issues like lack of ventilators, being charged with fake news provisions. "State is using sedition as an iron hand to curb free speech. Suddenly you have a lot of cases charging people with sedition. A common citizen who say something is charged with sedition. Already 70 cases of sedition have been seen this year," Justice Lokur said. Speaking on the contempt of court issue related to lawyer Prashant Bhushan, the former apex court judge said his statements were misread. He also gave an example of doctor Kafeel Khan and said his speech was also misread to charge him with the National Security Act over his statements against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Veteran journalist N Ram said the punishment in the Prashant Bhushan case is "incongruous" and there is no "real substantiation" for the apex court's findings. "I have great respect for the judiciary. It is the judiciary which read freedom of the press into the Constitution," Ram said at the webinar organised by Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) and Swaraj Abhiyan There will be more and more scrutiny of the judiciary in the coming days, he said, adding that harsher things are said in print and media than the tweets of Bhushan. Social activist Aruna Roy said the empowerment which people got because of Bhushan's positions is enormous and the case has stimulated people. "This intent to spread fear will not work. We are empowered by the Constitution," she said. Meanwhile, Bhushan deposited the token fine of Re 1 imposed by the Supreme Court in the contempt case over two of his tweets in the in the apex court's Registry. Talking to media before submitting the fine, Bhushan said that he has received contributions from several corners of the country for paying the fine, and a "truth fund" will be created out of such contributions to provide legal aid to those who are prosecuted for dissenting opinions. "The State is using all means to silence voices of dissent. The ''truth fund'' will be used to protect the personal liberty to those persons who face the State''s persecution", he said. New Delhi Chinese envoy Sun Weidong on Monday said the five-point roadmap agreed to by India and China to address tensions on the disputed border provides political impetus to efforts to ease the situation, even as he blamed New Delhi for trespassing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and altering the status quo. Sun made the remarks in a lengthy statement issued by the Chinese embassy three days after the two sides finalised the five-point roadmap during a meeting of external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow on Thursday. Despite the roadmap, sharp divergences remained between the two sides, with experts pointing out that the joint statement issued after the Jaishankar-Wang meeting made no mention of the restoration of status quo on the LAC as it existed in April. Sun said the five-point roadmap which includes following consensus between the top leaders, easing tensions, maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas, continuing diplomatic communications, and expediting work on new confidence-building measures is an important step towards the right direction, and will provide political impetus to ease the border situation and promote the bilateral relations. He added: I hope and believe that as long as the two sides earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two foreign ministers to the frontline troops and adhere to the correct means of dialogue and negotiation, the two sides will find a way to overcome the current difficulties. The Chinese envoy contended that public opinion in India was generally positive towards the five-point roadmap, and was of the view that both sides have demonstrated political will to resolve the border situation. However, Sun referred to statements by relevant Indian ministries that Indian troops pre-empted Chinese military activity on the south bank of Pangong Lake, and contended this obviously revealed that there are illegal trespassing the LAC and status quo change in the border areas.. He noted that sections of the Indian media had quoted government sources to disclose that the Indian Army fired shots on two different occasions, and said, For the first time since 1975, the calm in the border areas was broken by gunfire. Sun further noted that Wang had reiterated during his meeting with Jaishankar that the imperative is to immediately stop provocations such as firing and other dangerous actions that violate the commitments made by the two sides, and that it is important to move back all personnel and equipment that have trespassed. He added, The frontier troops must quickly disengage so that the situation may de-escalate. The Chinese side supports enhanced dialogue between the frontier troops on both sides to solve specific issues, and will stay in touch with the Indian side through diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side has blamed the tensions on the LAC on unilateral efforts by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to alter the status quo in the Ladakh sector. It has also blamed the latest flare-ups on the LAC on provocative military manoeuvres by the PLA. The external affairs ministry has said the PLA engaged in such manoeuvres during August 29-30 to change the status quo on the south bank of Pangong Lake and Indian troops responded with appropriate defensive measures. The Indian Army has accused the PLA of firing in the air when Chinese troops were prevented from closing in on an Indian forward position on September 7. The Chinese envoy said the way ahead for [a] solution is very clear he pointed to the agreement reached by the two foreign ministers that as the situation eases, the two sides should expedite work on new confidence-building measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Sun said the top leadership of the two countries had reached a series of consensus, including the basic judgement that China and India are partners rather than rivals. Therefore, we need peace instead of confrontation; we need to pursue win-win cooperation instead of zero-sum game; we need trust rather than suspicion; we need to move our relationship forward rather than backward, he said. He reiterated Wangs observation that it is normal for China and India to have differences, but it is important is to put these differences in a proper context vis-a-vis bilateral ties. At present, the challenge were facing is to fight the epidemic, revive the economy and improve peoples livelihoods, he said. There was no immediate response to the Chinese envoys remarks from Indian officials. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The sale of British chip maker Arm to Nvidia for $40 billion (31 billion) - described as a 'disaster' for the UK tech industry and 'the equivalent to letting Trump getting his hands on Trident', by an Arm co-found - is to be probed by the UK government. Nvidia confirmed the deal to buy Arm on Monday, just four years after the firm was purchased by Japan's SoftBank Group for $32 billion (24 billion) in 2016. Arm is best known as the designer of processor chips used in most major smartphones - including both Apple and Samsung devices. Hermann Hauser said the sale to the American chip maker would be a 'disaster for Cambridge, the UK and Europe' and see the 'last European technology company with any global relevance sold off to the Americans'. Hauser, who helped spin Arm off from former parent company Acorn Computers in 1990, has urged the UK government to work to block the sale of the British firm. However, Nvidia has pledged to keep Arm headquartered in Cambridge, while also promising to expand on Arm's work to build a 'world-class' technology centre. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be taking a personal interest in the deal for Arm which he described as playing a 'vital role' in the UK tech sector. Hermann Hauser said the sale to the American chip maker would be a 'disaster for Cambridge, the UK and Europe' and see the 'last European technology company with any global relevance sold off to the Americans' Insiders claim the deal to sell Arm, which licences its technology to Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung and others, will 'reshape the semiconductor landscape'. Nvidia, a specialist in graphics processors, has been in discussions with SoftBank over buying Arm for several months - with the bulk of the sale paid for with Nvidia shares. There is pushback against the deal from competitors and regulators, as it would put a significant proportion of the chip market under Nvidia's control. Hauser said the UK government should impose rules on the sale in order to protect jobs, retain Arm's long-standing 'open business model', and protect against 'US security reviews on its client relationships'. A government spokesperson said it would examine the deal closely in order to understand the impact it could have on the UK economy. Arm is best known as the designer of processor chips used in most major smartphones - including both Apple and Samsung devices 'We recognise the vital role Arm plays in the UK's tech sector and its significant contribution to our economy,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said. 'The Enterprise Act provides the Government with the powers to intervene in mergers where they raise concerns about national security, financial stability, media plurality and maintaining in the UK the capability to combat and to mitigate the effects of public health emergencies. 'We are investigating this deal further and ministers have spoken to the relevant companies.' The final part of his proposed rules comes down to the fact that a US takeover would put Arm under the scrutiny of the US Committee on Foreign Investment, which can block US companies from selling to oversees customers. Nvidia confirmed the deal to buy Arm from Japan's SoftBank Group on Monday for $40 billion (31 billion) four years after buying it for $32 billion (24 billion) in 2016 'This is an issue of sovereignty. A sale to Nvidia would be the equivalent to letting Trump getting his hands on Trident,' he told The Times. He said if Nvidia isn't prepared to abide by those rules then the government should block the deal and work with Arm to take it public on the London Stock Exchange. The deal announced overnight would destroy Arm's business model as 'the Switzerland of the semiconductor industry', Hauser said. Nvidia competes with Arm's clients and could make it harder for the company to design chips for competitors such as Apple and Samsung. Nvidia will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in shares and $12 billion in cash, including $2 billion on signing. The deal will see SoftBank and its $100 billion Vision Fund, which has a 25% stake in Arm, take a stake in Nvidia of between 6.7 per cent and 8.1 per cent. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the deal, which will boost his firm in data centre chips, was 'pro competition'. ARM: A BRITISH CHIP DESIGN FIRM BORN OUT OF ACORN COMPUTERS Arm is a British semiconducter company with global headquarters in Cambridge and a US HQ in California. Arm was spun-off from former parent company Acorn Computers in 1990. The name Arm is an acronym first used in 1983 and originally stood for Acorn RISC Machine - the first RISC processor used in the Acorn Archimedes. Today Arm specialises in processor chips for mobile phones, tablets and smart TVs. It doesn't manufacture chips - it owns intellectual property processing chips are built on and it licences the IP. Its technology has been used in the production of 160 billion chips. The processors based on designs licensed by Arm are used in all classes of computers - from tiny machines to the world's fastest supercomputer. Advertisement It marked 'the first time in history the industry could see something that is genuinely alternative' to Intel's domination of the sector, he said. In response to concerns that Nvidia could end Arm's open business model that lets it licence chip designs to anyone, Haung said the company would keep it open. He said Nvidia will retain Arm's neutral licensing model and expand it by licensing out Nvidia intellectual property for the first time. Nvidia said it will license its flagship graphical processor unit through Arm's network of silicon partners. It will build chips for devices like self-driving cars but also make its technology available for others. Hauser, a veteran investor, speculated that if Nvidia buys Arm then it would likely move its operations to Silicon Valley, resulting in major job loses in Cambridge. The companies did not discuss the deal with the British government until shortly before the announcement because the talks were secret, Huang said. The firm has promised investment in the UK, saying that Arm will remain in Cambridge and build a new artificial intelligence research centre. 'We will expand on this great site and build a world-class AI research facility, supporting developments in healthcare, life sciences, robotics, self-driving cars and other fields,' Huang said. 'And, to attract researchers and scientists from the UK and around the world to conduct groundbreaking work, Nvidia will build a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer, powered by Arm CPUs. Arm Cambridge will be a world-class technology centre.' Arm chief executive Simon Segars said he was 'excited' to join Nvidia 'so we can write this next chapter together'. Arm does not make chips but has created an instruction set architecture - the most fundamental intellectual property that underpins computing chips. It then openly licences that instruction set to other companies - such as Apple - which use it to design their computer or mobile phone processing cores. The deal announced overnight would destroy Arm's business model as 'the Switzerland of the semiconductor industry', Hauser said The purchase, which is subject to regulatory approvals including in Britain, the United States and China, is likely to come under close scrutiny in China, where thousands of companies from Huawei to small startups use Arm technology. The Arm deal is expected to close by March 2022. Industry analyst Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight suggested the deal would be 'detrimental' to Arm and its ecosystem. He said Arm is 'first and foremost a licensing business' and the deal with Nvidia 'offers little real synergy despite the extraordinarily high price tag'. Although Nvidia said it was committed to maintaining Arm's licensing model and 'global customer neutrality', Mr Blaber said this could be difficult to maintain if taken over by a fellow chip producer. The companies did not discuss the deal with the British government until shortly before the announcement because the talks were secret, Huang said 'Independence is critical to the ongoing success of Arm and once that is compromised, its value will start to erode,' Mr Blaber said. 'This (deal) will rightly face huge opposition, most notably from Arm licensees who have collectively shipped an average of 22 billion chips annually over the last three years. 'A huge diversity of businesses from Apple to Qualcomm are dependent on Arm and will be motivated to unite in opposition. 'Nvidia has a mountain to climb in securing regulatory clearance. This process will take months if not years with a high chance of failure. 'This process would be damaging to all parties and the uncertainty alone would hurt Arm regardless of the outcome.' Abdullah was among the various Jammu and Kashmir leaders who claimed to have been put into pre-emptive detention in the erstwhile state after the Centre on August 5 last year abrogated Article 370 which gave special status to the region. New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Monday attended the Monsoon Session of Parliament for the first time after a gap of more than a year since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah seemed to seek attention in this session in the backdrop of allegations that some leaders in Jammu and Kashmir were kept under illegal detention after Jammu and Kashmir's status was changed. He was welcomed by senior leaders, including Congress' Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, NCP's Supriya Sule, DMK's A. Raja and Muthuvel Karunanidhi Kanimozhi and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha chamber where he was sitting at his designated seat in the second row of opposition benches. During the debate on the revocation of Article 370 in last year's Winter Session, several opposition leaders had demanded that Abdullah, a seasoned parliamentarian, be allowed to attend Parliament. Abdullah had then spoken to the media in an emotional interview in Srinagar, saying he had to break the door of his house to come out of detention and had rejected Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claim that he was free to move. Farooq Abdullah was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from Jammu and Kashmir and re-elected in 2009. He resigned from the Rajya Sabha in May 2009 and won a seat in the Lok Sabha from Srinagar. Abdullah joined the United Progressive Alliance government as a Cabinet Minister of New and Renewable Energy. Abdullah's presence will boost opposition's support when it will hit out at the Centre on various issues during the Monsoon Session which started on Monday and will be held till October 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Abdullah's presence is also likely to bring focus back to Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti's continued detention. While most of the mainstream political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have been released, including Farooq and his son Omar Abdullah, on March 13 and March 24, 2020, Mufti continues to be held under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The last parliamentary session was cut short on March 25 following the spread of the deadly Covid-19 disease. The government has decided to do away with the Question Hour and instead only written replies will be given in the Monsoon Session which will hold 36 sittings -- 16 each for both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha -- without Saturday and Sunday break. --IANS rak/dpb Nvidia has confirmed that it will be acquiring chip-maker Arm from Softbank for USD 40 billion. The deal will include USD 21.5 billion in Nvidia stock and USD 12 billion in cash, including USD 2 billion payable at signing. Nvidia will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees. The deal will see SoftBank and the USD 100 billion Vision Fund, which has a 25% stake in Arm, take a stake in Nvidia between 6.7 percent and 8.1 percent. Nvidias purchase of Arm also marks the exit of Softbank, which had bought the chip-making company for USD 32 billion in 2016. Arm is known for designing the underlying architecture of mobile processor chips, including for companies like Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm. The company is also confirmed to power Apples Mac lineup. Nvidia began as a graphics chip designer and has expanded into products for areas including artificial intelligence and data centres. The Nvidia-Arm deal would bring Nvidias technology through ARMs network. As part of NVIDIA, ARM will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining the global customer neutrality. Nvidia will build on Arms R&D presence in the UK, establishing a new global centre in AI research at Arms Cambridge campus. It will also invest in an Arm-powered AI supercomputer, training facilities for developers and a startup incubator, which is said to attract the worlds research talent and create a platform for innovation and industry partnerships in fields such as healthcare, robotics and self-driving cars. Arm will remain headquartered in Cambridge. We will expand on this great site and build a world-class AI research facility, supporting developments in healthcare, life sciences, robotics, self-driving cars and other fields. And, to attract researchers and scientists from the UK and around the world to conduct groundbreaking work, NVIDIA will build a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer, powered by Arm CPUs. Arm Cambridge will be a world-class technology centre, Nvidia said in its statement. The proposed Nvidia-Softbank translation of Arm is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals for the UK, China, the European Union and the United States. Completion of the transaction is expected to take place in approximately 18 months. Data suggests Google Trends has been predictive of COVID-19 outbreaks in certain states, but experts warn against using it to do so absolutely. (Getty Images) The U.S. has seen more than 6.5 million cases of COVID-19 since February, and researchers are still trying to find ways to pinpoint outbreaks before they begin. Now, a new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital suggests a new tactic: Keep tabs on gastrointestinal symptoms people are Googling. The study, which was published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, analyzed data from Google Trends along with data from the Harvard Dataverse, a Harvard-supported website that gathers research data to measure search interest linked with specific gastrointestinal symptoms related to COVID-19. The studys researchers then analyzed data on COVID-19 cases from 15 states from January 20 through April 20. The researchers discovered that searches around the loss of taste (aka ageusia), loss of appetite and diarrhea increased four weeks before the rise in COVID-19 cases in most states studied and were particularly notable in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists new loss of taste or smell, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea among the main symptoms of COVID-19, along with more well-known symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath. Study co-author Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells Yahoo Life that the study was inspired by similar research the team did on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). As we started getting swept up into the COVID world, we said, This would be interesting to look at, he says. The data really showed that Google Trends appeared to be able to predict, in some ways, spikes in high incidence areas. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that hes not entirely surprised that Google Trends were predictive of COVID-19 outbreaks. Google has also been able to track influenza trends, he points out. Story continues But Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life that it can be tricky to figure out what information is relevant and what isnt in this kind of situation. Its something that might give you some information, but there are lots of things that can cause diarrhea and other GI issues, he says. You have to be mindful of the signal and the noise. As of now, Staller says that were not there yet for using this kind of information to accurately predict outbreaks. Theres no substitute for boots on the ground, epidemiologically, and actually figuring out what are cases of COVID, he says. But, in a rapidly evolving situation, this could be an extra help for public health officials to say that this is one of several indicators we have when making decisions on allocating resources. Schaffner agrees. Were not quite there yet. But it may well be as electronic monitoring becomes more precise and is even more real-time, were getting closer to having that as a tool to use, he says. Adalja says this area of research is getting better because theres a much bigger digital footprint. But, he adds, The question is, how sensitive of a marker is it? Ultimately, Staller urges people to be cautious if they suddenly develop gastrointestinal symptoms. Just know that it may not be that meal that you ate last, he says. It could be a manifestation of COVID-19, which weve learned is really a multi-system disease. Keep this in mind, too, per Staller: While it could just be a run-of-the-mill stomach flu, were not seeing as much of them lately due to social distancing. For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides. Read more from Yahoo Life Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter. The Governor of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, said Ireland must plan for a diverge between the UK and European Union economies, potentially as soon as January 1st when the current transition period is due to end. Too many people were hoping the transition period would carry on for ever, he warned. Fears of a no-deal Brexit, with the UK crashing out without a new trade agreement, have risen in the past week after British prime minister Boris Johnsons government indicated it wants to tear up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement signed earlier this year. Read More It would be wise to plan on the basis that there wont be a deal (before the January 1st exit date) and there will be a hit, Governor Makhlouf said. Speaking at an event organised by the Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin he said the Central Bank has previously estimated a crash out Brexit will cost the Irish economy 1pc to 2pc of GDP, but he said those estimates need to be reviewed. While the Central Bank here believes a no-deal Brexit will hurt the Irish economy regulators believe the financial system as a whole here is ready for Brexit, whatever shape it takes. However, even if there is a new trade agreement before January the future trading relationship between the UK and Ireland will not be as close has it has been inside the EU and that will have an impact, he said. 'While raiding the house of a wanted terrorist in the Mount Beddawi-Minyeh area, a military intelligence patrol was hit by gunfire and hand grenades,' the army said in a statement late Sunday The Lebanese army said three of its troops were killed and another wounded while attempting to arrest a suspected "terrorist" at his north Lebanon home. "While raiding the house of a wanted terrorist in the Mount Beddawi-Minyeh area, a military intelligence patrol was hit by gunfire and hand grenades," the army said in a statement late Sunday. "Three soldiers were killed and another was seriously wounded," it added, saying that the army was chasing the perpetrators. It did not say whether it had arrested the suspect or give any details on his identity. Local media reports said that the army had been chasing a militant cell known as the Khalid al-Tallawi group, believed to be behind the August 21 murder of two police officers and the son of the mayor of Kaftoun village in north Lebanon. Police had already arrested a suspect the day after the murders took place, in the Beddawi camp for Palestinian refugees near the northern port city of Tripoli. Search Keywords: Short link: It is hard to overstate the impact of Soviet childrens literature on its Telugu readers. In this series, The Telugu Archive founder Sai Priya Kodidala traces Telugu socio-political history through literature and art. Read more from the series here. *** The Tagore Memorial Library in Vijayawadas Governorpet is one of the largest public libraries in Andhra Pradesh. The library collection, in dire need of attention, is barely accessed today. Among the browning and unorganised piles of books, one section stands out books of odd size unrelenting to the shelves. These books are beautifully designed, hardbound, with colourful illustrations on high-quality glossy paper. Printed in Moscow but delicately typeset in Telugu, including title covers, these are Soviet children's books distributed in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. The books are a product of a literary collaboration between Progress Publishers in Moscow and Visalandhra Publishing House in Vijayawada. As a result, for three decades between 1960 and 1990, generations of Telugu readers grew up on a staple of Soviet childrens literature. From Moscow to Vijayawada In the winter of 1956, Svetlana Dzenith, who worked with Progress Publishers, started taking Telugu lessons from Kolachala Seetaramayya, a Telugu-born, American-educated scientist settled in Moscow. In the post-Stalin Soviet Union, the state-run Progress Publishers aimed to promote Soviet literature and ideas to a larger world population. Apart from the works of Gorky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Marx and Lenin, contemporary literature more importantly children literature was published in local languages across Europe, Asia and Africa. When Progress looked to expand to more languages, the emerging circle of Telugu students and scholars at Sitaramayyas house opened the first door. Svetlana started a dedicated Telugu division under Progress Publishers to translate Soviet literature. By then, Pragati (as Progress was known in India), was already printing books in Bengali, Urdu and Hindi. Soviet libraries barely housed any Telugu books or even a Russian-Telugu dictionary to help their cause. She invited Telugu writers and translators to visit Moscow and work with them. After a couple of unsustained efforts, Vuppala Laksmana Rao, who was in Germany at that time, joined forces. Initially, the translation was neither easy nor comfortable for anyone involved. The books were first translated to English and then English to Telugu. They later developed a Russian-Telugu dictionary. With little to no contact with their Telugu readers, Svetlana realised they knew little about their Telugu readers' sensibilities and interests. In 1969, Svetlana visited India for the first time. This marked the beginning of what later became a long-sustaining partnership between Visalandhra Publishing House and Pragati Publishers. Visalandhra took to translation and distribution of the books in Andhra Pradesh. Visalandhra also brought a unique reader experience. One could walk around their store and pick what catches their attention. This was not possible anywhere else (most were over-the-counter stores). Anywhere a bookshop couldnt be, Visalandhras mobile vans made their way travelling town to town and announced their schedule in major newspapers. Pragatis partnership with Visalandhra helped them reach out to previously inaccessible writers and translators. Kondepudi Laksminarayna, Nidumarti Umarajeswara Rao, Rachamalla Ramachandra Reddy (RaRa) and R Venkateswara Rao (RVR) came on board. From 1964, Telugu instruction started in Soviet universities. In 1980, Pragati split into Raduga and Pragati the former to specifically concentrate on children's and contemporary literature. These publications went on to set a standard for childrens literature writing which acknowledged childrens experiences, craftsmanship, colourful illustrations and all of this at affordable prices. Warmth from the land of Siberia Children held a special place in Soviet imagination, for they held the future. And thus, stories from as far as the Siberian land reached children in tropical Andhra Pradesh. Varsham lo nakshatralu/ Stars in the Rain and other quirky titles, distributed by Visalandhra Book House flooded the streets. At first glance, the world depicted within these booksthe landscape, weather, food, architecture, dresses or where astronauts were called cosmonauts was far removed from the lives of Telugu children. But for children who had no problem imagining the magical worlds of mythology of Chandamama, it was not difficult to imagine a far away world, only real. The distance, either cultural or geographical, faded away as children formed a strong bond with the experiences of the characters. It opened up a new world for me. I still remember when I read Pedda Prapancham lo Chinna Pilladu (Seryozha) written by Vera Panova. Somewhere in Russia there was a boy as old as me having similar experiences. It felt very relatable. It was also very close to nature much like my own childhood in Srikakulam, says Harsha Vadlamani, a photojournalist. Srikakulam, however, did not have a Visalandhra store until 1993. He and his friends shared their books ensuring they did not buy the same titles. At a later point, American translations in Telugu, funded by the Ford Foundation, tried to penetrate the market. But they fade in comparison to the combination of superior quality and price of Soviet books, which started as low as Rs 2. When summer holidays came, even pocket money of Rs 10 meant one could carry home a huge bundle of books. The most expensive and even the most beautiful one I got was Ukrainian Janapada Gathalu for just Rs 20. I stayed up all night finishing it, Harsha recollects. Sudheer Myneni grew up in Vijayawada in the 70s, right when the Soviet books entered the market. He describes them as a part of life package that came with the environment he was then surrounded by influence of left parties and Visalandhra in Vijayawada. He adds, Barely instructive in nature, at that young age, they were important in fostering independent thought and scientific perspectives by demystifying superstitions. There are no supernatural elements. They also paved the path to consuming more serious works by Dostoyevsky, Gorky, Tolstoy and Pushkin. Soviet books also became primers introducing world history, geography, science and even chess. Books like Pracheena Prapancha Charitra by Fyodor Korovkin, Modati Ettu by Alexei Sokolsky, Ivanni Kukkale by Igor Akimushkin were translated into Telugu. Around the same time, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian cosmonaut to fly into the space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11. The Soviet Union fell in 1990. Consequently, Progress shut its operations and Raduga followed after three years. Publication and distribution invariably came to an end. By the early 2000s, Soviet books vanished off the shelves. They became carefully treasured processions and hand-me-downs. For Sahitya Madabushi, a doctor, these were passed on to her from her older brother and cousins. They became the first books she knew. My mother or brother used to read to me when I was very young. I remember Bulli Matti Illu very vividly and the illustrations just stay with you. She adds, They were more natural and humorous, relatable to our everyday life. Apart from the illustrations, Soviet books appeal lies in its portrayal of realism. They acknowledge childrens experiences including their challenges, emotions and anxieties. The books relationships between the rich and the poor, the compassionate and the cruel, but also left potential and ambiguity in human nature much like the terrifying yet kind Baba Yaga, the courage of the common people, compassion to be on the side of the distressed or the wide range characters which can be named Ivan. Few did not even know that they were from the Soviet Union. More than the political ideology, it is childhood nostalgia that ties many with these books. Maybe that is why when Anil Battula, a software engineer, started collecting and digitising Soviet childrens literature 15 years ago, support poured in from all parts of the world. Soon, Anil started a blog, sharing books that he has digitised from second hand bookshops and personal collections. So far, he has digitised more than 300 Soviet childrens books available on his blog site. Today, Soviet children books might be found in their newly christened position as collectibles or dusting away in public libraries. At stores and exhibitions, many parents look for more practical books: ranging between encyclopaedias and competitive exam material. These shifts can make one wonder if the next generation of children will ever inculcate a habit of reading, leave alone in Telugu. Sporadic efforts are made by current publishing houses like Manchi Pustakam who fill the gap by republishing the archived Soviet children books for those who want to introduce to the next generations. It is hard to overstate the impact of Soviet childrens literature on its Telugu readers. It may be easy for few to dismiss the flood of Soviet literature calling it propaganda but the efforts to introduce Progress with a more palatable name Pragati or gorgeous titles and illustrations carefully redone in Telugu speak more about their earnestness in the approach. Perhaps that is why even after three decades since the Soviet Union fell, the imagination still lingers in a generation which grew up with unparalleled beauty. More importantly, it also underlines the importance of a futuristic vision in childrens literature. Featured image: Nannari Chinnatanam, by Alexander Raskin. All images provided by the author. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan L. Bender is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Attorney in the field of Law and acknowledgment of her professional excellence with Bender & Rosenthal LLP. As an award-winning and highly trusted attorney, Ms. Bender has led an impressive career practicing law for over 40 years. She has garnered a well-deserving reputation for demonstrating professional excellence, and in recognition, she has been routinely chosen to be included in "The Best Lawyers in America" published by Woodward/White, Inc. and is routinely named a "Super Lawyer." She also has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. In the more than forty years that she has been in practice, the matrimonial practice has been her focus and has occupied ninety percent of her time. She offers a vast repertoire of extensive training and expertise in divorce and matrimonial law, arbitration, divorce mediation, appellate litigation, LGBT matrimonial law, and orthodox Jewish divorce, just to name a few. At Bender & Rosenthal LLP, Ms. Bender and her highly trained team are devoted to providing the highest standard of divorce and family law services at 451 Park Avenue South, 8th Floor in New York. Ms. Bender's distinguished career began after she was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1980. Prior to this, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harper College and her Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law. With a commitment to excellence, she completed the Domestic Arbitration Seminar in September of 1991, a 40-hour Mediation Seminar held at the ABA MidYear Convention in Miami in February 1995, and received mediation training by the American Arbitration Association in 2016, and has been certified by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as an arbitrator. A frontrunner in her field, Ms. Bender remains abreast of the latest legal developments by maintaining affiliations and memberships with several professional organizations including as a Fellow of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Committee, a member of LeGal (Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association), and a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Section. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a member of the Board of Governors and former member of the executive committee of the New York Chapter. Throughout her career, she has been in constant pursuit to further her professional development in many leadership positions such as the founding member, former Vice President, Secretary, and current board member of Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA). She is also past President of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) and remains a member of WBASNY. She is the former Chair of the New York City Bar Matrimonial Committee and a member of the Interdisciplinary Forum and formerly a member of its Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Matrimonial Practice and Advisory Committee of the New York State Office of Court Administration and a member of the Board of Governors of the New York State Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Resolution Program. Revered as an expert in her field, Ms. Bender Is a highly sought after lecturer. She has lectured and continues to lecture in many areas of family law and procedure for the New York State Office of Court Administration, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, the New York State Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association, the Brooklyn Bar Association and has lectured at Pace University and for the Interdisciplinary Forum on many issues. Additionally, she is the author of a chapter in the New York Practice Guide (Matthew Bender Publisher, 1988) entitled, "Enforcement of Money Judgments", a chapter in New York Family Law Strategies entitled "Bringing Justice to a Flawed System" (Thompson Reuters/Aspatore Press, 2009), and an article published by the New York Domestic Relations Reporter in 1989 entitled, "The Finality Rule Barrier to Court of Appeals Review of Appellate Division Orders in Matrimonial Litigation." For further information, please visit https://www.brmatlaw.com/. Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com And that would have to do with you and friends or family building a gravity racer or a soapbox car, as they are more commonly referred to. The South-Korean automaker has developed its own version of the motorless vehicle designed to be enjoyed on a downhill road.Theres no fussy name, as the Hyundai Soapbox aims to be an easy do-it-yourself project that takes inspiration from the company's 45 concept car. The model has been created by the Hyundai Europe Design Center with focus on easy assembly the brand thinks their creation can be replicated at home by parents with children or by group of friends.The project also involved the knowledgeable engineers from the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center (HMETC), and because it wants to offer fans, families, and friends an excuse to spend time together, the instructions for the build have been made available online Because we are dealing with a global automaker, even this fun project was approached with the usual seriousness, and the Hyundai Soapbox started life just like any other car from the company engineers built the chassis, designers created the styling, and both produced a feasibility prototype that also confirmed the needed bill of materials.Technical specifications are a bit different from standard vehicles since the Hyundai Soapbox does not include a powertrain, and instead has more to do with a hardware store shopping list: wood, metal rods, brackets, screws, barrow wheels, and screwdrivers.When done, the Hyundai Soapbox is just 1.76 meters long by a meter wide (69 x 39 in.), so the bright yellow prototype can be transported in the back of family hauler such as the i30 Wagon. The driving duties can be handled by a child, but the team also made sure the adults can join the fun because the vehicle can support their weight as well. While the general design was inspired by the 45 prototype, Hyundai adapted the joystick use from the Prophecy concept. After a summer of iconic restaurants filing for bankruptcy with their futures unknown, one deli chain is breaking the mold. It is reopening after filing and has a brand new owner. TooJay's Deli, a Florida-based chain, is open and running again while following COVID-19 safety guidelines. In 2019 profits were going up, the CEO, Maxwell Piet, says in a statement. But the coronavirus pandemic hurt sales and was the driving factor of the April Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. TooJay's brand new owner, Monroe Capital Management Advisors LLC, took over the restaurant chain from TooJay's Management LLC. It wasn't the first to try and buy the restaurant, though. Boston Market Holdings Corp., which owns the Boston Market rotisserie chicken brand, was denied, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Interestingly, Monroe Capital also supported TooJay's back in 2018. (Related: 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback.) "The restructuring process allowed the company to emerge debt free, which it believes will provide significant financial flexibility to support its operations," the deli says in a statement. "The company's new owner, Monroe Capital, is providing capital to support growth in the business going forward." Although some leases were severed after the bankruptcy filing, 21 of the locations are back open for business. These are serving up all the TooJay's Deli favorites like the Nova Salmon Benedict and the Avocado Breakfast BLT for breakfast, the Triple J, Reuben and Rachel sandwich for lunch or dinner, and the Cheese Blintzes and Rugalach for dessert. Prior to this year, there used to be around 30 locations. When restructuring after filing for bankruptcy, it isn't uncommon for some leases to be dropped. Matchbox, a Washington D.C. pizza and burger chain, is renegotiating their leases after declaring bankruptcy in August. Ruby Tuesday announced they are closing 150 locations for good and are evaluating other leases. beloved sandwich chain Potbelly also is negotiating leases after they announced in June that 100 out of 470 locations would be closing. STAY INFORMED: Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is in talks to invest $3 billion in Southeast Asias biggest ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings Inc, Bloomberg News reported https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-14/alibaba-in-talks-to-invest-3-billion-in-grab-ride-hailing-giant?sref=SCAzRb9t on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Chinese conglomerate will be the sole investor in the funding round and will spend a portion of the funds to acquire some of the Grab stock held by Uber Technologies Inc, the Bloomberg report added. Grab declined to comment, while Alibaba and Uber were not immediately available to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Uber, which surrendered its Southeast Asian operations to Grab in March 2018, took a 27.5 percent stake in Grabs business. In April, Uber said it expects an impairment charge of up to $2.2 billion, adding that the charge would be against the carrying value of some of the companys minority equity investments, due to the impact of the pandemic on the estimated value of those entities. Grab, which has an estimated valuation of $14 billion and counts SoftBank Group Corp as one of its backers, expanded into financial services, food delivery and mobile payments over the last few years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hurt its mainstay ride-hailing business. In June, Grab announced a 5% reduction in staff numbers as it cut costs amid slower growth. Photo: The Canadian Press Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is able to breathe on his own and briefly leave his hospital bed, his doctors said Monday, while Germany announced that French and Swedish labs have confirmed its findings that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny, 44, was flown to Berlin for treatment at the Charite hospital two days after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20. Germany has demanded that Russia investigate the case, while Moscow has accused the West of trying to smear Russia. Navalny has successfully been removed from mechanical ventilation and is able to leave his bed "for short periods of time, the hospital said. Although noting the improvement in Navalny's health, the statement didnt address the long-term outlook for the anti-corruption campaigner and most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Doctors previously cautioned that even though Navalny is recovering, long-term health problems from the poisoning cannot be ruled out. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders to answer questions about the poisoning, denying any official involvement. The news about Navalnys condition came as his associates made some gains in regional elections held across Russia on Sunday. In Novosibirsk, which Navalny visited before falling ill, the head of his regional headquarters, Sergei Boiko, won a seat on the city council. United Russia, the main Kremlin party that Navalny has dubbed a party of crooks and thieves, lost its majority on the council, according to preliminary returns. Another Navalny representative, Ksenia Fadeyeva, won a city council seat in Tomsk, the city he left on the flight on which he fell ill. The German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up findings by a German military lab that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is taking steps to have samples from Navalny tested at its designated labs, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent examination of the findings. German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took new samples from Navalny. In efforts separate from the OPCW examinations, which are still ongoing, three laboratories have meanwhile independently of one another presented proof that Mr. Navalnys poisoning was caused by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, Seibert said. We once again call on Russia to make a statement on the incident, he added. We are closely consulting with our European partners regarding possible next steps. Seibert wouldnt identify the French and Swedish labs. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory, that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Navalny during a phone call Monday with Putin, Macron's office said. He confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, the statement said. The Kremlin said Putin in the call underlined the impropriety of unfounded accusations against the Russian side and emphasized Russias demand for Germany to hand over analyses and samples. Putin also called for joint work by German and Russian doctors. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using the incident as a pretext to introduce new sanctions against Moscow. He said Navalnys life was saved by the pilots of the plane who quickly landed in the Siberian city of Omsk when he collapsed on board and by the rapid action of doctors there. The perfect action of pilots, ambulance crew and doctors is being presented as a happy coincidence, in the West, he told RTVI television in an interview broadcast Monday. They dare to question the professionalism of our doctors, our investigators, he said. Arrogance and a sense of ones own infallibility have been seen in Europe before, and the consequences were very sad. Lavrov, who has cancelled a scheduled trip Tuesday to Berlin, said Russian authorities have conducted a preliminary inquiry and documented the meetings Navalny had before falling ill, but he emphasized they need to see the evidence of his poisoning to launch a full criminal investigation. We have our own laws, whereby we cannot believe someones say-so to open a criminal case, he said, adding that for now, we have no legal grounds for such a probe. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels on sharing evidence. With Germanys findings corroborated by labs abroad, we do not expect the bringer of the bad news -- namely us -- to be attacked further, but rather that they should deal with the news itself, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said of Russian authorities. Asked why no samples from Navalny have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied that Mr. Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Omsk said no evidence of poisoning could be found, adding he was too unstable to be transferred. A German charity sent a medical evacuation plane to bring him to Berlin, which it did after German doctors said he was stable enough to be moved. There are samples from Mr. Navalny on the Russian side, Adebahr said. The Russian side is called on, even after three independent labs have established the result, to explain itself, and Russia has ... all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. Pipeline 14 September 2020 Sydney based TFE Hotels, in partnership with developer Dradgin, is introducing its Vibe Hotel lifestyle brand into Western Australia with the opening of Vibe Hotel Subiaco in Perth's boho borough this October. It's a bold move, in the midst of a global pandemic, that will see a next generation Vibe Hotel operational in every Australian capital city by the end of 2022. Opening on 1 October, the 168-room hotel, developed by Dradgin and managed by TFE Hotels, sits in the heart of Perth's inner west as part of a mixed-use precinct in Subiaco. TFE Hotels CEO, Antony Ritch said TFE was excited to bring the Vibe brand of Australian hospitality to the capital of WA. According to Ritch, Perth CBD, cycle paths and tourist attractions are also within easy striking distance. The new Vibe boasts a pool, gym, conference space, versatile guest rooms that can transform into three-bedroom suites and a St Marks Road Co. eatery on the ground floor - all of which will hold great appeal for leisure travellers, the nearby commercial district and for visitors to nearby hospitals and medical centres. Dradgin's Investment Manager, Lynn Liang, said Dradgin was excited to welcome TFE Hotels to the precinct and delighted that Vibe Hotel Subiaco would be run by such experienced hotel operators. Ritch said TFE Hotels' partnership with Dradgin showed TFE Hotels had a long-term commitment to tourism in the west. In this recent video of Ridiculous Rides, Barcroft investigates a rare Pontiac GTO , considered one of the original muscle cars. It has only one owner and underwent an extensive repair process before looking like this lovely jewel.CW Restorations in Ohio worked on the GTO for three years, its owner Chris Winston saying that "it's probably the worst rustic car I've ever worked on." The 1964 Pontiac was bought when new. The owner tells stories of how he took the back seat out to fit a baby crib.It was his daily driver car. But in the late 1970s, the fuel tank fell out of the car and the GTO got parked in his barn. The animals really did a number on the interior. The same owner, 30 years later, decided to restore the rare muscle car, since it had such great sentimental value.It was rusted from one end to the other, so the builders had to install a brand new frame, and floors. But a lot of the original Pontiac has been kept, and unlike all those LS-swapped restomods, this still has the original V8. However, just for the sake of safety, they did upgrade the suspension and brakes.The GTO is a legend because it pulled Pontiac out of the grave and started the muscle car era by introducing the concept of big V8s in medium cars. But it almost didn't happen because just as this project got off the ground, Ford, GM, and Chrysler agreed to stop racing.In 1964 , Pontiac fitted the 389 V8 into the LeMans. The GTO was born, boasting chrome valve covers and exhaust tips. Only that year had this style of headlights too. The Fillmore District location of South Indian restaurant Dosa has closed permanently after 12 years. Now, with both the Fillmore and original Valencia locations permanently closed, its only brick-and-mortar location is in Oakland. However, the restaurant, known for its upscale Californian Indian cuisine, will continue to offer its menu throughout the Bay Area via a virtual kitchen and third-party delivery services, says co-owner Anjan Mitra. The closing is yet another casualty in an already fragile world, Mitra wrote in a text message. Im sure the bloodbath will continue. In a phone interview, Mitra said hed been coming to terms with the fact that the Fillmore location would have to close since shelter in place began in March. Its lease was coming up for renewal, and the landlord was looking for a definitive answer from the business. But with so much uncertainty, they couldnt project that far into the future. He handed over the keys at the end of August, and the space recently went up for lease. Given the nature of the business and the high risk of restaurants compounded by COVID, (the landlord) lost confidence in us, Mitra said. We were already struggling at Fillmore; once COVID hit, we didnt have a chance. Packing up was the better choice for us really, the only choice for us. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2009 The Fillmore location of Dosa, built into an old bank, was a flashy, glamorous spot with high ceilings that was often compared visually to Nopa. Its ambitious cocktail program integrated Indian spices like curry leaf and black cardamom, and tables were filled with enormous, telescope-size dosas and colorful salads of mung beans and house-made paneer. It was the kind of restaurant that needed lots of people to come in and out every day in order to thrive. Mitra has been vocal about difficulties local restaurant owners face since before the pandemic. In 2019, when the Valencia Street Dosa closed after 14 years in business, Mitra spoke out about the plight of independent restaurants in San Francisco, citing the unsustainability of doing business in a city associated with high costs for rent, health care and other expenses. Those concerns worsened with a pandemic that decimated the industry along familiar fault lines. The whole industry was so fragile to begin with, he said. Mitra said that he even if he tried to sell the restaurant, there arent any buyers right now who are willing to make that kind of investment. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2009 For now, Dosa is keeping Oakland open for takeout, selling products through Whole Foods and making do with virtual kitchens, which Mitra sees as the future of the industry, at least for now. The restaurant has a central commissary kitchen in South San Francisco and delivers via hubs set up around the Bay Area, in San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Daly City and Belmont, offering pickup and delivery through apps. The initiative is actually making the business a little bit of money, Mitra said. It works well for this moment. As for the future of brick-and-mortar spots, Mitra is less optimistic. I think its gonna be a while unless you have landlords willing to work with restaurants. Its gonna be tough. Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of carrier- and cloud-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today that Digital Dutch Finco B.V., an indirect wholly owned finance subsidiary of the company's operating partnership, Digital Realty Trust, L.P., priced an offering of 750 million of Euro-denominated 1.00% Guaranteed Notes due 2032 and an offering of 300 million of Euro-denominated Floating Rate Guaranteed Notes due 2022. The Euro Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of Digital Dutch Finco B.V. and will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the company and the operating partnership. Interest on the 2032 Notes will be payable annually in arrears at a rate of 1.00% per annum from and including September 23, 2020 and will mature on January 15, 2032. Interest on the 2022 Notes will be paid quarterly in arrears on March 23, June 23, September 23 and December 23 of each year, beginning on December 23, 2020, at a rate per annum, reset quarterly, equal to three-month EURIBOR plus 0.48%, and will mature on September 23, 2022. Closing of each offering is expected to occur on September 23, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The closing of the 2022 Notes offering is not contingent upon the closing of the 2032 Notes offering, nor is the closing of the 2032 Notes offering contingent upon the closing of the 2022 Notes offering. The company intends to allocate an amount equal to the net proceeds from the offering of the 2032 Notes to finance or refinance, in whole or in part, recently completed or future green building, energy and resource efficiency and renewable energy projects, including the development and redevelopment of such projects. Pending the allocation of the net proceeds of the 2032 Notes to eligible green projects, all or a portion of an amount equal to the net proceeds from the 2032 Notes may be used to temporarily repay borrowings outstanding under the operating partnership's global revolving credit facilities, acquire additional properties or businesses, fund development opportunities, invest in interest-bearing accounts and short-term, interest-bearing securities which are consistent with the company's intention to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and to provide for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including potentially for the repayment of other debt, or the redemption, repurchase, repayment or retirement of outstanding equity or debt securities, or a combination of the foregoing. The company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the 2022 Notes to fund the potential redemption in full of Digital Stout Holding, LLC's 4.750% Guaranteed Notes Due 2023 or to temporarily repay borrowings outstanding under the operating partnership's global revolving credit facilities, acquire additional properties or businesses, fund development opportunities, invest in interest-bearing accounts and short-term, interest-bearing securities which are consistent with the company's intention to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and to provide for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including potentially for the repayment of other debt, or the redemption, repurchase, repayment or retirement of outstanding equity or debt securities, or a combination of the foregoing. The Euro Notes are being sold only outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Euro Notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to United States persons (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Euro Notes, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the Euro Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to the timing and consummation of the offering of the Euro Notes and the expected use of the net proceeds. The company can provide no assurances that it will be able to complete the offering on the anticipated terms, or at all. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the company's reports and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Reg S Statement This communication is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. or its subsidiaries. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. Consequently, the securities may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred, delivered or distributed, directly or indirectly, into or within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. Any offering of the securities will be conducted pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. Notice to EEA Retail Investors The Euro Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and, with effect from such date, should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (the "EEA") or in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2016/97/EU (recast) (as amended, the "IMD"), where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II. No key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling any in scope instrument or otherwise making such instruments available to retail investors in the EEA or in the United Kingdom has been prepared. Offering or selling the Euro Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation. This communication has been prepared on the basis that any offers or sales of Euro Notes in any Member State of the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended or superseded, the "Prospectus Regulation") from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers or sales of Euro Notes. This communication is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. SOURCE Digital Realty Bin collections in Northern Ireland could be impacted by a funding crisis among councils A funding crisis could force councils to cut bin collection services and community events, Stormont has been warned. Northern Ireland's 11 councils are to meet with ministers and MLAs this week to demand an urgent rescue package. The meeting will be the first proper gathering of the Partnership Panel, which connects the Assembly with local councils, in almost four years. The agenda is likely to be dominated by discussion of how town halls can manage the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "Financially for councils, this year is a write-off," the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (Nilga) warned ahead of this week's meeting. "Local government finances have been devastated by Covid, continued income losses and the non-payment of rates. "Income streams are drying up, car parks are not busy and leisure centres can only offer restricted numbers." In a report written ahead of the upcoming meeting, council chiefs said that the situation was grave and would deteriorate further without additional assistance. "Unless financial support is forthcoming this financial year (which ends in March) and there are guarantees around future rates income for two years, we will have to consider significantly reducing services such as waste collection, community events and local development economic projects." In July Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots and acting Communities Minister Caral Ni Chuilin earmarked 11m to help councils cushion the blow of the pandemic. Expand Close Democratic Unionist Party MLA Edwin Poots PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Democratic Unionist Party MLA Edwin Poots But town halls have now said that further funding is "desperately needed before (property) rates are proposed, let alone struck". "Even before the Covid crisis hit, we were beginning to see city and town centres decline across the board," the Nilga report added. "During Covid many organisations have had a rethink about whether they need a lot of premises they are paying rates on. "Council reserves are absolutely depleted. Trying to agree a multi-year budget for councils may be a challenge for Stormont." Sinn Fein MLA Ms Ni Chuilin said she hoped the upcoming meeting would allow the parties to "discuss how we can continue to work together for the benefit of everyone, particularly in the social and economic recovery from Covid-19". "It will provide an opportunity to consider joint policy design on key issues of public concern and will improve coordination between departments and councils," she added. Nilga president and Belfast councillor Matt Garrett said he hoped that an agreement on finances could be struck. "(The meeting) offers a real opportunity for building on collaboration and joint working between councils, Stormont and our community during the pandemic," he added. While the Partnership Panel continued to meet during the three years of Stormont's collapse, it was unable to operate properly. A teacher in Chhattisgarh has come up with an amusing way of teaching students during this pandemic through a portable television. Ashok Lodhi, a government school teacher in Koriya districts Phatpani region travels around on his bike with an LED TV strapped to the vehicle, imparting knowledge through cartoon and songs. Lodhi has been hailed as Cinema Wale Babu for his little efforts to teach students from class 1-5 through ways that are most loved by children. He says that it give him immense pleasure when students wait for him enthusiastically as he travels around, as reported by ANI. Receiving the encouragement from the local administration, Lodhi worked upon this idea as this wouldnt incur him any extra cost. The television set up belonged to the institution he taught at and he was anyway planning to visit houses to teach children. "I don't bear any extra cost as the TV is from our school & I am anyway supposed to visit places to take classes. Local administration also encouraged me," says teacher Ashok Lodhi who has earned the moniker of 'Cinema wale babu' for his innovative teaching methods. #Chhattisgarh https://t.co/sY4qP8O1UO pic.twitter.com/nkTWVWbPQ7 ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2020 Dr Alok Shukla, principal secretary, School Education Department, Chhattisgarh, lauded Lodhis initiative saying that such innovations are rare to find even in big cities. I want to congratulate district administration for their efforts at ensuring seamless education in the district. A teacher known as Cinema Wale Babu has tied a TV on his motorbike and going to different localities to teach children using cartoons and music. Such innovations are rare to find in even big cities," said Shukla. A student even said that learning from Cinema Wale Babu is fun as they can watch cartoon as well as study at the same time. Lodhis efforts have also been hailed by local teachers and one of them admitted to the excitement of children on seeing him arrive. Students learn the best and easily through the audio-visual medium, he said. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Chhattisgarh government had launched an online portal, Padhai Tuhar Duar, under which it provided education to students stuck at their homes amid the lockdown. The state government took the scheme further in August and introduced Padhai Tuhar Para which aims to teach children with the help of the community in their localities and villages. ( with inputs from ANI ) Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, an honest look at President Biden's press conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices PETAH TIKVA, Israel, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OWC Pharmaceutical Research Corp. (OTCQB: OWCP) ("OWCP") announced that, on Sep. 14, 2020, the Company signed an international distribution agreement with Can It Industries from Florida, US. The distribution agreement initial phase is for 24 months and covers the following territory (the "Territory"): Florida, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Native American Tribal Lands throughout the USA, Central America, the Caribbean and South America. Can It Industries, Inc. is a Florida based corporation with its affiliations and subsidiary companies based in Oligopoly States like Florida, Puerto Rico and other international countries. Can It's Vision is to create Personalized Healthcare with Medicinal Cannabis in advantageous jurisdictions. The company is vertically Integrated in both Cannabis and Hemp with International Distribution: From Seed to Sale of Marijuana in Puerto Rico, to Seed to Sale of Hemp in Florida, and distribution that spans the United States, Central and South America. Can It, by way of Israel, and through one of its subsidiaries performs research for and through the University of Florida. Ziv Turner, OWC CEO and Chairman comments: "I've shared and shaped OWC's vision and goals with Michael over the past 6 years, and I am excited and proud to join forces with Can It, while it's moving forward in the carefully crafted pharma-grade medical cannabis path. Through Michael and Can It's manufacturing and distribution channels, governmental and healthcare institution business connections, I am confident that we could see OWC products in the Americas, on the shelves, available to patients sooner rather than later." Michael Feldenkrais, CEO of Can IT Industries, Inc. comments: "Can It is seeking to change the current guesswork involved in deciding how to treat disease using Medicinal Cannabis. Patients seeking to employ medicinal cannabis as a treatment are faced with unreliable cannabis products from most dispensaries and the uncertainty as to what compounds to use. As such the company has licensed and signed agreements with state of the art technologies like OWC and others that provide a 360 degree approach to achieve this goal." "The company has been gathering formulations in 3rd Phase Clinical trials and distributing in the Western Hemisphere," Feldenkrais adds. "Our strategy considers the mitigation of the environmental risks involved in cultivation of Cannabis by using the correct genetics to create the best medicines for individualized treatment." Feldenkrais continues: "Can IT accomplishes its goals in three steps: assembling the most current and proven medicinal cannabis research and clinical studies. Second, it leverages both pre-eminent medicinal cannabis experts and machine learning platforms to analyze data and standardize medicinal cannabis compounds. Third, Can IT uses proven data and expert analysis to develop validated personalized medicinal cannabis treatment recommendations for our patient-members and their healthcare providers and enable access to reliable partner dispensaries to obtain the proper cannabis compound ratios and dosages. We are proud to announce our agreement with OWC as part of our strategy to achieve our goals." OWC has an open shareholders' proxy meeting today, Sep 14th, 2020 @10;00 EST. Participant URL: https://www.issuerdirect.com/virtual-event/owcp We call our shareholders to participate in the meeting and vote on the proxy. Respectfully, Ziv Turner, CEO OWC Pharmaceutical Research Corp. + 972 (54) 5500450 [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221239/OWC_Pharmaceutical_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE OWC Pharmaceutical Research Corp. Related Links https://www.owcpharma.com Members of the Bay of Plenty Air Force Association will gather this Sunday to remember the lives lost in the Battle of Britain 80 years ago. Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell and National MP Simon Bridges will attend the commemoration service, which will take place at the Classic Flyers Museum. The Air force cadets from 16 Squadron, Army and Navy cadets will also be parading. BOP Air Force vice president Lee White says that the Battle of Britain refers to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom in 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by the air forces as well as being the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. The objective of the Nazi German forces was to achieve air superiority over the RAF especially its Fighter Command. He says The RAF lost 1250 aircraft, including 1017 fighters. In total, 520 men were killed serving with Fighter Command. But with more than 700 fatalities during the period of the battle, Bomber Command suffered even more heavily. Another 200 men were killed flying with Coastal Command. There were 57 New Zealand airman that died during the course of this battle. Lee says the New Zealanders came from all walks of life. There were 39 clerks of various types, 20 farmers, three postmen, two sailors, a neon sign erector and a cinema manager. They were public servants and they were tradesmen. The majority were pilots, but there were also 34 air gunners and four observers. Half were among the 500 New Zealanders already serving in the Royal Air Force when war broke out; some of them veterans of the disastrous campaigns in France. The other half were new arrivals from the early RNZAF wartime training courses. The service will start at 10am with a Flyby at the conclusion of the service by a couple of classic aircraft. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Collins, who has said she didnt vote for Trump four years ago, brushed off the question, saying voters are more interested in talking to her about issues than who she supports in the presidential race. Let me say this: I dont think the people of Maine need my advice on whom to support for president, Collins said. The government on Monday banned the export of all varieties of onion except those cut, sliced or broken in powder form, to increase availability of the commodity in the domestic market and contain rising prices. There is shortage of onion in the domestic market due to heavy rainfall and floods. "The export of all varieties of onion is prohibited with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The ban also includes Bangalore rose onions and Krishnapuram onions, which were free for export till now. The decision has been taken in wake of recent spike in onion prices due to a shortage of supply from the Nashik region. In the national capital, onion prices were ruling at around Rs 40 per kilogram. Earlier in March this year, the government had lifted about six-month-old ban on export of onions after a correction in prices and improvement in local supplies. The DGFT, an arm of the commerce ministry, which deals with exports and imports-related had announced removing the minimum export price (MEP) for outward shipments of the commodity from March 15. In September 2019, the government had imposed ban on onion exports and also levied an MEP of $850 per tonne to increase availability in the local market and contain soaring price which touched up to Rs 160 per kg in certain parts of the country. In the financial year 2019-20, India exported $440 million of onions and $198 million during the April-June quarter of the current fiscal. By Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: Essential Commodities Act to be amended; potatoes, onions to be deregulated Also Read: Govt to allow onion export from March 15 to boost farmers' income: Piyush Goyal Phase II trial results demonstrated improvement in cognition with BI 425809 in adult patients with schizophrenia Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Monday, 14 September 2020 16:32 Hits: 1135 Results presented at the 33 rd ECNP Congress from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial demonstrated BI 425809 has met its primary endpoint 1,2 ECNP Congress from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial demonstrated BI 425809 has met its primary endpoint Trial results, together with an ongoing combination Phase II study of BI 425809 and adjunctive computerized cognitive training, add to the body of evidence for Boehringer Ingelheims schizophrenia research program 3 Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) has a significant negative impact on daily functioning and remains a focus for Boehringer Ingelheims research across several neuropsychiatric disorders INGELHEIM, Germany I September 14, 2020 I Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the results from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial, that demonstrated BI 425809 has met its primary endpoint. The data showed improvement in cognition in stable adult patients with schizophrenia.1 Central to many everyday tasks, impairment of cognitive function still constitutes a major burden for patients, and no pharmacological treatments are currently approved for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). These results presented at the 33rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress will advance the understanding of how deficits in transmission of signals between nerve cells may contribute to diminishing cognition in people living with schizophrenia.2 The Gly-T1 inhibitor, BI 425809, forms a key component of Boehringer Ingelheims Central Nervous System (CNS) research program. The latest trial results, along with an ongoing combination Phase II study of BI 425809 and adjunctive computerized cognitive training, will help determine the direction for BI 425809 in further schizophrenia research.3,4 Prof. W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria: The outcome of this trial is an important step forward in our understanding of cognition in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairment causes significant challenges for people in their everyday functioning. Patients with schizophrenia struggle with remembering things like birthdays, learning new tasks, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life. Advancing our understanding of how we might improve these symptoms in schizophrenia is significant for the research community and the patients and families living with this condition. The Phase II results of BI 425809 in cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia are being further evaluated to assess how they will support the continued research development for the treatment of schizophrenia. The trial results for our investigational compound BI 425809 in schizophrenia are encouraging. This is a positive advancement in our mechanistic knowledge of how excitatory neurotransmissions affect aspects of mental illness, aligning with our systematic neurobiological approach to CNS research, adds Dr Vikas Mohan Sharma, M.D., head of medicine CNS, Retinopathies & Emerging Areas, Boehringer Ingelheim. We recognize this is important news for people affected by schizophrenia. We are making progress in developing treatments which will not only reveal important advances in our understanding of schizophrenia but also potentially other neuropsychiatric diseases. Cognition is a fundamental aspect of everyday life, including problem solving, memory and attention. When affected, people living with poor cognition can have a reduced mental ability to process information, remember straightforward things or perceive other peoples emotions and expressions. These functions are common to many forms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimers disease and depression. Finding solutions for cognitive impairment is a key area of Boehringer Ingelheim CNS research. Notes to editors Study 1346.9 was a Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial across 11 countries in patients with schizophrenia receiving stable treatment. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of add-on, once-daily, oral BI 425809 at doses of 225 mg for 12 weeks. The study assessed the change from baseline in cognitive function as measured by the total score of the composite Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) score after 12 weeks of treatment. These findings suggest that BI 425809 may improve cognition in patients with CIAS. In addition, BI 425809 was well tolerated, with no differences in psychiatric adverse events or suicidality between groups. Study 1346.38 is an ongoing study with BI 425809. The aim is to determine the role of increased cognitive stimulation in the form of adjunctive computerized cognitive training to aid the efficacy of pharmacological compounds such as BI 425809 on cognitive functioning.3 These trials are part of Boehringer Ingelheims early stage central nervous system (CNS) clinical trial program. In addition to pharmacological investigation Boehringer Ingelheim is applying several digital innovations as part of the clinical trial program to find solutions for patients with neuropsychiatric diseases. About Boehringer Ingelheim in CNS: www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/central-nervous-system Boehringer Ingelheim Making new and better medicines for humans and animals is at the heart of what we do. Our mission is to create breakthrough therapies that change lives. Since its founding in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is independent and family-owned. We have the freedom to pursue our long-term vision, looking ahead to identify the health challenges of the future and targeting those areas of need where we can do the most good. As a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company, more than 51,000 employees create value through innovation daily for our three business areas: Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of 19 billion euros. Our significant investment of almost 3.5 billion euros in R&D drives innovation, enabling the next generation of medicines that save lives and improve quality of life. We realize more scientific opportunities by embracing the power of partnership and diversity of experts across the life-science community. By working together, we accelerate the delivery of the next medical breakthrough that will transform the lives of patients now, and in generations to come. More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com. References Fleischhacker, W,W. Efficacy and safety of BI 425809 once daily in patients with schizophrenia: top-line phase II results. Scientific symposium session: S.12.01 33rd ECNP Congress 13 September2020. https://www.ecnp.eu/Congress2020/ECNPcongress/programme/Programme#!sessiondetails/0000083690_0. Last accessed Sept 2020. Clinical Trial of BI 425809 Effect on Cognition and Functional Capacity in Schizophrenia. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02832037?term=1346.9&draw=2&rank=1. Last accessed September 2020. Harvey PD, Bowie CR, McDonald S et al. Evaluation of the efficacy of BI 425809 pharmacotherapy in patients with schizophrenia receiving computerized cognitive training: Methodology for a double blind, randomized, parallel group trial. Clinical Drug Investigation (2020) 40:377385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-020-00893-8. Hake S, Huang S, McDonald S et al. Combining pharmacotherapy of BI 425809 with computerised cognitive training in schizophrenia: initial experience of a large-scale multicentre randomised clinical trial. Poster 579 presented at the 33rd ECNP Congress September2020. https://www.ecnp.eu/Congress2020/ECNPcongress/programme/Programme#!abstractdetails/0000432390. Last accessed September 2020. SOURCE: Boehringer Ingelheim Massive borrowing by Vedanta Resources Ltd. has helped push up Indian firms dollar loans to fund the privatization of companies and acquisitions to the most in six quarters. Vedanta, the London-based commodity conglomerate controlled by billionaire Anil Agarwal, raised a $1.75 billion facility in August to finance a plan to take its Indian unit private, and is in talks with banks for a further $600 million. As a result, Indian borrowers are set to get at least $2.6 billion of dollar event-driven loans this quarter, making this the most active since the first three months of 2019, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. A surge in global liquidity following cash infusions from global policy makers to check the pandemics economic fallout is bolstering demand among international lenders for facilities from markets including China, India and Indonesia. Indias $277 billion pandemic stimulus is also benefiting the corporate sector, and the nations borrowers seeking dollars have seen loan rates drop from four-year highs in the June quarter. Other borrowers seeking dollar event-driven loans this quarter include Baring Private Equity Asia, which began marketing a $600 million leveraged buyout loan last month to back the delisting of unit Hexaware Technologies Ltd. and repay dollar bonds. KKR & Co., meanwhile, launched a $206 million borrowing to syndication to finance the purchase of a controlling stake in J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Vedanta Resources is also in talks with banks for a further $600 million to finance the delisting of its Indian unit, according to people with knowledge of the matter. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. SAVANNAH, Tenn. - A convicted felon pleaded guilty Monday to taking part in the killing of Tennessee nursing student Holly Bobo more than nine years ago, but he is expected to be released soon as part of a deal with prosecutors. Hardin County Judge C. Creed McGinley sentenced Jason Autry to eight years in prison after Autry pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping. Autry gets credit for time served in the case and he could be released in the next few days, said his attorney, Michael Scholl. Autry provided key testimony in the 2017 trial of Zachary Adams, who was found guilty of murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and aggravated rape. Adams was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Adams is appealing his conviction. His brother, John Dylan Adams, also reached a deal with prosecutors. He is serving 35 years in prison. Bobo was 20 when she vanished from their home in rural Parsons, Tennessee, in April 2011, prompting a massive search of woods, fields and farms in west Tennessee. Her remains were found more than three years later, in September 2014, by two ginseng hunters in woods not far from her home, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) southwest of Nashville. The case shook Parsons and the surrounding rural counties, as residents feared that Bobos killer or killers lived among them. Ahead of Zachary Adams trial, Autrys name showed up on a list of witnesses who could get immunity, and he said during questioning that he was testifying because he wanted leniency. Autry said Adams provided some graphic details when he told Autry that he along with his brother, John Dylan Adams, and Autrys cousin, Shayne Austin had raped Bobo. Austin was found dead in an apparent suicide in Florida in February 2015. Autry told jurors he had been locked up for theft and drug convictions three times before he was jailed in the Bobo case. He acknowledged an addiction to methamphetamine and morphine. Autry said hed known Zachary Adams for years. He said he called Adams on the day of Bobos disappearance to ask Adams for a morphine pill. When Adams called him back, he told Autry that he needed his help. Autry then went to Austins trailer, where Adams had driven with Bobo wrapped in a blanket in the back of his pickup truck, Autry said. Adams and Autry drove to a river and retrieved Bobos body from the truck, he said. Instead of burying her, they decided to throw her into the river, at a spot under a bridge. But Bobo made a sound and moved, indicating she was still alive. Adams retrieved a pistol from his truck, Autry said. Autry then walked around the area to make sure no one was around, he said. Autry told Adams the area was clear. He then heard a gunshot coming from the location where Adams and Bobo were. It sounded like, boom, boom, boom, underneath that bridge. It was just one shot but it echoed, Autry said. Birds went everywhere, all up under that bridge. Then just dead silence for just a second. Fearing capture, he and Adams loaded Bobos body back into the truck and drove away, Autry said. McGinley, the judge, praised Autrys testimony. His testimony was some of the most credible, persuasive testimony Ive ever heard given in a courtroom, the judge said Monday. Bobos parents were in the courtroom Monday and prosecutor Paul Hagerman said they supported plea deal. Autrys testimony helped answer important factual questions in the case, the prosecutor said. It was a very important piece in getting justice for Holly, Hagerman said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was balancing his greatest achievement against his greatest failure as he arrived in Washington on Monday. Why it matters: Netanyahu on Tuesday will be among those at the White House to sign historic and strategic agreements normalizing relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while back home, Israelis grapple with the economic and health crisis brought by a second lockdown to contain the coronavirus. The virus has made many Israelis indifferent to the big event at the White House. Demonstrators in Jerusalem protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his failure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 12. Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The big picture: Netanyahus corruption trial has alienated many Israelis and led to demonstrations at the airport several hours before his departure. The criticism increased with reports that Netanyahu had planned to fly to Washington with his wife and kids on a private jet, Israel's three big television channels announced they would not cover the trip, and he was forced to give up the private plane. Some of Netanyahus confidants are concerned that television stations will air a split-screen tomorrow, with Netanyahu walking the red carpet in Washington on one side and images of Israelis preparing for the general lockdown on the other. What they're saying: In a press conference before flying to Washington, Netanyahu explained the agreements will lead to huge investments in Israel, improve the economy and create jobs. He's repeated that message several times. Driving the news: Two hours after Netanyahu arrived in Washington his office released a photo of him on the phone. His office said he was speaking with the Israeli minister of health and the coronavirus czar, getting updates on the latest infection numbers. In a video subsequently released, he acknowledged he knows people are going through difficult times and said he is dealing with the economic situation while he's in Washington. Details: Netanyahu was the only politician on the plane that flew the Israeli delegation to the historic ceremony in Washington. He invited neither his main coalition partner, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, nor Foreign Minister Gabbi Ashkenazito to join him. The UAE and Bahrain sent their foreign ministers to the event. Not even loyal ministers from his own party were invited, not to mention members of the opposition. An Israeli official said Netanyahu didnt want to share the red carpet with anyone but his wife, Sara. Quick take: The prime minister didnt speak to reporters traveling on his plane. Right after takeoff he tweeted his main talking point: I am traveling to bring peace for peace. As the number of new coronavirus infections reported daily reached a record high, crossing 300,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned that Europe will face a rising death toll in October and November. Israel, among countries battling a new spike, announced a three-week national lockdown starting Friday when people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. The announcement has sparked a wave of anger. The WHO reported 307,930 new daily global infections on Sunday, a record since the pandemic began in China late last year, as total cases topped 29 million. Its going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality, WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said. We are by no means out of the woods, the UN health agencys chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a meeting of WHO Europes 55 members that began on Monday. A Vatican spokesman meanwhile said Pope Francis was being constantly monitored after having met with a cardinal who later tested positive. In Greece, 14 refugees tested positive for the virus after thousands of them were left without shelter after a massive fire in the Moria camp on Lesbos island. Britain, France, Austria and the Czech Republic also reported spikes. Spore gives out devices to trace coronavirus Singapore began handing out pocket-sized coronavirus contact-tracing devices to residents on Monday, part of a planned nationwide rollout. The box-shaped tokens use Bluetooth signals to record nearby devices and store encrypted data of a users close contacts. If users test positive, the devices have to be handed over to the authorities to extract the data on other people they have potentially exposed to the virus. In a report, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, an independent body created by the WHO and the World Bank, said the world is doing far too little to prepare for future, possibly even more damaging pandemics. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Fashioning a revolution: Sojin Lee, the brains behind Toshi A new service promises to bring the fitting room to your door with an assistant delivering the latest fashion in a variety of sizes that you can try on before buying. Toshi, dubbed the Deliveroo for fashion, has already signed up Chanel and now has its eyes on High Street names such as John Lewis. It aims to bring the fitting room to your home using a network of trained seamstresses. Once you place your order and choose a 30-minute delivery slot, they pick up the clothes from the store and travel straight to your home. They bring different sizes, wait while you try the items on and can even adjust them for a perfect fit. If you don't like it, they pack it back in the box and take it straight to the store and the cost is covered by the retailer. They are directed around by clever technology that is able to track the location of the item of clothing, the assistant and the customer to ensure they can only order items that are in stock. And items that are returned only leave the store's shelves for an average of 90 minutes, often via public transport. Founder Sojin Lee has been running the business for three years but the pandemic has super-charged interest in new ways of shopping online. She has doubled the number of high-end brands offering the service to more than 50, and hopes to be delivering thousands of orders per month by early 2021. Many fashion lovers on the hunt for an afternoon of retail therapy have recoiled at the sterile experience offered by shops with strict social distancing measures. High-end: Toshi has already signed up Chanel and now has its eyes on High Street names such as John Lewis Online sales have boomed while stores especially mid-market and high-end fashion outlets have suffered. But for many, waiting around for deliveries, ordering multiple sizes and queuing at the post office to return items makes shopping online unattractive. Lee, a former head of retail and buying at Net-a-Porter, believes her technology offers a 'third way' with the convenience of Amazon Prime or Ocado, but with the experience you receive in-store. Speaking to the Mail, she said: 'We're in conversations with some large brands, and our model can absolutely work all the way down to a brand priced like a John Lewis.' For now, only shoppers in London can use Toshi, and the only companies signed up are high-end stores with items starting at 200. It is completing just 150 orders per month. The margins are 'healthy' and the Toshi team promise they only started in luxury because 'if you own the top you can go where you want'. The numbers Toshi uses to woo brands would certainly suggest that. Shoppers who receive their order from one of their trained assistants spend 40 per cent more per order and they return less. Toshi claims the brands' overall revenues are up 30 per cent thanks to their service. Lee said: 'When you have the knowledge that someone is going to come round, it's hassle free, you tend to order more in the knowledge you can hand it back.' Her army of seamstresses is also growing, helped by the downturn on the High Street. Some have switched to Toshi's Deliveroo-style zero-hour contracts after being laid off but come with more than years of experience in fashion retail. The business serves London and New York, and plans to move to other luxury centres such as Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing in the next two to three years. It means shoppers hoping to have their next Jigsaw party dress hand-delivered by a stylist may have a little while to wait. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) (L) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, participate in a discussion at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 16, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Intelligence Committee Rejects Request by GOP Senators for Russia Documents Republican and Democratic heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee rejected a request from two GOP Senate leaders requesting access to the committees records in their probe into the probe about how investigators handled Russia and President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign. The acting chairman, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and the vice-chairman, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), rejected a letter that was sent by Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) requesting records. Rubio and Warner said that their request failed to account for the unique authorities and obligations invested in this Committee through Senate Resolution 400 and respected over decades of Senate and Committee practice. It noted that Johnsons and Grassleys request was made pursuant to Senate Rule 26. The two senators added: Independent of whether that agreement is forthcoming, our position on this matter obviously does not preclude you from pursuing your own investigation, using your own authorities, as you see fit, within the confines of your committees jurisdictions, according to the Washington Examiner. In August, Johnson and Grassley sought to obtain witness transcripts to assist in their investigations, saying that the Department of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee allowed for subpoenas to several individuals regarding the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the governments response to the CCP virus outbreak in Washington on March 5, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) While seeking the voluntary cooperation of several prospective witnesses, several have requestedand provided permission forus to review transcripts of their testimony before your committee because of the overlapping subject matter, they said, according to a statement. The review of these discrete number of transcripts would assist in our investigation by narrowing the areas to be addressed with each witness, and may possibly even obviate the need for us to speak with certain witnesses. We also have no intention of duplicating your efforts, so we request access to these transcripts to ensure the best use of time by committee staff and the witnesses. Grassley and Johnson asked the Senate Intelligence Committee about records related to the CIAs contacts lawyers for Perkins Coie, including Michael Sussmann and Marc Elias. Elias hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which hired former UK spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the now-infamous dossier on President Trump. The dossier has been widely derided for being inaccurate. Last month, the Senate Intelligence Committeebefore Grassley and Johnsons letter was sentreleased the final volume of its report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. We can say, without any hesitation, that the Committee found absolutely no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 election, Rubio said in a statement upon its release. What the Committee did find, however, is very troubling. We found irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling. And we discovered deeply troubling actions taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, particularly their acceptance and willingness to rely on the Steele Dossier without verifying its methodology or sourcing, Rubio continued. Establishing Strategic Uranium Reserve Now Will Help Ensure U.S. Uranium Miners Can Benefit from the Agreement's Long-Term Restrictions LAKEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) ("Energy Fuels"), the leading producer of uranium in the United States, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Commerce ("Commerce") has obtained Russia's agreement to extend limits on uranium imports into the U.S. from Russia through 2040 under an extended Russian Suspension Agreement ("RSA"). This is an important step toward maintaining the long-term health of the U.S. uranium mining industry, especially since the expiration of the RSA at the end of 2020 could have resulted in unlimited Russian uranium imports into the U.S. Commerce won important concessions from Russia, including lower quotas starting in the mid-2020's, allowing only a portion of the quotas to be used for the sale of U 3 O 8 and conversion into the U.S., and strict controls on Russian enrichment service contracts. Mark S. Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels stated: "Energy Fuels thanks the Department of Commerce for their efforts in reducing U.S. dependence on Russian uranium in the long tem. This is a critical step in restoring U.S. leadership in the global nuclear fuel sector and helping to revive the U.S. uranium mining industry. "While we are pleased with the long-term prospects available to established U.S. uranium producers like Energy Fuels, the shorter-term picture for the U.S. uranium industry still remains uncertain. Even though Commerce has negotiated lower quotas starting in the mid-2020's, the agreement allows for the 'grandfathering' of existing contracts between U.S. nuclear utilities and Russian state-owned enterprises, which will actually result in Russian uranium imports into the U.S. increasing during the next three years, before decreasing in the mid 2020's. While the agreement does a good job at blocking Russia's stated intention to expand its share of the U.S. uranium market over the long-term, it only provides U.S. uranium miners with limited immediate relief. Today's announcement therefore highlights the importance and urgency of Congress appropriating the funds requested by the U.S. Department of Energy to support the strategic Uranium Reserve recommended by the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Working Group. Establishing the Uranium Reserve now will help ensure that U.S. uranium production capabilities can benefit from the long-term restrictions imposed under the extended RSA. We also support the efforts of Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming to put this agreement into law 'so Russia cannot walk away from the deal' in the future. "The U.S. cannot consider itself to be energy independent when we are nearly 100% dependent on imports to fuel the nuclear power plants that provide nearly 20% of U.S. electricity. It is vital that Congress appropriate the funds to create the strategic Uranium Reserve to support U.S. national security and reduce Russia's influence on the U.S. energy grid. Energy Fuels will continue to lead industry initiatives to reduce U.S. dependence on uranium imports from geopolitical challengers, including Russia." Commerce is releasing a draft amendment of the RSA for public comment. Comments will be due by 5:00 pm EDT on September 28, 2020. The draft amendment is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov (reference case number A-821-802), and it will also be published in the Federal Register. Commerce is seeking to finalize an amendment to the RSA no later than October 5, 2020, at which time it will go into effect and become binding on the U.S. and Russia. About Energy Fuels : Energy Fuels is a leading US-based uranium mining company, supplying U 3 O 8 to major nuclear utilities. The Company also produces vanadium from certain of its projects, as market conditions warrant. Its corporate offices are near Denver, Colorado, and all of its assets and employees are in the United States. Energy Fuels holds three of America's key uranium production centers, the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch in-situ recovery ("ISR") Project in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa ISR Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today, has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year, and has the ability to produce vanadium when market conditions warrant. The Nichols Ranch ISR Project is operation standby and has a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. The Alta Mesa ISR Project is also on standby and has a licensed capacity of 1.5 million pounds of U 3 O 8 per year. In addition to the above production facilities, Energy Fuels also has one of the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolios in the U.S., and several uranium and uranium/vanadium mining projects on standby and in various stages of permitting and development. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels' common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol "UUUU", and the Company's common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "EFR." Energy Fuels' website is www.energyfuels.com . Cautionary Notes: This news release contains certain "Forward Looking Information" and "Forward Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: any expectation that an amendment to the RSA will be finalized by no later than October 5, 2020; any expectation that a finalized RSA will be on the terms announced by Commerce today; any expectation that a finalized RSA will be an important step toward reducing U.S. dependence on Russian uranium in the long term, restoring U.S. leadership in the global nuclear fuel sector, and helping to revive and maintain the long-term health of the U.S. uranium mining industry; any expectation relating to the the long-term prospects available to established U.S. uranium producers like Energy Fuels; any expectation that Congress will appropriate the funds required to create the strategic Uranium Reserve; any expectation that establishing the strategic Uranium Reserve will support U.S. national security, reduce Russia's influence on the U.S. energy grid and help ensure that U.S. uranium production capabilities can benefit from the long-term restrictions imposed under the RSA; any expectation relating to the efforts of Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming to put this agreement into law; and any expectation that Energy Fuels will continue to lead industry initiatives to reduce U.S. dependence on uranium imports from geopolitical challengers, including Russia. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans," "expects," "does not expect," "is expected," "is likely," "budgets," "scheduled," "estimates," "forecasts," "intends," "anticipates," "does not anticipate," or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might" or "will be taken," "occur," "be achieved" or "have the potential to." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, herein are considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements express or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with: any expectation that an amendment to the RSA will be finalized by no later than October 5, 2020; any expectation that a finalized RSA will be on the terms announced by Commerce today; any expectation that a finalized RSA will be an important step toward reducing U.S. dependence on Russian uranium in the long term, restoring U.S. leadership in the global nuclear fuel sector, and helping to revive and maintain the long-term health of the U.S. uranium mining industry; any expectation relating to the the long-term prospects available to established U.S. uranium producers like Energy Fuels; any expectation that Congress will appropriate the funds required to create the strategic Uranium Reserve; any expectation that establishing the strategic Uranium Reserve will support U.S. national security, reduce Russia's influence on the U.S. energy grid and help ensure that U.S. uranium production capabilities can benefit from the long-term restrictions imposed under the RSA; any expectation relating to the efforts of Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming to put this agreement into law; any expectation that Energy Fuels will continue to lead industry initiatives to reduce U.S. dependence on uranium imports from geopolitical challengers, including Russia; and the other factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available for review on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml , on SEDAR at www.sedar.com , and on the Company's website at www.energyfuels.com . Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. It should further be noted that the proposed budgeted activities are subject to appropriation by the Congress of the United States, and there can be no certainty of the outcome of this budget or the NFWG's recommendations. Therefore, the outcome of this process remains uncertain. SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc. Related Links http://www.energyfuels.com 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. (Repeats Sept 11 column, no change to text. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters) * Global aluminium production by energy source: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Fbh0lK By Andy Home LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Tesla is ordering giant aluminium casting presses for its assembly line in Germany. The "Gigapress" is the size of a small house and will replace with a single module around 70 parts that are currently glued and riveted into the car's chassis. Aluminium is one of the materials of choice for the electric vehicle pioneer because of its light weight and strength, which mean extra mileage and enhanced safety. Indeed, aluminium is going to be one of the metals critical to the unfolding green revolution, not just for its role in transport but also for its use in renewable energy sources, particularly solar panels. The problem is that making aluminium can be a carbon-intensive business. The sector accounts for almost 3% of global emissions. The race to produce low carbon aluminium is now on as producers look to differentiate their product in a shifting consumer landscape. But this widening rift between "green" and "black" aluminium risks fracturing the market's current pricing model because a "green premium" is not only coming much faster than many industry players think, it may already be here. THE ROCKY ROAD TO ZERO Aluminium smelting is an energy-intensive business, each producer's carbon footprint is primarily determined by which power source it is using. Hydro scores low. Coal scores high. Gas is somewhere in the middle. The average comes in at around 10 tonnes of carbon per tonne of aluminium produced but the global range can be anything from 4 to 18 tonnes, according to Antti Koulumies, Vice President for the aluminium line of equipment supplier Metso Outotec . The sector's energy efficiency has deteriorated this century as ever more of the world's aluminium production has migrated to China, where coal is the predominant power source, Koulumies said. Story continues He was speaking at this week's CRU World Aluminium (Virtual) Conference, where producers lined up in something of a low carbon beauty parade. Alvance, the aluminium business of British commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, is rapidly growing via the acquisition of low-carbon smelters such as Lochaber in Scotland (hydro) and Dunkerque in France (nuclear). It's on the lookout for more. India's Hindalco starts from the disadvantage of being coal-dependent but is building supplementary solar supply at its smelters with a target of 100 megawatts by March 2021, according to managing director Satish Pai. It's a relatively low-cost way of reducing the carbon count per tonne of metal. Hongqiao, one of the world's largest producers, has gone for the very Chinese solution of dismantling two million tonnes of capacity in Shandong province (coal) and building a new smelter and "green" aluminium hub in hydropower-rich Yunnan. The move will be completed in super-fast time by the end of Q1 2021, according to Ron Knapp, previously head of the International Aluminium Institute and now special adviser to Hongqiao's chairman. The industry's ultimate goal is carbon neutrality by 2050, a target that may require redefining the Hall-Heroult smelting process itself. ELYSIS, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa is already there, using a process that eliminates all direct greenhouse gas emissions from smelting. Apple, a partner in the project, has already made its first purchase, according to Tolga Egrilmezer, head of Rio's aluminium marketing division. However, many producers, particularly those in China, are going to find the road to zero emissions a long and winding one, if not impossible. The emerging split between "green" and "black" aluminium is only going to widen. SPLITTING THE MARKET Despite the rush by (mainly hydro) producers to differentiate their product, a "green premium" has so far proved elusive. That's partly down to a lack of agreement about how exactly to calculate "green" metal. Low-carbon producers are mutually wary of each others' methodologies. More fundamentally, there is not yet sufficient demand to generate a physical premium. Western consumer brands such as Apple and Tesla are relatively well-supplied with low carbon aluminium from Canadian and European smelters. Left to market forces, it's uncertain how long it would take for demand to grow to the point that buyers need to pay a physical premium to secure supply. However, it won't be left to market forces. "Astute and forward-looking policy makers are considering shifts to government procurement practices in order to value low CO2 materials (and) green borders," Jean Simard said. Simard is head of the Aluminium Association of Canada, which gives some clue as to which policy makers he may have in mind. But it is the European Union which is leading the way both by accelerating its carbon reduction strategy and looking at ways of penalising imports of high carbon products as a way of preventing "carbon leakage". SPLITTING THE PRICE While a "green premium" may not yet have traded in the physical aluminium market, it is starting to take shape in the financial market, which is anticipating the forward curve both of carbon regulation and consumer demand. Trade house Trafigura has just announced a low carbon aluminium financing facility of up to $500 million with the backing of Natixis and Rabobank. Interest will be "at a preferential" rate, which allows Trafigura to pay low carbon producers a premium for their product. The facility will likely also be used to finance inventory. Aluminium is a metal that has historically carried high stocks, which are financed via the London Metal Exchange (LME) forward curve. Such deals can last just a few months or they can be structured over years, in which case financiers are now facing a dilemma. "Trading houses, which are running the bulk of cash-and-carry deals, are conscious that high-carbon products may trade at a discount to their low-carbon peers when these deals are unwound in 1-2 years," explain analysts at Citi. ("Metals Weekly", Sept. 8, 2020). As carbon rapidly moves up institutional investors' agenda, "Western banks may, over time, become more constrained in financing high-carbon materials", according to Citi. That differential in stocks financing requirements will be tradeable on the spot platform the LME is launching next year. The initiative complements a move towards voluntary reporting of a metal's environmental foot-print. It's a neat way of dealing with the complexity of competing "standards" in a fast-evolving aluminium market. The hope is that the market itself will standardise the premium for low carbon metal over time. But with different regions moving down the carbon-reduction road at different speeds, it seems unlikely there will be a single global "green premium" but rather a series of regional low carbon premiums trading in tandem with existing, traditional regional premiums. Aluminium pricing looks set to become a lot more complex. Trafigura claims it was the first trading house to set up a low carbon aluminium trading desk in 2019. It won't be the last. (Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) On September 11, 2020, the Honorable P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a default judgment against Francisco Abellan Villena, ordering him to pay $15 million for his role in a fraudulent stock sale scheme that caused significant harm to retail investors. The SEC's complaint, filed on May 15, 2018, alleged that Abellan masterminded a scheme where he and his co-defendants hid their ownership and sales of microcap issuer Biozoom, Inc. shares by using sham purchase agreements, a network of nominees, anonymizing techniques, and other deceptive practices. Abellan also allegedly employed sophisticated manipulative trading techniques to artificially inflate Biozoom's share price, and executed an extensive promotional campaign to coincide with the trading. The alleged scheme culminated in the defendants' illegal sales of Biozoom, which netted them over $33 million in unlawful proceeds. In granting the SEC's motion for default judgment against Abellan, the Court permanently enjoined Abellan from violations of the antifraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws and ordered him to pay a $15 million civil penalty. In a prior action, the SEC obtained a court order in 2013 freezing proceeds from the unlawful Biozoom sales. It subsequently obtained a default judgment and established a fair fund, which has returned over $16 million to harmed investors. The SEC also previously charged a lawyer and officer of Biozoom's predecessor entity, as well as two registered representatives for their roles in the unregistered sales of Biozoom stock, and a brokerage firm for supervisory and recordkeeping failures. On November 27, 2019, the Court in the current action entered a default judgment against defendant Faiyaz Dean, a Canadian lawyer, in which he was ordered to pay a $160,000 civil money penalty. The SEC previously obtained a judgment against Abellan for his role in another market manipulation scheme. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jennie B. Krasner and Marc E. Johnson, under the supervision of Deborah A. Tarasevich. The litigation is being conducted by Daniel Maher and Duane K. Thompson, and supervised by Stephan J. Schlegelmilch. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice, Fraud Section, Criminal Division, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores of Spain, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Supertendencia del Mercado de Valores of Panama. A school in Westchester has come under fire after a teacher handed out an image to students about the Black Lives Matter movement, comparing modern-day cops to slave owners and the Ku Klux Klan. Westlake High School educator Christoper Moreno gave his 11th-graders a handout on September 8, on the first day of classes. The handout included a five-frame cartoon panel titled 'George Floyd', each panel showing a white man kneeling on the neck of a black man from different historical periods. In the first frame, a pirate is shown kneeling on a black man in chains having been captured, with a ship floating in the background. The second shows a slave owner with a whip. The third is of a member of the KKK, who has a noose around the black man's neck. The fourth frame shows a police officer during the segregation era, with the words 'White Only' written on the wall over the officer's shoulder. Finally, in the fifth frame, a modern-day police officer is kneeling on the neck of the black man, depicting the death of George Floyd which sparked the ongoing BLM protests across the country. Students at a high school in Westchester were given a lesson handout that included the above cartoon, depicting the death of George Floyd (bottom right) and comparing the incident to racial oppression during other historical eras In each frame, the black man is struggling to say 'I can't breathe', the words gasped by George Floyd before his death on May 25 in Minneapolis. Westlake mother Ania Paternostro told the New York Post: 'My daughter showed me the paper. I said, "What is this?! You've got to be kidding me!" This cartoon compares the police to the KKK. It's an attack on the police' Paternostro said that she immediately sent letters protesting the cartoon to Mount Pleasant School District Superintendent Kurt Kotes and Westlake Principal Keith Schenker, whose school is in the district. 'Enough is enough,' Paternostro said to The Post. 'This cartoon is disturbing. We have to respect the men in blue who protect us,' added the mom of two, a native of Poland. 'We don't need a teacher brainwashing my kids. I'll teach my kids about what's right and what's wrong.' Her daughter Nicole said that she was troubled by the cartoon included in Moreno's lesson plan, calling it 'disgusting' for comparing the police to 'all the terrible people in history. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right,' she said. The high school student said she had since been bullied on social media since she made the controversial lesson plan public, and has been called a racist. In a letter to parents, Kotes said: 'I want to address an issue that I have recently been advised is of deep concern to many members of our community. 'Specifically, I have been advised that one of our High School teachers may have recently conducted a lesson that many have deemed to be highly controversial in the current climate. 'I want to assure the community that the District will be conducting a thorough investigation to determine what exactly occurred in this particular classroom and what, if any, action is to be taken under the circumstances to appropriately address the matter,' he said. 'Once the investigation has been completed we will follow up with the community to the extent necessary and legally appropriate.' Teacher Christoper Moreno gave his 11th-graders a handout September 8 on the first day of classes at Westlake High School (pictured) The lesson also drew strong rebuke from the local law-enforcement community. 'Its a smack in the face to law enforcement, its an absolutely a smear of the police,' Steve Kardian, a retired Mt. Pleasant police officer and former New York city Department of Investigations prober, said to The Post of the cartoon. In August, the same cartoon was handed out in a school assignment at a high school in Texas causing similar outrage, with some parents calling for the teacher who handed the image out to be sacked. The unnamed teacher tasked eighth grade students at Raymond Cooper Junior High, in Wylie, 30 miles out of Dallas, to write about the cartoon. The National Fraternal Order of Police's Vice President Joe Gamaldi, said of the lesson 'This is abhorrent and disgusting, and only further widens the gap between police officers and the youth in our community.' Gamaldi, vice president of the FOP, tweeted in August that the assignment at Raymond Cooper Junior High in Wylie, Texas was 'abhorrent' Texas Governor Gregg Abbott also weighed in, siding with the outraged parents, and also called for the teacher who assigned the lesson to be fired. The cartoon and accompanying lesson, which was shared to 400 students, was taken down, but one parent whose 8th grader son was given the assignment believes the cartoon had been taken out of context. Kristyn Senters said that she sees the cartoon as more of a commentary on historic oppression. 'This is a truth that's uncomfortable for many. It's a truth that's uncomfortable for me. If you look at the depiction, the black man is always on the ground,' Senters said to Fox4News. 'This picture is depicting years of oppression, and it is showing why we protest, so, to me, it's a conversation that we need to have. It's an uncomfortable conversation, and not one that everyone wants to confront, but it is still a conversation that we all need to have,' she added. 'They're not saying that it's right or wrong. They're not even giving their judgment on it. They're asking the kids to think critically. That's what we want our kids to do. We want them to be critical thinkers. That's the job of these teacher,' Perdomo said. Raymond Cooper Junior High, in Wylie, 30 miles out of Dallas, set the assignment But Wylie school district apologized for the cartoon. 'Wylie ISD is aware that a junior high social studies lesson taught at one of our schools included political cartoons that have been divisive in our community,' they said in a statement. 'These political cartoons portrayed in this lesson are not part of the district's curriculum resources or documents. The assignment has been removed, and students will not be expected to complete it. 'We will continue to work with our staff to ensure content follows the state curriculum.' They also tweeted an apology, saying: 'We are sorry for any hurt that may have been caused by a lesson that included political cartoons that reflected negatively on LEOs. We value them and will do better.' Phuket artists continue food security charity drive PHUKET: A host of top Phuket artists will record a version of the classic global charity song Do They Know Its Christmas in their efforts to help continue providing food to people still in need in Phuket and on nearby islands as the COVID economic crisis continues to deepen. COVID-19economicscharity By The Phuket News Monday 14 September 2020, 04:28PM The project will be co-ordinated by Legend Music Recording Studio in Koh Kaew, owned and operated by producer and composer, and long-term Phuket expat, Gary Crause. Gary was one of the driving forces behind Phuket artists coming together in June to produce their own version of Lean on Me to boost food security relief efforts driven by the Help Phuket Today campaign, also created to help people in Phuket suffering without any form of income during the ongoing crisis. So far more than 2,000 Lean On Me Food Packs costing a total of B500,000 have been paid for by the Phuket community and distributed directly to the families and communities all over Phuket and the adjacent islands that are hardest hit by unemployment caused by the pandemic, Gary explained to The Phuket News today (Sept 14). Most recently just over 400 food packs were distributed through the Koh Kaew Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), and 20 packs were sent to Phuket Immigration, he added. Kath Cumming started Help Phuket Today on April 12, collecting food for the hardest hit communities where families were close to starvation due to losing their jobs and income sources because of the Covid-forced lockdowns. With the help of Yvonne Symons from Villa Market and the Tourist Police, they distribute the food donations directly to the communities that need it to survive. After learning of the relief efforts being done by Kath and Yvonne, Gary from the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts arranged with Villa Market to have a B250 barcode created for the purchase of the food packs to make it real simple for residents of Phuket to donate to the cause. He also called up a bunch of his musician friends and some students to film and record a version of Lean On Me to help drive the marketing and awareness campaign for the food relief efforts. All of those involved in the day-to-day running of the Lean On Me Food Donation and Distribution program know firsthand that it is a very real problem that will impact these families for a very long time, Gary said today. With the low season in full swing, and the high season looking like it will be a non-event, the current outlook is that the situation will not improve for at least another 12 to 16 months, and is in fact getting worse on a monthly basis, he added. In an effort to keep focus on the campaign, and with Christmas fast approaching, the Phuket Academy of Performing Arts have invited all of their students and the respective families to participate in recording and filming a second song on the 10th of October to continue to bring awareness to the ongoing campaign. The new recording and video of Do They Know Its Christmas will be out mid-October to drive awareness to the cause through the Christmas period and into January at least, Gary explained. To contribute to the relief efforts, simply scan and pay for Lean On Me food packs at any Villa Market in Phuket, or order the packs online via Villa Markets online shopping portal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., listens to a question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, July 27, 2020, to highlight the new Republican coronavirus aid package. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Read more While Americans focus on the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing economic crisis, and now the presidential campaign, top Republicans in Washington are continuing to attack one of the constitutional pillars of American democracy: our free press. Americas founders knew freedom of the press was so important that they enshrined it in the very first amendment to the United States Constitution as part of the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791. Since then, our nations free press has defended and strengthened Americas constitution and our democratic way of life by keeping government officials accountable to the public for their actions in office. The free press serves as a watchdog of Americas free society. As a Republican former member of Congress, I have firsthand experience with the important role that journalists play, as I would face pointed questions from local reporters about my positions on key issues and votes I cast while in office. Regardless of a reporters political affiliation, honest reporting of the facts helps inform the public about what actions elected representatives are taking to serve the public interest. READ MORE: Coronavirus increases the dangers to a free press at home and abroad | Trudy Rubin Why then, are so many Republicans attacking the free press? Why does President Donald Trump call honest journalists enemies of the people? This is a slur that communist dictators use to justify the brutal repression of their opponents. Such language by the president is un-American and inexcusable. However, instead of holding the president accountable for his words, as senators should do, Republican senators tend to imitate Trumps harmful attitudes toward the press. For instance, in January, Republican Sen. Martha McSally (Ariz.) dismissed a reporters legitimate question, calling a respected reporter a liberal hack for asking if she would support Senate consideration of new evidence during the January impeachment trial. If elected officials cannot, or will not, defend or explain their policies or their ideas to the news media because of personal political differences, this represents an attack on one of Americas most important institutions, and it is a dereliction of duty to ignore reporters simply because they ask uncomfortable questions. During the pandemic, millions of Americans depend on the news media more than ever for accurate and timely public health information, yet the economic crisis has hit local newspapers especially hard, resulting in painful cutbacks in staff, print editions ... and in some cases, coverage of important news. To address this problem, four United States senators, Democrats Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), along with Republicans John Kennedy (La.) and John Boozman (Ark.), worked together this spring to ensure that local news outlets were eligible for economic relief like most other small companies are. As these senators pointed out, ensuring that local news outlets remain viable at this critical time is not only a matter of fairness, but is essential to public health. As a member of Republicans for Integrity, I am thrilled that some Republicans worked with Democrats to protect our nations local news outlets. Such bipartisan cooperation is very important in these times. However, since Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to consider economic relief legislation that the House passed in May, these senators were not able to advance their important efforts to help local news outlets. READ MORE: Brutal propaganda war over coronavirus means facts matter more than ever | Trudy Rubin Now, as we enter the final weeks of a heated campaign season, I hope that the next time senators get questions they dont like, perhaps they should try justifying their own positions instead of attacking the reporter for the reporters perceived political views. Maintaining a thriving, free press will help safeguard Americas constitutional democracy. This is a goal Americans of all political stripes should endorse. Claudine Schneider is a Republican former United States congresswoman and is a founding member of Republicans for Integrity, which brings together Republican former members of Congress who place people before partisan politics. She works with various national, nonpartisan, watchdog organizations, and was one of the founding members of www.VoteSmart.org. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines on Sunday, one day after a gunman ambushed and critically wounded two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies in their squad car in Compton. Weapons of war have no place in our communities, Biden said in a tweet. We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. In an earlier tweet, the former vice president called for the perpetrator of the cold-blooded and unconscionable shooting to be brought to justice and said anyone who commits an act of violence should be caught and punished. The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening and were listed as in critical condition, Fox News reported. The search for the suspect continued on Monday. President Trump suggested swift, harsh punishment for criminals who target law enforcement. Animals that must be hit hard! Trump said in a tweet. He later added, If [the deputies] die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this! At a roundtable campaign event in Las Vegas on Sunday, Trump expressed support for tougher criminal sentencing guidelines and faster courts and criticized his opponent for being weak on crime, according to Fox News. Hes not strong for law and order and everybody knows that, Trump said. When you see a scene like happened just last night in California with the two police people a woman, a man shot at stone cold short range. More from National Review I make no apologies for returning to what is one of my favourite areas of the world for wines. The Languedoc-Roussillon area of southern France which is now part of the broader administrative region of Occitanie stretches from the Rhone Valley down to the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. Its a vast and varied landscape, with a wide variety of terroirs and wines which range from the rich, high-altitude whites and sparklers of the Limoux; to terrific roses that match Provence in style and undercut it in price; to red blends of the many appellations and small village cooperatives, from all-purpose everyday wines to serious boutique creations for your dinner table. What, to me, characterises all these wines, is the integrity of the winemaking even with the larger mass-produced cooperatives and their sense of place, rooted in the character and climate of the region, which has a history of winemaking going back to the Greeks and Romans. When I last wrote about the region back in the early part of the year, I focused on the incredibly good-value wines of some of the big combines, that have a wide variety of estates across the region with wines under different names and brands, such as the Paul Mas combine, which produces some excellent everyday wines. Ill doubtless return to them, but today we are looking at more individual wines from smaller outfits. It is claimed that monks created the worlds first sparkling wine in the 16th century in the Limoux region north of Carcassonne. The sparkling cremants and blanquettes of the region the former, made in the champagne style, has more ageing and usually therefore more heft about it have a deserved reputation for quality. The Sieur dArques winery takes its name from a former ruler of the region who had a taste for these wines, but you can try them yourself in the form of the Cuvee Royale Brut Cremant de Limoux (11.99 waitrose.com), made from chardonnay, chenin blanc and pinot noir; a golden coloured, full bodied, biscuity sparkler, with a pleasing citrus tang. A perfect chilled aperitif for a warm September day. Limoux is also famous for its excellent chardonnay, which has a similar rich creaminess and can rival classic burgundy at a fraction of the price. The La Voute Selection Terroir 2019 (13.99 laithwaites.com) is a big mouthful: ripe, with oaky flavours of lemons and a hint of spice perfect with big white-fish dishes. Abbotts & Delaunay may sound like a firm of Home Counties solicitors, but in the Aude region it is a boutique winery producing a classy range of wines (as well as the more budget, but generally good-value range of Les Jamelles wines). Abbotts & Delaunay Viognier Les Fleurs Sauvages 2019 (9.99 or 7.99 if bought as part of a mixed six-bottle purchase, majestic.co.uk) actually punches well above its price point in terms of quality, with really aromatic, luscious flavours of apricots and peaches and those characteristic viognier notes of nutty, honeyed spice, but remains resolutely dry. If you are buying a mixed case in Majestic, try also the sprightly Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet 2019 (9.99 or 8.99 if bought as part of a mixed six-bottle purchase, majestic.co.uk); also good value and a great example of the piquepoul grape which comes from just one strip of the Languedoc, south and inland from the port of Sete and close to the brackish Bassin du Thau, where a wide variety of shellfish like mussels and oysters are grown and for which the wines citrusy, smoky flavours are just perfect. And remember, since there is an R in the month, its traditionally time to eat them. But blended wines are really what make the Languedoc stand out, where the skills of the winemaker in matching and combining disparate grapes to produce something that is much more than the sum of its parts are most evident. The Mas Christine Blanc, Coume del Mas 2018 (18.10 winebuyers.com) comes from a winery owned by an Englishman, Andy Cook, near the lovely old port of Collioure some miles south of Sete, near the Spanish border, and is an intriguing and complex blend of grenache gris, carignan, grenache Blanc, macabeo, marsanne and roussanne: quite hefty, with layers of generous, mouth-filling creamy flavours and a good, dry, mineral edge. A big plate of grilled Mediterranean fish and a dollop of aioli would be the obvious accompaniment or more of those shellfish. ( ) And when it comes to reds, blending is much the dominant style, although the grapes can come from a wide range. The Chateau Sainte Eulalie estate lies in the Minervois appellation of the Aude region, near the Canal Du Midi, and the exceptional Chateau Sainte Eulalie La Cantilene, La Liviniere, 2017 (13.50 thewinesociety.com; in stock 21 September) is a syrah-dominated blend, with grenache, carignan and cinsault also present, drawn from wines on sun soaked south-west facing slopes. Its robust and complex, but clean and elegant on the palate, with big spicy brambly, herby flavours. Very similar and from an area around Narbonne with a growing reputation is the Chateau La Negly La Cote La Clape 2018 (13.48 laywheeler.com; 14.00 jnwine.com) is the same blend but with mourvedre in the mix; a similar classy drinkability, oozing smooth, rich dark-fruit flavours, some liquorice and cassis and a little pepperiness. Both these wines are classic southern French reds, ideal with any substantial Mediterranean foods, particularly grilled lamb with rosemary, or vegetable dishes featuring the classic combinations of tomatoes, peppers, courgettes etc. The newish Cabardes appellation is a small region in the hills north of Carcassonne and the home of the family run, organic Maison Ventenac which produces a smallish range of bespoke wines that benefit from a climate that has some fresher Atlantic influences balancing the hot dryness of the Mediterranean. So the Maison Ventenac Signature Reserve de Jeanne 2017 (10.95 jnwine.com) is a beguiling blend of the lighter, fresher notes of cabernet franc not otherwise common in the Languedoc and violet scented, tarry, peppery, velvety syrah. A lovely, medium bodied, well crafted wine of great charm and ideal with any charcuterie or pasta dishes. Moving back east and among the patchwork of vineyards and small ancient villages north of Montpellier lies another family run concern, the Chateau Puech-Haut in the village of Saint Drezery, which produces big, classy wines from various blends, such as the Puech-Haut Prestige Rouge 2016 (21.50 waudwines.com ; winebuyers.com) made from, typically, a blend of grenache, syrah and carignan. And this is a serious wine for serious occasions: concentrated, complex flavours of plummy dark fruits, some brambly, herbal notes. A real mouth-filling, powerful wine, for roasted meats and, coming up of course, autumnal game and mushrooms. Flavours to relish, with a wine redolent of the sun-baked south of France. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian is not only on leave, but is also holding meetings with representatives of various sectors. Today the President paid a visit to the Cambridge Scientific Center where he had a meeting with the administration, as reported on the official website of the President The parties touched upon the opportunities for cooperation with Armenia's educational and research centers, taking into consideration the global traditions of the University of Cambridge in the areas of education and science and the achievements of scientists in the areas of science, as well as the growing role and significance of education in the modern world. The parties initially reached an agreement to sign an agreement on cooperation in the sectors of artificial intelligence, modern technologies and biotechnologies. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 02:04:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks back to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, Sept. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) "Passing an act of parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate," said former Prime Minister David Cameron. LONDON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain's House of Commons (lower house of British Parliament) on Monday formally began debating the government's Internal Market Bill, which overrides parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with the European Union (EU) early this year. Experts believe that Britain's proposal of the legislation risks the country's international reputation and reaching a deal with the EU would be the best solution. Pro-Brexit supporters celebrate Brexit at a gathering at Parliament Square, in London, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua) CONTROVERSIAL BILL Johnson's Internal Market Bill addresses part of the Withdrawal Agreement -- the Northern Ireland Protocol, which looks to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. If the bill is passed and becomes law, it would give British ministers the power to modify or "disapply" rules relating to the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, if Britain and the EU are unable to strike a trade deal. MPs, along with some former British prime ministers, have warned Johnson the proposing legislation could damage Britain's international reputation. "Passing an act of parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate," said former Prime Minister David Cameron. Meanwhile, Johnson is urging Conservative MPs to back his plan and get the bill through. Writing an article on Saturday in the London-based Telegraph newspaper, Johnson said the bill "gives freedoms and certainties" for British businesses and citizens that were previously set out in EU law, adding that "it is crucial for peace, and for the Union itself". The British national flag is lowered down outside the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) RISKING REPUTATION Experts have warned that the British government's move risks the country's reputation on the international platform. "I think it has raised question marks in everybody's minds, how committed is the UK to the rule of law now? It's going to be really important how the UK handles this now, whether it can find a way forward," David Phinnemore, professor of European Politics at Queen's University Belfast, told Xinhua. His opinion was shared by Rajneesh Narula, the John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation at the Henley Business School, University of Reading. Narula believes if Britain follows through with the changes to the Withdrawal Agreement then it risks their weight in international discussion. "The fact that they are threatening to do is something that no significant nation on the world platform normally does," said the economist," adding that in the long run "it makes your friends think that you aren't really reliable." Phinnemore believes that the idea of a Global Britain promoted by Johnson -- which seeks to see the country arrange deals and relationships with countries around the world -- has also been undermined. "If the UK is willing to renege on a set of commitments...with the largest partner (EU), then I think a lot of countries will be asking, to what extent can we really trust the UK to deliver on any obligations we enter into with them?" he said. Supporters of a pro-Brexit group celebrate at Parliament Square in London, Britain, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua) UNDERMINING TRUST The EU is demanding that Britian ditches its plans to pass the bill, saying that failure to do so could risk jeopardizing trade talks. Time is running out for both sides to formally agree on a deal as there is less than five weeks to agree a deal in line with Johnson's Oct.15 deadline. Phinnemore warned that trust levels have already been "undermined" by Britain's decision to put the bill to the Commons, and the proposal of the new bill has flagged up a number of problems within the EU-UK relationship. British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove on Friday defended the new bill, saying Britain had made clear during discussions with EU officials on the UK Internal Market Bill that legislative timetable for the bill would continue as planned. Gove also reiterated the government's commitment to implementing the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, including the protocol covering Northern Ireland. People walk past a banner demanding extension of Brexit transition period outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, on June 10, 2020.(Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua) SEEKING SOLUTION Phinnemore believes that the main concern from both parties will be how best to resolve it. There is a possibility that if the EU decides to take action under the dispute settlement mechanisms within the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol, then the situation could end up in the European Court of Justice. "The EU has obviously got to see what is going to happen with the Internal Market Bill," said Phinnemore, noting that it's very difficult to predict what will happen to any piece of legislation going through British parliament given the history of the Brexit process. Narula believes that Britain should still set their sights on passing an agreement with the EU. "I think preparing for hard Brexit is in no one's interest, but least for the United Kingdom," he said. Instead of a four-cylinder turbo, the budget hot hatchback features a free-breathing engine with approximately 150 horsepower on tap. The first Renault Sport to be manufactured outside of France also features disc brakes at all corners whereas lesser versions of the Sandero make do with drums for the rear axle.But most importantly, the Sandero R.S. comes with a six-speed manual instead of paddles on the steering wheel. Its as back-to-basics as hot hatches get nowadays, a kind reminder that technological advancements dont necessarily translate to driving fun. But like all great things, this story has to come to an end. Dacia , the low-cost brand from Romania that Renault bought in 1999, has recently posted the all-new Sandero and Sandero Stepway on social media. The Brazilian division of the French automaker should follow suit, and this gets us to the Clio. Redesigned from the ground up in 2019, the subcompact hatchback is said to drop the Renault Sport treatment for good in favor of an R.S.-badged Zoe.Indeed, ladies and gents; the rendering before your eyes is likely wishful thinking rather than a preview of the all-new Sandero R.S. for the Brazilian market. Imagined by pixel artist Kleber Silva , the go-faster machine isnt ashamed to show off its sporty side with the help of a center-exit exhaust system, a generously-sized aerodynamic diffuser, and fog lights that resemble ice cubes.Given that the Sandero is transitioning to the CMF-B vehicle architecture of the Clio, the 2.0-liter engine in the outgoing model may be on its way out. A turbocharged lump makes more sense with this platform, but the tradeoff is that forced induction would give the car a totally different character.The worldwide health crisis and financial woes of 2020 also paint a bleak picture for the Sandero R.S. and Renault. Lest we forget, the French automaker reported a net loss of 7.29 billion euros in the first half of 2020 compared to a net profit of 970 million euros in the first half of 2019. SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On 10 September, Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited ("Kingdee" or the "Group"; stock code: 00268.HK) proposed to "empower enterprises' digital capacity" at Kingdee Cloud Digital Transformation Forum (Chongqing), an answer to the question of "how Chinese enterprises break the deadlock and rise up to challenges in 2020". Following the release of the Smart Growth Plan for Micro, Small and Medium Businesses, Kingdee brought a new driver to Chinese enterprises. At the forum, Zhu Hongren, Standing Vice President and Director General of China Enterprise Confederation/China Enterprise Directors Association, Zhao Gang, a Party member and Chief Engineer of the Economy and Informatization Commission of Chongqing City, Robert Xu, Chairman and CEO of Kingdee, and more than 700 enterprise managers and millions of online audience members participated in the event and discussed the growth of enterprises under an uncertain context. Robert Xu pointed out that the core competitiveness for every enterprise to win the critical battle derives from its digital capacity when facing the severe health crisis of COVID-19, China-US trade war, technology decoupling, industrial Internet, digital transformation and EBC trend. The digital capacity empowerment of enterprises is an update of Enterprise Business Capability (EBC) shared by Kingdee in 2019 during the crisis. As the business environment changes and challenges escalate, enterprises must reflect on the situation from the perspective of "fighting". The digital capacity empowerment of enterprises refers to the capacity to collect, store, process, analyze and transfer data in each value chain and scenario, which brings additional strength and competitive edge for enterprises. Through 5 major platforms, enterprises can rebuild 5 capacities to develop and enhance their digital businesses, namely, the capacity to connect customers, such as full-link marketing and OMO trade (Customer Experience Platform), the capacity to connect employees, such as smart collaboration, smart operation and smart management (Information System Platform), the capacity to connect partners, such as major platform of industrial chain and industrial cluster platform (Ecosystem Platform), the capacity to connect things, such as connections to materials, equipment and products (IoT Platform), and the data-driven capacity, such as observation, prediction and risk management (Data Analysis Platform). At present, a number of enterprises are exploring and building the capacity of digital businesses. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, those enterprises with strong will and positive motivation have empowered their digital capacity through EBC to successfully deal with the crisis. For example, Jointown Pharmaceutical made accurate allocation of medical supplies within 2 hours with the help of digital platform and assisted Wuhan Red Cross in efficient material management; Bliss Cake made use of the online and offline dual-channel business model to ensure stable operation during the pandemic and continue to provide services for customers. Huawei Marine reconstructed 4 core business processes such as LTC, PTP, ITR and IPD with Kingdee, replaced 184 systems and created a legend in the industry with on-time launch in 68 days, hence building new, independent and controllable digital capacity. There ambitious enterprises gave full scope to digitalization, seized opportunities in crisis and opened a new chapter in changes. Having replaced ERP with EBC, Kingdee released the ecological strategy centered on the Cosmic platform at the Cosmic Summit in May to enhance the business capacity of enterprises and continuously improve products and services while helping them prevail over difficulties. As China's first local cloud-native platform solution, Kingdee Cloud Cosmic was selected into Gartner's High-Productivity PaaS global vendor list. In response to the demand of domestic alternative, Kingdee Cloud Cosmic completed the compatibility check with the full-stack technology of Huawei Kunpeng Ecosystem. In the first half of 2020, Cosmic became the common choice of large enterprises including SPIC, TravelSky Technology, CRRC Tangshan and ENN Energy, and won a number of localization projects such as Hisense and China United Cement Corporation. In addition, Kingdee Cloud Galaxy, Jingdou Cloud and other products continued to facilitate Chinese SMEs to build competitiveness. Zhu Hongren, Executive Vice President and Director of China Enterprise Directors Association and China Enterprise Confederation, said, "The strategic position and leading role of digital technology for the development of enterprises is worth our re-consideration. It is a great challenge for many enterprises to re-construct their business logic or operation model to fit in the digital economy, by adapting to a deep understanding of overall business development and digital transformation. "Zhao Gang, the Chief Engineer and fellow member of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, also said, "It is expected to speed up the transformation of manufacturing process which becomes more digitalized, networked and intelligent." The theme of this summit was "Reconstructing the Digital Power of Enterprises". Robert Xu mentioned that challenges give a chance for us to surpass. On July 31, 2020, China's BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System was launched, which indicates China's characteristics of independent innovation, being open-minded, integration, unity, and pursuit of excellence. It also demonstrates our spirit of innovation in the face of changes and crises. At the conference, companies such as FuLing ZhaCai and China Mobile Internet of Things also shared their own innovative practices happening in the era of digital economy. About Kingdee Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited ("Kingdee International" or"Kingdee") was established in 1993. It is listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 0268.HK) and headquartered in Shenzhen, the PRC. Adhering to the core values of "Acting in all Conscience, with Integrity and Righteousness", the Company is committed to helping businesses achieve their growth targets and let the sun shine on every company through dedicated services. It strives to provide them with the most trusted enterprise service platform. Through persistent efforts to explore China's Cloud enterprise service market, Kingdee has retained the largest share in the enterprise application software sector for fast-growing enterprises for 16 consecutive years, and has grasped the biggest share in the enterprise-grade SaaS Cloud services industry for the third year held the largest market share in SaaS ERM (Cloud ERP) and Financial Cloud for four consecutive years. Kingdee is currently the only SaaS cloud service provider of Chinese enterprises selected into Gartner's market guideand was selected into Gartner's Global High-Productivity PaaS vendor list and HCM (Human Capital Management) Market guide. In addition, Kingdee's diverse Cloud services and products are the preferred choices of leading enterprises. They include "Kingdee Cloud Cosmic" (a Cloud service platform for large enterprises), "Kingdee Cloud Galaxy" (a digital innovative Cloud service platform for medium and large enterprises and fast-growing enterprises), "Kingdee Jingdou Cloud" (one-stop Cloud services platform for micro and small-sized enterprises), "Cloud-Hub" (intelligent Cloud office), "Guanyi Cloud" (Cloud services for E-commerce operators). With its strengths in management software and Cloud services, Kingdee provides services and products to more than 6.8 million enterprises, government agencies and other organizations around the world. Investor and Media Enquiries: SOURCE Kingdee Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - A judge of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Dupe Atoki, has expressed concern at the unsatisfactory level of enforcement of the decisions of the Court by Member States, saying the development stands at 34% and suggested the involvement of politicians in the enforcement process to emulate the best practices from other jurisdictions In a paper delivered at a virtual panel discussion on Rule of Law Crisis: Enforcement of Court judgements and the fight against corruption, the judge recommended that a committee of regional Ministers be constituted to monitor and supervise the enforcement of decisions of the Court as is the case in the European court and other international systems Figure 1 Kobada and Faraba concessions Kobada and Faraba concessions Figure 2 Plan View Plan View TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX-V: AGG) (AGG or the Company) is pleased to announce that a 10,000 meter drill program has commenced at the Company`s flagship Kobada Gold Project in Southern Mali. The phase 3 program is designed to both increase resources through strike length extension drilling and upgrade certain inferred resources to indicated. The Company continues to focus on advancing the Kobada Gold Project, based upon delivery of its very robust Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) in July 2020 at $1,530/oz gold. The 2020 work program will focus on the following: 10,000 m drill program comprised of approximately 160 holes, utilising reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) rigs at the Kobada main shear zone, its northern extension and the Gosso target. Extension of main shear zone prove strike extension northwards along continuous mineralized zone for at least another 4 km. Gosso target - a mineralized fault zone located 5 km to the East of Kobada main shear zone with known mineralisation in high-grade grab samples (results below). Resource upgrade - upgrade the 575,000oz inferred resources in oxides to the indicated and measured resource category with a target to reach 1 Moz of reserves. The Kobada Gold Project, based in southern Mali, is AGGs flagship asset with the potential to produce 100,000oz of gold per annum. The previous drilling campaigns focused on delineating a 2.3 million-ounce resource, and 755,00oz oxide reserve, and only focused on 4km of 30km of shear zones identified on the concession. The upside potential of the Kobada Gold Project will be targeted in a number of phases, with Phase 3 focusing on the conversion of inferred ounces to indicated and measured resources and subsequently into reserves, and targeted drilling along the Kobada shear to extend the strike of the resource. The delivery of the robust DFS, demonstrating a project with potential to produce 100,000oz per annum, with highly favourable financial deliverables, was a major milestone in the ongoing development of our flagship, ready for construction, Kobada Gold Project, comments Danny Callow, Chief Executive Officer and President of AGG. Despite some of the recent challenges in Mali, we have succeeded in mobilising and commencing exploration drilling. We look forward to re-commencing targeted exploration drilling to bolster the properties significant blue-sky potential by expanding resources and proving the upside potential of what could be a 3 to 5 million ounce deposit. Story continues AGG awarded the contract to Etasi Drilling, a Malian drilling company, in keeping with the company policy of utilising high-quality local service providers. This partnership has enabled rapid mobilisation of the drilling fleet to site, more than 10km of roads and drill platforms have been prepared, and the company has started drilling. We are very keen to advance the exploration drilling on our Kobada Gold Project, says Dr. Andreas Rompel, Vice President Exploration. In particular, we are looking forward to new discoveries along the parallel shear which is untested by drilling so far, and to upgrading the oxide resources to get the reserves to over 1 million ounces. Extend Strike North Along Continuous Mineralized Zone Last 3 holes of Phase 2 campaign intersected exceptional results to the north of the resource shell on main shear zone. Highlights include: 22.20m at 5.25 g/t Au from 78.40m to 100.6m 23.80m at 1.57 g/t Au from 110.50m to 134.30m Historical artisanal workings show the extent of the mineralised zone for many kilometres. Step out drilling expected to increase strike length of existing resource pit. Drill plan will follow the continuity of the main shear zone into Faraba concession. Conversion of 575,000 oz Inferred Oxides Near mine shallow resource drilling. In-fill drilling of oxides in gap areas to convert to measured & indicated. Target high confident conversion to reserves to increases life-of-mine to 10+ years. Develop Understanding of Gosso Potential Through Drilling A test pit has been excavated on the Gosso target, located ~5 km to the East of the Kobada Gold Projects resource pit. Mineralization at the Gosso target appears to be identical to the main shear zone in its structural control and reinforces the prospect of multiple mineralized oxide and sulphide deposits in the closer neighbourhood of our Kobada shear. The Gosso target has shown positive gold value assay results from grab samples earlier this year. Sample #207470 returned 1.10 g/t Au Sample #207471 returned 3.16 g/t Au Sample #207473 returned 4.60 g/t Au Sample #207475 returned 1.87 g/t Au The Gosso target will be drill tested to estimate the mineralization and its extent along the shear. The Company intends to initially diamond drill to the north and the south to gain knowledge about the structures defining the gold mineralisation, stepping away from the know fault location in the outcrop, and then follow up with RC drilling for grade estimation. Drilling Company Etasi & Co Drilling SARL (ETASI) has been selected to conduct the Phase 3 drilling program at Kobada Gold Project in Southern Mali. ETASI is the successor company to AMCO, who conducted the Companys Phases 1 and 2 programs during 2019-2020 drilling program. The Company expects a similar high level of productivity by AMCO as demonstrated previously. About African Gold Group African Gold Group is a Canadian listed exploration and development company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: AGG) with its focus on developing a gold platform in West Africa. Its principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Dr. Andreas Rompel, PhD, Pr. Sci. Nat. (400274/04), FSAIMM, Vice President Exploration of AGG, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and by Mr. Uwe Engelmann (BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat. No. 400058/08, MGSSA), a director of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. For more information: Danny Callow President and Chief Executive Officer +(27) 76 411 3803 Danny.Callow@africangoldgroup.com Scott Eldridge Non-Executive Chairman of the Board (604) 722-5381 Scott.Eldridge@africangoldgroup.com Daniyal Baizak VP Corporate Development (416) 861-2267 Daniyal.Baizak@africangoldgroup.com Cautionary statements This press release contains forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding, the Companys Phase 3 exploration program, expectations of increase in resources or reserves at the Kobada Gold Project, contracting with ETASI, extension of shear zones and additional targets at Gosso and Faraba. Generally, forwardlooking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forwardlooking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of AGG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. Although AGG has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. AGG does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. 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. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4fcc4d1-b9af-4f1a-a958-e8017720fab7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9088da1d-cc12-4563-b28b-d66206e48054 MediaTek announced another milestone in its 5G interoperability tests with Ericsson to prepare for the rollout of 5G standalone (SA) networks. MediaTek and Ericsson were the first to successfully complete all three combinations of new radio (NR) time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier aggregation (CA) on a single MediaTek Dimensity 5G chipset. The combinations included CA of TDD+TDD, FDD+TDD and FDD+FDD. The companies established the 5G SA data call by aggregating 20MHz on FDD spectrum and 100MHz on TDD spectrum with MediaTeks Dimensity 1000+ chipset at the Ericsson Lab in Kista. MediaTek and Ericsson have also demonstrated a 5G frequency range 1 (FR1) connection with TDD+TDD CA, focusing on sub-6GHz CA. The test, conducted in Ericssons lab in Beijing, reached close to 2.66Gbps speeds with 7:3 TDD patterns on 200MHz total aggregated bandwidth. The test included different channel bandwidth configurations, showcasing the flexibility and scalability of the Dimensity 1000+ to support different spectrum holdings for carriers worldwide. The companies have also conducted FDD bands (sub-2.6GHz) CA tests on two carrier components of 20MHz for both non-standalone (NSA) and SA networks. This type of CA technology will allow communication service providers to deploy 5G more widely, offering downlink speeds of over 400Mbps in nationwide coverage by aggregating FDD spectrum assets. The combination of NR FDD sub-2.6GHz and NR TDD sub-6GHz provides benefits for both coverage and capacity enhancements. The tests showcased how seamlessly aggregating 5G connections can provide users with over 30 percent greater throughput on average and enable service providers to more efficiently manage 5G capacity. MediaTek is at the forefront of NR CA innovation, developing and testing the next generation of 5G SA technologies to bring robust 5G coverage to consumers around the world, said JS Pan, General Manager of Wireless Communication System and Partnership at MediaTek. Our Dimensity portfolio of high performance and ultra-low power chipsets support several different carrier aggregation configurations for comprehensive NR CA support. Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson, said: Carrier aggregation technology is a must in order to deploy a better 5G: boosting coverage, capacity and speed by enabling the combination of available 5G spectrum assets. Our tests with MediaTek are continuing to build the foundation for 5G networks that will provide consumers with better 5G experiences and help service providers to deliver 5G more efficiently. The tests were conducted in lab settings with a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ commercial chipset and an Ericsson AIR 6488 5G radio using 5G NR commercial software and Ericssons dual-mode 5G Cloud Core solution. The implementation is fully compliant with 3GPPs Release 15 specifications for 5G. The central government's recent decision to construct a modern logistics system to support the dual circulation development pattern would guide infrastructure investment into high-efficiency transportation including airports and high-speed railway development, experts said. They said a modern and efficient logistics system will help provide strong market dynamism for balancing supply and demand, industrial upgrading, improving economic efficiency and fostering high-quality development in the country. Feng Tianjun, a professor at Fudan University's School of Management in Shanghai, said it was of great significance for the meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs to make the decision on developing the modern logistics system on Wednesday. "Building a modern logistics system with enhanced cargo capacity on high-speed railways and international flights will drive infrastructure investment in airports and high-speed railways, as well as other transportation solutions." The decision came as the country faces a grim and complicated economic situation both at home and abroad and is transitioning from a phase of rapid development to a new stage of high-quality development. "Logistics is a basic, strategic and guiding industry that supports the development of the national economy," the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, said in a statement last week. "We are in need of a well-developed logistics system to help create a strong domestic market and build a modern economic system." Wang Yong, a visiting professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, said China has entered a crucial phase in which the country needs to upgrade its logistics system. "The modern logistics system is an important carrier connecting consumers and producers, as well as a key part of China's domestic market. And it also provides strong support to build a new model of development in which the domestic economic network takes the primary role, with the domestic and international economic networks complementing each other. "In the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak, China's logistics system has withstood the test of pressure and time. However, problems remain such as insufficient supply and the relatively low level of development," he added. Wang said more efforts are needed to expand the effective supply in the logistics market, boost infrastructure development, promote information application and big data development in the logistics field, develop smart logistics and distribution, drive innovation in the supply chain and improve standards and the regulatory system. "Logistics is the precondition for distribution, and modern logistics cannot make efficient deliveries without infrastructure such as airports," said Feng at Fudan University. According to Feng, airports are the fundamentals for high-efficiency logistics, as "it is the sufficient number of airports and the strong aviation network that have enabled FedEx to reach its scale to date". China's leading logistics firms SF Express and YTO Express have already recognized the significance of infrastructure, and made great investment in air cargo distribution centers to gain a bigger share of domestic and overseas markets. The nation's first freight airport is being built by SF Express in Ezhou, Hubei province. The logistics hub is expected to come into operation by the end of 2021, according to Ren Hong, an official at the National Development and Reform Commission. Shanghai YTO Dragon Investment Development (Group) Co Ltd, the parent company of YTO Express, is also planning to build an international aviation logistics hub in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. The hub, which will involve a total investment of 6.61 billion yuan ($970 million), is expected to have an annual freight handling capacity of 2.4 million tons by 2050. Eastern Air Logistics Co, the freight unit of China Eastern Airlines, is developing in line with the Chinese people's upgraded consumption requirements, which sees a greater role for high-quality products, fresh goods, cross-border e-commerce and high-end manufacturing. With state-of-the-art technology, the company aims to become a key player in the logistics sector and the supply chain. Yu Zhanfu, partner and vice-president for China at consultancy Roland Berger, sees broad opportunities for innovating and upgrading the Chinese logistics network safely and efficiently and connecting both the internal and external markets. One of the investment opportunities comes from increased digitalization. The participation of technology companies in the logistics industry could reform, affect or even replace the conventional logistics system, said Yu. Likewise, high-speed railways are an irreplaceable part of multimodal transport, together with sea, road and air transport, and the preferable choice for quality express delivery, said Feng. Qi Qi, an associate professor at Guangzhou Civil Aviation College, said the COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the importance of logistics during a public health emergency. "During this critical time, we found there is an urgent need for improvements to the transportation infrastructure, namely insufficient air cargo capacity, a shortage of specialized freight airports, the lack of international standard large logistics companies, less efficient multimodal transport, and a deficiency in emergency logistics," Qi said. Qi looked forward to concrete plans being worked out in accordance with the nation's overall development of a modern distribution system, with specific projects designed to strengthen China's overall logistics sector and the supply chain. The announcement comes days after Egypt said that it had reduced reconciliation fees over building violations by 20 to 70 percent in 23 governorates Egypt will offer discounts ranging from 15 to 25 percent on reconciliation fees over building violations in new cities, Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar announced on Monday. According to an official statement, Al-Gazzar said that the discounts are part of a plan to ease the burden on citizens and encourage them to reconcile over the violations. El-Gazzar said there are discounts of 15 percent on reconciliation fees on violations in New Cairo and Sheikh Zayed cities, and 20 percent for Shorouk city and 6 October, New October, Hadayek October, Obour, New Obour and New Damietta cities. A 25 percent discount will be offered in New Sphinx, Sadat, 10th of Ramadan, New Alamein, New Fayoum, New Minya, New Sohag and other new cities, the minister said. Egypt said on Friday that it had reduced reconciliation fees over building violations by 20 to 70 percent in 23 governorates, with Cairo seeing higher discounts. Egypt has stressed in the past weeks its adoption of resolute measures to stop building violations on agricultural land nationwide. The nation has seen a significant rise in illegal construction since the security vacuum that followed the 2011 uprising, with many people constructing multi-storey buildings without acquiring the necessary permits or complying with engineering safety standards. It lost up to 400,000 feddans between 1980 and 2011, and an additional 90,000 feddans in the past nine years, to building violations and land encroachments. Unplanned buildings constitute about 50 percent of the urban clusters in villages and cities countrywide, according to officials. In January, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified a law allowing settlement with the state over building violations, except for those pertaining to safety standards, authorised height or purpose, historic buildings, and others. The law sets a six-month deadline, which will expire by the end of this month, to put an end to violations in the country. In late August, El-Sisi slammed building violations on agricultural land in a heated speech, and warned that he would deploy the army if the problem persists. Search Keywords: Short link: Amidst an aura of fear and anxiety, 1.17 lakh medical college aspirants took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, popularly known as NEET, in 238 centres spread across 14 towns and cities in the State on Sunday. Though the examination began at 2 pm, students and parents thronged the centres before 11 am and many of them went without lunch as they waited for the gates to open and the students were let in after the mandatory tests for Coronavirus and also the stringent physical checking to prevent malpractices. A newly married woman in one of the small towns was forced to remove their thali (wedding necklace) and metti (toe ring) despite their protestations. Similarly, there were many cases of strict adherence to norms that left many parents and students uneasy. However it was the fear of Coronavirus that hung in the air and the authorities in the various centres strictly enforced the protocol. No one was allowed into the examination halls without a facemask and those who turned up without a facemask was provided one. Body temperature of all aspirants was checked with thermal scanners and social distancing was maintained. Students had to use sanitizer before stepping into the hall. The 1.17 lakh students are vying for the 7,200 medical seats that would be on offer in 26 government medical colleges and 24 private medical colleges in the state on the basis of the marks scored in NEET. Anxiety was writ large on the faces of many aspirants as the news of the three suicides the previous day and an attempt by a Ranipet girl, Sowmya, in the same morning by overdosing on sleeping pills seemingly affected them emotionally. However, protests by various groups of youth and politicians also marked the day as the demand for the cancellation of NEET in Tamil Nadu reached a crescendo particularly in the wake of three suicides on Saturday and a suicide attempt hours before the start of the examination. Among the organizations that organized protests with banners and flags, raising slogans against the government for not banning NEET were the Students Federation of India and the DMK Youth wing in various places across the State. DMK Youth Wing secretary visited the girl, Sowmya, who was admitted to a hospital in Vellore. He also expressed his condolences to family members of Motilal (Thiruchengode), Aditya (Dharmapuri) and Jothishree Durga (Madurai), who ended their lives out of fear of NEET. DMK and Congress members of Parliament have also planned to organize a protest at Parliament complex on Monday to put pressure on the Centre to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET. Medical Journal: Masks an Important Tool to Fight COVID-19 By VOA News September 13, 2020 Wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic could be a more important part of the arsenal against the virus than previously thought. An article in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that universal face mask wearing "might help reduce the severity of disease and ensure that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic." If that premise is correct, the article suggested, face mask wearing could become a form of inoculation "that would generate immunity and thereby slow the spread of the virus" during the global wait for the development of a vaccine. The journal cited two recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in U.S. food-processing plants where workers were required to wear masks every day. "The proportion of asymptomatic infections among the more than 500 people who became infected was 95%, with only 5% in each outbreak experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms," the medical journal said. The article also said "case-fatality rates in countries with mandatory or enforced population-wide masking have remained low, even with resurgences of cases after lockdowns were lifted." Dr. Monica Gandhi, one of the authors of the article, who is an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Francisco, told the British newspaper The Telegraph, "It is true that the proportion of asymptomatic infection being increased by masking might increase the proportion of the population who achieve at least short-term immunity to the virus while we await a vaccine." She cautioned, however, that more studies about the efficacy of mask wearing are needed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Protesters have taken to the streets in several cities in recent days in anger over poor living conditions. An interim government allied with Libyas eastern-based renegade commander Khalifa Haftar has resigned amid protests over power cuts and deteriorating living conditions. Ezzel-Deen al-Falih, a spokesman for the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR), said Prime Minister Abdallah al-Thani tendered the governments resignation to Speaker Aguila Saleh late on Sunday. Parliamentary spokesman Abdallah Abaihig said HoR lawmakers would review the resignation of al-Thanis government, which is not internationally recognised, in their next meeting. No date has been set for the session. Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gaddafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. A 14-month offensive by Haftars forces to wrest control of the capital, Tripoli, from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) crumbled in June, with the front lines now solidified near the central city of Sirte. The HoR on Friday accused the Central Bank and the GNA of plundering the country and neglecting the east, in apparent efforts to deflect blame for the deterioration of public services. In recent days, hundreds of people have taken to the streets of Benghazi and other eastern cities to protest against crippling electricity shortages and poor living conditions, setting tyres ablaze and blocking traffic on several major roads. On Saturday, protests also erupted in al-Marj, a Haftar stronghold. In a statement, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said at least one civilian had reportedly been killed and three others wounded in al-Marj. It called for a thorough and immediate investigation into the reported excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrations and the speedy release of a number of detained protesters. UNSMIL statement on the protests in al-Marj city on 12 September 2020https://t.co/aKPQLnOgeP pic.twitter.com/SUkM3LNHOd UNSMIL (@UNSMILibya) September 13, 2020 The demonstrations in eastern Libya mirror similar protests in recent weeks over power cuts and corruption in Tripoli and other western cities. UNSMIL said the protests across Libya were motivated by deep-seated frustrations about sustained poor living conditions, shortages of electricity and water, rampant corruption, misgovernance, and a lack of service provision throughout the country. The UN mission said the protests underscore the urgent need to lift the oil blockade and the return to a full and inclusive political process to end Libyas years-long conflict. Powerful tribes in eastern Libya loyal to Haftar closed oil export terminals and choked off major pipelines at the start of the year to pressure the GNA. The US Embassy in Libya said Haftar agreed to reopen oil fields and terminals no later than Saturday. By Sunday evening, it was not clear whether the blockade had been lifted. Veteran journalist Bob Woodward shared a new audio clip from his forthcoming book on TODAY Monday in which President Donald Trump muses about how he has better relationships with despotic leaders like Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while the "easy ones" are leaders that he doesn't "get along with as much." "I get along very well with Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to because everyone says what a horrible guy, but for me it works out good," Trump says on the tape, played exclusively on TODAY. "It's funny, the relationships I have, the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them, you ought to explain that to me some day, but maybe it's not a bad thing. "The easy ones are the ones I maybe don't like as much or don't get along with as much," Trump says. The Washington Post journalist said Trump "smears" democratic South Korea "time and time again" during their interviews, while often remarking about his relationships with autocrats like Erdogan, Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. "He is the face of the United States to the world, and he has said, and there it is, 'Hey look, I get along with these bad guys but not the good guys,''' Woodward told Savannah Guthrie. Woodward's new book "Rage" comes out on Tuesday. It features nine hours of interviews from 18 phone calls he had with Trump from December to July, as well as interviews with unnamed White House aides. Political fallout from the book has centered around a March interview in which Trump told Woodward he deliberately downplayed the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to the American public because he didn't want to create a panic. Woodward told TODAY's Savannah Guthrie the president "possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives" in January. In his book, Woodward writes the president's national security advisers warned him on Jan. 28 that the pandemic was coming to the United States. National security advisor Robert C. O'Brien told Trump, This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency, Woodward writes, according to The Washington Post. Story continues Woodward told TODAY that the president missed a chance to warn the public, and that historians would write about "the lost month of February." That same month, Trump told Woodward that the coronavirus was "deadly stuff" and "more deadly than even your strenuous flu," according audio released by the Post. "It is one of those shocks for me, having written about nine presidents, that the president of the United States possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives," Woodward said on TODAY. During Monday's interview, Woodward also addressed criticism he has received for not releasing the audio of Trump discussing the virus until now, saying he believed at the time the president was talking about the virus' threat to China. "Because in February I thought it was all about China, because the president had told me about a discussion with Chinese president Xi (Jinping), and if you look at what is known in February, the virus was not on anyone's mind," Woodward said. "No one was suggesting changing behavior. Then, when it exploded in March as you know, there were 30,000 new cases a day publishing something at that point would not have been telling people anything they didn't know. They knew very clearly that it was dangerous." During a press conference on Sept. 9, the president responded to questions about playing down the virus, telling reporters he was trying to avoid "panic." "We have to show calm," he said. "Certainly I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We have to show strength. We don't want to go around screaming, 'Look at this, look at this.'" Asked Monday if he planned to release more tapes from his interviews with the president, Woodward said he might. "I'm releasing the ones that are relevant, as people ask for them," he said. "It's quite an archive." Microsoft is officially out of the running to buy TikTok. The company issued a brief statement on Sunday confirming that ByteDance, TikToks parent company, rejected its offer to buy TikToks US operations. Meanwhile, ByteDance seems poised to announce a deal with Oracle, the only other known US company left in the bidding war. In its statement, Microsoft said: We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. Microsoft did not specify what changes to the service it had proposed. However, todays announcement from Microsoft comes on the heels of a report this weekend from the China Morning Post that ByteDance was unwilling to sell its highly effective algorithm to a US bidder. To keep users hooked on the service, an American buyer would have had to rewrite the underlying code that has been so essential to the services success. According to the report, ByteDance informed both US officials and would-be buyers of its decision. Microsofts announcement comes days before a September 15th deadline set by President Trump. Microsoft confirmed in early August that it was considering a purchase of TikToks US arm. With Microsoft out of the race, The New York Times reports that Oracle is the only known American suitor. The Wall Street Journal is in fact reporting tonight that Oracle has been selected as the winner, though as of this writing this has not been confirmed by ByteDance, Oracle or US officials. The Wall Street Journal adds that Oracle is set to be announced as TikToks trusted tech partner in the U.S., and the deal is likely not to be structured as an outright sale." A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Engadget as well that TikTok plans to move forward with Oracle, though the terms of the deal, and whether it can even be considered an acquisition per se, remain unclear. Oracle, for its part, has not said how TikTok might fit into its existing strategy or what its plans for the services US business might be. Engadget has asked ByteDance and Microsoft for comment. We will update our story if and when we hear back. Karissa Bell and Devindra Hardawar contributed to this report. WILLIAMSPORT -- A man charged with firing shots in April from a car into a group of four walking along a Williamsport street, wounding one of them, is headed for trial on fewer charges. As the result of events Thursday and Friday in Lycoming County court, Jordan Andrew Artley, 19, of the Williamsport area, is facing only one count of attempted homicide instead of four. The district attorneys office Thursday withdrew the counts that listed the three individuals who were not wounded. It did the same with three counts of aggravated assault that alleged extreme indifference and three others with a deadly weapon. Since the three individuals, two of whom were juveniles, were not shot, the charges were not appropriate, according to Assistant District Attorney K. Michael Sullivan. Artley failed to have the attempted homicide charge that listed the wounded man, Kwary Alford, as the victim, dismissed. Judge Nancy L. Butts on Friday found sufficient evidence was presented at the preliminary hearing to support that charge and three counts of recklessly endangering with the individuals who were not wounded as victims. The judge cited on the attempted homicide count a state Superior Court decision that found an individual had a specific intent to commit serious bodily harm when he fired into a group of individuals. She referred to another Superior Court case in her ruling on the recklessly endangering counts involving individuals who were not shot. If firing a warning shot in the air established recklessly endangering as the court ruled, then firing a gun at four individuals walking together satisfies the statue as well, she wrote. The result is Artley will face trial on one count each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm without a license and possession of an instrument of crime and four counts of recklessly endangering and person. The shooting occurred about 5 p.m. on April 25 in the area of Hepburn and Seventh streets, just north of downtown. Artley is accused of firing three or four shots out the front seat passenger window of an SUV that was traveling north on Hepburn Street. Alford was shot in the buttocks with the bullet traveling through and puncturing the rectum before lodging near the scrotum, court documents state. A description of the vehicle was obtained from eyewitnesses and surveillance video, police said. When the 17-year-old driver of the SUV was tracked down later he implicated Artley as the shooter, the arrest affidavit states. He testified at the May preliminary hearing the shooting occurred after he bought marijuana from Artley and they were returning from a post office that was closed. The driver testified he heard three or four gunshots, looked over and saw a black revolver in Artleys hand. Artley warned him his family would be next of he said anything, he claimed. Artley claims he was never in the vehicle and his sister, who says she was, agreed with him. Artley, who federal marshals arrested May 13 in Scranton, remains in jail without bail. California Governor Gavin Newsom will meet privately with Donald Trump during the presidents West Coast campaign swing for a briefing on the still-raging wildfires that have scorched more than 3 million acres in the state. The president is scheduled to deliver remarks to the California National Guard, but first he will meet with the governor and emergency response officials for a briefing, according to reports. After the briefing, Governor Newsom will tour wildfire damage in the state. The presidents visit follows several public statements falsely accusing the states fire and parks management for the fires and claims that Californias extreme agenda has forced rolling power outages. Thats not the case. Electrical demand from heat weaves has put immense pressure on the states grid, and the climate crisis has accelerated dry conditions and droughts that have made areas vulnerable to fires. On the day before his visit, the president told supporters in Nevada that poor forest management has caused the devastation that has ripped through California, Oregon and Washington, killing at least 35 people and displacing thousands others, with apocalyptic orange skies trapping smoke and polluting air for millions of residents. The president also told supporters on Saturday during a rally in Minden, Nevada that its about forest management he was roundly condemned for comments last month suggesting that poor "raking" or cleaning forest floors caused the fires. He made similar claims in 2018, when he last visited California for a wildfire-related trip, writing on Twitter that there is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Even if that were the case, the federal government would be responsible for the devastation, as The New York Times reported. State agencies manage up to 3 per cent of the states 22 million acres of forestry, while federal agencies own and manage 57 per cent. The president also called Governor Newsom a child who doesnt know what hes doing as wildfires raged in the state last year. Governor Newsom called the crisis a climate damn emergency and condemned "ideological BS plaguing the debate. Just come to the state of California, observe it with your own eyes, he said on 11 September. The West Coasts other Democratic governors and officials have also pushed back against the presidents false claims echoed by allies. Washington Governor Jay Inslee called the crisis a a blowtorch over our states" in an interview with ABC on Sunday. It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires, he said. Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley called the presidents statement a big and devastating lie as the emergency rips through his state and forced at least 500,000 people to evacuate. The Cascade snowpacks have gotten smaller, he told ABC. Our forests have gotten drier. Our ocean has gotten warmer and more acidic. And this has been happening steadily over the last several decades. Following his remarks from McClellan Park, the president will depart for Phoenix, Arizona for another Latinos For Trump roundtable before returning to the White House. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden continued to lead Donald Trump in nearly every national and swing state poll over the last two weeks as the president's record on the coronavirus pandemic was thrown back into the spotlight. The former vice president led the incumbent by an average of 7.5 percentage points in 11 national polls conducted between 28 August and 12 September, RealClearPolitics found. But Mr Biden still showed vulnerabilities on the economy, as Mr Trump's record there received a boost with the release of the August job numbers last week. Unemployment, which soared to unprecedented modern heights in April and May, settled back down into the single digits at 8.4 per cent in August. That's still a recession-level figure, but Mr Trump has pitched voters on giving him four more years to achieve the "great American comeback". Still the economy, stupid Likely voters in Arizona and Minnesota who said they'd vote for Mr Trump if the election were held today overwhelmingly fingered the economy as the No 1 issue that concerns them most if Mr Biden were to win this November, according to a series of swing state polls from CBS News/YouGov released on Sunday. Policing and protests were the next-most concerning issue for Trump voters, with the coronavirus pandemic and matters on race and race relations both of negligible relative importance. In Arizona, 64 per cent of Trump voters said they'd be most concerned about Mr Biden's handling of the economy, compared to 27 per cent who said his response to policing and protests was most concerning. In Minnesota -- where the death in police custody of George Floyd in May sparked a summer of protests against the law enforcement status quo that at times broke out into pockets of violence and riotous behaviour - 58 per cent of Trump voters said they were most worried about Mr Biden's prospective handling of the economy, while 30 per cent chose policing and protests. Biden voters expressed the opposite areas of most concern, with coronavirus and race relations being the No 1 and No 2 issues worrying them most about the prospect of four more years of Mr Trump. Despite Mr Biden once again denouncing politically motivated violence "across the board" last week, including a direct condemnation of the loose collection of left-wing, anti-fascist demonstrators known as Antifa, the Trump campaign has continued trying to link the Democratic nominee to the violent elements of this summer's protests. Meanwhile, Mr Trump spent much of the second part of last week fending off criticism for publicly playing down the threat of the coronavirus this past spring while acknowledging it was much more deadly than the common flu in private conversations with the journalist Bob Woodward. "I don't want to jump up and down and start screaming, 'Death! Death!' because that's not what it's about," Mr Trump said, apparently unaware of the giant rhetorical middle ground between inciting a panic and telling Americans they have little to worry about. More than 193,000 Americans have died so far from Covid-19. While the US represents just 5 per cent of the global population, Americans make up more than 20 per cent of the worldwide deaths from Covid-19. The troops In the week following reports Mr Trump has called US veterans and fallen soldiers "suckers" and "losers," new polling data revealed more Americans think Mr Biden respects the troops and military than Mr Trump. Roughly seven in 10 registered voters in a national Monmouth University poll said they believe Mr Biden respects the US military and its personnel a great deal (48 per cent) or some (23 per cent). Just over half of respondents to the poll said the same of Mr Trump (41 per cent a great deal, 14 per cent some). Mr Trump has fiercely denied the anonymously sourced claims from a report in the Atlantic that he called veterans "suckers," asking "what animal would say that?" He suggested the story's quotes came from disgruntled former staffers. "Biden has an edge on the question of respecting those who serve in our armed forces, but it doesn't really look like recent allegations of Trump allegedly disparaging them have created any notable change in the campaign's trajectory," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. Mr Biden led Mr Trump among registered voters by 9 percentage points and among likely voters by 7 percentage points, the national poll conducted from 3 to 8 September found. The president received much stronger backing from US service members than Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, several polls at the time showed. But that support has appeared to deteriorate over the course of his presidency. And while military households still support Mr Trump more than Mr Biden, the president is trailing his opponent among active-duty members, according to the latest Military Times poll. New study details the molecular-level design of materials that enable clean and sustainable water evaporation energy to be harvested and efficiently converted into motion with the potential to power future mechanical devices and machines NEW YORK, September 14, 2020 -- Water evaporation, as observed when a puddle of water disappears on a summer day, is a remarkably powerful process. If it were harnessed, the process could provide a clean source of energy to power mechanical machines and devices. In a newly published paper in Nature Materials, an international team of scientists led by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, CUNY (CUNY ASRC) details the development of shape-shifting crystals that directly convert evaporation energy into powerful motions. These water-responsive materials were created by using simple variants of biological building blocks, known as tripeptides, to create crystals that are simultaneously stiff and morphable. The materials are composed of three-dimensional patterns of nanoscale pores where water tightly binds, and these pores are interspersed with a molecular network of stiff and flexible regions. When humidity is lowered and reaches a critical value, the water escapes from the pores leading to a powerful contraction of the interconnected network. This results in the crystals temporarily losing their ordered patterns until humidity is restored and the crystals regain their original shape. This newly designed process can be repeated over and over and gives rise to a remarkably efficient method of harvesting evaporation energy to perform mechanical work. "We essentially created a new type of actuator, which is driven by water evaporation," said Graduate Center Ph.D. student Roxana Piotrowska, the study's first author and a researcher at the CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative. "By observing its activity we've been able to identify the fundamental mechanisms of how water-responsive materials can efficiently convert evaporation into mechanical energy." "Our work enables the direct observation of materials' evaporation-driven actuation at the molecular scale,'' said the study's corresponding author Xi Chen, whose lab with CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative co-led the research. "By learning how to efficiently extract energy from evaporation, and turn it into motion, better and more efficient actuators can be designed for many applications, including evaporation energy harvesting devices.'' "Importantly, our designed crystals are produced from the exact same building blocks that proteins are made of, but they are radically simplified and as a result, their properties can be precisely tuned and rationally optimized for this application," said CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative Director Rein Ulijn, whose lab, which co-led the work, is responsible for the biomolecular design aspects of the research. "The beauty of using biological building blocks to create this new technology is that the resulting morphogenic crystals are biocompatible, biodegradable, and cost-effective." By using a combination of laboratory-based experiments and computer simulations, the researchers were able to identify and study the factors that control the actuation of these crystals. This approach resulted in new insights that inform the design of more efficient ways to use evaporation for a variety of applications, which may include robotic components or mechanical micro- and nano-machines that are powered by water evaporation. ### This study was executed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and New York University. The work was supported with funding from the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation, and the United Kingdom's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. About the Advanced Science Research Center The ASRC elevates scientific research and education at CUNY and beyond through initiatives in five distinctive, but increasingly interconnected disciplines: environmental sciences, nanoscience, neuroscience, photonics, and structural biology. The ASRC promotes a collaborative, interdisciplinary research culture with renowned researchers from each of the initiatives working side-by-side in the ASRC's core facilities, sharing equipment that is among the most advanced available. About The Graduate Center of The City University of New York The Graduate Center of The City University of New York is a leader in public graduate education devoted to enhancing the public good through pioneering research, serious learning, and reasoned debate. The Graduate Center offers ambitious students more than 40 doctoral and master's programs of the highest caliber, taught by top faculty from throughout CUNY -- the world's largest public urban university. Through its nearly 40 centers, institutes, and initiatives, The Graduate Center influences public policy and discourse and shapes innovation. The Graduate Center's extensive public programs make it a home for culture and conversation. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 08:29 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a2869 1 City PSBB,PSBB-transisi,Indonesia,COVID-19,partial-lockdown,psbb-total,partial-lockdown-in-Indonesia Free The Jakarta administration has decided to reimpose large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) starting on Monday, but the curbs are more relaxed than when they were first implemented in April, leading experts to doubt the policy will bring down cases and deaths in the capital. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said at a press conference on Sunday that the measure would last for two weeks and could be extended. Workplaces in 11 essential sectors including health, food, energy, communications, finance, logistics and daily needs retail will be allowed to remain open at 50 percent of capacity, while private companies outside these sectors as well as government offices must implement work-from-home policies and allow no more than 25 percent of their employees to work in the office at the same time. "We're now seeing cases emerge mostly from offices. That's why, for the PSBB starting on Sept. 14, our main focus will be on restrictions in office areas," he said. Some of these restrictions were more relaxed than the first time the city imposed the PSBB in April, when all places of worship had to be closed, malls and markets were allowed to open only for essential daily needs and nonessential companies had to get an Industrial Ministry permit to operate. "There's no difference to the past six months. I'm confused as to how they could distinguish between the 25 and 50 percent capacity," Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) said. She expressed doubt that the measure would reduce COVID-19 transmissions, saying that now, with new cases reaching thousands, all people in the affected areas should be required to stay at home. "During the PSBB in Jakarta, there could be people traveling to their hometowns, and when the PSBB is lifted, they'll come back to Jakarta. This has been happening repeatedly over the past six months; adding new cases in other regions [...]. When Jakarta sees declining cases, they'll rise again. This is what's called ping-pong transmission," Masdalina said. Under the reimposed PSBB, travelers will not need to provide the previously required exit and entry permits (SIKM), while app-based motorcycle taxis, previously allowed only to carry goods, now may still carry passengers, provided they abide by health protocol, although a separate Transportation Agency regulation is to regulate the matter further. Public transportation will be limited to 50 percent of passenger capacity, and the odd-even license plate traffic policy will be suspended for the duration of the PSBB. Read also: 50 days of Indonesias partial lockdown. Is it enough for the new normal? The governments spokesperson for all things COVID-19, Wiku Adisasmito, said during the press briefing that Jakarta's decision to reimpose the full PSBB had been coordinated with the national COVID-19 task-force and the central government. Anies announced the return to full PSBB on Wednesday, citing an increasing number of daily new COVID-19 cases and a decreasing number of free hospital beds. The announcement sparked concerns over the country's economy among many, from government officials to the business community. President Joko Jokowi Widodo said the plan should be "well and cautiously calculated. One of Indonesia's richest men, Budi Hartono of tobacco company Djarum, sent a letter to the President on Friday expressing his objection to the plan and citing data that, he said, showed that "the PSBB policy has proven ineffective in reducing infections in Jakarta". A biostatistics researcher at the University of Indonesia's (UI) School of Public Health, Iwan Ariawan, who has been analyzing data for Jakarta, said that, during the first full PSBB, cases had in fact been on the decline, but spiked again afterward, when the city entered the so-called transition phase. Iwan said his team's analysis since April showed that, as the proportion of people staying at home since April dropped, there was a rise in estimated new cases per day. His team used mobility data from Cuebiq mobility insights and UNICEF and Jakarta's daily data on new cases based on reported symptom onset, concluding that, when fewer than 50 percent of Jakarta's residents stayed at home, there was an estimated increase of 100 cases a day for every 1 percent reduction in the share of those staying at home. When the proportion was between 55 percent and 65 percent, as observed during the full PSBB, there was no difference in daily cases at around 140 cases per day. Read also: Jakarta gears up for possible collapse of healthcare system Iwan expressed doubt that the new PSBB phase would lift the proportion of people staying at home to the desired 60 percent to suppress transmission. In that case the government had to ensure that at least 85 percent of the people who do not stay at home follow health protocol regarding face masks, frequent handwashing and social distancing, Iwan said, citing studies conducted abroad. "If things run just the way they do now, it won't be enough. There need to be stronger efforts in communicating and raising people's awareness, as well as in enforcement," he said. But even such restrictions and health campaigns, experts said, would not be enough to reduce transmission without improved isolation and contact-tracing. Iwan said the Health Ministry's protocol had to be changed to require that all close contacts be tested right away, rather than just being advised to self-isolate for 14 days, and even if isolation was suggested, there should be tighter monitoring. The family of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe have renewed their calls for a public registry detailing the names and locations of convicted child sex offenders in Australia. The federal government announced before the 2019 election it was putting aside $7.8million towards the register which would make publicly accessible the name, general location and crimes of paedophiles across the country. Western Australian authorities have an online service giving its residents access to information on high-risk child sex predators but most states and territories have remained silent on the proposal. Last month, a motion to set up a 'register to help parents protect their kids from serious sexual offenders' was voted down in Queensland parliament 49 votes to 42. Bruce Morcombe - whose 13-year-old son was abducted in 2003 and murdered by known sex offender Brett Peter Cowan - accused states and territories not co-operating with the planned database of putting their 'collective heads in the sand'. 'If knowledge is power, a public register of sex offenders will empower Australian families to help keep their children safe from predators,' he wrote for the Sunshine Coast Daily. 'But not all States and Territories are co-operating to get the register up and running. 'Frankly, I'm very disappointed. Putting your collective heads in the sand and hoping it goes away is un-Australian. We can do better.' Mr Morcombe has spent six years campaigning for the register to be put in place in Australia - with the proposal described by The Daniel Morcombe Foundation as 'Daniel's Law'. 'The most people at risk are single parents looking for a new relationship,' he told 7News. 'They have no opportunity to check their past history.' Brett Peter Cowan (left) had already been convicted of sex crimes when he kidnapped, raped and murdered Daniel Morcombe in 2003. On right is predator Michael Guider upon his release from prison last year. He murdered Sydney schoolgirl Samantha Knight in 1986 A Daily Mail Australia mock-up of how an online national child sex offender could look. Above are some of the most well known offenders in Australia - including Daniel Morcombe's killer Brett Cowan, notorious sex pest Michael Guider, Hey Dad!'s Robert Hughes, predator Robert Fardon and jailed 'Evil 8' rapist Ryan Clegg Cowan was twice convicted of sex crimes before abducting Daniel from a bus stop. Mr Morcombe has previously said had a scheme existed at the time of Cowan's offending, his pregnant partner would've been able to look into his background too. The foundation has proposed sex offenders remain on the list for at least 10 years and would only see repeat or recidivist offenders, or people who have committed hideous crimes, named and shamed. Queensland Premier Annastasia Palasczcuk's government recently voted down a motion supporting such a register, in a move Mr Dutton's spokeswoman slammed as 'very frustrating'. Bruce Morcombe and his wife Denise (pictured) launched the Daniel Morcombe foundation in 2005 to educate and protect children and young people from abuse after their son was murdered Queensland's Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington introduced a motion on August 12 calling on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's government to set up a 'register to help parents protect their kids from serious sexual offenders' earlier this month. Ms Frecklington's motion was defeated 49 votes to 42. 'The national register only works if all the states and territories sign up, as it relies on the sharing of their data,' a Department of Home Affairs spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'The Palaszczuk Government recently voted against a register which is very frustrating. This is how simple to use California's child sex offender register is: Users can search a person's name and up comes their name, headshot, physical information and even address 'Nonetheless we will continue to work with them as the Coalition believes a nationally consistent approach is needed to ensure offenders cannot exploit jurisdictional differences.' Labor MP Scott Stewart rubbished the idea, telling parliament the Australian Institute of Criminology had found 'public sex offender registers do not reduce recidivism.' 'This government will always listen to and support the experts unlike those opposite,' he said, crowing that his government already had the 'toughest' regime for sex offenders. Former police officer and LNP MP Dan Purdie said: 'The system is broken and that is why the LNP government will introduce a public child sex offender register, giving every parent an effective tool to protect their children from paedophiles.' But Ms Frecklington's motion had little chance of getting across the line in the first place as it was tied to the ALP supporting a list of a more than a dozen unrelated Liberal National Party priorities. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's government shot down the motion supporting a public child sex offender register That included voting to 'stop Labor's wasteful spending'. Daniel Morcombe was abducted from a bus stop when he was 13-year-old and murderer Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said there were 'mixed views about the merits of a public child sex offender register' and genuine concerns that any introduction on a national level could have unintended consequences. 'This includes that an increased risk of re-offending due to the likelihood that offenders would be driven underground.' Ms D'Ath said there are 15 offenders listed missing by Western Australia's online register of high risk sex offenders. She added that former police commissioner Ian Stewart last year wrote to Mr Dutton expressing concerns about such a national register. Support from the states or territories for the proposal is critical for a public register getting up, Mr Dutton's spokeswoman said. 'The Palaszczuk Government recently voted against a register which is very frustrating. 'The national register only works if all the states and territories sign up, as it relies on the sharing of their data.' Houston: Louisiana and Mississippi residents were under evacuation orders on Monday, local time, as Hurricane Sally churned across the Gulf of Mexico, ahead of expected landfall on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), the US National Hurricane Centre said. The second storm in less than a month to threaten the region, Sally was headed toward a slow-motion landfall that could dump damaging rains on the US Gulf Coast. Residents from Louisiana to Florida were told to also expect storm surge and high winds. Sally is the 18th named storm in the Atlantic this year and will be the eighth of tropical storm or hurricane strength to hit the United States - something "very rare if not a record" said Dan Kottlowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. Accurate data on historic tropical storms can be elusive. Mississippi and Louisiana issued mandatory evacuation orders to residents of low-lying areas while Mississippi ordered its coastal casinos to close by late Monday afternoon. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cardiff University have discovered presence of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus, which suggests there may be some life present there, a source familiar with the discovery told Sputnik on Monda MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2020) Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cardiff University have discovered presence of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus, which suggests there may be some life present there, a source familiar with the discovery told Sputnik on Monday. "The discovery was made with the help of James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on the Hawaii and Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile. The phosphine particles were discovered in a concentration of 20 to 1 billion," the source said. Phosphine is a colorless toxic gas. On Earth, anaerobic organisms that do not require oxygen can produce it. Presence of phosphine was suggested in 2019 as an indicator of life on other planets. The source stressed that the presence of the gas on Venus did not necessarily mean that there was life there and could have been the the result of some other process. The discovery is expected to be officially announced later in the day. "We have prepared the scenarios for the application of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, whose Article 17 establishes the mechanisms that must be followed in a situation like this," he told a Latina news program on Sunday night. Lopez explained that the Charter would allow the OAS to send a mission to Peru, "but we have not requested it yet, for the moment, we are ready." Additionally, he noted that friendly countries such as those of the Andean Community have issued a statement in the face of a situation of political instability such as the one Peru is currently undergoing. Said statement, he said, responds to the impossibility of implementing politics normally and to the risk that the electoral process faces. Moreover, Lopez emphasized that this concern has been shared by the OAS and countries in other regions. According to the Inter-American Democratic Charter, "when the government of a member state considers that its democratic political institutional process or its legitimate exercise of power is at risk, it may request assistance from the Secretary General or the Permanent Council for the strengthening and preservation of its democratic system." (END) VVS/RMB Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lopez affirmed that the Gorvernment of Peru is ready to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) , in response to the impeachment motion against President Martin Vizcarra, which was submitted and approved by Congress.Published: 9/14/2020 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 12:21:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Liu Yang BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU), as the world's two major forces, markets and civilizations, are facing important opportunities to develop bilateral relations, several Chinese experts on international relations said. Their remarks were made ahead of the China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting via video link scheduled for Monday. The upcoming leaders' meeting is an important move to promote China-EU relations and cooperation, said Shi Mingde, former Chinese ambassador to Germany and chairman of the China-Germany Friendship Association. Covering a series of important topics, the meeting will inject confidence and momentum into global economic development in the post-pandemic era, said Shi. It will also send a positive signal that China and the EU are committed to strengthening communication and cooperation, jointly safeguarding multilateralism and free trade, and maintaining world peace, stability and prosperity, Shi said. China-EU relations are facing important opportunities, said Shi, hoping that Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, will play an active role in promoting China-EU relations. Noting China and the EU have worked together in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Shi said that the two sides stand ready to strengthen their cooperation within international organizations such as the World Health Organization, and oppose unilateralism as well as the idea of "decoupling." China-EU cooperation has expanded to new areas with new highlights, Shi said, adding that as two major forces, markets and civilizations of the world, what China and the EU advocate and oppose has global significance. As an important economy and the largest single market in the world, the EU has been China's largest trading partner for a long time, said Feng Zhongping, vice president of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). Cooperation is the mainstream of China-EU relations, and economic and trade interests are the most important common interests in their relations, Feng said. There is also scope for cooperation in global governance, climate change as well as international and regional issues, Feng said, adding that China and the EU are keen to reach a high-level and high-quality investment agreement, which will help resolve some outstanding issues in bilateral economic relations. Chen Fengying, former director of the world economy department at the CICIR, stressed that peaceful development is still the theme of the times. In the post-pandemic era, China and the EU are two major driving forces for peaceful development, Chen said, emphasizing that as multilateralism is challenged and global trade and investment are hindered, China and the EU need to cooperate in mechanism building as well as rules and technological innovation, so as to tackle diverse challenges in the post-pandemic era. Under the dramatically changing international circumstances, cooperation between the two major forces will help stabilize the world, said Cui Hongjian, director of the Department for European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies. Noting that since the outbreak of the pandemic, ideas of "decoupling" and de-globalization have been on the rise, Cui said economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU is of great significance to world economic recovery. Mutual understanding as well as exchanges and dialogue between the two great civilizations will benefit their cooperation and development in the long run, Cui added. Enditem No recognition for Chilean fascists Statement by SPA Secretariat President Allende of Chile was the first Marxist to be elected president in a liberal democracy in Latin America. This article was originally published in SPA, October, 1973. All progressives and democrats will be shocked and angered by the brutal murder of President Allende of Chile, the massacre of the Chilean people, the arrest of government ministers and the overthrow of the democratically elected government by a military-fascist coup. The courageous Chilean people are continuing the countrys struggle for democracy and socialism in every way at their disposal including with guns in hand. They will defend their nationalised factories and the land which has been handed back to them by the land reform. They will not easily return to the rapacious multinational corporations the copper mines, oil installations and other industries which for decades past have been the means for the ruthless exploitation of the labour of the Chilean people. While the struggle goes on inside Chile the task in other countries is one of solidarity action and protest. Not a single government should recognise or deal with the illegal military regime. The United Nations should condemn the military coup and the imposition of civil war on the people and call for a complete boycott and non-recognition until the military-fascist regime quits. The Chilean workers and peasants call on their brothers in all countries for solidarity and support in this, their greatest hour of need. Under the government of Popular Unity which comprised a coalition of the Socialist, Communist and other Parties, important reforms had already been achieved which restored the natural resources of Chile to the people. Foreign and basic industries built by the labour of the Chilean people had been nationalised. An extensive land reform gave land to the peasants who work the soil. Workers took over the running of many factories in co-operation with the State making democracy an everyday reality for the first time. National independence had been secured from the multinational corporations which previously dominated the economic and political life of the country. But the multinationals did not forgive Allende and his supports and they didnt give up the struggle to overthrow his government. The International Telephone and Telegraph Coy, Gulf Oil, Anaconda and Kennecott Copper Coys, Guggenheim Nitrates, along with other notorious robbers of the wealth of nations and exploiters of the working people are the backers and financiers of the counter-revolutionary insurgents. Along with other Wall Street monopolists, the Pentagon imperialists are making use of their CIA manipulated fifth column of agents inside Chile. The present period of Chilean crisis began with the parliamentary elections in March of this year when the Popular Unity parties got forty-three per cent of the vote (36.1 per cent in 1970) and buried hopes of the right to legally depose President Allende. Since that time the reactionary forces have been working to create a situation of civil war. They have resorted to massive economic sabotage, assassinations, bomb outrages, and disruption in every possible way. Reaction started an open conspiracy in order to pressure the Armed Forces into a military white putsch. Faced with this offensive the parties of the Popular Unity called for a general mobilisation of the working class and of the Chilean people. Voluntary Fatherland Brigades were organised to bring provisions to the people, protect the factories and railways and accompany trucks and buses during the reactionary strike of lorry owners. The process of development of the revolutionary movement in Chile has been watched by the world with great interest holding out the possibility of socialist change within the constitution and without civil war. Imperialism could not let this experiment succeed and they used their last strongholds in the state machine to tear up the constitution, murder an elected President and impose a military dictatorship which would take away the economic and social gains made by the Chilean people, hand the factories back to the Wall St corporations and the land back to the old land-owners. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Chile recognised the real situation and tasks confronting the Chilean people when he said in 1972, The 1970 election gave the people only part of the political power. The enemy is trying to dislodge us from our position. We are trying to consolidate it and carry our offensive further. This means that the class struggle resolves around the crucial issue of the revolution, the issue of power [] The Rightists hold strong positions in the radio and press. They use them to spread panic, lie to the people, vilify the government and the President of the Republic. About the army he said, Under the Constitution the Army does not intervene in political controversies. But, of course, the Army consists of people []. One cannot rule out that a military leader thirsting for power may appear, as was the case when ex-General Viaux at the end of 1969 refused to obey the former Government and attempted to prevent the Popular Unity victory. The plotters have set out to cause economic and political chaos so as to force the Armed Forces to abandon their traditional stand and induce them to interfere. This analysis is of profound importance to all socialists as well as being a timely warning. The people held only part of the political power. The nationalisation of industries and the participation of the workers in running them in itself is insufficient if important elements of the state machine (the army, navy, air force, and courts) remain in the hands of the capitalist class. The people of Chile could only be said to hold the full power when they had destroyed the capitalist state apparatus and built a State machine which was loyal to the will of the people and the government. If the people of Chile can organise and mobilise sufficient forces, if sufficient solidarity is given by the progressive and democratic forces of other countries, the defeat of the military coup may yet be achieved and the last stronghold of the reactionary forces in Chile destroyed. The most important battle against imperialism is now going on in Chile. Every possible solidarity action, every possible message of protest to the military junta, every possible message of support for the democratic forces should be sent. No recognition of the illegal military regime! Complete boycott until the military regime quits! Out with the monopolies and their CIA assassins! HANDS OFF CHILE! The revolutionary experience of the Chilean people is of profound importance to the world socialist movement and all people struggling against local and foreign monopoly capitalism and imperialism ... including the progressive movement in Australia. The central task of any revolutionary transition is the question of winning political power for the working people and other progressive forces, and how this is done. Reforms, as introduced by the Australian Labor Government, can only go a certain distance. They will come up against the resistance and sabotage of the reactionary capitalist class irrespective of the democratic decisions of the people. Reforms can become real and lasting and a new socialist society constructed only by ending the economic domination of capitalism over the economy AND by ending the control of the state machine by previous capitalist governments. These lessons will undoubtedly be fully analysed in the future but in the meantime ... ALL AID AND SOLIDARITY FOR THE CHILEAN PEOPLE. Anti-Lukashenko Protesters March Again in Minsk By VOA News September 13, 2020 At least 100,000 Belarusians took to the streets in the capital of Minsk on Sunday in one of the biggest protests yet against President Alexander Lukashenko after he claimed victory in a disputed election last month that his opponents say was rigged. Police said they detained more than 400 protesters in Minsk, with arrests continuing into the evening. With public outrage building against Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet bloc nation for 26 years, Russia said it would support him by sending paratroopers to Belarus for "Slavic Brotherhood" joint drills. Protesters claim the August 9 presidential election was won by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Key opposition leaders have since either been jailed or fled the country, with Tsikhanouskaya now in Lithuania. Lukashenko has rejected claims the election was rigged and contends that foreign powers are behind the protests. Throngs of protesters marched through Minsk toward a government district Sunday, chanting "Long live Belarus" and "You're a rat," a common taunt against Lukashenko. Coming to a halt, they chanted "fascists" as hundreds of riot police with shields blocked a road. The Interfax Russian news agency reported that shots were fired into the air to keep protesters away from an area of Minsk where the Belarusian leadership lives. The unrest came as Lukashenko prepared to travel to Russia on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has expressed support for Belarus, potentially restructuring its debt and offering to send in Russian riot police if needed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address - Korina Sanchez became a guest of Vice Ganda on his online show entitled Gabing-gabi na Vice - She was asked some intimate and intriguing questions about her married life - One of the questions thrown to her was if she is the one who initiates loving-loving moments with Mar Roxas - According to Korina, she is a babaeng marikit every time she and her husband are into loving-loving moments PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Korina Sanchez did not hesitate to answer some intimate questions by Vice Ganda about her married life. KAMI learned that the said incident happened when the veteran broadcast-journalist served as a guest on the recent episode of Gabing-Gabi na Vice. One of the questions thrown to Korina was if she is the one who initiates loving-loving moments with her husband Mar Roxas. Hoy, I am a geisha, she quipped. Iyan ang hindi alam ng marami of all of my partners in life. Hoy, hindi naman marami, ha, excuse me, konti lang sila, mga boyfriend ko. At dito sa asawa ko, Im very... Im quite submissive, ano ba, she added. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! Korina Sanchez and Mar Roxas (Photo from Flickr) Source: UGC As the interview progressed, Vice continued asking his popular guest about her intimate moments with the former Senator. Korina admitted that she is babaeng marikit whenever Mar initiates lambing moments inside their house. Sa loving-loving moments, ako ay isang babaeng marikit at dalagang Pilipina. Kailangan ligawan ako. Ganoon ako talaga, she said. Titingnan lang ako, alam ko na iyon. Pero kailangan makita ko yung titig niya. Kailangan ganoon. Ano ba, hello! Magkukunwari pa ba tayo? Mahigit singkuwenta na ako. Buti nga tinitingnan pa ako, she added. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Korina Sanchez is a prominent broadcast-journalist in the Philippines. Before the ABS-CBN shutdown, she served as the host of a magazine show entitled Rated K. She recently lambasted a netizen who criticized Mar Roxass photo with their twins. She called the basher bobo or idiot. The said TV host also responded cryptically after a netizen asked if she will already transfer to TV5 after the closure of the Kapamilya network. POPULAR: Read more news about Korina Sanchez! Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! Source: KAMI.com.gh By Amelia Williams Bay City News Foundation There's a lot of symbolism surrounding an image of a white horse -- it can be interpreted as one of Apollo's white stallions pulling his golden chariot (which represents the sun) across the sky, innocence, power or unbridled freedom. For the White Pony Express, the white horse stands for unity and expediency in connecting vulnerable communities with the resources they need. Founded in 2013 by Carol Weyland Conner, White Pony Express began as a food rescue effort to redistribute grocery stores' produce surplus to low-income communities in Contra Costa County, where more than 10 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty line. Since the onset of the pandemic, Executive Director Eve Birge estimates the nonprofit has tripled the amount of food deliveries and donations, sometimes delivering as much as 37,000 pounds of food in a day. "The food supply got broken. Everything was upended and nobody had planned for this," said Birge. "We're all in this together. You read things now about people that are hungry, and it's your neighbor, your colleague." But White Pony Express doesn't stop with food. Since 2014, the nonprofit also hosts a general store space that accepts and distributes clothing and toy donations to organizations around the county. And with the ongoing wildfires deepening the need for basic food and household items, the organization has expanded its operational space and upgraded the general store, adding a second daily shift for volunteers and food drivers. In addition, White Pony started delivering to one of its new partners, Bay Point-based Team Jesus Outreach Ministries, back in March when shelter-in-place orders and climbing unemployment rates first began. Team Jesus founder Flori Paniagua says her group gets two trucks' worth of food from White Pony three times a week, and the food is always gone by the day's end. "There's a lot of need right now, (and) a lot of people who lost their jobs are coming here," Paniagua said. "People drive here from Daly City all the way to Concord. We have 25 groups that receive food from Team Jesus. We want to share the burden." Like White Pony, Team Jesus is operating at capacity with increased demand, and it hopes to expand into a renovated home space to serve its community better. Most recently, White Pony has started the Blessings Project, a food delivery program in partnership with Concord-based nonprofit Monument Impact. Through the project, volunteers compile and deliver culturally relevant food kits, with items like masa flour, onions and chili peppers to Latinx families in Concord. "Their work is to ensure that immigrants, refugees and low-income residents in Concord and surrounding communities have the voice, tools and relationships necessary to have an equitable share of the social and economic wealth in our region," said Birge. Looking ahead, Birge and her team are working on an expanded clothing version of food rescue -- making stores' deadstock and out-of-season items available to people affected by the Northern California wildfires. They have also partnered with their local chapter of Black Infant Health to provide infant and postpartum supplies in "baby backpacks" to Black mothers. "Donations and support for operations is critically important for us right now. We rescue food that would otherwise be landfill," Birge said. "We feed hungry people. We provide basic necessities like clothing and toiletries to people who don't have them. More than ever we seek to bring people from the margins to the mainstream, restore dignity and treat everyone in our circle as our family." 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. After good glycemic control in 3 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica, a chronic inflammatory condition, symptoms were improved without glucocorticoid administration or an increase in glucocorticoid dosage, stated new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, researchers had described 3 cases where patients with bothersome symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica did not achieve pain or stiffness relief after months of NSAIDs or steroids treatment. The patients also reported type 2 diabetes condition and poorly controlled glucose levels. Symptoms and laboratory measures of polymyalgia rheumatica activity in 3 patients improved rapidly after achieving good glycemic control. Polymyalgia rheumatica This condition is characterized by severe pain and stiffness, occurring mostly in the shoulders, upper arms, and pelvis area. It affects the elderly and is treated with glucocorticoid therapy. The study suggests that a randomized controlled trial is warranted. Source: Medindia Advertisement Before starting to treat the patients with glucocorticoid, the researchers adjusted the patients' diabetes regimens. The patients' rheumatica symptoms improved rapidly and dramatically enough that no further treatment was needed. The Mongolian community in Tokyo staged a demonstration against the Chinese government over its controversial language policy aimed at replacing Mongolian with Mandarin at educational institutions in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in China. The protest saw the participation of around 1,000 activists and was held on September 12. Protesters, wearing face masks in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, shouted anti-China slogans and held banners denouncing Beijing's language policy. Similar protests against China have been held by ethnic Mongolians living in Japan in the last few days. In Inner Mongolia, protests have been ongoing after the new education policy aimed at pushing Mandarin language education across the region sparked widespread unrest among the ethnic Mongolians. It has angered many as they see it as a move to erase their culture. Thousands of students in Inner Mongolia have taken to streets to rally against China's three-year plan to push Mandarin language education across the region and phase out local history, literature and ethnic textbooks in favour of national course books. According to local media reports, parents are also refusing to send their children to school in defiance of the new policy. Activists say that under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has intensified its move to promote Mandarin and force the country's ethnic minorities to adopt a uniform Chinese identity. The latest move to roll out Mandarin as a language of instruction has raised fears that it could be the end for a minority language already at risk of fading away. Inner Mongolia has been seeing a growing resentment against Chinese rule in the region over the years owing to environmental damage due to the mining boom and economic growth, which has disproportionately benefited the ethnic Han community and rapid dismantling of Mongolian pastoral tradition. (ANI) Also Read: Chinese virologist claims COVID-19 was made in govt controlled lab in Wuhan The Schenectady, N.Y., school district realized it needed to do better by its students of color: The vast majority of its teachers were white, while less than a third of students are. A couple years ago, the district began ramping up its efforts to hire more teachers of color, as well as provide anti-racist training for its staff. The Albany-area district was highlighted by the state education department and other groups for its efforts, which included recruiting a more diverse pool of educators, building relationships with historically Black colleges and universities, and creating affinity spaces to help educators of color feel supported once on staff. It seemed like momentum was gaining. But earlier this month, more than 100 teachers and social workers, most of whom were hired during this recent push for diversity, logged onto a Zoom call and were told they no longer had jobs. Altogether, the district, which has been hit with statewide budget cuts, has laid off 320 educators, nearly half of whom are educators of color. Until then, for the most part, working at the district felt like the dream that any socially conscious teacher would want to be a part of, said Karen Lewis, a Black kindergarten teacher who was laid off. For me, thats the hardest blow. The potential was just, in a day, gone. [Students here have] been neglected and disenfranchised for years, and we had an opportunity to change that, and boom, it was snatched [away from us]. Thousands of teachers have been laid off this spring and summer as districts reel from state budget cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic, and experts have predicted that without a substantial federal bailout, the layoffs will continue throughout the year and accelerate next spring. Teacher layoffs are devastating for any school community but an unintended consequence is often a further eroding of the diversity of the teaching force, which is already about 80 percent white. When districts have only recently started actively recruiting teachers of color, layoffs that are based on a last in, first out policy of seniority can unravel those new initiatives. Those policies are often supported by teachers unions, which say that seniority is a transparent and objective standard. But other experts say such policies are chipping away at hard-fought progress to a more diverse workforce. Teachers of color are not afforded the privilege of longevity, said Travis Bristol, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeleys Graduate School of Education. Teachers of color on average turn over at higher rates than white teachers. At least 16 states require tenure or seniority status to be used as the primary factor for layoff decisions, while another 16 states require teacher evaluation scores to be the main consideration, according to an analysis by the Education Commission of the States . At least nine states prohibit the use of seniority as the primary or sole factor. Some states leave it up to individual districts. Following the Great Recessionwhen 300,000 teachers were laid off, according to some estimatessome states moved away from last in, first out policies . But Katharine Strunk, a professor at Michigan State University who studies education labor markets, said that trend has slowed in recent years. Research shows that when districts lay off teachers by seniority, poor schools and schools with large populations of Black and Latino students are hardest hit. Teachers of color tend to work in schools that serve a high proportion of students of color. And churn among the teaching staff can result in lower academic outcomes and decreased teacher quality, Strunk said. The equity implications for our most traditionally underserved districts is just astounding, she said. A Sledgehammer In light of a massive budget shortfall, New York state is withholding 20 percent of its funding to school districts across the state, causing already cash-strapped districts, like Schenectady, to eliminate hundreds of positions. An across-the-board cut affects the Schenectady City district, which relies heavily on state aid, much more than affluent districts, said Acting Superintendent Aaron Bochniak in an interview. In the nearly 10,000-student district, 79 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged. [The cut] might be a sledgehammer for us, but just a tiny play hammer for others, Bochniak said. Bochniak has laid off or eliminated the positions of more than 200 paraprofessionals and more than 100 teachers and social workers. He plans to issue more pink slips to administrators on Sept. 16, and there could be yet another round after that. The layoffs have been devastating. During the Zoom call in which teachers were told they were being laid off, there was a lot of crying, Lewis said. District officials said theyd try to bring the staff back as soon as possible if they were able to secure more funding. But Lewis said she has nothing in writing to assure her of that. All the teachers [who] were cut were new, she said. Were the most diverse group, thats all gonewere all gone. What I was told was, It wasnt intentional, but ignorance doesnt excuse [it]. New York requires districts to primarily lay off educators based on seniority, and Bochniak said Schenectady only considers seniority and content area. But those measures dont take into account the districts goals of diversity and cultural competency. A third of students are Black, while 27 percent are white, 19 percent are Hispanic, and 17 percent are Asian, district data show. Research has shown that having a teacher of color can increase learning for Black and Latino students and foster their social and emotional development. We had a very intense focus on diversifying our staff. Over the last two years, weve strived toward that goal, [and] its a slow process, Bochniak said. When were faced with these budget concerns like this, it really wipes away all the work weve done in one quick stroke. According to a district spokeswoman, nearly 24 percent were Black, 9 percent were Asian, and another 9 percent were Hispanic. The Daily Gazette reported that last year , just 4 percent of district faculty were Black, almost 3 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Asian. In recent years, the Schenectady district had also provided anti-racist training for its staff and emphasized cultural competency, and Bochniak said the teachers who were let go were likely a key part in those initiatives. We lose the momentum weve built with that staff, he said. While they hold all that knowledge, that knowledge might be transferred to another school district. Bochniak said he thinks the district should be pushing for changes to the last in, first out policyboth in terms of advocacy at the state level and during the collective bargaining process with the teachers union. He said layoff determinations should consider characteristics other than seniority, and race might be one of them, so if this were to happen again, God forbid, were not in the same place, and were built on more of a firm foundation. In Brookline, Mass., about 300 educators were laid off at the end of May to help close a gaping budget shortfall. Graciela Mohamedi, a Latina high school physics teacher, was one of them. In the past few years, the district had ramped up its recruitment of teachers of color to better match its student populationand under the last in, first out policy, many of those teachers were let go. They like to talk about diversity a whole lot, and they like to talk about things they could do to make it better, Mohamedi said. They arent actually willing to do the real honest work in order to retain educators of color. Ultimately, the district was able to recall the laid off staff a month later. But Mohamedi said the ordeal has had lasting consequences for the community. There were a lot of educators of color who chose not to go back simply because of the fact they felt like they had been so mistreated, she said. It was a culmination of years and years of living with race-related stress in the workshop. Even so, Mohamedi, the community relations chair for Brookline Educators United, the local teachers union, doesnt think eliminating seniority protections is the answer. She said seniority protections have historically protected marginalized populations, and they have allowed teachers of color to have long careers in the district. That kind of experience needs to be preserved, because its vital for the new educators of color to learn from these people, she said. Mohaemdi is on the coordinating team for the African Latinx Asian Native American caucus of the BEU, and she hopes to find other solutions that account for maintaining diversity levels in schools. Quality Blind Still, Qorsho Hassan, a Black 4th grade teacher who is Somali American, said seniority protections are barriers to building a more diverse teacher workforce. She was laid off twice in her three years at the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school district in Burnsville, Minn. The first time was for a week. The second time, she was a finalist for the Minnesota 2020 Teacher of the Year, and she was told she could be hired back in a non-classroom position. Hassan, who prides herself on building strong relationships with all her students, declined and found a job in a neighboring school district. She has since been named the states Teacher of the Year. It really shows you that these contractual [provisions] that are in place, they are quality blind, and they affect educators of color more than they shouldand therefore, they affect kids of color, she said. Were recruited left and right, but they cant retain us, Hassan said, adding that layoff policies are one piece of the puzzle. She would like districts to instead base decisions on the demographics of the school communities and keep staff that represents students. Some districts are working to move away from seniority-based layoffs. The Madison, Wis., district has proposed basing layoff decisions more on qualifications such as teacher-evaluation scores, cultural competency, certifications, and proficiency in a second language, along with seniority. Cultural competency could include language, demographics, and experience working in diverse schools, said board member Savion Castro. When you look at our seniority chart, as you go down to more recent teachers, we see more teachers of color because were finally putting resources into recruiting those teachers, said Castro, who supports the proposed changes. Districts are finally waking up: We need more Black and brown teachers in our schools. But those teachers could be on the chopping block if the Madison district has to issue pink slips. There is a looming $8 million budget deficit in the district, and the potential for more budget cuts from the state legislature, although Castro said layoffs are not an imminent threat. (Currently, teachers contracts prevent them from being laid off midyear, although the district also wants to change that policy to give just 30 days notice to teachers at risk of losing their jobs.) The school board has told district administrators to work with the local teachers union to come up with the details of a layoff rubric by November. The union, Madison Teachers Inc., doesnt outright oppose having a qualifications-based framework for layoffs but has concerns. The benefits of seniority are that its a solid, fact-based decision-making process, said MTI President Andy Waity, adding that evaluation scores can be inconsistently applied, inconsistently followed through. When it gets down to the spot of, Are you going to be laid off or not? you want to know what the standards are and how exactly youre being evaluated, and I think thats critical for folks, Waity said. They need to have a clear, transparent way of identifying how these decisions are made. Waity said there need to be thoughtful discussions around these decisions, and he doesnt want to rush because of the COVID-19 economic crisis. That economic downturn will force districts that are committed to racial justice to get creative, Rita Kohli, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside, who studies teachers of color, wrote in an email. If we understand a diverse teaching force as a necessity for the success of students of color, she wrote, then how can we deem this issue as essential and not just an additive program that flows with the economic tide? Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, September 15 2020 Indonesias newly appointed envoy to the United States, Muhammad Lutfi, has vowed to double down on the governments economic diplomacy push to ensure the country retains its trade perks and commences negotiations of a limited trade deal with Washington. Lutfi, an economist by training, is set to fill the position at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington that has been left vacant for almost a year after the government recalled its last ambassador to spearhead President Joko Jokowi Widodos economy-heavy foreign policy priorities from Jakarta. As a former trade minister, he was the most prominent name among the 20 ambassadors-designate sworn in at Merdeka Palace on Monday. 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 Town of West New York doesnt want anyone stealing its brand. An ordinance introduced earlier this month would protect West New Yorks new seal, as well as its flag and logo, from non-official use, and slap violators with a fine of up to $1,500. According to the ordinance, neither the towns logo nor its newly designed seal may be used in a political endorsement. The seal, which features industrial materials overlooking the New York City skyline, also may not be replicated for private or commercial purposes," and can only by published by the town itself. Violators would face a minimum fine of $500, the ordinance states, but the penalty could go as high as $1,500. The new seal is actually an older one used years ago, said Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez. We decided to reinstate it because it has a great look and is representative of a time when West New York was developing and growing as a community, and that is exactly what this administration represents now, a new beginning cultivated from a tradition of strong West New York values. West New York isnt the only local municipality to create such a policy. Kearny also regulates the use of its seal. Violators there face a $500 per day penalty. But is it legal? Federal law prevents federal, state and municipal insignias from being trademarked, but West New Yorks law isnt taking its insignia through the official trademark process. The town would instead be using its own lawbook to dictate what the public can and cant do with it. But Rutgers University law professor Louis Raveson said regulating the use of a flag is unconstitutional. He noted the First Amendment has routinely been applied to protect public use of flags, ranging from someone wearing the U.S. flag on ones jeans to someone burning it as a form of free speech. West New York plans to only allow the public to use the flag if doing so promotes the interests of the town and is not detrimental to the image of the town. Those uses might include non-commercial art or media, displaying the flag at a museum exhibit or printing the image in a publication, the ordinance says. Even burning the flag has been ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, Raveson said. You cant punish someone for burning the flag, let alone other things. By PTI NEW DELHI: There has been decline in foreign direct inflow from China in the last three years with FDI coming down to USD 163.77 million in 2019-20, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed Lok Sabha on Monday. Giving details of the total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow from Chinese companies in India, he said, it was USD 350.22 million in 2017-18, while it declined to USD 229 million in the following year. During 2019-20, FDI further came down to USD 163.77 million, he said in a written reply on the first day of the monsoon session. With regard to outflow from India, he said, it was USD 20.63 million in calendar year 2020 as against USD 27.57 million in the corresponding period last year. To curb opportunistic takeovers or acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the government issued Press Note 3 earlier this year, he said. "A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited." "However, an entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route," he said quoting the Press Note 3. Further, he said, "a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment." Replying to another question, Thakur said, the Department of Expenditure has released the central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the states including Maharashtra in the first week of April 2020 in the view of the pandemic. Further, to provide additional resources to states to fight against COVID-19 and considering the request of the states for relaxation of the existing Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) limit of 3 per cent of gross state domestic product (GSDP), additional borrowing limit of up to 2 percent of GSDP has been allowed to states for the year 2020-21, he said. Out of the additional borrowing limit of 2 per cent of GSDP allowed to states, consent of 0.50 per cent of GSDP amounting to Rs 1,06,830 crore has already been issued to the states including the consent of Rs 15,394 crore to the state of Maharashtra to raise open market borrowing (OMB) during the year 2020-21, he added. Senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra conducted an inspection at the municipal corporation (MC) headquarters in Zone A near Mata Rani chowk on Monday and pulled up the officials over defunct water coolers in the office. Malhotra conducted an inspection to check the working of staff in the property tax wing, following which he was apprised about the lack of potable water supply in the office. Malhotra said, The water cooler and purifier are lying defunct in the MC headquarters which puts a blot on the image of the civic body. The employees informed me that they are forced to bring water from their homes as the water cooler is lying defunct for a long time. If the bottles run empty, they are left with no water. There is no facility to provide potable water to visitors also. I have told the officials to move out of their offices frequently so that they could know the problems being faced by staff and visitors. The officials have been asked to get the cooler and purifier repaired at the earliest, said Malhotra. He said that directions have also been issued to the house tax branch that no agents should be allowed to enter the offices and residents should not face any trouble especially in getting a TS1 (NOC) certificate. The superintendents have also been told to display the contact numbers and respective block number of clerks outside the offices. Despite repeated attempts, zonal commissioner, Tejinderpal Singh could not be reached for comment. B oris Johnson has urged MPs to support a controversial Brexit bill to guarantee the economic and political integrity of the UK". The Prime Minister opened the debate on the Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, taking the place of Business Secretary Alok Sharma. He has faced a fierce backlash over concerns the Bill could break international law, with some senior MPs vowing to rebel against it. But Mr Johnson told the Commons that the Bill is a "safety net" and an "insurance policy". He told MPs: The creation of our United Kingdom by the Acts of Union of 1707 and 1801 was not simply a political debate but an act of conscious economic integration that laid the foundations for the worlds first industrial revolution and the prosperity we enjoy today. When other countries in Europe stayed divided, we joined our fortunes together and allowed the invisible hand of the market to move Cornish pasties to Scotland, Scottish beef to Wales, Welsh beef to England and Devonshire clotted cream to Northern Ireland or wherever else it might be enjoyed. Boris Johnson in the Commons / AFP via Getty Images Mr Johnson warned that in recent months the European Union had "suggested it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths using the Northern Ireland protocol" to "exert leverage". "I have absolutely no desire to use these measures," he said. "They are an insurance policy and if we reach agreement with our European friends, which I still believe is possible, they will never be evoked. "If they were ever needed, ministers would return to this House with a statutory instrument on which a vote will be held." The Prime Minister added: The intention of this Bill is clearly to stop any such use of the stick against this country and thats what it does. Kit Malthouse admits Government could be breaking international law with plans to override Brexit treaty Its a protection, its a safety net, its an insurance policy, and it is a very sensible measures and in a spirit of reasonableness, we are conducting those checks in accordance with our obligations, we are creating the sanitary and vito-sanitary processes required under the Protocol and spending hundreds of millions of pounds on helping traders. David Cameron recently became the fifth ex-premier to criticise the Prime Minister's tactics and around 20 MPs indicated they may rebel in tonights vote at 10pm. The ministers will vote on up to three possible amendments tonight, then on the second reading of the Bill, which could see 20 rebel of abstain, then on a timetable motion. Sir Bob Neill, Tory chairman of the Commons Justice Select Committee, said: Ive listened carefully to what the Prime Minister has said. Would he accept that were our interlocutors to behave in such an egregious fashion which clearly would be objectionable and unacceptable to us, there is already provision under the Withdrawal Agreement for an arbitrary arrangement to go into place. Labour's shadow business secretary Ed Miliband criticised Boris Johnson's 'blunderbuss' approach / PA And were we to take reserved powers is it right, does he accept, that those reserved powers should only be brought into force as a final backstop if we have in good faith tried to act under the Withdrawal Agreement and are then frustrated? The timing on which they come into force is very important for our reputation as upholders of the rule of law. Mr Johnson replied: My honourable friend is absolutely right in what he says and he knows a great deal about this matter. It is of great importance that we go through the legal procedures as we will. But I must say to him as things stand there are other avenues, in addition, to the potential blockade on agricultural goods that the EU could explore if they are determined to interpret the protocol in absurd ways and if they fail to negotiate in good faith. Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures 1 /22 Brexit Day at Parliament Square - In pictures Anti-Brexit protesters in Parliament Square, London PA Police presence at anti-Brexit protests in Parliament Square, London PA The Winston Churchill statue and Union flags in Parliament Square, London PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man carries an EU themed wreath at Parliament Square Reuters Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square, London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union PA Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A man wears a President, Donald Trump mask and holds an American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images People hold placards in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London AFP via Getty Images A man holds up a President, Donald Trump, American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit Getty Images A Red Viking apple with the Union Jack is displayed and given out for free to promote British produce as an Anti-Brexit demonstrator waves the European Union flag in Parliament Square AP Joseph Afrane in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images A man takes a photo of political artist Kaya Mar's paintings in Parliament Square Getty Images A man in an oversized 'Keep America Great' hat and draped with a US flag holds a Union Flag in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images A woman holds a newspaper at Parliament Square Reuters A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square PA Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said there are questions around the Bill which go to the heart of who we are as a country. He criticised Mr Johnson's "blunderbuss approach" and accused his administration of "incompetence". "This is his deal. It's his mess, it's his failure," the shadow business secretary told ministers. "It's time for him to fess up." Mr Miliband, who is standing in for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, said: There are two questions at the heart of this Bill and why well be opposing it tonight. First, how do we get an internal market after January 1 within the UK while upholding the devolution settlements which have been a vital part of our constitution now for two decades and are essential for our union? And secondly, is our country going to abide by the rule of law? A rules based international order for which we are famous around the world and have always stood up. These are not small questions, but go to the heart of who we are as a country and to the character of this government. Mr Miliband said it was not an argument about Leave vs Remain but Right vs Wrong. He told the Commons: Our global reputation for rule-making not rule-breaking is one of the reasons we are so respected around the world. And when you ask of people to think of Britain they think of the rule of law and lets be clear after the Prime Ministers speech this is not an argument about Remain vs Leave, it is an argument about Right vs Wrong. Even the zombies know when to stay home. Movies about the shambling undead usually begin with some kind of fictional viral outbreak that turns people into lumbering cannibals. Now that our lives have been upended by an actual viral outbreak, the organizers of the Asbury Park Zombie Walk are taking a raincheck on the procession and going virtual. Due to continuing health concerns and unrest affecting the entire country, we have made the decision to not have a physical Zombie Walk in Asbury Park for 2020, organizers said Monday in a Facebook post about the parades approach to COVID-19. "We simply cant run the risk of exposing our volunteers and makeup artists, local businesses and employees - and most importantly our participants and the residents of Asbury Park to a virus which continues to spike around the country. The zombie walk, New Jerseys largest, usually happens the first Saturday in October on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. In past years, the event has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of people dressed as zombies. In 2010, the walk captured that title with 4,093 zombies. In 2013, 9,592 zombies. The next year, the Zombie Pub Crawl of Minneapolis bested that record with 15,458 zombies. The zombie walk usually happens the first week in October.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com New Jersey has been combating COVID19 longer than most of the nation, and by working together as a community we have successfully flattened the curve over the last few months, the organizers' statement continued. This has paved the way for schools, businesses and restaurants to reopen in the state, but we must remain overly cautious if we are to keep this very real virus from resuming its spread. It seems like the ultimate irony that an actual viral pandemic is keeping our zombies from converging on the Boardwalk this October, but it is with the health and safety of every one of you in mind that we cannot host the Zombie Walk in Asbury Park this year. The exact details of the virtual 2020 Asbury Park Zombie Walk are forthcoming. Organizers said they were brainstorming (mmm, brains!) ways for people to participate from home. The Asbury Park Zombie Walk, previously known as the New Jersey Zombie Walk, was founded in 2007 by Jason Meehan. In 2015, he said he could no longer manage the huge walk or its costs and prepared to say goodbye to the undeads favorite gathering. John McGillion, owner of the Johnny Mac House of Spirits bar, stepped in to assist, ensuring the zombies would live" to see another day. Check the Asbury Park Zombie Walk Facebook page and website for updates. 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. Marcus Lewis Jr., an eighth-grader at Rodeo Palms Junior High School in Alvin ISD, had never thought of himself as a writer. But when the 13-year-old learned that his essay on the value of free speech in a democracy had won the Popular Vote category in a national contest, his mother could tell he was pleased. Marcus has a dimple, and when he smiles really big, you can see that dimple, said Kimberly Lewis. The contest, announced in April and organized through a partnership of major news outlets across the country, including Black Voice News, Boston Globe and the Tennessean, invited students at levels ranging from sixth grade to college to write a 500-word essay on why the First Amendment matters. For Marcus, it was gratifying that he had received $1,000 in prize money, that he had been recognized by major news publications and a panel of judges that included academics and renowned journalists and that he was one of five students chosen nationally. But it was also an unexpected win. When my essay was recognized, I was surprised, he said. After I finished (submitting the essay) I didnt really worry about the outcome. I felt like I didnt have anything to lose. More Information Youths' thoughts on freedom of the press To read the essays by Marus Lewis Jr. and others who were recognized in the national student essay competition on the importance of a free press, visit https://bit.ly/2FiS6Ao For more on the contest, sponsored by MKL Public Relations, visit https://bit.ly/3hkY8xq See More Collapse According to his mother, Lewis is more of a science-math-and-tech student, and writing for him had always been a chore. What was valuable about this contest beyond the recognition and prize money is that it allowed young participants to put pen to paper on things that matter to them during a pivotal time. The more research he did, the more he was intrigued, because it began to tie into the things that were going on in the world, Lewis said. We began to go through a very tumultuous time peoples thoughts about COVID, peoples thoughts about Black Lives Matter, it began a really good conversation in a nonacademic setting. Lewis described her son as something of an introvert, and said the essay gave him a forum to speak through words. I think the contest helped Marcus to find his own voice and it gave him permission to have his own opinions about things, she said. In his essay Why a Free Press Matters in a Democracy, Lewis takes the reader through various examples on how a free press played a role in history. The contest, he said, led him to discover some of that history. In the essay, he wrote: A democracy ceases to exist without honoring the First Amendment. My research taught me about the Pentagon Papers, the Vietnam War and censorship, Lewis said. Those issues matter now more than ever, he said. Lewis has watched the last few years unfold in the news, whether it is how the press reports on the Black Lives Matter movement or the pandemic or how the citizens react. In todays society its important to have a voice, because its important for people to hear different opinions, he said. Its important to not have a fixed mindset and think theres only one true answer. In some cases, like in my geometry class, all answers can be correct but for different reasons. Lewis mother believes the contest gave Marcus the sense that he had a voice. To Marcus, as a young black male, that voice and presence in his community can make a difference. For me being a black male in this society means I have to do my best to prove that Im not less than others because of the color of my skin, Lewis said. Black-owned businesses make me proud because they are an example to the world. They show the world blacks are just as capable of success as nonblack businesses. yorozco@hcnonline.com OTTAWA - A trio of federal cabinet ministers is warning COVID-19 researchers to take additional precautions to protect their efforts from thieves and vandals. The statement Monday says the federal government is concerned about hostile actors targeting pandemic-related research in this country and urges government scientists, academics and private-sector workers to double- and triple-check their security measures. Signed by Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, the statement recommends strong cyber- and physical-security protocols. While the government remains committed to the principles of open science as an essential part of innovative and collaborative research, the global pandemic has prompted new, aggressive targeting of research, it says. Espionage and foreign interference activities by both human and cyber actors pose real threats to Canadian research integrity, intellectual property and business interests. In mid-July, Canadian, British and U.S. security services said they believed hackers working for Russias intelligence agency were trying to steal vaccine research. The statement warns of threats to intellectual property and business interests as well as long-term economic competitiveness from espionage and foreign interference. Canadian governments have invested heavily in scientific research, said John Power, a spokesman for Bains, in a followup email. Collaborations with researchers and scholars from other countries are vital to progress, he added. However, we need to collaborate with our eyes wide open and make sure that Canadians continue to benefit from our significant investments in science. One collaboration that didnt pay off was a joint venture with Chinese researchers on developing a COVID-19 vaccine. That partnership was scuppered when Chinese authorities refused to allow doses of the experimental vaccine to be shipped to Canada for clinical trials. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. Read more about: The Prime Minister is preparing to face down his critics as he looks to quell a growing rebellion over his plans to override the Brexit divorce deal. Downing Street confirmed that Boris Johnson will open the debate on the Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons on Monday, taking the place of Business Secretary Alok Sharma. Mr Johnson will make the case to MPs that it is critical that the legislation, which the Government has said would breach international law, is in place by the end of the year in order to act as a safety net if no trade deal is agreed with Brussels before the conclusion of the Brexit transition period. The Prime Ministers official spokesman, confirming Mr Johnsons appearance at the Despatch Box, told reporters: The Bill will protect seamless trade and jobs in all four corners of the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period. It will also provide a vital legal safety net, it removes any ambiguity should an agreement not be reached at the Joint Committee on the Northern Ireland Protocol. It protects the integrity of the UK internal market, it ensures ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protects the gains from the peace process. It is therefore critical that we pass this legislation before the end of the year. Number 10 said the Prime Minister and UK chief negotiator Lord Frost had significant concern about the approach taken by the European Union during the trade talks, claiming Brussels had confirmed last week that a blockade of food goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland was a possibility. But the Prime Ministers spokesman, when asked how the Bill would prevent a blockade, did not provide concrete examples, adding only that good faith was expected to be shown by both sides in resolving outstanding matters. The Conservative Party leader has seen his Bill proposal criticised by all five living former prime ministers, with David Cameron making it a full set when he voiced his fears on Monday. Story continues Mr Cameron said: Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about whats being proposed. Former chancellor Sajid Javid said he would not back the Bill at its second reading on Monday night. It is not clear to me why it is necessary for the UK to break international law. I am regretfully unable to support the UK Internal Market Bill unamended. pic.twitter.com/ID0CeyXCeJ Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) September 14, 2020 Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly, he said. Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill, it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so. Geoffrey Cox, Mr Johnsons former attorney general when the Withdrawal Agreement was signed, has also spoken out against the plans. He told Times Radio that the Government knew what it was signing up to when it ratified the exit terms. What I can say from my perspective is we simply cannot approve or endorse a situation in which we go back on our word, given solemnly not only by the British Government and on behalf of the British Crown, but also by Parliament when we ratified this in February, unless there are extreme circumstances which arrive involving a breach of duty of the good faith by the EU, he said. In those circumstances, there are then lawful remedies open to us and it is those we should take rather than violating international law and a solemn treaty. The breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this countrys reputation and it is also a question of honour to me we signed up, we knew what we were signing. Protocol on IE/NI is not a threat to the integrity of the UK. We agreed this delicate compromise with @BorisJohnson & his gov in order to protect peace & stability on island of Ireland. We could not have been clearer about the consequences of #Brexit [1/2] Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 13, 2020 The Brexiteer warned he would not back the UK Internal Market Bill unless ministers dispel the impression that they plan to permanently and unilaterally rewrite an international agreement. Simon Hoare, Tory chairman of the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said Mr Coxs condemnation of the Governments plans could not be ignored. Meanwhile, Tory MP Rehman Chishti resigned as the Prime Ministers special envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in opposition to the clauses in the Bill. He tweeted: As an MP for 10 years and former barrister, values of respecting rule of law and honouring ones word are dear to me. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Governments position was likely to cause reputational damage on the world stage and called on Mr Johnson to get on with securing fresh trade terms with the bloc. Informal talks on a future trade deal with the EU were due to continue this week, with a meeting expected between chief negotiators Lord Frost and Michel Barnier and their teams due on Tuesday. Our top 10 trending chart is back after a 1-week hiatus and there are plenty of fresh news faces around. The newly unveiled Poco X3 NFC is our new leader, followed by another new entry - the Samsung Galaxy M51. The leader from the previous installment, Realme 7 Pro, completes the rostrum. A couple of Redmi phones are left just off the podium, the Note 9 Pro ahead of the Note 9. The most consistent member of the top 10 this year - the Galaxy A51 is now sixth, while the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is down to seventh. Three more new names complete the top 10, lead by the second Poco of the chart, the M2 in eight. In ninth is the Motorola Moto G9 Plus, while the upcoming iPhone 12 Pro Max is already getting people talking about it even if it market release is rumored to only come in October or November. TDT | Manama Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) first deputy chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa congratulated the Your Talent at Home competition winners. The event was held in line with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas directives to embrace Bahraini youth through initiatives that will create a suitable atmosphere for them to show their energies and talents in various life areas, HH Shaikh Khalid said. The contest also supports the efforts made by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and is according to the precautionary measures and social distancing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, HH Shaikh Khalid added. He also praised the efforts made by His Majesty the Kings Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs representative, National Security Advisor and SCYS chairman His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to develop a strategy that includes plans and programmes to raise the competence level of Bahraini youth. HH Shaikh Khalid stressed that the competition supports this strategy by pushing youth to participate, interact, and develop their capabilities, with the aim of creating a generation that is capable of building and developing various fields in Bahrain. The event covered acting, singing, performing, magic, strumming, painting and acrobatics. It featured two categories: the first was for entrants aged 16 and above, which was won by Mazen Najeeb, and the other was for youngsters aged 15 and below, which was claimed by Saud Jumaa. HH Shaikh Khalid allocated prizes worth more than $60,000 for the winners, with Najeeb bagging $20,000 and Saud taking home $15,000. The second and third-placers in both categories also came away with cash prizes. HH Shaikh Khalid said: We are proud of the Bahraini talents, who have always demonstrated that they are a beacon of excellence and creativity in our society. The competition clearly reflected the creative capabilities that young people in the Kingdom of Bahrain have, and which can be employed in the service of various fields. HH Shaikh Khalid added that Bahraini youth are distinguished by their desire, ambition and their great endeavours, seeking to give back to their nation, and to truly participate in its growth and development. HH Shaikh Khalid also expressed appreciation for the great efforts made by the Ministry of Information Affairs, headed by Ali bin Mohammed Al Rumaihi, for allocating a special studio to contribute to the programmes success. Al Rumaihi commended the special attention and care provided by HH Shaikh Khalid to young Bahrainis through such successful initiatives. Al Rumaihi, who visited the final stage of the competition, said that the initiative was a great opportunity for Bahraini youth to use their talents, enhance their aptitudes, strengthen their self-confidence, and develop their creative capabilities in a way that empowers them and contributes to improving society. The Information Ministry is keen to harness all potential to ensure the success of the competition and all initiatives by HH Shaikh Khalid, Al Rumaihi added. The ministry broadcast a special programme to cover the competitions final, which featured reports on HH Shaikh Khalids initiatives to support Bahraini youth by creating a suitable environment to use and enhance their potential and talents. This Feb. 25, 2020, file photo, shows the icon for TikTok in New York. TikTok's owner has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as its preferred suitor to buy the popular video-sharing app, according to a source familiar with the deal, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/File) The owner of TikTok has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as the American tech partner that could help keep the popular video-sharing app running in the U.S., according to a source familiar with the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. Microsoft announced Sunday that its bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations was rejected, removing the tech giant from the running a week before President Donald Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the U.S. over spying concerns. TikTok and the White House declined to comment Sunday. Oracle didn't return a request for comment but has previously declined comment. Walmart, which had planned to partner with Microsoft on the acquisition, said Sunday it "continues to have an interest in a TikTok investment" and is talking about it with ByteDance and other parties. The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok by Sept. 20 and ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. business, claiming national-security risks due to its Chinese ownership. The government worries about user data being funneled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national-security risk and is suing to stop the administration from the threatened ban. It's not clear if the proposed deal will only cover TikTok's U.S. business, and, if so, how it will be split from the rest of TikTok's social media platform, which is popular worldwide. ByteDance also owns a similar video app, Douyin, for the Chinese market. Any deal must still be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, a U.S. government group chaired by the Treasury Secretary that studies mergers for national-security reasons. The president can approve or deny a transaction recommended by the panel, though Trump has already voiced support for Oracle as a "great company" that could handle the acquisition. Microsoft said in a Sunday statement that ByteDance "let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft." Microsoft added it was "confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests." The company said it "would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation." TikTok, which says it has 100 million U.S. users and about 700 million globally, is known for its fun, goofy videos of dancing, lip-syncing, pranks and jokes. It's recently become home to more political content such as the comedian Sarah Cooper, who drew a large audience by lip-syncing Trump's own often-disjointed statements from public appearances. But the app has also raised concerns because of its Chinese ownership. The White House has cracked down on a range of Chinese businesses, including telecom equipment makers Huawei and ZTE and messaging app WeChat, over worries that they would enable Chinese authorities to get U.S. user data. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about censorship and children's privacy. TikTok denies that it has shared user data with the Chinese government or that it would do so if asked. The company says it has not censored videos at the request of Chinese authorities and insists it is not a national-security threat. TikTok has sued to stop the ban, but not the sale order. The negotiations have been complicated by several factors, including Trump's repeated demands that the U.S. government should get a "cut" of any deal, a stipulation and role for the president that experts say is unprecedented. In addition, the Chinese government in late August unveiled new regulations that restrict exports of technology, likely including the artificial intelligence system TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means ByteDance would have to obtain a license from China to export such technology to a foreign company. The deal had come together rapidly after the administration ramped up its threats against TikTok this summer, despite TikTok's efforts to put distance between its app and its Chinese ownership. It installed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its American CEO, but he resigned in August after just a few months on the job, saying the "political environment has sharply changed." Both Microsoft and Oracle are known more for their business software offerings than for those intended for consumers. Oracle primarily makes database software. It competes with tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon that provide cloud services as well as business-software specialists like Salesforce. Some analysts see Oracle's interest in a consumer business as misguided. Oracle should focus on enterprise-market acquisitions and not invest in a consumer app like TikTok that doesn't fit with the rest of its business, said Jefferies analyst Brent Thill, who compares the idea to Delta Airlines buying a motorcycle company. "It doesn't make any sense," he said. Thill suggested that TikTok competitors like Facebook and Snapchat should be "cheering on Oracle" as a buyer, because Oracle wouldn't "add a lot of value to the app." Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of President Donald Trump, hosting a fundraiser for him in February at his Rancho Mirage, California, estate. The company also hired a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence; its CEO, Safra Catz, also served on Trump's transition team. The president said on Aug. 18 that Oracle was "a great company" that "could handle" buying TikTok. He declined to state his preference between Oracle and Microsoft as buyers. Explore further Chinese govt complicates TikTok sale ordered by US govt 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. "We are grateful for the tireless work of the healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic that made this milestone possible," said Kevin Reilly, Board Member of Hyundai Hope On Wheels and President of Alexandria Hyundai. "Testing is the key to reopening our country safely and we are proud to support our partners in this ongoing and critical effort." Since 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has donated more than $172 million to pediatric cancer research. During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, HHOW will award 26 new research grants totaling $6.8 million to researchers at children's hospitals nationwide in their relentless pursuit of life-saving treatments. For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org . Hyundai Hope On Wheels Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $172 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure. Hyundai Motor America At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Thomas Park) A Texas elementary online class got "Zoom bombed" with porn for one minute. The school's principal sent a message to the families of the students who were in that class. A 4th grade virtual class in Leander, Texas, was having online lessons when suddenly salacious videos interrupted the lecture. On September 10, Thursday, Shelley Roberts, principal of River Edge Elementary, sent a message to the students' families, as reported by CBSAustin.com. The person used a student's name The teacher admitted that they let that person, who used a student's name, into the class. The person displayed inappropriate sexual content for about one minute before the teacher noticed it. Immediately after getting alerted, the teacher ended the meeting. See also: Dad Sweetly Transforms Garage to Look Like Real Classroom for Daughter's Best School-at-Home Experience The educator said that the staff notified law enforcement about the incident, which has prompted an investigation. The teacher also said that they are in contact with the affected families. Once the investigation is completed, they will follow the district's protocols. Although teachers are the only ones who could allow who could join the Zoom meeting, they could only see the user name. They could not see a video of the people who are trying to enter the room. Videos of users could not be seen Since the email address is not seen when joining a meeting, any Zoom user could write any name. Thus, if a teacher sees people in the "waiting room" that has the same name as her students, she would likely admit that person's permission. See also: Mom Got Shot and Killed While Daughter Was Having Online Zoom Class No one is sure how that person was able to obtain the name of the 4th grader. It could be a naughty older sibling or someone who knows the student that signed on to carry out the harmful prank. A therapist in the Austin area told "Working Mother" the effects of the "Zoom bombing" meeting to students. The specialist said that after viewing the "hardcore porn," the students were already showing signs of trauma. Local mental-health professionals are helping to assist the kids who have been traumatized. See also: Portland Mom Worried About Kids [Saw Signs of Depression Due to Lockdown] It just shows that the video conferencing tools that schools use to teach kids have security flaws. Even password-protected rooms are not proof that your children are safe. The school stated that they can't let the teachers avoid such an untoward incident. Since the teacher could not view the videos of all the students at once, it would be easy to have missed a video like that. No one is sure if the whole class has seen the harmful video. Schools need to do more to protect their students from seeing adult content while they are learning at home. Discovery Reports 402 m of 134 g/t AgEq including 112 m of 247 g/t AgEq in the South Corridor at Cordero Posted by Publisher Internet Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) (?Discovery? or the ?Company? https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/discovery-metals-corp/ ) is pleased to announce results from four diamond drill holes targeting bulk-tonnage mineralization in the South Corridor at its flagship Cordero project (?Cordero? or ?the Project?) located in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The South Corridor has seen significantly less drilling than the North Corridor and will be a key area of focus for the remainder of the 55,000-metre (?m?) Phase 1 drill program. The goal of this drill program is to define a large-scale, high-margin project with excellent leverage to rising silver prices. The highlight hole in this release is C20-343. Intercepts include: 7 m averaging 134 grams per tonne silver equivalent (?g/t AgEq 1 ?) from 66.9 m (49 g/t Ag, 0.07 g/t gold (?Au?), 1.0% lead (?Pb?) and 1.1% zinc (?Zn?)) including: 3 m averaging 182 g/t AgEq 1 (57 g/t Ag, 0.10 g/t Au, 0.8% Pb, 2.2% Zn) from 181.2 m 3 m averaging 247 g/t AgEq 1 (96 g/t Ag, 0.08 g/t Au, 2.0% Pb, 1.8% Zn) from 243.5 m 2 m averaging 241 g/t AgEq 1 (84 g/t Ag, 0.10 g/t Au, 1.8% Pb, 2.0% Zn) from 413.7 m ?) from 66.9 m (49 g/t Ag, 0.07 g/t gold (?Au?), 1.0% lead (?Pb?) and 1.1% zinc (?Zn?)) including: Taj Singh, President and CEO, states: ?Hole C20-343 returned one of the best-ever intercepts at Cordero. The fact that it came from the South Corridor, an area of the deposit that has seen significantly less drilling, is even more encouraging. The remarkably long intercept begins at shallow depth and includes multiple zones of high-grade mineralization, including an interval of 112.3 m averaging 247 g/t AgEq1. ?Initial drilling in our Phase 1 program has been successful in defining a higher-grade bulk-tonnage domain in the North Corridor with a strike extent of over 1.5 km. While this domain remains open along strike and at depth, the focus of our drill targeting for additional bulk-tonnage mineralization has now shifted to the South Corridor. The drills are now targeting areas of the deposit where there are significant gaps in previous drilling in order to efficiently grow the pit-constrained higher-grade resource at Cordero. Our initial results show tremendous promise and we look forward to follow-up drilling in the South Corridor.? DRILL RESULTS: The four holes in this release were drilled in the South Corridor and were designed to in-fill significant gaps in previous drilling. Hole C20-343 returned a consistent high-grade intercept over a 401.7 m interval near-surface that averaged 134 g/t AgEq1. The down-hole drill trace was approximately 100 m west of C20-337 (refer to press release dated July 20, 2020). C20-337 returned 258.9 m averaging 77 g/t AgEq1 (28 g/t Ag, 0.06 g/t Au, 0.4% Pb and 0.8% Zn) from 61.0 m including 44.8 m averaging 139 g/t AgEq1 (35 g/t Ag, 0.10 g/t Au, 0.7% Pb and 1.7% Zn) and 23.6 m averaging 186 g/t AgEq1 (82 g/t Ag, 0.09 g/t Au, 0.8% Pb and 1.7% Zn). Mineralization in C20-343 consisted of galena and sphalerite in disseminations, veinlets and stockworks hosted in dacite, sedimentary rock and breccias. Higher-grade mineralization was hosted in southwest-striking breccias and veins that dip steeply to the northwest. ? The remaining holes were drilled between 120 m and 250 m to the northeast of C20-343. All holes returned broad intercepts of mineralization consisting of dacite, calcareous sediment and breccia-hosted sulphide veins, stockworks and disseminations. Drill hole locations for all holes are shown in Figure 1 (see links below). Detailed drill highlights are provided in the table below. PHASE 1 DRILL PROGRAM UPDATE: The Company has completed 27,800 m (67 holes) as part of its expanded 50,000-55,000 m Phase 1 drill program. ?Assays from 15 holes are pending. Two drill rigs were added to the project during the third week of August and there are now four drill rigs on site. Additional drill rigs may be added when the Company is confident that the health and safety risks related to COVID-19 can be managed effectively.? Drilling is focused on two key concepts: (1) targeting of bulk-tonnage mineralization within and to the east and northeast of both mineralized corridors; and (2) testing of the width, grade and continuity of extensive high-grade vein systems identified in and adjacent to historical artisanal underground workings at the Project. Supporting maps and sections, drill hole locations and full assay results can be found at the following link: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5399/20200914_appendix.pdf A copy of this release with supporting maps and sections included as appendices can be found at the following link: https://dsvmetals.com/site/assets/files/5399/20200914_news.pdf About the Cordero Project Cordero is located on the eastern edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in the northern part of the Central Mexican Silver Belt, Mexico?s premier porphyry and carbonate replacement deposit district. Mineralization at Cordero is similar in nature to well-known nearby bulk tonnage precious metals mines and projects (e.g. Newmont Corporation?s Penasquito Mine and Orla Mining Ltd.?s Camino Rojo project). In addition to bulk tonnage mineralization there are also multiple high-grade silver-zinc-lead-gold sulphide vein trends as evidenced by more than 40 historical shallow, vertical shafts and associated underground workings. Sample analysis and QA/QC Program True widths of reported drill intercepts have not been determined. Assays are uncut except where indicated. All core assays are from HQ drill core unless stated otherwise. Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located at the project site 40km north of the city of Parral. Core samples from the program are cut in half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to ALS Geochemistry-Mexico for preparation in Chihuahua City, Mexico, and subsequently pulps are sent to ALS Vancouver, Canada, which is an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. All samples are prepared using a method whereby the entire sample is crushed to 70% passing -2mm, a split of 250g is taken and pulverized to better than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are analyzed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AAS techniques (Au-AA24) from a 50g pulp.? Over limits are analyzed by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Samples are also analyzed using thirty three-element inductively coupled plasma method (?ME-ICP61?). Over limit sample values are re-assayed for: (1) values of zinc > 1%; (2) values of lead > 1%; and (3) values of silver > 100 g/t. Samples are re-assayed using the ME-OG62 (high-grade material ICP-AES) analytical package. For values of silver greater than 1,500 g/t, samples are re-assayed using the Ag-CON01 analytical method, a standard 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Certified standards and blanks are routinely inserted into all sample shipments to ensure integrity of the assay process. Selected samples are chosen for duplicate assay from the coarse reject and pulps of the original sample. No QAQC issues were noted with the results reported herein. Qualified Person Gernot Wober, P.Geo, VP Exploration, Discovery Metals Corp., is the Company\-\-s designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?) and has reviewed and validated that the information contained in this news release is accurate. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Taj Singh, M.Eng, P.Eng, CPA, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director About Discovery Discovery Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVMF) is a Canadian exploration and development company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and focused on historic mining districts in Mexico. Discovery?s flagship is its 100%-owned Cordero silver project in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The 35,000-hectare property covers a large district that hosts the announced resource as well as numerous exploration targets for bulk tonnage diatreme-hosted, porphyry-style, and carbonate replacement deposits. For further information contact: Forbes Gemmell, CFA VP Corporate Development & Investor Relations forbes.gemmell@dsvmetals.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch TECHNICAL NOTES & FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: The most recent technical report for the Cordero Project is the 2018 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) authored by M3 Engineering and Technology Corp and includes the most recent resource estimate, completed by Independent Mining Consultants, Inc. It is available on Discovery?s website and on SEDAR under Levon Resources Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery. The PEA assumes metallurgical recoveries of 89% for Ag, 84% for Pb, 72% for Zn and 40% for Au. 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 is not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ?1933 Act?) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements within this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although Discovery believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in market prices, including metal prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the Private Placement will close on the announced terms. Discovery does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable laws. Multiple Chinese fighter jets entered airspace to Taiwan's southwest on Wednesday, said the island's defence ministry, describing it as a destabilising action which threatened regional peace. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activities near the island, including regular air force patrols. China says such drills demonstrate its resolve to protect its sovereignty. China has in the last few weeks mounted numerous exercises up and down its coast and near Taiwan. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the Chinese Su-30 and J-10 fighters had entered Taiwan's "response zone" to its southwest on Wednesday morning, adding that multiple aircraft were involved. "The Defence Ministry solemnly condemns the Chinese Communist's unilateral actions that damage regional peace and stability," it added. Taiwan's armed forces are able to respond quickly and appropriately to such movements, the military said, calling on people not to be alarmed. Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwan issued 24 verbal warnings over the radio for the Chinese aircraft to leave. Taiwan is currently carrying out live fire weapons tests off its southeast and eastern coast. There was no immediate comment from China. Taiwans president Tsai Ing-wen warned last month that the risk of accidental conflict was rising because of tension in the South China Sea and around Taiwan and communication must be maintained to reduce the risk of miscalculation. Reuters Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) looks at her mobile phone in Hanoi, Vietnam, on July 23, 2010. (Na Son Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images) Wiping Phones and Erasing the Publics Trust Commentary Political legitimacy requires two things: the rule of law and the widespread, shared perception that the law is impartially applied. The first is largely a matter of process; the second is largely a matter of optics, public sentiment. There is much talk today about America being in a state of crisis. I believe that the fuel for that crisisa large part of it, anywayhas to do with optics, with the growing sense that the country is riven not just by partisan feuds, but also by unequal application of the law. In part, what we are seeing is the evolution of that neo-feudalism that Joel Kotkin describes in his new book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. When its revealed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in contravention of the rules that apply to the peons of her state, traipses into her beauty salon without a mask to get her hair done, outrage briefly ensues. Its largely smoldering outrage, however, for although many peopleDemocrats as well as Republicansare irritated by Pelosis highhanded assumption of privilege, it is by now a familiar story, partly for the reasons that Kotkin sets forth in his book. After all, it wasnt so long ago that the public got a glimpse of her fabulous kitchen and all that premium chocolate ice cream. Pelosis Marie Antoinette moments are partly risible, but only partly. To appreciate the unrisible aspect, one need simply look away from the fridge and the beauty salon to the operation of the law. Covering Their Tracks Thanks to the efforts of the indispensable Judicial Watch, we now know that the team of Robert Mueller wiped some 30 government-issued smartphones before turning them over to the Department of Justices inspector general. Muellers pitbull, the despicable Andrew Weismann, accidentally wiped his device twice after entering his passcode too many times. The phone used by Lisa Page, the anti-Trump FBI lawyer who had an affair with Peter Strzok, former head of the bureaus counterespionage section and consigliere of the vendetta against Michael Flynn, was restored to its factory settings before the IG got it. The phone of another FBI reportedly wiped itself before being turned in. Amazing, isnt it, how diligent Democrats are about covering their tracks, and how disingenuous? They remember what happened to Richard Nixon, who taped all his Oval Office conversations and lived to regret it when the tapes became public during the Watergate investigation. The 33,000 emails that Hillary Clinton had wiped from her home-brew server were entirely private, she said, having to do with yoga classes and her daughters wedding. Then why resort to professional data wiping software? Why pretend not to know what it means to wipe a computer server? (You mean with a cloth?) Why instruct your minions to destroy your smartphones with a hammer? Nothing happened to Hillary because she occupies a zone of privilege even more exalted than that occupied by Pelosi. What about Muellers Merry Band of Pranksters and their repristinated phones? What happens to them? Sidney Powell, the indefatigable attorney for Flynn, has charged that their actions constitute obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence of the worst sort. That, of course, is for a court to say. But the optics, I think we can agree, arent good. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), speaking to Maria Bartiromo, noted the timing of the housecleaning: it was right after the anti-Trump text messages between lovebirds Page and Strzok were made public. That wasnt supposed to happen. Someone was careless. Mistakes were made. The revelations were embarrassing. Ergo, all those phones must be wiped. Nunes reminds us of the broader context. All this took place during the investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump and the Russians. Mueller spent two years and about $32 million turning over every stone and came up empty-handed. There was no evidence of collusion or coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But here is the real kicker: Mueller and his team knew going in that there was no collusion, and hence, no predicate for the investigation. The entire investigation, as Nunes (echoing Trump) put it, was a witch hunt. All Americans, Nunes said, should be upset by this latest codicil to the long effort to undo the results of the 2016 election. Poisonous Disparity Plenty of people are upset. But this brings me back to my opening observation. The operation of the law is one thing. The publics sense of that operation is another. Like many people on my side of the aisle, I am impatient for John Durham, the prosecutor charged with looking into the possible wrongdoing in the conduct of the Mueller investigation and related initiatives to stymie the Trump administration, to finish his work. To date, only one minor guilty plea has been filed, that of Kevin Clinesmith, who, as Andrew McCarthy pointed out only kind of, sort of, maybe, possibly pled guilty. I think that what James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Andrew McCabe, Stefan Halper, Strzok, Page, and all the other actors did in this sordid affair was heinous. Was it also actionable? That is not for me to say. The process of the law doesnt wait upon public opinion. But the larger political atmosphere does. Flynn, the terminus a quo of the whole Russia collusion gambit, has had his career destroyed and his life (and life savings) turned upside down because of a manufactured tort. We know that now. The optics of the disparity are poisonous. The operation of the law has its own majesty. The faith of the public, which ultimately guarantees that majesty, is something else, more nebulous but nevertheless both palpable and exigent. Among the many sobering realities we now confront, the decay of that public faith is surely one of the most worrisome and potentially destructive. Should that finally unravel, well be left without any real law, only decrees. Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. China will allocate 95 million yuan to Kyrgyzstan to strengthen the fire and rescue unit of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, Trend reports citing Kabar. According to the exchange letters, the Chinese government will provide Kyrgyzstan with a grant for the purchase of fire and rescue equipment. The agreement between the two governments "On strengthening the technical potential of the fire and rescue unit of the Ministry of Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic" was signed in 2018. During the briefing, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov spoke in more detail about this agreement. According to the agreement, it is planned to supply 100 units of fire and rescue vehicles and 15 units of fire and rescue equipment. The total amount of the agreement is 95 million yuan, he added. LANSING, Mich., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Michigan Chamber of Commerce announced today that for the two Michigan Supreme Court seats up for election this November, the Chamber is recommending incumbent Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, Court of Appeals Judge Brock Swartzle and prosecuting attorney Mary Kelly. "Michigan Chamber members are focused on electing candidates who will ensure Michigan has a fair and balanced Supreme Court," said Arny Rodriguez, Michigan Chamber Political Action Committee Chair and President and CEO, Technical Professional Services, Inc. "With so many important and complicated issues coming before the Court, voters need confidence that those ruling on precedent-setting cases are dedicated public servants' whose only intent is to be fair and impartial. McCormack, Swartzle and Kelly believe in separation of powers and will not legislate from the bench," added Rodriguez. "A stable, predictable legal climate is a key factor in Michigan's economic competitiveness," said Rich Studley, President and CEO of Michigan Chamber. "At the Michigan Chamber, we know from experience that job providers can win a public policy battle in the legislature only to lose the war in court. The three candidates we've endorsed are independent, intelligent and fair-minded lawyers with strong track records of accomplishment and we are pleased to highly recommend them to Michigan Voters," added Studley. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a statewide business organization representing approximately 5,000 employers, trade associations and local chambers of commerce. The Michigan Chamber represents businesses of every size and type in all 83 counties of the state. Michigan Chamber member businesses provide jobs to over 1 million residents. The Michigan Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan's job providers in the legislative, political, and legal process. More information regarding the Michigan Chamber can be found at www.michamber.com. SOURCE Michigan Chamber of Commerce Related Links http://www.michamber.com BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European markets gave up early gains and ended mixed on Monday as investors refrained from making significant moves post noon. After opening on a bright note Monday morning thanks to news about resumption of coronavirus vaccine trials by AstraZeneca, stocks pared gains and turned in a mixed performance as uncertainty about Brexit negotiations and surging new virus cases rendered the mood cautious. The positive opening on Wall Street aided sentiment. Investors were also digesting a report from Eurostat that said Eurozone industrial production grew at a slightly faster than expected pace in July. AstraZeneca, which halted trials of its coronavirus vaccine last week due to safety concerns following a patient's unexplained illness, announced over the weekend that it has got the nod from the U.K.'s Medicines Health Regulatory Authority to resume phase III clinical trials. Reports that Pfizer will be ready with its coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. before the end of the year contributed as well to the positive start in European markets. According to reports, several U.S. states saw a surge in coronavirus cases over the weekend. U.S. infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci termed the data 'disturbing.' The pan European Stoxx 600 advanced 0.15%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged down 0.10%, Germany's DAX slid 0.07% and France's CAC 40 moved up 0.35%, while Switzerland's SMI ended 0.17% up. Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Greece, Ireland, Russia and Turkey closed higher. Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden ended marginally up, while Finland, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Portugal drifted lower. In the U.K. market, the mood turned quite cautious during the latter part of the session as investors looked ahead to a Brexit vote on controversial Internal Market Bill. The Bill, if passed, will break international law as it would result in the breach of parts of the Withdrawal Agreement signed earlier this year. Royal Mail, Fresnillo, Polymetal International, Persimmon, BP, Antofagasta, M&T and Royal Dutch Shell lost 1.6 to 4.7%. AstraZeneca shared declined by about 0.4%. Among the gainers in the FTSE 100 index, IAG climbed nearly 5%. Meggitt, Ocado Group and Compass Group gained 3 to 3.7%, while BAE Systems, Land Securities, Informa, Lloyds Banking Group and EasyJet gained 1.8 to 2.8%. In corporate news, U.S. firm Nvidia announced that it will buy the UK-based computer chip designer ARM Holdings from Softbank for $40 billion. In Germany, Infineon Technologies surged up 2.8%. Continental, Lufthansa and Covestro gained 1.5 to 2.1%, while Deutsche Bank and Merck both ended higher by about 1%. Wirecard tumbled 3.1%. RWE, Vonovia, Volkswagen, Daimler and Munich also ended weak, albeit with less pronounced losses. In the French market, Valeo gained about 5%. Airbus, STMicroElectronics, Sodexo, Societe Generale and Unibail Rodamco moved up 2.5 to 4%. Capgemini, Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Saint Gobain also ended notably higher. In economic news, Eurozone industrial production grew at a slightly faster than expected pace in July, as the economy attempts to sustain its recovery from the slump caused by the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic. Industrial production rose 4.1% from June, when it grew 9.5%, which was revised from 9.1% reported initially, preliminary data from Eurostat showed on Monday. Production gained for a third straight month. Economists had forecast a 4% increase. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de The latest New York Times/Siena College poll showed Joe Biden to be leading President Trump in four important swing states. But it also showed how Biden could lose the election. If the campaign is a referendum on the coronavirus, Trump will probably lose. The U.S. has suffered more than almost any other rich country, as many voters realize. When new outbreaks were exploding this summer, Bidens lead grew to almost 10 percentage points. But the other issue thats dominated the news in recent months the combination of police violence, racial injustice, peaceful protests and rising crime in many cities is more politically complicated. It has the potential to hurt both Trump and Biden, in different ways. And so far, Biden has not managed to send voters a persuasive message that protects his vulnerabilities. Perhaps the most surprising finding from the poll was this: In the four swing states Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wisconsin a larger share of voters said addressing law and order was a more important campaign issue to them than said addressing the coronavirus pandemic was. SPRINGFIELD The decision to ban door-to-door trick-or-treating on Halloween this year is a no-brainer" despite continued low numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Monday. We are dealing with a pandemic here," Sarno said. Why in the hell would you want to put your child and yourself in harms way? It makes no sense whatsoever. Sarno offered his defense of the citys decision during a weekly update on the pandemic at City Hall. Sarno announced the ban on Friday after consulting with Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen R. Caulton-Harris and other city officials. Sarno said it is documented that children can be super-spreaders of the virus. The ban on trick-or-treating is for the health and safety of the public including children, families and residents, he said. Some safe events will be allowed on Halloween, such as drive-through, drive-in and/or car parades, as long as they follow proper public health and safety protocols, city officials said Friday. Regarding the ban on trick or treating, Sarno said people are very leery about opening up their doors, and there are people who are directly impacted by the coronavirus. For the third straight week, no COVID-19 deaths of Springfield residents were reported. In addition, over the weekend, the number of known daily cases remained in the single digits, officials said. There were four new cases reported Friday, six new cases on Saturday and one new case on Sunday, city officials said. At Baystate Medical Center, there were 11 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including three in intensive care, said Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health. The hospital had its first COVID-19 patient approximately six months ago, and it grew to 180 cases including 40 patients in intensive care in the first three weeks, he said. At Mercy Medical Center there were no hospitalizations as of Monday, with the last patient released over the weekend, said Dr. Robert Roose, chief medical officer. It is the second time the hospital has reported zero COVID-19 patients since the Massachusetts outbreak began. City officials and hospital representatives urged the public to remain vigilant with coronavirus protections including wearing face coverings in public, social distancing, hand washing, and staying home when not feeling well. We are going to get through this and we are going to beat this thing, Sarno said. Keroack said it has been sad to see other parts of the country being in worse shape, even out of control. Massachusetts has maintained a consistent message and theyve coordinated political leadership with scientific evidence, and that has saved lives, and has kept us from a greater catastrophe, Keroack said. Roose said Mercy Medical Center knows the number of COVID-19 patients wont stay at zero there. But it shows the rest of the country that it is in large part possible to reopen and engage. The focus remains on safely meeting the community needs, he said. The number of deaths of Springfield residents remained at 131, Caulton-Harris said. The city and local organizations remain focused on testing for COVID-19 and contact tracing to reduce the spread, she said. This is not a hoax, Caulton-Harris said. This is a real virus that is killing individuals in the country, the county and the city. Community spread is still a real threat. Related content: Opposing the ordinances in the Lower House, the Congress pointed out that farmers of Punjab and Haryana have protested against the Bills New Delhi: The Centre on Monday introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha on farm sector, with Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserting that they will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier. He said the proposed laws will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice. The minister said that these steps are only the latest in a series of measures taken by the government as part of its continuous commitment to championing the cause of welfare of the farmers of India. Tomar said that almost 86 percent of farmers have agricultural land of less than two hectares and they are often unable to benefit from minimum support price (MSPs). He, however, assured the House that the MSP will stay. The Congress and other parties have been opposing the legislations, alleging it will undermine the safety net provided to the farmers by the MSP system and will lead to their exploitation by big companies. Tomar said the bill will help the farmers as they are unable to invest much in their farm and do not attract investments from others. He also rejected the criticism that it was beyond the remit of the Union government to legislate on these issues, saying Opposition members should trust the Centre. The Opposition has alleged that the Centre brought in the legislations without consulting the states under whose domain 'agriculture' and 'mandis' come. The minister asked the opposition members to study the content of the bills deeply before "running to oppose them". He stressed that farmers will get a lot of benefit from these laws as they can enter into an agreement with private traders for selling their produce. These agreements will be about the produce and not the farmland, he asserted, rebutting suggestions that farmers may lose ownership of their land. Opposing the Bills, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said constitutional provisions are very clear that agriculture is a subject on the State List. "Such a law can only be brought by state governments.... Through this bill, the centre will nullify Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) law enacted by various state governments," Chowdhury said. The central government is not competent to make such a law, he asserted, adding,"This is a case of legislative overreach and a direct attack on the federal structure of the Constitution." Chowdhury pointed out that farmers of Punjab and Haryana are protesting against these bills. TMC member Saugata Roy claimed that farming will move into the hands of capitalists due to these legislations. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill violates the basic tenets of federalism enshrined in India's Constitution. "It is beyond the legislative competence of this house to enact any law on agriculture, which is a domain of the state governments," Tharoor said. The bill endangers the right to food of the countrymen, he added. The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, bars state governments from imposing taxes on sale and purchase of farm produce undertaken outside the mandis and give farmers the freedom to sell their produce at remunerative prices. Besides, any conflicts arising from the transactions will be dealt with exclusively by the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and District Collectorate within 30 days and not in the jurisdiction of civil courts. At present, farmers are allowed to sell their agriculture produce at 6,900-odd APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees) mandis spread across the nation. There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside the mandis. The ordinances were promulgated on 5 June, 2020. However, the Union Agriculture Ministry notified them on 20 July. After the Supreme Court verdict that stayed the implementation of a 2018 Maharashtra law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs, the community members have decided to intensify their protests, however without any violence. According to The Indian Express, the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which has been spearheading the agitation, said that post the verdict, the resentment within the community was widespread and that they feel that the state government failed to present its case before the top court. "The priority for the government now should be to file a review petition in the Supreme Court on the interim stay," Rajesh Kondhare, one of the key coordinators of the organisation said. "On Sunday, there were reports of agitations in Nanded and Kolhapur. Last week, at some places, buses were stoned and in others, roads were blocked by burning tyres. But we do not want any kind of violence. We want to appeal to Maratha youths to not resort to any kind of violence," Kondhare said, adding that their point could be made by holding demonstrations before district collectorates. "Because of poor coordination, we believe lawyers could not come up with a strategy to counter the arguments against Maratha quota. We are trying to find out where the government actually went wrong. But we think the government failed on coordination and strategy front," Kondhare added. Earlier on September 13, during his address to the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had appealed to Maratha groups not to organise protests and morchas during the COVID-19 pandemic and as cases in the state continue to rise. Another coordinator, Dhananjay Jadhav, said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde "used to aggressively support Maratha quota when he was in Opposition". "But now, why is he keeping quiet?" Jadhav asked. "From 1995, several castes were included under OBC quota because of the insistence of a few leaders. And those well-to-do castes are enjoying reservations. In contrast, the Gaikwad Commission gave a report based on scientific analysis pointing out that the Maratha community is socially and educationally backward," Tushar Kakade, another coordinator, said, adding that while the high court had upheld the recommendations, the government "fell short of expectations of the community in Supreme Court". CENTCOM commander admits growing attacks on US troops in Iraq, warns Iran Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 2:33 AM Commander of US military forces in the Middle East has again raised concerns about surging attacks against American installations in Iraq, linking it to Iran's vow to drive out US forces from the region but rejecting it as the reason for a major US troop reduction in the region. "We have had more indirect fire attacks around and against our bases the first half of this year than we did the first half of last year," said commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Frank McKenzie in an interview with the US-based NBC News published on Friday. "Those attacks have been higher." "They have not been particularly lethal and that's a good thing, but they are continuing," McKenzie stated during the interview conducted while he toured the Middle East, and when asked why the attacks have not been lethal, he claimed: "They're not hitting us." "We know they have very good weapon systems and they are not employing their high-end weapon systems. They're employing things like 107 mm rockets and mortars, which are not as sophisticated as some of their other weapon systems they have," McKenzie further alleged. "For whatever reason, it may be by design, we don't know, they're just not that successful at hitting anyone. And that's a blessing," claimed the American commander "I don't know how long we can count on that continuing." The allegations were made just hours after he declared the reduction of nearly half of US forces in Iraq by the end of this month, with almost 2,200 of them leaving the war-ravaged country. This is while a US military official was cited as saying that the frequency of attacks on American installations has increased, but the overall number of rockets in each attack is generally lower. Blaming Iran for the persisting attacks on US forces in Iraq, he further claimed that Iranians have pursued political means to influence Baghdad government to demand the withdrawal of US forces. Following the US terror killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, along with a number accompanying Iraqi and Iranian military officials, Iran launched missile strikes against the US-held al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, inflicting major losses, including what Washington has described as traumatic brain injuries on more than 100 American service members. McKenzie went on to say that the US military has brought in additional defensive capabilities, such as Patriot missile defense systems, to be ready. "We've done what we need to do to protect our forces," he claimed. Warning Iran against US "red lines" The top US commander in the Middle East then expressed concern that Iran could "pursue other objectives by inflicting a level of pain below what they think is the US red line." "That's very dangerous, because I don't think they have an appreciation for where our red line would be," McKenzie claimed. According to NBC News, the US has been moving American forces out of its bases around Iraq throughout 2020, consolidating them to a few locations, namely in Baghdad and Erbil. The US has already left al-Qaim, Qayyarah Airfield West, K-1 near Kirkuk, al Taqqadum, and Camp Taji. Reducing the number of bases, McKenzie said, has allowed American forces to decrease their "attack surface," or the number of possible targets. As to whether the US will respond to these attacks, McKenzie stated, "I think the United States will take whatever steps are necessary to protect our forces in Iraq." Tehran has time and again asserted that it stands ready to defend its interests in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [THINGS HAVE CHANGED. CLICK HERE FOR MORE UPDATED INFORMATION] Its Hurricane Sally now, and its gotten a lot stronger. The National Hurricane Center said Sally was a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds as of Monday night. Sally started the day as a 65 mph tropical storm. And Sally could get stronger, forecasters said, adding that Sally could approach Category 3 intensity (111 mph winds and higher) before hitting the Gulf Coast. Sallys center has also continued to shift and so has its forecast track, and a hurricane warning is in effect for the Alabama coast. Hurricane conditions will be possible there by late Tuesday. The latest forecast track from the hurricane center shows Sally moving slowly toward the coast and then turning more to the northeast near the time of landfall. The big question is when exactly will that turn happen. As of late Monday the forecast track showed the center moving onshore very close to the Alabama-Mississippi state line by late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, which would put southwest Alabama in line for some of the roughest weather that Sally had to offer. Sallys forecast path was causing considerable headaches for forecasters late Monday. There continues to be a significant amount of uncertainty on exactly where and when Sally turns northward and makes landfall, with model solutions ranging from a landfall on the Florida panhandle to a landfall in extreme southeastern Louisiana, forecasters said. It should be emphasized that it is always challenging to forecast the track of hurricanes in weak steering currents, and in Sallys case the weak steering is occurring very near land. The hurricane center said the average forecast error at 36 hours from landfall is 60 miles, and some of Sallys worst weather will occur far from its center. Rain bands from the storm were moving onshore in Florida as of late Monday. As of 10 p.m. CDT Monday, Hurricane Sally was located 130 miles southeast of Biloxi, Miss., and was crawling to the west-northwest at only 3 mph. TROPICAL UPDATE: As the sun sets over the East Coast this evening, @NOAA's #GOES16 is tracking the bubbling clouds and #lightning from #HurricaneSally. As of 8 pm EDT, #Sally had sustained winds of 100 mph (Cat. 2) and was moving WNW at 5 mph. Latest: https://t.co/VTAp4gGkHs. pic.twitter.com/76TxykrVMM NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs (@NOAASatellitePA) September 15, 2020 Follow AL.com here for the latest developments Sally could bring damaging winds, storm surge and coastal flooding and heavy rain along with it. The hurricane center issued a storm surge warning for Alabamas coast and Mobile Bay late Sunday and increased the possible amount of surge that will be possible. Areas from Ocean Springs, Miss., to Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay could see 6 to 9 feet of surge. Areas from Dauphin Island to the Florida state line could see 4 to 7 feet (it was 2 to 4 feet). Sally is forecast to move inland and turn to the northeast, crossing over Alabama on Wednesday and Thursday as a tropical storm or depression. Forecasters are more and more concerned about the potential for what they called dangerous and potential historic inland flooding from Sally. Eight to 16 inches of rain will be possible closer to the coast, with isolated areas getting up to 2 feet of rain. The rest of Alabama could see up to 10 inches of rain from Sally as well, and flash flood watches have been issued as far inland as central Alabama. Southwest Alabama is in line to receive the most rain from Sally, but parts of central Alabama could get up to 10 inches as well. Here's the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. Heres a look at what to expect by region from Sally: SOUTH ALABAMA The National Weather Service is warning of potentially "historic" flooding from Sally. Alabamas coastal areas and southwest Alabama are in line to receive some of Sallys worst weather, and a hurricane watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning earlier Monday. The hurricane center said hurricane conditions could to begin in the hurricane warning area by late Tuesday. Coastal areas continue to be under a storm surge warning. Storm surge forecasts continue to increase as of Monday. Now 6 to 9 feet of surge will be possible on Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay and 4 to 7 feet will be possible from Dauphin Island eastward to the Florida state line: Forecasters keep increasing the amount of storm surge that will be possible for Alabama. Water is already rising along the coast as of Monday: Waters continue to rise along the coastline this morning. Expect to see similar scenes occurring along our coasts as #Sally approaches the coastline today and tomorrow. Always remember to turn around, don't drown! https://t.co/sxjOYzYrli NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) September 14, 2020 The National Weather Service in Mobile is warning that there is the potential for historic flooding in southwest Alabama as Sally approaches the Gulf Coast and slows down. We are looking at a dangerous, potentially historic flooding rainfall event, forecasters said Monday. Ten to 20 inches of rain will be possible for parts of southwest Alabama, primarily along and southwest of a line from Toxey to Navarre Beach, Fla., forecasters said. Isolated areas could get up to 25 inches. A flash flood watch will be in effect through early Thursday morning for southwest and south-central Alabama. The weather service said the heaviest rain and greatest flooding potential will come on Tuesday and Wednesday. Storm surge, damaging winds up to hurricane force (74 mph or higher) and tornadoes will also be possible over the next several days. It is extremely important to stay vigilant and have an action plan in place as short term adjustments to track and intensity can still occur, the weather service said. Forecasters expect the weather in south Alabama to really go downhill on Tuesday and rain, high surf and dangerous rip currents will all be present through the middle of the week. CENTRAL ALABAMA Sally will make its presence felt the most for central Alabama on Tuesday through Thursday as the weakening storm, likely a tropical depression by that point, crosses the state from west to east. The National Weather Service in Birmingham is also concerned about flooding across central Alabama. A more significant flash flooding event is looking more probable for portions of Central (Alabama), forecasters said Monday. A flash flood watch will be in effect from 1 a.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m Thursday. Its been expanded to include more of central Alabama. Areas between Interstates 20 and 85 are in line right now to get the heaviest rain, which could range from 4 to 9 inches through Thursday, which is a decrease from earlier today. The rest of the region could expect to see 3 to 6 inches of rain through Thursday with locally higher amounts. The weather service said tornadoes will also be possible as Sally passes through, most likely in southern and southeastern parts of the region, though that may change depending on the environment and Sallys track. Gusty winds of 30-40 mph will also be possible on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather service said. The wind combined with the heavy rain could also bring down trees and knock out power. Sally is expected to move out of the region by Friday, and drier and cooler weather is expected this weekend. NORTH ALABAMA North Alabama will be on the receiving end of heavy rain from Sally as it tracks across the state on Wednesday and Thursday, likely as a tropical depression. The track has been shifted southward today, which will lessen some of the effects for north Alabama if it holds, forecasters said. The National Weather Service in Huntsville said 1 to 4 inches of rain will be possible from Wednesday through early Friday from Sally, with isolated areas possibly getting more. That much rain could cause flash flooding. If the current track forecast holds it would put the higher threat for tornadoes south of the region according to forecasters. Gusty winds will also be possible at times with tropical showers moving through. The rain and winds could combine to bring down a few trees and power lines through Friday, forecasters said. The rain is forecast to move out on Friday, setting the stage for what could be a really nice weekend with cooler and drier weather and a taste of fall, the weather service said. BUSY ELSEWHERE Sally is of the most concern to the U.S., but the tropical Atlantic is nearly full as of Monday, with a historic five storms: Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy and now Vicky: In addition to Sally forecasters are tracking Hurricane Paulette, Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky, Tropical Depression Rene, and two other tropical waves. Paulette made landfall in Bermuda overnight but was moving away on Monday. None of the other systems is expected to affect land in the next few days. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] TikTok, the leading social platform with over 100 million users in the United States, will not be sold to Microsoft or Oracle, latest reports claim. According to CGTN, an English TV station owned by the Chinese state, ByteDance will not sell its business to Oracle or Microsoft and wont give its source code to any US firm. Multiple sources report Oracle is working on a more complicated deal with ByteDance, including becoming technology partners and stakeholders in each others entities. TikTok interface CGTN revealed China has issued a revised catalog of technologies that are subject to export bans or restrictions. Some specialists argue this was done to prevent TikTok from becoming owned by a US company without obtaining a license from the Chinese government. The state-owned TV reminded that ByteDance boasts a number of cutting-edge technologies in artificial intelligence and other spheres and some of them are close to the articles in the revised government document. Specialists argue that topics like personalized information push service technology based on data analysis and AI interactive interface technology can be found both in the list of restricted technologies for export and in the portfolio of ByteDance. The company is currently declining comment, with Zhang Yiming, chairman of ByteDance, simply stating that his company is developing solutions that will be in the interest of users, creators, partners, and employees. Source | Via A recent tour-de-force study by the US researchers describes a comprehensive approach to completely map mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) that escape antibody binding enabling, in turn, rational design of antibody therapeutics and appraisal of the antigenic consequences of viral evolution. The results are currently available in a bioRxiv* preprint paper. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has prompted urgent and increased interest in antibody treatment options and especially vaccines that induce effective antibodies against the virus. A wide array of potent neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies target RBD of the viral spike glycoprotein, frequently competing with its binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2 receptor). Furthermore, anti-RBD antibodies often govern the neutralizing activity of the polyclonal antibody response after natural infection. Both passively delivered and vaccine-induced anti-RBD neutralizing antibodies safeguard against SARS-CoV-2 in animal models; nonetheless, preliminary evidence implies that the presence of neutralizing antibodies can also be linked with protection in humans. A yeast-display system to completely map SARS-CoV-2 RBD antibody escape mutations. (A) Yeast display RBD on their surface. The RBD contains a c-myc tag, enabling dual-fluorescent labeling to quantify both RBD expression and antibody binding of RBD by flow cytometry. (B) Per-cell RBD expression and antibody binding as measured by flow cytometry for yeast expressing unmutated RBD and one of the RBD mutant libraries. (C) Experimental workflow. Yeast expressing RBD mutant libraries are sorted to purge RBD mutations that abolish ACE2 binding or RBD folding. These mutant libraries are then labeled with antibody, and cells expressing RBD mutants with decreased antibody binding are enriched using FACS (the antibody-escape bin; see Figure S1 for gating details). Both the initial and antibody-escape populations are deep sequenced to identify mutations enriched in the antibody-escape population. The deep-sequencing counts are used to compute the escape fraction for each mutation, which represents the fraction of yeast cells with a given RBD mutation that falls into the antibody-escape sort bin. The escape fractions are represented in logo plots, with tall letters indicating mutations that strongly escape antibody binding. The rise of viral mutants Consequently, ascertaining which viral mutations escape from antibodies becomes pivotal for designing treatment options and vaccines, but also for evaluating the antigenic implications of viral evolution. Previous studies have shown that such mutations could become dominant over a longer evolutionary period. Still, currently available methods to pinpoint SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations by passaging the viral agent in the presence of antibodies are deficient, primarily in the sense that they only find one or a handful of possible escape mutations. A research group, led by Dr. Allison J. Greaney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle, overcame these limitations by introducing a high-throughput approach to completely map mutations that elude antibody binding in the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and applied this approach to 10 human antibodies. Mapping SARS-CoV-2 antibody-escape mutations More specifically, to map antibody-escape mutations in such manner, these scientists leveraged a system for expressing conformationally-intact RBD on the exterior of yeast cells. Furthermore, they have devised duplicate mutant libraries of the RBD from the Wuhan-Hu-1 SARS-CoV-2 strain to pinpoint mutations that allow the great escape from antibodies. Then they have applied this escape-mutation mapping to 10 human monoclonal antibodies: 9 neutralizing antibodies that were isolated from convalescent COVID-19 patients, and a recombinant form of one cross-reactive non-neutralizing antibody that was isolated from a convalescent patient with the original SARS infection (i.e., SARS-CoV-1). In an effort to improve the comparison of the escape maps across antibodies, multidimensional scaling was used to summarize escape mutations similarities into a two-dimensional plot. Experimentally, key escape mutations in neutralization assays were tested with the use of spike-pseudotyped lentiviral particles to validate the escape maps. Finally, the researchers have used negative-stain electron microscopy to examine the extent to which the escape maps could be rationalized regarding the three-dimensional structures of the antibody-RBD complexes. Structural mapping of antibody binding and escape. (A-D) For each antibody, the structure shows the RBD surface (PDB 6M0J) colored by the largest-effect escape mutation at each site, with white indicating no escape and red indicating the strongest escape mutation for that antibody. Antibodies are arranged so that those with similar structural epitopes are in the same panel, namely by whether their epitopes are in (A) the core of the RBD, (B) the ACE2-binding ridge, (C) the opposite edge of the RBM, or (D) the saddle of the RBM surface. (E) Crystal structure of the rCR3022-bound RBD (PDB 6W41), with Fab in purple and RBD colored according to sites of escape as in (A). (F) For 5 monoclonal antibodies, Fab bound to SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain trimer was visualized by negative-stain electron microscopy (EM). The RBD is modeled as a surface representation, colored according to sites of escape as in (A). Fab chains are modeled in gold. Antibody names are colored according to Figure 2B: core-binding, orange; RBM-binding, cyan; ACE2 contact site-binding, dark blue. See https://jbloomlab.github.io/SARS-CoV-2-RBD_MAP_Crowe_antibodies/ for interactive versions of the escape-colored structures in (A-D). Nuances of high affinity binding "The resulting escape maps reveal the extent to which different antibodies are escaped by mutations at overlapping or orthogonal sites, and show that antibodies targeting structurally similar regions sometimes have escape mutations at entirely distinct residues", say study researchers in their bioRxiv paper. In this study, all ten antibodies bound the SARS-CoV-2 RBD with high affinity; however, they differed in the scope of competition with ACE2 for RBD binding, their neutralization potencies, as well as cross-reactivity with SARS-CoV-1. These maps definitely complement thus far dominant structure-based approaches that outline the physical interface between the virus and an antibody but do not directly measure the effect of mutations on antibody binding. There are remarkable nuances in which mutations escape individual antibodies captured by this research endeavor. Moreover, the fine details of the escape maps reveal that the effects of specific mutations can vary substantially even among antibodies that seemingly target the same region. The rational design of antibody cocktails "The complete escape maps predict which mutations are selected during viral growth in the presence of single antibodies, and enable us to design escape-resistant antibody cocktailsincluding cocktails of antibodies that compete for binding to the same surface of the RBD but have different escape mutations", summarize study authors. Counter to familiar wisdom, antibody cocktails do not necessarily have to target different regions of the RBD in order to withstand viral escape. A simple inspection of the escape maps demonstrates pairs of antibodies targeting the RBD's ACE2-binding interface without common escape mutations. This means that complete escape-mutation maps basically open the door for the rational design of antibody therapeutics, as well as the assessment of the antigenic repercussions of viral evolution. In the meantime, the extent to which mutations that drastically affect the antigenicity of SARS-CoV-2 will persist during viral evolution remains an open question. *Important Notice bioRxiv 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. The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama says he hasnt endorsed any supposed ethnocentric comments against the people of Akyem as being. I didn't say anybody is Akyem Sakawa. I read a statement by Isaac Adongo and he made very good argument and my mind was on the body of the arguments he made. The arguments he made were very cogent and that is why I reposted [statement], he said in an interview on Class FM. John Mahama has come under intense pressure for sharing an opinion piece authored by Isaac Adongo on his personal Facebook Page. The piece took on some persons within the governing New Patriotic Party in relation to the Agyapa Royalties agreement. Adongo in the post described some persons leading the agreement as Akyem Sakawa boys A group known as the Okyeman Youth For Development , staged a demonstration and subsequently threatened to stop Mahama from campaigning in any Akyem land if refuses to apologise over the said comments. In response, Mr. Mahama said: Nobody bans anybody from going anywhere, and we shouldnt go there because if other people say they are banning other people from going to other places, what kind of country are we going to have? Mahama won't apologise over 'Akyem Sakawa' comments On the same issue, the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has said John Mahama will not apologise over the Akyem Sakawa boys tag. The Odododiodoo legislator in a Citi News interview said the call on Mr. Mahama to apologise is misplaced. Our flagbearer will not apologise for anything. The people who vote for us in the Akyem area will continue to vote for the NDC irrespective of what has happened. We have much more respected members in the NDC who hail from that area. Our National Chairman is an Akyem, the Chairman of our Manifesto Committee is an Akyem and a Royal so, there are people in our party who are Akyem. ---CitinewsRoom Seed and early-stage start-ups are high-risk businesses, rarely have collateral and only 1 in 10 of them makes it to becoming a viable company. The RBIs decision to include loans up to Rs 50 crore to start-ups under priority sector lending (PSL) has been largely welcomed by new entrepreneurs, investors and experts though most agree that it is not going to be an easy job to implement it. Even banks, many of whom are battling with high NPA (non-performing assets), are also of the opinion that they have to really work towards building capacity for start-up lending knowing that it is a high risk segment as most of these young ventures dont have any collateral to offer for accessing the loan. They however believe that the RBIs move has really provided them a stepping stone to cater to the funding requirement of this segment. While the classification of start-ups amongst RBIs priority sectors from a lending perspective is likely to be a good move, in the long run, it may only benefit established start-ups with established revenues who might need working capital loans and have collateral available, said Sachin Taparia, founder and chairman of LocalCircles, a platform which hosts a community of 30,000 start-ups and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). Seed and early-stage start-ups are high-risk businesses, rarely have collateral and only 1 in 10 of them makes it to becoming a viable company. Therefore early-stage start-ups entrepreneurs are averse to giving personal guarantees to secure bank loans and prefer raising equity instead. "Hence, this move may not help these early-stage start-ups, said Taparia. Sreejith Moolayil, co-founder of True Elements, a Pune-based consumer-focused start-up, said that principally the initiative is very welcoming, but the issue is about implementation. "Bankers dont understand businesses which don't make a profit. "The credit people (banks) who provide the loan need to understand where the repayment would come from. "And when you see the book of a start-up, most of them are not making the profit, said Moolayil. The initiative, he says, may work better if the government itself or any other player can give the guarantee of repayment on behalf of the start-ups. The same view was also echoed by Sumit Chhazed, founder and CEO of automotive leasing firm OTO Capital who said that even though it was a game-changing decision, the announcements should immediately come up with clear guidelines. Traditionally banks and financial institutes have shied away from catering to the growing sector as start-ups dont provide collateral while the performance evaluation mechanism matrix is way different for them. The cash flow mechanism for many of the business to business focused start-ups are also quite different than what banks typically prefer. Bank will have to build skills for assessing cash flows for units that are in early stage. "The current understanding of start-up seems to focus on IT and IT enabled services though the field is actually quite vast, said Suresh Khatanhar, deputy managing director, IDBI Bank. Private sector lender YES Bank said, it would prepare policy for funding start-ups keeping in mind PSL norms. According to Prashant Kumar, managing director at Yes Bank, prior to this, the bank would fund fintech start-ups that could provide services to bank itself in areas like digital payment. At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on small firms, some venture capital investors said the RBIs move would be helpful for the affected companies to tide over the crisis. I think it would save a lot of companies, said Rehan Yar Khan, managing partner at Orios Venture Partners. The RBIs move along with the Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds that the government has announced, shows the big focus the government has on start-ups, said Khan, who is also part of the executive committee of Indian Venture Capital Association (IVCA). He however said that while announcing such initiative, the government should also ensure that the loans are reaching to the intended recipients. IVCA had earlier suggested setting up a start-up committee to look at such issues. It is win-win and complementary to the venture capital ecosystem - if companies can prove their concept early before raising VC money, said Sanjay Swamy, managing partner at venture capital firm Prime Venture Partners. Many financial institutions like Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) have launched such initiatives before. I personally know a few companies that have benefited from these schemes and have become high growth companies now. "With the central government scheme, loans can be made collateral free with credit guarantee, said Shihab Muhammed, CEO and co-founder at SurveySparrow, a customer experience platform. Abhinav Sekhri, founder and CEO of edtech firm Admission24 is of the view that the RBIs move has opened a lot of new avenues for early start-ups like his and this will make it easier for them to raise funds from banks. A New Jersey lawmaker introduced a bill Monday to give residents more power to investigate local cops, according to a draft copy obtained by NJ Advance Media, and it joins a host of proposals that, if passed, could dramatically affect policing in the state. The bill (A4656) would give civilians the ability to subpoena witnesses and documents and run investigations at the same time a police department was conducting its own investigation, two changes pushed for by police reform advocates and Newark officials since the state Supreme Court said those powers were limited under current law. The bill would also set aside $600,000 for training. Now is the time, said Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, D-Hudson, who sponsored the proposal. Invoking both George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody, and Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in Louisville, McKnight said an independent board could both give community members a say in how they were policed and foster transparency and accountability." Gov. Phil Murphy has already signaled support for part of the proposal. To be clear, the Governor supports granting civilian review boards subpoena power, Murphy spokesman Jerrel Harvey wrote Friday in an email. Many police reform bills have gained new traction since Floyds death triggered dozens of protests in New Jersey. The Legislature has advanced some proposals, but many changes that advocates want, and some law enforcement groups do not, remain stalled. Civilian boards Both cities and counties would have the option of creating civilian boards under McKnights bill. A board could investigate an officer only after someone complained of excessive or unnecessary force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or offensive language, and the inquiry would stop if the cop also faced a criminal investigation, according to the proposal. While departments currently dont have to share internal files with civilian boards, the bill would force agencies to hand over reports, complaints, and other investigative materials, including video, sound, or other recording." A board could recommend discipline, but a police chief would not be bound by its suggestions. A Fraternal Order of Police lodge previously sued to limit Newarks board, arguing that outside investigators would hinder a departments ability to effectively discipline officers, and could deprive cops of due process. After McKnight introduced a similar bill (A4272) earlier in the summer, the state Policemens Benevolent Association wrote a letter to the lawmaker raising some of the same concerns, especially that simultaneous investigations could make it difficult for a department to effectively run its own review. McKnight did adopt some of the unions requests, such as making boards optional for a town. The bill will have to pass both the state Assembly and Senate before it can head to the governor. Other big proposals Two other bills would also lead to big changes. One (S2656) would make internal disciplinary records public. Its going to be a difficult bill, said state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who sponsored the proposal. Its going to take some more lobbying." In a letter to the senator, PBA President Pat Colligan suggested several amendments. Records should only be released in certain circumstances, he said, including if the officer was fired for official misconduct or a felony, if an excessive force or racial bias complaint was sustained, or when someone was suspended for at least 20 days. We fear that opening every IA file ... will lead to a document dump online that will burden local government staff and harass officers, Colligan wrote. Weinberg expressed hope that a negotiated version of the bill could pass by the end of the year. Another (A4526) would limit when cops could use deadly force. Under the proposal, making an arrest or preventing an escape would generally not be acceptable reasons. Turning your back should not be justification for a death sentence, the nonprofit Salvation and Social Justice wrote in a mass email in support of the proposal. Rob Nixon, the state PBAs government affairs director, said lawmakers should hold off for now. The state attorney generals office is already rolling out a new tracking system while simultaneously re-writing the rules for when officers can use force, and those reforms should first be given a chance to work, Nixon said. Neither of the last two bills have made it out of committee. Smaller reforms Bills that propose less sweeping changes have made more progress. One bill (S1163) would generally require officers to wear body cameras, while another (A4312) says footage of police force should be stored for at least three years, among other regulations. The pair passed both chambers overwhelmingly, and are now at the governors desk. While individual cameras range from $120 to nearly $2,000, storage costs can be very expensive, making the total budget impact unknown, legislative researchers wrote in a fiscal note. Two bills (S2765 and S2767) direct the Civil Service Commission to make police departments more diverse. The bipartisan agency oversees public employment, examinations, promotions and disputes in the state. A third (S2590) would require civil service exams to screen applicants about potential implicit racial biases. All three passed the Senate without a single no vote. One (A4511) pushes cops to quickly transport injured suspects to hospitals. It passed the Assembly 55-17, with five abstentions, but it still needs a vote in the Senate. Another (A3871) would have anyone taking a drivers permit test watch a video about their rights and responsibilities if pulled over by an officer. It passed the Assembly 78-0 but has not yet been voted on in the Senate. Other proposals would push departments to hire more minority officers and beef up mental health training. The civilian complaint review board bill introduced Monday can be read here: Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. First day of school in Italy for 5.6 million students. Schools reopened in much of Italy on 14 September, for the first time since 4 March, in the early days of the covid-19 emergency. This morning saw the return to class of around 5.6 million pupils (from a total of 8.3 million) in 13 of Italy's 20 regions, reports news agency Reuters. Some schools welcomed their pupils back with balloons and banners; in others there was spontaneous applause for the children as they walked through the school gates for the first time in six months. Students will find a very different school from what they left in March, with new single-use desks, masks, hand sanitiser, one-way systems and social distancing measures under the strict new rules in place to contain the spread of covid-19. The reopening of Italy's schools has been a "priority" for the government of premier Giuseppe Conte who acknowledged on Facebook that there will be "difficulties, above all at the start," while thanking teachers and families for their "many sacrifices." Italy's education minister Lucia Azzolina told state broadcaster RAI that the government's "prevention strategy will function if everyone plays their part with responsibility," adding the famous lockdown slogan "Andra tutto bene" (Everything will be all right). The school year will be launched officially later this afternoon by Italy's president Sergio Mattarella in Vo', a Veneto town that was one of Italy's first coronavirus hotspots, reports Italian news agency ANSA. In the northern Alto Adige region schools reopened on 7 September, in Sardinia they reopen on 22 September, and in the southern region of Puglia the reopening date is 24 September. Photo La Repubblica San Francisco could give children as young as 16 the right to vote in local elections if a landmark proposition passes in the USs November elections. The proposition to lower the voting age by two years will be decided by the city's residents, who rejected the legislation when it was first proposed in 2016, according to NBC News. While the previous attempt failed narrowly with 48 percent of the vote, organizers of the "Vote 16" campaign believe they will get it over the line this year. Our motivation here first and foremost is to make sure that we put new voters in a position to establish that habit in the first election they're eligible for, and then to continue participating throughout their lives which is good for democracy on every level, Vote 16 campaign manager, Brandon Klugman, told NBC News. Smaller cities like Takoma Park, in Maryland, already allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. But San Francisco, one of the largest cities in California, would be the first of its size and could lead to more major metropolitan areas following suit. A voting age of 16 years has not received major support federally, a few but Democratic lawmakers have Ayanna Pressley, of Massachusetts, introduced an amendment lower the federal voting age to the For the People Act in 2019, while Grace Meng, of New York, introduced a constitutional amendment in 2018 to lower the nationwide age restriction by two years. "Im always inspired by our nations youth who have demonstrated wisdom, maturity and passion on issues like social justice, gun control, and climate change," Ms Meng told the outlet. "They are the leaders of our future and the decisions we make impact their lives every day. To capture their views and experiences, we must lower the voting age to 16 in all elections." Every Sunday before she goes to church, Barbara Boyd sits at the spot where her son Anthony Lil Redd Clark was killed more than a year ago. Four hearts and a message that reads Long Live Redd mark where the 36-year-old man was fatally shot on Sept. 1, 2019, outside what was once the Groove Night Club, 3710 East Commerce. Since Clarks death, police have yet to identify a suspect or motive in the shooting, which has distressed his 59-year-old mother. I cant rest until I get justice, Boyd said. This is my child. Ive never lost a child. I cant let this go. On Labor Day, Boyds family released balloons outside the club and prayed for answers, just as Clarks mother does every Sunday. The family made posters, shirts and masks with images of Clark, who was married for 13 years and had just purchased a home in Converse when he was killed. On the day Clark died, Boyd said she was getting ready to head to church when she received the call that her son was shot by what police said was a high-powered rifle. He died at the scene. Its like a part of my heart went with him, Boyd said. Clark had joined a group at the club to remember their friend, Deandre Cameron. Cameron was gunned down in 2017 while stopped at a traffic light at FM 78 and Rittiman Road. One of Boyds five sons was with Clark cleaning up the bar after the party ended at 8 a.m. He said Clark had gone outside to smoke when, moments later, he heard someone screaming that his brother had been shot. A man who was with Clark when he was shot also was struck by the gunfire, according to a San Antonio police report. The man, who feared being shot again, fled to a nearby business and was later taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center by a relative. The man was initially considered a suspect, but a detective cleared him after reviewing the clubs security camera footage, the report said. Although Clark didnt have children of his own, his relatives said he was a family-oriented man who loved playing with his nephews and nieces and his wifes children. Two weekends before his death, he took them out to do yard and trash cleanups, his mother said. Boyd said her son was a devout Christian who left behind a Bible that she holds dear. It contains numerous verses that he marked. Clark was a truck driver who was preparing to make a delivery to California when the shooting occurred. The night before his death, he was debating whether to rest for the trip or go to the club. A friend persuaded him to go to the club. On the day Clark was killed, the club was issued a suspension by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. A complaint lists four administrative violations against the club, including two for breaches of peace, failure to report a breach of peace and inspection refusal. Jennifer Rodriguez, a San Antonio police spokeswoman, said the case is actively under investigation. She was unable to provide further details for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. SAPD said a Crime Stoppers offer for information released earlier this year in the case still stands, with a reward of as much as $5,000 being offered to anyone who has information leading to an arrest. Tipsters are asked to call homicide detectives at 210-207-7635. Id like to know who did this and why they did this, Boyd said. This person is still running around, and if they do it to my son, then God forbid theyll do it to somebody else. 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 Vietnamese lacquer products debut at Paris Design Week For the first time, Made in Vietnam handicraft products have been on display at Paris Design Week one of the worlds most prestigious events to celebrate design and creativity. Designer Guillaume Delvigne poses with his lacquer creations at the Paris Design Week. (Photo courtesy of Hanoia) The showcase of Vietnamese products was part of the D17/20 Craft and Design in Southeast Asia exhibition, a collaborative project involving craftspeople from Southeast Asia and French designers to highlight daily lifestyle and craft products. This was the first time Vietnam had had products displayed at the event. The 16 lacquer objects included vases, trays, shelves, lamps, mirrors, lights, hooks and clocks and were the result of a collaboration between three French designers and craftspeople of the Vietnamese haute lacquer house Hanoia in January. The designers and craftspeople created the items in just two weeks, from sketches to creating samples and perfecting the final products. Guillaume Delvigne, who graduated from one of the best design schools in Europe, the Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique in France, before attending the Polytechnic University of Milan, created some of the vases. Hailed as one of the 100 best designers in France in 2019 by the French publication Architecture Design, Pierre Charrie has designed special lamps which can change colour. For the D17/20 project, designer Marie Aurore made different creations, including a set of four lacquer mirrors using metal ribbons. Initiated in 2017 by the French Embassy in Thailand, in collaboration with Institut Francais Paris, the D17/20 Craft and Design aims to strengthen the design industry in Southeast Asia through workshops held in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, where local designers and craftspeople join their French peers to develop products. The project connects 43 designers from France, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, with 18 local craft workshops. Paris Design Week 2020, which took place from September 3 to 12, drew more than 200 designers, architects, decorators from all over the world to present their latest creations. The week also included the home decor fair Maison & Objet, which offers design connoiseurs latest trends, innovations, decoration and design. The fair also helped to connect the international interior design and lifestyle community. Stratford station. Photo: Mark Williamson CUTS to train services have kicked off today, Monday, after a spike in Covid cases forced West Midlands Railway to rejig what it could run. It is working on a new timetable due out in three or four weeks but until then anyone looking to travel on its routes to and from Stratford is urged to check in advance which services are running as the cuts will be different each day. An early casualty was today's 6.52am service from Stratford to Worcester via Snow Hill. But a spokesman for the company said the cancellations could be different each day until a new timetable had been drawn up. He added the spike in Covid had affected the numbers of train crew it had available at the same time as the crisis had delayed the training of new recruits. The routes affected are those linking to Snow Hill, which includes the Stratford services. The spokesman said routes through New Street were coping at the moment but on the Snow Hill lines which includes services to Leamington, those that run from Whitlocks End and Dorridge and out to the likes of Worcester and Kidderminster he expected there could be a total of some 25 cancellations a day until the new timetable is sorted. He added: "We are looking at a timetable that will keep people moving but not at the level we hoped." The government aligned with Libyan strongman Khalifa Hifter resigned on Sunday following days of protests in Benghazi and other eastern cities. Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani submitted his government's resignation to the Tobruk-based House of Representatives speaker, Aguila Saleh, a parliament spokesman said. Lawmakers in the eastern parliament will review the decision in their next meeting. Libya is ruled by two rival administrations, each propped up by foreign backers who have flooded the country with illegal arms and mercenaries. The internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in the capital, Tripoli, and Hifters self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) is aligned with the Tobruk-based government and controls much of the eastern part of the country. The fighting has slowed since the GNA regained full control of Tripoli in June, bringing an end to a 14-month offensive by Hifters forces. Now, a battle is looming over the oil-rich city of Sirte, which Hifters LNA has occupied since January. Frustration over electricity cuts, high fuel prices and poor living conditions bubbled over on Thursday, with hundreds taking to the streets of Libyas second-largest city, Benghazi. On Sunday, protesters set fire to the governments headquarters, an Interior Ministry source in the eastern government told Agence France-Presse. Protests also erupted in al-Bayda, the rival government's former seat, and in the southern city of Sabha. At least one civilian died and three others were injured when protests broke out in the eastern town of al-Marj, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said. The violent protests underscore the urgent need to lift the oil blockade and return to a full and inclusive political process that will meet the aspirations of the Libyan people for representative government, dignity and peace, UNSMIL said in a statement. Libyas already bleak economic situation worsened after Hifters forces imposed a blockade on the countrys oil facilities in January, which the Tripoli-based government says has cost the country billions in revenue. The United States is holding discussions to end the oil shutdown. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Libya's Eastern-Based Gov't Submits Resignation to Parliament Amid Ongoing Protests Sputnik News 19:03 GMT 13.09.2020 CAIRO (Sputnik) - Libya's interim government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Thani has submitted a letter of resignation to Tobruk-based House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh, the parliament said in a press release on Sunday. "The government of Libya has submitted a letter of resignation to the speaker of the parliament. [The resignation letter] will be submitted to the council [House of Representatives]", the press release read. According to the press release, prior to stepping down, Thani and other senior officials of his government had an emergency meeting with Saleh to discuss the public protests ongoing in Benghazi and other big cities in eastern Libya for the past few days over power cuts and poor living conditions. In late August, mass rallies erupted in Tripoli and other GNA-controlled cities, with demonstrators demanding better living conditions, the resignation of the current administration and an end to corruption. According to Libyan media, the protests resulted in clashes between security staff and a number of protesters. Following the reports about the clashes, Sarraj admitted that the security forces had resorted to excessive violence while dealing with the rallies. The protests came several days after the GNA declared an immediate ceasefire welcomed and supported by the eastern-based parliament and vowed to create demilitarized zones in the strategic areas of Sirte and Jufra. After the ouster and assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya was engulfed in a brutal conflict and is divided between two centres of power - an elected parliament in the country's east, supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west. The LNA is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while the GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Queensland government wrote to the Border Force boss asking permission to allow Tom Hanks to enter the state, while families are being banned from crossing the border to visit sick and dying relatives. Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young personally penned a letter to allow the Hollywood star to be allowed to enter the country from the United States. The A-lister landed from the US on Tuesday night after he was granted an exemption from Queensland's strict border legislation. Hanks was then allowed to undergo his mandatory quarantine at a resort of his choice in Broadbeach rather than an official state facility. Hollywood actor Tom Hanks (with wife Rita Wilson) found himself at the centre of a row over Queensland's border closures after being allowed into the state without going into hotel quarantine Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young personally penned a letter to allow the Hollywood star to be allowed to enter the country from the United States Hanks touched down in the Gold Coast alongside cast, crew and 11 family members to continue filming an Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her government have been criticised for denying entry to devastated families wanting to visit sick and dying relatives. But Dr Young has defended Hanks' exemption, saying he was bringing 'a lot of money into this state'. A letter, signed by Dr Young on June 30, was sent to the Australian Border Force Commissioner Mike Outram seeking permission for Hanks to enter to film the movie, The Courier Mail reported. 'I understand that in order for you to consider an exemption to allow these persons to enter Australia you require confirmation that Queensland supports their entry into our state to resume production,' Dr Young wrote. 'I confirm that Queensland both supports and is willing to accommodate the cast and crew in Queensland.' Cast and crew have since arrived from the US, United Kingdom and Italy, which at the time were recording between 200 to 50,000 cases per day between them. The Queensland government wrote to the Border Force boss for permission to allow Tom Hanks (pictured arriving in the Gold Coast in January) to enter the state, while families are being banned from crossing the border to visit sick and dying relatives Police and Defence Force present as they checked passengers at Brisbane airport flying in from an Adelaide flight on Sunday Meanwhile, heartbroken families are being told they cannot cross the border into Queensland to visit loved ones on their death bed. Barbara Zammit is hoping she will be granted access into Queensland to say goodbye to her dying mother, Angela. Angela is currently receiving palliative care on the Gold Coast, with Ms Zammit saying she was 'running out of time'. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has become the subject of debate for denying entry into the state for devastated families 'There's nothing anymore. She's on morphine,' she told 7News. After weeks of asking the state, Ms Zammit on Sunday was told she may be allowed to enter the state. 'We deserve a chance to say goodbye,' the emotional daughter said. It comes after Sarah Caisip, who lives in coronavirus-free Canberra, applied for an exemption last month to visit her sick father Bernard Prendergast in Brisbane. It took 20 days to get approved and he died of liver cancer two days before her flight. The young nurse was banned from attending her father's funeral on Thursday because officials believed she is a Covid-19 risk even though the ACT has had no cases for 60 days. Ms Caisip was only granted a private viewing of her father's body, surrounded by guards and forbidden from seeing her shattered mother and 11-year-old sister. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who lost his own father in January, called Ms Palaszczuk and begged her to let Ms Caisip attend the funeral. The Queensland premier refused and then sensationally accused Mr Morrison of bullying and intimidating her. Barbara Zammit (back left) is hoping she will be granted access into Queensland to say goodbye to her dying mother, Angela (centre) Sarah Caisip (in yellow) was allowed to have a private viewing of her father's body, dressed in PPE and with security guards minding her. She was not allowed to greet her family Ms Caisip said Ms Palaszczuk was 'destroying my life' and that she would never forgive her. Both Ms Palaszczuk and Dr Young have come under fire about the perceived double standards in quarantine restrictions. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton attacked the Queensland government on Friday over Hank's exemption. 'If you are Tom Hanks from California, you are okay. If you are Tom Hanks from Chermside or Castle Hill, sorry, you are not coming in,' he said. Deputy Premier Steven Miles hit back at Mr Dutton and claimed the Australian Border Force actually needed to have granted him permission to enter the country. 'And what that means is that when Peter Dutton launched that extraordinary attack during the week, he was lying. 'He was saying that it was us that let Tom Hanks in, when in fact it was him and his own department that let Tom Hanks in,' Mr Miles claimed. Mr Hanks (pictured left with wife Rita) is filming an Elvis Presley biopic on the Gold Coast Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) lashed out at the Queensland government for allowing celebrities to enter the state but keeping ordinary families apart Mr Dutton defended the comment saying the movie star would not have been let into the country without Dr Young's letter of support. 'If he was coming here as a tourist, he wouldn't be approved by Border Force,' Mr Dutton told the ABC. 'The point is that Mr Hanks should be treated no differently than somebody else coming back, and that's the basis on which we argue here. 'Somebody coming from the ACT where there have been no cases, having to go into a hotel in Brisbane for two weeks before they can see a loved one, who has a life expectancy of only one week, is an outrage and there's no comparison to make there.' Australian Medical Association of Queensland president Dr Chris Perry fronted media on Sunday telling 'online trolls to back off'. Dr Perry said he believed in the science of Dr Young and said Queensland should follow her advice. 'If she says the border should stay closed, we think they should stay closed,' he said. 'I know she is under stress. Queensland Health has given her more support in staff to take the pressure off.' United Russia, the largest political party in Russia and backer of President Vladimir Putin, has claimed victory in scores of regional elections, several weeks after the suspected poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Official results from the vote have not yet been released, but a leading official from United Russia said exit polls and preliminary data pointed to a victory for the party's candidates in regional and municipal elections across the country, Russian news agency Interfax reported late Sunday after polls closed. Russia's Central Election Commission confirmed United Russia candidates were leading the results in regions where they were nominated, Interfax also reported. According to the first data of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, the candidates from "United Russia" - the acting governors and interim heads of the regions - lead the elections in all subjects where they were nominated The party is long-associated with Putin. The strongman president ran as an independent candidate in Russia's last general election in 2018, but won the previous 2012 vote as a candidate for United Russia. "All candidates from United Russia in the elections of top officials are winning confidently in the first round," Secretary of the General Council of United Russia, Andrei Turchak, said on Sunday, as preliminary results emerged from the numerous elections of officials at various levels. Elections were held in 83 of 85 Russian regions with voting closing at 9.00 p.m. local time Sunday evening. But allies of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, the victim of a suspected nerve agent poisoning last month, said their candidates had also secured key city council seats, AFP reported Monday. Interfax also said that United Russia had lost their majorities on city councils in Novosibirsk and Tomsk, the city where Navalny is suspected to have been poisoned before boarding the flight to Moscow on which he was taken ill. Navalny remains in hospital in Germany following the incident which doctors believe involved the use of a Novichok nerve agent. Russia denies any involvement in the poisoning, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that "there are no grounds to accuse the Russian state." Before the suspected attack, Navalny and his allies had been urging Russians to vote tactically in regional elections in order to beat pro-Putin candidates. Concerns were expressed over home voting and early voting, which was allowed on Sept. 11 and 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, independent Russian election monitor Golos saying on its website that it had received 1,076 calls regarding irregularities in the voting process in a handful of regions. However, the electoral commission dismissed concerns, tweeting that while there had been "few" reports of voting irregularities and violations, these had been "fixed" quickly. Tweet When federal and state officials began repeating the message to increase sanitation standards and hygiene care to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, at least one industry deemed essential trucking found itself stuck on how to do that. Once pandemic shutdown orders were issued in Pennsylvania and nationally, any health and safety issues that existed prior to COVID-19 were more noticeable, industry leaders said. Truck drivers have told them its difficult to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness on long hauls or local deliveries because some private businesses have closed or others have limited the number of people allowed inside at one time. There also was the challenge of public rest areas and welcome centers being shut down for two months from March to May. The problem is that people who are not permitting the drivers into their warehouses are being very shortsighted, said Joe Butzer, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association. You cant ask somebody to pick up or drop off your product and not support them. Theres nothing human about that. Looking ahead to the fall and winter months, drivers are concerned that they may not be allowed to use clean indoor facilities at rest areas and welcome centers again or park their trucks in safe places for an extended period of time. Throughout the summer months, Butzer said drivers told him they were forced to stand outside in the heat while waiting to use an indoor facility or were forced to stand in rain to comply with state guidelines. The limited access to clean facilities doesnt allow drivers to wash their hands, which is the most commonly repeated recommendation by both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Butzer said. As essential workers, truck drivers have been hustling to make sure customers receive their orders, he added. His organization represents 1,100 members, which are made up of a combination of companies and individuals. If you eat it, wear it or use it, it came on a truck, Butzer said. The drivers are human beings. Its that simple to me and it should be that simple to all of us. About 1 out of 17 jobs in the commonwealth have to do with trucking. Pennsylvania has over 300,000 truckers. And thats concerning to him because if truck drivers are refused access to clean facilities during a pandemic, not only are they at risk for contracting COVID-19 but also for spreading it to anyone they have come into contact with. Its affecting drivers physical health; if you cant drink water all day, he said. Theyre fearful and I dont blame them. Butzer said he receives phone calls often from companies all across the United States, as well as Canada and Mexico, to complain about how unfriendly Pennsylvania is to truck drivers. Truck drivers, if they get off an exit, they have no idea if theres going to be enough room for their trucks or if theres even going to be an open facility here, he said. They have no idea. Were trying to get our federal highway administration, PennDOT, and the Pa. Turnpike to understand there are not enough places for drivers to park safely and have facilities to utilize. Butzer continued: "Truck drivers are unique. They can sit in their cabs for days and not interact with anybody, except to buy fuel and food. I think people overall are losing sight that these guys and gals are the ones out there making the world move. Out of the 35 rest areas statewide in addition to 14 welcome centers, two rest areas in Dauphin County are currently under construction, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. PennDOTs rest areas and welcome centers are staffed with cleaning and maintenance personnel who ensure that cleaning of restroom facilities is completed routinely, said PennDOT press secretary Alexis Campbell. These protocols have become more stringent since COVID-19 began." PennDOT hasnt received complaints or negative feedback about the cleanliness of public facilities, Campbell said. The department encourages customer feedback, she added. Public rest areas and welcome centers in Pennsylvania are not designed to be long-term truck stops, but rather are intended for relief and respite for truckers and motorists by law, customers may stay at our facilities for no longer than two hours, Campbell said. A truck is stop off on the side of I-81 south bound, at the entrance of a rest area, Wednesday, May 9, 2007, near Grantville in Dauphin County. Truckers caught by police parking illegally along the highway are generally hit with parking fines.(PHOTO BY GARY DWIGHT MILLER) PennDOT closed all rest areas and welcome centers on March 17 to ensure proper sanitation, safety, and maintenance at these facilities, according to the department. Public rest areas began to slowly reopen on March 18. Two months later, all of the states public rest areas and welcome centers had reopened. PennDOT officials said they currently do not see them closing any rest areas in the near future. The alternative for truck drivers while rest areas were closed could have been truck stops for example, Loves in Middletown, Dauphin County and other public locations, according to PennDOT. We recognize that drivers need and deserve access to rest areas, which is why we began reopening rest areas in key locations the day after they were closed, Campbell said. Truck stops like Loves are requiring drivers to wear masks at their locations. And, Walmart, which has its own fleet of truck drivers, has kept distribution center showers and facilities open for their employees. Our shower facilities are for Walmart drivers, said Walmart spokesperson Robyn Babbitt. Other drivers have access to a driver breakroom with vending machines, self-service food options, and a restroom. Babbitt declined to comment on the number of Walmart drivers who have tested positive for COVID-19. That is not a number I can provide, she said. Our practice is to leave COVID-19 confirmations up to the local health officials out of respect and privacy for our associates personal health information. Robert LaRochelle, who drives locally, said he generally works five to six 12-hour days per week. He said he hopes that if abrupt changes do occur, that there is more thought put into the wellbeing of truck drivers. Most of the changes are commonplace now, from being buzzed in when dropping off a load to encountering plastic shields that separate him from another person. LaRochelle, 44, describes himself as a bigger guy with diabetes. He said he falls into the high-risk category for contracting COVID-19 but he has been a truck driver for 10 years. A lot of places have moved restrooms outside and they are overrun and not in the best of conditions, he said. They get treated maybe once a week; they are not cleaned daily. They are not sanitized well. Its stuff like that that Im worried about. He said some businesses and warehouses in central Pennsylvania have made drivers wait outside, sometimes in the rain or thunderstorms, to use the facilities because they have a limited number of people allowed in a building at one time. LaRochelle has a hand sanitizer pump in his cab at all times and his wife recently purchased him an N95 mask. We need to find a solution because people need this stuff, he said. The combined firm would get closer to having the full-service investment-banking offering that neither UBS nor Credit Suisse has on their own. A leader in equities, UBS, would marry a top player in credit markets. After shrinking in the aftermath of the financial crisis, UBS did away with much of its fixed-income business which Credit Suisse would complete. Likewise, Credit Suisse would strengthen UBSs M&A and capital markets teams in the U.S. During the last conversation Zygy Roe-Zurz had with his mother on the evening of Sept. 8, she told him she and her family members were not yet fleeing their home in Berry Creek. Butte County officials had ordered evacuation of the town as the North Complex fires approached, and the family had packed two cars to go, but they believed they were not in imminent danger. To me, that seemed dangerous. But I trusted their judgment. They had experience with this, and obviously they took it very seriously, Roe-Zurz said. Sheriffs officials have identified the remains of two family members: his uncle Philip Rubel, 68, and his aunt, Millicent Catarancuic, 77. Roe-Zurz believes his mother, Suzan Violet Zurz, 76, also died in the blaze after sheriffs officials found remains on or near the familys 5-acre property on Graystone Lane in Berry Creek. The one-story, three bedroom home was leveled by the fire. The familys story underscores the dangers of not heeding evacuation orders immediately as fires become increasingly fast and unpredictable. Experts say residents should follow official orders rather than listening to neighbors or others in the community who might share inaccurate information. And those in fire zones shouldnt try to predict how a fire will behave by looking at wind and weather patterns. Everyone is really confused about why they didnt leave. The only reason we came up with is that they were given information that made them feel safe. Otherwise, they would have left, said Holly Catarancuic, Millicent Catarancuics daughter. It doesnt make any sense to us. They told us they were evacuating and wanted us to send them the address, but they called back and said something had changed, and they felt safe. Earlier that day, Catarancuic and her partner, Dan Kern, visited her mother and family like any other normal visit, she said. The couple would often visit the family to help them with duties around the house and on the property. Smoke from multiple fires across the region blanketed much of the Bay Area and Northern California, but there was no indication that the nearby blazes could sweep through their familys home, she said. I just remember Hollys mom telling her how much she loved her and telling her how much she was proud of her, and Holly telling her mom how much she loved her, Kern said. And that was the last time we saw her. At 6 p.m., they called Catarancuic, who was packing belongings into the familys cars and preparing to evacuate along with Zurz, Rubel, and their three cats and three dogs, Kern said. But an hour later, Roe-Zurz learned the family no longer planned to evacuate. When he called his mother at 7 p.m., Roe-Zurz said he heard his uncle in the background say they had heard of potentially favorable wind conditions, and that they would evacuate if the conditions and data proved it necessary. His family told him the fires were about 10 miles away from the home by that time. In retrospect, of course, they should have just gotten out of there, Roe-Zurz said. This was a fire that was larger and faster than anything they had seen before, and they didnt think that this could happen, that they could get caught off guard like that. The family had learned to navigate wildfire season every year. On a windless day late last year, they cleared brush, leaves and other plant debris around the home, which was surrounded by ponderosa pine and oak trees. When the deadly Camp Fire ravaged nearby Paradise in 2018, the family evacuated. Their home had been plundered and valuables stolen, but it was untouched by the blaze, Roe-Zurz said. On Wednesday, after not hearing from their relatives, the family filed missing persons reports. They called local hospitals and posted a message on a community Facebook group with photos of their missing family members. We were fearing the worst because we know if they had made it through, they would call us right away, Holly Catarancuic said. We were hoping that they were just stuck somewhere. But on Thursday, she received a call from the Sheriffs Office confirming her worst fear. Her mother had died in the fire. Sheriffs officials confirmed Rubel as a victim on Monday. The office is still working to positively identify and notify family members of eight other victims whose remains were found in Butte Countys fires. Now Playing: A group of four Bay Area hikers planned to spend eight days backpacking in the Sierra National Forest when their trip was sidelined by the Creek Fire. They were forced to hike to safety. Video: Jaymie Shearer, Asha Karim, Stephen McKinley Whether that is confirmed or not, we have a feeling in our hearts it is most likely them, Holly Catarancuic said, referring to Zurz and Rubel days before Rubel was identified. No one else was in that house. Millicent Catarancuic was the matriarch of the familys solar-paneled sanctuary, where Roe-Zurz said organic foods were always cooking in the kitchen. Holly Catarancuic said her mom and other relatives tended to their cannabis crops, which they cultivated for people in need of medical marijuana. The home was bursting with family heirlooms: Paintings by Holly Catarancuics late brother Shane covered her mothers bedroom walls, her grandmothers fine china set was displayed in a cupboard, and her grandmothers wedding dress was safely tucked away in a trunk. 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. Holly said her mom advocated for medicinal marijuana since the very beginning, sewed her own clothing, rescued cats and dogs through the years, and was a conscientious member of the Berry Creek community. If friends of the family needed a place to stay, she opened the door to her home. Holly said her mom was a product of the 1960s hippie movement who expressed herself through art and poetry. Zurz who went by S.V. was an uncompromising, beautiful woman who wouldnt do anything half-assed, Roe-Zurz said with a chuckle. She was a swimmer, a triathlete, a model, artist and was full of energy. In 2012, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her son. Even in her retirement, he said she was always juggling personal projects and making the property more welcoming for all of us. She was unbelievably dedicated to my well-being, Roe-Zurz said. I just owe so much to her. Courtesy of Zygy Roe-Zurz Rubel made prostheses for patients but was an accomplished mechanic in his free time. He restored vehicles, including at least two Mercedes-Benz that were on the Berry Creek property, Roe-Zurz said. When he wasnt taking cars apart and putting them back together, he was thumbing through books or watching documentaries. He was an extremely congenial and gentle, kind person who was very handy, Roe-Zurz said. The family said they are in mourning over the loss of three family members, and the loss of their beloved homestead in Berry Creek. The home that harbored the legacy of the family, the home that represented years of work to get the family centralized under a single roof, is gone, Roe-Zurz said. He said he is planning on driving back from Arkansas, where he was recently asked to officiate a wedding, to return to Berry Creek. Im coming back to a destroyed home, and (without) my mom, my aunt and my uncle, Roe-Zurz said. We have to rebuild and pick up the pieces, and were gonna have to set to work. As soon as the fires, and the heat, dies down, and were allowed back in, were going to set to work. The North Complex has burned 252,313 acres and was 21% contained as of Saturday night. Fifteen people have died in the fires, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. Editors note: Butte County sheriffs officials subsequently identified Suzan Violet Zurz,76, as one of the victims who died in the North Complex fires. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez FADA on Wednesday said passenger vehicle retail sales in August declined 7.12 per cent to 1,78,513 units. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: Automobile dealers' body FADA on Wednesday said passenger vehicle (PV) retail sales in August declined 7.12 per cent to 1,78,513 units as compared to same month last year. According to Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), which collected vehicle registration data from 1,242 out of the 1,450 regional transport offices (RTOs), PV sales stood at 1,92,189 units in August 2019. Two-wheeler sales declined 28.71 per cent to 8,98,775 units last month as compared with 12,60,722 units in August 2019. Commercial vehicle sales declined 57.39 per cent to 26,536 units as compared to 62,270 units in August 2019. Three-wheeler sales declined 69.51 per cent to 16,857 units last month as compared with 55,293 units in August 2019. Total sales across categories declined 26.81 per cent to 11,88,087 units last month as against 16,23,218 units in the year-ago month. "With the start of festival season and the government's continued effort to open up the country, August saw good numbers when compared to immediate previous months," FADA President Vinkesh Gulati said. Last month witnessed some recovery in sales sequentially although on year-on-year basis all categories, except tractors, reported de-growth, he added. Customers who were sitting on the fence, finally concluded their purchase during ongoing festivals of Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi, Gulati said. Entry level passenger vehicles were in high demand as personal mobility is being preferred with current pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, he added. Gulati noted that urban centres were also now showing signs of recovery.However, the overall demand is still not back to pre-COVID-19 levels as banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) continue to have a cautious approach towards funding, especially commercial vehicles, he added. "FADA once again requests the government to announce demand boosting stimulus and awaits the announcement of reduction in goods and services tax (GST) for two-wheelers. We also await the much required incentive based scrappage policy," Gulati said. Both these measures will act as demand drivers for two-wheelers and medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales, he added. "While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are dispatching vehicles to dealers with a purpose of stocking-up inventory for the upcoming festival season, retail sales are still at 70-75 per cent levels despite the low base of last year," Gulati noted. FADA advises extreme caution to all OEMs and the dealer fraternity to avoid excessive Inventory build-up thus leading to unmanageable interest cost which could further result in dealership closures, he added. Symbiome, a soon-to-be-launched skin-care brand, has raised $15 million. The round was led by True Ventures, which has backed Peloton and Sweetgreen, with Bold Capital Partners, Mission Bay Capital and Gisev Family Office and other angel investors. Symbiome is slated to launch Oct. 7 with seven products that aim to shift the skins microbiome back to its ancestral state, according to Larry Weiss, founder and chief scientific officer. Weiss also helped develop products for Mother Dirt, an early probiotic skin-care range. According to Weiss, the skins microbiome has shifted significantly since people went from hunter-gatherer mode to modern-day living. Symbiomes products aim to get the skins microbiome back to where it was back in the day, using 10 ingredients per product, or fewer. The goal, according to Weiss and Symbiomes chief executive officer Vicki Levine, is skin health. What were doing is creating a blueprint that identifies what weve lost, and through creating unique and innovative ingredients and using processes that keep all of these ingredients intact, were delivering the benefitsof the microbes that we once had on our body and our skin, Levine said. The Symbiome team includes a full staff of microbiologists who study the microbiome, Levine added. What we can do is figure out what [the former skin-residing microbes] were making, grow them up, get them to make these things, and apply the benefits of re-engraftment without actually trying to get re-engraftment to occur, Weiss said. The idea is that by knowing what would produce vitamin A, for example, that vitamin A is not needed as an additional ingredient in the formulation, the Symbiome team said. Weiss acknowledges that the question of ancestral life expectancy which was not high often comes up when talking about the appeal of getting the microbiome back to where it was thousands of years ago. He said ancient humans modal age of death is about the same as ours, except we need 16,000 pharmaceuticals to get there. Story continues The appeal in the ancestral microbiome is in the lack of inflammatory issues that hunter-gatherers seemed to face, Weiss said. They dont have acne or eczema or rosacea, psoriasis. They dont have coronary artery calcification or diabetes, he said. On Oct. 7, the brand will launch a line that includes a cleanser, The Renewal, moisturizer, The One and several face oils. Symbiome has another slate of product launches planned for Nov. 3, including holiday offerings. Ingredients, which the brand says are sustainably sourced from the Amazon, are fermented in a process meant to unlocknutrient[s] all within one ingredient, Levine said. Were sourcing a lot of this, most of it, from Brazil. Its this idea that when you work with the communitiesit teaches them to sustainably farm as well Brazil actually has very strict guidelines around fair trade, Levine said. Symbiomes ingredients come from pruning existing plants by less than 20 percent and from plantation farming, the team said. Its a hybrid of wild crafting[and] these plantations, so we have a hedge, Weiss noted. The business will sell products direct-to-consumer via its website. Industry sources projected the brand could reach $100 million in sales by 2025. For Adam DAugelli, partner at True Ventures, the investment made sense because of Symbiomes focus on clean ingredients, its health orientation and its data-driven business model, he said in a statement. Our team identifies and targets bigger market trends that we know will reach a critical mass within the next three to 10 years, DAugelli said. Larry is a science and health pioneer in the consumer goods space, coupled with Vickis d-t-c, data and business expertise, the Symbiome teams core strengths are the exact convergence of larger market forces we were looking for in a start-up. According to Weiss, the funding will help Symbiome continue its work in science and build out products and community. Were capitalized to build on science, to build on great products and to build on community and do all of this in a way that is deeply respectful of a long-term outcome, Weiss said. And the long-term outcomes is healthier, better communities. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative new online treatment company Monument will release their 'Delish AF' - Delicious Alcohol-Free - digital book of cocktail recipes this September. The delightfully delicious book of non-alcoholic drinks sees a collaboration with 11 prestigious non-alcoholic beverage brands to launch a cadre of recipes, which will also feature stunning illustrations by several inspiring womxn illustrators. Monument is an affordable, accessible, and research-based online platform and community whose mission is to empower people to get more out of life by drinking less. Co-founded by seasoned entrepreneur Mike Russell, Monument's vision is a world where a healthy relationship with alcohol is attainable and celebrated by all. The digital book is available from Monument from Tuesday, September 15th. Monument is partnering with 11 leading beverage brands to launch their new alcohol-free cocktail recipe book. Partners include: BrightFox, CLEAN Cause, Curious Elixirs, DRY Soda, Ghia, Gruvi, Kin Euphorics, Lyre's, Monday, Rock Grace, and Three Spirit. 'Delish AF' contains step by step directions, ingredients, and serving recommendations to create the brands' most popular and beloved non-alcoholic cocktails, including scintillating Watermelon Mojitos, Sparkling Margaritas, the 'OG' Gin & Tonic and an unforgettable Negroni. The new campaign by Monument highlights the creativity and joy in making delicious cocktails without alcohol, which can be enjoyed by all during any occasion throughout the year. Both inspirational and educational, the cocktail recipe book will provide exquisite alternatives to traditional classics and serve favorites in a new, unique and exciting way. The beverage brands partnering with Monument are champions in the non-alcoholic category, with many using natural ingredients, organic herbs and florals, and sustainable packaging. Several provide beauty and wellness benefits as well. "We are thrilled to launch Delish AF with an incredible group of pioneering brands. When I stopped drinking, ordering speciality alcohol-free drinks was a huge part of how I became comfortable in social situations that traditionally centered around booze," said Mike Russell, founder and CEO of Monument. "We are excited to share these brands and recipes with Monument's members, and far beyond, to inspire moments of celebration, connection, and clarity, which is integral to our brand mission and community values." Since launching in May, Monument has already connected 7,000+ members to holistic support and resources to change their drinking. Monument community members get free access to an anonymous forum, therapist-moderated support groups, and a collection of expert resources. Monument has also connected nearly 1,000 members to licensed physicians and specialized therapists who develop evidence-based personalized treatment plans unique to members' needs and goals. Monument is on a mission to empower its community to get more out of life by drinking less, and creating alcohol-free celebratory rituals is a meaningful part of that journey. To download 'Delish AF' visit the landing page here, and learn more about Monument here. To follow Monument online, visit @JoinMonument on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. About Monument Launched in 2020, Monument is an online platform for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. Monument connects members to a free anonymous community, therapist moderated groups, and a collection of resources to provide the support and information they deserve. Members seeking medical treatment are introduced to a licensed physician and a specialized therapist to develop a personalized treatment plan specific to their goals. Monument is affordable, accessible, and research-based, so a healthy relationship with alcohol is attainable and celebrated by all. Monument is a privately held company based in New York. Halle Foster - [email protected] Aleksandra Medina - [email protected] SOURCE Monument Related Links https://joinmonument.com WASHINGTON (AP) Playing defense on his handling of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump is letting the falsehoods fly. Over the weekend, he railed against cases of voting fraud that didn't exist, asserted that COVID-19 was "rounding a corner" despite what his top health advisers say and blasted Joe Biden for supposed positions on energy and health care that his Democratic rival doesn't hold. As the rhetoric flew during the past week, both Trump and Biden exaggerated accomplishments Trump about himself and Biden about his son, Beau as well as their own influence in reviving the auto industry. A recent sampling: VIRUS TRUMP: "We are rounding the corner." remarks Sunday at a Latino roundtable event in Las Vegas. TRUMP: The coronavirus "is rounding the turn, rounding the corner." remarks Saturday to reporters in Reno, Nevada. THE FACTS: To be clear, that's not what his top health advisers say. "I'm sorry but I have to disagree with that," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, told MSNBC on Friday, calling the current coronavirus levels seven months into the pandemic "disturbing." He expressed concern about a potential spike in cases following the Labor Day holiday beyond a present rate of 40,000 cases a day and 1,000 deaths. "What we don't want to see is going into the fall season, when people will be spending more time indoors and that's not good for a respiratory-borne virus you don't want to start off already with a baseline that's so high," Fauci said. Fauci this past week also cautioned that people should not "underestimate" the pandemic and they will "need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter because it's not going to be easy." He and other health experts such as Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have warned of a potentially bad fall because of dual threats of the coronavirus and the flu season. AWARDS and HONORS TRUMP: "Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population!" tweet Sunday. Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2020 THE FACTS: No such award exists. Trump got an endorsement in 2016 from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States' failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in the 1961 invasion. But no award comes with it. BIDEN, on a report in The Atlantic that Trump referred to service members killed in war as "losers" or "suckers": "My son volunteered to go as the assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia to go into Kosovo. He was there six months. They erected a monument to him thanking him for his service, I think the only American that they did that for. And was he a sucker?" interview Thursday on CNN. THE FACTS: Beau Biden isn't the only American to receive such honors from Kosovo. It's true that there is a road named after Biden's late son and a monument in his honor in Kosovo, where he served as a legal adviser as the region recovered from war in 2001. But former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also have roadways named after them, and there are statues in Kosovo of Clinton and former Sen. Bob Dole. Trump has denied that he ever called military members losers or suckers. VACCINE TRUMP: "We're developing a vaccine in record time. It will be ready before the end of the year and maybe much sooner than that." rally Saturday in Minden, Nevada. TRUMP: "You'll have this incredible vaccine, and ... in speed like nobody has ever seen before. This could've taken two or three years, and instead it's going to be it's going to be done in a very short of period of time. Could even have it during the month of October." news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: He's almost certainly raising unrealistic hopes as the November election approaches. The Food and Drug Administration already has told manufacturers it won't consider any vaccine that's less than 50% effective. Getting the right math before November, as Trump has promised, is "incredibly unlikely," said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, who is overseeing the U.S. government's vaccine studies. Public health experts are worried that Trump will press the FDA to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, has said he is "cautiously optimistic" that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year. Even then, Fauci made clear that the vaccine would not be widely available right away. "Ultimately, within a reasonable period of time, the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021," Fauci told Congress last month. Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, also expressed "cautious optimism" this past week that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by year's end. But he warned: "Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you." The "particular date" is Nov. 3, Election Day. ON BIDEN TRUMP, on Biden: "He wants to do a complete shutdown." Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP: "The approach to the virus is a very unscientific blanket lockdown by the Democrats." news conference Thursday. TRUMP: "Biden's plan for the China virus is to shut down the entire U.S. economy." news conference on Sept. 7. THE FACTS: That's not Biden's plan at all. Biden has said he would shut down the economy only if scientists and public health advisers recommended he do so to stem the COVID-19 threat. He said he would follow the science, not disregard it. Biden told ABC last month he "will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives" when he was asked if he would even be willing to shut the country again. "I would listen to the scientists," he said. If they said to shut it down, "I would shut it down." TRUMP: Biden will "destroy protections for preexisting conditions." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: This is baseless. Biden proposes building on "Obamacare" and does not seek to strip that law's insurance protections for people with preexisting illness. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court for full repeal of the health law, including provisions that protect people with preexisting conditions from health insurance discrimination. Republicans say they'd put new protections in place, but they haven't spelled them out. Trump has frequently claimed he will always protect preexisting conditions despite evidence to the contrary and has even asserted falsely that he was the one who "saved" such protections. With the Obama-era law still in place, preexisting conditions continue to be covered by regular individual health insurance plans. Insurers must take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and charge the same standard premiums to healthy people and those who are in poor health, or have a history of medical problems. TRUMP: "He wants to ban fracking." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: That's not Biden's position at all. In a March 15 primary debate, Biden misstated his fracking policy but his campaign quickly corrected the record. Biden has otherwise been consistent on his middle-of-the-road position, going so far as to tell an anti-fracking activist that he "ought to vote for somebody else" if he wanted an immediate fracking ban. Trump continually ignores the correction. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, opened up a yearslong oil and gas boom in parts of the Southwest, Northeast and High Plains when the technique went into widespread use under the Obama administration, although the coronavirus pandemic and a global petroleum glut have now driven down prices and demand. Biden floundered in the March primary debate when Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke of his own proposal, saying he was intending to wind down fracking entirely. "So am I," Biden replied. "No more no new fracking." Biden's campaign contacted reporters to say he misspoke, and the candidate and his campaign have been consistent in public statements of Biden's position since. Biden supports banning only new oil and gas permits, fracking included, on federal land. But most U.S. production is on private land the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says production on federal land accounted for less than 10% of oil and gas in 2018. That amounts to a far more limited restriction than a full "ban" as Trump asserts. TRUMP: "When Joe Biden was vice president, his failed approach to the swine flu was disastrous. ... And 60 million Americans got H1N1 in that period of time. ...We did everything wrong, it was a disaster." news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: This is a distorted history of a pandemic in 2009 that killed far fewer people in the United States than the coronavirus is killing now. For starters, Biden as vice president wasn't running the federal response. And that response was faster out of the gate than when COVID-19 came to the U.S. Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's flu surveillance network sounded the alarm after two children in California became the first people diagnosed with the new flu strain in this country. About two weeks later, the Obama administration declared a public health emergency against H1NI, also known as the swine flu, and the CDC began releasing anti-flu drugs from the national stockpile to help hospitals get ready. In contrast, Trump declared a state of emergency in early March, seven weeks after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was announced, and the country's health system struggled for months with shortages of critical supplies and testing. More than 190,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. The CDC puts the U.S. death toll from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic at about 12,500. FBI INVESTIGATION TRUMP: "Was Andy McCabe ever forced to pay back the $700,000 illegally given to him and his wife, for his wife's political campaign, by Crooked Hillary Clinton while Hillary was under FBI investigation, and McCabe was the head of the FBI??? Just askin'?" tweet Saturday. Was Andy McCabe ever forced to pay back the $700,000 illegally given to him and his wife, for his wifes political campaign, by Crooked Hillary Clinton while Hillary was under FBI investigation, and McCabe was the head of the FBI??? Just askin? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2020 THE FACTS: Trump is distorting facts. This tweet refers to a campaign contribution received by the wife of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe during her unsuccessful bid for the Virginia state Senate. Almost everything Trump says about it is wrong. The contribution to the campaign was not from Hillary Clinton but rather from a political action committee of her ally, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and there was nothing illegal about it. McCabe did not become involved in the FBI investigation into Clinton's email practices until after his wife's campaign had ended, and at no point during the probe which concluded in 2016 was he ever head of the FBI. That did not happen until May 2017, when Trump fired James Comey as FBI director, making McCabe the acting director for several months. AUTOS BIDEN: "President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan's economy come roaring back." tweet Wednesday. President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan's economy come roaring back.Donald Trump squandered it and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day. pic.twitter.com/kXjyPbsj8s Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 9, 2020 THE FACTS: Biden is assigning too much credit to Barack Obama and himself for saving the auto industry. As an initial matter, what the Obama administration did was an expansion of pivotal steps taken by Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush. In December 2008, General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of financial collapse. The U.S. was in a deep recession and U.S. auto sales were falling sharply. GM, Chrysler and Ford requested government aid, but Congress voted it down. With barely a month left in office, Bush authorized $25 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler from the $700 billion bailout fund that was initially intended to save the largest U.S. banks. Ford decided against taking any money. Once in office, Obama appointed a task force to oversee GM and Chrysler, both of which eventually declared bankruptcy, took an additional roughly $55 billion in aid, and were forced to close many factories and overhaul their operations. All three companies recovered and eventually started adding jobs again. TRUMP: "We brought you a lot of car plants, you know that right? ... I saved the U.S. auto industry." Michigan rally Thursday. BIDEN, on Michigan's economy: "Donald Trump squandered it and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day." tweet Wednesday. THE FACTS: Both Trump and Biden are overstating it. Trump did not wreck Michigan's economy, but he certainly didn't bring an auto industry boom, either. In fact, the number of auto and parts manufacturing jobs in the state fell slightly between Trump's inauguration and February of this year, before the coronavirus took hold. When Trump took office there were 174,200 such jobs, and that dropped to 171,800 in February, according to Labor Department statistics. While most plants shuttered for about eight weeks after the pandemic hit, many are back running near capacity again, at least for now. In July, the most recent figures available, Michigan had 154,400 auto and parts manufacturing jobs. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, recently said the state's economy was operating now at 87% of pre-pandemic levels, citing figures from Moody's Analytics and CNN. ENVIRONMENT TRUMP: "Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results. And that's what we have. Right now we have the cleanest air ever we've ever had in this country let's say over the last 40 years." remarks Tuesday in Jupiter, Florida. FACTS: He's not responsible for all of the progress far from it. All six air pollution measurements monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that in 2019 the U.S. air was the cleanest on record. But the most important pollutant, tiny particles, was essentially about the same as 2016, only down 1%, according to Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Neil Donahue. The same figures also showed that air pollution rose in the first two years of the Trump administration before falling greatly in 2019. Donahue and three other outside experts in air pollution said the president was wrongly taking credit for what years, even decades, of ever-increasing emissions restrictions caused. H. Christopher Frey, an engineering professor at North Carolina State University and former chief of the EPA's air quality scientific advisory board, said that "current trends in air quality are for reasons irrespective of, or despite, policies of the Trump administration." Instead he and Donahue attributed it to a shift from use of dirtier coal a shift the Trump administration has fought against and to newer, cleaner cars replacing older vehicles. TROOPS BIDEN: "Troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,922. ... Military COVID deaths: 6,114. Folks, every one of these lives mattered." remarks Wednesday in Warren, Michigan. THE FACTS: He's way off on the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. military. According to the Defense Department, just seven members of the military have died from COVID-19, including reservists and those in the National Guard. The Biden campaign acknowledged he had misspoken. citing overall coronavirus deaths in Michigan instead of U.S. military deaths in a mix-up. ___ TRUMP: "We're pretty much out of Syria." news conference Thursday. THE FACTS: Not so much. Last year close to 30 U.S. troops moved out of two outposts near the border area where a Turkish attack on the country was initially centered. But the U.S. currently has about 700 troops deployed to Syria, a number that hasn't changed a lot lately. NOVEMBER ELECTION TRUMP, on mail-in voting: "Who's sending it back? Who's signing? They don't even have to have an authorized signature in Nevada." Nevada rally on Saturday. THE FACTS: Not true. Nevada's existing law requires signature checks on mail ballots. A new law also spells out a process by which election officials are to check a signature against the one in government records. In Nevada's June primary, nearly 7,000 ballots were thrown out due to mismatched or missing signatures. ___ TRUMP, on Democrats: "They're trying to rig this election ... Tiny amounts, a congressional race in New York, a small number of votes. If you go to New Jersey, if you go to Virginia, if you go to Pennsylvania, if you go to California, look at some of these races, every one of these races was a fraud, missing ballots." Nevada rally on Saturday. TRUMP, retweeting an Associated Press analysis projecting the number of ballots that get rejected will soar this fall because of increased mail-in voting: "Rigged Election!" tweet Tuesday. THE FACTS: No, defective ballots do not equate to fraud. The overwhelming majority aren't. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the vast majority of ballots are disqualified because they arrive late what Trump describes as going "missing" a particular worry this year because of recent U.S. Postal Service delays and an expected surge in mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots also are deemed defective if there is a missing signature common with newer voters unfamiliar with the process or it doesn't match what's on file. In addition, some states require absentee voters to get a witness or notary to sign their ballots. "None of those are fraud," said Wendy Weiser, director of Brennan's democracy program at NYU School of Law. When suspected cases are investigated for potential fraud, studies have borne out the main reason for defects is voter mistake. The AP analysis published on Sept. 7 found that rejections of absentee ballots could triple compared with 2016 in some battleground states, potentially tipping the election outcome. It said voters "could be disenfranchised in key battleground states" and that nullified votes could be "even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this year's primaries." That's far from an election "rigged" against Trump. Photos: Scenes from last week on the campaign trail Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire in Las Vegas, Eric Tucker, Lauran Neergaard, Seth Borenstein, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Robert Burns and James LaPorta in Washington, Tom Krisher in Detroit, and Alexandra Jaffe in Warren, Michigan, contributed to this report. The Associated Press has been fact-checking politicians since 1996, when Bill Clinton was president. These are not opinion pieces but instead are straight-news items that adhere to AP's Statement of News Values. The AP encourages readers to reach out with comments, fact-checking suggestions and corrections at FactCheck@ap.org. Learn more about the team and how this content is produced at apnews.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Trend Turkmenistan contributes to the development of railway communication in Afghanistan in different ways, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistans State News Agency. Turkmenistan spoke about the support provided to Afghanistan during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Afghan talks, which was attended by the Turkmen delegation headed by country's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. Thus, the role of Turkmenistan - initiated international projects of the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline was emphasized. The Turkmen delegation noted that the country is also using to different ways to support the promotion of the peace process in Afghanistan. Thus, Turkmenistan has always been in favor of resolving issues by political and diplomatic methods and is ready to assist the negotiation process. Turkmenistan also provides humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment kits for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic was sent to Afghanistan from Turkmenistan on August 12, 2020. Turkmenistan and Afghanistan cooperate in trade and economic, fuel and energy, transport and communication spheres. The construction of TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia Pipeline (TAPI) pipeline, high-voltage power transmission line and fiber-optic communication along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route are some of the projects the countries collaborate on. The countries also carry out transit and transport projects. One of them is Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transit and transport corridor that expands economic and trade ties between States of Central and South Asia and Europe. Minitel, recall, was the 1980s French terminal that was backed by the state as an alternative to the U.S.-developed Internet but finally retired in 2012. It was a brilliant invention for its time, but the high-cost terminals could not compete with the multitasking personal computer and it had little usefulness outside France. The French government, with financial backing from the EU and technical support from Germany, also tried to create a literal competitor to Google, dubbed Quaero, from the Latin for I seek, in 2008. It ended in 2013. Premier Annastacia Palasazczuk and Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington have promised to announce plans in coming weeks to cut household electricity costs as the rivals faced off in the first election debate of the 2020 campaign. The cost of energy was one of the major issues raised in the online debate organised by the Queensland Community Alliance of about 900 groups representing about 1.7 million Queenslanders. The alliance recommends cutting electricity costs by either paying for solar panels on social housing, providing interest-free loans for solar energy, or offering rebates for energy-efficient appliances. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during Monday nights community debate. Credit:Tony Moore Speaking in a croaky voice, Ms Palaszczuk would not commit during Monday night's debate to a new electricity price policy. This is in regard to Kyle Rittenhouse. Why is everyone skipping over the part that the kid is a minor. Hes 17 years old. Hes from Illinois, not Wisconsin, so he cannot have a FOID card or weapons, and where is his mom and dad during all this? You never hear a word about them. Did they take him to this? Did they push him to this? The kid was a minor. No matter what, he should have never been there. How did he get there? And the fact that Kenosha police didnt arrest him walking around with a gun after he left, I dont understand that either. And what about all these other people walking around with their guns? Thats ridiculous. A man described as the "primary agitator" of an anti-lockdown protest at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market on Sunday has been charged with incitement after police raided his home. The 44-year-old man from Burwood East was taken into custody on Sunday during the violent protest, where police clashed with protesters among the fruit and vegetable stalls. Police clashed with protesters at the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui The man's home was raided by police and a computer and other items were seized. He was charged with inciting another person to commit an offence and has been bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court on February 2 next year. Federal police clear the area of protesters around Lafayette Square and the White House in Washington on June 1, after which President Trump tweeted his praise. (Associated Press) Policing policy has swept into the heart of the 2020 presidential election as controversial police killings of Black Americans have also triggered sometimes violent clashes between officers and protesters in multiple U.S. cities. President Trump has taken a hard-line position on policing, symbolized most dramatically by his administration using federal law enforcement and security forces to violently clear out peaceful protesters outside the White House so he could pose holding a Bible outside a nearby church. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has backtracked from his tough-on-crime positions during his decades in the U.S. Senate by urging liberal reforms to policing to limit the use of force, while rejecting the growing left-wing calls to "defund" or dismantle local police departments. He has also repeatedly denounced the violence that has emerged around some anti-police protests. It's not clear whether or how much most Americans' day-to-day relationships with police would change under a Trump or a Biden administration. Police departments are locally run and primarily regulated by local and state laws, with collective bargaining agreements and police unions often serving as brakes against change, though the federal government does have some power by providing funding or by forcing oversight via consent decrees to encourage change in individual departments. The two candidates do offer distinct and different federal policy proposals on local policing, and above all, they vastly differ on how they talk about policing's role in American life. President Trump The president has sometimes talked about policing as an authoritarian leader might, emphasizing domination and force over civil liberties and due process. At a 2017 event in Long Island, N.Y., he suggested officers not worry so much about injuring suspects. In a speech mentioning immigration agents and gangs, he spoke of suspects in "a paddy wagon ... thrown in, rough." He added, "I said, 'Please don't be too nice.' Story continues Like when you guys put somebody in the car and youre protecting their head, you know, the way you put the hand over? .... You can take the hand away, OK?" As protests and violence flared in Minneapolis this spring and summer after the death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in police custody, Trump threatened to send in the military, tweeting, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." After federal forces on June 1 cleared away protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House using force and chemical irritants, Trump tweeted, "Our great National Guard Troops who took care of the area around the White House could hardly believe how easy it was," adding, "GREAT JOB!" He has also celebrated police violence against journalists, recently describing police manhandling one reporter while covering a protest as "a beautiful sight." In one call with the nation's governors, Trump laid out his philosophy on police violence as a necessary ingredient of enforcing control, reportedly telling them, "If you don't dominate, you're wasting your time. ... The harder you are, the tougher you are, the less likely it is that you're going to be hit." In the same call he praised the forceful police crackdown that ended the largely peaceful Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011: "It was a disaster until one day, somebody said, 'That's enough,' and they just went in and wiped them out, and that's the last time we ever heard the name Occupy Wall Street." Several unions representing police officers have rewarded Trump with their endorsements, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Union of Police Assns., which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The IUPA cited Trump's support for providing local police departments with surplus military equipment, tougher prosecutions of suspects accused of attacking police and the Trump administration's support for resuming federal executions. Early on, the Trump administration, under then-Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, curtailed the pursuit of consent decrees from federal judges that forced oversight of troubled local police departments. The Obama administration often used the decrees to force reforms in cities whose police had demonstrated a pattern and practice of using racial discrimination or other illegal policing methods. The Trump administration found the tool too intrusive. The Trump administration has grown more assertive in trying to override liberal local officials who make policies the president doesn't like. In September, citing protests in Seattle, New York and Portland, Ore., Trump's Justice Department deemed the cities "anarchist jurisdictions" for not cracking down on protesters more aggressively and has threatened to withhold federal funding. But for Trump's positions on policing, his administration was also supportive of the First Step Act passed into law in 2018, giving a chance for nonviolent offenders to be released from prison earlier and for future sentences to be lighter. Joe Biden Biden's trajectory on criminal justice is in many ways the story of the issue's evolution inside the Democratic Party over the last few decades. In 1994, as many of the nation's cities were being ravaged by homicides, Biden was a key force in enacting the most sweeping anti-crime law in the nation's history. That gave the Democratic Party credibility to call itself "tough on crime" after Republicans since President Nixon had cast their party as leaders on "law and order" in a nation chronically rippling with racial tensions. The law included mandatory-minimum sentences for "three strike" offenders, a measure that helped balloon the nation's prison population with Black and brown inmates. Today, violent crime rates have dramatically fallen, and activists, including those in the Black Lives Matter movement, have spent the last decade moving the Democratic Party more to the left on criminal justice, leaving career Democrats such as Biden and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor on the defensive to explain their records. Those tensions have only grown this year as some activists have gone far past recommending reforms, seeing policing as unreformable. Far-left demands now often call for officials to break police unions and to, by various degrees, dismantle, downsize or abolish police departments. Biden has refused to embrace calls to "defund the police." He has called "the vast majority" of officers "decent, honorable people, while still urging problem officers to be prosecuted. Commenting recently on a police officer shooting a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back seven times in Kenosha, Wis., Biden said he supported Blake's family, adding, "Justice must and will be done. In his 2020 platform, Biden supports boosting funding for "community-oriented policing" and hiring police forces that reflect the racial makeup of the communities they serve. He also proposes pairing police with social workers and experts on mental health, substance abuse and disability to respond to calls for service. Biden's platform would reverse the Trump administration's position on consent decrees and expand the Justice Department's oversight powers of troubled local departments to include "systemic misconduct by prosecutors offices." "Black mothers and fathers should feel confident that their children are safe walking the streets of America," Biden's website says of its criminal justice platform, which also gives a nod to police safety. "And, when a police officer pins on that shield and walks out the door, the officers family should know theyll come home at the end of the day." Biden has called to reduce prison populations, including by eliminating mandatory minimums, decriminalizing marijuana use and diverting drug users away from prisons and toward treatment programs. Former Crawford Police Chief Clay Bruton was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety authorities Friday on a felony charge of sexual assault that occurred in Bell County, authorities reported. Bruton, 47, of Temple, remained in Bell County Jail on a proposed bond listed at $200,000, according to an arrest warrant filed Friday that was signed by Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke. It was unclear when the alleged sexual assault took place; however, the warrant was listed as an instanter, meaning the offense occurred within 24 hours of it being signed. A copy of the probable cause statement was not released Saturday. Two days before the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office announced a deputy was on administrative leave after he suggested anti-fascists started wildfires in the area, a captain with the agency told county commissioners a similar story in a public meeting. Law enforcement, including Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, have tried to bat down unfounded rumors of coordinated arson plans and widespread looting in evacuated areas, saying there was no evidence to back them up. Sheriffs offices across the state, along with the FBI, have roundly debunked the claims. But its apparent that some of the rumors got a boost from the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office. During an emergency county meeting Thursday to discuss implementing a curfew, Capt. Jeff Smith told the county board of commissioners that the sheriffs office had reliable sightings and reports of antifa affiliates in the Estacada area with chainsaws. He said they planned to cut down power poles in hopes of sparking new fires. He also said authorities were receiving reports that people were hiding full gas cans all over the county to later ignite. During a news conference on Sunday, Roberts highlighted a similar story as an example of an unfounded report. A 911 caller reported a suspicious truck hauling containers of gasoline, but it turned out the driver was just delivering gas to people in the area who have generators to keep their power on. Theres just a lot of misinformation about folks trying to set fires, the sheriff said. I want to reassure everybody that we are on this and if you see anything suspicious, I encourage you to call us. The sheriffs office didnt respond to an inquiry Sunday and Monday about Smiths comments to the county commissioners on Thursday. During a news conference later Monday, Roberts said the information Smith provided about extremist groups had been discredited. I want to clarify for the record that one of our captains indicated a source stating antifa was involved in possible criminal activity, the sheriff said. That source has since determined to be false. He said no one arrested thus far in the evacuation areas have been associated with any groups and that detectives along with members of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force have been checking each person arrested for ties to extremist groups. County Chair Jim Bernard said Monday that Smith has been the only person hes heard from directly lending credibility to the coordinated arson claims. Bernard said he still hasnt heard any confirmed reports of antifa or any other groups that have organized to set fires as of Monday. I was shocked and am still shocked that a sheriffs officer in uniform in a public meeting would suggest otherwise, Bernard said. Frankly, I think he should be disciplined for it. We dont need outside forces in our community scaring people, and we certainly dont need sheriffs deputies scaring people. Roberts said during Sundays news conference that the majority of around 330 emergency calls his agency has received recently related to suspicious activity in evacuation areas have been unfounded. Roberts also said he was concerned that armed residents had been patrolling the county and detaining people at gunpoint, spurred on by rumors of looting and arson. He urged people to call 911 instead, and he said deputies could start arresting people who continue to illegally detain others. Bernard said he was afraid residents returning for property or good Samaritans hoping to help could end up getting shot. I think its scary that people are out there with guns who think they have the right and the experience to protect certain areas of the county when its illegal to do that, he said. Commissioner Ken Humberston said at the beginning of the meeting Thursday that the curfew was requested by the sheriffs office, which felt it was necessary because of problems they are having on the streets with looting. Apparently, theyve had some very direct problems, Humberston said. After Smiths account of extremist groups in the county, Commissioner Paul Savas called the information unsettling and urged Bernard to ask Gov. Kate Brown to deploy the National Guard to the county. The sheriffs office wouldnt have enough resources alone, Savas said. Im fine with the curfew countywide now more so than I was 15 minutes ago, Savas said. But for crying out loud, we cant allow a deliberate attack on property and peoples lives and somehow just leave the National Guard out there sitting at home waiting for the call. Commissioner Sonya Fischer suggested holding off on calling the National Guard until Roberts could confirm they were necessary. She later said she was concerned about perceptions of there being a threat. When Commissioner Martha Schrader asked how the sheriffs office had confirmed antifas presence in the county, Smith said the information came from a sheriffs office sergeant, but he didnt know the exact source. Well really have to know that for sure, Schrader said. Because if thats true then we dont want to have another layer of panic going on out there. The curfew was approved and went into effect that night. It initially covered all of Clackamas County from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. with the exception of first responders and people actively evacuating but has since been scaled back to areas under level 2 and 3 evacuation orders. The sheriffs office announced Saturday that Deputy Mark Nikolai, who has acted as public spokesperson for the agency in the past, had been placed on administrative leave after a video was published on social media telling the person recording that deputies need the publics help with anti-fascists in the area. Nikolai suggested deputies could leave residents in charge of public safety if fire conditions got worse. The Clackamas County Peace Officers Association, the union that represents law enforcement in Clackamas County, released a statement Saturday afternoon calling the video sensationalized, and said he was speaking freely with a community member about the communitys understandable fear of looting and other criminal acts as our County burns. Roberts, in a statement addressing the video of Nikolai but not Smiths comments, said the mission of the sheriffs office is to provide calm and safety especially during unprecedented times such as these. I expect nothing less of our deputies, and apologize to all in our community. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The draft law on amending and supplementing some laws on electoral matters, adopted on Monday by the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, was supported by vote by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), People's Movement Party (PMP) and the group of national minorities. The leader of the USR group, Catalin Drula, mentioned in the plenary debates that it is not an optimal way to legislate "on fast forward", but, given that "we are under the rule of necessary measures" in the context of the health crisis The Union's parliamentarians took part in these legislative amendments. "We have done everything in our power to make certain corrections to the text that originally came from the AEP [Permanent Electoral Authority] and to propose measures to improve the voting process. (...) We managed to correct certain provisions that were not quite all right, so today we will vote on this bill, but it would be good to learn something from here in the future, especially since it is not just provisions related to the pandemic, the number of signatures, those are normal in the current context, that the collection of signatures should be done electronically, that fewer signatures should be collected, those that have also been applied in the case of the local [elections]. There are other measures related to the organization of the AEP, their paper, they should come with them in advance and give them to the Government, to bring them to Parliament and we have time to discuss them in a settled manner," Drula mentioned. The leader of the group of national minorities, Varujan Pambuccian, mentioned that they will vote for this bill, and so did the Liberals. "We have only one dissatisfaction with the way PSD continues to treat the rights of Romanians in the diaspora and we have that dissatisfaction with the failure to support the amendment that would allow Romanian citizens residing abroad to vote on Saturday and Sunday. We will vote this bill and we will support the rejected amendments on the right of citizens in the diaspora to vote for 2 days," said the leader of the Liberal deputies, Florin Roman. The Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) MP Marton Arpad stated that the Union's elected representatives will support the bill only if the report of the Legal Committee remains unchanged. "We have always been consistent in the idea that in the last year before the elections the electoral legislation should not be changed, in fact a proposal that also came from the Venice Commission is also decision of the CCR [Constitutional Court of Romania] that opens a small door for those concrete situations that change the electoral procedure a little, especially since we are already in an electoral procedure that has already started. (...) I do not think that we can change the elements related to electoral law, to the equality in rights of the electorate, we therefore cannot fundamentally change the legislation during this period. As such, our group will only vote on the version that came from the Legal Committee, (...) only if the report remains as it is," said Marton Arpad. The Ministry of Education has explained that a recent meeting it held with private schools in Ghana was not aimed at facilitating the extension of the Free Senior High School programme to various private schools. According to the Ministry, the meeting rather focused on discussions around post-COVID-19 challenges in the education sector and the way forward, the reopening of schools and the sustenance of the businesses of private schools. The Ministry therefore said suggestions on social media that the Minister met with the private schools on how to facilitate the the extension of the free SHS to them should therefore be disregarded. A press statement signed and issued by Press Secretary to the Minister of the Education, Rodney Nkruman-Boateng, said the Ministry has noted various posts on social media suggesting that meetings held between the Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh and representatives of the private schools were aimed at facilitating the extension of the Free Senior High School programme to various private schools following the NDC manifesto promise to do so if voted into power in Decemeber 2020. Below is a copy of the statement: For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry wishes to state emphatically that this is false and should be disregarded, the statement added. It said the facts are that: On Wednesday and Thursday [September 2nd and 3rd] the Minister received delegations from the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNCPS) and the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) at the Ministry to discuss a number of issues. In attendance were officials from the Ministry, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Inspectorate Board (NIB). It must be noted that both meetings were held before the launch of the NDC manifesto on Monday, 7th September 2020. In both instances, the discussions were around post-COVID-19 challenges in the education sector and the way forward, the reopening of schools, private schools and their livelihoods and the sustenance of their businesses. The discussions between the Minister and the delegations were frank and healthy, and common ground was found on several issues. Following this, a post was made on the Ministrys Facebook page, from which it is verifinable that the meetings took place on the dates as stated earlier, and therefore could not possible have been held following the launch of the NDC launch. To reiterate, the meeting was not to discuss the facilitation of extending Free SHS to private schools as it has been suggested on social media platforms, and the general public is hereby invited to completely disregard the opportunistic and desperate attempts to paid a contrary picture. Government remains committed to ensuring the success of the Free SHS programme to improve both access and quality education for Ghanaian children, and will not be sidetracked from this objective. On Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd September 2020, The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh received... Posted by Ministry of Education GH on Friday, September 11, 2020 Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Xi to meet European leaders Global Times By Leng Shumei and Li Xuanmin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 21:23:40 VIdeo conference to pave way for EU Summit: experts Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend a video conference with European leaders on Monday, the second such meeting between Chinese and European leaders in two months. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. The active involvement of Chinese leaders in international cooperation indicates that China's pace in promoting international cooperation has not been hindered by US interruptions, which have become a big threat to internationalization and global stability. During the Monday video conference, Xi will meet with President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss China-EU relations and issues of common interest, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, told the media at a briefing on Friday. This type of meeting is the first of its kind in history. We hope it will help increase political trust, enhance practical cooperation, send a positive signal that China and the EU are jointly upholding multilateralism and free trade and promoting economic recovery, Zhang said. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still raging globally, communication between China and the EU has not ceased. Xi and Li, as well as other Chinese leaders have maintained close contact with their European counterparts through phone calls and correspondence, Zhang noted. The summit via video link will send a clear signal of confidence on the negotiation of the China-Europe bilateral investment treaty (BIT), or in a broader context, that the two economies share a solid foundation for deepening cooperation in the post-virus era, observers said. "The meeting is of great significance amid a Washington-led crackdown on Beijing and as the US presidential election draws near. It shows that both China and Europe are looking to be independent from US pressure, casting China-Europe relations from their own perspectives and based on their own tempo," Cui Hongjian, director of EU Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. Both China and Europe will join hands to defend multilateralism, which could help clear away concerns surrounding the new cold war ideology and decoupling. A stable China-Europe relationship will also help the world economy to navigate the uncharted waters under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Cui. Analysts predict that the video conference will pave the way for the EU Summit, in which Chinese leaders are expected to participate, and where some big deals between the two economies are expected to be signed. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties and is described by many as a milestone year in China-EU relations. Premier Li Keqiang will attend the WEF Special Virtual Dialogue with Global Business Leaders on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced Friday. He will deliver an address and have discussions with the business leaders attending the meeting, Zhao said. China's continuous and active efforts to promote international cooperation in the post-pandemic era are vital for the world economy to recover from the disaster while the US has kept moving against the tendency of internationalization by promoting protectionism and unilateralism instead, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday. Prosperous exchanges between China and other countries indicate that China's pace in international cooperation has not been affected while the US is promoting unilateralism and protectionism, Li Haidong said. Promising summit The EU Summit was originally scheduled to for September in Leipzig, Germany, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "Despite the absence of face-to-face meetings due to the pandemic, the video meeting is a way for both sides to keep communicating, reduce misunderstandings and cement political trust. It will create conditions for in-person meetings later," Cui noted. The summit will deliver on several priorities, one of which is to facilitate the BIT and ensure that its negotiation should be completed by the end of 2020 - as previously planned by top officials, analysts said. Talks on the deal were launched in 2013 and there have been more than 30 rounds of negotiations since then. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in early September that China-EU BIT negotiations have entered the final stage, and both sides need to ratchet up efforts and make "political decisions" where necessary to solve lingering problems as soon as possible and ensure its completion as scheduled. "Both sides have reached consensus on the most technical issues. During the video conference, officials from both sides will address some persistent disagreements on such things as claimed subsidies to state-owned enterprises," Cui said. Analysts noted that throughout the meeting, China and the EU bloc will vow to strengthen cooperation on trade and economic issues, in particular guaranteeing a stable supply chain and preventing industrial decoupling against the backdrop of rebooting the economy in the post-virus period. "China and Europe could also expand cooperation in jointly building a green and digital economy, a direction which the EU bloc has been transiting to," Cui noted. Cooperation sustains stability It is important for China and Chinese companies to enhance cooperation with their foreign counterparts, which will benefit global development and help sustain international order under the interruption of the US, Li Haidong noted. The US has become a big threat to global stability and security. It wants to isolate China from the world, but it will not succeed, Li said. China, a country that has led the world in fighting against the novel coronavirus epidemic and resuming production, will not be affected by external interruptions but will only embrace the world more actively and openly in the post-pandemic era, Chinese analysts said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Premier Development Partners is now looking to fill the ABB Inc. buildings in Wickliffe which have been vacant since January of 2018. The company, through an auction, purchased the property which consists of two buildings located adjacent to each other on 29801 Euclid Ave. and 1400 Worden Road, equaling 570,000 square feet. The purchase also came with a lot across from the building on Worden. Premier Development Partners President Spencer Pisczak said the company bought both buildings and the lot across the street about four or five months ago. Pisczak said since the building has been vacant for a few years, a lot of renovations had to be dealt with before the company begins renting out the space. This property has been empty for two and a half years, Pisczak said. ABB generally speaking did a good job maintaining while they were here. A lot can happen in two and a half years. Its been a process getting it back up and running again. Pisczak said the company is currently in the process of looking at potential tenants to rent out the buildings. Mayor John Barbish said when ABB left, 400 jobs were lost. With the purchase by Premier Development Partners, Barbish said he hopes to refill those positions with the intention of not worrying about how much revenue will come in, but about the jobs the incoming tenants can provide for citizens. I dont even necessarily care about the payroll at this time, more or less just getting activity going, getting the vacancies filled, and going from there, he said. Though the buildings may not be operated with tenants for a few more months, Barbish said he is pleased with the way Premier Development Partners has been renovating the building. Im really happy with what theyve done so far, he said. Theyve cleaned up the building and are doing some improvements. Though there is no confirmation on what tenants will be renting out the facility, Barbish said a company in Medina may move into the building sometime in October. Twelve activists detained in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen after they tried to flee Hong Kong in a speedboat have been accused of "separatism" by a foreign ministry spokeswoman in Beijing. "The 12 people were arrested for illegally crossing the border," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said via Twitter. "They are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate #HongKong from China," Hua wrote in response to a tweet from U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, who condemned the detention of the 12 Hongkongers. "Legitimate governments do not need to wall their countries in and prevent their citizens from leaving," Ortagus had tweeted. "The arrest of 12 Hong Kong democracy activists is another sad example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong," she wrote on Saturday. The family members of six of the detainees held a press conference on Saturday, calling on the Hong Kong authorities to bring them back to the city as soon as possible. Concerns are growing over the lack of access to lawyers hired by their families and to adequate medical care in Shenzhen's Yantian Detention Center. The 12 Hongkongers are aged 16 to 33, and were held on suspicion of "illegal immigration" after they tried to escape by speedboat to the democratic island of Taiwan last month. Hong Kong activist Andy Li who was arrested and released on bail earlier this month by Hong Kong for alleged national security law violations was among them, sources told RFA at the time. The Shenzhen police department confirmed for the first time on Sunday that 12 Hong Kong citizens were under criminal detention on suspicion of illegally crossing the border, and that investigations are ongoing. "Police will protect the legitimate rights and interests of criminal suspects in accordance with law," the department said via its official social media account on Weibo. Lawyer turned away But defense lawyer Lu Siwei, who was recently hired by the family of one of the detainees, told RFA he had been turned away from the detention center on several occasions after he went to request a meeting with his client. The mother of one detainee, Tang Kai-yin, said she didn't know whether he was alive or dead. Tang's brother said he was concerned about his brother's health in detention. Hong Kong's Immigration Department has since said the 12 are in good health, and they have got lawyers to represent them. But relatives of the detainees told reporters at the weekend that they had been given no information on the charges against their loved ones, and said assistance offered by the Hong Kong authorities was inadequate. Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee declined to intervene on behalf of the 12 detained in Shenzhen, saying only that the Hong Kong authorities will keep track of their case. "People should respect the local law wherever they are and take responsibility for their own actions, including criminal liability," Lee said. "Governments respect different jurisdictions operating according to their own laws," he said. Bargaining chips Council Front lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick said the 12 could now be used as bargaining chips by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "The moment family-appointed lawyers were denied to see some of the detainees, it could be expected that the Chinese Communist Party has designated the 12 people as highly sensitive cases," government broadcaster RTHK quoted Chu as saying in a statement. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) quoted a source on Sunday as confirming reports that five Hongkongers who attempted to reach the island by boat have been detained there. Taiwan journalist Edd Jhong, who says he helped them get to Taiwan, has claimed that the former anti-government protesters had not been allowed to contact their families or lawyers. CNA's source on Sunday confirmed the detentions, denied they were under "house arrest," but gave no timeline for their release. It said five had been granted access to lawyers, and were not being held incommunicado. Hong Kong security chief John Lee said the city's government had received no information on the five. 'Taiwan must be cautious' Taiwan Protestant pastor Hwang Chun-sheng, who has helped Hongkongers fleeing to Taiwan following a city-wide crackdown on the protest movement that has intensified under a draconian national security law since July 1, said Taiwan has helped many people from Hong Kong. "But Taiwan has to be very cautious, because China and the U.S. are in a state of quasi-war," Hwang told RFA. "People who know about these things can't talk too much about them." He said all five Hongkongers had been in touch with their families via officials, to let them know they are safe. Yang Sen-hong, president of the Taiwan Association for China Human Rights, said it is unclear who the five Hongkongers are. He called on the Taiwanese government to pass a refugee law setting out how asylum-seekers are to be treated. "Only then will we have a legal framework to avoid the issue of illegal immigration," Yang said. "Otherwise, people who enter Taiwan will be dealt with under current law [as illegal immigrants]." Reported by Hwang Chun-mei for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The mining history in Tennessee is filled with labor disputes involving violence between employees and employers. Strikes occurred on issues such as low pay, safety and unionization. The Coal Creek War was, however, primarily held on the question of the use of convict labor by employers instead of hiring miners. It was in the early 1890s that armed labor uprisings took place in the Southeastern United States with its principal location being Anderson County, Tennessee, when the owners of the coal mines in 1891 in the Coal Creek watershed attempted to replace free coal miners with convicts leased out by the State of Tennessee, called the convict lease system. In addition to attempts to undermine union organizing, the systems perpetuated a form of slavery as the vast majority of the convicts were African-Americans who had often been imprisoned on false charges. For example, of 120 men brought into work in the mines for the Tennessee Iron Company at Coal Creek only five were identified as white. For over a year the free miners burned and attacked prison stockades and mining company buildings. In the course of the war, hundreds of convicts were freed and dozens of miners and state militiamen were killed or wounded in small-arms skirmishes. Striking miners not only freed hundreds of convicts but in some cases provided the escapees with food and clothing. Historian Perry Cotham described the Coal Creek War as one of the most dramatic and significant episodes in all American labor history. October 31, 1891 is a particularly significant date because a group of miners seized the Knoxville Iron Stockade at Coal Creek and freed convicts. Most of the violence was located in two communities - Briceville, at the upper end of Coal Creek near its source and the town of Coal Creek which is now known as Rocky Top, Tennessee at the lower end of the creek where the body of water emerges from Walden Ridge. In the town of Rocky Top a Coal Creek Museum is maintained where visitors can learn more about the Coal Creek War. Sympathetic miners came from surrounding communities such as Jericho and the state of Kentucky to join the uprising. At the same time of the war in Coal Creek a similar anti-leasing riot took place in Grundy and Marion counties on the Cumberland Plateau about 100 miles south of the Coal Creek area. Although there were abuses by the owners such as requiring some miners to rent houses owned by them and to purchase groceries at the company store at inflated prices by the use of scrip (company currency) instead of cash, the demand for labor in the highly profitable coal industry kept things under control for a while. When the miners started talking about forming a union, the owners, although they preferred free labor, would threaten to replace free miners with convicts. The Tennessee Coal Mining Company (TCMC) rejected the various demands at its Briceville mine. On April 1, 1891, after a breakdown in negotiations involving the use of scrip and use of company check weighmen (the specialists who weighed the coal and determined how much a particular miner had earned) instead of the miners choice of check weighmen, the company shut down mine operations. On July 5, 1891, the company re-opened the mines using convict labor. Governor John P. Buchanan, who was elected in 1890 with the support of the miners, was defeated for re-election in 1892. In an attempt to resolve the labor disputes, he sent 583 militiamen under the command of General Samuel T. Carnes to East Tennessee to restore order on August 19th. The blockades that housed convict labor in several communities such as Briceville and Oliver Springs were burned and convicts were freed. The Coal Creek War ended when General Carnes made a sweep of the Coal Creek Valley. Chief Justice Peter Turney of the Tennessee Supreme Court later defeated Buchanan in the governors race. Faced with a legal issue as to whether the companies had a valid contract allowing them to use convict lease labor before the agreement expired, the government and legislature let the contract expire and enacted legislation in 1895 to build Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary and purchased land in Morgan County to erect the now closed prison in 1896. Under new legislation, convicts would mine coal directly for the state rather than competing with free labor. The Coal Creek War received national publicity by the New York Times and Harpers Weekly and many others as well as state newspapers in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga that initially favored the miners but withdrew their support after the burning of the stockades in October, 1891. The Coal Creek War lives on in music of the times as it provided inspiration for some of the Appalachian coal mining protest music. Other songs such as Coal Creek Troubles, Coal Creek March, and Buddy Wont You Roll Down the Line, are still popular with bluegrass performers. * * * Jerry Summers (If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com Ukraines losses from Russia's occupation of Crimea are estimated at about UAH 1 trillion, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Giunduz Mamedov said. "According to preliminary estimates of the materials of criminal proceedings, the losses in Crimea amount to one trillion hryvnias. Obviously, this is not a fixed amount as long as the aggression of the Russian Federation continues, as well as violations of citizens' rights in the occupied territories of the peninsula and Donbas," Mamedov said in an interview with Radio Liberty. As reported, in 2019, the Prosecutor Generals Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea estimated the damage from Russia's occupation of Crimea at UAH 1.8 trillion. Russia's planned armed aggression against Ukraine began on February 20, 2014 with a military operation by the Russian armed forces to seize part of Ukraine's territory - the Crimean Peninsula. On March 16, 2014, a "referendum on the status of Crimea" was held on the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, as a result of which Russia annexed Crimea. At the same time, Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and other countries did not recognize the results of the voting in the "referendum" and imposed sanctions against Russia. ish SPRINGFIELD The COVID-19 test positivity rate fell to 3.6% statewide Monday, decreasing in two regions that have faced increased economic restrictions due to high rates. The positivity rate decreased three-tenths of a percentage point since Friday as the state reported an average of 46,471 test results and 1,652 new cases each day between Saturday and Monday. That made for a three-day positivity rate of about 3.6%. The seven-day rolling positivity rate average is as low as its been since July 25, while Region 7 and Region 4 of the states reopening plan each saw decreases to their positivity rate as of Friday, Sept. 11. Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, saw the seven-day average positivity rate decrease to 7.2%, which is still above the 6.5% threshold that will allow the rollback of some economic restrictions. Currently, the region is closed to indoor dining and bar services at restaurants and bars. Region 4, which includes the Metro East area on the Missouri border near St. Louis, saw its rolling positivity rate decrease to 9.4%, marking three straight days of decreases. Other regions ranged from 2.4% in eastern Illinois to 6.7 in Region 9, which includes McHenry and Lake counties in northern Illinois. IHSA releases statement clarifying the content of their recent letter to Pritzker The IHSA released a statement Friday regarding the content of a recent letter sent to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Deputy Governor Jesse Ruiz. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 41 deaths from Saturday to Monday, pushing the total casualty count to 8,314 since the pandemic first reached Illinois. There have been 262,744 confirmed cases among nearly 4.7 million tests completed. The recovery rate for those 42 days removed from a positive diagnosis is 96%, according to IDPH. At the end of Sunday, there were 1,431 persons hospitalized with COVID-19 in Illinois, including 334 in intensive care units and 131 on ventilators. The numbers remain slightly above their pandemic lows and are significant decreases from Friday. Also on Monday, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority announced the release of more than $8 million to 11 organizations that are involved in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The funding came from the U.S. Bureau of Justice as part of a federal coronavirus supplemental program. Community-level data on positive COVID-19 cases, unemployment, housing, and reentry was considered in funding decisions, according to a news release. The largest grant totaled $1.4 million and went to The Network, which advocates against domestic violence. Other grants went to the Childrens Advocacy Center of Illinois, the Cook County Sheriffs Office for reentry housing, the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault and others. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is a state agency created in 1983 to improve the administration of criminal justice. PHOTOS: Have you seen these missing Illinois children? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In August, with less than three months until the 2020 presidential election, the Trump administration abruptly announced that it was ending congressional in-person briefings on election security. Sen. Marco Rubio later told reporters he believed the Senate Intelligence Committee might still receive some briefings, but officials reportedly stopped the House briefings because they felt members of Congress were leaking sensitive information to the public. That seems surprising, since even leakers have so far provided the public with little concrete information about the security of the upcoming election or any attempts at intrusion or interference. Instead, Microsoft has offered a much more detailed picture of overseas online activity aimed at the election in a blog post published last week by Tom Burt, the tech companys corporate vice president for customer security and trust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sept. 10 post described three different groups that had targeted political campaigns and parties in the U.S. and European Union, as well as consultants, advocacy groups, and international affairs experts. According to the analysis, one group is based in Russia, one in China, and one in Iran. Those same three countries were cited in August in a statement by William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, as the foreign actors that the U.S. government was most concerned would try to interfere with the 2020 U.S. elections. At the time, Evanina said that the intelligence community believed China and Iran were trying to undermine Trumps candidacy, while Russia was aiming to undermine Bidens campaign. But beyond those general motives, his statement offered very little insight into what the government believed each of those countries was actually doing, technologically, besides spreading disinformation and claims about corruption. Advertisement Advertisement Microsoft, by contrast, offered a significantly more detailed look at the operations of the three different groups it had tracked. Microsoft says that Strontium, the group identified as operating out of Russia, has targeted more than 200 organizations, including political party organizations and their consultants in the U.S. and the U.K., as well as think tanks and advocacy organizations. With the permission of the victims, Microsoft even named a few specific Strontium targets, including the German Marshall Fund in the United States and the European Peoples Party. Unlike efforts by this same group during the 2016 election to access accounts associated with political campaigns primarily through spear phishing emails, the more recent activity has involved brute force attacks, in which adversaries attempt to guess users passwords by guessing many different possible credentials, and password spray, in which adversaries attempt to compromise multiple different accounts at once with commonly used passwords. Microsoft suggested that these techniques may have allowed Strontium to automate aspects of their operations and added that the group has also shifted to rotating between using more than 1,000 different IP addresses, many of them associated with Tor, to make it harder for their actions to be detected and blocked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zirconium, the Chinese group Microsoft identified in the post, targeted accounts belonging to people involved with U.S. presidential campaigns, as well as international affairs experts at universities and think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Stimson Center. The group has successfully executed almost 150 compromises, Microsoft found, but it was often less ambitious in its aims than Strontium. Instead of trying to access the contents of accounts, the point seemed to be to figure out which ones were being used. Zirconiums primary mode of compromise involved the use of web beaconscode that identifies when a targeted individual has clicked on a link, establishing that their account is active, but does not necessarily grant access to their credentials or accounts. Advertisement Advertisement Finally, the Phosphorus group operating out of Iran had attempted unsuccessfully to access accounts belonging to members of the Trump administration and campaign, Microsoft reported. Its not clear how many of the other campaigns were successful, but Microsoft did state that the majority of the attacks by these three groups had been detected and stopped by the companys security tools. None of this is surprising. Microsoft paints a picture that is very consistent with what weve seen from these three countries online in the past: ambitious attempts to access accounts containing sensitive information from Russia, more measured attempts to conduct less intrusive espionage by China, and less technically sophisticated efforts from Iran. But while the report reveals more or less what we might expect, its notable that the most detailed information we have about interference with this election is coming from the private sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Undoubtedly, its a good thing that private companies like Microsoft are publishing information about election interference, especially since they probably operate infrastructure, including email accounts and cloud storage, for many campaignsthat gives them visibility into attack trends and malicious online traffic patterns. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon also have excellent security teams, and having those teams help protect campaign officials and associated consultants and advisers is all for the good. But parts of Burts post also read a little bit like an advertisement for Microsofts services (see, for instance, At Microsoft we offer AccountGuard threat monitoring, Microsoft 365 for Campaigns and Election Security Advisors to help secure campaigns and their volunteers), reminding us that Microsofts agenda in publishing this information is not just about informing voters or protecting elections. And while its great that tech companies are helping to secure campaign accounts, its also a little unsettling that theyve become our go-to line of defenseand informationfor election interference. Especially since, as Burt himself points out, the attacks Microsoft can most effectively monitor and defend against are primarily directed at campaigns, not the actual voting systems and election infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Burt closes his post with a plea for Congress to provide more federal funding to protect state elections. But the lack of specific information the government has provided about threats directed at the election is almost as concerning as the lack of resources. Most of the concrete information we have about campaign interferenceand most of the solutions on offerseem to be coming from the private sector right now, but that approach cant and wont extend to protecting voting systems and election infrastructure, owned and operated by government officials. So Microsofts willingness to step up and share information about these ongoing efforts to interfere with political campaigns is both heartening and, at the same time, a frustrating reminder of how little leadership and transparency the federal government has shown in helping protect elections or even informing voters about potential vulnerabilities and threats. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. GROZNY, Russia -- The grand mufti of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Salakh Mezhiyev, has approved a sentence of torture and humiliation for a 19-year-old Chechen blogger and warned of consequences for an exiled member of the Chechen separatist government, Akhmed Zakayev, who condemned the penalty. In a video statement posted on Instagram on September 13, Mezhiyev called the teenager "a dirty creature, who received what he deserved." Video of the torture and humiliation of the young Chechen, who criticized Chechen police and the region's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov on the opposition 1ADAT Telegram channel, circulated over the Internet last week and shocked people in Chechnya and beyond. Zakayev, who resides in London, on September 8 issued a statement in which he called himself a moderator of the 1ADAT Telegram channel and condemned Chechen authorities for recording the teenagers humiliation and placing the video on the Internet, referring to the ordeal as a gross shame. Mezhiyev took aim at Zakayev in his statement, warning of repercussions for what he said. "You do not have a place to go. You will be found and held responsible, there is no doubt about it," Mezhiyev said. Zakayev said last week that his relatives in Chechnya had been detained after Parliamentary Speaker Magomed Daudov stated that Zakayev will be "held responsible" for his involvement in the activities of the 1ADAT Telegram channel. A former Chechen militant who fought against Russian forces in the first Chechen war, Kadyrov has been accused by Russian and international rights activists of numerous human rights violations, including torture, kidnapping, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and the assassination of personal and political enemies both in Russia and abroad. Kremlin critics say Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the country's constitution by Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus. More than a dozen are dead, and many are still missing after a landslide swept through villages in northern Nepal this weekend. At least a dozen houses were swept away by a landslide in Gumthang, located in the Sindhupalchok district of northern Nepal on Sunday morning, local time. A view of the debris after a landslide stuck early Sunday in Sindhupalchowk district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept.14, 2020. Rescuers resumed searching on Monday for people missing since a deadly landslide struck three villages in Nepal's mountains, authorities said. (AP Photo/Niroj Chaulagai) The death toll climbed to 14 on Monday afternoon, local time, as rescue and recovery efforts continue across the region. At least 17 people are still missing. Eight people sustained injuries. Nearly 178 families in the villages of Birkharka, Birthaplo and Naagpuje have been displaced by the landslide. An injured girl is rescued after a landslide stuck early Sunday in Sindhupalchowk district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept.14, 2020. Rescuers resumed searching on Monday for people missing since a deadly landslide struck three villages in Nepal's mountains, authorities said. (AP Photo/Niroj Chaulagai) The landslide occurred as heavy monsoon rainfall continues to plague the region. It is estimated that over 1,200 mm (47 inches) of rain has fallen across Nepal since 1 June, based on nearby rainfall totals in India. This area of Nepal was devastated by an earthquake in 2015, and many of the homes destroyed by this weekend's landslide were just rebuilt as the area continues to recover, reported Al Jazeera. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Heavy rainfall coupled with the destabilization of the soil due to the earthquake has left this region particularly susceptible to landslides. According to a local report, around 71 people been killed and dozens are still missing due to landslides in Nepal within the last two months. Story continues The southwest monsoon season kicked off with the start of June across India and Nepal, and many are waiting for it to retreat. AccuWeather's 2020 Asia autumn forecast is predicting this retreat to be slower than normal, which typically begins with the start of September. Rounds of showers and thunderstorms are forecast to return to much of Nepal as well as India through at least the middle of the week. Heavier downpours can occur in parts of eastern Nepal, which could hamper recovery efforts. A monsoon low expected to track west across central India will increase rainfall across the region. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. The wildfires burning through the US West Coast, the largest on record in California and poised to become the largest in the history of the United States, have already killed 33 people and threaten to displace hundreds of thousands. Just one of these fires, the August Complex in California, has consumed more than 875,000 acres. Until yesterday afternoon, the entire city of Portland was on alert for a mass evacuation as local and state officials warned of a mass fatality event if the fires reached Oregons largest city. In a year that has already seen massive and uncontrolled wildfires in the Amazon and in Australia, the California fires make clear the immense dangers posed to human society by climate change, and the total inability of capitalism to address the problem. The disaster is compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in California, where the number of cases is still increasing by more than 3,000 a day, with a total of more than 760,000 confirmed cases so far. Residents are now forced either to stay in place and socially distance, risking death by wildfire, or evacuate to a shelter and risk infection. The official COVID-19 Interim Shelter Guidance from the office of Oregon Governor Kate Brown admits these dangers. The document warns: All shelter residents, even those without symptoms, may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should self-quarantine after leaving the shelter in accordance with state and local recommendations. Scientists have long warned that climate change is intensifying wildfires. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned just last year that as global temperatures increase, damage caused by wildfires will grow proportionally. This has been noted for regions such as the American West, but also for Australia, Brazil, central Africa, Europe and even Siberia. Further scientific warnings were raised earlier this year in conjunction with the record wildfires in Australia and Brazil. Like hurricanes on the East Coast and in states on the Gulf of Mexico, the likelihood of natural disasters that form a perfect storm of weather conditions increases as global warming continues unabated. Hurricanes such as Sandy, Harvey and Maria, once thought of as storms of the century, are now expected to happen once every 16 years. The same is true of the infernos now raging. The Trump administration is spearheading a frontal assault on all environmental regulations, eliminating even the most token restrictions on emissions, fracking and offshore drilling. Trump has also rolled back controls for emissions of methanea greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxideand appointed Scott Pruitt, an attorney previously employed by the oil and gas industry to sue the Environmental Protection Agency, to head that same organization. For his part, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, attempted to pose as a strong advocate for climate science. At a press conference outside the North Complex Fire, he told reporters: The debate is over around climate change, adding, This is a climate damn emergency. This is real and its happening. Yet for all his rhetoric, Newsom has helped expand the fossil fuel industry in California along similar lines to Trumps policies nationally. During his first 10 months in office, Newsom approved 33 percent more new oil and gas drilling permits than his predecessor, Jerry Brown. He also dropped a proposal from earlier this year to further regulate the industry after his administration received a letter from the California Independent Petroleum Association, an oil and gas lobbying group, urging him to do so. The flagship for such hypocrisy is the Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice put out by Joe Bidens presidential campaign. It asserts that a Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face, and claims that Biden will [e]nsure the US achieves a 100 percent clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050. Readers should recall the legacy of the Obama-Biden administration on environmental policy before expecting Biden to carry out any of this platform. During their second year in office they spearheaded the efforts to conceal the full extent of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest oil spill to date in the Gulf of Mexico, which caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damages to the entire region. After it became impossible to hide the hundreds of milliions of gallons of oil being pumped in the Gulf, they worked to shield BP as much as possible from liability while accelerating the deep-sea drilling deregulation that caused the explosion in the first place. Obama spearheaded efforts to expand offshore and Arctic drilling. In 2015, he let Royal Dutch Shell resume drilling after a series of near-disasters three years prior. That same year, he opened up the Atlantic coast for drilling for the first time, despite warnings against offshore drilling issued in the aftermath of Deepwater Horizon. The Obama White house did nothing to stop the environmentally destructive hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques that massively expanded under Obama and Biden in the search by various corporations for cheap sources of natural gas. Bidens platform also shows that the Green New Deal is a vacuous slogan that can mean anything one wants. Biden can call for a Green New Deal while simultaneously declaring, I am not banning fracking, which has already poisoned much of Appalachia. When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released the initial deal proposal, she called for a transition to 100 percent renewable energy within 10 years, and actions to virtually eliminate poverty in the United States. Essentially the only common characteristic between the two plans is the assertion that it is possible to solve the climate crisis without challenging the capitalist system and the private ownership of production. It is also significant that the demand for a Green New Deal has been adopted by the Green Party. While they may seek to contrast themselves from the Democrats, the Greens' program on climate change makes a call to Enact an emergency Green New Deal to turn the tide on climate change, essentially verbatim the language in Bidens plan. The Green Party also calls for a WWII-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, modelled on the original proposal by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The wartime rhetoric only underscores the nationalist character of this approach, based on the idea that the climate crisis can be solved in a single country, or through capitalist states addressing climate change via treaty agreements. Climate change itself is a global phenomenon. As many recent scientific papers on the topic have stressed, the only real solution to halting global warming and all its ongoing and oncoming catastrophes is through a reorganization of the worlds energy production and transportation infrastructure and the development of new technologies to immediately halt carbon emissions. To seriously address climate change it is necessary to carry out a major reorganization of economic life on a global scale. The framework of energy production has to be transitioned from one that uses fossil fuels to one that relies on renewable energy. This, in turn, requires an international effort, involving a massive influx of funding for infrastructure and the development of current technologies and investigation of new ideas, rather than the squandering of trillions of dollars on war and the self-enrichment of the worlds billionaires. The technology exists to solve these problems, as well as for increasing the living standards and quality of life of the worlds population. Yet it is impossible to do so within the framework of the capitalist system. Any effort to genuinely tackle climate change comes into conflict with the nation-state system and the broader framework of capitalism itself. The necessary influx of funds to temper the fires and abate the climate crisis collide with the private ownership of production and the enrichment of a tiny elite at the expense of society as a whole. As long as a handful of billionaires dominates society, with every aspect of economic life geared to their personal enrichment, not a single social problemincluding climate changecan be solved. This makes the solution to climate change an inherently class question and a revolutionary question. It is the working class that will suffer the brunt of the impact of global warming. It is the working class that is objectively and increasingly defining itself as an international class. It is the working class whose social interests lie in the overthrow of capitalism and the abolition of private ownership of the means of production, which will open the way to the establishment of an economic system based on the satisfaction of human need, including a safe and healthy environment. Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi... Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 00:06:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) conducted on Monday an airdrop operation in Iraq's western province of Anbar, capturing an Islamic State (IS) local leader and killing an associate, the Iraqi military said. The CTS troops, backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft, carried out the airdrop operation in the town of al-Rutba, some 300 km west the provincial capital Ramadi, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement. The operation resulted in the capturing of a prominent local leader and the killing of an associate who was the main funder for IS bases in the al-Rutba area, the statement said. Earlier in the day, an officer from Anbar provincial police command, anonymously told Xinhua that the U.S.-led international coalition forces carried out an airdrop operation on a house in the al-Rutba area at about 3:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT). He said that the troops captured Hatem al-Kurdi and killed his brother Dhiyaa al-Kurdi. IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert which stretches to the border with neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as small groups or individuals of IS militants frequently infiltrated into Iraq from neighboring Syria through the roughly 600 km long border with Iraq in an attempt to regroup in Iraq again. The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants late in 2017, and the Iraqi forces repeatedly carrying out operations to control the whole border areas with Syria and nearby desert in western Iraq. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 01:16:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he hopes a constitutional reform planned by his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko will help settle the ongoing crisis in Belarus. "I am sure that, bearing in mind your experience in politics, work in this area will be organized at the highest level and this will create new frontiers in the development of your country's political system," Putin said at a meeting with Lukashenko in Russia's Sochi. He reiterated Moscow's position that Belarusians themselves, in a calm mode and in dialogue with each other, come to understand this situation and reach a common decision, without any prompts and pressure from outside. He added that Russia views Belarus as its closest ally and will fulfill all the obligations it has assumed in relation to the neighboring country. Putin recalled that Russia and Belarus have very deep and stable cooperation in various areas, with Russia being the biggest investor in the Belarusian economy. He said that the two countries need to make additional efforts to not only restore the trade and economic relations damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also create conditions for moving them forward. For this, Russia will provide Belarus with a state loan of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, Putin said. Moscow and Minsk should also continue cooperation in the military and defense sphere, Putin added. At the meeting, Lukashenko said that Russia and Belarus must keep conducting joint military drills and plan them for years to come. To this, Putin responded that the two countries conducted joint military activities almost every month and they will continue in accordance with joint agreements. Enditem RTHK: Suga set to become Japan's PM after party vote win Japan's ruling party on Monday elected chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga as its new leader, making him all but certain to replace Shinzo Abe as the country's next prime minister. Suga easily won the ballot, taking 377 of a total of 534 valid votes from Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers and regional representatives. His rivals, former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida, trailed far behind. Given the LDP's legislative majority, Suga is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote on Wednesday and become prime minister, taking over from Abe, who is resigning for health reasons. A powerful government adviser and spokesman, 71-year-old Suga is seen as promising stability and a continuation of Abe's policies. He has specifically said his candidacy was motivated by a desire to continue the outgoing prime minister's programmes. Ishiba, who is popular with the Japanese public but less so within his own party, won just 68 votes, with Kishida, who was once considered Abe's favoured successor, taking 89. Abe, who smashed records as Japan's longest-serving prime minister before being forced to resign after a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, declined to publicly endorse any candidate. The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga was raised in Japan's northern Akita region, and the issues of rural areas suffering depopulation are said to be among his top concerns. But not much is known about his personal ideology, and he is generally viewed as an adherent of neither the LDP's most hawkish nor its more reformist wings. As prime minister, he will face a series of tough challenges, including containing the coronavirus and righting the world's third-biggest economy, which was in recession even before the pandemic. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Rome, N.Y. A 40-year-old Rome man has been indicted on charges he sexually abused a girl from the time she was 4 until she was 13. David Smith was indicted by an Oneida County Grand Jury Friday. He faces several charges including sexual assault of a child and 2nd-degree rape , which are felonies, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, which are misdemeanors. The investigation was conducted through the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, under the direction of Oneida County Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy Derrick OMeara. Utica Police Investigator Fred Bruzzese, assigned to the Child Advocacy Center, began working on the case in January. During the course of the investigation, he found evidence of abuse that lasted nine years. The grand jury received the case during the week of Sept. 7 and returned the indictment Sept. 11. A warrant was issued and Smith was arrested Monday by members of the Oneida County Sheriffs Office Warrants Unit, along with members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Task Force. Smith was arraigned in Oneida County Court and is being held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. An order of protection has been requested on behalf of the child and the Child Advocacy Center is offering its services. In just a matter of weeks, Americans will cast their first ballots in the 2020 presidential election. And there are not just names on the ballot. The Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris tickets represent two vastly divergent sets of policies that, as the post-pandemic economic recovery picks up steam, will determine the extent of that recovery for both the nations economy and the pocketbooks of Americas families. And it is not just the recovery of jobs and incomes on the line. The contenders in this election differ starkly on, among other issues: public safety and support for police, government control of health care, open borders and sanctuary cities, freedom of speech and religion, international trade deals, accountability for the FBIs illegal spying on Americans, late-term - and taxpayer funding of - abortion, and American energy independence and its impact on Pennsylvania jobs. The candidates also diverge on how to hold Communist China accountable for cheating on trade, stealing American intellectual property and covering up a deadly virus that halted record U.S. employment rates for all demographic groups, including minorities and women, that were attributable to the Trump-Pence tax and regulatory relief policies. Many of these issues pit the freedom of the people against a more powerful Washington that would dictate to Americans what they must do. Unfortunately, many in the media would prefer to skip over these issues and instead stoke emotion and outrage by picking apart tweets and throw-away lines from campaign rallies and press conferences. As ratings-grabbing as such coverage may be, overlooking the stark policy contrasts between the candidates does a disservice to the American electorate and the future of our country. Simply put, America and our freedoms can survive political rhetoric. What threatens America, however, and the freedom that made it exceptional, is a progressive, hubris-driven policy agenda from New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders -- and endorsed by Biden-Harris -- that greatly benefits the governing class and those connected to it (i.e., the Swamp) but leaves the rest of the country poorer and with fewer opportunities. So what path does the electorate take? Tens of millions of voters love Donald Trump, tens of millions do not. Among President Trumps critics, there are two groups: those who find his policies offensive to liberal beliefs on taxes, socialized medicine, the environment and abortion, and those offended by his rhetoric. Where these groups overlap, the opposition is intense. For those who object to both Trumps policies and his rhetoric, it is unlikely that many from that cohort will vote for him, although even there I have seen anecdotes of some liberals so alarmed at the progressives' illiberal cancel culture that they intend to vote for Trump. But the block of voters that could ultimately decide the election are those who are unhappy with Trumps style but would never in a different context support candidates proposing the radical agenda of Biden-Harris. Those voters must ask themselves: is replacing Trump worth the cost of transforming America into a socialist state that will benefit only the well-connected, limit average Americans' jobs, incomes and freedom, exacerbate income inequality and achieve the 1960s' Marxist professors' dreams of destroying Americas exceptional place in the world and in history? Four years ago, the American people hit the reset button and handed the presidency to an outsider over a career politician, Hillary Clinton, who had worked the system for nearly four decades, got rich from it, looked out for the coastal elites to the detriment of middle America and avoided being held to the same standards to which ordinary citizens are held. This year, not only do we have a similar career politician in Joe Biden challenging Donald Trump, but also on the table are transformative socialist policies that will alter the countrys path for the next generation, and indeed the rest of history. This years swing voters have a lot riding on them. Keith Rothfus represented Pennsylvanias Twelfth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2013 and 2019. He lives in suburban Pittsburgh. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 16:29:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LANZHOU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Born and raised in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Yao Yanbei has long been immersed in the cultural heritage of the city. Once an outpost on the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang boasts exquisite Buddhist art dating back over 1,650 years. Its Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are home to more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals. After graduating from a college in the eastern Chinese city of Xiamen, Yao returned to Dunhuang as a promising designer. She was determined to promote her hometown through her creative works. In 2016, inspired by patterns in Dunhuang murals, Yao created a toy camel embellished with fiery red hair and patterns of honeysuckle on its hump. "Through the toy camel, I intended to convey the spirit of the locals who are usually tough-minded and hard-working," Yao said. "Tourists can take home artistic products like the camel replica as souvenirs after visiting the murals," she said. "They help more people know about my hometown." In August 2017, Yao spent nearly a month inside grottoes sketching the murals, in quest of inspiration from the Buddhist art. "Staying in the grottoes from dawn to dusk, I felt spiritually connected with the ancient artists who painted the murals. It was an amazing experience," she said. Inspired by the sculptures and murals, Yao later designed an array of innovative products, including tote bags, T-shirts, bookmarks, pocket mirrors and key rings. They all emanate a modern vibe that appeals to the younger generation. Thanks to the efforts of designers like Yao, the cultural and creative industry began to take root in Dunhuang. Starting from 2018, every year the city has held an international design week to help promote the budding industry. "By pooling the wisdom of designers from home and abroad, we want to make Dunhuang's creative products more fashionable and reflective of the latest trends," said Liu Mengxing, a vice general manager of a local company. "We hope more people can realize that the culture of Dunhuang not only thrives in a remote desert but can also spice up our daily life," Liu added. Looking ahead at her career in design, Yao plans to explore Dunhuang's ancient art further and apply the wisdom of ancient artists into products of modern life. "I want to design more creative products that appeal to more international customers," said Yao. "I hope my design can bring people closer to Dunhuang." Enditem Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19. In a tweet, the 48-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader said he has gone into self-isolation. "Had got my COVID-19 test done after I had a mild fever. The report has come positive. I have gone into self-isolation. As of now, I have no fever or any other issue. I am fine. By your blessings, I will recover fully and return to work soon," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Earlier in the day, he did not attend the one-day session of the Delhi assembly. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan today said that while there has been no date fixed on the availability of a potential Covid-19 vaccine , chances are it may be ready by the first quarter of 2021. He assured the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity. Vardhan further stated that the government is taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine and the officials are is drawing up a detailed strategy on how to immunize majority of the population. Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines etc., are also been discussed intensely," he stated. On the availability of the vaccine and its authorization, Vardhan informed that Centre is considering emergency authorization of COVID-19 vaccination especially in the case of senior citizens and people working in high-risk settings. This shall be done after a consensus has been reached", he said, according to an official statement. To allay fears regarding the safety aspect of the vaccines, he said, "I shall be the first to offer myself for receiving COVID vaccine, if people have a trust deficit." He also noted that a safe and effective vaccine will help in establishing immunity to COVID-19 at much faster pace as compared to the natural infection. It is hoped that a consensus will emerge in next few months over the desired level of protective herd immunity in any community, he stated. Elaborating on the vaccine candidates and their development in India, Vardhan added that Department of Bio Technology (DBT) as well as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been pro-active in responding to the emerging situation to support advancement of vaccine candidates. India is actively partnering with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and trials at different phases are ongoing with respect to several vaccines in Indian laboratories (private or public) and hospitals. The health minister was interacting and answering questions posed by his social media followers on the 'Sunday Samvad' platform. Currently, India has three vaccine candidates, including country's first indigenous vaccine candidate Covaxin, which are in different phases of the clinical study, top ICMR scientist (Prof) Balram Bhargava informed earlier. "So at the present moment, we have three Indian vaccine candidates which are in different phases of a clinical study. Studies for Phase 1 and 2 are to determine the safety and very early efficacy." The Covid-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech, is currently in Phase I/II human trials and is being tested at 12 institutes across India. For the vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, pharma major Serum Institute of India (SII) said it will resume the trials in India once Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gives it requisite permission. AstraZeneca PLC had on September 6 paused the trial of coronavirus vaccine (recombinant) as a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. It was also reported that the clinical trials had been put on hold in other countries including USA, UK, Brazil and South Africa. The third is a DNA vaccine of pharma giant called Zydus Cadila. It has completed the phase 1 study in India and has begun phase 2 study at 11 sites and progressing well. 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 I think there are genuine structural issues about work, workforce, that make transmission more likely. They do the right thing. But they have some vulnerabilities in terms of where and how they are needing to work. There were 84 active cases in City of Casey on Monday, fewer than Wyndham, Brimbank or Melton. Mobility data from Google and Facebook shows people living in Casey, the local government area that covers Hallam and Narre Warren, have been leaving home more often during Melbournes lockdown, on average, than other areas. The stage-four lockdown, which targeted businesses, appeared to reverse that trend, said Melbourne University researcher Rohan Byrne, who is part of the team of scientists tracking the virus for the federal government. But in the past fortnight, people in Casey have started leaving their homes again, he said. Most of that activity happened during weekdays, suggesting a strong link with work. The data also shows when people in Casey do leave the house, they are more reliant than other areas on public transport. University of NSW bio-statistician Dr Nicolas Rebuli said: "Id consider both of these activities quite high risk especially if they have high-risk occupations." Loading The Afghan community in Melbournes south-east is particularly vulnerable to the virus, as some of its members cannot read the health messages, community leader Bassir Qadiri said. While the community has been complying with the stage four restrictions, Mr Qadiri has been translating public-health messages into Dari and calling members of the Afghan community, especially vulnerable elderly members of the community, to go through the information with them. He confirmed he had heard of two Afghan families in Hallam who had fallen ill with COVID-19. Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre chairman Brian Oates said that aged care and insecure work would most likely be driving transmissions. "It does seem that aged care workers are the conduit for the coronavirus in many occasions. Aged care workers tend to be casual people who work in two or three different facilities at the same time in order to make ends meet," Mr Oates said. "People just have to work in several different areas because they can't get enough work in a single job as a casual worker. It's very disappointing and I think is one of the big lessons from this COVID situation. We need to pay more attention to insecure work." The Age has reported extensively on potential links between disadvantage, insecure work, and the spread of COVID-19. Mobility data shows that on average more-advantaged areas of Melbourne reduced their mobility than less-advantaged areas during lockdown. Workers in Casey were mostly employed in aged care, hospitals, supermarkets, takeaway food and childcare at the time of the 2016 Census. Those industries are all considered essential and cannot be done from home, and have been identified as the most difficult workplaces to suppress the virus. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Risk Management Association announced today that banks can now implement its groundbreaking RMA Dual Risk Rating as a turnkey software solution. Built by RMA member banks and industry experts, RMA Dual Risk Rating presents a cost-effective, instant-access way to implement a risk rating system with superior granularity and consistencya crucial advantage always, and especially in these times of COVID-19. As a flexible out-of-the-box solution powered by ACTICO platform technology, RMA Dual Risk Rating is designed to meet any bank's technology requirements. It can be deployed on its own as easy-to-use cloud-based software or seamlessly integrated as part of an existing loan origination system. "To ensure our members always have the resources they need in a world of volatility and emerging risks, RMA is on a path of constant innovation," said RMA President and CEO Nancy Foster. "This new offering will help RMA members benefit from our innovative Dual Risk Rating solution in the format that best suits their needs." With RMA's trusted risk rating solution, credit scoring and decisioning is as straightforward as entering client financial data, reviewing the rating recommendation, and taking action. Users can also run reports at the client or portfolio level to quickly examine ratings concentration and migration over time. RMA Dual Risk Rating was initially launched in February 2020 to help member banks overcome historical scorecard development, technology, and adoption barriers that have prevented them from upgrading their risk rating systems. The rating system is comprised of a highly granular master scale, six borrower scorecards, and one facility scorecard, all developed to make it easier for banks to organize and act upon rapidly changing credit risk. Click here for more information and a demonstration of the new RMA Dual Risk Rating software solution. Click here if your institution is interested in adding Dual Risk Rating capability or if you have questions about RMA Dual Risk Rating. 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 Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all the latest news and other updates from Hindustan Times. He was compelled: Raghuvansh Singhs letter sparks row after his demise Even before the mortal remains of former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh could be consigned to flames, an ugly verbal spat has broken out between Grand Alliance and NDA leaders over the letter written by Singh from his hospital bed in New Delhi days before his death. Read more Rhea Chakraborty names Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh and designer Simone Khambatta, says NCB Actor Rhea Chakraborty, arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with its ongoing investigation into allegations of drug abuse and distribution in the case of Sushant Singh Rajputs death, has named actors Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh and designer Simone Khambatta in her statement, officials said on Monday. Read more Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tests positive for Covid-19 Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, the deputy CM said that he has gone in self isolation. Read more Wont be enough Covid-19 vaccines till 2024: Serum Institutes Adar Poonawalla Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of Serum Institute of India (SII), has warned there wont be enough vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for everyone in the world till the end of 2024, according to a report on Monday. Read more IPL 2020: If a captain is believing in you, what more do you want: Piyush Chawla glad to be back with worlds best captain MS Dhoni Chawla is excited to be back working with Dhoni as CSK head into the IPL as a side that possesses one of one of strongest spin attacks among all eight franchises. Read more LG Wing launched: Check out price, specs, features here As far as the availability is concerned, the LG WING will be available in South Korea starting next month in Aurora Gray and Illusion Sky colour variants. There is no word on the pricing yet. Read more Sushant Singh Rajputs brother-in-law on life 3 months after the actors death: We are partly still in trauma Sushant Singh Rajputs brother-in-law Vishal Singh Kirti has written a long note on how the family is dealing with their loss. He said the family is trying to heal but is still partly in trauma. Read more Saif Ali Khans sizzling look even at the age of 50 is credited to this secret Saif Ali Khans age-defying looks may come as a surprise to some but were here to spill the beans on his sultry and handsome hunk avatar, even at 50. Read more Watch | Insult, apologise: Nirmala Sitharaman faces TMC MPs jibe in LS, BJP livid LG has, throughout its long history, jumped onto some very unusual bandwagons. In 2011, it tried to cash in on an extremely short-lived 3D smartphone craze with the Optimus 3D/Thrill 4G. Perhaps inspired by Google's ultimately doomed Project Ara, it released one of the world's only modular smartphones -- the G5 -- in 2016. And now, with foldable screens on the rise and dual-display phones making a comeback, LG is trying to turn heads once more with the new Wing 5G. It's about the strangest dual-screen phone we've seen yet, and with a (not yet firm) price of around $1,000, its also among the cheapest. Maybe more than anything, though, its proof that, yes, Weird LG is back. Here's the idea: When the Wing is closed, it looks like any other big smartphone. Up front, there's a 6.8-inch P-OLED FullVision screen running at 2460x 1080, plus a 32-megapixel pop-up camera. Around back, there's what appears at first glance to be a fairly standard triple camera system: The 64-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 is the main attraction, and it's joined by an f/1.9 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The first hint that something unusual is afoot is the second, 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Exactly why that thing is here only really becomes apparent once you open the phone. Rather than unfolding the Wing as you would with a Galaxy Z Fold 2 or a Surface Duo, you instead flick the main screen around so it sits in landscape orientation. Only then do you see the smaller, 3.9-inch screen beneath it -- this thing runs at 1,240 x 1,080, and is designed to pull double duty. You can use it to run Chrome, Twitter, or Instagram the same way you would on a regular smartphone, all while keeping a YouTube video or Google Maps directions visible on that big main screen. LG Wing 5G Meanwhile, other specially tuned apps can take over both displays at once -- the Gallery app, for instance, can show pictures in finder detail on the big screen, leaving the smaller one available to show off editing controls or thumbnails of other photos you've taken. And when you're using LG's built-in messaging app, you can spin the whole thing around to see the message thread on the small screen while pecking out a response on the big one. Story continues The Wing's strange, secondary ultra-wide camera might be the best example of this both-screens-at-once approach. Once the phone is open and you fire up the camera, the Wing can become an all-in-one camera/gimbal combo, complete with an on-screen joystick for tilt shots and planning. A cluster of stabilizers is built into the Wing to help smooth out your run-and-gun footage, though it's anyone's guess how well they'd compare to a proper, standalone gimbal. (A quick note: The 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor can only be used in gimbal mode since it's actually mounted in the Wing sideways.) And if using a phone like an Osmo doesn't exactly appeal, you can also use the secondary screen to the control the regular cameras, and even record video using the front-facing and rear cameras simultaneously. While the Wing is about as unconventional a phone we've seen this year -- and that's really saying something -- the stuff powering it is considerably more pedestrian. The Wing uses one of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G chipsets, paired here with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. (Unlike, say, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Wing also supports microSD cards as large as 2TB.) As the name implies, this is a fully 5G device too, with support for both mmWave and sub-6 networks. Because of that expansive network support, the Wing will be compatible with all of the major US wireless carriers -- Verizon will carry it first this year, followed shortly by AT&T and T-Mobile. There are just a few other things to note here: For one, despite its focus on media creation, the Wing doesn't have a headphone jack. LG says this was a decision made so it could squeeze in all the bits it needed for 5G and that movable display without making the phone too cumbersome to hold. Despite not having held the thing yet, LG seems to have done a solid job on that front -- the Wing is just about as thick as the LG Velvet. And speaking of that flick-open display mechanism, the company says the back of the main screen is coated in thermoplastic polyoxymethylene to keep it from scratching the small screen while in motion, and that the whole package has been tested to last for more than 200,000 swivels. LG Wing 5G I cannot give this company enough credit for its sheer goddamned temerity, because the Wing is -- at first glance -- an absolutely ridiculous concept brought to life. Of course, "ridiculous" was sort of the whole point. The Wing was developed as part of LG's Explorer project, an in-house initiative meant to help foster smartphone design innovation now that the industry is keen to move on from glass-and-metal slabs. While some old-school phone nerds (myself included) may see a resemblance between this thing and LG's mobile-TV-focused VX9400, the company says it designed the Wing as a response to what it learned about dual screens from devices like the V60 ThinQ. Turns out, people like the flexibility of having two screens, but not to the point where they'd necessarily want to carry a dual-screen case around or invest in a phone that's too different from what they're used to. With that in mind, the Wing might actually be a great device. By design, it offers a proper, standard smartphone experience, plus some extra flexibility when you really need it. There are, of course, lingering questions about app support and overall ease of use, but we'll hopefully answer those questions once we get to test one. Maybe the most important thing about the Explorer initiative is that it won't live or die based on the Wing's sales. LG says it will remain committed to the project even if the Wing winds up being a total market dud, which -- let's face it -- is a distinct possibility. Perhaps the Wing will languish on store shelves; perhaps people will buy it in droves. No one can say for sure right now, but if LG really does stick to its word and pushes the industry in new and interesting directions, well, that's a win for all of us. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. Rutgers' new president wants the state university to reopen in January at 50% capacity, but rising coronavirus rates on other campuses around the nation may make that difficult, he says. A former bookkeeper for a Rhode Island law firm has agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the embezzlement of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars from her employer, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Sarah Gaulin, 39, will plead guilty to bank fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, according to a statement from the U.S. attorneys office in Rhode Island. Gaulin worked for Hamel, Waxler, Allen and Collins, a personal injury law firm with an office in Providence. She prepared and cashed firm checks made payable to herself, made out firm checks payable to her own creditors, and prepared firm checks payable to credit card companies for personal purchases, prosecutors said. The scheme ran from January 2012 until May 2019, prosecutors said. Gaulin also lied on a bank mortgage application and fraudulently collected nearly $20,000 in temporary disability insurance payments while she continued to work, prosecutors said. An email seeking comment was left with her attorney. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Abuse Molestation A man has been killed after he was run over repeatedly in a supermarket car park as police launch a murder investigation. The 47-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene in Dagenham, east London, after being hit five times by a car at around 11.30pm on Sunday night. Residents saw paramedics performing CPR on the man at Whalebone Lane South as they battled to save his life. Some locals said a burnt out BMW was found nearby, but police have not confirmed if this was involved in the killing. Police launched a murder inquiry and say no arrests have yet been made. A man has been killed after he was run over repeatedly in a supermarket car park as police launch a murder investigation Devastated family members have paid tribute to the dead man who has been named locally as Johnny. His last name has not yet been confirmed by Met Police who will be carrying out a post mortem this week. Floral tributes have been left at the scene close to the busy Whalebone South Road. One tribute card reads: 'To my very special brother, John. We'll be thinking of you always. Love you.' Another says 'RIP Uncle Johnny. Always in our hearts, Sarah, Dan and the kids.' Shoppers spoke of their shock today at the senseless killing. Many were stopping to look at the floral tributes and read the messages. One said: 'I saw all the police activity and wondered what on earth was going on. 'It's shocking to think of how he died. Whatever has gone on, no-one deserves to die like that.' The 47-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene in Dagenham, east London, after being hit five times by a car at around 11.30pm on Sunday night It comes after a shop worker who was about to leave after a night shift revealed he saw paramedics working on the stricken man. Shahid Khattack, store manager at the nearby Iceland that backs on to the scene, saw the victim lying in the car park after the attack. The 32-year-old said: 'I was about to come out of the shop out the back when I saw the paramedics and emergency services. 'They were still working on him, pumping his chest, doing CPR, trying to save him. It was a shocking thing to see. 'We have a lot of trouble and threats from shoplifters, but you don't expect to see that.' Mr Khattack added: 'People I've spoken to who saw it said he was run over about four or five times.' A cordon remained around the scene on Monday after the man was killed in a supermarket car park in what police are treating as a murder Mr Khattack said he saw two ambulances and around two police cars. He added: 'Some people said they even saw armed police. It was crazy and all very scary. 'We weren't allowed to out the building until 2am while the car park was closed off. My shift was supposed to start again at 4am.' The supermarket was still not allowed to open this afternoon, as forensic teams cordoned off the car park and took pictures of the area. Another resident who did not want to be named said he heard a man groaning on the floor then looked out his window and saw the car run him over, then reverse over the victim. The supermarket was still not allowed to open this afternoon, as forensic teams cordoned off the car park and took pictures of the area The man in his 20s said: 'I heard something that sounded like someone groaning. I kept hearing it so went to the window and saw him lying, groaning on the ground. 'Then I saw a car come in and run over him. At first I was so shocked I couldn't tell what really happened, then it reversed and went 'bang' straight over him again. 'I was so shocked I couldn't believe it. I was like 'did I actually just see that?' I told my mum and she called the police. It was so crazy.' Albert Allen said he also heard a man cry out in pain then saw a car speeding down a nearby road in reverse. Enquiries to find the man's next of kin are still ongoing, Scotland Yard said, and a post-mortem examination is due be carried out The 92-year-old said: 'At about quarter to 10pm I heard something, it was like a man repeatedly screaming out. 'At first I didn't think anything of it as there's often noises out there from youngsters at that time of night. 'Then at about 10pm, a car sped down the road in reverse, it came flying down really fast.' Enquiries to find his next of kin are still ongoing, Scotland Yard said, and a post-mortem examination is due be carried out. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley said: 'We believe the victim was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry. 'We need to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious.' Democrats have been stronger in support of Pritzkers handling of the pandemic, though that number also has fallen, from 85% in late April to nearly 75% in late August. Approval among Republicans in the state, which began at 45% in late April, was about 40% in late August. As of Sept. 1, 2020, 100 thousand unemployed citizens are registered in the employment services, the press service of Kyrgyzstans Ministry of Labor and Social Development said Monday, Trend reports citing Kabar. Unemployment allowance was assigned to 215 unemployed citizens. 8 thousand 423 citizens are provided with jobs with assistance of employment service. Taking into account the labor market needs in labor force of certain professions, employment services sent 3 thousand 714 unemployed citizens for vocational training. Unemployed people were trained mainly in professions that were in demand on the labor market - gas electric welder, hairdresser, computer operator, accountant with knowledge of 1C, cook, seamstress, tailor, office manager, electrician, driver. 9 thousand 643 unemployed citizens were sent to paid public works under the procedure of temporary employment. Active measures on labor market covered 13 thousand 357 unemployed citizens. The number of vacant workplaces declared to the employment services as of Sept. 1, 2020 made 11 thousand 993. 37 people applied for one vacant job. PHILIPSBURG:--- The PRO Soualiga Foundation has taken another step forward in representing St. Maarten by putting additional pressure on the Dutch Government to comply with article 73 of the UN Charter. On Monday the Foundation Secretary dispatched a summons to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte demanding that he comply with article 73a of the United Nations Charter. Read the full summons: Click here for PDF version of the summons. GRAND RAPIDS, MI He has five younger sisters so when the shooting started at Hookah Lounge he instinctively protected the young women on the scene. He pushed them to the ground during a shootout that injured seven early Sunday, Sept. 13, at East Paris Hookah Lounge. Margaret Atwood, whose sweeping body of work includes The Handmaids Tale, a depiction of a nightmarish totalitarian future for the United States, is this years winner of a lifetime achievement award that celebrates literatures power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding. The Canadian writer and teacher has earned the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, officials of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize officials announced Monday. The award is named for the late U.S. diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnian peace accords reached in the Ohio city. Atwood a prolific writer of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, comic books and, as of late, tweets in recent years has drawn a new round of acclaim for her bestselling 1985 novel of a dystopian future in which women are subjugated after an overthrow of the U.S. government. Some readers of The Handmaids Tale saw in the leaders of authoritarian Gilead similarities to the rise of Republican Donald Trump to president in the election of 2016. The television adaptation on Hulu starring Elisabeth Moss generated yet more commentary, and women dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets, as the handmaids were depicted in the book and TV series, have shown up at political demonstrations. Youre not there yet, or else you wouldnt be talking to me, Atwood said to a male Associated Press reporter, laughing over the phone. Youd probably be in an isolation prison or something or dead. ... How dare you talk to a female person over the phone and write about them? ... And if I were a betting person, which naturally I kind of am, I would bet on American orneriness and refusal to line up, she added. So I dont think youre going to get people marching in lockstep easily. ... You could get it, but it would be hard. Atwood also thinks people are alert to the dangers of undermining the U.S. constitution. That is what stands between you and an absolutist dictatorship, she said. Sharon Rab, the founder and chairwoman of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, praised Atwood for popular success with writing that also educates people about pressing social justice and environmental issues. Margaret Atwood continues to remind us that It cant happen here cannot be depended upon; anything can happen anywhere given the right circumstances, and right now, with scorn for democratic institutions on the rise, her lessons are more vital than ever, Rab told The AP by email. While not all books are conducive to peace and understanding, Atwood said, fiction can help people learn what it is to be a person different from ourselves, so that might cause you to have more empathy with people who arent exactly like you. The Toronto residents longtime partner, novelist Graeme Gibson, died at age 85 a year ago this month. Atwood, 80, said she tried to keep herself busily distracted after the loss, doing book promotions and other travel until the pandemic grounded her in March. She has since signed thousands of inserts and bookplates to support independent booksellers, and has given talks via Zoom. She considers herself a realist, but on the optimistic side, because if youre pessimistic, you dont do anything. ... I think its people who are realistic but inclined towards optimism who actually try to change direction. Atwood published her first book of poetry, Double Persephone, in 1961, and her other books have included Cats Eye (1988), Alias Grace (1996), The Blind Assassin (2000), and The MaddAddam Trilogy (2003-2013). The Testaments, her 2019 sequel to The Handmaids Tale, quickly joined her bestsellers. The Dayton lifetime achievement award carries a $10,000 prize. Previous winners include Studs Terkel, Taylor Branch, John Irving, Gloria Steinem and Elie Wiesel. The awards gathering originally planned for October is being rescheduled for spring 2021 because of pandemic precautions. Atwood will be joined by the 2020 winners of awards for fiction and nonfiction; finalists for those will be announced next month. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 32 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz That was the last that relatives and friends heard from the three, who were among a dozen Hong Kong activists intercepted at sea by Chinese authorities while trying to flee to Taiwan on a speedboat. More than three weeks since their detention, those closest to them say they fear for their health, safety and mental state and are distressed they have been held incommunicado and without access to private lawyers. MOD Pizza's founders didn't need to start another business. They'd sold their first--fast-casual coffee chain Seattle Coffee Company--to Starbucks, earning a sum that would make their family comfortable for life. But in the afterglow of their success, Scott Svenson and his wife and co-founder, Ally Svenson, wanted to give back to their community. They donated money, and they joined nonprofit boards. Nothing seemed to scratch their itch--perhaps because their actions felt like one-off tokens. When they came across an idea for a scalable enterprise applying the fast-casual restaurant model to pizza, something clicked: They could both use their skills to simultaneously build a fast-growing company and do some good for the world. They called it MOD Pizza, a place where customers could order custom pizzas to be made in minutes. Behind the counter, the mission happened: Managers would strive to provide employment opportunities, good salaries, and benefits to individuals who'd faced barriers to employment, such as formerly incarcerated individuals, people undergoing rehab, and people with disabilities. One of the company's driving principles: People deserve second chances. If they built it, Svenson realized, the company would "make ongoing impacts in communities and society generally long beyond when we're involved. That's what got us excited." MOD now has more than 460 locations and reported $398 million in net revenue in 2019. But there is, in any purpose-driven business or social enterprise, a tension between profit and purpose. Well-meaning ideas often can compete with the realities of the bottom line. MOD has never felt that tension more keenly than during the pandemic, Svenson told me in an interview for Inc.'s weekly podcast What I Know. But crisis is no time to compromise. "For companies that do have a strong sense of purpose, make sure that you're using a time like this to reinforce and double down on that purpose," he said. "It's so easy to dilute it or abandon it at times of crisis, because sometimes you just don't feel like you have the capacity or resources to do it." Instead, Svenson urges leaders to focus more acutely on their purpose, and let it drive them through the times when profit isn't as expected. "I think if a purpose is true and sincere, it can be the path out of a crisis like this," he said. "One of the things we've talked a lot about through this crisis is it's been an opportunity for us to go back and really think about our culture." BRIMFIELD - Police said a man found Saturday at Sturbridge Road convenience store with a gunshot wound to one of his legs had not been shot in Brimfield but some 40 miles away in Hartford. The man, Luis DeJesus of Hartford, was treated for his injury at Sams Food Store, 4 Sturbridge Road , and transported to UMass Medical Center in Worcester for surgery, police said. While treating DeJesus, officers found he also had a loaded .380 caliber handgun in a fanny pack he was wearing around his chest, police said. The gun was later found to have been reported stolen The injury was determined not to be self-inflicted, and that DeJesus had apparently been shot sometime earlier in Hartford, police said. Brimfield police contacted Hartford police and learned that DeJesus is wanted there on felony charges for second-degress assault and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He is being held by Brimfield police on charges of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, receiving stolen property and being a fugitive from justice. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at a later date, police said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the Trump administration received a proposal from Oracle Corp over the weekend to make TikTok a US-headquartered company and will review the plan this week. Bytedance, which owns the short video app, currently runs its US operations out of Culver City in LA County, California and the Chinese-owned company was given a September 20 deadline to sell to an American company due to data concerns. It emerged Sunday that Oracle won the bid over Microsoft but that the deal was a restructuring to having a 'trusted technology partner' rather than an outright sale. In a TV interview Mnuchin said tens of thousands of jobs would come from the new deal, which is yet to be signed off by the Trump administration. Scroll down for video Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that the Trump admin will review a deal for Oracle to be TikTok's 'trusted technology partner' Mnuchin told MSNBC on Monday: 'There's also a commitment to create TikTok Global as a US-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs.' Pictured: The TikTok office in Culver City, California President Donald Trump supporter Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle Corporation in 1977 and it now has 136,000 employees. Pictured: An exterior view of the Oracle Field Office in Arlington, Virginia 'I want to be careful what I say, but I will confirm we did get a proposal over the weekend that includes Oracle as the trusted technology partner, with Oracle making many representations for national security issues,' Mnuchin told MSNBC. 'There's also a commitment to create TikTok Global as a US-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs.' President Donald Trump supporter Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle Corporation in 1977 with Bob Miner and Ed Oates. It now has 136,000 employees. In February 2020, Ellison hosted a Trump fundraiser at his Rancho Mirage home where tickets cost up to $250,000 to attend. According to Forbes, Ellison, has a net worth of $72billion and is the fifth richest person in the US. In August, Trump threatened to ban TikTok if there wasn't a sale to a US company in 45 days. US officials criticized the app's security and privacy, suggesting that user data might be shared with Beijing. TikTok has said it would not comply with any request to share user data with the Chinese authorities. President Donald Trump previously threatened to ban the Chinese-owned app if there wasn't a sale to a US company by September 20 but the new deal isn't an outright sale Microsoft was believed to be the front-runner but then the sale process became more complicated after revisions to a technology exports list on August 28. Reuters previously reported that TikTok's prospective buyers were discussing four ways to structure an acquisition from ByteDance and that within these, ByteDance could still push ahead with a sale of TikTok's US assets without approval from China's commerce ministry by selling them without key algorithms. It was unclear if General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, both of which were previously reported to have spurred on the Oracle deal, ended up being a part of this agreement with the cloud-computing operations company. 'We have a lot of confidence in both Microsoft and Oracle, they've chosen Oracle, we'll be reviewing it with their technical teams and our technical teams to see if they can make the representations' to keep data on American phones safe, Mnuchin told CNBC television. 'We can confirm that we've submitted a proposal to the Treasury Department which we believe would resolve the Administration's security concerns,' TikTok spokeswoman Hilary McQuaide told the Washington Post. Following Mnuchin's interview Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger confirmed also confirmed that 'it is part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle will serve as the trusted technology provider.' Oracle stocks climbed 4.32% to $59.46 after it was confirmed that the business software maker beat out Microsoft to become the 'trusted technology provider' of TikTok. Toy major Funskool India Ltd was seriously looking at developing the country's traditional games as part of strengthening its operations in the country, a top company official has said. The company was also looking at 'substantially' expanding its distribution network in rural areas, Funskool India chief executive officer, R Jeswant said. "We intend to widen our domestic offerings and will target to introduce well over 100 products over the next one year. We expect several policy initiatives promoting local manufacturing to come from the government in next few months", he told PTI. On future plans, he said, "we are also seriously looking at developing some of India's traditional games and have plans to work closely with manufacturers of traditional Indian toys and artisans." The initiative would also help artisans to improve the quality of their products and also help scale up in manufacturing, he added. On the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in its operations, he said April and May were very big months for toy business (in terms of sales) but both months ended in a 'total washout'. "All our three factories were closed for almost all of April and all stores remained closed", he said. With domestic demand picking up, he said, "we are back on track". On those measures taken by the company to tide over the impact caused by the pandemic, he said, Funskool focused on exports business and the company grew in shipping its products between April and August. "This helped in absorbing the fall in demand on the domestic front. July and August have been exceptional for exports. With demand picking up in domestic sales, particularly in e-commerce, weare well on the way to recovery," he said. On the Prime Minister's recent comments on the toy industry during his 'Mann ki baat', Jeswant said, the toy industry was huge globally at USD90 billion but the Indian market was meagre 0.5 per cent. "Clearly the market is evolving and we really needed the attention which our PM's comments brought to the industry," he said. To a query, he said following the spurt in demand in domestic business the company was 'scaling up' production at all its facilities. "As of now we have enough capacities to meet the demand. But with increasing exports and with domestic demand expanding to fill the gaps we may soon see the need to put up an additional factory," he said. The company has two facilities in Tamil Nadu and one in Goa. On plans to boost sales, he said, exports of the company's brands were growing 'significantly.' "We export our own brands currently to the Middle East, Africa and several Asian countries. We have been able to make inroads into Europe and the USA as well. We are steadily expanding our presence," he said. Noting that the biggest challenge in developing new products was 'high tooling costs' and amortizing the tooling costs over small volumes, he said it could change as manufacturing activities picks up and one can expect to see a lot of innovation in design and development of toys emerging out of the country. On plans in the domestic market, he said, in many smaller towns availability of quality toys itself was a problem and Funskool has plans "to substantially expand the distribution network". "We will focus on design and development and expand our product range to ensure that novelty and freshness is maintained...it will be our endeavour to price products within the affordable range for the majority of customers," he said. While stating that the company would expand presence overseas, Jeswant said, catering to the 'sourcing' needs of more toy companies will continue to be an integral part of the business. "Our outlook for the future is very positive and we believe that the toy industry in India has a lot of potential to develop into a hub for sourcing...," he said. Two San Antonians with judicial experience one a Republican swept out of office in the 2018 Blue Wave, the other a Democrat who lost his seat in the March primary have another shot at returning to the bench, this time to replace a criminal district court judge who died in January. Republican Judge Melisa Skinner is already in the 114th state District Court seat, but its a temporary appointment made by Gov. Greg Abbott. Shes on the Nov. 3 ballot against Democratic Judge Michael E. Mery for the 114th court, where Judge Ray Olivarri had presided. He died in January after a long battle with cancer. On ExpressNews.com: Prosecutor and former San Antonio judge sworn in as new 144th state district court judge I have dedicated my entire life to criminal law. I went to law school with the intention of practicing criminal law, said Skinner, 58. I did it right out of the gate. Ive done nothing else since. She was judge in the 290th state District Court for eight years until she was defeated by defense attorney Jennifer Pena in the 2018 Democratic sweep. Newly elected Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales hired Skinner in January 2019 to be a supervising prosecutor in his office and the lead prosecutor in the 144th. If elected, Skinner will have to recuse herself from criminal cases she worked on in that court. Mery was defeated in his bid for re-election as judge of the 37th Civil District Court, where he has presided for the past seven years. He was defeated by fellow Democrat Nicole Garza in the primary March 3. She is unopposed on the Nov. 3 ballot. Merys term ends Dec. 31. Before serving on the 37th Civil District Court bench, Mery was presiding judge of County Court-at-Law No. 12 for 11 years, until he was defeated in the Democratic primary in 2010. He created a Mental Health Court while on that bench and afterward worked as a mediator and handled civil cases as a visiting judge for two years before he ran for his current seat. On ExpressNews.com: Civil district judge gets a taste of jury duty in Bexar County after receiving summons to appear Skinner and Mery each sought the nominations from their respective parties to be placed on the ballot for the 144th Judicial District. They each took their pitches of why they are best qualified to fill the remaining two years left on Olivarris term to the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board via Zoom videoconferencing Saturday. Skinner touted her 27 years of experience specifically in criminal law. She has presided over 159 felony jury trials, including cases that included the death penalty. She said she is known for running an efficient court and cited handling thousands upon thousands of criminal cases while making sure that everybody gets equal justice, everybody gets fairness, whether defendant, prosecutor or defense attorney, when they come before her. On ExpressNews.com: Its truly a new age - Bexar County administrative judge plans for virtual jury trials in October; in person in January The criminal bench is what I do. This is really where my heart is. Its the most rewarding thing Ive ever done, she said. Although he has never been a criminal district judge, Mery, 62, touted his 21 years as a jurist in misdemeanor and civil courts and his experience as a mediator as assets for the job. He disagreed with his opponent that he did not have the qualifications to be a district court judge. Ive got plenty of experience, he said, citing the disposition of 3,000 civil cases per year in a court that he says has higher volume than the criminal district courts. We are operating off the Code of Criminal Procedures. That code handles all matters of crime. I will rule on every issue that is presented. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5. Early voting will be conducted Oct. 13-Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Successfully Executes $20 Million in Unit Sales PHOENIX, AZ, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taronis Fuels, Inc., (Taronis or the Company) (OTCQB: TRNF), a global producer of renewable and socially responsible fuel products, today provided a corporate update on recent international business developments related to an existing contract in the Republic of Turkey. Most importantly, the existing $18.75 million, five-unit purchase order was formally approved and released by the Turkish authorities, and the order has been modified to $20 million to account for additional design specifications unique to the Turkish market. All five units are currently in production, with the first units projected for shipment in January of 2021. Beginning on August 23rd, a technical and engineering team from Taronis was deployed for over two weeks in Ankara. The team was able to successfully commission a mobile 50KW Venturi plasma arc gasification unit at its new location in Gazi, on the southwest outskirts of Ankara. The unit was officially commissioned by technical and legal representatives from the Turkish Ministry of Finance and Trade on August 30, 2020. On September 3rd, the Company jointly hosted a commissioning and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility in Gazi. The event was widely attended by government officials, representatives from the majority of the industrial gas companies in Turkey, as well as a select group of prospective buyers of the gasification units both within Turkey and from neighboring markets in Central Asia. The ceremony was very well received, both locally in Ankara and nationally by the Turkish business community, as the event was widely covered by both the national print and television media. In total, nine national financial and business publications in Turkey have published articles on the event. In addition, Taronis Fuels was featured on two leading Turkish national television stations immediately following the event. The Company subsequently conducted more than a dozen private demonstrations for prospective buyers of the gasification unit the week of September 7th. In particular, representatives from the majority of the leading industrial gas providers in Turkey participated in these private, technical presentations. Virtually all of these prospective buyers have expressed interest in securing access to scalable quantities of MagneGas, the Companys patented, renewable metal cutting fuel. In several instances, these industrial gas competitors have also expressed interest in purchasing one or more gasification units. In addition, the Company has identified multiple promising channels to sell MagneGas or gasification units into other end-use applications. As examples, the Company presented to a cement producer, an operator of hydroelectric power plants, and a steel foundry. In each instance, the prospective consumers require significant quantities of acetylene for their infrastructure. In several additional instances, the client expressed interest in the comingling, or co-combustion of MagneGas with traditional fossil fuel products to increase the efficiency of the combustion process. Taronis has previously researched this application and has validated that this co-combustion process can increase heat output by up to 800%, while reducing harmful emissions by up to 50%. This co-combustion opportunity may expand to include coal-fired electric power plants across much of Turkey. With 47 power plants producing over 19GW of power each year, Turkey is the 12th largest user of coal-powered electric utilities today. The use of MagneGas through co-combustion could quickly become the primary justification for the government to procure the remaining 25 gasification units under the $165 million, 30-unit contract currently in place through a Turkish joint venture in which Taronis Fuels is a 49% minority owner. As part of the initial $20 million, five-unit funding approval, the Turkish government also granted the Turkish joint venture a five-year importation approval for both virgin and waste ethanol. Ethanol is in scarce supply in both forms in Turkey and is priced at a significant premium to prevailing market prices in Europe and the United States. Through the Turkish joint venture, the Company is actively looking to scale its existing relationship with Catalent, a global leader in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. With multiple facilities in Europe, Catalent would be an ideal partner for this emerging ethanol importation business. The Company currently sources all of its waste ethanol for its patented MagneGas production through Catalents St. Petersburg, Florida gelcap manufacturing facilities. This was a watershed moment in our international expansion, commented Scott Mahoney, CEO of Taronis Fuels. Securing the full certification of our technology by the Turkish government was a major accomplishment for our engineering team. We are all very proud of their ability to deliver a mobile gasification unit into Ankara during an incredibly challenging set of circumstances over the past six months. From procuring components during supply chain disruption with China and Europe, limited shipping options during the Florida lockdown, and then commissioning the unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, they came through and delivered. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was well planned and executed by our joint venture partners. The national media put our business front and center, and we have immediately seen the benefit from a business development perspective. Our team performed more than a dozen private demonstrations of the unit in operation and MagneGas at its best. Mr. Mahoney continued, We all took great pride watching industrial gas leaders from Turkey express complete amazement at the unique power of MagneGas as a metal cutting fuel. We took a massive 100-millimeter block of steel and cut through it with ease. It was this simple test alone that had several industrial gas companies lined up to have private meetings with our team to discuss how we can partner to leverage MagneGas in the local market. We generated a powerful, positive impression on the local market. Beyond this key accomplishment, we identified several new ancillary revenue streams. Every unit in operation in Turkey will require upwards of $1 million in ethanol feedstock annually. With our unique import license, this is expected to become a scaling source of recurring revenues for Taronis. We are actively evaluating some promising applications for our technology outside the traditional metal cutting fuel market. Foundries, cement manufacturing, insulation production and coal-fired power plants all have a need for cleaner, more efficient combustion solutions. We are carefully evaluating the opportunity to sell additional gasification units into the broader Turkish market. We believe there are even greater opportunities in Turkey than we had originally identified. We have excellent momentum. We have already spent about half of the total cost required to complete the initial five units. Based on our current timeline, we expect to ship the first two units in January, and the remaining three units in February of 2021. The added revenues and cash flows from this initial transaction are a significant catalyst to our growth plans heading into 2021, concluded Mr. Mahoney. About Taronis Fuels, Inc. Taronis Fuels, Inc. is a global producer of renewable and socially responsible fuel products. Our goal is to deliver environmentally sustainable, technology driven alternatives to traditional fossil fuel and carbon-based economy products. We believe our products offer a vastly cleaner solution to legacy acetylene and propane alternatives. Taronis is also dedicated to providing fundamentally safer solutions to meet the industrial, commercial and residential needs of tomorrows global economy. Our products have been rigorously tested and independently validated by global gas authorities as vastly safer than acetylene, the most dangerous industrial gas in use today. Lastly, we strive to deliver products that offer significant function superiority at a reduced cost to the end consumer. Through these efforts, we support 9 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, please visit our website at www.taronisfuels.com/ FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume 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. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov . Airbus Foundation and partners deliver humanitarian aid to Beirut. Image: Airbus The cargo, which will provide much needed relief to those affected by the Beirut explosion, included medicine as well as visors and masks, school items, electrical products and IT-equipment. The goods are destined for the Saint George Hospital University Medical Center in Beirut, the local association Arc de Ciel and the Lebanese Red Cross. Weve all seen the devastation left in the wake of the explosion in Beirut and we, at Airbus, wish the people and the city of Beirut a speedy recovery, said Julie Kitcher, Airbus EVP Communications and Corporate Affairs. I thank our partners and the A350 flight crew involved in this project for their logistics support and their dedication. Without their tremendous efforts, this special mission would not have been possible. YEREVAN, 14 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 14 September, USD exchange rate down by 1.30 drams to 486.37 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.37 drams to 576.64 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.05 drams to 6.46 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.21 drams to 624.84 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 376.94 drams to 30451.8 drams. Silver price down by 4.73 drams to 420.25 drams. Platinum price down by 54.51 drams to 14526.92 drams. NEW DELHI : The Central government on Monday prohibited the export of all varieties of onion except those cut, sliced or broken in powder form amid a shortage in supply due to heavy rainfall and floods. The export of all varieties of onionis prohibited with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The ban also includes Bangalore rose onions and Krishnapuram onions. Onion prices have increased in recent past. There is a shortage in supply in the domestic market due to heavy rainfall and floods. But this shortage is seasonal, a government official said. India exported $198 million of onions in the April-June period of FY21 and $440 million in the entire 2019-20. The government had in March lifted nearly six-month-old ban on export of onions to help boost the income of farmers. The government had in September last year banned the export of onion and imposed countrywide stock limits on onion to bring down prices of the key cooking ingredient that had soared ahead of state elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. The crackdown followed retail onion prices touching 80 a kg in Delhi due to supply disruptions after floods in some states. In December last year, the prices hit 160 per kg in certain parts of the country. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Will a peak never come? Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Union health ministry, had on multiple occasions claimed that Indias Covid peak will never come. Six months into the pandemic, this baffling claim now seems prophetic. This would be a singularly unique situation as most other countries have seen peaks and plateaus. Some experts say that this happening simply because of Indias size and the fact that different regions of the country are at different stages of the pandemic while the national average remains an aggregation of what is happening across the ... (Boston)-- Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States after skin cancer, and women with comorbidities (the presence of more than one condition/disease) often fare worse in terms of their breast cancer. Researchers believe that comorbid conditions such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease may alter the biology of the non-malignant cells of the tumor microenvironment and may promote progression. Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers Gerald Denis, PhD, Andrew Emili, PhD, and Stefano Monti, PhD, together with Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School researcher Senthil Muthuswamy, PhD, have been awarded a five-year, $2.5 million National Cancer Institute UO1 grant to develop and analyze breast tumor organoids (models). Specifically, the award will support their project: Multiscale analysis of metabolic inflammation as a driver of breast cancer. According to the researchers, the patient population at most safety-net hospitals often presents not just with invasive breast cancer of a specific stage and molecular subtype, but also with comorbid conditions such as Type 2 diabetes which accounts for a 40 percent worse overall survival compared to non-diabetic women. "This co-morbidity burden is disproportionately high among vulnerable cohorts, such as patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC), where it can affect half of the patient population. Unfortunately, current models of breast tumor progression and immunotherapy are based on data from metabolically healthy cancer patients, ignoring metabolic /inflammatory components of Type 2 diabetes," explained Monti, associate professor of medicine and biostatistics at BUSM. "Currently, the standard of care is built on data from patients who do not have these complications, thus these patients are understudied. Our goal is to produce new models that represent women with these conditions and hopefully lead to improved outcomes in their survival," added Denis, the Shipley Prostate Cancer Research Professor at BUSM. "This project leverages the strengths of a unique trans-disciplinary team with complementary strengths in molecular oncology, organoid modeling, bioinformatics and systems biology to address a major unmet clinical need,' concludes Emili, the founding Director of the Center for Network Systems Biology at BU. ### The project's other researchers are Naomi Ko, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist at BMC. Kimberly Bertrand, ScD, from BU's Slone Epidemiology Center will analyze patient clinical data for outcomes of breast cancer. Anna Belkina, MD, PhD, an expert in multi-parameter flow cytometry will focus on the T cell function of the breast cancer immune infiltrates, while Joshua Campbell, PhD, a computational biologist, will analyze single cell RNA sequencing data from the tumors, T cells and organoids. A so-called coronavirus 'denier' who believes the pandemic which has led to the deaths of 45,000 people in the UK is a hoax has been investigated by police after he put up a sign banning customers from wearing face masks inside his shop. Michael Schneider, 57, placed a sign on the window of his J.Voke Vintage Tearoom in Chichester which states that any person wearing a mask - what he calls a 'government muzzle' - will be banned entry. The tearoom owner has also admitted that he will penalise mask-wearers by charging them if they put on a face mask 'of their own volition'. A red doormat with white footprints also instructs customers to 'stand here until you realise your Government is brainwashing you (You May Be Here Sometime)'. Mr Schneider alleges that the British public are 'consenting to Government control' by following Boris Johnson's coronavirus restrictions, including the new draconian Rule of Six which has come into force in England today. Police are now investigating shopkeeper Mr Schneider after Chichester District Council was inundated with complaints about his sign. Mr Schneider claims council officers has 'threatened to shut down his shop' if he does not take the sign down - though the Council denies making such threats. It comes as Britain turns into a nation of narks after ministers instructed people to inform on neighbours suspected of flouting new anti-Covid rules to police. Michael Schneider, 57, placed a sign on the window of his J.Voke Vintage Tearoom in Chichester which states that any person wearing a face mask will be banned entry Mr Scheider's sign - entitled 'Con-A-Virus Notice Government Muzzles!' - states that people cannot shop at the tearoom if they 'consent to Government demands' Michael Schneider, 57, placed a sign on the window of his J.Voke Vintage Tearoom in Chichester which states that any person wearing a mask will be banned entry The shopkeeper, who sells food, drinks and second-hand items - is now determined to keep his sign up as he 'fundamentally believes down in my bones that human rights are being taken away' by the Government. Speaking to Metro, Mr Schneider said: 'What's happening now, where you can't get more than six people in one place without having the police on you, that violates Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 'I've had the police around, I've had the Council round twice and they all want me to take my poster down and I'm not going to do it because it's the truth.' Mr Schneider closed J.Voke Vintage Tearoom in March when the UK went into lockdown and was a recipient of Government bailout money. He reopened in June and has claimed that public reaction to his sign has been 'very positive'. 'When someone walks into my shop, I challenge them and say 'How are you?' They go 'Very well'. I say, 'Then why are you wearing a mask? Take it off'. They go 'I don't know',' he added. 'I do accept people wearing a mask if I challenge them and they say it makes them feel safe. If that's why they're doing it, I allow them in my shop and I will serve them. 'It's not a complete ban, if it makes you feel better or safer, come in no problem. It's because they're doing it of their own volition.' It's been a very positive reaction. A red doormat with white footprints at the entrance to J.Voke Vintage Tearoom in Chichester also instructs customers to 'stand here until you realise your Government is brainwashing you' Police are investigating shopkeeper Mr Schneider after Chichester District Council was inundated with complaints about his sign. Mr Schneider claims the Council has 'threatened to shut down his shop' if he does not remove the sign. The Council denies making such threats 'My footfall has trebled since I put the poster in the window. People come in and say 'Thank god there's someone else who believes it's all nonsense'.' A Chichester Council spokesperson said: 'As a council, we have received some complaints about the face covering signage at J Voke Vintage Tearoom. 'We have passed these on to Sussex Police, as the agency responsible for face covering guidance, so that they can investigate this.' A spokesman from Sussex Police said the proprietor of J.Voke Vintage Tearoom assured a city PCSO he wouldn't refuse entry to anybody wearing a face mask when the sign came to their attention in July. He added: 'He was neither asked nor directed to remove the poster and we are not aware of any complaints from the public.' Mr Scheider's sign - entitled 'Con-A-Virus Notice Government Muzzles!' - states that people cannot shop at the tearoom if they 'consent to Government demands'. It then sarcastically lists the demands - 'suppressing your immune system', 'reducing your oxygen intake', 'raising your cortisol level (stress hormone)', 'breathing back in your own carbon dioxide and bacteria (that your body is trying to expel)'. 'Turn off your Television and engage your brain before you spend the rest of your lives living on your knees... OWNED BY THE STATE!' the sign screams. 'The reason you're being ordered to stand two metres apart and wear a muzzle is nothing to do with a virus... it's Applied Behavioural Psychology to "CONTROL YOU"'. Mr Scheider's policy appears to be proving unpopular with unhappy locals who accuse the shopkeeper of spreading 'misinformation' on Google reviews However, Mr Scheider's policy appears to be proving unpopular with unhappy locals who accuse the shopkeeper of spreading 'misinformation'. Customers posting Google reviews rounded on Mr Schneider, with one saying: 'Should be ashamed of yourselves spreading misinformation and causing a threat to your locals!' Another simply said: 'Enjoy your bankruptcy. Wear a mask.' One customer posted: 'Disinformation advising people not to be "muzzled"'. A fourth commented: 'I see even their mindset is geared towards the olden times even when it comes down to safety'. Mr Schneider has vowed to fight authorities to keep up his sign, saying: 'I was happy to open again but everyone is now so scared, they don't want to shop. They want it all online, they don't leave their houses. Business owners voice anger at 'Rule of Six' Business owners and their customers also voiced anger, but vowed that they would stick to the rules because they did not want to face hefty fines. Grish Gregorian, 61 owner of Cafe Florentine in Ealing, West London told MailOnline: 'It just doesn't make sense to me. I had some customers coming in this morning who were going off to work in offices where there are up to 50 people. So, what's the problem if a large group came to my cafe for food? 'The rule is going to cause more problems for businesses like mine who are already struggling. I mainly get larger bookings for the weekend, but I have already had to refuse a few for this weekend because I'm not prepared to break the law, as daft as it is.' Mr Gregorian admitted that he had a get together with up to 20 friends and family in the pub on Sunday prior to the new restrictions coming in. He said: 'We don't know when we'll be seeing each other again so thought we'd have a bit of a party while it was still legal. I've made it clear to all my customers that they're all welcome as long as there are no more than six of them in a group.' Frederick Scandello, 31 owner of the Coat of Miracles coffee shop in Ealing, West London said: 'This is bad news for the hospitality industry which is already suffering a lot. I don't allow more than one customer in at a time and everybody has to sit outside my cafe. 'If there are more than six together, I will make it clear that I can't serve them. To be honest, my cafe is quite small but it's the bigger places that will really suffer. The rule doesn't make sense to me because you can get on a bus or go to work and be surrounded by more than six people. But I sense that the Government are going to enforce it strictly and I'm not going to make sure that I don't break the rules.' Advertisement 'It's an abomination. More people die on road traffic accidents than they do with Covid-19. What is the justification to bring the whole economy to its knees?' It comes as ministers were ridiculed over the new 'Rule of Six' today after it emerged that 'mingling' has been outlawed - while Downing Street fueled confusion by saying people should not be fined the first time they flout the curbs. MPs joked that 'ambling' should be banned next as Britons struggled to get to grips with the latest edict, imposed by the government amid a 'surge' in Covid cases. Photos from across the country suggested that the public has yet to comprehend the new system, despite policing minister Kit Malthouse saying they should snitch on neighbours who flouted the rules. Home Secretary Priti Patel also warned that people face criminal records as well as thousands of pounds in fines if they refuse to abide by the law. But the PM's spokesman insisted the police would not be imposing the hefty penalties on individuals unless they persistenly refused to comply. Meanwhile, the Government's response to the spike in infections has been slammed by top scientists as panicky and not based on evidence, with jibes that those in charge are a 'Dad's Army' with no experience. Underlining the deep splits in views, other experts delivered chilling warnings that the outbreak is on the verge of spiralling out of control, after the daily case rate topped 3,000 for the first time in months. Boris Johnson sent shockwaves through nation last week when he announced the restrictions, the first widespread tightening of lockdown since March. The rules are now in force in England after a sunny weekend when many people enjoyed a final meet up before the misery descended. Gatherings of more than six people have been made illegal in a bid to stem a surge in coronavirus cases. It has sparked fury that many larger households can no longer meet up with anyone else. However, the rules in England are tougher than in Wales and Scotland, where under-12s are being exempted from the crackdown. Britons are now waiting with bated breath to see whether the action can bring infections back down. France and Spain in particular have seen huge rises, but Belgium - which imposed similar restrictions - appears to have the situation more under control. There are fears that failure will mean worse curbs in the run-up to Christmas, with a 10pm curfew for pubs being considered as young people are blamed for the 'spike'. The coronavirus has kick-started an exercise revolution in the UK, with almost a third of adults increasing their normal levels of physical activity during the lockdown. But it came at a price, with millions reporting pulled muscles, or knee and ankle injuries, a Bupa poll revealed in June. Meanwhile, millions have spent more time hunched over their computers at home, increasing the risk of back pain and stiffness. And with limited access to medical services, the majority have had to self-treat. We asked Tim Allardyce, a physiotherapist at Surrey Physio clinic in Croydon, to assess some over-the-counter products for preventing and treating aching muscles and joints. We then rated them. GUN THAT SOOTHES TENSION GUN THAT SOOTHES TENSION: HoMedics physio massage gun, 129.99, argos.co.uk HoMedics physio massage gun, 129.99, argos.co.uk CLAIM: This battery-powered muscle massaging device comes with three changeable vibrating heads designed to release tight, aching muscles, says the maker. The round head is for larger muscle groups, such as those in the thighs; a conical-shaped one is for specific sore points; and the U-shaped head for someone else to use, such as a physiotherapist or partner, to massage the trapezius muscles, which extend from the back and sides of the neck down into the upper back. EXPERT VERDICT: Massage guns allow you to apply strong pressure on muscles to ease tension and provide pain relief, but they can be uncomfortable because of this pressure. Nevertheless, they numb the pain by relieving compression on nerves from the tense muscle, so massage guns are effective at short-term relief. But its certainly not a cheap option. 5/10 WRISTBANDS TO WARD OFF RSI WRISTBANDS TO WARD OFF RSI: Wristys, 8, putnams.co.uk Wristys, 8, putnams.co.uk CLAIM: Made from soft, cushioned neoprene (a synthetic, stretchy material), the maker says these bands support your wrists while you are using your hands and so prevent you from developing repetitive strain injury or RSI pain in the wrist and arm from repetitive movements. The maker says the bands work by protecting delicate nerves and tendons and distributing pressure evenly across the wrists. Available in different sizes. EXPERT VERDICT: RSI is pain from overused muscles, commonly as a result of computer work. These wristbands may have a mildly beneficial effect by keeping your wrist straighter than normal, which reduces the amount of work your muscles and tendons do in supporting your wrists. However, Im doubtful they will make much difference in preventing RSI. They dont provide any obvious support and are simply a barrier between your wrist and the table. The best way to reduce RSI is to stop the repetitive movements causing the problem in the first place. Strengthen these muscles by taking regular breaks and straightening and stretching your arms, wrists and fingers. 2/10 ADHESIVE TAPE TO PREVENT INJURIES ADHESIVE TAPE TO PREVENT INJURIES: Kinesiology tape, 4, completecareshop.co.uk Kinesiology tape, 4, completecareshop.co.uk CLAIM: A flexible, stretchy material that is stuck over joints and muscles before exercise to reduce risk of injury and pain. The manufacturer says it improves circulation and provides support and insulation to muscles and joints. EXPERT VERDICT: Kinesiology tape has seen a growth in popularity in physiotherapy. It may help prevent pain and injury, even though some recent research found no obvious benefits. It works by lifting the layers of skin fractionally away from the underlying joint or tissue, which reduces the chances of irritation or injury to joints, such as the knee or shoulders, during exertion. It is also thought to interfere with signals sent to the brain by pain receptors in the skin when there is an injury. This is one of the cheaper tapes and these can be less sticky than more expensive ones and may come off easily. But it is worth a try and is useful to prevent further injury if you are aware you have a problem area. Always see a doctor if you have a recurring issue. 8/10 DIY BACK MASSAGE DEVICE DIY BACK MASSAGE DEVICE: Trigger point self massage tool, 18.90, amazon.co.uk Trigger point self massage tool, 18.90, amazon.co.uk CLAIM: An S-shaped, plastic device with different shaped knobs that are said to allow you to massage parts of your back and neck that you cannot normally reach. The rounded knobs are for a general area such as the lower back; the more pointed knobs are for specific sites such as the trapezius muscles that run down the neck. The maker says it works by eliminating painful knots and releasing tight muscles for an increased range of motion. EXPERT VERDICT: There are lots of questions around muscle knots and some in physiotherapy research question if they actually exist. But people do feel areas of tension, and rubbing them does seem to provide relief because it stretches the muscle tissue, making it less tense and relieving compression on nerves that transmit pain signals to the brain. So this device can offer therapeutic pain relief but self-massage is not easy, as it is much harder to relax. 4/10 BATH SALTS FOR POST WORKOUT Roadsalt, 24, roadsaltbath.co.uk BATH SALTS FOR POST WORKOUT: Roadsalt, 24, roadsaltbath.co.uk CLAIM: A bath with these salts can help muscles recover after extreme exertion, says the maker. The salts contain magnesium sulphate that, it claims, can reduce inflammation and help muscles recover from a workout, as well as activated charcoal and bentonite clay (an antibacterial material that turns the bath water black) to draw out toxins from the skin. EXPERT VERDICT: Bath salts have been used for decades to ease aches and pains, but it is still unclear if its the bath or the salts that help. Magnesium sulphate is the same mineral thats used in Epsom salts, a popular remedy thats been around for over 300 years. The theory is that it is absorbed through the skin and helps muscles use up lactic acid a byproduct of respiration created during exercise that can accumulate and cause pain. Epsom salts are cheaper than this product, which only supplies enough for two baths from a 1kg packet. You could always try just the hot bath first. 3/10 GIRDLE FOR BACK STRAIN GIRDLE FOR BACK STRAIN: Posture back brace, 22.98, prglobalstore.com CLAIM: The maker describes this as an ultra-comfortable brace that helps you sit and stand straighter, relieving pains in the shoulder and back. Made from fabric and adjustable nylon tape, it can be worn under clothing. The straps fasten at the back and support your shoulders. The maker says wearing it helps muscle memory that means your posture gradually improves. Wear for a few hours daily. EXPERT VERDICT: Posture braces are great and I recently recommended them to a patient who spends a lot of time hunched over at work. They bring your shoulders back, improving your posture while you are wearing them and so taking the strain off over-used muscles and making you more aware of poor, hunched posture when you are not. However, posture braces are not a substitute for improving muscle strength in your back through exercise. 8/10 PAIN RELIEF GEL: Deep Relief anti-inflammatory gel, 30g, 4.59, chemist-4-u.com PAIN RELIEF GEL Deep Relief anti-inflammatory gel, 30g, 4.59, chemist-4-u.com CLAIM: Described as a fast-acting pain relief gel that relieves inflammation and soothes sore muscles, this contains the anti-inflammatory painkiller ibuprofen, as well as menthol which can soothe sore skin or muscles, according to the maker. Apply as needed. EXPERT VERDICT: Muscle rubs like this can certainly provide localised pain relief, and the ibuprofen in them acts as an anti-inflammatory. But there are questions over how deep the gel can reach into the affected tissue. Used for short-term pain relief on localised areas, I believe they are safer than taking drugs such as ibuprofen in tablet form (which can cause stomach aches, nausea and diarrhoea). 6/10 BRACE TO SUPPORT SPRAINED ANKLES Neo G, 15.99, neo-g.co.uk CLAIM: Made from stretchy polyester and cotton, this is said to reduce the pain from ankle sprains and stabilise injured, weak or arthritic ankle joints. It comprises a semi-rigid cast that holds the ankle in position, plus a removable gel bed that can be cooled in the fridge and inserted into the brace to reduce any swelling. This should be used regularly until the swelling goes down. BRACE TO SUPPORT SPRAINED ANKLES: Neo G, 15.99, neo-g.co.uk EXPERT VERDICT: Sprains occur when the ankle is suddenly forced to move out of its normal position, which can cause the supporting ligaments (which hold joints together) to stretch, or tear and this can strain surrounding muscles, too. This is a good quality brace that supports the inside and outside of the ankle. Most ankle sprains are recurrent and as the ligaments become over-stretched they fail to provide stability. This ankle brace provides that stability but is bulky and not easy to wear with shoes. It is good for short-term support but should not be used as a substitute for balance exercises such as standing on the injured foot for up to 60 seconds unless the ankle is severely unstable. 7/10 STORY LINK GBP to USD Exchange Rate Attempts Rebound as USD Weakness Persists GBP Exchange Rates Rebound on Hopes for Brexit Bill Backlash But what you cant do, and what I think is wrong, is to abandon an agreement, to rewrite unilaterally parts of an agreement, which you only signed nine months ago, and to which we have given our solemn word, The breaking of the law, ultimately, leads to very long-term and permanent damage to this countrys reputation. And its also a question of honour, to me. We signed up, we knew what we were signing. We simply cant seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that. The thinking perhaps is that this (bill) is just a bargaining tool and that it wont go through parliament - this may be supporting Sterling. USD Exchange Rates Lack Drive amid Gloomy US Outlook GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: Brexit and Central Bank Developments in Focus Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: No-deal Brexit concerns continue to weigh heavily on the Pound, but the British Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate has been able to rebound from its lowest levels today. Investors are reassessing their outlook on the Brexit situation, while the US Dollar remains broadly unappealing overall. Slightly lower risk-sentiment, as well as uncertainty ahead of an upcoming Federal Reserve policy decision, are weighing on the US Dollars appeal.Last week was overall a highly bearish week for GBP/USD, despite the US Dollars limited strength. After opening the week at the level of 1.3278, GBP/USD spent the entire week trending lower. A small recovery attempt at the end of the week was short-lived, with the pair ultimately shedding ground further before markets closed for the week.GBP/USD closed last week at the level of 1.2797. This was just above Fridays low of 1.2766, the worst level for the pair in over a month and a half, since late-July.Today so far, GBP/USD has attempted to rebound as investors reassess last weeks news. At the time of writing, GBP/USD is trending a little higher in the region of 1.2898, having recovered around a cent. The pair still remains well below last weeks levels though and its potential for recovery may be limited.Last week saw the Pound plummet across the board, as investors reacted to news that the UK government was planning to rewrite parts of the key Brexit withdrawal agreement signed at the beginning of the year.Fears rose that the move could cause UK-EU Brexit negotiations to collapse, and no-deal Brexit fears surged.The move was criticised across the board by both EU officials and UK MPs. Many even noted that the move was illegal. According to former UK Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox:However, as backlash against the bill grew, so too did hopes that the UK government would soften its stance. Seema Shah, Chief Strategist at Principal Global Investors, said:After a brief recovery attempt at the beginning of the month, the US Dollars bullish rebound ran out of steam last week.Investors are hesitant to keep buying the US currency, as its outlook remains filled with uncertainties.Not only has the US handling of the coronavirus pandemic been broadly criticised and the nations economic resilience mixed, but political developments have been concerning investors as well.The US has been unable to pass new stimulus to help protect the US economy from the pandemic. On top of that, uncertainties are rising ahead of the US Presidential Election in November.Investors are even more hesitant to buy the US Dollar this week, ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision set for later this week.Brexit developments are likely to remain the key focus and influence for the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate in the coming week.UK MPs are set to vote on the governments bill rewrite over the coming day. If there are any surprise developments, the Pound could be hit and this would drive movement in the following sessions.However, amid a lack of Brexit developments, GBP/USD is more likely to be driven by key UK and US data.Tomorrow will see the publication of Britains latest job market report. US production data will follow in the afternoon.Towards the end of the week, central bank news will take focus instead.Of particular influence will be the Federal Reserve policy decision, set for Wednesday evening. While no big shift from the bank is expected, this could well be the most influential news of the week for the US Dollar.Thursdays session will follow with the Bank of Englands (BoE) own September policy decision.The BoEs tone on further monetary policy will be closely watched and could influence the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate in the absence of major Brexit news. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Dollar Forecasts IN THE NEWS - Nutson's Weekly Auto News Wrap-up September 5-12, 2020 AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO September 13, 2020; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, The Chicago Car Guy and Executive Producer, with able assistance from senior editor Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, compile The Auto Channel's "take" on this past week's automotive news, condensed into easy to digest news Nuggets. LEARN MORE: Links to full versions of today's news nuggets along with a million pages of the past 25 year's automotive news, articles, reviews and archived stories residing in The Auto Channel Automotive News Library can be found by just copying and then inserting the main headline into the News Library Search Box. Want more automotive content than our million plus pages?, TV viewers can watch The Auto Channel-TV Network on Hulu, Google, You Tube and of course TUNA Digital Network and Old Fashioned "Free and Clear" OTA (Over the air) TV in Boston and South Florida as well as local cable systems. Nutson's Automotive News Wrap-up - Week Ending September 12, 2020; The past week's important, relevant, semi-secret, or snappy automotive news, opinions and insider back stories presented as expertly crafted easy to digest news nuggets. * General Motors and startup Nikola announced a multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar deal to collaborate on zero emission pickups and heavy trucks. Nikola will give GM an 11% stake in its stock, (initially valued at $2 billion,) and in return GM will provide the vehicle platform, batteries and factory to build the Nikola Badger electric pickup. GM will supply fuel cell technology for Nikola's planned lineup of Class 7 and 8 commercial trucks. * EV-maker Lucid is claiming the world's fastest production sedan after its Air Dream Edition four-door clocked a 9.912-second quarter-mile at the Sonoma Raceway drag strip with a trap speed of 144.4 mph. The Lucid Airs online unveiling happened this week. Driving range is around 500 miles. Air production begins by the end of the year. Cars should be in showrooms in spring and pricing is expected around $160,000. * The 2021 Maserati MC20 coupe broke cover in an online revel. With a midengine 621-HP V6, scissor doors, and carbon fiber trim it's a striking new supercar. Expect a $200,000 price. Watch out McLaren! * NHTSA has launched its autonomous vehicle tracking tool. A map shows 17 cities across the U.S. where the vehicles are being tested. So far 10 companies in nine states have signed up to be in the map. Data is voluntarily submitted by companies * A German court has ruled former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn must stand trial on fraud charges in connection with the companys diesel emission scandal in which it sold cars with software that let them cheat on emissions tests. It said four other defendants would face trial on charges of fraud in connection with aggravated tax evasion and illegal advertising. * The former CEO of Ferrari North America and COO of Bugatti of the Americas admitted to a $2.8 million kickback payment scheme he ran while selling supercars. Maurizio Parlato, 58, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty to one count of subscribing to a false tax return and one count of not filing a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, the US Attorney's Office District of New Jersey announced. The DOJ's statement noted that submitting a false tax return can carry a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts can carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. * GM has issued a recall for the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette because they can be driven with the front trunk lid unlatched, which could open when the vehicle is moving. The recall affects 7,071 cars built before August 14. A software change will limit vehicle speed if the front trunk is not latched. * NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson will transition to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing. Johnson will run road and street courses for Ganassi in a two-year program pending finalizing sponsorship. Johnson, 45, is a seven-time NASCAR champ and may still compete in select NASCAR events driving for Ganassi who fields a two-car team. Johnson has driven for Hendrick Motorsports for his entire 20-year NASCAR career. * The 2020 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals Show held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois is postponed to 2021. With the uncertainty due to the pandemic and Illinois Governor Pritzker's current policy limiting indoor events to no more than 100 people, the next MCACN show will take place Saturday, November 20, and Sunday, November 21, 2021. * Porsche Cars North America, in support of Chloe Chambers, announced a new Guinness World Records achievement for the Fastest Vehicle Slalom. Sixteen-year-old Chambers achieved the 47.45-second run setting a new benchmark pace in an exercise that tests both driver and vehicle. She achieved this feat behind the wheel of a completely stock 2020 Porsche 718 Spyder. * Don Schumacher Racing further cemented its position as one of motorsports elite teams when Matt Hagan delivered win No. 350 with his Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals victory at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals. At the 1970 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Don Schumacher raced to his first NHRA national event victory, collecting win No. 1 for what would eventually become the drag racing powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing. * Dale Earnhardt Jr. has debuted a new show near and dear to his heart as part of NBCUniversals new Peacock TV online streaming service. The free-to-use platform launched on July 15. Created and hosted by Earnhardt, the "Lost Speedways" show visits abandoned speedways and takes an exploratory look at great racing cathedrals of the past. He and special guests will tell the stories of speedways that have been forgotten, abandoned and overtaken by nature. On the eight-episode series Earnhardt is joined by racing legends including seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty. Stay safe. Be Well. Expectations Lowered Ahead of Europe-China Summit By Lisa Bryant September 13, 2020 The European Union and China hold talks Monday with hopes to strike a trade and investment deal by the year's end. Several issues pose potential hurdles, though, from human rights and climate concerns to the outcome of November's U.S. election. Expectations for the summit have already been notched down. It was supposed to be a face-to-face meeting in Leipzig, Germany, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the 27 European Union leaders. Because of coronavirus concerns, it has now turned into virtual, downsized talks between just Xi, top EU officials and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency. The two sides still hope to reach an agreement this year on a deal granting greater investment in and access to each other's markets. But as European Council President Charles Michel pointed out during previous EU-China talks in June, there are key areas the two global powers do not agree on. He noted European concerns on issues such as human rights, climate change and cyberattacks. Indeed, Reuters news agency suggested Monday's talks may result in only a modest agreement for now on protecting regional food designations on products such as Irish whisky and Chinese bean paste. "What's at stake here is the EU-China relationship is not in really fantastic shape at the moment," he said. Janka Oertel, director of the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations policy institute, says "the situation in Hong Kong, the situation in Xinjiang, plus the economic situation that hasn't improved over the last few years, plus COVID has really created a lot of concern in Europe at the future relationship with China." She's referring to European concerns about China's treatment of minority Uighurs, and its policies toward Hong Kong, including the controversial new national security law. On the economic side, Europe wants greater market access, intellectual property rights protection and climate change commitments from Beijing. U.S.-China tensions also form part of the backdrop for the talks. Observers say China, in response, seeks a closer relationship with the EU while Europe is wary of becoming a battleground for the American and Chinese governments. Oertel says the U.S. presidential election, pitting former Vice President Joe Biden against President Donald Trump, will influence the next steps for Beijing and Brussels. "Under a Trump presidency, the outlook for transatlantic cooperation and coordination on China is not great, because of the way the Trump administration has so far dealt with its allies," she said. By contrast, she says, Brussels and Washington may cooperate more closely in responding to China under a Biden presidency. For now, experts say, EU member states are divided over how to deal with China whether to adopt a tougher or softer approach moving forward. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The restriction does not apply to hospitalization or scheduled surgeries where postponement would pose risk to human life. Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has explained what kind of hospitalization and scheduled surgery is allowed in the "orange" zone. The minister said decree of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 641 provides for appropriate restrictions in the "orange" zone for hospitalization and scheduled surgery. "These restrictions do not apply, for example, to medical assistance in cases of pregnancy complications or childbirth. Hospitalization will also be carried out for cancer patients," the minister told a briefing on Monday, September 14, an UNIAN correspondent reports. Stepanov says neither does the restriction apply to hospitalization or scheduled surgeries where postponement would pose risk to human life. "The restriction does not apply to such kind of hospitalization or scheduled surgeries," he said. Read alsoHealth minister names Ukrainian regions with highest daily COVID-19 spikeStepanov clarified the decision on whether the postponement of surgeries or hospitalization poses a threat to the life and health of a patient shall be made solely by a physician. Kyiv in "orange zone" of quarantine rules In contrast to the strictest restrictions provided for the red-zone quarantine zones, orange zone still allows: The European Union (EU) on Monday (September 14, 2020) condemned the execution of the 27-year old wrestler Navid Afkari in Iran and said that it is opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances and cases with no exception. "On 12 September 2020, Navid Afkari (aged 27) was executed in Iran, after being convicted of killing a security guard during anti-government protests in 2018. The European Union condemns this execution in the strongest terms," said EU in an official statement. EU added, "Human rights remain a central feature of our engagement with Iran. We will continue to engage with Iranian authorities on this issue including through the local EU representation in Teheran and also on individual cases such as this recent execution." "The European Union is opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances and cases with no exception. It is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity," read the statement. Earlier on September 12, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in an official statement said that the execution of wrestler Navid Afkari in Iran is very sad news. "The IOC is shocked by this announcement today. In letters, Thomas Bach, the IOC President, had made direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran this week and asked for mercy for Navid Afkari, while respecting the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is deeply upsetting that the pleas of athletes from around the world and all the behind-the-scenes work of the IOC, together with the NOC of Iran, United World Wrestling and the National Iranian Wrestling Federation, did not achieve our goal. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Navid Afkari." Afkari was reportedly executed on Saturday. Things got a little awkward on the sets of Who wants to be a Millionaire (UK) recently as the show possibly created a little controversy between a husband and wife. JP Morgan, a science teacher, was stuck on a question and he used the phone a friend lifeline. The question that stumped him was to choose which of the following days were a weekend in Germany. The options were A) Donnerstag, B) Mittwoch, C) Sonntag, or D) Dienstag. JP confessed he was not familiar with the language, but his wife, whos lived in Germany for decades might know. He requested the host to call his wife. However, we assume he was left with more questions than answers after the encounter. On the first attempted call, a distinctly male voice mumbled this: Sorry there was no service." Watch the video here: Jeremy Clarkson, the host of the show, was clearly as surprised as the contestant. That was a man that answered your phone, he said making no attempt at hiding his insinuations. However, he read the better within seconds and witnessing JPs red face he quickly added that it could be completely innocent. A second attempt was more fruitful. Elisabeth, his wife, answered herself this time. Before handing over the call to JP, Jeremy acted like a watchful neighbourhood aunty and asked Elisabeth if she was, indeed with someone else at the moment. She replied yes, a little hesitantly. The call had a time-limit of 30 seconds. JP, visibly uncomfortable, asked her the question and provided the options. She, equally uncomfortable, answered Sontagg. She confessed she was only 80% sure and said sorry. After the call, Jeremy said, what is she sorry for, 80% is pretty good. Insinuating more than required. Twitter users were quick to call out the possible controversy exposed by the show. A user pointed, You could see him distracted all the time he was talking to his wife, wondering was that really some other guy on the phone?? Another user said this definitely was an expose of the wifes affair. But as Jeremy said earlier, the phone call was innocent. It was most probably an automated message, according to the Sun. NEW HAVEN State Attorney General William Tong sued ExxonMobil on Monday, citing decades of research into climate science by the company and what he called its campaign of deceit to hide fossil fuels damage to the environment. Tong announced the filing of the lawsuit at the Canal Dock Boathouse on New Haven Harbor, which he said had been built to withstand sea level rise caused by climate change. The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Hartford, is stronger than other such actions, Tong said, because Connecticuts Unfair Trade Practices Act has no statute of limitations, enabling the Attorney Generals Office to examine ExxonMobils internal documents dating back to the 1950s. Connecticut is launching a major offensive in the fight against climate change, Tong said. This morning, I sued ExxonMobil for lying to Connecticut and to the American people. ExxonMobil has known, for decades and decades going as far back as 1950 about the debilitating effects of climate change, the catastrophic effects of sea level rise and a warming planet. Tong said ExxonMobil had researched the effects of fossil fuels such as gasoline on the climate beginning in the 1950s. It was ExxonMobil that was on the front lines, on the vanguard of climate science. And they had a choice, he said. They could have shared that climate science with all of us, and they could have shown us the way in how we confront the climate crisis and reverse the effects of climate change. But in the late 1980s, he said, the company made a very different decision. They decided instead to conceal the science and to lie to all of us, the American people. And they began a campaign of deception, using their tremendous resources. In what he called greenwashing, Tong said ExxonMobil has used ads to claim that it is working to reverse climate change, such as its research in algae-based biofuels. We see that as more deception, he said. Theyre really not making significant investments in that as well. ExxonMobils media relations department was asked for a comment on the suit. Tong compared ExxonMobils public relations campaign to that of Big Tobacco, which in 2006 settled a lawsuit claiming tobacco companies used disinformation to sow doubt about the role of tobacco in cancer and other diseases. ExxonMobil, Tong said, has used similar tactics to create uncertainty about the role of climate change. A great many people in our state and our country still believe that it is a hoax and not real, he said. ExxonMobil, based in Irving, Texas, is the 13th-largest company in the world and the sixth-largest in the United States, with $256 billion in sales, according to Forbes. Many of the companys internal documents have been published in the public domain. Tong said those documents alone present a strong case against the fuel giant. They knew that the climate was warming, that greenhouse gases posed an existential threat, Tong said. They knew that we would experience more and more extreme weather events. They knew how it would affect our food supply and our water supply, as well as creating air pollution. They took action to conceal these facts from the American people, Tong said. He said the suit, drawn up by his offices Environment Department, led by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Levine, would seek the disgorgement of the profits that ExxonMobil has made in concealing the truth about climate change, restitution for costs incurred by the state, disclosure of every shred of climate science that they have. The lawsuit cites examples of ExxonMobils campaign to downplay the climate crisis, including advertorials in the New York Times. In one, published in 1997, the company stated, We dont know enough about the factors that affect global warming and the degree to which if any that man-made emissions (namely carbon dioxide) contribute to increases in the Earths temperature. The same ad described the precautionary [and] voluntary ways in which Mobil is reducing emissions at the source and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere [by] supporting research and technology efforts, curtailing our own greenhouse gas emissions and helping customers scale back their emissions of carbon dioxide. Tong said the West Coast wildfires and recent hurricanes have shown how climate change is devastating the lives of people. He said he had spoken with Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum about the fires. Shes literally in her house in a bunker because thats the safest place, and the cleanest place frankly, the cleanest air in her house while the rest of her state is literally on fire, Tong said. Mayor Justin Elicker said a rising water level in New Haven Harbor threatens Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, Ikea and other businesses on Long Wharf and Metro-Norths maintenance yard. He said a predicted rise of as much as 20 feet is costing the city millions of dollars it could be using for services. Because of sea level rise and because of our inaction historically to address climate change, we are likely to head in that direction, he said. This is money we could be spending on the vital things to keep our community safe, to educate our community, to ensure that cities like New Haven have the ability to address the issues that were hearing so much more frequently now about systemic racism, the injustices of the economic disparities, and instead we are spending it on infrastructure to prepare for something that we could have avoided, Elicker said. Among the costs are a $164 million project, with the state and the Army Corps of Engineers, to build a wall to protect Interstate 95 and to install large gates on the underpasses to keep water from overtaking the low-lying land at Long Wharf. Elicker also said a $40 million pump station is needed to drain stormwater from downtown during large storms, that a sand berm will be constructed to protect Morris Cove, and that a living shoreline will be created at Long Wharf and East Shore Park to protect against erosion and flooding. State Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull said her department targets businesses that deceive consumers, but today were talking about deception on a whole new level. The reality is climate change has had and will continue to have significant and long-term impacts on Connecticut and its consumers because ExxonMobil systematically sought to downplay that. Betsey Wingfield, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said climate change is causing species of sealife to move north, creating more intense rainstorms and more 90-degree days. Sea level is expected to increase 20 inches by the year 2050, she said. Its going to take tremendous investment in the infrastructure. Roger Reynolds, senior legal counsel for Save the Sound, issued a statement Monday stating, We commend Attorney General Tong for bringing this fact-based suit and continuing Connecticuts leadership in holding companies accountable for the climate disruption resulting from their actions. Climate denial is not only unethical, it is illegal when you know the truth and are actively seeking to mislead consumers in order to sell your product. As a result of ExxonMobils continuing deceptions, we are experiencing increased storms and flooding, droughts, higher temperatures, wildfires, and poor air quality. ExxonMobil is not above the law and needs to be held accountable. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 The author Margaret Atwood. (Luis Mora) The grim dystopia The Handmaids Tale provides no hint of how delightful Margaret Atwood can be in conversation. Her humor is dry, her perspective vast, her references capacious. The 80-year old author, often a favorite among bettors for the Nobel Prize in Literature, has written fiction, poetry, nonfiction, short stories, graphic novels and books for children 59 titles in all. Atwood classifies much of her work as speculative fiction, this world transformed by events that stem from our present and past. Thats how the totalitarian religious state of The Handmaids Tale came about in 1985. In the MaddAddam trilogy, completed in 2013, she imagined a devastating pandemic, survived by a few humans and a number of bio-hacked animal creatures. Adept at new technology and outspoken about the climate catastrophe, shes also among our most recognizable authors, with her crown of curly gray hair making a cameo at the 2017 Emmy Awards alongside the cast and crew of The Handmaids Tale. That books sequel, The Testaments, took the Booker Prize last year. Marking its paperback release, shell be discussing it Tuesday at an event for Writers Bloc the perfect excuse to call her office in Toronto and talk about whatever was on her mind. (Doubleday Books) At recent speaking events, youve been interviewed by women, and in L.A. you're going to be talking to Bradley Whitford. How is that going to be different? Well, I guess were going to find out! [Laughs] Its going to be one of these online things, as you know, which means you don't have to wear special shoes. What we have been told is that, although the sales of tops have continued during COVID, the sales of bottoms have not. Nobody's showing their bottom on purpose. Do you have a special top for your events? I have several special tops. It just depends what I'm feeling like that day. I have green tops and I have red tops and I have pink tops. Those are all thematic to The Testaments. Story continues Green is, yeah. And Agnes wears pink when she's a little girl. So I hate to break this to you, but I'm not a little girl. So The Testaments is now out in paperback. Yeah. And they are right now starting to shoot Season 4, which got delayed because of COVID. Of The Handmaid's Tale," on Hulu. Its The Handmaid's Tale, but of course now they have The Testaments too, which gives them Aunt Lydias back story. The Testaments is set about 16 years earlier. Was expanding Aunt Lydia's story inspired at all by Ann Dowds award-winning performance in the show? I started writing, and I had the concept, before I could see any of it on the screen, but I saw some of the filming of it. In fact, I was in some of the filming of it. The scene in Season 1 in which Aunt Lydia is conducting the shaming session and somebody bonks Elisabeth Moss over the head. That's actually me, as you probably know. We had to shoot it several times, because they said, come on, hit her harder. They did add a sound effect. You couldn't smack her hard enough. Apparently not! I saw Ann Dowd in action on that occasion and she was really good. She was overjoyed when The Testaments came along. She said, Oh, I was just praying for more Aunt Lydia, and there it was! She has done the narration on the audio book. Ann Dowd, left, and Elisabeth Moss in "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu. (George Kraychyk / Hulu) The Testaments has three women telling their own stories, and that often humanizes a person. Aunt Lydia thinks she's humanizing herself, but she's also very untrustworthy. She seems to have forgotten every murder and torture session. Well, you know. Read some memoirs of people. [Laughs] Everybody prefers to make themselves look good. Even when they haven't been good. If you go into accounts of people who have defected from totalitarian regimes, who have been quite high up in that regime of course they've been complicit. What else would they have been? If they had been openly resistant, they would have been shot. When you're out of favor, youre dead. I don't know whether you saw The Death of Stalin, about all of the successors to Stalin, whove been totally complicit with what he's been doing; its a power struggle for whos going to take over. And [Lavrentiy] Beria has got the dirt on everybody, cause he's the KGB, and fully intends it shall be him. But they know that if they dont kill him, he's going to kill them. So that's what they do. That idea of secret police holding everybody's dirty secrets that is the source of Aunt Lydia's power. That is her power. But she could never be a leader because she's female. It made me think a little bit of the Stasi, how much they used secrets and blackmail. And I wondered if that was any throwback to Germany, where you were writing some of The Handmaid's Tale in the first place. Of course it was one of my models. We didn't yet know exactly how many people were informing on other people, but we certainly knew. When I was living in West Berlin, I also went to East Berlin, which I could do with a Canadian passport quite easily, although Germans couldn't. And I went to Czechoslovakia, which was still a USSR satellite. And I went to Poland. In East Germany there wasn't really anybody I could talk to. I could talk to people in Czechoslovakia, but only out in the middle of the park. The hotel bellboy pointed at the chandelier, which meant that's where the microphone was. We knew that if there was something wrong in our room, all we had to do was stand underneath the chandelier and say, We really need another lightbulb. Poland on the other hand was already pretty wide open because they had a strong opposition, the Catholic Church. They couldn't kill everybody who was in the Catholic Church; there were too many of them. Now that country has now gone pretty right wing. Which often happens when there has been a regime calling itself Left and it's been corrupted. But they do pretty much the same thing. [Laughs] In 2017 you came to the L.A. Times Book Festival for a conversation and special preview of The Handmaids Tale. One of the things you said, referencing the then-recent Womens March, was, In a democracy, when you're still allowed to have protest marches without getting shot and arrested I know. Ive been looking at this with great trepidation. But so far it's only been a few people who've been shot and arrested, not everybody. And there has been enough pushback so that has been somewhat damped down. You'll notice the threat to send the Army into Chicago didn't happen. Right. But it did happen in Portland. It did. But thats why it didn't happen in Chicago. There was enough pushback against it. Would-be authoritarian leaders try it on to see if there's any pushback. There's still voting in the United States. Cherish it. While there's still voting, there's still something called public opinion. So you can try it on, but if there's enough public opinion against it, then you're going to think, well, maybe that's not going to work this time. But one thing these people like to do is create chaos. And then you say, I'm going to fix the chaos. Not pointing out that, in fact, youve created the chaos in the first place. That does sound familiar. You blame the chaos on somebody else. You burn down the Reichstag and then say somebody else did it. That was a Hitler thing. You create riots in the streets and then blame them on somebody else. And then you say, well, we have to shut this down, its too chaotic. Let me do that for you. Youve also described all this, as a Canadian watching the U.S., as both riveting and appalling. It is riveting. And it is scary because the United States is not a small unimportant country; its a large important country. Are we watching the diminishment of the United States on the world stage? Is China going to take over the position that the United States used to have? Lets watch and see, but it's not particularly good news. As for what Russia is doing, Russia is trying to weaken Western Europe to create more opportunity for itself. And the U.S. Well, its certainly trying to weaken the U.S., because who might oppose it in Europe if it got too imperialistic there? The natural person to oppose it would have been the United States. What sort of deal has been cut behind the scenes? I have a very sinister imagination. Exactly! So as a writer of speculative fiction, you extrapolate from the news, you go back to clippings. I read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for the first time during the pandemic, and she worked in a similar way. I wonder, have you talked about that methodology with anybody? Did you and she ever cross paths? No, alas, I didn't know her. But I'm not surprised she did that because it's the same thing that Orwell was doing in 1984. It is the same thing that [Yevgeny] Zamyatin was doing in his seminal novel called We, which was a direct influence on Orwell, and that he published in 1923. He practically lays out what Stalin was going to do. Its creepy. But he was watching, he had been an old Bolshevik. 1984 was called 1984 because it's 1948 transposed [the year Orwell finished writing it]. All speculative fiction writers are writing about the present and the past. They're not really writing about the future. But they're looking at the present and they're saying, if you keep going along this road that we're on, here's where you're likely to end up. Human beings have done this in the past, which means that it's part of the human being playbook. And therefore it could happen again, maybe with different outfits. Kellogg is formerly books editor of the Los Angeles Times. Dance is visceral. You can marvel at the artful manipulation of sinewy bodies online, but theres nothing quite like the possibility of wearing a spray of hard-won sweat. Or at least that was before COVID-19 changed everything. How does dance evolve now? As Chunky Moves artistic director Antony Hamilton sees it, the celebrated company was always nimble, roaming from its Southbank base. We really miss that experience thats very sensory, very tactile, but we can reinvent ourselves from project-to-project, he says. We can think about how the artform transfers to parklands and gardens, riversides and streetscapes. Chunky Move has always sat in a daring, experimental space. He cites the example of Token Armies at the Metropolitan Meat Market in North Melbourne last year: Hamiltons warm-blooded animal and cold steel robot-assisted work that marked his debut heading up the company. Photo: Keith Gagne UPDATE 12:25 p.m. It could be a couple of days before the fire thats destroyed part of Pier Park is fully extinguished. Mayor Jonathan Cote visited the site on Monday morning, where firefighters continue to work to contain the blaze. He said the part of the park thats built on the old pier structure has been destroyed, but the section that was rebuilt when the park was built survived the fire. The new structure is going to be completely saved and will have minimal impacts, but its the older wooden structure that is not going to be salvageable, he said. The part with the urban beach and the volleyball court and the big W, that is the part of the park that is not going to survive. Cote said the fire is now fully contained to the old pier structure, and it doesnt appear it will spread any further. He said the short-term goal is to extinguish the fire and protect the river from any environmental damage. They are not going to be able to fully put out the fire until they actually start to remove the top of the pier deck, which they are hoping to be able to get started today, he said. The area where the deck needs to be removed in order to extinguish the fire is where the Wow New Westminster public art piece stands. The W will need to come down, Cote said. We are still working to see what can be done to salvage the public art piece. Its too early to tell what the next steps with the W will be but where the W is standing right now is not going to survive. When Cote toured the site Monday morning, fire crews were surrounding and containing the fire, which will continue until the deck is removed and theyre able to put it out. Theres still fire smoldering underneath the old pier deck. Its not as dramatic as what the sights were last night with the blazing fire. The new part of the Pier Park looks relatively unaffected. It doesnt look too much different than it did before. That was a real positive to see that the new part of the park does not seem to be affected at all, he said. The festival lawn is still there. The grass is green on the festival lawn. That part of the park and the concession stand and playground, all that part of the park looks like it is definitely going to be saved. The fire in Westminster Pier Park was reported about 8 p.m. on Sunday night. No one was injured in the blaze, which appears to have started on the eastern side of the park. At this time we dont know what the cause of the fire is, Cote said. It does look like it started on the end of Pier Park near where the W is, on that end of the park and then moved down the river. Cote said the city is thankful to New Westminster firefighters for their hard work in dealing with the unique fire. We are really appreciative and thankful to the hard work of the New West fire department, who worked really hard all night to keep the fire contained, he said. We also had the assistance of my understanding it was four fire departments in the region, including the fire boat from the Vancouver Fire Department to assist with the fire. We are really thankful for the neighbouring communities to help support us with this really unique and difficult fire. As darkness and smoke filled the sky on Sunday night, it was difficult for bystanders to see how far the fire was spreading in Westminster Pier Park. I think the big fear last night was that the fire would keep spreading to the entire park, which I think would have been really devastating. Its definitely heartbreaking to see any part of the park affected. It really has become a special place in the community. Even the parts of the old beach with the beach and the W are places we really connected with, Cote said. Its still a very sad day in the City of New Westminster. Westminster Pier Park, a $25.2-milllion, 600-metre long linear park, opened on New Westminsters waterfront in June 2012. The popular destination includes playgrounds, a sports court, a "festival lawn" gathering area, a concession, walking paths, beach volleyball courts and more. When Pier Park was originally built, we felt that the structure, I recall, had about 20 to 25 years of life left in it, but in the longer term it would need to be rebuilt, Cote said. Obviously this fire has sped up the need to look at that. In the longer term, the city was envisioning over a 20-year period having to replace that deck. Once the fire is extinguished, Pier Park will be closed while cleanup and environmental mitigation take place. It does appear that the new part of the park is going to be relatively unharmed by this fire, Cote said. That part of the park I would expect to reopen when its safe to do so. Like other community members, Cote said he felt a sense of shock and sadness when viewing images of the fire at Pier Park. New Westminster is an older community. We have faced our adversity over the years. But we are a strong community, he said. Thankfully, no one was injured in this fire and we will be able to rebuild. Theresa McManus / New West Record ORIGINAL 6:50 a.m. A waterfront park along the Fraser River in New Westminster has been extensively damaged by a major fire. New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote called the situation at Pier Park "devastating" in a social media message posted late Sunday night. The park was built in 2009 and includes a lengthy boardwalk along a reclaimed pier just west of a SkyTrain bridge linking Surrey and New Westminster. Cote's Twitter message says it is likely the old pier has been destroyed, while fire officials say the blaze has worked into the creosote pilings beneath the boardwalk and could burn for days. Crews from several surrounding cities and a fire boat from Vancouver joined New Westminster firefighters in battling the flames, which broke out at about 8 p.m. Sunday. No one has been hurt and the SkyTrain bridge, which was closed overnight, reopened in time for the Monday morning commute, but a busy street running parallel to the park remains closed. Imperial Valley News Center Three Individuals Indicted for Conspiring to Traffic Over 10,000 Fentanyl Pills and 10 Pounds of Methamphetamine and Possessing Firearms Fresno, California - Jorge Luis Velasquez, 33, of Mexico, Omar Velazquez Landeros, 27, of Bakersfield, and Victor Romero Galvan, 29, of Mexico, were indicted Thursday for conspiring and possessing with intent to distribute over 10,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and for carrying firearms in furtherance of these crimes, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, on or about January 28, 2020, in Kern County, Landeros distributed approximately one pound of nearly pure methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Bakersfield. Velasquez assisted with coordinating that transaction. On or about March 13, 2020, Landeros distributed approximately 1,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, which Velasquez helped to coordinate as well. On September 1, 2020, Landeros, Velasquez, and Romero Galvan conspired to distribute approximately 10,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and 10 pounds of methamphetamine. Each defendant possessed a firearm when they arrived at the prearranged drug deal in Bakersfield, California. When law enforcement arrived to arrest the defendants, Velasquez and Landeros fled with firearms in hand. Landeros was apprehended shortly thereafter. Velasquez discarded his firearm and fled on foot onto the SR-99 where he obtained and attempted to escape in a CalTrans vehicle. Velasquez eventually abandoned the vehicle and again fled on foot, at which point he was apprehended by law enforcement. Law enforcement arrested the defendants, and seized the firearms and the controlled substances. This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriffs Office, the Bakersfield Police Department and the Kern County Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Scott is prosecuting the case. If convicted, defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. TikTok, the social video platform that has dominated American politics for far too long will team up with Oracle in the hope of avoiding a US ban. In a statement, the cloud services giant says that it is part of a proposal that TikTok owner ByteDance has submitted to the Treasury Department. Oracle says that it is the trusted technology provider in the deal, and its not clear how the ownership of TikTok will be structured. If approved by the US and Chinese authorities -- not a given -- then the months-long hand-wringing over the app, which highlights teenagers dancing to songs, may be over. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke to CNBC, saying that the US will review the proposal this week to see if the proposal is secure. This includes commitments to protect American user data, the security of each users phone, and that the TikTok code itself is secure. As The Financial Times reports, Mnuchin sits on the Committee on Foreign Investment, and can block any deal if it sees a national security risk. The bodys decision will then be reported to the White House for its say towards the end of this week. Oracle is not a consumer-facing company, instead selling its database and cloud systems to large companies and organizations. As BBC News reports, it offers infrastructure to a number of government bodies including the CIA, NSA, as well as Naval and Air Force intelligence. Oracles close ties with the US, and its co-founders friendship with the president, will likely mean that theres a higher chance of approval. CNBC believes that while Oracle is not interested in becoming a social giant like Facebook, it could look to leverage TikToks analytics to improve its own advertising platforms. TikToks modern history begins in August 2018, when lip-sync app Musical.ly was purchased by Chinese company ByteDance for an undisclosed sum believed to be $1 billion. ByteDance owns Douyin, a China-only video-sharing platform that does a similar job, albeit with geographic limitations. After the purchase, the Musical.ly was rebranded as TikTok and became the version of Bytedances app that is available in the rest of the world. ByteDance spent heavily on advertising and, through 2019, you couldnt move for ads promoting TikTok as the hip new thing. Clearly, all of that money was well-spent since TikTok apparently has more than 100 million users in the US, having grown 800 percent since 2018. That puts it in the top tier of social platforms, although behind rivals from Facebook / Instagram and Snapchat. As sentiment has turned against both big tech and Chinese-owned technology companies, there has been an undercurrent of concern about ByteDances leadership. There is a belief that executives are too close to Chinese authorities and have censored popular clips that feature commentary critical of China. That included, most notably, a makeup tutorial that discussed Chinas mistreatment of Uighur Muslims in the country that was pulled, with its teenage creator banned. Its an issue that, in 2020, TikTok resolved to address by preventing China-based moderators from screening content targeted outside the Middle Kingdom. TikTok has also come under scrutiny in the US as part of the wider geopolitical tension between the US and China. The censorship claims started requests from politicians for greater scrutiny, although recent reports say that a private meeting with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prompted Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton to raise the alarm about the app. Towards the end of 2019, a number of major players were raising questions about TikToks internal processes, data handling and general behavior. Since then, the company recruited the executive who launched Disney+, Kevin Mayer, as CEO and tried to deal with growing voices of discontent. Unfortunately, in recent months, the Trump administration has exerted pressure on TikTok, saying that unless ByteDance sells the company to a US firm, it will ban the app. Since then, Microsoft and then Oracle threw their hats into the ring, with the government setting a firm deadline of September 15th to get the deal done. This has, however, raised concerns about the government interfering with a private transaction, and China has said it will not take this theft lying down. For its part, TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the US, saying that it was denied due process and that its treatment has been unreasonable. And in late August, CEO Kevin Mayer stepped down, citing the political environment as the reason for his departure. As the deadline approached, China began putting a harder line in its negotiations, saying that it may not allow any US company to buy TikTok. Reports claimed that China would rather shut the app down than appear weak, and wanted to protect the companys famous algorithm that has interested so many buyers. Yesterday, Microsoft and TikTok announced that it would not be entering into an agreement, with TikTok reportedly rejecting the bid. Instead, Oracle as the remaining interested party was thought to have won the bidding war by default, although the deal isnt as simple as that. Its not clear what the Oracle-ByteDance-TikTok deal will look like, especially given the complicated nature of the sale. ByteDance has to hand over enough material to appear to act in good faith to the US, but not so much as to enrage Chinese authorities. Structuring the deal as a partnership may help to avoid criticism that ByteDance has been forced to sell TikTok under duress. But while enabling the social company to retain much of the secret sauce that made it so highly-prized. 3 1 of 3 Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 SHELTON A mother and her adult son were identified Sunday after they were found dead in a Shelton residence Saturday afternoon. Gale P. Lupe, 79, and her son, Michael J. Kramer, 59, were the only occupants of a house on Sorghum Road, where Shelton police responded to check on the welfare of residents around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Haiti - FLASH : Shipwreck of migrants in the Bahamas archipelago, 12 survivors 15 missing On Saturday noon, Bahamian police confirmed having received an alert that a 27-foot-long (8-meter) boat sank 9 miles (20 kilometers) south of Cayo Chub, in the Berry Islands (95 kilometers to the north-North West of Nassau). Rescue teams dispatched to the scene found the boat capsized, partially submerged with several people of Haitian and Jamaican origin hanging to the boat. 12 people were rescued and handed over to immigration officials. According to the testimonies of the castaways at least 15 other people were traveling on the boat. On Sunday, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) and theUnited States Coast Guard were actively searching for possible survivors or the bodies of the victims. William Sturrup, RBDF Coordinator, urged the public to report cases of smuggling and illegal immigration. It should be noted that in recent years the number of people trying to illegally reach the Bahamian coast from other parts of the region, particularly Haiti, has increased dramatically. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on a population of 390,208 inhabitants living in the archipelago, the number of Haitians is estimated at 80,000 ( 20%) of which more than 50,000 would be in an irregular migratory situation and constitute the largest migrant community in the archipelago. S/ HaitiLibre LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KodyPay (kodypay.com) is a new mobile point of sale app and payment aggregator. Its technology allows users to pay for goods in-store without queueing: making shopping a prompt and effortless process. As an Omni-commerce driven platform, KodyPay revolutionises the way we shop safely in a post-COVID society. Its contact-free process can achieve significant savings for both businesses and customers. By removing bulk hardware such as tills and printers, transaction fees can be reduced. Best of all, customers save time without the need to queue. With KodyPay, customers can choose to use e-wallets, pay-later providers, or simply use card payments. At only 20 years old, CEO Yoyo Chang co-founded KodyPay in the final year of High School. Hoping to build a career in investment banking, Chang had started to invest in the stock market at the age of 13. With returns of over 80% in Q4 2016, he led his school team to first place in a national investment competition. However, in 2018, Chang first made a foray into the payments industry by self-investing 120,000 to start up KodyPay. Chang is currently working alongside co-founder Jack Howell whilst studying at the University of York. Leading the financing was Cognition Foundry and Hank Uberoi, alongside a group of high-profile private investors. These include former members of senior management from Legal and General, Verifone and HP. Post financing, KodyPay welcomes Hank Uberoi, who joins the Board as Chairman. Previously, Uberoi was a partner at Goldman Sachs and the COO at Citadel Investment Group LLC. Most recently, he was the CEO/Executive Chairman/Director at various points in the growth of cross-border payments firm Earthport. Commenting on his new role, Uberoi said: "I am very impressed with Yoyo and the KodyPay team and what they are building; this will be an exciting journey!" By working with IBM partners TES Enterprise Solutions and Cognition Foundry, the platform will be running on the IBM Z Systems. The company has also entered into a partnership with Cybersource, a Visa Solution. With their support, KodyPay has built a wholly modular payment stack. This will allow merchants to work with their preferred payment method efficiently. Thrilled with our strides in the payment industry, Yoyo Chang said: "Our partnership with Cybersource, a Visa Solution, will allow us to create a positive shift in a very traditional industry. We aim to help merchants to reduce their own carbon footprint. This environmentally conscious message will be particularly appealing to the younger generation as we pave the way for our future." About KodyPay (kodypay.com) KodyPay is a new mobile point of sale platform and payment aggregator, enabling businesses to perform all the necessary actions to carry out a standard electronic transaction and accept a multitude of different payment methods using a web and app-based technology platform. Contact KodyPay Communications, [email protected] SOURCE KodyPay Related Links http://kodypay.com BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Despite Covid winter turmoil, the West End got a shot in the arm today with news that one of the biggest shows of the year will go ahead... two years after it was due to open. (Photo : Unsplash) Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk engages fans on a series of exchanges on Twitter about the 'tonnage to orbit' of all space launch vehicles from companies. Fans surprised the CEO with all the data gathered and compiled where SpaceX tops the list for 2020, having a massive gap against other space companies or agencies. Elon Musk wins again with SpaceX's new achievement that leads the polls and list for being the most used vehicle for payload cargo to space in 2020. SpaceX's CEO proves dominance in the industry of space launch vehicles with its Falcon 9 to do the heavy lifting of not less than 60,000kg (132,277 lbs.) for both quarters of 2020. These data are publicly available to the public; that's why Elon Musk and SpaceX fans could gather and compile data. The data of SpaceX shows and suggests that the company is the most utilized and preferred in space travel, cargo, and payload for all needs. SpaceX has a total of 96 launches since 2010, with 2020 having the most launches seen in the company's history. SpaceX's largest client is also a part of Elon Musk's subsidiary company, Starlink, to provide more than 12,000 satellites to give the world convenient and fast broadband internet connections. ALSO READ: Elon Musk's Tesla Model 3 is Now the Best Selling EV in Australia for August Elon Musk's SpaceX Stats from Twitter The eccentric CEO engages fans on Twitter from the comical and meme spectrum down to the informative and knowledgeable side. Elon Musk is active in answering queries, talking to fortunate fans, enthusiasts, and even celebrities, and downright talking to people in the social media platform. Elon Musk's most recent conversation started a thread that discovered SpaceX's standing in the world's launches. A Twitter user named 'rykllan' (@_rykllan) tweeted a photo to Elon Musk that shows all of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 renders since 2018. The photo and data grabbed the attention of Elon Musk, which led him to ask the 'tonnage to orbit' statistics for all launch vehicles. This question is immediately answered by a user named Pranay Prathole (@PPathole) that provided two images with data from the ten companies that launched in 2020, with SpaceX topping both Quarters One and Two of the year. For Q1(2020) SpaceX launched total of: ~61000kg of payload Followed by ~60000kg in Q2 pic.twitter.com/P1FdbmtI0C Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) September 13, 2020 SpaceX dominated both lists, with notable gaps from other companies of more than 35,000 kg mass difference in Q1 against Arianespace and 26,000 kg more in Q2 against Chinese Aerospace Science & Technology Corp. (CASC). Elon Musk 'Numbers That Really Matter' The SpaceX CEO continued the thread by saying numbers do the talk for the companies' capabilities and reliability. For Elon Musk, numbers matter and provide accurate data that can end all debates on specific issues. Cumulative mass to orbit per year (corrected for GTO & other high energy orbits) is the best comparative metric imo Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 13, 2020 Elon Musk adds that "Cumulative mass to orbit per year is the best comparative metric" in his opinionated take on the subject matter. The SpaceX CEO accounts for more of the vehicle's reliability in its capacity to deliver cargo instead of other factors such as launch rates and re-entry successes. ALSO READ: WATCH: Elon Musk Forgets Son X A-12 Mistaking it For a Password on Interview at Tesla Gigafactory Berlin This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser At an off-campus space at the University of California at Berkeley in the fall of 1962, a tall, thin Jamaican Ph.D. student addressed a small crowd, drawing parallels between his native country and the United States. He told the group, a roomful of Black students, that he had grown up observing British colonial power in Jamaica, the way a small number of whites had cultivated a native Black elite in order to mask extreme social inequality. At 24, Donald J. Harris was already professorial, as reserved as the Anglican acolyte he had once been. But his ideas were edgy. ... Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. High throughput screening (hts) market by MRFR Includes Market Trends, Segmental Overview, Regional Analysis Future Growth, and Current Statistics. The Market Report Also Calculate the Market Size and Considers the Revenue Generated from The Sales. HTS Market overview share Industry, Overview by demand, gross margin and forecast 2025 High Throughput Screening Market Size 2019 HTS Industry Analysis, Growth Segments, Leading Manufacturers, Phenomenal Growth and Business Boosting Strategies till 2025 Market Research Future published a research report on High Throughput Screening Market Research Report - Global Forecast till 2025 Market Overview, Segmentation, Progress, Regional analysis, key Trends, Major Players and Forecast to 2025. Global Wearable Sensors Market is likely to value of USD 13,460 million with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period Also Read - https://www.medgadget.com/2019/06/healthcare-analytics-market-share-size-future-outlook-trends-and-insights-till-2024-mrfr.html Competitive Landscape: Better integration of diverse plans in the global high throughput screening market and introduction of several strategic moves that encompasses mergers, acquisitions, tie-ups, and others are expected to inspire growth. Companies impacting the growth in the market are Danaher (US), Aurora Biomed Inc. (Canada), Tecan (Switzerland), PerkinElmer (US), Axxam (Italy), Hamilton (US), Corning (US), Merck Group (Germany), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (US), BioTek (US), Luminex Corporation (US), Agilent Technologies Inc. (US), and Roche (Switzerland). Overview High-throughput screening (HTS) can be defined as a method that includes scientific experimentation needed for various drug discovery and deciding typical moves in the the fields of biology and chemistry. The procedure includes data processing/control software, liquid handling devices, robotics, and sensitive detectors. This allows the system to get into the procedure of conducting tests for millions of chemical, genetic, or pharmacological processes. The process has evolved as necessary to find active compounds, antibodies, or genes that can cover various biomolecular pathway. This process assists in the designing of various market process. The global High Throughput Screening Market is getting traction from high technological advancements in HTS and hike in expenditure for research and development. The government funding for the procedure is also providing better scope for growth. Segmental Analysis The global market for high throughput screening, by product & service, can be segmented into instruments, reagents & assay kits, consumables & accessories, and software and services. The reagents & assay kits segment can find growth with increasing demand from the diagnostic segment. By technology, the global market report on high throughput screening can be segmented into cell-based assays, Bioinformatics, 3D cell culture, 2D cell culture, perfusion cell culture, 3D cell culture, Ultra-high-throughput Screening, lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and Label-free Technology. The 3D cell culture segment includes scaffold-based technologies and scaffold-free technologies. The scaffold-based segment comprises hydrogels, inert matrix, and micropatterned surfaces. The scaffold-free technologies segment consists ultra-low binding plates, hanging-drop plates, microplate, and other scaffold-free technologies. By application, the global market for high throughput screening includes primary and secondary screening, toxicology assessment, target identification & validation, and others. The application segment is showing signs of fastest CAGR owing to its inclusion in the research and development sector. By end user, the global market for high throughput screening can be segmented into contract research organizations, academic & government institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and others. Global High Throughput Screening Market Research Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/high-throughput-screening-market-1280 In October 2019, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute revealed that they have developed a machine-learning algorithm that would assist in the high throughput screening of epigenetic drugs. About Market Research Future: MRFR team have 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. Supplier News 14 September 2020 Hong Kong - Shiji Group has signed a partnership with The Peninsula Hotels to provide the hotel group with Shiji Enterprise Platform, the industry's scalable, secure and modern hospitality technology platform. The Peninsula Hotels, owned and operated by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), operates prestigious luxury properties in ten major cities in Asia, the US and Europe, with three additional hotels under development in London, Istanbul and Yangon. The Peninsula brand is synonymous with luxurious comfort and impeccable service. The brand was looking for a scalable technology platform that could manage the high expectations of guests and staff, considering its global and growing footprint. It needed an advanced technology platform that met many requirements which had not existed in the market before. Shiji Group's Enterprise Platform has been in design and pilot phases since 2015 under the name AC Project. The platform provides enterprise hotel companies with scalable, state-of-the-art technology and architecture, security compliance and business continuity, and allows connectivity between systems to facilitate strategic business success. In the last two years, the platform has grown in functionality, adding services such as Restaurant Management, Table Management, Data Intelligence, Recreation and Spa solutions. Additional functions of guest preferences and hotel management services being added make it a true enterprise platform for hospitality businesses. "We are delighted to build upon our relationship with The Peninsula Hotels to implement our Enterprise Platform. The enterprise solution was built for global hotel brands like The Peninsula Hotels to improve their operational efficiencies by providing a technology platform that guarantees a truly seamless and personalized guest experience for their hotel guests. The Shiji Enterprise Platform will combine the core functions of The Peninsula Hotels' technologies and enable improved operations and future success," said Kevin King, Chief Operating Officer of Shiji Group. "We have partnered with Shiji Group to implement the Shiji Enterprise Platform, as it is the ideal technology solution for a global and diverse hotel brand like ours. With properties in multiple locations across the globe, we needed a reliable and scalable solution to integrate all our systems throughout our properties. As a luxury hotel brand, it is critical for us to provide a high level of personalization for our customers, while keeping their data secure. Shiji's Enterprise Platform is providing that for us, and we are looking forward to deploying it into our hotels to offer an elevated guest experience for our guests," said Shane Izaks, Group Director, Information Technology of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH). About The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) Incorporated in 1866 and listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (00045), HSH is the holding company of a Group which is engaged in the ownership, development and management of prestigious hotel, commercial and residential properties in key locations in Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as the provision of tourism and leisure, club management and other services. The Peninsula Hotels portfolio comprises The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai, The Peninsula Beijing, The Peninsula Tokyo, The Peninsula New York, The Peninsula Chicago, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Peninsula Paris, The Peninsula Bangkok, and The Peninsula Manila. Projects under development include The Peninsula London, The Peninsula Istanbul and The Peninsula Yangon. The property portfolio of the Group includes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower and St. John's Building in Hong Kong; The Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and 21 avenue Kleber in Paris, France. The clubs and services portfolio of the Group includes The Peak Tram in Hong Kong; Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California; Peninsula Clubs and Consultancy Services, Peninsula Merchandising, and Tai Pan Laundry in Hong Kong. In the northeast (mainly Borno state) corruption and continued Boko Haram violence have crippled the educational system, as well as the economy and much else. In the last decade Boko Haram has destroyed or damaged over a thousand schools and caused more than 1,500 schools to be closed in Borno. This has crippled efforts to educate about four million students. Efforts to repair the damage are crippled by corruption and continued Boko Haram violence. The Islamic terrorists are finding that the local refugee camps are a valuable resource. There are always some armed gangs in these camps, where the usual local leadership of elders or elected officials is lacking. Boko Haram has become the most powerful gang in many camps, although they do not publicize their Boko Haram affiliation because the army will enter the camp to deal with extraordinary circumstances. The usual poverty, unemployment and lack of schools is considered normal and Boko Haram exploits it to recruit supporters. For uneducated and unemployed teenage boys, joining Boko Haram to be a fighter seems attractive because there is the prospect of loot and sex. Teenage girls are often coerced to be suicide bombers. A growing portion of Boko Haram income is from extortion payments. In many parts of northern Borno state Boko Haram can make use of the roads impossible for personal and commercial traffic, unless these drivers pay a fee to get past the Boko Haram roadblock. Sharing control of the roads with the military makes it possible for Boko Haram assassins to go after local leaders who are usually tribal chiefs or government officials. In the aftermath of these deaths the replacement leaders tend to be more accommodating to Boko Haram demands. Captured civilians are used as slave labor as well as hostages for ransom. Few families in northern Borno can afford a ransom so the captives are gone until they die, escape or are rescued by the army. The objective of all this mayhem is to enable Boko Haram to slowly take control of the population and government in the north. Boko Haram violence in 2014-15 resulted in Boko Haram taking control of many parts of northern Borno. That control was broken by 2017 because of a massive army offensive. Boko Haram was diminished and scattered but not destroyed and the Islamic terrorists changed their tactics, rebuilt their numbers and sought to make a comeback. Boko Haram has been more successful at that than the army has been at destroying them. The Boko Haram violence has caused nearly 300,000 Nigerians to seek refuge in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Most of these refugees live in refugee camps, which have become a refuge for Boko Haram members. Back in Nigeria (mainly Borno state) there are still over two million internal refugees from Islamic terrorist and tribal violence in northern Nigeria. Despite years of efforts by the army, Boko Haram has become a permanent presence in northern Borno state and able to regularly carry out attacks in Cameroon and Niger as well. Northern neighbors Chad, Cameroon and Niger criticize Nigeria for not maintaining discipline in the army and making Nigeria as inhospitable for Boko Haram as Chad, Cameroon and Niger. These three countries are raided by Boko Haram based in Nigeria and the Islamic terrorists have had a much more difficult time establishing bases in these nations. Cameroon has had the most trouble with Boko Haram in part because it shares a long border with eastern Nigeria. Northern Cameroon is less populous and developed as neighboring Nigeria but the Cameroonian military is more effective. Cameroon civilians have the most problems with Boko Haram in areas where refugee camps for Nigerians are located. There is a growing popular demand in Cameroon for the Nigerian refugees to be forced back into Nigeria because of the way Boko Haram uses the camps as a refuge and source of support. Since the 2010 Boko Haram violence along Lake Chad, the borders with Niger and Chad have been a major battleground. In that decade there were nearly 30,000 dead and three million refugees. Over 80 percent Most of the dead and refugees from Boko Haram violence have been in this Nigerian border zone. While the Boko Haram violence is coordinated in an effort to control territory, that is complicated because there are two separate factions of Boko Haram. The larger faction is also called ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) and it is the cause of most of the violence near Lake Chad. ISWAP was once a faction of Boko Haram that declared its allegiance to ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in 2016. Many of these new ISIL members had been with Boko Haram since 2004. ISWAP personnel are mainly in northeastern Nigeria with smaller numbers in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. What remains of the original Boko Haram is about half the size of ISWAP and operates in northern Borno state areas that are not near Lake Chad. The two factions have fought each other in the past, but in the last two years appear to have established some form of ceasefire and an effort to stay out of each others way. Boko Haram also tends to stay away from the tribe-based violence in northern and central Nigeria. This conflict is between nomadic herders and farmers over who controls land and water resources. This conflict was a growing source of violence even before Boko Haram violence appeared in 2004. For a few years (2015-17) Boko Haram was killing more people but since 2018 Boko Haram has declined while the farmer-herder violence has increased. Overall Nigeria has been suffering 400-500 deaths a month from the Islamic terrorists and tribal violence. Most of the dead are civilians. Because of all this violence in the north local and national government is losing control of much of the Moslem north. While that loss of control is seen as a national crisis, it is not as important as the oil fields in the far south, in the Niger River Delta. Security in the oil producing states gets far more attention than anywhere in the north. The semi-desert north has long been less prosperous than the moister south, with its oil, more rainfall and access to the sea. September 1, 2020: In the northeast (Borno state) Boko Haram gunmen ambushed some soldiers while another Boko Haram group attacked an army base in the same area (Magumeri) near Lake Chad. At least twenty soldiers died plus a number of Islamic terrorists. Boko Haram was able to take their dead and wounded with them when they withdrew. There have been several Boko Haram attacks in the area in the last month. The army is vulnerable to these attacks but is also able to bring in reinforcements quickly. Often the air force has armed aircraft aloft in the area and these are directed to site of the Boko Haram clash and often cause the Islamic terrorists a lot of casualties and destroy vehicles Boko Haram uses to move around with and especially to get away from airstrikes. Neighboring Chad has encouraged Nigeria to use its air force more aggressively and effectively to find Boko Haram camps and go after them and keep going after these Islamic terrorist bases until the Islamic terrorists move somewhere else or fall apart because of the lack of base areas. Chad attributes the chronic and widespread corruption in the Nigerian security forces (military and police) for the inability to emulate Chad. August 18, 2020: In the northeast (Borno state) soldiers escorted a convoy of trucks taking 1,200 refugees back to their homes in Kukawa (near Lake Chad) on August 2nd. Today Boko Haram raided the reoccupied town and kidnapped several hundred of the returned refugees and stole whatever they could find. Another Boko Haram group attacked the nearby army base that had been established to keep Boko Haram out of the areas. News of this attack gets back to the refugee camps in southern Borno state and discourage refugees from returning to their abandoned homes, businesses and farms in the north, especially near Lake Chad where Boko Haram is still present in sufficient numbers to keep the army on the defensive much of the time. L uxury retailer Matchesfashion has announced senior leadership changes, naming a new finance boss and chief operating officer. The online retailer, which also has four London shops and stocks labels such as Balenciaga, Gucci and Jimmy Choo, has appointed Sean Glithero as finance chief and Jason Weston as chief operating officer. Glithero has over 20 years experience in senior finance roles. He spent 11 years at Auto Trader Group, where he held a range of senior finance positions. More recently, Glithero was finance chief of Funding Circle. He will join Matchesfashion at the end of the month. Weston joins the fashion firm from Amazon, where he spent 15 years in various leadership roles. Most recently he served as director, Europe, special projects and, prior to this, had responsibility for Prime Now, Amazons ultra-fast delivery service. Weston will replace Tom Athron who has decided to leave the company. In February Matchesfashion said Ajay Kavan would become chief executive in March. He was previously vice president of international special projects at Amazon where he had worked for nine years. Kavan today said the new hires each bring deep expertise in building and scaling online businesses that are customer focused and innovative. In 2017 Matchesfashions founders, husband and wife Ruth and Tom Chapman, sold a majority stake to funds advised by private-equity group Apax Partners. BlueBotics, a leading provider of autonomous navigation and mobile robotics services based in Switzerland, has joined hands with Slovenian industrial group Engmotion to develop a new mini UVC robot that can scale up the fight against viruses. Based on proven mobile robot and UVC lamp technologies, the mini UVC can be used alone or in a connected fleet to autonomously disinfect hospitals and other public buildings such as airports, hotels, and commercial/industrial sites. The robot combines the reliability and fleet management capabilities of BlueBotics mobile robot and navigation technologies with Engmotions powerful Steril-One UVC disinfection lamp. It is a robust, industry-proven solution that disinfects as programmed every time. "As Covid-19 forces facility managers to improve the depth and frequency of their cleaning operations at a time when fewer staff may be available, this robot provides a new and efficient way to achieve these goals," remarked Dr Nicola Tomatis, the CEO of BlueBotics. "Using our industry-proven ANTsoftware it is simple to generate a map, set disinfection points and your autonomous robot will do the rest. The robot easily and efficiently disinfects any type of indoor public space, from hotel rooms to hospitals, airports and more," he stated. With businesses around the world taking tentative steps towards reopening, attention has turned to how public facilities such as hospitals, airports and hotels can ensure they remain safe for visitors. The public are increasingly seeking reassurances of venue safety before visiting or passing through, and at the core of organizations responses is enhanced disinfecting policies and practices, remarked Dr Tomatis. With the pressure that the Covid-19 pandemic has put on hospitals and nursing homes, there is an increased focus on ensuring they are a safe location for patients, medical staff and also visitors. BlueBotics, working in combination with Engmotion, developed the mini UVC robot to enable operations teams to disinfect sites safely and autonomously. In a study last year published in the American Journal of Infection Control, examined the effects of an ultraviolet (UV) light technology designed to defeat superbugs in hospitals and found that it eliminated almost 98 per cent of pathogens. These infections cost billions of dollars, and some estimates state that they cause almost 100,000 deaths each year in the US alone. "When it comes to disinfection technology, UVC light is proven to destroy up to 99% of viruses on surfaces, including the SARS family of viruses, and vegetative bacteria, remarked Enrico Merlani, the CEO of Engmotion. "However, static lamps require trained staff to place and move them. An autonomous mobile robot that can move and position itself at every required location really is the optimal solution," stated Merlani. "The robot allows facility managers to do more with less, systematically disinfecting more areas, more deeply and more often using either one or several connected robots, and all without the need for additional human resources," he added. It features safety laser scanners at the front and rear of the robot, which allows it to detect obstacles and people when in transit, and a high-sensitivity movement sensor on top, which automatically shuts down UVC operations if a human is detected. "If an operator needs to disinfect an area more quickly, disinfect a larger site, or clean multiple areas at the same time, the robots ANT server software makes it easy to create a full fleet of connected mini UVC robots," explained Dr Tomatis. "Other ANT driven vehicles can also be included in the fleet, such as Cleanfixs floor cleaning robots or other logistics vehicles. Additionally, ANT servers built-in simulator allows an operator to verify a project before activation," he noted. Deployed thousands of times in the field, BlueBotics ANT technology and Engmotions Steril-One UVC disinfection lamp ensure the system disinfects exactly as planned, time and time again, he added. The BlueBotics mini UVC was recently deployed at an international airport in Italy as part of a pilot project carried out by Software Design (A SITA Company). "In this Covid-19 era, airport operators need to keep their sites cleaner, with more disinfection cycles every day," explained Marco Pici, the head of Business Development & Business Transformation at Software Design. The BlueBotics mini UVC can be a great help. It can be used to run more cycles with the same resources, helping sites to do more with less. With the ANT server an operator can easily manage and operate a number of different robot types, like our reception robot, and use these as they see fit, or even have them triggered by the airports operation system, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:07:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has revealed the government's intention to have every Australian who wants to come home but stranded overseas home in time for Christmas on Dec. 25. The minister said on Sunday that the federal government was working "constructively" with states and territories to increase the cap on international arrivals to the country, which is currently set at 4,000 per week to ease pressure on the hotel quarantine system. The government has been urged to lift the cap after thousands of Australians stranded overseas complained that it was making it difficult to secure flights home. "If we can lift the hotel quarantine numbers, then we can increase the number of Australians that can return home," Hunt told reporters. "We're working very constructively with the states to that effect." "It's something we want to ensure that every Australian who wants to come home is home by Christmas." As of Monday afternoon, there had been 26,692 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 39. The death toll has increased to 816 after seven new deaths were reported in Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Of the new cases, Victoria confirmed 35 and there were four more cases in New South Wales (NSW). "Within Victoria, 12 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 23 are under investigation," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Monday. "All of today's seven deaths are linked to known outbreaks in aged care facilities. To date, 729 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria." Enditem A downpour triggered landslides in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang on Sunday, causing a local house to collapse, killing an eighth-grader and leaving several other properties damaged. The news was announced in a quick report compiled on the same day by the Standing Office of the provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention, Search, and Rescue. A landslide that occurred in Viet Quang Town, Bac Quang District in Ha Giang at around 6:30 am on Sunday wrecked a local house, according to the report. Nguyen Van L., 14, was sleeping inside the house when its walls collapsed on him, leaving the boy critically injured. The victim was promptly rushed to the hospital by his family, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The boys family members are natives of Vinh Phuc Province, around 236 kilometers from Ha Giang, who rent the house to live and run a small business. After the incident, the district's authorities visited the victims family to express their condolences, assisted them in moving their belongings to a safe place, and gave them cash support of VND9 million (US$390). Sunday's torrential rain was also reported to have knocked down another house in neighboring Dong Van District, officials said. In Bac Quang District, three hectares of rice paddies in Tan Dien Village were submerged in water while 20 meters of water supply pipes for the two villages of Vinh Ngoc and Xuan Hoan were damaged in the land erosion triggered by the downpour. A workshop in Viet Quang Town and a restaurant in Minh Thang Village in Bac Quang District were also wrecked by the landslides, with no casualties reported, official figures revealed. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The states joint committee defined critical condition as the conditions where surface runoff is not the dominant influence of total flow and stream ecosystem processes, she said. While pollutants still will be monitored at all flow levels, and likely applied to other pollution reduction efforts by other agencies, only those readings taken at critical condition will figure into the new metric. Those will be collected when stream gauges are around 55% of average flow, according to the presentation. That change raised alarms for some listening in to the presentation. High levels of phosphorous are known to run into the river due to fertilizer applications and agriculture practices, as well some urban uses along the river so-called nonpoint source pollution. Critics are skeptical of removing those samples from consideration in an overall water quality standard. Mark Derichsweiler, legislative co-chair of the Sierra Club's Oklahoma Chapter, said removal of high-volume flow from the readings seems to cripple any strategy to improve water quality in the river and Lake Tenkiller. Monday, 14 September 2020 16:32:55 (GMT+3) | Istanbul Australian iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has announced that it signed a contract with the government of Afghanistan to undertake studies for the development of hydropower and geothermal projects for green industries, as well as studies across a range of mineral resources. According to the agreement, Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue, and the government will investigate the feasibility of potential projects for development of Afghanistans hydropower and geothermal resources to support green industrial operations, for domestic consumption and export to global markets. Analysts say normalisation deals between UAE, Bahrain, and Israel are unprecedented steps with unknown ramifications. Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel, and United States governments will converge in Washington, DC on Tuesday to sign historic normalisation accords between the Gulf nations and Israel. The UAE agreement, announced in August and since dubbed the Abraham Accords by White House officials, makes the UAE the third Arab country and first in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to agree to establish relations with Israel. The agreement ends the UAEs economic boycott of Israel and allows the possibility of advanced US weaponry sales to the Emirates. Blasted by Palestinians as a betrayal, a sentiment echoed by regional players Turkey and Iran, the deal will have lasting, unprecedented geopolitical ramifications, experts told Al Jazeera. But the extent of these ramifications remains to be seen. Arms sales William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the DC-based Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera arms sales were an important factor in the agreements. The UAE has long wanted F-35 fighter jets, Hartung said, and larger drones, which the US was unable to sell because of its commitment to Israels military advantage. But Trump often touts arms sales and was likely to view the UAE as another client as a positive, Hartung said. The US ramped up its arms sales by 42 percent globally in 2019, an increase of almost $70bn, according to figures from the Forum on the Arms Trade (FAT) from the US Foreign Military Sales programme. But the Middle East and North Africa region far outpaced the global growth rate, going from $11.8bn in 2018 to more than $25bn in 2019, or a 118 percent increase. Morocco leads the pack in purchasing US arms, with almost $12bn sold to Rabat. Nations in the GCC accounted for much of the rest. The UAE spent more than $4.7bn on US arms in 2019, FAT recorded, with Bahrain spending $3.37bn, Qatar spending about $3bn and Saudi Arabia at roughly $2.7bn. Hartung said Bahrain may have agreed to normalisation to access to advanced weaponry and the Saudis could potentially follow. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, centre-left, meeting with Bahrains Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, centre-right, in the capital Manama [Bahrain News Agency/AFP] Bahrain certainly benefitted from US transfers after Trump lifted the hold on F-16s so they may feel somewhat beholden to him on that front, Hartung said, citing a 2017 decision to sell the jets to Bahrain without conditions on human rights. However, the status of an F-35 deal with the UAE remains questionable, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces criticism from his right-wing base as his political fortunes fall. Regarding domestic political victories, Hartung said the Trump administration can brag about normalisation during the presidential campaign and possibly tout jobs from the F-35 programme. It may also burnish the F-35 programme, which has cost trillions to US taxpayers and is criticised for its cost and inefficiencies, Hartung noted. The move may also be perceived as a move to further contain Iran, a target of ire from the Trump administrations and a regional foe for the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, though Hartung said he did not see it as a benefit. Traditional diplomacy Jon Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Al Jazeera while Gulf countries normalising relations with Israel raises new questions, it is an uncharacteristic dedication to traditional diplomacy on the part of the Trump administration. Alterman said the deal with the UAE showed the Trump administration was capable of diplomatic manoeuvres outside of doing things quickly with presidential involvement. However, concerns remain regarding the Israel-Palestinian peace process, Alterman said. The normalisation agreement could pave the way for other major Arab states to normalise ties with Israel without addressing the underlying issues of the conflict. We still have a long way to go to resolving the long-running conflict, Alterman said. I would hope this will mark an effort to redouble efforts rather than claim it is solved. While much of the focus is on the regional implications for Arab states, Alterman wrote for CSIS it could provide a more robust and inclusive regional dialogue could be a constructive way to reduce tensions between Israel, Turkey and Iran, three of the regions most powerful and non-Arab countries. The view from Tehran Israel and countries such as the UAE and Bahrain, which is a Shia-majority nation with a Sunni monarchy, have long held the common interest of keeping Iran at bay. But Assal Rad, a senior research fellow at the National Iranian-American Council, does not think containing Iran was in the calculus on the UAEs side. The UAE and Iran have long-standing economic ties and a sizable diaspora of roughly 500,000 Iranians live in the Emirates, mostly in Dubai. UAE exports to Iran totalled $10.23bn in 2018, according to UN figures cited by Trading Economics, making it among Irans top trade partners. But Rad does not see the normalisation as taking anti-Iran stance and aligning with Israel, she said. If the UAE was adopting an anti-Iran strategy, recent meetings between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who will lead the UAE delegation in Washington on Tuesday, would not have occurred. Its attempting a sort of balancing act. I dont see it as an anti-Iran move. They wanted advanced weapons which this deal makes possible. The larger strategy Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincey Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera the deal and possible advanced weapons sales could further threaten regional stability, but not in Iran, and it remains unclear how enthusiastic UAE leadership can be, domestically. On the one hand, they want it, but it doesnt scream confidence when [Abu Dhabis Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan] isnt going to show up to the signing ceremony in the US, Parsi commented. But normalisation could lead to an emboldened UAE in Yemen in Libya, he continued. Parsi pointed to Saudi Arabia, which he claimed has achieved tacit approval for reckless military actions in Yemen by purchasing US weapons. They are operating under the impression they have the protection of the US To this day, even when Congress has voted twice to stop the war in Yemen, the president has vetoed it twice. While the UAE has reduced actions in Yemen, it is still active there and concerns remain about military actions in Libya, Parsi warned. Alterman, for his part, said normalisation was not a get out of jail free card for the UAE. The upcoming election could shift US strategy towards the Gulf as a broader conversation about how much effort the US should spend on the region continues, which weighs on individual Gulf states, Alterman said. Ultimately, the US has a larger regional strategy that is [more important] than any of its individual relationships with individual states, Alterman said, and every country needs to figure out how it needs to shape its relationship within said US strategy. Normalisation represents a beginning of the UAEs answer to that question, Alterman concluded. Massachusetts public health officials on Monday confirmed 235 new COVID-19 cases, with 9 more people dying form illness linked to the virus. As of Monday, at least 123,139 in the commonwealth have tested positive since the pandemic began. Mondays totals come after the state surpassed 9,000 deaths from confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to DPH. Massachusetts has the sixth-most coronavirus-related deaths of any state, behind New York, New Jersey, Texas, California and Florida, according to The New York Times. As of Monday, 9,010 have died; when including including probable cases, the state says 9,219 may have died in connection to the disease. Mondays newly reported cases are based on 12,201 molecular tests, officials said. Throughout the pandemic, 3,038,625 molecular tests have been administered, according to DPH. The seven-day weighted average rate of positive molecular tests stands at 0.8% as of Monday. The rate has remained below 1% thus far through September. There are 302 people hospitalized with the virus on Monday, including 63 in the intensive care unit, DPH said. The latest statistics come as schools and universities have been cracking down on parties or shifting reopening plans after reports of large gatherings, and after hundreds of complaints have streamed in to the hotline for essential workers concerned that their workplaces failed to prevent the spread of the virus. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healeys hotline, established in May, shut down last week as the Baker administrations reporting line ramped up. Last week, nearly a dozen first-year Northeastern University students were dismissed after they allegedly violated university and public health protocols during the pandemic by gathering in a room at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston. And a party with as many as 150 students, mostly unmasked, that was broken up Friday prompted Dover-Sherborn Regional High School officials to send out a stern warning to the community and announce it would switch to all-remote learning. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District also announced remote learning after a party that was discovered to have taken place in the district. Nantucket has also seen a spike in cases linked to tradespeople and spreader events over Labor Day weekend that helped spark the community spread of the virus. The CDC this week released a study suggesting a link between the spread of coronavirus and going to bars and restaurants. Nationwide, more than 6.5 million Americans have tested positive for coronavirus. At least 194,000 have died as of Sunday, according to COVID-19 data compiled by the Times. As of Monday, these are the number of coronavirus cases in each county: Barnstable County: 1,683 Berkshire County: 685 Bristol County: 9,543 Dukes County: 60 Essex County: 18,703 Franklin County: 396 Hampden County: 7,868 Hampshire County: 1,196 Middlesex County: 26,246 Nantucket County: 72 Norfolk County: 9,845 Plymouth County: 9,389 Suffolk County: 23,236 Worcester County: 13,877 Unknown location: 340 Related Content: IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shopoff Realty Investments ("Shopoff"), a national manager of opportunistic and value-add real estate investments, announced today that Torry Lozano has joined the company as the director of construction. Lozano brings more than three decades of experience in construction and development to his new role with Shopoff. "This year Shopoff has begun to focus more intently on ground-up development than ever before, with projects like our I-10 logistics center in Riverside County and the Parkhouse Residences condominium project at Uptown Newport," explained Shopoff Realty Investments President and CEO William Shopoff. "Securing a seasoned development and construction industry professional like Torry Lozano, will only bolster our already stellar development team and add invaluable experience to this growing part of our business." In this new role, Lozano will have direct responsibility during the pre-construction and construction phase of Shopoff's projects, helping identify and assess risk as well as managing expectations around cost, schedule, quality and feasibility throughout all the phases of development to ensure the decisions made in concept become reality. Torry Lozano, Director of Construction for Shopoff Realty Investments, added, "Working in construction for more than 35 years, I am looking forward to lending my expertise, and collaborating with the dynamic team of real estate professionals at Shopoff, as we develop landmark projects across the country." Lozano started his career as a framer and finish carpenter, before receiving a B1 general contractor's license at the age of 24. Lozano specialized in building high-end custom homes in Malibu, Beverly Hills and other areas of Los Angeles County before moving to Orange County and building homes in Newport Coast. In 2000, he joined forces with Bacchus Development and moved into commercial construction. Prior to joining Shopoff, Lozano most recently served as director of construction with the Kelemen Company, where he was responsible for all construction, development, and entitlement related activities. About Shopoff Realty Investments Shopoff Realty Investments is an Irvine, California-based real estate firm with a 28-year history of value-add and opportunistic investing across the United States. The company primarily focuses on proactively generating appreciation through the repositioning of commercial income-producing properties and the entitlement of land assets. The 28-year history includes operating as Asset Recovery Fund, Eastbridge Partners and Shopoff Realty Investments (formerly known as The Shopoff Group). Performance has varied in this time frame, with certain offerings generating losses. For additional information, please visit www.shopoff.com or call (844) 4-SHOPOFF. Disclosures This is not an offering to buy or sell any securities. Such offer may only be made through the offering's memorandum to qualified purchasers. Any investment in Shopoff Realty Investments programs involves substantial risks and is suitable only for investors who have no need for liquidity and who can bear the loss of their entire investment. There is no assurance that any strategy will succeed to meet its investment objectives. The performance of this asset is not indicative of future results of other assets. Securities offered through Shopoff Securities, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC, 2 Park Plaza, Suite 770, Irvine, CA 92614, (844) 4-SHOPOFF. Contact: Jill Swartz Spotlight Marketing Communications 949.427.1389 [email protected] SOURCE Shopoff Realty Investments Related Links http://www.shopoff.com The government on Monday introduced in Lok Sabha the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to bring cooperative banks on par with developments in the banking sector through their better management and proper regulation to protect the interests of depositors. Opposition members, including Shashi Tharoor of the Congress and Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, opposed the bill, accusing the Centre of encroaching on the rights of states. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected the charge, asserting that state cooperative laws are not being touched and that the proposed law seeks to bring these banks with same regulations that are applicable on other banks. It is applicable to those cooperative banks which deal with "bank, banker and banking," she said, adding that as many as 277 urban cooperative banks have reported losses. Tharoor said the bill is an encroachment on federalism, while Roy claimed it attacks "state rights". Ruling party members also opposed Roy's personal remarks targeting Sitharaman, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanding his apology. Speaker Om Birla said Roy's comments have been expunged. The finance minister also introduced the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Also read: Monsoon Session of Parliament to begin today; COVID-19, India-China row, economic slowdown in focus Also read: Bank recapitalisation: Govt seeks nod to infuse Rs 20,000 crore in PSBs Why the Kerala Gold Smuggling case is an act of terror Kerala Gold Smuggling: Ministers son accused of being hand in glove with accused India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14: The BJP has alleged the son of a Kerala minister was very close to Swapna Suresh, an accused in the Kerala Gold Smuggling case. BJP state president, K Surendran said that the minister's son had received commission for the UAE Red Crescent funded housing project in Kerala. He also angled hat the Kerala police seeks the custody of Swapna two disrupt the probe. It is aimed at sabotaging the probe he also said. Recently, the NIA conducted searches at the houses of several accused persons in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. They respective jewellery shops were also searched by the NIA team and several digital devices and incriminating documents were seized. Kerala gold smuggling case: Swapna Suresh shifted to ICU after complaining of chest pain The NIA has so far arraigned 25 accused in the case of which 20 have been arrested. The NIA had earlier told a court that the investigation discloses that the accused had earned profit from the offence and proceeds of smuggling could be used for terror funding. It said the investigation conducted so far revealed that the accused had conspired and sourced gold in large quantities from abroad on multiple occasions earlier and smuggled it through various airports, especially in Kerala. Investigation has to be conducted abroad and interrogation into roles of high profile individuals and Consulate officials is also necessary to unearth all conspirators in this crime, the NIA said. It said the accused have used various social media platforms to communicate with co-accused and suspects for committing the offence. The seized digital devices of the accused have been forwarded to C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram for cyber forensic analysis. Four more arrested in Kerala Gold Smuggling case, incriminating material seized Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' "Investigation had also revealed the larger conspiracy involving influential people both in India and abroad behind this crime and that the racket has already transported bulk quantities of gold from Middle East through diplomatic baggage and sold it clandestinely to various people, with the intention of threatening economic security of India," the NIA said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 8:29 [IST] Evidence from Sweden and America suggests that Britain may avoid a second wave of coronavirus deaths despite a rebound in infections, experts believe. The UK's rise of 21,300 cases in the last week - more than double the figure of 8,700 two weeks ago - has sparked fears that Britain is following in the footsteps of France and Spain which have both seen alarming spikes in virus cases. But despite warnings from the WHO that Europe's death toll is likely to mount in the autumn, experts hope that the second peak will be less deadly because patients are typically younger and doctors are better prepared for the disease. In Sweden, the death rate has been falling steadily since April despite a peak of cases in the summer - with the country's top epidemiologist saying that deaths can be kept low without drastic lockdown measures. France recorded its highest-ever spike in cases with more than 10,000 on Saturday, but deaths are nowhere near the mid-April peak and the country's PM says it must 'succeed in living with this virus' without going back into lockdown. In the United States, cases surged to record levels in July and August after the first wave had receded - but death rates in summer hotspots such as Texas and Florida were well below those in New York City where the virus hit hardest in the spring. Despite seeing a new surge in coronavirus infections, Sweden has recorded a continuing fall in fatalities since the start of May The US has almost completely avoided a second wave in Cocid-19 deaths despite seeing a huge increase in the number of people infected since June In Sweden, which raised eyebrows around the world by keeping shops and restaurants open throughout the pandemic, deaths have been falling since April. Only 11 new deaths were announced last week, down from a peak of 752 fatalities in seven days in mid-April. Cases reached their height in Sweden in the second half of June, when some days saw more than 1,000 infections - but the death toll continued to fall regardless. Sweden's state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who has become the face of the no-lockdown strategy, said in a recent interview that voluntary hygiene measures had been 'just as effective' as complete shutdowns. 'The rapidly declining cases we see in Sweden right now is another indication that you can get the number of cases down quite a lot in a country without having a complete lockdown,' he told Unherd. Tegnell added that 'deaths are not so closely connected to the amount of cases you have in a country', saying the death rate was more closely linked to whether older people are being infected and how well the health system can cope. 'Those things will influence mortality a lot more, I think, than the actual spread of the disease,' he said. Meanwhile, Swedish economic activity has started to pick up and the effects of the downturn look less severe than previously feared. Sweden today took Britain off its red-list of travel destinations despite the rise in cases in the UK which has led ministers to introduce the new 'rule of six' for social gatherings which police will have powers to enforce. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told the Daily Telegraph that the autumn and winter are 'unlikely to be as bad as the spring' in Britain. 'Covid will probably spread less fast in the elderly than the first time round. I don't think we will see as many deaths this winter as in spring,' he said, suggesting that a smaller second peak in deaths would become the norm. Crackdown: Police in Soho on Sunday night as people enjoyed their last night out before the 'rule of six' on social gatherings comes into effect today Second waves of infection: Spain, France, Sweden and the US have all seen second peaks in cases since the early days of the pandemic ...but no second wave in deaths: The daily death tolls in all four countries have stayed well below the levels seen in the spring, despite rising numbers of infections Pointing to the smaller second peak of deaths in the United States, Prof Hunter said it was likely to be linked to more young people testing positive. At the height of the crisis in mid-April, the US was recording an average of more than 2,800 deaths per day - with more than 1,000 per day in New York City alone. After cases slowed in May and June, they reached a fearsome new peak in the summer, with up to 67,000 cases per day compared to 32,000 in the spring. However, the rise in deaths was more muted. The average daily death toll during the summer was never higher than 1,100 per day and is now below 800 again. While New York City has seen 282 deaths per 100,000 people as a result of the disastrous April death toll, the equivalent figure is only 59 in Florida and 49 in Texas which were both hit hard by the second wave. The smaller summer death toll 'is almost certainly because the second peak was among a lot more young people, as it is here,' Hunter said. European countries including France and Germany have also noticed the virus spreading more among younger people, who generally have less to fear from it. New infections have reached an all-time high in France, which now has more cases than Britain after adding more than 56,000 in the last week. But while hospital deaths have ticked up from 86 per week in mid-August to 176 in the last week, they are far below the level of more than 3,000 per week in April. Last week, French prime minister Jean Castex singled out Marseille and Bordeaux as among the cities hardest hit by the resurgence. However, he did not announce any major new restrictions, shortening the quarantine period for people who catch the virus to just seven days from 14. 'We have to succeed in living with this virus, without returning to the idea of a generalised lockdown,' he said in a televised address. Spain has been hardest hit by the resurgence in Europe, leading countries such as Britain and Germany to impose new travel restrictions. The last two weeks alone have seen more than 112,000 people test positive in Spain, which now has the most cases of any country in Western Europe. But similarly to France, the death toll has increased slightly but not come close to the frightening levels suffered in the spring. While Spain recorded an average of 868 deaths per day in late March and early April, the typical figure is now only 47. Doctors have partly blamed the increase on the different rules set by Spain's 17 regional governments. While parts of the country have banned gatherings of more than 10 people for weeks, Madrid has only just introduced the measure despite being hardest hit. Still, health emergency chief Fernando Simon said on Thursday that there seemed to be a slowdown in contagion in half the country's provinces in the last few days. Germany too has seen cases rise from fewer than 400 per day in mid-June to more than 1,300 per day at the moment, but deaths are as low as ever with only 23 recorded in the last week. Current infection rates in Europe according to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), with Spain and France among the worst-affected countries in the recent rebound Despite the signs that a second wave is manageable, the WHO's Europe director Hans Kluge predicted today that deaths were likely to rise in the autumn. 'It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,' he said. 'It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand,' Kluge said in an interview with AFP. WHO Europe's 55 member states are holding an online meeting today and tomorrow to discuss their response to the coronavirus and agree an overall five-year strategy. Kluge stressed that he wanted to send the 'positive message' that the pandemic 'is going to finish, at one moment or another.' However Kluge, based in Copenhagen, raised a warning finger to those who believe that the development of a vaccine will bring an end to the pandemic. 'I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not!,' the Belgian said. 'We don't even know if the vaccine is going to help all population groups. We are getting some signs now that it will help for one group and not for the other,' he said. 'And then if we have to order different vaccines, what a logistical nightmare! 'The end of the pandemic is the moment that we as a community are going to learn how to live with this pandemic. And it depends on us and that's a very positive message,' he said. Peel Public Health is investigating after a report of COVID-19 exposure at Louise Arbour Secondary School in Brampton. An individual who was at the school on Sept. 10 tested positive for COVID-19, as stated in a letter sent to parents on Sunday. I know this is hard to hear at the start of the school year. Like you, I had hoped this would never happen in our school community, said Sharron Kuhl, the principal of Louise Arbour Secondary School. In the letter, Kuhl confirms that the individual contracted COVID is from the community and not the school. The school was cleaned on Sept. 10 and 11 and an extra cleaning will take place on Sunday. Classes will resume on Monday as regular, says Kuhl. The province has input an online COVID-19 tracker for all schools and child care centres in Ontario to keep track of any possible further outbreaks. Breanna Xavier-Carter is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: bxavier@thestar.ca Read more about: Kazakh Rally Urges Toqaev To Implement Promised Reforms, Free Political Prisoners By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service September 13, 2020 ALMATY -- Dozens of activists rallied in Kazakhstan's commercial capital calling for political reforms and to demand they be allowed to form a new political party. The September 13 rally, organized by the unregistered Democratic Party, also targeted government policies allowing the sale of Kazakh land to foreigners, and with speakers warning of creeping Chinese influence in the country. Police did not intervene to halt the event, which saw speakers criticizing President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and calling on him to carry out democratic and economic reforms. Police and medics were seen patrolling the area and taking people's temperatures as part of anti-COVID-19 measures. Demonstrators also chanted slogans demanding freedom for a dissident poet, and, in a sign of the ongoing tensions with neighboring China, calling for Beijing's ambassador to leave the country. The demonstrators also criticized longtime ruler Nursultan Nazarbaev, who stepped down as president in 2019 after nearly 30 years in power in 2019. Despite formally leaving the presidency, Nazarbaev continues to lead the ruling party and the country's secretive Security Council, and wields wide behind-the-scenes influence. Founded by former journalist Zhanbolat Mamai, the Democratic Party has been repeatedly thwarted by authorities in its efforts to become a registered party. The group had sought to organize its first congress in February, an important legal step in the registration process, but then canceled it because of arrests and detentions of party activists. "Why can't we criticize the authorities?" Mamai told the crowd. "If they do not fulfill the people's demands, let them leave! If they do not listen to people's problems, they are not worthy of being leaders." The Kazakh economy has been hit hard by the drop in global oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, which has choked off growth and forced many businesses to be shuttered. Under growing pressure at home and abroad, Toqaev has called for changes to two important government agencies that play important roles in managing the economy. And in a speech to a joint session of parliament earlier this month, Toqaev proposed allowing direct elections for local governors starting next year. He called for splitting the federal emergency situations agency away from the Interior Ministry, to allow it a freer hand in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Smaller protests were held in the southern city of Shymkent and in the northern city of Aktobe on September 13. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-rally- urges-toqaev-to-implement-promised-reforms-free -political-prisoners/30835898.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 Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli sat down with Sunday Nation for a wide-ranging interview. You admonish the DP so much yet with all that push to stop him, we still see a lot of sentiment in his favour, especially in the Presidents Mt Kenya backyard. From where do you draw this confidence that youll stop Rutos march? If you came to my house today and talked to my children and wife over a political subject, whatever position they took, I would overturn it within minutes if it countered mine as the head of the family. In that same regard, Ruto is just wasting time going to Central without Uhuru. Uhuru will only need a week or less to undo all hes achieved there in three years. Our politics is based on kingpins. Its like going to Western and bypassing the likes of Wycliffe Oparanya, Musalia Mudavadi, Eugene Wamalwa or Moses Wetangula, as weak as he might be. Or going to Nyanza without Raila. They may welcome you, but when the time to make that critical decision comes, they will go by what their local leader says. Do you belong to the Deep State or The System like many seem to suggest? I neither belong to the system nor am I Uhurus adviser. He has his team of advisers. I do not talk to the President on a daily basis like them, but I am his supporter. He means well for this country and that was manifested when he agreed, amid opposition from his own deputy, to shake hands with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the sake of tranquility in the country. Raila controls half of the country, so you cant wish him away and hope to have peace in the country. The President is a visionary. Why have you been receiving many delegations to your home in recent days? You seem to have forgotten that Im an elder in this country and am concerned about the future of younger generations. Elders consult on important issues affecting the society. As early as June 1967 I was an elected representative of workers. Thats 53 years now. Dont you then think Im an important person to be consulted? I have seen it all. Regimes have come and gone. At the global level, I take care of the interests of Asia and Africa as a trade unionist, and locally I lead more than four million workers. That qualifies me to advise anybody on the planet. Anybody. And what do you talk about in your meetings? I am a nationalist. As such we can only talk about national issues; the leadership of this county, the ills bedevilling it and how we can overcome them. The country will soon see the fruits of our deliberations. Do you have the blessings of the President in the meetings? The meetings are not sanctioned by the President or the former Prime Minister, but we support them. From the caucusing, do you have a line up for the 2022 General Elections already? When the time for a line up comes, we will tell you. Its still too early. What we want is to ensure that we have the right people in the right camp I mean political positioning. And we will leave some of these pronouncements to political players when that time comes. Personally, Im not interested in any political seat. Do you have a plan to manage the fallout expected when the presidential candidate is finally unveiled, given the competing interests among those supporting the Handshake? Such is expected in a democracy. As you hope for the best, you also prepare for the worst and how youll manage it. That has been factored in because we know there are those among us who are over-ambitious. There has been so much talk about the President forming a government of national unity to accommodate those from the handshake side. Is it about time? Thats the prerogative of the President. What I can tell you is that, with Raila on his side, whatever changes he want will pass through, even in Parliament. Kenyans will also accept it. In the past, Im told some individuals would ask for money in the name of helping manage the people before certain key decisions were made; but now with Raila you do not need to spend a coin to get support. Other than yourself, who are the other like-minded elders youre working with? We are many. You must have seen some of them here. Youre also free to join the team as long as you share our vision. Some of them are politicians and others are business people. Actually, we would be keen to recruit Tobiko (Environment CS Keriako) after his clerk sentiments. We see hes also aligned. He was right, Ruto is Uhurus clerk by virtue of being the Presidents principal assistant and we want to see him behave like one. Does the State fund the many delegations you host? Not at all. I am propelled by patriotism. I have been receiving visitors in my home for 53 years now. It is how I managed to be elected in the trade union movement. And do I really need to be funded to buy sukuma wiki, milk and bread? We dont give handouts in our meetings. These are respectable elders as well. What became of your bid to unite the Luhya nation? Well soon have Bukhungu Two to anoint a new community spokesperson and thereafter give political direction. We have already booked the stadium for the event and I must thank Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya for this. We have commissioned a study to know which young men and women are popular in Luhyaland and know the positions they would best serve in. Musalia Mudavadi remains the community spokesman until we host the next meeting. Delhi riots: Schools of minority children vacated under premeditated conspiracy India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: Umar Khalid, a former student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, who was arrested by the Delhi Police is accused of making provocative speeches and appealed to citizens to come out on the streets, block roads during the visit by US President Donald Trump. Khalid was arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi riots case. The special cell of the Delhi Police which is probing the case is also looking into the larger conspiracy angle. 53 persons had died in the riots that took place in February. Former JNU student Umar Khalid arrested in Delhi riots case | Oneindia News Khalid has been interrogated twice for his alleged role in the riots. He was called in for questioning on Sunday. An officer who did not wish to be named told OneIndia that the police arrested him on Sunday night. Investigation is on and we cannot reveal anything further at this stage, the officer also said. Northeast Delhi riots: Police arrest former JNU student Umar Khalid The police had told a court last month that Khalid along with other accused, former AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi had hatched a conspiracy to orchestrate the riots just before the visit of US President Donald Trump in February. Recently the Delhi Police had filed two chargesheets against Hussain. The two chargesheets were filed in connection with two separate incidents of violence. The first related to arson and rioting at a parking lot in Chand Bagh, while the second related to arson and robbery at godown in Karawal Nagar. Along with his Hussain, his brother, Shah Alam and 10 others have been charged. The FIR against Khalid that was prepared on March 6 based on the information provided by sub-inspector, Arvind Kumar said that as part of the conspiracy, firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles and stones were stored at houses in Kardampuri, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Shiv Vihar and nearby areas. The FIR said that the informer said that the riots in Delhi were part of a premeditated conspiracy allegedly hatched by Khalid, Danish and two others along with various organisations. The co-accused Danish was given the responsibility to gather the people from various places to take part in the violence. Both women and children were made to block the roads under the Jafrabad Metro Station on February 23 to create tension. The same day, schools of minority children were vacated under their pre-meditated conspiracy. Earlier the police had said that Hussain instigated the mob into killing IB staffer, Ankit Sharma as he was trying to pacify the mobs of both sides. It may be recalled that during the riots, Sharma had gone missing on February 25. His body was recovered from a drain in the Chand Bagh the next day. The chargesheet described the killing as cold blooded. It said that there were 51 injuries on Sharma's body and he was brutally killed. Hussain had gathered a mob based on religious sentiments and had also provided to logistic support to the rioters, whom he knew before hand. Citing witnesses, the chargesheet said that Hussain led the mob at Chand Bagh. The witnesses also told the police Hussain was very much present at his house, from where the mob was pelting stones. Hussain also provoked the mob based on religious sentiments and he was urging the mob against the Hindus/Kafirs to kill them, the chargesheet also said. Sharma on the other hand was trying to pacify both sides. However a mob of 25 equipped with rods, knives and stones attacked him. He was attacked after being instigated by Hussain. Sharma was dragged to the Chand Bagh areas and was beaten to death. The mob also inflicted injuries with knives, thus causing his death in a brutal fashion, the chargesheet further said. The chargesheet also said that Hussain had said a month before the riots that something big would happen. Be prepared for something big when Donald Trump visits India, suspended AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain had said at a January meeting, a good one month before the northeast Delhi riots. The chargesheet against Hussain says that on January 8, a month before the riots, the suspended councillor had met with former JNU student, Umar Khalid at Shaheen Bagh, where the anti citizenship law protests were being held. Hussain also met with Khalid Saifi of the United Against Hate at Shaheen Bagh and said that be prepared for something big or riots at the time of Trump's visit to India. During hiss questioning, Hussain said that Saifi had given him money for the preparations. This was given from the account of the companies that he owned and an amount of Rs 1.10 crore was transferred to fake companies in the second week of January. The amount was later received by him in cash, following a chain of transactions, after which the preparations began, the chargesheet, while citing Hussain's questioning and call records also stated. Hussain is then alleged to have distributed cash among the protestors and he further told his supporters to prepare for the big action. It was during this time that Hussain got wind of the pro-citizenship law protests. He went to the Khajuri Khas police station and got his licensed pistol released. He is alleged to have said that this he did to teach them a lesson. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 11:07 [IST] (TNS) In early March, when the true scope of the coronavirus pandemic was still widely unknown to the public, misinformation was rampant on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.A recent study examined two early pandemic myths . Researchers from three universities, including Joseph McGlynn, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas Department of Communication Studies, studied how long it took before the myths were sufficiently debunked on the same social platform. In this case, Twitter.McGlynn, along with researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Kentucky, examined two types of coronavirus myths: a diagnosis myth and a treatment myth.The diagnosis myth asserted that if you could hold your breath for 10 seconds it was evidence you did not have COVID-19 . The treatment myth asserted that an infected person could cure themselves of the coronavirus by gargling a hot liquid or bleach.Tweets pushing both bogus ideas started ramping up on March 7, McGlynn said.They basically got off to a head start that gave misinformation momentum, McGlynn said. It was a full week before the total amount of debunking responses matched the disinformation tweets. That delay in response allowed misinformation to circulate and spread.At least one type of psychological phenomenon is at work when dealing with misinformation, disinformation and lies. The illusory truth effect, also referred to as the mere exposure effect, occurs when repeating a statement increases the belief that its true even when the statement is actually false, according to PsychologyToday.com.This effect helps perpetuate falsehoods with the simple notion of repetition, as the saying if you repeat a lie long enough suggests. Repeated exposure to both information and misinformation increases the sense that its true, regardless of the sources credibility, as PsychologyToday.com reported.McGlynn and the other researchers found that both myths they studied took off despite vague sources.The misinformation messages were much more likely to allude to a general, nonspecific authority source such as top medical officials, or a nurse friend, McGlynn said. Essentially using our tendency to trust authority sources against us.Oftentimes, McGlynn said, the goal of misinformation is not necessarily only about getting people to believe something wrong, but also to create confusion. This is especially true with the kind of social media tampering the Russian government was caught doing during the 2016 presidential election, according to the U.S. government.The researchers chose the two myths because they were two of the first widely spread in the pandemic and were so unequivocally false, McGlynn said.They were very prominent, he said. The problem with a lot of misinformation after studying it is these false claims get embedded with accurate recommendations.By offering the falsehood among other accurate information, the falsehood is given cover, which makes it easier to gain traction and more difficult for the reader to sort out fact from fiction. Hence, confusion.Once someone believes misinformation, it becomes very difficult to get them to change their mind, McGlynn said. So its really important to debunk these claims quickly and efficiently.In March, these two myths had about a weeks head start on reality. It took that long for the debunking tweets to measure up to the myth tweets, McGlynn said.At that inflection point around March 14, debunking took off and matched the levels of misinformation and misinformation receded, he said.Without opposition, the misinformation was able to flourish.Once [the debunking message] got prominent enough, its just such a harder place for misinformation to circulate, he said. Because when there is no debunking its a one-sided message. Once the debunking is out there and really prominent, then at least people are skeptical. Even if they hear the misinformation theyre thinking, I think I heard that actually wasnt true.The researchers hope organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, as well as state and local health officials, take a more offensive, vigilant tack with myth busting in the future. In the current climate, potential myths and misinformation about a COVID-19 vaccine are likely on the horizon.McGlynn hopes such health officials are preparing adequately. Perhaps dedicating personnel to actively seeking out misinformation on social media and debunking it with an overwhelming onslaught of truth and fact. The actual number of messages is important, he said. Just as the repetition of a lie can help it gain traction, the same is true for the truth.Organizations should really be anticipating these false claims rather than be surprised by how many there are, he said. Misinformation is offense, and debunking is defense. So it makes sense that there will be some delay, but its really important for organizations to plan ahead.As more became known about COVID-19, much of the public was better equipped to handle misinformation, although disinformation, of course, persists in certain corners of the Internet.When people have a lot of uncertainty, thats when they tend to look to authority cues to guide their behavior, McGlynn said. Thats why the use of the nonspecific authority sources was probably very effective for these misinformation campaigns. You take that void where people dont know what to think, dont know what to do, and misinformation steps right in. Thats one reason why with COVID-19, the misinformation campaigns were so effective at creating confusion. New Jersey residents should get flu vaccinations as soon as possible to avoid a potential twin-demic that could stress the states healthcare system if theres also a spike in the coronavirus pandemic, the states top health official said Monday. As we enter the fall season, we are also moving into the flu season. This year we are preparing for the possibility of a twin-demic," state Health Commissioners Judith Persichilli said. "A severe flu season and a resurgence of COVID-19, which can strain health care resources Residents should get vaccinated by the end of October, before the flu viruses begin circulating, she said. Typically, less than half of the eligible population in the state receive the flu vaccine, she said. It is important that everyone gets vaccinated for the flu, Persichilli said Monday during Gov. Phil Murphys regular COVID-19 briefing in Trenton. The flu vaccine will not protect you against COVID-19. However, the vaccine can reduce flu illnesses and hospitalizations. She noted that symptoms for the flu and coronavirus overlap and rapid testing for both will be important in monitoring spikes. What we dont want to see is a really bad flu season with a resurgence of COVID," Persichilli said. "It would stress our systems terribly, but I do have to tell you that were planning for it. The good news, she said, was that flu cases seemed to be down in the southern hemispheres winter this year due to precautions associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Precautions like hand washing and masks prevent both infections. The governor on Monday reported 346 new positive tests and 3 additional deaths, bringing the states death toll to 16,034, which includes 14,245 lab-confirmed deaths and 1,789 that are considered probable, and 196,968 total cases. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage More than 16,000 New Jersey residents have died in just a little over six months since the global pandemic hit the state. Thats roughly the same number of New Jersey service members who died in the six years the U.S. fought in WWI and WWII combined. Based on current projections, COVID-19 deaths could surpass those from cancer this year, possibly making coronavirus the No. 2 cause of death in the state. It has the second-highest number of deaths, trailing only New York where more than 33,000 people have died. New Jersey, an early coronavirus hotspot, has seen its daily numbers drop significantly since peaking in April, when officials regularly announced hundreds of new deaths and thousands of new cases a day. And hospitalizations have continued to hover around new lows for weeks after hitting peaks in mid-April when more than 8,000 patients were being treated. There were 420 coronavirus patients at the states 71 hospitals as of Sunday night, according to state data. The states rate of transmission also held stead on Monday at 1.06 though remained above the critical mark of 1 that shows the states outbreak is expanding. Any number over 1 indicates that each new case is leading to at least one additional case and the outbreak is expanding. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Sept 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Monday ruled as unconstitutional some of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's orders to control the coronavirus outbreak, including limits on crowd sizes, requirements that people stay home, and the closing of non-essential businesses. Ruling on a lawsuit brought by business owners and Republican politicians, U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV, a Trump appointee, said the restrictions were executed with good intentions but were arbitrary and violated individual rights. While some of the limits have been lifted since the lawsuit was filed in May, the Democratic governor has maintained some restrictions on gatherings and on bars and restaurants. The Wolf administration was reviewing the ruling, a spokesperson told Reuters. Previous legal challenges to some of the governor's pandemic-related restrictions had been unsuccessful. There have been hundreds of cases filed in federal and state courts across the United States, challenging various local coronavirus restrictions, with some going all the way to the Supreme Court. The U.S. top court in July declined to lift a 50-person limit on religious services adopted by Nevada's Democratic governor in response to the pandemic, and in May it rejected challenges to coronavirus curbs on religious services in California and Illinois. Perhaps one of the most emblematic cases of the clash over pandemic curbs took place in Wisconsin in May, when some residents flocked to bars to celebrate a ruling by the state's top court that struck down a statewide stay-at-home order. Several lawsuits challenging Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker orders are working their way through state courts. The lawsuits accuse Pritzker, a Democrat, of overstepping his authority. Despite a recent return to school for many students and teachers, coronavirus cases in the United States have dropped sharply in recent weeks and both deaths and hospitalizations are trending lower at a slower pace. The number of new cases fell 15% last week and deaths fell for a fourth week in a row, according to a Reuters analysis. The United States reported on average about 35,000 new cases each day in the week ended Sept. 13, marking the eighth straight week of declines from a peak in July of about 70,000 new cases a day. More than 735 people a day on average died from COVID-19 last week. (Reporting by Joseph Ax and Maria Caspani, additional reporting by Lisa Shumaker and Brendan O'Brien, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) Gulfsands Petroleum has expressed concerns about the recent deal between the US and the Kurds and their options for drilling in the northeastern region writes Asharq Al-Awsat. British company Gulfsands Petroleum has distanced itself from the partnership agreement between the United States Delta Crescent Energy company and the Kurdish autonomous administration east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria. Officials from the firm told Asharq Al-Awsat that they will defend the companys rights to invest in oil in Block 26, which is located east of the Euphrates and believed to produce 20,000 barrels of oil per day. Gulfsands had signed a deal with the Syrian government in 2003 to invest and develop Block 26. According to the agreement, two-thirds of production will go to the government after calculating costs. Since 2011, the block came under the control of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and later the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) due to the ongoing Syrian conflict and the American and European sanctions against the Damascus regime. Officials from Gulfsands told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 26 million barrels of oil have been produced from Block 26 in four years. The production was unlicensed and it is unknown who received the oil or the extent of the damage that has been inflicted on the field. Gulfsands has invested more than 350 million dollars in Block 26, which experts estimate is worth billions of dollars. American investment Prior to the eruption of the conflict in 2011, Syria used to produce some 360,000 barrels of oil per day. Production has since dropped to around 60,000. Some 90 percent of its oilfields and half of its gas fields are controlled by the SDF, which is backed by the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. In Aril, Delta Crescent Energy struck a deal with the autonomous administration to obtained a license from the US Treasury to operate in northeastern Syria seeing as the war-torn countrys oil sector is under American and European sanctions. Delta Crescent Energy was established in the US state of Delaware in February 2019. Its partners include former US ambassador to Denmark James Cain, James Reese, a former officer in the Armys elite Delta Force, and John Dorrier Jr., a former executive at GulfSands Petroleum, reported Politico in August. In July, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is close to President Donald Trump, declared before Congress that SDF chief Mazloum Abdi had informed him of the signing of an oil investment agreement with an American company. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration supports the deal and said it is intended to modernize the oilfields. The deal took a little longer than we had hoped, and now were in implementation, he said. The deal was, however, widely criticized by Damascus, Moscow, Tehran and Ankara. They slammed it as political recognition of the Kurdish administration and violation of the Astana agreement reached between Russia, Iran and Turkey. Washington defended the deal, saying: Syrian oil is for the Syrian people and we remain committed to the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. The United States government does not own, control, or manage the oil resources in Syria. The populations in areas liberated from ISIS make their own decisions on local governance. Protecting oil The goal is to get the production back up to where it was before the civil war and sanctions, said Ambassador Cain according to Politico. I think this companys going to improve the viability of the northern oil fields to make them more productive, Graham said. Conceptually it makes sense that we should, instead of just writing checks, help people help themselves. In October 2019, Graham played a role in persuading Trump to keep American forces deployed east of the Euphrates River after he had announced that he wanted to pull back the troop to the border with Turkey. Trump later confirmed that a small number of forces will remain in oil-rich areas, stressing that the US has secured and protected the oil. Indeed, some 500 soldiers remain east of the Euphrates and they have been supplied with better military gear to protect the oilfields. Many questions have been asked about the role the American military and administration are playing in the new oil deal. Pentagon spokesperson Jessica McNulty noted that the Department of Defense does not have an affiliation with any private companies in regard to the oilfields in northeast Syria. However, she added that US forces in the region are securing critical petroleum infrastructure in northeast Syria to deny ISIS access to critical resources and revenue, reported Politico. McNulty also noted that the oil resources currently provide some of the funding necessary for the SDF to conduct operations against ISIS. Sovereign rights The deal between the American company and autonomous administration calls for the establishment of at least two makeshift oil refineries in the region east of the Euphrates that can produce 20,000 barrels of oil per day. The production will meet some of the local demand. Other sources, however, weighed the possibility that the deal could allow operators to expand their work and invest in other oilfields. This would raise concerns among other oil companies, including Gulfsands. Officials at the firm said they were surprised with the deal that was struck between Delta Crescent Energy and the Kurdish administration. One official said Gulfsands continues to investigate the details of the agreement and was determined to protect its rights. Moreover, he said that the firm was not involved in politics, but hopes that peace and stability will be restored in Syria. Gulfsands remains committed to its project in Syria and is determined to protect its rights in line with international laws, he added. The company has signed a binding agreement with a sovereign state and it expects that its rights be recognized, hoping that it will resume its work when conditions permit it. On the other end of the divide, Kurdish officials defended their deal with Washington, saying it had political undertones seeing as it was signed directly between an American company and the autonomous administration without having to obtain the Syrian governments approval. The political significance of the deal is important and is tantamount of recognition of the autonomous authority, he explained. Furthermore, it eases concerns that the US may suddenly pull out its troops from the region east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. In the world of Hollywood, rumors circulate, and nothing goes unchecked as celebrities are surrounded by people 24/7. There are bound to be some people who will spill the beans until the stories spread and get featured on tabloids. Although these celebrities shut down the rumors at first, in an attempt to control the damage it may do to their careers and personal life if it turns out to be true, eventually, they admitted it. And the truth is as shocking as the gossip. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are two of the most famous Hollywood stars from the start of their career in the 90s up till today, and everyone knows their names. In 2004, rumors started to spread that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are overly friendly on the set of their film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," and sources who said they worked on the movie claimed they had an affair. After seven months since the movie's release, Pitt filed for divorce and left his wife, actress Jennifer Aniston, whom he was married to for five years. Also Read: Best Romantic Comedy Movies of All Time In 2008, Pitt explained during an interview with Rolling Stone that he fell in love with Angelina Jolie during the production of their movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." as as reported by Mirror.Co. The two lasted for years and even had children together; they got married in 2014. Unfortunately, the two called it quits in 2016 when Jolie filed for a divorce. Arnold Schwarzenegger Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger had been rumored for years that he had an affair with his maid, Mildred Baena. Sources at that time said that the two were spotted being all touchy-feely when they were alone. Schwarzenegger denied the claims at first, stating that it was just a rumor created by tabloids to have a story. However, the actor later confirmed that the rumors were true all along. In May 2011, Schwarzenegger and his then-wife Maria announced their separation by releasing a joint statement. In the same month, just weeks after he announced his divorce, the actor also admitted that he has an illegitimate child, as reported by EOnline!. Ellen DeGeneres Before the famous talk show host and comedian came out as a lesbian, Time Magazine already speculated about Ellen DeGeneres' sexual orientation. But it was during an episode of Ellen's groundbreaking sitcom "Ellen," where she laid it all out and admitted that she's gay. In 1997, the episode of her sitcom titled "The Puppy Episode" raked in 44 million viewers and is known as one of the moments in history that helped the LGBT community move forward towards acceptance. After Ellen came out, she was not greeted with open arms. The comedian was fired from her work, cut off from gigs, and was out of the industry for a while before she was given a chance to host her own show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2003. Bill Cosby The comedian and actor Bill Cosby was the star of the hit sitcom "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992. Because of his character, he was dubbed "America's dad," but the respect that the public and the industry have for him did not last long. Over 60 women have come forward about being sexually assaulted by Cosby, including his former co-stars. Some victims claimed that they were drugged before they were assaulted by the actor. In 2018, all the tabloid rumors about his behavior turned out to be true when the actor himself admitted to the claims. He was later found guilty by a jury and had since been serving a 10-year prison sentence. Related Article: Some of the Worst Movies Ever Made According to Film Critics @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Los Angeles (September 14, 2020) -- One of the mysteries about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is how it is spread within households, including why some family members develop the viral infection and others do not. Is there a way to predict who will be symptomatic or asymptomatic and how long someone remains infectious? Are asymptomatic and symptomatic cases equally able to transmit infection? Are there "super-spreaders" within families--and do they include children? Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, as well as in Nicaragua and New Zealand, are enrolling 250-325 households in a new study designed to answer these questions. The study was awarded $7.1 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. "We have seen some families where only one person was infected and others where the entire 11-person household became infected," says Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, who is leading the U.S. study site. "The pattern varies widely, probably due to a combination of factors, from a family's living situation to their individual immune systems." The effort to learn more about household transmission is an extension of a seven-year NIAID-funded study into influenza, which focuses on how a child's first exposure to the flu virus might produce a long-lasting immunological response. This "imprinting" can impact the child's ability to respond to future flu strains. The influenza study, which launched in fall 2019, will involve recruitment of about 3,100 children in Los Angeles, New Zealand, and Nicaragua and 12 institutions from all over North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The multi-center investigation into the flu virus was already in place when the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 hit. "We immediately realized the value in also knowing more about what happens after the first infection with SARS-CoV-2," Dr. Pannaraj says. Among the key questions investigators want to explore is how differences in family members' immune systems may dictate transmission patterns. Also of interest is whether children contribute to household transmission of the novel coronavirus. "With the flu, we see that children are the main vectors, or infection hosts, who spread it to other people," says Dr. Pannaraj. "For COVID-19, we don't yet know the role children play in transmission within a family. Our goal with this study is to find out." Children's Hospital Los Angeles researchers received $1.2 million of the total NIAID funding for the U.S. portion of the study, and plan to enroll up to 100 households. At least one member of each participating household must have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study spans all ages, from newborns to seniors. Investigators will follow each household over the two-year study, enabling them to observe when each family member becomes symptomatic or infected (or not), along with the pattern of infection, such as whether everyone gets infected around the same time or if the virus is passed sequentially from person to person. In addition to providing information that could help limit transmission between family members, findings from this study will be used to optimize vaccination strategies and COVID-19 vaccine development. ### Funding for the study is provided under NIAID grant #U01AI144616 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Michigan, University of Rochester, Washington University, Institute of Environmental Science & Research Limited, Sustainable Sciences Institute, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is ranked the top children's hospital in California and fifth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of children's hospitals. Clinical care is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also leads the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children's hospital of its kind in the western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles encompasses basic, translational and clinical research conducted at CHLA. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and visit our blog. Inside Hook Over the last decade, a growing number of states have legalized cannabis some for medical use, some for recreational use and some for both. All told, 33 states have made cannabis legal for medical use, with 11 of those also allowing cannabis to be used recreationally. A new report at CNN indicates that the 2020 elections have the potential to make those numbers increase even more. And while it might not be quite as transformative as the 2016 election, theres still a lot at stake. Arizona, New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Mississippi are the states set to vote on a variety of proposals. Some are strictly focused on the medical aspects of cannabis notably, Mississippi, where voters will be able to vote for two distinct measures both dealing with medical cannabis. More than 60 per cent of the active cases are concentrated in the five states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Health Ministry said on Monday, underlining that the recovery rate in the country had touched 78 per cent. India's COVID-19 case tally has mounted to 48.46 lakh with 92,071 new infections, while 37.80 lakh people have recuperated. The death toll climbed to 79,722 with 1,136 more people succumbing to the infection, according to the ministry data. India's journey of a fast-growing recovery rate has crossed a milestone on Monday. On a continuous upward trajectory, the recovery rate has touched 78 per cent, reflecting the increasing number of high recoveries per day, it said in a statement. As many as 77,512 patients have been discharged in a single day and the gap between recovered cases and active cases is consistently increasing, and now stands at 27,93,509. The total number of active cases in the country is 9,86,598, according to the ministry. More than 60 per cent of the active cases are concentrated in five states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These states are also reporting 60 per cent of the total recovered cases, it said. Nearly 60 per cent of the total number of COVID-19 cases are from five states -- (21.9 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.7 per cent), Tamil Nadu (10.4 per cent), Karnataka (9.5 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (6.4 per cent), the ministry said. Out of the 92,071 new cases, continues to contribute a high number and has reported more than 22,000 new cases in a day. Andhra Pradesh has contributed more than 9,800 new cases, it said. Of the new 1,136 deaths, nearly 53 per cent are concentrated in the three states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh. These are followed by Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. More than 36 per cent of deaths reported on Sunday are from (416 deaths), the ministry said. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 5,72,39,428 samples have been tested up to September 13 with 9,78,500 samples being tested on Sunday. (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.) ISLE ROYALE, MI - The first wolf pups in several years have been born on Michigans remote Isle Royale, surprising researchers who have been tracking the large new batch of wolves transplanted into the wilderness there in the last two years. In addition to the new arrivals, recent research shows theres some predator drama taking shape on this archipelago in Lake Superior: small groups of wolves have begun staking out territory on the island, and the last old island-born female was not seen during surveys from the air and on foot. The results, released today, are from the 62nd year of the Michigan Technological University Winter Study at the national park, the longest-running predator/prey study in the world. Scientists are continually gathering information about the islands wolf and moose populations, which have been fluctuating for decades. In recent years, the moose population has grown rapidly and their overbrowsing on trees was a concern. To combat this, the National Park Service in 2018 launched an effort to bring new wolves to Isle Royale, whose predator population by then had dropped to just two older wolves that were not producing pups. Isle Royale sits in Lake Superior, about 60 miles north of Michigans Upper Peninsula mainland, and about 20 miles off the coast of Minnesota. While its not clear how many new pups there may be, Michigan Tech researchers and their partners believe there are up to 14 adult wolves on the island, and an estimated 1,876 moose. That represents about a 9% decrease in the moose count - a loss thats likely to be seen as good for the islands rebalancing of predator/prey levels. That dip is credited to not only the new wolves taking down moose alone and in groups, but moose starvation, the study shows. One of the Michipicoten Island wolves, caught for relocation to Isle Royale. The First Wolf Pups But lets talk about those new pups. A couple of them were likely born on Isle Royale sometime in 2019 and their existence seemed to be a bit of a surprise to researchers. They noticed one pup - as well as a mystery wolf - when they saw one of the older female wolves who had been transplanted from Canada associating with two wolves they didnt recognize. They knew the female wolf, which had been fitted with a GPS collar, was one that had been trapped on Michipicoten Island off the coast of Ontario and brought to Isle Royale with her pack members in early 2019. But the two wolves she was seen hanging around have thrown the researchers a curveball, according to Michigan Tech. One was clearly a juvenile wolf, with no collar and no ear tags like the other new wolves. The other wolf was a mystery - an uncollared wolf the researchers have not seen before, and whose markings do not match those of any of the transplanted wolves or the islands last native wolf. Scientists tapped some top wolf behaviorists, sending photos and behavioral observations of the juvenile wolf and asking for their opinion. They affirmed it was very likely a pup. The pup was born on the island, but may have been conceived before the new wolves were relocated to Isle Royale last March, said Rolf Peterson, research professor in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES). It was a puzzle for us during the final two weeks of the fieldwork this winter. The researchers have not said where the other uncollared, unrecognized wolf came from. In the winter of 2019, researchers noted some new wolves had apparently walked across an ice bridge from the Minnesota or Canadian mainland and visited Isle Royale. Its unclear if that unidentified wolf could have come to the island that way. Other wolf pups have also been photographed on the island and researchers are trying to track back their likely parentage, and are analyzing wolf-pup scat found in den areas to determine the DNA links. In addition to pups born on the island in 2019, there were possibly two other litters this spring. Documenting reproduction is critical to the success of any introduction effort. In contrast to 2019 where female wolf 014F was likely pregnant before translocation, the breeding and rearing of two litters of pups this spring was a major step toward their recovery. We will continue to evaluate reproduction and recruitment of Isle Royales wolves using multiple lines of evidence including GPS collar data, remote cameras, DNA from wolf scats, and observations, said Dr. Jerry Belant, a SUNY- ESF professor whose team is assisting the park service with characterizing the wolf introduction program. A newly-relocated female Isle Royale wolf has left the island in Lake Superior and walked back to the mainland on an ice bridge. New Wolves Claim New Territory Since the fall of 2018, the park service and its partners have released 19 new wolves onto the island. They have been trapped on tribal land in Minnesota, on Canadas mainland and one of its islands. They were sent to join the two remaining island-born wolves, who were also a father-daughter and half-sibling pair whose only sickly pup died years ago. The last two natives wolves were all that was left of a once-robust multi-pack system on Isle Royale that saw sharp losses because of disease, accidents, inbreeding and hereditary issues. The last island-born male, known as M183, was found dead on a trail by a park ranger last October. Hed been killed by the new wolves. During this springs survey, team members searched for his mate. They saw no sign of the 9-year-old female, and dont know if shes dead or alive. In the meantime, the new wolves have pressed forward, carving out territory as teams. There are two bonded male-female pairs that seem to be associated with territories that together cover most of the island, and there are two other females that likely mated but dont have a clear territory of their own, Peterson said. Two of the pairs each have half the island. The third pair is playing the margins; they spend a lot of time on offshore islands and swimming. There is a lot of tension among groups. The two territorial bunches I think that will be the spatial pattern. Researchers also noticed two collared male wolves who appear to be loners. They also looked for another male whose GPS tracking collar fell off him, but did not see him. So between the 2 missing wolves, a mystery wolf and and unknown number of new pups, the wolf population remains in flux. The wolf situation on Isle Royale remains dynamic as these wolves continue to work out their relationships with one another, said Mark Romanski, U.S. National Park Service natural resources manager and biologist who is coordinating the wolf introduction program. It is expected that social organization ought to settle down, but then again, wolves often dont abide by human expectations. While the groups are staking out territory, they are not yet formalized as true packs yet, researchers said. They are still building social bonds. A wolf population is more than a collection of individual wolves. A wolf population is organized, said John Vucetich, a Michigan Tech CFRES professor. It has social structure that includes wolves associating closely with one another, being territorial and exhibiting courtship behavior. We observed those social interactions this winter. Its exciting to see. Fitting moose with "smart" tracking collars on Michigan's Isle Royale is part of the wolf-moose study. Moose Population Starts to Decrease After a Decade The exploding numbers that most concerned the park service - the annual moose count - have seen their first drop in many years. After several years of rapid increase, moose abundance appears to have either declined slightly or perhaps remained about the same as last year, Vucetich said. That change is significant because the prior years of increasing moose abundance had been impacting Isle Royales forest in a pretty intense way. As wolf numbers declined in the last decade or so, the moose population for years had seen a steady uptick of about 19% per year. These big animals have big appetites, and their large numbers meant a decrease of some types of trees on the island, including balsam fir. With their forage buffet affected, researchers estimated about 100 moose starved to death in the spring 2019. The new wolves are also a factor in the moose decline. This past winter, the new wolves' hunting efforts were deemed successful. The kill rate is a relatively high for the number of wolves we have, Peterson said. This is in part due to the fact that most of the wolves are in their own hunting unit, as opposed to being grouped into larger packs. The pairs kill moose and some of the single wolves kill moose. The wolves have killed roughly a moose every other day, or 25 kills in 48 days. Another 25 island moose were fitted with GPS collars this spring - 19 cows and six bulls. Researchers are eager to see what they will learn from this new group as they continue to expand the number of collared moose. It is critical for the NPS to understand moose population dynamics and the populations impacts on the Isle Royale ecosystem. Our collaboration with MTU, as well with other universities and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, are helping to characterize the impacts of this voracious herbivore, said Denice Swanke, the new superintendent of Isle Royale National Park. Well use data from these collared moose to assess how moose behavior and habitat selection affect the health of individual moose and ultimately moose population dynamics, said Sarah Hoy, who leads the moose collaring project and is a Michigan Tech CFRES assistant research professor. Additionally, through our collaboration we will compare the predator-prey dynamics and health of the population of moose on Isle Royale National Park to a neighboring population of collared moose on the mainland on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation. The two populations experience similar climate, but differ in other important ways. The comparison represents a unique opportunity to attain new insights into moose population dynamics. This transplant program has also seen its share of losses. Wolves found dead in a swamp, or attacked by other wolves have been documented, as have wolves who died of pneumonia or possibly from infection from a leg trap that was used. One wolf died of anesthesia-related stress before she could be transported to Isle Royale, and another new wolf left the island in early 2019 when a Polar Vortex created and ice bridge. She walked back to the Canadian mainland. Over the last 12 months (March 2019February 2020) there was significant mortality, researchers said of the wolf population."In particular, the annual mortality rate was approximately 40%. If the two wolves whose fate are unknown ... are also dead, then the mortality rate would be 46 percent. By comparison, the long-term, mean annual mortality rate ... for Isle Royale wolves is 26 percent." The last two island-born wolves were M183, left, and his mate/daughter/half-sister F193, right, are shown in this photo. Courtesy of Michigan Technological University and the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale study. READ MORE Moose skeleton on Michigans Isle Royale gives researchers unusual discovery The mysteries of Michigans Cemetery Island College sweethearts share a passion for diving Michigans Isle Royale shipwrecks Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Introductory statement by Mr Yves Mersch , Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank, at the Eurofi Financial Forum, Berlin, 11 September 2020. Today, I will reflect on two issues: our role in the extraordinary measures taken to keep economies afloat since the outbreak of the current crisis, and the limits of the ECB's prudential mandate. The pandemic has dealt an unprecedented peacetime blow to the European economy. In spring, a great number of our businesses went into full lockdown. Crucially, however, banks in the euro area were able to offer vital support. To this end, ECB Banking Supervision provided far-reaching capital and operational relief, making record levels of lending possible during this exceptional time. More precisely, in March we took an unconventional decision: we asked all euro area banks to restrict their dividend distributions. In July, we extended this recommendation by another three months until the end of this year. This was not an easy move. Under normal conditions, profitable and healthy banks should not be prevented from remunerating their shareholders. Restricting dividends can increase banks' funding costs, have an impact on their access to capital markets and make them less competitive than their international peers. At the same time, I am aware that our recommendation may disproportionately penalise well-capitalised lenders and those set up as non-joint stock companies. Nevertheless, I still consider such an exceptional and temporary "one-size-fits-all" approach to be warranted. Our vulnerability analysis only produced accurate estimates of capital depletion on a sector-wide rather than on an individual bank basis. And, while prudent capital planning is the order of the day, the current economic uncertainty means that banks are simply unable to forecast their medium-term capital needs accurately. Such an unorthodox move was therefore justified by our ultimate goal to counteract procyclical developments and support banks' capacity to absorb losses during the crisis without compromising their ability to continue lending to the real economy. Nevertheless, this recommendation is, and must remain, exceptional and temporary. We will review it in December, and unless we conclude that the banks' capital projections remain clouded by high uncertainty, we will revert to our usual supervisory practice of assessing planned distributions of dividends on a bank-by-bank basis. We opted to be prudent today to avoid having regrets tomorrow should overall economic conditions further deteriorate. The ECB is in good company. Other institutions have joined the effort to keep the financial taps open for the real economy during this exceptional period. After the "quick fix" to the Capital Requirements Regulation, the European Commission recently adopted a Capital Markets Recovery Package to make it easier for capital markets to support the economic recovery. The proposal to amend the Securitisation Regulation is part of this package. It includes a recital stating that the requirements on direct risk retention, transparency and the resecuritisation ban are also prudential obligations and thus specifically entrusted to the competent authorities in charge of prudential supervision, implying that the ECB has an active supervisory role in these areas. This, in my view, is problematic. The ECB recognises its competence to supervise banks' adherence to some securitisation obligations that are prudential in nature, such as the use of proper credit granting criteria for exposures to be securitised. However, the other tasks include the supervision of compliance with direct risk retention requirements, transparency requirements and the ban on resecuritisation. These tasks fall under the category of product supervision rather than prudential supervision. They ensure the alignment of interests between investors and originators, and between sponsors and original lenders. They allow investors to understand, assess and compare securitisation transactions. The ECB cannot take on these tasks because they go beyond its prudential supervision mandate. Article 127(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the SSM Regulation clearly define these limitations. A simple recital cannot change these; only a Treaty change can. Re-labelling financial product supervision tasks as prudential tasks won't do the trick. What's more, assigning financial product supervision to the ECB could result in conflicting responsibilities. In its role as prudential supervisor, the ECB generally wants as little risk as possible to remain with a bank acting as originator, so as to minimise arbitrage opportunities with the corresponding reduction of capital requirements. At the same time, the competent authority needs to ensure that the bank retains a material net economic interest under the risk retention obligation. This might be linked to the need to preserve proper credit granting standards but might also create conflict in relation to the ECB's objective as prudential supervisor. To conclude, I do not see the proposed conferral of tasks as being either a viable allocation of labour or legally tenable. Extraordinary supervisory action is warranted in times of crisis. But the ECB cannot take on tasks that go beyond its prudential supervision mandate. Press Release September 14, 2020 De Lima backs global calls for independent probe on killings, rights abuses in PH Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has stressed the urgent need for a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)-led investigation into human rights violations in the Philippines amid the unabated killings in the country which continue to happen amid a global health crisis. In her message for the Global Day of Action on the Philippines today (Sept. 14), De Lima expressed support to local and international civil society groups who also called for an expedited proceedings in the International Criminal Court (ICC). "Given the magnitude and relentlessness of the killings and other gross human rights violations, the High Commissioner, the CHR, a number of UN Special Rapporteurs, and many civil society organizations have been urging the UNHRC to establish an on-the-ground independent and impartial investigation into human rights abuses in the country," she said. "I join the call for an UNHRC-led investigation, and for expedited ICC process," added De Lima, who maintained that "the catastrophe that has been always been with us since Day 1 when Rodrigo Duterte took power as President is the human rights calamity." In a letter to the UNHRC dated Aug. 27, 62 local and international civil society groups have called on the rights council to launch an independent international investigative mechanism to investigate the killings and other human rights violations committed in the Philippines since 2016, when Mr. Duterte assumed presidency. The groups, which include Amnesty International, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, among others, urged the delegation to ensure that the UNHRC "responds robustly" to the June report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on the "widespread and systematic" killings in the government's war on drugs. In Bachelet's June 2020 report to the UNHRC, De Lima recalled that the former found that these killings were indeed widespread and systematic, as at least 8,663 mostly poor Filipinos had been killed, with other estimates, including that from the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR), of more than triple that number. "Under this climate of impunity, attacks against human rights defenders and critics of the government - activists, journalists, members of groups associated with the political left, and leaders of the opposition, the churches, trade unions, indigenous peoples and peasant groups - have been frequent and rampant, as well," De Lima shared. In her message, De Lima likewise appealed to different governments across the globe to immediately impose targeted sanctions, such as those provided by the Global Magnitsky Act and similar penalties, against abusive and corrupt Philippine government officials, and come to the aid of the Filipino people who have long been abused by Duterte and his cohorts. "In the absence of domestic accountability, I pray that global instruments of justice will commence the task of exacting criminal and moral responsibilities, ensuring redress for the victims and their families, and signaling a definite end to the mass atrocities," she said. "In the face of a disabled national government, I hope for an ever growing and unstoppable network of individuals, groups and peoples in the Philippines and abroad who are bound by solidarity and a collective struggle for common humanity and the dignity of the Filipino," she added. Even in her unjust and illegal detention for trumped-up charges filed by the administration, De Lima, a known human rights defender here and abroad, has remained vocal against the unabated spate of extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses in the country. (Watch livestream of the event here: https://bit.ly/32tJS1f) After facing allegations of doing appeasement politics" ahead of state assembly polls in 2021, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and free housing for more than 8,000 Sanatan Brahmin priests in the state. Banerjee, while addressing a presser, said, We had earlier provided land to the Sanatan Brahmin sect to set up an academy at Kolaghat. Many priests in this sect are financially weak. We have decided to help them by providing them with an allowance of Rs 1,000 per month and also free housing under the state governments housing scheme." I dont have the exact numbers of Sanatan Brahmin priests but so far we have received names of 8,000 and all of them will get their monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 from this years Durga Puja and they will be eligible for housing," she continued. She further said, Please dont speculate much about this move (allowance to Sanatan Brahmin priests). If a priest of a church will ask for any help, our government is always there to stand beside them." Moreover, she has also announced to re-launch the Hindi cell of her party and appointed TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi and Vivek Gupta as its chairman and president, respectively. Earlier, the Hindi cell of the party used to be monitored by Arjun Singh, who joined BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Banerjee has asked all TMC members to work extensively on its Hindi Cell in District level and Block level and to engage more Hindi speaking people in government welfare schemes. Congratulating people on the Hindi Diwas, she also said that her government respects all languages and does not have a linguistic bias. We respect all languages. We have decided to form anew Hindi Academy. We have also decided to set up a DalitSahitya Academy. Dalits languages have influence on the Bengali language," she told reporters. Warm wishes on #HindiDiwas.Bengal is a land of inclusivity and through our persistent efforts we have proudly inculcated Tagores values of Unity in Diversity.GoWB has taken various initiatives to strengthen Hindi Education, Culture and Welfare of the community in Bengal," she also tweeted. (With inputs from PTI) You are here: China A total of 109,500 privately-owned enterprises had joined in a poverty alleviation program targeting poverty-stricken villages in China by June, said a senior official with the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) on Saturday. These private businesses have helped 127,100 villages, including 68,900 registered poverty-stricken villages, Fan Youshan, ACFIC vice chairman, told a forum held in Danzhai County in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The program was launched in October 2015 by ACFIC, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, and the China Society for Promotion of the Guangcai Program. These private firms have made nearly 91.6 billion yuan (about 13.4 billion U.S. dollars) of industrial investments in these poverty-stricken areas over the past years, with an additional 15.2 billion yuan for public welfare projects. The firms have helped create 799,000 jobs and trained 1.16 million people, benefiting a registered poverty-stricken population of 15.64 million. The ACFIC will guide the private businesses to earmark more new resources for more than 1,100 villages that are yet to be lifted out of poverty to help win the country's battle against poverty. GREENVILLE Greenville University opened its new on-campus health clinic for undergraduate students on Monday, Aug. 31. Established in partnership with local HSHS Medical Group, the clinic will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, offering unlimited free visits for all undergraduate students. GU welcomed Nurse Practitioner Cynthia Kues, who will treat patients at the clinic. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, Kues affiliates with many hospitals in the region. Practice Manager Laurie Grawe will oversee the clinic on behalf of HSHS. The new clinic will meet healthcare needs for all full- and part-time undergraduate students, many of whom face wait times to become a new patient at local Greenville clinics, may not have insurance, or may not have access to cash for copays. Arnold Schwarzenegger has offered to pay to reopen closed polling places across the Southern United States. The self-proclaimed 'voting fanatic' shared a 2019 article about how 1,200 polling places had closed throughout the South since 2013. Schwarzenegger, 73, tweeted: 'I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm a fanatic about voting. Most people call closing polls voter suppression. Some say it is 'budgetary.' What if I made it easy & solved the budgetary issue? How much would it cost to reopen polling places? 'This is a serious question. Is closing polling stations about making it harder for minorities to vote, or is it because of budgets? If you say it's because of your budget, let's talk.' Arnold Schwarzenegger attends the Japan premiere of 'Terminator: Dark Fate' at Shinjuku Kabuki-cho Godzilla Road on November 06, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan The self-proclaimed 'voting fanatic' shared a 2019 article on his Twitter about how 1,200 polling places had closed throughout the South since 2013 A map from the Democracy Diverted report which shows the decrease in the number of polling places across the South (the report is dated, September 2019) It comes amid concerns that the mail-in voting system could be swamped by the unprecedented number of ballots it is to receive due to the pandemic. Number of polling places closed by state since 2012 Texas - 750 Arizona - 320 Georgia - 214 Louisiana - 126 Mississippi - 96 Alabama - 72 North Carolina - 29 South Carolina - 18 Alaska - 6 Overall, those states formerly covered by the law have closed at least 1,688 polling places between 2012 and 2018, the Leadership Conference found. A total 1,173 of those polling places were closed after the 2014 election - and after the Supreme Court issued its decision. Source: Democracy Diverted Advertisement President Donald Trump has claimed that mail voting is ripe for corruption and the falsifying of votes, while the Democrats have accused him of sabotaging the US Postal Service to prevent votes from being counted. Both parties, however, are encouraging their members to sign up and make their absentee voting requests before the November 3 election. Schwarzenegger, who has voiced his disdain for Trump in the past, might be encouraged to hear that the Democrats are leading the Republicans in voters who have requested mail-in ballots. The Reuters article shared by the former California governor cited a report which found that states with a history of racial discrimination had shut hundreds of voting locations since the Supreme Court weakened a landmark voting-discrimination law in 2013. Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, areas with a history of voting discrimination - such as requiring African American or Hispanic voters to pay a poll tax or pass a literacy test - had first to convince the US Justice Department or a federal court that any election changes they wished to make would not have a discriminatory effect. The Supreme Court struck down that portion of the law in 2013. The law covered a swath of southern states stretching from Virginia to Texas, along with Arizona, Alaska and a few counties in states like New York, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, South Dakota and California. The high number of poll closures in these regions shows that Congress needs to restore the protections that were previously in place, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. State election officials have cited a variety of reasons, from budget pressures to disability laws, for closing polling places, while officials in many parts of Texas and Arizona have tried to shift from neighborhood-based polling places to 'voter centers' that accept ballots from all qualified citizens. Those states had the sharpest decrease in polling locations, according to the report. Election officials in Texas have closed more than 1 in 10 voting locations statewide, according to data collected by the Leadership Conference's education and research arm. In Arizona, more than one in five polling locations were closed, the data showed. Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi closed roughly 1 in 20 polling locations, while the declines were less dramatic in Alabama, Alaska and North Carolina. People vote on the US presidential election at Santa Monica City Hall on November 8, 2016 in Santa Monica, California One notable exception to the trend is South Carolina, where state law requires multiple officials to sign off on any changes. The state has actually added 45 polling locations since 2012. Overall, those states formerly covered by the law have closed at least 1,688 polling places between 2012 and 2018, the Leadership Conference found. A total 1,173 of those polling places were closed after the 2014 election - and after the Supreme Court issued its decision. It is difficult to compare those results with the United States as a whole. The Election Assistance Commission reported that 231,000 polling places were used nationwide in 2018, up from 120,000 in 2012, but the agency noted that those figures are incomplete as several states do not provide reliable data. Gov. Kate Brown said Monday that with wildfires still burning, she is grateful for help pouring in from around the nation and Canada. One week into the wildfires, our state has been pushed to its limits, necessitating the outside help, Brown said. Brown said 10 people were people confirmed dead from fire-related causes. After her news conference, Jackson County officials said two of the five bodies found related to the Almeda fire were determined to be remains of animals, lowering the states known death count to eight. Twenty-two people have been officially reported missing and are unaccounted for, Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. North Dakota and Michigan are among the states that have sent entire crews to Oregon to battle fires. Scores of emergency workers from FEMA are on the ground in Oregon, she said. And the National Guard is providing 250,000 N95 masks for agricultural workers and tribal members affected by wildfires, she said. She said she wrote to President Donald Trump on Sunday detailing the reasons Oregon needs the statewide emergency declaration, which Trump granted last week. Brown said fire fighting leaders have told her they are optimistic that cooler weather coming toward end of this week will be a tremendous help. The strong east winds that fueled the fires and spread them rapidly through canyons and ravines stretching from the Cascade Mountains toward Interstate 5 have ended, Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, said at the briefing. This gives us a lot of opportunity to make progress. He said firefighters from private, city, state, regional and federal sources and agencies have combined to make a huge amount of progress in just four days. There are 5,600 people deployed to work on his agencys 11 incident management teams at the states largest fires, including some National Guard personnel, Grafe said. The state fire marshals office is also helping coordinate the work of more than 300 local Oregon fire departments helping with the response, he said. In addition, the Forestry Department has hired 600 additional seasonal workers who stand ready to fight new small fires. But winds in south central Oregon, particularly affecting the fire burning near Paisley, are still preventing fire containment efforts, he said. And he asked all private parties to keep drones on the ground" in the areas around fires so that planes and helicopters can join in firefighting efforts. Thursdays forecast thunderstorms are expected to dampen fires and help with containment, he said. He said that containment lines are being established around the whole Holiday Farm fire along the McKenzie River. He hailed tremendous help from local forest owners. Brown said she will likely call the Legislature into a third special session of 2020 in November or December, after the election is over. She suggested housing relief for those who lost homes in the wildfire could be one item on the agenda. A heavy share of people showing up in Oregon emergency rooms are reporting asthma-like symptoms due to the hazardous air conditions, said Gabriela Goldfarb, environmental public health manager at the Oregon Health Authority. She said pregnant women, children, elderly people and those with respiratory conditions are particularly vulnerable to serious effects from the smoke-laden air. Brown and others encouraged Oregonians who can afford to do so to donate to the Red Cross. Brown also used the fires to call for dramatic changes to lessen climate change. These fire raging across the West are a wake-up call that we have to address climate change, she said. She also reminded Oregonians she had helped broker an important agreement between timber industry representatives and environmentalists that got scuttled when so many lawmakers walked out during the February legislative session that all bills died. She did not specify what most Oregonians already know: Republicans were the ones to walk out. The Oregon National Guard expects to begin flying helicopters with water buckets at the fire near Lakeview in southeast Oregon in the next 24 hours, said Adjutant General Michael Stencel. Newly promoted State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple and Phelps thanked teams from Minnesota and many other states for sending personnel to help with wildfire impacts. -- Oregonian/OregonLive Politics Team; @OregonianPol Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, September 15 2020 Logistics technology company Waresix closed its series-B funding round, raising almost US$100 million over the last year to fund its business development. The funding came from existing investors EV Growth and Jungle Ventures, as well as new investors including SoftBank Ventures Asia, Indonesian tech and media firm EMTEK Group, private equity fund Pavilion Capital and Redbadge Pacific. The capital will be invested to develop the most robust logistics technology infrastructure in Southeast Asia and further build out our world-class team to help us seize a large market opportunity, Waresix CEO Andree Susanto said in a statement on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login L andlord CLS demonstrated a vote of confidence in the office market on Monday, by inking a 59.7 million deal to buy three properties in Greater London and the South East. The FTSE 250 firm gave the update as its boss told the Evening Standard that occupancy levels at the firm's existing London buildings have improved over the last month. A month ago in London, where CLS has 35 buildings, occupancy levels stood at about 15-20% at the firm's sites. That has increased to around 30-35% currently, according to Fredrik Widlund, chief executive of CLS. CLS said it has unconditionally exchanged contracts to acquire sites from Aviva Investors.The purchase comprises offices in Richmond, Chelmsford and Leatherhead. All of the offices are close to train stations. The decision to invest comes despite concerns across the industry about how much demand there will be for London offices in the future. Numerous people have been working from home since March when the lockdown started, and some companies are not planning for most employees to return to UK offices until 2021. Widlund said: This transaction further builds our presence in London and the South East, delivering attractive yields as well as opportunities to actively manage the buildings to create additional value. Widlund added: We have remained disciplined in our approach to acquisitions and the strength of these assets, combined with our long-term conviction in the UK market, makes this an exciting addition to our portfolio. He said the company is "taking a long term view" on the market. The portfolio is 94% let and delivers 3.7 million net rent per annum. CLS said there are significant opportunities to add further value, such as through additional refurbishments. Board games In response to Rodney Local Board chair Phelan Pirries letter Alternative facts (MM Sept 2). Thank you for pre-announcing future political promises to our constituents. We live in hope that it all happens. So, lets not get bogged down on any mystification. I have a better idea: open up the Local Board workshops and meetings to the public like other local boards have done. It would give the community more transparency and stop so-called misinformation being spread. On the issue of advocacy/responsibility of the Local Board roles within the CCOs, I tend to find posed glamour photographs in the paper in front of a new treatment plant (Warkworth) unhelpful from a practical point of view, when Wellsford requires a new drinking water treatment plant. The current one was originally installed in the 1950s. Wellfords water treatment plant was due for an upgrade under the Rodney District Council. The money allocated for this project disappeared in the amalgamation into the Auckland Supercity. Your bureaucratic speech involving process and figures is of cold comfort to communities who still wait for basic infrastructure upgrades after many years. Bureaucratic speech does not equate to actual bricks and mortar. The roading targeted rate has been misappropriated. You sold a deal, road sealing, to decent people then snatched it from them. The $121 million deal is so deferred, there is little hope of pulling it off. The community is still paying extra rates the targeted rate, the regional fuel tax and a roading portion of the uniform annual charge. You are correct there is now only $1 million for road sealing. Why would the governing body (councillors) allocate more money for road sealing when the Local Board are only prepared to put their roading targeted rate money into buses, park and rides and footpaths? Well done! Colin Smith, Wellsford subdivision, Rodney Local Board Confusion reigns The contents of Phelan Pirries letter, Alternative facts (MM Sept 2), demand attention. Fundamentally, his words seem to epitomise the failure of the current political system in New Zealand. Colin Smith apparently stated in his column of August 19 that Auckland Transport (AT) had informed the Local Board that the Helensville-Silverdale bus services were not sustainable. Mr Pirrie states that is incorrect, and proceeds to clarify (sic) several other apparently erroneous comments involving expenditure in Rodney. I find this infuriating. Why have we ended up with a collection of elected servants who were presented with factual information yet are now arguing over its veracity? Either AT stated the bus service was unsustainable, or they did not though it is possible they couched any response in terms impossible to interpret. It is a symptom of the deep-rooted dysfunctionality within the political system here that we have two Board members disagreeing on facts/alternatives, and simply thereby spreading confusion. If this happens regularly at this kind of lower level among the political class, I begin to see why the political elite are so seemingly incompetent. Either that, or they are bamboozled entirely by the self-serving bureaucracies we pay a great deal in taxation, rates, surcharges and ad nauseam to maintain. Mr Pirrie ends his letter with another situation, which seems to highlight chronic failures: that of the endless entrenched argument about whether the Board or the Council should fund such and such, and that Mr Smith needs to ask questions of the Council about why AT did not direct more budget in a particular direction. We have three different, publicly funded bodies, comfortably projecting their responsibilities. My suggestion, for what it is worth, is that Councillors and Local Board members get together in a room and start banging each others heads together until some common sense emerges (it could be a long session). Frankly, I am fed up with paying for a lot of elected servants to waste time and energy, scoring points and playing silly b*ggers, however well-intentioned either or both of them may be or think they may be. I suspect I am not alone, but thank you, Phelan Pirrie for bringing this to all our attention. Crispin Caldicott, Warkworth Mindless vandals The mindless vandals who are destroying Labour Party billboards in the Rodney area should think before they act. It took working people hundreds of years of struggle to gain the right to be represented in government and to be allowed to vote. Before then, only the rich landowners and powerful businessmen made the laws and governed the country to their own advantage. Smashing down a billboard shows only ignorance and intolerance of other peoples views. Our democratic freedom to think, speak and vote as we choose is precious and should be protected by us all. Many countries still do not have the one man, one vote rule that we take for granted in New Zealand. We should celebrate our freedom and be on guard against those who try to take our democratic rights away from us. Anne Smith, Sandspit The Government is considering a proposal to fast-track the reintroduction of duty free from January 1 for all UK routes to help airports and ports crippled by the pandemic. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan are considering the proposal as part of a series of measures aimed at helping the country's airports cope with the escalating financial fallout from the virus pandemic and collapse in air passenger numbers. If reintroduced, the ability to purchase cheap alcohol and tobacco products - as well as perfumes and luxury goods - is gauged to act as a strong encouragement for people to resume flying on Ireland's busiest air routes to cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. Ireland abolished duty free sales to the UK - in line with Brussels directives - 21 years ago as being incompatible with the EU Single Market. The abolition came after Ireland had emerged as a world leader in duty free and airport shopping, assisting numerous countries including Russia to develop their own aviation retail sector. Duty free sales remained for all non-EU destinations. With the UK's transition deal set to expire on December 31 after Brexit, airports have now identified duty free to the UK as a critical source of revenue generation. Ports also strongly favour the move. The UK Treasury has confirmed duty free goods can be purchased by EU bound travellers from January 1 at departure points in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is covered by a separate agreement with EU duty free sales still not clarified. An Irish aviation source described the reintroduction of duty free on UK routes as "a natural stimulus to the airport sector". "It would not only act as a natural stimulus but would also provide a critical source of revenue for airports whose revenues have been devastated by the Covid-19 crisis," they said. Dublin Airport has been one of the hardest hit in the world by the pandemic with a loss of passengers calculated at -97.2pc. Other Irish airports including Cork, Shannon and Ireland West/Knock, have also seen business decimated by the pandemic. The industry expects it to be at least 2024 before the full effects of the pandemic are alleviated in terms of a recovery in overall passenger numbers. In this article we present our rankings of the 10 most powerful militaries in the world. Click to skip ahead and see the 5 most powerful countries in the world. While Covid-19 has united countries against a common cause, let's not forget that the moment this pandemic subsides, the 10 most powerful militaries in the world in 2020 can cause absolute chaos and destruction. It was only in the beginning of what now seems to be a never ending year, when World War 3 looked to be not just possible, but inevitable. On the 3rd of January 2020, the United States killed Qasim Soleimani, an Iranian Major General, via a drone strike. Soleimani was one of the most important men in Iran, and his killing sparked a major international crisis. Of course, Iran can't really go toe to toe against the US, the difference in military power is huge, and Iran doesn't even make our list, while the US of course does. In 2019, Pakistan and India, two neighbors who have hated each other since separation, went toe to toe and Pakistan shot down Indian jets invading Pakistani airspace, again inviting the possibility of all out war. While diplomacy has prevailed on these occasions, all just one incident can be enough to cause mutually assured destruction. Throughout history, countries and empires have grown, not just through technological and cultural advancements, but mainly through military might. This is why, even now, when we know the dangers facing the world, and Covid-19 is just one example, countries continue to spend the majority of their budget on defense reinforcement. In 2019, $1,917 billion were spent on military on a global level, with the United States registering the greatest growth at 5.3% as compared to the previous year and hence, will definitely be found on both, lists of world military ranking 2020 and world military ranking 2019. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of this trend is defense stocks like Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE:RTX), General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC). Story continues Busiest Ocean Trade Routes in the World Pavel Vakhrushev/Shutterstock.com There are a myriad ways to rank the most powerful militaries in the world. Some would determine it based on active personnel, while others would prefer total weapons and military might. However, we believe that simply having more weapons, or vehicles, or personnel does not make you the strongest army. If you read about the most power navies in the world, you'll see that even though North Korea has the highest number of naval vehicles, it still lags behind at least 3 other countries as it mostly has patrol boats and submarines. One Reddit user summarized the best methodology to rank the most powerful militaries: "I'd love to see a weighted strength index that takes technological superiority into account. Sure North Korea has the most submarines, but how does that compare to just a few American subs? Same for aircraft where I'm sure that an F-22 could be the tech equivalent of several MiG-21's. Does something like this exist already?" Unfortunately, there is no "weighted strength index that takes technological superiority into account". So what's the next best thing? We know that countries must spend billions to develop a new technology and the weapons produced by using this technology is going to be much more expensive than the older technology weapons. This indicates that we can use the "price" of a weapon as a proxy for the strength of that weapon. This is why the main factor in our methodology is the total military expenditure of each country for the last decade. The sources of this information are World Bank and Global Fire Power. However, there are still a couple of limitations of ranking by military expenditure alone. The first one is cost of living adjustment. An engineer or a soldier with the same exact technical skills will cost more money in a high cost of living country versus a low cost of living country. We have corrected this by adjusting the "total military budget" by using a cost of living index for each country from Numbeo. The second shortcoming is that a weapon that's twice more expensive won't necessarily be twice more effective. It could be less than twice more effective or it could be infinitely more effective. For example owning a nuclear bomb is probably almost "infinitely" more effective because it is a huge deterrent. Also owning a faster and more agile warplane is probably almost infinitely more effective because the air force with the faster warplanes will dominate the country with the less capable warplanes. However, as mentioned earlier, due to us not having access to such data, these limitations will still persist. Based on the best information available, let's look at the countries with the most capable firepower, starting with number 10: 10. Japan Japan has the second highest number of aircraft carriers in the world, as well as the second highest number of attack helicopters. Even though its military personnel may not be as numerous as some of the other countries in the list, at 303,000, you cannot underestimate the strength of the country's military. Its spending has actually decreased by 10% over the last decade, and yet it still made our list. Pixabay/Public Domain 9. Germany Germany has adopted a strong anti war approach ever since the embarrassment of its actions in World War II. However, that should not deter from the fact that it has a really strong army, ready to take on any possible combatant. Over the past decade, its spending has increased by 8%. Pixabay/Public Domain 8. France France has become a meme for losing wars and giving up as soon as things go wrong, but it actually has a very impressive military and has the second highest number of aircraft carriers in the world at 4, same as Japan. Pixabay/Public Domain 7. United Kingdom Surprisingly, a lot of countries in our list have reduced their military expenditures over the last decade, with the United Kingdom being one of them. Expenditure has fallen 5% but it is still a mighty military, ready to deal with any possible threat. Pixabay/Public Domain 6. Brazil While Brazil's actual spend is lower than a lot of countries that did not make our list, it was propelled forward in the rankings due to having a very low cost of living index. This is despite registering an 18% decrease in military spending over the decade. Pixabay/Public Domain Click to see the 5 most powerful countries in the world. Disclosure: 10 Most Powerful Militaries in the World in 2020 is originally published at Insider Monkey. Xtalks Life Science Webinars patient panels play a crucial role in ensuring that information shared by sponsors is readily understood and accessible to the public Plain language summaries (PLSs) aim to meet a need in the industry for clinical trial transparency in a way that is meaningful and understandable for patients and the general public. As the pharmaceutical industry steps up to meet this requirement, patient panels play a crucial role in ensuring that information shared by sponsors is readily understood and accessible to the public. In this webinar, featured speakers will discuss learnings from facilitating a number of PLS patient panels and the benefit of engaging patients in the process of PLS writing. Join Vidhi Vashisht, Associate Director, Development Operations, Kinapse, a Syneos Health Company, Madiha Khalid, Senior Medical Writer, Development Operations, Kinapse, a Syneos Health Company and T.J. Sharpe, Patient Advisor, Starfish Harbor LLC in a live webinar on Friday, September 18, 2020 at 10am EDT (4pm BST/UK). For more information or to register for this event, visit The Value of Patient Voices in Plain Language Summaries. ABOUT XTALKS Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers. To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/ Contact: Sydney Perelmutter Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 x 352 Email: sperelmutter@xtalks.com Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn (centre) at the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (Source: information.gov.kh) Phnom Penh As a non-claimant state, Cambodia aligns itself with the common aspiration that the East Sea remains a sea of peace, stability and prosperity, stated Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn. The statement was part of a press release issued by the countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on September 12 on the outcomes of the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), as part of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM 53) and Related Meetings that took place from September 9 12. Cambodia encourages all parties, especially those directly concerned, to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to reinforce trust and confident, the official said, highlighting the importance of continued dialogue between the parties and peaceful resolution of dispute in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the 1982 Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), during such process. According to the release, the official stressed two major security challenges, namely the COVID-19 pandemic and the big powers rivalries and unilateral disengagement from international commitments at a time the world needs more galvanised efforts. He recalled the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Statement on the Importance of Maintaining Peace and Stability in Southeast Asia that expressed a strong desire to maintain regional peace, security, stability and neutrality. He also expressed Cambodias support for international efforts to achieve a peaceful, complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula, in particular through the ARF. A federal appellate court on Monday struck down SEPTAs ban on advertising it deems to be political or involving matters of public debate, finding the agency has inconsistently applied it and violated the free speech rights of rejected advertisers. The decision by a three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is the third time since 2015 that the agency has been ordered to revise its controversial policy on which ads it will run on buses and trains, and on SEPTA property. The current case revolved around a proposed ad highlighting racial disparities in the mortgage lending market submitted in 2018 by the California-based nonprofit news organization the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). SEPTA rejected CIRs ad, which took the form of a comic strip entitled A Stacked Deck and highlighted its reporting that applicants of color were more likely to be denied mortgages in 61 metro areas, saying it ran afoul of restrictions on advertising that could be construed as political. The news organization challenged the decision in court, prompting a federal district judge to rule that year that portions of SEPTAs policy were overly broad and should be amended, even though he concluded that CIRs ads would still not pass muster under the revisions he had ordered. In its ruling Monday, the Third Circuit disagreed. The panel comprised of Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., David J. Porter and Morton I. Greenberg concluded that the lower courts revisions still could not ensure that the policy would be applied consistently. The judges pointed to seemingly arbitrary past decisions that permitted some ads that could be perceived as politically sensitive such as spots from the host committee of the 2016 Democratic National Convention and an ad featuring a Black youth under a slogan of My Life Matters while rejecting others that touched on issues ranging from abortion to adequate pay for Art Museum employees. In fact, the panel noted, SEPTA failed to consistently apply its policy even while discussing a hypothetical ad proposal during oral arguments before the circuit judges last year. The judges asked whether an ad featuring three young girls of different races holding hands under the slogan This is how racism ends would run afoul of the ban. SEPTAs attorney said at the time it would not. But when the judges described the same photo under a slogan This is what America looks like, SEPTAs lawyer said the decision would depend on who was seeking to run the ad. The lack of structure and clear policies governing the decision-making process creates a real risk that [the policy] may be arbitrarily applied, the judges wrote in Mondays opinion. SEPTA adopted the current version of the policy in 2015, after a federal court struck down an earlier version of the ban in a challenge brought by an anti-Muslim group that had sought to run ads proclaiming Jew Hatred: Its in the Quran alongside photos of Adolf Hitler. Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, which represented CIR in the case, hailed Mondays decision as a victory. The Center for Investigative Reporting has important information to share with the public, that racial discrimination is rampant in mortgage lending in Philadelphia, he said in a statement. As a government agency, SEPTA is limited in its ability to decide who does and does not get to be heard in the public space. A spokesperson for SEPTA did not respond to requests for comment. But these were people of different eras. The political, social, racial and economic divisions that have accompanied Donald Trumps ascent to the White House, seeded well before his rise, have left federal and local governments suspect and less able to contend with crises. The business community has helped reinforce those suspicions, preferring to emphasize the idea that an unfettered private sector left to its own devices will produce economic gains that lift all boats. As the entrenchment of income inequality demonstrates, that hasnt been the case. As a result, the private sector, despite its myriad strengths and because of some unchecked abuses, has wound up being just as much of a punching bag as the government. This year has been the year of the no travel, which has left millions reminiscing on adventure-filled trips abroad. To celebrate the wonder of world travel, thousands of photography enthusiasts entered Agora #Travel2020, sharing the moments they feel captured the true essence of exploration. Octavi Royo, Agora's co-founder and CEO, said: "Thanks to these photos, we can travel to some amazing corners of our planet and see them from the point of view of travel photographers." Scroll down to see our pick of the shortlisted images... Incredible moments This is the overall winning image. It shows the view from the photographer's tent of the 8,264ft (2,519m) Seceda mountain in the Italian Dolomites. He explained: "I had been wanting to experience sunset and spend the night in Seceda for a long time. I had been dreaming of this magical moment for years. I never miss an adventure with my dog, Berky." Photograph: @rakia10/Agora Photography Exploring the ice cave This ice cave is located at the foot of the Watzmann mountain (the third highest in Germany). Its one of the most accessible glacier caves in the country. I wanted to capture how cold it was inside the glacier cave and show the incredible textures displayed. Photograph: @danrose/Agora Photography Milky Way This image shows the "Great Staples Tor" rock formation under the Milky Way. Lights were used to "paint" light into the landscape during the long exposure. Photograph: @theliamman/Agora Photography Bali memories Fog-shrouded Lempuyang Temple in Bali. Photograph: @lanoiadelbarret/Agora Photography Sometimes the best part of travel is the journey British photographer Lee Mumford used his drone to snap this stunning image of a train trundling through Sri Lanka's epic landscape. He said: 'I wanted to visit the beautiful country of Sri Lanka to see the iconic blue trains trundling through the lush countryside. I booked my accommodation, which had the perfect location to photograph them. It was then just a matter of juggling the time, the low light of sunrise and finding the optimal moment to launch the drone'. Photograph: @leemumford8/Agora Photography The Taj My girlfriend modeled for me in a traditional Indian sari, in the mosque on the side of the Taj Mahal. Photograph: @globetravelphotography/Agora Photography Epic view A dramatic shot taken from the edge of the village of Santana on Madeira's northern coastline out towards the Atlantic Ocean. The photographer behind it, Italian Filippo Bellisola, said: 'It was our last day in Madeira and I came here with two friends to catch the last sunset of the trip. The weather was not so good, but the moody sky created a very interesting atmosphere'. Photograph: @filippobellisola/Agora Photography Ruta nacional 3 A spellbinding shot taken in Ushuaia in Argentinian Patagonia. The photographer said: "The lines from the road lead the eyes of the viewer into the mountain. I asked my friend to go into the road to enhance the sense of scale. This picture was taken with a drone and the battery was running out because of the low temperatures. I had to shoot as quickly as I could before safely landing the drone." Photograph: @franciscopaez/Agora Photography One of the best vistas Canadian photographer Caroline Egan made the shortlist with this jaw-dropping shot of Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River in Arizona. She said: 'I can't wait to visit the American southwest again. It is still probably my favourite trip to date'. Photograph: @careless_wandering/Agora Photography Chasing adventure The Snfellsnes Peninsula on Iceland's West Coast is a stunningly diverse landscape home to lava fields, glaciers and black sand beaches. The most unique of all being Arnarstapi Stone Bridge, a perfectly formed arch suspended above the ocean below, so perfect in its formation it looks almost man-made. Venturing out across it, you feel a sense of the power flowing beneath you as the waves continue to shape the ever changing landscape. Photograph: @michaelfoote/Agora Photography Monument Valley Sunrise A spectacular image of Monument Valley in Arizona taken at sunrise. The photographer explained: "I wanted to find a composition that highlighted the scale of this amazing area. The morning light adds contrast to the scene." And the person on the ledge? That's Joe. He added: "I took the image from a tripod with a timer. I was with a friend and wanted to capture a unique view of these amazing rock formations. I drew the short straw so went and sat on the ledge." Photograph: @joeshellyy/Agora Photography Viajar The most beautiful waterfall captured in Bali, Indonesia. Photograph: @jordisark/Agora Photography To the Top An amazing image snapped by photographer Yury Sychev in Russia. He called the image 'To The Top'. Photograph: @yurysychev/Agora Photography The dream The dream of flying wherever I want to go. A detour back to Peru would be nice. Where would you go? Photograph: @janreyem/Agora Photography Travel around the world German photographer Jorg Petermann wandering through the Austria Alps. The gloomy mist was broken up by cheerful yellow flowers. Photograph: @jp.photoart/Agora Photography Roadtrippin through the winding roads The photo was taken on a chilly autumn morning on a road trip to the Black Forest region in Germany. This photogenic hairpin turn in the light of the rising sun reminded me that life is good and that there is so much beauty in the world. Photograph: @gloomicious/Agora Photography American Road Trip An amazing scene captured by British photographer Kent Sampson in Utah's Red Canyon. He said: "I found this gem of a spot whilst driving towards Bryce Canyon. As soon as I drove under it, I knew the shot I wanted to get. I parked up and went off the beaten path, hiking a nearby hill to try and find a good vantage point. Once I had that, I sat and waited for the perfect moment." Photograph: @_kennyc_/Agora Photography Traveling and seeing the world from above Pilot Jassen Todorov, from San Francisco, snapped this breathtaking aerial image of the Golden Gate Bridge while flying his plane at sunset. He caught a plane flying in the opposite direction, its wings aligned perfectly with one of the cables. Photograph: @jassensf/Agora Photography Road trip in Italy Arnold Maisner took this snap of his partner looking out as they floated along Lake Braies, Italy. Arnold wrote: "Enjoy the moment. Go on a journey and experience something. Get out of the comfort zone." Photograph: @arnold_maisner_photo/Agora Photography Just do it Photo: niagaraindependent.ca/ The six-month vacation that many Canadians took from their mortgage and other debt obligations is coming to an end. It has been a little over six months since the official declaration of a global pandemic. By the end of June, 760,000 Canadians had put their mortgages on pause and 2.6 million (or roughly 10% of credit consumers) had put at least one of their debt obligations on an active deferral. These deferrals were meant to help households stay financially solvent during temporary unemployment with the hope that the labour market would significantly recover by the time the deferrals expired. To further complicate the problem, the significant government handouts will also be ending around the same time. Last week, the latest Canadian household debt ratio numbers came out and they showed a dramatic decline from 175.4% to 158.2%, which sounded quite promising on the surface. But the true story is that debt loads didnt shrink at all during the past few months, only that disposable income went up due to the entire stimulus. What happens if your deferral is about to end, but you cant afford to resume payments? Lets look at two main scenarios and how to respond. If it looks like youll be able to start making the payments again soon, you can consider several options. A short-term loan or borrowing from a line of credit might be the simplest solution if you have either option available. But if youre not confident youll be able to start paying again soon, this could put you much farther into debt in short order. You should also consider reaching out to your lender and explaining your situation. If you can prove that you just need a little bit more time, they may be open to extending the deferral a little longer for you. If you go this route though, be careful to fully understand what other ramifications their extension comes with. If it looks like you are nowhere near ready to start making payments again, some additional planning is likely going to be required. Its unlikely that a lender will do a significant additional deferral for you, but you should still discuss with them right away. If you wait until after youve missed a payment, your options will quickly dwindle. For some, a major decision may need to be made including selling your house or filing a consumer proposal. Selling your home may not sound appealing, but it would be much better for you to be in control of that situation instead of having your bank foreclose and sell it for you. A consumer proposal could allow you to reduce your non-mortgage debt and stay in your home as long as you can keep making mortgage payments. What if you chose to take a deferral to build up a emergency cash reserve and can afford to not only start re-paying, but can also put that built up reserve against your outstanding debt? At this point, the outcome of the pandemic is nowhere near clear and a second shutdown seeming more and more likely. Even though youre accruing a little extra interest from the deferral, you might want to consider going back to regular payments only and sitting on that cash reserve a little longer. Once things fully settle down, you can decide what to do with your emergency fund then. Regardless of what position youre in, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Be proactive in your financial situation, no matter how bleak it may feel and make the best decisions available to you by getting all of the information and the best advice. Hindi Diwas is celebrated on September 14 every year to commemorate the event when it was adopted as one of the official languages of India. However, the yearly episode brings along an array of debates and protests. The Constituent Assembly of India had, in 1949, recognised and adopted Hindi as an official language of the newly-formed nation. Propping up the status of the language, union home minister Amit Shah, in a series of tweets on Monday, described Hindi as the nations unifier. He said that a countrys biggest identity is its language, and in India, which is full of cultural and linguistic diversity, Hindi has been working to unite the whole nation for centuries. Hindi is an unbreakable part of Indian culture. It has been an effective and powerful medium of national unity and identity since the freedom struggle, he tweeted, adding that countrymen should use Hindi more and more with their mother tongue. Last year, too, Shah had on Hindi Diwas pitched for Hindi as One Language of the country. Along with Shah, several other union ministers also greeted the nation on the occasion. But former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy terming the celebration of the day as an underhand method" to impose the language on people speaking other languages. Demanding the cancellation of the day, the JD(S) leader, said, In India, which is a land of diverse language, culture and traditions, several means are being used to impose Hindi on people speaking other languages including Kannada. Todays Hindi Diwas is also one such underhand method. Proud Kannadigas are opposed to this Hindi Diwas which is a symbol of linguistic arrogance. While the debate continues on the status of Hindi, history says that the now Hindi-belt was originally a repository of Urdu and Persian. Several historians believe Urdu was born in the army camps of Delhi as a medium of communication that borrowed words from different languages so that soldiers from different parts of the country could talk. However, there is no debating the fact that Urdu was born and raised in India and, by the mid-1700s, had become the lingua franca of most of north India and Deccan. Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, Urdu remained the predominant language in Northern India. When British colonisers turned towards India, Persian used to be the official language as the Mughal Empire ruled the nation. Soon after, this was changed to English by the East India Company. According to a research paper by Christopher King: Politics of Language: Emergence of Hindi, Urdu and Hindustani in North Western Provinces of Agra and Oudh published in 1977, Sections of this newly educated realized that Hindi and Urdu were really the same language that had evolved within India but was written in different scripts. The so called Hindi-Urdu controversy also revolved around the question of different scripts." Urdu started evolving from Farsi and Arabic contacts during the invasions of the Indian subcontinent by Persian and Turkic forces from the 11th century onward. The language developed more decisively during the Delhi Sultanate between 1206 and 1526 and the Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1858. It was only from the mid-1800s that a gradual politicisation of the two languages, and their consequent polarisation, began. According to data sourced from Census 2011, Urdu happens to be one of the only two scheduled languages have seen a fall in absolute numbers. Urdu speakers in India have declined by 1.5 per cent since 2001. Despite this, Urdu speakers have the strongest presence in the modern-day Hindi belt: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Further, when Delhi Sultanate and then Mughal Empire expanded their kingdoms towards southern parts of India, Urdu speaking people of Delhi spread the language in parts of Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra as well. However, post-independence, proper attention was not paid to the language and several states where Urdu was scrapped as a compulsory subject in school curriculum. Once a language patronised by the nawabs, Urdu since then saw a consistent decline in patronage and support. The roads in Lokoja township, the capital of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, is littered with potholes and in a state of general disrepair despite the state governments disbursement of billions of naira in 2017 and 2018 for road repairs and construction in the town. A PREMIUM TIMES survey of major road networks in the town and suburbs revealed that many of the roads contain potholes and gullies. For instance, a deep gully runs through the narrow dual carriageway between Ganaja Junction and Ganaja Village in Lokoja. The road, which also doubles as a linkage route between Abuja and Enugu, connects the southern and northern parts of the country through Lokoja. Similarly, the so-called Otokiti Ganaja bypass multi-lane way, which was supposed to be a shorter route linking the Ganaja area of the town and the Otokiti part of the town is nothing but a single stretch of untarred road cutting through thicket of bushes. There was no sign of the multi-lane road for which at least tens of millions of naira were confirmed to have been released. Funds allocated, disbursed In 2017, the Kogi State government allocated N2.2 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of Lokoja township roads in the budget of its Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development. However, only N444 million was disbursed. Similarly, in 2018 the government allocated N600 million for the same project. The government refused to confirm the amount released in that year, despite several attempts made by this reporter for the information. In 2017, the government budgeted N500 million for the construction of the Otokiti Ganaja Bypass but only N150 million was disbursed. In 2018, the government budgeted another N500 million but just like in the case of the budget for the construction and rehabilitation of Lokoja township roads, the government declined to confirm the amount released for the project in 2018. According to the budget of the Kogi State Ministry of Works, Urban and Housing, N891.6 million was allocated in 2017 for the Asphalt overlay of the expressway. The project was executed by The Kogi State Road Maintenance Agency (KOGROMA). Deplorable Despite the multi-million allocation and possible disbursement, the state of many roads in the town is a far cry from being described as motorable. One of such roads is the 2.1 kilometres Lokoja-Ganaja road. The road stretches through some of the highbrow residential estates in the town such as the 200 Housing Units, Anebo Quarters, Commissioners Quarters, Gadumo, House of Representatives Quarters, and the 500 Housing Units and stops at Ganaja village where it blends into the Lokoja-Ajaokuta road. The government merely poured filling on the section of the road between 500 Housing Units and Ganaja village. What was left of the road is a collection of potholes and gullies made worse by rain. However, the road was listed among the Trunk A roads rehabilitated by the administration of a former governor of the state, Ibrahim Idris, for which N10 billion was refunded to the administration of the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello in 2019. At the Ganaja Junction Central Park, which connects the town to Kabba in the Western part of the state, and from where Okene and Ajaokuta could be accessed in the east, the narrow dual carriageway is always congested with vehicular traffic and petty traders. The road which was rehabilitated in February by the Federal Road Management Agency (FERMA) is already falling into disrepair as potholes are beginning to emerge along the stretch of the road. The road at the front of the LGEA Primary School, Ganaja village, is in a state of disrepair. At the front of Commissioners Quarters, Lokoja, there is a long stretching pothole. At front of 500 Units Lokoja, the road is filled with red earth. Therefore, the buildings, and the nostrils of commuters and pedestrians are filled with red dust. The section between Anaebo Quarters, Lokoja, at Gadumo, is also filled with red earth. The Kogi State Road Maintenance Agency, carried out a partial repair of the road between Nataco Junction, Lokoja central pack, through Muritala Mohammed Way, to Chari Maigumeri Barracks in Zango-Daji through to Kabba Junction in the outskirts of the city. Prior to this asphalt overlay of the road, the dual expressway was covered with cracks and potholes. Some of the potholes were still visible on certain parts of the road and these point out the poor quality of work that was done. Estate Roads In addition to the deplorable state of the major roads in the state capital, majority of the roads within housing estates in Lokoja are in a poor state. The road around the perimetres of Federal University Lokoja situated at Adankolo, is bad. During gridlocks on the Muritala Muhammed Way, commuters turn to this road as an alternative route linking the highway to the Lokoja-Ganaja road. There are severe potholes in front of the university gate and throughout the perimeter of the university. Advertisements At 500 Housing Units, the roads leading into the estate from the two main gates are bad. At the first gate, patches of tar can be seen at intervals while the road itself is largely a pathway of naked earth. The second gate is a red earth pathway that holds rainwater during downpours. From observation, the road was not covered with asphalt after it was graded. The situation is the same throughout the estate. At Anaebo Quarters, another residential quarters in the states capital, the internal roads are in same dilapidated condition. Patches of tar spread across the red earth of the roads indicating that the road was originally laid with asphalt. The story is not different at the first and second 200 Housing Units in the state, at Government Residential area and at Gadumo. At Peace Development Community, however, the road is in a perfect motorable condition in contrast to other estate roads in the state. It is devoid of potholes and is bordered by functioning drainage systems. The situation is the similar at Commissioners quarters, House of Assembly quarters and the roads cutting across Lugard House Lokoja. Government keeps mum When reached for comments, the spokesperson of the Kogi State Ministry of Works, Benjamin Eneojah, told PREMIUM TIMES that some of the information sought were classified. You know some of the information you seek are classified and we cannot give it. For some of the projects you have mentioned, visit KOGROMA office, they are the ones in charge of road construction in the state. Also visit that of the Director of Mechanical, Director of Engineering and Director of building. You must also send a request to the office of the commissioner, then we will take it from there, he said. ================================= ================================= At the office of the Kogi maintenance agency, the agencys Director of Admin & Finance, Fiki Yetunde, said details of the projects executed could not be released except directly from the office of the commissioner. The government did not respond to written questions delivered at the office of the state commissioner for works. Former ICICI Bank chairman Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochchar who was recently arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate has tested positive for coronavirus. Deepak Kochhar has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, the businessman's legal team confirmed to IANS over the phone. His Counsel Vijay Aggarwal who met him on Sunday in the ED office also made himself self-quarantined. A Special Court earlier this month sent Kochhar to 11 days ED custody after the federal agency arrested him in a money-laundering case. Kochhar, the husband of the high-profile former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, is facing charges of money-laundering in the ICICI Bank-Videocon Group case. A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court had sent him to the ED custody till September 19. The action came nearly a year after the Central Bureau of Investigation launched a probe against Videocon Group Director Venugopal Dhoot, his companies Videocon International Electronics Ltd. and Videocon Industries Ltd, and the Kochhars. Following the CBI complaint, the ED launched its own probe into the money-laundering angle, and earlier this year, provisionally attached assets valued at around Rs 78 crore, including a flat in Mumbai, land, and plant and machinery of a wind power project in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which were "owned/controlled" by the Kochhars. The probe revealed that bank loans were refinanced and new loans aggregating to Rs 1,730 crore were sanctioned to Videocon and its group companies, and these loans later became non-performing assets (NPA) for ICICI Bank on June 30, 2017. Social trading allows access of others information, Photo: Freepik.com Online trading has long been a popular field of investment but is too often associated with luck and good fortune, with someone either making bank or losing it all. A closer look has always been disillusioning: besides the fabled guts and instinct, there are hours of poring over charts and spotting trends. Trading requires focus, study, and commitment and the market has never been accommodating to those looking to just dip a toe in the water. This has been a major barrier to casual investors and others with ready money to invest, directing them to wealth managers. However, in an age of disruptions and enhanced technological capabilities, stock trading is no longer for stone-cold professionals and the affluent. Traders now have far wider access to information and far better tools to make the most of it and the appearance of social trading has been flagged by experts at the World Economic Forum as early as in 2015 as a low-cost, sophisticated alternative to traditional wealth managers that can draw on a broader customer base and provide more control in their wealth management. In its most general outlines, social trading allows traders to access others information and copy their choices on a financial scale of their own choosing. Most social trading platforms offer a variety of metrics to evaluate investors, including all-time profitability, risk propensity, and even number of followers. This not only allows traders to pick an investor who best fits their preference but systems allow multiple separate accounts on a platform and duplicate the trading patterns of multiple investors, diversifying the risks and adding more dimension. The principle allows untrained but enthusiastic traders to copy in real-time the decisions made by those with more market knowledge and expertise. The underlying idea as put by computer scientist Yaniv Altshuler from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is that the users are not playing against each other but rather against the market. This means that trading is not a zero-sum game where somebody has to lose for another to win: a trade will remain equally successful if it is duplicated by a hundred other traders. Exness, an international broker with worldwide reputation, offers one of the markets most popular and trustworthy social trading programmes which can be used on an investors smartphone through a user-friendly and intuitive app. The Exness social trading programme allows investors to copy the trades of experienced traders, investing in successful strategies from all around the world. Those providing the strategies to be copied are called strategy providers, and all an investor needs to do is choose a strategy, invest funds, and earn whenever a profitable trade is made. It is up to each investor what kind of strategy they opt for, not only depending on previous performance but also depending on their personal risk profile and financial capabilities or ambitions. Any amount of funds can be invested and an investor can opt to copy more than one strategies. Through its social trading programme, Exness guarantees total security and control of personal funds, as only the investor has access to their account, with no middlemen involved. Furthermore, investors can analyse the performance of strategies before they invest in them, ensuring transparency, and can rest assured that all strategy providers are verified clients of Exness. Online trading has long been an intriguing channel of investment, and while the barriers are not high anymore in terms of capital, they are in terms of knowledge and skills. With the learning curve somewhat smoothed by the abundance of information and discussion readily available at novice traders fingertips, the market is now less daunting for new entries. The fact remains, however, that not everyone has the time or the interest in learning to trade the financial markets and this is where social trading comes in, opening up opportunities for people to try their hand at an exciting investment channel, in more controlled and informed conditions. Social trading, however, is no guarantee for work-free success it would be asking too much to outsource all the work and wait for the money to start pouring in. Investors need to show the level of dedication and patience associated with real investment and trading by keeping an eye on their investments. An investor should be involved enough to see if the mirroring account is producing the yield expected or if the strategy provider is about to take risks that are too much for them in a sense, an investor needs to be present to pull the emergency break. While social trading makes the financial markets more accessible and is shaping up as a true challenge to expensive wealth managers, it takes nothing away from what makes trading an art: skill, dedication, determination, and the tenacity to stick to a position even when the world seems to be falling down, just to snap out of a dive and soar higher than ever all is still within. Donald Trump again blamed Democratic state leaders on the West Coast for forest fires raging across the region for poor forest management, saying they should be ready because dry trees can just explode. Fires have spread up and down the West Coast, from California up through Oregon and Washington state, displacing thousands and sowing doubt among some residents about whether they will remain in the region long term. The president criticized state and local officials in the region for not cutting, like he said one European leader put it, areas of forest to prevent active fires from spreading. They dont do that, he said Monday as he landed in Sacramento for a briefing on the fires and another event. When trees fall down after 18 months ...they become dry like a match stick, Mr Trump said. They just explode. They can explode. It was unclear if he was just using an expression to make a point, or really thinks the trees detonate when they become very dry. They have to do something about it. They have to do cuts in between, he said of state leaders. California Governor Gavin Newsom, at that briefing with Mr Trump, said his state has fires from its northern border with Oregon to its southern one with Mexico. Twenty-four people have died so far, he said. No one disputes that, Mr Newsom said of Mr Trumps claim that Western states have done too little on forest management. But he said the overwhelming majority of forest land is under the purview of the federal government, not his state. Seated just to Mr Trumps right, he said it is self-evident that climate change is real and the hots are getting hotter. Mr Trump, who has taken many sides of the climate crisis debate, did not dispute what the California governor said. But moments later, Mr Trump said of the crisis: Im not sure science knows, actually, telling local officials, without supporting evidence, he thinks temperatures will get cooler. Officials told the president 1,100 fires have broken out over the last 29 days alone. The Hizbul Mujahideen has allegedly threatened leaders in the Jammu region, including Union minister Jitendra Singh, to get ready to face dire consequences if they did not stay away from political activities, according to police. The threat has been issued through a letter written in Urdu on the proscribed terror groups letterhead, officials said. HT has seen a copy of the letter. Police said the letter was addressed to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)s Congress vice-president and former minister, Raman Bhalla. It was delivered at the Congress office in Shahidi Chowk via post on Saturday afternoon, said Anayat Ali, station house officer (SHO), Pir Mitha police station, Jammu. The two-page letter was signed by a self-styled divisional commander of the Hizbul. Apart from Singh, minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office, it mentioned 17 senior politicians of national and regional parties, including J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Ravinder Raina, National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan leader Choudhary Lal Singh, and other former ministers, legislators as well as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries. We warn you to renounce politics and support our cause for freedom otherwise death warrants have been issued against you. No security cover will safeguard you from us, the letter read. A case under sections 121-A (waging war against the government of India) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sections 13 (unlawful activity), 16 and 18 (terrorist act) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPAA), 2019, has been registered, Ali said. The Hizbul also referred to the killing of public representatives in the letter. Anyone who is on our target will be gunned down in their homes. This work has already been started. The people who can attack Parliament or Red Fort, cant they kill you? the letter read. Congress sarpanch Ajay Pandita and BJP leader Waseem Bari were gunned down in the Kashmir Valley in June and July, respectively. Ravinder Sharma, a Congress spokesperson and a former member of J&K legislative council, said the letter was delivered at the party office by post on Saturday afternoon. However, a BJP leader, who did not want to be named, said the letter could be a prank, but he admitted that leaders from his party face threat from terrorists. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The year had started so well for Amy Thomas. She had two jobs, a car and was living out of home. The future looked bright. Instead, as for so many young people recently out of school or university, 2020 has been a year of disappointments. In March, she lost both her jobs in the week the coronavirus caused the economy to seize up. Six months later, shes moved out of her share house and in with her grandmother on the Bellarine Peninsula Im falling into that same weird routine of not doing anything. I feel a bit trapped," she said last week. Boris Johnson has said legislation is needed to prevent an extreme and unreasonable interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement (House of Commons/PA) Boris Johnsons controversial plan to override key elements of the Brexit deal he signed with Brussels has cleared its first Commons hurdle despite deep misgivings by some senior Tories. MPs voted to give the UK Internal Market Bill a second reading by 340 to 263 a Government majority of 77. Two Tory MPs Sir Roger Gale and Andrew Percy voted against the Bill, while 30 did not cast a vote although some may have been paired with opposition MPs. The Government tally was bolstered by the support of seven DUP MPs. The Prime Minister said the legislation was necessary to prevent the EU taking an extreme and unreasonable interpretation of the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement relating to Northern Ireland. He said some in Brussels were now threatening to block UK agri-food exports to the EU and to insist on tariffs on all goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. However, some senior Conservatives warned they could not support the legislation in its present form after ministers admitted last week that it breached international law. MPs will begin detailed line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill on Tuesday, with votes expected next week on amendments to the Northern Ireland provisions which some Tories may back. Expand Close Sir Roger Gale (Lewis Whyld/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sir Roger Gale (Lewis Whyld/PA) Sir Roger acknowledged he was in a tiny minority of Conservatives in voting against the Bill but predicted others could rebel when the Commons comes to consider the amendments which have been tabled. I took a view that you fight this tooth and nail at every step. Others have quite clearly decided they want to hold their fire. There is much to play for yet, he told BBC2s Newsnight. Even before the debate began, former prime minister David Cameron expressed his misgivings and former chancellor Sajid Javid and former attorney general Geoffrey Cox said they could not support the overwriting of the Withdrawal Agreement. The intervention by Mr Cameron who said passing legislation which breaks international treaty obligations was the very, very last thing you should contemplate means all five living former prime ministers have spoken out against the Bill. It is not clear to me why it is necessary for the UK to break international law. I am regretfully unable to support the UK Internal Market Bill unamended. pic.twitter.com/ID0CeyXCeJ Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) September 14, 2020 In the Commons, Mr Johnson who took the unusual step of opening the debate himself said the protective measures were necessary because the EU was now trying to leverage the Northern Ireland protocol in the talks on a post-Brexit free trade deal. He said Brussels negotiators were threatening to ban the sale of UK agri-food products anywhere in the EU, creating an instant and automatic prohibition on the movement of such goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Absurd and self-defeating as that action would be even as we debate this matter, the EU still have not taken this revolver off the table, he said. Mr Johnson said some on the EU side even wanted to designate all goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland as being at risk of entering the EU single market, making them liable to EU tariffs. He said it could mean levies of 61% on Welsh lamb, 90% on Scottish beef and 100% on Devonshire clotted cream, and would carve tariff borders across our own country. We cannot have a situation where the very boundaries of our country could be dictated by a foreign power or international organisation, he said. No British prime minister, no government, no parliament could ever accept such an imposition. For Labour, shadow business secretary Ed Miliband standing in for Sir Keir Starmer who is in coronavirus self-isolation said Mr Johnson had only himself to blame for signing up to the Withdrawal Agreement. Either he wasnt straight with the country about the deal in the first place or he didnt understand it, Mr Miliband said. Because a competent government would never have entered into a binding agreement with provisions it could not live with. What incompetence. What failure of governance. Boris Johnson can't blame Theresa May, he can't blame John Major, he can't blame judges, he can't blame civil servants, he can't sack the Cabinet Secretary again. There's only one person responsible - him. Me in the Commons today: pic.twitter.com/pGqZFiNdoS Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) September 14, 2020 A number of Conservative former ministers made clear that they would not support any measure which breached international law, including Andrew Mitchell, Sir Oliver Heald and another former attorney general Jeremy Wright. Sir Charles Walker, the vice-chairman of the powerful Tory backbench 1922 Committee, and Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan a member of last years new intake of Conservative MPs said they would not be supporting the Bill at second reading. Sir Bob Neill, the chairman of the Commons Justice Committee who has tabled an amendment requiring a vote of Parliament before ministers can exercise the new powers in the Bill, urged MPs to take the opportunity to change and improve these clauses. Tailpiece How did this Bihar man single-handedly carve out a 3-km-long canal in 30 years? It took three decades for Laungi Bhuiyan, a resident of Kothilawa village in Bihar, to carve out a 3-km-long canal which will channel rainwater coming down from nearby hills to the fields of his village, as well as benefit a large number of animals in the area. Read here to know how he did it. Hugh Johnson Webinar with Napa Valley Wine Academy We are really pleased to be working with the Napa Valley Wine Academy on a series of webinars that bring some of our brightest authors to an audience who are obviously keen to learn as much as they can. London-based Academie du Vin Library and Napa Valley Wine Academy join forces to offer a series of webinar presentations featuring star-studded wine luminaries such as Hugh Johnson and Steven Spurrier, along with a selection of wine book classics and new titles offered by an array of renown wine authors. A number of the presentations will also include an optional wine kit, allowing viewers to taste along with some of the industrys most venerable experts. Academie du Vin Library founder, Steven Spurrier, created the Library collection to bring the very best wine writing of the past, present and future under one imprint, offering undisputed wine classics like The Story of Wine (Hugh Johnson), In Vino Veritas (writers such as Charles Walter Berry), and Wine Tasting (Michael Broadbent), as well as new titles that are sure to be the classics of the future. The Napa Valley Wine Academy, two-time winner of the WSETs Global Educator-of-the-Year award, has been at the forefront of online wine education and virtual learning, offering a successful selection of regionally-focused webinars and certification courses such as WSET Levels 1 through 4. The Napa Valley Wine Academy was an early pioneer of wine kit shipments to students, making it an industry leader in the online and virtual educational field. Each live webinar presentation is offered free-of-charge, and the purchase of the accompanying book title, and wine kit when offered, are optional. Premier Webinar: Hugh Johnson The premier webinar presentation, scheduled for September 26th, features an interview with celebrated wine writer, Hugh Johnson, on the topic of the history of wine. A new edition of Mr. Johnsons award-winning The Story of Wine, released by the publisher this week, will be offered for sale through the Napa Valley Wine Academy site when registering for the webinar. Register for the Hugh Johnson webinar presentation here: https://napavalleywineacademy.com/product/live-webinar-hugh-johnson-the-story-of-wine/ Upcoming Webinars Upcoming webinars with tastings include a Bordeaux session with iconic educator and author, Steven Spurrier. The schedule of webinars will be continually updated and available on napavalleywineacademy.com, where participants can also register for the events: https://napavalleywineacademy.com/live-on-line-events-classes/ We are really pleased to be working with the Napa Valley Wine Academy on a series of webinars that bring some of our brightest authors to an audience who are obviously keen to learn as much as they can, states Simon McMurtrie, Publisher of Academie du Vin Library. The team at Napa already have a peerless reputation for offering the best in wine education and their move to digital formats has been equally successful. Our books are the perfect companion to these talks and we cant wait for them to start. Adding iconic wine writers and experts from the Academy du Vin Library to our educational events at the Napa Valley Wine Academy is a natural fit. Our goal, since the Academys inception, was to provide our students with excellent-level instruction and learning from wine professionals and experts around the world, explains Napa Valley Wine Academy Founder Christian Oggenfuss, and we are more than honored to be working with Steven Spurriers Academie du Vin Library. ABOUT ACADEMIE DU VIN LIBRARY The Academie du Vin Library is a new imprint founded by Steven Spurrier and friends, dedicated to publishing the finest wine writing of the past, the present and the future. Our list is small and will never be large because we value quality over quantity. We choose our books with care above all for their readability, but also because we genuinely believe they have something important to say about the world of fine wine that will enhance your enjoyment. ABOUT NAPA VALLEY WINE ACADEMY Napa Valley Wine Academy is Americas Premier Wine School based in Napa Valley, California with ten locations across the United States. The Academy is proud to be the largest approved program provider of the internationally recognized WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) series of wine, spirit, and sake courses (including WSET Levels 1 through 4 in Wine) and the only two-time winner of Educator of the Year by the WSET. The Academy also offers a host of other online courses including the American Wine Expert, Oregon Wine Expert, Napa Valley Wine Expert, Wine 101 Foundation course and the soon to be released German Wine Expert, Argentina Wine Specialist, and Wine 201 Wine of the World. For more information about the Napa Valley Wine Academy and its numerous courses and experiences, visit napavalleywineacademy.com. For more information on the Academie du Vin Library, visit https://academieduvinlibrary.com/ Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life) This week, dive into art, comics, history, poetry, and ways to combat fake news. The CommonRoom with Justice Carpio: The Role of the Youth in the West Philippine Sea JCI Philippines will be hosting a talk called with former Senior Associate Justice and Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Antonio Carpio. He will be discussing the youths role in the West Philippine Sea this Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020 from 2:30 p.m to 5:00 p.m. This will be an interesting topic for those whod like to understand the Philippines legal claim to the territory, and how diplomacy plays a role in exercising our rights to the West Philippine Sea. The talk is free of charge, and you may register here. History Comes Alive with Ambeth Ocampo Ayala Museum launches their virtual arm with a series of talks by professor and historian Ambeth Ocampo on some of this years most timely topics: fake news and the pandemic. On Friday, Sep. 18, 2020, from 5 to 5:40 p.m, he will discuss the cultural significance of disease in the past and present. Regular tickets are priced at 1,000, and 700 for teachers, students, Ayala Group of Companies employees, and museum members. For 2,700, you can purchase a virtual pass that grants you access to the HCA talks on Sep. 18 and Oct. 2 as well as Manila Symphony Orchestras Rush Hour Concert Online in November. You may inquire for purchase of tickets here. History and Revisionism Gateway Gallery teams up with professor and historian John Ray Ramos to tackle the widespread historical revisionism that is enabled by trolls, fake news, and different social media tactics on Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020 from 2 to 3 p.m. Learn about the foundation of historical accuracy and how you, personally, can counteract the phenomenon of revisionism and fake news. The discussion will be streamed on Gateway Gallerys Facebook Page. An e-certificate will also be offered to those who complete the webinar and follow-up survey. ArtSpeak: Kiri Dalena Ateneo Art Gallery pushes forward with another installment of their ArtSpeak series, this week featuring UP Los Banos alumni, award-winning artist, filmmaker, and activist Kiri Dalena. The talk will be held on Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2020, from 2 to 4 p.m. Registration is now closed but you can watch the event live on the Ateneo Art Gallery Facebook page. Philippine International Comics Online Festival Local comics organization and convention KOMIKET, in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, present the 2nd Philippine International Comics Online Festival (PICOF). Currently on its third week, comic sales, features, seminars, and workshops will be held until Sep. 19, including a workshop with Ricky Lee and directors Quark Henares and Paul Basinillo. You can find more updates on the upcoming events through KOMIKETs Twitter Page. Bersong Euro-Pinoy Goes to Bikol Bersong Europinoy is a multi-cultural event where poets and writers from the Philippines and the European Union will read their works in their native language. The recital is called Mga Tataramon nin Paglaom: Words of Hope, Verses Versus the Virus. The event is in collaboration with poets from the Bikol community and the Embassies of Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy through the Philippine-Italian Association, Poland, Spain through Instituto Cervantes. The event will stream live on Saturday, Sep. 19 on the European Union in the Philippines Facebook page starting at 10 a.m. For the complete list of poets participating, click here. The image above may at first look like a plate from a Jules Verne novel, or perhaps a still from one of Georges Melies more fantastical moving pictures. It does indeed come from fin de siecle France, a time and place in which Verne, Melies, and many other imaginative creators lived and worked, but it is in fact a genuine underwater photograph or rather, a genuine underwater portrait, and the first example of such a thing in photographic history. Taken in the 1890s (most likely 1899) by biologist and photography pioneer Louis Boutan, it depicts Boutans Romanian colleague Emil Racovitza holding up a sign that reads Photographie Sous Marine, or Underwater Photography. Such an outlandish concept could hardly have crossed many minds back then, and fewer still would have dreamt up practical ways to realize it. To start with the most basic of challenges, there is, as David Byrne sung, water at the bottom of the ocean but not a whole lot of light, especially compared to the burdensome requirements of late 19th-century cameras. This necessitated the development of what Petapixels Laurence Bartone calls a crazy underwater flash photography rig, one powerful enough that it could easily double as a bomb. The creation involved an alcohol lamp on an oxygen-filled barrel. A rubber bulb would then blow a puff of magnesium powder over the flame, creating a flash. Photography enthusiasts will understand the magnitude of Boutans achievement (made with the help of his brother Auguste and a laboratory technician named Joseph David). Some have gone so far as to recreate it, an effort you can see in the Barcelona Underwater Festival video just above. Not only are there fish and other sea creatures swimming everywhere, a feature of the environment not visible in Boutans original shot, but the re-enactors face the pressure of curious passersby, young and old, who walk through a nearby transparent underwater tunnel, not a consideration for Boutan and his collaborators. That groundbreaking success in underwater portraiture came 54 years after a Philadelphia chemist named Robert Cornelius first turned his camera on himself. Has photographic history recorded how long it took humanity after Boutans famous picture to snap the first underwater selfie? via Diane Doniol-Valcroze on Twitter Related Content: Underwater Volcanic Eruption Witnessed for the First Time Reef View: Google Gives Us Stunning Underwater Shots of Great Coral Reefs Sunken Films: Watch a Cinematic Meditation on Films Found on the Oceans Floor See the First Selfie In History Taken by Robert Cornelius, a Philadelphia Chemist, in 1839 The History of Photography in Five Animated Minutes: From Camera Obscura to Camera Phone Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles and the video series The City in Cinema. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall, on Facebook, or on Instagram. Fresh off his win in 2016, he was eager to come talk to The New York Times. Ive never seen Trump happier than in that hour with the failing New York Times. (He even got to upbraid me in front of my boss.) As we wrapped up, he told the assembled editors, reporters and Times brass: Its a great honor. I will say, The Times is, its a great, great American jewel. A world jewel. And I hope we can all get along. The suspect, alleged to have CIA ties, had help from three Venezuelan conspirators who were arrested last week. Venezuelas chief prosecutor on Monday accused a recently arrested US citizen of spying and planning to sabotage oil refineries and electrical service in order to stir unrest and kill innocent people. The man, alleged to have CIA ties, had help from three Venezuelan conspirators, who were arrested last week near a pair of oil refineries on the north Caribbean coast, Venezuelas Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab said on state television. The office gave the US suspects name as Matthew John Heath. Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro speaks in Caracas, Venezuela [File: Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters] The prosecutor showed pictures of equipment allegedly seized from the group, including a grenade launcher, plastic explosives, a satellite phone and a bag of US dollars. Authorities said mobile phones taken from the men when they were arrested last week include images of a large bridge in Zulia state and dilapidated oil refineries in Falcon state. Everything here could qualify as a lethal weapon designed to cause harm and to promote assassinations, crimes against the people of Venezuela, said Saab, who also accused the man of planning to open a drug-trafficking route through Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro announced on Friday that an unnamed suspected US spy had been captured, saying he was a Marine and former CIA operative in Iraq. US authorities have not commented on the case. The Associated Press was unable to make immediate contact with Heath, a lawyer or a relative representing him for comment on the accusations. The arrest surfaced as this nation, once wealthy from oil, has been gripped by a deep petrol shortage that has sparked mile-long lines to fuel up, even in the capital of Caracas. Venezuela also struggles to provide electricity to residents, especially in Zulia state, once a major hub of the nations vast oil production. Washington backs Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys legitimate leader in place of Nicolas Maduro [File: Manaure Quintero/Reuters] Heath is accused of entering Venezuela illegally, the prosecutor said, adding that he did not have a passport but rather had a copy of it hidden in one of his shoes. The three Venezuelans accused of conspiring with Heath include a military officer, Saab said, adding that they helped him enter from Colombia. Saab said Heath had worked as a mercenary in Iraq from 2006 to 2016 for MVM Inc, a Virginia-based private security contracting company. The firm did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. Heath has been charged with terrorism, trafficking illegal weapons and conspiracy, authorities said. The arrest follows a failed beach incursion in early May that landed two ex-Green Beret soldiers in a Venezuelan jail for allegedly participating in a failed attempt to overthrow the socialist government. The two former US special forces soldiers were arrested along with more than 80 rebel Venezuelan fighters who staged a failed beach attack called Operation Gideon aimed at arresting Maduro. The operation mounted from makeshift training camps in neighbouring Colombia left several rebels dead. It was orchestrated by Jordan Goudreau, an American citizen and three-time Bronze Star recipient who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ex-Green Berets in Goudreaus force Luke Denman and Airan Berry have been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Authorities said the two men confessed to being part of the plot. While the Trump administration denied having anything to do with the bungled May incursion, Washington backs Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido as the countrys legitimate leader in place of Maduro. One of the mysteries about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is how it is spread within households, including why some family members develop the viral infection and others do not. Is there a way to predict who will be symptomatic or asymptomatic and how long someone remains infectious? Are asymptomatic and symptomatic cases equally able to transmit infection? Are there "super-spreaders" within families--and do they include children? Researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, as well as in Nicaragua and New Zealand, are enrolling 250-325 households in a new study designed to answer these questions. The study was awarded $7.1 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. "We have seen some families where only one person was infected and others where the entire 11-person household became infected," says Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, who is leading the U.S. study site. "The pattern varies widely, probably due to a combination of factors, from a family's living situation to their individual immune systems." The effort to learn more about household transmission is an extension of a seven-year NIAID-funded study into influenza, which focuses on how a child's first exposure to the flu virus might produce a long-lasting immunological response. This "imprinting" can impact the child's ability to respond to future flu strains. The influenza study, which launched in fall 2019, will involve recruitment of about 3,100 children in Los Angeles, New Zealand, and Nicaragua and 12 institutions from all over North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The multi-center investigation into the flu virus was already in place when the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 hit. We immediately realized the value in also knowing more about what happens after the first infection with SARS-CoV-2." Dr. Pia Pannaraj, Children's Hospital Los Angeles Among the key questions investigators want to explore is how differences in family members' immune systems may dictate transmission patterns. Also of interest is whether children contribute to household transmission of the novel coronavirus. "With the flu, we see that children are the main vectors, or infection hosts, who spread it to other people," says Dr. Pannaraj. "For COVID-19, we don't yet know the role children play in transmission within a family. Our goal with this study is to find out." Children's Hospital Los Angeles researchers received $1.2 million of the total NIAID funding for the U.S. portion of the study, and plan to enroll up to 100 households. At least one member of each participating household must have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study spans all ages, from newborns to seniors. Investigators will follow each household over the two-year study, enabling them to observe when each family member becomes symptomatic or infected (or not), along with the pattern of infection, such as whether everyone gets infected around the same time or if the virus is passed sequentially from person to person. In addition to providing information that could help limit transmission between family members, findings from this study will be used to optimize vaccination strategies and COVID-19 vaccine development. Coun. Terry Whiteheads stance on encampments is the focus of a complaint to the citys integrity commissioner. In a July email, Whitehead equated the clusters of tents pitched by homeless people with s--t, urine, needles. The missive was in response to an advocates email to councillors urging the city not to force people to move along, and to provide washrooms and water. Others caught wind of Whiteheads response to the email when it was shared on social media, including Stephanie Arlt. It was incredibly unprofessional. Its very disrespectful, said Arlt, one of three people who filed the integrity complaint in late August. Members of the public can file a complaint with the integrity commissioner if they believe a council member has violated city councils code of conduct. Arlt, a McMaster graduate and researcher in the field of harm reduction, also said Whiteheads response wrongly labelled people who are homelessness as agents of chaos. The councillor wrote: You want to turn Hamilton into Sanfrancisco? S--t, urine, needles and other harmful Paraphernalia on our streets. You want taxpayers to pay for garbage collection, water supply and port potties. Pet food support food catering pest control is there anything else. He argued your plan is not realistic not what this community will support and is not viable or even a compassionate approach. Its one of entitlement. Victoria Young, a co-complainant and member of Keeping Six, a harm-reduction group, said the email was uneducated and derogatory. In an interview Monday, Whitehead called the complaint unfortunate and said he was very confident it would be dismissed. These are activists, they dont want to hear anything other than what they believe to be true. They look through a very narrow window at these issues. Whitehead added he could be mayor tomorrow, based on his position on encampments. During a July meeting, the veteran Mountain councillor defended his email, blaming the grammatical and spelling errors of his pretty blunt email on a new phone. But he contended encampments in California have bred crime and its getting worse. Reiterating a stance in his email, he also advocated for a study on the deinstitutionalization of people with mental-health and addiction issues who are a harm to themselves. So Im not by any means going to apologize for taking strong language about needle paraphernalia, urine and all the other stuff that comes with encampments. The city and a coalition of advocates are locked in a legal battle over differing approaches to encampments. The largest ones are outside the Wesley Day Centre on Ferguson Avenue North and FirstOntario Centre, which is set up as a temporary mens shelter on York Boulevard. The Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Ross & McBride LLP and Keeping Six have urged the city not to forcibly displace people without acceptable housing options. They have argued forcing people who cant or wont use shelters to disperse to elsewhere outdoors doesnt help. The coalition has secured an injunction that prevents the city from forcing people to leave encampments. The group has urged council to negotiate an out-of-court resolution with a hearing expected in October. The city has noted its approach is to help people in tents find hotels, shelters or housing but ultimately sets deadlines to enforce bylaws that prevent camping out in public. A report from Principles Integrity, the firm that serves as Hamiltons commissioner for code of conduct complaints, said it handled 15 inquiries between July 2018 and the end of August 2020. Of those, 14 were resolved without the need for a formal report, which means the either the complainant and respondent reached a resolution, the issue was beyond the commissioners jurisdiction, or other bodies have dealt with the matter. The Principles Integrity report, which is on councils agenda Wednesday, doesnt offer details of the 15 files it opened. The Whitehead complaint comes after a Kitchener woman filed one against Coun. Sam Merulla after a heated dispute about workout equipment. On Sept. 4, the business employee alleged he threatened her and cited his position as city councillor over the phone. No charges were laid. Merulla called the allegations ridiculous but acknowledged he shouldnt have sent her messages via his work email, which notes his position. On Monday, the Ward 4 councillor said a previous complaint against him lodged by CHCH News last year over remarks he made to a reporter via social media was resolved without sanctions and to his satisfaction. Principles Integrity also held a private training session Monday for council on conflict-of-interest legislation. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A judge sentenced a man to five years in prison in a 2019 hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in Clevelands Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Aaron Stallworth, 31, was driving 60 mph on West 25th Street when he ran a red light and struck Richard Dubaniewicz on July 27, 2019, prosecutors said. Dubaniewicz, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene. Common Pleas Court Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams imposed Stallworths sentence Monday. Stallworth pleaded guilty last month to charges including aggravated vehicular homicide and failure to stop after an accident. Stallworth will serve the five-year sentence after he finishes a 39-month prison sentence he received in December on a federal charge of being a felon in possession of gun. That case stems from a November 2018 traffic stop in which police found a loaded handgun in Stallworths car. The deadly hit-and-run happened while Dubaniewicz was crossing West 25th Street at Clark Avenue about 10:30 p.m., according to police. The pedestrian crossing sign in his direction was lit up and the light on West 25th Street was red, according to court records. Stallworth was driving a 28-year-old womans Chevrolet Malibu north on West 25th Street at the same moment, according to police. The woman was in the passenger seat, court records say. Investigators said the Malibu reached speeds as high as 70 mph along the street that has a posted speed limit of 25 mph. The Malibu was traveling about 60 mph when it struck Dubaniewicz, throwing his body into another car that was stopped at the red light at the intersection, records say. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Chevy kept speeding north and struck another vehicle at Wade Avenue, where Stallworth and the 28-year-old woman got out and ran away, police said. The Cleveland police departments Accident Investigation Unit later identified the woman as the Malibus owner and tracked her down. She admitted to being inside the Malibu at the time of the crash and told investigators she ran away because Stallworth had attacked her, court records say. Read more stories Westlake man raises $14K for MS research in late fathers honor preparing for virtual Boston Marathon Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to hold some jury trials in Global Center for Health Innovation Man accused of hiding in Cleveland womans closet and raping her in 2007 is 800th to be IDd by prosecutors task force Euclid man charged in toddlers death remains jailed on $1 million bond Akron man sentenced to 25 years for 2016 double homicide Maine: A surge in internet searches about gut ailments is helping researchers predict the next COVID-19 hotspots, a study has revealed. Massachusetts General Hospital found that areas where there was a spike in Google queries relating to diarrhoea and loss of appetite frequently reported a sharp rise in cases of coronavirus three to four weeks later. Other markers included a loss of taste, nausea and abdominal pain. A link between COVID-19 and gut ailments was first identified in China earlier this year, with about a third of sufferers reporting gastrointestinal rather than respiratory sickness. Other patients complained of suffering from both. The link between gut problems and the virus prompted Massachusetts researchers to examine data from the Google Trends tool. They examined material from 15 states and tracked the search results against the incidence of the disease four weeks later. They found the data provided a potential COVID-19 early warning system. The correlation was particularly marked in New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois among the worst-hit states at the start of the pandemic. September 14 : Sushant Singh Rajputs family, friends and fans paid tribute to him, as today three months have completed since the talented actor was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai. While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are investigating the case, the actor's fans worldwide are demanding to know the truth of his mysterious death on June 14, 2020. Today, Sushant's sister Shweta Singh Kirti took to social media to pay tribute to her brother. Remembering him, she released a new song titled Josh-e-Jahan, along with a video that features a montage of the late actor. Sharing the same on social media she wrote, It has been 90 Days Bhai left his physical body. This song is dedicated to honor and celebrate his ever-felt presence in our lives. #Justice4SSRIsGlobalDemand. https://youtu.be/6w3gQ5ubiqo The late actors friend Ankita Lokhande also expressed her thoughts about Sushant on social media and demanded justice for him. Taking to Twitter, Ankita wrote, Time flies fast. Life goes on at its own pace. But some memories can never be forgotten of our dearest ones. You will always remain in our thoughts Sushant. #Justice4SSRIsGlobalDemand #itsalready3monthstoday @shwetasinghkirt @vikirti @jainvick. Time flies fast . Life goes on at its own pace But some memories can never be forgotten of our dearest ones. You will always remain in our thoughts Sushant . #Justice4SSRIsGlobalDemand #itsalready3monthstoday @shwetasinghkirt @vikirti @jainvick pic.twitter.com/Ij452X02Qk Ankita lokhande (@anky1912) September 14, 2020 Since the actors demise, several campaigns like feeding the homeless have been started by his fans worldwide. On Sunday, a campaign to plant saplings was executed as it was one of Sushants dreams. An initiative led by Shweta Singh Kirti, the actor's fans planted over 1 lakh saplings, and shared pictures and videos of the same on social media with the hashtag #Plants4SSR. Ankita Lokhande, Mahesh Shetty and filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra were also among those who participated in the drive. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Mr. Putin, said Andrei Kortunov, the director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, has never trusted or liked Lukashenko and would be happy to see him eased out slowly, but not under pressure from the street. Allowing protesters to prevail, Mr. Kortunov said, would be a serious existential challenge for Russia: How can we justify our own system if our next door neighbor can do better? But propping up Mr. Lukashenko indefinitely, he said, also has big risks for Russia, as that would alienate its neighbors generally pro-Russia population. Mr. Lukashenko, he said, is finished as a legitimate leader who enjoys the support if not of a majority but of a large part of the population. All the same, he added: It is still too early to write him off. Mr. Lukashenkos main rival in the August election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was forced to flee Belarus after she contested the result, warned in a statement on Monday that any agreement reached in Sochi will have no legal force because Mr. Lukashenko was no longer the countrys legitimate leader. Addressing President Putin, she added: I am very sorry that you decided to have a dialogue with the usurper, and not with the Belarusian people. Eager to show that he still has a grip on his country ahead of his talks in Russia, Mr. Lukashenko on Sunday deployed his sprawling and so far loyal security apparatus to try to prevent another day of huge protests. Tens of thousands of people still took to the street to clamor for his resignation. The Interior Ministry said on Monday that 774 people had been detained during Sundays nationwide rallies, more than 500 of them in Minsk. It was the most arrests on a single day since early in the protests when riot police officers tried, without success, to keep people off the street with a frenzy of violence and mass arrests. Traces of phosphine gas detected in the clouds above Venus could be an indication that the planet supports microbial life, a study has concluded. On Earth, phosphine a colourless gas that smells like garlic, or decaying fish is naturally produced mainly by certain microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. It can also be released in small amounts from the breakdown of organic matter, or industrially synthesised in chemical plants. Experts from the UK, however, found signs of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere suggesting the planet must support unknown chemical processes, or even life. The second-closest planet to the Sun, Venus is inhospitable with a surface temperature around 867F (464C) and pressure 92 times that of on the Earth. However, its upper cloud deck 3338 miles (5362 kilometres) above the surface is a more temperate 120F (50C), with a pressure equal to that at Earth sea level. The clouds are also highly acidic meaning that the phosphine would be broken down very quickly and must therefore be being continually replenished. The researchers have cautioned, however, that life is only one possible explanation for the source of the phosphine with further investigation needed. NASA is presently considering two missions to Venus that propose to study the planet's atmosphere and geochemistry dubbed 'DAVINCI' and 'VERITAS'. Traces of phosphine gas detected in the clouds above Venus, seen here in an image taken by NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft could be an indication that the planet supports microbial life VENUS: THE BASICS Venus, the second planet from the sun, is a rocky planet about the same size and mass of the Earth. However, its atmosphere is radically different to ours being 96 per cent carbon dioxide and having a surface temperature of 867F (464C) and pressure 92 times that of on the Earth. The inhospitable planet is swaddled in clouds of sulphuric acid that make the surface impossible to glimpse via the visible light spectrum. In the past, Venus likely had oceans similar to Earth's but these would have vaporised as it underwent a runaway greenhouse effect. The surface of Venus is a dry desertscape, which is periodically changed by volcanic activity. The planet has no moons and orbits the Sun every 224.7 Earth days. Advertisement In their study, astronomer Jane Greaves of Wales' Cardiff University and colleagues observed Venus using both the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope at Hawaii's Mauna Kea Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile. They detected a so-called spectral signature that is unique to phosphine and furthermore were able to estimated that the gas is present in Venus' clouds in an abundance of around 20 parts-per-billion. The team explored assorted ways that the gas could have been produced in this setting including from sources on the surface of the planet, micrometeorites, lightning, or chemical processes happening within the clouds themselves. However, they were unable to determine exactly what is the source of the detected trace quantities of the gas. The researchers have cautioned that the detection of phosphine is not itself robust evidence for alien microbial life and only indicates that potentially unknown geological or chemical processes are occurring on the planet. Further observations and modelling will be needed, they added, to better explore the origin of the gas in the planet's atmosphere. 'Phosphine could originate from unknown photochemistry or geochemistry or, by analogy with biological production of phosphine on Earth, from the presence of life,' the research team wrote in their paper. 'If no known chemical process can explain phosphine within the upper atmosphere of Venus, then it must be produced by a process not previously considered plausible for Venusian conditions,' they added. 'This could be unknown photochemistry or geochemistry or possibly life.' 'Even if confirmed, we emphasise that the detection of phosphine is not robust evidence for life, only for anomalous and unexplained chemistry.' In their study, astronomer Jane Greaves of Wales' Cardiff University and colleagues observed Venus using both the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope at Hawaii's Mauna Kea Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, pictured The researchers detected a so-called spectral signature (pictured) that is unique to phosphine furthermore were able to estimated that the gas is present in Venus' clouds in an abundance of around 20 parts-per-billion. However, they were unable to determine the exactly source of the detected trace quantities of the gas 'There are substantial conceptual problems for the idea of life in Venus's clouds the environment is extremely dehydrating as well as hyperacidic. 'However, we have ruled out many chemical routes to phosphine, with the most likely ones falling short by four to eight orders of magnitude.' 'To further discriminate between unknown photochemical and/or geological processes as the source of Venusian phosphine, or to determine whether there is life in the clouds of Venus, substantial modelling and experimentation will be important.' 'Ultimately, a solution could come from revisiting Venus for in situ measurements or aerosol return.' 'The only successful Lander that sent back Venus data was Vega 2, in 1985,' Professor Graves noted. 'Let's hope now that space agencies will want to go back.' The second-closest planet to the Sun, Venus is inhospitable with temperatures on its surface (pictured, as imaged by the Magellan spacecraft) of around 867F (464C) and pressures 92 times that of on the Earth. However, its upper cloud deck 3338 miles above the surface is a more temperate 120F (50C), with a pressure equal to that at Earth sea level 'This is one of the most exciting signs of the possible presence of life beyond Earth I have ever seen and certainly from the most surprising location I could imagine,' said astronomer Alan Duffy, who was not involved in the present study. 'Our twin planet Venus is a hellish world,' added the expert from the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. 'While the surface is hot enough to melt lead, the temperature drops as you go higher into the clouds, becoming Earth-like in both temperature and pressure by an altitude of 50 kilometres [31 miles], exactly where the phosphine was found.' 'While the temperature is benign, the clouds contain sulphuric acid which should break down the phosphine,' he continued. This, he explained, means that 'something is forming it anew and as phosphine is associated with life on Earth, it is tempting to think it could be life on Venus.' 'But before we can become more confident about that we have to rule out all possible other non-biological means of producing it.' 'This paper was exhaustive in ruling out the possibilities, but there may yet be non-living chemical pathways in the extreme environment on Venus that we havent yet discovered so we have to learn more about geochemistry on Earths twin.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Astronomy. "At Planterra Foods, our goal is to provide delicious, clean and nutritious plant-based protein choices for everyone to experience, from vegans to flexitarians to meat-eaters. With our Colorado roots and focus on sourcing the heart of our products locally, it was very natural for us to team up with the Denver Broncos as we also share similar values in striving for excellence across the board," said Darcey Macken, Planterra Foods CEO. "We are thrilled for OZO to be the newest Hometown Partner of the Denver Broncos and can't wait for sports fans to taste what Planterra Foods is all about." Planterra Foods debuted its first line of plant-based protein, OZO, in June 2020 and have since more than tripled their portfolio size, including the recent launch of its foodservice line of products. A natural partnership for the Denver Broncos, the new line is quickly making a name for itself with its delicious taste, clean ingredients and exceptional nutritional advantage aiming to grow flexitarian consumption by offering a positive plant-based solution. OZO products contain no cholesterol and less calories, fat and saturated fat than 80 percent lean ground beef, as well as other leading plant-based protein brands currently in the market. OZO products also have up to 22 grams of protein per serving, are non-GMO and certified vegan by BeVeg . Unique to the category, Planterra Foods uses a high-quality pea and rice protein that relies on the fermentation of shiitake mycelia (root) to create a nutritionally superior product that enhances the taste and minimizes the flavor impact, while improving the overall digestibility of the plant-based protein. "We are thrilled to partner with Colorado-based Planterra Foods and their OZO brand of plant-based proteins," said Brady Kellogg, Denver Broncos Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. "Broncos fans and consumers overall are seeking more choices, and we are fortunate to be able to align with a local company committed to offering healthy and sustainable options without sacrificing on taste." Whether watching this season's games from the seats at Empower Field at Mile High or from the comfort of home, Broncos fans can expect to take part in exciting game-time activations, like the soon-to-be-announced "Homegate Sweepstakes." Further, the partnership includes promotional marketing campaigns, including stadium advertising and traditional media, touting OZO as the newest Hometown Partner of the Denver Broncos. As many consumers are seeking new, healthy protein alternatives, Planterra Foods is also meeting Coloradoans curbside with their fleet of specially equipped OZO vans, delivering free freshly cooked samples of the brand's new plant-based burgers. The OZO vans are making their way through Denver and Boulder neighborhoods and ski towns through the winter months, with location updates being shared via @OZOFoods on Twitter. Consumers can purchase OZO's plant-based protein products, including Burgers (two-4 oz patties), Ground (12 oz) and Mexican-Seasoned Ground (12 oz) via e-commerce at OZOFoods.com and in Safeway grocery stores across Colorado. Beginning in October, OZO will also be available at King Soopers locations statewide. For additional information, visit PlanterraFoods.com and OZOFoods.com , and join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest , Twitter and LinkedIn . About OZO OZO is the first brand brought to market by Planterra Foods, an innovative plant-based protein start-up from Colorado. Dedicated to delivering foods that are abundantly flavorful, and positively delicious, OZO has the backing of one of the world's leading food companies. OZO dishes up foods that broaden choices and bring new possibilities to the table. Brimming with benefits for you and the planet, their foods help you eat well, feel better and live your best. For additional information, visit OZOFoods.com. About Planterra Foods Planterra Foods is a new, innovative plant-based protein start-up company based in Colorado dedicated to bringing exceptional variety and thoughtful plant-based protein choices that are beneficial to both you and the planet. Innovation, convenience and taste are at the forefront of Planterra Foods and OZO. Planterra Foods is owned by JBS USA, one of the world's leading food companies. For additional information, visit PlanterraFoods.com. MEDIA CONTACTS: Anna Powell [email protected] 262-719-5771 Mary Anne McAndrew [email protected] 847-540-6000 SOURCE Planterra Foods Related Links https://www.planterrafoods.com/ Steph McGovern at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) TV presenter Steph McGovern has spoken of suffering with night terrors which see her fear she has lost her new baby. McGovern has been a long-time sufferer of vivid nightmares, but says the dreams have changed since becoming a mother last year. The former BBC Breakfast star has revealed she is now having therapy to help her overcome the condition which sees her believe she lost her ten-month-old daughter. Read more: Steph McGovern halts The Steph Show as family want their home back Speaking to The Sun, she said: I dont ever actually feel stressed but the way it manifests in me is at night. I have crazy dreams and awful night terrors. When I was younger, it would be worrying about school stuff. I once went out of the door and actually went to school - in my sleep, in my uniform - at two in the morning." Talking of how the nightmares have changed as she has gotten older, she continued: "As Ive got older, they have become more vivid. And since having a baby, I will regularly wake up and think Ive lost her." Steph McGovern attends The TV Choice Awards 2019 at Hilton Park Lane on September 9, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/WireImage) She added: "Everything now revolves around the baby. The thoughts arent rational - its totally irrational. But its something I have had help for." The popular 38-year-old presenter announced she was expecting a child with her TV executive partner last year. When she gave birth in November 2019, she welcomed the child with a social media post. Well hello world, just surfaced to let you know that we now have a daughter! Born on Monday morning just as @BBCBreakfast was wrapping up. Were all fine and dandy. Just getting used to the eau de sick/poo I am now regularly wearing. #babylife Steph McGovern (@StephLunch) November 8, 2019 She tweeted: Well hello world, just surfaced to let you know that we now have a daughter! Story continues Born on Monday morning just as @BBCBreakfast was wrapping up. Were all fine and dandy. Just getting used to the eau de sick/poo I am now regularly wearing. McGovern is now ready to return to television and will front Channel 4 show Stephs Packed Lunch. Read more: Steph McGovern says 'hurtful' online comments left her 'thinking negatively' about her body Asked by The Express what viewers can expect from the show, she said: "We're going to have various celebrities, chefs, we're going to be looking at consumer stuff, health things. "But fundamentally a lot of what we're going to do is going to be driven by the audience and their issues." Stephs Packed Lunch will air weekdays on Channel 4 at 12.30pm from 15 September. From Strangford to the French Alps - a Co Down couple are making a huge lifestyle change. Peter and Caroline McErlean are taking the Alpine leap to the resort of Morzine in France after around 30 years at their small, family run hotel in Strangford. Having built up a strong reputation at The Cuan Hotel, the couple decided to sell up and "lead a different life at a slightly slower pace," Caroline said. However, contrary to what many of their friends thought, Peter and Caroline were not ready to retire just yet. When an offer came along from family friend, Gillian Campbell, who owns the Riverwood Lodge chalet, the couple, who are in their mid-50s, jumped at the chance. "We got the opportunity to do what we absolutely love to do in a completely new and fun environment," Caroline said. Alongside running the hospitality side of the chalet, the couple are looking forward to exploring the Alps, with them being keen skiers themselves. "We have committed to run it for this upcoming season and if it floats our boats, and we enjoy it, it may become part of what we do for the foreseeable future," Caroline explained. The luxury chalet, which is just over an hour away from Geneva, can house up to 16 guests in five family en-suite rooms. With a price tag from 7,697 a week on a fully catered basis, the couple are promising to offer a warm welcome. Caroline will head up the front of house side of the business, as she did for many years in Strangford. Meanwhile, her husband, Peter, will lead the restaurant, as he did in Strangford, making The Cuan a culinary destination on the map. "The good old soda bread will be made out there. Homemade potato bread and our wheaten bread too," Peter said. Peter has home baking in his blood, with his father, Des McErlean running the well-known Belfast bakery, McErlean's Bakeries. Ex-US President Bill Clinton famously bought bread from the Falls Road branch of the chain in a visit to Belfast in 1995. "There will be a very strong Irish influence as well as embracing some of the wonderful French cuisine," Peter said, with a pride for his family background in the trade. Along with the food on offer, guests will be minutes away from some of the best ski slopes in the Alps near the French, Swiss, Italian border. Expand Close Chalet life: Caroline and Peter McErlean are leaving Strangford / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chalet life: Caroline and Peter McErlean are leaving Strangford Their move to the continent certainly presents itself with difficulties, especially given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "We will be very careful as to how we conduct ourselves at the chalet and ensure our guests are comfortable with the level of cleanliness," Peter acknowledged, accepting it will be a "challenging" first season. The couple are relying on a strong UK trade at the resort and are expecting that many guests will drive down through France to avoid boarding any flights amidst fears of Covid-19. And the couple are confident that The Cuan will be left in safe hands, with the new owners taking over the hotel last March with plans to reopen before Christmas. "The Cuan is such an anchor in the whole locality. We hope those existing customers will return to it," Caroline said. They are planning to move at at the beginning of December for the start of the upcoming season. By PTI NEW DELHI: Hemmed inside their homes for months on end as a pandemic raged outside, millions of people are emerging timorously into a world that has drastically changed -- an uneasy adjustment process resulting in a spectrum of mental health issues ranging from depression to that final step, suicide. The dread of contracting the disease combined with the realisation that the incidence of COVID-19 spiralled instead of being contained in the lockdown and that the days of suspending life as they knew it could extend indefinitely has been profoundly disturbing for many. Add to this new normal, ill-health, joblessness, financial crises and the everyday stresses that people anyway had to deal with and the COVID-19 tunnel stretches dark and seemingly endless with no light at the end of it. "This prolonged uncertainty has led people to feel a lot more anxious. So people who were on a mild anxiety spectrum earlier have moved to moderate and severe anxiety. When anxiety gets severe, the kinds of behaviour of self harm increase," said Arvinder Singh, psychologist, psychotherapist and director of the Ashoka Centre for Well-Being in New Delhi. As India's COVID-19 tally crossed 47.5 lakh with 94,372 new cases reported on Sunday, Singh's concerns find echo across the country. The worries are rooted in reports of more people inflicting injuries on themselves, several ending their lives and many complaining of depression and severe anxiety. In Gujarat, for instance, the 108 emergency ambulance service received about 800 cases of "self injuries" and 90 cases of suicide in April, May, June and July, officials said. The numbers began to spike soon after the nationwide lockdown, which came into effect on March 25. Vikas Bihani, 108 service official, said the suicide prevention and counselling helpline usually got around eight to nine calls per month but the numbers have doubled since March. "Between March and August, we got 142 calls from depressed people. A majority of the callers were facing economic, family or mental health related issues and wanted to end their lives," he said. Some people who test positive for coronavirus inflict injuries on themselves because they cannot tolerate "disappointment", B N Gangadhar, director of the Bangalore-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS), told PTI. His colleague V Senthil Kumar Reddi, coordinator at NIMHANS' department of psychiatry, said the reasons behind cases of self-inflicting injuries need to be studied. Gujarat-based psychologist Prashant Bhimani said the economic crisis is fuelling "suicidal thoughts". "There is a 70 per cent increase in the number of patients suffering from depression and obsessive compulsive disorder due to the coronavirus. People are worried about what will happen to them if they contract the coronavirus," he added. Though there are no exact figures, the anecdotal evidence of people choosing to end their lives is mounting. Just last week, a newly married couple were found hanging in their home in Panipat. Aawed (28) and his wife Nazma (19) had got married barely a month back, according to reports. Aawed was upset at losing his job as a welder during the lockdown and was hoping to get work in the unlock period. But that did not happen and he got increasingly desperate, his brother Jawed was reported as saying. In Uttar Pradesh, migrant labourers Chutku and Rambabu ended their lives in their village in Banda. Both had no work and were stressed, their family members said. The distress cuts across classes. In Barabanki, 37-year-old Vivek whose business had failed allegedly poisoned his wife and three children before hanging himself at his home. In the national capital, two brothers, both in their 40s, were found hanging in their jewellery shop in Chandni Chowk. They left behind a suicide note, apologising to their families and citing financial crisis as the reason behind the extreme step. And sometimes, it's just about the disease. A 50-year-old man in Odisha's Bolangir district, for instance, allegedly killed himself by jumping into a well after his nephew tested positive. He feared he might also have contracted COVID-19. The stories of mounting stress and the inability to handle it are many and from all parts of the country. "There are common anxiety issues" like whether they have contracted Covid. People feel anxious if they have a common cold or cough. They are also worried about jobs, economy and EMIs. They are worried about the uncertainty of the future." said Samir Parikh, director, Mental Health and Behavioural Science, Fortis Healthcare. The numbers of patients being referred to the psychiatry department of Lucknow's King George's Medical University has gone up significantly, said Adarsh Tripathi, additional professor at the department. "Economic activities came to a halt, businesses shut down. Besides, insecurity about the future, jobs, marriages and education all had a direct psychological impact," he added. In Tripathi's view, the 15-25 age group is most vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal ideas. Kolkata-based psychologist Sanchita Pakrashi said the single most important factor is collective anxiety about the future. "I am getting patients of all ages. Till February, the complaints came mainly from students and young professionals suffering from job stress and personal crisis. Now it is collective crisis which shows no sign of abating," she said. Jaipur-based psychiatrist R K Solanki agreed. He said cases of anxiety disorders, stress and suicidal thoughts have increased in the last three-four months, most related with situations emanating from the lockdown and the spread of the coronavirus. "During lockdown, people were mostly emotionally depressed. Now, worries related to the future are among the main reasons for anxiety and depression in many young patients," Solanki said. The coronavirus pandemic may also impact some children's mental health and emotional well-being and parents should address their needs with compassion and a friendly approach, added S K Mattoo, head of the psychiatry department at PGIMER, Chandigarh. Faced with the escalating mental health crisis, several institutions are conducting programmes for their staff. AIIMS, Patna, has tied up with Medicins San Frontiers to provide training to its medicos and paramedical staff on how to deal with the mentally disturbed or depressed COVID-19 patients at the hospital. About 30 per cent of coronavirus patients at the facility are found to be mentally disturbed, Sanjeev Kumar, the institute's COVID-19 nodal officer, said. Anand Nadkarni from Mumbai's Institute of Psychological Health recommends a 30-day crash course on clinical psychology for regular practitioners so they can provide basic support to patients complaining of stress and anxiety. "There is no doubt that the cases of people suffering from stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise. The lockdown has not only led to a relapse in people who were on the recovery path, but also triggered stress and anxiety related disorders among those who earlier never had any symptoms," Nadkarni said. The Arunachal Pradesh government is also taking measures to reduce stress among COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at various care centres and hospitals. "Besides supportive counselling, treating physicians liaise with psychiatrists and initiate treatment for mild symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, if necessary," state Health Secretary P Parthiban said. Thousands of kilometres away in Kerala, a helpline set up by DISHA, a joint venture by the National Health Mission (NHM) and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, has been receiving hundreds of calls a day. "We have been receiving hundreds of calls everyday seeking help. Some people seek help after getting frustrated of the lockdown. Some are depressed and worried about the pandemic," a counsellor told PTI. Explaining the protocol, Akhla, a floor manager at DISHA, said, "We speak to them first, then hand over their case to the respective district mental health programme officers." It's a pan India problem that has been growing and evolving through the months. Tabassum Sheikh, clinical psychologist, Apollo TeleHealth, said, "When the lockdown started, the calls were related to people facing issues in handling work stress and the household chores. Ever since July, the calls are more about interpersonal problems." Parikh added that people who are struggling need a support system and friends and family are key. He also said people should feel free to seek help if they are struggling. Advice that must be acted on before it gets too late, stress experts. (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.) AKRON, Ohio The Ohio Liquor Control Commission has revoked the liquor license of Akrons Highland Tavern in connection with three violations of the states health orders to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Highland Tavern, on West Market Street in the citys Highland Square neighborhood, has also received a fourth citation, for which the commission has not yet held a hearing. The bars liquor permit is set to be revoked effective at the close of business on Oct. 2, according to an order issued by the Liquor Control Commission. Highland Tavern is the first bar in Ohio to have its license revoked for violating coronavirus-related health orders, according to Liquor Control Commission Executive Director Sarah Creedon. The violations that resulted in the commissions decision include employees serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and engaging in disorderly conduct on Aug. 6 and 8, records show. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Liquor Control Commission on July 31 ordered alcohol sales to end at 10 p.m. each night, with customers allowed until 11 p.m. to finish their drinks. The Highland Tavern on West Market Street in Akron's Highland Square neighborhood has had its liquor license revoked by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission, effective at the close of business on Oct. 2. (Robin Goist, cleveland.com) According to the Ohio Investigative Unit, which has been sending undercover officers into bars and restaurants to determine whether establishments are following state health orders, Akron police issued a warning to Highland Tavern on Aug. 2 for serving after-hours. OIU agents also issued citations to Highland Tavern, which reportedly lacked social distancing and was serving alcohol at 12:40 a.m. on Aug. 22. Highland Taverns fourth citation came on Sept. 4, when agents reported seeing about 80 people standing too close together. Agents bought drinks at 11:45 p.m. from bartenders who were not wearing masks, according to the OIU. Signs about coronavirus health orders posted Monday to the Highland Taverns front door include, Please be advised that several of our employees, for health and/or safety reasons, are not required to wear a face covering, and Those in our lovely government have ordered all persons entering indoor facilities to wear a mask. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing a mask, you are exempt from this order. Due to HIPAA and the 4th amendment, we cannot legally ask you about your medical condition. Therefore, if we see you without a mask, we will assume you have a medical condition and we will welcome you inside to support our business. Signs posted on the front door of Akron's Highland Tavern say that some employees are not wearing masks due to health and safety reasons. The bar has had its liquor license revoked by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission, effective at the close of business on Oct. 2. (Robin Goist, cleveland.com) A phone call Monday afternoon to Highland Tavern was not immediately returned. Customers can take advantage of OneTrust technology, solutions and extensive partner program available in Brazilian Portuguese SAO PAULO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTrust today announced expanded operations to support Brazilian customers and companies across the globe working to comply with the Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados Pessoais (LGPD). Customers can take advantage of the most widely used technology platform for privacy compliance, OneTrust's vast partner network, and local Brazilian data center hosting options, available natively in both Brazilian Portuguese and dozens of other languages. Learn more about OneTrust LGPD Solutions and sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program Leia em Portugues The LGPD grants many new privacy rights to Brazilian data subjects and requires organizations that process personal data to meet data protection obligations. Much like the GDPR or CCPA, complying with the LGPD typically requires major operational and technological updates and changes. To assist Brazilian customers with LGPD compliance, OneTrust expanded operations, support, and services in Brazil, including: LGPD Fast Track program : Speed up compliance with the LGPD with OneTrust's LGPD same-day Fast Track program. Customers can get implemented in 24 hours with data subject request portal implementation, simple setup and pre-completed workflows, certification, and training and an LGPD-specific setup guide and implementation webinar. : Speed up compliance with the LGPD with OneTrust's LGPD same-day Fast Track program. Customers can get implemented in 24 hours with data subject request portal implementation, simple setup and pre-completed workflows, certification, and training and an LGPD-specific setup guide and implementation webinar. LGPD Research in DataGuidance : Stay up to date with LGPD updates, changes, and new timelines for compliance with research updated daily in OneTrust DataGuidance, including a dedicated LGPD portal. : Stay up to date with LGPD updates, changes, and new timelines for compliance with research updated daily in OneTrust DataGuidance, including a dedicated LGPD portal. Extensive Brazilian partner network : Simplify contracting and in-market support with one of OneTrust's many Brazilian partners, including strategic consulting, law firm, and reseller marketing leaders. : Simplify contracting and in-market support with one of OneTrust's many Brazilian partners, including strategic consulting, law firm, and reseller marketing leaders. Local Sao Paulo office : OneTrust's new office in Sao Paulo will give customers access to local sales, engineering and support resources in Brazil . : OneTrust's new office in Sao Paulo will give customers access to local sales, engineering and support resources in . Brazilian data center : Leverage OneTrust's local Brazilian data center, or use it in combination with one of OneTrust's 10 global data center locations. : Leverage OneTrust's local Brazilian data center, or use it in combination with one of OneTrust's 10 global data center locations. LGPDConnect : Hear from privacy experts in your city and connect with local privacy and security experts during a free, online LGPDConnect event. : Hear from privacy experts in your city and connect with local privacy and security experts during a free, online LGPDConnect event. ANPD Incident Breach Notification Management: Comply with breach notification obligations to manage incidents and notify both to the ANPD and data subjects of relevant security incidents. Comply with breach notification obligations to manage incidents and notify both to the ANPD and data subjects of relevant security incidents. Local languages support: All OneTrust programs, research, technology, and services are available in Brazilian Portuguese. Learn more about OneTrust LGPD Solutions and sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program "OneTrust technologies helped us at a critical moment for all companies in Brazil: the implementation of the LGPD," said Carla Freitas, Information Security Leader at Unimed Campinas. "With its adaptable and easy-to-use tools, it was possible to adopt several processes in a short time, thus allowing us to adhere to the current changes required by LGPD and also to future changes, leading us to be an example for several other companies in the same sector, ensuring that privacy and security is always our priority. " To learn more about how OneTrust supports LGPD compliance, sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program. For more information or to request a demo, visit OneTrust.com or OneTrust.com/BR. OneTrust, OneTrust DataGuidance, and LGPDConnect are registered trademarks or trademarks of OneTrust LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. About OneTrust OneTrust is the #1 fastest growing and most widely used technology platform to help organizations be more trusted, and operationalize privacy, security, data governance, and compliance programs. More than 6,000 customers, including half of the Fortune 500, use OneTrust to build integrated programs that comply with the CCPA, GDPR, LGPD, PDPA, ISO27001, and hundreds of the world's privacy, security, and compliance frameworks. The OneTrust platform is powered by the OneTrust Athena AI and robotic automation engine, and our offerings include: OneTrust Privacy - Privacy Management Software OneTrust PreferenceChoice - Consent and Preference Management Software OneTrust Vendorpedia - Third-Party Risk Management Software and Cyber Risk Exchange OneTrust GRC - Integrated Risk Management Software OneTrust DataDiscovery - AI-Powered Discovery and Classification OneTrust DataGovernance - Governance and Metadata Management OneTrust Ethics - Compliance and Ethics Software OneTrust DataGuidance - Regulatory Research Software To learn more, visit OneTrust.com or connect on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contacts English: Gabrielle Ferree +1 770-294-4668 media@onetrust.com Portuguese: Daniela Freund +1 404-510-9126 media@onetrust.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478210/OneTrust_Logo.jpg Related Links http://OneTrust.com SOURCE OneTrust There are hundreds of dog breeds around the world, and each has its own unique characteristics and personalities. Meanwhile, there are some that have a strong resemblance to wild animals. One large pet dog in Norway has been constantly mistaken for a bear, claims its owner. Runny, a 1-year-old Leonberger, who stays with her owner, Marit Lillejordet, in Oslo, is known to shock curious walkers when she is on a stroll in the forests with her huge demeanor. The gentle giant, who weighs 110 pounds (approx. 50 kg), has often been mistaken for a bear roaming around the forests, according to The Daily Star. Lillejordet said: Many people stop and talk to us when we meet them. They also say she is beautiful and ask how much she eats. Meanwhile, others who are not familiar with the breed think Im walking a bear in the woods! her owner added. However, not only does Runny resemble a bear, but she is also known to show some bear-like characteristics, such as taking joy in long walks in the forest and also finding pleasure taking a cool dip in the lakes, said her 57-year-old owner. Although Runny boasts a large persona, she actually adores and enjoys the company of other dogs and humans. Lillejordet, who is a mental health therapist by profession, said: She is kind to everyone she meets, both humans and other dogs. You can see it in her face and her wagging tail that she is a very kind girl, Lillejordet further added. This is not surprising, as the characteristics of the Leonberger are that they are brave, intelligent, steady, and affectionate dogs known for their calm and stable nature. These extremely loyal creatures truly love their family, are highly trustworthy, and have incredible patience. One of their most noteworthy features is that they are more active and coordinated compared to other giant-dog breeds. Lillejordet totally adores this dog breed. She revealed, according to the Daily Star, I have had Leonberger for 27 years and I am deeply in love with this breed. Runny, who was born in January 2019 according to her Instagram page, is expected to still grow bigger in size as she grows older. It is believed that she will weigh around close to 121132 pounds (approx. 5560 kg) when she is fully grown. Lillejordet often chronicles Runnys playful antics on Instagram ranging from her enjoying snow to a lovely night with a campfire in the forest. In some of the pictures, Runny is seen playing with other dogs. Lillejordet said, according to The Daily Star, She loves to play with other dogsbig and small. She is really a gentle giant. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc ByteDance abandoned the sale of TikTok in the United States on Sunday in pursuit of a partnership with Oracle Corp it hopes will spare it a U.S. ban while appeasing the Chinese government, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday. ByteDance had been in talks to divest TikTok's U.S. business to either Oracle or a consortium led by Microsoft Corp after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the sale last month and threatened to shut down the popular short-video app in the United States if it was not sold. Those negotiations were upended by China's updating of its export control rules late last month that gave it a say over the transfer of TikTok's algorithm to a foreign buyer. Reuters reported on last week that the Chinese government would rather shut TikTok down in the United States than let it be part of a forced sale. Under the proposed deal, Oracle will be ByteDance's technology partner and will assume management of TikTok's U.S. user data, the sources said. Oracle is also negotiating taking a stake in the TikTok U.S. assets, the sources added. It is unclear whether Trump, who wants a U.S. technology company to own most of TikTok in the United States, will approve the proposed deal. ByteDance and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House declined to comment. Microsoft said earlier on Sunday it was informed by ByteDance that it would not be selling TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft. Also read: China reportedly says would rather see TikTok get banned in US than allowing its sale Also read: ByteDance investors seek to use stakes to finance TikTok bid By Trend Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan officially resumed regular flights from Sept. 11, Trend reports citing Kabar. An agreement on the opening of flights was reached after negotiations between the authorities of the two countries. Flights on the Tashkent - Almaty - Tashkent route will be carried out on Fridays by the Uzbekistan Airways and Air Astana on a parity basis. Earlier it was reported that flights between Tashkent and Bishkek are planned to be restored from Sept. 14. For now, the flights will operate once a week. I would like to think that White evangelical and Catholic support for Trump might also be cooling because of the divisive and disturbing moral choices being made by the Trump campaign. In the 2018 midterm election, Republicans lost control of the House largely because they got blasted in the suburbs. A similar performance in 2020 would dramatically weaken Trumps reelection chances. Any of the pre-Trump, Republican presidential candidates would have responded to this challenge by talking more about education, health care or transportation. For Trump, it is an opportunity to warn against Black people invading suburban neighborhoods. Scientists Monday announced the discovery of a possible sign of life high in the clouds of Venus, according to a new study. Using telescopes based in Chile and Hawaii, astronomers spotted in Venus' clouds the chemical signature of phosphine, a noxious gas that on Earth is only associated with life. Based on the many scenarios the astronomers considered, the team concluded that there is no explanation for the phosphine detected in Venus clouds, other than the presence of life. This means either this is life, or its some sort of physical or chemical process that we do not expect to happen on rocky planets, said study co-author and Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist Janusz Petkowski. Study co-author Sara Seager, an MIT planetary scientist, said researchers exhaustively went through every possibility and ruled all of them out: volcanoes, lightning strikes, small meteorites falling into the atmosphere. Not a single process we looked at could produce phosphine in high enough quantities to explain our teams findings. The phosphine could be coming from some kind of microbes, probably single-cell ones, which live their entire lives in the 10-mile-deep clouds. The microbes could be microscopic organisms that float free of the planets scorching surface, with access to water and sunlight, but needing to tolerate very high acidity. A May 2016 photo shows the planet Venus, seen from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Akatsuki probe. A report released on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, says astronomers have found a potential signal of life high in the atmosphere of our nearest neighboring planet. Study lead author Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales said that this was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really. I thought wed just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus spectrum, it was a shock! Venus is a very challenging environment for life of any kind. Life is not possible on its surface, with its boiling hot landscape, where temperatures reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit, and stifling air that is drier than the driest places on Earth. We are not alone, study says: There could be 'dozens' of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy Story continues More: Scientists are searching the universe for signs of alien civilizations: 'Now we know where to look' There is, however, a narrow, temperate band within Venus atmosphere, about 30 miles above the surface, where temperatures range from 30 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, according to MIT. Scientists have speculated, with much controversy, that if life exists on Venus, this layer of the atmosphere, or cloud deck, is likely the only place where it would survive. And it just so happens that this cloud deck is where the team observed signals of phosphine. This phosphine signal is perfectly positioned where others have conjectured the area could be habitable, Petkowski said. Life is definitely a possibility, but more proof is needed. Further observations and modelling are needed to explore the origin of phosphine in Venuss atmosphere, scientists said. Seager told CNN that "our hoped-for impact in the planetary science community is to stimulate more research on Venus itself, research on the possibilities of life in Venus' atmosphere, and even space missions focused to find signs of life or even life itself in the Venusian atmosphere." The new discovery was published in a paper in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Astronomy. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Life on Venus? Astronomers see phosphine, a hint of life in clouds of Venus With traditional modes of dining restricted and some community members still hesitant to venture outside of their homes, New Mexico restaurants have been forced to find inventive ways to stay in business. After seeing sales dwindle at Downtown Albuquerque restaurant Urban Taqueria, owner Hanif Mohamed made the decision to lean into the storm and adapt his business model with the creation of Urban Cocina, which he says is Albuquerques first dedicated ghost kitchen. Ghost kitchens are spaces where restaurants prepare food solely for carry-out and delivery. Unlike traditional restaurants, some ghost kitchens, like Urban Cocina, will house multiple brands or menus under one roof. By definition, ghost kitchens arent new. National chains like Dominos have operated via takeout and delivery for decades, but what differentiates Urban Cocina from other concepts is that it has multiple menus and is only available through delivery. Mohamed said that as a Downtown business, much of Urban Taquerias traffic evaporated when workers stopped coming into office buildings. Delivery options, especially with popular food delivery apps like Grubhub and DoorDash, werent enough to offset the drop in business and he said delivery apps didnt allow the business to have full control over how the customer received the product. If we want to do it, we want to control the whole experience, Mohamed said. With the desire to fully capitalize on the food delivery craze, Urban Cocina was born. Urban Cocina consists of nine different menus options from tacos to Mediterranean fare with all of the food produced in one kitchen. Within one portal, you have all of that available to you, he said. Mohamed said the seemingly different menus are all connected through ingredients. Everything goes back to Urban Taqueria, he said. Its Latin but its got the eastern influences as well. All of the cooking will be done at Urban Taqueria at 1 Central, but unlike the restaurant, the food from Urban Cocina is currently only available through delivery. Items from both Urban Cocina and Urban Taqueria can be ordered through delivery apps, but Mohamed said the businesses also offer delivery themselves, and its often much cheaper to order directly from the restaurants. The new business is already seeing some success, with sales more than doubling, Mohamed said. For more information, visit urbancocina.com. Nexus seeks local micro-investors A year and a half after opening, Nexus Blue Smokehouse is now turning to community members to raise funds to finish the expansion of the South Broadway restaurant. Ken Carson, owner of Nexus Brewery and Nexus Blue Smokehouse, said the investment is a unique opportunity because it allows community members to become investors in a local restaurant in an underutilized area of town while potentially earning back their investment. Carson has partnered with direct investment platform Mainvest to raise at least $100,000. A former banker and state banking commissioner, Carson said he chose to finance the expansion using community investors rather than going through a bank because it gives regular people the rare opportunity to have an investment in the community. This is the type of thing that most people dont get an opportunity to do, he said. The expansion of the smokehouse, at 1511 Broadway SE, is just one step toward what Carson hopes is a revitalization of the once-vibrant neighborhood, which used to be flush with local businesses. If I had investors that participated in the completion of the project, those people would be more supportive of the project on Broadway, he said. Carson said that revitalization is already happening. Isotopes Park and Dreamstyle Arena nearby on University and Avenida Cesar Chavez have helped bring traffic to the area and to the smokehouse. The restaurant is looking to raise a minimum of $100,000, which would be used to nearly double the footprint of the building by adding an additional 3,000 square feet of usable space by renovating areas like the restrooms and the bar area. Carson said $12,000 was invested within the first three days of launching the project, with most investments made in $1,000 increments. Investments must be $250 or more. So far, most of the investments have been made by loyal customers who believe in the restaurant, Carson said. Construction is slated to begin in October. Orthodontics office nears completion A new office for Northeast Heights orthodontics practice Fanning Orthodontics is nearing completion and aims to be open by early November, according to owner Dr. Mike Fanning. Fanning said the office is moving just down the street to a newly built facility at 8130 Ventura NE near Holly from its current location on Louisiana and Holly. The 4,000-square-foot office will have more opportunities for individual patient care than the current office, Fanning said. Fanning opened his practice in 2012. He said the new location made sense since it was near his patient base and in an area he liked. Mullen Heller Architecture is the architect and Klinger Constructors is the contractor on the project. Pilar Martinez covers retail and commercial real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at pmartinez@abqjournal.com or by phone at 505-823-3887. Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India declined by 28.48 per cent year-on-year to $163.77 million in the financial year 2019-20, according to an official statement, as souring relations between New Delhi and Beijing led to a fall in investor confidence. The fund inflows from Chinese companies in India have declined on an annual basis from $350.22 million in 2017-18 to $229 million in 2018-19, Parliament was informed on Monday. Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed Lok Sabha that the FDI further came down to $163.77 million in FY20. Meanwhile, the fund outflow from India stood at $20.63 million in calendar year 2020 as against $27.57 million in the corresponding period last year, he said in a written reply on the first day of the monsoon session. Earlier in April this year, the government had tightened its FDI policy to restrict Chinese firms from acquiring stake in Indian companies. In a press note issued on April 17, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had said the revision of the FDI policy is meant to curb "opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19 pandemic". The fact that the revision was specifically meant to have a control on FDI from entities or citizens of any country that shares land borders with India makes China its prime target. Thakur informed the House that the government issued press note earlier this year to curb opportunistic takeovers or acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. "A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited. "However, an entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route," he said quoting the press note. "A citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment," he added. The government has tightened the noose around Chinese investments in India, especially in the public sector, after the Galwan Valley border clash in June. Over 100 mobile apps, including popular Chinese video app TikTok, have also been banned, citing threats to India's national security over alleged links to the Chinese government. By Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: China Inc taking over Indian startups, investigate: CAIT to Piyush Goyal Also Read: Coronavirus: India plugs loophole in Chinese 'opportunistic takeover' of firms; govt nod must (Photo : Pixabay) (Photo : (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)) NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: A signage of Microsoft is seen on March 13, 2020 in New York City. Co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board to spend more time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With days nearing the TikTok Ban on American soil under the country's executive order, ByteDance names Oracle Corporation led by CEO and Co-Founder, Larry Ellison, as the official 'US Tech Partner' for the short video streaming application. Three companies initially raised their interests in taking TikTok's operation rights, including Microsoft and Twitter. It's official, ByteDance names Oracle Corporation as the US Technology Partner company that will lead the world-famous Chinese social media platform, TikTok, in its operation on the country right before its September 20 deadline set by the government. According to the Wall Street Journal's report, the first company that showed interests and offered its proposal, Bill Gates' Microsoft Corporation, was rejected by ByteDance. The TikTok Spokesperson, who revealed the news, said that the company does not comment on speculations and rumors, further confirming Oracle's triumph. President Donald J. Trump's decision to ban the application due to national security led to a sale to American companies, which will give a percentage of the fee to the US Treasury. Early August saw President Trump's harsh comments against TikTok. The short video streaming application is seen as spyware that relays US citizens' sensitive data to the Chinese government. A statement ultimately rejected by TikTok and ByteDance. ALSO READ: [VIRAL] This TikTok 'Dinosaur Joke' Is a Life Changer for Eliza Petersen, Its Creator; Here's the Meteor TikTok Story Oracle's Triumph: What will it mean for TikTok Larry Ellison's Oracle Corporation won the US-TikTok deal that lets the application operate on the country, provided it be sold to a local American company. Oracle is known before to uphold a notorious negotiation tactic seen as aggressive. TikTok seems to meet the US government's conditions for its continued operations in the country. Just recently, TikTok faced an impending doom of losing more than 100 million users in the US alone should the ban push through. There are no statements released by TikTok and Oracle regarding the sale. Oracle refuses to comment on the said sale and partnership with ByteDance. Oracle's 'US Tech Partner' status with ByteDance is also unclear of the operation rights price. The US government did not release statements as well, regarding receiving a certain percentage in the sale. With this being said, September 20's deadline is still nearing, and TikTok is always on the verge of being banned. However, Oracle's partnership may give the Chinese application its hopes in an ensured future on the US market. Microsoft's Take on ByteDance's Rejection On Sunday, September 13, Microsoft Corporation said that ByteDance rejected its proposal and moved on with the next-in-line, Oracle, who shows eagerness in taking the operating rights of the US, Canada, and New Zealand regions, as part of the government conditions for TikTok. The blogpost made by the technology company, Microsoft, shows its eagerness to make TikTok a part of its company and manage its Western region operations. Microsoft said that it 'would have been good' for TikTok users and national security. The company's promise, as seen on its proposal of enhanced security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation would not push through anymore. However, despite the failed deal with ByteDance, Microsoft still looks forward to how TikTok's services would improve and unfold in its future direction with Oracle. ALSO READ: China Reportedly Chooses TikTok Ban Over Forced Sale to US-Finds Haven on Singapore to Head Business Operations for Global Expansion This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TEHRAN, Iran, Sept.14 Trend: Iran looks to normalize its trade with Iraq, thanks to the joint border crossing (southern Iraq), Iran's Ministry of Road and Urban Development said, Trend reports via Mehr News Agency. The statement was made following Iraq's Higher Committee for Health and National Safety issuing a statement on regulations for the border trade. The latest statistics from September 7 show Iran and Iraq trade via the Mehran, Khosravi, Shalamcheh border crossings have increased from two days to five days per week for average transportation of 500 to 750 trucks. Meanwhile cargo transportation via Soomar and Chazabeh border crossings has remained the same for two days per week. Trade via Iran and Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region is currently ongoing but passenger transportation is banned due to COVID-19. The only individuals allowed are citizens, students, Iraqi investors, Iraqi truck drivers that transport trade cargo and Iraqis that have medical treatment history in Iran. On a sweltering day last month in Washington Square Park, in Manhattan, Hynes told me that he was inspired by artists who could freeze moments and explore all of the corners of a situation. Hynes excels at composing songs that hold the listener suspended in time, a quality that makes his music a fitting companion to a show exploring youth in all its bittersweet transience. When we met, I told Hynes that We Are Who We Are had made me feel nostalgic for the period of adolescence when you burn so hot and so bright. Emotions are hyper realized when youre younger; its like life or death, he remarked. Youre devastated and then youre exhilarated. Heightening those emotions is something I wanted to play with. Over the course of several hours, Hynes spoke about his collaboration with Guadagnino, his unusual scoring process, and his cameo on the show. These are edited excerpts from the conversation. How did Luca first approach you about this project? Were you familiar with his work before he pulled you in? I was a huge, huge fan. And I dont know if this is a spoiler or not, but Im in the last episode, playing myself as Blood Orange. Back in 2016, in real life, I played a live show in Bologna, and Luca essentially wrote that into the series. So at the end of last year, I went to Bologna and did a fake concert, which they filmed. And how did you go from performing to writing the score? I was in Italy for quite a while, about a week, and Luca and I got to talking about music and composers we like. Im a big fan of [the composer] John Adams, and Luca uses so much classical music in his movies, whether its the Verdi pieces in The Biggest Splash or the John Adams pieces in I Am Love. It is quite common for custom officials at the U.S. and other airports worldwide to seize counterfeit AirPods from time to time. Given the popularity of AirPods and other Apple accessories, this happens quite frequently and is a multi-billion dollar industry in itself. This time around though, in an embarrassing move, the Customs and Border Protection officers at JFK Airport are proudly claiming that they have seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods units worth $398,000 from Hong Kong. The only problem? The seized units are actually the OnePlus Buds. The counterfeit AirPods were seized at an air cargo facility at the JFK Airport. The consignment was coming from Hong Kong and was meant to go to Nevada. The CBP officers proudly claim in their tweet that the seized items are not from Apple and then proceed to claim that the OnePlus Buds are counterfeit of AirPods. CBP Officers are protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis, said Troy Miller, Director of CBPs New York Field Operations. The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily. Wireless earbuds from a number of Chinese companies look very similar to that of Apples AirPods and the OnePlus Buds are equally guilty of this. So it is understandable why the CBP officials got confused. However, they should have verified the documents of the consignment and done a proper background check before proudly talking about their haul. The packaging of the earbuds also clearly states that they are the OnePlus Buds and not Apple AirPods which further makes this mistake from the customs officials more embarrassing. Granted OnePlus is not as renowned a brand in the United States as Apple but that does not make up for this mistake from the CBP officers. Maybe this incident will lead companies to at least consider designing their earbuds in such a manner that they actually stand out from the AirPods. [Via CBP FILE - In this July 20, 2010 file photo, people arrive to seek employment opportunities at a JobTrain office in Menlo Park, Calif. On Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, Employment Development Department Director Sharon Hilliard told California lawmakers in Sacramento, California, the state has more than 1 million pending claims for unemployment benefits. Hilliard called the situation "shameful," but said the department is working through the backlog. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) Read more Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, more than 2.1 million people have applied for unemployment compensation in Pennsylvania. Benefits have changed a few times since then. There was an additional $600 in weekly benefits, provided under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program with money from the CARES Act, which has come and gone, with lawmakers still debating the terms of a new stimulus bill. Then there was the federal Lost Wages Assistance Program, which provided an extra $300 a week in benefits. The period that program covers ended on Sept. 5, but you can still apply. (If you already did, the money is still coming: You will get a lump sum payment dating back to Aug. 1.) While the federal programs have changed, Pennsylvanias normal unemployment benefits remain unaffected, and you can still apply to receive weekly benefits. But the process can be confusing. READ MORE: Confused by all the unemployment numbers? Heres how to read economic data in a pandemic. So how do you apply for unemployment, and what does the process look like? Here is what you need to know: Am I eligible for unemployment benefits? People in Pennsylvania may be eligible to receive unemployment compensation in a number of situations. According to the Office of Unemployment Compensation, those scenarios include: If your employer has closed temporarily or otherwise due to COVID-19 If your work hours have been reduced because of the coronavirus pandemic If youve been told by a health-care provider, doctor, or public official to quarantine or self-isolate If your employer has told you to stay home because they are concerned that you may be at risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 Typically, you can get regular unemployment benefits if you have been laid off or had your hours reduced. However, if you are self-employed or are an independent contractor or gig worker and your work has been affected by the pandemic, you may qualify for compensation under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, even if youre not otherwise eligible for unemployment. How do I apply for unemployment benefits? You can file for unemployment online via the Office of Unemployment Compensations website, by telephone at 1-888-313-7284, or by mail with a paper application. If you use American Sign Language, a videophone service is available on Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. at 717-704-8474. To apply, you will need to supply some personal information, including: Your Social Security number Your home address (and mailing address if the two are different) Your telephone number and email address Direct deposit bank information, if applicable Information about your most recent employment, including your gross earnings during your last week of employment and your first and last day worked Your employment history for the past 18 months READ MORE: How to do everything better right now: A collection of our most useful stories How much can I receive, and when might it come? The amount of compensation you can receive is known as your Weekly Benefit Rate, and its calculated based on your recent earnings. Generally, your benefits should cover about 50% of your full-time weekly wage, capped at $572 per week. If you are eligible to collect unemployment, you should begin receiving your benefits two to four weeks after filing your claim. Funds will be issued via a debit card from the Unemployment Compensation office, or through direct deposit. You will still need to file a bi-weekly claim to continue receiving money. Has COVID-19 changed anything about unemployment benefits? Yes, in a few important ways. Before the coronavirus pandemic, people filing for unemployment would not get benefits for their first week of unemployment. That has since been suspended, and people who are eligible to receive benefits can now start receiving them right away. Another change: The work search requirements have been waived. That means that you dont have to show that you have been looking for a new job in order to continue receiving compensation. You also get benefits for longer. The amount of time that you can receive unemployment benefits has gone up. Benefits used to stop after 26 weeks; now, the time maxes out at 39 weeks, with an additional 13 weeks of benefits provided under the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. That program is designed to provide additional weekly funds to people who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits. What if I need help with the process? Currently, the UC office says online is experiencing very large call volumes, and asks that you contact them via email at uchelp@pa.gov. The average email response time for people experiencing issues with their claims is two to four weeks, according to the UC offices website. The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc.s major iPhone assemblers are among the companies expected to win approval to participate in a $6.6 billion stimulus program to bring manufacturing to India, according to people familiar with the matter, a potentially seismic shift as the worlds most valuable company diversifies beyond China. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the Indian government is expected to approve a plan aimed at bringing $150 billion in mobile-phone production over the next five years, said the people, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. Among the dozen phonemakers already cleared by a high-powered government committee are Apples primary supplier Foxconn Technology Group, which had submitted two applications, and peers Wistron Corp. and Pegatron Corp., the people said. The three companies make virtually every iPhone sold globally in sprawling factories currently located mainly in China. Under the Production Linked Incentive program, or PLI as its called, manufacturing incentives will rise each year in an ongoing effort to entice the worlds biggest smartphone brands to make their products in India and export to the world. Besides the Apple contractors, Samsung Electronics Co. is the only other applicant for the five slots allotted to foreign companies. Chinas largest phonemakers Huawei Technologies Co. and BBK Group, which manufactures brands like Oppo and Vivo, are conspicuous by their absence. Amid rising trade and political tensions between the U.S. and China, India is betting that many global brands will be keen to reduce their dependence on China. If successful, the program could set in motion a shift in electronics manufacturing in the next five years.Its a thoughtful move by the government aimed at wooing Apple to bring significant iPhone manufacturing to India because, when the iPhone maker shifts, an entire ecosystem follows, said Hari Om Rai, chairman and founder of Lava International Ltd., Indias largest homegrown phonemaker. The next five years will be dramatic, and India could become the new China in phone manufacturing. Story continues Read more: IPhone Makers Look Beyond China in Supply-Chain Rethink It could also funnel much-needed aid to local brands that have rapidly ceded market share to Chinese brands. Lava, based in the New Delhi suburbs, is among the Indian phonemakers applying for manufacturing incentives, along with Karbonn Mobiles and Dixon Technologies India Ltd. Dixon climbed 6.3% to 9,822.90 rupees at the close on Monday, its highest on record. Chinese brands have driven out domestic phone companies, leaving them with a mere 2% market share, said Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at Gurgaon-based researcher techARC Pvt. PLI will boost domestic phonemakers, help them get back to scale and profitability by selling not just in India, but exporting to foreign markets too. To receive the incentives, foreign manufacturers including Foxconn, Wistron and Samsung must commit to specific investment and production targets of devices that sell for at least 15,000 rupees ($200); Indian phonemakers will have no such restrictions. Last month, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Indias minister for electronics and information technology, told reporters that Apple accounts for 37% and Samsung 22% of global sales revenue share from mobile phones. The incentive scheme would increase their manufacturing base manifold in the country, the ministry said in a statement. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Read more: Apple Plans to Start Selling Online in India Next Month Pegatron, the second-largest iPhone assembler after Foxconn with a number of factories in China, said in July that it would set up a plant in India. Apple accounts for more than half of Pegatrons business. If approved, Pegatrons first India factory would be eligible for PLI, the people said. In the next five years, India could attract an additional 10% of global handset production, Credit Suisse said in a recent note. And though the country is the worlds second-largest handset market with plenty of room for domestic sales growth, the governments clear aim is to eventually become a global manufacturing colossus to rival China. Almost two-thirds of the stimulus program is targeted at the export market, the people said. Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of India Cellular and Electronics Association, a trade group that represents leading phonemakers including Apple, Oppo and Xiaomi, said incoming handset makers will be accompanied by a host of smaller sub-assemblers and component makers, expanding the sector to seven times its current size in the next five or so years.Indias incentive scheme will be a game-changer that will make the country No. 1 in mobile manufacturing, or at least a close No. 2 by 2025, Mohindroo said. (Updates with Dixons share price in sixth 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. LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent announcement that leading payments platform, Wirex are launching their inaugural 'Rising Women in Crypto Power List' in partnership with The Fintech Times, the companies have revealed the list of their highly sought after judging panel. Wirex and The Fintech Times are calling on women driving the future of digital currencies, to nominate themselves and others that they believe are making a difference in the space. There has been an overwhelming response from the community already, with over 250 entries into the competition that closes on the 30th September. The nominations of exceptional women will be then be analysed by a group of hand-selected judges and experts in their field, representing a range of disciplines and backgrounds, including: - Dr. Ruth Wandhofer - Fintech Global 50 Influencer, former Global Managing Director at Citi, VC investor for fintech in Gauss Ventures, I-NED and advisor - Pavel Matveev - CEO and co-founder of Wirex, with 15 years experience in software development and IT management, and firm advocate of the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies - Jason Williams - CEO of The Fintech Times and Founder of the Fintech Power 50 - Myrtle Ramos - Founder of Blocktides and Business Director of Asia Token Fund, renowned for empowering women and youths through blockchain - George Coxon - Chief Operating Officer at the Nano Foundation and Director of Appia, on a mission to make the global economy equal and open to all With considerable first-hand experience and knowledge of what it takes to be an inspirational figure in the cryptocurrency and fintech arenas, the judges will be assessing nominees in terms of their achievements, potential, leadership skills, ambition, influence and innovation. The judges are considering women that have long-standing experience in the field, as well as those that may be new to the scene and developing. The Power List was created by the female employees working at Wirex, inspired by the companies' vision to empower everyone, and especially women, to experience a world where all currencies are equal. By offering a platform where anyone can seamlessly spend multiple crypto and traditional currencies in the everyday, they are endeavouring to use this campaign, as well as other insightful content, to inspire women to get involved in the blockchain space that is so often stereotypically associated with men. Pavel Matveev, CEO and Co-Founder of Wirex, and one of the judges of the panel, explained that: "It's very exciting to be part of such an inspirational and relevant campaign, at a time when women in the fintech and cryptocurrency sectors should be praised for their achievements. We hope that Wirex and The Fintech Times are able to give these women a platform to be celebrated, and showcase some of the incredible women making waves in this space." Dr. Ruth Wandhofer, a Fintech Global 50 Influencer and also on the judging panel, went on to say: "I've been an advocate for women's involvement in the fintech and crypto spaces for many years, and I'm delighted to be invited to be a judge for this Power List. There's been an incredible selection of entries so far, and we hope that this only continues for the remainder of the competition." Entries for the 'Rising Women in Crypto Power List' remain open and close on the 30th September, with a longlist being published by Wirex and The Fintech Times on the 5th October. The final 10 winners will be announced on the 2nd November. To nominate yourself or someone else, simply fill out the short form here: https://wirexapp.com/blog/post/rising-women-in-crypto-power-list-2020-0211 About Wirex Wirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution that has forged new rules in the digital payments space. In 2015, the firm developed the world's first contactless payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life. Wirex was created in 2014 by CEOs and co-founders Pavel Mateev and Dmitry Lazarichev, who identified the need to open up the esoteric world of cryptocurrencies and make digital money accessible for everyone. With the core aim of making it as easy as possible to use digital assets in everyday life, Wirex provides a trusted and cost-effective service for crypto and traditional currency transactions by incorporating the next generation of payments infrastructure integrated with cryptocurrency blockchains. With over three million customers across 130 countries, the company offers secure accounts that allow customers to easily store, buy and exchange multiple currencies instantly at the best live rates on one centralised mobile app. Quick and simple money transfer options are available, as well as the freedom to spend 150+ traditional and cryptocurrencies in more than 54 million locations around the world using the Wirex card. Wirex continues to develop the product in line with market developments, whilst adhering to regional regulations and securing appropriate licencing where it exists. A proven industry pioneer, Wirex introduced the world's first bitcoin reward programme, Cryptoback, which earns cardholders up to 1.5% back in Bitcoin for every in-store transaction they make. They also launched their own native utility token, WXT, which entitles holders to rewards and incentives such as heavily-discounted fees and higher Cryptoback rewards. Wirex is based in London with offices in Singapore, Kyiv, Tokyo, Toronto, Dallas and Atlanta. With over $3bn worth of transactions processed already and rapid expansion into new territories, Wirex is uniquely placed to support and promote the mass adoption of a cashless society through creative solutions. | wirexapp.com | SOURCE Wirex Related Links wirexapp.com Kangana Ranaut has said that she will continue to get Y-plus security cover, despite leaving Mumbai on Monday morning. Brijesh Kalappa, an advocate in the Supreme Court, raised questions about the security granted to her by the Union home ministry and asked for it to be withdrawn, now that she was safe in her home state, Himachal Pradesh. Brijesh ji security is not given based on what you or I think, IB ( Intelligence Bureau) investigates the threat, based on the threat my security grade is decided, by the grace of God in coming days it might get totally removed or if IB report gets worse they might upgrade, she wrote on Twitter. Kangana was replying to his tweet, which said, Y category security for one person costs the Centre over 10,00,000/- each month. This money is borne by taxpayers. Now that Kangana is safe in HP (far away from POK), will Modi Sarkar kindly withdraw the security detail provided to her?! On September 7, Kangana was given Y-plus security, ahead of her Mumbai visit on September 9. Earlier this month, she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and criticised the Mumbai Police, leading to sharp responses from many, including Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. Also see | Indoo Ki Jawani teaser: Kiara Advani film swipes right on September 16, watch video Under her new security cover, Kangana is protected by around 10 armed commandos round-the-clock. On Monday, after safely leaving Mumbai, she tweeted in Hindi, After landing in Chandigarh, my security has visibly decreased... People are congratulating me. It seems like I survived this time. There was a time when I felt a mothers touch in Mumbai, but today the situation is such that I am lucky to be alive. She further said that Mumbai is being overrun by a terrorist administration. Kangana has been taking on the ruling Maharashtra government and has been issuing challenges to the states chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray. She has accused him of colluding with the Bollywood mafia against her and vowed to expose his underhand ways. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal After clocking out from a long shift, nurse practitioner Melissa Ortiz will go home to what has become her second job: pseudo-educator. Ive never been able to drop my hours throughout this whole (pandemic). So now, Im leaving after working all day, and I have to go home and try to figure out why were missing four assignments and why we cant figure out some of the steps to complete an assignment, Ortiz said. Thats because her sons, like students across the state and country, are having to learn online due to COVID-19. She has three boys at home: a senior, a freshman and a sixth grader. Rayden Smith,18, and Brycen Smith, 15, go to charter school East Mountain High, and Tygue Smith, 11, is enrolled in an online school. Were barely hanging on, Ortiz says with a mixture of a laugh and a sigh of exhaustion. She said remote learning has been among the most trying experiences shes ever had with her family because she has to balance her work with assisting the kids and filling in for any hands-on instruction. Somewhere in between those tasks, Ortiz is also trying to find time for normal tasks like fixing dinner. Theres very little of the day left for anything else, making for high stress levels. It is very difficult, she said. Brycen used to be an average student, but his grades have fallen this school year, she said. Ortiz attributes the drop to multiple factors, such as the numerous steps that are required to access assignments. Its not just click on it and theres an assignment and submit. Its, like, click on it, go to this website that takes you to another website, and then you fill that out, and then youre supposed to email your results back, she said. It falls on Ortiz to troubleshoot. I know teachers are doing their best. But its still not sufficient, she said. I almost feel like were doing a lot of the teaching but not getting paid to be the teacher. East Mountain High School principal Trey Smith said he has received mixed reactions from parents about remote learning. My biggest takeaway is that the students who were kind of struggling in a normal class setting are seeing the same struggles. This setting might amplify them for some, but as a whole, Im not really seeing students who were thriving and doing well in an in-person setting who are not doing well now, Smith said. For parents who are overwhelmed, Smith said, the school is trying to be flexible. Everyones in the same boat. Were all experiencing the same sense of stress and overwhelming, but at our school, at least, I have confidence that our staff are very accommodating of that, and theyre being flexible, he said. Remote learning is shaping up to be a part of Ortizs life for longer than she would have liked. Elementary school students are allowed back on some campuses, but the state Public Education Department hasnt announced a target date for most middle and high school students to return. The department said Friday that some small districts will be able to bring back the older students in small groups with a combination of online and in-person learning. Meanwhile, a number of districts are planning to continue online learning for extended periods, including Albuquerque Public Schools, which is scheduled to continue remote learning through the first semester. While Ortiz often feels isolated, what she is experiencing is something her friend Ivy Sunderland can relate to. Sunderland, who has two students at North Star Elementary School, says she has to be technology support, teacher, lunch lady and more on top of her duties as a full-time director of operations for an insurance business. Ive never been spread so thin, she said. She says she loses patience under the pressure. Both (of the kids) have been on the floor crying at least once this week. One has run away twice, she said in late August. The mothers want the option of in-person classes. And theyre not alone. An online petition with nearly 3,000 signatures is also calling for the APS Board of Education to reinstate its original reentry plan rather than extend remote learning. APS spokeswoman Johanna King said people with concerns can reach out to the board or speak publicly at its meetings. She said that petitions arent unusual and that there was resistance to the plan for hybrid in-person and online schooling, as well. APS officials directed parents to reach out to the school, including school counselors, for support and check APS.edu for online resources. Smith said success in remote learning varies by household. Some parents have praised the new model. Shelbi Stoerner, a mother of two, thinks remote learning is going really well for her eldest son. Having flexible hours as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, Stoerner is able to stay home with 15-year-old Noah, who has autism, and help him with his work. Her seventh grader attends in-person classes at a private school. Noah is enrolled part-time at East Mountain, taking English and world history. They are being very flexible, and theyre also giving Noah the opportunity to have some one-on-one time, she said. Stoerner gave kudos to Noahs teachers, saying they allow breaks and are creative with lessons so classes are not continuous online lectures. She also enjoys the schedule of remote learning, especially office hours with teachers in the mornings. Still, like Ortiz and Sunderland, Stoerner said the positives of remote learning have come with some ups and downs. The challenge for me is just maintaining my patience with Noah and not really wanting to have to be his teacher, she said. Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is ensuring that the Philippine Ber month experience, which is considered to be the longest yuletide season in the world, starts out right with this months attractive deals. To run until end of September, the promo, dubbed as Take on New Roads, is being offered at all 70 authorized Toyota dealerships nationwide. Toyota customers may take home a Wigo for a low monthly of P5,981 for the 1.0 E M/T variant. 2020 wigo Aside from that, TMP is also selling its Vios with a low down payment option of P112,950 (XE CVT), under its Pay Low, Pay Light, or Savings scheme. Clients may also have cash discounts of up to P130,000 on the Hilux (4X4 G AT). Below is the full list of option to the Toyotas Pay Low, Pay Light, and Savings offers (which can also be viewed here). Pay Low at 112,950 (XE CVT) Pay Light at 7,528 (XE CVT) Cash Savings 20,000 (1.5 G & E), 35,000 (1.3 XLE CVT), 35,000.00 (1.3 XLE M/T), 10,000 (1.3 XE CVT) Pay Light at 5,981 (1.0 E M/T) Pay Low at 177,750 (1.6 V CVT) Pay Light at 10,141 For 1.6 E MT Cash Savings of 50,000 (V HV and V CVT), 30,000 (G and E MT) Pay Low at 111,450 For 1.3 J M/T Pay Light at 7,378 For 1.3 J M/T Cash Savings of 25,000 For All Variants Pay Light at 10,127 For 1.5 E MT Cash Savings of 15,000 For All Variants Pay Low at 220,050 For 2.0 G Dsl AT Pay Light at 10,540 For 2.0 J Gas MT Cash Savings of 10,000 (G Gas and E Gas), 20,000 (V, G Dsl, Touring Sport and E Dsl), 30,000.00-J DSL and J Gas Pay Low at 244,950 For 4x2 G Dsl MT Pay Light at 16,031 For 4x2 G DSL MT Cash Savings of 60,000 (All variants exc. G Dsl AT), 120,000.00 - G Dsl AT Pay Low at 140,850 For 4x2 J DSL MT Pay Light at 9,066 For 4x2 J DSL MT Cash Savings 50,000 (All Variants exc. 4x4 G, PUV, FX and Cab & Chassis), 80,000 (4X4 G MT), 130,000 (4X4 G AT) Pay Light at 16,993 (Commuter Deluxe) Story continues Cash Savings 25,000 (GL Grandia AT/MT), 30,000 (Commuter Deluxe 2.8 M/T) Pay Light at 39,633 TMP september 2020 promo TMP First Vice President for Vehicle Sales Operations Sherwin Chualim said that the latest promo is their way of helping address the need for safe mobility. We acknowledge the increasing need for safe and efficient mobility. Since financial situation is tough, its a must to spend wisely and get the best value out of your money. We help our customers achieve this not just through affordable and flexible financing deals, but also through our products that are easy to maintain, fuel-efficient, and will last a lifetime. Only Toyota can offer this sure advantage, Chualim claimed. Aside from these payment terms, Toyota also offers free periodic maintenance service up to 20,000 kms in selected Toyota dealerships for the Vios (G, E, XLE), Corolla Altis, Rush, Innova (V, G, E, Touring Sport), Fortuner, Hilux (Conquest, G, E), and Hiace (FMC GL). Further, brand-new Toyota Vios G, E and XLE units from authorized Toyota Dealers will have a five-year or 150,000 kilometer-warranty coverage, whichever comes first. TMP added that free one-year comprehensive insurance will be accorded to new owners of all brand new Toyota Wigo variants, Toyota Vios G, E and XLE and XE variants, Corolla Altis 1.8V HV and 1.6V CVT (TFS transaction only), Innova V, G Dsl, Touring Sport and E Dsl (TFS transaction only), and Fortuner 4x2 G Dsl AT. Existing car ownersToyota vehicles or other brandsmay also want to take the opportunity for trade-in rebates as much as P35,000 (for Vios and Innova), and P40,000 (for Corolla Altis) are also available for every closed trade-in transaction with a purchase of participating models within the promo period. Photo/s from Toyota Motor Philippines Also read: TMP updates Virtual Showroom with more options TMP Launches Latest Mobile App TMP offers Balloon Payment Plus Plan for Vios Karachi: Media reports claim that Pakistan's former President Asif Ali Zardari will attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the US on January 20. Zardari, co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was invited to the January 20 ceremony by the US government which he accepted. He will leave for the US on January 17, the Daily Times reported. Zardari, who returned to Pakistan late in December after spending about 18 months in a self-imposed exile, would be accompanied by a delegation, which would include ex-Pakistani ambassador to US Sherry Rehman, former interior minister Rehman Malik and other party leaders. Also Read: Eighteen Democratic lawmakers set to boycott Donald Trump's inauguration It is also said that he would proceed to France from the US. His son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is expected to join him in the US on January 25 after the PPP's Lahore-Faisalabad rally, which is scheduled to be held on January 19. Also Read: Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari finally returns to Pakistan Besides US-Pakistan ties, issues related to Pakistan-India relations, Afghan policy and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will also come under discussion during one-on-one meetings with the US authorities, including the Congressmen and senators.Zardari, who is currently in Dubai, is expected to undergo a medical examination while in the US. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. RAMAT GAN, Israel, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The public company Merchavia Holdings and Investments (TASE: MRHL) has announced the signing of an agreement with More Investment House that will invest approx. NIS 2.6 million in the company, thereby becoming an insider holder with a share of 6.85% of the company's stock capital. This agreement is part of an investment round valued at approx. NIS 4 million shekels. More Investment House will thus become the first institutional entity to attain the status of insider holding in Merchavia Holdings and Investments. The Tulip Capital Fund and Psagot Investment House will join More in the investment. Mr Ilan Goldstein, The main Shareholder of Merchavia and a director The investment is being implemented in exchange for private allocation of stock at the price of NIS 0.51 per share and allocation of non-tradeable stock warrants without cost, that can be exercised for a period of 3 years at a price of NIS 0.6. Ilan Goldstein, The main Shareholder of Merchavia and a director: "We congratulate More Investment House for recognizing Merchavia's great potential and for choosing to lead a strategic investment in the company together with other leading financial institutions. We view this investment as a vote of confidence from a smart and influential investor capable of identifying lucrative business opportunities. Alongside our high-quality investments, we are continuing to explore possibilities to expand our quality investment portfolio and to continue yielding high value to the company's investors." The round of investment was led by the investment banking firm Rosario Capital. About Merchavia Holdings and Investments: Merchavia is a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The company possesses diverse investments in bio-med companies with an emphasis on advanced digital health solutions. About More Investment House: More is a public investment house that was founded in 2006 with the aim of offering investors in Israel high-quality investment opportunities while adhering to quality, professional, and personal investment management. The investment house manages assets valued at approx. NIS 24 billion in a range of sectors and services: investment portfolio management, mutual funds, alternative investment management (hedge funds), long-term investment programs, and brokerage. More has been a publicly traded company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 2017. Contact: Eli Arad [email protected] SOURCE Merchavia Holdings and Investments Avocados, tomatoes, cars, computers and oil head north while gasoline, auto parts, computer chips, natural gas and corn head south. Thats the basic rhythm of trade along the U.S./Mexico border, where the two nations exchanged $41 billion worth of goods in June roughly $1.4 billion per day, or nearly $1 million per minute. Shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic have not stopped cross-border trade, but they have slowed it. The $243 billion in trade between the two nations during the first six months of the year marked a 21 percent drop from the nearly $309 billion one year prior, according to Miami trade data firm World City. Once the pandemic ends, however, international trade experts expect a quick recovery, spurred by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Known as USMCA, the three-way trade deal was drafted as an update to the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. The pact, signed by all three nations in November 2018, quietly went into effect July 1. Border: Energy exports help Laredo to become top U.S. trade hub More Information U.S. Top 10 Trading Partners in 2019 Mexico made history when it finished 2019 as the top trading partner for the United States. A trade war and shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic sent China falling from first place down to third place. See More Collapse Taking effect as the United States and Mexico struggle to contain the spread of the highly contagious and deadly virus, USMCA is expected to speed the post-COVID recovery, especially in Texas, a border state World City figures show accounted for nearly two-thirds of U.S. trade with Mexico through June. Although the deal largely kept NAFTA intact, USMCA has some important updates that are expected to add jobs and keep more money in the region. Automobiles must now have 75 percent of their components made in either the United States, Canada or Mexico to be tariff-free. Thats an increase from the 62.5 percent under NAFTA. USMCA also added provisions for intellectual property, cross-border data transfers and digital commerce, which did not exist when NAFTA was enacted in January 1994 but have since become economic drivers. Were not talking about a small market here, said Alicia Kerber-Palma, Mexicos consul general in Houston. On the contrary, this deal represents over $1.5 billion of daily trade between the U.S. and Mexico, that benefits 500 million consumers in all three countries. Were talking about almost 19 percent of the worlds gross domestic product. Tex-Mex trade Mexico ended last year as the No. 1 trading partner for the United States for the first time ever, a position it reached thanks in large part to the U.S.-China trade war. And of the $615 billion of trade between the two nations last year, more than $14.1 billion went through the Port of Houston, making Mexico the Bayou Citys top trading partner in 2019, World City trade figures show. The pandemic has temporarily slowed the ports energy-heavy trade with Mexico, but commercial ties with Houston and Texas run deeper than just shipments of crude oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Mexican firms such as state-run oil company Pemex, cement giant Cemex, airline Aeromexico, bread maker Bimbo and dairy bottler Lala employ thousands of people in the Houston area while numerous Texas companies in the energy, medical and manufacturing sectors have a presence in Mexico. We all consider USMCA to be critical to the state and region as we move out of recession, said Laura Murillo, president of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. COVID has caused what most trade experts view as a temporary dip in cross-border commerce, but some Houston companies are seeking to turn the pandemic into a business opportunity. Headquartered in Cypress, Petra Oil makes motor oil and numerous other products used by auto dealerships and oil change shops. The privately held companys president, Arnold Gacita, saw COVID taking its toll on sales and responded by launching four new products over the last four months face masks, liquid hand sanitizer, gel hand sanitizer and a sprayable disinfectant. Gacita said USMCA makes shipments to Canada and Mexico tariff-free and usually with less customs paperwork than other destinations. A lot of companies import products from Mexico, Gacita said. Were one of the few exporting constantly to Mexico. Keep on Trucking: 18-wheelers haul LNG exports into Mexico However, it may take some time before other manufacturers feel the full economic benefits of USMCA. Pandemic shutdown orders disrupted manufacturing operations around the world, forcing some companies to rethink supply chains and what nations their parts come from. Tony Garza, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico-turned-trade expert with international law firm White & Case, said the issue played out in a dramatic fashion in North America. As Mexico shut down its factories amid the pandemic, U.S. companies suddenly couldnt get the parts necessary to continue their production, he said. Eventually, U.S. companies pushed Mexico and succeeded in getting factories added to the countrys list of essential businesses that could reopen. However, this episode and similar experiences globally will reshape how companies think about their supply chains and resilience. Laredo rises Post-COVID, one of the biggest beneficiaries of USMCA is expected to be Laredo. Already a busy trade hub with Mexico, the trade war with China allowed the border city to become the nations top port in March 2019. Pandemic-related shutdowns in China allowed Laredo to reclaim that status again in February, according to figures from World City. Trucking and warehouses employ nearly one-in-three people, who are regarded as essential workers during the pandemic. Nowhere is that more apparent than Laredos booming cold storage industry, which was already thriving before USMCA but has seen increased activity with more people staying home. Avocados, tomatoes, strawberries and other produce are trucked in from Mexico and housed in cold storage warehouses before getting shipped on I-35 to San Antonio, Austin and beyond, or across U.S. Highway 59 to Houston and points east. Supporting that trade, there are 25 cold storage facilities with 1.1 million square feet of space operating in Laredo while warehouses with another 500,000 square feet are expected to be added over the next year, figures from the Laredo Economic Development Corp. show. After the pandemic ends, USMCA is expected to bring investment beyond the cold storage sector, Laredo Economic Development Director Teclo Garcia said. Tesla is coming to Austin, but 25 percent of their parts are made in Mexico, Garcia said. We can play a part in that. Austin is right up the street on I-35. We want to take advantage of that regional economy. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is pushing for the trade deal to be supported by two projects the Ports-to-Plains Corridor from Laredo to Denver and a second international rail bridge to Mexico in Laredo. Trade: Border wait times swell amid shuffle to handle migrant crisis Tony Payan, a U.S-Mexico relations expert with Rice Universitys Baker Institute, said the Trump administrations push to update NAFTA created two-and-a-half years of uncertainty among investors, which resulted in some projects being put on hold. Nobody was celebrating with champagne after the deal was signed, Payan said. From the Yukon to the Yucatan, alls you heard were sighs of relief. And then, the pandemic happened. COVID and USMCA could potentially incentivize U.S. manufacturers operating in China to open backup plants or move their operations south of the border, but Payan said that depends on an unpredictable wild card Mexicos president, Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador. Known as AMLO, Mexicos left-of-center nationalist president has a knack for making foreign investors nervous by favoring government-funded projects over the private sector, Payan said. Even after USMCA, which raised the minimum wage for autoworkers in Mexico, the cheapest labor out of the three nations is still in Mexico, Payan said. But AMLO is hostile to private investment. Hes deeply distrusting of the private sector. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Mexico and Canada also eased their rules about taxing individual packages coming from the United States, meaning U.S. e-commerce providers do not have to pay as high pay taxes on products shipped to customers in those nations. The trade deal also strengthened intellectual property and privacy laws that protect the online trade of music, electronic books and other products. And as smart phone use and video streaming services continue grow in Mexico, more communications networks will need to be built, including some that cross the border. Duncan Wood, director of the Wilson Centers Mexico Institute said USMCA enacted privacy laws and the movement of data in a way that lays the groundwork for a 21st century economy. For companies like Google, data is critically important, Wood said. And if data is the new oil, we need to have rules to govern its trade and movements across borders. Businesses need and want certainty. sergio.chapa@chron.com http://twitter.com/SergioChapa CHICAGO and MIRAMAR, Fla., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MDLIVE Inc., one of the three largest and fastest growing telehealth companies in the U.S. offering virtual healthcare services in all 50 states, today announced the closing of a $50 million crossover equity investment from Sixth Street Growth, the growth investing arm of Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm. The $50 million funding will be used primarily for the ongoing strategic expansion of MDLIVE's comprehensive, technology-enabled, and disruptive Virtual Primary Care digital health platform. Additionally, it will be used for the launch of supporting products and services that provide the company's more than 45 million members with convenient access to high quality, cost-effective, contagion-free Total Care. In a separate transaction, MDLIVE secured $25 million in debt expansion from other investors. MDLIVE has experienced significant and sustained growth that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following five consecutive years of over 45% visit growth, in the first half of 2020, MDLIVE virtual visits increased by more than 95%, and total bookings increased by more than 300%. Through July, MDLIVE completed nearly 1 million patient visits with large increases reported across all service lines, including year-over-year growth of more than 500% for behavioral health, more than 350% for dermatology and more than 80% for medical care. This growth was enabled by a significant increase in the number of active providers, which totaled over 2,000 clinicians as of July 31, 2020, comprising the MDLIVE provider network. Despite the surge in visit volume, MDLIVE's wait times for healthcare visits have remained under 20 minutes and averaged only 7.7 minutes in July. "The pandemic has accelerated the rapid disruptive transformation of virtual healthcare delivery," said Charles Jones, MDLIVE's chairman and chief executive officer. "With this $50 million crossover investment and the healthcare leadership of Sixth Street, MDLIVE will be able to fulfill its Caring Vision of Cost Containment, Convenient, Contagion-free healthcare delivery. As the demand for MDLIVE's offerings has reached all-time highs, we remain focused on the expansion of a single, proven technology platform with the flexibility to integrate with devices and the capacity to leverage AI and ingest vast volumes of data necessary for proactive and preemptive care." "Virtual care has been a long-term theme for our team, and in an increasingly competitive sector MDLIVE stands out as a scaled and differentiated enterprise technology platform providing high-quality, convenient and cost-effective care," said Michael McGinn, Partner and Co-Head of Sixth Street Growth. "Their offering accrues to the benefit of all healthcare stakeholders, including patients, providers and payers and we are pleased to be partnering with their team as they continue to grow and successfully meet the increased demand for their services." Sixth Street joins an existing roster of high-profile health care investors in MDLIVE that includes Cigna Ventures, Health Care Service Corporation, Health Velocity Capital, Novo Holdings, Industry Ventures, Sentara Healthcare, Sutter Health, Heritage Group and Bedford Funding. BofA Securities acted as placement agent for the company. About MDLIVE MDLIVE offers convenient, affordable and contagion-free virtual healthcare services to more than 45 million members nationwide. Our network of board-certified physicians, dermatologists, psychiatrists and therapists are specially trained in virtual care and are committed to the highest quality treatment and the best possible patient experience. We leverage disruptive technology and artificial intelligence to simplify and streamline, connecting providers and patients whenever and wherever it's most convenient, often within just minutes. To learn more about our expanding product suite and our partnerships with major health plans, hospital systems and employers, visit www.MDLIVE.com, download our app, or text "Sophie" to MDLIVE (635483) to register. About Sixth Street Sixth Street is a global investment business with approximately $47 billion in assets under management and committed capital. Sixth Street Growth is the firm's dedicated platform for making customized, non-control private investments in growth-oriented companies. The Sixth Street Growth team partners with companies and management teams to provide bespoke, accretive financing solutions that often fall between traditional growth equity and commercial debt. Sixth Street has invested over $4 billion in more than 40 companies in its growth investing strategy since inception. Select current and past representative Sixth Street Growth investments include Airbnb, AirTrunk, AvidXchange, Gainsight, Kyriba, Lucidworks, Medsphere, Paycor, PayScale, PaySimple and Spotify. Media Contacts: For Sixth Street Patrick Clifford [email protected] For MDLIVE David Schull Russo Partners (858) 717-2310 [email protected] SOURCE MDLIVE Related Links http://www.mdlive.com YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted Argentine-Armenian businessman, National Hero of Armenia Eduardo Eurnekian, the PMs Office told Armenpress. Dear Mr. Eurnekian, I am glad to see you in Armenia. During this period we also had a telephone conversation, discussed our plans and your possible investment projects in Armenia. I am happy that under the conditions of the coronavirus and the situation caused by it you are equally enthusiastic about the opportunities to implement investment programs in Armenia. Your previous projects are being successfully implemented, and we, of course, are happy over it. I am confident that this cooperation will bring more visible results to Armenia, PM Pashinyan said in his welcoming remarks. In turn Eduardo Eurnekian said he will consistently continue the investment programs in the homeland in various areas and highlighted the close cooperation with the Armenian government. The Armenian PM and the Argentine-Armenian businessman discussed the programs being implemented by the Armenia International Airports CJSC in Armenia. In particular, they touched upon issues relating to the development of Yerevans Zvartnots, Gyumris Shirak airports, improvement of infrastructures, their renovation and further operation. The sides also exchanged views on the ongoing and upcoming business projects implemented by companies owned by Eduardo Eurnekian in Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan and Eduardo Eurnekian praised the process of the bilateral partnership and reaffirmed the mutual readiness to further develop it. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Firefighters worked to battle a fire at Westminster Pier Park in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada on September 13, and into September 14. Canadian media, citing witnesses at the scene, reported a large portion of the boardwalk at the park was on fire, adjacent to the railroad on Front Street. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Deputy Chief Tyler Moore said on Twitter that the service had sent a fireboat to assist New West crews. Credit: Keith Gagne via Storyful VIENNA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog is in wide-ranging talks with Saudi Arabia about tougher supervision of the kingdom's nuclear activities, the agency said on Monday, part of a wider effort to eliminate a "weakness" in the global inspections regime. Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear programme that it wants to expand to eventually include proliferation-sensitive uranium enrichment. It is unclear where its ambitions end, since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in 2018 it would develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran did. Riyadh has yet to fire up its first nuclear reactor, allowing its programme to still be monitored under the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency that exempts less advanced states from many reporting obligations and inspections. "We are in conversation with them. They are interested in developing nuclear energy, for peaceful purposes of course," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said when asked about verification in Saudi Arabia. "So it is obvious that when they upgrade their activities including by the introduction of nuclear material in the kingdom, then we will have to have a stronger safeguards system. And nothing makes me think that this is not going to be the case." If Saudi Arabia were to introduce nuclear material into the research reactor in Riyadh that is near completion, it would void the SQP and its exemptions from regular safeguards. The sides are also discussing an extra agreement known as the Additional Protocol that provides for tougher checks including snap inspections at undeclared locations, Grossi said. Asked whether Riyadh should sign up to the Additional Protocol, he said: "We are discussing everything." The talks are part of a push to get 31 states with early versions of the SQP to rescind them or switch to upgraded texts. "This is essential to address a weakness in the IAEA safeguards system," Grossi said in a statement to the IAEA Board of Governors. (Reporting by Francois Murphy, Editing by Timothy Heritage) ZUG, Switzerland, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitcoin Association, the global industry organisation that works to advance business with the Bitcoin SV blockchain, today announces that it has partnered with Chinese digital asset wallet, DotWallet, to host the second iteration of DotCamp for BSV 2020 on September 19 and 20. With the theme 'Embrace the Future with Blockchain', the two-day event will educate developers and business executives on contemporary trends in blockchain technology, with a focus on building enterprise-grade solutions using the Bitcoin SV blockchain. The weekend-long programme will feature high-profile figures from across China's Bitcoin SV and blockchain communities . The full schedule is available to view now. Held at the Crowne Plaza Fuzhou Riverside in Fuzhou City, China, the second edition of DotCamp for BSV in 2020 will the first in-person event to be hosted by Bitcoin Association since transitioning its events programme online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Registration is free and open now at: http://e8th71bpjt78s3lx.mikecrm.com/whcoXh4 DotCamp for BSV is part of a series of developer initiatives Bitcoin Association has rolled out in China this year. In January, Bitcoin Association and DotWallet hosted the inaugural DotCamp for BSV, which drew numerous developers from across China for a multi-day workshop centred on creating applications on Bitcoin SV. Last month, Bitcoin Association hosted its inaugural Chinese-language Bitcoin SV DevCon virtually in partnership with CSDN, China's largest online software developer community, attracting more than 7,000 participants over the weekend-long event. Bitcoin Association also partners with CSDN to create a "Bitcoin SV Developer Zone", a dedicated open learning platform on the CSDN website to learn about working on the Bitcoin SV blockchain. Speaking on today's announcement, Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen said: "Throughout 2020, Bitcoin Association has made a continued commitment to building and supporting the growing Bitcoin SV community in China. Following on from the success of our first Chinese-language Bitcoin SV DevCon last month, we're excited to turn around so quickly with another high-quality event and provide further opportunities for the Chinese development community to learn, collaborate and innovate with blockchain technology." Also commenting, DotWallet Founder and CEO Lin Zheming said: "The more that I speak with bold entrepreneurs, the more I understand that there is still some way to go in realising our vision for blockchain technology and solutions. With DotCamp for BSV, we hope to ignite the next wave of blockchain innovation with Bitcoin SV by bringing together talented developers and visionary leaders." About Bitcoin Association Bitcoin Association is the Switzerland-based global industry organization that works to advance business on the Bitcoin SV blockchain. It brings together essential components of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem enterprises, start-up ventures, developers, merchants, exchanges, service providers, blockchain transaction processors (miners), and others working alongside them, as well as in a representative capacity, to drive further use of the Bitcoin SV blockchain and uptake of the BSV digital currency. The Association works to build a regulation-friendly ecosystem that fosters lawful conduct while facilitating innovation using all aspects of Bitcoin technology. More than a digital currency and blockchain, Bitcoin is also a network protocol; just like Internet protocol, it is the foundational rule set for an entire data network. The Association supports use of the original Bitcoin protocol to operate the world's single blockchain on Bitcoin SV. SOURCE Bitcoin Association A union leader threatened strike action today over plans to get the vast majority of civil servants working in their offices by the end of the month. Firebrand leftwinger Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, lashed out at plans to get 80 per cent of mandarins back at their desks within weeks. Addressing the TUC Congress today he said the safety of workers was being put at risk because of the 'irresponsibility' of the Government. Ministers want civil servants to lead the way in returning to offices to help city and town centres struggling while millions work from home. But Mr Serwotka told the virtual event today: 'We are prepared to take action to keep people safe.' Firebrand leftwinger Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, lashed out at plans to get 80 per cent of mandarins back at their desks within weeks TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady urged the Chancellor not to cut off support for jobs as the furlough scheme ends, otherwise she said there could be mass redundancies Civil servants have been accused of making a mockery of Boris Johnsons push to get staff back into the office by advertising work from home only jobs. While Ministers have ordered officials to return to their desks, Whitehall departments this month were putting up recruitment adverts saying office work will not resume any time soon. The Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health, Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency are among those advertising work from home only jobs. At the end of August, the Cabinet Secretary wrote to all Whitehall ministries setting a target to get 80 per cent of staff to attend their usual workplace each week by the end of September. Last week the Cabinet Secretary wrote to all Whitehall ministries setting a target to get 80 per cent of staff to attend their usual workplace each week by the end of September. Speakers at the first ever online TUC Congress today detailed a 'litany of Government failures', from a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and decent sick pay, to concentrating more on the economy than a safe return to office working. General secretary Frances O'Grady urged the Chancellor not to cut off support for jobs as the furlough scheme ends, otherwise she said there could be mass redundancies. She said time was running out to prevent huge job losses, adding: 'From this Thursday, it will be just 45 days before the job retention scheme ends. 'That's the notice period that companies have to give if they intend to make mass redundancies.' It takes a whole community to beat a pandemic, she said, continuing: 'It can't just be done from Westminster corridors or company boardrooms. 'Yet some in the Establishment behave as if there's one rule for them, and another for everybody else. Civil servants have been accused of making a mockery of Boris Johnsons (pictured today) push to get staff back into the office by advertising work from home only jobs 'Too often, ministers struggle to imagine lives that are unlike their own. 'Like when the Prime Minister ordered a return to work, without a proper plan for public transport, and precious little thought about working mums and dads, and childcare. 'Instead, a useless app, a mutant algorithm, and a half-baked test and trace system. Less 'moonshot', more moonshine.' Liz Snape, of Unison, said the Government's 'neglect' had worsened the crisis, while inequalities in society had been exposed. The 'litany' of failures included a failure to provide PPE or proper funding to the Health and Safety Executive as well as the 'crisis' in testing, she said. A statement by the TUC's general council said the public health crisis had exposed the depth of health inequalities in the UK, including along lines of class, race and gender. It said: 'The Government's decision to delay implementing lockdown led to thousands of tragic, and unnecessary, deaths. 'The failure to plan, prepare and deliver proper PPE supplies to the NHS and social care left frontline workers exposed. 'The absence of an effective test and trace system and the scandal of patients being discharged from hospitals untested into care homes cost lives and livelihoods. 'Too many women, black workers and disabled workers found that when they were issued PPE, it failed to fit properly and to provide adequate protection.' The TUC is calling for an independent public inquiry into the crisis. T he German government has said scientists in France and Sweden have confirmed that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. Mr Navalny, a fierce, high-profile critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany last month after falling ill on August 20 on a domestic flight in Russia. German authorities said last week that tests showed proof without doubt that Mr Navalny was poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has also received samples and is taking steps to have those tested at its reference laboratories. A portable isolation unit used to transport Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny / Getty Images Mr Navalny fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on August 20. He was transferred to Germany two days later, where he has remained in hospital. Russia has denied that the Kremlin was involved in poisoning Mr Navalny. The country clashed with Germany and five of its Western allies over the poisoning at the UN Security Council meeting last week. The United States, Belgium, Britain, Estonia and France expressed grave concern at Germanys determination the 44-year-old was the victim of a chemical weapons attack. Moscows ambassador has demanded evidence a Soviet-era nerve agent from the Novichok group was responsible. But, Germanys envoy said his countrys findings have been handed over to the international chemical weapons watchdog. A file photo of Vladimir Putin. / AP The UK identified the Soviet-era Novichok as the poison used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. A woman, Dawn Sturgess, exposed to the contents of a perfume bottle reportedly used in the attack died several months later. Russia vehemently denied any involvement, but Britain has charged two men it called Russian military intelligence officers with the nerve-agent poisoning. Mr Allen told the council the UK stands with Germanys findings on Mr Navalny and called on Russia to urgently conduct a full and transparent investigation into this use of a banned chemical weapon and to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention that bans their use. Acting US deputy ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet called Mr Navalnys poisoning by a chemical weapon completely reprehensible and urged Russia to be fully transparent and to bring those responsible to justice. The German hospital treating him said on Monday his condition had improved, allowing doctors to take him out of an induced coma. Russias UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that we are the most interested party to know what happened and Moscow wants Germany to share its evidence. He said the Russian doctors who saved Mr Navalnys life found no chemical weapons substances. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:14:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Finance on Monday said it will roll out new measures designed to boost spending from low-income groups, as well as to support small businesses, which all had been adversely affected by the COVID-19 fallout. "We have set aside 45 billion baht (1.44 billion U.S. dollar) budget for this particular economic measure to boost consumption among grass roots people and support small businesses," said Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the ministry's Fiscal Policy Office. Lavaron said the finance ministry is finalizing the details of the shopping stimulus. "The concept is that each person will get about 3,000 baht (96 U.S. dollars) from the government to partially pay for his/her own goods; but consumers must buy items at small businesses," said Lavaron, adding that small businesses are hard to survive in this challenging time. The Bank of Thailand had earlier forecasted that the Thai economy will shrink by 8.1 percent this year largely due to the fallout from COVID-19. Since tourism and exports are Thailand's two most important forms of revenue, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said it is vital to promote domestic spending while the Thai skies remain closed to entries from foreign tourists. The new economic measure is expected to be implemented from October to December, said the ministry. Enditem Advertisement A 'firenado' has been captured on camera in California as wildfires tear through large swathes of the west coast, killing at least 35 people. Footage showing a wildfire meeting a column of air to create a tornado-like effect was posted on TikTok on Thursday went viral over the weekend. Social media users nicknamed the state 'Hellifornia', with one writing: "2020 said 'Hey, y'all know what's missing? A firenado! That would be so awesome! I got the perfect place, too. Here me out...."' one person wrote. Another posted to Twitter: '2020 is something straight out of a dark science fiction novel, y'all ever seen a tornado on fire?' The clip was posted as firefighters in California were bracing for a shift in weather that could bring stronger winds Monday and stoke dozens of fires still raging across the state. California this week experienced what's being dubbed a 'firenado'. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Northern California through Monday night, saying strong southerly winds and low humidity will result in elevated fire weather conditions across the region Twitter users called the wild fire a 'firenado' and nicknamed California 'Hellifornia' after the video was posted on Thursday A search and rescue team, surrounded by red fire retardant, look for victims under burned residences and vehicles in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon on Sunday Firefighters Kyle Parker (L) Battalion Chief Bob Horst (C) and Sam Hochstatter from the Grant County Fire Department work to secure the fire line on the Cold Springs Fire on Thursday in Omak, Washington. Dozens of wildfires are raging throughout West as record high temperatures and dry vegetation fuel the fast-moving, destructive blazes, destroying hundreds of acres The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Northern California through Monday night with Incident Meteorologist Dan Borsum saying strong southerly winds and low humidity will result in elevated fire weather conditions across the region. He said conditions may improve a little bit Tuesday but not a lot. Borsum added that the air quality in the region may not improve until October. More than 16,750 firefighters were doing battle with fires that had already killed 22 people, destroyed more than 4,100 structures and engulfed scores of communities from the Oregon border to Mexico. Then a Northern California sheriff said Sunday that two more people have died from wildfires, bringing the state's total death toll to 24. Oregon had 10 fatalities and a one-year-old boy died in Washington. The fires on the West Coast have been among the worst ever recorded. In California over 3.2 million acres were charred last month. The Bobcat Fire burns in the Angeles National Forest north of Arcadia prompting evacuations, north East of Los Angeles Firefighters watch the Bobcat Fire after an evacuation was ordered for the residents of Arcadia, California on Sunday A firefighter works to extinguish the Bobcat Fire after an evacuation was ordered in Arcadia on Sunday A helicopter drops water over the Bobcat fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest, near Arcadia, California There was also a warning in effect in Oregon on Sunday night after the weather service said that the wind, humidity and fire danger will 'likely contribute to a significant spread of new and existing fires.' Gusts of wind are expected to reach up to 40 mph. At least 10 people were killed in wildfires that burned the past week throughout Oregon where 35 fires have devastated 902,620 acres. Officials have said more people are missing from other blazes and the number of fatalities is likely to rise. Andrew Phelps, Oregon's emergency management director, said that the state was preparing for a 'mass fatality incident.' 'There are going to be a number of fatalities, folks who just couldn't get warning in time and evacuate their homes and get to safety,' Phelps told MSNBC on Friday. One resident told Reuters about the scene in the town of Pheonix, 'It looks like a war just happened here,' The fire melted the motor right out of my truck - it drained down the driveway,' said Manson, a 43-year-old construction worker. 'I lost everything. I lost all my tools. My truck. I can't work. I lost $30,000 worth of guitars. All gone.' Nearly a week after wildfires ignited across Oregon, which forced thousands of residents to flee their homes, firefighters spent Sunday setting and holding containment lines and starting to assess the damage. A firefighter looks out over an area where crews are working to create a boundary around the Riverside fire near Fernwood, Oregon on Sunday A search and rescue team from Salt Lake City, Utah, including a canine, look for victims through gutted homes in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon A burned tree smolders after firefighters and community members extinguished a wildfire on Sunday (left). A search and rescue team, surrounded by red fire retardant, look for victims under burned residences and vehicles in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent (right) The Oak Park Motel was destroyed by the flames of the Beachie Creek Fire east of Salem, Oregon, Sunday Flames from the Beachie Creek Fire melted the aluminum rims on a car near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry, North Cascade District Office in Lyons, Oregon on Sunday The Webber family searches for belongings through their home, which was gutted by the Almeda fire, in Talent Evacuees from the Riverside Fire stay in tents at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge in Oak Grove, Oregon on Sunday Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews and several of her colleagues in Oregon lost their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire. She left her home to respond to a downed power line and said the fire it caused quickly spread, making her issue a level 3 evacuation order within a couple of hours. 'I not only have my life to put back together, I also have a fire department to put back together,' Plews told NBC News. 'And I honestly don't know how I'm going to do that.' She said many people on her team worked a week straight with only a 24 hour rest period by Sunday when the blaze had burned 161,872 acres and was only five per cent contained. The US Forest Service said weather conditions in areas of the state, which include mist and favorable wind, was helping to limit the rapid spread of the blaze and dispersing smoke and fog to better firefighting conditions. Two of the Oregon's largest fires that continue to threaten communities in Clackamas and Marion Counties remained completely uncontained Sunday, but more favorable weather and an easing of some evacuation warnings in areas indicate an improving situation. One of the large fires ravaging the area, the Riverside Fire was still within half a mile of the small city of Estacada, but the spread of the blaze has slowed. In Marion County, where firefighters have been battling the Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires, evacuation levels of several cities were reduced during the weekend. People in central and northeast Oregon, including in Eugene, Portland and Salem, continued to face hazardous air quality Sunday. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reported Air Quality Index numbers that were off the chart. Air Quality Index is considered hazardous between 301 and 500. Portlands index is currently at 426. Values above 500 - which two cities, Madras and Roseburg both reported having - are beyond the indexs scale. Officials advised people to stay indoors and that the low visibility, caused by fog and smoke, is creating hazardous driving conditions. In Salem, where the Air Quality Index is 394, a dense smokey haze that clouded roads and homes made it difficult to see further than 50 yards ahead. The National Weather Service in Portland reported that rain is expected Monday night, which could help clear smoke in Oregon next week. Veterinary technician Cathy Ackerman checks the medical equipment by the cages for the injured cats at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) An injured 8 week old kitten with facial burns is being treated at SOVSC, which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the destructive wildfires devastating the region on Saturday Almost a dozen cats rescued amid scorching wildfires in Oregon are being cared for at a veterinary hospital and staff members have posted their photos on social media hoping to reunite them with their owners. The cats have burned paws covered in bandages. Some of their bellies are seared and, in one case, a cat nicknamed Depot because he was found by the Home Depot, is hooked up to oxygen because its lungs suffered damage from the hot smoke. Rory Applegate, a veterinarian at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, says staff members are working even though some of them have had to evacuate or had family impacted by the blazes. Applegate says the fires are a 'huge emotional toll' on the staff but they are balancing out the management of critical patients and making sure they can stay stable themselves. She said she expects animals to feel the impact of the heavy smoke in the coming days, too. Kerala: Caged aquaculture project to be launched in Banasura Sagar reservoir by E.M. Manoj September 14,2020 | Source: The Hindu The Fisheries Department is gearing up to launch a caged aquaculture project to tap the potential of inland fisheries in the Banasura Sagar reservoir of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) at Padinharethara in Wayanad district. Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma will inaugurate the project through videoconferencing at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The project, under the Rebuild Kerala programme, aims tapping the fisheries potential of the Banasura Sagar reservoir, one of the largest earthen dam in the country, and improving the lives of the tribespeople on the banks of the reservoir, M. Chitra, Assistant Director, Fisheries Department, told The Hindu. As many as 90 batteries of cages, each of 6x4x4 metre, in nine blocks had been set up at the Kuttiyam Vayal area of the reservoir for the project and 3,840 fingerlings could be deposited in each cage, Ms. Chithra said. We are planning to deposit 3,45,600 the fingerlings of Gift Tilapia species of fish and it can be harvested in six months, she said. Harvest can be done twice a year and we expect an average production of 1,35,000 kg of fish in each harvest, she said. Ninety tribal fishermen families would benefit from it, Ms. Chithra said, adding that the department had constituted a cooperative society of tribal fishermen for the purpose. A sum of ?3.2 crore has been spent for the project and the Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala is the implementing agency. The department would soon launch a similar project at Karapuzha reservoir with 10 cages under the Innovative Aquaculture project of the State government, Ms. Chitra added. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Tuesday called on international society to resolutely defend multilateralism, safeguard the right direction of human development and progress, and push the cause of the United Nations to a new stage. Wang made the remarks when attending a high-level symposium to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations via video link. "Over the past 75 years since the founding of the United Nations, the United Nations has made great efforts to promote global development and the cause of human rights and maintain global peace and stability," Wang said, adding that there have been no world wars and some local conflicts have been contained. It has become the consensus of the vast majority of countries to eliminate differences through dialogue and negotiation and settle disputes through mediation, he said As UN commemorates its 75th anniversary, Wang put forward five proposals: First, the world needs to uphold UN's core status in the international system. Noting the UN is the most universal, representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization, the UN has incomparable advantages and plays an irreplaceable role. Upholding multilateralism is the only choice in the face of increasingly complex and severe global challenges, he said while calling the UN the flag of multilateralism. Second, the world needs to adhere to purposes and principles of the UN Charter. "We need to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose interference in other countries' internal affairs," he said, adding that "we need to adhere to the peaceful settlement of disputes and oppose to the use or threat of use of force." He also urged countries to abide by international laws and regulations, fulfill international obligations, and oppose unilateral acts of bullying. Third, the world needs to adhere to peaceful development, and "We should give full play to the important role of the UN and its Security Council in the field of peace keeping." He called on the world to abandon the Cold-War mentality, promote dialogue and consultation, and seek political solutions and underlined the need for the UN to take leadership on implementing of the 2030 Agenda and addressing climate change. He added more efforts should be made to support developing countries to achieve the goal of poverty alleviation amid the pandemic. Fourth, the world needs to stick to win-win cooperation and the UN should be democratic, effective and inclusive. The UN should become a big stage for all countries; advocate the principle that all countries, big or small, are equal so that different civilizations can exchange learnings and countries with different systems can work hand in hand. Wang stressed the UN should neither be an arena for international conflicts nor for big power to play zero sum games. Fifth, building a community with a shared future for mankind. All parties need to establish a sense of community, to keep watch and help each other, and work together to cope with various risks and challenges. "We should build a global partnership at the international and regional levels to jointly build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, as well as cleanliness and beauty," he said. Under the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world must opt for unity, not division, for cooperation, not confrontation; for sharing responsibility, not blaming others. The COVID-19 will not change the theme of the times, which remains peace and development, he said, adding the prevailing trend of win-win cooperation will not be reversed and the trend of historical progress cannot be stopped. The Chinese foreign minister stressed that as the largest developing country and permanent member of the Security Council, China is actively practicing the lofty ideals of the UN and constantly promoting the great cause of peace and development of mankind. China is a constructor of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public goods, Wang noted, and reiterated China's commitments to opening to the world and undertaking its due international responsibilities and obligations. Wang recalled that five years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of major initiatives in support of the UN cause at the UN 70th anniversary summit. Over the last few years, China has implemented these initiatives in various fields, including the UN peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, education, injected momentum into global sustainable development, and contributed to women's cause. China is willing to join hands with all parties to uphold and promote multilateralism, jointly push the UN to start all over again with brand new appearance, and forge ahead bravely towards the great goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang said. In recent years, the European Commission has focused heavily on the circular economy in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The Swedish business community wants to take a driving role in development and to contribute constructively to the work, writes Jenny Svard. Photo : Ernst Henry Photography AB More efficient management of resources is essential for ensuring that future resource needs are met and that we are able to reach the climate targets that we have set, as well as many of our other sustainability goals. Moving from a linear to a more circular economy, where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained for as long as possible, will be an important tool in achieving this. In recent years, the European Commission has focused heavily on the circular economy, and this spring presented its Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), its second such plan. The Action Plan emphasises the importance of the circular economy in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, in decoupling economic growth from resource use and in securing the EU's long-term competitiveness. Confederation of Swedish Enterprise welcomes the European Commission's plan; the Swedish business community is at the forefront of these efforts and wants to take a driving role in development and to contribute constructively to the work. It is crucial for the development of Europes circular economy that the internal market functions effectively and that the required policy development takes place at EU level. We see many initiatives by Member States to create national policies and regulations for a circular economy, which in the long run risks creating barriers to circular flows between countries. An ambitious policy at EU level will therefore be central to establishing the best possible conditions for developing the circular economy within the Union. It is clearly encouraging that the EU has a strong focus on circular economy and the fact that a second Action Plan has been developed underlines the European Commission's ambition and objectives in this area. It is also positive that the Action Plan clearly emphasises the importance of the circular economy in ensuring the EU's long-term competitiveness. In its comments to CEAP, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has pointed out - among other things - that it is crucial that the plan is synchronised with other policy areas within the European Green Deal. It is important that there is an appropriate balance between this plan and, for example, the EU Industrial Strategy, the Chemicals Strategy, the Climate Act and the Single Market action plan. To ensure a successful transition to a circular economy, it is crucial that development goes hand-in-hand with successful and profitable circular business models and strong competitiveness among European companies.. However, it is not clear from the plan, or the measures proposed, as to how these aspects will be addressed when developing the proposals. it is vitally important that there is a genuine dialogue with the business community as early as possible while the proposals in CEAP are being developed. Material and product flows are global and therefore international cooperation must also be reinforced. The development of circular business models would be facilitated if the policies currently being developed by the EU also lead to global standards and/or agreements. The Commission's plan clearly signals the EU's ambitions and its objective of creating a circular economy in Europe. Several of the suggestions are good, and can take us in the right direction if correctly designed and implemented. You can read Confederation of Swedish Enterprises comments on the CEAP in the appendix Din Tai Fung/MGM Resorts Din Tai Fung is a renowned dumpling and noodle restaurant, known for perfecting the craft and culinary art of Xiao Long Bao, a type of Chinese steamed bun/dumpling from Jiangsu province. Din Tai Fung will open its first Las Vegas location at ARIA Resort & Casino on October 19. With a Taiwan tradition dating back to 1927, Din Tai Fungs Las Vegas opening marks the 25th anniversary of the concepts expansion to the United States. Din Tai Fungs precisely handcrafted Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings, have been considered by many chefs, small miracles. The Shanghai-style multi-pleated soup dumplings feature the highest quality Kurobuta pork and broth, fragranced with aromas of fresh ginger and green onion. Din Tai Fung/MGM Resorts-Xiao Long Bao - soup dumplings The new resort restaurant will offer a lively show kitchen with skilled chefs displaying the craftsmanship that goes into the creation of each handcrafted dumpling. The restaurant is taking the space of the former Aria Cafe, and will seat 212 people when it opens, after adjusting for the limited capacity and social distancing requirements that restaurants currently must follow. Chen-Wei Chan, a veteran of Wazuzu, Red 8 and Hakkasan Group, is the executive chef and will lead the kitchen. Like much unique food and restaurants from China, there are substantial stories about their beginnings and the evolution. Originally founded in 1958as a cooking oil retail business, Din Tai Fung was repurposed in Taiwan as a steamed dumpling and noodle restaurant in 1972. In 1996, the first international location opened in Tokyo, and the first location in North America opened in Arcadia, California in 2000. In 2009, the Hong Kong branch was awarded one Michelin star. Din Tai Fung now has 7 locations in California, 5 locations in the Pacific Northwest and more than 170 restaurants in 13 countries worldwide. Kurobuta Pork/Vegetable Dumpling/Bun Truffle Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao But the one major specialty of this restaurant is its dumplings. In 2006 the Shanghai government listed them as a protected national treasure. Their cultural impact in China is substantial so much so that they crossed borders and affected global cuisine. The Khinkali, for example, a Georgian (Russia) snack that resembles an oversized Xiao Long Bao, is said to have originated when the Mongols brought dumplings with them in the 13th century via the Silk Road from China. The smaller Xiao Long Bao originated in late 19th-century Shanghai, at a time when the steamed-bun market was becoming increasingly competitive. What made Xiao Long Bao different from other steamed dumplings was the addition of aspic, a jellified meat stock, that melts into a flavored broth once the buns are steamed. Making aspic in the 19th century was time consuming: after boiling animal bones and leaving the broth to simmer for several hours, it was then left to cool and set to gelatin. The dumplings were originally named nanxiang da rou mantou (literally large meat-filled bun from Nanxiang), but not surprisingly, the name didnt catch on. What did, however, was the taste. Over time, the name evolved to the much simpler name xiao (small) long (basket) bao (bun) These dumplings are juicy, with flavorful fillings covered by light, thin dough. Shanghai dumplings are those with a well-seasoned, savory pork filling wrapped in a thin wheat-flour skin, then gently steamed on bamboo racks with the juices forming the soup. There are also shrimp and pork steamed dumplings, as well as vegetable steamed dumplings, with finely chopped fresh bok choy (Chinese white cabbage) mixed with savory rice, wrapped and steamed. And for the dining patrons, Din Tai Fung is a lesson in culinary history. Tasting these small miracles in Las Vegas -- far from Shanghai (6500 miles) or Taiwan (6900 miles) -- distance minimizes, while taste memory maximizes, making this tasteful experience all the more memorable. Chocolate Mochi Xiao Long Bao Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude to the members of Parliament for choosing path to duty by attending the Monsoon Session that began amid the COVID-19 pandemic on September 14. Speaking to media persons ahead of the session, the PM hoped that the session will be a fruitful and productive one. We are witnessing an extraordinary series of events. I am proud to say that the lawmakers have chosen the path of duty amid the pandemic, he said. He exuded confidence that the members will speak in one voice to express solidarity with the soldiers bravely discharging their duties while standing guard in difficult terrains with snowfall expected in coming days "I believe that all members of the Parliament will give an unequivocal message to the soldiers that the country stands with them, PM Modi said amid the on-going border row with China in Ladakh. The PM said there should be no laxity until there is a vaccine. We want that a vaccine is developed at the earliest, our scientists succeed and we succeed in bringing everyone out of this problem." The PM said the more the discussion held in the House, the better. Many important discussions will be held during this session. I believe that the more discussions are undertaken during the session in Lok Sabha the more benefits for the nation. I believe all of us MPs will add value to these discussions, he said The monsoon session is being held amid unprecedented precautionary measures against COVID-19 due to a continuing spike in cases. The country reported 92,0761 fresh COVID-19 cases and 1,136 deaths in last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The last session was the Budget Session which was held in March and had to be cut short because of the COVID-19. The session, first in the COVID-19 era, is expected to be stormy as the Opposition has plans to corner the government over a host of contentious issues such as handling of the pandemic, economic crisis, rise of unemployment and dismal GDP figures. California Gov. Gavin Newsom unsuccessfully pressed President Trump on Monday to acknowledge that climate change is making wildfires worse across much of the West Coast. We obviously feel very strongly that the hots are getting hotter, the drys are getting drier, Newsom told Trump at a roundtable in Sacramento, Calif., where the president stopped for two hours on a fundraising trip for his reelection campaign. When were having heat domes the likes of which weve never seen in our history the hottest August ever in the history of this state, the ferocity of these fires, the drought five-plus years, losing 163 million trees to that drought somethings happened to the plumbing of the world. And we come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. But as the roundtable continued, and Trump was briefed on record-breaking temperatures in the state by Wade Crowfoot, Californias secretary of natural resources, he rejected the suggestion that climate change was a factor in the wildfires. While Newsom, Trump and the other California officials all agreed on the need for more resources to be put into forest management, the president never mentioned the words climate change in his remarks. Speaking with reporters before he entered the briefing on the record-breaking wildfires that have ravaged California, Trump focused solely on forest management. We have to do a lot about forest management. Obviously forest management in California is very important, and now it extends to Washington and extends also to Oregon, Trump said. There has to be good, strong forest management, which Ive been talking about for three years with this state, so hopefully theyll start doing that. If we ignore that science and put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed at protecting Californians, Crowfoot responded. Story continues Itll start getting cooler, Trump replied. You just watch. I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot said. Well, I dont think science knows actually, Trump retorted, laughing. President Trump at a briefing on wildfires in McClellan Park, Calif., on Monday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) While fire experts in California agree that more controlled burns and selective logging could help control future wildfires by depriving them of fuel, they also point to climate change as another factor making the blazes worse. Its just that theres more opportunity for an ignition to coincide with bad fire weather, which allows it to escape our suppression, Brandon Collins, a researcher with the University of California Berkeleys Center for Fire Research and Outreach, told Yahoo News. Numerous other factors also play into the blazes that have scorched more than 3 million acres so far this year, including the ongoing construction of new homes in fire-prone areas and an increased infestation of bark beetles thanks to rising temperatures, which has killed millions of trees in the state. Trump, however, seemed to want to blame local officials for not properly cleaning up the states immense forests. You can knock this down to nothing, Trump said of the wildfire problem. You know you go to Europe and different places in Europe, countries where theyre forest countries and theyre very, very strong on management, and they dont have a problem. But Newsom also used his remarks at the roundtable to remind Trump that the bulk of the land where the wildfires are raging is federally owned. We acknowledge our role and responsibility to do more in that space, but one thing is fundamental: 57 percent of the land in this state is federal forest land, Newsom said. Three percent is California, so we really do need that support. President Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at Sacramento McClellan Airport on Monday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Walking a delicate balance, Newsom praised the federal-state partnership that has doubled the rate of forest clearing. The governor took a much more measured tone Monday than he did last week as he toured the fire devastation wrought by the North Complex fire in Oroville. Record-breaking temperatures, record droughts, and youve got something else at play, and thats exactly what the scientists have been predicting for a half a century, Newsom said Friday. It is here now. California, folks, is America fast-forward. What were experiencing right here is coming to a community all across the country unless we get our act together on climate change, unless we disabuse ourselves of all the BS thats being spewed by a very small group of people. Moments before Trump touched down in Sacramento, Joe Biden delivered an address in Wilmington, Del., on the need to combat climate change. He said the presidents policies had made the problem worse. As he flies to California today, we know he has no interest in meeting this moment. We know he wont listen to the experts or treat this disaster with the urgency it demands, Biden said. There is perhaps no single issue on which Biden and Trump disagree more than climate change, a point Biden hammered home during his speech. Donald Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term these hellish events will become more common, more devastating and more deadly. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The U.S. State Department has lowered its travel advisory for Mexico to a Level 3 from its highest possible Level 4, days before the U.S.-Mexico border closure is due to expire on Sept. 21. The modified travel advisory says U.S. travelers should "reconsider travel to Mexico due to covid-19" as well as "crime and kidnapping." A border closure restricting nonessential travel has been in place between the United States and Mexico since March 21 in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. The border closure terms only apply to land and water crossings, as flights between the United States and Mexico have largely continued since the early days of the pandemic. Until last week, the State Department's Mexico advisory was a Level 4 (do not travel) nationwide. Some less-visited regions of Mexico remain classified Level 4 for "crime and kidnapping." The popular resort areas of Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Cozumel have been allowing U.S. travelers who fly into the country to visit without required quarantines or coronavirus tests. Instead, Mexican airports have been carrying out health-screening procedures such as temperature checks, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Mexico due to COVID-19," the advisory states. "Mexico has lifted stay at home orders in some areas and resumed some transportation and business operations. Visit the Embassy's COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Mexico." Mexico has seen a total of 668,000 coronavirus cases and more than 70,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with daily new cases peaking in August before lowering and holding steady in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 per day since then. The United States has reported more than 6 million total coronavirus cases and 190,000 deaths, with the peak in daily new cases hitting mid-July, at more than 75,000. The change comes soon after some major tourist sites in Mexico reopened, including Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site outside of Mexico City. The only area in Mexico that has a higher covid-19 rate than Mexico City is the tourist-frequented state of Baja California Sur, which includes Los Cabos. Subregions that have earned the World Travel and Tourism Council's "Safe Travels stamp," which certifies that a locale follows health protocols established by the WTTC, include Los Cabos, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit, Yucatan, Jalisco and the islands of Cozumel. "CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential international travel to Mexico. Travelers at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should consider postponing all travel, including essential travel, to Mexico," according to the CDC website. "Local policies at your destination may require you to be tested for COVID-19 before you are allowed to enter the country. If you test positive on arrival, you may be required to isolate for a period of time. You may even be prevented from returning to the United States, as scheduled." In addition to reliable transportation, employers said a regionwide coronavirus testing strategy that is timely, accessible, and affordable is needed to safely reopen, according to the survey. However, even as most employers said they want to test their employees for the virus, they do not intend to do so if testing costs more than $50 per employee. Only one in 10 employers surveyed said they plan to require employees be tested before returning to the office or worksite. The son of a local district judge has been indicted in relation to an assault that occurred in 2018, according to court documents. On Wednesday, a grand jury sitting in the 406th District Court charged Daniel Palomo Jr., 20, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of up to 20 years and a possible fine of up to $10,000. He is the son of 341st District Judge Beckie Palomo. The case dates back to Oct. 6, 2018. At about 1:40 a.m., a Laredo police officer responded to an assault at the Stripes at 2501 E. Del Mar Blvd. Authorities learned that the suspect had fled in a white Toyota Tacoma. Police met with a 52-year-old man whose right eye area was bleeding and bruised, according to court documents. He stated that someone struck him in the face after purchasing some items in the store and was about to enter his vehicle, states the affidavit. He further stated that prior to the assault, he honked at the Tacoma after almost colliding with it inside the Stripes parking lot. The complainant went inside the store and returned to his vehicle. The suspect then accused him of hitting his Tacoma with his vehicles door, states the affidavit. Police said the suspect confronted the complainant and struck him in the face. Surveillance video did not record the incident but showed the complainant losing his balance and holding his eye, records state. READ MORE: Laredo man arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend He further stated to police that he believed the suspect hit him with brass knuckles, states the affidavit. Records further state that a Laredo Crime Crime Stoppers tip corroborated what the complainant had stated. Police said the complainant had to get stitches and had orbital fractures. Authorities would identify the suspect as Palomo via surveillance video. Recently, Palomo and Joseph Lopez, 21, were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, a third-degree felony punishable with up to 10 years behind bars and a possible $10,000 fine. The case occurred at about 7:40 p.m. Aug. 20 on mile marker 16 of South Interstate 35 following a traffic stop. Both passenger and driver admitted to smoking marijuana and subsequent search led to several bundles of marijuana located on the backseat of the vehicle, the arrest affidavit states. The marijuana weighed about 5.4 pounds, police said. Another round of consultations has begun in Ankara as part of the negotiation process on the conclusion of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture and Ukraine's Trade Representative Taras Kachka, and the Turkish delegation by Mr. Husnu Dilemre, Director General for International Agreements and EU Affairs of the Turkish Ministry of Trade. On September 1, at the request of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko had a phone conversation with Minister of Trade of the Republic of Turkey Ruhsar Pekcan. The free trade agreement was the main topic of their conversation. The parties agreed to restart the negotiation process, which has been continuing intermittently since 2012, and to find a mutually beneficial solution to conclude a free trade agreement. The ministers also discussed the issue of raising tariffs by Turkey within its capabilities in the WTO and negative impact of such a step on Ukrainian companies. The parties agreed that one of the options for resolving the situation is to jointly develop an optimal tariff proposal and conclude the FTA. During the conversation, the ministers agreed on the current visit of Taras Kachka to Ankara. ish Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday appealed to countrymen for more and more use of Hindi to contribute to the promotion of the national language. In a video message released on the occasion of 'Hindi Diwas', he said that it was only due to Hindi that the perennial river of Indian civilisation, culture, and values had been kept alive. He emphasised the use of Hindi in official work rather than translation of documents. The Minister said that India was coming up as a resources-rich country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindi had played a big role in it. "Speeches delivered in Hindi by Modi on international platforms had increased the stature of the national language on the world stage, which had inspired those who supported the language," Shah said. He assured that under the new National Education Policy 2020, the government will ensure equal development of Hindi and vernacular languages. The government is working towards strengthening the e-tools for Hindi, under the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiative. He asserted that Hindi was never in competition with any regional language in India, which should be clear to all the citizens. Shah said that all Indians should take a pledge to work for a self-reliant India through the use of Hindi, while keeping other vernacular languages on the same pedestal. Charles Stanley stepping down as senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment After nearly 50 years of serving as senior pastor at First Baptist Church Atlanta, Charles Stanley announced during a pre-recorded streaming service on Sunday that he is stepping down. The megachurch said Stanley will be replaced by Dr. Anthony George. Earlier this month, I informed the board that I felt the time had come for me to step down as senior pastor, Stanley said. I have many wonderful memories. But as much as I love being your pastor, I know in my heart this season has come to an end. Stanley, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and who will turn 88 later this month, will become pastor emeritus. To say I didnt rush this decision would certainly be an understatement, he said. Stanley, whos been with First Baptist since 1969, said hes not retiring and will remain active with In Touch Ministries, which was founded in 1992. The church said in a statement on its Facebook page, We are forever indebted to this man of Godnot only our faithful pastor, but also a pastor to millions around the world. George, who assisted Stanley as the churchs associate pastor since 2012, stated, Thank you for being strong and of good courage through every battle that youve had to fight, through every trial youve had to overcome. You have stood tall and confident through all these years while at the same time remaining dependent and prayerful before an almighty God. Because you were a yielded vessel the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through you, has blanketed this globe. Truly, God has been with you wheresoever you have gone. In his message, Stanley said he was so grateful for George. Thanks to Anthonys leadership and his love for you and his love for God. I have no doubt that there are many great days ahead for the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. My hope is that the greatest days are still ahead. A former senior pastor of Aloma Church in Winter Park, Florida, for one and a half decades, George said he plans to do some serious strategic planning for updating our churchs organizational structure and ministry model. Stanley had to be hospitalized twice last year, George recalled, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After coming home from the hospital each of those times, he had me over to his house to tell me it was time for him to step down, George said. As he recovered and regained his strength following each of those conversations, he let me know that he had changed his mind and planned on remaining as senior pastor. Then at the beginning of this year, he had me over to discuss it, only to back down again and say that the timing wasnt right. So even with the back and forth, I knew it was weighing heavily on his mind. And for the record, I have always discouraged him from stepping down. David P. Gushee, a professor at Mercer University and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life, called Stanley one of the giants of conservative Southern Baptist life for the last generation or more, according to AJC. He said Stanleys commitment to staying in one place and serving as a faithful pastor in that one community is just something you dont see anymore. The glamorous widow of Sydney underworld figure John Macris uttered just two words as her husband's killer was found guilty of his execution murder in a Greek court. Macris, 46, was gunned down outside his home in Athens while being ambushed by Bulgarian brothers Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim and Milen Raychev in October 2018. An Athens court on Monday found Serafim pulled the trigger, while Milen was an accessory to the murder. Macris' Playboy model wife Viktoria Karida, 33, simply said 'I'm satisfied' to media outside the courtroom, The Daily Telegraph reported. John Macris, 46, was gunned down outside his home in Athens in October 2018. Pictured with his former Playboy model wife Viktoria Karida Macris' Playboy model wife Viktoria Karida, 33, simply said: 'I'm satisfied' to reporters outside the courtroom Macris was killed by Bulgarian brothers Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim (pictured centre) and Milen Raychev in October 2018 Serafim and Milen stalked Macris for 19 days before carrying out the hit outside the couple's up-market home in the seaside suburb of Voula, the court was told. Macris was killed while sitting in his car, which was caught on CCTV. The brothers were in Greece at the time of the shooting and had rented a Nissan Pulsar and used their own passports to check into a hotel. The car was seen on CCTV footage passing Macris house six times on the days leading up to the shooting. They were also seen in the same cafe where Macris had been dining. Clothes similar to those in the CCTV footage were later found in Serafim's hotel room. Ms Karida previously revealed the pair's two children Achilles and Alexandra had learnt about how their father was killed by watching it on YouTube At a hearing in July, Ms Karida, who has two kids with Macris, broke down in tears and had to leave the room as the two Bulgarian brothers were led in Macris was killed while sitting in his car, which was caught on CCTV Serafim had fled Greece the day after the murder but had returned in April 2019 where he was arrested by police who suspected he was planning another kill. The 46-year-old's murder was linked to a Canadian branch of the notorious Outlaws motorcycle gang, which Serafim has the logo of tattooed on his left arm. Macris left Sydney in 2013 and started afresh in Athens where he ran a security company. The brothers' mother said her sons were 'very good gentlemen' and claimed they were wrongly convicted. 'I'm very sorry about the lady, I'm sorry for her loss, but my kids is not that kind of persons,' she said in English outside court on Monday. 'My kids is very good gentlemen. I don't believe that they do that kind of thing to kill someone. 'And they have all families and kids. They never can do that kind of things, they have respect for the people.' At a hearing in July, Ms Karida, who has two kids with Macris, broke down in tears and had to leave the room as the two Bulgarian brothers were led in. 'I am devastated but I remain strong,' Ms Karida told reporters at the time. She previously revealed the pair's two children Achilles and Alexandra had learnt about how their father was killed by watching it on YouTube. Ms Karida previously revealed the pair's two children Achilles and Alexandra had learnt about how their father was killed by watching it on YouTube Chennai: Former judges of the Madras High Court have urged the Chief Justice (CJ) to not take seriously the comments made by actor Suriya on the recent student suicides in the state, in connection with the NEET Exam. The former judges have requested the CJ to not take cognizance of the complaint so that the court is rid of unnecessary controversies. This comes after, Justice SM Subramaniam, a judge of the Madras High Court had written to the Chief Justice, seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against actor Suriya. In a statement in Tamil, Suriya had expressed grief over the separate instances where three students from humble backgrounds had ended their lives due to fear and pressure ahead of the medical entrance test. The actor pointed out that it was painful that students are having to write exams to prove their eligibility at the time of a deadly pandemic. While fearing for their lives amid coronavirus pandemic and delivering justice via video conferencing, the Court orders students to go without fear and write the exams, read one of the lines in the actors statement. It is this line that had come to the attention of the judge, which led to him seeking initiation of contempt proceedings. In his letter to the Chief Justice, the judge mentioned that, the statement reveals that the Honble Judges are afraid of their own life and rendering justice through video conferencing. While so, they have no morale to pass orders directing the students to appear for NEET exam without fear. Justice Subramaniam opines that the statement amounts to contempt of court, as it questions the integrity and devotion of the judges and the judicial system of the country, to the extent of threatening the public confidence in the judiciary. The actors statement urged society to raise a collective voice against NEET, which burns down the aspirations of children from humble backgrounds who wish to be doctors. He had also termed NEET as a Manu Neethi test, claiming that it denies students opportunities and also takes away their lives. Suriya had also cautioned parents to and teachers to be alert and pay more attention to the education system which does not consider the welfare of students. In their letter, the former judges pointed out the good social work done by the actor via his Trust in providing higher education and placements for hundreds of poor students. We should show generosity and magnanimity in leaving the matter without any cognizance, said a portion of the statement signed by Retd Justice K Chandru, on behalf of five former Judges. The Hong Kong authorities have consistently stated that the law is not intended to impact negatively on the peaceful exercise of human rights by Hong Kong residents, said Bachelet. Accordingly, I would encourage the Hong Kong authorities to monitor closely the enforcement of the law by the police and the courts, and to take steps to review the law in response to any negative consequences it might have on the enjoyment of human rights. Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby revealed on Sunday's edition of the reality series that her husband Michael Darby was involved in an incident at a strip club in which 'this one woman kept touching him.' 'As far as I know, everything is well... that's why I'm shocked,' Darby, 32, said of the occurrence, just days after sharing on Instagram that they're expecting another child. She opened up about a past occurrence that took place with Michael, 59, when he returned home from a strip club. The latest: Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby, 32, revealed on Sunday's edition of the reality series that her husband Michael Darby, 59, was involved in an incident at a strip club in which 'this one woman kept touching him' 'One time, he did come home, smelling like perfume,' she said. 'I was upset and he was like, "I'm sorry I was at the strip club." I was pregnant and I was very sensitive.' She said that after she asked him to to do it again, she presumed he 'stopped going to strip clubs.' Darby said that Michael told her 'he was at a strip club' in the incident, which took place when she and their one-year-old son Dean were at co-star Monique Samuels' house for a cast trip. Another co-star, Candiace Dillard, later revealed to Ashley an image of Michael at the strip club. Parenthood: The couple are parents to son Dean, one, and expecting another baby Good news: The couple announced they're expecting their second child Ashley said that she and her spouse 'talked about the issue that Candiace brought up, and he told me he was at the strip club and this woman kept touching him.' She said that tensions ran high and they slept in separate rooms, 'Michael slept in the baby's room and I slept in the bedroom.' She said her husband 'regrets' his actions, which he didn't specify, and 'feels bad' about it. Out and about: Ashley joined (L-R) Robyn Dixon, Wendy Osefo, Gizelle Bryant and Charrisse Jackson-Jordan for Bryant's birthday in Washington, DC on Saturday On the show, Dillard, 33, said she'd received pictures of Michael 'in his boxers' at a hotel. Bryant, 50, told Dillard, 'I'm minding my business and I had at least 40 DMs about Michael; this is the worst!' Dillard said there was now 'photographic evidence of Michael at a hotel, Michael at the strip club and Michael at MGM.' The show's Karen Huger said of the image, 'Michael doing something, but it don't look like it's Ashley.' Samuels, 36, said that 'in the big scheme of it all, the only person that matters right now is baby Dean.' Robyn Dixon suggested that Michael show better restraint and 'go home to [his] wife.' Previously, a cameraman on their reality series publicly claimed in 2018 that Michael had groped him during filming. Charges of felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual conduct were filed against him but later dropped due to a lack of evidence. 'When I got the news, I just froze,' Ashley said on RHOP while delving into the matter. 'It was not real that something like this was happening to my husband and I. My heart was racing, I was getting light headed. Like, this just cant be my reality.' Last year, Michael was alleged to have made a sexual comment about one of Housewives' husbands. 'After the night died down, Michael walked past us and said, "Yeah, I would suck his d***,''' Dixon told Ashley on the show. 'You were there. You all were walking past us.' Despite one of her fellow Housewives claiming Michael said it, Ashley adamantly denied he'd made the comment. The Real Housewives of Potomac can be seen on Bravo Sunday at 9/8c. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:50:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday as outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's successor. The following is a profile of Suga: Suga was born in 1948 and graduated from Hosei University in 1973 and obtained a Bachelor of Laws. A native of Akita Prefecture, Suga has worked as a secretary for a lawmaker for 11 years. In 1987, he was elected to the Yokohama City Council and secured a House of Representatives seat in 1996. He served as minister of internal affairs and communications and minister for privatization of the postal services from September 2006 to August 2007 in the first cabinet of Abe which ended in September 2007. In October 2011, he was appointed chairman of Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters of the LDP. In September 2012, he was appointed executive acting secretary-general of the LDP. Suga was appointed as the chief cabinet secretary in December 2012 when Abe returned to office. He became the longest serving chief cabinet secretary ever in the country. In September 2014, he was given the additional portfolio of minister in charge of mitigating the impact of the bases in Okinawa. On April 1, 2019, Suga announced the name of Japan's new era "Reiwa" and gained public attention. A longtime confidant of Abe, Suga has been seen as the public face of the Abe administration and played a coordinating role behind the scenes to address discord within the ruling coalition. Suga is married and has three children. Enditem For the second time in just over a year, a gondola that carries hikers, tourists and skiers to a famous B.C. lookout point has apparently been sabotaged. The Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish crashed to the ground early Monday morning after its thick steel cable came apart, the signature light green gondola cars crumpled from the impact of the fall. It was 13 months ago that the same thing happened. The RCMP then said they suspected someone had cut the cable intentionally but never found suspects or laid charges. The act of vandalism on Aug. 10 of last year closed the gondola for six months while millions of dollars worth of repairs were conducted on the system. The gondolas website said gondola security reported the latest cable slashing at 4 a.m. Monday about the same hour the cable was cut last year. The gondola hadnt fully reopened until May 2020. On Monday, the Squamish RCMP said its investigating the damage and warned people to stay out of the area including popular hiking trails nearby. The Sea to Sky Gondola is an integral part of this community and we very lucky no one was injured, Sgt. Sascha Banks said in a news release. Someone in our area has seen something or has heard something and we are asking them to call us immediately with any information." Due to the early hour of both collapses, no one was injured. But, after the first vandalism, experts said slashing a 55-millimetre cable fixed to a sophisticated gondola system would be a major hazard in and of itself. With that much tension, before you even got all the way through it would rip itself apart, said Wayne Margetts, the owner of Test Right Rigging Ltd., a B.C.-based company that has been building, installing and testing wire rope for 21 years. The forces released would have been massive. ... If it hit you, it would easily kill you. Margetts said at the time whoever cut the cable likely would have had to use a battery powered angle grinder with a zip blade attached to cut through strands of the steel cable one at a time. The Sea to Sky Gondola climbs 830 metres to reach a height of 885 metres above Howe Sound, just south of Squamish. Thirty gondola cabins can carry eight passengers each between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. The gondola cost $7.6 million to build, according to a 2013 news release from the company. With files from Ainslie Cruickshank Read more about: President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a campaign event at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, Nev., Sept. 13, 2020. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Trump: Anyone Who Murders a Police Officer Should Face Death Penalty Anyone who kills a police officer should get the death penalty, President Donald Trump said Sept. 13. Speaking at a rally in Henderson, Nevada, a day after two Los Angeles County deputies were shot while sitting in their vehicle, Trump said, My plan is to arrest domestic terrorists, and we also believe that if you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty. Thats something thats very important, he said, drawing prolonged cheers and chants of USA. A 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy were sitting in a squad car in Compton on Sept. 12 when a man walked up in broad daylight and shot them both, according to video footage released by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. They were ambushed by a gunman in a cowardly fashion, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters on Sept. 13. He said the deputies are expected to survive. They were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department deputies stand outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters) The suspect was described as a dark-skinned male. A $100,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his arrest. This is just a somber reminder that this is a is a dangerous job and you know, actions, words have consequences, and our job does not get any easier because people dont like law enforcement, Villanueva said later. It seems to be part of a trend, a growing trend where the suspects open fire unprovoked. Trump during his rally asked if people had seen video of the shooting, calling the gunman an animal and the police officers unsuspecting fine people. Hes an animal and I called him an animal, and I was criticized by people for calling him an animal, Trump said. They said hes a human being. Hes not a human being, hes an animal. A gunman walks up to sheriffs deputies and opens fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department via AP) Trump claimed that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden opposes the death penalty, even for these cop killers. Bidens campaign didnt respond to a request for comment. The campaigns website states that Biden wants to end federal executions. Because we cannot ensure we get death penalty cases right every time, Biden will work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal governments example. These individuals should instead serve life sentences without probation or parole, the website states. In a statement Sept. 13, Biden said the shooting of the deputies is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished, he said. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 05:37:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Combo photo shows U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump attending their respective events on different occasions. (Xinhua) "When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, he thinks hoax. When I think about climate change I think jobs," says Biden. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday criticized President Donald Trump's denial of climate change, calling the latter a "climate arsonist" as he addressed an audience in the state of Delaware about the ongoing wildfire sweeping the country's west coast. Biden, the former U.S. vice president, mentioned in his speech a broad range of natural disasters, including the wildfires raging across the western states like California, Oregon and Washington, the flooding hitting the Midwest, and the hurricane battling the Southeast, blaming Trump's inaction in curbing global warming for causing those catastrophes. "What we're seeing in America, in our communities, is connected to all of this, with every bout with nature's fury caused by our own inaction on climate change," Biden said. Firefighters battle the wildfire in Arcadia, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua) "If we give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? If we leave a climate denier with four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater. We need a president that respects science, understands that the damage from climate change is already here. Unless we take urgent action, it will soon be more catastrophic," he said. Biden has incorporated his climate plan into his economic vision, viewing it as a way to create jobs. With a focus on funding for research and development, the plan is aimed at a transition to cleaner technologies, including electric vehicles and renewable energy, as well as a requirement that all power be free of carbon by 2035. "When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, he thinks hoax. When I think about climate change I think jobs," Biden said. Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2020 shows the street view at noon in San Francisco, California, the United States. San Francisco was still as dark as night at noon on Wednesday due to the wildfire. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) "Here's the deal. Hurricanes don't swerve to avoid red states or blue states. Wildfires don't skip towns that voted a certain way. The impacts of climate change don't pick and choose. That's because it's not a partisan phenomenon," he added. Trump traveled to California on Monday to inspect the situation there, denying the role of climate change in the wildfire that blocked the sun and turned the sky red. "It'll start getting cooler. You just watch," the president told a roundtable at McClellan Park, California. When a panelist expressed the opinion that science disagreed with the president's claim, he pushed back by saying "I don't think science knows actually." President Trump has praised a US federal judge who on Monday ruled lockdown measures brought in by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf are unconstitutional. Wolf's restrictions covered limits on crowd sizes, requirements that people stay home, and the closing of non-essential businesses, and were challenged by business owners and Republican politicians. Ruling on the lawsuit, US District Judge William Stickman IV, a Trump appointee, said while the restrictions were executed with good intentions, they were arbitrary and violated individual rights. President was in a celebrational mood on Twitter, retweeting twelve different news stories about the decision, and replying to Republican House Candidate Mike Kelly with 'Great News, Mike!' While some of the limits have been lifted since the lawsuit was filed in May, the Democratic governor has maintained some restrictions on gatherings and on bars and restaurants. Gov. Wolf's office said it is disappointed with the ruling, and will request a stay of the decision so it can file an appeal. A federal judge has struck down COVID-19 lockdown measures imposed by Pennsylvania's governor, Tom Wolf (pictured above in Philadelphia in 2018) Wolf, a Democrat, imposed some of the strictest lockdown measures in the country when the pandemic hit earlier this year. A group of Pittsburgh residents are seen above watching the Democratic National Convention on August 18 Stickman wrote that the governors efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus 'were undertaken with the good intention of addressing a public health emergency,' 'But even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered,' he added. The judgement says: '(1) that the congregate gathering limits imposed by defendants' mitigation orders violate the right of assembly enshrined in the First Amendment; (2) that the stay-at-home and business closure components of defendants' orders violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; and (3) that the business closure components of defendants' orders violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.' The Wolf administration is reviewing the ruling, a spokesperson said. Previous legal challenges to some of the governor's pandemic-related restrictions had been unsuccessful. Wolf has lifted many of the restrictions since the lawsuit was filed in May, allowing businesses to reopen and canceling a statewide stay-at-home order. Cars line up outside the Central Outreach Wellness Center on the Northside of Pittsburgh in March for drive-by COVID-19 testing But his administration has maintained capacity restrictions and limitations on alcohol sales at bars and restaurants. The state has also imposed a gathering limit of more than 25 people for events held indoors and more than 250 people for those held outside. A spokesman for Wolf said: 'The administration is disappointed with the result and will seek a stay of the decision and file an appeal. US District Judge William Stickman IV, a Trump appointee, ruled on the lawsuit brought by business owners and Republicans 'The actions taken by the administration were mirrored by governors across the country and saved, and continue to save lives in the absence of federal action. This decision is especially worrying as Pennsylvania and the rest of the country are likely to face a challenging time with the possible resurgence of COVID-19 and the flu in the fall and winter. 'Todays court ruling is limited to the business closure order and the stay at home orders issued in March and were later suspended, as well as the indoor and outdoor gathering limitations. 'This ruling does not impact any of the other mitigation orders currently in place including, but not limited to the targeted mitigation orders announced in July, mandatory telework, mandatory mask order, worker safety order, and the building safety order.' There have been hundreds of cases filed in federal and state courts across the United States, challenging various local coronavirus restrictions, with some going all the way to the Supreme Court. The US top court in July declined to lift a 50-person limit on religious services adopted by Nevada's Democratic governor in response to the pandemic, and in May it rejected challenges to coronavirus curbs on religious services in California and Illinois. Perhaps one of the most emblematic cases of the clash over pandemic curbs took place in Wisconsin in May, when some residents flocked to bars to celebrate a ruling by the state's top court that struck down a statewide stay-at-home order. Several lawsuits challenging Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker orders are working their way through state courts. The lawsuits accuse Pritzker, a Democrat, of overstepping his authority. Despite a recent return to school for many students and teachers, coronavirus cases in the United States have dropped sharply in recent weeks and both deaths and hospitalizations are trending lower at a slower pace. The number of new cases fell 15 per cent last week and deaths fell for a fourth week in a row, according to a Reuters analysis. The United States reported on average about 35,000 new cases each day in the week ended September 13, marking the eighth straight week of declines from a peak in July of about 70,000 new cases a day. More than 735 people a day on average died from COVID-19 last week. DENVER, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE: GTES), a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions, today announced an improved financial outlook compared to the outlook provided on August 4, 2020. "We are seeing broad-based continued improvement across our end markets and regions, which has translated into higher orders and sales within the quarter," said Ivo Jurek. "We now expect our third quarter 2020 core revenue decline to be in the range of 5% to 7% year-over-year versus the previously communicated decline of 10% to 15%. For the second half of 2020, we anticipate decremental Adjusted EBITDA margins of approximately 30% versus our previous estimate of approximately 35%." Upcoming Investor Conferences The Company will participate in the virtual 2020 RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, with Ivo Jurek, Chief Executive Officer, presenting at 11:20 a.m. Eastern time. To listen to a live webcast of this presentation, please visit the Events & Presentations section of the Gates Investor Relations website at investors.gates.com, and click on the event webcast link. The Company will also participate virtually in Morgan Stanley's 8th Annual Laguna Conference on September 16, 2020. About Gates Industrial Corporation plc Gates is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers, and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Our products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and energy, to everyday consumer applications such as printers, power washers, automatic doors and vacuum cleaners and virtually every form of transportation. Our products are sold in 128 countries across our four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Greater China; and East Asia & India. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are related to and based on management's current expectations regarding the performance of the Company's business and financial results. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), as supplemented by the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 28, 2020. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in the Company's filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement should circumstances change, except as required by law. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release references certain non-GAAP financial measures, which management believes are useful to investors, securities analysts and other interested parties. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered only as supplemental to, and not as superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Because GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are not accessible, and reconciling information is not available without unreasonable effort, we have not provided reconciliations for forward-looking non-GAAP measures. For the same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results. SOURCE Gates Industrial Corporation plc Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - The trial of former Rwandan presidential guard commander, Colonel Tom Byabagamba, who is facing a new charge of phone theft, was postponed Monday after defense team argued they had not received all the documents from the prosecution and that it would be unfair to proceed Maserati introduced the MC20 supercar with a twin-turbo V-6 engine called Nettuno. The company claims that this engine is new and "100% Maserati," but the mill actually shares parts with powerplants found in Ferrari and Alfa Romeo models. As speculated long before Maserati unveiled the car, the Nettuno engine is derived from a Ferrari V-8 and is similar to a V-6 that Alfa Romeo offers in high-performance versions of the Giulia and Stelvio. Maseratis Nettuno V-6 is by no means unique As pointed out by the folks over at Road and Track, you can tell that the Nettuno isnt a unique mill simply by looking at the official photos of the engine. First, it seems that the bottom right corner of the rear cover has the same bolt pattern and flanges as the Ferrari F154 engine, which powers all existing twin-turbo V-8 models. They also share the oil filter housing and mounting pattern, as well as the crankshaft pulley. The outlet also quotes a video that shows the deck of the cylinder block, which is again similar to the F154 and further proof that the Nettuno engine is a Ferrari V-8 with a set of cylinders removed. Then there are the specs. Maseratis sheet lists a 90-degree angle, which matches the layout of the Ferrari F154 engine. The 88mm bore and 82mm stroke are also identical to the V-8 that Ferrari offers in the SF90 hybrid. The firing order of the Nettuno, quoted at 1-6-3-4-2-5, is the same as the firing order of Alfa Romeos high-performance V-6 engine, also derived from the Ferrari F154. Maserati's engine also includes some components sourced from Alfa Romeo models. The Denso alternator is used across the Alfa Romeo lineup, while the A/C compressor is taken from the Quadrifoglio models. The mill will also be assembled by FCA instead of Ferrari, as it used to happen with Ferrari-developed Maserati engines in the past. What is the Ferrari F154 engine? The Maranello-based company introduced the F154 engine back in 2014. The twin-turbo, 3.9-liter mill broke cover in the Ferrari California T, and a slightly revised version found its way into the 488 GTB in 2015. The California engine was later used in three more cars, the GTC4 Lusso T, Portofino, and the Roma, in all cases with different power outputs. The version used in the 488 GTB was upgraded for the 488 Pista in 2018 and then found its way into the F8 Tributo in 2019. Finally, a larger 4.0-liter variant was developed for the SF90 Stradale hybrid for 2020. While the first version of the Ferrari F154 V-8 was rated at 552 horsepower, the engine was uprated to 661 horsepower for the 488 GTB and to 710 horses for the F8 Tributo. The largest iteration, the 4.0-liter in the SF90 Stradale, comes with an impressive 769 horsepower on tap. The F154 engine also motivates two versions of the Maserati Levante SUV and the Quattroporte GTS performance sedan. All these vehicles are offered with a 3.8-liter version of the F154 engine. The Quattroporte GTS and the Euro-spec Levante GTS come with 523 horsepower, while the U.S. variant of the Levante GTS is rated at 550 horses. The Levante Trofeo benefits from the most powerful version of this engine, rated at 572 horses in the European model and 590 horsepower in the U.S. variant. Finally, the F154 was chopped off and modified to create the Alfa Romeo 690T engine. This twin-turbo V-6 displaces 2.9-liters and powers Quadrifoglio versions of the Giulia and the Stelvio. Both are rated at 503 horsepower, but the Giulia GTA boasts 533 hoses. The Nettuno V-6 has a few unique features Although it's not a brand-new design, Maserati did make some notable modifications to the chopped-off F154 engine. It now runs an 11:1 compression ratio and features unique heads developed in-house. They feature dual spark plugs and a small combustion chamber that is connected to the traditional combustion chamber by a series of designed holes, based on technology borrowed from Formula One. Is Maserati lying about the Nettuno engine? Not really. We could stay that it attempted a PR stunt. Sure, the Nettuno engines roots lie in the Ferrari F154 V-8, but Maserati has done significant development in-house for this powerplant and added technology that Ferrari doesnt use at this point. But Maserati just pushed things a bit too far with the "100% Maserati." This statement should mean that the company designed and built an engine from a clean sheet, but theres proof that it didnt. This doesnt mean that the Nettuno V-6 isnt a good engine. On the contrary. The fact that it is based on a tried-and-true Ferrari engine makes it that much more reliable and desirable. Its just that Maserati could have been honest about it. 2021 Maserati MC20 specifications Layout V6 90 MTC twin turbo Displacement (cc) 3000 cc Bore x stroke (mm) 88 x 82 mm Compression ratio 11:1 Max. power output 630 HP @ 7500 rpm Peak torque (Nm @ rpm) 538 LB-FT @ 3000 - 5500 rpm Ignition system MTC (Maserati Twin Combustion) Twin Spark with passive prechamber Fuel system PD( Direct injection 350bar + Port injection 6bar) Induction Twin Side Turbo with electronic actuated waste gate Lubrication Fully variable Oil pump on Dry Sump System with scavenge Pumps & external oil tank Timing system Double over head camshaft with variable valve timing 0-100 Km/h (s) <2,9'' 0-200 Km/h (s) <8,8'' Top speed (km/h) >325km/h Braking distance from 100 to 0 km/h (m) <33mt Source: Road and Track UK Chief of Defence Intelligence Warns of Capability of Russia's Burevestnik Missile Sputnik News 15:42 GMT 13.09.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom's chief of defence intelligence, Lt. Gen. Jim Hockenhull, has warned that Russia's nuclear-powered Burevestnik (NATO name Skyfall) cruise missiles could remain in the atmosphere for multiple years if necessary and could pose a threat at any moment. "Moscow is testing a sub-sonic nuclear-powered cruise missile system which has global reach and would allow attack from unexpected directions," Hockenhull said during a media briefing at the Five Eyes intelligence hub, as quoted by the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper. The intelligence chief, who said that the Burevestnik missile has "a near-indefinite loiter time," also noted Moscow's investment in its submarine and seafaring capabilities, adding that these will give the Russian armed forces the ability to strike military and civilian infrastructure. "These capabilities together allow the Russians to hold the UK and its allies' civilian and military infrastructure at risk of direct attack both with conventional explosives and nuclear weapons, limiting options or raising the stakes during times of crisis," Hockenhull said, as quoted by the newspaper. The Burevestnik cruise missile is one of six new strategic weapons that were unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprises agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vietnam's southern region, including Ho Chi Minh City, is expecting a streak of torrential rains this week that may last until the end of Sunday. A low-pressure trough is to elongate over the south-central and southern areas of Vietnam, the Southern Region Hydro-meteorological Observatory reports. A southeast monsoon of reduced intensity is also active in the southern region. Due to the effect of the troughs southern periphery and the emergence of an atmospheric instability arriving from the ocean, southern localities will encounter rain on a wide scale, with the local occurrence of moderate downpours and thunderstorms. Several provinces are forecast to experience heavy to intense rain, with precipitation averaging 30-50mm per 24 hours and up to 80mm per 24 hours in some areas. These rains and thunderstorms are likely to be accompanied by strong gusts, whirlwinds, and lightning, authorities warned. A tree, uprooted due to heavy rain, is seen in this photo taken in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre It is speculated that the sweeping rainfall will linger until the end of Sunday, which calls for preemptive measures against inundation in low-lying areas. Meanwhile, in Vietnams northern areas, wind convergence at high altitudes will cause the local occurrence of rainfall and thunderstorms. Mountainous areas and stream-adjacent locales are advised to brace for chances of flash floods and landslides. The observatory also identified the formation of a low-pressure area offshore the Philippines. It is anticipated to develop into a tropical depression or cyclone by Thursday. A cold front is forecast to push the low-pressure trough deeper into Vietnams northern region and cause a heavy downpour while it persists. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! TAMPA, Fla. - A once-standout U.S. narcotics agent admitted Monday to conspiring to launder money with the same Colombian cartel he was sworn to fight one of the most egregious betrayals of the badge in the history of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The disgraced agent, Jose I. Irizarry, pleaded guilty to 19 federal counts, including bank fraud and having diverted millions of dollars in drug proceeds from DEA control. The prosecution was not only an embarrassment for the DEA but could have long-lasting implications on its undercover money-laundering operations. It also raised questions about the level of supervision Irizarry received during his career, in which he had been entrusted with the governments use of front companies, shell bank accounts and couriers to combat international drug trafficking. Timothy J. Shea, the DEAs acting administrator, said Irizarrys crimes do not reflect the high standards of conduct we demand of our employees and our agents. Corruption and betrayal of the American people the very people we stand to protect have no place at DEA, and neither does Mr. Irizarry, Shea said. The former agent looked despondently into his hands as U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson read the charges. Im atoning for my sins, Irizarry told The Associated Press after the hearing. I want to move forward. Irizarry, 45, had been charged with filing false reports and ordering DEA staff to wire money slated for undercover stings to international accounts he and associates controlled. He also was accused of sharing sensitive law enforcement information with co-conspirators, prosecutors said, including a Colombian public official and an alleged drug trafficker and money launderer. The conspiracy enriched not only Irizarry but two unindicted co-conspirators, neither of whom was named in the indictment. One was a Colombian public official, while the other was described as the head of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization. Irizarry faces potentially decades behind bars, though no immediate date was set for his sentencing. The plea marked a stunning fall from grace for Irizarry, who had won repeated praise from superiors after joining the DEA in Miami in 2009 even after he showed signs of deception on a polygraph test. Before he resigned in 2018, his ostentatious habits and tales of raucous yacht parties with bikini-clad prostitutes had become legendary among agents. Beginning around 2011, prosecutors said, Irizarry used the cover of his badge to file false reports and mislead his superiors, all while directing DEA personnel to wire funds reserved for undercover stings to accounts in Spain, the Netherlands and elsewhere accounts that he controlled or were tied to his wife and his co-conspirators. In total, Irizarry and informants under his direction handled at least $3.8 million that shouldve been carefully tracked by the DEA as part of undercover money laundering investigations, prosecutors said. The indictment details at least $900,000 paid out from a single criminal account opened by Irizarry and an informant using the name, passport and Social Security number of a third person who was unaware their identity was being stolen. Proceeds from the scheme funded a veritable spending spree, including the purchase of a $30,000 Tiffany diamond ring, a BMW, three Land Rovers and a $767,000 home in Cartagena as well as homes in south Florida and Puerto Rico, where Irizarry and his wife had been living. It also funded the purchase in Miami of a 2017 Lamborghini Huracan Spyder on behalf of a family member of one of the co-conspirators. To hide his tracks, prosecutors said, Irizarry opened a bank account in someone elses name and used the victims forged signature and Social Security number. __ Mustian reported from New York. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 00:55:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that African countries have conducted more than 12 million COVID-19 tests. As of Sunday, more than 12 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the African continent with a 10 percent positivity rate. According to the latest figures from the Africa CDC, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surged to 1,346,658 as of Sunday. The number of deaths due to illnesses related to the virus also rose to 32,502 so far. The number of people who recovered from their COVID-19 infections also reached 1,083,438 so far, according to the Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the AU Commission said. The Africa CDC also noted that ten countries account for 81 percent of the new COVID-19 cases reported during the past week, which include South Africa at 22 percent, Morocco at 21 percent, Ethiopia at 14 percent, Libya at 10 percent, Algeria 4 percent, as well as Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Tunisia and Egypt at 2 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the Africa CDC has urged the African continent to augment COVID-19 testing capacity so as to effectively contain the spread of the virus across the continent. The urgent call was made by John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC, as he emphasized if Africa is to effectively tone down the spread of the virus in the near future, the continent needs to boost its testing capabilities. "Testing is the cornerstone of response to this pandemic, without testing we will be fighting blindly. But the testing strategy must shift as countries unlock their economies," an Africa CDC statement issued on late Saturday quoted Nkengasong as saying. "We need to scale up testing and we need to improve the turnaround time for testing so that we can quickly identify, isolate and treat positive cases," the Africa CDC director added. Amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across Africa, the continental disease control and prevention agency had recently commended the progress in the development of COVID-19 vaccine across Africa. Speaking exclusive to Xinhua recently, Nkengasong said the African continent "is very active in the vaccine space because we know that it is one of the tools and instruments that are going to actually be determinant in terms of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic." "In terms of vaccine development, Africa is not just sitting idle. We are making very good progress. We are now developing a continental strategy for vaccine, a framework that will guide vaccine development and access efforts in Africa," Nkengasong told Xinhua. Noting that the number of COVID-19 testing in Africa is "encouraging" as more than 9 million people have been tested so far, the director, however, stressed that African countries still need to intensify their testing capabilities. Nkengasong also emphasized that as a continent Africa needs to conduct about 15 million tests per month to be ahead of the pandemic. Enditem Kingston Digital Releases 128GB Capacity Addition to DataTraveler 2000 Encrypted USB September 2020 by Emmanuelle Lamande Kingston Digital Europe Co LLP, the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., announces the availability of the 128GB DataTraveler 2000 encrypted USB flash drive. DataTraveler 2000 features an alphanumeric keypad that allows users to lock the drive with a word or number combination for an easy-to-use PIN providing an extra layer of protection. For additional security, an auto-lock feature is activated when the drive is removed from the host device if not properly shut down before ejection. DataTraveler 2000 is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified and offers military-grade 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. Encryption is done on the drive with no trace of the PIN left on the system. The drive is OS independent, making it easily deployable in work environments where multiple devices and operating systems are in use. DataTraveler 2000 is available in capacities 4GB to 128GB [1] and is backed by a three-year warranty with free technical support. [1] Some of the listed capacity on a Flash storage device is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. As such, the actual available capacity for data storage is less than what is listed on the products. The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will vote on Wednesday to require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to quickly disclose risk assessments after fatal air crashes in a bid to significantly tighten industry oversight. Senate Commerce Committee chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican, and the committees top Democrat Maria Cantwell, said on Friday they had agreed on a bipartisan series of sweeping reforms to how the FAA certifies new aircraft, according to the 70-page joint proposal seen by Reuters. The measure marks the most significant effort toward adopting reforms since the 2018 and 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. It includes additional reforms since the senators first proposed legislation in June. Wicker said the changes strengthen the aircraft safety certification process, bolster whistleblower protections and reduce opportunities for undue pressure, and promote international collaboration on aviation safety efforts. Boeing Co. and the FAA did not comment. In the aftermath of the October 2018 Lion Air 737 MAX crash, the FAA conducted a risk assessment that calculated that without a fix to a key safety system called MCAS there would be an estimated 15 additional fatal accidents over the lifetime of the 737 MAX. Despite its own calculations, the FAA rolled the dice on the safety of the traveling public and let the Max continue to fly until Boeing could overhaul its MCAS software, said House Transportation Committee chairman Peter DeFazio in December 2019, adding the FAAs analysis never saw the light of day beyond the closed doors of the FAA and Boeing. The Senate bill would require disclosure of any future risk assessment by FAA to Congress within seven days in a briefing by the administrator and a separate review by the Transportation Research Board of the assessments methodology. Cantwell said the bill would strengthen aircraft certification laws and upgrade technical expertise. New changed production certification rules would require a comprehensive integrated systems safety analysis which would have helped uncover problems like the ones with MCAS, Cantwell said. The bill grants the FAA new power over the long-standing practice of delegating some certification tasks to aircraft manufacturer employees. It also would create new whistleblower protections and bolster misconduct investigations and discipline management at the FAA and require a review of FAA certification expertise. Boeing is working to win regulatory approvals to resume 737 MAX commercial service since the plane was grounded in March 2019. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler and Tom Brown) Topics Aviation Chances for a second round of coronavirus-stimulus payments arent dead but are certainly on life-support, lawmakers said. A stripped-down stimulus plan introduced last week failed to garner enough votes in the Senate to move ahead and most are predicting relief measures will be on hold until after the Nov. 3 presidential election. Alabamas Senators split their votes on the $500 billion measure, which didnt include stimulus checks but was seen as a first step towards direct payments as part of a larger bill. Sen. Doug Jones joined fellow Democrats in voting against the measure; Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican, backed the GOP bill. There is no indication Congress is close to reaching any sort of deal. When asked by CNN if stimulus negotiations were dead, Shelby replied it looks that way. He held out hope, however, that a deal could be reached. You never know around here, Shelby said. Sometimes things look bleak and theyre revived, and so forth. We thought the scaled-down version was a good bill, a good timing and everything else. The Democrats obviously thought otherwise. Thats all we can do, is tee it up and go with it. Jones said his vote reflected the failures of the GOP bill. Dont be fooled folks, Democrats are not blocking anything. Ive been calling for another relief package since May. But McConnell only cares about getting votes in his own reluctant caucus, not a bipartisan agreement. So people & businesses will continue to suffer. #NoLeadership https://t.co/SqmDR6dOuv Doug Jones (@DougJones) September 11, 2020 Instead of a stimulus package, Congress will turn its attention to a temporary funding measure that will keep the government operating past Sept. 30. If the Senate passes a stimulus bill at the end of September, the House will have until Oct. 1 to approve a measure, leaving little time for relief package. The previous stimulus funds up to $2,400 for married couples plus $500 for dependent children - went to roughly 160 million Americans. The majority of people who received stimulus funds 52% - said they used the money to pay down debt, according to a survey. Thirty-two percent said they mostly saved the money; 15% said they spent or were planning on spending the money. I am humbled to be recognized by my traffic attorney peers. I am fortunate to have a great and productive Board to ensure fairness to the adjudication of New York moving violations." Matthew J. Weiss, co-founder and head of Weiss & Associates, PC, was recently elected to serve as President of a non-profit group of traffic attorneys known as the Association of Motor Vehicle Trial Attorneys, Inc., or AMVTA. Matthew is a lawyer who is devoted to helping motorists throughout New York State with their vehicle and traffic law matters. Since 1991, Weiss & Associates, PC has helped tens of thousands of motorists with speeding tickets, suspension, move over law violations, electronic device tickets and other New York traffic tickets. The AMVTA was started over 25 years ago and consists of New York lawyers and law firms who handle traffic tickets for their clients and its focus, vehicle and traffic law matters affecting the public. I am humbled to be recognized by my traffic attorney peers," said Matthew. I am fortunate to have a great and productive Board to ensure fairness to the adjudication of New York moving violations." As his first major act as President, Matthew spearheaded a lawsuit against the DMV, seeking to end police officers testifying by telephone at the NYC Traffic Violations Bureau. He coined the term for this as speakerphone justice.' About NY Traffic Ticket / Weiss & Associates, PC: NY Traffic Ticket is one of the premier New York traffic law firms handling vehicle and traffic law matters throughout New York State. Their dedicated team of traffic attorneys and staff has worked in New York a long time, being 100% focused on vigorously defending motorists who receive summonses for any type of moving or truck violation. Whether it be a speeding ticket in the Catskills, running a red light in Manhattan, or disobeying a stop sign in Southampton, Weiss & Associates, PC can help and make legal problems as simple as possible. As I write this, the Compton shooter is still unknown, the two Los Angeles sheriff's deputies are still clinging to life, and the Democrat party is failing its Sister Souljah moment that is, the moment when it must repudiate a failing, unwholesome principle if it is to survive politically. Instead of disavowing the police hatred they fomented, the Democrats are using the shooting to push for gun control. Black Lives Matter is an anti-police movement. It started in 2013, when George Zimmerman, a Hispanic man, killed Trayvon Martin, who was trying to kill him. It found its footing in 2014, when a police officer shot Michael Brown after Brown tried to wrestle the officer's gun away from him. BLM's power grew when Eric Garner, an obese man illegally selling cigarettes in New York City, resisted arrest and died in a police chokehold. Since then, every time police have killed or wounded a black man resisting arrest or threatening either explicitly or implicitly to kill the police, BLM has been on it. And almost from the beginning, BLM has consistently advocated murdering police, as exemplified by their chant of "pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon." (A chant BLM still favors in 2020.) At a BLM protest a week ago, one protester proudly held a sign saying, "All my heroes kill cops." A sign at tonight's anti-police rally in Seattle reads: "All my heroes kill cops." These people are monsters. pic.twitter.com/i1bepRMyin (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) September 8, 2020 For BLM, the out-of-context George Floyd video, which seemed to show the police smothering Floyd, was the mother lode. The reality was that George Floyd, who had a serious heart condition, was already dying from a drug overdose when the police came upon him. The video caught the police following their department guidelines and trying to restrain Floyd for his safety as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Facts didn't matter to BLM. What mattered was that they had found a martyr, and they were taking the war to the police and to American cities. And through it all, the Democrat party has been there for those who hate the police, egging them on: Biden Takes a Knee Media Ignore Photo Op Narrative https://t.co/QAnfXja1Km pic.twitter.com/ZGD8NZ6x1l Super Trump 2020 (@SuperTrump2020) June 2, 2020 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 House and Senate Democrats kneel in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in tribute to #GeorgeFloyd and other black Americans killed by US police pic.twitter.com/MUKZwkMHHs TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) June 8, 2020 In a New York high school, a teacher who could only have been a Democrat gave students a handout comparing police with slave-owners and the KKK. And do we even need to discuss the mayors in New York City, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and any other Democrat-run city? Given the Democrats' universal support for the police-hating BLM movement, Biden and Kamala should have had a Sister Souljah moment. Instead, they issued the standard political boilerplate about the two sheriffs and failed to say a word about how BLM is feeding the hatred for police. This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery. https://t.co/330QfeIUGg Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 13, 2020 Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice. https://t.co/ckuRllMtzv Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 13, 2020 While the party standard-bearers are mealy-mouthed, others are toxic. At Facebook, if you look for a "blue lives matter" gif, the first thing you get is "I can't breathe." In addition to the appalling BLM protest at the hospital (which the Democrat leadership has not condemned), people on the street celebrated the shooting as it happened: Heres the reaction of an eyewitness to the ambush of two Deputies shot in the head in #Compton. The victims are in the background. No one is going to help them. Vote like your life depends on it. #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/tE8NH5YZvm James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 13, 2020 Talbert Swan, an NAACP chapter president, tweeted out that the deputies made a choice that justified the attempted assassination. He followed that with a tweet saying that if you support Kyle Rittenhouse's shooting attackers in self-defense, you must also support the Compton thug shooting two deputies as they sat peacefully in their car: Theres no such thing as BLUE LIVES... Stop comparing your JOB with my LIFE... Your CAREER is a choice, my BLACKNESS isnt.#BlackLivesMatter #BlueLivesMatter Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) September 13, 2020 No one deserves to be unjustly murdered, police or citizens. If youre expressing outrage over the shooting of two sheriffs deputies, but were defending #KyleRittenhouse murdering two protesters in #Kenosha only days ago, you need to shut up and have a seat.#BlueLivesMatter Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) September 13, 2020 The horrific assassination attempt on the two deputies could and should have been the moment when the Democrat party, from its presidential nominee on down, stood up to BLM. Instead, other than saying the shooting was a bad thing, not one Democrat said a word about BLM and the virulent hatred for police it's been disseminating in America. That's bad. What's even worse is that Biden, after failing to condemn BLM, then had a "hold my beer" moment when he politicized the shooting by demanding gun control. Think about that: the BLM movement has seen police defunded, stripped of defensive tools, shot, and murdered, with a concurrent rise in deadly crime in every major Democrat-run city and Biden's answer is to disarm you. Democrats have been tried and found wanting. They're not fit to have a role in American politics. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Makara Mining Corp. (CSE:MAKA)(FSE:MK0)(OTC PINK:MAKAF) ("Makara" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired the right (the "Option") to earn a 60% interest in the Davis and ... Makara Mining Corp VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Makara Mining Corp. (CSE:MAKA)(FSE:MK0)(OTC PINK:MAKAF) ("Makara" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired the right (the "Option") to earn a 60% interest in the Davis and Paradise Valley claim blocks (together, the "Project") located in Nye County, Nevada, from Almadex Minerals Ltd. ("Almadex"). The Project encompasses 900 hectares consisting of two contiguous parcels of land, being the Davis claims to the north and the Paradise Valley claims to the south. The Davis claims, comprising 34 claims over 270 hectares, are held pursuant to a mining lease with the State of Nevada. The Paradise Valley claims are comprised of 79 newly staked claims over 630 hectares. The Project is located eight miles southeast of the village of Gabbs, Nevada, and five miles northeast of the closed Paradise Peak mine of FMC Gold, which was a successful gold, silver, mercury deposit, producing a total of 1.6 million ounces of gold and 24.1 million ounces of silver between 1986 and 1994. Pursuant to the Option, Makara will earn a 60% interest in the Project by (i) making cash payments and incurring exploration expenditures at the Project of US$3,525,000, in the aggregate over a five-year period and (ii) issuing Almadex an aggregate of 3,500,000 in Makara common shares over a five-year period. In respect of the Option, J. Duane Poliquin, Chairman of Almadex, commented, "We have been accumulating mineral rights in the area of the Project for several years, and with this large cohesive and prospective package now in place we are excited to work with Makara to advance the exploration programs". Story continues The Paradise Peak claims are known to contain mineralization hosted by Oligocene to Miocene andesitic and rhyolitic rocks which are broadly strata bound and dipping gently to the southeast. The Paradise Valley claims cover an area of intense hydrothermal alteration interpreted to represent a high sulphidation gold system similar to that of the closed Paradise Peak mine located just to the west. Potential also exists for porphyry mineralisation which also has been found at the adjacent Paradise Peak area of alteration. The Davis property is a separate area of hydrothermal alteration hosting low sulphidation epithermal veins on which there has been historic small-scale mining and exploration drilling. The Davis property was explored historically by several operators, including from 1979 to 1982 by USSRam Exploration, which conducted a nine hole drill program at the historic Davis Mine to test for mineralisation beneath the old mine workings. More recently another operator drilled additional holes in the same general area of the previous drilling. The historic drilling data indicates the potential for significant widths and grades in the Davis epithermal vein system. While this historic drilling is not NI 43-101 compliant and cannot be relied upon, it provides clear exploration focus. For example, one of the deepest drill intercepts in the Davis mine area is reported to have returned an intercept (true width unknown) of 40 feet (12.2 metres) of 0.18 oz/t gold (6.2 g/t gold) and 0.62 oz/t silver (21 g/t silver). Cautionary Statement The potential quantity and grade of mineralization described herein is conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. Qualified Person Technical information in this news release has been approved by Grant Hendrickson, P.Geo. and Qualified Person' as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About the Company Makara Mining Corp. (CSE: MAKA; FSE: MK0; OTC: MAKAF) is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of gold properties. The Company is based in Vancouver, B.C. and holds options over the Rude Creek Property and Idaho Creek Property located in the Yukon and the Kenora Gold Property located in Northwestern Ontario. Additional information about the Company is available at www.makaramining.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Grant Hendrickson Director and Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 604-372-3707 Email: grant@makaramining.com Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, and statements respecting the Company's Option in respect of the Project are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Makara Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/605790/Makara-Acquires-Option-Over-Davis-and-Paradise-Valley-Claims (Photo : (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 26: Hyundai Motor's new luxury sedan all-new "Genesis" is seen during its unveiling at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on November 26, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea's largest car maker, today launched its new luxury sedan which features a 3,342cc and 3,778 engine, priced from 46,6 million won ($43,908) to 69,6 million won ($65,582) will be sold in foreign markets starting in 2014. (Photo : (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)) FREMONT, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during an event to launch the new Tesla Model X Crossover SUV on September 29, 2015 in Fremont, California. After several production delays, Elon Musk officially launched the much anticipated Tesla Model X Crossover SUV. The The world's most famous brand for electric vehicle manufacturing and clean energy company, Tesla Motors, surprisingly uses a direction that does not pay for advertisements, spending zero dollars in 2019 for ads, and focuses on innovations and upgrading its products. Tesla's tactic and strategy for business prove to be a success for the company that has steady sales in the present. Tesla is proving its dominance on the market and industry of vehicle manufacturing with a new study and statistics showing its 2019 efforts on advertisements. The clean energy company remains strong and sturdy with its popularity and product knowledge despite having no advertisements and national television and social media. According to Tesmanian, Tesla literally spends zero dollars ($0) in 2019 for its advertisements. This shows the company's hold in the market and popularity across the globe that paved the way for the most solid fanbases and loyal customers. Despite Tesla's lack of advertisements and noise in social media, the company prevails and triumphs. Tesla's advertisements purely relied on social media, the company's Twitter and Instagram accounts mostly, which is free and will take on a wide variety of audiences. Tesla also proves that it is the forefront of technology, aspired to acquire by many, and becomes the 'talk-of-the town' for its innovations and bizarre additions. ALSO READ: Elon Musk's SpaceX Has the Most Payload to Bring to Space in 2020-Asks Fans to Compile 'Numbers That Really Matter' Elon Musk: Tesla will not Advertise Tesla does not advertise or pay for endorsements. Instead, we use that money to make the product great. https://t.co/SsrfOq1Xyc Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 19, 2019 The company follows the CEO's direction and hopes for the company. Elon Musk previously shared on a tweet (@elonmusk) way back in 2019 that says its detest towards advertisements. Musk seemingly publicizes his arrogance on social media, but this speaks for itself as Tesla's electric vehicles satisfy customer needs and want. Elon Musk's popularity, status, and attitude towards its publicity and identity play a massive role in Tesla's success and a cult-like following in social media. Ever since then, Elon Musk is known for his eccentric behavior and take on boasting his company's potential and promises. Musk gathered a wide-range of following on Twitter with 38.6 million, to whom he actively engages with. Elon Musk also stated on his tweet that the money supposedly used to advertise for the company will instead be used to 'make the product great.' Musk declares that Tesla's brilliance in engineering and technology found on its vehicles make-up for the lack of advertisement. This statement also suggests that Tesla speaks for itself whenever a product is used. Car Companies' Ads: Who Spent the Most? Statistica recently published a study of US' top five advertisers and the least five advertisers for the year of 2019. This data shows how much each company spends advertisements to promote its new vehicle releases and the company on various media platforms. Statistica concludes that Genesis, a Hyundai Motors vehicle, spends the most on advertisements with a costly $2,057 ads per vehicle. The $2,000 price takes a chunk out of the customers' pockets or the price that is not used to better the car. Next on the list is Ford's Lincoln car that uses $1,911 per vehicle in advertisements, and Tata Motor's Jaguar with $1,542. Fiat, BMW, Honda, and Dodge, join Tesla among the least companies who spend money on advertisements. Tesla still reigns and projects dominance with its zero-dollar spendings regarding ads. ALSO READ: Electric SUV Match-up: Audi e-tron vs Tesla Model X-Which One Tops Performance and Preferences? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Nigerian government on Monday explained that its decision to ban some international airlines from coming into the country was not politically motivated. The minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, while speaking at the bi-weekly Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 briefing, said its decision was based on the capacity to handle a certain number of passengers to curb the import of coronavirus into the country. Every decision we have taken is based on concrete variables. So, regarding who comes in and who is not approved, we all know that we have a challenge of the number of passengers that we can process in our airports given the resources; both human and material, that we have to fight COVID-19. There is nothing political about it. No decision we have taken is diplomatically-related or for tit for tat diplomatic relationship; far from that, he said. Following the resumption of international flights in the country, the government had denied some airlines entrance into the country. Airlines denied entrance into Nigeria included Air France, KLM, Etihad, Rwandair, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines, Air Namibia, and Royal Air Maroc, when the country reopened its airspace to international flights on September 5. President Muhammad Buhari in March ordered the suspension of international flights to curb the influx of imported cases of the COVID-19 virus in the country. 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. The ministers Monday statement, however, suggests the ban was for a different reason and not reciprocity. Airlines Mr Sirika said the ban placed on these airlines is unconnected to their countries of operations. He said the airlines were barred to limit the numbers of people coming into the country as the world continues to battle COVID-19. So, the airlines were contacted and so it has nothing to do with countries per se, and that is why for instance, Emirates was approved but Etihad from the same country was denied. So, it has nothing to do with countries. We will maintain the number that we can handle in our airports and we will keep it to those who can take non-resident visas, tourists, and others in and out of the country, he said. The minister also hinted that Enugu, Kano, and Port Harcourt airports will be opened to international flights as soon as the airports have the capacity to process a certain number of passengers into the country. Domestic flights Mr Sirika noted that all domestic airlines no longer need approval from him or other relevant agencies for flight operations. He said all airports in Nigeria are now opened for flights, including those who are in private charter operations. They no longer need approvals from us to operate within all government-approved airports and in all government-owned airports. However, those airports that are private airports, which are also government approved; operators should check the safety status with Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. Such airports like Jalingo, Uyo, Asaba, Gombe, Nasarawa, Damaturu, Osubi and others, he said. Two weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, Gloria Quintero arrived at the Hall of Never Again on a corner of Granadas main square, 44 kilometers east of Medellin. The small memorial conceived and managed by local victims had been closed since late March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strict national lockdowns, but Gloria wanted to take a take a few photos to share on social media to mark the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance. As she opened the door, she was stung by a terrible discovery: dampness was rampant on the first floor of the three-story adobe house. She approached the bookcase where they keep their most prized treasures: a series of black-sleeved booklets, each adorned with a photograph on the cover, where victims write messages for relatives who were murdered or are still deemed missing. Four of these logbooks, as they call them, were considerably damaged, their heartfelt letters transformed into crinkled pages and blurry blots of wet ink. Dozens more were stuck together by moisture and covered by fungus. I was overcome by pain, sadness and impotence, says Gloria, one of the Halls volunteer caretakers since its birth in 2009. Her own family is represented there: her brother Ruben, disappeared by right-wing paramilitaries 18 years ago, is one of the villagers whose photo hangs on the gigantic mural and whose name adorns one of the 300 logbooks. Following the advice of a concerned museum curator, they laid them on cloth in an aired room, popsicle sticks and bond paper in between each sheet so as to absorb the remaining moisture first aid for archives, in Glorias words. But they still need help in properly restoring them. The water leak at the Hall of Never Again, one of Colombias best known memorials, underscores how many historical memory initiatives that are central to the aspirations of victims of Colombias 52-year-long armed conflict to truth and redress are floundering amid a lack of support from national and local governments. It is also symptomatic of a wider problem: even though the country has made significant strides in truth-seeking, it is struggling to preserve the memory produced by communities and victims. A towns pain and resilience Tucked away in the mountains of north-western Colombia, Granadas story has been mired by suffering, but it has also become an icon of reconstruction and resilience for the country that signed a landmark peace deal with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. For years ravaged by left-wing FARC and National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries, at least 20.411 persons were forced to flee the town and its surroundings since 1985, meaning more than 90% of Granadas inhabitants have been officially registered as victims of forced displacement. Its most painful chapters were only separated by one month in late 2000, when a massacre perpetrated by paramilitaries that killed 19 persons was followed by a FARC-led siege and a car bomb that left 28 dead and debris everywhere. A few years later, hundreds of families started coming back, initially on their own and later on with support from the local administration of Medellin, the countrys second largest city where most had sought refuge. Those return programs inspired the landmark 2011 victims bill, which paved the way for the Colombian government to finally recognise victims of the armed conflict and design redress measures such as land restitution and state-accompanied returns. Granada became one of the vibrant laboratories of what Colombias post-conflict could look like if the country put an end to violence. Two iconic images taken on the same day by Jesus Abad Colorado, Colombias best-known photojournalist, illustrate Granadas will to forge ahead. On the morning of December 9th, 2000 he captured villagers amid the towns ruins waving a gigantic flag declaring it a territory of peace, an image that years later graced the cover of the National Centre for Historical Memorys exhaustive report on violence there. That afternoon, Colorado immortalized a couple entering Granadas church to get married, an improbable gesture of hope in the midst of such despair. In war we all lose. Lets all help build a peace process, read a sign next to them. Salon del Nunca Mas The famous photos of Jesus Abad Colorado, taken in December 2000 in Granada and exhibited in the Hall of the Never Again. Salon del Nunca Mas Seventeen years after the young couples wish, the once again tranquil rural outpost was the site as JusticeInfo told of one of the few public acts of contrition made so far by former FARC rebels. Although he did not address specific events, former FARC commander and peace negotiator Pastor Alape asked for villagers forgiveness and promised his organisation would provide truth regarding the 755 cases of forced disappearance identified there. People might think its just a book, but to me this is my father Few initiatives symbolise Granadas will to forge ahead like the Hall of Never Again. Created by the towns victims organised in Asovida, a local NGO, the memorial began attracting visitors from the region and even abroad. As many as a hundred visitors made the trip there every week up until the Covid-19 pandemic. Ten years ago, on a suggestion made by a visual artist, they began writing about their deceased and disappeared loved ones. What began as a purely biographical exercise quickly evolved into something more powerful, as these notebooks became crowded with letters, poems, drawings, songs and dreams. When I heard about the leak, I felt like something had happened to my dad. People might think its just a book, but to me this is my father. Its where I talk to him. Whether its something good or bad, he knows about it. Ever since I was seven, Ive been writing him letters because I feel and trust that one day he will return and read all of them, and see how much I love him, says Yesica Giraldo, a 19-year-old accounting assistant who lives in Medellin. Jair Giraldo, her father, disappeared on September 11th 2006, with FARC being the presumed perpetrator. To those who are no longer with us but live in our memories, this is a way of ensuring they are present. When you read the logbooks, these memories become tangible, says Consuelo Lopez, whose husband Humberto Ramirez was murdered in 2001. Most townsfolk have forged very special relationships with these notebooks. People speak of visiting them. One girl asks her father if a boy suits her and pleads for a signal. Its as if these were material representations of their loved ones. There was a spontaneous process of turning them into a way of keeping in touch, says Marda Zuluaga, a psychologist and professor at Eafit University who wrote her doctoral thesis on Granadas logbooks and whose family originally hails from the town. The Hall is the result of granadinos conviction that, in order to overcome the crippling devastation and isolation imposed on them by the violence, communities of memory need to be constructed. In contexts of low-intensity but widespread conflict such as that of Colombia, communities of memory are essential to restoring social bonds and creating platforms for solidarity and action, says Robin Greeley, an art historian and University of Connecticut professor who has also studied Granadas process. Salon del Nunca Mas Victims logbook damaged by water and humidity. Salon del Nunca Mas Treasures stored in a leaky home Despite how valuable the logbooks are to Granada, the Hall of Never Again has struggled over the years to operate. Its leaders received the space within the towns house of culture as a loan from the municipality, but dont have the money needed to fix structural problems such as damaged gutters and leaky walls. Gloria and her fellow volunteers warned of such problems since 2012, including when part of the ceiling collapsed during a flood. The mayor pledged 10.000 dollars to repair the old tile roof but never delivered, she says. They raised 1.500 dollars in a crowdfunding campaign in 2018, but used the proceeds to pay for other urgent expenses. Their needs are not just financial. Even though theyve received support from institutions like the University of Antioquia on managing their photo archive and creating an educational toolkit for visitors, they still lack the know-how to preserve their documents in optimal conditions, keep their accounts in order and even draft project proposals they can submit to international aid agencies. They especially deplore the absence of state support, whether its from local or national authorities. If wed been among their priorities, this wouldnt have happened, Gloria says. The emergency did spark a flurry of promises. Antioquias governor visited on September 10, signing a written pledge to fund the houses repairs, send a team of engineers to inspect the damages and help restore the logbooks. The mayor promised to share the costs of structural repairs. The National Centre for Historical Memory, the government agency in charge of historical memory nationwide, also promised to help digitalise the logbooks and store copies in its archive. Saving Colombias painful memories Colombias government has been, as JusticeInfo told, seriously reconstructing what happened and redressing victims since a decade ago, meaning the country has been in the peculiar situation of implementing transitional justice measures even as the armed conflict raged. Just the National Centre for Historical Memory has produced 102 book-length investigations over three different administrations, documenting human rights violations and diverse effects of the conflict, ranging from forced displacement, land dispossession, sexual violence and kidnappings to violence towards indigenous communities, local politicians, journalists or transgender persons. At the same time, thousands of the countrys 9 million victims have been safekeeping documents, treasuring photographs and building personal archives since even before. Many such initiatives have gained international recognition. The files that Fabiola Lalinde laboriously kept detailing the disappearance and extrajudicial execution of her son Luis Fernando by Army officials in 1984 which she dubbed Operation Kingbird, just like the diminutive bird that forcefully defends its young were included in UNESCOs Memory of the World register. The colourful collages made by the Mampujan Weavers, a group of women victims in Montes de Maria who resorted to cloth cut-outs to tell their stories of displacement, are now permanently displayed in Colombias National Museum and have travelled to museums in France and Canada. In recognition of this, the 2016 peace deal included historical memory as one of the goals of Colombias 3-year-old transitional justice system, which includes a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and a special tribunal. In the accords view, memory contributes to truth and redress, echoing the ideas put forward by former special rapporteur and fellow Colombian Pablo de Greiff in his reports to the UN. Visitors to the Hall of the Never Again, one of the 30 sites of the Colombian Network of Places of Memory. Salon del Nunca Mas State memory vs. community memory Community-led initiatives feel that national and local governments value their work, but seldom provide financial or technical support to them. As a result, they rely on international donations to carry on, while being run by devoted volunteers and guarding vulnerable relics as best they can. We havent had almost any support since we were born in 2012, says Orlando Carreno, co-founder of Valledupars Centre for the Memory of Conflict. His regional memorial has been closed since three years ago, when the political appointee at the departmental library kicked them out. They were only able to find a new home in a school this year, but the pandemic has forced them to postpone their reopening. Most of their archive is hosted on their sleek website, which was funded by international donors. But they dont have the means to upload the local vallenato songs detailing the armed conflict they compiled and published as a book-and-CD collection. Its not just about money. Imagine how useful it would be if the National Archive offered us training in archival cataloguing and conservation, he adds. Its a view shared by most of the 30 local memory sites nationwide, which got together to create the Colombian Network of Places of Memory. For years we were abandoned. We were close to throwing in the towel because we couldnt afford it and grew tired. Even broken roof shingles wed have pay from our pocket, says school teacher Alba Gelpud, who cares after the small museum in El Placer, a rural hamlet in Putumayo that was the epicentre of an infamous paramilitary massacre. Their precarious existence has led them to suggest an overhaul of the National Historical Memory Museum, a long-postponed promise whose first stone was laid in February. Instead of creating a centralised museum, we propose that the state supports regional museums. Or that we go through with building it, but make sure its not just a museum in Bogota but a network of them, and that long-standing regional initiatives get funding and support. That we dont do this from scratch, says Father Jose Luis Foncillas from Tumacos House of Memory. Their view echoes the TRCs mandate, which stipulates that the transitional justice systems truth-seeking efforts must seek diverse sectors of Colombian society and shall inform the museums narrative. The state must commit not simply to preserving those versions of historical memory that align with governmental ideologies and institutional viewpoints. It must commit to publicly preserving and actively promoting a multiplicity of endeavours, especially those of victimsthose citizens whose rights and safety the state has failed to protect, says Greeley, who co-founded the Symbolic Reparations Research Project. This would not only allow memory sites like Granadas Hall of Never Again to survive, but also to ensure that Colombians have a plurality of views regarding what happened to them and therefore greater chances of fostering national reconciliation. As logbook author Consuelo Lopez says, this is a heritage we must protect, in hope that such painful events never happen again. The latest talks come days after an explosion targeted the convoy of Afghanistan's vice president Amrullah Saleh in Kabul The Afghan government on Monday pressed its calls for a truce with the Taliban, reiterating its desire for a long-term ceasefire at historic talks in Qatar. The two sides are in the early stages of meetings in Doha as they try to hammer out a deal that would bring 19 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan to a close. The Afghan government and its allies, including the United States, called for the warring sides to lay down their arms at Saturday's opening ceremony. But the Taliban, who fought a years-long guerrilla campaign against American and Afghan forces after they were toppled in a 2001 US-led invasion, did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table. The head of the peace process for the Afghan government, Abdullah Abdullah, suggested however that the Taliban could offer a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more of their jailed fighters. Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi tweeted Monday that the presence of government negotiators at the talks "is aimed at achieving a ceasefire, ending the violence and ensuring lasting peace and stability in the country." The United States struck an agreement with the Taliban in February that will see it withdraw troops from Afghanistan. The deal, which paved the way for the Doha negotiations, did not commit the insurgents to any reduction of violence, only requiring that it be "an item on the agenda" in negotiations. But Crisis Group analyst Andrew Watkins told AFP "the Afghan government needs a ceasefire because without current levels of US support, it would very likely continue to lose ground to the Taliban". Schedules and a code of conduct for the talks were discussed in meetings on Sunday and were due to continue on Monday, according to the government side, but talks on substantive issues are yet to get underway. Afghan government delegates warned that negotiations, which take place even as fighting continues in Afghanistan, would be arduous and messy. Story continues - 'Start of history' - Nearly two decades since the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban, fighting still kills dozens of people daily and the country's economy has been shattered, pushing millions into poverty. Officials said six police were killed in a Taliban attack in Kunduz at the weekend, while five officers were slain in Kapisa province. A roadside mine blast in the capital also wounded two civilians, while another blast hit Kabul district, although no casualties were reported. Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, called the recent upsurge in violence a "miscalculation". But he has stressed the process "could be the start of history made in the coming future -- and hopefully sooner rather than later". During a speech at the opening event, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar repeated the insurgents' message that Afghanistan should be run according to Islamic law, highlighting a likely sticking point. A comprehensive peace deal could take years, and will depend on the willingness of both sides to tailor their competing visions for Afghanistan and the extent to which they can agree to share power. The US special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Afghans should learn from the failure to implement a political reconciliation process in the country after the Soviet Union completed its withdrawal in 1989. "The Afghans who had sacrificed so much to push the Soviets out... failed politically by going to civil war with each other. I hope the Afghans are paying attention, learning the lessons of that period," he told Al-Jazeera TV. "That's why we have started this peace process." The US-backed negotiations come six months later than planned, owing to disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap agreed in February's deal between the US and the Taliban. Under the terms of that agreement, all foreign troops must leave Afghanistan by the spring of 2021, in exchange for security commitments from the militants. In addition, 5,000 Taliban prisoners have already been released in exchange for 1,000 Afghan troops. US President Donald Trump, who faces elections in less than two months, is eager to fulfil promises to end America's longest war with the Taliban. burs-gw/sls/dv Tens Of Thousands March In Belarusian Capital, Defying Threats And Detentions By RFE/RL's Belarus Service September 13, 2020 MINSK Tens of thousands of Belarusians jammed the streets of Minsk and other cities and towns, as opposition protesters pressed their nearly five-week campaign to pressure President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to call new elections. The September 13 protest was the latest sign that opposition activists, and many average Belarusians, have been undaunted by thousands of arrests, beatings, and other intimidation tactics used by Belarusian security forces. Chanting "Long Live Belarus!" and "Sasha, You're Fired!" crowds packed one of Minsk's main boulevards, waving the red-and-white opposition flag and carrying signs that taunted Lukashenka and government officials. One sign carried by protesters showed a photograph of Lukashenka and Russian leader Vladimir Putin and read: "Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are." Lukashenka, who has ruled the country for 26 years, has refused to hold talks with his opponents, and rebuffed calls to hold new elections. The United Nations has estimated up to 6,000 people have been subjected to detentions and, in some cases, torture by Belarusian security agents. Lukashenka made no public comment, or any public appearances, on September 13, one day before he was scheduled to fly to Russia to meet Putin for talks. Authorities did not immediately release any estimate of the crowds; in the past, however, the public figures have been exceedingly low. The human rights group Viasna, meanwhile, estimated the turnout at more than 150,000. Trucks and some armored vehicles belonging to law enforcement agencies could be seen parked along some central Minsk streets, and, ahead of the demonstration, the Interior Ministry said it had increased police and troop numbers "to prevent illegal action by protesting citizens." Some activists reported Internet outages in Minsk, a possible repeat of what happened in the hours after the August 9 election that Lukashenka was declared the winner of. Activists said the outages then were a tactic aimed at shutting down independent news reporting. Helmeted security forces were reported to be detaining some marchers in parts of Minsk on September 13, and later in the day, masked riot police were seen marching, and carrying, detained protesters into police vans. The Interior Ministry reported that more than 400 people had been detained by nighfall. The ministry also said "around 250 people" had been detained a day earlier, for offenses like displaying the banned red-and-white flag and banners, "including an insulting one." Sizable protests also took place on September 13 in the southeastern city of Homel, and in the western border city of Brest, where activists reportedly carried a banner that read "Hello to Khabarovsk from Brest" a reference to the weeks of anti-government protests that have occurred in the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk. Brest police deployed a water cannon at one point to disperse protesters. It was unclear if there were detentions or injuries from the confrontation. "Participants in the unauthorized mass gathering blocked traffic and public transport and created a threat to the safety of road users," Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said in a post to Telegram. A day earlier, hundreds of women marched through Minsk, confronting masked riot police and security agents. The Interior Ministry said 114 people had been detained around the country, 99 of them in the capital, in connection with those demonstrations. The Interior Ministry's press department, meanwhile, described the women protesters as "aggressive." "It's a shame to watch: screams, screeching..." the ministry said. "Such behavior is unfeminine." Many of Belarus's most prominent opposition leaders are women, including exiled presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and detained members of the Coordination Council like Maryya Kalesnikava, and Lilia Vlasova. Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania after the election amid reports she might be arrested, appealed for protesters to "remain peaceful" and urged international support to encourage a peaceful resolution to the "deep political crisis." Kalesnikava reportedly tore up her passport to avoid being forced out of the country after being snatched off the street in Minsk, and remains in Belarusian detention. Another prominent leader is Veranika Tsapkala, who went to Ukraine and then Poland along with her ex-diplomat husband. Tsikhanouskaya, Kalesnikava, and Tsapkala, have been nominated for this year's Sakharov Prize for human rights activities. At the Belarusian State University in Minsk, teachers from the languages department issued a video appeal for freedom of speech. More than a dozen students were detained last week at a protest near the school's languages department. "Fear is bad, violence is bad, lies are bad. You can't pretend like nothing's happening," the appeal, which included nine speakers, said. Lukashenka has long had a sizable base of support, particularly from the country's older population, many of whom are nostalgic for the Soviet period. But cracks have also opened among segments of the population, like blue-collar workers, where Lukashenka has traditionally sought vocal public support in the past. The strike committee at one of the world's largest processors and exporters of potash fertilizers, Belaruskali, said via Telegram on September 13 that one of its members had been detained and was at a local police station. Lukashenka, meanwhile, was scheduled to travel to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on September 14. Though the two have spoken more than five times by phone since August 9, the meeting, to be held in Black Sea resort of Sochi, will be the first face-to-face talks since Lukashenka publicly pleaded for help from Moscow to put down the demonstrations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said their talks would focus on energy cooperation and bilateral ties. Putin has pressed a reluctant Lukashenka on closer military and political integration between their countries -- including by promising military assistance under a bilateral military pact, including a police force -- but has largely given only tepid support. Opposition websites and social media supporters have adopted the slogan "We won't let him sell the country" ahead of the Sochi meeting. Russia's Defense Ministry said on September 13 that its troops would participate alongside Belarusian soldiers in the annual Slavic Brotherhood tactical exercise at a training range in western Belarus. A Russian paratrooper division will take part in the drills beginning on September 14, it said. Ales Byalyatski, the director of the Vyasna human rights center, warned that Lukashenka would seek to intensify detentions and threats ahead of the Putin meeting "to show the Kremlin that the protests are abating and he is in control of the situation." "But so far repression has had the opposite effect," he said. With reporting by Current Time, Interfax, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/after-fresh -arrests-belarusian-ministry-blasts-women- protesters-as-unfeminine-/30836183.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 I see that John Barilaro and family visited Taronga Zoo on Sunday, notes Alan Edwards of Roseville. But, dont worry folks, as soon as he purchased tickets, the staff radioed ahead and closed the koala exhibit. Dr Tony Hunt of Gordon (C8) thanks Norman Carter for the additional information and has now made his diagnosis: I thought as much because many breeds of dog are unable to pick the Bosey and they assume that a right-handed wrist spin bowler is always going to put down a leg break or a straight-on bowl. This neuro-visual defect is very common in many breeds and especially in terrier types (like Harriette) and is exacerbated by a more front-on stance. The condition is genetic and incurable. I hope this is of some help Norman. Remember some dogs cant even bunt. Yes, Charles Haran (C8), I too found amazing stories from World War I in Trove, writes Shirley Gill of Roseville. My most treasured finding was a letter written to the family by my father from a Prussian POW camp describing how he was shot and found six hours later in the snow by enemy soldiers who delivered him to hospital, treated him in four different hospitals until finally he was well enough to be placed in hospital in a POW camp. I never knew my grandfather but am eternally grateful for his ability to get written-up in newspapers, enabling me to fill in a large part of my family history. However, I feel sorry for our descendants who wont have the benefit of all our local newspapers which are now closing down. Emails and SMS also deny the possibility of written letters being available for researchers. Dont leave it until too late to seek out the old folk in your family for stories. Following through with this offering from Jane Stevenson of Fairlight: I cant help thinking that the name of Nigellas recent book is rather unfortunate. The title? Cook, Eat, Repeat. All this talk about Chesty Bond (C8) and China is off the mark, thinks Alastair Wilson of Balmain. My Bonds singlets are made in Cambodia, although designed in Australia, but Im not sure just how much design goes into a singlet. The government on Monday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the Banking Regulation Act to bring cooperative banks under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in order to protect the interests of depositors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, which will replace an ordinance that was promulgated in June amid the coronavirus pandemic. Opposition members, including Shashi Tharoor of the Congress and Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, opposed the bill, accusing the Centre of encroaching on the rights of states. Rejecting the charge, Sitharaman asserted that state cooperative laws are not being touched and that the proposed law seeks to bring these banks with same regulations that are applicable on other banks. It is applicable to those cooperative banks which deal with "bank, banker and banking," she said, adding that as many as 277 urban cooperative banks have reported losses. Tharoor said the bill is an encroachment on federalism, while Roy claimed it attacks "state rights". Ruling party members also opposed Roy's personal remarks targeting Sitharaman, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi demanding an apology. Speaker Om Birla said Roy's comments have been expunged. Sitharaman withdrew a bill to the amend the Act that was introduced in the Lok Sabha in March before introducing the new bill with certain changes on Monday. "I wish to move for leave to withdraw a bill further to amend the Banking Regulation Act 1949," she said. The bill that was introduced in March could not be passed and in June, the ordinance was promulgated. "Yes, we did come up with the Bill (in March 2020) and subsequently an ordinance was passed because the session was not on to consider the bill, discuss the bill and then pass it ordinance became a necessity," Sitharaman said. "We were going through pandemic and there was stress in several cooperative banks and as a result of which it was felt that till we clear the bill there should not have a situation where many of the cooperative banks should suffer and therefore we brought in an ordinance in place with the essential features of the bill which was tabled in the house in March," she noted. The minister also said the new bill essentially has all the features of the original bill but not exactly the same. N K Premchandran (RSP) opposed the withdrawal of the earlier bill. "You are introducing a bill. Subsequently you are promulgating an ordinance and after promulgation of ordinance you are again coming to the House and seeking the leave of the house to withdraw the bill this is a clear thing of misuse of constitutional power," he said. After promulgation of the ordinance in June, an official statement had said it seeks to protect the interests of depositors and strengthen cooperative banks by improving governance and oversight by extending powers already available with the RBI in respect of other banks to co-operative banks as well for sound banking regulation. The amendments do not affect existing powers of the State Registrars of Co-operative Societies under state co-operative laws, it said. The amendments also do not apply to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) or co-operative societies whose primary object and principal business is long-term finance for agricultural development, and which do not use the words "bank", "banker" or "banking" and do not act as drawees of cheques, as per the statement. "The ordinance also amends Section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act, to enable making of a scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation of a banking company for protecting the interest of the public, depositors and the banking system and for securing its proper management, even without making an order of moratorium, so as to avoid disruption of the financial system," it said. The decision also came against the backdrop of scams at cooperative banks, including at the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank that came to light last year. Representative image Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co, a Chinese company linked to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and Beijings intelligence networks has been accused of amassing a large database comprising detailed personal information on lakhs of people around the world, including thousands of Indians. This includes prominent and influential personalities. According to news reports, the company has a database of 24 lakh people which includes 10,000 Indians. These foreign targets include President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, a number of chief ministers, union ministers, service chiefs and the Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, among others. Besides the aforementioned names, Zhenhua Data also reportedly collected data on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) GC Murmu, and top industrialists Ratan Tata and Gautam Adani. According to a report by The Indian Express, the Shenzen-based technology company calls itself a pioneer in using big data for hybrid warfare and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The collected information includes dates of birth, addresses, marital status, along with photographs, political associations, relatives and social media IDs. According to the report by The Indian Express, Zhenhua Datas round-the-clock surveillance collects personal information on its target from all social media accounts and keeps track of their friends and relatives on such platforms. It also analyses posts, likes and comments by friends and followers. It is also allegedly collects private information such as movements and geographic locations through Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Reports suggest that the firm mined this data to push what it calls hybrid warfare using non-military tools to achieve dominance or damage, subvert or influence. According to the newspaper report, when confronted with questions on these allegations, the firm responded by saying, Sorry, these questions touch upon our trade secrets. Its not convenient to disclose. Chinese Embassy source in New Delhi said as per the report, China has not asked and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide data, information and intelligence stored within other countries territories for the Chinese government by installing backdoors or by violating local laws. These actions, if proven, stand to violate Indian law. Under Indias Information Technology Rules, 2011, under the IT Act, 2000, personal data is any information regarding a natural person, which either directly or indirectly, in combination with other information available or likely to be available is capable of identifying such person. The database, however, does not include information in the public domain and that is not available freely. Construction work could start almost immediately on thousands of new affordable homes if the federal government funds a stimulus package for the COVID-19 recovery, according to data from the Community Housing Industry Association. Homelessness organisations want the Morrison government to put $7.7 billion towards the shovel-ready projects in the October 8 budget, to create construction jobs, stimulate the economy and minimise a homelessness pandemic in the recession. A rendering of a shovel-ready project by Link Housing in Sydney's northern suburbs. Credit:Link Housing The association surveyed not-for-profit housing providers and found they could start building 12,500 homes within five years. That could create 7000 jobs, modelling by SGS Economics shows. Work on 6000 of the homes could begin within six months if the government funds the Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program (SHARP) which is also being pushed by Homelessness Australia, National Shelter and Everybody's Home according to CHIA. Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the All-China Women's Federation, attends a symposium with representatives of the women's federations at all levels in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, on September 1. [Chongqing Women's Federation] Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), attended a symposium with representatives of the women's federations at all levels in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on September 1, to study and discuss how to implement the spirit of the third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" and serve the overall interests and women in a better way. Shen stressed that the women's federation at all levels should put people first, care for women, shoulder responsibilities and unite together to contribute to achieving the two centenary goals. At the symposium, representatives of presidents and executive members of the committees of the women's federations at all levels in Chongqing, as well as presidents of the online women's federations and heads of women's micro homes, talked about how to deepen the reform of the women's federations, give full play to the role of the executive members of the women's federations' committees at grassroots level, stimulate the vitality of the grassroots women's federations and implement the work of family and family education and traditions. Shen exchanged views with the attendees and appreciated the role of the women in Chongqing in coordinating regular epidemic containment and economic and social development, as well as participating in flood control and relief work. Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the All-China Women's Federation, speaks at a symposium with representatives from the women's federations at all levels in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, on September 1. [Chongqing Women's Federation] Shen stressed that uniting, relying on, serving women is the original mission and responsibility of women's federations. She called for consistent efforts in consolidating the achievements made in poverty alleviation, to ensure that no woman is left behind while building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. More efforts should be made to lift women out of poverty by promoting woman-dominated industries such as handmade weaving, rural e-commerce, housekeeping services and agritainment. Also, timely assistance should be provided to women who fall into or fall back into poverty because of diseases and natural disasters. Shen urged the women's federations to motivate women, children and families to promote garbage sorting and stop food waste, to foster a social environment where thriftiness is commended. The women's federations should facilitate entrepreneurship and employment, help women's enterprises solve their problems, make consistent efforts to help women's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises survive and thrive, assist needy women in urban areas to have steady jobs and incomes, and support women college students to start businesses or get jobs via diversified channels. Shen also called for advancing rights protection measures and cracking down on illegal and criminal acts against women and children, in a bid to protect the legitimate rights and interests of women and children in accordance with the law. (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) OAKLAND, Calif.: Alphabet Incs Google aims to power its data centers and offices solely with renewable energy by 2030, its chief executive told Reuters, becoming the biggest company in the world to commit to ditching coal and natural gas power. The stretch goal," as CEO Sundar Pichai described it, will force Google to move beyond the tech industry norm of offseting carbon emissions from electricity use and require technological and political breakthroughs to achieve. The problem is so immense, many of us need to lead the way and show solutions," Pichai said. Were one small player in this but we can set an example." Wildfires burning a record area in the western United States this month have increased public awareness of climate change, Pichai said, and Google wants to bring further attention through its new goal as well as product features. Wind, solar and other renewable sources accounted for 61% of Googles global hourly electricity usage last year. The proportion varied by facility, with carbon-free sources fulfilling 96% of hourly power needs at Googles wind-swept Oklahoma data center compared with 3% at its gas-reliant Singapore operation. But Google, which consumes slightly more power annually worldwide than residents and businesses in Delaware, has grown optimistic that it can bridge the gap with batteries to store solar power overnight, emerging sources such as geothermal reservoirs and better management of power needs. To plan 24/7 hourly being carbon-free in our data centers and campuses around the world, we see an enormous logistics challenge, which is why weve been hard at work modeling the last year how to get there," Pichai said. And we feel confident we can get there by 2030." He declined to share the likely cost of achieving the goal. Big Google rivals including Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc have targeted removing more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit over the coming decades, but none of them have publicly set a goal to stop sourcing carbon-based energy. But the companies share a common goal of catalyzing businesses and governments to curb climate pollution before 2030, when scientists say global warming could become catastrophic if unchecked. Jennifer Layke, global director at research group World Resources Institute, which has received Google funding, said the company inspired others in the United States and Europe over the last decade but its efforts must now spur action in crucial polluting regions such as China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. If we cant shift from carbon, we will suffer the firestorms and the droughts," she said. Google has been carbon-neutral since 2007, meaning it has planted trees, bought carbon credits and funded large amounts of wind power in places where it is abundant to offset its tapping of coal and natural gas power in other regions. It also said Monday that its estimated 1 million metric tons of emissions between 2006 and its 1998 launch now have been offset. The companys new goals include bringing 5 gigawatts of renewable energy near some suppliers, funding tree planting beyond its offset needs and sharing data or forging partnerships with 500 governments around the world to try to cut 1 gigaton of carbon emissions annually by 2030. Google said it would continue to offset carbon emissions unrelated to electricity use, such as from employee travel. Its carbon-free electricity goal satisfies one demand of 2,000 Google employees who last November petitioned the company to stop selling data storage and other cloud computing tools to oil companies. Pichai said the company would continue to support everyone" with its cloud services and help oil and gas companies transition to tapping other sources. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. San Francisco, 11 Sep 2020: The Report ERP Software Market Analysis By Deployment (On-premise, Cloud), By Functions (Finance, Human Resource (HR), Supply Chain), By Verticals (Manufacturing & Services, BFSI, Health Care, Retail, Government Utilities, Aerospace & Defense, Telecom), by End-User (Large Enterprises, Medium Enterprises, Small Enterprises) And Segment Forecasts To 2022 The global ERP software market is anticipated to witness tremendous gains over the next seven years on account of its increasing application in defense & aerospace, retail, and government utility sectors. The software enables organizations to function with transparency, increases productivity, and enables decision making. The industry is expected to be worth USD 48.22 billion in 2022. ERP software as a finance function facilitates management of different financial activities including cash flow management, asset management, accounting, and investment. Finance was the largest segment of the market contributing to over 22.0% of the share in 2014 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR exceeding 7.0% from 2015 to 2022. Human resource is likely to be the fastest growing functional segment owing to rapid organizational development and expansion. Automated HR processes are also expected to drive growth. Access Research Report of ERP Software Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/erp-software-market On-premise ERP software deployment model accounted for over 60.0% of the total revenue in 2014, owing to the various benefits offered including high data security and continuous control in the organizations, thereby reducing the dependency on third party vendors. The market was valued at USD 17.01 billion in 2014. Cloud deployment was the second largest segment in 2014 owing to the introduction of mobile devices coupled with lower infrastructure requirements. Manufacturing & services were valued at USD 5.11 billion in 2014, capturing over 15.0% of the revenue share in 2014. This segment utilizes ERP software for a broad range of business activities including customer services, inventory management, production scheduling, day-to-day performance management, daily operations monitoring and inter-departmental collaboration. Government utilities are expected to capture a significant share due to rising adoption of IT infrastructure. Medium-enterprises were the largest end-users, accounting for over 40.0% of the global share in 2014, owing to the factors including minimized production costs, increased operational efficiency, and timely product delivery. Stringent government regulations and compliances in organizations have augmented market demand thereby, achieving high productivity and reduced complexity. North America contributed to over 40.0% of the revenues in the global industry and was valued at USD 11.33 billion in 2014. Increasing technological advancements and rising adoption of ERP software in the finance function by the enterprises in the region to achieve transparency in financial transactions is expected to augment the market demand. Europe and Asia Pacific are projected to register a speedy growth in the ERP software market owing to the mounting number of enterprises and booming manufacturing industry. Government initiatives, particularly in the emerging economies of Asia Pacific for implementing IT infrastructure are expected to augment the market demand over the forecast period. Key players present in the industry includes IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, Sage Group Plc, Syspro, Unit4, Microsoft Corporation and NetSuite Inc. Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/it-services-and-applications Global ERP Software Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) On-premise Cloud Global ERP Software Functions Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Finance Human resource (HR) Supply chain Others Global ERP Software Verticals Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Manufacturing & services BFSI Healthcare Retail Government utilities Aerospace & defense Telecom Others Global ERP Software End-User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Large enterprises Medium enterprises Small enterprises Global ERP Software regions Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of World Access Press Release of ERP Software Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-erp-software-market About Grand View Research Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare. For More Information:www.grandviewresearch.com ANN ARBOR, MI - As the University of Michigan Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) voted to extend its strike for a safe and just campus for an additional five days, the university is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the union strike. UM is asking the Washtenaw County Circuit Court to order striking members of the GEO to return to work. The union represents about 2,000 graduate student instructors and graduate student staff assistants. In the court filing, UM noted that, "Not only are GEOs members interfering in the universitys mission to educate students by unlawfully withholding their labor, they are encouraging impressionable undergraduate students, over whom they exercise significant authority, to forego their education. The strike began Tuesday, Sept. 8, as graduate students marched and chanted at five different locations on UMs campus. It has gained the support of undergraduate students; graduate student organizations from other colleges, such as Harvard and Western Michigan University; and even some construction workers on UMs campus who picketed with them in solidarity. UM has since submitted an offer to GEO, but that offer was rejected. In a news release, Schlissel said UM can no longer allow the profound disruption to the education weve promised our undergraduate students in authorizing the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. We want our great classes to continue, our students to learn without interference and we dont want anyone to feel threatened simply for wanting to go to class, said Schlissel in a video to the campus community. Going to the court was our only choice after learning the strike would continue. Wed much rather our classes be in session while we work out our differences. In the release, Schlissel said UM welcomes the opportunity to discuss the issues GEO has raised and noted the universitys offer to continue talks remains open. The issues raised are very important and we are committed to addressing thembut we cant do it at the expense of our students' education, he said. The injunction came a day after 80% of voting members of UMs Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO) voted to extend its strike for a safe and just campus for an additional five days after picketing all of last week. Membership overwhelmingly rejected the universitys initial offer last week that did not constitute continued progress on our demands, the union noted in a news release. In particular, the universitys offer constituted zero progress on our policing demands. The strike began Tuesday, Sept. 8, as graduate students marched and chanted at five different locations on UMs campus. They continued Wednesday and have gained the support of undergraduate students; graduate student organizations from other colleges, such as Harvard and Western Michigan University; and even some construction workers on UMs campus who picketed with them in solidarity. The graduate student organization has several demands for the university, including more transparency in UMs plan related to the COVID-19 pandemic, support for graduate student instructors to work remotely, childcare subsidies, demilitarizing the campuss Division of Public Safety and Security and ending ties to local law enforcement and other agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. UM noted that undergraduates have reported that their remote classes have been shut down and access to course content has been blocked so they are unable to continue their studies. According to the universitys court filing, undergraduate students have been pressured to support the GEO strike and urged not to attend their classes. If the injunction is granted, GEO members who still refuse to return to work could be held in contempt of court. The university noted the union could face civil damages for conducting a strike that violates the terms of its contract with the university. The strike also violates state law prohibiting public employees from striking. From COVID testing to cops, University of Michigan graduate students explain why theyre striking The effort by graduate students helped staff in UM residence halls to announce their own strike due to what they say is a lack of coronavirus health protections for workers. Residence hall staff have several demands for UM administrators, including regular access to COVID-19 testing, effective personal protective equipment and enforcement of social distancing. As the UM campus continues to buzz with strikes among graduate employees and a pending faculty senate no confidence vote in university administration, Schlissel and Provost Susan Collins will host a live chat aimed at addressing questions in the university community. The chat will take place at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, online. The question and answer session will take place after Schilssel pledged to engage and to listen more in order to enhance trust and share information. Professor Scott E. Page, a professor in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and Stephen M. Ross School of Business, will pose questions and concerns hes been hearing about COVID-19, campus planning and how the pandemic is affecting members of the UM community. Questions for the session can be submitted online, although an online option has not yet been made available. Schlissel and UMs administration also face scrutiny over the universitys reopening plans with two faculty senate votes of no confidence scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16, with one vote signifying no confidence in the administrations re-opening plan and another no confidence vote in Schlissels leadership. READ MORE: University of Michigan graduate students, residential staff march in solidarity with dining workers University of Michigan graduate students reject initial offer, will continue strike Residence hall staff on strike at University of Michigan, demand more coronavirus protections Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to extend the declaration of a state of calamity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his spokesman said Monday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte will likely renew or extend Proclamation 929 issued in March that placed the entire country under state of calamity due to the local coronavirus outbreak. "Most likely po, dahil habang wala pang bakuna, habang walang gamot sa COVID, patuloy po ang epekto ng pandemya [Most likely, he will. As long as there's no vaccine or cure for COVID, the pandemic will continue to affect us," Roque said during his media briefing, clarifying he does not know yet when a subsequent proclamation will be signed. The President initially placed the Philippines under a state of public health emergency on March 8, which was eventually scaled up on March 16 as the country confirmed local transmissions. The state of calamity declaration lasts for six months, which would mean it is set to expire this week. OPINION: The Philippine health care system was never ready for a pandemic This meant that all government agencies and local government units are asked to render full assistance and cooperation to provide "critical, urgent and appropriate response" to address the situation. The document also carries a provision allowing Duterte to either lift or extend the state of calamity "as circumstances may warrant." The declaration of a state of calamity will allow agencies and LGUs to tap quick response funds to enhance disaster preparedness efforts amid its fight against COVID-19. There are now 261,216 confirmed cases in the country. Some 207,568 patients recovered while 4,371 have died as of Sunday. Gareth Bale is not looking to leave Real Madrid on loan as they explore ways of offloading their 85million signing. Manchester United have an interest in the Wales international but not at the current figures being demanded by Madrid. The 31-year-old is keen to move after being frozen out by Zinedine Zidane and saw the club scupper a transfer to Jiangsu Suning in China after asking for a fee once he had agreed wages of 1m-a-week. Gareth Bale is not looking to leave Real Madrid on loan as they explore ways of offloading him Manchester United have an interest in the Wales international but not at the current figures Madrid have expressed a willingness to pay 50 per cent of Bale's 600,000-a-week salary to help pave a move away but with two years left on contract that is not straight forward. Preferable to suitors would be for Madrid to reach a compromise over his contract and mutually agree to cancel it. They have yet to agree to that though as they assess all options of recouping what money they can in the current climate. United retain an interest in the Welshman as well as Jack Grealish at Aston Villa while Ivan Perisic has been suggested on loan from Inter Milan. The 31-year-old is keen to move after being frozen out by Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane Jadon Sancho remains a target and part of United's long term plan but Borussia Dortmund are increasingly confident he will stay beyond this window. Meanwhile, United have held discussions over a move for Real Madrid left back Sergio Reguilon, though a deal is regarded as 'unlikely' at this stage. Madrid have been looking for 27m and a buy-back clause for the 23-year-old but United will not agree to those terms. The club is open to adding another left back as competition for Luke Shaw. Id like to read about Reginald Noble every Black History Month. Past News Releases RSS Reginald Redman Noble, the Grammy-nominated, best-selling rapper, has been nominated for the prestigious Computer History Museum Fellows Awards Hall of Fellows, recognizing him as the first African-American male with a standalone software technology school rebranded to be named in his honor as well as for inspiring young African-American men to pursue careers in technology. The Reginald Noble School of Technology Methodologies Training, best known as Reginald Noble Tech, a 501c3 nonprofit that is named in honor of Noble, is a major initiative designed to transform the lives of African-American males in cities around the country, creating new opportunities to inspire, educate and prepare them for careers in technology. The museum, based in Silicon Valley, recognizes individuals whose technological progress should be in service to human progress and whose technology created and applied ethically can expand access to opportunity. If selected in 2021, he would be listed in its Hall of Fellows along with such individuals as Katherine Johnson, the famed NASA scientist featured in the popular Hidden Figures movie and James Gosling, who conceived the popular Java programming language. To kick off the schools fall session in mid-September, Mike Purzycki, mayor of Wilmington, Del., will offer some opening remarks, celebrating the programs contributions to the community, whose classes were filled to capacity on the first day of the announcement. Reginald Noble Tech is offering young African American males access to free, eight-week classes offered in such areas as network testing, UAT/GUI testing, security testing and mobile application testing. The school even assists some of these young men with clearing their nonviolent criminal histories. The innovative school is addressing the growing need to provide underserved African-American men in mainly urban communities, who are 18-25, the opportunity and access to careers in technology, particularly software. Reginald Noble Tech wants to change the narrative; bucking trends that show that only 2% to 5% of tech executives are blacks. With the support of 100 Black Men of Philadelphia-Manhood 101 Program, Cait Brown, a veteran business executive and founder, worked with numerous members of the community to establish the school. Tyrone Taylor, Sr., the fiduciary agent for the school who is an investor, entrepreneur, says this nomination is historic, and serves as a powerful tribute to Noble and his commitment to the community. As a hugely valuable asset to the schools programming, James Brewer, a nationally acclaimed financial services expert, will be leading the schools Financial Literacy Program. While initially launching in Wilmington, Del., Reginald Noble Tech is planning to expand the programs in major cities around the country over the next few years. For more information about the school or any corporations or organizations interested in partnering with Reginald Noble Tech, or if you would like to donate please submit your information via the online form or call 302-440-3851. For media interviews, contact Neil Foote, Foote Communications, neil@neilfoote.com, 214-448-3765. Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Middlesex Twp. is closed to visitors and vendors after another staff members tested positive for COVID-19. In a news release, Claremont said the staff member is asymptomatic and is in isolation at home. The center is working with the state Department of Healths epidemiologist to conduct universal testing Sept. 15-17. According to the news release, Claremont has had 12 staff members and two residents test positive since the coronavirus pandemic started. This brings the total number of staffers to 12, and two residents who have tested positive since the pandemic began. Claremont has returned to the non-opened stage, and will slowly reopen as guidelines permit, moving through each required phase of re-opening. Claremont continues to follow CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Healths COVID-19 guidelines for its residents and employees, the center said in a news release. READ MORE Donegal elementary school to close after 2 test positive for coronavirus. Does your employer have to tell you if a coworker has the coronavirus? (Alliance News) - Pan-European stock market operator Euronext announced Monday it has submitted an offer to buy Milan's Borsa Italiana from the London Stock Exchange Group PLC in partnership with Italy's CDP Equity and Intesa Sanpaolo Spa. Euronext, which is competing against at least Germany's Deutsche Boerse for the Italian stock exchange operator, said there is no certainty that the "non-binding" bid will lead to a transaction. "The proposed combination of Borsa Italiana and Euronext would create a leading player in continental European capital markets, where Italy would be the largest revenue contributor to the enlarged Euronext group," it said in a statement. "This transformational project would effectively position the newly formed group to deliver the ambition of further building the backbone of the Capital Markets Union in Europe, while at the same time supporting local economies." Both Euronext and Deutsche Boerse AG on Friday announced rival offers to try to buy Milan's Borsa Italiana, setting the stage for a bidding war. Switzerland's SIX is also reportedly considering joining the race for the Milan stock exchange. Euronext originally said only it was teaming up with CDP Equity, so the addition of Intesa Sanpaolo broadens its consortium. LSEG said in July that it was prepared to sell its Borsa Italiana subsidiary in order to win approval by the EU Commission of its planned purchase of US financial data provider Refinitiv. Euronext has been on a shopping spree recently, buying the Danish Central Securities Depository, VP Securities, last month to expand its Nordic footprint.A It also acquired the Scandinavian electricity exchange Nord Pool in January and the Oslo Stock Exchange in June 2019.A By contrast, it decided not to buy the Madrid stock exchange, which was eventually snapped up Swiss operator SIX. Rome has said all offers will be examined closely by the government and the regulatory authorities.A source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. 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 Remember "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," the hit NBC show from the 1990s starring Will Smith as a streetwise teen from Philadelphia sent to live with his rich relatives in a gorgeous mansion in Bel-Air, CA? That iconic house has now returned to the limelight as an Airbnb rental. Starting on Sept. 29, Los Angeles County residents will have a chance to book one of five October stays in the Fresh Prince's wing of the mansion. And it can all be yours for the astonishingly low price of just $30 per nighta fan-friendly rate set to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the home's TV debut. Guests will revel in the home's '90s decor and amenities as well as enjoy exclusive Airbnb experience perks, including donning a new pair of Air Jordans to shoot hoops in the bedroom, dining on literal silver platters (all meals are included), and playing the home's vinyl collection on a turntable like the one owned by show co-star DJ Jazzy Jeff. Given the world we live in today, all local COVID-19 guidelines will be strictly enforced. (The home will be scrubbed between guests, following both CDC and Airbnb enhanced cleaning protocols.) In fact, guests (two max per stay) must show proof of L.A. County residency and live in the same household to minimize potential health risks. And to help celebrate community and support youth during this 30th year milestone, Airbnb is making a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, which happens to also be Smith's hometown. Isn't that sweet? Choose from a dozen poolside lounge chairs. Airbnb The reality behind the Fresh Prince mansion Of course this is a made-for-TV tale, so not everything is exactly true to life, including the location of the famed estate. For one, it isn't in Bel-Airit's actually located in nearby Brentwood. But "The Fresh Prince of Brentwood" doesn't sound quite so lofty, does it? Granted, in reality, the difference between these two tony enclaves is subtle. Bel-Air, just minutes from West Hollywood, is a smaller area with winding streets and loads of privacy. Meanwhile, Brentwood feels like a more traditional neighborhood, albeit with lovely lush yards plus easy access to top-notch schools and world-class shopping, dining, and nightlife. Gaze at Will Smith's way-cool kicks and lids from the king-size bed. Airbnb And if it's celebrity residents you seek, both neighborhoods sport multimillion-dollar mansions and can point to many famous celebs as current and past residents. "Bel-Air commands prestige: Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Reagan, and Frank Sinatra all lived here, as have business and tech moguls like Elon Musk," says Cara Ameer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Brentwood's residential bragging rights include Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Harrison Ford. Games for days fill this amazing retro home. Airbnb Another thing these two areas have in common are sky-high home prices. "The two areas have evolved tremendously since 'The Fresh Prince' first aired, and real estate values have soared by several million dollars over the past 30 years," Ameer adds. So even if your Bel-Air Airbnb stay won't be in Bel-Air, that's no reason to let that stop you. "There are many L.A. shows filmed with exterior shots of famous homes, while the interiors are done on a sound stage offsite," says Tyler Drew, CEO of Anubis Properties in Los Angeles. "But at $30 a night, I think a stay here is well worth the price for a little historical inaccuracy." A socially distanced concierge will give you a full tour. Airbnb How much is the 'Fresh Prince' mansion worth today? This particular property in Brentwood was apparently chosen for a starring role in the show because it has a traditional American style, albeit one stuck in a '90s design rut. It's currently valued at around $6.4 million, but some agents think it could be worth more to the right buyer. "The home, which is probably worth around $7.5 million depending on condition, is really a snapshot in time of that decade's pop culture, which includes other shows like 'Beverly Hills 90210' and 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,'" says Ameer. However, most buyers wouldn't be likely to embrace the property's boxy formal style and old-school, chopped-up living and dining spaces, eschewing them for more modern open-plan rooms. "Given that the home is from 1937, someone buying it now may eye the property for a substantial remodel or teardown," Ameer adds. Nonetheless, Airbnb fans probably aren't eager to own the place as much as just soak it in for a night. "Staying here for a night is all part of the throwback experience," Ameer says. ___ Watch: Picture It: The 'Golden Girls' House Could Be Yours for $3M The post 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' House Is Back! What's Up With This Famous Mansion Today appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register It is welcome news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is out of a medically-induced coma and is responding to verbal stimuli, according to his doctors in Berlin. A statement from Charite hospital warned, however, that it remains much too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe poisoning. Mr. Navalny was flown to Berlin from Russia after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20, and after Russian doctors, at the request of his family, allowed him to be transported to Germany. In Berlin German doctors determined that Mr. Navalny, who is a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been poisoned by a nerve agent of the Novichok group, a chemical weapon developed by Russia. After the German medical experts announced their findings, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan called for an immediate, comprehensive, and transparent investigation by the Russian authorities that holds the parties behind this act responsible. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany described Mr. Navalnys poisoning as completely reprehensible: Russia has used chemical nerve agents in the past, and were working with our 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. Emphasizing the need for a collective response, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO Allies were united in condemning the horrific attack on Mr. Navalny, and urged Russia to participate in an impartial, international investigation into the circumstances of the attempted assassination and find those responsible. The G7 Foreign Ministers issued a written statement also calling on Russia to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and bearing in mind Russias commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring the perpetrators to justice. This attack against opposition leader Navalny is another grave blow against democracy and political plurality in Russia, said the G7. We will continue to monitor closely how Russia responds to international calls for an explanation of the hideous poisoning of Mr. Navalny. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo echoed the G7 statement saying, This attack contravenes the international norms prohibiting the use of such weapons. Published on 2020/09/13 | Source Automaker Hyundai is promoting its hydrogen fuel cell technology with the Nexo sedan in Europe. Advertisement The company said Thursday that it is launching the campaign this month, starting in Berlin, and it will go on for a year. Hyundai wants to promote "sustainable future mobility and the establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem via video and social media", according to a press release. It will expand the campaign to Asia and North America next year. The aim is to increase its annual sales of hydrogen cars to 110,000 by 2025 and establish production capacity for 500,000 a year by 2030. Trump Holds Nevada Rally, Urges Governor to Open Up Your State President Donald Trump held an indoor rally at a warehouse outside Las Vegas, defying Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and urging him to open up your state. At Sunday nights rally in Henderson, Trump criticized the Democrat governor, who earlier reprimanded the president for holding a large event in violation of the states restrictions on public gatherings amid the pandemic, which are currently limited to 50 people. You have a governor right now who is a political hack, Trump told the audience. Tell your governor to open up your state, by the way. Open up your state. Sisolak, who said in a tweet that Trump was taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada, claimed the president was placing himself above the law by ignoring the states emergency directives and dismissing concerns by local officials about the rally. Parts of Nevadas economy remain in lockdown, in line with a re-opening plan (pdf) that evaluates each county according to case and testing positivity rates. Clark County, where the rally took place, saw 186 new COVID-19 cases between Sept. 9-11, accounting for 71.5 percent of all new infections in Nevada in that timeframe, according to a press bulletin issued by health authorities (pdf). The Nevada COVID-19 Mitigation & Management Task Force on Sept. 10 voted to keep bars and taverns in Clark County closed. Casinos and restaurants are operating at half capacity. Speaking to supporters at the rally, Trump made a pitch for reopening. We are not shutting the country again. A shutdown would destroy the lives and dreams of millions Americans, Trump said, adding, We will very easily defeat the China virus. Trumps rally in Henderson followed one on Sept. 12 in Minden, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. At that event, Trump also spoke about Sisolak, saying the governor was trying to stop the Trump campaign from holding the rally and suggested he may try to rig the election because hes in control of millions of votes, before leveling a broadside at Democrat-led states over large-scale vote-by-mail initiatives, which he has repeatedly argued carry a high risk of fraud. Whether its in North Carolina, whether its in Michigan, whether its in other states where theyre sending out, theyre going to be sending out 80 million ballots. And its Democratstheyre trying to rig this election, Trump said. Earlier Sunday, Trump aimed for further inroads with Latinos, who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine the White House race, promoting economic gains they made before the outbreak of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus. Hispanic Americans enrich our nation beyond measure, Trump said at the roundtable, adding, they proudly serve our nation in the military, as members of law enforcement, and they also start small business. I can tell you from personal experience, youre very good businessmen and women, very, very good, extraordinary actually. They promote the shared values of faith and family, hard work, and patriotism. Hispanic Americans embody the American dream. Trump then said Hispanic Americans understand and sympathize with his calls for border security. They want law and order and they want people to come inso do Ibut they want them to come in through a process and legally, Trump said, before taking a swipe at his rival in the presidential election, Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Joe Biden has spent 47 years betraying the Hispanic American community. Sending their jobs to China, raising taxes on their families and small businesses, making their communities less safe, attacking their values and trapping their children in failing government schools, Trump said, adding that a successful Democrat bid for the White House would threaten school choice policies and the right to bear arms. An extension to the provincial wage-subsidy program might mean chicken dinner for some, but business leaders say not everyone's a winner. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An extension to the provincial wage-subsidy program might mean chicken dinner for some, but business leaders say not everyone's a winner. During a media event at a Winnipeg Chicken Chef location Monday, Premier Brian Pallister joined Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler to announce a two-month extension to the Back to Work in Manitoba initiative. Now valid until Dec. 31, its goal is to get Manitobans off federal benefits and hire back employees who were laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic. "Manitobans like to work, they like to earn their way," Pallister told reporters Monday. "And we know that the best social program isn't a social program it's a job." Under the initiative, private-sector and non-profit employers can receive up to $100,000 to subsidize 20 employees (up to $5,000 per employee) hired since July 16. So far, the program has received 800 applications, for 4,500 positions, adding to $22.6 million in supports. Top participating sectors include retail (16 per cent), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (12 per cent), and accommodation and food services (eight per cent). However, even as the initiative is extended, some business owners and advocates are "skeptical" about its success. Some say the funds would be of better use elsewhere (such as for personal protective equipment); others believe the program should be scrapped altogether, given the seemingly low uptake. "There's definitely some underlying structural problems with the initiative that're preventing people from qualifying or applying," said Jonathan Alward, Prairies director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "A large one is the massive issue with cash flow, because the money doesnt actually come until much later." Alward said none of the 5,000 small and medium-sized firms represented by CFIB in Manitoba "can wait all that long to get this provincial funding." "They just dont have the means to put this cash up front," he said. "And its why theyve gone with the federal subsidies instead." Part of Mondays extension includes allowing employers to hire students through the Manitoba Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program, Canada Summer Job Program, and Green Team Program, who were previously ineligible. Startup companies can also receive the subsidy, provided they have a business number. However, the criteria still only allows firms in a position of employing 20 staff members to be eligible. For Brian Scharfstein, who owns Canadian Footwear Ltd., thats made things "more than challenging." "First of all, the provincial funding came far too late to begin with," he said Monday. "Theres also a fundamental issue with understanding how these dollars should be allocated to begin with because far too many of us arent in a position to be doing any hiring right now. "Our winter revenue estimates say we should be holding our ships tight, so why would we take something up like this when we just cant afford it?" Aaron Bernstein, of Bernstein's Deli, has been taking up Ottawas Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy for that same reason, which pays up to 75 per cent of an eligible employees weekly earnings to a maximum of $847 per employee per week. 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. "Anythings better than nothing, so I guess this could be helpful in some way," he said. "But none of our needs are met by the province at this point. So while I applied for the subsidy last week, Im not so sure Ill hear back." Mondays announcement was made at a Chicken Chef restaurant location because, the premier said, it's one of the small, Manitoba-based businesses that has benefited from the program. Pallister said an operations manager with the franchise told him he was struggling to fill shifts with a low number of employees after the pandemic, and the government fixed the problem through the subsidy. When asked for comment by the Free Press, Chicken Chef head office declined. Twitter: @temurdur temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca On the most recent episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick spoke with Donald Ayer, who served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush and as a U.S. attorney and principal deputy solicitor general in the Reagan administration, about Attorney General William Barrs dangerous ideology and our descent into autocracy. The below partial transcript of their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: I want to give you a minute to comment on the DOJ stepping in on Tuesday into this state defamation case that was brought by E. Jean Carroll. The most shocking component, I think you and I agree, is the allegation that what Donald Trump said about E. Jean Carroll, when he dismissed her as not his type and said that she was making it all up to publish a book, was somehow under the course of his employment as president. I think the media described this as surprising. I described it as, Wahhhh! Where do you put this in your canon of things to be worried about? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Ayer: I think its something to be worried about because it is so transparently invalid as an action. The idea that he was acting within the scope of his employment when he made allegedly slanderous comments about a woman who said that shed been raped by him. I mean, that is just off the page ridiculous. One of the things that goes on in every one of these Federal Tort Claims Act cases is that you look at the facts of what went on and you say, Was this employee working within the scope of his employment? Is this part of his duties as a federal employee? Well, this obviously, obviously is not. Well, thats just utter hogwash. Donald Ayer This is actually part and parcel in a way of William Barrs aggrandized view of the president. He said in his 2018 memo when he was applying to be attorney general that the president is the executive branch. And apparently this is a corollary of that in his mind, which is that therefore everything the president does is within his scope of employment. So just think about that for a minute. You know, as in the famous quote, apparently, I dont know, but maybe Barr would say if the president shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, because hes president, that would be within the scope of his employment. Thats about what this amounts to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youve known Bill Barr for a long time. And I think youve said that he took this job because there are things he wants to get done, that he has a fully realized worldview, both in terms of his view of the unitary executive, presidential power, an unbounded presidency. Thats part of it. There is another part of his worldview, which I think is a quasi-religious worldview. And I wondered if youd be willing to talk about that a little. Advertisement Advertisement Ive spent some time lately reading some of the things he has written. He is a strong, believing Catholic, and thats obviously a personal thing for him. And I dont have any comment on that obviously. But one of the things thats apparent when you read his various writings on the subject of executive powerthe narrative he tells there for the country relating to religious belief is very similar and very parallel to his sense with regard to executive power. On executive power, he concocts a very wrong view that the founders actually intended the president to be a virtual autocrat. Never mind what you learned in eighth grade or high school about separation of powers and all of these ways that the different branches check each other, the checks and balances and all of that. Bill Barrs view is that the founders intended a very strong executive who would be essentially immune from a whole variety of things, and that that reality was the reality in our country for the first almost 200 years. Well, thats just utter hogwash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the key point is that in the 60s, or maybe the 70s, as he said, accelerating after Watergate, that all just went down the drain and we started attacking the executive in various ways. This is basically backward. The power of the president has gone into its ascendancy in the past 50 years. But thats his view on that. And his personal role that hes assigned himself is to restore that autocratic vision of the president. Well, the same thing, on parallel way, is true of his views on religion. He sees the founders as people who were very concerned that Americans would remain a pious country of churchgoers whose strict religious moral views would govern them. And I guess he thinks that was the dominant story in our country, even though everyone else knows that our country was essentially created as a result of the rationalism, the enlightenment, the rise of empiricism and understanding of the world as a real physical place that had rules of its own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Barr sees the founders as focused overwhelmingly on piety and adherence to traditional Christian morals. And again, on a parallel with his views on autocracy, gosh, golly, gee, that went to hell in a hand basket starting in the 60s, with all the things that happened in the 60s and things that have happened since. And so again, his role that he sees for himself is to restore that. And a good microcosm of that, if you want to just think of one image, is Bill Barr ordering federal law enforcement people into Lafayette Park to clear out the park, so the president, the most vulgar, irreligious national leader we have ever had, could stride across Lafayette Park with a Bible in his hand and wave it at the camera in front of St. Johns Church. Advertisement Advertisement So Barr has got this role for himself as a restorer of these worlds that never were. And essentially the only way he can perform that mission is by keeping Donald Trump happy. So thats what were seeing now. Were seeing him do whatever it takes to get Trump reelected and to keep Trump thinking that Barr is the guy who he needs to help him accomplish all this. I have a question of nomenclature for you. You keep talking about autocracy. When you talk about autocracy, what exactly do you mean? I guess I want you to unpack it and tell me when you started using that word. I dont know quite when I started using that word, but it was around the time that I saw that there was this systematic effort to free the president from the limitations upon his use of power that have always been sort of in the water we drank and the air we breathe. And one of the very first things that started down that road with Bill Barr was when the president, not liking the fact that Congress had declined to appropriate money for his border wall, declared an emergency, and then immediately said, This isnt really an emergency. I just want to do it quicker. And Barrs Justice Department went to court to defend his ability to do that. So what is that? Thats the appropriations clause. The Constitution says that the Congress appropriates money. Congress repeatedly, explicitly refused to appropriate that money. And the president says, Forget it. Im just going to go ahead and do it anyway. So thats one example of a power being overridden. Then, throughout 2019, theres this vast array of acts to stonewall efforts by the Congress to do oversight, to get information, to get documents, to talk to witnesses, even in connection with the impeachment. And they basically just said, Nah, were not going to give it to you. Of course, another element of it is, well, we dont like the Mueller report, so well just override it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So the list goes on and on and on. And what it amounts to is a systematic effort by this administration, under the direction of Bill Barr, to dismantle the checks and balances on the system. When you eliminate virtually all the checks and balances on the presidents power, what do you have left? You have an autocrat. I think what youre saying is that we have an idea about authoritarianism as something that is happening on the streets. What we saw in Lafayette Park, what we saw in Portland, people getting thrown into vans. I think what youre saying adds another dimension, and its a really important dimension. Youre saying its not just that. Authoritarianism is cumulative. Authoritarianism is an attitude. Authoritarianism can happen in the vaulted halls of main justice as readily as on the streets. And what youre telling me is even on that axis, its happening all around us. Advertisement I think one measure of it is the sense people feel. I feel it. I think you may feel it. A lot of other people feel it, that the craziness continues, one thing after another happens. And you may speak out if you can, if you have a forum and a way to do it, but ultimately you say, Well, I cant do anything about that right now. Theres just nothing I can do about that. Thats the way it is. Thats what they do. Its completely wrong and completely outrageous. But this administration has the power right now to do that. And as outrageous as it is, none of us can do anything about it. Well, once thats institutionalized and we all accept that attitude, you are now living in an autocracy. And thats what theyre working toward. To hear the rest of their discussion, listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Striking University of Michigan graduate instructors voted Sunday to extend their strike against the reopening policies of the university into the coming week. The students in the UM Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) concluded their initial four-day strike on Friday. At a meeting late Friday evening, the GEO announced that its steering committee was recommending the extension of the strike by another week as the demands of the instructors had not been met by the university. The membership had the weekend to cast their vote for the extension of the strike. The results were released late Sunday night showing overwhelming support, with 80 percent voting in favor of the extension. The strike has garnered immense support from undergraduate students, Residential Advisors, faculty, university staff, local workers and high school students, as well as students and workers from campuses across the country. University of Michigan resident advisors (RAs) call for unity with striking graduate students The groundswell of support is an indication of the immense opposition that exists in the working class to the reckless drive to reopen schools and workplaces as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep through the country. A report published Friday morning by USA Today gives indisputable evidence that the reopening of colleges and universities leads to an increase in infections throughout the community. The report showed that 19 of the 25 largest outbreaks in the US are in communities with colleges that have reopened for in-person learning. Every student and worker on the university campus and in the surrounding community has a stake in the outcome of this struggle. To continue and expand the strike, workers and students throughout the university should establish a campus-wide strike committee to fight for the closure of campus for in-person learning, oppose reprisals and victimization by the university, and link up the struggle with students and workers throughout the country against the broader policy of the ruling class. Yesterday, news broke of virus outbreaks at Michigan State University (MSU), just an hour away from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Opposition is brewing among students and staff at MSU over the same issues at the center of the strike at UM, and the closure of both of these campuses would save countless lives throughout the region. Students and faculty at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, located just two hours apart, are organizing a joint strike starting this Wednesday. At San Diego State University (SDSU), outrage is growing over reopening policies that have led to over 500 cases. Hundreds of students and faculty have signed on to a letter to oppose the reopening of the University of California, San Diego at the end of the month. Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison protested in-person learning on Saturday by setting up gravestones in front of the dining hall that students in quarantine have to use. As of Friday, more than 1,800 students had tested positive at the university. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has issued a shelter in place order which includes all residence halls on campus because of the rapidly growing number of cases. The result of reopening campuses for in-person learning, as was widely predicted, is producing a catastrophe. On Sunday, the state of Wisconsin reported a new record of 1,582 cases, driven largely by the reopening of schools and the broader impact. The campaign to reopen schools and universities is part of the ruling classs policy of herd immunity that is, to allow the virus to spread without restraint. This policy, spearheaded by Trump but implemented by Democrats and Republicans in states throughout the country, has already led to almost 200,000 deaths in the US. The University of Washington now estimates that the number of deaths by the end of the year could rise to above 400,000. From the beginning of the pandemic, the social interests driving policy have been those of Wall Street, corporate executives, and the capitalist class as a whole. As victims of COVID-19 were piling up in the thousands throughout the US, Democratic and Republican politicians were busy preparing a bailout of the rich on a scale unprecedented in world history. The so-called CARES Act, passed nearly unanimously at the end of March, sanctioned the funneling of more than $3 trillion into Wall Street. Once their wealth was secured, the ruling class immediately began its back-to-work campaign and then, as the fall semester approached, its back-to-school campaign. The Democrats and Republicans are united in their drive to reopen schools. While Bidens tactics and rhetoric are different from Trumps, the fundamental conclusion remains the same: schools must reopen. Bidens wife is in the midst of a multiweek Back to School Tour that will stop in ten major cities to promote Bidens campaign to reopen safely. The ruling class has been aided and abetted in this campaign by corporate-controlled unions, which have done nothing to oppose the homicidal policy of the ruling class. In relation to the strike at University of Michigan, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the parent organization of the GEO, has deliberately isolated the GEO strike. While there has been a surge of public support for the strike across the country, AFT President and Democratic Party official Randi Weingarten has yet to even publicly acknowledge the strikes existence, let alone support it or call out other AFT unions. Teachers, staff and students have begun forming a network of nationally coordinated Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees, independent of the corporate-controlled unions and both big-business parties, to stop the school reopenings. Students at the University of Michigan have taken an important stand in defense of health against profit. However, this struggle must be developed into a broader fight of the entire working class against a social and economic system, capitalism, that subordinates the needs of society to the accumulation of profit by the rich. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality in the US is holding a national online meeting Thursday, at 8 PM EDT to organize students against the reckless reopening of schools. We urge students and youth to register for the event today . New Delhi, Sep 14 : Former ICICI Bank chairman Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochchar who was recently arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate has tested positive for Covid-19. Kochhar has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, the businessman's legal team confirmed to IANS over the phone. His Counsel Vijay Aggarwal who met him on Sunday in the ED office also made himself self-quarantined. A Special Court earlier this month sent Kochhar to 11 days ED custody after the federal agency arrested him in a money-laundering case. Kochhar, the husband of the high-profile former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, is facing charges of money-laundering in the ICICI Bank-Videocon Group case. A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court had sent him to the ED custody till September 19. The action came nearly a year after the Central Bureau of Investigation launched a probe against Videocon Group Director Venugopal Dhoot, his companies Videocon International Electronics Ltd. and Videocon Industries Ltd, and the Kochhars. Following the CBI complaint, the ED launched its own probe into the money-laundering angle, and earlier this year, provisionally attached assets valued at around Rs 78 crore, including a flat in Mumbai, land, and plant and machinery of a wind power project in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which were "owned/controlled" by the Kochhars. The probe revealed that bank loans were refinanced and new loans aggregating to Rs 1,730 crore were sanctioned to Videocon and its group companies, and these loans later became non-performing assets (NPA) for ICICI Bank on June 30, 2017. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text State-run banks are poised to get 20,000 crore through recapitalization bonds this financial year, at a time the coronavirus crisis threatens to bump up bad loans across the banking system. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday tabled the first batch of supplementary demand for grants in the Parliament, reflecting additional expenses sought by various ministries beyond the budget allocations. It also indicates the spending appetite of the government. For meeting the expenditure towards recapitalization of public sector banks (PSBs) through issue of government securitiesRs20,000 crore, the supplementary demand for grants document read. Capital infusion through issue of government bonds will not impact fiscal deficit in the current financial year, as there is no cash outgo. While the 2020-21 budget did not make any allocation for bank recapitalization, the previous budget had promised Rs70,000 crore to boost credit for a strong impetus to the economy. During 2017-18 and 2018-19, there were budgetary provisions as well as recapitalization bonds. Experts said recapitalization of state-owned banks is critical for economic growth. Given the impact of the pandemic on the economy, it is essential for the banks to provide credit support to get the economy back on a growth trajectory. If banks are saddled with non-performing assets, new credit inflows will be difficult. To make the banks lend more, the government wants to infuse capital, which may have eroded due to higher pandemic provisions, said Kuntal Sur, a partner at PwC. The central bank had also called for capital infusion into banks. The Reserve Bank also said that bad loans are expected to rise to a 20-year high to 12.5% of total advances by March 2021, and had warned that if the economic conditions worsen further, this may soar to 14.7% under the very severely stressed scenario. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress leader on Monday termed the agriculture ordinances rolled out by the centre as "black" ordinances and said that these are a fatal attack on farming community. " are the ones who buy and sell their produce in retail at wholesale prices. The three 'black' ordinances of the Modi government are a fatal attack on peasant-agricultural labourers, so that neither they get MSP nor rights and are forced to sell their land to capitalists. This is another anti-farmer conspiracy of Modi ji," Gandhi said in a tweet. in Punjab, Haryana are protesting against the recent agriculture ordinances passed by the Union Cabinet. On June 5, President Ram Nath Kovind had promulgated three ordinances to usher in agricultural reforms for raising the income of the farmers and giving them more freedom to sell their produce. The President promulgated Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance Act, 2020. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that COVID-19 daily infections across the world has reached a new record with 307,930 new confirmed infections. According to the WHO, more than 5,500 new deaths were also recorded, bringing the global total to 917,417. The biggest increases in infections were reported in three countries, with 94,372 in India, 45,523 in the US and 43,718 in Brazil. The news comes as a WHO official has warned that Europe is likely to see a rise in the number of daily deaths in October and November. Its going to get tougher in October, November, we are going to see more mortality, WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told the AFP news agency today. The number of cases has been rising in a number of European countries in recent weeks, with Spain and France experiencing the largest spikes. ---CitiNewsRoom By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has said that Armenia seeks to strengthen the results of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories, and preserve the status quo based on occupation by illegally settling Armenians in Azerbaijan's territories. In a statement published on September 14, the ministry said that videos have been circulating on social networks demonstrating the continuation of the policy of illegal settlement in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas of Azerbaijan. Namely, Lebanese Armenians have been recently settled in occupied Azerbaijani territories. After the explosion in the Lebanese city of Beirut, the aggressor state Armenia, using the tragedy in this country for its own nefarious purposes, began to implement plans to resettle Lebanese Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas which are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and currently under military occupation. The ministry stated that Armenia is trying to artificially increase the number of Armenians here by illegally resettling the ethnic Armenians who have nothing to do with the region to the currently occupied lands of Azerbaijan. It reminded that Yerevan has been preventing the return of the Azerbaijani IDPs forcefully expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas and whose human rights have been violated, to their homes and properties for nearly 30 years. Furthermore, the ministry said that it has raised the issue of illegal settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that is mediating the conflict as well as with relevant international organizations. The ministry also emphasized that the Armenian leadership seeks to escalate tensions in the region and has recently openly demonstrated this with its provocative actions and statements. The Armenian leadership is undermining the negotiated settlement of the conflict with its policy of annexation, the minisry said. The international community will be regularly informed about the illegal activities carried out in our occupied territories, including the illegal resettlement policy, and our efforts aimed at putting an end to this illegal practice will continue within international organizations, the ministry noted. The ministry called on the international community to take practical steps to hold accountable the Armenian government, which keeps the Azerbaijani territories under occupation and carrying out illegal activities in these lands. It should be noted that in August, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minstry revealed the sattelite image of a residential complex consisting of 15 houses, which began to be built in occupied Kalbajar in late 2019. Armenia had earlier moved thousands of Syrian Armenians to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan since the start of the Syrian war. According to UNHCR figures, at least 15,000 Syrians have found refuge in Armenia since the start of the crisis. China: House church preacher, wife face charges for homeschooling children Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A court in Chinas southern Fujian province has summoned a house church preacher and his wife for not sending his children to public school and homeschooling them, according to a watchdog. Preacher You Guanda of Dianqian Church in Xiamen city and his wife have been asked to report to Shaowu Court on the morning of Sept. 23, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. They were charged with custody disputes by the local government, ICC said. Dianqian Church, which is a house church that follows the Reformed tradition, has been facing harassment from the provincial government for the last few years. Dianqian is the name of the village the church is situated in. Last June, local communist authorities disbanded the house church after the preacher and other members purchased a new property for residence, homeschooling and worship. It was forcibly demolished this year. The church leadership said last year that the government had long been monitoring the churchs activities, according to China Aid, a U.S.-based group that exposes abuses, helps the persecuted and promotes religious freedom, human rights and rule of law. Some (church leaders and members) have been required to speak to police and other officials. Others experienced illegal treatment. Last March, Chinas Ministry of Education urged authorities nationwide to deter nontraditional educational institutions from operating, and threatened to punish parents who send their children to such facilities, the magazine Sixth Tone reported earlier. Schools in China have been teaching children that Christianity is an evil cult. A 2019 report by Chinese persecution watchdog Bitter Winter said children were being taught to oppose religion, encouraged to question the beliefs of family members and report those closest to them to authorities. China has been cracking down on underground churches and Christian activists for years. In 2015, more than 1,000 crosses were removed from church roofs and entire church buildings were destroyed across the Zhejiang province. The Chinese government continued its campaign against Christianity during the countrys coronavirus outbreak by destroying crosses and demolishing a church while people were on lockdown. More than 60 million Christians live in China, at least half of whom worship in unregistered or illegal underground churches. China is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians on Open Doors USAs World Watch List. In addition to Christians, the communist government continues to persecute and monitor members of various religious minorities, including the detention of over 1 million Uighur and other Muslims in western China over the last three years. People enjoying the autumn sunshine on Primrose Hill, London, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. From Monday, social gatherings of more than six people will be banned in England both indoors and outdoors and Boris Johnson hinted that such restrictions will potentially remain in place until or through Christmas. (AP) Copenhagen: The World Health Organization expects Europe to see a rise in the daily number of Covid-19 deaths in October and November, the head of the body's European branch told AFP on Monday. "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said, as the continent currently experiences a surge of cases though the number of deaths has remained relatively stable. The resurgence is however expected to lead to an increase in daily deaths, the WHO said. "It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand," Kluge told AFP in an interview, stressing that he wanted to send the "positive message" that the pandemic "is going to finish, at one moment or another." The WHO Europe's 55 member states are holding an online meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss their response to the new coronavirus and agree on their overall five-year strategy. However Kluge, based in Copenhagen, raised a warning finger to those who believe that the development of a vaccine will bring an end to the pandemic. "I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not!," the Belgian said. "We don't even know if the vaccine is going to help all population groups. We are getting some signs now that it will help for one group and not for the other," he said. "And then if we have to order different vaccines, what a logistical nightmare!" "The end of the pandemic is the moment that we as a community are going to learn how to live with this pandemic. And it depends on us and that's a very positive message," he said. The number of cases in Europe has risen sharply in recent weeks, especially in Spain and France. On Friday alone, more than 51,000 new cases were reported in the 55 countries of the WHO Europe, which is more than the highest peak in April, according to the organisation. Meanwhile, the number of daily deaths has remained at around the same level since early June, with around 400-500 deaths per day linked to Covid-19, WHO data showed. Via video-link to the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin city, Judge James McCourt told the jury this morning that he was socially isolating at home after close contact with somebody who has since tested positive for the virus. Close contact He said that since learning of the close contact's diagnosis he has himself been tested and has received a negative result. The trial of two brothers at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard allegations that they repeatedly indecently assaulted two of their younger brothers in the years between 1979 and 1988. One of the complainants testified that he was raped up to 1200 times over a number of years. The trial began last week and the jury began deliberations on Thursday afternoon but were sent home on Friday morning because Judge McCourt was absent due to the Covid 19 contact. Advertisement The boys were members of a large family and the alleged abuse occurred at the family home in Dublin. Neither of the defendants can be named to protect the anonymity of the complainants. The eldest brother, who is now aged 55 and living in Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to 35 sample counts of indecently assaulting his two younger brothers on dates between 1979 and 1985. The second oldest brother, now aged 50, pleaded not guilty to 16 sample counts of indecently assaulting his younger brother between 1985 and 1988. The jury of seven women and five men resumed deliberations this morning. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the UN Charter remains a "touchstone for a world mired in great challenges," calling for efforts to defend multilateralism and global governance. "It remains our touchstone for a world mired in a pandemic, torn by discrimination, endangered by climate change and scarred by poverty, inequality and war," Guterres said in a video message marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter. Recalling what the founding people did 75 years ago, Guterres said that the delegates in San Francisco in 1945, having themselves lived through a global pandemic, depression and war, seized their opportunity to plant the seeds of something better and new. He said the world now faces some "painful setbacks" such as COVID-19, discrimination, climate change, environmental degradation, cyberattacks and nuclear proliferation, The UN secretary-general called on member states to do the same like predecessors did 75 years ago. "To achieve that watershed moment, we need to reimagine multilateralism, give it teeth to function as the founders intended, and ensure that effective global governance is a reality when it is needed." The international community should drive onward by displaying "heroism and solidarity" in the fight against the pandemic; embrace the Sustainable Development Goals and advance "equality, climate action and green economy," he said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a virtual press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 25, 2020. /Xinhua General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, who also spoke at the virtual ceremony, said the world needs a "strong UN development system" in order to pursue an inclusive multilateralism. "As we work towards the future we want, and the UN we need, we must be results-focused," he asserted. "Now more than ever, we need a strong UN development system and effective collaboration between the UN and international financial institutions." In pursuit of inclusive multilateralism, the Assembly president said that "we must continue to create space for civil society and ensure the full participation of voices that have gone unheard for too long," such as women, youth, indigenous persons and people with disabilities. "This is a moment of reckoning for our shared planet and shared future. This is a time for action, ambition and partnership," he said. China's ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, speaks at a virtual ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, New York, U.S., June 26, 2020. /China's Permanent Mission to the UN China as a 'defender' and 'contributor' Speaking at the event, China's ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said the UN Charter is the cornerstone for international rules and multilateralism, and that China is committed to defending and contributing to the rules under the Charter. The UN Charter established the basic norms of international relations and developed universal principles of international rule of law, Zhang said, adding that principles, such as sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for the territorial integrity and political independence of all countries and non-interference in other country's domestic affairs, are therefore universally recognized. Zhang said China is a beneficiary of the Charter. The UN and multilateral systems created a rather peaceful and stable environment for economic growth in Asia-Pacific countries, he noted. Multilateralism is needed now more than ever under the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhang said. And China will continue to defend and contribute to multilateralism and the UN, and is willing to work with all countries to defeat the virus, he added. The New York Police Department is on the hunt for a gunman who opened fire multiple times inside a Bronx Deli, leaving workers terrified and a bodega cat bolting for the exit. The hooded assailant was videoed inside Wallys Deli along East 223 Street in Wakefield shortly after 9pm on September 8, according to law enforcement. With a pistol clasped in his hand, the gunman unleashed a hail of bullets through the front window of the store at a group of people standing out-front. The group stood outside, who are not visible in the footage, returned fire at the man, the NY Daily News reported. The hooded assailant was videoed inside Wallys Deli along East 223 Street in Wakefield shortly after 9pm on September 8 With a pistol clasped in his hand, the gunman unleashed a hail of bullets through the front window of the store at a group of people standing out-front In the video, the gunman is seen staggering backwards and taking cover behind a potato chip stand, before cocking his pistol and firing it towards the store once again. Bullets can be seen piercing bags of snacks all around the gunman in the returned fire, exploding the plastic and spilling confectionary onto the shop floor. As the frightening exchange continues, a panicked cat is seen darting from under some shelves and running out of the back door to safety. The gunman then follows in the cats footsteps out the rear of the store and later fled the scene, police say. Incredibly, nobody was injured in the shootout but the deli owner reported property damage to store windows. The scene has been described by some online as like a scene from the 'Wild West. In the video, the gunman is seen staggering backwards and taking cover behind a potato chip stand, before cocking his pistol and firing it towards the store once again. As the frightening exchange continues, a panicked cat is seen darting from under some shelves and running out of the back door to safety Wow so brazen and scary I hope some citizens recognize him and tell their local precinct Detectives or officers- NCOs and they snatch him up, Other viewers of the video voiced concern for the fleeing feline, writing: I hope that bodega cat is OK. So far no arrests have been made. In a tweet, the NYPD said the gunman depicted is wanted for reckless endangerment. He is described as being between 20 and 30-years-old and was wearing black shorts and black sneakers. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. Thakkar said she wanted to do something to help frontline workers in the country, so when her friend created an organization to do just that, she knew she wanted to get involved and get others in the Chicago area involved, too. In this April 27, 2020, file photo, passengers wearing face masks arrive in the main train station in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany launched a coronavirus tracing app Tuesday, June 16, 2020, that officials say is so secure even government ministers can use it. Smartphone apps have been touted as a high-tech tool in the effort to track down potential COVID-19 infections. But governments in privacy-conscious Europe have run into legal and cultural hurdles trying to reconcile the need for effective tracing with the continent's strict data privacy standards. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) Six European Union countries and the bloc's executive Commission have begun testing a virtual "gateway" to ensure national coronavirus tracing apps can work across borders. The trial starting Monday will allow national computer systems that run tracing apps in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Latvia to communicate with each other via a central hub. If the tests succeed, travelers from each of the six countries will be able to use their own apps while abroad in the other five to ensure they're notified if they have been in close contact to another user who tests positive. Tracing apps were touted as a potentially game-changing tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but most have been beset with privacy concerns, technical problems or users' apathy. Among the most popular apps is the one developed in Germany, which has been downloaded 18 million times in a country of 83 million. So far an estimated 3,700 people in Germany have confirmed in the app that they tested positive, alerting other users they were in close contact with over the previous fortnight that they might have been exposed. Getting apps to work across borders has posed a headache because of differing national data protection rules and tracing systems in place. But officials say that the large number of people traveling across the EU for work and leisure makes communication across national apps essential. "Travel and personal exchange are the core of the European project and the single market," Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for the single market, said in a statement. "The gateway will facilitate this in these times of pandemic and will save lives." Operators hope the gateway, consisting of a server located in Luxembourg, will be fully functional next month. Other countries that use the same decentralized system for their appsdesigned to ensure maximum user privacywill be able to join later. France, which has opted for a system where data is stored centrally, will likely not become part of the network. Explore further Brussels tasks Germany's SAP with linking EU virus apps 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The World Health Organisation reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. India leads the world in new cases reported each day and set a global record last week with 97,570 new cases in one day, according to a Reuters tally. Coronavirus infections are still rising in 58 countries, including surges in Argentina, Indonesia, Morocco, Spain and Ukraine, according to a Reuters analysis. New cases are falling in the United States and are down about 44 per cent from a peak of more than 77,000 new cases reported on July 16. Cases in Brazil are also trending downward. A health worker takes a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 in Ahmedabad, India, where cases are growing faster than anywhere else in the world. Credit:AP India said on Sunday it was considering granting an emergency authorisation for a novel coronavirus vaccine, particularly for the elderly and people in high-risk workplaces, as its tally of reported infections passed 4.75 million. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the timeline on Phase III trials could be shortened by giving emergency authorisation but stressed no corners would be cut in clinical trials and that a vaccine would only be made available when the government could ensure its safety and efficacy. - President Akufo-Addo has revealed that his government would construct and equip twelve (12) 40-bed hospitals - The project would be undertaken with 71.5 million which has been secured - The project is expected to be completed in 24 months Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that his government would construct and equip twelve (12) 40-bed hospitals, with staff accommodation facilities for hospital workers, across the country. This project, according to the president, would be done with 71.5 million, which has been secured to undertake the project. Speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony of the Mim Community Hospital as reported by peacefmonline, President Akufo-Addo explained that the reason why these hospitals were being constructed was to grant accessible health coverage to all Ghanaians. He added that it would be achieved through the improvement of the existing healthcare facilities and the construction of new ones in places where none exist in the country. We will use 71.5m to complete 12 new hospitals in 24 months - Akufo Addo source: Faceook Source: Original READ ALSO: Government denies suspending controversial Agyapa deal According to President Akufo-Addo, the amount involved to fund the construction of these hospitals was secured from Erste Group Bank AG and Ceska Sporitelna. The construction of the hospitals would also be done by VAMED Engineering GmbH of Austria, and expected to be completed twenty-four (24) months. The beneficiary communities include Jumapo, Kwabeng, Nkwatia, Achiase and Adukrom in the Eastern Region; Suame, Drobonso, Sabronum, Manso Nkwanta, Twedie in the Ashanti Region and; Kpone Katamanso in the Greater Accra Region. READ ALSO: GH22.7bn to be borrowed by government within next 3 months Finance Ministry In other news, the government of Ghana will borrow an amount of GH22.7 billion within the next three months. According to a JoyNews report, the amount is going to be borrowed at the beginning of this month. Per the Bank of Ghana issuance calendar, 19 billion out of the borrowed amount will be used to settle the principal and interest of existing loans. The remaining GH3.05 billion, which will be in fresh issuance, will be used to finance government projects. Out of the total amount to be raised, 9.2 billion which is the highest amount, will be issued via a 91-day Treasury bill, the calendar shows. READ ALSO: Government to increase tax-to-GDP from 13% to 20% to support GHc100bn project "Akufo-Addo deserves more than 8 years" - Ghanaian woman commends | #Yencomgh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh NORWALK Norwalk Police Union Local 1727 voted to endorse a full slate Republican candidates running for the state legislature. Jonathan Riddle, who is running to represent Connecticuts Fourth Congressional District, and Elisavet Ellie Kousidis, who is running for Connecticut Senates 25th District, both received police union endorsements. Both candidates are running against Democratic incumbents; Riddle is up against U.S. Rep. Jim Himes while Kousidis is vying for the seat currently occupied by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff. Lieutenant David OConnor, President of Local 1727, said the endorsements were unanimously voted on in a Sept. 10 meeting and were influenced by Democratic support of the police accountability bill. Our Union feels the Democratic party used us for photo ops and has taken advantage of our friendships, OConnor said in a statement distributed by the Norwalk Republic Town Committee. They wrote and passed a bill that damages our ability to do policing in the most basic sense and threatens our job security. The bill was rushed through with zero input from the stakeholders in policing with no evidence to show the need for such drastic changes. We feel betrayed and deceived. It is our hope that the Republicans can bring some common sense and logic to the legislature and make sensible changes to this law. Police work was difficult enough prior to this bill being passed. With the enactment of bill HR6004 sound, good policing is now nearly impossible. Duff recently claimed he was confronted by Norwalk police when visiting their headquarters due to his support of a police accountability bill which was later finalized by the Senate. The union also endorsed a number of Republican candidates running for state representative including 137th District candidate and former Norwalk City Clerk Ellen Wink and former state representative Fred Wilms, who is running to reclaim his seat representing the 142nd District after being unseated by state Rep. Lucy Dathan in 2018. The union also endorsed Patrizia Zucaro who is running for the 143rd District seat being vacated by longtime representative Gail Lavielle, and incumbent Terrie Wood who is running to represent the 141st District. erin.kayata@hearstmediact.com SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Singapore's privacy watchdog fined ride-hailing app Grabcar S$10,000 ($7,310), saying a 2019 update put the data of some users at risk of unauthorised access in what the watchdog said was a fourth breach of data privacy regulations and "a significant cause for concern". In a filing published on Sept. 10, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) said the update risked the personal data of 21,541 drivers and passengers, including profile pictures, names and vehicle plate numbers, related to carpooling service GrabHitch. Grabcar, a unit of Southeast Asia's largest startup Grab Holdings, rolled back the app to the previous version within about 40 minutes and took other remedial action, the PDPC said. "Given that the organisation's business involves processing large volumes of personal data on a daily basis, this is a significant cause for concern," the PDPC said. The regulator also directed Grab to put in place a data protection by design policy, where data protection measures are considered and built into tech systems as they are being developed. In a statement in response to Reuters' query on Sunday, Grab said: "To prevent a recurrence, we have since introduced more robust processes, especially pertaining to our IT environment testing, along with updated governance procedures and an architecture review of our legacy application and source codes." ($1 = 1.3679 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) The Covid-19 pandemic caught the country unaware, but several lessons can be drawn from the crisis as we look ahead into implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI). Image: Unicef Collaboration and partnerships will enable better response to crisis Reopen local industries to ensure self-sustainability in procurement "When Covid-19 hit the country, the funding industry had two main fears, the main one being uncertainty, Dr Katlego Mothudi, managing director of the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) said at an online conference themedhosted by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).Mothudi explained that the first fear was because the funding industry, like the rest of the world, did not understand the disease and what impact it would have on the industry and how events would unfold the rest of this year and with the passage of time.The second issue was and remains questions around the industrys sustainability. While there has conventionally been a perception that medical schemes with their high reserves will have adequate funds to take care of their members, in the first few months of the pandemic the markets performed so poorly that some schemes reported losses of up to 30% in the value of these reserves; and if this had happened together with an unfavourable claims experience, the impact would have been more disastrous.While schemes were doing all they could in preparation for various scenarios; they primarily needed to ensure that if we reached the peak, we could still process and pay claims from members and manage the burden of the disease, this was and remains our biggest concern.He noted that as a result, medical schemes have had to consider several factors pertaining to the economic impact of Covid-19 over the past five months.Mothudi highlighted that it is estimated that over three million people have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 and the lockdown situation, and this has affected household incomes and their ability to pay for private healthcare and contributions for their medical cover.We still do not know the extent to which this will impact medical scheme membership, as a number of households remain uncertain of their financial future. This financial burden does not only affect medical schemes and households, but healthcare practitioners as well, Mothudi said.Without a doubt we need to have a strategy in place to ensure that if a similar crisis hits the country, we are not again forced onto our knees. Critical lessons must be drawn from these experiences to minimise the financial burden on the economy, households and medical practitioners, he said.To enhance our engagements on matters like these going forward, public private partnerships (PPPs) remain an important consideration across the board, and more so in healthcare.While we have been driving the establishment of partnerships for a while, perhaps its time we continuously work on enhancing existing efforts and those set up during this crisis to ensure continuity in our attempts to improve healthcare outcomes as we go forward, so that when disastrous situations like these occur we, as a country, are better prepared, Mothudi said.We also need to address to enhance healthcare systems, is access to information and good data management; and to ensure that we have an integrated approach to the way we manage data, so that all administrators and medical schemes have access to the same information on the population of the country. Restriction of access to information across schemes is a big hindrance to population health management and benchmarking exercises, he said.We have seen the importance of good reporting in countries which experienced the pandemic ahead of us and where there has been inconsistencies in reporting due to a lack of integration in data management across the healthcare system, the results can lead to a disaster and poor decision making; so we need to have good data management systems in place.At the end of the day, the private and public sector population are the same population, and so we cannot implement different strategies to improve this environment, we should not compete when we have a crisis, we should be able to build collaboratively and ensure that we have common protocols with a common purpose.Speakers agreed that South Africa can draw some lessons from other countries in how they responded to the crisis.Professor Alex van den Heever, chair, social security systems administration and management studies at the Wits School of Governance, challenged governments response to the pandemic, saying that, South Africa and the world in general were not ready for a pandemic. However, the most critical thing that should have been done by government was from the onset to bring together the public and private sector to develop an overall framework for treating patients in both the public and private sectors as was the case in Chile, which has a similar structure in the public and private healthcare environments.He noted that between February and March the country had not drafted a clear strategy on how we would deal with Covid-19, when most of the countries around the world had already done this. Even if they got some things wrong, they put their plans on paper. They had a strategy and were transparent about their strategies, whereas South Africa concentrated its powers in the hands of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and immediately closed the doors and windows so that you could not see what and why people were doing things, he said.Our biggest issue is that during this time of Covid-19 weve seen several non-technological companies suddenly come out of the woodwork. Every other person became a masks supplier. We saw test kits that were not approved by South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) being advertised on websites. As a result, the regulator started implementing a few new vigorous requirements, which resulted in over 40 documents and communications released to the industry in a short time," said Tanya Vogt, chief operating officer of the South African Medical Device Industry Association (Samed).These challenges were as a result of the fact that South Africa has not been a primary local manufacturer, and when North America and the Asian countries imposed trade embargoes on the sale of PPEs, the country took a lot of strain. So, there is a need to draw lessons from this, and strengthen the local manufacturing industry to ensure that in times of crisis the country is self-sustainable.We need to make sure that we have an agile regulatory system that can respond quickly to the types of experiences that we saw during lockdown and the supply of PPEs, said Vogt.A number of projects currently underway present opportunities for the country and the region, including the partnership of the Department of Trade and Industry, The South African Medical Research Council, the Department of Science and Innovation to fund up to R18m to seven local manufacturers for the production of diagnostic agents and rapid point-of-care tests. While these have not yet been manufactured, the projects are commercially available, and anticipated to kick off within six months. The National Ventilator Project is also a promising project for the country and the continent.We need to make sure that we are less dependent on imports from the rest of the world when it comes to medical technologies required particularly in times of a pandemic, and rather focus on how we can support and trade with our African counterparts and strengthen collaborations within the African Union, because apart from South Africa, almost no local technology manufacturing happens in other African countries. What South Africa is experiencing, other African countries are probably experiencing and even far worse.Dr Lance Lasersohn, specialist anaesthesiologist and intensive care physician and president of the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (Sasa), said, We need unified health assets, a health asset of the nation that can deliver care so that we dont have to find open areas such as what happened in Lombardi to treat patients.We need to look at the existing supply of procurement input, using existing manufacturing to increase local production. We need to repurpose factories and the whole funding vehicle to work for the demand-side.In closing, Dr Kgao Legodi, chair, Private Practice Committee South African Medical Association (Sama), highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused havoc in the world and put immense financial strain on the private sector. This is the first time such a thing has happened during our time, the morale injury to us is psychological distress caused by actions or inactions, which violates an individuals moral code.This kind of injury is a risk factor for a range of mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress, and unfortunately that can become suicidal. The damage is immeasurable.He highlighted that to date the country has lost 70 specialist doctors and 240 healthcare workers, mainly due to the lack of personal protection equipment. A Victorian government department withdrew all of its public servants from hotel quarantine work after the Health Department failed to address fears about health and safety. Senior Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) official Kate Gavens pulled her staff out of the hotels in July due to concerns she repeatedly raised with the Department of Health and Human Services about Operation Soteria, the taskforce created to run hotel quarantine. Revelations about the department revolt, detailed in information submitted to the hotel quarantine inquiry, come as the state's most powerful decision makers get ready to appear in public hearings this week and next. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp is set to appear before the hotel quarantine inquiry on Tuesday. Credit:Luis Ascui Premier Daniel Andrews has been called to give evidence next Wednesday. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp, who oversaw the response to Victoria's most recent bushfires, is listed to appear this Tuesday. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton and his predecessor, Graham Ashton, will also front the inquiry this week. In a recent article, Reader's Digest said Fredericksburg is one of America's hidden gems. On Sept. 4, the family and lifestyle magazine released a list of small towns in the country readers should visit or move to during the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Hill Country town was the only Texas city mentioned in the article, which highlighted 25 small towns. READ ALSO: Big Bend campground recently named the best in Texas reopens Tuesday The magazine encouraged its readers to visit the Enchanted Rock Natural State Area while in the Texas town, writing that the park features a dramatic 425-foot pink granite monolith, a wilderness area for hiking, climbing, camping and some of the best stargazing in the state. Additionally, Reader's Digest also noted Fredericksburg as one of the best towns to grab peaches during the summer. Fredericksburg sits at the epicenter of Texas Wine Country with more than 50 wineries and tasting rooms nearby. The town has been called "the prettiest town in Texas" by Southern Living magazine and has received many other accolades, including "The Best Wine Region" in USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 by German immigrants, leaving it filled with rich German history, culture, architecture, and authentic German breweries and restaurants. Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre VIRGINIA The Cass County Board is scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m. today at 100 E. Springfield St. Among the items on the agenda are: For the past 58 years, the Chinese propaganda machine, or psychological warfare machine, has used the 1962 border conflict to put the Indian Army on the defensive and convey to nation at large that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is vastly superior to its Indian counterpart on the battlefield. It is the same mindset that made PLA transgress the Finger 4 mountainous spur on the north banks of Pangong Tso as well as breach the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Galwan. The Chinese hubris, however, took a hit at both Galwan as well as on both banks of the lake, with the Indian Army occupying dominant positions and in fact threatening the PLA garrison at Moldo across the Spanggur Gap in Chushul sector. Caught unawares by the Indian Army August 29-30 manoeuvres, a miffed PLA decided to place an anti-aircraft gun on Black Top, south of Pangang Tso, and rolled out main battle tanks to scare the Indians. The PLA propaganda machine is screaming war with India, without realizing that the tools of present-day war are standoff weapons and not World War II machines like tanks. Also Watch | China defends Pakistan after India & US call for action against terror Also read: India needs a refined toolkit to manage China While both India and China, through their foreign ministers have decided to disengage from Ladakh, the exercise is very complicated and will take time despite best efforts of both the Corps Commanders. The disengagement has to be done in such a fashion that it gives mutual security and not a chance to the incorrigible PLA to occupy positions vacated by the Indian Army due to better border infrastructure and logistics. The best option available is status quo ante as existed in early April and anything less than that is an exercise in obfuscation. While the Chinese harp about Indias 1962 loss, the fact is that the present Indian Army does not fight with .303 Lee Enfield bolt action rifles, light machine guns, three inch mortars and light tanks. A transparent battlefield in Ladakh will surely tell the Chinese ruler in Beijing that the Indian troop deployment north and south of Pangong Tso is more than the total deployed during the 1962 war. Top Indian diplomats and military commanders are clear that the war, if forced by the PLA, will lead to more casualties on both sides in the first 15 minutes than the entire 1962 war due to standoff weapons, laser-guided bombs and beyond visual range missiles deployed by both sides. They understand that tanks and troops on the ground will have little role to play except to hold and capture territory as the big weapons and rockets will take over the theatre of war. Also read: Chinese PLAs new expansion plans on Bhutan Even though the Chinese ruler and his western theatre commander are blinded with ambition to prove to the world that a new global power has arrived, India has enough standoff weapons and deterrence to ensure that PLA takes a huge hit in already sensitive Tibet and Xinjiang province. A strong response from India can unravel the One China policy, but the opposite also could be true and erode the equity of New Delhi. It is time that Beijing woke up to stark reality on the ground as it is dealing with an Army that has been fighting on heights up to 24,000 feet since 1984 and insurgency in both Kashmir and the northeast since Independence. The 1962 war no longer puts the Indian Army on the defensive, it incentivises the force. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON CONTACT EURONEXT - Media: CONTACT EURONEXT - Investor Relations: Amsterdam +31.20.721.4133 Brussels +32.2.620.15.50 +33.1.70.48.24.17 Dublin Oslo +353 1 617 4221 +47 22 34 19 15 Lisbon Paris +351.210.600.614 +33.1.70.48.24.45 EURONEXT STATEMENT REGARDING BORSA ITALIANA Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Oslo and Paris 14 September 2020 Euronext confirms the submission of a non-binding offer to London Stock Exchange Group plc to acquire Borsa Italiana. The partnership includes CDP Equity and Intesa Sanpaolo. There can be no certainty that this will lead to a transaction. 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Attachment The Associated Press has provided an "analysis" by Calvin Woodward with this headline "AP Analysis: In Trump's America, truths are not self-evident." It is an anti-Trump diatribe, the kind of thing we have come to expect from the AP. But it is also a perfect example of astonishing ignorance. Here is how Woodward's "analysis" begins: WASHINGTON (AP) We no longer hold these truths to be self-evident: A U.S. presidential election will be held every four years in November. The armed forces will not be involved in those elections. Nor in domestic protests. Medicine will be approved when science says it's safe and effective, not because a politician wants it approved before Election Day. The United States is an example to the world in managing a peaceful transfer of power. The American idea is that we conduct our political discussions in a civil manner. I embrace that policy with my citizen's heart, but I must confess that it is difficult for me to discuss Woodward's "analysis" with civility. Put simply and as my mother would say, Woodward has no more understanding of "self-evident" than the man in the moon. It also means that the political editors at AP don't, either. Because the idea of self-evident truth is at the core of the American Founders' thinking, understanding the meaning of self-evident is important if you are going to set out to offer an analysis of politics in America. The phrase "self-evident truth" appears everywhere in the Founders' writings. Because of its high position in the Founders' thinking, how well or badly an analysis of American politics handles the idea of self-evident truth matters. It goes far in establishing the value of such an analysis. Here is the key to understanding what a self-evident truth is: to know that a statement is self-evidently true, all that is required is that we understand this statement: to understand a self-evident truth is to know that it is true. We make use of this understanding of self-evident truth all the time. We constantly rely on the self-evidence of truth in our day-to-day lives, though we may not always notice it when we do. Here is an example of the kind of thing we do all the time, selected from a book on economics entitled Cents and Sensibility: Without Columbus someone else would have discovered America, but it defies common sense to assert that without Milton someone else would have written Paradise Lost. Both the claim about Columbus and the claim about Milton are self-evidently true; to understand them is to know they are true. We could restate them in this way: "it is a self-evident truth that without Columbus, someone would have discovered America, and it is a self-evident truth that without Milton, Paradise Lost would never have been written." A self-evident truth does not need a proof; it only needs to be understood. The statement that Columbus discovered America, and the statement that Milton wrote Paradise Lost, are statements of a fundamentally different kind. If they are true, their truth depends on evidence. When we affirm they are true, we are accepting the chain of evidence that supports them; we are not affirming that they are self-evidently true. None of the statements Calvin Woodward offers at the outset of his "analysis," if true, is self-evidently true. The truth of "The United States is an example to the world in managing a peaceful transfer of power" depends on evidence that supports the claim. If America is entering a time in which power is no longer transferred peacefully, the statement will be falsified by that development but it will still be true that without Columbus, someone else would have discovered America. Once upon a time and not so long ago, Associated Press reporters could be counted on to understand this, and editors at the Associated Press would certainly have rejected Woodward's piece for two reasons first, because it is blatantly ignorant and second, because it is blatantly partisan. Today, the Associated Press is part of the Democrat Party Propaganda Directorate. Blatant partisanship is required. As for the ignorance, it is not so much that it is overlooked as that there is evidently no one there who knows enough to notice it. The author regrets that because of some problem with his link to American Thinker that has developed, he is unable to access the comments section. Consequently, he is currently unable to read or reply to your comments. Robert Curry serves on the Board of Directors of the Claremont Institute. He is the author of Reclaiming Common Sense: Finding Truth in a Post-Truth World and Common Sense Nation: Unlocking the Forgotten Power of the American Idea. Both are published by Encounter Books. Image: Chris Dodds via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. This is part of Six Months In, a Slate series reflecting on half a year of coronavirus lockdown in America. The week the U.S. shutdowns started, I remember sending a bunch of freaked-out texts, worried about whether anyone in my life had it. I didnt have to include an antecedent. They all knew what it was. This was a fitting start to a six-month stretch in which we talked incessantly about the virus, the disease it causes, and the ripple effects, but never quite decided what to call all of it. For example, when, I was thinking the other day, did everybody start calling it Covid, just Covid, no 19? Advertisement The World Health Organization gave the disease its official name, COVID-19, in February. Reference resources raced to update their recommendations in response. But John Kelly, a senior research editor at Dictionary.com, recognizes that thats not what everyone calls it. I jotted down a number of terms that weve used since the beginning of the year in reference to lets call it the pandemic, he said, before rattling off COVID-19, COVID for short [or Covid or covid], coronavirus, novel coronavirus, nCoV, SARS-CoV-2, and then for short, corona, and a little bit more gallows humor, rona. That list actually leaves out yet more names: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the COVID-19 virus, and, in the category of offensive names sometimes favored by our president, the China virus or the Wuhan flu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2009, the name swine flu caught on, and it caused some diplomatic issues. How did we get to COVID? When early news of the virus emerged at the end of 2019, it was often described as a mysterious pneumonia. Before long, scientists identified the cause of the sickness as a type of coronavirus, a family of viruses that usually lead to mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses. There had been six known coronaviruses, including one that caused SARS and one that caused MERS; this was a seventh one. This is a point that would go on to be one of the most widely confused aspects of the virus: It was not simply coronavirus or the coronavirus, but a new, previously undocumented coronavirus. Some news coverage in January and February omitted that distinction and used coronavirus without an article preceding it. The majority of Americans, including me, had never heard this word before, and the fact that now it seemed to be coming to kill us started worrying us, to put it mildly. The rapper Cardi B perhaps best expressed this frantic feeling when, also during that fateful week in March, she posted a short video of herself memorably shouting, Coronavirus! Coronavirus! (Naturally, it was quickly remixed into a dance track.) Advertisement This way of talking about the virusHe has coronavirus, she has coronaviruswas technically incorrect but nevertheless got lodged in many of our heads. We were supposed to call it the novel coronavirus, but that cause seemed to me to be about as doomed as the Actually, Frankenstein is the doctor conversation. When I dutifully used the novel coronavirus in my articles, I thought of my poor colleagues on the copy desk: Good luck enforcing that. I didnt think itd ever catch on. I guess I was half right. Advertisement That brings us to another commonly misunderstood point: The novel coronavirus is not the same as the disease itself. That mysterious pneumonia needed a name of its own. Most viruses that cause human disease are named for the disease itself, said Stephen Berger, a founder of and medical adviser at the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network, in an email. The virus that causes measles is called Measles virus and the virus of influenza is called Influenza virus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So coronavirus was never going to make it into the diseases official name. But naming a disease is a trickier and more political process than you might expect: In 2009, after an outbreak of an influenza virus, the name swine flu caught on, and it caused some diplomatic issues: In Israel, where a large portion of the populace doesnt eat pork, the name was considered offensive. But Israels suggestion to rename the flu for where it originated, Mexico, did not sit well with Mexico. The longer it takes for a virus species to be named, the more likely it is that something else will stick as the common namelike how H1N1 is commonly referred to as swine flu, the BBC explained earlier this year. WHO acknowledged the importance of the official name of the virus overlapping with its common name. The goal was to come up with something easy and nonoffensive. Hence COVID-19or CO for corona, VI for virus, D for disease, and 19 for 2019. Formerly, this disease was referred to as 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.: It was specifically named this way to avoid calling it the China virus or the Wuhan virus, said Howard Markel, who teaches the history of medicine at the University of Michigan. COVID-19 is a very generic name, but thats purposeful. It starts and ends with a hard consonant. Its a good name; its kind of catchy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peter Sokolowski, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, affirmed my hunch about the rise of Covid using metrics from lookups on the dictionarys website, Google Trends, and a searchable database of online news. The term coronavirus peaked early on in late January and then again in late March, with COVID-19 echoing it, trailing close behind, and then finally overtaking it, he said. And then what we see is the term COVID without 19 has been making this slow rise in the background. He also compared printed news sources with transcripts of spoken news stories. In printed news, Covid-19, which is the official name of the disease, did overtake coronavirus. In spoken news, it doesnt. Coronavirus stays No. 1. Sokolowski guessed that this was due to scrupulous print journalists holding the line. Advertisement Advertisement One such person might be Paula Froke, lead editor of the Associated Press Stylebook. We recognized in probably mid-January that we needed to have a stylebook entry on it, Froke said. One of their early decisions was to nix the word novel. Scientists certainly in the early days were talking about the novel coronavirus, she said. We viewed that as largely geeky talk, somewhat Victorian-sounding. New works perfectly well. Other decisions were in keeping with this perhaps-surprising informality: As time went on, we said its OK to simply call it the coronavirus even though that terminology implies theres only one coronavirus, which isnt the case, but nonetheless in context, theres no misunderstanding. Advertisement The next item on the agenda is deciding if the AP too should allow Covid, sans the 19. Were literally in the middle of discussing it, Froke said. There are differing opinions. Its safe to say in no cases will we allow Covid on first reference without the 19. I would say were probably leaning toward allowing Covid in at least in casual references and headlines. All-caps or not remains a whole nother question. It sounds like COVID, with and without the 19, will be sticking around for a while. My theory is that Covid and Covid-19 are going to prevail, said Kelly, of Dictionary.com. At first, COVID-19, with the number in it, struck him as like something out of science fiction. But he was surprised how quickly that shifted. Covid has so changed our lives and our language that were seeing this technical term easily coming off of our tongues in everyday speech and writing. The City of Johannesburg has relaunched its free WiFi project, which comprises 84 active Joburg Free WiFi hotspots across the city. Today we are re-launching the free #JoburgWiFi hotspots roll-out. This is after the free WiFi roll-out took a backseat in the past four years, tweeted the City of Johannesburg. The project provides Johannesburg residents with 500MB of data per day, up from 300MB the last time the city tried to launch this initiative. Speeds available through these connections are capped at 5Mbps. Over 1,000km of fibre optic cable has been laid out in the City as a backbone of the smart city initiative to provide high-speed broadband and connectivity, said Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee for finance Jolidee Matongo. R40 Million has been allocated from the 2020/2021 #JoburgBudget20 into the roll-out of the free #JoburgWiFi hotspots to even hostels, flats, student villages and old age homes. The City of Johannesburg said the city and its residents should leverage this infrastructure to improve municipal service delivery, attract business opportunities, search for employment, and access academic materials. All of these hotspots will run on solar power and will be manned by the City of Johannesburgs broadband network company, Metropolitan Trading Company. The city said that these hotspots have already been accessed by over 6,000 devices, and the city plans to enhance the system further such as by implementing analytics to ensure insightful reporting on the usage of the hotspots. We conducted a study in 2012 and the findings prompted the smart city initiative in communities that are underdeveloped within the City, said Matongo. The vision for free Wi-Fi in Joburg The City of Johannesburg promised in August 2016 that all Johannesburg residents would be able to access free Wi-Fi within the next five years. The citys head of broadband Zolani Matabese said at the time that the initiatives goal would be to empower citizens and provide them with new opportunities. You can use the Internet to search for jobs. It is just an enablement of your ability to be a digital citizen because if you arent these days then youre getting left behind, said Matabese. The goal was originally to have 1,000 hotspots installed by the end of 2016, and for Johannesburg to become a smart city by 2020. Now read: SASSA launches online applications for social grants Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during the autumn months, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Israel was among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday when people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. The announcement sparked a wave of anger. "It's unfair!" said Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress. "They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic in China late last year, as global cases rapidly approach 29 million. "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP in an interview. WHO Europe's 55 members started a two-day online meeting Monday focusing on their response to the virus. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the meeting by video-link: "We are by no means out of the woods." - Millions back to school - The latest surge has sparked alarm across Europe, and revived the debate over how best to respond to the rise in infections. England has limited social gatherings to no more than six people from Monday. On the other hand, millions of schoolchildren in other affected countries have returned to their classrooms for the first time in months. Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months on Monday. Although officials said thousands of extra classrooms had been set up, there were concerns over a lack of surgical masks for teachers and a shortage of single-seat benches. Story continues Some southern Italian regions postponed their reopening, worried they were not properly prepared. A Vatican spokesman meanwhile said Pope Francis was being "constantly monitored" after having met with a cardinal who later tested positive. - Trump rally 'reckless' - While Europe battles with rising infections, other parts of the world are tentatively easing restrictions. Saudi Arabia said it would partially lift a six-month suspension of international flights this week, while South Korea said it would ease rules in and around the capital Seoul after cases declined. The backlash against the restrictions is also being factored in by beleaguered governments. Australian police arrested dozens of people over the weekend at anti-lockdown rallies in Melbourne as crowds defied stay-at-home orders. Similar rallies took place in Germany and Poland on Saturday attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Such protests are relatively common in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Donald Trump, under pressure for campaigning for the economy to reopen despite the catastrophic figures, was criticised for holding big rallies over the weekend. "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," state governor Steve Sisolak, of the rival Democratic Party, tweeted ahead of the Sunday rally. At the rally, Trump boasted about his success dealing with the pandemic and dismissed Sisolak as a "political hack". - 'Exhausted' health workers - There was some good news in Britain, where regulators allowed clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental vaccines. Researchers on the joint AstraZeneca-Oxford University project, who hope to finish tests by the end of the year, had "voluntarily paused" the trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. A vaccine is considered crucial to the fight against the virus, but the WHO's Kluge said the public should not put all their hopes on a single drug. "I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not," he said. The end of the pandemic would come when communities learn to live with the disease, he stressed. Meanwhile, the wider effects of the pandemic are biting hard on medical staff and strained health systems. "They're always being asked for more, always too much, they're exhausted." Czech Post meanwhile announced Monday it was to deliver face masks and respirators to millions of senior citizens this week, as the number of cases rose there. burs-jj/pma Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) Ten school children have been confirmed to have lost their lives and several others are missing after a dormitory caught fire at dawn on Monday in the north-western region of Kagera in Tanzania School librarian Amanda Brasfield bent over to grab her lunch from a small refrigerator and felt her heart begin to race. Even after lying on her office floor and closing her eyes, her heart kept pounding and fluttering in her chest. The school nurse checked Brasfield's pulse, found it too fast to count and called 911 for an ambulance. Soon after the May 2018 incident, Brasfield, now 39, got a $1,206 bill for the 4-mile ambulance ride across the northwestern Ohio city of Findlay more than $300 a mile. And she was on the hook for $859 of it because the only emergency medical service in the city has no contract with the insurance plan she has through her government job. More than two years later, what was diagnosed as a relatively minor heart rhythm problem hasn't caused any more health issues for Brasfield, but the bill caused her some heartburn. "I felt like it was too much," she said. "I wasn't dying." Brasfield's predicament is common in the U.S. health care market, where studies show the majority of ambulance rides leave patients saddled with hundreds of dollars in out-of-network medical bills. Yet ground ambulances have mostly been left out of federal legislation targeting "surprise" medical bills, which happen when out-of-network providers charge more than insurers are willing to pay, leaving patients with the balance. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted temporary changes that could help some patients. For instance, ambulance services that received federal money from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund aren't allowed to charge presumptive or confirmed coronavirus patients the balance remaining on bills after insurance coverage kicks in. Also during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is letting Medicare pay for ambulance trips to destinations besides hospitals, such as doctors' offices or urgent care centers equipped to treat recipients' illnesses or injuries. But researchers and patient advocates said consumers need more, and lasting, protections. "You call 911. You need an ambulance. You can't really shop around for it," said Christopher Garmon, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City who has studied the issue. A Health Affairs study, published in April, found 71% of all ambulance rides in 2013-17 for members of one large, national insurance plan involved potential surprise bills. The median out-of-network surprise ground ambulance bill was $450, for a combined impact of $129 million a year. And a study published last summer in JAMA Internal Medicine found 86% of ambulance rides to ERs the vast majority by ground ambulances, not helicopters resulted in out-of-network bills. Caitlin Donovan, senior director of the National Patient Advocate Foundation in Washington, D.C., said she hears from consumers who get such bills and resolve to call Uber the next time they need to get to the ER. Although experts and Uber agree an ambulance is the safest option in an emergency, research out of the University of Kansas found that the Uber ride-sharing service has reduced per-person ambulance use by at least 7%. Only ambulance in town When Brasfield was rushed to the hospital, her employer, Findlay City Schools, offered insurance plans only from Anthem, and none included the Hanco EMS ambulance service in its network. School system treasurer Michael Barnhart said the district couldn't insist that Hanco participate. Starting Sept. 1, Barnhart said the school system will have a different insurer, UMR/United Healthcare, but the same plans. "There is no leverage when they are the only such service around. If it were a particular medical procedure, we could encourage employees to seek another doctor or hospital even if it was further away," Barnhart said in an email. "But you can't encourage anyone to use an ambulance service from 50 miles away." There is great disagreement about what an ambulance ride is worth. Brasfield's insurer paid $347 for her out-of-network ambulance ride. She said Anthem representatives told her that was consistent with in-network rates and Hanco's $1,206 charge was simply too high. Jeff Blunt, a spokesperson for Anthem, said that 90% of ambulance companies in Ohio agree to Anthem's payment rates; Hanco is among the few medical transport providers that don't participate in its network. He said Anthem reached out to Hanco twice to negotiate a contract but never heard back. Brasfield sent three letters appealing Anthem's decision and called Hanco to negotiate the bill down. The companies wouldn't budge. Hanco sent her a collections notice. An Ohio school librarian took a 4-mile ambulance ride across Findlay, Ohio, to nearby Blanchard Valley Hospital for what turned out to be a relatively minor heart rhythm problem. But the trip led to a $1,206 ambulance bill.(Amy E. Voigt for KHN) Rob Lawrence of the American Ambulance Association pointed out that nearly three-quarters of the nation's 14,000 ambulance providers have low transport volumes but need to staff up even when not needed, creating significant overhead. And because of the pandemic, ambulance providers have seen reduced revenue, higher costs and more uncompensated care, the association's executive director, Maria Bianchi, said in an email. Officials at Blanchard Valley Health System, which owns Hanco, said Brasfield's ambulance charge was on par with the national average for this type of medical emergency, in which EMTs started an IV line and set up a heart monitor. Fair Health, a nonprofit that analyzes billions of medical claims, estimates an ambulance ride costs $408 in-network and $750 out-of-network in Toledo, which is about 50 miles away from Findlay and has several ambulance companies. Even the higher of those two costs is $456 less than Brasfield's bill. Widespread problem, no action Similar stories play out across the nation. Ron Brooks, 72, received two bills of more than $690 each when his wife had to be rushed about 6 miles to a hospital in Inverness, Florida, after two strokes in November 2018. The only ambulance service in the county, Nature Coast EMS, was out-of-network for his insurer, Florida Blue. Neither had responded to requests for comment by publication time. Brooks' wife died, and it took him months to pay off the bills. "There should be an exception if there was no other option," he said. Sarah Goodwin of Shirley, Massachusetts, got a $3,161 bill after her now-14-year-old daughter was transported from a hospital to another facility about an hour away after a mental health crisis in November. That was the balance after her insurer, Tricare Prime, paid $491 to Vital EMS. Despite reaching out to the ambulance company and her insurer, she received a call from a collection agency. "I feel bullied," she said earlier this year. "I don't plan to pay it." Since KHN asked the companies questions about the bill and the pandemic began, she said, she hadn't gotten any more bills or calls as of late August. In an emailed response to KHN, Vital EMS spokesperson Tawnya Silloway said the company wouldn't discuss an individual bill, and added: "We make every effort to take patients out of the middle of billing matters by negotiating with insurance companies in good faith." Last year, an initial attempt at federal legislation to ban surprise billing left out ground ambulances. This February, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House that calls for an advisory committee of government officials, patient advocates and representatives of affected industries to study ground ambulance costs. The bill remains pending, without any action since the pandemic began. In the meantime, consumer advocates suggest patients try to negotiate with their insurers and the ambulance providers. Michelle Mello, a Stanford University professor who specializes in health law and co-authored the JAMA Internal Medicine study that examined surprise ambulance bills, was able to appeal to her insurer to pay 90% of such a bill she got after a bike accident last year. That tactic, however, proved futile for Brasfield, the Ohio librarian. She set up a $100-a-month payment plan with Hanco and, eventually, paid off the bill. From now on, she said, she'll think twice about taking an ambulance unless she feels her life is in imminent danger. For anything less, she said, she'd ask a relative or friend to drive her to the hospital. The Russian government on Monday said that over 250 Moscow residents have got the dose of its first Covid-19 vaccine , Sputnik V, over the past five days, according to a report. The vast majority of them are in good health, the anti-coronavirus crisis centre told reporters today. "Over the past five days of clinical trials of the vaccine against the coronavirus infection over 250 Moscow residents got inoculated at the seven centres that opened first. Doctors closely monitor the health condition of the vaccinated. The absolute majority is in excellent health - 75% of the participants today do not observe any symptoms or ailments," the crisis centre said, according to the Russian news agency. On Friday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told reporters that the first batch of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine was likely to be delivered to all regions of the country by 14 September, according to TASS. "The first batches of the vaccine for testing the supply chain have already been shipped, we are now checking the delivery system so that the staff gets to know it. The first small batches have already been shipped to all regions, the Leningrad region will also receive [the vaccine] among the first ones. In fact, the first samples of the vaccine will be delivered by Monday," Murashko had said. The development comes after a week of Russia releasing the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine into civil circulation, the Russian Health Ministry informed. Sputnik V Covid vaccine, which is developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology under the Russian Health Ministry, may be granted permission to release a batch of its vaccine for civilian use, the institutes deputy director for research, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Denis Logunov said earlier, according to a report. On August 11, Russia became the first country to license a Covid-19 vaccine, calling it "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. But western experts have warned against its use until all internationally approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken. The vaccine is undergoing Phase 3 trials. The vaccine produced an antibody response in all participants in early-stage trials, according to results published by The Lancet medical journal earlier that were hailed by Moscow as an answer to its critics. The results of the two trials, conducted in June-July this year and involving 76 participants, showed 100% of participants developing antibodies to the new coronavirus and no serious side effects, The Lancet said. However, a group of international scientists questioned results from the Lancet medical journal, saying some of the findings appeared improbable, reported Bloomberg. The researchers flagged concerns over seemingly identical levels of antibodies in a number of study participants who were inoculated with the experimental vaccine. This and other patterns in the data present several different points of concern," according to an open letter written by Temple University professor Enrico Bucci and signed by more than a dozen other scientists. 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!! Donald Trump and California state officials sparred over whether climate change is contributing to out-of-control wildfires across the West, after the president insisted that poor forest management drives the conflagrations. Wade Crowfoot, the secretary of Californias Natural Resources Agency, told Trump in a meeting in Sacramento on Monday that a warming climate is making the states fires worse. We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests, and actually work together with that science, Crowfoot told the president. The science is going to be key. If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together protecting Californians. Trump responded: Itll start getting cooler, you just watch. I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot said. I dont think science knows, actually, Trump responded. Trump flew into Sacramento after a weekend campaign swing through Nevada in order to discuss the fires with California officials including Governor Gavin Newsom. More than 5 million acres have been burned across the West this season, killing dozens of people and ruining air quality from California to Washington. Newsom on Friday argued that flawed forest management practices of the past cant explain the states worsening fire seasons. California has been stepping up its use of controlled burns to thin out vegetation and has accelerated cutting fire breaks around vulnerable communities, he said. But the recent drought and a tree-killing beetle infestation, both of which Newsom tied to climate change, have killed more than 150 million trees across the state, leaving ample fuel for fires. Im not going to suggest for a second that the forest management practices in the state of California over a century-plus have been ideal, Newsom said Friday in Butte County, surrounded by scorched trees. But thats one point. Its not the point. The president has frequently criticized Californias Democratic leaders for, in his view, failing to adequately manage the states forests to reduce fire risk. About 57% of California forests are land owned and managed by federal agencies, according to the University of California. Newsom said Monday that just 3% of the states forests are on land managed by the state government. In August, Newsoms administration reached an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to jointly reduce fire risk on at least 500,000 acres of public lands each year. Trump claimed before the meeting that an unnamed European leader told him his country has more explosive trees than California, before disputing state officials who said climate change was contributing to out-of-control West Coast wildfires. I was talking to the head of a major country and he said, We are a forest nation. We consider ourselves a forest nation. This was in Europe. I said, Thats a beautiful term, Trump told reporters after landing in Sacramento. He said, We have trees that are far more explosive -- explosive in terms of fire -- but we have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California, and we dont have any problem. Trump said that I think a lot of things are possible in response to a question about whether climate change is driving the western wildfires, which have consumed more than 5 million acres, killing dozens of people and ruining air quality on the West Coast. With regard to the forest, when trees fall down, after a short period of time -- about 18 months -- they become very dry. They become really like a matchstick, Trump said. And they get up; you know, theres no more water pouring through, and they become very, very -- they just explode. They can explode. Also leaves, he added, when you have years of leaves, dried leaves, on the ground, it just sends it up. Its really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it. He said the state should cut more firebreaks through its forests, again comparing California to European forests that he said are better managed. They also have to do cuts. I mean, people dont like to do cuts but they have to do cuts, he said. So if you do have a fire and it gets away, youll have a 50-yard cut in between so it wont be able to catch in the other side. They dont do that, he said of California. If you go to other countries, you go to Austria, you go to Finland, you go to many different countries and they dont have problems. After taking office, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord negotiated by President Barack Obama, calling it unfair. On Monday, he suggested the U.S. shouldnt undertake efforts to mitigate climate change because other countries cant be trusted to follow suit. Is India going to change its ways? And China going to change its ways? And Russia -- is Russia going to change its ways? he said. You know, so, you have a lot of countries that are going to have to change because they make up -- were just a small speck. The four Michigan counties with the highest coronavirus transmission rates as of Monday are all counties with state universities. Ingham and Houghton counties, home of Michigan State and Michigan Tech universities, are both coded red, based on a metric developed by the Harvard Global Health Initiative to assess coronavirus risk levels. The metric uses a seven-day average of new cases per 100,000 residents. The newest assessment is based on data for Sept. 6-12. Meanwhile, Ottawa and Mecosta counties, where Grand Valley and Ferris state universities are located, are in the orange zone. Also in the orange zone are Branch County in the Lower Peninsula and Iron and Delta counties in the Upper Peninsula. Counties coded red should consider lockdown, the Harvard Global Health Institute says. Orange signals heightened concern. On Saturday, the Ingham County Health Department asked Michigan State University students to self-quarantine, with some exceptions for going to class, required shopping or going to work. Self-quarantine should last 14 days, continuing until Saturday, Sept. 26, the release said. The recommendation is not an emergency order, the release said, but more stringent and mandatory restrictions will be imposed if students do not comply and break the transmission cycle, the release said. Michigan State University students asked to self-quarantine as coronavirus cases surge MSU is doing remote learning this semester, but many students still returned to the East Lansing area. At least 342 people affiliated with MSU have tested positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 24, according to the health department. In Houghton County, 72 cases have been reported by Michigan Tech in the past two weeks, according to the campus website. Grand Valley State University has 432 active cases of coronavirus, according to the GVSU website. The good news there: The number of new cases is finally trending down. Ottawa County reported 363 new cases total between Sept. 6-12, down 9% from 401 new cases Aug. 30-Sept. 5. But meanwhile, the numbers at Ferris State are trending up. Mecosta County had 56 new cases between Sep. 6-12, triple the number from the 17 cases the week before. Ferris had 53 active cases as of Thursday, June 10, according to FSU website. On the other end of the spectrum, 11 counties are in the green zone as of Monday morning, based on the Harvard Institute metric. That means the 11 have minimal transmission of coronavirus right now. Five of the counties have reported no new cases in the past week. They are Alpena, Huron, Oceana and Oscoda in the Lower Peninsula and Alger in the U.P. The other green counties are St. Clair, Lapeer, Clare, Arenac and Ogemaw in the Lower Peninsula, and Chippewa County in the U.P. The map below is shaded by the average number of new cases per day per 100,000 residents.. The arrows indicate whether the total number of cases over the past seven days (Sept. 6-12) has gone up or down compared to the previous seven days (Aug. 30-Sept. 5). Readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. If you cant see the map, click here. Latest on coronavirus testing Three Michigan counties have a positive rate of at least 5% in coronavirus tests reported in the last 14 days ending Sept. 11. The state is averaging more than 29,000 tests a day. Macomb County had the highest 14-day average at 6.%, with Isabella and Oakland counties at 5%. Note: The number of positive tests does not match confirmed cases because a single patient may be tested multiple times. The World Health Organization says schools are safe to reopen if fewer than 5% of coronavirus tests over the past two weeks are positive. The map below shows the 14-day average testing rate by county. Once again, readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. If you cant see the map, click here. Below are online databases that allow readers to look up county-level data for each of the last 20 days. Cases by day it was reported to the state First is a chart showing new cases reported to the state each day for the past 20 days. This is based on when a confirmed coronavirus test is reported to the state, which means the patient first became sick days before. You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases. (As of Sept. 1, the state stopped reporting numbers on Sundays, so numbers on Sept. 7 cover two days and the Sept. 13 numbers will included in todays numbers later Monday.) (In a few instances, a county reported a negative number (decline) in daily new cases, following a retroactive reclassification by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those instances, we subtracted cases from the prior date and put 0 in the reported date.) The next chart below shows new cases for the past 20 days based on onset of symptoms. In this chart, numbers for the most recent days are incomplete because of the lag time between people getting sick and getting a confirmed coronavirus test result, which can take up to a week or more. You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases. More localized maps Below are two maps created by the EpiBayes research group at University of Michigans Department of Epidemiology, which has access to sub-county data collected by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The interactive maps break down the state into 10 kilometer hexogons to provide more a more localized look at where coronavirus cases are occurring. You can click here to get to the research project website. The first map looks at confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the past week. You can click on a hexagon to see the underlying data. You can use the triangle button at the upper right of the map to toggle to the second map, which shows total confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic. Latest daily report On Saturday, the state reported 692 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 13 deaths. Michigans seven-day average of new cases is 758, up from 675 a week ago. The map below shows total confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic. You can put your cursor over a county to see the underlying numbers. For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS: In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nosewhile in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/. Read more on MLive: Six month ago, coronavirus changed everything: 11 peoples stories This week marks 6 months of coronavirus in Michigan. Heres whats happened by the numbers. 20 questions the gym industry has about Michigans new fitness center rules Free mask distribution set for 6 mid-Michigan counties to prevent spread of coronavirus Two mid-Michigan casinos prohibit use of certain masks Leaving Mumbai with a heavy heart, POK analogy was bang on: Kangana Ranaut India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Sep 14: Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday defended her PoK remark on Mumbai as she left the city flanked by her Y-category security. Kangana leaves Mumbai, says 'leaving with a heavy heart, terrorised' | Oneindia News Taking to twitter, she wrote, "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on." The trouble between the Sena and Kangana started after the actor recently said she feared the Mumbai police more than the "movie mafia" and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Amid tussle with Shiv Sena, Kangana Ranaut meets Maharashtra Governor The 33-year-old actor, who returned to Mumbai on Wednesday from her home state Himachal Pradesh the same day her house was partially demolished by the civic body, had alleged that the Maharashtra government was targeting her because of her clash with the Sena. She had also criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, saying his "ego will be destroyed" the way her Bandra home was demolished. On Friday, the "Queen" actor had urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to intervene and stop the "harassment of women". In a tweet, she had asked Gandhi if she was not anguished by the treatment given to her by the Maharashtra government, in which the Congress is also a part. The Northern Isles datacenter was retrieved from the seafloor off Scotlands Orkney Islands and towed partially submerged between the pontoons of a gantry barge to a dock in Stromness, Orkney. A coat of algae, barnacles and sea anemones grew on the datacenter during its two-year deployment. Credit: Jonathan Banks Earlier this summer, marine specialists reeled up a shipping-container-size datacenter coated in algae, barnacles and sea anemones from the seafloor off Scotland's Orkney Islands. The retrieval launched the final phase of a years-long effort that proved the concept of underwater datacenters is feasible, as well as logistically, environmentally, and economically practical. Microsoft's Project Natick team deployed the Northern Isles datacenter 117 feet deep to the seafloor in spring 2018. For the next two years, team members tested and monitored the performance and reliability of the datacenter's servers. The team hypothesized that a sealed container on the ocean floor could provide ways to improve the overall reliability of datacenters. On land, corrosion from oxygen and humidity, temperature fluctuations and bumps and jostles from people who replace broken components are all variables that can contribute to equipment failure. The Northern Isles deployment confirmed their hypothesis, which could have implications for datacenters on land. Lessons learned from Project Natick also are informing Microsoft's datacenter sustainability strategy around energy, waste and water, said Ben Cutler, a project manager in Microsoft's Special Projects research group who leads Project Natick. What's more, he added, the proven reliability of underwater datacenters has prompted discussions with a Microsoft team in Azure that's looking to serve customers who need to deploy and operate tactical and critical datacenters anywhere in the world. "We are populating the globe with edge devices, large and small," said William Chappell, vice president of mission systems for Azure. "To learn how to make datacenters reliable enough not to need human touch is a dream of ours." Credit: Microsoft Proof of concept The underwater datacenter concept splashed onto the scene at Microsoft in 2014 during ThinkWeek, an event that gathers employees to share out-of-the-box ideas. The concept was considered a potential way to provide lightning-quick cloud services to coastal populations and save energy. More than half the world's population lives within 120 miles of the coast. By putting datacenters underwater near coastal cities, data would have a short distance to travel, leading to fast and smooth web surfing, video streaming and game playing. The consistently cool subsurface seas also allow for energy-efficient datacenter designs. For example, they can leverage heat-exchange plumbing such as that found on submarines. Microsoft's Project Natick team proved the underwater datacenter concept was feasible during a 105-day deployment in the Pacific Ocean in 2015. Phase II of the project included contracting with marine specialists in logistics, ship building and renewable energy to show that the concept is also practical. "We are now at the point of trying to harness what we have done as opposed to feeling the need to go and prove out some more," Cutler said. "We have done what we need to do. Natick is a key building block for the company to use if it is appropriate." Algae, barnacles and sea anemones The Northern Isles underwater datacenter was manufactured by Naval Group and its subsidiary Naval Energies, experts in naval defense and marine renewable energy. Green Marine, an Orkney Island-based firm, supported Naval Group and Microsoft on the deployment, maintenance, monitoring and retrieval of the datacenter, which Microsoft's Special Projects team operated for two years. The Northern Isles was deployed at the European Marine Energy Center, a test site for tidal turbines and wave energy converters. Tidal currents there travel up to 9 miles per hour at peak intensity and the sea surface roils with waves that reach more than 60 feet in stormy conditions. The deployment and retrieval of the Northern Isles underwater datacenter required atypically calm seas and a choreographed dance of robots and winches that played out between the pontoons of a gantry barge. The procedure took a full day on each end. Stephane Gouret of Naval Group checks out a sea anemone that grew in a sheltered nook of the ballast-filled base for the Northern Isles underwater datacenter. Microsofts Project Natick team deployed the datacenter to the seafloor off the coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland where it operated for two years. Credit: Jonathan Banks The Northern Isles was gleaming white when deployed. Two years underwater provided time for a thin coat of algae and barnacles to form, and for sea anemones to grow to cantaloupe size in the sheltered nooks of its ballast-filled base. "We were pretty impressed with how clean it was, actually," said Spencer Fowers, a principal member of technical staff for Microsoft's Special Projects research group. "It did not have a lot of hardened marine growth on it; it was mostly sea scum." Power wash and data collection Once it was hauled up from the seafloor and prior to transportation off the Orkney Islands, the Green Marine team power washed the water-tight steel tube that encased the Northern Isles' 864 servers and related cooling system infrastructure. The researchers then inserted test tubes through a valve at the top of the vessel to collect air samples for analysis at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. "We left it filled with dry nitrogen, so the environment is pretty benign in there," Fowers said. The question, he added, is how gases that are normally released from cables and other equipment may have altered the operating environment for the computers. The cleaned and air-sampled datacenter was loaded onto a truck and driven to Global Energy Group's Nigg Energy Park facility in the North of Scotland. There, Naval Group unbolted the endcap and slid out the server racks as Fowers and his team performed health checks and collected components to send to Redmond for analysis. Among the components crated up and sent to Redmond are a handful of failed servers and related cables. The researchers think this hardware will help them understand why the servers in the underwater datacenter are eight times more reliable than those on land. Members of the Project Natick team power wash the Northern Isles underwater datacenter, which was retrieved from the seafloor off the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Two years underwater provided time for a thin coat of algae and barnacles to form on the steel tube, and for sea anemones to grow to cantaloupe size in the sheltered nooks of its ballast-filled triangular base. Credit: Jonathan Banks "We are like, 'Hey this looks really good,'" Fowers said. "We have to figure out what exactly gives us this benefit." The team hypothesizes that the atmosphere of nitrogen, which is less corrosive than oxygen, and the absence of people to bump and jostle components, are the primary reasons for the difference. If the analysis proves this correct, the team may be able to translate the findings to land datacenters. "Our failure rate in the water is one-eighth of what we see on land," Cutler said. "I have an economic model that says if I lose so many servers per unit of time, I'm at least at parity with land," he added. "We are considerably better than that." Energy, waste and water Other lessons learned from Project Natick are already informing conversations about how to make datacenters use energy more sustainably, according to the researchers. For example, the Project Natick team selected the Orkney Islands for the Northern Isles deployment in part because the grid there is supplied 100% by wind and solar as well as experimental green energy technologies under development at the European Marine Energy Center. "We have been able to run really well on what most land-based datacenters consider an unreliable grid," Fowers said. "We are hopeful that we can look at our findings and say maybe we don't need to have quite as much infrastructure focused on power and reliability." Cutler is already thinking of scenarios such as co-locating an underwater datacenter with an offshore windfarm. Even in light winds, there would likely be enough power for the datacenter. As a last resort, a powerline from shore could be bundled with the fiber optic cabling needed to transport data. Spencer Fowers, a principal member of technical staff for Microsofts Special Projects research group, removes a server from the Northern Isles datacenter at Global Energy Groups Nigg Energy Park facility in the North of Scotland. Project Natick researchers will analyze it to help determine why the servers in the underwater datacenter were eight times more reliable than those in a replica datacenter on land. Credit: Jonathan Banks Other sustainability related benefits may include eliminating the need to use replacement parts. In a lights-out datacenter, all servers would be swapped out about once every five years. The high reliability of the servers means that the few that fail early are simply taken offline. In addition, Project Natick has shown that datacenters can be operated and kept cool without tapping freshwater resources that are vital to people, agriculture and wildlife, Cutler noted. "Now Microsoft is going down the path of finding ways to do this for land datacenters," he said. Go anywhere Early conversations about the potential future of Project Natick centered on how to scale up underwater datacenters to power the full suite of Microsoft Azure cloud services, which may require linking together a dozen or more vessels the size of the Northern Isles. "As we are moving from generic cloud computing to cloud and edge computing, we are seeing more and more need to have smaller datacenters located closer to customers instead of these large warehouse datacenters out in the middle of nowhere," Fowers said. That's one of the reasons Chappell's group in Azure is keeping an eye on the progress of Project Natick, including tests of post-quantum encryption technology that could secure data from sensitive and critical sectors. The ability to protect data is core to the mission of Azure in multiple industries. "The fact that they were very quickly able to deploy it and it has worked as long as it has and it has the level of encryption on the signals going to it combines to tell a pretty compelling vision of the future," Chappell said. Explore further Microsoft tests hydrogen fuel cells for backup power at datacenters By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Sep 14, 2020 - 15:46 | World, All, Japan North Korea's economic plight in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters may give Japan's next prime minister a chance to meet with the nuclear-armed country's leader, Kim Jong Un, foreign affairs experts say. As the global virus outbreak has stifled North Korea's trade with its major economic ally of China and massive flooding triggered by powerful typhoons has devastated the agricultural sector, Kim could extend an olive branch to Japan to receive aid to rebuild the stagnant economy. Outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has failed to resolve the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, but his likely successor, Yoshihide Suga, might push forward negotiations on it in a better way than his predecessor has done. Fears, however, are lingering that if Suga readily accepts North Korea's requests with the aim of settling the issue, Japan's cooperation with the United States and South Korea in response to Pyongyang could become fragile, destabilizing the security environment in East Asia. Since its founding in 1948, North Korea has also kept up stern rhetoric on Japan to promote propaganda of the communists in the nation, while demanding Tokyo to pay post-World War II compensation. Japan colonized Korea from 1910 through the end of the war in 1945. Suga, currently chief Cabinet secretary who was elected as new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday and is all but certain to be appointed as next prime minister on Wednesday, has pledged to continue striving to rescue abductees in North Korea. He has expressed eagerness to hold a meeting with Kim "without conditions" in hopes of making a breakthrough over the long-standing abduction issue, which is in line with the stance of Abe who has long mapped out diplomatic strategies with his right-hand man Suga. "Suga wants to appear to be continuing Abe's political efforts but also demonstrate his personal political and diplomatic skills to mark himself as a new, creative leader," said Young-Key Kim-Renaud, a professor emeritus at the George Washington University in Washington. Abe has taken a tough posture against North Korea since he became prime minister in December 2012 following his first one-year stint in the post between 2006 and 2007, saying tackling the abduction issue is his "life's work." Japan's longest-serving prime minister had once intensified a "maximum pressure campaign" on North Korea to gain concessions, but he has begun calling for a Tokyo-Pyongyang summit since U.S. President Donald Trump decided to meet with Kim in 2018. Nevertheless, the abduction issue has shown no signs of changing track. For the past few years, Abe has become the only leader who has not held dialogue with Kim among members of the long-suspended six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program -- involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. Kaoru Hasuike, who was abducted by North Korea and returned to Japan in 2002, has urged the next government to find out a solution to the abduction issue by implementing appeasement measures such as offering food support to Pyongyang. A diplomatic source in Beijing said North Korea has been dissatisfied with Abe's policy toward Pyongyang, as it believes he has only used the abduction issue for domestic politics without trying to pave the way for improvement in bilateral ties. "North Korea apparently hopes Japan will alter its hardline attitude toward Pyongyang after the replacement of the prime minister," the source said. Lim Tai Wei, senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore, said, "Given that Mr. Suga represents a moderate image of mainstream Japanese politics, it is a potential window of opportunity for Mr. Kim to reach out to Japan." He added now may be a good time for Japan to take a conciliatory gesture toward Kim at a time when North Korea's economy has been hit hard by the aftermath of the pandemic and natural disasters as well as stalled talks with the United States over sanctions relief. Troy Stangarone, a senior director at the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, echoed the view, saying that if Pyongyang indicates a willingness to discuss the abduction issue, Suga is expected to "take steps" to resolve it. "Under the current U.N. sanctions, Japan would be able to provide humanitarian aid and if genuine progress were made it could help open an additional window for addressing the nuclear issue through improved relations between Japan and North Korea," he added. Stangarone, meanwhile, said, "If Tokyo moves ahead with normalizing relations (with Pyongyang) in the absence of coordination with Washington and Seoul, it could raise tensions with both." Kim-Renaud, a specialist of Korean affairs, also said, "For the eventual goal of common security and prosperity of the region, (Suga) would be wise to explore a diplomatic channel in improving relations with all his neighbors." After five abductees were brought back to Japan in 2002, Tokyo has been seeking the return of 12 others whom it has officially recognized as having been abducted by North Korean agents. It also suspects North Korea's engagement in other Japanese citizens' disappearances. Pyongyang has claimed that the abduction issue has been "already resolved," saying eight of them, including the iconic abductee Megumi Yokota, have died and the other four never entered the country. In May 2014, Japan and North Korea reached an accord in Stockholm on principles for negotiations toward the settlement of the abduction issue. Japan relaxed its sanctions on Pyongyang, which in turn promised a full-scale investigation into it. But North Korea repeatedly postponed reporting the survey results. The nation then disbanded its investigation team and suspended the probe after Japan imposed further sanctions in February 2016 in reaction to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests. Suga has doubled as minister in charge of the abduction issue since 2018. Related coverage: FOCUS: Who is Yoshihide Suga, Japan's next prime minister? Photo credit: . From ELLE Aaah. You sink back into the pillows, close your eyes, and let that new face mask do what its supposed to: simultaneously soothe your skin and your soul. Or does it? Is your mind actually troubled by worries about its supply chain, ingredients and sustainability? Because unless you do your homework, theres no easy way of knowing how hard a product is working to care for those things you hold most dear, namely the planet and humankind (and, yes, your skin). We get it: reading the small print and scouring the brands website before you slather on that treatment can be about as joy-killing as counting the units in a large glass of wine or the calories in that sharing bar of chocolate but, when it comes to beauty, ignorance isnt as blissful as its cracked up to be. That product might not sit as prettily on your conscience as it does on your face when you start to ask questions: were any animals harmed in the making of this product? Are the ingredients ethically sourced? And what does natural mean anyway? So we, the beauty users, have to raise these queries. With an annual UK spend of 27.2 billion* in our collective back pocket, consumers have the economic clout to demand the one thing we really need: change. Why now? Because social media has given us the means to communicate directly with and apply pressure to brands. Bit by bit, were waking up to the terrifying threat of the climate emergency and the role that over-consumption and opaque supply chains play; and, this year, the global pandemic has recalibrated our moral compasses and our idea of what it means to shop well. We have the perfect conditions for that change. The traditional offer was hope in a jar, but that doesnt cut it anymore. Now we want facts, too. The truth is, we have long demanded transparency from the food and fashion industries, but beauty has always been a little trickier to pin down. As with all cultures, this starts at the top of the chain: back in July, the men in suits at Westminster chortled over the delayed reopening of salons and spas clearly superfluous and silly to their minds. The multi-billion pound beauty industry is still regarded as trivial and unserious: no wonder its left to its own devices to both self-serve and, frustratingly, self regulate. Deemed to be one of lifes little luxuries, beauty products just arent held to the same kind of standards as the food on our supermarket shelves. An organic bag of rocket leaves is subjected to a lot of green checks and regulations. An organic lavender bath oil? Almost none. Story continues Photo credit: . There is no true regulation, says Jayn Sterland, managing director at Weleda UK, of our fragmented beauty industry standards. We have REACH: an EU regulation that brands must comply to. It lists banned chemicals, but it can take five years of evidence for nasties to get on the list. Were basically guinea pigs. And if you want to shop clean and sustainable, its even more complicated. Theres no official definition of natural or organic, Sterland explains, which makes the beauty industry a hotbed of greenwashing, whereby marketers are able to label bad ingredients with good words. Mark Smith, Director General of NaTrue (the International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association) adds: 'General advertising standards mean the most flagrant non-compliances may be prosecuted, but theres a lot of grey or, one might say, shades of green. This means that greenwashing can take many forms, from the most subtle and sophisticated to deliberately misleading. Theres a real disconnect between the demands of consumers for greater transparency and the deliverables by law for producers. Even if youre not a warrior for green beauty, most of us would like to believe that brand promises arent empty words. But, as Anna Teal of the Walgreen Boots Alliance explains, The product claims space is really complicated. Theres compliance that all brands have to go through to sell in the UK, but theres a huge spectrum of clinical testing. Some brands only test one ingredient before staking a claim, while others will spend thousands testing the final product. Thats why finding brands that you trust and really doing your research matters in beauty. But beauty shopping was never meant to feel like homework, so thank goodness for the independent certification bodies doing the hard work for us and, better still, sticking labels on boxes so we can clearly navigate the aisles. Green consumers have long depended on the NaTrue and COSMOS symbol, cruelty-free shoppers on the Leaping Bunny sign, while shoppers at Cult Beauty can now take advantage of its provenance labelling, which flags 10 proof points including how organic, sustainable, vegan, coral-reef friendly and carbon neutral a product is. And theres news that The British Beauty Council is working on a sustainability report for consumers and brands. But until these standardised seals of approval are regulated and universally applied, we need to change our mindset from consumer to citizen, and take back a bit of the responsibility for our choices. Its difficult to be a perfect shopper, but my advice is to be clear on what you want the most, be it a green, vegan or carbon-neutral product, and look for labels that really matter to you, says Teal. And remember, we can use the power of our pound to drive change. As Sterland says, You can vote with your money. If you stop buying a product, it will stop being made. From going cruelty-free to supporting brands that champion diversity, heres how to shop like a beauty citizen of change... The Responsible Shopping Guide 1.Cruelty-Free A product must contain no ingredients that have come into contact with animals for a brand to say it is cruelty-free. A quick way to check is to look for the Leaping Bunny symbol. Its enforced by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, formed to regulate a cruelty-free standard. Animal rights organisation PETA also has its own logo (sticking to the bunny theme) and Australian-based Choose Cruelty-Free goes a step further by not certifying a brand unless its parent company is also cruelty-free. Previously, brands sold in China were required by law to test on animals, meaning those with an interest in the enormous Chinese market had to do so. But, in April 2019, the countrys government announced that it would approve non-animal testing methods, helping the industry move in a more cruelty-free direction. 2. Vegan and Vegetarian Dont assume that cruelty-free means vegan or vegetarian: it doesnt. Frustratingly, its not as simple as looking for animal extracts in the ingredients. While usual suspects include collagen, gelatin, lanolin, silk, pearl, milk protein and glycerin, there are lesser-known names for animal products, such as ceraalba (the Latin name for beeswax) and guanine (which may be derived from fish scales). PETA has its own cruelty-free and vegan label that is awarded to conforming brands, or look out for approval from The Vegan Society. 3. Carbon Footprint At present, theres no simple way to find out how your preferred brand contributes to global carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust measures carbon footprint based on the total supply chain, including carbon emissions involved in resources, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, retail, use and end of life. Big brands such as Coca-Cola and Nestle are working with the Trust to develop a carbon label system, which could apply to beauty products in the future, while Climate Neutral is an independent not-for-profit organisation working to create a label that measures every part of the companys carbon offset and the long-term plan to reduce it. At the moment, however, its US-only and has only certified six beauty brands. Individual brands have been making pledges to become carbon neutral by making an array of changes, from production and packaging to transportation. But until theres an independent body verifying their claims, youll have to take their word on it. 4. Coral-Reef Friendly In 2018 the Governor of Hawaii signed a legislative bill that banned the sale of sunscreen containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, due to the chemicals being toxic to coral reefs. These ingredients were thought to be in around 80% of sun creams at the time. Many brands responded with reef-safe labels, but this terminology has no legal definition. Check out Haereticus Environmental Laboratory instead, a not-for-profit foundation that has developed a Protect Land+ Sea certification that tests the formulas in products, including ingredients that may not be listed. As a general rule of thumb, look for the simplest formulas; even natural SPFs can contain ingredients such as eucalyptus or lavender, which have been proven to harm sea life. On the beach, use creams rather than sprays which leave chemicals on the sand that later wash into the sea. And look for mineral-based sun creams, made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Photo credit: . 5. True Diversity The need for greater inclusivity and diversity within the beauty industry has been known fora long time. There have been signs of positive change. The Fenty effect and the joyful reaction to the 40 foundation shades available in Rihannas make-up range when it launched highlighted the lack of a varied offering in other brands and prompted many to make adjustments to their ranges. However, big changes need to be more than just, well, cosmetic; they need to be made in every part of the industry, from hiring, to development, to distribution, as well as educating staff on why it's so needed. Brand inclusivity starts on the inside, which is why the 'Pull Up' initiative was created, as a result of the Black Lives Matter protests in June this year, to encourage brands to release diversity employment figures. 6. Forest Friendly Greenpeaces Forest Campaign was one of the first to highlight the issue of deforestation when trees are removed to make room for something else, such as palm oil, which is found in hundreds of beauty products and degradation. To combat the problem, brands such as Weleda have switched to suppliers with the Union for Ethical Biotrades Sourcing With Respect certifications. Palm oil plantations can be certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which protects areas of biodiversity or fragile ecosystems. To check whether a products packaging is forest-friendly, check for the Forest Stewardship Councils FSC labels: FSC 100%, which means wood in the product is from FSC-certified forests; FSC Recycled, where packaging comes from reclaimed or reused materials; and FSC Mix, which means wood within the product is recycled or used from controlled wood (meaning no illegally harvested wood can be used). 7. Is It Really Organic? To be organic in the beauty world involves the same lingo you see when doing a food shop: no ingredients within your product involve the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms or herbicides. The most common certifications are regulated by NaTrue and The Soil Association. In order to get this certification, the brand must be checked for organic practices throughout the entire manufacturing process. 8. Real Efficacy How do you know a product will do what it says? Most of the time, you just have to trust what brands say. Independent advertising regulators the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Advertising Standards Authority make sure that brands stick to advertising codes when promoting a product. They work to check that consumers are not misled, offended or harmed by ads, as well as making sure its a level playing field between competitors. This includes issues such as editing before and after photos of someone whos used a product. CAP found that one of the main problems with efficacy claims on beauty products is that they need to be supported by tests on people. However, a lot of brands use lab tests to support claims, which have frequently been dismissed as inadequate. 9. Supply Chain Unfortunately there isnt just one sticker that certifies the transparency of the process, but a number of certifications will tell you a lot, from how a brand makes a product (is it ethically sourced, vegan, cruelty-free?), and how its transported (carbon footprint) to its afterlife (recyclable packaging). Calvin Kleins CK Everyone fragrance is a prime example of a successfully transparent supply chain. The vegan formula is made from 79% naturally derived ingredients (even including the alcohol), the bottle is recyclable, while the outside packaging is made from 30% post-consumer recycled materials. The fragrance was certified by the Cradle To Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which assesses the environmental and social performance across multiple sustainability categories from material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, social fairness and water stewardship. Currently there are only 19 individual beauty products globally that have passed this rigorous testing. 10. Recyclable Packaging More brands are making the commitment to 100% recyclable packaging. On REN Clean Skincares journey to go waste-free, it has developed infinity recycling technology, involving a unique heat and pressure process that makes recycled plastic identical to virgin plastic. Loop, TerraCycles new circular delivery service, works to eliminate waste when you reorder a product, empties are collected, washed and refilled, negating the need for new packaging. REN Clean Skincare, Dove and Pantene have all signed up to take part in the scheme. 11. Whole Range, Or Just One Product? If a product has a certification (with the exception of some, such as Cradle To Cradle mentioned above) it was awarded for a single product, not the whole range. You cant assume that because one product has an organic certification the whole range does, which is why its so important to look at the labels on your products and be able to understand what they mean. 12. Genuine Sustainability There isnt just one box to tick when it comes to sustainability. It means being environmentally responsible in all aspects not using chemicals that are toxic pollutants (such plastics, parabens, BHAs and fragrances) and making sure that all packaging is recyclable. Essentially, having zero impact. A big sustainability hot topic is water wastage. According to The World Water Development Report, more than five billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050 due to climate change. One of the top ingredients in most beauty products if not the first is aqua. And it takes 22 gallons of water to make 1lb of plastic. To highlight any plastics unnecessarily lurking in products, use the Beat the Microbead app. 13. Ethically Sourced Ingredients Ethically sourced ingredients are those that have been obtained in a socially responsible way. This includes making sure workers are fairly treated and safe. The Union For Ethical Biotrade issues certifications for brands that respect the planets biodiversity, and those making specific ethical commitments. *The Value of Beauty, The British Beauty Council, 2019. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. In need of more inspiration, thoughtful journalism and at-home beauty tips? Subscribe to ELLE's print magazine today! SUBSCRIBE HERE You Might Also Like NORRISTOWN Amid rising COVID-19 case counts, Montgomery County Commissioners Thursday approved a lease for an additional county testing facility in Lansdale. The agreement between the Montgomery County Office of Public Health and Patriarch Management LP, of North Wales, would cover a one-year lease for the space, located at 400 Pennbrook Parkway, in Lansdale, according to the resolution. The rent... In this article we will present the list of 10 busiest airports in the world (click to skip ahead and see the top 5 busiest airports in the world). There was once a world in which travelling was acceptable, as evidenced by the 10 busiest airports in the world in 2020. The current pandemic has changed our lives in a way few could've foreseen. As billions around the world went into lockdown, global industries and economies have been devastated in a manner no one would've thought possible just six months ago. It could take years to recover from this, and even that would only bring us back to pre-pandemic levels. The potential growth which could have been achieved in the next few years has evaporated. Nowhere is this more true than the airline industry, which has been utterly decimated. Airlines are losing incredible amounts of money and with global travel completely locked (and in many places, even domestic travel) airlines are bleeding money while trying to survive. Some sadly, have not survived, with Flybe becoming the first airline to declare bankruptcy back towards the end of March. 4.6 billion fewer people are expected to pass through airports in 2020, leading to a loss of $97 billion in revenue. Airlines have been asking for money from governments because they could not survive even two months of a major business loss. Aren't businesses supposed to have reserves they can count on in these times? Even major airlines, such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, have announced potentially tens of thousands of job cuts, and this comes even after most of the employees of most airlines were forced to take unpaid leave and / or have their salary significantly reduced. Trump's bailout package kept $58 billion aside for the airline industry, though many are saying even this may not be enough to alleviate the situation. Around the world, some governments have bailed out their airlines such as France, while others are yet to listen to the pleas of the industry, such as in the UK. Story continues Of course, even airports are now completely empty, as people cannot travel anymore in most countries. I saw a deserted Dubai Airport early morning in the beginning of March, when travel restrictions were yet to be imposed; I can only imagine how it looks like now. Most of these airports are also among the 10 largest airports in the world. The list below of the busiest airports in the world in 2020 will be a comparatively happier list; it's based on rankings from 2019 and 2018, a time when no one could have imagined a global restriction on travel would emerge. So let's take a look at this list, starting from number 10: 10. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) Hong Kong International Airport slid significantly in the rankings from 2018, where it was the 8th busiest airport, to 2019, where it was the 13th biggest airport, with 71.4 million annual visitors. Fun fact, Hong Kong has been the busiest airport by cargo for an entire decade. Pixabay/Public Domain 9. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) Charles de Gaulle is the largest airport in France, and if you've been there, you know how huge it is. It is a mammoth structure, and yet you would be loathe to find any space within not full of people bustling about. In just the first quarter of 2020, travel reduced by 20.6% as compared to 2019, figures which would seem unfathomable outside of a pandemic. Pixabay/Public Domain 8. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) It makes sense that China and the US are the only countries in the world to have multiple entries in this list, both because of their population and the strength of their economies. The Shanghai Pudong International Airport is primarily for international flights and served 76.1 million annual visitors. As China was the first country to impose restrictions, the Pudong International airport saw a horrific decline of 58% in the first quarter of 2020. Pixabay/Public Domain 7. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) There are six airports in London alone, but the Heathrow is by far the most famous and biggest airport in the entire UK, hosting over 80 million passengers in 2019 alone. This is a slight increase of 1 percent on its 2018 figures. In the first quarter of 2020, the figures fell by 18.3%. Pixabay/Public Domain 6. Chicago OHare International Airport (ORD) Chicago O'Hare is the United State's first entry in the list of busiest airports in the world in 2020, but you can be certain it won't be the last. O'Hare is a major transportation hub in the US, hosting over 84 million passengers. traveling, airport, chicago, us, international, passengers, traveler, states, usa, luggage, gate Tupungato/Shutterstock.com Click to see the top 5 busiest airports in the world. Disclosure: 10 Busiest Airports in the World is originally published at Insider Monkey. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday hailed the Delhi Model of treatment and containment of Covid-19 and said the aggressive testing being done in the national capital is unmatched not just in the country, but also in the world. In a first, Kejriwal also revealed that over 1.15 lakh people have been treated under Delhis home isolation programme so far, of whom 30 have died. The chief minister was addressing a special one-day session of the Delhi Assembly. He began by recalling the initial days of the Covid-19 pandemic, after the first case in Delhi was reported on March 2. He said Delhi, like Mumbai, was badly hit as 32,000 people returned to the capital from other countries. Also read: AIIMS doctor succumbs to Covid-19 And you can perceive, most of these people must have already been infected. There were 5,000 to 6000 cases in Delhi when the pandemic started, he said. Hailing the Delhi Model, Kejriwal said the strategy of test, treat, track and isolate worked because of the two crore people of Delhi. Today, the maximum number of tests, across the world, is conducted by Delhi. Around 60,000 tests are conducted daily, which is 3,000 tests per million people...while the national average is 819, the chief minister said. Kejriwal went on to compare Delhi with other countries and claimed that no other state or city in the world has tested 10% of its total population. We have tested around 2.1 million people in Delhi until now, which is 11% of Delhis two crore population, he said. He said it was the Delhi government which introduced home isolation and also opened the worlds first plasma bank at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences. Also read: Wont be enough Covid-19 vaccines till 2024: Serum Institutes Adar Poonawalla We have treated around 115,254 people in home isolation until now, of whom 16,568 are still in isolation and 96,288 have recovered. Only 30 people have died (among those in home isolation), he said. Opposition leader and BJP MLA from Badarpur Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said after Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia made panic inducing statements that Delhi would hit 5 lakh cases by July, Union home minister Amit Shah was forced to take charge of Delhis Covid management. Shah arranged for 20,000 new beds, provided ventilators, oxygen cylinders, oximeter PPE kits etc. to Delhi government hospitals. The Centre provided for door-to door testing, and antigen testing was made available at 169 places. The cost of testing and treatment in private facilities was reduced, he said. Bidhuri said Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided 72 lakh poor people in Delhi with free food rations for the past three months. And the Delhi government is pasting Kejriwals photo on these kits and distributing them to people calling them CMs relief package, Bidhuri said. Kejriwal responded with, I always say, the credit is yours and the responsibility mine. Whenever Delhi faces trouble, the responsibility would be mine. Delhis Covid story is the result of teamwork. I want to thank the Centre for helping us whenever we needed them. They gave us PPE kits, oxygen cylinders and testing kits. No government can handle it all alone. Society came forward to help us; the two crore people of Delhi; many social organisations and doctors associations helped us, the chief minister said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON September 14 : Actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra is a complete fitness freak. She is known for her amazing body and flawless look. The actor who is an avid yoga practitioner posted Vrikshasana, or the tree pose on her Instagram handle. The Hungama 2 actor sharing the benefits of Vrikshasana urged her fans to dedicate a few minutes to yoga every morning to give a boost of energy to start their day. The Instagram feed of Shilpa read, Balance is the ability to control your body's position, whether stationary or while moving. It is a key component of fitness; along with strength, endurance, and flexibility. Vrikshasana, or the tree pose, is a kind of Hatha yoga asana that works on enhancing the bodys balancing abilities. It strengthens the thighs, calves, & ankles; and helps improve focus. The shift of the entire bodys weight to each leg also helps strengthen the ligaments and tendon of the feet. More importantly, it helps build self-confidence and self-esteem because it aligns & calms the body, mind, & spirit. Dedicate a few minutes to yoga every morning to give you a boost of energy to start your day Meanwhile, on the work front, Shilpa will be seen in Hungama 2. It is a comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and jointly produced by Ratan Jain, Ganesh Jain, Chetan Jain and Armaan Ventures. A spiritual successor to the 2003 film Hungama. The film also stars Paresh Rawal, Meezaan Jaffrey, and Pranitha Subhash. Hungama 2 marks the comeback of director Priyadarshan to Bollywood films after seven years. The principal photography commenced on 8 January 2020 in Mumbai. The states will have to provide a green corridor for seamless movement of liquid medical oxygen tankers within the cities in order to ensure adequate availability of its supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Union health ministry directive. A green corridor allows unrestricted passage for quick delivery and are often created to transport organs from deceased donors for transplant. Apart from ensuring no restriction was imposed on the intra and inter-state movement of oxygen tankers, the states were also directed to create hospital-wise oxygen inventory management and plan in advance for timely replenishment so that there was no stockout. The states will also have to ensure timely payment of the due bills to the manufacturers and suppliers to maintain uninterrupted supply of oxygen, and improve power supply infrastructure to have an uninterrupted supply to oxygen manufacturing units in the country. There is also the need to effectively coordinate with steel plants for oxygen procurement since steel plants provide approximately 550 metric tonnes oxygen per day in addition to oxygen manufacturers who provide 6400 metric tonnes per day, the states were told. In a virtual meeting held on Sunday, apart from the Union health secretary, secretary department of industries and internal trade, secretary pharmaceuticals, and state health secretaries and industries secretaries of seven big manufacturing states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also took part. Oxygen therapy is an essential component to save lives of moderate to severe Covid-19 patients. In moderate to severe Covid-19 cases, the lung cells dont participate in normal functioning that results in lungs failing to take up oxygen from the blood and also not being able to remove carbon dioxide from the blood. It leads to oxygen levels dropping in the blood for which oxygen support is given externally to compensate for the impaired lung function. The virus attacks the lung cells and leads to extensive pneumonia, said Dr Yatin Mehta, chairman, critical care department, Medanta Hospital, Gurugram. The health ministry had earlier on Friday written a letter to states asking them to make certain there was no interruption in the movement of tankers across borders so that there was no shortage anywhere in the country. Some states do not have oxygen manufacturing units and are dependent on other states. Delhi gets its oxygen supply largely from Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Punjab gets its supply from Haryana; Madhya Pradesh gets it from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra; and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana get their supplies mostly from Karnataka. Indias actual oxygen consumption is about 2,000 metric tonnes per day, and the production capacity per day is about 6,400 metric tonnes that is also used by the industry. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the allegations against Life Mission was to belittle the achievements of his pet housing scheme and tarnish the government. He accused the people of making wild allegations to undo the virtues of a project beneficial for the people. He was speaking at the inauguration fo Konni Medical College through video conferencing on Monday. People who had no hope of owning a home of their own are now living in one provided through Life Mission. It is definitely a gain for the society, said Chief Minister. According to him, around 2.6 lakh houses had been completed. A section was not ready to accept the achievements of government in public health and in containing Covid-19 in the initial days, he said. The opposition parties have alleged that Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, received a commission in the construction of the Life Mission project funded by the UAE Red Crescent Society in Vadakkanchery. Meanwhile the Minister for higher education KT Jaleel is likely to meet Chief Minister after the former appeared before the enforcement directorate for his links with the gold smuggling accused. The minister had gone to the home in Malappuram for two days after the questioning. Meanwhile, MSF the youth wing of the Muslim League and Mahila Morcha conducted violent protests infront of the secretariat demanding Jaleels ouster. He faced protests from Yuvamorcha and Youth Congress members throughout the journey from home to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Why the mayor of Colombias capital is calling for reconciliation with protesters. The mayor of Colombias capital is calling for reconciliation after days of violent protests. Thirteen people have been killed and hundreds injured in demonstrations against police brutality. The riots followed the killing of 43-year-old lawyer Javier Ordonez, who was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by officers. Al Jazeeras Alessandro Rampietti reports from Bogota. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today chaired a discussion over the interim performance of capital expenditure programs being implemented at the expense of the 2020 budget, as well as loan and grant resources, the PMs Office told Armenpress. The PM was reported on the actions taken by the Ministry of territorial administration and infrastructures, the Ministry of healthcare, the Ministry of education, science, culture and sport, and the Yerevan City Hall. The process of capital programs in the fields of road construction, energy, water, territorial and urban infrastructures, healthcare, education was presented. The implementation of capital expenditures means creation of jobs, provision of salaries, it means businessmen generating and receiving profit. This, of course, contributes to the countrys socio-economic development, and in this sense we should continue implementing high-quality and large-scale capital expenditure programs, the PM said. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Nations accused of violating their citizens rights and freedoms will come under intense scrutiny by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council during its upcoming three-week session, which begins on Monday. As its first order of business, the council is expected to consider a request by member countries to hold an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Belarus. The country has been in turmoil following the alleged rigging of the August 9 presidential election. The alleged extrajudicial killings of thousands of people caught up in Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs also will be a top issue. Beyond that, several perennial violators will come under the glare of the human rights spotlight. Reports detailing summary executions, torture, arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, sexual assault and other violations in countries such as Syria, Myanmar, Venezuela, South Sudan, Libya, Iran and Cambodia will come under review. In addition, some investigative mandates may come to an end. For example, the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Burundi, established four years ago, will present its final report later this month. Human Rights Watchs Geneva director, John Fisher says it is important the commissions mandate be maintained. He says little has changed on the ground despite the coming into power of Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye following the death of long-serving President Pierre Nkurunziza. We are also very concerned that the president has made critical remarks about civil society, has signaled that they not be the mouthpiece of foreign powers or are involved in selling secrets or unveiling secrets to foreign powers, that they have tended to limit themselves to criticism, etc.," said Fisher. Fisher says he is concerned that several people responsible for violations under Nkurunzizas rule remain in the new government. Human rights activists are pressing for accountability for the actions of so-called untouchable countries at this session. These are countries deemed to be too powerful to be put in the dock at the Council. A global coalition of 321 civil society groups from 60 countries is calling for China to face greater scrutiny for its alleged systemic and serious human rights violations. Activists expect Russia to come under heightened scrutiny because of its alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny with a deadly Soviet-era nerve agent. Fisher says conditions in Saudi Arabia demand greater scrutiny," he said. A number of the womens human rights defenders and other government critics remain held incommunicado in detention. There are details of situations of prison overcrowding, which of course exacerbated the health crisis, particularly during the COVID pandemic. Denial of access to health care, deaths of detainees in custody under suspicious circumstances. Fisher says all detainees should be released and the council should press for prison reforms and keep Saudi Arabia under its human rights lens. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a virtual news conference in London last week. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS The UK could be heading for another "hard lockdown" if the new law banning most gatherings of more than six people is not obeyed, an expert who advises the government on COVID-19 has warned. "We really need to act very quickly now to prevent this from growing exponentially," the Imperial College London professor Peter Openshaw said. He said the "trickle" of coronavirus cases could turn into a "cascade" if the new rules were ignored, adding that the country "must act fast" to stop the virus from spreading rapidly throughout the population. The government says a second lockdown is still a "nuclear option." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The UK faces the prospect of a second "hard lockdown" if new rules banning large social gatherings are not obeyed, an expert has warned, saying the "trickle" of new coronavirus cases threatens to turn into a "cascade" within days. Peter Openshaw, an Imperial College London professor who is an expert in experimental medicine and has advised the government on COVID-19, told the Sky News host Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the government "must act fast" to stop the coronavirus from spreading rapidly and urged people to obey new rules banning most social gatherings of more than six people. "We really need to act very quickly now in order to prevent this from growing exponentially," he said. "And that's the main point, is that we must act fast because it is so much harder to get this sort of thing under control if you delay even a few days is potentially going to be quite dangerous now at this particular moment." Openshaw said the daily spread of infections, which increased significantly last week, had returned to "exponential growth." He also cited news that the virus had started to spread again in care homes as evidence that more "hospitalizations and deaths" were inevitable. Story continues Ridge then asked him about measures like the UK's new rule barring six or more people from meeting other than in a handful of settings like weddings. "I'm afraid it is going to cause pain and suffering for us all to go back to some degree of lockdown, but if we don't do this now, we are going to be right back in hard lockdown in short order," he said. The coronavirus' spread is accelerating in all parts of England, according to government figures published Friday. Statistics from Imperial College London indicate that the R rate which is the average number of people an infected person transmits the virus to is at 1.7, indicating exponential growth. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to maintain the current system of introducing local lockdowns in areas, such as Birmingham and Bolton, where infection rates are highest. Robert Buckland, a cabinet minister, insisted on Sunday that a second national lockdown remained a "nuclear option." Read the original article on Business Insider T he new boss of Aviva today stuck her money behind her revival of the insurance giant, spending 1 million on its shares. Amanda Blanc has bought up 324,887 at a little over 300p a share, two months after her appointment at the FTSE 100 life and general insurer. Avivas share price crashed at the start of the pandemic, from 404p to as low as 211p but has crept back up a little since. Today the stock edged down 3.9p at 299.3p. Blanc is attempting to revive the share price after predecessor Maurice Tullochs restructuring plan, which stopped short of major sell-offs, failed to impress investors. Tulloch himself had replaced Mark Wilson, who exited after failing to get the stock motoring. The Welshwoman has acted fast to focus the company on its core markets, namely the UK, Ireland and Canada amid criticism that the company operated in too many countries and sectors. On Friday the company said it was offloading its Singapore business to a consortium led by Singapore Life, for S$2.7 billion ($1.98 billion). It will sell its majority shareholding in the business to the Singlife consortium, which includes alternative asset firm TPG, Japanese insurer Sumitomo Life and other existing Singlife shareholders. Blanc said on Friday: The sale of Aviva Singapore is a significant first step in our new strategy to bring greater focus to Avivas portfolio. The deal, one of the biggest in insurance in Southeast Asia, comes at a time when Singlife has been looking to expand in the region. TPG will become the largest shareholder in the new group, which will initially be branded as Aviva Singlife in Singapore, with a 35% stake. Aviva will retain a 25% equity stake, with another 20% going to Sumitomo. The rest will be held by other investors in Singlife, which started operations in Singapore in 2017, and has snapped up customers with its digital offerings. Jefferies analysts said: We believe this constitutes exceptional value creation for the group (Aviva) and represents clear delivery from the new CEO Amanda Blanc on her promise for decisive action. It has been the will of God for the NDC to rescue Ghanaians from the shackles of the NPP, according to Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). She said the People's Manifesto is a rescue mission and represents the will of God to save Ghana from the woeful economic management under the NPP. We will do the will of God to save this country, she said, adding that an NDC administration will provide the light that will illuminate the path of Ghanaians and the nation. Addressing the congregation at the Assemblies of God-Ghana at Anaji in Sekondi, at the start of her campaign tour of the Western region, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, urged Ghanaians to be steadfast in the Lord to grant Ghana quality change in governance. Prof Opoku-Agyemang, who graced the church's thanksgiving service as part of their ordination event, urged the religious community to pray for the nation for sustained peace and development, which would be pursued vigorously by the next NDC administration. Archbishop Prince Hampel, Chairman of Living Faith Theological Seminary, who chaired the thanksgiving service, commended Prof Opoku-Agyemang for her God-fearing and peace-loving attributes and prayed for victory for her and her party in the upcoming election. Earlier, the running mate arrived in the Western regional capital of Sekondi-Takoradi to a rousing welcome by hundreds of residents of the city who lined the streets to meet her. They defied a morning downpour, cheered, waved, and chanted change as the Running Mate's convoy rolled into the twin-city to begin her four-day tour of the region. Addressing the crowds from the roof of her vehicle at Shama Junction, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang thanked the people for the welcome and assured them of quality change that would enhance the lot of Ghanaians. ---GNA YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Schools are gradually re-opening after the COVID-19 shutdown in Armenia as first-graders had their first classes September 14. All other grades will resume schools from tomorrow. Children are being screened for fever and have their hands sanitized before entering the school. Coronavirus guidelines issued by the government require children and teachers to wear face masks, and minimize close contacts. The movement of the children inside the school is also restricted as a precaution. Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan increased the volume of exports to the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan by 14.4 percent during the first seven months of 2020, Trend has reported. According to the statement, export of Azerbaijani products to Kazakhstan amounted to $16.5 million, which is by $2.08 million more than in the same period of 2019. Thus, Kazakhstans share in the total export of Azerbaijan increased from 0.12 to 0.18 percent. Meanwhile, import of Kazakh products to Azerbaijan decreased by 3.5 times, from $144.09 million to $48.22 million. Thus, share of Kazakhstan in Azerbaijans total import decreased from 1.71 to 0.82 percent. Moreover, during the reporting period, the volume of foreign trade operation between two countries amounted to $64.7 million, which is by 2.4 times less compared to the same period of the last year. Likewise, export-import ratio in the foreign trade relations of the two countries was 25 and 75 percent respectively, while in 2019 it was 9 and 91 percent respectively. The volume of Azerbaijans foreign trade turnover amounted to $13.7 billion during the period of January-July 2020. The value of export amounted to $7.8 billion or 57.2 percent of the total turnover, while the value of import amounted to $5.9 billion or 42.8 percent. Thus, foreign trade turnover resulted in surplus of $1.9 billion. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said the ship would continue exploratory operations for longer but no extension to the advisory was issued as of noon Sunday Turkey's seismic research vessel Oruc Reis returned to waters near the southern province of Antalya on Sunday, Refinitiv data showed, a step that could ease tensions between Ankara and Athens over offshore natural resources. NATO members Turkey and Greece have overlapping claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions flared last month after Ankara sent Oruc Reis to map out possible oil and gas drilling prospects in waters claimed by Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Turkey's navy had issued an advisory earlier this month saying that the Oruc Reis would continue operations in the area until Sept. 12. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said the ship would continue exploratory operations for longer but no extension to the advisory was issued as of noon Sunday. Refinitiv ship tracking data showed Oruc Reis, along with two accompanying vessels, had returned to a location just off the coast of Antalya on Sunday. Turkey has repeatedly said it is open to solving issues with Greece through dialogue but had publicly rejected any pre-conditions, including Oruc Reis halting operations, ahead of negotiations. "If there are those who set pre-conditions for Turkey, we have pre-conditions too and these pre-conditions need to be met," Cavusoglu said during a news conference on Saturday. He did not elaborate and repeated that talks would ideally begin without pre-conditions. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, who was visiting Antalya's Kas district, near the Greek island of Kastellorizo, said on Sunday that Turkey was on the side of dialogue and a political solution. "We have always done what is required by good neighbourly relations and we expect the same from the other side," he told reporters. Turkey says it has a legitimate claim over the area in the eastern Mediterranean. There is no agreement between Greece and Turkey delimiting their continental shelves, while Turkey disputes any claims by Cyprus, with which it has no diplomatic relations. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Its internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government represents the whole island in the European Union, though its authority is effectively contained to the southern part. North Cyprus is an unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara. Seismic surveys are part of preparatory work for potential hydrocarbon exploration. Turkey has also been exploring for hydrocarbon resources in the Black Sea and discovered a 320 billion cubic metre (11.3 trillion cubic feet) gas field. Search Keywords: Short link: Grocery workers associated with UFCW Local 770 demonstrate outside a Food 4 Less store in Los Angeles on Aug. 5 after workers at the store had reportedly become infected with COVID-19. (Los Angeles Times) After spending seven weeks isolated in my bedroom sick with COVID-19, I stood in front of the Ralphs grocery store where I work, bracing to return. It took me about five minutes to make the decision to cross the threshold and go back to work. I wasnt sure I could do it. For 20 years I have been a Ralphs employee, working at different stores throughout Los Angeles. I work the night shift, cleaning, stocking and preparing the store for the next day. I believe I caught COVID-19 at work. In the days before I got sick, the store was exceptionally crowded. I remember it clearly because it was packed as customers stocked up for the Jewish holiday the next day. My husband is Jewish and we observe all the holidays. That day I started to feel sick. I went home early and slept all day until my youngest daughter woke me at 7 p.m., nine hours after I usually wake up after a night of work. I couldnt breathe. I was hot. My husband rushed me to the ER. I took a coronavirus test. It was positive. Our house is usually alive with energy. My mother, my husband and me, our four daughters, one granddaughter, three dogs, four turtles and lots of birds live together. My breakfast with my 85-year-old mother is a daily ritual. As I fought the disease while locked in a bedroom, my family cared for me at a distance. The first four weeks were the worst. I was dizzy, but I couldnt sleep. I lost my sense of taste and smell. My entire body ached with a deep pain. After the worst had passed, I felt depressed trapped inside of four walls inside my own house. I couldnt see my family. My children would sit outside my door while I sat in the farthest corner of my room to talk with them for a few minutes. My mother would yell good morning through my window every day. Afterward, I would be in tears. I couldnt hug members of my family and I was terrified they would get sick. A few weeks after I recovered, I was back on the grocery store floor. Now at least once a week, I encounter someone who swears at me or seems ready to hurt me simply because I ask them to wear a mask. Story continues In Los Angeles, masks have been required since April. But its not just the policies that matter. Kroger, which owns both Ralphs and Food 4 Less, has policies to encourage distancing and limit the number of customers in the store. But these policies are unevenly enforced. I have seen carts that are not always sanitized. I have seen check stands go uncleaned. The stores are often crowded. Customers wear masks as chin straps all the time. If customers arent wearing masks, managers are supposed to approach them. But managers aren't always there late at night, leaving workers like me sometimes vulnerable. When a Ralphs coworker and friend, who is a manager, asked two male customers to wear masks, one attacked her with a shopping cart and drew blood. After she defended herself, Kroger suspended her. More than 1,175 members of my union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, have had confirmed cases of COVID-19. Four have died. Just last week two more workers at my store got infected. From where I stand, Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in the U.S., needs to do more to enforce safety measures. By listening to workers, I believe Kroger could slow the spread of the virus. I know my store inside and out. With support from the top, workers like me could help ensure safety protocols are being followed. Confrontations between employees and customers would be minimized if staffing were sufficient to ensure no one is allowed into the store without a mask. And if Kroger instituted regular testing for workers, infections would drop even more. When I return from my shift at the grocery store, I immediately jump in the shower and wash my clothes without touching anyone or anything. After being so sick, I want to do everything possible to keep more people from getting it. I learned that Los Angeles County is considering establishing worker-led public health councils that would allow employees to report their coronavirus safety concerns without fear of retaliation. Grocery workers know the risks and the potential solutions. Our input could help reduce the number of infections at grocery stores. Establishing councils would give us a seat at the table. By including its enormous workforce, Kroger could do a better job of protecting the lives of its employees and customers and help stop the spread of this deadly virus. Maria Hernandez lives in Los Angeles. Shams helps entrepreneurs and small businesses set up in a cost-effective free zone, providing support and opportunities for those wanting to start, relocate or expand their business in Sharjah. The new partnership with Beehive makes this process even easier and cheaper by giving Shams' SMEs access to low-cost finance up to AED500,000 through Beehive's regulated peer to peer lending platform to aid their growth. Businesses that can benefit from this scheme must be in the creative or media industries. H.E Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), said "We are pleased to enter this partnership with Beehive, which is in line with our vision to grow Sharjah as an entrepreneurial hub. Shams is firmly establishing itself as center for many innovative and creative business startups, and we are pleased to play a part in the growing SME economy within the region." He continued, "We are keen to offer our support to SMEs, and this agreement enables us to extend a helping hand to entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to embark on their entrepreneurial journey in the emirate, allowing them to thrive and succeed." Craig Moore, Founder and CEO of Beehive said, "It's great to see Shams supporting the growth of SMEs to enrich the UAE's economy as a whole. Sharjah has a rich cultural history, making it an ideal place for creative SMEs to flourish." About Beehive Beehive P2P Ltd. is the first peer to peer lending platform in MENA to be regulated by the DFSA. Beehive directly connects businesses looking for finance with investors, creating mutually beneficial partnerships for growth. Beehive's digital platform provides smarter finance solutions to businesses, financial institutions and investors. By combining financial market experience with technology, we accelerate efficiency and functionality to deliver market innovation. Beehive has been facilitating finance to SMEs for over five years in the GCC region and is regulated by the DFSA in Dubai, and CBB in Bahrain. For Beehive enquiries, please contact: Bryony Travers, Marketing Manager +971 58 587 1300 [email protected] About Shams: Sharjah Media City (Shams) is world-class media hub for innovative facilities and services. Shams offers over 120 business activities to choose from and provides the flexibility to combine different activities on the same license. Licenses issued by Shams allow companies to operate the business activities in accordance with their license and offer facilities, flexible legal framework, general and logistic services to investors. Shams provides unique services to investors from across the world and high level of innovative services in a safe and vibrant ecosystem for entrepreneurs to set up their business. SOURCE Beehive; Shams Sally became a hurricane Monday and slowly edge toward the coastline of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, where it is forecast to push a dangerous surge ashore and unload tremendous rain through Wednesday. The storm is crawling west-northwest toward the Gulf Coast, and its stay on the coast will be prolonged. Before landfall, Sally may intensify further over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. While its strong winds may bringing 70- to 90-mph winds to New Orleans, this storm's greatest threat is water. This part of the Gulf Coast is vulnerable to storm-surge flooding, a rise in water above normally dry land at the coast. Some parts of the Gulf Coast may get more than two feet of rain, potentially causing major flooding and taxing the New Orleans pumping system. "The bottom line continues to be that Sally is expected to be a dangerous slow-moving hurricane," the National Hurricane Center wrote. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting "an extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm surge," along the Gulf Coast, with the highest surge of up to 11 feet predicted in southeastern Louisiana. The potential for flooding rain and a dangerous storm surge is predicted from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, issued an order closing all beaches in the state at 3 p.m. on Monday, and she recommended the evacuation of flood-prone areas south of Interstate 10. Mobile Bay, Ala., was under a storm-surge warning Monday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center anticipated that five to eight feet of inundation above normally dry ground is possible if the surge lines up with Tuesday evening's high tide. Dauphin Island could experience a 6- to 9-foot surge. Areas at considerable distances inland from the bay also could be inundated because of their low topography. President Trump arrives at Sacramento McClellan Airport on Monday. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) As a crowd gathered Monday outside McClellan Airport in Sacramento following the arrival of President Trump, one man climbed atop a California Highway Patrol vehicle, which drove forward, throwing the man over the top of the cruiser and onto the pavement. Video from NBC News and bystanders show a man wearing a red hat climbing onto the hood of the moving CHP vehicle and scaling the windshield. In the video, demonstrators flank the car as the man is flung off. The vehicle flips the man over his side before he lands on his stomach on the pavement. At least one other person was knocked down by the car. Our camera was rolling when anti- Trump protestors surrounded a CHP patrol car. One person climbed on the hood and the officer drove forward. Two people were injured...one was taken to hospital. The crowd had gathered to protest the President as he visited Sacramento pic.twitter.com/5iZFjXGglz Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) September 14, 2020 Other video shows a person being loaded into an ambulance as the crowd cheers. One of the men in the gathering can be seen making obscene gestures toward several CHP officers, who walked behind the injured person, who was lying on a stretcher. According to the CHP, two officers were conducting traffic control near Watt Avenue and Airbase Drive and were trying to leave the area when the incident occurred. "As the lead vehicle began to pull away, one of the protesters climbed up the hood of the patrol vehicle. Fearing for his safety, the officer began to accelerate away, and the protester fell off the vehicle," public information officer A.J. McTaggart said Tuesday. "Medical aid was provided, and the party was transported to Mercy San Juan [Medical Center] with minor injuries." The North Area CHP is currently investigating the incident. Story continues Roughly three blocks away, another incident involving a vehicle and protesters took place earlier in the day. Video from the scene showed a green Volvo driving into a group of demonstrators on the side of the road in McClellan Park, just outside Sacramento. It was not immediately clear whether CHP officers at that location were connected to the later event. Trump arrived in California on Monday for a briefing on the massive wildfires that have ravaged the state for days. More than 3.3 million acres have burned in the firestorm, and more than 4,100 structures have been destroyed. Before Trumps arrival, protesters and supporters gathered outside the airfield, holding signs that bore messages supporting and denouncing the president. She's one of Australia's better known fashion exports. But Shanina Shaik was turning heads in London as she ventured out to run errands with her French Bulldog on Sunday. The Melbourne born model, 29, looked chic in an oversized black jacket for the low-key outing with her beloved pooch. Effortlessly cool: Shanina Shaik looked chic in an oversized black blazer as she took her dog for a low-key walk in London on Sunday She teamed the blazer - which she wore over a white slogan t-shirt - with matching black trousers that were gathered at the ankle and white trainers. The brunette beauty accessorised with a pair of statement black sunglasses as she stepped out in the balmy September temperatures. Shanina pulled her dark tresses into a sleek top knot and went makeup free as she made her way down the street in the capital. Style: She teamed the blazer - which she wore over a white slogan t-shirt - with matching black trousers that were gathered at the ankle and white trainers Radiant: The brunette beauty accessorised with a pair of statement black sunglasses as she stepped out in the balmy September temperatures Her outing comes after the Victoria Secret's model reflected on the progress the brand has made over the years, saying it has opened up to diversity on the runway. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last Monday she said: 'I think that over the years Victoria's Secret has opened up to more diversity. 'I think we will see more and more in the coming years,' Shanina added, explaining that the girls who currently strut the coveted runway work very hard. Casual: Shanina pulled her dark tresses into a sleep top knot and went makeup free as she made her way down the street in the capital 'The girls who walk for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show work really hard to be their fittest and healthiest.' The interview comes after model Robyn Lawley, 29, launched a petition to boycott the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, for not casting any plus size models. 'I am sick and tired of seeing the same body type,' Robyn said on The Morning Show last month. Robyn called for Victoria's Secret to feature 'a few other sizes' and for the lingerie brand to add more diversity. Out and about: Shanina was joined by her Frenchie during her latest appearance in the capital Shanina's UK break follows her European getaway with her London-based beau, Seyed Payam Mirtorabi. They stayed in the South of France earlier this month. The pair put on a loved-up display at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, a top celebrity destination that recently hosted Frank and Christine Lampard. Shanina confirmed her relationship with businessman Seyed in February by sharing a birthday tribute via Instagram. 'Happy Birthday, my love!' she wrote next to a gallery of photos of the couple. Back to reality: Shanina's UK break follows her European getaway with her London-based beau, Seyed Payam Mirtorabi. They stayed in the South of France earlier this month The Victoria's Secret Angel split from husband DJ Ruckus - whose real name is Greg Andrews - in June 2019 after just 14 months of marriage and filed for divorce four weeks later. Their divorce was finalised on January 23. In her divorce documents, Shanina - who cited irreconcilable differences for the split - requested spousal support but the terms of the divorce were kept under wraps so it is unclear whether the court granted her request. The former couple had a prenuptial agreement in place. News of their split came as a surprise to fans as just a few months before, the brunette beauty said she was 'thinking about' starting a family with her beau. Graduate student Lakshmy Mohandas instructs Tech120 students in-person while Nathan Mentzer, an associate professor in Purdues Polytechnic Institute and College of Education, teaches online through Microsoft Teams at the same time. The blend of both face-to-face and online instruction, also known as a HyFlex model, give students the option to stay home and participate in class in real-time online or physically attend on any given day. (John Underwood/Purdue University) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Weeks before Purdue University made the shift to remote learning last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nathan Mentzer, an associate professor in Purdues Polytechnic Institute and College of Education, started blending both face-to-face and online instruction in his classrooms for 680 students. As he watched the world respond to the pandemic in anticipation of how it would soon affect his own students, Mentzer wanted to give his students the option to stay home and participate in class in real-time online or physically attend on any given day. That hybrid-flexible model also known as HyFlex has proved to be successful. Before spring break, I could see that we were headed in the direction of online learning, Mentzer said. I wanted to help my students make that transition, knowing that the pandemic was likely going to have a long-lasting impact on how we approach teaching. Over the summer, Mentzer, graduate student Lakshmy Mohandas and Shawn Farrington, a continuing lecturer and course coordinator, used the HyFlex model in their courses. Included was Design Thinking in Technology, known as Tech120, a course that combines lectures and small group work and project-based learning. In the Tech120 course, Mohandas was in the classroom teaching face-to-face while Mentzer was observing online via Microsoft Teams. Mentzer will continue this model throughout the fall semester through courses such as Integrated STEM Education Methods (secondary education majors) and Engineering by Design for elementary. This is something our students need to be prepared for, not only because of how the pandemic is changing the world we live in, but because major global companies our graduates might work for one day often use asynchronous communication like this, Mentzer said. I think this is setting up students for success for their future careers, and its helping them develop the right attitudes to help them be successful. Farrington says all of the Tech120 face-to-face courses in the Polytechnic Institute this fall are incorporating the HyFlex model, allowing 680 students to safely attend and participate in class regardless of their location. In a time of great uncertainty, we're providing a quality educational experience where students can participate in a manner that allows them to be comfortable and not fall behind, Farrington said. The global marketplace operates on people working together remotely to keep the world connected and moving. Education should be no different. Chantal Levesque-Bristol, director of teaching success at Purdue, says the model is both flexible and versatile allowing both students and instructors to achieve their teaching and educational goals regardless of their location. If students are unable to come to class for a period of time because they are in isolation or quarantined, they can complete the requirements online and continue progressing in the course, Levesque-Bristol said. When students are able to come back to the face-to-face class, they have not been delayed in the course progression. This also allows flexibility to the members of the instructional staff (instructors and teacher assistants) who need to teach remotely if needed. Mentzer said the success of his HyFlex model has caught the attention of his colleagues. Faculty across the University are requesting the support materials we created, including student how to videos and procedures for setting up the blended environment integrating Microsoft Teams for video/audio interaction at the whole- and small-group level (during and after class) and Brightspace (for course content), Mentzer says. We invested a significant effort this spring and summer in preparation for the fall, and students tell us it works for them. We are happy to share with others across campus and globally. The HyFlex teaching model has been used in various ways across the country since the mid-2000s, with the intention of making higher education more accessible to students who might not always be able to attend class in-person. The model was designed to make sure students can move back and forth between in-person and online instruction while having the same learning outcomes in both. Now, with virtual learning increasingly becoming a necessity because of the pandemic, Mentzer predicts the model is going to become more of an educational necessity around the country. This is a model that has been proven to work before the pandemic came into existence, he said. A typical day in the classroom looks like this: Mohandas meets and greets students in person and online by wearing a wireless headset. Behind her, a screen projects to all students, remote and face to face, in real time. The students who are physically in class also are wearing headsets so they can talk to Mohandas and their peers who are attending remotely. It really does feel like everyone is in the room together, Mohandas said. Having that webcam was so important to the students who are both physically there and online. Making the transition to a HyFlex model comes with its own learning curve, Mentzer said especially because there isnt one true definition of a HyFlex classroom. If you are combining in-person and online learning, youre doing some version of HyFlex, Mentzer said. Remote learning isnt just a consolation prize if you land in isolation; instead, teamwork is one of our learning outcomes, and were expanding the definition of teamwork to align with the workplace of the future. About Purdue University Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/. Writer, Media contact: Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu Source: Nathan Mentzer, nmentzer@purdue.edu Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines: Top court clears path for president to seek a contentious third term, as protests turn violent in several cities. Ivory Coasts top court on Monday cleared the path for President Alassane Ouattara to seek a contentious third term, as protests turned violent in several cities and fears grew of a repeat of the conflict that claimed 3,000 lives in the West African country a decade ago. The constitutional council also barred former President Laurent Gbagbo and former rebel leader-turned-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro from standing in next months presidential election. It cleared only four of the 44 candidates for the October 31 presidential election. The other candidates cleared were former president Henri Konan Bedie from the historically dominant PDCI party, Gbagbos former prime minister Pascal Affi NGuessan, and Kouadio Konan Bertin, a dissident from Bedies party. In the economic capital Abidjan, protesters torched a bus in the working-class district of Yopougon after scuffles broke out earlier in the day between security forces and youths. The district is thought to be a fiefdom of exiled former president Gbagbo, whose supporters had filed an application for him to run in the vote. It was Gbagbos refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara after the 2010 election that sparked the bloody conflict in the former French colony, formerly a beacon of stability and prosperity in the region. In the centre-west city of Bangolo, demonstrators set fire to a mining truck and other vehicles on Monday, according to a resident, who added that gendarmes dispersed them with tear gas. Witnesses said security forces took down barricades set up by protesters on several roads in the west of the country. About 15 people have died in violence since Ouattara, 78, announced last month that he would run for a third term. The unrest has political observers worried that the vote could destabilise Ivory Coast, the worlds top cocoa producer and French-speaking West Africas largest economy. Although the constitution limits presidents to two terms, Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak reset the clock. The president had previously committed to not running again, but he changed his mind after the sudden death of his anointed successor Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly from a heart attack in July. The electoral commission has said anyone convicted of a crime will be disqualified and has already barred Soro from running as he was sentenced in April to 20 years in prison for concealment of embezzlement of public funds. Gbagbo has been sentenced in absentia to a 20-year term for the looting of the local branch of the Central Bank of West African States during the 2010-11 crisis. Former President Henri Konan Bedie is expected to be the oppositions main flagbearer, and his PDCI party nominated the 86-year-old as its candidate on Saturday. At a rally attended by tens of thousands of supporters in the capital Yamoussoukro, Bedie pledged if elected to work for the unconditional return of all exiles, as well as the release of all political, civilian and military prisoners from the post-election crisis. Bedie is seeking to return to the presidency after he was removed in the countrys first coup in 1999. Vicky Phelan has appealed to politicians to allow her and others to die with dignity. The cervical cancer campaigner, who is terminally ill, backed an assisted dying Bill to be introduced in the Dail on Tuesday. Her message to politicians, she said, was: Allow us to die a peaceful death with dignity. "Palliative (care) does not always work. I have seen people in recent years with a certain amount of suffering that no pain management can get on top of. I dont want my children to see me like that. All I am asking for is a choice. Read More Labour Party leader Alan Kelly said his party supported the Bill, with Solidarity/PBP and Independents also behind it, as campaigners called for a free vote among political parties. They pointed out recent opinion polls had shown majorities of up to 85pc in favour of an assisted dying law in Ireland. Tom Curran, partner of the late Marie Farrell who took an unsuccessful right-to-die case in 2013, said a previous Bill which he had written several years ago with the help of four barristers had failed to progress. He explained that while the High Court said the Oireachtas had the power to legislate, there was not the interest or the courage from [Leinster House] to do anything about it. The previous Bill was introduced by former junior minister for science John Halligan, and Gino Kenny TD said his Bill was virtually identical, containing all necessary safeguards and cooling-off periods to prevent abuse. Gail ORourke, who stood trial and was acquitted of helping her friend Bernadette Forde to die, said there was no slippery slope evident in other countries which introduced such legislation. This is not mandatory, it is just a choice, she said. Divorce and abortion had been introduced in Ireland and the legislation was about extending freedom of conscience to citizens, she added. Mr Kenny said the issue was being put to a referendum in New Zealand on October 17, and while people would object on various grounds, the issue was essentially about empathy and compassion. The issue shouldnt be conflated with families switching off life-support machines, and his Bill would grant the right to die to over-18s only, unlike in the Netherlands where the legislation allows children to assert their right to die, and on grounds that include depression. Ms Phelan said she had suffered from depression, had sought help and come through it, and a schedule of illnesses could be specified under the law, if passed. She stressed she did not want her children to be left with memories of her in great suffering and distress as she died. I was asked by Gino Kenny if I would support this Bill, and didn't have to be asked twice, she said. I believe in it very strongly. I remember watching Marie Flemings case, when she couldn't make that choice, and being horrified at what that woman had to endure. She herself was going to die within the next few years, she said. I never want my children to see me dying and I want to be able to make that choice when the time comes. I'm talking about the last couple of weeks of my life. It's not like I choose to do that now, in case people would think this is something that I would choose when I'm well. Absolutely not. Thats not what this Bill is about. This Bill is about giving people who are at the end of their life, and in pain, the choice to go gently - so that they don't have a certain amount of unnecessary suffering. We don't do it to animals. I don't see why we should do it to humans. She added: If you don't agree with that, that's fine. You don't have to choose that. But please allow people who want it to make the choice. Knocks and kudos have continued to trail the debate between the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and his rival in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki. Both candidates, who are the major gladiators in the September 19 election, participated in a Channels Television governorship debate on Sunday, and issues ranging from security, education, health, and agriculture, among others, topped the discussion. Some indigenes of Edo who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday gave their opinion on how the candidates responded to issues in the debate which lasted over one hour. Their reactions to the debate came just as the media aides of the two contenders disagreed over an alleged opinion poll results that emanated after the debate. Yakubu Musa, a former Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Area of the state, said while Mr Obaseki failed to address some critical issues, Mr Ize-Iyamu was straight in his response. Mr Musa said, We have a governor who has been in office for four years, and most of the things he said in the debate were not correct when it comes to figures, he was just being rhetoric. On the over 120,000 jobs he said he created, for who and where are the people, which factory and company? The one that touched me was when he was asked of his result. When we went to school, we know that three credits without English Language and Mathematics cannot give you admission, even into a polytechnic or even college of education. Where is the Higher School Certificate result that gave him admission to the University of Ibadan? Those are the questions he should have answered. For four years, a sitting governor could not pinpoint what he did in Edo and he wants a second them, for what? However, for the candidate of the APC, Mr Musa said, On the side of Ize-Iyamu, he was straight and spoke the truth on what he wants to do with the SIMPLE agenda manifesto. When the question was asked as to how he will realise his agenda, he told the governor that he was not going to waste money the way the governor is wasting money. He said he was going to create wealth and if he does that he will have money to execute his programmes. But Jefferson Uwoghiren, a Benin-based activist and lawyer, said Mr Obaseki addressed the issues better on how he is going to address the issues confronting the state. Mr Uwoghiren said, Mr Obaseki came to address the issues that is affecting the Edo people and how he is going to address them. Ize-Iyamu came to address issues between him and Obaseki. He (Ize-Iyamu) made ad hominem allegations that he could not substantiate. Again, Obaseki turned himself into a lawyer and was cross-examining a supposed lawyer who could not effectively respond to elementary issues with his orientation as a lawyer. When you are not sure of your facts, you do not mention it in public space. You do not come to debate to de-market someone else, you come to debate to market yourself. You come to explain in a very explainable way what your visions are. Unfortunately, the APC candidate did not look like someone that was prepared, he looked like he came with an angry mission. Yama Beliyu, an Auchi-based indigene of the state, simply said, Mr Obaseki displayed maturity in the way he responded to questions, while our candidate Mr Ize-Iyamu was talking like someone angry. I appreciate Obaseki for his display of maturity and he showed that he can perform better in the governance of Edo State. Meanwhile, Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Edo Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, and John Mayaki, Chairman of the Edo State APC Media Campaign Council, have disagreed over the opinion poll results after the debate. Mr Osagie said in a statement on Monday that aggregation of polls conducted by independent bodies, hours after the Channels Television Governorship Debate on Sunday, placed Mr Obaseki ahead of Mr Ize-Iyamu. He claimed that the polls were conducted by Channels TV, organisers of the debate, Flash Poller, an international pollster, and Joe Abah, Director-General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR). While Channels TVs poll showed that Obaseki won Ize-Iyamu with 67.58 per cent to 32.42 per cent, Flash Poller ranked the governor with 76.3 per cent over Ize-Iyamus 23.7 per cent and Abahs poll showed that Obaseki garnered 71 per cent of the positive votes while APCs Ize-Iyamu scored 29 per cent (as at the time this report was filed). But Mr Mayaki said the Channels TV fictitious polls showed that Mr Obaseki and the PDP were plotting to rig the poll. Mr Mayaki said, Channels Television has dissociated itself from the fictitious polls result compiled by malicious impersonators and fabricators loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Candidate, Godwin Obaseki in the September 19 Edo governorship election. This was after Mr Obaseki and his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu had faced off in a debate organised by Channels Television on Sunday. No sooner was the debate concluded than the PDP loyalists came up with a graphically designed image depicting Obaseki as having won the polls by 76.3 per cent while Pastor Ize-Iyamu was depicted to have scored 23.7 per cent. It is now apparent that rigging everything is first nature to the PDP and their loyalists. They have clearly shown what they are capable of by going ahead to shamelessly rig an online poll conducted by channels. I can only imagine the disgust that Channels television must be feeling at this shameless act. The PDP is tarnishing the image of Edo state nationwide and they are being bankrolled by a man who has turned Edo states account to his cookie jar, Mr Mayaki said. Best Regards, Advertisements Efforts to stem the impact of COVID-19 in low to middle income countries could be creating a health time bomb in their slum communities by deepening existing inequalities, according to an international team led by the University of Warwick. Efforts to stem the impact of COVID-19 in low to middle income countries could be creating a health time bomb in their slum communities by deepening existing inequalities, according to an international team of health researchers led by the University of Warwick. Measures to control the coronavirus, such as quarantining and restricting travel, are exacerbating existing economic hardship and limited access to quality healthcare in these communities, creating a 'perfect storm' of factors that harm health in the short and long term. However, the research - funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - has identified that adopting mobile consulting and upskilling local providers could be an effective way to provide access to healthcare services for residents. The conclusions are drawn from research with community leaders, residents, health workers, volunteers and managers working on the ground in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan. The study is published in the journal BMJ Global Health. The researchers define a slum as an area of high population density that lacks sanitation, clean water, safe and durable housing, as well as basic services. The crowded conditions and poor sanitation in slums makes the recommended methods of controlling COVID-19 - such as regular handwashing and social distancing - a challenge in these communities. In addition, restrictions on travel and the economy limit work opportunities and access to quality healthcare for these communities, both of which often require people to travel long distances. Those interviewed by the research team reported that residents were turning more frequently to home remedies, pharmacies or patent medicine vendors, traditional healers and private health centres, due to the disruption in health services. Many of these are not part of formal public health systems, and staff are often not qualified. In some cases residents were reluctant to travel to formal healthcare facilities due to the risk of infection or stigmatisation. Prior to COVID-19, illnesses that were perceived to be common by local health workers included respiratory, gastric, waterborne and mosquitoborne illnesses and hypertension. However, the researchers argue that less formal services may play a vital part in communicating health information in slum communities, and that focus should be made by governments to 'upskill' those workers. Lead author Professor Frances Griffiths of Warwick Medical School said: "Patent medicine vendors and traditional healers live and work in these neighbourhoods. They are in a good position to advise residents and direct them to formal healthcare when it is in the patient's best interest, and should be supported in doing this. "Local healthcare providers should plan for remote consulting to reduce patient contact and reserve personal protective equipment for necessary face-to-face contact." To aid in social distancing measures, some health workers and residents reported using their phones for accessing healthcare remotely. The WHO advises the use of mobile consulting to protect health workers and patients but gives little detail about how. However, there is growing evidence of the potential for mobile consulting to enhance provision of healthcare to remote and marginalised populations. Professor Griffiths added: "These communities are already disadvantaged. There is a danger of them being further disadvantaged by restrictions to control COVID-19 for the wider population and by increasing prices for drugs, healthcare and transport." The research team were already investigating access to health care in slum communities as part of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Improving Health in Slums. In light of the COVID-19-related lockdowns imposed in each country, the team expanded the scope of the project by rapidly employing a new phase of stakeholder engagement focused on the impact of COVID-19. ### * 'Impact of the societal response to COVID-19 on access to healthcare for non-COVID-19 health issues in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan: results of pre-COVID and COVID-19 lockdown stakeholder engagements' is published in BMJ Global Health, DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003042 Link: https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/8/e003042 * This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Unit on Improving Health in Slums using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Notes to editors: For interviews or a copy of the paper contact: Peter Thorley Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics) | Press & Media Relations | University of Warwick Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk Mob: +44 (0) 7824 540863 Quotes from participants in the research are available in the paper: https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/8/e003042 This research was commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding. 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 commissions applied health research to benefit the poorest people in low and middle-income countries, using Official Development Assistance funding. There is an open water swim race that takes place annually in Senegal. It starts at the Voile dOr Beach, in Dakar, and ends at Goree Island, the last stop for many enslaved West Africans destined for the New World. It's 3.5 miles from Island to shore. While the last three U.S. presidents prior to the current White House occupant visited the island during their tenures the 33 year-old race, its roughly 600 annual contestants are almost all Black African swimmers (certainly few or no Americans). The race commemorates a piece of West African lore: If you were lucky enough to escape captivity on Goree Island, you might have chosen to brave the 3.5-mile open water swim journey back to the mainland. This story may not make a lot of sense to you, if you assume that Black people dont historically swim, and especially during the New World slave trade era. Well get to that. A young woman and man Skylar Smith and Noah Nicholas recent Howard University swim team alumni, plan to travel to Dakar to compete in this event. Theres a lot to unpack here, but lets start with the race itself. Theres a short Al Jazeera clip from a couple of years ago just below. Lets just break the seals on the race question. Black people dont or cant swim, at least like White people do. Right? Because, if they did, thered be more Black people competing in the triathlons in which you and I participate. Right? It depends on which Black people and the time in history youre talking about. A game-changer for me was the book Undercurrents of Power. In this book surfer, swimmer, author Kevin Dawson recounts a historic truth previously unknown to me and, probably, to most Americans: The West African aquatic culture during the Trans-Atlantic enslavement period was the dominant aquatic culture in the world at that time. So, when the 17th or 18th century African who found or got himself from the Slave House to Goree Islands shoreline, and faced his or her decision, he or she was often armed with the skill and fitness to successfully make that 3.5-mile swim. I have long been of the opinion that our multisport events champion and memorialize the skills and journeys undertaken when it was for real, when survival was in the balance, and I can think of no more poignant example than the Goree Island open water race. I want to race this event myself, of course, as many of you do too now that you know about it (if you watched that Al Jazeera clip), and an organization called Black Kids Swim is sending of Skylar and Noah to Senegal for this event. Its a shrewd decision because, if you are White and you think that Black people just dont swim, you arent alone. A lot of Black people agree with you. The history of how an aquatic culture was stripped away from Black Americans is frustrating and infuriating, but its quite long and Ill leave this for another time. The point is, when Black Kids Swim talks to kids and their parents about swimming, and they are faced with, We dont swim, an honest history of aquatic culture allows and maybe demands this answer: But you used to. There are more layers to The Goree Project. West Africans arent only aware of what White colonialism meant to their countries, theyre often suspicious of Black Americans who though wanting to connect with their African heritage havent been Africans for several hundred years. Noah and Skylar are walking into this unknown. What will their reception be? All this omits Skylars technical fear, which is, the race is 3.5 miles and shes a pool-only, drop-dead sprinter. Her concern is apparent in the Goree Island Project, which is going to be made into a documentary film, and the first installment just dropped and is here, just above, where you will meet the effervescent Skylar and Noah. A couple of notes on this: You might wonder when this race takes place, and if the global pandemic affects this years holding of the race. This event is historically a September-end, or October-beginning, event. The race organizers are committed to the 2020 edition, as I understand it, and the precise date for this year has been pushed back, and the announcement on the new date is perhaps imminent. But weve heard that a lot about races, have we not? Then there is the question of quarantine, should Skylar and Noah be able to travel. Ive been following this, and my guess is that it will happen or it wont in 2020, but if it doesnt then The Goree Project moves into 2021, since 2020 is for so many of us the Lost Year. Im speaking only out of instinct, not of knowledge. I am passionate about learn-to-swim efforts, and I have a lot of respect for Black Kids Swim, and am especially enthusiastic about The Goree Project. This is a crowdfunded effort and we at Slowtwitch are chipping in. Here is the PayPal site where you can give to Black Kids Swim, and you can choose The Goree Project if you want. A line of fire engines head to the flaming Santa Anita Canyon as the Bobcat fire burns near Arcadia. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) More than 350 households in Arcadia and Sierra Madre remain under evacuation orders Monday as flames from the Bobcat fire creep toward San Gabriel Valley foothill communities. The fire, which has grown to more than 36,000 acres since igniting Sept. 6, remains at 6% containment. The U.S. Forest Service said Monday there had been significant western growth toward Mt. Wilson and the Chantry Flat area in Santa Anita Canyon, marking a shift from last weeks northeastern expansion. Crews today will be focused on strengthening and improving the fire line between the south end of the fire and the foothills communities, the Forest Service said. Nearly 900 firefighters have been assigned to combat the blaze. Residents of Monrovia, Bradbury, Altadena, Duarte, Pasadena and parts of Sierra Madre remain under an evacuation notice and should be prepared to leave their homes if prompted. In response to the fire, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Sunday signed a proclamation declaring a local emergency . Conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property arose as a result of the Bobcat Fire, the proclamation said, adding that the fire has created conditions that are or likely to be beyond the control of local resources and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions. The emergency declaration will help the county accelerate requests for financial resources and additional support for the area, said Helen Chavez, assistant director for the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. We can procure things items, supplies, personnel much, much faster, Chavez said. A lot of the red tape is cut. The proclamation will be subject to a ratification vote at the Board of Supervisors' regular meeting Tuesday, although Chavez said that was largely a formality. In an update published Monday, officials at the 116-year-old Mt. Wilson observatory said they are preparing to go to battle. Story continues While we hope the Observatory makes it through relatively unscathed, the battle could go either way, Sam Hale, chairman of the Mount Wilson Institute Board of Trustees, wrote in a statement. We cherish the historic telescopes on the mountain that revolutionized humanitys understanding of the Cosmos and hope they will be safe. Its not just flames that have residents concerned. Smoke from the fire is contributing to poor air quality throughout the region, and smoke advisories have been extended through Monday in most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Altadena resident Kevin Lingenfelser described a strong, burning, mesquite-like smell that had lingered for several days. My primary concern is for our safety and our home, Lingenfelser said. Weve lived [in La Vina, Altadena] since the community was built in 1998. I dont want to go through what we had to with the Station fire of 2009, where we had to evacuate for several days. Although mandatory evacuation orders have not been issued in Altadena, Lingenfelser said he and his wife and two daughters had packed just in case. The air quality forecast calls for moderate to unhealthful air in Los Angeles County, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District , and smoky air from the fire is so strong in parts of Eastern Los Angeles that Pasadena City College closed its campus Monday. The L.A. Zoo and the Los Angeles County Arboretum remain closed because of smoke as well. Current air quality readings in Los Angeles are hovering in the 150-200 range , which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to EPA air monitoring site AirNow. The air quality index, or AQI, is reported on a scale of 0 to 500, with zero representing good air. Measurements higher than 301 are considered hazardous. I can definitely smell smoke this morning, said Mike Bruckner, deputy city manager in Arcadia. Bruckner said most residents had complied with Arcadias evacuation orders, and several others left voluntarily. He credited bulldozer lines and hand crews for helping keep the fire from making its way into the community, and said that the priority for the rest of the day would be continuing to monitor the progression of the fire. Residents of the area received additional bad news Sunday when estimates for containment of the fire were pushed back by two weeks to Oct. 30. Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said the decision to push the date was based on the size of the fire, the amount of personnel available and the unpredictability of this fire so far. Mitchell said wind gusts up to 15 mph were expected during the day, but he attributed much of the fires current growth to the dry vegetation fueling the blaze. Its completely terrain-driven at this point in time, Mitchell said. A virtual public meeting with representatives from the fire has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be held via Zoom and can be accessed on the Forest Service's website . People in need of immediate assistance can contact the local Red Cross via the Disaster Distress Hotline at (800) 675-5799, and residents should continue to monitor local alerts and be prepared to follow official orders. I always try to reiterate the fact that evacuation orders are serious," Mitchell said. Make sure to go. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) Eight so-called 'zones' will join the World Health Organization's solidarity trials for a possible coronavirus vaccine, the Department of Science and Technology said on Monday. During a virtual briefing, Secretary Fortunato dela Pena identified the zones, comprised of 13 facilities, as follows: - Philippine General Hospital - Manila Doctors Hospital and San Lazaro Hospital - Lung Center of the Philippines - St. Luke's Medical Center Quezon City, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Makati Medical Center - The Medical City - St. Luke's Medical Center - BGC - Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center combined with Chong Hua Hospital and De La Salle Health Sciences Institute - Southern Philippines Medical Center Five zones are in Metro Manila, while Region IV (Calabarzon), Cebu and Davao have one zone each, said the Cabinet official, adding these were approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. PGH shall be the main implementer of the trials, which have a funding of 89 million. The government is awaiting protocols from the WHO, which is expected in October. Meanwhile, 980 participants signed up for WHO solidarity trials, Dela Pena said. The IATF approved the country's participation in the WHO solidarity trials under Resolution 47. President Donald Trump started his Monday in a tweet storm rage that included a cast of his old foes - special counsel Robert Mueller and his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. Staying at his Trump hotel in Las Vegas, the president made no mention of his campaign rallies held over the weekend or the wildfires in California he'll be visiting later in the day, but, instead focused on a report that members of Mueller's investigative team had their phones wiped. Trump encouraged the Justice Department to look into the matter and to expand the probe to Clinton's emails, which were deleted from a private server she used as secretary of state. 'SPEED!' he demanded. President Trump tweeted in rage against a report that Robert Mueller's team had their phones wiped after investigation President Trump demanded the Justice Department investigate former special counsel Robert Mueller (left) after a report his team had their phones wiped and added the DOJ should also investigate Hillary Clinton's emails The president encouraged Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee to move forward with her allegation Mueller's team committed a federal crime with the deletions. 'Push it hard Marsha. DOJ must act. This should include Crooked Hillarys illegal deletion of her emails. SPEED!,' Trump tweeted at the senator, who had written on Twitter 'destroying evidence is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.' The president also retweeted his son, Donald Trump Jr., who questioned how the p hones could be 'magically' erased. 'When two dozen phones belonging to Robert Muellers crooked henchmen magically all get erased how is anyone supposed to have any faith in our justice system? Imagine how long all the witnesses they railroaded would be in jail for if they had done that by accident?' Trump Jr. wrote. Trump's anger follows a report that more than 15 phones belonging to the Mueller's team were wiped before they were handed over to the Office of the Inspector General to be examined for proof of potential bias. Mueller and his team were investigated by the Department of Justice for alleged biased in its pursuit of any proof that Trump or his administration colluded with Russia. The investigation concluded that there was no bias but as part of it, Mueller's team was told to hand over cellphones. Many had been wiped of their data. Among the reasons given was that people had forgotten their passcodes, there was irreversible screen damage or people had lost them. Andrew Weissman, Mueller's deputy, 'accidentally wiped' his phone on two occasions after entering the wrong passcode too many times in March 2018, and lawyer James Quarles' phone 'wiped itself' without his intervention, the documents claim. A phone belonging to FBI lawyer Lisa Page - who was caught exchanging anti-Trump texts with FBI agent Peter Strzok - had also been wiped by the time it was handed over. The wiped phone information emerged in newly released documents from the DoJ at the request of Judicial Watch, a conservative group. Scroll down for video Andrew Weissman and FBI lawyer Lisa Page were among those on the team whose phones had been wiped before they handed them over to the Department of Justice At least 15 phones belonging to Mueller's team had their information 'wiped' before handing them over to the Inspector General newly released documents reveal Attorney Greg Andres also had a phone that was wiped because of a forgotten passcode. Records indicate that the phones of both Kyle Freeny and Rush Atkison were wiped accidentally after the wrong passcode was entered on too many occasions. Records claim Lawyer James Quarles' phone 'wiped itself' without his intervention Other officials had their names redacted but made claims that they unintentionally restored their phones to their factory settings, which deleted all information pertaining to communication. One redacted person's phone was 'in airplane mode, no passcode provided, data unable to be recovered so had to be wiped.' The OIG opened the investigation into possible bias in the origins of the Russia Investigation, determining that while there was 'significant concerns' with how the investigation was conducted, the FBI did compile with policies when they launched the probe. The report found that there was no intentional misconduct or political bias surrounding the probe's launch and efforts to seek a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to monitor Carter Page, Trump's former campaign adviser. It did find, however, that the FBI took part in a number of errors when in the application process. This included at least 17 'significant inaccuracies and omissions' in the Page applications. Attorney General Bill Barr has publicly disagreed with Inspector General Michael Horowitz's findings. Prior to the 2016 presidential election, Page had exchanged anti-Trump texts with the ex-FBI head of counterintelligence Peter Strzok during an extramarital affair. The texts were seized upon by Trump as evidence of alleged political bias. Trump has long decried Mueller's investigation into him as a baseless witch hunt designed specifically to take him down. According to an AFP tally, Israel is second only to Bahrain for the world's highest coronavirus infection rate by population Israel said it will reimpose a national lockdown to battle a coronavirus surge, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Britain, France, Austria and the Czech Republic also reported spikes, as global cases rapidly approached 29 million with more than 921,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to an AFP tally. The Israel lockdown will last three weeks starting Friday, keeping people to within 500 metres (yards) of their homes. It is the first developed economy to take such drastic steps to contain a second wave of infections. "I know these measures will exact a heavy price from all of us," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure in its database since the beginning of the pandemic. The surge has sparked concern in Europe, where Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz warned that his country was facing "the beginning of the second wave". The Czech Republic has also faced a surge, with one epidemiologist saying over the weekend that at the current rate, cases could overwhelm hospitals. New restrictions are set to come into force across England on Monday, with social gatherings limited to no more than six people. Other parts of the world are still battling their first coronavirus waves, including some of the most populous nations such as Indonesia, where new restrictions came into effect on Monday. British nurses demonstrated in London for higher pay on Saturday 'Reckless and selfish' Governments are being forced to balance the devastating economic cost of lockdowns with the need to contain the deadly virus. Schools in some European nations were set to open on Monday, with millions returning to classrooms in Italy, Greece and Romania. And Saudi Arabia announced it would partially lift its suspension of international flights from September 15, six months after travel curbs were imposed. South Korea's coronavirus restrictions will also be eased temporarily in the greater Seoul area from Monday after cases declined. Many nations have seen backlash and protests against lockdowns. In Australia on Sunday, police arrested dozens at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne after crowds defied stay-at-home orders. That rally followed demonstrations in Germany and Poland on Saturday, which were attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Seoul coffee shops are no longer restricted to take-aways only after cases fell back Such rallies have also been organised frequently in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Donald Trump is under pressure over his handling of the outbreak, and was slammed for holding big rallies over the weekend, including an indoor event on Sunday. Dozens of people were arrested in Melbourne at an anti-lockdown protest "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," state governor Steve Sisolak, who is from the rival Democratic Party, tweeted ahead of the Sunday rally. "The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic." 'Exhausted' health workers There was some good news out of Britain, where regulators gave pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University the all-clear for clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental COVID-19 vaccines. AstraZeneca facilities are already preparing for mass manufacture of its coronavirus vaccine Researchers had "voluntarily paused" their vaccine trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. Even during the pause, AstraZeneca said it remained hopeful that the vaccine could still be available "by the end of this year, early next year". A vaccine is considered crucial to the fight against the virus, which has exhausted resources and infrastructure. "I gave birth a fortnight ago, and once you're in hospital you realise that the nurses, the carers... they don't have the means," said a woman named Severine at a rally in Brussels on Sunday for better health funding. "They're always being asked for more, always too much, they're exhausted." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Islamabad, Sep 14 : The consistent increase in cases of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and abuse against young children, girls and women, coupled with the inability of the authorities to punish the culprits, has prompted females in Pakistan to take it upon themselves to be equipped and physically trained to handle such vicious assaults by gearing themselves up with Tasers, pepper sprays, knives, weapons and training themselves for self-defence. Social media has been blazing with open-ended debates while the streets of Pakistan are flocked by protesters, demanding public hanging of the culprits behind the recent robbery and gang-rape of a woman, who was travelling with her two little kids from Lahore to Gujranwala, by two armed men, who assaulted, robbed and raped the woman in front of her children on September 10. The incident has sparked massive protests by rights activists, civil society groups and locals, who are lashing out at the inability of the Imran Khan-led government to ensure safety and protection of females in the country. In Islamabad, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the National Press Club (NPC) raising slogans with some holding banners saying, "hang the rapists". Similar protests have been witnessed in other major cities including Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. "The horrifying gang-rape of a women is a grim reminder that Pakistan has become an increasingly dangerous place for women," maintained the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). On social media, females are demanding allowance to keep guns, knives and other necessary weapons to protect themselves against any future attempt of rape or sexual assault. Women are voicing their anger over what they call government's lack of priority towards their protection and are calling on all to opt for self-defence training and stop relying on the authorities to ensure their safety. Sale of high-voltage Tasers, pepper sprays and other similar tools online is on the rise while females are also demanding to be allowed to keep knives and guns with them when they go out in public. "Self-defence training is equally important while teaching men to behave," said a social media activist. "We should teach our daughters to shoot with guns first. Gol Rotis can wait," said another social media activist. "I would suggest give all our females stun gun. No training required, easy to use," said another, while others said "self-defence classes should be held in all schools". Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan in so-called honour killings for violating conservative traditions on love, marriage and public behaviour. Rights groups have said that Pakistan has not done enough to stem violence against women. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Centre on Monday opposed a plea seeking legalisation of marriage for gay couples under the Hindu Marriage Act (1955) filed last week by four members of the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. These marriages run contrary to the provisions which are already in place in our society. Our values do not recognise a marriage, which is sacrosanct, between two people of same sex marriage, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre told a bench comprising Chief Justice of the Delhi high court DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan. Mehta clarified that he was expressing his personal opinion. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on September 8 claimed that Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act did not specify that the marriage must be between a Hindu man and a Hindu woman, but instead refers to marriage between two Hindus. The petition invoked Article 21, which guarantees right to life, arguing that right to marriage was part of that fundamental right. Also read: Not made Delhi HC judge due to sexual orientation, says lawyer The Supreme Court had decriminalised homosexuality, but not provided for anything further, Mehta told the court, referring to the September 6, 2018 judgment of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then chief justice of India Dipak Mishra, which read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. It does not concur with constitutional values, Mehta said. To this, Justice Jalan said that changes have taken place across the world and when two men marry in a foreign country, neither is considered a wife. He further said that all aspects of the plea would need to be examined. Mehta later clarified to the Hindustan Times that while he was yet to receive instructions from the Centre, he had pointed out to the court the legal provisions to show that the law did not permit same sex marriages. I said culture of any country is codified in a statutory law like Degrees of Prohibited relationship, special or additional rights to wife, different age limits for husband and wife, use of the terms husband and wife (which cannot be determined in same sex marriage) etc, special protection to wife in criminal law such as section 498-A of the IPC etc. Unless several statutory provisions are altered (which the court cannot do) the relief as prayed for cannot be granted, Mehta said. Also Read: Two years after Section 377: Judgement that said it with poetry and words from literature Appearing for the petitioners, Raghav Awasthi told the court that the fundamental rights of gay couples were getting hampered, even as there was no legal prohibition on such marriages. There are many benefits extended under the Hindu Marriage Act which cannot be availed by his petitioners, he said. The petition has been filed by intersex rights activist Gopi Shankar, founder of lesbian collective Sakhi Giti Thadani, transgender rights activist G Oorvasi and writer Abhijit Iyer Mitra. The bench stated that the aggrieved party could have moved court in their personal capacity instead of a filing a PIL, and asked the counsel to bring on record all persons whose marriages were not registered on account of being a same-sex marriage. The matter will be taken up for hearing on October 21. The petition pointed out that in 2018, the Supreme Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality. The non-recognition of the rights of gay couples, especially when their sexuality has been recognised as such as valid by the Honble Supreme Court of India is violative of various provisions of the Constitution of India as well as various conventions that India as a sovereign state is signatory to, the petition stated. Change in marriage laws has to be secular and broad-based. To contend that the Hindu Marriage Act should recognise same sex marriages because Hinduism does, suffers from two errors. The Hindu Marriage Act is decidedly anti-scriptural. It was brought in 1955 to amend Hindu law and undo the regressive elements of the scriptures which were incorporated in the law. The Act was an attempt at reformation, rather than incorporating venerated practices of the scriptures. Secondly, it matters little whether the Hindu scriptures recognise same sex marriage or not. There will be a lot of debate either was, but thats beside the point. Marriage for members of the LGBTQI community has to be allowed because the Constitution demands it, said Supreme Court advocate Saurabh Kirpal who appeared for the petitioners in the Navtej Johar case, which led to decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2018. (With inputs from Murali Krishnan) Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi New Delhi: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the rise in Covid-19 cases, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the government had asked people to become aatmanirbhar which means they should save their lives themselves as the prime minister was busy with peacocks. Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi Advertisement Gandhi has been critical of the government over the handling of the Covid crisis and accused it of failing to tackle the situation. The government has dismissed all such claims in the past. In a tweet, Gandhi said coronavirus infections will cross 50 lakh this week and active cases will surpass 10 lakh. Rahul Gandhi tweet Advertisement "Unplanned lockdown is the product of one person's ego and because of it coronavirus has spread throughout the country," he said in the tweet in Hindi. "Modi government said become ''Aatmanirbhar'' (self-sufficient) which means save your life yourself because the PM is busy with peacocks," the former Congress chief added. Banks' non-performing assets in large industry and services declined 31 percent in over two years to about Rs 4.36 lakh crore in June this year, Parliament was informed on Monday. On whether the non-performing assets (NPAs) of big industries and corporate houses have increased sharply as compared to small businesses due to non-repayment of loans to banks during the last three years, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur replied in negative. "As per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on domestic operations, NPAs of scheduled commercial banks pertaining to large industry and services have come down to Rs 4,36,492 crore as on June 30, 2020 (provisional) from Rs 6,35,971 crore as on March 31, 2018, registering a decline of 31 percent," Thakur said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He said a number of steps have been taken for recovery of loans from the corporate houses, which enabled the banks to recover Rs 5,48,749 crore during the last five financial years. This included a record recovery of Rs 1,56,692 crore during 2018-19, the largest proportion of which was on account of recoveries made in NPAs of large industry and services. On the measures taken by the government to promote the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, Thakur said the RBI has permitted banks and NBFCs to restructure GST registered standard MSME accounts with exposure of up to Rs 25 crore, without downgrading them as NPA among others. Under this, the public sector banks (PSBs) have restructured over 6.51 lakh MSME accounts till March 2020, he said. Also, the government has revised the definition of MSME units to allow more enterprises to avail the benefits and removed ceiling on credit for loans to MSMEs in the services sector. Besides, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated banks to not accept collateral security in case of loans up to Rs 10 lakh to the micro and small enterprises, among others. The minister said various steps have also been taken to provide relief during the pandemic to these units, including the launch of pre-approved loans under emergency credit line guarantee scheme, relief to banks in their cash reserve ratio requirement from February to July 2020 for incentivising lending to MSMEs, automobiles and residential housing, among others. In a separate question on bad loans from domestic operations of the public sector banks (PSBs) that were generated in five specific categories, the minister said the NPAs from these categories stood at over Rs 6.44 lakh crore by end of March 2020. As per data reported by the RBI for domestic operations, data on bank-wise and category-wise NPAs of PSBs from loans granted to 'agriculture and allied activities', 'industry', 'retail loans-education', 'retail loans - housing', and 'other categories' stood at Rs 6,44,417 crore as on March 31, 2020, Thakur said in a written reply. "RBI has apprised that data on 'business' and 'personal loan' categories are not collected and maintained by it," Thakur said. Among these five categories, the highest non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans in the 'industrial' sector stood at Rs 3,33,143 crore, followed by 'other categories' loan at Rs 1,77,275 crore, 'agriculture and allied activities' Rs 1,11,328 crore, 'housing loan' Rs 17,045 crore and 'education loan' at Rs 5,626 crore. On whether the government has any data of businessmen including those who migrated to other countries after obtaining loan fraudulently, Thakur said: "Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprised that 38 persons involved in the cases registered by CBI related to financial irregularities with banks fled the country during January 2015 to December 2019". Action is taken as per the law in all such cases, he said. The Enforcement Directorate has apprised that under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 application for Red Corner Notice were filed against 20 persons, extradition requests were sent in respect of 14 persons to various countries, and applications under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 were filed against 11 persons, the minister informed without citing names. Besides, a number of policy measures have been taken for deterring, preventing and taking effective action against business persons fraudulently obtaining loans and fleeing the country, Thakur said. The enactment of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 provides for attaching the property of the fugitive economic offender, confiscation of property and disentitling from defending any civil claim. "Further, government has advised PSBs to obtain a certified copy of the passport of the promoters/directors and other authorised signatories of companies availing of loan facilities of more than Rs 50 crore. Heads of PSBs have been empowered to issue requests of look-out circulars," the minister said. In the wee hours of September 11, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notice asking all banks to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). This is in continuation of the RBIs earlier notices of asking banks to appoint Chief Risk Officer (CRO) in 2017, and the NBFCs in 2019. There is some background to this new CCO notice. In June, the RBI released a discussion paper on governance of banks. The paper was a reaction to several cases of misgovernance reported across the banking sector. The paper identified lack of compliance as one of the key governance risks in banks. The RBI in turn had taken a leaf from BISs Guidelines on Corporate governance principles for banks released in 2015. The BIS had mentioned three lines of defence for banks: business strategy as first line, risk and compliance as second line, and internal audit as the third line. The central bank defined compliance risk as the risk of legal or regulatory sanctions, material financial loss, or loss to reputation a bank may suffer because of its failure to comply with laws, regulations, rules, related self-regulatory organisation standards and codes of conduct applicable to its activities. The paper mentioned appointment of CCO as a first step to mitigate these risks. The RBI has gone ahead and implemented this suggestion, and asked banks to appoint the CCOs. The RBI says banks need to build an effective compliance culture, independent corporate compliance function and a strong compliance risk management programme at bank and group level. It sees compliance as an independent function which will be headed by a CCO. The board of the bank will first specify a compliance policy which spells out the philosophy, culture, incentive and accountability behind the compliance. The CCO, in turn, will apprise the board of the developments in their bank on complying of the compliance policy, and report on these matters regularly to the board. To ensure this two-way process, the position of the CCO has to be a part of senior management. Accordingly, the RBI has mentioned that the CCO position shall be a senior executive of the bank, preferably in the rank of a General Manager (or an equivalent position) and should not be below two levels from CEO level. It has also specified that the candidate should be recruited from the market, so that insiders are not appointed and the objective is compromised. The banks board will have to seek approval from the RBI before appointment/dismissal of the CCO. The CCO should not also be a dual hatting position whereby other roles, especially of conflicts of interest, are also given to the person. One thing which the RBI could have paid more attention is the tenure of appointment. It says the tenure should be minimum fixed tenure of not less than 3 years. Though, this direction is better than appointment of the CROs where the central bank allowed the board to establish tenure lengths which leads to randomness. However, to say not less than three years also leads to randomness, and most likely banks will opt for a 3-year period which will be a very short tenure. Compliance cultures need longer time-periods especially in the initial years. Ideally, the RBI should have specified the tenure length of any number above of five years. A longer tenure helps the new person to first understand the existing system and then make appropriate policies. For dismissal/removal before the tenure, the RBI says that this will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances with the explicit prior approval of the Board after following a well-defined and transparent internal administrative procedure. Again, this is not very clearly defined. Somehow in most of our policy directions, we are unable to make proper appointment rules leading to short-term appointments and removals without much explanation; similar appointment terms plague the functioning of the RBI and other regulators. Coming back to the CCO, the ball is now in the banks court. The senior management of the respective banks will have to create a new senior position and even comply with the position as well. The BIS mentions both risk and compliance as second lines of defence and banks first created position of the CRO and will now have to create one for the CCO as well. The banks will have to make a very clear separation of roles of the two positions to avoid a conflict. In the June discussion paper, the RBI had noted the possibility of profile of the CCO clashing with that of company secretary which has a similar role. Banks appoint company secretaries as they are a company and will now have to appoint the CCOs as well as they are regulated by the RBI. The central bank mentioned that though the CCOs and company secretaries shall have separate roles, they are expected to work closely with each other. To sum up, it is interesting to note how compliance has become a specialist function in banks. There was a time when one assumed compliance and risk management to be part of core culture of banks. This assumption is no more valid as the culture of banks has not just eroded but also become one of the biggest concerns for policymakers. It has to be seen whether the CCOs can help restore culture and values in the Indian banking system. SACRAMENTO President Trump resisted calls to confront the reality of climate change during a brief visit to California on Monday a position that his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, signaled he may focus on as wildfires burn across the West. During a two-hour stop at an airfield near Sacramento, Trump met with state officials for a briefing on the fires. Gov. Gavin Newsom took the lead, urging the president to consider how the plumbing of the world has changed, intensifying hot and dry conditions that have pushed California into a record wildfire season. Trump cast doubt on that analysis and climate science as a whole instead renewing his concerns that the state has not done enough to thin out trees and other vegetation fueling devastating fires. Well talk about forest management. Ive been talking about it for a long time, Trump told reporters at McClellan Park, a decommissioned Air Force base outside Sacramento that is now a hub for state firefighting operations. They have to do that. You go to other countries and they dont have this problem. Biden slammed Trump during a speech Monday in Delaware as a climate denier and a climate arsonist who was failing his most basic duty to keep Americans safe. If he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly, Biden said. Newsom has praised the president for providing disaster aid to California, but he has become increasingly critical of Trumps record on climate change, which Newsom blames for worsening the severity of wildfires. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle The governor tried to drive home that point during their meeting, telling Trump that weve known each other too long and, as you suggest, the working relationship I value. Somethings happened to the plumbing of the world, and we come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in ... that climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this, Newsom said. Please respect, and I know you do, the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue on the issue of climate change. Trump replied, Absolutely. But when Wade Crowfoot, Californias natural resources secretary, later urged Trump not to ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, Trump said, OK. Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot responded. I dont think science knows, actually, Trump said. Trump asked during the briefing how many fires are burning at the moment and whether the heat has ever been this bad in the state. Newsom, who wore a mask, and Trump, who did not, sat at a horseshoe table with Crowfoot and several other officials. I think were totally in sync, Trump said as reporters were led from the room, according to a pool report. Later Monday afternoon, while visiting fire evacuees on the grounds of the Camelot Equestrian Park in Oroville, Newsom said the conversation presented an opportunity to remind Trump that 57% of forested land in the state is under federal jurisdiction, and that forest management is a collaboration between federal and state governments. I wanted the President to know that we have established an engagement we would like to build on, Newsom said. And yes, frankly, to state in a way that wasnt trying to take a cheap shot, wasnt trying to score political points, but to make the argument, we believe in climate change out here. We dont believe it just because science says it; we observe it, we experience it, and that was an opportunity to remind him of a point hes very familiar with, but to do so in an honest and forthright way. Now Playing: Residents share their thoughts about the orange-red sky looming over the Bay Area. Video: Manjula Varghese / The Chronicle At the Democratic National Convention last month, Newsom touted the states dozens of environmental lawsuits against the Trump administration. During a news conference in Oroville (Butte County) on Friday, he encouraged people to reject politicians who are still in denial about the reality of climate change. Neither he nor any other official was on hand to greet Trump as the president disembarked from Air Force One. But scores of Trumps supporters and protesters lined the roads outside the airfield, and confrontations turned tense as the day wore on. NBC Bay Area filmed an incident in which a man appeared to be injured when he climbed onto a California Highway Patrol car and fell from it as it sped away. Trump, who once called climate change a hoax, had said little about the dozens of wildfires that have burned more than 3 million acres in California, killed at least 20 people and covered the state in smoke. He broke a three-week public silence at a campaign rally in Nevada on Saturday, when he briefly mentioned the fires and said, Its all about forest management. Trump made similar assertions after the Camp Fire in November 2018, which destroyed much of the Butte County town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Although the federal government controls more than half the forestland in California and state and local agencies oversee just 3%, the president blamed California for logging restrictions and not doing more to thin out forests. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Trump returned to the subject Monday. He said he had recently talked to the head of a major country in Europe who he said told him, We have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California, and we dont have any problem because we manage our forests. So we have to do that in California, too. Trumps assessment of the problem has been disputed by many forestry experts in the past. While clearing forests of heavy timber would help reduce the fire threat in some places, many of Californias most disastrous recent fires have been in grasslands and on oak-studded hillsides. Last month, Newsom announced a state-federal agreement to reduce wildfire risks on 1 million acres of forest every year. Under the deal, governments will spend as much as $1 billion on fire preparedness in California by scaling up vegetation treatment over the next five years. The pact commits to a 20-year program of forest and vegetation management, including wildland and watershed restoration. Trump said Monday that forest management is not only the leaves that have been sitting there for many years that are dry as a bone. But there are also the trees that go over. Anything over 18 months, thats just a matchstick. Its absolutely a matchstick. The federal government is now starting to do it in a very big way, but the state has to really do that, he added. The president dodged questions about the role of climate change and Newsoms assertions that it is worsening the severity of wildfire season. Thats up to him. Look, he does agree with me on forest management, Trump said. But he forcefully pushed back on criticism that he was too slow to publicly acknowledge the disaster unfolding in California, calling it a nasty question. I got a call from the governor immediately. I called him immediately. In fact, he returned my call. And on that call, I declared it an emergency, Trump said. A lot of presidents wait for months and months and months. They wait until after its all over, and then they consider it and then oftentimes they dont do it. I did it right at the beginning. Biden, in a speech about his climate agenda in Delaware, said Trump was not treating the wildfire disaster with the urgency it demanded. He flipped a criticism of Trumps that Biden wants to abolish the suburbs by forcing low-income housing into more communities on its head. You know what is actually threatening our suburbs? Wildfires are burning the suburbs of the West, Biden said. If we have four more years of Trumps climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires? Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Calibrate Legal, a management consulting and executive search firm, today announced the launch of CALIBRATE ID (inclusion and diversity), an annual research program for law firms focused on the inclusivity of business services professionals. The program will serve as a benchmark for firms to identify opportunities for talent innovation and shine a spotlight on leading firms. The research will measure diversity representation (defined in terms of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability and past military service) and the level of inclusion (defined as participation in professional development programming, career-pathing and affinity groups) that business services professionals experience inside law firms. "When reporting diversity and inclusion statistics, most law firms only include lawyers, but that excludes as much as 50% of a law firm's workforce," said Calibrate Founder and CEO Jennifer Johnson. "We are excited about the influence this research program will have on the need for law firms to create an inclusive workplace that will allow them to ultimately excel in client service delivery." Calibrate has partnered with major law firms as charter participants in the CALIBRATE ID research program. Each participating firm has agreed to fund the program and will provide data on their business services teams as a baseline. Participating firms will use a standardized data set to ensure accurate benchmarking against their peers. The CALIBRATE ID research will allow participating firms to: Put a stake in the ground, publicly acknowledging that ALL their workforces are valued. Gain a clear and factual understanding of the current state of inclusion and diversity representation in their business services roles, documented in a scorecard format. Benchmark specific goals, accountability measures and performance indicators for diversity and inclusion in these positions across the profession. Realize innovation in their talent strategy by creating opportunities for their workforces to thrive. "This research is important to the entire legal community," agreed Paul Eberle, Chief Executive Officer of Husch Blackwell, one of the charter firms. "We recognize that clients expect diversity and an inclusive workplace from their law firms, and furthermore, we expect this of ourselves." "We're proud to be part of this important research project," said Mark Sloan, Managing Partner, Thompson & Knight, another charter firm. "We recognize that continued growth requires a consistent focus on culture alongside targeted initiatives and actions. We believe that an inclusive mindset and diverse workforce are two of our greatest competitive strengths, and this study will give us a benchmark for our future efforts." The CALIBRATE ID research supports Calibrate Legal's longer-term efforts to champion the recognition of law firm business services professionals as Revenue Enablers, who are essential components for any firm's ongoing success. "Innovation is getting a lot of attention in our industry," said Johnson. "But creating and nurturing a true culture of ongoing innovation will require law firms to think about their Revenue Enabler assets through the lens of a shared human desire to be included." About Calibrate Legal: Calibrate Legal provides recruiting and consulting services focused on Revenue Enablers who support law firm profitability. We are a first-call resource for law firm leaders who seek the best business services talent and invest in their success. Our team, which comprises advisers and recruiters with law firm and corporate experience, helps law firms achieve superior business results through the strategic use of talent, time and technology. SOURCE Calibrate Legal, Inc. AURORA, Colo. Its not unusual to see baby booms after snowstorms, hurricanes and other natural disasters that keep humans confined to close quarters for extended periods of time. Now, the prolonged hibernation spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced weary residents to a new production phenomenon: pandemic pets. The number of paws per home has increased in recent months as families and singles have grappled with life largely confined to walls and roofs, experts have said. And the metro area hasnt been immune to the craze, though officials were nervous that poorly thought-out adoptions were going to result in a wave of orphaned animals showing up at local shelters this summer. At the beginning of the pandemic, when layoffs were skyrocketing, Karen Martiny, founder of Animal Rescue of the Rockies, was concerned local shelters would see more people dropping off their pets, unable to care for them. That wasnt the case at all, said Martiny, who started the rescue in 2003. In fact, pet rescues say theyve seen substantial increases in adoptions because of the COVID-19 crisis. Everybody seems to want a dog or cat, and thats been good news for rescues that work to find animals forever homes. From January through July last year, Animal Rescue of the Rockies adopted out 1,872 pets. During the same time frame this year the rescue found homes for 1,201 pets. Martiny said if the momentum keeps up, her organization will surely surpass last years total. The same is true for Richard Bankey, who runs the Colorado division of the Taysia Blue Rescue. They specialize in rescuing Siberian huskies and malamutes. Last year, the rescue homed 54 dogs in Colorado. This year theyre already at number 56. Headlines across the country have highlighted a so-called pet shortage, fueled by the pandemic and people spending a lot of time at home. But here in the Denver metro region, Martiny said its easy to find a cat or a dog. Theres always a need, she said. People looking for specific breeds or young puppies may run into wait lists, but her rescue and others like it are currently able to help more and more animals. The more challenging factor so far, at least for Bankey and Martiny, is finding foster families for dogs before they move onto their forever families. We really have to rely on them, Bankey said. Thats especially true now. At the Aurora Animal Shelter on East 32nd Avenue, pens are replete with labs, mixed bull terriers and toy breeds, according to Anthony Youngblood, manager of the citys Animal Services Division. We constantly have labs or American Bulldogs or pitty mixes, Youngblood said of the shelter, which typically houses upwards of 100 animals at any given time. And we have little dogs galore, getting into the Maltese, Chihuahuas, etc. Cat and dog adoptions are slowly trending back up at the shelter after numbers plummeted in April. Staffers adopted out just eight dogs and five cats in the fourth month of this year, which pales in comparison to the roughly 60 dogs and cats the shelter was adopting out in the months leading up to the onset of the pandemic in March, data shows. The sharp decline was largely due to a temporary moratorium the city placed on taking in new animals this spring, according to Carol Valentine, the shelters longtime supervisor. Because COVID hit, our intake stopped as well, Valentine said. If we would have had the animals to adopt out, our adoptions would have gone through the roof Once we did have something come in, it was gone like, immediately. Weve seen that slow a little bit over the past couple of months since things are starting to return to normal a little bit, but it was crazy initially. Both Valentine and Youngblood said the average length of stay for an animal at the shelter varies widely by age and breed, with traditionally popular pooches moving in and out in a matter of hours. Chihuahuas have been the most popular dogs to be adopted out of the shelter in the past two years, with 31 of the animals already adopted out of the facility in the first eight months of 2020, according to city data. Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies and miniature poodles rounded out the top five most popular breeds in the city. The website that lists all current Aurora shelter animals looking for a home, PetHarbor.com, listed four dogs, five cats and two rabbits on a recent Tuesday afternoon. Thats on the lower side, according to Valentine, whos been with the shelter for more than two decades. The city typically partners with the Everyday Adoption Center at a PetSmart in Westminster to adopt out pit bull terriers and other breeds that have long been banned in Aurora under city code. But that facility is currently shuttered due to COVID-inspired staff shortages, leaving illegal pit bulls waiting in escrow at the Aurora facility. We have pitties we cant adopt out because were in Aurora, Valentine said. So right now theyre just waiting for that place to open. If theyre open we could have anywhere from 12 to 15 dogs, more or less. We never have a lot. Last month, Aurora City councilmembers punted a potential ballot question that would have asked residents to reconsider the citys 15-year-old ban on pit bulls and a smattering of other breeds. Residents overwhelmingly voiced their support for the ban when a similar question went to the local ballot six years ago. Councilmembers are currently working with Youngbloods staff to draft a dangerous dog ordinance that could, if passed, rejigger the citys current ban on the dogs. Regardless of breed, the citys animal shelter charges flat rates for new pet owners based on an animals age: A puppy under six months old costs $175, an adolescent dog is $150 and a pooch older than 6 runs $135. Cats are slightly cheaper and run on a similar sliding scale, according to Valentine. With the complimentary spay or neuter, rabies shot and microchip, the shelters overall charges for a new domestic creature are far more economical than the four or five figure totals charged by bespoke breeders, Youngblood said. French Bulldogs go for thousands of dollars, and we dont get many Frenchies in, but when we do, its the same price it doesnt matter what the breed is, he said. We get inundated with a ton of requests when we get those popular breeds in because people know its first come, first served. There are some agencies that have recently said, hey, this breed is popular so we adjust our rate for this animal or this breed. But weve never taken that on. The citys animal shelter saw some 3,000 dogs and cats last year, though only a small portion of those were adopted. The majority of the animals that come through the shetler are either strays waiting to be claimed by their owners and animals picked up in evictions or somehow implicated in other legal proceedings. Still, animals that enter the facility leave alive at a higher rate than at other area shelters, Youngblood said. The spaces live release rate is currently about 95%, which is several clicks higher than the industry average. Thats been one of the few perks about this year thats actually been nice, he said of the current live release rate, which sat just above 89% for all of 2019. The shelter only euthanizes animals for severe medical or behavioral issues never age alone, Youngblood said. Staffers at the site are currently trying to adopt out a 15-year-old cat named Phoebe, though theyve had to euthanize 2-year-old dogs with insurmountable medical problems. Animal care workers also work with a slew of partner groups to place more unique animals in suitable environments. Officials collaborate with local scales and tails pet shop owners to take aquatic beasties like turtles, which are common at the shelter, Youngblood said. Less common was the caiman a local man tried to surrender after he was evicted in Arapahoe County last year. A bearded dragon, for example, can get adopted but an alligator is illegal almost anywhere, Youngblood said. Creatures like those are among the umpteen that come through the facilitys doors but arent included in the annual cat and dog count, making the total number of living beings in staffers care much higher, Valentine said. That 3,000 number is very conservative, she said, mentioning the hamsters, gerbils, roosters, pigs, goats and feral cats that end up coming through the doors. And each of those creatures requires a unique housing program, Youngblood said. Hamsters and gerbils, for example, are often shipped off to local PetCo stores while undomesticated cats usually head east. Animal Services coordinates with ranchers in Watkins, Byers and Strasburg to arrange homes for feral felines that cant live with people, but are well suited to patrol barns for snakes, bats and other invasive critters, Youngblood said. Sandeep Sabharwal, CEO, SLCM Group The government has announced a slew of agricultural market reforms which many are terming as game changer. One of the most crucial announcements was the proposed amendments to the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) and the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, which now paves the way for the private entities to set up their own markets/yards, Sandeep Sabharwal, chief executive officer, Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM) Group, said in an interview to Moneycontrol. Edited excerpts Q: What was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural warehousing sector as a whole and with regards to your company in particular? A: Though the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted the agribusiness on a big scale, we must acknowledge the role of agri workers, agri warehousing and agri supply chain workers who are playing an extremely important role in ensuring the food on our plates and facilitating the storage, transportation, and warehousing of agri produce across the nation amid the pandemic. Agriculture comes under essential services and steps were taken to minimize the disruption. The government permitted buying of the agricultural crops from many states in India using a PAN card to maintain a steady flow of crop trading. However, logistics, lack of labour, supply chain issues, and change in consumption patterns could not be addressed completely. As far as SLCM Group is concerned, the pandemic has not impacted the business on a big scale as we are a digitized enterprise. The very fact that we have built a technology-enabled rural platform before the Covid-19 pandemic - we have been doing that for nine years - our operations could be managed from home. 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 But ultimately it's a touch and feel business to some degree where goods are physically accommodated at a warehouse in some states. So automatically, the availability of trucks acts as impediments in the flow of goods, but if you talk about management and awareness of where the goods are available or not, we have not been hit. Q: What were the major challenges that cropped up, and how you were able to tackle them? A: Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economy. Like all other sectors, the lockdown restrictions did have an impact on the sector. The stories of the incidence of agricultural produce getting wasted due to disruption in the supply chain made headlines when farmers saw their produce rotting in fields due to reduced market access. A huge amount of food is getting wasted due to the supply chain delays, which does not augur well for the sector and the economy. As I said, we are a digitized enterprise and the very fact that we built a technology-enabled rural platform before the Covid-19 pandemic allowed us to perform our duties with minimum disruptions. Similarly, the agri-warehousing sector has been so far managing the proceedings smoothly and there havent been any significant instances of agri supply chain disruption from anywhere in the country. Thats a huge achievement for the industry which just goes on to show that the Indian commodity warehousing industry has come of age, and that now it can assume more responsibilities going forward to make up for the lost time in the COVID-19-induced lockdowns. Q: With NPAs rising in the Indian agricultural sector, what impact do you see on your business, especially since you are also a non-banking financial company. If you can also share details on Kissandhan and how is it doing? A: Kissandhan Agri Financial Services (Kissandhan) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SLCM. It offers finance at attractive and competitive commercial terms where storage receipt is taken as collateral. The company provides financing on agriculture commodities against warehouse receipts (WR) to farmers, joint liability groups (JLGs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), commodity traders, processors, exporters, importers and other agri intermediaries across the country. At present, warehouse receipt-based funding (WRF) also known as pledge finance" is at a nascent stage in India. The WRF has the potential to improve the access to institutional credit of the farming community, but its progress is observed to be slow. This is primarily attributed to the fact that cheaper source of funds are not being made available to NBFCs and WRF still predominantly remains a main stream banking play. NBFCs in agri, just like NBFCs in other sectors, become a complementary piece to banking as they address niche markets, deepen the connect etc. In agri this is also happening, though at a slower rate as the difference is that the margin between the cost of funds available versus the lending cost is very minimal, hence the cost required to deepen the connect is far too high for making the NBFC product lucrative. Till date Kissandhan has disbursed more than 2100 crores of loan across 122 locations against 300 plus commodities Q: How do you see changes made in the APMC Act impacting your business as well as the industry? A: Talking about the amendments in APMC act and its impact on our business, I can say that the modification of the APMC Act brings more strength to our job. Earlier somehow one APMC market would become the hub of one particular commodities like the Khanna Market in Punjab for wheat in the region, but now with the APMC market going out of fashion, your distribution reach has to be bigger. Now there is no amalgamation happening in one centre, rather there is defragmentation. The shift that will happen is that the warehouses that we operate will become the amalgamation centres. Q: What is the way forward for the Indian warehousing sector? What are your expectations and demands from the government? A: The COVID 19 pandemic has drawn everyone's attention towards the tech-enabled warehouse management, and rapid adoption of internt of things (IoT) and modern agriculture practices which could help in addressing the challenges in the agriculture sector. Today, across the globe, discussions are underway on the role technology will play in the post-COVID-19 world, and agriculture is no exception. The ideas and technologies that have so far been kept at bay will evolve rapidly as a result of mass confinement, safety worries, and inventory shortages. To counter the challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic, the Indian Agriculture sector would need more modern professionally managed agtech set-ups which can address the challenges posed by the pandemic. The agri-warehousing sector has been so far managing the proceedings smoothly and there havent been any significant instances of agri supply chain disruption from anywhere in the country. Thats a huge achievement for the industry which just goes on to shows that the Indian commodity warehousing the industry has come of age and that now it can assume more responsibilities going forward to make up for the lost time in the COVID-19-induced lockdowns. The government has already laid a strong emphasis on doubling farmer income by 2022, and in the last budget the government has spelled out a 16-Action Point formula for the agriculture sector, which could prove to be a game changer for the sector, if implemented in totality. The proposed exercise to map and geotag agricultural warehouses, cold storage, and other inventory storages by NABARD would result in greater transparency and efficiency in the sector and should be taken at a war footing to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in the agricultural sector. Q: What are the challenges you face in terms of labour, sourcing, distribution, and delivery to stay competitive? A: Today the problem is not just about the supply issues, but also about matching that supply with demand and getting it to where its needed the most. In such a complex situation arising out of the pandemic, post-harvest agri wastage is the last thing which the government and agri community would want. The damage arising out of the supply-side disruptions could be counterbalanced to a large extent by curbing post-harvest agri losses. The USP of our organization is real-time tracking of quality and quantity of goods stored at warehouses through the various processes being implemented and monitoring the implementation of those processes through audits. The various types of audits being done at SLCM for ensuring the quantity and quality of goods being stored are intact differs from the competitors. A few of the audits that SLCM does include physical verification of goods by different stakeholders like audit inspectors, supervisor, operations manager, quality inspectors, etc, aeration audit, crop health audit, etc. To ensure this, the group has deployed various technologies like SAP, Android Jelly beans, My SQL, etc and integrated all onto a digital platform. Further, the platform is augmented with AI and Auto ML In a country like India where post-harvest losses are pegged at 10 percent, SLCM has been instrumental in devising a technology that has cut post-harvest losses to 0.5 percent irrespective of infrastructure, crop, or geographic location (accredited by FICCI in their study). We have devised an SOP that amalgamates technology with agri domain expertise and allows us to operate any warehouse agnostic to infrastructure, location, weather pattern across any kind of agricultural crop. We have also applied for patenting this scientific technology of storage under the name of AGRI REACH. Similarly, in a marketplace model, intelligent call centres have an extremely important role to play particularly during a crisis like the COVID -19 pandemic as apart from providing an interface to warehouse managers, who otherwise use only emails and online portal for interacting, it enhances the level of service since most of the call centres have a dedicated customer care personnel to talk to. Smart call centres when integrated with real-time data embedded in artificial intelligence helps in real-time tracking of the facilities providing error-free results on the status of the warehouse and the products stored within as well as in transit. SLCM has already augmented its dedicated 24x7 call centre to create an interface that warehouse managers may be more comfortable using. The call centre builds upon our Centralized Real-Time Process Management System AGRI REACH and integrates it with AI for real-time monitoring, thus enhancing the level of service. Q: How do you leverage technology such as AI, cloud computing, and IoT in supply chain management? The major problem in this country is the management of agri warehouses. The management of these godowns is a scientific process that can be tackled with a technological backend. That is what SLCM has done - it has built technological fibre called AGRI REACH which allows us to operate any warehouse agnostic to infrastructure, location and the weather pattern across any kind of agriculture crop. In a country like India where post-harvest losses are pegged at 10 percent according to FICCI, devising special technology for our operations has cut the post-harvest losses to 0.5 percent, irrespective of infrastructure, crop, or geographic location. We track the quality and quantity of goods stored at our warehouses in real-time through various processes and monitor the implementation of these processes through an audit. A smart warehouse integrated with real-time data embedded in AI having real-time tracking of the facilities providing error-free results on the status of the warehouse and the products stored within as well as in transit. With the government's growing focus on a connected agri value chain, smart warehousing is now a necessity then the exception and for the warehousing sector, these reforms are surely going to create a wave of reforms and technical up-gradation within the sector. News Phoenix, Arizona - During his State of the State Address in January, Governor Ducey announced Arizonas Suicide Prevention Action Plan to increase access to mental health care, collect new data and ensure treatment is available to all Arizonans. The plan followed months of stakeholder meetings and engagement, led by Department of Health Services (ADHS) Director Dr. Cara Christ, and built on Arizonas substantial efforts to date to combat suicide. With suicide emerging as a serious public health issue both nationally and in Arizona, Governor Ducey and leaders throughout the state continue to take action. These efforts include: Ensuring Access To Mental Health Care Governor Ducey in March signed S.B. 1523, also known as Jakes Law. The legislation, introduced by Senator Kate Brophy McGee and Representative Jeff Weninger, requires health care insurers to cover mental health without additional barriers just like they would cover an annual physical. It also established an $8 million Childrens Behavioral Health Fund to help kids get needed behavioral health services. Supporting Our Veterans Data shows that veterans in Arizona die by suicide at a rate 17% higher than non veterans. In 2017, Arizona implemented the Be Connected Program, which focuses on early intervention by connecting Arizona service members, veterans, families and helpers to information, support and resources, such as peer support and behavioral health services. In 2019, Arizona invested $1 million into the program. Additionally, the New York Times published a story last year highlighting the programs success as a national model for peer-to-peer support services. The Governor this week also issued a proclamation supporting the Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End the National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS). The plan empowers veterans and takes steps to end suicide through suicide prevention efforts, prioritized research activities, and collaboration across public and private sectors. Focusing On Our Youth And Students On September 11, 2019, Governor Ducey signed S.B. 1468, also known as the Mitch Warnock Act, legislation to expand suicide awareness and prevention training in Arizonas public schools. The bill requires school districts and charter schools to provide training in suicide awareness and prevention to school guidance counselors, teachers, principals and other school personnel who work with students in grades 6 through 12. That same day, the Governor declared the month of September 2019 to be Teen Suicide Awareness Month in Arizona to raise awareness of the issue of teen suicide and highlight ongoing efforts to prevent it. Additionally, the Governor proposed in his executive budget and signed into law the first-ever dedicated funding for school counselors. Governor Ducey also issued a proclamation recognizing this week, September 6 - 12, 2020, Suicide Prevention Awareness Week in Arizona to highlight programs and services available throughout the state. On Sunday former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg announced he would spend $100 million in Florida in the next few weeks to support Democratic presidential candidate and former United States Vice President Joe Biden. Supporting Biden According to The New York Times, Bloomberg's announcement comes after results of polls revealed an exceedingly close race between Biden and United States President Donald Trump in Florida, which experts believe is a crucial battleground state with 29 electoral votes. The former mayor's statement also followed criticism from within the Democratic Party after his massive $18 million assistance to the Democratic National Committee. The comments were a result of Bloomberg not providing his promised full support in the effort to win over Trump's campaign. Bloomberg's Florida commitment is a significant falling back of the promises that some of the former mayor's advisers announced during the primary season. Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's campaign manager, had previously told Democrats in private that if the former mayor were not the nominee, he would create a new super Political Action Committee (PAC) and conduct massive efforts fighting against Trump in the biggest swing states of the United States. After the end of his candidacy, Bloomberg trashed his plans of making an anti-Trump group. Democratic groups took advantage of the opportunity to approach the former mayor's aides where they were told that Bloomberg had not decided to release any funds for the presidential race. Bloomberg's allies and advisers stated that he has been monitoring the situation and waited patiently before providing financial support at the most effective time. September 24 marks the start of voting in Florida when the absentee ballots will be distributed. Also Read: Trump's Campaigns Gain Edge Over Biden in Presidential Race Using Obama Strategy Continuous spending The move by the former NYC mayor also comes after he had already spent more than $1 billion in his attempts to become the Democratic presidential candidate instead of Biden, as reported by BBC. President Trump has suggested that he will be using his own funds to support his campaign in Florida before the early voting on September 24. Bot Trump and Biden are focusing on attracting voters in the state who could potentially cast their votes early by post, which could be a decisive point for the general elections. Analysts expect postal voting in the United States to be double that of the numbers seen in the 2016 elections. The massive spike is due to the coronavirus pandemic and its social health risks that make people avoid going out. Out of the 270 electoral college votes required to win the elections, Florida consists of 29, which is the third-largest in the country following California with 55 and Texas with 38. However, the other two states are seen as safe territory by the Democrats and Republicans, respectively. According to NPR, Trump tweeted that he thought Bloomberg was done with politics after spending almost $2 billion and after giving what the Republican considered the most inept debate performance in the history of presidential races. Florida has always been considered a neutral state that either side could take over. Surveys show Biden led with white and senior voters over Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, the Democrat has been less than popular with non-Cuban Hispanics. A spokesperson for Bloomberg said better communication with Hispanic voters would pull the scale towards a Biden victory. Related Article: Trump Widens Accessibility for Drugs With Reduced Cost Executive Order @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers will raise the issue of providing housing to 48,000 families living in slums on railway land in the national capital during Delhi assemblys monsoon session on Monday. The BJP said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has close to 31,000 flats lying vacant and 20,000 in various stages of construction in different parts of the national capital. The Supreme Court (SC) has recently ordered the removal of 48,000 slum-dwellers from railway land within a period of 90 days. Also Read: Delhi slum eviction: 11 slum dwellers file plea to join proceedings in Supreme Court case BJP legislator Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, who is also leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly, said, These flats have been constructed using Central funds. The Delhi government should work out a plan to shift these people in the flats that are lying vacant. We want a discussion on this issue. We want the government to tell us what it plans to do. The government should play a proactive role and assure the slum-dwellers that they will be given accommodation. The BJPs Delhi unit is planning a protest march in the national capital over the issue. Manoj Tiwari, who represents north-east Delhi in the Lok Sabha, wrote to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, urging 48,000 families living in slums on railway land be shifted to vacant flats available with the Delhi government. Also Read: Demolition of slums near tracks illegal without rehabilitation, Delhi govt writes to Railways Tiwari, a former chief of Delhis BJP unit, wrote, It is the responsibility of your government to ensure that the slum-dwellers are relocated systematically and given proper accommodation without any risk to their lives in the present situation because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The two-time Member of Parliament (MP) said that the Delhi government has 31, 424 flats, which were constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The MP questioned Kejriwal the reason for the delay in allocating the vacant flats to the slum-dwellers. Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President Akufo-Addo, will on Tuesday September 15, 2020 convene a consultative meeting as part of efforts to resolve the political crisis in Mali, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has said. This meeting according to the Minister is part of several efforts by ECOWAS to resolve the crisis in the West African country. Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Sunday, the Minister noted that the consultative meeting is in line with efforts by the regional block to ensure progressive development of member countries. She said the consultative meeting will be held to proffer conflict resolution strategies in accordance with relevant protocols to bring an end to the political crisis in the West African state. You will recall that at the 57th Summit of the Authorities of ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments, Ghana was unanimously elected as Chair of ECOWAS authority for a period of 1 year. The election of Ghana places President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the same shoes as his predecessors the former presidents of the Republic of Ghana Excellencies Jerry John Rawlins, John Agyekum Kufour and John Dramani Mahama who previously had taken on such enormous task. "The Head of Authority is the supreme institution of the community and responsible for the general direction and control of the ECOWAS community. It takes appropriate measures to ensure the progressive development of a community and attend to its objectives. The authority takes actions on all matters of conflict prevention, management and resolution, peace keeping and security as covered by relevant protocols, she added. The President will be joined by a number of Heads of State from ECOWAS to deliberate on the Mali situation. . The consultative meeting on Tuesday will be the first official assignment of President Akufo-Addo after assuming the position of Chairman of the Commission last week. However, the Minister for Information noted that government expect that all stakeholders and parties involved would work together and assist so that the necessary diplomatic courtesies are extended to Heads of States and relevant authorities who will be coming into the country Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video What are we doing? I mean, its beyond frustrating. It makes your blood boil if youre one of those victims, Brown said. This is what we are doing. Were making the arrest of people who possess illegal guns, which should make us safer, and yet every weekend we can bring forth an example of a person out of jail that should be in jail. The two iconic and complementary brands partnered together to create a new, one-of-a-kind kit that contains all of the essentials needed for the perfect Oktoberfest celebration. Available exclusively at GiveThemBeer.com while supplies last, each kit features curated Oktoberfest-inspired recipes, Auntie Anne's DIY Pretzel Kit, classic Samuel Adams OctoberFest, and themed apparel from steins to hats and lederhosen. There's even a "Prost from Home" playlist which features authentic tunes that fans can stream on their favorite devices. "We can all agree that there is no better pairing than pretzels and beer, especially during Oktoberfest," said Marcel Nahm, Auntie Anne's Vice President of Marketing. "And since this historic celebration was cancelled in Germany and so many Oktoberfest celebrations are being held virtually in the states, we knew we needed to step in and offer a fun way for snackers and drinkers to still create an authentic experience at home. It was the perfect fit to team up with Samuel Adams to create these Oktoberfest At Home Kits. We hope fans love them as much as we do!" "From brewing the most authentic, traditional marzen to celebrating at festivals across the world and at our own brewery and taprooms, Oktoberfest has always been a special time of year for Samuel Adams," said Lesya Lysyj, Chief Marketing Officer, Boston Beer Company. "Pretzels and beer are at the core of any Oktoberfest celebration, so who better to help us elevate this moment than Auntie Anne's? We've joined forces to offer drinkers a one-stop solution to celebrate this year's Oktoberfest from home with the help of two brands they know and love." Beginning today, the kits are available for purchase online for $89 plus shipping, while quantities last, at www.givethembeer.com/products/Oktoberfest-At-Home. Must be 21 years old to purchase. Not available in AL, AK, KY, HI, MS, and UT. Other terms and conditions apply. Fans can prost up with a high score on Samuel Adams' virtual stein hosting game for a chance to win glory (and pretzel prizes) at samadams.games. Even without the at home kit, fans can still celebrate Oktoberfest at home with Auntie Anne's new, seasonal, Pick-Your-Six Pack menu. Pretzel lovers can choose from a menu of six packs of their favorite snacks including Classic Pretzels, Pretzel Nuggets and Mini Pretzel Dogs, or Pretzel Dogs, bundled with six individually packaged dips. Available now until November 1, Pretzel Perks app users can also get $5 off the purchase of a Pick-Your-Six Pack when they place a mobile order in the app or online for delivery or pick up at the store. About Auntie Anne's: With locations in 49 states and more than 25 countries, Auntie Anne's mixes, twists, and bakes pretzels to golden brown perfection all day long in full view of guests. Auntie Anne's stores can be found in malls and outlet centers, as well as in non-traditional spaces including universities, airports, Walmarts, travel plazas, military bases, and food trucks. Fans can now also order their favorite pretzel snacks for delivery, pickup, and catering in the Pretzel Perks app. For more information, visit AuntieAnnes.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About Samuel Adams: Samuel Adams is a leading independent, American craft brewer that helped to launch the craft beer revolution. The brewery began in 1984 when Founder and Brewer Jim Koch used a generations-old family recipe to brew beer in his kitchen. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life with hopes drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavor and started sampling the beer in Boston. He named the flagship brew Samuel Adams Boston Lager in recognition of one of our nation's founding fathers, a revolutionary man of independent and pioneering spirit. Today, Samuel Adams is one of the world's most awarded breweries and remains focused on crafting the highest quality beers through innovation and experimentation in the relentless pursuit of better. Samuel Adams remains dedicated to elevating and growing the American craft beer industry overall, including providing education and support for entrepreneurs and fellow brewers through its philanthropic program, Brewing the American Dream, which helps others pursue their American Dream. For more information, visit www.SamuelAdams.com. Media Contact: Elisabeth O'Neill [email protected] SOURCE Auntie Anne's S&P affirms Ukraine rating at 'B' with stable outlook 12:45, 14.09.20 154 The rating is constrained by low per capita income and a difficult institutional and political environment. Stratford Police met with representatives of the Greater Bridgeport NAACP Saturday to discuss a personal social media post by a sergeant aimed at the Black Lives Matter movement, and are planning talks with all Stratford Police to discuss race relations. While no administrative action has been taken against Rivera, the incident remains under investigation, according to a statement from Mayor Laura Hoydick. Sgt. Jamie Rivera called Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization in a Facebook post announcing his support for President Donald Trump. Rivera also said that Sept. 10 was National Suicide Day, adding Do any of you know how many cops KILL themselves everyday cause they deal with s*** you see in the movies? This is our real life!! A copy of the post was shared via Facebook by former Stratford Town Council member Stephanie Philips, saying that while Stratford Police were investigating, ... how will they guarantee this guy will treat Black & Brown people fairly? How do they assure us this guys attitude doesnt poison other officers? Philips, in her post on Saturday, asked about reaction from Police Chief Joseph McNeil and Hoydick. The sentiments expressed by Sgt. Rivera specific to the Black Lives Matter movement do not reflect our thinking at the Stratford Police Department, McNeil said in a Saturday evening statement from Hoydick. I thank the Rev. [Stanley] Lord and his executive team for taking the time to sit down with Sgt. Rivera and I so we could jointly confront the issues surrounding this incident and try to use it as an opportunity that breeds better understanding and cooperation in our community, and with law enforcement personnel. The Stratford Democratic Town Committee condemned the irresponsible, offensive, and erroneous comments, calling them unacceptable and reprehensible. They are aimed at movements to end systemic police brutality against black men, women, and children and to silence those calling for such reform, according to a Facebook post Saturday from the Stratford DTC. This act of bad faith calls into serious question the suitability of the officers who stand against this goal. The DTC post called for holding people accountable for their words and deeds, especially those in whom we have placed our trust and our safety. It is also imperative that those who do not share the values of routing out racism in our law enforcement system and in our communities be investigated and assessed on whether they can conduct their jobs without bias or malice. Saturday evening, Hoydick released a statement announcing that the sergeant, Chief McNeil and NAACP representatives had begun a dialogue. Chief McNeil and NAACP leaders reached out to each other to bring themselves and Rivera together for a dialogue over the content of the message face-to-face, and to work together on a way forward that promotes mutual understanding and tolerance, Hoydicks statement read. Joining Rivera, McNeil and Lord at the meeting were Greater Bridgeport NAACP Executive Committee members Nicola Hall and John Marshall Lee, and Stratford resident and former Town Council member Emma Brooks. I feel that this was a productive meeting, McNeil said in Hoydicks statement. Being able to listen to one another is always the first step in making progress. We thank Chief McNeil, and yes, Sgt. Jamie Rivera, for meeting with the Greater Bridgeport Branch NAACP Executive Committee today, Lord said in Hoydicks statement. The meeting was tough, honest and insightful. We look forward to continuing our open dialogue, adding that the relationship between police and the NAACP is needed. The remarks made by Sgt. Rivera on his personal Facebook page are disappointing, showed terrible judgment, and do not represent the thinking of our Police Department, its leadership, or this administration, Hoydick said in a statement. Police officers occupy a unique position of public trust, and incidents such as this can understandably compromise that standing. When something unfortunate like this takes place, it is essential to take quick and meaningful action, and use the event and an important teaching moment. I am proud of the Police Chief for collaborating with the NAACP to make this meeting happen, and I am thankful to Rev. Stanley Lord and the members ofthe NAACP who were willing to come togehter today for this critical dialogue. Kralendijk/ New York:--- Dutch Caribbean Conservationist Tadzio Bervoets has become the first Dutch Caribbean national to be accepted into the prestigious Explorers Club. The Explorers Club is an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the idea that it is vital to preserving the instinct to explore. Since its inception in 1904, the Club has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide. The Explorers Club Headquarters is located at 46 East 70th Street in New York City. Bervoets was accepted into the Club based on his contribution to natural science and protected area and species conservation in the Dutch and Wider Caribbean Region. Bervoets was born on St. Martin to a local St. Maarten mother and a Belgian father. He attended the Sister Borgia School and graduated from the St. Dominic High School. He earned a Bachelors degree in International Relations from the University of South Florida and a Masters degree from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam University in environmental resource management with a specialty in coral reef ecosystems. Founded in New York City in 1904, The Explorers Club promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural, and biological sciences. The Clubs members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts: First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon; It is really an honor to be a part of an organization Ive been fascinated with since I was a child and I look forward to, as part of the Explorers Club, fostering scientific exploration in the Dutch and Wider Caribbean, commented Bervoets. Tadzio started his career in coral reef and marine conservation projects in Bermuda, Tanzania, and as the marine park manager in St. Eustatius. He was the Director of the St Maarten Nature Foundation from 2010 to 2019 where he was instrumental in establishing the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area, St. Maartens first National Park. He was also on the Executive Committee of the National Development Plan responsible for Environment, on the St. Maarten Millennium Development Goal Action Group, and former Acting Chair of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance. He was previously the focal point for Sint Maarten for the CITES treaty, SPAW protocols of the Cartagena Convention, and the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention. He is the current director of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and a recipient of the Euan P. McFarlane Award for Conservation Leadership in the Insular Caribbean. A former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Bello Adoke, has written the current AGF, Abubakar Malami, over his indictment in the Malabu scandal. In the letter of complaint dated September 10, which he personally signed, Mr Adoke appealed to Mr Malami to call Nigerias lawyer in the trial, Lucio Lucia, to order. In the letter, titled Letter of Complaint against the Conduct of Mr. Lucio Lucia, Representing the Federal Government of Nigeria in the Milan Proceedings against Shell, Eni and Other Individuals, Mr Adoke condemned how Mr Lucia presented him as corrupt and partly responsible for fraudulent schemes in the Malabu scandal. Last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr Lucia presented Nigerias position at the ongoing trial of Shell and others by a Milan Court in Italy. This newspaper reported how Mr Lucia, representing Nigeria at the Milan trial of the oil giants (Shell and ENI) and other individuals for the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the oil licence OPL245, made this submission as Nigeria made its concluding arguments Wednesday. The lawyer reaffirmed the Nigerian governments stance on Mr Adoke, ex-petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and former President Goodluck Jonathan in the alleged scam. Mr Adoke had on Thursday called on the Nigerian government to debrief Mr Lucia. In a statement issued after Wednesdays hearing, the former attorney general said Mr Lucias conduct was embarrassing and reeks of deliberate falsehood and dishonesty. Adoke Reacts again In the statement he personally signed and forwarded to the incumbent AGF, Mr Adoke said Mr Lucias account of his return to Nigeria was bizarre and unfounded. He wrote: Mr. Lucio Lucia in his submission before the court on 09/09/2020, on the position of Federal Republic of Nigeria as injured party entitled to civil compensation, had allegedly reaffirmed the indictment of Mr. Adoke and others in the heist connection with the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement. He proceeded to make other bizarre and unfounded allegations to the effect that I was extradited from Dubai for the corruption related to OPL 245 knowing fully that nothing of sort ever happened and with characteristic audacity, he carelessly reconstructed the evidence on my mortgage transaction with Unity Bank Plc, which is subject of ongoing criminal proceedings in Nigeria to suit his narrative. Mr Adoke claimed that apart the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements was a subject of review of two cabinet ministers in the present administration, including Mr Malami and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu. He added that they did not find him guilty of wrong doing in the scandal. In the light of the above, I am unable to understand why Mr. Lucio Lucia would be allowed to assert on behalf of the same Federal Government of Nigeria, a position that is contrary to the unassailable declarations in the subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja dated April 13, 2018 and the views already expressed by your good self as the sitting Attorney General of the Federation and the former Minister of State, Ministry of Petroleum Resources on my role with respect to the implementation of OPL 245 Settlement Agreement, he wrote. As a Nigerian, I am not only entitled to the protection of my Government. I therefore feel compelled to request you to call Mr. Lucio Lucia to order in order to preserve the dignity and respect of your high office as well as prevent my rights from being trampled upon by foreign elements acting in cohort with their Nigerian collaborators. Indictment Last week, Mr Lucia informed the court of criminal prosecution in Nigeria for these acts against the corrupt, first and foremost the Attorney General Mohammed Adoke Bello, who was accused of receiving illegal compensation in exchange for licensing the oil companies, and thus arrested and extradited from Dubai for the corruption related to OPL 245. On the cash transfers to the account of Mr Bello, the lawyer argued that Adoke Bello buys a property in Abuja from a company of Abubakar at a much lower price than the real one ($4.5 million); and he doesnt even pay this price. Adoke Bello receives cash payments into his current account of money from Bureau de Change for approximately $2.2 million from 15.2.2012 to 17.10.2013. Speaking on alleged constitutional beach of trust and oath of office by officials of the government, the lawyer argued that Mr Adoke and others misused the privilege he had as government official. But what did Adoke Bello do in return for his payments? The government that will stipulate RA 2011 starts by confirming the allocation to Malabu and therefore to Etete of 100% of all concession rights for OPL 245. The main actors are President GLJ (Goodluck Jonathan), Oil Minister Diezani and AG Adoke Bello, the latter two will sign the 2011 RA together with the Minister of Finance. Adoke Bello, who, in fact, will play a decisive role at the negotiating table, above all in allowing Eni/Shell to have all the contractual clauses, accepted by the IOCs clauses unilaterally prepared by them overcoming any objection by NNPC and DPR, the technical bodies of the Ministry of Oil. The lawyer also explained that Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) emails make it very clear that Shell and Eni were familiar with the relationship between Mr Etete and the then president, Mr Jonathan, as well as Mr Adoke. Scandal The Malabu OPL245 scandal is a subject of corruption trial in Italy and Nigeria. However, all the accused in both the Milan and Nigerian trials have denied the charges against them. The Nigerian authorities have also charged Mr Etete and several others linked to Malabu with money laundering in connection with the onward flow of funds from the OPL245 deal. Advertisements President Goodluck Jonathan and other officials alleged to have been involved in the deal have equally denied any wrongdoing. India is proposing to drop a condition that the winning bidder for Air India Ltd will have to take on $3.3 billion of aircraft debt, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the government struggles to sell the loss-making carrier kept afloat by taxpayer-funded bailouts. Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration is being advised to drop the rule on concern it will deter buyers, the people said, asking not to be identified as the proposal isnt public. A group of bureaucrats has vetted the plan, and under the new proposition, potential buyers will be allowed to bid on the enterprise value and not on the entity value, the people said. A renewed attempt to sell Air India, which hasnt made money since 2007, has been hurt by the pandemic, forcing the government to keep extending a deadline to bid. The offer, announced in January, was sweetened to pass on only the debt related to plane purchases to the new owner. The airline had $8.4 billion in total debt at the end of March, 2019 and posted a loss of $1.2 billion that yearits highest ever. Despite the losses, the airline has some lucrative assets which include prized slots at Londons choked Heathrow airport, a fleet of more than 100 planes and thousands of trained pilots and crew. The airline will have to shut down if it cant find a buyer, aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Parliament last year. The new proposal sweetens the deal. A spokesman for the aviation ministry referred queries to the department of investment and public asset management, a unit of the finance ministry. A finance ministry spokesman wasnt immediately available for comment. At least two previous attempts to sell the airline once about two decades ago and another in 2018have flopped. In 2001, Singapore Airlines Ltd dropped its bid for a stake in Air India, citing political opposition as one of the reasons. The South-East Asian carrier was seeking a 40% stake with Indias Tata Group. Potential buyers this time have requested the government to extend the deadline to submit initial bids due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said last month. Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata group, is evaluating a possible bid, its chairman Bhaskar Bhat had said earlier this year. 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 Fall allergy season is ramping up and it can be a painful time marked by watery eyes, stuffy or runny nose and other ailments. This year, those symptoms could be confused with COVID-19, but doctors say there are ways to know the difference. So far, I havent had anybody concerned that theyre infected, said Dr. Kenneth Backman, president of allergy and asthma care of Fairfield County and chief of Bridgeport Hospitals allergy section. However, Backman added, he has had people ask him how to differentiate between allergies and COVID. He said it should be easy to tell the difference, especially since many coronavirus ailments including fever, diarrhea and a persistent cough arent common with allergies. Nasal symptoms (such as congestion) could be a sign of COVID, but if somebody has seasonal allergies every year and they are having their typical symptoms, its much more likely to be allergies, Backman said. An allergy is when the bodys immune system reacts to a substance, called an allergen. In the case of seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, the allergen is often pollen or mold. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, hay fever affects about 6.1 million children and 20 million adults in the United States. This year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation named New Haven and Bridgeport among its top-10 allergy capitals cities where people are most affected by spring and fall allergies. New Haven ranked sixth on the list and Bridgeport was eighth. Rankings are determined using such factors as pollen counts and the use of allergy medicine in a particular area. Despite its name, Backman said fall allergy season can start as early as August, when ragweed begins to bloom. The issue of identifying allergies from COVID first cropped up during the spring allergy season, when some doctors expressed concern that the few overlapping symptoms might cause confusion. Dr. Julia Auerbach, medical director of Nuvance Primary Care and Pediatrics of Brookfield, said she saw some patients during the spring who were unsure of the root of their symptoms. A lot of people were able to say Im pretty sure this is my allergies, but I just need reassurance, Auerbach said. Like Backman, she said it is usually easy to tell the difference, despite the bit of overlap. If people thought it was their allergies (causing symptoms), it was probably allergies, Auerbach said. But that doesnt mean people shouldnt be vigilant or careful if they experience anything out of the ordinary, experts said. Backman said patients are required to answer screening questions about potential exposure to COVID, travel history and symptoms before they even enter the office. Auerbach agreed its important to be cautious if anyone has symptoms that are unusual as long as they dont panic unnecessarily. If you have a history of allergies and symptoms usually start in September, then its probably allergies, she said. Egypt hosted Armenias Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Cairo on Sunday to discuss political and economic relations and stress the urgent need for what the minister said are peacemakers to draw the red lines to war. Mnatsakanyan led an Armenian delegation filled with current and former ambassadors to Egypt. The officials were hosted by Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. The visit was the first by Mnatsakanyan to the Middle East in his role since his appointment in 2018, and it started in Egypt, reflecting the two countries' deeply rooted and still-growing relations. The ministers discussed enhanced political dialogue across the IT sector, e-governance, pharmaceuticals, tourism and education. Why it matters: Relations between Egypt and Armenia go back over 100 years to when Egypt and other Arab states welcomed Armenians fleeing repression and genocide in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Today, there are thousands of Armenians living in Egypt, Mnatsakanyan said, and he applauded the ability to maintain their national identity, language and traditions. They are proud citizens of Egypt, they are proud Egyptians, and they are provided with every opportunity to also manifest and celebrate their national identity as Armenians, Mnatsakanyan said. At the 2019 Munich Security Conference, Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recognized the Ottoman Empire massacre and trumpeted Egypts role in welcoming Armenian refugees. They enjoyed peace and security in Egypt, Sisi said. He later reassured that these refugees were integrated within the Egyptian community, living and working like all of the Egyptians. Egypt was one of the first countries in the Middle East to recognize Armenias independence in 1991, and one year later, diplomatic relations were established. In 1992, Egypt was the first country to host a diplomatic mission of Armenia in the Middle East. Since then, the countries have signed more than 40 bilateral agreements and celebrate each countrys cultural days. Tensions in the region have escalated in recent months after Turkey's intervention in Libya and a drive for oil in disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean against Greece and Cyprus, two close allies of Egypt. Shoukry stressed Cairo's support for a peaceful solution in Libya and a "Libyan-Libyan" dialogue in Morocco. "We need actions and policies that enhance stability and are consistent with the rules of international relations and international legitimacy," Shoukry said. And last month, Egypt approved a maritime deal with Greece to confirm their exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling. On Sunday, Mnatsakanyan expressed solidarity with Greece and Cyprus in their rights to the waters. We need peacemakers who are able to draw red lines to war, he said. Yerevans support for Egypt also extends to last Januarys Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, joined by Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to attempt to create a regional gas market, reduce infrastructure costs and offer competitive prices. Armenian's top diplomat also supported Egypts efforts to sign a free-trade deal with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Whats next: Mnatsakanyan briefed Shoukry on the escalating border dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In July, clashes on the border killed 13 Azeris including a civilian, and four Armenians were killed. "During the events in July, Turkey has been the only country that was taking a one-sided, very aggressive approach," Mnatsakanyan said. "Of course, we see the military build-up that they are attempting. These are exactly the moves that undermine the effort toward peace and stability in the region." On Monday, Mnatsaknayan was received by Sisi and reiterated Armenians stance on growing their partnership. The minister invited Shoukry and Sisi to Armenia. Know more: Al-Monitor correspondent Mohamed Saied reviews Egypts focus on a natural gas pipeline amid escalating tension in the Mediterranean Sea. In a bid to woo Hindi-speaking voters in some of West Bengals urban, semi-urban and industrial belts where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched an all-new three-tier Hindi cell of her party. India observes Hindi Diwas on September 14, the day on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as one of the official languages in 1949. Dinesh Trivedi, former Lok Sabha member from Barrackpore, one of these industrial belts, has been appointed chairman of the restructured Hindi cell which will have separate committees at state, district and community block levels. Also Read: PM Modi, Amit Shah extend greetings on occasion of Hindi Diwas The decision, senior TMC leaders said, was based on recommendations made by election strategist Prashant Kishor. Kishor, who earlier helped the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and YSR Congress win elections, was roped in by Banerjee after the BJP won 18 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. The TMCs tally came down from 34 seats to 22. The BJP poses a challenge to Banerjee in the run-up to the 2021 assembly polls. Though Banerjee gave official language status to Hindi in 2012, within a year of coming to power, the TMCs old Hindi cell was practically non-functional, party leaders said. Vivek Gupta has been made president of the new cell. Banerjee on Monday afternoon reached out to the Hindi-speaking population with her tweets on Hindi Diwas. Warm wishes on #HindiDiwas. Bengal is a land of inclusivity and through our persistent efforts we have proudly inculcated Tagores values of Unity in Diversity.GoWB has taken various initiatives to strengthen Hindi Education, Culture and Welfare of the community in Bengal, she wrote. Warm wishes on #HindiDiwas.Bengal is a land of inclusivity and through our persistent efforts we have proudly inculcated Tagores values of Unity in Diversity.GoWB has taken various initiatives to strengthen Hindi Education, Culture and Welfare of the community in Bengal (1/2) Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 14, 2020 GoWB has constantly persevered to undertake inclusive development for all by giving recognition to Hindi, Urdu, Gurmukhi, Ol Chiki, Rajbanshi, Kamtapuri, Kurukh languages. I urge the Centre to follow suit by also including Bengali as a classical language in NEP 2020, said her second tweet. Trivedi too held a press conference where he spoke in Hindi and talked about the recognition Banerjee has given to ethnic languages. The reconstituted Hindi cell will have a three-tier structure We believe this would ensure greater representation to people from the Hindi community within the party, provide a platform to make suggestions, address their grievances and make them active stakeholders in Smt Mamata Banerjees cause for furthering all-round development in Bengal, the TMC said in a statement. The Hindi Cell would actively strive towards strengthening Hindi education, culture and overall welfare of the community in Bengal. We believe the work that began in 2011, will only get greater impetus through this reconstituted Hindi cell, the statement added. In 2019, Trivedi lost the Barrackpore seat to Arjun Singh who left the TMC and joined the BJP. Singhs son and brother are legislators from two assembly segments in Barrackpore. Among the other BJP-controlled Lok Sabha constituencies that have a substantial Hindi-speaking population are Midnapore, Asansol and Darjeeling. Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, who is the MP from Midnapore, was in Delhi on Monday to attend the Lok Sabha. All these years Banerjee had been saying that Bengali and Bengal will prevail over others. Now she is suddenly giving plum posts to Hindi-speaking leaders. A party cannot run like this. She is trying to copy the BJP but minus the policies that we follow, Ghosh told reporters in Delhi. It appears that Banerjee wants to use the Hindi language to counter religious polarisation, said Kolkata-based political science professor Udayan Bandopadhyay. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Igor Popov from the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti from France and Andrew Schofer from the USA) today held intensive consultations in Paris along with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. The Co-Chairs discussed the situation in the region and particularly focused on the new developments following the escalation of violence on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in mid-July. The Co-Chairs closely studied and assessed the personal and public messages and concerns of the sides. Andrzej Kasprzyk informed the Co-Chairs about the situation in the security sector, and they welcomed his concrete preparations for restart of monitoring. The Co-Chairs held personal talks with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Jeyhun Bayramov and invited the ministers to meet with the Co-Chairs in person individually over the next few weeks to further specify their positions in order to resume serious and substantive talks without preconditions. The Co-Chairs continue to actively and fully participate in the support to the talks over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to their mandates in the OSCE. Qatar has recently introduced labor reforms that could prove beneficial for the countrys long-term development. Having come under the spotlight due to the FIFA World Cup that it is due to host in 2022, Doha has received criticism regarding human rights and living standards of foreign migrants working there. Announcing a nondiscriminatory minimum wage and doing away with some of the control sponsors have over employees under the prevalent kafala system, Qatar is not only setting new labor standards to attract more foreign workers, but it is also the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state to announce such drastic reforms. Removing the main kafala limitation, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs (MADLSA) announced that going forward, an employee will not require a no-objection certificate (NOC) from his employer before changing jobs; instead, a one-month written notice would be required in the contract for the first two years, and then a two-month notice after the second year ends. Usually, this exit permit would become an impediment for foreign migrants looking for well-paid jobs more suited to their skills. After these reforms, employees can afford to be more ambitious. Being reliant on expat workers in the private sector, Doha is trying to build a stable worker base. According to Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, the Qatar Minister of Commerce and Industry, "You dont want people who for whatever reason want to leave their employer or whose services are no longer required; you dont want them to just pack up their luggage and jump on an airplane. Around 95% of Qatars workforce is comprised of foreign migrants, who also constitute around 90% of its total population. Notably, acquiring a more permanent and highly skilled workforce was also one of the goals of Dohas National Vision 2030. The Qatar Chamber of Commerce has also announced a platform for local recruitment to create more human resources. Having implemented basic monthly wages of around $274, MADLSA has announced an extra provision of $137 for accommodation and around $82 for food in case these are not included in the employees' contract. These new laws will come into force after six months of publication in the official gazette. According to Dohas Minister of Labor and Administrative Development Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, It is the first minimum wage of its kind in the Middle East and will provide extra income to thousands of workers and their overseas dependents at a critically important time for families around the world. Because of the change, the country expects billions of additional pounds to be remitted overseas in local currencies or reinvested in Qatars economy each year." Not only will Qatar be able to boost labor productivity with these reforms, but it will also be able to grow its economy further. Since a recent report by Human Rights Watch had highlighted problems with salary delays, nonpayment of dues and NOC restrictions in Qatar, MADLSA has stated that penalties would be enforced on employers who do not pay wages on time or provide suitable accommodations for workers. Welcoming the reforms, the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) stated that it effectively dismantles the kafala sponsorship system and marks the beginning of a new era for the Qatari labor market. ILO director-general Guy Ryder said, By introducing these significant changes, Qatar has delivered on a commitment. One that will give workers more freedom and protection, and employers more choice. However, Amnesty International (AI) has said that while Qatar has taken significant steps, the minimum wage was still too low. According to Steve Cockburn, the economic and social justice head at AI, To truly make a difference, it will need to be regularly reviewed and progressively increased to secure just and favorable conditions for workers. Basically, until the kafala sponsorship scheme system is done away with completely, labor reforms will only be partially effective. With around 23 million migrant workers between them, the GCC states Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman have similar labor laws and kafala versions enforced in the region. Even though Qatar has adopted an avant-garde approach vis-a-vis the kafala, low-wage workers would remain dependent on their employers for housing and transport. Therefore, some form of control remains that might limit access to new options. Ultimately, these issues need to be addressed by all of the GCC states. According to Hiba Zayadin, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch, A lot of the countries, in varying degrees, embarked on certain reforms. But what we found is that unless the kafala system is abolished in its entirety, there will remain remnants of control that [lead to mistreatment] of migrant workers. Undoubtedly, more needs to be done, and with Qatar starting its labor reforms, other GCC states will also be encouraged to follow suit. Some GCC states have already taken a few measures. For instance, Bahrain has been allowing its foreign workers to obtain a new visa independently and without employers' permission if they pay a fee. However, the cost of the fee limited this facility from being used more widely. More radical ways still need to be explored so that migrant workers are less dependent on their employers. Also, the UAE provided paternity leave for workers in the private sector, though more attention was required on workplace issues for women workers. Currently, only Qatar and Kuwait have set minimum wages for migrants, amounting to 1,000 riyals, or nearly $275. It is around the same in Kuwait except that wages in Qatar include food and accommodation, so they ultimately end up higher. In contrast to Qatar or the UAE, other GCC states with large foreign migrant ratios continue the process of cutting back on expat employees. Such states have announced various schemes to support their local worker population instead. However, when migrant populations leave and make way for a local workforce, new complications emerge, as pay scales for locals have always been on the higher side in the region and employing them increases productivity costs in the long run. Describing this situation, Steffen Hertog from the London School of Economics and Political Science writes that "the GCC economies are a victim of their own success: Unlike some oil-rich kleptocracies outside of the region, they have shared their riches relatively widely and greatly improved national living standards. As a result, however, production costs and real exchange rates are high, while productivity has been flatlining. Moreover, even though the foreign workers are paid less than citizens for the same jobs, the wages are not cheap enough to compete with other low-cost labor regions. Such human resource issues also remain an obstacle in the way of effective economic diversification. According to a 2019 World Bank report, structural reforms are badly required to increase labor productivity and boost economic growth as well as provide a safety net for displaced workers in the MENA region. Unfortunately, the lack of trade unions has made it a blind alley, and the migrant workers had no platform either. Wave Financial Group (Wave) has announced that it has received its first round of investment from clients and has brought 1,000 barrels of Kentucky bourbon whiskey from the Wilderness Trail distillery. The latest development will offer investors exposure to a real asset that would be exceptionally difficult. Investors will also benefit from the potential uplift in value throughout the premium whiskeys ageing process. Earlier this year Coin Rivet reported on Waves initial announcement, with estimations reaching 25,000 barrels of 2020-vintage bourbon, equating to a years worth of production. A unique and innovative characteristic will be the tokenisation of the holding in year two. It is envisaged that investors will hold for the full 5 to 6 year ageing period before bottling, but for those that wish to sell earlier, Wave will be tokenising the holdings in order to facilitate a potential exit should any investors wish to do so. Benjamin Tsai, President at Wave and manager of the fund said: For investors to gain exposure to real assets that have impressive investment fundamentals such as whiskey is very difficult, but now it is possible via our fund. Following the launch in March we are delighted to have completed our first tranche time sensitive capital raise and purchased 1,000 barrels of physical premium Kentucky bourbon whiskey on behalf of our investors. Our extensive research has shown that the returns from ageing Kentucky bourbon are very stable and strong over the circa five year period it spends in barrels before being bottled, so we are delighted to be able to provide investors with exposure to this price appreciation. Story continues After considerable research into many typically hard-to-access real assets, Wave found that the historical returns from premium Kentucky bourbon whiskey ageing in barrels were more stable and provided more potential upside than other real assets such as fine wine, rare art and pedigree race horses. David Seimer, CEO at Wave added: As a US based regulated investment management group we are committed to offering exposure to the best assets that offer the strongest potential returns. With our unique access to Wilderness Trails whiskey production capacity for this year remaining open, we are in a great position to continue the capital raise for the fund. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here. The Berlin hospital treating Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny says his condition is improving as Germany announced two independent laboratories confirmed evidence that he was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group. Charite hospital said on September 14 that Navalny has been successfully removed from mechanical ventilation and is now able to briefly leave his bed. Doctors removed Navalny from a medically induced coma on September 7, saying that although his condition has improved it was unclear what long-term effects severe poisoning would have on the 44-year-old opposition leaders health. The news about Navalnys recovery comes as Germany again called on Russia to conduct a transparent investigation into the poisoning after reviews by independent laboratories in France and Sweden confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group. "Three laboratories have now independently provided evidence of a nerve agent from the Novichok group as the cause of Mr. Navalny's poisoning. We renew the call for Russia to explain what has happened. We are in close contact with our European partners on further steps," the German government said in a statement on September 14 in announcing the corroborative findings. The French presidency later confirmed that France's own analysis had concluded that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok "in contravention of international norms on using chemical weapons." French President Emmanuel Macron urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to urgently shed light on the circumstances of this attempted assassination and who is responsible, according to the Elysee Palace. In a call to Putin on September 14, Macron described the poisoning as an "attempted assassination," according to the Elysee Palace. The Kremlin said the Navalny case was "thoroughly discussed" with Putin, emphasizing the "inappropriateness of unfounded accusations against the Russian side." Navalny suddenly fell ill on a Russian domestic flight on August 20 and was medically evacuated to Germany on a request by his wife several days later. German experts say the anti-corruption campaigner and Russian opposition leader was poisoned with a Soviet-style military nerve agent from the Novichok group, prompting international calls on Russia to swiftly investigate the case. Russian authorities have refused to open a criminal investigation, saying that no hard evidence of poisoning has been found. Doctors at Emergency Hospital No. 1 in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Navalny was treated after an emergency plane landing, have said that Navalny fell into a coma due to a metabolic disorder and blood sugar issues. Despite Russian claims, that initial assessment has repeatedly been cast into doubt. Citing five medical sources, Reuters on September 14 reported that paramedics who treated Navalny in Omsk found no signs of a metabolic disorder and suspected he had been poisoned. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on September 9 that there is a strong chance the poisoning was ordered by senior officials in Moscow. Navalnys team, his relatives, and others also believe that Russian authorities are behind the poisoning. The Kremlin has vehemently denied the allegations. With reporting by AFP and Reuters She recently put on a loved-up display with fiance 80million fashion tycoon Michael Lewis as they shopped for rings in Florence. But Lady Kitty Spencer, 29, looked effortlessly chic without her beau on Tuesday as she attended the Bulgari Barocco fashion show in Rome this evening. Princess Diana's niece wowed in an extravagant sheer black gown which featured a corset top, full-skirt and dot pattern. The society model also wore a stunning necklace and matching earrings for the evening and wore her blonde locks in a flowing style. Lady Kitty Spencer, 29, looked effortlessly chic without her beau Michael Lewis on Tuesday as she attended the Bulgari Barocco fashion show in Rome She was joined by a host of stars including French actor Vincent Cassel's wife Tina Kunakey and fellow model Poppy Delevingne (pictured) She was joined by a host of stars including French actor Vincent Cassel's wife Tina Kunakey and fellow model Poppy Delevingne. During the evening the models and film stars were seen catching up in the luxurious setting, with Lady Kitty and Poppy ensuring to keep their distance as they sat on mirrored stools. The blonde beauties were later seen posing for some snaps together, with Poppy putting an arm around Lady Kitty. Last week, Kitty joined a host of other fashionistas who flew into Tuscany to enjoy at least three different events hosted at exclusive venues across the city by D&G. The society model also wore a stunning necklace and matching earrings for the evening and wore her blonde locks in a flowing style She jetted off to the French Riviera earlier this month and has now made her way to Italy, where she has enjoyed the views of a volcanic crater south of Rome, visited the town of Nemi and toured the Pope's summer palace. Tonight's outing comes days after Lady Kitty put on a loved-up display with fiance 80million fashion tycoon Michael Lewis as they shopped for rings in Florence. The society model reportedly got engaged to fashion tycoon Lewis, 61, who is 32 years her senior and five years older than her father Earl Spencer, after Michael proposed in Cape Town over Christmas. Lady Kitty and Michael went public with their relationship during a stroll through New York in May and were seen kissing after leaving Club 55 in St Tropez in August. Princess Diana 's niece opted for classic black dress which featured a corset top, full-skirt and dot pattern The royal appeared in high spirits as she attended the event in Rome this evening, and could e seen twirling in her sheer black gown An expert previously revealed that the society model was wearing an emerald cut diamond engagement ring with an estimated 30 carats of flawless diamonds. Speaking to MailOnline, appraiser Oliver Horner from Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4's Posh Paw, said: 'This gorgeous full hoop diamond full band engagement ring is of extremely high quality. 'The full band is set with large emerald cut diamonds, each stone looks to be approximately one and a half carats and I would estimate the total diamond weight of the ring to be between 25 and 30 carats. Lady Kitty, who has spent the last few weeks attending events across Italy, beamed as she posed for snaps in her stunning black gown The royal posed for pictures alongside socialite Poppy Delevinge, who opted for a daring black number for the event 'Judging from the image the diamonds look to be of exceptional quality and I estimate a clarity grade to be between flawless and VVS1 and to be of D to F colour which is the very best. 'I believe a ring of this exceptional quality would have an would cost between 200,000 - 300,000 maybe even more given the provenance of such a piece.' Kitty grew up in Cape Town and spent Christmas, her birthday and New Year's Eve in South Africa, where Michael is also based. Lady Kitty joined a host of others at the event, donning a black mask to match her stunning gown The 29-year-old wore a black face covering during the event, and accessorised with a bold pink clutch bag Michael has three adult children and was previously married to a woman named Leola in 1985. Kitty, who was spotted at the tycoons 19 million mansion in central London last summer, told the Mail at the time that she didnt feel 'in any rush' to start a family. 'I can see myself having children at some point... but I'm only in my twenties. I do have friends my age who are having children, and they are so, so, sweet, but I think everyone should do things in their own time.' Lewis' previous wife, Leola, 59, signed a prenuptial agreement but it's not yet known whether Lady Kitty will do the same. London's Royal Court will reopen for a socially distanced live show from November 2020. Created by a series of writers and inspired by The Federal Theatre Project during the Great Depression, the Living Newspaper piece will feature written responses to this year's headlines, shaped by the current affairs of the time. Artistic director Vicky Featherstone said: "I first learned about The Federal Theatre Project when I was 18. It galvanised me then about theatre as a force for change and stuck with me over the years. One day during lockdown I remembered it and how vital it had been not only for saving the theatre industry after the Great Depression but for encouraging those previously underrepresented and for speaking truth to power with celebration and joy. "As ever at the Royal Court we turn to our diverse community of writers whose ideas, perspectives, experiences can challenge us, surprise us and can make us imagine the impossible. The aims of Living Newspaper are quite simple, to give as many people as possible work, to bring our theatre back to life and to create something which is urgent, dynamic, political and disruptive - acknowledging the hugely changed and changing times. It is a massive experiment but it is only something radical which has a chance. Onwards!" Running from 12 November to 19 December with performances from 11am to 11pm, the venue will work with young designers to reimagine the Royal Court space, with audiences able to watch either in situ or online. Guest companies will also present work across the month. Tickets will go on sale in late October, with more details to be revealed. Remember the dog who was thrown off a five-storey building in Chennai and the way social media rallied together to find the culprit? It's been nearly five years since the incident and another moron attempting a similar stunt of flinging a helpless dog has surfaced online. YouTube This time, the man can be seen picking up a stray dog and throwing it in a lake in Bhopal. What is very disturbing in this case is that he goes onto to smile for the camera. A song from Hindi movie Commando 3 can be heard in the background in the video. Also Read: Heartbreaking Images Of Caged Dogs Waiting To Be Slaughtered For Dog Soup In South Korea It is not known to police as to who shot the video and if the dog was dead or alive. The friends of the accused told police that the video was an old one. Image For Representation According to a Hindustan Times report, the man in the video was identified as Salman Khan, a resident of Tila Jamalpura area in Bhopal city who is on the run and has a history of violence against animals. The video clip suggests it was shot during late evening or night hours at a point near the railing erected along upper lake at Boat club in Shyamla Hills area in Bhopal. Also Read: Instead Of Wasting Milk Offered By Devotees, Temple Feeds It To Stray Dogs & Wins Hearts VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED Bhopal Deputy Inspector General of Police Irshad Wali said cognizance of the video had been taken while Additional Superintendent of Police Ramsanehi Mishra told PTI a case had been registered under the Indian Penal Code section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming any animal). He said Shyamla Hills police was probing the case and the location of the accused had been traced, though he refused to share further details. Mishra also said it seems the video was shot at Boat Club Road of Upper Lake. This is not the first instance where an animal has been subjected to cruelty for the sake of a viral video. Back in May, a group of teenagers was seen torturing a helpless pooch in a video which was later posted on TikTok. The two teenage boys were identified as belonging to Ujjain, MP and an FIR has been lodged. They had drowned the dog while shooting the video 'just for fun.' (Newser) Looks like TikTok is selling its US operations to Oracle, a Silicon Valley firm, only a week before President Trump threatened to ban the app if no deal materialized. At least that's what insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. But no details have emerged about the Chinese video-sharing app's apparent sale. Earlier Sunday, Microsoft said its bid had been deniedwhy is unclear, but the New York Times notes that Microsoft wanted control of TikTok's computer code to protect US users from Chinese snooping or disinformation. China then barred TikTok from selling the code without Beijing's approval, and a source at TikTok parent company ByteDance said the code was indeed off the table. story continues below Israel will reinstate a strict countrywide lockdown this week amid a surge in coronavirus cases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement in a televised speech last night. Beginning on Friday, the eve of the Jewish New Year, schools, restaurants, shopping centres and hotels among other businesses will shut down and restrictions on movement will be imposed. Members of the public will be ordered to stay within 500 yards of their homes. 'Our goal is to stop the increase (in cases) and lower morbidity,' Mr Netanyahu said. 'I know that these steps come at a difficult price for all of us. 'This is not the holiday we are used to.' PM Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel last night that the country will lock down again from Friday The lockdown will begin from 1100 GMT on Friday, just hours before the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays, which also include the Day of Atonement and Sukkot. The announcement comes despite pushback from part of the ultra-Orthodox contingent in government over enforcing a lockdown during the holidays. Under the lockdown guidelines, which are still to be finalised, indoor gatherings would be limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 20, meaning prayers at synagogues would be severely impacted. The tightening of measures marks the second time Israel has gone into a lockdown after a lengthy shutdown in the spring. It makes them the first country in the world to reimpose nationwide lockdown restrictions. The first lockdown was credited with having brought down what were much lower infection numbers but it wreaked havoc on the country's economy, sending unemployment skyrocketing. Mr Netanyahu said the restrictions could be tightened if infection rates don't drop in the first three weeks Protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv yesterday to demonstrate against Mr Netanyahu's government, including over its handling of coronavirus The new lockdown will remain in place for at least three weeks, at which point officials are expected to relax measures if numbers are seen declining. Israelis typically hold large family gatherings and pack synagogues during the important fast of Yom Kippur, settings that officials fear could trigger new outbreaks. A sticking point in government deliberations over the lockdown was what prayers will look like during the holidays. The strict limits on faithful prompted Israeli Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman, who represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, to resign from the government. 'It is an injustice and disregard for hundreds of thousands of citizens, ultra-Orthodox, religious and traditional,' who would seek to pray in synagogues and have family meals, Litzman said. Israel has had more than 150,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and more than 1,100 deaths. According to a tally by news agency AFP, Israel is second only to Bahrain for the world's highest coronavirus infection rate by population. With a population of nine million, the country is now recording more than 4,000 daily cases of the virus. Israel earned praise for its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, moving quickly to seal the country's borders and appearing to bring infections under control. It has since been criticised for opening businesses and schools too quickly and allowing the virus to spread unchecked. Protesters blocked an entrance to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv as part of their demonstration Mr Netanyahu was due to fly from Ben Gurion yesterday sign an accord with the UAE in Washington Much of that criticism has been aimed at Mr Netanyahu, who has faced a public outcry over his handling of the crisis and has seen thousands of protesters descend on his Jerusalem residence every week. While lauded for his decisive response following the spring outbreak, Mr Netanyahu appeared distracted by politics and personal matters, including his trial for corruption allegations, as infections rose over the summer. He has also been lambasted for seeming to cave to pressure from various interest groups, including most recently his ultra-Orthodox governing partners, who appeared to have convinced him to abandon a pinpointed, city-based lockdown plan that would have mostly affected ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities. At the press conference on Sunday announcing the lockdown, Mr Netanyahu defended his response, saying Israel's economy had emerged from the first lockdown in a better state than many other developed nations. He said while cases are high, the country's coronavirus mortality numbers are lower than other countries with similar outbreaks. Lucknow/New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government defended on Monday a controversial new security force with sweeping powers to arrest or detain suspects even as some legal experts cautioned about the possibility of misuse and the Opposition alleged the force could be used to muzzle dissent. The constitution of the UP Special Security Force (UPSSF) to guard strategic and vital installations, courts, government premises, religious spots, transport hubs, industrial undertakings, and private buildings if permitted by the state government was announced on Sunday. The first phase of the 9,919-strong force is expected to be launched in three months, at a cost of 1,747 crore. Additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said UPSSFs work profile will be similar to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards airports and vital installations across India. We have not given the new force any extraordinary powers and most of the provisions are similar to the CISF Act, he said. Section 10 of the UPSSF Act empowers the force to arrest any person without a warrant or order from a magistrate on suspicion that the suspect is connected to an offence or taking steps to commit one. Section 11 allows the force to detain, and search without a warrant. In both cases, the suspect is to be handed over to a police officer without delay. Section 13 said personnel of this force would be considered on duty round-the-clock and could be deployed for security anywhere in the state The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backed the force. This is an excellent initiative by chief minister Yogi Adityanath ji to protect the sovereignty of institution of state. This is also a good step to win confidence of investors. The opposition should rise above vote bank politics and join in welcoming this move, UP party secretary Subhash Yaduvansh said. But the Opposition called the force a deception. Its a tool and conspiracy to crush constitutional rights by political powerthis is violation of human rights, constitutional rights, said the Samajwadi Party. The Congress party compared the provisions to the Rowlatt Act of 1919 that gave British forces power to indefinitely detain and jail without trial. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar Lallu called the act undemocratic and said it could used against citizens. The legal foundation of this force is the UPSSF Act, 2020, which was passed by the states legislative assembly in its monsoon session and assented to by the governor on August 28. The act, which followed an ordinance, was passed after the Allahabad high court in December 2019 took cognisance of a murder inside a courtroom in Bijnor and ordered the state government to strengthen security inside court campuses. A senior state government official said the UPSSFs powers were similar to those given to CISF and special forces in Odisha and Maharashtra. Such powers could not be misused in anyway, the official said on condition of anonymity. But a CISF officer disagreed, saying the central paramilitary force doesnt have arrests or search powers. It can detain people at the place of its duty like airports or metro stations but they are handed over to the police ultimatelywe dont know how SSF will work but we are a completely different force, said the officer who didnt wish to be named. A senior Odisha police official said that while the eastern state created a special force in 2012 for protection of public and private industrial undertakings, it did not have the power of arrest, raid or seizure. In Maharashtra, the state security force was formed after the 26/11 terror attacks to guard vital installations and institutions.We can arrest a person without a warrant but cannot search a place without it, said D Kanakratnam, director general of police (DGP), Maharashtra State Security Corporation. Legal experts differed in their view of the provisions especially Sections 15 and 16 that provided protection to force from prosecution for any act done in good faith under the act. No court shall take cognisance of an offence against any member of the force with regard to anything done or any action taken or purporting to have been done or taken in the discharge of his duty except with prior sanction of the state government, read Section 16 of the act. Though the protections under Sections 15 and 16 seem to be pari-materia [dealing with the same subject] with similar provisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the Act when taken as a whole, constitutes a special force, gives them a carte blanche and assures them of state protection against allegations of misuse. Absolute, unaccountable power to a police force is the hallmark of a police state, said senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde. He agreed that the force was given wide powers to arrest, even in situations that may otherwise be a non-cognizable offence (less serious offences for which a warrant is needed to arrest), like lurking in a court building or near a bank premises. Alok Prasanna Kumar, a senior resident fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, said Sections 15 and 16 were very standard provisions. The function of UP Special Police as per section 3 (of the Act) is very clear to protect institutions, high court, district courts, state government administrative premises, religious spots, metro rail, airports etc. If this is being done to reduce the burden on UP police, well and good. It is not like this special force can investigate offences, file FIRs etc. This is more like a state level Central Industrial Security Force. If they have the money to do this, good luck to them, said Kumar. Senior Lucknow-based advocate IB Singh said the deployment of the force was quite limited for guarding strategic and VVIP installations. Raja Bagga, a senior officer at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, said the presence of detailed oversight provisions in the CrPC was a recognition of the importance of procedural safeguards to ensure fair trial rights. The Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force Act 2020, by providing discretionary powers to the police to search and arrest without a warrant or order from the magistrate, is giving more power to an already unaccountable police...the UP police is seriously understaffed, and has one of the lowest sanctioned strengths, he said. (with inputs from HTC in Lucknow, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Saudi Arabias Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Bahrains foreign minister discussed regional developments, including Yemen, on a phone call on Monday, Trend reports with reference to Reuters. Bahrain, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, on Friday agreed to normalise relations with Israel. A lock of Abraham Lincolns hair that was taken from him during his postmortem examination more than 155 years ago has sold at auction for $81,250. The thick lock of hair approximately two inches long was sold at an auction that ended on Saturday along with a blood-stained telegram about his assassination at Fords Theater on April 14, 1865 to an undisclosed buyer, according to RR Auction of Boston. According to the auction house, the lock of hair was presented to Dr. Lyman Beecher Todd, a cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln. MORE: 5-year-old wandering alone after midnight leads police to mother's murder scene The hair is mounted to an official War Department manuscript telegram sent to Dr. Todd by George H. Kinnear, his assistant in the Post Office at Lexington, Kentucky, received in Washington at 11 PM on April 14, 1865, RR Auction said in the description of the item. A typed caption prepared by Dr. Todd's son reads, in part: The above telegram arrived in Washington a few minutes after Abraham Lincoln was shot. Next day, at the postmortem, when a lock of hair, clipped from near the President's left temple, was given to Dr. Todd -- finding no other paper in his pocket -- he wrapped the lock, stained with blood or brain fluid, in this telegram and hastily wrote on it in pencil: 'Hair of A. Lincoln. MORE: Man throws burning American flag onto police car, spits at cops during arrest PHOTO: The 16th American president, Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865), sitting and leafing through documents, Washington, D.C. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) MORE: California resident tests positive for the plague, first case in the state in 5 years RR Auction vouched for the authenticity of the lock and telegram with supporting evidence from Dr. Todd's son, James Todd, who wrote in a letter in 1945 that the hair clipping "has remained entirely in the custody of our family since that time," but was last was sold in 1999, according to the auction house. Boasting excellent provenance from Lincoln's family, this is a one-of-a-kind piece of history. In fine condition, RR Auction said. Story continues The 16th President of the United States was attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Fords Theater in Washington, D.C. on the night of April 14, 1865 when stage actor John Wilkes Booth shot him in the head while he was watching the play. MORE: Good Samaritan shot and killed chasing suspect who held woman at gunpoint Lincoln, who was the first U.S. president to be assassinated, died the next morning at 7:22 a.m. in the Petersen House across the street from the theatre ushering in a period of national mourning. The auction house had been hoping to sell the lock of hair and telegram for at least $75,000, according to the Associated Press. Lock of hair taken from Abraham Lincoln during postmortem exam sold at auction originally appeared on abcnews.go.com VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV: SR) (the "Company" or "Strategic") is pleased to announce an updated mineral resource estimate for the Company's 100% owned Mustavaara Vanadium-Titanium-Iron Project, located in the Municipality of Taivalkoski in north-central Finland. On behalf of Strategic, AFRY Finland Oy has completed an independent National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant mineral resource estimate. The mineral resource estimate is the first NI 43-101 resource for the Mustavaara Project. Mustavaara is a past producing mine that stopped production in 1985 after a decade in production due to low vanadium prices of approximately US$1.50/lb V 2 O 5 versus the approximately US$7.00/lb spot price today. Annual production reached a peak of 1.6 million tonnes of ore, producing 240,000 tonnes of pelletized magnetite concentrate and 3,000 tonnes of vanadium pentoxide. Scott Hicks, President and CEO commented, "We are pleased to see a significant vanadium, iron and titanium resource remaining on the site of this historically productive mine. This milestone will allow us to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment planned for the first half of 2021." Table 1: Mineral Resource Estimate Summary (11.0% magnetite cut-off grade) Resource Class Million Tonnes Average Grade Contained Metal Magnetite (%) VinMC(8) (%) Ti(9) (%) Fe(9) (%) VinMC(8) (kt) Ti(9) (kt) Fe(9) (kt) Measured 64.0 15.41 0.91 3.75 63.3 90 370 6,244 Indicated 39.7 15.27 0.88 3.53 62.8 53 214 3,805 Total M&I 103.7 15.36 0.90 3.67 63.1 143 584 10,049 Inferred 42.2 15.11 0.92 3.75 62.3 59 239 3,971 Table 2: Sensitivity of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource to Cut-Off Grade Cut-Off Magnetite (%) Million Tonnes Average Grade Contained Metal Magnetite (%) VinMC(8) (%) Ti(9) (%) Fe(9) (%) VinMC(8) (kt) Ti(9) (kt) Fe(9) (kt) 8.0 107 15.17 0.9 3.64 63.2 146 593 10,281 10.0 106 15.26 0.9 3.65 63.2 146 590 10,291 11.0 104 15.36 0.9 3.67 63.1 143 584 10,049 12.0 95 15.71 0.9 3.72 63.0 134 555 9,394 14.0 67 16.81 0.9 3.80 62.9 102 430 7,115 The NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate summary above is calculated using the base case cut-off grade of 11.0 percent magnetite. The estimate is based on a total of 9,911 metres of diamond drilling in 73 holes. None of these holes were drilled by Strategic, but historic core, rejects and pulps have been reanalyzed and the historic database has been validated. The mineral resources are estimated using a three-dimensional block model with a nominal block size of 20 X 20 X 12.5 metres. Grade estimates for magnetite, vanadium, titanium and iron are based on geology, drill hole spacing and geostatistical analysis of drill hole sample data. The grade models have been validated using a combination of visual and statistical methods. Blocks in the model are estimated using five or more composite drill hole samples within a maximum average distance of 50m, 100m and 200m for the measured, indicated and inferred mineral resource categories respectively. A NI 43-101 technical report detailing the mineral resource estimate for the Mustavaara Project will be completed and filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and Strategic's website (www.strategic-res.com) within 45 days. Mineral Resource Notes and Assumptions (1) The mineral resource estimate has an effective date of September 14, 2020. (2) Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. (3) The mineral resources in this estimate were calculated with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM"), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions. (4) Metal prices used: Pig Iron, US$350.00 per tonne and Ferrovanadium, US$30.00 per kilogram. (5) Base case cut-off grade for the estimate of the mineral resources is 11.0% magnetite. (6) It is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated or measured mineral resources with continued exploration. (7) Strategic is not aware of any legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources. (8) A 30-gram charge of agitated sample pulp "suspended" in water is separated magnetically as it passes through a rotating, inclined glass tube. The applied magnetic field causes magnetic minerals to stick to the tube walls. The weight percent of vanadium retained in the magnetic fraction is reported as VinMC (Vanadium in Magnetic Concentrate) and can be correlated with magnetically recovered vanadium grades in large scale magnetic separation plants. This work has indicated that the magnetite content could be upgraded by a factor of six. (9) Ti (titanium) and Fe (iron) grades and contained metal values are stated in recovered magnetite concentrate post upgrading. Quality Assurance Strategic has completed a rigorous review of the drill hole database. Past owners of the project have twinned historic holes, along with performing their own due diligence resampling programs confirming historic results. Strategic also completed a core and pulp resampling program from available material incorporating a quality control / quality assurance ("QA/QC") program that includes the insertion of blind standards, blanks and pulp duplicate samples. Geology logs were confirmed with drill core reviews and core photos. Reanalyzed material was securely transported to ALS Lab's sample preparation facility in Sodankyla, Finland. Sample pulps are sent to Galway, Ireland for analysis. Vanadium, titanium and iron content was determined by lithium borate fusion and XRF finish. ALS labs is independent from Strategic. Strategic is not aware of any drilling, sampling, recovery or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data referred to herein. Qualified Persons Ville-Matti Seppa, EurGeol. with the European Federation of Geologists, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, is responsible for the estimate of mineral resources presented in this news release and has reviewed, verified and approved the contents of this news release as they relate to the mineral resource estimate. Leo Hathaway, P.Geo., Vice President of Strategic and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for the Mustavaara project has reviewed, verified and approved the contents of this news release. About Strategic Resources Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV:SR) is a Vancouver, Canada based mineral exploration and development company that is focused on vanadium projects in Finland and Peru. The Company continues to evaluate new opportunities that are related to the electrification of the economy. Further details are available on the Company's website at https://strategic-res.com/. To follow future news releases, please sign up at https://strategic-res.com/contact/. STRATEGIC RESOURCES INC. Signed: "Scott Hicks" Scott Hicks, CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to the National Instrument 43-101 resource and undertaking of a National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "will" or variations of similar words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. SOURCE Strategic Resources Inc. Related Links https://strategic-res.com Kim Kardashian's brand-new maternity line from her shapewear brand Skims immediately sparked controversy on social media over the weekend. But the 39-year-old defended her new garments online Sunday, denying accusations the line was pressuring pregnant woman to mask their natural figures while explaining how the solutionwear actually helps support expecting bodies. 'To anyone who has an issue with maternity solutionwear, and if you haven't been pregnant before you may not know the struggle of what it's like carrying all of this extra weight the way I did with millions of strong women,' she wrote in a lengthy Instagram Story. She clarified the specific line, tailored for expectant mothers, 'is not to slim, but to support.' Backlash: Kim Kardashian spoke up after the brand-new maternity line from her shapewear brand Skims sparked controversy on social media over the weekend 'The belly part doesn't slim your belly, it's actually sheer and a thinner layered material compared to the rest of the garment. 'It provides support to help with the uncomfortable weight being carried in your stomach which affects your lower back - and the compression on the leggings help with pain relief caused by swelling,' she continued. After giving birth, the mother-of-four explained her products can provide 'comfort and support that most women need after delivery especially if you are recovering from a cesarean.' Explaining herself: The 39-year-old defended her new garments online Sunday, denying accusations the line was pressuring pregnant woman to mask their natural figures while explaining how the solutionwear actually helps support expecting bodies Solutions: 'To anyone who has an issue with maternity solutionwear, and if you haven't been pregnant before you may not know the struggle of what it's like carrying all of this extra weight the way I did with millions of strong women,' she wrote in a lengthy Instagram Story. She's seen during her first pregnancy in 2013 above Good friend: Coming to her longtime pal's defense, Chrissy Teigen slipped into a shapewear set and cheekily began a series of videos by saying, ''Hi guys, actual pregnant person here!' This prompted Jameela Jamil, an outspoken advocate for positive body image, to slam the KKW Beauty founder in a new Instagram post, which addresses pregnancy shapewear. 'I will say: I wish we could just normalize just focusing on the inside of a pregnant body, not the outside,' the Good Place star, 34, wrote in an Instagram post. She added: 'You don't need your shape corrected or hidden. You don't need an even more awkward obstacle between you and a piss. You just need to try and ride with this miracle and do your best to be as happy/comfortable as is possible within your circumstances. Pregnancy is hard enough, with enough worries already.' 'Just wanting to show you and maybe talk a little bit about what pregnancy shapewear is. Basically, the reason I love pregnancy shapewear is because it stops all the folds of my vagina and stomach from eating all other times of underwear,' she said, while standing in her expansive bathroom 'And if you feel self conscious, you are not the problem, who can blame any of us for feeling bad, our society has failed us immensely, and we as a collective need to put more energy into pushing back against this so we can just let a b*tch live!' the British star remarked. She concluded by telling her followers if she 'ever' has a baby, she will welcome 'the stretch marks' and 'new curves' and not 'rush to try and snap back.' Coming to her longtime pal's defense, Chrissy Teigen slipped into a shapewear set and cheekily began a series of videos by saying, ''Hi guys, actual pregnant person here!' Candid: She continued: 'When you're pregnant and you're sitting down a lot, or on bed rest like me, you tend to just sit there, and if you're wearing regular, basic a** underwear, all it does is roll inside of folds, I didn't even know I had' 'Just wanting to show you and maybe talk a little bit about what pregnancy shapewear is. Basically, the reason I love pregnancy shapewear is because it stops all the folds of my vagina and stomach from eating all other times of underwear,' she said, while standing in her expansive bathroom. She continued: 'When you're pregnant and you're sitting down a lot, or on bed rest like me, you tend to just sit there, and if you're wearing regular, basic a** underwear, all it does is roll inside of folds, I didn't even know I had.' 'It rolls up in there, and doesn't even look like I have underwear on,' she explained. 'Most importantly this is not about creating a body we don't know we have. Like, we're not trying to do anything to trick you, we're pregnant.' 'I will say: I wish we could just Normalize just focusing on the inside of a pregnant body, not the outside,' the Good Place star, 34, wrote in an Instagram post Body advocate: She added: 'You don't need your shape corrected or hidden. You don't need an even more awkward obstacle between you and a piss. You just need to try and ride with this miracle and do your best to be as happy/comfortable as is possible within your circumstances. Pregnancy is hard enough, with enough worries already' (seen in January) As she continued to list her reasons for wearing shapewear, Teigen pointed out she was just trying to make herself feel good at a time, which she says 'can be really challenging.' 'What's the big deal?' she asked, while clarifying she wants to wear underwear that stretches over her belly, feels good and is soft. 'If you don't like it, don't wear it.' She reiterated that maternity solutionwear isn't designed to hide pregnancy chuckled at the idea that pregnant women would think the garments would make them look 'smaller.' Mixed reception: Kim Kardashian, 39, unveiled a new line of Skims maternity shapewear on Saturday, but some social media users were upset by the clothing 'It feels easier to get up,' the cookbook author said, before noting she is 'one thousand percent not trying' to make herself 'smaller. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star first shared the news of her new line on Instagram with an array of pregnant women in different styles and shades of her product. 'What youve been waiting for: @SKIMS Maternity is coming soon! Introducing Maternity Solutionwear that offers the best in comfort and support for your changing body during and after pregnancy,' Kim captioned the ad. Coming soon: Kim noted the maternity line would be available on Wednesday, September 16, and would come in nine different colors; pictured in November 2019 in Santa Monica The reality star noted the maternity line would be available on the Wednesday, September 16, and would come in nine different colors. Her Skims Instagram account also featured some closeups of the pregnancy clothing, with models caressing their baby bumps. In addition to a one-piece set, the look also came with separate bras and full-length leggings or shorts. Closer look: Her Skims Instagram account also featured some closeups of the pregnancy clothing, with models caressing their baby bumps Some of the clothing advertised was functional, including the Maternity Nursing Sculpting Bra with easy-to-open clasps to make it easier to nurse. Crucially, all of the maternity bodysuits advertised 'non-compressive cores,' so as not to apply pressure on the stomach. In her Insta Stories, Kim showed off the new clothing and revealed that the new Skims still had 'butt-shaping' designs, but that a thinner fabric was used over the midriff 'so its not compressing on your stomach which is really important because you obviously dont want to do that.' 'But you want to shape everything else around it,' she said. 'If only there were cute bras like this that were holding you up and snatching you and making you feel better about yourself while you can breastfeed that would have been everything to me,' Kim continued while perusing her items. 'I never wore a maternity bra because there was nothing out there, so this was really important to me.' Despite those practicalities, many social media users questioned why pregnant women needed to be sculpting their physiques at all. Unnecessary: Another person offered a more sarcastic take: 'I'm sure that's the one thing pregnant women need above all! Being pressed to a slimmer figure' '.... shape wear for pregnant bodies... what the f*** is this???' wrote one outraged Twitter user. Another person offered a more sarcastic take: 'I'm sure that's the one thing pregnant women need above all! Being pressed to a slimmer figure.' But plenty of others seemed excited about the new development, with one person admitting, 'I'm getting this and I'm not even pregnant.' In fact, users have been commenting on Kim's past Skims-related posts throughout recent months asking if a maternity line would be forthcoming, and multiple pregant women had expressed disappointment that they didn't have the same options available to them. Not a fan: Despite those practicalities, many social media users questioned why pregnant women needed to be sculpting their physiques at all Kim's new items arrive following news that her long-running series Keeping Up With The Kardashians will be coming to an end it 2021 with its 20th season, which just began filming. Page Six reported Saturday that the decision to pull the plug came from Kris Jenner, after both Kim and her younger sister Kylie Jenner expressed a desire to leave the show. Kim's older sister Kourtney Kardashian had already quit before the most recent season, though her former partner Scott Disick and her sister Khloe Kardashian were both reportedly interested in continuing the series. - The Ministry of Health raised concern over the increasing number of positive cases in Mombasa and Turkana counties - Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi urged citizens to exercise caution even as the country continues to report lower numbers of positive cases - Mwangangi said Nairobi was still leading with the highest attack rate of 454.6%, Mombasa with 215.4% while the country's average attack rate was 76% per 100,000 people - All the new cases recorded on Monday, September 14, were Kenyans and included 32 males and 17 females PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Kenya on Monday, September 14, recorded the lowest number of COVID-19 positive cases in over four months. Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi announced that out of the 1,081 samples tested over the past 24 hours, only 48 were positive pushing Kenya's cumulative count of the disease to 36,205. READ ALSO: My life is in danger: Senator Malala breaks down as he pleads for more security Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi. Photo: MoH. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Meru: Parents storm school, slaughter 2 bulls and share meat 45 recoveries from home-based care programme The number of samples examined was also the lowest in over the past four months. One hundred and seventy-six more patients, Mwangangi said, recovered from the disease raising the number of recoveries from April 1 to 23,243 from 23,067 recorded on Sunday, September 13. Forty-five of the recoveries were from the home-based care programme while 131 were discharged from health facilities. Some two more patients died pushing the death toll to 624. READ ALSO: Mbunge Oscar Sudi kulala korokoroni kwa siku 2 zaidi akisubiri uamuzi wa dhamana Mombasa has surged in cases Mombasa recorded the highest number of cases at 20 followed by Nairobi which registered 15 while Tharaka Nithi and Kiambu had four and two cases respectively. Kilifi had two cases and Meru (two) while Machakos, Homa Bay and Wajir had a single case each. The CAs, however, noted that Mombasa, which had earlier shown a downward trend in infections was showing an upward growth in the number of cases. "Mombasa and Turkana counties, that were on a downward trend, have begun to shoot up in COVID-19 positive cases. While this might seem like a surge, we have set up a team to find out why that is happening," the medic said. CAS Mercy Mwangangi urged citizens to avoid congregating in crowded places. Photo: MoH. Source: UGC READ ALSO: MultiChoice announces launch of a new pop-up channel tlnovelas Disease still around Director-General Health Patrick Amoth, who insisted that it not yet time to celebrate despite the low number of cases revealed that Kenya had a recovery rate of 64% against the global average of 72%. Amoth, however, linked the lower figure to slow reporting of recoveries from community health facilities. "Our recovery rate is at 64% compared to the global rate at 72%. Our reporting rate is lower than the global as we have to get data from the community level thus the lag. 486 patients are in various health facilities and 1,681 others under home-based care for COVID-19. The number of patients in our health facilities, the resilience of the healthcare system, the number of critical care cases will inform the positivity rate. Today we have 22 people in critical care, 15 on ventilatory support and seven on supplementary oxygen," said Amoth. 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 husband, my pain - Violet Andisi | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Australia is facing a rice shortage with the country predicted to run out of the domestically-grown product by Christmas. SunRice chief executive Rob Gordon warned families would soon be forced to eat rice imported from Vietnam as local supplies continued to dwindle. 'We are going to run out of Australian rice by Christmas,' he told The Daily Telegraph. Australia is facing a rice shortage with the country predicted to run out of the homegrown food staple by Christmas (pictured, COVID-19 panic buyers stripped supermarket shelves in March) SunRice, the country's biggest rice supplier, has lost more than $400 million in exports (pictured, SunRice factory at Leeton, in New South Wales' Riverina region) 'Our supply chains including Vietnam are a hedge against Australian shortages so we will still have rice products on the shelves but it will not be Australian rice.' Low rainfall, dry weather and COVID-19 panic buying have all been linked to the diminishing stock. SunRice, the country's biggest rice supplier, has lost more than $400million in exports. The company has also been forced to cut its 600 strong workforce by one third in the New South Wales Riverina region - one of the biggest rice producing parts of the country. The cutbacks come as the country records a poor harvest season for rice. Low rainfall and dry conditions have led harvesting figures to dip by more than 90 per cent since 2017. Last year, SunRice produced its second lowest rice crop. Only 54,000 tonnes of rice was harvested - compared to its regular 800,000 tonnes. Farmers have also blamed poor water allocation management on poor yields. Growers say they have received little to no access to irrigated water. 'Our rice industry, 98 per cent of which is grown in southern NSW, is at risk of collapse with the last two years of zero water allocations,' NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey said. 'While NSW was suffering through the worst drought on record, and our communities were living on zero general security allocations, South Australia was running the Lower Lakes at a minor flood level and released over 600,000 megalitres out over the barrages into the Southern Ocean. COVID-19 panic buying has been regarded as the breaking point for the rice industry. Shoppers stripped supermarket shelves bare of rice products, toilet paper and pasta in March. Around the same time, experts sounded the alarm the frenzied shopping would only add further strain to the rice industry. SunRice warned the demand was exceeding 'supply capability'. The frenzied shopping forced prime minister Scott Morrison to phone the Vietnam president. He reportedly made the call to ensure an Australian-owned factory in the country would be able to continue to export its rice to Australia despite closed borders. Turkish hyper-activity reverberates throughout the Middle East By Lenny Ben-David and Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser In recent months, Turkey has increased its efforts to enhance its position as a regional power following in the path of the Ottoman Empire, adopting daring measures that border on megalomania at home, in the region, and internationally. These steps reflect President Recep Tayyip Erdogans worldview that sees himself all at the same time as the sultan of a resurgent empire, the leader of a modern and powerful Turkish nation, and an Islamic leader according to the correct theological interpretation, which he sees as that of the Muslim Brotherhood. He views himself as the pillar of the Brotherhood in the region. This weltanschauung places Erdogan as the leader of the return to the Ottoman Empires glory days and protector of Muslims against the plots of local and regional enemies (such as the Turkish dissident leader Fethullah Gulen, pragmatic Muslims led by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), and foreign foes (Greece, Israel, Europe, and the United States). A video with distinct nationalistic themes was recently broadcast by the Turkish Ministry of Information. The film is entitled, The Red Apple [kizil elma], which is a Turkish cultural concept describing Turkeys ambition to achieve superpower status or some far-reaching goal no matter the sacrifice. Turkish policies reflect the official interpretation of the Red Apple and its implementation on a broad range of fronts. Playing to Turkish and Islamic audiences, Erdogans crowning moment in the video was the transformation of the historic Hagia Sophia church (built in 537 CE in Constantinople/Istanbul) from a museum to a mosque on July 10, 2020, and his arrival for Friday prayers there on July 24. It was a show of power domestically and to the Christian world. The move was also to serve as a boost for Turkish patriotism and Islamic adherence. Beyond the context of Turkeys religious battles in Istanbul, the Turkish video also displays a troubling appetite for Jerusalem and Saudi Arabias holy sites in Mecca and Medina. The first screenshot below shows the holy Kaaba in Mecca; the second shows the green dome over Muhammeds grave in Medina, and the last shot of the video shows the Temple Mount with al-Aqsa Mosque on it. Indeed, Erdogan ended a speech on July 10, 2020, saying that the revival of the Hagia Sophia as a mosque is ushering the news for the liberation of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Erdogans Adventures The following are some of the bold steps Turkey has recently taken: Facing growing economic hardships, Turkey announced the discovery of a massive gas field in the Black Sea, which will ensure a bright and independent economic future and a robust international standing economically. Turkey continues to project its power to its Arab neighbors, particularly Syria and Iraq, in order to restrain the Kurds and strengthen radical Islamic forces who are battling against opponents supported by Iran and Russia, or the United States. Regionally, Erdogans alliance with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, stands out. This places Erdogan in a confrontation with parties of the pragmatic Islamic camp, headed by Egypt and the Emirates, and indirectly with Russia, which supports his rival Marshal Khalifa Hafter of the Libyan National Army. Turkeys alliance with Libyas Sarraj comes at a time of conflict over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean that Erdogan launched against Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt, who are supported by France, Italy, and the Emirates. Erdogans agreement with Sarraj on the division of the economic zones of the sea between Turkey and Libya, ostensibly in reaction to an Israeli-Greece-Cyprus agreement on a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe, has led to growing military tensions. France, Italy, the Emirates, and Israel have rallied to assist Greece. In the Persian Gulf, where Qatar is at odds with the Emirates and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Turkey has allied itself with Qatar. Some 5,000 Turkish soldiers are stationed in Qatar to help Doha protect itself and deter enemies. A sizeable Turkish base is being built in the state. In 2019, Erdogan named the base after one of Mohammeds famous military commanders in the seventh century, Khalid bin Walid. In an account in the Persian press, a new base will be inaugurated for the Qatar-Turkey Combined Joint Force Command adjacent to the Tariq ibn Ziyad camp. [Tariq was a 7th-century Islamic general who captured Gibraltar, originally called Jabal Tariq, Tariqs mountain.] Turkey has sent forces to the Horn of Africa region as well, particularly to Somalia, and to a lesser degree, to Djibouti. Some 200 Turkish sailors/soldiers are in Mogadishu. Turkey has also leased the Sudanese port of Suakin on the Red Sea, once a major Ottoman Port. For the United States, Turkeys military acquisitions present a problem. Erdogans determination to acquire Russias advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missile system forced the United States to cancel a deal to supply F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft to Turkey. Turkey also keeps close relations with Iran in a way that undermines the U.S. economic sanctions. On September 8, 2020, Erdogan and Rouhani led a joint leadership meeting aimed at widening the economic relations between the two countries. S-400 air defense missiles arrived from Russia in Ankara in July 2019. (Turkish Defense Ministry) Turkey also displays considerable hyper-activity in Palestinian and Israeli issues. Turkey stands in solidarity with Hamas, Turkeys partner and protege in the Muslim Brotherhood camp. Erdogan met on August 23, 2020, with Hamas leadership and granted Turkish citizenship and passports to a dozen Hamas activists, including convicted terrorists. At the same time, Turkey is happy to provide support for the entire Palestinian governance. It is making its presence known in Jerusalem, both in the Islamic and economic sense, thereby challenging the traditional positions of Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the city. Turkish activities center on the al-Aqsa Mosque. The bellicose Turkish video mentioned above ends with a photo of the Temple Mount. (The Ottomans, of course, lost control of Jerusalem to the British in 1917.) The American peace plan and the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which both weaken the Palestinians bargaining ability, drew rage in Ankara. Turkey leveled fierce criticism even though it maintains diplomatic relations and a very extensive financial relationship with Israel, all the while trying to present itself as the Palestinians greatest supporter. Erdogans Strategic Advantages Turkish policies are under criticism for creating instability, for their pretentiousness and presumptuousness that do not always match Turkeys real power or its few accomplishments, which actually show the limits of Erdogans power. But one should not underestimate President Erdogans ability to utilize Turkeys strategic assets to advance his challenging strategy. Erdogan recognizes these assets at his disposal: Turkeys unique geo-strategic position as the link between Europe and the Middle East and as the bridge over which a large part of the Middle East refugees reach Europe. The European nations fear of waves of more refugees makes them vulnerable and potential extortion targets; it weakens their bargaining ability with Turkey, despite the growing criticism of Erdogans policies. A large population of Turkish ex-pats in Europe has dual Turkish-European citizenship and is located in key countries in Europe, particularly Germany. It is clear to Erdogan that even if European countries increase their criticism of Turkeys provocation of Greece, a member of the EU, Turkey can presume that Germany will prevent the imposition of any significant sanctions on Ankara. Turkeys situation as a member of NATO, especially the only Muslim and Middle Eastern country in the alliance, requires the Wests vigilance in reacting to Erdogans whims. Turkeys military strength gives it an advantage against any of its neighbors and in any course of action. Turkey, for instance, has a clear advantage in the naval order of battle against Greece. Turkey has the political boldness and the readiness to invest military and economic assets to further its policies against other countries and players, many of whom are reluctant and hesitant to set clear limits on Turkeys actions for various reasons. Notable examples are Europe and the Christian world, who barely responded to the change of the status of the Hagia Sophia shrine, and Israel, who refused to respond to Turkish provocations and agreed to solve the Mavi Marmara ship crisis by acceding to most of Turkeys demands, to placate the United States and prevent harm to economic ties with the Turks. The apparent American interest expressed in both political parties to minimize military commitments in conflicts of secondary importance to the United States and the need to preserve freedom of action for U.S. aircraft based in the Turkish Incirlik airbase restrains American ability to act against Turkey Limited Achievements Despite these strategic advantages, the data and statistics of the global and regional arena do not indicate Turkish achievements; rather, they reflect Ankaras limited and accurate weight: At home, the regime is facing acute economic difficulties that have led to a significant drop in the value of the Turkish lira. With the continuing pressures created by the coronavirus, major damage hit the tourism sector. In addition, although Erdogans status is solid, the political situation is uncomfortable for him, as his opponents have won in some of the local elections. In the regional arena, the pragmatic camp has been strengthened because of the agreement between Israel and the Emirates. This allows Israel to back this camp more significantly than in the past. At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood continues to weaken, both due to the agreement and because the parties representing the movement in Jordan and Egypt were outlawed. Turkeys allies in the region are suffering from weakness. This can be said both about the Palestinians who are at an unprecedented nadir and about the Government of National Accord in Libya that almost disintegrated recently and remained alive only because of Turkish intervention. Turkish pretensions in the Palestinian context, including the attempt to gain status in Jerusalem and in the al-Aqsa Mosque, currently have produced no tangible results. In the face of the mobilization of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia to halt Turkish moves in Libya, and with France, Italy, and the UAE mobilizing to defend Greece from Turkish threats, Erdogan must recalculate his steps and recognize the limitations of his power. The United States is willing to deal with the Turkish provocations only to a certain extent, and the cancellation of the F-35 deal was evidence of that. In addition, against the background of Moscows sharp reaction to the downing of the Russian plane by Turkey in 2015, Russia also restricts Turkeys freedom to act in northern Syria, given Moscows commitment to the survival of its ally, Assad. So what is Turkeys next step? The Red Apple video exposes the depth and roots of Erdogans aspirations for hegemony in the region. As any regional bully, Erdogan will not hesitate to expand his control and influence vis-a-vis those who are willing to bow down to him or those who, out of their weakness and ideological affinity to the Muslim Brotherhood, are ready to ask for his support in promoting their interests and are ready to pay by allowing Erdogan to gain a foothold and economic benefits. On the other hand, when Erdogan is met with determination and willingness to set clear boundaries, he will try to avoid confrontation because, deep in his heart, he is aware of the limitations of his power. Thus, the policy that the EU will adopt towards Turkey at the expected meeting of the EU heads of states on September 23, 2020, will determine to a large extent how Turkey will act in regard to Greece in the conflict over oil exploration rights. The same is true for the other friction areas in which Turkey is involved. Israel is perceived by Erdogan as a powerful rival that threatens Turkish and Islamic interests and promotes an ideology opposite to that of Turkey. This can be seen, among other things, through Israel joining the pragmatic Sunni camp in the region, led by the Emirates, Turkeys sworn rival that does not hesitate to confront Turkey in every arena, including Libya, the eastern Mediterranean, Qatar, the Palestinian camp, and Saudi Arabia the ultimate destination of Turkish hegemonic aspirations. That can also be seen in the video, which presents images of the Kaaba in Mecca, Mohammeds grave in Medina, and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Turkish provocation against Israel is unrestrained and is reflected in the Turkish opposition to Israels normalization of ties with the Arab world, its attempts to thwart the plan to lay a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe, and, of course, in its championing the Palestinians cause including that of the radical and murderous Hamas. At the same time, Erdogan recognizes Israels military and political power (especially its relations with the United States, Europe, and Russia) and realizes that without relations with Israel, its ability to intervene in the Palestinian system would diminish. Turkey also recognizes the importance of diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. That is why Erdogan avoided irreversible moves that would damage his countrys diplomatic relations. To prevent Erdogan from provocations against Israel, it must be made clear to him the limits to the actions that Israel is willing to tolerate. Legitimate criticism and political disagreements are certainly within the allowable limit, while harming Israels vital interests and aiding terrorist organizations may lead to a determined Israeli response. Lenny Ben-David is the Jerusalem Centers Director of Publications. Ben-David served 25 years in senior posts in AIPAC in Washington and Jerusalem. He served as Israels Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy in Washington D.C. He is the author of the American Interests in the Holy Land Revealed in Early Photographs (Urim Publications). Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is Director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center. He was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs and head of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence. Home Dr Balazs Szanto from Webster University Thailand (Photo: VNA) Bangkok As Chair of ASEAN 2020, Vietnam made the response to COVID-19 a top priority of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM 53) and related meetings, according to Dr Balazs Szanto from Webster University Thailand. He said the bloc needs a common approach that is acceptable to all sides involved and takes into consideration the benefits of member nations. At the event, economic and trade cooperation also received a significant attention, he noted, adding that it is key to economic recovery of the region after it has been hit by the pandemic and a global economic downturn. Regarding the security matter, the Dr said Vietnam is holding an important role as a party claiming territorial sovereignty in the East Sea. By leading ASEAN, the nation has the conditions to push for the formation of a stronger common voice of the bloc on the issue, he stressed. According to him, in the Joint Communique of the AMM 53, ASEAN reiterated its commitment to building a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) and respecting and sustaining the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Based on current developments, he said the bloc is likely to push for an effective COC and apply it practically. The expert highlighted Vietnams positive initiatives as the ASEAN Chair, adding that they place regional economic recovery at the centre. Despite COVID-19 impacts, member nations have overcome challenges and gradually built a common response mechanism for an unprecedented difficulty by setting up a regional fund for COVID-19 response as well as boosting cooperation on health and regional linkage. Intra-bloc connection is a priority in Vietnams agenda this year, he said, adding that in spite of the pandemic's impacts, ASEAN has demonstrated its solidarity. He went on to say the crisis is an opportunity for the bloc to prove its central role and show its true value in regional cooperation and development matters. Visitors wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk while maintaining social distancing in Seoul, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) The Seoul city government on Monday announced a plan to extend a ban on rallies of 10 or more people to next month in line with the country's continued fight against the new coronavirus. South Korea also eased enhanced antivirus curbs that had been in place in the capital area Monday. For the next two weeks, eateries are permitted to operate normally as long as they strictly follow certain measures, such as keeping entry logs and abiding by sanitary rules. The government, however, said it will set the two weeks starting Sept. 28 as a special period for strong nationwide antivirus efforts since early October is expected to be "the biggest challenge" to curbing COVID-19 cases in the second half of the year. The city's decision to extend the ban on rallies to midnight on Oct. 11 is in line with the designation of the special period. Hyderabad, Sep 14 : Hyderabad Police on Monday booked three men in the suicide case of Telugu television actor Kondapalli Sravani, who hanged herself last week. The police announced the arrest of Sai Krishna Reddy, listed as accused number one, and Devaraj Reddy, accused number three, for abetment to suicide while the accused number two, film producer Ashok Reddy, is yet to be taken into custody. Police said all the three accused were possessive about her. Announcing the breakthrough in the case, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A.R. Srinivas said all the accused at some point of time had promised to marry her and were also harassing her citing her relationship with others. The 26-year-old actor, who is known for her work in Telugu serials like 'Manasu Mamata' and 'Mounaragam', hanged herself at her apartment in Madhuranagar in Hyderabad on September 8. The officer said that Sravani, who came to Hyderabad in 2012 with an ambition to work in TV serials, developed friendship with Sai Krishna Reddy in 2015. In 2017, she came in touch with producer Ashok Reddy, who offered her a small role in a Telugu film. They also developed friendship. In August 2019, the actor came in contact with Devaraj Reddy and they became friends. Angry over Sravani's friendship with Devaraj, both Sai Krishna Reddy and Ashok Reddy influenced her family to force her to stay away from him. They and Sravani's family were harassing her. After learning about Sravani's past relationship with Sai Krishna and Ashok, Devaraj had also distanced himself, sending her into depression. During her lengthy phone conversation with Devaraj before dying by suicide, Sravani said she was taking the extreme step because of the harassment by Sai Krishna Reddy, Ashok Reddy and her family members. "She did not blame Devaraj but we have included him as an accused as he had gone back on the promise to marry her and thus became a part of her harassment," he said. Devaraj had also lodged a police complaint against Sravani's family in the past alleging that they were harassing him. A counter complaint was lodged by Sravani, alleging that he was stalking her. However, they later became friends again. The police are investigating if Sai Krishna Reddy was using Sravani's intimate photographs to harass and force her to continue the relationship. Sai Krishna Reddy was financially helping Sravani's family and hence they kept quiet about his activities. The DCP said the actor's parents were not included as accused as they belong to the victim party. New data shows Chinas investment plunged from $3.5bn to $1.8bn last year, following two previous years of decline. Chinese investment in Australia almost halved in 2019, according to new data, as relations between the countries deteriorated. Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) said on Monday Chinese investment plunged from 4.8 billion Australian dollars ($3.5bn) to just 2.5 billion Australian dollars ($1.8bn) last year. Professor Peter Drysdale, who led the data research, said the 1.43-billion-Australian-dollar ($1.04bn) purchase of infant formula producer Bellamys Australia by Chinas Mengniu Dairy accounted for more than half of that investment. It was the third consecutive year that Chinese investment in Australia dropped since peaking at 15.8 billion Australian dollars ($11.5bn) in 2016. The steep fall far outpaced a global decline in Chinas overseas ventures of 9.8 percent last year, reflecting the bilateral political tensions, Drysdale said. [In] the last few years, clearly Chinese investors have found the investment environment in Australia less certain and have been more cautious, he told AFP news agency. In June, Australia announced stricter measures to block or overturn new foreign investments deemed to compromise national security a move widely viewed as an effort to limit growing Chinese influence. The country has barred Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from being an important player in its 5G network rollout, citing concerns about its relationship with state security agencies, a decision that riled Beijing. Drysdale said structural changes were also partly to blame, with Chinese investors retreating from mining and resources as the commodity boom weakened. Modest gains While Chinese investment in Australian real estate and agriculture also fell in 2019, the ANU researchers found some modest gains in the construction, education and finance sectors. Drysdale said it was important for Australia to consider how to reverse the continuing downward trend because foreign investment plays a key role in supporting economic growth and trade. Whether that can be changed quickly or not is another question altogether because it very much depends on how purposeful [an] approach there is to mending the relationship between the two countries, he said. Sino-Australian relations have deteriorated in recent months after a series of diplomatic spats. Beijing was particularly angered by Canberras role in international calls for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which was first recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China Australias biggest trade partner has since imposed tariffs on Australian products from beef to barley and has discouraged Chinese students and tourists from heading to the country. Everything you need to know about skiing the Northeast this winter Whether you want to stay close to home or head north, here's everything you need to know about skiing or snowboarding in the Northeast and New York this season. More than 8,000 doctors fear a second peak of coronavirus is imminent in the next six months, a medical poll has revealed today. A survey suggests a second peak is the number one concern among medics who want to avoid a return to the 'horror and tragedy' of the pandemic's early days. The British Medical Association (BMA) poll found that 86% of more than 8,000 doctors and medical students in England said that a second peak was likely or very likely in the next six months. When asked about the impact of measures to help prevent a second peak, doctors said that a fit for purpose test and trace system that is accessible and provides timely results, as well as a coherent, rapid and consistent approach to local outbreaks were the two most important. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman (pictured), said: 'We, as a profession, want above all to avoid a return to the scenes we saw in April, when hospitals were full with Covid-19 patients, and hundreds were dying every day' Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the R number - the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission - climbed above one As Britain stands on the brink of lockdown Mark II: Police last night cracked down on young revellers hitting the booze before Boris Johnson's new six person limit to social gatherings kicked in today; Nightingale hospitals 'have been put on standby' and the nation warned to adhere to the Prime Minister's new rules or face another full lockdown; The Government's 'world-beating' testing system is in 'chaos' with a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is dispatching the samples to Italy and Germany to deal with the strain; Six West End theatres say they'll reopen next month with temperature checks at the doors, face masks and socially-distanced seating; Tory donors have urged the Government to protect the economy above all because without money there can be no healthcare. GPs are ordered to see patients face-to-face amid fears vulnerable people are having difficulty accessing doctors during the pandemic Health bosses have ordered GPs to see more patients in person, with only half of appointments currently taking place face to face. All practices will today receive a letter warning them that many patients are experiencing difficulty in accessing their GP. The letter instructs family doctors to remind all patients that they can come in for appointments if they need to - and warns them not to send people to A&E instead. GPs are told to put up posters, record new answer phone messages and send text messages making clear that practices are open and will welcome patients visits. It is the second time in two months that NHS bosses have had to issue a reminder to GP practices about the importance of welcoming patients in person. At the end of July GPs were warned that failure to offer appropriate face-to-face appointments would be considered a breach of their contract. Between March and July only half of all consultations took place in person, with the remainder taking place over the phone or via video calls. Experts are increasingly concerned that low numbers of physical medical examinations during the Covid pandemic will inevitably have led to delayed diagnosis of serious conditions such as cancer and diabetes. Childhood vaccination rates have also dropped as parents have been reluctant to take their children to GP surgeries for fear of exposing them to coronavirus infection. Advertisement They also highlighted the need for clearer public information and more visible messaging on rules and guidelines, including those on people mixing with others from outside their household. As the 'rule of six' comes into force today, the BMA said this is an opportunity for the Government to end ambiguity and double down on ensuring people are adhering to infection control measures. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman, said: 'These results come from thousands of GPs and hospital doctors and expose the fears of frontline clinicians - fears that come from their everyday experiences of treating patients with Covid and watching, the first time round, as the virus spread with alarming speed while the Government delayed efforts to overcome it. 'We, as a profession, want above all to avoid a return to the scenes we saw in April, when hospitals were full with Covid-19 patients, and hundreds were dying every day. 'Meanwhile, thousands of others missed out on vital appointments and procedures as routine care was put on hold.' He said that while the forecast in this survey may be bleak, it is not an inevitability if the Government takes 'decisive, robust and timely action to stamp down the spread of the infection'. Dr Nagpaul added: 'Over recent weeks and months, we have seen the failures of test and trace and ongoing confusing messages to the public on what they can and cannot do, which have resulted in escalation of the virus spreading - these have both been highlighted by doctors as key priorities to get right if we are to stand a chance of preventing a second peak this winter.' He said Monday's new measures may be an attempt to simplify the message and increase enforcement, but said 'it is clear that fundamental other issues urgently need to be tackled'. Dr Nagpaul said: 'This includes sorting out the test and trace debacle once and for all. 'It is unacceptable that people and contacts with the infection are not being identified due to failings in the system - which is resulting in the infection spreading blindly. 'With daily cases still alarmingly high, and winter just around the corner, we are at a critical crossroads in the fight against this deadly virus. 'All efforts must be made to avoid a repeat of the horror and tragedy we all experienced earlier this year.' Officials will be hoping the warm and sunny weather forecast for today does not encourage people to gather in groups in outdoor spaces. Temperatures as high as 29C (84F) are expected in some parts, according to the Met Office. The Government said that as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 3,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the R number - the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission - climbed above one. According to Government advisers, the last time R was above one was in early March. Revellers hit the bars after parks and beaches were packed on last day in the sun before new 'Rule of 6' coronavirus crackdown - as ministers consider shielding for 4.5m 'at risk' and 10pm pub curfew because 'young people forget the rules' Britons enjoyed a final group pint together last night ahead of the new 'rule of six' coronavirus crackdown hitting today. People met outdoors in drinking spots across the UK's cities before the hard-line restrictions were put into place at midnight. Leeds and London saw revellers mount a last hurrah with the warm weather providing fine conditions for the social gatherings. The final countdown: Drinkers realised Sunday could be their last big night out so made the most of the evening In Brighton, beachgoers were seen dotted all over the sand as the warm weather brought people out in their droves Young men and women took the weekend to be the last chance to party before hardline rules were introduced by the PM England records one more Covid-19 death in hospital in preliminary toll as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland record no new victims England today announced one more Covid-19 death in hospitals but no new fatalities were recorded in the preliminary toll for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Health officials have yet to confirm the final daily death toll, which includes victims in all settings in England and not just patients who have succumbed to the virus in NHS-ran hospitals. NHS England said the unidentified victim, who was in their 80s, was being treated at a hospital in Bradford and died yesterday, Sunday, September 13. Five coronavirus deaths were confirmed yesterday as well as three last Monday. Eleven patients are dying each day, on average down from the 1,000 fatalities recorded daily during the worst of the crisis in April. Government figures show deaths have yet to spike in line with soaring cases, which have doubled in the space of ten days. But it can take patients several weeks to succumb to the illness, meaning deaths may not start to trickle through for another fortnight. More than 3,000 new cases are now being recorded each day, on average. But top experts insist the UK does not yet need to panic over the rising numbers because they are only a fraction of the 100,000-plus that occurred each day during the darkest period of the coronavirus crisis. Other scientists, however, say action is needed to prevent Britain being hit by another wave of the disease. Around 40,000 deaths were recorded in the UK during the first bout of pandemic. Advertisement Earlier in the day sun-soaked areas such as Bournemouth, Brighton and Nottingham were packed before the strict new regulations came in to tackle rising coronavirus infection rates. But it came as officials urged young people to heed their warnings and remember 'the importance of the rules' as the country's Covid case total continues to soar. Some 3,330 coronavirus cases were reported today - up 11 per cent from last Sunday. It follows 3,497 confirmed cases on Saturday and 3,539 cases on Friday. Meanwhile, a report has revealed that up to 4.5 million people most at risk from Covid will be instructed to stay at home under a new shielding plan based on health, age and weight. Letters with tailored advice are to be sent to individuals based on a new 'risk model' which will factor in underlying health conditions, age, sex and weight. It will be introduced first for areas with high rates of infection but a Whitehall source told The Sunday Telegraph 'if the rate is so concerning across the whole of England we are prepared to do it on a blanket basis.' Ministers are considering a 10pm curfew for pubs next week with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland warning that young people are 'forgetting the rules'. The controversial so-called 'rule of six' came in today, as the government tried to tackle rising coronavirus infection rates by restricting meetings both indoors and outdoors. Many chose to push the boat out while they still could and went out for a last hurrah before once again being constrained to friendship 'bubbles'. Ahead of the crackdown, Mr Buckland has warned the government could go even further next week and introduce curfews. He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday: 'I think that as you've seen we've been very prepared to move quickly where necessary and where the evidence points us. 'I think there's an issue about social occasions and social events and particularly young people getting together and enjoying themselves sometimes a bit too much and forgetting the importance of the rules. AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy International, an international sales and marketing company with a portfolio of luxury, master-planned residential, resort and active adult communities generating over $2 billion in sales revenue to date, has announced a new Builder & Developer Services affiliation with Keller Williams Worldwide, the world's largest real estate broker franchise, with more than 1,060 offices and 182,000 associates. The new expansion initiative introduces Legacy's developer and new-home market segment to Keller William's existing portfolio of luxury, land and commercial real estate property. Both companies are headquartered in Austin TX, further enhancing the new alliance. Keller Williams selected Legacy International for its success in providing world-class consulting, sales strategy and marketing expertise to developers looking to maximize their return on investment from building new home communities across the Americas. Demand for new homes has spiked 20 percent over the past year, thanks to regional population growth, the burden of buying older homes saddled with wear and tear, weather conditions, and families and millennials most recently driven by the pandemic to seek new homes away from dense urban centers. Legacy's network of developers will have immediate access to Keller Williams large referral network of 182,000 agents and its technology platform, known as the Keller Cloud Innovator Program ("KCIP"). Keller Williams collaborates with leading technology companies such as Dotloop to enhance real estate business operations via the Keller Cloud, a proprietary, AI-fueled real estate platform for Keller Williams agents. "I'm proud to align Legacy International with the world's most successful real estate firm and its entrepreneur and accomplished leader, Gary Keller, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Keller Williams," says Philip Jalufka, Legacy International's founder and CEO. "This powerful combination of builder and developer professionals with world-class strategic partners will transform our industry, providing both our teams with enormous distribution, specialty training and resources and ultimately enhancing the consumer experience." "I'm excited to be in business with Legacy International. It's not often you get to go into business with a group like Legacy. You're an amazing group of people, your goals are amazing, the way that you treat people and the way you go about doing your work is amazing and it's an honor to be in business with you," says Gary Keller, Keller Williams Realty CEO. Jason Abrams, VP of Industry at Keller Williams Realty, added: "With an annual rate of 940,000 new home starts, Keller Williams recognizes the enormous opportunity available to agents who pursue this market. Our commitment to arm our agents with the tools they need to meet today's consumer needs is a natural alignment with Legacy International." The expansion of Keller Williams and Legacy International further empowers market expertise of local franchises and new KW sales agents, builder and developer participation and the rise in new home sales opportunities for KW Market Centers -- enhancing franchise value and overall revenue potential. The process will begin with the successful completion of agent and/or franchise BDR Certification (Builder Developer Realtor Certification) through Legacy International's training system. The BDR Certification recognizes a KW agent's credibility and valuable new skillsets, offering greater potential to maximize opportunities within the growth initiative and ultimately enhance the customer experience and brand awareness for both Keller Williams and Legacy International. To learn more about the initiative, please click on www.LegacyKW.com. Legacy International is an international sales and marketing company with a portfolio of luxury, master-planned residential, resort communities generating over $2 billion in sales revenue to date. Founded in 2007, the company provides a suite of services, including development, design, construction and sales for active adult, luxury residential, resort and metropolitan master plan communities. From the original concept design to final build out, Legacy brings an unparalleled level of detail to every community. Legacy Performance Capital (LPC) was recently launched to further capitalize on residential development opportunities. The new asset management firm quickly grew the various Legacy Communities from two assets to its current six assets, with several more in the pipeline, slated to be worth some $400 million at full build-out. LPC plans to resource six real estate ventures per year -- opportunities that will achieve return rates exceeding 25%. For more information, visit legacyirp.com. Keller Williams Worldwide is the world's largest real estate technology franchise by agent count with more than 1,060 offices and 182,000 associates. The franchise is also No. 1 in units and sales volume in the U.S. In 2015, Keller Williams began its evolution into a technology company, now building the real estate platform that agents' buyers and sellers prefer. Since 1983, the company has cultivated an agent-centric, technology-driven and education-based culture that rewards agents as stakeholders. For more information, visit kw.com. Media contact: Martin Elder, Media Relations Director, SweeneyVesty New York Tel: 646-645-7108; [email protected] SOURCE Legacy International Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) recently launched its new end-to-end digital service which allows individual establishments and Sijili customers to open and operate a corporate account using facial recognition via the Banks corporate mobile application, BisB Corporate Digital, in a few minutes. The launch of this latest corporate service completely eliminates the hassle of customers needing to physically visit the banks branches, providing the ultimate level of convenience and increased level of safety considering the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The launch of our latest digital service is a significant milestone for the Bank as the first Bank in Bahrain to offer end-to-end corporate account opening online in such a reduced time, and has established a new benchmark for the entire industry, opening up a whole new world of opportunity for our corporate division by providing an unparalleled level of convenience, said Wesam Baqer, Chief Corporate & Institutional Banking. This comes in line with our Simplification strategy at BisB, which seeks to push the boundaries of innovation by launching digitally-empowered solutions to provide a transformed customer experience by enabling businesses and corporates to swiftly go about their daily business with increased efficiency. We are confident this achievement will contribute towards strengthening the Kingdoms position as a leading financial and fintech hub in the region. This digital innovation goes beyond creating an improved experience for the Banks corporate customers by offering increased convenience through a simplified process and shorter time frame. The launch of this service will revolutionise finances for corporations in the Kingdom of Bahrain, because we can better cater to more diverse segments in a far more holistic manner, for the likes of aspiring entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, or Instagram-based businesses, he added. Combined with the power of being able to register for a Commercial Registration via the Kingdoms Virtual CR system, Sijili, this simplifies the process for any business that wants to start a new business in Bahrain, further contributing towards the growth of the Kingdoms budding entrepreneurial ecosystem. To ensure the highest level of security, customers are requested to upload a copy of their Identity Card once they sign up, using facial recognition as an added level of authentication. Once verified by the bank, customers can immediately apply for any of BisBs corporate products and services and enjoy a seamless banking experience at their convenience. TradeArabia News Service On Monday, the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka assembly Siddaramaiah sought strict action against those involved in drug peddling in the state. His statement comes a day after the Drug Mafia case of Karnataka took major twists and turns as the investigation progressed in the case. After Sandalwood, now drug mafia connections have found their way into political circles too. "See strict action has to be taken against anybody involved in drugs peddling. Let him belong to any field or any party or let him be powerful or famous but strict action has to be taken," said Siddaramaiah. Further responding to query on Congress MLA Zameer Khan's name allegedly being linked to the case, Siddaramaiah said that it's right to summon someone with evidence, however, the leader of the opposition added that taking anyone's name is a political gimmick. "If they have evidence let them summon him. Unnecessarily blaming him or others is not correct. If he is involved in any type like consuming, selling or organizing let them arrest him. Taking anyone's name is a political gimmick. Let them enquire with specific evidence. Summoning him after anyone like Sambargi takes name is not correct," added Siddaramaiah. READ: NCB widens crackdown on drug nexus, raids six locations in Mumbai and Goa Drug-nexus Links Reach Karnataka Netas Over Alleged JDS-Colombo Trip Self-claimed activist and celebrity manager Prashanth Sambargi spoke to Republic Media Network and alleged that actor Sanjana Galrani and Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan attended the event in Colombo, Sri Lanka. My allegation is not that actor Sanjjana and MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan were in the same flight or same hotel. My claim is that they attended that event. Clarifying his visit to Colombo at then JD(S) party meeting, former JDS MLA and sitting Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan claimed, "I did not say that I have never gone to Colombo or casinos. When in JD(S), I went there with HD Kumaraswamy and 26 MLAs. Barring Deve Gowda's son, HD Revanna and one more party MLA, all other party MLAs went there and went to casinos also. I go to Colombo once in a year or so, I go to Colombo and go to casinos. Is it illegal? I have not gone to Pakistan. As a matter of fact, most of the Karnataka legislators go to Colombo and go to casinos." READ: After Sandalwood, drug-nexus links reach Karnataka netas over alleged JDS-Colombo trip Sandalwood Drug Racket Meanwhile, all these developments come at the backdrop of the drug racket prevalent in the Kannada film industry - 'Sandalwood', which came to light when deceased journalist Gauri Lankesh's brother - Indrajit Lankesh revealed the involvement of certain actors in the drug menace. He named two actresses who were allegedly not being interrogated due to the supposed political connection. Police sources claim that drugs being supplied through the dark net was detected while raiding the places belonging to a few drug peddlers. Joint commissioner of police (CCB), Sandeep Patil, stated that a notice has been issued to Lankesh summoning him for questioning. Three alleged drug peddlers - M Anoop, Anikha D and R Ravindran have been arrested when NCB conducted raids in the city and seized drugs like LSD, MDM, ecstasy, cannabis worth Rs 1.25 crores which were being supplied to local youths. READ: Karnataka Home Min affirms resolve to strengthen crackdown against drugs & narcotics READ: NCB's '4 names at apex' of Sushant case drug nexus OUT; many more arrests likely (with inputs from ANI) John Cusack has denied sharing conspiracy theories that link the coronavirus pandemic with the ultrafast wireless technology 5G. The conspiracy theory has gained momentum throughout 2020, with Facebook groups and YouTube videos amplifying baseless claims that radio waves sent by 5G are responsible for the virus. Cusack was accused of further stoking the conspiracy on Twitter in April, when he claimed that 5G will be proven to be very, very bad for peoples health, adding: I got sources in [the] scientific community and medical. While Cusack did not specify Covid-19 as a symptom of the growth in 5G technology, and later deleted the tweet in question, many interpreted his tweet as a gesture to the conspiracy. Cusack has now denied the claims. I never equated 5G with the coronavirus, he told The New York Times. I said its not proven technology, and unproven technologies arent always tested before they take off. He continued: That was a hit I took, because Ive been critical of the Trump administration, critical about big tech. Sometimes youre going to get stoned for telling the truth. If you really tell the truth, theyll put you in jail. Then if you really tell the truth after that, theyll kill you. I can take small hits for telling the truth. But I dont think anybody thinks Im some partisan left-wing goon. Cusack, who will soon star in Amazons US remake of the Channel 4 series Utopia, also addressed an incident in which he shared an antisemitic cartoon on his Twitter. The tweet featured a Star of David alongside the quote: To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise. I thought they were saying something else with that image, Cusack said. That was a dumb error on my part. But I have 35 years of being on the side of social justice, so Im not worried about that. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up In May, Cusack was pepper sprayed by police and hit with a baton during a Chicago protest against police brutality. By Linda Sieg and Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a loyal aide to outgoing prime minister Shinzo Abe, won a landslide victory in a ruling party leadership election on Monday, paving the way for Japan's first change of leader in nearly eight years. Suga, 71, who has promised to continue Abe's main policies, said his big win would give him the backing to pursue his reform goals - including deregulation and breaking down bureaucratic silos - and that containing the novel coronavirus and reviving the economy were conditions for calling a snap general election. "As I got big support in numbers today, the environment in which I can pursue my policy agenda in a stable manner has been secured," Suga told a news conference. Suga won 377 votes out of 534 votes cast, and 535 possible votes, in the leadership election by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members of parliament and representatives of its 47 local chapters. Rival Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister, won 68 votes and ex-foreign minister Fumio Kishida got 89. Suga is virtually certain to be elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday because of the LDP's lower-house majority. He will serve out Abe's term as party leader through September 2021. Suga had emerged as frontrunner after Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, said last month he would resign because of ill health, ending nearly eight years in office. There is speculation Suga will call an election for the lower house of parliament as soon as next month to boost his chances of winning a full three-year term as LDP chief next year. A vote for the chamber must be held by late October 2021. SNAP ELECTION? But Suga sounded a cautious note. "What's important now is to contain the pandemic while also reviving the economy. I don't think we can immediately (dissolve the lower house) just because the pandemic is contained," Suga said. "That's a decision that must be made looking comprehensively at various factors." Story continues Suga has said he would continue Abe's signature "Abenomics" strategy of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and reforms while juggling the problems of COVID-19 and a slumping economy, and confronting longer-term issues such as Japan's ageing population and low birth rate. Japanese manufacturers remained pessimistic for a 14th straight month in September, a Reuters poll showed, underlining the challenges ahead. Suga, who has little diplomatic experience, faces geopolitical challenges such as building ties with the winner of the U.S. presidential election and balancing concern over China's maritime aggressiveness with bilateral economic interdependence. The son of a strawberry farmer from northern Japan, Suga has since 2012 been chief cabinet secretary, acting as Abe's top government spokesman, coordinating policies and keeping bureaucrats in line. "I was born as the oldest son of a farmer in Akita. Without any knowledge or blood ties, I launched into the world of politics, starting from zero - and have been able to become leader of the LDP, with all its traditions and history," said Suga, whose modest origins differ from many LDP lawmakers. "I will devote all of myself to work for Japan and its citizens," he said after the party vote. His image is more as a behind-the-scenes operator than a frontline leader but he rose in opinion polls after announcing his candidacy to succeed Abe. He won support from most LDP factions and won robust backing from LDP local chapters. Nikkei business daily reported Suga plans to re-appoint Taro Aso, the boss of the party's second biggest faction, as his deputy prime minister and finance minister, the same positions Aso currently holds. (This story corrects name in 9th paragraph to Suga) (Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Chris Gallagher and Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by William Mallard, Lincoln Feast, Gerry Doyle and Timothy Heritage) Robert Bacon Raised in the D.C. suburbs of Montgomery County, Maryland and D.C. socialite Robert Bacon of Luxury Properties & Interiors is no stranger to the Luxury market segment, with over 16 years in the industry. Haute Residence is pleased to welcome Robert Bacon to the exclusive Haute Residence Network as its representative in the Washington, D.C. luxury real estate market. Raised in the D.C. suburbs of Montgomery County, Maryland and D.C. socialite Robert Bacon of Luxury Properties & Interiors is no stranger to the Luxury market segment, with over 16 years in the industry. The journey began in 2004 for this soon to be Real Estate Broker (2008), Developer, and Property Manager who got his start as a real estate agent, which cultivated a passion to expand to his own company. 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Access all of this information and more by visiting http://www.hauteresidence.com A Delhi court on Monday sent former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid to 10 days in police custody,a day after his arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, for his alleged role in a conspiracy behind the February riots in the national capitals north-east district. Khalids counsel Trideep Pais told the court that his client was not in Delhi between February 23 and 26, when the riots took place; that he was opposed to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and not ashamed of his stand; and that the police were yet to produce evidence that Khalid had incited the protests. The court accepted the polices remand application on the grounds that the 33-year-old has to be confronted with a huge volume of technical data, and that he should be sent to custody so that an effective investigation can be carried out. Several activists and civil society members have opposed Khalids arrest on allegedly flimsy grounds, and have demanded to know why the police have taken no action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra, who was seen giving an inflammatory speech in north-east Delhi a day before the violence broke out on February 24. They also asked why other BJP leaders were not booked for speeches delivered during the run up to the Delhi elections just weeks before the riots. Nine retired IPS officers on Monday wrote to Delhis police commissioner SN Srivastava saying they were pained at police implicating anti-CAA protesters while letting off the hook all those who instigated violence and are associated by the ruling party. Though the letter did not mention any names, BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma were criticised at the time for speeches and slogans ahead of the Delhi elections. Mishra, who denies all charges, on Monday released a video congratulating the police for arresting Khalid and people like him, and likened the riots with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Delhi Police produced Khalid before additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat in a virtual hearing of the Karkardooma court on Monday afternoon. Special public prosecutor Amit Prasad said Khalid had to be confronted with documents that run into nearly 1.1 million pages and huge technical data. The judge allowed Khalids counsel to interact with his client for half-an-hour every day, while asking police officers to remain outside the audible range during the meetings. He also directed a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) to make arrangements for ensuring Khalids safety and security during the police remand after Pais raised concern over the safety of his client in case he is taken out of the police station. Fifty-three people were killed and around 400 injured in the north-east Delhi riots, which started as clashes between pro- and anti-CAA and protestors before acquiring a communal colour. The police contended that an examination of witnesses revealed that Khalid was coordinating between protest sites in Delhi in connivance with other radical groups. Further interrogation is needed in order to unearth deep-rooted conspiracy and to collect clinching evidence to nab/arrest the remaining conspirators behind these riots During the course of investigation, names of some more suspects have also cropped up and above named accused are required to be questioned at length about those suspects to obtain their exact particulars for further investigation, the police remand application said. Khalid was arrested at around 11pm on Sunday after 10 hours of questioning. He was arrested in a case registered by the special cell of Delhi Police that is probing a suspected larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. The case has been registered under stringent Sections, including 13, 16, 17 and 18 of the UAPA that pertain to unlawful activities, terrorist acts, raising funds for terrorist acts and conspiracy. Planned riots In the same case, police have arrested at least 11 others, including former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor former Tahir Hussain, activists Khalid Saifi, Safoora Zargar and Gufisha Khatoon, who are students of Jamia Millia Islamia, and Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, both JNU students and members of the womens collective Pinjra Tod. The police also alleged: The riots were planned to be happened during or prior to the visit of US President Donald Trump in February 2020. My son was targeted for participating in the protests held against the CAA and National Register of Citizens across the country, Khalids father, Sayed Qasim Rasool Ilyas said. Khalid has been named in multiple first information reports (FIRs) and charge sheets filed by police in the riots cases. Police have alleged that Khalid orchestrated the riots along with AAP councillor Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi, a member of the United Against Hate group. In least four charge sheets filed in city courts, the police have said that Khalid met the two men at the Shaheen Bagh protest site on January 8, during which they discussed a plan to orchestrate the riots. In a twitter post, advocate Prashant Bhushan criticised Delhi Police for arresting Khalid but not acting against Kapil Mishra. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Farmers son quietly rose to become the countrys presumptive 63rd prime minister after years as Abes loyal deputy. Japans governing party members have elected Yoshihide Suga as its new leader, making him all but certain to become the countrys next prime minister. Given the Liberal Democratic Partys (LDP) legislative majority, the current chief cabinet secretary is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote on Wednesday and succeed Shinzo Abe, who is stepping down as prime minister for health reasons. In an address to his party after his election win on Monday, Suga repeated his pledge to continue Abes policies when he becomes Japans 63rd prime minister. We cant afford to have a political vacuum, the 71-year-old said, citing the need to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. In order to overcome the crisis and give the Japanese people a sense of relief, we need to succeed in what Prime Minister Abe has been implementing, added Suga. This is my mission. Suga is widely expected to stay the policy course set out by his predecessor, maintaining Abes economic strategy a range of pro-growth stimulus policies known as Abenomics. Suga will carry on the vision Abe is handing over to him, said Takashi Ryuzaki, a political analyst and former journalist, told Reuters news agency. So there is no need for Suga to have his own vision. Yoshihide Suga (centre right) is announced the winner of the LDPs leadership contest in Tokyo on Monday. With him are outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (centre left), former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (left) [Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via Reuters] Uncle Reiwa For the past eight years, Suga has been the public face of the Abe administration as the governments top spokesman but kept a relatively low profile. He became better known to the public last year when he was the one to unveil the name of the new imperial era, Reiwa, 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 Japans sprawling bureaucracy to the prime minister office and taming factional rivalries within the LDP. 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 steadily rose through the ranks in local politics. I was born as the oldest son of a farmer in Akita [prefecture], Suga told party members. Without any knowledge or blood ties, I launched into the world of politics, starting from zero and have been able to become leader of the LDP, with all its traditions and history. When he announced his bid last week, Suga also spoke about growing up in a farming community. He was very quiet, said Hiroshi Kawai, a former high school classmate who still lives in Sugas hometown of Yuzawa and works as a local tour guide. He was someone you wouldnt 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 Japans busiest port. Given the LDPs legislative majority, Suga is expected to win Wednesdays parliamentary vote and become the 63rd prime minister [Eugene Hoshiko/AFP] During his time in local politics, Suga pushed an ambitious project to redevelop Yokohamas waterfront, according to Isao Mori, an author who published Sugas biography in 2016. In the eight years he spent in the city assembly, Suga rose to be known as Yokohamas shadow mayor, Mori said. Known for his relentless work ethic, Suga has said he begins most days at 5am, checking the news before doing 100 sit-ups and taking a 40-minute walk. 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 youre in now, Yusa said when asked about perceptions that Suga is more of a lieutenant than a leader. He doesnt try to stand out Yusa, now a local politician, said Suga always emphasised the importance of doing ones best no matter what the job. I think hes been able to remain in such a position without school ties or political faction because he doesnt try to stand out, he said. Under Abes first administration in 2006, Suga headed the internal affairs ministry, where he introduced a hometown tax programme, offering tax deductions for those who donate money to local municipalities. Matsushige Ono, who served as a vice minister under Suga, said the programme met fierce resistance from some bureaucrats, who opposed introducing a tax scheme without precedent. He continued to make his case because he saw how this would help rural communities, Ono said. 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 Tokyos alarm to investors. 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 is in frequent contact with Suga, said the new LDP leader has been particularly adept at navigating Japans 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 Abes health began to visibly falter, speculation grew over Sugas ambitions. And when Abe announced his resignation, Suga stood ready to fill his shoes. To meet the pressing need to better understand the prevalence, progression, and clinical impact of Alzheimer's disease among Mexican Americans, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has added funding for more biomarker measures, including positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, to the ongoing Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders (HABLE) Study. NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded new support that is expected to total $45.5 million over five years to the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth for the Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders-Amyloid, Tau, and Neurodegeneration (HABLE-AT(N)) Study. This combined investment and effort will help researchers better understand the health disparities of brain aging and Alzheimer's between Mexican Americans and non-Latino whites. To successfully battle and ultimately prevent or treat a complex disease such as Alzheimer's, we need to understand how this disease and other forms of dementia affect our nation's diverse communities differently. Measuring additional biomarkers in this population will provide important clues to guide approaches to target the right disease processes in the right people at the right time." Eliezer Masliah, M.D., Director, NIA Division of Neuroscience Launched in September 2017, the HABLE study has nearly completed recruitment of 1,000 Mexican Americans and 1,000 non-Latino whites, age 50 years and older, in the Fort Worth area. HABLE participants receive a functional exam, clinical labs, neuropsychological testing, bloodwork, and an MRI of the brain. The added funding for HABLE-AT(N) significantly expands the neuroimaging component of the study to include amyloid and tau PET. The researchers also plan to determine if traces of amyloid peptides (A40 and A42), tau, and neurofilament light (NfL) -- as well as exosomes in the blood -- can be used to screen across the spectrum of Alzheimer's, from asymptomatic to mild cognitive impairment and advanced stages of the disease. An additional benefit of HABLE and HABLE AT(N) will be the ability to better classify/categorize participants into groups by type of dementia and stage of the disease. This will help facilitate potential enrollment in future studies. The research teams for HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) consist of leading experts in Mexican American cognitive aging, neuroimaging, blood-based biomarkers, as well as advanced statistical modeling. Sid O'Bryant, Ph.D., professor and executive director of the HSC Institute for Translational Research, and professor in HSC's Pharmacology & Neuroscience unit, is the principal investigator for both efforts. Importance of underrepresented populations Developing a better understanding of how and why many diseases affect diverse communities in different ways is paramount in the search for treatments and prevention for Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. While studies suggest that dementia prevalence rates appear to be declining, most of this evidence is based on studies in non-Latino whites; it is largely unknown whether these trends extend to underrepresented populations. Projections from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the number of Latinos age 65 and older is expected to nearly quadruple by 2060, whereas, for the same age range, the number of non-Hispanic whites is expected to increase by about 23% and the number of Blacks will more than double. Because aging is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's, this means Latinos will face the largest increase in Alzheimer's cases of any racial/ethnic group nationwide -- about 3.5 million by 2060. Mexican Americans are the largest segment of the U.S. Latino population. "The scope and urgency of HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) is crucial for this underserved population," said Dallas Anderson, Ph.D., a program director in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of NIA's Division of Neuroscience. "Most importantly, it will help to clarify questions in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Mexican Americans." Informacion de salud -- http://www. nia. nih. gov/ espanol NIA recently updated its website with a new Spanish-language health information landing page: http://www. nia. nih. gov/ espanol. Current information is available on subjects such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, as well as clinical trials and other aging-related health topics. Reaching research goals NIA is committed to supporting studies on risk factors related to health disparities. A key part of the HABLE-AT(N) study is its alignment with the NIA-Alzheimer's Association Research Framework. This biological construct is based on three general groups of biomarkers: beta-amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration or neuronal injury (N). Also referred to as the AT(N) research framework, it is designed to facilitate better understanding of the disease process and the sequence of events that lead to cognitive impairment and dementia. HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) are also responsive to the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework. The new study is instrumental in making sure Alzheimer's biomarker studies are increasingly representative of the population. HABLE-AT(N) will provide a variety of biological, behavioral, environmental, and sociocultural data to examine the big picture of how Alzheimer's affects people throughout their lives. There will also be data to determine whether Mexican Americans experience the same Alzheimer's biomarker trajectory reported in past studies. HSC's Institute for Translational Research will also make the HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) data available to the scientific community to facilitate rapid scientific advancements, thereby meeting an NIA goal of open access to research data. The HABLE-AT(N) Study is funded by NIH grant R01AG058533-01A1. The HABLE Study is funded by NIH grant R01AG054073. NIA leads NIH's systematic planning, development, and implementation of research milestones to achieve the goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer's and related dementias. HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) demonstrate efforts toward the following milestones: The deadline to fill out the 2020 Census is fast approaching. The count comes every 10 years, and this time around its happening right in the middle of a global pandemic. As part of the weekly series MichMash, MLives Cheyna Roth and public radio station WDETs Jake Neher talk about why some local officials are scrambling to improve their response rates before September 30th. You can hear Neher and Roths full conversation on the player above. This years count is still underway, although a lot of national attention is now focused on other things, and has been for the past six months. But it is time to pay really close attention to the census right now, because people only have until the end of the month to fill out their census forms. There are multiple reasons its important for people to fill out the census forms, the big one being because of what it means for federal funding. The census will determine how much federal funding areas get for things like health care, roads and infrastructure, public safety and education and it will effect that funding for an entire decade. What residents do between now and the end of this month will have a huge impact that will last until 2030. Right now Michigan as a whole is actually on par with the rest of the nations response rate. Around 70% of households have filled out the census, but local officials in some cities and regions of the state are worried. Thats because their local response rates are very low. In the city of Detroit, for example, fewer than half of all households have filled out a census form and that has Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, very worried. Not only is Duggan worried because of the low response rate in the city, he told Detroit Todays Stephen Henderson, but also because of federal policy changes at the Census Bureau that are going to severely limit its ability to account for low response rates on the census. I dont have any confidence in any appeal process, he said. I think if we dont fill out these forms, you know, were gonna be really hurt. This is especially a problem in communities of color and in cities with large immigrant populations. Those are populations that have traditionally had low response rates to the census. Those communities are even harder to count this year for a lot of reasons, including fear of the Trump administrations immigration policies. But also the coronavirus, which has hit communities of color especially hard, Another concern, for cities especially, is about how this will affect political representation in Washington and in Lansing. Urban areas have for a long time lost political clout at the state Capitol and in Congress. And that clout is going more and more to suburban and rural areas. This census could speed up that shift in political power quite a bit. Cities like Detroit are now sending volunteers into the community to get the word out about the census and theyre doing what they can to educate residents about the importance of filling out the census. Theyre also trying to quell their fears about giving over that information. But theyve got a huge gap to make up in a very short period of time and that work is even harder because of the pandemic. If you havent filled out your census yet, you can do that right now at 2020 census.gov. More From MichMash: MichMash: Michigans marijuana industry still struggles with equality MichMash: Why the beach might look different this Labor Day weekend MichMash: How to make sure your vote is counted during a pandemic Getting out to clean up our communities is a wake-up call to all of us, one of the countrys leading bishops has said. Speaking on behalf of the Church of England, the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, praised the Great British September Clean. He said the environment is a core part of being a Christian and that the campaign coincides with the Churchs Season of Creation, which focuses on the natural world. Speaking on behalf of the Church of England, the Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith (pictured), praised the Great British September Clean His praise comes as the clean-up starts its first full week after being launched on Friday. Former environment secretary Michael Gove kicked off the campaign last week by clearing up rubbish in his Surrey Heath constituency. He was joined by an army of volunteers who turned out across the country to help clean up the country as part of the drive by the Daily Mail and Keep Britain Tidy. The push received backing from the CofE which looks after 16,000 churches and 42 cathedrals in England earlier this year. Church leaders were delighted to hear the event was still going ahead after being postponed due to the pandemic. Dr Smith said yesterday: Caring for the environment is a core part of being a Christian. It can be expressed in simply showing consideration for the natural world and thinking of others when it comes to disposing of our litter. Lets make our legacy a clean, green and pleasant land. He added: In my role as a member of the House of Lords I try to draw attention to the damage done by fly-tipping. It only takes a few moments in conversations with farmers and people who live in rural areas to hear of the ruinous consequences of this criminal act. The Great British September Clean is a wake-up call to all of us, reminding us that litter isnt just unsightly its a serious environmental hazard. He said this years campaign has the added advantage of coinciding with the Churchs Season of Creation, where parishes focus on climate change, environment, and the natural world. The clean-up had been set to take place in March and April. At the time, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (pictured) urged Christians to litter pick for Lent The clean-up had been set to take place in March and April. At the time, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged Christians to litter pick for Lent. For the first time, he called on worshippers to do something for the environment in place of more traditional gestures such as giving up chocolate or alcohol. As part of Green Lent he recommended church-goers go on a beach clean, or clean up a river or pond in their area. Speaking at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop said: We urgently need to rebuild our relationship with our planet. Whatever age you are, this Lent I hope youll engage with Gods plea for us to care for his creation, and that these campaign resources will help you on that journey. The Great British September Clean will run until Sunday, September 27. Boy, 6, who loves being a little picker... Determined to keep his hometown clean, six-year-old William Sharkey (pictured) rarely leaves the house without his litter-picker and bin bags Determined to keep his hometown clean, six-year-old William Sharkey rarely leaves the house without his litter-picker and bin bags. The little eco-warrior is often left upset by the sight of rubbish and wont walk past a piece without picking it up. William embodies the ethos of the Great British September Clean, heading out with big sister Isabelle, 13, every week to make sure the area near their home in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, is kept neat and tidy free from litter. Their mother Clare Harris, 42, said: I used to walk home from school with William when he was four and my pockets would be stuffed full with rubbish. He just would not let us walk past it, he gets really upset by it and wont leave it alone. So I just decided to invest in some litter pickers and bags so we could do it properly. She added: We live in a beautiful place and we like to keep it that way. She said William was disheartened by a recent surge in litter in their area as lockdown eased, adding: It really felt like we were getting somewhere as a society... there is now twice as much litter as there was. Y ou might not be able to travel to many places at the moment, but there is somewhere you can easily dive into: the world of history podcasts. According to Acasts UK content director, Sophie Herdman, history shows are some of the platforms most popular offerings. History is such a rich and interesting area in podcasting as it naturally allows for plenty of great storytelling. At Acast our history podcasts are among some of our most popular shows from the likes of established historians such as Dan Snow and many more, she told the Standard. Here are some of our favourite history podcasts to immerse yourself in. From the tales of Leeds Castle to the darker side of history, theres a whole lot to keep you occupied. Best history podcasts to download now Dan Snows History Hit Dan Snows history podcast is top of the list for history shows. Learn more about some of the most iconic and influential moments in the worlds past. Episodes cover events such as the Peterloo Massacre in 1800s Manchester, and the Hiroshima attacks with one of the few remaining survivors who speaks English, Hirata San. Listen to Dan Snows History Hit on Acast and Apple Podcasts Driving the Green Book Alvin Hall visiting the The Lifting the Veil of Ignorance Monument, at Tuskegee University in Alabama during his time recording Driving The Green Book You watched Mahershala Alis Oscar-winning performance in Green Book but do you really understand what it was like for Black Americans to travel around the southern states during the time of Jim Crow and segregation? Broadcaster Alvin Halls new podcast sees him hit the road with activist and social justice trainer Janee Woods Weber to explore what it was really like to use the historic travel guide. In this living history podcast, Hall interviews former Motown artists, local activists and historians about their personal memories of segregation. "It was impossible not to see the connection between the interviewees recollections and personal stories about travelling during the time the Green Book was published and widely reported horrific events that African Americans experience on the streets and highways across the US today. The question kept coming up in my mind: Why havent these things changed? Why cant these things change? Where in the American psyche or soul is the resistance to such change? said Hall. Listen to Driving the Green Book on Apple Podcasts from September 15 Leeds Castle History Highlights Last year, the 900-year-old Leeds Castle launched its first podcast to celebrate its anniversary. As part of the celebrations, the Kent-based castle and enlisted the help of actor Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet and Downton Abbey) to talk listeners through the castles place in English history. Episodes will cover Leeds Castle under siege, Henry VII at the Field of Cloth, to the roaring 20s when Gatsby-style parties took over the castle. Listen to Leeds Castles History Highlights podcast on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher Lore Lore Lore regularly tops the charts for the best history podcast and its no wonder. Each episode looks at the darker side of history so its almost a true-crime podcast, with a side sharing of mysterious creatures and nightmares. Recent shows cover the depths of the ocean in Anchored and how your tendency to collect things can lead to dire consequences in The Collection. Listen to Lore on Apple Podcasts and TuneIn SpyCast (International Spy Museum ) / International Spy Museum Hosted by Dr Vince Houghton, historian and curator at the International Spy Museum, each episode of SpyCast takes you deep into the world of espionage. Youll find interviews from ex-spies, intelligence experts and espionage scholars covering everything from security issues in Korea, to the Cold War, and counter-terrorism. Listen to SpyCast on AudioBoom and Apple Podcasts Travels Through Time If youre looking for a podcast that will help you escape then Travels Through Time is one to check out. Each week, the show interviews a leading historian or writer and asks them which point in history would they most like to visit. Recent episodes have seen Professor Simon Hall take a trip through the US in 1960 to DR Rebeca Wragg Sykes going back to Neanderthal times. Whilst listening to their episodes you can also think of the specific moment youd travel back to, and what it says about you. Listen to Travels Through Time on Apple Podcasts and Podbean The Bowery Boys The Bowery Boys Who doesnt dream of living in New York in the 1920s when dancing was all the rage and gangsters ran the streets? Listening to The Bowery Boys makes you feel like you too are a part of this magical citys colourful past. Presented by two New Yorkers, Greg Young and Tom Meyers, explore the treasured history of Brooklyn, or behind the scenes of New Yorks celebrated comedy scene. Listen to The Bowery Boys on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher Witness This BBC World Service podcast is about specific moments in history by the people who were there. Whether its the businessman who opened the first call centre in India in the 1990s to the female publisher who opened a feminist publishing company, Virago Press in 1972 to promote womens writing, youre sure to learn something in every episode. Listen to Witness on Apple Podcasts and BBC NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP, a class action law firm dedicated to representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating a potential breach of fiduciary duty claim involving the board of directors of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE: WAL). If you are a shareholder of Western Alliance Bancorporation and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, free of charge, please visit us at: http://pjlfirm.com/western-alliance-bancorporation You may also contact Robert H. Lefkowitz, Esq. either via email at [email protected] or by telephone at 212-725-1000. One of our attorneys will personally speak with you about the case at no cost or obligation. Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP is a law firm exclusively committed to representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty and other types of corporate misconduct. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://pjlfirm.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. SOURCE Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP Related Links http://www.pjlfirm.com New Delhi: Nurses of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run Kasturba Hospital on Monday held a two-hour-long protest against the non-payment of pending salaries for three months. B L Sharma, president, Kasturba Hospital Nurses Union, said they were last given the salary for May. He said the protest will go on till they get assurance from the administration. Salaries of June, July and August are pending. For how long shall we work without money? It is becoming a routine affair now. The authorities (civic body and the Delhi government) keep blaming each other for the mess but it will not solve the problem. We want a permanent solution and want regular payment of our salaries, he said. Nearly 1,000 senior doctors, 500 resident doctors and 1,500 nursing staff are employed across medical facilities managed by the north corporation. In June, resident doctors of Kasturba Hospital and Hindu Rao Hospital, both managed by the north civic body, had threatened to tender mass resignations over the non-payment of salaries for 3-4 months. The north corporation then them paid salaries for two months to calm them. Besides health care staff, many employees of other departments of the north corporation such as school teachers, civil contractors, engineers and administrative staff have not been paid for the last 2-3 months. They had been staging protests outside the Civic Centre for over a week. Jai Prakash, mayor of the North Corporation, said: There is fund crunch in the corporation but we are releasing salaries to various departments one by one. We are making arrangements to pay salaries of the agitating employees as soon as possible. The Turner administration is set to propose a cite-and-release ordinance that could let people accused of certain misdemeanors off with a ticket instead of an arrest, although Harris County court-at-law judges say the city simply could opt into their existing program. Details on the citys proposal were scant Monday, but Houston police executives are set to address it Thursday at City Councils Public Safety Committee. Cite-and-release programs generally consist of officers giving misdemeanor offenders a written citation with a date and time to appear in court, allowing them to await a hearing without going to jail. Certainly, there is a cite-and-release ordinance that will be coming up, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday. The whole purpose is to provide citations, especially for those misdemeanor offenses, (Classes) A and B. There will be some exceptions, but were working to put forth a meaningful cite-and-release program. City Council member Abbie Kamin, who chairs the Public Safety Committee and said she has helped work on the policy, praised the effort. Im thankful to community groups for advocating for this, and to HPD and Mayor Turner for bringing this forward so quickly, Kamin said. Harris County misdemeanor judges, though, said it does not have to be that complicated. They launched a cite-and-release program with a court that meets every Wednesday earlier this year. The city, they say, does not have authority to act unilaterally on Class A and B misdemeanors because those cases are tried in the countys criminal courts, not municipal courts. All the city and HPD need to do is opt into the program, they said. The Harris County Sheriffs Office and city of Pasadena are among those that already have done so. It is possible that is what the citys ordinance which is still in the works is designed to do, but the judges said an ordinance is unnecessary. They could start tonight, said Judge Darrell Jordan of Harris County Criminal Court of Law No. 16. We set up the mechanism, and then they can choose whether to use the tool. Judge Franklin Bynum, of Criminal Court at Law No. 8 and founder of the cite-and-release subcommittee, agreed. Frankly, my response to that was if they wanted to use cite-and-release, (Chief Art) Acevedo just goes in and says use the cite-and-release, he said. A Houston police spokesman deferred to Thursdays committee hearing for more information. The Houston Police Officers Union did not respond to a request for comment. Since 2007, state law has allowed citations for all Class C misdemeanors the lowest offenses, filed in city courts and some in Classes A and B. Among them: possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana; criminal mischief (damage up to $750); graffiti; theft of up to $750; providing contraband in a correctional facility; and driving with an invalid license. Advocates and elected officials in Houston have been calling for a cite-and-release policy for years. The Justice Cant Wait report, released in July by a broad coalition of Houston-area criminal justice advocacy groups, renewed calls for the policy, and five City Council members echoed that in a letter released late last month. The mayors own transition team recommended such a policy in a 2016 report after Turner was elected. The reports say a cite-and-release policy would help keep low-level offenders out of jail before trial, saving them from jails destabilizing consequences. The policy also could save taxpayer money and law enforcement resources, sparing officers the process of bringing and booking offenders into jail, the reports say. According to the Justice Cant Wait report, an estimated 9 percent of HPD offenses from June 2014 to March 2020 were eligible for citations. Of those, nearly half of the offenders 48.9 percent were Black. Sarah Labowitz, policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Texas, a member of the coalition that wrote the report, said the citations must be mandatory in place of arrests. HPD is wasting millions on racially disparate arrests for petty offenses, Labowitz said. To get cite-and-release right, City Council needs to require officers to issue citations instead of arrest people in most circumstances. Ashton Woods, a founder of Black Lives Matter Houston, said he similarly was cautious after hearing the news. He said Houston also should review its charter and ordinances to reduce criminalizing nonviolent behavior. Ill take the wait-and-see approach, he said. Other Texas cities and counties, including Austin and San Antonio, have cite-and-release policies, although they are not codified by ordinance. Work on the cite-and-release policy quietly has progressed outside the mayors Task Force on Policing Reform, which is expected to release its own recommendations by the end of September. That group is charged with reviewing a variety of topics including an oversight board widely viewed as flawed and the release of police body camera footage. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com Advertisement President Donald Trump pushed for aggressive forest management to combat the wildfires on the West Coast Monday but California Gov. Gavin Newsom told him climate change is real and behind the destructive blazes. 'There has to be good strong forest management. So hopefully they'll start doing that,' Trump said when he landed in Sacramento. He argued forest management could do a lot to help. Many Democrats, including Califorina Gov. Gavin Newsom, have blamed climate change for the fires. 'We come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident -- that climate change is real,' Newsom told Trump in a briefing on the fires. The president has denied climate change in the past. Trump also clashed with another official at the briefing - Wade Crowfoot, the state's secretary for natural resources - who also said climate change was real. 'We've had temperatures explode this summer. We broke a record in the Death Valley, 130 degrees,' Crowfoot said, prompting Trump to turn to his right, smirk, and say something indistinguishable to Newsom. 'We're seeing this warming trend make our summers warmer and our winters warmer. We want to work with you to recognize our changing climate. If we ignore that science and out our heads in the sand and think it's all anbout vegetation management, we're not going to succeed in protecting Californians. Trump replied: 'OK. It'll start getting cooler. You just watch.' Crowfoot replied: 'I wish science agreed with you.' - to which Trump said, laughing: 'I don't think science knows actually.' Trump has been focused on forest management as the key to solving the fires. 'When trees fall down after a short period of time they become very dry really like a matchstick... and they can explode. Also leaves. When you have dried leaves on the ground it's just fuel for the fires,' Trump said. He said other nations use forest management successfully. 'You go to Europe,' he said. 'They're very, very strong on management, and they don't have a problem. They really don't have, with, as they say, more explosive trees than we have in California.' 'You go to many different countries. I was talking to the head of a foreign country and they said, 'We consider ourselves a forest nation. We have trees that are far more explosive than they have in California and we don't have that problem,' he noted. President Trump has pushed for forest management to help combat fires but Gov. Gavin Newsom told him 'climate change is real' Symbolic gesture: Donald Trump's talks with Californian leaders including governor Gavin Newsom (fourth from left) saw him challenge on climate change 'I wish the science agree with you.' Wade Crowfoot (right), California's secretary of natural resources, clashed with Donald Trump when he told the president climate change was real, prompting Trump to say: It will get cooler.' President Trump arrived in California on Monday for a briefing on the deadly blazes Arrival: Donald Trump heads to speak to reporters after landing at Sacramento McClellan Airport, which doubles as an air force base for the California National Guard Mill Creek Hotshots set a backfire to protect homes during the Bobcat Fire on September 13, 2020 in Arcadia, California Evidence of destruction: Donald Trump sat between pictures showing the devastating effects of the wildfire Head-to-head: Donald Trump as joined at the table by Gavin Newsom (left), the California governor, who told him 'climate change is real' Message: The briefing took place between two California state firefighting aircraft Trump was briefed on the fire at an airport hangar with Newsom at his side - wearing a face mask - and photos of the blaze behind him. The nearest fire is about 60 miles away but the airport has served as a base of operations for officials battling the blazes in this area. The president acknowledged he and Newsom have had a rocky relationship but said they were working well together to get federal aid to the affected areas. 'I know we come from different sides of the planet; but we actually have a good relationship. Good man,' Trump said. Newsom agreed Trump's argument for forest management has merit but also argued that climate change, which the president has denied in the past, played a huge role. 'A month ago - literally to the day - we began to have a series of 14,000 lightning strikes over a three day period, 1100 fires sparked in the last month 2.8 million acres, just in the last 30 days in very unprecedented California history,' he said. Newsom, who is seen as a possible presidential candidate in the future, was careful to stay civil with Trump, but made clear he knew they did not agree. 'We can agree to disagree I appreciate your frankness on the politics of this,' the Democratic governor said. 'There's no question, joining us in this decade as almost 1000 plus years that we have not done justice to forest management,' Newsom noted. 'Please respect - and I know you do - the difference of opinion now here,' Gavin said as Trump nodded. After the briefing Trump presented medals to seven members of the California National Guard for taking part in rescue operations. Both presidential campaigns turned their attention to the wildfires on Monday with President Trump in California for a briefing on the blazes and Joe Biden speaking about them in a speech in Wilmington. Honors: Donald Trump presented the Distinguished Flying Cross to members of the California Air National Guard who helped save 242 people from the wildfires on September 5 Honored: Donald Trump presented the Distinguished Flying Cross to: Sergeant George Esquivel; Sergeant Cameron Powell; Chief Warrant Officer Five Joseph Rosamond; Chief Warrant Officer Five Kipp Goding; Chief Warrant Officer Two Irvin Hernandez; Chief Warrant Officer Two Brady Hlebain; Chief Warrant Officer One Ge Xiong Firefighting power: The medal presentation was the the hangar where a California state C-130 Hercules is stored between firefighting missions Medals: Families of the members of the California National Guard were present for them to receive the Distinguished Flying Crosses Thank you for your service: Donald Trump and the California National Guard members line up facing one of the state's C-130 Hercules firefighting planes Airpower: The seven members of the National Guard were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in front of (left) a CH-47 Chinook and (right) a UH-60 Black Hawk Courage: Chief Warrant Officer Two Irvin Hernandez and Chief Warrant Officer Two Brady Hlebain were among those honored by the president Heroes: Donald Trump posed with the pilots and crew members after presenting the medals Trump has been criticized for Democrats for not speaking out enough on the deadly fires while Biden has been criticized for not visiting the affected areas. His running mate, Kamala Harris, will return to her home state of California on Monday for a Tuesday briefing on the blazes. Biden, in his remarks, called Trump a 'climate arsonist,' saying the president's climate change denial is what's really threatening the suburbs. 'Donald Trump warned integration is threatening our suburbs. That's ridiculous. But you know what is actually threatening our suburbs?' Biden said Monday outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History. 'Wildfires are burning the suburbs in the west, floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the midwest, hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast.' The president, at campaign rallies in Nevada over the weekend, repeatedly said the fires are about 'forest management,' a characterization he has repeatedly offered of such blazes. 'It is about forest management, please remember the words, very simply, forest management, please remember, about forest management, and other things,' he said, also thanking the firefighters and first responders who are reacting to the fires. Democratic governors - including California's Newsom, Washington's Jay Inslee and Oregon's Kate Brown - said the fires are a result of climate change. President Trump in a briefing on the West Coast wildfires on Monday Democratic nominee Joe Biden said Monday that President Trump is a 'climate arsonist' A helicopter drops water to help extinguish the Bobcat Fire, in Arcadia, California A chicken wanders through charred remains from the Beachie Creek Fire near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry And Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti dismissed Trump's 'forest management' argument on CNN's 'State of the Union' on Sunday. 'This is climate change, and this is an administration that's put its head in the sand,' Garcetti said. 'Talk to a firefighter if you think that climate change isn't real... This isn't about forest management or raking,' he added. And Inslee on Sunday called climate change 'a blowtorch over our states in the West.' 'It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires,' Inslee said on ABCs 'This Week.' Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, which laid out an international approach to combat climate change. California had its hottest August on record, with world-record-setting heat in Death Valley. It had 14,000 dry lightning strikes that set off hundreds of fires, some that combined into creating five of the 10 largest fires in the states recorded history. And it had back-to-back heat waves. More than 16,750 firefighters were battling 29 major wildfires across California as of Sunday, according to CalFire, with the most deadly blaze being the North Complex Fire. The fires have burned 3.3 million acres in the state, caused smoky and hazy weather conditions, and resulted in partial power shutoffs for California residents. More than 4,000 homes have been destroyed. At least 35 people have died in the fires along the West Coast, including 24 in California, 10 in Oregon and a child in Washington state. The White House has touted its support for the first responders and fire fighters in the state. 'THANK YOU to the 28,000+ Firefighters and other First Responders who are battling wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington. I have approved 37 Stafford Act Declarations, including Fire Management Grants to support their brave work. We are with them all the way!,' Trump tweeted on Friday night. President Trump visited California after the 2018 wildfires, touring the area with then-Governor Jerry Brown and then Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom. He is only in California for a few hours before heading to a campaign stop in Arizona. 55-year-old BEST driver, Dilip Paikade, has become a ray of hope for his colleagues after he spent sixty-five days in hospital battling Covid-19. Paikade was on ventilator support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for seventeen days. A Bhandup resident, Paikade is a BEST bus driver posted at Majas depot in Goregaon. He operated bus services for essential care workers and passengers after the state government resumed bus services in the city on June 8. I would go to work with my mask and gloves and would use it throughout my eight-hour shift, said Dilip Paikade. However, on June 20, Paikade woke up with a fever and body pain. The body pain and fever persisted even after taking medications from his family doctor. Fearing he had contracted Covid-19, Paikade approached a government hospital in Mulund as his symptoms persisted. His reports came positive and he soon started having difficulty in breathing. He informed his son, who is studying medicine in New Delhi. His son in return informed senior BEST officials who rushed him to the Covid isolation facility at Seven Hills hospital in Andheri. Also read: 24 Lok Sabha MPs test positive for Covid-19 on first day of monsoon session The minute I reached Seven hills hospital, the doctor hooked me up with oxygen as I was completely out of breath. I do not remember anything much after that. I remember the doctor saying mine is a critical case. I was put on a ventilator for 17 days. Paikades wife had also tested positive for Covid-19 and was kept at a quarantine centre where she recovered. His children reside outside the city. It was very lonely and emotionally draining. I had prepared for anything but my family gave me strength. My son is studying medicine which is why I was positive after speaking to him, said Paikade. Senior BEST officials lauded his courage and said that his positive outlook motivated many others. He has been positive and courageous. Despite spending 65 days in the hospital and on the ventilator, he has encouraged other BEST employees. said BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade. Paikade is yet to recover completely and has difficulty breathing while climbing stairs. When asked about resuming work, Paikade said he is not thinking of resuming work just yet. I will have to recover fully and will decide then. The doctor has told me it will take eight months to fully recover but I am positive. I step outside only to get medicines or for any important work, he said. His rise in popularity among the Indian audience has been noticed by major brands. In fact, the actor has been signed up by almost a dozen brands in the last two years alone as a brand endorser. During an interview with a leading daily, Rohit Ohri, chairman of advertising agency FCB India revealed why stars like Ayushmann and Vicky Kaushal are brand favourites right now. He said, Both these actors represent a new phase of advertising; they are not larger-than-life like the Khans, do not talk down to people, and are relatable in everyday situations. Its a reflection of the choice of films they have been doing too. Ayushmann Khurrana's rise is truly extraordinary. His phenomenal run at the box-office is due to his unconventional choices and the fact that he manages to form an emotional connection with the audience through these stories. NC Police Officer Killed on Duty by Gunman Who Shot Him in the Face A North Carolina officer and Marine veteran was killed in the line of duty last week after being shot in the face as he responded to a break-in call. Henderson County officer Ryan Hendrix, 35, was attempting to arrest a suspect from Virginia with two fellow officers on the morning of Sept. 10, when he was shot in the face. The suspect and gunman, now identified as Robert Ray Doss, Jr., was then fatally shot by two deputies at the scene. A second suspect has reportedly also been apprehended but the Sheriffs Office has not released further details, according to Citizen Times. Hundreds gathered on Sunday outside the Sheriffs Department to remember the officer, who left behind a fiancee, who he was due to marry next month, and two childrena 6-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. Hendrix was with the Henderson County Sheriffs Department for eight years before he was fatally shot last week. It is with a very heavy heart the family of Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix and Sheriff Lowell Griffin announce Ryans passing, the sheriffs office wrote on Facebook Thursday. Early this morning while the world slept, Ryan responded to assist a family needing help when they became innocent victims of a violent encounter. The sheriffs office added that his family said they want everyone to know that Ryan was doing the job he was born to do and he died doing the job he loved. God bless the family of Marine veteran and Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix, who was shot and killed in the line of duty, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) said in a statement on Twitter. Susan and I are praying for him, his family, and his fellow Henderson County deputies. Susan and I send our deepest condolences to the family of Deputy Ryan Hendrix. His service to our country and his community will never be forgotten. This is a tragic reminder of the dangers our LEOs face every day. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. https://t.co/uv4HTDq7op Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) September 10, 2020 Sheriff Lowell Griffin said during a press briefing last week that the 35-year-old was an exemplary officer who was also a member of the Henderson County Sheriffs Office SWAT team, serves as a field training officer, and assists in many other capacities. He described the suspect as a career criminal with arrests in Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, with an extensive criminal record for offenses including arson, felony thefts and drugs. Griffin said an investigation into the incident is ongoing. A former colleague of Hendrix, who worked alongside him as a detention officer at the Henderson County Detention Center, remembered him as a hero. Ryan Hendrix patrolled and protected the streets of this county, Alex Norton said, reported ABC 13. He was one of the best that has ever done it. Every moment with Ryan was filled with laughter, whether it be at work, his house or my house, or someone elses house, it was always filled with laughter, he continued. Every moment with him was great. Ryan was a real-life walking hero. Everything about him made him a hero, Norton said. If more people in this world strive to be like Ryan this world would honestly be a better place, Norton added. The Sheriffs Office said it plans to lay Hendrix to rest on Friday, Sept. 18, at at Mud Creek Baptist Church at 403 Rutledge Dr. in Hendersonville. Students go to school in Nghe An (Photo: VNA) Sydney A group of Vietnamese alumni living in Sydney, Australia joined a 21.5km-long walk to raise fund for poor Vietnamese children with a total amount of over 300 million VND (13,000 USD). The event was in response to an appeal for fund-raising walk by Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation, a charity organisation founded in 2003 for disadvantaged children across Vietnam. As many as 28 members of 13 families, including five children aged 9-14, in a group named New Sunlight for Children joined the walk. Kenneth Walker says he has not had a restful night since March 13, the day the woman he planned to marry, Breonna Taylor, was killed during a police raid at her home in Louisville, Kentucky. Walker and Taylor had planned to purchase a home together and have a baby. They had already agreed on a name: Kenbre, a union of the first three letters of each of their names. Walker had purchased a pair of baby Air Jordan sneakers that are white and red. Those plans are now destroyed. "Imagine how someone has to feel in a situation like this? Like, why me? They were both there," Frederick Moore III, one of the attorneys representing Walker in a civil lawsuit filed this month, said in an interview last week. "They were both shot at 30 times." Walker said he asks himself daily why he is alive and Taylor is not. Steve Romines, another of Walker's attorneys, said his client lives in constant fear. "When you are shot at and when you see a loved one basically executed in front of you, you never recover from that," Romines said. "It is something that haunts him every single night." "And not only that," he added. "All that goes down and then he's arrested. He didn't get to go to her funeral." Walker has filed the civil lawsuit against the city of Louisville, its police department and others. The moment that changed their lives forever Walker was home with Taylor in March when Louisville police forced their way into her apartment to search for drugs or cash from drug trafficking in connection with an investigation involving her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, a convicted drug dealer. He had listed her apartment as his address and used it to receive packages, authorities said. No drugs or money were recovered from the apartment, according to the search warrant inventory document obtained by NBC News. Taylor had no criminal record and was never the target of an inquiry. The police have said officers fired inside Taylor's home only after they were fired upon by Walker. Story continues Walker, who had a license to carry, said police did not identify themselves in the early morning hours, which police have denied. Walker fired his gun once, striking Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh, according to police. Walker called 911 after shots were fired and told a dispatcher that "somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend." When questioned by police after the botched raid, he said he acted in self-defense. "It's the middle of the night, he said in audio released May 28 by Thomas Wine, the Jefferson County prosecutor, and Mayor Greg Fischer. Somebody is beating on the door and not saying who they are, like, what are you going to do if you're home with your family and somebody is beating on your door and you don't know who it is after you've asked who it is?" He was subsequently charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault. The charges were dismissed in May after the case drew national attention. Walker and his attorneys said they believe he would still be in jail had it not been for the attention from professional athletes, celebrities and politicians, among others. "We know it could have happened because it happens every day all over the country," Romines said. "There's all kinds of people falsely charged by the police who don't have the resources to properly defend it. And they get put in a position where about all they can do is just take some sort of plea to something they didn't do just to get out of jail." Walker had been held on a $250,000 full cash bond before he was released in March to home incarceration. IMAGE: Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker (Courtesy Kenneth Walker) Romines said authorities tried to keep Walker in jail on a high bond to have leverage over him. Walker believes it was also an attempt to justify Taylor's killing, which has become a rallying cry for police reform. "The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder," Walker, 28, said at a news conference Sept. 1. "For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent." His attorneys have expressed doubt as to whether the bullet from his gun even struck Mattingly as police have alleged. "We absolutely do not concede that fact," Romines said at the news conference. "It was obviously possible, but until we see the ballistics report, and it reflects that, we think it is much more likely that one of the 35 to 45 shots fired by LMPD is what struck Officer Mattingly." Detective Brett Hankison, who shot 10 rounds blindly into the apartment, was fired in June. Mattingly; Officer Myles Cosgrove, who also fired his weapon at the scene; and the detective who requested the warrant have been placed on administrative leave. A spokesman for the police department, Sgt. Lamont Washington, said Thursday it does not comment on pending litigation. Jean Porter, a spokeswoman for the Louisville mayor, said she cannot comment on the specifics of the lawsuit. "But the mayor has said repeatedly that Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, and justice, peace and healing are what is needed for her, for her loved ones and for our community," she said Thursday. IMAGE: Protest march in Louisville (Chris Tuite / MediaPunch via AP) Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky attorney general, is now leading the investigation. The FBI is also investigating the shooting. Walker is suing for assault, battery, false arrest, malicious imprisonment and negligence. He is seeking unspecified monetary damages for the lifelong trauma he said he has sustained. "To really achieve justice, you need magic," Romines said. "And that would be to bring Breonna Taylor back and to undo Kenny Walker getting charged. That can't happen. What we do need to happen is every available remedy in the justice system both the criminal justice system and the civil justice system needs to be brought to bear against the officers in this case and on behalf of both Kenny Walker and Breonna Taylor's family." Walker's lawyers want him to be immune from further prosecution. Jeffrey Cooke, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Commonwealths Attorneys office, said Thursday, "The facts as we know them now havent provided a basis to bring additional charges against him." 'Hes had his heart ripped out of his chest' Walker and Taylor, 26, an African American emergency medical technician who had hoped to become a nurse, met on Twitter and had been friends for several years before they started dating. Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, said she was supportive of the two getting married and that she wanted them to hold off on having a baby "for a bit." Shortly before Taylor was killed, Walker was offered a job with the United States Postal Service, and they had planned to spend the rest of their lives together. "He has always told me he was going to marry her," Palmer said in a recent interview. "They reminded you of two little old people yelling at each other trying to tell each other what to do mostly her trying to tell him what to do but you couldnt break them apart." It was hard not to imagine one without the other, Palmer said. Walker has the same name as his father and paternal grandfather and is known to most as Kenny or Lil' Kenny. His father is a retired Army veteran and his mother has worked for many years in the Jefferson County public school system. Palmer described Walker as "a good kid with a big heart" who is "funny, determined and hard working." Now, he is broken and saddened over the loss of the love of his life. "Hes had his heart ripped out of his chest and most days thinks he can't go on," Palmer said. "I hate that for him, for all of us." She said Walker would have died for Taylor. Walker has a close relationship with Palmer and Taylor's younger sister, Juniyah, who lived with Taylor. She was away on a trip on March 13. Walker, a middle child, has leaned on his two sisters and parents and on Taylor's family since her death. Having such a close relationship with Walker has proven bittersweet, Palmer said. It has not made it any easier to cope with the loss of her daughter. "He is a constant reminder of her," Palmer said. "But at least a good one." Lake Pointe Landing celebrates Assisted Living Week The Bridge at Lake Pointe Landing is celebrating National Assisted Living Week with a week of special activities through Saturday. The National Center for Assisted Living sponsors the week each year to celebrate assisted living communities and their residents and associates. This years theme is Caring is EssentiAL. The celebration kicked off Sunday with Caring through Culture, a Walk Across America walking program to engage residents and staff in moving and to encourage exercise as they track their steps and travel across America. Each day offers a different theme and accompanying programming: -- Monday, Sept. 14 Caring through Connection will give residents the opportunity to see and connect with their families and friends with a family parade and much-needed hugs through a Cuddle Curtain, which will provide safe and protective interaction. -- Tuesday, Sept. 15 Caring with Courage will give residents and staff opportunities to show appreciation to frontline care providers and first-responders. -- Wednesday, Sept. 16 Caring with Commitment will relaunch the Going the Extra Mile customer service program and focus on celebrating staff members who go above and beyond to fulfill Century Parks mission: to create a fulfilling lifestyle for our residents and a rewarding work environment for our valued associates. -- Thursday, Sept. 17 Caring through Communication will give residents educational opportunities to learn how to communicate with their loved ones in a virtual world, including Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime and social media. -- Friday, Sept. 18 Caring with Confidence will focus on provider relationships and the quality care The Bridge at Lake Pointe Landing offers its residents. -- Saturday, Sept. 19 Caring with Compassion will focus on staff and resident relationships as everyone gathers to end the week on a celebratory note with an outdoor movie, hot dogs with all the fixings and Smores. For more details about the events planned for National Assisted Living Week, call The Bridge at Lake Pointe Landing at (828) 693-7800. Palestinian media reports say authorities gave 21 days to challenge demolition order for mosque in town of Silwan. A court in Israel has issued a demolition order for a mosque in a town in occupied East Jerusalem for lack of a construction permit, Palestinian media reported citing local residents. In response to the demolition notice, the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza issued a statement, circulated by Palestinian media, to condemn the order and warn Israel against the move. It also called on the international community, the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to protect Muslim holy sites and places of worship in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities gave residents 21 days to challenge the order in the area where the Qaqaa Bin Amr mosque in Silwan town is otherwise the order would be carried out, according to media reports. Built in 2012, the two-storey mosque accommodates hundreds of worshippers. A similar demolition order was issued in 2015 but was never enforced. In recent years, Israeli settlers have seized control of dozens of Palestinian homes in Silwan, which is close to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Israeli authorities have stepped up demolition campaigns in Jerusalem in recent weeks, razing dozens of Palestinian homes, particularly in Silwan. According to Israeli advocacy group Ir Amim, authorities demolished homes in Palestinian areas of East Jerusalem at a significantly higher rate in 2019 than the previous year. In a report, the group said 104 housing units were demolished in 2019 compared with 72 units in 2018. The 44 percent spike ended what had been a decline in demolitions between 2016 and 2018. Israel said the houses demolished were built illegally and the destruction was court sanctioned. But Palestinians say they face a severe housing crisis fuelled by Israels reluctance to issue building permits. Shortly after capturing East Jerusalem, Israel expanded the municipal boundaries to take in large areas of vacant land on which it later constructed Jewish settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. At the same time, it sharply limited the expansion of Palestinian neighbourhoods, forcing many in increasingly crowded areas to build illegally. He returned to Australia three years ago after chasing the Hollywood dream for 25 years. And Cameron Daddo, 55, looked very different to his years as a fresh-faced aspiring superstar when he appeared in a new trailer for Home And Away on Monday. Looking every inch the smouldering silver fox, Cameron sported white hair and a matching beard in the trailer. Silver fox! Cameron Daddo, 55, looked very different to his days as a fresh-faced young actor in a new Home And Away trailer released on Monday. Pictured left in 1994, right in Monday's trailer The star, who kicked off his performing career as a model at the age of 18, now boasts the mature, rugged complexion commonly displayed by Hollywood veterans such as George Clooney. Cameron joined the cast of Home And Away in May, playing Evan Slater, the estranged father of Ryder Jackson (Lukas Radovich). He left the series in June when his character died from asbestosis, weeks before it was confirmed Cameron would return to the franchise as Evan's secret twin brother Owen. Like a fine wine! Looking every inch the smouldering silver fox, Cameron sported a shock of white hair and a matching beard in the trailer Genetically blessed: The star, who kicked off his performing career as a model at the age of 18, now boasts the mature, rugged complexion commonly displayed by Hollywood veterans such as George Clooney. Pictured left in 2005, right in a promotional picture for Home And Away Monday's trailer shows Owen's shock arrival at Summer Bay, and a glimpse at his fledgling romance with his dead brother's widow. Of playing two different roles, Cameron told Woman's Day magazine: 'Fortunately, I had some time between playing the two characters. I was able to put Evan 'to bed' and then create the backstory of Owen.' 'Thankfully, I never played the two at the same time. Now that would have been fun!' he added. Back from the dead! Cameron left Home And Away in June when his character Evan (left) died from asbestosis, weeks before it was confirmed Cameron would return to the franchise as Evan's secret twin brother Owen (right) The actor described Evan's death as 'bittersweet' in a recent interview with Digital Spy. 'I was happy at the beginning that it was going to be a short run, then about 10 weeks in, I wanted to stay because it's so good,' Cameron said. 'I was like, 'Do I have to die? Can we find a cure?' It was bittersweet.' Expats: Actor Cameron and model Alison (left) married in 1991 and moved to Los Angeles the following year. Pictured in Los Angeles, 2014 Cameron and his wife Alison Brahe moved to LA in 1992 in search of Hollywood success. While Cameron managed to land small roles in shows such as Models Inc., The Mentalist and NCIS, his goal of a stable Hollywood career never materialised. The couple, who share three children: daughters Lotus, 24, and Bodhi Faith, 14, and son River, 20, returned to Australia in 2017. When the man attempts to get up, a male officer appears to stomp the back of the mans head into the ground. All six officers then pin the man down while he is arrested. The man's father, Glenn, said his son has bipolar disorder and had been seeking treatment at the Northern Hospital and was waiting for space to open up in the psychiatric ward on Sunday. He had then left the hospital and staff called police. Glenn said his son, a young father who runs his own business, had not had an episode in nine years. Glenn's son was at the centre of a dramatic arrest in Epping on Sunday. Credit:Nine News "I spoke to him on Saturday, he was crying and wanted me to come in and I can't because of the COVID thing. You hear your son crying on the phone, it's not very nice," the emotional father told Nine News on Monday. "Then you see what police did to him." "They could have killed him. These people need to be held to justice and accountable." Following the arrest, Glenn's son was placed in an induced coma on Monday and was receiving treatment at the Northern Hospital. Jeremy King, principal lawyer at Robinson Gill's police misconduct team, said he was acting for the man's family, who are planning on taking legal action against Victoria Police. Loading He said the family's main objective was for the arrest to be independently investigated and for police to be held to account. "I think that it's horrific footage and quite sickening as well. Stomping on someone's head really is about as violent and dangerous as it gets. I could never see any reason that could be justified by Victoria Police," he said. "I think it should be born in mind that this was a man actively trying to seek help and he had been doing his best to do that. Police are dealing with a very vulnerable person with mental health issues who hasn't committed any other crime. "Someone should never end up in ICU in an induced coma following an interaction with police." Mr Edwards, who filmed the arrest, told The Age he was driving down Cooper Street in Epping when he saw a man on the road. Within two seconds a police car rammed into him the man then got up and a foot chase continued, he said. Mr Edwards started to record the incident on his phone. The man was arrested on the median strip. He did throw a punch, he was displaying erratic behaviour but I do believe police did not help that situation," he said. "They pepper-sprayed him, there were multiple kicks to the head and then they tackled him to the ground. He said that while the man was on the ground restrained by fix or six officers, one of them stomped on his head. It was terrible, honestly, I felt sick. Disgusted. I cant find any other words, he said. People will never understand the true anger until you witness this in-person." It is one of two confronting non-protest-related videos involving Victoria Police to emerge over the weekend, after 29-year-old Natalie Bonett was dragged from her car and arrested at a vehicle checkpoint in Wallan on Saturday. A video of her arrest has been shared by thousands of people online. On social media, the woman claimed four officers later "had their knees in my back and [I] couldnt breathe," as she was handcuffed. "I am shaking and my blood is boiling," she posted on Facebook. A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers spoke to Ms Bonett about her mobile phone "obstructing her view due to its position on the windscreen", explaining that this was against the law. After she did not remove the phone from her windscreen, she also refused to provide her name or her drivers licence, according to police. She was then arrested and taken into custody. Ms Bonnett was later released and was expected to be charged. Premier Daniel Andrews said the woman had multiple opportunities to produce her licence. "If you're asked to produce your driver's licence, or to confirm your identity, then you must do that. It's not optional. You must do that, no matter what stuff you read on the web about some international covenenant or whatever nonsense that you've seen on the web. "We've got a state of disaster on here, people are dying, these are pretty high stakes. And no one gets to make the choice that their rights as they interpret them, are more important than public safety. They aren't." Mr Andrews would not comment on the arrest of the man in Epping. New Delhi: The Centre on Monday opposed a plea seeking legalisation of marriage for gay couples under the 1955 Hindu Marriage Act even as the Delhi high court observed that changes were taking place around the world and it needed to be examined whether it was applicable to India. The petition was filed last week by four members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community who invoked Article 14 (right to equality), Article 21 (right to life) and Article 25 (freedom of religion) to argue that right to marriage for same-sex couples was a part of that fundamental right. These marriages run contrary to the provisions which are already in place in our society. Our values do not recognise a marriage, which is sacrosanct, between two people of same sex marriage, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a bench comprising Chief Justice of the Delhi high court DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan. Mehta clarified that he was expressing his personal opinion. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on September 8 claimed that Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act did not specify that the marriage must be between a Hindu man and a Hindu woman, but instead refers to marriage between two Hindus. It does not concur with constitutional values, Mehta said. To this, Justice Jalan said that changes have taken place across the world and when two men marry in a foreign country, neither is considered a wife. He further said that all aspects of the plea would need to be examined. The Supreme Court had decriminalised homosexuality, but not provided for anything further, Mehta told the court, referring to the September 6, 2018 judgment of a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then chief justice of India Dipak Mishra, which read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Mehta later clarified to the Hindustan Times that while he was yet to receive instructions from the Centre, he had pointed out to the court the legal provisions to show that the law did not permit same sex marriages. I said culture of any country is codified in a statutory law like Degrees of Prohibited relationship, special or additional rights to wife, different age limits for husband and wife, use of the terms husband and wife (which cannot be determined in same sex marriage) etc, special protection to wife in criminal law such as section 498-A of the IPC etc. Unless several statutory provisions are altered (which the court cannot do) the relief as prayed for cannot be granted, Mehta said. Appearing for the petitioners, Raghav Awasthi told the court that the fundamental rights of gay couples were getting hampered, even as there was no legal prohibition on such marriages. There are many benefits extended under the Hindu Marriage Act which cannot be availed by his petitioners, he said. Today the matter was listed before the honourable Delhi high court. The learned chief justice has asked us to file details of people who have tried to get married and failed to do so after the passing of the Navtej Johar judgment. We shall be doing the same, Awasthi told HT. The petition has been filed by intersex rights activist Gopi Shankar, founder of lesbian collective Sakhi Giti Thadani, transgender rights activist G Oorvasi and writer Abhijit Iyer Mitra. The bench stated that the aggrieved party could have moved court in their personal capacity instead of a filing a PIL, and asked the counsel to bring on record all persons whose marriages were not registered on account of being a same-sex marriage. The matter will be taken up for hearing on October 21. The petition pointed out that in 2018, the Supreme Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality. The non-recognition of the rights of gay couples, especially when their sexuality has been recognised as such as valid by the Honble Supreme Court of India is violative of various provisions of the Constitution of India as well as various conventions that India as a sovereign state is signatory to, the petition stated. Change in marriage laws has to be secular and broad-based. To contend that the Hindu Marriage Act should recognise same sex marriages because Hinduism does, suffers from two errors. The Hindu Marriage Act is decidedly anti-scriptural. It was brought in 1955 to amend Hindu law and undo the regressive elements of the scriptures which were incorporated in the law. The Act was an attempt at reformation, rather than incorporating venerated practices of the scriptures. Secondly, it matters little whether the Hindu scriptures recognise same sex marriage or not. There will be a lot of debate either was, but thats beside the point. Marriage for members of the LGBTQI community has to be allowed because the Constitution demands it, said Supreme Court advocate Saurabh Kirpal who appeared for the petitioners in the Navtej Johar case, which led to decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2018. (With inputs from Murali Krishnan) Our pets arent just companion animals. Theyre treasured friends, and even beloved family members. While its never fun or pleasant to think about what will happen to them if the worst should happen to us, its very important to consider how we can ensure they are well cared for when and if we are no longer able to care for them ourselves. Thankfully, creating a solid plan through a pet trust can help give us peace of mind. Friends Erin Kinley and Jenna Gray have a host of activities lined up for their first "bubble" hangout playing cards, walks, cooking meals, watching movies and a spot of craft. "Were both getting into tie-dying clothing at the moment, which sounds naff but its really fun," says Kinley, who wishes Melbourne's new lockdown bubble rules had been introduced earlier but is grateful for the concession. Single friends Erin Kinley and Jenna Gray are planning to do more tie-dying. Credit:Simon Schluter Eased stage four lockdown rules now permit pairs of people or entire households to form "public gatherings", such as sitting in a park for up to two hours without the pretence of exercise. The metropolitan night-time curfew has also been pushed back an hour to 9pm. Another sign of normality was restored at Melbourne's parks on Monday morning, as families swarmed playgrounds and hazard tape was gleefully stripped from swing sets that had been untouched for nearly six weeks. By PTI KOLKATA: Several groups promoting Bengali sub-nationalism on Monday called upon non-Hindi speaking people to mark Hindi Diwas as 'black day' in protest against alleged discriminatory attitude towards the Bengali language by the Centre. Hindi Diwas is observed on this day annually to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as one of the official languages of the country. Organisations such as Bangla Pokkho and Jatiyo Bangla Sammelan demand that the central government desist from "imposing Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states". In West Bengal's post offices, railway stations and airports which are run by the central government, Hindi is more visible in signboards than Bengali, Bangla Pokkho alleged in a statement. "This is inconsistent with India's policy of giving equal importance to the language of the majority of the people in non-Hindi speaking states. This is nothing short of Hindi aggression. We oppose this. Hindi Diwas should be observed as black day in this state," the statement said. The organisation said that an estimated 83 per cent people know only Bengali in this state and they should not be ignored. "The strength of India rests in its unity in diversity, not in imposition of Hindi or efforts to make it a unifying language across different regions," the statement said, demanding that linguistic diversity of the country be celebrated on February 21, the International Mother Language Day. Another organization, Jatiyo Bangla Sammelan, launched a campaign on this day, saying that Hindi Diwas should not be celebrated in West Bengal. The outfit also supported the demand by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for declaring Bengali as a classical language in new National Education Policy 2020. Banerjee in a tweet called upon the Centre to accord classical language status to Bengali while underscoring her commitment to give equal importance to other languages including Hindi and not ignoring any language. Scott Morrison has announced a $211million plan to keep fuel prices 'as low as possible' as the nation emerges from the coronavirus-caused recession. The prime minister wants to protect the nation from any future 'price shocks' by increasing domestic fuel storage and supporting local oil refineries. New domestic storage facilities to hold 780ML of diesel will be built at a cost of $200million, creating 950 jobs during construction. Scott Morrison has announced a $211million plan to keep fuel prices 'as low as possible' as the nation emerges from the coronavirus-caused recession The government will also pay refineries to stay open and turn oil into fuel when they may otherwise close because they are struggling to make money. Coronavirus restrictions around the world cut gasoline demand by 50 per cent and jet fuel demand by 70 per cent, in turn slashing the profits of refineries. In April Caltex temporarily shut down its Brisbane refinery - one of four refineries across Australia - as the oil price plummeted. If all four refineries are closed then fuel prices would jump by about 1 cent per lite, costing the economy $4.9billion over ten years, according to government modelling. The government will also pass laws to require a minimum amount of fuel that has to be held in Australia. The nation currently has 20 days' worth of diesel, 27 of jet fuel and 25 of petrol on shore. The government wants to increase diesel stockholdings by 40 per cent. Diesel is essential to the farming, mining and transport sectors. Diesel is essential to the farming, mining and transport sectors (stock image) Australia's oil refineries Altona, Melbourne - Mobil Lytton, Brisbane - Caltex Geelong, Victoria - Viva Energy Kwinana, WA - BP Source: AIP Advertisement It comes after the government bought $94million of crude oil at record low global prices to be stored in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve for access during a global emergency. Mr Morrison said Australia's fuel security was essential for national security and that the country had been fortunate not to have experienced a significant fuel supply shock in over 40 years. 'Our positive changes to the fuel market will ensure Australian families and businesses can access the fuel they need, when they need it, for the lowest possible price,' Mr Morrison said in a statement. 'Fuel security underpins our entire economy. Not only does it keep Australia moving, the industry supports thousands of people across the country and this plan is also about helping keep them in work. He said like all sectors of the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on Australia's fuel industry and was a reminder not to be complacent. 'We need a sovereign fuel supply to shield us from potential shocks in the future,' he said. Minister for Energy Angus Taylor said Australian refineries are under significant financial pressure and the government is committed to working with the sector to ensure it has a long-term future. 'Almost all Australians are reliant on fuel and it is the lifeblood of so many sectors in our economy,' Mr Taylor said. 'Our farmers and miners rely heavily on diesel to do their jobs and provide services, while the transport sector sources 98 per cent of its energy from liquid fuels.' WASHINGTON The Trump administrations multibillion dollar farm aid program, managed by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, has poured a disproportionate amount of money into big farms and southern states, including the secretarys home state of Georgia, according to a report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office. The findings by the nonpartisan watchdog agency supported some of the criticisms leveled at the White House and President Trump by Democrats and advocacy groups, who have accused the administration of mismanaging the $23 billion program that the president started in 2018 to blunt the effects of his trade war with China on American farmers. The study, which was requested by Senate Democrats, assessed the $14.5 billion in payments that were made last year. The report, along with a separate analysis of it by Senate Democrats, found that Georgia farmers received an average of $42,545 from the program more than twice the national average of $16,507 and the highest average per acre in the country. It also found that eight of the top nine states measured by average payments per acre of farmland were in the South, a region at the heart of Mr. Trumps political base. More generous payment rates for cotton and sorghum, which are grown in Southern states, were part of the reason for the disparity, the report said. For the ninth year in a row, Western University of Health Sciences was named a "Great College to Work For." These pandemic months have demonstrated our adaptability as an institution as our entire campus community came together to provide robust virtual curricula for students and an engaging work-from-home environment for employees, said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in campuses nationwide as institutions quickly transitioned to online learning for students and remote work for employees. Western University of Health Sciences, which has campuses in Pomona, California and Lebanon, Oregon, is unwavering in its support of employees during this time. Now, for the ninth year in a row, WesternU has been named a Great College to Work For by The Chronicle of Higher Education, a top trade publication for colleges and universities. WesternU was recognized in three categories: Compensation & Benefits, Respect & Appreciation, and Work/Life Balance. The Great Colleges to Work For survey went out in March 2020 and closed in early April, so WesternU employees gave high marks to the University while transitioning to working from home remotely and adjusting to a COVID-19 world. These pandemic months have demonstrated our adaptability as an institution as our entire campus community came together to provide robust virtual curricula for students and an engaging work-from-home environment for employees, said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD. Through innovative programs such as Skill Share, an initiative that allows employees working from home to gain new experiences contributing to mission-critical projects across the University, we have been able to avoid the layoffs and furloughs that so many other universities have endured. WesternU scored in the Very Good to Excellent range (75-100%) across all job categories (administration, faculty, exempt and non-exempt staff) in the areas of Pride, Facilities, and Compensation, Benefits & Work/Life Balance. The University scored Very Good to Excellent overall in the aforementioned areas as well as in Job Satisfaction/Support; Supervisors/Department Chairs; and Faculty, Administration and Staff Relations. The Great Colleges to Work For program is one of the largest and most respected workplace recognition programs in the country. Now in its thirteenth year, it recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies. WesternU was one of 79 colleges and universities deemed a Great College to Work For. By the numbers: 221 institutions participated in 2020, including 127 four-year institutions and 94 two-year institutions. 79 institutions are recognized as a 2020 Great College to Work For, including 54 four-year institutions and 25 two-year institutions. The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institution questionnaire that captured employment data and workplace policies from each institution, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators, and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback. The institutions participating in the 2020 Great Colleges to Work For program deserve special kudos for their commitment to being good stewards of institutional culture and workplace quality. In the face of unprecedented uncertainty, their commitment to faculty/staff engagement never wavered, said Richard K. Boyer, Senior Consultant at ModernThink, a strategic human capital consulting firm that administered the survey and analyzed the results. In particular, institutions recognized in this years program as Great Colleges to Work For prove that it is possible to be a great workplace even in the face of disruption, uncertainty, and limited resources. For more information and to view all current and previous recognized institutions, visit the Great Colleges program website at http://www.greatcollegesprogram.com. Catfish Killas fighting to save New Zealand's native fish by Cleo Fraser September 14,2020 | Source: newshub Whiskered introduced species, catfish, have taken over and they're killing New Zealand's native fish species. Wiremu Anaru and his team from Te Arawa Lake Trusts are on the case - they're known as the Catfish Killas. Since 2016 the group has hauled up about 150,000 catfish from Rotorua and Rotoiti. Catfish were introduced in the 1870s and they're a problem because they prey on koura or freshwater crayfish, as well as other native fish that are considered threatened. "Catfish eat all the babies - they just go along the bottom of the lakes and suck them all in," William Anaru told The Hui, while out setting nets on Lake Rotoiti. The explosion of catfish numbers started when a single fish hitched a ride from the central North Island - a biodiversity mess that could have been avoided had the boat been cleaned. "They say it came from a boat that had been in Lake Taupo for about three days and a little catfish swam up into the boat trailer and got a ride from Taupo to Rotoiti," Anaru said. And with that, the cat was literally out of the bag. Catfish release 6000 eggs each spawning cycle, so one fish quickly becomes a multitude. That's when the iwi, Te Arawa, stepped in. So big is the task of getting rid of the slimy pests that hundreds of rangatahi (young people) from across the rohe (area) are lending a hand. "The catfish can survive out of water for like two days, because they can survive in their own slime," one of the student volunteers, Mikaere, told The Hui while holding a large catfish on the lakefront at Rotoiti. When Anaru's koro was a boy Rotorua and Rotoiti were teeming with koura. Numbers are now down 80-90 percent. "When you fed your manuhiri (visitors) you'd feed them koura. It was like a display of mana, how much koura you could provide to visitors," Anaru said. "The practise of harvesting koura, it's something our tipuna used to do. It's something by right we should be able to continue to do forever." Populations of kooaro, a fish species, have also been decimated. For Anaru it's not just the loss of the species at stake, but connection to his tipuna through stories. "The actual name of Lake Rotoiti is Te Roto-Whaiti-i-kite-ai-a-Ihenga. It means a small lake discovered by Ihenga. "So Ihenga was an explorer from Te Arawa that came up from Maketu, came up the Kaituna river, and he had two dogs with him on his journey. His dog ran off in front of him and then they came back and they spewed up a whole bunch of kooaro at his feet. "So he knew that there was a waterway area and that he could get a kai." Anaru and his team of young conservationists are being credited with removing about 30,000 Catfish from Rotorua waterways each year. It's a source of pride for Te Arawa rangatahi. Theme(s): Fisheries Resources. Shortly before President Donald Trump took the stage on Sunday night in Henderson, Nev., for his first indoor rally in months, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak blasted the president for flouting the state's coronavirus restrictions by packing hundreds of supporters, many without masks, into a building. The Democratic governor noted that Trump and his campaign were violating Nevada's ban on gatherings of 50 people or more, tweeting that the president's rally at Xtreme Manufacturing was "shameful, dangerous and irresponsible." "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," the governor said. "The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic." The indoor rally, which featured maskless supporters standing shoulder-to-shoulder inside the industrial facility, came as the United States surpasses 190,000 dead from the novel coronavirus. In Nevada, where Trump held multiple events over the weekend, there have been more than 73,500 cases and more than 1,450 deaths related to the virus. Sunday's rally followed a campaign event last week in Winston-Salem, N.C., in which Trump mocked pandemic restrictions by not wearing a mask and jeered at the state's restrictions against outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh rejected criticism of the rally, with the campaign noting that rally attendees were subject to a temperature check, had access to hand sanitizer, and were provided masks and encouraged to wear them. "If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States," Murtaugh said in a statement. Joe Biden's campaign was also quick to bash the president for holding sizable rallies that violate states' public health rules. The Democratic nominee has maintained a more socially-distanced campaign, following the guidelines of public health experts, said Mike Gwin, a Biden campaign spokesman. "Every rally turned superspreader event Donald Trump decides to hold serves as another reminder to Americans that Trump still refuses to take this pandemic seriously and still doesn't have a plan to stop it, even after nearly 200,000 deaths and untold economic damage," Gwin said in a statement. Sunday's event was the president's first indoor rally since a June gathering in Tulsa. A top local health official in the Oklahoma city later said that the rally and other large gatherings, including protests, "more than likely" contributed to Tulsa County's surge in coronavirus cases. At least six staff members at the site of the Tulsa rally had also tested positive for the virus, The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig reported. Herman Cain, the former pizza chain executive and Republican presidential candidate, was hospitalized with covid-19 less than two weeks after attending the Tulsa rally, which featured several thousand people, most of whom did not wear masks. Cain later died of the virus on July 30 at the age of 74. (It's unclear when and where he contracted the coronavirus.) Leading up to Sunday's rally, medical professionals and local officials warned of the dangers of letting the indoor event proceed. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, likened the decision to hold the Henderson rally to "negligent homicide." "What else could you call an act that because of its negligence results in the deaths of others?" he said to CNN. "If you have a mass gathering now in the United States in a place like Nevada or just about any other place with hundreds of thousands of people, people will get infected and some of those people will die." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Kathleen Richards, a spokeswoman for the city of Henderson, told reporters that the city had issued verbal and written warnings to Xtreme Manufacturing about social-distancing restrictions and threatened the company with a citation and the loss of its business license. The firm did not immediately return a request for comment late Sunday. Don Ahern, the owner of the venue, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the state had fined him nearly $11,000 last month for failing to follow the state's covid-19 policies after he held a Trump campaign event and beauty pageant attended by hundreds of people at the Ahern Hotel on the Strip. "Under Donald J. Trump, we will always have the right to assemble," he told the newspaper. "Apparently, tonight, we don't have that right to assemble." Questioning why Trump "blatantly disregarded" the state's emergency restrictions, Sisolak on Sunday called the president's actions "an insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives, made sacrifices, and put their neighbors before themselves." Trump made direct reference to the governor just once over the course of his 70-minute campaign speech, calling him a "political hack," saying that he "would be watching" the state's ballots. "If the governor comes after you, which he shouldn't be doing, I'll be with you all the way," the president said. Israel is to re-impose a second national lockdown, after a spike in coronavirus cases. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told the nation during a televised news conference on Sunday evening that schools, shops, hotels and shopping centres will have enforced restrictions again from Friday, the day of Jewish new year. Israel, which has a population of 9 million, recorded more than 4,000 new cases in a single day last week. According to the latest figures from the Israeli health ministry, more than 153,000 people have caught the virus and 1,108 have died since the start of the crisis. Mr Netanyahu said: "Our goal is to stop the increase [in cases] and lower morbidity. "I know that these steps come at a difficult price for all of us. This is not the holiday we are used to. And we certainly won't be able to celebrate with our extended families." The restrictions that Israelis must follow until 11 October, when the measures will be reviewed, include: All schools, hotels and shopping centres are to close; Supermarkets, pharmacies and restaurants can only open for delivery; Non-governmental offices and businesses can stay open but must not accept customers; Up to 10 people can meet indoors, while groups of up to 20 are allowed outdoors; People will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes, with the exception of travelling to workplaces. Officials had feared that large gatherings during the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah could trigger new outbreaks. But the new lockdown has infuriated Jewish Orthodox factions in Mr Netanyahus coalition government, with the housing minister, Yaakov Litzman, resigning from his post on Sunday. In his resignation letter, he said: This wrongs and scorns hundreds of thousands of citizens. "Where were you until now? Why have the Jewish holidays become a convenient address for tackling the coronavirus?" Israel was initially quick to curb the spread of the virus and sealed the countrys borders early on in the year during its first outbreak. But in an effort to kickstart the economy, schools were invited to reopen in May, which led to a surge in cases. Eli Waxman, chairman of the team advising Israels National Security Council on the pandemic, later told The New York Times that the reopening of schools in May was a major failure. Speaking about advice he would give to other countries, he said: They definitely should not do what we have done. At Least 5 Killed in Attack on Afghanistan's Shinwari Checkpoint Sputnik News 05:12 GMT 13.09.2020 KABUL (Sputnik) - At least five police officers were killed when the Taliban attacked the Shinwari checkpoint outside the city of Kunduz in Afghanistan, Hijratullah Akbari, a spokesman for the Kunduz police chief, said. The attack occurred late on Saturday night. According to Akbari, three Afghan National Police and two local policemen were killed and four other law enforcement members were injured, while one tank was destroyed. He added that the Afghan forces have regained control of the checkpoint. At the same time, one policeman was killed and three others were injured when a car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint in the Maiwand District in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar Province, a security source told Sputnik. According to the source, the attack was carried out late on Saturday night, using a Mazda vehicle, which was identified by police in advance and exploded before reaching its main target. The Taliban have not yet commented on the attacks. The incident occurred as the militants and the government representatives are holding talks in Qatar, trying to reach an agreement on long-lasting peace after almost two decades of war. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Orlando Bloom recently became a father again, when fiancee Katy Perry gave birth to daughter Daisy last month. And the British actor has finally come up for air, after enjoying some quality family time in isolation. He cut a casual dad look Sunday, as he was spotted out for the first time since welcoming Daisy Dove, grabbing some takeout for his family in Santa Barbara. Hey daddy: Orlando Bloom cut a casual dad look Sunday, as he was spotted out for the first time since welcoming daughter Daisy Dove with fiancee Katy Perry, grabbing some takeout for his family in Santa Barbara The 43-year-old donned a long-sleeve grey Alpinestars shirt, black shorts, matching black flip flops and a grey bandana as a face mask. His outing came just one day after new mom Katy, 35, was spotted for first time since giving birth, as she enjoyed some retail therapy. Orlando and Katy introduced their bundle of joy to the world on Wednesday, August 26 via Unicef, for whom they serve as Goodwill Ambassadors. The humanitarian agency released a statement on behalf of the parents: 'We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter. New addition: Orlando, 43, and Katy, 35, introduced their bundle of joy to the world on Wednesday, August 26 Happy family: The proud parents wrote: 'We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter' (pictured in September, 2018) 'But we know were the lucky ones and not everyone can have a birthing experience as peaceful as ours was.' The statement was posted to Unicef's Instagram, as well as Orlando and Katy's, accompanied with a sweet black-and-white photo of Daisy's hand holding mom and dad's fingers. They used the opportunity to encourage donations to Unicef, adding: 'In celebration of the heart we know our daughter already has, we have set up a donation page to celebrate DDBs arrival. 'By supporting them, you are supporting a safe start to life and reimagining a healthier world for every child. We hope your [heart emoji] can bloom with generosity.' A source recently told ET Online that the happy couple 'cant get enough of their daughter Daisy.' Proud parents: A source recently told ET Online that the happy couple 'cant get enough of their daughter Daisy' Baby bump: She announced her first pregnancy back in March, when she revealed her baby bump in her Never Worn White music video Wedding bells: The Teenage Dream artist got engaged to Orlando last February, after they began dating in January of 2016 The insider added that Katy 'has been incredible with her daughter and is obsessed with her. The couple and their love for one another had grown to a level they didnt even expect since the arrival of their daughter.' She announced her first pregnancy back in March, when she revealed her baby bump in her Never Worn White music video. The Teenage Dream artist got engaged to Orlando last February, after they began dating in January of 2016. The Pirates of the Caribbean star also shares son Flynn Christopher, nine, with ex-wife Miranda Kerr, 37, to whom he was married from 2010 to 2013. Orlando told Jimmy Fallon just days before welcoming Daisy: 'Im so excited to have a little Daddys girl. I hope shes gonna love me as much as I love her. But that daddy-girl thing and that love of your life feeling is, I think, right around there.' With the West Bengal assembly polls in 2021 becoming crucial for her party, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday made a series of announcements for the states Hindi-speaking, backward classes and tribal population as well as different religious groups. Banerjee also announced a monthly stipend of 1,000 and houses for Hindu priests facing poverty. Many of them (priests) are very poor. They met me several times to seek help. We have given the priests a plot of land at Kolaghat for setting up a place for pilgrims. Priests who do not have houses will be given the same under the states rural housing scheme, Banerjee said at a press conference in the state secretariat. Please do not think we are doing this only for Hindu priests. We are ready to help clerics from other religions as well. The state Wakf board already gives a stipend to Imams of the mosques. We thought of doing something for the others. The state has already given a 700-acre land to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Nabadwip (Nadia district), said Banerjee. The government will prepare a map of places of worship of all religions. The places of worship in poor state will be renovated and preserved. Those with no definite owner or trustee will be taken over by the government, she said. Describing the moves as a part of the states welfare measures for people from all class, creed and religions, Banerjee announced that a Hindi language academy will be set up. It will be run by prominent members of the Hindi-speaking population. She announced a series of names as well. Former TMC Rajya Sabha member and newspaper editor Vivek Gupta will head the committee. Making another announcement, Banerjee said, Similar academies for tribal people and members of the Dalit communities will be set up to help them preserve and spread their culture and heritage. Banerjee said an academy for Dalit literature will be headed by prominent writer from the community, Manoranjan Byapari, who won the Bangla Akademi award, amongst several others. While referring to the Dalits, the chief minister specifically mentioned the Matua community who comprise a sizeable chunk of voters as well as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member. Also, BJP won all the three seats in the states western districts where the tribal population is significantly big. The culturally important Baishnupur town, which incidentally is in Bankura where the BJP won the Lok Sabha seat in 2019, figures prominently in the chief ministers new plans. Bishnupur was a seat of learning centuries ago and the local museum has an archive of more than 3000 handwritten scrolls on various subjects including Vaishnav literature. The state government will digitize these for preservation and research, she said. The Bengal BJP leadership said Banerjee was making desperate attempts to please Hindi-speaking people, Dalits, tribals and Hindu priests after doing nothing for them for 10 years. All these years she never thought of these people. Rather she used to target those who chanted the Jai Sri Ram slogan in front of her. She gave stipend to the Imams and attended all Muslim festivals. Her regime will be over in six months. People will not be fooled by these promises, said BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha. Significantly, on Monday morning Banerjee launched an all-new three-tier Hindi cell of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) while India observed Hindi Diwas. The cell will have separate committees at state, district and community block levels. The decision, senior TMC leaders said, was based on recommendations made by election strategist Prashant Kishor who was roped in by Banerjee after the BJP won 18 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. The TMCs tally came down from 34 seats to 22. The BJP poses a challenge to Banerjee in the run-up to the 2021 assembly polls. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (@ChaudhryMAli88) The death toll from an outbreak in southern Spain of West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitos, has risen to four, local health authorities said Monday Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Sep, 2020 ) :The death toll from an outbreak in southern Spain of West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitos, has risen to four, local health authorities said Monday. An 87-year-old woman who was hospitalised with the disease in the town of Puerto Real in the southwestern province of Cadiz is the latest fatal victim of the outbreak, the health department of the regional government of Andalusia said in a statement. Three other elderly people have died from the disease in the neighbouring province of Seville where the outbreak began earlier this year in the towns of Coria del Rio and La Puebla del Rio, both located next to the Guadalquivir marshes. Ten other people are in hospital with the disease in the two provinces, including four who are in intensive care units, the statement added. West Nile virus can cause symptoms similar to those of the flu, but in extreme cases, it can result in tremors, fever, comas and a lethal swelling of the brain tissue known as encephalitis. It can also cause meningitis. The regional government of Andalusia has sprayed several wetland areas with pesticides to kill mosquitos and lower the risk of West Nile virus transmission, and has urged people to install mosquito nets and screens in their homes. The outbreak comes as Spain battles one of the severest Covid-19 epidemics in Europe with nearly 30,000 deaths. The police are conducting raids across the city. The city of Ternopil continues ignoring the restrictions mandated by the adaptive quarantine rules for the "red" quarantine zone. Meanwhile, in an effort to enforce bans, police are raiding catering establishments and imposing fines, including on school principals, for failure to obey tough rules that the government says could curb COVID-19 spread amid the latest spikes. That's according to the local Police Department press service who spoke with UNIAN. Read alsoHealth minister names Ukrainian regions with highest daily COVID-19 spikeAs of September 14, 57 fines were imposed on principals of schools and kindergartens for failing to suspend work, 28 fines on drivers and carrier companies for ongoing passenger transportation services, as well as 13 fines on owners of catering facilities. Police say such violations provide for a fine from UAH 17,000 (US$609) to UAH 34,000 (US$1,218) for citizens, as well as from UAH 34,000 to UAH 170,000 (US$6,090) for officials. Ternopil in "red" zone Ternopil has been assigned to the "red" zone since September 7. However, despite restrictions laid down, the city commission for emergency situations decided not to suspend operations of schools and kindergartens, catering facilities, and public transport. The town hall also promised free legal support for appealing all fines in court. A total of 45 schools and 39 kindergartens are now operating in Ternopil as usual. Zelensky's reaction to defiant regions President Volodymyr Zelensky has earlier commented on the move by a number of local leaders to ignore the obligatory strengthening of quarantine rules. "On some rebellious local leadersIn general, I don't understand who's fighting whom. I'm not fighting anyone at all. This sounds ridiculous, but these 'rebels' ... I do realize that ahead of local elections they seek to please people and open up everything, allow them walking around with no masks on, and turn a blind eye to things..." Zelensky said. Thailands Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha this week publicly endorsed a proposed land bridge between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, apparently shelving a long-discussed project to build a canal across the Malay Peninsula. The dueling project ideas have generated debate, with some calling the canal a security risk and others arguing that a so-called land bridge deep sea ports connected by road and rail would be far less profitable and practical than the waterway. Prayuth on Tuesday touted the land bridge as a way to kick-start economic growth at a time when tourism and exports have taken a huge hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [We] are studying a land bridge, I gave the guideline. I think it will help the economy in the long term, Prayuth said. We need a new project. We are looking into how to connect transportations of the west coast and east coast. A bridge or a canal would dramatically shorten travel time for ships sailing between the Indian Ocean in the west and the South China Sea and the Pacific in the east. Currently, the Malacca Straits, a narrow waterway between peninsular Malaysia and Indonesias Sumatra island, is the shortest east-west sea route. Prayuth didnt mention the Thai Canal project also referred to as the Kra Canal while talking about the land bridge. His transportation minister has brought it up twice since July, and both times said the canal was a nonstarter. A canal, it wont happen, and people are opposed to it, transportation minister Saksiam Chidchob told a seminar in July. He added that the canal isnt feasible because water levels on either side of Thailand vary. To dig a canal, I dont think is suitable for Thailand because the water levels in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand differ. In the canal, there must be transition points, which takes space and is time-consuming. A land bridge connecting Ranong province in the west with Chumphom province in the east is the answer, Saksiam said. If we construct deep sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong and connect them with a land bridge that has dual tracked railway and highways for 120 kilometers that would save two days of sailing [through the Malacca Straits], he said. In August, Saksiam told Bloomberg News the canal project was being replaced with the land bridge one, and the government had already approved spending 165 million baht (U.S. $5.3 million) to study the overland option. Neither Prayuth nor Saksiam have said how much the land bridge is estimated to cost. BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, contacted Saksiams office for comment but didnt hear back. Canal vs land bridge Meanwhile, a sub-committee of Thailands House of Representatives, set up in January to look into the Thai Canal, said it is almost ready with its initial study, retired Maj. Songklod Tipparat, the chairman of the sub-committee, told BenarNews. He is among the supporters of the 120-kilometer-long canal. The Klong Thai (Thai Canal) project is unstoppable despite talks on the land bridge, Songklod said. The land bridge doesnt work because it costs a lot to transfer containers from ships to trucks or trains. Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, shares Songklods opinion, saying a land bridge makes little economic sense. Unloading goods at one port, transporting them across the country by rail or road, and then uploading them at another port increases rather than reduces transportation costs, Storey wrote in an article published this month in Today, a Singapore publication. The Thai Canal proposal would involve construction along whats called the 9A route, which cuts across five southern provinces. BenarNews Songklod said a canal would be immensely profitable. The project will cost 2 trillion baht (U.S. $64 billion), he said, but the revenue will be double that figure every year. A peripheral economic corridor would provide additional benefits, he said. Over 40,000 Thai fishing boats in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand could sail back and forth quickly and frugally, he said, adding that the canal could also accommodate 350,000 to 500,000-ton ships. The canal would transverse five southern provinces from Krabi on the Andaman Sea, through Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Pattalung and Trang, to Songkhla on the Gulf of Thailand, he said. Gen. Pradit Boonkerd, president of Thai Canal Association, which supports the project, told BenarNews the canal would be 30 meters deep and 400 meters wide. Sailing through it is convenient, safe and economical, saving 1,200 kilometers when compared to going through the Malacca Straits, he said. If we have the Thai Canal connect with the high-speed train networks in northeastern Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, that will create a million jobs. According to Songklod, opinion polls in Krabi, Pattalung and Trang show that a majority of people support the canal. People in Songkhla and Nakhon Sri Thammarat have yet to be polled, he said. Security concerns Meanwhile, those against the canal worry that it will cut off the troubled Deep South region, three provinces and a handful of neighboring districts on Thailands southern border where a violent insurgency has killed more than 7,000 people since 2004. A land bridge is safer, they say, because it wont divide the country into two parts with a canal that is wider than an average river. Some also fear Chinas possible involvement in building the canal, which would give Beijing undue influence in the region. Although Beijing has not publicly commented on funding it, it has invested billions around the region as part of One Belt, One Road (OBOR), an ambitious program to build a global network of ports, highways, railways, bridges and power plants. Involving China in the construction would bring in China as a permanent security partner that could not easily be kicked out, wrote Salvatore Babones, a professor at the University of Sydney, in Foreign Policy this month. The House subcommittee studying the canal proposal stoked these fears by inviting three Chinese-Thai companies to demonstrate a model of the project. The firms invited were China State Construction Yangtze River (Thailand) Company Limited, The Best Group and The Aviation Industry Corporation of China.There are also worries that Thailand could be caught in tensions between India and China, both of whom are jockeying for influence in the region and were recently involved in violent skirmishes in a disputed Himalayan border area. The Thai Canal would allow China to quickly move ships between its newly constructed bases in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, and would fit neatly into Beijings plans to encircle India, wrote Babones. A former member of the Thai House sub-committee studying the canal has similar views on how the canal would help China. I think China supports the canal digging for security reasons as it will allow Chinas armada to cross and control the two oceans, Prasithichai Noonual told BenarNews. If China digs the canal, she could control the two oceans and will have disputes with the U.S. and India, and Thailands south would be a flashpoint. Prasithichai said he quit the sub-committee because of these concerns. I am concerned and I disagreed with the committee. Its insistent it wants to dig the canal rather than discussing its pros and cons comprehensively, he said. The committee shouldnt act as a lobbyist, so I quit. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Chef Serigne Mbaye has traveled the world pursing culinary knowledge: exploring Senegal and cooking at kitchens from Commanders Palace to the two- and three-Michelin star kitchens LAtelier de Joel Robuchon in New York and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. Hes made his home in New Orleans, where hes running his pop-up Dakar NOLA. Mbaye, who just turned 27, says New Orleans is the closest American city to Senegals capital, Dakar, where he went to school. Mbaye divided his time between there and Harlem, where he was born and his mother had a restaurant. With Dakar NOLA, he serves a changing menu of Creole-meets-Senegalese dishes, offered to go and for delivery from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday. The Dakar NOLA menu changes regularly, but Mbaye often cooks his favorite Senegalese dishes using local ingredients and Gulf seafood. Soupa konja is a sort of Senegalese seafood and okra gumbo made with natural palm oil and served with steamed rice. The story of the dish might be a little different, but the concept is similar, Mbaye says. Queen Trini Lisa serves Trinidadian food at Portside Lounge Of all the island-kissed home-style food Lisa Queen Trini Nelson makes now at the kitchen of the reopened Portside Lounge shes especial In Dakar, benye is a popular street food of puffy fried doughnuts served warm and dusted with raw sugar, reminiscent of local beignets. Jolof, or benachin, is a one-pot dish served throughout West Africa, and Mbaye makes it with local redfish, vegetables and Louisiana long-grain rice with a piquant onion sauce. His menu usually features at least one family meal to feed four, such as a classic thieboudienne, Senegals national dish a fragrant stew of fish, rice and tomato sauce prepared in one pot. A lot of people back home dont have stoves they have one burner, Mbaye says. You build your fire and you have one pot. We use a lot of palm oil, peanuts, dehydrated smoked fish, casava and ancient grains like millet and fonio. Mbaye also makes two nonalcoholic drinks: bissap (cold hibiscus tea) and ginger beer. While he searches for a location for a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Mbaye is launching DakarNola Collab with chefs around town, cooking with them at SOFAB as well as working alongside them in their restaurants. First up is Marcus Jacobs, the chef and co-owner of Marjies Grill. Their event is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, and the menu is available on the @dakarnola Instagram page. Mbaye will be a guest chef at Marjies Grill on Sept. 22, followed by Kin on Sept. 29, and he has plans to work with chef Michael Gulotta of MoPho and Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf. Plume Algiers serves regional Indian dishes Why does a classically trained chef do a 180 and leave foie gras and bearnaise in favor of kaathi rolls and tandoori chicken? Im so excited to be able to share and learn from these great chefs, Mbaye says. He hopes a restaurant will show diners culinary connections. My idea is to let folks know about how much West African and specifically Senegalese cultures have inspired Creole cuisine, he says. I want to illuminate and strengthen the connection between our two cultures. Although the connection is often referenced terms of enslaved Africans brought to New Orleans, along with their culinary heritage and culture, Mbaye prefers to frame the conversation differently. When I think of my ancestors, the mothers and fathers, I think of royal kings and queens, I dont like using that word, thats not who we are. Growing up around his mothers restaurant business, he just took it for granted that Senegalese cuisine was well known. West African cuisine is as evolved, as complex, as French, Japanese, Italian cuisine, he says. In pursing training and to master techniques, he set out to learn in all kinds of kitchens, cooking Japanese, French and Cuban food. I am young and I want to take advantage of all opportunities, he says. So many chefs regret that they didnt travel before life catches up with them. Dakar NOLA @dakarnola on Instagram 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Southern Food & Beverage Museum, 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Order in advance online, call (504) 249-8966 or email hello@dakarnola.com In a village barely 100km northeast of Mumbai, where network is sparse and smart devices are a luxury, a government school teacher has found an innovative way to keep his students engaged through the lockdown: currency notes. When the country underwent a lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, most schools moved online. For Pralhad Kathole, an assistant teacher at the zilla parishad school at Baliwali in Palghar, this was not an option. In a class of 44 students, only two students parents had smartphones with internet connectivity and hence, online classes were out of question. So, Kathole worked out a simpler solution. He scanned a range of currency notes and arranged them on a sheet of paper so that his pupils in classes III and IV could learn basic mathematical concepts of addition and subtraction. For the younger students, he distributed colour pencils. Armed with these worksheets, Kathole walked through the hamlets and met with his students, all while maintaining social distancing. I used technology to reduce the childrens burden. Most students in our class are well-versed with household work. The worksheets were designed around students daily lives, said Kathole. Located in the Wada taluka of Palghar, Baliwali is a cluster of hamlets spread across the forests. Most students at the zilla parishad school belong to the scheduled tribe community and four girls belong to other backward classes. While most of these families live off small pieces of land, many parents migrate seasonally to work in brick kilns in nearby Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Vasai. Having simplified the worksheets into currency-related problems, Kathole also succeeded in getting parents engaged in the childrens education. While most parents are not literate, they recognise currency notes. They realised that they could help their children in their studies, said Kathole, who was one of the speakers at the national Mathematics Teachers Association (MTA) annual conference that focussed on Mathematics Education in Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic. My basic aim was to make sure my kids should not forget school. There are too many distractions for these kids to leave school. So I meet them every alternate days and we share stories with each other. Sometimes we read stories together, sometimes we sing songs together, sometimes we solve indigenous riddles together. I try to do everything during our meeting so that they feel connected with the school, said Kathole. The MTA is an association that works towards improving the teaching and learning of mathematics and related areas at all levels both inside and outside the formal educational system across the country. MTA is a new but nation-wide association of math teachers. During the pandemic teachers are facing severe challenges, ranging from no salary to how to teach effectively. The teachers shared a range of problems, from figuring out finance for students meals, to crowdfunding for the smartphones, to figuring out ways of teaching in blended form. Rural teachers who taught disadvantaged classes had to first worry about how they would get their students a meal. The teachers spent initial time not worrying about teaching but on such issues. They first tried to remain connected, said Shweta Naik, founder member of MTA, and scientific officer at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. What just happened? Microsoft has confirmed that it will not be acquiring TikToks US operations. According to reports, owner ByteDance wont be selling the source code for its video-sharing app to any American firms but will instead seek a partnership with Oracle in the hope of satisfying the Trump administration's demands. Despite its massive popularity, TikTok has long come under scrutiny for its alleged privacy issues. Its been banned by numerous US government agencies and political campaigns, while also being blasted by some within the tech industry. In August, Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders that prohibit any US transactions with ByteDance, leaving it with little option but to sell TikTok's US operations. Microsoft had appeared favorite in the race, possibly through a partnership with Walmart, but the Redmond firm has been knocked back. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests Microsoft said. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. According to The Washington Post and Reuters, ByteDance is now pursuing a partnership with Oracleanother firm that was vying to buy TikTok. The details of any potential partnership are unclear, but not handing over the source code should appease the Chinese government, which reportedly would rather see TikTok banned in America than sold to a US firm, while satisfying the Trump administration's demands. Will Larry Ellison's admiration of Trump help TikTok's plan? The deal could also see some of ByteDances biggest backers gain minority stakes in TikToks US operations, according to sources. The plan all depends on whether Trump gives it the go-ahead. One advantage Oracle may have is its chairman, Larry Ellison, who was one of the few big tech names to support the president publicly. TikTok is heading to court to challenge Trumps ban, which comes into effect on November 12 following an extension. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. The company is also suing the administration over the order. Center image credit: drserg Vials of investigational COVID-19 treatment drug remdesivir are capped at a Gilead Sciences facility in La Verne, Calif., on March 18, 2020. (Gilead Sciences via Reuters) SoCal Doctors Experiment With Treatments for COVID-19 IRVINE, Calif.Doctors in Southern California say they are experimenting with different treatment combinations as they seek to find the best way to help patients with COVID-19. The doctors told The Epoch Times that they have adjusted their methods as the pandemic has progressed. Certain drugssome of them experimentalhave proven effective, they say, especially when combined with pulmonary exercises. As the doctors continue their individual searches for effective treatments, broader efforts to test vaccines continue. Just as Good, if Not Better Dr. Gregg DeNicola of Caduceus Medical Group in Laguna Beach told The Epoch Times that he discovered a vigorous pulmonary treatment early in the pandemic that helped more than 800 of his patientsand that hes encouraged by what hes seen recently of the antiviral medication remdesivir. None of the patients under his care have died, and only 10 have been hospitalized, he said. The theory is you want to prevent secondary bacterial infections that can be devastating, when paired with COVID, DeNicola told The Epoch Times. At first, he put everybody on Zinc and Z-Pak, including the antibiotic azithromycin, but was not impressed by its effectiveness. So his team began treating patients with doxycycline, an antibiotic that can be taken to prevent malaria. DeNicola said he originally prescribed hydroxychloroquinean immunosuppressive drug often used to treat lupus and malariato severely ill patients during the first two months of the pandemic. But he noticed in recent weeks that the drug was starting to lose its touch. Theres other things were finding that are just as good, if not better, he said. At first, we were giving it to almost half of our patients. Now, its more like 10 percent. DeNicola said he has noticed promising results using remdesivir. The Department of Health and Human Services announced in June that it had secured 500,000 vials of the drug from the manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, for use in U.S. hospitals through September. Reuters reported the federal government would be shipping more vials of the drug to states with high case counts, such as California. Reason for Optimism Infectious disease specialist Dr. Otto Yang of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Westwood said there should never have been any controversy over the use of hydroxychloroquinebecause it doesnt work against COVID. In June, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adjourned clinical trials of the drug, citing no beneficial results. Yangs lab was one of the sites used for the trials. Many of us, including me, even months ago, even before that trial started, already knew that hydroxychloroquine wasnt going to work, because there was already lots of evidence from smaller trials, Yang told The Epoch Times. But Yang says now, theres reason for optimism because certain other treatments are working. A few months ago, we had nothing that we knew worked. Now, we know that remdesivir works, and we know that dexamethasone and steroids work, he said. Neither of them are a cure. Neither of them are 100 percent effective. But it does look like both of them can help improve the outcomes with COVID-19. Dexamethasone is a steroid medication meant to relieve inflammation. Its commonly used to fight respiratory diseases. More Important Than the Medications DeNicola agreed that dexamethasone has had some positive effect on his patients, but said that pulmonary hygiene protocols are what have kept his patients afloat. The doctor described the protocols as a routine his patients are directed to do every day, using postural drainage and percussion techniques. The methods include turning to ones side, coughing, and deep breathing. Were very aggressive on that, and we find that its probably more important than the medications, DeNicola said. He said treating every case differentlywhether mild, moderate, or severehas prevented deaths, too. Some patients switched to his practice after they had already seen other doctors, DeNicola said. The patients told him the others were treating them like they had the common cold, even though their oxygen levels were dropping significantly. He said modifying the treatment depending on the severity of the illness, and being aggressive with both pulmonary hygiene and medication, explains why weve had zero deaths, and thats remarkable. The doctor also noted that the diseases symptoms are changing, from what he has seen. Eighty percent of cases previously had fevers, he said, but now more than half of the patients come in with no fever at all. His team is also seeing fewer coughsbut increasing in prevalence are headaches, nausea, and vomiting. One of the most prominent symptoms is diarrhea. Now, when a patient calls and says they have a low-grade fever and diarrhea, we immediately think of COVID. We didnt do that in March, he said. DeNicola said that the No. 1 symptom still is fatigue, which 80 percent to 90 percent of his patients report. But the symptom is also a good prognostic sign for their recovery. Even if they still have a fever, if they still have some diarrhea or cough, once the fatigue starts to lift, thats a good sign, he said. Experimental Treatment Shows Promise Yang told The Epoch Times that hes testing experimental drugs at UCLA, hoping to find the best one. He contributed to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine on the decay of COVID-19 antibodies in patients with mild symptoms, and, in the past, did full-time research on the immune system and HIV. He said one treatment that shows promise is leronlimab, an artificial antibody drug being studied as a potential cure for COVID-19, breast cancer, and HIVthough studies have shown mixed results. Orange County resident Samantha Mottet, 55, attributed her remarkable recovery from COVID-19 to the drug when Yang asked her husband to sign off on using leronlimab as an experimental treatment. When the drug was administered on April 1, she was on a ventilator and gravely ill, Mottet told Spectrum News. Within 24 hours of taking the drug, she needed less oxygen, she said. By April 5, doctors removed the ventilator and she was preparing to go home. As far as how effective its been, its very hard to say, because we dont have anything to compare it to, Yang said. We give it to the patients, and we dont know how they would have done if they hadnt gotten the drug. Yang said his experiences with administering the drug are completely just based on personal observation. But based on those experiences, it seemed like quite a few patients got better quickly, he added. Yang said he is currently working on eight other experimental treatments. Most of the patients who receive them are severely ill with underlying conditions. Vaccine trials are also underway at UCLA. One trial, by the company Moderna, is targeting 30,000 test patients. Yang said the university is looking to diversify its testing population, specifically to include people of color over the age of 65, but finding willing participants can be difficult. I think most people that are considering clinical trials are considering it because theyre hoping theyll get a benefit out of it, he said. But thats not always the case, because some trials are placebo-controlled, so a number of people dont want to participate. I think most people kind of think of a trial as a treatment, and its really not a treatment, its an experiment, Yang said. I encourage people to participate in clinical trials whenever possible, and to understand that its really for the benefit of society overall. One person has lost his life in the train accident that occurred on Monday morning at Oshodi, Lagos, while another adult male sustained severe injuries. PREMIUM TIMES reported how a moving train crashed into a vehicle on Monday morning. Officials have now said three vehicles were involved in the crash. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) gave the update via its Twitter handle. Three vehicles were involved in the accident, including an SUV and a Volkswagen with registration number GGE 972 GE. A third vehicle, a highlander JEEP was also involved in the collision and its passengers (2 adult males) sustained serious injuries before being transported to Hospital. One has since lost his life while the other is undergoing treatment, the agency tweeted. Highlander JEEP involved in the train collision Highlander JEEP involved in the train collision Highlander JEEP involved in the Train Accident Highlander JEEP involved in the train collision The spokesperson of the agency, Nosa Okunbor, said the deceased adult was the driver of the crushed Toyota Highlander with registration number FST 723 FL, while the son is presently hospitalised. This development updates the earlier statement by the Lagos governors aide, Gboyega Akosile, who said there was no loss of life. The spokesperson of the Lagos Police Command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the matter has been referred to the Railway Police Command for further investigation and necessary action. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that all MPs attending the monsoon session will unanimously send a message to our Armed Forces, guarding our borders, that the nation stands behind them. All MPs attending the monsoon session will unanimously send a message to our Armed Forces, guarding our borders, that the nation stands behind them, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. This Parliament, and especially this session have another responsibility. Today, when our soldiers are holding fort on borders, on hilly and difficult terrain, and snowfall is likely after some time, I believe that all members of the Parliament will give an unequivocal message that the country stands with our soldiers, the Prime Minister said. The message from Prime Minister comes in view of the ongoing standoff at the India-China border in Eastern Ladakh. India and China have been 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. Also read: India-China standoff set to rock Parl, Cong gives adjournment notice on Ladakh Also read: Fight Covid-19, not the opposition or Ranaut: Fadnavis to Thackeray Earlier, PM Modi thanked all MPs for choosing the path of duty, by consenting to attend the Parliaments monsoon session, even during the coronavirus crisis. He had also urged all parliamentarians and others to follow all COVID-19 related guidelines to ensure safety. He had also expressed the hope that the COVID-19 vaccine would soon be found to end the pandemic and the crisis phase would come to a stop. The Monsoon session 2020 of Parliament commences today. The fourth session of 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to be held today and subject to exigencies of government business, may conclude on October 1. According to a press release from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days (all the days including Saturdays and Sundays of the ensuing session will be working days) and a total of 47 items have been identified for being taken up during the Monsoon Session 2020. (These include 45 Bills and two financial items). This will be the first Parliament session being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore all safety measures have been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for COVID-19. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday has sent a safety COVID-19 kit along with a letter to all the parliamentarians amid the pandemic. The Speaker said that Lok Sabha Secretariat has made all the arrangements for members safety and convenience to enable them to participate in the deliberations of the House without any apprehension. Earlier today, sanitisation work was also undertaken in the Parliament premises ahead of the commencement of the session. Also read: Amit Shah to address countrymen on Hindi Diwas CPSI has been serving the medical industry and distributing quality healthcare products for over 20 years to Commercial, Veteran Administration, and Indian Health Services hospitals, medical centers and pharmacies nationwide. CPSI is WOSB Certified and holds a GSA Contract for Medical Equipment and Supplies under GSA Contract No. V797P-2021D. We have built our business on delivering quality products and excellent customer service, said Barb Conti, President of CPSI. Our experience with FedBiz streamlined our process for WOSB Certification and compliments our GSA Schedule to increase our existing business within the federal government. The federal governments goal is to award at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars each year to business that are WOSB Certified. 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FedBiz team of professionals provides clients with actionable insight and the tools to identify and win government contracts. http://www.FedBizAccess.com FedBiz directory of government contractors at FedBizConnect.com is a searchable database for government contracting officials and prime contractors to find actionable information to fulfill awards. FedBiz Verified Members are independently verified, and their profiles are optimized for accuracy and completeness. CPSI's business profile can be found at https://fedbizconnect.com/Business/Index/008528895 For more information, please contact: Computer Products & Supplies International: Barb Conti, President Tel: (888) 787-5185 As Pakistan continues to be under FATF's radar, Pakistani military on Sunday said that security forces have killed a terrorist commander along with three other terrorists in the Waziristan area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani military on Sunday said that security forces have killed a terrorist commander along with three other terrorists in the Waziristan area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. An army statement said that in a major breakthrough, terrorist commander Ihsan Ullah alias Ihsan Sanray along with three other terrorists (were) killed during an intelligence-based operation today (Sunday) in Ghariom, Shaktu near the inter-district boundary of North and South Waziristan tribal districts. The militarys media wing said Sanray masterminded numerous terrorist activities. More recently he was involved in planning and execution of terrorist attacks in Shaktu area which led to the martyrdom of several soldiers and officers including Lt Nasir (Shaheed) and Capt Sabih (Shaheed), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a tweet on Sunday. Also read: Israel enforces second Covid-19 lockdown as fresh cases emerge Also read: Nepal landslide: Death toll rises to 11, over 20 still missing The killing of terrorists comes ahead of a crucial meeting of Asia-Pacific Joint Group of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is scheduled for September 15-16. Pakistan will be on the agenda. The country is facing the daunting task of clearing its name from the FATF grey list. Pakistan is in the grey list since June 2018 and the government was given a final warning in February to complete the remaining action points by June 2020. The FATF extended the June deadline to September due to the spread of coronavirus that disrupted the FATF plenary meetings. Meanwhile, Pakistan is making attempts to avoid a demotion from the FATF grey list to the blacklist during the upcoming October plenary meeting. While Pakistan tries to showcase its efforts in combatting terrorism, there have been reports from Afghanistan giving ample evidence of the presence of Pakistani terrorists on its land. In recent weeks, Pakistan has been trying to paint a picture that it has started the reforms including the passing of bills in order to prevent blacklisting by the FATF. In late July, Pakistan Financial Monitoring Unit director-general Lubna Farooq told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance that the country is yet to comply with 13 conditions out of the 27-point Action Plan of the FATF including curbing terror financing, enforcement of the laws against the proscribed organizations and improving the legal systems. Also read: Spain to begin clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine today A Conservative MP has resigned from the government over Boris Johnsons plan to break international law over Northern Ireland. Rehman Chishti, the MP for Gillingham and Rainham in Kent, said he was quitting as the governments special envoy for freedom of religion. The move came as Downing Street revealed that Mr Johnson is taking the highly unusual step of opening the debate on the UK Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons this afternoon A second reading debate would normally be opened by a minister from the department responsible for the bill - in this case business secretary Alok Sharma. The fact that the prime minister feels it necessary to appear in the chamber, and to take up to five and a half hours of questions from MPs, is an indication of the pressure he is under from opposition to his plans. Announcing his resignation as the PMs envoy, the normally loyal Mr Chishti said: I cant support Internal Market Bill in its current form, which unilaterally break UKs legal commitments. As an MP for 10 years and former barrister, values of respecting rule of law and honouring ones word are dear to me. The resignation is significant because it is the first from the government over the issue, though the civil service head of Whitehalls legal department quit last week after refusing to go along with the bill. The prime minister has been criticised for his plan to pass a law allowing him override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement; all the UKs living former prime ministers have spoken out against the move. Up to 30 Tory MPs are expected to back a rebel amendment tabled by Sir Bob Neill, the chair of the justice select committee and set to come to a vote on Tuesday next week. The amendment would give MPs a veto on any attempt to break the agreement by requiring them to vote on the date on which the controversial decisions come into effect. But the bill is expected to survive votes this evening on an opposition reasoned amendment seeking to bring an immediate halt to its progress through parliament. In a letter to the prime minister sent on Monday, the Kent MP Mr Chishti said: "Having read your letter to colleagues, as well as wider statements on the matter, I will not be able to support this Bill on a matter of principle. "I have real concerns with the UK unilaterally breaking its legal commitments under the withdrawal agreement. During my 10 years in parliament and before that as a barristers, I have always acted in a matter which respects the rule of law. "I feel strongly about keeping the commitments we make; if we give our word, then we must honour it. Voting for this Bill as it currently stands would be contrary to the values I hold dearest." Geoffrey Cox QC, the former attorney general, on Sunday night openly damned the plans, saying he could not support them and that they were "unconscionable. But with an effective working majority of around 87 MPs it is all but certain that Mr Johnson will get his way, unless there are a large number of abstentions on the Tory backbenches. MPs will have the opportunity to debate the issue on Monday afternoon at the bills second reading. Asked about Mr Chishtis resignation, the PMs official spokesman said: The prime minister thanks him for his service and would wish him well for the future. "But we have very clearly set out the reasons for the measures related to the Northern Ireland protocol and the PM believes it is critical that this legislation is passed. Nvidia just announced that it has reached an agreement with Arm and Softbank (Arms current owner) to purchase Arm for a collection of stock and cash that could total up to $40 billion. Its a huge deal that could shake up the semiconductor industry. Nvidia is the dominant force in high performance graphics and increasingly in AI and machine learning. Arm licenses IP, CPU, and GPU designs to many companies, including nearly every smartphone chip maker. That includes Apple. Nearly all of Apples products now contain Arm-compatible CPUs. The iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and HomePod all feature processors that run the Arm instruction set. Modern Macs have the Arm-based T1 or T2 processors in them to perform some tasks, and Apple has publicized its intent to shift away from Intel in favor of Arm-based processors of its own design. So what does Nvidia buying Arm mean for Apple? In the short term, no product will change because of this. Even over the coming years, we also shouldnt expect a dramatic shift. Dont panic! This deal is unlikely to change Apples products for the foreseeable future. Short term, business as usual First, we should note that just because Nvidia has come to an agreement with Arm and Softbank, this is not a done deal. This is a consolidation between two massive and influential technology companies that will have to clear regulatory hurdles from the UK, European Union, China, and U.S. That could take a while. Chip design licenses tend to be long term multi-year, multi-product agreements. Even if Nvidia wanted to cut off Apple or other licensees, it would take years to filter through to the products we buy. Its not clear what Apples current Arm IP license agreement looks like, but it almost certainly covers at least the next three or four years worth of products. Arm licenses come in two flavors. A company can license entire CPU core and GPU designs (Arm Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs). Many companies do this and incorporate these into their own chips, often with tweaks or modifications. When Apple switched from using Samsung processors to its own brand-new A4 processor in the iPhone 4, it relied on licensing Arm Cortex CPU designs and GPU designs from PowerVR. One can also license the Arm instruction set and design a compatible CPU from scratch. Apple has been doing this for years; the A6 processor in the iPhone 5 was the first with an Apple-designed CPU, and since then, the company has never gone back to licensed CPU designs. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has publicly stated that Nvidia would keep the Arm business unit separate from Nvidias graphics unit, and continue Arms open licensing arrangements. Regulatory bodies would almost certainly insist on it, as billions of smartphones around the world rely on Arm IP. As long as Arm continues to license its instruction set IP under Nvidia, nothing would really change for Apple. Long term, Apple products still Apple products If there are any significant changes, theyre likely to take hold years from now. Huang has said he intends to make some of Nvidias graphics and machine learning IP available to license together with Arms current offerings. Future smartphones or tablets from Qualcomm or Samsung or Huawei could very well have Arm-based CPUs together with GPU and ML technology from Nvidia. Apple is already shipping products with GPUs and machine-learning hardware of its own design. Macs rely on Intel GPUs integrated into processors or discrete AMD GPUs, but both of those will fade away over the next couple years as Apple switches the Mac lineup to its own silicon. If necessary, Apple could conceivably change its silicon to operate on an instruction set of its own design. It would be a pain and require developers to recompile their apps, but Apples insular ecosystem makes it a lot easier to do this than other smartphone and PC manufacturers. Apple doesnt have to worry about compatibility with a broad Windows or Android ecosystem from many manufacturers. It controls the full stack. Apple has only to worry about Apple. One possible long-term scenario is that a combined Nvidia/Arm company is able to produce products that more effectively compete with Apples. If the performance and features of licensed CPU and GPU cores is a lot better, and they target the sort of laptops and desktops that are currently dominated by Intel and AMD, then Apple may not have the significant advantage it does today. But such a scenario wouldnt necessarily change Apples plans. Its already years ahead a hypothetical Arm/Nvidia takeover of Windows laptops and desktops. If Arm chips, bolstered by Nvidia GPU technology and licensing, start producing Windows laptops with great performance and killer battery life as soon as, say, 2024, Apple will already be several years down the Arm-based-computers road. In short, the purchase of Arm by Nvidia is less likely to have a material impact on Apple and its products than on Apples rivals in the smartphone, PC, and wearables markets. Even then, were years away from any significant disruption. CINCINNATI - Author Margaret Atwood thinks an American defiant streak is the country's defence against the kind of nightmarish totalitarian future she depicts for the United States in The Handmaids Tale." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2019, file photo, Canadian author Margaret Atwood holds a copy of her book "The Testaments," during a news conference in London. Atwood, whose sweeping body of work includes "The Handmaid's Tale," depicting a nightmarish future for the United States, is this year's winner of a lifetime achievement award celebrating literature's power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding, officials of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize officials announced Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File) CINCINNATI - Author Margaret Atwood thinks an American defiant streak is the country's defence against the kind of nightmarish totalitarian future she depicts for the United States in "The Handmaids Tale." "I would bet on American orneriness and refusal to line up," she told The Associated Press. "So I dont think youre going to get people marching in lockstep easily. ... You could get it, but it would be hard." She illustrated with a joke about the difference between her fellow Canadians and Americans: "How do you get 100 Canadians out of a swimming pool.?" she said; pausing for the response "How?" "OK, you Canadians, out of the swimming pool!" But for 100 Americans? "OK, you Americans, for the 40th time, out of the swimming pool!" Dayton Literary Peace Prize officials announced Monday that Atwood is this years winner of a lifetime achievement award that celebrates literatures power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding. The Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award is named for the late U.S. diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnian peace accords reached in the Ohio city. Atwood a prolific writer of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, comic books and, as of late, tweets in recent years has drawn a new round of acclaim for her bestselling 1985 novel of a dystopian future in which women are subjugated after an overthrow of the U.S. government. Some readers of "The Handmaid's Tale" saw in the leaders of authoritarian Gilead similarities to the rise of Republican Donald Trump to president in the 2016 election. The television adaptation on Hulu starring Elisabeth Moss generated yet more commentary, and women dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets, as the handmaids were depicted in the book and TV series, have shown up at political demonstrations. Atwood said sales have gone up around earlier elections, but they "really went up" after the 2016 election and then they "really, really went up" when the Hulu series launched in 2017. The series has been a popular and critical success. "Lucky for me, its well done," said Atwood, who did a brief cameo in which she delivered a slap to Moss' Offred character. "I'm quite aware of where it could have gone off the trolley tracks quite badly." Sharon Rab, the founder and chairwoman of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation, praised Atwood for popular success with writing that also educates people about pressing social justice and environmental issues. "Margaret Atwood continues to remind us that It cant happen here cannot be depended upon; anything can happen anywhere given the right circumstances, and right now, with scorn for democratic institutions on the rise, her lessons are more vital than ever," Rab wrote in an email. While not all books are conducive to peace and understanding, Atwood said, fiction can help people "learn what it is to be a person different from ourselves, so that might cause you to have more empathy with people who arent exactly like you." The Toronto resident's longtime partner, novelist Graeme Gibson, died at age 85 a year ago this month. Atwood, 80, said she tried to keep herself busily distracted after the loss, doing book promotions and other travel until the pandemic grounded her in March. She has since signed thousands of inserts and bookplates to support independent booksellers, and has given talks via Zoom. She considers herself "a realist, but on the optimistic side, because if youre pessimistic, you dont do anything. ... I think its people who are realistic but inclined towards optimism who actually try to change direction." Atwood also thinks people are "alert to the dangers" of undermining the U.S. constitution. "That is what stands between you and an absolutist dictatorship," she said. Atwood published her first book of poetry, "Double Persephone," in 1961, and her other books have included "Cat's Eye" (1988), "Alias Grace" (1996), "The Blind Assassin" (2000), and "The MaddAddam Trilogy" (2003-2013). "The Testaments," her 2019 sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," quickly joined her bestsellers. The Dayton lifetime achievement award carries a $10,000 prize. Previous winners include Studs Terkel, Taylor Branch, John Irving, Gloria Steinem and Elie Wiesel. The awards gathering originally planned for October is being rescheduled for spring 2021 because of pandemic precautions. Atwood will be joined by the 2020 winners of awards for fiction and nonfiction; finalists for those will be announced next month. ___ Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell Josh Nelson Project Rehearses for Shabbat@Home. Shabbat@Home will offer a new kind of prayer experience, including a live band, multi-media and spoken word sequences. JOSH NELSON, one of the most popular performers and composers in modern Jewish music, has released a haunting, electric guitar-driven take on the classic High Holy Day Avinu Malkeinu melody. One of the most hallowed texts in Jewish liturgy, Avinu Malkeinu, Nelson explains, is essentially an acknowledgement of our flawed humanity. Whether you think of God as an active participant in your daily life, or you simply sense that you are part of something bigger than yourself, the message of the ancient text remains the same. Each of us is destined to fail at times. And each of us can grow if we reflect deeply on our actions and choices. The creative process of putting prayer to music comes naturally to Nelson. For me, music is the most powerful form of prayer, he says. Interpreting Avinu Malkeinu in this way connects me to the essence of the prayer more than the actual text itself ever did. Nelsons interpretation of Avinu Malkeinu has drawn high praise from some of the most respected figures in the improvisation and jam band community. The updated Avinu Malkeinu is just a teaser of more to come from Nelson, as his weekly Shabbat@Home TV series debuts on Jewish Life Television on the eve of the Jewish New Year, September 18, 2020. A joint project of jDoes and Positive Jewish Living, Shabbat@Home will give viewers a chance to gather together as a global community even as we deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic from our own homes. Shabbat@Home will offer a new kind of prayer experience, Nelson says, including a live band, multi-media and spoken word sequences. Nelsons work has been celebrated and lauded by the New York Times, Time Magazine, Broadway World and HuffPost among others. Unwritten, the Rosh HaShanah edition of Shabbat@Home will broadcast on Jewish Life Television as follows: Friday, September 18, 2020 7:00 PM / 10 PM / 1:00 AM EST 4:00 PM / 7:00 PM / 10:00 PM PST. Unwritten, the Yom Kippur edition of Shabbat@Home will broadcast on Jewish Life Television as follows: Sunday, September 27, 2020 7:00 PM / 10 PM / 1:00 AM EST 4:00 PM / 7:00 PM / 10:00 PM PST. Shabbat@Home will also be simulcast at shabbatathome.net and positivejewishliving.com. Avinu Malkeinu, featuring Josh Nelson on guitar, Coleen Dieker on violin, Michael Fecskes on cello, Patrick Monaco Glynn on keyboards, Aaron Germain on bass, and Andrew Laubacher on drums, is available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTliYBRCKg8 Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions during the genocide inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, was charged Monday with terrorism and other serious crimes in his first court appearance in Kigali. Rwandan investigators announced last month the surprise arrest of Rusesabagina, a high-profile government critic who had been living abroad for years, to stand trial in his homeland for allegedly creating and sponsoring armed militias. There was a heavy police presence as Rusesabagina, who is credited with saving more than 1,200 Rwandans during the genocide by sheltering them in a hotel, arrived at a courthouse in the capital flanked by his lawyers. The presiding judge read out 12 charges against Rusesabagina including terrorism, financing and founding militant groups, murder and arson. The defendant, wearing a face mask, a chequered blazer and khaki trousers, did not address the court but spoke only to his lawyers, who rejected the charges against their client. The charges against my client are not consistent. He should not be accused of crimes committed by other parties even if he had entered partnership with them, his lawyer, David Rugaza, told Kagarama Primary Court. It is on this ground that he should immediately be released provisionally. Rusesabagina is the leader of an opposition group, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), which is said to have an armed wing called the National Liberation Front (FLN). His family say the charges against him are politically motivated, and allege he was kidnapped while in Dubai for meetings and brought to Rwanda against his will. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau has said international cooperation was involved in detaining Rusesabagina who has lived abroad since 1996 and holds both Belgian citizenship and a US Green Card but refuses to disclose further details. Human Rights Watch said last week that Rusesabagina, who was portrayed by American actor Don Cheadle in the 2004 film, was a victim of enforced disappearance. President Paul Kagame has denied he was kidnapped and suggested he was deceived into returning to the country. After the genocide, Rusesabagina a Hutu became increasingly critical of Kagames Tutsi-dominated government, accusing his ruling party of authoritarianism and anti-Hutu sentiment. In the years since the release of Hotel Rwanda, some survivors of the slaughter that left 800,000 people dead have questioned Rusesabaginas heroics, and accused him of profiting off their misery. By Stephen Lendman September 13, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Whats going on regarding Alexey Navalny repeats the great 2018 poisoning by novichok of the Skripals in Britain hoax. Whatever caused their illness, from which they recovered, had nothing to do with exposure to a deadly nerve agent, Russia falsely blamed for what it had nothing to do with. Whats essential to explain, establishment media suppress time and again. Whenever something like a Navalny incident occurs, theyre quick to blame Russia or other nations targeted by the US for regime change. Whatever happened to Alexey Navalny wasnt from exposure to a novichok nerve agent able to kill in minutes. Hes very much alive and able to communicate three weeks after falling ill aboard a flight from Tomsk, Russia to Moscow. Russias UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia explained whats obvious, saying: This whole incident cannot but raise questions about some foul play being staged. Key is who benefits and whos harmed. Russia clearly gained nothing from the Navalny incident. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Potentially it has much to loose. Nothing remotely connects the Kremlin to what happened to him. On Friday, German BND Federal Intelligence Service head Bruno Kahl said a secret meeting was held on what he called a harder form of novichok the countrys military lab claims poisoned Navalny with no further elaboration, Der Spiegel reported, adding: A delegation from the (pro-Western imperial tool) OPCW visited Navalny in Berlins Charite Hospital where hes being treated. In response to Reuters request for more information, a BND statement said the following: The Federal Intelligence Service will comment on any findings exclusively to the federal government and the responsible committees of the German Bundestag that meet in secret. In its latest edition, Der Spiegel reported the following: Leading politicians in Germany from all mainstream parties are demanding that construction on the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 be suspended as a result of the poisoning of Alexey Navalny. Merkels government is so far resisting such calls, adding: Its clear that Germanys relationship with Russia will change significantly. Its likely that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning (sic). And Russian President Vladimir Putin (sic). (A) debate has erupted over which sanctions the German government should now consider applying. The only penalty that would primarily hurt Moscow would be a construction stop on the almost completed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Some members of Merkels governing coalitionare increasingly demanding that the pipeline project be abandoned. Within the government, however, that step remains off limits. Officially at least. Merkel supports its completion. At the same time, she seeks an EU response to what happened to Navalny. Abandoning the project in favor of 30% more expensive US LNG will be economically harmful to Germany, what cool heads in the country and Merkel understand. On Thursday, an EU Political and Security Committee meeting was held in Brussels, the Navalny issue discussed. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc is considering restrictive measures against Russia. At the same time, his spokesman said as long as theres uncertainty over who may be responsible for Navalnys condition, discussing punitive measures is premature. Without verifiable evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that does not exist, blaming Russia for what happened has no credibility. EU officials in Berlin and Brussels admitted that numerous nations in Europe and elsewhere have access to novichok and other deadly toxins. Despite nothing connecting Russia to Navalnys condition, Pompeo blamed the Kremlin, saying the following: I think people all around the world will see this kind of activity for what it is (sic), adding: And when they see the effort to poison a dissident, they recognize that there is a substantial chance that this actually came from Russia (sic). He declined to say how the Trump regime will respond. DJT stressed that (w)e havent had any proof yet but I will take a look. Russias Foreign Ministry slammed what it called unfounded accusations and ultimatums, accusing Berlin of using Navalnys condition as a pretext to discredit our country unjustifiably. In its latest edition, Germanys DW news said Berlins Justice Ministry on Friday approved a request from Moscow for legal assistance in the investigation of the suspected poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, adding: Germany has tasked state prosecutors with working with Russian authorities. On the same day, Russian police said they asked permission from Germany authorities to question Navalny, a request virtually certain to be denied. Russias Interior Ministry said it wants to send a team to work with German investigators on the Navalny case to ask clarifying and additional questions, adding: It requested the presence of its team to carry out investigative activities with Navalny, medics and (German) experts. On Friday, Berlin said it hadnt received a request so far, DW adding: The public prosecutors office in Berlin said it had been instructed by state authorities in the German capital to provide legal assistance and information on Navalnys health to Moscow. He must however agree to this, the prosecutor said in a tweet. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejects false accusations and threats regarding what happened to Navalny, adding: No evidence to open a criminal case exists. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet lost credibility by supporting US-led Western war on Venezuelas social democracy. Earlier she defied reality by falsely accusing President Nicolas Maduro of profoundly erod(ing) the rule of law, including human rights violationsabuses and crimes (sic). Shes at it again, saying through her spokesman without evidence the following on Navalny: There was a very serious crime committed on Russian soil (sic). There appears to to be no doubt this exotic and highly deadly substance novichok was used (sic). (I)ts incumbent on the Russian authorities to investigate a crime of this severity that took place on their own territory (sic). No evidence of a crime against Navalny exists. Thus, theres no reason to conduct a criminal investigation. As long as German authorities refuse to provide Russia with evidence of a crime it claims was committed against Navalny, the accusation is baseless. No legitimate tribunal would pronounce guilt in a criminal case without proof beyond a reasonable doubt. In the case of what happened to Navalny, nothing suggests Russian responsibility for his illness. Claiming otherwise is part of longstanding unjustifiable US-led Western/establishment media supported Russia bashing. Stephen Lendman. Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My two Wall Street books are timely reading: How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War - Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity Unlike his first stint between 2015 and 2019, the past one year was quite a busy one for Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerias Foreign Affairs minister. This is especially because of the COVID-19 outbreak which crippled economic and social activities both locally and internationally. Mr Onyeama was re-appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 21 alongside 43 new and old ministers. He was to continue with plans on reforming Nigerias foreign embassies and consulates and improving global business relations for Nigerians as well as creating more cooperation with neighboring African countries especially in the fight against corruption. Contagion, New role But four months into his second term, COVID-19, a rare strain of the coronavirus which has continued to defy science emerged in a local Wuhan market in China. Nigeria which reported its index case of the contagion on February 28, now has more than 50, 000 infections with nearly a thousand fatalities thus far. The disease has so far spread to over 200 countries, infecting more than 23 million people and leading to the deaths of over 810, 000 globally, disrupting international relations and causing diplomatic tensions, as well as resulting in a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an end to global wars. This changed the trajectory of Mr Onyeamas foreign affairs ministry, with the minister assuming a new role of working with Nigerian embassies around the world to come with evacuation strategies to bring home Nigerians held up by the movement restrictions introduced by countries as part of containment measures against the disease. He is also a member of the coronavirus Presidential Task Force set up by President Buhari to coordinate Nigerias response strategy alongside the NCDC, the countrys infectious disease centre. He even contracted COVID-19 while trying to help Nigeria fight the contagion. Here are some key policy initiatives of the ministry and how they have succeeded and or failed: Major promises Mr Onyeamas reappointment came in the wake of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa in late August last year. Upon assumption of office, the minister promised to end xenophobic attacks and maltreatment of Nigerians living diaspora. Received sickening and depressing news of continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in #SouthAfrica by mindless criminals with ineffective police protection. Enough is enough. We will take definitive measures, the minister had written in his official twitter handle of the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. He made two demands from South Africa, which are compensation for Nigerians whose properties were destroyed and provision of adequate security for Nigerians in South Africa. The minister promised to promote the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), a treaty seeking to establish a continent-wide marketplace with increased trade and freer movement among its major pillars. He also promised to ensure full implementation of Nigerias new visa policy that relaxed its immigration regulations with the primary aim of boosting global economic ties and easing travel restrictions with fellow African nations. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the official promised to ensure full evacuation of Nigerians trapped in foreign countries. Achievements The ministry promptly responded to the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. The foreign affairs ministry in collaboration with Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, volunteered to send an aircraft to South Africa to bring back Nigerians willing to return. About 500 Nigerians were safely brought home. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the returnees were gifted with a SIM cards and airtime to last two months and some money for transportation. With the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA), Nigeria partnered with other countries to guarantee free movement of people to boost economic potentials of Africa. Mr Onyeama also played a major role in the implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 operationalisation at missions abroad. About 6,317 Nigerians have been evacuated from around the world since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, according to the foreign affairs ministry. Advertisements The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), an arm of the foreign affairs ministry, is aiding the identification of Nigerians who have contracted COVID-19 or died of the contagion especially in Europe and America where the pandemic has a foothold. Because of the prompt response of Nigerias foreign ministry, Ghanas Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June apologised to the Nigerian government over an attack on the Nigerian High Commissions building in Accra. Failures The ministry was heavily criticised for its handling of the evacuation process amid the coronavirus pandemic. While many complained about the evacuation fee of N290,000, Mr Onyeama said the federal government had no resources to foot the bills of returning Nigerians. At the initial stage of the evacuation, the minister, at a May briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said the fee covered accommodation and feeding bill of the returnees who were taken in on a 14-day quarantine before they dispersed to their various homes. But at a later review of the exercise, Mr Onyeama said evacuees would no longer go into 14-day government monitored quarantine if they test negative from their countries of residence. The situation, however, stalled the evacuation process, leaving several Nigerians stranded in diaspora. Even though the visa policy 2020 have been signed, it is yet to be operationalised due to the coronavirus. The ministry has not been able to reform Nigerias foreign embassies and consulates. This was exposed by the shabby handling of Nigerians by the countrys several missions abroad in the wake of the coronavirus. The AfCTA was also stalled due to the attention channeled to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts believe the ministry did not do so well in fostering economic and social relations with leading world powers. For instance, the foreign affairs ministry has not been able to upturn the visa restrictions slammed on Nigeria along with four other African countries by the U.S. Rating In his one year in office, the minister performed fairly well considering the emergency that came with the COVID-19 pandemic and his new role at the PTF. Also, during the period, the minister tested positive to COVID-19 while trying to coordinate the evacuation of Nigerians from other countries. He has since recovered. Communist Party of Turkey will celebrate 100th birthday at 500 points Statement via the Communist Party of Turkey Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) calls on its members and friends to meet at 500 points all around Turkey and abroad to welcome its 100th foundation anniversary. The 100th foundation anniversary meeting of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in Turkeys Istanbul is banned by the Governorship of Istanbul the other day, the epidemic being used as an excuse, despite the Party took all the necessary precautions. Only a few days earlier, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the flood-hit town in northern Turkey, making a public speech without any measures against the pandemic. In response to the ban, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) made a statement, declaring that We will welcome our 100th year at 500 points all around Turkey and abroad, sharing our determination with our people. Turkeys communists declared that they are determined not to leave this country to anti-people governments and to strengthen the struggle despite blocking attempts. TKP will celebrate its 100th year by meeting with its friends at 500 different points across the country on September 10. The full declaration against the ban is as follows: According to Turkeys ruling AKP, coronavirus disappeared during the opening of Hagia Sofia as a mosque, then became a threat to Turkeys Victory Day celebrations. Again, disappearing during Turkeys President Erdogans rally in flood-hit Giresun, the virus has notified the AKP Government that it will re-appear during the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)s 100th-anniversary meeting, and the meeting that will be held in Turkeys Istanbul was banned by the Governorship of Istanbul. Contrary to the ruling party, TKP values human health and has protected public health besides the health of its members and friends, taking rational measures in accordance with the data found out by scientific studies from the beginning of the pandemic. Thus, there were neither any problems during the 13th Congress of TKP convened last month with domestic and foreign delegates, nor any participant has had any health problems following the meeting. TKP was preparing with this awareness for the events in Turkeys Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir for its 100th year meeting. Yet, the Governorship of Istanbul, taking no measures against the pandemic in factories and workplaces, ignoring the conditions of shopping malls and hospitals, banned our meeting with the excuse of public health. This will not prevent the growing attention and increasing participation of workers and students to our party. Our party is marching towards an equalitarian social order with great determination. We will share this determination with our people on September 10, welcoming our 100th anniversary at 500 different points across Turkey and the world. Yes, we will meet in our neighbourhoods, workplaces, public squares for socialism, independence, secularism, republic and salute the Communist Party of Turkey. We invite our people and friends to our meetings. To the Times: Im a certainty imperfect Catholic. Sept. 9 was the feast day of a Spanish priest, St. Peter Claver. He is known as the apostle of the slaves. In the seventeenth century, he traveled to the New World to minister for over 30 years to Africans brought as slaves to what is now Colombia. As one can imagine, the slaves came over on filthy, crowded, and disease-filled ships. St. Peter Claver showed compassion to the Black slaves and treated them humanely. He would directly go on the ships and give food to the hungry black people and begin to instruct the ones who were interested in the Catholic faith. But he treated all Black people with respect, regardless of their faith. Bishop Shelton Favre of Louisiana, the chair of the Catholic bishops Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, called on Catholics to fast on Sept. 9, the feast day of the apostle to the slaves, as a spiritual way to respond to racism. His call to fast came on Aug. 27, four days after the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer, Rusten Shesky, in Kenosha, Wis. Because of a serious but manageable health condition, I cant fully fast. However, on Sept. 9 I did eat only a hard-boiled egg for breakfast (with no oatmeal) and throughout the day didnt chew any sugar-free gum (a treat for me) and drank no tea. Every morning at the nursing home where I live, the aides offer us coffee, tea, and a snack. I almost accepted hot tea, but then remembered my fast. I explained to the aide, my friend Sue, that I wasnt drinking tea all day because of the suggestion of a bishop that we fast on behalf of racial justice. I wasnt looking for praise, but she was impressed. It was noted in an article in Our Sunday Visitor (Sept. 9) that fasting is mentioned more than 70 times in the Bible. Also, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert at the beginning of His public ministry. Bishop Favre suggested that people fast regularly for racial justice. He observed this would strengthen us for the task that is ours to seek to end the attack against the dignity and sanctity of human life that is racism. Prior to the Second Vatican Council that ended in 1965, Catholics normally fasted on all the Fridays of Lent. Unfortunately, many people like me with serious health conditions cant fast regularly. However, perhaps the Church in our nation would return to having Catholics from adolescence to age 60 or so abstain from meat each Friday. Why? For the intention of an end to racism and other acts against human dignity, such as abortion. Tim Donovan, Prospect Park Advertisement A stay here is bound to be a crowning moment in anyone's year. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion is being added to Airbnb's listings 30 years after Will Smith rolled up the driveway and knocked on the door of the iconic crib for the very first time. The grand pillared home, which features in the opening credits of the sitcom, has been decked out with 'bold graffiti art and timeless family portraits' - and Philly cheesesteaks will be served on silver platters. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion is being added to Airbnb's listings 30 years after Will Smith rolled up the driveway and knocked on the door for the very first time The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air originally aired on TV from September 1990 until May 1996 and was the show that launched Will Smith's career. Pictured are some of the stars of the show - Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Janet Hubert, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, James Avery and, bottom right, Will Smith Filming of interior scenes for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mainly took place on a Los Angeles sound-stage in pre-made sets but the home used for the Airbnb stay, which is actually located in the posh neighborhood of Brentwood, near Bel-Air, was seen not only in the opening credits, but every time Will's best friend, Jazz (played by DJ Jazzy Jeff), was thrown out. His expulsion from the property was a running joke in the show. The stays will take place in a wing of the mansion, with access to a posh bedroom and bathroom, an amazing outdoor pool, a poolside lounge area and an elegant dining room. Airbnb says that guests will get to 'lace up a fresh pair of Air Jordans before shooting some b-ball in the bedroom, spin throwback classics all night on turntables and don a fly look from Will's closet, from argyle prepster to all-star Bel-Air athlete' The incredible pool and a poolside lounge will be at the disposal of guests during their stay Food fit for a king, or prince: Philly cheesesteaks will be served on silver platters, says Airbnb Airbnb says that during this 'royal overnight' guests will be virtually welcomed to the mansion by none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff himself. Then they'll get to 'lace up a fresh pair of Air Jordans before shooting some b-ball in the bedroom, spin throwback classics all night on turntables and don a fly look from Will's closet, from argyle prepster to all-star Bel-Air athlete'. So that fans around the world can get in on the fun, DJ Jazzy Jeff will also be hosting an Airbnb Online Experience 'in which he'll teach guests how to spin and scratch like a hip-hop legend'. During the 'royal overnight' guests will be virtually welcomed to the mansion by none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff himself (pictured), who played Will Smith's best friend on the show Guests will get to spend some virtual time with him in his home studio and 'spin some vinyl together in honor of the good 'ole days at the freshest crib in LA'. Aspiring DJs can request to book this one-time event starting today at abnb.co/djjazzyjeff, and the experience will take place on October 1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air originally aired on TV from September 1990 until May 1996 and was the show that launched Will Smith's career. He played Will, a fictionalized version of himself, who was sent from his home in Philadelphia to live with his wealthy aunt, uncle, cousins and their butler at their Bel-Air mansion after getting into a fight. Filming of interior scenes for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mainly took place on a Los Angeles sound-stage in pre-made sets but the home used for the Airbnb stay (pictured), which is actually located in the posh neighborhood of Brentwood, near Bel-Air, was seen not only in the opening credits, but every time Will's best friend, Jazz (played by DJ Jazzy Jeff), was thrown out Five Airbnb stays in the 'Bel-Air' mansion are up for grabs on October 2, October 5, October 8, October 11 and October 14 for only $30 a night Will Smith recently shared a picture on Instagram of the surviving cast members filming a reunion special to coincide with the show's 30th anniversary It also starred the late James Avery (Uncle Phil), Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell Reid (both played Aunt Viv), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), Karyn Parsons (Hilary), Tatyana M. Ali (Ashley) and Joseph Marcell. Last week, Will shared a picture on Instagram of the surviving cast members filming a reunion special to coincide with the show's 30th anniversary. He wrote: 'Today is exactly 30 YEARS since The @FreshPrince of Bel-Air debuted! So we're doin' something for y'all a for real Banks Family Reunion is comin' soon to @HBOmax!' HBO Max said the show will be a 'funny and heartfelt night full of music, dancing, and more special surprise guests.' It will be directed by Marcus Raboy and air later this autumn. Five Airbnb stays in the 'Bel-Air' mansion are up for grabs on October 2, October 5, October 8, October 11 and October 14 for only $30 a night. They will be available for groups of up to two Los Angeles County residents, who can request to book beginning on September 29 at 11am PDT on airbnb.com/fresh. Airbnb added: 'Interested guests should note that house rules are in strict adherence with local Covid-19 guidelines, and those who request to book must prove Los Angeles County residency and currently live in the same household to minimize risk. Guests can rest easy in the king-size bed knowing that the home will be cleaned in accordance with CDC rules and consistent with the Airbnb enhanced cleaning protocol. 'To celebrate the feeling of family and community Will Smith and friends brought to all of us, Airbnb will make a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, a charity that supports youth, including those in greatest need, by offering development and skill-building programs, recreational activities and empowerment tools.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 14:54 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b5703 1 Business Garuda-Indonesia,fleet,COVID-19,expense,profit,loss,aviation Free National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is not planning to buy any new aircraft this year as the COVID-19 crisis has strained the companys finances, the airlines top executive has said. Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra told The Jakarta Post in an exclusive interview on Thursday that much of the companys fleet was still grounded because of falling passenger numbers during the ongoing health crisis. What is the world going to say if we have a new aircraft while there are many aircraft parked on the ground? It doesnt make any sense, he said during the interview, adding that the airlines fleet was still relatively new. However, nobody knows how things are going to develop next year. Garuda Indonesia Group, which includes low-cost carrier Citilink, own 20 aircraft and is leasing 190 aircraft with an average age of 7.8 years, according to the companys data. In comparison, US major airlines average fleet age was 13.3 years in 2019, data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics show. Moreover, the airline has seen its aircraft productivity fall as its operation have been disrupted by international border closures and social restrictions. Garudas average aircraft utilization rate, which determines fleet productivity, fell to around 4 hours and 19 minutes per day in July, down from 8 hours and 14 minutes a year earlier, according to the companys monthly operational report. Garuda Indonesia Group saw a 54.4 percent year-on-year (yoy) drop in passenger numbers to 6.89 million in the first seven months of this year. The airline suffered a US$712.73 million loss in the first half of this year after booking net profit of $24.11 million in the same period last year. To further slash the companys expenditure, Irfan said, Garuda was renegotiating aircraft leasing contracts with lessors. When the pandemic hit, we contacted our lessors and renegotiated our leasing schemes, debt restructuration, leasing cost restructuration and [more], he said during the interview, adding that the renegotiation efforts had shown positive progress. Some of the lessors have verbally agreed [to the renegotiated terms]. We only need to write the legal papers and we can execute it once our payment arrears are paid. Quoting a Mirae Asset Sekuritas research note published on Wednesday, Garuda revealed that it had managed to defer rental payments for 40 aircraft in the second quarter of this year, leading to a cost reduction of $100 million. Meanwhile, it has also renegotiated prices and tenor with 12 lessors to slash around $30 million off annual bills. Besides aircraft leasing renegotiation and purchase deferment, Irfan said the company was also proposing early retirement packages for employees to cut expenditure and prevent mass layoffs. We keep our early retirement package proposals rolling and, as of today, around 500 employees have applied for the program, even though we havent executed it yet, he said. Garudas operating expenses were down 22 percent yoy at $1.6 billion in the January-to-June period this year. However, the airline posted negative equity on the years second quarter at $80.8 million, compared to its positive equity by the end of 2019 at $720.6 million. Read also: Domestic market to be driver of recovery, Garuda chief says The government has intervened to keep the company afloat by vowing to provide Rp 8.5 trillion ($583 million) in the form of a Mandatory Convert Bond (MCB) for Garuda, which was approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) in July. The MCB for the airline is expected to have a tenor of three years, with state-owned infrastructure financing company PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI) projected to act as a buyer of the bond and eventually a shareholder of the company. However, during the interview, Irfan said analysts at Garuda projected that the funds would not be enough to turn the companys financial condition around. It also agreed to repay the MCB funds to the government in the future. In a research note published on Wednesday, Mirae Asset Sekuritas research analyst Lee Young Jun expected the airline to post losses of $1.1 billion in 2020 and $161.5 million in 2021. We think the seat load factor will stay at the level of 40 percent at best until the end of 2020 as new COVID-19 cases are continuously hitting new record highs, the note reads, adding that the extended large scale-social restrictions (PSBB) would prompt people to avoid traveling. Shares in Garuda, traded on the IDX with the code GIAA, were up 4.31 percent on Monday at 2.51 p.m. as the main gauge, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), also surged by 2.56 percent. The stock has lost 51.41 percent of its value so far this year. KITCHENER Standing two metres apart and with arms open wide, congregation members give distant, virtual hugs to one another as they gather outside of the building where they used to meet. This was the scene on Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church. For the first time since COVID-19 spread to Waterloo Region in March, the congregation was gathering together in person. With sanitized hands and mask-covered faces, families reconnected with one another. Instead of pews, chalk lines on asphalt were used to designate where families could be. Theres something about seeing each other in the flesh, said Josie Winterfeld, a member of the church leadership team. Its really wonderful. Around 70 people showed up to the event, well under the 100-person outdoor gathering limit set out by public health. Sundays event was not a service, but more of a receiving line. For a community that deeply values the relationships and connections with one other, the nearly two-hour event was well-received. The decision to meet this way came after weeks of discussion and careful planning by the churchs pandemic committee. A survey was sent to the congregation to gauge whether or not members would feel comfortable gathering outdoors. Of the nearly 100 households that responded, most said they wanted to try it out. In the survey, people talked about longing to see each other, but being cautious about what it means (to be) together, interim pastor Bev Suderman-Gladwell said. Its a bit of a balancing act. Its both really wanting to see each other and really needing to protect family members, she said. We as the pandemic planning team, were taking this really slowly, focusing on the outdoors and being mindful of the case count. When the gathering was proposed two weeks ago, new cases were trickling in at two or three a day. Over the past week, positive cases have climbed sharply, leading to a total of 55 active cases reported Sunday. Suderman-Gladwell said when the group meets this week, theyll discuss the rising cases and whether this type of gathering can be safe if those numbers keep rising. Richard Albrecht, chair of the church council, said before the pandemic, the church would see around 150 people gather on Sundays. The congregation has been meeting online since March for recorded and live services and tends to have 50 to 60 devices tune in. Were tending towards being a little more cautious than public health requires us to be, he said. Family members had to sign a waiver in order to register, and once they arrived they were given a name tag. Were trying to take this seriously, he said, adding some of the community members are older and possibly more susceptible to the virus. Not all of them felt comfortable to attend. Another congregation at Floradale Mennonite Church, near Elmira, also met in person for the first time on Sunday. Members met indoors for a worship service. Jim Loepp Thiessen, the lead pastor, called it a grand experiment. With masks and distancing and limits on the number of people allowed in, the gathering falls within public health guidelines, he said. There was an appetite to do this, he said, but added that people are still very cautious, especially as they see case numbers rising. People are lonely. They want to see each other. Can we figure out a way to do this right now in a way thats creative and safe for people to do so? For some of his congregation, those without internet, this will be the first time seeing one another since March. This group is particularly keen to be able to connect in person, he said. B ritain today dismissed the latest delayed court case against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran as groundless. Downing Street also said Tehran should permanently release the north London mother-of-one. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said she really cant take it any more after a second court case against her in Iran was postponed at short notice with no explanation and no future date set. The 42-year-old has been detained in Iran since 2016 when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she strongly denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. Earlier this year, she was granted temporary leave from prison because of the Covid-19 outbreak and has been living at her parents house in Tehran with an ankle tag. Richard Ratcliffe at a protest outside the Iranian embassy in 2019 / AFP/Getty Images Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was expecting to be tried yesterday on fresh charges of spreading propaganda against the regime. But Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was not taken to the Revolutionary Court and the case against her was postponed. In London, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Its a groundless court case. What Iran needs to do is permanently release Nazanin and allow her to return to her family in the UK. The 42-year-old has been detained in Iran since 2016 / PA Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband on Sunday morning of the level of stress she was having to endure. People tell me to calm down. You dont understand what it is like. Nothing is calm, she said. This morning I just wanted to scream out loud for 10 minutes or to bang my head against the wall - just to let it out. I really cant take it any more. They have all these games and I have no power in them. Richard Ratcliffe calls on UK Government to 'be brave' in fight to free Nazanin Sometimes I am just full of anger ready to explode. I find myself hating everything in this life, including myself. There is no escape. I would have rather it happened today. I do not sleep at all while the case is hanging over me. This morning I wanted to get it over with - to know where I stand now rather than continue with this whole stupid game. Having been moved to house arrest in March, when thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was returned to court on Tuesday only months from her expected release date and told she would face a second trial. Mr Ratcliffe said neither his wife nor her lawyer were given any explanation about why or when the trial might be rescheduled. He said: It is too early to say what the postponement means, except that this remains a game of cat and mouse between governments, with us living life as a piece of bait. For Nazanin, the uncertainty remains deeply traumatic as we await the next move. As we do so, the importance of the Governments diplomatic protection grows. Amnesty International UK accused Iranian authorities of playing cruel political games with Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and called on the UK Government to make it an absolute priority to get her home for Christmas. It has been claimed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held to force the UK to settle on a debt dating back to the 1970s when the then-shah of Iran paid the UK 400 million for 1,500 Chieftain tanks. After he was toppled in 1979, the UK refused to deliver the tanks to the new Islamic republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid. Leanna Burnard, legal officer at Redress, which has acted as legal representatives for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband, said: The complete absence of the rule of law in this case ensures that Nazanin is held in a constant state of stress, not knowing if she might be returned to prison or when she might see her husband and daughter again. British MPs back Brexit bill despite EU anger Boris Johnson's government last week introduced a bill to override the EU treaty and unilaterally regulate UK trade British lawmakers on Monday backed a new bill that would override parts of the Brexit treaty struck with the European Union last year, despite outrage in Brussels and alarm at home over such an overt breach of international law. MPs in the House of Commons gave their initial approval to the UK Internal Market Bill by 340 votes to 263, clearing the way for four days of detailed scrutiny of the text this week and next. Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier argued the legislation was a "safety net" against what he claimed were EU threats to impose tariffs on UK internal trade and even stop food going from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland. But EU leaders have dismissed this as "spin" and warned Johnson to uphold commitments he himself made in the Brexit treaty last year -- demanding he withdraw the offending parts of the new bill by the end of September. The row threatens to disrupt already tough post-Brexit trade negotiations, fuelling growing fears of failure that would see more than four decades of EU-UK integration come to a crashing halt at the end of this year. The legislation also sparked angry debate in London, reminiscent of the years of bitter political battles that followed the 2016 shock referendum vote to leave the EU. Several of Johnson's own Conservative MPs expressed alarm about breaking international law, with ex-finance minister Sajid Javid and former attorney general Geoffrey Cox among those saying beforehand that they would not back the bill as it stood. Every living former prime minister -- Conservatives John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May and Labour's Tony Blair and Gordon Brown -- also warned of the risk to Britain's global reputation. - 'Divide our own land' - Britain left the EU in January but remains bound by the rules of the 27-member bloc until a transition period ends on December 31. Johnson says the UK Internal Market Bill will ensure "unfettered access" for trade after that within the UK's four nations -- Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Story continues But the legislation would see London unilaterally regulate UK trade and state aid within Northern Ireland -- in violation of the Brexit treaty, that demands Brussels have a say. Northern Ireland will uniquely remain subject to some EU rules after Brexit to ensure a free-flowing border with the Republic of Ireland -- a crucial part of the 1998 peace accords that ended decades of sectarian violence. But Johnson claimed the EU was ready to go to "extreme and unreasonable lengths" and to use these arrangements to "exert leverage" in the trade negotiations. He acknowledged some personal "unease" at giving ministers powers to override the Brexit treaty but said they would not be needed if a trade deal was agreed as hoped with Brussels. "What we cannot do now is tolerate a situation where our EU counterparts seriously believe that they have the power to break up our country," he said. "That illusion must be decently despatched." - 'His failure' - The UK parliament spent years arguing over how to leave the EU -- much of it arguing over arrangements for Northern Ireland -- and delayed its exit date three times. Johnson temporarily halted the deadlock by sealing a divorce deal with Brussels late last year, which he used to win a thumping 80-seat victory in a December general election. Downing Street last week claimed the Brexit deal was agreed "at pace" and the problems with the aspects of the treaty regarding Northern Ireland were unforeseen. But opposition Labour spokesman Ed Miliband ridiculed this suggestion, saying: "Either he wasn't straight with the country about the deal in the first place or he didn't understand it." He added: "This is his deal. It's his mess. It's his failure." One of Johnson's special envoys, MP Rehman Chishti, earlier quit over the bill -- and more trouble could be ahead. Although MPs on Monday defeated a Labour attempt to try to kill the bill, amendments have already been proposed for debate during four days of detailed scrutiny starting Tuesday. One from senior Conservative MP Bob Neill has attracted some support, and would give parliament, not ministers, the power to decide whether to overrule the Brexit treaty. Even some Brexit-backing Tories are unhappy, with one, Charles Walker, saying: "I'm no fan of the EU... but surely we have to exhaust all other options before we press the nuclear button." ar/ach Umar Khalid Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid was arrested by Delhi police late night on September 13 for his alleged role in the north-east Delhi riots. Khalid, who was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), will be produced before a Delhi court on September 14. A special cell of the Delhi police arrested Khalid after interrogating him for 11 hours, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources. He was earlier questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on September 2 in connection with the northeast Delhi riots. Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control, claiming at least 53 lives. In their attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel were injured and two died. "After 11 hours of interrogation, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Umar Khalid as a "conspirator" in the Delhi Riots case. The fairytale narrative that DP has been spinning criminalising protests in the garb of investigating riots, find yet another victim. The fight against draconian CAA and UAPA will go on despite all these horrid measures of intimidation," United Against Hate, an activist group whose member is Umar Khalid, said in a statement. The Delhi Police said it was investigating the role of all individuals who allegedly took part in the riots and were part of a larger conspiracy in organising violence in the northeast Delhi and inciting communal passion and hatred amongst communities, an official statement stated. The Delhi Police on September 12 named CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor and activist Apoorvanand, documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy, among others as co-conspirators in the February Delhi riots. Also read: Delhi riots: Police names Sitaram Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh, Apoorvanand as co-conspirators The names appeared in a supplementary charge sheet, filed by the police on the riots in North-East District. The chargesheet claims that apart from Yechury and Yogendra Yadav, Fathimas statement mentions Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar, Khalid and some leaders from the Muslim community such as ex-MLA Mateen Ahmed, and MLA Amannatullah Khan. The document claims they aided the conspirators of the violence. So far, police have arrested 1,575 people in 751 cases. Over 250 chargesheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused have been charge-sheeted. Ever since Democratic nominee Joe Biden picked California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate for the 2020 Presidential election, Harris has been hitting quite a number of headlines. And much of the attention has to do with her Indian origin and desi connect. For the past couple of weeks Harris has been going viral in India for making frequent nods at her Indian lineage, making it a talking point on social media. On the occasion of Grandparents Day, Harris, the first black and Indian American on a major US party ticket, took to Twitter to share an old picture of her with her grandparents, calling them phenomenal". ALSO READ: The Indian Roots of Kamala Harris are Not Just Her Tamilian Mother and Love for Idlis Harris said, My grandparents were phenomenal." She described her grandfather to be a defender of freedom" while her grandmother traveled across India to talk to women about accessing birth control". My grandparents were phenomenal. My grandfather was a defender of the freedom of India, while my grandmother traveled across India to talk to women about accessing birth control. Their passion and commitment to improving our future led me to where I am today. #GrandparentsDay pic.twitter.com/PA6fmAKr0K Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 13, 2020 This isnt the first time Harris has paid homage to her grandparents and talk about her Indian roots" and how they contributed to her present self. On August 27, the American-Indian took to social media to recall her morning walks with her grandfather, P V Gopalansay, in Chennais Besant Nagar beach and say=id, As a young girl, Id often go on walks with my grandfather in India, whod discuss how people should be treated equallyregardless of the circumstances of their birth." As a young girl, I'd often go on walks with my grandfather in India, who'd discuss how people should be treated equallyregardless of the circumstances of their birth.My heritage is why Im proud to launch our South Asians #ForThePeople community: https://t.co/CIWR6dY9Iz pic.twitter.com/tLwKpd9G85 Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 7, 2019 ALSO READ: Kamala Harris, First Black Woman With Indian Roots to Run for VP, is Going Viral: For Her Shoes Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, and whose father is Jamaican, will not only be the first black and Indian American on a major US party ticket. She is also the fourth woman in history to be chosen for on a major partys presidential ticket. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennais Besant Nagar and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley. Like Barack Obama, a mixed-race heritage has allowed Harris to connect across identities and reach multiple audiences and voting blocs. ALSO READ: Kamala Harris Said Chithi During Her Speech as VP Candidate And Tamilians Cant Keep Calm There is a high-decibel reaction in southern India to the choice of Kamala Harris as the running mate of Democratic candidate for Democrat Joe Biden. Moreover, Kamala is a desi name that that resonates with Tamilian pride. - Friends of a new father recently surprised the young man with a colourful baby shower - The baby shower, traditionally held for expecting moms, had pink decorations for the new dad who had just welcomed a little girl - Facebookers loved seeing this new twist and congratulated the happy father on his new baby PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed A young man and his friends have introduced what may just be a very progressive plot twist to traditional baby showers. The event, which is usually a no guy zone and held for expectant mothers, was recently held for a man who just had a baby girl. READ ALSO: Millicent Omanga: Curvy senator proudly flaunts tiny waist after weight loss The young dad holding his baby. Source: Facebook/Bongani Diebrthr Mahlangu Source: UGC READ ALSO: Muigai wa Njoroge warms hearts with photo of himself sandwiched between 2 wives Pictures of the doting dad and his little girl surrounded by pink decor were shared on social media by his friends. Surprised Facebookers who were both taken aback and happy for the dad found the gesture to be very sweet. In the pictures, the new dad sat with his newborn as his friends piled gifts around the two new besties. READ ALSO: Tanasha Donna moves into new palatial residence, shows off swanky bathroom Daddy surrounded by his gifts. Photo: Bongani Diebrthr Mahlangu Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Picha maridadi za dada yake mfumaji wa PSG Neymar, Rafaella Santos Social media users who are obviously not accustomed to seeing a man in a baby shower setting expressed their surprise as well as congratulatory messages for the young proud father. Many of them took a liking to the idea, calling it "progressive." The dad was grateful and overwhelmed so all he could do was soak in the love that was outpoured by his confidants. READ ALSO: Eden Hazard forced to hit the gym after he turned up overweight for Real Madrid pre-season The young man even wore a bib. Photo: Bongani Diebrthr Mahlangu Source: Facebook In other news, Mother-in-law actress Jacqy Tina shared a photo of her baby boy days after giving birth. The chubby baby was hanging out with his older sister as mummy took photos. Already, Tina's daughter loves her little brother to bits and enjoys being around him. 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 husband, my pain - Violet Andisi | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke President Donald Trump defended his decision to hold an indoor rally in Las Vegas on Sunday night as Nevada's governor called him 'reckless and selfish' for holding the event in violation of the state's coronavirus restrictions. The president said the Democratic governor left him no choice but to hold the event, where there was no socially distancing and few people wore masks in the crowd of nearly 5,000 people. Trump also brushed off concerns about the virus in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, saying he wasn't worried about contracting it. 'I'm on a stage and it's very far away,' Trump said. 'And so I'm not at all concerned.' 'I'm more concerned about how close you are, to be honest,' Trump told the Review-Journal reporter, who was socially distanced. President Donald Trump defended his decision to hold an indoor campaign rally and said he was not worried about contracting COVID at it Trump called Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada a 'hack' as the governor unloaded on the president for holding an indoor rally Trump also blamed Nevada's Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak for forcing him to hold the event indoors after canceling his planned outside rally at the Las Vegas airport. 'They canceled six different sites because the governor wouldnt let it happen, all external sites,' he said, adding that Sisolak was 'a political hack.' Trump was in Nevada for a weekend of campaign events in the critical battleground state where Democratic rival Joe Biden is leading in the polls. But Trump's team is hoping to turn the state to their column as a possible firewall against other loses in the Southwest, such as Nevada. Sisolak, meanwhile, unloaded on Trump shortly before the rally began, charging the president with putting lives in danger. 'Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada,' Sisolak said in a statement. 'The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic,' Sisolak added. He pointed to the measures he has enacted to try and contain the disease. 'As Governor, I have worked with public health and infectious disease specialists to create emergency directives to protect public health and get our economy back on track. That means limiting gathering sizes, mandating face coverings and practicing social distancing. All of which the President recklessly disregarded for his own gain this weekend in Nevada,' he said. 'At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health, the President's actions this weekend are shameful, dangerous and irresponsible.' Trump was criticized for his decision to hold the rally indoors, in a blatant violation of Nevada rules that limit gatherings to 50 people to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus. There was no social distancing and few wore face masks - with a notable exception of those seated on the risers behind the president, the people who would appear on camera as he spoke. 'If the governor comes after you, which he shouldn't be doing, I'll be with you all the way,' Trump told his cheering supporters during his 68-minute speech. He thanked Don Ahern, the owner of the Xtreme Manufacturing facility, who is facing state fines for allowing Trump to hold the event. 'I want to thank him, Trump said, adding he was holding the rally because 'this is the most important election in the history of the country.' The rally resemebled those the president held before the country shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic - a hyped up crowd, a venue packed to the gills, cheering, shouting, laughing and all things celebrating Trump. Even a protester couldn't damage the mood. 'All lives matter,' the crowd yelled as the person was escorted out by security. At Trump's Sunday night rally, few supporters wore face masks and there was little social distancing in the crowded warehouse Trump told his cheering crowd: 'Tell your governor to open up your state.' Trump repeated his unproven claim that Democratic governors were keeping their states closed to rig the election in Democratic rival Joe Biden's favor. 'They're only doing it to affect the November election,' he said. 'You have to get out and vote,' he told the crowd and he warned them: 'And you have to make sure your ballot is counted because they may not count it this time.' Row after row of Trump supporters crowded together in the Xtreme Manufacturing warehouse with many attendees appearing to be in the elderly, more at risk population. Some were parents with young children. It was so crowded some people have climbed onto the cranes while others are on an extended wall above the main floor. But the atmosphere was festive and party-like with people waving signs, shouting 'Trump, Trump, Trump,' and, at one point, they did the wave. Supporters wait for President Trump to speak at his rally Supporters wave a 'MAGA with a Vengeance' sign The location was so packed supporters lined up on a wall above the warehouse floor Cranes are on the sides and corners of the warehouse, with supporters sitting on them Trump kept his remarks focused on attacking Biden, the Democratic nominee who is leading him in polls in the state and national polls. The Biden campaign announced shortly before Trump's rally that his running mate Kamala Harris would be in Las Vegas on Tuesday to combat Trump's appearance in the state. The president brought back some of his favorite Biden attack lines, the ones that are crowd pleasers and had his supporting hollering and whopping, including Biden is hiding in is his basement, he's shot, and that Biden gets the answers to media questions on a teleprompter to read. He repeated his charge Biden is under the control of the 'radical left' in the party. 'Biden is too lazy to stand up to the crazy socialists and never will, will never have the strength,' he said. He again questioned Biden's mental ability to be president. 'This man is totally unfit to be your president up here,' he said, pointing to his head. He mentioned he's had dealings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'I deal with all these people and they don't have the mental problem Sleepy Joe has. They're very sharp,' he said. 'Biden is too weak to be president and he's not a smart person,' he said. Trump repeatedly attacked Joe Biden, who is seen above on Sunday morning with grandchildren Natalie Biden (L) and Hunter Biden II (C) as they depart St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church after Natalie's confirmation Mass Supporters try to catch a hat thrown into the crowd as President Donald Trump speaks at his rally A supporter wears a Trump 2020 face mask at President Trump's rally in Henderson, Nevada Trump's indoor event on Sunday night came after the campaign saw its last indoor rally in Tulsa result in several staffers and a few Secret Service agents test positive for COVID. 'If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States,' campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement. Trump held his rally in Henderson, Nevada, after state officials squashed his plans to hold an outdoor event at the Las Vegas airport because of restrictions on gatherings due to the coronavirus. Henderson officials have warned Xtreme Manufacturing that it will be violating state regulations if the rally proceeds. 'The City of Henderson has issued a compliance letter and verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor's COVID-19 emergency directives. Specifically, gatherings of more than 50 people in a private or public setting is prohibited,' City of Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards told CNN. She said there could be a fine of up to $500 per violation. 'Large live events must be approved by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Division of Industrial Relations and at this time, the City has not been notified that this event has been approved. The City may assess a fine of up to $500 per violation of the governor's directives as well as suspend or revoke the business license,' she said. Trump's rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night also violated the limitations on gatherings with thousands in attendance, no social distancing and few wearing face masks. The Trump campaign noted every attendee at Sunday night's event will get a temperature check prior to admission, be provided a mask they're encouraged to wear, and have access to plenty of hand sanitizer. But those same precautions were put in place in Tulsa three months ago, where eight campaign staffers and two Secret Service agents tested positive for coronavirus after Trump held a rally there in June. The Trump campaign will have the same safety precautions in place as it did at the president's June rally in Tulsa (above) where eight staffers and two Secret Service agents tested positive for COVID The rally was an embarrassment for Trump both politically and personally as the expected crowds failed to show - leaving rows of empty blue seats in the arena Herman Cain attended President Trump's June 20th rally in Tulsa, where he tweeted the above photo; he died of COVID in July although his staff said it was unclear where he contracted the disease All of the campaign staff that tended that June 20th rally in Tulsa ended up quarantining as a safety precaution as did several Secret Service agents who had contact with the two that tested positive. Trump had pushed for a big campaign rally as part of his push to get Americans back to their normal routine after months of staying indoors due to the COVID pandemic, which has killed almost 200,000 Americans. But the fallout from the Tulsa rally - which led to heavy criticism of the president for holding it and had state officials in Oklahoma complaining the event led to a spike of COVID cases in the state - eventually led to the replacement of Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. Health officials in Oklahoma warned ahead of time of the dangers of the indoor event. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the decision at the time, saying it's 'people's individual choice as to whether to go' and noted that the campaign handed out masks. But the rally also proved an embarrassment to Trump both politically and personally. The location was chosen as Oklahoma was far along in the reopening process after the COVID lock down. Plus it's a deep red state that was expected to show Trump plenty of support and enthusiasm. The president and Parscale had both bragged that one million tickets had been requested for the event, only for the 19,000-seat BOK Center to have 6,200 people in it, according to Tulsa officials. Scenes from the event showed row after row of empty blue seats staring back at Trump in what was supposed to be his campaign comeback. The high number of ticket requests led the campaign to plan for an outdoor event to handle the expected overflow crowd - only have to cancel it at the last minute when people did not show up. Additionally Herman Cain attended the rally. He died of the coronavirus a month later. The White House said he did not contract it at the Tulsa event and Cain's staff said it was not clear where he had gotten the disease. He tested positive on June 29 and was hospitalized on July 1. He died on July 30 at the age of 74. Trump's rallies in the aftermath were outdoors, usually at airport hangers, until Sunday when he will hold his indoor event. The campaign has attendees sign a health waiver in case they get sick at any Trump gathering. Following the murder of a Senior Law Lecturer of the University of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, the family of the deceased has impressed upon the police to urgently crack and unravel the mystery surrounding his death. It would be recalled that the Police on Sunday picked up four persons for questioning in relation to the case. According to Accra Regional Police Command, the four persons are domestic workers in the victim's residence who have come under suspicion. In an interview with Citi News, a nephew of the deceased, Kojo Benneh, expressed confidence in the polices handling of the case. We are trusting that police service will bring their professionalism to bear in their investigations so that in a very short time, we will get to know who the actual perpetrators of this crime are. Prof. Benneh was found dead in a pool of blood in his Adjirigano residence in Accra on Saturday. Police said there were cuts on his body but have not given any more details. The cause of death is also not yet known. Prof. Benneh's body has since been deposited at the police hospital morgue. Police arrived at his residence with a crime scene investigation team from the Criminal Investigation Department's headquarters to commence investigations. The Accra Regional Command is currently in charge of the investigation. Today's Google Doodle said a big thank you to all the coronavirus helpers via an animated graphic. Coronavirus helpers include doctors, healthcare professionals and delivery personnel who are at the forefront of the crisis globally. The Thank You Coronavirus helpers Google Doodle features animated graphics of chefs, teachers and sweepers, among other professionals, who are working round-the-clock during the pandemic. Though the doodle was initially shared in April 2020, another reminder and appreciation was needed given the drastic uptick in the COVID-19 cases globally with no vaccine in sight. Google wrote on its Doodles page, "As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever. We're launching a Doodle series to recognise and honor many of those on the front lines. Today, we'd like to say: To all coronavirus helpers, thank you." At the bottom of the message, Google also put a lowdown on precautionary measures against novel coronavirus. This included simple steps like, "Wear a mask. Save lives. Wear a face cover. Wash your hands. Keep a safe distance." Apart from this, don't forget to wash your hands with soap and water regularly and cover your face while sneezing and coughing. Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible and maintain a safe distance from any person who is coughing or sneezing. Google also shared this doodle on its official Twitter handle and wrote, "The best way to say thank you to all those on the front lines is by staying at home. Together, we will move past this. #GoogleDoodle" He promised the closely watched average figure will be tweeted out each morning by the Department of Health and Human Services from tomorrow. For regional Victoria to skip ahead to step three, where all students return to school and restaurants and cafes reopen to seated customers, its 14-day average must remain below five and it must also record zero "mystery" cases (where the source of infection cannot be traced) over the previous 14 days. "Hopefully we can have very good news for regional Victoria tomorrow. That is subject to the numbers that come in today," Mr Andrews said. "That should be a great boost for everybody, not just in regional Victoria, but in metropolitan Melbourne." The Premier renewed his plea for Victorians, even with the mildest symptoms, to get tested for the virus after 8937 tests were carried out on Sunday, far fewer than the preferred 20,000 tests. "We don't want any steps in this safe and steady road map to be deferred or to be compromised," he said. No new cases in country Victoria No new COVID-19 cases were reported in regional Victoria on Monday. The south-west town of Colac, where a second outbreak linked to the Bulla Dairy factory was triggered by a resident who returned from Melbourne, has 23 active cases. Greater Geelong has six active cases, while Bendigo has one. Ballarat is currently COVID-free. "We're pleased to think we will be able to take those big steps, but safe steps, towards opening regional Victoria up," Mr Andrews said. Under changes to restrictions for regional Victoria overnight, there can now be public gatherings outdoors of up to five people from a maximum of two households. Infants aged under 12 months are not counted. People who live alone or single parents with children under 18 can have one nominated person visit their home. Childcare in regional areas will be open to all children and in term four, schools will be reopened in stages, with safety measures. Retail outlets in regional Victoria, including hairdressers, will open, with some restrictions on numbers. Melbourne's road map out of lockdown. Credit:Scott McNaughton But Professor Sutton warned against complacency, particularly in the country. "I don't want anyone looking at the daily numbers by postcode and saying, 'There are no cases in my postcode, what is the issue here?' I am sure someone in Wuhan in January said, 'We have only got 100 cases, why is the city being locked down?' We can't have short-term memories on this," Professor Sutton said. "We have to consider Victoria as a whole and do the right thing, no matter what it looks like locally for us." Nine cases emerge in Hallam, Narre Warren Professor Sutton urged residents of Hallam and Narre Warren to come forward for testing, after nine of Monday's 35 new cases were from the area. Loading He said the Casey council area, which includes those suburbs and has a large multicultural community, was dealing with community transmission linked to high-risk workplaces. "We haven't linked all of the households definitively. They might be linked by a workplace that hasn't been identified. They might be linked by going to a single setting that hasn't been identified," he said. "It is a community that is a priority for engagement, a priority for testing for us. They do the right thing, but they have some vulnerabilities, in terms of where they are needing to work and how they are needing to work." Professor Sutton said he had made a personal offer to speak to residents in the area himself. "Having been to Afghanistan a couple of times over the years, I want to be able to reflect on my cultural experiences and the fact I know that there are universal motivations that every family has to do the right thing to protect their own families and the wider community," he said. "That is absolutely the case here and I know they're motivated to get on top of this as much as anyone." Victoria by the numbers Of the state's 1075 active cases (100 fewer than on Sunday), 176 are among healthcare workers, 513 are linked to aged care outbreaks and 10 are connected to disability facilities. There are 122 Victorians in hospital fighting the virus, including 12 in intensive care and seven on ventilators. Health officials have identified six new mystery cases of the virus, with no known source of infection. A man in his 70s, a woman and man in their 80s and three men and one woman in their 90s died over the past day. Their deaths were all connected to aged care outbreaks. The state's death toll increased to 729, after one death was removed from the tally due to duplication. Forty-one cases were recorded on Sunday and 37 on Saturday, while 13 coronavirus-related deaths were reported over the weekend. Greatest COVID risk is at a 'mate's place' Mr Andrews announced a $100 million city recovery fund on Monday designed to help bars and restaurants take their operations to the streets this summer. He said people were at less risk of contracting COVID-19 in restaurants than socialising with friends and family at home. "We are often at our greatest risk when we're at a mate's place having dinner because there is no time limit, there is no waiter making sure we keep our distance," he said. "There is not necessarily all the kinds of infection control, cleaning tables, cleaning common areas, all of those things." The WCO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Ricardo Trevino Chapa, participated in the 6th Annual Left of Boom Conference, hosted by the Intelligence Research Institute (IRI) and San Diego State Universitys Center for Information Convergence and Strategy (CICS). The Conference was held virtually, from 9 to 11 September 2020, and was attended by over 80 global security and trade professionals. The event was opened by Dr. Akshay Pottathil, President of the IRI, a non-profit think-tank based in the United States. The event brought together representatives from governments, military and academia as well as civilian experts to discuss current issues, offer innovative solutions, and share cutting-edge technologies with a view to detecting and curbing threats, whether or not obvious, and defending societies and economies against them. The WCO Deputy Secretary General gave a presentation on The impact of COVID-19 on Customs. He highlighted the current fall in the volume of global trade and the lack of business confidence in the economic outlook, due to the current climate of uncertainty. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the WCO had set up a dedicated web page for WCO Members and the general public, containing relevant tools made available by the Organization and the Customs community. During this challenging period, a reference list of essential goods along with their Harmonized System (HS) codes had been developed, measures taken by Customs administrations around the globe had been shared, and several joint statements, urging greater coordination of actions, had been issued with other international organizations. As a response to the impact of the health crisis, Deputy Secretary General Trevino Chapa listed a number of actions taken by the WCO and promoted among its Members: (i) the establishment of further facilitation measures for legitimate trade during periods of crisis; (ii) the strengthening of risk management to prevent illegal products from flooding the markets; (ii) the increased digitalization of Customs procedures; and (iv) the development of new and updated guidelines and actions for a more sustainable world. The proper implementation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Guidelines, the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce, among other WCO tools, were essential for facing future threats. When asked by participants to elaborate on the Mercator Programme, the Deputy Secretary General highlighted that the delivery of capacity building to its Member Customs administrations was one of the WCOs main objectives, and that the Mercator Programme was aimed at guiding Members towards efficient implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement. The event also benefited from participation by other speakers from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Department of Homeland Security, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and representatives from the private sector. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 00:24:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Around 217,000 Ethiopians have been displaced by the worst floods in several decades, an Ethiopian minister said on Monday. Speaking to Xinhua, Muferiat Kamil, Ethiopia Minister of Peace, said various parts of Ethiopia in recent weeks have experienced floods caused by rainfall levels that haven't been seen for more than 30 years. Kamil said the floods which in some areas have been the most damaging in more than a century have displaced 217,000 people and affected another 363,000 people. "These floods have affected hundreds of thousands of people living in 23 zones of five regional states, causing immense damage to private and public properties," said Kamil. The five Ethiopian regional states affected by recent floods are Gambella, Southern, Afar, Oromia and Amhara. "We were for the most part able to prevent severe damages that could have been caused by the floods. However, in some other areas the damage was greater than anticipated," Muferiat told Xinhua. On Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), said some 15.1 million Ethiopians affected by various disasters including floods, COVID-19 disease, desert locust invasion and man-made disasters are in need of food and non-food assistance. UNOCHA said a total of 1.44 billion U.S. dollars is needed to meet the humanitarian needs of 15.1 million Ethiopians. However, UNOCHA said it is struggling with lack of funds to meet the humanitarian needs of millions of Ethiopians. "Some 15.1 million people are targeted with emergency food and non-food assistance with funding requirements of 1.44 billion U.S. dollars,". "However, the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is at its lowest funding level in at least a decade, with currently a gap of 929.6 million U.S. dollars," said the UNOCHA report. UNOCHA is currently mobilizing partners for a collective fundraising drive in the next weeks and months to close the funding gap and address all identified life-saving needs. Enditem A massive column of smoke over Ashland grabbed Brian Denners attention as he stood in front of his winery in Talent, Oregon. Four hours later, Simple Machine Winery and a decade of Denners hard work were reduced to a crumpled pile of corrugated metal and embers. On Tuesday morning, Sept. 8, the Almeda fire was just starting in Ashland. As it began to spread north toward Talent, Denner was pulling into Simple Machines parking lot. Ironically, I was returning with ice to cool down a stainless steel tank that was getting too warm, Denner said in a telephone interview. As Denner scrambled to evacuate the winery, he had time to rescue just one item: a piece of metal with extreme sentimental value. The fire took everything else. Denner grabbed the punch-down tool he uses to push floating grape skins and solids back down into the wine during fermentation. A friend fabricated it for me 16 years ago when I worked in Santiago, Chile. Ive used it for every harvest since, north or south of the equator. Its my Excalibur, Denner said. The alarm company called Denner soon after he evacuated to report the winerys smoke alarms and motion detectors were going off. The winery structure was collapsing. The fire moved so fast, it was terrifying. I doubt anyone could have outrun it on foot, Denner said. Denner started making Simple Machine wines at another Rogue Valley wine facility in 2010. In 2015 he joined forces with a partner, Clea Arthur. The duo opened Simple Machine Winerys tasting room in November 2017. It was Talents first ever urban winery and tasting room. Over the past few years, Denner and Arthurs wines gained traction as more and more people discovered their combination of high quality and reasonable pricing. The Almeda Fire brought that momentum to a crashing halt. Denner estimates the fire destroyed approximately 20-30 full barrels and 12,000 bottles of wine. We literally lost everything. Its devastating. We dont have a single bottle of one of our wines left, Denner said. The loss of wines from the 2019 vintage was disheartening. I had some really nice wines in barrel. I was particularly excited about a new Zinfandel made with grapes from the Pheasant Hill Vineyard here in Talent. All those wines are now vaporized into the ether at this point, Denner said. Fortunately for Denner and Arthur, the Southern Oregon wine communitys generosity moves as quickly as any fire. Denner learned Saturday morning that a ton of donated pinot noir grapes was waiting for him at Barrel 42, a custom crush winery in Medford. In addition to grapes, Denner has also received offers of equipment, barrels and winery space from other Rogue Valley wineries. Herb Quady, Brian Gruber and Nicole Schulte at Barrel 42, along with so many other friends and colleagues in the valley, are coming to our rescue. Its inspiring, Denner said. Denner and Arthur have insurance, but they need all the help they can get in order to rebuild Simple Machine Winery in its original location. They are currently offering a special pre-buy offer through their website to raise those funds. Simple Machine Winerys After Fire wine club offers 6 and 12 bottles of a white and rose wine made with donated and purchased grapes. The prices are $150 for a 6-pack and $300 for a case of 12 bottles. The wines will be available for pickup or delivery in 2021. Red wines will be offered as they become available. Denner and Arthur lost their winery dream to a wall of flames. With a little help from Oregon wine lovers, they hope to reclaim it, six, and 12 bottles at a time. Simple Machine Winery, 717 S. Pacific Hwy, Talent, simplemachinewine.com or simplemachinewine@gmail.com. -- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine. The owner of a Louisiana cane sugar refinery said production has resumed after a fire late last month that hit two silos but caused no injuries. American Sugar Refining Inc. said in a Sept. 10 news release that Domino Sugars Chalmette Refinery outside New Orleans was closed for four days after the fire but resumed production Sept. 1. The refinery was making all of its products by Sept. 3 but is not yet back to full production, a company statement said. The fire broke out Aug. 27 as crews prepared to reopen the 111-year-old plant after shutting down late Aug. 22 because two hurricanes appeared headed toward the state. Flames burned two silos but did not spread elsewhere, the company said. All 420 employees returned to the work Aug. 31 at the plant, which is in unincorporated Arabi about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Chalmette. Most products are shipped to customers or outside warehouses as they are produced, so the refinery will keep operating and will increase operating days to meet demand during repairs, the statement said. Owners say the plant is the largest cane sugar refinery in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to granulated sugar, some of its other products are confectioners sugar, brown sugar, soft sugar, liquid sugar and molasses, and specialty products such as pourable light brown sugar. First and foremost, we are grateful that our safety protocols ensured no injuries occurred, said Luis Fernandez, co-president of ASR Group, which includes American Sugar Refining Inc. Fernandez also said he was pleased with the response of employees in Louisiana, adding they overcame a major challenge at the Chalmette Refinery and began producing our signature products within days. He said other North American plants filled orders that ordinarily would have come from the Chalmette refinery. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Louisiana News Las Vegas, Nevada - A Las Vegas resident made his initial appearance in federal court on September 4, 2020 for illegally possessing machine guns and unregistered firearm suppressors, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich, Special Agent in Charge Frank Burrola for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Justin Pham, 30, of Las Vegas, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a machine gun and two counts of possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. A jury trial has been scheduled before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on November 3, 2020. According to the indictment and arguments made in court, on or about August 15, 2020, Pham possessed three Glock semi-automatic firearms that he had modified to fire as fully automatic weapons without manual reloading. In addition, Pham possessed five firearm silencers that were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. As alleged, law enforcement became aware of Pham after an anonymous tipster reported that Pham had made threats that he was planning to commit a shooting. Pham also told the tipster that he had converted firearms into automatic weapons by using a 3-D printer. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Phams home and vehicle. They located automatic weapons, which were Glock semi-automatic handguns that Pham converted into fully automatic firearms through Glock switches created from a 3-D printer. Additionally, law enforcement located the five suppressors, as well as numerous firearms and firearm parts, ammunition, and a 3-D printer. Pham faces a statutory maximum sentence of: (a) ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the illegal possession of a machine gun charge; and (b) ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of possession of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. In addition to imprisonment and monetary penalties, Pham also faces a period of supervised release and restitution. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case is the product of a coordinated investigation by HSI, ATF, LVMPD, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. The Clark County District Attorneys Office has also filed charges on behalf of the State of Nevada against Pham. This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justices signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Departments past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Cyprus, Russia Agree Tax Hike On Cross-Border Dividends, Interest by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus 14 September 2020 Russia's Ministry of Finance has announced that it signed a Protocol to amend its double tax agreement with Cyprus on September 8, 2020. The Protocol will increase the withholding tax at source to 15 percent for dividends and interest income. The Ministry said ratification should be completed by the end of this year so that the provisions of the Protocol may apply from January 1, 2021. The Russian Government confirmed the agreement contains concessions agreed earlier with the Cypriot Government. An earlier statement from the Cypriot Government, in relation to withholding tax on interest and dividends, said that the two parties had agreed: "[...] the reduction of the said withholding tax (to nil or five percent as appropriate) of regulated entities, such as pension funds and insurance undertakings as well as listed entities with specific characteristics. Additionally, exemption from the said withholding tax applies on interest payments from corporate bonds, government bonds, and Eurobonds. The Cypriot side has also secured the maintaining of zero withholding tax on royalty payments." Russia is reviewing its network of double tax agreements to identify those agreements that do not permit taxation at source of dividends and interest income at at least a 15 percent rate. Malta and Luxembourg have already agreed to amend their pact with Russia and negotiations are said to be ongoing with the Netherlands. The Russian Government has highlighted that it intends to launch similar negotiations with Switzerland and Hong Kong. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) - The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill which seeks to grant medical scholarship for aspiring doctors in the country. Senate Bill No. 1520 or Doktor Para Sa Bayan Act aims to have one doctor per town in the country by providing scholarship to deserving but financially-challenged students, from state universities and partner private schools. Under the measure, passed on final reading on a vote of 22-0, the scholarship grant covers tuition and other school fees, uniform, allowance for dormitory or transportation, internship fees, medical board review fees and licensure fees, medical insurance, and living allowance. The student must pass first the National Medical Admission Test and the entrance examinations required for the Doctor of Medicine degree. Scholars must also take the licensure exam for physicians within a year after completing the internship program. After they pass the licensure exam, scholars should work in a government health office or government hospital in their respective hometowns for one year for every year that the scholarship has been availed of. The proposed measure also provides that if a scholar refuses to render the mandatory return service, he/she shall be required to pay the full cost of the scholarship. Its counterpart measure at the House of Representatives was already approved on third and final reading last August. Once ratified by the Congress, the proposed measure will only need the Presidents signature for it to become a law. US President Donald Trump blows a kiss to supporters after speaking during an indoor campaign rally at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP via Getty Images) Donald Trump likened the abortion policies of his 2020 US election rival Democrat Joe Biden to "baby execution" during a campaign stop in Nevada. Mr Trump was participating in a roundtable discussion with the "Latinos for Trump Coalition" in Las Vegas when he made the comment. The president stated incorrectly that Mr Biden favoured "after-term abortion, which is basically baby execution." Mr Biden's voting record has been historically conservative with regard to abortion. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's Mr Biden consistently voted to restrict expansions to Roe V. Wade. In recent years, Mr Biden appears to have softened somewhat on his stance. He has promised to codify Roe V. Wade into federal law and has spoken out against the Hyde Amendment, though only doing so after being pressured by other Democrats. The attack from Mr Trump is the latest attempt from the president to paint Mr Biden as extremely far left. Mr Biden's voting record does not support the presidents claims. During his first term, Mr Trump has introduced policies that make it harder to get an abortion. The president has cut federal funding for organisations that provide abortions or refer patients to abortion clinics. A poll by Pew Research in August found that some 46 percent of Mr Trumps supporters say abortion is a very important factor in deciding how they will vote in November, compared to 35 percent of Mr Bidens supporters. Read more Catholic bishop rejects idea Trump is pro-life, saying president is only concerned about himself By PTI NEW DELHI: The overall situation at friction points in eastern Ladakh remains unchanged and continues to be tense, four days after foreign ministers of India and China agreed on a five-point plan to resolve the prolonged border standoff, government sources said on Monday. The sources also said both the Indian and Chinese troops are firmly holding onto their respective positions at the Line of Actual Control(LAC). They said while the situation in the region continues to be tense no fresh movement of Chinese troops was witnessed. The Indian Army will not lower its guard and will maintain the current state of very high-level of combat readiness in eastern Ladakh till there are visible changes in the ground situation, the sources added. The sources said the date for the much-anticipated Corps commander-level talks between the two armies is yet to be firmed up but it is likely to take place in the next few days. The military talks are expected to focus on implementation of certain provisions of the five-point consensus to ease tensions. India and China reached an agreement to resolve their border row at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow last Thursday on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. ALSO READ | China hands over five 'missing' Arunachal Pradesh youths to Indian Army The agreement included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC. It also mentioned that the two sides should expedite work to conclude "new confidence building measures" to enhance peace and tranquillity in the border areas. However, the agreement has not mentioned any timeline for disengagement of troops. Meanwhile, Chinese envoy Sun Weidong, referring to consensus reached during previous talks between leaders of the two countries, said both sides should "pursue win-win cooperation" instead of "zero-sum game". "I hope and believe that as long as the two sides earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two foreign ministers to the front-line troops and adhere to the correct means of dialogue and negotiation, the two sides will find a way to overcome the current difficulties," Sun was quoted as saying by the Chinese embassy. He was commenting on the Jaishankar-Wang talks. The envoy further said: "As long as the two sides keep moving the relationship in the right direction building on the previous achievements, there will be no difficulty or challenge that can't be overcome." The five-point consensus at the Jaishankar-Wang talks came days after a fresh confrontation between the two armies early last week in eastern Ladakh that triggered a massive military build up by both sides in almost all friction points along the LAC. The Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) have been locked in a tense standoff in multiple areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May. ALSO READ | India-China joint statement tone is conciliatory, a welcome sign: Experts on LAC standoff Shots were fired across the LAC on Monday last for the first time in 45 years with the two sides accusing each other of firing in the air. In the five rounds of the Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The face-off in eastern Ladakh erupted on May 6. At the Jaishankar-Wang talks, the Indian delegation highlighted its strong concern over amassing of troops and military equipment by China along the LAC besides referring to "provocative behaviour" by Chinese army personnel at numerous incidents of friction. The Indian side clearly conveyed that it expected full adherence to all agreements on management of border areas and would not countenance any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally, according to the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). Last week, the Army further bolstered its dominance over a number of strategic heights overlooking key Chinese-held positions around the Pangong lake area in eastern Ladakh. Editor's take: The Swedish home furnishing specialist said that together with ROG, they will develop a range of affordable and ergonomic gaming furniture and accessories meant to boost performance while blending seamlessly into gamers homes. If they can indeed come together and create a line of products that are on the lower end of the scale in terms of pricing yet still deliver quality and value, they could be on to something. Logitech earlier this year partnered with American furniture maker Herman Miller on a high-end gaming chair. Asus is essentially doing something very similar but on the opposite end of the pricing spectrum. The companys Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand has joined forces with affordable furniture maker Ikea on a new line of products designed specifically for gamers. Ikea and ROG engineers and designers attended several workshops together in Shanghai where the new range is being developed in order to get a better feel for the needs of gamers and to identify the list of functions needed to secure a high quality gaming experience at home. The duo said the range will feature around 30 products initially and will launch first in China early next year before landing in other markets in October 2021. No word yet on exactly what sort of gear we can expect to see although given the fact that Ikeas global business leader of workspace, Ewa Rychert, mentioned gaming being a cross-demographic activity, its plausible that the new line will have a decidedly less gamer look and feel. Masthead credit: pozitivo BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The export of leather goods from Turkey to Georgia increased by 11.22 percent in the past eight months of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, having made up $7.2 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend on Sept.14. In August 2020, Turkey exported leather goods worth $962,000 to Georgia, which is 15.47 percent more than in the same month of last year. Turkeys export of leather goods to world markets from January through August 2020 shrank by 24.3 percent, compared to the same period of 2019, and made up slightly over $856.4 million. The export of leather goods from Turkey made up 0.8 percent of the country's total export over the reporting period. In August 2020, Turkey exported leather goods worth $98.3 million to foreign markets, down 26.8 percent compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said. Turkeys export of leather goods in August this year amounted to 0.8 percent of the country's total export. During the last twelve months (from August 2019 through August 2020), Turkey exported the leather goods in the amount of over $1.3 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Trend's exclusive interview with Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan, Dato Yubazlan Yusof. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Many Malaysian companies are looking at the potential of business opportunities in Azerbaijan, Ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan, Dato Yubazlan Yusof told Trend. "We have and continue to encourage Malaysian companies to be involved in the dynamics of Azerbaijan economic spheres," added the ambassador. The ambassador noted that if the conditions are conducive and there are available opportunities, Malaysia would like to welcome all possible and potential joint projects and collaborations in the future from both sides. In terms of exciting cooperation, the ambassador noted that Malaysias investment in Azerbaijan is currently focused on the oil and gas industry. "As a global energy and solutions company, PETRONAS portfolio includes conventional and unconventional resources and a diverse range of fuel, lubricant and petrochemical products," he added. In terms of PETRONAS activities in Azerbaijan, the ambassador added that the company has acquired a 15.5 percent stake in the Shah Deniz II production sharing agreement operated by a consortium of companies, 15.5 percent share in the South Caucasus Pipeline Company (SCPC), 15.5 percent share in the SCPC holding company, and 12.4 percent share in the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company (AGSC). The total expenditure by PETRONAS in Azerbaijan thus far is estimated at $5 billion. As a stakeholder, PETRONAS's role is to manage its stakes while working together with the other concessionaires to ensure the success of the project. Furthermore, the ambassador pointed out PETRONAS contribution to Azerbaijans Coronavirus Response Fund. "Malaysian PETRONAS has contributed 10,000 manats ($5,882) to the Coronavirus Response Fund," he said. "In Azerbaijan, PETRONAS as one of the co-ventures in the Shah Deniz Consortium has continuously supported the Operator to carry out all necessary measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the operations in Shah Deniz to ensure it continues to run safely and efficiently across the value chain," added the ambassador. The ambassador added, that PETRONAS is working closely with the relevant authorities on the requirements during this COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to exercise strict compliance with the Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) standards and best practices. He added that among the non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan, Malaysia is interested in the tourism industry, alternative banking, information technology & multimedia, as well as education. Furthermore, he noted that the enhancement of connectivity could strengthen trade and economic cooperation through physical, institutions, and people-to-people linkages between the two countries. In terms of cooperation, the ambassador also added that direct flight between Malaysia and Azerbaijan would be an impetus to establish the transport corridor between regions and expand the bilateral cooperation in many potential areas. "This would be beneficial for our growing economies as it will provide the linkages bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally as well as contributing to the development of the surrounding economic zones," he said. Another sector with the growth potential was tourism. The ambassador highlighted that the tourism sector would encourage people-to-people connectivity through social and cultural exchange and also cultivate the growth of the bilateral trade and economy as it can integrate the growing regional community through the development of crucial infrastructures in regions. Overall, talking about the countries cooperation it was noted that both Malaysia and Azerbaijan are interested in mutual economic cooperation and highly focused to strengthen the existing good relations. Ambassador also highlighted its support in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Malaysia gives its full support to Azerbaijan when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and has always shown its support and solidarity for Azerbaijan through The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN)." "Malaysia reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan and the inadmissibility of the use of force by Armenia," added the ambassador. The ambassador added that Malaysia will continue to support international efforts for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. "Malaysia strongly urges the Government of Armenia to fulfill its international obligations, adherence to all UN resolutions and end their occupation of Azerbaijan's territories, as it is the only viable and long-term solution to the root causes of the conflict," noted the ambassador. In terms of recent Armenian provocation on the border area with Azerbaijan, which resulted in casualties, including among the civilian population of Azerbaijan, the ambassador expressed deepest condolences to the loss of lives. "Malaysia calls for an immediate end to the fighting and for the parties involved, to take necessary steps to de-escalate the situation outside of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region," noted the ambassador. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva China has declared graphite a strategic mineral. It has 195 mining areas across 20 provinces that account for 70 per cent of the world's exports of processed graphite resources. Its dominance and proliferation-brand of state-linked companies has sharpened the concerns of governments that, in the event of a shortage or a military dispute in the South China Sea, the tap could be turned off. Resources Minister Keith Pitt: 'If you only have one supply line, that is an increased risk.' Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "It does not matter if you are importing loaves of bread or anything else, if you only have one supply line, that is an increased risk," Pitt says in an interview in Canberra. In the last few months of 2019, China had begun winding back its exports, well before its relationship with the US, Australia and Europe was pummelled by the coronavirus and China's crackdown in Hong Kong. From August to September 2019 alone, rare earths exports from China to the US dropped by 18 per cent. Australia, which has historically focused on more common, highly profitable exports such as iron ore, is sitting on a graphite reserve in South Australia of 200 million tonnes. "You are touching my nerves," says Professor Dusan Losic, the director of Australia's graphene research hub, which collaborates between five Australian universities, including the University of Melbourne and the University of Adelaide. "We have very huge reserves just sitting down there," he says. "But nothing can be done with a lack of investment." Why so rare? Australia is the world's No.2 producer, making up 13 per cent of global output. Mined in Mount Weld and Browns Range, WA; Nolans, NT. Used in: speakers, wind turbines, hybrid cars and magnets. Rare earths are not that rare: A family of 17 obscure minerals found near the bottom of the periodic table, they occur everywhere in the earth's crust and in greater amounts than many other elements. Even the rarest of rare earth materials, thulium, is more plentiful than gold. Rare earths including cerium, dysprosium, erbium, neo-dymium, praseodymium, neodymium, scandium, cerium, lanthanumand lutetium are rare in the sense they are sprinkled all over the planet in very small concentrations. The government has committed $125 million to exploring two 2500 kilometre-long corridors in the hope of hitting another rare earths payload. One stretches from the Gulf of Carpentaria down to the border of NSW, South Australia and Victoria. The second runs from Darwin to the Great Australian Bight. The government has also invested $4.5 million in critical mineral research and development through the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia but industry figures say it is not enough. Losic says the cost of starting up a single graphite processing plant is $60 million. Perth USAsia Centre research director Dr Jeffrey Wilson says Australia has abundant geology and technical capabilities, but the investment risk is higher than the private sector can manage. "China holds a global monopoly on the production of rare earth minerals, which are used across the civilian and defence technology ecosystems," he says. "With China applying trade sanctions to many countries in early 2020, there is a real risk the rare earths weapon may be deployed in the coming months." Australia signed a strategic partnership in June that will allow for Australia to supply rare earth resources to India. Another deal with the US followed in July after Australian rare earths miner Lynas announced it would process the minerals at a Texas facility in partnership with the Pentagon. Australian resources company Syrah is also establishing a production line in the US state of Louisiana that will be the first to completely transform graphite into the active anode material used in electric vehicles outside China. Pitt says: "We are being watched very closely internationally right now. I think every Australian will recognise how critical this is in terms of our nation. It is also about our strategic partnerships as well. That is why we are working very closely with South Korea and Japan and the US, Europe and a lot of other countries. "They recognise it is in their interests to have a diverse source of materials into their countries, not just a single one." Lynas says COVID-19 has heightened the focus on resilient supply chains and securing a diverse supply of critical minerals. "Its only when there is a risk that a component like rare earths will not be available that it comes to the attention of business leaders," a Lynas spokeswoman says. One of the reasons for China's dominance in processing graphite is its use of highly toxic chemicals in the purification process, which other countries have been reluctant to replicate. China's processors use hydrofluoric acid to remove impurities. The chemical is highly corrosive and discharges chemicals into surrounding land and water. Processing graphite also produces air pollutants that can cause respiratory illnesses. Pitt says there is no intention to change any environmental controls to allow for more mining or processing. "If you work within that framework, you reduce the risk substantially," he says. Loading EcoGraf has spent the past three years developing an eco-friendly purification process that will avoid hydrofluoric acid and the discharge of air pollutants. Its new plant, the first graphite purification facility in Australia, is set to be established in Kwinana, Western Australia, after the company secured investment from Export Finance Australia and the German government to source graphite from a mine in Tanzania. Spinks says the establishment of an Australian Critical Minerals Office, headed by Jessica Robinson, a former senior official in the Treasury and in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, is a sign of how seriously the government is taking the rare earths supply challenge. But he says more government support is needed to buttress the significant upfront costs of mining and processing the material. Ticket sales to this year's virtual and in-person Africa Brand Summit are open. Select the category that suits you and your organisation best, whether in Cape Town, Joburg, Nigeria or elsewhere; the summit is ready to launch first week of October, from the 7th to the 8th. What is the current reputation/image of Africa as a whole, each of its five regions, and of select influencer countries? How does such destination image/reputation influence attitudes in Africa and across the world? What are the key drivers/influencers of such an image/reputation? What must be done to augment/enhance the positive aspects while also progressively eliminating the negative ones? Even before the global war against Covid-19 is entirely won, Africa, alongside other parts of the world, must work harder at rebuilding from the economic ruins. In fact, Africas task will more than ever before be cut out for it as it adds a list of new challenges to longstanding ones.The purpose of the Africa Brand Summit, now in its third year, is to eventually establish an Africa-based global destination image 'research and advisory service' to provide globally applicable best practice in destination rebranding, positioning, and destination reputation management.Due to Covid-19, this year sees the summit being hosted as the first-ever hybrid event, with the physical and face-to-face segments currently restricted to not more than 50 participants - taking place at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Newlands, Cape Town, and other participants livestreaming from across the globe.The discussions will unpack:The need for such an initiative has never been more critical, or timelier. This is because Africa does not exist in a vacuum. African countries compete against others, around the world, for FDI, business and leisure tourism, attracting scarce skills and generating needed goodwill to attract other forex-earning opportunities. The summit has initiated and will continue to lead critical conversations about our continents evolving brand image, the attributes that make us proud, as well as the opportunities that remain to progressively eliminate those attributes that hurt Africas brand reputation, at home and globally, concludes Solly Moeng, reputation specialist and summit convenor.Join our diverse panel of renowned South African and African delegates by registering: https://africabrandsummit.co/register/ An able-bodied woman who married a disabled man with a neuromuscular disease has hit out at trolls who posted cruel comments on her wedding pictures saying that the groom must have money and that their relationship is 'some kind of joke.' Shane Burcaw, 27, and Hannah Aylward, 24, have earned international attention for shedding light on interabled relationships, sharing their story and details of their life together on social media, including their popular 'Squirmy and Grubs' YouTube channel. Earlier this month, the Minnesota couple said 'I do' in a private ceremony in their backyard but when Hannah proudly shared photos from the happy occasion, some commenters were quick to show the worst of themselves, writing that their marriage couldn't be real and accusing Hannah of being a gold-digger. They do! Shane Burcaw, 27, and Hannah Aylward, 24, got married earlier this month Rude! Some commenters left cruel comments on their photos, saying that Hannah must have married him for money and that their marriage was a 'joke' Shane, a writer and public speaker, was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease causes muscles to deteriorate over time. He has been in an electric wheelchair since he was two, and can barely move his legs, arms, and hands. After watching a documentary that The Office star Rainn Wilson produced about Shane's life, Hannah reached out complimenting Shane on his sense of humor and his writing before admitting that she thought he was very cute. They got to know each other through FaceTime calls and text messages and eventually fell in love. Together, the couple launched their YouTube channel to better educate people about interabled relationships and it was there they shared video from their wedding day in early September. Hannah also posted photos on Instagram, where they were met with mostly postitive and congratulatory comments. However, some of the comments were not so nice, and on September 11, Hannah made a follow-up post calling out these cruel people, including several of the nastiest comments superimposed over one of the wedding pictures. 'Is he rich or something?' read one, while another commenter just left dollar signs. Not listening! Hannah responded on Instagram, saying that 'worrying about these people's opinions is a waste of time' Living her life: She admitted that it used to be painful to read cruel comments, but she is now able to dismiss them 'Disabled people are worthy partners,' Hannah said, adding that they will keep sharing their story Another said it must be 'some kind of joke,' while one more speculated that the photo was Photoshopped. 'I'm saying this without any apologies,' said another. 'I'm pretty sure that woman married him because of money and not for love.' Candid: The interabled couple have shared their story and details of their life together on social media, including their popular 'Squirmy and Grubs' YouTube channel Yet another who clearly did not watch any of the couple's YouTube video, where they have address sex and intimacy suggested that Hannah must have another partner for sex. Hannah addressed all the mean comments in her caption. 'If the past two years of having a YouTube channel have taught me anything, its that youre never going to be able to educate everyone. No matter what you do, some people will just never come around,' she wrote. 'Worrying about these peoples opinions is a waste of time, and as time has gone on, its become so much easier to genuinely have no internal reaction to comments like these. 'A few years ago, reading words like these was painful. For a while, I held onto the idea that once Shane and I were married, all the people doubting our relationship would realize it was real. 'Now, of course, Im not that naive. Although its taken time, Im able to completely dismiss people like this. Shane and I continue to make content and share our story with the hopes of showing as many people as we can that disabled people are worthy partners. 'Comments like these only encourage us to continue! Were so grateful for all of the people that our story has managed to reach in a positive way,' she said. Story: Shane was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular disease that causes muscles to deteriorate over time. He's in a wheelchair since he was two years old Private: The newlyweds married in a backyard ceremony over Zoom in their backyard Right now! They said they are waiting until next year to have a large family celebration, but couldn't wait to officially get married Beginnings: Their relationship started when Hannah reached out to Shane after watching a documentary that 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson produced about his life Bling bling! They had their rings custom-made and went to pick them up days before the wedding The two appeared quite happy on their wedding day, photos and video from which they shared on social media. They said they are waiting until next year to have a large family celebration, but couldn't wait to officially get married so they legally wed this weekend in a private ceremony. In their YouTube video documenting the big day, they showed off their custom rings, which they picked up from New Gild Jewelers in Minneapolis. After some other last-minute preparations, including a haircut for Shane done by Hannah, of course the couple married in their yard in front of a computer, where an officiant and some family members looked on. Shane wore a suit, while Hannah wore the dress her mother wore at her own wedding. The newlyweds posed for several pictures together, including some in which they wore 'bride' and 'groom' face masks. They were also joined by their dog, and after making the marriage official, the couple dug into a white wedding cake. 'The ceremony went really well,' Shane said. 'We weren't sure, doing it over Zoom, how that would go.' 'Yeah, it was perfect,' Hannah added. 'It broke up like once. That was kind of funny. But other than that, it was smooth sailing.' Fun: They followed up the ceremony with food from their favorite takeout place and music from a Spotify playlist Next generation: Hannah wore the same dress her mother wore to her wedding Lookalikes: They showed off side-by-side comparisons of Hannah and her mom 'The ceremony went really well,' Shane said. 'We weren't sure, doing it over Zoom, how that would go.' 'Yeah, it was perfect,' Hannah added. 'It broke up like once. That was kind of funny. But other than that, it was smooth sailing.' They followed up the ceremony with food from their favorite takeout place and music from a Spotify playlist. Shane said that it didn't feel that different to be husband and wife, because they've 'been practically, like, married for two years.' Next up for the newlyweds is starting a family: In a video uploaded last week, Hannah revealed that she stopped taking birth control, with the hopes that she will soon get pregnant. 'We are beginning down that road of getting ready for kids,' Shane said. Secret: The couple previously opened up about how they handle intimacy Honest: They said they rely on constant communication to make sure they're satisfying each other's physical needs, and they believe able-bodied couples should do the same Nerves: Hannah admitted that she was somewhat afraid of hurting Shane when they first started dating, saying she would ask to move any part of him before doing so The couple had previously answered fans' questions about how they manage intimacy in their interabled relationship. 'A lot of people assume it doesn't exist,' Hannah said of the physical side of their relationship. 'That's a really damaging stereotype for all disabled people when you assume that disabled people aren't sexually active.' Shane explained that while they have made it a point to keep their private life private, there is a lot of misinformation and stigma surrounding disability and intimacy that they wanted to dispel. In the clip, they used the word 'intimacy' as an umbrella term to 'refer to any number of sexual acts' to keep from divulging too much. 'When we say intimacy, we mean sex. We mean other sexual acts,' Shane noted. The couple has also spoken about their desire to have children together, with Shane explaining in an old post on his blog that he is 'perfectly capable of having sex.' 'I get boners and my boners shoot sperm, so having kids is a real option,' he wrote at the time. Future plans: Shane explained in an old blog post that he is 'perfectly capable of having sex,' and he and Hannah have spoken about their desire to have children together Common misconception: Hannah said many people incorrectly assume that 'disabled people aren't sexually active' Affectionate: While Shane can't get up to give Hannah a hug, he will call her over and ask her to lean in so he can kiss her or hold her hand Hannah admitted that she was somewhat afraid of hurting Shane when they first started dating, saying she would ask to move any part of him before doing so. 'I remember you being like, "I don't want to break you,"' Shane recalled, joking that he would tell her: 'Just break me, go ahead.' Hannah noted that he is 'a lot less fragile' than he looks, while he added that he is also very mindful' of his own safety. Even after years together, he still reminds Hannah to be careful when she is putting his socks on for him. 'Shane is very cautious about his body movements and you verbalize it,' she said. 'I pretty much know how every single part of your body can move and to what extent and to what direction. I know his body as well as I know mine now.' The couple did, however, admit that years ago, Hannah had him screaming in pain 'at the end of intimacy' after she leaned in to give him a kiss and squished his elbow. The couple also agreed that able-bodied couples should strive to be just as communicative at they are. 'I think our intimate life does benefit from that and saying what both of us want and figuring out how to get it,' Hanna said. 'Because I think a lot of the time if you're doing cookie-cutter whatever, it might not be completely what both people are dreaming of having.' Shane added: 'When I'm on the giving end of intimacy, I am very prone to be like, 'Is this good? Is this fine? How's this? Is this alright?" Hannah is often like, "Shut up."' SALT LAKE CITY Sept. 14, 2020 $25 million California Texas Nevada Hawaii Washington D.C. Arizona Illinois Los Angeles Teri Nestel Peggy Cherng $85 million $26 million Canada $7 billion $1 Miracle Balloon Peggy Cherng $216 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Following a commitment ofto Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals to fund Panda Cares Centers of Hope, Panda Express, through its philanthropic foundation, Panda Cares, and CMN Hospitals have recently debuted Center of Hope locations at ten hospitals in the U.S. includingandHospitals include: Valley Children's Hospital, Lurie Children's Hospital, Children's National, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of, Cook Children's, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Renown Children's Hospital, Medical Center Health System and Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children.The Panda Cares Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially curated programs that address each child's entire well-being, including their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. Therapeutic play, art therapy and counseling services are just a few examples of a wide range of offerings at individual Panda Cares Centers of Hope designed to give children the courage and strength to thrive."With the ongoing support of transformational partners like Panda Express and their generous customers and associates, our network of children's hospitals can continue the urgent work of providing high-quality, life-saving care that children need every day," said, interim president and CEO of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. "Panda's commitment to helping their local children's hospitals meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of children has never been more needed or appreciated during these challenging times."This long-term support will continue to help communities and transform how CMN Hospitals meet the most urgent needs, save more lives and protect our collective future."We are proud to partner with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to bring the vision of the Panda Cares Center of Hope to life and are humbled to be able to be part of the healing journey for the families and kids at these hospitals," said Dr., co-founder and co-CEO of Panda Restaurant Group. "Children are our future, and we hope that through this partnership and curriculum designed to give children the strength to thrive, we will bring smiles and hope to communities nationwide."Across the country, Panda Cares Centers of Hope are specialized spaces dedicated to promoting healing and inspiring hope and are made possible by Panda guest and associate donationsraising more thanfor Children's Miracle Network Hospitals over the past seven years.In 2019, Panda Express guests and associates donated more thanto CMN Hospitals across the country, helping them earn the recent award of PR Daily CSR Campaign of the Year: Panda Express and CMN Hospitals.####About Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than, most of itat a time through the charit''sicon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit's mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children's hospitals need community support, and learn about your member hospital, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.About Panda Express On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express, an American Chinese Trailblazer, is the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and, Panda Express is best known for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken and award-winning Honey Walnut ShrimpTM, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,200 locations throughout the U.S.?and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to twelve?international countries.?Powered by?this global?family of associates, Panda Cares, the organization's philanthropic arm,?has?raised?more thanmillion?and dedicated countless volunteer hours?in bettering the health and education?for?over 12?million?youths,?as well as?supporting communities in need?since 1999. In 2020, the organization established the Panda Cares Scholars Program to provide the necessary funding, academic support and leadership development to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.SOURCE Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Ghana is on the verge of losing a golden opportunity to issue a Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) license that would make timber trade with the European Union easier and mutually beneficial. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the forestry Sector, are appealing to the Forestry Commission (FC), the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) and Parliament to collaboratively ensure that Ghana doesnt miss the December 2020 deadline to complete processes aimed at anchoring home this milestone as Parliament holds the nations fate. Mr. Obed Owusu- Addai, Managing Campaigner of EcoCare Ghana, speaking at a press conference stated that, failure to finish the process started since 2009 would result in everything going down the drain and Ghana losing its credibility on the international timber market. Parliament is expected to convert Timber Extant Leases into Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) to complete the process before the December 2020 deadline set by Ghana itself as completion date, Mr. Addai Owusu reiterated. He disclosed that the over 100 contract documents had been prepared and forwarded to the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry for signature and onward submission to Parliament for ratification. When this process is completed, it would pave way for Ghana to issue FLGET license under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) Ghana entered into with the EU to ensure only legal wood is traded between the two parties. The required processes under the agreement are geared towards ensuring that only legal wood is traded between the two parties and that would help conserve Ghanas forests for posterity. As the clock ticks to the deadline and Parliament prepares to rise amidst the electioneering season, the COSs fear Ghana risks missing out on this unique opportunity into which resources and efforts have been invested by the various stakeholders including Timber Industries. In 2007 Ghana began negotiations with the EU on steps to ensure only legal timber is exported to the latters member countries, leading to the signing of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). This set the tone for processes towards the granting of FLEGT license to Ghana, a document that certifies that the country has put in places all the mechanisms for ensuring its exported timber is legal per international standards. Ghanas credibility on the international timber market and in the eyes of the European Union in particular is at stake at this crucial time as its seriousness towards forest conservation would be measured by the commitment shown by these statutory bodies - Forestry Commission, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Parliament of Ghana. If Ghana beats the deadline, it becomes the second country in the world and the first in Africa to trade in FLEGT licensed timber, thus raising its reputation and creating opportunities for stakeholders and the numerous forest fringe communities. FLEGT license will also greatly remedy the ailing timber industry and assist in redirecting much needed funds into supporting the welfare of their workers in this covid-19 pandemic. Ghana sits on a time-bomb as the deadline approaches and CSOs in the sector are appealing for immediate action. The mid-autumn cake market will be split among major, traditional brands Due to the adverse impacts of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the market demand for mid-autumn cake this year is forecast to slide 10-20 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, a stark contrast to the usual 5-10 per cent annual growth. The muted demand did not hinder the cake makers efforts to invest and develop new products to fuel consumption. According to Kao Sieu Luc, CEO of ABC Bakery, the brand behind thanh long (red dragon fruit) bread which created stirred up the southern market last year, the company has rolled out a variety of fresh products in this season which were made of Vietnamese thanh long, durian, and coffee, blended with high-grade imported ingredients such as almond and walnut kernels from the US. The muted demand did not hinder the cake makers efforts to invest and develop new products to fuel consumption. Other renowned brands like Bibica and KIDO are prudent when penning their production plans for this years mid-autumn. Bibica has decided to produce 600 tonnes of mid-autumn cakes, about as much as last year, which would contribute 15 per cent to the companys total full-year revenue. Our production plan consists of four phases to closely mirror market movements and make suitable adjustments. As the pandemic takes an unpredicted turn, we must not downplay the threat, said Nguyen Quoc Hoang, CEO of Bibica. Hoang added that in recent weeks, the company has recorded positive signs from the group of institutional customers which make up 60 per cent of the total mid-autumn cake volume Bibica sells every year. Meanwhile, the demand from retail customers which make up the remaining 40 per cent is forecast to be softer than in previous years. Meanwhile, KIDO set out the modest plan of turning out 400 tonnes of products with an estimated revenue of VND200 billion ($8.69 million) and profit of about VND50 billion ($2.17 million). The plan to return to mid-autumn cake production was conceived by KIDO several years before the emergence of COVID-19. We keep close eyes on market movements to pen out suitable business plans for each particular situation, said Bui Thanh Tung, KIDO deputy general director. In 2016, KIDO sold its confectionery business to foreign partner Mondelez. After fulfilling its commitment to the foreign partner of not to take part in the confectionery business for five years, the company is now returning to the snack food business, its core business line, and is slated to launch products from the third quarter this year under the brand Kingdom, including mid-autumn cake items. Based on the experience of confectionery makers, besides quality, there are three essential factors during the mid-autumn cake season, including research and development (R&D) to produce the right items suiting customer taste; drawing up suitable marketing ideas to gain the affection of customers; and putting in place an extensive distribution network to approach customers the fastest. The domestic confectionery market, particularly mid-autumn cake sales, is shaped by two eminent groups of businesses: sizeable businesses with long years of tradition like Bibica and chain-based brands developing in niche local markets such as ABC Bakery, Givral, and Brodard. These two groups hold an advantage in the mid-autumn cake season while small brands have undergone tough market screening in the past years. The consumers are growing increasingly demanding, particularly in regards to products used as gifts, providing opportunities to older brands like Bibica, said Nguyen Quoc Hoang. In the confectionery business, the production and trade of mid-autumn cake is a field where the expertise of business leaders is apparent. Weeks before the mid-autumn festival, cakes can fetch from tens to several hundred thousand Vietnamese dong, depending on the market segment but right after the festival, prices go into a nosedive. The businesses, thereby, must create flexible sales policies to avoid unsold stock after the festival. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, left, speaks with the president of the Human Rights Council, Austrian Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger during the opening of 45th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday. EPA-Yonhap The U.N. human rights chief appealed Monday for "urgent and profound action to combat systemic racism" in the United States, and encouraged Hong Kong authorities to "monitor closely" the enforcement of a national security law in China derided by many activists. The comments from Michelle Bachelet came in a catch-all speech to open the latest session of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Monday. She also raised concerns about the human rights situation in Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela, among other places on her agenda. Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted concerns about use of force by police in cases such as the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month, and recently-revealed details of the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester, New York, earlier this year. Overall, she said the lack of accountability "for many prior killings underscores the gravity of this crisis." She said commitments by authorities in the United States to reform after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May "need to be matched by real change to create an environment in which African-Americans feel they are protected by law enforcement and the state." Bachelet said she would speak later in the council's three-week session to follow up on a resolution it passed in June commissioning a report on systematic racism and discrimination against Black people. In her speech, Bachelet also said her office was keeping tabs on the impact of a national security law in China focusing on Hong Kong that has led to charges against at least two dozen people since July. Many see the law as Beijing's boldest move yet to remove a legal firewall between the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong and the mainland's Communist Party system. "The Hong Kong authorities have consistently stated that the law is not intended to impact negatively on the peaceful exercise of human rights by Hong Kong residents," said Bachelet. "Accordingly, I would encourage the Hong Kong authorities to monitor closely the enforcement of the law by the police and the courts, and to take steps to review the law in response to any negative consequences it might have on the enjoyment of human rights." She also denounced the "continuing repression" of LGBTI people and activists in Poland, and called Israel's blockade of Gaza illegal under international law and ineffective in delivering security or peace for Israelis and Palestinians. She said her office had documented 47 killings of human rights defenders in Colombia this year. (AP) Inside Hook Actor and producer John Boyega has emerged in recent months as a voice speaking truth to power. Earlier in the summer, Boyega delivered an impassioned speech in support of Black Lives Matter. More recently, he critiqued Disneys handling of race and representation in the latest Star Wars trilogy. Boyega has established himself as a talented actor with an ambitious artistic vision which makes the behavior of fragrance company Jo Malone London all the more frustrating. According to a new report in The Hollywood Reporter, Jo Malone London hired Boyega to direct and star in a video promoting the company. Titled A London Gent, it featured Boyega along with friends and family, and featured a number of scenes shot in Peckham, the London neighborhood in which Boyega grew up. So far, it makes sense: a London-based company hired an actor from London to turn his vision of the city into sounds and images. Then the commercial was reshot for the Chinese market, featuring actor Liu Haoran in the lead and removing all scenes of Black people from the video. Boyega was unaware of this decision until Jo Malone London posted the new ad on Twitter. (Natural News) Democrat senators in the U.S. Senate used the filibuster measure Sep. 10 to block a skinny pandemic relief bill endorsed by their Republican counterparts, shooting down a much-needed stimulus package for Americans weathering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Sep. 10 session might be the last time such a relief bill will be discussed in Congress, as most lawmakers will focus on wrapping up much-needed legislation before focusing on the presidential and congressional elections in November. In addition, both parties are in a deadlock about how much money should be allocated for stimulus relief. GOP lawmakers originally intended a $1 trillion bill, while Democrats have insisted on a bigger $3 trillion bill which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in May. The Delivering Immediate Relief to Americas Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was defeated in a 52-47 vote, short of meeting the 60 votes needed to break the Democratic filibuster. Breaking the filibuster required three-fifths of the lawmakers present to agree to end the debate and allow a final vote. Sen. McConnells bill called for $300 billion for coronavirus relief which was a skinny fraction of the original amount. However, the relief bill by Sen. McConnell did not include separate initiatives such as a second round of direct federal payments to households, bailouts for U.S. airlines and extra aid for state and local government. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican, told reporters the voting on the bill was at a sort of a dead-end street. He added that Congress had a pandemic of politics happening alongside the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said more financial relief reaching Americans before the election would be very unlikely despite talks between Democrats and the White House. Sen. Grassley, another Republican, commented that both dont want to get to an agreement and unless one side yields, its going to be a loss for the American people. In a Sep. 11 tweet, Sen. McConnell expressed his disappointment over the blockage of his failed bill and commented that Senate Democrats had a clear goal of not helping American families before the election. Democrats to abolish the filibuster measure if they win in November Aside from blocking Sen. McConnells pandemic relief bill, Democrat lawmakers have used the filibuster to block an earlier GOP bill filed in June that aimed to reform law enforcement departments because it did not go far enough to address racial inequality. The earlier bill introduced by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott included bans on the use of chokeholds, penalties for failing to use body cameras and increased requirements for no-knock warrants However, a similar Democrat-sponsored police reform bill that proposed more overarching reforms that could possible undermine law enforcement was unanimously approved in the U.S. House of Representatives that had a majority of Democrat lawmakers. This might be the last time the filibuster will be used as the Democrats are planning to eliminate the measure from the legislative process. With the filibuster out of the way and both chambers of Congress under their control, nothing can stop the Democrats from railroading bills unfavorable to the American people. Former President Barack Obama called to remove the filibuster measure during his eulogy for the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis, calling it a Jim Crow relic. A CBS News piece about the measure mentions its use by Southern senators to block civil rights legislation. S.C. Sen. Strom Thurmond used the measure in 1957 to protest the passage of a civil rights bill. Sen. Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes, the longest one so far. Seven years later, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd spoke for 14 hours and 13 minutes in 1964 to block the Civil Rights Act. However, the filibuster is not just simply a measure to block possible bills unfavorable to Democrats just like what was done with the bills introduced by Sens. McConnell and Scott. In the same CBS News article, University of Miami political science Professor Gregory Kroger cited two reasons why the filibuster is important. First, it allows senators to block possible laws that they consider detrimental to their subjects giving minorities a voice to question legislation unfavorable to them. Second, the filibuster forces senators from different parties to negotiate possible changes in policy leading to moderate outcomes. Unfortunately, Democrats do not see the value of the filibuster unless it suits their needs. They are concerned about grabbing power, holding on to it and getting rid of anything that stands in their way: President Donald Trump and the rest of the Republicans. With Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declaring Republicans to be enemies of the state, her party-mates will definitely pull out all the stops to ensure that President Trump wont have a second term. Find out more news about attempts by Democratic politicians to block much-needed laws at VoteDemocrat.news. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com Reuters.com 1 USAToday.com Twitter.com NPR.org 1 NPR.org 2 Reuters.com 2 Politico.com CBSNews.com The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to tighten security in order to prevent the leaking of the question papers for this years Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for school candidates. That, it said, was to ensure the sanctity of the examination, as well as prevent the candidates from going through the pain of re-writing papers that would be cancelled as a result of the papers being leaked. The Public Relations Officer of GNAT, Mr Peter Korda, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, stressed the need for WAEC to put all the necessary measures in place to secure the examination to ensure its credibility. He also urged the government to make all personal protective equipment (PPE) available in the schools before the commencement of the examination to provide the assurance and the protection needed against the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety Mr Korda also urged all candidates, supervisors and invigilators not to take things for granted but strictly observe all the COVID-19 protocols in their schools to ensure their own safety. The active cases may have gone down, but the virus has not been completely eradicated. It is, therefore, important that all become mindful of this and strictly observe all the prescribed protocols for our own safety and that of others, he emphasised. Statistics A total of 531,705 candidates are writing the 2020 BECE for school candidates. Of the number, 269,419 are males and 262,286 females. The Ashanti Region is presenting the highest number of candidates 106,857, made up of 54,025 males and 52,832 females. Invigilators For this examination, WAEC has deployed 18,716 invigilators to monitor the 17,440 public and private schools that are taking part. The 2,007 examination centres are also being manned by 2,007 supervisors and 1,719 assistant supervisors. This BECE should have been written from June 15 to 19, 2020 but had to be rescheduled due to the closure of schools on March 15 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Breakdown The Greater Accra Region follows with 94,443 candidates; 45,172 males and 49,271 females. The Central Region is presenting the third highest number of candidates 58,105 (29,467 males and 28,638 females), while the Western and the Western North regions come fourth with 54,432 candidates: 28,059 males and 26,373 females. A total of 49,993 candidates, made up of 25,749 males and 24,244 females, are writing the examination in the Eastern Region. The others are the Bono, Ahafo and Bono East regions, where 49,725 candidates (25,800 males and 23,923 females) would be sitting for the examination. In the Volta and the Oti regions, 38,192 candidates (20,015 males and 18,177 females) are writing the examination, while 43,500 candidates (23,375 males and 20,125 females) are doing so in the Northern, North East and Savanna regions. Some 22,532 candidates, comprising 10,757 males and 11,775 females, will write the examination in the Upper East Region, while 13,926 (7,000 males and 6,926 females) will write it in the Upper West Region. 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 One of the grand quests in neuroscience is to build a precise map of the brain, charting all its neurons and the connections between them. Such a wiring diagram, called a connectome, promises to help shed light on how a collection of cells can together give rise to thoughts, memories, behaviors and myriad other functions. Now, researchers at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) have demonstrated that a new x-ray microscopy technique could help accelerate efforts to map neural circuits and ultimately the brain itself. Reporting in Nature Neuroscience on Sept. 14, the team describes how x-ray holographic nano-tomography (XNH) can be used to image relatively large volumes of mouse brain and fruit fly nervous tissue at high resolutions. Combined with artificial intelligence-driven image analysis, they reconstructed dense neural circuits in 3D, comprehensively cataloging neurons and even tracing individual neurons from muscles to the central nervous system in fruit flies. "We think this is going to open new avenues for understanding the brain, both in how it's organized and the circuitry that underlies its function," said co-corresponding author Wei-Chung Allen Lee, HMS assistant professor of neurology at Boston Children's. "This type of knowledge can give us foundational insights into neurological disorders, diseases that affect the structure of the brain and much more." For biological questions like neural circuit discovery, x-ray microscopy holds several advantages over current approaches based on electron microscopy (EM), according to the authors. "We think XNH can bring a lot of value to neuroscience, because we can now access much larger volumes in shorter times," said co-corresponding author Alexandra Pacureanu, a scientist at the ESRF. "This is the beginning of a new approach for efforts to map neural circuits." Near-light speed Studying the connectome is a monumental challenge. The human brain, for example, contains some 100 billion neurons with 100 trillion neural connections, roughly the number of stars within 1,000 galaxies. In animal models, scientists have made remarkable progress, such as imaging an entire fruit fly brain, primarily by taking serial slices of a brain, each a thousand times thinner than a human hair, imaging the slices with EM and stitching the images together for analysis. The costs of this method can be prohibitive in terms of time and resources, requiring large numbers of EM images, which have a narrow field of view, and an intense effort to reconstruct even small neural circuits. There is a need for new imaging modalities to accelerate such efforts, the study authors said. To do so, Lee's lab, which studies the organization and function of neural circuits, collaborated with Pacureanu, who specializes in x-ray microscopy and neuroimaging. Spearheaded by co-first authors Aaron Kuan, research fellow in neurobiology at HMS, and Jasper Phelps, graduate student in the Harvard Program in Neuroscience, the team focused on applying XNH to neural tissue. The technique works analogously to a CT scan, which uses a rotating x-ray to create serial cross-sectional images of a body. In contrast, XNH exposes a rotating tissue sample to high-energy x-rays at the ESRF's synchrotron, which accelerates electrons to near-light speed around an 844-meter ring. Unlike standard x-ray imaging, which relies on differences in x-ray attenuation as the beam passes through a tissue, XNH creates images based on variations of subtle phase shifts of the beam induced by the sample. This latter approach increases sensitivity and, combined with imaging in cryogenic conditions, helps preserve and protect the specimen from being damaged by x-ray energy. Images generated by XNH must be interpreted to identify which structures are neurons. The team tackled this by applying deep learning, an artificial intelligence technique increasingly used for applications such as face or object recognition. As proof of principle, the researchers scanned millimeter-sized volumes of mouse and fruit fly neural tissue and reconstructed 3D images, achieving resolutions around 87 nanometers. This was enough to comprehensively visualize neurons and trace individual neurites, the projections from neurons that form the wiring of neural circuits. Importantly, these reconstructions took a few days to achieve, compared to the months to years it can take to reconstruct similar volumes using serial EM sections. Form to function In the mouse brain, the team looked at an area of the cortex involved in integrating sensory stimuli and perceptual decision making. Previous EM studies have noted interesting structural characteristics of so-called pyramidal neurons in this area, but have been limited to sample sizes of around 20 neurons per dataset due to limitations in field of view. Using XNH, the researchers scanned over 3,200 cells in this area. Combined with aligned EM data, the team characterized the structure and connectivity of hundreds of pyramidal neurons, which revealed distinct structural properties--such as strong and spatially compressed inhibitory inputs on certain neurite areas--that suggest unique and previously undescribed functional properties. "Being able to visualize neurons helps us to understand the organizational principles of the brain and how different circuits or networks can perform computations that are required for behavior," said Lee, who is an investigator at the Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children's. "We can then do further experiments to link structural data with functional experiments to try to address this question directly." They also imaged the neurons contained within a fruit fly leg, a structure difficult to section and study with EM. With XNH, they were able to map all of the motor neurons extending from the fly equivalent of a spinal cord into a leg, as well as the sensory neurons that relay signals to the central nervous system. "This technique has been applied to neural tissue before, but never with this level of quality and resolution," said Pacureanu, who is a former a visiting scientist in the Department of Neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. "We've shown that we can achieve sufficient resolution to trace neurites and move studies toward the direction of connectomes." The researchers are now working to improve and further optimize XNH for imaging biological tissue. The current resolution achieved by the technique is not yet high enough to visualize synapses, which currently requires aligned EM data to study. However, the physical limits of the technique are far from being reached, the authors said, and efforts to push the resolution will be aided by a next-generation x-ray source recently operational at the ESRF. "X-ray microscopy has particular strengths and one of our goals is to apply it to larger networks of neural connections at higher resolutions," Lee said. "The hope is we could someday help address questions like can we understand neural circuits that underlie complex behaviors like decision making? Can we get inspiration for more efficient computer algorithms and artificial intelligence? Can we reverse engineer the algorithms of the brain?" Additional authors on the study include Logan Thomas, Tri Nguyen, Julie Han, Chiao-Lin Chen, Anthony Azevedo, John Tuthill, Jan Funke and Peter Cloetens. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant R01NS108410), the Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Center for the Study of Neurodegenerative Disorders and the Goldenson Family and the European Research Council (grant 852455). ### Each prize is worth CHF 750,000 (approx. EUR 695,000; USD 830,000; GBP 630,000); half of the amount must be destined by the winners to research projects Press release: 14 September 2020 Milan, 14 September 2020 - The names of the 2020 Balzan Prizewinners were disclosed today: Susan Trumbore (Germany/USA), Max Planck Institut fur Biogeochemie - Jena, for Earth System Dynamics, Jean-Marie Tarascon (France), College de France - Paris, for Environmental Challenges: Materials Science for Renewable Energy, Joan Martinez Alier (Spain), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, for Environmental Challenges: Responses from the Social Sciences and the Humanities, Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade (Brasil), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - Belo Horizonte, for Human Rights. The 2020 Balzan Prizewinners were announced today in Milan by the Chairman of the Balzan General Prize Committee, Luciano Maiani, together with the President of the Balzan "Prize" Foundation, Alberto Quadrio-Curzio during a public event live streamed on http://www.balzan.org. The amount of each prize is CHF 750,000 (approx. EUR 695,000; USD 830,000; GBP 630,000). Half of the amount must be destined by the winners to research projects. The profiles of the winners and the citations were presented by renowned members of the General Prize Committee. The Motivations: Prize for Earth System Dynamics to Susan Trumbore: "For her outstanding contributions to the study of the carbon cycle and its effects on climate, and for pioneering the use of radiocarbon measurements in Earth-system research". Susan Trumbore, a US citizen, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany and Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. Prize for Environmental Challenges: Materials Science for Renewable Energy to Jean-Marie Tarascon: "For his exceptional contributions to basic and applied research in the field of electrochemical energy storage. For his work that led to the rapid development of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, and which improved our ability to manage electricity produced by intermittent renewable sources. For his drive in developing environmentally-friendly sodium-ion batteries". Jean-Marie Tarascon, a French citizen, born in 1953, since 2014 Professor at the College de France, chair of Chemistry and Solid-State Energy. Prize for Environmental Challenges: Responses from the Social Sciences and the Humanities to Joan Martinez Alier: "For the quality of his contributions to the foundation of ecological economics, his path-breaking analysis of the relationships between economies and the environment, his interdisciplinary as well as comparative approach, and his active role in the promotion of environmental justice". Joan Martinez Alier, born in Barcelona (Spain) in 1939, Professor Emeritus and Senior Researcher at the Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA) of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Prize for Human Rights to Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade: "For his fundamental theoretical and jurisprudential contributions to the definition and creation of a global juridical order based on the principle that all of humanity must constitute the subject of an international legal system open to individual appeals to justice and that may also be imposed upon nation-states". Antonio Augusto Cancado Trindade, a Brazilian citizen, born in 1947, Professor Emeritus of Public Law at the University of Brasilia, since 2009 a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This year the Balzan Prize has fully achieved one of its fundamental aims of integrating the most promising scholarship and research on today's most relevant issues in an interdisciplinary perspective, stated the Chairman of the General Prize Committee, Luciano Maiani. I would like to express the Committee's great satisfaction at the choice of four illustrious prizewinners, who are distinguished not only for the depth of their insights and research, but also for the way they have always looked towards the future while working on problems that humanity faces today." The Prizes will be conferred by the President of the Italian Republic during the awards ceremony to be held in Rome on 19 November 2020. At the conclusion of the announcement of the 2020 Balzan Prizewinners, the Chairman of the General Prize Committee informed the public that the 2021 Balzan Prizes will be awarded in the following fields: Holocaust and Genocide Studies Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East Microbiome in Health and Disease Gravitation: physical and astrophysical aspects The amount of each of the four 2021 Balzan Prizes will be CHF 750,000. Every year, the four Balzan Prizes are awarded to scholars and scientists who are distinguished in their fields on an international level. The aim of the Balzan prizes is to foster culture, the sciences and the most outstanding humanitarian initiatives of peace and brotherhood among peoples, regardless of nationality, race or creed. The four subject areas for the awards change every year. As stipulated in the Articles of the Balzan Foundation, they are selected from among "literature, the moral sciences, and the arts" and "the physical, mathematical and natural sciences and medicine". Rotating the subjects ensures that new or emerging research gets recognition, while at the same time it supports important fields of study that may have been overlooked by other great international awards. Since 2001, the rules of procedure of the Foundation's General Prize Committee have stipulated that Prizewinners must destine half of the Prize to finance research projects that are preferably carried out by young scholars or scientists. ### > info and download: https://www.balzan.org/en/news > Twitter (@BalzanPrize) > LinkedIn (Balzan Foundation). The International Balzan Foundation, founded in 1957, operates through two separate institutions. The International Balzan Foundation "Prize" in Milan, chaired by Alberto Quadrio-Curzio, selects the subjects to be awarded and the candidates through its General Prize Committee. The Balzan Foundation "Fund" in Zurich, chaired by Gisele Girgis-Musy, administers the estate left by Eugenio Balzan, so as to place at the disposal of the International Balzan Foundation "Prize" the financial means necessary to realize its objective. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Namira Samir (The Jakarta Post) London Tue, September 15 2020 We know what can end poverty. But how come poverty never diminish? was the reply I received from my friend, Harry, who works as a gig worker in a city in Scotland when we were discussing about poverty. The reason I specify his identity is because it is significant to what I am about to elaborate. Indonesias rural poverty has always been higher than urban poverty. In September 2019, urban and rural poverty hit 9.86 million and 14.93 million, respectively. But when the pandemic struck, it has plunged more households into poverty. As of March 2020, urban and rural poverty were 11.16 million and 15.26 million, respectively. The spike in rural poverty was not as high as urban poverty. Does this mean the urban communities are more prone to external shocks? Maybe. But we should dig deeper, deeper, and deeper. 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 Press Release September 14, 2020 Manifestation/Explanation of Vote Approval on Third Reading of Senate Bill No. 1520 (Medical Scholarship Act) September 14, 2020 I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our hardworking chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, our Senator from Bulacan, Senator Joel Villanueva. Mr. President, I admire and was greatly inspired by Senator Villanueva in shepherding the passage of this bill. Despite his great loss during this COVID-19 pandemic, he showed up and worked tirelessly every day to serve the Filipino people. Hindi matatawaran ang kanyang pagmamalasakit sa ating mga kababayan. Kahit sa panahon ng pagdadalamhati ay nagawa pa rin nyang gampanan ang kanyang tungkulin bilang mambabatas -- tunay na kahanga- hanga. Sen. Joel, maraming salamat sa paglalaan mo ng panahon sa panukalang batas na ito. I am glad that you, together with this august body, allowed me to be one of the co-authors of this important and timely legislation. I also would like to congratulate our Senate President, Vicente Sotto III, the principal author of this bill. The very first Senate Bill he filed in this 18th Congress is one step closer to being enacted into law. As Winston Churchill once said: "Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have." I fully agree with Mr. Churchill. However, it is a fact that we cannot have healthy citizens if we do not have enough doctors who will cure us of our illnesses and keep us healthy. Mr. President, with today's approval on third reading of Senate Bill No. 1520 or the "Doktor Para sa Bayan Medical Scholarship", we can already imagine the coming into fruition, the healthy and productive society we have so long envisioned. With this legislative measure, we will no longer be in a situation wherein 6 out of 10 of our citizens die without seeing a doctor. Mr. President, ang panukalang ito ay personal sa akin at malapit sa aking puso. Katulad ng iba nating mga kababayan, ang aking pamilya po ay nakaranas din ng pagdadalamhati noong binawian ng buhay ang aking dalawang musmos na kapatid dahil sa pangkaraniwang sakit nang hindi man lamang nakapagpa-doktor. Isa po ang aming barangay noon ang hindi naabot ng doctor, ang Brgy Bato, Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur. In the same manner, we are helping and encouraging those students who were born into a painful contradiction of them having dreams, yet, not having the resources to turn those dreams into reality. We are offering a chance for our poor but deserving students to reach their goal to become doctors. Doctors who will help maintain the utmost respect for human life. Doctors who will help ensure the health of our people. The fear and hardships that many are facing in the midst of our daily struggles especially during this pandemic cannot be denied, Mr. President. The passage of this bill which will promote and support our future doctors will be one of the many good policy decisions we can do to help our nation. If we truly wish to see this country flourish, then we must give importance to the health and well-being of our citizens. With this bill, we are on the right track. Mr. President, the approval of this measure is consistent with our passage of Senate Bill No. 1563 or the "PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor Height Equality Bill" last week. Kung nakapagbigay tayo ng oportunidad sa mga KULANG SA HEIGHT, ngayong araw naman ay ginagarantiya natin ang oportunidad na makapag-aral ng medisina ang mga kabataang KULANG SA PANGGASTOS para maabot ang kanilang pangarap na maging doktor at makatulong sa ating mga mamamayan. Naniniwala po ako, na sa ganitong paraan po natin makikita ang tunay na paghilom ng mga sakit na hinaharap at haharapin pa ng ating bansa. Maraming Salamat po! If Mr. Biden is able to make inroads across the states Republican-rich retirement communities with voters who regret supporting Mr. Trump or voted third-party in 2016, it would greatly complicate the G.O.P.s arithmetic. And should the president perform better with Hispanics than he did four years ago, and cut into Mr. Bidens advantage in urban areas like Miami, it would all but block any Democratic path to victory in Florida. Its a departure from an earlier era, when the key to claiming this polyglot political jigsaw puzzle was wooing voters along the I-4 corridor across the middle of the state. Candidates from both parties beat a path to that stretch of highway because the electorate around Tampa and Orlando was up for grabs. Now, though, with surveys indicating that over 90 percent of voters know who they are supporting, the race could be decided by who does a better job turning out those who have already decided. No voters appear more decisive than seniors, who polls show are more amenable to Mr. Biden than they were Ms. Clinton, and Hispanics, who the same surveys indicate are more supportive of Mr. Trump than they were in 2016. Cuban-Americans have consolidated more around Trump, and the thing that has not gelled for Joe as it should are Puerto Rican voters, said former Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat who is close to Mr. Biden. Mr. Nelson, who lost in 2018 in part because of Senator Rick Scotts gains with Hispanics, said he had told Mr. Bidens senior campaign staff about his concern. Asked if they were acting on his plea, he said, If they want to win, they better be. Mr. Bidens trip Tuesday will include a visit to the Puerto Rican community outside Orlando. On Monday, after delivering a speech on wildfires and climate change, Mr. Biden was asked what message he would deliver in Florida. Ill talk about how I am going to work like the devil to make sure I turn every Latino and Hispanic vote, he said. Sympathy: A book of condolence for Qasem Soleimani was signed by members of Saorodh The security services suspect the New IRA has already imported weapons after forging links with radical groups in the Middle East, it's been reported. According to the Sunday Times, the dissident group has been "courting Hezbollah" to gain weapons and financing. The assessment is said to be based on evidence gathered by an MI5 agent, Dennis McFadden, who was exposed last month after spying on dissident republicans for 20 years. It's reported that security services on both sides of the Irish border now suspect the New IRA has managed to import arms, including mortars and assault rifles, although no such weapons have been recovered during seizures across the island of Ireland. McFadden, who is a former police constable from Scotland, has since entered a witness protection programme following the arrest of 10 people in Northern Ireland on terrorism-related charges in Operation Arbacia. It's claimed McFadden managed to establish that dissident republicans were communicating with Hezbollah, a Shia militia supported by Iran, and some Palestinian groups in 2017. This allegedly led to republicans travelling to Lebanon in 2018 to meet with Hezbollah, and is now reported that the security services believe the New IRA secured weapons from an unidentified party. McFadden is said to have closely followed the dissidents' attempt to create links with groups in the Middle East. This included travelling with members of Saorodh to the Iranian embassy in Dublin last January to sign a book of condolences for an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by an American drone strike at Baghdad airport. The article states the Iranian embassy confirmed members of Saorodh signed the book, but that they were not officially received and there was no meeting with staff. The embassy spokesman added that no official had dealings with McFadden or knowledge of republicans meeting any group in Lebanon. The Northern Ireland Office has been asked for a response on the latest claims the New IRA may have already imported weapons, but declined to comment. Seen as the largest dissident republican terror organisation, the New IRA has been responsible for a series of attacks on police and in April last year one of its gunmen shot dead journalist Lyra McKee as she observed a riot in Londonderry. A total of 10 people have so far been charged as part of Operation Arbacia, a surveillance-led investigation against the terror group with involvement from MI5, the PSNI, Police Scotland, An Garda Siochana and the Metropolitan Police Service. The Sunday-night shooting death of a 71-year-old woman came less than two months after her grandsons killing and her daughter said the loss is almost more than she can bear. Javanna Midge Cotton Owens was killed shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday in the Harris Homes community on the citys east side where she lived. Her grandson, 27-year-old Marquette Carter, was slain Aug. 1 during a dice game. Im so angry and hurt, said Bekimba Owens Carter, Owens daughter and Carters mother. She didnt bother nobody. Birmingham police responded at 9:05 p.m. Sunday to 546 Brussels Circle on a report of a person shot. Owens was found unresponsive in the roadway and taken to UAB Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m. Birmingham police Sgt. Rod Mauldin said Owens was walking down the street and approached the vehicle as if she knew the occupants. Thats when a single shot was fired from the vehicle and Carter was struck. The suspect vehicle then drove away. With the help of the FLOCK LPR cameras license plate readers police were able to locate the vehicle. Mauldin said an arrest has been made, but the suspects name is being withheld pending formal charges. Bekimba Carter said her mother had been at her house that morning and was supposed to come back over when she finished doing the laundry. Instead, she got a call from a friend that lives in Harris Homes telling her that her mother had been shot. She doesnt understand why anybody would hurt her mother. Owens did odd jobs around the community for her elderly neighbors, washing their clothes or cleaning for them, her daughter said. "She tried to help everybody she could,'' Bekimba Carter said. She didnt bother nobody. "She was so sweet and humble, a little bitty thing,'' she said. She only weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. She just turned 71 two weeks ago. Owens loved to cook and feed people. "She was very smart,'' Bekimba Carter said. She was a beautiful, humble spirit. Marquette Carter (Contributed) Bekimba Carters son was killed about 5:38 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, in the 900 block of 45th Street North. He, too, was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said the deadly shooting stemmed from an altercation during a dice game. No arrests have been announced. She said the gun violence needs to stop. "These folks will kill anybody,'' she said. Its senseless killing. I just want justice. Owens is Birminghams 85th homicide this year. Of those, 12 have been ruled justifiable and one accidental and therefore are not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 122 slayings, including the 85 in Birmingham. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Black Christian college offers students free online therapy amid rise in lockdown stress Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Students at a historically black Christian college in Texas, as well as several other colleges across the nation, will have access to free mental health therapy for one year as many struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. As students are now forced into a period of remote learning during the fall semester, Charles Smith, vice president of Student Services at Jarvis Christian College, explained that the school is seeing that some students are really dealing with some mental health problems. They are just going through stress and all kinds of things with parents losing jobs and them not being able to return to school, he told The Christian Post. We have students who rely on us as a place for them to live. We have some students who have also been homeless and they are not able to return to residence halls. A lot of them are dealing with other issues of mental health. Jarvis Christian College, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in East Texas, announced this month that it received a grant from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund allowing it to give students struggling mentally during the pandemic access to licensed therapists through META Teletherapy. META describes itself as an online wellness platform built specifically for students to connect with counselors for private and secure counseling via mobile platform. The [United Negro College Fund] did a survey for schools that are part of UNCF. When we got our data back, our data indicated that 68% of our students had indicated that there had been a significant decline in their mental health and financial well-being, Smith said. Jarvis Christian College was contacted by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a nonprofit organization that serves historically black colleges and universities. Smith said the organization provided a grant for the college to be able to partner with META to offer anonymous therapy for students. For a year, they told us that this service would be free for our students until September 2021, Smith said. This service is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. META has put together a group of licensed therapists who are certified. They also have an app that students can download, allowing them to select a counselor that they feel comfortable with based on their background. The students will be able to contact the counselors and make appointments through the video-based telemedicine app. They are also taking care of the cost for the therapists time, the colleges vice president said of the grant. In addition to us using META through their platform, they are also paying for the time that the students spend with the therapist. They can have up to, I think, about five sessions. Smith assured CP that all the costs have been taken care of through the grant. According to Smith, the grant from Thurgood Marshall College Fund was $50,000. He added that there are a total of eight HBCUs participating in the initiative. The new partnership is expected to take a large load off the colleges lone counselor. We have one counselor trying to service our 700-plus students, Smith explained. So we see this is another resource to where, if they cant get ahold of [the counselor], they can at least get online and find someone they can talk with. The administration and staff were concerned about the escalation of suicide attempts and homelessness, Smith said, in addition to challenges faced by students who are having to get jobs to support themselves and their families. During this time, mental health issues have just escalated. We just felt that our counselor was just having a full caseload, he added. So META offered this opportunity for us and we just jumped at it. Smith, who is trained as a counselor, appreciates that the META mobile app is available for students late at night since many people that age stay up late. He also likes that it offers an additional layer of confidentiality not available in the traditional in-person counseling setting. A lot of students today are private and they have issues they are dealing with and they dont want to talk to mom or dad about it or their friends, he said. A lot of times, walking into the counselors office on campus is scary for some students. But now, they can talk to someone who may be on the other side of the country and they dont have to worry about seeing the person the next day. In addition to mental health concerns, other challenges are making remote learning difficult for some Jarvis Christian College students. We discovered that we have some students who live in places where they dont have access to the internet. We discovered that a lot of them didnt have their own computers, Smith explained. That was creating stress for them. The college has also launched a program to provide students with laptops, Smith said. We have hot spots so they can have instant access to the internet. It's difficult for all students because online learning has historically been something that is for people 24 years of age and older, he noted. Now, for all of our students to have all their instructions online and through Zoom and different platforms that we purchase for our faculty to use, it's just a difficult time. The college also had to make adjustments to class schedules since some students needed to get jobs during the pandemic. Our Zoom classes were set like regular classes as if they were on campus. We found out that students had difficulty with that because they're working because they had to go and get jobs, he said. Most people know that you have to be very disciplined and have to be a great time manager when you're dealing with online instruction. You have your class hours, but it's not like you can leave your residence hall and go to class. It's a lot of stress for our students to deal with the classes and all the other factors they're dealing with at home. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo welcomes Qatars Deputy Prime Minister Al Thani at third annual U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed on Monday for a solution to the three-year rift between the Gulf state of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, saying the Trump administration was eager to see it resolved. Speaking at a State Department meeting with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Pompeo said it was important to concentrate on countering Iranian activity in the Middle East. "To keep our focus on this work and to close the door to increased Iranian meddling, it's past time to find a solution to the Gulf rift," Pompeo said. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to reopen Qatar's air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. I look forward to progress on this issue." Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of backing terrorism. Qatar denies the charge and has accused its neighbors of seeking to curtail its sovereignty. Kuwait and the United States have tried to mediate the rift, which has undermined Washington's efforts to confront Iran, which is struggling for regional supremacy with Saudi Arabia. The boycotting nations have set 13 demands for lifting the boycott, including closing Al Jazeera television, shuttering a Turkish military base, reducing ties with Iran and cutting links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East, David Schenker, said last week there could be some progress within weeks in resolving the rift, citing signs of "flexibility" in negotiations. With Trump's facing re-election on Nov. 3, he is eager to show foreign policy successes in the Middle East, and last month the UAE agreed to normalize ties with Israel under a U.S.-brokered deal scheduled to be signed at a White House ceremony on Tuesday. Bahrain joined the UAE in agreeing to normalize relations with Israel on Friday. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Tom Brown) A brother of the late criminal Cyril McGuinness - who was known as 'Dublin Jimmy' - is seeking an injunction prohibiting gardai from arresting him on foot of a bench warrant. The warrant was issued for vehicle dealer Fran McGuinness after he did not appear at Swords District Court in July to face road-traffic charges. But Mr McGuinness claims the charges were "an abuse of process", that he had "no recollection" of being stopped by a garda in relation to them, and was not served with a summons to appear in court. The issue came to light during a hearing of proceedings in which Mr McGuinness is seeking injunctions restraining gardai from "watching" or "besetting" him. He has made a number of allegations in relation to the conduct of gardai at his north Co Dublin business premises and claims that on one occasion a garda told him there was plenty of room there "upon which to plant cocaine". The allegation is vehemently denied by the garda involved. In an affidavit filed with the court, Garda Warren O'Sullivan said Mr McGuinness was the subject of a criminal investigation and there was no basis to the allegations of harassment and besetting he had made. In the proceedings, Mr McGuinness denies involvement in criminality and claims he has been the target of garda attention because of his late brother. His brother died last year in England while being investigated for allegedly masterminding the kidnap and torture of Quinn Industrial Holdings executive Kevin Lunney. Prior to his brother's death, Mr McGuinness told the Irish Independent they were estranged. After the issue regarding the bench warrant was raised in court last week by Mr McGuinness's counsel Alan Toal, Mr Justice David Keane said that if his client was seeking a stay on the bench warrant, he would need to amend his notice of motion in the proceedings. The matter was then adjourned for a fortnight. Frank Callanan SC, for the Garda Commissioner, said he would need this time to respond to an affidavit filed by Mr McGuinness on the bench warrant issue. BP, which seeks to makes its operations greener, is moving into offshore wind energy via a partnership with Norwegian group Equinor in the United States Global oil demand might have already peaked and will likely not stop falling for the next 30 years, hit by virus fallout and moves towards greener energy, Britain's BP predicted Monday. At the same time, the oil cartel OPEC has revised its forecast for global demand lower this year and next for essentially the same reasons. London-listed oil giant BP, which is seeking to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, has issued three new forecast scenariosunder which the industry would embrace green energy to varying degreesin its Energy Outlook 2020 report. Under BP's two most optimistic scenarios, oil demand has already passed its peak and may never recover from the long-lasting coronavirus-induced collapse. However, if the industry's transition to greener energy continues at the current sluggish pace, then oil demand will peak in the coming years, according to BP. The company did predict however that the transport sector would experience sliding demand under all three scenarios, as the pandemic curtails travel and consumers increasingly switch to electric vehicles. Yet gas is set to remain in demand, particularly as developing nations seek to switch away from high-polluting coal. Renewables 'increasingly important' BP forecasts that demand for oil in the transportation sector is now on a steady downward path "Three features are common across those scenarios and they form a set of core beliefs as to how energy demand is likely to change over the next three decades," BP chief executive Bernard Looney said in the outlook document. "Renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in meeting the world's growing energy needs. "Customers will continue to redefine mobility and convenience, underpinned by the mobility revolution that is already underway combining electric vehicles, shared mobility and autonomy. "Oil and gaswhile remaining needed for decadeswill be increasingly challenged as society shifts away from its reliance on fossil fuels." BP had last month set out plans for a greener future for the company, whose finances and reputation were severely damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in 2010. The group, which wants to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the next 30 years, last week entered the offshore wind market in a $1.1-billion (933-million-euro) US tie-up with Norwegian peer Equinor. OPEC cut its oil demand forecast for this year and next mainly owing to economic effects of the coronavirus OPEC cuts demand forecast In a separate development in the global oil sector on Monday, OPEC's monthly forecast for oil demand was revised down due to weaker economic activity in several Asian countries because of the pandemic, it said. "Risks remain elevated and skewed to the downside, particularly in relation to the development of Covid-19 infection cases and potential vaccines," the oil cartel noted. OPEC cut its August estimate by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), which means it now expects global demand to fall by 9.5 million bpd to 90.2 million mbpd this year. "So far, oil demand in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines (has) performed far poorer than initially expected," the report said. A similar cut was applied to OPEC's forecast for 2021, though the cartel nonetheless sees demand growing next year by 6.6 mbpd to 96.9 million. Explore further Global energy demand to soar one third by 2040: BP 2020 AFP The train accident that occurred in Lagos on Monday morning has claimed the lives of a father and son, an aide to the state governor has said. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that a moving train crashed into two vehicles at Oshodi on Monday morning. According to a statement signed by Gboyega Akosile, the chief press secretary to the Lagos State governor, the victims were heading to the Oshodi shopping arena before they were caught up by the speeding train. Two persons reportedly died in the accident, which occurred along the driveway into the Nigerian Army Shopping Arena in Oshodi. The victims, a father and son, were said to be driving into the shopping arena when they were caught up by the speeding train. Their Highlander Jeep got stuck on the rail track. All the six persons in the other vehicle a passenger bus escaped with different degrees of injuries after the train dragged the commercial bus 800 meters away from the point of collision, Mr Akosile said in a statement. Governors visit The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, earlier visited the site of the accident along with the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. During an on-the-spot assessment of the site, Mr Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the families of the victims, noting that the accident was regrettable. Mr Sanwo-Olu added that the state government and the federal government had reached an agreement to close the shopping complexs gates at the railway line because of safety concerns. This incident is regrettable because it happened on the day all stakeholders reached a consensus to close down the gates into the shopping arena. And this is part of the concerns we have been raising about commuters safety on this axis. We need to act fast. This fatal accident should strengthen our resolve to do the needful and prevent a repeat of the sad incident in the future. It is also a clarion call on our people to be safety conscious whenever they need to drive across the rail tracks. If there is slow movement of vehicles at any railway bypass, then there is a need to keep a safe distance from the rail tracks. We have been rolling out advocacy on this and we will intensify efforts on it. Safety of the people is paramount and we will do all required to ensure we put a stop to this kind of accident, the state governor said. He added that alternative entry and exit driveways for the shopping arena and other vulnerable points along the railway corridor will be created. India insisted on 'complete disengagement' in all its talks with China on eastern Ladakh row: Govt Military level talks would determine how serious China is about disengagement India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: The military level talks between India and China would determine how serious the latter is about disengagement. The talks are expected to take place this week. The talks would be held in the backdrop of the five point agreement arrived at Moscow by the foreign ministers of the two nations. While a wider de-escalation may take more time, the commander level talks are expected to bring about a certain degree of disengagement. India-China commanders meet expected to bring about certain level disengagement On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a two hour long meeting with the NSA and the military brass. Chief of Defence Staff later appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence. However the China issue was not discussed. The CDS agreed to a request by NCP leader, Sharad Pawar who sought to know the details of the border row and said that a letter would be submitted to the committee. These developments took place after External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi at Moscow. During the meeting both sides agreed that the troops should maintain proper distance and also ease tensions. The foreign ministers of India and China underlined the importance of disengagement at the Line of Actual Control as the first step towards deescalation of tensions. The military commanders of India and China will meet in the next couple of days to discuss disengagement from friction points along the LAC. While no date has been fixed as yet, sources say that there are some issues under discussion before the military commanders could meet. Officials say that the military commanders would work out the process to disengage. China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar agreed that the de-escalation should follow comprehensive disengagement. India told China that the massing of Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control is a cause of grave concern. Beijing was told that the provocative behaviour by the Chinese along the LAC showed complete disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols. When Yi said that the bi-lateral ties should continue on a parallel track, Jaishankar reminded him about the immense build up of Chinese troops. China has deployed 50,000 men, tanks, missiles and 150 aircraft. While Yi spoke about thinning of troops, he had no clear answer about the massive troop build up. Jaishankar however added that while India is all in favour of bi-lateral ties, this could work well only if the borders were peaceful. NSA Doval led CSG to meet, work on agenda for military commander level talks with China Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' Yi said that it was important to move back all personnel and equipment that have trespassed. The frontier troops must completely disengage so that the situation may de-escalate, China also said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 8:38 [IST] There has been decline in foreign direct inflow from in the last three years with FDI coming down to USD 163.77 million in 2019-20, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed Lok Sabha on Monday. Giving details of the total (FDI) inflow from Chinese companies in India, he said, it was USD 350.22 million in 2017-18, while it declined to USD 229 million in the following year. During 2019-20, FDI further came down to USD 163.77 million, he said in a written reply on the first day of the monsoon session. With regard to outflow from India, he said, it was USD 20.63 million in calendar year 2020 as against USD 27.57 million in the corresponding period last year. To curb opportunistic takeovers or acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the government issued Press Note 3 earlier this year, he said. "A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited. However, an entity of a country, which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route," he said quoting the Press Note 3. Further, he said, "a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment." Replying to another question, Thakur said, the Department of Expenditure has released the central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the states including Maharashtra in the first week of April 2020 in the view of the pandemic. Further, to provide additional resources to states to fight against COVID-19 and considering the request of the states for relaxation of the existing Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) limit of 3 per cent of gross state domestic product (GSDP), additional borrowing limit of up to 2 percent of GSDP has been allowed to states for the year 2020-21, he said. Out of the additional borrowing limit of 2 per cent of GSDP allowed to states, consent of 0.50 per cent of GSDP amounting to Rs 1,06,830 crore has already been issued to the states including the consent of Rs 15,394 crore to the state of Maharashtra to raise open market borrowing (OMB) during the year 2020-21, 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.) Arizona News Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that a State Grand Jury has indicted Jorge Dario Burboa Arevalo and Luis Domingo Santillan for allegedly selling methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine for sale, and possessing ten AK-47 style rifles during the commission of a drug offense. According to the indictment, Arevalo and Santillan are accused of being part of a drug trafficking organization. They were observed by law enforcement engaging in what was believed to be a drug transaction in August 2020. A search warrant, executed on the home where the men were living, revealed approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine and ten AK-47 style rifles. Investigators believe that the men intended to take the rifles to Mexico. Arevalo and Santillan are charged with: One count of Conspiracy, a Class 2 Felony One count of Illegal Enterprise, a Class 3 Felony One count of Sale of Dangerous Drugs (Methamphetamine), a Class 2 Felony One count of Possession of Dangerous Drugs (Methamphetamine) for Sale, a Class 2 Felony Ten counts of Misconduct Involving Weapons, all Class 4 Felonies The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Below is the booking photograph for Arevalo: Below is the booking photograph for Santillan: The former executive producer of Studio 10 has slammed the show's new format hosted by Irish dancer Tristan MacManus, saying the relaunch is dead in the water after just one episode. Rob McKnight, who oversaw day-to-day operations of Studio 10 from 2013 to 2017, said on his TV Blackbox podcast that Monday's episode was 'lazy, boring television'. 'What I saw today had the depth of a puddle,' he began. 'Horrible': The former executive producer of Studio 10 has slammed the show's new format hosted by Irish dancer Tristan MacManus (right, with Sarah Harris), saying the relaunch is dead in the water after just one episode McKnight refrained from criticising Tristan personally on his first day as co-anchor, but said that Studio 10's long-serving producers should hang their heads in shame. 'This isn't early days for the producers. The producers have been doing that show, some of them, for seven years,' he said. 'When they produced this show today [Monday] they would have known all eyes were on them and it was lazy, boring television.' Beyond hope: Rob McKnight, who oversaw day-to-day operations of Studio 10 from 2013 to 2017, said on his TV Blackbox podcast that Monday's episode was 'lazy, boring television' 'It was embarrassing. I swear to god, I wish that they had renamed the show because as far as I'm concerned Studio 10 is dead,' he added. McKnight said that Studio 10 was beyond saving after Monday's 'horrible' relaunch. 'No amount of reproducing or fixing up or "giving time to breathe" is going to fix that,' he stated bluntly. 'A piece of s**t, no matter how much you roll it in glitter, is a piece of s**t. It was woeful.' 'That's the end of the show': It comes after many viewers criticised the revamped format on Twitter, and begged producers to bring back ex-host Joe Hildebrand (pictured) 'I'm not watching without Joe!' Channel 10 took steps to delete negative Facebook comments about the show on Monday, but there was nothing they could do about the blistering tweets McKnight, who was sacked from Studio 10 three years ago, acknowledged on the podcast that some people might accuse him of being bitter. But he insisted that his opinion was valid, arguing that the content on Monday's episode was objectively boring. 'All I will say is that content wise, the only things they're allowing them to talk about are viral videos, crocheted hats and Tristan's parents,' he said. 'They've decided they don't want to talk about actual news - that's fine, that's a creative choice they've made - but they're relying on two people to sit on a couch for four hours to chat, and there's nothing to chat about.' The way they were: Studio 10 was launched in 2013 as a panel format, setting it apart from 'two-seater' programs like Nine's Today Extra and Seven's The Morning Show. Pictured (L-R): Dr Andrew Rochford, Cassandra Thorburn, Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Sarah Harris Studio 10 executives are believed to be avoiding 'hot topics' segments going forward after a string of controversies involving former panellist Kerri-Anne Kennerley. While this approach may keep Channel 10's advertisers happy, it has resulted in a bland presentation and a notable lack of news content. It comes after many viewers criticised the revamped format on Twitter, and begged producers to bring back ex-host Joe Hildebrand. The network took steps to delete negative Facebook comments about the show on Monday, but there was nothing they could do about the blistering tweets. Studio 10 was launched in 2013 as a panel format, setting it apart from 'two-seater' programs like Nine's Today Extra and Seven's The Morning Show. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment. In 1973, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries brought the US economy to its knees. Now, the cartel created 60 years ago is more likely to do Washington's bidding. Since Saudi Arabia and other Arab OPEC members imposed their famous oil embargo as retribution for US support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War, shifts in global politics and a surge in America's oil production have tamed the group. OPEC's most hawkish members, Iran and Venezuela, have been sidelined by US sanctions while its kingpin, Saudi Arabia, has shown it would rather appease Washington than risk losing US support, current and former OPEC officials say. Also Read: With a battered economy, Iraq debates OPEC+ output reductions While OPEC as a bloc resisted US pressure to lower oil prices for decades, notably in 2011 during the uprising against Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, its record over the past three years has largely been one of capitulation, these officials say. Founded in Baghdad on Sept. 14, 1960 to counter the power of seven US and British oil companies, OPEC has repeatedly yielded to pressure from Washington to pump more oil since US President Donald Trump took office at the start of 2017. Trump has regularly called for lower gasoline prices to help US consumers. And when prices got too low for US drilling companies to make money this year, OPEC hashed out a deal to bring them back up slightly, in an agreement spurred on by Washington's threat to reduce its military backing for Riyadh, sources have told Reuters. "Trump orders from Saudi Arabia what he needs for the oil price - and he is served," Chakib Khelil, who was Algeria's oil minister for a decade and OPEC's president in 2001 and 2008, told Reuters. "So indeed OPEC has changed." The Saudi Energy Ministry declined to comment. The White House declined to comment. Reuters spoke to eight current and former OPEC officials, representing over a third of the group's output, as well as analysts, traders and investors to ask how US sanctions on Iran and Venezuela had affected Saudi Arabia's influence within OPEC, and whether that had changed the dynamic with Washington. An OPEC official at the group's Vienna headquarters declined to comment, saying Reuters should ask member states. Oil and other government officials in Iran and Venezuela did not immediately respond to requests for comment. US output soars Saudi Arabia has been the leading OPEC producer for decades, giving it the biggest sway over policy, but the sidelining of Iran and Venezuela has only increased its influence. Iran's share of OPEC output has nearly halved to 7.5 per cent since 2010 while Venezuela's has collapsed to 2.3 per cent from almost 10 per cent, according to Reuters calculations based on OPEC data. Saudi Arabia's share, meanwhile, has risen 7 percentage points to 35 per cent. Also Read: Oil prices add to losses as supplies swell amid weak demand Iran and Venezuela, which founded OPEC along with Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, had routinely opposed any moves to bring oil prices down in the face of US pressure. The increased dominance of Saudi Arabia within OPEC has also come at a time of higher US oil and gas production, which has turned the United States into the world's biggest petroleum producer and slashed its dependence on foreign fuel. US production more than doubled in a decade to reach over 12 million barrels a day in 2019, according to the Energy Information Administration, as improved drilling technology made previously untapped basins accessible. OPEC figures show the US share of the global oil market has doubled since 2010, while OPEC's has fallen. OPEC teamed up with Russia and nine other oil producers in 2016 to form a group known as OPEC+ to boost their collective leverage but a senior Trump administration official said even the new group's influence had waned as US output soared. 'OPEC is at it again' Trump has engaged more actively with OPEC than his predecessors, often taking to Twitter to comment on production decisions and oil price moves. Trump has also developed a close relationship with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, or "MbS", who relies on the United States for weapons and protection against regional rivals such as Iran. "There has never been a US administration more involved in international oil policy and OPEC than the Trump presidency," said Gary Ross, founder of Black Gold Investors and an OPEC expert. In 2018, as oil prices spiked over $70 a barrel, a level Washington viewed as too high for US consumers, Trump fired a barrage of tweets at the cartel. "Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!" he tweeted on June 13, 2018, nine days ahead of an OPEC meeting. As OPEC gathered in Austria on June 22, Trump wrote: "Hope OPEC will increase output substantially. Need to keep prices down!" Later that day, OPEC agreed to raise its output by a million barrels a day. Two OPEC officials, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said a Trump intervention on oil prices effectively nudges the organisation to discuss, or even adjust, its production policy. And Trump's Twitter feed has become a source of anxiety. "I hope no tweet will follow," one top OPEC official told Reuters on April 9, 2019 after oil prices hit $71 a barrel, a five-month high at the time. Oil market watchers including OPEC officials say the irony is that the price rises in 2018 and 2019 were both due mainly to Washington's sanctions on Iran and Venezuela policies that slashed some 3 million barrels off daily oil production. 'Great for the Industry' Earlier this year, Trump wanted something new from OPEC: a production cut, to help US oil companies make money. Oil prices had tanked because of a supply glut caused by a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia at the same time as a collapse in demand due to worldwide coronavirus lockdowns. "Just spoke to my friend MBS (Crown Prince) of Saudi Arabia, who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!" Trump tweeted on April 2. On April 12, OPEC+ agreed to a record cut in production equivalent to a 10th of global output. Reuters reported on April 30 that Trump had presented bin Salman with an ultimatum: cut production or risk a withdrawal of US troops from the kingdom. Asked about the ultimatum at the time, Trump said: "I didn't have to tell him." He said he had spoken to MbS by phone and they were able to reach a deal on production cuts. Saudi Arabia's government media office did not respond to a request for comment on the April report. "In sum, OPEC does not make decisions anymore on what is best for its members economically, as it is supposed to according to its statutes," Algeria's Khelil said. 'Gift to Trump' In 2011, when Libyan output was hit by the uprising against Gaddafi, Saudi Arabia tried to convince OPEC to lift production to lower prices. But Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Venezuela all resisted. "Previously, you had a bloc which could become quite vocal and actually upend meetings," said Samuel Ciszuk, who founded consultancy ELS Analysis and used to work for the Swedish Energy Agency. "Now, Iran and Venezuela still have votes but they are sidelined and have such desperate economic and marketing situations that other countries are more careful about lining up politically with them," he said. Iran's former OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Reuters in 2018, when OPEC+ had just raised output following pressure from Trump, that both OPEC and the broader group had begun acting against the interests of their smaller members. "They gave an oil price gift to Trump while inflicting revenue loss on all OPEC members," he said. While there is no suggestion OPEC is about to suffer an exodus of smaller members as a result of the shifting dynamic - and there have been new entrants - some countries have left. Qatar quit in 2019, partly due to a political row with Riyadh. Another small producer, Ecuador, left this year and Indonesia departed in 2016. Both said they did not want to be constrained by OPEC production quotas. Others that may be unhappy with OPEC's trajectory, however, plan to remain so they can still have a say. As one source familiar with Iran's oil policy put it: "It's important to be a member of OPEC or OPEC+ so that you can maximize your interests." Auto parts makers expect banks to restructure their dues incurred during the moratorium period using less stringent conditions to assist companies whose businesses were hit severely by the pandemic. An expert panel led by former ICICI Bank Ltd chief executive K.V. Kamath on the one-time restructuring of stressed loans had recommended that banks ignore the current ratio while restructuring loans due to the adverse impact on vehicle production and sales. The recommendations were released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 7 September. Current ratio of a firm is its current assets divided by current liabilities, and is a measure of short-term liquidity. We are not prescribing any threshold for current ratio due to the just in time inventory business model for raw materials and parts, and finished goods inventory is funded by channel financing available from dealers," the committee said in its report. As part of the just-in-time model of production followed by the automobile industry, vehicle makers do not store spare parts in a bid to control costs. Instead, vendors supply on an hourly basis based on the number of vehicles that would be assembled by a company on a given day. Vinnie Mehta, director-general of Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (Acma), said the pandemic disrupted the just-in-time production model and impacted the financial metrics of the auto parts makers. Hence, they cannot be judged by the same metrics used during the pre-pandemic situation. Now, most manufacturers are in need of working capital loans, and the auto sector has been in distress since the last year-and-a-half. So, banks should not look at the current ratio for the time being while disbursing short-term loans; then it will help component manufacturers get working capital loans under less stringent terms," Mehta said. Carmakers and part suppliers had to shut factories from 22 March to comply with the lockdowns announced by the Centre and the states to contain the spread of covid. Production though has picked up substantially since July as automakers began replenishing dealer stocks for the festival season. This is attributed to a pent-up demand in rural areas and the lower base of last year. Auto sales across segments have been declining from the second half of FY19. In FY20, sales fell 15%-25% across categories after posting a low single-digit rise in FY19. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) has forecast vehicle sales to drop 25% to 45% this fiscal. Most parts producers posted losses in the June quarter and are expected to stay in the red in the second quarter as well. Manav Kapur, director, Steel Bird International, said suppliers had low stocks due to the lockdown and when production resumed, supplying parts to vehicle makers became a challenge due to a shortage of workers and trucks. The just-in-time model got disrupted when OEMs started manufacturing vehicles. So the cash flow and other ratios of suppliers got impacted and banks need to help these firms. OEMs are working capital negative; they buy components in credit and sell to dealers in advance. So the pressure on them is less," Kapur said. The current ratio and working capital covenants got distorted due to the lockdown and many firms went into negative cash flow. So while restructuring, banks have to be sensible since the sector has been struggling for two years now," said an analyst with a foreign brokerage, seeking anonymity. Accepting the panels proposal, RBI said banks must ensure recast loans meet specific financial parameters by March 2022. 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 Umar Khalid A day after being arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the conspiracy that led to the Delhi riots in February 2020, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid was sent to 10-day police custody on September 14. The student activist was produced before the Karkardooma district court via video conferencing, where special public prosecutor Amit Prasad argued that Khalid needs to be confronted with voluminous documentary evidence. The special cell of the Delhi Police is investigating a larger conspiracy that might have led to the communal violence in which 53 lives were lost. The Delhi Police have claimed that Umar Khalid had met jailed Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain at the sit-in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh on January 8 for allegedly to plan the Delhi riots. Additionally, the Delhi Police has accused him of raising provocative speeches that instigated the masses to indulge in violence. Meanwhile, Khalids lawyer Trideep Pais has said his client is against the CAA and stands by his stance on the issue. The JNU students father has alleged that Khalid is being targeted for taking part in the CAA protests against the Centre. Umar Khalid's arrest by Delhi police after naming Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh& Apoorvanand, leaves no doubt at all about the malafide nature of it's investigation into Delhi riots. It's a conspiracy by the police to frame peaceful activists in the guise of Investigation Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) September 14, 2020 Several noted personalities, including lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, have decried the arrest of the JNU student. The smoldering remains of a structure along Auberry Road in Fresno County, where the Creek fire Tuesday jumped CA-168. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Ahead of President Trumps visit to wildfire-ravaged California on Monday, Democrats charged over the weekend that his disregard for basic science had contributed to the worsening annual conflagrations, as well as to the still-uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Trump, meanwhile, seized on the shooting Saturday night of two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies to try to portray Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden as weak on law-and-order issues, even as Biden and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, sharply rejected the notion that such violence should go unpunished. A Western tour that first took Trump to Nevada, where polls give Biden an edge, highlighted the president's efforts to leverage voter fears about crime and violence amid the year's protests against racial injustice. He said little about the pandemic, however, as he resumed rallies before close-packed, mostly unmasked crowds. And he suggested, as he has in past years, that Western states' bad forest management not climate change accounts for the intensity of wildfires in recent years. A screen grab from a security camera video released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shows a gunman walking up to two sheriff's deputies and opening fire Saturday in Compton. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department / Associated Press) Trump reinforced his bellicose anti-crime rhetoric with a pair of tweets Sunday about the shooting in Compton, which authorities described as an ambush that left the two deputies critically injured. Animals that must be hit hard! Trump wrote on Twitter, apparently referring to a lone suspect seen on surveillance video walking up to the deputies parked car and firing several times. In another tweet, the president said: If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this! Both Biden and Harris, who served as Californias attorney general, expressed sympathy and concern for the deputies, a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who were recovering from surgery for multiple gunshot wounds and were expected to survive. The Democratic candidates separately called for the perpetrator to be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished, Biden wrote on Twitter. Story continues Trump told supporters Sunday night in Henderson, Nev., that he had been criticized for calling the gunman who shot the deputies an "animal." But he doubled down on the statement. "They said he is a human being," he told a crowd of cheering supporters, most not wearing masks, at an indoor rally. "He is not a human being. He is an animal. Trumps surrogates, meanwhile, struggled to defend his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, following a damning new account by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward. In a combative exchange on CNNs State of the Union, Trump advisor Peter Navarro sparred with host Jake Tapper over the presidents taped acknowledgement to Woodward in early February that he deliberately played down the gravity of the threat after being told the coronavirus was deadly and transmitted by air. Bristling at Tappers contention that Trump misled the public, Navarro countered, "He was straightforward." He parried with criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the World Health Organization, China and the U.S. governments top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. Tapper soon cut him off and ended the interview, noting to the broadcast audience that the United States has less than 5% of the worlds population but more than 20% of COVID-19 fatalities. The U.S. death toll is approaching 200,000. Hours later in Nevada, Trump suggested that the coronavirus' spread is under control, a contention that has become a staple of his campaign. "We are rounding the corner on COVID. We are rounding it rapidly, plus we have vaccines coming very soon," he said at a roundtable with a few Latinos in Las Vegas. The night before, the president held an open-air rally near Reno that lasted more than an hour and a half. That gathering, and the one Sunday night, defied his own administration's public health guidance. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel insisted on NBCs Meet the Press that Trump was not modeling unsafe behavior by disparaging mask-wearing and rarely being seen in one. I dont think this is politically dividing at all, she said of facial coverings. She said she and her family wear masks, but the choice to eschew them is about individual freedoms. McDaniel also falsely suggested, as Trump and senior aides have repeatedly done, that the U.S. caseload more than 6.5 million infections to date is so high in part because we do have more testing. The eruption of dozens of deadly wildfires devastating California, Oregon and Washington state, which have consumed millions of acres and produced apocalyptic orange-tinted skies, has become the latest national tragedy to divide rather than unite the parties. During his campaign swing, the president belittled West Coast states for poor forest management, as he has previously, ignoring the fact that federally managed land accounts for much of the burned acreage. At a rally last month in Pennsylvania, he referred to the need to clean your floors ... clean your forests. Democratic officials say Trump is in denial about the root cause of the ferocious blazes. Talk to a firefighter if you think that climate change isnt real, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, interviewed on CBS Face the Nation. He said the Trump administration has put its head in the sand, while local officials, Democrats and Republicans alike, have stepped up to combat climate change. The wildfires, unprecedented in scope and ferocity, are not just about forest management or raking, Garcetti said. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said on ABCs This Week that the president's blaming of forest management by state officials is a big and devastating lie. Oregons Democratic governor, Kate Brown, interviewed on CBS, acknowledged decades of mismanagement of our forests in this country" but also cited the necessity of tackling climate change. We need to do both, she said. The wildfires have illuminated the contrast in the two presidential candidates' shows of empathy. Trump, who is to receive a fire briefing from federal, state and local officials on Monday, has been silent for weeks on the suffering caused by wildfires, although on Saturday he thanked firefighters and other responders. Biden thanked firefighters and emergency workers, too, but has also addressed himself to families who have lost everything and people forced to evacuate their homes. Please know that we stand with you now, he tweeted Saturday. At every opportunity over the weekend, Trump sought to portray the former vice president, 77, as faltering mentally and physically, as slow and sleepy. Biden, interviewed on CNN, guffawed when asked about his fellow septuagenarians depiction of him as infirm. Trump is three years younger. Just look at us," Biden said. "Who seems to be in shape; whos able to move around?" Trump has seethed about media coverage of recent episodes suggesting his own frailties, including his halting descent of a ramp after addressing cadets at West Point, using both hands to raise a glass to his lips, appearing to drag one leg as he walks and making a still-unexplained trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November. I shouldnt laugh, Biden said. He promised to be truthful about his health, as well as other matters, if elected president. "I'll acknowledge my mistakes when I make them," he said. "I'll level with the American people." 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:13:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak cancer body Cancer Australia reported a significant drop in tests and treatments for the diseases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It said that diagnose on three of the most common cancers in Australia fell substantially between March and April when the COVID-19 infections in Australia hit their first peak. Non-surgical treatments for skin cancers fell by 30 percent. Dorothy Keefe, the chief executive of Cancer Australia, said it was concerning that cancers that were not diagnosed during lockdown could be detected later and "may not be as treatable." "There was a 30 to 50-percent drop in tests and operations," she said, according to the report of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday. "We would expect the cancers that haven't been diagnosed in the early part of the year will be diagnosed either later this year or early next year, and they will probably be slightly more severe cancers than they would have been had they been diagnosed earlier. "It's likely the second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria might lead to more delays in cancer diagnoses, although it is too early for the data to show that yet. "It is concerning from a public health perspective for Australia." In Victoria, the state hardest-hit by the pandemic with more than 85 percent of Australia's deaths, the Cancer Council Victoria has recorded a 13-percent drop in the number of tumours diagnosed compared to 2019. Keefe said strict coronavirus restrictions were "absolutely vital" but were having unintended consequences. "As the months go by and as the pandemic enters different stages we have to think to ourselves: what about the other health impacts of the lockdowns and of staying at home? And at some point we have to say: you really do need to go to the doctor to have these symptoms looked at," she said. Enditem Warner Chappell Music UK Names Shani Gonzales Managing Director WMGs Warner Chappell Music has promoted Shani Gonzales to Managing Director of Warner Chappell Music UK. Gonzales will also continue her existing role as Head of International A&R for the companys global business, and report to Guy Moot, Co-Chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music. In January, Gonzales will relocate to London. Since rejoining Warner Chappell less than a year ago, Gonzales has helped to build the companys international A&R efforts. Shes focused on integrating and connecting the companys global roster of top talent across borders, including Ari Pensmith (London), Capital Bra (Germany), El Guincho (Spain), Fred Ball (London) and Jack & Coke (Sweden). Shes also managed the crossover of songwriters into new markets, recently connecting one of hip-hops hottest producers in the U.S., Tay Keith, with two of the most in-demand rappers in the UK, AJ Tracey and AITCH, to create the No. 1 hit Rain. Im so excited for this new chapter and to work with the amazing team in London. Ive loved coming back to Chappell and getting to know so many colleagues around the world over the last year, says Gonzales. Weve got such a supportive and nurturing culture, with Guy and Carianne looking to develop peoples careers over the long-term and build a truly global team. Moot adds: Shanis such a talented leader who has catapulted so many songwriters to the very top with her tenacious drive to see them succeed. With a natural affinity and intuitive connection to her writers, I know that shell use her gift of fostering meaningful relationships to further develop and grow our vibrant UK roster. Gonzales got her start in the industry at BMI, a leading music rights management company. She then joined Warner Chappells A&R team in 2004, going on to work for Epic Records and Def Jam, before becoming Co-Head of A&R for the UK and U.S. at BMG. She returned to Warner Chappell in 2019 to take on the new role of Head of International, EVP of U.S., A&R, and was based out of the companys New York office. Share on: Regarding A good time to switch to electric vehicles (Letters, Sept. 10): The fires and smoke have made me, as well as I believe the majority of people in the Bay Area, deeply reflect upon the impacts we have on the Earth and how we can change such a complex and interconnected problem. I saw an opinion piece articulate that due to this people should consider their next car to be an electric car. While this is a good thing, to combat climate change we must be bold and we cant just have electric cars, this means more efficient ways of traveling, we need less car-oriented sprawl and more parks where parking lots are. It begins by having a unified and expanded transit system not just between San Francisco and Oakland, but for the greater Bay Area South Bay, Marin, Sonoma and the other Bay Area counties. The Bay Area is an ecosystem and we need a unified Bay Area with clean, efficient ways of getting around, and not just cars, we need to be bold and make this change. Tony Bricca, Corte Madera Our nightmarish sky The Orange Nightmare that turned day into night is natures apocalyptic reminder of the immediate need to implement the Green New Deal. We were lucky that the toxic smoke raining ash was at 5,000 feet this time. Next time, we could well choke on our folly as a failed civilization. And to think that the original inhabitants of the Bay Area lived here for thousands of years in peaceful harmony with nature. Tom Miller, Oakland Redo trash containers Regarding S.F. to kick its old trash cans to curb new model debated (Bay Area, Sept. 11): John Kings recent article about the possibility of newly designed trash containers for the city immediately brought forth a reaction in me of disbelief and though it may be about small infrastructure, I agree there will be controversy. As a longtime cleanup volunteer and resident of a retired community that is likely well-educated, many of the residents dont seem to be able to handle, manage or dispose of their trash in the intended and appropriate receptacles. Having cool and beauty is one thing, but I agree that the need for locks and ease of transport to garbage trucks is necessary. Most of the public knows that the green receptacle is where garbage should go. A different appearance and color will confuse many. Redo the green containers with locks and mechanisms to unload. Toni Thunen, San Jose Insult to intelligence President Trump thinks youre stupid. The Trump tapes (Editorial, Sept. 11) cites the deception that Trump foists on the American public about the coronavirus, but my anger is not with the lie, it is with Trumps opinion of the American people as being stupid. He lied to us to keep us from panicking? When faced with a crisis Americans rise to the challenge, we always have and always will. How dare he condescend to us, lie to us, pretend to protect us, and have thousands of us die from his misleading us. What else is he lying about because he thinks we cant handle the truth; Russias interference with elections, voting fraud, the economy? I dont think even the most avid Trump supporters think of themselves as stupid or liable to panic when presented with the truth. John Hopper, Walnut Creek Essential tax law change Regarding Fairer taxes for California (Editorial, Sept. 11): Thank you for your clear and honest assessment of Proposition 15. As a California homeowner (who has recently purchased a new home with increased taxes to match present property value), I agree that we must support this proposition. Prop. 15 will provide large commercial property owners with an opportunity to increase support of their local communities. This is especially important during the coming years of recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19. This proposition also offers multiple ways to protect small business, agriculture and residents. It is an essential change to our tax law. The government on Monday said the lowering of corporate tax rate has made India a globally competitive and favoured destination for investment and the impact of this landmark reform will be felt in the coming years. The government last year slashed the base corporation tax rate to 22 percent from 30 percent, leading to revenue implication of Rs 1.45 lakh crore. "The Government, in its endeavour to make India a globally competitive and favoured destination for investment, reduced the corporate tax rate for new companies in the manufacturing sector to 15 percent and to 22 percent for existing companies in September, 2019," Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. This has enabled the corporate tax rates in India to be amongst the lowest in the world, he said, adding "given that investment decisions have a long term perspective, the impact of this landmark reform would be felt in coming years". As per the estimates of gross domestic product for the first quarter 2020-21, Thakur said, the real GDP in India contracted by 23.9 percent as against a 5.2 percent growth in the same quarter previous fiscal. "With the phased unlocking of the Indian economy since June 1, 2020, high-frequency economic indicators like PMI Manufacturing, index of eight core industries, E-way bills, Kharif sowing, power consumption, railway freight, cargo traffic and passenger vehicle sales have recovered and indicate growing convergence with previous year's activity levels," he said. In July 2020, merchandise exports of India were estimated at $23.6 billion, as against $26.3 billion in July 2019, while the merchandise imports stood at $28.5 billion in July 2020, compared to $39.8 billion a year ago, he said in a reply to another question. This is in line with the contraction witnessed in world trade in the first four months of 2020-21, due to which exports contracted by (-) 30.2 percent and imports by (-) 46.7 percent, over the corresponding period of the previous year, he said. GST collections for the first quarter of 2020-21 were 59 percent of the revenue collected during the same quarter last year, Thakur said in a reply to a question asked by V K Sreekandan, Congress MP from Kerala. However, GST collections for August recovered to Rs 86,449 crore, reaching 88 percent of collections in the same month previous year. Structural reforms have been announced as part of the Atmanirbhar Package, which include deregulation of the agricultural sector, change in the definition of MSMEs, new PSU policy, commercialisation of coal mining, higher FDI limits in defence and space sector. In reply to another question, Thakur said, the total investment of Rs 18,152.14 crore for 4,81,65,057 grams of gold has been received in 42 issuances since the inception of the Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) scheme. Police are putting the heat on summer party-goers, cracking down on large gatherings and issuing $1000 fines for anybody that attends a private residence with more than 20 people in NSW. It comes as Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the "positive news" that NSW recorded only one local case of COVID-19, but warned the community not to become complacent. On Monday evening, Newmarch House, the scene of one of the state's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks, said it was investigating a possible new COVID-19 infection at the aged care facility. However, by Tuesday morning the case had been identified as a false positive. Married former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum came out as bisexual in an interview with Tamron Hall on Monday. 'You didn't ask the question but I dont identify as gay. I identify as bisexual. Ive never shared that publicly before,' Gillum, once considered a rising star of the Democratic party, said. The bombshell admission came as part of Gillum's first interview since the ex Tallahassee mayor was found 'inebriated' in a South Beach hotel room in March, along with a male escort who overdosed on crystal meth. Gillum's wife, R. Jai, also spoke about her husband's struggles during the interview and said she was aware of his bisexuality before they married in 2009. The 41-year-old father-of-three entered a rehab facility to deal with alcohol abuse shortly after the incident and revealed to Hall that he has 'cried every day' since his sudden fall from grace. Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has spoken in a TV interview to address an incident in which he was found unconscious in a hotel Gillum's wife, R. Jai, also spoke during the interview about her husband's struggles and said she'd been aware of his bisexuality before they married in 2009 Dozens of white pills can be seen scattered on the floor and bedside table alongside empty containers of citalopram, an anti-anxiety medication, and gabapentin, which helps combat seizures and nerve pain, as well as an empty Corona beer bottle During the hour-long segment, Gillum revealed that his downward spiral first began after his close loss to Ron DeSantis in the 2018 Florida Governor's race, when he began drinking heavily - even putting whiskey in his morning coffee. He reportedly refused direction from his wife to seek counselling for depression, and quickly his relations became strained with family members too. 'She barely can abide me, I barely can abide her,' Gillum said of his marriage at the time. 'Everything the kids do irritates me.' In March, he went to Miami to attend a wedding with his wife, but ended up meeting up with escort Travis Dyson, who he described as a friend that he'd known for a matter of months. Gillum said he had been drinking before meeting his Dyson and continued drinking in a room at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel with him before blacking out for three hours. The next thing he remembered, he said, was waking up to be surrounded by police and being told Dyson had overdosed. Police photos show Gillum unconscious and naked with Dyson surrounded by a slew of drugs, both prescription and illegal, inside the swanky $220-per-night hotel room. During the interview, Gillum denied he and Dyson shared a romantic or sexual relationship. He also previously denied taking any drugs, but admitted having 'too much to drink' at the time. Hall asked Gillum why he was in the hotel room in the first place. 'I would say the reason why I went to that room was probably no different than how anybody might communicate with someone that they are in a friendship relationship whatever with. I understand very well what people assume about that.' Gillum (pictured with R. Jai) revealed that his downward spiral first began after his close loss to Ron DeSantis in the 2018 Florida Governor's race, when he began drinking heavily - even putting whiskey in his morning coffee In March, he went to Miami to attend a wedding with his wife, but ended up meeting up with escort Travis Dyson (above) who he described as a friend that he'd known for a matter of months Gillum told Tamron Hall, pictured, that he was shown to be 'at his most vulnerable state' at the time of the incident Gillum also spoke candidly about the photographs revealing him in a compromising position. 'When that photo came out, I didn't recognize the person on the floor,' he said. 'That was not anything more than a person being at their most vulnerable state, unconscious, having given no consent, and someone decided to use a moment where I was literally lying in my own vomit.' When officers arrived at the hotel, Gillum was so intoxicated he could not communicate, police said. Cops found a substance in the room that appeared to by crystal methamphetamine, but Gillum was not charged with a crime. A third man who was present, Aldo Mejias, 56, told officers that Gillum and Travis Dyson had been 'under the influence of an unknown substance', according to a police report obtained by DailyMail.com. Dozens of white pills were scattered on the floor and bedside table alongside empty containers of citalopram, an anti-anxiety medication, and gabapentin, which helps combat seizures and nerve pain. A small bottle of an injectable medicine containing alprostadil, typically used to treat erectile dysfunction was also found at the scene. Beer bottles and sheets covered in bodily fluids could also been in the photos, obtained from police under Freedom of Information law. The report also noted that Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor and regular CNN contributor, was seen vomiting in the bathroom and required a welfare check to see if he was okay. Dyson - DailyMail.com revealed - worked as a gay porn actor and advertised himself as a male escort. He was taken to hospital and later recovered. Gillum, meanwhile, called the incident a 'wake-up call' and said he remains hopeful of redeeming himself. 'Everyone believes the absolute worst about that day. At this stage, I don't have anything else to have to conceal,' Gillum said. 'I literally got broken down to my most bare place, to the place where I wasn't even sure that I wanted to live. Not because of what I had done but because of everything that was being said about me. 'What was most hurtful was this belief that I was somehow living a lie in my marriage and in my family. That was the most hurtful to me. Because I believe we are all entitled to mistakes, and I believe we are entitled to those mistakes without having every other respectable and redeeming part of our lives invalidated. 'I'm still here by the grace of God. So much of my recovery has been about trying to get over shame. Shame is not that I did that, but I am bad.' Police arrived to find paramedics performing first aid on Dyson in the wake of 'a suspected drug overdose' and preparing to take him to the hospital Plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth (pictured), empty beer bottles and prescription pills are seen scattered among trash and soiled bedding in shocking images Exclusive images show the slew of drugs, both prescription and illegal, found inside the swank $220-per-night hotel room, including three bags of what police believe was crystal meth Paramedics were called to the four-star Mondrian South Beach hotel which costs $220 a night Gillum had reportedly ignored more than 50 calls from his wife that night, R. Jai said. She added that she had known he was bisexual before they married in 2009, but said she didn't feel as if it was a matter that needed to be discussed publicly. That decision, she said, was made in part because most people 'don't understand bisexuality.' 'Bisexuality is just something different,' she continued. 'I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum. All I care about is whats between us and what agreement we make.' Gillum also told Hall that it was not appropriate to link bisexuality with infidelity. 'Bisexuality in and of itself doesn't lead to unfaithfulness,' he said. 'There are men who are in marriages with women who just because they're married to a woman doesn't mean they're not attracted to other women, and at any point can slip up, make a mistake, do something, and that is what it is. The same thing in bisexual relationships. 'You can be attracted to both, you got a bigger terrain out there that you have to contend with, but you can still choose to be physically with one person.' Hall later asked Gillum if he still envisioned running for office again. 'Would it be hard? Absolutely,' Gillum responded. 'But Donald Trump is President.' He suggested if many politicians are able to hold office despite making scandalous assertions about their own sex lives while completely sober, he may yet come back from the Miami incident. Gillum had remained silent since a March incident involving a man who reportedly overdosed in a South Beach hotel room. He finally spoke out on his Instagram page in July, pictured In July, after leaving his rehab program, Gillum posted a video to social media giving his supporters an update on his health. 'I had totally underestimated the impact that losing the race for governor had had on my life and on the way that those impacts started to show up in every aspect of my life,' he said. 'I didn't want to talk emotionally or very deeply about what had happened in the race for governor because it was a constant reminder of failure and my own personal failures.' Gillum, who is married with three young children, denied using any drugs but admitted to having 'too much to drink' (pictured with his wife R. Jai Howard) He also told how his wife, had stood by him in the months following. 'She knows what I am and knows what I am not. She chooses to love me anyhow,' he said in a video message to supporters. 'I totally underestimated the impact that losing the race for governor had on my life, and on the way that those impacts started to show up in every aspect of my life,' Gillum said. 'It was a constant reminder of failure and my own personal failures It was a reminder that I had let so many people down. 'All of that was all of a sudden gone, and caused me to think about my own purpose, and my own value and what I could contribute if anything,' he said. 'I didn't want to face any of those things so I numbed. I tried to suppress. I tried to ignore.' Gillum went traveling, made public appearances and sat for TV interviews, posting on Instagram and Facebook 'as if I was living my best life.' He expressed remorse for what he did and acknowledged that his feelings of guilt were normal. 'It is normal to feel guilty for the harm you have caused someone. That's how you know you're human. That's how you know you're not a sociopath.' But he said the public shame that he also felt hit him in a 'completely different' way that 'cuts you.' 'My stuff had to be public and cause great embarrassment and rumors, some false, some true, the shame that I felt from all of that... was tearing me up,' Gillum said. 'I needed real help to try to unpack that.' Andrew Gillum, the former Democratic candidate for Florida governor, was named in a police report saying he was 'inebriated' and initially unresponsive in a hotel room in March this year Gillum revealed that his father also suffered from alcoholism and died from complications related to 'that deadly addiction.' 'I went away to rehab to focus on my issues with alcoholism, having grown up in a household where my father battled addiction to alcohol, and later died from that addiction,' Gillum said in the July video. 'I knew well the toll it took on my father's dreams and ambitions.' In the video, he urged others struggling with alcoholism or depression to seek help. He explained that he turned to therapy address his problems. 'All of us are struggling and trying and clawing at trying to be something else when we really ought to be trying to be at home in ourselves. That is the journey I am on right now ... not having to be one thing in one place and one thing somewhere else,' he said. 'With a lot of encouragement from family and the people who love and care about me, I also got into therapy, where I could start to talk through what was going on with me,' Gillum said. 'I knew if I had not dealt first with issues and addiction and the numbing that I chose with alcohol, there was no way I could start to pull back the layers and talk about what was truly happening underneath.' 'This is a tough moment not to be out in the world and contributing... although I can't be what I would love to be for you and for myself and for my community at this time,' Gillum said. 'I hope you know that I couldn't be those things because I couldn't be what I needed to be for me first.' Press Release September 14, 2020 IMEE: WHY ARE WE IMPORT-CRAZY? Senator Imee Marcos said the government must help local livestock raisers become more price-competitive to survive the surge of imports that make up more than half of the poultry and pork products in the market. "Stop the importation madness. Filipinos first!" Marcos said. Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, cited the August inventory of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) that showed imports making up 81% of the 43,124 kilos of frozen pork surveyed in the market. The NMIS inventory also showed that imported dressed chicken made up 58% of the total 60,810 kilos surveyed. Marcos said the high volume of imported poultry products and their lower market prices were making the situation worse for local raisers who are already hurting from the sudden slash in market demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestic demand for local pork and chicken has dwindled among food companies, hotels and restaurants that have scaled down operations or totally shut down amid extended community quarantines. In the past week, wet market prices for imported pork cost Php120 to Php175 per kilo, compared to local pork being sold at Php230 to Php260. Imported chicken ranged from Php100 to Php110 per kilo in the same period, cheaper than the Php125 to Php130 price range for local chicken. One solution to make local poultry products more competitive is for the Department of Agriculture to provide poultry raisers with the technology for processing mechanically deboned chicken meat - an imported product hardly produced locally due to the lack of facilities, Marcos said. Marcos also urged the government to explore market expansion of poultry exports to Japan, South Korea, and other countries where local production costs are high. On the other hand, the importation of pork products should also be closely watched, Marcos said, to prevent the entry of communicable animal diseases like Asian swine fever that could easily spread and damage the local pork industry. "The recent scare over contaminated pork from Germany and Brazil calls for stricter requirements in issuing sanitary and phytosanitary clearances," Marcos said. The government can also make local livestock raisers more competitive by offering incentives to big food companies that will support fragmented farms and assist in the production chain, from livestockraising all the way to distribution and sales, Marcos added. The Bureau of Customs should also step up its campaign to curb the smuggling of misdeclared or undervalued food products. "While cheaper imports may be considered a boon to the public, the country's food security must not depend on them. The government must support local pork and poultry raisers, if they are to survive and still be around when any hitch occurs in the global food supply chain," Marcos said. For two weeks, the Kremlin watched closely to see whether Lukashenko was determined enough to cling on to power, whether there was a split within the elite, whether the security services would betray him, the Carnegie Moscow Centers Alexander Baunov wrote in a recent commentary. Satisfied that Lukashenko was indeed determined enough, and that there was no division, the Kremlin made the decision once and for all to support him. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has resumed deportation arrests after halting briefly at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced in March that ICE and the Trump administration would be temporarily halting enforcement across the United States except efforts to deport foreign nationals whove committed serious crimes or pose a threat to public safety. This halt was in an effort to curb the spread of the novel virus. In a notification sent to Congress in March, the agency said its Enforcement and Removal Operations agency would delay enforcement actions and use alternatives to detentions, The Washington Post reported. The notification added that the agencys highest priorities are to promote lifesaving and public safety activities. During the COVID-19 crisis, ICE will not carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities, except in the most extraordinary of circumstances, the notification added. Individuals should not avoid seeking medical care because they fear civil immigration enforcement. But a report in The New York Times has revealed a return to the agencys deportation arrest, and government data has suggested ICE was not only targeting criminals in its arrests. Since mid-July, ICE agents have detained more than 2,000 people after they were taken from their home, workplaces, and other sites, including the US post office. Of these arrests, 300 were made in Los Angeles. Other cities impacted are in states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Wyoming. About 85 per cent of those arrested either had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, according to the agency, The New York Times reported. Fourteen of those people were convicted of homicide and 12 people faced murder charges, the report added. Other convictions or pending charges included domestic violence and family offences, which made up the bulk of those detained by ICE. An analysis done by The New York Times of the governments data has found that the Trump administration was actually arresting a large number of undocumented immigrants who had committed minor crimes or no crimes at all. About 10.5 million US residents are undocumented immigrants. Of those immigrants, three out of four said they would choose a legal route to become a legal citizen, according to the Pew Research Centre. Donald Trump has built his election platform on cracking down on immigration. Since the president has taken office, there has been a steady increase in immigrants detained by ICE without a criminal record, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. On the last day of April 2019, nearly two-thirds of immigrants in detention facilities, of the 50,000 in total, had no criminal record, which was up 40 per cent from four years earlier when ICE was under President Barack Obamas administration, according to TRAC. A higher percentage of those detained with criminal records have convicted minor infractions like driving without a legal license compared to previous years, TRAC reported. When looking at the first five months of 2020, TRAC found that 52 per cent of those removed from the US had no criminal record, which was up 40 per cent from the previous three fiscal years. The parents of a teenage girl reported missing from her home nearly two months ago have been charged with her murder. Sarah Walker, 37, and Scott Walker, 50, of Millfield, Peterborough, were charged with the murder of 17-year-old Bernadette Walker in the early hours of this morning. On Friday Cambridgeshire Police launched a 'no body' murder investigation after extensive search operations found no sign of the teenager. Police were seen searching Bernadette's family home in the Millfield district of Peterborough last week. Bernadette Walker (pictured), 17, was reported missing from Peterborough on July 21 after she had not been seen for three days Police were seen outside Bernadette's family home in Millfield, Peterborough on Sunday, as a man and a woman remain in custody on suspicion of murder Bernadette Walker, 17, pictured with her father Scott Walker, 50. He has now been charged. Scott Walker, 50, and Sarah Walker, 37, have been charged with murdering their daughter Bernadette's parents reportedly told police that they last saw her on July 18 when she ran out of their car. Ms Walker said that her daughter texted her nearly two days later, at 1am on July 20, to say that she would be returning 'soon' to the family's five bedroom council home in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Bernadette's parents reported her missing to police the following day on July 21 when they told officers that they had heard nothing more from her. Mother-of-nine Ms Walker, who had a baby girl around six months ago, distributed posters around Peterborough to appeal for information about her missing daughter who loved goth and punk music. Specialist forensic officers were seen going in and out of the house along with a police dog handler and a spaniel sniffer dog A 'no body' murder investigation was declared on Friday after all search operations failed, police from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit revealed In August Ms Walker told PeterboroughMatters.com: 'I can't eat or sleep properly. I miss and love my eldest princess so much, she's missing out on her baby sister, who has learned to smile and coo already.' She revealed she hadn't had any contact from her daughter since 1am on July 20, when Bernadette text her to say she was on her way home. Police officers were today standing guard outside the family's modern terraced home which was cordoned off with police tape. Specialist forensic officers were seen going in and out of the house along with a police dog handler and her spaniel sniffer dog. A neighbour of Bernadette's parents, who asked not to be named, said today: 'They are really lovely and always smiling. 'They are a good family and had just had a baby girl. There were a lot of children - but they seemed to cope fine. They were always looking out for their children 'I spoke to them after Bernadette went missing to wish them all the best and they were really gutted about it. Police were standing guard outside the 17-year-old's home today. On Friday Cambridgeshire Police launched a 'no body' murder investigation Bernadette is described as medium build with half brown, half gingery blonde hair 'I messaged her when the news came out about a suspect man being arrested and she said she had just come back from giving a statement to police. I just told her that I hoped everything goes well.' DCI Jerry Waite said: 'Due to the length of time Bernadette has been missing and concerns she may have come to some harm, we made the decision to declare this a murder investigation yesterday morning. 'Whilst we hope we do find Bernadette alive and well, there is every possibility this may not be the case therefore my team and I will do everything possible to find out what has happened to her and bring any offenders to justice.' Bernadette ran out of her car parents car on July 18, she contacted her family two days later, but was reported missing the following day. Bernadette hasn't accessed social media since and no friends have heard from her. Her family originally thought she may have taken spare clothes with her, but have since found the items under the schoolgirl's bed. Bernadette is described as medium build with half brown, half gingery blonde hair. She has facial piercings and two homemade tattoos. Anyone with information on Bernadette's whereabouts or what has happened to her is urged to contact police either by using the online webchat function, or by calling 101 and quoting Operation Penshaw. (Natural News) Seven protesters arrested by the New York City Police Department on Sep. 4 apparently belonged to circles of wealth and privilege, apparently taking a break from their affluent lives to join the protests. The department posted mugshots of the seven in a Sep. 9 tweet, saying they were part of a large group breaking storefront windows during protests in Manhattan. The rioters were arrested during a protest organized by the New Afrikan Black Panther Party and Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement. According to a report by ABC 7, police said eight businesses had their windows shattered and three buildings vandalized with graffiti during the protests. The estimated damage was about $100,000. Lifestyles of the rich and famous Six of the rioters arrested during the Sep. 4 protests appeared to be from privileged backgrounds, prompting a police source to brand their actions the height of hypocrisy. Clara Kraebber, who lived at the affluent Upper East Side, was the daughter of Virginia Kindred, an architect whose firm worked on numerous schools and business spaces in the city. Her father Markus Kraebber is a child psychiatrist who teaches at Columbia Universitys Department of Psychiatry. The family had a second home in Connecticut dating back from 1703 that featured four fireplaces. Frank Fuhrmeister, who listed his address at the Beacon Hills and Harbour neighborhood, works as a freelance art director. He designed ads for Joe Coffee and had worked with high-profile brands such as The Glenlivet, Pepsi and Samsung. Fuhrmeister studied fine arts with a concentration in photography at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Adi Sragovich, a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Long Island, lost her cell phone during the protests. She promptly called up her mother, English professor Susan Jacobowitz, to replace the lost phone right away. Sragovich was also an accomplished musician and had organized a walkout at the Great Neck North High School in 2018. Claire Severine appeared to be a signed model who frequented Montreal, Quebec and Dublin before settling in the Big Apple for a career in acting, according to a modeling profile. The same profile spoke of her profound respect for nature. Severine, a resident of Washington Heights, could not be reached for comment. Etkar Surette from Brooklyn spent summers in Austria as a child. A 2005 report by The Journal Times wrote about then 12-year-old Surettes experience flying without any guardian. Surette told a reporter who approached him at his Prospect Park South apartment to go away and slammed the door. Elliot Rucka, the son of famous comic book writers Greg Rucka and Jennifer Van Meter, hailed from Portland the center of recent Black Lives Matter protests. Two of the elder Ruckas works have been adapted into film and television: The Old Guard which was made into a Netflix film and Stumptown that ABC optioned for a television series. Its all fun and games for privileged liberals until they face the music In a similar case, law enforcement arrested the son of actor John Malkovich during a Sept. 4 Black Lives Matter rally in Portland. Thirty-eight-year-old Loewy Malkovich, who worked as a software engineer, was listed among the 27 suspects arrested during Sept. 4 protests in the city according to a statement by the Portland Police Bureau. Interestingly, Loewy took a different path from his father: He worked as a junior software engineer instead of following the elder Malkovichs footsteps. Loewys involvement in the protests appears to contrast with his fathers conservative political leaning. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in August that his office would not charge protesters with low-level crimes, putting the younger Malkovich off the hook for now. However, the Oregon State Police officers that arrested protesters have been federally deputized: Loewy Malkovich could face federal charges. Its all fun and games for privileged liberals, who never had to face a day of hardship in life, whenever they participate in similar riots. That is, until law enforcement arrives and they have to face the music. Unfortunately for Loewy Malkovich and the New York City rioters arrested by law enforcement, actions have consequences and no amount of privilege, money or influence will exempt them from this reality check. Find out more news about the liberal hypocrisy at LiberalMob.com. Sources include: FoxNews.com Twitter.com ABC7NY.com NYPost.com 1 GreatNeckRecord.com TheIslandNow.com JournalTimes.com NYPost.com 2 NYPost.com 3 PortlandOregon.gov WWeek.com 1 WWeek.com 2 Bloomsbury novelist Susanna Clarke at her home in the Peak district. Her latest book is "Piranesi." (Sarah Lee) In Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarkes 2004 lightning bolt of a debut, magic spurts out of stones and fields, slips into dreams and Regency-era ballrooms, rouses dead young ladies. In one pivotal moment, Strange, the apprentice magician to Norrell, arrives in a Belgian village on behalf of the British government, turning his magic against Napoleons indomitable army. He moves roads and sets brooks flowing in the wrong direction, eventually summoning a thundercloud so full and heavy that its ragged skirts seemed to brush the tops of the trees. The French cavalry struggles in the sucking mud, stymied by what they think is weather, though we know it is ancient magic. Enchantment is everywhere, and it crackles, in the tiniest drops of water and the most consequential routs in history, like Waterloo. Clarke has explained that chronic fatigue syndrome kept her from embarking on another 800-plus page enterprise. But Piranesi, out this week after 16 years between novels, is a little imp of a book that packs a punch several times its (relatively) meager page count. Id worried that, all these years later, Clarke might have grown timid, seeking a breather from all the grand historical world-building. Instead, she creates a dazzling world of infinite fascination inside the musings of one very simple man. From the beginning, we know that magic will abound. Piranesi starts with a quote from C.S. Lewis Narnia prequel The Magicians Nephew: I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment. Of course I need subjects to do it on. Thats Andrew Ketterly speaking, the imperious and heartless uncle who sends two children off to the wood between the worlds that leads to Narnia. (Remember his name.) Clarke is dropping bread crumbs a curious reader can follow back to the novels ancestral inspirations: alternate worlds, the corruption of innocence, the preoccupations of the vainglorious. Story continues Piranesi, or rather the man who goes by Piranesi (as far as I remember it is not my name), lives inside the House, an infinite series of classical buildings knitted together, something like dozens and dozens of pillared Temples of Bacchus inside one of Yayoi Kusamas mirrored rooms. In what he calls the Upper Halls, Clouds move in slow procession and Statues appear suddenly out of the mists. In the Drowned Halls below, Dark Waters are carpeted with white water lilies. Piranesi largely spends his days alone fishing, or visiting skeletons in far-off halls, or writing in his journals. (Bloomsbury Publishing) We have no idea how Piranesi came to be here, or whether or when he arrived from elsewhere, and he does not know either. He guesses himself to be about 35, and exists quite happily in the present, never questioning how he knows of otherworldly things, like the exact pattern of Prince of Wales check or the smell of petrol. Its easy to see why: his world is pleasant and uncrowded, like a permanent meditation retreat in the Louvre. Jonathan Strange evoked the silk-hung bedrooms and dusty streets of early 19th-century London, a brilliant, layered conjuring from the past. The world of Piranesi, meanwhile, is built entirely from scratch, at first as devoid of life as an Escher sketch but gradually filled in until its as rich as a second universe. The walls are crammed with statues the Woman carrying a Beehive, the Elephant carrying a Castle, and Piranesis favorite, a Mr. Tumnus-like Faun that, he imagines, is warning him about something. Weather occurs inside, days of wind and snow; outside exist only the Celestial Objects: Sun, Moon, and Stars. For Piranesi, it is more than a home, its a god and a universe. The House, he believes, gives him life, and so he expresses devotion; its Beauty, he writes, is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite. Its also a playground for the reader, a place to get lost, to find totems, to hunker and clamber as it unfolds into the distance. There is one other occupant, The Other the tall, imperious man who comes and goes on a quest for a Great and Secret Knowledge hidden somewhere in the World. As indifferent to the wonders of the House as Piranesi is captivated, he taps away at a shiny rectangle of indeterminate use and orders Piranesi around. This is the kind of novel that gives critics angina as they decide what plot points expose too much. But Ill say this: Another person suddenly shows up in the House, and Piranesi begins to reread his past journal entries for clues about his former self. Clarke flips a switch, setting off a fantastical puzzle-box mystery that we and Piranesi solve together. His sleuthing is textual analysis; he has to read what hes written in the past and piece together a narrative out of thin air. Names like Valentine Ketterly and Perugia, which Piranesi considers nonsense words, crowd his older records. Hes an eager student of his own work, but also fearful of learning too much, of breaking the spell of his contentment. I promised you this novel was also about magic, and it is, on two levels. There is real magic, akin to Stranges, if less thundering but also the magic of transportive storytelling, which strikes Piranesi as well as us. His childlike wonder feels magical, too, in that its plausible. Here is a protagonist with no guile, no greed, no envy, no cruelty, and yet still intriguing. Piranesi is a portrait of us as young readers, swept into a story and happy to stay there. Keep it up! the novel seems to murmur in our ears, read, read, read! One thing we discover about the magic in the House is that to use it, one must return to the last place in which one had stood before the iron hand of modern rationality gripped ones mind. Its like water that for decades, centuries, millennia makes a crack in the rock under the earth; then it wears the hole into a cave entrance a kind of door in fact [T]here must be a passage, a door between us and wherever magic had gone. That passage is something we can crawl into, Clarke seems to say, a place we can find both rest and excitement. The Halls are a beautiful trap, and Piranesis journal, the text of Piranesi, is a reminder that the book itself is a constructed place. The novel is what lies behind that door. Early on, Piranesi asserts that there must be a 16th person in the House, someone beyond himself and The Other and the 13 skeletons to whom he brings offerings. Maybe its his reader. And You. Who are You?, he wonders, Who is it that I am writing for? Are You a traveller who has cheated Tides and crossed Broken Floors and Derelict Stairs to reach these Halls? Or are You perhaps someone who inhabits my own Halls long after I am dead? In Clarkes world, we are more than an observer. If were reading Piranesis words, then we must be subject to the magic as well. Kellys work has been published in New York Magazine, Vogue, the New York Times Book Review and elsewhere. By Associated Press A sheriff's deputy in Georgia has been fired after being captured on video repeatedly punching a Black man during a traffic stop, authorities said Sunday. The deputy was being let go for excessive use of force, the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. It did not identify the deputy, but said a criminal investigation has been turned over to the district attorney's office. Roderick Walker, 26, was arrested and beaten after Clayton County sheriffs deputies pulled over the vehicle he was riding in Friday with his girlfriend, their 5-month-old child and his stepson for an alleged broken taillight, his attorney, Shean Williams of The Cochran Firm in Atlanta said Sunday. The deputies asked for Walkers identification and got upset and demanded he get out of the vehicle when he questioned why they needed it since he wasnt driving, Williams said. Clayton, GA roderick Walker was a passenger in a Lyft that was stopped because of a broken tail light. He was ordered out of the car after asking the deputies why he needed to show ID since he was not driving. This was the result! #BLM #PoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/yZwDu6Vk6q OldAsDirt (@FNE2008) September 14, 2020 The subsequent arrest, captured on video by a bystander and shared widely, shows two deputies on top of Walker, one of whom repeatedly punches him. Walkers girlfriend screams and tells the deputies Walker said he cant breathe. A child in the vehicle yells, Daddy. As Walker is handcuffed, the deputy who punched him tells the bystander that Walker bit him. Williams said his client denies biting the deputy. Walker was trying to survive and lost consciousness at least twice during the beating, Williams said. A photo of Walker taken later in jail shows a welt under his left eye. My reaction to the video is that it just shows unfortunately another incident where an African American males civil rights have been violated by people and officers and law enforcement who have the duty first to protect and serve, he said. Walker later wobbles and appears to try to jerk free as deputies get him on his feet. He was arrested on suspicion of obstructing officers and battery, according to jail records. Williams demanded his release on bond and said he has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to review the case. He also accused investigators of improperly talking to his client without an attorney at the jail. A person who answered a call to the sheriff's office said he could not comment further, citing an ongoing investigation. He declined to provide his full name. Clayton County Sheriff's Office has opened an investigation into a video shared on Instagram, shows a deputy using physical force on victim Roderick Walker. Arresting Sheriff has been placed on leave during investigation. Video footage link https://t.co/P0ltBw4y0i. pic.twitter.com/PbRKE2zg4X D.RoyFlor (@DRoyFlor) September 14, 2020 The sheriff's office said in its statement a court denied bond for Walker because of outstanding warrants, including a felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for cruelty to children and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It said Walker had received medical attention and was being monitored by a doctor at the jail hospital. Walker, his girlfriend and the children had dropped off a rental car and found a driver willing to take them home for $10, Williams said. The driver was also Black. Williams said he was released without a citation, though he, too, did not have identification. The Schmidt book made news by claiming that the Justice Department forbade Mueller and the FBI from probing "Trump's decades-long personal and business ties to Russia." The result, Schmidt said, was that Mueller "never fully investigated Mr. Trump's own relationship with Russia, even though some career FBI counterintelligence investigators thought his ties posed ... a national security threat." Thus, investigators never found the fabled evidence that might have proved Trump's guilt. A third book, by fired FBI official Peter Strzok, the man made famous by his anti-Trump texts with girlfriend and fellow FBI official Lisa Page, says that no matter what Mueller found, Trump was a national security threat. Even if the president did nothing illegal, Strzok claims, he was "unpatriotic." Strzok and the FBI, the book suggests, were forbidden from getting the facts about Trump. Indeed, in best conspiratorial fashion, the Atlantic magazine speculated that Strzok was fired because he was "getting too close to the truth." The bottom line: Schmidt, Toobin and Strzok are all trying to convince Americans that Trump was really guilty, that collusion was really a thing, and that law enforcement and journalists were right to obsess about Russiagate for three straight years. daigo-genji.com tools Daigo Genji Announces Collaboration with A Leading Software Company Daigo Genji Announces Collaboration with A Leading Software Company Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Daigo Genji, an independent multi asset advisory firm that offers state of the art trading technology coupled with 24-hour execution and clearing on major commodities exchanges, today announced that it will collaborate with a leading Asian provider of carrier-neutral colocation data centre services and provider of Software as a Service to the global financial marketplace to provide managed access services to its customers through its own data center. The new collaboration will enable Daigo Genji to offer solutions to capital market participants that require managed market access services to the leading liquidity pools. Daigo Genji currently provides access to over twenty-five global venues via a global multi-broker network. The presence of the various financial exchanges matching engines and access points data centers allows Daigo Genji to deliver a cost-effective and a high-quality service to its customers. The access point hosts one of the two proximity centers which facilitates the fastest connectivity option to the exchanges matching engines. For members that require access to market data and management of their trading infrastructure, Daigo Genji can now deliver a comprehensive solution from its own data center. Goro Sato, Business Development Director at Daigo Genji, commented: Our decision to offer our services from our data center is based on its unique location and proximity to Tokyos principal liquidity venues. Combined with the presence of various trading connection points, the leading financial networks, and a high number of market participants within the facility, this enables us to offer our customers the highest quality of service. This further increases the value of our data center to the capital markets community. It reflects and strengthens our position as a professional provider of data and advisory services to the capital markets industry participants. Story continues About Daigo Genji Daigo Genji is an independent multi asset advisory firm that offers state of the art trading technology coupled with 24-hour execution and clearing on major commodities and multi asset exchanges throughout the Asia Pacific Region. Daigo Genji is providing a full range of trading services to commercial, institutional and individual customers. Daigo Genji is a privately held company with directors that forged their expertise in the commodity markets in the last 30 years and that remain committed to the continued growth of the company and the leadership within the industry. https://daigo-genji.com/ CONTACT: Haruto Yuki +810423868769 News via: KISSPR Story Press Release Attachment With real estate valuations falling and other deals coming unstuck, the current managements improved target faces significant challenges. The Covid crisis could not have come at a worse time for the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) board that is in the process of resolving debt of Rs 99,000 crore. On March 12, 2020, the Uday Kotak-led board, which will complete two years in September-end, finally received the National Company Law Appellate Tribunals (NCLATs) approval for the resolution and distribution framework for the IL&FS Group. The proposal, incidentally, was submitted in January 2019. However, India went into the lockdown mode just 12 days after the nod from NCLAT. This affected our ability to conclude transactions and impacted timelines, resulting in some monetisation delays in road projects, adverse impact on the sale of our real estate assets portfolio and extended judicial and regulatory approval process, said C S Rajan, managing director, IL&FS (see interview). Since then, the Pune-Sholapur road special purpose vehicles (SPV) highest bidder - an Italian firm - has decided to withdraw from the process. An alternative plan - including making it a part of the proposed Infrastructure Investment Trust, or InvIT, for the IL&FS Group - has been put in action. Another key area where Covid-19 has had a considerable impact is on the sale process for IL&FS Groups real estate portfolio, affecting timelines and value realisation. Some believe that the value of the assets can erode by 25 per cent in the post-Covid era. In addition, it has also had an impact on the functioning of courts, which has resulted in prolonging certain timelines. Commenting on the NCLAT approval, J N Gupta, managing director, SES, a proxy advisory firm, said: Our legal system needs to understand that allowing resolution processes to linger for long periods, especially in case of financial issues, adversely impacts many stakeholders, and asset values get depreciated. "For example, the adjusted gross revenue decision for telecom companies came after over a decade and put tremendous financial pressure on all the companies, with one almost on the verge of bankruptcy. It is not that things havent moved at all. While the GIFT City resolution (Rs 1,250 crore) took place during the lockdown, the board has addressed debt of Rs 17,640 crore or 18 per cent of the total outstanding debt till June 2020. These include the sale of 11 entities worth around Rs 5,000 crore, recovery of Rs 1,360 crore and reduction of entities from 347 to 276. Going ahead, the board has ambitious plans. For example, it plans to resolve (cumulative) debt by Rs 50, 590 crore by March 2021, and reduce the number of entities to 60. And an additional Rs 6,650 crore is expected to be resolved beyond March 2021. This would mean that around 57 per cent of the overall debt will be resolved - higher than the average 47 per cent that has been achieved under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, till now. Said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, chairman, Inditrade JRG Group and an investor in many fintech companies: Given that the crisis was very serious and the new management is non-executive, it becomes much more difficult to sell assets and take quick actions. "So, from that perspective, the IL&FS management has done a good job in tough circumstances. "Yes, some of the new targets seem a little ambitious, but except for meeting the deadlines strictly, they are doable. The key to all this will be the proposed InvIT. This will be done in two phases - phase one will include creating a pool of road assets that did not get bids or sub-optimal value bids, and the next phase will comprise state joint venture road assets or road assets in litigation or in which bidders withdrew the offer. The InvIT will house over Rs 11,000 crore of road assets, and sources said more assets will be added over time. This would mean over one-third of the resolution process is dependent on its success. The other important chunk is expected to come from asset sale of over Rs 12,650 crore till March 2021. In short, the IL&FS management has set stiff targets for itself at a time when the full impact of Covid-19 may not have played out completely. The success of the resolution process will also indicate the overall investment mood in the economy. 'Confident of achieving debt resolution numbers' Excerpts from an email interview with C S Rajan, managing director, IL&FS: What are the new challenges for the board? With respect to the sale process, running multiple processes simultaneously, onerous commercial arrangements with counterparties and the weak external environment have posed challenges. Unexpected lockdown extensions in different parts of the country also impact smooth functioning with regards to external and internal functioning, approval processes and timelines. Some challenges are being faced in realising faster settlement of receivables, due to the IL&FS Group, for the work done. However, we are confident of meeting our stated aggregate debt resolution numbers in these times. How has the strategy of the board/management changed due to the new challenges? The strategy remains the same except that we are now in the position to conclude transactions, with the NCLAT approving the resolution framework and equipping the board with necessary enabling legal powers to take definitive decisions and resolve overall debt. One year back, 65-odd companies were categorised in the green and amber (debt of around Rs 27,000 crore) due to their ability to fully or partially service their debt. Have these numbers changed in the current circumstances? The previous numbers of 65 companies were based on a one-year solvency test carried out for the testing period of January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. Thereafter, few companies were sold, liquidated and few changed categories, based on a fresh solvency test conducted for the period covering January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. The revised numbers comprise around 50 green and amber entities with nearly Rs 19,500 crore of external fund-based debt. Do you expect to meet the revised deadlines for the sale of assets and debt resolution? IL&FS remains deeply committed to the roadmap put out by the board. As long as the underlying regulatory, judicial and approval processes are available to us, we are confident of meeting the aggregate debt resolution numbers in the announced timelines. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Content Marketing Institute partners with Content Marketing Fast Forward in Amsterdam Content Marketing World 2020 To Release European Edition of the Digital Event The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) in partnership with Content Marketing Fast Forward (CMFF) in Amsterdam is pleased to announce Content Marketing World, The European Edition. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) in partnership with Content Marketing Fast Forward (CMFF) in Amsterdam is pleased to announce Content Marketing World, The European Edition. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) in partnership with Content Marketing Fast Forward (CMFF) in Amsterdam is pleased to announce Content Marketing World, The European Edition. This year Content Marketing World, the largest content marketing event on the planet, is completely online for a one-of-a-kind digital event, October 13-16, 2020. This partnership will bring all the amazing speakers, content, and fun to a whole new audience of European marketers. With the help of Content Marketing Fast Forward in Amsterdam, Content Marketing World, The European Edition, will include the three days of CMWorld keynote presentations plus additional content and context that is specific to the content marketing landscape in Europe. The European Edition will include local language talk shows featuring marketing experts from across Europe to discuss key takeaways from CMWorld 2020 keynote presentations, as well as topics and trends in the European market. Additionally, the event will be optimized to serve European marketers who are in a different time zone. We are beyond excited about this new collaboration with Content Marketing Fast Forward, shares Stephanie Stahl, general manager, Content Marketing Institute. Co-founders AJ Huisman and Bert van Loon have been long-time supporters and Content Marketing World Community Champions. Now that CMWorld is all digital this year, we have a great opportunity to reach new audiences. CMFF in Amsterdam is uniquely positioned to lead this initiative and bring CMWorld to life for the European market. For us it's an honor to launch Content Marketing World, The European Edition, says AJ Huisman, co-founder, CMFF. This is without any doubt the most important annual event for content marketers, and the 2020 circumstances offer the opportunity to make this more accessible for marketers in Europe than we could ever have done with a physical event. Story continues Across Europe, we have a solid network of partners who know the market and marketing trends in their country like no one else, adds Bert van Loon, co-founder, CMFF. The synergy of this network allows us to act fast, and to deliver a high-quality online event experience for marketers on this side of the pond. To learn more or to register for Content Marketing World 2020, The European Edition, please visit: www.cmworld-theEuropeanEdition.eu About Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMIs Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every fall in Cleveland, Ohio, and ContentTECH Summit event is held every spring in San Diego, California. CMI publishes Chief Content Officer for executives and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Content Marketing Institute is organized by Informa Connect. About Informa Connect Informa Connect is a specialist in content-driven events and digital communities that allow professionals to meet, connect, learn and share knowledge. We operate major branded events in Marketing, Global Finance, Life Sciences and Pharma, Construction & Real Estate, and in a number of other specialist markets and connect communities online year-round. About Content Marketing Fast Forward Content Marketing Fast Forward (CMFF), based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, produces events and education for marketers in Europe since 2015. The leading annual CMFF content marketing conference in Amsterdam is known for bringing global experts, thought leaders and practitioners together to share knowledge and forward focused solutions. CMFF is founded by Bert van Loon and AJ Huisman, content marketing, both international content marketing experts and speakers. Press Contact: For CMI: Amanda Subler, Amanda.Subler@informa.com For CMFF: Bert van Loon, bert@contentmarketingfastforward.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eec4e7b4-6f1a-48fc-b436-0b9320875816 Toronto police are cautioning the public that two recent fatal stabbings in Etobicoke may be connected a warning coming after a homeless man was found dead under a bridge on the West Humber Trail last week, then another man was killed outside a mosque Saturday night. At this stage in our investigation, it is too early to confirm if these two homicides are connected to one another however, we cannot exclude that possibility, Toronto police homicide Inspector Hank Idsinga told reporters at a press conference Monday. Stressing he did not want to cause panic, Idsinga nonetheless asked the public to be aware of your surroundings and said there are enhanced patrols in the area, including officers on foot and on all-terrain vehicles to offer further security to the people in the neighbourhood. The public is asked to report any suspicious people or behaviour to police or to Crime Stoppers, Idsinga said. The warning comes after 58-year-old Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, a volunteer caretaker at International Muslim Organization mosque near Rexdale Boulevard and Kipling Avenue, was approached by a suspect and fatally stabbed on Saturday night. At the time of his death, Zafis was sitting in a chair, controlling access to the mosque to comply with COVID-19 health regulations. Police are looking for a suspect in connection to Zafis death who is five-foot-six and 130 pounds. Investigators hope to release a more detailed suspect description Tuesday. Five days earlier, Rampreet (Peter) Singh was found clearly suffering from trauma, according to the Toronto police. Police said Singh was discovered by a jogger on a footpath under the Highway 27 bridge, just south of Humber College Boulevard. Singh had been living under the bridge on the West Humber Trail, and was likely killed while he was sleeping, police said. Idsinga confirmed Monday that Singh had been stabbed. The area near the homicide is heavily travelled by pedestrians on foot, on bicycles and rollerblades, police said. Considering the similarities in the method, and the proximity of the two homicides about five kilometres, as the crow flies, Idsinga said police wanted to alert the public that they are investigating the possibility the deaths are connected. Two homicide teams based out of the local police station, 23 division are working diligently, sifting through surveillance video from both crime scenes, he said. Asked by a member of the media if he would call this a serial killer case, Idsinga said: If the two homicides are connected, that would be the case, yes. Idsinga confirmed both victims are of similar ethnicities. He told reporters police are looking at everything, including the possibility that the homicides may be motivated by hate. Toronto police released surveillance video footage of the suspect in the Zafis homicide; Idsinga asked the public to take a close look at the video. I dont want to raise any fear or any panic, I just want people to be aware that this is something that were looking at, the possibility that these are connected, Idsinga said. We need people to be aware of their surroundings, especially on that path through the Humber trail. Be cognizant of whats going on around you. On Sunday, investigators asked anyone who may have witnessed the stabbing outside the IMO mosque to come forward with information, and asked anyone with cellphone images, dash-camera footage, and security video to provide the footage. Anyone with information about either homicide is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.222tips.com. Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis An Oxford-educated cancer doctor nicknamed 'God' is facing a disciplinary hearing amid allegations that he gave inappropriate treatment to terminally ill patients in a bid to extend their life. Cancer expert Professor Justin Stebbing, 49, is accused of having 'failed to provide good clinical care' to 11 people between March 2014 and March 2017. The doctor is often called on by extraordinarily-wealthy cancer sufferers from around the globe and has a reputation for being 'aggressive' in his treatment plans - even when a patient is near to death. Professor Stebbing - who treated New Zealand multi-millionaire Sir Douglas Myers and Doctor Who actress Lynda Bellingham - is a cancer medicine and oncology professor at Imperial College London and has a private Harley Street office. Oxford-educated cancer doctor Professor Justin Stebbing, 49, is facing a disciplinary hearing amid allegations that he gave inappropriate treatment to terminally ill patients in a bid to extend their life One accusation claims he suggested 'open-ended platinum doublet chemotherapy' to a patient, even though this was 'unsupported by clinical evidence' and fell 'outside national guidelines'. Another claims he backdated insurance documents. Doctor Who actress Lynda Bellingham was one of his patients He allegedly falsely claimed a meeting between colleagues had taken place prior to him signing off a Bupa insurance application for cancer drug funding. He also gave 19,500-per-dose pembrolizumab to a patient while there was 'no evidence of any response to the treatment', the allegations reported by The Times claim. Another patient had their treatment 'ceiling' increased by Professor Stebbing - who did not speak to his colleagues first. That same patient had their 'do not resuscitate' instruction removed by the doctor without him consulting his fellows beforehand. The professor was suspended from certain leading private health insurers' lists of recognised consultants in the midst of worries about certain drugs he was giving to patients. The accusations came after a General Medical Council investigation. One accusation claims he suggested 'open-ended platinum doublet chemotherapy' to a patient, even though this was 'unsupported by clinical evidence' and fell 'outside national guidelines' (file image) On the other hand, those backing the expert have highlighted the fact that Sir Douglas stayed alive for four years after spending thousands of pounds on Professor Stebbing's treatment. The tycoon was given just weeks to live prior to the pair's first meeting. Ms Bellingham lived for an extra 15 months after his treatment. Today, a hearing of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service continued in Manchester. It will resume on several days until March 2021. Professor Stebbing has been approached for comment. Mastercard Incorporated MA recently partnered with the leading global banking and financial services provider, HSBC Holdings plc HSBC. The tie up has paved the way for HSBC to join the City Possible network, which is pioneered by Mastercard. Notably, collaboration forms the crux of the City Possible network, where members jointly codevelop innovative solutions for promoting sustainable urban development. The network utilizes collective resources and expertise of all its stakeholders to address prevalent urban challenges. While HSBC is the latest addition to the City Possible network, other notable partners include the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard University (TECH), Lyft, Inc. LYFT, IDEMIA, Here Technologies, Deep Labs and Willis Towers Watson WLTW. Concurrent with the addition of HSBC, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) became the first National Tourism Organisation to join the Mastercards City Possible network. Coming back to the HSBC tie-up, this alliance intends to focus on promoting green financing to sustainable infrastructure projects and, building more sustainable and inclusive communities. The tie-up also entails extension of the City Possible network to not only more of such locations where HSBC is active but also to reach out to its business clients who offer city systems and urban services. The move clearly highlights Mastercards efforts to expand the reach of its City Possible network. Moreover, HSBC seems apt for the purpose since it has an impressive record of not only providing a full range of city systems and urban services to companies globally but also offering personal banking facilities for several citizens. It has also been managing urban development projects quite efficiently. Moreover, the move comes at an opportune time since most of the cities across the world are likely to witness rise in demand for urban innovation post the COVID-19 pandemic. Expansion of the City Possible network will, in fact, pave the way for urban development ensuring harmonious working of the public and private sectors, broadening supply chain reach and giving access to capital. Story continues With an eye on sustainable development, Mastercard had previously rolled out a sustainable card program for card issuers intended at developing sustainable payment solutions. As a result, cards have been issued with approved materials made out of recyclable, bio-sourced, chlorine-free, degradable and ocean plastics by over 60 financial institutions. This move came in response to the trend of curbing single-use plastics by people to control climate change. Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 20.4% in a year compared with the industrys growth of 6.4%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Digital transactions have been gaining momentum globally for quite some time, and the pandemic only accelerated the trend. This trend is likely to sustain even beyond the pandemic. Last week, in an update about third-quarter 2020 operating metrics, the company stated that its switched volume and switched transactions have been showing an improving trend since July and August. Its cross-border volume still continues to be impacted by infrequent travel, which has however, been improving slightly since early July. We believe that the growing popularity of contactless payments and the rising adoption of digital transactions worldwide are likely to position Mastercard well for long-term growth. 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 Mastercard Incorporated (MA) : Free Stock Analysis Report HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WLTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lyft, Inc. (LYFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. After three staff members a two schools in a Gloucester County district have tested positive for the coronavirus, the districts high school and an elementary school have delayed the start of in-person classes. The two employees at Hurffville Elementary in Washington Township who work in separate parts of the building and had no contact with one another tested positive, Superintendent Joseph N. Bollendorf said in a letter to the community. In addition, a staff member at Washington Township High School tested positive for COVID-19. High school students are learning remotely this week except for special needs students and scheduled to begin the districts hybrid plan on Sept. 21. Hurffville elementary will launch its hybrid model Sept. 28 with a mix of in-person and remote learning, the district said. Teachers will provide instruction from home while the school is closed. All district students began the year remotely. The district is following multi-cohort hybrid plan and began classes on Tuesday. Students will have the option of attending classes twice per week. Washington Township is at least one of six districts that have announced schedule changes just days into the academic year in response to coronavirus cases among students and staff. The New Jersey Department of Health issued several matrices to help schools decide if and when they should ask students to quarantine or shut down school buildings if someone tests positive for COVID-19. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 13:01:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tropical Storm Sally is expected to hit the U.S. state of Louisiana early Tuesday as a Category 2 hurricane while mandatory evacuation was ordered in parts of the state. The National Hurricane Center in Miami forecasted that Sally, which continues to strengthen across the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 60 mph (about 96 kmph), could become a hurricane on Monday and reach shore by early Tuesday, bringing severe weather conditions to a region from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Storm surges of up to seven to 11 feet are possible near the center of the storm and just east of where landfall is expected. Besides, extreme rainfall amounts of over a foot are expected in some locations between southeast Louisiana and the western Florida. Hurricane warnings have been issued from Morgan City, Louisiana, east to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, including New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas and all northern Gulf Coast states are urging residents to prepare. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said on Sunday that he had requested a federal declaration of emergency to allow for early support from the federal government. "We have every reason to believe that this storm represents a very significant threat to the people of southeast Louisiana," Edwards told a press conference. "This, when combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, can make us all weary," Edwards tweeted. "I implore Louisianans to take their preparations seriously." A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana ahead of the storm. In coastal Louisiana, Grand Isle and St. Charles Parish are under mandatory evacuation orders, and a recommended evacuation notice went out to the community of Port Fourchon. St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell warned that the storm will cause widespread power outages. "We want residents to heed our warnings and make preparations to leave now," Jewell said on the official Facebook page of St. Charles Parish. In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside of the city's levee protection system. The evacuation will begin Sunday at 6 p.m. for the areas of Venetian Isles, Irish Bayou and Lake Catherine. In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves also signed a preliminary state of emergency for the state. He has requested President Donald Trump "to provide the necessary guidance" for pre-landfall activity. According to the governor, coastal areas such as Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties are listed in high risk of significant rainfall. These regions could face up to 15-20 inches of rain, creating high-rising water levels and the potential need of rescue teams. On Sunday, oil company BP Plc and Equinor ASA evacuated staff from some offshore platforms following similar action by Chevron Corp and Murphy Oil Corp on Saturday. Sally, a second storm disrupting oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in less than a month, follows Laura, a Category 4 hurricane that ravaged coastal Louisiana towns and left residents of Louisiana and Texas without power for weeks. Enditem LAS VEGAS Past presidents running for reelection have built entire campaigns around their incumbency: Events in the Rose Garden. Signing ceremonies in the Oval Office. Cross-country campaign swings on Air Force One. President Donald Trump has used this tactic to his advantage in recent weeks parking the iconic presidential jet behind the stage at his rallies, turning the executive complex into a high-production venue for the Republican National Convention and unveiling an updated list of potential Supreme Court nominees against the elegant backdrop of the White House Diplomatic Reception Room. But for the wildly unpredictable president, its not enough. As Trump sprints toward the finish line in his race against Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, he is waging a campaign with dual personalities. There is the concerned commander in chief, who will spend Monday assessing the wildfires that have devastated California a state that is bound to hand all 55 of its electoral votes to Biden on Election Day and who recently initiated a drawdown of American troops in the Middle East and took unilateral action on Sunday to lower drug prices. And there is Trump the perpetual outsider combative and vicious as ever who spent the weekend baselessly accusing his opponent of drug abuse, praising the fatal shooting of a murder suspect with antifa ties as retribution, and assuring voters that the coronavirus pandemic had rounded a corner even as the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 creeps toward 200,000. The outcome is a reelection campaign caught between two worlds in the two months left before voters decide Trumps fate. For as often as Trump has shown a desire to use the trappings of the presidency in a conventional way, he has muddled, upstaged and at times completely derailed those efforts with profoundly unorthodox tactics that most of his supporters adore. The jarring contrast was on full display most recently as the president, in a span of 24 hours, went from commending the courage and resolve of Flight 93 passengers in a 9/11 anniversary speech from the site of their death in Shanksville, Pa., to claiming that Biden is on performance-enhancing drugs. Story continues I think theres probably possibly drugs involved, Trump told Fox News Jeanine Pirro in an interview that aired Saturday night. Thats what I hear. I mean, theres possibly drugs. The presidents unfounded claim about his opponent aired after his campaign rally in nearby Minden, Nev., where he vowed to become vicious in the remaining weeks before the Nov. 3 election. I dont have to be nice anymore, he declared. One Trump campaign official said it was unclear where the drug abuse charges against Biden, whom the president has accused of lacking the mental acuity to hold office, originated. The same official described Trumps comments as counterproductive ahead of the first presidential debate, on Sept. 29. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. What you see is the president elevating Biden to a cartoonish level to distract from the naked, cartoonish failure of presidential leadership that is still unfolding, said Roger Fisk, a former top campaign aide to President Barack Obama. Supporters react as President Donald Trump speaks at a rally Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. Many Trump allies dont seem to mind the split approach hes taken to campaigning for reelection. In their view, its a brilliant way to furnish the sound bites and insults that will boost turnout among his core supporters on Election Day, while also giving campaign aides the material they need to craft messages that are tailored to demographics hes struggling with including women and suburban and senior voters. For example, just as the president was gloating about withdrawing from the Paris climate accord during his Saturday rally in Minden, his aides were locking in plans for his Monday visit to Sacramento, Calif., where he will meet with local and federal personnel and likely highlight the disaster declaration he issued for the state in late August. Its crazy whats going on, Trump said of the California wildfires during his Sunday night rally in Henderson, Nev. Im going there tomorrow. You want forest management. The presidents campaign event here in Clark County underscored the defiance that remains at the center of his political career and that is complicating his bid for reelection. The indoor rally, which was held at a manufacturing facility just outside Vegas, featured thousands of maskless supporters crowded together a likely violation of Nevadas Covid-19 rules against large gatherings. On Tuesday, Trump will host a signing at the White House for the Abraham Accords, a pair of peace agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain. Though he is likely to wear his presidential hat for the historic diplomatic occasion, Trump will be back in campaign mode later that evening for a televised ABC News town hall with undecided voters in Philadelphia. (At a town hall in June, the president claimed that Chicagos crime rate was worse than Afghanistan and teased out a potential pardon for his former associate Roger Stone.) The Tuesday town hall could become a distraction from the signing ceremony that Trump will preside over hours before he arrives in Pennsylvania. A near fatal ambush of two police deputies in Compton, Calif., by a lone gunman over the weekend has given the president fresh fodder for his tough-on-crime campaign message. Trump has put the protection of law enforcement at the center of his reelection bid in the wake of nationwide demonstrations over police brutality and systemic racism. ROANOKE New leadership will start this week at the U.S. attorneys office for the Western District of Virginia. The district is based in Roanoke and includes the Charlottesville area. As U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen departs Tuesday to become a federal judge, authority will shift to his first assistant, Daniel Bubar, a spokesman for Cullen said Friday. The U.S. Senate confirmed Cullen for a Western District judgeship Thursday. His resignation as chief prosecutor is due to take effect at noon Tuesday, the same moment Bubar will become acting U.S. attorney for the district. Bubar, 40, holds a bachelors degree from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, and a law degree from Notre Dame Law School, the office said. After becoming a lawyer, he practiced from 2004 to 2010 in the Chicago office of McGuireWoods, representing clients in business and health care matters. He joined the Justice Department in 2010 and worked as a prosecutor in Virginia and North Carolina. Cullen picked Bubar to be his top assistant when Cullen became U.S. attorney in 2018. Bubar has managed day-to-day operations of the office and employees support him, according to a news release. Its unclear how long Bubar will be in the acting position. Buried Truths, the award-winning podcast based on the Emory College course that works to uncover the history of racially motivated murders in the Jim Crow South, is devoting its new season to a high-profile coastal Georgia killing earlier this year. The seven-episode series, produced by public radio station WABE for release on Sept. 16, focuses on the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed a 25-year-old Black man who was pursued by three armed white men near the coastal city of Brunswick. All Season 3 episodes will be released at the same time. Emorys Pulitzer Prize-winning professor and journalist Hank Klibanoff, working with five Emory undergraduates, local editor Richard Halicks and the WABE production team, unearthed the centuries-long roots of the killing during a summer marked by national protests demanding a reckoning on race. What has happened in the past is still happening. It just looks a little different, says Cameron Katz, a senior with a double major in history and creative writing, who helped research the ancestry of the men charged in Arberys death: Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan. In some ways, thats really discouraging, she adds. But looking at it through history really helps us have these hard conversations about why it took so long for the perpetrators to be arrested. Going deeper into the history allows us to connect dots that people might not have known existed, Klibanoff says. Many of us are experiencing a deep and compelling need, driven in part by the moral outrage triggered by this case, to understand who we were, so we can better understand who we are today. Change of course for new season It is the first time the podcast Buried Truths takes aim at a current incident. Students in Klibanoffs Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project course usually examine killings that took place in the modern civil rights era, roughly from 1945 to 1968. Buried Truths won a Peabody Award and Robert F. Kennedy Award in 2019 for its first season, about a Black farmer, Isaiah Nixon, who was killed by two white men in 1948 for voting; and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for its second season, about the 1962 shooting of a Black teenager, A.C. Hall, by two white Macon police officers. Last fall, Klibanoffs class studied the 1958 killing of James Brazier, who worked three jobs to buy a new Chevrolet Impala for his family. The car drew the ire of Dawson Police at a time of escalated racial tension during desegregation. Brazier died at age 31 from a police beating, after asking an officer to stop striking his father during a traffic stop for suspected drunken driving as the men returned from a day at church. Klibanoff and WABE senior producer Dave Barasoain traveled to Terrell County during Spring Break to interview people familiar with the Brazier case and pull additional records in the case, which was originally planned to be the focus of this seasons podcast. Shortly thereafter, the area shut down as a national hotspot of the emerging novel coronavirus. Arberys death remained largely unknown at the time. But an article in The New York Times in April, followed by the release of a video of the February confrontation, drew national attention. Klibanoff and his Emory College student team Jake Busch, Hannah Charak, Jordan Flowers, Katz and Sage Mason decided then to begin tracing the history behind Arberys death. Previous research by junior Rowan Thomas regarding the role of slave patrols in creating police forces in the rural South also guided their work. For Flowers, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, the parallels between Brazier and Arbery were clear. Like Arberys shooting, Braziers death went unreported in local newspapers but became national news once the Washington Post wrote about the case. The podcast is an opportunity to tell a more complete story, shedding new light on a case where, unfortunately, all perspectives originally werent included, says Flowers, an aspiring journalist. Among the new details: the family histories of both the McMichaels and Bryan, which include ancestors who enslaved people and fought for the Confederacy. They also uncovered Arberys link to one of the most well-known enslaved people in Georgia, Bilali Mohammed on Sapelo Island. Mohammed was the highly educated author of a manuscript on Islamic belief and rules discovered after his death in 1857. "Both the Arberys and the McMichaels have deep coastal Georgia roots. So the violent history of the region, dating back hundreds of years, is still relevant today, says Charak, a junior history major who examined the historical racial dynamics in Glynn County, where Brunswick is located, as well as the genealogical roots of the white men who chased Arbery. The history is especially helpful when putting the months lapse between the fatal incident and arrests into context. It is harder to explain why an attorney who knew the elder McMichaels leaked a graphic video that Bryan captured during the incident. Mason, who graduated from Emory College in May with a degree in media studies and philosophy, politics and law, got that attorney on the phone to ask. His interview with Alan Tucker is included in the podcast. There is such a schism between what they think the video shows and what everybody else sees, Mason says. The best thing that can happen is if people can learn from the podcast what cultural histories are playing out that allowed this tragedy to take place. While El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. remains in hibernation, United Airlines, one of its major rivals on its Israel to North America routes has moved up a gear with the inauguration of its flights between Tel Aviv and Chicago. United, which announced the launch of the flights in July, last week began operating three weekly flights between Ben Gurion airport and Chicago's O'Hare airport, Trend reports with reference to Globes. Despite the dearth of passengers due to Covid-19, United currently already operates 10 weekly flights between Tel Aviv and Newark, New Jersey, and three weekly flights between Tel Aviv and San Francisco. Before the pandemic, United operated 40 weekly flights from Tel Aviv. The carrier is currently competing on the Tel Aviv - New York route only with Delta. United Airlines Israel managing director Avi Friedman told "Globes," "Uni8ted Airlines operates its flights regardless of whether El Al is flying or not. As long as they don't stop us, we will continue to fly." United is one of only three airlines (together with Ethiopian Airlines and Belavia) that continued flying to Israel throughout the pandemic, even during the lockdown in March and April, and even though non-Israeli passport holders have been barred from entering the country since March. This was a commercial decision by the company," explains Friedman. United has been able to fill its flights with Israelis and US citizens given permission to enter Israel such as students including yeshiva students studying in Israel, essential medical and scientific staff, and US Jews with family in Israel. United has also increased the amount of cargo transported on its passenger flights. Next month, United will relaunch Tel Aviv - Washington DC flights and increase the number of weekly Tel Aviv - Newark flights to 14. Since the start of 2020, United has flown 200,000 passengers to and from Ben Gurion airport, down 70% from the corresponding period of 2019. But United has a market share of 15.5% of all the passengers using Ben Gurion airport this year compared with just 2.3% last year. South Korea welcomes an agreement reached between Bahrain and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations, the foreign ministry said Monday. "The government welcomes the agreement between Bahrain and Israel to normalize their diplomatic relations, and we expect the agreement will contribute to stability and peace settlement in the region," ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said. On Friday, Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by announcing that it will sign a normalization accord with Israel under a deal brokered by the U.S. Donald Trump administration. The UAE reached the agreement with the Jewish state last month. The three countries will sign the accord in a White House ceremony this week. The deal makes Bahrain the fourth Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, after Egypt, Jordan and the UAE. (Yonhap) 3,500 meters drill program to significantly expand resources at its Mont Sorcier project in QuebecTORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Vanadium One Iron Corp. ("Vanadium One" or the "Company") (TSXV:VONE), is pleased to announce that ... Vanadium One Iron Corp. 3,500 meters drill program to significantly expand resources at its Mont Sorcier project in Quebec TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Vanadium One Iron Corp. ("Vanadium One" or the "Company") (TSXV:VONE), is pleased to announce that it has commenced its 2020 drill program at its Mont Sorcier iron and vanadium project located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec. This program is targeting to expand the current resource at Mont Sorcier and deliver a new Mineral Resource Estimate by Q1 2021. The aim of the drill program is to increase the current resources to a minimum of between 900 million to 1.1 billion tonnes at grades of between 24-34% magnetite. This is similar to the grade of the current resource shown in the table below. Investors are cautioned that this resource target is conceptual in nature at this time and there has been insufficient exploration to define a new mineral resource. The drill program and associated work is based in part on the recommendations suggested in the NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment dated April 9, 2020 with an effective date of February 27, 2020 (available on SEDAR and Vanadium One's website: www.vanadiumone.com). The drilling contract was awarded to Mikkan Drilling Ltd. for a program of approximately 3,500 metres in 8-10 holes. The drill program will focus on the eastern half of the North Zone and will cover more than 1.5 kilometers along strike. The drill program has used the results of the 2010 MAG survey and geology mapping in its planning, which highlight the continuation of ultramafic host rocks. The program will include standard core logging, assaying and Davis tube analysis to determine ore grades and expected concentrate grades. This program will aim to expand the overall resource base defined in the 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate outlined below. Story continues Mineral Resource Estimate1 at Mont Sorcier Using a Cut-off Grade2 of 14% Fe. Zone Category4, 5 Tonnage Head grade Grade in concentrate Rock (Mt) Concentrate (Mt) Fe (%) Magnetite (%) Fe (%) V 2 O 5 (%) Al 2 O 3 (%) TiO 2 (%) MgO (%) SiO 2 (%) South Indicated 113.5 35.0 22.7 30.9 65.3 0.6 0.3 1.2 3.8 2.8 Inferred 144.6 36.1 20.2 24.9 66.9 0.5 0.4 1.0 3.4 2.5 North Inferred 376.0 142.2 27.4 37.8 63.7 0.6 1.0 1.8 3.5 4.2 Total Indicated 113.5 35.0 22.7 30.9 65.3 0.6 0.3 1.2 3.8 2.8 Inferred 520.6 178.3 25.4 34.2 64.4 0.6 0.8 1.7 3.5 3.9 1. Numbers have been rounded to reflect the precision of Inferred and Indicated Mineral Resource estimates. 2. The reporting cut-off was calculated for a magnetite concentrate containing 65% Fe with price of $US 90/t of dry concentrate, 50% of the price of V2O5 contained in the concentrate, a V2O5 price of $US 14/lb, a minimum of 0.2 % of V2O5 contained in the concentrate, an open pit mining operation, a cost of mining and milling feed mineralization of USD 13.80/t, a cost of transporting concentrate of USD 40/t; and a cost of tailing disposal of USD 1.5/t. 3. Vanadium One is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-economic, marketing or political factors that might materially affect these mineral resource estimates. 4. Resource classification, as defined by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum in their document "CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" of May 10, 2014. 5. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and by definition do not demonstrate economic viability. This MRE includes inferred Mineral Resources that are normally considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. Cliff Hale-Sanders, President and CEO of Vanadium One Iron commented, "We are pleased to be going back into the field to enhance the overall potential we see in the Mont Sorcier project. We believe an expanded resource base in conjunction with the robust economics outlined in the PEA earlier this year should be very supportive in our efforts to enter into a strategic partnership to develop Mont Sorcier into a long life, highly profitable iron and vanadium mine." The drill results are expected to enhance the value presented in the PEA as outlined in the Technical Report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) of the Mont Sorcier Project, Province of Quebec, Canada". The report was completed by CSA Global Consultants Canada Ltd, an ERM Company (CSA Global) and has an effective date of February 27, 2020. The report was prepared in accordance with Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. A summary of the results is highlighted below: PEA Summary Results The PEA was prepared by CSA Global incorporating contributions from Vulcan Technologies for the Iron and Vanadium Market Pricing Study. The PEA is preliminary in nature, as 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 preliminary economic assessment will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Technical Report is available for review under the Company's profile on SEDAR and on the Company's website. Technical Disclosure The reader is advised that the PEA summarized in this press release is intended to provide only an initial, high-level review of the project potential and design options. The PEA mine plan and economic model include numerous assumptions and the use of Inferred Mineral Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered to be too speculative to be used in an economic analysis except as allowed for by National Instrument 43-101 in PEA studies. There is no guarantee the project economics described herein will be achieved. Qualified Persons Statements The PEA and other scientific and technical information contained in this news release were prepared by CSA Global, in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), and has been reviewed and approved by, as it relates to geology, sampling, drilling, exploration, and QAQC : Dr. Luke Longridge, Ph.D., P.Geo, Senior Geologist (CSA Global); as it relates to mineral resources: Dr. Adrian Martinez Vargas, Ph.D., P.Geo, Senior Resource Geologist (CSA Global); as it relates to metallurgy, processing and related infrastructure: Georgi Doundarov, M.Sc., P. Eng., PMP, CCP, (Magemi Mining Inc.) and Associate Metallurgical Engineer (CSA Global); as it relates to mining, related infrastructure, and mining costs: Karol Bartsch, BSc Mining (Hons), MAusIMM, Principal Mining Engineer (CSA Global); and as it relates to financial modelling and economic analysis: Bruce Pilcher, B.E. (Mining), Eur Ing, CEng, FIMMM, FAusIMM CP, Principal Mining Engineer (CSA Global) and Alex Veresezan, M.Sc., P.Eng., Manager - Mining (Americas). Dr. Luke Longridge, Dr. Adrian Martinez Vargas, Georgi Doundarov, Karol Bartsch, Bruce Pilcher and Alex Veresezan are all independent Qualified Persons ("QP"), as defined under NI 43-101. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Pierre-Jean Lafleur, P.Eng. (OIQ), who is a Qualified Person with respect to the Company's Mont Sorcier Project as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Vanadium One Iron Corp.: Vanadium One Iron Corp. is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier, Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project, in Chibougamau, Quebec. NOT FOR DISTRUBITION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF VANADIUM ONE IRON CORP. Cliff Hale-Sanders, President & CEO Tel: 416-819-8558 csanders@vanadiumone.com www.vanadiumone.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains "forward-looking information" including statements with respect to the future exploration performance of the Company. This forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements of the Company, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Company's filing on SEDAR, which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation, other than as required by law, to update any forward-looking information for any reason. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. SOURCE: Vanadium One Iron Corp. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/606033/Vanadium-One-Commences-Drill-Program-at-Mont-Sorcier The new Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) System Market Research from Technavio indicates Negative and Inferior growth in the short term as the business impact of COVID-19 spreads. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005689/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) System Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) "One of the primary growth drivers for this market is the increased demand for technology transfer options," says a senior analyst at Technavio. The importance of undersea capabilities to national security is rising among countries. Additionally, it is important for countries to nurture partnerships and involve in collaborative efforts for the design and development of submarines and its associated components. Both developing and developed nations are in the process of establishing strategic partnerships with technology providers and OEMs for the procurement of enhanced submarines with abilities to respond to the changing nature of undersea warfare. Such partnerships play an essential role in ensuring enhanced platforms with superior weapon and combat systems onboard. For instance, the defense ministries of Japan and the UK signed an agreement for the transfer of defense equipment. This has resulted in the commencement of numerous defense projects, including force and platform protection and air defense systems. These increasing collaborative efforts will substantially help regional and domestic sonar technology providers in serving customers in different geographical locations, which, in turn, will propel the SONAR system market. As the markets recover Technavio expects the sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market size to grow by USD 1.01 billion during the period 2020-2024. Get detailed insights on COVID-19 pandemic Crisis and Recovery analysis of sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market. Download free report sample Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) System Segment Highlights for 2020 The sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market is expected to post a year-over-year growth rate of 4.21%. Passive SONAR dominated the market in 2019. It is primarily used for detecting noise from submarines, mines, ships, and other naval vessels. Through spectrum analysis, the passive SONAR technique processes the sound signal generated by the target. Unlike active SONAR, passive SONAR provides a significant advantage for military vessels, driving its adoption. Passive SONAR does not emit its own signal, thus preventing hostile groups from detecting vessels or submarines that release passive SONAR. The increase in technological advances is also one of the major factors that propel the market growth during the forecast period. Therefore, the sound navigation and ranging system market share growth by the passive sonar segment will be faster than the growth of the market by the active sonar segment. Regional Analysis 40% of the growth will originate from the APAC region. Factors such as enhancement of undersea capabilities in countries, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, will significantly drive sound navigation and ranging system market growth in this region over the forecast period. China, the Russian Federation, and Japan are the key markets for sound navigation and ranging systems in APAC. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. Click here to learn about report detailed analysis and insights on how you can leverage them to grow your business. Notes: The sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market size is expected to accelerate at a CAGR of almost 6% during the forecast period. The sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system market is segmented by type (passive SONAR and active SONAR), application (defense and civil and commercial), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA). The market is fragmented due to the presence of many established vendors holding significant market share. The research report offers information on several market vendors, including ASELSAN AS, Furuno Electric Co. Ltd., Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Technologies Corp., Thales Group, thyssenkrupp AG, and Ultra Electronics Holdings Plc. Register for a free trial today to access 17,000+ market research reports using Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Coverage Regions Covered Worldwide Topics Covered COVID-19, Sound Navigation, Sound Navigation and Ranging Sound Navigation and Ranging System, Passive SONAR and Active SONAR View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005689/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/ Chinas insects and other invertebrates are spoilt for choice with the countrys array of deserts, rainforests, mountains and tropical coastlines. The winning photographs of the Wild China Biodiversity Photography Contest hosted by Wild China Film present the countrys sweeping lands and rare plants from unexpected perspectives. Here is a pick of the crop Jan 21, 2022 06:20 PM Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 00:18:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (2nd L) meets with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo (3rd R) and Li Mengqun (2nd R), president of Huawei Western Balkans, at Huawei's Innovations and Development Center in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 14, 2020. Chinese tech giant Huawei opened its Innovations and Development Center here in the Serbian capital on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who sees it as an immense contribution to the digital transformation of the country's economy. (Huawei/Handout via Xinhua) BELGRADE, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Huawei opened its Innovations and Development Center here in the Serbian capital on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who sees it as an immense contribution to the digital transformation of the country's economy. At the opening event, Brnabic toured the new center, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, and Li Mengqun, president of Huawei Western Balkans. Brnabic said the center will help Serbia further accelerate its digital transformation, which has been among the key priorities of her government, and boost innovation and creativity in the Serbian economy. "Large international companies have an immense role in the digital transformation of our economy, along with our educational system and local innovative and startup companies. Such partners are of key importance to us, and one of the best and biggest of them is certainly the Chinese company Huawei," she noted. According to Brnabic, Serbia's cooperation with Huawei is not limited only to 5G network. She highlighted the three main aspects of the cooperation -- introduction of artificial intelligence, digitalization of education and introduction of smart cities across Serbia. In their speeches, both Brnabic and Chen pointed out that the new center is yet another breakthrough in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. "The digital industry in China plays a significant role in economic development. And now Serbia is in the process of digitalization development. Chinese companies are ready to share their technology and experience with Serbian partners. I am sure that such cooperation will be useful for both sides, Chinese and Serbian," said the Chinese ambassador. Noting that Huawei has been in the country for 15 years, Li said the new development center has five core value propositions -- talent nurturing, ecosystem, smart solutions, localization, and agile innovation. "We call this the 'Tesla' proposition, named after (Nikola Tesla,) one of the greatest inventors and physicists born and raised right here in the Balkans. Huawei has high hopes for the role that the Center will play in digital transformation," Li said. "We hope and believe that the Serbian government will continue to create an open and fair business environment for ICT infrastructure construction. Together, we can make Serbia a world leader in the digital era with ubiquitous connectivity, digital platforms, and pervasive intelligence," Li concluded. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya answered questions during a second weekly online streaming session from Vilnius on Saturday. Tsikhanouskaya, who ran in place of her imprisoned husband against the country's authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko in what was viewed by many as rigged elections on 9 August, is currently staying in the capital Lithuania. On a day, when over 100 000 demonstrators marched in Minsk with reportedly more than 400 detained, Tsikhanouskaya said, "they don't want to listen or hear us." She called for police and other law enforcement to "make a choice. And if they choose to side with the people, side with the law, it's time to declare they stand with the people of Belarus." She encouraged the protesters, saying, "It takes some willpower to go out and protest every day. Some inner strength to fight off fear and move forward." Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has said that the Ukrainian side at the meeting of advisors to the heads of state of the Normandy Four in Berlin on September 11 did not undertake any obligations to revise the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on the appointment of local elections in Ukraine for October 25. "There was no obligation for the Ukrainian side to revise the resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada, and this is impossible, because we cannot interfere in the activities of the Ukrainian parliament," he said on the Ukraina TV channel on Sunday. Yermak noted that the Ukrainian delegation only informed the colleagues at the meeting that the deputy from the Servant of the People registered a resolution on changes on July 28. "This resolution exists today, and it will soon be submitted to the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada, where its fate as a legal document will be decided," he said. As reported, on August 19, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Leonid Kravchuk, informed the TCG participants about sending an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada with a proposal to consider the issue of compliance of the parliamentary resolution on the appointment of the next local elections in 2020 with the law of Ukraine on a special procedure for local self-government in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which was supported by the UN Security Council Resolution 2202 (2015). Earlier, the media released a copy of the Russian document that the Russian side presented during the negotiations within the TCG. In the draft final document of the upcoming meeting of the Normandy Four advisers, Russia set out its demands for the Ukrainian side, in particular, to cancel the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada, which does not allow holding local elections in the occupied territories. The draft resolution on amendments to the resolution on the conduct of local elections was introduced by MP Oleksandr Kachura. According to this draft, "Elections of deputies of local councils and rural, settlement, city mayors, not appointed in accordance with paragraph 2 of this resolution, will be appointed in accordance with the procedure and terms specified by laws, subject to: the full completion of the procedures for disarmament, demilitarization and reintegration in the respective territories in accordance with the standards of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe." RTHK: WHO warns of more autumn deaths from Covid-19 Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during the autumn months, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Israel was among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday when people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. The announcement sparked a wave of anger. "It's unfair!" said Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress. "They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic in China late last year, as global cases rapidly approach 29 million. "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP in an interview. WHO Europe's 55 members started a two-day online meeting on Monday focusing on their response to the virus. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the meeting by video-link: "We are by no means out of the woods." The latest surge has sparked alarm across Europe, and revived the debate over how best to respond to the rise in infections. England has limited social gatherings to no more than six people from Monday. On the other hand, millions of schoolchildren in other affected countries have returned to their classrooms for the first time in months. Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months on Monday. Although officials said thousands of extra classrooms had been set up, there were concerns over a lack of surgical masks for teachers and a shortage of single-seat benches. Some southern Italian regions postponed their reopening, worried they were not properly prepared. A Vatican spokesman meanwhile said Pope Francis was being "constantly monitored" after having met with a cardinal who later tested positive. While Europe battles with rising infections, other parts of the world are tentatively easing restrictions. Saudi Arabia said it would partially lift a six-month suspension of international flights this week, while South Korea said it would ease rules in and around the capital Seoul after cases declined. The backlash against the restrictions is also being factored in by beleaguered governments. Australian police arrested dozens of people over the weekend at anti-lockdown rallies in Melbourne as crowds defied stay-at-home orders. Similar rallies took place in Germany and Poland on Saturday attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Such protests are relatively common in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Trump, under pressure for campaigning for the economy to reopen despite the catastrophic figures, was criticised for holding big rallies over the weekend. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. Though at least six New Jersey school districts have reported positive COVID-19 cases in the first two weeks of in-person classes, none of those cases are believed to be incidents where students or teachers caught the coronavirus in the classroom, state officials said Monday. Schools in Howell, Frankford, Little Silver, Chatham and Washington Township in Gloucester County and a county vocational school in East Brunswick have all switched to remote learning or asked some students to stay home due to positive COVID-19 cases. It is believed the students and teachers who tested positive all got the coronavirus outside of school and no one they came into contact with in the classroom has contracted COVID-19, Gov. Phil Murphy said at his coronavirus press briefing. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage I dont believe were aware of any in-school transmission ... It feels to me, Id say quite strongly, that this system is working. Steps are being taken as they should be, Murphy said. State health and education officials have not been alarmed by the first wave of cases, the governor added. Its about what we expected, Murphy said. State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said schools have been following state guidelines that require them to help local health officials trace and contact all of the students and teachers an infected person came into contact with at school. The schools are doing, I think, an excellent job in the contact tracing, Persichilli said. Theyre really working it. State officials said it is likely there will be some in-school transmission of the coronavirus at some point as more districts reopen and students and teachers spend more time in school. The longer that we wait and see the more likely that is to happen. This is the reason why we set up these surveillance systems. This is the reason why we put out all this information to the schools and the schools work with the local health departments, said Edward Lifshitz, the states communicable disease service medical director. As of Friday, 771 school district reopening plans had been approved by the state Department of Education, officials said. They included 395 districts with hybrid plans combining in-person and at-home learning, 266 districts that are all remote, 75 holding only in-person classes and 35 that have a combination of in-person, remote and hybrid plans in various schools. There have been more than 16,000 deaths in N.J. attributed to COVID-19 since the state recorded its first case in early March. Still, Murphy has taken steps to reopen businesses that have been shuttered since he imposed strict restrictions to blunt the spread of the outbreak in mid-March. Last week, gyms across the were permitted to reopen, as were movie theaters and restaurants were allowed to let diners eat indoors ahead of the Labor Day weekend. Murphy said he thinks the chances are relatively low there will be any significant spikes in COVID-19 cases after he lifted restrictions on restaurants and some schools reopened for in-person classes. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. The remains of the 19-year-old girl murdered at Gomoa Lome in the Gomoa Central District recently were laid to rest last Saturday at a sombre funeral ceremony at Agona Swedru in the Central Region. Augustina Teye, aka Adjoa Kelempe, was last spotted by her friends on Thursday, August 27, 2020, but was found dead in a bush at Gomoa Lome on the morning of the following day. No arrests have been made so far in connection with the teenagers murder which threw the Swedru township into shock two weeks ago. The orphaned Augustina Teye left behind a four-year-old daughter who is living with her grandparents at Agona Swedru. Hundreds of mourners and sympathisers, mostly youth, thronged the family house at Desuenim to bid her farewell, with many of them especially her peers heard calling for justice and arrest of the perpetrator(s) of the act. Girl, 19, murdered, body parts removed Due respect In due respect to the dead and the sensibilities of the family, mourners were strictly cautioned against taking pictures of the deceased as she laid in state, apparently because of the circumstances of her death. One mourner remarked: Indeed, this is an act of wickedness and lack of compassion on the part of the assailant(s) to gruesomely murder such a poor girl under the cover of darkness. The Police must up their game and apprehend the culprits as quickly as possible to face the law. The naked and lifeless body of the light-skinned teenager was found lying in a pool of blood with several machete wounds on the body on that fateful day. Her feet, wrists, buttocks and private parts were removed, with blood oozing from her nose and mouth and the body left in a bush by the side of the road that links Gomoa Lome to Gomoa Sinbrofo and connects to the main Accra-Cape Coast highway. School drop-out Augustina Teye got pregnant and was forced to drop out of school while a pupil at the Anglican Basic School in Agona Swedru but was enrolled again by the Mothers Union of the St James Anglican Church upon delivering her baby. She later dropped out again insisting she wanted to learn a trade, and with support from Give to Eat, a local non-governmental organisation based in Agona Nkum, was registered into a sewing firm, only to switch to hairdressing as her preferred trade. 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 live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More IT services major Infosys on Monday said it will acquire Czech Republic-based GuideVision for up to 30 million euros (about Rs 260.4 crore). The acquisition is being carried out by Infy Consulting Company Ltd, a step-down subsidiary of Infosys Ltd, a regulatory filing said. "GuideVision's training academy and nearshore capabilities in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and presence in Germany and Finland will strengthen Infosys' ServiceNow capabilities for its clients in Europe," Infosys said in a statement. GuideVision's end-to-end offerings, including SnowMirror - a proprietary smart data replication tool for ServiceNow instances - enables over 100 enterprise clients to simplify complex business and IT processes. ServiceNow is an enterprise software firm that develops cloud computing platforms to help companies manage digital workflows. As per the regulatory filing, the cost of acquisition is "up to 30 million euros including earn-out and bonuses". The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of FY2021, subject to customary closing conditions, it added. "This acquisition is an important milestone in our journey to build capabilities relevant to the digital priorities of Infosys clients. This move reaffirms our commitment to the growing ServiceNow ecosystem and augments Infosys' portfolio of cloud services," the filing said. Established in 2014, GuideVision is 100 per cent-owned by founders. The company is headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic and reported revenue of 12.9 million euros in 2019. "The combination of scalable and agile nearshore capabilities of GuideVision in Europe, and their unmatched delivery excellence, complements our own effort to help global enterprises navigate their next. We are excited to welcome GuideVision and its leadership team into the Infosys family," Infosys President Ravi Kumar said. Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, EVP and Head - Cloud and Infrastructure at Infosys, said GuideVision's addition is another significant step towards strengthening Infosys Cobalt offerings portfolio, bringing the combination of services, solutions and platforms that acts as a force multiplier for cloud-powered enterprise transformation. "Our recently announced Infosys Cobalt portfolio has a large repository of ServiceNow Industry Cloud solutions like ESM Caf, and this will now be bolstered by GuideVision's SnowMirror suite of Industry templates," he added. Norbert Nagy, co-founder of GuideVision, said joining Infosys brings an extended portfolio of services that the company can offer to its customers on their digital transformation journey. "The global Infosys footprint is an exciting opportunity for both GuideVision customers and employees," he added. TikTok has become a casualty in the ongoing war between the United States and China. President Trump signed an executive order last month that effectively game ByteDance, TikToks parent company, 45 days to sell its business in the U.S. to an American company. Microsoft emerged as one of the leading companies interested in acquiring TikToks international business in select markets. However, the company has announced that it was informed by ByteDance that it would not be selling TikToks U.S. business to them. A Wall Street Journal report states that it is Oracle that has managed to beat Microsoft in the bid for TikToks U.S. operation. The report states that TikTok will be announcing Oracle as a trusted tech partner. Oracle will be partnering with ByteDance to run TikToks U.S. operations instead of acquiring its business outright. As a tech partner, Oracle will be hosting TikToks video data on its servers in the U.S. ByteDance has also reportedly made it clear to U.S. government officials that it wont be selling its source code to any U.S. buyer, with the tech team in the U.S. free to build an algorithm of their own. With this move, ByteDance is hoping to please the U.S. government as well as the Chinese government. The latter is not in favor of ByteDance selling its U.S. operations to an American company and even passed rules that limit the export of key technology from Chinese companies. However, the deal between Oracle and ByteDance will still need approval from the CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States). If President Trump does not approve the terms of the deal, it could see TikTok being banned in the United States on or after September 29. Our Take ByteDance is doing its best to please the Chinese as well as the U.S. government by planning to announce Oracle as its trusted tech partner in the U.S. TikTok is already banned in India due to security concerns and if Trump does not approve the deal, it could lead to the app getting banned in another major market as well. Trump has also cited national security as the reason behind the potential TikTok ban. [Via WSJ Kangana Ranaut and Shiv Senas verbal battle seems to be never-ending and its getting murkier by the day. Kangana had reached Mumbai after she was given a notice by the BMC for illegal construction at her office which was later partially demolished. After staying in Mumbai for almost four days, she announced that she is leaving. She wrote on Twitter, With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorized all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my workplace, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. https://t.co/VXYUNM1UDF Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 She added, in Hindi, When the defenders become destroyers, they hurt the democracy. By considering me weak, they are making a big mistake! By trying to scare me, by demeaning me, they are revealing their true selves. , ! , !! Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 Well, people have reacted very differently on social media. A section blamed Shiv Sena for making life difficult for the actor in the city. This is the respect Shiv Sena workers have for a woman. pic.twitter.com/J4tDkennCA Kitty March (@ScarletStreetAv) September 14, 2020 I really feel sad on those leaders. chatrapathi shivaji never disrespects women but those shiv sena leaders are betrayed the legacy of shri balasaheb thackeray ji Lokesh (@lokeshreddy94) September 14, 2020 It is a shame..People of Maharashtra & Bollywood should protest for the grave injustice done to a woman..My heart goes out to you for risking everything ..Stay Strong ..We love you Will-o'-the-wisp (@windowview9) September 14, 2020 #ComeBackSoonKangana#ComeBackSoonKangana @KanganaTeam Ma'am we will wait 4 you to get back your entire compensation amount and all the films you'll be part of. We R hoping to see you soon enter politics and sanitise it as well as you have done in #Bullywood & with #MHGovt! pic.twitter.com/k4xvoGv0eO Aayushi Singh (@AayushiSingh_IN) September 14, 2020 The other section called her an opportunist and felt that this will go on till Bihar Elections. You still shamelessly bang on the analogy of PoK. No wonder..After all you have backing by the BJP who came in power by using Pakistan as an issue Don't leave Mumbai,Your drug nexus is yet to be investigated. I am sure if you will be grilled like Rhea,you will be behind bars. Nikhil Jadhav (@Nikhil21921335) September 14, 2020 This Madam leaving in just 5 days. She will continue this till Bihar Election as part of PR Campaign. She has been promised RS MP and MLA for her mother in HP. She will continue to Tar.nish Maharashtra Govt till she gets what is promised. But PPL know the truth now. pic.twitter.com/8hfoxngpOL Raj Nagar (@RajNagar84) September 14, 2020 Go quickly ! Maha or even India doesn't need a opportunist like you You first gain popularity because of SSR and now you are busy meeting ministers and governor Now where is justice for sushant ?? Now you are not speaking a single line after gaining popularity ?? Saswat Patnaik (@Saswat_Odisha) September 14, 2020 NAUTANKI HO GAI AB CHALO KASH HAM SAB GOVERNOR, PRESIDENT ETC SE AISE HI AASANI SE MIL PAATE HAME TO MUNICIPAL CORPORATION KA OFFICER BHI 4-5 ROUND LAGWA DETA HAI pic.twitter.com/8V3jYd8l9p BHARATH KUMAR IPS (SEWAK) (@INDIANPUBLICSER) September 14, 2020 Kangana has been in the limelight ever since she started voicing her opinions in the light of Sushant Singh Rajputs tragic and untimely demise. What do you have to say about the entire fiasco? Let us know in the comments section below. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As wildfires continue to blaze through the hills of California, one e-hail company has committed to fighting climate change and building a greener tomorrow. Earlier this week, Uber unveiled its plans to combat climate change through four key actions centered around the transition to electric vehicles and the proliferation of sustainable alternative travel options, like e-bikes and e-scooters. Instead of going back to business as usual, Uber is taking this moment as an opportunity to reduce our environmental impact. Its our responsibility as the largest mobility platform in the world to more aggressively tackle the challenge of climate change. We want to do our part to build back better and drive a green recovery in our cities, said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. By 2040, Uber has committed to being a completely zero-emission platform, with all trips booked through the app taking place either in zero-emission vehicles, on public transit or using micromobility options. Additionally, the company has said that all trips taken in U.S., Canadian and European cities will take place in electric vehicles by 2030. The company also plans to meet net-zero emissions from its corporate operations by 2030. All told, hitting these goals would put us a decade ahead of Paris Climate Agreement targets, Khosrowshahi said. To help achieve these goals, Uber has announced that it will expand and incentivize its Uber Green program, which allows riders to pay $1 extra to travel in a fully electric or hybrid vehicle. By the end of 2020, Uber Green will be available in 65 cities around the world, and riders who choose Uber Green will earn 3x the Uber Reward points, as opposed to the 2x Uber Reward points riders receive after booking an UberX. The company is also encouraging its drivers to transition to cleaner cars, with Uber committing over $800 million to help hundreds of thousands of drivers switch to electric vehicles by 2025. Drivers will also be incentivized to switch to electric vehicles with the opportunity to earn up to an additional $1.50 per trip when driving a zero-emission vehicle. Uber will also invest in growing its multimodal transportation network in order to discourage personal car usage by expanding its fleet of e-bikes and e-scooters, in addition to partnering with local transit agencies to integrate mass transit systems into the Uber app. The world is at a critical juncture, and we all have a role to play. Uber is aiming high. Well seek to build the most efficient, decarbonized, and multimodal platform in the world for on-demand mobility. While were not the first to set ambitious goals in transitioning to EVs, we intend to be the first to make it happen, said Khosrowshahi. Competing on sustainability is a win for the world, and today we challenge other mobility platforms to transparency, accountability, and more action, he added. Delta Air Lines passenger planes are seen parked due to flight reductions made to slow the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama, March 25, 2020. Delta Air Lines said Monday that it will borrow $6.5 billion backed by its frequent-flyer program, the third airline to tap its loyalty platform to shore up liquidity during the coronavirus crisis. The airline plans to sell senior secured notes and enter into a new term loan, both backed by its SkyMiles program. SkyMiles will lend the net proceeds of the bond offering to Delta, although a portion will go to a reserve account. Delta said last week that it had about $16 billion in cash at the end of June and that it was burning around $27 million a day. United Airlines announced plans in June to use its frequent-flyer program, MileagePlus, to back a $5 billion loan. American Airlines has said it also plans to use its program to as collateral for a nearly $5 billion federal loan. Airlines have turned to these programs as they view them as more resilient: customers may not be flying during the pandemic but they could generate revenue when they use co-branded credit cards. Delta said cash from the sale of miles to its credit card partner American Express fell by less than 5% to $1.9 billion in the first half of the year. Total miles redeemed, meanwhile, fell by 78% in the first half of the year. The partnership with American Express generated $4.1 billion for Delta last year, up from $1.2 billion a decade ago, the airline said. The Atlanta-based airline and its rivals have scrambled to shore up liquidity as the coronavirus pandemic devastated travel demand this year. The $2 trillion CARES Act in March set aside $25 billion in airline payroll support that prohibits job cuts until Oct. 1 and made available another $25 billion in federal loans. Delta said it doesn't plan to pursue the loan, joining Southwest Airlines in sticking with other sources of liquidity. Despite a slight uptick in summer, air travel demand has hovered at around 30% of last year's levels, forcing airlines to trim capacity. Delta said Monday it expects its capacity to be down 60% in September compared with the same month last year, with harder-hit international flying down 80% and domestic off 50%. Delta shares gained 3.5% to end Monday at $32.82. Shinzo Abes womenomics never took root As the Japanese prime minister ends his nearly eight-year run in office, one of the unfulfilled aspirations of his tenure is promoting women in the work force. Mr. Abe had found a name for his effort, womenomics, but many Japanese women say he did not go much beyond the slogan. The Liberal Democratic Party moves toward picking a new prime minister today, but none of the contenders, including the front-runner, Yoshihide Suga, Mr. Abes chief cabinet secretary, are seen as likely to drastically change the environment for women. What the data says: Women hold less than 12 percent of corporate management jobs, well below Mr. Abes original 30 percent target. And while the percentage of women in the work force rose during his tenure, to an all-time high of 52.2 percent, more than half of those women work in part-time or contract jobs that offer few career opportunities. The next prime minister: Some women hope that Mr. Suga will be slightly more in tune with their needs. In Yokohama, where he served on the City Council, he worked to reduce long day-care waiting lists. However, he has also made public comments that reflect traditional views about a womans role in society. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft ("Deutsche Bank" or the "Bank") (NYSE: DB) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and indexed under 20-cv-08978, is on behalf of all investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Deutsche Bank securities between November 7, 2017, and July 6, 2020, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Bank and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Deutsche Bank securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Deutsche Bank was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The Bank provides investment, financial, and related products and services to private individuals, corporate entities, and institutional clients worldwide. Deutsche Bank has been the subject of scandal, investigation and regulatory enforcement for years because of anti-money laundering ("AML") compliance failures and deficiencies in its disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, causing it to have one of the lowest gradings offered by the U.S. Federal Reserve ("Federal Reserve"). The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Deutsche Bank had failed to remediate deficiencies related to AML, its disclosure controls, procedures, and internal control over financial reporting, and its U.S. operations' troubled condition; (ii) as a result, the Bank failed to properly monitor customers that the Bank itself deemed to be high risk, including, among others, the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ("Epstein") and two correspondent banks, Danske Estonia and FBME Bank, which were both the subjects of prior scandals involving financial misconduct; (iii) the foregoing, once revealed, was foreseeably likely to have a material negative impact on the Bank's financial results and reputation; and (iv) as a result, the Bank's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On May 13, 2020, media outlets reported that the Federal Reserve had sharply criticized Deutsche Bank's U.S. operations in an internal audit. The audit reportedly found that Deutsche Bank had failed to address multiple concerns identified years earlier, including concerns related to the Bank's AML and other control procedures. On this news, the value of Deutsche Bank's ordinary shares fell $0.31 per share, or 4.49%, to close at $6.60 per share on May 13, 2020. Then, on July 7, 2020, the Federal Reserve's criticism of Deutsche Bank's failure to address its AML and other issues was reaffirmed when the New York State Department of Financial Services fined the Bank $150 million for neglecting to flag numerous questionable transactions from accounts associated with Epstein and with two correspondent banks, Danske Estonia and FBME Bank, both of which were the subjects of prior scandals involving financial misconduct. On this news, the value of Deutsche Bank's ordinary shares fell $0.13 per share, or 1.31%, to close at $9.82 per share on July 7, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Related Links www.pomerantzlaw.com Minuteman Press Cambridge and Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Minuteman Press franchise photo, Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada L-R: Rustum, Zayd, Mujeeb, and Suraiya. Minuteman Press franchise photo, Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada L-R: Rustum, Zayd, Mujeeb, and Suraiya. KITCHENER, Ontario and CAMBRIDGE, Ontario, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For Minuteman Press franchise owner Rustum Fataar, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented both unique challenges and opportunities for his family business. At first, my largest concern was the well-being of my staff, says Rustum, who owns two Minuteman Press printing and marketing centres in Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario. Even before he knew that the Canadian government would provide incentives to retain employees, Rustums caring spirit led him to his first action. He protected jobs first and foremost. We rode it out and stayed open because printing is an essential business . My employees were never without work, from the beginning. As the patriarch of a multi-unit family printing business at a time when calm was rare in the world, Rustum was able to draw from prior experience in tough times. So, when sons Mujeeb in Kitchener and Zayd in Cambridge approached with concern about the pandemic and cash flow, they were inspired. The boys said, Why dont you seem concerned, Dad? and I told them that I was, but I had managed the 2008 recession and we would manage this, too. Not long after that, we got the biggest customer we ever had and went on to become very successful. Rustums hard work translates into both satisfied clients and sales. For his hard work over the years with building up both franchises, he has achieved stability. Of course, in 2020, life cannot be predicted, but good things happen to those who take the right actions when troubles seem insurmountable. The unfortunate disruptions in business connected to COVID-19 would not be ones that Minuteman Press clients would face alone, as both of Rustums sons followed his lead and developed new strategies to help other businesses at this time. Story continues Their digital print and wide-format technologies were working at full-blast on behalf of two local economies under stress. The boys were at each store, every day with a positive attitude and they insisted my wife and I stay home and safe. We maintained decent sales through being inventive and coming up with pandemic-era solutions like branded floor decals, producing enormous amounts at each centre. Also, we devised ways to create counter screens (sneeze guards), with branding optional. We saw no one else producing them at the time and now, they are in big demand. Meeting the big demand resulted in survival for small businesses, non-profits and individual events. This positively affected the quality of life for many people. Everyone could pay their bills and this is a good feeling for all of us at Minuteman Press. Like many businesses, Rustum guided teams that were partly working from home, but all remained on full-salary. As May went into June, the nature of our industry and the work we do is essential so we did not need government assistance anymore. We took only what was needed and once sales were good enough, we were strong enough without financial assistance. We stayed focused on our clients the entire time and while things arent as good as last year, we are satisfied things are getting better here. Rustum enjoys every victory. As owners of a printing franchise when other businesses were shutting down, we didnt have sleepless nights and its amazing, I know. We arent doing pre-pandemic sales numbers; but in some instances, we are doing more than before. In Kitchener, we do a lot of printing for our police departments as the shift to quarantine did affect domestic violence so their duties to keep citizens safe shifted in different ways with more urgency. This increased their need for items like paperwork and signs. Restaurants and local shops are also coming back into brighter times, but with government guidelines, using printed tools that Rustum and his sons are providing every day. Those who are just implementing the new rules are using our sneeze guards, health and safety signage and updated branding. We are following the same protocol with safety and comfort in the form of PPE at both our locations." Other businesses are now reopening. Rustum says, Naturally, our concern is for our neighbors in business who, perhaps, have not had the same flexibility we have had to endure this. Weve grown to know them very well and together; we can feel the effects of the economy picking up more all the time. Fall is approaching and the needs of school districts are foremost on his mind. We are preparing clear plastic boxes with three panels in preparation for the needs of children in school so they can safely learn at their desks as regulations allow. We designed them recently and saw another big company do something similar not too long after as there is great concern for student and faculty right now. We are customizing our sneeze guards with schools names and mascots. We will be running them on our wide-format machines in-house. Both digital print and design centres have been open regular business hours without interruption by novel coronavirus. Yes, it is because printing businesses are essential but also something more. When he was buying a franchise many years ago, he was warned by others. I was told there was a honeymoon phase if youre a franchise owner, but it doesnt last. Well, if this is a honeymoon, the phase is lasting for 20 years now. It has been a difficult time, but we are helping our area pull together, he says. Good things keep coming to Ontario. We arent out of the woods as a society yet, but every day both of my sons run our family business with a positive attitude and new ideas. We will always find and do what must be done for ourselves and our community to survive and then return to growth. For more information on Minuteman Press in Kitchener and Cambridge, visit https://www.kitchener10.minutemanpress.ca or https://www.tricity.minutemanpress.com . About Minuteman Press International Minuteman Press International is the number one rated business marketing and printing franchise that offers world class training and unparalleled ongoing local support. At Minuteman Press, We Are The Modern Printing Industry providing high quality products and services that meet the needs of todays business professionals and go way beyond ink on paper. Today, our centres offer innovative branding and printing solutions and produce custom graphic designs, promotional products, branded apparel, direct mail campaigns, large format printing including posters, signs and banners, and much more. Prior experience is not necessary to own and operate a successful Minuteman Press franchise. Learn more about Minuteman Press franchise opportunities and read Minuteman Press franchise reviews at https://minutemanpressfranchise.ca Contact: Minuteman Press International Franchise Opportunities, 1-800-645-3006 https://minutemanpressfranchise.ca or Media Inquiries: cbiscuiti@mpihq.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2e16fc03-3624-44ed-b7af-91193c73db3d Orange Slovakia has jumped the gun once again, this time with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. Also called the S20 Fan Edition, Orange Slovakia's listing follows a similar one by Samsung Philippines last week. The S20 FE will launch in two variants later this month and will be one of the only Samsung smartphones to offer the Snapdragon 865 in Europe. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here Orange Slovakia has become something of a leaker in the last few weeks. Earlier this month, the Slovakian subdivision published a listing for the Moto G9 Plus ahead of schedule, and now it has done so again for the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE). Samsung has heavily hinted that it will be releasing the smartphone on September 23, although its Filipino arm also briefly listed the S20 FE on its website last week. According to Orange Slovakia, the S20 FE will have a 4,500 mAh battery and 6 GB of RAM. These components will be joined by a 6.5-inch display, although one that has a 1440p resolution instead of the 1080p resolution that has been referred to be the likes of WinFuture. The carrier states that the handset will have two 12 MP rear-facing cameras and an 8 MP telephoto lens, too. Hyderabad, Sep 14 : People in urban areas of Telangana will no longer need to seek permission for building houses in 75 square yards while instant approval based on self-certification will be given for residential buildings in plots up to 600 square yards. There will be single window approval within 21 days for all layouts/buildings in plots above 600 square yards and height above 10 metres. On the 22nd day, the application will be deemed approved. The state Assembly on Monday unanimously passed the Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-bPASS) Bill, paving the way for the landmark reform in municipal administration. Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao, who introduced the Bill, said no other government in the country has introduced such a policy. "Self-certification and deemed approvals make it a landmark legislation in municipal reforms," he said. The minister said this would help the poor in urban areas to build houses, fast-track building permission process, bring transparency and root out corruption by doing away with the human interface. The revolutionary reform, to be implemented in Hyderabad and all municipalities in the state, will bring a simple procedure, where approvals will be based on self-certification and onus of responsibility will be on citizens. "This self-certification system to make citizens responsible and ensure that they adhere to the building and layout permission rules of the state government," he said The TS-bPASS is modeled on the lines of TS-iPASS which was introduced in 2015 as a one stop online system for the issue of industrial building permissions based on self-certification. The minister claimed that TS-iPASS is successful and attracted many industrial investments due to the easy approval system. The law will also have a penalty clause. Penalties will be imposed on officials if found responsible for delay in giving approvals. Like TS-iPASS, it is a time bound online approval single window system. It is an online based application system which is accessible via mobile app, website https://tsbpass.telangana.gov.in/, MeeSeva centres and citizen service centres at ULB/ Collectors' Offices. Individual residential building permissions are given instantly online, based on self-certification. People constructing a building within 75 square yards of land with a height of up to seven metres need not obtain any permission from the municipal offices but have to register with the urban local body using TS-bPASS. Citizens constructing houses in 75 square to 600 square yards and height up to 10 metres can seek instant permission for constructions through self-certification under TS-bPASS and start their construction work. All building permissions issued based on self-certification will be put on TS-bPASS website and if any citizen has any objection, he can file the same within 21 days. While making an application for registration or self-certification approval, the applicant will declare that in case of any wrong information or violation of rules, the concerned authorities can demolish the construction without any notice. The district level special task force committee headed by the District Collector or Zonal Commissioner in Hyderabad shall verify all approvals issued on self-certification basis and in case of any misrepresentation of facts, the permission will be cancelled. Crosby "Bing" Powell, 96, looks into a box of his World War II medals, which was delivered to him Friday afternoon in Topeka, Kansas, by Mikell Burr. Burr found his medals, dog tags and other artifacts from his time in the Army at a box in her home, which Powell had lived in previously. TOPEKA, Kan. When Mikell Burr decided to use her long Labor Day weekend to catch up on some home improvement projects, she didnt know what she might find in the loft above her garage. She hadnt given the space much attention since she moved into the house a couple years ago, so some serious cleaning was in order. It was a lot of dirt and boxes and God knows what, so I went up there with a mask and just started throwing things out, Burr said. Thats when she stumbled upon a box she didnt recognize. I opened it up, and it was a Bronze Star, she said. I hollered to my father, and he came running in. He looked at it and said, Well, see if theres anything else in there. So she did. Burr found another Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a service medal and a veterans dog tags, along with newspaper clippings about Topeka, Kansas, residents who had served in World War II and a Western Union news release with some photo negatives. A Purple Heart, two bronze stars and other artifacts belonging to veteran Crosby "Bing" Powell were found in the garage loft of Mikell Burr's home over the Labor Day weekend. She returned those items to him Friday at his apartment in Topeka, Kansas. A late homecoming: This WWII Marine can finally come home nearly eight decades after his death It was an honor to find that, Burr said. To receive a purple heart means you had to be wounded in war, so that was a little chilling I got to touch a Purple Heart and see it in person. Both of Burrs grandfathers fought in WWII, so finding those tokens was a special moment for her. After a quick Google search of the name on the dog tags and medals, Burr discovered their rightful owner still lived in Topeka and had moved to the citys Thornton Place retirement community several years ago. 'Gee whiz. You made my day.' Holding up his retired uniform, Crosby "Bing" Powell, 96, talks about his time serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. The current owner of Powell's former home, Mikell Burr, found some of Powell's war medals and memorabilia in the loft above her garage when she was cleaning it out over the Labor Day weekend. Burr was excited to return the items. She bought a new wooden box to put the medals and newspaper clippings in. And on Friday, she took them to Thornton Place, where she met Crosby Bing Powell. Powell, who turns 97 in a couple weeks, served in Africa and Italy during WWII. He was in the 168th Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division, which Burr learned was the same infantry division as one of her grandfathers. Story continues While serving in the war, Powell developed trench foot. He said he spent about three months confined to a bed in a hospital tent overseas. I had to learn to walk all over again, Powell said. When Burr arrived at Powells door Friday, he welcomed her into his apartment as his favorite radio program, the Lawrence Welk Show, played in the background. Oh gosh, Powell said when Burr showed him the box of artifacts. Where did you find those? Burr explained the situation and pointed to the different items she had found. Their conversation quickly turned to the house in which the box of mementos had been stored. After he returned from war, Powell bought that house from the man who built it. I hated to give that house up, Powell said. Im taking very good care of it, Burr assured him. Powell showed Burr his retired uniform, replacement medals hanging in a shadow box on the wall, an engraved sword he was given upon retirement, a Quilt of Valor he received last year and photos of his late wife, who they speculated may have stowed the box Burr found. Crosby Powell holds up a portrait of him and his late wife Friday afternoon at Topeka's Thornton Place retirement community. Theres stuff I dont even remember (in here), Powell said. You might take a trip down memory lane, Burr said. I sure will, he replied. I sure appreciate what youve done here, Powell added. Gee whiz. You made my day. Follow reporter India Yarborough on Twitter: @iayarbor Still reeling from Hurricane Laura: Gulf Coast braces for Hurricane Sally 'Anxious, fearful, angry': At 50 days out to Election Day, many voters are wary of both Trump and Biden This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka, Kansas, woman finds WWII medals in house, returns them to vet With Donald Trump, I know what I am getting. He wears his sins on the outside. For good and ill, he runs his administration. I worry more about his incompetence and vacillation than I do about any dictatorial tendencies. On the other side, however, I am increasingly persuaded that what I see in Joe Biden whom I first met in 1992, and whom I believe to be a decent person would merely be the facade for an administration, fully backed by both houses of Congress, with an agenda that would seriously damage the nation. The corrosive left-wing extremism of 2020 would be ascendant, while a smiling President Biden assures the country that everything is fine. Trump, for all his flaws, could be all that stands between our imperfect democracy and the tyranny of the woke left. With two weeks of the fall semester under their belt, students have had mixed experiences with virtual learning. The S&Bs Nadia Langley reached out to several students and asked what its like to connect with fellow Grinnellians through their screens. Previous Next Ayan Rahman 24 Brooklyn, New York Shifting to Grinnells online learning model was amazing. The term system has allowed me to place focus on two classes at a time and really engage in learning core concepts of each class. Things are well structured, aside from the minor inevitable glitches, and I feel like my experience is emulating in-person learning as closely as possible. Khondamir Imomnazarov 23 Dallas, Texas The pace of the term is hectic and exhausting. All my non-study time is devoted to eating and catching up on sleep. I didnt manage to make time for exercise in the last 3 days. The second week of F1 feels like a midterm week of a normal semester. I am afraid of the weeks to come. Paula Maria Persiani 22 Off-campus, Grinnell The most difficult part of online learning, specifically in a language class, for me, is the questions and discussion. When you are face to face with your teacher, they can hear the phrases in a more complete sense and are able to grasp what you are trying to say. I also get anxious answering a question and seeing my face on the screen. Marnie Monogue 21 Off-campus, Grinnell I miss being in a classroom where discussions can flow more organically. But I also really like being able to literally roll out of bed, log in to WebEx, and go to class in my pajamas without anyone knowing. Ahon Gooptu 21 Off-campus, Grinnell More than anything else, I appreciate the ease of snacking on Flaming Hot Cheetos, leftovers from last night, even ice cream, whenever I want. No data has been maintained by the government on the number of migrant deaths that occurred due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown initiated on March 25, the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment informed the Parliament during the Monsoon Session on Monday. Many migrant workers lost their lives during the 68-day nationwide lockdown that was imposed in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The response by the ministry was given on a question raised in the Lok Sabha that sought information on the state-wise details of the death toll of migrant workers who lost their lives while trying to return to their native places after losing jobs amid the pandemic. The question also sought to know if any any compensation or economic aid was provided by the government to the families of the deceased. The government was also questioned about its failure in assessing problems faced by the migrants during the lockdown, especially in Tamil Nadu. However, the Centre stated that there was no question of giving compensation to the victims families as no data was maintained by the government. India, as a nation, has responded through the Central and state governments, local bodies, self-help groups (SHGs), Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), medical health professionals, sanitation workers as well as large number of genuine and bona-fide non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the nations fight against the unprecedented human crisis due to the outbreak of Covid 19 and country-wide lockdown, including in Tamil Nadu," said Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Labour and Employment. Over 1.04 crore migrant workers returned to their respective home states during the lockdown with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 32.4 lakh workers, followed by Bihar (15 lakh) and Rajasthan (13 lakh), the minsitry informed the Parliament. More than 4,611 Shramik Special trains were run by the Railways since May 1 to ferry migrants to their home states and over 63.07 lakhs were shifted to various destinations in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states. However, the railway ministry had earlier in August said that many migrant workers had begun returning to the cities where they worked, indicating that the economic activity had begun picking up after lockdown restrictions were eased by the government. The states/UTs have been advised to implement the advisory guidelines by quickly gearing up their labour Law enforcement machinery and ensuring statutory compliance by all the stakeholders which could provide migrant workers much needed help to mitigate the financial crisis and empower them to deal with the pandemic," the Labour Ministry said, adding that states/UTs had also been advised to maintain updated data on migrants to facilitate benefits of the governments welfare schemes for the workers. Several migrant workers, who either walked or travelled in other private vehicles, met with accidents throughout the lockdown period. An analysis of news reports in national media shows that more than 100 migrant workers were killed in accidents since lockdown was initiated, while hundreds of others sustained grave injuries. In an earlier report by News18, it was noted that these figures were based on accidents and incidents that were reported in the media and, therefore, the actual death toll could be higher than estimated. Ariel Winter has been known to serve a stunning beauty transformation, and she's already been through four hair colors this year alone. The former child star debuted her latest look over Labor Day weekend, as she dyed her hair pink. She showed off the new 'do Sunday, as she went punk chic in head-to-toe black, while picking up a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of red with boyfriend Luke Benward at Gelson's Market in Los Angeles. Pretty in punk: Ariel Winter as she went punk chic Sunday in head-to-toe black, while picking up a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of red with boyfriend Luke Benward at Gelson's Market in Los Angeles The 22-year-old donned a retro black printed t-shirt from a pool hall in Irvine, California, with matching skintight leggings. She finished the ensemble with a black face mask and a matching pair of leather booties, while carrying a black YSL crossbody handbag. Winter debuted her new pink hair on Monday, posting a series of snaps, writing: 'Pinkie Pie spotted in the wild on Labor Day: a slideshow' She showed off a bleach blonde look in July, referencing the similarly blonde Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen and her own name in the caption: 'Winter Is Coming!!!!!!!!!!!' Back in black: The 22-year-old donned a retro black printed t-shirt from a pool hall in Irvine, California, with matching skintight leggings In the bag: She finished the ensemble with a black face mask and a matching pair of leather booties, while carrying a black YSL crossbody handbag It came after she returned to her signature red look back in February, writing: 'Im a strawberry and a shortcake sooooo new nickname?' The Speed Racer actress previously posted one last photo of her natural dark brown hair, writing: 'bye bye dark hair :) I dont think Ill miss you :)))' She bid farewell to the dark 'do shortly after bidding farewell to her Modern Family character Haley Dunphy. Winter starred as the brainy daughter and sister in the ABC sitcom since it premiered in 2009, before coming to an end with its 11th season. Think pink: Winter debuted her new pink hair on Monday, posting a series of snaps, writing: 'Pinkie Pie spotted in the wild on Labor Day: a slideshow' Blonde ambition: She showed off a bleach blonde look in July, referencing the similarly blonde Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen and her own name in the caption: 'Winter Is Coming!!!!!!!!!!!' Hair transformation: It came after she returned to her signature red look back in February, writing: 'Im a strawberry and a shortcake sooooo new nickname?' The Speed Racer actress previously posted one last photo of her natural dark brown hair, writing: 'bye bye dark hair :) I dont think Ill miss you :)))' Bittersweet farewell: She bid farewell to the dark 'do shortly after bidding farewell to her Modern Family character Haley Dunphy, after the ABC sitcom came to an end with its 11th season She told Teen Vogue in April after the show wrapped: 'This is new territory for me. I was doing something very specific for so long. Now I have to reset my mind and retrain myself to be in that place of, "All right, I am ready to look for the next thing." 'I am ready to work. I am ready to do everything I can. I am ready to be in the right mindset to go in there again and be able to face the rejection that will come, and be able to move past that and go to the next audition and be ready for it. And be ready for things in my personal life. Just living.' The native Angeleno has since booked a role in the upcoming comedy-thriller Don't Log Off, which is set in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. Winter stars in the film alongside boyfriend Luke Benward, 25, with whom she's been spending her quarantine. Karnataka Urban Development Minister Byrati Basavaraj on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19. "I have been confirmed Covid positive today. I have no health issues. On the advice of the doctors I have got admitted to hospital and undergoing treatment," Basavaraj said in a tweet. He said with the blessings and good wishes from everyone, he would recover soon. Basavaraj is the new addition to the list of Ministers in the Yediyurappa cabinet who had tested positive for the coronavirus infection. Recently, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan, Labour Minister A Shivaram Hebbar, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa and Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle had tested positive for COVID-19. Last month, Yediyurappa, Health Minister B Sriramulu,Tourism Minister C T Ravi, Agriculture Minister B C Patil, Forest Minister Anand Singh were among those who had tested positive and have now recovered. SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Do you ever feel invisible? Or forgotten? Almost as if you or your views dont reach others? Dont let that feeling linger. Your voice does count, your vote does count -- and you count. Everything you feel, think and contribute can help us form a stronger, more vibrant and diverse community. Please take that first step. Step forward and be counted! We vote, we count! One way to make your presence known is by attending We Vote, We Count from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 26 at St. Johns Lutheran School, 4386 Mayfield Road in South Euclid. Complete the 2020 Census, get registered to vote and/or sign up to vote by mail-in ballot. Masks are required for the wellbeing of all. For more information, contact South Euclid City Council member Chanell Elston at celston@seuclid.com Walking virtually: The Huntingtons Disease Society of Americas (HDSA) Northeast Ohio Chapter is hosting the Northeast Ohio Virtual Team Hope Walk/Run on Saturday, Sept. 26. A virtual walk is a real walk, but on your terms: You choose your own course. You can walk in your driveway. Stroll the neighborhood. Circle your house -- or even chalk up miles on a treadmill. Team Hope is HDSAs largest national grassroots fundraising event. Thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors and communities walk to support HDSAs fight to improve the lives of people affected by Huntingtons disease (HD) and their families. HD is a fatal genetic disease affecting nerve cells in the brain. Show others they are not alone in this fight. In Ohio, the total HD population is more than 11,000. Our local Huntingtons Disease Society of America Chapter President Jesse Lis has a diagnosis of HD. Event link to learn more: http://northeastohio.hdsa.org/about/2020-cleveland-team-hope-walk-5k-run Learn more about HDSA Center of Excellence at Cleveland Clinic: http://hdsa.org/hdsacoecleveland/ Spring scholars: Nearly 1,200 students were named to the spring 2020 Deans List at Edinboro University. These movers and shakers are stepping out by learning more and achieving more. Two Hillcrest-area students attained Deans List honors. They earned a quality point average of 3.4 or higher, completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit and received no grade lower than a C in any course. The scholars are Elizabeth Mae Schultz of Lyndhurst and Kevin Patrick Morgan of the 44143 area. Edinboro University in Pennsylvania is committed to excellence in academics and other dimensions of campus life. Diagnosing dizziness: Did you know that there are approximately 4 million visits for treatment of dizziness in U.S. emergency rooms annually? This symptom can be associated with a variety of causes, ranging from dehydration to anxiety and many other conditions. Knowing when timely attention is required is paramount. About 15 percent of those visiting the emergency room have devastating neurological conditions such as stroke or multiple sclerosis that require urgent attention, said Aasef Shaikh, M.D., Ph.D., who is the Penni and Stephen Weinberg Chair in Brain Health at the University Hospitals Neurological Institute and a research scientist from the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. The UH press release shared that Dr. Shaikh led a task force of two dozen experts from 10 countries around the globe. Their purpose was to create globally accepted, consensus-based guidelines to assist emergency room doctors in diagnosing and performing triage for patients reporting dizziness -- and all this over a telehealth platform. The work is endorsed and published by the International Society for Research in Cerebellum and Ataxias. The task force offered two crucial recommendations: (1) how to identify a patient needing urgent evaluation, expedited evaluation or one who is able to be seen in clinic at a later date; and (2) how to evaluate a patient with dizziness using telemedicine. Im impressed that research continues during a pandemic. And your guarding your own health should not take a hiatus. Keep up with your diagnostic, treatment and wellness visits. Step up. Great news from Gilmour: Three Gilmour Academy seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists. They are Eric Brandt 21, of Willoughby Hills; Mollie Edmondson 21, of Stow; and Joseph Rottinghaus of Willoughby Hills. More than 1.5 million juniors in the U.S. took the qualifying test -- the PSAT -- last fall, and of those 1.5 million students, only 16,000 students earned semifinalist distinction. Semifinalists can then advance to the Finalist level of the competition after completing a detailed scholarship application. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. states that the student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official and write an essay. Approximately 15,000 students are expected to become finalists, and of those students, 7,600 will earn the Merit Scholar designation and National Merit Scholarships totaling over $30 million. Gilmour Academy is a Catholic, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Ind., and based in Gates Mills. Gilmour offers a Montessori program beginning at 18 months old and a Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. A boarding program is offered to students in grades 7-12. Clue us in: Do you remember the adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Help the whole Hillcrest area reach its potential by sending your email with good news, awards, opportunities and achievements to mariashinestewart@gmail.com A message either in the body of an email or in a Word attachment is preferred. Please do not send PDFs. Photos in JPEG format and with permissions are also appreciated. Read more from the Sun Messenger. An ex-Big Brother contestant and pregnant mother-of-two has detailed the 'not so wonderful' side effects of carrying a child, including varicose veins, sciatica, psoriasis and swollen feet. Krystal Hipwell, 34, is 39 weeks pregnant with her third child and has been updating her 150,000 Instagram followers regularly with photos of her bump, doting husband and sweet children, Sunny and Nakoda. On Sunday night, the Sydney mum lifted the lid on her seemingly 'perfect life' and offered an insight into the harder parts of being pregnant, with a reminder 'not to be fooled' by images of 'sunshine and rainbows'. Scroll down for video Krystal Hipwell is 39 weeks pregnant with her third child (pictured here at 19 weeks along) She has been updating her 150,000 Instagram followers regularly with professional photos of her beautiful bump, doting husband and sweet children, Sunny and Nakoda 'As much as I think pregnancy is beautiful and is such a blessing I do think it's also important to keep it real and share the weird and sometimes not-so wonderful side of carrying a child,' Krystal said. 'I remember when I was pregnant with Sunny I felt there was a lot of unrealistic expectation surrounding pregnancy and no one seemed to be sharing these things on social media.' Krystal acknowledged that while these ailments were 'superficial' by nature and 'insignificant' compared to what other women go through, it was still worth documenting. In a series of photos she showed the psoriasis she developed on her scalp, varicose veins behind her knees, extra cellulite around her glutes, melasma on her face, swollen feet and even 'pregnancy tumours' in her mouth that made her mouth bleed and 'made her look like a vampire'. Krystal was on Big Brother in 2001 and went on to model for men's magazines Krystal has suffered from melasma - or skin pigmentation - while she was pregnant In a series of photos she showed the psoriasis she developed on her scalp (right), varicose veins behind her knees, extra cellulite around her glutes (both left), melasma on her face, swollen feet and even 'pregnancy tumours' in her mouth that 'made her look like a vampire' What are some of the most common pregnancy side effects? Psoriasis in the scalp: It's a chronic skin condition that can cause red, scaly patches of skin to appear and is thought to be related to an immune system response. Topical ointments are the easiest way to treat it. Varicose veins behind the knee: They are an extremely common - albeit harmless - part of pregnancy for some women. They form when the uterus applies pressure to the inferior vena cava vein that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs. Extra cellulite: A woman's pregnant body has a tendency to store excessive volume of bodily fluids. This extra water retention can indirectly cause 'cellulite pockets' which will be visible in the later stages of pregnancy. For Krystal, they have appeared behind the back of her legs and on her glutes. Swollen ankles: This extra fluid is also to blame for her swollen ankles, which will usually be worse on warmer days or towards the end of a day. Melasma on her face: Often referred to as the 'mask of pregnancy', melasma - or skin pigmentation - is caused by increased estrogen, progesterone, and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) levels during the second and third trimester. Melanocytes are cells in the skin that deposit pigment. Sciatica: It is a condition that can lead to pain in the back and legs. It occurs when pain travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts in your lower spine, and travels through your hip and buttock and down the back of your leg to your foot. Pregnancy 'tumours': The website mouthhealthy.org described it as an overgrowth of tissue that appears on the gums, most often in the second trimester. It's not cancer-related but just a swelling that happens between the teeth and gums. They tend to bleed easily and have a red, raw-looking raspberry-like appearance. Advertisement According to Healthline up to 60 percent of women will see their psoriasis symptoms improve during the nine months of pregnancy because of a rise in the hormone progesterone. It slows down the overactive immune response that triggers the dry and flaky skin symptoms associated with psoriasis. But unfortunately for 10 to 20 per cent of women, pregnancy makes their symptoms worse - a result Krystal has experienced. Varicose veins are an extremely common - albeit harmless - part of pregnancy for some women. They form when the uterus applies pressure to the inferior vena cava vein that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs. A woman's pregnant body also has a tendency to store excessive volume of bodily fluids. Finally, most women were shocked by Krystal's image of a blood-filled sink, which she said was the result of a 'mouth tumour' (pictured) This extra water retention can indirectly cause 'cellulite pockets' which will become visible in the later stages of pregnancy. For Krystal, they have appeared behind the back of her legs and on her glutes. This extra fluid is also to blame for her swollen ankles, which will usually be worse on warmer days or towards the end of a long day. Often referred to as the 'mask of pregnancy', melasma - or skin pigmentation - is caused by increased estrogen, progesterone, and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) levels during the second and third trimester. Melanocytes are cells in the skin that deposit pigment. Krystal, who has been open about her miscarriages in the past, was not lamenting each of these issues but rather bringing attention to them Finally, most women were shocked by Krystal's image of a blood-filled sink, which she said was the result of a 'mouth tumour'. The website mouthhealthy.org described it as an overgrowth of tissue that appears on the gums, most often in the second trimester. It's not cancer-related but just a swelling that happens between the teeth and gums. They tend to bleed easily and have a red, raw-looking raspberry-like appearance. 'I know it is the biggest gift to even be able to carry a child and whatever my body endures I know it is ALWAYS worth it for what is waiting for me at the finish line,' she said Krystal, who has been open about her miscarriages in the past, was not lamenting each of these issues but rather bringing attention to them. 'I know it is the biggest gift to even be able to carry a child and whatever my body endures I know it is ALWAYS worth it for what is waiting for me at the finish line,' she said. Hundreds of women praised the 2001 Big Brother contestant for being so open about the 'hectic' side effects, many of which they had experienced themselves. Lions Club members on Kangaroo Island, south Australia, get set to deliver more tanks. Money raised by Mahurangi Bushfire Aid to assist Australian families devastated by out-of control bushfires has been channelled into a water tank replacement programme. Dozens of local businesses, community organisations and individuals joined the Mahurangi aid effort spearheaded by Warkworth Lions, especially after the blazes across the Tasman became so intense that even Mahurangi skies took on an eerie orange glow on January 12. Mahurangi Bushfire Aid raised $22,480, which was sent to Lions Clubs International to assist victims. The money is being used to replace water tanks destroyed in the blazes and also to provide basic items and comfort. The aid is ongoing and will continue for five years. The Road to 270 is a weekly column leading up to the presidential election. Each installment is dedicated to understanding one states political landscape and how that might influence which party will win its electoral votes in 2020. Well do these roughly in order of expected competitiveness, moving toward the most intensely contested battlegrounds as election day nears. The Road to 270 will be published every Monday. The column is written by Drew Savicki, a 270toWin elections and politics contributor. Contact Drew via email or on Twitter @DrewSav. Divided between a highly liberal and highly conservative electorate, Wisconsin is known for its increasing gap between the two parties. The traditional home of the American dairy industry, the Badger State is particularly famous for its cheese. A land of contrasts, Wisconsin is both the home of the modern progressive movement and the modern conservative movement. The suburban shift -- or lack thereof One of the defining political shifts of the Trump era is the considerable gains that Democrats have made among college educated suburbanites. Unlike other suburbs in the Rust Belt -- such as the areas around Detroit and Chicago -- the Milwaukee suburbs, known as the WOW counties (Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington), remain blood red. These counties, located in the southeastern part of the state, are often the bane of Democrats in close statewide races. Over the past decade or so, the trio has routinely given Republicans two-thirds, or more, of the vote. A key factor that separates this area from other suburbs, such as Chicagos collar counties, is demographics. Washington County -- the reddest and most exurban of the WOW counties is roughly the same size as Kendall County, Illinois, but Kendall is much more diverse. To be fair, not all southeastern Wisconsins suburbs have stayed red. Milwaukee County, a deep blue county which contains Milwaukee City, also includes a handful of suburban communities that have lined up more with national trends. Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker (more on him later) is from one such community in Milwaukee County, Wauwatosa -- he carried it by 4% in his successful 2014 reelection but lost it by 16% when he ran again in 2018. Despite these shifts, the enduring redness of the WOW counties dominates much of the discussion when it comes to the states political geography. Congressional politics With the aggressive Republican gerrymander in place since 2012, Wisconsin has seen no U.S. House races within a ten-point margin, and that isnt likely to change this year. Despite being such a closely-contested state at all other levels of government, no congressional district in Wisconsin has changed hands since the current map was enacted. On paper, the western 3rd District should be competitive but Rep. Ron Kind (D) has locked it down over his more than twenty years in office. Still, since it is an Obama/Trump district, both the Cook Political Report and Sabatos Crystal Ball rate it as Likely Democratic. Republican Derrick Van Orden has raised more money than previous candidates against Kind but the incumbent's 20-point win last cycle is keeping it out of reach for now. Located in whats called the Driftless Region, the 3rd District swung sharply rightward from 2012 to 2016. President Obama carried this district by about 13 points in 2012 but Donald Trump carried it by five points in 2016. Looking back a bit further, Obama lost much of his rural support from 2008 to 2012, with his margin dropping by seven points. Given his substantial crossover appeal, Democrats have long pined for Kind to run statewide. First elected in 1996, Kind is only 57 and thus could be around for quite some time. Kind has declined overtures to run for the Senate and governor over the years but Democrats would love to see him run for the Senate in 2022. It seems unlikely hell take the dive but no doubt he would be a very strong statewide candidate. On the Republican side, Rep. Mike Gallagher seems likely to run statewide at some point. He represents the 8th District, which includes Green Bay, and some rural counties around it. A Marine veteran, the youthful Gallagher likely has a bright career in Wisconsin politics ahead of him. He is certainly a name to watch. Fitting the states political divide, Wisconsins two senators have virtually nothing in common, and come from complete opposite ends of the political spectrum. Democrat Tammy Baldwin, from Madison, was first elected in 2012. The first openly gay senator, Baldwin has had a long career in Wisconsin politics: first as a state legislator and then a congresswoman. In the 2012 Senate race, Baldwin defeated former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R), who also served Health and Human Services Secretary under President George W. Bush. Having been out of office for 11 years, Thompson couldnt clear the primary field and only won the primary by about four points, barely edging out businessman Eric Hovde. A progressive populist, Baldwin enjoys a lot of crossover appeal and was the partys top vote-getter in 2018. Although on paper the race should have competitive, Baldwin won reelection by a solid 11 point margin. Wisconsins senior Senator is Republican Ron Johnson. A healthcare businessman, Johnson is a reliable conservative vote in the Senate. Running as a guy from Oshkosh, he was first elected in 2010, when he defeated then-Sen. Russ Feingold (D). Much like Baldwin, Feingold was a populist progressive, but he put a special emphasis on civil liberties: he cast the lone vote against the Patriot Act in the Senate. He also worked to limit the influence of money in politics, notably working with the late Sen. John McCain. After the 2010 elections the Arizona senator called the Senate a a much poorer place without Feingold. In 2016, Feingold sought a rematch. Many observers considered Johnsons 2010 win a fluke, and even some Republicans were quick to write him off. But as the incumbent, Johnson ran a smart race and ended up winning the rematch 50%-47%, running ahead of Trump. Johnson pledged to serve only two terms in the Senate, but has since walked that back a bit. State level politics Swept into power in the 2010 midterms, Republicans held total control of state government in Wisconsin until the 2018 elections. Democrats made considerable gains at the state level that year -- they flipped three offices: the Governorship, the Attorney Generals office, and the Treasurers office. Then the sitting State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers (though a Democrat, Evers technically held no party affiliation as Superintendent) narrowly defeated the arch conservative Gov. Scott Walker. The state has no gubernatorial term limits, and Walker was seeking a third full term. A villain to Democrats and a hero to the Tea Party movement, early in his tenure, Walker oversaw the passage of Act 10, a bill that was aimed at limiting the power of public sector unions. Act 10 inspired protests, and a round of recall elections the following year -- this very much set the tone for a divisive decade of state politics. Walker leveraged his credibility on the right into an ill-fated presidential bid in 2016. He spent part of his childhood in Iowa, where his father was a preacher -- a profile that would seem appealing to evangelicals in that crucial early caucus. But his anemic campaign failed to catch fire and after two lackluster debate performances, he dropped out in September of 2015. Walkers political style may have found success in Wisconsin, but it failed to break through at the national level. In office, Gov. Evers has generally boasted decent approval ratings but his public battles with the legislature havent endeared him to Republican partisans, or Republican-leaning independents. Given the narrowness of his 2018 win -- and the bright purple hue of the state -- he is likely to face a strong challenge in 2022. Like almost every other governor in the nation, Evers got a bump in approval in the spring with the COVID-19 pandemic but that increase in approval has receded. Everss approval rating has taken a hit following the riots in Kenosha, though recent polling finds him at an overall positive 47%-41% approval spread. Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollete is the longest currently serving state Secretary of State in the country. First elected in 1974, LaFollete is a distant relative of the legendary Robert Fighting Bob LaFollette. Robert LaFollete served as Congressman, Governor, and Senator before leading the Progressive Party as its 1924 presidential nominee. Secretary LaFollete has held the office of Secretary of State from 1975-1979 and then again from 1983 to present. During that interim period, he was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the 1978 election. Due to the offices low profile and few responsibilities, he faced only a few serious opponents over the years. Hes held on in some tough national years for the party, though often by single-digits. Though the office was already relatively weak by the time Republicans took control of the legislature, the Secretary of State's budget was further reduced. Now a practically moribund office, the Secretary of State is little more than a glorified notary public. Similarly, the office of State Treasurer had much of its responsibilities transferred to other agencies, and there was even a referendum in 2018 on whether to abolish the office altogether. Voters rejected the constitutional amendment but unless Democrats are somehow able to regain control of both chambers, the Treasurer will continue to function as a zombie office with no real powers or duties. Following the election of Democrats Tony Evers and Josh Kaul as Governor and Attorney General in 2018, Republicans convened in the lame duck session to reduce the powers of both offices and the conservative controlled State Supreme Court upheld the legislatures actions. Despite a favorable year in 2018, the legislature remained solidly in Republican hands, and neither chamber is considered competitive this year. Democrats can realistically only hope to prevent Republicans from regaining veto-proof majorities. In addition to the Republican-engineered gerrymanders, the states geography puts Democrats at a natural disadvantage in the legislature: the party's voters are too heavily clustered in Madison and Milwaukee. Outside political observers love Wisconsin for its marquee State Supreme Court elections, which take place in the spring. In presidential years, theyre held in conjunction with the partisan primaries. With Democrats shut out of the legislature, these races have grown in importance to liberals. Though technically nonpartisan, the party lines are quite clear (the parties endorse and campaign for court candidates). Republicans hold considerable majorities in both chambers of the legislature, so Democrats view these races as their sole way of keeping a check on the legislature. Members of the court serve ten-year terms and no more than one seat can be up in any given year. Though Democratic-aligned judges have won two of the last three elections, conservatives retain a 4-3 edge on the seven-member court. Presidential politics and 2020 outlook Wisconsin Polls >> Wisconsin first became a swing state in the 1960 election and with the exception of 1964, the state would not be decided by double-digits again until 1996. By the late 1980s though, Wisconsin began to take on a decidedly Democratic lean. Although Vice President George Bush handily won nationwide in 1988, he lost the Badger State to Michael Dukakis 51-48%, as the farm crisis of the 1980s hurt Bush in much of the Midwest. In that 1988 election, Wisconsin voted 11% more Democratic than the nation as a whole. In the 2000 and 2004 elections, Wisconsin was among the nations most contested states. In both elections, the state was won by the Democratic nominee by less than one percentage point. Obamas two big wins obscured the fact that Wisconsin is a very closely divided state. Having a Midwesterner on the ticket led to inflated Democratic margins and is one reason why so many Democrats, including those on Hillary Clintons campaign, took the state for granted in 2016. Joe Biden, for his part, has promised not to repeat the mistakes of Hillary Clinton and has aggressively courted the state. Although polling got the state wrong in 2016, there is reason for optimism among Democrats. A recent poll from the highly-regarded Marquette University Law School found Joe Bidens favorability to be a net -2, whereas Trumps is way down at -12. Marquettes findings really sum up the difference from 2016: Biden is a much more popular candidate than Clinton and Trumps vote share continues to track closely with his favorability numbers, suggesting hes having trouble getting people who dislike him to vote for him. President Trump has tried to link Biden to the riots and protests in Kenosha but polls show voters dont associate him with them and are likely to blame President Trump instead. In that same Marquette poll, 54% of likely voters disapprove of Trumps handling of the protests. For Biden to carry the Badger State he must win back Obama/Trump voters, particularly in western and southeastern Wisconsin. As Crystal Ball editor J. Miles Coleman pointed out recently, northern Wisconsin might be a region to watch this time. Biden has consistently polled better than Clinton with older voters, and northern Wisconsin, though its taken on an increasingly GOP lean, has a population that skews older. Trump only carried senior voters in Wisconsin 49%-48% in 2016, so if hes clearly behind with them, it could be problematic. Biden doesnt need to win back every Obama/Trump voter in the rural areas, but reducing the Republican margins there is critical to a statewide victory. Next Week: Texas Tentative Schedule: Ohio (9/28), Georgia (10/5), Florida (10/12), Iowa (10/19), Arizona (10/26), North Carolina (11/2). Dates subject to change. We use the model powering the 2020 presidential election simulator to determine the following week's state. Specifically, we will look at the 'Battleground 270' results of 25,000 simulations run late Sunday afternoon. Of the states remaining, the next to be covered will be that with the highest likelihood of a Trump or Biden win as of that date. View the current state-by-state probabilities in the table at the bottom of the Battleground 270 page. BJP leader and Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal tested positive for coronavirus on Monday on a day he took part in a series of activities, including a 25-km cycling event led by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. Tsering, who is also BJP president for Ladakh, gave the information about his COVID-19 test in a tweet and said his health is fine but was advised quarantine. He urged all those who had come in contact with him over the last few days to go for self-isolation and undertake COVID-19 test. Officials said Rijiju, who arrived here on a visit, was among others received by the Ladakh MP at the Leh Airport on Sunday. He participated in the Fit India Cyclothon led by the Union minister in Leh on Monday morning. Local cycling associations and many enthusiastic sports persons also attended the cycling event which is a part of the month-and-a-half long Fit India Freedom Run from August 15 to October 2, the officials said. Tsering had cycled at an altitude of 2,600 metres above sea level to encourage people to be healthy and fit by including physical activities and sports in their daily lives. The Lok Sabha member had also attended the function with Rijiju who laid the foundation stone of a synthetic track and AstroTurf for football in Open Stadium, near Spituk and Gymnasium Hall in Leh. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur, Chief Executive Councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Gyal P Wangyal and senior civil and police officers besides sports persons had also attended the function. Ladakh has recorded 40 COVID-related deaths 17 in Leh and 23 in Kargil since the outbreak of the pandemic in March. The virus caseload stands at 3,345, of whom 73 per cent patients have been cured, while the remaining 869 are undergoing treatment. A Ha Tinh Province court sentenced four people to varying jail terms on Monday for trafficking several Vietnamese to the U.K., who died in a refrigerated truck tragedy last year. The court in the central province gave Nguyen Quoc Thanh, 26, seven years and six months in prison; Tran Dinh Truong, 35, five years; Nguyen Thi Thuy Hoa, 36, six years; and Nguyen Xuan Trieu, 24, two years and six months. Three other defendants, Le Van Hue, 53, and Vo Van Ky, 52, received one year and six month suspended jail sentence each; and Vo Van Ho, 62, a one year suspended jail sentence. They were found guilty of "organizing, brokering illegal emigration." Kys request to be absent from the trial because he has cancer was approved by the court. Nguyen Thi Thuy Diem, Thanh's sister, is a resident in China and is currently wanted by the authorities. The judges said the defendants had engaged in dangerous violations of immigration and labor export laws, but recognized the fact that they had cooperated with the investigators and been willing to address the consequences. According to the indictment, Truong worked with Hoa and Thanh to build a file for Pham Thi Tra My, who was 26 then, so she could sneak into the U.K. to work. Following the rings guidance, My was taken to China before being sent to France. By then, My had paid the ring $22,000. In the next phase, My was brought from France to the U.K. in a refrigerated truck along with 38 other Vietnamese citizens. All of them froze to death in the truck and their bodies were discovered near Essex, a county in southeast England, on October 23 last year. Seven people involved in trafficking My and tens of others to the U.K were arrested by Ha Tinh police in February. The deaths of the 39 Vietnamese had made international headlines. Their identities were revealed by authorities last November. Their remains were brought home later that month. My's last text message to her mother went viral, horrifying people across the globe. Part of it, quoted by many news agencies, read: "Im sorry Mum. My journey abroad hasnt succeeded. Mum, I love you so much! Im dying because I cant breathe ... Im from Nghen, Can Loc, Ha Tinh, Vietnam ... I am sorry, Mum." Between May and October 2019, Diem allegedly instructed Thanh to work with Hoa, Ky, Ho and Hue to build files for many others who desired to go to Europe to work. They proposed two routes: via China or Greece at the cost of $17,000-20,000 per person. When their clients reached their destinations, they would be given fake identification documents and move on to another country. Between March and May last year, Nguyen Xuan Trieu had used his contacts to assist several residents in Nghi Xuan District to go to Europe and earned $1,000. His action was exposed when some individuals were deported to Vietnam for carrying fake passports. Hoa had brokered a Europe trip for 16 people and earned $3,000. Truong had helped three others and got paid $1,500. While Ky and Ho both arranged for three people to get to Europe for VND28 million ($1,200), Hue helped three others for $1,500. Trieu helped bring six others to Europe and made $1,000. Truong told investigators that he had worked in the U.K. He had only instructed My, his cousin, to go to France, he told authorities, insisting that he had nothing to do with her journey to the U.K. It was "inappropriate" for the authorities to conclude that he caused her death, he said. Truong also said he "does not clearly remember" how many people hed helped get to Europe. With Diem still at large, her brother Thanh was identified as one of the kingpins who helped 71 people to enter Europe illegally. Thanh made contact with Hoa, Hue and Ky and worked with them to bring My and many others to Europe. "I followed Diems instructions. After receiving the files of people to be trafficked, I sent them to her and someone would arrange for the clients to go to China, I dont know about anything else," Thanh told the court. Hoa said he knew Diem and Thanh because they had done business before, sending his relatives abroad. He had sent them more than 42 files to earn commissions. Hoa was responsible for taking My to France, authorities had said earlier. Ho and Hue said theyd contacted Thanh to give him files and earn commission. Trieu said he entrusted his clients in the hand of a person he knew through social media and had not reaped any benefit from this venture. Pham Van Thin, Mys father, who was present at court, said: "My family paid $22,000 to take my child to the U.K. but our dream was destroyed and we have lost everything." Thin said he hoped the defendants would compensate his family as they have struggled to repay their debts. Six defendants apologized to the families of My and other victims at court. Thanh, Truong and Hoa said they would compensate her family with VND310 million ($13,400). Of the 39 victims, 21 were from Nghe An Province and 10 from Ha Tinh. The rest hailed from Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces in the central region; and Hai Duong Province and Hai Phong City, both in the north. In June, a court in Nghe An Province sentenced local woman Nguyen Thi Tham, 25, to 15 months in jail for helping a friend, Nguyen Van Hiep, enter the U.K. Hiep was among the 39 truck tragedy victims. In the same case, 40-year-old Irishman Ronan Hughes pleaded guilty on August 28 to manslaughter charges in the U.K., and Northern Irishman truck driver Maurice Robinson pleaded guilty in April. Wainui School has been named Emerging School of the Year after competing against primary schools from across the country in the Garden to Table Young Gardener of the Year Awards. The school joined the full Garden to Table programme earlier this year and was the first on the Hibiscus Coast to do so. The judges were particularly impressed by the importance Wainui School puts on encouraging their students to become kaitiaki (guardians) of the environment. The students are learning where vegetables come from, how they are grown and the importance of preserving resources as part of the programme. One thing that made Wainui School stand out was that its Garden to Table projects have expanded beyond the garden and kitchen to include making macrame planter pots, lunch wraps, ginger beer and lip balm. It also extends the programme to their art unit where the kids learn about garden design. Judges noted that Wainui School demonstrated a dedication to teach broader life lessons through gardening, from learning about enterprise through to selling fresh produce at the schools Ag Day. Leanne Stevenson, the teacher who entered Wainui School for the awards, says she has watched students who struggle in the classroom, blossom in the garden. Some have found their niche becoming part of a group, and then growing in confidence and leading others, she says. Garden to Table ambassador and awards judge, Dan Mackay, says its great to see schools getting involved with all the lessons that the garden has to offer. The school receives a trophy, as well as a raft of prizes that include a $250 voucher from Tui for gardening products, a tree and plaque as well as design concept drawings from Dan for a new or improved school garden or orchard. Info: www.younggardenerawards.co.nz Churchill Show comedian Oliver Otieno aka YY spoke to People Daily about his career as a comic and why Covid-19 is a blessing in disguise. How and when did you get into comedy? The journey has been long. I am still travelling it and I am not sure when or if I will ever arrive. I started from Kenyatta University Theatre group and participated in many unsuccessful acting auditions including Tahidi High in 2012. I later got a role as an extra in a TV series Lies That Bind that same year, then I decided to join Churchill Show in 2013one of the hardest platforms to ever join. It was a competitive and tough ground. Where did your stage name YY come from? That was my late dads name. I heard it was given to him by his Kalenjin friends to mean an outgoing person whos a scatterbrain (a person who is forgetful, disorganised, or unable to concentrate or think clearly). Why do most of your comedy seems to revolve on your mum. Not really. I do jokes about every aspect of real life situation except tribal jokes. It just happen that people relate more to mamas jokes more because its a part of their lives and the nostalgia cant be ignored. My mum is significant to me as I have spent 90 per cent of my life with her. What did you study at the campus? I was enrolled in the School of Health Sciences department of Health Management and Information at the Kenyatta University to pursue a course in Health Records and Information Management. It basically deals with medical data. You are currently doing Jeke Live interviews on your YouTube channel instead of comedy. Why is it so? Let me correct you; I am not replacing anything with stand-up comedy. Never! Jeke idea was born as a defense mechanism against the Covid-19 pandemicthe working from home things you know. I heard comedian Eddie Butita talk like Senator Wetangula and I was like can I interview you as Jeff Koinange? So, we did it, then I created the Miguna Miguna character and the rest just happened. Stand-up comedy is my main thing and its what I do best. Would you say the pandemic has contributed to your breakthrough on YouTube? Jokes aside, yes! The pandemic has just revealed to me that I can really be a hard working young man. It is a blessing in disguise. I have been more productive than before. Shooting and posting 11 long videos on YouTube in a week is a record no one has ever achieved in the East African comedy circles. I thank God for showing me the extent in which my potential can conquer. Do you watch other comedians? Yes I do. I love Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock because their thinking is on a wavelength that I am looking upto. I am a thinker and a lover of information. In Kenya, I watch everyone as we have the best talents in the continent, but I acknowledge Butitas creativity. How do you scout for guests on your online shows? I just ask them for videos, which I then watch and listen to keenly. If someone isnt there yet or close to appealing, I text them on what to change and let them practise it until the greatness is due. Whom do you look up to as a role model? American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer Dave Chappelle. Hes tough, masculine and packs a lot of intelligent content. What would you advise comedians out there who are undergoing depression due to lack of events during this pandemic period? Everyone may go through depression as we dont choose it, but how we handle it is our choice. Drugs and substance abuse isnt one of the ways to manage it. Instead, it sinks and drowns you even deeper. Remember, choices have consequences. Is there something we dont know about YY? I have never taken alcohol, smoked cigarettes, shisha or bhang. And never means never. Tell us about your aspirations? I will take Kenyan comedy to the next level; it has to go international. Thats my dream. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sep. 13 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: The greatest potential for Turkmenistan lies in its natural gas resources, a representative of the Heritage Foundation told Trend. The representative pointed out that in order to improve its economy, Turkmenistan should start by opening its economy to foreign investment and diversify its energy exports. The source added that President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has encouraged foreign investment in the energy sector. Furthermore, Turkmenistan needs to work with Azerbaijan, the EU and the US on a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, which envisages transportation of Turkmen gas to Europe through Azerbaijan. Recently, Turkmenistan has declared its readiness to supply Europe with an annual volume of up to 40 billion cubic meters of gas. Earlier, the Turkmenistan's president said that fuel and energy sector of Turkmenistan should attract foreign investment. He also noted that the main goal of Turkmenistan's energy policy is the effective use of natural resources for sustainable growth, expansion of export opportunities and improvement of the welfare of the country's population. In the first four months of 2020, the volume of investments into fuel and energy complex of Turkmenistan amounted to more than 3.73 billion Turkmen manat (over $1 billion), which is 1.3 billion manat (more than $371 million) more than during the same period of last year. In total, from 2016 up until May 2020, about 40 billion manat ($11.4 billion) were allocated to strengthening the material and technical base of countrys oil and gas industry. Heritage Foundation is the US strategic research institute, which is engaged in a wide range of international policy research. Its mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government and individual freedom. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva By PTI MUMBAI: A special court here, in its order on bail plea of actress Rhea Chakraborty, has said at present stage there are no "reasonable grounds" for not connecting her to the case that relates to drug angle in death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput three months ago. Rhea (28), her brother Showik and several other persons have been arrested by the NCB in probe related to drug angle in the Sushant death case. Special Judge G B Gurao had on Friday rejected the bail pleas of Showik, Rhea Chakraborty and four other accused. The detailed court order was made available on Monday. The court stated while deciding a bail plea, it has to record finding that there are reasonable grounds to believe that an accused is not guilty of the offence. "But it is also to be kept in mind that court does not (have) to consider the material as if it is pronouncingthe judgment of acquittal or recording finding of not guilty," the order said. It is alleged (by NCB) that the accused (Rhea) use to procure drug for Rajput. The accused had asked her brother Showik to arrange for drug from two other accused,Zaid Vilatra and Abdel Basit, the agency had claimed. Based on material on record, the NCB had recovered WhatsApp chats and other electronic evidence. Some amount was also transferred via credit card of the accused (Rhea), the central agency had said. ALSO READ | Sushant Singh Rajput death case: Three accused in NCB custody till September 16 Further, in the present case, commercial quantity contraband (LSD) has been recovered from one of the prime accused, Anuj Keshwani, the NCB had said. "The investigation is at preliminary stage, therefore, from the available record, it can not be said that there are no reasonable grounds to connect the accused (Rhea) (to the case)," the court observed. The court also said there is possibility of the accused tampering with evidence if released on bail. Among other grounds, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde had submitted that no contraband has been seized from the accused and rejected allegations she procured drug for Rajput. Allegations, if any, would pertain strictly to small quantities of drug, Maneshinde had said. The quantity of the said drug (ganja) was small and at the most, the accused can be convicted for one year and thus, the offence is bailable, he had added. However, according to the prosecution, the accused was involved in illicit trafficking of drug. She financed drug for Rajput, her boyfriend, and therefore, committed an offence punishable under section 27-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), the prosecution had told the court. The judge observed that there are specific allegations that she was involved in crime punishable under section 27(A) of the NDPS Act and therefore, the offence is non-bailable. "It is pertinent to note that in section 27(A) of the NDPS Act, no particular quantity of the drug is required to prove the offence," the judge added. The court made almost similar observations while rejecting the bail plea of Showik. The court also refused to consider Rhea lawyer's argument that her statement was recorded forcibly and no lady officer was present when she was being interrogated. "At this stage, when the investigation is at preliminary stage, it can not be said that the said statement of the accused was forcefully recorded and (was thus) inadmissible as evidence," the court added. Meanwhile, Maneshinde said he would study the order before deciding on moving the Bombay High Court for bail. "We will study the order, its implications and developments in the case at the NCB-level and then decide (on moving the HC)," the lawyer added. Earlier, the NCB had said although the quantity of banned drugs seized in the case was small, it was still of commercial quantity and worth Rs 1,85,200. "Rhea Chakraborty and Showik Chakraborty financed and arranged drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput and at his instructions," the NCB had said in its affidavit filed in the court in response to their bail pleas. The central agency had said as per a statement given by co-accused and Rajput's domestic help Dipesh Sawant, he used to procure drugs from other accused in the case on instructions of the late actor and Rhea. "Financial transactions were handled by Rhea and sometimes Rajput. Dipesh Sawant used to procure drugs along with co-accused Samuel Miranda (former house manager of Rajput) for Sushant Singh Rajput's consumption," it had said. The NCB had further said if the accused are released on bail, they may tamper with evidence and try to intimidate key witnesses in the case. The NCB began its investigation after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was probing money laundering charges linked to the case, shared social media chats retrieved from Rhea's mobile phone, hinting at use of banned drugs. Rajput was found hanging in his flat in suburban Bandra on June 14. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is separately probing a case against Rhea and others for allegedly abetting the 34-year-old actor's suicide. Congress activists took out a rally in support of Rhea Chakraborty in Kolkata on Monday, the second such march in two days, alleging that the actor was "continuously harassed" in the name of investigation. Around 100 Youth Congress activists participated in the procession that started from Raja Bazar, shouting slogans that Rhea, the girlfriend of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was a victim of political conspiracy hatched by the BJP ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls. "We strongly protest against the continued harassment of Rhea, the daughter of Bengal, by central agencies in the name of investigation in the Sushant Singh Rajput case," a Youth Congress member said. Party activists had taken out similar rallies in the state on Saturday, too. Last week, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha and its Bengal unit chief, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, had said Rajput was an Indian actor, but the "BJP turned him into a Bihari actor" only to score electoral brownie points. Leaders of several political parties have also been insisting that the "vilification campaign" against Rhea "proved" Bengalis are a soft target of the BJP, which is looking to cash in on this narrative ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls. "I feel that as Rhea is a Bengali, she was victimised even before she was proven guilty in court. The vilification campaign once again proves the sheer hatred of the BJP towards the Bengalis," senior TMC leader and national spokesperson Saugata Roy had recently said. OPINION: Two of our writers have something to say to the petition gatherers for Kanye West, while other writers focus on perceived racism from the anti-racist movement and Donald Trump's no good, very bad week. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial remains on hold in the United States pending a U.S. investigation into a serious side effect in Britain even as other trials of the vaccine resume, sources familiar with the details told Reuters. AstraZeneca on Saturday said it had restarted its trial in Britain after regulators completed their review of a serious side effect in one trial participant there. This was the first indication that the U.S. trial will remain on hold until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a safety panel investigate the case. Enrollment in the company's global trials of the vaccine, which it is developing with researchers at Oxford University, was put on pause on September 6. Sources told Reuters that enrollment of new patients and other trial procedures for the pivotal U.S. trial were being rescheduled until at least midweek and that it was not clear how long it would take for the FDA to complete its probe. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial will not resume in the US until FDA regulators have conducted their own investigation into a suspected adverse reaction reported in a UK participant, Reuters learned (file) Governments around the world are desperate for a vaccine to help end the pandemic, which has caused more than 900,000 deaths and global economic turmoil. The World Health Organization (WHO) had flagged AstraZeneca's as the most promising. A prolonged delay in the U.S. trial could slow access to the vaccine in the United States. The British adverse event involved a study patient thought to be suffering a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis. An AstraZeneca spokeswoman declined to comment on when the U.S. trial would resume. She said in an email the company 'will continue to work with health authorities across the world, including the FDA, and be guided as to when other clinical trials can resume.' The status of the South African and Indian trials remains unknown, but the trial in Brazil has also restarted. The company has not commented on timing of resumption in other parts of the world besides Britain. FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some 30,000 participants are meant to be enrolled in AstraZeneca's U.S. trials, which were officially launched in August. But, so far, the trial is still listed as 'not yet recruiting' on ClinicalTrials.gov and it is not clear if anyone has enrolled. Last week's announcement that the global trial was on hold sent AstraZeneca's shares into an eight percent freefall. And hopes for a coronavirus vaccine by winter fell with the stock price. Meanwhile, Pfizer, one of AstraZeneca's top competitors in the race to make a coronavirus vaccine, said on Monday that there is a greater than 60 percent chance that its scientists will know whether its shot safely prevents coronavirus infection by October. Mariner 2 was the first American spacecraft to make it to Venus, in 1962. It determined that temperatures were cooler higher in the clouds, but extremely hot on the surface. In 1978, the Pioneer missions gave American researchers a closer look. The first of the pair orbited the planet for nearly 14 years, revealing much about the mysterious Venusian atmosphere. It also observed the surface was smoother than Earths, and that Venus had very little or perhaps no magnetic field. A second Pioneer mission sent a number of probes into Venuss atmosphere, returning information on the structure of the clouds and radar readings of the surface. NASAs Magellan entered into orbit in 1990 and spent four years mapping the surface and looking for evidence of plate tectonics. It discovered that nearly 85 percent of the surface was covered in old lava flows, hinting at significant past and possible present volcanic activity. It was also the last of the American visitors, although a number of NASA spacecraft have used Venus as a slingshot as they set course for other destinations. Other visitors to Venus Venus Express was launched by the European Space Agency in 2005. It orbited the planet for eight years and observed that it still may have been geologically active. The planets only guest from Earth right now is Akatsuki, which was launched by Japan in 2010. The probe missed its meeting with Venus when its engine failed to fire as it headed into orbit. By 2015, the missions managers had managed to steer it on a course to orbit and study the planet. It has since transformed how scientists view our clouded twin. In its study of the physics of the dense cloud layers of Venus, the mission has revealed disturbances in the planets winds known as gravity waves, as well as equatorial jet streams in its atmosphere. MADISON, Wis., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Winnow Fund, a woman-led, seed-stage venture capital fund has closed on $6 million of capital, a crucial benchmark to begin investing in Wisconsin startups. Lead investor Badger Fund of Funds is joined by The Capital Times, Johnsonville Ventures, MGE Energy Inc., two Wisconsin based private equity investment firms - Inventure Capital and N29 Capital Partners, along with more than two dozen individuals in making strategic investments in the Winnow Fund. Along with investing in existing startup companies, the Winnow Fund plans to emphasize collaboration with entrepreneurs at colleges and universities across Wisconsin who dream of starting their own companies. It is the fourth fund in the Badger Fund of Funds family to begin investing. "Richelle Martin, the Winnow Fund manager, has had a singular focus over the last two years on raising capital and getting this fund launched," said Ken Johnson, a Badger Fund of Funds partner. "Richelle showed extraordinary persistence and grit while not taking any compensation at all because she was so passionate about the need for a fund like this in Wisconsin." Martin previously led the Office of Industrial Partnerships at UW-Madison, guiding the intersection of industry needs and campus innovation. While the first three Badger funds had a geographic focus, the Winnow Fund will focus on university-level entrepreneur students and clubs. "Students have great ideas but need someone to guide them through the process of creating a company to commercialize their idea. Richelle Martin's legal background, know-how, and experience at UW-Madison make her a perfect fit to help student inventors and entrepreneurs create and grow their companies," said Johnson. Winnow Fund and others in the Badger Fund of Funds family deploy all of their investment dollars in the State of Wisconsin. Since their inception in 2017, the Badger Fund of Funds has made investments in 20 individual Wisconsin startups. The Badger Fund of Funds has agreed to allow Winnow Fund to continue accepting new investors for another couple of months, with a requirement that the fund start the Fund investment period this November. About the Badger Fund of Funds The Badger Fund of Funds I, L.P. was formed in 2015 and includes $25 million from the State of Wisconsin pursuant to 2013 Wisconsin Act 41 to invest in Wisconsin based venture capital funds. The Badger Fund is managed by a partnership of Sun Mountain Capital and Kegonsa Capital Partners. The State of Wisconsin, individuals and the fund manager have invested over $30 million in the Badger Fund. www.badgerfundoffunds.com About Sun Mountain Capital Sun Mountain Capital is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was founded in 2006 to focus on private equity investing in high potential underserved geographies. Currently, Sun Mountain Capital has over $750 million in private equity assets under management and advisement. Sun Mountain Capital is a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). www.sunmountaincapital.com About Kegonsa Capital Partners Kegonsa Capital Partners was founded in 2004. Currently Kegonsa manages the Kegonsa Seed Fund I, LP, and Kegonsa Coinvest Fund, LLC. Both funds are based in Wisconsin with a focus on seed and early stage investments in Wisconsin based startup companies. In 2011, Kegonsa and Sun Mountain agreed to form a partnership to manage a Wisconsin based Fund of Funds investment vehicle. www.kegonsapartners.com Contacts: Steve Lyons 608-220-7478 [email protected] SOURCE Winnow Fund Youth Suicide Rates Up Over 50 Percent This Past Decade Suicide rates among younger individuals ranging from children to young adults have risen by over 50 percent between 2007 and 2018, according to a new report from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The data was collected from death certificates of individuals ages 10 to 24 citing suicide from all 50 states across the United States, as well as from the District of Columbia, ranging from the year 2000 all the way up to 2018. In addition, the percentage change was also recorded from the three-year averages of two different time frames2007 to 2009 and 2016 to 2018for all 50 states excluding the District of Columbia. According to the report (pdf), from 2000 all the way up to 2007, the suicide rate for individuals aged 10 to 24 was stable at around 7 suicides per 100,000 in the United States. From 2007 on, the rate started to increase steadily, from 6.8 suicides per 100,000 people in 2007 to 10.7 suicides per 100,000 people in 2018a 57.4 percent increase. Furthermore, the data indicated that when comparing two three-year averages2007 to 2009 and 2016 to 2018the suicide rate had significantly increased in 42 of the countrys 50 states. The 20162018 suicide rate among persons aged 1024 was highest for Alaska (31.4 per 100,000), the report read. Other states with among the highest suicide rates were South Dakota (23.6), Montana (23.2), Wyoming (20.5), and New Mexico (19.6). The lowest suicide rates were among states in the Northeast: New Jersey (5.7), Rhode Island (5.9), New York (5.9), Connecticut (6.3), and Massachusetts (6.4). There are many reasons to suspect that suicide rates will increase this year too, not just because of COVID-19 but because stress and anxiety seem to be permeating every aspect of our lives, Shannon Monnat, the Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University, told Bloomberg. She added that children arent exempt from experiencing stressors such as anxiety and unrest. Research shows a clear link between the effects of quarantine and stay-at-home practices and mental health, Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), warned in May. The Epoch Times reporter Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. In his last video before falling ill after being poisoned, titled Tomsk is held captive by a mafia of deputies, Navalny sat in an ordinary Russian kitchen leafing through city utility bills. He alleged that a villainous club of city council members or their relatives and friends had privatized electricity, water and a municipal housing management company, reaping big profits. The video gained nearly 3.8 million views. 4 | Chinese President Xi Jinping offers to cooperate with India, BRICS countries to develop COVID-19 vaccine: Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 17 offered to cooperate with India and other BRICS nations in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus and called for holding a symposium by the five-member bloc on traditional medicine to explore its role in the COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Pfizer and BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine candidate, if proven to be safe and effective by federal regulators, could reach Americans before 2020-end, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. "I cannot say what the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) will do, but I think is a likely scenario and we are preparing for it," Bourla said during American channel CBS Face the Nation segment. He said they will be ready in case of good indicators from the vaccine study, FDA and advisory committee and have already started manufacturing and have already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses in preparation, Fox Business reported. According to Bourla, Pfizers study will show if there is a good chance if the product works by October-end, the distribution would depend on license issuances from regulators such as the FDA. The vaccine candidate is moving towards Phase 3 trial with 30,000 participant enrolment targeted by next week. Overall Pfizer is aiming for close to 44,000 participants, so as to increase diversity and include more vulnerable populations, adolescents as young as 16 and individuals with chronic conditions such as HIV, Hepatitis C or B, it added. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show I think we should strive to have as more a diverse population as possible, but right now we are not bad. We try of course to increase it, particularly an emphasis on African-Americans and Latinos. Bourla added. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/coronavirus-india-news-live-updates-statewise-tally-delhi-pune-mumbai-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-ayush-kit-5834181.html Pointing out that Pfizer turned down inclusion in the US governments $10 billion Operation Warp Speed initiative for accelerated COVID-19 vaccine development, Bourla said this was done in an effort to "liberate our scientists from any bureaucracy as money from someone always comes with strings and would entail providing detailed and continuous progress reports. I didn't want to have any of that. I gave them an open chequebook so that they can worry only about scientific challenges, nothing else. I also wanted to keep Pfizer out of politics, by the way, he said. Acknowledging that the candidate could fail, Bourla argued that any potential financial hit despite the $1.5 billion investment, would not break the company. The US has signed a $1.95 billion agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech for at least 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine after it is approved by the FDA, with room for acquisition of another 500 million doses. Follow our full COVID-19 coverage here NFL playoff predictions and Super Bowl odds, per FiveThirtyEight Who will take home football's greatest prize and do it on the world stage? Depends on who you ask. Nothing to fear: Bats work for us Lets separate facts from fear: Bats have more to fear from human beings then we do from bats. Give the birds a helping hand You can provide food, water, and shelter; the requirements for all life for birds. Experiment with cool season flowers, vegetables Vegetables that thrive in cooler conditions include asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts,... Teaser trailer: New 'Lord of the Rings' project title revealed Amazon Studios has released a teaser trailer and title announcement for its new "Lord of the... Former death row inmate Clinton Young released on bond Former death row inmate Clinton Lee Young has been released on bond, after almost 20 years on... Customs and Border Protection provides phone scam warning "Residents are reporting calls with a pre-recorded message stating, 'a box of drugs and money... Don't Mess with Texas Scholarship Contest accepting applications Presented in partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful, the Dont Mess with Texas Scholarship Contest... The dueling appearances injected the issue of climate change squarely into a presidential campaign that has been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, a faltering economy, racial justice protests and questions about which candidate has the character to lead. But the warming of the planet and its impact on daily life are now difficult to ignore, with millions of acres burning in California, Oregon and Washington state, leading to dozens of deaths, tens of thousands displaced and skies filled with a smoky, dangerous haze that blocks out the sun. I am also sad for the writer of the email, who claims to have generally enjoyed my column in the past, but who now will deny themselves such pleasures because I have said true things about the president such as observing his penchant to threaten to sue people who once worked for him when they write books about their experience in the White House. Venla Shalin/RedfernsA variety of well-known artists, including three members of The Rolling Stones, have taken to their social media pages to pay tribute to reggae legend Frederick "Toots" Hibbert of Toots & the Maytals, who died Friday at age 77. Founding Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who contributed to the Toots & the Maytals 2004 album True Love and collaborated with Toots on a 2003 cover of the Jamaican band's classic song "Pressure Drop," posted the following message on his Twitter feed: "A sad day for Jamaican music. Toots was a giant. I loved working with him. I loved hanging with him. I'm going to miss him. My condolences to the Hibbert family. One love." Mick Jagger wrote in his own Twitter homage, which reads, "So sad to hear of Toots Hibbert's passing. When I first heard 'Pressure Drop' that was a big moment -- he had such a powerful voice and on stage he always gave the audience his total energy. A sad loss to the music world." Longtime Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, meanwhile, wrote, "I'd like to send my condolences to the Hibbert family for my dear friend Toots Hibbert who passed away on Friday. I have very happy memories of playing with him, a lovely man and a great talent." Wood also posted a video clip of him interviewing Toots on a 2012 episode of his TV/radio program The Ronnie Wood Show. The Who also paid tribute to Toots, writing, "Rest in peace Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert, 1942-2020. @tootsmaytals supported The Who on their 1975 US tour." Here are some tributes from various other artists: Yusuf/Cat Stevens: "Sad to hear of the passing of Toots Hibbert. He was an early originator of Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae. Prayers and thoughts with his family and loved ones. God bless his soul." Billy Idol: "I saw @tootsmaytals in 1974 the music was great and he was on firesweating...shirt off, just ruling every momentan inspiration to this boy loving the commitment and sheer energy backed by reggae a name he may haven given the movement in his 'do the reggay' song RIP." Ziggy Marley: "The Legendary Toots Hibbert has passed i spoke w/him a few wks ago told him how much i loved him we laughed & shared our mutual respect. He was a father figure to me his spirit is w/us his music fills us w/his energy i will never forget him RIP MIGHTY & POWERFUL NYAH FYAH BALL." Tedeschi Trucks Band: "Sail on, Toots." By Matt Friedlander Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) share price has gained 11% in the last three months. But over the last half decade, the stock has not performed well. After all, the share price is down 56% in that time, significantly under-performing the market. See our latest analysis for Williams Companies While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Looking back five years, both Williams Companies' share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 47% per year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 15% compound annual share price fall. So the market may previously have expected a drop, or else it expects the situation will improve. With a P/E ratio of 171.57, it's fair to say the market sees a brighter future for the business. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. This free interactive report on Williams Companies' earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Williams Companies the TSR over the last 5 years was -39%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! Story continues A Different Perspective Investors in Williams Companies had a tough year, with a total loss of 11% (including dividends), against a market gain of about 15%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 6.8% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Williams Companies better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Williams Companies (at least 2 which make us uncomfortable) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Williams Companies is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Cancun police arrest man impersonating officer Cancun, Q.R. Police in Cancun arrested a man after he was seen wearing an FGE vest and found carrying a loaded weapon, passing himself off as an officer. The man, who is actually a bricklayer, was seen by police the El Pedregal neighborhood just before midnight. He was spotted walking the streets dressed in police clothing. When Municipal Police stopped him to question where he got the vest with the insignia of the corporation, he claimed to be a Ministerial Officer, although he did not have any identification. After running his name through Plataforma Mexico, it was confirmed that he was not a Ministerial Police Officer. Cancun police took 50-year-old Eduardo N into custody along with a 38 revolver and 40 cartridges. For the families of detainees, pro-democracy lawmakers and student unions, Beijing's charges violate the "presumption of innocence". Detained in a Shenzhen prison, the 12 pro-democracy activists, including a minor, cannot communicate with the outside world or meet their lawyers. For pro-democracy groups, they could become pawns in the US-China row. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Yesterdays accusations of "separatism" by Chinas Foreign Ministry against 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, arrested last month off the coast of Guangdong, are "ridiculous," the brother of Tang Kai-yin, one of the detainees, told a Hong Kong radio. For him, and the student unions at 12 local universities and colleges in the former British colony, the ministrys statement goes against the "presumption of innocence", the cornerstone of the citys common law system. The detainees, 11 men and one woman, are currently held in a Shenzhen jail. The Chinese Coast Guard announced their arrest on 28 August, noting that at the group was on a speedboat, most likely headed to Taiwan to seek refuge. One of those arrested is Andy Li, a pro-democracy activist arrested on 10 August together with the publishing magnate Jimmy Lai under Chinas new Hong Kong security law. The others took part in the anti-government protests that broke out more than a year ago in Hong Kong. Some of them are on trial for alleged offences committed during the protests. On Saturday, at a press conference, family members asked the Hong Kong authorities to bring the 12 activists home. Pro-democracy lawmakers urged Hong Kong authorities to intervene to secure the legal rights of the detainees. But last night, Hong Kong authorities said that they would not intervene in the case. The families of those arrested said they have no news of their loved ones, one of whom is 16. They complain that Chinese authorities, in violation of Chinas own laws, is preventing family-appointed lawyers from meeting their clients. Some lawyers have also been pressured to give up the case. Three of the detainees have health problems, and family members are unable to communicate with Chinese officials to get necessary medicines to them. Tang Kai-yin's family said that the young man has asthma and they don't know anything about his current condition. Right now, I don't even know if he is alive or dead, said Tang Kai-yin's mother. For pro-democracy lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick, the 12 activists risk becoming victims of the ongoing clash between Beijing and Washington. He notes that the accusation of separatism came after the US State Department said that the arrests signal the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong. "I was 19 when I started my journey with Roadies, and became an actor at 27. It took me eight years to get a breakthrough. If I would've straightaway gone to become an actor at 19, I wouldn't have left an impact," birthday boy Ayushmann Khurrana had said in an interview with Hindustan Times. Known for picking up quirky stories as an actor, Ayushmann believes in following his gut. "I am the public, a boy from Chandigarh who's bought tickets in black and revered films since childhood, and when I choose scripts I take out the garb of an actor-slash-star and I become the audience, and consume the script as a layman," the actor had explained in one of his interviews. Maybe, that's the secret behind Ayushmann's peak to success! Be it playing a sperm donor, a man suffering from erectile dysfunction or a guy dealing with premature balding, the actor has always stepped out of his comfort zone and won hearts. But there's another side to Ayushmann as well! If you browse his Twitter and Instagram pages, you will come across beautiful poems and shayaris on love, life and adulting, penned by the young star. Speaking about his love for writing couplets, the Dream Girl actor had said, "The idea behind it was to let people know that I write, and know me for that. I have no commercial aspirations related to my poetry. I am doing that with films and my music. This part of me (writing poetry) is for my sheer love for it." As Ayushmann Khurrana turns 36 today, we bring you six of his most beautiful shayaris on life and love which will drive away your Monday blues. The government also lost the support of two former cabinet members Sajid Javid, who was chancellor of the Exchequer until Mr. Johnson forced him out last February, and Geoffrey Cox, a former attorney general. Mr. Cox said he would vote against the law because it would do unconscionable harm to Britains global standing. His defection was particularly noteworthy because Mr. Cox favored Brexit and was the governments top legal adviser when Mr. Johnson negotiated the withdrawal agreement. In the heat of the debate, Ed Miliband, a former leader of the Labour Party, reminded Mr. Johnson that he had signed, promoted and ran his election campaign on the agreement he was now proposing to rewrite. What incompetence! What failure of governance! Mr. Miliband bellowed, as Mr. Johnson shook his head in disgust. And how dare he try and blame everyone else. Despite the boldface names lining up to oppose the law, there was no sign that Mr. Johnson planned to back down. He told Parliament the legislation was an insurance policy against a European Union that might interpret the withdrawal agreement in a way that could break up the United Kingdom. Threatening to rip up an agreement with the European Union plays well with the hard-line Brexiteers in his party. And there are still three-and-a-half months before the Dec. 31 deadline for a trade deal with Brussels, which means Mr. Johnson could always compromise later. A car charred by the in Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon (AFP via Getty Images) On the eve of a visit to California as wildfires continue to rage across the state, Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that bad forest management is to blame for the recent devastation there. After repeating his false claim that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is hiding in his basement during the campaign, Mr Trump touted his busy travel schedule. I'm all over the place. Im going to California from here, going over to see some of our great people that are doing such a great job with these monster fires that they have, he said at a roundtable with Latino voters in Nevada on Sunday. And again, forest management. I keep telling them: forest management. And to manage your forests, Mr Trump said. Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley pushed back against Mr Trumps position that forest fires are the product of poor forest management, saying it is not supported by science and is a cover for the real culprit: anthropomorphic climate change. The president has said it's all about raking the forest. It's just a a big and devastating lie, Mr Merkley said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday. The wildfires have also wreaked havoc across communities in Mr Merkleys state and in Washington. The Cascade snowpacks have gotten smaller, the senator said. Our forests have gotten drier. Our ocean has gotten warmer and more acidic. And this has been happening steadily over the last several decades. Mr Merkley urged Mr Trump to get serious about the root cause of the record heat wave that has stricken California and states on the West Coast this summer, contributing to the wildfires. America not only has to get its own act in order, it has to help lead the world to take this on," Mr Merkley said. This is a planetary-scale tragedy of the commons that we need leadership to end. Mr Trump has expressed a reluctance to send aid to California during the current wildfire crisis as well as past ones throughout his administration. Story continues "I said you've got to clean your floors, you got to clean your forests," the president said at a rally in Pennsylvania in August. Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it because they don't listen to us, Mr Trump said. At least 25 people have died in the wildfires this summer, officials have reported. The fires have damaged millions of acres of land, including vast swaths of farmland. California is the largest food-producing state in the country. Read more Trump likens Biden abortion policy to 'baby execution' Trump says he has signed new executive order to lower drug prices Trump news - live: President calls for death penalty in LA police shooting as he announces order to reduce drug prices 'They'll attack your homes': Trump campaign sends unfounded, fear-mongering text warning of Antifa assaults if Biden wins election Wildfires, coronavirus and house prices force residents to ditch the California dream Fire service recruiting for retained positions The Islands Fire and Rescue Service will start recruiting for retained firefighters from today. Its described as an exciting opportunity to become part of an operational fire fighting and response team protecting both people and property from fire and other hazards. Vacancies will be for retained firefighters will open for Peel, Port Erin, Laxey and Kirk Michael stations. Applications will open on the 14th September and close on the 25th October. Scientists on Monday announced the discovery of a rare molecule -- phosphine -- in the clouds of Venus, a possible hint of microbial life in the atmosphere of our neighbouring planet. On Earth, phosphine gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments, according to the researchers, including those from the Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Researchers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes -- floating free of the scorching surface, but still needing to tolerate very high acidity. The detection of phosphine molecules, which consist of hydrogen and phosphorus, could point to this extra-terrestrial 'aerial' life, according to the research published in the journal in Nature Astronomy. The team first used the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii to detect the phosphine. They were then awarded time to follow up their discovery with 45 telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile. Both facilities observed Venus at a wavelength of about 1 millimetre, much longer than the human eye can see -- only telescopes at high altitude can detect this wavelength effectively. "This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really -- taking advantage of JCMT's powerful technology, and thinking about future instruments," said Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University. "I thought we'd just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus' spectrum, it was a shock!" Greaves said. Greaves said that both observatories had seen the same thing -- faint absorption at the right wavelength to be phosphine gas, where the molecules are backlit by the warmer clouds below. Professor Hideo Sagawa of Kyoto Sangyo University used his models for the Venusian atmosphere to interpret the data, finding that phosphine is present but scarce -- only about twenty molecules in every billion. The astronomers then ran calculations to see if the phosphine could come from natural processes on Venus. They caution that some information is lacking -- in fact, the only other study of phosphorus on Venus came from one lander experiment, carried by the Soviet Vega 2 mission in 1985. Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist William Bains led the work on assessing natural ways to make phosphine. Some ideas included sunlight, minerals blown upwards from the surface, volcanoes, or lightning, but none of these could make anywhere near enough of it. Natural sources were found to make at most one ten thousandth of the amount of phosphine that the telescopes saw. To create the observed quantity of phosphine on Venus, terrestrial organisms would only need to work at about 10 per cent of their maximum productivity, according to calculations by Paul Rimmer of Cambridge University. Any microbes on Venus will likely be very different to their Earth cousins though, to survive in hyper-acidic conditions, the resaerchers said. Insuri is a small business risk management and insurance consultancy website, with the aim of bringing large business risk management expertise to small business owners. Oftentimes, small business owners lack an understanding of their unique risk and how theyre covered by insurance, according to Pegues. Read next: Adapting with confidence: COVID-19 claims trends, impacts and outcomes Theyre completely left in the dark regarding what insurance to buy, and what coverage they actually need for their unique risk profile, he told Insurance Business. With Insuri, we wanted to bring all this expertise to the small business community so they can stop worrying about insurance and can start focusing on the most important parts of their business. Weve been working on Insuri for quite some time. Obviously, mid-pandemic is not the ideal time to launch a new business, but it has actually turned out ideal. There are a lot of small businesses in the US who are seeking to know whether or not their insurance coverage actually provides some level of protection, especially in terms of business interruption coverage. Were seeing a lot of small businesses looking towards their insurance companies, or even filing litigation against their insurance companies, seeking coverage for business interruption. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted some of the deficiencies in the small business insurance space, Pegues argued. Historically, a small business would purchase an insurance policy, and then they probably wouldnt hear much from their broker or insurer until renewal. Thats because brokers and insurers tend not to get much return from servicing small business accounts. Read next: COVID-19 hastens the pace of hardening market in D&O Thats why I decided to create Insuri, said Pegues. We actually understand small business risk, and we understand how the policies work for each specific business. Thats really the key because not all business risks are equal. There are certain things that small business owners need to know specific to their risk profile, and we can offer that to them. Of course, small business owners can access a certain level of information from their insurance brokers, but insurance brokers also vary in their expertise and their particular silos. For instance, a small business might have one insurance broker that put together its package policy, which includes its liability and property insurance, but that broker might not know so much about professional liability or employment practices liability, discrimination and sexual harassment risks. Its our aim to bring all of that together for small business owners. As well as highlighting the general lack of insurance support for small business, the coronavirus pandemic has also brought some key coverage issues into the spotlight business interruption insurance and the general lack of coverage being the big-ticket item here. Another key coverage that COVID-19 has highlighted is workers compensation insurance, Pegues added. Workers compensation insurance traditionally has excluded colds and viruses, and clearly COVID-19 is not your typical common cold or flu virus, so it needs some level of protection. What weve been seeing is that governors in various states across the country have been slowly giving back coverage to certain employees. Theyve been expanding the workers compensation coverage to include essential workers and healthcare workers, but we need to extend that coverage to include all employees. I understand, like the business interruption argument, that its another risk profile that insurance companies did not consider or price for, so there needs to be some sort of backstop or solution for this. There are a lot of small businesses that purchase workers compensation coverage through various commercial insurance companies, and so its another risk that we all need to put our heads together and come up with a really good solution for. We need to use all of the resources at our fingertips to build the law around protecting all employees, regardless of the size of the business. On the night of Aug. 22, the Philadelphia school board made the right choice when it decided to vote no on giving Hilco Redevelopment Partners a tax break on the land it now owns in Grays Ferry. This decision came after students, teachers, and members of the community spoke about why granting this tax break would be a disservice to Philadelphia. But now, Hilco is getting a second chance in another board meeting Thursday. This second chance must meet the demands of our community the Philadelphia school board should vote no once again on Hilcos corporate tax break. The land in question has a sour history of once being home to the PES oil refinery that exploded in June of last year, and has recently been acquired by Hilco Redevelopment Partners. Similarly, we have seen Hilco acquiring properties in the Little Village section of Chicago and in Jersey City, N.J. Now residents in Chicago, Jersey City, and Philadelphia can unite with the understanding that Hilco is nothing more than a bad neighbor. While Chicagoans lack legal accountability for Hilcos promises and Jersey City recovers from an unwarned explosion by Hilco just this July, Philadelphians struggle to secure proper environmental remediation for the land as well as tax payments. Environmental justice groups like Philly Thrive question Hilcos commitment to proper remediation in order to safely dispose of the refinery material and not further pollute the air in South and Southwest Philadelphia. Hilcos past of committing environmental violations and mishandling of dust after explosions leave Philadelphians justifiably worried about the companys intentions. When the only form of remediation that Hilco promises is tapping harmful materials back into the ground, being critical is required. READ MORE: Philly school board rejects tax break for Hilcos redevelopment of former refinery site Reasons for denying Hilco a corporate tax break under the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) Act are plentiful compared with Hilcos shallow excuses to the contrary. Hilco claims that tens of thousands of jobs will be produced, but studies on these types of KOZs report that there is no evidence that they create the economic opportunities that they claim. Concerningly, there is no legal accountability to guarantee that if Hilco received the KOZ tax break it would employ residents of Philadelphia or fulfill the bold claims of employment. The tax break would guarantee $1.25 million annually for the School District in lieu of taxes, but nearby residents have their eye on something better. The money received if Hilco was forced to pay their taxes would go directly to public programs such as schools, recreation centers, libraries, and parks. Unfortunately, some board members expressed wishes to value the immediate economic gain to the district over the long-term sustainability of programs that many in the city rely on. This time the school board needs to uphold its vote denying Hilco the KOZ designation that it doesnt need. Hilco is a mega-corporation with billions in assets that does business in 60 countries. They wouldnt have settled on a location in Philadelphia if they couldnt afford it. READ MORE: Phillys school board should keep blocking Hilco from tax breaks | Opinion The bottom line is mega-corporations like Hilco are more than capable and responsible for paying their fair share in taxes. Philadelphians shouldnt have to make do with the partial payments in lieu of taxes instead. Heres how you can help make sure this doesnt happen: Join Philly Thrives Campaign to email and tweet at members of the Philadelphia school board about why Hilco needs to pay its fair share to the Philadelphia community. Write a written testimony or sign up to speak on Sept. 17 at the next board meeting. And, of course, if youre a member of the board, vote no on the KOZ action item. Your obligation is not to irresponsible moneyed interests like Hilco, but to the students, teachers, families, and members of the Philadelphia community. Malcolm Miller is a junior at J.R. Masterman High School and is involved with climate and environmental justice groups in Philadelphia. IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education (DCE) has partnered with Remote Year to offer the Global Leadership Specialized Studies program for an all-new employee learning experience. One of the primary drivers for this partnership is the recognition that the world of work is changing and how creative alternatives to remote work can provide a greater tool to increase talent recruitment, engagement and retention. Todays working professionals do not want to have to choose between seeking adventure and pursuing their careers. This alliance allows DCE to expand their talent solutions for their clients by offering an engaging and immersive cultural experience for employees to see the world while working and studying abroad. Remote Year has always provided experiential learning to developing professionals and leaders. By partnering with UCI DCE we are incredibly excited to offer a real leadership curriculum and certification to complement our global experience, said Sam Pessin, Co-Founder and CEO, Remote Year. We believe that professionals and their companies will be really interested in participating in our program. Workplaces have become much more globalized and it is essential that those employees seeking leadership roles possess the skills for multi-cultural, multi-generational, and geographically dispersed team communication, interpersonal connection, conflict management, and intelligence. The Global Leadership Specialized Studies Program offers learners the opportunity to select coursework for building these core competencies. We are proud to bring this unique opportunity to Remote Years professionals, said Brian Breen, Chief Corporate Engagement and Partnerships Officer, DCE. Traveler-learners will find the coursework in the Global Leadership Specialized Studies Program ideal for developing the skills they will need to lead in a global environment. The curriculum will also be a great complement as they embark on a hands-on cultural and community experience with their professional companions from all over the world. Remote Year is making the program a professional development option for workers. Flexible, interactive, and rigorous, the four-course Global Leadership Specialized Studies Program helps students develop four core global leadership competency domains: Leading Across Cultures, Leading Strategy, Leading Innovation, and Leading Self. Coursework is delivered in both synchronous and asynchronous modules. The program is available to any remote worker involved with the Remote Year organization and is administered by DCE instructors. It is offered in formats ranging from one to fourth months. For more information about the Global Leadership Specialized Studies Program partnership with Remote Year and available customized corporate training visit the DCE website or email Lindsay Doherty at lindsay.doherty@uci.edu. About Remote Year Remote Year brings together communities of creative, driven professionals to live abroad while working remotely. They offer 1, 4, 6 and 12-month programs, where participants or Remotes live and work in a new city each month for the duration of the program. Remote Year operates in 12 cities across the world, including Mexico City, Medellin, Lima, Santiago, Split, Lisbon, Valencia, Cape Town, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Chiang Mai and Kyoto. Please visit http://www.remoteyear.com for the latest news and information about Remote Year. About UCI Division of Continuing Education The University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education (DCE) provides lifelong learning opportunities to thousands of students worldwide each year fulfilling the schools 60-year curriculum platform to connect degree programs to the world of work and achievement after graduation. The Division offers a broad range of certificate programs, specialized studies, and sequential courses to local, regional and global markets through online, on-campus and on-site delivery. A leader in the open education movement, the Division offers free Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and content through the UCI Open initiative. For more information about UCI Division of Continuing Education, visit ce.uci.edu . About the University of California, Irvine Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the worlds safest and most economically vibrant communities, its Orange Countys second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. Contact: Vivian Chan-Slater vivian@echomediateam.com During childhood, many have pleaded their parents to get the walls of their room painted with their favourite cartoon characters. Be it the Barbie princess theme or the Tom and Jerry theme, having cartoons on ones walls was a big deal. This student from Bristol University unknowingly stumbled upon something super cool and it was far better than having a cartoon-themed room. Charles Lucas-Smith, a second year student was house hunting when he came across a property and booked it. According to The Sun, four days before moving in, he decided to check the place on Google Street. What he saw left him surprised. He noticed the house had a huge mural of Homer Simpson on the front. The home also had a sketch of the famous characters son Bart on the back. The student shared the news on Twitter. Moving into my new place on Monday and Id only ever seen a video tour of the inside of house, thought Id check the exterior out on Google street view and Im honestly so confused, reads the caption alongside two pictures of the house. Take a look at the post: Moving into my new place on Monday and id only ever seen a video tour of the inside of house, thought id check the exterior out on google street view and Im honestly so confused pic.twitter.com/xry6eiFIX7 Charl (@CLucasSmith) August 21, 2020 Posted on August 21, the tweet has garnered over 16,000 likes along with tons of surprised reactions from netizens. Some even identified the place as the Homer house of Brighton, UK. Heres how people reacted to the post: "theres no such thing as a perfect house" lucy (@lucydabrowska92) August 22, 2020 Homer house in Brighton, short walk from the rick and morty house leem BLM (@yungenleem) August 22, 2020 Shut up ahahahahhaha Oliver James Davis (@OJDavis_) August 23, 2020 I got a pic outside this house, such a sick gaff pic.twitter.com/uVT4rFSdji Gwarn Stefani (@wizardmanj) August 21, 2020 What are your thoughts on this super cool house? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chipmaker Nvidia has agreed to buy Arm Holdings, a designer of chips for mobile phones, from SoftBank in a deal worth $40 billion, the companies announced Sunday. The deal will include $21.5 billion in Nvidia stock and $12 billion in cash, including $2 billion payable at signing. SoftBank acquired Arm in 2016 for $31.4 billion in 2016 in one of its largest acquisitions ever. Arm is best known as the designer of an architecture used in chips in most mobile phones, including the Qualcomm chips used in most Android phones, as well as Apple's iPhone. Apple is also planning to shift its Mac computers from Intel chips to an Arm-based design. Nvidia said it expects the deal to take about a year to close. Nvidia, whose chips are widely used to support graphics and artificial intelligence applications, including for self-driving vehicles, pledged that it would "continue Arm's open-licensing model and customer neutrality." Arm's operations will remain in the United Kingdom. "This combination makes financial sense, and it's a great deal for SoftBank and us," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a press call Monday. SoftBank bought Arm as an investment in the so-called Internet of Things -- the idea that wireless connectivity among everyday items such as refrigerators, cars and other devices would lead to useful new scenarios. Bob Woodward, the former Washington Post reporter whos chronicled several presidential administrations, will appear on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday to discuss his recent book, Rage, which includes more than a dozen on-the-record interviews with President Donald Trump, who admitted to the reporter that he played down COVID-19 despite knowing early on it was more deadly than the flu. According to CBS, the Watergate reporter spent hundreds of hours with a range of first-hand sources for the book, which focuses on the presidents response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as protests over racial injustice which ignited nationwide after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. The interviews include 18 combined White House and phone interviews with the president, totaling nine hours. Sunday nights interview with CBS Scott Pelley, at 7 p.m. EST, will include audio excerpts recorded by Woodward with Trumps permission. Trump last week told reporters that he allowed the interviews because he respected Woodward. He said he did not lie to the American people about COVID-19. Trump has repeatedly said that he believes a president should be a cheerleader for the country. We have to be calm. We cant be panicked, he said. Bob Woodward is somebody that I respect just from hearing the name for many, many years, not knowing too much about his work and not caring about his work, but I thought it would be interesting to talk to him for a period of calls, so we did that. I dont know if its good or bad, I dont even know if the book is good or bad. Trump argued that if Woodward felt the presidents comments were out of line, he should have reported them months earlier, not right before the release of his book on Sept. 15. According to an interview on Feb. 7, weeks before the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the U.S., Trump acknowledged to Woodward that he was aware the virus was airborne and highly contagious and more deadly than even your strenuous flus, perhaps five times as lethal. On March 19, just days after he declared a national emergency that led to widespread shutdowns and expansive social distancing measures to blunt the spread of the virus, the president told Woodward that he wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, he added, because I dont want to create a panic. Related Content: MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Madison decided Monday to eliminate spring break next semester in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The universitys Faculty Senate voted 140-7 to erase the nine-day break from the 2021 spring calendar. Officials said the move is designed to discourage students and staff from travelling long distances and bringing the virus that causes COVID-19 back to campus, officials said. I realize the slog of of going through a full 15 week semester with no break would be challenging, but given the vagaries of the pandemic, particularly in cold weather when people are indoors and the like. ... Im enthusiastically supportive, said Provost John Karl Scholz. The proposal has classes starting on Jan. 25, a week later than currently scheduled. Spring break would be eliminated, but classes would not be held Saturday, March 27, which is the beginning of Passover; Friday, April 2, which is Good Friday; or Saturday, April 3, the day before Easter. Classes would end April 30, the same day as the current calendar. The idea got a lukewarm reception from some senators and students. Sen. Kurt Paulsen, an urban planning professor, asked why the spring semester couldnt start on its regular schedule. Sen. John Mackay, a philosphy professor, warned that students will travel anyway. If the semester goes online, students will just log-on from Florida for a week, he predicted. Kevin Jacobsen, shared governence campaign director for Associated Students of Madison, said spring break offers a respite from stress from students, which is worse in the spring with internship requests and other demands as the academic year ends. But Scholz stressed to the Senate that the plan is the best chance to reduce student travel without interfering with spring graduation. Its the best of a set of imperfect proposals, he said. The virus has been running rampant on Wisconsin college campuses. UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse have suspended in-person undergraduate instruction for two weeks, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases. According to data from UW-Madison, 2,138 students and 29 employees have been infected since Aug. 6. Three-hundred students have been referred to the universitys Office of Student Conduct -and Community Standards for violation of housing or other policies related to COVID-19, UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith Mcglone said. Eight students have been suspended; four others are being considered for suspension, she said. Chancellor Rebecca Blank defended the decision to open the campus this fall during a video conference with reporters, saying students were coming back to off-campus housing regardless and they learn better in person. She said she would make the same decision again. Even if we went all online, the majority of our students would be here, she said. This issue isnt going to resolve itself by telling everyone to go home. This is their home. The deadline for a full tuition refund expired Friday, but Blank said the university was considering extending that window. The Senate meeting began with professors and instructors grilling Blank over her decision to reopen, saying it wasnt based on data. The ... plan has failed and I find any narrative that doesnt acknowledge this and further asserts that it is the fault of students, who were invited back for an in-person semester with assurances of a safe environment, to be offensive, Michael Childers, a business school professor, wrote in the meetings chat box. Blank reiterated the points she made during her conference with reporters, insisting that students wanted to come back and she would make the decision to reopen again. I know there is an enormous amount of anxiety and anger out there, she said. State health officials on Sunday confirmed 1,582 new cases of the coronavirus, for a total of 89,185 positive tests. One new death was reported, increasing the number of fatalities from the disease to 1,210. ___ This story has been updated to correct the number of students referred to university officials for COVID-19 policy violations to 300 instead of nearly 400. Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday (September 13) for his alleged involvement in the riots that erupted in the national capital in February 2020. Delhi Police's Special Cell had earlier cahrged Umar Khalid under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in another case related to the riots. It is learnt that Umar was questioned for around 12 hours before he was arrested by Delhi Police. "After 11 hours of interrogation, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Umar Khalid as a conspirator in the Delhi Riots case. The fairy tale narrative that DP (Delhi Police) has been spinning and criminalising protests in the garb of investigating riots, finds yet another victim," United Against Hate, an activist group whose member is Umar Khalid, said in a statement on Sunday. Live TV Riots in north-east Delhi from February 23 to 26 claimed over 50 lives and left many injured. The riots erupted after weeks of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens in different parts of the city. Khalid's arrest comes amid a political controversy which started after Delhi Police named CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and Swaraj Abhiyan chief Yogendra Yadav in the disclosure statement of one of the accused of the riots. The disclosure statement also names economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy. These eminent personalities have been named based on the confessions of three students - womens collective Pinjra Tod members and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, and Gulfisha Fathima of Jamia Milia Islamia - in the Jafrabad violence, from where the riots spread to other parts of north-east Delhi. In the charge sheet, the Delhi Police has claimed that Kalita and Narwal admitted to not just their complicity in the riots but also named Ghosh, Apoorvanand and Roy as their mentors, who allegedly asked them to carry out the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and go to any extreme. Sally Phillips has called out Amazon for selling anti-Down's syndrome T-shirts after the garments resurfaced on the site last week. The actress, 51, who lives in London, has three children, the oldest of which, Olly, 16, has Down's syndrome. She described the offensive tops - which feature slogans including 'F*** Down's syndrome' - as 'hatewear' that demonstrate eugenic ideas 'are really taking hold'. The sick T-shirts first appeared on Amazon in March this year but were removed by the retailer after appalled parents complained. Sally Phillips has called out Amazon for selling anti-Down's syndrome T-shirts after the garments resurfaced on the online site last week. The actress, 51, who lives in London, has three children, the oldest of which, Olly, 16, pictured together, has Down's syndrome But last week another range of tops, one of which read: 'Let's make Down Syndrome [sic] extinct', appeared on the website. Sickened mother Caroline White, of Bath, whose son Seb is a model with Downs syndrome, shared a series of screenshots of the T-shirts on Twitter, writing: 'Look at this offensive s*** I, and other parents of kids with Down's syndrome, have to see. @amazon @AmazonHelp how the hell have these been listed??' Sally, best known for her roles in the Bridget Jones films and the comedy sketch show Smack the Pony, shared an impassioned tweet calling on Amazon to take action against the vile T-shirts after spotting a further post by Brent Marriner, from Sunderland, and his 'Mam' Jacqui Tyson, who run the joint account @AmazingBrent. Sharing a photo of himself in T-shirt with the slogan 'keep calm, it's only another chromosome' beside a picture of the offensive tee, Brent, who has Down's syndrome, wrote: 'Mam showed me this T-shirt. Sickened mother Caroline White, of Bath, whose son Seb is a model with Downs syndrome, shared a series of screenshots of the T-shirts on Twitter Having first appeared in March, last week another range of the disgusting T-shirts, one of which read: 'Let's make Down Syndrome [sic] extinct', resurfaced on Amazon 'I think it's rude and it makes me sad. This is me in a good T-shirt. I like my life. I can do lots of things. Why are they saying that about Down's syndrome? It's nasty. It's unkind. Help me tell @AmazonUK. Please share this.' Sally shared the tweet, which attracted over 7,300 retweets, writing: 'Hello tweeps... can you help us get these hateful T-shirts off @AmazonUK? #Noplaceforhate.' She later said: 'Eugenic ideas are really taking hold the idea that there is this subclass of humans and it is better we get rid of them. If you have a world view in which you regard academic intelligence or money-making possibilities as the ultimate goal... then you feel perfectly justified in saying these things. It would break my heart if Olly saw anyone wearing those T-shirts,' reports The Times. The listings have since been removed, while a Change.org petition set up by disability campaigner Cristina Bowman, calling for a ban on Amazon sellers 'inciting Down's syndrome hate speech', has attracted more than 16,000 signatures. Sally, best known for her roles in the Bridget Jones films and the comedy sketch show Smack the Pony, shared an impassioned tweet calling on Amazon to take action against the vile T-shirts after spotting a further post by Brent Marriner, from Sunderland, pictured left, and his 'Mam' Jacqui Tyson, who run the joint account @AmazingBrent Ms Bowman, 43, said she worried about the impact the tops bearing the hateful slogans would have on her three-year-old son Max, who has Down's syndrome. Writing on the Change.org site, she said: 'We want to see companies who sell items on Amazon that incite hate speech against any minorities banned from ever selling on Amazon again. 'Many people from the Down's syndrome community have contacted Amazon time and time again to remove product inciting hate speech against people who have Down's syndrome.' She added: 'Hate crime is no joke and is on the rise against people with learning disabilities. We hope to see Amazon helping the Down's syndrome community fight against hate crime.' Cristina Bowman, 43, said she worried about the impact the tops bearing the hateful slogans would have on her three-year-old son Max, who has Down's syndrome (pictured together) Ms Bowman, who lives near Penrith in Cumbria, told The Times: 'We're fighting hard to get positive balanced information out there because so many children are aborted when their parents find out they have Down's syndrome. 'Max does not have any serious health problems, he's the loveliest boy. But we were so scared before he was born because we believed outdated stereotypes.' Research by the learning disability charity United Response found there were more than 6,000 reported cases of hate crimes against disabled people in 2018/19 - a rise of nearly 12 per cent in 12 months. An Amazon spokesperson told FEMAIL: 'All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account.' Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrei Chibis met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iceland to the Russian Federation Arni Tor Sigurdsson. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation in the fishing industry and education, the regional government press service said. The Murmansk Region and Iceland already have experience cooperating in these areas, in particular, fish processing enterprises in the region provide factories and plants with equipment and use the services of technical specialists from Iceland. In addition, an agreement on cooperation in higher and vocational education is in effect between the University of Akureyri and the Murmansk State Technical University. During the meeting, Andrei Chibis said that there are plans for foreign teachers, including those from the countries of the Barents region, to visit Murmansk in 2020. He also expressed hope that scientists and teachers from Iceland would take part in this work, as it will be useful and beneficial to those Icelandic companies that cooperate with Russian ones in the Arctic. It would be interesting to work together on creating joint laboratories, where, among other things, we could train specialists in those areas that are in demand for supplying high-tech equipment, the governor said. For his part, the ambassador recalled that Akureyri and Murmansk are twin cities, and agreed with the proposal to arrange a student and teacher exchange, emphasizing the relevance of the Arctic agenda. It should be noted that Akureyri University is one of the largest scientific centers and universities studying Arctic issues, specializes in two areas marine resource management and polar legislation. These are the areas in which we can further develop cooperation, and I will discuss this issue during my visit to the university, added Arni Tor Sigurdsson. Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 : The woes of the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government, currently caught in various scams and allegations, continue unabated as the son of the second in command -- Industries Minister E. P. Jayarajan is the latest to face the heat. This came just days after the Enforcement Directorate questioned son of another powerful CPI-M leader -- state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan for over 11 hours. The common link between the two is their link with the now arrested and prime accused in the controversial gold smuggling case -- Swapna Suresh. While Jayarajan and his wife P.K. Indira are presently convalescing at a hospital in Kannur -- their home town after turning Covid positive, there has been no word from them so far. It was Kerala BJP president K. Surendran who first broke the news of the involvement of Jayarajan's son, who is alleged to have got a huge sum as commission, after Swapna managed to get a project cleared for building homes for the poor under Vijayan's pet project 'Life Mission'. Soon after Surendran broke the news, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also attacked the CPI(M) leader. Swapna using her influence was able to get a UAE based charity organisation 'Red Crescent' to participate as the construction was handed to a private player. The state government provided the land for this project. The news of Jayarajan's son surfaced two days after the ED questioned Bineesh Kodiyeri. The ED is all set to question senior bureaucrat U.V.Jose -- the CEO of 'Life Mission'. The ED may also look into the details of a party, which was held in the state capital in which Swapna, son of Jayarajan and a few others took part. The ED is also trying to establish whether a picture of Jayarajan's son, which has now surfaced with Swapna, was morphed or not one. According to sources in the know of things, the senior CPI-M leader's son will be called in for questioning shortly. Adding to more trouble for Jayarajan is that his wife, who is a retired banker last week, while she was in isolation after giving her sample for Covid test, arrived at the bank and had operated her bank locker. Britain's Opposition Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, on Monday went into quarantine, which could last up to two weeks, after a member of his household displayed symptoms of The Labour Party leader's office said the unnamed member of his household has taken a test in line with the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) guidelines and is now awaiting results of that test. If the test comes back positive, Starmer would have to self isolate for 14 days. "This morning Keir Starmer was advised to self-isolate after a member of his household showed possible symptoms of the coronavirus, a Labour Party spokesperson said. "The member of his household has now had a test. In line with NHS guidelines, Keir will self isolate while awaiting the results of the test and further advice from medical professionals." Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the Opposition leader after he went into self isolation following a radio interview earlier on Monday morning. "The Prime Minister has spoken to the leader of the opposition this morning and gave best wishes to him and his family," a Downing Street spokesperson said. Starmer's quarantine comes amid a rise in the COVID-19 infection rate across the UK, with stricter rules restricting the size of social gatherings to just six coming into force in England, Scotland and Wales from Monday. The timing of his isolation will be particularly felt in Parliament as he was scheduled to take on the government over its controversial Internal Market Bill, which comes up for debate in the House of Commons on Monday. Labour, along with many of Boris Johnson's own Conservative Party MPs, have said that they cannot back the bill in its current form as it threatens to breach law by attempting to override parts of the Brexit divorce agreement struck with the European Union (EU). Instead, Shadow Business Secretary and former Labour leader Ed Miliband will open for the party in the debate, expected to be a fiery exchange ahead of a vote later on Monday evening. The government is expected to get the bill through at this stage with its comfortable majority in the Commons but it is likely to face hiccups during further stages in its progress to the House of Lords. (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| 2020-09-14 19:34:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Over 3 million Syrian students returned to 13,280 schools in the government-controlled areas on Sunday as the new academic year began. Precautions against COVID-19 were taken, including using detergents to disinfect classrooms and the interior of schools. (ANSA) - ROME, SEP 14 - Silvio Berlusconi said suffering from COVID-19 was "the most dangerous ordeal of my life" as he was discharged from Milan's San Raffaele hospital on Monday. The ex-premier and leader of the opposition centre-right Forza Italia party was hospitalized with COVID-related bilateral pneumonia on September 3. "I survived this time too," the media billionaire said as he left the hospital. He added that the affection and support he received "enabled me to overcome the most difficult moments, which were during the first three days" (ANSA). Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday welcomed the Centres affidavit before the Supreme Court ruling out immediate eviction of residents of 48,000 slums located along Delhis railway tracks, and said he is ready to touch anybodys feet to provide alternative housing to the slum dwellers. Addressing the Delhi Assembly, which held a special one-day session on Monday, Kejriwal said it was not advisable to remove the slums during the pandemic and suggested that the authorities should not proceed in this direction till the time corona crisis subsides to avoid turning them into Covid-19 hot spots. Also read: Slum dwellers reach SC against Railway slum eviction order, 11 dwellers file plea to join as parties The House was discussing a resolution moved by Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) Rajendra Nagar legislator Raghav Chadha, in support of the more than two lakh people estimated to be living in the 48,000 slums located along railway tracks, which the Supreme Court had last month ordered to be demolished within three months. The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that discussions were underway to implement the courts August 31 order but ruled out the immediate eviction of the residents. I assure all the slum dwellers that until your son, your brother is alive, your homes will not be demolished. We will ensure pucca houses to all 48,000 slum dwellers before they are moved. Even if I have to touch someones feet, even if I have to struggle, I will provide a house to you, he said. The issue was debated in the House with ruling AAP and opposition BJP legislators hitting out at one another. Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri chanted slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hailed his housing for all by 2022 mission. Also read: Delhi slum eviction: 11 slum dwellers file plea to join proceedings in Supreme Court case The chief minister said at least four laws -- Central Provisions Act passed by the Centre, DUSIB Act, DUSIB Policy, and DUSIB Protocol -- clearly state that whenever slums are uprooted, the inhabitants have to be given permanent houses. The DUSIBs slum rehabilitation policy talks abut in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers, he said. I assure you that either the central government will give you a permanent house or else the Delhi government will do that. I am happy with the affidavit filed by the Central Government in the Supreme Court today, where they have said that the Delhi Government, Railways and Urban Development Ministry will jointly find a solution to the problem in the next four weeks. The central and Delhi government will work together so that our 48,000 Delhiites can get their legal rights, Kejriwal said. Kejriwal said slum dwellers play a very important role in improving Delhis economy and life. If all the leaders and officers of Delhi stop working for a day, even then Delhi will keep on functioning but even for a day if the people living in slums will stop working, then Delhi will come to standstill, Kejriwal said. The resolution on slum dwellers, which was passed by the House by voice vote, stated that there should not be any eviction during the pandemic and rehabilitation should precede any such action. It also stated that both the Centre and Delhi government agencies must work together to protect the interests of the slum dwellers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sweta Goswami Sweta Goswami writes on urban development, transport, energy and social welfare in Delhi. She prefers to be called a storyteller and has given voice to several human interest stories. She is currently cutting her teeth on multimedia storytelling. ...view detail Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 01:30:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosts a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2020, via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said that there is no universal path to human rights development in the world. In terms of human rights protection, there is no best way, only the better one. Xi made the remarks when co-hosting a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He stressed that all countries should priorly handle their own things, adding China believes that the European side can resolve its own human rights issues. Chinese people will not accept "an instructor" on human rights and oppose "double standards". China is willing to strengthen exchanges with the European side based on the principle of mutual respect so that the two sides can both make progress, said Xi. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:02:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Thai army on Monday dismissed as a fake message circulated on social media, that the First Army Area has prepared soldiers and full riot gear against the planned student protest in the neighborhood of its headquarters in Bangkok on the upcoming weekend. Army spokesman Col. Winthai Suvaree categorically dismissed such viral messages as fake news because, he said, it does not show a date and is not signed by any commanding officer of the First Army Area. An authentic official message normally shows a date, on which it is issued, and is signed by an official in charge, Col. Winthai said. He said the First Army Area has not as yet received any orders from the government or any higher-ups in the army to prepare any mission in the face of the planned student protest. The message, circulated on social media over the weekend, says the First Army Area has planned to have its soldiers equipped with helmets, jackets, shields, batons, tear gas and guns with rubber ammunition to handle the situation in the face of protesting students. The First Army Area is located on Ratchadamnoen Avenue and less than half a km from the Government House where leading protesters have reportedly planned to rally outside on Sunday. Enditem Chinese President Xi Jinping (top L), European Council President Charles Michel (top R), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (bottom R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (bottom L) are seen in split screen on a monitor during the EU-China summit on September 14, 2020, in Brussels. Photo: Yves Herman/AFP via Getty Images German chancellor Angela Merkel was supposed to be hosting the Chinese president and the heads of 27 EU states for a three-day conference in Leipzig this month, before the summit was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead the German leader, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and Chinese president Xi Jinping held a much shorter video-conference, touching on trade, climate action, coronavirus vaccine cooperation, and the big issue of human rights in China. The goal of Leipzig summit was to finalise the EU-China investment treaty, which has been dragging on for years. Overall, the EU wants a fair, level playing field for its companies and investors doing business in the Chinese market. Now we have agreement on three important issues, von der Leyen said at a press conference after the video-meeting. First of all, on the disciplines regarding the behaviours of state-owned enterprises, then on technology transfer, and on transparency on subsidies. However I want to caution that a lot still remains to be done, in other important and difficult chapters of the agreement, particularly in two areas: market access and sustainable development, she added. Human rights dialogue Pressure has been increasing on the German government, currently in the middle of its six-month presidency of the European Council (EC), to take a stronger stand against China over its human-rights abuses in particular, the detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province, and Beijings new security law cracking down on free speech in Hong Kong. The national security law for Hong Kong continues to raise great concerns, Charles Michel said in a press conference after the summit today. Democratic voices in Hong Kong should be heard, rights protected, and autonomy preserved. We called on China to keep their promises to the people of Hong Kong, we reiterated our concerns over Chinas treatment of minorities in Xinjiang in Tibet and the treatment of human rights defenders and journalists, he added. Story continues Asked if China would take any notice of the EUs human-rights concerns, Merkel said: We will see what comes out of it and that Xi had offered that envoys may be able to visit Xinjiang province and that there would be an ongoing human-rights dialogue. That does not mean that there was agreement about these issues, she added. Ahead of todays meeting, some members of the European parliament sent a jointly signed letter to Merkel, Michel, and von der Leyen calling for targeted sanctions and asset freezes against Chinese officials responsible for polities violating human rights. The upcoming EU-China summit represents an ideal opportunity to match the EUs rhetoric regarding human rights violations in China with concrete action, the MEPs wrote. However, Germany has long been cautious when it comes to criticising Beijing, and has often been accused of prioritising trade with China over human rights issues, and naively believing it could affect change through trade. China is Germanys largest trading partner, with trade volume between the two nations 206bn (189.9bn, $244.8bn) last year. While the UK has banned Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from the buildout of its 5G network, Germany permitted the company to join the 5G supplier auctions. China had made its thoughts clear on the topic in December 2019, when its ambassador to Germany, Ken Wu, said during an interview that there will be consequences if Germany decides to exclude Huawei from its telecoms market. In what appeared to be a threat of retaliation, Wu pointed out that out of the 28 million cars sold in China last year, 7 million were German. READ MORE: China's Huawei banned from UK 5G network Germany is rethinking its heavy economic reliance on China. The foreign office announced a new Indo-pacific strategy at the beginning of September, outlining how it will focus on developing closer ties with democracies, such as South Korea, India, and Japan. "We want to help shape [the future global order] so that it is based on rules and international cooperation, not on the law of the strong," said German foreign minister Heiko Maas. "That is why we have intensified cooperation with those countries that share our democratic and liberal values." GST on textiles will not be increased from 5 to 12 per cent: FM Sitharaman It is not BJP money: Nirmala Sitharaman on IT raids on 'Samajwadi perfume' trader Budget Session 2022 to commence on January 31; Union Budget to be tabled on February 1 FM Nirmala Sitharaman to address press conference at 4:30 pm, likely to clear air on Antrix Devas issue FM Sitharaman on Devas-Antrix issue: Cong has no moral right to speak about crony capitalism Sitharaman presents first batch of supplementary demands; seeks additional Rs 2.35 lakh cr India pti-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 14: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday sought the Parliament nod for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, which include cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore, primarily to meet expenses for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the total cash outgo, Rs 40,000 crore has been sought towards enhanced expenditure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program, Rs 20,000 crore towards capital infusion in public sector banks and Rs 33,771.48 crore for direct benefit transfer under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and National Social Assistance Programme. As part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, Rs 33,771.48 crore has been transferred to beneficiaries of both women Jan Dhan Account holders and Old Age Pension holders. Sitharaman blaming gods for failure of economy: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut "For providing Grants-in-aid General for Direct Benefit Transfer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna Women Accounts Holders (Rs 30,956.98 crore) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension (Rs 2,814.50 crore) under the scheme National Social Assistance Programme," the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 tabled in the Lok Sabha said. The government has also sought Rs 46,602.43 crore towards providing additional allocation under Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to states as per recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 includes 54 Grants and 1 Appropriation. "Approval of the Parliament is sought to authorise gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore. Of this, the proposals involving net cash outgo aggregate to Rs 1,66,983.91 crore and gross additional expenditure, matched by savings of the Ministries/Departments or by enhanced receipts/recoveries aggregates to Rs 68,868.33 crore," it said. To augment the health infrastructure to combat COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the government has sought Rs 14,231.96 crore including Rs 5,915.49 crore for meeting additional expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General for containment of pandemic and Rs 2,475 crore to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). For meeting expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General under the scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) related to the Labour Ministry, the government has sought Rs 4,860 crore. With regard to meeting expenditure towards food subsidy under National Food Security Act, Rs 10,000 crore has been sought from the Parliament. For meeting expenditure towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks through issue of government securities the government asked for Parliament's authorisation of Rs 20,000 crore, it said. COVID-19 an 'Act of God', may result in economy to contract this fiscal: Nirmala Sitharaman The government has also sought Rs 1,232 crore as subsidy to Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) on interest subvention of 2 per cent on prompt repayment of Shishu Loans extended under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). For meeting an additional expenditure towards Grants-in-aid General to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for the Guarantee Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility to eligible MSME borrowers, Rs 4,000 crore has been sought. On May 20, the Cabinet approved additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore at a concessional rate of 9.25 per cent through Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSME sector. Under the scheme, 100 per cent guarantee coverage will be provided by NCGTC for additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) borrowers in the form of a GECL facility. For this purpose, a corpus of Rs 41,600 crore was set up by the government, spread over the current and next three financial years. The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31, or till the amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier. New Delhi, Sep 14 : Documentary filmmakers Rahul Roy and Saba Dewan were summoned by the Delhi Police's special cell on Monday in connection with the North-East Delhi riots. The Delhi Police claim to have found their links with some students' outfit, and with a WhatsApp group called the 'Delhi Protests Support Group (DPSG)'. This happened hours after Delhi police formally arrested former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid in connection with the Delhi riots. Rahul Roy and Saba reached the office of the Special cell at Lodhi Colony at 2 p.m. on Monday to join the investigation. Sources said 15-20 members of the WhatsApp group have been questioned so far -- most recently, Delhi University Professor Apoorvanand, whose phone was also seized. Earlier, the special cell of Delhi police had arrested former JNU student Umar Khalid under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the North-East Delhi riots that broke out in February this year. So far, Delhi Police have arrested 1,575 persons in the 751 cases filed in the North-East Delhi riots. Over 250 charge-sheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused have been charge-sheeted. All these cases are pending before the Special Courts constituted for the trial. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Thirty-five years after the bloody Assam agitation, students in the state have taken a full-fledged plunge into politics. Two influential students organisations All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) came together and formed a political party to counter the ruling BJP and Congress and champion the cause of regionalism. The birth of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) was announced on Monday. The Assam Advisory Committee, a panel which the students formed in August, will suggest their future course of action. Two former professors, Krishnagopal Bhattacharya and Basanta Deka, are the committees convenors. The AJP said it would refrain from communal politics and reach out to people with the slogan of ghorey ghorey aami (we are in every household). Back in 1985, at the end of six-year-long bloody anti-immigrants agitation which led to the signing of historic Assam Accord, the AASU had formed the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) that changed the face of Assam politics. The AGP had swept the polls the same year and threw up a new leader in Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. He donned the chief ministers mantle twice but the Bangladeshi problem remains. The controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which the Centre passed to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh besides Pakistan and Afghanistan, aroused Assamese nationalism once again. That Assam needs a political alternative was envisaged during the height of protests against CAA last year. The AASU said the AJP was the need of the hour. The state government had surrendered before the Centre vis-a-vis CAA. So, it was the desire of people to have a political alternative that will not stoop to Delhi but work to protect Assams interests, AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath said. AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the implementation of the Assam Accord would be the AJPs key agenda. It will maintain the Assam first and will be forever policy, he said. AJYCP leader Palash Changmai said as all major political parties including the BJP, Congress and AGP failed to secure Assams future, people were looking for a political alternative. As such, the AJP was floated after wider consultations. Assam will go to the polls early next year. Currently, the BJP heads the states three-party ruling coalition. Evacuees from the Riverside Fire stay in tents at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge in Oak Grove, Calif., on Sunday. Read more SALEM, Ore. (AP) Deadly West Coast wildfires are dividing President Donald Trump and the states' Democratic leaders over how to prevent blazes from becoming more frequent and destructive, but scientists and others on the front lines say its not as simple as blaming either climate change or the way land is managed. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington have all said global warming is priming forests for wildfires as they become hotter and drier. But during a visit Monday to California, Trump pointed to how states manage forests and said, It will start getting cooler, just you watch. Scientists say wildfires are all but inevitable, and the main drivers are plants and trees drying out due to climate change and more people living closer to areas that burn. And while forest thinning and controlled burns are solutions, they have proven challenging to implement on the scale needed to combat those threats. As crews battled wildfires that have killed at least 35 people, destroyed neighborhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke, Trump contended that the states are to blame for failing to rake leaves and clear dead timber from forest floors. However, many of the California blazes have roared through coastal chaparral and grasslands, not forest, and some of the largest are burning on federal land. In Oregon, it was the forests that burned at unprecedented levels this past week. Almost the same number of megafires defined as having scorched 100,000 acres or more were burning last week as have occurred during the entire last century, said Jim Gersbach, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Experts, environmentalists and loggers largely agree that thinning trees and brush through prescribed burns and careful logging will help prevent forests that cover vast tracts of the American West from threatening cities with fire. But whether that would have spared towns is less clear. Strong winds sent flames racing down the western slopes of the Cascade Range into small towns like Detroit, Oregon, wiping them out. In a wind-driven event at 30 miles an hour, where youve got embers flying far ahead of the actual flame fronts and flame lengths being much greater than normal, is thinning going to really be enough to stop a home from burning in an inferno like that? Gersbach said. Millions of dollars are spent on tree thinning and brush clearing every year in Western states, though many argue more needs to be done. But scaling up the costly, labor-intensive work as more people move into mountains and forests has many challenges. Forest thinning helped save the town of Sisters, Oregon, from a wildfire in 2017. But out of 30 million forested acres statewide, prescribed burns have been used on only roughly a half-percent a year, Gersbach said. In Washington state, a prescribed burning program hasnt yet begun on state lands, said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Thomas Kyle-Milward. The state helps manage deliberate fires on thousands of acres of federal lands each year. Many places dont have the capacity or the money to do the work, said John Bailey, an Oregon State University professor of tree growth and fire management. There are no longer enough mills to handle salvageable timber, whose proceeds can help offset the costs of forest thinning. Sometimes I feel like we are making progress at increasing the pace and scale of resilience treatments, but largely, the same issues are at play, and progress has been slow, Bailey said. More folks are probably on board to the ideas, but implementation is hard. And as more people move into rural areas or build vacation cabins in the woods, prescribed burning is less of an option. Where you have lots of people living on small acreages close together, and youve got houses and barns and sheds and corrals and fences, its very difficult to do a prescribed burn, Gersbach said. Youve got a lot of things that, if that fire for some reason escapes, youre almost immediately into someone elses property. West Coast governors have bluntly blamed climate change and accused the Trump administration of downplaying the threat. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was tempered Monday in his meeting with Trump, saying: We come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. He also pointed out that 57% of forest land in California is controlled by the federal government. Just Friday, Newsom called out the ideological BS of those who deny the danger of climate change. In southern Oregon to Northern California, warnings of low moisture and strong winds conditions that can drive the flames are in effect through Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as the fast-moving flames turned neighborhoods to nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials more than 20 people are still missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise as authorities search. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state. Beam reported from Sacramento, California. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Religions for Peace, a global, multi-religious movement representing the worlds faith institutions and traditions, announced today a commitment to form a Multi-Religious Council of Leaders to strengthen efforts to address the root causes of conflict and displacement, and to support peacebuilding, inclusion and reconciliation efforts. Religious leaders representing the worlds diverse faith traditions committed to form the Council during the first ever high-level strategic roundtable co-hosted by Religions for Peace and UNHCR. Faith leaders have much to contribute in the efforts to tackle todays global humanitarian and displacement challenges, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. This Council will now provide us with a global, multi-religious platform to engage with faith leaders in support of those forcibly displaced and their host communities. Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace, emphasized the movements long-standing commitments and service in these areas, dating back to 1970. She stated that this Council will strengthen the shared commitment and intentionality of UNHCR and multi-religious institutions collaboration, fostering systematic inclusion of refugees and migrants in all societies, and advocating for their concerns within and across all communities. Religions for Peace, which comprises 90 national and six regional Inter-Religious Platforms, provides direct, multi-religious humanitarian support, and mobilises faith communities across the globe to welcome migrants and refugees. The Council members to be jointly identified by UNHCR and Religions for Peace will include the senior most religious leaders from Religions for Peaces World Council as well as from its wider movement. Members will have a demonstrated record of serving as strong advocates for conflict prevention, reconciliation and peacebuilding in challenging humanitarian as well as forced displacement contexts, and will have experience in building a culture of peace that protects the most vulnerable, especially those at risk of gender-based violence. With a three-year tenure leading up to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, the Councils objectives include generating multi-religious advocacy and synergizing efforts to support forcibly displaced and stateless people at global, regional and national levels. At the end of 2019, there were some 79.5 million people forcibly displaced people; the highest number on record according to available data. The human and economic cost requires a more collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach, engaging all sectors of society. The Global Compact on Refugees, affirmed by the UN General Assembly in December 2018, recognizes that faith-based actors are important contributors to good relations and peaceful co-existence. They are critical in serving and advocating for refugees and internally displaced people, as well as their host communities. Press Contacts The Lok Sabha passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 today. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that China continues to be in illegal occupation of approximately 38,000 sq km in the Union Territory of Ladakh. On the other hand, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, speaking on coronavirus said that history will remember PM Modi for 'meticulous' Covid-19 handling. Stay tuned to Deccan Herald for more updates. SALEM, Ore. - Wildfire smoke that posed a health hazard to millions choked the West Coast on Saturday as firefighters battled deadly blazes that obliterated some towns and displaced tens of thousands of people, the latest in a series of calamities this year. For people already enduring the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic fallout and political tensions evident in the Black Lives Matter protests and far-right counter protests, the fires added a new layer of misery. Whats next? You have the protests, coronavirus pandemic, now the wildfires. What else can go wrong? lamented Danielle Oliver, 40, of Happy Valley, southeast of Portland. The death toll from the fires in California, Oregon and Washington stood at 31 and was expected to rise sharply. Most of the fatalities were in California and Oregon. Oregons emergency management director said officials were preparing for a possible mass fatality event if many more bodies turn up in the ash. And the state fire marshal resigned after abruptly being placed on administrative leave. The state police superintendent said the crisis demanded an urgent response that required a leadership change. Oliver has an autoimmune disorder that makes her vulnerable to wildfire smoke, so she agreed to evacuate. She was nervous about going to a shelter because of the virus, but sleeping in a car with her husband, 15-year-daughter, two dogs and a cat was not a viable option. The temperature checks and social distancing at the American Red Cross shelter helped put her mind at ease. Now the family waits, hoping their house will survive. She has previously experienced homelessness. Im tired. Im tired of starting all over. Getting everything, working for everything, then losing everything, she said. Those who still had homes were not safe in them. A half-million Oregonians were under evacuation warnings or orders to leave. With air contamination levels at historic highs, people stuffed towels under door jambs to keep smoke out. Some even wore N95 masks in their own homes. Some communities resembled the bombed-out cities of Europe after World War II, with buildings reduced to charred rubble piled atop blackened earth. Residents either managed to flee as the flames closed in, or perished. Millicent Catarancuics body was found near a car on her 5-acre property in Berry Creek, California. The flames came so quickly she did not have time to get out. On Tuesday, she packed several of her dogs and cats in the car but later called her daughter to say she decided to stay. Firefighters had made progress battling the blaze. The wind was calm. The flames still seemed far away. Then they rushed onto the property. I feel like, maybe when they passed, they had an army of cats and dogs with her to help her through it, said her daughter, Holly Catarancuic. In Oregon alone, more than 40,000 people have been evacuated and about 500,000 are in different levels of evacuation zones, Gov. Kate Brown said. Fires along Oregons Cascade Range grew Saturday, but at a slower rate than earlier in the week, when strong easterly winds acted like a bellows, pushing two large fires the Beachie Creek Fire and the Riverside Fire toward each other and the states major population centres, including Portlands southeastern suburbs. Fire managers did get a spot of good news: Higher humidity slowed the flames considerably. In California, a total of 28 active major fires have burned 4,375 square miles, and 16,000 firefighters are trying to suppress the flames, Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director Daniel Berlant said. Large wildfires continued to burn in northeastern Washington state too. In all, 22 people have died in California since wildfires began breaking out across the state in mid-August. President Donald Trump will visit California on Monday for a briefing on the West Coast fires, the White House announced. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the governors of California, Oregon and Washington state all Democrats have said the fires are a consequence of global warming. We absolutely must act now to avoid a future defined by an unending barrage of tragedies like the one American families are enduring across the West today, Biden said. The same smoke that painted California skies orange also helped crews corral the states deadliest blaze of the year by blocking the sun, reducing temperatures and raising humidity, officials said. Smoke created cooler conditions in Oregon too, but it was also blamed for making the dirtiest air in at least 35 years in some places. The air quality index reading Saturday morning in Salem, the state capital, was 512. The scale normally goes from zero to 500. Above 500 is literally off the charts, said Laura Gleim, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Because past air quality was rarely so poor, the governments yardstick for measuring it capped out at 500, Gleim said. The department started monitoring in 1985. The weather conditions that led up to the fires and fed the flames were likely a once-in-a-generation event, said Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. A large high-pressure area stretching from the desert Southwest to Alaska brought strong winds from the east toward the West Coast, reducing relative humidity to as low as 8% and bringing desert-like conditions, even to the coast, Jones said. Instead of the offshore flows that the Pacific Northwest normally enjoys, the strong easterly winds pushed fires down the western slopes of the Cascade Range. It isnt clear if global warming caused the conditions, Jones said, but a warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity. The smoke in Portland filled the air with an acrid metallic scent like dull pennies. It was so thick that Ashley Kreitzer could not see the road when she headed out to work as a ride-hailing driver. I couldnt even see five feet ahead of me, she said. I was panicking, I didnt even know if I wanted to go out. George Coble had no home to return to. He came with some of his employees Saturday to a wasteland of charred tree trunks just outside Mill City, Oregon. Coble lost everything: his fence-and-post business, five houses in a family compound and vintage cars, including a 1967 Mustang. The family three generations that lived in the compound evacuated with seven people, three horses, five dogs and a cat. Well just keep working and keep your head up and thank God everybody got out, Coble said. There are other people that lost their family. Just be thankful for what you did get out with. Erik Tucker spent the day hauling buckets of water through what remained of his neighbourhood to douse hot spots smouldering in tree trunks five days after the wildfire tore through the area. Tucker, who lives in Lyons, Oregon, had expected the worst but found his familys home still standing while homes just down the street were gone. He was coated in ash and smudged with charcoal. No power, debris everywhere, smoke, cant breathe, he said. ___ Whitehurst reported from Portland. Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Mill City, Oregon, Gene Johnson in Seattle and Adam Beam in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to say rarely instead of never in this sentence: Because past air quality was rarely so poor, the governments yardstick for measuring it capped out at 500, Gleim said. By Akbar Mammadov President Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan must expand its production and export potential and replace imports with domestic production as far as possible. The president made the remarks while inaugurating a Vocational Education Center under the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park on September 14. The main task now is to find out where we have the biggest dependence on imports, and if substitution is possible and there are raw materials for this or a feasibility study allows that, then it is imperative to pay attention to these sectors. Companies showing such an initiative should be granted resident status and the state should provide them with assistance, provide low-interest loans so that we can reduce our dependence on imports as much as possible. After all, any country strives for this, in particular, a country with a growing population Azerbaijan should definitely strive for this, Aliyev said. The president said that the city of Sumgayit, in particular, the Chemical Industry Park, plays an important role in increasing the countrys production potential. Aliyev also spoke about further reducing economic dependence on oil. Our oil fields will eventually be depleted. True, we will start operating new oil and gas fields in the near future and will try to keep the level of production stable. Aliyev noted that however, a natural decline in the Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli fields, Azerbaijans main sources of income, is inevitable. We must fill this gap precisely at the expense of the non-oil sector, he added. He emphasized that to maintain the balance of payments at a positive level, the country needs enterprises that produce high-quality export products and bring in foreign currency. The positive balance of payments today is maintained mainly due to the oil and gas factor. However, we must try, leaving aside this factor, to always have a positive balance in export-import operations. Therefore, it is imperative to create export-oriented manufacturing industries capable of replacing imports. A cigarette factory has started functioning here and our statistics already show how much the dependence on imports has decreased, Aliyev said. The president stressed that Azerbaijan must, as far as possible, meet the domestic demand with local products. Aliyev noted that the global recession, which deepened further as a result of the pandemic, has certainly affected many companies. However, it is in this context that we must take steps to be among the countries most prepared for the post-pandemic period and to have a new dynamic of development immediately and without delay, the president stressed. Furthermore, Aliyev highlighted that Sumgayit is the second-largest industrial centre not only in Azerbaijan but also in the South Caucasus today. Sumgayit's potential is getting stronger. A glass production plant will also start operating here this year. Major investments have also been made there and it will provide us with glass. Although the construction sector is experiencing some recession due to the pandemic today, it is recovering and will be restored. We will provide ourselves with local glass. This is also a great achievement. The president pointed out that the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park is registering positive dynamics in the production and export of products now. In general, in 2019, the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park manufactured products worth 823 million manats, about 33 per cent of which (276 million manats) were exported. In the six months of 2020, the Sumgayit Chemical Industry Park manufactured products worth 534 million manats, and its share in the total volume of products manufactured in the country's non-oil industry (5.7 billion manats) amounted to 9.3 per cent. Aliyev added that products worth 182 million manats have been exported and its share in the exports of non-oil industrial products (910 million manats) is 20 per cent. He also noted that currently, more than 5,500 people are provided with permanent jobs at the enterprises operating in the park. Before the launch of this factory, we mostly depended on imports. Today we have saved 300 million manats. At the same time, this factory has development potential as well, the president said. He also gave instructions to prepare proposals for the future development of the Industrial Park and choose new locations. Apart from the Sumgayit Industrial Park, President Ilham Aliyev has inagurated a new building of secondary school No. 154 named after national hero Albert Aganurov in Baku's Surakhani district on September 14. The president also attended the opening of new park named after Murtuza Mukhtarov in the same district. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Vinaseed is one of the local exporters receiving tailwind from the EVFTA The EVFTA that has taken effect on August 1 is aiding local exporters, especially those collaborating with EU partners. Specifically, along with better prices, the exporters output will also increase if their manufacturing and supplying capacity is strong enough to fulfil the requirements of the partners. Vietnam National Seed Group (Vinaseed) has just successfully exported a batch of its VJ Pearl Rice and RVT fragmented rice to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, at the price of $1,040 per tonne. This price is much better than what they got last year, thanks to the EVFTA. According to Nguyen Quang Truong, general director of Vinaseed, the company's exports to the EU reached about 2,000 tonnes last year, with a turnover of about $2 million. The rice exporter now targets 5,000 tonnes this year. Local companies need to prove that their goods completely meet the importers demand in quality and quantity, said Truong. Although we have yet to export large volumes, we have always been striving to assure the quality of each batch of goods. Other rice exporters have also benefited from the EVFTA. The free-on-board (FOB) price of the Jasmine rice of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture JSC has reached $1,080 per tonne, the highest in their books so far. Before the EVFTA, a tonne of Jasmine rice fetched only $800. Along with rice, coffee and other agricultural goods will receive preferential conditions from the agreement. Vietnams coffee bean exports to Germany valued $367 million last year. The tariffs on coffee in the EU will be cut from 15 to 0 per cent, helping exporters to focus on quality instead of quantity like before. Thanks to that, the value of each export order will increase. Thus, earnings will be improved while the export volume will contract," said Luong Van Tu, chairman of the Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association. According to Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnamese enterprises have made sure to receive certificates proving the origin of goods before entering the EU, thus, they have been benefiting from the agreement. In August 2020, organisations authorised to grant licenseshave issued more than 7,200 certificates of origin (movement certificate EUR.1) for footwear, seafood, plastic, textile, vegetable, rattan, and bamboo products worth $277 million to 28 European countries. Over the first half of 2020, COVID-19 has taken a toll on global trade. Vietnam's export turnover was recorded at $22.9 billion, down 4 per cent on-year. However, seafood exports are showing promise. As of the end of August 2020, Vietnam's seafood exports rose 8 per cent on-year to $2.6 billion. To boot, shrimp and shrimp products have drawn a great deal of attention since the EVFTA took effect. While the pandemic forced New York Comic Con to go virtual for 2020, the exclusive merch created for the event remains very real and very awesome. Yahoo Entertainment has your exclusive sneak peek at at trio of Star Wars-themed Funko Pop! bobbleheads made for NYCC, including augmented-reality reveals of a special-edition Child and Luke Skywalker that, in the spirit of the virtual Comic Con, you can virtually add to your collection by following the directions below. Officially called The Child With Pendant, this collectible features the beloved character, a.k.a. Baby Yoda, from Disney+s The Mandalorian modeling a necklace bearing the skull of the legendary Mythosaur. For the first time ever, experience a 3-D AR version of a Funko Pop! figure. Click on the below image to interact with The Child in your space. The adorable 3.25-inch figure figure will be available for $15 from Amazon in October while supplies last, order here. (Photo: Funko) The limited-edition Child With Pendant in packaging (Photo: Funko) Meanwhile, another of the limited-edition releases for New York Comic Con is this twin-pack of Star Wars twins Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The siblings are depicted in their Jedi-training gear, complete with lightsabers, from the flashback scene in The Rise of Skywalker. Heres an AR look at Luke and directions on how to put him in your space: The 4-inch figures will be available exclusively on the Funko Shop in October for $29.99. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in their Jedi-training gear from "The Rise of Skywalker." (Photo: Funko) Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (Jedi-Training) bobbleheads in packaging (Photo: Funko) Stay tuned to Funkos social media channels for up-to-date information on these Pop! figures and more from their New York Comic Con collection. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Cleveland and Chicago: A Tale of Four Cities Berlin had a wall. Cleveland has a river.The Cuyahoga River slinks its way northward from about fifty miles southeast of downtown Cleveland, eventually emptying into Lake Erie (Cleveland was founded where the river and lake converge). On its way to the lake, it flows just west of the main part of downtown, through what used to be an industrial area, the Flats, now home to nightclubs and condos. But for years, the river has been like Berlins wall to Clevelanders. The Cuyahoga essentially divides Cleveland into the East Side and the West Side. But the divisions between those two sides arent just geographical, dictated by natures path. Once you clear the downtown area, the East Side is where the black folk live, and the West Side is where the white folk live. There are exceptionssome white folk live in ethnic neighborhoods on the southern tip of the East Side and the northeastern edge by the lake; there is a long-standing pocket of black folks on the far West Sidebut East is essentially black and West is essentially white. It has been this way since everyone I know can remember. That hasnt kept black Clevelanders from living full lives. Weve seldom needed to go any further west than downtown for anything we needed, unless we worked on the other side of town. Weve always had our own shopping, our own nightlife, our own movie theaters, our own churches, our own parks and playgrounds, even our own public transportation (tellingly, none of the east-west bus lines transverse the entire city, they all end downtown and then go back out where they came from). Weve had our older neighborhoods where large, sprawling houses still stand, our sturdy working-class neighborhoods, our newer areas where the growing black middle class settled in the 50s and 60s, our stretches of poverty and despair. Weve had our world on the East Side, and most of us presumed whites had theirs on the West Side. During my youth, no one dared cross town because racism was rampant. Whatever specific incidents that fueled those perceptions had become either distant memories and/or urban legends by the time I came along in the 60s. Still, no black person risked getting stuck on the West Side for any reason, especially after dark. That was the message ingrained in me by my parents, who were both born and raised in Cleveland. That was the message I carried even while going to an integrated suburban high schoolof course, it was an eastern suburb; even the suburbs adhered to the balkanized racial geography. That racial geography stemmed in large part from the citys balkanized racial history. There were two different groups of white people to contend with: the old-money gentry, controllers of the business and political arenas and patrons of culture; and European immigrantsPolish, Irish, Italian, Slovakian, German and so onwho assimilated into non-ethnic, all-American whiteness and gained positions of power in the police and fire departments, trade unions, and even the Catholic Church. In their respective ways, neither group made it any easier for the black community, which began to swell in the 1910s as the Great Migration brought impoverished southern blacks northward to Cleveland and other booming Midwestern industrial meccas. Not until the late 60s was there enough of a critical mass for black people to achieve civic power, with the election of Carl Stokes as mayor in 1967. But none of the black political leadership since then has dislodged the citys intractable racial divides. It was not until I returned home after college that I allowed myself the slightest curiosity about the West Side. By then, Id learned a lot more about the citys segregated history, and that there were white people on the West Side who were just as keenly aware of it as I was. Feeling more emboldened, I started to (carefully) explore the city past downtown Id never known. Safer, cultural spots at firstthe nightclubs in the Flats, various spots not too far from the West Side Market. It was obvious that economic discrepancies still existedthe stretches of poverty and despair were much less plentiful on the West Side. But as Clevelands main economy changed in the late 80s and 90s from industrial to professional, with most of the investment happening either in or near downtown or in the area between Cleveland Clinic and University Circle, both sides of town started looking the same to mewhich by the 00s was economically depressed. But the ingrained segregation, I suspect, prevented a lot of folks on either side of the river from seeing that for themselves. Once, I entertained the thought of moving to the West Side, in search of a cheaper apartment in a less dodgy neighborhood. I had a friend who lived in Tremont, a formerly ethnic neighborhood that started experiencing gentrification in the late 80s, and thought there might be a spot there for me, in a part of town Id never before seen. But my parents, well more than set in their ways by then, flatly announced they would never visit me if I moved away from the East Side, so that was that. Indeed, very few people I know of grew up on one side of town and ended up living on the otherand theyre all white. By the time my family and I moved to Chicago in 2006, Clevelands essential segregation just was, economic circumstances be damned. I had no idea growing up segregated would make transitioning to this larger metropolis that much easier. Three other people were in the apartment but no one witnessed the argument or the shooting, and none saw Williams with a firearm, the affidavit says. They reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot and seeing Magruder stumble into the living room and collapse. Ireland is focused on achieving a "decent free-trade deal" between Britain and the European Union, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on Sunday, adding that he did not believe the British government wanted the "ruinous" consequences of failure. "No deal would be ruinous for Britain, it would be extremely damaging to the British economy and British jobs," Martin told RTE television in an interview. "They do care in the end." Martin described British actions in recent days as "a ploy" and said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "knows well" that the European Union is not trying to break up the United Kingdom. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Meladul Haq Ahmadzai CEO, Taleam Systems CEO, Taleam Systems OTTAWA, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taleam Systems is an Ottawa-based tech company that is trying to build a solution to address the current education barriers posed by COVID-19 in order to help students. Thousands of students returned to school in Ottawa last week amid the COVID-19 pandemic so that they could continue their learning journey. Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems says, The health of the students and learning in the pandemic era requires a solution to balance literacy. Recent statistics from the government shows that economic conditions will continue to deteriorate for at least two years. Ahmadzai says, There are essential obstacles facing the education system in our city which includes lack of high-speed Internet, paying for school transportation, and other expenses. There are many talented tech businesses and entrepreneurs in the city to address this issue, said Ahmadzai. In March 2020, Coronavirus shutdown schools across the country, but Taleam Systems CEO is optimistic to keep learning alive. Ahmadzai explains further, A great idea and a solution to help students with their studies at home is the offline data for education which is being able to download information off the internet and using it for learning purpose and in areas that do not have reliable internet, all for the success of the student learning. About Taleam Systems: Taleam Systems is a technology business based in Ottawa, Canada which has been providing computer help to small-businesses and medical clinics since 2011. To learn more about the computer business, visit www.taleamsystems.com . Media contact: Meladul Haq Ahmadzai CEO, Taleam Systems Phone: 613-521-9229 Website: www.taleamsystems.com The Bombay high court (HC) has held that a second marriage performed by a Hindu during pendency of an appeal against a decree of dissolution of h/her marriage -- though prohibited by law -- cannot be termed legally binding. The HC held that such an act cannot also be termed as a contempt of court. Justice Anil Kilor last week held that Section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, allows remarriage only after the dismissal of appeal against a decree of divorce, but since no consequences for contravention of the provision are provided in the Act, a remarriage during pendency of appeal cannot be termed void. It is clear that having provided no consequences of a marriage performed in contravention of Section 15 of the Act, it cannot be said that such marriage would be void, said justice Kilor while dismissing a petition filed by a resident (35) of Akola, Maharashtra. The judge also rejected the petitioners contention that her husband, a teacher (40), who also belongs to Akola, was liable to be punished for contempt of court for having performed a second marriage during pendency of her appeal challenging the decree of divorce passed by the Akola district judge. The couple had got married in December 2003, but their conjugal ties were strained from the outset. Soon, the wife left her husband. He filed for divorce on the ground of cruelty and desertion, but a joint civil judge rejected his divorce petition in October 2009. However, the Akola district judge allowed the teachers appeal on November 25, 2015, and dissolved the marriage by a decree of divorce. Then, the woman moved the HC and while the appeal was pending, her husband remarried on March 20, 2016. The woman contended that under the Contempt of Court Act, 1971, willful disobedience of judgement, orders, directions and other process of a court are punishable as civil contempt. She argued that since the right of appeal under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, is a process of a court, her husband was liable to be punished for having committed civil contempt. Justice Kilor rejected the argument, observing that the willful disobedience is related to the same command issued by a court between admitting a legal proceeding to giving its verdict. The judge clarified that during these stages various commands need to be issued by a court such as issuance of summons, deposit of cost, compelling appearance of any expert or person as a witness, production of documents or record etc, and disobedience of any such orders would come within the ambit of other process of a court. But, by no stretch of imagination it can be said that contravention of provision of Section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 would amount to willful disobedience of other process of a Court, as contemplated under the Contempt of Court Act, 1971, the HC observed. In the said backdrop, I am of the considered view that performance of a second marriage during the pendency of appeal would be a contravention or a breach of prohibition stipulated under Section 15 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, but in no case it would amount to disobedience of any command of the court, said Justice Kilor. By Express News Service CHENNAI: In this digital era, we dont think twice before sharing our mobile phone numbers. Sometimes, our numbers end up in someone elses hand, who use it for a variety of things, including harassing the person. On September 8, a woman who went to order a birthday cake shared her number with D Venkatesh of Villupuram, who worked in the bakery. He took her phone number on the pretext of delivering the cake. The next day she was flooded with obscene messages, videos and calls seeking sexual favours. The woman and her family after talking to the callers found out that her photograph and phone number had been shared on Blued, a dating app for the gay community. The family approached the cyber cell in Ambattur and registered a complaint. While the police began an investigation, the family also started a parallel investigation. The family started posting message on the shared profile of the girl, to which a person replied with obscene photos and videos. The family persuaded the man to share his photo and phone number. Convinced that there was a woman on the other side, he shared his photo and phone number, after which he was secured on Saturday and handed over to the police. The 19-year-old youth, identified as Venkatesh, was detained by Tiruverkadu police for downloading the womans profile picture from WhatsApp and sharing it on the dating app. Police also seized his phone and three SIM cards. An investigation is on. Now, fake FB accounts of two senior cops trend CHENNAI: A few days after fake Facebook profiles of Assistant Commissioners and inspectors cropped up, miscreants have now created fake FB accounts of city police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal and Additional Commissioner (South) R Dhinakaran. The profiles were created using the images of two police officials posted in their original account. A senior official confirmed that the fake accounts have been created in the name of at least seven officials in the rank of DGP and ADGP in the state police department. Inquiry revealed that the profiles were created in Rajasthan. "They would be secured soon," said the official. A few days ago, cyber criminals sought money using fake accounts of two officers in city. Man arrested for abusing minor CHENNAI: A 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl. Police said, "Ranjith (22) is from Kancheepuram and knows the girl. On Sunday morning, the accused took her to a secluded place and sexually abused her." Upon information, the girls parents filed a complaint, based on which he was arrested. The victim is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Kancheepuram. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission has introduced stringent measures to deter money laundering, financing of terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other predicate offences in the lottery industry in its unrelenting effort to serve Nigeria and the industry better. Essentially, the new technology based measures are being attained through information and intelligence sharing with the relevant agencies and arms of government, according to the Head of Public Affairs for the commission, Mr. Magnus Ekechukwu. Mr Ekechukwu spoke to journalists at the sideline of a workshop on Effects of Hate Speech, Fake News, Financial and Cyber crimes on National Security in Nassarawa on behalf of the Director General of the Commission, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, over the weekend. Already, Mr Ekechukwu disclosed that the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) under the leadership of Mr. Gbajabiamila had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) for efficient and effective implementation of the measures. Mr. Ekechuwku told journalists that since assumption of office, the Director General of the commission, has been methodically and successfully introducing well thought out and sustainable policies and programs that have repositioned the 15 years old commission which are now engendering profound results in terms of revenue generation, promotion and protection of stakeholders including the stakers and most importantly supporting the Federal Government in its fight against corruption, terrorism and insecurity, generally. The Lottery Commissions spokesperson explained that the objective of the recently signed MOU with the agencies was to strengthen and ensure transparency in the Nigerian Lottery industry; facilitate exchange of knowledge and expertise through training programs and promote a better understanding of economic and legal conditions relevant to the enforcement of applicable laws and statutes. Furthermore, Mr. Ekechukwu said the MOU would equally aid the establishment of a framework for the protection of lottery and financial stakeholders in relation to lottery- based activities undertaken by lottery operators and their partners and as well facilitate research and education measures to increase efficiency and staff exchange programs. He said the commission was totally committed and dedicated to the war against corruption and insecurity being fought by the Federal Government and would spare no efforts in playing its part as a responsible and responsive commission of the government. In addition, Mr. Ekechukwu stated that the commission was also contributing significantly to the diversification of the economy being diligently executed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari saying: the National Lottery Regulatory Commission is gradually becoming a major source of revenue for the country. We are working hard on this and very soon, we shall become a major revenue earner for Nigeria. You know we have already passed the billion Naira mark as against the less that 600M Naira revenue we were earning before Mr. Lottery, Gbajabiamila assumed office. With him, we shall get there, very soon. Our commitment is total. ABB's SCADA-based solution monitors and controls gas flow across tea estates and select industrial customers, across six districts of upper Assam. The project was awarded by Assam Gas Company (AGCL) and will be undertaken in two phases to cover 399 tea estates and six large industrial customers. As the state utility works towards building a sustainable gas distribution system, one of the major issues AGCL faced with was the optimization of gas flow along its extensive pipeline network ensuring gas availability per pre-defined limit even to the last-mile consumer. ABB was able to customize and deliver a state-of-the-art SCADA and telecom solution for AGCL covering 74 tea estates and six big industrial consumers in the first phase of the project. This solution comprises of three pressure regulating stations, one bi-directional metering station along AGCL's pipeline. ABB's control system helps AGCL to regulate the gas flow according to the requirements of each tea estate. ABB's pressure regulation (metering, filtration and pressure-let-down) skids, ultrasonic-based metering module solution and the advanced control system, ensure gas distribution to the last mile connection while maintaining the optimum pressure along the length of the pipeline. The SCADAvantage system facilitates advanced control and real-time monitoring of gas flow from a remotely located control room. It is a high-quality solution that enables safe and reliable management of distributed assets. On the completion of Phase I, ABB has been awarded with additional contract for 325 locations by Assam Gas Company Ltd.in a competitive bidding process, to be carried out over the next four years as part of Phase II. An ERP solution integrated with SCADA shall also ensure accurate billing for AGCL without need for physical data collections over vast remotely located areas. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 16:47:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland-China relations have withstood the test of time and will be further boosted in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, Swiss Ambassador to China Bernardino Regazzoni told Xinhua. Monday marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland. In 1950, Switzerland was one of the first Western countries to recognize then newly founded People's Republic of China. The two countries have enjoyed long-term exchanges and cooperation ever since, with remarkable results. "Seventy years ago, it was an entirely different world, and the 70 years of diplomatic relations have been consolidated by great achievement," Regazzoni said in an interview with Xinhua. In 2007, Switzerland was among the first European countries to recognize China's market economy status; in 2013, it became the first continental European country to sign a free trade agreement with China; and in 2015, it became one of the first European members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Openness has not only been key to China's economic success over the past four decades, but has also played a decisive role in pushing forward China-Switzerland ties, said Regazzoni, adding that openness should be reinforced in the two countries' future economic interactions. The bilateral trade volume totaled more than 31.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, up from some 6 million dollars when China and Switzerland established diplomatic relations. China is now Switzerland's third-largest trading partner, third for exports and sixth for imports. "Swiss companies are not just looking for cheap labor forces as they could have done in the past, rather, they are making top-level research in China and for China," Regazzoni said. The innovative strategic partnership between the two countries, established in 2016, is the first of its kind between China and a foreign country. In the Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Switzerland ranked first for 10 consecutive years. The index also showed that China has established itself as an innovation leader as the only middle-income economy in the top 30 for many years. Innovation, which means "having good ideas and creating value out of them," is a key issue for both China and Switzerland, Regazzoni said, stressing that a competitive environment, an educational system with a broad basis for all, and the mobility of talented people are key to his country's innovativeness. The Swiss ambassador expressed his hope that exchanges between people will be resumed as soon as possible, so as to facilitate business exchanges and innovation cooperation. This year, the Chinese people will achieve the goals of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and securing a decisive victory in poverty alleviation, marking the first time for China to eliminate absolute poverty in its history. "I am really impressed by the success China has achieved in the fight against poverty, which is unique in the history of mankind," Regazzoni said. Talking about the realization of the sustainable development goals in the UN framework, the Swiss ambassador emphasized that there are still challenges ahead for the international community. "At present, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the resilience of our society, while environmental problems will be even more threatening in the future," said Regazzoni, calling for more attention to sustainable development and more efforts in environmental protection and emission reduction. Enditem The State Revenue Committee (SRC) said some workers of a Tsarukian-owned cement plant located in the southern town of Ararat handed out vote bribes to local residents in the run-up to parliamentary elections held in 2012 and 2017. In a statement, the SRC also claimed to have obtained factual data indicating that other workers were told to join the BHK and earn it votes or lose their jobs. They then presented the management of the Ararat Tsement plant with lists of people planning to vote for Tsarukians party at their urging, it said in a statement. The statement gave no other details. It said the SRC, which comprises Armenias tax and customs services, has sent the criminal case to the Office of the Prosecutor-General for further investigation. A spokesman for the office, Gor Abrahamian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service that nobody has been charged as part of that case yet. Its too early to speak about that now, he said. Abrahamian also said that the prosecutors have already instructed the National Security Service (NSS) to look into the SRC claims. The case may well be incorporated into an ongoing NSS investigation into vote buying allegedly ordered by Tsarukian. The NSS charged in June that Tsarukian created and led an organized group that bought more than 17,000 votes for the BHK during the 2017 parliamentary race. The tycoon, whose party has the second largest group in Armenias current parliament, rejects the accusations as politically motivated. He claims that they were fabricated in response to his calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians resignation voiced earlier in June. One of Tsarukians lawyers, Emin Khachatrian, dismissed the SRCs claims as not credible while acknowledging that he is not familiar with their details. Senior BHK representatives could not be reached for comment on Monday. AKRON, Ohio Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is slated to give a virtual talk at an Akron Roundtable event on Sept. 24. The forum, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and last for about one hour, including about 25 minutes of a Q&A session. Participants can view the forum through the Microsoft Teams app or at akronroundable.org. LaRose, a graduate of Copley High School and former Hudson resident, is an Army veteran who served two terms in the Ohio Senate and was elected as the states chief elections officer in 2018. LaRoses efforts to hold a safe and secure presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic have received a mix of praise and criticism. LaRose, a Republican, has ordered that each county should have one drop-off box for absentee ballots located outside of county boards of elections, and on Monday shot down plans for additional drop-off locations, including at six Cuyahoga County libraries. Republican state lawmakers earlier Monday rejected LaRoses request to pay for return postage on absentee ballots. New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Rajya Sabha assembled after 175 days on Monday and paid respects to the Covid warriors. Chairman of the House M Venkaiah Naidu said the country has managed to minimise the adverse effects of the pandemic. The chair advised the members to remain seated and not come to the table but send chits if necessary and adhere to the social distancing norms. Some members complained about the audio problem. The Chairman asked the officials to fix the problem and advised the members to bear with the teething problems as the session is being conducted in unprecedented circumstances due to the Covid pandemic. The Chairman said "that the members are advised to sit and speak and raise their hands and to introduce themselves before speaking." The Chairman said many members have sought leave of absence on health grounds. Earlier, new members like the JMM's Shibu Soren, TMC's Dinesh Trivedi, TMC's Arpita Ghosh, BJP's Syed Zafar Islam and Jai Prakash Nishad, Independent leader Ajeet Kumar Bhuyan, Congress leader Phoolo Devi Netam, LJD's MV Shreyams Kumar, NCP's Fauzia Khan, NPP's Wenverai Kharlukhi, DMK's NR Elango and Anithyar P Selvarasu, TRS's K Keshav Rao and K.R. Suresh Reddy took oath. The House paid homage to former President Pranab Mukherjee and three sitting members and many ex members. Advertisement Mississippi Coast residents were seen filling sandbags and people in New Orleans were topping up their cars with gas on Sunday as it was announced Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a Category 2 hurricane with 100-mile-per-hour winds by the time it makes landfall in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday. Tropical Storm Sally strengthened as it crept up the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. It was about 280 miles east-southeast from the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving at 13 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11am EDT, its sustained winds had increased to 60 mph, the NHC said. The storm will move slowly across southeast Louisiana, possibly bringing flooding rains to New Orleans, which lies below sea level, said Benjamin Shaw, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in New Orleans. Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a Category 2 hurricane with 100mph winds by the time it makes landfall in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday evening Mississippi Coast residents fill sandbags. Kim Miller and Monty Graham opened their truck bed and began loading up sandbags along U.S. 90 in preparation for Tropical Storm Sally, Sunday Long lines of cars await gas at the Costco Sunday as New Orleans prepares for the arrival of what is expected to be Hurricane Sally The flash flooding threat also applied to southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Wednesday morning with 6-12 inches of rain expected and the number creeping up to 20 inches in isolated areas It was about 280 miles east-southeast from the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving at 13 mph on Sunday At 11am EDT, its sustained winds had increased to 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said on Sunday A life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall was expected along portions of the northern Gulf Coast starting on Monday, the NWS said. The flash flooding threat also applied to southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle through Wednesday morning with 6-12 inches of rain expected and the number creeping up to 20 inches in isolated areas. Energy producers and communities along the Gulf Coast organized evacuations of residents and offshore workers on Sunday as they prepared for the second hurricane strike in less than a month. Mississippi Coast residents Kim Miller and Monty Graham opened their truck bed and began loading up sandbags along the US 90 in preparation. Long lines of cars were seen waiting gas at Costco on Sunday as New Orleans prepares for the arrival Hurricane Sally. The journey of Hurricane Sally is heading north west and above shows activity expected over the next five days The NWS said Saturday that the main threat for the area is heavy rain that could lead to some serious flash flooding, as well as gusty winds The main threat for the area is heavy rain that could lead to some serious flash flooding, as well as gusty winds and a storm surge leading to coastal flooding As much as 1.5 million barrels per day of oil output was shut last month as Hurricane Laura tore through the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production provides about 17% of US crude oil and 5% of U.S. natural gas production. Louisiana on Saturday declared a state of emergency and the city of New Orleans ordered a Sunday 6 pm CDT evacuation for residents outside the city's protective levees. Coastal Grand Isle also issued its third evacuation since July. Royal Dutch Shell Plc began shutting some of its offshore drilling operations on Sunday in preparation for Tropical Storm Sally. Shell's offshore production was unchanged and all personnel remained on production platforms, company spokeswoman Cynthia Babski said. However, one firm, BHP does not plan to take workers from offshore facilities, a company spokeswoman said on Sunday. Independent refiner Phillips 66 was monitoring the storm on Sunday, the company said. Its 255,600 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery is close to the forecast path of Sally across southeast Louisiana. This RAMMB/NOAA satellite image shows Tropical Storm Sally off the southern US coast, across the Gulf of Mexico Saturday This Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020 image provided by NOAA shows the formation of Tropical Storm Sally. The storm is expected to reach hurricane strength on Monday Chevron Corp. and Murphy Oil Corp on Saturday began evacuations from offshore production platforms, spokespeople said. Chevron's Pascagoula, Mississippi, refinery was implementing storm preparedness procedures, the company said. Other oil producers with drilling rigs and platforms in the area said they were monitoring the storm and prepared to take action as needed. The NWS said Saturday that the main threat for the area is heavy rain that could lead to some serious flash flooding, as well as gusty winds and a storm surge leading to coastal flooding. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned on Saturday that locals should 'do what is necessary to prepare' for what was then categorized as a Tropical Storm and to heed the warnings of local officials. He declared a State of Emergency when the National Weather Service has issued hurricane and tropical storm watches for areas of Southeast Louisiana. 'While we ultimately dont know where Sally will make landfall, much of Southeast Louisiana is in the storms cone and the risk of tropical storm force or hurricane strength winds continues to increase. Please stay weather aware for the next several days and heed the directions of your local officials. This storm has the potential to be very serious,' Gov. Edwards said. 'Barely two weeks ago, Louisiana suffered a devastating blow when Hurricane Laura came ashore as the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in Louisiana history, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. This, when combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, can make us all weary. I implore Louisianans to take their preparations seriously.' The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that discussions were underway to implement the courts August 31 order to remove 48,000 slums located alongside railway tracks in the Capital, and ruled out the immediate evictions of their residents, offering them a semblance of relief at a time when the city is battling the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The court recorded the Centres submission that no coercive action will be taken against the slum-dwellers until a decision is taken and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks. The ministry of railways, the ministry of housing and urban affairs, and the government of Delhi are going to take a decision on the issue raised in the instant petitions and till a decision is taken, there is no question of removing them, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central government, said. The apex court was hearing an application filed by Congress leader Ajay Maken, who was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and a separate petition by slum dwellers challenging the demolition notices issued by Indian Railways. The petitioners said the notices had been issued in total disregard for the policy of rehabilitating the slum-dwellers, adding that they had ought to force them out of their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde said, It is a fair suggestion made by solicitor general. We will record his statement and the matter can be heard after four weeks. Eleven slum dwellers represented by senior advocate Salman Khurshid were also allowed to join the proceedings on the next date of hearing. The biggest grievance of the slum dwellers was that an order removing slums was passed without them being heard. The August 31 order also restrained any courts from granting a stay on the eviction. The court recorded Mehtas statement, which said: Till then (until a decision is taken on the issue) the Union of India will not take any coercive action against the slum dwellers. Singhvi understood the order to be as good as a status quo on demolition. But the bench clarified, We have not given any status quo. The solicitor general has said that they will maintain status quo, which we recorded. But Mondays order provided much-needed relief to nearly 240,000 affected slum dwellers. We were all tense after we heard about eviction notices being issued to several slums along rail tracks in neighbouring areas. We knew that we too would receive a notice very soon. Now that the government has said that our houses will not be demolished immediately, it has brought us big relief, Ghanshyam Vishwakarma a 32-year-old resident of a slum along the railway tracks in Kirti Nagar, said. Puran Mehto, a 45-year-old resident of a slum along the railway tracks in Mayapuri, has other concerns. We have learnt that the government and the Court are talking about rehabilitation. Now the problem is that if we are relocated to far-off locations, we shall lose our livelihood. And that would take a heavy toll on us under the present circumstances, especially in the light of the loss of work because of the pandemic, he said. Both Vishwakarma and Mahato were factory workers who lost their jobs in April during the lockdown. Advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared for four Nangloi slum dwellers, told HT: The August 31 order of the top court never sought demolition of slums. The notice of demolition issued by the Indian Railway is totally illegal and contrary to two decisions passed by the Delhi high court which recognises right to shelter of slum dwellers and entitles them for in-situ rehabilitation under the Delhi Slum & Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015. Singhvi claimed that demolitions had taken place in some areas on Friday (September 11) and Monday (September 14), but Mehta denied this, stating: My instruction is that under this order (of August 31), no demolition has taken place. Presenting a short note of his submissions, Singhvi pointed out that India is currently president of UN-Habitat, which issued guidelines on March 14, urging member-states and governments to stop all relocations and evictions during the pandemic. Singhvi said, India is globally the second worst affected country in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the said circumstances, it would be highly risky to demolish the jhuggis (slums) of approximately 2.5 lakh persons without prior rehabilitation Even a small percentage of the displaced population, if affected by Covid-19, the same will prove to be a recipe for disaster in the current pandemic. Most of the slum dwellers work in markets and industrial areas near their residence. In their application, the slum dwellers stated that if removed, earning a livelihood in these difficult and unprecedented times of the pandemic will be the biggest challenge. The court passed its order of August 31 when considering the issue of garbage and solid waste piling up near the railway tracks in pending matters related to air pollution in Delhi. The court asked the authorities to put their mind together on the issue. Pursuant to discussions, the Railways filed an affidavit which acted as an immediate trigger. The Railways stated that the predominant presence of slums along the 140-kilometre route length of track in the national capital territory of Delhi are not only adding to the present menace of accumulation of garbage, municipal solid waste, human waste along the railway line but are a safety threat to the day-to-day operation of the Railways. The transporter informed the court that despite a special task force having been constituted to remove encroachments, political interference was coming in the way of getting the slums removed. On Monday, the ministry of railways said it will not dismantle any encroachments along the citys railway tracks, without a proper decision taken in consultation with the urban development ministry and the Delhi state government. Railway officials are holding regular meetings with stakeholders, including the Delhi government, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board and the urban development ministry, a statement by northern railways said. Further, Railway will not dismantle any encroachment without proper decision...The same stand has been taken by ministry of railways in hearing of Ajay Makens petition in Honble Supreme Court listed today, the statement said. Railways has removed 5-6% of garbage lying along train tracks. The garbage cleaning will be completed within three months as given in the order by Honble Supreme Court, it added. Indu Prakash, a member of Supreme Court-appointed committee on monitoring of homeless shelters in Delhi, said, It is a good sign that the court has agreed to put the matter on hold for a month and the Centre and the Delhi government will sit together and discuss it. We are writing to the railways and the Delhi government to include the residents in this discussion too, as it is a matter of their lives. We will be submitting a memorandum in this regard to the two governments soon. These people should be actively involved in the decision-making process. The Swedish MEP Fredrik Federley gives his view on the recovery programme proposed by the European Commission. Photo : Fredrik Wennerlund / Centerparti Swedish MEP Fredrik Federley. Photo : Fredrik Wennerlund / Centerparti The recovery programme proposed by the European Commission has a clear ambition: restart should be green. This is based on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's initiative on the Green Deal, presented earlier this spring. What will be of particular relevance for Sweden and how will it impact Swedish companies? We asked the Swedish MEP Fredrik Federley (C, Renew) - is a Member of Parliament's Environment Committee ENVI and alternate member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy ITRE a few questions. What do you see as particularly important in the Green Deal? What is better and what is worse? The Green Deal is the beginning of a complete new and green age era in Europe. It is an opportunity to steer the economy towards a sustainable society with green growth. Given the right management, we can create new jobs, new industry and new technology. This is a crucial opportunity to create jobs, both in Sweden and throughout the Union. We need to create the correct conditions for the EU to lead globally, to show that a modern, industrialised economy is achievable within the limits of the resources that nature has provided. The Green Deal embraces higher ambitions for the environment, climate and for an economy that can support this approach. That said, these loftier ambitions must also go hand-in-hand with the correct measures and tools for companies to invest and change, creating a stable business climate that encourages investment, particularly green investments. The Green Deal must bring all Member States and sectors onboard with the green transition. EU Members such as Sweden, who are already at the forefront of climate work, must not be held back by excessive control measures or overly enthusiastic micromanagement that works to inhibit the power of innovation. One part that needs to be strengthened in the green environment is the circular bioeconomy, which gives us a huge opportunity to abandon potentially harmful chemicals and fossil-based materials in favour of green bio-based materials. How can we ensure that reducing carbon dioxide emissions can be combined with increasing economic growth for EU countries? Shifting our social economy towards a green and sustainable direction will not only reduce emissions but will also create new jobs and companies. Effective environmental measures create a breeding ground for both economic growth and reduced emissions something that is both possible and essential. The green growth strategy is intended to ensure that there are net zero greenhouse gas emissions and that economic growth is decoupled from resource consumption. Efforts to strengthen the circular economy are an important tool in achieving this. The Green Deal must encourage investments in circular solutions, products, services, technical solutions, transport and fuels in order to accelerate the transition. Investments to promote energy efficiency in the EU will also be important, particularly in the construction, real estate and transport sectors. Investing in infrastructure creates strong European added value while at the same time stimulating growth and reducing emissions. What role do you think a well-executed Green Deal can deliver for the EU, post-coronavirus? And, in your opinion, how would a poorly-executed strategy look? The Green Deal will play a huge role in the EU's economy and its society following the coronavirus crisis. We find ourselves in the midst of a global crisis that is affecting all stakeholders and all aspects of their everyday lives. Our companies are experiencing a substantial loss of income with demand approaching zero. We must focus on kick-starting the economy through investments in green technology, sustainable solutions, new companies and thus new green jobs. We must now ensure the start of the Green Deal contains strong ambitions for the climate and the environment, which will ensure a stable, competitive economy. This will be powerful when it comes to transforming our society into a renewable model, one that favours green jobs and technologies in future stimulus packages. Any delay or reduction in ambitions of the Green Deal will be a lost opportunity to act for the future we face. Climate change will not pause, it will not take account of an ongoing pandemic and economic crisis. Any investment in a green society that is less ambitious is, in my opinion, an incorrectly executed strategy. What opportunities do you see for Swedish companies in the green environment? The Green Deal can and must contribute to a better-functioning internal market and greater free trade with the rest of the world. For example, I want to see that we are investing in the digital economy, the services sector and energy. I want to work on strengthening the internal market and on continuing to simplify the existing regulations and removing the barriers to trade that are found there. We need a positive business climate and we need to strengthen our common competitiveness. Above all, we need to take the perspectives of small- and medium-sized companies that have to work with all EU legislation. I believe that the Green Deal, given the right management, can deliver the changes similar to those that took place in several Swedish cities, where it went from a total dependence on a local government to today's much more robust situation, with strong business activity and a number of new companies. The Commission will now adopt an industrial strategy for the EU to address the dual challenge posed by the green transition and the digital transition. Therefore, the EU must take advantage of the potential offered by digital change, which is a key factor in achieving the goals of the Green Deal. Here, the Swedish companies are already playing a key role, contributing in their own way to a sustainable value chain. We see this with companies such as Northvolt and Einride, but also in our primary industries. A transition to a circular society will mean, for example, that we must strengthen Europe's self-sufficiency in raw materials. Along with the industrial strategy, a new action plan for the circular economy will help modernise the EUs economy and will maximise the opportunities offered by the circular economy at home and in the world market. A key objective of the new policy framework must be to stimulate development of pioneering markets for climate neutral and circular products both in and outside the EU. What do you see as particularly important in this perspective of the Green Deal? The new circular financial plan is an important part and represents an opportunity for Swedish companies and the creation of sustainable consumption after the current global Corona crisis. Here, we should take the opportunity to strengthen the development of a resource-efficient circular and biobased economy. I would like to see the opportunity taken for setting environmental targets for increased production in the EU, in order to make it clear that growth and the environment go hand in hand in Europe. Another example is the updates to all climate and environmental legislation. The Green Deal and the Climate Act include a revision of the EU's emission allowance trading. This is an important focus area; emissions allowances cover the energy sector, most industries, but not all, for example, agriculture and transport. Moreover, the price so far has been set too low and has not had the effect we hoped for. The free allocation of allowances must decrease, while at the same time it must be more favourable to improving processes and driving innovation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. To date, the system has worked well for the energy sector, where all energy-producing companies face high prices for carbon dioxide. The emissions trading scheme is a mechanism that works but needs to be developed, tightened and include more sectors if it is to achieve our emission targets. Forests are often highlighted as making an important contribution to the work on climate change. How do you think forests can be best used as a resource? I can see that the forestry and the green industries will play a crucial role in shifting society in a climate-smart direction. It is also crucial for Sweden to be able to maintain a large carbon sink, which active forestry can provide, and that there is a basis for a continued innovative bioeconomy that develops forest products with higher added value. Therefore, it is important to ensure that - in the short term - the reduction of forests is not used as a guarantor to meet the net zero target by 2050. The EU must promote innovation and investments in the forest-based sector and a strong bioeconomy. Some people believe that the stricter emissions and environmental regulations resulting from the Green Deal will encourage companies to move their production outside the EU, to countries with less regulation. How do you perceive this risk and how can it be curbed? Obviously, we must ensure that European companies remain competitive. This means that we must demand appropriately high standards on what is imported and make it work for companies in the internal market. We must build on open competition, to create the security and stability needed to mobilise the large levels of financial investment needed enable us to cope with the required change. This will provide a solid foundation for innovation and guarantee the security of those making long-term investments. For example, revenue from a potential carbon dioxide tax on imported goods should be used to stimulate the green transition of the economy, not least for climate investment in European industry. How do you see that competition neutrality between companies and countries' business climate is factored into the Green Deal? It is important that any transition we make now - not least in the light of the economic crisis - is also sustainable for the EU countries' business. Yet it is clear that those companies and industries that are currently at the forefront in terms of adapting to climate change and sustainability are those who will receive the most rapid distribution of work with the Green Deal. It is for the very purpose that we need to provide incentives to change. At the same time, I see growth as a cornerstone of the green transition, so it will also be important to ensure that companies, both in Sweden and the rest of the EU, are given the optimal conditions for creating jobs, innovations and value. A Just Transition Fund is an important part of the Green Deal for many countries. How do you view this? What should be taken into consideration and how far should solidarity extend? I can see that there is a need for a common fund so that we can address the climate issue together and bring everyone onboard in the green transition. It is important that the Just Transition Fund has a function in Europes green journey, which includes being able to stimulate innovation and technological development while also ensuring that the transition is accessible to everyone. Efforts are needed to stimulate technology development and innovation, so that those who are already at the forefront and have embraced the need for climate investment will continue to do so. The Fund's foundation is also the basis for efforts and support for change in those regions whose labour markets are affected much more by the green transition. Funds should primarily go to investments and restructuring; they must not be used for fossil investments. In the Green Deal, the European Commission proposes that the EU adopts a climate neutrality law by 2050 and increases its emission ambitions by 2030. What opportunities and risks do you see in these proposals? I think it is a positive move to set this binding target in legislation. If we are to have a chance to achieve the Paris Agreement and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, the EU must be climate neutral by 2050. If the law is worth anything, it must be a long-term tool that provides clarity until 2050. I therefore also want to see goals for 2040, to create stability and predictability for the market and to give us clarity and long-term perspective in climate and energy policy at EU level. To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, we need higher ambitions by 2030. It will also be necessary to ensure that other energy and climate legislation is updated with higher sector goals; however, other mechanisms must also be reviewed, such as the emissions requirements in the transport sector and quotas for advanced biofuels. What investments do you think will be needed in the future to make Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent? The Green Deal serves as a new growth strategy for the EU and requires efforts to fully support the clean and circular economy ambitions; investment plans and a new circular economy plan are both being developed. Within the Innovation Fund, for example, a great deal is set aside for emission rights sold on the market; the revenue from this system should be used for these innovative cutting-edge projects to allow us to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We must see major green investments if we are to deliver on a climate-neutral EU by 2050, restructuring the economy through these investments and pushing investments that will quickly reduce emissions from the transport sector. I would like to see further measures to promote green investment in Europe, including for circular economy and bioeconomics. This transition will require massive public spending and increased investment by directing private capital to climate and environmental measures, while avoiding lock-in to unsustainable methods. The EU must also take the lead in coordinating international efforts to create a coordinated financial system that promotes sustainable solutions across all sectors. SELF-EXILED Zanu PF G40 kingpins Saviour Kasukuwere and Walter Mzembi yesterday scoffed at President Emmerson Mnangagwas threat to have them extradited from South Africa for prosecution. They said they would invoke international laws to block the planned extradition. The two ex-officials said Mnangagwa would not succeed in his desperate attempt to weaponise prosecutions to annihilate political opponents. Mnangagwa on Saturday announced that he would soon apply for the extradition of Kasukuwere and Mzembi from the neighbouring country to face justice at home. He was addressing a Zanu PF provincial co-ordinating meeting in Gweru. Mnangagwa accused the G40 duo, who left the country after the November 2017 military coup, of peddling falsehoods on social media to taint his governments image. He said the two former top Zanu PF officials had overstretched his patience. His threats came a few days after a delegation from South Africa met with top Zanu PF officials over the deteriorating socio-economic and political situation in the country. Mnangagwas government has denied that the country is in a crisis. Kasukuwere and Mzembe had no kind words for Mnangagwa yesterday, accusing him of plotting vengeance and retribution against perceived foes at the expense of building the economy. Unlike (former President Robert) Mugabe who spent the first three years of his reign trying to build the countrys education, health and economy, Mnangagwa is spending his first three years plotting arrests, abductions and killing of political opponents, Kasukuwere fumed. It (extradition) is going to be resisted, there are international laws that protect us. He has already convicted us before we even come and laws will protect us. We are even more innocent than Mnangagwa himself. Mzembi said his difference with Mnangagwa was political and arises from the November 2017 coup, which he said averted an impending congress in December 2017 to choose Mugabes successor. It is not a secret that there were two factions contesting for power in Zanu PF. Now identifying G40 leadership for prosecution on distant things that do not even border on criminality is a good example of weaponisation of prosecutions. He used the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to arbitrate in an intra-party dispute between two factions, G40 and Lacoste, and that dispute, because it was summarily resolved by force, stands to this day. The battle for the soul and minds of Zanu PF continues, with him as hanging on the military thread, imposing himself, while the legitimate party is in exile, Mzembi said. It is that which makes him do the unthinkable and unprecedented of addressing district meetings seeking grassroots support which is clearly not with him and making preposterous statements where he becomes the judge, jury, prosecutor of his opponents. He is an expert at weaponising criminal prosecution against political opponents. Mzembi added: It cant miss the observation of the people that this is an unresolved political dispute with the younger generation. There is no solution to the Zimbabwean crisis that does not start with introspection into Zanu PF. Others in Zanu PF who are inside the country cannot speak out because of fear of victimisation. He said Mnangagwa was suffering a legitimacy crisis on two fronts. Internally, he does not have legitimacy and externally, his poll victory is contested. That is why he targeted Nelson Chamisa (MDC Alliance president) and his deputy, Tendai Biti in his address. He knows apart from the legitimacy crisis he has in his party, he also suffers a crisis in government. The former Tourism minister also accused Mnangagwa of being vindictive to the extent of confiscating his personal car, a Mercedes-Benz GL350, which he claimed was bought as part of his service vehicle after the United National World Tourism Organisation general assembly in 2013. He claimed Mnangagwa had turned the car into his personal property. Kasukuwere also claimed his service vehicle, a Range Rover, was taken away and given to Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe after the military bombarded his home in Harare in November 2017. WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is a "climate arsonist" bent on watching the country burn, his Democratic challenger said Monday as climate change and presidential politics collided on the campaign trail. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jackson County District 5 firefighter Captain Aaron Bustard walks through the ruins of a massive fire in a neighborhood to check for smoldering fires as destructive wildfires devastate the region on Friday Sept. 11, 2020, in Talent, Ore. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein) WASHINGTON - Donald Trump is a "climate arsonist" bent on watching the country burn, his Democratic challenger said Monday as climate change and presidential politics collided on the campaign trail. Joe Biden chose to exploit Trump's contempt for the climate crisis on a day when the U.S. president was en route to California for an update on the deadly blazes ravaging tinder-dry parkland up and down the U.S. west coast. For Biden, the arrival of a category-1 hurricane churning in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida panhandle a queue of other tropical cyclones lining up in the Atlantic Ocean behind it couldn't have come at a better time. "Donald Trump's climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly," Biden said from his home state of Delaware. "If we give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? If we give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if more of America is under water?" Trump, who famously tried to blame California wildfires two years ago on the state's failure to conduct proper "raking and cleaning" of its forest floors, doubled down on that remark prior to Monday's briefing. Wildfires are also terrorizing residents of Oregon and Washington state. There are 60 firefighters from Quebec who are currently helping battle the North Complex fire in California, and federal officials in Ottawa say they don't anticipate sending more unless asked. But in an update on the fire Monday, Jake Cagle of the U.S. Forest Service sounded an anxious note. "We are getting stretched thin," Cagle said during his daily update. Smoke from the fires is already having an impact on the other side of the Canada-U.S. border, said Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who represents the riding of North Vancouver. "The air quality in Vancouver is as bad as any air quality in the world," Wilkinson said as some of his cabinet colleagues gathered in Ottawa for a two-day meeting prior to next week's throne speech. "It's an important lesson for all of us that we need to think forward about the crisis that looms on the horizon. And that is the crisis of climate change." The wildfires and the resulting smoke has at least helped to drive home the importance and the urgency of the climate crisis particularly in Canada, where the variations in seasonal temperatures can make people complacent, said Kyla Tienhaara, a School of Environmental Studies professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "In Canada, I think we've often felt sort of sheltered, not only in terms of time, like this is something that's going to happen in the future, but also in terms of our location," Tienhaara said. "If you're on the west coast of Canada right now where, for example, my family lives you're experiencing really terrible air quality." A catastrophic wildfire season in Australia just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic claimed at least 34 lives, destroyed nearly 6,000 buildings and razed more than 18 million hectares. In the end, the smoke claimed more lives than the flames did, Tienhaara said. For years, activists have struggled to convince people to make environmental concerns a priority, particularly in times of high unemployment or fiscal uncertainty, which invariably end up pulling public and policy focus. But the sheer scale of the fires, the fear of a coming historic barrage of hurricanes, the flooding that swamped the upper midwest last spring all of it appears to be adding up to a paradigm shift. "California's climate apocalypse," the Los Angeles Times declared Sunday in its banner front-page headline. "Fires, heat, air pollution: The calamity is no longer in the future it's here, now." Trump nodded politely as Gov. Gavin Newsom, who does not shy away from linking the fires to climate change, spelled out the scale of the disaster for the president on Monday. "The hots are getting hotter, dries are getting drier," said Newsom, who acknowledged the state has more to do when it comes to forest management. He also noted more than half of the state's forests are federally managed. "Something's happened to the plumbing of the world ... humbly, we submit that the science is in, and the observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this." In an exchange with someone else at the table who blamed climate change, Trump pushed back: "It will start getting cooler," he said, eliciting chuckles from elsewhere in the group. "Just watch." When the official tried to point to scientific evidence, the president said: "I don't think science knows, actually." Biden sought to put the climate emergency on the same tier as the other three crises roiling the U.S. and the world: the pandemic, the ensuing economic collapse and the racial upheaval sparked in May by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 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. Trump, who also spent part of Monday bestowing honours on a group of National Guard pilots who rescued trapped residents from the wildfires last week, is likely to try to do the opposite, particularly given how much an economic recovery is likely to mean for his re-election chances. "The government has sort of taken advantage of the COVID crisis in order to try to push a gas-led recovery, which is catastrophic in environmental terms," Tienhaara said of the Australian aftermath. "I hope to God that they don't have anything catastrophic happen again this season, but you know, the timing is important because things do fade from people's memory very quickly, unfortunately, when they have so much to deal with." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version neglected to make clear Tienhaara's comments about a gas-led recovery were in reference to Australia. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. At least six New Jersey school districts have announced schedule changes just days into the academic year in response to coronavirus cases among students and staff. Schools in the state were allowed to reopen for a hybrid of in-person teaching and online learning, all-remote learning or fully reopen under specific guidelines in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, reports of students and staff infected with the contagious pathogen have prompted in districts to adapt their plans. As of Sunday, the following school districts reported some form of scheduling change because of COVID-19 concerns: The New Jersey Department of Health issued several matrices to help schools decide if and when they should ask students to quarantine or shut down school buildings if someone tests positive for COVID-19. Avalon Zoppo, Rebecca Panico, Jeff Goldman and Katie Kausch contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign is expanding its legal operation in anticipation of a major fight over voting this fall, bringing on two former U.S. solicitors general and other top attorneys to oversee what could devolve into a fierce battle over the results of November's vote. The build-out comes as a slew of issues confront election officials nationwide as they prepare to conduct this year's election amid a global pandemic and while President Donald Trump continues to spread misinformation about widespread fraud in mail-in voting. MORE: Biden senior adviser says campaign has 'work to do' with Latino voters "For months, the Biden for President campaign has been quietly building a massive election protection program--the largest in presidential campaign history," a Biden campaign adviser said of the new legal expansion. He added that the program involves integrated legal, communications and political strategies to ensure that jurisdictions are properly prepared to handle the challenges that come with holding safe in-person voting and also to combat misinformation about voting via mail. PHOTO: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden departs the Delaware State Building after early voting in the state's primary election on Sept. 14, 2020 in Wilmington, Del. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The Biden campaign also said that the legal team will focus on an "aggressive" response to activity they view as voter suppression and will also include robust programs for identifying and countering foreign interference and misinformation from foreign or domestic sources. The new operation announced on Monday will be helmed by Dana Remus, the Biden campaign's general counsel, and Bob Bauer, a former White House Counsel who joined the campaign over the summer and was involved in the vetting process for Biden's vice presidential selection. MORE: Trump goes to California amid devastating fires, as governors put focus on climate change The legal team also includes former solicitors general Donald Verrilli and Walter Dellinger, who will oversee the campaign's national litigation team. A separate group at the law firm of Perkins Coie will be led by prominent election lawyer Marc Elias and will focus on state-by-state voter access issues and ensuring an accurate vote count. Story continues Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will also have a roll on the legal team, leading a communications operation aiming to "interact broadly with all stakeholders in voting rights," per the Biden campaign. PHOTO: Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. speaks during the National Action Network Convention in New York, April 3, 2019. (Seth Wenig/AP) This leadership structure will oversee a pre-existing team of hundreds of lawyers on the campaign's national litigation team that has been working with thousands of lawyers in states across the country on voter protection. MORE: Democratic campaign launches 'Republicans for Biden' as Flake, former GOP lawmakers endorse him Biden has consistently raised concerns about President Trump's attempts to sew distrust in the American electoral system, doing so again on Monday after he voted early in his home state of Delaware's down-ballot primary. "I have confidence that Trump will try and not have that happen, but I'm confident the American public's going to insist on it," Biden told reporters outside a polling location in Wilmington when asked if he has confidence that all votes will be counted in November's election. PHOTO:Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden walks out of the state building with his wife Jill, after voting in the Delaware state primary in Wilmington, Del., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) President Trump has claimed, without evidence, that an uptick in mail votes will lead to widespread voter fraud, and he has recently encouraged voters in the battleground state of North Carolina to attempt to vote twice, once by mail and then again in person, to test the veracity of the state's voting system. "It is illegal to vote twice in an election," Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, wrote in a statement in response to the President's comments. News of the Biden campaign's expansion of their legal team was first reported by the New York Times. ABC News' Kendall Karson contributed to this report. Biden campaign expands legal team in preparation for voting fight in November originally appeared on abcnews.go.com " " Photo by J. W. Hastings, Harvard University, through E. G. Ruby, University of Hawaii via the NSF For hundreds of years, sailors have told tales of a mysterious event that takes place far out in the open ocean. They've recounted suddenly coming upon miles and miles of pale, milky, glowing waters, sometimes stretching as far as the eye can see. Unable to offer any legitimate explanation for this strange phenomenon, most people dismissed accounts of the milky sea as tall tales or simply figments of delirious, land-starved sailors' imaginations. The great science-fiction writer Jules Verne wasn't quite so dismissive, however, and he actually wrote a scene in his classic novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" that depicts the submarine Nautilus coming across a glowing "milk sea." Fast-forward to a more modern era, and ships are still reporting on strange seas that seem to be, as Verne put it in his book, "lactified," particularly in the Indian Ocean. Then, in 2005, a group of scientists led by Dr. Steven Miller of the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, Calif., decided to take a closer look at this supposed mariner's tall tale. They used data collected from satellite sensors to confirm a "milky sea" event reported in 1995 by a British merchant vessel called the S.S. Lima in the northwestern Indian Ocean. Advertisement On January 25, 1995, the Lima reported that, "on a clear moonless night while 150 [nautical] mile[s] east of the Somalian coast, a whitish glow was observed on the horizon and, after 15 minutes of steaming, the ship was completely surrounded by a sea of milky-white color with a fairly uniform luminescence It appeared as though the ship was sailing over a field of snow or gliding over the clouds" [source: Miller]. Dr. Miller and his colleagues used the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and its polar-orbiting satellites to detect the otherworldly event that the Lima's crew described. The satellite images did, indeed, reveal an area of low-level light in the northwestern Indian Ocean, about the size of Connecticut, at the date and time recorded by the S.S. Lima. Suddenly, the milky sea phenomenon didn't seem like such a tall tale. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. According to a new research published by Polaris Market Research, the ultrasound devices market is anticipated to reach over USD 12,556 million by 2026. In terms of revenue, the diagnostic devices segment dominated the global market. Geographically, North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue in 2017. The rapidly increasing geriatric population with several chronic diseases and the lower cost and relative safety of ultrasound devices are together boosting the market growth. Increasing awareness among patients regarding early diagnosis coupled with government initiatives aimed at spreading awareness among the masses regarding breast cancer, regular check-up during pregnancy and other health related issue are boosting the market growth. Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/ultrasound-devices-market/request-for-sample Several technological advancements such as enhancing image quality and increasing portability has made ultrasound devices accessible to a larger user base. Also, several private and public institutions are investing in research and development in the field of ultrasound imaging. Improving healthcare facilities and increasing disposable incomes in developing countries is further fuelling the market growth. However, stringent FDA regulations and lack of trained professionals have limited the market penetration of this technology. Furthermore, several developing countries prohibit the use of ultrasound for gender determination which in turn impedes that industry growth. Identification of newer fields of application and untapped markets in developing countries would provide several opportunities for growth in the near future. North America was the highest revenue generating region in 2017 and is expected to head the global market during the analysis period. The large patient pool, favorable reimbursement policies, well-defined government and healthcare policies, widespread adoption of remote patient monitoring and healthcare services drive the market growth in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit the fastest growth during the forecast period owing to improving medical facilities, increasing disposable income and rapidly increasing patient pool in emerging countries such as China, Japan, and India. The types of ultrasound devices include diagnostic and interventional devices. In 2017, the diagnostic devices segment accounted for the highest market share owing to government initiatives to carry out routine check-ups and increasing adoption of fetal health monitoring. The improving medical facilitates and increasing demand due to rising number of patients, especially in developing countries, supports the market growth in this sector. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/ultrasound-devices-market The key players profiled in this report include Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, SonaCare Medical, Analogic Corporation, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Philips Healthcare, Siemens AG, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation Hitachi Medical Corporation, Esaote S.p.A. Samsung Medison, Shimadzu Corporation and Mindray Medical International Limited among others. These companies have adopted new product launches to gain a competitive edge in the market. Ultrasound Devices Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Product Type Diagnostic Devices 2D Imaging Systems 3D & 4D Imaging Systems Doppler Imaging Interventional Devices High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy Ultrasound Devices Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Portability Compact/Handheld Devices Cart/Trolley Devices Ultrasound Devices Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application Obstetrics and Gynecology Radiology/General Imaging Cardiology Urology Vascular Others Ultrasound Devices Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by End-users Hospitals Diagnostic centers Others Ultrasound Devices Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK France Asia-Pacific China India Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/ultrasound-devices-market/request-for-discount-pricing About Polaris Market Research Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com By PTI NEW DELHI: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has gone into self-isolation. Sources said that over the past few days, he visited the official residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, met Health Minister Satyendra Jain and held meetings with education department officials. "Had got my COVID-19 test done after I had a mild fever. The report has come positive. I have gone into self-isolation. As of now, I have no fever or any other issue. I am fine. By your blessings, I will recover fully and return to work soon," Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi. Earlier in the day, the 48-year-old AAP leader did not attend the one-day session of the Delhi Assembly. "He (Sisodia) was regularly coming to the Delhi Secretariat and attending meetings with education department officials. They will be getting tested in the next couple of days," a source said. Sisodia had also visited the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Tilak Nagar and Hari Nagar in the past few days, the sources said. Another source said that most employees posted at the CM and deputy CM's offices underwent COVID-19 test at a temporary testing centre at the Delhi Assembly before the commencement of one-day special session. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal tweeted, "Praying for speedy recovery & good health of Hon'ble Dy CM @msisodia." Sisodia is the second minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government, who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In June, Health Minister Jain had tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered. On September 10, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, blocked the further mailing out of any absentee ballots pending a decision by the court on whether to overturn an August 20 ruling by the Wisconsin Election Commission which barred Green Party presidential candidates Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker from appearing on the ballot. The court gave no indication on when a possible ruling will be made, but the state deadline for absentee ballots to be mailed out is September 17, while the federal deadline for overseas and military ballots is September 19. Pending the courts decision, no ballots will be sent to voters who have already requested them. Following Thursdays ruling Hawkins issued a statement, which read in part, The Democrats and Republicans are using the Greens as pawns on their political chessboard for their own partisan purposes. Both are putting the right to vote in Wisconsin at risk. Wisconsin Supreme Court (Credit: Corey Coyle) Last Thursdays decision, split between the liberal minority and conservative majority, has left county clerks throughout the state in limbo, as they were to begin distributing over 1 million absentee ballots that have already been requested to voters this past weekend. With the COVID-19 pandemic raging through the state, including on campuses in La Crosse and Madison where thousands of students are quarantined as part of the criminal bipartisan herd immunity strategy, it is expected that roughly 2.3 million absentee ballots will be cast. While US President Donald Trump and the Republicans are more overt in their attacks on democracy by limiting absentee voting, enlisting right-wingforcesas pollwatchers, or calling on federal agents and the military as part of the Insurrection Act to threaten in-person voting, the Democratic Party is playing the same dirty game by stifling voter choice and purging left and third parties from the ballot. In addition to Wisconsin, the Green Party is facing legal challenges initiated by Democratic party voters and/or lawyers in Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana and Pennsylvania against its right to appear on the ballot. In Democratic-controlled Michigan and California, partisan election boards, state supreme courts, and finally the US Supreme Court, have refused to allow the names of Socialist Equality Party candidates Kishore and Norissa Santa-Cruz to appear on the ballot, depriving millions of voters of the opportunity to vote for a socialist candidate this election. In the case of the Green Party, the Hawkins-Walker campaign had previously gathered and submitted the requisite number of signatures to appear on the ballot. However, after two deadlocked 3-3 decisions along party lines, the Wisconsin ElectionCommission ruled in August that their names were to be stricken from the ballot. The Democratic members of the commission argued that due to an address change by Walker, who had moved to a new apartment this year, over 2,000 valid signatures that had been gathered with the old address on them were no longer valid, even though Hawkins and Walker attest their campaign was in constant communication with the commission and updated them on the address change. The party had gathered over 6,000 signatures total, yet, in one of the many draconian measures meant to stifle democratic rights, the commission will only accept 4,000. In a statement Hawkins alleges that the election commission chair, who is a Democrat, restricted testimony during their hearing which would have demonstrated the candidates had exercised their due diligence in relation to the commission. After the commission ruled against the party, Hawkins stated that they attempted to find an attorney who would accept the case in order to challenge it in the state Supreme Court but the campaign had difficulty finding an attorney. According to Hawkins several attorneys they contacted cited their political allegiances to the Democratic Party as the reason why they wouldnt help, which helped delay the courts ruling. A Republican-affiliated law firm ultimately acted on behalf of the Greens. Pending the courts decision, the approximately 2.3 million ballots that have already been printed without Hawkins and Walkers names on them will not be sent out. According to the election commission, which is made up of an equal number of Republican and Democratic party members, an estimated 378,000 ballots had already been prepared to be sent out before the ruling was issued, with an unspecified number allegedly already mailed to voters. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that of the 378,000 ballots prepared, they were unable to confirm that any had actually been sent out, but this hasnt prevented Democratic-aligned media outlets such as the Washington Post from reporting on the supposed spoiler role the party could play by siphoning votes from Joe Biden and the high cost of reprinting the millions of ballots with new names on them. Hawkins, in another press release, pushed back on the notion of the Green Party being a spoiler and even suggested that putting the party on the ballot could have a positive effect for the Democrats, writing, Green candidates bring voters to the polls that otherwise would stay home. While the court reviews whether or not to put Hawkins-Walker on the ballot, the delay has already postponed sending out the ballots by several days, and possibly weeks. Any irregularities or delays in the highly contested state, which Hillary Clinton lost by 23,000 votes in 2016, will be seized upon by Trump as evidence of a conspiracy against him. There have been no further deaths and 208 new cases associated with the coronavirus in Ireland. There have been a total of 1,784 coronavirus related deaths in Ireland and 31,192 confirmed cases. Of the cases notified today, 98 are men and 110 are women. 62% are under 45 years of age and 33% are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, with 18 cases identified as community transmission. Read More 108 cases are in Dublin, 18 in Louth, 12 in Donegal, 10 in Meath, 9 in Kildare, 8 in Waterford, 7 in Cork, 6 in Limerick, 6 in Wexford and the remaining 24 cases are located in Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow. Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, confirmed that the self-isolation period for confirmed cases has been reduced, given that the last five days are without a fever. Nphet has decided to reduce the period of isolation from 14 to 10 days for confirmed cases from the onset of symptoms, based on advice received from the Expert Advisory Group following a review of the evidence. In addition, it has been agreed that nasal swabs are an acceptable alternative to nasopharyngeal swab for use in children in the community. This will hopefully make testing a simpler process for children going forward," he said. Covid-19 is an evolving pandemic and NPHET is committed to adapting advice and guidelines based on emerging evidence," he added. British military intelligence chief warns of 'supercharging' adversaries Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 5:40 PM The Chief of Defense Intelligence (DI) has sounded the alarm over the rising threat emanating from Britain's state adversaries and has called on the government to take corrective action. Lieutenant-General Jim Hockenhull warned that Britain's enemies are developing novel ways to "influence and leverage" while also "supercharging more traditional techniques". Addressing a group of selected journalists at the Defense Intelligence headquarters in Cambridgeshire, Hockenhull warned that on current trajectory the "West" will struggle to keep up with "Russia, China and other global players" who according to the DI chief "challenge the existing [international] order". In trying to outline a wide range of military and non-military threats to the UK over several decades, Hockenhull focused his lecture on the changing character of warfare and the emergence of cyber and space as "new military domains". According to the DI chief, the UK's main adversaries are investing more and more in "artificial intelligence", "machine learning" and other "ground-breaking technologies". At the concluding part of his lecture Hockenhull stressed that the UK must ensure it has both the "intent and the capability" to contain the military and non-military threats posed by its core adversaries. Whilst it is not unusual for the DI chief to address journalists, what is fairly unprecedented is the brazen political tone of a serving British military intelligence chief. This speaks to the politicization of British military intelligence and its open appeal to government for more funding to contain the so-called "threats" set out by its own leadership. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Scams cost Australians $77 million in the first six months of 2020 with fraudsters using the bushfires and the pandemic to their advantage. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in online shopping scams particularly puppy scams, or those involving the sale of personal protective equipment, heavy vehicles and farm machinery, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Scammers can access their victims' account months before making their first move. Credit:Shutterstock In the first six months of 2019, losses reported to Scamwatch exceeded $58 million, but losses over the same period in 2020 are up by more than $19 million. "Unfortunately scammers take advantage of times of uncertainty and natural disasters. Earlier this year scammers took advantage of the bushfires through fake charity scams," an ACCC spokesperson said. (Photo: 4 Alluring Reasons to Visit the Aloha State) Nearly 10 million tourists visit Hawaii annually, with those numbers rising every year. What's not to love about the Aloha State? Its near-perfect climate, beautiful scenery, and fantastic food make it a dream vacation destination for many. If you're not sure what to do in Hawaii or what the hype is all about, keep reading. We're going to give you five reasons you need to add this state to your travel bucket list. 1. Unique Experiences on Each Island Eight main islands make up Hawaii. Each island provides a very different and unique vacation experience. Oahu, for example, is the most famous of all the islands. Here is where you'll find one of the most popular places to visit in Hawaii - Honolulu. Don't worry if you don't like bustling cities; just a short drive away are quiet shores for swimming or beachcombing. Kauai is a perfect spot for adventurous vacationers. It's one of the oldest of all the islands and provides tons of fantastic hiking options. It's quieter than some of the other islands, so it's perfect for anyone not into the nightlife scene. The Waipi'o Valley on the Big Island is a must-see place when you're visiting Hawaii. Not only will you see beautiful sights, but you'll learn so much about the history and culture of the state, too. The charming town of Honokaa is a great place to stop along the Hamakua Coast. Visit quaint boutiques and gift shops like KoaWood Ranch, where you can find handmade koa heirloom pieces. 2. Unbeatable Climate One of the most alluring reasons to visit Hawaii is its unbeatable climate. The state only experiences two seasons. Summer lasts from May to October, and winter is from November through April. You can expect average temperatures to be around 85F in summer and 78F during the winter. Each island contains its own unique microenvironments thanks to the state's unique geography. You might visit tropical rainforests in the morning and visit a cooler alpine region in the afternoon. 3. Something for Everyone There's something in Hawaii for everyone in the family. There are countless tours curated for senior citizens. We recommend sticking to one of the larger city centers as it'll be easier to get around. The cities will also have better access to medical care if you need to use it. Hawaii is one of the most family-friendly vacation destinations in America. Many resorts have special activities and menus geared toward children. You'll find plenty of activities whether you prefer to be active or laze about on your vacation, too. Hawaii is a nature-loving hiker's paradise, but its beautiful beaches are perfect for swimmers and sunbathers. 4. Breathtaking Scenery A Google image search of the word "Hawaii" brings up millions of results showcasing the beauty of the state. Lush green forests, clear turquoise waters, sandy beaches, volcanoes - Hawaii has it all. Oh, and the sunrises and sunsets? They're completely out of this world and should be on your Hawaii bucket list. Plan to Visit Hawaii Soon These are just four of the countless reasons to visit Hawaii. If you haven't been to the Aloha State yet, you're missing out. Keep reading our blog to find out more about Hawaii and what to do when you get there. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Hyderabad: With uncertainty and fear in their minds, lakhs of candidates took the NEET 2020 across the country on Sunday. In Telangana, 55,800 students had registered for the medical entrance test. Hundreds of students faced operational issues at some examination centres due to the change in their allotted centres at the eleventh hour. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had on Friday announced changes in some centres in different parts of the country for ensuring implementation of Covid-19 guidelines. The NTA had stated that the candidates concerned had been informed about the change in centres through SMS and email. However, at least 500 students, who arrived at Vidya Dayani College of Information and Technology, Mallapur, as well as at Vignana Jyothi Public School, Madhuranagar, were shocked when informed about the change in their centres. They then realised that their new centres were in Gachibowli, Rajendra Nagar and Golconda respectively. Another instance of an operational failure came to light when a student, who arrived at her allotted centre in Hanamkonda near Warangal, after travelling for at least four hours, was informed by the institution that they were not conducting the exam there. This happened even though her registration form clearly mentioned the name of that institute. The student has registered a police complaint demanding that she be allowed to take the test again or be allotted a medical seat. Elsewhere, learning from their mistakes and violation of safety protocols witnessed during JEE Mains, state authorities strictly implemented guidelines set for the conduct of the NEET exams across all centres in the state. Still, there were instances of social distancing norms being violated on Sunday, like at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology, Gandipet. Parents crowded outside the Gandipet centre after the exam concluded, a NEET aspirant present at the scene disclosed. However, by and large, students said safety precautions were in place and all standard operating procedures (SOPs), including that of 12 students per examination hall, were followed. Canberra, Sep 14 : The Australian government on Monday announced a major crackdown on paedophiles, with offenders' assets to be seized for the first time. In the announcement, Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) will seize car, homes and cash of child abusers through proceeds of crime laws, reports Xinhua news agency. "If a sex offender is found to be profiting or seeking to gain from the exploitation of children, they can expect to have their bank account, their home or even their car seized," Dutton said. "We are going to target those who profit from an abhorrent trade in child abuse." It comes in response to an AFP warning that there has been a significant spike in Australians using the dark web to watch children being sexually abused online. Reece Kershaw, who was appointed as Commissioner of the AFP in 2019, vowed that the AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) would target paedophiles in the same way it does organized crime and drug dealers. "It is truly sickening that offenders are profiting from the abuse, degradation and misery of children," Kershaw said. "I make no apologies for using the full force of the law in our fight to lock these offenders away, and strip them of their tainted assets." The government has previously called for the cooperation of social media giants such as Facebook to prevent online child abuse, with Dutton describing them as "vital" in the fight. To the editor: In reference to Lee Hamiltons column titled, Putting Faith in our Elections, in the Aug. 22 edition of this paper: He states, Elections are the crown jewel of a representative democracy and then he lists the benefits of the voting act participation, reinforcement and trust. So far, so good. However, his next statement derails the train, especially if its the contemporary Democrat train. The statement? Then, whatever the results, we accept it. In the earlier civilized days of our republic, his statement generally reflected the attitude of the losing party, be it Democrat or Republican. Then came Trump, The Disruptor. We now know that even prior to the 2016 election, Democrats launched an extensive, well-organized plot to ensure derailment of the Trump campaign and ensure victory for Hillary and protection for the establishment politicians on both sides of the aisle. This plot involved nearly every high-ranking official of the Obama administration and had as its foundation lies, deception and hypocrisy. The results of the 2016 election have produced nothing but fanatical lock-step opposition from the socialist/communist/totalitarianist Democrats (plus a dwindling number of never Trumpers) and the partisan Democratic mouthpiece media to name a few. Hamilton later states in his article, Americans trust in the election process is at best unsettled. He then attacks President Trumps questioning of the fairness of the election process. Considering the behavior of these Democratic rebels over the last four plus years to discredit and nullify the 2016 election results and subsequent actions to rig the 2020 election results, any rational person would conclude the president has just cause to keep the spotlight on their malicious motives. Mr. Hamilton, a seasoned Democratic politician, concludes his article by stating, woe betide us if our confidence in the result is betrayed by politicians seeking to game the system. I expect he already anticipates this predictable outcome thanks to the socialist/communist/totalitarianist Democratic Party and not Trump. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with my view, mark Nov. 3 on your calendar and exercise your freedom to vote your conscience for the will of God, the freedom of our nation and the future of your family. Roger True Murrayville Democrat Joe Biden is assembling a team of top lawyers in anticipation of court challenges to the election process that could ultimately determine who wins the race for the White House. Biden's presidential campaign says the legal war room will work to ensure that elections are properly administered and votes correctly counted. It will also seek to combat voter suppression at the polls, identify foreign interference and misinformation, and educate voters on the different methods available for casting ballots. Attorney General Eric Holder will serve as a liaison between the Biden campaign and outside groups working on similar issues, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the so-called 'war room.' He appeared on a Zoom call fundraiser Monday afternoon with Biden, speaking more generally about what's ahead. 'We're in the midst here - I don't say this light- an existential election,' Holder said. 'Our democracy is actually on the ballot here. I'm a little scared. But my predominant feeling isn't fear. It's hope.' Democratic nominee Joe Biden's campaign is setting up a war room filled with lawyers in anticipation of court challenges surrounding the November 3 presidential election President Barack Obama's first attorney general, Eric Holder, will serve as a liaison between the Biden campaign and outside groups working to secure the vote The effort, which the Biden campaign described as the largest election protection program in presidential campaign history, reflects the extent of the preparation underway for an already divisive presidential contest in November that could produce significant, perhaps even decisive, court cases over voter access and the legitimacy of mail ballots Democrats and Republicans are locked in legal fights on election rules that could help shape the outcome of the vote, and President Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee have their own attorneys handling cases on a variety of issues. Trump in recent months has sought to preemptively cast doubt on the election, warning that the expected surge in mail ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic will lead to massive fraud and could open the door to foreign countries to print their own fraudulent ballots. 'Notwithstanding Donald Trump and his Republican allies hollow threats and constant misinformation, election officials around the country are working tirelessly to hold a free and fair and election, and we have an extraordinary national team in place to ensure that every eligible voter is able to exercise their right to vote and have their vote counted,' Bob Bauer, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, said in a statement. Bauer, who served as general counsel to the Obama campaigns of 2008 and 2012, will work with campaign general counsel Sally Remus on voter protection - an issue that thousands of Democratic lawyers around the country are also engaged in, according to the Biden campaign. The campaign is also creating a special national litigation team involving hundreds of lawyers that will include as leaders former solicitors general Walter Dellinger and Donald Verrilli. Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and a team of lawyers from his firm, Perkins Coie, will focus on protecting voter access and ensuring a fair and accurate vote count. 'We can and will be able to hold a free and fair election this November and were putting in place an unprecedented voter protection effort with thousands of lawyers and volunteers around the country to ensure that voting goes smoothly,' Remus said in a statement. Tom Reel /Staff photographer A lack of blood drives during the coronavirus pandemic has caused a dangerous drop in the South Texas Blood and Tissue supply, with the center only about two days away from running out of blood, the organization said in a news release. The center, a subsidiary of the San Antonio-based non-profit BioBridge Global, reached critical levels last week, saying it has less than half of what they need to serve patients in South Central Texas and needs about 500 donations per day to rebuild supply. A man walks in the Palais des Nations, the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 20, 2018. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) The UN General Assembly has adopted an "omnibus" resolution to encourage international cooperation in response to COVID-19. The resolution, which was adopted with a vote of 169 to 2 with two abstentions, identifies international cooperation, multilateralism and solidarity as the only way for the world to effectively respond to global crises such as COVID-19. It's a clear and powerful signal sent out by the international community that at a time of a massive crisis of COVID-19, what the world needs is not "my country comes first" style unilateralism, or the withdrawal from the international organizations, or schemes to stoke confrontation between different ideologies and political systems. The immediate threat to everyone in the whole world is the coronavirus. While some countries are returning to normal as business activities and people's daily lives resume gradually, thanks to strict prevention and controlled measures, many more countries are still struggling with the assault of the virus, such as the United States, where the death toll is approaching 200,000. In normal times, you'd expect a stronger and more urgent sense of mission for major powers to join hands in handling COVID-19. Unfortunately, what we witness is the practice of "modern piracy" of medical equipment in international airports, or the attempt to monopolize vaccines from German and French companies. Adding to that, there's the withdrawal by the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), the key international body coordinating global efforts against the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has been "compounding the once-in-a-century transformations unfolding in our world," says a Chinese Position Paper on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN. The world is "entering a period of turbulence and change," with the rise of protectionism, unilateralism and bullying practices. In addition to the departure of the WHO, Washington has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, sabotaging global efforts to fight climate change. The U.S. is also backing out of arms control. It has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, abandoned the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, left the Open Skies Treaty on military transparency, and refused to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Washington also threatened the top prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with visa revocation as well as criminal investigations. As a result, the base of international security is being shaken and the reemergence of an arms race is not out of question. Beyond its international obligation and responsibilities as the world's most powerful country, the U.S. has launched a series of attacks on China, due to rising concern in Washington that its global preeminence might be replaced by a rising China. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) speaks on the situation regarding COVID-19 at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, February 24, 2020. /Xinhua Following the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods in a trade war, Washington has targeted the Chinese technology companies by either cutting off supply of components in the case of Huawei, with no evidence of any wrongdoing by the company, or forcing a backyard sale in the case of TikTok simply based on national security concern despite, again, zero evidence. As China is increasingly being depicted by U.S. government and officials as its top adversary, McCarthyism is again rearing its ugly head. Chinese students and scholars are becoming victims under such anti-China sentiment. For example, visas of more than 1,000 students and scholars are revoked without proper explanation. Chinese students departing the U.S. are subject to horrendous harassment by border agents. One student stressed "he won't consider ever visiting the country again due to the screening experience." Given the fact that the U.S. and China are the two largest economies and two of the most powerful countries in today's world, the U.S. attempt to decouple from China produces a repercussion far into the international community. Put it simply, the rest of the world faces such a tough question: Are we siding with Beijing and Washington? What's noticeable is that Beijing has never asked any country to choose sides, nor does it seek an alliance system to counter any group of countries. Instead, China firmly sticks to the rules under the United Nations, one of the world's most important international organizations. For example, in response to the UN initiative of global humanitarian plan to cope with COVID-19, China has donated 50 million U.S. dollars to the WHO, offered assistance to over 150 countries and organizations, as well as boosted medical exports to more than 200 countries and regions. China is also closing ranks with all sides in protecting the Iran nuclear deal under the practice of multilateralism, in opposition of the unilateral approach by Washington. The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The theme of this year's commemoration events is set as "The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism." 75 years ago, the UN was founded with the determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Such a theme is highly relevant with a world facing with unprecedented challenges, in which the world's only superpower is agitated for a replay of a costly Cold War, which would only lead to more instability, chaos and conflict. In this context, as the Chinese Position Paper says, all countries need to look beyond the pandemic and find answers to major questions such as what the world will look like and what kind of UN the world needs. A man has described a water company as insensitive for sending him a postcard that reads welcome to your new home after a flood at his old flat caused him to lose 7,000 worth of possessions. In August 2020, a water main burst at the home of gas engineer Nik Ross in Canterbury, Kent. After water flooded through his entire ground-floor flat, Mr Ross was forced to move out, staying at two hotels before he was rehoused by South East Water. When Mr Ross moved into his new property, he received an unexpected note from South East Water a card that read home sweet home on the front and welcome to your new home on the back. My partners reaction was to laugh at first because youd think theyd have a note on our account to say not to send this, he said. (Nik Ross / SWNS) I also had a laugh until I read it and saw it said welcome to your new home on the back, then the red mist started to descend. Mr Ross said that while he and his partner Georgina have somewhere to live, it just doesnt feel like home. Is this a genuine mistake, a poor attempt at humour or are they taking the mick? he stated. For a start thats extremely insensitive. Is it a good idea to send this particular customer a welcome home postcard? (Nik Ross / SWNS) On the back of the card, it states: I just wanted to send you a quick note to say congratulations on your new home and I do hope everything has gone smoothly. Jenny Rhodes, a representative of South East Water, issued an apology on behalf of the firm, saying it was a genuine mistake for Mr Ross to receive the card. Usually when a customer moves into a new home we provide them with all the necessary information about South East Water and, as a courtesy, congratulate them on moving in with a card, Ms Rhodes said. Unfortunately it wasnt spotted that one of the new accounts was following the flooding and sending this was a genuine mistake on our part for which we are very sorry. (Nik Ross / SWNS) The water main for Mr Rosss old flat burst in the early hours of Tuesday 11 August, marking the second time the gas engineers property had been flooded after a water main previously burst at the same spot. Its happened to us again, except worse. Last year was unfortunate but this year theyve got no excuse, he said. The figure is close to 7,000 of lost items and property, including 697 of locksmith equipment. Ive lost two days work and Im having to turn certain locksmith jobs down because I havent got my equipment. Ms Rhodes stated that South East Water conducted an investigation in May in the area following a report of a leak, with no evidence found. In March, Gov. Tom Wolf shuttered all but "life-sustaining" businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more 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. HARRISBURG Delivering a blow to Gov. Tom Wolfs strategy for responding to the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge on Monday ruled that key components of the governors mitigation strategy are unconstitutional, including decisions to temporarily shut down businesses and limit how many Pennsylvanians can gather in one place. The court believes that defendants undertook their actions in a well-intentioned effort to protect Pennsylvanians from the virus, U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV wrote in the 66-page ruling. But even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered. The liberties protected by the Constitution are not fair-weather freedoms in place when times are good but able to be cast aside in times of trouble. Stickman found that the Wolf administrations policy limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings and events to 25 and 250 people, respectively, violates the right of assembly enshrined in the First Amendment. The Pittsburgh-based judge also found Wolf and Health Secretary Rachel Levines stay-at-home and business closure orders to be unconstitutional. The ruling came two weeks after a federal judge in Philadelphia took the opposite stance in a case focused solely on business closure orders, setting the stage for the battle to continue at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Health experts widely considered temporary shutdowns and limits on business operations to be necessary in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. Over the summer, Pennsylvanias highest court rejected a lawsuit by GOP lawmakers seeking to end the disaster emergency declaration that greatly expanded Wolfs powers. The Wolf administration will file an appeal and seek a stay to temporarily block the decision, the Democratic governors spokesperson, Lyndsay Kensinger, said. The ruling is limited to the business closure order and the stay-at-home orders issued in March ... as well as the indoor and outdoor gathering limitations. The decision does not apply to other mitigation orders currently in place, including the mandate to wear masks in public, Kensinger added. It comes as states across the country are girding for a potential resurgence of the virus in the fall and winter months. A moderate uptick in cases has already arrived as students have returned to college towns. It also comes as federal unemployment benefits have dried up, Wolfs moratorium on evictions and foreclosures has expired, and going back to school adds a challenge for many families. A federal moratorium on evictions took effect this month, but it doesnt cover as many renters as the states ban did, leaving some at risk. But households struggling to make rent or mortgage payments may get relief: Pennsylvania will receive nearly $2 billion in new funding to help people at high risk of eviction who need temporary financial assistance, Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) announced Monday. READ MORE: As officials urge flu shots, here's how to decipher symptoms of COVID-19, flu, common cold, and allergies Pennsylvania reported 1,258 new cases of the virus from the last two days, a total that didnt include cases in Philadelphia due to reporting delays, the state said. Philadelphia reported 271 new cases on Monday, accounting for all new test results since Friday. New Jersey reported 346 new cases. Several New Jersey school districts have already been forced to modify plans for in-person classes due to coronavirus cases among staff members, though the state has not linked any outbreaks to in-school transmission, officials said Monday. State health officials said that while some cases are to be expected, the contact tracing and surveillance systems in place for schools are working. College students are driving up case counts in Pennsylvania, and Health Secretary Rachel Levine asked them to help change the course of the spread of this virus by taking precautions seriously. One of the biggest lessons that we have learned from this pandemic is that we are all interconnected and interdependent on each other really in every way, Levine said Monday. We must stand united in our efforts to stop this virus from doing more damage to our communities, our families and our friends. Levine, speaking at an afternoon news conference, declined to comment on the federal judges decision about the states pandemic orders or its implications. Wolf has insisted that every action he and his administration have taken followed recommendations by the nations top health experts and contributed to preventing the virus' spread. Republicans who control both legislative chambers have accused him of acting unilaterally and overstepping the bounds of his authority. But despite that pushback, Wolfs policies had survived court scrutiny up until Monday. Last month, Philadelphia-based U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick dismissed a challenge to the business closure orders, saying the restrictions were temporary and, therefore, did not infringe in any permanent way on business owners' constitutional rights. We are skeptical of claims seeking to challenge emergency government action taken to combat a once-in-a-lifetime global health crisis, wrote Surrick, an appointee of President Bill Clinton. Stickman was nominated to the federal bench in 2019 by President Donald Trump The lawsuit that led to Stickmans decision was filed in May against Wolf and Levine by four Western Pennsylvania counties Butler, Fayette, Green, and Washington as well as individual businesses and lawmakers. It targeted, in part, an order Wolf and Levine issued in March shuttering all but life-sustaining businesses. Exactly what was deemed life-sustaining and how that decision was made was the center of controversy, and led the administration to create a waiver program that allowed businesses to appeal closures. But that program itself became controversial after lawmakers and business owners reported it was unevenly applied within industries. The state has since lifted the stay-at-home orders and allowed businesses to reopen, although some including restaurants, bars, and salons are still operating under capacity restrictions. The decision does not apply to limits on how many patrons bars and restaurants can serve indoors. Republicans in the legislature applauded the ruling, including three members of the state House who helped bring the lawsuit. Rep. Tim Bonner (R., Butler) said the decision would basically undermine the governors ability to continue to rule by edict. Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman, a Republican, called the decision a huge step in the right direction. But he cautioned that people should still wear a mask, practice social distancing, and follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. This is not opening the floodgates and saying, Lets flood Heinz Field this Sunday for a Steeler game, he said. There are still precautions that need to take place. Mayor Jim Kenneys office noted the courts decision only applied to the states orders, not the citys. Within Philadelphia, all of the orders and regulations that the city put in place are still in force, said spokesperson Mike Dunn. Todays ruling has absolutely no bearing on any of the orders which have been effective in lowering the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Philadelphia to levels not seen since March. In ruling against the Wolf administrations order closing nonessential businesses, Stickman held that its application had been arbitrary and followed no coherent definition of which businesses were life-sustaining. Whats more, the judge ruled, the administrations waiver program allowed some companies to resume operations even while their competitors in the same industry were denied the same relief. While the Wolf administration has argued that the situation is moot as almost all businesses have been allowed to reopen, Stickman noted that the order issued in March had no end date and that state health officials have warned it could be reinstated as necessary at any time. The court recognizes that defendants were acting in haste to address a public health situation, wrote Stickman. But to the extent the defendants were exercising raw governmental authority in a way that could (and did) critically wound or destroy the livelihoods of so many, the people of the commonwealth at least deserved an objective plan. Contributing to this article were staff writers Rob Tornoe, Allison Steele, Ellie Silverman, Laura McCrystal, and Sean Collins Walsh, and Cynthia Fernandez and Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA. 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. T HE Government today faced calls to block ARMs takeover by US giant Nvidia amid fears that thousands of tech workers risk losing their jobs across the UK. Nvidia bought ARM for $40 billion (31.2 billion) last night. Japanese private equity firm SoftBank put the chip designer up for sale in April when Goldman Sachs was hired to sound out buyers. ARM is one of the UKs few world-class tech companies and its technology is at the heart of most smartphones. But there are mounting fears the firms headquarters could be axed when ARM becomes a Nvidia subsidiary. Nvidia promised that ARM, which has 2500 UK workers, will remain a British firm and plans to build a artificial intelligence research centre in Cambridge. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said: We will grow ARM. That means more engineers, not fewer and more research and development. We want it to happen in Cambridge where it all started. ARM will remain registered in the UK . But Hermann Hauser, the co-founder at ARM Holdings, urged the Government to step in and stop the deal. Hauser said: The words from Nvidia this morning are meaningless unless legally enforceable there are always nice words during M&A negotiations. The same happened at the start when Cadbury was taken over by Kraft in 2010, but look how that played out. He added: The headquarters will inevitably move to the US, followed by job losses in Cambridge, Manchester, Belfast and Warwick where ARM employs thousands. Hauser instead wants to see ARM listed on the London Stock Exchange to become a British company again. SoftBanks takeover of the firm in 2016 for $32 billion was one of the largest deals to take place after the Brexit referendum. The then Prime Minister Theresa May received assurances that ARM would remain in Cambridge but these stipulations run out next year. Shadow business secretary Ed Mili-band wants legally binding assurances this time too. He told the BBC: There are two big anxieties over the Nvidia deal jobs in the UK and whether the headquarters in Cambridge is protected. The Government should insist the headquarters stays in Cambridge. In 2016 ARM was a key acquisition for Softbanks boss, Masayoshi Son, who had lionised its potential. But Softbank has been forced to sell off assets this year amid heavy losses. As an historical marker, recognizing the history of abuses and desired repair, the message could certainly qualify under the government speech doctrine, which the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated does not require approval of any alternate expressions. There is not another message nor place in Tulsa that would have a similar claim for competing speech. It is not appropriate for me nor the mayor nor City Council to author the message; its for the neighborhood to do that with city concurrence and support. Whatever the language, the sign should acknowledge in some fashion the original crime, the uniqueness of the place and its history, the anniversary and location of commemoration and the universal moral principle, admittedly a lot to fit in a few words. It could be embellished to become one of the artistic installations that are being created by Rick Lowe and others, sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to recognize the race massacre anniversary. The resulting historical designation, that reflects the significance of the event and its resonance today, will require skillful crafting by the community and a recognition by the city that the message passes constitutional muster. (Why are we the only city that seems to be having a problem with that issue?) Its official: were in recession Australias economy is officially in recession. Australias Gross Domestic Product, a measure of the wealth produced, shrank by 7.2 per cent in the three months leading to 30th June. The number of unemployed or underemployed totals a staggering 2.5 million with the worst most likely to come. For many households, it is the first deep recession that they will have experienced. What governments do now will have an impact for many years to come. By all accounts next months federal budget is shaping up to be a bonanza for big business and the wealthy. Workers, the unemployed and social security recipients can expect little if anything in it to alleviate the pain. Reverse the cuts Just at a time when the economy needs an increase in demand for goods and services, the government is slashing its payments to the unemployed who are on JobSeeker and those still connected to their employer on JobKeeper. These schemes play a critical role in preventing the present economic contraction from being far worse and keeping food on the table for many households. Now is the worst time to be cutting them. JobSeeker will be halved as from 28th September, down from $1,500 to $750 a fortnight. As rental holidays come to an end and banks expect customers to resume mortgage repayments, families will be under even more pressure than they are today. Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers said unemployed renters faced a ticking time bomb if JobSeeker rates were cut as planned. Unfortunately, legislation making the cuts law, went through the week before last. Unemployment set to rise The legislation phasing out JobSeeker also cuts the JobKeeper allowance in two tranches (See #1926, Workers in the firing line). The first tranche commences on 28th September and the second at the beginning of 2021. It is set to end on 21st March. It will be a two-tiered system with lower payments for part-time and casual workers. When JobKeeper is cut, thousands of small and not so small businesses are likely to go under. Many are barely keeping their head above water now. That will only add to the ranks of the unemployed. These two schemes play a vital role for millions of workers who would have ended up on skid row without that support. The government, with one eye on its holy grail of a budget surplus, and another on serving its masters in big business, is not waiting until the economy is back on its feet before withdrawing the programs. Homelessness Anglicare did an analysis of almost 77,000 rental listings on the first weekend of August and found only 808 were considered affordable for singles on JobSeeker. That is only one per cent of rentals were considered affordable less than thirty per cent of a households gross income. The unemployed simply cannot afford housing in the capital cities. They face being thrown out onto the streets. State and territory governments had insufficient public housing to accommodate the pre-pandemic homeless population, let alone a surge in homeless. This is one area where governments should not be waiting to take action. With federal government assistance this is one of the main areas of infrastructure that would assist people in need and create thousands of jobs. We dont need more roads and toll ways. According to the agencies that respond to domestic violence, the number of cases has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Again, this is an area where governments had failed to address pre-pandemic needs. Construction of crisis accommodation; employment of more social workers; more funds for legal and other support centres; and the employment of suitably qualified staff would be so important. Such measures would also create jobs. Mental health is another critical area where numbers are rocketing but there are far too few facilities including personnel. Nationalisation It is ridiculous that with so many unmet needs for both education and training, universities are sacking thousands of staff and TAFE has all but been destroyed by the privatisation of that sector. There is great potential to rebuild the university sector and TAFE by restoring full federal funding and re-employing thousands of trainers and lecturers along with support staff. The skills are needed. Instead it has been left to the markets which are guided by profits not needs. Age care has largely been pushed off the agenda by the government, but there is a crying need for tight regulation of the sector and to bring it under public ownership and democratic control. This sector is also hugely understaffed and underfunded. There is a conflict of interest between care and for-profit aims. Residents cannot receive the best care when a centre becomes a vehicle for returning maximum profits to shareholders. The whole health sector is starved of funding and inadequately staffed. Alongside aged care there is scope for many more jobs in aged and also community care. The above are just a few of the ways of in which jobs could be created. Another important area is the research and development of renewable energy sources and environmental protection. As for the funding, the government should look at abandoning the $158 billion in personal income tax cuts that are mostly targeted at those on higher incomes. It should forget corporate tax cuts. Finally, it would not threaten Australias security to halve the $40 billion plus per annum, and rising, military expenditure. Australias security would be better enhanced by developing cordial relations within our region, including with China. PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN If there's one word to sum up the goal of Project Kaleidoscope a publication launched this year by a pair of high school students it's the one created to refer to its members. The scores of young illustrators, painters and writers who have submitted work to the social justice website have been dubbed "artivists," a combination of artists and activists, by their leaders. The word is meant to articulate the publication's goal of "bridging art and advocacy," or bringing together the need for social justice conversations with the power of art, co-founder Emma Donnelly said. "We can advocate for social justice in many ways we can do it with our voices, but we can also do it with our art," Donnelly, who lives in Park Slope, told Patch. "A lot of people enjoy art for its aesthetics...I really want to show that art is a medium that can drive profound change." (Courtesy of Emma Donnelly). Donnelly founded Project Kaleidoscope with fellow Stuyvesant High School student Kelly Guo after starting a club devoted to the project at their school last year. The idea for the club first came to Donnelly when she was interning at Project GO, a nonprofit devoted to educational equity, and realized that issues like the organization's mission seemed largely absent from her public school education. "Education related to social justice issues is very vacant even up until high school," Donnelly said, noting her school's science, technology, engineering and mathematics focus. "People are focused on their grades and I wanted to show there are a lot of broader issues out there." The club, which has about 50 members, envisioned a way to connect students from across New York City, no matter their access to the city's most well-funded schools, Donnelly said. It was that inciting idea that became the topic of their first issue about educational inequity, which launchd a few months ago. Story continues The publication has since published issues about the Black Lives Matter movement and Mental Health. (Courtesy of Afra Mahmud). Donnelly said the inaugural issues, which the club had been working on for several months, became all the more important once they realized they would be published during the coronavirus-induced school closure. Instead of holding in-person fundraisers and exhibits, the publication became a virtual outlet for its members. "The website was a great way to connect people over quarantine," Donnelly said. Project Kaleidoscope has so far reached students from five schools across Brooklyn and Manhattan, Donnelly said. Its members are talking now to middle schoolers in the hopes of getting younger grades involved. Upcoming issues will likely focus on environmental activism, given the wildfires in California, she added. "I want the art to serve as a platform for people to address the issues were discussing and hold those conversations about it," she said. "We really hope to expand to other schools and spread the word about what were doing." Find Project Kaleidoscope's first three issues and more information about how to submit work here. (Courtesy of Emma Donnelly). This article originally appeared on the Park Slope Patch Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 03:03:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Sunday warned that the continuous rise in the number of local cases of COVID-19 poses risks of community transmission to the country. During an online address, the prime minister said that Jordan's ability to combat the pandemic and continue the opening of sectors depends on the public's commitment to health instructions. Razzaz added that Jordan rejects the concept of "herd immunity" as a strategy to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. On Sunday, Jordan recorded 252 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, including 248 local infections, increasing the tally of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country to 3,314 and the death toll to 24. During a press conference, Health Minister Saad Jaber noted that the increase in the number of infections during the past few days was the result of holding gatherings, such as weddings in some governorates, calling on the public to adhere to safety measures. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said that the government has no plans to re-impose a full lockdown. China has supported Jordan's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 31, China donated a batch of medical supplies to Jordan to help combat the coronavirus. Enditem Research Rutgers: 5 Ways to Improve Remote Learning According to a recent study out of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, students need a sense of community and connection in order to thrive in remote learning experiences. In a national survey of more than 3,000 undergraduate students across 31 universities, the researchers found that the majority of respondents "craved the human connections they lost when leaving their schools amidst the pandemic." About two-thirds of students said they had trouble keeping track of deadlines or understanding expectations; 55 percent felt they could not communicate with their professors enough; and 71 percent struggled with concentrating on coursework due to at-home interruptions. "Faculty may need to develop connections in different and more conscious ways than they have in the past," noted Vikki Katz, an associate professor at Rutgers' School of Communication and Information and co-lead on the study, in a statement. "This is not just about tech support, but rather about creating a sense of trust and connection, evaluating in ways that feel fair to students, and understanding that many have chronic issues of digital inequality. What students miss most tells us what they value most." Based on what students shared in the survey, the researchers came up with 5 recommendations for remote teaching and learning: 1) Assume students are "under-connected." Students' access to quality internet and digital devices is often limited. Fifty-five percent of survey respondents said their internet connection at home was slowed by having too many people online at once; 27 percent had to rely on a device in poor working condition; 25 percent could not livestream reliably; and 24 percent could not download large files, the study found. It's important for faculty to acknowledge students' connectivity struggles and plan for accommodating their needs, the researchers stressed. For example, recorded lectures should be kept short under 15 minutes so that the video files are not too large to download on a slow connection. Likewise, synchronous class meetings should be optional, brief and held on a consistent day and time, to help students manage the connectivity required to attend. 2) Avoid information overload. In the spring, students often found themselves accessing different apps and platforms for each class, making it difficult to keep up with assignments and deadlines. To mitigate the "overload" in a digital environment, the researchers recommended limiting the number of digital platforms used as well as restricting course communications to a single medium (such as e-mail or announcements within the learning management system). 3) Build student community. The researchers cautioned against assigning group projects, which can breed resentment between students even in the best of times and are made more problematic by the challenges of remote learning in a pandemic. Instead, encourage collaboration in short-term, low-stakes projects with clear instructions and explicit expectations. In addition, make the most of real-time class meetings, said Katz: "Zoom is great for enabling the class interactions that build community. Knowing students cannot manage long meetings, need strong internet or may share a computer, faculty shouldn't waste precious interactive time by lecturing live. Instead, build breakout sessions into live video sessions, so that students can connect with one another." 4) Foster new learning rituals and routines. Many survey respondents reported missing the routines of campus life and struggling to stay on track remotely. The researchers recommended three techniques for reinforcing a sense of routine in a course: First, commit to a specific schedule for releasing recorded lectures and readings each week. Next, establish the pace by releasing learning content in stages, rather than all at once. Finally, set the tone by creating opportunities for students to interact with their instructor at specific times. 5) Develop evaluations that feel fair. Traditional timed exams may no longer work, the researchers pointed out, due to connectivity issues or technology hiccups. Instead, open-book exams "that require students to apply key course concepts, rather than merely provide definitions for those concepts," can be more effective, they noted. Also, it's important to reevaluate the course syllabus in light of the potential for academic dishonesty. "Are there graded assignments that make for easy cheating? If so, how can you remedy that to protect students' integrity? Also consider whether a curve still fairly reflects student learning in relation to their peers in a remote environment; many [survey respondents] worried that curves incentivized dishonesty in the spring," Katz advised. The researchers have compiled their survey findings and insights in series of posts on "Left To Their Own Devices," a web resource devoted to "lessons for how to redesign remote instruction to be more equitable, foster community, and help students thrive." The project is co-authored by Katz along with Amy Jordan, a professor and chair of Rutgers' Journalism and Media Studies department, Alyvia Walters, a Journalism and Media Studies doctoral student, and Luna Laliberte, an undergraduate in communications. They plan to add new content to the site as the semester continues. A woman walks past the Grab transport office in Singapore on September 24, 2018. (FILE PHOTO: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images) By Ameya Karve and Yoolim Lee (Bloomberg) -- Singapores privacy regulator imposed a S$10,000 penalty on ride-hailing company GrabCar Pte Ltd. for a personal-data breach incident last year and raised the alarm on repeated violations by the unit of Grab Holdings Inc. In August 2019, an update of Grabs mobile application exposed the personal data of more than 21,500 users to the risk of unauthorised access, according to the Personal Data Protection Commission. The breach, which included the profile pictures, names, wallet balance of users and vehicle plate numbers, was related to GrabHitch, a service that allows carpooling. The glitch was fixed in less than an hour, according to the report. Still, the company should have had properly scoped pre-launch tests of the update before deployment, the commission said, adding that it was Grabs fourth personal data violation since 2018. Given that the organisations business involves processing large volumes of personal data on a daily basis, this is a significant cause for concern, Yeong Zee Kin, deputy commissioner for the Personal Data Protection Commission, said in the announcement dated Sept. 10. Singapore is among a handful of Asian countries with comprehensive data protection rules. Multinationals that do business in Singapore must follow its Personal Data Protection Act, which requires companies to get user consent before collecting or using personal data. GrabCar posted revenue of S$67.5 million and a loss of S$119.7 million in 2018, according to its most recent filings with Singapore regulators. Grab, which has operations in 351 cities across eight countries in Southeast Asia, has diversified into digital offerings such as food delivery and financial technology services. The mobile application had more than 187 million downloads, according to a statement on the companys website. Grabs cooperation with the investigation and prompt, forthcoming responses to queries was a mitigating factor when arriving at the penalty amount, the regulator said. For Grabs mobile applications, the regulator ordered a so-called data protection by design policy -- where developers consider data and privacy issues at the design phase -- within 120 days. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Beijing's health chief has said that China will not carry out mass vaccinations on its population because Covid-19 has largely been wiped out in the country. Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Gao Fu, said sweeping coronavirus vaccinations would only be needed if there was another major outbreak. According to the China CDC chief, sweeping vaccinations would be unnecessary in the country while the virus is under control, although he didn't rule out the need for them in the future. The country recorded 29 new cases and no new deaths overnight, bringing the total numbers to 90,107 infections, and 4,734 deaths. 'This is an issue of balancing risk and return,' Dr Gao said, as quoted by the China News Service. He admitted that there should be 'large-scale vaccination of residents' should another outbreak match the one that originated in Wuhan late last year. However, he said that for the first batch of vaccines, priority should be given to frontline medical staff and epidemic prevention workers. Security workers would then take priority, followed by cleaning and catering staff and civil servants working in crowded areas. Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Dr Gao Fu, said nationwide coronavirus vaccinations would only be necessary if there was another major outbreak. Above, a file image of Dr Gao Fu pictured during a press conference in January Scientists around the world are working to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. China is developing at least eight vaccine candidates as it determines to become the first country in the world to roll out a successful vaccination for the pathogen. Dr Gao Fu has previously said that China's first coronavirus vaccine could be ready by September. The country is competing with US and British companies to be the first with a vaccine to help end the pandemic - a feat that would be both a scientific and political triumph. Last month, Dr Gao Fu, revealed that he has been injected with an experimental coronavirus vaccine. He also said that taking the jab himself was an attempt to persuade the public to follow suit when one is approved. In June, Dr Gao was a coauthor on a paper introducing one candidate, an 'inactivated' vaccine made by growing the whole virus in a lab and then killing it. That candidate is being developed by an affiliate of state-owned SinoPharm. The company previously said in an online post that 30 employees, including top executives, helped 'pre-test' its vaccine in March, before it was approved for its initial human study. UNICEF Executive Board focuses on reimagining education and joint efforts to support refugee children and host communities UNICEF New York, United States of America, 14 September 2020 The UNICEF Executive Boards final formal session of the year closed on Friday. In her remarks at the opening of the virtual meeting, UNICEF Executive Board President H.E. Ms. Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bangladesh, invoked the collaborative spirit with which UNICEF and its Board members had navigated the unprecedented circumstances created by COVID-19. The pandemic has upended lives everywhere, she said, and childrens lives have been deeply impacted. Focusing on the pandemics heavy toll on education, she noted the serious impacts of learning disruptions on child protection, nutrition and mental health, and the particular risks to girls. It is imperative that we get the maximum number of children back into a learning environment, and soon she said. With more than one billion students still affected by school closures, this is no easy task. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore highlighted UNICEFs work with its partners to devise innovative solutions in education. She stressed the importance of both responding to the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and addressing the global learning crisis that predates it. Even before the pandemic shuttered schools across the world, 250 million children were out of school, and half of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries were unable to read. The pandemic, said Executive Director Fore, underscored that we need nothing short of a revolution in learning, education and skills training. Without urgent, large-scale action, UNICEF has warned that nearly 7 million students could drop out as a result of the pandemics economic impacts, leading to a loss in earnings for this cohort amounting to US$10 trillion, according to World Bank estimates. A generation of young people needs our support to shape their minds and skills for the future, stated Executive Director Fore in a prepared statement made available to the Board in advance of the session. We will not let them down. UNICEF/UNI368157/Seng A student in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. UNICEF is working hand in hand with Cambodias Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to help every school in Cambodia to reopen. Working across countries to transform education Education was the common thread across Thursdays presentation of 10 new country programmes for Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Kosovo (under Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)), Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uganda. A panel discussion featured as guest speakers the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Uganda; a partner from McKinsey and Company in Colombia, and a UNICEF child rights advocate from Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244 (1999)). The session offered Executive Board members insight into how UNICEF works to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on education systems, and to help them recover and enhance their resilience while seizing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform learning, and ensuring that marginalized children are not left behind as schools reopen in some contexts and alternative learning measures continue in others. Since the onset of the pandemic, UNICEF has scaled up a diverse range of high- and low-tech solutions, including digital learning tools like the Learning Passport. Through initiatives like Generation Unlimited and GIGA, which aims to expand Internet access to every child, every community and every school by 2030, UNICEF has deepened its engagement with partners ranging from sister United Nations agencies to mobile phone companies, to spark innovative thinking and adapt education programmes to reach the most vulnerable children. An evaluation of UNICEFs contribution to education in humanitarian situations was discussed during Wednesdays meetings. The management response highlights ongoing UNICEF initiatives to strengthen its work in this area, including to reach children in protracted crises. UNICEF/UN0172093/Haidar UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore (second left) with UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi (left) in Lebanon, 8 March 2018, hear direct testimonies from Syrian women and girls who were forced to flee the conflict. Closing gaps in the humanitarian-development nexus The update on humanitarian action focused on UNICEFs capacity for programming that links humanitarian action and long-term sustainable development. Guest speaker United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reminded the Board that the UNICEF/UNHCR partnership was one of the oldest and most crucial partnerships in the UN system and in the humanitarian system. Collaborative efforts between both organizations span the areas of child protection; health; education; water, sanitation and hygiene; statelessness issues, particularly related to newborns and children; as well as more recent work, together with the World Food Programme, on cash transfer programmes. Recalling a joint visit to Lebanon with High Commissioner Grandi [in 2018], Executive Director Fore considered the ways in which the refugee children they had met there, along with millions of others worldwide, miss out on their rights to grow, prosper and develop. The needs of refugee children have become even more acute with the rapid spread of COVID-19 and meeting those needs is key to safeguarding their well-being and future potential. The UNICEF-UNHCR Blueprint for Joint Action seeks to strengthen national systems to deliver improved education, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to refugees and host communities. Being launched in 11 focus countries two of them current members of the UNICEF Executive Board that are hosting more than 20 per cent of the worlds refugees, the initiative is slated to further expand to all countries in which both agencies work. If we are able to roll it out, it will be of benefit to almost 2.5 million refugee children, said Mr. Grandi. Over two years, this joint effort aims to reach an additional 10 million children and families with durable and sustainable solutions. A priority area of the initiative is increasing school enrolment. Mr. Grandi reported that the rate of refugee children attending primary school is consistently about half the rate for non-refugee children, with only 23 to 25 per cent attending secondary school, and about 3 per cent enrolled in tertiary education. UNHCR will rely on UNICEFs experience, energy, networks and partnerships to increase those rates. The UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes, Mr. Manuel Fontaine, said that the ambitious goals laid out in the Blueprint cant be realized without a paradigm shift in the way we actually do business. With a division of labour that streamlines collaboration in programming, innovation, data, advocacy and resource mobilization, the Blueprint is intended to reinforce the reform of the United Nations system. Mr. Fontaine presented preliminary findings from a 10-country internal review of UNICEFs humanitarian-development programming, highlighting the areas where UNICEF has a clear comparative advantage across several emergency contexts. This is really where we feel we stand out, said Mr. Fontaine, reporting that UNICEFs humanitarian approach has focused on strengthening the capacity of national systems to respond to crisis. Our teams seemed always to have in mind the need to empower and champion, rather thanreplicate and replace. UNICEF Executive Board adopts key decisions The Executive Board adopted 11 decisions during this session, contributing to a total of 24 decisions adopted in 2020, including the two decisions on the midterm review of the Strategic Plan and of the integrated budget that were adopted at the annual session in June. In closing the session, Executive Director Fore thanked the members of the Board for supporting the work of UNICEF and for sounding the alarm on childrens needs in their capitals. She said, the pandemic has changed our work, but has not stopped it, adding that UNICEF was marching forward with hope and optimism and using this moment to reimagine every aspect of the organization. I believe that the momentum for positive change is of a good cadence [and] bodes well for preparations for the next Strategic Plan, said Ambassador Fatima. UNICEF is involved in many promising initiatives aimed at mitigating the devastating impact [of the COVID-19 pandemic] and helping Governments and communities to build back better. In concluding, the Ambassador urged that the Member States continue their support to UNICEF, so that the achievements made thus far towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are not threatened. During this particularly critical and challenging time for our Latino community in our American history we must leverage our signature resilience and ganas to become architects of our solutions. Support Latino Business (SLB), a nonprofit dedicated to championing Latino/x small businesses partners with community organizations, business leaders and elected officials to host its second annual National Support Latino Business Day on September 14, 2020. One day in advance of Hispanic Heritage Month, the community day of action is dedicated to highlighting the significant contributions of the Latino/x business community by shopping, celebrating and supporting Latino/x-owned small businesses. During this particularly critical and challenging time for our Latino community in our American history we must leverage our signature resilience and ganas to become architects of our solutions, remarked Latino Business Action Network, CEO Mark Madrid. Over the last ten years, Latinas and Latinos are starting businesses faster than any other group in the U.S. It is an American economic imperative to empower and elevate them. This is our collective opportunity to show fellow Americans, through actionsand not just wordsjust how much we appreciate our Hispanic business owners across our 50 states and Puerto Rico. And when we do, juntos, our actions on September 14th will send a message loud and clear to our Latinx entrepreneurs, many of whom are fighting for their business lives because of COVID-19 and our current atmospherics of inequity and unlevel playing fields. The message is, 'we are with you'. Join us, as we act with urgency. The Support Latino Business network has come together with Mayors from across the country including Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, District of Columbia, El Paso, Houston, Lawrence, Los Angeles, McAllen, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, among others to issue city proclamations in observance, urging communities to support the local Latino/x business community. Support Latino Business, with generous donations from supporters, announced the launch of the Support Latino Business Impact Fund to provide grants to Latino/x-owned small businesses across the country. To be eligible, companies must be majority Latino/x-owned, have been in business for at least one year and sign up for the FREE Support Latino Business Directory at http://www.supportlatino.biz. Grants must be used to directly support the applicants business. The application process will open on Monday, September 21. Visit the website for more information. National Support Latino Business Day consists of four key stages: a national day of action on September 14; the building of a comprehensive business directory of Latino/x-owned companies; the establishing of a one-stop-resource hub for entrepreneurs; and the creation of a financial fund to help provide grants to Latino/x small business owners. As part of a larger mission, partners will work to continue the National Support Latino Business Day momentum through the daily spotlighting of Latino/x businesses, the fostering of a strong business network, financial resources, mentorship and more. Created for the community by the community, the Support Latino Business initiative is championed by a diverse group of leading national organizations including LBAN. To join Support Latino Business movement, visit http://www.supportlatino.biz/. ABOUT Latino Business Action Network (LBAN) Latino Business Action Network (lban.us) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the purpose to strengthen the United States by improving the lives of Latinos and the goal to double the number of $10+ million, $100+ million, $1+ billion Latino-owned businesses in the U.S.by 2025. Victor Arias, Jr. is Chairman of the Board, Professor Jerry I. Porras, Chairman Emeritus and Mark L. Madrid, CEO. ABOUT Support Latino Business Support Latino Business is a national community-led initiative shining a light on the significant economic contributions Latino businesses make, the jobs they help create, and the positive impact they bring to all local communities and the U.S. economy. One of the nations most diverse network of partners including business leaders, owners, entrepreneurs, local activists, community organizations, elected officials, and corporate brands come together to tell stories about the impact Latino/x businesses have today, and the endless possibilities theyll be realizing tomorrow. For more information or to be a part of the Support Latino Business movement, visit: http://supportlatino.biz/. Elected leaders, candidates pay tribute to Ryan Hendrix The death of a Henderson County sheriff's deputy intersected with the campaign for president on Sunday when Democratic nominee Joe Biden the condemned "horrific death of Deputy Ryan Hendrix" as well as "the cold-blooded shooting of two Los Angeles County deputies" on Saturday. "Jill and I were devastated to learn of the cold-blooded shooting of two Los Angeles County deputies yesterday, as well as the horrific death of Deputy Ryan Hendrix, a Marine veteran and police officer killed in the line of duty in Henderson County, North Carolina," Biden, the former vice president said in a statement. "These attacks are absolutely unconscionable they bring only greater violence, injustice, and grief to a nation in desperate need of healing. "Brave officers who pin on the shield carry a sacred responsibility and make an extraordinary sacrifice. Just as they owe it to the American people to protect and serve with honor, restraint, and accountability, Americans owe it to them to lessen the needless danger of their inherently dangerous jobs. Acts of lawlessness and violence directed against police officers are unacceptable, outrageous, and entirely counterproductive to the pursuit of greater peace and justice in America as are the actions of those who cheer such attacks on. Those who perpetrate these crimes must be brought to justice, and, if convicted, face the full brunt of the law. "Jill and I are keeping these deputies and their loved ones in our hearts, and are praying for a full recovery for the two Los Angeles deputies now fighting for their lives." In North Carolina, elected officials also commented on the deputy's death. "My heart and prayers go out to the family of Deputy Ryan Hendrix of the Henderson County Sheriffs Deptartment," state Sen. Chuck Edwards said. "The heinous act of the hardened criminal that shot him while in the line of duty again illustrates courage and leadership desperately needed from todays elected officials." Israel said it will reimpose a national lockdown to battle a coronavirus surge, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Britain, France, Austria and the Czech Republic also reported spikes, as global cases rapidly approached 29 million with more than 921,000 Covid-19 deaths, according to an AFP tally. The Israel lockdown will last three weeks starting Friday, keeping people to within 500 metres (yards) of their homes. It is the first developed economy to take such drastic steps to contain a second wave of infections. "I know these measures will exact a heavy price from all of us," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure in its database since the beginning of the pandemic. British nurses demonstrated in London for higher pay on Saturday. By JUSTIN TALLIS (AFP/File) The surge has sparked concern in Europe, where Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz warned that his country was facing "the beginning of the second wave". The Czech Republic has also faced a surge, with one epidemiologist saying over the weekend that at the current rate, cases could overwhelm hospitals. New restrictions are set to come into force across England on Monday, with social gatherings limited to no more than six people. Other parts of the world are still battling their first coronavirus waves, including some of the most populous nations such as Indonesia, where new restrictions came into effect on Monday. 'Reckless and selfish' Governments are being forced to balance the devastating economic cost of lockdowns with the need to contain the deadly virus. Seoul coffee shops are no longer restricted to take-aways only after cases fell back. By Ed JONES (AFP/File) Schools in some European nations were set to open on Monday, with millions returning to classrooms in Italy, Greece and Romania. And Saudi Arabia announced it would partially lift its suspension of international flights from September 15, six months after travel curbs were imposed. South Korea's coronavirus restrictions will also be eased temporarily in the greater Seoul area from Monday after cases declined. Dozens of people were arrested in Melbourne at an anti-lockdown protest. By William WEST (AFP) Many nations have seen backlash and protests against lockdowns. In Australia on Sunday, police arrested dozens at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne after crowds defied stay-at-home orders. That rally followed demonstrations in Germany and Poland on Saturday, which were attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. AstraZeneca facilities are already preparing for mass manufacture of its coronavirus vaccine. By Vincenzo PINTO (AFP/File) Such rallies have also been organised frequently in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Donald Trump is under pressure over his handling of the outbreak, and was slammed for holding big rallies over the weekend, including an indoor event on Sunday. "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," state governor Steve Sisolak, who is from the rival Democratic Party, tweeted ahead of the Sunday rally. "The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic." 'Exhausted' health workers There was some good news out of Britain, where regulators gave pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University the all-clear for clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental Covid-19 vaccines. Researchers had "voluntarily paused" their vaccine trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. Even during the pause, AstraZeneca said it remained hopeful that the vaccine could still be available "by the end of this year, early next year". A vaccine is considered crucial to the fight against the virus, which has exhausted resources and infrastructure. "I gave birth a fortnight ago, and once you're in hospital you realise that the nurses, the carers... they don't have the means," said a woman named Severine at a rally in Brussels on Sunday for better health funding. "They're always being asked for more, always too much, they're exhausted." burs-qan/hg The tight-knit, supercilious community of high-minded liberals is all aflutter over an untimely book, In Defense of Looting. For weeks the progressive community has been striving to ignore, or at least minimize, the destructive impulses of street mobs marauding Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Washington and other places. This unruly trend was the last thing the Biden campaign needed. In response to it, all progressive hands were summoned to battle stations. The singular-minded mission was to see the Democratic Partys doddering old coot of a candidate across the Nov. 3 finish line ahead of the loathed-and-dreaded, oafish Trump. As rioting persisted, the media rallied to Bidens imperiled candidacy. CNN video, for example, showed fires raging in the background and demonstrators in battle regalia charging police lines. Yet meanwhile, captions crawling across the bottom of TV screens reassured Americans that what they were seeing were mostly peaceful protests. The famous Chico Marx movie line comes to mind. Whore ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes? American impatience with the anarchy began to reveal itself in polls showing an evaporating Biden lead. Then, worse yet, out came this book, In Defense of Looting. Looting is a revolutionary and even a fun activity, the book declares. Its a justifiable, overdue redistribution of wealth. According to In Defense of Looting, if you shatter a liquor store window and make off with a case of Dark Eyes, that makes you a social justice warrior. Vicky Osterwell, the authoress of the book is wouldnt you just know it a self-described trans and child of a comfy middle-class milieu, the daughter of an academic. It was bad enough news for the Biden campaign that her book came out just when Trump, the comic-book villain Great Orange Menace, was starting to make a ground-gaining, law-and-order issue out of the rampaging mostly peaceful protests. Then, worse news yet for the Biden camp, Osterwells book was given a sympathetic send-off in a PBS interview with the writer. There was a great moan of dismay in the liberal circles that PBS, though taxpayer subsidized, services more or less as its exclusive, privileged clientele. The fear in liberal circles was that the PBS interview had given Trump an unwitting boost by focusing attention on the increasingly touchy topic of rioting and looting. Among the self-anointed top intellectual quintiles, the reaction to the interview was swift and emphatic. In the Atlantic, writer Graham Greene unsheathed his scimitar and chopped the book into confetti. When he hears the word looting, he wrote, he thinks not of fantasies of a woke revolution, but of the Nazis rampaging through the streets with their Kristallnacht. When he sees mobs running down the streets with armloads of Nike sneakers, he added, he thinks not of pipe dreams of economic equalization, but of immigrants running mom-and-pop stores, working day and night only to see their hopes and dreams go up in the smoke of rioting. But thats not how Vicky Osterwell sees it. Looting, she exults, strikes at the very heart of whiteness. Even if the mob eruptions occur mostly in cities where people of color and of limited means make their home, the losses from arson and looting accrue mostly to justifiably reviled white property owners, she says. She doesnt give the slightest thought to African Americans and Latinos left in the smoking urban ruins without jobs or without stores to buy groceries or get prescriptions filled. Arson and looting, she avers, can be a joyous and liberating activity. Yes, she actually says that. Can she be serious? Writer Matt Taibbi, bombastic but ever incisive, wondered: Might her ideological swill actually have been intended as satire? Alas, no, he concluded, she earnestly believes her own lunatic ravings, and heres PBS all but cheering her on. Broad lawlessness, property destruction, looting and cop-free zones, says Osterwell, serve the revolutionary goal of reducing the value of whiteness to zero. The panicky reaction on the left to PBS kid-gloves treatment of In Defense of Looting drove the public broadcaster to issue an apology of sorts. PBS acknowledged that its interview had been meek if not milquetoast in failing to challenge Osterwell on some of her more nutty notions. Meanwhile, regarding the street hellions of BLM and Antifa, voices fretful of a Trump victory are saying that in the aftermath of the flap over In Defense of Looting, the Biden campaign is more desperately in need than ever of a Sister Souljah Moment. Youll recall that smarmy Bill Clinton infamous horn-dog paw-er of females and Oval Office intern diddler was the master of the calculated political gesture now known as the Sister Souljah Moment. The Sister Souljah Moment (hereinafter SSM) is the scripted repudiation of an extreme figure or extreme movement in quest of political advantage for oneself. The concept is somewhat akin to the diversionary straw man attack. Clintons handlers in 1992 decided he needed to put some distance between himself and certain menacing-sounding militant black figures. He chose a Jesse Jackson Rainbow Coalition gathering for the occasion and hip-hop performer Sister Souljah as his foil. Sister Souljah was notorious for her combustive racial commentary. She had said, for example, that since black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people? With flawless thespian skill, using the Rainbow Coalition as his stage, Clinton condemned the hip-hopstress for being a black version of Klansman David Duke. So spectacularly successful was the stage-managed SSM event that it had Clintons aides high-fiving and chest-butting over their dramatic triumph. Now Biden is being urged to do likewise. But can the fumbling, bumbling candidate pull off his own SSM? It seems, at a minimum, doubtful. Among his noted political qualities, Bidens never been regarded as slick, as in the Bill Clinton Slick Willie mold. And it takes a degree of slickness to pull off a successful SSM. Furthermore, Clintons SSM had the advantage of seeming to be spontaneous, although of course it wasnt. Might not a SSM II by Biden, at this late point, risk the danger of being perceived as transparently phony politics? Quite possibly so, especially since Bidens backers have been openly badgering him for weeks now to go the SSM route. Some of our most sagacious, chin-stroking pundits suggest, however, that a Biden SSM would risk alienating the Bernie Sanders/Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faction of the party, a faction now widely regarded as the tail thats wagging the party dog. And, as punditrys wise men further note, there are also the volatile street forces of BLM and Antifa to take into account. What effect might a Biden SSM have on them? Would it prompt them to redirect their fury on Biden to his disadvantage? On the American far left today, BLM and Antifa are the equivalent of what the Muqtada Militia was back in the days when Baghdad was something like Portland is today. But BLM/Antifas anarchic antics have helped Trump whittle down Bidens big lead in the polls in battleground states. Therefore, might it not be said that maybe, just maybe, the best thing that could happen to Biden at this point would be for him to have these Black Shirt-style agitators turn against him? In regard to the demonstrations that have convulsed Portland, Seattle and other places, the Democratic Party has taken the classic position up to now that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In light of Bidens slipping poll numbers, however, this is looking more and more like it might be a colossal political miscalculation. Might not the BLM/Antifa street militias be more useful to Biden as his enemy than as his friend if only he could entice them to start trashing his candidacy instead of Trumps? Might not a Biden SSM be worth the risk after all? It seems an imponderable question. In any event, if the Biden campaign is going to go the SSM route, it had better get the cue cards in place and the stage directions drawn up. And do so ASAP. Tick tock, tick tock. Times running short and the lead is dwindling. Huntsville police are looking for a man who has not been reportedly seen since Aug. 24. Steven Houston Vanbibber, also known as Houston, is a 33-year-old man standing six feet tall, weighing 155 pounds. Police say he frequents the area along University Drive between Wynn Drive and Julia Street. He may be with Heather Sevigny, 45. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at (256) 427-5514. TORONTO - Parts of Ontario could see another lockdown if the province cannot get a handle on increasing rates of COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford warned Monday as the government reported a daily increase of new cases not seen since early June. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott attends the Ontario-Quebec Summit, in Toronto, on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO - Parts of Ontario could see another lockdown if the province cannot get a handle on increasing rates of COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford warned Monday as the government reported a daily increase of new cases not seen since early June. Ford said the recent spike in virus rates over the past two weeks has his government concerned, conceding in his daily media update that he is considering closing down hard-hit areas. The premier said the lockdowns would be regional, and not mirror the broad approach taken during the first wave of the virus in March. "We will take every step necessary including further shutdowns," he said. "The second wave of COVID-19, it's a scenario that we've been preparing for all summer long." The province reported 313 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with nearly 80 per cent of them centred on three regions. Toronto reported 112 cases, Peel Region recorded 71 and 60 surfaced in Ottawa. Ford stressed that while a second wave is coming, Ontario residents can lessen its impact by continuing to follow public health guidance. This includes avoiding social gatherings, which he said have contributed to the recent spike in new cases. "It's not the bars ... or the restaurants, it's social gatherings," he said. "So folks, I'm begging you. Please just cut out the social gatherings. It's just not worth it because this COVID is ramping up again." Health Minister Christine Elliott said the province will unveil a new strategy to address COVID-19 this fall which will take into account flu season and current capacity challenges in both long-term care facilities and hospitals. "I think it's fair to say that the second wave is going to be more complicated and more difficult to deal with than the first wave," she said. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the province should have released the plan weeks ago. "The reality is, we're staring down these over 300 (daily) cases now," she said. "Today, the government was saying we have a plan for a second wave, it's obviously a day short and more than a penny short. That's what we've seen thus far from this government." Ontario's associate chief medical officer of health urged people to remain vigilant when it comes to attending social gatherings. Dr. Barbara Yaffe said she thinks there has been confusion about rules surrounding the gatherings of up to 50 people in indoor settings, adding that physical distance should be maintained and masks should be worn when it's not possible to remain two metres away from other attendees. "We do understand how hard it has been on everyone these last few months," she said. "We know there is a desire to interact with your friends and family and those outside your social circle. But we are now seeing the effects of people being too casual." The head of the province's hospital association also issued a warning on Monday that the increasing COVID-19 infection rates could plunge Ontario into a second lockdown. Ontario Hospital Association president Anthony Dale said that infection rate increases in the three current hotspots could spread to the rest of the province if people don't respect public health guidelines. Some Ontario residents have been lulled into a false sense of security and they must practise physical distancing, wear masks when required, and neither host nor attend unsafe gatherings and parties, he said. "If current trends continue to accelerate, economic restrictions may tighten once more, and the school year for our children will be in jeopardy," Dale said in a statement. Ontario reported two new cases of COVID-19 in schools, one in Mississauga and one in Pembroke, Ont., according to the government's website. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Four school boards also reported new cases of the novel coronavirus not posted on the government page. Halton District School Board had two new cases, according to its COVID-19 advisory page. Meanwhile, politicians returned to Ontario's legislature for the fall session on Monday, with the Progressive Conservative house leader saying the government will focus on the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy, school reopenings and the health-care system. Paul Calandra said Ontario's 2020-2021 budget which was delayed by the pandemic will be delivered on, or before, Nov. 15. Calandra said the government is also leaving itself leeway in the legislative schedule in case it needs to introduce additional measures to address COVID-19 this fall. "We're seeing the (COVID-19 case) numbers are creeping up so if we get into a second wave, we want to be able to react quickly," Calandra said. "Should time be needed on the legislative schedule to pass bills, we're building that in." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. An elderly resident who tested positive for COVID-19 at a care home two months after the facility was ravaged by one of Australia's worst coronavirus outbreaks has later tested negative for the virus. An outbreak at the Newmarch House aged care facility in Kingswood, western Sydney, claimed 19 lives when it swept through the facility over a two month period earlier this year. The home has been free of infections for more than two months. 'We can confirm the resident who originally tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday at Newmarch House is now negative. This was a false-positive case,' Anglicare said in a statement on Tuesday. 'We are all relieved and sincerely appreciate the support received from NSW Health. Pictured: Newmarch House nursing home during a deadly outbreak of coronavirus cases which claimed 19 lives. An elderly resident who tested positive for the virus on Monday has since tested negative, the home's operator has confirmed 'We are continuing our precautions and retaining our infection control procedures and other protocols for the time being.' A report released last month found staff shortages and inadequate protective gear had exacerbated the outbreak. Meanwhile, NSW health authorities are concerned about low COVID-19 testing rates as the school holidays approach. Only four new cases were detected across the state in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, including three returned travellers in hotel quarantine and one locally acquired case linked to a known cluster. NSW Health acting director Christine Selvey on Monday urged people with even with the mildest symptoms to get tested. The public school holidays are due to start on September 26, when many people will be travelling around the state. Flowers left outside Newmarch House on May 4. The home has been free of infections for more than two months 'Testing numbers have dropped over the past two weeks and this is a concern particularly in areas like southwestern, western and southeastern Sydney,' she said in a video update. More than 9,300 people were tested in the latest reporting period, down from 14,426 the previous day. Although weekend test numbers usually drop, Sunday's figure was well below recent weekend numbers which have been in excess of 20,000. The locally acquired case announced on Monday was a close contact of a previous case who attended the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club. An ambulance is seen leaving Newmarch House on May 7. Only four new cases were detected across the state in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday Meanwhile, Premier Gladys Berejiklian is urging other states to accept their fair share of returned overseas travellers into hotel quarantine. 'NSW welcomes back around 2,500 people every week, and we know the hotel quarantine system in NSW is managed well, but we're doing so much more than all the other states combined,' she said. 'I would love to see the other states take on their fair share.' More than 25,000 Australians stuck overseas might not make it home for Christmas unless the cap - currently 4000 per week - on international arrivals is increased. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PulsePoint, the leading technology company using real-time data to accelerate health outcomes, is set to host their second bi-annual Digital Health Forum in October. Themed " The Future was Today, " the event is designed around discussions aiming to disentangle many of the challenges within healthcare and rewrite an ideal vision that capitalizes on the opportunities technology and health data present. PulsePoint prides itself in being a forward moving company, a sentiment captured in its corporate tagline, 'Leading Health Forward'. With this event, the company is leaning into the change we're currently going through and enlisting other forward-oriented minds to collectively re-envision how we use data and technology to help people make better health decisions. Many big minds are trying to work through the current business challenges created by the pandemic. PulsePoint wants to look beyond, to address key issues facing healthcare, specifically around what health data will look like in five years, how rules are being re-written and what new behaviors are being formed. While no one can see that far ahead, PulsePoint is crafting the event to stimulate an exchange of ideas and creative thinking, with the ultimate goal of making us all more purposeful in charting a smart, productive and compassionate way forward. The forum will feature an eclectic mix of multidisciplinary speakers including doctors, health policy officials, futurists, disruptors, technologists, journalists, non-profits, media personalities, and even teens representing the voices of tomorrow. Key headliners include Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the FDA, Bob Garfield, co-host of On the Media and Dr. Amy Zalman, CEO of Prescient and Professor of Foresight at Georgetown University. PulsePoint's last Digital Health Forum, at Lincoln Center in 2018, focused on ' Radical Health Personalization ' and explored topics such as consumer privacy, health data security, personalized medicine and humanitarianism in digital health. "PulsePoint's Digital Health Forum is a foundational event for the health industry as data and technology intercepts with the huge transformational shift we are seeing in the market. The year 2020 will be viewed as a point in time when the health industry fundamentally embraced digital technology and finally turned their backs on the analog world that has slowed down its progress for so many years," said PulsePoint CEO, Sloan Gaon. "We're bringing experts together from different parts of health, technology and media to dig into what's new, what's next and what's actionable." The event will be held virtually on October 6th. Register at TheFutureWasToday.com About PulsePoint We are a technology company using real time data to transform healthcare. Through machine learning and programmatic automation, we interpret the hard-to-read signals of the health journey to understand the connection points between relevance and engagement. We do this by unifying real-time Digital Determinants of Health, offline and clinical data to create a unique and precise view of health audiences that refines, improves and increases its view over time. Visit www.pulsepoint.com for more about the company's technology and award winning culture. Contact: Maria Simeone [email protected] SOURCE PulsePoint The collection came to life when the Carhartt Archive team acquired a vintage camo jacket with the original pattern in 2017. The team used an oversize scanner to replicate the pattern digitally, scanning the jacket in sections and then stitching the scanned images together. Those scans became the source material for Carhartt's product designers to adapt the original pattern into this limited edition collection. "During these uncertain times, we're seeing people get back to the land and enjoying the outdoors, whether it's hunting, fishing, camping or other activities," said Alex Guerrero, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Global Product at Carhartt. "So it felt like the right time to tap into our amazing heritage and reintroduce this iconic camo to our brand enthusiasts." The Heritage Camo collection includes: Carhartt Original Fit Heavyweight Short-Sleeve Pocket Logo Camo T-Shirt for men and women. Featuring an all-over duck camo print, it's a heavyweight shirt that's durable enough for the workday and soft enough for the weekend. Carhartt Original Fit Midweight Logo Camo Sweatshirt for men and women. Consumers will stay warm all day in this hoodie, featuring a camo jersey-lined three-piece hood with drawcord closure, a Camo Carhartt signature logo print on the left sleeve and front handwarmer pocket. Carhartt Rain Defender Lightweight Insulated Camo Mock Neck Jacket for men. Cold, wet weather won't slow you down when you've got this camo jacket on. Built with outdoorsmen in mind, it has a tough, abrasion-resistant CORDURA shell, lightweight insulation, and a water-repellent coating that shrugs off rain and snow. Carhartt remains committed to providing consumers with the gear they need for the rugged outdoors, whether for work or play. With a number of future product launches underway, getting back to the land will be even easier. The Heritage Camo Collection is available now. Consumers can shop the entire collection or learn more about Carhartt's history with the rugged outdoors here. About Carhartt, Inc. Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with more than 5,500 associates worldwide, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com . SOURCE Carhartt Related Links http://www.carhartt.com 13.09.2020 LISTEN The Central Regional Assistant Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Madam Sarah Afful on Saturday inaugurated Cape Coast South Constituency branch of Zongo Ladies for NPP with a call on them to ensure total victory for the party in the upcoming December General Elections Members of the Association were made up of Youth drawn from the four Moslem Communities in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Addressing the Ladies soon after the inauguration, Madam Sarah Afful who is also the Central Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) Urged the members to work harder to ensure victory for the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast South Constituency, Mr. Ernest Arthur " It is imperative for you to also campaign vigorously for His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in the upcoming December 7th Presidential Elections The party require the support of all members including Zongo Ladies for NPP to win massively in both Presidential and Parliamentary in the Cape Coast South Constituency Am donating Ghc 300 to support your activities. My doors are opened to collaborate with the members of the Association to achieve its aims and aspirations" The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Cape Coast South Constituency, Mr Ernest Arthur who double as the Mayor of Cape Coast Metropolis enumerated a number of projects executed by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led NPP Government to improve the socio-economic lives of the people in the Metropolis He mentioned some of the projects as asphalting of the Cape Coast town roads, increase in beneficiary Schools under the School Feeding Programme from 14 to 67 , renovation of jubilee school among others. The Parliamentary Candidate further indicated that asphalting of the Cape Coast town roads was an initiative being financed by the the His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led NPP Government " It is never true that the NDC paid for the projects as being rumoured. Nobody left a dine before handing over power in 2017 Such comments needs to be treated with contempt it deserves" Mr. Ernest Arthur debunked rumour He appealed to every member of the NPP to embark on house to house campaign while observing the Covid-19 safety protocols. He later donated Ghc 1,800 to the Association The Cape Coast South Constituency Women's Organizer, Madam Caroline Ewusi on her part noted that the introduction of the Free SHS policy had helped Ghanaians who hitherto were unable to send their children to SHS due to financial constraints to do so without difficulty "Our government has performed creditably, go out there to trumpet this brilliant performance" Madam Caroline Ewusi encouraged Ghanaians especially women who constitute about 52 percent of the population to vote massively for the NPP in the December General Elections Present were the Central Regional Nasara Coordinator, Alhaji Buba and a host of Cape Coast South constituency executives of the NPP President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has asked residents of the newly created Ahafo Region to renew his mandate in the December 2020 elections, so his Government can consolidate the gains chalked since his assumption of office in January 2017. Rounding up his 2-day tour of the Region, on Sunday, 13th September 2020, with visits to Hwidiem, Goaso, Dadiesoaba, Mim, Akrodie, Kukuom and Sankore, the President noted that the Ghanaian people have had an opportunity to witness at first hand the impact of the policies amd programmes implemented by his Government. If you believe that the policies of my government have had a positive impact on your lives, and you have not regretted voting for me, I will urge you to continue to have faith in me. In the December elections, let it be four more years for Nana to do more for you, he said. The President also urged residents to vote for NPP parliamentary candidates, so as to deliver another decisive victory for the people of Ghana. Come and join me on the elephant. The umbrella has nothing to good to offer the people of Ghana, as their record in office shows, the President stressed. Touching on the spate of electoral violence that has characterized some parts of the Ahafo Region, President Akufo-Addo assured residents of the Ahafo Region, particularly in Asutifi South and Asunafo South, that the days of violence in their elections are over. For this years election, I want everyone to understand that, so long as I am President, irrespective your party affiliation, anyone who wants to perpetuate violence will have to deal with the laws of our land. That person will not go scot free this time around, particularly in Asutifi South and Asunafo South. We do not want such acts of lawlessness in Ghana, the President said. Concluding his 2-day working visit of the Ahafo Region, President Akufo-Addo inspected ongoing projects at Hwidiem SHS, and commissioned a business resource centre at Goaso. At Dadiesoaba, the President commissioned a newly constructed maternity ward at the Dadiesoaba Health Centre, paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of Goaso, and inspected ongoing construction works at Akrodie Senior High School. Again, at Akrodie, the President cut the sod for the construction of a 15-million-euro solid waste treatment plant, and inspected work on the 11.5km Nobekaw-Sankore Road. The construction works for this road commenced on 18th February 2020, and is currently 32% complete. Source: Presidency.gov.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Turkey's Oruc Reis research vessel returns to near southern port: Ship tracker shows Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 2:33 PM Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis, which has been at the heart of a simmering standoff between Greece and Turkey over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, has returned to a port in southern Turkey, a ship tracker shows. On Sunday, Refinitiv ship tracking data showed that the Turkish government has returned Oruc Reis, along with two accompanying vessels, to waters near the southern province of Antalya, a move that was hailed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as a first positive step taken to defuse the growing tension. "The return of Oruc Reis is a positive first step. I hope there will be continuity. We want to talk with Turkey but in a climate without provocations," Mitsotakis said in a press conference in Thessaloniki, a Greek port city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. "The first step (by Turkey) will be the prologue of an improving situation in our bilateral relations," he added. Turkey and Greece, both of them NATO members, have been at loggerheads over hydrocarbon resources and naval influence in the eastern Mediterranean. For the past month, Ankara has sailed Oruc Reis and warships to escort it through an area in the sea that is disputed by Athens to map out possible oil and gas drilling prospects. Greece, for its part, has ordered its naval vessels to shadow the Turkish ships. Earlier, one Greek and one Turkish naval vessel were even involved in a minor collision. Member states of the European Union (EU), particularly France, fully support Greece in the current row and have threatened Ankara with imposing sanctions unless it takes the research vessel away from the contested waters. Regarding the potential sanctions against Turkey, the Greek premier said that "a sanctions list exists as an option (against Turkey). Our desire is not to see it implemented but it will be done if we see that the other side is not returning to the path of logic." Mitsotakis had earlier stressed that dialog with Turkey over sea boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean is "important" provided that it is held on peaceful terms, not "at gunpoint." Ankara has time and again said that it is open to solving issues with neighboring Greece through dialog but has dismissed any pre-conditions, including the research vessel's halting operations, ahead of talks. According to an advisory issued by the Turkish navy earlier this month, the research vessel was scheduled to end its explorations in the area on Saturday. However, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had earlier said that Oruc Reis would continue its exploratory operations for longer than the set period but no extension to the ship's mission has so far been announced. 'Return of Oruc Reis only part of scheduled operations' Following the return of the seismic research vessel, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that the return of Oruc Reis to near Turkey's southern shores was only part of its scheduled operations. In an interview with the state-owned Anadolu news agency, he stressed that the return does not mean Ankara has given up on its rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Akar also said that Greece should put aside its "provocative behavior" that raises tension in the region. The Turkish defense minister also blamed Greece for violating international treaties by arming 18 Aegean islands, stressing that the provocative move only serves to "escalate tensions and sabotage dialogue." Turkey says it has the largest coastline among all other eastern Mediterranean nations but at the same time has a disproportionately small share of the sea because of Greece's far-flung islands a number of them even within sight of Turkey's shore. Greece argues that its claims to the waters are based on international law and also grounded in past agreements inked by neighboring Turkey. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'The Sunday Independent reported in April that at least 2,000 forestry jobs were under direct threat because of a licensing and appeals logjam that threatened to bring the entire sector to a halt.' (stock photo) Pallet producers have warned junior agriculture minister Pippa Hackett that a looming shortage of Irish wood could lead to chaos and shortages for exporters here. The warning comes as concern grows in the forestry sector over an inability to supply customers with timber because of hold ups in the planning have caused a major backlog in felling license applications. The alert from the pallet sector was contained in a detailed submission to Hackett from Timcon, the UK-based industry body that represents the major manufacturers in the sector both in Ireland and the UK. More than 8,000 Irish exporters use pallets for their goods and the combined turnover of Irish pallet manufacturers is approximately 130m. "Ultimately, we feel that there is a real risk that there will be supply shortages in the latter part of this year and most definitely Q1 2021, which will be to nobody's benefit," wrote Timcon president John Dye, adding that the organisation was "fully supportive" of draft emergency legislation to try and solve the issue. He demanded that the legislation be implemented "urgently to ensure that work can commence immediately to reduce the massive backlog of applications". The Sunday Independent reported in April that at least 2,000 forestry jobs were under direct threat because of a licensing and appeals logjam that threatened to bring the entire sector to a halt. "This is one major issue that businesses, who are already working hard to recover from the recent Covid-19 lockdowns need to be concerned about," wrote Dye in his letter to Hackett. At the start of the pandemic, the wooden packaging industry in the UK had been classified as "essential" to that country's supply chain "ensuring the likes of food, drinks, medicines etc continued to be shipped to the likes of supermarkets to ensure that members of the public were not subject to shortages". Dye warned Hackett that around 90pc of the world's goods are moved on wooden packing materials, "which means that any disruption to the supplies will have an almost immediate effect on a country's economy if goods cannot be exported". "In the case of Ireland this would be most unwelcome as it is home to 10 of the world's top 10 pharmaceutical companies and 14 of the top 15 medical technology companies," he said, adding that the country was a major exporter of foodstuffs too. "All of these products were moved on pallets," he said. Timcon's UK members were already starting to report lead times for pallet timber as stretching out to six to 10 weeks. This meant that businesses that were "trying to make up their losses during the Covid lockdown are again looking at potential difficulties and if there was to be a further disruption to sawn supplies due to the lack of logs, this would cause chaos". Hurricane Warning for Gulf Coast, Mandatory Evacuations in Louisiana, Mississippi Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect along the Gulf Coast on Monday morning as Tropical Storm Sally, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, approaches. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued in Lousiana for Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, and Hancock County in Mississippi. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Monday said Sally is about 115 miles east-southeast of the Mississippi River and approximately 165 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi. The storm is moving at about 8 mph to the west-northwest. A storm surge warning is in effect for Port Fourchon Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida Border, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne, as well as Mobile Bay. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border, as well as for Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas including metropolitan New Orleans. Sally will produce very heavy rainfall resulting in widespread significant flash flooding & minor to isolated major river flooding across southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama late Mon into Wed, and into the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians later in the week. pic.twitter.com/uEcM8XFdNG NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) September 13, 2020 The City has issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas outside of levee protection, including Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine, and Irish Bayou. In areas outside the levee system, we may see storm surge between 7-11 feet. This evacuation order goes into effect at 6pm. #Sally pic.twitter.com/2ta4j0hn6s NOLA Ready (@nolaready) September 13, 2020 The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night before it makes landfall. On the forecast track, the center of Sally will move over the north-central Gulf of Mexico today, approach southeastern Louisiana this afternoon, and make landfall in the hurricane warning area on Tuesday. Afterward, Sally is expected to move slowly north-northeastward near the northern Gulf Coast through Wednesday, the agency said. Forecasters told Fox News that the storm could produce between 10 and 20 inches of rain in some areas, as the storm is expected to be slow-moving. A storm surge of up to 11 feet is possible in some areas around New Orleans, testing the citys levee system. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that he requested a federal declaration of emergency in advance of Sally and spoke with President Donald Trump. We have every reason to believe that this storm represents a very significant threat to the people of southeast Louisiana, Bel Edwards said. SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield police detective fired his gun Saturday night during an arrest in the citys Brightwood neighborhood after police say a fleeing suspect drew a weapon and pointed it at the detective. Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the detective fired one round from his service weapon but no one was hit. The fleeing suspect dropped his firearm immediately after the gunshot and surrendered to police, he said. The suspect, Joseph Mejias of Stuart Street, is facing multiple charges, including with assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of heroin, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm, and a firearm violation with three prior convictions for violent crime or drug crimes. Walsh said police recovered a gun at the scene, a handgun loaded with a 19-round magazine. Massachusetts laws consider any magazine of more than 10-rounds to be a large-capacity. They also found 50 bags of heroin inside Mejiass car. According to Walsh, narcotics detectives learned that Mejias was in possession of a gun and was in the area of Plainfield Street. They located his car and saw him and another man walking toward it. When police moved in, he ran off down Newland Street. The detective in pursuit reported seeing Mejias remove a gun from his waistband and point it him, leading him to fire his own weapon, Walsh said. The other man who was with Mejias at the start of the pursuit was also arrested on a charge of possession of heroin. Vodafone Group remained confident of selling its Egypt unit to Saudi Arabia operator STC, despite missing a deadline to finalise terms last week. In a statement, Vodafone stated due diligence on its side was substantively completed in the preparation to sell its 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt. Despite the expiry of the MoU, Vodafone remains in discussion with STC to finalise the transaction in the near future. Vodafone now looks to STC and Telecom Egypt to find a suitable agreement to enable the transaction to close, the operator said in a statement. In a separate statement to Bloomberg, STC said its non-binding MoU to acquire the stake expired without a deal, and talks with Vodafone will continue. The MoU was announced in January when STC offered $2.39 billion for the majority stake in Vodafone Egypt. Earlier this month, sources speaking to Bloomberg said STC sought a reduction to its non-binding bid for the majority stake. The acquisition was already delayed to July as due diligence and procedures were disturbed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Vodafone Egypt has an enterprise value of $4.35 billion and holds more than 40 million mobile connections in the North African country. State-owned Telecom Egypt holds the remaining 45% stake in the operator. Just weeks after Hurricane Marco fizzled and Hurricane Laura veered westward to bring its devastating winds to the Lake Charles area, the New Orleans area is now bracing for Tropical Storm Sally to bring high winds and massive rainfalls with little possibility of a third reprieve. Sally, now forecast to roll ashore as a Category 1 hurricane Monday night, is predicted to bring major flooding from rain and storm surge, along with its high winds as it crawls onto the coast near the Louisiana-Mississippi line. The storms glacial pace will mean it will take days to fully traverse the region. The storm has sparked a very rare warning from the National Weather Service of a high risk of excessive rain in New Orleans, and areas across the region east of Interstate 55 could be deluged. Up to 2 feet of water could be dropped on some parts of the region, and areas outside levee systems could see up to 7 to 11 feet of storm surge. Officials across southeast Louisiana urged residents to take final precautions as soon as possible, given that tropical storm-force winds could start as early as Monday morning. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in St. Charles Parish and low-lying communities elsewhere in the region. "We have every reason to believe this storm presents a very significant threat to the people of southeast Louisiana," Gov. John Bel Edwards told reporters during a briefing Sunday. In its 4 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said the storm was about 165 miles south of Panama City, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and tropical storm-force winds extending 125 miles from its center. Its expected to slow down Monday as it turns to the north, strengthening to hurricane status on Monday with winds of at least 90 mph. The storm appeared to be taking its time in getting organized on Sunday, a delay that may lessen the chance it reaches Category 2 strength. But after it moves beneath an upper-level ridge of high pressure as it moves through the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Monday, it is expected to spend the next 36 hours in an environment conducive to development, Senior Hurricane Specialist Daniel Brown wrote in a forecast discussion distributed with the Hurricane Centers 4 p.m. update. Tropical storm-force winds could reach New Orleans by Monday morning, but Sally is expected to take its time once it moves through the region. The storm is expected to enter Barataria Bay about 1 a.m. Tuesday and reach the most populated portions of the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain 12 hours later. It is expected to be yet another 12 hours before the storm makes it across Lake Pontchartrain. "There is going to be a period of time when the storm takes 12 hours to move from Kenner to Hammond," Edwards said. "Think about how much rain is going to fall during that time period." The state and multiple parishes have declared states of emergency ahead of the storm and Edwards has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to approve a disaster declaration as it approaches. St. Charles Parish officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for their entire parish, due to concerns about both flooding and winds. "The sustained winds are going to be more than what we saw during Hurricane Katrina," parish spokesperson Samantha de Castro said. "They'll be higher in intensity for a longer length of time, and we have a lot of trees. We just know there's a large probability that we're going to be without power for a while." St. John the Baptist Parish officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas north of Airline Highway and called for a voluntary evacuation of the rest of the parish. Those orders came on top of more targeted calls for evacuations of areas that typically flood in other parishes: Venetian Isles, Irish Bayou and Lake Catherine in New Orleans; Grand Isle and the Jean Lafitte area in Jefferson Parish; and areas along Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish. New Orleans Public Schools had been preparing to bring some of their youngest students back for in-person learning on Monday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But Sally has scuttled those plans and the district announced distance learning will continue through at least Wednesday. Public schools in Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. St. Tammany and St. Bernard public schools will be closed Monday. St. Charles Parish public schools will be closed Monday through Wednesday. Officials spent Sunday warning residents in southeast Louisiana not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the Marco and Tropical Storm Cristobal, which fizzled earlier this season, or the near-miss the region had with Laura, which ended up doing catastrophic damage to the western portions of the state. "What happened in the past doesnt matter," Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said at a news conference. "We handle every threat the same. ... You cant say, 'Im tired of this, I dont want to do it.' Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up "It doesnt matter what kind of year we've had ... we still have a major threat in front of us." Predictions the storm will slow to a crawl as it reaches the coast are perhaps as concerning to officials as the threat posed by its winds. Rainfall totals of 8 inches to 16 inches are predicted throughout the Gulf Coast through the middle of the week, with some areas potentially seeing as much as 24 inches over several days. That would potentially top the downpours during Hurricane Isaac in 2012, which totaled about 20.7 inches in some areas. That amount of rain would likely be far more than drainage systems can handle, depending on how quickly it falls. In New Orleans, the Sewerage & Water Board said all 99 of its major drainage pumps are working after repairs to two of them were completed over the weekend. The public utility also has at the ready four turbines, five large generators and frequency change that will allow it to convert power from Entergy New Orleans to the standard used by the pumps to provide electricity to its drainage system. Crews in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish were out Sunday cleaning catch basins, one of the potential chokepoints in that system, and Mayor LaToya Cantrell and other city officials urged residents to pitch in by clearing those near their homes. "We're as prepared as possible and understanding that while living with an antiquated drainage system, it just requires us to do a little more due diligence to make sure we're ready," Cantrell said. While warnings that rain fall could outpace the capacity of New Orleans century-old drainage system are nothing new, Jefferson Parish officials warned their residents to prepare for street flooding despite the fact that all of its 192 pumps are operational. The storms slow passage is also likely to stall recovery efforts. High winds may keep utility crews from repairing power lines for between 24 and 36 hours, Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta said. And even after linemen are cleared to go out, Entergy Louisiana estimates it will take a week to fully restore power after a Category 1 storm and up to 10 days to reconnect customers after a Category 2, company representative Patrick Hamby said. Both Entergy and Cleco are repositioning workers who were sent to help with the recovery from Laura so they can respond to outages caused by Sally. Sallys approach comes as the state is still reeling from Laura, which landed in Cameron Parish as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 27. About 82,000 homes and businesses remain without power in Louisiana, and more than 13,000 residents remain evacuated to New Orleans, now directly in Sallys path. Staff writers Will Sentell, Chad Calder and Michelle Hunter contributed to this story. Don't miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters here. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page here. A family in China has been left horrified after they found a dead bat hidden in a jar of oyster sauce that they had been using for cooking for nearly three months. The mother spotted the animals whole carcass when she was scooping the sauce out with a spoon while making dinner, her son told reporters. Revolting footage shows the dead bat covered in the sticky brown sauce as it was being lifted out of the container. A family in eastern Chinese city Jinan has been left horrified after they found a huge dead bat hidden in a jar of oyster sauce that they had been using for cooking for nearly three months It comes as the source of the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in central Chinese city Wuhan last year, has been suggested to have come from wild animals, including bats and pangolins. Mr Guo, from eastern Chinese city Jinan, bought the six-kilo (13-pound) pot of oyster sauce from Haitian, a popular Chinese brand producing sauces and flavourings, according to local press. The man said that his family couldnt eat anything for days after discovering the dead animal lying at the bottom of the sauce jar nearly three months following the purchase. My mum was cooking and she couldnt scoop out the oyster sauce with a spoon, Mr Guo told Qilu Television. [We] found the bird-like [carcass] after digging deeper. It stank as well. Horrified by the discovery, Mr Guo said he returned to the shop with the sauce jar and identified the dead animal to be a bat. The man said that the family couldnt eat anything for days after discovering the dead animal lying at the bottom of the oyster sauce jar nearly three months following the purchase We didnt want to eat anything for two or three days, the customer added. We dumped all the dishes we cooked that day. Mr Guo believed that the bat had gotten into the jar before the manufacturer filled it with the cooking sauce during the production. I always put the lid on after using it, he said. If it went in there later, the bat couldnt have swum to the bottom [of the jar]. The oyster is so sticky. A spokesman for Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food denied the customers claim, saying that their products go through layers of filtering and checks before being sold. The source of the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in the central Chinese city last year, has been suggested to have come from wild animals, including bats and pangolins. This file picture shows a group of small horseshoe bat sleeping while they are covered by wings Its impossible, the staff member told reporters. For a product that is being refined regularly, it would not have such a complete bats [carcass] if it had been in there. The food company said it is willing to claim full responsibility only if Mr Guo can provide concrete evidence to prove the bat had been in the sauce jar before the purchase. The family is planning to get an analysis of the sauce jar from a third party, said Chinese media. Bats have too many viruses. My family had been eating the oyster sauce for three, four months, Mr Guo said. I demand the company take my whole family [to the hospital] for examination. The news comes as another family in Wuhan has rushed to get tested for the coronavirus after spotting a whole dead bat in a pot of pork soup that they ordered from a Chinese restaurant. The Chinese family, known by their surname Chen, bought a pot of frozen pork soup from a restaurant near his home in Wuhan of Hubei province on July 10, reported local media. The customers immediately went to hospital after the shocking discovery over fears of catching the coronavirus. Their results came back negative, according to local media. The delegation was led by Ayman Badie, the head of Egypts National Committee concerned with Libyan affairs An Egyptian delegation met on Monday Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in the Libyan city of Benghazi, to discuss regional and international developments, including the crisis in the oil-rich country. The delegation was led by Ayman Badie, the head of Egypts National Committee concerned with Libyan affairs, and comprised a number of committee members, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported. The Egyptian delegation stressed the importance of resuming the political track and maintaining the ceasefire. Benghazi's meeting was preceded by talks with Libyan Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh in the Libyan city of Al-Qubah. The two sides touched upon the latest developments in the conflict-torn country and ways to end the crisis by speeding up a political solution with the participation of concerned parties, Abdallah Abaihig, the Libyan parliamentary spokesman said. Libya has been split since 2014 between two rival administrations in the east and west with parallel institutions; the eastern government is represented by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives allied with the LNA, and the west is represented by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). Turkey began earlier this year sending thousands of Syrian jihadists and mercenaries into Libya to back the GNA. On 21 August, both Libyan rival parties declared a ceasefire and agreed to hold new elections. They had engaged in closed-door talks in the Moroccan city of Bouznika from 6 to 8 September, agreeing to pause the talks and resume discussions during the last week of September, according to AFP. Egypt announced an initiative, dubbed the Cairo Declaration, earlier this summer which mandates a Libyan-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the countrys conflict. Egypt, France, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates back the LNA while the GNA is backed by Qatar, Turkish troops, and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. Search Keywords: Short link: Visit Cal Fire's website for updates on the North Complex Fire. The raging North Complex Fire east of Chico claimed two more lives, with the death toll rising t0 14 Sunday and search crews continuing to look for seven missing people. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea didn't release the names of the deceased at the Sunday evening press briefing as the victims haven't been identified and the families notified. The fire that started in mid-August is tearing across the parched landscape straddling Butte and Plumas counties and has devoured 261,488 acres as of Sunday night. Containment stands at 26%. A total of 536 structures have been destroyed and 40 damaged, according to Cal Fire officials. Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag Unpredictable wind gusts, hotter temperatures and poor humidity recoveries overnight are in the forecast Monday and the weather shift is expected to exacerbate firefighting efforts. A Red Flag Warning is in effect Monday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for far Northern California. "A storm system is approaching Oregon and Washington," said Dan Borsum, a National Weather Service meteorologist assigned to the incident. "For our area, it's producing a shift for a southwesterly wind aloft." The good news is the southwest winds will clear out smoke, which will allow air operations to resume and drop fire retardant over the blaze. The bad news is the clear skies will translate into hotter temperatures that can increase fire activity. And though the winds are expected to be light, they will speed up the fire's spread. "The southwest winds aren't expected to be as strong as the northeast wind event that fanned flames Sept. 8 and 9, but the blustery conditions are still a concern. "Any area where we have large accumulations of fuel, we could see some very active fire behavior," Cal Fire officials said. "We could see rapid rates of spread and torching of trees." Dozens of wildfires have been burning for weeks across California and the U.S. West, most sparked by lightning strikes. But the North Complex Fire in Northern California surprised fire officials by how quickly it spread after smoldering for weeks in a mostly unpopulated region. Aided by strong winds, steep terrain and miles of dried out foliage, the fire more than 8 miles (13 kilometers) wide quickly roared into Butte County extending toward Lake Oroville and the former burn site of the 2018 Camp Fire on Tuesday. This time, Paradise was spared. Smaller mountain communities such as Berry Creek and Feather Falls were quickly overwhelmed. Firefighters scrambled to rescue more than 100 people on Tuesday and early Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. News Beaumont, Texas - A former Senior Correctional Officer at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont, was sentenced Monday in federal court for assaulting an inmate housed at the facility. The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting correctional officers who use their position of authority to harm others, as opposed to upholding the duties of their job and protecting the individuals in their care, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. Correctional officers work hard every day to enforce the rules and ensure order within our prisons, said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox for the Eastern District of Texas. When one officer decides to violate those rules and disrupt that order, it undermines the important work of all correctional officers. Tavoris Bottley, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield to 18 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Bottley previously pleaded guilty on December 5, 2019, to one count of violating the civil rights of an inmate in his custody. According to plea documents and information presented in court, on June 8, 2017, while on duty as a federal correctional officer at FCC Beaumont, Bottley punched A.A, an inmate, in the face and head multiple times without justification. Bottley admitted that he and his supervisor, Khristal Ford, intentionally unlocked and entered the secured cell where A.A. was being held with the intention of assaulting the inmate for being disrespectful and throwing a food tray. Bottley admitted that he then punched A.A., even though A.A. did not pose any threat at the time. BOP Lieutenant Khristal Ford previously pleaded guilty on May 29, 2019, to aiding and abetting in the assault of A.A., and admitted to submitting written reports that omitted any reference to the assault in an effort to cover up the incident and make it appear justified. Ford was sentenced on January 8, 2020, to 24 months in prison. This case was investigated by the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Katherine G. DeVar of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Anderson of the Eastern District of Texas. New Delhi, Sep 15 : The small cap index posted its biggest single day gain in over six years on Monday after the SEBI circular on multi cap mutual funds triggered buying. The estimates by analysts and brokerage houses indicate that the net inflow from large caps would be around Rs 27,000 crore into the small caps and around Rs 13,000 crore into the mid caps following the SEBI circular to invest 25 per cent each of assets of multi cap funds into large, mid and small cap stocks. The huge rally in small cap stocks has come even after fund managers asked investors not to rush to buy small cap stocks in haste and there were clarifications that mutual funds have several options apart from rebalancing their schemes including a merger of schemes to comply with the circular. Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said mid-cap and small cap stocks gained sharply. He said investors were attracted towards Mid/small caps due to the SEBI mandate to Multicap mutual funds to invest a minimum of 25 per cent each in large, mid and small cap stocks. Small Cap Index posted its biggest 1-day gain in over six years. Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities said that the recent SEBI circular on allocation by Multicap schemes spurred buying in a lot of small and midcaps in anticipation of fund buying that could emerge later to adhere to the new regulation. The Nifty midcap index ended 2.6 per cent higher while the smallcap index gained 5.6 per cent - the most since May 2014. Nifty has ended the first day of the week in the negative while the broader market has reacted positively to the latest SEBI circular, he added. In a note to investors, Sage One has said that SEBI had done a big re-categorization of mutual funds (MFs) in early 2018 which triggered initial rotation from small/midcaps to large caps, and the falling prices created their own snowball effect resulting in the small cap universe correcting by 40-60 per cent. During this period the large cap indices delivered positive returns. In the latest re-categorization of multi-cap MFs, a small part of the 2018 action has been reversed. As per the note, institutional shareholding (SH) in large cap space is currently 20 per cent above the December 2017 levels whereas it's 41 per cent lower for the small cap space. The total institutional holding has increased by 10 per cent during this period. Small cap companies make up 10% of the total market capitalization, but the institutional holding is only at 5.3 per cent of their total holding. In December 2017 small cap companies made 16 per cent of the total market capitalization. The biggest contribution in the market drop was the forced selling by the domestic institutions. As prices dropped, it forces other investors to move out and seek performing asset classes such as the large caps, the note said. The note said that whether MFs actually do the entire re-allocation or whether they merge their multi cap schemes into the large cap schemes is an unknown. "Irrespective of the amount that actually gets re-allocated, just the anticipation could bring in fresh capital in small/mid cap schemes under MFs, PMS' and AIFs. It doesn't take much inflow to move stocks in this universe," the note said. The research notes that the impact cost of actual exits was as high as 15 times in the small cap space. This means that if one was to invest fresh capital of Rs 1,000 crore in the small cap companies, on an average their market cap would go up by Rs 15,000 crore. There will not be enough sellers available when the expectation is that this space would do well in presence of forced buyers. "Even if we assume that only half (Rs 13,500 crore) the capital would be re-allocated by the MFs and assume that there will be no fresh inflows in the small cap companies by other investors and in addition even if we assume that the buying impact would be half (7.5x), the increase in the market cap of the small cap universe would be more than Rs 1 lakh which is around 36% increase in total market cap (currently Rs 2.80 lakh crore) of the small cap companies," the research said. This step would benefit more than 1000 companies compared to just 100 companies that benefited by the 2018 circular. In an environment when debt raising is multiple times difficult for the smaller companies, this SEBI triggered change would help equity raising capability of these companies. HDFC Securities said in a note that given the size of multicap funds and higher allocation especially to smallcap stocks; some concerns have been raised about achieving the prescribed investment limits without creating a bubble in small and midcap stocks. The AUM of smallcap stocks across equity categories (excluding sectoral) as on July 2020 is Rs 68,109 crore - compare this with Rs 28,000 crore worth fresh buying required. "These stocks have less free float availability, relatively lower volumes, corporate governance issues and higher impact cost (both at the time of getting in and getting out). Also, liquidity issues in smallcap stocks could get compounded in bear markets when these funds face redemption pressure and are required to sell small cap stocks where impact costs could be large," it said. Schemes requiring the least reshuffling include multicap funds from Invesco, IDFC and Nippon, while schemes requiring the most reshuffling include Kotak Standard, HDFC Equity, Motilal Multicap 35, Axis and Canara Robeco Eq diversified fund, HFDC Securities said. (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at sanjeev.s@ians.in) Bahrain's interior minister said on Monday that normalising ties with Israel protects Bahrain's interests and strengthens its strategic partnership with the United States, amid an ongoing threat from Iran. "It is not an abandonment of the Palestinian cause ... it is to strengthen Bahrainis' security and their economic stability," minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in a statement. Bahrain on Friday said it would normalise relations with Israel, following the path of the UAE who declared it would do the same a month ago, in moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran. "Iran has chosen to behave in a dominating way in several forms and has become a constant danger that harms our internal security," Khalifa said, adding that it was wise to forestall dangers. The small Gulf state of Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa family. The government often accuses Iran, ruled by a Shi'ite Muslim leadership, of seeking to subvert Bahrain. Bahrain has suffered ongoing unrest since a failed uprising in 2011. It is also striving to bring down its deficit. Manama was bailed out in 2018 with a $10 billion aid package from wealthy Gulf neighbours to avoid a credit crunch. The International Monetary Fund has said it expects Bahrain's fiscal deficit to jump to 15.7% of gross domestic product this year from 10.6% in 2019. Bahrain and Israel's defence ministers held their first publicly acknowledged phone call on Monday, and another pair of ministers separately discussed commercial possibilities between the two countries. Search Keywords: Short link: A man charged with murdering two family members in two states doesn't have a lawyer but wants bail, partly because of the difficulties of preparing for his own trial while a prisoner. Police allege Paul Cohrs shot dead his brother, Raymond, and their mother, Bette Schulz, on October 30, 2018 on either side of the Murray River. Former Wentworth Shire deputy mayor Paul Cohrs is accused of killing his brother and mother. Mr Cohrs, 60, is now awaiting trial in Victoria over the death of his 82-year-old mother, after which he will be extradited to NSW to stand trial over his 63-year-old brother's death, and for a charge of kidnapping another man. Mr Cohrs, a former deputy mayor in the NSW shire of Wentworth, doesn't have a lawyer as he has claimed he has no faith in the Victorian legal system, but says he is prevented from hiring the legal team of his choice a firm in South Australia because there is a freeze on his financial assets. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia Mon, September 14, 2020 10:06 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a8942 2 Business Australia,Chinese-investment,China,tension,mining Free Chinese investment in Australia almost halved in 2019, new data released Monday showed, as relations between the two countries deteriorated. Researchers from the Australian National University said Chinese investment Down Under plunged from Aus$4.8 billion (US$3.5 billion) to just Aus$2.5 billion last year. Professor Peter Drysdale, who led the data research, said the Aus$1.43 billion purchase of infant formula producer Bellamy's Australia by China's Mengniu Dairy accounted for more than half of that investment. It was the third consecutive year that Chinese investment in Australia dropped since peaking at Aus$15.8 billion in 2016. The steep fall far outpaced a global decline in China's overseas ventures of 9.8 percent last year, reflecting the bilateral political tensions, Drysdale said. "(In) the last few years, clearly Chinese investors have found the investment environment in Australia less certain and have been more cautious about undertaking investment in Australia," he told AFP. In June, Australia announced tougher measures to block or overturn new foreign investments deemed to compromise national security a move widely viewed as an effort to limit growing Chinese influence. The country has barred Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from being a major player in its 5G rollout owing to concerns about its relationship with state security agencies, a decision that riled Beijing. Drysdale said structural changes were also partly to blame, with Chinese investors retreating from mining and resources as the commodity boom weakened. While Chinese investment in Australian real estate and agriculture also fell in 2019, the ANU researchers found some "modest gains" in the construction, education and finance sectors. Drysdale said it was important for Australia to consider how to reverse the "continuing downward trend" due to the key role of foreign investment in supporting economic growth and trade. "Whether that can be changed quickly or not is another question altogether because it very much depends on how purposeful (an) approach there is to mending the relationship between the two countries," he said. Sino-Australian relations have nosedived in recent months after a series of diplomatic clashes. Beijing was particularly infuriated by Canberra's role in international calls for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China Australia's biggest trade partner has since imposed tariffs on Australian products from beef to barley and has discouraged Chinese students and tourists from heading Down Under. DUBLIN, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "CBD as a Novel Food: The Future for Edibles in Europe" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The question of Novel Food approval is the single biggest issue facing the CBD edibles market, and perhaps the entire CBD market, in Europe. Hopes that there might be an easy way around the regulatory requirement seem unrealistic, and understanding exactly what the Novel Food process entails must therefore now be a top priority for any player hoping to market mainstream CBD products in Europe. This report examines key aspects and drivers of the edibles market itself before looking in detail at the Novel Food regulations, both at EU level and in non-EU markets: notably the UK, as well as Switzerland and Norway. Questions it considers and answers include whether CBD really is novel, whether approvals are likely to be generic or applicant-specific, how the Novel Food Catalogue and RASFF operate, and the costs of Novel Food applications. It will enable companies to make a rounded, informed decision on whether to pursue Novel Food approval - and if they decide to do so, how to proceed with their application. Detailed information on regulatory requirements is complemented by an assessment of the business impacts of the Novel Foods regime, enabling companies to take a joined-up approach to their strategy on CBD edibles in Europe. Special attention is also given to UK regulation, which differs from the EU's in key aspects - understanding this is an essential prerequisite to taking advantage of the UK's more liberal regime. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction: What is CBD? 3. Is CBD in Food Really Novel? 4. CBD in Food: the Market for Ingestible Products 5. Novel Food Regulations in the EU 6. The Regulation of Novel Foods in the UK 7. Other Non-EU Countries 8. Industry Impact of Novel Food Applications: the Costs 9. Industry Impact of Novel Food Applications: the Benefits 10. Conclusion: What Does the Future Hold for the CBD Sector in Europe? For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dwiaa3 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 STOCKHOLM, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic and a lower oil price has led to an expected delay in the recovery within the oil-service segment. For the FPSO Dhirubhai-1, employment opportunities are currently under evaluation, but there is risk both with respect to the timeline of these projects and the sales price that can be achieved. Therefore, Ocean Yield ASA ("Ocean Yield") expects to record impairments in its Q3 2020 consolidated financial statements, estimated to USD 95 million for the FPSO and USD 35 million for the offshore construction and cable-lay vessel Connector. The impairments will reduce depreciation expenses in 2021 by about USD 12.7 million. Ocean Yield has a strong cash position, headroom to bank covenants and a large portfolio of modern vessels on long-term charters generating a stable cash flow. The current dividend level enables further investments without requiring new equity. It is the Board of Directors intention to pay stable and, over time, increasing dividends. CONTACT: Company contact: Eirik Eide (CFO), Tel +47 24 13 01 91 Investor Relations contact: Marius Magelie (SVP Finance & Investor Relations), Tel +47 24 13 01 82 About Ocean Yield ASA Ocean Yield ASA is a ship owning company with investments in vessels on long-term charters. The company has a significant contract backlog that offers visibility with respect to future earnings and dividend capacity. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/ocean-yield/r/company-update,c3193934 SOURCE Ocean Yield The Police has formed separate core groups of police officers with expertise in cybercrime detection to deal with the menace of circulation of "fake news", a senior official of the state home department said on Monday. The core groups have been formed for each police unit, including the police districts, he said. "The teams will be working 24X7 to address the problem. They will try to identify the origin of 'fake news' and stop the spread of the misinformation. After that they will inform the force about the source of the 'fake news' and take action as per legal provisions," he said. The officers will be working in six police commissionerates, including Kolkata Police, 12 police districts and 16 district police divisions, he said. Police personnel who are experts in cybercrime detection will be provided specialised training to sharpen their skills, the official said. The police department has recently posted two additional sub-inspectors, having knowledge in computer science, at each of the cyber crime units. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had last week directed the police to take stringent measures against the circulation of "fake news" on social networking sites which suggested that curfew will be imposed in the nights of the five days of Durga Puja festivities mainly due to COVID-19 situation. Police had tweeted, "A rumour regarding Durga Puja is being spread through WhatsApp. No such decision has been taken. Please do not forward this message. It's fake. Action is being taken". (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.) Loading Sydney Swans youngster Elijah Taylor has been charged with aggravated assault by Western Australia Police over an incident that allegedly occurred on Sunday morning involving a teenage woman known to him. Taylor was arrested on Sunday afternoon over a family violence matter and spent more than five hours with detectives at Cannington Police Station before being released in the night. Taylor has been charged with aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm and was released on bail. He is due to appear before court in Perth on September 30, leaving his AFL career in the balance. Police allege that between 6am and 8am on Sunday, a 19-year-old man from Maroubra assaulted an 18-year-old woman who is known to him at a hotel in Perth's CBD. At the 1981 Chicago Auto Show, Ford unveiled a rather unusual concept called the Montana Lobo. It seemed too radical for its time and felt as though it was taken straight out of a sci-fi movie. It broke all the perceptions associated with a rugged off-roader like the Bronco. The company came up with this unusual concept to get in the flow with the growing popularity of smaller pickup trucks and SUVs. Although it didnt make it to production and none of the ideas or design elements were incorporated in the future models, the Bronco Montana Lobo goes down in the history books as one of the most interesting concepts Ford has ever built. Heres a blast from the past that was very unique but a bit too much to make it to production LISTEN 04:50 Whats Unique About The Ford Montana Lobo Concept? The concept was based on the 1977 Ford Bronco, but there was barely any similarity between the two. It featured all sorts of shapes on the outside and was featured in a pale yellow shade. The concept has a simple front fascia when compared to the rest of the body and featured an angled hood that ended with a bar grille and headlights in one rectangular frame. Youd expect a steel bumper or something on similar lines here, but it had a foam bumper, that too with an integrated winch. When viewed from the side, this looks like the McLaren Speedtail of the truck/SUV world, courtesy of the heavy rear overhang. However, dont expect this shape to offer any aerodynamic benefits to the Montana Lobo. The elongated rectangular wheel arches made even the BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires look puny on it. Period-specific white wheels look appropriate though. The rear wheel arch doesnt really close and extends all the way to the rear end. Dual exhaust pipes ran the length between the wheels right below the doors on both sides. God bless the burned legs and feet of the drivers and passengers who got out of the concept after a drive. Speaking of the doors, the Montana Lobo concept featured dome-shaped Plexiglas doors that looked, well, odd (show this to people who call the Russian Soyuz Capsule a lemon-shaped spacecraft!). The rear featured roll bars attached to the louvered B-pillars. A set of fog lights and support beams were placed on the roof as well. The truck bed featured a cloth bench seat that looked quite comfy, but certainly not safe. Although this wasnt a conventional pickup bed used for hauling, it leaned towards adventure lifestyle, which interestingly, picked up pace in the coming years. On the inside, the Ford Bronco Montana Lobo Concept came with ventilated seats and a digital instrument cluster. Imagine how hyped people wouldve gotten seeing this in 1981! Also, the bed featured a retractable ramp, further solidifying Fords idea of showcasing this as an adventure pickup truck of sorts. What Powered This Concept? The Bronco Montana Lobo Concept was based on the 1977 Ford Bronco and featured its drivetrain as well. It was powered by a 5.0-liter, V-8 engine. In the standard form, this mill made 135 horses and 243 pound-feet of torque. Power was sent to all the wheels via a three-speed manual gearbox, although a four-speed automatic was also available in the Broncos lineup. Since not a lot was revealed about this concept, theres a lot of speculation. Some say it had a Borg-Warner T-18 manual transmission or a four-speed New Process NP435 manual, whereas weve even heard about the concept featuring a three-speed C6 automatic gearbox. Engine 5.0-liter, V-8 engine Horsepower 135 HP Torque 243 LB-FT Transmission three-speed manual Theres no information on the suspension system or the other mechanical bits, but if it has the same setup as the 1977 Bronco, then it had with Dana 44 front axle and Fords nine-inch rear axle. With the same-length, 31-spline axle shafts, this was considered to be one of the most durable axles back then. It featured disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear. Final Thoughts This unique thing never made it to production. Although we wouldve liked to see it hit the road, it wouldve probably hurt the credibility of the Bronco moniker in the long run. Nevertheless, here we are, almost 30 years later, speaking about the Montana Lobo when the new Bronco has made its debut. Can we expect something like this from Ford again based on the 2021 Bronco? It would be fun and, with the design of the Tesla Cybertruck, it wouldnt be all that unorthodox in this day and age. What are your thoughts about the Ford Bronco Montana Lobo Concept? Share them with us in the comments section below. Illinois College said a record 419 new students came to campus this fall, resulting in the largest total student body in the colleges history 1,150 students. That reflects a nearly 10% increase from last years record of 1,048 students enrolled, according to the college, and includes 294 first-year students and 125 transfer students. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO West Haven Public Schools officials are working to indentify anyone who may have been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. In a letter to staff, students and parents Thursday, Superintendent Neil Cavallaro wrote that school and West Haven Health Department officials have been made aware of positive cases in the school community, which at this time are unrelated to any school sponsored events. I think we erred on the side of caution, Cavallaro said. Im no expert, Im learning with everybody else. Only one student that he knew of had attended school while positive for the novel Coronavirus. I dont think its any cluster, Cavallaro said. Were probably overdoing it, in terms of keeping the virus contained. The right notifications went out, were contact tracing. West Haven High School Principal Dana Paredes, in a statement on the schools website, said the school was to operate on a distance learning schedule Monday and Tuesday to deep clean, and to allow the Department of Public Health to appropriately contact trace. All athletic activities for Monday and Tuesday also were canceled. In-person classes will resume Wednesday, Paredes statement said. Cavallaro said West Haven Schools would do all they can to cooperate with health officials. I think its a result of the last of the summer parties, Cavallaro said. School in West Haven opened Tuesday. We think school is a very safe environment, Cavallaro said. But when we send them home on the weekend, and its the older kids, its important to follow the recommendations of the CDC. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 00:14:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lung cleansing and detoxifying preparation, though difficult to understand even for Chinese, is becoming a familiar name to many foreign physicians treating COVID-19 infections. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation, discovered and then widely used during China's epidemic outbreak, has been used in various countries including Italy, Britain, the United States, Japan and Malaysia, with positive results, said Wang Wei, deputy head of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Zhang Boli, president of the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said Lianhua Qingwen capsules and granules, another recommended TCM for the treatment of COVID-19, has received marketing approval in more than 10 countries and regions and has been donated to several other countries. "We are working with the University of Southern California on phase-two clinical trials of lung diffusing and detoxifying preparation," Zhang said. "They are paying close attention to the medicine and the experiment results we have achieved." People overseas have taken an interest in more than just these medications. Various treatment schemes combining TCM with Western medicine have also gained traction. Zhang has joined dozens of video sessions this year to share his clinical experience in treating COVID-19 patients with medics in other countries. At a video conference held by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), Kuo Tong Ho, vice president of the Singapore Chinese Physicians' Association, said the Singaporean government on May 5 permitted the use of Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion in treating COVID-19 patients. Kuo said the TCM prevention and treatment model had been effective in Singapore and welcomed Chinese experts to visit his country to offer guidance. In order to meet the demands of foreign physicians for TCM treatment schemes for the disease, the WFAS has held 29 online lectures in both Chinese and English in collaboration with the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and the China Association of Chinese Medicine. The lectures, given by over 50 frontline experts, were viewed by audiences from more than 60 countries, with over 1 million hits. Cao Hongxin, former president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS), led a team of experts to conduct remote diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 patients in countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and Britain. According to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China has shared TCM therapy, effective prescriptions and clinical experience for dealing with COVID-19 with more than 80 countries and regions. "The novel coronavirus pandemic provides a new opportunity enabling TCM to go global," said Liu Baoyan, chief researcher of the CACMS and president of the WFAS, calling for efforts to cure more COVID-19 patients around the world with TCM. Enditem Ramallah, Sep 14 : A senior Palestinian official said that the US-brokered normalization between the two Arab states and Israel is intended for political interests of American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain normalize their ties with Israel to support Trump's re-election campaign and improve Netanyahu's internal political situation," Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy chairman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said on Sunday. He called on the Arab League to confront the wave of normalization with Israel, noting it must adhere to its decisions related to the Palestinian issue, reports Xinhua news agency. On Friday, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Trump and Netanyahu issued a joint statement that announced the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Israel. Bahrain is scheduled to sign its normalization agreement with Israel on Tuesday at a ceremony in the White House, during which a similar deal between the UAE and Israel will also be inked. Bahrain is the second Gulf Arab state that has announced normalization with Israel in less than a month after the UAE did so on August 13. Egypt and Jordan signed their peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text 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. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Monsoon session of Parliament commenced on Monday amid extensive COVID-19 precautions, with a large number of members attending the proceedings while adjusting to the changes spawned by the epidemic. In a first, the chambers of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were used along with the galleries to seat members of each House which met at separate timings to ensure social distancing. The usual hustle and bustle was missing in the Parliament complex on the first day of the 18-day Monsoon session in the wake of restricted entry. Lok Sabha sat in the morning from 9 AM to 1 PM, while Rajya Sabha held its four-hour sitting in the afternoon starting 3 PM where NDA nominee Harivansh was re-elected as deputy chairman and 15 new members took oath. The Lok Sabha secretariat said 359 members attended the proceedings on Monday. With two vacancies, the current strength of the Lower House is 541. The attendance in the 243-member Rajya Sabha was also impressive but no exact number was available. Around 30 MPs, including BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi and Pravesh Verma, and over 50 employees of Parliament have tested positive for COVID-19, sources said. Many of them tested positive after undergoing compulsory coronavirus tests at the parliament premises before the start of the Monsoon session, while several of them had undergone tests in their respective constituencies. The government also introduced some bills, including three related to the farm sector in Lok Sabha. The Modi government is set to bring 23 new bills, including 11 to replace ordinances, and as many as 20 old bills are pending in both houses. The opposition also sought to bring the issue of Chinese aggression at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) but were not allowed so by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. There were no usual protests by opposition parties inside the houses. The members were seated far away from each other and refrained from mingling. ALSO READ | Rajya Sabha adopts motion to do away with Question Hour, private members' business during Monsoon session While several Lok Sabha MPs were seated in the galleries and Rajya Sabha chamber, some Rajya Sabha members were asked to sit in the chamber of the lower house. Both the houses adjourned for an hour after obituary references to former President Pranab Mukherjee and some sitting and former members who died recently. Ahead of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that Parliament will send out a unanimous and strong message that the country is unitedly standing behind its brave soldiers guarding India's borders, asserting that doing so is the legislature's "crucial responsibility". In an apparent reference to the ongoing border row with China in Ladakh, he said that brave Indian soldiers are defending the borders with great courage and high spirits in difficult hilly terrains with snowfall expected in some time. "This Parliament, particularly in this session, has one more crucial responsibility. Just like the faith with which they (soldiers) are standing, determined to protect the motherland, Parliament and all its members too will send out a message in a unanimous voice, spirit and resolve that the country stands in support of them," he said. "The entire Parliament stands with the brave soldiers of the country with one voice. I believe that Parliament and all its members will give out a very strong message," he added Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said Parliament is meeting in extraordinary and challenging times due to the COVID-19 crisis. He urged the MPs to make the Monsoon session "memorable" by enhancing productivity and responding to the expectations of "anguished people" who are keen to breathe normally and reclaim their social and economic space. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said this is perhaps for the first time that such an arrangement had been put in place where members of the lower house were seated in the upper house. Birla said members do not have to stand while speaking as part of the new procedures put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus. Members participated in debates while sitting on their numbered seats. Special podiums were placed for members, who were sitting in the galleries meant for visitors and VIPs, to speak as there is no mike facility there. The Speaker said rules have been eased to allow Lok Sabha members to sit in Rajya Sabha and similarly Rajya Sabha members can occupy seats in the lower house to ensure distancing during the session of the upper house. In a lighter vein, he quipped that it is a dream of some RS members to sit in Lok Sabha. A giant TV screen in the Lok Sabha chamber showed the members occupying seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Glass-like plastic shields of varied sizes were installed in front of benches to protect members from coronavirus. The shield also covered part of the members' sides. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan made a statement in the House on the novel coronavirus, saying the central government undertook the COVID-19 challenge with the highest level of political commitment. It has been estimated that its decisions prevented approximately 14-29 lakh cases and 37-78 thousand deaths, he said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought Parliament's nod for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, which includes a cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore, primarily to meet expenses for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In Lok Sabha, the government also introduced three bills on the farm sector with Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserting that they will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. The Bills -- The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, have been brought in to replace ordinances. Another bill which seeks to reduce for one year the salaries of MPs by 30 per cent "to meet the exigencies arising out of COVID-19 pandemic" was also introduced. It also seeks to replace an ordinance. In Rajya Sabha, Harivansh was re-elected as the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha through voice vote. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu declared Harivansh elected after a motion moved by BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, and seconded by Leader of the House Thaawarchand Gehlot, was carried by a voice vote. Opposition parties led by the Congress and the DMK had moved motions for electing RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha but these were not put to vote as they did not press for it. Leaders of various parties greeted Harivansh, the nominee of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, on his election. The Janata Dal (United) leader received lavish praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said Harivansh belongs to all sides of the aisle. ALSO READ | For the first time, Lok Sabha members sit in Rajya Sabha chamber as House meets amid COVID-19 "He has conducted proceedings in an impartial manner. He has been an outstanding umpire and will continue being so in the times to come," Modi said. "He is a torchbearer of democracy, hailing from Bihar, a land known for its democratic ethos" and that has close links "with JP, Karpoori Thakur and Bapu's Champaran Satyagraha". The prime minister lauded Naidu and his team also for making arrangements for the smooth functioning of the House during COVID-19. At the fag end of proceedings, the government introduced as many as five bills in Rajya Sabha, including on reduction in the remuneration of ministers and protection of healthcare professional in epidemic. The House adopted a motion to do away with the Question Hour and private members' business during the COVID-curtailed session. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and TMC MP Derek O'Brien criticised the motion moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren, DMK leader Tiruchi Siva and BJP's Syed Zafar Islam were among the 15 newly-elected members who took oath in Rajya Sabha on Monday. HOUSTON: Tropical storm Sally will move over the north-central Gulf of Mexico on Monday before becoming a hurricane as it heads toward southeastern Louisiana, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "Strengthening is expected over the next day or so, and Sally is forecast to become a hurricane by tonight, with additional strengthening possible before the center crosses the northern Gulf Coast," the Miami-based weather forecaster added. The second storm in less than a month to threaten the region, Sally is forecast to strengthen on Monday and bring heavy rains and winds of up to 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). Mississippi and Louisiana issued mandatory evacuation orders to residents of low-lying areas, and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards appealed for a federal disaster declaration and advised people living in Sally`s path to flee. Residents of southwest Louisiana are still clearing debris and tens of thousands of homes are without power after Hurricane Laura left a trail of destruction. Energy companies scrambled to pull workers from offshore oil and gas production platforms. Chevron Corp, Equinor and Murphy Oil Corp shut in wells as a precaution, and refiner Phillips 66 halted processing at its Alliance refinery on the Louisiana coast. At 7 a.m. CDT, Sally was 115 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, packing winds of 65 miles per hour, according to the NHC. It warned the storm`s advance would slow in the next two days, dumping 8- to 16-inches (20-40 cm) on the coast and causing widespread river flooding. ABC News Four people, including two adults, a teen and an infant, have been found frozen to death about 40 feet from the U.S.-Canada border while being smuggled into North Dakota, according to U.S. and Canadian authorities. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and law enforcement officers with the Department of Homeland Security performed a traffic stop Jan. 19 on a 15-passenger van about 1 mile from the border when they found two undocumented Indian nationals from Canada inside, according to the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Less than a quarter mile away from the border, law enforcement encountered and apprehended five additional undocumented Indian nationals that walked across the U.S. border from Manitoba, Canada, according to the RCMP. The woman dragged from her car by a police officer at a COVID-19 checkpoint in a dramatic arrest has uploaded bizarre footage of what happened behind the scenes when television reporters visited her home. Natalie Bonett, 29, continues to make headlines over the dramatic incident after she was stopped by police at a blockade in Wallan, north of Melbourne, on her way to work on Saturday. The officer informed the lash technician it was against the law to have her phone attached to a car charger which was mounted onto her windshield. Following a brief and tense exchange, the footage shows the officer reaching in to drag the masked woman from the driver's seat. Ms Bonett has since been inundated with requests for media interviews with several television reporters visiting her at home on Sunday. Ms Bonett secretly filmed her encounters with two television reporters on home security cameras, which she later uploaded to Facebook but have since been deleted. In her conversation with the Channel Seven reporter outside her front door, the journalist can be heard describing the police officer involved an 'a*****e cop' as she thanks Ms Bonett for talking to her. 'I just wanted you to put your two cents worth forward so people aren't judging from the video they saw,' the reporter explained. 'I appreciate your time and fingers crossed you don't get hassled by another 'a*****e cop.' Ms Bonnet replied: 'Yeah, alright, thanks Emily.' She later captioned the video: 'Her words, not mine.' Natalie Bonett filmed her exchange with a Channel Seven reporter and cameraman Ms Bonett also posted behind the scenes footage of her Channel Nine interview which wasn't being recorded at the time. 'All I wanted was for him to explain why it was a criminal offence,' she tells the reporter in her front yard. 'I go through that checkpoint every day, me and my partner.' The reporter is heard telling Ms Bonett she has the same windshield phone holder that sparked the arrest. During the arrest, police asked Ms Bonett to provide her name and driver's licence but she requested to speak to another officer because the one that pulled her over made her feel 'deeply uncomfortable'. 'I didn't refuse to show my licence, I simply refused to show it to him,' she told Nine News. Ms Bonett also uploaded footage of her conversation with a Channel Nine reporter, which wasn't being recorded by television cameras at the time Confronting footage shows the moment a young woman was dragged from her car screaming while she attempted to pass through a coronavirus checkpoint in Melbourne The beauty business owner claimed the officers were being 'rough' and kneed on her back, constructing her airways and leaving her with bruises down her arms (pictured) She has since shared photos of her bruised body after footage of the arrest went viral. Ms Bonett, who suffers from an autoimmune disorder and anxiety, said she didn't feel safe getting out of her car but had her permit in her hand. 'I had everything ready to go, he said that's illegal you need to remove that (car charger). I was just confused why he was stopping me in the first place,' she told the Herald Sun. Ms Bonett said the police officers' response was disproportionate to her actions. 'If I had known I would be dragged out of the car and my clothes ripped, scratched and bruised, I wouldn't have done it, but I didn't know,' she said. 'I was in disbelief. I thought he was attacking me, I was happy to comply. I didn't deserve that, I don't think anyone does.' Ms Bonett, who denied she is a 'COVID conspiracy theorist,' said she was handcuffed for 15 minutes before her boyfriend gave her driver's license to the police and she was released. The beauty business owner claimed the officers were being 'rough' and kneed on her back, constructing her airways and leaving her with bruises down her arms. Ms Bonett claimed officers called for backup when she wouldn't leave her car and that a total of four police officers eventually arrested her Ms Bonett said the police officers' heavy-handed response was disproportionate to her actions. Ms Bonett, who denied she is a 'COVID conspiracy theorist,' said she was handcuffed for 15 minutes before her boyfriend gave her driver's license to the police and she was released The video showed Ms Bonett screaming while being pulled away from the officer, demanding he stop touching her and get out of her car. Her boyfriend and passenger attempted to hold her back, trying to tell the officer 'she's got anxiety' while Ms Bonett became increasingly distressed. 'What the f**k are you doing, what the f**k, get off me,' she shouted at the officer. Moments earlier, the cop had given her an opportunity to state her name, and asked her several times to get out of the car. 'No, I don't feel safe. You're armed,' she responded. The officer assured her she would be safe before eventually losing his patience and dragging her out himself. The disturbing footage ended as Ms Bonett slipped off camera when she was dragged from the car. Victoria Police were quick to hit back at criticism of their arrest, alleging Ms Bonett repeatedly refused to provide her details and driver's licence. Ms Bonett screamed and resisted in the footage, demanding the officer stop touching her and get out of her car 'The woman refused to remove her phone from the windscreen,' a police spokesman said. 'The woman was warned that if she did not provide her details, she would be arrested,' the spokesman said. 'She still refused and was asked by police to get out of her car. When she refused this request, she was taken from the car by officers and taken into custody.' Ms Bonett was charged on summons with driving with obscured vision, fail to produce licence, fail to state her name and address, resist arrest, assault police and offensive language. Ms Bonett said she would 'mention more' when she was in 'the right headspace' Ms Bonett said she usually passes through the checkpoint with no issues, showing her license and permit to the officers on duty. But on Saturday, she said officers took issue with the way her phone was mounted which led to the exchange. The officer told her 'the problem' was with her refusing to provide her name and personal details. She later revealed on Facebook she filmed her entire 14 minute arrest. 'If you want to see the video.... you will all be disgusted. I am shaking, crying and in complete disbelief that I was treated this way.' Ms Bonett claimed officers called for backup when she wouldn't leave her car and that a total of four police officers eventually arrested her. 'They grabbed me by the legs and pulled me out of my car and arrested me,' she said. 'While trying to cuff me, they had their knees in my back and couldn't breathe.' The officer assured her she would be safe before eventually losing his patience and dragging her out himself Ms Bonett claimed officers called for backup when she wouldn't leave her car and that a total of four police officers eventually arrested her The video has attracted thousands of comments online and divided the public. Liberal MP Tim Smith said he found the entire ordeal 'ugly'. 'It's ugly and appears a massive overreach' he said when sharing the footage on his Twitter. 'I won't jump to any further conclusions as context is important, but there had better be a good explanation by the Andrews Labor government tomorrow.' In response to his post, Ms Bonett insisted there was no further context needed. 'I am the woman in this video... I pass this checkpoint everyday and always produce my license,' she insisted. 'I see the military daily and don't have any issues with them, this wasn't about COVID, this was about me having a car charger on my windscreen and before they asked me to produce a license, they tried opening my car.' 'I see the military daily and don't have any issues with them, this wasn't about COVID, this was about me having a car charger on my windscreen and before they asked me to produce a license, they tried opening my car,' Ms Bonett said. Ms Bonett said she usually passes through the checkpoint with no issues, showing her license and permit to the officers on duty While Melbourne will remain under stage four lockdown until at least September 28, stage three restrictions in regional Victoria are expected to ease within days. Mr Andrews said there are only 58 active coronavirus infections in regional Victoria and no new cases since Friday's update. He remains hopeful the Stage Three restrictions will be eased by the middle of next week, allowing regional Victoria to be 'essentially open'. 'Regional Victoria remains on track to be open to take not one but two steps,' Mr Andrews said on Saturday. 'It is very good news for regional Victoria and I hope every single person in metro Melbourne is looking to the numbers in regional Victoria and seeing what can be delivered. 'Regional Victoria is so close, just a few days and they will potentially be able to take not just a single step but two of those steps and be essentially open.' Victoria reported 35 new cases and seven deaths on Monday, bringing the state's death toll to 730. Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - The coronavirus (COVID-19) blocked the sale of cotton, Benins main export product, over the second quarter of this year, the National Statistics and Economic Analysis Institute (INSAE) said here Monday Zain Bahrain, a leading telecommunications operator in Bahrain, recently announced the launch of Zain Digital Natives Advancement Program, a learning program series designed specifically for Generation Z employees to enhance their digital and interpersonal skills. Through the learning program, Zain Bahrain intends to empower skills and increase the efficiency, leadership and support in revenue generation. As part of the advancement program, Zain Bahrain has finalised a group of six newly recruited Bahrainis from various departments to undertake the training for a period of five months during which time they will develop skills needed to thrive in the modern workplace, said a statement. The Zain Digital Natives Advancement Program consists of four learning modules focusing on developing the employees People Empowerment Skills that will help them to influence, collaborate and present; Futuristic Focused Skills that will enhance and develop their leadership, critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills; Specialization in the latest digital and technical skills in the market and a department specific Research and Automation project that the five employees will work on upon completion of the training. Rana Al Majed, Manager Learning and Development, Zain Bahrain, said: Youth empowerment has always been our focus at Zain Bahrain and the Zain Digital Natives Advancement Program is in line with our commitment to providing talented Bahraini youth with the tools and platforms they need to improve their skillset. Generation Z are embracing the digital world as true digital natives and hence Zain Bahrain has devised this program that will help them learn specific interpersonal and digital skills they need to feel empowered, to contribute, and to ultimately succeed throughout their job and beyond. The Zain Digital Natives Advancement Program is one of Zain Bahrains Generation Z Youth Empowerment programs and caters to further enhance skillsets of fresh university Bahraini graduates with distinguished skills, achievements, experience or professional certificate. TradeArabia News Service Chinese Leaders Latest Speech a Rebuke of International Criticism Against Beijing: Analyst Leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping made a speech on Sept. 3, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, which caused a stir on the Chinese internet. Xi spoke about five things that Chinese people will never agree to, which ignited uproar among netizens who believed Xi had no right to speak on behalf of the Chinese populace. Meanwhile, some China commentators analyzed that Xi was sending a subtle message to the international community about their growing criticism of the Chinese regime. Chinese People At an event commemorating the anniversary, Xi said, the Chinese people will never agree to any attempt by anyone or any force to distort the history of the Communist Party of China and vilify the nature and purpose of the Communist Party of China. On Sina Weibo, a social media platform similar to Twitter, Chinese netizens said they were never solicited for their opinions, and thus, Xi had no right to represent them. One user posted: Im being represented [without consent] again! Others commented that Chinese people would not dare to disagree with the Party, given its tendency to crack down on dissent. If they do not agree, they may be charged with the crime of provoking trouble, one user commented. This vaguely-defined charge is often used against human rights lawyers and dissidents. Some Chinese based outside China also weighed in on Twitter. This is holding the Chinese people hostage again, one user posted in Chinese. Playing off Xis words, he lamented the lack of freedoms in China: If you want freedom of speech, it [the CCP] will never agree. If you want historical truth, it will never agree. If you want to have general elections, it will never agree. If you want true democracy, it will never agree. If you want the CCP to step down, it will never agree. Message to Outside World Xi also said, the Chinese people will never agree to any attempt by anyone or any force to separate the Communist Party of China from the Chinese people and antagonize them. This is an indirect response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos recent speech, according to China affairs commentator Tian Yun. In a major policy speech on July 23 calling on governments to unite in defending against Beijings threats, Pompeo said, we must also engage and empower the Chinese peoplea dynamic, freedom-loving people who are completely distinct from the Chinese Communist Party. Following his speech, state-run media Xinhua published a 30,000-word-long article attacking Pompeo. This shows that Pompeos words hit home and caused fear in the CCP, Tian said in a news analysis published on the Chinese-language Epoch Times, adding that Xis recent rhetoric appeared to be a reaction to Pompeos words. Xi also said, the Chinese people will never agree to anyone or any force who attempts to impose their will on China through bullying, change the direction of Chinas progress, and obstruct the efforts of the Chinese people to create their own beautiful life. Tian wrote that this statement was a deliberate distortion of the United States recent countermeasures against the Chinese regimes aggression, by painting the United States actions as hostility toward the Chinese people. He added that Xis words were also a warning to foreign governments that Beijing would play by its rules, and that they should accept that reality. United Nations peacekeepers have tested positive for COVID-19 in southern Lebanon. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Sunday that 90 of its peacekeeping forces tested positive for the coronavirus. Only four of them had symptoms; the others were tested for contact tracing purposes. Among the infected, 88 came from the same country, UNIFIL said in a press release. The UN did not say which country specifically they are from. UNIFIL began its operations in south Lebanon near the Israeli border in 1978. It operates under a mandate from the United Nations Security Council. Its mission is to keep peace along the tense border and ensure that the Lebanese government maintains authority in the southern part of the country. The armed group Hezbollah operates along the Lebanese border, and Israel has fought both them and the Lebanese armed forces in the area in recent years. There are currently 13,000 UNIFIL forces in Lebanon from several countries. UNIFILs operations are continuing and the infected forces are in isolation, according to the UNIFIL statement. Lebanon had relatively few coronavirus cases at the start of the pandemic, but infections have increased since the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut. The blast killed nearly 200 people and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless with the extensive damage it caused. On Saturday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health registered 641 cases. The highest-ever number of known daily cases in the country was 689 on Aug. 26, according to Ministry of Public Health data. Lebanon has a population of nearly 7 million, and there have been more than 24,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nam Tai Property Inc. ("Nam Tai" or the "Company") (NYSE Symbol: NTP) today announced that Mr. Ying Chi Kwok ("Mr. Kwok") has resigned as the Director of Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company due to personal reasons and not as a result of any disagreement with the Company's policies or practices. Upon the resignation, Mr. Kwok ceases to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The resignation becomes effective immediately. The Company would like to express its gratitude to Mr. Kwok for his contribution during the tenure of his office. ABOUT NAM TAI PROPERTY INC. We are a real estate developer and operator, mainly conducting business in Mainland China. Our main land resources are located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("Greater Bay Area") and Wuxi, China, of which the three plots in Shenzhen will be developed into Nam Tai Inno Park, Nam Tai Technology Center and Nam Tai Inno Valley. We plan to build these technology parks into landmark parks in the region and provide high-quality industrial offices, industrial service spaces and supporting dormitories to the tenants. Based on the experience of developing and operating technology parks and an industrial relationship network accumulated over the past 40 years, we have also exported the operation model of technology parks to other industrial properties. Through an asset-light model, we have leased industrial properties for repositioning and business invitation. We will also expand the commercial and residential property business in China as an auxiliary development strategy of the Company. As the growth prospects of China maintain, we shall seize development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and other first- and second-tier cities in China, and continue to strengthen and expand the business of industrial real estate, and commercial and residential properties. Nam Tai Property Inc. is a corporation registered in the British Virgin Islands and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol: "NTP"). Please refer to our corporate website (https://www.namtai.com/) or the SEC website (www.sec.gov) for our press releases and financial statements. Forward-looking Statement and Factors that Could Cause our Share Price to Decline Certain statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "might", "can", "could", "will", "would", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "seek", or "timetable". These forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business and the industry in which we operate. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations about future events. There are several factors, many beyond our control, which could cause results to differ materially from our expectation. These risk factors are described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and in our Current Reports filed on Form 6-K from time to time and are incorporated herein by reference. Any of these factors could, by itself, or together with one or more other factors, adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. There may also be other factors currently unknown to us, or have not been described by us, that could cause our results to differ from our expectations. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this announcement; as such, they should not be unduly relied upon as circumstances change. Except as required by law, we are not obligated, and we undertake no obligation, to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements that might reflect events or circumstance occurring after the date of this press release or those that might reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. SOURCE Nam Tai Property Inc. Related Links https://www.namtai.com/ Sulphur, LA (September 14) The West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (WCCH) Foundation announced a charitable donation in the amount of $200,000 from Cheniere to help establish a Hurricane Laura Employee Relief Fund for WCCH employees. While our facility may have sustained damage, the spirit of our employees and this community will carry us through. We are so thankful to have generous and compassionate community partners, like Cheniere, reach out to offer financial assistance to our employees who are dealing with personal loss, said Janie Fruge, CEO of West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital. The funds donated by Cheniere will be used to establish an employee assistance fund to provide relief for employees who have suffered financial hardship as a result of Hurricane Laura. Employees will be able to apply for assistance. Monies may be used to cover housing, financial hardships, food and other expenses related to displacement from Hurricane Laura. Our business is global, but we live and work in this community. It is an honor to support the front-line employees of WCCH who have endured significant hardships this year, said Amy Miller, Local Government & Community Affairs Supervisor for Cheniere. The WCCH Foundation is vital to our communitys healthcare infrastructure in Southwest Louisiana. Because of partners like Cheniere, we will be able to meet the needs of our employees, patients and this community, said Anne Billeaudeaux, Executive Director of the West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital Foundation. For more information on the WCCH Foundation or to make a donation, call (337) 313-1455 or visit: https://www.wcch.com/support-wcch/ways-to-give. For more information on Cheniere, the largest exporter of liquified natural gas in the U.S., please visit cheniere.com. Stradbally was like a ghost town on the weekend that should have hosted Electric Picnic, says a local councillor. For the first time in 16 years, the massive music festival had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the loss to the small Laois town could be in the millions Cllr Paschal McEvoy estimates. It has had a massive economic impact, on the pubs, the supermarkets, the restaurants, bed and breakfasts, small shops, even local contractors got work from it. Farmers would loan land for parking, and some would have that income in their budget for the year, he said. He is a member of the local St Vincent de Paul, who also got income by doing the bottle exchange at the entrances, while the Church of Ireland and Catholic church volunteers ran the lost and found which further raised income that was then distributed to local people in need. I reckon in the Vincent de Paul we would be down about 5,000, Cllr McEvoy said. He said the economic boost always began up to a month before the actual festival, when crews and staff began building the massive structures. They live in the town, so they are renting, socialising, eating, and they would be there up to two weeks after it is over taking everything back down. There would be lots of locals employed doing security, and the GAA would provide parking and camping for some of the acts. I am sure you are talking millions overall when you take everything into account, he said. Last weekend was like a ghost town he said. It was very sombre, you wouldnt see a sinner, Cllr McEvoy said. It is nice that they give residents two tickets per house, and to be fair when its over within a week you wouldnt know it had been there. They have crews cleaning the town from a Monday and they do a great job. It is massively missed, I hope it is back next year, he said. Chris Maguire is proprietor of restaurant Stradbally Fayre, who also do catering inside the festival. Normally we would have a buildup three to four weeks beforehand. The week before is always exceptional and the weekend itself is crazy, from Thursday to Monday. Monday is nearly our busiest in the restaurant because all catering shuts down on the site so you have everyone from people waiting for lifts home to crews, he said. He declines to put a figure on the economic hit but said it is a serious knock that extends to suppliers and employees. I normally have 15 to 17 staff both full and part-time but for the festival it shoots up to 45. Many are local, saving to go back to college. There is a serious knock on suppliers, Id need three tonnes of chips, and my father-in-law, Coolanowle Organic Meats would supply us with a couple of thousand burgers, then there are the vegetable suppliers. This is a small town, we dont get a lot of Christmas shoppers so Electric Picnic is our Christmas. Its like the last hurrah before winter. The steam rally was cancelled too and that would be even busier than Electric Picnic in our shop. It is a devastating blow to everybody, he said. Chris says that last Saturday was actually busier than usual, after Stradbally Fayre was featured on the RTE news. They were able to stay open for outdoor seating during the local restrictions and it is the local people who are keeping him going. A lot boils down to local regulars. I know many of them and instead of coming in once or twice a week, they are in three and four times, and bringing extra people. They have really made the effort. The first week we reopened in June it was incredible, we could really see local people driving it, some coming in twice a day because we put a shout out for support. We appreciate our customers, we thank them for coming, and I think that goes a long way, he said. Five children drowned when a group of six students went for a swim at a pond in Tinh Bien District in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Sunday afternoon. The incident happened at around 1:00 pm, Phu Van Tuan, the Party chief and chairman of Van Giao Commune in Tinh Bien, confirmed on Sunday night. The group of children included Neang Soc Na, Neang Chanh Tha, Neang Na Ry, Neang Net, Chau Chanh Det, and Neang May, aged between two and 13 years old. The pond that the children swam covers a total area of over 1,000 square meters and measures two meters in depth at its deepest point, according to a local police officer. The pond was formed after a construction unit dug up the ground there to mine for soil. None of the children could swim, the officer added. People found Na, Tha, Ry, Net and Det drowning at around 2:00 pm on the same day and rushed them to Van Giao Communes clinic, but the five children had passed away. People gather near a pond where five children drowned in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province, Vietnam, September 13, 2020. Photo: Buu Dau / Tuoi Tre The An Giang Department of Education and Training sent a delegation to the deceased childrens houses to pay condolences to their families after the incident. The local police are investigating the case. After the incident, An Giangs chairman Nguyen Thanh Binh said that the provincial Peoples Committee will direct the education department to give children swimming lessons to help them understand the danger of going swimming without adults supervision, and require stricter management on children going swimming from both the local authorities and families. More than 2,000 children drown in Vietnam each year, according to figures quoted by Vu Thu Kim Hoa, vice-director of the children department under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, at a meeting in Hanoi in November 2019. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Police in Cai Be District in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang are investigating a case where a local man allegedly set fire to his 67-year-old father last week. The victim was taken to hospital with serious burns, police said on Sunday. An initial investigation reveals that at 3:00 pm last Friday, Nguyen Men Em, 30, returned to his home in Hau My Bac B Commune, Cai be District after drinking. The intoxicated man had an argument with his father, Nguyen Van Luom, 67, who was resting on a hammock. Em then took a barrel containing around three liters of gasoline and poured some onto the floor before striking a lighter to threaten his father. When Luom dared Em to set the house on fire, the son suddenly splashed gasoline onto his father and set him ablaze. Seeing Luom on fire, Em and Le Van Linh, Luoms son-in-law, helped to put out the fire and rush the man to a general hospital in neighboring Cai Lay District. Luom was then transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, where doctors diagnosed him with second- and third-degree burns covering 71 percent of his body. Em has admitted to the act, blaming his loss of self-control after being scolded by the father. As Luom has yet to demand criminal discipline against the son, Em has been released on bail. Local police are finalizing documents on the case to handle Luom's alleged crime. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Australia has sailed with America, South Korea and Japan in a western Pacific naval exercise as the US builds regional alliances to counter the rise of China. The eight-ship fleet of more than 1500 sailors practised surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, live-fire exercises and joint manoeuvres in the waters off Guam, a US territory in Micronesia over the weekend. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said Exercise Pacific Vanguard had brought together four like-minded regional partners. (L-R) HMAS Stuart, Korea's Chungmugong Yi Sunsin and Japan's Ashigara pictured on Tuesday September 8, before the start of Exercise Pacific Vanguard Regional alliances are building as the rise of China and its push into the Pacific alarms both Washington and the Indo-Pacific nations. Pictured: Chinese Communist Party members swear allegiance to China's ruling party on June 28 in Yunnan Province 'The increasing complexity of our security environment highlights the importance of maintaining and growing our regional partnerships,' Ms Reynolds said in a statement. 'Ours is a strong community built on shared interests, and activities like Exercise Pacific Vanguard increase our ability to contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific.' Australia sent Anzac-class frigates HMAS Stuart, and Arunta, capable of air defence, surveillance and undersea warfare. Australian frigates HMAS Stuart and Arunta sail with warships from the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea in the western Pacific on Wednesday Regional powers are training together, alarmed by China's increasingly aggressive stance in the Pacific. Pictured: joint naval manoevres on Wednesday near Guam Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews troops from a car during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing Activists burn a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping in India in June. US Deputy Secretary of State said 'The Quad' could act as a bulwark against 'a potential challenge from China' Australian Maritime Task Group Commander Phillipa Hay said it was important to practice complex war-fighting skills with regional partners. 'Pacific Vanguard is an invaluable opportunity to increase the Royal Australian Navy's understanding and experience working with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy and United States Navy,' Captain Hay said. The exercise is part of Australia's ongoing Regional Presence Deployment in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. The US sent an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the USS Barry, which are capable of strategic land strikes with Tomahawk missiles and have powerful radar and anti-aircraft capabilities. The US also sent a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine and fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sent the JS Ise, a Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer and the JS Ashigara, an Atago-class guided missile destroyer. Captain Kitagawa Keizo, Escort Division Two Commander of the JMSDF said Japan was committed to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korea sent destroyers Chungmugong Yi Sunsin and Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong. The military exercise comes as the US builds alliances to keep international shipping lanes free and to counter Chinese expansion in the South Pacific. Government travel advice website Smartraveller (pictured) was updated on 7 July to warn Aussies they face the risk of arbitrary detention in China China is responsible for 48.8 per cent of Australia's export and the international body could reduce the national reliance on the communist body for trade. Pictured: A Chinese Navy member stands in front of a Shandong aircraft carrier Australia is also considering joining a regional trade alliance with India, Japan, and the US dubbed 'The Quad' which has the potential to reduce reliance on trade with China,as tensions between Canberra and Beijing reach new heights. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun has proposed the four-country grouping as a way of filling a trade power vacuum in the Indo-Pacific region. He added Washington could eventually invite South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand to join the alliance. If Australia were to join the trade group it could lead to further souring in diplomatic relations with China, which has worsened since Scott Morrison's proposal for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Amid a continuing war of words over Mr Morrison's strengthening of Australia's relationship with the US, the communist country has imposed harsh tariffs on Australian farmers - including an 80 per cent tax on barley. Australia could join a trade organisation called 'The Quad' with the US, Japan and India following a proposal by the US government Mr Biegun specifically named China as he laid out plans for 'The Quad' in a speech on August 31. He said the group could act as a bulwark against 'a potential challenge from China' and resemble the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 'The Indo-Pacific region is actually lacking in strong multilateral structures,' Mr Biegun said. 'They don't have anything of the fortitude of Nato or the European Union. 'The strongest institutions in Asia oftentimes are not inclusive enough and so there is certainly an invitation there at some point to formalise a structure like this.' China is Australia's largest trade partner in terms of both imports and exports. Figures released in August showed China's share of Australian exports had reached 48.8 per cent - an all-time high - at a cost of $14.6billion. Tiny antibody component highly effective against SARS-COV-2 in animal studies PITTSBURGH, Sept. 14, 2020 - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that completely and specifically neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of COVID-19. This antibody component, which is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody, has been used to construct a drug--known as Ab8--for potential use as a therapeutic and prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2. The researchers report today in the journal Cell that Ab8 is highly effective in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters. Its tiny size not only increases its potential for diffusion in tissues to better neutralize the virus, but also makes it possible to administer the drug by alternative routes, including inhalation. Importantly, it does not bind to human cells--a good sign that it won't have negative side-effects in people. Ab8 was evaluated in conjunction with scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, as well as the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan. "Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections," said co-author John Mellors, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UPMC and Pitt. "Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune." The tiny antibody component is the variable, heavy chain (VH) domain of an immunoglobulin, which is a type of antibody found in the blood. It was found by "fishing" in a pool of more than 100 billion potential candidates using the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as bait. Ab8 is created when the VH domain is fused to part of the immunoglobulin tail region, adding the immune functions of a full-size antibody without the bulk. Abound Bio, a newly formed UPMC-backed company, has licensed Ab8 for worldwide development. Dimiter Dimitrov, Ph.D., senior author of the Cell publication and director of Pitt's Center for Antibody Therapeutics, was one of the first to discover neutralizing antibodies for the original SARS coronavirus in 2003. In the ensuing years, his team discovered potent antibodies against many other infectious diseases, including those caused by MERS-CoV, dengue, Hendra and Nipah viruses. The antibody against Hendra and Nipah viruses has been evaluated in humans and approved for clinical use on a compassionate basis in Australia. Clinical trials are testing convalescent plasma--which contains antibodies from people who already had COVID-19--as a treatment for those battling the infection, but there isn't enough plasma for those who might need it, and it isn't proven to work. That's why Dimitrov and his team set out to isolate the gene for one or more antibodies that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which would allow for mass production. In February, Wei Li, Ph.D., assistant director of Pitt's Center for Therapeutic Antibodies and co-lead author of the research, began sifting through large libraries of antibody components made using human blood samples and found multiple therapeutic antibody candidates, including Ab8, in record time. Then a team at UTMB's Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases and Galveston National Laboratory, led by Chien-Te Kent Tseng, Ph.D., tested Ab8 using live SARS-CoV-2 virus. At very low concentrations, Ab8 completely blocked the virus from entering cells. With those results in hand, Ralph Baric, Ph.D., and his UNC colleagues tested Ab8 at varying concentrations in mice using a modified version of SARS-CoV-2 . Even at the lowest dose, Ab8 decreased by 10-fold the amount of infectious virus in those mice compared to their untreated counterparts. Ab8 also was effective in treating and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters, as evaluated by Darryl Falzarano, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan. Sriram Subramaniam, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of British Columbia uncovered the unique way Ab8 neutralizes the virus so effectively by using sophisticated electron microscopic techniques. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge facing humanity, but biomedical science and human ingenuity are likely to overcome it," said Mellors, also Distinguished Professor of Medicine, who holds the Endowed Chair for Global Elimination of HIV and AIDS at Pitt. "We hope that the antibodies we have discovered will contribute to that triumph." ### Additional co-lead authors of this research are Xianglei Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of Pitt; Alexandra Schafer, Ph.D., and David R. Martinez, Ph.D., both of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Swarali S. Kulkarni, M.Sc., of the University of Saskatchewan. Additional authors are Chuan Chen, Ph.D., Zehua Sun, Ph.D., Liyoung Zhang, Ph.D., all of Pitt; Sarah R. Leist, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Aleksandra Drelich, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch; Marcin L. Ura, Ph.D., and Eric Peterson, M.S., both of Abound Bio; and Alison Berezuk, Ph.D., Sagar Chittori, Ph.D., Karoline Leopold, Ph.D., Dhiraj Mannar, B.Sc., Shanti S. Srivastava, Ph.D., and Xing Zhu, Ph.D., all of the University of British Columbia. This research was funded by National Institutes of Health grants F32 AI152296, T32 AI007151, AI132178, AI108197 and P30CA016086, as well as UPMC; the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; a Canada Excellence Research Chair Award; Genome BC, Canada; Canadian Institutes for Health Research; and Canadian Foundation for Innovation. To read this release online or share it, visit https:/ / www. upmc. com/ media/ news/ 091420-mellors-dimitrov-covid-ab8 . About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support. Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www. medschool. pitt. edu . 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. http://www. upmc. com/ media This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A shley Banjo has issued a statement following 15,000 complaints over Diversity's Black Lives Matter-themed Britains Got Talent performance. The dance troupe performed the moving routine during last weeks pre-recorded semi-final and while their efforts immediately won huge praise from fans on social media, a number of viewers have since contacted Ofcom. Banjo, 31, has now addressed the controversy in a 7-minute video posted on Instagram. He tells fans: "It's been a crazy week and I've kind of been a bit quiet on social (media), I've been living life trying not to get caught up in it all. "But I feel like now is the time to just come out and say a few things. Firstly, I just want to say thank you to all the people who supported what me and Diversity did with that performance. They've reached out, honestly it's overwhelming the positive reaction to what we did. Banjo, who is serving as a judge in this years BGT finals while Simon Cowell recovers from a broken back, added that the troupe have received hundreds of thousands of messages, comments, DMs, and just interactions in the street. I know that a lot of the press reports and the headlines have been about the complaints and the negativity, but trust me I'm right in the centre of it and the negativity is the minority, he continues. "The positive response has been huge so thank you so much to everyone that has supported, shown love, and stood by what we did. "We stand by every single decision we made with that performance." Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX Banjo also revealed that he has received racial abuse and threats since the dance. I'm not going to give light to it, I'm not going to give it any more time than it deserves, he said of the nasty messages. But a lot of the negativity, the nastiness, and the racism shows exactly why these performances and exactly why this conversation that has arisen is so necessary. Racism is very real, I've known it before and I definitely know it now. Britain's Got Talent: Past Winners - In pictures 1 /17 Britain's Got Talent: Past Winners - In pictures 2007 Paul Potts Ken McKay/Rex 2008 George Sampson Ken McKay/Rex 2009 Diversity Ken McKay/Rex 2010 Spelbound Ken McKay/Thames/Rex 2011 Ant and Dec [Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly] with Jai McDowall Ken McKay/Thames/Rex 2012 Ashleigh and Pudsey Ken McKay/Thames/Rex 2013 Attraction Ken McKay/Thames/Rex 2014 Collabro Tom Dymond/Thames/Rex 2015 Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse Syco/Thames/Splash News 2016 Richard Jones Syco/Thames/Corbis/Dymond 2017 Tokio Myers Syco/Thames/Dymond 2018 Lost Voice Guy Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX 2019 Colin Thackery Dymond/Thames/Syco/Rex Features A number of famous faces have defended Banjo and his fellow dancers, with Alesha Dixon sharing her support for the one-time BGT winners on Instagram. As is standard procedure, Ofcom will now assess the complaints before deciding whether to investigate. Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti (L) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (R) met at the White House to discuss economic cooperation Kosovo and Serbia officials made progress toward thawing economic relations in talks Thursday at the White House, officials said, but Serbia said it rejected an effort to force it to officially recognize its bitter enemy. Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with senior White House officials including Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter, as US officials urged a deal on opening up economic and transport ties. "They made real progress today," White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said in a tweet. "Economic normalization means jobs for young people. Talks continue tomorrow," he said. Hoti called the meeting "historical" and said they had made "great progress" on improving economic cooperation. "We now had a meeting with the President of Serbia and councillor O'Brien. Tomorrow we are waiting to finalize all this commitment," he told Kosovo media at the White House. But Vucic said the talks were marred by Kosovo's effort to force Serbia to recognize the independence of its former territory. "It contained an article about recognition," he said to reporters. "We thought it should not be in a document about economic normalization, that we couldn't accept it. People from the Trump cabinet listened what we had to say, they were fair and I believe that in other documents that article is no longer there." In the two days of talks brokered by Trump special advisor Richard Grenell, Washington hopes the two sides can finalize proposals to open up road, rail and air links, which Grenell says could boost the economies of both sides. But the two remain bitter over a bloody war fought two decades ago, in which 13,000 died. Kosovo, which broke away and declared its independence in 2008 with broad international support, wants Serbia to recognize it as a separate independent nation. Story continues - Years of talks - Brussels has led negotiations between the two sides for nearly a decade, seeking to normalize the relationship. Grenell, formerly Trump's ambassador to Germany, thought he could broker a less ambitious deal that would help businesses. "We're kind of stuck on political discussions and we keep pounding the same issues over and over without much progress," a Trump advisor said earlier this week. "We do believe that a concentration on the economic development side would produce progress," the advisor said, on grounds of anonymity. Both sides appeared to enter the talks with expectations of a deal to allow flights and trains between them. "Our expectations are extremely positive," Hoti said earlier. "I believe that today's agreement that can be reached on economic cooperation is a step closer to the final normalization of relations with Serbia, and mutual recognition itself." "We want peace, we want stability, we want the progress of Belgrade, Pristina and our entire region," Vucic said in a statement posted online. But Vucic told reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon that Kosovo had placed mutual recognition on the table as one of 16 points to discuss. "There should be no fear that I will sign any document containing recognition of Kosovo. Period," he said. fff/pmh/acb Halle Berry (Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Halle Berry has said that she's 'speechless' after Netflix scooped her directorial debut for a reported $20m (15.5m). The movie, called Bruised, was snapped up ahead of its premiere at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival over the weekend, according to Variety. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: I am speechless. Thank you @netflix for believing in my vision, cannot wait for yall to finally see Bruised. I am speechless. Thank you @netflix for believing in my vision, cannot wait for yall to finally see #BruisedTheMovie. https://t.co/t2Ieg3Jpxv via @variety Halle Berry (@halleberry) September 11, 2020 The movie, in which she also stars, has been a gruelling experience for the Monster's Ball actor. In it, she plays Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter who has to fight one of the sport's upcoming stars, while trying to revive her career and care for the son she abandoned. The movie co-stars real-life UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Berry broke two ribs filming with Shevchenko, an injury which almost saw her pulling out of the starring role. She told Variety: I didnt want to stop because I had prepared for so long. We had rehearsed; we were ready. So my mind, my directors mind, was just keep going. And I compartmentalized that, and I just kept going: Im not going to stop. Ive come too far. Im going to act as if this isnt hurting. Im going to will myself through it. And so we did. Per the movie's official synopsis: Berry stars as a washed-up MMA fighter struggling for redemption as both an athlete and a mother. Jackie 'Justice' (Berry) has been working multiple jobs and barely scraping by ever since losing an important match years ago. When her boyfriend, Desi (Adan Canto), manages to trick her into going to an underground fight, her passion for the sport is reignited. As Jackie prepares to go back to 'the only thing she is good at,' the son she once abandoned is dropped off at her doorstep. Confronted by her past choices and traumas, Jackie will have to fight to reclaim the two most meaningful things she has walked away from: six-year-old Manny and an MMA title. Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, came out as bisexual in an interview with Tamron Hall on Monday. Driving the news: "I dont identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I have never shared publicly before," Gillum, who was once considered a rising star in the Democratic party after his Florida gubernatorial run in 2018, told Hall. Background: In March, Gillum was found inebriated in a Florida motel room with two men, one of whom was identified as a male escort who was being treated for a drug overdose. Gillum later issued a statement saying he planned to withdraw from public life to deal with his alcohol abuse. "Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse," he said. "I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles." Gillum lost the close Florida governor's race to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than half a percentage point and was widely seen as an up-and-coming political star prior to his withdrawal from public life. The mystery surrounding Locky Gilbert's relationship status deepened on Monday, after photos surfaced of the Bachelor star with an unidentified blonde woman who isn't one of his remaining eight contestants. Gossip website The Wash published images of the 31-year-old getting close to a 'female friend' at the Peach Pit bar in Scarborough, Perth, on Sunday night. An onlooker, who claims to have spoken to Locky at the venue, said that he was 'definitely single from what I could see'. Whats going on? The mystery surrounding Locky Gilbert's relationship status deepened on Monday, after photos surfaced of the Bachelor star with an unidentified blonde woman who isn't one of his remaining eight contestants The source said: 'He was friendly with me, but he was with the blonde girl all night, so definitely some flirting there! He's definitely single from what I could see. 'I said to him, "Obviously you didn't end up with anyone from The Bachelor," and he looked at the blonde girl and awkwardly laughed. So I don't think he's with any of them.' The eyewitness account comes after The Bachelor's rumoured winner Irena Srbinovska hinted she was no longer dating the former Australian Survivor star. Caught out? Gossip website The Wash published images of Locky (pictured) getting close to a 'female friend' at the Peach Pit bar in Scarborough, Perth, on Sunday night Eyewitness account: An onlooker, who claims to have spoken to Locky at the venue, said that he was 'definitely single from what I could see'. Pictured with Bella Varelis on The Bachelor On September 3, the Melbourne-based nurse liked an Instagram comment from a reality TV fan who said she was 'too good' for Locky. 'You're too good for him tho!!!' the fan wrote alongside two rose emojis. Irena was among the seven users who liked the comment. While it wasn't conclusive evidence, the social media activity suggested that Irena and Locky had quietly split after filming the finale in July. However, a source close to Irena later told Daily Mail Australia she had in fact liked the comment by accident. Will they go the distance? It comes after The Bachelor's rumoured winner Irena Srbinovska (left) hinted she was no longer dating the former Australian Survivor star What does it mean? On September 3, the Melbourne-based nurse liked an Instagram comment from a reality TV fan who said she was 'too good' for Locky. (A source close to Irena later told Daily Mail Australia she had in fact liked the comment by accident) Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment. Irena, 31, is the current bookies' favourite to win Locky's heart on The Bachelor, with odds of $1.60 on Sportsbet, and $1.42 on TAB. Marketing consultant Bella Varelis, 25, is tipped for runner-up, and senior beautician Bec Cvilikas, also 25, is expected to place third. The Bachelor continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 Attendees the event included 30 enterprises on the list of those receiving funding from the Japanese government to diversify their supply chains. Along with a warm welcome for pouring their capital into the industries that Vietnam is looking to promote, Japanese enterprises also received Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs pledge to create every favourable condition for their business in Vietnam in order to bring benefits to both sides. Significant progresses and increasing fruitfulness have witnessed in Vietnam-Japan economic cooperation in recent years, especially in the area of investment. Japan has always been one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam, with more than 2,500 companies currently operating in Vietnam, including many large economic groups with great success and which are showing interest in expanding their investment in Vietnam. Therefore, the Vietnamese government leaders direct involvement in investment promotion activity with Japanese enterprises at a time when foreign direct investment and the global supply chain are seeing a strong shift has shown Vietnams proactiveness and readiness to seize on this good opportunity. Moreover, successes in Vietnam-Japan investment cooperation in recent years have further strengthened the international business communitys confidence, as well as bolstered high-quality investment flows, considering Vietnam as a destination. Vietnam currently has a huge demand for development investment towards becoming a wealthy country and FDI is one of the resources to realise this aspiration. Along with prompt revisions to investment and business laws, Vietnam is also changing its FDI strategy to focus on quality instead of quantity. Although global FDI is likely to plummet by up to 40% this year, investment in Vietnam in the first eight months of 2020 fell by just 13.7%. Since its establishment two months ago, the special working group on FDI has worked with many global technology companies planning to invest from US$500 million and above in Vietnam. It has been suggested that quarantine will be waived for executives travelling to Vietnam on private planes in order to facilitate the negotiation process. Investors from around the world are turning their attention to Vietnam as a destination for the post-coronavirus new normal period. With strong efforts and determination to enhance its competitiveness with other neighbouring countries in receiving a wave of shifting FDI flows, the Vietnamese market is large enough for ambitious investment plans. OSWEGO SUNY Oswego has suspended all athletic activities, Greek life, and in-person dining to stem a COVID-19 outbreak that has infected well over 100 students. While there are 148 active COVID-19 cases at the college 34 of them identified on Saturday the college's COVID-19 dashboard only counts 49 toward the state's 100-case threshold, which would require classes to move online. The decision was announced on Sunday by State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras and SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley, who attributed the outbreak "almost entirely" to students flouting safety guidelines. The move is intended to curb reckless behavior from a small fraction of students largely living off-campus whose actions jeopardize in-person learning for the entire college community, Malatras said. SUNY Oswego President Stanley and her team have developed and implemented a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan, but repeated instances of careless behavior from some of SUNY Oswegos students, mostly living off-campus, is driving new cases of the virus, Malatras said. ... it only takes a handful of irresponsible actions by a few to spread this vicious virus across an entire campus. The New York State Department of Healths guidance, based on an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, states that colleges and universities must transition all in-person learning to remote when 100 members of the on-campus population inclusive of students, faculty, and staff test positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period. As of Friday, Sept. 11 the conclusion of SUNY Oswegos first 14-day period the college had 82 positive cases counting toward the state-issued 100-count threshold. Therefore, no change in instruction status was applied, college officials said. SUNY Oswego began its second 14-day period on Saturday, Sept. 12, according to the college's interpretation of the state guidance. That period runs through Friday, Sept. 25. SUNY Oswego has reported 34 new cases of COVID-19 during the second two-week window that began Saturday. The state's guidance does not indicate whether the 14-day window should be a rolling or static period. The Department of Health typically defines state and regional infection rates based on the percentage of tests that come back positive over a rolling 14-day period. Colleen McLaughlin, an epidemiologist who chairs the Population Health Sciences Department at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said it would not make sense from a public health perspective to interpret the governor's executive order that way that SUNY has. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "It's an arbitrary cut off point at the end of a 14-day period. (SUNY Oswego) can just stop testing people on the 14th day when they are close to the threshold," McLaughlin said. Three other SUNY Oswego students were not counted toward the DOHs 100-case threshold because they live off-campus and are currently taking classes remotely. According to the college's interpretation of the guidance, only active cases at SUNY Oswego that are characterized as on-campus would count toward the 100-case metric. Stanley, the SUNY Oswego president, noted that the college has tested 6,300 of its nearly 7,000 students, faculty and staff, and has calculated an infection rate of 1.86 percent of the campus population. "With a large amount of baseline and surveillance testing we have done (more than most other institutions around us), we can be confident in the accuracy of that calculation," she wrote in a memo to students. "We tested most of our students when they arrived. There were only three (3) positive cases so we know that the spread we see is almost entirely due to bad behavior, flaunting restrictions and violating the pledges made to keep each other safe." Visitors are barred from residence halls as SUNY Oswego officials work to contain the virus. Off-campus students are still required to attend classes and will be given pool tests before returning to the campus, according to college leaders. According to the college's Office of Human Resources, two employees have tested positive since Aug. 12. CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Disease-spreading mosquitoes may be more likely to occupy areas impacted by human activities like pesticide use and habitat destruction, than they are areas less disturbed by humans, a recent Oregon State University study found. Working in a national park in South Africa, researchers found a significant difference in the abundance and species composition of mosquitoes inside the park versus densely populated areas outside the park, with the species known to spread diseases such as malaria and Zika virus more common in the human-impacted areas outside the park. "People care a lot about what environment a lion needs to succeed in; we've researched that extensively. But people don't do that with mosquitoes. We don't understand them as a group of species and how their ecology differs between species," said study co-author Dr. Brianna Beechler, a disease ecologist and assistant professor of research in Oregon State University's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine. To find disease mitigation strategies for vector-borne diseases, which are diseases that spread via parasites like mosquitoes and ticks, mosquitoes are an obvious target, Beechler said. But scientists don't yet understand mosquitoes well enough to specifically target the species that cause disease. "All we can do is reduce mosquitoes overall, but what may be more effective is to reduce certain species by modifying their habitats," she said. To compare how mosquitoes fared inside Kruger National Park versus in densely populated areas, researchers looked at five "pressures" wrought by human presence: organophosphate pesticide abundance; eutrophication, which is the over-mineralization of water that leads to widespread algae growth; population density; ungulate biomass, which includes domestic animals like cattle and wild animals like impala and buffalo; and vegetation loss. Human populations affect mosquito habitat and breeding patterns in a sort of domino effect. For example, pesticide use spreads into ponds and other small bodies of water, killing the fish and removing the natural predators that would otherwise eat mosquito larvae and keep the insect population low. During South Africa's wet season in 2016-17, researchers trapped 3,918 female mosquitoes from 39 different species both inside and outside the national park. Mosquito abundance was nearly three times higher outside the park -- in areas dominated by humans --than inside the park. And there was a significant difference in the species composition of mosquitoes, with the species known to spread diseases (like dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika virus) more common outside the park than inside. "It seems to suggest that disease-carrying mosquito species certainly did better in human-altered environments," Beechler said, though she noted it's hard to ascertain at this stage why that is. More study is needed to understand the ecological requirements of different mosquito species. There are some success stories with current mosquito mitigation strategies. Beechler cited a technique in the Caribbean where residents are encouraged to introduce fish into any standing water in their vicinity, so the fish can eat mosquito larvae before they have time to hatch. And several countries have experimented with releasing clusters of sterile mosquitoes into the wild, so they will eat and take up resources but are not able to reproduce. "But none of those are targeted at disease-transmitting mosquitoes versus non-disease-transmitting mosquitoes," she said. "It's just, 'All mosquitoes are created equal.'" Vector-borne disease is not currently a pressing issue in Oregon, though there are several different species of mosquito in the state and some have been known to spread West Nile virus. However, mosquitoes carrying malaria, Zika and chikungunya have all been pushing into new territory in recent years. "With climate change, mosquito distributions are likely to change, and disease distributions are likely to change," Beechler said. "So it'd be nice to know how to target those species before that happens." ### The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said a special force will be constituted after an order from the Allahabad high court, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts last December. Briefing reporters in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, The state government has given orders for the constitution of a special security force. A roadmap in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP. This is a dream project of the UP chief minister. The basis of this force is an order of the high court, which had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force. Awasthi said five battalions of the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) will be constituted in the first phase and it will be headed by an ADG-ranked officer. Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around Rs 1,747 crore, Awasthi said. Later, in a statement, he said the force will provide security to the high court, district courts, administrative offices and buildings, metro rail, airports, banks, financial institutions, educational institutions and industrial units. This force will have the powers to search without any warrant. Members of this force will also be able to arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant, the statement said. On December 18, 2019, the Allahabad high court had pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over a shootout at a Bijnor courtroom. Three assailants had on December 17, 2019, opened fire in the court of the Bijnor chief judicial magistrate, killing a murder accused and injuring three others - two policemen and a court employee. The Muzaffarnagar court had witnessed a similar incident in 2015, when an armed man entered the courtroom masquerading as a lawyer and shot dead Vicky Tyagi, an alleged gangster. Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Kumari Yadav, 36, was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the civil court premises in Agra on June 13, 2019. A two-judge high court bench had said that most incompetent police personnel are being posted at the courts, adding that it will seek the deployment of central forces if the state government is not up to the task. Atar Capital, a Los Angeles-based global private investment firm, completed the acquisition of Georgia based foodservice packaging manufacturer WinCup from funds managed by BlackRock, Inc., a global investment management firm. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Through this acquisition, Atar confirms the appointment of a new leadership team for WinCup with Brad Laporte serving as chief executive officer and Michael Winters as president and chief revenue officer. The company intends to use the funds to expand its packaging solutions. Based outside of Atlanta, Georgia, WinCup is a manufacturer of disposable foodservice dine-in and takeout to-go products, such as cups, bowls, containers, lids, straws and stirrers. The company offers two flagship products, Phade, a marine biodegradable, home and industrial compostable straw; and Vio, a biodegradable foam-based cups, lids and straws in the US and Canada. It has broad market access across all foodservice channels of distribution and is a producer for many strategic national brands. WinCup employs nearly 1,000 people across eight manufacturing facilities and serves a blue-chip client base of distributors, restaurant chains and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) retailers that include Fortune 100 businesses with globally recognized brands. FinSMEs 14/09/2020 Schools in China have taken a range of containment measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as more students return to campuses for the fall semester. The Ministry of Education and the National Health Commission issued guidelines last month that included the specific requirements schools need to meet to reopen their campuses and anti-pandemic measures they should follow strictly for the new semester. Having temperatures and health codes checked, reporting their health conditions every day and frequent disinfection of public areas have become routine for students. Although the national guidelines do not require students to wear masks in school, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission still requires students in the capital to wear masks in class. Chen Lihua, principal of Beijing Chaoyang Experimental Primary School, said primary school students, unlike older students, need more time to get used to wearing masks, so the school has tried its best to make sure students can go outside and take off their masks as often as possible. It has moved music, painting and science classes outdoors and redesigned the class schedule so that each 40-minute indoor class is followed by at least a 20-minute break and an outdoor class, she said. "As it gets colder in wintertime, it will be less uncomfortable to wear masks, and possibly the pandemic will be further contained in the country so that students do not need to wear masks anymore," Chen said. Liu Ziyi, a fourth-grade student in Beijing who returned to campus on Sept 7, said the pandemic control measures her school had taken made her feel very safe. Two of her classmates had high temperatures during class on Tuesday, and teachers rushed to send them to hospital, she said. The other students moved to a backup classroom and were allowed to return to their regular room after it was thoroughly sterilized and ventilated, Ziyi said. "I think teachers are paying more attention to students' health. We are told constantly to wash our hands and form good sanitary habits," she said. Zhang Yong, deputy head of the general service office at Peking University, said although the pandemic has largely waned in China, the university has implemented strict anti-pandemic measures to safeguard the health of students and teachers. "We are always on high alert, and we also need to be prepared for a possible resurgence of infections in the winter," he said. The university disinfects and sanitizes all dormitories, class buildings and canteens every day, and they are equipped with infrared temperature scanners to check people entering, he said. Students and faculty members should wear masks in indoor areas, and they are being encouraged not to leave the campus for nonessential travel, he said. "They can still apply to leave campus after gaining approval," Zhang said. "The school has developed a special online system to handle the applications effectively and quickly." The containment measures for educational institutions should be stricter than for other places given the large concentrations of people, and most students and teachers were supportive of the measures, he said. Wang Feng, a second-year postgraduate student at Shandong University in Jinan, Shandong's provincial capital, said students have to take nucleic acid tests before returning to campus. Apart from having their temperatures checked, students also need to scan QR codes to register their previous whereabouts when they enter school buildings. Students can only leave campus after gaining approval from student counselors, she said. Although not being able to leave campus freely was inconvenient, Wang said it made her feel safer. Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. Credit: Wikipedia A major clinical trial of a potential new treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) has found that the statin under investigation holds no promise as a protective therapy in PD. PD-STAT has been running since 2016, and at its start was the largest academic study in the UK investigating neuroprotective drugs in PD. It examined whether simvastatin, a widely-used cholesterol-lowering drug, had the potential to reduce the rate of neurodegenerative decline in patients with PD of moderate severity. The study has now provided robust evidence that simvastatin, in comparison with a placebo, was "futile" in slowing the rate of progression of Parkinson's disease and that a phase III trial should not be recommended. A futility study is designed to test a new treatment over a relatively short period to determine whether it is worthy of larger and longer-term studies or should be abandoned. PD-STAT was led by Dr. Camille Carroll, Associate Professor in the University of Plymouth's Faculty of Health and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP). It was managed by the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), part of the University's Faculty of Health, and sponsored by UHP. Dr. Carroll said, "Although the result of PD-STAT did not show that simvastatin has promise as a protective therapy in Parkinson's, it is very helpful to be able to present robust data and a definitive answer on this important question. There are lots of positives to come out of this study, particularly the extent to which we were able to involve participants across the country, and the very positive feedback received from them and staff in the hospitals involved. PD-STAT has taught us a huge amount about how to improve the way we design and deliver clinical trials in Parkinson's and this knowledge will be very useful in designing future trials." Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition affecting more than 145,000 people in the UK. No drug has been shown to slow, stop or reverse the neurodegenerative process of PD, and most treatments act to relieve symptoms, with a limited lifespan of effectiveness. Statin use has been associated with lower PD incidence, and in toxin and genetic cell culture and animal model studies has been shown to influence several pathways thought to be relevant to PD pathogenesis. Simvastatin has also been shown to reduce the rate of brain atrophy in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. For these reasons, the drug was identified as worthy of investigation by The Cure Parkinson's Trust's International Linked Clinical Trial Initiative. The initiative identifies compounds that have biochemical potential to slow, stop or reverse PD to bring into clinical trials. PD-STAT was conducted at 23 hospitals across England, with 235 participants recruited, who attended up to eight study visits at their local hospital over 26 months, interspersed with regular phone calls from research nurses. The participants were randomized to receive either simvastatin or a placebo (dummy drug) for 24 months, followed by a final study visit at 26 months. Dr. Richard Wyse, director of research and development at The Cure Parkinson's Trust, said, "Given the strength of pre-clinical evidence, and the progress with simvastatin already being made in MS, this is a disappointing result. However, we now have a definitive answer, and that enables us to move forward to test a number of other drugs of interest, many of which have been used to treat other diseases, and all of which we have determined have compelling evidence they each have the potential to modify Parkinson's progression. This has been an important trial as we have not only tested a study medication and evaluated novel outcomes, but we have also used this as an opportunity to understand the impact of involvement in clinical trials on participants and their loved ones. As a result of this trial we now have motivated an active network of researchers who are keen to participate in running future studies of drugs of interest, evaluated and prioritized through the International Linked Clinical Trials process." Helen Matthews, Deputy CEO of The Cure Parkinson's Trust, added, "This trial reached its conclusion thanks to the dedicated participants and network of committed study centers across the country. A huge thank you must go to the participants who not only contributed to this trial but also to the numerous sub-studies that have been part of this wider project. The commitment of participants enables us to secure the definitive answers needed in Parkinson's trials and we cannot undertake this research without them." Katherine Bewsey, one of the trial participants, said, "Taking part in this trial was very easy, all the people I dealt with were pleasant and keen to make sure I was always comfortable. I also received a few extra check-ups as a result of taking part, which was a plus. The only way we'll find out more about which drugs are effective is to do these trialssomeone has to be willing to take part, and it really is for everyone's benefit. At any rate, this is a drug that is well known and already taken by many, although for different illnesses. It's the people trialing new classes of drugs that are the brave ones. All in all, I'd be very happy to recommend taking part in a similar trial to other people." Dr. Pauline McGlone, chief operating officer of NIHR Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula, praised the research team for the way in which it had dealt with the coronavirus outbreak. She said, "I am delighted to see research activity continuing despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented research teams. It's particularly encouraging to hear of the creative solutions the team quickly devised to ensure the study data collection continued. Innovations such as converting to a remote assessment process, including video motor assessments for sites across the country show the flexibility and extra effort teams are going to ensure that the study continued and was not delayed by the pandemic." Officials at San Franciscos health department are launching an investigation at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center after a non-prescribed medication was found in the system of a patient who recently died, officials said Monday. Few details are known about the patient, who city health officials said died this month, other than the person was undergoing end-of-life treatment in a part of Laguna Honda that cares for people with behavioral impairments. The probe comes more than a year after a separate abuse scandal rocked the facility. Laguna Honda serves as a live-in hospital, nursing home and rehabilitation center for more than 700 patients. The earlier investigation found that 23 patients, living in wards that primarily serve people affected by dementia, endured systemic physical and verbal abuse at the hands of six employees between 2016 and January 2019. Some of the patients were allegedly found to have been given both prescription and nonprescription drugs intended to sedate them. Officials havent said what drug was found in the patients system, or whether the substance was detected before or after the patient died. An autopsy is taking place, officials said. The Department of Public Health said in a statement Monday that there is no suspected connection between the non-prescribed medication and the residents passing, though officials would not elaborate on what led them to draw that conclusion. The hospital is deeply committed to creating a safe environment for all our residents, Laguna Honda CEO Michael Phillips said in a letter to residents and caretakers. He added that our partner agencies at both the city and state level would be involved in the investigation. City health officials said oversight of medications dispensed to patients was increased following the patient-abuse scandal last year. Such policy changes led the hospital to find the non-prescribed medication in the patients system, health officials 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. Part of that review will include interviews with patients and staff, as well as safety searches, where patient rooms are checked for drugs or other items, the letter said. The probe announced Monday marks the latest in a series of controversies at the hospital. In 2017, the states health department fined Laguna Honda $100,000 for safety violations that led to a patients death. In 2014, another patient died after a hospital staffer failed to properly lock the patients wheelchair and left them outside a movie theater on a group outing. The wheelchair rolled, causing the patient to fall and sustain head and hip injuries that would lead to their death two weeks later. Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Michael.Williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter @michaeldamianw Mumbai is pride" of Maharashtra and India and to demean the city by likening it to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is blasphemy", All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Ashish Dua said on Monday without naming actress Kangana Ranaut. Taking to Twitter a day after Ranaut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai over the partial razing of her office by the Mumbai civic body, Dua also said the governors office is not for politics". #Mumbai is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. Guv office is not for politics," Dua tweeted. He said the BJP should refrain from dividing citizenson the basis of region". #Mumbai is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. BJP should refrain from dividing citizens on basis of region. Guv office is not for politics https://t.co/Dc9ZwJ0F4V pic.twitter.com/HU6H7tCpJ5 Ashish Dua (@ashishdua_INC) September 14, 2020 Ranaut had said that she met Koshyari to apprise himabout injustice" done to her. The Congress is one of the ruling constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghahdi (MVA) dispensation; the otherbeing the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Earlier in the day, the actress, who left Mumbai for her native Himachal Pradesh, reiterated her PoK barb, which had riled the Sena and other members of the MVA. Ranaut has tweeted that she has been terrorised with"constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparingthe Maharashtra capital with PoK was bang on." With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on. https://t.co/VXYUNM1UDF Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads eversince the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena MP Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after the latter expressedher distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor SushantSingh Rajputs death. JPMorgan did not carry out key checks when employing the son of a potential client, a prosecutor told a Hong Kong court on Monday, the first day of a bribery trial of the bank's former Asia investment banking vice-chairwoman, Catherine Leung. Leung, who repeated a not guilty plea on Monday, is charged with bribing the then chairman of Kerry Logistics Network Ltd, Ang Keng-lam, by employing his son at the US investment bank's Hong Kong office in 2010. She did so, the prosecution said, in anticipation that Ang would influence his company to give JPMorgan a role on its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The investment bank did not consult its legal and compliance department until after the younger Ang's employment contract at JPMorgan was signed, prosecution barrister Robert Lee said in his opening submission. Lee also cited an email he said was written by Leung when Kerry Logistics was in the early stages of preparing for its IPO. "Son is very keen to do IB (investment banking) but does not interview well... The last thing I want is for us to go slow and they ask another bank, and I am sure someone will give him a full-time offer given the mandate that is up for grabs," Lee cited Leung as saying in the email. Leung made no comment in court apart from her plea and declined to comment when approached by Reuters after the first day of her trial. It was not immediately clear whether Ang or his son, Ang Ren-yi, would be asked to give evidence and neither could be reached through their employer on Monday after Leung's plea, or ahead of the trial. Ang Ren-yi left JPMorgan in 2011, the prosecution said in a statement last year. A JPMorgan spokeswoman on Monday referred Reuters to a statement it made last year when the bank said: "This is a historical case, which JP Morgan reached agreement on and settled in 2016." That year, JPMorgan agreed to pay US authorities $264 million to resolve allegations it hired relatives of Chinese officials known as "princelings" to win banking deals. The US authorities at the time said JPMorgan's Asia unit created an elaborate programme, called "Sons and Daughters", that allowed clients and influential government officials to recommend potential hires. Kerry Logistics did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. A representative said last year Ang stepped down as chairman of the firm in August 2012 and that JPMorgan did not participate in Kerry Logistics' IPO in December 2013. NYPD Officers gather in front of the Barclays Center prior to a protest on in Brooklyn, N.Y., on May 29, 2020. (Justin Heiman/Getty Images) New York High School Teachers 11th Grade Handout Compares Police to KKK A high school teacher in the New York City suburbs reportedly started the first day of school with a handout that includes a political cartoon collage comparing police officers to slave owners and Ku Klux Klan members. According to New York Post, the handout containing the cartoon was distributed on Sept. 8 to 11th graders at Westlake High School in Westchester County. The five-panel cartoon shows the progression from slave ship captain to Klansman to modern-day police officer, all pressing their knee into the neck of a black man who is saying I cant breathe, an apparent reference to George Floyds death in Minneapolis police custody. Three passages are featured in the handout alongside the cartoon, with one connecting George Floyds death to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, another about lawmakers of colonial-era Virginia codifying racial distinctions after black slaves joined poor whites in an armed rebellion, and the other claiming that systemic racism in U.S. criminal justice system disproportionately victimizes black men. The handout moves on to ask students to explain the relationships between those passages and images and describe the goals of Black Lives Matter movement. Students are also asked whether or not they agreed with the movement. Ania Paternostro, the mother of a student at Westlake High, told the New York Post that she immediately wrote to school and district leaders to complain about the handout. My daughter showed me the paper. I said, What is this?! Youve got to be kidding me!' Paternostro said, calling the cartoon disturbing. We have to respect the men in blue who protect us. We dont need a teacher brainwashing my kids. Ill teach my kids about whats right and whats wrong, said Paternostro, whose daughter allegedly suffered from cyber bullying for blowing the whistle about the handout. Westlake High School and Mount Pleasant School District have not responded to requests for comments. Mount Pleasant Superintendent Kurt Kotes, however, acknowledged in a letter to parents that the handout is highly controversial in the current climate and promised that the district will be conducting a thorough investigation to determine what exactly occurred in this particular classroom and what, if any, action is to be taken under the circumstances to appropriately address the matter. The controversy came weeks after the same cartoon, created by Ohio-based cartoonist David Fitzsimmons, appeared in an 8th grade social studies assignment in a Texas school district. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott denounced the assignment, saying that comparing police officers to the KKK is beyond unacceptable. Its the opposite of what must be taught, the Republican governor wrote on Twitter. The teacher should be fired. Im asking the Texas Education Agency to investigate and take action. JERUSALEM - An Israeli court on Monday handed down three life sentences to a Jewish extremist convicted in a 2015 arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler and his parents. The Lod District Court found Amiram Ben-Uliel, a Jewish settler, guilty of murder in May for the killing of 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh by firebombing his home in the West Bank village of Duma. The toddlers mother, Riham, and father, Saad, later died of their wounds. Alis 4-year-old brother Ahmad survived the attack. The court said Ben-Uliels actions were meticulously planned, and stemmed from the radical ideology he held, and racism. It said the punishment was close to the maximum penalty prescribed by the law. The 2015 arson attack came amid a wave of vigilante attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank by suspected Jewish extremists. The deadly firebombing in Duma touched a particularly sensitive nerve, drawing condemnation from across Israels political spectrum. Critics, however, noted that lesser non-deadly attacks, such as firebombings that damaged mosques and churches, had gone unpunished for years. And as the investigation into the Duma attack dragged on, Palestinians complained of a double-standard, where Palestinian suspects are quickly rounded up and prosecuted under a military legal system that gives them few rights while Jewish Israelis are protected by the countrys criminal laws. What will the courts decision give me? What will it give to Ahmad? the childs grandfather, Hussein Dawabsheh, told reporters outside the courtroom on Monday. It wont return anything to him. The convicted mans wife, Orian Ben-Uliel, told reporters after the sentencing that the judges didnt seek justice or truth. They decided to incriminate my husband at any price. She said the family would appeal to Israels Supreme Court. Following the hearing, Yair Netanyahu, the prime ministers son, retweeted a crowdfunding campaign in support of Ben-Uliels legal fund that called the trial a despicable libel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family, including Yair, were in Washington on Monday ahead of the signing of agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Shin Bet internal security service had said Ben-Uliel confessed to planning and carrying out the attack, and that two others were accessories. It said he claimed the arson was in retaliation for the killing of an Israeli by Palestinians a month earlier. Ben-Uliel belonged to a movement known as the Hilltop Youth, a leaderless group of young people who set up unauthorized settlement outposts, usually clusters of trailers, on West Bank hilltops land the Palestinians claim for their hoped-for state. The Hilltop Youth have been known to attack Palestinians and even to clash with Israeli soldiers in response to perceived moves by the government to limit settlement activity. Later in 2015, Israel faced a wave of stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians. Most were carried out by lone attackers with no connection to militant groups. Read more about: By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad A new cargo train route from China to Europe through Azerbaijans territories has been put into operation, local media has reported. According to the report, the first freight train on this route, which will depart from Qinhua in eastern China, will arrive in Baku in 15-18 days. The train, consisting of 100 containers loaded with various goods, including industrial equipment and household items, will arrive at the Kazakhstans port of Aktau and then sent by ferry to the Baku International Sea Trade Port Alat. Qian Yong, general manager of international transport company in Jiangxi Province, said that this route will take less time to transport goods than the traditional land and sea transport. Initially, the route is planned to launch 1-2 trains per month, however in the future the number of trains will increase. Note that after the commissioning of the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, cargo from China to Europe and back are delivered via the Trans-Caspian international transport route. Trans-Caspian International Transport Route also makes a significant contribution to the implementation of the Chinese initiative "One belt, one way". The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor was established in February 2014 with the participation of relevant agencies involved in cargo transportation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia. Lately, Ukraine, Romania and Poland have joined the association. Currently the route begins in the Chinese port of Lianyungang and passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, expanding further to Europe either through Georgian Black Sea Ports or through Turkey by BakuTbilisiKars railway. The Trans Caspian transport route is one of the Chinas Belt and Road Initiative important integrated trade corridor. This 6,500 km long corridor enhances development and growth of Central Asia and Caucasus by increasing regional trade, investment and infrastructure. The strike is the second at the Chicago hospital in less than a week. On Saturday, more than 800 nurses at the hospital and its clinics went on strike after failing to reach a agreement. About 1,300 nurses were initially supposed to participate, but a Cook County judge ruled Friday that some nurses in critical care units could not strike because it would endanger patients' safety. An Oregon fire chief has revealed that she broke down as she told her husband and two sons that they lost their homes to a wildfire as she battled another blaze. Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews, 50, and several of her colleagues in Oregon lost their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire last week Monday. She left her Vida home around 8.30pm to respond to a downed power line. The fire quickly spread, prompting her to call local departments for help. By 1am, Plews issued a level 3 evacuation order for Blue River, Vida, Nimrod and Leaburg along a 20-mile stretch of the McKenzie River east of Eugene-Springfield, according to OregonLive. Plews said she then tried calling her husband, Eric Plews, but was unable to reach him. She eventually got one of their sons on his cellphone and told him: 'Get in your car and get out of there.' Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews (pictured) and several of her colleagues in Oregon lost their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire She left her home to respond to a downed power line and said the fire it caused quickly spread, making her issue a level 3 evacuation order within a couple of hours. 'I not only have my life to put back together, I also have a fire department to put back together,' Plews said Other members of Plews's department also lost their homes while they were out battling blazes Eric Plews and their two sons then scrambled to grab items they would needed before racing outside to knock on the doors of their neighbors, yelling: 'We got to get out!' Chief Plews said it wasn't until 24 hours later that she learned both of her homes had been reduced to rubble. She told OregonLive: 'My first thought was, "How do I tell my family?" I didn't know where my family was.' When she finally got in touch with her husband to break the news, she said through tears: 'Im really sorry everything is gone.' He broke down as well, saying: 'We literally lost everything. We had two houses there. Theyre just gone.' But he also told his wife that 'we're all safe. Youve got to stay safe. Well rebuild'. In a separate interview with NBC News, Plews said: 'I not only have my life to put back together, I also have a fire department to put back together. And I honestly don't know how I'm going to do that.' She said many people on her team worked a week straight with only a 24 hour rest period by Sunday when the blaze had burned 161,872 acres and was only five per cent contained. In a Facebook post on the department's page Sunday, Plews wrote: 'I do not know what the future holds or how to navigate this but I am taking one tiny shaking uncertain step at a time and I ask only that you all do the same. 'Be patient. Be kind. Hold the ones you love. We have to do this together.' Two of Oregon's largest fires that continue to threaten communities in Clackamas and Marion Counties remained completely uncontained Sunday, but more favorable weather and an easing of some evacuation warnings in areas indicate an improving situation One of the large fires ravaging the area, the Riverside Fire was still within half a mile of the small city of Estacada, but the spread of the blaze has slowed. A destroyed home is seen in Talent, Oregon, after the wildfire tore through the area on Sunday Workers continue to repair the power system after flames from the Beachie Creek Fire burned through Fishermen's Bend Recreation Site in Mill City, Oregon on Sunday Her message continued: 'We will come out the other side stronger and more resilient. We have all that matters. We have each other.' A high school friend started a GoFundMe page for Plews and her family. As of Monday afternoon, the account raised more than $53,000. The US Forest Service said weather conditions in areas of Oregon, which include mist and favorable wind, was helping to limit the rapid spread of the fires and dispersing smoke and fog to better firefighting conditions. Two of Oregon's largest fires that continue to threaten communities in Clackamas and Marion Counties remained completely uncontained Sunday, but more favorable weather and an easing of some evacuation warnings in areas indicate an improving situation. One of the large fires ravaging the area, the Riverside Fire was still within half a mile of the small city of Estacada, but the spread of the blaze has slowed. In Marion County, where firefighters have been battling the Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires, evacuation levels of several cities were reduced during the weekend. People in central and northeast Oregon, including in Eugene, Portland and Salem, continued to face hazardous air quality Sunday. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reported Air Quality Index numbers that were off the chart. Air Quality Index is considered hazardous between 301 and 500. Portlands index is currently at 426. Values above 500 - which two cities, Madras and Roseburg both reported having - are beyond the index's scale. Officials advised people to stay indoors and that the low visibility, caused by fog and smoke, is creating hazardous driving conditions. In Salem, where the Air Quality Index is 394, a dense smokey haze that clouded roads and homes made it difficult to see further than 50 yards ahead. The National Weather Service in Portland reported that rain is expected Monday night, which could help clear smoke in Oregon. Hong Kong: Over 1.7m tested for COVID-19 The 14-day Universal Community Testing Programme concluded successfully today with a total of about 1,783,000 people being tested for COVID-19. About 1,376,000 people had made appointments since August 29 when the online booking system opened. As at 8pm, a total of about 1,719,000 specimens collected under the programme had been tested. Specimens that test positive for COVID-19 will be referred to the Department of Healths Public Health Laboratory Services Branch for confirmatory tests. Confirmed cases will be followed up and announced by the Centre for Health Protection. So far, there have been 301 cases of personal data being used by others for online booking under the programme. After examination, 161 of the cases were found to involve suspected fraudulent use of others' personal data for booking and they have been referred to Police. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said the successful and smooth operation of the programme hinged on the full support of the Central Government by establishing quickly a nucleic acid test support team to enhance Hong Kong's testing capability in a short period of time. It said more than 570 members of the support team have completed their mission by working zealously days and nights at the temporary air-inflated laboratories, adding they deserved deep respect. The Hong Kong SAR Government also thanked some 6,000 healthcare personnel and students who were responsible for collecting specimens, as well as some 4,000 serving and retired civil servants undertaking administrative support duty, for their professionalism and dedication in providing high quality and efficient services to the public. It would continue to extend and conduct repeated testing for target groups or vulnerable groups, and would not relax its anti-epidemic efforts. Although the epidemic situation in Hong Kong has subsided, there are still asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in the community, the Hong Kong SAR Government noted. It added that the public should stay vigilant and comply with its anti-epidemic directives to facilitate gradual resumption of normal daily lives and economic activities. This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2019. (Sergei Chirikov/AP Photo) Belarus Leader Visits Russia to Secure Support Amid Protests MOSCOWBelarus authoritarian president visited Russia Monday in a bid to secure more loans and political support, as demonstrations against the extension of his 26-year rule entered their sixth week. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greets officials upon his arriving at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Andrei Stasevich /AP Photo) Alexander Lukashenkos talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi come a day after an estimated 150,000 people flooded the streets of the Belarusian capital, demanding Lukashenkos resignation. The Interior Ministry said 774 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities of Belarus for holding unsanctioned rallies on Sunday. Putin said that Russia would provide a $1.5 billion loan to Belarus and fulfill all its obligations under a union treaty between the neighbors. Speaking at the start of the talks, he emphasized that the Belarusians themselves must settle the situation without any foreign meddling, and commended Lukashenko for his pledge to conduct a constitutional reform. Protesters march during an opposition rally in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Tut.by/AP Photo) Protesters in Belarus have dismissed Lukashenkos reelection for a sixth term in the Aug. 9 vote as rigged. The United States and the European Union have criticized the election as neither free nor fair and urged the Belarusian leader to engage in talks with the opposition, a demand he rejected. The opposition has dismissed Lukashenkos talk about constitutional reform as an attempt to win time and assuage the protesters anger. Putin hailed it as a timely and reasonable move that would help reach a new level in the development of the political system. A woman wearing white stands in front of a riot police line during an opposition rally in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (TUT.by via AP) In a bid to win Moscows support, the 66-year-old former state farm director has tried to cast the protests as an effort by the West to isolate Russia, which sees the neighbor as a key bulwark against NATO and a major conduit for energy exports to Europe. As he sat across the table from Putin, Lukashenko pointed at NATOs drills near Belarus borders and said that the two countries must strengthen their defense ties. Putin emphasized that Russian paratroopers who arrived in Belarus for joint drills that began Monday will leave the country after the exercise. Riot police officers detain a protester during an opposition rally in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photo) Russia and Belarus have a union treaty envisaging close political, economic and military ties, but they have often engaged in acrimonious disputes. Before the election, Lukashenko repeatedly accused the Kremlin of pressing Belarus to abandon its independence. But with the United States and the European Union criticizing the election and readying a package of sanctions, Lukashenko now has to rely squarely on Russias support. Despite frictions in the past, the Kremlin abhors the prospect of public protests forcing the resignation of the Belarusian leader, fearing it could embolden Putins critics at home. Riot police officers detain a protester during an opposition rally in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photo) Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his re-election and promised to send Russian police to Belarus if protests there turn violent, noting that there is no need for that yet. We see Belarus as our closest ally and we will undoubtedly fulfill all our obligations, the Russian leader told Lukashenko during Mondays talks. Women with a wreath on their heads pose for a photo during an opposition rally in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (TUT.by via AP) Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger who left for Lithuania a day after the vote, under pressure from the authorities, warned Putin that any agreements he may reach with Lukashenko will not stand. Im very sorry that you have opted to have a dialogue with the usurper and not the Belarusian people, she said Monday. Any agreements signed with Lukashenko, who lacks legitimacy, will be retracted by the new government. Pavel Latushko, a former culture minister and ambassador to France who was forced to leave Belarus after joining the oppositions Coordination Council, warned that while the Kremlin is standing by Lukashenko now it may move later to engineer his departure. Lukashenko discredits himself each day, and when he completely loses his authority it would be easier for Moscow to replace him, Latushko told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Poland. The Kremlin already has made a decision and is moving to fulfill a careful plan to have Lukashenko removed. As Belarusian authorities continued to target the opposition with pressure and arrests, the United Nations Human Rights Council agreed to hold an urgent debate on Belarus on Friday. Western and Latin American countries supported the motion, while Venezuela and the Philippines sided with Belarus. African nations mostly abstained. In a speech on Monday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet emphasized that all allegations of torture by the security forces should be documented and investigated. German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert, strongly urged the Belarusian authorities to stop using force against demonstrators, release all political prisoners and start a dialogue with the opposition. Unfortunately, every day brings new evidence that Lukashenkos rule is supposed to be preserved with fear and repression, he said. By Vladimir Isachenkov Diesel bookseller Lynn Aime makes a sale next to a sign asking customers to contribute to the shop's GoFundMe. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Next to a bottle of hand sanitizer, on a table at an entrance to Brentwood's Diesel bookstore, is a message to customers describing an existential crisis induced by a pandemic. It says, in essence: We need your help. "We have tried to weather this storm, with creative reinvention, hard work, and perseverance, as we always have," reads the note from Diesel owners Alison Reid and John Evans. "We've managed to keep our booksellers afloat financially and with the necessary health care. But at this point, our stores are foundering. "... So we are asking for your support to restore us to a sustainable level, to make it through this taxing time... We have resisted this appeal to our wider community, but now we are running out of time. It is either this, or ending our run as a quality independent bookstore." Online orders, gift card purchases and the recent return of indoor shopping by appointment only have helped keep afloat the charming bookstore tucked inside the Brentwood Country Mart. But as Reid and Evans alerted some 3,500 people via email, "it is not enough, given our rent, operating expenses and our publisher debt, to sustain us." Diesel, A Bookstore is a small retail chain with locations in Brentwood and Del Mar. Both face the threat of permanent closure, but the situation in the upscale Westside neighborhood is more dire. COVID-19 has brought plenty of hardship to small businesses across the country. In Los Angeles, iconic restaurants, delis and bars have been forced to close permanently, unable to keep pace with rent and other bills as business slumps. And across California, bookstores are no exception. Berkeley's University Press Books shut its doors after 46 years. Wolfman Books in downtown Oakland closed for good at the end of July. Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood and Angel City Books and Records in Santa Monica both started GoFundMe pages in the spring; San Francisco's historic City Lights Bookstore has done the same. Other struggling bookstores in L.A. are following suit. Story continues West Hollywood's Book Soup and Vroman's, with locations in Pasadena and Hastings Ranch, were accepting donations online during the first phase of the pandemic to help keep them going. The $10,000 raised for the stores which are all Vroman's operations was used to pay operating expenses. Now, even as business improves, they're focused on managing their cashflow "very carefully," Chief Executive Julia Cowlishaw wrote in an email. "We want to keep our doors open, provide as many jobs as possible and continue to be a vital part of our communities," she wrote. "Thankfully, the company had created a cash reserve which, together with the Paycheck Protection Program loan, has allowed us to weather the crushing losses of the past seven months, and will take us through the Christmas season." Other booksellers don't feel so confident. Diesel launched its fundraiser on Sept. 3. As of Monday morning, some 600 people had donated more than $92,880 a solid start, but a long way from its $400,000 goal. Weve had wonderful support from our customers, but we are struggling under the consequences of Covid-19. We are asking for your support to return to a sustainable level. Thank you for anything and everything. https://t.co/dsLxDgQLR0 DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood (@DIESELBrentwood) September 3, 2020 "We hate, hate, hate the idea" of asking for donations, said Evans, "so we resisted doing it, up until two weeks ago." But there was no choice, he said. "We pushed ourselves into the position where we either have to do it or we have to close and go bankrupt." Before 2009, the number of indie bookstores was steadily declining in the wake of Amazon's explosive growth. But 14 years after the online retailer's founding, the tide began to turn. Between 2009 and 2018, the American Booksellers Assn. reported a nearly 50% increase in the number of indie bookstores in the United States. A key reason for the resurgence has been booksellers' ability to "build, create and sustain community," said Ryan Raffaelli, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and author of "Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores." "There's a lot of different forms that bookstores have taken in terms of business models to expand the revenue channel over the last 10 years," he said. "So a call for help while we may think about a GoFundMe as being quite unique I think is an extension of a long tradition of bookstore owners recognizing that they're co-creating community with the customer." Bookstores have seen that firsthand. At Once Upon a Time, a few customers have written checks for the Montrose children's bookstore. "Some asked me to have it spent on personal protection things," said owner Maureen Palacios. Others wanted their donation to help a child buy books. At Diesel, the outpouring of support from customers and fellow booksellers many of whom face the same threats has been heartwarming, Evans said. Contributions have ranged from $5 to $5,000. In response to the letter, others have dropped by the store for indoor shopping and are buying more books than normal. "That's a very pragmatic, down-to-earth, generous investment in the store," Evans added. In May, books were bagged and ready for curbside customer pickup at the Last Bookstore in downtown L.A. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) The indoor shoppers are making a noticeable difference: Sales in August were down 55% compared to last August, an improvement over the 70% to 80% decline of previous months. The PPP money Diesel received in May covered most of June's costs, including wages, employee healthcare, publisher debt and rent, which their landlord has deferred since April and will likely continue deferring through the end of the year. "Our rent is very high. At Brentwood Country Mart it's just insane." These debts multiply every month. Most banks aren't interested in loaning to small businesses because they don't make much profit off of them, Evans said, and he has little faith that state and federal governments will help. "If you don't have an organized financial system or government system that supports bookstores, then you're left with a kind of community funding, which is erratic and chaotic and not dependable," he said. "That's kind of where we're at. ... As it is now, we aren't functional or sustainable." Neither is Larry Edmunds Bookshop. In March, owner Jeffrey Mantor was preparing for the start of Hollywood's live events season when the pandemic forced immediate closures. He lost the two things that have keep the bookstore thriving for decades: international tourism and live events. "I was basically losing what is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for my business, and we really had no recourse to make up for that," he said. Mantor initially resisted launching a GoFundMe, but without a viable e-commerce site, he saw no choice. The major success of City Lights Bookstore's fundraiser encouraged him. "I realized that this store had pretty great customer support too, and a lot of people who have shopped here for a very long time." The $46,000 raised has paid for overhead expenses, wages and new computers. Mantor even hired a website developer. "The money has left the lights on." On a recent Thursday afternoon, Katherine Cooper browsed through the empty aisles of Diesel for the first time in months. The 60-something-year-old Malibu resident had trekked to Brentwood to pick up Hilary Mantel's historical novel "The Mirror & the Light," the final book in the Wolf Hall trilogy. Since the bookstore's Malibu location closed in 2014, she's traveled the 20 miles often to buy from one of her favorite bookshops. She wants to ensure it's around for years to come. Bookseller Mia Wigmore, left, helps customer Olivia Janisch at the Diesel, A Bookstore in Brentwood. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) "I think [indie bookstores] are a dying breed as far as the bricks-and-mortar, and I just think it's important to keep them in business, to keep them going," she said. "It's fundamental." Cooper hadn't heard about Diesel's GoFundMe until a Times reporter approached her. She vowed to make a contribution and she said she'd tell her bookworm friends to do the same. "Bookstores have a coterie of committed customers who are eager and want to support them," said Raffaelli, the Harvard business professor. "The challenge becomes, as the pandemic goes on: How do you move beyond the initial spike, given that it's unclear how long you would go?" Tough as the times are, Thatcher Robinson, Diesel's store manager in Brentwood, sees the good that's emerged from the pandemic. "It's making people realize how much they rely on businesses that don't have a ton of money their local restaurants and local bookstores. People are opening their eyes that we need to support these places all the time, not just right now." The local arm of Japanese automotive brand Mitsubishi has just delivered the first Outlander PHEV, its flagship Plug-in Hybrid SUV, to its owner. Following the car's official introduction last September 5, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) officially handed the keys of the first Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV to Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) Manila Branch General Keiichi Matsunaga, to be used as an official company vehicle. A global integrated business enterprise, MC is a 20-percent shareholder of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. MC develops and operates its business along with its offices and subsidiaries in around 90 countries and regions worldwide, as well as a global network of around 1,700 group of companies. outlander phev MMPC President and CEO Mutsuhiro Oshikiri expressed confidence on the collaboration between the companies. With the initial transaction of Outlander PHEV to Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), MMPC is excited to jumpstart a collaboration between the two companies that is geared to promote environment friendly and self-sustaining technology. As announced in January, we plan to integrate Vehicle to Home (V2H)1 showcase facilities to some of our pilot dealers. We hope that in the future, we can also collaborate with MC to accelerate introduction of renewable and self-sustaining power supply system to MMPC, Oshikiri said. Earlier, MMPC said that it will release the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV via Peak Motors Philippines Inc. (PMPI) dealership branch in Manila Bay, which will also be the first premier Mitsubishi dealer that will install a Vehicle to Home (V2H) showcase facility. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a price tag of P2.998 million. Early next year, the Mitsubishi Outlander will also be sold by Fast Autoworld Philippines Corporation, SFM Sales Corporation, Motor Plaza Incorporated and Mindanao Integrated Commercial Enterprises Incorporated. Since its inception in 2013, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has expanded its footprint in more than 60 countries globally, selling more than 260,000 units as of last month. Story continues Photo/s from Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Inc. Also read: Mitsubishi to Introduce Outlander PHEV Yearend This Year Expect the Next-Gen Mitsubishi Outlander to Get Bigger Mitsubishi PH Gives Outlander PHEVs, i-MiEVs to Department of Science and Technology THE ruling Zanu PF says contrary to claims by its opponents, it is happy to engage with the opposition in a bid to find solutions for Zimbabwes decades-old political and economic crises, the Daily News On Sunday reports. In addition, it says, it welcomes the role that South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa and his African National Congress (ANC) are playing to assist the country to overcome these challenges. This comes as calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to hold much-needed dialogue with key stakeholders that include the opposition have reached fever pitch. Speaking to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday, Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu said the former liberation movement had no problems engaging the opposition as this was consistent with the ruling partys post-2017 modus operandi. Thank you for allowing me to discuss the Zimbabwean question, whose major pivot of contestations of power have been both positively and maliciously fore-grounded, either in the interest of promoting genuine national development, or an artificial political crisis narrative. To this end, and in pursuit of our widened democratic space, courtesy of the values of the Second Republic, we welcome the proposal by the ANC to engage with other actors within the equation matrix of the said Zimbabwean Crisis. The ANC will do so in the context of the historical fraternal links which our political cultures in both Zimbabwe and South Africa are grounded on. In essence, this expresses both Zanu PF and the ANCs sincere propensity towards sustainable democracy in the region, Mpofu told the Daily News On Sunday. This will be a significant development as it will substantiate how former liberation movements (FLMs) are extending the space for political dialogue to political parties which are deep-rooted in challenging the very existence of African nationalism. So, the clarion call for engagement on the part of the ANC dovetails with what we have seen here at home through the establishment of the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad). So, as liberation fronts of Africa, we are cultivating a culture of cross-cutting political engagement to destabilise the polarisation which has kept the post-colonial state in Africa in civil unrest and massive conflict. So, instead of looking at the ANC as a mere facilitator of dialogue in narrow contemporary limits, one needs to look at the ANC as a brother to Zimbabwes national interests, in as much as Zanu PF is kith and kin to South-Africas continued fight for political and economic emancipation, Mpofu said further. He also said Zanu PFs decision to allow the ANC to meet with the opposition and civil society organisations in future, as part of trying heal the political rifts in the country, was neither new nor sudden. You will recall that in 2008 we enabled dialogue to take place between ourselves and the opposition. From the very foundation of the Second Republic under President Emmerson Mnangagwa we created a far-reaching policy position for sustainable political dialogue through the 1 August violence commission of inquiry. This was a ground-breaking precedent to the future of political dialogue in our country. Therefore, beyond the ANCs proposal to engage opposition parties and some civil society organisations (CSOs) working in the service of the regime change agenda is a continuity to the principle of engagement and re-engagement which we have been able to domesticate as part of the post-November 2017 transitional political culture, Mpofu further told the Daily News On Sunday. This comes after ANC bigwigs visited Harare last week for bilateral talks with Zanu PF, which gave them the green light to meet with local opposition groups and other key stakeholders in future. The two former liberation movements were described as having been very candid and robust with each other in their heart-to-heart dialogue, which was held at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare. At the end of their visit, the ANC bigwigs implored both Zanu PF and the opposition to work together in the interest of the country, and to end Zimbabwes myriad challenges. Briefing the media, ANC secretary-general, Ace Magashule, said the meeting with their Zanu PF counterparts had progressed well as both parties were frank with each other. We had very frank, open and robust discussions and we committed ourselves to introspection and renewal of our values. We have agreed that at the same time, at the centre of whatever we do as liberation movements should be our people who are still marginalised and jobless because that is our work. so that we understand and comprehend the challenges. We have agreed that as the ANC, we came here to engage with Zanu PF and yes we have agreed that we will come back to meet other stakeholders or whoever you refer to so that we understand and comprehend the challenges. We have received requests from Transform Zimbabwe political party, the United States ambassador, Simba Makoni, Zapu and the MDC Alliance we agreed with Zanu PF that it was important that we meet them . So we are going to arrange for our coming back to meet them, Magashule said. The ANC heavyweights also said they had agreed with Zanu PF that while Zimbabwe was facing challenges economically and politically, that did not amount to a crisis. In terms of issues of human rights, we have said as liberation movements this is what we have fought for and what we were fighting against during colonialism, and that therefore we should by all means respect human rights. We are the first to say we respect human rights, freedom of association, freedom of speech and all the basic freedoms which are there universally. So, we re-committed ourselves time to ensure that we listen to the views of others while we continue to interact and that is why we will engage other parties and stakeholders. We will come back to meet with them so that we encourage interaction. We cannot dictate to Zimbabweans what to do because it is a sovereign country like any other and therefore as fraternal organisations we continue to to engage so that we have one understanding in terms of human rights, Magashule added. The meeting came as the calls for Mnangagwa to hold national talks with all key local stakeholders have now reached a crescendo in the wake of Zimbabwes deepening political and economic crises. South Africa and its leaders including former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma have in the past successfully mediated Zimbabwes political crises. A decade ago, both Mbeki and Zuma helped to broker the stability-inducing 2008 government of national unity between opposition giant Morgan Tsvangirai and former president Robert Mugabe who are both late following the hotly disputed 2008 presidential election. A father in Florida forgave the man sentenced to death for sexually assaulting and murdering his nine-year-old daughter before dropping her body off the side of bridge in 2014. On Friday, Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Sisco affirmed a jury's unanimous death penalty recommendation for Granville Ritchie, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Ritchie, 41, was found guilty last year of first-degree murder, sexual battery and aggravated child abuse in connection to Felecia Williams. Ritchie's attorney, Bjorn Brunvand, had argued that Ritchies abusive and violent childhood in Kingston, Jamaica, and lack of prior criminal history should prevent him from being put to death. Granville Ritchie (pictured) was sentenced to death on Friday in Hillsborough County, Florida, after being convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery and aggravated child abuse He was convicted of raping and murdering Felecia Williams, a nine-year-old girl from Temple Terrance, in 2014 'May God have mercy on your soul, Mr. Ritchie,' said Judge Sisco as she revealed the death sentence. In a shocking turn, Felecia's father took the stand during Friday's sentencing and said that he forgave Ritchie. 'I'm not like everybody else, bro. I ain't got no ill will against you,' said Williams, WREG reports. 'The journey you got ahead of you, you going to need God. I forgive you.' Williams admitted that he didn't seek revenge because 'a lot of people would have suffered if I would have dealt with it.' Jerome Williams (right), next to Felecia Demerson (left): 'he journey you got ahead of you going to need God. I forgive you' Williams added that he's also spent time in prison, but the specific crime he committed is unclear. 'I'm not like everybody else, I've been where you've been at. I'm still supposed to be where you be at,' said Williams. 'But he [God] set me free. That's what he'll do for you. He may not release you physically, but spiritually he will. You ask God to make you a better man. Because I asked, and he made me a better man, so I ask that you do the same.' Since his release from prison, Williams has worked towards creating a new life by starting a business and getting an education to become a legal interpreter. 'Don't look at this as your life being over,' Williams told Ritchie. 'You did wrong. Your mistakes is [sic] worse than others. 'When you get back to your cell, you get on your knees and you pray harder than you ever prayed in your life, and you ask for his forgiveness. I give you mine, I got no ill will toward you, bro. I love you, you are a child of God. But don't play with it, because if you play with it, he's going to destroy you.' Felecia Demerson, the victim's mother, arrived to the sentencing in an all black ensemble: a black dress adorned with a glittering Hello Kitty pin, her daughter's favorite character, and a black face mask with Felecia's name printed on top. The color was not just a symbol of mourning for her daughter's death. 'I just want to say that I've waited 2,310 days for this day to come,' said Demerson, Tampa Bay Times reported. 'I am here to stand as a wounded mother. I'm here wearing all black, because I'm here to bury (Ritchie) today.' Defendant Granville Ritchie (right), 41, was lead into the courtroom on Friday in front of Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Sisco to receive sentencing Demerson (pictured): 'I am here to stand as a wounded mother. I'm here wearing all black, because I'm here to bury (Ritchie) today' Demerson said her only regret was that Ritchie could not be hanged, so he could feel the same thing that Felecia felt seven years ago. Ritchie and Felecia did not know each other before they met on May 16, 2014, but they were both close with Eboni Wiley. Granville Ritchie (pictured in mugshot) killed Felecia Williams on May 16, 2014 Wiley was a neighbor and friend to Felecia's family. She met Ritchie in May of that year and the two began dating. On that tragic day, Felecia left home with Wiley and they went with Ritchie to his mother's apartment at the Doral Oaks Apartment complex. Ritchie instructed Wiley, who was tasked with watching Felecia, to leave the home to buy marijuana. Ritchie then sexually assaulted and strangled the girl while Wiley was away, prosecutors said. When Wiley returned nearly an hour later, Ritchie claimed that he gave Felecia money to go buy candy at a nearby CVS store and she had not returned. According to the Tamp Bay Times, prosecutors said that Ritchie raped and strangled the young girl before hiding her body in a suitcase. Later that night, Ritchie drove to the Courtney Campbell Causeway where he dumped Felecia's body into the bay. Wiley initially told investigators that Felecia had run away while she and Ritchie had sex in a bedroom, but admitted she lied after the girl's body was found the next day. Wiley was witness in Ritchie's trial, and was charged with lying during a missing person investigation. She is set to star trial in October and, if convicted, could face up to five years in prison. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 By Zhale Qasimova - Trend: A new filling station under the SOCAR brand was commissioned at the 119th kilometer of the Baku-Astara highway in Azerbaijans Salyan district on September 14, Trend reports citing the SOCAR Petroleum CJSC. Thus, the number of gas stations operating in the country under the SOCAR brand reached 35, said the company. According to SOCAR Petroleum, six fuel dispensers were installed at the filling station, through which the sale of Premium gasoline, RON-92 and diesel fuel will be carried out. Conditions have been created at the filling station for the simultaneous servicing of eight small vehicles and two large-capacity trucks, added the company. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 09:29:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in the Australian state of Victoria on Sunday, as frustration over an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown boiled over. In the capital city of Melbourne, 74 people were arrested and 176 infringement notices were issued for violating lockdown regulations which require residents to remain at home other than for essential reasons. Roughly 250 people attended the largest demonstration at Queen Victoria Market, with many in the crowd becoming aggressive towards officers, and one person charged with assaulting police. A spokesperson for Victoria Police said that as long as it remains unlawful for residents to leave their homes to protest, those who do will be held accountable. "It was extremely disappointing to see people not just protesting, but putting the lives of other Victorians at risk despite all the warnings," the spokesperson said. Victoria has remained in stage 4 lockdown for roughly the past six weeks, with restrictions expected to last for at least another month. Premier Daniel Andrews said that despite the difficulties involved and impact on residents and the economy, maintaining strict social distancing was the only way to contain the virus. On Monday, Victoria recorded a further 35 cases of COVID-19 -- the lowest number in a 24-hour period since late June. Enditem Journalist Bob Woodward opened up to CBS' News' "60 Minutes" in an interview airing Sunday on the moment in August when President Trump told him, "nothing more could have been done" on the coronavirus. Driving the news: Trump made the remarks, recorded by Woodward and broadcast by CBS, during one of their final interviews, as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 was surging. "Does he remember what he told me, back in February, about it's more deadly than the flu?" Woodward said, in reference to an earlier interview with Trump on the virus' dangers. "[I]t almost took my breath away, that there was such certainty, when he was absolutely wrong about the issue that defines the position of this country right now." Woodward said it was a "tragedy" that Trump sought to downplay the virus threat. "The president of the United States has a duty to warn. The public will understand that," he said. "But if they get the feeling that they're not getting the truth, then youre going down the path of deceit and cover up." Of note: In the interview, Woodward told CBS journalist Scott Pelley that he was present "before the virus was on anyone's radar" when National Security Advisor Robert OBrien told the president on Jan. 28, "This virus will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency." Asked what Trump's reaction to O'Brien's remarks was, Woodward said the president's "head popped up and he asked questions" as his advisers had a difference of opinion on the matter, including that COVID-19 would be "no worse" than SARS in 2003, when there were only eight known cases. But Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, who'd been a reporter in China, said his contacts in the country told him, "This is going to be like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed 675,000 people in this country." "It was a stunning moment in the Trump presidency and, I think, in American history. Because [Trump] then went on to publicly dismiss the virus. And he knew, that this was a pandemic coming." Woodward What else he's saying: Pelley noted that some of the legendary journalist's fans might be disappointed that he reaches an "editorial conclusion" at the end of his book, "Rage," on the president: WOODWARD: "Yes. I say the president is the wrong man for the job. PELLEY: "But, you're known as the reporter who doesn't put his thumb on the scale. And yet, at the end of this book, you do just that. WOODWARD: "It's a conclusion based on evidence, overwhelming evidence, that he could not rise to the occasion with the virus and tell the truth. And one of the things that President Trump told me, 'In the presidency, there's always dynamite behind the door.' "The real dynamite is President Trump. He is the dynamite." The other side: Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Wednesday that he downplayed the virus' threat because he wanted to "show a calmness." He said Woodward "does hit jobs with everybody," including his predecessor, former President Obama. "So, I figured, you know let's just give it a little shot. I'll speak to him, wasn't a big deal," Trump added. "I don't know if the book is good or bad I have no idea. [I] probably, almost definitely, won't read it because I don't have time to read it." Go deeper: Why Trump talked to Woodward Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. The Coastal Development Authority (CODA) has cut the sod for the construction of a 24-Unit Lockable Stores, 2 Open Sheds, and Drains with Culvert at the Asebu Market in the Central Region. The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District Assembly, Honourable Felicia Aba Hagan in her welcome address expressed her sincere thanks to the Chiefs and people of Asebu traditional area for their enormous support. She explained that for many years the market has been the biggest among all traditional areas around and is the major place where foodstuffs and other farm produce are brought for sale. According to her, the market upon completion will serve many communities and also bring development and business opportunities to the community. She thanked President Nana Addo and the CEO of CODA, Lawyer Jerry Ahmed Shaib for ensuring that their community is benefiting immensely from the one million one dollar per constituency programme. The CEO of CODA, Lawyer Jerry Ahmed Shaib in his address said that the project is being funded by CODA through the one million dollars per constituency programme under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) under the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives (MSDI) in fulfillment of the Presidents promise in 2016. He further said that the sod cutting is not only for the construction of market sheds but also includes the construction of 24 lockable stores and drains with culverts to help solve the problem of flooding at the market anytime it rains. He explained that the market upon completion would be given first to the market women who were originally selling there and not be given any other person unless everyone has been sorted out first. According to the CEO, the President is a man of his words who is known for keeping his promises. He made it clear that in addition to the Asebu market project, there are several completed projects and ongoing IPEP-funded projects in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese constituency as well. He mentioned some of the projects as five (5) water systems, five (5) toilet systems, CHPS Compound at Asebu Ekroful and drains at Asebu Zongo, a 3-Unit Classroom block at Ohiaba, a 3-Unit Classroom block at Mpredwo, drains at New Ebu, 3-Unit Classroom block at Aponapondo Kwamankese, Childrens ward at Abura Dunkwa Hospital, 3-Unit Classroom block at Akokorkrono. Others are CHPS Compound at Brafoyaw, Community Library at Amosima, Durbar Grounds at Edumfa, Afrangua, and Nyamedom. He implored the Chiefs to remember to pray for the President to enable him to bring more development to their doorstep. He assured that all artisans that would be needed for the projects would be recruited from their community. He also promised that CODA will consider the construction of a taxi station and shed to provide shelter and a decent environment for drivers to ply their trade in. The Deputy Central Regional Minister, Honourable Thomas Adjei Barfour in his address assured the Chiefs and people that the President will continue to fulfill his promises so long as they continue to support him. He told the gathering that out of the landing beaches being constructed by the current government, seven (7) of them are in the Central Region and Moree which is in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese district is also a beneficiary. He further appealed for the maximum support from the Chiefs and people to enable the smooth completion of the project. He also advised that the people should ensure that they maintain the market well upon its completion. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese constituency, Honourable Elvis Moris Donkoh in his address expressed his happiness for having this market constructed for the people. He assured the people that the project would commence and complete successfully because the President always ensures that he keeps to all his promises. He further explained a lot of projects that have been completed by the current government. He mentioned several social interventions like the school feeding programme that has been expanded under this government. He also mentioned the community that has been connected to the water systems and are enjoying good water for the first time. He used the opportunity to introduce the contractor of the project, M/S Elink Global Ltd. to the people and promised that the duration of the project is eight (8) months but will ensure that it is completed as early as possible. The contractor promised that he will commence the project on Monday 14th September 2020 and complete in eight (8) months. Nana Amoah VIII, Chief of Amosima and an Appeals Court Judge in his closing remarks appealed to all politicians to ensure that the 2020 election is free of violence and insults. He also expressed their support for the government for the good works they are doing and prayed that more projects be brought into their community. He advised the youth that when they get the opportunity to work with the contractor, they should ensure that they work diligently so that the project will go on successfully without any hindrance. He also appealed to the contractor to make sure that he completes the project as early as possible to enable the market women to use the facility. Present at the sod cutting ceremony were Mr. Kingsley Karikari-Bondzi, Deputy CEO for CODA in charge of Greater Accra Region, Nana Obrempon Nimo Brom IV (Chief of Asebu Amantsindo), Nana Amansema Kese (Obaahema of Asebu Asebu Amantsindo), Nana Andzi Bofo IX (Chief of Asebu Ekroful), Nana Kyei V (Chief of Asebu Apewosika), Nana Owiredu Apreko I (Dabiahen), Nana Bentsin VI (Chief of Asebu Old Ebu), and Nana Amoah VIII (Chief of Amosima). Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Case Western Reserve University is the top private university in Ohio, and Ohio State leads the states public universities for 2021, according to newly released rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The consumer-focused news site uses 17 factors grouped into four categories to produce the annual widely recognized higher education rankings. U.S. News & World Report this year included a graduate indebtedness category, which ranks schools based on average amount of graduate debt and proportion of graduates with student debt. Other measures include graduation and retention, graduation rate performance and social mobility, which indicates how well schools serve Pell Grant students. The full methodology is detailed on the U.S. News & World Report site. U.S. News & World Report also adjusted the rankings to reflect changes from the coronavirus pandemic, like ranking test-blind schools, which do not require ACT or SAT scores in admissions. Many Ohio schools have moved to a test-optional policy because of widespread testing cancellations due to the pandemic. Case Western Reserve University removed its ACT and SAT requirements for the fall of 2021, though students may still submit scores. The site groups institutions into different categories, with the National Universities set apart through doctoral degree offerings and research activity. Universities that do not offer many doctoral programs are sorted into the regional universities category. Case Western Reserve University (tied for 42 overall) Ohio State University - Columbus (tied for 53 overall) Miami University - Oxford (tied for 103 overall) University of Dayton (tied for 133 overall) University of Cincinnati (tied for 143 overall) Ohio University (tied for 176 overall) Kent State University (tied for 217 overall) University of Findlay (tied for 241 overall) Bowling Green State University (tied for 258 overall) University of Akron (tied for 272 overall) Lower in the rankings, U.S. News & World Report groups closely ranked schools together into brackets. Falling into the group ranked 298-389 are Cleveland State University, Union Institute and University, University of Toledo and Wright State University. In Ohio, the top five Midwest Regional Universities were: John Carroll University (2 overall) Xavier University (tied for 5 overall) Baldwin Wallace University (tied for 10 overall) Franciscan University of Steubenville (tied for 15 overall) Cedarville University (tied for 21 overall) Ohio schools which largely serve undergraduates but do not qualify as liberal arts schools are grouped into the Midwest Regional Colleges category. The top five are: Ohio Northern University (3 overall) Marietta College (tied for 8 overall) University of Mount Union (tied for 10 overall) Hiram College (15 overall) Heidelberg University (tied for 21 overall) This story has been corrected to include University of Cincinnati in the National Universities category. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Read what is in the news today: Society Vietnam reported three imported COVID-19 cases, all Vietnamese returnees from Russia, on Sunday. The total number of cases now stands at 1,063, with 918 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. A Vietnam Airlines repatriation flight carried nearly 350 Vietnamese citizens home from Australia on Saturday, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday. Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on Sunday sent a letter of congratulations to the Vietnam News Agency on its 75th founding aniversary (September 15). Five in a group of six students drowned as they went for a swim at a pond in Tinh Bien District in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on Sunday afternoon. A 14-year-old boy in the northernmost Vietnamese province of Ha Giang died at the hospital after a rockslide had hit a wall of his house, causing it to collapse on him on Sunday. Police in Cai Be District, located in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, on Sunday said they were investigating a case where a son used gasoline to set fire to his father, leaving the father with a burn of over 71 percent of his body surface. The Ministry of Transport has lifted social distancing rules that apply to passengers of public transportation services, including flights, departing from the former COVID-19 epicenter of Da Nang, starting Sunday afternoon. The Southern Region Hydro-meteorological Observatory has forecast that it will rain on a large scale in the region, and in Ho Chi Minh City in particular, this week. Lifestyle The German Film Festival kicked off at the National Cinema Center in Hanoi on Saturday night and will last until October 10, with eight movies to be screened. Sports Austrias Dominic Thiem claimed his first Grand Slam title with a stunning comeback to beat Germanys Alexander Zverev in Sundays U.S. Open final, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! WASHINGTON - The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times local): 8:20 p.m. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is promising to restore dignity for everyone, especially the poor if he defeats President Donald Trump in November. Biden made his pledge Monday to an online convocation of the Poor Peoples Campaign, one of the nations leading civil rights and social justice organizations. Biden highlighted several of his economic proposals: raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding health insurance access, investing billions of dollars in childcare, early childhood education and college tuition assistance. He also cited his plans for a $15,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and other housing assistance. The Rev. William Barber, co-chairman of the Poor Peoples Campaign, said 140 million Americans are poor or low-income individuals, spanning all races and ethnic groups. Biden and Barber say that number is growing because of the COVID-19 pandemics disproportionate affects on poor and minority communities. Barber is lamenting that tens of millions of those poor and low-income Americans dont vote. Barber invited Biden and Trump to speak, but Barber says the Trump campaign did not accept. Trump was campaigning Monday evening in Arizona. __ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: President Donald Trump was in California on Monday for a briefing near Sacramento on the deadly wildfires before heading to Phoenix for a campaign visit. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, made a speech in Delaware in which he declared the fires and recent extreme weather underscore an urgent need to address climate change. Read more: Trump, Biden face off on West Coast wildfires, climate change Democrats try to streamline mail balloting for their voters Biden faces worries that Latino support is slipping in Florida In defiance of Nevada governor, Trump holds indoor rally ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: 7:15 p.m. President Donald Trump is speaking to Hispanic supporters at what was labeled as a roundtable meeting in Phoenix, though even the president acknowledges it looks like a rally. The president says he is at the event to listen, but he is also trying to energize the crowd of several hundred people, which is mostly unmasked and sitting closely together indoors. Trump is finishing up a weekend trip to California, Nevada and Arizona. He says, You need a lot of energy to do this job properly, and he is criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for spending so much time in his home state of Delaware. I think Delaware is a good place, but you gotta leave it on occasion. Polls are showing a close race in the normally Republican-leaning state of Arizona. Trump is trying to rally Hispanic voters to his cause, citing low unemployment rates for the Hispanic population prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Hispanics have been hit hard by the pandemic, with the latest unemployment rate standing at 10.5% in August. Trump is promising to revive the economy and says were coming back very, very strong. He says Biden would jeopardize that revival. ___ 6:45 p.m. Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton and the women who play them on Saturday Night Live have raised more than $6 million for the Biden campaign in a Monday fundraiser. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, says 100,000 people were on the Monday evening fundraiser, which featured Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph. Clinton called it a life-imitates-art moment, referencing Poehlers years of imitating her on SNL. Turning to more serious matters, Clinton called recent tapes of President Donald Trump speaking about the pandemic to journalist Bob Woodward stunning. Shes criticizing Trump for keeping information from the American people that could have saved lives and misery. Shes praising Harris as someone who leads with her values and says she loves to see the young women who see themselves in Kamala as she makes history. __ 6:35 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Kamala Harris will have to navigate the double standard women in politics face when she debates Vice-President Mike Pence next month. Harris and Pence are set to debate Oct. 7. Clinton says she expects Pence may try to undercut Harris and somehow put her in the box of the inexperienced woman candidate. Harris will have to be firm in rebutting Trump but do it in a way that doesnt scare or alienate voters, Clinton says. She adds shes confident Harris will master those skills during her debate preparation. Clinton debated President Donald Trump three times during the 2016 election. She says it was apparent that Trump didnt care about giving accurate answers but intended to insult and bully her. ___ 4:15 p.m. President Donald Trump told journalist Bob Woodward that nothing more could have been done in his response to the coronavirus. Trump spoke to Woodward in August after he learned the journalist had completed his latest book, Rage, to get a better idea of how he would be portrayed. Thats according to CNN, which obtained excerpts of the 10-minute conversation. Woodward had 18 interviews with Trump for the book. As the two discussed Trumps performance on COVID-19, the president said, Nothing more could have been done. I acted early. Almost 195,000 people in the U.S. have died of the coronavirus, far more than in any other country. There are more than 6.5 million confirmed cases in the U.S. In another part of the conversation, Woodward tells Trump there are parts of the book that he wont like. When Woodward talked about the virus, Trump reminds him that the stock market has come back strongly and wanted to know if he covered that as part of the book. Woodward assured him that he did. ___ 3:25 p.m. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his state can do a better job of forest management, but he tells President Donald Trump that it is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. Trump and Newsom are participating in a briefing Monday on the deadly fires that have forced thousands of residents out of their homes along the West Coast. Trump has repeatedly discounted the impact of climate change and endorsed raking forests as a means of combating wildfires. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, told Trump that if we ignore that science and sort of put our heads in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together in protecting California. Trump replied: Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. Crowfoot said, I wish science agreed with you. Trump got in the last word of the exchange: Well, I dont think science knows actually. ___ 2:45 p.m. Smoke from the West Coasts massive wildfires was visible as Air Force One began its approach into Northern California. President Donald Trump is expected to be briefed about the wildfires during a stop near Sacramento, California, on Monday. He will also recognize the work of the California National Guard, which has airlifted scores of stranded people to safety over the past week. Trump has blamed poor forest management for the deadly fires, though many of the blazes have roared through coastal chaparral and grasslands, not forest. When addressing reporters after exiting Air Force One, Trump was asked if climate change was also part of the problem, in combination with forest management. He says, I think a lot of things are possible. But he says when it comes to forests, downed trees and dried leaves on the ground are really a fuel for a fire, so they have to do something about it. The fires have killed at least 33, burned millions of acres and forced thousands from their homes on the West Coast. ___ 2:15 p.m. Joe Biden says wildfires and hurricanes will become more devastating if President Donald Trump wins a second term because he isnt acting to address the climate crisis. Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, Biden said Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and hurricanes. But he says Trumps response had exacerbated it. In his speech, the Democratic presidential nominee sought to emphasize that the effects of climate change have wide-reaching consequences. He pointed not just to wildfires in the West and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, but also to droughts affecting farmers in the Midwest and even climate-related threats to U.S. military installations around the world. Biden says, Hurricanes dont swerve to avoid red states or blue states. Wildfires dont skip towns that voted a certain way. The impacts of climate change dont pick and choose. Thats because its not a partisan phenomenon. Its science. Trump was in California on Monday meeting with fire officials after deadly fires along the West Coast. He has repeatedly discounted the impact of climate change, walked away from a major international climate agreement and proudly rolled back environmental regulations. ___ 9:35 a.m. Joe Biden has voted in Delawares primary, casting a ballot by appointment a day before the polls formally open. The Democratic presidential nominee and his wife, Jill, voted Monday morning at the New Castle Board of Elections. She wore boots with VOTE stenciled on each one. Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech on climate change exacerbating the wildfires raging in California and other states later in the day from Wilmington, Delaware, where the couple lives. Monday evening, the former vice-president will address via internet the Poor Peoples Campaign virtual event Voting is Power Unleashed. Yves here. I have to admit to not following the relations among the Gulf States since the press fixates on the Iran-Saudi Arabia sparring. So I hope readers will provide their views on this assessment of the Israel mutual recognition pacts. By Barkley Rosser, Professor of Economics at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Originally published at EconoSpeak This freshly announced mutual recognition follows the one between the UAE and Israel, which set a new pattern, with Bahrain and possibly others (Oman?) predicted to follow. I am not surprised it was Bahrain that was next, although it may prove to be the only one. There are several reasons why it was most likely to be next, and why we might not see Oman join in, although that cannot be ruled out. I see three reasons why Bahrain was most likely to be next, although there are really two fundamental ones with the third arising from those. The most fundamental one is that of the 6 members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), now largely in shatters due to the sanctions on one of them (Qatar) by several others (Saudi Arabia (KSA), UAE, and Bahrain), is the only one where a Sunni minority is ruling over a Shia majority, with the Sunni-Shia conflict a central part of the conflict with Iran that many of them have, with Iran run by Shia, of course, where they are a majority. The Shia of Bahrain have been restive and rose up against King Hamad during the Arab Spring that began in 2011, only to be violently put down. But, unsurprisingly, the king and those around him are especially worried about the Shia and have strongly supported the anti-Iran coalition, which includes Israel. It is this alliance that is at the heart of the new round of recognitions, with UAE leader, Prince Zayed, arguably the leader of the anti-Iran group in the GCC, along with KSA Crown Prince, MbS, although due to opposition of the Saudi religious leaders who are concerned about the Palesrtinians, MbS himself is not seen as likely to follow UAE and Bahrain to recognize Israel, although there is clearly a de facto alliance against Iran between them. A second reason Bahrain was more likely to be next is that it is more subject to US pressure as it hosts the home base in the Persian Gulf of the US Navys 5th fleets, something rarely mentioned in the media, and has been since the 1950s. That dates back to when what is now the UAE was still being ruled by UK as the Trucial States. On top of that Bahrain is the smallest of the GCC members and also is the one that has been running out of oil more than the others (all of them produce at least some oil). In short, King Hamad is much more susceptible to US pressure to recognize Israel, although given his unhappiness with his Shia population and support for the anti-Iran coalition, he has been more inclined to go along anyway. Another reason, which basically follows these others, is that Bahrain is indeed part of the GCC group that is sanctioning/boycotting fellow GCC member, Qatar, for its apparent unwillingness to join the anti-Iran coalition. Indeed, Qatar and Iran have a joint deal for managing certain natural gas fields in the Gulf, and Qatar, which has the worlds highest per capita income, also hosts al=Jazeera, which has reported on dissident movements in several of its GCC partners, another source of anger. Of course, while Trump initially forgot about this as MbS and Jared Kushner pushed him into supporting the anti-Qatar sanctions, Qatar hosts a major US air base, so the US military did manage to get to Trump to back off overtly supporting the anti-Qatar boycott, although the US has failed to bring that conflict to a conclusion. So, what about the other two members of the GCC: Oman and Kuwait? I cannot rule out Oman recognizing Israel, but it lacks several of the elements one finds in both Bahrain and UAE. One is that it alone among Muslim nations in the world is not dominated by either Sunnis or Shia. The majority of the population and the leaders are Ibadi Muslims, an ancient sect of Islam, that is barely present anywhere else in the world. But that has allowed Oman to stand aside from the regional Sunni-Shia conflict, and indeed it has played a role as intermediary between the two sides. It was through Oman that the Obama admin made its initial approaches to Iran when it started negotiating the JCPOA nuclear deal that Trump has since withdrawn from. It is also Oman that shares with Iran the crucial Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. As a result of this, Oman has not joined the anti-Qatar sanctions/boycott, although it is not as pro-Iran as Qatar seems to be. Oman is extremely independent and proud of being so. It joined the GCC to keep the Saudis happy, who organized the group, but it does what it wants. It indeed has apparently had informal friendly relations with Israel, which may lead it to recognize Israel as part of its being friendly with everybody policy. But it would not be doing so either as part of an anti-Iran alliance or to kowtow to the US, although it does not mind keeping the US happy as well. As for Kuwait, it has long been at the top of per capita income among this group, having the second largest pool of oil in the world, one of the reasons Saddam Hussein invaded the place. It has been surpassed by Qatar in per capita income, but it remains very high up there and is also fairly small, although bigger than either Bahrain or Qatar. The problem for Kuwait is that it almost borders Iran, with just a small amount of Iraq between them (where the Shatt-al-Arab empties into the Gulf, the short river that is formed when the Tigris and the Euphrates come together). It is predominantly Sunni and has a long history of friendship with the Saudi royal family. But its proximity to Iran has it not wanting to join in the overtly anti-Iran alliance, in that regard being a bit like Oman. Also, it has a large Palestinian refugee population, possibly up to a quarter of the population, and recognizing Israel is not something favored by that portion of their population. So, it is not surprising that Bahrain has recognized Israel. Oman might do so also, although I am not holding my breath on that one, and if they do, it will be to maintain their independent friendly with all sides approach rather than the kowtowing to UAE and US that is going on heavily with Bahrain. A retired naval officer who was beaten up by Shiv Sainiks for allegedly sharing a satirical cartoon of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was on Monday asked by the party if he was not taught during his service period to respect constitutional authorities. The Sena, condemning the treatment meted out to the officer, asked what did ex-naval man Madan Sharma gain by mocking a constitutional authority and was it part of national work. The Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party and asked if the ruling party at the Centre will stage protests against the incident where ex-servicemen were beaten up in BJP-ruled states and by BJP representatives. Will he [Madan Sharma] be given an award now? the editorial asked. They speak against the leaders of the state you live in, you earn, live happily, and if someone breaks your face, then they use injustice, oppression, attack on freedom to politicise the issue, it remarked. Sharma had allegedly shared a cartoon mocking chief minister Thackeray and subsequently Sena shakha pramukh and five others assaulted him in Kandivali, a northern suburb in Mumbai. The Sena workers were arrested and subsequently released on bail. In Mumbai, a retired naval officer named Madan Sharma was attacked by the Shiv Sainiks, no one would support it, it should be condemned but what did the retired officer gain by sharing a satirical cartoon on chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who has been elected by the people of the state, Shiv Sena said. Honor the person sitting in the Constitutional post, wasnt this gentleman taught in the Navy? Sena asked. The editorial also took a jibe at defence minister Rajnath Singh after he called the ex-servicemen to enquire about his health. Sena said it was surprising that the defence minister spoke with the ex-Navy person as if sharing a satirical cartoon on a chief minister was a great national work he did. Continuing the attack on the BJP, the editorial raked up the Dadri lynching case victim, Mohammed Akhlaqs son who has been serving the army, and the Amethi lynching case in which retired Army officer Amanullah was killed. This incident happened in the BJP-ruled state recently but we never read anything about the Prime Minister or the defence minister speaking to Amanullahs wife, it said. It added many unfortunate incidents have taken place in the BJP-ruled states but the national party never took to the streets. Earlier, Jalgaon BJP MP Unmesh Patil forced a Border Security Force soldier, Sonu Mahajan, to vacate his house. Patil supporters also attacked Sonu with a sword. Why did the BJP, which took to the streets for the naval officer today, not protest in favour of an ex-soldier at that time? How many attacks on ex-servicemen have happened in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar? Shiv Sena said. (Newser) Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalnys health has improved so that he is now able to leave his bed briefly, the Berlin hospital treating him said Monday, while Germany announced that French and Swedish labs have confirmed its findings that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, per the AP. Navalny, the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on Aug. 20 on a domestic flight in Russia and is being treated at Berlin's Charite hospital. Berlin has demanded that Russia investigate the case. The Charite said Navalny has now been "successfully removed from mechanical ventilation." He "is currently undergoing mobilization and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time." story continues below Monday's statement didn't address the long-term outlook for the 44-year-old Russian politician and anti-corruption investigator. Doctors have cautioned that even though Navalny is recovering well, long-term health problems from the poisoning can't be ruled out. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders for Russia to answer questions about the poisoning, denying any official involvement and accusing the West of trying to smear Moscow. Earlier Monday, the German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden had backed up earlier findings by a German military lab that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. (Read more Alexei Navalny stories.) Egypt has a total of 101,177 infections, including 5,661 deaths and 84,969 recoveries since the first case was discovered on 14 February Egypt reported 168 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total infection tally to 101,177 since the outbreak hit the country in mid-February. The ministry also reported 13 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities from the virus to 5,661, the health ministry announced. The ministry said that 808 patients were discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 84,969. Egypt had witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases in the past weeks, reversing a low of 89 on August 22 the lowest daily infection toll since early April. The surge comes as the government repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn and the beginning of the new academic year. The country also decided on Monday to ease more lockdown measures as of next week, allowing funeral prayers, weddings in open places only, after a six-month-long closure of these services due to the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt has moved towards a gradual reopening of its economy since late June, lifting some of its anti-virus restrictions, including lifting a nighttime curfew, reopening restaurants and places of worship, and resuming regular international flights as part of a plan to coexist with the virus. Search Keywords: Short link: DETROIT - Patients on immunosuppressive therapy for common skin and rheumatic diseases like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis are not at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and should continue taking their medicine as prescribed, say Henry Ford Health System dermatology researchers in a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Most of these patients are not at any greater risk for COVID-19 than the general population, despite their weakened immune system, says Jesse Veenstra, M.D., Ph.D., a Henry Ford dermatologist and the study's lead author. He says the findings should reassure patients and doctors alike. "If you require an immune suppressant medication for your condition to be well controlled, you should not be afraid to continue that medication during the pandemic," Dr. Veenstra says. The study is one of the first to analyze the association between immunosuppressive medications for skin diseases and the risk of COVID-19 infection and outcomes. Until recently, little was known about managing patients on these medications in the pandemic and whether they may be at increased risk for infection with COVID-19 or related complications because of their weakened immune system. Dr. Veenstra and his research colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 213 patients who were taking immunosuppressive medication for an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. The patients were tested for COVID-19 between Feb. 1 and April 18 and had been receiving immunosuppressive medication for at least one month prior to being tested for COVID-19. Key findings from their analysis: Of the 213 patients, 36% tested COVID-19 positive and had no greater odds of being hospitalized or placed on a ventilator than the general population. There was no evidence that any single immunosuppressive medication increased a patient's odds for testing positive or developing serious disease. Race was a predictor for COVID-19 status, with African Americans having greater odds of testing positive. Patients prescribed a TNF alpha inhibitor had significantly lower odds for hospitalization. TNF alpha inhibitors are part of a class of immunosuppressive biologics used to stop inflammation. Conversely, Dr. Veenstra says, patients who were on multidrug therapy regimens were at greater odds of being hospitalized than those taking a single medication. Dr. Veenstra says more research is needed to fully explain this finding, but it may suggest that multiple medications further suppress a patient's immune system, thus rendering them more susceptible to COVID-19. Generally, patients who are immunosuppressed are predisposed to upper respiratory infections like the common cold, which may cause coughing, a runny nose and a sore throat. To date, however, this patient population has not been reported to be at higher risk for COVID-19. Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions like cancer, COPD and diabetes are considered high risk for contracting the coronavirus. "Physicians who prescribe these medications should feel comfortable either continuing or resuming their patients on these medications," Dr. Veenstra says. "They can counsel their patients that there's data to support the safety profile of these medications during the COVID-19 pandemic." Henry Ford dermatologists treat one of the largest patient populations in Michigan for inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema and lupus, prompting researchers to examine whether the immunosuppressive medications made patients more susceptible to the new, emerging coronavirus. "Traditionally, you think of these medications putting you at higher risk for infection," Dr. Veenstra says. "With COVID, this is a new type of pathogen, and no one really knows how these medications affect your immune system's ability to deal with the infection. The question is, do these medications put you at greater risk for contracting COVID, and if you did get it, would you be sicker because of these medicaitons." ### MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / David.Olejarz@hfhs.org / 313.874.4094 About Henry Ford Health System Under the leadership of President and CEO Wright L. Lassiter, III, Henry Ford Health System is a $6.5 billion integrated health system comprised of six hospitals, a health plan, and 250+ sites including medical centers, walk-in and urgent care clinics, pharmacy, eye care facilities and other healthcare retail. Established in 1915 by auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, the health system now has 32,000 employees and remains home to the 1,900-member Henry Ford Medical Group, one of the nation's oldest physician groups. An additional 2,200 physicians are also affiliated with the health system through the Henry Ford Physician Network. Henry Ford is also one of the region's major academic medical centers, receiving more than $100 million in annual research funding and remaining Michigan's fourth largest NIH-funded institution. An active participant in medical education and training, the health system has trained nearly 40% of physicians currently practicing in the state and also provides education and training for other health professionals including nurses, pharmacists, radiology and respiratory technicians. For more information, visit henryford.com. Chaos engulfed the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening as Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 to Marseille. Very few people were talking about the result at the end though as five players were sent off in stoppage time, including Neymar. Angel Di Maria wasn't one of the five, however, despite Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez accusing the Argentine of having spat on him. This came after Alvaro and Neymar had had a coming together, while later in the match the Spaniard was involved in more drama as he was punched in the back of the head by Neymar, who told the fourth official that Alvaro had racially abused him as he was making his way off the pitch after receiving a red card. Visitors to the Rashtriya Janata Dal headquarters in Bihar capital feel intrigued by a new election poster put up in front of the premises, gigantic in dimensions but without an image of its larger than life founding president Lalu Prasad. Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, who will be leading the opposition Grand Alliance as its chief ministerial candidate, finds a pride of place on the huge rectangular sheet with a yellow background which promises 'nayi soch, naya Bihar' (a new Bihar with a new vision). He features in the poster alone. The poster has Tejashwi Yadav's photograph, looking resolute with arms across the chest, as a blue-coloured map of Bihar forms the background. The second line of the election slogan coined by the party, 'yuva sarkar, abki baar', is shorn of the earthy imaginativeness that was characteristic of Prasad. It also sounds like a straight lift from the slogan 'abki baar, Modi sarkaar' of 2014 which had caught the nations attention and helped the Bharatiya Janata Party achieve unprecedented electoral success. Old-timers, however, seem not impressed with the idea of dropping from the RJD poster its jailed supremo who is acknowledged, across party lines, as the biggest crowd puller ever seen in Bihar's poitical arena. Lalu floated RJD as a splinter group of the Janata Dal he was heading in 1997. Since then the party has been synonymous with his persona. "All members of his family, be it his wife Rabri Devi, whose tenure as chief minister was longer than that of her husband, or their sons... they are nothing more than a pale shadow of the party chief who is, ironically, the party's biggest asset as well as liability, said an old associate of Prasad, lodged in judicial custody in Ranchi. Wanting not to be named, he pointed out how the once powerful RJD drew a blank in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when Prasad was behind bars in Jharkhand capital after his conviction in fodder scam cases. NDA leaders also scoffed at the "belated" attempt by the RJD at an "image makeover" by leaving Prasad out of the poster. They also said if Prasad came out of jail, it will benefit the NDA more than the RJD. It is often alleged that the NDA, which rules the Centre as well as Bihar, has been trying to obstruct Lalu Prasad's release from jail ahead of the assembly polls. While this betrays the RJD's complete ignorance of, and disrespect for, legal processes, let me also add that if he comes out during elections, it is us and not they who will stand to gain, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had said. The deputy CM thereafter went on to recount the lawlessness, corruption and economic stagnation that the 15- year-long Lalu-Rabri rule had come to symbolise, and asserted that memories of those days were alive like festering wounds in the state's collective psyche. With Lalu out in the open, people will automatically recoil in horror and come rushing towards the NDA as nobody wants that dark era to return, he had told a party meeting a few days ago that was also attended by BJP national president J P Nadda. Die-hard lalu loyalists, however, still feel that the party supremo's charisma matters. They fondly recollect how the RJD clinched 80 of the state's 243 assembly seats while contesting the 2015 polls in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United, the Congress and some other smaller parties. Lalu was then not in jail and had extensively campaigned for the Grand Alliance. With Lalu Prasad in jail and a key satrap like Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a former union minister and an influential Rajput leader, dead, it remains to be seen if Tejashwi, as projected in the poster, can steer the party out of the woods in the state elections that are likely in October-November. Alicia Boler Davis, who oversees Amazons warehouses, said the company is offering $1,000 sign-on bonuses in some cities where it may be harder for it to find workers, such as Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Louisville, Kentucky. Starting pay at Amazon is $15 an hour. Sign-on bonuses in Illinois are up to $500, the company said in an email. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler, was executed at a prison in the southern city of Shiraz on Saturday Iran's foreign ministry on Monday summoned Germany's ambassador over tweets condemning the execution of a wrestler, accused of murdering a man during a wave of anti-government protests in 2018. The ministry "strongly condemned" the tweets and told German envoy Hans-Udo Muzel that the reaction was considered to be an "interference in the internal affairs" of Iran, an official statement read. It called on the German embassy to "recognise the limits of its diplomatic duties and not go beyond them." "Interference in the laws, regulations and judicial procedures of the Islamic Republic of Iran is not tolerable in any way," the statement added. Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler, was executed at a prison in the southern city of Shiraz on Saturday. According to Iran's judiciary, he had been found guilty of "voluntary homicide" for stabbing to death a water department employee on August 2, 2018. Shiraz and several other urban centres across Iran had been the scene that day of anti-government protests and demonstrations over economic and social hardship. The German embassy condemned Afkari's death in a message written in Farsi posted on its official Twitter account on Sunday. "We were deeply shocked by the execution of Navid Afkari," the message read. "It is not acceptable that basic legal rights be ignored in order to silence opposing voices," it added. The embassy said that Afkari's two brothers "are still in prison and now they need our solidarity." Reports published abroad say Afkari was convicted on the basis of confessions aired on television after being extracted under torture, prompting online campaigns for his release. The judiciary's Mizan Online news agency has denied the accusations. Earlier on Monday, a judiciary official condemned the "interference of some European embassies" and called on them to "not be a loudspeaker for lies like an opposition group." "Foreign pressure will neither dull the sharp tip of the judiciary's justice, nor lessen its Islamic mercy and compassion," Mizan Online quoted the judiciary's deputy head for international affairs Ali Bagheri as saying. Search Keywords: Short link: " " A Japanese woman undergoes a screening test for possible nuclear radiation on April 5, 2011, in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The Fukushima Daiichi cleanup represents an enormous undertaking. See more pictures of nuclear meltdown disasters. Athit Perawongmetha/ Getty Images Already reeling from the devastation of an earthquake and a tsunami in March 2011, Japan faced another daunting hurdle on its road to recovery: cleaning up the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. After the earthquake and ensuing tsunami damaged the facility's coolant systems, plant operators worked tirelessly to limit the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi and restrict the release of radioactive material into the surrounding environment. Cleaning up radioactive material under any circumstances can be a complicated, expensive undertaking, and Fukushima Daiichi will be no exception. Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesperson for Japan's nuclear safety agency, has already announced that it will be months before the agency will have the situation at the plant entirely under control, and some experts estimate the cleanup effort could last years or even decades. What's more, the cost of the cleanup could easily skyrocket past the cost of building the power plant in the first place [source: Klotz]. Advertisement To understand why radioactive cleanup is so tedious and costly, it helps to know why radioactive material is so dangerous in the first place. Radioactive material, unlike most matter, is inherently unstable. Over time, the nuclei of radioactive atoms emit what's known as ionizing radiation, which can come in three primary forms: alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. Under certain circumstances, any of the three can harm humans, stealing electrons from atoms and destroying chemical bonds. Unlike alpha and beta particles, however, gamma rays can pass directly through the body, wreaking havoc in the process. Indeed, faulty attempts by the body to repair that damage can lead to cancerous cells. Uranium and its byproduct, plutonium, both produce gamma rays at levels extremely dangerous to humans -- even brief exposure to a small amount of plutonium can prove fatal, for instance -- but nuclear power would be impossible without them. Thanks to rigorous safety standards and mechanisms, however, workers at nuclear power plants (and everywhere else radioactive material is handled) very rarely come in contact with harmful levels of radiation. Still, these facilities can't operate forever, and that's when radioactive cleanup is necessary. In fact, it's called for in a variety of situations, not just meltdowns. Decommissioning a nuclear weapon? Disposing of radioactive medical waste? You're going to have to go through the highly involved ordeal that is radioactive cleanup. Before the process can start, crews need the equipment to do the job. We'll find out what trusty tools technicians turn to next. (Newser) The search continues for the gunman who shot two Los Angeles County deputies at close range over the weekend, and authorities hope a new incentive will help. The county sheriff's department has announced a $100,000 reward, reports NBC News. Surveillance video shows that the gunman walked up to a parked police car Saturday night in Compton and opened fire without provocation. Coverage: Will survive: Both deputies were shot in the head but are expected to survive, reports the Los Angeles Times. One is a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old boy, and the other is a 24-year-old male. Both were sworn in 14 months ago from the same training class. story continues below The call: One deputy managed to call in the shooting, saying "998 Compton Pax" and "Compton Pax, deputies down" in a nearly unintelligible voice, according to the LAT. Extended video seen by the newspaper shows a deputy stumbling out of the passenger door, holding his or her head. The driver's door also opens. One deputy managed to call in the shooting, saying "998 Compton Pax" and "Compton Pax, deputies down" in a nearly unintelligible voice, according to the LAT. Extended video seen by the newspaper shows a deputy stumbling out of the passenger door, holding his or her head. The driver's door also opens. Shooter: He's described as a dark-skinned male around 28 to 30, per CBS Los Angeles. Authorities caution that the video's fisheye lens presents a distorted picture. The shooter fled on foot around a corner. He's described as a dark-skinned male around 28 to 30, per CBS Los Angeles. Authorities caution that the video's fisheye lens presents a distorted picture. The shooter fled on foot around a corner. Reporter arrested: A journalist who works for public radio station KPCC and LAist was arrested covering protests outside the hospital where the deputies were taken, reports Deadline. Police accused Josie Huang of obstructing justice and not having proper credentials, and at least five deputies pinned her to the ground during the arrest. Images show that Huang was, in fact, wearing credentials abound her neck. A journalist who works for public radio station KPCC and LAist was arrested covering protests outside the hospital where the deputies were taken, reports Deadline. Police accused Josie Huang of obstructing justice and not having proper credentials, and at least five deputies pinned her to the ground during the arrest. Images show that Huang was, in fact, wearing credentials abound her neck. Her account: Huang has a first-person account of the arrest here, complete with videos. She says she was filming an arrest when taken into custody. NPR is backing her up, saying it is "appalled" by her arrest. Huang has a first-person account of the arrest here, complete with videos. She says she was filming an arrest when taken into custody. NPR is backing her up, saying it is "appalled" by her arrest. The chants, politics: Huang reports that protesters were taunting police, and the sheriff's department says some were yelling, "We hope they die" about the wounded officers. The conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal sees that sentiment as "a cultural poison nurtured by the left-wing anti-police movement sweeping the country." (Read more Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stories.) The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is going forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic sort of. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Monday announced the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will not be live this year and won't "be the same parade we're used to." Macy's detailed the plan for its "reimagined" event. The "traditional 2.5-mile parade route will not be utilized" this year, Macy's said. Instead, Macy's is planning a "television-broadcast-only production" focused around New York's Herald Square and will be reducing the number of participants by 75 percent and splitting them up over two days. Participants will be "socially distanced during performances," wearing face coverings and "additional personal protective equipment depending on their role." Character balloons will be flown "without the traditional 80-100 handlers" as Macy's makes use of an "innovative, specially rigged anchor vehicle framework of five specialty vehicles," the company said. There will be no participants in the parade who are younger than 18, and the high school and college marching band performances that were previously selected are being put off until 2021. "While it will certainly look different in execution, this year's Macy's Parade celebration will once again serve its historical purpose to bring joy into the hearts of millions across the nation," said the parade's executive producer, Susan Tercero. Macy's previously put on a modified version of its traditional Fourth of July fireworks, making use of displays in the days prior to July 4, NBC News notes. De Blasio said that as with the Fourth of July fireworks show, "it's really important to keep these traditions continuing." He added, "Next year, I look forward to things coming back in all their greatness so we can enjoy them together in person again." More stories from theweek.com Trump says he'll be on Fox & Friends every week but host Steve Doocy doesn't agree to have him Kim Kardashian to freeze Facebook and Instagram accounts over spread of misinformation and hate speech The climate refugees are here. They're Americans. (Alliance News) - UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has denied the UK's trade deal negotiations with the US are faltering. The International Trade Secretary appeared before MPs to celebrate the signing of the UK-Japan free trade agreement, claiming it was a "major moment in our national history". But the Cabinet minister also faced questions about the progress of talks with the US. Responding to Labour MP Barry Sheerman's comment that a trade deal with the US is "lost", Truss replied: "It is not true that our deal with the US is not progressing. "On the contrary, we're in the middle of a very positive negotiating round where we're currently discussing market access terms." Labour's Stephen Kinnock also asked: "Can the Secretary of State guarantee that President Trump's completely unrealistic and unreasonable Section 232 tariff on UK steel will be removed from the trade negotiations with the US as a precondition for those negotiations to proceed?" Truss replied: "Well we are in active negotiations with the US and one of the things I've been really clear about is the fact that we need to see those unfair 232 tariffs on our steel removed." Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry earlier congratulated Truss on securing the trade deal with Japan but added that much remains unclear. She told the Commons: "In the absence of a treaty text and a full updated impact assessment there is much about the UK-Japan agreement that we still do not know and will not know until documents are published." She added: "As welcome and necessary as this deal with Japan is, it is nothing like as important in terms of our global trade as reaching a deal to maintain free trade with the EU." Truss confirmed Parliament will have the final say on the UK-Japan trade deal. She explained: "Under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act, Parliament can refuse to ratify trade deals. Parliament has the power that other parliaments have." She added: "So if there is not a majority in Parliament, this deal will simply not be ratified." Truss also faced calls to publish the state aid clauses of the UK-Japan agreement. Liberal Democrat former minister Alistair Carmichael said: "The Financial Times article to which other members have referred does say that David Frost is concerned that the Secretary of State has given away more in relation to level playing field issues than he is offering to the EU. "Now if that is correct then that is very serious indeed. "Will the Secretary of State commit to publishing the state aid clauses now?" The International Trade Secretary replied: "We are still in the legal scrubbing process with Japan. Once that process is finished we will be sharing our text with the Trade Committee and they will be fully analysing it." By Sophie Morris, Richard Wheeler, George Ryan and Lewis McKenzie, PA Political Staff source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Ambassador Terry Branstad has stepped aside after nearly four years in Beijing - Ng Han Guan /AP The US ambassador to China Terry Branstad is stepping down after three years in the post during an exceptionally tense period in the US-China relationship. The reason for Mr Branstads departure is not immediately clear, and leaves the US without an envoy in China at least through the presidential election in November after new political appointees could be named. The deputy chief of mission, Robert Forden, will become acting head in the interim. The US-China relationship continues to hit new lows with Washington and Beijing sparring over coronavirus, human rights, trade, technology, espionage, and the treatment of journalists. We are rebalancing the US-China relationship so that it is fair and reciprocal and can fuel positive growth in both countries, Mr Branstad said in a statement about his departure. Mr Branstad will leave Beijing in early October, and is expected to return to his home state of Iowa, the US State Department said in a statement on Monday. Mr Branstad was one of US President Donald Trumps first ambassadorial appointees shortly after winning the 2016 election. At the time, Mr Trump indicated that Mr Branstad was chosen for his experience in public policy and long-term relationship with Xi Jinping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, who he had known since 1985 through bilateral government exchanges. Indeed Mr Branstad was welcomed by Beijing as an old friend of China upon arrival. I thank Ambassador Terry Branstad for his more than three years of service to the American people as U.S. Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China. Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2020 But during his tenure, the US and China have engaged in an ongoing trade war that has resulted in billions of dollars of tariffs for both sides. Mr Trumps administration has also banned Chinese firm Huawei from US telecoms infrastructure, and blocked the company from receiving American technology components. Story continues In July, the US forced Chinas consulate in Houston to shutter over allegations that it was at the centre of a vast espionage ring targeting military and commercial secrets. Beijing then shuttered the US consulate in Chengdu in response. US officials also continue to be vocal about Chinas cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic, seeding further tension in the relationship. In yet another sign of how far relations have deteriorated, a Chinese state newspaper refused to publish an op-ed by Mr Branstad last week about how Beijing had exploited US openness. Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily rejected the piece, saying it was full of loopholes and seriously inconsistent with the facts. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded by accusing Beijing of hypocrisy, and its leaders for not being mature enough to allow Western diplomats to speak directly to the general Chinese public. Mr Pompeo first announced Mr Branstads departure via a series of posts on Twitter, saying his leadership would have lasting, positive effects on US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come, contributing to a relationship that is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair. I thank Ambassador Terry Branstad for his more than three years of service to the American people as US Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China, wrote Mr Pompeo. Chinas foreign ministry said Monday that it had not yet received notice that the US ambassador would be leaving. Continue Reading Below Advertisement In Heineken's defense, that ad was made for markets where the response to COVID wasn't bungled like a clown trying to balance a precarious stack of pies. But even in those mythical lands, who emerged from lockdown and decided that their first order of business was to enjoy a freaking Heineken? Brands have mostly just given up on any sort of deeper messaging: Walmart showed a mother and daughter wearing masks while shopping for school supplies, but their only point was "We have great prices! Anyway, good luck out there!" Brands didn't learn their own "Let's remember to be more human" message from a few months ago given that beer drinkers are being asked to "pour one out" for a fictional beer Sasquatch we're told we miss. Some companies are moving away from COVID entirely: Jeep is now linking their new electric vehicle to climate change and a Carl Sagan speech on the fragility of humanity, just in case you needed something else to worry about. Continue Reading Below Advertisement So as commercials blare that "America is back on the road!" to sweet guitar licks and Best Buy tells you that the return of sports means you need a new television, no one is happier than I am to hear "challenging times" much, much less. But it's surreal to see cheery back to school ads as hundreds of thousands of children test positive for COVID, like all the companies that were telling us to stay safe back in March are now just as checked out as everyone else. Of course, it isn't Best Buy's job to run a competent government. But the brands that asked us to wash our hands, stay inside, and reflect on life now really need us to get back out there and give them money even as America's death count keeps ticking up, which is hardly the most self-reflective marketing approach. Facebook, the same platform that bragged about supporting mask makers, is failing to crackdown on anti-mask conspiracy groups, because you're never really lost if you spend all of your time on Facebook boosting their engagement metrics with lies and madness. But hey, technically Hyundai was right when the sappy commercial they released back in April said "Times like these show us who we are." Mark is on Twitter and wrote a book. Top image: The Coca-Cola Co. Growing up, many of us have heard the advice of being extremely careful while on the escalatorsand more importantly so for young children who tend to be more active and playful. A toddler whose foot got caught in an escalator at VivoCity on Sunday (13 Sep), once again emphasises the importance of it. The incident was caught on camera and uploaded onto video-sharing social networking service TikTok by the user (@wonraekang0523). A boy and two adultspresumably his parentswere seen from the footage. Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523 They appeared to be hunched over the 3-year-old. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel were also present to provide assistance to the boy. SCDF said they were alerted to the incident at level 1 of VivoCity Mall around 2.20pm on 13 September. Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523 Heres a closer view of the situation according to footage from TikTok user @ellahmhaypasigon. Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/ellahmhaypasigon SCDF Rescues 3-year-old Boy After realising that the boys foot had been stuck in an escalator, SCDF used a hydraulic rescue tool to ease his foot out. SCDF rescues 3-year-old at VivoCity mall. | Image source: Screengrab from Instagram/sgfollowsall The toddler was later rushed to the National University Hospital for treatment. Another footage of the incident was uploaded onto Instagram account @sgfollowsall, which garnered quite a few reactions from the public. While it is uncertain as to how the boy had ended up getting his foot caught in the escalator, some shared that they have been through similar experiences, and advised others not to play with the sides of the escalator. Image source: Instagram screengrab Parents with baby strollers and young children were also advised to take the elevator instead to be on the safe side, according to one Instagram user. Image source: Instagram screengrab Image source: Instagram screengrab Story continues Some netizens, however, attributed the cause of the incident to the child wearing crocspossibly due to the shoe charms that one could attach to their crocs shoes. Image source: Instagram screengrab Image source: Instagram screengrab Ultimately, the best way to prevent such incidents from taking place is to educate ourselves and others about child safety practices when out and about. Tips To Ensure Your Childs Safety When Away from Home Always be aware of your surroundings, and be alert to what your child is doing. Some, if not many of us love taking selfies with our little ones especially when outdoor. But take caution as a moving escalator is not the place for this. Similarly, any place that is high up and where the railing ends at an adults waist-level is unsafe to take selfies while carrying a baby especially. Babies are wriggly, and can easily slip out of your arms in a split second if you are distracted. Likewise, toddlers and young children are small enough to slip through fence railings, for example, those at scenic locations. Do NOT allow children to play near escalators, travellators (in airports, for example) or lifts. Instruct older children to stand in the middle of escalator steps. Hold their hand until they step off. Do NOT take strollers up or down escalators. Use the lift instead. If you are at a mall with older kids, instruct them about what to do should they find themselves lost. They could go to the lobby, or inform a security officer, for example. Get them to memorise your phone number, or note it down on a lanyard where they can carry at all times. If your helper or a caregiver takes your children out often, make them understand how important it is to always keep their attention on your kids. Not on their phones. Never elsewhere. Image source: Screengrab from TikTok/wonraekang0523 ALSO READ: Wife in Tears After Elderly Man Tumbles Down Escalator in Hillion Mall Escalator steps buckle in front of mum and baby at Waterway Point The post 3-year-old Gets Foot Trapped In VivoCity Escalator, SCDF Called To Rescue appeared first on theAsianparent - Your Guide to Pregnancy, Baby & Raising Kids. The applications range from disaster recovery to predicting demand and understanding customer choices using artificial intelligence. The next time you buy Parle biscuits or Mother Dairy products such as milk, ice cream, paneer and ghee, the chances are that IBMs technology has played a role in bringing them to you. At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has created hurdles for businesses, several consumer companies such as Mother Dairy, Parle, outdoor gear firm Wildcraft and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) are collaborating with technology giant IBM to drive their digital transformation. Big Blue is providing them technologies to help them address the challenges posed by the pandemic. And the applications range from disaster recovery to predicting demand and understanding customer choices using artificial intelligence (AI). Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of cloud and AI, says Subram Natarajan, chief technology officer, IBM India and South Asia. Its been a growth engine for IBM, and we have so far had a triple-digit growth this year in our cognitive, cloud, AI and cyber security businesses in India. Recently, IBM collaborated with Wildcraft to implement a customer relationship management (CRM) as-a-service-platform to drive customer advocacy and enhance customer experience. The solution, developed by IBM, is powered by AI and machine learning capabilities and it analyses customer interactions with Wildcraft at multiple touch-points. The idea was to help the company map every customer and come out with a personalised shopping experience across all channels. As part of this solution, Wildcraft is introducing a virtual chatbot on its website and via WhatsApp. The chatbot will be available in English and eight Indian regional languages. It will handle inquiries ranging from general FAQs to questions on products, policies and procedures, and customer complaints. In the last couple of months, we have been able to reach out to some of the remotest areas in the country, say Gaurav Dublish and Siddharth Sood, co-founders of Wildcraft. A lot of these consumers are first-time users of Wildcraft and it was necessary to create a mechanism to reach out to them effectively. "Partnering with IBM allows us (to build) a robust technology-driven platform to understand our consumers and their wants. "This will help us make our products better and customise them according to larger needs. Similarly, Parle Products, which sells biscuit brands such as Parle-G, Monaco, Krackjack and Milano, wanted to improve product availability and operational efficiency. This included predicting business outcomes while analysing huge amounts of data generated out of thousands of suppliers, third-party logistics firms, manufacturing locations and distributors. Thats when it reached out to IBM to help it set up a huge procurement platform to work with hundreds of Parles suppliers. According to IBM, its digital and analytics solutions enabled price discovery, strategic sourcing decisions in several procurement categories like wheat-flour, palm oil, sugar, packaging materials and transportation. The company also managed Parles entire IT infrastructure, leading to cost optimisation and improved service levels. Now, IBM and Parle are working together to create an intelligent supply chain, using IBMs Watson artificial intelligence and decision-optimisation solution. The idea, says Natarajan, is to enable Parle to predict demand better, right-size inventory across the supply chain and reduce time-to-market. IBM is also working with IOCL to deliver an omni-channel customer experience for all IOCL products and build lifetime customer relationships. Said to be a first-of-its-kind digital transformation in the chemical and petroleum industry, it involves deploying CRM and secondary dealer and distributor systems globally. After implementing the project, IOCL witnessed 1 million app downloads and a 400 per cent improvement in same-day resolution. Other improvements included about 4 lakh digital payments a day and over 4 lakh interactive voice response system-based cylinder bookings daily. Virtual computing at Mother Dairy During the lockdown, IBM enabled 500 employees of Mother Dairy to work from home by building a virtual computing environment. It is also ensuring 100 per cent monitoring of Mother Dairys data centre and disaster recovery infrastructure. Every morning at 4.30 am (hundreds of milk) tankers have to leave Mother Dairy plants across different routes with fresh produce and come back (by afternoon) for a thorough cleaning so as to be kept ready again. "This entire cycle is connected by technology, says Lingraju Sawkar, general manager (global technology services), IBM India and South Asia. We are also enabling remote technology for a lot of our clients and those who are involved in decision making, to make sure their systems are up and running. "For clients like Mother Dairy, decisions have to be made daily, based on the consumption data that comes to them. "We make sure their billing systems work continuously and without any disruption, he adds. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet Monday in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. (Russian Presidential Press Service / Associated Press) There could be little question as to which participant in the meeting was the supplicant. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, beleaguered authoritarian, on Monday had his first face-to-face encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the start of a mass protest movement in Belarus that is now in its sixth week. The demonstrations in the former Soviet republic, which have shown no sign of abating, erupted after Belarus election officials declared Lukashenko the landslide winner of an Aug. 9 presidential vote. The election was swiftly denounced by opponents as a sham, and the European Union and the United States have said the balloting was neither free nor fair. In television footage of the opening moments of the two leaders session in Russias Black Sea resort of Sochi, Lukashenko was literally on the edge of his seat, his body angled toward Putin, a deferential look on his face. He referred to Russia as an elder brother to his country. The Russian leader, by contrast, appeared distracted and fidgety, even annoyed. He looked away. His toe tapped. Putin found it hard to conceal his impatience, said Keir Giles, a Russia and Belarus expert at the British think tank Chatham House. He seemed terribly bored with Lukashenko. But as Giles and others noted, any display of ennui by a former spymaster like Putin, especially one staged in front of state TV cameras, was probably highly calculated. The Russian leader, said Oxford researcher Aliaksandr Herasimenka, is always looking for opportunities, perhaps intending to exploit Lukashenkos weakness to gain economic and political concessions, such as a push for closer integration that the Belarus leader has long resisted. In the long term, Putin might well have lost interest in propping up Lukashenko, a onetime collective farm boss who has been in power for 26 years. But at the same time, analysts say, the Russian president has no desire to see a next-door leader toppled by popular protests, a scenario that could embolden his own domestic critics. Story continues So the announced results of the meeting including a $1.5-billion loan to be extended by Moscow as part of a larger debt restructuring and a promise by Putin to fulfill Russias treaty obligations constituted neither a warm embrace nor a cool rebuke. The Russian leader praised as reasonable Lukashenkos offer of constitutional reforms, which has been spurned by opposition figures in Belarus as an empty promise. Having previously said Russia would send in police if they were needed to help quell violent protests, Putin said that was unnecessary at the moment and emphasized that Russian paratroopers taking part in a joint exercise with Belarus troops that began Monday would leave when it was over. Lukashenko, however, is not without leverage. He is well aware that Putin sees Belarus as a vital buffer between Russia and the West. Belarus is also a pathway for lucrative energy exports to Europe by Russia, with considerable industrial resources, many of them controlled by oligarchs loyal to Moscow. On Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters turned out in the Belarus capital, Minsk, marking one of the largest gatherings yet. Police responded with a degree of force that had not been seen since the early days of the protests, making hundreds of arrests in the capital and across the country. Those detentions included the forceful rounding up of scores of women who have been at the protests forefront, with many such episodes captured on video and widely viewed on social media. But while the protests have so far maintained their momentum, nearly all the publicly known leaders of an opposition council have been forced into exile or jailed. Last week, Maria Kolesnikova, one of a troika of female opposition figures, was detained during what her camp described as an effort to forcibly deport her to neighboring Ukraine. She ripped up her passport to prevent this; her representatives say she is now in custody. The opposition has welcomed shows of international support, including the U.N. Human Rights Councils agreement to hold an urgent debate Friday on the crackdown in Belarus. Western diplomats in Minsk have rallied to the defense of the countrys only Nobel literature laureate, Svetlana Alexievich, the opposition councils only member still at large and in Belarus. Envoys have been visiting her apartment in shifts since unidentified men last week tried to force their way inside. But in a stroke of luck for Lukashenko, planned sanctions by the European Union have been bogged down by divisions within the 27-nation bloc over an unrelated quarrel involving Cyprus. Putins strategy could be to avoid undercutting Lukashenko in public but at the same time quietly lay groundwork for an orderly transition to new and less nettlesome leadership in Belarus, said Giles. But Herasimenka, who studies digital activism and disinformation, said it is also possible the Russian leader is biding his time, not yet wanting to commit to a particular course of action. With him, its a matter of tactics rather than strategy, he said. Im not sure even he knows what he will do. In exile in Lithuania, the oppositions presidential candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, called Lukashenko an usurper who lacks legitimacy and expressed disappointment that Putin was continuing to deal with him. In her statement, she made scornful reference to the $1.5-billion credit being extended by Moscow. It will be Lukashenko, and not our people, she said, who will have to repay it. No surprise: Russia's dominant party is claiming sweeping victories in regional and local elections. Surprise: Allies of poisoned anti-corruption crusader Aleksei Navalny may have won legislative seats in two Siberian cities, and the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party lost its majority in three. Races for governor, regional legislatures, and city councils were held in many of Russias provinces in three days of voting ending on September 13. As with nearly all of Russias elections in recent years, the voting took place within the constraints of what an architect of President Vladimir Putins political system once famously called managed democracy. Still, despite the Kremlins managerial efforts and a fresh clampdown on opponents, theres some wiggle room for the Russian electorate, and local issues -- landfills, for example -- have motivated voters in some locations to push for election results that dont always fit into Moscows governing plans. Layered on top of that is the reality that the countrys ruling political party is deeply unpopular and Putins sheen is tarnished, with his popularity ratings sliding in his current term. And that will have knock-on effects for next years national election of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma. Heres a quick look at some of the results of the three-day vote, and what they portend for the future. Navalnys Hospital Bed Victory The elections took place just three weeks after Navalny fell violently ill while on a flight to Moscow from Tomsk, where he was helping to rally his local supporters, and to push his smart voting initiative. Navalny was hospitalized in Russia, put into a coma, and later evacuated to a Berlin hospital, where German doctors concluded he was poisoned with a toxic nerve agent first developed in the Soviet era. In Tomsk, United Russia won the most votes but lost its majority in the city council, while two allies of the stricken opposition politician -- Ksenia Fadeyeva and Andrei Fateyev -- won seats, according to preliminary results. In Novosibirsk, another Siberian city known for its academic and scientific community, another Navalny ally, Sergei Boiko, was on track to win a city council seat there. WATCH: As Navalny Fights Novichok, His Teams Continue Battle Against Election Fraud The victories were unquestionably small; city councils are not typically where sweeping political change happens in Russia. But they are also highly symbolic, showing the staying power of Navalny -- who has built a formidable political machine, tapping Russians frustration with the endemic corruption that critics say permeates United Russia and Putins allies. Moreover, the wins came outside of the big cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, whose electorates tend to be more liberal than in Russian regions. And the wins involved whats known in Russia as the non-systemic opposition -- a complicated nomenclature that describes opposition forces that operate without the Kremlins tacit approval. Navalnys spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh asserted that the wins showed Navalnys support reaches beyond the biggest urban centers. This is the answer to all the whining that allegedly Aleksei is not supported in the regions, she wrote in a post to Twitter. They very much support him. Ruling Party, Ruling Victories United Russias popularity ratings have never been lower. Navalny can claim much of the credit for that, having first popularized the phrase Party of Crooks and Thieves to describe United Russia in 2012, and then hammered the party ever since. Stagnant wages, controversial pension reforms, and tax hikes have also hurt the partys standing among Russian voters. In past votes, a sizable number of candidates for local offices, including in Moscow, have actually run as independents, as a way to distance themselves from United Russias damaged brand. Still, the party is formidable, and continues to have a chokehold on elected offices, up and down the ballot, and across the country. Citing data from exit polls and preliminary counting, Andrei Turchak, the secretary of United Russia's general council, said the party was set to win majorities in all regional legislatures and that its candidates for governor were well ahead. And first results on September 14 showed United Russia victorious in all 18 gubernatorial races; in some regions, Tatarstan, Komi, and Kamchatka, results showed landslide victories for United Russia candidates. That was also true in Irkutsk, an industrial Siberian city near Lake Baikal; preliminary results there showed the incumbent governor ended up winning with more than 61 percent, despite an exit poll that pointed to a close race. But there were dents in United Russia's armor. In Tomsks 37-seat city legislature, despite the showing from Navalnys allies, United Russia ended up dominant, with more than 24 percent of the vote, but its number of seats dropped to just 11, according to early results, down from 21. Similarly in Novosibirisk, where United Russias share of seats fell to 22 seats, down from 33. United Russia lost its majority in Tambovs legislature as well. The independent election-monitoring organization Golos said 6 of the 18 candidates who ran for the governorships ran as independents, to hide their Untied Russia affiliations. United Russias continuing unpopularity poses a problem for the Kremlin, where theres anxiety that if the State Duma elections expected in September 2021 are fair and competitive, the party could suffer major losses. And there are signs that the Kremlin may already be trying to get ahead of the problem of United Russias unpopularity: a new political party reportedly created with the Kremlin blessing-- New People -- gained enough votes in the weekends local election to potentially contest the Duma elections. 'Smart Voting' After Navalny and his allies realized they couldnt take on United Russia and the Kremlins managed democracy head-on, they opted for a different tactic: smart voting. Thats when Navalnys political organization essentially presents disaffected voters a list of alternative candidates to United Russias candidates. It worked in the 2019 Moscow city council elections, where United Russia lost a sizable number of seats, and it appears to have worked in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, and elsewhere in these most recent elections. In all, Navalnys group endorsed more than 1,000 candidates in the local elections across the country to challenge United Russia candidates. It wasnt immediately clear how many of those smart vote candidates ended up winning, but it does mean that smart voting is not only here to stay, but will likely be used to greater effect in the September 2019 Duma elections. The main conclusion of the recent campaign is simple: Voters need to register on the Smart Voting website and cast their votes in accordance with its recommendations, Ilya Yashin, an opposition political leader, wrote in a post to Facebook. If we do everything in a smart way, then next year United Russia will lose its majority in the federal parliament. Clean Voting Russias election system has never been a paragon of competition, transparency, or unquestioned accuracy. Its a trend that has gotten worse in recent years, something that Golos and other organizations have documented extensively. These regional elections were the first to use a new system allowing voting over three days. It was a move ostensibly aimed at minimizing the potential danger of coronavirus infections. But organizations warned it would be more difficult to document and prevent fraud. Over the past four years, Golos has never received such a massive flow of communications about demonstrative disregard of the law, including the rights of observers and members of [electoral] commissions, the organization said in a statement on September 14. Stanislav Andreichuk, an expert with Golos, told RFE/RL that administrative and legislative barriers were getting increasingly worse for election transparency, a trend he predicted would only worsen. There will be a growing conflict, a clash of these increasing trends in the coming years, he said. He recently enjoyed a romantic date night with his wife Michelle Keegan. And Mark Wright appeared to be taking full advantage of the sunshine as he took his new Chevrolet 3100 pick-up truck for a spin in Chigwell, Essex, on Monday. The former TOWIE star, 33, collected a takeaway from Sheesh after work before driving off in his black half-ton truck which he revealed 'suits me perfectly'. Shiny: Mark Wright appeared to be taking full advantage of the sunshine as he took his new Chevrolet 3100 pick-up truck for a spin in Chigwell, Essex, on Monday Mark opted for a laid-back look in a smart black t-shirt paired with a long chain necklace for the outing in the classic car which can fetch around 40,700 for a 1958 model. Speaking on his Instagram Stories, Mark said: 'Just finished work - starving, didn't want to get dressed up come to this new takeaway at Sheesh - here it comes. 'My grub over the counter it's like being in America. Little takeaway Sheesh but you can eat it here, out here, lovely.' Wow: Mark drove away in classic black half-ton truck which can fetch around 40,700 for a 1958 model and looked proud of his new wheels Bye: Co-owner Colin Hunt filmed Mark leaving the car park in front of the grand 600-year-old building Filming two lavish burgers, he added: 'And when you can't decide on the lamb or the wagyu burger you just get both.' Panning to Sheesh owner Dylan Hunt, the pair chimed: 'Come on!' His father and co-owner Colin Hunt filmed Mark leaving the car park in front of the grand 600-year-old building. Hungry: Mark opted for a laid-back look in a smart black t-shirt paired with a long chain necklace Delivery: The Sheesh waitress delivered his food before Mark thanked the member of staff Mark slowed down as he approached Colin who commented: 'Love the truck Mark - a new one?' The reality star replied: 'A new one brother - do you like it? Suits me perfectly! See ya later.' Earlier in the day Mark met up with his former TOWIE co-star James Argent, 32. Close: Earlier in the day Mark met up with his former TOWIE co-star and friend James Argent, 32 Funny: Mark zoomed in on Arg's Mickey Mouse-inspired shoes while Arg appeared in good spirits as he laughed along with his close friend Mark zoomed in on Arg's Mickey Mouse-inspired shoes and joked: 'What are those! Oh my good God what are they?' Meanwhile Arg appeared in good spirits as he laughed along with his close friend. It comes after Mark has reportedly landed role fronting the pilot for a new show in the United States after winning over producers with his 'cheeky persona'. According to The Sun the pilot was filmed last month and Mark is already hoping that it could mark a return to America after previously living there for two years. An insider revealed: 'He was chosen to front a new pilot by a TV network in the US who are keen to see if they can get him back on screen. 'Obviously the dream would be to become as big as his pal James Corden, who landed his own chat show out there on CBS.' While Mark was away filming for Extra, Michelle, 33, was based in South Africa filming for BBC1 drama Our Girl, however they are now both based in Essex. Suggesting that Michelle would join Mark on his latest project, a source revealed: 'If the right chance did come up they'd see if they could make it work but they would never want to live apart for long periods again.' Spanish police wrongly raided the home of a family of four and subjected them to seven months of false accusations over child abuse images after misinterpreting a date - which was written in the American month-day-year format. Francisco R, 59, was the subject of a considerable police misunderstanding when officers rummaged through his home and confiscated his electronic devices in 2017. None of Mr R's family, from Madrid, knew what was taking place as authorities searched their cupboards and drawers while under supervision from an investigating court. The mother, Josefina R, demanded to know 'what the hell is going on here?' The court clerk then became impatient as hours went by with no evidence turning up, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports. Months later, the family discovered investigators had made a mistake with the dates on a child pornography alert from a US organisation, which used the country's month-day-year date format. The report had alerted police to a Spanish IP address that uploaded pornography on Facebook on 10/11/16 - October 11 in the American format. Spanish investigators read the date as November 10. The family are now asking for 27,000 in compensation, suing the state for damages. Francisco R, 59, was the subject of a considerable police misunderstanding when officers rummaged through his home and confiscated his electronic devices in 2017 (pictured: Spanish local police, August 2020) IP addresses can change every time a computer connects to the internet. The family in question did at one point have the IP address under suspicion, which was sent by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The investigating judge and Spanish prosecutors failed to notice the mistake. All of the family members except for the eldest of two sons, Sergio, was at the home on the day of the search. A police officer had phoned at around 8am on November 23, 2017, warning that he and his colleagues would attend the home at 9.15am to show them some photographs - a ruse that two officers had earlier used to enter the premises. Josefina told them they would need a warrant if they wanted to enter. Four police officers plus a court clerk then arrived half an hour early on the day of the search and started analysing the mobile devices found at the home. The younger son, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, appeared to be scared while still in his pyjamas, reports say. His father says that police noticed the FC Barcelona posters in the teenager's room and asked him: 'So you're a Barcelona fan, eh... So, are you also a separatist?' Officers then asked about the older son, who was in Aranjuez. Police said they would go to meet him straight away - and the father demanded to come with them. Police then confiscated Sergio's electronic devices in front of his work colleagues, and searched his car. Officers asked him: So, Sergio, there's nothing you'd like to tell us? It's going to be worse for you later on...' Four police officers plus a court clerk then arrived half an hour early on the day of the search and started analysing the mobile devices found at the home (stock image) His father Francisco later said: 'How do you explain, at a time like that, that the police is after you over child pornography? What do you tell your bosses? It doesn't matter that you're innocent: in the end, people think that if the police is here, it must be for a reason.' He said that family members would then seem to look suspiciously at one another. 'You ask yourself, what if someone, without meaning to, or whatever, did upload those videos... But I always felt that it had to be a mistake,' Francisco said. All of the devices analysed revealed that none of the family had indecent images of children. The case was under seal and the family did not know precisely what they were accused of - though they know it involved child abuse images. When the seal was lifted, it was revealed that a complaint from the NCMEC had issued a complaint which was channeled to courts in Madrid through the US' Spanish Embassy. The report said that a 'user in Spain' had uploaded three videos and an image depicting child abuse to social media site Facebook. Family lawyers discovered the error after finally acquiring court papers - which took considerable efforts after the case was shelved. A report by Spain's legal watchdog, the General Council of the Judiciary, admits that a mistake was made which resulted in damage to the family, who should receive compensation. By PTI NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The statement would assume significance in the backdrop of demands made by the Opposition for a debate on the issue. Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow recently. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had also met in Moscow a few days ago. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs are also likely to meet over video conferencing on Tuesday afternoon, government sources said. During the monsoon session, which began on Monday, the opposition is seeking to corner the government on its handling of the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the COVID-19 situation, economic downturn and unemployment, and is pressing for discussions on these issues. An updated business agenda for the Lok Sabha session on Tuesday said Singh will make a statement in the lower house on "the developments on our border in Ladakh". The Congress and other opposition parties raised these demands in the first business advisory committee (BAC) meeting for Lok Sabha chaired by Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, but no time has been allocated yet for these discussions. The BAC for Lok Sabha will be held again on Tuesday afternoon to further discuss the first week's business schedule. Similar demands have been raised by the Congress in the BAC for Rajya Sabha as well. Mumbai, Sep 14 : Hours after Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday launched a fresh assault on Maharashtra, senior Shiv Sena leader and Transport Minister Anil Parab hit back, calling her a "dual personality", while state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the "drama queen" has fled Mumbai. "She clearly has a dual personality and needs a doctor. Kangana is an actor and speaks according to the script given to her. Many such Kanganas have come and gone," said Parab, but refusing to identify those who prepared the "script" for her. On her much-publicised visit to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, he said: "Why should the Governor meet only Kangana? He should also meet the poor people whose illegal slums or roadside constructions are being demolished regularly." Parab wondered why the Bharatiya Janata Party's "stomach is churning" when the illegal construction of Kangana was razed. Targeting Kangana, Sawant asked why the actress - who boasted of information about drug-mafia connections in Bollywood - suddenly returned to Himachal Pradesh without sharing any details with the investigating agencies. "She openly made claims of having knowledge of Bollywood-drugs mafia links, but did not provide the details to the NCB. Withholding such information is a crime under the NDPS Act and IPC Sections 176 and 220. Instead, she kept abusing Maharashtra leaders including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, besides Mumbai Police," he said. Sawant reiterated that her abrupt departure from Mumbai makes it apparent that she "is a puppet" in the hands of the BJP and part of a larger conspiracy to "discredit and defame" Maharashtra with ulterior motives. Parab further warned that the Shiv Sena would not tolerate if Kangana crosses the limits or makes any wild statements about Mumbai or Maharashtra. "We are staying within our limits...They should also observe the limits. We will not keep quiet if she keeps talking ill about Mumbai. If she thinks the city is like PoK, then she must decide if she still wants to live here...," the minister said. On Kangana's fresh salvo after reaching Himachal Pradesh this morning, Parab noted that "this is her only job now". "That is okay. Because of this, her love for the city is known to the people clearly now," he said. Asked about Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale's visit to Kangana's home to express solidarity, Parab termed the Republican Party of India-A leader as "a shop with half shutters down". Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), an initiative of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has opened registration for The Fall 2020 Program. Now in its eighth edition, the Program aims to attract startups from around the world to participate in an acceleration program that will take place both virtually and physically in Dubai, UAE. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005315/en/ Submit your applications and be part of Dubais innovation ecosystem (Photo: AETOSWire) The announcement of the upcoming edition follows the success of earlier cohorts that saw 14 government entities and 299 startups working in synergy to find solutions to more than 115 challenges. Furthermore, more than 125 of the participating startups went on to sign agreements with their partner entities to test their solutions through pilot projects or to implement them within their organizations. DFAs program provides startups with the opportunity to co-create innovative solutions to future challenges in collaboration with Dubai government. The Program will have startups work on utilizing technologies to tackle challenges facing the future of Dubai in key sectors, including transport, energy, health, and digital technologies. The 2020 edition is a 10-week program that is structured into two phases. A four-week virtual program; which concludes with a virtual pitching session, where each company will present its customized proposal to a committee. Following an evaluation period, shortlisted startups will advance into the second phase and join a six-week in-residence program in Dubai. In this phase, participants will test and run a proof of concept (PoC) and pilots of their proposed solutions. The selected startups to join DFAs in-residence program will receive a plethora of opportunities to partner with government entities and industry leaders throughout the duration of the program. They will have access to a series of workshops, office hours with mentors, social and cultural activities, infrastructure support, and be part of an ecosystem that enables them to scale their solutions to a potential market of two billion people. DFA is a no-equity accelerator program and the participating startups are offered a complimentary roundtrip airfare to Dubai as well as accommodation for the duration of their participation in the program. The last date for receiving applications is September 20, 11.59pm GMT+4. Startups keen to join the global accelerator program can register and apply at https://www.dubaifuture.ae/initiatives/future-design-and-acceleration/dubai-future-accelerators/challenges/ *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005315/en/ BRUNSWICK HILLS TOWNSHIP, Ohio Fraud: Creekside Boulevard A woman reported receiving a virus notice on her computer Aug. 28. She said she communicated with a man identifying himself as a technician with Computer Repair, LLC and provided the man with her bank account information in order to receive a refund following the alleged repairs the man made to the womans computer. She later found that more than $5,000 was missing from her savings and checking accounts. Police advised her to contact her bank and credit card companies immediately. Police had been unable to contact the suspect at the time of the report. Trespassing: Butterfly Circle A resident called police and reported finding the door from his garage to his house open and an elderly man inside his house Aug. 28. The man appeared to be confused, said he was at the wrong house, apologized and left. The resident was able to get the license plate number of the van the man drove away in. Police suggested that the resident consider getting security cameras on the property. There was no further information available at the time of the report. Animal complaint: Redford Drive A woman reported that her dog had been attacked by a neighbors dog while on a walk at 8:52 p.m. Aug. 26. The victim said the neighbors dog had escaped a fenced area of the neighbors property. The victim initially found no injuries to her dog and told police that the dog was up to date on shots. The owner of the other dog also confirmed that it was up to date on shots. The following day, the victim called police to report that her dog was unable to move and had a puncture wound. The victim said she was taking the dog to a veterinarian and would follow up with police at that time. Unauthorized use: Stag Thicket Lane A resident called police at 10:20 p.m. Aug. 30 to report that his father-in-law had driven the callers car to Pennsylvania. The caller said he and his father-in-law had agreed that the father-in-law could use the car, but was not permitted to take it out of state. Both the caller and the father-in-law confirmed that the caller co-signed for the car, but the father-in-law is making payments on it. The father-in-law said he had traveled to Pennsylvania for a job interview. Police suggested he call his son-in-law and explain the situation. There was no further information at the time of the report. Read more news from the Brunswick Sun. As flooding damaged the school of Buckeye Local South Elementary and prevented students from attending, St. Joseph Church opened their doors to help. "It looks like we are going to be able to move into the Catholic church," Superintendent Kim Leonard said. Leonard announced that the school would likely not be able to reopen for months due to the water damage done to its facility. Rev. William Cross of the church said the inspectors gave their final approval after fire and health inspectors reviewed the church building to determine its suitability. "(Cross) has been extremely accommodating. He has basically just opened up his church and welcomed us in," Leonard expressed her gratitude for the church's willingness to help the school in an unprecedented situation. One of the priorities in searching for a temporary site in replacement of the flooded school was location. It was the goal of the school to not require their students to travel far from their hometown for their education. "We're able to keep all of our students and faculty and staff together at one location, and it's in close proximity to our elementary," Leonard said. Faculty of three elementary schools came together to transfer supplies and the completion was expected by Thursday to start classes the following day on September 10. "(We thank) the community for their patience while we are trying to devise this plan," Leonard said. The church in turn shared that the church location was once used as a school before and their relationship with Superintendent Kim Leonard. "Kim Leonard is a member of the parish there, so she's familiar with it. When they had their disaster last week, she contacted me about the possibility. For them to use our space until they're alne to get back into their own building." "We want to help in any way we can," Cross said. Cross reassured that holding school activities at the church facilities will not interfere with church activities and that the space will be strictly sanitized at the end of every day. The Bono Region is receiving its fair share of the government's implementation of the "Year of Roads" agenda with the execution of 48 road projects by agencies under the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the sector Minister, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has disclosed. Nine of the projects are being executed by the Ghana Highway Authority, 26 by the Department of Feeder Roads and 13 by the Department of Urban Roads. In addition, 25 projects, which are at their various stages of procurement, will soon be awarded on contract. At a press conference to account for the road projects in the region, Mr Amoako-Atta explained that while the 48 ongoing projects had a total of 632.8 kilometres, the 25 planned projects covered 311.1 kilometres. The projects include the asphalt overlay of selected Berke town roads, Wenchi town roads, Dormaa-Ahenkro town roads, rehabilitation of the New Dormaa-Yawhima road and the upgrading of the Odomase-Adantia-Badu road, among others. Inconveniences The current construction of storm drains and pavements in Sunyani, as well as other communities in the region, is causing inconveniences to drivers and commuters. Mr Amoako-Atta, therefore, appealed to people in the region to bear with the contractors since "if you do not suffer, you don't gain." He observed that Ghana had excellent contractors who were executing projects but there were a few lots whose performance left much to be desired. "The type of bad roads that were washed away by rain in the past should remain in the past," he stated, adding "our money will not be used to pay such bad contractors." Mr Amoako-Atta said officials of the ministry had the moral responsibility to deal with bad contractors whose modus operandi was to execute shoddy jobs and work their way through to get paid. Stalled projects He said the execution of most of the road projects, which were started in the past, got stalled along the way because of lack of dedicated source of funding. Mr Amoako-Atta said all roads, which were currently under construction, had dedicated sources of funding since the ministry had learnt lessons from past experiences. Answering a question, the minister indicated that an inventory and designs were being completed on the Sunyani-Techiman Road and gave assurance that the procurement process would start soon. He also announced that Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia would cut the sod for the commencement of work on asphalt overlay of 30 kilometres of inner-city roads of Sunyani in the coming weeks under the China Sinohydro facility. "We are on course with the execution of the 'Year of Roads programme and all the 16 regions are receiving their share," he stated. 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 Following the normalisation deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, US President Donald Trump is now aiming to introduce direct flights between Israel and Morocco, in a bid to establish diplomatic relations. The low-level ties between the two countries began in 1993 after an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani had earlier opposed to a normalization agreement with Israel, citing the rights of the Palestinians. However, the Prime Minister later cleared that he had spoken in his capacity as chairman of the moderate Islamist Party for Justice and Development (PJD) and not on behalf of the government. Orchestrated by the US, this deal comes a month after the United Arab Emirates established full diplomatic relations with Israel, becoming the third nation to do so in the region, after Jordan and Egypt. READ: Iran says Bahrain now partner to 'crimes' of Israel after US-brokered deal Bahrain Inks Peace Deal With Israel In what the United States boasts as the second breakthrough to normalise the situation in West Asia, Bahrain has signed a ''peace deal'' with Israel. With these developments in West Asia, US President Donald Trump claims that his administration has achieved major success in bringing peace in the region. However, not all has gone well with the neighbours of Israel and countries which have decided to recognise the Jewish state. Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020 READ: Hungary to be only EU country to attend Israel-UAE accord signing in Washington Relation of Israel with other Arab countries The Jewish state of Israel was formed in 1948, and since then the country has fought eight wars with its Arab neighbours. These wars predominantly stemmed from the conflict between Palestine and Israel. After World War II, demand for a homeland for Jews in the Arab dominated Palestine grew. Back then, Palestine was under the British mandate, but when it ended in 1947, the United Nations (UN) proposed an Arab-Jewish partition of Palestine. This partition plan mandated 53 percent of the land to the Jewish-majority state and 47 percent to the Palestinian-majority state. The Arab dominated West Asia did not accept a Jewish nation giving rise to conflict in the region. While Egypt and Jordan established diplomatic ties later, other Arab countries are of opinion that they would withhold recognition till the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, there has been a major shift recently. Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020 READ: Israel PM Netanyahu faces protests at airport during departure to US for pact signing READ: Bahrain follows UAE, inks peace deal with Israel: How Middle East countries reacted Image credit: AP AGL intends to shut the Liddell coal-fired power station in April 2022 and has outlined plans to replace it with renewable energy and battery storage, but the government policy will back a plan to build a gas-fired power station nearby. Loading The government will set a "dispatchable capacity investment target" of 1000 megawatts of electricity in NSW by the end of April 2021, requiring this amount of additional energy to come online by the end of 2023. "If the energy companies step up to deliver on the target, the government will step back," says one of the Commonwealth documents. Snowy Hydro, which is wholly owned by the Commonwealth, is studying whether to build a new gas-fired power station at Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley. A key objective is to guarantee electricity supply to the nearby Tomago smelter, which makes about 25 per cent of Australia's aluminium. The energy statement canvasses changes to national energy laws so that Tomago and other large industrial loads can be "appropriately compensated" for the role they play in providing stability to the east-coast electricity grid. Behind the wider gas plan is the concern that Australian customers are paying as much as 25 per cent more for gas than international customers, leading to soaring energy costs for manufacturers at the same time gas is pumped onto tankers for export. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission estimated last month that prices range from $8 to $10 per gigajoule for domestic customers, about $2 more than the LNG price. Loading A key part of the policy is the development of a National Gas Infrastructure Plan that will support a more active role for the government by forecasting future gas demand and identifying gaps that require intervention. It warns that several Victorian gas fields including Bass Strait will decline over time and lead to supply gaps during peak winter demand from 2024 unless new supplies are found. The government will negotiate new Heads of Agreement with the three major liquefied natural gas exporters in Queensland to insist they make more gas available to the domestic market. In a significant intervention to name new gas supplies, the government will deliver five Strategic Basin Plans that will start with the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory, followed by the North Bowen and Galilee fields in Queensland. Loading The North Bowen and Galilee basins are seen as "priority" developments but the new policy also names the Cooper Basin in Queensland, the Gunnedah Basin in NSW and the Perth Basin in Western Australia as targets for strategic plans. It will consider a "potential gas reservation" regime to set some of the future gas aside for the Australian market, learning the lessons of the past decade when new fields were developed for export and the boost in supplies failed to lead to lower domestic prices. But the priority is expected to be the Narrabri gas field in northern NSW, which is being developed by Santos and is awaiting a state regulatory decision by the end of this month, after which it will require federal environmental approval. The alternative to the Santos project is a plan to build an import terminal on the east coast. If private sector investment in the priority projects does not occur, the government will raise the option of streamlining approvals, underwriting projects or supporting "special purpose vehicles" to ensure they go ahead. One source said the government's message to industry was: "If you don't fix it, we will." Throwing the full weight of the Commonwealth behind more gas exploration and extraction, the plan will even specify the best way to set a transparent price for the domestic market by using a gas hub at Wallumbilla, near the Queensland town of Roma. The location is significant because Wallumbilla is regarded as a key point in a potential gas pipeline south to NSW and on to Victoria, bringing more supply to the southern states. Loading While private companies are considering whether to build the new pipelines to carry more gas supplies to Sydney and Melbourne, the government is open to underwriting the pipelines. This acts on a proposal from the chair of the federal government's COVID-19 Commission Advisory Board, business executive Nev Power, who aired the idea of an underwriting approach last month. Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler has questioned the need for underwriting new gas projects but the opposition's resources spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, has lent provisional support to the concept. The Greens and the environmental movement have slammed the idea of expanding the use of fossil fuels rather than renewable energy supplies, but the government is arguing Australia's emissions will fall by using gas to shift away from coal. Trump goes to California to meet with wildfire responders, as Biden derides climate denial. United States President Donald Trump visited fire-ravaged California on Monday, as Democratic Candidate Joe Biden, in Delaware, called him a climate arsonist. Kamala Harris hosted virtual fundraisers with Hillary Clinton, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler Mike Pence campaigned in Janesville, Wisconsin Trump held his first indoor rally in three months on Sunday, prompting rebuke from Nevada governor Monday marked 50 days until the November 3 vote These were the updates: Monday, September 14 19:30 ET Kamala Harris speaks to virtual fundraisers for Biden Senator Kamala Harris hosted separate virtual fundraisers with former Democratic presidential candidates Walter Mondale and Hillary Clinton. Harris outlined the Biden campaigns policy positions on health care, promoting wearing of masks, immigration and policing reforms and creating federal incentives for businesses to manufacture products in the US. One of the first things a Biden administration would do, if elected, is create a pandemic board that will oversee testing, Harris said. And Biden would push legislation in Congress to deal with systemic racism. 18:30 ET Trump hosts roundtable with Latinos for Trump in Arizona We are here to discuss my administrations unwavering devotion to Hispanic Americans, Trump said at an event attended by a live audience at the Arizona Grand Resort hotel in Phoenix, biggest city in Arizona. Arizona is a battleground state in the race for president where Biden leads Trump by 5 percentage points in opinion polls, although Trump claimed a new survey showed him leading Biden. Latinos account for nearly a quarter 24 percent of all eligible voters in Arizona. 17:00 ET At fundraiser, Biden blasts Trump assault on the Justice Department Biden, appearing at on a digital afternoon, blasted what he called Trumps open assault on the Justice Department. The department, under Attorney General William Barr, has been criticised for several actions that appeared politically motivated, including the pardoning of Trump ally Roger Stone. One of the worst things hes done is launch an open assault on the Justice Department. You dont need me to tell you that. Ask the department prosecutor that refused to disagree with him, Biden said. He used it to keep his tax returns from seeing the light of day, weaponized it to make specious arguments against laws passed by Congress like Obamacare. Be clear, the attorney general and department exist to serve and protect the American people, not the private political interests of a president, he added. 16:30 ET Trump tweets I do to four hour Joe Rogan interview Trump has indicated he would be interested in participating in a four hour debate moderated by Joe Rogan, a popular US podcast host and television personality. Former Mixed Martial Artist Tim Kennedy tweeted that Rogan had offered to moderate a longform debate between Trump and Biden, tweeting: Who wants this? Trump retweeted the tweet, saying I do. For several reasons, its unlikely such an event would actually happen. The Commission on Presidential Debates has already scheduled three debates between Trump and Biden. Trumps campaign has pushed for a fourth, believing Trump will do well in the forum. The commission had denied that request. Trump performance during the 2016 presidential debates are credited with boosting his support [File: Mark Ralston/Reuters] 16:00 ET California officials push back on Trumps climate comments California Governor Gavin Newsom has told Trump his state can do a better job of forest management, but added it is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. Trump and Newsom participated in a briefing the deadly fires that have forced thousands of residents out of their homes along the West Coast. Trump has repeatedly discounted the impact of climate change and endorsed raking forests as a means of combating wildfires. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, told Trump that if we ignore that science and sort of put our heads in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together in protecting California. Trump replied: Itll start getting cooler. You just watch. Crowfoot said: I wish science agreed with you. Well, I dont think science knows actually, Trump responded. 15:15 ET Wisconsin readies for mail voting disruption Election officials in Wisconsin are awaiting a state Supreme Court ruling that could upend mail voting in the state days before ballots are set to be sent out to the over 1 million registered voters who have requested them. On Thursday, the states supreme court ordered a pause to sending out hundreds of thousands of mail ballots as it mulls whether the ballots should be reprinted to include Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins. Hawkins, who is running as a progressive, has reportedly received support from Republican backers, believing his candidacy could siphon votes away from Joe Biden in the key battleground state, which Trump won by a tiny margin in 2016. Experts expect as many as half of US voters to cast ballots by mail [File: Nati Harnik/The Associated Press] 14:30 ET Trump stresses forest management in California Trump has landed in Sacramento, California amid hazy skies, and immediately blamed forest management for the fires that have swept across the region since early August. We have to do a lot about forest management, obviously forest management in California is very important, Trump said. Now it extends to Washington, it extends also to Oregon. Trump was asked if climate change was also part of the problem, in combination with forest management. I think a lot of things are possible, he said. Trump said he would soon meet with Governor Gavin Newsom during what is expected to be a brief trip. All three Democratic governors of California, Washington, and Oregon have said Climate Change is partially to blame for the fires. 14:00 ET Biden calls Trump climate arsonist Biden has condemned Trumps climate denial while calling him a climate arsonist moments before the president arrived in wildfire-ravaged California, where hes set to meet with local and federal responders. If we have four more years of Trumps climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires? How many suburban neighborhoods will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms? Biden said. If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? If you give a climate denier 4 more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is under water? said Biden, before detailing his plans to prioritise renewable energy. Democrats have said the West Coast fires are clearly related to Climate Change, while Trump has portrayed the blazes as the product of poor forest management. A man carries a bucket of water to put out a tree still smoldering on his property in Mill City, Oregon [File: John Locher/the Associated Press] 13:30 ET Poll shows Americans care about law and order, split on candidate A new Monmouth University Poll found that most Americans are concerned with maintaining law and order, but neither candidate has a clear advantage on the issue. The poll found that 65 percent of Americans say maintaining law and order is a major problem in the US right now. About 52 percent of those polled thought Joe Biden could maintain law and order if elected, while 48 percent said Trump could. Meanwhile, 61 percent of Americans polled said Trumps handling has made matters worse. A poll released on September 4 by ABC News/Ipsos found that 55 percent of Americans believe Trumps rhetoric on the protests has made the situation. Just 13 percent believed his comments made things better. Portland Police officers disperse a crowd of protesters after a Molotov cocktail was thrown on the 100th consecutive night of protests in Portland, Oregon on September 6 [File: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters] 13:15 ET Impeachment witness Vindman: Trump is Putins useful idiot A key witness in the impeachment proceeding against Trump, former National Security Council Ukraine expert Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, has called Trump a useful idiot for Putin in a newly published interview. President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin, Vindman told the Atlantic Magazine, when asked if he thought Trump was an asset of Russian intelligence. When asked if Vindman, who retired from the military in July citing a retaliatory campaign against him, thought Russia was blackmailing Trump, he replied: They may or may not have dirt on him, but they dont have to use it. They have more effective and less risky ways to employ him. He has aspirations to be the kind of leader that Putin is, and so he admires him. He likes authoritarian strongmen who act with impunity, without checks and balances. So hell try to please Putin, he said. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council Director for European Affairs, testified before the House Intelligence Committee during the impeachment inquiry into Trumps dealings with Ukraine [AFP] 13:00 ET Pence renews law and order message in Wisconsin Pence visited Janesville, Wisconsin on Monday, renewing the Trump campaigns law and order platform in the key battleground state, which became a hotspot of civil and racial unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Pence referenced the ambush shooting of two deputy sheriffs in Los Angeles and said Biden had not done enough to condemn violent protests. He then pivoted towards defending Trumps coronavirus record and his trade deals. He claimed Biden has put forth the most extreme platform of any major party candidate in American history. Bidens campaign responded to the speech: President Trump admitted he intentionally downplayed the virus and misled the American people, and Wisconsin continues to pay the price in lost jobs, lost businesses, and lost lives. Vice President @Mike_Pence on the two deputies shot in Los Angeles: We are so glad to hear they are on the road to recovery. pic.twitter.com/9AZqDhVzYE Team Trump (Text VOTE to 88022) (@TeamTrump) September 14, 2020 12:30 ET Woodward: Trump had specific knowledge that could have saved lives Reporter Bob Woodward, whose new book contains the revelations that Trump intentionally played down the deadliness of the coronavirus pandemic, doubled down in an interview on Monday, saying Trump possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives. In an interview on NBCs Today programme, Woodward discussed how Trump was briefed on the coronavirus on January 28, but said nothing during his State of Union address, which was viewed by 4 million people, days later. It is one of those shocks, for me, having written about nine presidents, that the president of the United States possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives and historians are going to be writing about the lost month of February for tens of years, Woodward said. Details of a final interview between Woodward and Trump also emerged on Monday, with CNN reporting Trump sought to find out how he would be portrayed in the book. While focusing heavily on the economy, Trump insisted to Woodward nothing more could have been done when it came to the pandemic response. 12:00 ET Biden votes early in Delaware primary Joe Biden has voted in Delawares primary, casting a ballot by appointment a day before the polls formally open. The Democratic presidential nominee and his wife, Jill, voted Monday morning at the New Castle Board of Elections. She wore boots with VOTE stenciled on each one. When asked if he had confidence that all votes would be counted, Biden responded: I have confidence that Trump will try to not have that happen but Im confident the American public is going to insist on it. 50 days. Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 14, 2020 11:30 ET Biden creates legal war room in preparation for voting fight: Report Bidens campaign is building an unprecedented legal war room, which will include two former solicitors general and hundreds of lawyers, according to the New York Times. Campaign officials told the newspaper the operation is readying for a fight over voting integrity, amid on-going legal battles over how Americans will vote and how those votes will be counted. Experts expect half of US voters to cast ballots by mail, and Trump has repeatedly spread unfounded claims that mail voting leads to higher rates of fraud. As states grapple with new systems of voting, they are likely to encounter delays, which analysts fear could create weeks or months of fraught uncertainty. 11:00 ET Trump responds indoor rally criticism Trump has responded to criticism over his holding of an indoor rally in Nevada, saying he did not believe he was subject to the states 50-person gathering limit. Instead, Trump blamed the states governor, Steve Sisolak, for what he described as blocking the campaign from holding the events at outdoor sites in Reno and Las Vegas, in an interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal . Trump instead held the indoor event at a friends manufacturing facility. They canceled six different sites because the governor wouldnt let it happen, all external sites, the president said. Sisolak had called Trump decision to host the indoor event, which had little in the way of social distancing and mask wearing, shameful, dangerous and irresponsible. Supporters many not wearing masks gather for an indoor rally with US President Donald Trump in Henderson, Nevada [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] 10:30 ET Trump, Biden both hold events regarding West Coast wildfires Trump will travel to California to be briefed about its devastating wildfires while Biden plans a speech on the matter from Delaware, bringing climate change to the forefront of the presidential campaign. Trump, who pulled the US out of the Paris accord on global warming because he found it too costly, has blamed poor forest management for the fires that are raging around the West Coast but has authorised federal disaster aid. Democrats have said that climate change plays a role, and Biden is expected to emphasise that in his remarks. A spate of deadly and destructive wildfires have swept California, Oregon and Washington this summer, destroying thousands of homes and a handful of small towns, burning more than four million acres and killing more than two dozen people since early August. 10:00 ET Biden targets Black voters in new ad Biden campaign has released a new series of ads in key battleground states aimed at Black voters, amid concerns over lagging enthusiasm in the demographic. Today, Biden for President released a batch of new ads nationally and in battleground states, including Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, that address the concerns of millions of Black Americans who fear their lives are at risk under a second Trump administration, the campaign said in a statement. The ads will air nationally on television and digital platforms, and include the Shop Talk series, which shows socially distanced conversations among Black men at a Black-owned barbershop in North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Get This Right ad highlights Biden and Harris criminal justice reform plan. It remains unclear if Black voters will be energised to come out and vote for Biden. Read more here. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden meets with members of the community at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin [File: Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press] 09:00 ET Weekend recap: Trump hosts Nevada rallies, shrugs restrictions Trump defied local restrictions in Nevada over the weekend and held the first indoor rally of the campaign. The event in Henderson, Nevada saw hundreds of Trump supporters gather into a building with little social distancing. Many did not wear masks. The states governor tweeted the event violated a ban on gatherings of 50 or more in the state. This is an insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives, made sacrifices, and put their neighbors before themselves, Governor Steve Sisolak said in a lengthy series of posts. Its also a direct threat to all of the recent progress weve made, and could potentially set us back. Biden on Saturday called Trumps decision to hold an outdoor rally in Reno reckless. At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health, the Presidents actions this weekend are shameful, dangerous and irresponsible. Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) September 14, 2020 _______________________________________________________________ Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the US elections. This is Joseph Stepansky. Read all the updates from last week (September 11) here. Luxembourg is one of the first countries to legalise medical cannabis, a pilot project that has been up and running since 2019. RTL's Annick Goerens spoke to Minister of Health Paulette Lenert about its developments. Demand for medical cannabis in Luxembourg is high: since January 2019, 630 patients have received a cannabis prescription, Lenert said. "The average is roughly 40 grams per patient, which adds up to almost 270kg per year." Who can get medical cannabis? Obtaining a prescription is not easy. Patients must have a serious illness, often at an advanced stage, experience severe pain, or have symptoms that stimulate fear. Furthermore, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are also eligible to take cannabis, as it helps against nausea. If a patient has cramps, such as with multiple sclerosis, they may obtain a prescription. Overall, then, only patients in pain therapy can make use of the new law. "Is it precise enough? Is it not too generous? A cannabis prescription is free of charge, so we must make sure that it really has a successful impact," Lenert explained. 240 doctors allowed to prescribe cannabis There are roughly 2,200 GPs in Luxembourg, but only 240 of them are authorised to prescribe cannabis. "In order to issue a prescription, a doctor must first follow a training session. It's a short one, I believe only six hours. 240 doctors have completed that, and they have given all prescriptions." Medical cannabis should rather be inhaled than smoked, as it is less damaging to one's health. "The prescription itself is a mix of THC, such as tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD, which is cannabidiol. Or another product that is more THC-laden. With those we saw that demand exploded: were were at two-thirds of capacity last year year and now a 80%," according to the health minister. Could Luxembourg grow its own cannabis in future? The distribution of cannabis was looked after by the hospital pharmacies. Luxembourg imports it from a Canadian producer via Germany, which is also controlled according to European quality norms. But could Luxembourg start producing its own? "Well, that is quite a complex task in large numbers. It would be imaginable, though. Today, all our cannabis is imported, but if we grow it ourselves we need to know exactly how much is needed. I think it's definitely a path we can take in the future." Patients positive about the availability There has been no formal survey amongst patients, but informally there has been a lot of positive feedback. Life quality of many people has improved significantly, and that were also the goal, said Lenert. The minister did not want to make any comments on the topic of recreational cannabis. That one is inspired by the Dutch model, however, is no secret, she said. The Rev. Al Sharpton and Ben Crump, an attorney for other victims of police violence including George Floyd's family, led mourners in chants of "Justice for Valentina!" and "Valentina was innocent!" Pushing government experience forward requires agility, determination and awareness of security risks, according to speakers at the Utah Virtual Digital Government Summit* held last week.One session at the online summit, Acceleration of Government Experience, focused on the challenge of transitioning government services to digital formats, with much of the dialogue revolving around how Utah responded to COVID-19 this year.Dave Fletcher, chief technology officer of Utah, said the utah.gov domain, under typical circumstances, would tend to receive anywhere from 4 million to 5 million visits a month. That number increased to about 9 million in March and more than 11 million in April.Fletcher said Utah was well prepared in general for this shift, but not everything went smoothly. The difference-maker in this respect was the cloud, which allowed greater agility on the fly.Weve been able to scale to a large degree, Fletcher shared. Those services that were not in that [cloud] environment really struggled.For example, you must go to an office in person when first getting your drivers license in Utah. Many of the states DMV offices closed for weeks after the pandemic started. People waited in dramatically long lines when those offices reopened.Brett Stott, general manager of NIC Utah, said COVID-19 brought about a pronounced uptick in people accessing government services through mobile devices in Utah. Stott believes mobile visits will soon eclipse desktop visits. One reason for this change is that many people, across all demographics, dont have desktops or home broadband connections.For many of those constituents, that [mobile] was the only way [to access services], Stott observed.Governments have to be forward-thinking about the mobile trend. Stott said its critical to keep looking at whos using services so that were always designing the system for them. He thinks the first step is for state government partners to be determined to make tailored digital services a priority, as there is always a solution to be found.More digital government services, however, means more cybersecurity risks, said Renee Tarun, deputy chief information security officer for Fortinet. Adversaries are taking note of the pivot toward digital services in the wake of COVID-19. In fact, 2020 has seen the return of multiple bad actors who had been dormant for months and, in some cases, years.Tarun, who once worked with the National Security Agency, said social engineering and ransomware attacks are on the rise and that some adversaries are establishing malicious websites that mirror legitimate ones.Most data breaches occur due to human error, Tarun emphasized. One concerning fact about government cybersecurity is that many successful attackers are exploiting browser-based vulnerabilities that have been around since the early 2000s.In other words, a lot of cyberattacks could be thwarted if governments simply practice good cyberhygiene and stay up to date on patches. Tarun acknowledged that patching can sometimes be challenging with legacy systems.You have to compensate for it, Tarun stated.From Fletchers perspective, the future of digital government is in artificial intelligence. Fletcher said Utah created a center for excellence for AI in 2019 and is currently working on a dozen major AI initiatives. Fletcher detailed one initiative that aims to help the agriculture department improve and automate brand inspections with AI.Fletcher said there are hundreds of AI applications that could be relevant to government. He added that AI will be a key component in warding off cyberattacks a point that Tarun echoed.Tarun also urged state governments to do their due diligence when selecting third parties for help with tech. Security and compliance checks must be performed with third parties so that governments can be certain that no additional risks will be introduced.Government Technology's Donald Trump President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Sunday aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations and expanding the scope of a July action. "My Most Favored Nation order will ensure that our Country gets the same low price Big Pharma gives to other countries. The days of global freeriding at Americas expense are over," Trump said in a Twitter post. The latest step, coming less than two months before the Nov. 3 presidential election, would replace a July 24 Trump executive order. It extends the mandate to prescription drugs available at a pharmacy, which are covered under Medicare Part D. The July version focused on drugs typically administered in doctors' offices and health clinics, covered by Medicare Part B. Specifically, it would pay a price for a drug that matches the lowest price paid among wealthy foreign governments. Medicare, the government healthcare program for seniors, is currently prohibited from negotiating prices it pays to drugmakers. It also requires issuing new federal rules, a complex process that might not be done by Election Day. Furthermore, determining prices paid by other countries could be challenging as negotiations between governments and drugmakers often are kept confidential. The industry's largest trade group - the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA - denounced Trump's move as "a reckless attack on the very companies working around the clock to beat COVID-19." PhRMA President and Chief Executive Stephen Ubl called the policy "unworkable" and an "overreach," and said it would give foreign governments a say in how the United States provides access to treatments. Larry Levitt, health economist at the Kaiser Family Foundation research organization, wrote on Twitter that Trump's executive order "does not by itself do anything. It has to be followed up by regulations, which will take time." The Biotechnology Innovation Organization said the move would reduce industry investment. "We will use every tool available including legal action if necessary to fight this risky foreign price control scheme," Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, president and CEO of the group, said in a statement. The Republican president signed an executive order in July to require Medicare to tie the prices it pays for drugs to those paid by other countries. Its implementation, however, was delayed as the administration sought to work out a solution with the industry. Three other executive orders were signed in July, which were designed to reduce drug costs for consumers in a bid to highlight Trump's commitment to cutting prescription prices before the November election. The orders ranged from relaxing drug importation rules to cutting Medicare payments to drugmakers. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 15) - Jobert Bercasio, an online news show host in Balangibog TV, was shot dead on Monday night by unidentified assailants in Sorsogon City. Based on an initial police report, Bercasio was onboard a scooter when he was gunned down by suspects riding in tandem at around 7:55 p.m. near XTRM Seabreeze Homes Subdivision at Barangay Cabid-an. Bercasio, a former radio reporter of local station DZMS, suffered four gunshots in different parts of the body and died from his injuries. The whereabouts of the suspects have yet to be determined and the local police are now investigating the motive of the killing. Prior to his death, Bercasio hosted a morning news and commentary program in Balangibog TV which airs through the online news platform's Facebook page. Last month, model Nyome Nicholas-Williams sparked a viral campaign called #IWantToSeeNyome when semi-nude images of the Black plus size influencer resulted in a warning that her account could be deleted. The pictures, which depicted Nicholas-Williams covering her breasts as she sat on a chair wearing cycle shorts, saw thousands rally behind Nicholas-Williams as she addressed the double standard in the way her portrait had been treated in comparison to those of very naked, skinny white women every day on the platform. After a discussion with Instagram in which they said they were reviewing their policy moving forwards, users have still been encountering problems weeks later as they attempted to post the picture of Nicholas-Williams. Nyome Nicholas-Williams As a result, on Thursday, Nicholas-Williams and others penned an open letter addressed to Instagram co-signed by celebrities including Munroe Bergdorf, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jameela Jamil and notable plus size influencers - saying that censorship is happening constantly to plus-sized Black women on the platform. The letter, addressed to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, reads, When Emily Ratajkowski, Kylie Jenner, Playboy, Kim Kardashian and millions of other notable influencers or slim, white celebrities upload near nude pictures of themselves, their pictures are not in violation of Instagrams Community Guidelines; however, my pictures (which showed less of my body) were removed and my account was threatened with closure. Nicholas-Williams added that although she had had a Zoom call with Instagrams team and was told the pictures were wrongly taken down as they were not a breach of Instagrams Community Guidelines. However, three weeks after, she said her followers were still seeing their accounts temporarily closed without warning or an opportunity to appeal as they posted her image in support of the #IWantToSeeNyome campaign. Explaining that they had collated over 500+ screenshots of removal notices, she continued, It is abundantly clear that Instagram reproduces the same racial biases that society does. Seeing fat Black bodies as too much or unpalatable. The app you are Chief Executive Officer of prides itself on being a free space for everyone to express themselves as they wish. However, there is clearly a disparity between who is allowed freedom and who is policed. If you are white, rich, and conventionally sexually attractive, it seems you can post as you wish and what you wish; but if you are part of a marginalised group you are subject to the results of a biased algorithm, Nicholas-Williams continued. Munroe Bergdorf / Getty Images Others to co-sign the open letter included Alexandra Cameron, Gina Martin, Aja Barber, Nicole Ocran, Sofie Hagen, Lil Ahenkan, Sassy Latte, Ghenet Pinderhughes Randall, Char Ellesse, Kayela LaLa Love Damaze, Kelechi Okafor, Samantha Obrochta, Grace F Victory, Stephanie Yeboah and Seyi Akiwowo. Images in breach of Instagrams Community Guidelines are flagged through a mixture of AI technology and manual reviewers. Regarding their policy on nudity, Instagrams current guidelines ban photos, videos and some digitally-created content of sexual intercourse, genitals and close-ups of fully-ndue buttocks as well as some photos of female nipples (though breastfeeding and images of post-mastectomy scarring are allowed. Nearly a month ago in an email to Nicholas-Williams, the social media platform said the Community Guidelines response to her image had been triggered as their guidelines dont allow breast squeezing as it is often associated with pornographic content. (Nicholas-Williams was covering her breasts in her image with her arm and hands.) Instagram also said at the time they had shared new guidance with our review teams to help them distinguish between squeezing breasts and simply holding or covering them. The open letter asks Instagram to make an official policy change in the Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity policy section and to additionally called for an amendment to the appeals process to provide clear and accessible customer where users can challenge removals effectively. Speaking to Evening Standard Insider, Nicholas-Williams said, Just after the campaign kicked off we had a constructive chat with Instagram and they brought forward guidance/policy reviews, but it was important for us to set out, clearly what we wanted to see from Instagram, so that change could be implemented. The letter shows we want to work constructively and we had such amazing support from my followers and those who dont follow too, Nicholas-Williams continued. Evening Standard Insider reached out to Instagram, who said Mosseri had personally replied to Nicholas-Williams yesterday and that the policies would be officially updated next month. Nyome Nicholas-Williams Tara Hopkins, Head of Instagram Public Policy EMEA, said, We have apologised directly to Nyome for repeatedly removing her image. This shouldnt be happening and we are committed to addressing any inequity on our platforms. We expect to update Instagram and Facebooks shared breast squeezing and covering policies next month, to make sure different body types arent treated unfairly. Instagram also shared with Evening Standard Insider that the company is committed to addressing any inequity on Instagram and planned to share an update next month to help make sure different body types arent treated differently. It also added that they had fewer content reviewers available due to coronavirus which had affected their appeals system, but were focused on bringing our reviewers back online. US President Donald Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for coronavirus testing in America, which is currently the worst-hit country in the world. Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally on Saturday night in Nevada. The President said: "We've tested more people than India than many many big countries put together. India's second. We are 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people... And Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi calls me. He says what a job you've done with testing. I said explain that to these dishonest people back." Trump then goes on to slam his Democratic rival Joe Biden, saying that if he was in charge when the "China virus" arrived, "hundred of thousands of more Americans would have died". As of Monday, the US accounts for the world's highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths at 6,520,234 and 194,081 respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University. India is currently in the second place in terms of cases at 4,846,427, while the country's death toll stood at 79,722. At the rally, Trump warned that he was prepared to "be really vicious" in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Nevada is among the locations his campaign is targeting as they work to rebuild enthusiasm around his handling of the US economy and solidify his support with Hispanic voters, said a Politico news report. Along with Arizona, where the President is traveling on Monday, Nevada is also a state where campaign aides believe Trump's expanded Latino support could make a difference in the November 3 election. HOUSTON Twenty-five years ago, the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas died in Paris. Born in Lithuania and naturalized in France, Levinas had led weekly Torah readings until shortly before his death just shy of his 90th birthday. I often thought about his age this spring as I worked as a volunteer in a nursing home. Not only was Levinas as old as several of the residents who I helped to feed, but he was engaged in an activity being with others denied to the residents since the pandemic burst into their lives. In both his person and his principles, Levinas offers a guide for the crises that now threaten nursing homes. Le visage, or the face, happens to be the very grounding for the ethics proposed by Levinas. Indeed, what he understands by the words face and ethics have little to do with their common usage. For Levinas, the face is not the sum total of physical pieces nose, eyes, ears, mouth, etc. that we present to the world. Instead, the face, as Levinas frames it, marks what is utterly other than those specific physical features. As he declared in his book Totality and Infinity, the face is the naked and living presence of the Other. Think of it this way: The highway I take to work is generally not a place for moral quandaries. That is, until I exit, stop at the first intersection, and face an ethical impasse at the underpass in the presence of panhandlers. Face: There is no better verb, if only because it is also the noun that captures what is truly at stake. I do my very best to evade these face-offs. I look at the panhandler as I might look at faces in a police lineup. I try to assess their situation, comparing the pleas on their signs with the clothing on their bodies or expressions on their faces. And yet, there she is, a human being, navigating the torrent of traffic as she slowly works the line of cars. Her cheeks are livid, her hair is unwashed, her eyes try to fix on my eyes. She wants to be seen. Will I allow myself to see her? Or will I allow the inevitable bottleneck of questions and rationalizations to come in between us before driving away? TROY Joel Abelove was once the top prosecutor in the Rensselaer County courthouse. On Monday, he will be a defendant. The trial of former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove is scheduled to begin Monday, as he faces prosecutorial misconduct charges about how he handled a grand jury investigating a fatal police shooting case, as well as his testimony to the grand jury concerning another police shooting. A special county grand jury indicted Abelove on Dec. 1, 2017 for two misdemeanor counts of official misconduct arising from a 2016 grand jury investigation of a Troy police sergeant who fatally shot a suspect, and for felony first-degree perjury for allegedly lying to the grand jury about how another Troy officers 2015 testimony was handled in an unrelated fatal shooting case. The stakes are high for Abelove who if convicted on the felony perjury charge under state law would lose his license to practice law, which he has been doing in private practice since 2019 after he lost re-election. Abelove said after his arraignment that he would be exonerated. The tensions and animosity between state Attorney General offices prosecutors and Abelove came out last week when Acting State Supreme Court Justice Jonathan D. Nichols of Columbia County denied motions originally filed in March 2018 by Abeloves attorneys in the case. There is no jury hearing Abelove's case, as it is a bench trial where Nichols will decide the outcome. In reviewing the Office of the Attorney Generals actions during questioning of Abelove, Nichols wrote that at most, the occasional instances of a harsh and confrontational style employed by the OAG during its examination of the Defendant constituted, at most, mere isolated pockets of misconduct, and it didnt hurt Abelove by influencing the deliberations of the Grand Jury, Nichols wrote in his decision. Abeloves case spun out of his decision to go to a county grand jury just days after Troy police Sgt. Randall French fatally shot Edson Thevenin on April 17, 2016 during a DWI traffic stop. That grand jury declined to prosecute French. It was a budding confrontation between Abelove and the Attorney Generals office over who should investigate the case under Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive order for the Attorney General to investigate cases in which police officers kill unarmed civilians. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Abelove was indicted for official misconduct for not presenting evidence of where the bullets hit Thevenins car and for not having French waive his immunity to prosecution when he testified. French died earlier this year from COVID-19. The perjury count stemmed from when Abelove testified that Officer Josh Comitale had not waived his immunity during the investigation of his fatal 2015 shooting of Thaddeus Faison. When asked if Comitale was not asked to sign the waiver, Abelove responded, Thats exactly what Im telling you, according to his perjury indictment. Nichols dismissed the charges against Abelove in 2018. The state Attorney General appealed and the charges were reinstated by the Appellate Division, which decided that Nichols erred in ruling that Attorneys General office lacked the authority to prosecute Abelove for perjury. The Court of Appeals, the states highest court, declined to hear an appeal from Abelove. The former district attorney has opted through his defense attorney William Dreyer to have a bench trial with Nichols hearing the case alone without a jury. Local legal observers said this was Abelove's best option given Nichols ruling in his favor previously. They also speculated that news coverage of Abelove's prosecution, the Thevenin case and Abelove's November 2018 election loss to District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly could remain factors in the minds of would-be jurors. (Natural News) A report released in July found that U.S. researchers have extensively collaborated with universities affiliated with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). Furthermore, the report identified more than a hundred U.S. universities and government-backed research laboratories that worked with institutions linked to the PLA a cause of concern as it compromises the U.S.s national security. Analysts at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution found 254 papers dating from 2013 until 2019, where U.S. researchers collaborated with seven universities long known for supporting Chinas military programs on a wide range of research topics. The institutions report also found 115 research institutions in the U.S. including 11 federal research facilities that worked with the seven. The seven universities, known as the Seven Sons of National Defense, have been administered by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology since 2008. They were originally founded with a primary focus on military science, but eventually became civilian universities incorporating non-military disciplines. The Hoover Institutions report also discovered that some Chinese researchers working alongside their U.S. counterparts have ties with various PLA departments and state-owned defense companies, such as the PLA Rocket Force in charge of Chinas nuclear missiles and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The Chinese researchers attempted to conceal these links by using incomplete English names, sometimes leaving them out entirely in English versions of their profiles. Furthermore, the paper also expressed concern on how the findings of these research papers will be used. One article named researchers from the Xian Engineering College, run by the Peoples Armed Police (PAP), as co-authors. The PAP performs domestic security and surveillance duties hat help the Chinese Communist Party control the population. Eventually, the Xian Engineering College subsequently merged with a military unit in Xinjiang where Uighurs are imprisoned in concentration camps and actively repressed. Chinese researchers lie and steal to get their hands on U.S. scientific knowledge The Hoover Institutions report builds upon an earlier one published in 2018 by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) describing how China has sponsored more than 2,500 military scientists and engineers to overseas institutions which the PLA described this as picking flowers and making honey. The ASPI report also cited the U.S. as the top country for PLA military scientists to visit followed by the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany. The July 30 report concluded that Chinas direct and largely unrestricted access impacted U.S. national security for by diverting research toward programs that undermine American military superiority and redirecting research toward applications that enhance human rights abuses. Given that the Seven Sons universities directly support Chinas military-civil fusion strategy that permitted use of non-military research for military purposes, the authors suggested new approaches toward risk management to be applied with urgency. One Chinese military researcher would have made it out of the U.S. with important research information until authorities got him. Federal authorities arrested 36-year-old Xin Wang as he was attempting to board his flight back to China. He had spent one year on a fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco, and had carried research materials from the university with him during his arrest. Wang indicated in his visa application that he was an associate professor in medicine on his visa application, but admitted to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers that he was a level-9 technician for the PLA which roughly corresponded with the rank of major in the military. Authorities charged Wang with one count of visa fraud, punishable with up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty. Later, authorities nabbed 29-year-old Guan Lei amid suspicions of visa fraud, adding that he may have provided high-ranking Chinese military officials with sensitive data. Investigators questioned Lei, who worked at the mathematics department of the University of California Los Angeles, before the researcher tried to board a flight back to China. CBP agents stopped him from boarding. Days later, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) monitoring Lei saw him throw away a damaged hard drive. Just like Wang, Lei initially denied any military connection but eventually admitted participation in Chinese military training having attended the National University of Defense Technology. Authorities charged Lei with a felony count of destruction of evidence, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Learn more about the devious methods Chinese researchers use to obtain U.S. research at Lies.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Hoover.org ASPI.org.au KUNMING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Certain U.S. politicians have been hyping the issue of the Mekong water resources through groundless comments and unreliable reports in an attempt to sow discord between countries and sabotage the atmosphere for the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC). David Stilwell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said earlier this month that China's "manipulation" of the Mekong River flows was an immediate challenge to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He cited a report claiming that "China has been manipulating the water flows along the Mekong for 25 years, with the greatest disruption in natural flows coinciding with major dam construction and operation." The report, presumably a study by Eyes on Earth, alleged that China had impounded 280 billion cubic meters of water. In fact, the maximum capacity of Chinese reservoirs is just 42 billion cubic meters. A report with such an obvious deviation from facts has no scientific value and has been found to be gravely flawed by many international hydrological experts. The LMC mechanism was launched by six countries: China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. It derives its name from a river that is called Lancang in China and Mekong in the five other countries. "The hydropower development in the Lancang River causing drought in the lower reaches" has been the subject of speculation by media of certain countries, which politicized the issue of water resources in order to make excuses for intervening in the internal affairs of Lancang-Mekong countries. Experts have found that since China's cascade reservoirs were put into use, dry-season flows in relevant sections have increased by 20 percent compared to past natural levels. The latest report by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) released in August also acknowledged the reservoirs' function of storing water in the flood season for later use in the dry season, which helps maintain the steady flow of the Mekong. On the whole, the hydropower facilities in China play a beneficial role for Mekong countries. In addition, China has for 18 consecutive years been providing flood-season hydrological data free-of-charge for the MRC and lower-stream countries and has been helping them formulate plans for flood prevention and drought mitigation. Since the LMC mechanism was launched, China has sent emergency warnings on major changes in the outflows of the Jinghong hydropower plant more than 10 times. The Lancang-Mekong River basin has been hit by severe droughts many times in recent years. China, also affected by the droughts and facing a severe lack of rainfall in the upper reaches, has overcome the difficulties and urgently increased the outflows of the Lancang River to help Mekong countries alleviate the droughts, which are a climatic phenomenon. Starting from 2020, China will share the Lancang River's hydrological data for the whole year with Mekong countries, according to the third LMC leaders' meeting held in late August. Additionally, China will work with other LMC countries to establish the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Information Sharing Platform to better tackle climate change and natural disasters such as floods and droughts. The Lancang-Mekong River closely links the futures of the six littoral countries. As long as the six countries have mutual trust, understanding and support, rise above external disturbances and focus on practical cooperation, they can properly manage the shared resources and promote common and sustainable development for the benefit of all their peoples. Facebook knew about dozens of election manipulation efforts around the world and either pushed them off or "ignored" them entirely, a former employee says. In a 6,600-word memo obtained by BuzzFeed News, former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang details how she "found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry." But with limited resources, Zhang was often left to deal with those myriad attempts on her own, choosing either to prioritize them or push them off. In her time at Facebook, Zhang said she had "personally made decisions that affected national presidents without oversight, and taken action to enforce against so many prominent politicians globally that I've lost count." That included finding inauthentic assets fake accounts aimed at boosting Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez; 10.5 million fake reactions and fans backing politicians in Brazil and the U.S.; and inauthentic activity supporting several Ukrainian politicians. But Facebook tended to "focus on global activity that posed public relations risks, as opposed to electoral or civic harm," Buzzfeed News reports from the memo. And so Zhang, blaming a lack of resources devoted to the issue, was among a team providing "whack-a-mole" solutions to issues of global importance, Buzzfeed News continues. "Facebook projects an image of strength and competence to the outside world," Zhang wrote. "But the reality is that many of our actions are slapdash and haphazard accidents." And while she and other employees did the best jobs they could, Zhang said she's certain mistakes were made, and "I know that I have blood on my hands by now." Zhang declined to speak with BuzzFeed News. A Facebook spokesperson said the company has "built specialized teams, working with leading experts, to stop bad actors from abusing our systems, resulting in the removal of more than 100 networks for coordinated inauthentic behavior," and that it investigated the instances Zhang outlined. Read more at BuzzFeed News. More stories from theweek.com Trump says he'll be on Fox & Friends every week but host Steve Doocy doesn't agree to have him Bobcat fire in L.A. County within 500 feet of historic Mt. Wilson Observatory Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Trevor Noah ponder why Trump superfans still trust him with their lives Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency for tropical storm Sally, which is expected to become a hurricane as it bears down on the Gulf Coast, bringing the threat of torrential rain and flooding to parts of Alabama. Update: About 6:30 p.m., Ivey issued a statement saying she had requested from the federal government a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the state. Similar requests from Louisiana and Mississippi have been approved. As projections for Hurricane Sally continue to develop, and as Alabama will likely receive significant impact from this system, I have requested a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the state," Ivey said. "I just wrapped up a phone call with Acting DHS Secretary Wolf and FEMA Administrator Gaynor and asked them to expedite this request. The White House and Trump Administration have been extremely helpful as we have anticipated a potential hit from Sally. Update: At 1 p.m. today Ivey issued a supplement to her emergency order, closing beaches as of 3 p.m. today and recommending evacuations of people south of Interstate 10. The evacuation recommendation applies to people in low-lying and flood-prone areas and those in mobile homes and manufactured homes. As the recently upgraded Hurricane Sally continues heading closer to the Gulf Coast, we must give individuals time to prepare for the anticipated impacts of this storm, Ivey said. "Through a supplemental state of emergency declaration, I am closing all Alabama beaches effective today at 3:00 p.m. and recommending an evacuation, especially of non-residents, and those living in flood-prone areas south of I-10. Alabamians are no stranger to tropical weather and the significant damage these storms can do, even though our state is not currently in the direct line of impact. Locals will need to prepare their homes, businesses and personal property for imminent storm surge, heavy rain and flash flooding. I urge everyone to tune in to their trusted weather source, and pay attention to your local officials for updates regarding your area as they make further recommendations based off the unique needs of your community. Update: At 11 a.m. Monday the National Hurricane Center upgraded Sally to a hurricane after the NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft found the storm had strengthened with with 85 mph maximum sustained winds. Bad weather is nothing to take lightly," Ivey said. "Earlier today, I issued a State of Emergency because those on the Gulf Coast know a flood and heavy rains can be just as deadly as tropical winds. We pray that Sally doesnt do any harm, but we must be prepared just in case. As your governor, you have my assurance that every resource will be available if we need it. Be safe, Alabama. Related: Tropical Storm Sally: Hurricane warning issued for Alabama; potentially historic flooding possible As of 10 a.m., Sally was 185 miles southeast of Biloxi and moving to the west-northwest at 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Hurricane Center said Sallys track shifted to the east Monday and that it was too soon to say where it would come ashore. In Iveys emergency declaration, she said the storm could make landfall in or near Baldwin and Mobile counties and said those in its path are at risk of injury and death. The declaration says disruptions to utility services are likely and the weather emergency coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, creates extraordinarily dangerous circumstances. The emergency declaration activates a state response to a situation that cities and counties are not able to manage on their own, the declaration says. Sally carries the risk of damaging winds, storm surge, coastal flooding and heavy rain. Late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center issued a storm surge warning for Alabamas coast and Mobile Bay, with a possible surge of 4 to 7 feet. Sally is forecast to move inland over Mississippi and turn to the northeast, crossing over Alabama on Wednesday and Thursday as a tropical storm or depression. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in McClellan Park, Calif., where he visited Monday for a briefing on wildfires ravaging the west coast. Read more SACRAMENTO, Calif. With the smell of California wildfires in the air, President Donald Trump on Monday ignored the scientific consensus that climate change is playing a central role in historic West Coast infernos and renewed his unfounded claim that failure to rake forest floors and clear dead timber is mostly to blame. The fires are threatening to become another front in Trumps reelection bid, which is already facing hurdles because of the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness and social unrest. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in his own speech Monday said the destruction and mounting death toll across California, Oregon and Washington require stronger presidential leadership and labeled Trump a climate arsonist. Trump traveled to Northern California to be briefed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state and federal officials. At one point, state Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot urged the president to recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests. If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together protecting Californians, Crowfoot added. Trump responded, It will start getting cooler, just you watch. Crowfoot politely pushed back that he wished the science agreed with the president. Trump countered, I dont think science knows, actually. That striking moment came on a day of dueling campaign events, with Trump and Biden dramatically contrasting their outlooks on climate change and the impact it has had on the record-setting fires ravaging the West Coast. Trumps suggestion that the planet is going to start to unexpectedly cool is at odds with reality, experts say. Maybe there is a parallel universe where a pot on the stove with the burner turned to high starts getting cooler. But that is not our universe, said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field. Biden lashed at Trump, saying the moment requires leadership, not scapegoating and that its clear we are not safe in Donald Trumps America. This is another crisis, another crisis he wont take responsibility for, Biden said. He said that if voters give a climate denier another four years in the White House, why would we be surprised that we have more of America ablaze? Trump, who was briefed during a stop near Sacramento before a campaign visit to Phoenix, had been mostly quiet as the catastrophe on the West Coast has unfolded over the past few weeks. He tweeted appreciation of firefighters and emergency responders on Friday, the first public comments he had made in weeks about the fires that have killed dozens, burned millions of acres and forced thousands from their homes. The president arrived at at Sacramento McClellan Airport to the powerful scent of smoke from the fires burning some 90 miles away. He contended anew that Democratic state leaders are to blame for failing to rake leaves and clear dead timber from forest floors. Trump offered no evidence to support his claim, and wildfire experts and forest managers say raking leaves makes no sense for vast U.S. wilderness and forests. And many of the blazes have roared through coastal chaparral and grasslands, not forest. When you have years of leaves, dried leaves on the ground, it just sets it up, Trump said. Its really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it. University of Colorado fire scientist Jennifer Balch called Trumps deflecting blame on forest managers infuriating. Its often hard to know what Trump means, Balch added. If by forest management he means clear-cutting, thats absolutely the wrong solution to this problem. ... Theres no way were going to log our way out of this fire problem. Biden, who gave his climate speech in Delaware on Monday, released a $2 trillion plan in July to boost investment in clean energy and stop all climate-damaging emissions from U.S. power plants by 2035. But as the wildfires rage, some climate activists have expressed frustration that Biden has not been more forceful on the issue. He has not embraced, for instance, some of the most progressive elements of the Green New Deal. To that end, Biden in his address did not wade into political and policy disagreements among Democrats, progressive activists and even some Republicans who acknowledge the climate crisis. As he has before, Biden sought to frame his energy proposals as an immediate necessity and a long-term economic boon focusing more on new jobs and a cleaner economy that would offset any initial costs. Donald Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and hurricanes, Biden said. But if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common and more devastating and more deadly. Trump visited McClellan Park, a former U.S. Air Force Base about 10 miles outside Sacramento that is used by firefighters as a staging area for large aircraft used in combating blazes. Most of the largest firefighting aircraft have not been utilized in recent days due to heavy smoke limiting visibility. Bidens running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, will return to her home state Tuesday to meet with emergency service personnel to be briefed on the states wildfires. In 2015, Trump stated bluntly: Im not a believer in global warming, Im not a believer in man-made global warming. After the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report concluded climate change would hurt the economy, Trump said he read it but didnt believe it. In September 2019, he falsely slammed the Green New Deal as an effort that would lead to No more cows. No more planes ... no more people, right? Climate scientists say rising heat and worsening droughts in California consistent with climate change have expanded what had been the states autumn wildfire season to year-round, sparking bigger, deadlier and more frequent fires. All five of the states largest fires in history have raged in the past three years, including the deadliest fire, a 2018 blaze that killed 85 people when it swept through the town of Paradise on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Trump during his Monday visit awarded seven members of the California National Guard the Distinguished Flying Cross for the rescue of dozens of Californians during the 2018 Paradise fires. An analysis out in August from Stanford climate and wildfire researcher Michael Goss and others found that a nearly 2-degree (1 Celsius) rise in autumn temperatures and 30 percent drop in rainfall has more than doubled the number of autumn days with extreme fire weather over the past 40 years. Weissert reported from Wilmington, Del., Knickmeyer from Oklahoma City and Madhani from Chicago. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Juliet Williams in San Francisco and Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland, contributed reporting. The Recep Tayyip Erdogan government will establish a museum to honour Mehmed the Conqueror, the Ottoman Sultan who captured Constantinople and took the first big steps to expand the Ottoman empire. For the first time in Turkey, a museum bearing the name of a sultan will be built in Edirne, Professor Zekeriya Kursun at the Istanbul-based Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakf University told state-run news agency Anadolu Agency. The deadline is next year. The museum in Turkeys Edirne province across the Bosporus strait - that forms the continental boundary between Europe and Asia - is seen as one of the continuing steps, big and small, to rebrand the Erdogan regime as a successor to the Ottoman one. Turkeys 66-year-old leader has himself minced no words, declaring in 2018 that the Republic of Turkey was a continuation of the Ottoman empire. The son of a coast guard who lives in a 1,000-room presidential palace in Ankara, bigger than the White House or the Kremlin, Erdogan has been reinventing himself; from a model democrat in the Islamic world a few years earlier to the new champion of Islamism to fit the new role. This aspiration has pitted Erdogans Turkey against Saudi Arabia over its claims of global Islamic leadership. Saudi Arabia was one of the territories controlled by the Ottoman Empire during its heyday, apart from parts of Europe, northern Africa and other West Asian countries. It was also why Erdogans Hagia Sophia move was an unambiguous message to the Islamic world as well. It is a sign towards achieving freedom for al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem, the third holiest site for Muslims, Erdogan said as the museum was reconverted into a mosque in July. Erdogans ambitions are expected to further complicate the situation in the Islamic world that is already witnessing increasingly divisive trends that include sectarian strife between Shias and Sunnis, Arabs vs non-Arabs and apprehensions around the political Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood. Erdogan has sided with Qatar in its ongoing dispute with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, closely engaging in regional hotspots against the two Arab majors, and has been hard at work to mobilise non-Arab Muslim countries. Also Read: Mike Pompeo urges diplomacy in standoff over Mediterranean gas Non-Arab Sunni majority countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia have joined forces with Shia Iran and Arab Qatar to counter the Saudi-UAE-Egypt axis in the Islamic world. These divisions are further compounded with Shia Irans support to Shia-majority Iraq, Syria and sections within Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen. At the first meeting hosted by Malaysia last year, 20 countries turned up at the summit designed to place the front powered by Turkey in competition with the Saudi-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC. Pakistan, which backs Erdogans effort, had dropped out of the summit at the last moment due to pressure from Riyadh. But Imran Khans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi did set up a diplomatic firestorm last month when he signalled that Islamabad could approach Erdogans Islamic front to discuss Kashmir at a ministerial-level if the OIC was unwilling. Imran Khan later appeared to back this approach when he explained, in a TV interview, that each country - he was talking about Riyadh - was entitled to act in its national interest. He left it unsaid that this principle would apply to Pakistan also. Over the past month, the Donald Trump-brokered pacts between Israel and first, the United Arab Emirates in August and last week, Bahrain, has presented Erdogan with the opportunity to criticise the kingdoms in the Gulf. Erdogan, styled himself as the defender of Palestinians, threatening to suspend diplomatic ties with UAE in retaliation. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1949 but this fact hasnt stopped Erdogan from holding forth. The move against Palestine is not a step that can be stomached, President Erdogan said last month as he spoke about the possibility of snapping ties with UAE, according to a Reuters report. Israel and its two new partners, Bahrain and UAE, will sign on the dotted line in Washington on Tuesday. Already, the Turkish President has been taking a more active role in regional affairs and flexing muscles. According to the Washington Post, Turkey has a military presence in Syria, Iraq, Qatar, Somalia and Afghanistan and peacekeeping troops in the Balkans and its navy patrolling the Mediterranean and Aegean seas where it has laid claim to energy and territorial interests. The Post, which mapped Turkeys expanding military footprint, said Ankara has also invested in Sudan to let it build a naval base on the Suakin island, once ruled by the Ottoman Empire, that would give it direct access to the Red Sea. In South Asia, Turkeys growing proximity with Pakistan, whose voice Erdogan echoes on Kashmir, has soured relations between Ankara and New Delhi. Like when President Erdogan launched a broadside at New Delhi in August last year at the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his visit to Ankara in October and didnt hesitate to condemn Turkeys military operation in Northern Syria. On the sidelines of the UNGA, PM Modi also scheduled meetings with Cyprus, Armenia and Greece, all Turkeys rivals in the region. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Delhi, Sep 14 : Logistic supply agreements with various countries have helped the Indian Navy to enhance its role as the primary responder to any crisis, especially in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Indian Navy has reciprocal military logistics agreements with US, France, Australia, South Korea and Singapore. Japan is the sixth country that India signed logistics agreements with earlier this month. "India is now moving ahead to sign similar deals with Russia and United Kingdom," said a senior government official. While India has some notable accomplishments as an overseas responder, the assistance to Maldivian President Gayoom as part of Operation Cactus in 1988 was a key event. Thereafter the 'coming of age' event for the Indian Navy was the post-tsunami response in December 2004, which went on well into 2005. The tsunami was catastrophic for many nations in Asia, particularly in South and South East Asia where India was one of the most severely affected nations. "Whilst the Indian nation mobilised all resources at its disposal, including the armed forces, to provide succour to its citizens, it did not forget its neighbours," said the official adding that as a responsible neighbour and collaborator, the government of the day rushed help and supplies to many countries in South and South East Asia; principal being Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia. Recognising India's capabilities and resources, the US invited India to be a part of the Tsunami Core Group, the others being Japan and Australia. The group was subsequently expanded to include the UN, EU and Canada. The Tsunami Core Group clearly brought out the capabilities and response mechanisms of nations with similar governance and ability to reach out to others in their hour of need. The original core group would pave the way for the 2007 proposal of Shinzo Abe, then Prime Minister of Japan for initiation of a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or 'Quad'. "We are currently dissecting QUAD 2.0 and how it is an anti-China group, which may be a disservice to the larger aims of this grouping," the official explained. The Tsunami was a trigger for many reforms and change in operational mindset for India. India and its Navy realised the need for large deck amphibious ships; ships that can carry men and material to places that are in need of them and using helicopters on the ships to quickly transfer them ashore, as also more pronounced outreach. India was one of the first responders in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict and directed the Indian Navy to evacuate Indian nationals. Along with Indians, the Navy evacuated Sri Lankans, Nepalese and Lebanese nationals. In 2015, India launched Operation Raahat and ordered the Indian Navy into war-torn Yemen to evacuate Indian nationals. Along with Indians, the Navy rescued more than 1,000 nationals from over 30 nations, including the US and UK, who directed their citizens to seek help from India. The Navy has therefore been doing the heavy-lifting in the Indian Ocean Region to help countries in the region and beyond. "Operational logistics simply put, is ensuring availability of diesel, spares and lubricants for machinery onboard ships and water and food for the crew, towards undertaking uninterrupted operations," the official pointed out. It makes sense to get these operational logistic requirements from close to an area of operation, rather than from India. This is particularly so if naval ships are undertaking an operation say in the Southern Indian Ocean or South East Asia. The logical step, therefore, is to identify nations and their infrastructure that have the capacity to provide services to India to facilitate continued operations. Similarly, nations that have amicable relations with India and enjoy a high level of inter-operability also prefer to have similar agreements with India to suit their needs in the region. Towards this, India has in recent years, concluded Logistic Supply Agreements with many nations across the Indian Ocean, South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. "These provide our nation with the ability to expeditiously respond to an emerging situation in remote and inaccessible parts of the world, using the assets of the Indian Armed Forces," the official added. As the world shifts increasingly towards multi-lateralism, India is negotiating various new agreements and pacts with like-minded nations to meet common threats and challenges. "One must also remember that agreements and pacts are not always a zero-sum game," the official said. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) The Monsoon session 2020 of Parliament has started from today. The fourth session of 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to be held today and subject to exigencies of government business, may conclude on October 1. The Monsoon session 2020 of Parliament had started today, Lok Sabha has now been adjourned till tomorrow. Congress MP in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury targetted the govt for suspending the question hour. He said that it was the golden hour, they were trying to strangulate the democracy. DMK MP in Lok Sabha, TR Baalu dragged the attention towards the NEET exam because of which students had committed suicide. NCPs Supriya Sule attacked centre over economy and unemployment in the Lok Sabha. BJP MP in Lok Sabha, Pralhad Joshi said, Its an extraordinary situation. When Assemblies arent ready to meet for a single day, we -with around 800-850 MPs- are meeting here. There are so many ways to question the govt, govt isnt running away from the discussion. Were ready for discussion. On the question of not holding the Question Hour, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the leaders of most parties agreed over no Question Hour & Zero Hour for 30 minutes. We apprised you (Speaker) of it following which decision was taken by you. I appeal to all members of House to co-operate as Session is being held in an extraordinary situation. Also read: Former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passes away In a first-of-its-kind initiative, MPs register their attendance using the 'Attendance Register' App: Lok Sabha Secretariat pic.twitter.com/6RTzqdZFOk ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will support Opposition candidate Manoj Kumar Jha for the post of Deputy Chairman in Rajya Sabha: Sanjay Singh, AAP MP to ANI (file pic) pic.twitter.com/ygdTQpzx1F ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 This is a global scenario & we're not the only country going through it. But it should be priority of govt. I don't see this govt at the Centre talking extensively either about the economy or unemployment challenges. We should put it on priority: NCP's Supriya Sule in Lok Sabha https://t.co/yli6z5zGtp ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Within a month after plus 2 result, they have to enter into NEET exam and they are clueless. Without knowing any subject matter of CBSE syllabus, they are helpless and committing suicide. Future doctors of India have committed suicide: TR Baalu, DMK MP, in Lok Sabha https://t.co/hjGgiwttno ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Question Hour is the golden hour but you say that it can't be held due to the circumstances. You conduct the proceedings but single out Question Hour. You are trying to strangulate the democracy: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress MP in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/JQrZuWT6nN ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 The entire country has stood by the Army irrespective of whose government is at the Centre and will always do the same: Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Qvkn3Ncgzk ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 House adjourned for one hour. https://t.co/Vp4JSliRKp ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Entry of ex-MPs/MLCs/MLAs/personal secretaries/personal assistants/family members/personal guests and visitors accompanying MPs restricted inside the Parliament House till further orders, in view of #COVID19 pandemic. ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Govt is accountable to Parliament. When have they reported to us on talks b/w Defence & Foreign Ministers (of India & China)? Nation needs to be taken into confidence by govt. Question of support for military beyond debate we're very strongly with our Army:Shashi Tharoor,Congress https://t.co/o8cdXRKEyQ pic.twitter.com/0yCSH9k0qh ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 DMK and CPI(M) have given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over 'suicide of 12 teenage students due to NEET'. #MonsoonSession https://t.co/gdnEigxsXL ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Tamil Nadu: DMK MLAs arrive at the state legislative assembly, wearing masks with 'Ban NEET, save TN students' printed on them. Party's MPs staged a protest at the Parliament premises in Delhi this morning, demanding that NEET exam be scrapped. pic.twitter.com/XewHv7gWp9 ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Also read: Union Minister Amit Shah admitted to AIIMS for complete medical checkup Addressing the Covi-19 pandemic, Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan said that India has been able to limit its cases and deaths per million to 3,328 cases per million and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries. With our endeavour to manage #COVID19, India has been able to limit its cases and deaths per million to 3,328 cases per million and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries: Health Minister https://t.co/r5pGNyldug ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and party leader K Suresh on Monday gave adjournment notices over the issue of Chinese incursion in Eastern Ladakh on Monday. India and China have been 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 Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour, shortly after it met, on Monday following obituary references and offering tributes to former members. Ravi Kishan, BJP MP in Lok Sabha said that the problem of drug trafficking/addiction is on a rise, conspiracy is being hatched to destroy countrys youth, our neighbouring countries are contributing. He said that smuggling of drugs from Pakistan & China is done every year and it is brought via Punjab & Nepal. Lok Sabha MPs paid tribute to former President Pranab Mukherjee, legendary Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, ex-Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, Uttar Pradesh Ministers Kamal Rani and Chetan Chauhan and ex-Union Minister Rahguvansh Prasad Singh and others who passed away recently. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said to media, Govt is accountable to Parliament. When have they reported to us on talks b/w Defence & Foreign Ministers (of India & China)? The nation needs to be taken into confidence by govt. Question of support for military beyond debate were very strongly with our Army. The fourth session of 17th Lok Sabha and 252nd session of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to be held today and subject to exigencies of government business, may conclude on October 1. According to a press release from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the session will provide a total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days (all the days including Saturdays and Sundays of the ensuing session will be working days) and a total of 47 items have been identified for being taken up during the Monsoon Session 2020. (These include 45 Bills and two financial items). This will be the first Parliament session being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore all safety measures have been taken to conduct the session as per guidelines issued for COVID-19. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday has sent a safety COVID-19 kit along with a letter to all the parliamentarians amid the pandemic. Birla stated in the letter to parliamentarians that as they were aware, the Monsoon Session of Parliament was commencing on 14 September 2020 and would last up to October 1 without any holiday in between, the session was being held in extraordinary circumstances. He added that while discharging the Constitutional responsibilities, they also had to comply with all the Covid-19 related guidelines. The Speaker said that Lok Sabha Secretariat has made all the arrangements for members safety and convenience to enable them to participate in the deliberations of the House without any apprehension. On the other hand, MPs will be given packed food in the canteen during the Monsoon session. This is among the several measures that are being taken in this session in the wake of the coronavirus. In this context, a menu has been issued from the canteen of the Parliament. As per the menu, there will be different types of packed breakfast in the canteen for the MPs. At the same time, they will be able to get 4 categories of packed lunch, which include vegetarian food, South Indian, non-vegetarian, and combo meal. In addition, hygiene will be taken care of in the canteen. There will be a four-hour session for each House each day (9 am to 1 pm for Rajya Sabha and 3 pm to 7 pm for Lok Sabha. But on the first day, only i.e. on September 14, of the Lok Sabha will meet in the morning session. The session will see other measures like seating MPs in a staggered way in chambers of both Houses, as well as galleries to maintain physical distancing norms, the introduction of mobile app for registering of MPs attendance and seats separated with poly-carbon sheets in the House. The Zero Hour will be there and the un-starred questions will be laid on the table. The total 11 Bills to replace ordinances are as follows: (i)The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. (ii) The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.(iii) The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (iv) The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (v) The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.(vi) The Insolvency & Bankruptcy (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020 ( vii) The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. (viii) The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 (ix)The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (x) The Salary and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (xi) The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are required to be passed during the ensuing Monsoon Session. Also read: PM Modi to announce 3 Petroleum Sector projects in Bihar today Commenting on personal attireBeing a senior member, what is he talking? He should apologise unconditionally. It is an insult to womenfolk: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on TMC MP Saugata Roy's remark on FM Sitharaman, in Lok Sabha. Remark expunged from record. pic.twitter.com/8cgyhodnke ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 SALEM, Ore. The path of devastation spans thousands of miles where flames have consumed people, homes and cars while leaving a barren, gray landscape. But the massive wildfires arent done chewing through the West, shrouding the skies with choking smoke or driving residents from their homes. Its an ominous harbinger of fall for the region that was the first to be hit hard by the coronavirus and where the cries for social justice have rung especially loud this summer with protests in Portland for more than 100 days. Whats next? asked Danielle Oliver, who had to flee her home southeast of Portland ahead of the deadly flames. You have the protests, coronavirus pandemic, now the wildfires. What else can go wrong? Shes one of tens of thousands of people displaced by wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington state. Many more are living with air contamination levels at historic highs. The regions death toll has topped 30 and could increase sharply, with Oregon officials saying they are preparing for a possible mass casualty event if more bodies are found in the ash. Among the people killed was Millicent Catarancuic, who was found near her car on her 5-acre home in Berry Creek, California. At one point she was ready to evacuate with her dogs and cats in the car. But she later changed her mind as the winds seemed to calm and the flames stayed away. Then the fire changed direction, rushing onto the property too quickly for her to leave. She died, along with her animals. I feel like, maybe when they passed, they had an army of cats and dogs with her to help her through it, said her daughter, Holly Catarancuic. George Coble lost everything just outside Mill City, Oregon his fence-building business, five houses where his family lived and a collection of vintage cars, including a 1967 Mustang. Well just keep working and keep your head up and thank God everybody got out, Coble said. In a town nearby, Erik Tucker spent the day coated in ash and smudged with charcoal, hauling buckets of water through what remained of his neighborhood to douse hot spots. No power, debris everywhere, smoke, cant breathe, he said, his words sparce in the air thick with ash. Fire-charred landscapes looked like bombed-out cities in Europe after World War II, with buildings reduced to charred rubble piled atop blackened earth. People caught in the wildfires died in an instant, overcome by flames or smoke as they desperately tried to escape. California has borne the brunt of the death toll so far, as more than two dozen active major fires have burned thousands of square miles. President Donald Trump plans to visit Monday for a briefing. Some of the worst blazes were still burning in northeastern Washington and Oregon. The Democratic governors of all three states have said the fires are a consequence of global warming. We absolutely must act now to avoid a future defined by an unending barrage of tragedies like the one American families are enduring across the West today, said Joe Biden, the partys presidential nominee. The dry, windy conditions that fed the flames were likely a once-in-a-generation event, said Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. The warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity, he said. There was some good news Saturday: The same smoke that painted California skies orange also helped crews corral the states deadliest blaze this year by blocking the sun, reducing temperatures and raising humidity. Smoke created cooler conditions in Oregon as well. But it was also blamed for creating the dirtiest air in at least 35 years in some places, literally off the charts, the states environmental quality spokesperson, Laura Gleim, said. In Portland, smoke filled the air with an acrid metallic scent like dull pennies. It was so thick that Ashley Kreitzer could not see the road when she headed to work as a driver for a ride-hailing service. I couldnt even see five feet ahead of me, she said. I was panicking, I didnt even know if I wanted to go out. People stuffed towels under door jambs to keep smoke out or wore N95 masks in their own homes. Meanwhile, there was political turmoil as Oregons fire marshal was forced out while a half-million state residents were under evacuation warnings or orders to leave. Details were scarce on why he was put on leave then resigned amid a nearly unprecedented disaster. Oliver, 40, who fled her Portland-area home, has an autoimmune disorder. She was nervous about going to a shelter because of the coronavirus, but her other option was sleeping in a car with her husband, 15-year-daughter, two dogs and a cat. The temperature checks and social distancing at the American Red Cross shelter helped put her mind at ease. Oliver has lived through homelessness before and now can only hope the familys house survives. Im tired. Im tired of starting all over, she said. Getting everything, working for everything, then losing everything. Whitehurst reported from Portland. Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Mill City, Oregon, Gene Johnson in Seattle and Adam Beam in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report About the photo: A fire engine from the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District sits on Detroit Avenue Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Detroit, Ore. The engine was destroyed on Wednesday when the Lionshead Fire over-ran the resort community of Detroit, Ore., merging with the Beachie Creek Fire. Only the post office and a market survived the fire in the towns business district. (Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Meat bosses' representatives didn't believe a second surge of Covid-19 would stem from their factories a few months ago. "Things have reached a point of perfection in the sense that we have reached the stage where we have no active cases, having had a significant peak in cases in the final two weeks of April and the first week of May," Philip Carroll of Meat Industry Ireland told a Dail committee in July. Another official from the same association disagreed with a union's assessment that if there was a second spike it would originate in a meat plant. A couple of weeks later, a wave of infections spread through meat plants. O'Brien Fine Foods, Irish Dog Foods, and Kildare Chilling in Co Kildare were among those hit. The outbreaks were a trigger for the Government's shock decision to order a Midlands lockdown. It doesn't inspire confidence that the same thing won't happen again. Covid-19 has become a scourge at meat plants since its first appearance in the early days of the pandemic. The first confirmed case at a plant was on St Patrick's Day. This was followed by a spike in late April and May before a big wave last month forced many operators to shut down. A total of 31 of 85 workplace outbreaks have been in meat or poultry processing plants. There have been over 1,500 confirmed cases associated with the meat plants, more than 30 people hospitalised, but no deaths. Of 30 meat and poultry factory outbreaks recorded by August 29 last, five were in Meath, four in Kildare, four in Tipperary, three in Cavan, three in Offaly, three in Monaghan, and two in Roscommon. There have been single outbreaks in plants in Clare, Cork, Longford, Roscommon, Waterford, and Westmeath. The meat industry has developed a reputation as a breeding ground for Covid-19 at home and abroad. There are many theories about why this is so. In the first place, there have been more opportunities for the virus to spread as the industry has been operating when many others weren't. It was one of the few sectors deemed essential enough to stay open during the lockdown. The industry accounted for 4bn of food exports to the UK, EU and world markets last year and contributes to the incomes of 100,000 farmers. It employs 16,000 people at 50 major processing sites across the country. There is little automation possible because it relies on workers specialised in making cuts who work side by side in boning halls. The cold, damp conditions of the processing plants have been described as the perfect environment for virus transfer. This is aided by a noisy atmosphere that causes staff to shout, spitting out droplets. The Health and Safety Authority has found most meat factories largely compliant with the guidelines. But staff at some plants under cover of anonymity have claimed there has been an ad hoc response from their employers; that they shared uniforms; that they were left short of PPE; that there was no social distancing in canteens and locker rooms; and that there was a dearth of Perspex screens. Siptu has claimed a lack of sick pay is a "key vector" in the transmission of the virus. It argues staff who won't get paid are reluctant to stay out of work. Employers have said many staff who tested positive have been asymptomatic. But there have been reports of workers taking Panadol to pass daily temperature checks. Perspex screens are allowed where health authorities have said social distancing is not possible. But surely two metres could be possible - though it means slowing down production. As things stand, one-metre distancing with Perspex dividers is allowed. Fault lines have appeared in terms of the involvement of the state bodies. Meat Industry Ireland told politicians that employers drew up their own robust safety protocols before the HSE produced interim guidelines for the sector - two months later. The Health and Safety Authority been accused of being too slow to start plant inspections. It has emerged that management was often given advance notification of these inspections. Mass testing was only launched recently. There have been concerns raised about the spread of infection from outside the plants due to workers sharing transport or living in crowded accommodation. This has been linked with agency staff on lower pay and people living in the direct provision system. As a result, some asylum seekers claim they have been segregated or had their hours cut. Less than a third of the workforce are Irish nationals. The meat industry body insists most are employed or on work permits, so their terms and conditions are subject to the scrutiny of State agencies. It claims agency staff only make up a tiny portion of employees. Six months into this pandemic, Siptu - representing 6,000 of the meat-processing workforce - and Meat Industry Ireland are meeting next week to sign off on a safety protocol. But they are still at loggerheads over the union's demand for standardised terms and conditions for staff. Kildare Chilling and Kepak are among employers set to be targeted with claims for a sick-pay scheme if the employer body refuses to negotiate industry-wide terms. The union is demanding the immediate shut down of production lines, departments, or entire facilities if the virus is confirmed - without loss of earnings. Its proposal is that a payment equal to a worker's after-tax wage is made by combining the state pandemic unemployment payment with an employer top-up. As Covid makes the winter months loom darker than before, the Government's third minister for agriculture has held out hope the meat plants will not heighten the threat of severe restrictions once again. Charlie McConalogue said the first round of ramped up Covid-19 testing in meat plants will end this week and then repeat on a two-week rolling basis. The results will be "closely monitored". But it doesn't bode well that since he spoke, testing of factory workers has been suspended due to demand from other members of the public. The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. POSITIVE COVID-19 TESTS LINKED WITH RESTAURANT DINING Among adults tested for the coronavirus at 11 US healthcare facilities in July, those who were infected were about twice as likely to have dined at a restaurant in the previous 14 days, according to a US study. Otherwise, activity levels were similar in people with or without COVID-19 in other respects. That included shopping, social gatherings at home, going to an office, salon, or gym, using public transportation, or attending religious gatherings. Masks cannot be effectively worn while eating and drinking, whereas shopping and numerous other indoor activities do not preclude mask use, researchers said in the report on Friday in the US Center for Disease Control and Preventions Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, they added. SEVERE COVID-19 LESS COMMON IN PATIENTS WITH GI SYMPTOMS People with gastrointestinal symptoms related to the new coronavirus, like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, may be significantly less likely to develop severe COVID-19 and die, a new study found. New York City doctors looked at 635 COVID-19 patients, expecting to see worse disease when the GI tract was involved. To their surprise, patients admitted with GI symptoms had 50% lower odds of severe COVID-19 and death, compared to patients without GI symptoms, even after accounting for age, race, and underlying medical conditions. Also unexpectedly, patients with GI involvement had lower levels of inflammatory proteins in their blood. A subset who underwent closer inspection of their intestines had virus particles in gut tissues, but relatively little inflammation, and low activity of genes responsible for making inflammatory proteins, doctors found, according to a paper posted on medRxiv on Wednesday ahead of peer review. When the New York doctors collaborated with Italian colleagues to study 287 COVID-19 patients in Milan, they saw the same link between GI involvement and less-severe disease, Dr. Saurabh Mehandru of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai told Reuters. Mehandrus team has also found that factoring GI symptoms into the initial patient assessment may help identify those at risk for more severe disease. ANTIBODY-BINDING MIGHT NOT NEUTRALIZE THE VIRUS A so-called spike protein on the surface of the new coronavirus helps it invade cells, and some antibodies being tested as treatments work by attaching to the spike and disabling it. But researchers have discovered in test-tube experiments that merely binding to the spike protein is not necessarily enough to neutralize the ability of the virus to break into cells. When they exposed coronavirus particles to antibody-rich plasma from 25 people recovering from COVID-19, all of the antibodies attached themselves to the spike protein. However, a few plasma samples failed to neutralize the virus and were no more effective than plasma from uninfected people. The findings might help explain why convalescent plasma therapy does not always work, the researchers say. They did not use active virus particles for their experiments. Still, study leader Andres Finzi of Universite de Montreal told Reuters the findings stress the need to learn more about the different shapes the spike protein may assume as the virus breaks into cells, and how to block them. Efforts to better understand the link between antibody interaction with the spike protein and virus neutralization might assist ongoing vaccine efforts aimed at eliciting neutralizing antibodies, the researchers conclude in a paper posted on Tuesday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review. NEW SYSTEM GROUPS HOSPITALIZED COVID-19 PATIENTS BY RISK A simple 21-point scoring system helps assign hospitalized COVID-19 patients to different risk groups, UK researchers reported on Wednesday in The BMJ. The score does not require an app or any other technology, beyond perhaps a pen or pencil if you cant count up to 21 in your head, Dr. Calum Semple of the University of Liverpool told Reuters. The score takes 8 factors into account including age, other illnesses, kidney health, and oxygen levels in the blood. Based on the result, patients are assigned to one of four groups. The risk of dying from COVID-19 is 1% in the low-risk group, 10% in the intermediate-risk group, 31% in the high-risk group, and 62% in the very high-risk group. The ISARIC Coronavirus Clinical Characterization Consortium developed its 4C scoring system using data from 35,463 patients and validated its accuracy in other 22,361 patients. As pressures on health services increase, being able to identify patients most likely to need escalated care becomes particularly important, Semple said in a news release. The tool is online at isaric4c.net/risk. Alienna Kenny gets off the school bus at Vernon River Consolidated School as schools reopen with measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Vernon Bridge, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on Sept. 8, 2020. (Reuters/John Morris) COVID-19 Cases Rise in Canada, Schools to Put Pressure on Testing System TORONTO/VANCOUVERCanadas three biggest provinces are seeing a pick-up in new COVID-19 cases, as officials do little to slow the virus beyond urging people to be more careful, and doctors warn school reopenings will boost demand for testing. The country reported no deaths for one day on Friday, an echo of earlier success in controlling the virus that may already be slipping away, even before the impact of school reopenings is clear. Demand for tests is already up in some Ontario hot spots, and will rise further as more children return to school. Students with symptoms will generally have to isolate at home until they are well and have a negative test, so any backlogs will trap families at home. McMaster University infectious disease expert Dr. Zain Chagla said assessment centres need to stop testing asymptomatic people who have no known exposure to the virus, before labs become overwhelmed. Canadas 5 million school children average about eight upper respiratory tract infections a year, said Chagla. Even if that falls to two this year, some 27,000 will need to be tested on any given day. Last week, Canada averaged 47,807 tests per day. Its not minor, the actual demands that are going to be put on the system as part of children going back to school, he said. Its going to be paramount that the turnaround time be relatively quick. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he discussed testing with Canadas Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday morning. All provinces, not just Ontario, are going to start ramping up for more testing, he said. Federal officials have said they are aiming for a slow burn of infection. Dr. Irfan Dhalla, vice president of physician quality at Unity Health, which operates two hospitals in Toronto, has argued that the country should instead try to come as close as possible to eliminating the virus, following New Zealand and Canadas own Atlantic provinces, with testing, tracing, isolation, and support. Its only a matter of time before we start seeing hospitalizations increase, and before we start seeing more people dying again, said Dhalla. Infections in Ontario, the most populous province, charged through the 300 mark on Monday, after dropping to below 100 a day in early August with the government blaming the spread on private social gatherings like weddings. British Columbia, which imposed fresh curbs on nightclubs last week, reported its highest-ever case count of 139 on Sept. 10. Cases are also rising in Quebec, where classes resumed first. Quebec teachers union Federation autonome de lenseignement (FAE) filed a lawsuit on Monday, seeking more information about a promised plan to ensure teachers and students have access to accelerated testing, and on the number of COVID-19 cases in schools. The government is currently giving the impression that it is improvising, while the virus doesnt give second chances, FAE president Sylvain Mallette said in a statement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated his message on Monday, asking people to remain vigilant: The last thing anyone wants is to go into this fall and lock down, similar to this spring, he said. By Allison Martell and Moira Warburton CLEVELAND, Ohio The Cuyahoga County Board of Health on Monday reported 243 new coronavirus cases in the suburbs as of Friday, Sept. 11, the lowest weekly total since the middle of June and a continuation of a downward trend since a mid-July peak. The board, which typically makes public weekly totals on Fridays, reported 479 new cases on Sept. 4. Those numbers do not include cases in the City of Cleveland, which tracks cases through its own health department. Deaths attributable to COVID-19 also are on the decline, with 16 recorded last week compared to 27 reported on Sept. 4. The latest numbers were released Monday. Board spokesman Kevin Brennan said the delay was a result of the board considering changes to the way it reports weekly data because of issues with clearly defining place of residency for COVID-19 patients at schools, and among college students. The board to date has provided case numbers based on the home address of a patient, rather than where someone is believed to have been infected. But college students who have become infected while attending school in Cuyahoga County are affecting the boards tracking process, Brennan said. The board is currently working on a new way to report coronavirus data and a way to coordinate with other counties and the Ohio Department of Health, Brennan said. The data belatedly released on Monday does not include the number of coronavirus cases among students, though that information has never been part of the weekly data report. Rather, health officials have provided those numbers verbally during news conferences on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4. The board also did not hold its usual weekly news conference on Friday, as it has done most weeks since March, out of respect for families and colleagues of slain Cleveland police Det. James Skernivitz, whose funeral was on Friday morning, according to a news release. A briefing is scheduled for this upcoming Friday. Of the 11,467 suburban coronavirus cases recorded since the pandemic began this spring, 20- to 29- year-olds remain the largest age group, accounting for 22% of cases. Forty-eight percent of cases are white people, 38% are Black people, and three percent identify as Hispanic or Latino. At least 34% had no preexisting conditions. About 16% are health-care workers. The number of ventilators, regular hospital beds and critical-care beds in use at Cuyahoga County hospitals remained relatively steady last week, with 43% of ventilators in use, 85% of hospital beds in use, and 83% of ICU beds in use. The positivity rate of tests administered at MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals between Sept. 2 and Sept. 8 was 3.7% down from 4% the previous reporting week, and 4.3% the week before that. (Natural News) Facebook vowed to crack down on political violence and election interference, but the result is far less than advertised. The platform allows Antifa organizations to organize and share content in apparent conflict with Facebooks official policies. (Article by Alexander Hall republished from NewsBusters.org) Facebook had removed two left-wing extremist news sources Its Going Down and CrimethInc. That was part of the platforms new Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy to crack down on groups the platform said are tied to violence. However, Facebook has refused to take action against two other controversial leftist pages Rose City Antifa and Adbusters. Rose City Antifas alleged reputation for political violence has been reported on by Politico, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post. The Post featured a photo captioned: Unidentified Rose City Antifa members beat up Andy Ngo, an independent journalist. Canadian leftist organization Adbusters, which helped start the Occupy protests, is attempting to meddle in the U.S. election by organizing a siege of the White House. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained his concerns about upcoming civil unrest in an early September interview with Axios where he expressed: I think we need to be doing everything that we can to reduce the chances of violence or civil unrest in the wake of this election. Despite being contacted and presented with an extensive report on alleged violence from Rose City Antifa, Facebook has thus far refused to take action. Zuckerberg then went on to profess: Were trying to make sure that we do our part to make sure that none of this is organized on Facebook. Antifa violence has made headlines for months because of ongoing political unrest and rioting in places like Portland and Seattle. A statement from the [U.S.] Marshals Service confirmed that [Michael] Reinoehl was wanted as a prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron Jay Danielson, who was shot in the chest Saturday night, CBS News reported. Reinoehl had described himself in a social media post as 100% ANTIFA, and then reportedly engaged in an altercation with police to the point where he himself was killed. Antifa organizations are known for violence. News reports about Rose City Antifa help make it one of the most public examples because of its social media presence. There is no indication Reinoehl had any connection to Rose City Antifa, however. Federalist co-founder Sean Davis suggested that Facebooks response to Antifa has been bewildering in that: A man wearing a Patriot Prayer hat was murdered in Portland by a criminal who said he was 100% Antifa and instead of banning Antifa pages, Facebook banned Patriot Prayer. New York Times reporter Davey Alba quoted a Facebook spokesperson who reportedly explained, [Patriot Prayer was] removed as part of our ongoing efforts to remove Violent Social Militias from our platform. MRC TechWatch sent an extensive report to Facebook about the activities of Rose City Antifa, whose alleged political violence has been discussed by Politico,The Washington Times, and The Post. This record of alleged violence was then juxtaposed with Facebooks own Community Standards. Facebook didnt respond. However, Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson said that the ban of his group is the result of a media company reaching out to Facebook and claiming that they are violating the platforms dangerous groups policy, the Gateway Pundit summarized. Rose City Antifa posted praise after journalist Andy Ngo claimed he was beaten on June 29, 2019, Ngo claiming to have suffered a brain injury from the event. [M]ilkshakes were reportedly loaded with quick-drying cement and used at some of the Portland demonstrations. Rose City Antifa posted a comment about milkshakes as well: When the Alt Right hands us lemons, we make delicious milkshakes! The J29 demo was an amazing success which is really very upsetting for the dwindling crew of fascists who come to our city in hopes of bullying vulnerable people. The post went on in an attempt to gaslight that Ngo was somehow weaponizing victimhood and exaggerating the extent of violence. Some news organizations have called out Rose City Antifas alleged violence. The Post featured a Getty Images photo with a caption that stated, Unidentified Rose City Antifa members beat up Andy Ngo, an independent journalist, on June 29 in Portland, Ore. Politico reported the following Rose City Antifa statement: We are unapologetic about the reality that fighting fascism at points requires physical militancy. Politico commented that The group does not specify what physical militancy means, but their page makes clear that the definition includes any means necessary. The Washington Times reported that Project Veritas, known for its hidden-camera investigations, released in June undercover footage of a Rose City Antifa training session in Portland that included tips on weapons and tactics, including eye-gouging. Rose City Antifas pinned post on its Facebook page cautioned its followers not to plan to engage in specifically criminal behavior while on its page. It did not discourage such actions, merely the appearance on its page: DO NOT discuss criminal activity or make any action plans on our Facebook wall. You should never make plans with a stranger on Facebook to do this work. Even trying to sort out ride shares, or similar is very unsafe on here. Undoubtedly enemies will fish around with posts of that nature so be wary. Rose City Antifa has openly discussed the use of doxxing against political enemies on its Facebook page, i.e. exposing their personal information so they can be targeted. In one post the group declared in a note on doxxing that it has very rigorous standards about the information we publish, stating that: We encourage others to think carefully about the damage that could be caused by inaccurate doxxes and be diligent about what they are putting out there. Salon reported that Rose City Antifa has unveiled a series of articles doxing each local member of the Proud Boys and calling for supporters to put pressure on their employers to fire them. While we do not defend the actions of the Proud Boys, this is clear proof that Rose City Antifa has weaponized the exposure of personal information of its apparent enemies. Facebooks Community Standards specifically state in its Violence and Incitement Do not post section that users should not post Any content containing statements of intent, calls for action, or advocating for high or mid-severity violence due to voting, voter registration, or the outcome of an election. [Emphasis added.] It should be noted that Antifa activists specifically ran rampant in response to the 2016 election on the day of President Donald Trumps inauguration in 2017. Mr. Zuckerbergs concern about the 2020 elections aftermath indeed is relevant here. Facebook also specifically promised that it would crack down on foreign interference. The social media giant explained in a company blog that it has shut down entire networks that targeted the US, North Africa and Latin America. Yet, even so, when Facebook has been directly reached for comment regarding attempts by Adbusters to meddle in the American presidential election by organizing a siege of the White House, the platform has refused to take action. Adbusters has called for this siege to occur this September 17. It stated in a post: Is it a beautiful jam? A civic exorcism? A spectacular sayonara party for Dear Donald? All of the above, absolutely but let us not ignore the dark forces also at work. Adbusters has made a powerful political impact in far-left activism and American politics. NPR summarized that in 2011 it had proposed a Sept. 17 occupation of Wall Street, and the idea caught fire. That evolved into Occupy Wall Street, a precursor to the current unrest. Nine years of Big Tech and social media advancement later, it would have more power to organize civil unrest than before, and Facebook leadership appears to have no problem with that. Conservatism is under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at 1-650-308-7300 and demand that Big Tech hold the left accountable for their own policies. If you have noticed bias at Facebook, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable. Read more at: NewsBusters.org Psychiatrist Dr Lise Van Susteren did not expect to be allowed into a public hearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency responsible for regulating interstate energy transmission across the United States. She had interrupted a FERC meeting before, which typically results in being barred from entering again. But to her surprise, she was allowed into the late February hearing, along with activists from Beyond Extreme Energy, a collective fighting fossil fuel extraction and calling for an overhaul of FERC to enable the quick transition to renewable energy sources. Van Susteren had nothing prepared, but she knew the drill: she found a seat in the middle of a packed row so it would take longer for security to get to her. Like a crowded aeroplane, the more people that are on either side of you, the more time you have, she explained. The commission was in the middle of considering a proposal for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and 230-mile (370-km) pipeline in southwest Oregon until it was interrupted. Following six other activists, Van Susteren stood up to speak about climate changes far-ranging harm to mental health, including the patients who turn up at her office in Washington, DC, struggling to cope with a quickly warming world. Van Susteren warned the commissioners that by approving the construction of the sprawling pipeline, they were fuelling this mental health crisis. It is an issue that she has been studying for more than a decade now. In 2012, she co-authored one of the earliest major reports (PDF) on climate change and mental health, published by the National Wildlife Federation. We may not currently be thinking about how heavy the toll on our psyche will be, but, before long, we will know only too well, she wrote in the report. Yet this evidence-backed warning has gone largely unheeded, especially by those controlling the worlds energy future, which is why Van Susteren is still fighting for it to be heard. It did not take too long about a minute, Van Susteren estimated for the security guards to press through the crowded row and escort her from the room. Talk about surreal, Van Susteren said, recalling the experience. You can hardly believe that you are there, right at the confrontation between good and evil. And I dont mean good in a self-serving sense. I mean, in the sense of life versus our demise. The commissioners did not listen to the warnings of Van Susteren and other activists: in March, FERC approved the pipeline and LNG facility, a decision that will allow more greenhouse gases to be emitted into a world overwhelmed by enormous wildfires, prolonged stretches of drought, relentless hurricanes, thinning permafrost and the current global pandemic a world unprepared for even more unscalable loss of life. Members of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network picket outside of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC to protest against fracked gas exports and the liquified natural gas export facility at Cove Point in Maryland in 2014 [File: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call] Mobilising psychiatrists Van Susteren is far from the only psychiatrist warning of the anxiety and suffering resulting from living on an Earth that is being destroyed. She is a founding member of a nonprofit and all-volunteer network of psychiatrists, known as the Climate Psychiatry Alliance (CPA), which share a common goal, Van Susteren explained, of pointing out the mental health tragedy that awaits as a result of climate disruption and how to build resilience. In 2014, Van Susteren was searching for other mental health professionals who were strategising around the climate crisis, but could not find any groups dedicated to this in the US. So, she went to England and met with members of the Climate Psychology Alliance in the United Kingdom, which left her determined to try to form a similar group back in the US. 200108094156668 I came back and was continuing to look for allies here and they started popping up kind of randomly, she explained. A web of climate-focused psychiatrists was beginning to come together, many having already met through professional affiliations. So, in early 2017, they decided to have an initial phone call to work out how they could organise for broader change, particularly within their own field. In just a few years, the handful of psychiatrists ballooned to more than 400 across the US. Every two weeks, they conduct a meeting by phone, which begins with a meditation, prayer, or thought to establish a sense of community and trust. The network is premised on the idea that psychiatrists can play a unique role in helping people emotionally navigate the climate crisis, while also communicating its health risks, Van Susteren explained. Were good at talking people off the ledge who are very anxious. Were also good at finding a silver lining. Even when things are dark, we understand science and urgency. Along with mobilising psychiatrists to address climate change, the CPA has been pushing the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the largest professional body of psychiatrists, to take a stronger stance on the climate crisis. A race against time But there is still a long way to go. Many psychiatrists remain untrained in how to talk about climate change, recognise its far-reaching, ongoing devastation, and prepare for a growing surge of people in need of their services. Its really a race against time to get psychiatry where it needs to be, said Dr Elizabeth Haase, a founding member of the CPA and a Nevada-based psychiatrist. No one is really prepared for the magnitude that is predicted to occur, and with things going much faster than we thought they were going to go, that impact is coming much sooner than we thought. Dr Elizabeth Haase and Dr Jack Gorman consider the direction climate psychiatry should go in during a meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Psychodynamic Psychiatry in 2014 [Photo courtesy of Climate Psychiatry Alliance] It can be hard to recognise the scope of this tragedy, explained Haase, because the mental health effects of climate change show up in so many different layers of a persons life. Rising temperatures and heatwaves can be devastating, including being linked to increased rates of suicide and violence. The social and economic upheaval of climate change can also cause a range of psychological harm, from acute stress to more chronic responses to trauma. Because were having more extreme weather, more people are living in areas with food scarcity, more people are homeless, more people are financially struggling, said Haase. Climate disasters, like intensified hurricanes and wildfires, can lead to mental health consequences that linger for years. As parts of the world become nearly uninhabitable, more people will become climate refugees, forced to migrate and experience the pain of leaving ones home. Communities on edge An emotional response to the climate crisis can permeate whole communities. Dr Robin Cooper, another founding member of the CPA and an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, described the emotional distress felt in her community from the wildfires of recent years. The community was just on edge, said Cooper, recalling the screen of smoke that fell over the Bay Area during the wildfires in 2018. Those are the moments where the absolute anxiety of what we are doing to the world just emerges. A San Francisco firefighter uses an axe to dismantle a burned mobile home as he searches for human remains at a mobile home park that was destroyed by the Camp Fire on November 14, 2018 in Paradise, California [File: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images] Cooper recalls one patient who came into her office in an extreme state of anxiety. [She was] breathing heavily, hyperventilating, agitated, her thought patterns were scattered and talking about how we had destroyed the Earth, said Cooper. In a matter of minutes, she began asking Where can I go? until it dawned on her that there was no place she could move that would fully solve the continuing, worsening threat of climate change. In a moment of extraordinary grief and powerlessness, she wept and said, I should never have had my son,' said Cooper. Such an emotional response to the climate crisis should not be pathologised, Cooper explained, given that it is a normal reaction to a profoundly disturbed planet and one that is becoming more common. As more disruptive weather patterns intensify, this grieving, anxiety and suffering is expected to worsen. The immediate future is already looking grim: the oceans, which are now at the warmest temperature on record, are predicted to spur a year of colossal hurricanes and wildfires. Not only does the CPA aim to help people face this complex reality, but also to have the courage to build a new, better long-term reality. We can positively frame this crisis, reads a statement from the CPA. The antidote to hopelessness, cynicism and magical thinking is awareness of our responsibility and active engagement in this crucial work with others at this crucial time. Six-year-old King Bass (left) sits and watches the Holy Fire burn from on top of his parents car as his five-year-old sister Princess rests her head on his shoulder on August 9, 2018 in Lake Elsinore, California [File: Patrick Record/AP Photo] First do no harm Early on, the CPA decided to take on a goal that could create a ripple effect through its field: encouraging the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which has 38,800 members, to divest its investment portfolio from fossil fuels. By cutting off the APAs most direct contributions to the climate crisis, it would send a strong message to many psychiatrists. The APA has a wide membership said Cooper. So, it is the most powerful way we can influence and educate psychiatrists. Fossil fuel divestment was a tall demand, especially considering it took the APA until 2017 to publicly acknowledge the threat the climate crisis poses to mental health. Yet there was precedent for it: the British Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association had all adopted policies to divest. So, the CPA reached out to Dr Todd Sack, who drafted the American Medical Associations resolution to divest from fossil fuels, and asked him for advice on how they could follow suit. This effort soon resulted in an action paper that clearly laid out why the APA has a responsibility to divest. The paper points to the fact that the health and mental health impacts of climate change fall disproportionately upon the mentally ill. Citing the Hippocratic oath to first do no harm, the paper argues that psychiatrists have a responsibility to minimise fossil fuel consumption and strive to influence the healthcare institutions in which we practise, to curb this worsening mental health crisis. In early November 2018, Dr James Fleming, a Missouri-based psychiatrist, representative to the APA, and founding member of the CPA, stood before the assembly of the APA and urged it to divest. He read a plea written by Van Susteren. Folks, we cannot mess this up. We do not have time. Be under no illusions, the climate-aware generation of kids are beside themselves scared, angry, grief-stricken, said Fleming. They are experiencing inaction as assault. A swimmer explores the waves during high tide as Hurricane Dorian churns offshore on September 3, 2019 in Indialantic, Florida [File: Scott Olson/Getty Images] Just a month before, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a groundbreaking report, warning of ecosystems collapsing, the disruption of food systems, population displacement and a rising death toll from extreme weather that can only be averted through rapid and unprecedented action. This timing may have made the assembly particularly receptive to divestment, but in any case, the action paper passed with a 61 percent majority, which Cooper described in the Psychiatric Times as a result stunning for both the margin of victory and speed with which it moved through the Assemblys usually slow process. In October 2019, the APAs Board of Trustees took the first step of enacting the papers goal by blocking all future direct investments in fossil fuels. The APAs Investment Oversight Committee decided to regularly review the APAs investment portfolio to screen for ways to completely divest from fossil fuels. Currently, less than five percent of its investment portfolio is in companies that derive most of their incomes from fossil fuels, according to Fleming. Shifting attitudes The divestment effort also helps spread awareness to all of the APAs members on the mental health effects of climate change, connecting to a broader CPA aim of communicating this ever-present connection. By articulating the connection between health and climate, it gets more people motivated to recognise that they individually and, more importantly, collectively need to do something, said Dr David Pollack, a community-focused psychiatrist based in Oregon and another founding member of the CPA. To this end, the CPA members also frequently give presentations on the mental health dimensions of climate change at APA meetings and write about the topic in popular trade journals, like The Psychiatric Times. They have been the driving force behind other APA action papers related to the climate crisis, including a resolution to distribute curricula on mental health and climate change in medical schools, universities, and fellowships. This will build on a growing push for medical schools to integrate climate change into the curriculum. Partially submerged cars are seen in Hurricane Isaacs flood waters on August 31, 2012 in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana [File: Mario Tama/Getty Images] There is already a noticeable shift in psychiatrists attitudes. When we first started psychiatrists would say, Climate change is a big issue, but it really doesnt affect us. Its not in our domain,' said Cooper. Now that has completely changed. Recently, the CPA has been working on making this knowledge more widely accessible. It has joined forces with the Climate Psychology Alliance in the UK and the Climate Psychology Alliance North America, which Van Susteren also helped establish, to develop training on mental health and climate change. Modelled on Al Gores The Climate Reality Project training, it will involve a set of slideshows that can be accessed from anywhere and intended for a variety of uses, from how to bring an awareness of climate change into a clinical setting to engaging with lawmakers in pushing for mental health policies. Climate-aware psychiatry For mental health professionals already schooled in climate change, the CPA and Climate Psychology Alliance North America have developed a shared referral list so patients can more easily locate a therapist with this background. So, what makes a climate-aware therapist? One of the first steps any mental health professional can take is just being aware of the mental health risks of climate change. This way, they can better inform their patients of any interventions to take, such as in the event of a heatwave. I think its incumbent upon us to say before summer season, you know we are having more and more periods of extreme heat and there are ways that you need to know how to protect yourself and be aware of early signs of trouble,' said Cooper. Therapists should also really grapple with this crisis themselves, explained Dr Janet Lewis, a psychiatrist in New York and another founding member of the CPA. It really has to be personally digested in order to be able to help others with it, said Lewis. Its the experience of mental health professionals in general that patients tend to talk about what the therapist is ready to hear. A firefighter keeps watch on flames that could jump the Angeles Crest Highway at the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 11, 2020 north of Monrovia, California [David McNew/Getty Images] There are patterns in which climate anxiety, an umbrella term used to describe a range of psychological responses to the climate crisis, shows up clinically. For instance, Lewis explained, as patients grapple with the climate crisis, they often vacillate between poles of emotions and thought, such as between extreme hope and despair. A therapist can help patients navigate these extremes to find ways to move forward and meaningfully live with the reality of climate change. Unlike many forms of psychological harm, the threat of climate crisis does not disappear. This can produce in patients continuous traumatic stress, a term that Van Susteren coined to describe a psychological response that mirrors post-traumatic stress in many ways, but the primary preoccupation is with the future. It is a response that has also been observed in nurses and doctors treating patients infected with COVID-19. In the longer-term, therapists may be able to help patients experience post-traumatic growth. This can happen, Haase explained, when through a profitable, deep reflection and grief about what has been lost, people choose to make some meaningful changes and become typically more connected to other people. She pointed to how reconnecting with the natural world can be a way to facilitate this growth, particularly when the source of trauma comes from nature. Systemic oppression Dr Carissa Caban-Aleman, a Miami-based psychiatrist and founding member of the CPA, believes psychiatrists also need to recognise how the consequences of systemic oppression make people more vulnerable to climate change. For example, in Puerto Rico, the effects of Hurricane Maria were compounded by what Caban-Aleman described as the chronic aggression of colonialism and a lot of economic and political factors, such as laws imposed on Puerto Rico by the US that made the island particularly vulnerable to corporate profiteers swooping in after the storm. While Puerto Ricos recovery has been rocky and slow, Caban-Aleman also points to ways the community has come together to build long-lasting resilience, such as through solar and agricultural cooperatives. Its really an option to see in real life how transformational and social resilience can work, she said. Therapists can support these recovery efforts by first building trust within a community. In her work with the nonprofit mental health organisation CrearConSalud, Caban-Aleman led community-based mental health workshops. At first, this involved just giving emotional support to people, but more than anything, it was helping them with their basic needs, said Caban-Aleman. The nonprofit CrearConSalud provided free mental health workshops in the wake of Hurricane Maria [Photo courtesy of Carissa Caban-Aleman] Caban-Aleman also frequently engages in environmental justice activism in Miami, which helps her better understand and provide for the mental health needs of that community. The best way that I get to thoroughly insert myself in an environmental justice effort is by being part of it, she explained. If you are trying to help from the point of view of being in the faculty of a university or in a clinic as a medical provider, but youre not really visible in the community that youre trying to impact, its really hard to get far with that effort. Long-term resilience to the climate crisis might look like therapists, patients and activists all working together to address the climate crisis. This engagement in collective action, while at times exhausting, can also be profoundly healing. As we confront climate change, just like with the coronavirus pandemic, said Dr Janet Lewis, we have to shift to an appreciation of this whole realm of collective action and responsibility. Zhenhua isnt important for what it does, but what it tells us about Chinas weaknesses and insecurities. Ensconced in their dour winter jackets, the red of carnations clasped in calloused hands was the only colour interrupting the grey ranks of the faithful, lined up on the second Sunday of January, 1988, to march in memory of the Berlin communists by Nazis. Vera Wollenberger waited by the roadside, hoping to hold up a placard of protest with the seditious words of the German Democratic Republics constitution emblazoned on it: Every citizen has the right to express his opinion freely and openly. The police were waiting, too: For more than a month, Wollenberger was held in Berlins Hohenschoenhausen Prison. Laid end-to-end, the files of the German Democratic Republics Ministerium fur Staatssicherheitpopularly, the Stasirun for 111 kilometres, documenting in intimate detail the lives of some 5.6 million people. In 1991, the Stasi had 91,015 staff, and at least 173,081 paid informants - more than two for every 100 citizens. The man who fed Wollenbergers own file was her much-loved husband, Knud Wollenberger. In secret, the eminent mathematician and poet was a Stasi agent who, driven by his passionate anti-Fascist convictions, had agreed to report on their dinner conversations and their pillow-talk. Less than a year after the GDR exiled Wollenberger, though, the country itself collapsed. When a country is its own worst enemy, the author Craig Whitney has noted, having the best spy service cant help. EVIDENCE that the Zhenhua Data Information Technology has been trawling the internet for data on more than 10,000 Indian nationals, revealed by The Indian Express and an international coalition of journalists on Monday, has underlined growing fears about Chinas information operations. The company, leaked files show, collected data on more than two million prominent individuals worldwide. Zhenhuas software then applied Artificial Intelligence-driven tools to this data, looking for links and patterns useful to understanding their behaviour. Zenhuas operations have been widely described using phrases like Fifth Generation Warfare wars of ideas, rather than bullets but theres good reason to suspect it is actually been peddling snake-oil to Chinas intelligence service, the Ministry for State Security. For one, the raw data collected by Zhenhua is of little real value. In essence, the company has trawled the internet for information that can be found with nothing more sinister than Google. Pegasus, the spyware whose misuse by law-enforcement and intelligence services was outed earlier this year, penetrated encrypted communications channels. Theres no suggestion that Zhenhua has those capabilities. Zhenhua likely told its clients that it can create replicate the countrys massive domestic databases at a global level. AI, its sales-pitch likely went, could then generate analytical output superior to human analysts or social scientists. Instead of depending on overworked analysts at the MSS, the job of thinking could be left to machines. There are, however, questions about the utility of Zhenhuas AI-driven analytical output. Experts like Princetons Arvind Narayanan have pointed out that while AI is excellent at certain kinds of tasks, it is poor at predicting social outcomes or complex individual behaviours. Even in relatively straightforward tasks, like medical diagnostics, there is growing scepticism over the claims made by AI companies. For decades now, experts on Chinese intelligence like Peter Mattis have noted, its spies have struggled to address the blind spots created by the countrys domestic-based intelligence posture. The problem has been aggravated, Mattis noted in 2016 testimony to the United States Congress, by the fact that Chinas clandestine tradecraft probably does not rate among the worlds most sophisticated. Like China, global intelligence services have become increasingly invested in technology hoping to address human-capability deficits. From 1947, the five English-speaking powersthe United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealandsigned the so-called Five Eyes treaty, allowing for the sharing of intelligence. Ever since the 1970s, Five Eyes satellites fed a system known as Echelon, which today sucks up virtually all electronic communication from around the planetall ending up in the United States National Security Agencys computer-farms. Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, revealed that between 8 February and 8 March, 2013, alone, a single NSA tool called Boundless Informant collected about 124.8 billion telephone data items and 97.1 billion computer data items throughout the world. The single largest employer of pure mathematicians in the worldhiring more PhDs than India produces in a decadethe NSA has the capability to break large-prime number encryption, the bedrock of online privacy. Like India, China is believed to be seeking similar capabilities, though so far without significant success. Fashionable cliches about data being the new oil, though, elide over an unpleasant truth: mere information isnt actual knowledge. The NSAs penetration of Al Qaeda communications didnt stop 9/11. Even though the United Kingdoms surveillance of Lashkar-e-Taiba computer networks generated warnings, India was unable to preempt 26/11. Total intelligence domination didnt win the United States its wars in Afghanistan or Iraq. Intelligence services drowned in information, failing to distinguish gold from the dross. In 1974, the great GDR spymaster Markus Wolf wrote in his diary: almost all the reams of paper produced by NATO and stamped with the codes cosmic or top secret are, when you get right down to it, not even worth using as toilet paper. Wolf remained deeply conscious of the limitations of technology-driven espionage: Technology can only establish the situation of the moment, he argued, [but] secret plans, options and other considerations will remain concealed even from the most sophisticated satellite. Potentially war-winning intelligence, critically, has often come not from technology, but spies like Richard Sorge, who provided precision warnings on Nazi Germanys intention of attacking the Soviet Union. Large volumes of information, history teaches us, often works to bog down an assessmentand thus undermine the raison detre of intelligence. Emperor Sultan Abdulhamid II ran perhaps the largest intelligence service in history, recruiting clerics, clowns, illusionists, dervishes, and even a beggar from India to monitor his creaking realm. Everybody began to report on each other, Ekrem Ekinci has observed of the collapse of the Ottoman surveillance state. Absurd rumours and even slander began to be reported. In time, Ekinci noted, the value of these reports diminished. Thousands of unopened missives were discovered when Turkish revolutionaries overthrew Abdulhamid II in 1908a move the sultans intelligence network proved unable to preempt. Wollenbergers helps understand why large-scale surveillance can actually counterproductive. Andreas Lichter, Max Loffler and Sebastian Siegloch found the density of informers undermined trust and led to a withdrawal from society. In particular, more intense surveillance caused lower trust in strangers, stronger negative reciprocity, fewer close friends, lower sociability, and reduced societal engagement. The scholars noted the negative and persistent effects of government surveillance on various measures of economic performance, such as individual labor income, county-level self-employment, unemployment and population size. For a country like China, working to make the transition from low-grade manufacturing to technological creativity, intrusive surveillance can thus be an impediment to progress. Chinas mass surveillance in Xinjiang, for example, hasnt demonstrated stellar success: mass data has helped incarcerate hundreds of thousands of people in concentration camps, without actually addressing the problem. Even two thousand years ago, the costs of the surveillance state were evident. The breed of ears and provocateurs make tyrants, who are obliged to know everything, most detested, the classical scholar Plutarch wrote. The root problem, he noted, was the insecurity of rulers, not the secrets of their subjects. Like Plutarchs tyrants, the Chinese state believes its power rests on seeing and hearing all. The babble its spies are gathering online, though, most likely makes it impossible to actually listen to what is of importance. Zhenhua isnt important for what it does, but what it tells us about Chinas weaknesses and insecurities. Should gig workers, such as Uber drivers, be classified as employees? This is a question that Supreme Courts around the world, including ours in Canada, are currently debating. Its a case that all Canadians should be paying attention to. By the year 2027, up to 60 per cent of the workforce could be a part of the gig economy as a result of technological disruptions, such as artificial intelligence, to the workforce. The verdict in this case could set a precedent for the future of work in Canada. In Ontario, gig workers are classified as independent contractors, which means they work for themselves. They have the flexibility to set their own schedule and work as much or as little as they choose, but they are ineligible for standard employment protections, such as the Employment Standards Act (ESA). This act guarantees all employees a minimum wage, vacation pay, overtime pay and so on. But gig workers in Ontario are challenging this classification. David Heller, a former Uber and Uber Eats driver in Ontario, filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc, claiming the company misclassifies its drivers as independent contractors to avoid obligations under the ESA. Hellers legal action was prompted after he received a text message from Uber to accept new compensation policies, to which he had no bargaining power to refuse. In support of his claim, Heller relies on laws in Ontario that state that a worker will be an employee if some of the factors on a checklist of requirements are met, which include: a) the worker is integral to the business of the employer, not just some side accessory; b) the worker does not have the power to bargain with the employer; and c) the worker cannot control the method of doing the work. Based on this understanding of employee, Uber drivers seem to be employees. However, there are aspects of being an Uber driver that are consistent with being an independent contractor. As stated in Ubers 2019 S-1 public offering, we believe that drivers are independent contractors because, among other things, they can choose whether, when, and where to provide services on our platform, are free to provide services on our competitors platforms, and provide a vehicle to perform services on our platform. This is consistent with the Ontario Employment Standards Act, which states that a worker may be considered an independent contractor if they have the opportunity to make a profit and a risk of losing money from the work, and can determine how, when or where the work is performed. Moreover, Tony West, chief legal counsel at Uber, stated that if drivers were to be classified as employees, they would lose a significant amount of the freedom and flexibility they have now. This freedom includes the freedom for Uber drivers to work for multiple ride-sharing platforms and set their own schedules. But, perhaps we are asking the wrong questions. The world of work is changing, and so too should the labour laws and policies that govern it. Trying to classify newer forms of work into categories and policies that were written in the 1950s is not only challenging, but potentially limiting to all stakeholders. Therefore, I pose the following questions: Why should a worker have to be classified as an employee to be eligible for protections that we deem so vital to our working economy that they are written into law? i.e., minimum wage. What does it mean to be a protected worker in Canada in 2020 and beyond? Government shouldnt just be reactively stepping in to settle disputes in the name of protecting working Canadians, but proactively redesigning our policies to reposition working Canadians for success in a changing world of work. For example, in gig work, such as driving for Uber, where you dont have the opportunity to negotiate the price of your work, workers should be guaranteed at least minimum wage, the opportunity to accrue paid time off consistent with the ESA, and legitimate remediation processes. Undoubtedly, crafting new labour policies that both protect Canadian workers while also allowing for the growth of a new workforce ecosystem will be challenging, but the priorities are not mutually exclusive. If gig work is to become foundational for the future of work in Canada, we need to prepare accordingly. WESTPORT Like many local musicians these days, Paul Dunay is only too glad for a chance to play live. Thats why Friday nights Supper & Soul event at the Imperial Avenue parking lot was a win-win situation, with Terrapin a well-known area Grateful Dead tribute band performing onstage for a full house of safely distanced fans. Were so excited, he said, before the show, which was sold out in a matter of minutes. Organized by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce and held in cooperation with The Westport Library, the Supper & Soul series is a chance to combine good live music with a local dining experience. While last year the program was being held in the librarys new main room, since the onset of the coronavirus and subsequent social distancing, the series has found a new and viable venue at the Imperial lot. Though there are only spaces for 70 cars, people are allowed to bring up to five visitors for the price of their ticket. (They) did a great job in putting this together, Dunay noted, pleased and proud that the concert sold out in a matter of minutes after the group was announced. Thus, the Supper & Soul series has offered them another date on Oct. 2. Were looking forward to selling that out too, Dunay said. US President Trump can approve or deny a transaction but has already voiced support for Oracle as a great company. Oracle said Monday that the Chinese owner of TikTok has picked the United States company to be its trusted technology provider, beating out rival Microsoft in a deal that could help keep the popular video-sharing app running in the US. Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said she was confirming remarks made by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told CNBC on Monday that TikToks parent company, ByteDance, submitted its proposal to the US government for approval. We did get a proposal over the weekend that includes Oracle as the trusted technology partner with Oracle making many representations for national security issues, Mnuchin said. Mnuchin said theres also a commitment to make TikToks global operations a US-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs. President Donald Trumps administration has threatened to ban TikTok by September 20 and ordered owner ByteDance to sell its US business, claiming national security risks due to its Chinese ownership. The government worries about user data being funnelled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national security risk and is suing to stop the administration from enacting the threatened ban. Much remains unclear about the proposed deal with Oracle, which is pointedly not referring to it as a sale or acquisition. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC news channel that TikToks parent company, ByteDance, submitted its proposal to the US government for approval [File: Graeme Jennings/Reuters] Any deal must still be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, a US government group chaired by the Treasury Secretary that studies mergers for national security reasons. Mnuchin said he expects the group to review the proposal this week and later make a recommendation to the president. The president can approve or deny a transaction recommended by the panel, though Trump has already voiced support for Oracle as a great company that could handle the acquisition. Microsoft said in a Sunday statement that ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. Proposals to acquire TikToks US business raised questions among outside observers about how it would be split from the rest of TikToks social media platform, which is popular worldwide. ByteDance also owns a similar video app, Douyin, for the Chinese market. Microsoft added it was confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. The company said it would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation. Walmart, which had planned to partner with Microsoft on the acquisition, said Sunday it continues to have an interest in a TikTok investment and is talking about it with ByteDance and other parties. TikTok, which says it has 100 million US users and about 700 million globally, is known for its fun, goofy videos of dancing, lip-syncing, pranks and jokes. It has recently become home to more political content such as the comedian Sarah Cooper, who drew a large audience by lip-syncing Trumps often-disjointed statements from public appearances. President Donald Trumps administration has threatened to ban TikTok by September 20 and ordered owner ByteDance to sell its US business, claiming national security risks due to its Chinese ownership [File: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg] But the app has also raised concerns because of its Chinese ownership. The White House has cracked down on a range of Chinese businesses, including telecom equipment makers Huawei and ZTE and messaging app WeChat, due to worries that they would enable Chinese authorities to access US user data. Republican and Democratic legislators have raised concerns about censorship and childrens privacy. TikTok denied that it has shared user data with the Chinese government or that it would do so if asked. The company said it has not censored videos at the request of Chinese authorities and insisted it is not a national security threat. TikTok has sued to stop the ban, but not the sale order. The negotiations have been complicated by several factors, including Trumps repeated demands that the US government should get a cut of any deal, a stipulation and role for the president that experts said is unprecedented. In addition, the Chinese government in late August unveiled new regulations that restrict exports of technology, likely including the artificial intelligence system TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means ByteDance would have to obtain a licence from China to export such technology to a foreign company. The Chinese government has implied it may block export of TikToks AI systems, so that might complicate a direct sale, said Tiffany Li, a visiting professor at the Boston University School of Law. The download page for ByteDance Ltds TikTok app on the Apple Inc App Store is displayed on a smartphone [File: Yan Cong/Bloomberg] She said TikToks AI-backed video recommendation system is one of the apps competitive advantages. Whether the Oracle-TikTok deal will allow the sidestepping of Chinese export restrictions depends on which entity retains control of TikTok in the US, said Paul Haswell, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm Pinsent Masons. The deal had come together rapidly after the administration ramped up its threats against TikTok in recent months, despite TikToks efforts to put distance between its app and its Chinese ownership. It installed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its American CEO, but he resigned in August after just a few months on the job, saying the political environment has sharply changed. They've chosen Oracle. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Both Microsoft and Oracle are known more for their business software offerings than for those intended for consumers. Oracle primarily makes database software. It competes with tech giants, such as Microsoft and Amazon, that provide cloud services as well as business-software specialists like Salesforce. Some analysts see Oracles interest in a consumer business as misguided. Oracle should focus on enterprise-market acquisitions and not invest in a consumer app like TikTok that does not fit with the rest of its business, said Jefferies analyst Brent Thill, who compared the idea to Delta Airlines buying a motorcycle company. It doesnt make any sense, he said. Thill suggested that TikTok competitors, including Facebook and Snapchat, should be cheering on Oracle as a buyer, because Oracle would not add a lot of value to the app. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of Trump, hosting a fundraiser for him in February at his Rancho Mirage, California, estate. The company also hired a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence; its CEO, Safra Catz, also served on Trumps transition team. The president said on August 18 that Oracle was a great company that could handle buying TikTok. He declined to state his preference between Oracle and Microsoft as buyers. We have a lot of confidence in both Microsoft and Oracle, Mnuchin said Monday. Theyve chosen Oracle. With all the nasty things going on around us, theres one aspect of human activity than makes us hopeful we are eventually going to overcome our difficulties: space exploration. Thanks to the involvement of private companies to a degree never before reached, space exploration is now in what is likely to become its true golden age, the one when we return to the Moon and land humans on Mars. 5 photos Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Damon Wake (Agence France-Presse) Brussels, Belgium Mon, September 14, 2020 08:52 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a3334 2 Business EU,European-Union,trade-talks,China,investment,Uighur Free European Union leaders will talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping seeking trade and investment Monday, despite tensions over Hong Kong's freedoms and Beijing's treatment of its Uighur minority. Chinese officials, EU chiefs Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a video-conference to replace a full summit with all 27 EU leaders cancelled because of coronavirus. China says an investment deal already seven years in the making can be agreed this year, but EU officials warn obstacles remain and insist they will not swallow unfavorable terms simply to cut a deal. "Even if there is a political objective to accelerate negotiations and conclude them by the end of the year, we will have this only if it is something worth having," an EU official said. Brussels says "significant progress" has been made in talks since a similar video summit in June, and officials hope to agree a roadmap to a deal by the end of the year they also want Beijing to improve market access for European companies. "The EU must define its own interests, and must be strong and independent of both China and the United States," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag. Brussels wants to reinforce respect for intellectual property, to end obligations to transfer technology and to reduce subsidies for Chinese public enterprises. China-US tensions No major breakthrough is expected on Monday but the EU side hopes to persuade Xi to give fresh political impetus to the talks and to allow his negotiators more room to compromise. The meeting comes as ties between China and the US deteriorate, with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Washington and Beijing have imposed curbs on each other's diplomats, after another tit-for-tat move in July when the two governments ordered the closure of consulates in Houston and Chengdu. Both sides have sought to enlist the EU in their spat and, during a visit to Brussels by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell mooted talks to forge a common transatlantic front against China. But little progress has been made on this initiative and broadly Brussels has preferred a middle path, treating Beijing as both a potential partner and a "systemic rival". "The EU stands firm on its interests and values but also wants to cooperate with China," a senior EU official said. Hong Kong The EU will press Xi on Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a controversial new security law a move denounced by the West as an assault on the city's freedoms. After the June summit, von der Leyen warned China would face "very negative consequences" if it pressed ahead with the law and the EU would limit exports to Hong Kong of equipment that could be used for surveillance and repression. European concerns about Beijing's rights record are growing. During a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Berlin earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called China out over Hong Kong and its treatment of minority Uighurs. But the European Union is far from united on how to deal with China, with some member states urging a tougher stance on rights and the environment, and others wanting to boost trade. But China as its own concerns. China announced Saturday it was banning imports of pork products from Germany after the European country confirmed its first case of African swine fever. Germany is Europe's biggest pork producer and recently saw a surge in demand from China after it suffered an outbreak of the same disease. Meanwhile, Beijing has used its mammoth "Belt and Road" infrastructure scheme to effectively pick off investment-hungry EU member states such as Greece, Portugal and Italy. Colombias state-held oil firm Ecopetrol, which has a strategic alliance with Occidental Petroleum to develop acreage in the Permian, plans to have drilled as many as 100 wells in the most prolific U.S. shale basin by the end of 2021, Ecopetrols CEO Felipe Bayon told a conference on Monday. By the end of next year, we should have over a hundred wells, Bayon said at a virtual conference, as carried by Reuters. Last year, Ecopetrol and Occidental Petroleum Corp agreed to set up a strategic joint venture to develop unconventional reservoirs in approximately 97,000 acres of the Permian Basin in West Texas. This deal was part of Ecopetrols strategic priorities to develop more unconventional resources and have more operations outside Colombia, the company said in November 2019. Between November last year and June this year, Ecopetrol drilled 22 wells. However, oil production has slowed because of the oil demand and price crash in the pandemic, according to Bayon. Despite the current low oil prices, Ecopetrol expects to have 100 wells drilled in the Permian by the end of next year, said the companys executive. Light crude from shale formations fits well into Ecopetrols plans to balance its crude slate portfolio, which consists of predominantly heavy crude varieties, Bayon said at the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC). Ecopetrol hasnt shut down oil production due to the crash in demand in the pandemic because demand from Chinese refiners, some of whom use Colombian crude to meet baseload demand, was decent. Related: Tropical Storm Sally Forces Drillers To Evacuate Gulf Of Mexico Oil Platforms The Colombian oil firm is looking to sell more of its crude to other major oil importers in Asia India and South Korea in particular, Bayon said at the conference. Meanwhile, in the Permian, the number of drilled but uncompleted wells jumped to 3,520 in July 2020, while all other U.S. basins had 4,165 DUCs as of July, the Dallas Fed said earlier this month. The breakeven price for drilling new wells is an average of $46 a barrel WTI in the Midland area in the Permian, according to Dallas Feds survey among oil executives. The responses for the Permian (Midland) breakeven range from as low as $30 to as high as $60 a barrel. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Bamboo Systems, a provider of transformative ARM servers designed to power the next generation of net-zero data centers, today announced that it has been named the winner of two Gold and one Silver Stevie Award in The 17th Annual International Business Awards. Bamboo won Gold in the Tech Start Up of the Year (Hardware and Peripherals) and Energy Innovation of the Year categories and Silver in the Startup of the Year (Business Products) category. The International Business Awards are the worlds premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small - are eligible to submit nominations. The 2020 IBAs received entries from organizations in 63 nations and territories. More than 3,800 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. As the ongoing COVID-19 crisis will prevent winners from receiving their awards on stage during a traditional gala IBA banquet, winners will be celebrated instead during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, 1 December. 2020 has been a year like no other, accelerating pressures on data centers with the wholesale switch to online work. At Bamboo, we are focused on addressing the data center challenges of servers that meet the needs of modern software design, while using significantly less energy and space than legacy architecture for a given workload, said Tony Craythorne, CEO of Bamboo Systems. We are thrilled to have won awards for three of the categories in this years Stevie 17th Annual International Business Awards. What an honor and testament to the technology weve brought to market. Earlier this year, Bamboo announced the general availability of its groundbreaking B1000N Series server architecture that offers a multi-node computer system at 50% of the cost, 25% of the energy and 20% of the rack space of typical data center architecture. Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process from July through early September. One judge commented: Excellent innovation often shows itself in simple design and creative use of existing components to drive value. Bamboo Systems has done just that, by creatively realigning the architecture to reduce power, without losing any computing power. Great job! Despite the unprecedented impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on organizations and working people worldwide, the number and quality of nominations we received in this years International Business Awards attests to the continued outstanding performance of many organizations. The commitment weve seen through these nominations to maintaining the success, health, and safety of employees, customers, and communities is truly impressive, said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. For more information about Bamboo Systems, please visit https://www.bamboosystems.io About Bamboo Systems: Our mission is to revolutionize server architecture to meet the demands of modern software design while disrupting the status quo on energy consumption. Bamboo servers are optimized for microservices-based software making them ideal for high performance workloads and processing at the edge, while saving one-half the typical acquisition cost of a legacy server, 75% of the energy consumption, and 80% of the rack space. Find out more at https://www.bamboosystems.io About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com. HB Ice Cream Sunday will take place on Sunday, 20th September, with HB alongside Down Syndrome Ireland encouraging you to join in the sweet, treat fun with family, friends or housemates and support the DSI See & Learn programme. You can do your part for DSI by purchasing your favourite HB multipack; with 0.10 from every pack purchased going to DSIs See and Learn programme raising vital much needed funds. For the past 18 years, HB has partnered with DSI for the campaign which has seen thousands across Ireland host ice cream parties at home, in their offices and in schools, raising over 3.7 million, making a life-changing difference to those with Down syndrome as well as their families. This years fundraiser is a new twist on a what has become a yearly tradition for so many. Actor Mark Smith will be joining the fun this HB Ice Cream Sunday and is encouraging vital donations to the programme. Mark, who has Down syndrome, is showing his support in order to help children with Down syndrome receive the educational resources they need. Funds raised will go directly to a language development programme to help young children with Down syndrome who have been severely affected by lack of educational resources during Covid-19. Learning to talk is a particular challenge for most children with Down syndrome. Difficulties communicating present obstacles in daily life and can be a major source of frustration. See and Learn is an international programme designed to meet the specific learning needs of children with Down syndrome, providing support to improve their speech, language, reading and numeracy skills; and it was made available by DSI in 2019 for parents, teachers and those looking after children with Down syndrome as a result of the funds raised through the partnership with HB. Talking about the importance of programmes like See and Learn, Mark Smith said I am proof of how important it is to have this early help. I was helped greatly when I started school and it has led me to become an actor - my dream job. By joining in on the fun on the 20th September, you could be helping other kids to reach their full potential." Olive Buckeridge, Early Years Specialist with Down Syndrome Ireland has been leading the See and Learn programme. Commenting on the project, Olive said, In September of 2019 we began a national rollout of the See and Learn programme and the response from parents and teachers was fantastic. We held 25 seminars across Ireland, meeting over 1,600 people. See and Learn is a visually focused programme which works extremely well to help children with Down syndrome to develop their communication skills. It has already had such a positive impact on the children and their families. The programme works so well with teachers and parents collectively, and really is a shared venture. Consistency and repetition for children with Down syndrome is key and the See and Learn programme facilitates this. Due to the pandemic, most of the children on the See and Learn programme have seen their supports majorly curtailed, and funding for this key service has been severely impacted. Olive continued, COVID-19 has been very difficult for children with Down syndrome as they havent been able to visit their speech and language therapists or receive one to one support. The See and Learn programme has been instrumental in helping parents to continue their childs progression during COVID-19. We are continuing to provide support and have been speaking with parents daily through Zoom. Our next step is to roll out phase two of the programme this Autumn, and funds raised from the new HB Ice Cream Sunday will enable teachers and parents to be supported as they implement this programme. Paula Dunne from Mayo has seen first-hand the benefits that See and Learn can bring. Her son Coinneach, who is six years old, has Down syndrome. Commenting on the programme, Paula said, "To say that the See and Learn results have amazed Coinneachs school, family and friends; it would be nothing less than an understatement. I will never forget Coinneach's teacher approaching me four weeks in, expressing huge surprise and excitement at how my son's progress with speech exploded; how well he was able to follow the programme and show progression within such a short period of time. From there, Coinneach came on in leaps and bounds. He makes real genuine efforts to say new words on an hourly basis and the clarity of his speech has greatly improved. Without See and Learn I genuinely fear that Coinneach would have plateaued on his speech development because he was missing out on proper intervention which is essential at his stage in life." Elaine Prendergast, Brand Manager, Unilever Ireland added With everyone participating in social distancing and playing their part we really hope that people will enjoy ice creams with close family members or housemates on 20th September while staying at home. By doing so, youll be supporting Down Syndrome Irelands See and Learn programme which is already proving invaluable for children with Down syndrome. To join in on DSIs HB Ice Cream Sunday on 20th September, simply purchase your favourite HB multipack from your local participating supermarket or shop, and 0.10 will go directly to funding the See and Learn programme. People are encouraged to share photos of them enjoying their ice creams on social media using #HBIceCreamSunday. You can also support DSIs See and Learn programme by making a donation at www.downsyndrome.ie/donate/ If you would like to find out more about Down Syndrome Ireland visit www.downsyndrome.ie Bexar County Sheriff's Office A 25-year-old man was arrested after he was accused of giving a mentally disabled child a sexually transmitted disease, an arrest affidavit said. San Antonio police arrested Jesus Gutierrez on Saturday on suspicion of super aggravated sexual assault of a child. Press Release 14 September 2020 As restrictions on travel begin to ease globally, destinations around the world are focusing on growing domestic tourism, with many offering incentives to encourage people to explore their own countries. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with domestic tourism set to return faster than international travel, this represents an opportunity for both developed and developing countries to recover from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisements Recognizing the importance of domestic tourism, the United Nations specialized agency has released the third of its Tourism and COVID-19 Briefing Notes, -Understanding Domestic Tourism and Seizing its Opportunities.- UNWTO data shows that in 2018, around 9 billion domestic tourism trips were made worldwide - six times the number of international tourist arrivals (1.4 billion in 2018). The publication identifies ways in which destinations around the world are taking proactive steps to grow domestic tourism, from offering bonus holidays for workers to providing vouchers and other incentives to people travelling in their own countries. Domestic tourism to drive recovery UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "UNWTO expects domestic tourism to return faster and stronger than international travel. Given the size of domestic tourism, this will help many destinations recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, while at the same time safeguarding jobs, protecting livelihoods and allowing the social benefits tourism offers to also return." The briefing note also shows that, in most destinations, domestic tourism generates higher revenues than international tourism. In OECD nations, domestic tourism accounts for 75% of total tourism expenditure, while in the European Union, domestic tourism expenditure is 1.8 times higher than inbound tourism expenditure. Globally, the largest domestic tourism markets in terms of expenditure are the United States with nearly US$ 1 trillion, Germany with US$ 249 billion, Japan US$ 201 billion, the United Kingdom with US$ 154 billion and Mexico with US$ 139 billion. Initiatives to boost domestic tourism Given the value of domestic tourism and current trends, increasing numbers of countries are taking steps to grow their markets, UNWTO reports. This new Briefing Note provides case studies of initiatives designed to stimulate domestic demand. These include initiatives focused on marketing and promotion as well as financial incentives. Examples of countries taking targeted steps to boost domestic tourist numbers include: Specialist labs in France and Sweden have confirmed Russian opposition leader was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok, the German government said Monday. A German military laboratory previously confirmed the substance in his samples. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has also received samples and is taking steps to have those tested at its reference laboratories. "Independently of the ongoing examinations by the OPCW, three laboratories have now confirmed independently of one another the proof of a nerve agent of the Novichok group as the cause of Mr. Navalny's poisoning, Seibert said in a statement. He said had asked France and Sweden for an independent review of the German findings using new samples from Navalny. Navalny, the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to two days after falling ill on August 20 on a domestic flight in Berlin has demanded that investigate the case. Seibert on Monday renewed Germany's demand that explain itself on the matter. He added that we are in close consultation with our European partners on further steps. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders for Russia to answer questions in the case, denying any official involvement and accusing the West of trying to smear Moscow. Russian authorities have prodded to share the evidence that led it to conclude without doubt that Navalny was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group, the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote, before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. It isn't clear when Berlin's Charite hospital will next issue an update on his condition. (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.) Rajya Sabha on Monday adopted a motion to do away with the Question Hour and private members business during the Monsoon session, which is being held amid the coronavirus pandemic. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and TMC MP Derek OBrien criticised the motion moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. Moving the motion, Joshi said Rajya Sabha session is being held in extraordinary circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic and this House resolves that starred questions and private members business may not be brought before it for transaction during the session. Opposing it, OBrien said, If this government really wanted to make a meaningful suggestion, they should have not struck at the heart of parliamentary democracy. I move this motion to appeal to the conscience of this government because this is our right as an opposition to ask questions. Azad said in a democracy the government is answerable to the people of India through Parliament which comprises members representing different states, political parties and regions of this country. The people of this country have no means to ask questions to the ministers inside Parliament. Their representatives are the members of the Parliament. These members of the Parliament ask questions on behalf of people of India. The people of India are being deprived, Azad said. The Congress MP said that instead of four hours, the House could have worked for five hours daily and one hour could have been kept for the Question Hour. I cant support the motion, Azad said. Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that he was also keen to have the Question Hour and all other business, but the problem is in the extraordinary conditions in which the session is being conducted. Umpteen number of times it ( Question Hour has been suspended) has been done. I am not justifying it on that account, Naidu said . He said that special mentions, for attention, short discussions, etc" will be there and members of the House can question the government, corner the government and even vote against the government". The motion was then passed with a voice vote. OTTAWAA renewed commitment to develop a universal national pharmacare program and to boost child care will be major pieces of the federal Liberal governments throne speech agenda, the Star has learned. With the number of new COVID-19 infections on the rise and stunning news the entire Bloc Quebecois caucus has had to isolate due to a confirmed positive case among its senior staff Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday the health and safety of Canadians is his priority, and he warned against complacency. The last thing that anyone wants is to go into lockdown this fall similar to this spring, said Trudeau. The first day of the federal Liberal cabinet retreat was marked by briefings from experts, including chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and leaders of the vaccine task force who outlined the global pandemic trend lines, and the state of vaccine development. What is clear, said one senior government official, speaking on background, is that, This fight with COVID is going to go on, unfortunately, for years. Lets say two years, and even when there is a vaccine it could be a while before certain parts of the economy recover. Listen to Alex Boyd discuss the global race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine As a result, Trudeaus Sept. 23 throne speech will set out priorities in three areas: the immediate fight against COVID-19 including securing access to vaccine, drug treatments and protecting vital supply chains or what the official called health vigilance category; support to sustain individuals and businesses through the crisis, or what the official called the whatever it takes category; and efforts for the long-term economic recovery which include plans for clean and green investments. The official said that child care will be key because we need the economy to grow and the economy aint going to grow if women fall back 30 years in the workplace. And so what does that mean? A lot of people have talked about child care. It also means more health investments going forward. Like child care, any pharmacare program requires agreements with provinces, and there could be early movers among provinces on it, said the official. But several provinces say their priority is for Ottawa to increase the money it transfers directly to them for health care, and they oppose a sweeping new drug program. Right now, provinces cover drug costs for the poorest of their populations. Quebec and Alberta want an opt out provision, that would allow them to decline to participate in a national program while still receiving their share of the money. A spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford said Ontario already has a robust system of publicly-funded drug coverage through OHIP+ and the Trillium Drug Program. So our governments focus is on strengthening programs for Ontarians who dont currently have drug coverage. We will work with the federal government to move forward on initiatives like the rare and orphan disease drug strategy and how to address growing health care costs to fill in any gaps in coverage, said Ivana Yelich, in a written statement. Both child care and pharmacare are on the NDPs list of policy priorities, also on the wish list of many in the organized labour movement. Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff said pharmacare should be seen as an early intervention in improving health-care outcomes. A lot of the arguments weve made is this is one way to bring down the health budget. He said a central agency and a national formulary of drugs that would be bulk purchased as is done in other countries will reduce the costs to provinces, and it would also make Canada more economically attractive to businesses looking to invest. Even before the pandemic some 3.5 to 4 million Canadians didnt have drug coverage, he said. Now, since massive layoffs occurred, that number has increased significantly as workers lost connections to their workplace and lost drug benefits after 30 days. Some of them are likely to be off much longer than we expected, he said. The hospitality sector is gone completely and the airline sector, almost 80 per cent or more are laid off and we dont know when they are going back to work. And this is the unionized (workers) the ones who already have coverage. Yussuf said the economic argument in favour of pharmacare is strong. It will improve the productivity of the country. If you keep people well, that means they are not missing time off work. And the second thing, it also makes the country more competitive to have health care and drug coverage as part of our core social program. He said it would also aid small companies who find the cost of covering medications for employees exorbitant. Yussuf said if the government acts on its own report, written by Dr. Eric Hoskins, which charted how a full national program could be mounted, the NDP, which has also called for public dental care, will have some tough choices to make. The parliamentary budget office has estimated that a national pharmacare program could cost about $20.4 billion and result in savings of about $4.2 billion, based on Canadas total 2015 spending on prescription drugs of about $28.5 billion. In 2015, public insurance plans paid about half of that total, around $13 billion, followed by private insurance plans ($10.7 billion) and individuals ($4.7 billion). The Liberals campaigned on national universal pharmacare last year. The government official told the Star that the throne speech will not set out economic details. Those are to be laid out in an economic update later this fall, and a budget in the new year, said the source. As he entered two days of meetings with ministers, two of whom are attending virtually, Trudeau expressed concern about the recent spike in coronavirus infections across Canada. Unfortunately, the numbers are beginning to climb with the restart of schools, and with the reopening of the economy, we have to remain extremely vigilant. Tam said in a statement Sunday that an average of 633 cases are now being reported daily across Canada. That is more than 20 per cent higher than last week, she said, indicating COVID-19 is making a slow and steady increase nationally. Outbreaks are reported in more settings, including private social gatherings and celebrations, community settings and indoor events along with new clusters in educational settings as schools and universities have reopened. Tam said its not unexpected to see new cases, and said while outbreaks have diminished in long-term-care homes, she is watching for community spread into those settings. Another important reason to keep the infection rate low in the community is to prevent spread into these and other public settings that could necessitate targeted restrictions to control transmission where the virus is surging. Responding to a massive demonstration by antimask protestors in Montreal on the weekend, Trudeau said while most Canadians are following the public health advice, its what every single one of us can do and must do that will control the spread of this virus. Melanie Joly, regional economic development minister, was blunter: The pandemic is not over just because were fed up, she told reporters. Those who object to wearing masks and demonstrated in Montreal are a minority, and the public health advice is clear, you have to wear a mask. The health of the economy is linked to the health of Canadians. One goes with the other, said Joly. Joly added the cabinet retreat will dig into understanding how the pandemic and the economic fallout has hit specific sectors and regions. Trudeaus team is finalizing a new throne speech which will be put to a confidence vote in the Commons, but to date he has not personally spoken to the Opposition leaders about what they want to see in that speech. We have been engaging with opposition parties throughout this COVID crisis, listening to their priorities, he said. Theyve made public their reflections around what theyd like to see going forward. Weve been engaging them on multiple levels. But neither Conservative Leader Erin OToole nor NDP leader Jagmeet Singh have spoken to Trudeau. OToole spokesperson Melanie Paradis said the notion that Trudeau is listening to OTooles public comments doesnt really replace an actual conversation with the leader, she said. Singhs spokesman George Soule said the prime minister knows well where Singh and New Democrats stand and what were looking for. Read more about: President Donald Trump on Monday boasted his Latino roundtable looks like a 'rally' - his second indoor event in two days after his rally in Nevada was fined for violating the state's COVID rules. 'This is supposed to be a roundtable but it looks like a rally,' Trump told the whooping and cheering crowd at his Latinos for Trump Coalition Roundtable in Phoenix. The event also had the feel of a rally. Supporters yelled 'Four more years, four more years' and 'we love you' to President Trump. Before he arrived, they danced to his campaign soundtrack, including 'Macho Man' and 'Eye of the Tiger.' Arizona forbids gatherings of more than 50 people. There were more than 300 crowded into Trump's event at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, with no social distancing and few people wearing masks. At the entrance to the event was a table with a few dozen blue face masks scattered on it. President Donald Trump on Monday boasted his Latino roundtable looks like a 'rally' - his second indoor event in two days Supporters danced to 'Macho Man' and 'Eye of the Tiger' as they waited for President Trump The crowd of over 300 was not socially distanced and few wore face masks Arizona forbids gatherings of more than 50 people and the city of Phoenix requires face masks; above are supporters at Trump's Latinos for Trump roundtable President Donald Trump is greeted by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport - Ducey wore a face mask for the greeting Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey removed his face mask to speak to the media under the wing of Air Force One as he stood next to President Trump 'Effective June 29, 2020, even if appropriate physical distancing is possible, organized events of more than 50 people are prohibited,' Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona announced earlier this summer. Ducey greeted Trump at the Phoenix airport while wearing a face mask although he took it off to talk to reporters on the runway under the wing of Air Force One. He was also at the roundtable. Additionally, the city of Phoenix has a mandatory face mask requirement for indoors after Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the rule on June 22. The president's motorcade passed a sign on its way to the event reminding Arizonians to wear masks in order to avoid spreading the coronavirus. It's the second day in a row the Trump campaign held an indoor event in violation of state rules. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. Trump held a rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Sunday evening that had nearly 5,000 people in a warehouse with no social distancing and few people wearing face masks. The Xtreme Manufacturing facility, which hosted the event, was fined $3,000 for violating six violations of state directives related to COVID-19 safety. The city noted in a statement that the company was informed ahead of time that it must comply with state orders to not gather in groups larger than 50 people, require the use of face coverings and practice social distancing. 'During the event, a compliance officer observed six violations of the directives and the Citys Business Operations Division has issued a Business License Notice of Violation to Xtreme Manufacturing and assessed a penalty of $3,000. The company has 30 calendar days to respond to the notice and pay the penalty or dispute the notice of violation,' the city said. President Trump defended his decision to hold the rally, saying the Democratic governor left him no choice. Trump also brushed off concerns about the virus in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, saying he wasn't worried about contracting it. 'I'm on a stage and it's very far away,' Trump said. 'And so I'm not at all concerned.' 'I'm more concerned about how close you are, to be honest,' Trump told the Review-Journal reporter, who was socially distanced. President Trump at his Latinos for Trump roundtable Supporters cheer on President Trump at his Latinos for Trump roundtable President Donald Trump defended his decision to hold an indoor campaign rally and said he was not worried about contracting COVID at it - above he blows a kiss to the crowd in Nevada on Sunday night Trump called Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada a 'hack' as the governor unloaded on the president for holding an indoor rally Trump also blamed Nevada's Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak for forcing him to hold the event indoors after canceling his planned outside rally at the Las Vegas airport. 'They canceled six different sites because the governor wouldnt let it happen, all external sites,' he said, adding that Sisolak was 'a political hack.' Trump was in Nevada for a weekend of campaign events in the critical battleground state where Democratic rival Joe Biden is leading in the polls. But Trump's team is hoping to turn the state to their column as a possible firewall against other loses in the Southwest, such as Nevada. Sisolak, meanwhile, unloaded on Trump shortly before the rally began, charging the president with putting lives in danger. 'Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada,' Sisolak said in a statement. 'The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic,' Sisolak added. He pointed to the measures he has enacted to try and contain the disease. 'As Governor, I have worked with public health and infectious disease specialists to create emergency directives to protect public health and get our economy back on track. That means limiting gathering sizes, mandating face coverings and practicing social distancing. All of which the President recklessly disregarded for his own gain this weekend in Nevada,' he said. 'At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health, the President's actions this weekend are shameful, dangerous and irresponsible.' Trump was criticized for his decision to hold the rally indoors, in a blatant violation of Nevada rules that limit gatherings to 50 people to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus. There was no social distancing and few wore face masks - with a notable exception of those seated on the risers behind the president, the people who would appear on camera as he spoke. 'If the governor comes after you, which he shouldn't be doing, I'll be with you all the way,' Trump told his cheering supporters during his 68-minute speech. He thanked Don Ahern, the owner of the Xtreme Manufacturing facility, who is facing state fines for allowing Trump to hold the event. 'I want to thank him, Trump said, adding he was holding the rally because 'this is the most important election in the history of the country.' The rally resemebled those the president held before the country shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic - a hyped up crowd, a venue packed to the gills, cheering, shouting, laughing and all things celebrating Trump. Even a protester couldn't damage the mood. 'All lives matter,' the crowd yelled as the person was escorted out by security. At Trump's Sunday night rally, few supporters wore face masks and there was little social distancing in the crowded warehouse Trump told his cheering crowd: 'Tell your governor to open up your state.' Trump repeated his unproven claim that Democratic governors were keeping their states closed to rig the election in Democratic rival Joe Biden's favor. 'They're only doing it to affect the November election,' he said. 'You have to get out and vote,' he told the crowd and he warned them: 'And you have to make sure your ballot is counted because they may not count it this time.' Row after row of Trump supporters crowded together in the Xtreme Manufacturing warehouse with many attendees appearing to be in the elderly, more at risk population. Some were parents with young children. It was so crowded some people have climbed onto the cranes while others are on an extended wall above the main floor. But the atmosphere was festive and party-like with people waving signs, shouting 'Trump, Trump, Trump,' and, at one point, they did the wave. Supporters wait for President Trump to speak at his rally Supporters wave a 'MAGA with a Vengeance' sign The location was so packed supporters lined up on a wall above the warehouse floor Cranes are on the sides and corners of the warehouse, with supporters sitting on them Trump kept his remarks focused on attacking Biden, the Democratic nominee who is leading him in polls in the state and national polls. The Biden campaign announced shortly before Trump's rally that his running mate Kamala Harris would be in Las Vegas on Tuesday to combat Trump's appearance in the state. The president brought back some of his favorite Biden attack lines, the ones that are crowd pleasers and had his supporting hollering and whopping, including Biden is hiding in is his basement, he's shot, and that Biden gets the answers to media questions on a teleprompter to read. He repeated his charge Biden is under the control of the 'radical left' in the party. 'Biden is too lazy to stand up to the crazy socialists and never will, will never have the strength,' he said. He again questioned Biden's mental ability to be president. 'This man is totally unfit to be your president up here,' he said, pointing to his head. He mentioned he's had dealings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'I deal with all these people and they don't have the mental problem Sleepy Joe has. They're very sharp,' he said. 'Biden is too weak to be president and he's not a smart person,' he said. Trump repeatedly attacked Joe Biden, who is seen above on Sunday morning with grandchildren Natalie Biden (L) and Hunter Biden II (C) as they depart St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church after Natalie's confirmation Mass Supporters try to catch a hat thrown into the crowd as President Donald Trump speaks at his rally A supporter wears a Trump 2020 face mask at President Trump's rally in Henderson, Nevada Trump's indoor event on Sunday night came after the campaign saw its last indoor rally in Tulsa result in several staffers and a few Secret Service agents test positive for COVID. 'If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States,' campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement. Trump held his rally in Henderson, Nevada, after state officials squashed his plans to hold an outdoor event at the Las Vegas airport because of restrictions on gatherings due to the coronavirus. Henderson officials have warned Xtreme Manufacturing that it will be violating state regulations if the rally proceeds. 'The City of Henderson has issued a compliance letter and verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor's COVID-19 emergency directives. Specifically, gatherings of more than 50 people in a private or public setting is prohibited,' City of Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards told CNN. She said there could be a fine of up to $500 per violation. 'Large live events must be approved by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Division of Industrial Relations and at this time, the City has not been notified that this event has been approved. The City may assess a fine of up to $500 per violation of the governor's directives as well as suspend or revoke the business license,' she said. Trump's rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night also violated the limitations on gatherings with thousands in attendance, no social distancing and few wearing face masks. The Trump campaign noted every attendee at Sunday night's event will get a temperature check prior to admission, be provided a mask they're encouraged to wear, and have access to plenty of hand sanitizer. But those same precautions were put in place in Tulsa three months ago, where eight campaign staffers and two Secret Service agents tested positive for coronavirus after Trump held a rally there in June. The Trump campaign will have the same safety precautions in place as it did at the president's June rally in Tulsa (above) where eight staffers and two Secret Service agents tested positive for COVID The rally was an embarrassment for Trump both politically and personally as the expected crowds failed to show - leaving rows of empty blue seats in the arena Herman Cain attended President Trump's June 20th rally in Tulsa, where he tweeted the above photo; he died of COVID in July although his staff said it was unclear where he contracted the disease All of the campaign staff that tended that June 20th rally in Tulsa ended up quarantining as a safety precaution as did several Secret Service agents who had contact with the two that tested positive. Trump had pushed for a big campaign rally as part of his push to get Americans back to their normal routine after months of staying indoors due to the COVID pandemic, which has killed almost 200,000 Americans. But the fallout from the Tulsa rally - which led to heavy criticism of the president for holding it and had state officials in Oklahoma complaining the event led to a spike of COVID cases in the state - eventually led to the replacement of Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. Health officials in Oklahoma warned ahead of time of the dangers of the indoor event. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the decision at the time, saying it's 'people's individual choice as to whether to go' and noted that the campaign handed out masks. But the rally also proved an embarrassment to Trump both politically and personally. The location was chosen as Oklahoma was far along in the reopening process after the COVID lock down. Plus it's a deep red state that was expected to show Trump plenty of support and enthusiasm. The president and Parscale had both bragged that one million tickets had been requested for the event, only for the 19,000-seat BOK Center to have 6,200 people in it, according to Tulsa officials. Scenes from the event showed row after row of empty blue seats staring back at Trump in what was supposed to be his campaign comeback. The high number of ticket requests led the campaign to plan for an outdoor event to handle the expected overflow crowd - only have to cancel it at the last minute when people did not show up. Additionally Herman Cain attended the rally. He died of the coronavirus a month later. The White House said he did not contract it at the Tulsa event and Cain's staff said it was not clear where he had gotten the disease. He tested positive on June 29 and was hospitalized on July 1. He died on July 30 at the age of 74. Trump's rallies in the aftermath were outdoors, usually at airport hangers, until Sunday when he will hold his indoor event. The campaign has attendees sign a health waiver in case they get sick at any Trump gathering. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:23:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DOHA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Qatari Health Ministry on Monday announced 235 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 121,975, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. Meanwhile, 249 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 118,931, while the fatalities rose by two to 207, 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 695,427 persons in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far. China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tons of medical supplies donated by the airline. On July 8, Chinese health officials and medical experts held a video conference with Qatari counterparts to share experience and expertise in fighting COVID-19. The two sides also held in-depth exchange of views on the issues that Qatar is most concerned about, including coronavirus prevention and control, testing analysis, clinic care, vaccine development and social management. Enditem A scientist is encouraging continued caution and diligence among Connecticut residents following the discovery of a population of the Asian longhorned tick in Fairfield County. RELATED: Guide to ticks and tickborne illnesses China lodges representation over Pentagon report on China's military development Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 21:12:01 China has lodged stern representation to the US after the US Department of Defense released the 2020 report on China's military and security developments, another example of the US defaming China's national defense and military modernization, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said Sunday. The Pentagon statement, released on September 2, recklessly distorts the relationship between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese military, misinterprets China's national defense policies and military strategies, hypes the "China military threat theory," voices false opinions on China's national defense and developments in military modernization, and groundlessly makes accusations against China on questions including those on defense expenditure, nuclear policy and Taiwan, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement. It is a pure act of hegemony and provocation that the US has released similar reports over the past 20 years, and it has seriously damaged relations between the two countries and their militaries, Wu said. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the people's army led by the CPC, and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly states the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the CPC, Wu said, noting that the armed forces of China belong to the people, and the people's army will stick to the absolute leadership of the Party. The PLA's mission has always been serving the people, as it has made huge sacrifices in realizing the nation's independence and the people's liberation, and made significant contributions in economic development, dealing with major natural disasters and safeguarding the people's lives and property, the spokesperson said. Wu stressed that China upholds a path of peaceful development and firmly adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and military strategic guideline of active defense. China's military development is for the purpose of safeguarding national sovereignty and the needs of security and development interests, and it is not aimed at or threatening any country. The Chinese military is bringing safety and opportunities to the world instead of threats and challenges, as it has conducted more and more peacekeeping, escort and disaster relief missions overseas, Wu said. Wu said that there is only one China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it. "If anyone dares to attempt to separate Taiwan from China, the PLA will take any measure necessary to resolutely defeat any plot and action that interferes in China's internal affairs and sabotages peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits." Over the past 20 years, the US has illegally launched wars and military actions in countries including Iraq, Syria and Libya, causing over 800,000 deaths and tens of millions becoming homeless. Truths over many years have demonstrated that it is the US who is the cause of regional chaos, violator of international order, and destroyer of world peace, which is a general verdict of the international community, Wu said. The US should reflect on itself instead of commenting on China's normal national defense and military development, according to Wu. "We ask the US to objectively and rationally view China's national defense and military development and stop making wrong comments and reports, so as to maintain the healthy development of relations of the two countries and militaries with actual deeds," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has asked his cousin and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to extend insurance cover to private doctors as they are also helping the government in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic. He said that as the state government has been enlisting the support of the private practitioners, it is fair that they also be covered under the insurance scheme. On Friday, a delegation of private doctors had met Raj at his residence and complained to him about the deprival of facilities. Their concern was they also should be extended social security as their services are being enlisted by the government to fight Covid-19. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The results were presented by three special laboratories. French and Swedish laboratories have confirmed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a chemical nerve-agent of the Novichok group. "We renew the call for Russia to explain what has happened. We are in close contact with our European partners on further steps," according to a statement posted on the German Government's website. Germany has asked France and Sweden for an independent review of the German evidence based on Navalny's new samples, the report notes, adding that the results of the review confirm the German evidence. "Regardless of the ongoing investigations by the OPCW, three laboratories have now independently provided evidence of a nerve agent from the Novichok group as the cause of Mr. Navalny's poisoning," the German Government said. Navalny poisoning: background Challenges of Building Out eLearning Watch the complete panel from Streaming Media East Connect, Education Video Takes Center Stage, on the Streaming Media YouTube channel. Learn more about EDU streaming at Streaming Media West 2020. Read the complete transcript of this clip: Bill Cherne: We saw a lot of this starting with our customers in China when, towards the end of 2019, COVID was starting to become a thing, and a lot of them went on to the holiday break and Chinese New Year, and we were getting a few requests to help them plan for a spring semester or an extended winter semester that would be more remote. For our customers, there are really two aspects to it. We have customers that can purchase our server software and run it in the cloud. They didn't really have too much of a concern. China's a little bit of a different story because it has data centers and everything. But for a lot of customers that run media site on-prem or in their own hardware, they had to really look at it hard and say, "Well, we built this infrastructure to support a hundred concurrent users, maybe a few terabytes a year," and they had their set business use case and all of that's been thrown out the window. Then they said, "How do we support a few terabytes a week of data, and potentially, we're going from maybe supporting 50 or 100 classes to now, eventually having to conduct every class, somehow, using a web conferencing or on-demand videos and then stored for on-demand access." So that was one part of the problem: How do you build up infrastructure quickly when nobody can get on campus? For our on-prem customers, we spent a lot of January, February, and March having those discussions and basically trying to run as fast as you can to buy hardware, buy networking gear, and tie in CDN providers if they wanted to go that approach. So that was one half of my team's headaches from the customer success perspective, just helping them get there. For the people that were in the cloud, we had to grow our cloud infrastructure to handle that as well. And I know other online vendors experienced similar growing pains--suddenly viewership has skyrocketed and the content being great has skyrocketed, and so infrastructure had to be expanded as well. The other piece we saw--just like those of you who are in the trenches, dealing with instructors, dealing with students, dealing with the content creators--spreading to the U S quickly through February and March and into April, was an acceleration of plans that people had at some level for many, many years to get video online and make their courses online, or do blended learning, or whatever hot title you want to give this week to providing a different experience from a typical in-person classroom. So what a lot of our customers are faced with is, "We had this plan, we were going to do it over four years, but now we basically need to accelerate that and do it over four months. How the heck do we do that?" And some of them said, "Hey, I've never turned on the LMS. I never wanted to use that. What's Moodle? What's Canvas?" And that's the easy step of turning that on, because it doesn't require somebody to be in front of a camera and record themselves. And then, we hear a lot of times, "I hate how my voice sounds. I don't sound that way. Do I really sound that way?" So it's really a three-pronged approach. Pillar number one is, "What do you do in the LMS?" Number two is, "How are you going to conduct class?" Is it purely on demand videos? Is it interactive stuff like you'd get in Zoom or GoToMeeting or WebEx? And number three is, "How are we going to store that content you're building?" Video is what all of us here probably love the most, but there's other stuff like documents and interactive tutorials and quizzes you need to build a great engagement. So it's been a hard problem. It's been a lot of sleepless nights, just trying to keep up with the workload and trying to help everybody just figure out the best solution for them. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles KINCHELOE, MI A fight between three prisoners led to an hours-long housing unit take over and riot at an Upper Peninsula prison on Sunday night and into Monday morning. During the five-hour take over and riot, the prisoners completely destroyed the inside of the housing unit at Chippewa Correctional Facility in Kinchelow, officials said in statements obtained by The Detroit News. They broke all the doors, windows, control panels, cameras, fixtures and computers, and flooded some areas. They overturned desks and destroyed backup files of confidential inmate information. A computer kiosk inmates use for emails was ripped from the wall. The fight that preceded the riot happened around 10:25 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, in a level 2 housing unit. Corrections officers from the facility regained control around 4 a.m. with the help of the Emergency Response Team, Michigan State Police and U.S. Customs and Border Control, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz told The Detroit News. An inmate involved in the fight was tased and passed out; he was taken to a hospital by ambulance, treated and released, the report said. After the tased inmate was taken away, other inmates left their cells and made a run on the officer station. The half dozen or so officers retreated as one hit a button to lock all doors in the unit. About 75-100 inmates were outside their cells when doors locked, and they took over. The riot was captured on security cameras until inmates disabled them. A routine fight quickly became something potentially very tense and dangerous, Gautz said. The unit is not livable. The rioters are being transferred to maximum security level 5 facilities. READ MORE: Inmates briefly take control of U.P. prison unit DNR enhancing patrols during fall salmon run amid spike in illegal activity Teen hunter dies after run over by corn chopper in Huron County Suburban Detroit family terrorized with repeated racist attacks SEATTLE, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than two months before state and national elections, REI Co-op is taking action to ensure its employees, members and outdoor community have what they need to be informed and ready to participate in the voting process. To start, REI is making sure none of its employees have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck this November. The co-op is also encouraging employees (and members) to ensure their voices are heard by voting early, mail-in voting or absentee voting. For employees in states that require in-person voting, REI offers flexible scheduling options as well as the option of using one of their "Co-op Way Days," paid time off that employees can use to put their values into action, such as community service, advocacy, voting, civil participation, outdoor recreation and stewardship. The co-op also is helping employees and members better equip themselves to vote with how-to resources at REI.com/Vote. The online platform includes a tool to register to vote, check registration status and request an absentee ballot; state-by-state deadlines; voting guides from partner organizations; perspectives of why REI employees, members and nonprofit partners choose to vote; and how to get involved in the election process. The effort is part of REI's longstanding commitment to nonpartisan, active community engagement in support of time outdoors and the health of outdoor places. "Every election is a chance to shape our future, a chance to create the change we want to see in our society. As a co-op, we have the responsibility as an employer, member-centric organization, and purpose-driven company to not only show up and advocate for civic participation, but to equip our employees and others in the best way we can," said Eric Artz, REI CEO and president. "Today, our nation is facing overlapping crises in public health, the economy, racial equity and climate change. Voting is one of the most important ways we all can spark meaningful change at the local, state and national levels." More broadly, the co-op is part of Vote Early Day, a movement of nonprofits, businesses, election administrators and creatives working to ensure all Americans know their options to vote early. Given the serious challenges the COVID-19 crisis is creating for in-person voting, REI also joined Business for America's Vote Safe 2020 initiative to advocate for safe and secure mail-in voting and safe in-person voting, and is a participant in the Time to Vote coalition, a nonpartisan, business-led initiative to help ensure employees across America don't have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Now through Election Day, the co-op will use its REI.com/vote platform, Co-op Journal, and social media channels to reinforce the importance of being an active participant in Election Day. For those near an REI retail store, pick up a free "Gear Up to Vote" sticker for your bottle, laptop, car box, or whatever wheels get you around town. About the REI Co-op REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 19 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 167 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can't visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the REI shopping app. REI isn't just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI's active adventure travel company, a global leader that runs more than 250 itineraries across all continents. In every community where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access toand stewardthe outdoor places that inspire us all. SOURCE REI Co-op Related Links http://www.rei.com Possible signs of life have been detected on Venus. Researchers have spotted phosphine, a rare and toxic gas, in the atmosphere of our neighbouring planet, suggesting that it may be home to alien life. The discovery is not a direct observation of life on another planet. But the sheer quantity of phosphine on Venus cannot be explained through any known process, leading researchers to suggest that it is a sign of alien life in our solar system. On Earth, phosphine is one of the most foul-smelling gases, with the odour of rotting fish, and is found in places such as pond slime and penguin dung. While it is made through some industrial processes, it is also created by anaerobic organisms, including bacteria and microbes. As such, it is thought to be an excellent biosignature, or indication of life. Experts have in the past suggested that the discovery of phosphine in large quantities on other rocky planets would be a certain indicator of alien life and now it has been found on Venus. The surface of Venus is hot and acidic, and so the conditions on the ground would make any kind of life difficult. But the environment in its upper cloud decks is thought to be more habitable about 35 miles up, the conditions are more temperate. That is where the gas is thought to be found. Those clouds are so acidic that they would destroy any phosphine quickly, meaning that something must be actively forming it, and the amount of the gas found is such that it cannot be easily explained in any other way. An international team of researchers led by Jane Greaves from Cardiff University reported the findings in an article, Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus, published in Nature Astronomy today. They caution that there is no way to know for sure what the findings mean, concluding in the paper that the detection is "is not robust evidence for life, only for anomalous and unexplained chemistry", and that further work will be required to know for certain. But they have ruled out all other explanations based on what we know about Venus. "Either phosphine is produced by some sort of chemical or geological process that no one knows about or there could be a biological reason," said Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astrophysicist from the Royal Observatory Greenwich and an author on the paper. "Our study isn't conclusive that this is evidence of life. However, what is exciting about it is that we've found this rare gas in the upper atmosphere of Venus. "Our team can't explain the amount of phosphine that we've found through our current understanding of the planet. When we try to model what's happening in the atmosphere volcanic activity, sunlight, or even lightning nothing recreates the amount of phosphine gas that we've seen." David Clements, a scientist at Imperial College London who was also an author on the paper, described the findings in terms of a whodunnit. "This isn't a smoking gun," he said. "This isn't even gunshot residue on the prime suspect's hands. But there is a distinct smell of cordite in the room. "It's a step on the way to potentially the discovery of life of some kind in the upper atmosphere of Venus. But we have many, many more steps to go before we can say there's life on Venus." Experts not involved in the research described the findings as a "genuinely exciting result", noting that the findings at the very least show very unusual processes taking place on Venus. The planet acidic, and hot enough to melt lead has not been one of the chief places in the solar system that researchers have looked to find alien life. "This would certainly be a very hellish environment. I'm not using that phrase lightly," Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist from the University of Westminster who was not involved in the study, told The Independent. "It is hot, it is exceedingly acidic. "I don't think any astrobiologist, and certainly not myself, would ever have put Venus at the top of the list," he says, pointing to better candidates such as Europa, the icy moon orbiting Jupiter, and Mars. "But you definitely wouldn't have gone for our next door neighbour on the other side." The discovery came as something of an accident, when researchers looked to carry out a test on whether it might be possible to detect phosphine in the environment of Venus as a way of establishing a technical baseline. "We had no expectation there was actually going to be any there," said Dr Clements. But the observations unexpectedly turned up the discovery that there was a detectable amount of phosphine in the clouds above Venus. "It turned from a 'Let's try this, it's an interesting problem, and we can set some parameters for what needs to be done,' into 'My goodness, we've found it, what on Earth does that mean?'" Further research used the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in the US and then the Alma telescope in Chile the largest in the world to confirm that phosphine could actually be seen in Venus's atmosphere. A unique signature could be spotted in the data, and indicated that some 20 parts-per-billion of the clouds on Venus was made up of phosphine. This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really taking advantage of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescopes (JCMT) powerful technology, and thinking about future instruments," said Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, who led the study. "I thought wed just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venuss spectrum, it was a shock! Helen Fraser, an Open University researcher in astronomy, described the team at that moment as "very excited" and that it was a "butterflies-in-our-stomach moment". It's a possible sign of life. But the scientist in me becomes very cautious, and says that what we've discovered is phosphine, not a direct and definitive sign of alien life. However, she noted, as you "peel back all the layers" of finding alternative possibilities which Dr Fraser described as a long process of consulting the existing research to understand if anything else could produce such quantities of phosphine you are left with the realisation that the simplest explanation is that there is some form of life generating the gas. The breakthrough comes after a major paper published last year indicated that phosphine was perhaps as certain a sign of life as there could possibly be. The MIT research found that if phosphine were found on a rocky planet, it would be a decisive sign of alien life. Here on Earth, oxygen is a really impressive sign of life, said Clara Sousa-Silva, a research scientist in MITs Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, who was lead author on that paper and was part of the team behind the new discovery. But other things besides life make oxygen too. "Its important to consider stranger molecules that might not be made as often, but if you do find them on another planet, theres only one explanation," she said in a statement when that work was published. Scientists now hope to carry out further work to better understand the processes that are happening on Venus and whether there might yet be an undiscovered explanation for the phosphine that does not point to alien life. That will include watching Venus over time, to understand whether the amount of phosphine alters through the year. Scientists can then look for trends or changes over time, which could in turn give a bit more of a clue about where the phosphine gas is coming from. But the most important work will be sending a spacecraft out to Venus to study the atmosphere directly, by hovering in the clouds that could contain the life and examining what can be found there. "If we want to confirm life in the clouds of Venus then what we really need to do is send a spacecraft to study the atmosphere in detail," said Dr Drabek-Maunder. The "absolutely perfect" situation would be to launch a sample return mission, which could bring back some of the atmosphere for study back on Earth, said Dr Clements. "Assuming there is life there, you can apply everything we can do in a ground-based lab to deeply understand what's going on", he said, examining the actual biochemistry to figure out exactly how any possible life might actually work. Any Venusian life is likely to be single-celled bacteria-like life-forms that live in the liquid droplets that make up the clouds hovering over the planet's surface, scientists have speculated. Those liquid droplets are made up of up to 90 per cent sulphuric acid, about a billion times more acidic than even the most acidic environment on Earth, and so it is likely to have some substantial differences from anything that could be found on our planet. But researchers will also look to discover the underlying processes that allow that life to thrive and reproduce, which could allow us to answer some of the most profound questions about life itself. "If we do confirm that there is in fact life there, the next thing we're going to want to check is if we're related," says Professor Dartnell. "Does it use DNA, proteins that are the same as us or is it fundamentally alien?" If it is the latter, then it would tell us that there is an independent origin of life that it wasn't transferred from Earth to Venus. In the early days of the solar system, the planets were "effectively sneezing" on each other, said Professor Dartnell, in a way that could have transferred life between the different worlds. If the two things happened separately, however, then it could suggest that life is spread throughout the universe. Given that the discovery happens to have been made on our neighbouring planet, it would indicate the same could have happened elsewhere and further away. "If life formed independently on Venus, then life is probably a lot more common than we thought," said Dr Drabek-Maunder. BERLIN Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is able to breathe on his own and briefly leave his hospital bed, his doctors said Monday, while Germany announced that French and Swedish labs have confirmed its findings that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny, 44, was flown to Berlin for treatment at the Charite hospital two days after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20. Germany has demanded that Russia investigate the case, while Moscow has accused the West of trying to smear Russia. Navalny has successfully been removed from mechanical ventilation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time, the hospital said. Although noting the improvement in Navalnys health, the statement didnt address the long-term outlook for the anti-corruption campaigner and most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Doctors previously cautioned that even though Navalny is recovering, long-term health problems from the poisoning cannot be ruled out. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders to answer questions about the poisoning, denying any official involvement. The news about Navalnys condition came as his associates made some gains in regional elections held across Russia on Sunday. In Novosibirsk, which Navalny visited before falling ill, the head of his regional headquarters, Sergei Boiko, won a seat on the city council. United Russia, the main Kremlin party that Navalny has dubbed a party of crooks and thieves, lost its majority on the council, according to preliminary returns. Another Navalny representative, Ksenia Fadeyeva, won a city council seat in Tomsk, the city he left on the flight on which he fell ill. The German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up findings by a German military lab that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is taking steps to have samples from Navalny tested at its designated labs, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent examination of the findings. German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took new samples from Navalny. In efforts separate from the OPCW examinations, which are still ongoing, three laboratories have meanwhile independently of one another presented proof that Mr. Navalnys poisoning was caused by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, Seibert said. We once again call on Russia to make a statement on the incident, he added. We are closely consulting with our European partners regarding possible next steps. Seibert wouldnt identify the French and Swedish labs. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory, that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Navalny during a phone call Monday with Putin, Macrons office said. He confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, the statement said. The Kremlin said Putin in the call underlined the impropriety of unfounded accusations against the Russian side and emphasized Russias demand for Germany to hand over analyses and samples. Putin also called for joint work by German and Russian doctors. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using the incident as a pretext to introduce new sanctions against Moscow. He said Navalnys life was saved by the pilots of the plane who quickly landed in the Siberian city of Omsk when he collapsed on board and by the rapid action of doctors there. The perfect action of pilots, ambulance crew and doctors is being presented as a happy coincidence, in the West, he told RTVI television in an interview broadcast Monday. They dare to question the professionalism of our doctors, our investigators, he said. Arrogance and a sense of ones own infallibility have been seen in Europe before, and the consequences were very sad. Lavrov, who has canceled a scheduled trip Tuesday to Berlin, said Russian authorities have conducted a preliminary inquiry and documented the meetings Navalny had before falling ill, but he emphasized they need to see the evidence of his poisoning to launch a full criminal investigation. We have our own laws, whereby we cannot believe someones say-so to open a criminal case, he said, adding that for now, we have no legal grounds for such a probe. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels on sharing evidence. With Germanys findings corroborated by labs abroad, we do not expect the bringer of the bad news namely us to be attacked further, but rather that they should deal with the news itself, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said of Russian authorities. Asked why no samples from Navalny have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied that Mr. Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Omsk said no evidence of poisoning could be found, adding he was too unstable to be transferred. A German charity sent a medical evacuation plane to bring him to Berlin, which it did after German doctors said he was stable enough to be moved. There are samples from Mr. Navalny on the Russian side, Adebahr said. The Russian side is called on, even after three independent labs have established the result, to explain itself, and Russia has all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. _____ Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. Joanna Miles wants to go back to her Elizabeth school to teach, but her physician isnt on board. Health officials are concerned about findings that suicidal thoughts have increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health counselors are finding an increase in passive suicidal thoughts among patients in Cass County, according to Tiffany Angelo, clinic director for the Cass County Health Department. Passive thoughts includes ideas of self-harm or suicide that do not include an active plan to commit suicide. Angelo said that financial concerns and the isolation that patients feel due to public health guidelines limiting social interaction are some of the issues that patients report when they discuss their mental health. More Information The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers help and counseling 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 800-273-8255. See More Collapse When patients begin to express thoughts of suicide or self-harm, Angelo said that they should work with a counselor to devise a safety plan that they can use as a contingency plan to deal with thoughts of self harm. If patients feel unsafe they can be admitted to a hospital. The biggest thing is reaching out and getting the assistance you need, Angelo said. Health officials have found that thoughts of suicide have increased nationwide during the pandemic. In a survey conducted in June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the department found that 11% of respondents said they had seriously considered suicide within the previous 30 days. A 2018 survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that only 4% of adults reported seriously considering suicide within the past 12 months. Mental health experts say that the pandemic is unique from other traumatic events due to the uncertainty surrounding how long it will last and what returning to normal will look like. Mental health and suicide have been concerns for the Greene County Health Department for the past couple of years. Administrator Molly Peters said that she expects the department will discuss mental health and the need for mental health services during an assessment and planning process that local health departments must conduct every five years, known as the Illinois Project of Local Assessment of Needs. A spokesperson for China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) on Thursday accused the U.S. ambassador to the UN of spreading lies to slander China and deliberately create hostility. Kelly Craft, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN on Thursday's interview with social media, used a hostile tone against China and the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese spokesperson voiced firm opposition, saying Craft's remarks aims to serve domestic political agenda. In the interview, Craft maliciously attacked the CPC and claimed to have friendly feelings toward the Chinese people. The Chinese spokesperson called the remarks a reflection of hypocrisy. Noting the CPC comes from the people and serves the people wholeheartedly, the spokesperson reiterated those attempts pit the CPC against the Chinese people are doomed to fail. The unreasonable oppression conducted by the United States to China has harmed the interests of all Chinese people, who are extremely indignant about it, the spokesperson added. The spokesperson advised the U.S. government to focus on fighting COVID-19 and saving American lives rather than preoccupying themselves with political manipulation, deflecting attention and shifting the blame. Craft in the interview admitted that she was mainly involved in the arrest of Meng Wanzhou when she served as U.S. ambassador to Canada, which the Chinese spokesperson said it shows yet again the case is a "serious political incident". China stands firmly against U.S. suppression of Chinese enterprises including Huawei, the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. is abusing the concept of national security so as to slander China and unjustifiably oppress certain Chinese companies. Noting China just launched a global data security initiative to establish global standards on data security, the spokesperson urged the U.S. to make the similar commitment as China does, which will help to enhance mutual trust and cooperation among countries on data security issues. In respond to Craft's remarks on issues related to China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the spokesperson reiterated that these affairs are China's internal affairs, and no foreign government, organization or individual has the right to interfere. Craft in the interview also mentioned to make more Americans serve in international organizations, claiming that only in this way can international organizations be more transparent. The spokesperson pointed out that civil servants in international organizations come from all over the world and they must abide by the articles of association, remain impartial and neutral, and serve the interests of all member states. It seems from Craft's perspective, international organizations should only serve individual countries, the spokesperson said, adding that Craft's remarks is a great insult to international organizations. Craft also said the U.S. would carefully analyze all issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council and will not miss every opportunity to create topics, attack and blame China. Saying Craft's remarks is in line with what U.S. has done in the UN Security Council, the Chinese spokesperson noted the U.S. is abusing the Security Council platform. For domestic political needs, the U.S. has violated rules and procedures of the Security Council, which has greatly interfered with the work of the UN, poisoned the cooperation atmosphere of the UN Security Council, and aroused the dissatisfaction of the majority of the Member States, the spokesperson said. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN. The spokesperson stressed that upholding multilateralism represents a compelling consensus shared by the international community. The spokesperson added the U.S. related actions has proved that the country is now the biggest destroyer of the contemporary international order and tried to pull the world back to the era of "the law of the jungle." Noting China is a staunch supporter of the UN and will continue to perform its own responsibilities, the spokesperson also said China will work with other countries to uphold and promote multilateralism and maintain the international system with the UN at the core and the international order based on international laws. In a first of its kind initiative, the members of Parliament marked their attendance through an app on Monday, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat. The Lok Sabha MPs used the Attendance Register App on the first day of the Monsoon session which commenced today. The app is designed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to curtail the risk of Covid-19 spread as MPs will not have to use or touch the attendance register. They have to be present inside the Parliament to register themselves using the coordinates provided by the app. Speaker Om Birla today welcomed the MPs and said that it was an extraordinary occasion and urged them to follow all arrangements and guidelines for safety during the Covid-19 pandemic phase. The session is being held in extraordinary circumstances this time. While we always try to decrease the distances between the members, but this time arrangements have been made to keep them apart. I am aware of the discomfort caused to some members due to this but it is important to do so for safety, Birla said. The Lok Sabha Speaker also hailed the unity of the country in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the contribution of the MPs in extending the benefits to the last man. He also expressed the hope that the pandemic phase would soon be over and stressed upon the need for positive and constructive discussions on the important issues facing the country. We have limited time in this session, therefore, it is our responsibility to put forth our points in a concise manner, he said. He also congratulated the country on behalf of the Parliament on the occasion of Hindi Diwas. Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah also attended the Lok Sabha session today. Abdullah was put under detention after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year and was released on March 13, 2020. The monsoon session of Parliament commenced today. Australias Covid-19 sparked recession Now is not the time to scale back Jobkeeper Statement by United Workers Union Workers, who have been left in the lurch with a reduced rate and even harsher eligibility as JobKeeper changes were passed in Parliament yesterday [1st September], have today learned of Australias first recession in thirty years. JobKeeper changes are due to come into effect nationwide in less than four weeks time, despite the fact Melbourne is currently still under strict lockdown and the threat of COVID-19 remains across the country. Employers have also been given the power to cut workers hours even if revenue has nearly returned to pre-COVID operations. From 28th September, payments for part-timers (working less than twenty hours) will fall to $750 a fortnight from the end of the month, then to $650 a fortnight at the start of next year. The full-time JobKeeper payment will fall to $1,200 a fortnight, followed by a further drop at the beginning of January 2021 to $1,000. These changes during this unprecedented economic and public health crisis will cost jobs, livelihoods and destroy communities. Sydney hospitality worker Melissa said, With the changes to JobKeeper, I will go from having enough income to survive with three children, to having to decide what bill wont be paid so I can feed them. Ive withdrawn super, Ive cut off all non-necessities, Im budgeting every cent already. I have applied for over 100 jobs it is not easy to get another job when so many other people are all doing the same thing. I have worked and paid tax for 20 years, this is the first time I find myself needing help and its a terrifying place to be. We work, we vote, and we need help to get through this hard time in our lives. It remains unclear whether Melissas workplace will be eligible for JobKeeper past September 28. Her story is only one of the thousands of workers who are facing uncertain and dire consequences. United Workers Union National Secretary Tim Kennedy said, Now is not the time to scale back JobKeeper. Workers have reached out to Scott Morrison and the federal government over the past few months to say theyre hurting, and they cant afford to be left even further behind. Their calls for help have fallen on deaf ears. This government needed to expand JobKeeper not strip it back while were still in the middle of this crisis. Now we have workers facing a reduced rate thats below the minimum wage or who will be removed from the scheme altogether. They will join casuals working less than 12 months, temporary visa workers and international students as workers who have been left behind by this government. Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty is excited to announce and welcome Sara Small as the firms newest Broker Sales Associate. Whether Im helping a seller close a chapter in their life or Im helping a buyer find the perfect backdrop as they write a new chapter, theres no better feeling than being able to ease the stress of my clients and take off some of the burdens during their transition. Before joining Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty, Small spent the last eight years working in Public Relations for Dare County. She was first introduced to the Outer Banks real estate market over a decade ago while working in digital marketing for a property management and real estate firm. Small also holds a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Through her role in local government, Small developed an extensive professional network while refining her community knowledge in order to easily provide her new clients with a wealth of resources and information regarding complex local issues. I wanted to join Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty because of its reputation as one of the best and most professional real estate firms on the Outer Banks. I love real estate because no two days are the same. Whether Im helping a seller close a chapter in their life or Im helping a buyer find the perfect backdrop as they write a new chapter, theres no better feeling than being able to ease the stress of my clients and take off some of the burdens during their transition, says Small. We are thrilled Sara chose Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty to start her real estate career. With her impressive public relations background, professional work ethic and strong ties to our local community, Im confident she will be very successful, says Pamela Smith, Vice President of Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty. Small officially joined the Kitty Hawk office in August 2020 and is ready to help make her clients real estate dreams a reality. She can be reached by phone at (252) 722-3641 or via email at sarasmall@cbseaside.com. About Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty: with 30 years of local knowledge and experience, our family owned and operated company offers real estate services across the entire Outer Banks as well as all of northeastern North Carolina. Combined with the Coldwell Banker brand, one of the largest and most influential residential real estate brokerage franchises in the world, CB Seaside Realty offers top-tier real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout the region. Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty has sold the most real estate on the Outer Banks for the past six years* and is number one in sales volume for the past four years** *As reported by the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS MLS 1/01/2014 8/31/2020. **As reported by the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS MLS 1/01/2016 8/31/2020. This is the first AI driven mobile laboratory that can, in its first iteration, diagnose with 99.8% accuracy the presence of the live COVID-19 virus in saliva samples. Upon the various governmental regulatory body approvals, which is expected in the near term, the market for this product will be very significant. CHICAGO, Sept. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lord Global Corporation is issuing this clarifying press release relating to KeyOptions , having secured the rights to bring the Virolens testing units to Australia, Latin America, South East Asia, Turkey and a number of other territories in conjunction with other partners. ( Link to KeyOptions press release ) The Virolens system is a COVID-19 screening device based on microscopic holographic imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) software technology. It uses a digital camera attached to a microscope to analyze saliva samples, with the data run through a computer which is trained to identify the virus from other cells, delivering an end result in just 20 seconds. The Virolens system was trained to recognize the COVID-19 virus particles in saliva using a range of samples of COVID-19 virus provided by virologists working on the virus at the University of Bristol. The Virolens system has a 99.8% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity, based on the results of an internal in-vitro validation study, demonstrating an exciting proof of concept. A user simply opens the cartridge lid, swabs their tongue, closes the cartridge and inserts it into the machine. Within seconds the presence or absence of Covid-19 is revealed via a red or green light, depending on the result. Following the first round of field testing carried out by iAbra in partnership with London Heathrow Airport ( link to Iabra press release ), initial trial orders have now been secured with launch customers worldwide, including the London Heathrow Airport( Link to Video ). Virolens is embarking on clinical trials which would be necessary for it to be certified for medical use. KeyOptions and their partners believe that there will be a need for a worldwide network built utilizing these machines and to be rolled out as soon as possible. This quick, low cost, easy and repeatable COVID-19 test, will allow hundreds of tests per screening device each day, so, during the current pandemic, we believe that this screening device will play a pivotal role in getting the world moving again, with broad end-uses such as in sporting arenas, offices, events, airlines and airports, where a large throughput and quick result is required. It allows people to get on with their everyday life in the knowledge they are in a safe environment. KeyOptions has the master distribution rights to the following regions: Latin and South America, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and other Oceania countries. 27Health Inc. and KeyOptions believe that the markets in these countries will be in the billions of dollars. The Companies will be targeting country governments, airports, cruise lines, airlines, universities and all forms of tourist industries. In the long run these machines can be repurposed as a mobile diagnostic laboratory that has the potential to rival the present blood testing industry. Currently, the Virolens system is only trained to look and recognise COVID-19 but will be extended to other diseases, including the common cold and influenza. 27Health Inc. has signed an administrative and financing agreement with KeyOptions. The terms of this administrative and financing agreement call for 27Health Inc. to receive a significant amount of KeyOptions Virolens revenues and a portion of the amount of the operating margin, which is significant to 27Health Inc. For this, Lord Global Corporation is issuing a convertible preferred that converts into a vested 1.5 million shares of common stock after six months, with an additional 1.5 million shares that would vest after one year, based upon certain milestones, with a 4.99% blocker. Joseph Frontiere, CEO of Lord Global Corporation and 27Health Inc. said, I am humbled to be able to work with KeyOptions and their partners in potentially ameliorating the pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis facing the world. A 20 second saliva based test, utilizing artificial intelligence, that identifies this virus, will enable children to go back to school on a fulltime basis, people to attend sporting venues of their choice and the economy to rebound significantly. This product is part of 27Healths mission to identify products and companies that will benefit from the structural changes that the pandemic has caused. An artificially intelligent, mobile laboratory that will identify this pandemic and future pandemic diseases is a game changing product. The economic opportunity afforded to our Company is limitless. KeyOptions CEO, Rick Wylie said, We are proud to partner with 27Health Inc. to bring the Virolens technology to most of the world outside of North America and Europe. KeyOptions believes that this is the first step in having a structural armament to help prevent another worldwide economic shutdown due to this pandemic and future pandemics. 27Health Inc.s focus on healthcare products that will alleviate pandemic suffering is what caught our attention. We are also excited to help 27Health Inc. distribute their various other products. About Lord Global Corporation. soon to be 27Health Holdings Corporation. Lord Global Corporation intends to focus on the business development of its 27Health Inc. subsidiary. 27Health Inc. is dedicated to financing and marketing innovative, healthcare related products that are and will benefit from the permanent changes caused by the recent pandemic. It is our feeling that this crisis has accelerated the market share of direct to consumer healthcare products and services. Prior to the crisis, the direct to consumer cloud-based market was among the fastest growing, subsequent to this crisis, we believe that 10 years worth of market share has been condensed into several months. Hence, we have signed collaboration and distribution agreements with several companies. We believe that focusing on independent contractors and GIG-economy workers for all these products and services will help us in cross-selling each of these products and services to the same database. The Independent contractor and GIG-economy worker has been and is the fastest growing component of the U.S. labor supply and is estimated to be at least 60 million people. We are also laser focusing on a significant subset of this group, the Black business community through our minority owned subsidiary J.A. Lafayette. The pandemic is teaching individuals forced to work from their home to become adept at telecommuting. We believe coming out of this crisis, a large number of these individuals will prefer to work from their phones and computers and from any location as opposed to a fixed office. This will hyper-accelerate the already significant growth of this component of the U.S. labor supply. We believe that marketing health related products and services to this market will make us one of the fastest growing healthcare marketing companies. Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. For example, statements about future revenues and the Companys ability to fund its operations and contractual obligations are forward looking and subject to risks. Several important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the inability to raise capital to support the Company through its growth stage, the Companys inability to generate projected sales and trade relations between the United States. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. 27Health, Inc. PR Contact Information Sean Carter info@27health.net Ivory Coast's top court on Monday cleared the path for President Alassane Ouattara to seek a contentious third term, as protests turned violent in several cities and fears grew of a repeat of the conflict that claimed 3,000 lives in the West African country a decade ago. The constitutional council also barred former president Laurent Gbagbo and former rebel leader turned prime minister Guillaume Soro from standing in next month's presidential election. It cleared only four of the 44 candidates for the October 31 presidential election. In the economic capital Abidjan, protesters torched a bus in the working-class district of Yopougon, an AFP photographer said, after scuffles broke out earlier in the day between security forces and youths. The district is thought to be a fiefdom of exiled former president Gbagbo, whose supporters had filed an application for him to run in the vote. Ouattara had initially said he would not seek a third term / AFP/File It was Gbagbo's refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara after the 2010 election that sparked the bloody conflict in the former French colony, formerly a beacon of stability and prosperity in the region. In the centre-west city of Bangolo, demonstrators set fire to a mining truck and other vehicles on Monday, according to a resident who requested anonymity, who added that gendarmes dispersed them with tear gas. Witnesses said security forces took down barricades set up by protesters on several roads in the west of the former French colony. Around 15 people have died in violence since Ouattara, 78, announced last month that he would run for a third term. Although the constitution limits presidents to two terms, Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak reset the clock. The president had previously committed to not running again, but he changed his mind after the sudden death of his anointed successor, prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, from a heart attack in July. The electoral commission has said that anyone convicted of a crime will be disqualified from running for the top office and barred Soro from running as he was sentenced in April to 20 years in prison for "concealment of embezzlement of public funds". Gbagbo has been sentenced in absentia to a 20-year term over the looting of the local branch of the Central Bank of West African States during the 2010-11 crisis. Ivory Coast former president Henri Konan Bedie, 86, has been officially nominated as his party's candidate for next month's election / AFP Former president Henri Konan Bedie, who has been cleared to stand in next month's election, is expected to be the opposition's mean flagbearer, after his PDCI party nominated the 86-year-old as its candidate on Saturday. At a rally attended by tens of thousands of supporters in the capital Yamoussoukro, Bedie pledged if elected to work for "the unconditional return of all exiles, as well as the release of all political, civilian and military prisoners from the post-election crisis". Bedie is seeking to return to the presidency after he was ousted in the country's first coup in 1999. Sheriffs Office Sgt. Christopher Covelli said police had been called on Aug. 27 and Aug. 31 to the Channel Lakes subdivision for reports of shots being fired. On both occasions police recovered .22-caliber shell casings. Investigators said a vehicle description obtained from witnesses matched a report from a recent crash in Antioch, and that Engmark was the driver in that accident. To celebrate 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, the American Bar Association Commission on the Nineteenth Amendment has assembled a digital cookbook, with recipes from judges, Supreme Court Justices, lawyers, scholars and others connected to the legal field. The introduction notes that suffragists published several cookbooks in their day, so theres a tradition. The contributors include Janet Napolitano, Merrick Garland, Nina Totenberg, Amal Clooney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her daughter, Jane Ginsburg. Hillary Rodham Clinton offers chocolate chip cookies. Neil Gorsuchs lively recipe for a warming Colorado green chile stew suggests that he knows his way around the kitchen. The Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Cookbook: 100 Recipes for 100 Years, American Bar Association Commission on the Nineteenth Amendment, free, 19thamendmentcookbook.com. Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Wetherspoons has revealed that 66 workers across 50 of its pubs have tested positive for coronavirus but insists they are still safe to visit. The chain confirmed that 28 of the 66 employees who tested positive have already returned to work after self-isolating. Two pubs had up to four employees infected and six have confirmed two while the remaining 40 have reported just one worker testing positive for Covid-19. JD Wetherspoon, which employs 43,000 people across its 861 pubs said that the vast majority of its establishments have recorded no positive cases. The company hasn't revealed which pubs have been affected. Wetherspoons has revealed that 66 workers across 50 of its pubs have tested positive for coronavirus but insists they are still safe to visit. Last month, three staff at the North and South Wales Bank (pictured) in Wrexham, North Wales, tested positive but it remained open Last month, three staff at the North and South Wales Bank in Wrexham, North Wales, tested positive but it remained open. Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin (pictured) recently shot down claims made by a disease expert that pubs are 'dangerous places to be' during the pandemic The firm said most of the reported cases have been mild or asymptomatic and 28 of the 66 employees have already returned to work, after self-isolating in accordance with medical guidelines. It follows a rise in new coronavirus cases, with a further 3,330 positive cases recorded in the UK on Sunday. A whopping 32million Brits have crammed into Wetherspoons pubs since they reopened on July 4. Pubs don't have to close after finding a positive test result unless they are made to do so by local health protection officials. Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin recently shot down claims made by a disease expert that pubs are 'dangerous places to be' during the pandemic. He blasted: 'The situation with regard to pubs has been widely misunderstood. 'It is clearly not the case that pubs are ''dangerous places to be''.' JD Wetherspoon, which employs 43,000 people across its 861 pubs said that the vast majority of its establishments have recorded no positive cases. Pictured is the Felix Holt in Nuneaton Mr Martin also claims the chain has invested 15million into safeguarding its pubs and implementing measures such as screens between tables and reducing capacity. It comes as the pub giant revealed that trading was 'very quiet' over the weekend, before the Government's tightened restrictions on social gatherings came into action this morning. Mr Martin shrugged off claims that larger groups might rush to the pub before the implementation of the new 'rule of six'. Mr Martin also claims the chain has invested 15million into safeguarding its pubs and implementing measures such as screens between tables and reducing capacity The new rule means people could face fines of up to 3,200 if they are involved in social gatherings of more than six people. Mr Martin said: 'Trade was very quiet over the weekend, as the public weighed up the evidence about the alleged dangers of going out - Wetherspoon sales were 22.5 per cent below the equivalent Saturday last year.' Trade groups, including the British Beer & Pub Association, said the new rule will halt the recovery of hospitality firms without extended financial support for the sector. Mr Martin told investors on Monday that he believes the safety of pubs during the pandemic has been 'widely misunderstood'. Wetherspoon pubs have made many changes to their normal service and way of running things Last month, the group said like-for-like bar and food sales were down 16.9 per cent for the 44 days to August 16, compared with the same period last year. Mr Martin said the sales slump means it expects to post a loss for the year to July 26. The news comes as the 'rule of six' law came into force today - with public gatherings now limited to just six people indoors and out. Home Secretary Priti Patel today warned Brits will get criminal records if they break the rules. Home Office officials have said that anyone who refuses to pay the initial 100 on-the-spot fine will be arrested and taken to court. Pubs, bars and restaurants must also take the details of punters or risk 1,000 fines. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:38:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's biggest gastronomy festival in the southeastern province of Gaziantep went online this year, drawing the attention of millions of people, Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahin told Xinhua on Monday. "We organized the third session of our annual international festival with the same enthusiasm, but in a digital format this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic," Sahin said at a written interview, naming the theme of the festival for 2020 as GastroAntep Harvest Days. "The festival is the fruit of our efforts in introducing Gaziantep cuisine to the world and transform the city into a renowned gastronomy destination," the mayor said. The three-day festival started on Friday with the harvest of pistachio, also known as the "green gold of the region." The live stream of the production of a dessert called Sire, which is unique to Gaziantep, also lured an outstanding interest as hundreds of thousands of people watched it online. Several world-famous Michelin-starred chefs, harvests, workshops, panels, and sessions were all broadcasted live on several social media platforms. "We will continue our branding adventure by making the best use of locality, which is the key to recognition," Sahin noted. The cuisine of Gaziantep is one of the richest in the country, a fusion of Anatolian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern flavors. According to several sources, it has nearly special 400 meals, with most of them world-famous kebab dishes. Gastronomy is also the main driving force of the local economy in Gaziantep, with a population of over two million people. Nearly 60 percent of the residents are employed by the sector. The city has been added to the Creative Cities Network of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO) in 2015. Enditem The late-stage trials of the experimental vaccine, developed with researchers from the University of Oxford, were suspended this week after an illness in a study subject in Britain, casting doubts on an early rollout. "On 6 September, the standard review process triggered a voluntary pause to vaccination across all global trials to allow review of safety data by independent committees, and international regulators," AstraZeneca said. It added that safety reviewers had recommended to Britain's Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that it was safe to resume the British trials. The patient involved in the study had been reportedly suffering from neurological symptoms associated with a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis. AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, said it could not disclose further medical information. "The Company will continue to work with health authorities across the world and be guided as to when other clinical trials can resume to provide the vaccine broadly, equitably and at no profit during this pandemic," AstraZeneca said. It declined to elaborate further on when other global trials were expected to restart. The Serum Institute of India said it would restart its trials once it had permission from the Drugs Controller General of India. Brazil's health regulator ANVISA said it was awaiting notice from the British MHRA confirming that resumption of trials has been authorized before resuming in Brazil. The Federal University of Sao Paulo, which is conducting the paused trials, said in a statement that 4,600 of the planned 5,000 volunteers have been recruited and vaccinated without any of them reporting any serious health issues. Governments around the world are desperate for a vaccine to help end the pandemic, which has caused more than 900,000 deaths and global economic turmoil. The World Health Organization (WHO) had flagged AstraZeneca's as the most promising. The vaccine is in late-stage clinical trials in the United States, Britain, Brazil and South Africa and additional trials are planned in Japan and Russia. 'WAKE-UP CALL' The pause of the trials came after reports that the United States was aiming for fast-track authorization or approval of a vaccine before November's presidential election. Leading US and European vaccine developers have pledged to uphold scientific safety and efficacy standards for their experimental vaccines and not bow to political pressures to rush the process. AstraZeneca has already agreed to supply close to three billion doses to governments across the globe - more than any other vaccine project. The WHO's chief scientist said the pause in the trials should serve as a "wake-up" call that there would be ups and downs in the development of a vaccine. "Inevitably with such a large trial there will be times when safety issues arise," said Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. "We must all hope that there are no future events and that the vaccine proves both safe and effective." * Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE on Saturday proposed to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand their Phase 3 pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial to about 44,000 participants while increasing the diversity of the trial population. The initial target figure for the trial was up to 30,000 participants, which the companies said they expect to reach by next week. The proposed expansion would also allow the companies to enroll people as young as 16 and people with chronic, stable HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B, they added. Drugmakers racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine pledged in July to ensure their larger clinical trials would include diverse sets of volunteers. "Diversity in clinical trials is a priority for Pfizer and is critical given that COVID-19 disproportionately impacts communities of color in the US," Pfizer's Chief Business Officer John Young said in a US congressional hearing in July. If the study is successful, the companies could submit the vaccine for regulatory approval as early as October, putting them on track to supply up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and 1.3 billion by the end of 2021. "As stated previously, based on current infection rates, the companies continue to expect that a conclusive readout on efficacy is likely by the end of October," the companies added in the joint statement on Saturday. The vaccine candidate utilizes chemical messenger RNA to mimic the surface of the coronavirus and teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize it. Although the technology has been around for years, there has never been an approved messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine. Michael Pompeo; Susan Pompeo Secretary of State Michael Pompeo (R) and Susan Pompeo arrive for the State Dinner at The White House Paul Morigi/Getty Images When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife used a private email account to ask senior State Department officials to help the couple finish sending out their personal holiday cards, she made it clear that the request should not be shared beyond a small, private group. "I see that you are out of the office all next week," Susan Pompeo wrote State Department senior adviser Toni Porter from her personal email address on Dec. 19, 2019. "Do you know, is Joe also out? I'm wondering if we are sending the last of our personal cards out, who will be there to help me. Mike will not want to go outside you and Joe for this assistance." Porter, who has served as an aide to Pompeo since he represented Kansas as a House Republican, forwarded the email to Lisa Kenna, a career employee serving as State Department executive secretary. Though Kenna offered to help, she told Porter that she would "worry about asking others for personal things." The emails, obtained by McClatchy, show the Pompeo family knowingly directing State Department employees to help it personal tasks on government time. Such actions were the subject of a probe by the department inspector general's office. In May, Pompeo asked Trump to fire Inspector General Steve Linick, reportedly because he began looking into allegations that the secretary and his wife had assigned State Department employees with executing personal tasks. An acting inspector general who replaced Linick resigned in August. Initial reports following Linick's sacking revealed that his office had been investigating the possible misuse of government resources, such as allegations that Pompeo had compelled an aide to walk his dog at taxpayer expense and handle dinner reservations for his family. NBC News later revealed that the Pompeos had hosted lavish, taxpayer-funded "Madison Dinners" at department headquarters, featuring CEOs, Fox News personalities and Republican megadonors alongside foreign dignitaries. Story continues While it is unclear whether Linick was investigating the dinners, which Pompeo suspended in March amid the coronavirus pandemic, they became the subject of a congressional probe. Before his ouster, Linick was also preparing to interview Pompeo in connection with an investigation into an $8 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. In congressional testimony, Linick confirmed the existence of three additional, previously-unreported investigations one possibly involving workplace violence adding that each involved "the Office of the Secretary in some way." Both aides included in the holiday card emails were asked last month about the possible abuse of taxpayer-backed resources in a closed-door hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In a transcript of that hearing, published Friday, Porter testified that the personal requests had made her uncomfortable. She also acknowledged that Pompeo's wife sends requests of her from a private email account. (Porter named "Joe" as Joe Semrad, assistant to the secretary, who handled personal requests when she could not.) Kenna, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, said she had done personal work for Mrs. Pompeo's overseas travel. "It is not a revelation that Mrs. Pompeo, like all the spouses of our dedicated diplomats, is a tremendous force multiplier for our diplomatic mission," the State Department said in a statement provided to McClatchy. "We are beyond proud and honored to have Mrs. Pompeo, and all diplomatic spouses, give so much time, voluntarily, to ensure we here at State are One Team with One Mission. All her service is not only legal, but admirable." Related Articles Bollywood lovers have missed their favourites sartorial updates from airport but the paparazzi are back to flooding social media with fashion styles of the celebrities as they fly down to work. As travel ban lifts amid COVID-19, Bollywood celebrities are back to nailing the airport looks be it Deepika Padukone in neon green ensemble, Kangana Ranaut in six yards of elegance, Vaani Kapoors chic vibes in simple shirt and boots or Ranveer Singhs bizarre outfits. With nothing better to do this quarantine as netizens idly scroll through their social media feeds, the constant criticism or appreciation of the airport looks have returned while Tinsel Town peeps pull off versatile outfits with flamboyance and elan. Some were a visual treat and looked impeccable than ever while some went overboard with their quirkiness in gaudy outfits and landed with a thumbs down reaction. Kangana Ranaut While her coming down to Mumbai was no secret last week as BMC demolished her office on the grounds of structural violations, Kangana did create additional stir with her signature airport look in a saree. Spotted at the Chandigarh airport amid heavy security by CRPF jawaans, Kangana won fashion polices attention too as she donned a white printed saree teamed with a pearl white blouse having blue border on the sleeves. Pulling back her hair in a smart bun, Kangana accessorised her look with a pair of sunglasses, a handbag and a white face mask. She completed the trendy look in a simple pair of white heels. Actor Kangana Ranaut arrives at Chandigarh Airport from Mumbai. She is en route her hometown Manali in Himachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/1DdeVU2prx ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 On Monday, the diva left for Manali after a bitter feud with Maharashtras ruling Shiv Sena. She was spotted after landing in Chandigarh in a grey suit and a pair of shades. Deepika Padukone The style queen seems to have been borrowing the loud fashion sense of her actor-husband Ranveer Singh ever since their wedding. The diva was recently snapped at Kalina airport from where she was leaving for Goa to shoot for her upcoming film Shakun Batra. [PICS] Bae still living that neon green life Deepika Padukone clicked at Mumbai airport tonight, enroute London pic.twitter.com/SmCoucPpmf Deepika Padukone FC (@DeepikaPFC) June 8, 2019 Dressed in neon green separates, Deepika accessorised her look with a hot pink cross-bag and a white face mask. She completed the funky yet stylish look with a pair of white sneakers. Ranveer Singh Talk about fashion and we can never miss out on the livewire of Bollywood, Ranveer Singh, whose dramatic avatar is not restricted to red carpets alone. Last month, the actor was seen making heads turn at the airport with his flared pants that sported denim curtains. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh match airport looks as they return from Bangalore https://t.co/OiVOyPq5lq pic.twitter.com/WXBhOZphLw Bollywood News (@bollywood_b) August 24, 2020 Scoring high on unconventional fashion, the light wash denim was teamed with a black T-shirt and accessorized with a fanny pack from Fendi. Sporting a man bun and wearing a face mask, Ranveers aesthetic style was a notch higher than before. Vaani Kapoor Flying off to Scotland to shoot for Bell Bottom earlier this month, Vaani was snapped at the airport in casuals. Donning a boyfriend shirt, Vaani amped up the chic look in knee-length leather boots. The diva completed the look with a light blue face mask that has become a fashion accessory this quarantine. Given that safety now tops the priority of every traveller amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, donning uncomfortable outfits to make sartorial statements is non-negotiable. Lighter and natural clothing made from fabrics like cotton is advisable to cover as much of your body as possible as one decides on an airport look. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Trafficking in persons, regardless of its form, is intolerable and unforgivable, but the Government cannot remedy these situations alone, and the involvement of civil society is needed, the US ambassador in Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, said on Monday. He made these remarks at the launch of an online campaign and platform (munca.info) against labor exploitation, especially in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.The American diplomat emphasized, in an online speech, the role of the authorities, but also spoke about the involvement of civil society. At the same time, he noted that unlike the atrocities of trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking in persons for the purpose of labor exploitation is often overlooked.Trafficking in persons, in whatever form, is intolerable and unforgivable, Ambassador Zuckerman said, adding that he applauds those who work to combat this terrible scourge. Unlike the atrocities of trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking in persons for the purpose of labor exploitation is often overlooked or even revoltingly accepted as a natural business practice. It is not. Trafficking for labor is trafficking in persons and must be fought with the same tenacity as any other flagrant violation of human rights.The US ambassador in Bucharest stressed that Romania is on a new path in terms of the fight against trafficking in persons.The government led by Prime Minister Orban is committed to eradicating all forms of trafficking in persons. However, the government alone cannot remedy these situations. Civil society, international partners, communities and the government must work together to achieve a common goal, the diplomat pointed out.The British Ambassador in Bucharest, Andrew Noble, also spoke about forced labor and similar situations in his country.Forced labor is part, along with trafficking in persons and other criminal acts, of what the British Government calls modern slavery. The fight against modern slavery is an absolute priority for the UK Government and certainly for the British Embassy in Bucharest, given that over the last decade, Romania has become the first country of origin in the EU for victims identified in the British system. The main types of exploitation reported by victims with Romanian citizenship are primarily forced labor, said Noble.To combat this phenomenon, he stressed, it is necessary to ensure the transparency of the private milieu to prevent exploitation in production chains, improve the national protection system and increase the capacity of the authorities to investigate and judge.In his turn, the head of the Romanian office of the International Organization for Migration, Mircea Mocanu, referred to the situation of some workers from non-EU countries, who come to work in Romania.Subsequently, just as munca.info provides information on the destination countries and ways in which potential victims of trafficking can reach a safe place, we want to do the same in Romania, he said.The www.munca.info platform is presented as "a unique information point on the prevention of trafficking in persons for labor exploitation, which contains information on workers' rights, safety measures, but also useful resources". Worker's rights, safety measures and a telephone number for assistance in cases of exploitation can be accessed on that website.According to munca.info, 16 million people are forced into forced labor globally. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 By Zhale Qasimova Trend: A virtual meeting was held between Azerbaijani Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Ramin Guluzade, and Minister of Roads and Urban Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies. The representatives of the foreign ministries of the two countries also attended the meeting. During the videoconference, the parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects of cooperation between the two countries in the field of transport. During the negotiations, the sides talked about the construction of a new road bridge and a pedestrian crossing over Astarachay. An agreement was reached to speed up the work to coordinate the draft Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding to create a legal basis for the construction of the bridge. The volume of bilateral and transit cargo transportation by vehicles between Azerbaijan and Iran has recently increased. There is a need to build a new road bridge and a pedestrian crossing over Astarachay at the Astara (Azerbaijan) - Astara (Islamic Republic of Iran) checkpoint in connection with the expiration of the service life of the existing road bridge over Astarachay. The issues related to the relations in the field of transport between the two countries, the North-South International Transport Corridor, the projects being implemented in Iran, and the development of cargo transportation in the future were also discussed during the videoconference. Social media allows us to connect with friends and loved ones in meaningful ways even when we arent together in person, which is wonderful. It also allows us to get to know and interact with people in other places, whether thats in the United States or around the world. That, too, is great Hungary is spending $2.4 billion to build (under license) at least 200 German Lynx IFVs (Infantry fighting vehicle). This type of tracked IFV is not used by Hungarian troops, which currently depends on an older Russian design, the wheeled BTR-80/80A. These were modernized in 2008 but proved to have a hard time keeping up with tanks when off road. Hungary will be the first export customer for Lynx, which is currently being considered by Australia, the Czech Republic and the United States. The Lynx contract includes logistical and technical support, especially for setting up the Lynx assembly plant in Hungary and determining which components can be obtained locally. A few German made Lynx will be delivered by 2022, with production in Hungary is expected to be underway shortly thereafter. Lynx was designed by Rheinmetall, which also produces the new Puma IFV for the German Army. Lynx is a less expensive version of the $9 million Puma and is more easily customized to suit export customer needs. Unlike the Puma, Lynx was privately developed without any government support. All the features of the Puma, and much more besides, are available for Lynx. Unlike the Puma, the Lynx is available in two chassis sizes. The smaller KF31 can carry three crew and six passengers while the KF41 has a more powerful engine and carries eight passengers. Each has a turret which can be equipped with 30mm or 35mm autocannon plus a 7.62mm machine-gun. The KF31 has a top speed of 65 kilometers an hour and the KF41 is 70 kilometers an hour. Each model can be equipped with a wide variety of electronics and different degrees of armor protection. As a result of these variations the weight of these vehicles can range from 30 to 44 tons. The lighter models are based on the slightly smaller KF31 chassis. Both models can be configured as IFVs, recon vehicles, command vehicles, ambulances or vehicle recovery (tow and repair). The idea behind Lynx was that the popularity of the Puma with German troops would not always translate to many foreign customers. The first of 350 Pumas entered service in 2015 and all be delivered to the German Army by 2020. Puma replaces 2,000 Cold War era (1970s) Marder IFVs. The army wants to buy more Pumas but the government has not agreed to that yet. Puma contains lots of innovations, many of them suggested by Marder users. The basic model has a remote (from inside the vehicle) control turret equipped with a new 30mm automatic cannon. This RWS (remote weapons system) approach worked well in Iraq, where it was widely used in American vehicles. The Puma armor protection comes in three levels. The basic level results in a 29.4-ton vehicle that protects against artillery, heavy machine guns (up to 14.5mm) and RPG rounds. There's a 31.5-ton and 43-ton version. The Germans settled on the 31.5-ton version as their standard. This one gives all round protection from 14.5mm machine-guns, and some protection from 30mm rounds. The Puma's 30mm cannon can fire computer-controlled shells that will detonate inside of buildings or above enemy troops taking cover behind a wall or in a trench. The 30mm cannon can fire up to 200 rounds a minute, and has a range of 3,000 meters. The vehicle carries 400 rounds of 30mm ammo, and over two thousand rounds for its 7.62mm machine-gun. Optional weapons include a guided missile launcher or automatic grenade launcher. The 30mm gun also has an armor piercing round that is also effective against personnel (FAPIDS-T, or Frangible Armor Piercing Incendiary Discarding Sabot -Tracer). The Puma has a crew of three (commander, gunner and driver) and carries up to eight infantrymen (or cargo) in the rear troop compartment. The Puma is also "digital." Noting the success the U.S. Army has had with equipping their armored vehicles with "battlefield Internet" communications equipment, the Germans did the same with Puma. The Puma is 7.4 meters (24 feet) long and air conditioned. Top road speed is 70 kilometers an hour. Lynx offers the same degree of protection from 14.5mm machine-gun and 30mm autocannon rounds. Lynx is also protected against explosives of up to 10 kg (22 pounds) and most mines. This is a similar protection level to Puma, but Lynx doesnt have to be as compact and thus is easier and cheaper to make. Same as more expensive Puma, protection can be increased by add-on armor packages. In its most well-protected variant, the Lynx is as heavily armored at the Russian T-72 tank. If so, this is phenomenal for an IFV, even a 44 ton one. Other Lynx accessories include an acoustic sensor (which indicates where enemy fire is coming from), a laser warning sensor, smoke dispensers and an APS (Active Protection system). Lynx can also use the manned LANCE or LANCE 2.0 turret fitted with a stabilized WOTNAN 30 or 35mm cannon. This weapon can fire up to 200 rounds per minute and a ranges of up to 3,000 meters. There is also a coaxial mounted 7.62mm machine gun. The main canon uses two ammunition types: APFSDS-T (armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot - tracer) and ABM (air burst munition) which is programmable with an electronic timer and warhead which dozens of tungsten pellets. This type of ammunition is devastating against infantry and a serious threat even to helicopters. Lynx can also be equipped with an RWS turret similar to the one used by Puma. There is also an option for an RWS armed with a 12.7mm machine gun or 40mm automatic grenade atop the manned turret. The primary anti-tank weapon is a launcher (mounted on the turret) for the two SPIKE LR or LR2 anti-tank missiles. These have a max range up to 4,000 or 5,500 meters. The mobility is provided by a Liebherr turbocharged diesel engine which, depending on the model used, can provide 750, 800 or 1140 horsepower. The last is reserved for KF41 version. This contract is very important for Rheinmetall and the Hungarian Army. Rheinmetall now has its export first customer for Lynx while Hungarian troops and the Hungarian Lynx manufacturer gain access to a new IFV design that is produced in Hungary. This a something of a gamble because Lynx might still have some problems to fix. In the last decade Hungary has been regularly procuring new equipment form European firms. In 2018 the Hungary signed contracts for 44 Leopard 2 A7+ MBTs, 12 used Leopard 2s for training, 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers and 6 Bergepanzer 3 Buffel armored recovery vehicles. -- Przemyslaw Juraszek Insurers battered by coronavirus are about to find out how much worse the damage could get. A London court is set to rule Tuesday in a case involving about 370,000 policyholders, companies including Zurich Insurance Group AG and Hiscox Ltd. and potentially billions of pounds of claims. The UK markets watchdog brought the case after small businesses struggled to get compensation from insurers for losses suffered during lockdown. Insurers and regulators around the world will be looking at this case, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sarah Jane Mahmud. The regulator has never taken a step like this; its completely unprecedented. The Financial Conduct Authority is seeking legal clarity on disputed language in so-called business-interruption policies to help determine when payouts should be made. The ruling will be binding for the eight insurers named in the case, and could affect others that have policies containing the wordings, including Allianz SE, American International Group Inc. and Chubb Ltd. It will also provide guidance for interpreting similar clauses in future court cases, according to the FCA. The London case is one of thousands of legal battles around the world centered on business-interruption policies that insurers contend dont cover pandemics. In the U.S., New York retailer Century 21 Stores sued several of its insurance providers over the failure to pay about $175 million in claims, money the chain insists could have helped it avoid bankruptcy. In France, AXA SA agreed to cover losses sustained by several hundred restaurants after losing a court case brought by one owner. Given the number of policyholders potentially affected, and assuming each makes a claim of as much as 20,000 pounds ($25,568), the total cost could stretch to more than 7 billion pounds, Deutsche Bank AG analysts wrote in a Sept. 8 note. The insurers may not face the biggest burden, however, as long as the reinsurance policies theyve bought to reduce their risks pay out, according to the analysts. It is actually the reinsurers that potentially have more downside, while the UK primary companies should actually benefit from any clearing of the air, they wrote. The case centers on sample policy wordings that capture most of the key issues that could be in dispute, according to the FCA. Given this approach, it may initially be difficult to assess whether the overall outcome is a net positive or negative for the insurers, the Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. The court ruling, which can be appealed, also probably wont be the last word. Many businesses insurers say that their policies differ slightly but materially from the test case, and there will be others who face challenges from insurers when it comes to proving and quantifying their loss, said Samantha Holland, head of insurance at law firm Gowling WLG. Its therefore realistic to expect a slew of hard-fought disputes with insurers and a continuing period of uncertainty for policyholders. With assistance from Lukas Strobl. Photo: A woman walks past a shop sign requesting customers apply within on August 05, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Many UK businesses announced job losses due to the effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic and Lockdown. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Visit the Big Re, Carrier Managements reinsurance hub, for complete reinsurance coverage. Launched during the week of what would have been the Reinsurance Rendez-Vous de Septembre, this special page aims to provide complete reinsurance coverage of, by and for reinsurance professionals and buyers including news, features, interviews, commentaries, whitepapers, videos, webinars and more. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Carriers COVID-19 Claims Commercial Lines Business Insurance Reinsurance London Following on from the success of 2004s Long Way Round and 2007s Long Way Down, the pairs new Apple TV+ series, Long Way Up, documents their adventure across some of the remotest regions of South America. Wed always thought about doing this third trip, says McGregor. When you look at a world map, wed gone directly across it and we went down through the African continent, so there was this glaring other route through the Americas that was left to do. Charley and I had drifted apart somewhat over the years since we did Long Way Down, due to the fact Id moved to America and Charley was very busy hed shot some other television shows and he was doing a lot of touring with other people on motorbikes. So, when I was working in London or I came over to visit family in London, Charley was often just not there. There was no fallout or anything, we just sort of drifted apart. Advertisement Its often said a near-death experience can act as a catalyst for change. In the case of McGregor and Boorman, it was a freak accident during a European trip that acted as the trigger for a long-overdue reunion. Scottish star McGregor, 49, first rose to prominence in Danny Boyles cult classic Trainspotting and subsequently starred in blockbusters including Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and DC Comics Birds Of Prey. Similarly, Boorman, 54, who is also a travel writer, has released a string of books documenting his adventures both on and off his motorbike, including Extreme Frontiers and Right To The Edge. Charley had a very terrible motorcycle accident in Portugal and it reminded me you cant let these important friendships in your life drift, and youve got to look after them, says McGregor. As soon as I was able to, I got to see Charley in London and then we picked right up where wed left off. It was like no time had passed. Poor old Charley was wheeling around; it took a long time he had an almost two-year recovery from that accident, which was really brutal. The accident in question took place while on a press trip celebrating the launch of the new Triumph motorbike. The near-fatal encounter saw Boorman career into a wall in an attempt to avoid an oncoming motorist. It was touch and go as to whether Id keep one leg, recalls Boorman. Thanks to the doctors, I did and Im able to ride motorbikes again. But for me, it was always about my therapy and my physiotherapy was all focused on the fact I needed to get back on that motorbike and have that freedom. Advertisement I think that happens to a lot of people who ride motorbikes. Ewan broke his leg just before starting Long Way Down and Ill never forget, I was in the warehouse and Ewan turned up with his plastic boot on, hobbling in. He goes, Hey, Im just taking the Sunbeam (motorcycle) out. And I said, Its a bit early, isnt it? Armed with a rekindled desire to get back in the saddle and set forth on a new adventure, plans for a third instalment of the Long Way series quickly fell into place. It wasnt long before we were sitting in Charleys house with [our producers], and we started dreaming up this Long Way Up trip, McGregor recalls. Conversation then turned to the potential for swapping traditional petrol-fuelled motorbike engines for a greener alternative. The idea? To put renewable energy to the test in some of the most remote regions on earth. When we decided to go electric, I dont think we wanted the electric motorcycle to get in the way of the adventure; we wanted it to be part of it, says Boorman. They were all prototype vehicles that werent really in production or werent up for sale, yknow? We didnt get much of a chance to be able to test them. Advertisement When we finally got to South America to start our journey, I think Ewan and I had only ridden the Harley Davidsons for a couple of hours and wed never really charged them. So, it was a really steep learning curve for all of us. There began a series of challenges brought on by the continents dramatic terrain and diverse weather conditions. We started in the winter, which was not such good planning on our behalf, recalls Boorman. We realised the batteries dont like it when its very cold, so they dont perform as well. Technical difficulties aside, the freezing temperatures proved no match for the pairs steely determination and wicked sense of humour. When it gets tough is when we get our funniest, notes McGregor. There was one night when we had real issues charging the bikes we did our first long ride into the night, and it was super cold I mean it was sub-zero. We put on every single piece of clothing that we had. We were just surviving on the bikes. At that point, we just ended up getting so stupid because we can speak to each other through our helmets, weve got radios in there thats some of the funniest stuff, I think, because we were just literally keeping each other going and it becomes almost hysterical. The adverse weather conditions, coupled with the newly rekindled friendship, saw the trip transform into an extreme bonding experience. In particular, a wide stretch of Bolivian desert, which proved some of the hardest riding I think that we did on the trip. It really pushed us to the limit, recalls Boorman. Id fall off and suddenly Ewan would be there helping me up and vice versa. Its very nice to know that your best friend has got your back and is there to pick you up its a very special relationship. The first three episodes of Long Way Up will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 18, and new episodes will then roll out weekly. KYODO NEWS - Sep 14, 2020 - 18:28 | All, Japan Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono on Monday instructed the Self-Defense Forces what to do if they sight unidentified aerial objects that could potentially pose a threat to national security. Kono asked SDF members, who are in charge of protecting Japan's airspace, to record on camera any such phenomenon they may detect and to analyze it as much as possible. Kono has said in the past, "Frankly speaking, I don't believe in UFOs." Related coverage: Shooting star seems to have exploded above Tokyo Balloon-like UFO still a mystery after drifting by northeastern Japan His instruction, which also calls for analyses on receiving such information from the public, came after his meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Guam late last month, during which the issue was brought up as a potential new area of Japan-U.S. security cooperation. So far, there have been no known cases of SDF members encountering UFOs, according to the Defense Ministry. In early August, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. The creation of the unit came after the Pentagon authorized in April the release of three videos capturing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had already been circulating among the public. Following the release of the clips, Kono suggested he would also come up with procedures for the SDF when detecting such aerial objects. The procedures were formulated also in consideration that the SDF may encounter unconventional aircraft on the back of advancing drone technology, according to the ministry. LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Nicole Hylton-Patterson moved to the Adirondack Mountains to help make this vast, and overwhelmingly white, region more welcoming to people who, like her, are Black. The job has not been easy. While the death of George Floyd gave her mission a jolt of urgency, the Go Back to Africa graffiti on a bridge near her home spoke to her challenges. With relatively few Black people here, white people fill out Black Lives Matter rallies and host online antiracism forums. Without diverse city streets filled with demonstrators, how do you encourage racial reckonings in rural areas like the Adirondacks, where most everyone looks similar? Ive lived in enough spaces in America to tell people, America doesnt look like New York City, it doesnt look like L.A. and it doesnt even look like Atlanta. It looks like the Adirondack Park, said Hylton-Patterson, who became the first director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative late last year. It is more challenging, exponentially so. But the work still has to get done. The Adirondack Park covers 6 million acres of thick woods, remote lakes and commanding peaks in northern New York. More than 100,000 people live here year round, many who work in prisons, health care or tourism. White people comprise 95% of the population in some parts of the Adirondacks. Since her arrival from the Bronx in December, Hylton-Patterson said, she has encountered only a few dozen other people of colour. That uniformity is also seen along the backwoods trails and waterways popular with hikers, skiers and paddlers. Advocates see the need for welcoming more diverse residents and visitors not only as a societal good, but as necessary to a tourism-dependent region that is losing population. The Adirondack Diversity Initiative had been an all-volunteer effort until a $250,000 state grant allowed it to hire Hylton-Patterson, a veteran in the field. She visits police agencies to make sure officers will receive racial bias training; meets with school administrators interested in making classrooms more inclusive; and works with state environmental officials who want to make the wilderness welcoming. She settled in the postcard-pretty village of Saranac Lake and began listening to people. Pandemic restrictions sidetracked some plans, though Floyds death at the hands of the police in Minneapolis made people more receptive to conversations. There are a lot of people who are like, Yeah, I wish there wasnt racism, but Im nice to everyone, said Jane Haugh, a white woman who runs the Wake the North Country, an anti-bigotry and criminal justice reform group. And then George Floyd happened. And suddenly people were calling me and saying, Jane, youve been talking about this for so long. Can I come talk to you? Two things that happened locally this summer prompted conversations of their own. A widely shared video of the Saranac Lake High School graduation featured valedictorian Francine Newman giving a speech about being called Squinty Eyes, Ling Ling and worse while growing up in a place where the recorded Asian population is nearly zero. Ignorance is bliss only for those who did not realize the utter shame and humiliation I carried over a part of myself I would never be able to change, Newman said. The other episode hit home for Hylton-Patterson. She was so rattled by the graffiti on a railroad bridge along her daily running route that she moved elsewhere in the Adirondacks. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the vandalism is being investigated by the states Hate Crimes Task Force. Hylton-Patterson is used to living in white areas, noting that as a child she lived on a remote island in Norway. And shes used to the everyday racism she has encountered here, like being watched while shopping or a woman touching her hair and asking if its a wig. But the graffiti made her feel unsafe. She still stays in the public eye, hosting videos with themes like Antiracism 101. She took a prominent role in pressing for an investigation into an off-duty police officer who fired his gun after an encounter with Black youths. Activists greeted an initial victory this month when state police said the probe was reopened. And the graffiti galvanized supporters, who posted hundreds of anti-racism flyers around the village. But a big issue remains in reaching people who wouldnt think of watching an antiracism video, people who think race relations are a city problem. Some locals think confrontations like the suffocation death of Daniel Prude a few hours west in Rochester cannot happen here. All I can do is work with your neighbours and hopefully your neighbours will find an opportunity, a gateway to speak to you about engaging in something that might shake the foundations of who you think you are, she said. She plans to provide cultural consciousness and related training for as many as 100 residents who can talk to neighbours in their corner of the Adirondacks. She also is working to identify liaisons with local governments, police departments and school boards to address systemic racism. In both cases, neighbours would work with neighbours. Doing this work in what is a very rural white area, we cant put all of the pressure on Nicky to teach us and guide us, said Chris Morris, a longtime ADI volunteer. It is really incumbent on people who want to help to be actively learning and listening and then figuring out how they can make a difference. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar returned to state capital Chandigarh on Monday after recovering from Covid-19. The chief minister urged people to follow all the necessary guidelines against Covid-19 religiously. After his recovery, CM Khattar requested people to maintain social distancing and wear face masks as a caution against coronavirus. Theres no need to be afraid of Covid, but we have to remain vigilant, the chief minister had said, according to PTI. On August 24, the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar tested positive for Covid-19, just two days before the day-long monsoon session of the state assembly. Khattar, 66, was admitted to Gurgaons Medanta Hospital for treatment. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadananda Gowda said, by 2023 India will be self-reliant in the production of fertilizers as under Atma Nirbhar Bharat programme new fertilizer manufacturing units are being setup with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore in the country to reduce dependency on import. He said, As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision to promote indigenous industries, we are converting all fertilizer companies to gas based technology. Recently we have revived four urea plants (Ramagundam, Sindhri, Barouni and Gorkhpur) in India. By 2023 we should become self -sufficient in the production of Fertilizers." Union Minister informed that Government is encouraging the production of organic and Nano fertilizers in the country as they are 25 to 30 per cent cheaper and give 18 to 35 per cent higher yield and keep the soil in good health. He lauded the IFFCO's Nano experiment and called it a game changer. He informed that Nano fertilizers distributed freely to 12,000 farmers and agriculture universities across the country have given positive feedback. He asked farmers to use Urea judiciously as excessive use of Urea may spoil the soil health. He advised farmers to use fertilizers according to their soil health cards. He praised the efforts of IFFCO, during the COVID pandemic period for not only keeping regular supply of fertilizers but also organising campaigns by distributing masks, sanitizers and hand gloves to mitigate the spread of COVID . He also thanked other fertilizers companies and Railway department for playing important role in timely supply of fertilizer during the COVID pandemic period. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) N ew rules have been added to the rental eviction ban, initially designed to offer breathing space to private and social tenants in England and Wales whose health or finances were affected by coronavirus. In the first weeks of lockdown, the Coronavirus Act 2020 extended the period before landlords were able to start the legal process to evict tenants from two months to three. Tenants who were financially impacted by coronavirus lockdown were also encouraged to agree rent reductions or rent holidays with their landlords, along with repayment plans. The National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, also confirmed their tenants would not be evicted if they fell behind on rent as a result of coronavirus. What are the changes to the rental eviction ban? The initial ban was extended three times with the third extension, to September 21, also requiring landlords to give tenants a six-month notice period, meaning that no tenant would find themselves evicted before March next year. However, from August 29, landlords are required to give only four weeks notice to tenants who have not paid rent for more than six months. Other exceptions will be made in the most egregious cases, for example where tenants have committed fraud or demonstrated antisocial behaviour. A further restriction was confirmed on September 10 that if an area is in a local lockdown that includes a restriction on gathering in homes, evictions will not be enforced by bailiffs. The Government also announced a Christmas truce, with no evictions permitted in the run-up to, and over, Christmas. Again, this will not apply in serious circumstances such as cases of domestic abuse. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: We have protected renters during the pandemic by banning evictions for six months the longest eviction ban in the UK. To further support renters we have increased notice periods to six months, an unprecedented measure to help keep people in their homes over the winter months. Its right that we strike a balance between protecting vulnerable renters and ensuring landlords whose tenants have behaved in illegal or antisocial ways have access to justice. Our legislation means such cases will be subject to shorter notice periods and then prioritised through the judiciarys new court processes. New guidance will be published before the eviction ban ends to help landlords and tenants understand their rights under the court system and the financial support available. Can my landlord evict me? by Charlie Duffield Charities have warned that if the eviction ban is lifted without extra protection, tens of thousands of outgoing tenants could be unable to find or access affordable homes, prompting a devastating homelessness crisis. Shelter said that by the end of June, some 174,000 renters had been warned by their landlord that they are facing eviction, and 58,000 moved out after being asked to leave during the lockdown. However, it is a criminal offence for a landlord to evict a tenant without following the correct legal steps. If you are a private tenant, a landlord can ask you to move out by issuing a Section 21 or Section 8 notice. A Section 21 notice is commonly referred to as a "no-fault eviction" as landlords don't need to give a reason for evicting you. However, as of June this year, the Government now states landlords must submit evidence about how their tenants' circumstances may have been affected by coronavirus. If they don't, judges will be able to suspend the court proceedings until such details are provided. This means eviction proceedings for thousands of people could effectively be pushed back by months. With a Section 8 notice, landlords already have a reason to evict you, for example if you've fallen behind on your rent, have damaged the property or there are complaints from neighbours. The amount of time you get with Section 21 is two months if your landlord gave you notice before March 26 this year. This was extended to three months after this date until September 30 and is now six months. For a Section 8, the notice period is three months until September 30 this year, if your were told by your landlord on or after March 26 as opposed to just two weeks previously. However, you dont have to leave your home once these periods have expired, as your landlord must apply to a court. So you may be able to challenge your eviction if you think you've been unfairly asked to leave. Ill-timed road failures on the Blue Ridge Parkway are blocking access to several seasonally popular drives for seeing the Roanoke Valley in fall splendor. Thats a big problem for sponsors of tourism, who worry that would-be travelers wont come once they discover that parts of the winding, forested parkway are gated shut. But the tourism bureau went to work soon after spring storms destroyed one parkway section and made another high risk, crafting an interim plan to promote attractions on the valley floor. The Blue Ridge Parkway Detour, which has been distributed online and to visitor centers, is a turn-by-turn guide to bypassing the breakdowns that await millions of dollars in repairs, including one major job not scheduled until next year. Its coming through our towns and cities just to see what were all about, said Catherine Fox, vice president of public affairs and destination development at Visit Virginias Blue Ridge. The parkway closures may actually benefit local businesses, said Pete Eshelman, director of the Roanoke Outside Foundation and director of outdoor branding at the Roanoke Regional Partnership. In a typical year, out-of-town leaf peepers whose destination is the parkway drive right past the areas farmers markets, breweries, restaurants, stores, parks and trails, by his analysis. Their numbers could be in the tens of thousands of vehicles in October and November alone, according to parkway traffic statistics. This fall, theyre invited to stop and shop. The new Mast General Store in downtown Roanoke is one potential draw. The detour through the valley is also a good time to have a glass of locally brewed beer and something to eat, walk the greenway or hike a trail, according to tourism officials. After the detour, those going north or south ought to still find a continuous feast of colored leaves because most of the parkway is open just not the part adjacent to Roanoke. The closed parkway segment at Roanoke, at 21 miles, is the longest closure along the 468-mile parkway. Parkway travel is not possible along two local sections. Between U.S. 220 and Adney Gap, the picturesque parkway access point in Bent Mountain, about 150 feet of pavement shifted downhill at about mile marker 128 due to a landslide. Officials shut down that section on about May 22. The director of parks, recreation and tourism in Roanoke County, Doug Blount, described it as big hole. Blue Ridge Parkway is a big economic driver for the Roanoke Valley, especially in the fall, he said. From our perspective, we encourage the National Park Service to be able to open the parkway as soon as possible because it certainly is a highly traveled road. But this section is going to be closed for months, maybe a year. Parkway officials current repair estimate is sometime between May and November of 2021, according to parkway spokeswoman Caitlin Worth. Fixing the other closure wont be nearly as difficult or time -consuming. Between Explore Park and U.S. 220, the pavement is in acceptable condition. The problem is a slope failure above mile marker 119. Although the debris has been removed, the slope is still unstable. It should be possible to create an additional lane around the area, which would permit two-lane traffic by mid-fall or roughly Nov. 1, Worth said. The parkway is handling this job as an emergency, according to Worth. Will leaf season still be going Nov. 1? Changes in light and temperature during fall curtail leaves production of green pigment, allowing red, orange and yellow pigments to become visible. Thats not visibly happening yet in the area, but historical patterns suggest it will soon. Fall foliage typically reaches peak beauty in this area between Oct. 10 and 20, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry. TripSavvy, a travel site, says mid- to late October. Because color responds to weather and elevation, precipitation and species distribution also play a role no one can say with certainty. Assuming fall colors come and go with both closures still in effect, at least Roanoke has a plan for catering to travelers and has put it into effect. The Virginia Welcome Center on Interstate 77 in Carroll County is aware of Roanokes parkway detour and has been telling motorists who appear headed in that direction. We have printed it out and made it so that we can hand it to the traveler, said Shirley Edwards, who manages the facility. There is a parkway entrance 8 miles north of the welcome center. From there, its about two hours to Roanoke, a nice time to stop. Youre usually ready for something to eat or something to drink, Edwards said. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WARNING: CONFRONTING IMAGES Two brothers who were gunned down by police after charging at officers with weapons at a Victorian campground have been jailed. Dramatic bodycam vision played in the Victorian County Court showed then 19-year-old Joel Clavell being shot by multiple officers while running at police with an axe in June last year. Joshua Clavell, left, and his teenage brother Joel were shot by police at the Victoria-NSW border in June. Credit:Nine News His older brother, Joshua Clavell, 31, was shot after ramming his Holden Barina into the police, exiting the vehicle and wielding a long knife as he ran at an officer. Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa kicked off filming the fifth season in Vancouver on Monday with a steam room scene featuring a sweaty and shirtless KJ Apa, who heads up The CW teen soap as Archie Andrews. The 47-year-old showrunner wisecracked: 'Even in a Covid world, some things never change!' Aguirre-Sacasa and the ensemble cast celebrated the end of their government-mandated 14-day quarantine on Sunday, as well as Lili Reinhart's 24th birthday over an Italian dinner at CinCin Ristorante + Bar. 'Annnnnd #Riverdale is back!' Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa kicked off filming the fifth season in Vancouver on Monday with a steam room scene featuring a sweaty and shirtless KJ Apa, who heads up The CW teen soap as Archie Andrews The 47-year-old showrunner wisecracked: 'Even in a Covid world, some things never change!' Earlier on Sunday, the Hustlers actress masked up to walk her rescue dog Milo alongside her castmates Camila Mendes and Madeline Petsch. In the Archie Comics-inspired show - Lili portrays Betty Cooper, Camila plays Veronica Lodge, and Madeline portrays Cherry Blossom. Reinhart - sporting a bright red 'Empathy' sweatshirt - and the rest of her co-stars will be in Canada through May 1 filming the postponed season, which premieres in January. 'Lucky girl!' the Chemical Hearts producer-star Instastoried about her flower bouquets and macarons. 'Here we go!' Aguirre-Sacasa (2-L) and the ensemble cast celebrated the end of their government-mandated 14-day quarantine on Sunday, as well as Lili Reinhart's (3-L) 24th birthday over an Italian dinner at CinCin Ristorante + Bar Birthday girl! Earlier on Sunday, the Hustlers actress (L) masked up to walk her rescue dog Milo alongside her castmates Camila Mendes (M) and Madeline Petsch (R) Puppy love: In the Archie Comics-inspired show - Lili portrays Betty Cooper, Camila plays Veronica Lodge, and Madeline portrays Cherry Blossom If looks could kill! Reinhart - sporting an 'Empathy' sweatshirt - and the rest of her co-stars will be in Canada through May 1 filming the postponed season, which premieres in January The Chemical Hearts producer-star showed off her flower bouquets and macarons and gushed: 'Lucky girl! Thank you for my very sweet birthday messages. I feel the love!' 'Thank you for my very sweet birthday messages. I feel the love!' Meanwhile, Lili's ex-boyfriend Cole Sprouse - who plays Forsythe 'Jughead' Jones III - sarcastically pondered whether of not he should buy a pet sugar glider or pet frog on Monday via Instastory. The acting couple - collectively called 'Bughead' - amicably ended their three-year romance in May. Last Saturday, Vanessa Morgan - who plays Toni Topaz - had her hair styled in waist-length braids, which was her 'first time getting glammed in a while.' 'Which one?' Meanwhile, Lili's ex-boyfriend Cole Sprouse - who plays Forsythe 'Jughead' Jones III - sarcastically pondered whether of not he should buy a pet sugar glider or pet frog on Monday via Instastory New hair, don't care! Last Saturday, Vanessa Morgan - who plays Toni Topaz - had her hair styled in waist-length braids, which was her 'first time getting glammed in a while' 'He's a lil kicker!' It's unclear how they'll handle the expecting 28-year-old's character now that she's pregnant with her first child with estranged husband Michael Kopech It's unclear how they'll handle the expecting 28-year-old's character now that she's pregnant with her first child with estranged husband, Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech. On August 18, Roberto teased a sneak peek at Vanessa and Madeline's sparkly prom dresses since they were filming episode #77 titled 'Climax' when production shut down on March 12 due to the fast-spreading virus. As of Monday, there have reportedly been 137K confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada (6,962 of which are in British Columbia) leading to 9,172 deaths. -- Targeted investments in strategic initiatives such as SMART!, the focus on "retail basics" and improvements to user experience on the platform have accelerated the flywheel, resulting in accelerating growth over time: GMV grew at 13.9% and 25.4% for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively. This acceleration was also evident at the start of 2020, prior to the impact of COVID-19, with GMV growing ahead of 2019 growth in both January and February 2020. During the March to May period, when offline stores were closed for all or part of the month, the Group saw significantly higher monthly GMV growth of 47%, 85% and 73% in March, April and May, respectively. The Group has continued to note much stronger GMV growth in June through August, following the reopening of offline stores in Poland, than in the period immediately preceding the COVID-19 lockdown, with GMV growth of 57%, 48% and 51% in June, July and August, respectively. -- The strong growth in GMV, coupled with moderate take rate increases, as well as high growth from the Group's advertising and price comparison businesses, have further driven net revenue growth at a rate in line with or faster than its GMV growth. Net revenue grew 19.0% and 31.1% over the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Group's net revenue grew 51.8%. -- The Group has also achieved high profitability and cash conversion levels, driven by its asset-light 3P business model. As a result, from 2017 to 2019, the Group maintained Adjusted EBITDA/net revenue that consistently exceeded 50% and Adjusted EBITDA/GMV of approximately 6%, with Adjusted EBITDA growing at an 18.5% CAGR over the period. Several key investment initiatives, in particular SMART!, which launched in 2018, have resulted in decreasing margins over time with Adjusted EBITDA/net revenue margins reaching 45.6% and Adjusted EBITDA/GMV of 5.0% in the six months ended June 30, 2020. The Group believes these investments are key to accelerating the "flywheel" and continuing to drive overall growth. Adjusted EBITDA grew 28.0% in the six months ended June 30, 2020. -- The Group benefits from limited capital expenditure requirements due to its fully invested and asset-light business model. The Group has also benefited from high free cash flow generation while also managing to reduce net leverage, with net leverage decreasing from 5.1x net debt/Adjusted EBITDA for the preceding twelve months as of June 30, 2019 to 3.7x as of June 30, 2020. Allegro's distinctive buyer and merchant-centric culture is nurtured by its highly experienced management team -- Allegro is led by a highly experienced and entrepreneurial management team with complementary skill sets and proven track records of driving innovation. -- The Chairman, CEO and the rest of the executive leadership team bring extensive experience at leading e-commerce, technology, consulting and/or financial institutions. The 86 individuals in the broader leadership team have an average of 15.2 years of business experience and 5.2 years at Allegro. -- Allegro's management team has built a creative workplace for its employees, fostering a diverse, collegial and entrepreneurial culture underpinned by teamwork, commitment, continuous professional development and maximization of value for all stakeholders. -- In a survey conducted in April, 2020, approximately 93% of Allegro employees said they would recommend Allegro as a great place to work; 91% considered Allegro an inclusive workplace; and 90% believe Allegro has open communications. The Group has achieved a 78% engagement index in 2020, higher than the 73% average for technology companies with over 1,000 employees globally.[5] -- Allegro has more than 2,400 employees. It enjoys access to a rich market for technology talent in Poland and has one of the largest tech development team in Poland with more than 850 employees in engineering roles working from five tech hubs across the country. Future strategy Allegro's strategy is to offer buyers and merchants continuously improving, unparalleled value. The Group will seek to achieve this through a combination of a focus on "retail basics" relating to its platform in Poland, supported by complementary strategic initiatives and potentially supplemented by international expansion. These initiatives include: -- Enhanced buyer and merchant experience: The Group continues to develop and invest in the buyer and merchant experience and is focusing on a number of initiatives, including further automating and optimizing key merchant processes, advancing search, discovery and sales conversion, improving engagement with mobile web and app users, expanding product assortment breadth with a focus on bringing more Polish and international merchants onto the platform, improving price competitiveness, enhancing SMART! and improving delivery experience for buyers . -- Further expansion of SMART! and delivery services: As of June 30, 2020, only 17% of active buyers had SMART! subscriptions, which leaves significant room for further growth. Allegro aims to continue building on its successes in delivery experience, by increasing the proportion of one/two-day delivery share with a particular focus on next day delivery, further growing the network of out-of-home lockers and pick-up/drop-off points, expanding into innovative delivery services, including scaling up of same day deliveries, and the introduction of "ultra-fast" or "instant" deliveries. These initiatives will be supported by the launch of Allegro Fulfilment, which will be used as a supplementary tool in select cases, such as for international sellers and other selected merchants, in an effort to improve delivery time and ensure delivery promise accuracy. -- Further expansion of advertising and price comparison: Allegro believes there is significant potential to increase advertising revenue through further monetization of its broad reach, improvements in ad technology and favorable online advertising market trends. The Group believes it is well positioned to capture a large share in digital advertising via scalable, automated and AI-driven advertising solutions leveraging the Group's traffic and data. The Group also benefits from operating Ceneo, which is the top price comparison platform in Poland, resulting in increased traffic directed to the Group's e-commerce marketplace, and provides an expanded advertising reach. -- Raising ambition in FinTech: The Group has built a successful financial services business using a third-party model over the years. The Group, however, believes there is significant potential in integrating its financial services with its core platform to better address the market opportunity in Poland, estimated to be approximately PLN 300 billion across consumer credit and SME lending[6]. The Group recently launched Allegro Pay, Allegro's own FinTech offering, with beta-testing expected to continue until the end of 2020. -- Broadening platform and geographic expansion: The Group believes there are various opportunities to strengthen its current business footprint into certain related opportunities which include B2B, international inbound sellers, as well as adjacent verticals in which Allegro is not currently active or runs subscale operations, or through expanding value chain solutions such as logistics. The Group also has the ambition to grow outside of Poland in the medium-term. Recent Trading There has been no significant change in the financial or trading position of the Group since June 30, 2020. However, the Group has continued to note strong GMV growth of 48% and 51% in July and August, respectively, based on the Group's internal management accounts. Factors include continued strong additional demand associated with increased e-commerce penetration resulting from changed buyer behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Offering Highlights Should the Group proceed with the IPO, it is expected to have the following features: (CONTINUA) Australia could join a proposed economic alliance dubbed 'The Quad' with the US, Japan and India to reduce reliance on trade with China as tensions between Canberra and Beijing reach new heights. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun has proposed the four-country grouping as a way of filling a trade power vacuum in the Indo-Pacific region. He added Washington could eventually invite South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand to join the alliance. If Australia were to join the trade group it could lead to further souring in diplomatic relations with China, which has worsened since Scott Morrison's proposal for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Scroll down for video Australia could join a trade organisation called 'The Quad' with the US, Japan and India following a proposal by the US government Amid a continuing war of words over Mr Morrison's strengthening of Australia's relationship with the US, the communist country has imposed harsh tariffs on Australian farmers - including an 80 per cent tax on barley. Mr Biegun specifically named China as he laid out plans for 'The Quad' in a speech on August 31. He said the group could act as a bulwark against 'a potential challenge from China' and resemble the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 'The Indo-Pacific region is actually lacking in strong multilateral structures,' Mr Biegun said. 'They dont have anything of the fortitude of Nato or the European Union. 'The strongest institutions in Asia oftentimes are not inclusive enough and so there is certainly an invitation there at some point to formalise a structure like this.' US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny Morrison. The US and Australia could form half of an organisation which would look to emulate the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation China is Australia's largest trade partner in terms of both imports and exports. Figures released in August showed China's share of Australian exports had reached 48.8 per cent - an all-time high - at a cost of $14.6billion. On Sunday, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson said it was now more important than ever to stand up to the Asian powerhouse. 'Australia should, Australia must, Australia is, standing up for its interests because if we don't we are on a very slippery slope,' she told The Australian. Ms Adamson said confronting China amid the coronavirus crisis had prompted Australia's most difficult diplomatic challenge in a generation. China is responsible for 48.8 per cent of Australia's export and the international body could reduce the national reliance on the communist body for trade. Pictured: A Chinese Navy member stands in front of a Shandong aircraft carrier Activists burn a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping in India in June. US Deputy Secretary of State said the organisation could act as a bulwark against 'a potential challenge from China' The former Australian ambassador in Beijing from 2011 to 2015 explained the Asian power was becoming more assertive. 'We've seen China seeking to assert itself in this region, in the Indo-Pacific and globally, in ways that suits its interests but don't suit the interests of countries like Australia,' she said. Ms Adamson said Australians wanted 'a peaceful, stable, prosperous region' and the government would not tolerate any interference with these ideals. She warned that democratic institutions Australians take for granted, like the legal system and parliament, were 'at stake'. Michael Smith (pictured) from the Australian Financial Review returned to Sydney on Tuesday after a five-day diplomatic stand-off with China Bill Birtles is seen at Sydney airport on Tuesday following the frightening rush to leave China 'We need to make sure our institutions are strong and that we can defend ourselves. And this is where the role of diplomacy comes into play,' Ms Adamson explained. She said Australia needed to 'take action' to counter the 'direct challenge' posed by China's assertion and aggression. The DFAT secretary also said the narrow escape of two Australian journalists from China was the latest example of 'difficult issues' between the two countries. Bill Birtles from the ABC and Michael Smith from the Australian Financial Review returned to Sydney on Tuesday after a five-day diplomatic stand-off. Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews troops from a car during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing Government travel advice website Smartraveller (pictured) was updated on 7 July to warn Aussies they face the risk of arbitrary detention in China Chinese police told the journalists they were people of interest after another Australian journalist and business anchor, Cheng Lei, was detained in Beijing. Mr Birtles and Mr Smith sheltered in Australian diplomatic compounds for days as their travel rights were revoked. Consular officials eventually secured safe passage back to Australia after the pair agreed to be interviewed. The Australian government has advised all Australians not to travel to China, warning they could face arbitrary detention. Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for comment. . Covid-19 has brought to bear innate features of the air travel experience we never gave a thought to before the pandemic struck. Airline food, which most of us considered unpalatable, bland and even disgusting, is now being sold on the ground to high demand. by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne in Montreal The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new Socrates I remember years ago, I took my two little children to Disneyworld where, at the Epcot Center, we boarded a virtual flight called Soaring. The experience of the flight which one goes through without leaving ones seat invites the participant to Feel the thrill as youre raised high in the air and swept from one scenic locale to the next. See the worlds wondersnatural and manmadelike you never have before. No mountain is too high. No landscape is too far. Your journey begins as the clouds part above the majestic Swiss Alps. Next, youll visit polar bears in icy Greenland, swoop past sailboats on Australias iconic Sydney Harbour and weave between elephants marching toward Mount Kilimanjaro. Glide above marvels like the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India. Cruise over Monument Valley, Fijis Lau Island and thundering Iguazu Falls in South America. Look down on the Eiffel Tower as it sparkles like a jewel in the night, surrounded by the lights of Paris. Now, with Covid-19 in full control of our existential lives, we can actually sit in a moving aircraft that takes us soaring. Well, not quite. We will not soar over all the wondrous things Disney offers but, like Disneys Soaring, well not be on a real departure/destination flight in the traditional sense. Both Disneys Soaring and a non-destination flights soaring offers the same thing the flight experience which we seem to miss dearly these days. We must hand it to the airlines for innovation and creativity. Covid-19 has brought to bear innate features of the air travel experience we never gave a thought to before the pandemic struck. Airline food, which most of us considered unpalatable, bland and even disgusting, is now being sold on the ground to high demand. The journey by air, which we thought was being undertaken to go from place to place either for business purposes or to fulfil our touristic desires to see foreign lands, has apparently had brought with it an inexplicable thrill devoid of either of these purposes. It is reported that Singapore Airlines is planning to start flights to nowhere for flyers who have been missing the experience of flying. The move is aimed at boosting revenues for the airline, which, according to a recent Reuters report, plans to cut 4,300 positions, or around 20 percent of its staff, as business takes a hit due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Straight Times reported that the airline will start and end its flight at the same airport (Jewel Changi Airport) and fly approximately three hours to give the passengers the feeling and experience of a flight. There are attendant features involving an actual flight between two separate points offered in the package: The airline is also to include partnerships with hotels to offer staycations, shopping vouchers at Jewel Changi Airport and limousine service to ferry customers around. Others have been quick to follow. Moneycontrol News records: EVA Air, one of the biggest carriers in Taiwan, recently operated a no-destination flight on Father's Day (August 8) in Taiwan. Korean airline Air Busan operated a no-destination flight with a select group of passengers on September 10. The flight took off from Gimhae International Airport, travelled over multiple areas of the country, including Pohang, Seoul, Gwangju and Jeju Island, for nearly two hours before returning to Gimhae. The same report says this is all to satisfy flyers itch. At its most rudimentary level, this new development brings to bear the teleological deconstruction of the purpose air travel was meant to fulfil from an originalists point of view. If one were to refer to the driving instrument of international civil aviation The Chicago Convention the Telus or purpose of aviation is to promote friendship and understanding among the people of the world. In modern parlance, this phrase could translate as promote connectivity between nations. Clearly, the airlines are operating no destination flights to replenish their drastically depleted coffers in pandemic times. Promoting connectivity is far from this objective. Of course, the airlines have to survive. There has been no known legal provision to specifically cover a non destination flight. From a legal perspective, the key issue would be the airspace over which these flights will be operated. One would assume that the flights will hover over the airspace of the territory in which they take off. Territorial airspace is defined in the Chicago Convention as the airspace above the land area and territorial waters under the sovereignty, suzerainty, protection or mandate of the country (the latter being 12 nautical miles). If that were to be the case, any legal issue arising on board the aircraft in flight would come within the domestic jurisdiction of the State. This is all well and good for a domestic flight. However, if the no destination flight were to traverse the airspace of a foreign country: say, hypothetically the Singapore Airlines flight traverses Malaysian airspace the aircraft would have to comply with the laws and regulations of the State flown over. If a death or injury occurs on board the aircraft in such circumstances the laws of the State flown over would prevail notwithstanding the domestic nature of the flight. If a no destination flight would have an agreed stopping place outside the country of departure and destination, say, if a flight taking off from Jewel Changi, destined to return to the same airport stops in Kuala Lumpur for any reason as agreed in the passenger ticket, arguably, the flight could be defined as an international flight. In such an instance, both the Warsaw Convention of 1929 and The Montreal Convention of 1999 (which replaced the Warsaw Convention) which address issues concerning international flights define an international flight as one between two points in different countries or between the place of departure and the place of destination in the same country with an agreed stopping place in another country. There is no specific mention that the two places in the same country should be different. In definitive terms the no destination flights at first glace seemingly defy the very nature of a commercial airline, which is a common carrier. A common carrier was defined in 1925 in the United States in the case of Burnett v. Riter as one who engages in the transportation of persons or things from place to place for hire, and who holds himself out to the public as ready and willing to serve the public indifferently, in the particular line in which he is engaged. Here, from place to place presumably meant from one place to a different place but, in the absence of specificity, one could argue that from one place to the same place could also fit into the description. These are unprecedented times calling for a reinterpretation of the nuances of air transport. What seems to be going on with the emergence of new uses for aircraft and airline catering is that airlines are finding new and hidden markets hitherto untouched. If this is not disruptive innovation, nothing is. Dr. Abeyratne, a former senior official at the International Civil Aviation Organization, is currently an aviation consultant who teaches aviation law and policy at McGill University. BEIJING -- After a China-Europe cargo train left east China's Jinhua city for Baku in Azerbaijan on Thursday, an inbound train carrying 50 containers of polyethylene arrived in the coastal city of Xiamen the next day. With the new Jinhua-Baku route, the number of China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train routes starting in Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province, has increased to 12. The train from Russia's Tobolsk was the first return train fully loaded with bonded cargo to Xiamen, Fujian Province. As the coronavirus pandemic severely hits international transport, the China-Europe freight trains play a pivotal role in land transport among countries, as shown by the rising number of trains, opening of new routes, and the volume of goods. The China-Europe freight trains, first launched in 2011 in the southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, are running more frequently than ever this year ensuring trade and transport of epidemic prevention materials in both directions. They have been an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013. By the end of July, the China-Europe cargo train service had delivered 39,000 tonnes of goods for epidemic prevention, providing strong support to international COVID-19 control efforts, data from the China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. showed. The number of China-Europe freight trains hit a record high of 1,247 in August, up 62 percent year on year, transporting 113,000 TEUs of goods, an increase of 66 percent. Outbound trains carry goods like daily necessities, equipment, medical supplies and vehicles while inbound trains transport milk powder, wine and automobile parts among other products. By Aug. 20, Xi'an, a major city on the Silk Road Economic Belt, had launched 2,305 freight trains this year, transporting a total of 1.79 million tonnes of goods, 1.9 times and 1.8 times the number and volume respectively of the same period last year. Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province, has 15 international trunk freight train lines, covering 45 countries and regions in central Asia, western Asia and Europe. During the epidemic, the China-Europe freight train service showed how it could promote win-win situation that would be mutually beneficial. It also highlighted the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits embodied by the Belt and Road Initiative, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday. The China-Europe freight train has not only delivered to European countries anti-epidemic materials and daily necessities that are in short supply, but also shipped a large number of quality foreign products to China. "This is conducive to the resumption of production and the rapid economic restart of countries along the Belt and Road, providing a strong impetus to the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and bringing new opportunities for the recovery and development of the global economy," Zhao said. A number of Chinese provinces and regions have reported growth in foreign trade with Belt and Road countries. The China-Europe trains have accelerated the city's opening up, said Li Mingyuan, mayor of Xi'an. In the first half of this year, Xi'an's foreign trade grew 2.9 percent to reach 166.15 billion yuan (about 24.3 billion U.S. dollars). In the first seven months, central China's Henan Province saw its trade with Belt and Road countries increase by 28.8 percent year on year to reach 76 billion yuan. Trade between the eastern province of Shandong and countries along the Belt and Road hit 346.3 billion yuan, up 5.5 percent year on year, accounting for 30.4 percent of the province's total foreign trade. "Good connectivity is a hugely important factor facilitating growth in international trade. We believe that much of China's experience in terms of improving connectivity can be replicated elsewhere, to the benefit of trade, companies and local economies," said Jens Eskelund, vice chairman of European Chamber of Commerce in China and managing director of Maersk China Limited. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, from January to July, the non-financial direct investment of Chinese companies in countries along the Belt and Road reached 10.27 billion U.S. dollars, up 28.9 percent year on year. Every September, the charity Genetic Disorders UK runs its annual fundraising campaign, Jeans for Genes Day, to support children with genetic disorders and their families. It is estimated that one in 25 children is affected by a genetic disorder, of which there are roughly 6,000 different types. Genetic disorders can be caused by a mutation in one gene, or multiple mutations in multiple genes. As Jeans for Genes Day begins on Monday 14 September, heres everything you need to know about what you can do to support. What is Jeans for Genes Day? Launched in 1992, Jeans for Genes Day is the annual fundraising event organised by the charity Genetic Disorders UK to support children with genetic disorders. It takes place from Monday 14 September until Sunday 20 September. Since its inception, Jeans for Genes has raised more than 40 million to help children with genetic disorders. How can you take part? You can take part in the event in various ways. The Jeans for Genes Day website has plenty of resources for those who want to raise money for the event either at school or in their workplace. Typically, those supporting the event will wear a pair of denim jeans for the day while taking part in a number of fundraising activities, such as bake sales or raffles. However, given that we are in the midst of a pandemic, fundraising activities will be more limited this year. Hence why the charity is providing bespoke fundraising packs for those wanting to support the campaign that include tips on virtual and home-based ways to raise money and educate people about genetic disorders. Click here for more information on the resources that Jeans for Genes Day can offer to support your fundraising. How does the campaign support children with genetic disorders? Money raised by the Jeans for Genes Day campaign will fund the work of Genetic Disorders UK and provide grants to organisations for projects that aim to transform the lives of children with genetic disorders. The charity funds a lot of research into various genetic disorders, too, such as Acrodysostosis, a rare genetic disorder that affects multiple parts of the body and can result in skeletal issues, hearing loss, and developmental delay. How do genetic disorders affect the body? Depending on which genetic disorder you have, it can have a major impact on your bodily functions. Some are apparent at birth but others can be diagnosed at different stages throughout childhood, and sometimes into adolescence. Examples include Pfeiffer syndrome, which affects the development of the skull, adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency, which can make it impossible to walk or talk, and Treacher Collins syndrome, which is when someone is born without a jaw, cheekbones, or ears. You can learn more about Genetic Disorders UK here. Amid Pandemic, Chinese Officials Ordered Medical Supplies From Abroad, Then Sold Them for Profit A Chinese senior officials grandson says he participated in a scheme to hoard personal protective equipment and other medical supplies from foreign countries on behalf of corrupt officials in China, who then sold the products at a profit to local governments and eventually individuals seeking to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Jiang Pengyong initially agreed to the scheme because he thought he was contributing to the nations epidemic response. He said procured the goods through his Shenzhen-based e-commerce company, Shenzhen Jipingyong Tech Co., which has an office in South Korea and where Jiang is based. Huang Zhongnan, his broker in China, told Jiang that the medical supplies would be donated to frontline healthcare workers or ordinary citizens who needed it to fend against the spread of COVID-19. But Huang later revealed that the medical supplies were handed off to officials in government and foundations, who sold them for a profit. After Huang no longer needed to purchase medical supplies from overseas, Jiang received a notice that Chinese government authorities in Suzhou city were suing him for committing contract fraud. Jiang decided to go public with his story to unveil the corruption in China. The masks that Jiang Pengyong bought in South Korea, and the conversation records between Jiang and Huang Zhongnan, a broker for Red Cross China, in February 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times) Scheme In January, as the CCP virus outbreak became severe in China, Huang, a broker for Red Cross China, approached Jiang and asked him to help purchase medical supplies from foreign countries. Red Cross China, unlike its international counterparts, is directly funded and operated by the Chinese regime. It was previously involved in a local corruption scandal in 2011. Jiang was aware of Red Cross Chinas unsavory reputation. But at Huangs insistence, he finally agreed. The epidemic was very severe I felt that it was my duty to help my people, he said. Chinese medical staff in Wuhan, the epicenter of Chinas outbreak, was short on PPE during the height of the epidemic. Meanwhile, the central government was allocating funding to local governments and charities to procure medical supplies, ostensibly to give out to people in need. According to Jiang, Huang was a broker for the Zhejiang provincial branch of a major charity; branches of Red Cross China; and several local governments in Zhejiang. Through Huangs company, Enbo (Hangzhou) Industrial Company, acting as the government vendor, local governments would purchase three million surgical masks from Jiang at the unit price of eight yuan (about $1.16). The contracts were between Huangs company and Jiangs company. An official document from the Wujiang district health commission in Suzhou City, issued to allow Jiangs PPE orders to be shipped, on Feb. 7, 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times) Local governments would pretend that they were purchasing the supplies in order to donate to charities. But in reality, Huang later told Jiang in late January, he would sell the masks to local branches of Red Cross China and other charities at a higher price, at 35 yuan apiece ($5.06). The profits would be shared between the government officials, Huang, and Jiang. Jiang provided copies of text messages on popular messaging app WeChat between him or his staff and Huang to arrange the shipments, as well as purchasing orders between Huangs company and local government entities. For example, one dated Feb. 1 and issued by the center for disease control and prevention in Jianggan district, Hangzhou city, confirmed the shipment of overseas purchased medical supplies between Feb. 1 and 4. He also provided copies of bank transactions between him and Huang for the supplies. Jiang thought it was dishonest to cheat the central government funding, but Huang convinced him that the plan was all approved by local governments. On paper, the transactions seemed legitimate. A Feb. 7 document from the Wujiang district health commission within Suzhou city stated that: to prevent and control the novel coronavirus epidemic, the Wujiang Health Commission entrusts the General Manager of Shenzhen Jipingyong Tech Company, Jiang Pengyong, to purchase PPE overseas. These PPE will be shipped to China by cargo air charters. The document was issued so that the shipments would be approved at customs and checkpoints along the transportation route. But Jiang eventually realized there was a deeper scheme. Jiang Pengyong visits a tourist site in South Korea in 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times) Shady Deals On Jan. 31, Jiang was scheduled to be at the airport in Seoul and waited to load a shipment of surgical masks to a dedicated aid plane. Huang told Jiang in a series of WeChat messages that these masks were ordered by the Zhejiang provincial branch of a major charity, for distribution in Wuhan city. But that day, Huang suddenly told Jiang to ship the masks to Hangzhou city (located in Zhejiang) instead as regular shipments, and not charity goods. This raised Jiangs suspicions. On Feb. 1, Huang asked Jiang to ship 3.5 million KF95 facial masks, a South Korean filter standard similar to the U.S. N95 mask rating. On Feb. 2, when Jiangs employee was ready to ship masks to China as aid materials, Huang said in a WeChat text to instead ship the PPE to a Chinese private company. Huang later revealed to Jiang that officials at Red Cross China and other charities were also in on the deal: they would sell different medical supplies to individual users in China at a profit. Jiang procured them at 6.5 yuan apiece ($0.94), but Huang teamed up with officials to sell them to people in China at 139 yuan ($20.10). The Epoch Times contacted each of the local health commissions Huang dealt with, as well as the Red Cross China branches that Jiang mentioned. They confirmed that Huang was their contact person but would not provide further details about their business dealings with Huang. Now Jiang is being sued by the police bureau at the Industrial Park district of Suzhou city. His business bank accounts in China have been frozen. He believes it is retaliation from local Red Cross China officials, after he wasnt able to complete some of the officials requests to purchase supplieswhich caused them to lose their down payments. No matter if you are doing business with them, or doing something against them, you need to pay a heavy price, he said. Lucknow, Sep 14 : Hindi is undergoing a transition with the changing times. Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world but has lost its sheen due to the extent to which English has been promoted in the last few years. The use of difficult words in Hindi books has made the language complex. However, the situation is changing and young writers have started writing stories in simple Hindi, which has greatly expanded the readership of the language. As publishers have also given preference to young writers, a new picture has emerged. Within a few months, the books of these authors have became best-sellers. Not only this, it has also put forth a clean image among the readers. Just as readers are eager to meet the English writers and click photographs with them, there is a craze for the new breed of Hindi writers among the readers. These new faces are the pride of every literary festival today. Apart from writers, publishers too have endeavoured to take Hindi to newer heights. Rajkamal Publication, Rajpal Publication, Vaani Publication, Hind Pocket Books, Hind Ugham and Redgrab books have targeted the youth, which has proved to be a milestone for the promotion of the language. Moreover, these publishers have published quality Hindi books, similar to that of English books. Hindi has started off on a new path, though this is just the beginning. The long haul still remains. New authors on the block also pay attention to their looks and sales along with writing, and also promote their books to the fullest. On the occasion of Hindi Day, we are telling you about such authors and their literary works. Young writer Kuldeep Raghav writes romance and love stories. With books like 'I Love You' and 'Ishq Mubarak', he has cemented his place in the hearts of the young readers. His books have been instantly picked up by youths, making him a "best-seller" on Amazon. Interestingly, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to confer him with 'Hindustani Akadami Yuva Lekhan' award. Writer Bhagwant Anmol, who has been awarded the Balakrishna Sharma 'Naveen' award 2017 by the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, is also known for his different style of writing. His books 'Zindagi 50-50' and 'Bali Umar' are quite well-known. The best-selling writer Bhagwant in 'Bali Umar' brought out childhood memories in full display and the book wormed its way into the hearts of readers. Writer Naveen Chaudhary's novel 'Janta Story' also grabbed attention. Chaudhary brings to life student politics stories from the 20th centuary's last decade and love stories blossoming in between. There are a dozen writers who are working diligently to take the Hindi literature towards its golden age. Another writer Satya Vyas, in his book '1984', left an imprint in the readers' minds, which talks about a love story during the anti-Sikh riots in India. The hero of the book, Rishi, himself turns a rioter while saving his lover's family from miscreants. Similarly, novels like Divya Prakash Dubey's 'Musafir Kaif' and 'October Junction' were appreciated by readers all over the country. His recently released book 'Ibnebatuti' has also earned praise from the readers. The crime-based book 'Naina' by Sanjeev Paliwal can be discribed as a good example of 'simple language and interesting content'. Stories like 'Dark Horse' and 'Aughad' by Nilotpal Mrinal, Ankita Jain's 'Aisi Waisi Aurat' and 'Bahelie', Nishant Jain's 'Ruk Jana Nahi', Anu Singh Chaudhary's 'Neela Scarf', Anushakti Singh's 'Sharmistha', Vijay Sri Tanvir's' 'Anupama Ganguly Ka Chautha Pyar' are also quite famous among the Hindi readers. (Vivek Tripathi can be reached at vivek.t@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Polaris Bank said its newly introduced Polaris Pearl account will equip women entrepreneurs with the requisite knowledge, skills, and support to run their businesses profitably. The bank announced that following from its interaction with women across the country, it has discovered that most of them are unable to access finance to either stabilize or scale up their businesses mainly because of a lack of awareness on how to leverage bank funding to drive and sustain profit. It notes that this finding is contrary to the popularly, but erroneously held view that unavailability of finance is the main challenge facing the average business woman. Speaking further on the benefits of the Polaris Pearl Account, the Banks Group Head, Products and Market Development, Mrs. Adebimpe Ihekuna, explained that lack of proper guidance on access to opportunities is also a major hindrance to women in their entrepreneurial ventures. We have carefully designed Polaris Pearl Account for women or groups of women entrepreneurs who initiate, organize, and operate a business enterprise to fulfill an existing need for the purpose of making profit, she said. Furthermore, she affirmed that with Polaris Pearl, Women Entrepreneurs do not only have access to collateral-free loans but are also regularly supported in understanding vital aspects of business development such as business training, business tips and positioning for new opportunities. We also support them with requisite skills on emerging local and global trends that may impact their businesses. She also said that many women entrepreneurs who have embraced the Polaris Pearl product have so far enjoyed numerous incentives such as business name registration, health check, business plan development, and a host of other value-adding benefits. Speaking on the value proposition of the Polaris Pearl, the Banks Acting Managing Director/CEO Mr. Innocent Ike, explained that Polaris Bank is a member of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and hence a critical stakeholder in the global conversation about gender inclusion and women empowerment especially in enhancing their access to finance and business opportunities. He explained that the empowerment of Nigerian women constitutes one of the six pillars of Polaris Banks corporate citizenship and Sustainability focus. Polaris Pearl account can be opened through the Banks account opening portal or visit any of our SurePadi agents in your neighbourhood, as well as any Polaris Bank branch closer to you. Polaris Bank is a future-determining Bank committed to delivering industry-defining products, and services, across all sectors of the Nigerian economy. A US Marine convicted of killing a Filipino transgender woman has been deported after a presidential pardon cut short his jail term. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton said he was extremely grateful to president Rodrigo Duterte for pardoning him. He also expressed his most sincere sympathy to the family of Jennifer Laude, who he was convicted of killing in 2014 after finding out that she was transgender in a motel northwest of Manila. During his five-year confinement, Pemberton said he spent much time contemplating the many errors he committed the night Ms Laude died. He wishes he had the words to express the depth of his sorrow and regret, Pembertons said in a message ahead of his departure, which was issued by his lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores. Philippine immigration officers and American personnel escorted the 25-year-old Marine, who was in handcuffs and wearing a face mask, from his cell in the main military camp in metropolitan Manila to the airport, where he boarded a military aircraft. The US Embassy said all legal proceedings in the case took place under Philippine jurisdiction and law and that Pemberton fulfilled his sentence as ordered by Philippine courts. On Monday, Mr Duterte granted an absolute and unconditional pardon to Pemberton in a move that caught many by surprise and was condemned by left-wing and LGBTQ groups. Debate has brewed whether the Marine, whose detention was arranged under the treaty allies Visiting Forces Agreement, can be covered by a Philippine law that grants shorter jail terms to ordinary prisoners for good conduct. The Regional Trial Court in Olongapo city, which handled Pembertons case, ordered authorities to release him early from detention for good conduct, but Ms Laudes family appealed against the order, blocking the marines early release. The court order rekindled perceptions that American military personnel who run afoul of Philippine laws can get special treatment under the allies agreement, which provides the legal framework for temporary visits by US forces to the country for large-scale combat exercises. 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 Ms Laude and her friends at a bar in Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife outside Subic Bay, a former US navy base. Ms 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 Ms Laude after discovering she was transgender. In December 2015, a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder that 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. PRESS ASSOCIATION A federal judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for a neo-Nazi podcaster who promoted and attended a white nationalist rally in Virginia that erupted in violence three years ago. U.S. District Judge Norman Moon said Texas resident Robert Azzmador Ray has been in total disregard of court orders in a lawsuit against him and other far-right extremists and groups associated with the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Moon agreed to hold Ray in civil contempt of court and ordered him to be arrested and brought to Virginia, where the judge said Ray would be jailed until he is questioned under oath by attorneys for the lawsuits plaintiffs. The court ordered Ray to appear on a video conference earlier Monday for a deposition by plaintiffs lawyers. It was the third time he has failed to show up for a deposition. Unfortunately, Mr. Ray has not seen fit to appear today as ordered or has taken any steps at all to comply, the judge said. I see no alternative but to issue a bench warrant for Mr. Rays arrest. Ray already is wanted on a criminal charge stemming from a torchlit march through the University of Virginia on the eve of the rally, plaintiffs lawyer Jessica Phillips told Moon. A warrant for Rays arrest was issued in June 2018 after a grand jury indicted him on a felony charge that he illegally used pepper spray on counterprotesters during the march, according to Phillips. Phillips said it is unbelievably galling that Ray has been active on social media and posting his podcasts online while defying court orders and withholding a trove of documents relevant to the litigation. Ray would be the second defendant in the civil case to be jailed after being held in contempt of court by Moon. Elliott Kline, who served as leader of a white nationalist group called Identity Evropa, was briefly jailed in January for failing to comply with court orders. Violent street clashes broke out in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, before a man fascinated with Adolf Hitler plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman. Lawyers for victims of the Charlottesville violence sued several rally organizers and participants, who claimed to be protesting the citys planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Ray didnt immediately respond Monday to an email seeking his comment on the judges decision. Integrity First for America executive director Amy Spitalnick, whose civil rights group is backing the lawsuit, said Ray was central to the violent conspiracy that led to the death of Heather Heyer and injuries to other counterprotesters. Our suit makes clear that there will be serious consequences for this racist violence and that no matter how these defendants try, there is no running from accountability, Spitalnick said in a statement. Ray hosts a podcast and has been a frequent writer for The Daily Stormer, an influential neo-Nazi website created and published by Andrew Anglin, who also is a defendant in the lawsuit and hasnt participated in the case. The October 2017 lawsuit, which is set for trial next year, said Ray exhorted the websites readers to attend the rally and had a planning meeting with event organizers in Charlottesville a day before the street violence erupted. Ray referred to the rally as a war and not a party, Phillips said. Having thousands of nationalists come out for this rally will put the fear of god into the hearts and minds of our enemies, Ray and Anglin wrote in one post, according to the lawsuit. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Robert Ray was indicted on a single felony charge, not multiple criminal charges, in Virginia. Senate Bill 892, Make rules for semi-autonomous personal delivery devices ('R2D2'): Passed 22 to 16 in the Senate To establish regulations allowing semi-autonomous personal delivery devices to make deliveries on roads and sidewalks. The bill defines these as devices for transporting cargo on sidewalks or on the side or shoulder of a roadway with the remote support and supervision of a human. The bill would require that a human operator monitor the device and be able to promptly take control. It establishes that these are not vehicles subject to licensure, prescribes required safety equipment and specific rules-of-the-road (and sidewalks), addresses user liability issues and more. Local government regulation would be preempted, but local authorities could choose to ban the devices, with some exceptions. 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y Senate Bill 171, Let high school students avoid language requirement and more: Passed 67 to 38 in the House To repeal a provision of the law establishing high school graduation requirements that requires school districts to report to the state each year the number of students who did not complete a language requirement but instead took career and technical courses or visual or performing arts courses that are allowed as an alternative. The bill also makes permanent a temporary provision allowing students to avoid part of the language requirement by taking a career and technical education program. 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 5085, Let veterinarians consult on marijuana and CBD for animals: Passed 107 to 0 in the House To require state health care regulators to create rules that would permit a veterinarian to consult with an animal owner on the use of marijuana or CBD oil on an animal. 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 5699, House Bill 5699, Decriminalize driving without having license in possession: Passed 106 to 0 in the House To repeal the criminal sanctions for driving without having a drivers license in the driver's possession. The bill would instead make this a civil offense subject to fine. 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 4483, Create model cursive handwriting instruction program: Passed 106 to 0 in the House To require the Department of Education to create a model program of instruction in cursive handwriting, and invite but not require schools to use it. 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 4488, Limit using criminal background to bar occupational licensure: Passed 106 to 0 in the House To further limit the use of criminal records to determine whether an individual is eligible to get an occupational license mandated by the state, which is required to earn a living in many professions. Specifically, with some exceptions, a licensing board or agency could not consider past civil judgments or lawsuits against an individual as evidence of a lack of good moral character, and also could not consider a criminal conviction, in and of itself, as conclusive evidence of this. This would not apply if the individual was convicted of a felony that is explicitly listed in statute as a disqualifying offense for the particular license, or the offense was directly related to the licensed profession. 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Newaygo County Y 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit MichiganVotes.org. Permission to reprint this legislative summary in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that MichiganVotes.org is properly cited. Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting On September 14, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), posted a tweet on its official Twitter handle, featuring a cluster of tightly packed stars from a distant galaxy. In the stunning picture, Twitter users can see 100s to 1000s of stars packed closely together and shimmering. Most of the brightest stars in this picture appear to be emitting blue and orange colours, while the backdrop of space appears to be dark brown in colour. This breathtaking picture was snapped by none other than NASA and European Space Agencys (ESA) Hubble telescope and was posted on NASAs official website nasa.gov on September 11. This @NASAHubble image of red and blue stars shows a globular cluster with stars packed 100 to 1,000 times more closely than in our part of space. The data used to create this image is helping astronomers understand how stars evolve and ultimately die out: https://t.co/JF3DbtYhE5 pic.twitter.com/hXBwgPv70a NASA (@NASA) September 13, 2020 Read | NASA's Hubble Telescope Snaps Picture Of A Mysterious Titled Galaxy Where are these tightly packed stars located in Space? According to a report on the space agencys website by NASA editor Rob Garner, this tightly packed group of stars are located near the edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It is located at the distance 158,200 light-years from Earth. The cluster of blue and orange stars featured in the breathtaking Hubble image is from the globular cluster NGC 1805. This young globular cluster is more clearly visible from the Dorado constellation, which is a constellation in the southern sky. Dorado was named in the late 16th century. Today it is one of the 88 modern constellations. Dorado in Portuguese means a swordfish. Read | NASA To Buy Moon Resources Mined By Private Companies; Transfer Of Ownership Before 2024 One of the more peculiar features of globular clusters is that they contain stars that are born around the same time. But the NGC 1805, is very bizarre and does not seem to adhere to the rule like other global clusters. The NASA report states that this particular cluster might be the host to two different populations of stars, hence their ages might be millions of years apart. The reason that astronomers marvel at the opportunity to study this kind of clusters is that it helps them to understand how stars evolve and how they age. This will also reveal the factors that determine whether a star will end its life as a white dwarf or explode like a supernova. Read | NASA Launched First Ever Mercury Spacecraft Atlas 4 (MA-4) On This Day In 1961 How was Hubble able to snap the picture? The stars featuring in the picture orbit closely to one another, just like bees swarming around a hive. The centre of the cluster is extremely dense and stars in this area are 100 to 1,000 times closer to each other than the nearest stars are to our Sun. Hence, it can be only be imagined as this point, how different their planetary systems would be to ours. Read | On Anniversary Of Kennedy's 'Moon Speech', NASA Invites Students For Interactive Programme What catches the attention of a viewer in this image is the striking difference in the colours of these stars. Some stars appear to be blue while shining brightest in near-ultraviolet light, others are red and are illuminated in near-infrared. Space telescopes such as Hubble are able to not only spot but also observe these stars in the ultraviolet because they are stationed above the Earths atmosphere. Earths atmosphere tends to absorb most ultraviolet light, making these celestial views inaccessible to the ground-based facilities of NASA. New Zealand will lift coronavirus restrictions across the country on September 21, except in its biggest city Auckland which is the epicentre of a second wave of infections. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Aucklands restrictions would be reviewed next week. She also said it was decided to immediately ease all physical distancing requirements on planes and other public transport. OSLO, Norway, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Norway's gambling law is far-reaching and very strict on advertising and providing online gambling. But how legal is it when applied to the rest of Europe? With casinos able to operate on a regional basis, offering services to players in each legal jurisdiction, it's possible Norway's law may not be legally applied when in other jurisdictions - if the EEA decides similarly to the NAV case. Within Norway itself, Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the only two companies licensed to offer gambling services to Norwegian citizens. Any casinos listed on Casinotopplisten are operating in other jurisdictions outside of Norway that can freely offer gambling to any residents of a particular jurisdiction - for instance residents in Sweden can gamble at a casino licenced in Sweden for that purpose. Legislation is ordering banks to block payments The story in Norway is different, however - legislation goes so far as to order banks to block access to card payments for casinos and gambling establishments, even when located in another country. Given the huge scandal in court regarding social security payments to citizens visiting other countries in the EEA, could it be that the gambling law restrictions are also illegal, just like this revocation of payments was? Complaints have been made to EEA court in the past regarding Norway's gambling laws, but so far the country hasn't budged. With growing pressure within the country aiming to push through changes in the law, arguing that revenue is being taken out of the country and that players will be pushed to black market casinos without proper legislation, it remains to be seen whether the government's plans to strengthen their current model will run foul of EEA law again - as it fundamentally disagrees with it. Further scrutiny of these laws, or any legal challenges that might succeed, stand to have a huge knock-on effect in future when it comes to Norwegian gambling legislation. There are two possible outcomes should further tightening of restrictions come in force: either the discrepancy in law and ability to apply it across non-Norwegian jurisdiction will remain in force, or the country's laws on this issue will be declared illegal. In the NAV case, this resulted in overturning of prison sentences and refunds of incorrectly-seized funds. With estimated numbers on foreign websites offering gambling to the Norwegian market standing at between 1.7 - 2 billion NOK in 2019, the financial implications could be immense. CONTACT: Per Gunnar Olsen per.gunnar.olsen@casinotopplisten.com +452660 8652 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/casinotopplisten-com/r/is-norway-breaking-the-eea-agreement-with-their-ban-of-online-casinos-,c3193647 FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal & General America (LGA), a top ten U.S. life insurer, awarded Nyraysia Robinson, Stockton University junior majoring in environmental science, its annual $10,000 Life Lessons Scholarship. This scholarship, part of non-profit Life Happens' annual program, recognizes students like Robinson for their perseverance following the loss of a parent or guardian with little to no life insurance coverage. "With this scholarship, I'll be able to continue to keep my promise to my dad to achieve a higher education," said Robinson. Robinson's life turned upside down when she lost her father to illness. In the wake of his death were medical bills, other debt and a young woman wanting to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming a wildlife biologist. While her mom has worked hard to overcome adversity, the financial strain still exists. "The greatest peace of mind a person can have is protecting the things that really matter and ensuring those who depend on you are taken care of, " said Mark Holweger, President and CEO of Legal & General America. "We are proud to award this scholarship to Nyraysia, who persevered through a very difficult time and is determined to succeed in her studies and beyond." Through its annual Life Lessons Scholarship Program, Life Happens recognizes students through scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, to help pay for their college education. The program started in 2005 and has awarded roughly $2,200,000 to nearly 615 students. LGA has worked with Life Happens for over 10 years on the program. "Reading these students' stories serves as a reality check for many and reminds us of the importance of life insurance, especially for families. It's not for you, but for those you leave behind. All of us at Life Happens are truly honored to play even a small part in these student's lives. This has been a truly outstanding year for the program with $345,000 being awarded thanks to the support of our sponsors like Legal and General America," said Andrea Englert, manager of Consumer & Industry Programs at Life Happens. Notes to editors About Legal & General America Legal & General America (LGA) is part of the worldwide Legal & General Group. For over 70 years, the Legal & General America companies have been in the business of providing financial protection through life insurance for American families. The Legal & General America companies are Banner Life Insurance Company and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York. With more than $62 billion in new coverage issued in 2019, LGA is ranked in the top ten of U.S. life insurers and ended 2019 with in excess of $784 billion of coverage in force with 1.3 million U.S. customers. LGA shares Legal & General's independent financial strength ratings: A+ Superior from A. M. Best and AA- Very Strong from Standard and Poor's and Fitch. For more information, please visit www.lgamerica.com. About Life Happens Life Happens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products. The organization does not endorse any product, company or insurance advisor. Since its inception in 1994, Life Happens has provided the highest quality, independent and objective information for people seeking help with their insurance buying decisions. The organization supports the insurance industry by providing marketing tools and resources and convening the industry each September for Life Insurance Awareness Month. Life Happens is supported by more than 140 of the nation's leading insurance company and financial services organizations. To learn more, visit lifehappens.org. Legal & General America life insurance and retirement products are underwritten and issued by Banner Life Insurance Company, Urbana, MD and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York, Valley Stream, NY. Banner products are distributed in 49 states and in DC. William Penn products are available exclusively in New York; Banner does not solicit business there. The Legal & General America companies are part of the worldwide Legal & General Group. SOURCE Legal & General America (LGA) Related Links https://www.lgamerica.com ABC NewsBY: BILL HUTCHINSON and MATT GUTMAN, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- As the FBI joined a massive search for a gunman who ambushed two deputies, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he's worried about more attacks on law enforcement officers and is warning members of his agency to watch each other's back. The two deputies, both shot multiple times as they sat in their patrol vehicle Saturday night, were listed in stable condition on Monday in a Los Angeles hospital after undergoing surgery, officials told ABC News. The search for the gunman went into its third day Monday and Villanueva told ABC News that he has sheriff's deputies on heightened alert for a repeat attack. This is going to cause us to be a lot more concerned about when we approach vehicles when were out there on the streets," Villanueva said. We have everybody paired up in two-man vehicles now. So, were going to have to be watching out for each others back out there on the streets." Villanueva said his department is using all the resources it can muster in the search for the gunman, emphasizing the urgency to identify the dangerous suspect and get him off the streets before he's able to strike again. The FBI announced it is lending resources to the manhunt and "stands ready to assist in response" to the attack. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Sunday authorized a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman. The shooting unfolded about 7 p.m. local time on Saturday as the sheriff's deputies sat in their marked patrol vehicle near the Martin Luther King Jr. Transit Center in Compton, authorities said. Surveillance video released by the sheriff's department showed an individual dressed in black shorts, a dark jacket and wielding a pistol walk up to the patrol vehicle and open fire without warning through the passenger-side window. The shooter, who authorities said is believed to be Black and 28 to 30 years old, ran to a black four-door sedan and sped away, authorities said. As the gunman fled, the surveillance video showed the patrol vehicle's passenger-side door open and one of the wounded deputies, described as a 31-year-old mother of a 6-year-old child, stumble out. Villanueva told ABC News that despite being shot four or five times, including once in the jaw, the female deputy walked around the patrol vehicle to help her 24-year-old partner, who suffered gunshot wounds to his forehead, arms and a hand. She goes around the car, applies a tourniquet to him to stop the bleeding. She gets on the radio and shes calling for help and shes having a hard time because she cant speak very well," Villanueva said. In a recording of the female deputy's desperate radio call for assistance, she is heard saying, "I've been shot. Send help." The wounded officers were rushed to St. Francis Medical Center, both initially in critical condition, and immediately underwent surgery, officials said. Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the ambush as a "cowardly, horrific act" and offered prayers for the recovering deputies. During a campaign rally in Nevada Sunday night, President Donald Trump said his thoughts are with the wounded sheriff's deputies, "who were fighting for their lives when a vicious criminal walked up to their vehicle and shot them at point-blank range." Protesters quickly gathered outside Francis Medical Center following the shooting, some heckling deputies congregating near the emergency room entrance. One protester who livestreamed the event shouted expletives at the deputies, saying, I hope they f------ die. Josie Huang, a news correspondent for the Southern California Public Radio station KPCC/LAist, was detained by sheriff's deputies while at the hospital reporting on the ambush shooting and trying to document the arrest of a protester. In a series of Twitter posts, Huang wrote, "I was filming an arrest when suddenly deputies shout 'back up.' Within seconds, I was getting shoved around. There was nowhere to back up." Sheriffs officials allege that Huang was taken into custody on suspicion of obstruction of justice and "interfering with a lawful arrest." A sheriff's department spokesman said Haung did not have proper credentials identifying herself as a journalist. Huang disputed the statement, saying her press credentials were hanging around her neck. She said her camera continued to record after she was forced to the ground. She said that on the footage she can be heard repeatedly identifying herself as a reporter, shouting "KPCC" and yelling, "You're hurting me." Huang was taken to the womens jail at the Century Regional Detention Center and released about 4 a.m. on Sunday. "These are challenging and stressful times for everyone, but Josie Huang was arrested while doing her job. The charges should be dropped," KPCC said in a statement. "Her arrest is the latest in a series of troubling interactions between our reporters and some local law enforcement officers. Journalists provide an essential service, providing fair, accurate and timely journalism and without them, our democracy is at risk." Tensions have been running high in the area and protests have occurred nearly every night outside the South Los Angeles Sheriff's Department substation since the Aug. 30 death of Dijon Kizzee, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by two sheriff's deputies. Deputies pursued Kizzee for allegedly riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle laws, authorities said. Following an altercation with the two deputies, Kizzee allegedly dropped a gun and was shot multiple times, officials said. Kizzee's family has called for the deputies involved in the shooting to be identified and prosecuted. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Psychosis is a condition that affects the way our brains process information. In this condition, one might see, hear or believe in things that are not real. If you put the definition this way, then it follows logically that all religious people are psychotic in some respects. This is because they induce a condition based on shared illusion. In this condition, they have information from specific books or platforms which affects the way their brains work: They believe in things that are not real like witchcraft, demons, devils, miracles, juju money, rituals, prayers and such non-science/nonsense. These people also see things that are not real, like ghosts or demons and so on. These things are often seen in their dreams and are not supported by any reality whatsoever; however, it does not make any difference whether the things they see are in their dreams or not. Their dream state is reality enough for them. Because based on their dreams, they can accuse others of being witches or demons or devils and harm them. They also hear voices often urging them to act in a certain way. They are also led by pastors or prophets or mallams who might be equally deluded or simply naive enough to believe in themselves as possessing spiritual powers to alter the destiny of others. Meanwhile, they have nothing and can affect nothing. Sadly, they have a basket of tricks up their sleeves to convince the gullible people that God has sent them to take their money. Salifu Amankwah, upon hearing the shooting death of the wife of a so-called spiritual son, declared unashamedly that he prophesied her death several times and advised the couple several times of the fate about to befall them. Yet he could not save them. After making these vainglorious pronouncements, he used the same platform to urge everyone attacked by witchcraft to come and see him to be delivered. These people are not smart enough to ask themselves why they could not save their spiritual sons and daughters. There was another so-called prophet attributing the pastors murder to occultism while condemning those criticizing the pastor for his action. In his vainglory and self-aggrandizement, he could not decipher his own hypocrisy. Whenever these so-called men of God make their utterances, it is as if the spirit makes them too stupid to see the internal contradictions in their own declarations. The joke is upon all these Ghanaians who have chosen to believe in these mountebanks and have as a result gone bonkers. How cool is it for all these deviants and academic failures with ambition without prospects to go through a few weeks of Bible school and then assert the right that God speaks through them and has commanded them to collect money in his behalf? Even the best of them are still lying to the people, spawning psychosis in themselves and in the population, They know for a fact that no God has ever spoken to them. They know that their prophecies are trickery and showmanship and lies. They know that they are selling excrement to the people as healing concoctions. And they also know that if they accuse people of witchcraft, they are simply lying to break up families and to empower and enrich themselves. They know for a fact that they daily rise to concoct new lies to defraud the population. And yet they have continued in their wickedness in order to have the good life while impoverishing the many. From the beginning of time, there has been nothing like a true prophet or a true religion anywhere because these notions are terms in contradiction as far as religion is complete superstition and therefore palpable lies. And the very few among these pastors and prophets that cannot handle the falsehood, like the pastor in Orlando, eventually break down and commit heinous crimes against themselves or others. While researching for this paper, I realized to my shock that these prophets/pastors and serial killers compare favorably in terms of the frequency of people they murder or maim or hurt. They are also freely committing adultery against their followers and cheating them of their rightful inheritance. Indeed, very few of us have any recollection of any good pastor or prophet anywhere. And the scandals we daily read support the notion that they are all evil. And so what do we mean by fake pastor or fake prophet? Insofar as everybody that claims to have heard the voice of God is either sick or lying; insofar as there cannot be any spiritual healing or demons or witches or heaven or hell or any supernatural power on earth, all those invoking these so-called powers are liars and therefore fake. And they are destroying the whole country by spawning psychosis in the peopleconvincing people to believe in things that are not real. Some years ago, the psychiatric association of Ghana came out to declare that a substantial number of Ghanaians suffer from mental diseases. What they failed to acknowledge is the underlying causes of this mental disease that is so widespread among the people. The psychology association of Ghana also came out recently to state that religion underscores a lot of depression in the population. But that report was poopooed by many and never taken up for debate. What people dont get is that 95% of the Ghanaian population are religious in one way or the other; and actually believe in witches and spirits and demons. On account of their religion, they have acted out their faiths and beliefs in all kinds of ways, catching old people, step daughters and maidservants and lynching them or inflicting substantial harm on them; neglecting their parents and paying huge sums of tithes to the churches; spending hours upon hours in unproductive activities, praying loudly and speaking in tongues in the mosques and churches; purchasing oils and concoctions from these pastors ostensibly to facilitate their trips abroad; or just finding some people to kill for juju money and so on and so forth. So all the symptoms of psychosis are present in our religious fervor notwithstanding where we are or the level of our education. A Ghanaian might free himself of the palpable lies of these so-called men of God and still maintain a residual faith in the Bible; in God, or in the spirits, thereby rendering himself still psychotic and gullible or vulnerable. We dont yet have any Ghanaians that are atheists, those that have straddled the last bastion of free thinking and completely jettisoned superstition and are living in total reality. And that is very troubling. There a few that may now be moving towards religious criticism and possibly free thinking, with the advent of the cogent teachings of Avram Ben Moshe and his acolytes. Still, there is no evidence to conclude that the typical Ghanaian is moving away from his impregnable religious grounding. And as long as a smidgen of religious thought remains in the psyche of the people, they are victims of psychosis and will take their fantasies as their reality. Dr. Samuel Adjei Sarfo, Esq/ Email: [email protected] Matua Primary School is marking te wiki o te reo Maori with a history lesson at Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve. The sound of Tui rang out on Monday as children, parents and staff from Matua Primary School were welcomed onto the Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve by Ngai Tamarawaho. Every year the school makes the short journey to the Otumoetai Pa site to listen to local kaumatua recount the colourful stories and rich history of the area. Principal of Matua Primary School, Marcus Norrish says they went down to the Otumoetai Pa today to celebrate Maori language week and learn a little bit about the local landmark, the Otumoetai Pa. Its part of the process of learning about tikanga Maori and the importance of local landmarks here on the Matua peninsula, such as the Otumoetai Pa. The children sat and listened to Ngai Tamarawaho kaumatua, Des Tata, share a brief history of the Otumoetai Pa, its fertile lands, the plentiful moana (harbour), and the wars that were fought over it. He spoke of the many fruit trees that once dotted the area, which were planted by the early missionaries. Principal Marcus Norrish with Ngai Tamarawaho kaumatua Des Tata. Im always happy to be here. Its our responsibility as the tangata whenua of this rohe (district) to help our kura (school) realise what they are sitting on in this area here in Matua, says Des. That is the main point for the school; to know where they are, who we are and also the pohiri (Maori welcome) process. When asked by teacher Jeremy Hantler whether Otumoetai Pa Historical Reserve is important, a group of students agreed with a resounding yes. There were lots of wars around here and many people fought for their land in this area, says one student. Another student felt the place was special because they got to learn about the history of the land. The children ended their special outing at the Pa by singing waiata out over Tauranga Moana harbour towards Mauao. An information plaque at the Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve. Teacher Jeremy Hantler with some of the children from Matua Primary School. Although some people are very aware that Elon Musk knows a thing or two about anime, some people actually find it hard to believe. Aside from the memes that Elon Musk posts and his knowledge of anime culture, there is evidence that the tech CEO could be a bit more involved than that. Back in January of 2019, Elon Musk was spotted casually wearing a Kakegurui t-shirt! For those who don't know, this is a popular Japanese anime that Elon Musk seems to be following since he is wearing a t-shirt of this anime. What is Kakegurui and how could Elon Musk enjoy this anime so much? Kakegurui is a well known Japanese manga series that was previously written by Homura Kawamoto and was well illustrated by Toru Naomura. It started as the sensation known as Square Enix's Gangan Joker all the way back in March 2014. A new prequel spin-off manga known as the Kakegurui Twin started serialization of the Gangan Joker back in September 2015. This anime television series adaptation by Mappa then aired all the way in Japan from some time in July all the way to September of 2017. The live-action drama adaptation then later on aired in Japan back in 2018. A second season was then released titled Kakegurui and aired back all the way in January to March of 2019. In North America, the manga has then been licensed for a whole new English language release that was made by Yen Press. The anime series has also been licensed and also streamed by Netlix somewhere out of Japan. Read Also: Here's How to Get Elon Musk to Wear Your T-Shirt! Learn More About What the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Loves to Wear Weeblon Musk or Elon-Chan? In a series of Tweets, Elon Musk was really happy to reveal his love for a few anime and go beyond by expressing his desire to actually build a mecha! Elon Musk started off by Tweeting on October 14 that he really loved that Makoto Shinkai's well-known movie Your Name then, later on, expressed his love for Studio Ghibli movies like Spirited Away as well as Princess Mononoke. Great. Also love Princess Mononoke. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2018 Most people proceeded to respond by renaming him Weeblon Musk or even Elon-chan. Following these nicknames, he then replied by saying that it is finally "time to create a mecha". It is time to create a mecha Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2018 Aside from those obvious technical challenges that are behind building something of this magnitude, what's pretty cool is that Elon Musk spelled mecha correctly. Also, if there's one person capable of creating a real-life mecha, that person would indeed be Elon Musk. Elon Musk being spotted wearing a Kakegurui shirt as well as claiming that he wants to build a mecha certainly certifies just how much the tech CEO actually knows about anime and it's in no way disappointing. Read Also: Elon Musk's Favorite Games Include Saints Row 4! What Other Video Games Does He Like? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Urian Buenconsejo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Turkeys swift outreach to the coup makers in Mali has fueled questions as to whether the ongoing rivalry between Turkey and France played a role in the Malian military coup that ousted the countrys embattled president in August. Paying a visit to the former French colony on Sept. 10 before the dust of the Aug. 18 coup settled, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with the members of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People set up by the putschists. Protests that paved the way for the coup that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse escalated after the controversial elections held last spring. Guided by Mahmoud Dicko, an influential imam, the Malian opposition groups joined forces and planned a massive rally to overthrow the government on Aug. 19. Yet acting early, the military junta seized power a day before the critical protest. Regardless of their support for Turkey or opposition to France, the Malian people have had plenty of reasons to take to the streets, including ill governance, nepotism, corruption, poverty and mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. The country has been struck with violence, with the northern provinces including Kindal, Gao and Timbuktu falling into control of separatists and turning to jihadi enclaves. The public distrust has grown further as the government failed to contain the insurgency. The countrys UN-sponsored war on terror that costs some $1 billion annually has failed, enabling violence to extend to the capital, Bamako. The reconciliation talks between the countrys Tuareg-led rebels and the government have also collapsed. Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse was kidnapped ahead of the controversial elections in which the turnout rate remained at 35%. The countrys highest court announced the victory of 31 candidates who had reportedly lost the elections. Opposition groups joined forces under a united front to challenge the government. Many Malians including Dicko, who had previously supported Frances military interventions against the Islamists who seized control of the north turned against Paris, blaming it for the deepening crisis in the country. Dicko accused France of trying to exploit the country's war against jihadists to recolonize the Western African nation, with many Malians considering Keita Frances man in Bamako. Dicko also believed that Cisse had been under the protection of Paris. Yet Dickos hostility toward France doesnt necessarily mean he is pro-Turkey, especially given his educational background in Saudi Arabia. Hailing from southeastern province of Timbuktu, the heart of African Sufism, the cleric studied religion at Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Despite his Wahhabi foundations, Dicko is positioning his religious position as a blend of the Malian national culture, traditional values and Sufism. Still, Paris considers him a Wahhabi who is in dialogue with jihadists. Turkey has been drawn into the allegations surrounding the Malian coup through Dickos ties with Turkey. Dicko had reportedly helped Ankara to secure land in Bamako for a Turkish-sponsored mosque. The cleric has also had ties with Turkeys Islamic National Outlook movement, from which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed. Yet such nonorganizational ties between Islamic groups are not unusual, and the movement has had similar ties with other Islamist movements across the world. Thus, regarding these ties as an indication of possible Turkish involvement in the Malian coup seems far-fetched. Furthermore, although arguing Malis historical ties with France have prevented Turkey from deepening its ties with the Western African nation as much as Ankara wants, Erdogan used to maintain good relations with Keita. Turkey opened its embassy to Mali in the capital Bamako in 2010. Erdogan paid his first trip to the country in 2018. Yet despite its efforts, Turkey has failed to gain enough influence within the Malian establishment and civic society to change the course of events, holding much less influence than France. Moreover, there are no apparent ties between the Malian military coup leaders and Turkey. The leader of the junta, Col. Assimi Goita, received training from the Pentagon, Germany and France. When Goita had been kidnapped by militants in 2012, Dicko had been helpful in his release. Goita is reportedly one of Dickos proteges. Meanwhile, two other junta leaders, Sadio Camara and Malick Diaw, have reportedly strong ties with Russia. Camara is said to have taken a break from his training in Russia and returned back to his country just 15 days before the coup. Diaw also received training in Russia. Thus, some see Russian fingerprints in the coup. Retired Gen. Fanta Mady Dembele, who supported the coup, is said to have ties with Germany. Turkey, in turn, doesnt hold any sway over the countrys military, with its contribution to the countrys security limited to only two police officers. The number of UN peacekeepers in Mali is around 13,000, in addition to 5,100 soldiers dispatched by France. However, one can still see a conflict of interest between France and Turkey over Mali. Erdogan has snapped at French colonialism in many of his speeches about Africa. In an interview last September, he lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron for visiting Mali. What business do you have in there? he said, noting that 95% of the Malian population is Muslim. The pro-AKP media, for its part, has spotlighted the large support of the coup and their criticism of ECOWAS a regional economic alliance for shutting their borders and suspending their trade ties with Mali. Frances condemnation of the coup and its call on the UN Security Council for an emergency meeting are fueling the claims that the riots and the coup have carried anti-French sentiments. France had been the first country to reach out to the military leaders in Mali after the 2012 military coup. This time, it was Turkey. This may have two different explanations: Ankara views Malian actors opposing France as allies, or it simply doesnt want to miss the opportunity to establish ties with the prospective Malian leaders. Malis natural resources, including gold, copper, nickel, phosphate, manganese, uranium and lithium mines, are increasing the appetite of Turkey. Trade between the two countries, the worth of which has increased to $57 million from $5 million in 2003, is still below the desired level. Turkey is aiming to boost economic and political ties through humanitarian endeavors and active diplomacy. Meanwhile, Cavusoglus meeting with the junta leaders can be seen as the legitimization of the military coup. During his visit, Cavusoglu stopped short of publicly reiterating Turkeys deep concerns, which were expressed by the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the immediate aftermath of the coup. After his meeting with Goita, the Turkish minister said Turkey would help the Malian people return to civilian and constitutional order. Frances responsibility in Malis descent into unrest might be creating a power vacuum, which Turkey is eager to fill. However, failed French policies that ignored the country's other problems for the sake of the war on terror for the past eight years do not secure Turkeys success. Moreover, France would not risk its stakes in Mali and Sahel region. Indeed, the French ambassadors meeting with the Malian military leaders only six days after the coup and the French Foreign Ministrys statement expressing support for the Malian people indicate that Paris has already adjusted itself to the new situation in Mali without panicking much. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14 2020 With its rich spices and endless regional variation, Indonesian cuisine is everything you want it to be comfort food after a long day, cure for homesickness in a faraway land or even just your everyday lunch. Based on his findings when doing research for his book Gastronomi Brand, author Irwansyah said both Indonesian students and expatriates still thought of Indonesian food as just nasi goreng (fried rice) and rendang (meat slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices). In my experience as a student at the University of Hawaii, even when we are thousands of miles away from Indonesia, we will always be on the lookout for noodles, Indomie in particular, he said in a webinar hosted by the International Relations Alumni Family of the University of Gadjah Mada (KAHIGAMA) and the Indonesian Gastronomy Community. 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 Attorneys for the Postal Service wrote in a court filing that the flier was intended to help voters seek out information about the rules in their state. The mailer also encourages voters to contact your election board to confirm local rules and deadlines, to add postage to the return envelope if needed and to mail your ballot at least 7 days before Election Day, according to a photocopy included in Colorados lawsuit. Mr. Pompeo announced the emergency on May 24, 2019, and the stalled weapons deals moved forward, including the sale of some 120,000 bombs and bomb parts to the Saudis and Emiratis. But no updated civilian casualty mitigation strategy or legal analysis was carried out before the equipment was shipped, according to the inspector generals report. Released this August, the report said that although Mr. Pompeo did not violate the law in declaring an emergency, the State Department had failed to take proper measures to reduce civilian casualties and the associated legal risk. Notably, the public section of the final report did not include a recommendation from an earlier draft: The department should update its analysis of legal and policy risks related to selling bombs to the Saudi coalition, according to text obtained by The Times. The language of that recommendation was edited and moved to the classified annex after pressure from department officials. The day Mr. Pompeo declared the emergency, he also promoted Mr. String to be the State Departments top lawyer. From that position, Mr. String tried to pressure Steve A. Linick, the inspector general, to drop his investigation, Mr. Linick said in congressional testimony this June. Mr. Strings office also handled the redacting of the report, while R. Clarke Cooper, the current head of Political-Military Affairs, pushed to classify the most significant material after he had been an interview subject in the investigation. This May, Mr. Pompeo pushed Mr. Trump to fire Mr. Linick. Since the emergency declaration, which applied to only the sales last year, the Saudis and their partners have sought to buy more American bombs. About $800 million in orders is now pending, held up in the same congressional review process that had frustrated Mr. Pompeo and the White House. The Emirates announced last summer that it was withdrawing most of its forces from the grinding war in Yemen, but it continues to fight in the Libyan war. The police in Lagos State have arrested six suspects over the killing of one Kayode Olorunroba in Alagbado area of the state. Police spokesperson in the state, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Sunday, said the deceased was shot dead on Thursday at at AVID Sharwama spot in No 3, Werewere Street, Alagbado. The incident occurred on 11/09/2020 at about 9.30 p.m. when the deceased had an altercation at the spot with another customer, who is now at large. After the shooting, Kayodes friend and witness, one Okikiola Kazeem, m, who had earlier called him (Kayode) to join him at the Sharwama spot, refused to report the incident to the police, but rather took the deceased to a herbalist in Ogun State where they extracted the pellets. He later took Kayode to his brothers house at Ipaja Area, Lagos State, where he gave up the ghost, the police said. Mr Adejobi, a superintendent of police, said officers were mobilised to hunt for the suspects linked to the killing and six of them were arrested. The arrested suspects are: Chimezie Amaechi; the owner of the Sharwama Spot, Okikiola Kazeem; the deceaseds friend and suspect, Olayinka Oyedokun; the Manager of AVID bar, Femi Victor, Taiwo Morokola, and Omole Wasiu. These suspects are giving useful information that can assist the police in the investigation, Mr Adejobi said. Given the directive of the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, the case has been taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) for discreet investigation, the police spokesperson said. TDT | Manama Bahrains Ambassador in Berlin Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla received Foreign Relations Committee member in the German Parliament Nikolas Lobel. The meeting was held at the embassys headquarters. The two sides discussed ways to promote bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Germany and to move them forward in all areas. In addition, a number of other topics of common concern were talked about. WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday agreed to rename Grand Rivers post office after Andrew Ace Nowacki, a Grand River police officer and U.S. Marine Corps lance corporal who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005. A graduate of Lyndhursts Brush High School who resided in South Euclid, Nowacki was working as a the gunner on a Humvee, protecting a truck convoy in the Anbar region, south of Baghdad, when he died at age 24. His family set up a memorial scholarship fund in his name to assist public safety and nursing students. Nowacki joined the Grand River Police Department in 2001, and was part of its ready response team, honor guard and bike patrol. Andys commitment to community, dedication to service and desire to help others is something we should forever honor, and his sacrifice is something we should never forget, said Bainbridge Township Republican Rep. Dave Joyce, who introduced the measure for the name change. The House of Representatives passed his bill on a noncontroversial voice vote. By renaming the Grand River Post Office after him, we can help ensure Andy will forever be remembered by the community he cared so deeply for and contributed so much to," Joyce continued. "I thank my colleagues here in the House for helping me preserve the legacy of a true American patriot and urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the same. Read more: President Trump honors September 11 rescuer from Ohio at commemorative event CMHA gets $8.2 million federal grant to help homeless during coronavirus pandemic Greater Cleveland RTA gets $15 million federal grant to buy new railcars Ohio Senators Portman and Brown divided over new coronavirus bill that would pay unemployed $300 a week Global warming and development contribute to more frequent Northeast Ohio floods, experts say Sherrod Brown faults the CFPB and banks for not letting borrowers know about mortgage relief during coronavirus pandemic Rep. Jim Jordan probes DC drive to rebrand public facilities named for officials criticized as racist Sen. Sherrod Brown seeks Treasury Department sanctions against Russia for trying to undermine Joe Biden in 2020 election 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 A pregnant mother-of-three was homeless and injecting $500 of heroin and meth every day at the height of her drug addiction - and has now lived to tell the story of her journey to recovery. Single mother Lindsey Kaye Jones, 31, from Augusta, Georgia lives with her 13-year-old son Cameron and twin daughters, Maci and Mackenzi Jones, born in 2018. For years, Lindsey was hooked on several substances, which included cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and her addictions rendered her homeless. The mother who first became addicted to cocaine aged 16, would do anything to get her fix. In 2018, pregnant with Maci and Mackenzi, she kept using during her first trimester, however, guilt pushed her to find help to fight her addiction. Two years on, Lindsey is now a stable mother-of-three helping others overcome their drug addiction. Single mother Lindsey Kaye Jones, 31, from Augusta, Georgia lives with her 13-year-old son Cameron and twin daughters, Maci and Mackenzi Jones, born in 2018. For years, Lindsey was addicted to several substances, which included cocaine, heroin and oxycodone For years, Lindsey would do anything to fund her addiction, which saw her shoot $500 of heroin and meth into her system everyday. Here she is pictured in 2010 while high on mushrooms and oxycodone Lindsey, who is the oldest of four siblings in her family, was raised by a military dad who served in the Army, and had to move home every few years due to her father's job. She struggled with low self-esteem and high anxiety due to the 'traumatizing' life changes, having to constantly move to new environments during her childhood. She described her home as emotionally abusive, because her parents placed high and 'unrealistic' expectations on her, facing constant criticism and humiliation, causing her to never feel like she was good enough. 'There was very little praise or validation, constant criticism and humiliation,' she recalled. The mother-of-three was arrested several times for driving under the influence at the height of her addiction 'I never felt like I was good enough as I was and that I needed to do everything perfectly in hopes of finally receiving the approval I so desperately wanted. 'Love was also very conditional, so I learned from a young age how to manipulate certain things to get certain results. 'My mother seemed to try to overcompensate for my dad's harsh nature, which would eventually breed some major enabling and co-dependency issues between us.' At ten-years-old, Lindsey started self-harming and was later diagnosed with depression after her parents brought her to see a psychiatrist. Lindsey pictured in 2010. The mother-of-three was addicted to several substances and spending all her money on drugs The mother with a pregnancy test in 2018, when she found out she was pregnant for a second time. She kept using drugs during her first trimester Lindsey was motivated to look for help during her second pregnancy after she felt guilty for taking drugs while pregnant. Pictured: With her daughters the day she 'graduated' from rehab 'On one side, I was being devalued, beaten down emotionally, and always trying to make this person proud of me or love me, which never allowed me to figure out or explore who I was and what I liked or wanted to do. 'On the other side, I had someone who would do everything for me, "save me" from the consequences of my actions, and one parent who never really allowed me to make mistakes to learn and grow from.' Lindsey started drinking alcohol at the age of 12 and two years later, tried marijuana for the first time. By 16-years-old, she was addicted to cocaine and would experiment with all types of drugs on the market, including ecstasy, pain medication and Xanax along with drinking alcohol and smoking weed. Lindsey with Maci and Mackenzi in 2020. The mother-of-three is now two-years clean and is helping others to overcome their drug addiction The mother-of-three with her daughters in 2020. Lindsey explained she came from an abusive family, which led her to taking drugs The mother-of-three passed out on heroin and Xanax at the height of her addiction, with bruises from the injections on her arms Lindsey would fuel herself with cocaine to finish up her high school projects, and that was when she realized drugs took a hold of her life. In 2007, Lindsey was given doctor prescribed pain killers after giving birth to her son, Cameron, via C-section and became hooked on them. Over the next few years, Lindsey would consume as many oxycodone pills as she could get her hands on to keep her from going into withdrawal as her drug addiction spiraled out of control. She was living in hostels and became a prostitute so she could earn enough money to fuel her drug addiction. The mother-of-three, who was rendered homeless by her addiction, resorted to petty theft like shoplifting to support herself Lindsey's shoplifting started when her son was three-years-old in 2010. Pictured: a mugshot from an arrest in 2010 By 2018, Lindsey was injecting heroin and taking oxycodone regularly to feed her habit, injecting up to $500 worth of drugs every day. Lindsey overdosed over 14 times in 2013 alone and found herself slumped against the bathroom floor of her home for several hours at a time. Recalling the moment her drug addiction spiraled out of control, Lindsey said: 'I was 17-years-old at that time and I was up late one school night finishing my senior project that was due at school the next day. 'I had some cocaine that I had gotten earlier that day and up until that point, I had really just been using it socially and I was still able to put it down when I wanted or needed to. Lindsey pictured pregnant with Maci and Mackenzi, two weeks before she headed to rehab to kick her addiction When Lindsey was pregnant with her twins, pictured with their mom and brother, she was still using drugs, however she has since turned her life around in order to be a good mother 'Since I was going to be up late, I figured I'd do a little bit just to help me stay up and stay focused. 'After that first line, this intense and overwhelming compulsion kept taking over and compelling me to do "just one more line" until it was all gone. 'In 2007, I was prescribed pain pills after giving birth to my son via C-Section. 'By 2010, I was snorting as many oxycodone pills as I could get my hands on just to keep from getting sick and going into withdrawal. 'By 2012, I was injecting heroin and oxycodone regularly and doing whatever I had to do to feed my habit. On some instances, she was rushed to hospital but became angry and furious at staff. In 2013, Lindsey crashed the front of her car after driving under the influence of heroin and Xanax The car's front side after the accident. In 2013, Lindsey overdosed 14 times and would get angry at hospital staff for saving her 'I remember being so angry, crying and screaming out, "Why didn't you just let me die?"' 'Before entering treatment in 2018, I had been injecting $500 worth of heroin and meth every single day for the past few years. Since 2008, Lindsey attempted rehab but would do the 'bare minimum' to get her family and the court on her side again - but would eventually return to her vices. In 2018, Lindsey fell pregnant with her twin daughters but continued using high amounts of heroin and meth during her first trimester. Lindsey in 2017 when she was addicted to heroin, Xanax, oxycodone and meth. At the time she was living in hotels and prostituting herself to fund her habit However, the guilt consumed her and she reached out to an old support group to try and kick her drug habits once and for all for the sake of her unborn children. On 15 December 2018, Lindsey gave birth to two healthy baby girls, Maci and Mackenzi, and realized she finally had a 'purpose' in life and a reason to live again. Lindsey has now been sober for more than two years with no plans of going back to her old life. She now works at the treatment center that aided her in her recovery and has helped to start 12 drug recovery groups in her area to give back to her community. Her self-esteem has also improved tremendously and she now has better relationships with her friends and family. She said: 'Since finding recovery, my life has changed in ways that I never imagined possible. 'On top of being a newly sober single mother to newborn twins, I accomplished more in that one year at Hope House than I had in my entire life. 'I got my driver's license back after it had been suspended for five years and I got a car. 'I was allowed to rent a house in a much nicer and safer area than I qualified for at the time. 'I was hired to work at the same treatment center that never gave up on me and helped me acquire the necessary tools to maintain long-term sobriety. Lindsey with a neck guard in hospital after her 2013 car accident, which took place while she was high on several substances (left). The mother-of-three pictured in 2014, when her son Cameron was seven and she was still an addict (right) Lindsey pictured with Maci and Mackenzi shortly after their birth. Lindsey said the addition to her family gave her a newfound sense of purpose 'My self-esteem is higher than it's ever been and I've learned to focus on making personal progress, rather than striving to achieve someone else's idea of perfection. 'I helped start up two new 12 step groups called Heroin Anonymous and Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous in my area. 'The relationships with my family are constantly improving and I am so grateful and so blessed to have a family that is so loving and forgiving, and who has never given up on me, despite everything that I have put them through. 'I have a strong and ever-evolving relationship with my Higher Power who has, thankfully, never left my side. I can give back and help others who are still struggling. 'I have worked hard to repair and build my credit so that my children and I have better options in the future. 'I set goals and I work hard at achieving them because I'm excited about what the future holds. 'I have integrity and I believe in doing the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do. 'I'm redefining who I am, what I deserve, what I want, and what I like and I'm learning how to set boundaries that support and protect those beliefs. 'I am a mother, daughter, sister, and friend that my loved ones are proud of and actually want to have around. In a few words of advice to others who are struggling with drug addictions, Lindsey said: 'My advice would be to simply just reach out! The mother-of-three proudly showing her two-years chip, which reads 'no more suffering,' and which she received after being drug-free for two years Lindsey in the rehab center when she was six months pregnant with her daughters in October 2018 'Join some addiction recovery support groups on Facebook. Find some local meetings that you would be willing to try out. 'Reach out to that person you see on social media who is open and honest about their struggles with addiction but has since found recovery. If opiates are your drug of choice, look into Medication-Assisted Treatment options, such as Suboxone. You don't have to commit to making any drastic changes that same day, but even for those of us who have managed to put some sobriety time together, just being connected to and surrounding ourselves with other people who have been exactly where we have been, is so important. They can understand exactly what we are going through is one of the most powerful and effective tools that we have to help us be successful in recovery. 'We can't do this alone and thank goodness we don't have to.' Like many people, Koffi Pierre Yao cannot afford his dream vehicle, the all-electric Tesla Roadster, which runs about $200,000. But unlike many people, Yao has the power to do something about it. No, he said, he doesn't intend on earning more money -- he plans on making the car cheaper. As an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware, Yao is working on the development of a next-generation battery that will power our electric devices longer and, potentially, make them more affordable and accessible. This work, funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research program, could revolutionize the energy industry as we know it. "If we can make this happen, it will be a paradigm shift," said Yao, an alumnus of UD's McNair Scholars Program. "We'll be taking a game-changing step." It couldn't be happening at a better time. The U.S. transportation sector produces nearly 30 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, meaning electric vehicles, if widely adopted, could slow the pace of climate change. So... what's the plan? To understand that, you first have to grasp the inner workings of a lithium ion battery, the rechargeable kind you'll find in a cell phone, laptop or, yes, electric vehicle. These batteries do their job by converting chemical reactions into electrical energy and, in order to work this magic, they are each built with two electrodes -- aka energy carriers. One of these carriers, called an anode, is typically made of graphite. What Yao and his team are attempting is an anode made instead of silicon, which can store and deliver as much as 10 times the energy. Imagine 350 watt-hours per kilogram, versus current, state-of-the-art options offering 200 watt-hours per kilogram. Translation: With this innovation, your cell phone would last beyond a day on a single charge and, once you factor in all the engineering details, your electric vehicle would be able to travel two or maybe even three times the distance before needing to be recharged. Because such a battery would be lighter, it would also be considerably cheaper. (No one can say yet exactly how much cheaper -- that will require a techno-economic analysis.) But there's a catch. Or, as Yao put it: "Everything good comes with a caveat." The problem with silicon is that, as a result of storing so much energy, it grows in volume as you cycle the battery. Whereas a graphite anode expands by a mere 10% at most, silicon expands a whopping 350% -- and all this expansion degrades the material. In other words, 50 to 100 charges in, your battery bites the dust. Yao said he believes the solution lies in a film that forms on the surface of the anode in most lithium ion batteries. If he can create a new-and-improved iteration of this film, one that allows for expansion while protecting against degradation, he will have solved the problem. "In layman's terms, this film will be plastic," Yao said. "It will be elastomeric, meaning it will stretch like a rubber band." While it might sound simple in theory, the work will be a bit more James Bond-esque in reality -- it will require an electrochemical process involving custom synthesis reactors for conducting chemical reactions that will form the engineered film. It will also involve a team of experts, including Ajay Prasad, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and former director of UD's Center for Fuel Cells and Batteries; Thomas H. Epps, III, the Thomas and Kipp Gutshall Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the director of UD's Center for Research in Soft Matter and Polymers; and three graduate students -- Rownak Jahan Mou, Gbenga Taiwo and Shane Nicholas Shearman. At the end of this partnership, if all goes to plan, the result will be a lithium ion battery that lasts for 10 years or 1,000 charging cycles. "This is a really exciting opportunity," said Mou, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "If we are successful with the silicon coating, this could open the door for still other materials to use, and even more battery options." This kind of innovative collaboration is one of the reasons Yao said he was drawn back to UD after earning his doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and doing postdoctoral work at the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago. The other reason? That's tough to define. "It's a personal thing -- a feeling -- that's hard to express," he said. "The University of Delaware is just the place for me. Something pulled me back here." Yes, he added, you could call it an energy. Just not the kind that will run out of charge any time soon. ### Two Oregon authors are launching books focused on complicated relationships this coming week. Though one is a novel and the other a memoir, both ask probing questions about love, happiness and agency. Joanna Rose launches her novel A Small Crowd of Strangers (Forest Avenue Press, 386 pages, $17.99) in a Powells Books virtual event starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in which she will discuss the book with Portland poet Susan Leslie Moore. Annie Blooms Books will host a virtual conversation between Rose and Portland author Stevan Allred at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. In A Small Crowd of Strangers, Pattianne is working at a library, dating a bar owner named Steven, and taking neither too seriously when life fetches her up against Michael, who soon proposes. Not until after Pattianne has said yes and found herself relocated from New Jersey to Minnesota for Michaels new job does she fully appreciate that she, a long-lapsed Christian, has married a devout Catholic from whom she feels compelled to hide her birth control pills. Journeys physical and spiritual populate this novel: Pattianne initially goes back and forth between Michael and Steven, then with Michael to the Midwest (where she works briefly in a Buddhist bookshop), then all the way west, to the edge of the continent. Michael gets as far as the Midwest but is continually going back east, his family and his faith pulling him in a direction Pattianne doesnt think she can follow. Without that willingness to commit, she finds herself drifting, until she finally clutches at a stray straw of a purpose that leads her to a new life. Tina Ontiveros launches her memoir rough house (Oregon State University Press, 192 pages, $18.95) in a virtual event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, thats hosted by Two Rivers Bookstore in North Portland. Shell appear in a virtual reading along with fellow memoirist DJ Lee. Ontiveros grew up primarily with her mother, but it was her father, Loyd, an itinerant and proudly self-reliant logger, who ended up defining her childhood in 1970s and 80s Washington and Oregon. Young Tina adored Loyd but also feared the abusive wolf that emerged from within him all too often. As she grew older, she began to pursue her own path away from him, but came to learn that one never really escapes ones past. This memoirs strength lies in Ontiveros' ability to detail carefully selected life experiences, detach herself from them to find larger themes and depict a bygone era of rural Northwest living. Here are more virtual author events this week. > Jessica Garrison presents The Devils Harvest: A Ruthless Killer, a Terrorized Community, and the Search for Justice in Californias Central Valley and Sarah Weinman presents Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession. 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, via Powells Books. Register here. > Local poets Gina Williams, Dan Raphael and Christopher Luna read from their collections: Williams' An Unwavering Horizon, Raphaels Manything and Lunas Message From the Vessel in a Dream. 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, via Annie Blooms Books. Register here. > Jordan Ifueko discusses Raybearer, a debut young adult fantasy, with Bethany C. Morrow. 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, via Powells Books. Register here. > The Books in Common NW regional literary event series presents a suspenseful evening with Chuck Palahniuk, wholl discuss his new novel, The Invention of Sound, and Grady Hendrix, wholl discuss his new novel, The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. Join here. > Rob Bell discusses Everything Is Spiritual: Who We Are and What Were Doing Here with Meegan Closner, Allison Closner and Natalie Schepman of the Portland band Joseph. 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, via Powells Books. Register here. > Northwest mystery authors Elena Taylor, Baron Birtcher and Kathleen Valenti read from their new novels: Taylors All We Buried: A Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery, Birtchers Fistful of Rain and Valentis As Directed: A Maggie OMalley Mystery. 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, via Annie Blooms Books. Register here. > Political analyst Tiffany D. Cross discusses Say It Louder!: Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy with Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation. 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, via Powells Books. Register here. awang@oregonian.com; Twitter: @ORAmyW This post is based on material that originally appeared in our free Saturday Bookmarks newsletter. Sign up here. A 26-year-old American woman who works for the US military has been blamed for being a COVID-19 'superspreader' after she violated quarantine and went bar-hopping, resulting in a spike in cases in a small town in the German Alps. Officials in southern Germany are considering imposing hefty fines against the woman linked to a cluster of coronavirus cases in the Alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, including at a hotel that caters to US military personnel. German media report that the woman, who lives locally and wasn't named, had visited several bars in the town last week despite having symptoms and being told to quarantine while waiting for her COVID-19 test result. The woman had just returned from a vacation in Greece and reported having a sore throat on September 7, according to Bild. She reportedly works at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, which is owned by the department of Defense and is reserved for members of the American military, their families and veterans, A COVID-19 cluster in the Bavarian resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen was caused by an American woman who refused to quarantine after reporting symptoms, according to local reports The woman, 26, is said to be an employee of the United States military Instead of staying indoors and waiting for her test results, however, she decided to go on a pub crawl, officials said. 'Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a model case of stupidity and an example for how quickly one can become infected,' said Bavaria's governor, Markus Soeder. 'Such recklessness must have consequences,' he added. 'That's why it's reasonable for the health authorities to consider, after carefully examining the case, whether to impose appropriately high fines.' Breaching quarantine rules can result in fines of up to 2,000 euros ($2,375), but further penalties and liability for damages are possible if others become infected or businesses suffer economic harm as a result. The woman, who wasn't named for privacy reasons, has been blamed for a spike in cases that pushed Garmisch-Partenkirchen above the threshold of 50 new cases per 100,000 in a week at which authorities are required to impose further infection control measures. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, these include a 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants and a rule that no more than five people can gather in public. The incident also affected the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort (pictured), which shut down completely for two weeks Monday after confirming that 'several staff members' had tested positive for COVID-19 The incident also affected the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, which shut down completely for two weeks Monday after confirming that 'several staff members' had tested positive for COVID-19. The resort said it is 'working with US Army medical professionals and local medical officials to assess the situation and conduct contact tracing.' 'Anyone who has visited the resort since September 3 should monitor for any symptoms and seek medical care if symptoms develop,' it added. A spokesman for the US European Command couldn't immediately comment on how many military personnel were affected. Germany's disease control center on Monday reported 927 new cases across the country in the past day. AND WE'RE BACK!!! Visit Cowtown From A Distance New website gives users a digital passport to explore Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There's a new way to find and visit hidden gems around Kansas City, Missouri. Maria Andrew launched the Go Explore KC digital passport on June 1. Users access the passport by creating an account on the program's mobile-friendly website. Once logged in, users can choose from different tours. Foodies Risk Pandemic Residents feeling safer going out as restaurant-related COVID outbreaks continue KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City's Health Department is planning the next part of its investigation after multiple COVID-19 cases trace back to a popular metro bar. Even though studies show eating and drinking at restaurants double your risk of contracting the coronavirus, people told FOX4 News they feel safe. Crafting Kansas City Electorate Kansas City brewery hosts voter registration drives Volunteers with Headcount would normally register voters at concerts and music festivals. With many large events canceled this year, they are hoping to reach voters at community events and local businesses, like Boulevard Brewery."When we do it at concerts there is a larger group of young voters so here we are able to reach more people that we aren't able to get at concerts," said Holly Nichol, the Kansas City Team Leader for HeadCount.Anna Nicholson moved back to Kansas this year. Tragic Demi Disclosure Demi Rose emotionally discusses losing both her parents at 24 If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org Demi Rose has emotionally discussed losing both her parents at 24 and detailed how she copes with her ongoing grief. Case Against Prez Trump Donald Trump Could Be on Trial Sooner Than You Think The People v. Donald J. Trump could go to trial sooner than you think. Here, according to the legal experts, is how Trump could become the first former president in American history to find himself on trial - and perhaps even behind bars. Veep Demands Ur Guns Biden pushes gun control less than 24 hours after attempted assassination on deputies Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday called for gun control less than 24 hours after two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were critically wounded in Compton after a gunman opened fire on their squad car in an apparent ambush. "Weapons of war have no place in our communities," the former Vice President tweeted. Internets Debate Mod??? Trump jumps on offer to have Joe Rogan moderate debate with Joe Biden President Trump on Monday jumped on an offer from mixed martial arts commentator and Spotify podcast host Joe Rogan to moderate a four-hour debate with former Vice President Joe Biden. "I do," Trump responded on Twitter to a post from Tim Kennedy, a retired MMA fighter. Pr0n Confronts New Pandemic The Porn Industry Is Headed for a Major Coronavirus Outbreak It is the best of times and the worst of times for sex workers. OnlyFans, Modetize, and other new platforms allow adult entertainers like myself to film, edit, and distribute our content. For the first time in porn history, girls are earning most of the profits. Big Picture COVID Politics Anti-Maskers Forced to Dig Graves For Covid-19 Victims In Indonesia At least eight people who have refused to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic have been forced to dig graves for people who died from covid-19 in the province of East Java, Indonesia, according to a report from the Jakarta Post. Brewing Local Help Border Brewing Co. kicks off Harvesters food drive KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Border Brewing Company is the latest business to gather donations for Harvesters amid the coronavirus pandemic. The brewery started its food drive on Sunday, and it will continue through Saturday. "With everything that everyone is going through right now, I think it is important that we all do everything that we can," Manager Jessica Bloom said. Royals FAIL History The Royals have been historically awful with the bases loaded In Sunday's rout over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Royals came to the plate with the bases loaded six times. Here's how they did in those situations. Overall, they went 1-4 with five runs scored with the bases full. Undoubtedly, they were the beneficiaries of a Pirate pitching staff that couldn't locate the plate to save themselves. This Week According To Erin Your Storm Track 5 Daily Forecast Patchy dense fog to begin your Monday. Mostly sunny skies and high near 78. Rain chances look very low this week with mostly sunny skies. A weak front will drop our temperatures a bit midweek. Stay connected with us at KCTV5 News. As usual, we try to take it easy on Monday but this morninga buttload of community news, pop culture and top headlines. Take a peek . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . Prices remain largely unchanged despite uncertainty on remote learning as part of many university courses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Dublin, the average cost of a room in a shared property is 680, up 0.3 per cent on the same time last year, while in other parts of the country, room rents are 462, up 2.8 per cent on average year-on-year. Nationally, rents for full properties rose by 1.2 per cent in the year to July but were largely unchanged in Dublin city, rising by just 0.2 per cent. The report also analyses the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector. It estimates current demand for PBSA units, using information on full-time enrolment levels by students home county and country. Across the four major cities - Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway there is an estimated need for over 50,000 student homes. Despite recent additions to supply, mainly in Dublin, the existing capacity of PBSA units is less than 33,000. Further, because of a large increase in the college-going age cohort as well as further increases in enrolment rates and international student numbers estimated demand for PBSA units is projected to increase to 64,000 over the coming decade. Advertisement For students preparing for the 2020/21 academic year, there is little evidence of any Covid-19 effect on rents. The third level institutions that have the five highest rental costs nearby are all based in Dublin, and the properties are all, on average, over 2000 a month. Trinity College: 2,756UCD: 2,737IADT: 2,557TUD: 2,479DCU: 2210 Trinity College Dublin economist Ronan Lyons, who wrote the report, said: For students preparing for the 2020/21 academic year, there is little evidence of any Covid-19 effect on rents. Indeed, in most market segments of interest to students, rents may if anything be slightly higher than last year. "Given large increases in rents in recent years, a year with largely unchanged rents is perhaps not the worst outcome for students. Substantial growth in student numbers over the coming decade largely driven by a natural increase in the college-age cohort means that the country needs significant construction of purpose-built student accommodation. Recent building has been concentrated in Dublin but the shortfall, of between 20,000 and 25,000 units, is spread around the major cities. New coronavirus cases announced, Prime Minister Arnous visits fire affected region, young girl hit with rubber bullets and refugees deported from UK. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend. 1. On Saturday evening, the Health Ministry announced that 30 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases have been registered in Syria, and that 15 patients infected with the virus have recovered, while two patients have passed away. The ministry said in a statement published by SANA that the total number of coronavirus cases registered in Syria has reached 3,506, of which 827 patients have recovered and 152 have passed away. 2. On Saturday, Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, heading a governmental delegation, inspected the areas which were exposed to fires in Hamas western countryside, according to SANA. The tour aimed at getting acquainted with the damage left by the fires and following up on the situation of the locals there. Arnous also visited the medical point in Freika in the al-Ghab area, which was provided with additional medical cadres during the fires to offer treatment and health services to locals along with fire brigades when needed and around the clock. 3. An eight-year-old Syrian girl was injured by two rubber bullets allegedly fired by a Greek soldier at the Turkish border on Sunday. The Associated Press reported that Turkish security forces were informed of nine Syrian migrants, including one child, who were injured, in the Meric district of the northwestern Edirne province, bordering Greece. Gazin Abdu, who had been injured by rubber bullets was referred to the hospital. Her 19-year-old brother Hazar Abdu told Anadolu Agency that they had arrived at the Greek border hoping to cross into Europe. 4. Eleven Syrian asylum seekers who were removed from the UK on a charter flight to Spain nine days ago and who were abandoned in the streets of Madrid have all returned to Calais, hoping to reach the UK once again, The Guardian has learned. One of the men who returned to Calais on Friday evening, said, We were left in the street after the UK Home Office deported us last Thursday. It was impossible to survive like this. Another member of the group, who fled the same area of Syria, said the 11 asylum seekers wanted to remain together. After I fled the war in Syria I had a very difficult journey. It took me two years to reach the UK but the Home Office finished everything for me in just one hour. I will keep trying to reach safety. My wife and children are still in danger in Syria. I want them to have a future. 5. A large number of Russian warships were recently tracked off the coasts of Syria and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean region, the Russian publication Avia.Pro reported. According to the online publication, experts are seriously concerned about the presence of at least 15 Russian warships and submarines off the coast of Syria. This is the first time such a large military formation has been seen here, which raises suspicions about whether Russia plans to engage in a special military operation against jihadists using the navy. In a photo shared on their site, the 15 Russian warships and submarines can be seen positioned between the island nation of Cyprus and nearby Syria, along with some ships north of Egypt and another near the central part of the Mediterranean. 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. Severn Trent have put their trust into our system after it proved itself in trials. They are leading the way in the market in terms of low-impact, sustainable wastewater treatment that enhances and protects the investment in existing infrastructure. said John McConomy, DuPonts OxyMem product line July marked a milestone for wastewater treatment in the UK, with the installation of 10 OxyMem membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) modules from DuPont Water Solutions at Severn Trents Redditch Spernal site in Worcestershire. This central treatment plant has thus become the largest MABR in the UK, all during a period of restricted access to the site due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plant processes wastewater from the surrounding catchment area as well as excess biosolids from satellite plants. Consideration for future population growth and tighter ammonia consents led Severn Trent to look for improved process efficiencies. Rather than expanding the plant, Severn Trent opted for an upgrade by converting it to an IFAS (integrated fixed film activated sludge) MABR system. DuPont OxyMem MABR modules were simply lowered into the existing anoxic zone on site, over a two-day period, to boost nitrification capacity of the current process. The advanced technology offers simultaneous COD and ammonia removal, with nitrification rates 2-3 times greater than MBBR technology at the design temperatures. This full-scale installation follows an extensive 12-month pilot trial at Severn Trents Minworth site on the northeastern outskirts of Birmingham. There, the OxyMem system proved its value, producing sludge at just 0.13 kg TSS/kg COD applied compared to the typical 0.3 - 0.4 kg of TSS/kg COD applied for activated sludge. Energy consumption was low and the aeration efficiency was 4.5 kg O2/kWh, two to three times more efficient than conventional technologies. Following the pilot and successful installation, Justin Silver, innovation project manager said, Severn Trent is excited at the potential for MABR technology as a cost-effective way to retrofit and upgrade activated sludge plants to meet tightening effluent standards and to cater for population growth. A major advantage of upgrading with DuPont OxyMem MABR modules is due to their plug and play nature, as the units can be easily lifted and lowered into place without the need to interrupt the process. Additionally, Severn Trent can install the modules which is particularly important during the current health crisis that has led to certain restrictions for external personnel to enter the site. The modularity of this self-contained solution means not only can it be easily dropped into place, but it is also scalable should needs change, said John McConomy, commercial director, DuPonts OxyMem product line. Severn Trent have put their trust into our system after it proved itself in trials. They are leading the way in the market in terms of low-impact, sustainable wastewater treatment that enhances and protects the investment in existing infrastructure. About DuPont Safety & Construction DuPont Safety & Construction is a global leader in delivering innovation for lifes essential needs in water, shelter and safety; enabling its customers to win through unique capabilities, global scale and iconic brands including DuPont Corian, Kevlar, Nomex, Tyvek GreatStuff, Sytrofoam, and FilmTec. More on DuPont Water Solutions can be found at https://www.dupont.com/water About DuPont DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food and worker safety. More information can be found at http://www.dupont.com. About Severn Trent Severn Trent is the UKs second biggest water company. It serves 4.4m homes and business customers in England and Wales. Its region stretches from mid-Wales to Rutland and from north and mid-Wales south to the Bristol Channel and east to the Humber. The company delivers almost two billion litres of water every day through 49,000km of pipes. A further 94,000km of sewer pipes take waste water away to more than 1,000 sewage treatment works. To find out more about Severn Trents performance in comparison to other water companies go to: https://discoverwater.co.uk/ http://www.stwater.co.uk @stwater 9/14/20 DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , or are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted. A young girl has been saved by a group of heroic neighbours after she fell out of a three-storey flat while being left at home alone in China. The four-year-old was spotted dangling from the window about 30 feet above the ground after she climbed out of her grandparents home in Jian, eastern Chinese province Jiangxi. A dozen local residents rushed to the childs rescue as they caught the falling little girl in mid-air with a duvet. A young girl has been saved by a group of heroic neighbours after she fell out of a three-storey flat while being left at home alone on Thursday afternoon in Jiangxi province, east China The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon after the young girl was locked at home alone by her grandparents who left to tend the familys shop, reported local media. The childs parents were both migrant workers who had been away in another city. While the girl was playing by herself at home, she accidentally climbed out of the three-storey flats window as she tried to look for her family. Media reports did not specify the buildings height but a typical three-storey flat in China is about 9 metres (30 feet) high. The young child was left dangling by the window sill when a neighbour suddenly spotted her and called for help. The resident later told reporters that he had heard the girl screaming and crying as he was taking the rubbish outside. Heart-stopping footage shows the little girl holding onto the window ledge as a group of residents standing in a circle while holding the covers. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon after the young girl was left at home alone by her grandparents who left to tend the familys shop, reported local media. She survived unhurt The child appeared to have lost all of her strength as she suddenly let go and slid down from the buildings exterior. She is seen initially landing on a roof extension on the second floor before losing balance and falling backwards. As the little girl plunging toward the ground, the group of neighbours raised the duvet together and caught her in mid-air. The youngster survived unscathed, a local official confirmed to reporters. Her grandfather is planning to install security grilles around their flats window to prevent such incidents from happening again. Tens of thousands of social media users praised the neighbours as heroes after the footage was widely shared online. One commenter wrote: 'My heart was pounding. She was caught safely at last. Thanks to all the kind and courageous neighbours!' Another one said: 'What a terrifying scene! Thank god they caught her. Last month, another trending clip captures the moment a Chinese mother dropped her five-year-old son from their three-storey flat after they were trapped in a blazing building. The young boy was caught by a group of neighbours with bed sheets. His mother was also saved after she climbed down to the second floor through a pipe and jumped onto the covers, reports said. International commercial flights to and from Saudi Arabia will resume from January 1 next year on the condition that all coronavirus-related precautionary measures are followed, state-run news agency SPA has announced. Completely lifting the restrictions on citizens leaving and returning to the Kingdom, and allowing the opening of ports for the crossing of all means of transport through land, sea and air ports, after January 1, 2021, while adhering to the current coronavirus precautionary procedures, the agency said quoting an official source of the Saudi Interior Ministry on Sunday. The specific date and time for lifting the suspension will be announced 30 days prior to January 1, 2021. The Ministry of Health may, should it be required, request to put in place certain preventative health requirements for travelers and carriers during travel, and in the halls of airports, ports, and stations, SPA added. the decision also identified some categories of Saudi citizens who are allowed to leave and return to the kingdom. The categories include Civilian and military governmental employees, assigned to official tasks, personnel at the Saudi diplomatic and consular missions as well as attaches abroad and personnel at the regional and international organizations, their families and companions, personnel at permanent jobs, in public, private or non-profit facilities, outside the kingdom, and those who have job tasks in companies or commercial institutions outside the kingdom. They also encompass participants in regional and international official sporting events, including players and members of technical and administrative staff, businesspersons whose business requires travel to conclude commercial and/or industrial activities as well as export, marketing and sales directors whose tasks oblige them to visit clients. The Gulf country in March closed its borders as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. Indian American jurist Amul Thapar is on President Donald Trumps shortlist for a Supreme Court nomination, in the event that a vacancy occurs. He currently serves on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. (commons.wikipedia.org photo) BEIRUT (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was not his place to pass judgment on the decision by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to re-publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, saying France has freedom of expression. BEIRUT (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday it was not his place to pass judgment on the decision by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to re-publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, saying France has freedom of expression. But Macron, speaking on a visit to Lebanon, said it was incumbent on French citizens to show civility and respect for each other, and avoid a "dialogue of hate." The magazine re-published the cartoons on the eve of a trial in Paris of alleged accomplices in a 2015 attack on the magazine's offices by Islamist militant gunmen in which 12 people were killed. When they were first published by Charlie Hebdo and other publications, the cartoons unleashed a wave of anger in the Muslim world. For Muslims, any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous. Before the attack on Charlie Hebdo's offices, militants online had warned the magazine would pay for publishing the cartoons. "It's never the place of a president of the Republic to pass judgment on the editorial choice of a journalist or newsroom, never. Because we have freedom of the press," Macron said. (Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Dan Grebler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 12:10:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Australian State of Victoria has announced an additional 3-billion-Australian dollar (2.18-billion-U.S. dollar) support package for businesses under COVID-19 lockdown, including tax relief and cash handouts. The move roughly doubles total state government support, as Victoria deals with a strict lockdown which has lasted since early August and is expected to continue for at least another month. "For our state to recover, we need our businesses to recover too. As we take our first safe and steady steps towards COVID normal, this support will help make sure we get through this together," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday. On Monday, the state recorded its lowest number of new infections since late June, with 35 confirmed cases. As part of the new business support package, over 1.1 billion Australian dollars (800 million U.S. dollars) in cash grants will go to supporting small and medium-sized businesses which have been most affected by the restrictions. Individual businesses can receive grants of up to 20,000 Australian dollars (14,500 U.S. dollars), while those in the hospitality industry will be eligible for up to 30,000 Australian dollars (21,800 U.S. dollars), due to their heightened exposure to the impact of lockdown laws. Payroll tax was deferred for most small and medium businesses for the full 2020-21 financial year and liquor licensing fees were waived for the full year of 2021. Efforts were also being made to assist businesses in adapting to the new online economic environment, with 44 million Australian dollars (32 million U.S. dollars) in support available for businesses to access the applicable software and training. Local exporters who have been impacted by the virus will be supported in addressing logistics and supply chain issues and establishing new export channels, under a 15.7-million-Australian dollar (11.4-million-U.S. dollar) export recovery package "Victoria is home to some of the best fresh food, wine, galleries and homewares in the world, but the pandemic has hit many small producers hard," a government statement said. "Businesses will be connected to international markets through virtual trade missions as well as assistance to adapt their export strategies to respond to the rapidly changing global market." Enditem New Delhi: A day after getting hold of Samajwadi Party's election symbol 'bicycle', Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav met his supporters in Lucknow where he reiterated that the relation between him and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav is still intact. Sources said that Akhilesh also accepted a list of 38 candidates sent by Mulayam. The list also includes the names of Aditya Yadav and Aparna Yadav. However, Mulayam's younger brother Shivpal Singh will not fight the election. Sources said that Mulayam himself is not going to field any candidates on SP's ticket. "We have a big responsibility. Our focus is on retaining power," Akhilesh said while interacting with journalists at his residence. Akhilesh also tried to dodge questions over a possible alliance with the Congress in the assembly elections. "Please wait for some time," UP CM responded after Congress offered to form a pre-poll alliance with the ruling party. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The American ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, announced on Monday that he would step down in early October after a tenure that paralleled a sharp deterioration in relations between China and the United States. Mr. Branstad, who twice served as governor of Iowa and was a crucial early supporter of Donald J. Trumps presidential candidacy in 2016, arrived in Beijing in the summer of 2017 with high hopes of using a personal connection to Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, to build stronger ties. Instead, he found himself on the front lines of President Trumps trade war and, by this year, a downward spiral of tensions that, to many, has heralded a new era of Cold War-like confrontation between the worlds two largest economies. Mr. Branstad, who is 73, did not say why he was departing now, only months before the presidential election, but it is not unusual for political appointees to serve only a single term. The Caribbean is now bearing the dire impacts of climate change: rising sea levels, increased ocean temperatures, busier hurricane season, lesser rainfall, and increased diseases. According to an ADB report, climate change poses a severe threat to Caribbean SIDS due to its size and location despite its low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. On Saturday, Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer for the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, presented the Virtual Island Summit's panel discussion on Climate Change, COVID-19, and the Caribbean. Civil Societies Role painted a grim picture. READ NOW: Climate Change: The Negative Effects on Human Health Dire Effects of Climate Change in the Caribbean In his presentation, Fuller cited the following: Temperatures have increased to one degree Celsius since 1960. The region has been experiencing a decline in rainfall over the last 100 years. The rains, however, are occurring in a shorter period but in more massive outbursts. Sea level rise occurred at a rate of two to four cm every ten years for the past 33 years. According to a report, a beach in Belize eroded vertically for more than 200 yards, washing out homes and inundating roads. He said that it is the same scenario all over the region and is bound to get worse. The trend poses a danger to the region's freshwater resources and its coastal population that is highly dependent on tourism and agriculture. Increasing temperature and lower rainfall will adversely affect agricultural production and threaten food security as rice, maize, and beans are likely to decrease production at 20 percent. The effect of climate change in agricultural production will cause more importation of food. The importation of food has made the Caribbean one of the world's most obese regions because of the processed foods they are consuming. Increase in hurricane activity across the region. The region has experienced 40 tropical cyclones in the last ten years. Twelve of which became a hurricane. Eight of the storms were intense with a category three, four, and five. Rise in vector-borne diseases. Trinidad, Tobago, and Barbados have the highest incidences of leptospirosis. READ ALSO: Ozone Pollution: Effects on Plant and Human Health Addressing the Issue of Climate Change in the Caribbean James Fletcher, the Managing Director and Founder of Soloricon, urged everyone to address climate change issues. He recommends the following actions to help curb climate change: Protect the Caribbean's land-based ecosystems Improve the land use plans taking significant consideration of where structures should be built and how it should be built. Buildings and high-density infrastructure in the shorelines will be flooded in 20 to 50 years due to sea-level rise and storm surge. Governments should invest in resilient public infrastructure and installing early warning systems. Lawmakers and key officials should adopt an evidence-based approach to policy-making. Empowering civil societies by providing them with more resources and provide spaces in which they are included in policy-making. ADB cites that the cause of inaction to climate change in the Caribbean is high. Loses related to climate change in the region could total US$ 22 billion annually by 2050, an estimated 10 percent of the current Caribbean economy. READ NEXT: Experts Warn of Future With Worse Natural Disasters Than 2020 Check out more news and information on Climate Change on Nature World News. By PTI NEW DELHI: The timely decisions taken by the government, including imposing a nationwide lockdown, helped in preventing approximately 37-38 thousand deaths due to coronavirus and 14-29 lakh people from getting infected, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday amid surging cases of COVID-19 in the country. Making a statement in Lok Sabha on COVID pandemic and the seps taken by the Central government, Vardhan said in India about 92 percent of the reported cases have mild symptoms, while oxygen therapy was required in 5.8 percent cases and intensive care in 1.7 percent cases. As on September 11, a total of 45,62,414 novel coronavirus cases and 76,271 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 1.67 per cent, have been reported in India, the Health Minister added. Asserting that the Central government undertook the COVID-19 challenge with the highest level of political commitment, he said the nationwide lockdown, a bold decision, undertaken by the government duly involving community, initiated as self-imposed 'Janta Curfew' as per the call given by the Prime Minister is testimony to the fact that India has collectively stood up to manage COVID-19 and successfully blunted the its aggressive progression. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES "It has been estimated that this decision prevented approximately 14.29 lakh cases and 37.78 thousand deaths," he asserted, adding more than 35.42 lakh cases have recovered, equivalent to 77.65 per cent of the total cases. "I wish to inform this house that the government is taking all necessary measures to prevent spread of the COVID in India," he said, adding that he was "daily reviewing the situation." The maximum cases and deaths from the infection have been primarily reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat. "All these states have reported more than 1 lakh cases," the minister said. As per the World Health Organization, there are more than 2.79 crore confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world and more than 9.05 lakh deaths, with a case fatality rate of 3.2 per cent, he said. With the endeavour to manage coronavirus through "a whole of government and a whole of society approach", India has been able to limit its cases and deaths to 3,328 cases and 55 deaths per million population, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly-affected countries, the minister said. ALSO READ | Bill to cut MPs' salaries by 30 per cent to meet COVID-19 exigencies introduced in Lok Sabha Many of the epidemiological parameters like mode of transmission and subclinical infection were still being researched, the health minister said. Noting that the increasing magnitude of the outbreak of these diseases in India called for a pre-emptive, proactive approach, the minister said,"where there was no indigenous manufacturing of PPE...today, we are self-sufficient and even in a position to now export". Asserting that a series of actions were initiated by the government to prevent entry and spread of the disease, he said, the group of ministers (GoM), under my chairmanship, consisting of minister external affairs, civil aviation has met 20 times since its inception on February 3, 2020. The government has also constituted 11 empowered groups on March 10 on different aspects of COVID-19 management in the country, he said. ALSO WATCH: A federal judge has struck down Pennsylvanias coronavirus pandemic restrictions calling them unconstitutional. Governor Tom Wolf had implemented limits on the size of gatherings and ordered people to stay home and for non-life-sustaining businesses to close in an attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19 infections. However, on Monday US District Judge William Stickman IV sided with plaintiffs that included hair salons, drive-in movie theatres, a farmers market vendor, a horse trainer, and several Republican officeholders who sued as individuals. Judge Stickman, an appointee of president Donald Trump, ruled that the Wolf administrations pandemic policies are overreaching, arbitrary and violated citizens constitutional rights. The judge wrote that the governors decisions were undertaken with the good intention of addressing a public health emergency, but even in an emergency, the authority of government is not unfettered. Many of the restrictions imposed by the governor have been lifted since the lawsuit was filed in May including the stay-at-home order. Businesses have also reopened, though capacity limits still apply and there are restrictions on alcohol sales in bars and restaurants. Indoor events are limited to 25 people and outdoor events to 250 it was argued in the case that this violates the First Amendment. Judge Stickman noted that limits on crowd size did no include exceptions for protests, though they had been allowed to proceed. Governor Wolf even participated in a protest that exceeded the limits imposed on gatherings. While verbal exceptions had been made for the protests, these were not reflected in the language of the governors order restricting gatherings. The judge also pointed out that venue size had not been considered regarding indoor events and some commercial gatherings had been permitted based on percentage occupancy of a location. In August, president Trump praised his supporters in the state as incredible people for defying the shutdown orders and social distancing guidelines at a campaign rally near Scranton. A spokesperson for the governor said that they are reviewing the judges decision. There have been 145,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state, and more than 7,800 officially recorded deaths. With reporting from the Associated Press The family of a Compton police officer who was ambushed by a gunman over the weekend have shared a graphic image just moments after she was shot. Two Los Angeles County deputies were wounded by a gunman, and their families approved the release of footage showing the graphic moment, FOXLA correspondent Bill Melugin shared on Twitter. In the image, a female deputy was standing moments after she was shot with across her face and the front of her shift. A male deputy is seen on the ground with a blood-soaked hand with a gun on the ground in front of him. Im told female deputy was shot through jaw, still radioed for help & applied tourniquet to male deputys wounds. Both stable now, Mr Melugin reported. The two cops a 31-year-old mother and a 24-year-old male were shot at close range at 7pm on Saturday in Compton, California. Although they were shot multiple times during the ambush while their vehicle was parked, the officers were able to radio for help. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department released a surveillance video of the ambush, and it showed a lone gunman shooting through the passenger window of the deputies vehicle "without warning or provocation," according to the department. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said both deputies were out of surgery and expected to survive, which he called a double miracle. As of Monday, the gunman remained on the loose. The department has offered an $100,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest. Officers only have a very, very generic description of the shooter to go on, officials added. The suspect is described as a male Black 28-30 years-old, wearing dark clothing. He was last seen northbound on Willowbrook Avenue in a black 4-door sedan, the department said in a Facebook post. The office has cautioned the public from spreading information on Twitter about who the gunman could potentially be, as they said posts identifying the alleged shooter had the wrong person. Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our 2 deputies yesterday. This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time, the office read. The shooting on Saturday happened hours after hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the death of Dijon Kizzee, who died during a police shooting with the department. Officers with the county have faced criticism for police brutality and racism from the public. But it was unclear if the protests were related to the shooting later that evening. Of course, theres an important conversation going on about policing in this country, but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us, and we will find justice for them, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday. Saudi Arabia will allow its citizens to exit and re-enter the kingdom through all land, sea, and air ports after January 1, 2021, provided that all coronavirus-related precautionary measures are followed, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported. However, the Royal approval allows certain catergories of individuals to travel to or from the kingdom with stringent health precautions from Tuesday (Sept 15). The approval allows entry to and departure from the kingdom for citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states as well as non-Saudis who obtain any of the following visas: exit and re-entry, work permit, Iqama (resident permit) or visit. The entry of the GCC citizens and non-Saudis into the kingdom is subject to the preventive health measures taken by the relevant committee to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the kingdom. The requirements include that anyone who enters the kingdom must submit a proof that he/she is Covid-19 infection-free according to a most recent medical test conducted by a reliable entity outside the kingdom. This test must not have been done 48 hours before arrival in the kingdom, said the Saudi Press Agency. The suspension of international flights coming to or leaving the kingdom and the opening of land, sea and air outlets will be partially lifted to allow the excluded categories of citizens and others to enter and depart the kingdom, it said. An official source of the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced that a royal approval has stated that lifting of complete restrictions, previously imposed due to the spread of coronavirus Covid-19, on the departure and return of citizens to and from the Kingdom and allowing the opening of air, sea and land outlets will take place after the first of January 2021, reported Emirates News Agency Wam. "Completely lifting the restrictions on citizens leaving and returning to the Kingdom, and allowing the opening of ports for the crossing of all means of transport through land, sea and air ports, after January 1, 2021, while adhering to the current coronavirus precautionary procedures," SPA said. "The specific date and time for lifting the suspension will be announced 30 days prior to January 1, 2021. The Ministry of Health may, should it be required, request to put in place certain preventative health requirements for travellers and carriers during travel, and in the halls of airports, ports, and stations," SPA added. The following categories of citizens will also be allowed to travel outside the kingdom and return according to certain requirements from Tuesday: * Civilian and military governmental employees, assigned to official tasks; * Personnel at the Saudi diplomatic and consular missions as well as attaches abroad and personnel at the regional and international organizations, their families and companions; * Personnel at permanent jobs, in public, private or non-profit facilities, outside the kingdom, and those who have job tasks in companies or commercial institutions outside the kingdom; * Businesspersons whose business requires travel to conclude commercial and/or industrial activities as well as export, marketing and sales directors whose tasks oblige them to visit clients; * Patients whose treatment requires the travel outside the kingdom, based on medical reports, particularly cancer patients and patients in need of organ transplantation; * Students on scholarships, or those studying at their own expense and trainees on medical fellowship programs whose studies or training require travel to the countries in which they study or train and their dependents; * Those who have humane cases, particularly related to the following two: A male or female citizen who seeks reunification with his/her relatives residing outside the kingdom; and the death of a husband, wife, parent, or child outside the kingdom. * Expatriates outside the kingdom and their dependents who could show evidence of their legal residence outside the kingdom; * Participants in regional and international official sporting events, including players and members of technical and administrative staff. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: European private equity manager Eurazeo agreed to acquire the remaining 20% stake in the French middle-market private equity firm Idinvest Partners before the end of the year, a press release said. Eurazeo already owns 80% of the capital of Idinvest Partners, which it acquired in 2018. It announced then its intention to increase it in 2021 and 2022. But the spokesman said the firm recently made a strategic decision to complete the acquisition in 2020. Now it has agreed to accelerate the acquisition of the remaining ordinary shares from Christophe Baviere, Benoist Grossmann, and their partners. "The acquisition will enable every company in the portfolio to take full advantage of Eurazeo's range of financial and human resources and allow the new entity to further make use of its teams' strength and complementarity in investment, fundraising and operational expertise," said a press release from the global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of 18.5 billion ($21.9 billion) in assets under management. Idinvest Partners has 8 billion in assets under management. The acquisition will be completed by the end of 2020. The payment will be made primarily in cash. A portion of the Idinvest shares will be contributed to Eurazeo, which will result in a limited capital increase representing less than 1% of Eurazeo's current share capital. The specific terms of the operation will be set out in detail at a later stage....................... To view our full article Click here The two ministers have held a phone conversation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has invited his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto to visit Zakarpattia region on September 23. As the two ministers were having a phone conversation, Kuleba invited Szijjarto to visit Ukraine's far-western region to discuss further steps to implement the agreements already reached on the development of cooperation in the political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres, as well as taking part in joint events, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. "The restrictions introduced in Ukraine and Hungary for the entry of foreigners over the spread of coronavirus impose certain restrictions on all citizens, regardless of status. Against this background, our meeting is a clear signal both countries are disposed to search for mutually acceptable solutions without delay," Kuleba said. The ministers also agreed that the socio-economic success of Zakarpattia region may become a common success story in relations between Ukraine and Hungary, and friendly relations between the two countries are important for the entire region of Central Europe. Ukraine-Hungary relations: background Relations between the two countries slid to a chill after the Ukrainian parliament in 2017 passed a new education law. Hungary has since been blocking the meetings of Ukraine-NATO Commission, claiming alleged violation of rights of Hungarians living in Ukraine due to the provision of the law that determines that the language of command in educational facilities shall be the state language, which is Ukrainian. Read alsoUkraine, Hungary seek to overcome impasse over language law impeding NATO initiatives mediaAccording to the conclusion of the Venice Commission of Dec 8, 2017, Ukrainian authorities were recommended to balance the provision of the language article of Law "On Education". On January 16, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed bill No. 0901 on secondary education. Three models of learning the Ukrainian language in schools have been laid down. The first model is provided for the indigenous peoples of Ukraine who do not live in the linguistic environment of their language and who do not have a state that would protect and develop this language. First of all, these are the Crimean Tatars. For them, the first model includes teaching in the language of the indigenous people from 1 to 11 (12) classes along with a thorough study of the Ukrainian language. Read alsoInfrastructure minister elaborates on construction of airport in Zakarpattia regionThe second model is for schools with instruction in the language of national minorities whose languages belong to the EU languages. Depending on the language group and language environment, the use of this model may be different, but the basics are: Elementary school: the use of the mother tongue along with the study of the official language; Grade 5: at least 20% of the annual volume of study time should be taught in Ukrainian with a gradual increase in volume so that in grade 9 to reach at least 40% of subjects that are studied in the official language; and High school: at least 60% of the annual amount of study time in these institutions should be instructed in the official language. The third model will work for the rest of the national communities of Ukraine. It concerns national minorities whose language belongs to one of the Ukrainian language families, as well as those who live mainly in the environment of their own speech (Russian language). Primary schools there will also have a minority language along with the study of Ukrainian, and from grade 5 at least 80% of school hours will be instructed in the official language. At the same time, Szijjarto says Hungary proposes not to increase the number of subjects taught in Ukrainian to the national minorities, which is provided for by the new law on secondary education. MONTEVALLO, Ala. His Army stint complete after serving in Afghanistan, Damian Daniels left Alabama to begin a new life in Texas. He bought a house, enrolled in college and supported the Black Lives Matter movement. Black himself, Daniels was working to start a new business when paranoid hallucinations began last month and a brother sought help from police. Shot dead by officers who were sent to aid him, Daniels was buried Friday on Sept. 11, the anniversary of the date that sent him down the path to war. Relatives gathered at Alabama National Cemetery, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Birmingham, to mourn a death they are still trying to understand. A call for help should never result in the loss of life, brother Brendan Daniels said in an interview beforehand. The shooting is still under review in San Antonio, where a sheriff defended officers actions but a county leader said the killing never should have occurred. Grand jurors will review what happened, a prosecutor has said. Brendan Daniels said it took only a matter of days last month for Damian to go from seeming normal to being on edge, so he called deputies to check on his brother. He was stunned to get the call back from authorities on Aug. 25 saying the 30-year-old man was dead, shot on his front porch by a sheriffs deputy in San Antonio. Daniels funeral was set for the 9/11 anniversary in remembrance of the day that landed him in a war zone after the terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. Her face covered by a mask adorned by stars, mother Annette Watkins sat in the front row holding a folded U.S. flag. An Alabama native, Daniels grew up in Montgomery and graduated from George Washington Carver High School in 2009. He signed up for the military like two of his brothers and served in Afghanistan before getting out and deciding to settle in San Antonio. I think he drove through it one day, brother Brendan said. He liked it there and chose to stay. Property records show Daniels bought a suburban home last year, where he lived by himself. He often carried a handgun Texas loose gun laws were an attraction to the state, his brother said and got by on disability payments from Veterans Affairs plus earnings from driving for ride-share services, his brother said. Daniels suffered from a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his military service, but he hadnt shown signs of more severe mental problems, family attorney Lee Merritt said. Relatives said the man seemed fine until about Aug. 22, when he suddenly started making odd comments. Brendan Daniels, who lives in Colorado, said his brother didnt have any pets but texted him a warning about a fat black cat with spots. Damian called and would only whisper, with the explanation being: He can hear us, his brother said. Another time, Damian told his mother that someone was in his house massaging his legs and trying to get him to fight, the brother said. Worried after his brother said he needed help, Daniels contacted the sheriffs office. Officers made multiple trips to the house in two days; during one, Daniels told them it may be haunted. On Aug. 25, during their fourth trip to the house, deputies found Daniels near the front door. A photo taken from police video showed Daniels with a bulge at his waistband from a gun and a pained expression on his face. When you look at my brothers face, you can tell its distorted. Hes tired; hes beat, Brendan Daniels said. A struggle began after a 30-minute discussion, Sheriff Javier Salazar said, and a deputy fired twice, hitting Daniels in the torso. Deputies apparently tried to make the man seek mental health care against his will, his brother said. The sheriff said officers did their best in an imperfect system that typically sends armed officers, not mental health workers, to confront people in the throes of a mental crisis. I do believe law enforcement is overused in incidents like this nationwide. I think weve come to rely on our first responders for a lot of things, and one of those things is mental health, Salazar told a news conference. County Judge Nelson Wolff said Daniels had mental problems, not a criminal history, and shouldnt have ended up dead. He has asked the county manager to recommend changes so mental health professionals rather than deputies are sent to face people with known mental health issues. Based on the information I have, I believe this incident should have never happened, Wolff said. Brendan Daniels said he doesnt know what caused his brothers swift mental decline. It could have been the deaths of a sister, his father and an uncle this year, he said, or it may have been the stress of starting college to study business while also working on a used car business the brothers were planning. Dozens of protesters, some aligned with the Black Lives Matters movement, have demonstrated against Daniels killing in San Antonio. While its unclear whether race was a factor in the shooting, statistics show Black people are more likely to be killed by police than whites. One way or the other, Brendan Daniels knows this: His brothers first episode of mental illness left him dead at the hands of police. Its a sad story all the way around, he said. B Anbuselvan By Express News Service CHENNAI: Train and bus ticket bookings for traveling for Deepavali, which fall on November 14, has so far received a lukewarm response from the passengers. Even as the railways increased the advance reservation period for ticket booking for special trains up to 120 days, the ticket booking for Deepavali received a scant response in the highly- congested Chennai Coimbatore section. The advance booking for SETC buses, which caters long-distance commuters, has yet to start in most of the routes. Private omni buses too are yet to resume their operations. With the State government having done away with the e-pass system for inter-district transportation, the bus and train services resumed from September 7. Presently, 13 reserved special trains are being operated within the State, of which four run between Coimbatore and Chennai. Over 80 percent of tickets in sleeper and second class sitting and 95 percent AC berths remain vacant for travel from November 9 to 12. In addition, three special trains are operated to other States. The sleeper berths in ChennaiMadurai, ChennaiTiruchy (via mainline), and ChennaiKanniyakumari routes fully occupied for November 11 and 12. The day trains from Chennai Egmore to Tiruchy, Karaikudi and Madurai remain unfilled. Though the State government lightens the lockdown curbs, about 11 to 13 lakh people who left Chennai have not yet returned, said industrial sources. About 13 lakh people who live in Chennai for work and education purposes seem to have gone to their home towns during Covid-19 lockdown. A large chunk of this population appears not to have returned yet, said a senior official from the transport department. He added that government buses alone carried over six lakh commuters from Chennai to various parts of the State for the Deepavali festival last year. Official sources from railways said though the State government has informed that it has no objection to operate trains in the State, the train services will be resumed depending on the public patronage and demand. The 13 trains which are being operated in congested sections are well patronised among the passengers. During November, depending on the demand, the decision on introducing additional trains in Chennai Madurai and Chennai Kanniyakumari routes will be taken. As of now, there is no plan to introduce any new trains, said a railway official. DALLAS When she left the increasingly bustling downtown of Big D, Marie Combs, a single, white petroleum geologist, chose a suburb just outside the loop, drawn by big lots, peace and green spaces. At first, she felt like an outsider in suburban Donald Trump country, and a dejected Democrat after her partys losses in 2016. In four short years, all that changed. Now, theres a mix of people whove come from downtown, she said, describing Latino and African American neighbors. I like that my street is a mix of people. I like that my street looks like America. Now in 2020, the battle for political power in the nation and Texas is being waged in suburbs just like hers which are increasingly less white and less conservative. Trumps race baiting over these semi-urban hinterlands, his tweets quaintly beckoning suburban housewives isnt just bigoted or misogynist; its just ill-informed. He is right to focus on women voters they are at the heart of the struggle over keeping Texas red or turning it blue because they are the rare demographic of Trump voter whose support has actually frayed. Recent polls put Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden just one to two points apart, but truth is, Trump has been dragging down Texas Republicans for a year. In a state usually ignored by Democratic presidential nominees, Biden is airing advertising in Texas. Democrats know that a Biden victory in the land of 38 electoral votes is their best hope of winning by a large enough margin to blunt Trumps expected claims of a rigged election should he lose. The usual chorus of It Cant Happen Here is already cranking up its conventional wisdom sound machine. Texas will never be blue, says Jeff Roe, who ran U.S. Sen. Ted Cruzs 2018 squeaker against Beto ORourke. It is highly likely that in the next four or eight years that it will be purple and competitive. But the suburban shifts are so fundamental that the nay-saying chorus is very well singing a swan song. Claims of Texas stasis are greatly exaggerated. The Lone Star State is going to the Democrats in 2020. Need proof? Look first beyond Republicans themselves. Behold the great blue yonder. Geography is destiny As I get older I guess I get a lot more conservative in my predictions, James Henson, the director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin told me recently. Im not seeing a bunch of Republicans defecting from Trump right now. Look, there are a hell of a lot of Republicans in Texas. But the composition of these districts has changed. The lines the Republicans drew in 2011 have decayed. he went on. Theyre just very different. Theyre white liberals priced out of the cities. Theyre people of color. That shift is something the Republicans have missed and everybody has missed. Not everybody. Out yonder in Albuquerque lives Sally Davis, who left Highland Park years ago but still considers the wealthy Dallas enclave her hometown; she grew up a childhood friend of rich and powerful people such as Jim Moroney, whose family owns A. H. Belo Co. But she became a teacher, a Democrat, a grandmother. She believes in the healing power of bone marrow broth, buys from an organic farm, and in 2018 set out to do the impossible: turn a sprawling red New Mexico congressional district safe within the confines of whats known as Republican Little Texas blue. A handful of phone bankers transformed that year into a busload of door-knockers, convincing timid Democrats to vote and flip the seat. They did, electing Xochitl Torres Small. We were ecstatic. We could not believe it! We just flipped it! Davis says. that was some of the hardest door-knocking in the country. Though the Democrats hold is tenuous and pandemic politics seem to have put the district in play once again, Davis is trying to employ her winning strategy to flip Republican-held legislative seats in Texas. Working as part of a seven-woman team, backed by a national fundraising and grassroots organizing group, her target this time is the seemingly obscure Texas House District 96, which contains about 160,000 voters in the suburbs of Fort Worth and Arlington. Established after Trumps election, Swing Left is a national, progressive fundraising and organizing machine which helped Democrats take the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington in 2018. Founded by Ethan Todras-Whitehill, a writer and teacher, marketing expert Miriam Stone, and technologist Joshua Krafchin who bills himself on LinkedIn as a radical growth agent. The group identified Texas as a super state with multiple opportunities from the presidential race to the legislature, which will soon redraw congressional districts. Democratic lawyer Joe Drago is trying to win the District 96 seat still rated as leaning Republican by the Baker Institute in Houston. Its all about the numbers, says Davis. Her group organizes weekly on Zoom and can call 1,000 people a day and send personal letters to voters; in the last cycle Swing Left produced 10 million letters across the nation. In Tarrant County, they will focus just on getting Democrats out to vote. Pretty soon well have the seven of us and access to 70 phone bankers, Davis says. Inside Texas, the Lone Star Project, led by longtime Democratic activist and consultant Matt Angle of Arlington, is arming selected candidates, including Drago, with opposition research on Republicans, staff training, prepping candidates for interviews, providing data and more. Who else is helping Drago? Beto ORourke, arguably the most popular Democrat in Texas, who has dedicated his new organization to targeting 17 state House districts and flipping at least eight seats that could be pivotal in influencing the redrawing of political boundaries that will be in place for a decade. Beyond Beto Of course, all this Democratic enthusiasm would be nothing more than fantasy if not for another unintended ally: Trump himself. I call it the Trump Turmoil, said Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University. Theres a ripple effect of him doing something in Washington that roils the state almost constantly. Trump has privately been the bane of Republican politicians since last year, as revealed in a private recording of state House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. With all due respect to Trump who I love, by the way hes killing us in urban-suburban districts, Bonnen said, adding hed seen polling showing Trump down 15 percentage points in one battleground state House district, while the GOP incumbent was even. Six Republican members of Congress suddenly retired last fall, a stampede known as Texodus. Trumps border wall has been divisive. His cruel immigration policies have upset many Texans, where these policies have, in fact, been carried out in places such as El Paso, Tornillo and Brownsville. His interruptions of border bridge traffic and trade with Mexico royally pissed off business. Way back in November, a University of Texas-Texas Tribune poll reported that just half of voters would vote for Trump in 2020. The other half wanted him out. A flip is also more plausible if you consider history. Texas is in the long process of realigning again. It did so from the 1960s through the 1980s, culminating in 1994 with George W. Bush winning the governors mansion, much of it the result of Midwestern Republicans moving to the Texas suburbs. The same process is happening again but in reverse, from the early 2000s to today, from Republican to Democrat. Texas has been purple a long time, with Democrats controlling the big cities but Republicans controlling the big state offices. The rest you know: In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton by only 9 points, the smallest Republican margin in modern history. In 2018, not only did ORourke nearly upset Cruz, but he created a bow-wave of new Democrats swamping Republican congressional districts and elected judgeships. Sea change Of course, the Democrats can blow this and relegating Texas and Latino speakers to the margins at their convention proves it. But Democrats remember how vital it is to deliver Texas for Biden each time they hear Trump falsely warn of the the most corrupt election in history: Eking out a victory in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania may not drive him from office. A blizzard of lawsuits could ensue. Imagine the Supreme Court having to pick a president weeks later, just like it did in 2000. The best electoral response is Texas, ORourke told me one morning in his home in El Paso. Its an interesting place, where Pancho Villa in 1915 met very publicly with leaders of the U.S. Army to plot revolution. ORourke reminds me of a bruised but determined revolutionary himself. You have to defeat Trump and put him away in the electoral college. It forever changes the electoral map in this country. It would also flip the state House and bring down Republican Sen. John Cornyn, he continued. Its a sea change. So far overlooked is the influence ORourke still has on the presidential race he bowed out of. His campaign manager, Jennifer OMalley Dillon, helped him forge his Texas-first idea. Now she is managing Bidens campaign. And she just announced the $280 million advertising buy that includes Texas along with 14 other states. It didnt have to be like this for the Republican Party. In North Dallas, Luisa del Rosal, running for the state legislature, is precisely the kind of ideal, new Republican candidate that the party is trying to recruit. A millennial, the executive director of the Tower Center at SMU in Dallas, del Rosal is brilliant, friendly and good with people. (Full disclosure: I spoke at the center.) Now she is the Republican nominee for the state Houses 114th district in north Dallas, captured by Democrat John Turner in 2018 after 30 years of Republican control. Im an immigrant from Mexico but Ive always been a proud Republican, del Rosal, 33, explains. Weve got ideas, she insisted. Weve got free market ideas. Unfortunately, decades of one-party monopoly in this state have made too many Republican Party leaders comfortable and their vision increasingly narrow. To me, 2020 is a reminder of another year everybody has forgotten: 1980. For the first time, Texas voted for a Republican for president, Ronald Reagan, even as Democrats and Republicans continued to fight it out for power in Austin and split the two U.S. Senate seats. This year could bear a striking resemblance, with Biden winning the state, changing the course of presidential politics in Texas as the fight over power continues for years until the state is solidly blue. Parker is the author of Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America. WASHINGTON The House is set to return from a monthlong recess Monday, launching a congressional sprint on a number of must-pass bills to avert a government shutdown. Both the House and Senate only have several weeks left in session before the November election. The small window, meshed with essential legislation, a global pandemic and a presidential election, has left Congress with a jam-packed schedule. The House also aims to tackle topics beyond the expected, like the federal legalization of marijuana. Heres what to expect this month once the House is back in the nations capital: COVID-19 relief? Optimism on Capitol Hill has faded fast. Americans weathering the deep-rooted impacts of the coronavirus pandemic appear increasingly unlikely to see any additional financial relief from Congress before the November election. After passing a series of bills totaling more than $3 trillion to help blunt COVID-19, congressional leaders have so far been unable to find a bipartisan compromise on another batch of aid for unemployed Americans, schools and businesses. Top Democrats and White House negotiators spent weeks attempting to broker a deal, only leading to both sides largely digging in their heels and blaming one another for the prolonged impasse. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican $300 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill. That further dampened prospects Congress will pass additional pandemic aid. After the chamber failed to move forward on the measure, a host of lawmakers voiced skepticism that any movement would be made on such a package until voters cast their ballots. Senate stimulus plan: Senate Democrats block $300 billion coronavirus stimulus package, leaving little hope for relief before November Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Friday in Kentucky that the outlook appeared grim. I wish I could tell you we were going to get another package, but it doesn't look that good right now, he said. Story continues But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have not closed the door to more aid passing, insisting that the failure would force both sides back to the negotiating table. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said all hope was not lost yet, though "it looks that way." "You know, you never know around here. Sometimes things look bleak and they revive, and so forth," he told reporters. The impasse has not been helpful to those in tight November races and moderate Democrats in the House, many of whom have attempted to pushed/ a public pressure campaign to take up a smaller bill to quickly get financial relief to families and the unemployed. A senior Democratic aide associated with the moderate wing of the party, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the moderate Blue Dog Coalition reached out to House Democratic leadership and said it wanted a vote on a negotiated stimulus deal by the end of the session. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., the chair of the House Budget Committee and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told USA TODAY one way to help break the impasse and pressure Senate Republicans would be to pass individual parts of the stimulus, such as a boost to unemployment benefits or action on evictions. Doing so would "force them to take action on what we do" and give them another option, Yarmuth said. Congress may be able to compromise on a lower amount for aid to state and local governments. Democrats have made providing funds to struggling state and local governments a priority since spring, but Republicans have roundly opposed the idea. Under the Heroes Act, the House Democratic plan passed in May, Yarmuth said the city government in Louisville, Kentucky, would have gotten aid "far in excess of what the crisis has cost in revenue," he said. "We can help the state and local governments in a very important way at far less cost than we had in Heroes." But amid the impasse, "I don't think we're losing the messaging battle on this, but I don't think we're winning it either," he said, adding it could look bad for Democrats to leave at the end of the session with a stimulus plan unresolved. "It's not good government to leave without doing anything," he said, noting Democrats would look much better if they did "something responsible, and reasonable." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, is hopeful a deal is possible. She said in a Friday CNN interview she is completely optimistic about a compromise. I do think that we should have an agreement, she said. Thats what we all want. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ORG XMIT: DCJM414 Avoiding a government shutdown In a little over two weeks, the federal government will shut down if Congress does not pass a series of annual bills. Pelosi and the Trump administration came to an informal deal that would extend government funding at the current operatinglevels. Its still unclear how long the bills will extend to and when exactly they will be taken up in both chambers. The government will shut down on Sept. 30 unless Congress passes a continuing resolution and the president signs off. Pelosi and McConnell have both shot down ideas to add COVID-19 relief to the spending legislation, measures that are likely to be some of the last bills to become law before the election. Those negotiations are separate from this, Pelosi said when asked Thursday. Informal deal: White House and Congress reach informal deal to avert a government shutdown at end of month The addition of coronavirus programs, such as unemployment benefits, could add more uncertainty over a potential government shutdown something that experts say could have untested consequences amid a global pandemic in which Americans are relying on government programs and agencies. Sarah Binder, a 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. US Postal Service House Democrats will continue to escalate their confrontation with the U.S. Postal Service when they return. A congressional panel is set to hold a hearing Monday on Postmaster General Louis DeJoys alleged conflicts of interest and how his leadership could jeopardize the Postal Service and the mail-in voting process for the 2020 election. No current postal officials are set to testify, but among the witnesses are S. David Fineman, the former chairman of the Postal Board of Governors, the body overseeing the agency, and former Federal Election Commission Chairwoman Ann M. Ravel. Both are Democrats. Democratic lawmakers have opened several investigations into the Postal Service, most recently into allegations DeJoy pressured employees at his former company into giving political donations to Republicans and helped reimburse the cost a potential campaign finance violation. Democratic lawmakers allege DeJoy, a major Republican donor, has conflicts of interest in running the agency and argue delays and operational changes at the Postal Service during his tenure threaten the agencys ability to handle an expected surge of mail-in ballots this fall. More: House committee to investigate Postmaster General DeJoy over political donations to GOP candidates More: Senate report finds 'significant' prescription drug delivery delays under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy DeJoy testified twice before lawmakers in August, acknowledging delays in the mail across the country but pledging to deliver all election mail on time. In testimony, DeJoy slammed what he called a "false narrative" that Postal Service changes had been made to disrupt the election, and he defended his changes as necessary to support the agency's finances. Under criticism from both sides, DeJoy suspended some operational changes in August but said he would resume cost-cutting measures, including the effort to improve delivery times, until after the election Nov. 3. Marijuana and anti-discrimination bills In addition to a COVID-19 relief bill and government funding, the House plans to address a slate of legislation addressing Democratic priorities, though they are unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. One bill allowing the federal legalization of marijuana, the MORE Act, is set for a vote during the week of Sept. 21. The timing of the vote in the last month of congressional activity before the election is already causing consternation among moderate Democrats who would prefer the Houses attention be directed to other issues, according to the senior aide. The bill would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana. The MORE Act is likely to pass the House, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told USA TODAY earlier this month, though it is unlikely to make progress in the Senate. The bill only has one Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who said he objected to parts of the bill that were akin, in his view, to reparations, but would still vote for it. Also on the agenda are several bills addressing diversity in education, protections for pregnant workers, intelligence reauthorization, and the condemnation of anti-Asian bigotry and bias amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress: House, Senate return to address bills to avert shutdown Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:09:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's main brewer on Monday commended the government for its decision to partially open bars and nightclubs which were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last Friday, President Edgar Lungu ordered the reopening of bars and nightclubs but noted this will only be from 6 p.m. to 23 p.m from Friday to Sunday. Zambia Breweries Plc said the move will improve the livelihoods of bars and night club owners and contribute to the recovery of the economy which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Jose Moran, the company's country director said the decision will also have a trickle-down effect in supporting the agriculture value-chain, given that the company supports local farmers by buying cassava and barley which were key ingredients in some of its brands. "Like the Head of State has mentioned, we are also aware of the negative impact COVID-19 has had on owners of bars, taverns, and nightclubs, and we share their pain because they play a key role in the growth and overall success of the company," he said in a release. According to him, the company was committed to contributing to job creation, agro-processing, and manufacturing through the production of clear beer. He, however, noted that the company would continue engaging patrons and stakeholders by encouraging them to continue observing COVID-19 preventive measures such as wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing. Zambia Breweries Plc is a member of Anheuser-InBev (AB InBev), the world's leading brewer with more than 400 beer brands and some 200,000 employees in over 50 countries. Enditem 'Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal are the two people who have been marked and punished' In a major organisational reshuffle, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi dropped Ghulam Nabi Azad, Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Kharge as All India Congress Committee general secretaries, and reconstituted the Congress Working Committee. The reshuffle came after a 'group of 23' leaders wrote a letter to Gandhi seeking internal democracy in the Congress party. "Sonia has very deftly accommodated those who have potential and are in Team Rahul like Manick Tagore, Randeep Singh Surjewala and K C Venugopal who are perceived to be Rahul's eyes and ears," veteran Congress watcher Rasheed Kidwai -- and the author of two books on the Congress party, 24 Akbar Road and Sonia -- A Biography -- tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com. The first of a fascinating two-part interview: How do you see the recent reshuffle in the Congress party? This is a Sonia Gandhi-centric exercise. She has taken a holistic view drawing up her rich experience going back to March 1998. She knows the data profile of each individual (of Congress party leaders). This is an exhaustive exercise. What she has done, she has very deftly accommodated who have potential and are in Team Rahul like Manick Tagore, Randeep Singh Surjewala and K C Venugopal who are perceived to be Rahul's eyes and ears. At the same time, she has gone back to veterans like Oomen Chandy, Harish Rawat, Mukul Wasnik, Digvijay Singh. What is the message to the group of 23 who wrote that letter against the party leadership last month? That group has dismantled. They wrote in the letter that all is not well in the Congress: Leadership style has to be changed and inner-party democracy has to be restored. The third point of inner-party democracy had two components: One was the election of the Congress president, and other, election of other bodies, particularly the Congress Working Committee. Now in a single stroke Sonia Gandhi has dismantled and broken the ranks of dissenters by getting five to seven out of the 23 (dissenters) in various panels. If democracy was vivid within the Congress then these people should have resisted the temptation to get into the Congress Working Committee, general secretary's post and AICC in-charge of states. They should have said they wanted restoration of inner-party democracy, but they did not do. In some cases, like Anand Sharma, the status quo has been maintained, he is the deputy leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha and a member of the CWC. Some people are nowhere or are on the losing side, like Ghulam Nabi Azad. Why are the Gandhis harsh on Ghulam Nabi Azad in particular? I think the Gandhis have inside information and assessment that there were two prime movers of the dissenters. One was Ghulam Nabi Azad and the other, Kapil Sibal. Not so much Anand Sharma or Shashi Tharoor and others. Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal are the two people who have been marked and punished. You wrote that this is a new Congress dawn, but don't you feel this reshuffle is just a mixture of old and new leaders loyal to Rahul Gandhi? In a political party you can only look at the pool of talent that is available. You cannot get outsiders in the party. In a political party, experience, loyalty, comfort level with leadership, all these things come into play and that explains why leaders like Rajiv Shukla, Pramod Tewari and Salman Khurshid have come back. Ability to manoeuvre and ability to offer freshness is very limited. That is why I think it's a bitter pill for Rahul Gandhi also. He wanted a new Congress, but Sonia Gandhi has administered a bitter pill to Rahul. She has told him that if and whenever he becomes Congress president, he will have to deal with this mix of old and young: Family retainers, cerebral politicians and political fixers -- all kinds of leaders in short. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The report " Post-harvest Treatment Market for Fruits & Vegetables by Type (Coatings, Cleaners, Fungicides, Ethylene Blockers, Sanitizers, and Sprout Inhibitors), Crop Type (Fruits and Vegetables), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", The post- harvest treatment market is projected to grow from USD 1.5 billion in 2019 to USD 2.3 billion by 2026, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% during the forecast period. The growing trade of fruits and vegetables is one of the key factors driving the growth of the post-harvest treatment market. The fruit segment is projected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. The fruit segment, by crop type, is projected to grow at the highest CAGR, in terms of value, during the forecast period. Fruits are highly perishable in nature and are required to be treated with post-harvest solutions to increase their shelf life for longer storage duration and easy transport of these products. Increasing application of natural flavors in the food and beverages industry is also encouraging the trade of fruits, which in turn, has led to a surge in demand for post-harvest treatment solutions in the major fruits and vegetable producing region such as Asia Pacific. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=256316169 By type, the coatings segment is estimated to account for the largest share in 2019 in the post-harvest treatment market. Coatings are one of the methods to increase the shelf life of products and decrease the quality and quantity losses. They are mostly applied to fruits & vegetables during the packaging process for maintaining their softness, color, odor, and flavor. The development of edible coatings has made it easier for fruits and vegetable processors to use the produce without any concerns about their harmful effects. Edible coatings help to prevent unnecessary softening and ripening of fruits & vegetables. Coatings form an integral part of the post-harvest treatment process, as fruits & vegetables are stored for longer periods, thereby making it important to maintain their shelf life and quality. Asia Pacific is projected to account for the largest share in the post-harvest treatment market during the forecast period. Asia Pacific dominated the post-harvest treatment market for the fruits and vegetables segments in 2018. Countries such as India and China are the key producers of fruits and vegetables, a majority of which are exported to North America and Europe. Since the Asia Pacific region is a developing region, post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are witnessed on a large scale in its countries. Hence, the need for efficient post-harvest treatment mechanisms remains high, which is subsequently projected to drive the growth of the market. Key players in the post-harvest treatment market include Decco (US), JBT (US), Pace International LLC (US), Xeda International (France), Agrofresh (US), Syngenta (Switzerland), FMC Corporation (US), Nufarm (Australia), Bayer (Germany), Citrosol (Spain), Fomesa Fruitech (Spain), Futureco Bioscience (Spain), Corteva Agriscience (US), BASF (Germany), Sensitech Inc (US), Post-Harvest Solutions (New Zealand ), Janssen PMP (Belgium), Colin Campbell Pty Ltd (Australia), Valent Biosciences (USA), and RPM International (US). These players have a broad industry coverage and strong operational and financial strength. Request for Customization: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=256316169 Recent Developments: Thirty eight-year-old Sandip Tirkey, a former member of the ultra outfit Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI), was lynched by a mob of more than 80 villagers, including women with sticks, at Tesera village under Sadar police station in Gumla district, around 100-km from capital Ranchi, on Monday morning, police said. The PLFI is a breakaway faction of the CPI (Maoist). Gumla superintendent of police (SP) Hrudeep P Janardhanan said, We have started identification of the villagers involved in the crime. Some people have been identified. FIR against them would be filed soon and arrests would also be made. Janardhanan said, Tirkey was a former member of the PLFI. He was often found roaming with PLFI members and used to threaten villagers. He was also involved in extortion in the name of PLFI. The villagers were annoyed with him. On Monday morning, over 80 villagers from his neighbouring village killed him. The SP said, Tirkey was involved in several crimes earlier and had also served a jail term in a case. Tirkey, on Sunday evening, reportedly went to neighbouring village Bargaon and had beaten a youth there. He also allegedly threatened villagers with a weapon, said an eye witness. Bargaon villagers called a Panchayat on Sunday night where they decided to kill Tirkey the next day. As per the plan, they gheraoed his house at Tesera village around 6am on Monday but he was not at home. The villagers found him at a shop where he was reading a newspaper. Seeing the approaching villagers, he tried to escape, but was caught by them and was beaten to death. On the question of the panchayat planning the lynching, the SP said, We are verifying the information. But if 70 to 80 people are coming to kill a man early morning, it is not possible without planning. The mob lynching hogged limelight during the previous BJP government in Jharkhand, which put former chief minister Raghubar Das government on back foot several times. The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) has claimed that a total of 24 people were lynched by mob in Jharkhand from March 2016 to June 2020. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SANDUSKY, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PAO Group, Inc. (USOTC: PAOG) today announced an interview of CEO James C. DiPrima on MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon scheduled for release this Friday, September 18, 2020. DiPrima will discuss the company's latest CBD bio pharma developments in addition to fielding questions on the Goldman Small Cap Analyst Research Update published today with a $0.015 PPS 12-Month Target. Last Mr. DiPrima was on MoneyTV he discussed PAOG's partnership with a Contract Research Organization (CRO) and a formal agreement in the works to advance an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to ultimately achieve Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for PAOG's RespRx as a COPD treatment. The COPD treatment, RespRx, is derived from a patented cannabis extraction method - U.S. Patent No. 9,199,960 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING HERBACEOUS PLANT MATERIALS INCLUDING THE CANNABIS PLANT." MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon is the internationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, featuring informative interviews with company CEOs and executives, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures. MoneyTV is seen in over 200 million TV households in more than 75 countries. The MoneyTV Interview will be available at www.moneytv.net and will be syndicated across multiple channels and platforms. www.paogroupinc.com Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. Contact Us: Jim DiPrima 888-272-6472 [email protected] SOURCE PAO Group, Inc. Related Links http://www.paogroupinc.com/ Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:12:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka reported its 13th death from COVID-19 on Monday after the Health Ministry said that a 60-year-old male had died from the virus at the Chilaw Base Hospital in the north west. The Government Information Department said in a statement that the latest victim was a sailor who arrived in Sri Lanka from Bahrain on September 2 and had not been identified as a COVID-19 patient at the time of arrival. "He was admitted to the Chilaw Base Hospital on September 9, during his quarantine period. The nearest cause of death was stated as a heart attack," the statement said. Till Monday evening, Health Ministry statistics showed that 3,247 positive COVID-19 patients had been identified in Sri Lanka since the first local patient was identified in March. Out of the total, 3,005 patients had recovered and been discharged to date, bringing down the total active patients to 242. The Health Ministry said that in recent weeks, all the newly identified patients were those who had been repatriated from overseas and were under quarantine in the centers. No new case of the virus had been reported from local communities for months. Sri Lankan authorities have made wearing face masks mandatory while strict health guidelines are followed in all schools, offices, and public places. Sri Lanka's international airports which were shut in March continue to be closed for international visitors. Enditem Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday condemned Indian security forces for killing three militants in south Kashmir, terming the encounter a continued act of state terrorism and urged the UNHCR and the international community to intervene. The Foreign Office said Pakistan condemns systematic and brutal killing of Kashmiris by Indian forces and urges UNHR organisations across the globe and the international community to act to stop blood-shed of Kashmiris by India. As a continued act of state terrorism, India is blatantly committing crimes against humanity in (Kashmir), it alleged. Indian security forces in an overnight operation killed three militants in south Kashmirs Anantnag district. An army official said the militants fired upon them during a search operation on Sunday and they retaliated killing the militants. It claimed hundreds of Kashmiris have been killed since the unrest began in Kashmir after the death of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. It further claimed the constant terrorist activities of the RSS and its affiliates in Kashmir with the states backing ... are highly deplorable and call for accountability of the perpetrators. The statement urged the international community to take steps to ensure independent investigations in Kashmir without further delay. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. ROME (Reuters) - 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 Wednesday. 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 ROME (Reuters) - 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 Wednesday. 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. 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-times 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. (Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Mark Heinrich) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. (Newser) President Trump says he won something called the Bay of Pigs Awardwhich, according to multiple media outlets, does not actually exist. The comment came in a Trump tweet attacking rival Joe Biden on Sunday: "Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honored Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population!" Needless to say, many were having fun with the comment on Twitter. As for what Trump meant, his campaign is claiming it's the "hand-painted Brigade 2506 shield" he received in 2016. story continues below As the Guardian reports, Trump visited the Bay of Pigs museum in Miami's Little Havana in October of that year; survivors of Brigade 2506, the unit that carried out the invasion, met at the museum and presented him with the shield. He also received the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association endorsement, which many on Twitter were pointing out he had apparently confused with an award. The AP reports that endorsement was "the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in the 1961 invasion." The Guardian notes Trump has at other times claimed to have received awards that don't actually exist, including his claim that Michigan once named him Man of the Year. (Read more President Trump stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:13:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua Writer Yuan Quan BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in a heart disease treatment that enables patients to rehabilitate from cardiac muscle tissue injuries. Regenerative medicine experts at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and doctors at the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in east China have developed an injectable collagen scaffold in stem cell therapy for patients with injured heart muscles. Previous studies have proven that using stem cells, which have the potential to grow into a variety of heart cell types, could repair and regenerate damaged heart tissue. However, like any other therapy, injecting stem cells into the heart can fail or lead to poor cell survival. "One difficulty was how to retain the stem cells at the injury site after cell transplant," said lead researcher Dai Jianwu, also a researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology under the CAS. After years of experiments on animals such as pigs, Dai's team developed the collagen scaffold with biomaterials to solve the problem. "It can be injected into the heart and prevent transplanted stem cells from moving around, maintaining their placement in the injured tissue, which will help increase the therapy efficiency," Dai noted. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is permanent damage to the heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms are tightness or pain in the chest, back, neck or arms. At least 2.5 million new cases and more than 1 million deaths from the disease are reported every year in China. Common treatments include medications and surgery, but they have little effect, and many doctors view the disease as incurable. Researchers started human trials in the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in March 2016 and continued until August 2019. According to Dai, 44 patients have received the collagen scaffold in their stem cell transplants, and follow-up studies were completed. The results, published last week in the journal JAMA Network Open, show that the use of the collagen material can result in greatly reduced volumes of dead heart tissue in patients one year after cell transplants and can enable the heart to restore functions. "For patients with severe illnesses, the effect is particularly obvious," said Dai, adding that the collagen scaffold is safe and feasible for application in larger groups of patients. Dai has had previous successes in repairing organs with stem cells. In 2015, his team pioneered stem cell therapy for patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. Three years later, his team also cooperated with Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, successfully using stem cells to rehabilitate a woman's damaged ovary, enabling her to give birth to a healthy boy. The latest trials for heart attack patients have increased Dai's confidence in regenerative medicine, leading him to say that it is possible that all human organs could be regenerated in the future. Enditem Over the past day, Russian mercenaries violated the ceasefire regime in Donbas twice, Ukrainian servicemen were not wounded, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters reported. "Over the past day, on September 13, two violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded in the area of responsibility of the Skhid operational-tactical group," the JFO's morning report posted on Facebook on Monday reads. In particular, indirect shots from grenade launchers towards the Ukrainian positions were noted near Pisky and Avdiyivka. The report says that in response to fire provocations, the Ukrainian defenders did not use weapons. "As a result of the attacks, there are no combat losses or injuries among the personnel of the Joint Forces," the headquarters added. PHILIPSBURG:--- A total of nine persons, seven Civil Servants, and two external candidates, have enrolled from Sint Maarten to participate in a one-year legislative course organized by the University of Curacao. The program, slated to begin on September 14, 2020, is an online training for lawyers, to equip them with the knowledge of the technique and rules to draft legislation. Participants in the program, originating from St. Maarten, Curacao, and Aruba. The initiative, from the University of Curacao, is one that is supported by the government of St. Maarten as it is in line with the Governments vision to further strengthen and upgrade the knowledge base within the Civil Service. The drafting of legislation is a core task of several governments departments and further enhancing the expertise amongst Civil Servants, is expected to further enhance the quality of legislative pieces produced annually. Over the years, the Government has organized basic legal courses for Civil Servants and this online training further complements and builds on these initiatives. The program is also in line with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports vision of supporting the delivery of affordable, quality, Higher Education Programs to the community of St. Maarten, to meet the islands needs. The cost to participate in the one year course is Nafls. 3,500 per candidate. The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport and the government of St. Maarten in general wishes all candidates participating in the training program much success. The University of Curacao is also currently in the process of recruiting participants for its 3 years Bachelor program that it operates on St. Maarten. The program, offered in collaboration with the government of St. Maarten which has been running for the past 2 years is currently enrolling new students with an interest in pursuing their law degree, without having to travel abroad. New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and fellow commissioners will be in Dehradun on Wednesday to review poll preparedness in Uttarakhand. During their two-day visit, the CEC and ECs will meet DMs and SSPs and officers of enforcement agencies. The Commission will also meet representatives of political parties, a spokesperson said. The state will have single phase polling on February 15 for which notification would be issued on January 20. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio A 38-year-old woman died and a 43-year-old man was critically injured when they were thrown from an ATV that crashed on a train overpass in Lake County, authorities said. Bianca Pizzie, 38, died in the crash and a 43-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Lake County Sheriff Lt. Dan Bachnicki. The crash happened about 1:30 a.m. Sunday on the CSX train overpass above Northridge Road and Casement Avenue. Pizzie and the man were riding an ATV when it crashed into the side of the overpass, Bachnicki said. The impact caused both to thrown from the ATV and off the side of the bridge, according to Bachnicki. Pizzie died at the scene, Bachnicki said. An ambulance took Campbell to Tri-Point Hospital, where an emergency helicopter flew him to MetroHealth. He remains in critical condition, according to Bachnicki. Read more from cleveland.com: Man arrested in Puerto Rico after nearly 40 years on the run from child rape charges in Cleveland Man struck by car, killed while trying to cross Interstate 271 in Bedford, police say 12-year-old boy struck by car on Interstate 90 in Cleveland dies The Royal Australian Navy has joined an eight-ship fleet with more than 1,500 personnel aboard from Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States for Exercise Pacific Vanguard, in waters off Guam. The Royal Australian Navy has joined an eight-ship fleet with more than 1,500 personnel aboard from Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States for Exercise Pacific Vanguard, in waters off Guam. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link HMAS Stuart leads HMA Ships Hobart and Canberra out of Sydney Harbour as they depart Fleet Base East for a period of force integrated training. (Picture source: Able Seaman Benjamin Ricketts) Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the exercise brings together four key like-minded regional partners, working in support of a shared vision for a secure, open, prosperous and inclusive region. HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta will participate from the Royal Australian Navy, in this third iteration of Pacific Vanguard. During the exercise, naval forces will practice a range of activities, including combined manoeuvers, surface warfare, live-fire exercises, anti-submarine warfare and replenishment at sea. Commander of the Australian Maritime Task Group, Captain Phillipa Hay, CSC, RAN said the Royal Australian Navy welcomed the opportunity to work with key regional partners on complex warfighting skills within a task group. HMAS Arunta departs Fleet Base West and sails into Cockburn Sound, Western Australia after a 20 month Anzac Midlife Capability Assurance Program (AMCAP) upgrade which includes a platform systems remediation program to improve platform reliability and maintainability. (Picture source: Commonwealth Australia) Japanese Ships Ashigara and Ise, Republic of Korea Ships Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin and Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, and USS Barry, a submarine and USNS John Erickson from the United States will also take part. The exercise is part of the Royal Australian Navys Regional Presence Deployment through Southeast Asia and the Pacific, which demonstrates Australias enduring commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. Exercise Pacific Vanguard was conducted in accordance with COVID-19 safety measures. [September 14, 2020] USRA, D-Wave, and Standard Chartered Bank Announce Quantum Research Competition MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and BURNABY, Canada, and LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A quantum research competition inviting universities and nonprofits to compete for free time on a quantum computer was just announced by three collaborating organizations. The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) a non-profit organization chartered by the National Academy of Sciences and NASA to advance space exploration and science and engage the University community in its efforts; D-Wave, a global leader in quantum computing systems, software and services; and Standard Chartered Bank, a leading international banking group, jointly announced a Research Opportunity Program inviting eligible candidates to compete for free time on the D-Wave 2000Q quantum computer hosted at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The competition builds upon the success of previous competitions. First launched in 2014, the Research Opportunity Program has given access to the D-Wave quantum computer for principal investigators and collaborators representing more than 30 distinct institutions and resulted in more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Information about the previously awarded projects is available at https://riacs.usra.edu/quantum/rfp. The objective of the program is to advance the state-of-the-art in quantum computing and its application to artificial intelligence. USRA has been a customer and collaborator of D-Wave since the inception of NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) in 2013. QuAIL has been conducting research in quantum annealing on multiple systems including the 512-qubit D-Wave Two, the 1024-qubit D-Wave 2X and the current 2000+ qubit D-Wave 2000Q. Dr. Davide Venturelli of the USRA Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, which has been working with NASA since 1983 conducting collaborative research in artificial intelligence and advanced computing projects, noted "Our previous quantum annealing programs delivered science discoveries as well as many foundational proof-of-concept applications in the field of machine learning, robotics, supply chain management, wireless communications and many others. We believe that empirical research on large-scale machines such as the D-Wave quantum computer is essential to create efficient future hybrid quantum-classical solutions and to train the workforce of quantum computing professionals of tomorrow." Standard Chartered Bank, a leading international banking group that is present in 60 markets, announced last month a partnership with USRA to investigate the applications of quantum computing to machine learning and optimization. Kahina Van Dyke, Global Head of Digital Channels and Data Analytics, says "At Standard Chartered, we recognize the importance of investing in quantum computing and the impact on commercial outcomes it will bring in due course. It is why we believe programs like these are essential to help us discover a pipeline of ideas that will bring us closer to the demonstration of quantum advantage on the real-world practical use cases". Winners of the competition will receive valuable, free time on the D-Wave 2000Q system at NASA Ames. A governing committee evaluates submitted proposals on the scientific merit, on the research team and on the application objective, as detailed in the request for proposals (RFP). "Quantum computing has always been at its best when the industry is focused on collaborative research and development," said Mark Johnson, VP Processr Design and Development, D-Wave. "More and more businesses and developers are exploring quantum applications to turn their ideas into real innovation with a tangible impact. Competitions like the Research Opportunity Program are important to bring together research institutions, non-profits and academic organizations to further quantum advancements, and move the entire ecosystem forward." PR Contacts: USRA: PR Contact: Dr. Suraiya Farukhi, sfarukhi@usra.edu; Tel: 443-812-694 Technical Contact: David Bell, Dbell@usra.edu Standard Chartered: Shaun Gamble, shaun.gamble@sc.com Tel: +44 2078855934 D-Wave: Addy Bhasin, abhasin@launchsquad.com Tel: 949-812-1560 About USRA Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. RIACS is a USRA department for research in fundamental and applied information sciences, leading projects on quantum computing funded by NASA, DARPA, the US Airforce and the National Science Foundation. More information is available at: https://riacs.usra.edu/quantum/ and www.usra.edu Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn twitter.com/USRAedu @USRAedu; https://www.facebook.com/USRAedu/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/usra/ About Standard Chartered A leading international banking group, with a presence in 60 of the world's most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 85 Standard Chartered drives commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good, Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. About D-Wave Systems Inc. D-Wave is the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software and services and is the world's first commercial supplier of quantum computers. Our mission is to unlock the power of quantum computing for the world. We do this by delivering customer value with practical quantum applications for problems as diverse as logistics, artificial intelligence, materials sciences, drug discovery, cybersecurity, fault detection, and financial modeling. D-Wave's systems are being used by some of the world's most advanced organizations, including NEC, Volkswagen, DENSO, Lockheed Martin, USRA, USC, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. With headquarters near Vancouver, Canada, D-Wave's US operations are based in Palo Alto, CA and Bellevue, WA. D-Wave has a blue-chip investor base including PSP Investments, Goldman Sachs, BDC Capital, NEC Corp., and In-Q-Tel. For more information, visit: www.dwavesys.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usra-d-wave-and-standard-chartered-bank-announce-quantum-research-competition-301130218.html SOURCE Universities Space Research Association [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] Photo: Shen Weiduo/GT Wearing masks, eating separately, having their body temperatures checked, frequently using disinfectant, more than 10,000 employees are working hard in the Lenovo factory, where notices that "epidemic control is our responsibility" are posted all over. The Lenovo factory is located in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, the hardest-hit city during the early COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Nevertheless, work is back to normal, as staff assemble a mobile phone or tablet through the production line every second. More than 100,000 mobile phones are produced in the factory every day, and then shipped all over the country and the world from Wuhan - the city that emerged from a 76-day lockdown during the COVID-19 epidemic Last week, workers witnessed a new 5G foldable phone, Lenovo's Motorola 5G Razr, assembled and tested in Wuhan, ready to be shipped to more than 160 countries and regions around the world, marking another milestone for the Chinese tech firm. It a reminder to the rest of the world that the city has not only restored full production capacity, but is also marching forward at a faster-than-expected speed. In the second quarter of the year, the Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, known as the "Optics Valley of China" and home to many big names including Foxconn, Lenovo, and China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co, has achieved a GDP growth of 13.5 percent year-on-year despite the virus onslaught. Since resuming production in April, increasing investment from both home and abroad, and top-down support from the whole country, has empowered Wuhan to restore its manufacturing capability and recover rapidly from the epidemic. Technicians work in a workshop of Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd (XMC) in Wuhan Donghu New Technological Development Zone in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Feb 14, 2020.Photo:Xinhua In March, US-based manufacturing giant Honeywell registered a wholly owned subsidiary, the Huosheng Industrial Technology Co in Wuhan as its headquarters for the company's mass-mid segment business in China. In early June, the first 200 employees of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi officially moved into its Wuhan headquarters. And on June 20, Mindray Medical International Co, the country's largest medical manufacturer, invested 4.5 billion yuan ($658.43 million) in constructing a base in Wuhan, its second global base worldwide. "A few months ago, Wuhan was the center of the epidemic storm, but now it has become the weather vane of China's post-epidemic economic development," Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo, said in Wuhan on Thursday. According to local newspaper the Changjiang Daily, Wuhan's economy in the second quarter has bounced back to the same level in the same period last year, a huge reversal from the first quarter, when its GDP declined 40.5 percent year-on-year. Flights through Wuhan's Tianhe International Airport had reached 500 on Friday and passenger volume in the airport reached 64,700 on the same day, equal to the same level last year, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday. The city also launched a project on Saturday to build a pavilion with the world's largest indoor exhibition area - 450,000 square meters, local media reported. "Data can show only part of the story, as when you look back, only people who've gone through it can know how hard it was, and truly understand the resilience and flexibility of China's industrial chain," a production manager at an electronics firm in Wuhan surnamed Zhang told the Global Times on Friday. Firefighters conduct disinfection at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 3, 2020. Photo:Xinhua The city was cut off from the rest of China and the world after the entire city of 11 million people was placed under lockdown, a move that was unprecedented but also necessary at the time. All work was halted, all transportation stopped and almost everyone was grounded at home, all in an effort to curb the virus. "The pandemic also made it clear - halting production in Wuhan also means halting the global industrial chain," said Zhang, adding that his firm is still catching up with all the orders from customers - including Foxconn, a key supplier of Apple - that were left behind during the lockdown. "Many key materials are produced and shipped out of Wuhan to other bases in Brazil and Argentina, thus after the city was 'closed' on January 23, our overseas factories were also greatly impacted," Chen Shuli, a senior executive of Lenovo Group told the Global Times. "We talked with several factories in South China's Guangdong Province, organized the workers to remain in the city, moved and packed all we could move along the supply chains from Wuhan to Guangdong, and asked workers outside the city who cannot come back to Wuhan to go to factories in Guangdong - that's how we managed to keep our global supply chain running and global shipments during the most difficult time," Chen said. Starting from mid-March, when pandemic situation saw signs of easing, with the help of local authorities, Lenovo's Wuhan factory sent 400 vehicles to bring 7,000 employees back to the base, and "restart" the base. Full production was restored on April 7. "Since April, our tablet production has been in full swing and even achieved a rapid growth rate of about 65 percent to 68 percent year-on-year, Chen said. The full production resumption for Zhang's firm though came later in May, its production also achieved an increase of 40 percent over the past three months compared with the same time last year. To supply the world For most manufacturers in the city, and those across the whole country, restoring production is no longer a problem, as how to supply world demand while the pandemic still casts its shadow on some countries and regions is a new priority. BGI Group, a world-leading Chinese genome research organization, is a firm that never stopped running during the epidemic and is now busy as usual, while shifting its focus from only supplying Wuhan to the whole country, and now to the whole world. Members of staff work at a COVID-19 testing lab built with an air-inflated structure in Daxing District, Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2020. File photo:Xinhua "We built a coronavirus lab that can do 10,000 tests in January in just five days - normally, it would take three months," Zhu Shida, BGI's "frontline general commander" in Wuhan, said on Thursday, adding that working 24 hours a day was normal when the epidemic was most severe. BGI's Wuhan testing lab, named Huoyan, has tested more than 700,000 people in the Hubei Province. So far, the coronavirus test kits produced in Wuhan have been sent to more than 80 countries and regions, and the whole technology solution and lab model have been replicated and expanded to the world to fight the pandemic, BGI told the Global Times. China saw sustained and stable improvement in its foreign trade in August, with exports maintaining a strong growth rate of 11.6 percent year-on-year, while total exports have edged back to growth in the first eight months this year - from January to August, China's exports were up by 0.8 percent year-on-year. "We are still encountering difficulties every day - we are still fighting a lack of some key materials as the global pandemic situation has not eased yet," Wan Heng, general manager of Wuhan Hengtong Technology Co, told the Global Times on Friday. "And we are also striving to increase automation rate of our production line and further increase production during the past months, and encourage our upstream and downstream manufacturers to come closer, and meet demand," said Wan. Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-exiled former presidential candidate who has become an unlikely leader of the Belarusian opposition, says the intimidation tactics of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka are only hardening the resolve of the tens of thousands protesting against the contentious results from last month's election that the West has called falsified. Speaking in an interview with Current Time on September 14 as the Belarusian president met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Tsikhanouskaya called Lukashenka an "illegitimate" leader who has no authority to make agreements on behalf of the country. Current Time is a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Lukashenka faces the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule amid unprecedented nationwide protests against the results of the August 9 presidential election that handed him a sixth five-year term. The Belarusian people have called on Lukashenka to step down and hold free and fair elections, claiming the vote was rigged in his favor. On September 13, almost 800 demonstrators were detained in Belarus during rallies denouncing the election results. WATCH: It's A Pity Russia 'Took The Side Of The Dictator' The 66-year-old Belarusian leader has responded to the peaceful protests with violent arrests and claims of torture by some of those who have been detained. Show Of Control Tsikhanouskaya, who claims to have won 60 to 70 percent of the vote, said the mass arrests on September 13 were aimed at showing the Kremlin before the talks that Lukashenka was still in control of the situation at home. "The mass show of force by sending so many riot police to the scene of the protests was likely organized to frighten people so that they would not demonstrate. But it doesn't work anymore. People have the intention, people have the desire to live in a new Belarus without someone usurping [power]. Therefore, people cannot be stopped. The more brutal the riot police behave and the more that people are jailed, the tougher people will respond," Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania soon after the election, told Current Time in an interview via Skype. 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. Russia, Belarus's most important economic and strategic partner, has been closely watching the upheaval. Kremlin planners are wary of a repeat of what happened in Ukraine in 2014 when mass protests led to the ouster of the pro-Russian president there. Underscoring the Kremlin's potential involvement in the crisis, Lukashenka and Putin have held at least five phone calls since the election, while the September 14 meeting, where Russia agreed to a $1.5 billion loan to Minsk in a gesture of support for the beleaguered Belarusian leader, was their first face-to-face encounter since the vote. Putin gave few details about the new loan, but he also signaled support for Lukashenka in other ways and said defense cooperation would continue. Tsikhanouskaya said any agreements with "an illegitimate" Lukashenka "will have no legal weight" and be revised by any new leadership. The West has condemned the vote and the harsh police crackdown on opposition protesters, forcing Lukashenka to look to Moscow for support. Instead of talking to Putin, Tsikhanouskaya called on Lukashenka to establish a dialogue with the opposition, warning that any attempt to hold an inauguration would be "illegal." "We have always insisted on dialogue. I think that this is the best way out of the current crisis, only through dialogue. And yes...it is necessary to discuss with the current so-called authorities the transition, the peaceful organization of the next new elections," Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that the opposition Coordination Council continues to function despite the fact that the only member of the council, Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich, remains free inside Belarus after several members were either forced out of the country or detained by police. "I think that at the moment, Mr. Putin chose a role of a waiting observer weighing the developments in our country. He indeed understands that we are friendly countries, and nobody wants to break our ties that have been established so long ago. And it is clear that the future president [of Belarus] elected legally in a fair poll, will continue to build mutually beneficial ties with Russia. We understand that Russia's role is enormous for Belarus but anything can be solved via a dialogue," Tsikhanouskaya added. Tsikhanouskaya became an unlikely leader of the Belarusian opposition. Her husband Syarhey, a potential challenger to Lukashenka in the August 9 presidential election, had been arrested before the vote and remains in police custody, reportedly in a jail on Minsk's outskirts. A proficient English speaker who previously was a stay-at-home mother, Tsikhanouskaya took up the mantle from her husband after he was jailed. Tsikhanouskaya said that as soon as some sort of dialogue with Lukashenka's government is established, she will return home "to be close to people." Astronomers have found a potential sign of life high in the atmosphere of neighbouring Venus: hints there may be bizarre microbes living in the sulfuric acid-laden clouds of the hothouse planet. Two telescopes in Hawaii and Chile spotted in the thick Venutian clouds the chemical signature of phosphine, a noxious gas that on Earth is only associated with life, according to a study in Monday's journal Nature Astronomy. Scientists say they have found a potential sign of life high in the atmosphere above Venus. Credit:NASA Several outside experts and the study authors themselves agreed this is tantalising but said it is far from the first proof of life on another planet. They said it doesn't satisfy the "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" standard established by the late Carl Sagan, who speculated about the possibility of life in the clouds of Venus in 1967. "It's not a smoking gun," said study co-author David Clements, an Imperial College of London astrophysicist. "It's not even gunshot residue on the hands of your prime suspect, but there is a distinct whiff of cordite in the air which may be suggesting something." "Clairvoyance is no stranger to MJ Schultz," said TransMedia Group CEO Tom Madden. Back in 2006, Schultz depicted characters from The Apprentice, when he thought it was somehow fitting to insert a "Trump For Prez" sign into the cartoonish mix. "That was sort of psychic, wouldn't you say." Way before that, TransMedia said it will publicize how Schultz predicted a Miami police officer who once pulled him over for a traffic stop was going to kill someone someday, which the officer did. His acquittal resulted in the 1980 Miami riots. Our public relations and marketing program for MJ Schultz will position his book "The Predictor" coming in the wake of Horrowitz's "BLITZ," Hannity's "Live Free or Die" and now Peter Ticktin's upcoming book "What Makes Trump Tick" about Trump and Ticktin attending New York Military Academy together when they were teenagers honing their leadership skills "Now comes the ultimate visionary book, The Predictor by MJ Schulz, known as 'Mr SUPERTRUMP' for having created Supertrump comics years ago," said Madden, an author himself of over five books, including his latest, "Love Boat 78," about a senior's daring plunge into Internet dating. "Our publicity will show how "The Predictor" is full of Schultz' forecasts which have turned out to be true along with insights into Donald Trump's publishing business, in which Schultz became involved as creator of Supertrump Cartoon Series," said Madden. "Our publicity also will focus on some serious injustices and Schultz' predictions that two prisoners, Lamar Burks, an African-American who has served 20 years in a Texas prison for a murder newly emerging evidence shows he didn't commit, and Jervis Payne on death's row for 32 years, will both be found wrongfully convicted and finally set free. TransMedia said its PR program for MJ Schultz will connect with thousands of his loyal followers on Facebook and Twitter and highlight how the author is an avid supporter of one of the country's premiere Afro-American conservative super PACS providing education and direction to help elect Black Republican candidates to Congress. Media contact, Dilara Tuncer 941-549-3571; [email protected]. SOURCE TransMedia Group BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For millions of students and their families, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unforeseen and extensive challenges this back-to-school season including the likelihood of distance learning in some capacity. While school districts across the country are taking different approaches to this falls' learning environment, a collective concern lingers: how to address anxiety around a growing need for basic necessities, which in turn, threatens to disrupt student focus, attendance, motivation and emotional well-being. Whirlpool brand hopes to help address one of these needs by providing access to clean clothes for kids through its Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool . Now in its sixth year, the program has proven how access to clean clothes can positively impact the lives of thousands of students at-risk for absenteeism. During the 2019-2020 school year, the Care Counts laundry program enabled nearly 90% of participating high-risk elementary school students1 to increase their attendance, proving how access to clean clothes can positively impact lives. It has grown to support 33 regions and 122 schools. In an academic year that brings challenges associated with virtual learning, hybrid learning and social distancing within the classroom, Whirlpool has enlisted the help of Richard Rende, Ph. D., developmental psychologist, researcher, and educator to determine how success is measured. Over multiple touch points throughout the year, Dr. Rende will assess the impact of access to clean clothes against a variety of new criteria, including students' engagement beyond attendance, their social and emotional well-being, motivation, and presence and participation in their learning environments. "A significant number of caregivers have felt the economic impact of COVID-19 and are finding it more difficult to provide basic necessities for their school-age children," said Richard Rende, Ph.D. "When students lack basic necessities like food, shelter, clean clothes or hygiene products, anxieties about access to basic needs impact their ability to focus, regulate emotions and control behavior impulses. For children who are more likely to be chronically absent from school under normal circumstances, academic engagement will be even more difficult for them regardless of if in-person or remote." In order to help students who depend on the Care Counts laundry program, Whirlpool brand, with support from Teach For America, is working with participating schools to find additional ways to ensure access to clean clothes for kids. Despite hybrid and virtual learning, many school locations will remain a central hub for families to pick up meals and launder their clothes in a safe environment. "We created the Care Counts laundry program because a lack of access to clean clothes is a barrier to attending school," said Chelsey Whitehead, Senior Brand Manager of Whirlpool brand. "The program has grown to support 122 schools in 33 regions and given the current situation, it feels more important than ever to be able to provide resources that help. Over the summer, we listened to the school principals involved in this year's program, and we learned their students need basic necessities now more than ever before. We are humbled that the Care Counts laundry program can continue to help to fulfill a small but important need by providing access to clean clothes." The Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool has expanded its presence to six new regions in the 2020-2021 school year: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Mississippi. Additionally, the program will continue to work with schools that are participating in a second year of the program in four regions: Cleveland, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Since its inception in 2015, the program has contributed to decreases in chronic absenteeism, and increases in attendance rates, grades and levels of self-esteem of participating at-risk students nationwide. In the 2019-2020 school year, nearly three out of four (73%) participating high-risk elementary students2 were no longer at risk for chronic absenteeism following the program's implementation. The Care Counts laundry program provides access to clean clothes in order to ensure basic needs are met and thus, remove one small, but important barrier to education. To learn more about the Care Counts laundry program, visit whirlpool.com/care-counts . About Whirlpool Brand For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand created and continues outpacing goals of its Care Counts Laundry Program, through which the brand is committed to helping create educational equality by installing washers and dryers in schools to help remove one small but important barrier to attendance access to clean clothes. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA . Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com . About the Care Counts laundry program by Whirlpool Methodology Whirlpool brand works with school teachers, administrators and Richard Rende, Ph.D., an internationally recognized developmental psychologist and researcher, to draw research-based connections between access to clean clothes and attendance rates by anonymously tracking student attendance, loads of laundry and grades. In 2020, owing to COVID-19 and remote-learning models, the program will track measures beyond attendance, such as participation in class (whether remote or in-person), engagement, demeanor and social-emotional well-being. For more information on the methodology, or to get access to the full meta-analysis, please contact [email protected] . 1High-risk elementary school students is defined as elementary students who have missed 10% or more days of school during a reporting period 2High-risk elementary school students is defined as elementary students who have missed 10% or more days of school during a reporting period SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation Related Links http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com Red Banyan - crisis PR, crisis management, and strategic communications. Growing our presence as a key player in this market is designed to enhance our ability to serve celebrity crisis clients and others in need of crisis PR help in California. Red Banyan, a public relations and crisis management firm focused on managing complex, high-stakes communications issues, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest office, in Los Angeles. The move will expand Red Banyans reach and visibility and reinforce the crisis management firms presence on the West Coast. Red Banyan has an established reputation as the go-to firm for crisis PR management, reputation management and strategic communications. Growing our presence as a key player in this market is designed to enhance our ability to serve celebrity crisis clients and others in need of crisis PR help in California, said Red Banyan Founder and CEO Evan Nierman. Managing Director Asher Levine added: As Red Banyan takes on more and more high-profile work, expanding our footprint in Los Angeles was a necessary next step. Since its launch in late 2010, Red Banyan has established itself as one of the leading crisis pr agencies in the United States. The firm already has offices in South Florida, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Red Banyan provides crisis management, litigation support, media relations and other strategic communications services to a variety of national and international clients. Red Banyan is at the forefront of crisis management, with a network of media contacts forged through decades of crisis PR and strategic communications. Staffed by a team that includes numerous former journalists, the team offers global reach and insightful guidance based on years of professional, real-life experience. About Red Banyan Red Banyan is a specialized communications firm and crisis management firm focused on solving complex, highly sensitive and mission-critical communications challenges. Specializing in crisis communications, corporate public relations, government relations, and legal PR, Red Banyan provides an integrated approach to communications rooted in strategy. Learn more at http://www.redbanyan.com, become a fan on the Red Banyan Facebook page and follow the firm on Twitter and LinkedIn. Five Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and a US Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber participated, on Monday, in the South Paw air exercise, which aimed to strengthen the assurance measures of the North Atlantic Alliance in Southeast Europe. According to a statement from the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) sent to AGERPRES, the exercise was coordinated in the Romanian airspace by the Air Force component of the Air Forces and the US Air Force deployed in Europe (USAFE) and included interception and escort missions executed with five F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the Romanian Air Force 86th Air Base, together with a US B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. The participation of Romanian aircraft in this type of activities allows the training of personnel in the execution of such missions and contributes to the development of multinational cooperation in the air field by applying common procedures. The Ministry of National Defence points out that even in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 health crisis, "by successfully executing the joint training exercise, the allied forces involved are fully prepared to carry out their missions in all areas, demonstrating involvement and interoperability." Face mask rebels in east Java have been ordered to dig graves for coronavirus victims as punishment. Eight people who refused to wear face masks in Gresik regency were made to dig graves at a public cemetery in Ngabetan village. The people being punished did not participate in funeral services but two were assigned to dig each grave. Cerme district head Suyono said: 'There are only three available grave diggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them. Grave diggers wearing coronavirus face masks prepare for a funeral at Pondok Rangon Public Cemetery in east Jakarta As the number of residents exposed to more and more victims fell back, the number of burrows left for the bodies of Covid-19 patients at this burial site is only around 1,100 burrows A funeral officer rests in a special area for coronavirus victims' bodies in Pondok Rangon Public Cemetery, East Jakarta, on Friday 'Hopefully this can create a deterrent against further violations,' he told Tribun News on Wednesday. The number of Covid-19 cases is continuing to rise in Cerme, prompting the village to strengthen safety measures. Residents who ignore the new protocols are subject to fines or community service as punishment by law. Indonesia saw its coronavirus case count rise by 3,636 yesterday, taking its total number of cases to since the pandemic began up to 218,382. Workers dig holes at a burial site for victims of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Jakarta on September 11 Indonesia's coronavirus death toll stands at 8,723 but true numbers of infected and deceased are estimated to be significantly higher due to a comparative lack of testing in the country Indonesia saw its coronavirus case count rise by 3,636 yesterday, taking its total number of cases to since the pandemic began up to 218,382 The world has seen a new record of 307,930 coronavirus cases in a day, only the second time that the daily figure has been above 300,000 Jakarta has seen the highest number of cases since the pandemic began at 54,220, while east Java has seen 38,088. The country's death toll stands at 8,723 but true numbers of infected and deceased are estimated to be significantly higher due to a comparative lack of testing in the country. Nadi bin Eji, who works in at one of the two cemeteries in Jakarta where coronavirus victims are buried said 2,600 burials have taken place in eight new plots since the beginning of pandemic. The Pondok Ranggon cemetery told ABC: 'Last week we buried 201 people with COVID protocols.' He on burials from 7am until almost midnight for the last week and said he feels 'worried' his neighbours think he could spread coronavirus to the wider community. LONDON - GardaWorld, the worlds largest privately owned security company, said Monday it was making a 3 billion-pound ($3.9 billion) offer for G4S, saying its London-based rival has rejected or ignored three previous approaches. Montreal-based GardaWorld says it decided to publicize its bid of 190 pence a share - a 30% premium to G4Ss closing price on Friday - to pressure the firm into talks. GardaWorld says the companys expertise will help turn around G4S, which has failed to deliver for shareholders, customers, employees or the public. G4S needs an owner, not a manager. GardaWorld has 25 years of experience in the sector and we know how to improve and repurpose this business, Stephan Cretier, founder and chief executive officer of GardaWorld, said in a statement. As owner-operators, we believe that the combined businesss operations will offer a better future for all those who depend on G4S. London-based G4S employs more than 500,000 people in 85 countries. The company said it had no immediate comment on the GardaWorld offer. U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain, center, speaking about public safety in Philadelphia during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia on Monday. Read more U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain on Monday announced federal charges against two Philadelphia men in gun-related cases because, he said, District Attorney Larry Krasners office bungled their prosecutions. McSwain also highlighted 10 other defendants he said received lenient treatment from Krasner in gun possession, drug, or assault cases and who later were charged with murder. Speaking Monday at a news conference, McSwain said Krasners policies create a culture of lawlessness" and leave criminals emboldened. The staggering homicide and shooting rates in Philadelphia are proof that the district attorneys radical experiment has failed, McSwain said. It was the latest in a series of criticisms McSwain has leveled against Krasner, a progressive Democrat who took office in 2018 promising criminal justice reform. It also comes as President Donald Trump, who appointed McSwain and is scheduled to appear at a town hall meeting Tuesday in Philadelphia, has sought to make crime and violence in Democratic-led cities one of the pillars of his reelection campaign. Mass incarceration and death by incarceration have not made us safer," Jane Roh, Krasners spokesperson, said by email Monday. She contended that McSwain was doing his boss bidding by telling fact-free tales about crime and public safety. After other broadsides from the U.S. attorney, Krasner has said McSwain is grandstanding with an eye on his own political future and misrepresents the cases he cites. The battle between the top federal law enforcement official in the region and the city prosecutor broke into the open last year when McSwain filed federal charges against a man who pleaded guilty to and was sentenced on state charges for shooting a store owner with an AK-47. In one of the new cases, McSwain said, Khalif Tuggle, 28, of West Philadelphia, has been indicted on federal carjacking and firearms charges in the shooting death of Tommy Petersen, 32, on a Hunting Park street. In the other, John Allen Kane, 53, who previously served time in prison on manslaughter and murder convictions in two separate shooting deaths, has been federally charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Kanes federal public defenders did not immediately reply to a request for comment Monday. Tuggle doesnt yet have an attorney in his federal case. The other 10 defendants McSwain cited as having received lenient treatment in prior cases included Michael Banks, one of three men charged with murder in the August shooting death of 7-year-old Zamar Jones; Keith Garner, sentenced in August for a quadruple West Philadelphia murder; Timothy Sherfield, who faces a murder trial in the 2019 shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Wissinoming; and Maalik Jackson-Wallace, who was allowed to enter a court diversionary program for an illegal gun possession case, and later allegedly killed a 26-year-old man. We can draw a straight line from [Krasners] policies to the carnage on the streets, McSwain said. John Schmidt, acting special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Philadelphia Field Division, which investigated the two newly charged cases, said: By holding these individuals accountable for their actions, Im hoping to bring solace to the victims' families. In January 2017, Tuggle shot Petersen, who was in his car, then dragged him out, and rifled through Petersens pockets. Tuggle and an accomplice then drove away in Petersens car, leaving him dying on the street. Despite evidence pointing to Tuggle as the shooter surveillance video, fingerprints on a juice bottle, and identification cards left at the scene Krasners office chose not to take him to trial on first- or second-degree murder charges, which carry a life sentence. Prosecutors instead entered into a plea deal with Tuggle to third-degree murder and related offenses. The sentence was left up to Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott, who sentenced Tuggle to 13 to 27 years in state prison. The victims family has criticized what they consider a generous plea deal and light sentence. Roh said her office asked the judge for a sentence of 25 to 50 years behind bars for Tuggle, but declined to comment on why local prosecutors gave Tuggle a plea deal to third-degree murder. She said it would be inappropriate to comment on any case thats now being prosecuted by another office. Kane in January 2018 was pulled over by police after driving through a stop sign. Officers said they found a gun and drugs in his possession and arrested him. Roh declined to comment on why the District Attorneys Office later decided to drop the gun and drug charges against him. Kane is now in federal custody on a federal gun-possession charge stemming from his 2018 arrest. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan has exported 104 tons of petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons worth to Greece countries to 34,363 euros in June 2020, Eurostat representative told Trend. In turn, overall 1H2020 petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons export from Kazakhstan to Greece amounted to 799 tons worth 388,663 million euros. Thus, compared to May 2020 the export volume increased by 1.3 percent (103 tons), whereas compared to Jan. 2020 the volume decreased by 53.4 percent (224 tons). The value of petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons export from Kazakhstan to Greece was 4.8 percent more than in May 2020 (32,764 euros), and 73.3 percent less than in Jan. 2020 (128,965 euros). The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Greece amounted to $781.1 million over 1H2020, compared to $695.2 million during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Greece amounted to $772.6 million over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $686.7 million during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Greece stood at about $8.44 million over the reporting period, compared to $8.43 million during the same period of 2019. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Imagine logging into a computer terminal perhaps your own personal computer -- and, with a couple of quick clicks, exercising your Constitutional right to cast your vote in a federal election. Will sidestepping the nuisances of finding the correct polling location and standing in line for hours increase voter participation? How close are we to seeing such a system in place? Voting via the Internet is just one form of electronic voting (e-voting). Generally speaking, e-voting refers to both the electronic means of casting a vote and the electronic means of tabulating votes. Using this definition, many voting methods currently in use in the United States already qualify. Punch cards and optical scan cards are tabulated using electronic means, for example, and they have been in use for decades. Advertisement Recent applications that fall under this definition include Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems and voting via the Internet. Most people think of DRE systems when talking about electronic voting, as these electronic systems are the first with which the general public has interacted. Not coincidentally, these new systems are also the subject of a lot of criticism and scrutiny. In this article, we will examine how elections are administered, the various methods of electronic voting and advantages and concerns related to each method. Well also examine how electronic systems may be used in future elections. To understand the role voting systems play in the election process of the United States, we need a quick primer on election administration. Individual states oversee elections -- even the federal ones. The reason for this decentralized approach is mainly due to scale. According to Election Data Services, there are over 170,000,000 registered voters in the United States. Imagine coordinating, facilitating and tabulating votes for that many people. A centralized voting system is not a realistic choice once you see the size of the task. For a presidential election, you would go to your local polling facility during polling hours. There a local election official or volunteer would verify that you are a registered voter and you would vote. Once the polls close, an election official would gather the ballots and transport them to a centralized tabulation site. Here, officials would count the votes and then report the results. Electors from your state would later cast their vote for one of the presidential candidates. Usually an elector will vote for whichever candidate received the most votes in the elector's state. However, they are not obligated to vote along the same lines as the popular vote. Check out How the Electoral College Works to learn more. In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). This legislation has three primary goals: Create a federal agency to serve as a centralized point for election administration information Provide funding to states to improve election administration and update voting systems Create minimum standards for states to follow in election administration States received a total of $3.9 billion dollars, with the amount paid to each state determined by the size of its voting-age population. Many states used the funding to upgrade old voting systems. In the next section, we will look at the two types of electronic voting systems: paper-based and direct-recording. Election Legislation Each state has its own laws and regulations regarding elections, although every state must meet certain requirements. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 establishes provisions of voting assistance to voters who are blind, illiterate or disabled. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA) requires that states allow certain groups of citizens to register and vote absentee in elections for federal offices. Read More Details added first version published on 11:29 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed strong protest to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (OSCE MG) regarding the resettlement of Armenians from Lebanon to Nagorno-Karabakh region, Trend reports referring to the ministry. "Recently, the videos have been spread on social networks demonstrating the continuation of the policy of illegal settlement by Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas of Azerbaijan," said the MFA. "After the explosion in Beirut, Armenia, using the tragedy in this country for its own nefarious purposes, began to implement plans to resettle Lebanese Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas which are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and currently under military occupation. This illegal activity is a gross violation of the norms and principles of international law by Armenia, including the Geneva Convention of 1949 and its additional protocols, as well as the obligations assumed by Armenia itself," the MFA noted. The purpose of Armenia, which pursues a policy of illegal settlement, is clear. This way, it is trying to strengthen the results of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories, the status quo based on occupation, said the ministry. Armenia, which is trying to artificially increase the number of Armenians here by illegally resettling the ethnic Armenians who have nothing to do with the region to the currently occupied lands of Azerbaijan, has been preventing the return of the Azerbaijani IDPs forcefully expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas and whose human rights have been violated, to their homes and properties for nearly 30 years, the foreign ministry stressed. The Armenian leadership, which seeks to escalate tensions in the region and has recently openly demonstrated this with its provocative actions and statements, is undermining the negotiated settlement of the conflict with its policy of annexation, noted the MFA. The international community will be regularly informed about the illegal activities carried out in our territories occupied by Armenia, including the illegal resettlement policy, and our efforts aimed at putting an end to this illegal practice will continue within international organizations, the ministry emphasized. We call on the international community to take practical steps to hold accountable the Armenian government, which keeps the Azerbaijani territories under occupation and carrying out illegal activities in these lands, the MFA said. 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. New Delhi: Germany has decided to maintain stronger ties with democratic countries in the India-Pacific region to promote the rule of law, giving a major diplomatic blow to China. Berlins diplomatic drift towards India-Pacific came after Europe has expressed concern over Chinas human rights record and economic dependence on the Asian country, ANI quoting Nikkei Asian Review said. India and China are currently engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has been no breakthrough and the deadlock continues. We want to help shape (the future global order) so that it is based on rules and international cooperation, not on the law of the strong. That is why we have intensified cooperation with those countries that share our democratic and liberal values, said German Foreign Minister Maas on September 2, according to ANI. According to the report, the German adopted new guidelines with regards to India-Pacific and stressed on the importance of rule of law and the countries supporting it with open market in the region. The strategy has received support from other nations including India, Japan, Australia and ASEAN nations. The report stated that China enjoys good relation with Germany with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting China almost yearly. China makes up a whooping 50 per cent of Germanys trade in the Asia-Pacific. However, with the diplomatic shift, Germany is to take a tough stand on China, including criticism on debt burden of countries participating in Chinas dream project- Belt and Road Initiative. TDT | Manama Council of Representatives Speaker Fawzia bint Abdulla Zainal stressed that the declaration to support peace is a sovereign decision and a historic step aimed at backing peace efforts in the region, towards ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and reaching the two-state solution, in accordance with the resolutions of International Legitimacy and the Arab Initiative. She added that the courageous step taken by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is in line with Bahrains approach of openness and co-existence, and keenness to achieve security, stability, progress, and prosperity. The peace declaration also confirms Bahrains firm supportive stance towards the brotherly Palestinian peoples full legitimate rights, which top Bahrains priorities, she said, stressing Bahrains commitment to Arab fundamentals, the most important of which are the Palestinian rights. The Speaker made the statements while receiving yesterday Swiss Honorary Consul-General Humbert Vincent Buemi. About Me Gerald D. Boyd On Wine Anacortes, Washington, United States I have been actively writing about wine and spirits since the late 1960s and have traveled extensively to all of the major wine regions in the world. My byline has appeared in various newspapers including the Rocky Mountain News, San Francisco Chronicle and Santa Rosa Press Democrat. I was editor of the Wine Spectator in the early years, editor of Wine & Spirits Buying Guide (later renamed Wine & Spirits Magazine) and have contributed to various other national and international magazines. I have been a professional wine judge since 1968, serving on panels at major wine competitions in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Italy, South Africa and China. And I was an adjunct wine instructor in the Wine Studies program, Santa Rosa Junior College, California for 12 years. View my complete profile Popular Posts The Red Wines of Oregon It could be said that Oregon's reputation for world-beating Pinot Noir owes its success to the dissatisfaction of a small group of Calif... My Life in Wine Episode 11 "The traveled mind is the catholic mind educated from exclusiveness and egotism." Amos Alcott, American teacher and philosopher ... Wine's Turning Point Tracing the history of modern wine making in the United States is difficult, mostly because the definition of ... The mother of a Manchester Arena bombing victim who could have been saved if paramedics treated him earlier has accused the emergency services of murdering her son. John Atkinson, 28, suffered serious leg and abdominal injuries but they were survivable, the public inquiry into the 2017 atrocity was told last week. It heard just one paramedic entered the blast site in the first 40 minutes after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his backpack device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. But it was almost an hour before Mr Atkinson was evacuated and by then it was too late. Manchester Arena bombing victim John Atkinson, 28, suffered serious leg and abdominal injuries but they were survivable, a public inquiry was told last week The care worker, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, had lost too much blood and went into cardiac arrest before reaching hospital. Abedi, 22, had acted with help from his brother Hashem, 23, who was jailed for at least 55 years last month. Mr Atkinsons mother Daryl Price, 55, yesterday said it was very difficult to learn that her son was probably the only one of the 22 people who died who could have been saved. The care assistant said: Now, after everything has come out, I dont believe the Abedi brothers actually murdered my son. They were contributory but I feel the emergency services murdered my son. His mother Daryl Price, 55, said it was very difficult to learn that her son was probably the only one of the 22 people who died who could have been saved. Pictured: Ms Price, centre, at her son John's funeral with stepfather Kevan (left) and sister Stacey (right) She has accused the emergency services of murdering her son as she said he received little treatment and they 'left him to die'. Mrs Price spoke out as she prepared to pay tribute to Mr Atkinson at the inquiry in Manchester. A series of commemorative hearings dedicated to victims are due to start today. Last week Paul Greaney QC opened the inquiry by explaining that it would examine the emergency services response and the issue of survivability. The inquiry heard in the aftermath of the bomb Mr Atkinson was able to speak and had a pulse for more than an hour. However, ambulance delays meant he was not seen by paramedics until he was dragged out on a makeshift stretcher constructed from advertising hoardings and a metal barrier 54 minutes after the blast. Mr Atkinson was able to speak and had a pulse for more than an hour but ambulance delays meant he was not seen until 54 minutes after the blast. Pictured: Emergency services arrive at the scene of the explosion Pictured: CCTV image of suicide bomber Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb Mrs Price said it appeared he received little treatment until he went into cardiac arrest 24 minutes later. She said: I believe that he would still be here now had he been seen sooner. Its like he was just put to one side and left to die. They moved him to the triage area and then he was left. He was left to bleed to death. He was totally forgotten about for 24 minutes and by the time they got back to him they had to do CPR [life-saving technique] because they left him to die. Mrs Price said she also blamed MI5, who knew Salman Abedi had travelled to Libya and visited extremists in jail, and the arena security team. She insisted: Whoever was involved that night the emergency services, MI5, the arena staff, security, theyre all guilty of my sons murder. All of them. Victoria Higgins, of legal firm Slater and Gordon, who represents Mrs Price and other victims families, said: There are questions the families need answering that didnt feature as part of the criminal investigation and so it is vitally important they are now addressed. Kate Middleton and Prince William were finally able to reunite with Queen Elizabeth last week during an end of summer getaway to Balmoral, the monarchs Scottish estate. William and Kate brought along their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. It was the first time the queen and Prince Philip were able to see their grandson, his wife, and their great-grandchildren since the lockdown started in March. Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | GEOFF PUGH/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are living in the HMS Bubble during the pandemic Her majestys schedule has been quite different since the start of the pandemic. Of course, there have been no in-person engagements for months. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have been at Balmoral for the majority of the lockdown. However, Express reports that they will be leaving next week and relocating to Wood Farm on the Queens Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The palace announced that Her Majestys intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October. She will also resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements. RELATED: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philips Private Life Has Been Rocked by Love and Sex and Marriage Claims New Documentary Because Queen Elizabeth is 94 and Prince Philip is 99, they are both vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. They have been isolating with a limited number of staff, with one insider calling it the HMS Bubble. She recently added visits with family back into her routine while following government guidelines about social distancing. Kate Middleton and Prince William were over the moon to reunite with Her Majesty When Prince William, Kate, and the three kids were finally able to reunite with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Balmoral they took numerous precautions. Elizabeth and Philip remained in their HMS Bubble while spending time with their great-grandkids outside on the 50,000-acre estate. According to Express, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were over the moon about reuniting with Queen Elizabeth. The family has had a difficult year for many reasons, and watching the country suffer during the pandemic has made it worse. William and Kate wanted to take the opportunity to visit with Queen Elizabeth and show their support. RELATED: Kate Middleton Went Directly To Queen Elizabeth Over Her Concerns About Meghan Markle Claims New Book Like every family, they have been desperate to get back together and over the moon it was possible this weekend, an insider explained. They have all been up there for a few days and although there are very strict procedures with social distancing, they have been able to find ways of seeing each other outside. Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middletons relationship has come a long way William and Kate may have been thrilled to see the queen during their recent visit. But, Her Majesty had her doubts about Kate when she and William announced their engagement in 2010. In her book The Making of a Royal Romance, biographer Katie Nicholl wrote that Queen Elizabeth had grave concerns about welcoming Kate into the royal family. Nicholl claims the monarch believed Kate needed to have a job and her own identity before announcing her engagement to William. RELATED: Kate Middletons Body Language Proves Her Relationship With Queen Elizabeth Is Not As Tense As It Once Was Kate met the queen numerous times during the eight years she dated William. However, Nicholl says Her Majesty knew little of the girl who had enchanted her grandson at the time of their engagement. An insider told Nicholl that Her Majestys opinion was if Kate is going to be Williams consort, then she needs a proper job. Of course, things have significantly changed since William and Kate married in April 2011. Slate's Who Counts? series is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you. On Friday, six judges of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appealsa Trump Supreme Court shortlister joined by five Trump appointeesblessed Floridas attempt to suppress hundreds of thousands of votes by forcing people convicted of felonies to pay court debt before regaining the franchise. Critics have called Floridas voter suppression law a poll tax, but that doesnt fully capture the perverse injustice of the measure. The state has not just forced many residents to pay a tax before voting; it has also refused to tell them how much they must pay. Floridas law is not a mere burden on the right to vote, but a Jim Crowstyle gambit to keep returning citizens locked out of the voting booth forever. By upholding the law, the federal appeals court advanced a frightening legal argument that would let more states revive poll taxes by another name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 65 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 4 in 2018 to restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies. The state constitution now provides that a returning citizens voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation. Suddenly, nearly 1.4 million Floridians (including 1 out of every 5 Black adults in the state) were eligible to vote. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers rushed to abridge that right to restoration, and, in a strict party-line vote, they enacted SB 7066, which required that any returning citizen seeking to have their voting rights restored must first pay all their legal financial obligations. These debts include restitution, fines, and hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees that Florida imposes upon people who go through the criminal justice system. The vast majority of fees go unpaid. Advertisement Advertisement SB 7066 makes a clear distinction: Those wealthy enough to pay these debts are deemed sufficiently rehabilitated to vote, and those too poor are not and are thus unworthy of the franchise. This scheme would appear to be blatantly unconstitutional, since the Supreme Court has said that voting cannot hinge on ability to pay and the 24th Amendment outlaws poll taxes. Advertisement Yet on Friday, Judge William Pryor, one of the judges on President Donald Trumps list of potential Supreme Court picks, upheld the Florida law in its entirety. Pryor insisted that SB 7066 is not an unconstitutional poll tax because the fees and costs Florida exacts to fund its court system are not a tax but a criminal penalty. This reasoning is highly suspect. The Supreme Court has repeatedly heldmost recently in Chief Justice John Roberts 2012 opinion upholding the Affordable Care Actthat taxes are largely defined by whether they provide revenue to support government services. Floridas fees and costs unmistakably do. As Judge Adalberto Jordan noted in dissent, the fees and costs here do not aim to outlaw any behavior but rather serve primarily to raise revenue for the state, and therefore are taxes. Indeed, the Florida Constitution requires its court system to be self-funding and prohibits the imposition of an income taxthe primary way in which most states raise revenuemaking fees and costs a critical source of revenue for the Florida courts. Moreover, fees are applied to every person convicted of a felony regardless of the offense charged or the extent of culpability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pryors majority opinion all but ignored just how difficult it is for returning citizens or even state officials to ascertain their eligibility to vote. But perhaps the most egregious part of Pryors opinion is the way he waves away the extensive findings of fact in the lower courts decision, which documented the states failure to implement any functional system that would effectively restore voting rights to returning citizens. After an eight-day trial, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that determining how much each person with outstanding fines and fees actually owes was sometimes easy, sometimes hard, and sometimes impossible. Hinkle explained that even with a team of attorneys and unlimited time, the state was unable to show how much the 17 named plaintiffs were required to pay under the states view of the law, let alone the more than 774,000 Floridians who have served their sentences and completed their probation or parole but still owed court debt. (This group is also disproportionately Black.) An expert working with a team of Ph.D.s found that records were generally unavailable by phone or internet; in those records that were available, the information was inconsistent in 98 percent of the randomly selected cases they examined. County officials with substantial experience on criminal and financial records fared no better: They reported that after more than 12 hours of work, they were unable to come up with a definitive calculation of what one returning citizen owed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hinkle also found that it was even more difficult, and often impossible, to determine the amount paid on a returning citizens outstanding court debt. Not only were records of payments inconsistent and missing, but Hinkle found that the state adopted two inconsistent methods for applying payments to covered obligationsneither of which had been formally adopted, one of which was concocted in the middle of the litigation, and both of which Florida officials did not understand how to apply. At the time of trial, the Florida Division of Elections said it had 85,000 pending registrations of individuals with felony convictions that must be screened for outstanding fines and fees, but had not completed processing even one. Advertisement Advertisement Pryors majority opinion all but ignored just how difficult it is for returning citizens or even state officials to ascertain their eligibility to vote. He glossed over the evidence by stating that the amount of financial obligations imposed in a sentence is usually clear from the judgment, which can be obtained by the county of conviction. As the evidence revealed at trial, this claim is misleading at best. Pryor also insinuated that returning citizens should be able to find and reconcile records that have eluded even dogged teams of experienced professionals. But even if they cant, Pryor says the state has no responsibility for locating and providing felons with the facts necessary to determine whether they have completed their financial terms of sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This statement drew a pointed rebuke from Jordan, who registered disbelief at the notion that a state can impose a condition for the exercise of a right or privilege, and then refuse to explain to a person what the condition consists of or how to satisfy it. In a separate dissent, Judge Beverly Martin observed that the process for determining just how much returning citizens must pay to vote under SB 7066 has all the certainty of counting jellybeans in a jar, a reference to the practice of Jim Crowera election officials who required voters to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to vote. (White voters were miraculously much more adept at this game than were Black voters.) Advertisement These fierce dissents did not carry the day. And while the Supreme Court does not have enough time to review this decision before the November election, it might well side with Pryor in the end anyway. Today, the federal judiciary is increasingly dominated by judges who share Pryors anti-democratic views. In the 1960s, some federal judges had the courage to halt Southern states racist disenfranchisement schemes. According to Pryor, however, such bravery is actually a betrayal of a judges obligations. Our duty is not to reach the outcomes we think will please whomever comes to sit on the court of human history, he lectured his dissenting colleagues. We will answer for our work to the Judge who sits outside of human history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate concurrencejoined only by Judge Barbara Lagoa, who appears on Trumps latest SCOTUS shortlistPryor expressed the view that judges exhibit real courage by upholding unpopular voter suppression laws. If a majority of judges had shared his views during the civil rights movement, federal courts would have blessed thinly veiled poll taxes and jellybean tests, maintaining Black disenfranchisement indefinitely. Pryor may not care if he is on the right side of human history. But he should at least attempt to rule on the right side of the Constitution. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. A Houston-area police officer has been charged with assault in the shooting death of a 44-year-old woman who had been suffering from mental illness, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reports. Pamela Turner was killed in May 2019 by Officer Juan Delacruz, an 11-year veteran of the Baytown Police Department. Turner had struggled with paranoid schizophrenia since her diagnosis in 2005 and might have been in crisis the night she was killed, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said at the time. Turner was fatally shot by Delacruz in the parking lot of her apartment complex after a struggle. Police said the Hispanic officer shot Turner, who is Black, after she shocked him with his Taser. Police had said Turner was being arrested because the officer knew there were outstanding warrants against her. However, Crump accused the department of trying to criminalize Turner to justify what he called was an "unjustifiable execution." Delacruz has been charged with aggravated assault by a public servant, which is a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Pamela Turner / Credit: KHOU/Handout "Every aspect of the case was independently investigated by the Texas Rangers and our Civil Rights Division prosecutors," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a press release. "Ultimately, we presented all of the evidence to a grand jury that determined the Baytown Police officer should be charged with a crime for his actions when he shot Ms. Turner. We respect their decision and we will be moving forward with prosecution." The district attorney's office said Delacruz is not in jail but will have the chance to turn himself in so that a judge can set bail. "Justice delayed is justice denied," Crump said in a statement Monday, noting it took 16 months for the case to be presented to a grand jury. "As a society, we must do better." Video of the incident was captured on a cellphone and went viral. In it, Turner could be heard telling the officer, "You're actually harassing me" and "I'm actually walking to my house." The two of them can be seen struggling and Turner falls to the ground. They continue to scuffle and she said, "Why? Why?" and then, "I'm pregnant." At that point, something can be seen flashing as Turner extends her arm. Delacruz steps back and then fires several shots at her, striking her at least once. Story continues Neighbors who saw the incident said the community knew Turner, who was a mother of two. They said Turner had mental health issues but they never felt threatened by her. The medical examiner confirmed earlier that Turner was not pregnant at the time of the shooting. Court records showed Turner had two outstanding warrants, one for criminal mischief and another for assault. Turner's family had portrayed the officer as the aggressor and said he approached her as she headed to her home in the same apartment complex where Delacruz lived. "She was a lady who had mental health issues. What she needed was a helping hand from the police officer. Instead, she got five bullets," Crump said last year. Joaquin Phoenix: The 60 Minutes interview West Coast has some of worst air quality in the world amid wildfires Iran executes 27-year-old wrestling star Navid Afkari Everyone has moments where the word you want to say is on the tip of your tongue but it wont come out. For people living with aphasia this moment is a constant struggle. Aphasia literally means absence of speech. It is partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language resulting from damage to the brain caused by injury or disease. The speech and language disorder is predominantly acquired from stroke. Owen Souter had a stroke in 2017 and it has altered his life immeasurably; he had to learn speak again, is much less outgoing and struggles to the read the paper. It's not something that I would want anybody to go through. Bloody horrible, says Owen speaking about the stroke. Owen says it took him about a year to become confident speaking again and aphasia is a part of his everyday life. Words were the worst. I couldn't write anything down, so therefore I couldn't read. Now I read a little bit out of the paper, that sort of thing and then I've had enough. If the 75-year-old is really interested in an article, like those in his sailing magazines, he will keep pushing until hes read it. He occasionally stumbles on a word or takes a moment to recollect it but you wouldnt think Owen was unable to speak just a few years ago. When he cant find a word he gets frustrated and it is only when he voices this frustration that you are aware hes struggling. Owen has spent his life on or next to the water. He grew up in Lyttleton before moving to Tauranga in 1968. He worked as a boat builder then joined the Port of Tauranga in 1969, working there until he retired in 2011. Owen started at the port doing carpentry work, then he was on the lines tying up ships, before getting his skippers ticket and was a skipper on the pilot boats for 11 years. Not content with just working on the water, Owen sails his 7m yacht, Basic Instinct, whenever he can. He never let his stroke prevent him from getting out in Basic Instinct, named after the Sharon Stone movie. I missed it for the first year, but I got back into it and started teaching myself how to sail again. Owen loves the freedom of getting out on the water, hand on the tiller guiding his yacht through the waves. I was out the other day and there was very light winds. I just got the sails up, sat down on the on a deck and I could just feel everything going whoosh. It just felt right. He will take his grandson Tyler out sailing as often as school and the weather allows. The eight-year-old already has six years experience under his belt and loves everything about sailing. Owen also finds comradery in a weekly support group run by Aphasia New Zealand. Owens Korero Club meets every Wednesday with around 10 other people where they do word activities and practice public speaking. The Korero Club is the best part of this phase I'm going through because we're all the same, we all have to listen to each other. We have a hell of [a lot of] fun. We're always laughing and joking, and we have a really good group. The Korero Clubs are just one of the support services Aphasia NZ offers there are Community Aphasia Advisors in a number of areas around New Zealand, they loan laptops and iPads to help with self-directed learning, offer community education and have a resource library. Aphasia NZ executive director Emma Castle says aphasia isnt a well-known condition even though it is more common than Parkinsons disease. She says the charity is trying to raise more awareness about aphasia and how it affects people. A lot of people, when they think about stroke, they think about the physical disability that comes with strokes. So paralysis down one side of the body, but the problems with speech and language that also come with stroke are very common. Aphasia NZ steps in to support people once they have left hospital to help them regain some of the skills they have lost. Emma says the iPad loans are their most popular service because people can practice in the comfort of their home and they are customised to the user. If you go to a cafe, you want to order a coffee, for some people with aphasia that might be really challenging so they can actually use the iPad as a prompt to do that. We just try to fill a gap really. People are often at home and they've exited the health system and had all of the speech and language therapy or other services. And then theyre kind of just wondering now what happens? All of Aphasia NZs work is done through grants and donations. They recently received a grant from the Mazda Foundation for a new iPad. For Owen daily life with aphasia can be difficult but the support he receives from the Korero Club has helped to restore his confidence. Professor Akabzaa Thomas 14.09.2020 LISTEN Professor Akabzaa Thomas, the Former Chief Executive Director for the ministry of energy returns home to lead the National Democratic Congress to campaign for the upcoming 2020 parliamentary and presidential elections in Bongo Constituency. Introducing the campaign team, the constituency secretary Mr. Stephen Awinmakiya Nsobila explained that members of the campaign team are drawn from the 10 political zones in the constituency including, all past members of parliament, founding members of the party, all former government appointees, past parliamentary aspirants, constituency executives, constituency elections directorate, cadres, the youth wing, the women wing and other key members of the party. In his acceptance speech, prof. Akabzaa, the campaign team chairman assures the party of victory come December 2020 as the campaign team is poised to salvage the suffering Ghanaians from the untold hardship and economic mismanagement. Prof. Akabzaa Thomas revealed the team will adopt an aggressive campaign strategy, the strategy of door to door to ensure the party wines over 100 polling stations out of the 120 polling stations in the constituency for NDC. The Member of Parliament for Bongo constituency Hon. Edward Bawa also used the occasion to call on all constituents to vote massively for the National Democratic Congress come December 7th 2020 because the New Patriotic Party had failed Ghanaians with their heaven-on-earth promises such as the free senior high school, one village, one dam, one district one factory and the one constituency, one billion United State dollars which were all scam. For his close contender, the NPP parliamentary candidate who doubles as the DCE of Bongo, Mr. Bawa stated that the indicators from the Unicef District League Table (ii) and the ranking of new entrants to the house of parliament is a clear indicating that he has outperformed DCE and will silence him come December 7, 2020. Bongo constituency has been a safe seat for the National Democratic Congress since 1992 and in the upcoming elections, the seat is been contested by Hon. Edward Bawa of NDC, Hon. George Afari of PPP, Hon. Peter Ayinbisah of NPP and Hon. Richard Akama of GUM whose posters are pasted around the constituency though filing of nomination is yet be done. Compiled by Patrick Anamoo- VEA DAM REPORTER(0245223979) Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse city councilors today passed legislation to bar landlords from evicting tenants from one- and two-family rental houses that are not on the citys rental registry. The measure passed unanimously. The ordinance is intended to give city officials more control over rental properties so they can address code violations and safety hazards like peeling lead paint. The city established the rental registry in 2007 to try to ensure the quality of one- and two-family rental properties. But roughly 60% of the 9,000 properties that should be on the rental registry are not, city officials say. Under the ordinance co-sponsored by Councilor-at-Large Michael Greene and 4th District Councilor Latoya Allen, landlords are prohibited from collecting rent if their units are not on the rental registry. As a practical matter, that change would come into play during eviction proceedings. The ordinance specifically prohibits the eviction of tenants who did not pay rent during any period when their residence was not in compliance with the rental registry. It does not prevent landlords who join the registry from going back to collect rent that went unpaid while the house was out of compliance. But the back rent cannot be used to evict, even after the property is registered. That will get landlords' attention and should encourage more participation in the rental registry, said tenant advocate Mary Traynor, a lawyer at Legal Services of Central New York who sought the legislation. There are thousands of evictions each year in Syracuse, she said. The administration of Mayor Ben Walsh worked with councilors to develop the legislation, which Walsh will sign. "Linking evictions and rent collection to compliance with the Rental Registry is another way we can improve quality of life in the City of Syracuse,'' Walsh said in a news release. "More properties in the registry will make our neighborhoods stronger and ensure better quality housing. I look forward to signing it.'' The rental registry was established in 2007 and applies to all one- and two-family rentals in the city. (Owner-occupied properties are exempt, as are larger apartment buildings which are monitored under other regulations.) Owners must pay a $150 fee every three years (for each property) to maintain their rental registry certificate. News tips? Contact reporter Tim Knauss of syracuse.com/The Post-Standard: email | Twitter | | 315-470-3023 Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a news conference outside the emergency room of St. Francis Medical Center, where two L.A. County sheriff's deputies were being treated after being shot Saturday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) The video showed a shooting that shocked the conscience: a cold-blooded attempt to kill two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies at close range in Compton. Immediately, unequivocal condemnations flooded in from law enforcement officials, city leaders and the nation's most prominent politicians. President Trump called for the unknown shooter to receive the death penalty. Trump's opponent in the November presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden, called for the gunman to face "the full brunt of the law." Najee Ali, a longtime South L.A. activist, understood the anger and joined in condemning the shooting. But he also questioned why such swift calls for justice don't come when it is the police who cause the injuries. There were police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which helped spark weeks of demonstrations and unrest around the nation this summer. And Ali also cited several controversial shootings by sheriff's deputies that have given rise to recent protests. I dont agree with the shooting of anyone thats unjustified, including deputies but also civilians," he said Sunday, adding that he plans to join other Black leaders this week to stand in full solidarity in condemning these actions. With the issues of racism, policing and public safety emerging as key issues in the upcoming presidential election, it was little surprise that the attack on the L.A. County deputies immediately became a flashpoint in the roiling debate. Nothing in policing occurs in a vacuum in 2020 even incidents that elicit tremendous sympathy for the police, and especially in a troubled agency like the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where deputies have been accused of running their own gangs and the sheriff has been accused of harassment and mismanagement. It didn't help when deputies arrested a reporter outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated. Story continues Within hours of the shooting, a small group of protesters had gathered there, enraging officials and law enforcement supporters. Across Los Angeles and the nation, the shooting was swiftly transformed into a political talking point, with speculation swirling as to the possible motivation of the gunman and whether it had anything to do with the anti-police messaging of recent protests. "Words have consequences," Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, apparently stoking that idea even though his department has not named a suspect or offered any motive for the attack. Experts said the reactions were unsurprising but worthy of careful consideration, given their potential implications. According to Dr. Sarah Vinson, a forensic psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine, "all of us have confirmation bias," and people often contextualize a major event by applying to it their own preexisting ideas about a broader social issue. That can exacerbate rifts between people in fraught situations. It can also be dangerous, she said, because it can lead to incorrect conclusions like that a single person deciding to shoot two deputies means people should stop protesting other shootings by law enforcement. "That's a really, really important thing to point out, because you absolutely will get people who will spin this into meaning that these protests are causing problems," Vinson said. In reality, she said, the protests are a response to the problem, not the cause: "If there wasn't injustice in the system, they wouldn't be out in the streets." Erin Kerrison, an assistant professor at UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare who has studied police officers' feelings about the job and their perception in the communities they serve, said there is a correlation between officers' perceptions and how they operate in the street. The less they feel like the community respects their authority, the more likely they are to use force and to buck department policies, according to her research. And because of that, she worries the shooting of the deputies, in a "tinderbox moment" of growing distrust in institutions, will make officers feel as if they have a "green light" to use more deadly force to protect themselves. "It's the precursor to the very behaviors that we as a collective want to put a stop to, which is police violence," she said. "I foresee some real tensions between on-the-ground officers and on-the-ground folks who question them." Chuck Wexler, president of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based law enforcement think tank that works closely with police agencies nationwide, said that when he learned of what happened to the deputies, he immediately thought back to a similar incident in 2014, when two New York Police Department officers were fatally shot in their vehicle. At the time, New York had been experiencing intense protests over the police killing of Eric Garner. In the aftermath, the social media accounts of the shooter were picked apart for clues as to his motivations, and some seized on posts in which he referenced Garner and foreshadowed the shooting as proof that he'd been motivated by the broader protest movement. Many in law enforcement today want to know what motivated the L.A. shooter, too, Wexler said. But they also have broader questions. At recent protests, the "level of vitriol" toward police is much greater than in past years, and police are worried that will translate into more violence toward officers. This incident didn't create that fear, but it will exacerbate it, Wexler said. At the same time, there is growing recognition among police that the preservation of life, which they have always stressed when it comes to their fellow officers, also must be applied to the individuals they are arresting and confronting on the street. In that way, they have some common ground with protesters, he said. "There's legitimate concerns that everybody has, on both sides, for the sanctity of human life," Wexler said. "It used to be that police would say, 'It's important that the police officers go home at night.' In changing the culture, it's more important that everybody go home safe at night." Laura E. Gomez, director of the Critical Race Studies Program at UCLA School of Law, said that when she heard Villanueva say "words have consequences," it struck her that activists had used similar language after it came out that a white teenager charged with shooting and killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., had a history of praising Trump who has been accused of stoking tensions between police and protesters through his rhetoric. "Since words do matter," Gomez said, "maybe all of us need to take a breath and consider the context a little bit more before we weigh in to inflame folks, to inflame our allies." Ali, the South L.A. activist, said he rejected those who had protested outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated. (At least one protester was heard on video saying, "I hope they die," a phrase that was criticized through the day in conservative media and became a trending topic on Twitter.) But he wonders why there was not more mainstream condemnation in the cases of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old Latino security guard who was fatally shot by a sheriffs deputy in June, and Dijon Kizzee, a Black bicyclist who was killed while fleeing deputies last month. Like the deputies who were shot while sitting in their patrol car, Ali saw Guardado and Kizzee as innocent targets of an unprovoked shooting, he said. Both of those shootings are under investigation. Ali said he would continue to advocate for protesters and the families of those killed by law enforcement officers in the region and to condemn the shooting of the deputies. There's no reason why both can't be done at once, he said and anyone who suggests otherwise should not have their voices amplified. "Cooler heads need to prevail and be listened to in this moment of crisis in L.A. County," he said. A 40-year-old Easton man broke into a West Ward apartment early Monday morning and used a handgun to beat a man and a woman before sexually assaulting the woman, city police report in court papers. It was the second time in hours that Dakeian R. Moore, of the first block of North Fourth Street, had assaulted someone at that Easton location, police said. The initial call came at 10:20 p.m. Sunday after Moore went into the Butler Street residence, refused to leave and then assaulted a man, punching him in the face and abdomen, police said. That victim was later taken to an area hospital, police said. Moore then sought to fight a second man there and took out a gun and threatened to kill him, police said. Moore was gone by the time officers arrived. Moore returned early Monday morning and again threatened to kill and then pistol-whipped the second man, police said. The woman, hearing the assault, came out of a bedroom and Dakeian turned his attention towards her, police said. The male victim left the apartment, made contact with Wilson Borough police farther up the street and alerted an officer to the ongoing crime, Easton police said. The male victim, while not identifying Moore by name, told the Wilson officer it was the same place Easton police were earlier, court papers say. The male victim was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. City officers at 2:08 a.m. were called back to the residence, saw Moore leaving and arrested him on a warrant sworn out after their first call there on Sunday night, police said. The woman told an officer that Moore struck her in the face and head with his fist and the revolver, police said. She was able to run outside, but Moore caught up with her and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, police said. He threatened to kill her as well, police said. Moore escorted the woman inside before he was arrested, police said. The woman, who had visible injuries to her face, was taken to an area hospital to be treated. A black Burgo 108S .32-caliber revolver was recovered from the home and identified as the weapon Moore used, police said. Due to previous criminal convictions, Moore is not allowed to carry a firearm, police said. The first case involves two counts of simple assault and harassment as well as single counts of criminal trespass and terroristic threats, records show. District Judge Richard Yetter III on Monday morning set bail at $75,000. In the second case, Moore is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, and recklessly endangering another person along with single counts of burglary, indecent assault, sexual assault and rape threat of forcible compulsion, records show. Yetter set bail at $250,000. Moores preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Sept. 24 in Yetters court in Wilson Borough. Court papers dont list an attorney for Moore. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. President Akufo-Addo will be hosting ECOWAS leaders from eight African countries in his capacity as the Chairman at a high-powered meeting at Peduase Lodge. This meeting is to find a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis in Mali. In view of this, some major roads will be closed to traffic on Tuesday, September 15. Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show, 'Kokrokoo' Superintendent Sasu Mensah of the Motor Traffic & Traffic Department (MTTD) explained that the closure of the roads is to ensure smooth passing of the diplomats. He has also warned drivers not to park on the selected roads. He said any car found will be towed. Meanwhile, the roads to be closed include: -The Kotoka International Airport to the Liberation Road at Opeibea -The airport bypass to Giffard Road through to the Liberation Road -Kempinski hotel to the National Theater on the Independence avenue -Liberation Road through to N4 to Peduase Lodge -Liberation Road from 37 to Obasanjo Street, Tang Palace Hotel -Independence Avenue to Ako-Adjei. Listen to him in the video below 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 Bills beat writer Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot discuss Sundays win over the New York Jets. Game Summary Score: Bills 27, Jets 17 Total net yards Bills: 404 Total net yards Jets: 254 Team rushing Bills: 98 yards Team rushing Jets: 52 yards Team passing Bills: 313 yards Team passing Jets: 216 yards Penalties: Bills 7 for 80 yards | Jets 9 for 95 yards Box Score Up next: Buffalo Bills (1-0) at Miami Dolphins (0-1), 1 p.m., CBS READ MORE ON THE BILLS Game Story: Allen tops 300 yards passing in Bills' 27-17 win over Jets Josh Allen has 1st career 300-yard passing game, Bills knock off Jets, 27-17: 10 instant observations Josh Allen, Bills leave points on field but cruise to victory over Jets (Report card) Tang Zihan, an elementary school teacher of the Experimental Primary School affiliated to Shaanxi Normal University [For China Daily] A student who survived the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 at age 15 with the help of her teacher has become a teacher herself, and hopes to make a difference to young lives. Tang Zihan, now 27, spent her first Teachers' Day in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, on Thursday, with thoughts of that lifesaving teacher high in her mind. She was a student at Beichuan Middle School in Sichuan Province when the earthquake struck on May 12, 2008. She ran out of the classroom, pulled by her teacher. Stunned, exhausted and in shock, she lapsed into a coma and remained unconscious for 14 hours. "I was rescued, but my teacher died. There was no support at the location where he was," Tang said. "He saved me, but I never had the chance to visit his family. I was always afraid to go." Tang said she must have been destined to have connections with students and education. She was born on June 1, International Children's Day. A native of Beichuan County in Sichuan, she went to Xi'an for college, majoring in broadcasting. After graduation, she tried various jobs in several different industries, including real estate and banking. She turned to teaching because of an experience with her first child, a girl born in 2016, who didn't talk until she was more than 2 years old. A good teacher gently guided the girl and solved the problem, and Tang took notice. "Something touched my heart at that moment and I realized that teachers can help a lot," she said. Last fall, Tang was recruited as an elementary school teacher by the Experimental Primary School affiliated to Shaanxi Normal University. She teaches Chinese to first-grade students and serves as the head teacher for 48 primary school students. "I hope my students will become a group of children with light in their eyes and love in their hearts," she said. "Goodness is a must, and gratitude must be learned." Tang wakes up at 5:30 am and arrives at her classroom an hour or so later to prepare lessons and do some cleaning. Now a mother of two children, Tang said she sometimes feels guilty because she has less time to spend with her own children than with her pupils. "When I go home every day, both of my children are asleep," Tang said. "They're not awake yet when I leave." With seven lessons a week, Tang set standards for herself. "A sense of responsibility is necessary for a teacher," she said. "The overall atmosphere and environment created by teachers can gradually have a positive influence on students to some degree, at least." The junior high school teacher who saved Tang's life in the earthquake was resourceful and knowledgeable and found a way to pass on his love of reading. "He once told us that a long time ago, when he was a child, he would read books until he fell asleep. That inspired me quite a lot," she said. "Now, I will carry on with the spirit he passed to me. I hope in the future that my students will become people who are always grateful to society." (Source: China Daily) Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Hush Naidoo) How to lower triglycerides? You just had your annual checkup, and you found out that your triglyceride levels increased. While you need fats to provide you with energy, too much of it does not do your heart good. High levels of triglycerides could clog your arteries, thus likely leading you to get a heart attack or stroke. However, do not fret just yet. There are 11 ways to lower triglycerides naturally. Avoid sugar Simple sugars like fructose can raise triglyceride levels. It is the type of sugar that makes the fruits that you eat sweet. Try to limit your fruit intake, and better yet, avoid foods made with added sugar, such as candies, soda, baked goods, cereals, ice cream, and flavored yogurt. See also: 8 Foods That Curb Sugar Cravings Effectively Know the different types of sugar Food labels often have hidden sugars written in varied terms. To give you a clue, most of them end in "ose" like dextrose, maltose, lactose, glucose, and sucrose. Others that you have to look out for are cane sugar, cane syrup, honey, malt sugar, molasses, and fruit juice concentrates. Eat good fats Eating the right kind of fats help increase your good fats in your body. They are found in avocados, walnuts, almonds, chicken breast, and olive oil. Avoid processed food because they contain trans fats that are bad for health. See also: How to Detox Using Virgin Coconut Oil Cleanse Take more fish To lower your triglycerides, eat foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids. At least twice a week, eat fish like herring, lake trout, salmon, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna as they contain the most omega 3. Good greens Besides fish, flaxseeds, spinach, kale, beans, and Brussel sprouts are good sources of omega 3. Omega 3 supplements Not everyone needs to take this especially if you could get them from the food that you eat. An excess of this compound could cause bleeding. If you plan to take them, ask your doctor first. Take capsules with EPA and DHA. Weight loss An excess weight particularly around the waist could cause increased triglyceride levels. While it may not have a dramatic effect, it could help lower the deadly fat. Exercise To lose weight, one of the things that you need to do is exercise. Try to work out for 30 minutes at least three to five times a week. Make sure to start slow and consult with your doctor first before you start any routine. See also: Weight Loss Could Help You Prevent Certain Cancers, Study Proves Eat more fiber Choose whole grains over food made of refined white flour. Eat oats, veggies, brown rice, or quinoa. Avoid alcohol If you need to unwind, you may opt to drink sparkling water with lime juice to replace alcohol. You may also drink herbal iced tea blend without sweetener. Take note that some people get raised triglycerides even with small amounts of alcohol. Medicine If all else fails, your doctor might prescribe you a drug to help get you back on track. Fibrates, statins, niacin, or high-dose fish oil could help protect your heart health. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) Non-Cavite residents are prohibited from going to Tagaytay without travel authority, Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield Commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Monday. While it is true na yung Tagaytay, dineclare ng LGU nila na hindi na kailangan yung travel pass pagpasok dun, yun po yung manggagaling ng Cavite, he clarified in the Laging Handa public briefing. [Translation: While it is true that the local government of Tagaytay declared that travel passes are no longer needed in the area, such only applies to those coming from Cavite.] Dapat po may reason ka ng pagpunta. [.] Dapat kumuha ka pa rin ng travel authority, he added. [Translation: You should have a reason for your travel. [.] You must secure a travel authority.] Eleazar reiterated that only workers and authorized persons outside residence (APOR) are allowed to travel outside Metro Manila. Since Tagaytay reopened its doors to local tourists, travelers have been flocking to the renowned holiday destination. Heavy traffic was experienced in the area due to the increase in motorists and private vehicles over the past week. IATF to release guidelines on staycations The JTF COVID-19 Shield Commander said the Inter-Agency Task Force, through the Department of Tourism, will be releasing guidelines on staycations in areas under general community quarantine. He stressed that only those who live in the same city, province, or area are allowed to book staycations in hotels. Kung yung mga hotel na yan, eh, sa Metro Manila, taga-Metro Manila ka Sa probinsya, taga-dun ka sa probinsya, Eleazar emphasized. [Translation: If those hotels are located in Metro Manila, then you should be from Metro Manila If those are in the province, you should be from such province.] As of now, there are no restrictions for travel within Metro Manila and other highly urbanized areas, he said. In a separate briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said hotels in GCQ areas are allowed to offer "basic accommodation services" to guests through an in-house staff. "Talaga pong unti-unti nating binubuksan ang ating ekonomiya," Roque said. "Ito pong pinaplano ng DOT ay alinsunod naman sa pagbubukas ng sektor ng turismo." [Translation: We are really slowly opening up our economy. The plan of the DOT is in line with the reopening of the tourism sector.] Roque noted that this "marks the beginning of the reopening of the tourism industry in Metro Manila." RELATED: Tourism industry loses 190-B in revenue from March to July 2020 Meanwhile, the presidential spokesman clarified that other services offered by hotels, such as restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms, and spas will follow the guidelines earlier set by the IATF as to what services can be offered and how many customers can be accommodated at a time. More firms back in business would also boost public funds by way of tax payments, according to Roque. "Let's give it a chance," he said. "Pwede naman pong pag-ingatan ang buhay para makapaghanapbuhay ang lahat. [We can protect lives while allowing jobs to return]." With the restart of local tourism, the IATF moved to allow staycations in areas under less stricter quarantine measures or GCQ on September 11. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte's economic team asked the IATF to allow more industries to reopen for business and increase the allowed capacity for mass transit, so that more people can return to work. Members of various workers unions across the tertiary institutions in Lagos State including the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Lagos State University (LASU), Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), among others, on Monday disrupted resumption activities on the various campuses. The workers, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), among others, protested the non-implementation of the N30,000 new minimum wage. According to the protesting workers, while the government has implemented the minimum wage for other workers in the state, the rationale for leaving out the tertiary educational institutions workers could not be fathomed. At LASU, the workers blocked the universitys entrance gates leaving the vice-chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, other management staff and returning students stranded. As of 11a.m., efforts to persuade the workers to open the gates fell into deaf ears as they insisted that they had given enough notices to the government. Though at LASPOTECH, the workers did not block the gates, they barred their members from resuming work, saying their action was backed by the states Joint Action Committee (JAC) on labour matters, and both the state and national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Speaking on the phone with PREMIUM TIMES, the chairman of SSANIP on the campus, Seye Ero-Philips, said apart from the protest against minimum wage, the union was also agitating against other domestic issues in the school. We want the white paper on the visitation panel report earlier submitted to Mr. Governor to be released. Workers are still being humiliated by the incumbent administration on the campus, and promotions are being carried without the implementation of Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure (CONTISS 16), Mr Ero-Philips said. Also speaking, the vice-chairman of the schools chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Olugbenga Abdulsalaam, noted that the message is simply to let the government know that workers are united against the decision to exclude them in the minimum wage implementation. We met with our governing council and the management over this matter, and we have stated our position clearly, Mr Abdulsalaam said on the phone. NLC reacts The chairman of the Lagos State chapter of NLC, Olufunmilayo Sesi-Akinsanmi, told our reporter on the phone, that the union took part at the various meetings held between the government and the workers unions towards addressing the matter, but that there was no headway. On September 8, the special adviser on Labour to the governor held a meeting with the unions and NLC was in attendance. Unfortunately, the government representative only appealed for understanding without acceding the workers request for a written agreement. READ ALSO: She said the union is in support of the workers decision and that the national leadership of NLC also sanctioned it. Im unaware of any protest SA Meanwhile, when called on the phone, the special adviser on labour matters to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Babatunde Williams, said he was unaware of any protest. Im not aware of any protest. But I will find out, he said. However, the vice-chancellor of LASU said efforts are in place to ensure that normalcy returned to the campus. The unions are asking for the government to commit to payment of their minimum wage. Management is fully engaging with them with the support of SA education and SA labour, Mr Fagbohun said briefly. Your browser does not support the video tag. Gunmen on Monday attacked officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), killing two people and kidnapping about 10 others. The 26 officials were traveling in two buses from Sokoto and Kebbi command of the corps for a training programme at FRSC Academy, Udi, Abuja, when they were attacked, the agencys spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, said in a statement. They were reportedly attacked at Udege junction, along Mararaban-Udege, Nasarawa State, at about 8 a.m. Mr Kazeem said one of the officers in the vehicle died during the attack while another officer died in the hospital and four others were injured. ALSO READ: Eight officers escaped unhurt, ten are unaccounted for as they were allegedly kidnapped by the assailants, he said. Mr Kazeem said the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, has immediately reported the incident to relevant authorities for prompt rescue of the kidnapped staff while investigations to ensure that the assailants are brought to book is ongoing. He noted that the corps marshal has called on all staff of the corps not to be deterred by this unfortunate incident. He assured that the corps will work closely with relevant security agencies to ensure that the criminal elements are brought to book and justice is served while the missing personnel are found. An American International College Assistant professor of visual and digital arts John Nordell is getting proper acclaim for photos he shot more than three decades ago. John Nordells photographs of the Boston hip-hop scene in the 1980s will be among the featured items at the first hip-hop auction ever staged by Sothebys, the most famous name in the auction industry. Among the items to be auctioned are two lots of previously unseen photographs, a total of 42 images that Nordell took to capture the beginnings of hip-hop. Hollywood Talent Night events featured young artists including New Kids on the Block, the Almighty RSO, and DJ Rusty the Toe Jammer. Those photos provide snapshot of the the early years of what would become a cultural revolution. This will be the first time the public has been afforded the opportunity to see them. Nordell says photography was always his calling. He began pursuing and improving it as a teenager. The Cambridge native went on to become a photojournalist for Time magazine and other prominent publications. This body of work is a labor of love. These photographs represent the hundreds I shot from 1985 to 1989, documenting hip-hop culture in Boston, Nordell said. "I believe the power of the images lies in their focused look at a single community: an exuberant microcosm of a growing worldwide cultural revolution. Many of my subjects never gained much prominence, but they remain important as early, localized representatives of a seismic shift. A Liberal MP has accused activist group GetUp of importing aggressive American "bird-dogging" campaign tactics, leading to the intimidation of two female candidates during last year's federal election. One of those women targeted, Boothby MP Nicolle Flint, says she never felt so unsafe as during the five-month campaign against her. She has spoken out publicly since the election about the bullying, abuse and misogynistic vandalism she experienced during that time. Liberal MP Nicolle Flint on the campaign trail with Scott Morrison during the 2019 election, when she was subjected to a bullying campaign. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer But GetUp denies teaching volunteers the bird-dogging techniques and insists it had no connection to a man accused of stalking Ms Flint. South Australian Liberal Tony Pasin used a committee inquiry into the election to accuse GetUp of weaponising individuals to act against politicians the organisation disagreed with. President Donald Trump 'kissed Melania goodbye' before his first aborted visit to Kim Jong-un and the inter-Korean DMZ in late 2017, fearing that he may not return. The claim comes in a soon-to-be-released book 'Rage' by the renowned Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, who interviewed Trump 18 times ahead of its release. 'Rage' claims that Trump believed he might not return from the heavily fortified border, with bad weather eventually forcing him to return to safety and abort the visit. According to excerpts of the book seen by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Trump said he kissed his wife and First Lady Melania Trump goodbye before he left for the trip. 'I got up this morning, and told Melania, kissed her goodbye, and said, "I might not see you again." It's not that I'm worried about myself,' Trump was quoted as telling those aboard his helicopter at the time. 'If something were to happen to the president of the United States, it would be the worst thing that could happen to us as a country,' Trump had added, according to the book, that is set to be released Tuesday. The book says that Trump asked 'They know I'm coming, don't they?' when his hellicopter slowed while flying to the DMZ on November 8, 2017. According to an exceprt of Bob Woodward's forthcoming book 'Rage', Trump kissed his wife Melania Trump (right) boodbye before leaving for a trip to the inter-Korean DMZ in 2017. On the way to the meeting, Trump was forced to turn around due to bad flying conditions Woodward writes that the pilot of the helicopter said he had to slow down due to heavy fog, that was like flying through 'pea soup.' General Vincent Brooks, who was then serving as the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, assured that there was no intelligence to suggest that North Korea was aware of Trump's visit to the Joint Security Area, also known as Panmunjom, inside the DMZ. The failed attempt to visit the DMZ was well documented at the time, on account of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in planed to join Trump, but was forced to turn around for the same reasons. But the new account from Trump, shared by Woodward, shows just how dangerous the president believed the visit to be. The attempted DMZ visit came at the height of North Korean provocations and tensions with the U.S. that came after the communist state's sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date in September 2017. North Korea is believed to station 70 per cent of its military assets around the DMZ, a 2-kilometer-wide buffer zone between the North and South, and each side of the Korean Military Demarcation Line that separates the two. Trump went on to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June 2019, becoming the first U.S. president to cross the border into North Korea from The South. Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the North Korean side of the border at the village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone According to Woodward, Trump - who conceded to the decision to abort the visit based on safety reasons - worried it would make him look weak. 'I know you guys have got to make the decision. You've got to make a safety decision,' he was quoted as saying, before adding, 'This is going to make us look weak.' But 18 months later in June 2019, Trump successfully made it to the DMZ, where he was greeted by North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, becoming the first U.S. president to set food in the country. His brief crossed over into North Korea came after two bilateral summits were held in June 2018 and February 2019, which marked the first ever U.S.-North Korea summits. 'It was an honor to cross into your country and to resume our important discussion,' Trump later said in his letter to Kim, dated July 2 of the same year, according to Woodward, who says he obtained 27 letter exchanged between the two leaders - 25 of which have not been reported before. But the relationship soured again later that year, when in August Kim wrote back expressing his anger at the U.S. and South Korea holding joint military drills ahead of working-level negotiations between his country and the U.S. Journalist Bob Woodward's new book 'Rage' (pictured, file photo), claims that Trump said: 'I got up this morning, and told Melania, kissed her goodbye, and said, "I might not see you again." It's not that I'm worried about myself' Officials were also said to be discussing a third summit, while a meeting in Sweden in October failed to produce progress, with North Korea subsequently declaring that there would be no more talks until the U.S. changed what it called its anti-Pyongyang policy. Another claim from Woodward's book from Donald Trump relating to North Korea was that the headless body of Kim Jong Un's executed uncle was displayed to senior North Korean officials. The US President told the author t that the dictator confided that he had his uncle's head displayed after ordering his execution in 2013. Jang Song Thaek, the North Korean leader's uncle by marriage and a hugely powerful figure within the regime at the time, was purged for treason and corruption in 2013, in what was widely seen as Kim mercilessly asserting his authority. Pictured: Bob Woodward. Tape recordings and extracts from the veteran Watergate reporter's forthcoming bok Rage make a series of bombshell revelations about Trump Kim 'tells me everything. Told me everything,' Trump told Woodward. 'He killed his uncle and he put the body right in the steps,' he said in an apparent reference to a building used by senior officials. 'And the head was cut, sitting on the chest,' he added in excerpts from the book seen by the AFP news agency. The North has never officially stated how Jang was executed, although multiple reports say an anti-aircraft gun was used. Jang's death followed the execution of his two most trusted advisers - Ri Ryong-ha and Jang Su-gil - who were also reportedly killed by anti-aircraft machine guns. T-GO was created under a technical cooperation agreement in principle between HAAH and Chery Automobile, a top ten automaker in China and a leading auto exporter to over 80 countries. Under this agreement, HAAH will be importing parts for assembly as well as domestically sourcing parts in North America for these vehicles based on Chery's T1X architecture. The two companies had announced in February that they would be cooperating in creating the near-premium VANTAS brand vehicles for sale in North America. Those vehicles are based on the Chery Exeed platforms. "A company rarely gets to introduce one new automotive brand to the North American market, so for HAAH to now introduce T-GO, a second vehicle brand, is a remarkable accomplishment that every person on the team is extraordinarily proud of," said Hale. "The T-GO brand is a mass market entry that, like VANTAS, is dedicated to changing the new car buying experience for consumers. Our one price, no haggle, no hassle vehicle pricing and all-digital, fully transparent buying platform, are game changers," Hale noted. The first T-GO vehicle that will go on sale in North America will be a compact SUV. There will be at least two more models by 2024. Details on the vehicles and more information regarding the assembly and manufacture of those products will be provided later this year. About HAAH Motors Holdings HAAH Motors Holdings is a privately held company located in Irvine, California. HAAH was formed to fill a void in the market by re-defining the 21st century auto retail experience and by providing a unique turn-key market entry solution for global OEMs seeking to manufacture and sell high-quality, affordable vehicles in the North American market. More information can be found at http://www.haahauto.com. SOURCE HAAH Motors Holdings Related Links http://www.haahauto.com Footage shows two police officers being shot at close-range in Compton (Los Angeles county sheriff's department) A protest encampment in downtown Los Angeles was shut down over the weekend in what activists said was retaliation for recent demonstrations against police violence in the city. The encampment which popped up in June in the citys Grand Park amid protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis was dismantled by LA Country Sheriffs Department who alleged that illegal narcotic activity, vandalism and graffiti had made the park unsafe for the public. The camps removal came a day after two LA County police officers were shot by an unknown assailant in an ambush-style attack in Compton on Saturday. The two unnamed officers are both in a serious condition in hospital. Authorities told the Los Angeles Times that decision to close down the encampment was connected to the shooting of the two deputies over the weekend, or to the series of protests incited by the death of Dijon Kizzee, who was fatally shot by LA County deputies on 31 August. In the days following Kizzee's death, hundreds of protestors gathered outside of the South Los Angeles sheriff's station, resulting in more than three dozen arrests. Moments ago, 2 of our Sheriff Deputies were shot in Compton and were transported to a local hospital. They are both still fighting for their lives, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We will update this thread with information as it becomes available. LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020 Activists who lived in the park told the Los Angeles Times that they believe the sheriff's department acted out of "retaliation" for those recent protests. They said the encampment was a community-focused shelter for protestors; the group reportedly organized educational events and seminars for its members, while actively demanding police reform from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. Over the summer, however, the area surrounding the encampment had become steadily packed with homeless crowds. When the park was closed on Sunday, officials dressed in riot gear cleared out 11 homeless people and about 25 protestors. One person was arrested on suspicion of trespassing. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:49:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANAA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi militia said on Monday that the Saudi-led coalition in the country launched multiple airstrikes on its military sites in the capital city of Sanaa for the third straight day. The militia's al-Masirah TV said the airstrikes at dawn on Monday targeted al-Daylami Air Base and al-Sama'a military camp in the northern part of Sanaa, as well as Raymat Hameed military camp in the southern outskirts of Sanaa. The coalition has made no comment yet. In the previous two days, the coalition said it targeted Houthi militia's depots of missiles and drones in Sanaa. The airstrikes came after the Houthi militia has intensified cross-border drone attacks on Saudi cities over the past days. All Houthi attacks had been intercepted, according to the coalition statements. Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem The surprise vote came from Justice Brian Hagedorn, a former Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge who once served as legal counsel to former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. Many observers had believed that Justice Hagedorn, who was elected to the court in 2019, would vote with the conservative bloc on the historically partisan court in this case, although he had occasionally sided with the liberals in other cases. Mr. Hagedorn had pledged to be nonpartisan during his campaign for the states high court, saying he didnt believe politics should play a role in judicial decisions. Im surprised that the Supreme Court rejected the Green Party lawsuit, but Im pleased that we will not have to spend money to reprint our ballots and we can send out our ballots now, said Joseph J. Czarnezki, a member of the Milwaukee County board of supervisors. That county, the states most populous, had spent $128,000 on printing, and Mr. Czarnezki estimated that the statewide cost of reprinting would have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mr. Hawkins had said on Sunday that he expected a vote in his favor. Like everything up to this point, it will probably be a party-line vote and theyll put me on, said Mr. Hawkins, who expressed disgust with the Elections Commissions decision to keep him and Ms. Walker off the ballot. Mr. Hawkins defended his decision to be represented by a conservative law firm. Republicans have played these games before, he said. If we had the money and we could get a lawyer ourselves, we would do it that way. But Mr. Hawkins, a retired Teamster, said he was hoping to give voice to supporters of his progressive agenda focusing on three major issues the climate emergency, growing economic inequality and nuclear weapons. A Church of Ireland minister who criticised the institution for not carrying out same-sex marriages is to take part in the first ever 'Silent but not Silenced' protest parade at Mid Ulster Pride in Cookstown this weekend. The event is one of the only Pride events to be held outside this year, when others across Northern Ireland took place virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisers say the protest parade, which was originally due to take place in June, will be held in complete silence to show solidarity to those who have no voice, who have been silenced and oppressed for no other reason than being themselves. With strict adherence to the ongoing regulations, there will be only 15 people participating in the protest parade, each of them wearing a face covering and walking at least two metres apart. Central to the protest parade will be a series of banners with messages including 'Love is Love' in some of the many languages spoken in Mid Ulster, and with non-binary and transgender colours. One participant will be holding a placard which stresses how difficult it is for some LGBTQ+ people to be in a permanent 'lockdown' by having to live "a lifetime in the closet". Mid Ulster Pride official Eli Hughes said she was very keen to ensure that the transgender community was represented in the protest parade: "We're silent but never silenced. However we identify ourselves, we should all have an equal and valued voice in the local community. "We chose to be silent using a non-auditory and socially different way of raising awareness of issues within our LGBTQ community - feelings of isolation, being unheard, overlooked and underestimated." Another banner will have a 'Black Lives Matter' theme and will be carried by Mid Ulster Pride's vice chairperson Rev Andrew Rawding. Last week, the Church of Ireland cleric accused his church of being "homophobic and prejudiced" for preventing him from carrying out same-sex marriages despite a recent change in the law here permitting them. Rev Rawding, who is based in Coalisland, will be joined by Parool Patel, who is a proud 'Gaysian' from a Hindu religious background. "Summer 2020 has been dominated in the news by the Black Lives Matter movement but what about brown lives, yellow lives and ethnic minority gay lives?" Parool said. "We all matter - we're the new normal too. Yet our disparate voices are neither heard nor treated equally. It's time for social change where black and ethnic minority people are also respected, heard and visible," he added. Mid Ulster District Council chairman Cathal Mallaghan said: "The impact of the coronoavirus pandemic has been felt right across society and never has it been more evident how important a sense of community and belonging is to our overall health, well-being, confidence and self-esteem. "Our LGB&TQ community is no different and, with this event, Mid Ulster Pride is safely and clearly showing pride, celebrating progress towards equality and highlighting the progress still to be achieved." The Mid Ulster Pride 'Silent but not Silenced' protest parade takes place in the centre of Cookstown at 3pm this Saturday, September 19 UW Researchers, Colleague Receive Grant for COVID-19 Testing Two University of Wyoming researchers and a colleague recently received a grant to develop a diagnostic assay for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They also will test for antibodies to the virus in human samples. Associate Professor Patrick Johnson and Assistant Professor Karen Wawrousek, both from the UW Department of Chemical Engineering, along with Professor Gerard Wall in the Department of Microbiology at the National University of Ireland Galway, received a little more than $236,000 for a one-year grant from the Health Research Board of Ireland. Johnson and Wall have been collaborating for the past several years, including when Wall received a Fulbright Scholarship to work with the Johnson Lab at UW in fall 2015. Johnson and Wawrousek will develop an assay that will be rapid -- approximately 15 minutes -- and portable with a hand-held, battery-operated device, while still being highly sensitive and specific. Meanwhile, Wall will produce antibody fragments for use in the detection of the virus that are more robust than the antibodies currently used in detection test kits. The antibody fragments will enable high sensitivity and reproducibility of the assay, and can be produced in large quantities. Our test will have higher sensitivity than other rapid tests and will not require any sample preparation, Johnson says. The idea is to have an accurate, portable, on-site test with results within 15-20 minutes. This will allow rapid answers while the patient is still present, enabling immediate intervention and treatment. This type of assay will allow for testing in rural and remote areas, and on-site at airports, among other locations, Johnson adds. Samples can be collected via saliva, nasal swab or blood. The samples then would be placed in glass vials and inserted into hand-held instruments, called Raman spectrometers, for analysis. The project team plans to use Raman spectrometers developed by entrepreneur Keith Carron, a UW professor emeritus of chemistry and CEO of Metrohm Raman in Laramie. The project team will work with Noah Hull, Microbiology Laboratories manager at the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in Cheyenne, to test against known positive and negative samples to validate the assay. Kanazawa, Japan - A team of scientists led by Kanazawa University proposed a new mathematical framework to understand the properties of the fundamental particles called neutrinos. This work may help cosmologists make progress on the apparent paradox of the existence of matter in the Universe. The Standard Model of particle physics that outlines the basic constituents of matter and the forces that act between them has seen remarkable experimental success, culminating in the discovery of the last predicted particle, the Higgs boson, in 2012. However, the Standard Model does not resolve some of the long-standing issues in cosmology, such as the identity of "dark matter" that we know must be there but we cannot see, and why there is so much matter in the Universe compared with antimatter. Many scientists believe that the ghost-like particles called neutrinos may be an important part of the answer. Neutrinos, which hardly interact with other matter, are created by nuclear reactions such as those that power our sun, and trillions of them pass through your body every second. Experiments have shown that, while not massless, neutrinos are much lighter than other particles. This has led physicists to hypothesize that neutrinos get their mass from a different process compared with other particles, called the "Seesaw mechanism." Now, a research team led by Kanazawa University has developed a new theory to explain the unusual properties of neutrinos. "We used the seesaw mechanisms with five- or seven-dimensional operators to describe the interaction of a neutrino with two lepton particles and two force-carrying W bosons," explains Mayumi Aoki. Leptons are a class of elementary particles that include neutrinos, electrons, and so on. Solving these equations showed violations of the Standard Model's prediction that the number of leptons is always conserved. "To move beyond the Standard Model, we have to explain why lepton conservation is sometimes violated, albeit to a very small degree," says Aoki. "A tiny imbalance of one part in a trillion may explain the why all matter didn't get annihilated by antimatter after the Big Bang." "Our work explains the origin of the neutrino mass and also provides predictions directly testable by the Large Hadron Collider," says Aoki. The very light masses of neutrinos might hold the key to solving the big questions that have challenged humanity for millennia. ### USPS Asks Judge to Reconsider Order After Issuing Temporary Ban on Pre-Election Postcard in Colorado The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and its postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, have asked a federal judge to reconsider its order after the judge issued a temporary ban on the agency from sending out pre-election mailers that encourage voters who wish to vote-by-mail to plan ahead and request ballots early ahead of the November election. U.S. District Court Judge William Martinez on Sept. 12 granted a temporary restraining order against USPS and DeJoy after Colorado sued arguing that the pre-election mailer contains false and misleading statements to Colorado voters. The mailer provides information on how voters should request a mail-in ballot at least 15 days before Election Day and recommends voters to return the mail-in ballot at least seven days before election day. The USPS says the mailer with the standard message is being sent out to all households across the country. Unless the court stops the #USPS, Colorado voters are expected to receive this incorrect statement, telling them that they need to request an absentee ballot to vote. That is false. Your ballot will be mailed to you. And even if not, you can still vote at a polling center. pic.twitter.com/tnew9roZik Phil Weiser (@pweiser) September 12, 2020 But Colorado argues that the information is misleading because it runs counter to how voting works in the state. Colorado is one of the five states in the United States with universal mail-in voting. In Colorado, every registered voter is sent a ballot without having to make a request and voters are urged to return ballots by mail sooner than seven days before the election, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. Griswold said the mailer could confuse and mislead Colorado voters. David Partenheimer, a USPS spokesman, told Reuters that the main message of the mail-piece is that voters should plan ahead, educate themselves about voting options available in their jurisdiction, and, if they choose to vote by mail, to give themselves enough time to receive, complete and return their ballot. On Sept. 13, the legal team for the postal service requested the court to reconsider the temporary restraining order, which is set to expire on Sept. 22, arguing that the court didnt give the USPS a chance to respond to the allegations and that the judge was relying on factually inaccurate information presented by the state to make its decision. USPS lawyers also argued the delivery of the postcard had already occurred for some Colorado households and that a particular set of more than 200,000 postcards had already been partially processed for delivery and would be extraordinarily difficult and perhaps impossible for the postal service to comply with the order at this time. The event that the Court found that it had to issue the [temporary restraining order] to preventthe delivery of the postcardshad already occurred: most Colorado voters have received the postcards; and of those that have been delivered, a majority were delivered by Friday, September 11, 2020, the lawyers wrote. They also argued that the postcards were sent to benefit Colorado voters and by banning the postcards, the courts were preventing the voters from receiving the benefits. The Postal Service sent the postcards across the country for a valid public purpose: to encourage advance planning by those voters who intend to vote by mailusing the Postal Service to deliver their mail-in ballotsin the hopes of increasing the likelihood that their mail-in ballots would be timely received and counted and reducing the burden on the Postal Service of dealing with a crush of last-minute mailings. The postcards warn voters that rules vary by state, and they provide a useful link that aids them in locating their states informational website, the lawyers wrote. Colorado filed a response to the request, arguing that the USPS didnt provide a basis to disturb the temporary restraining order and has instead raised a number of issues that will require additional corrective action. They asked the court to refrain from reconsidering its order arguing that the USPSs actions violate the Constitution and will hurt the state and its residents. This isnt the first lawsuit Colorado has filed against the USPS. On Sept. 10, the state announced that it had joined a multi-state lawsuit against the postal service seeking to block USPS from implementing changes to the agency that are aimed at cutting costs. Democrats have accused DeJoy of instituting cost-cutting reforms at the post office ahead of the upcoming election to slow down the processing of mail and limit mail-in voting. Meanwhile, DeJoy said the financial position of USPS is dire and that 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. Lucknow, Sep 14 : Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Kumar Lallu and Congress Legislature Party Leader Aradhana Mishra were detained on Monday while they were on their way to Mahoba to meet the family of Inderkant Tripathi, a crusher dealer, who died in Kanpur. Tripathi was allegedly gunned down at the behest of suspended IPS officer Mani Lal Patidar on September 8 and was under treatment in a Kanpur hospital, where he succumbed late Sunday. The Congress leaders were detained by the police in Ghatampur. Mishra said that the incident was a classic example of "jungle raj" having been unleashed in Uttar Pradesh. "Whenever the Congress tries to reach out to the victims of such incident, we are prevented by the police. Is this the new normal in a democracy?" she asked. Traders turned out in large numbers to protest against the incident and demand strict action against the accused when the body of Tripathi reached Mahoba on Monday afternoon. (Natural News) Its now abundantly clear that left-wing arsonists are setting many of the wildfires that are exploding across Western states. Naturally, Oregon fire officials have now officially denied the fires are being set by human beings, instead claiming all the fires are Trumps fault because of climate change. In case youre trying to keep track of all this, when left-wing terrorists set fire to buildings in cities, thats known as peaceful protesting. But when left-wing terrorists set fire to forests in nature, thats called climate change. Its clear now that in their desperate effort to tear down America, the radical Left has embraced a scorched Earth policy that involves literally attempting to burn down the nation by setting fires. Already, Black Lives Matter terrorists are being arrested and charged after being caught setting fires. The wildfires in Oregon have now displaced half a million residents there, and federal officials are investigating mass arson as the real cause behind these fires. One map of real-time fires shows that all the fires magically stop at the U.S. / Canada border, revealing how these arent natural fires but rather acts of arson being waged as wartime sabotage against the United States of America: In addition, videos are already surfacing that reveal how the fires are engineered as weapons against America. Men with chain saws are cutting down telephone poles to set fires see this video for more: We know that left-wing terrorists are now resorting to arson to set many of these fires, but the question remains: Why? Grey terrorism economic devastation and chaos The best current theory reveals they are carried out as a kind of grey terrorism acts of sabotage that arent overtly attributed to any particular group but are surreptitiously carried out by politically motivated groups with specific agendas. The FBI, a treasonous cabal thats part of the illegal insurrection against America, is already confirming this is true by officially denying it, claiming anyone who says the fires are being intentionally set by human beings as a conspiracy theorist. (The FBI, if you recall, is the same discredited agency that claimed the Russians stole the 2016 election) If its a conspiracy theory, then why did this man in Oregon manage to catch arsonists in the act of setting fires in a forest? Brighteon.com/3fe165cd-cde6-4d5e-8c7e-708927e5bd50 Its also no coincidence that these fires are appearing in the same state Oregon where left-wing arsonists have spent the last 100 days trying to burn down federal buildings while torching police vehicles and apartment buildings. Burning things down is what these lunatics do. As Ive warned multiple times, these lunatics cannot be reasoned with, reformed or brought up to any level of civility that might make them compatible with civil society. At some point, you just have to clean em out, or youll never have the rule of law functioning in society ever again. Will the cleanup effort begin the day after the election? In my analysis published earlier today, it seems that President Trump is strategically positioning US military troops across the country, ready to be activated to put down the post-election insurrection / rebellion by invoking the Insurrection Act. Read my full analysis of this strategic military deployment in this Natural News article. And pray for America, because left-wing tyrants, terrorists and psychopaths are now screaming, Death to America! and Kill the cops! as they rampage across left-wing cities and states, destroying everything in sight. For America to have a future, the domestic terrorists who are trying to destroy it will have to be permanently put down. That day is coming. See PrepWithMike.com for a unique collection of my videos and podcasts that teach preparedness firearms, survival skills and self-defense. When under-fire Annastacia Palaszczuk teared up in public last week about 'losing loved ones' during the pandemic, she was thinking of her grandmother, 95, who quietly died two months ago. The Queensland Premier was angrily accused of 'crocodile tears' on social media last week when she choked up over criticism about a nurse, 26, being banned from attending her dad's funeral. Ms Palaszczuk's health officials told Sarah Caisip, from virus-free Canberra, that she couldn't attend the funeral under the state's strict hotel quarantine and border arrangements. Amid a media furore and growing exasperation with the state shutting its doors to the rest of the country, the Premier welled up as she said: 'I'm human like everyone else. 'These issues hurt me deeply. They hurt me deeply because during this pandemic I have lost loved ones as well. I know exactly what people are going through, OK?' Despite critical comments on social media, it can be revealed that the Premier quietly mourned the death of her 'best friend' two months ago. The Premier's nanna Beryl Erskine died in June 21. She was 95. Annastacia Palaszczuk's grandmother Beryl Erskine (together, above) died age 95 on June 21 - the Queensland Premier keeping the family death private Ms Palaszczuk's voice cracked as she spoke last week, and she didn't single out who she was specifically speaking about. That gave rise to criticism on social media she was performing or being insincere. One Facebook user called her a 'paid actress' and another labelled it 'crocodile tears'. A third added 'I bet she didn't cry before there was a public backlash,' while a fourth said: 'Right now I'm ashamed to be a Queenslander.' But a newspaper death notice makes clear that the Premier had simply kept the death of Mrs Erskine private until now. In the death notice, the late Mrs Erskine was described as 'adored by all who knew her'. 'Annastacia' was simply listed among Mrs Erskine's beloved grandkids, alongside her three sisters Catherine, Nadia and Julia, and the Premier's parents Lorelle and Henry. She wasn't specifically described as the grandmother of the state's premier. Under coronavirus restrictions, her funeral was open to up to 100 guests who were required to abide by social distancing restrictions. In a sign of the times, it was also livestreamed. The death went unremarked upon by the media until the identity of her mystery loved one was reported by InQueensland at the weekend. It has since been confirmed by state government officials. A death notice printed in the Courier Mail name-checked the Queensland Premier and members of her family as it broke the news of Mrs Erskine's daeth A tradesman paid for this banner to be flown above Brisbane last week The criticism comes at a time of intense public pressure for Ms Palasczuk, weeks before the October 31 election. An opinion poll commissioned by a coal company and released on Monday showed a surge in support for the Opposition in marginal seats. A tradesman paid for a plane to fly over Brisbane late last week carrying the slogan: 'VOTE HER OUT'. Ms Palaszczuk's announcement that the state was welcoming 400 AFL officials, players and their wives for the grand final - and allowing them to quarantine at a resort - has likewise sparked criticism, coming about the same time desperate daughter Ms Caisip was refused to attend a funeral. Mrs Erskine (centre) was mobbed by reporters when she arrived at her granddaughter's election victory party in 2015 - and was confident Ms Palaszczuk would win Ms Palaszczuk and her grandmother as the Labor leader won the 2015 state election. The Premier's politician father, Henry, wears a red hat on left There is no doubt Ms Palaszczuk was close with her nana - with a record of speaking about her over two terms as Premier. Mrs Erskine wheeled into Ms Palaszczuk's election party in 2015 and made an early prediction to reporters that she would win. 'Her best quality? Her brains, she's got a brain,' Mrs Erskine said. During her victory speech, Ms Palaszczuk said: 'Hi nanna'. In 2017, Ms Palaszczuk visited her grandma at her retirement village the same she visited the state's Governor to dissolve Parliament and announce an election. 'She's very important to me,' the Premier tweeted at the time. The Premier most recently mentioned Mrs Erskine in Parliament at the start of the pandemic. 'I've got a grandmother in aged care,' she told Parliament in March. 'I understand people are anxious about their loved ones.' Three months later, Mrs Erskine died peacefully with her daughters at her side. Asked if Mr. Ravnsborg had been drinking that evening, Mr. Bormann said that the attorney general does not usually drink alcohol at Lincoln Day Dinners or other political events. This is a policy he has had and adhered to since he was a candidate, and he continued that trend at the event Saturday evening, he said. The dead mans cousin, Nick Nemec, said in an interview with The New York Times on Monday that his brother, Victor, had planned to meet Mr. Boever on Sunday morning to help him tow his pickup truck out of a ditch on Highway 14, a two-lane highway with wide shoulders. The day before, Mr. Boevers truck had run into the ditch, hit a pile of hay, badly bending its bumper, he said, elaborating on an account given to The Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, S.D. On the way to pick up his cousin on Sunday morning, Victor Nemec passed blood on the highway, a police investigation and Mr. Boevers pickup, which was still in position about half a mile down the road. When there was no answer at Mr. Boevers home, they feared the worst, Nick Nemec said. Mr. Boever worked stints as a nurses aide and at a grocery store, his cousin said, but was most recently employed helping Victor Nemec haul hay on his cattle farm. The brothers identified their cousins body on Sunday, but were not sure why he was out on the road. Mr. Nemec speculated that he may have decided to return to the pickup to get something or to try to fix the bent bumper himself. He also said that deer accidents were common in the area. Ive hit a number of deers in my vehicle, its just something that happens around here, he said. You always know the second before you hit a deer youre going to hit a deer. And even if you do hit one, you pull over, stop and check for damages and report it. According to The Argus Leader, Mr. Ravnsborg has received six traffic tickets for speeding in the last six years. He also was cited for driving a vehicle without a proper exhaust and muffler system, and he received a seatbelt violation. Mr. Ravnsborg has held the position of attorney general since 2018, when he was elected with just over 55 percent of the vote. He ran in the Republican primary for a United States Senate seat in 2014 but was not chosen as the nominee. Ms. Noem was elected governor in 2018. Haiti - Justice : The OPC accuses the Government Commissioner of Cretinism Sunday the Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC), expressed its indignation and its deepest concern following the acts of violence recorded the day before in Port-au-Prince where State service vehicles were attacked and set on fire following the the police demanding the release of 5 of their companions sent to the National Penitentiary, Friday September 11 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31791-haiti-justice-release-of-5-udmo-agents-incarcerated-at-the-national-penitentiary.html accused of having facilitated by their absence or their passivity the soiling of the residence of the President of the Bar of the Portau-Prince Bar, Me Monferrier Dorval, assassinated on the 28th last August https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31661-icihaiti-pelerin-5-assassination-of-the-president-of-the-bar-of-port-au-prince.html "These violent demonstrations, unacceptable in a democratic society, project the image of an uncontrollable country, finding itself on an anarchic and explosive path [...] The OPC condemns the attitude of the Government Commissioner, Me Gabriel Ducarmel, who showed cretinism in the treatment of this file by not having had the perspicacity to transfer it to the cabinet of instruction but by deciding to issue warrants of committal against the police officers having committed an administrative fault." The OPC is also questioning the attitude of the members of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), "who waited, as usual, for the situation to deteriorate instead of intervening upstream. This situation creates a psychosis of fear in Haiti and endangers the life and property of citizens who agree to live in the country despite numerous socio-economic constraints,"" recalling that no society can be built on violence. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31751-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31717-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31668-haiti-insecurity-rain-of-reactions-around-the-assassination-of-me-monferrier-dorval.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31661-icihaiti-pelerin-5-assassination-of-the-president-of-the-bar-of-port-au-prince.html HL/ HaitiLibre Sonakshi Sinha, who completed 10 years in the film industry since the release of Dabangg in 2010, talked about how she was told to do the film by Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. She fondly remembered how she felt like the Universe was giving her a big opportunity and hence she accepted the offer. Talking to Hindustan Times, Sonakshi said, Life before my debut was actually going in a different direction. I was studying fashion designing, and was happy, until Salman and Arbaaz spotted me, and felt I would fit the role of Rajjo perfectly. They were coming out with this film based in the heartland, and wanted an Indian looking girl and launch someone new. I wasnt asked if I want to do the film, I was told! I just felt at that point of time, the Universe was throwing something at me, a big opportunity, and I should take it. I did. Sonakshi also took to Instagram to pen a emotional post remembering her journey in Bollywood. She wrote, I cant believe its been 10 whole years since i first appeared on the silver screen. I remember being so unsure if this is really what i even wanted to do but you know what erased all that doubt? The love I received from all of YOU! Your love encouraged me, your criticism pushed me to do better. My hard work sustained me, and my respect for my work nudged me forward. My enthusiasm on set aided me, my hunger to learn propelled me. Here i am, 10 years down the line, so grateful for every film, every experience - good or bad, every person i have ever worked with! Thank you! Thank you to this industry, thank you to my audience, and thank you universe! This is just the beginning." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona) on Sep 10, 2020 at 1:37am PDT Sonakshi will be next seen in Abhishek Dudhaiyas Bhuj: The Pride of India. The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Nora Fatehi, Pranitha Subhash, Ammy Virk and Mahesh Shetty in important roles. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) stands ready to meet the many challenges it will face as it enters the next six decades of its history, affirmed the Vienna-based organisation on the occasion of its 60th anniversary on Monday. The five Founding Fathers of Opec: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela gathered at the historic 'Baghdad Conference' in 1960, to midwife Opec into the world, reported state news agency Wam. Opec established itself with courage, persistence and diligence, through the development of its statute that remains in place today. The seminal Baghdad Conference, saw these five visionaries from the Founder Member Countries gather together around the premise of cooperation and with the need to write their own story. ''We remain focused on a balanced and stable oil market, in the interests of both producers and consumers, as most recently exhibited through the Declaration of Cooperation and the historic production adjustments of 2020; further elevating dialogue and cooperation through the Charter of Cooperation; and providing options and solutions to some of the major challenges facing humankind, such as sustainable development and energy poverty alleviation," stated Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, the Opec Secretary-General, in a statement on the occasion. ''The 60th anniversary is a time to reflect and appreciate the efforts of all those who have worked so hard throughout our history to make Opec the resounding success it has become," he noted. "This includes generations of heads of state and government, ministers, governors and other high-level experts from outside the Secretariat and, from within the Secretariat, Secretary Generals, management and staff of every relevant discipline. They have all enriched the Organisation, through commitment, perseverance and sacrifice, to cope with the many ups and downs experienced by OPEC and its Member Countries,'' he remarked. Recalling the 60s, Barkindo said: "I often think back to that day in 1960, the mood in Baghdad, how those visionaries envisaged the future of Opec and the oil industry. What is clear is that what was set in motion has stood the test of time; the organisation still has the same core objectives, of order and stability in global oil markets." "But its role has also broadened considerably, in terms of deeper cooperation with other producers, dialogue with a host of industry stakeholders, and an embrace of human concerns such as sustainable development, the environment and energy poverty eradication," he noted. Sixty years on, said Barkindo, the organisation that is today 13 member countries is now an integral part of the international energy community and the multilateral system. "It is widely consulted on oil industry affairs, remains firmly committed to secure and steady supplies and fair returns to investors. Member Countries run their own domestic oil sectors across the entire value chain, and the Organisation has expanded its activities to champion issues affecting mankind as a whole," he added. By PTI NOIDA: BJP president JP Nadda on Monday launched a week-long campaign to mark the 70th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that falls on September 17. Nadda launched the campaign, named 'Seva Saptah', at Chhaprauli village in western Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district near Delhi. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning 70 on September 17. If we look at his life and his journey, seva (service) has been the prime focus in his life. His life has been dedicated into the seva of people and the country. Hence, the BJP has decided to observe September 14-20 week as 'Seva Saptah'," Nadda said. "Crores of BJP workers will serve the people as part of the campaign during the week," he told a gathering, including party leaders and workers, here. Among those present at the campaign launch were Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh, Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Nagar and local MLAs Pankaj Singh, Dhirendra Singh and Tejpal Nagar. Nadda said Modi had the drive to work for others since childhood and it is not something that came to him only after he became the prime minister. Citing the prime minister's life as an example of service to others, he said BJP workers will take up cleanliness and plantation drives, blood and plasma donation, across all districts in the country. "Since he (Modi) is turning 70, we have decided to work at 70 spots in every district for cleanliness, fruit distribution. We will visit hospitals and take care of the ill. There will be blood donation drives with a special focus on plasma donation," he said. "We have also formed a target to provide at least 70 divyang people with whatever equipment they require for support in each district. Similarly, there would be 70 virtual rallies and plantations at 70 spots in every district," Nadda added. The president of a Massachusetts chapter of the NAACP has sparked outrage by declaring that there is 'no such thing as blue lives', in the aftermath of the LA sheriffs shooting. Bishop Talbert Swan, a Pentecostal preacher from Springfield, Massachusetts, tweeted after two officers were ambushed in Compton, Los Angeles, on Saturday evening. 'There's no such thing as BLUE LIVES...' he tweeted. 'Stop comparing your JOB with my LIFE... Your CAREER is a choice, my BLACKNESS isn't. #BlackLivesMatter #BlueLivesMatter' Bishop Talbert Swan, a Pentecostal preacher from Springfield, Massachusetts and president of the local NAACP chapter, tweeted on Sunday his rejection of 'blue lives matter' Swan's tweet on Sunday was met with a flurry of response, with many criticizing his views Swan spoke of the 'hypocrisy' of defending the militia who killed BLM protesters in Wisconsin He argued that there were double standards when it came to the shooting of police and the shooting of protesters. 'Something is wrong in America when white people cant see the hypocrisy in expressing outrage and tweeting #BlueLivesMatter over two cops being shot only 17 days after they applauded and raised over $1 million to defend a white supremacist who murdered two #BLM protesters.' Swan's comments were 'liked' more than 35,000 times, but also met with anger on social media. 'Why can't you understand that not all cops are the same?' asked one person. Another replied: 'Such hate, "Bishop".' Another pointed out that police 'choose to protect and serve everyone'. 'They run towards danger to save your black life if they can. Think about that, and pray for them,' said one. Another replied: 'Their JOB which is to put their LIVES at risk to protect your LIFE!' One Twitter user pointed out that police were essential for an orderly society, and were being 'persecuted'. They wrote: 'But cops are necessary for society. Thus their lives, like doctors, teachers etc do matter. And whether many like to believe it or not, they are being persecuted recently. People chanting they hope they die proves that. Its not the same as BLM, but both are important today.' Social media users attacked Swan for his comments on Sunday On Sunday police in Los Angeles were continuing to search for a black man, aged 28-30, who walked up to the two deputies in their car at 6:58pm, in Compton, and shot them at close range. One of the deputies, only identified as a 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, was shot in the jaw and arms, and is critical but stable condition. The other deputy, a 24-year-old man, was struck by gunfire in the forehead, an arm and a hand. He is described as alert. Neither of their names have been released to the public. Video released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows the moment that male suspect opened fire on two deputies at a Compton bus station The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill 2019 and The National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019, were passed in Lok Sabha on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament on Monday. The bills were passed in Rajya Sabha in January, 2019, to regulate alternative systems of medicine on the lines of the National Medical Commission Bill, and create a new regulatory body for homoeopathy in the country. To introduce transparency and quality, the Indian System of Medicine bill proposes a common entrance exam and an exit exam for all graduates to obtain their license to practice Indian medicine. Catch LIVE Updates of Parliaments monsoon session here The bill will replace the Central Council for Indian Medicine that regulates alternative systems of medicine. There is a provision for constituting four autonomous boards dedicated to providing Ayurveda education under Board of Ayurveda, and training in Unani, Siddha and Sowarigpa under Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowarigpa. Two common boards, which are, the board of assessment and rating to grant permission to educational institutions of Indian systems of medicine, and the board of ethics and registration of practitioners of Indian systems to maintain a national register and address ethical issues, will relate to practice under the National Commission for Indian Medicine. This should help regulate the sector, but the idea of having an exit exam is likely to meet with some resistance, said an Ayush researcher, requesting anonymity. The National Commission for Homoeopathy, Bill, 2018, aims to replace the Central Council for Homoeopathy, which is the current regulatory body for homoeopathy. It proposes a teachers eligibility test to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions. The National Commission will have three autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of homoeopathy by homoeopathy education board. The board of assessment and rating will grant permission to educational institutions, while the board of ethics and registration of homoeopathy practitioners will maintain the national register and address ethical issues. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the bills on behalf of Shripad Yesso Naik, the minister for Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). The health minister also introduced the much-awaited assisted reproductive technology (ART) Bill in the Lok Sabha. When we were introducing the Surrogacy Bill last year, we were told that we should also bring in the ART Bill as both go hand in hand. Therefore, I introduce the ART bill in the House, he said. The bill aims to lay down guidelines for dos and donts of running ART clinics and conducting procedures in the country. It proposes constitution of a national board that will set the minimum standards of physical infrastructure, laboratory and diagnostic equipment and expert manpower to be employed by clinics and banks. There will be a National Registry and Registration Authority to maintain a central database and assist the National Board in its functioning. The bill also proposes for a stringent punishment for those found practising sex selection, or involved in sale of human embryos or gametes, running agencies, rackets, and also organisations found violating the law. Gov. Gavin Newsom takes notes as he tours the North Complex fire zone in Butte County outside Oroville, Calif. (Paul Kitagaki Jr. / Pool Photo) As the death toll in Californias wildfires swelled to 24, authorities continued to search for a number of people still missing and firefighters toiled to keep multiple blazes from reaching populated communities ahead of an expected uptick in winds. More than 3.2 million acres have burned across the state this year, the largest amount on record. Together, the fires have destroyed at least 4,100 structures and forced more than 60,000 people from their homes. The devastation prompted a visit from President Trump, who arrived in Northern California on Monday for a briefing on the wildfires. The event was held mostly in private and was overshadowed by Trumps antagonism toward the state and the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor did not meet Trump on the airfield when Air Force One landed shortly before 11 a.m. at McClellan Park, just outside Sacramento. Newsom has credited the president with being proactive in his efforts to provide assistance to the state, but he also took the Trump administration to task for its policies that reduced environmental protections. Experts have said that climate change is causing Californias fires to spread more rapidly because of hotter temperatures and more extreme dry and wet spells. The fires and wind spurred the U.S. Postal Service to temporarily close some post offices in California, as well as Washington and Oregon. Trump on Monday deflected questions about whether climate change was a driving force behind the state's historic wildfires, saying instead that major fires could be attributed to what he described as a failure to properly manage the states forests, including the need to cut more fire breaks. They explode, Trump said. Also leaves. You have years of leaves, dried leaves on the ground. It just sets it up. Its really a fuel of a fire, so they have to do something about it. As he did in 2018 after the deadly Camp fire devastated the Northern California mountain community of Paradise, Trump said the state had to do a better job of clearing dead trees from the forest floor. Story continues The states deadliest fire so far this year, the North Complex fire, had been crawling for weeks through the Plumas National Forest, and was more than half-contained last week, when an unusually strong offshore wind event whipped up the flames. On Tuesday, the fire jumped the Middle Fork of the Feather River and barreled into mountain communities in Butte County before residents could flee. Two more bodies were recovered from the burn area Sunday, bringing the death toll to 14. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said seven people were still missing and officials were working to locate them. Buoyed by several days of favorable weather conditions, firefighters were able to construct hand and bulldozer lines around portions of the fire to keep the flames from burning farther. They continued to report progress overnight into Monday, saying they were able to boost containment of the fire from 26% to 38% even as it grew by 2,900 acres, to 261,488 acres. Acreage growth sometimes reflects better mapping, as well as intentional fires set by crews to burn fuel between containment lines and the fire front, which help ensure the flames dont come roaring over the containment lines, said Rick Carhart, public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Butte County. So were essentially growing the fire ourselves on purpose in order to tie in some of those fire lines we have cut and then burning back toward the fire itself, he said, just to put black ground in there to make sure that the fire doesn't have any fuel to continue burning. Firefighters were nervously monitoring the weather for an anticipated pattern shift that could cause an uptick in fire activity. The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for the region that was in effect until 8 p.m. Monday, warning that breezy southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, plus daytime humidity in the 15% to 25% range, could increase the chance of rapid fire growth. Thats going to be one of our big challenges for the day is what is the fire going to do, Carhart said. But, he said, the winds werent expected to be nearly as strong as Tuesday, when the fire blew up and barreled into Butte County. This is actually a completely different setup, said Cory Mueller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Last week was what we call a north wind event. We get them typically in the fall. Those winds are comparable to the Santa Anas in Los Angeles, he said. They blow downslope, gaining speed, heating up and drying out as they move from higher to lower elevations and squeeze through narrow canyons and passes. This event is just kind of gusty winds, Mueller said of Mondays weather. They are not nearly as dry and they wont be nearly as strong. Fire officials were working to finish putting in contingency lines in the Cherokee area, just across the lake from the fire front, as protection in the event the winds were to blow embers across the water. But they said they were confident they could keep the fire from spreading significantly Monday. Weve done a lot of good work on the fire, and we feel really good about the way weve gotten it to the point weve gotten it right now, Carhart said. And we're hopeful that despite the weather conditions that were not going to have big damaging fire growth today. Elevated fire weather conditions were also forecast for portions of Central and Southern California because of higher temperatures and lower humidity, the Weather Service said. The Creek fire, which has burned 212,744 acres in the the Sierra National Forest in Fresno and Madera counties, was 10% contained as of Monday morning. Firefighters were working to protect structures in the Jose Basin area after winds pushed flames across the fire line toward communities. They were concerned that a shift in the wind could clear smoke that had been providing a cover of shade over the area, which could cause the fire to make a run to the east, officials said. A fire burning in the Sequoia and Inyo national forests about 25 miles north of Kernville sparked new evacuation orders Monday afternoon after high winds pushed the fire west toward multiple small mountain communities over the weekend. The SQF Complex fire was 90,845 acres and 12% contained as of Monday. It spread six to eight miles in the past several days, said Mark Vosburgh, public information officer with the Northern Rockies Type 1 Incident Management Team, which was coordinating the response to the fire. Residents in a portion of the community of Three Rivers in Tulare County were told to get out immediately. The mandatory evacuation order covered the area south and east of Highway 198 and east to south of the Fork Campground, the county said. The remainder of Three Rivers was placed under an evacuation warning at 1:15 p.m. The Exeter Memorial Building in Exeter was opened as a temporary evacuation point. The fire behavior has been "very, very" active, sending up a large column of smoke that can be seen from the incident command post 15 to 20 miles away, Vosburgh said. In some cases, that's persisted through the evening, he said. "In more typical fire conditions there will be a shortened burn window where you have this active burning for a few hours in the middle of the day, but we're experiencing longer periods of active fire behavior going into the night occasionally," he said. "The other main challenge firefighters face right now is the difficulty of getting resources, getting enough firefighters and resources to respond and give the firefighters a chance for containing it," he said, noting that with all the fires across the state, officials have been forced to prioritize where to allocate personnel and equipment. In Southern California, the Bobcat fire in the San Gabriel Mountains prompted evacuation orders for portions of Arcadia and Sierra Madre on Sunday. Crews were toiling to keep the fire out of the foothill communities to the south. The fire had grown to 38,299 acres with 3% containment by Monday evening, jumping a contingency line and burning the east side of Little Santa Anita Canyon above Sierra Madre, officials said. Fire crews are fighting the blaze's advance on Mt. Wilson. The El Dorado fire in San Bernardino County, a blaze sparked by a pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party in Yucaipa, was at 14,478 acres and 44% contained as of Monday morning. Firefighters saw an uptick in fire activity that started overnight and continued throughout the day, said Cathey Mattingly, public information officer for Cal Fire San Bernardino. "There's a lot of heavy fuel out here," she said. "And then we get a little bit of wind activity at night, theres diurnal winds that come in, and overnight that set off kind of an increase. Then when the sun started warming up this morning, it really picked up activity." Fire officials were expecting the warming and drying trend to continue, she said. Multiple communities in the San Bernardino Mountains, including Angelus Oaks, Mountain Home and Forest Falls, remained under mandatory evacuation orders, while other residents were advised to be ready to evacuate if necessary. "We dont want anybody in harms way," Mattingly said. IFA Animal Health Chairman Pat Farrell said the Dept of Agriculture should look at the TB model in Scotland, which has been bTB free since 2009, with fewer prohibitive controls on farms and no blacklisting of farmers. Anger has intensified in recent weeks over the Department of Agricultures decision to issue farmers with controversial TB herd history reports, with the IFA claiming the reports breach data protection laws and the INFHA questioning the legality of the Department strategy. The reports provide farmers with an individualised TB herd risk category and advice on how to reduce the risk of TB in their herd. The Department ranks farmers herds based on their risk of a future TB breakdown and says the reports are part of its plans to eradicate the disease For the Dept to say there is no successful eradication programmes anywhere in the world that dont use herd risk assessments is simply incorrect. Scotland has shown what can be done, and it didnt involve sending out these type of letters to farmers, Pat Farrell said. On the argument that risk categories would be the next logical step, he said there are no scientific papers that show devaluing cattle make them less likely to spread TB. Are Professor Simon More and the Department of Agriculture hiding the real truth behind their TB Herd Risk Letters - is this the first step in identifying herds by category in order to prohibit movements with herds of a higher status? he said. Pat Farrell said the Department needs to come clean on how devaluing animals and entire herds can eradicate TB if their objective is not to permanently prohibit trade or only allow limited trading opportunities from these herds. Farmers pay 35m directly each year into the TB programme and they expect a robust testing programme for that, particularly given our export profile, Our testing programme and approved tests are the basis for our access to export markets and are in full compliance with the EU Trade Directives. Pat Farrell said for the Department of Agriculture to question the effectiveness of this programme is irresponsible and potentially damaging for vital export markets which farmers depend on. IFA will not support a continuous re-run of the TB Forum format that has already failed farmers. The Minister needs to take charge of the situation, he said. DUSSELDORF, Germany and BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuraxpharm Group (Neuraxpharm), a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the central nervous system (CNS), announces the acquisition of the prescription brand Buccolam (oromucosal midazolam) from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan. The agreement between Neuraxpharm and Takeda includes the global rights to Buccolam. The transaction is expected to close by end of 2020, subject to customary legal and regulatory closing conditions. The market-leading brand Buccolam is the only buccal midazolam approved across Europe. This value-added product is indicated for the emergency treatment of epileptic children with prolonged acute convulsive seizures (PACS), the most common neurological emergency in children with an incidence of 18 to 23 cases per 100,000 per year. [1] Buccolam is offered in pre-filled, ready-to-use non-invasive syringes for easy administration by caregivers, is manufactured entirely in Europe, and is currently commercialized in 18 countries in Europe and Israel. Buccolam is standard of care in several EU countries and is mostly prescribed by pediatric neurologists, pediatricians with or without specialization, and neurologists. Neuraxpharm, which specializes in pharmaceutical products for the central nervous system (CNS), has annual revenues in excess of 480 million and currently has a direct presence in 12 European countries. Neuraxpharm has direct access to over 80% of the European CNS drug market with its pharmaceutical products, comprising more than 130 different CNS active ingredients. The portfolio covers more mature niche products, as well as highly innovative differentiated forms, molecules and dosages that offer tangible benefits for patients, which are in many cases affected by chronic diseases. The development of the portfolio is fueled by internal and external development as well as acquisitions. In parallel to the significant expansion into further key markets in Europe in the last four years, Neuraxpharm has put strong focus on the integration and consolidation of the individual country businesses. Capitalizing on the diversity and powerful collaboration across functions and countries, the company has successfully established a pan-European platform to commercialize CNS products and to better serve the European CNS community, especially during the mentally taxing lockdown caused by the pandemic. Neuraxpharm's growth has outpaced the market in most countries during the last quarters, underlining the resilience and potential of the company. The agreement announced today is a significant transaction for Neuraxpharm and feeds into the European platform that has been built over the last years. Buccolam fits perfectly within Neuraxpharm's portfolio, strengthening its position as the European CNS specialist in several European countries, and offers the opportunity to expand the commercial footprint, including into the Nordics and Ireland. Neuraxpharm has an extensive knowledge and solid relationships in the treatment of epilepsy. Dr. Jorg-Thomas Dierks, CEO of Neuraxpharm, commented: "As a leading European pharmaceutical company specialized in CNS, we are excited to announce the acquisition of the global rights for an emergency epilepsy treatment for children from Takeda. Buccolam offers a true value to the CNS community, is well-established across many countries in Europe, and has substantial further potential. With our proven capabilities to pragmatically leverage marketing expertise and synergies, and to enter new markets and countries, we are committing ourselves unwaveringly to identify and offer new solutions for unmet needs in CNS to the benefit of both the patients and their relatives." References [1] Chin, R.F, Neville, B.G., Peckham, C., Bedford, H., Wade, A., Scott R.C. Incidence, cause and short-term outcome of convulsive status epilepticus in childhood: Prospective population-based study. Lancet 2006 About Neuraxpharm the European CNS specialist Neuraxpharm is a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders (CNS) with a direct presence in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Hungary and Portugal. Backed by funds advised by Apax Partners, Neuraxpharm has a unique understanding of the CNS market built over 35 years. With its focus on CNS, Neuraxpharm develops and commercializes value added medicines, standard generics and Consumer Healthcare products, e.g. probiotics and other nutraceuticals, and is continuously striving to offer a wide range of effective, high quality and affordable CNS treatment options in Europe. Present with its products in more than 50 countries, Neuraxpharm also manufactures pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients in its own manufacturing sites in Spain, Lesvi and Inke. To learn more about Neuraxpharm, please visit: https://www.neuraxpharm.com SOURCE Neuraxpharm The Congress on Monday urged the government to step up its efforts on cyber security for confronting China's intentions in the cyber space after a media report claimed that a Shenzen-based firm with links to the Chinese government is monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and organisations in its global database of "foreign targets". A report in the Indian Express claimed that the range of targets in India identified and monitored in real time by Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co Limited was "sweeping" and included President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress' interim president Sonia Gandhi, and their families, as well as several chief ministers, among others (external link). Tagging the news report, Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that the news about Chinese digital surveillance of India's leaders and others is "worrying". "We condemn this unequivocally. Have the Chinese used this 2 yr old Company to influence Govt policies in any manner? Will the Govt investigate & assure the Nation?" he said. In another tweet, Surjewala asked that, if the report is correct, then did the Modi government know about this serious matter. "Or they didn't know that we were being spied upon? Why is the government failing to protect our strategic interests over and over again?" he said. A clear message needs to be sent out to China to prevent them from indulging in such activities, he said in the tweet in Hindi. When asked about the report, Congress's deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "We want the government of India to step up its efforts on cyber security because when we confront a country like China, we are not only confronting China on land, sea and air, we are also confronting Chinese intentions in the cyber space as well." The government should not be caught sleeping and should ramp up its efforts, he told reporters. "In the days to come, the government should be clear... that all the data that has been collected by Chinese agencies has not been used to manipulate policy, has not been used to gain more intelligence data on our military or sensitive information," he said. That kind of assurance should come from this government, Gogoi asserted. He also said that the Congress wanted the government to give an assurance on the first day of Parliament that when will the Indo-China border issue be taken up in Lok Sabha, when will it be taken up in Rajya Sabha and in what form will the prime minister speak on the issue. "These are clarifications... the entire country is watching -- when will the Indo-China border conflict be taken up in Parliament, but no such indication was given in Parliament today," Gogoi said. Integrated circuits on a circuit board. filonmar | E+ | Getty Images GUANGZHOU, China China has been trying to ramp up its domestic semiconductor industry as the U.S. increases pressure on the country's technology giants. But Beijing will face significant challenges strengthening its homegrown chip sector, analysts told CNBC. Semiconductors are extremely important components of consumer electronics. As an increasing number of devices become "smart" and connected to the internet, they will become more and more crucial in new areas, such as automobiles. That's why China wants to be a powerful player. However, China is also facing a situation where its companies' access to important chip components, as well as its domestic chipmakers' ability to procure technology to make those semiconductors, might be hampered. Supply chain relies on US The semiconductor industry has an extraordinarily complicated supply chain. It's not just about companies that manufacture the chips there are also design companies involved, as well as firms that make tools that enable manufacturing in the first place. Taiwan through TSMC and South Korea via Samsung are at the leading edge of manufacturing. When it comes to the tools for design, the United States dominates. Meanwhile, Dutch firm ASML makes a machine that uses so-called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and is required to make the most advanced chips such as those manufactured by TSMC and Samsung. Reuters reported earlier this year that the U.S. pressured the Netherlands government to stop the sale of an ASML machine to SMIC. That shipment has not made it to China. Without these tools, China is very far behind. And even when it had mostly unfettered access to the leading tools and materials on the market, China hasn't really been able to catch up. Dan Wang technology analyst, Gavekal Dragonomics Last month, ASML told CNBC it was waiting for an export license from the Dutch government in order to ship its machinery to China. The problem for China is its reliance on the foreign gear that is actually required to the do the end-to-end production of chips. With the United States increasing pressure on China's technology sector, bringing its domestic chip industry on par with the U.S. will be a tough task for China. "Without these tools, China is very far behind. And even when it had mostly unfettered access to the leading tools and materials on the market, China hasn't really been able to catch up," Wang said "If the U.S. knocks out a lot of the ability of Chinese firms to actually have leading tools, then they're going to fall even further behind because they will need the rest of the industry to catch up before they can make very substantial progress again." Tailwinds Kabul, Sep 14 : Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, has returned to Kabul following the much-awaited talks with the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha. Abdullah and Mohammad Haneef Atmar, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, reached Kabul on Sunday night, reports TOLO News. The contact groups from the Afghan government and Taliban negotiating teams held their first meeting on Sunday evening and discussed the agenda, guidelines, scheduling and other issues related to the direct peace negotiations. The negotiating teams also held a meeting behind closed doors on Saturday after the opening ceremony where they created the contact groups. On Sunday, the chief negotiator of Afghanistan Masoom Stanekzai at a joint press conference said: "There was a positive spirit. There wasn't any effort to drive the negotiations towards controversial discussions." Abdullah said that the "violence should be reduced significantly with the start of the negotiations so that we reach a humanitarian ceasefire." The intra-Afghan talks opened in Doha on Saturday at a ceremony attended by senior officials from different countries, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, reports Xinhua news agency. The ceremony was inaugurated by Abdullah. A 21-member Afghan team, headed by former intelligence chief Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai, met Taliban to find a negotiated solution to Afghanistan's prolonged war. The talks were part of the historic agreement signed between the US and the Taliban on February 29 also in the Qatari capital. They were to be held 10 days after the deal was signed but it kept getting delayed over the prisoner release issue between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The government claimed that it has freed all the 5,000 Taliban inmates, while the militant group has also completed the release of 1,000 government prisoners. Chhattisgarh: Tantrik held for raping ailing 17-year-old girl on pretext of curing her India pti-Madhuri Adnal Bilaspur, Sep 14: A tantrik was arrested from Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl on the pretext of curing her, police said on Monday. Habbu Maulvi alias Shakir Raja Qureshi (44) was arrested on Sunday from Kotmi Sonar village, JP Gupta, Station House Officer (SHO) of Bilaspur's Sipat police station said. "Last week, the victim's parents, who hail from Mungeli district, had registered a zero FIR which was transferred to Sipat police station on Saturday," he said. 25-year-old man held for raping woman, forcibly terminating her pregnancy after promising marriage "As per the complaint, in July last year, the victim, who was suffering from some unknown ailment, was taken by her parents to a dargah in Baloda village of Janjgir-Champa where they met accused Qureshi," the SHO said. The accused asked the girl's parents to drop her at his rented house in Luthra village of Sipat claiming he would cure her using sorcery, he said. "He allegedly sexually assaulted the girl there for a month and threatened her with dire consequence if she revealed the ordeal to anyone. Even after the girl returned home, the accused started visiting there and allegedly raped her. After her parents came to know of it, they filed a complaint," he said. Qureshi has been charged under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official added. The Greek government on September 13 welcomed the return of a Turkish sea vessel from a disputed area in the eastern Mediterranean. According to the Associated Press, the Oruc Reis research ship, which had been working in the disputed waters since July, returned to a port near the southern city of Antalya for the first time. Hailing the decision, Greece said that it was a positive signal. "This is a positive signal. We will see how this develops to make a proper assessment, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas told TV channel Skai. Tensions between Greece and Turkey flared earlier this year after Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research ship into a potential oil and gas reserve, claimed by Greece as its own. It also led to a military build-up in the eastern Mediterranean region with both the nations dispatching warships to the area. However, NATO, which has cordial relations with both, intervened, organizing talks between the two countries' militaries to prevent a potential armed conflict. Read: Greece Welcomes Turkish Survey Ship's Return To Med Sea Port Read: Moria Camp Fire: 10 EU Countries Agree To Accept 400 Minor Refugees After Greece's Call This comes a day after Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a robust arms purchase programme along with an overhaul of the country's military. Asserting that 'the time has come', Mitsotakis accused Turkey of threatening Europes eastern border and undermining regional security. The Turko-Greek conflict escalated after Ankara, in August, sent an exploration ship to Greek-owned waters. Turko-Greek clash Greece and Turkey have faced off against each other in recent weeks as Turkish survey vessels and drillships continue to prospect for gas in waters where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights. Greek and Turkish armed forces have been conducting military exercises in the area in a show of muscle-flexing to underscore each sides resolve. European Union members Greece and Cyprus accused Turkey of violating international law and of gunboat diplomacy. Turkey insists its defending its rights and those of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots on ethnically split Cyprus to their rightful share of the areas potential gas deposits. Meanwhile, Greece has called upon the European Union to "show its teeth" and impose tough economic sanctions against Turkey, if the country refuses to remove its military vessels and drillships from waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Read: Greek PM Announces 'robust' Arms Purchase Programme Amid Tension With Turkey Read: Moria Migrant Camp Fire Fuels Local Anger As Greek Authorities Struggle To Help Refugees (With inputs and image credit to AP) South Dakota Attorney General Said He Hit Deer, Actually Struck Man The top law enforcement official in South Dakota reported hitting a deer over the weekend but investigators later discovered that he had actually struck a man. The victim, identified as 55-year-old Joseph Boever of Highmore, was found dead on Sunday morning. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety said Monday that Republican Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg told the Hyde County Sheriffs Office that he had been involved in a car-deer crash while driving on Saturday night. Ravnsborg was driving a 2011 Ford Taurus westbound on U.S. Highway 14. Ravnsborg was on his way to his house from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield, spokesman Tom Bormann told The Associated Press. Bormann said the attorney general does drink, but does not drink at Lincoln Day events like the one he attended over the weekend. Republican State Sen. Brock Greenfield, who also attended the dinner, told the outlet, I didnt see him with anything but a Coke. The states Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. In a statement late Sunday, Ravnsborg said, I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night. As Governor Noem stated, I am fully cooperating with the investigation and I fully intend to continue do so moving forward. At this time I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family, he added. Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, held a brief press conference on Sunday and said the attorney general had been involved in a fatal crash. We will handle this as we would any other fatal crash, Public Safety Secretary Craig Price said at the briefing. We have officers that are responding, we have officers that are highly trained and investigating these types of incidents, and theyre the ones that are that are working the incident. Noem said Price will deliver the results of the investigation to her. Nick Nemec, the victims cousin, told SDPB that his family wonders how the attorney general thought he hit a deer. We want answers, why its taken so long for authorities to get their ducks in a row, Nemec said. It sounds like thats what theyre trying to do, is get their ducks in a row and it stinks. SQUAMISH, B.C. - A cable on a popular tourist gondola near Squamish, B.C., has been cut for the second time in just over a year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A gondola used as a sign near the parking lot is pictured at the base of the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, B.C. Monday, September 14, 2020. The operators of a popular tourist gondola near Squamish, B.C., say the cable of the ride has been severed for the second time. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward SQUAMISH, B.C. - A cable on a popular tourist gondola near Squamish, B.C., has been cut for the second time in just over a year. "Something you'd never think would happen once in a lifetime has happened twice," Kirby Brown, the general manager of the Sea to Sky Gondola, told Squamish radio station Mountain FM. He said someone climbed a tower and cut through the cable, despite security measures that were in place. Squamish RCMP said in a statement that the damage occurred at about 4 a.m. Monday. The base of the Sea to Sky Gondola is pictured in Squamish, B.C. Monday, September 14, 2020. The operators of a popular tourist gondola near Squamish, B.C., say the cable of the ride has been severed for the second time. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward No one was hurt. The West Vancouver Police Department and a police dog unit were also called in to help the investigation on Monday, the statement said. Sgt. Sascha Banks said police were asking people to stay out of the area, including its climbing and hiking routes, because of the "extensive" police presence. "The Sea to Sky Gondola is an integral part of this community and we are very lucky no one was injured," she said. "Someone in our area has seen something or has heard something and we are asking them to call us immediately with any information." Vandals were blamed for cutting the nearly six-centimetre-thick cable in August 2019 while the ride was closed, sending about 30 gondolas smashing to the ground. Total damage in that incident was estimated at up to $10 million and no arrests were made. 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 business reopened earlier this year after a new cable was sent from Europe and all of the gondolas were replaced. At the time, Brown said a new state-of-the-art security system had also been installed. Brown couldn't be reached for comment on Monday, but he told Mountain FM that the company will rebuild again. The gondola officially opened in 2014. During the summer season, it can carry as many as 3,000 people on the roughly 10-minute ride to an elevation of 885 metres above Howe Sound. With files from Mountain FM. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2020. As September 20 deadline looms for ByteDance to sell TikTok US, Tiktokivists say a sale could promote their efforts. When Black Lives Matter activist Lex Scott posts to the immensely popular short-form video app TikTok, she gazes straight at the camera and makes each second count. Alright, Black people, 60-second know-your-rights training, begins one of her videos that explains what to do if you are stopped by police. Another of her videos walks people through how to report hate crimes directly to the FBI. Producing content under the handle @lethallex, Scott has posted more than 600 videos and racked up more than 148,000 followers, using the platform to elevate her message and connect with other Black activists at a crucial time for the movement. I decided to use TikTok because it allows you to reach millions of people and to get your message out swiftly, Scott told Al Jazeera. With one video, we are able to go viral if it is made right and posted at the right time. I have been able to organise protests and get the word out on petitions that I have and police reform bills. Scott, who also runs the Utah chapter of Black Lives Matter, is just one of thousands of TikTokivists who have used the app to amplify their messages. Videos tagged #BlackLivesMatter have garnered more than 21.3 billion views on the platform. That power and reach is not lost on other TikTokivists who are using the platform to turn out the youth vote for the November 3 United States presidential election. And as the deadline imposed by President Donald Trump draws near for TikToks parent to sell its US operations, get-out-the-vote Gen Z activists say a sale could even boost their efforts. With one video, we are able to go viral if it is made right. Lex Scott, Black Lives Matter activist #vote Videos tagged #vote have been viewed more than 902 million times on TikTok US. Colton Hess founded @Tok.the.Vote to spur Generation Z voters TikToks original audience, defined as those born after 1996 to the polls. So far, the campaign has 20,000 followers and 2.5 million video views, and is working to recruit creators to help spread the word. Hess said the apps algorithm makes it an effective way to reach young voters. TikToks algorithm puts your content in front of people who are most likely to want to see it, so you can easily get a message to your target audience in our case, forward-thinking young people who want to push for progressive change, Hess told Al Jazeera. It offers a creative way for young people to express themselves politically and speak to other young people in their language: the nuanced, quirky culture of memes, sounds and trends. But the future of TikTok is in question after Trump branded the app a national security risk and signed an executive order banning transactions with TikToks Chinese parent company ByteDance and its subsidiaries. The executive order, which says data collection by TikTok that threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information, effectively forces ByteDance to either find a US-based buyer for TikToks US operations or shut down the app. TikTok US has said it would not share US user data with Chinese authorities and has also filed a lawsuit challenging Trumps ban. Oracle Corp confirmed on Monday that ByteDance has chosen it to be its preferred technology partner in the US. What that means exactly is unclear. And closing a deal by September 20th may ambitious, given it needs to pass a US national security review and Beijing regulators may also have to sign off before giving the green light. It offers a creative way for young people to express themselves politically. Colton Hess, founder, @Tok.the.Vote Allegations of censorship Potential abuse of user data is not the only controversy surrounding TikTok, which started as a place to post dance videos and morphed into one of the most popular social media platforms with more than 700 million active users worldwide, 100 million of them in the US. On May 19, Scott and other Black creators launched a blackout to protest what they say has been a marginalisation of their voices, including hiding some of the content that had been tagged #BlackLivesMatter. Scott is also one of the users who believe they have been shadowbanned, meaning content takes longer to upload and does not receive as many views. In response, the apps US general manager apologised to Black creators, acknowledging in a statement that a technical glitch made it temporarily appear as if posts uploaded using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd would receive 0 views. TikTok assured users the glitch had been fixed, and vowed to take steps to foster an inclusive environment on our platform. But Scott said there is more work to be done on that front, explaining There is a lot of racism that is allowed to flourish. Black creators are not always heard and seen. The platform has also been adopted by some users on the right. Content tagged #boogalo, a reference to a white supremacist theory about a coming race war, has garnered more than 385,000 views, and more than 5.2m videos have been tagged #GeorgeSoros, many of them repeating a right-wing conspiracy theory about the Hungarian-American billionaire. Last month, TikTok released a statement outlining ways it is combating hate speech, including taking down 380,000 videos and banning more than 1,300 accounts in the US for violating its hate speech policy since the start of 2020. But the company acknowledges policing content is tough, and in recent days, TikTok has been criticised as it has rushed to stop the spread of a video showing a man killing himself with a gun, CNN reported. Scott said she wants to see the app do more to remove disturbing content and protect young users. We creators should be able to make our content only accessible to adults. We should be able to put trigger warnings that allow people with PTSD not to be exposed to harmful videos, and children should not be exposed ever to adult content, Scott said. TikTok can be a dangerous and toxic place. We need to use the app for good and not evil, and the administration at TikTok needs to focus on diversity and inclusion within the app. TikTok users and Korean pop music fans claim they helped tank President Trumps rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June by registering thousands of attendees who never showed up [File: Evan Vucci/AP] A force for change? Still, the community that activists have found on the platform makes it a potentially powerful force for change, particularly ahead of the election. TikTok users and Korean pop music fans claim they helped tank Trumps rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June by registering thousands of attendees who never showed up, leaving Trump to speak before a partially filled empty arena. That activism could translate to change at the ballot box, because many of TikToks Gen-Z users are eligible to vote for the first time this fall. There are roughly 24 million Gen-Z people eligible to vote, making then 10 percent of the electorate, a Pew Research Center report found. Hess is banking on their energy and enthusiasm making an impact at the polls. If Gen Z bucks the trend of young voters participating at lower rates, which we believe they will, they will hold tremendous power and demand that politicians listen to them, Hess said. First-time voters who have just turned 18 were born in the wake of 9/11, children during the financial crisis of 2008, taking US history classes during Trumps impeachment hearing, and graduating high school at the start of COVID-19. Theyre ready to see significant change. Hess also believes a potential sale of TikTok US could boost his efforts, not diminish them. We do not foresee the sale of TikTok having a negative effect on our activism, he said. If anything, the platform being owned by an American corporation will reduce any qualms people may have about using the app for political purposes. T Muruganandham By Express News Service CHENNAI: The monsoon session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly began on Monday amidst demands for a ban on the National Eligibility cum Entrance cum Test (NEET) from the main opposition party DMK and its allies. On the first day of the session, the House paid homage to President Pranab Mukherjee, Congress MP H Vasanthakumar, DMK MLA J Anbazhagan, and those who lost their lives to COVID-19 including the frontline staff who succumbed to the virus. Speaker P Dhanapal adjourned the proceedings of the House without transacting any business as a mark of respect for the departed souls. The Speaker read out obituary references for 23 former MLAs including former Ministers A Rehman Khan and K Lawrence, trade union leader G Kalan and former BJP president KN Lakshmanan. When the House proceedings for the day started, Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin said many NEET aspirants have died during the past few days and a condolence resolution should be adopted in the Assembly. However, Speaker P Dhanapal did not accept that. DMK MLAs wore masks with the words: "Ban NEET; Save TN students". Of the 235 MLAs, 26 were absent due to various reasons and a few of them are being treated for COVID-19. Talking to reporters after the House was adjourned, Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin charged that the ruling AIADMK had failed to exert sufficient pressure on the Centre to scrap NEET and the AIADMK government was staging a drama in this regard. Answering a question in this regard, Health Minister C Vijaya Basker said the DMK and Congress have no moral right to raise the NEET issue since they were trying to lock the stable door after the horse had bolted. Everyone knew that the MCI notification for NEET was issued on December 27, 2010, when the Congress-DMK led UPA government was in power. The NEET was being implemented based on a verdict of the Supreme Court while the AIADMK had been consistent in opposing NEET. Stalin also said the DMK's demand to hold the session for a longer duration to discuss issues affecting the public was not accepted by the Speaker. Numerous notices have been given to the Assembly Secretariat by the DMK and its allies for call attention motions and special mentions on various issues including the National Education Policy NEET, etc. DMK president MK Stalin has given notice for a private member's resolution demanding the withdrawal of the draft Environment Impact Assessment notification. The venue for the Tamil Nadu Assembly session has been shifted after a gap of 10 years. In 2010, the session was held in the New Assembly hall constructed in Omandurar government estate during the previous DMK regime. However, after the AIADMK came to power in 2011, the Assembly hall was shifted to Fort St George again. Since the Assembly hall at Fort St George could not accommodate all members with physical distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19, the venue has now been shifted to Kalaivanar Arangam. The State Public Works Department has replicated everything in the Assembly hall in Fort St George at the Kalaivanar Arangam. The century-old Speaker's Chair donated by Lord Willingdon, Governor of Madras Presidency, in 1922 which has been used by many Speakers has been brought to Kalaivanar Arangam for this session. However, the original portraits of the late leaders were not shifted. Instead, replicas of the portraits have been placed in Kalaivanar Arangam. By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A voter-outreach effort by the U.S. Postal Service drew a growing backlash on Monday as election officials in several states warned voters that the embattled agency was providing inaccurate information about how to vote in the Nov. 3 election. The statements by officials in West Virginia, Maryland, Utah and Washington state come after a federal judge in Colorado on Saturday ordered the Postal Service to cease delivery of postcards he said contained "false or misleading information" about how to cast ballots by mail. The Postal Service says it is trying to comply with the order, even though most of those postcards in Colorado have already been delivered. It has asked U.S. Judge William Martinez to reverse his decision. "The intention of the mailer was to send a single set of recommendations that provided general guidance allowing voters who choose mail-in voting to do so successfully, regardless of where they live and where they vote," spokeswoman Martha Johnson said. The dispute comes after cost-saving measures ordered by new Postmaster Louis DeJoy led to widespread mail delays in August, causing some to question whether their ballots will be handled properly. DeJoy suspended those changes in the face of widespread public outrage. The postcards in question, mailed nationwide last week, tell voters to request mail ballots at least 15 days before the election. However, several states -- Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Hawaii and California -- mail ballots automatically to all registered voters. Election officials in Washington state and Utah told voters they do not need to request a ballot. In Colorado, the secretary of state's office plans automated phone calls to explain that the Postal Service mailer contains inaccurate information, spokesman Steve Hurlbert said. Officials in Maryland and West Virginia also said the Postal Service's recommended deadlines conflicted with their state laws. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Todays Washington Post includes a front page story the essence of which is that Democrat operatives are frustrated that President Trump is making inroads with Latino voters. The Post attributes Trumps inroads to (1) lack of direct outreach by the Biden campaign to Latinos and (2) lingering resentment over deportations that occurred during the Obama administration. I have no reason to doubt the reporting that Team Biden hasnt done a good job with outreach, and I dont deny that Biden could improve his position by pandering. However, the Posts Sean Sullivan largely ignores some very plausible additional explanations for Trumps inroads with Latinos. First, presidential candidates typically do better with Latino voters when they run as the incumbent. Of the five incumbents who have run since 1980, all but George H.W. Bush accomplished this. Obama increased his share of the Latino vote as the incumbent (but not with the electorate as a whole), notwithstanding his first term deportations of illegal immigrants. Second, many Latino voters dont want to see anything approaching socialism in America. Biden, meanwhile, is relying on Bernie Sanders machine to gin up Latino turnout, according to the Post. This might help Biden with younger Latinos, but it might solidify doubts about him among older ones. Third, Latinos noticed how well the economy was doing under Trump before the pandemic hit. This reality surely disposed some of them to vote for Trump. What we dont know is the extent to which they blame Trump for the devastation caused by the pandemic and/or the shutdowns. Finally, a fair number of Latinos may favor Trumps tough stance against illegal immigration not some of his rhetoric, but his policies. Latinos who came here legally might well resent those who did not, especially if they view the illegal immigrants as competitors for jobs. I dont know how these advantages will play out for Trump, but the Post is wrong to assume that Bidens problems with Latino voters are confined to Obama-era policies and poor outreach. Insurer to employ Guidewire solutions to augment claims operational efficiency, enhance customer service, and position itself for the future Sasria, the South African short-term special risk insurer to individuals, business and government institutions, and Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), the platform general insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently, today announced that Sasria has selected Guidewire for claims management and to deliver an enhanced digital experience to its agents and customers. PwC, one of the leading global professional services networks, and a Guidewire PartnerConnect Consulting Premier member, has been chosen to assist in the implementation. Sasria is replacing its legacy system in favour of an advanced, automated IT system that can underpin its strategic business objectives and help it respond to increased and changing customer demand. They have a two-phase deployment timeline, with initial system delivery for new claims in late 2020, as well as migration of open claims, followed with added digital capabilities in mid-2021. "Sasria has a broad mandate to provide solutions to those who cannot access insurance, and this can't be achieved by an organization adverse to technological advancements," said Sam Nkosi, Chief Information Officer, Sasria. "Two of our strategic goals are digitalisation and customer-centricity. Guidewire is the driving force in shaping the adoption of digitalisation in the P&C insurance sector, and this is key to our selection, as well as the close alignment of our corporate cultures. We look forward to our IT team delivering a platform that will ensure the sustainability, flexibility and agility of our business, and position us to anticipate and respond better to changing customer need." Guidewire will enable Sasria to: Access higher quality, enriched data, allowing management to understand better their end- customer requirements, and make informed and rapid decisions through embedded analytical insights; Empower their agents and mutual partners through improved visibility of information and faster claims management response; and Position itself as a modern insurer that can leverage emerging technologies, including Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. "What appealed to us was a platform that is comprehensive enough to cater for enterprise requirements from policy administration to claims settlement; a robust solution that aligns with our digital strategy and core system aspirations," said Sam Nkosi, Chief Information Officer, Sasria. "In addition, Guidewire's singular focus on P&C insurance, combined with their ability to provide effective solutions in line with emerging technologies supported us in our selection." "We welcome Sasria to the Guidewire customer family and thank them for the trust they are placing in us to power their claims transformation and digitalisation," said Keith Stonell, managing director, EMEA, Guidewire Software. "Sasria occupies a key position in providing valuable protection to the communities they serve. We look forward to working with them as they continue to deliver excellent service now, and in the years ahead." About Sasria Sasria SOC Ltd is the only short-term insurer that provides special risk cover to all individuals and businesses that own assets in South Africa, as well as government entities. This is unique cover against risks such as civil commotion, public disorder, strikes, riots and terrorism, making South Africa one of the few countries in the world that provide this insurance, particularly at affordable premiums. https://www.sasria.co.za/ @SasriaSOCLtd @SasriaSOCLtd Sasria SOC Limited About Guidewire Guidewire is the platform general insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. As of the end of our fiscal year 2019, more than 380 insurers, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire. As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record, with 1,000+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localization, and innovation. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on twitter: @Guidewire_PandC. NOTE: For information about Guidewire's trademarks, visit https://www.guidewire.com/legal-notices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005294/en/ Contacts: Daniel Couzens Allison Partners +44(0)203 971 4308 guidewire@allisonpr.com Louise Bradley PR Communications EMEA, Guidewire +44(0)7474 837 860 lbradley@guidewire.com Driver David Boughton bolted Hall Of Secrets to the lead from post 7 and kept rolling to a 1:59.2 score in the $7,300 second of two divisions for the Prospect Series Three-Year-Old Colt Trot on Sunday (Sept. 13) at Flamboro Downs. Clearing pylon-starter Wheelin Willie to a :29.3 first quarter, Hall Of Secrets faced little challenge through the remainder of the mile. The three-year-old Angus Hall gelding trotted to the half in 1:00 and started to scoot away from Wheelin Willie to three-quarters in 1:29.3, widening to a four-length advantage at the finish with Goaltender closing for third. Owned by Paul Lindsey, Hall Of Secrets won his second race from 10 starts this season and his third from 18 overall, earning $18,828. Donald Lindsey trains the $22.10 winner. Los Ballykeelamigo also sped to victory in his Prospect Series split, stopping the clock in 1:59.3 as the 1-5 favourite. Driver Scott Young sent the three-year-old Amigo Hall gelding for the lead while Drone Seelster settled for the pocket to a :29 first quarter. From there the Josh McKibbin trainee trotted fractions of :59.3 and 1:29.3 in progress to a two-and-three-quarter length victory over Drone Seelster. Les Nessman finished third, four lengths behind. Owned by Ballykeel Racing Inc., Los Ballykeelamigo won his fifth race from 21 starts, earning $27,265. He paid $2.50 to win. Young also scored in the lone $7,100 division of the Prospect Series Two-Year-Old Filly Trot, winning with Radical J J in 2:01.1. The Muscle Mass filly tracked tempo-setter One Smart Cookie from a loose pocket through a clip of :29.2, 1:00.1 and 1:30.2 before lunging after the leader into the final turn and sliding to a three-and-a-quarter length win. One Smart Cookie settled for second with Golden Twist finishing third, 23 lengths behind. Trained by Shawn Steacy for owners David Reid, A K Malik Stable, Carmen Chrysdale and Bruno Dipoce, Radical J J won her second race from four starts, earning $7,676. She paid $4.40 to win. To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs. By Trend The Ana Veten (Motherland) Union of Azerbaijani women of Europe has expressed a protest against the participation of Anna Hakobyan, wife of the Armenian prime minister, in illegal military exercises in the occupied Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the dissemination of photographs in which she aims from a machine gun at the Azerbaijani trenches, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora, told Trend on Sept. 14. The issue that Armenia has been holding the Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts under occupation for 30 years and the fact that international organizations and the leading countries recognize this, was stressed in the statement addressed to the international community and signed by the Chairperson of the Union, Maisa Agamirzoyeva. Yerevan ignores the demands of the world community to withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories as well as stop provocations on the line of contact and the state border with Azerbaijan, which is trying to resolve the conflict [Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] peacefully, the statement said. During the July clashes, the whole world witnessed Armenia's aggression. Following the statement, to conceal the fact that the provocation in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district was initiated by the government headed by her husband, disguised as peacefulness, Hakobyan appealed to Azerbaijani mothers. The recent photos of Hakobyan, who in 2018, declaring herself to be the defender of peace in the region, invited Azerbaijani women to join the campaign "Women for Peace", her call to the Armenian women to defend the occupied territory of the neighboring country with arms in her hand testifies Armenia's hypocritical foreign policy, the statement said. If women in Armenia are already preparing for war, what is the point of this country's peace-loving statements?! The Union said that despite the recent calm on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the contact line, worrisome moments persist and the messages on social networks and world media only increase this concern. While demanding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, the Union stated that Armenia must stop the attacks on civilians in Azerbaijan and immediately withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories under the decisions of the UN Security Council and OSCE. 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 Election paves the way for him to replace Shinzo Abe as the countrys next prime minister on Wednesday. Yoshihide Suga has been elected leader of Japans governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), paving the way for him to become the countrys next prime minister. As expected, Suga easily won Mondays internal vote to pick a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced in August that he would step down due to health problems. Currently the chief cabinet secretary, Suga took 377 of a total of 534 votes against the two other contenders, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. Given the LDPs legislative majority, Suga is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote on Wednesday. A powerful government adviser and spokesman, 71-year-old Suga is seen as promising stability and a continuation of Abes policies. He has specifically said his candidacy was motivated by a desire to continue the outgoing prime ministers programmes. Following his election as LDP leader, Suga thanked Abe and vowed to push ahead with reforms. I was born as the oldest son of a farmer in Akita, Suga said. Without any knowledge or blood ties, I launched into the world of politics, starting from zero and have been able to become leader of the LDP, with all its traditions and history. I will devote all of myself to work for Japan and its citizens, he added. Economic challenge ahead Al Jazeeras Rob McBride, reporting from Seoul said, that while Sugas election was a foregone conclusion, his margin of victory among the LDPs senior leaders was impressive. Our correspondent said that Suga now faces the challenge of fixing the economy, which experienced a sharp decline due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown. Ishiba, who is popular with the Japanese public but less so within his own party, won just 68 votes, with Kishida, who was once considered Abes favored successor, taking 89. Abe, who smashed records as Japans longest-serving prime minister before being forced to resign after a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, declined to publicly endorse any candidate. Following his election as LDP leader, Suga [right] thanked Abe and vowed to push ahead with reforms [Eugene Hoshiko/Reuters] The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga was raised in Japans northern Akita region, and the issues of rural areas suffering depopulation are said to be among his top concerns. But not much is known about his personal ideology, and he is generally viewed as an adherent of neither the LDPs most hawkish nor its more reformist wings. As prime minister, Suga is also seen as stylistically different from his predecessor, Abe, Al Jazeeras McBride said. He said that Suga is seen as down to earth and more pragmatic than Abe. HK secessionists' detention 'a warning' for those with illusions about escape to Taiwan from justice Global Times By Wan Lin and Chen Qingqing Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 21:47:26 Taiwan media reported Sunday that five fleeing Hong Kong sucessionists were detained in the island of Taiwan, and another 12 Hong Kong anti-government rioters who reportedly illegally crossed the border by water in August were announced on Sunday to be under criminal detention. These cases all represented a warning shot to Hong Kong secessionists who still hold illusions of escaping from justice. The five stowaways' current situation in Taiwan was revealed by a Taiwan media worker Edd Jhong on social media on Saturday. Jhong claimed that he had initially helped their escape but "suggested" that Hong Kong rioters "not come to Taiwan anymore" as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is "not as supportive" to them as they had thought. Observers said Jhong's comment may crush the hopes of some Hong Kong rioters that they can flee to Taiwan and get substantial help there. After the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, Taiwan seemed to be the first choice for Hong Kong rioters who dreamed to escape from justice. But the situation of the five rioters who were detained by local authorities in the island without outside communications represents a warning shot for other Hong Kong secessionists who have similar plans, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Sunday. Meanwhile, 12 Hong Kong residents have been put under criminal detention for illegally crossing the border and trying to escape to the island to seek "political asylum" in August, said police in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday, adding that the case is under investigation. Hong Kong secessionists fleeing to Taiwan were likened to "a drowning man who will grasp at a straw," which is an unrealistic illusion. Especially after Taiwan refused the entry to a Hong Kong murder suspect, there have been growing divergences in the political demands of the two sides, Li said. "Any Hong Kong separatists seeking ways to get to Taiwan are doomed to be abandoned as the regional authorities are just being opportunistic over Hong Kong issues and will only use them as political pawns," he said. The five Hong Kong smugglers who arrived in Taiwan in late July were said to be cut off from connection with the outside by Mainland Affairs Council and no one knows their situation, other than a few MAC staff and coast guard members, according to Jhong. "It is not so much that they have been sheltered in Taiwan, as that what they have been experiencing is even worse than other stowaways," read his post. Jhong later emphasized how little the DPP has done to "save" Hong Kong anti-government rioters and how many people in the party actually oppose "saving" Hong Kong. Taiwan media responded on Sunday that the five could meet lawyers and their basic rights are protected. Guangdong provincial maritime police apprehended 12 young Hong Kong residents who tried to escape to Taiwan in a speedboat on August 23. Among them, one is a member of the anti-government group "Hong Kong Story," and the person was once arrested by local police for colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security and violating the recently enacted national security law for Hong Kong. On Saturday, the "families" of six of those seized held a press conference, asking assistance from the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to bring the six suspects back to Hong Kong. They claimed that some of those arrested were not well and needed to take medicine. At the press conference, all the family members were masked. The immigration department of the HKSAR government refuted their claims, saying that relatives of 10 suspects have been in close contact with the department for updates. Authorities in Guangdong revealed that the 12 people are all physically well and have hired lawyers from the mainland. The press conference also aroused suspicions from Hong Kong residents, who questioned the real identities of these "families" and raised the possibility that anti-government forces in Hong Kong had hired actors to perform in order to smear the mainland. Anti-government forces in Hong Kong, with the intention of further drawing the attention of the global community especially the US on the matter, are trying to pass their bias toward the judicial system of the mainland to the local people and further mislead them, according to experts. "Local authorities process the case in accordance with China's Criminal Law, adhering to the principles of legality such as judgment on the basis of evidence and the presumption of innocence while the criminals' cases are processed on the record," Li said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (TSXV:HIVE)(OTCQX:HVBTF)(FSE:HBF) (the "Company" or "HIVE") announces its results for the full year ended March 31, 2020 (all amounts in US dollars, unless otherwise indicated). The Company's Management will host a webcast on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 10:00 am Eastern Time to discuss the Company's financial results. Click here to register for the webcast. "Fiscal 2020 was a transformative year for HIVE. We achieved full year profitability for the first time and improved our financial position and growth profile due to our ongoing initiatives to increase transparency, accountability and profitability across our mining operations globally," said Frank Holmes, Interim Executive Chairman of HIVE. "During the fiscal year, we assumed direct responsibility for our cryptocurrency mining operations from our former strategic partner and subsequently reduced significantly the direct cost structure of these operations, including at our flagship Ethereum mining facility in Sweden and, subsequent to fiscal year end, at our smaller Ethereum mining facility in Iceland. We also shut down our Bitcoin cloud mining operations, which had become unprofitable due to their fixed cost structure and legacy mining equipment, and acquired our own Bitcoin mining operation in April, 2020 in Quebec, Canada which we have been scaling up in recent months with acquisitions of next generation mining equipment. "Today, with the assumption of full control of our operations completed, HIVE stands as one of the largest publicly listed cryptocurrency miners globally, with a strengthened board of directors and mining operations diversified by blockchain network and geography and 100% powered by green energy. "Going forward, our focus is on improving the efficiency and profitability across our mining operations by optimizing our cryptocurrency mining output, continuing to lower our direct mining operations cost structure, and maximizing our existing electrical and infrastructure capacity including with new mining equipment in existing facilities to leverage our fixed cost base and improve future mining margins. "As it relates to our industry, Ethereum market conditions for miners have improved significantly thus far this fiscal year, driven by price increases and the adoption of the network for decentralized finance applications, as have Bitcoin market conditions for miners since the halving May 11, 2020, the date when HIVE started mining with new generation miners at its facility in Quebec. As an historical proxy for cryptocurrencies, we believe we are well placed to benefit from the continued adoption of Ethereum and Bitcoin globally." Fiscal Year 2020 Highlights Generated income from digital currency mining of $29.2 million Generated gross mining margin 1 of $8.5 million, or 29% of income from digital currencies of $8.5 million, or 29% of income from digital currencies Mining output of newly minted digital currencies: 71,660 Ethereum 148,796 Ethereum Classic 2,051 Bitcoin Generated Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $5.0 million of $5.0 million Generated net loss of $1.7 million for the period Net cash less loans payables of $2.4 million and digital currencies assets at $3.5 million, as at March 31, 2020 Working capital increased during the year to $11.1 million as at March 31, 2020 Fiscal 2020 Financial Review For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, income from digital currency mining was $29.2 million, a decrease of approximately 8% from the prior year primarily due to a decline in the production of Ethereum stemming from the temporary shutdown of the Company's Swedish mining operation during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. Gross mining margin1 during the year was $8.5 million, or 29% of income from digital currency mining, compared to $7.0, or 22% of income from digital currency mining, in fiscal 2019. The improvement was primarily due to the Company's assumption of control of its operations in Sweden during fiscal 2020, which has resulted in a lower cost of operations than under the Company's previous service provider agreement, combined with the cessation of Bitcoin cloud mining operations after they became unprofitable in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. The Company's gross mining margin from digital currency mining is also partially dependent on various external network factors including mining difficulty, the amount of digital currency rewards and fees it receives for mining, and the market price of the digital currencies at the time of mining. Net loss during fiscal 2020 was $1.7 million, or $0.01 per share, compared to a net loss of $137.8 million, or $0.44 per share, in fiscal 2019. The improvement was driven primarily by the improvement in gross mining margin1, impairment charges taken in fiscal 2019, a decrease in depreciation expenses in fiscal 2020 stemming from impairments taken in the prior fiscal year, and gains recorded on the sale of digital currencies, investments and foreign exchange. US$ except where noted Three months ended March 31, Year ended March 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Income from digital currency mining $ 3,084,291 $ 6,191,017 $ 29,219,843 $ 31,824,443 Operating and maintenance costs of digital currency mining (1,410,378 ) (5,219,055 ) (20,707,315 ) (24,793,774 ) Gross Mining Margin 1 1,673,913 971,962 8,512,528 7,030,669 Gross Mining Margin % 1 54 % 16 % 29 % 22 % Depreciation (2,450,905 ) (10,104,251 ) (6,301,146 ) (29,324,286 ) Gross gain (loss) (776,992 ) (9,132,289 ) 2,211,382 (22,293,617 ) Revaluation of digital currencies 2 1,452,072 3,633,660 (1,187,507 ) (10,138,348 ) Gain (loss) on sale of digital currencies 1,111,391 (2,403,449 ) 1,373,072 (5,328,799 ) General and administrative expenses (947,097 ) (1,510,451 ) (4,738,417 ) (4,736,313 ) Impairment - (60,213,523 ) - (90,927,728 ) Foreign Exchange 1,642,313 784,378 1,340,102 (1,961,532 ) Share-based compensation (315,540 ) (342,422 ) (686,659 ) (1,132,371 ) Realized gain (loss) on investment (256,630 ) - 1,274,834 Unrealized gain (loss) on investments - (1,327,721 ) (1,327,721 ) Finance expense (157,574 ) (170,835 ) (418,888 ) (182,691 ) Tax (expense) recovery (830,742 ) 277,000 (830,742 ) 227,000 Net income (loss) from continuing operations $ 921,201 $ (70,405,652 ) $ (1,662,823 ) $ (137,802,120 ) EBITDA 1 $ 4,360,422 $ (59,079,845 ) $ 5,887,953 $ (107,194,422 ) Adjusted EBITDA 1 $ 3,223,890 $ (2,157,560 ) $ 7,762,119 $ (4,995,975 ) Diluted income (loss) per share $ - $ (0.23 ) $ (0.01 ) $ (0.44 ) Net cash inflows (outflows) from operating activities $ 1,862,510 $ (58,812 ) $ 769,511 $ (1,641,913 ) Net cash inflows (outflows) from investing activities $ (1,879,505 ) $ 195,640 $ (1,879,505 ) $ (7,109,792 ) Net cash inflows (outflows) from financing activities $ (524,695 ) $ 758,150 $ (341,164 ) $ 1,113,587 As at March 31, 2019 Total assets $ 29,104,363 $ 27,761,197 Total non-current liabilities $ 775,480 $ - Non-IFRS measure. A reconciliation to its nearest IFRS measures is provided under "Reconciliations of Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" in the Company's MD&A. Revaluation is calculated as the change in value (gain or loss) on the coin inventory. When coins are sold, the net difference between the proceeds and the carrying value of the digital currency (including the revaluation), is recorded as a gain (loss) on the sale of digital currencies Financial Statements and MD&A The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) thereon for the three months and year ended March 31, 2020 will be accessible on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under HIVE's profile and on the Company's website at www.HIVEblockchain.com. Webcast Details Management will host a webcast on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 10:00 am Eastern Time to discuss the Company's financial results. Presenting on the webcast will be Frank Holmes, Interim Executive Chairman and Darcy Daubaras, Chief Financial Officer. IMPORTANT - Click here to register for the webcast. The direct link is https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/132707064987553808. About HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. is a growth oriented, TSX.V-listed company building a bridge from the blockchain sector to traditional capital markets. HIVE owns state-of-the-art green energy-powered data centre facilities in Canada, Sweden, and Iceland which produce newly minted digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum continuously on the cloud. Our deployments provide shareholders with exposure to the operating margins of digital currency mining as well as a portfolio of crypto-coins. For more information and to register to HIVE's mailing list, please visit www.HIVEblockchain.com. Follow @HIVEblockchain on Twitter and subscribe to HIVE's YouTube channel. On Behalf of HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. "Frank Holmes" Interim Executive Chairman For further information please contact: Frank Holmes Tel: (604) 664-1078 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 news release. Forward-Looking Information Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. "Forward-looking information" in this news release includes information about restructuring of the Company's operations and sustainable future profitability; potential further improvements to the profitability and efficiency across mining operations by optimizing cryptocurrency mining output, continuing to lower direct mining operations cost structure, and maximizing existing electrical and infrastructure capacity including with new mining equipment in existing facilities; continued adoption of Ethereum and Bitcoin globally; the potential for the Company's long term growth; the business goals and objectives of the Company, and other forward-looking information includes but is not limited to information concerning the intentions, plans and future actions of the parties to the transactions described herein and the terms thereon. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the efficiencies obtained through restructurings may not lead to operational advantages or profitability; further improvements to the profitability and efficiency may not be realized as currently anticipated, or at all; the digital currency market; the Company's ability to successfully mine digital currency; the Company may not be able to profitably liquidate its current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on the Company's operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; and other related risks as more fully set out in the Filing Statement of the Company dated and other documents disclosed under the Company's filings at www.sedar.com. This news release also contains "financial outlook" in the form of gross mining margins, which is intended to provide additional information only and may not be an appropriate or accurate prediction of future performance, and should not be used as such. The gross mining margins disclosed in this news release are based on the assumptions disclosed in this news release and the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, which assumptions are based upon management's best estimates but are inherently speculative and there is no guarantee that such assumptions and estimates will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the Company's ability to realize operational efficiencies going forward into profitability; profitable use of the Company's assets going forward; the Company's ability to profitably liquidate its digital currency inventory as required; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability of the Company to mine digital currencies will be consistent with historical prices; and there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. SOURCE: Hive Blockchain Technologies Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606068/HIVE-Blockchain-Reports-Fiscal-Year-2020-Financial-Results Researchers seek to understand the biological framework of Alzheimer's disease in multi-ethnic populations and how it differs from that of non-Latino whites. Researchers at HSC Fort Worth were awarded a grant expected to total $45 million from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to expand innovative research into Alzheimer's disease and the biological differences that cause the disease to disproportionately afflict Mexican Americans. The 5-year research grant, awarded to Sid O'Bryant, PhD, Professor and Executive Director of the Institute for Translational Research, and Leigh Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor and Associate Director, is the largest research award ever received by The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. "This is a transformative award for our university," HSC President Dr. Michael Williams said. "HSC is recognized as a national leader in the quest to unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease and to discover new interventions to help prevent this deadly disease." Drs. O'Bryant and Johnson seek to understand the biological framework of Alzheimer's disease in multi-ethnic populations and how it differs from that of non-Latino whites. For example, Mexican Americans develop Alzheimer's disease 10 years earlier than whites. However, most of the Alzheimer's research focuses on Non-Latino whites. The new funding will build off the HABLE study, a five-year project at HSC that Dr. O'Bryant started in 2017 and is funded by a $12 million National Institutes of Health grant. Almost 1,000 Mexican Americans and 1,000 non-Latino whites over 50 from North Texas have enrolled in the study into how different biological causes relate to Alzheimer's disease across ethnicities. HABLE participants undergo free comprehensive interviews, functional exams, clinical laboratory tests, a brain MRI and more. With the new funding HSC will create a state-of-the-art imaging center in the Institute for Translational Research where the ITR team will perform two PET Scans on every HABLE participant to look for beta amyloid or tau proteins, which are biomarkers for Alzheimer's. Two years later, each participant will undergo two more PET Scans for comparison of how the proteins have progressed. The scans will allow researchers to observe the differences in Mexican Americans and non-Latino whites. Preliminary data suggests that beta amyloid protein differs significantly in prevalence between the two ethnicities, Dr. O'Bryant said. "This is the first of its kind, large-scale, longitudinal study of the biological framework of Alzheimer's in community-dwelling and multi-ethnic populations," Dr. O'Bryant said. "We know from looking at new treatments for cancer and diabetes that understanding the biology of the disease is critically important to the development of novel, effective therapeutic interventions." Mexican Americans represent the fastest growing aging population in the country. It is estimated that 1 million Mexican Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease by 2030. While novel interventions may be years away, HABLE program participants may benefit immediately from medical information gathered. Participants can request the results of the comprehensive medical exams are shared with their health care providers to help guide their current medical decisions. Because the new imaging center where participants will undergo PET scans is on the HSC campus, the HABLE project team won't have to refer participants out to private imaging centers for the valuable but costly scans. "Very few laboratories in the county will have the imaging capability that the Institute for Translational Research will have at HSC," Dr. O'Bryant said. All data recorded through the study will be shared publicly with the scientific community throughout the duration of the project to aid other investigators in their quest for Alzheimer's breakthroughs, Dr. Johnson said. Dr. O'Bryant also is overseeing the first study of a blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease within a primary care setting. That study underway at HSC, is funded by a separate $6.5 million study funded by NIA. The HABLE projects are funded by NIA grants R01AG058533-01A1 and R01AG054073. ### Catalonia has documented four cases of Covid-19 reinfection, with one patient having been admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Germans Trias i Mujol Hospital in Badalona in Barcelona province. Thats according to Bonaventura Clotet, the head of Infectious Diseases at the hospital, who spoke to Catalan radio station RAC1 on Monday. Clotet told the radio station that a doctor at Palamos hospital in Girona province had been admitted into the ICU, but said his prognosis was good and that he was expected to recover. The remaining three cases have only mild infections, he added. We dont know how he could have contracted Covid-19 Roca Toda, head of internist medicine at Palamos hospital According to Roca Toda who is the head of internal medicine at Palamos hospital, where the doctor was first admitted the health worker had a mild to moderate case of Covid-19 in March, and was admitted into the ICU with a much more serious infection in August. The doctors situation worsened and he had to be intubated and transferred to Germans Trias i Mujol hospital, where he remains in intensive care. An epidemiological study has been done on the patient, who was on vacation when he fell ill again, and coronavirus tests have been carried out on staff who worked closely with the doctor at Palamos hospital. All results have come back negative. We dont know how he could have contracted [Covid-19], said Torra, who, like Clotet, called on health workers and the general public to keep up their guard against the virus. We believed that most reinfections would be minor, added Clotet, who said that few serious cases like that of the doctor from Palamos hospital and another patient in the US state of Nevada have been documented up until now. Several cases of Covid-19 reinfection have been announced in different countries, but there is still not enough data to know whether these are exceptional situations At the end of August, a team of researchers from Hong Kong University announced that they had detected what is believed to be the first case of Covid-19 reinfection: a man who had contracted the disease in April, recovered, and caught a different strain of the same virus in August. The 33-year-old patient had minor symptoms in the first instance and was completely asymptomatic the second time. He tested positive for Covid-19 the second time after traveling to Spain. The reinfection could be connected to other pathogens that can repeatedly infect a person, like the strain of the coronavirus family that causes colds. Since then, several other cases of Covid-19 reinfection have been announced in different countries. But there is still not enough data to know whether these are exceptional cases or a frequent occurrence. English version by Melissa Kitson. 94 basic schools in the Tema Metropolis on Monday commenced this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) with the first subject English Language. About 3,899 candidates from the basic schools, ncluding eight special needs children are taking the exams. Out of the total, 1,818 are boys while 2,081 are girls, Twenty seven public schools account for 2, 195 candidates while 1,704 candidates belong to 67 private schools in the Metropolis. Mrs Bernice Ofori, Tema Metropolitan Education Director, who together with the Tema Metropolitan Assembly Sub-committee on Education monitored the examination, indicated that the Metropolis had 13 BECE centres, 13 supervisors and 139 invigilators. Mrs Ofori said her office officially wrote to the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) on the conditions of the eight special needs candidates to ensure that their needs were met. She expressed satisfaction at the preparations for them and the general takeoff of the examination, and reminded the candidates not to indulge in any examination malpractice. They must also strictly adhere to the COVID-19 protocols. Madam Agatha Adrah, School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator, Tema Metro Education Directorate, said the eight special needs children were made up of visual impairment, hearing impairment and Down syndrome, indicating that four of them were students of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School. Madam Adrah said a girl from Akodzo JHS who was partially visually impaired was given the permission to use a magnifying device acquired for her by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. She explained that the girl's condition came to the attention of the Directorate during the mock examination. According to her parents, she had an eye surgery but they could not do the subsequent review due to financial constraints hence the decision of the education directorate to seek support from TMA, she said. A visually impaired boy from Deks School who is writing at Tema Methodist Day School has also been provided with an oral form of the paper, and one classroom allocated to him with supervision from the Special Needs Coordinator. Madam Vivian Sinkari-Mahama, an Assistant Director at TMA, expressed satisfaction at the seating arrangements in the various examination halls as well as the observation of the COVID-19 protocols. The GNA observed that the free hot-meal a day ordered by President Akufo-Addo for all BECE candidates in Ghana, was served at the various centres. ---GNA New York: US President Donald Trump has acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the wildfires ravaging Americas west coast, but has blamed the disaster on bad forest management. A day after a visibly frustrated Californian Governor Gavin Newsom described the devastation across his state as a "climate damn emergency", Trump told supporters at a packed out rally in Nevada, "Theyve never had anything like this, but you know it is about forest management. Jacen Sullivan, 14, from Talent, Oregon, holds a burned tomato he found in the garden at his burned home. Credit:AP "Please remember the words. Very simple: forest management," he said, to roaring cheers. The comments came as fires in California, Oregon and Washington state continued to tear through communities on Saturday (local time), destroying homes and businesses, and blanketing the west coast with smoke and ash. Gary Neville has hailed Mohamed Salah following the Liverpool star's hat-trick in the 4-3 victory over Leeds, highlighting the striker's 'killer' instinct. The Egyptian netted twice from the penalty spot and volleyed brilliantly into the top corner as the Reds recorded a thrilling Premier League opening day win at Anfield. Salah has scored a remarkable 94 goals in his first three seasons on Merseyside and Neville has been left highly impressed by the 28-year-old's ruthlessness after he made the perfect start to the 2020-21 campaign. Gary Neville has heaped praise on Mohamed Salah after he scored a hat-trick against Leeds 'We know he's some player,' Neville told Sky Sports. 'But when he's getting to a level whereby four years ago, when he first arrived at Liverpool, he got 40 goals and we thought that's a freak, he won't be able to live with that. Then he consistently produces over a period of two or three years.' Salah won the Premier League golden boot in his debut season at Liverpool, scoring 32 goals after completing a 34million move from Roma. He then followed up with 27 goals in all competitions in 2018-19 as Liverpool lifted the Champions League trophy, and then registered 23 goals ithe following season as the Reds won the top flight for the first time since 1990. The former Chelsea man has played his part in a tenacious attacking trident alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, and Neville has compared Liverpool's leading lights to former Manchester United team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Neville likened Salah and Mane's partnership to that of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo Neville believes Salah will 'go above' the 'selfless' Sadio Mane in years to come 'We had debate between Mane and Salah last season. Players love Mane, he does selfless thing for the team. Salah doesn't pass at times, bit more selfish and less likable. I look at him as an outsider and think he's a killer on the pitch. 'It reminds me of Ronaldo and Rooney back in the day, Mane and Salah. And I think Salah will go above Mane. The reason these players are different is they've got something in their head where go home at night and being best player in the world rules their world. Mane or Rooney, they fight for their team. Mane has plundered 81 goals in 172 appearances since joining Liverpool from Southampton in a 34m deal in June 2016, trailing Salah's tally by 16 goals. As the battle for the presidency rages on, Donald Trump has claimed he received a highly-honoured Bay of Pigs Award from Cuban Americans in an attack on his rivals alleged poor track record with Latin Americans on Sunday. The president also confused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for former president Barack Obama when boasting about his Nobel Peace Prize nominations during a campaign rally. In a tweet on Sunday, following reports that Vermont democratic socialist senator Bernie Sanders has concerns about Mr Bidens campaign, Mr Trump said: Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out. That wont work! Remember, Miami Cubans gave me the highly honoured Bay of Pigs Award for all I have done for our great Cuban Population! But as it turns out, there is no such award as a Bay of Pigs Award, as many on the social media platform pointed out and mocked the president for. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961, carried out by Cuban exiles trying to overthrow Fidel Castro. The operation was sponsored by the CIA and its failure continues to plague US-Cuban relations. The Obama administration sought to improve relations and he became the first US president to visit Havana in nearly a century in 2016. But Mr Trump reversed his predecessors efforts to foster relations with Cuba, rolling back its people-to-people educational travel permits and prohibiting cruise ships from calling into the island. Mr Trump previously visited a Bay of Pigs museum in Little Havana, in Miami, in October 2016. During the visit, he received a hand-painted Brigade 2506 shield, which is the award in question, his campaign has insisted. Brigade 2506 is the unit which carried out the failed invasion. The Bay of Pigs Veterans Association gave Mr Trump an endorsement in 2016, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans but no award comes with it. Having been nominated for a second Nobel Peace Prize, Mr Trump also took the opportunity to brag about his nominations and criticise the fake news media again for not applauding him highly enough. Speaking to a cheering crowd during a rally in Henderson, Nevada, on Sunday, he said: They nominated your president twice last week, for two different subjects, for a Nobel prize but the fake news media didnt cover it. Recommended He then continues to say that Mr Biden got it, before pausing and correcting himself, adding: Remember when our great president Barack Hussein Obama, he got it. Mr Biden has never received a Nobel Peace Prize, but he has been endorsed by 81 American winners of the prize in the fields of chemistry, medicine and physics for his support for science. Mr Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people, as well as his promotion of nuclear nonproliferation. Last week, a right-wing Norwegian politician told Fox News he nominated Mr Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Christian Tybring-Gjedde said he believed Mr Trump has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other Peace Prize nominees. Days later, Magnus Jacobsson, a member of the Swedish Parliament, announced he nominated the presidents administration alongside the governments of Kosovo and Serbia for brokering a peace deal between the two European nations. Under Nobel Peace Prize rules, any member of a national parliament can nominate a candidate for the award, among others, including university professors. This time last year, Pat McEvoy was climbing mountains, running miles and seeking adventure. Now the Omaha, Nebraska, man faces a new challenge. "I'm two months in at this point and time and I'm still 80% lung function," McEvoy said. He tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of June. He's young, in shape and said he had no pre-existing health conditions. "My blood oxygen was super, super low, to the point I was on the verge of whether they would admit me or not," McEvoy said. He said he didn't need to go to the hospital, and was cleared of the virus within two weeks, but the damage is still there. He said his heart was swollen, his lungs are scarred and all the cardio activities he used to do, he can't do right now. "I tried to walk 2 miles a month in and I almost passed out in a stranger's front lawn," he said. Dr. Mark Rupp is an infectious diseases expert with Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He said chronic symptoms can go on for weeks and months after having COVID-19. "The CDC released some data a few weeks back that indicated a full third of people out three or four weeks still weren't back to normal," he said. Dr. Rupp said older people or those with other health conditions tend to have longer recoveries, but he's seeing younger people struggle, too. "It's unknown whether folks are going to have permanent disability from this. It just indicates to me even more that you want to do everything you can to prevent this illness," he said. McEvoy said he was super careful, always wearing a mask and washing his hands, but still caught the virus. He said he's slowly getting better. Doctors tell him that because of the lung scarring, there's a "decent chance" he'll permanently lose 5 to 10% of lung capacity. McEvoy said losing some of his lung capacity won't be as noticeable in daily activities, but when he's back to adventuring, it'll be different. "I'll still be able to do it, it's just going to be a very different story how fast and how hard I can push myself to do it," he said. Image credit: Mountain province Diamonds Junior companies in the mining industry are understood as small and medium-sized enterprises, the purpose of which is the prospecting and exploration of new mineral deposits. At the same time, upon the discovery of a deposit, a junior company can either sell a licence to a mining company or start developing it on its own. The juniors can develop into large mining companies or specialize exclusively in geological exploration. The diamond industry has begun to engage junior companies relatively recently - after the discovery of commercial diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes in Canada in the 1990s; before that, the exploration companies preferred to search for gold. We can now see the results of the keen interest in the Canadian diamonds - thanks to the juniors active work, the country has become one of the world's largest diamond producers ranking second in terms of diamond production by volume in 2017, and third in 2018. Among all diamond-mining countries, Canada is closest to Russia in terms of climate and, in part, the infrastructure development. Let's consider some junior companies in Canada and Russia. Canadas Mountain Province Diamonds (MPD) acquired a licence for the Kennady Lake area in the Northwest Territories where the Gahcho Kue deposit was discovered in 1992. In 1995, the company discovered the first kimberlite pipe - 5034; in 1997, three more pipes were opened; that same year, De Beers Canada (called Monopros Limited at that time) showed its interest in the deposit. In 2002, a JV was established between De Beers Canada (51%), Mountain Province Diamonds (44.1%), and Camphor Ventures (4.9%) to implement the Gahcho Kue project. Later on, MPD increased its stake to 49% by acquiring Camphor Ventures. De Beers became the operator of the project, the development of the project progressed steadily even during the global financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009. In 2016, the deposit was put into operation and in 2017, the mine was brought to full design capacity. At present, Gahcho Kue is the largest diamond mine in the world launched over the past decade, it produced 6.85 mn carats in 2019. De Beers and MPD share the operating costs and independently sell their quantities of the rough diamonds mined. Following the closure of the diamond exchanges in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mine continued its normal operation. In early June 2020, MPD announced about its $50 mn diamond sale to Dunebridge Worldwide Ltd. to provide financing of the operating costs. Another Canadian junior company, Stornoway Diamonds, was able to implement a project independently to develop the Renard diamond deposit by launching the first diamond mine in the Canadian province of Quebec. The regional diamond exploration in Quebec began in 1996 by Ashton and SOQUEM companies. In 2001, the first kimberlite bodies were discovered, drilling and small-volume sampling began in the area. In 2006, Stornoway acquired Ashton, in 2011 it acquired SOQUEM to become a 100% owner of the Renard project. By this time, the geological exploration for the Feasibility Study stage had been completed at the project, and the reserves were estimated. Within a short time, the company obtained all the necessary permits, built a road to the project area. The mine was started up in mid-2016, and a year later, it was brought to full production capacity. 1.3 mn carats of diamonds were mined at the deposit in 2018 and about 1.8 mn carats in 2019, according to estimates. At the end of March 2020, Stornoway decided to suspend the Renard operations and placed it under care and maintenance until the situation in the global diamond market would improve. Star Diamond Corporation (named Shore Gold Inc. until February 2018) began the operations on its Star-Orion South project also in the 1990s, but the mine has not been put into operation yet. The project is located within the Fort a la Corne kimberlite field in the well-developed area of Saskatchewan. The company successfully carried out the geological exploration, including bulk sampling; for this purpose, a beneficiation plant with a capacity of 10 t/h was built at the deposit in 2003. However, at the end of 2008, the work had to be shut down due to a lack of funding caused by the global financial and economic crisis. Until 2014, the company was engaged in analytical studies without any field work and it resumed its drilling programme in 2014. In the summer of 2017, Star Diamond entered into an option agreement with Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc., under which the latter was granted an option to receive up to 60% of the shares in the Fort a la Corne project (including the Star-Orion South deposit). In 2018, Star Diamond announced the results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment, according to which the deposit could produce 66 mn carats of diamonds by open-pit mining within 38 years. The average value of diamonds from the Star-Orion South kimberlites was estimated at $190/ct (for comparison, it was $78/ct at the Gahcho Kue deposit, and $104/ct at Renard). In 2019, bulk sampling continued at the Star-Orion South, and exploration began within the Fort a la Corne kimberlite field where about 60 kimberlite bodies were identified. In 2020, the project faced the problems not related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Star Diamond filed a suit against Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc. due to non-fulfillment of the terms of the option agreement; the suit was to be considered on June 29-30, 2020. Due to the legal proceedings and current situation on the diamond market, the project may be postponed indefinitely, but in general, the chances of success are quite high, mainly due to the high value of the diamond in the deposit. However, the commissioning of a mine is not always synonymous with a successful project. A striking example of such an exception is the development of the Jericho kimberlite pipe in the Nunavut province. The deposit was discovered in 1995 and explored by the junior Tahera Diamond Corp. that brought it into operation in 2006. The company expected to produce about 500,000 carats of diamonds annually for eight years, but the mine operated until 2008 only; in three years, about 700,000 carats were mined totally. Of course, the reason for stopping its production was the global crisis, which the junior could not overcome despite a number of measures taken. In 2010, Tahera sold its mine to another junior company, Shear Diamonds Ltd. Shear commenced operations to recover the mine, simultaneously extracting diamonds from the tailings. The company raised funding and obtained the necessary permits to start mining, but in 2012, it announced the suspension of the mine's operations due to a drop in the demand for diamonds in the global market. As a result, Shear simply left the mine without undertaking any rehabilitation of the environment and it owed $2 mn to the Canadian government. It is worth noting that it was not only the juniors who had to shut down an existing diamond mine in Canada - in 2016, De Beers shut down its Snap Lake mine waiting for some improvements in the diamond market. Nevertheless, in general, the junior companies in Canada are considered as very active and effective, both with the support of the giants like De Beers and Rio Tinto, and without any support. It should also be borne in mind that the Canadian companies are successfully operating around the world, in particular in Africa and Latin America. In Russia, the junior movement is not so much developed, there are only a few such companies in the country's diamond mining industry. AGD DIAMONDS (until September 2018, it was named Arkhangelskgeoldobycha) is among the most successful Russian junior companies. It was established in 1995 on the basis of Arkhangelskgeologiya, the Arkhangelsk state enterprise for prospecting, exploration, mining and processing of minerals, and in 1996, the V. Grib diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe was discovered - at about the same time as the above Canadian deposits. In less than ten years, in June 2014, a mining and processing plant with an annual capacity of 4.5 mn tonnes of ore was put into operation at the deposit. Today, AGD DIAMONDS is the only diamond mining company in Russia that operates independently of the ALROSA Group. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company continues its normal operation. AGD DIAMONDS also conducts its diamond exploration at several sites in the Arkhangelsk Region. In addition, there are several companies operating in Russia aimed at finding new diamond deposits, and Proex Service is the most active one among them. The company was established not so long ago, in 2008, and today, it owns six licences for geological exploration of subsoil in the Arkhangelsk Region issued on a declarative basis. Within two years (2016-2017), the company discovered seven new kimberlite pipes using up-to-date geophysical methods. However, to carry out further research that could lead directly to the discovery of new deposits, it is necessary to raise funding, which is very difficult in the Russian reality. The activities of other juniors engaged in diamond exploration in Russia - Arkhalm, Batolit - have not yet been very successful. In 2018, Adagran was registered having outcompeted ALROSA and Severalmaz in January 2019 and it received a licence on a competitive basis for the geological exploration of the Chernoozersky-3 Block with inferred diamond resources of the P3 category, 10 mn carats. The founder of the dark horse is AGD DIAMONDS. The information on the results of the new company is not yet freely available. What are the reasons for the low interest in the juniors in Russia? First of all, the lack of the state support in the taxation of the geological exploration. In particular, while AGD DIAMONDS was included in the list of the Russias systemic companies that can count on the government support during the COVID-19 pandemic as a large diamond mining enterprise, such privileges were not granted to the companies engaged exclusively in geological exploration (for example, Proex Service). The second reason is the lengthy and complicated procedure for obtaining licences for the use of subsurface resources. There is already certain progress in solving this problem such as the emergence and improvement of the declarative principle thanks to which junior companies can obtain licences for the areas of interest. The solution to the third problem - that is the difficulties in attracting venture capital investments required for the implementation of high-risk projects (especially at the exploration stage) - may take much longer since there are practically no such venture capital investments in Russia. Nevertheless, the very presence of the junior companies in the Russian diamond industry inspires the hope that in the future, they will play a significant role in the development of the country's industry and economy. Anastasia Smolnikova for Rough&Polished As wildfires leave large numbers of Oregonians displaced and in need Monday, many others wonder how they can help. Here are some options: Red Cross: The public can help by making a financial donation at redcross.org/donate (all donations are tax deductible) or volunteer through redcross.org/volunteer. The agency says, for the safety of shelter residents and workers, it cant accept material donations of any kind right now. Because of increased safety measures for COVID-19, storing, sorting, cleaning and distributing donated items could be risky. The Red Cross Cascades Region maintains an active Facebook page for those who would like further information on what services are being provided to wildfire evacuees. The state Department of Emergency Management also recommends donations to any members of Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (https://orvoad.communityos.org/cms/membership). These on-the-ground organizations know what items and quantities are needed, often buy in bulk with discounts and, if possible, purchase through businesses local to the disaster, which supports economic recovery. To donate food, water and other items, the state says, reach out to your local food pantry or Community Action Partnership to see if they are able to receive donations. Find food pantries at https://foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org/. Community Action Partnership of Oregon: https://caporegon.org/ Phone: 503-316-3951 Monetary donations can also be sent via a newly created hub through GoFundMe. The Oregon Wildfire Relief Hub identifies all verified fundraisers created to help those who have lost their businesses or homes, or who have been displaced. The hub will be updated regularly with new fundraisers that have been verified by the GoFundMes Trust & Safety team. More than 150 verified fundraisers have been started for Oregon residents as of Tuesday. All of them have been added to GoFundMes centralized hub: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/oregon-fires. (One note about the list: the location is where the fundraiser was created, perhaps out of state. However, if you actually click on the fundraiser, it should take you to stories of Oregonians in need). Multnomah County is seeking donations to help people at the Oregon Convention Center at the Charles Jordan Community Center affected by wildfires and poor air quality. Call 211 to see where space is available if you are in need of a respite from the smoke, even if just for a few hours. Multnomah County: How you can help: Donate supplies Contact Celeste Duvall, outreach coordinator for the Joint Office, at celeste.duvall@multco.us or 971-940-5582. The following supplies will help support smoke relief work as well as the COVID-19 response work that will continue once the air is clear: Blankets Tarps Water and Gatorade/sports drinks (gallons and 20 oz. bottles) Sleeping bags Tents Hygiene products Socks Hydration/electrolyte packets Baby wipesFeminine hygiene products Depends/adult incontinence products First aid kits Cloth masks WILDFIRE TRACKER: See all fires in Oregon and across the nation Oregon Business & Industry launched a fund with the Oregon Business Council and the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce to support Oregonians who have been displaced. Tax deductible donations go to OBIs 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, and the foundation has made an initial pledge to cover overhead costs. Clackamas County: How to help, get help For those with the means to give, cash donations to disaster response organizations such as the Red Cross and members of the Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ORVOAD) are the best options. If you have items to donate please visit our portal and provide the details of those items through the site. If your items are needed they will be matched with the need. Please do not bring unsolicited donations to any of the current shelter sites or firefighting camps. You can also provide donations to local organizations accepting donations in Clackamas County. Visit the Clackamas County organizations accepting donations map to find local organizations to donate to. For those that are affected by the fires and are in need of resources please email the Donations Team at eocdonations@clackamas.us, include your need and a phone number to reach you. A representative will contact you within 24 hours to find out the specifics of the needs and try to connect you with the appropriate resource. You can also text or call us at 503-964-4267. Lane County: How to help The United Way of Lane County is accepting donations at this link: unitedwaylane.org/. For additional details email: GIVE@unitedwaylane.org. Both donation sites for victims of the Holiday Farm Fire have closed. In just a day, officials said the Eugene site received an overwhelming outpouring of support of goods and supplies for victims of the fire. United Way said if specific donated goods are needed for fire victims in coming weeks, an announcement of needed items and a donation site will be shared at that time. If you would like to donate by check, make it payable to United Way of Lane County, indicate in the memo line: Wildfires, and mail to 3171 Gateway Loop, Springfield, OR 97477. Jackson County: How to help, get help Jackson County has posted a wealth of information here on where to donate but also where fire victims can get help. Go here for more information. Lincoln County: How to help Though well intended, please do not take donations to evacuation centers. At this time, the best way for the public to help people who are affected by wildfires is to make a financial contribution to the American Red Cross or one of the certified organizations that are members of Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The Red Cross Evacuation Center closed Sunday and reopened Monday as a Red Cross Service Assistance Center: Lincoln City Community Center, 2150 NE Oar Place, Lincoln City OR 97367. Anyone needing information about Red Cross Services, should call 541-921-3049 or visit our Service Assistance Center. The Wildland Firefighters Fund gives money to families who have lost members who fight wildfires. The group is based in Idaho but provides relief for firefighting family members nationwide: wffoundation.org For a list of verified disaster relief organizations, please visit Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Organizations include the Team Rubicon, Salvation Army and Northwest Baptist Disaster Relief. United Way also provides these resources: Greater Douglas United Way (HQ in Roseburg, OR) United Way of the Columbia-Willamette (HQ in Portland, OR) United Way of Jackson County (HQ in Medford, OR) United Way of Lane County (HQ in Eugene/Springfield, OR) United Way of Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties (HQ in Albany, OR) United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley (HQ in Salem, OR) United Way of Southwestern Oregon (HQ in Coos Bay, OR) New Delhi: Villagers in Tamil Nadu's Palamedu offer special prayers, conduct a symbolic Jallikattu event, defying SC's order. Animal welfare body PETA on Thursday said the purpose of Jallikattu festival is to thank the nature which cannot be achieved by tormenting bulls and causing injuries and deaths to people and bulls. #WATCH: Villagers hold #jallikattu in Paraipatti (Madurai, TN) despite SC's ban. Police suspended the event and dispersed the participants. pic.twitter.com/nx1QojQDtO ANI (@ANI_news) January 15, 2017 The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the plea seeking to allow Jallikattu, a bull-taming sport played during Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu. Madurai (TN): Police deployment in Palamedu and other villages in Madurai for effective implementation of SC's order banning #jallikattu pic.twitter.com/JXnS2qavlF ANI (@ANI_news) January 15, 2017 Also Read: Jallikattu: PETA requests President, Centre not to pass ordinance on the sport Have deployed forces at all arenas where #jallikattu takes place,we are sensitising people about SC's order: Vijayendra Bidari SP Madurai pic.twitter.com/li8TjET1fw The Apex Court had banned Jallikattu in 2014 on grounds of animal cruelty which later led to the protests from political parties across the state. The Court while turning down the plea termed it unfair of the petitioner to ask the bench to pass an order . Also Read: Jallikattu ban: DMK protests, Stalin slams PM Modi Later, in November last year, SC dismissed the state governments plea for a review of its 2014 judgment. In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Jallikattu issue, DMK on Friday charged that he had time to meet actors and others but not the AIADMK MPs who wanted to discuss about holding the banned bulltaming sport in Tamil Nadu during Pongal. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Vande Bharat Mission has repatriated over 16 lakh people so far, according to the recent tweet by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. 'Mission of hope & happiness' reads the tweet along with the update on VBM. Over 16.25 lakh people have returned to their countries via the Vande Bharat flights since the commencement of the mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 13, a total of 4,170 people returned under Vande Bharat Mission according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Mission of hope & happiness. International flights under VBM, in addition to other modes, facilitate repatriation & outbound travel of more than 16.25 lakh people from different countries. We continue to reach out to more everyday. pic.twitter.com/Q5HjANm4Cf Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 13, 2020 Vande Bharat Mission has facilitated the repatriation of people following the COVID-19 lockdown which halted all international flights. This left a large number of people stranded in different countries before the Vande Bharat flights allowed them to return to India. Vande Bharat Mission has also helped the foreigners stranded in India to return home. Read | SC Declines Plea On Holding NEET Abroad, Asks Students To Come Via Vande Bharat Mission Read | MHA Issues SOP For International Passengers Under Vande Bharat, Air Bubble Scheme More on Vande Bharat Mission Vande Bharat Mission is a repatriation and evacuation initiative launched by the Government of India following the COVID-19 outbreak which led to various restrictions across the globe. Launched on 7 May 2020, the Vande Bharat flights aim to evacuate and rescue stranded Indians in different countries. About 84 flights operated under this mission in the first phase other than the Indian Navy vessels which also rescued Indians in other nations by bringing them back. The first flight under the Vande Bharat Mission was an Air India Express flight which operated between Abu Dhabi and Kochi. The VBM is currently in its sixth phase which will continue till October 24. Read | Vande Bharat Mission: Hong Kong Bans Air India Flights Over COVID-19 Related Issues Read | 178 Rajasthanis Arrive From Muscat In Vande Bharat Flight Bilateral Air Bubble In August, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) permitted Indians with valid visas to travel to the US, Canada, UAE and the UK after signing bilateral 'Air Bubble' agreements with these countries along with Qatar and Maldives. In July, India also announced the 'Air Bubble' agreement with Germany and France. The government of India is currently negotiating bilateral air bubble with other nations to facilitate air travel based on understanding and partnership considering the global COVID-19 pandemic. The bilateral 'Air Bubble' agreement will allow inbound and outbound flights between countries and will ease the travel restrictions amid the health crisis. Read | Hardeep Puri Talks About Bilateral Air Bubble, Says 'negotiations With 13 Nations Ongoing' Read | Amid Vande Bharat, Vistara To Start 'air Bubble' Flights From India To UK, Germany, France (With inputs from ANI) We know that acting and performing to the camera is different than acting and performing to an audience, yet that is a critical skill in our current times and has been since the advent of film, Eubank noted. In some sense, this is an opportunity to teach those new skills that kids will need to have as well. I mean, I would have been excited a few years ago but this years drama showed me RR aint shit either so, you know. Cant have nuthin. Also I dont remember that series as being particularly compelling. Reply Thread Link Wait what did I miss here. What did he do? & I don't think I ever read the last one, but I know I have the first 2. Reply Parent Thread Link He got called out for having stereotypical and inaccurate representation regarding some of his characters, including a Muslim girl who had engaged in an arranged marriage since she was 12 (and is like, happy about it??) who takes her hijab on and off which is not really how that works, and instead of listening to the people who clearly know better, went on his blog to whine about how his teenage fans were bullying him. Lmfao. Basically he reacted very defensively and was entirely dismissive of the criticism and instead blamed his characters for it? Saying shit like oh I know Native people are criticizing Piper wearing feathers in her hair but its what SHE likes! Shes a proud independent woman who no one cant say nothing to!! Lmfao ummmmm no shes not sir shes not real! Thats all YOU! Reply Parent Thread Link Ooooooooof. I did see that Piper post on tumblr (but not his response), and I never read much of Magnus Chase. Well thank goodness he let other people write about their culture's mythologies through his publishing deal. Reply Parent Thread Link the blog post in question: https://rickriordan.com/2020/07/samirah-al-abbas-and-other-thoughts/ Reply Parent Thread Link God fucking damn it. He was one I liked, too. Reply Parent Thread Link I hate that JK Rowling being her own special brand of dumpster fire means that he gets to mostly skate by. His response to criticism was appalling Reply Parent Thread Link Disappointing, but as a Muslim, I never thought Sam's reaction to an arranged marriage was that weird? I know a lot of people who acted like her because they liked the guy in question. Same with the hijab, but then of course, I can't speak for other Muslims, just the ones I know (British Muslims) who will take off their hijab in front of people they feel close to. It's a shame he was dismissive when he took the criticism to PJO and HOO was better for it. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh for fuck sake. Reply Parent Thread Link The Broadway lightning thief had horrible scathing reviews and then nobody went. It had like 13% occupancy one show. Reply Thread Link I thought that was fairly well received bc ppl on Twitter and tumblr love the PJO musical. Then again they also love the Beetlejuice musical lol Reply Parent Thread Link Beetlejuice musical was legit good though Reply Parent Thread Link Beetlejuice was SO GOOD. I really enjoyed it -- it was such a fun, ridiculous experience lol. Reply Parent Thread Link Beetlejuice the Musical was becoming a pretty big hit before it got shut down because of Corona/The Music Man. PJO was consistently flopping. Like, it was actually embarrassing how little money it was making. And reviews were pretty bad. Reply Parent Thread Link The Lightning Thief is my favorite musical, oop. I saw it both off and on Broadway, both times were packed and the audience was super into it. I feel like most of the bad reviews were from Broadway snobs, tbh. Everything from the cast, to the songs, to the production, has so much charm tho. And as a Percy book fan, the adaptation is damn near perfect. Reply Parent Thread Link I thought it was good for what it was. Nothing spectacular but a much better adaptation and had a better understanding of the motivations of the characters than the movie and... possibly... the book Reply Parent Thread Link There was a stage show? I did like the series when I read it years ago. I am not as familiar with Egyptian mythology so I enjoyed learning. I don't remember anything about the big bad though or how it ended. lol Reply Thread Link I remember Anubis....well, looking like Nico DiAngelo. Reply Parent Thread Link and hte apparently great stage show Reply Thread Link ME! I said it, and Ill say it again and again!!! Reply Parent Thread Link Hang this up. I keep waiting for Netflix to try and create a Lore Olympus cartoon. Reply Thread Link Wasn't it confirmed that they were going to make it? Reply Parent Thread Link This is the series I haven't finished. I dunno why, but I read the first one and just never followed up on the next one. Reply Thread Link i've liked all his series, except this one- but i'm still intrigued Reply Thread Link LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Objectway, a leader in the Digital Wealth & Asset Management software, continues its series of consecutive awards recognition by Goodacre, the UK leading specialist consultancy for the securities industry. Awarded "Best Wealth Management System", the Objectway WealthTech Suite unleashes the potential of wealth managers wanting to optimise their business, such as opti-channel customer engagement, front-office productivity, suitable advice and compliance, efficient back-office operations and management analytics. The Objectway WealthTech Suite is a multi-channel, scalable, cloud-ready platform which empowers human expertise with augmented intelligence software engines to better understand your customers and maximize their wealth. The long established Goodacre Systems in the City Financial Technology Awards took place online this year with the participation of representatives from all leading financial services firms. These awards are the leading endorsement for suppliers of services and systems to the regulated financial services sector. Based on an independent and factual annual accreditation process, overseen by three independent judges, they are an important point of reference for user firms assessing the suitability of their operational infrastructure. "We are really grateful for the continuous support and appreciation demonstrated by clients that voted for us and by the market experts that recognised our leadership," commented Alberto Cuccu, Objectway UK CEO. "Our solution allows all firm's stakeholders to take advantage of enhanced productivity, digitally-native processes for client servicing and lifecycle management, best of breed portfolio management capabilities, and back office operations optimisation." Stephen Pinner, Managing Director at Goodacre said, "All nominees and winners are to be congratulated for the service and support they have provided to the investment industry in 2020. Despite the challenges, it has been pretty much 'business as usual' for many firms thanks in no small part to the efforts of the FinTech firms. Objectway is one of very few companies which provides a full and comprehensive range of solutions from one source and continues to secure new accounts. The management and team at Objectway are to be congratulated." SOURCE Objectway SPA Why this Seven Springs clip grabbed the attention of 1 million people The tweet has been seen by more than 1 million people so far. Many commenters asked if the clip was planned or fake. Flash Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that no date for launching the COVID-19 vaccine has been fixed yet but it might be ready by the first quarter of next year. "It is expected that by the first quarter of 2021 we shall definitely know the results of these vaccine trials," the minister said while addressing the first episode of his social media interaction program namely Sunday Samvaad (Sunday conversation). "Efforts are being made to ensure that vaccine manufactures will try to produce these vaccines parallelly so that we don't lose precious time in providing vaccines to the population." His comments came two days after Indian vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) said it would pause Phase 3 trials that were to begin in India next week after international biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca stopped vaccine trials in four countries as a precautionary measure. The pausing of trials by the pharma giant was linked to a British volunteer showing potentially adverse symptoms. The Drugs Controller General Of India (DCGI) has ordered SII to suspend recruitment in its clinical trials for Phase 2 and Phase 3. The minister said that the government was taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine. "Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines, etc. are also being discussed intensely," he said. Vardhan said he would volunteer to receive the COVID-19 vaccine first if people have a "trust deficit" on the drug. However, he stressed that frontline health workers, senior citizens and those with comorbidities should be given the vaccine first whenever it becomes available. "If there are doubts over government or around the scientists or over the development of vaccine then to dispel the doubts I will be the first to get vaccinated," the minister said. "However, I personally feel the ones who need it (vulnerable groups) shall be given the vaccine and I am not among those." During his one-hour interaction, the minister answered questions mailed to him pertaining to COVID-19. "Several vaccine trials are going on in India. At present, we can't predict which one will emerge as the most effective. But by the first quarter of 2021, we will definitely know the results," the minister said. "A vaccine expert group has been set up, which is overseeing the entire process. While the trial results get assessed, the manufacturers will be advised to begin mass-production so that no time is wasted." Vardhan also said it was premature to comment on the price of the vaccine which was still under trial. "But the government of India will assure that the vaccine will be made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity," he said. Fall semester, winter break, spring semester, summer break repeat. Its a comforting and predictable pattern that takes most of us through our formative years. Theres an 8:00 a.m. bell, class, lunch, some more class, and then we are dismissed for the day. At the time, I felt a bit trapped by the daily and seasonal cadence of school. I couldnt wait to get into the work world where I would finally have at least some choice about when I would work hard and when I would take a break. Then, after a year out of school, I realized I was struggling with time management. With no one telling me when to take a break, I would overwork on weekends and be tired during the week. In my eagerness to prove myself, I would take on too many assignments and struggle to meet deadlines. I had to admit it: Those forced boundaries of the school year, so stifling at the time, provided a good lesson in discipline and efficiency. School at home: How to keep attending virtual classes from being a real pain in the neck Skip classes (or meetings) with this fake sound from TikTok: But some schools are facing real challenges The change from being a student to an employee and eventually an employer took some time to figure out. And despite all the great things I had learned at school, I found I needed a few other hard lessons from the real world that formal education had somehow overlooked before I found my footing at work. With school starting this past month for everyone from kindergartners to grad students, the coronavirus has made it difficult to know what to expect. The familiar patterns of the school day and even the school year feel shaky or temporary, or have disappeared altogether. A Los Angeles Unified School District student attends an online class at the Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. The facility is open for children whose parents must leave home to work. There is no charge. Snacks and lunch are provided. Many parents of younger students find themselves conducting at least some level of homeschooling. Middle school and high school students are either attending classes in weird, socially distanced classrooms or just doing 100% of their learning virtually over Zoom. Even college students are having to quarantine in their dorms, missing out on the typical college experience that normally helps a kid turn into an adult. Story continues Its certainly a tough time to be a student. But this strange time, amid a global pandemic, also presents some opportunities for lessons that a regular school year cannot convey. Its hard to find silver linings in a crisis, but for the future doctors, lawyers, techies and entrepreneurs who make their way through school during this crisis, there are some valuable lessons to be learned that will one day serve them well. For good or ill, one could argue that the uncertainty of the school experience today more closely resembles the less predictable work world in general. These pandemic school experiences and adaptations are giving students early exposure to some of the soft skills that they will need when they eventually enter a career. Watching my own kids navigate this Pandemic 101 course that none of us expected, I can see them gaining experience in work skills like: Self-sufficiency. With less access to teachers and fewer group projects, they are finding ways to solve more problems on their own. Resilience. Not knowing when or even if school will return to normal mimics the nearly constant uncertainty faced every day by anyone who works in a startup or small business. Pushing through the ups and downs of uncertainty is a skill successful business people need to for survival. Working remotely. This is will likely be a long-term trend in the work world. Mastering the etiquette, technology and challenges of working from home will prepare students for the future work world. We all certainly hope our kids are absorbing the traditional lessons, but perhaps we can find a way to be grateful that theyre all adding real world to the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic that are the mainstay of education. JJ Rosen is the founder of Atiba, a Nashville, Tennessee, IT consulting and custom software development firm. Visit Atiba.com or AtibaNetworkServices.com for more info. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Online school: Here are 3 real-world lessons students will learn Some even said they were afraid to go home, and afraid of being seen by their neighbors, he said. They got family members to put the garbage out for them. Some said they would go to work when it was dark and come home when it was dark again. Theyre heading south into the smoke, Montana firefighters answering Californias call for help managing the often unmanageable. Mike Bowman is seasoned in these long-distance hauls. Hes a captain for Missoula Rural Fire and hazmat coordinator for this region of Montana. But he becomes an engine boss when he goes to fight wildland fires. His four-person Type 1 crew returned home a week ago from a 12-day stint on the SCU Lightning Complex south of San Francisco. Now almost fully contained, the SCU had charred 396,000 acres and was the second-largest wildfire complex in California when Bowman, Libby Hooper, Nathan Lapinski and Pat Lorenson left for home on Labor Day weekend. In a matter of days it was relegated to third place as the August Complex burning in the Coast Range of Northern California blew up to an unprecedented 746,000 acres. On Friday, more fire crews from Missoula Rural, Missoula City and other Montana towns jumped in engines and water tenders to head back to a Golden State blackened by the biggest fire season in state history. You think about your own family dialing 9-1-1 and not getting anybody to help. Thats scary to me, said Bowman, 44, a 20-year veteran with Missoula Rural. Im in a position where I can help, and all of us have that mentality that we need to help our brothers and sisters. We need to help these communities because weve needed that help up here. Bowman spoke Thursday from inside a bay at Station 5 in Lolo. Three years ago fire crews from California and as far away as Maine camped on the ballfields just outside the station to fight the deadly Lolo Peak fire. According to the mutual assistance agreement instituted three years ago, California pays the Montana firefighters a rate based on national wildland standards. Firefighters make pretty good money on a fire, Missoula Rural Fire chief Chris Newman said. Theyre working longer shifts, and theyre working every day. The nice thing is the fire district gets paid for the apparatus, which helps our revenue stream. We also get paid for backfill, the shifts others at home man to make up for those in California. It wouldnt be fair to our taxpayers for us to be losing money to California, Newman said. But theres another side to that. When the scat hits the fan here, California comes to help us too. Hooper, 36, is the districts lone full-time female firefighter and the second in the departments history. Like Bowman, shes a qualified engine boss. Both are married and left behind spouses for more than two weeks to help California out. Lapinski and Lorenson are younger single men, former resident firefighters who recently joined the department full time. Their time in California was invaluable in working on task books for wildland fire certification, Lapinski as an engine boss and Lorenson for a firefighter I position. The Missoula Rural crew headed south on Aug. 23 in a fire-engine red Type I engine. They met up with others in a Montana Type I task force from Big Sky, Columbus, Belgrade, Livingston and a five-man task force leader from Missoula City Fire. Jon Veale headed that crew that included Ahri Cornelius, engine boss Brent Meyers, his brother Blake Meyers and Ryan Glibbery. The task forces tasks in California were not dramatic, Bowman allowed. The SCU Complex went from 10-15% contained when they arrived to almost fully contained when they left. The Montana contingent was based in Gilroy, a city of some 49,000 located 20 miles southeast of San Jose and 15 miles inland from Monterey Bay. They spent a few days at base camp on 24-hour alert for new fires. The rest of their time was the more familiar 12-hour shifts on mop-up and structure protection. The latter involved work in Henry Coe State Park, northern Californias largest. The urgency for us and for California and local resources was there are so many fires everybodys stretched thin, so the heightened awareness was for new fires, Bowman said. Hooper was invaluable. She knows California fires. Before she was a firefighter-paramedic for Frenchtown Rural Fire and, starting two years ago, at Missoula Rural, she spent six years with the U.S. Forest Service, two of them in southern California fighting wildland fires. Coming from (Montana) it was very, very different, she said. In central and southern California, youre going to see fire behavior and fire activity like you wont see anywhere else in the country. Fuels are typically brush or grass and, by this time of year, dried brush and grass. If you dont catch it right away, its gone, Hooper said. You dont have the luxury of extra time that we sometimes get here if it gets hung up in heavier fuels and Doug fir and Ponderosa pine. Those arent the primary carriers of fire. Between the time when Bowman, Hooper and their Montana task force left Gilroy for the two-day drive home on Labor Day Sunday and when the latest Treasure State contingent headed south five days later, fire-blackened acres in California jumped from a record 2 million to a mind-boggling 3 million. Their 14-day assignment, plus two days travel time on each end, was ended two days early. We were shocked that they sent us home, just based on the new fires that were popping up, Bowman said. But theirs not to wonder why Hooper specializes in emergency medical response at Missoula Rural Fire. But she said wildland fire fighting is special. Its an important aspect of our job, Bowman agreed. Its what we do. We like to provide those services wherever we can, whenever we can. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. 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. Friends star Lisa Kudrow gave fans an update on the show's reunion, clarifying rumors whether Ellen DeGeneres will be involved. The 57-year-old actress appeared on Andy Cohen Live Monday, and was asked about the prospects of Ellen hosting the highly-anticipated HBO Max special amid her career crisis surrounding a toxic workplace scandal. Cohen asked Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the NBC staple, 'Did I hear that Ellen DeGeneres is hosting the reunion?' The latest: Friends star Lisa Kudrow, 57, gave fans an update on the show's reunion, clarifying rumors whether Ellen DeGeneres will be involved, saying, 'I don't know that that's been decided' Kudrow replied, 'I don't know that that's been decided.' The potential hosting gig could be a turning point for DeGeneres, who has spent much of the year dealing with a career crisis scandal that her show's work culture is rife with bullying, racism and sexual harassment, which prompted an investigation from parent company WarnerMedia. While some celebs have taken up in Ellen's defense - including Kevin Hart, Scooter Braun and Samantha Ronson - longtime DeGeneres pal Jennifer Aniston has kept mum amid the issue. The actress and host go back decades, as Aniston was Ellen's first guest on the debut of her talk show on September 8, 2003 and has guest hosted the show in the past. While some celebs have taken up in Ellen's defense, longtime DeGeneres pal Jennifer Aniston has kept mum amid the issue Coming soon: Kudrow and Aniston are set to reunite with Matthew Leblanc and the rest of the Friends cast for an HBO Max special 'I spent ten years here on a show called Friends,' she said of the Burbank, California Warner Bros. lot where Ellen films while on the show in January. DeGeneres last week said in a statement that she'd address the controversy when she begins the show's 18th season September 21: 'I cant wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, were gonna talk about it.' DeGeneres has a strong slate of celebs booked to appear, including Tiffany Haddish, Chrissy Teigen, Kerry Washington and Alec Baldwin. Ready: DeGeneres last week said in a statement that she'd address the controversy when she begins the show's 18th season September 21 Elsewhere in the appearance, Kudrow confirmed that she's in a group chat with her castmates from the smash comedy, including Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. Kudrow, who has a 22-year-old son named Julian Stern from her marriage to Michel Stern, said that the group chat is about 'checking in and how are you and stuff like that,' as well as details about the upcoming 'reunion and lets talk about this and can we jump on a call and, and stuff like that.' She alluded to Cohen's Real Housewives reunions and the drama they encompass, joking, 'I think were going to sit around like a really nice restaurant and have you host and start screaming at each other.' (Editors note: Initially, signs posted by the DEC along the Lower Fly Fishing-Only Zone noted the stretch would be closed until Oct. 31. That changed on Monday afternoon until further notice," according to a DEC news release.) Normally, the Lower Fly Fishing-Only Zone on the Salmon River is open from Sept. 15 through May 14 each year. Not this fall. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has announced that the popular, catch and release zone, which stretches from the County Route 52 bridge in Altmar upstream .25 mile to the marked boundary at Beaverdam Brook, will remain closed until further notice. The reason given, according to the DEC, is that drought conditions have produced low and warm water conditions." Fishing on the stretch is being banned to ensure an adequate Pacific salmon egg take at the (nearby) Salmon River Fish Hatchery during the fall 2020 spawning season. The Salmon River supports the largest fall runs of salmon and trout in New York, and is one of the states most heavily fished waters, said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos in a news release. The actions announced today are necessary to ensure continued water flows to sustain the salmon run and fishery, and to enable spawning salmon to reach DECs Salmon River Hatchery and support ongoing stocking efforts. The Lower Fly Fishing-Only Zone will remain closed until hatchery staff collect sufficient numbers of salmon eggs, DEC said. Initially, signs, posted along the stretch by DEC and others noted it would be closed until Oct. 31. That changed Monday afternoon to "until further notice." Shane Muckey photo. Built in 1980, the Salmon River Fish Hatchery raises chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout. The hatchery was constructed to revive and enhance the Great Lakes fishery and now provides most of the fish for the multi-million-dollar Lake Ontario salmonid fishery, according to the DEC website. Its not the first time fishing has been restricted on the stretch near the hatchery at the height of the annual fall salmon spawning run because of low water conditions. Similar measures were implemented in 2007, 2012 and 2016 for similar reasons, according to Shane Muckey, of Altmar Outfitters, based near the Route 52 bridge at the beginning of the run. The Lowee Fly Fishing-Only Zone on the Salmon River. NYS DEC. Muckey said when the water is low, the fish in the Lower Fly Fishing Zone, get caught and released over and over. The DEC wants to limit that, he said, because multiple hookups result in the death of fish possibly affecting the egg take at the hatchery. He said the reasons for the low water conditions on the river this fall are two-fold. The first, of course, being the drought conditions. There (are) no storms in our 10-day future, he said on his Facebook page. Just one Canadian high pressure after another. Believe me when I say this, theres no one who hates low morale more then me. I hate it when my guests struggle. All I know is Ill do my best to find fish and keep them happy, but its going to be tough for a bit. He also noted the that upstream the Salmon River Reservoir held enough water for two major water releases for whitewater kayakers on the July 4th weekend and two weeks later. According to the DEC, This summer, below-average precipitation has resulted in low and declining water levels in the reservoir. The Executive Committee of the Salmon River Flow Management Team, comprised of natural resource agencies and Brookfield Renewable hydroelectric facility that regulates reservoir water levels, canceled scheduled whitewater releases over the Labor Day weekend and delayed the annual Sept. 1 increase in (the base flow river). These actions will conserve reservoir water to maintain suitable flows throughout the salmon spawning run. DECs recommendation is based on abnormally high water temperatures coupled with low water flow in Salmon River tributaries, including Beaverdam Brook where migrating Chinook salmon access the DEC Salmon River Hatchery for egg collections. "Increasing base flows on the river prematurely would likely entice Chinook salmon currently staging in Lake Ontario to enter the Salmon River on their spawning migration, which could strand and/or kill fish if temperatures remain high. These fish cannot reach the DECs hatchery until rainfall sufficiently raises Beaverdam Brook water levels. Mason Darella, a guide at Salmon River Outfitters, also in Altmar, said the decision to close the Lower Fly Fishing Zone will force a number of anglers to other areas of the river making it tighter for everyone. The peak of the fall spawning run for Chinook and coho salmon on the river is usually in October, around the Columbus Day weekend. Is there hope for the Lower Fly Fishing-Only Zone to be re-opened by then or shortly after? Once again, it all depends on the hatchery staff being able to meet its Chinook and coho salmon egg collection goals. Sometimes Mother Nature straightens things out. Its happened before, Muckey said. Meanwhile, DEC reminds anglers that several new Great Lakes tributary angling regulations became effective on April 1. The minimum size limit for rainbow trout/steelhead caught in Lake Ontario tributaries was increased from 21 inches to 25 inches (still 21 inches n the lake). Also, only one brown trout can now be kept as part of a Lake Ontario tributary anglers daily creel limit of three salmon/trout in combination. Higher education institutions across the nation have seen a decrease in enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the University of Houston-Victoria has experienced a more than 9 percent growth in its preliminary enrollment. Employee testing: COVID-19 testing facility opens to help keep Katy ISD employees healthy On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the university reported its preliminary enrollment as approximately 4,970 students, which is a 9.2 percent growth over fall 2019s enrollment, according a news release. The University of Houston-Victoria at Katy reported that it had approximately 2,340 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled from Harris and Fort Bend Counties. UHVs increase in enrollment is an encouraging sign for the university, UHV President Bob Glenn said in the news release. Throughout the pandemic, it has been a pleasure to see how the universitys faculty and staff came together to continue serving the needs of our students, and our upward enrollment is a sign that our students took notice. Karla Hernandez DeCuir, senior director of enrollment management and external affairs at UHV Katy, said the campus usually has roughly 800 in-person students each semester. Since the pandemic, the university has dropped the number of in-person courses and offered students more online classes using synchronous or asynchronous learning. So DeCuir said very few UHV Katy students have in-person courses this semester. Childhood cancer: Film available on YouTube shines light on childhood cancer UHVs three academic schools have experienced growth in their undergraduate and graduate preliminary enrollment over fall 2019. The release stated that the School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development, for example, had a 12.1 percent increase in undergraduate students and an 11.2 percent increase in graduate students. UHV students are taking heavier course loads, too. They were enrolled in more than 46,800 credit hours, for a 6.9 percent increase over last fall, according to the release. The news release stated that a 21.3 percent increase in transfer students and a 3 percent increase in continuing undergraduate students compared to fall 2019 has partly fueled the enrollment growth. An increase in graduate enrollment has also contributed. UHV has been attractive to Katy-area residents because of its convenient location, the variety of programs that it offers in Katy and online, as well as its affordability, DeCuir said. She said the university is one of Texas most affordable universities. Together with Houston Community College, UHV Katy offers a program called Start in Katy, Finish in Katy that helps students spend less than $25,000 to earn both an associate degree and a bachelors degree. Back to school: Katy ISD welcomes nearly 41,000 in-person instruction students The off-campus instructional site in Katy brings access to higher education at an affordable price close to home. Now, more than ever, Katy residents are looking for a way to continue their education while staying close to home, to their families and to their jobs, DeCuir said. The Katy area continues to grow and as it continues to bring new employers to the area, residents wish to take advantage of those job opportunities while continuing their studies. The University of Houston-Victoria at Katy offers more than 50 degree programs. Business administration, computer science, counseling, criminal justice, digital gaming, education, history and psychology are just some of the options. For more information, visit www.uhv.edu/katy. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com SARATOGA SPRINGS Headphones and earbuds are a regular feature among those who walk, jog and bike through the Saratoga Spa State Park, but they have never been used as they will for the first half of fall this year as a continuation of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center's "Reimagined 2020" season of programming in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An immersive music and nature experience called "Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK" will allow participants to listen to newly written music by the eponymous composer that will be cued to locations in the park via a GPS-enabled app, starting Sept. 21. Co-commissioned by SPAC and the New York Philharmonic, "SOUNDWALK" premiered Thursday in New York City's Central Park. The score for both locations is largely the same, Reid said during a phone interview, but she has programmed different segments for areas within each park and created musical "Easter eggs" specific to the parks for discovery throughout a journey. (Some of the Spa State Park Easter eggs will incorporate segments by the Philadelphia Orchestra.) Further, Reid said, as people are likely to choose different routes on their self-guided tours and move through the park at varied paces, she believes most listeners' individual experiences will be unique. The music for the Central Park version was recorded by the philharmonic, and, because the route is longer, there is more music, Reid said. For the Saratoga music, the 12 members of group called the SOUNDWALK Ensemble, consisting of players from both coasts of the United States, recorded their parts at home, and the finished piece was assembled by a sound engineer in Germany, said Reid, who plays synthesizer in the ensemble. Originally intended to be produced in 2022 at a different location, "SOUNDWALK" was fast-tracked when its themes and method of participation seemed ideally suited to the unprecedented reality of a global pandemic, isolation, social distancing and a shutdown of the arts, said Reid. "We thought it could be really meaningful right now, so we put all our efforts into it," she said, referring to herself and the project's producers. One producer is a longtime friend and associate of SPAC's president and CEO, Elizabeth Sobol, whose previous career was in the classical music world. "For several years I've been saying that Saratoga is the city of synchronicity," said Sobol, whose mantra and mission since taking the reins, in fall 2016, have been to better connect SPAC to the natural beauty that surrounds it. "All of a sudden for this to drop in from the sky it was perfect," said Sobol. "We're all experiencing the anxieties of living in an uncertain world," Reid said. "I hope 'SOUNDWALK' will inspire us and make us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. It is meant to serve as artistic nourishment a place to recharge, reconnect and re-energize." Among the approximately 20 locations in the Spa State Park that trigger musical segments on the app are multiple natural springs, wooded pathways, a geyser, a waterfall and more. "SOUNDWALK" will be available in Saratoga from Sept. 21 through Nov. 1. The free app may be downloaded at spac.org/ellen-reid-soundwalk. Park hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Reid said the music is designed to continually evolve as a participant progresses through the park, rather than happen as set tunes playing upon arrival at designated locations. Individual segments last 2 to 16 minutes, but with the experience built on what Reid called "orbiting soundscapes" and "cascading cycles," there are almost endless possible variations. "It's like a kaleidescope," she said. After it became clear that no traditional live season would be possible at SPAC this summer, venue management, representatives of resident companies and other arts groups and outside entities put together alternative programs to would keep audiences engaged with a venue they mostly couldn't visit for the first summer since 1966. In addition to "Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK," elements of "SPAC Reimagined 2020" include online offerings such as Freihofer's Jazz Fest Stay Home Sessions; new dance videos with New York City Ballet performers and music by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; a Beethoven festival with concerts and an audio play about Beethoven; online showings of new concerts by violinist Joshua Bell and the Time for Three ensemble; a virtual art show of work by 400 of the region's young people; and, among the few events taking place on SPAC grounds, socially distanced wellness classes and series for films and streaming concerts with live a Q&A with the featured performers. The series are limited to SPAC member and capped at a capacity of 50. Sobol said, "The response we've had has been amazing. People have been so grateful that we're doing something." She described a night when 50 people, their individual groups socially distanced in 10-by-10-foot areas, watched a screening of the Philadelphia Orchestra's last night before the spring season was canceled, when the full orchestra, playing to an empty concert hall, performed Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth symphonies. (All nine of the composer's symphonies were originally scheduled to be performed by the orchestra at SPAC this summer.) "People were weeping. We knew we should have been seeing those, and the seven others, performed here over four days," Sobol said. She continued, "We were heart-broken, but we were also heart-full, because we were sitting on the lawn at SPAC watching an amazing performance." President Donald Trump will travel to California on Monday to be briefed about its devastating wildfires while Democratic rival Joe Biden plans a speech on the matter from Delaware, bringing climate change to the forefront of the presidential campaign. Trump, a Republican who pulled the United States out of the Paris accord on global warming because he found it too costly, has expressed his view that poor forest management is partly to blame for the fires that are raging around the West Coast. Democrats have emphasized that climate change has played a role, and Biden is expected to emphasize that in his remarks. Trump will travel to McClellan Park, California to meet with local and federal officials for a briefing about the fires. The president continues to support those who are battling raging wildfires in a locally-executed, state-managed, and federally-supported emergency response, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement on Saturday. Biden has included climate change in his list of major crises facing the United States, along with the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 194,000 and pushed the country into an economic recession. Vice President Biden will discuss the threat that extreme weather events pose to Americans everywhere, how they are both caused by and underscore the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis, and why we need to create good-paying, union jobs to build more resilient infrastructure, his campaign said in a statement on Sunday. A spate of deadly and destructive wildfires has hit California, Oregon and Washington this summer, destroying thousands of homes and a handful of small towns, burning more than 4 million acres and killing more than two dozen people since early August. Fighting climate change is a key, motivating issue for young people and progressive-leaning voters that Biden needs to turn out to vote in the Nov. 3 election. It is a more complicated issue for some Republicans, who, despite clear scientific evidence of its existence, question the data and the need for broad and expensive measures to fight it. More than 300 civil society groups have urged the United Nations to set up an international watchdog to address human rights violations by the Chinese government. They include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights. In an open letter, the groups said they are seeking greater scrutiny of and response to violations in places such as Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as beyond - such as through censorship, development that hurts the environment and the targeting of rights defenders. The call for the creation of an "independent international mechanism" to focus on China's rights violations adds to recent international pressure on Beijing over its handling of issues such as protests in Hong Kong and detention centres - what the government calls vocational or training centres - for Uighur Muslims and others in western Xinjiang region. "China has systematically persecuted rights defenders in reprisal for their co-operation with UN human rights operations - torture, enforced disappearance, imprisonment, and stripping licences from lawyers," said Renee Xia, director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, in a statement. "The UN system should no longer tolerate such treatment." The move follows a call by independent experts who work with the United Nations for a special session of the Human Rights Council focusing on the array of issues around China's rights record. Advocates insist that no country - no matter how large or powerful - should escape extra scrutiny of their rights records when warranted. The groups also want UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and the UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet to "take responsibility for publicly addressing China's sweeping rights violations", Human Rights Watch said in a statement. The appeal comes ahead of the start of the 47-member state Human Rights Council's autumn session on Monday. In its summer session, the council held an urgent debate on a rise in police violence against black people and repression of protests in the United States. AP New Delhi, Sep 14 : Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court, challenging its verdict convicting him for criminal contempt of court by making derogatory statements against the judiciary through tweets. On September 12, Bhushan had moved a plea filed in the apex court seeking a right of appeal against his conviction, to be heard by a larger and a different bench. The top court had imposed a token penalty of Re 1 on Bhushan, which he deposited in the court on Monday. Addressing the media, Bhushan said that paying the fine does not mean he had accepted the verdict and he would file a review plea to contest his conviction. Bhushan has, in his plea, argued that tweet number 2 tends to convey an impression that "the judges who have presided in the Supreme Court in the period of last six years have a particular role in the destruction of Indian democracy and the last four CJIs had a more particular role in it." "This might well be the impression that the tweet in question seeks to convey, but the Court doesn't, in fact, show, or even attempt to show, how the holding of this opinion constitutes contempt of court. This is an error apparent on the face of the judgment," said Bhushan in the 444-page review petition. On August 31, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, who retired on September 2, had said: "We, therefore, sentence the contemnor (Bhushan) with a fine of Re 1 to be deposited with the Registry of this Court by September 15, failing which he shall undergo a simple imprisonment for a period of three months and further be debarred from practising in this Court for a period of three years." Bhushan insisted the court erroneously held him guilty of contempt, as the fair criticism of a judge and the judiciary is protected by Article 19 (1)(a) of the Constitution. He argued that contempt proceedings should not have been heard by a bench comprising Justice Mishra. "That on several occasions, Justice Arun Mishra has orally accused the review petitioner of committing contempt of court when he had merely mentioned that it may be inappropriate for a particular judge to hear a particular case in circumstances where conflict of interest was involved," said the review plea. Bhushan urged the apex court to rehear the verdict which held him guilty of contempt and also grant an oral hearing in the open court, as the facts and circumstances of the case so necessitated. "The impugned judgment has erred in concluding that the tweets are based on 'distorted facts', because, by its own admission, it has pointedly refused to go into the legitimacy and the veracity of the statements made in Tweet No. 2. It is submitted that this inconsistency is writ large on the face of the record," Bhushan contended in the plea. The top court considered that Bhushan's second tweet on judiciary undermines the dignity and authority of the institution of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India and directly affronts the majesty of law and is therefore contumacious. Bhushan, however, argued that, "in fact, a facet of any test has to determine what constitutes criminal contempt, and in holding Tweet No. 2 as contumacious because it has undermined the dignity of the court or because it has affronted the majesty of law, the impugned judgment has clearly erred." JetClub to take delivery of 2 more HondaJets, taking the combined fleet to 7 jets GREENSBORO, North Carolina, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two former Honda Aircraft sales executives, Glenn Gonzales and Vishal Hiremath, created Jet It in 2018 with the goal of bridging the gap between private charter flights and exorbitantly expensive private aviation services. As an aviation company built by aviators, Jet It's offerings attract an underserved market-niche, keeping it in high demand. In just their first full calendar year of operations, Jet It's growth is phenomenal. Jet It is the largest fleet operator of HondaJets in North America and on track to grow its fleet to double digits before year's end. The company began in 2018 with 3 employees, including the 2 founders, and has grown to over 50. Now, co-founders Gonzales and Hiremath are moving forward with an international expansion with the launch of JetClub. With the delivery of the first JetClub HondaJet this week, their innovative hybrid model arrives in Europe and Asia. Aside from introducing a new private aviation service, JetClub will provide access to a consistent experience in Europe and Asia to Jet It owners who are traveling abroad. The same access and private jet availability will be available to JetClub members traveling to North America. The ultimate goal -- create 2 turn-key aviation services. JetClub is servicing SE Asia and India as a membership-based private travel service and is offering a hybrid co-ownership service to Europe. JetClub will allow individuals and businesses to affordably commute within their regions while having access to a worldwide fleet when they travel to other regions. JetClub expects to operate throughout SE Asia and Europe by the middle of 2021. Hiremath says, "After experiencing success and a positive reception to Jet It in North America, we believed we could create a global leader in affordable private travel solutions, and the launch of JetClub is the next step towards that goal." Gonzales added, "We plan to replicate Jet It's success in Europe and Asia with the same high level of customer service excellence we are known for. Members/owners can call our international concierge and we will arrange transportation as they travel throughout these regions. In some countries, where there are no FBOs or private terminals, we will have our ground VIP services available that will guide our passengers through immigration and airport terminals." Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1273802/IMG_7167__1.mp4 The Trump administration said in September they would cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to about 3,000, in line with the president's pledge to end endless wars. But as WSJs Gerald F. Seib pointed out, President-elect Joe Biden also wanted to see the end of forever wars. Photo: Erik Mcgregor/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire (Originally published Sept. 14, 2020) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:06:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- A speech made by President Xi Jinping at a recent symposium attended by scientists has been published. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered the speech at the symposium on Sept. 11. The booklet, published by the People's Publishing House, is available at Xinhua Bookstore outlets across the country. Enditem The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved the appointment of Haryana IAS officer Rajesh Khullar as executive director, World Bank headquarters, in Washington DC. A 1988 batch IAS officer, Khullar is currently posted as principal secretary to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He will join the World Bank in first week of November. The World Bank after receiving Khullars nomination from the Union ministry of finance will hold an election to select him for appointment by October. His tenure will be for three years from the date of assumption of charge or till he retires in August 2023. Khullar will represent a group of countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka as the World Bank executive director. He is the second Haryana IAS officer after Dhanendra Kumar, a former principal secretary to the then chief minister, Bhajan Lal, to have been appointed as World Bank ED. The World Bank Group comprises 25 executive directors who represent a country, or constituency of countries, and they are either appointed or elected to the position. The 1988 batch officer had served in the Union finance ministry as joint secretary for four years from February 2011 till 2015. He was repatriated to his parent cadre subsequently as special officer in the chief ministers office, served as additional principal secretary to CM for a while before being appointed as principal secretary to CM in November 2015. Khullar did postgraduation in physics from Panjab University in 1984. Russians Vote In Regional Elections Seen As Test Of Putin's Ruling Party By RFE/RL's Russian Service September 13, 2020 MOSCOW -- Russians have been voting in 41 regions in local elections that were seen as a crucial test for the increasingly unpopular ruling party ahead of next year's national legislative elections. Eighteen of the 41 regions will select governors in the September 13 elections; 11 will choose regional legislatures; and 22 cities will vote for municipal legislatures. In addition, four by-elections were also being held for vacant seats in the lower house of the national parliament, the State Duma. About 35 million voters, some one-third of the national total, were eligible to cast ballots. The elections come less than a month after the August 20 poisoning of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who is currently hospitalized in Berlin from the suspected ingestion of a Soviet-developed nerve toxin. His supporters blame Kremlin allies. As with a recent constitutional referendum that paved the way for Vladimir Putin to remain president beyond 2024, monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were not invited to observe the vote. As a means of containing the spread of the coronavirus, which has hit Russia badly, early voting was organized for the two preceding days. Critics of Putin, however, argued it was part of an effort to falsify the results in favor of United Russia, the Kremlin-allied ruling party. In a report issued in July, the independent election-monitoring group Golos said that lawmakers had "used the epidemiological situation as an excuse to make the electoral system even more opaque and subject to manipulation, including direct falsifications." "The current elections are being held under the worst legislative framework of the last 25 years," the report said. In many regions, the campaigns have been marred by the disqualifications of non-United Russia candidates, attacks on opposition candidates and their campaign workers, and the destruction of campaign materials. In Novosibirsk on September 8, several workers of the opposition Novosibirsk-2020 movement sought medical treatment after two unidentified men threw a bottle containing an unknown chemical into a room where dozens of people were undergoing election-monitoring training. In the town of Nevel in the Pskov region, unknown individuals distributed leaflets overnight that purported to quote from an "intercepted" conversation in an attempt to link a regional Yabloko leader to exiled former oligarch and Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Putin's popularity rating has been in decline for a number of months, particularly in the wake of a Kremlin-driven effort earlier this year to rewrite the constitution in order to make it possible for him to remain in power until 2036. United Russia is even less popular, with just 31 percent of Russians expressing a willingness to vote for it, according to research by the independent Levada Center polling agency released on September 7. The party's image has been battered by its leading role in conducting a controversial national plebiscite on the constitutional revisions and a much-reviled pension reform that raised retirement ages. The party also faces persistent, unanswered allegations of corruption at the local and national levels, and public discontent with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. United Russia has not produced a national platform despite holding a near monopoly on political power in the country for more than a decade, and many of its candidates are running nominally as independents to avoid association with the tarnished brand. 'Nothing New To Offer' "The party is in total crisis," Moscow-based political analyst Aleksandr Kynev told the AFP news agency. "It has absolutely nothing new to offer." In addition, the elections are being held in the context of weeks of massive protests in the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk against the Kremlin's removal of a popular governor who was elected in a 2018 landslide over a longtime United Russia incumbent. Anothe factor is the more-than-a month of protests in neighboring Belarus against a disputed election that gave President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term. Allies of the gravely ill opposition leader Navalny are promoting an initiative that they developed and rolled out in 2019 that they call "smart voting." It is aimed at uniting opposition of all stripes to the ruling United Russia's stranglehold on political power. Under the scheme, supporters of the "systemic opposition" can enter their address into a special app, which will then give them a list of the candidates deemed most likely to defeat their United Russia rivals regardless of their party affiliation. Under the system, voters can enter their address into a special app, which will then give them a list of the candidates deemed most likely to defeat their United Russia rivals regardless of their party affiliation. "Our strategy is to increase the turnout among protest voters and to make sure those votes are concentrated for a specific candidate and not scattered," a pro-Navalny campaign worker in Novosibirsk Daniil Markelov told RFE/RL. Such "smart voting" was credited in part for the opposition's success in winning nearly half of the seats up for grabs in the Moscow City Duma in 2019 local elections. In the Irkutsk region, Kremlin-backed incumbent Igor Kobzev is facing a strong challenge from former Federal Security Service officer Mikhail Shchapov of the Communist Party. Kobzev was brought to the region in 2019 after the former Communist governor resigned, reportedly under intense Kremlin pressure. In the northern Arkhangelsk region, United Russia candidate Aleksandr Tsibulsky is being challenged by former Duma Deputy Irina Chirkova of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Sentiment against United Russia is running high in the region because of a controversial Moscow-backed proposal to build a huge landfill there. Although both Tsibulsky and Chirkova have publicly opposed the landfill, voters associate the project strongly with United Russia. Pro-Navalny forces are expecting to make gains in the Siberian city of Tomsk, where Navalny was visiting when he was poisoned before getting onto a flight back to Moscow. United Russia currently holds 32 of the 37 seats in the city council, but Navalny's strong base of support in the city could be energized to turn out following the attack on their leader. With reporting by AFP and Meduza Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/local-polls-seen-as- key-test-for-putin-s-united-russia-party-ahead-of -2021-duma-elections/30835399.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 National Weather Service issues a red flag warning amid conditions that could stoke the blazes in some areas. The death toll from wildfires that have ravaged the United States West Coast has risen to 33 as the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning amid high winds and dry conditions in Oregon and some California counties. Authorities said the conditions are expected to contribute to a significant spread of new and existing fires, amid days of blazes across the states of California, Oregon and Washington that have destroyed neighbourhoods and forest land, leaving barren and grey landscapes the size of New Jersey. At least 10 people have been killed in the past week throughout Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing from other blazes, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise. Twenty-two people have died in California since early August, and one person has been killed in Washington state. On Sunday, search and rescue teams, with dogs in tow, were deployed across the blackened ruins of southern Oregon towns. At least 35 active fires were burning in the state, as drought conditions, extreme temperatures, and high winds created the perfect firestorm for the blazes to grow, Governor Kate Brown told CBS news on Sunday. Crews in Jackson County, Oregon were hoping to venture into rural areas where the Alameda Fire has abated slightly with slowing winds, sending up thick plumes of smoke as the embers burned. From Medford through the neighbouring communities of Phoenix and Talent, an apocalyptic scene of charred residential subdivisions and trailer parks stretched for miles along Highway 99. After four days of brutally hot, windy weather, the weekend brought calmer winds blowing inland from the Pacific Ocean, and cooler, moister conditions that helped crews make headway against blazes that had burned unchecked earlier in the week. Still, emergency officials worried that the shifting weather might not be enough to quell the fires. Were concerned that the incoming front is not going to provide a lot of rain here in the Medford region and its going to bring increased winds, Bureau of Land Management spokesman Kyle Sullivan told Reuters news agency. In California, nearly 17,000 firefighters were battling 29 major wildfires, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Improving weather conditions had helped them gain a measure of containment over most of the blazes. More than 4,000 homes and other structures have been incinerated in the state alone over the past three weeks. Three million acres of land have been burned in the state, according to Cal Fire. Air quality The heavy smoke that has painted California skies orange has also helped fire crews corral the states deadliest blaze this year by blocking the sun, reducing temperatures and raising humidity. The smoke created cooler conditions in Oregon as well. But it was also blamed for creating the dirtiest air in at least 35 years in some places, which the states environmental quality spokesperson described as literally off the charts. On Saturday, all five of the worlds most air-polluted cities were on the US West Coast, according to IQAir, with dense smog and ash coating the atmosphere from Los Angeles up to Vancouver in Canada. In Portland, residents stuffed towels under door jambs to keep smoke out or wore N95 masks in their own homes. Role of climate change The three Democratic leaders of California, Oregon and Washing blamed the states dire conditions on climate change. Its maddening right now we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee told ABCs This Week programme. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said it was undeniable the extreme circumstances were connected to climate change. A massive smoke plume emanating from a ~74,000 acre (~115 square mile) wildfire near Sequoia National Forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains moves downwind (northward) into central/northern California during the late morning hours on Sunday Sept 13, 2020. #KSwx #COwx #NEwx pic.twitter.com/XKYuNNetE8 NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) September 13, 2020 Trump, for his part, is set to visit California on Monday and meet with federal and state officials. He has said that western governors bear some of the blame for intense fire seasons in recent years, and has accused them of poor forest management. They never had anything like this, said Trump, who systematically downplays global warming, at a campaign event in Nevada. Please remember the words, very simple: forest management. Enterprises in a number of sectors in HCM City need to recruit a large number of employees but are finding it difficult to fill positions despite numerous job losses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. People look for work at a job fair in HCM City. VNS Photo Nguyen Diep Phan Minh Thong, director of Phuc Sinh Company, said his company was looking for quality assurance staff, salespeople and accountants. We are willing to retrain new employees and also help the disadvantaged to find suitable jobs, but we still cannot recruit enough employees." Many unemployed people are becoming choosier, comparing their previous salaries to new ones. Le Thi Hue, 22, who lost her job at Hue Phong Footwear Company in May due to a lack of orders, is still looking for a job. Many companies need garment workers, but Hue wants to work at a leather and footwear company. Some companies offer a low salary but a heavy workload, she said. Le Thi Kieu Phuong, director of the Job Service Centre under the citys Department of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, said that connecting unemployed workers with employers has been difficult. Many people who have lost jobs have social welfare support and other unemployment allowances, and are waiting until COVID-19 is under control. Many unemployed want to relax for a few months instead of finding a new job. Labour demand The labour market has seen fluctuations in demand this year, according to the city's Centre of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information (FALMI). At the beginning of the year, enterprises focused on business and production activities to meet consumer needs for Tet (Lunar New Year 2020), so there was a rising demand for part-time and seasonal workers. Recruitment demand from mid-February, however, declined compared to the same period last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In the first six months of the year, demand for labourers decreased by 28 per cent year-on-year. In July the centre organised a job exchange fair to provide 15,000 jobs to job seekers. Nguyen Van Sang, deputy head of the HCM City Youth Employment Service Center under the HCM City unit of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, said the centre had asked youth unions to compile a list of working age people and the kind of jobs they prefer. The centre would help connect them with a company in need of employees. According to Le Xuan Dung, director of the HCM City Student Assistance Centre, more than 300 units and enterprises are offering more than 2,000 jobs for students. Some part-time jobs need students to work immediately, with incomes ranging from VND22,000 to VND50,000 (US$0.95-2.17) per hour. There are also permanent jobs such as receptionist, accountant, programmer, and technical staff, with a monthly salary of VND4-6 million ($175-260). The centre said that 4,000 enterprises in the city were expected to cut or lay off about 120,000 employees in September due to a lack of orders and raw materials amid the pandemic. The cuts would occur mainly in tourism, accommodation services, transportation, construction, garments, and footwear. Le Minh Tan, director of the department, said that people who want to attend a vocational school in order to change jobs or develop new job skills would be supported by the department. Labourers would receive loans for vocational training from the National Employment Fund and the Capital Aid Fund Employment for the Poor (CEP) under the HCM City Labour Union. In the southern province of Binh Duong, enterprises in industrial parks are looking again for more workers. According to the provinces Employment Service Centre, nearly 1,000 foreign-invested and domestic enterprises last month said they needed more than 13,000 workers. Of the jobs needed, the number of unskilled workers in August increased by more than 26 per cent compared to July. Most enterprises need workers in textile and garments, leather footwear, and electronics. The SNP Co.,Ltd, a sportswear manufacturer based in the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP II), needs 3,000 employees, at an average monthly salary of VND8-11 million 345-475). Master SoFa International Co., Ltd, a foreign-invested company in VSIP IIA Industrial Park, is recruiting 1,000 workers, at a monthly salary of VND7-12 million ($300-520). Youngin Vina Binh Duong Co., Ltd in Thuan An City needs garment workers at an average monthly salary of VND10 million ($430). Dang Thi Ngoc Thien Huong, director of the provinces Employment Service Centre, said the labour market was frozen in previous months because a number of enterprises were dissolved or temporarily stopped operations due to the impact of the pandemic. That led to an increase in the number of unemployed during the period. The increase in recruitment demand in August showed that factories are ready to gradually restart and stabilize their production, she said. Newly established enterprises in the province this year have totalled nearly 4,000, with total registered capital of nearly VND27 trillion ($1.17 billion). Local companies will have to recruit more than 46,000 employees this year, mostly manual workers in garment, footwear, wood processing and electronics. More than 50,000 workers in the province have lost their jobs due to the impact of the pandemic. Most of them have received unemployment benefits. VNS One of the best investments we can make is in our own knowledge and skill set. With that in mind, this article will work through how we can use Return On Equity (ROE) to better understand a business. By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of G4S plc (LON:GFS). ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In other words, it is a profitability ratio which measures the rate of return on the capital provided by the company's shareholders. Check out our latest analysis for G4S How Is ROE Calculated? The formula for return on equity is: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for G4S is: 3.9% = UK21m UK543m (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020). The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. So, this means that for every 1 of its shareholder's investments, the company generates a profit of 0.04. Does G4S Have A Good Return On Equity? By comparing a company's ROE with its industry average, we can get a quick measure of how good it is. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. If you look at the image below, you can see G4S has a lower ROE than the average (11%) in the Commercial Services industry classification. roe That certainly isn't ideal. That being said, a low ROE is not always a bad thing, especially if the company has low leverage as this still leaves room for improvement if the company were to take on more debt. A high debt company having a low ROE is a different story altogether and a risky investment in our books. Our risks dashboard should have the 4 risks we have identified for G4S. The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the case of the first and second options, the ROE will reflect this use of cash, for growth. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders' equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same. Story continues G4S' Debt And Its 3.9% ROE We think G4S uses a significant amount of debt to maximize its returns, as it has a significantly higher debt to equity ratio of 4.88. We consider it to be a negative sign when a company has a rather low ROE despite a rather high debt to equity. Conclusion Return on equity is a useful indicator of the ability of a business to generate profits and return them to shareholders. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. If two companies have around the same level of debt to equity, and one has a higher ROE, I'd generally prefer the one with higher ROE. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So I think it may be worth checking this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Supreme Court will on Tuesday take up the anticipatory bail plea filed by former Punjab Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini, who is accused in the nearly three-decade-old Balwant Singh Multani murder case. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah will take up the bail plea moved by Saini in the apex court last week to avoid his arrest, as the state police have been conducting raids to nab him. On September 7, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had declined to entertain his anticipatory bail plea in the Multani kidnapping and murder case. "In the light of the seriousness of offences that have come about, there being every likelihood of petitioner stifling fair investigations and trial and for which custodial interrogation of the petitioner is very much essential to piece together this unfortunate incident, necessitates dismissal of the instant bail application," it had said. The High Court had also said "since it is at this juncture, the investigating agency has woken up and gathered courage to investigate its own officer and therefore, the vital pieces of evidence which would come handy in leading to various leads would inch towards unravelling this puzzle which too has baffled the citizenry who are looking upon the justice system as a last resort to get justice". The Punjab Police have also filed a caveat to pre-empt Saini from getting ex-parte relief from the apex court. If Saini doessn't get any relief, then he would have to surrender. In May, Saini was booked at a police station in Mohali along with six others in the case and in August, a murder charge was added after two of the accused policemen gave details of the incident. He is also facing trial in a special CBI court in Delhi in the alleged abduction of automobile businessman Vinod Kumar, his brother-in-law Ashok Kumar and their driver Mukhtiyar Singh. In March 1994, Vinod Kumar and Mukhtiyar were picked up by the police from the parking lot of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Ashok Kumar was allegedly abducted from Ludhiana on the same day. The High Court had directed the CBI to register the case and it was transferred to Delhi by the apex court in 2004, after Vinod Kumar's mother contended that Saini may influence witnesses. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. It turns out that President Donald Trump took the coronavirus pandemic seriously from the start after all. During recorded interviews with writer Bob Woodward for Woodwards book Rage, Trump in early February said that the virus was deadly stuff. You just breathe the air and thats how its passed, Trump told Woodward on Feb. 7. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one. Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flus. So Trump did recognize the gravity of the pandemic early on, just as so many critics had urged him to do. Trump had it right. Imagine that. The problem is, the president told Woodward and not the American people. Whats worse, Trump in public purposely downplayed the threat that COVID-19 posed. This, according to the Woodward tapes, was a deliberate strategy. I wanted to always play it down, Trump told Woodward. He said he didnt want Americans to panic. Theres no justifying how Trump misled us on the pandemic. He broke faith with the American people. And, no, it wasnt up to Woodward to use his recorded interviews to blow the whistle on Trump earlier in the pandemic. It was up to Trump to level with the American people, to tell us what the score was and what we were going to do about it. Words are a big part of leadership. Trump failed us. He hid the truth about what he knew about the virus and when he knew it. And if Trump truly believed that the virus would run its course and blow over, as hes said in the past, then there was no harm in telling it like it was. Its an inexplicable failure given how the White House actually did push back against the virus from the start. The pandemic was declared a public health emergency on Jan. 31, and Trump on March 13 declared it a national emergency. Also on Jan. 31, Trump restricted travel to the U.S. from China and elsewhere (and was accused of being xenophobic for his trouble). When New York became the deadly epicenter of the virus, Trump sent the military medical ship USNS Comfort here. The feds outfitted the Javits Center as a hospital. Ventilators and other equipment were shipped here and around the country. Billions in federal aid flowed from Washington. By the middle of March, Democrats were actually praising Trump for his response to the pandemic. And it bears repeating that the worst forecasts about coronavirus did not come to pass. The death rate did not skyrocket. Health systems did not collapse. It was not a rerun of the 1918 Spanish flu. The ship Comfort and the Javits Center hospital went largely underutilized. A temporary medical facility planned for the College of Staten Island campus was never built. We never actually needed tens of thousands of ventilators that officials here demanded. Remember too that throughout February and into March, officials in New York said we were at low risk from the virus, and that we should go about our normal routines. No matter. People got sick and people died. Trump as the leader of the country should have been honest with us from the beginning about the pandemic. We would not have panicked, Mr. President. We would have done what we had to do, just as we did when the pandemic took hold back in March and April. Meanwhile, only Trump can explain why he ever submitted to any interviews with Woodward, whose reporting on Watergate helped bring down President Richard Nixon. Then as now, it was the presidents own recorded words, in his own voice, that did the damage. Trump will soon enough find out whether he too will be sent packing from the White House. Argentina's Navy seized more than 4 tons of marijuana in the northern province of Misiones, near the border with Paraguay, valued at over 4 million U.S. dollars, the Ministry of Security said, Trend reports citing Xinhua. During the operation carried out by members of the Argentine Naval Prefecture at km 1,732 of the Parana River, near Mbopicua Port, about 1,085 km north of the capital Buenos Aires, authorities also arrested four people, the ministry said in a statement. "A ground patrol observed a truck speed away from the coast along a road closed to vehicular traffic. Upon noticing the presence of personnel from a federal force, it tried to escape," said the ministry. Security personnel also seized more than 3.4 million pesos in cash (about 45,000 U.S. dollars), eleven cellphones, a computer and other items of interest to the investigation. Gary Cohn, who once served as President Donald Trump's top economic advisor, said Monday that he's still unsure whether he will support the president's reelection bid or back former Vice President Joe Biden. Cohn said that even though he's a Democrat, he tends to vote for whichever candidate he believes will have the most positive impact on the U.S. economy. "I honestly haven't made up my mind. I'm really eager to see an economic debate between the two of them," Cohn told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" from Long Island, New York. "I actually vote on issues." The former Goldman Sachs president was Trump's first director of the National Economic Council until April 2018, when disagreements over policy priorities and a protectionist trade agenda led to Cohn's departure. Larry Kudlow, a former CNBC contributor, now holds that position. Neither the Trump campaign nor the Biden campaign immediately responded to CNBC's request for comment. Asked what types of policies he would like to see from Congress and the White House, Cohn said he'd favor a more-targeted approach to another round of Covid-19 stimulus. Many small businesses across the U.S. are still in dire straits and in need of additional relief from government legislation to prevent larger corporations from crushing mom and pop shops. "The first set of fiscal stimulus was a blunt instrument: We sort of spread it everywhere. Which at the time was the right thing to do. I think at this point we need a much more detailed, or scalpel-like approach," he said. "And the place where we need it the most is in the small business community." "Our small businesses in this country they are key to our success, they are key to our economic growth and they are key to jobs they still are hurting," he added. "They're really in need of more stimulus, they're in need of more help." Cohn said that the small business support could come from either the federal government via direct payments or through state or local governments backed by Washington support. Lawmakers remain split over whether or how much additional fiscal stimulus is necessary after Congress passed the $2 trillion CARES Act in March. Most Democrats argue that Republicans don't appreciate the severity of the economic downturn and that efforts to pass "skinny" relief bills aren't sufficient. All Senate Democrats present last week voted against such a watered-down GOP bill that would have reimposed enhanced federal unemployment insurance at a rate of $300 per week, half of the $600 weekly payment that expired at the end of July. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC earlier Monday that he doesn't think now is the time to worry about the size of the federal deficit or the Federal Reserve's balance sheet. The tunnel will reduce the travel time to the Ladakh region by 15-20 per cent and come up close to the Atal tunnel near Rohtang Pass, reports Megha Manchanda. IMAGE: Construction work is underway on strategic Atal Tunnel in the Pir Panjal ranges of Himachal Pradesh. Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter Soon after awarding the Zojila tunnel project, the road transport and highways ministry has started discussions with the defence ministry to build another such all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region -- this time, via Shingo La or Shinkula mountain pass in Himachal Pradesh. The two departments are in preliminary talks to build a tunnel that would reduce the travel time to the Ladakh region by 15-20 per cent and would come up close to the Atal tunnel near Rohtang Pass. Atal tunnel -- connecting Manali in Himachal Pradesh with Leh, Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir -- was re-christened in December to commemorate the 95th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the tunnel shortly. The cost of the proposed Shingo La tunnel project is expected to be similar to that of the recently awarded Zojila tunnel project. In August, Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure emerged the lowest bidder for executing the Zojila tunnel project with a quote of Rs 4,509.50 crore. Larsen & Toubro and IRCON International JV were the other two contenders for the project. The project is of strategic importance as Zojila Pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway and remains shut during winters due to heavy snowfall. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation in June had invited fresh bids for the project and the project was awarded in less than three months to the lowest bidder. The work on Zojila project is expected to begin next month. NHIDCL, an arm of road ministry, is engaged in the execution of road projects in the hilly terrain. It has awarded several such tunnel projects in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. West Coast plagued by raging fires; churches' relief efforts complicated by COVID-19 lockdowns Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment West Coast city skylines are orange and besotted with ash as fires set by arsonists continue to rampage across the land and churches respond to those who've been displaced. Since the blazes began, approximately 2.3 million acres have been consumed, around 20 times what burned in 2019, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Some residents of the San Francisco Bay area are likening the conditions to "a scene from Mars," NBC News reported. As a result of weeks of fires, "no sunrise was visible as a mix of fog and smoke ... enveloped towns and cities in a haze that resembled perpetual predawn light," NBC News added. In southern Oregon, which has also been affected by the fires, some churches are coordinating relief efforts. Pastor Lee Gregory of Medford Neighborhood Church said in an interview with ABC News affiliate KDRV that his congregation is restarting a previous campaign called "I C.A.R.E" to assist displaced residents. Gregory drove near the Phoenix area on Wednesday morning and saw the destruction caused by the Almeda Drive Fire. Gregory said he's working with local churches and asked that they open their parking lots to people who've escaped the fires and are now living in RVs and trailers and need a place to stay. "I just want you to know we're going to have a lot of displaced families," he said. "I pledge every penny will help those who are displaced by this fire." The pastor is a native of Paradise, California, a town in the northeastern Sacramento valley that was almost totally destroyed during wildfires in 2018. The current fires are endangering the town yet again, the Los Angeles Times reports. "It's a bit of a nightmare repeating itself," Gregory said, recalling having to relocate his relatives to escape the fires. Before-and-after satellite images released Thursday show the Jackson County, Oregon, towns of Talent and Phoenix nearly destroyed by the fires. The difficulty in distributing aid to displaced people has been compounded due to ongoing restrictions due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Mike Bivins, the director of disaster relief for the California Southern Baptist Convention, told Baptist Press on Thursday that teams are providing meals to families in Monterey who had to evacuate and they're offering personal property recovery services to over 1,000 homeowners in the Napa area. With limited face-to-face communication, it is difficult to assess needs and communicate the love and hope of Christ, Bivins said. One of California Southern Baptists best resources is our local churches, he added. Many of our churches located near the fires are preparing and responding to the immediate needs of evacuees by providing water, snacks, gift cards, temporary evacuation points and coordinating with other organizations active in disaster. Equipped with a mobile kitchen that is on standby if needed, Bivins said local churches are already sharing the responsibility of preparing and delivering meals for those affected by the Creek Fire as it continues to spread. Holly Brown is among the tens of thousands of Californians displaced and has found refuge outside the Clovis Hills Community Church, a Baptist Church in Clovis, which is just northeast of Fresno. Brown fled the flames of the Creek Fire with her mother, brother, and four dogs. Clovis Hills Church has been distributing food and providing items for evacuees from donations. Our entire community is gone,'' Brown told USA Today. "Everyone is evacuated. We could hear the trees exploding as this red glow came up over the hillside." Shawn Beaty, senior pastor at Clovis Hills said in an interview with ABC30 Action News the community support has been "astounding." Shango Receives GHP Medical Marijuana Award - USA To be named the best in the U.S. by an international medical media organization is a great honor, Shango Founder and CEO Brandon Rexroad said. To be recognized by healthcare and pharmaceutical specialists really validates our hard work. Shango Cannabis won the title of Best Multi-State Medical Cannabis Dispensary in the United States for 2020. The honor was awarded by the international healthcare publisher, Global Health & Pharma (GHP), in its 5th annual Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards competition. The awards highlight innovation within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries by recognizing the forward thinkers who bring crucial new ideas and products to the forefront in one of the worlds most demanding and competitive sectors. To be named the best in the U.S. by an international medical media organization is a great honor, Shango Founder and CEO Brandon Rexroad said. To be recognized by healthcare and pharmaceutical specialists really validates our hard work. Receiving the right kind of care has the potential to transform a way of life by improving wellbeing and enabling those most vulnerable to experience a fulfilling lifestyle, a GHP contest executive said. The Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2020 commend the tireless work undertaken by companies, individuals and initiatives that contribute toward promoting the physical and mental welfare of those in need of support. GHP selected Shango by using an extensive research and judging process that is driven by merit and centered around an in-depth evaluation of skills and services offered. No fees were paid to qualify for this award. Contest guidelines stated that awardees had to demonstrate expertise within their field, dedication to customer service and a commitment to promoting excellence. They also had to be accountable for meeting the diverse health needs of millions of individuals across the world. According to GHP, This approach enforces Global Health & Pharma's stance that victors are not determined by popularity of votes, but by their contributions to their industry. Regardless of how large or small a business may be, all participants in the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards are judged purely on merit and only the most deserving are acknowledged. GHP employed an impartial panel of five individuals to conduct the research. The team gathered information independently from a variety of publicly accessible sources that were assessed alongside any material supplied by a nominating party or the nominee. Final judgment was based on various criteria, including business performance, longevity, sustained or rapid business growth and any significant innovations or feedback. We are pleased and proud that the Shango brand met or exceeded their rigorous standards, Rexroad said. About Shango Shango is an established vertically integrated cannabis brand offering a full range of award-winning products, including flower, extracts and cannabis-infused edibles, in Oregon, Michigan and Nevada. The Shango brand has multiple full-service recreational and medical cannabis dispensaries in Oregon and Nevada, as well as a medical cannabis provisioning center in Michigan. Shango will soon open a provisioning center in Bay City, Michigan, and a state-of-the-art cannabis distribution operation in Southern California. The company is also set to open the first of three Missouri dispensaries in December 2020. In Q2 2020, Shangos Michigan operations will add a provisioning center in Hazel Park, as well as two extraction facilities, a commercial kitchen and an indoor cultivation facility. A recognized leader in the cannabis industry, Shango sets the standards for product quality, consistency and business conduct. Shango is committed to cannabis education and is a fierce advocate of the safe and responsible use of cannabis products. For more information, go to http://www.goshango.com. An opportunity never seen before is set to be presented when the winner of this Saturdays $535,000 William Wellwood Memorial has their picture taken. The Mohawk Million on September 26 at Woodbine Mohawk Park is set to become harness racings newest million-dollar race, joining the Pepsi North America Cup and Hambletonian as this seasons only million-dollar events. The Cup and Hambletonian each have their own legacy, and while the Mohawk Millions story is just being written, the race has already become a one-of-a-kind for the sport of harness racing. The winner of this Saturdays William Wellwood Memorial for two-year-old trotters will not only take home the winners share of the $535,000 purse, but will also receive a slot in the $1 million (USD) Mohawk Million for free. No nomination fee. No sustaining payment. No starting fee. Win the Wellwood Memorial and youre guaranteed a spot in a million-dollar race. The other nine slots in the Mohawk Million were sold earlier this year for $110,000 (USD) each. The nine slot owners are not required to declare a two-year-old trotter for the race until entry time on September 22. Each slot is an entity that may be sold, traded or subject to lease. This Saturdays William Wellwood Memorial will not only determine the owner of the tenth slot, but will also signal the start of crunch time for the nine slot purchasers to determine what they will do with their own. Only two of the nine slot owners will be represented in the Wellwood Memorial. Macho Martini, pictured victorious in his Wellwood Memorial elimination. Macho Martini, pictured victorious in his Wellwood Memorial elimination. Serge Godins Determination will send out the undefeated Macho Martini and elimination runner-up On A Streak. John Fielding is the co-owner of rail starter Locatelli. Should Determination or Fielding win the Wellwood Memorial, they will have two slots in the Mohawk Million, with Saturdays winner required to use one of them. The Wellwood Memorial is being billed as the showdown of undefeated colts, as Macho Martini and Southwind Tyrion will meet for the first time. The Ake Svanstedt-trained Southwind Tyrion is four for four, while Luc Blais-trained Macho Martini is seven for seven. Macho Martinis owner, Serge Godin, is loaded with high-end two-year-old talent and would have no problem filling a second spot in the Mohawk Million should Macho Martini win. Just like the Wellwood, Determination has a one-two punch in Saturdays $335,000 Peaceful Way for two-year-old trotting fillies with the undefeated Donna Soprano and elimination winner Dicentra. The past several weeks at Woodbine Mohawk Park have seen Macho Martini dominate, posting victories in multiple OSS Gold races, the Millard Farms Series and Champlain. Hes just so handy, so nice, so good gaited and so smart, driver Bob McClure said of Macho Martini after last weeks elimination win. Im just repeating myself at this point, but hes very special. Im very fortunate that Determination has a very exceptional group of two-year-old trotters. Its nice to see for the Determination Stable, Serge Godin, because he deserves it and its great for Luc (Blais). He works hard. Southwind Tyrion (foreground), pictured victorious in his Wellwood Memorial elimination. Southwind Tyrion (foreground), pictured victorious in his Wellwood Memorial elimination. If Southwind Tyrion can hand Macho Martini his first loss, that would in all likelihood set up a rematch in the Mohawk Million. Originally owned by Lennart Agrens S R F Stable, Southwind Tyrions ownership group has grown to include Knutsson Trotting and Brittany Farms & Riverview Racing early in his sensational rookie season. The connections of Tyrion have admitted to having their eyes on the Mohawk Million slot. Agren told the USTA earlier this week he absolutely hopes to win the final slot in the Million. Well see what happens, Svanstedt told USTAs Ken Weingartner. We need luck. But I think Southwind Tyrion is as good as he can be. The undefeated colts will draw most of the attention, but the other eight trotters have all at one point or another shown flashes of high-end potential. To some, an upset victory would be fitting to fulfill the fantasy that many owners and trainers had in February when nominating to the Wellwood Memorial. This years William Wellwood Memorial drew 196 nominations, a significant increase from past years that can be linked to the increased stakes of the race. The original announcement of the Mohawk Million and slot-deciding Wellwood Memorial was made on September 26, 2019, which will be exactly one-year to the date when the inaugural Mohawk Million is contested. In a society that loves to speculate, the William Wellwood Memorial will undoubtably be the kick-off to an intriguing period that fans and racing participants will enjoy. There will be nine full days from the completion of the Wellwood Memorial to Mohawk Million entry time for slot owners to make a decision. Sell your slot? Name a horse? Enter a filly? Partner up? Many possibilities for the Mohawk Million slot owners, but only one thing will be certain following Saturday night: one horse is going to a million-dollar race for free. The William Wellwood Memorial has been carded as Race 9 (10:20 p.m.) on Saturdays $1.6 million, stakes-filled card at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time for the 13-race card is at 7 p.m. The field for the William Wellwood Memorial is listed below. Post - Horse - (Driver/Trainer) 1 - Locatelli - (Andrew McCarthy/Nancy Takter) 2 - On A Streak - (Scott Young/Luc Blais) 3 - Southwind Tyrion - (Yannick Gingras/Ake Svanstedt) 4 - Full Of Muscles - (Trevor Henry/Brad Maxwell) 5 - Logan Park - (Louis-Philippe Roy/Rob Fellows) 6 - Macho Martini - (Bob McClure/Luc Blais) 7 - Warrawee Whisper - (Jonathan Drury/Shawn Steacy) 8 - Tokyo Seelster - (Sylvain Filion/Richard Moreau) 9 - Muscle Dynasty - (Paul MacDonell/Mike Keeling) 10 - Magical Muscle Man - (Doug McNair/Marcus Melander) AE - Jula Muscle Pack - (Louis-Philippe Roy/Per Engblom) The Mohawk Million slot owners are listed below. Brad Grant Courant Inc. (Anders Strom) Determination (Serge Godin) Diamond Creek Racing (Adam Bowden) Dreamland Farms (Gina Ghent) Fashion Farms (Jules Siegel) Glengate Farms (Jim Bullock) Jeffrey Snyder John Fielding (Woodbine Mohawk Park) In two separate endeavors, the California Army National Guard's 40th Combat Aviation Brigade was able to rescue 396 people and 27 animals from the Creek Fire in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Fresno and Madera counties, Guard officials said. The 40th CAB, headquartered in Fresno, participated in rescues on Sept. 5, into the early morning of Sept. 6, and again on Sept. 8, according to a California National Guard release. Read Next: Navy Commander at Lackland Training Center Fired After Investigation Sgt. George Esquivel, a CH-47F Chinook mechanic and flight engineer with Bravo company, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, based in Stockton, California, said in the statement that he was enjoying time with family when he received the call. "I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes. I don't turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it's what we do," Esquivel said. As of Monday, the Creek fire had covered nearly 213,000 acres, and was only 10% contained. The 40th CAB Commander, Col. David Hall, deployed rescue assets immediately when he saw an announcement on social media about the fire near Mammoth Pools. "I contacted the Joint Operation Center in Sacramento to see if they heard anything about it," Hall said in a released statement. "After that was confirmed, and I knew a CH-47 crew was in the works, I immediately called one of the senior pilots in Fresno, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kipp Goding and asked him to assemble a UH-60 crew and let me know when he was ready to go out and assist at Mammoth Pools." Two assigned aircraft launched that evening, with limited night vision capabilities. A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter was flown by Goding, the pilot-in-command, and pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez and crew chief Warrant Officer 1 Ge Xiong. A Chinook was flown by pilot-in-command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joseph Rosamond, pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brady Hlebain, Esquivel, a flight engineer, and flight engineer Sgt. Cameron Powell, according to the release. "I started the preflight inspections to prepare our aircraft for the evacuation," Hernandez, with Detachment 1, Bravo Company, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, said in the statement. "Once we were able to establish communication with CAL FIRE, we headed into the designated point right behind the [Chinook] crew." The combined effects of limited visibility from darkness and the heave smoke, extreme heat, and the use of night vision goggles set obstacles for this mission, though the pilots, crew chiefs as well as the flight engineer are adapted to wildfire missions. "I can't really describe my initial reaction because training just kicked in," Esquivel said in the release. "One of the first things that we all agreed on was we need to put the aircraft down safely. Without the aircraft and the crew being safe, there is no mission, we can't help anyone out. Our job was to make sure we landed, and when we did land, I was met with the worst sight of my life. A lot of people referred to the sight as apocalyptic, and I agree." The release states more than two hundred people at Mammoth Pools needed to be evacuated immediately around the flames. "We saw the Chinook crew loading up passengers and hovered above them until they were complete," Hernandez said. "Every opportunity that we had to go out and rescue people, we had to choose a different route to enter from because the winds were shifting every time we went out." Hernandez said 65 survivors, including campers, hikers and residents, boarded onto the aircraft for the first evacuation, noting that his dual-rotor and heavy-lift CH-47F can carry about 30 personnel for one time. "Sgt. Powell and I focused on the critically injured, women and children," he added. "On the second lift, it was 102 people, and the third lift it was 37." Sgt. Esquivel provided extra protection for a 2- to 3-week-old infant on one of the flights. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had put this child on an aircraft without hearing protection," said Esquivel. "We had an extra headset available and I gave it to the mother of this child and told her to cover the child's ears until we land, and she did." Communication and the professionalism of the Soldiers of the 40th CAB made this mission complete successfully. "The communication between us and the Chinook crew was perfect," said Hernandez. "Communication between the two aircraft was in sync and that was part of the success of this mission." The 40th CAB personnel on the ground prepared the flight line for emergency services personnel who were with the helicopters carrying survivors to Fresno. Rosamond was in charge of advising emergency services via radio. "I heard chatter over the radios that they were heading to Fresno," said Hall. "When I heard that, I immediately dropped what I was doing and I headed there because I was anticipating a mass casualty scenario. On the way here, I contacted the flight operations section in Fresno and informed them they need to give emergency personnel and heads up and let them know that an unknown number of passengers will be arriving." Emergency Medical Services and Fresno law enforcement agencies set up a check-in and screening process and prepared medical care for passengers who needed it. Soldiers of the 40th CAB and the 1106th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group voluntarily assisted with screening and set up cots for passengers who needed a place to rest, until they were picked up by their families. In all, 242 people were rescued from Mammoth Pools in a single night, according to the release. "I believe our training came into play with this mission. My situational awareness and senses were heightened for the whole time," Hernandez said. "We appreciate the praise that we're getting, but we're not a godsend or special people, we're just ordinary people that did our job. This is what we do and we love it." After the night of Sept. 5, helicopters could not land to make more rescues due to poor visibility. During a clear period on Sept. 8, the 40th CAB helicopters evacuated another 175 people from China Peak, Lake Edison and Muir Trail Ranch across the thinner smoke. The urgent rescue missions ended by the end of the week, the release states. The 40th CAB transitioned back to its normal role assisting CAL FIRE in water drop operations. "When you're training, take it seriously," Esquivel said, speaking after completing the missions successfully. "My father always told me, there is a time and place for everything. When it's time to go to work, it's time to focus and go to work." "We could have easily said no to this mission because of the dangers, but something within us was saying, no, we're ready, go on ahead," he added. -- Bing Xiao can be reached at bingxiao2020@u.northwestern.edu. Related: California National Guard Battles Wildfires This is the moment a fearless subway rider leaped from one platform to another - and nailed the landing. A young man who goes by the name 'Kiing Spiider' on social media posted a video of the death-defying feat last Wednesday, bragging 'Almost Missed My Train.' The man wearing a black tank top, stretchy pants and sneakers took a running leap across the tracks at the Broadway Junction subway stop in Brooklyn, just as an L train was pulling into the station. He cleared the tracks and electrified rail, and landed on the other side with two feet to spare. The amateur stuntman then added a front flip for good measure. He boarded the train, took a seat, pulled off his face mask and shook his head in a display of bravado. A small crowd of spectators cheered. This is the moment a fearless subway rider leaped from one platform to another - and nailed the landing A young man who goes by the name 'Kiing Spiider' on social media posted a video of the death-defying feat on Wednesday, bragging 'Almost Missed My Train' The man wearing a black tank top, stretchy pants and sneakers took a running leap across the tracks at the Broadway Junction subway stop in Brooklyn, just as an L train was pulling into the station The NYPD is 'aware of the incident,' a spokesperson told DailyMail.com, but there's no word whether police are actively investigating or considering an arrest. One police source said that while the man could technically face a charge of disorderly conduct or reckless endangerment, that's unlikely. He was also wearing his coronavirus mask improperly, covering his mouth but not his nose before removing it entirely. That would be a $50 fine once a new rule takes effect in MTA facilities next week. 'I think there's not much the police can do,' the source told DailyMail.com. 'There's no longer any tools to deal with most types of crime and disorder. This idiot won't be prosecuted or punished, so why arrest him? 'Riders will have to get more accustomed to disorderly conduct in the subways, and the train delays when the next guy doesn't stick the landing.' One police source said that while the man could technically face a charge of disorderly conduct or reckless endangerment, that's unlikely The NYPD is 'aware of the incident,' a spokesperson told DailyMail.com, but there's no word whether police are actively investigating or considering an arrest He boarded the train, took a seat, pulled off his Covid-19 mask and shook his head in a display of bravado. A small crowd of spectators cheered Several other riders have tried but failed the jump, as the Daily Mail showed in 2015 when a man was videotaped running toward the edge of an uptown platform in Harlem, leaping into the air and missing the opposite edge by inches, causing his head and chest to smash onto the platform with a loud thud. Last week's successful stunt was posted on Instagram and Facebook, where viewers had mixed reactions. 'That was stupid. I'm sorry,' one poster wrote on Facebook. 'If he would have fell & hit the third rail, he would have been sizzling like a piece of bacon.' 'He could of really just ran up and down the stairs and would of still made it. LOL (sic),' another commented . 'If he would have missed thought, wouldn't have been so cute. LOLOLOL,' a third person wrote. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shares of Infosys jumped about 4 percent in morning trade on September 14 after the company announced a definitive agreement to acquire GuideVision. As per a media release by Infosys, GuideVision, one of the largest ServiceNow Elite Partners in Europe, is an award-winning enterprise service management consultancy specialised in offering strategic advisory, consulting, implementations, training and support on the ServiceNow platform. "This acquisition is an important milestone in our journey to build capabilities relevant to the digital priorities of our clients. This move reaffirms our commitment to the growing ServiceNow ecosystem," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. "The combination of scalable and agile nearshore capabilities of GuideVision in Europe, and their unmatched delivery excellence, complements our own effort to help global enterprises navigate their next. We are excited to welcome GuideVision and its leadership team into the Infosys family." Norbert Nagy, Co-Founder, GuideVision, said, "GuideVision's exceptionally high customer ratings are the result of our continuous effort to deliver superior consulting and implementation services. Joining Infosys brings an extended portfolio of services we can offer to our customers on their digital transformation journey. The global Infosys footprint is an exciting opportunity for both GuideVision customers and employees." Shares of Infosys traded 3.29 percent higher at Rs 976.50 on BSE at 11:25 hours. India on Sunday handed over a consignment of disaster relief material to Nepal for flood-and landslide-affected families, officials said. On behalf of the Government of India, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy here Namgya C Khampa handed over the material to Chanda Chaudhary, president of the Nepal-India Women Friendship Society. The relief material includes tents and plastic sheets for distribution to flood- and landslide-affected families in the countrys five districts, the Indian mission said in a statement. In view of the recent destruction and loss of life caused by floods and landslides, the entire consignment will be distributed through the society in coordination with the local governments in the affected districts of Sindhupalchok, Kailali, Mahottari, Nawalparasi and Sarlahi in Province 2, Bagmati Province, Province 5 and Sudur Paschim Province. This was part of the Government of Indias regular humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support to Nepal. (L) Domingo Lopez Jr. and (R) a Molotov cocktail he allegedly used to start a fire in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office; Portland Police Bureau) Man Allegedly Starts 7 Brush Fires in Portland A Portland, Oregon, man released after lighting a brush fire allegedly set six more fires, police officials in Portland said. Domingo Lopez Jr., 45, was spotted by a witness and confirmed to police officers that he set a fire next to I-205 on the afternoon of Sept. 13, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Officers seized a charred plastic bottle with a wick as evidence, describing it as a Molotov cocktail, or an incendiary device. Lopez, a Hispanic male, was released after being booked on charges of reckless burning and disorderly conduct. Officers and firefighters rushed to the same area around 3:30 a.m. Sept. 14 after receiving a report of multiple fires burning in the brush. Officers located Lopez walking along the highway and arrested him, seizing a lighter as evidence. Lopez was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and issued citations for six additional counts of reckless burning, the bureau said. None of the fires damaged structures and no one was injured. Matt Watts stands guard with firearms outside his home after wildfires and heavy smoke caused many of his neighbors to evacuate the area, in Estacada, Ore., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) A man stops on his bike along the Willamette River as smoke from wildfires partially obscures the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 12, 2020. (John Locher/AP Photo) Law enforcement officials said last week that rumors about Antifa members setting fires in Oregon were false, but a number of people have been taken into custody on arson and related charges on the West Coast. In an effort to stop people from setting fires, some county residents set up roadblocks and were patrolling with guns, officials said over the weekend. Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts told a press briefing on Sept. 13 that the armed individuals should please stop. If they see somebody suspicious, call us, let us handle it; its illegal to stop somebody at gunpoint, he said. Calls for criminal activity in the evacuated areas have skyrocketed 400 percent from the previous week, officials said. What were finding is in most of those cases, the largest majority of those calls are suspicious persons, people trespassing. We have made some arrests, but I want to make it clear that the majority of those calls are actually unfounded, Roberts said. Roberts said officials are dealing with a lot of misinformation about folks trying to set fires. Another man was arrested in the county on Sept. 11 for setting a pile of leaves on fire in Oregon City, the sheriffs office said. Sammy Piatt, 53, was arrested for arson and probation violation. Margi Wyatt reacts after returning to find her mobile home destroyed by wildfire as her husband Marcelino Maceda (background) searches in the ruins in Estacada, Ore., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) A sign reads Looters Get Shot outside a residence in Molalla, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Clackamas County is located next to Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Fires have burned more than 1 million acres in Oregon in recent weeks, state officials announced Sept. 11. The number of Oregonians under evacuation notice jumped to 500,000 that day. More than 40,000 have been evacuated. More than half of Clackamas County was under the highest evacuation level, with residents told to leave immediately. Thirty-four fires are still active as of the morning of Sept. 14, according to the state Office of Emergency Management. The largest is the Beachie Creek Fire, which has consumed more than 188,000 acres in Clackamas County. The fires are causing heavy smoke levels, leading to unhealthy conditions. Right now our region is experiencing the worst air quality in the world, and its absolutely having an impact on peoples health, Sarah Present, the countys public health director, told the briefing on Sept. 13. Nancy Bush, the director of disaster management for the county, added that visibility is poor because of the fire and smoke, leading to potentially hazardous driving conditions. Please make sure that you allow extra time if youre driving and make sure that youre allowing extra stopping distances, and actually consider if travel is necessary, she said. Im also asking if you live in Clackamas County to please limit your water use. Every drop is needed for our firefighters in order to use the water to save someones home. A screen grab from a video shows a Clayton County deputy punching Roderick Williams during a traffic stop (Juanita Davis/Courtesy of The Cochran Firm via AP) A Georgia sheriffs deputy has been fired after being caught on video repeatedly punching a Black man he had pinned to the ground during a traffic stop. Authorities in Clayton County said the deputy was terminated for excessive use of force but did not identify the officer. A criminal investigation of the incident will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorneys Office. The victim, Roderick Walker, was a passenger in a car pulled over on Friday due to an alleged broken taillight. Also in the vehicle were Mr Walkers girlfriend, their five-month-old child, and young stepson. Attorney Shean William says that the deputies asked Mr Walker for identification and then demanded that he exit the vehicle. Mr Walker asked why he needed to, as he wasnt the driver. The vehicle was a Lyft rideshare service that was taking the family home having dropped off a rental car. After Mr Walker exited the vehicle a bystander caught the assault by the officers in a shocking video lasting almost four minutes. Both deputies can be seen on top of Mr Walker, with one repeatedly punching him. The officer claims Mr Walker bit his hand. Mr Walkers girlfriend is seen screaming and both she and a bystander yell for the officers to get off him when he says that he cannot breathe. A child in the vehicle calls out: Daddy. Mr Williams says that his client denies biting the officer and lost consciousness during the beating. After being handcuffed and pulled to his feet he appears unsteady. A photo of Mr Walker taken in custody shows a large welt under one of his eyes. Records show Mr Walker was arrested on suspicion of obstructing officers and battery. Mr Williams is demanding the release of his client on bond. A statement released by the Sheriffs office on Sunday reads: The Sheriff ordered a signature bond courtesy for Mr Walker 48 hours ago. Unfortunately, Mr Walker has a felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and a failure to appear warrant out of Hapeville which resulted in Magistrate Court denying him a bond. Story continues Roderick Walker at the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, Georgia, having been punched repeatedly by a sheriff's deputy during a traffic stopAP The statement also said that Mr Walker was receiving medical treatment and is being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor. The driver of the car was released without a citation and reportedly also did not have any identification with him. Read more Police stabbing: Man arrested over attempted murder of officer Female journalist pinned to ground and arrested by LAPD while filming police being heckled Compton police shooting: Everything we know about 'ambush' gun attack on two police officers in LA I watched Daniel Prude's horrific assault and relived what the police did to me New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Union government on Monday sought Parliament's approval for spending an additional Rs 2.35 lakh crore to meet its commitment towards Atmanirbhar Bharat package and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, as well as additional allocation towards post-devolution revenue deficit grants to states and other Covid-19 relief measures. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the financial year 2020-21 in the Lok Sabha which, among other things, included a sum of Rs 46,602.43 crore required for providing additional allocations under the Post-Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant (Rs 44,340 crore) and Grants-in-Aid General for States Disaster Response Fund (Rs 2,262.43 crore) as per the accepted recommendations for the 15th Finance Commission. The supplementary demand for grant is an additional grant sought to meet the required government expenditure over and above the amount for which parliamentary nod has already been obtained. "The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 includes 54 Grants and 1 Appropriation. The approval of Parliament is sought to authorise gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore," read the first Supplementary Demands for Grants. Apart from devolution to states, a big chunk of additional expenditure is coming for the MNREGS. The Centre has sought Rs 40,000 crore for providing grants for the creation of capital assets under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and for the transfer of funds to National Employment Guarantee Fund. For providing Grants-in-Aid General for Direct Benefit Transfer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana's women bank account holders, the government has sought approval for an additional expenditure of Rs 30,956.98 crore. Further, to meet the expenditure towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks through the issue of government securities, it has sought an approval for the expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore. For meeting an additional expenditure towards Grants-in-Aid General to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for the Guarantee Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility to eligible MSME borrowers, the Centre has sought approval of Rs 4,000 crore in expenditure. The government expenses have increased of late and are likely to increase further due to the coronavirus pandemic and the eventual economic slowdown. The government has sought gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore but net cash outgo is expected only to the tune of Rs 1,66,983.91 crore. The gross additional expenditure, matched by savings of the Ministries/Departments or by enhanced receipts/recoveries, aggregates to Rs 68,868.33 crore. Besides, a token provision of Rs 63 lakh has been sought, Rs one lakh for each item of expenditure, for enabling re-appropriation of savings in cases involving New Service or New Instrument of Service. Youre going to be kicked up by quite a big notch, JLARC Chairman Ken Plum, D-Fairfax, told Tracey Wiley, executive director of the agency that includes the authority, citing the increased funding it is getting to handle under the Rebuild Virginia program. What I want assurance of is that youre up to the task. The performance of the small-business agency was one of two major reports JLARC staff delivered Monday. It also recommended that the assembly consider eliminating two tax credits that it concluded as it has before have not been effective in creating jobs in coal mining and use of Virginia coal to generate electricity. A pretty bad report The Small Business Financing Authority is a relatively small operation that has done little with its resources since the retirement of its executive director three years ago coincided with the departure of two loan officers and led to a period of leadership turmoil, the report said. The authority has not fully achieved its mission of helping small businesses access financing in recent years, concluded Lauren Axselle, project leader of the JLARC staff report on the state agency for supplier diversity. A fire has been burning since mid-July in the remote wetlands of west-central Brazil, leaving in its wake a vast charred desolation bigger than New York City. A team of veterinarians, biologists and local guides arrived in late August to prowl the bumpy dirt road known as the Trans-Pantanal Highway in pick-up trucks, looking to save what injured animals they could. Jaguars were wandering the blackened wasteland, they said, starving or going thirsty, with paws burned to the bone, lungs blackened by smoke. They saw bodies of alligator-like caiman, jaws frozen in silent screams, the last act of creatures desperate to cool off before being consumed by flames. This enormous fire is one of thousands of blazes sweeping the Brazilian Pantanal the worlds largest wetland this year, in what climate scientists fear could become a new normal, echoing the rise in climate-driven fires from California to Australia. The Pantanal is smaller and less-known than its famous cousin, the Amazon jungle. But the regions normally abundant waters and strategic location sandwiched between the rainforest, Brazils vast grasslands and Paraguays dry forests make it a magnet for animals. The fires are now threatening one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, biologists said. The Pantanal is home to roughly 1,200 vertebrate animal species, including 36 that are threatened with extinction. Across this usually lush landscape of 150,000sq km (57,915sq miles) in Brazil, rare birds flutter and the worlds densest population of jaguars roam. Fire is not new here. For decades, ranchers have used flames to cheaply return nutrients to the soil and renew pasture for their beef cattle. But those blazes, fuelled by drought, now burn with historic force, racing across desiccated vegetation. The biggest fires in the Pantanal this year are quadruple the size of the largest fire in Brazils Amazon rainforest, NASA satellites show. A record 23,490sq km (9,070sq miles) have burned through September 6 nearly 16 percent of the Brazilian Pantanal, according to a Federal University of Rio de Janeiro analysis. {articleGUID} Dorvalino Conceicao Camargo, a 56-year-old farmhand in a straw hat common among local cowboys, helped beat back the flames. Sweating from the effort, Camargo said he had never seen fires this bad. Everything is suffering, he said. The Pantanal is known for being wet, not dry. The worlds largest flood plain normally fills with several feet of water during the rainy season from around November to April each year. Camargo recalled navigating the waters as a child in boxy canoes. Back on the ranch where he works, he showed the farms high-water mark 70 cm (2.3 feet) off the ground hewn into the post of a cattle corral. Even in a dry year, it is typically about half that, he said. This year, the floods never came. Only a little bit of water pooled in a ditch nearby, he said. Now, as water evaporates in the dry season, the Paraguay River that traverses the Pantanal has receded to its lowest point since 1973, according to Julia Arieira, a climate researcher at Brazils Federal University of Espirito Santo. Scientists blame the drought on warming in the Atlantic Ocean just above the equator thats drawing moisture away from South America and will send it north, likely in the form of stronger hurricanes. NASA scientist Doug Morton said this phenomenon is caused by shifts in ocean temperature known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation the Atlantic Oceans equivalent of El Nino in the Pacific. Unlike El Nino, which typically happens every two-to-seven years, the oscillation alternates between hot and cold roughly every 30-40 years. When it runs hot, as it has been since the 1990s, the warming in the tropical North Atlantic is more likely to occur, contributing to South American droughts and fires. Changing ocean temperatures are a likely driver of the dry conditions weve seen so far this year in the Pantanal, according to Morton, who leads NASAs biospheric sciences lab. Morton said the warm spot could also be contributing to more dryness in the southern part of the Amazon, where fires likely hit a 10-year high in August; and in Argentinas wetlands, where the blazes are the worst since 2009. More worrying still, Morton is concerned global warming could disrupt the Oscillation and leave it permanently in the warm phase, contributing to more fires. Even if that does not happen, scientists fear global temperature increases on their own would make vast burning ever more common. Destruction of the Amazon rainforest to the north is exacerbating drought in the Pantanal in the long-term, said Philip Fearnside, an ecologist at Brazils National Institute of Amazonian Research. That is because jungle trees recycle rain and push the moisture back into the air as water vapour, which winds then carry to neighbouring regions in so-called flying rivers. Amazon deforestation has surged 34.5 percent in the 12 months through July, compared with the same period a year ago, according to preliminary data from government space research agency Inpe. Under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil has also weakened environmental enforcement. Bolsonaros press office directed questions to the Environment Ministry, which did not respond to a request for comment. Environment Minister Ricardo Salles visited the Pantanal in August, saying that federal environmental agencies had sent five aircraft and additional workers to assist the more than 100 state firefighters battling the blazes. The fires are causing great damage to fauna, flora and to the Pantanal region, Salles said. No humans have died in the Pantanal fires, according to Mato Grosso state firefighting Lieutenant Colonel Jean Oliveira, who has been leading all government agencies in the fire response. The victims, he said, are wildlife. The destruction will be enormous. Fires in the Amazon and Brazils Pantanal the worlds largest wetlands -surge in August, surpassing the numbers of last year. pic.twitter.com/YCZMe1NsL2 Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 19, 2020 While there are no exact counts, at a minimum, thousands of animals have perished, according to biologist Rogerio Rossi at the Federal University of Mato Grosso. The roving veterinary team is able to save only a tiny fraction of the injured animals. Many of these creatures are difficult to catch, far from accessible roads. Veterinarian Jorge Salomao Jr rattled off an inventory of the carnage. Weve seen a lot of dead animals, mainly reptiles, serpents, caimans, he said. Weve seen a lot of dead deer, dead tapirs, dead monkeys, dead coati, a cousin of North American raccoons. In the burned expanse of 1,347sq km (520sq miles) near the town of Pocone, dead snakes are seen every few metres. Local guide Eduarda Fernandes, who is working with the rescue team, wandered the area, feet sinking into the deep soot. She picked up a snake petrified in the fire. It had bitten its own flesh, in what a biologist said was likely an involuntary reaction as it sought any escape from the pain of being burned alive. Asked what she thought happened, Fernandes responded, Pain. Despair. To the Editor: A familiar, burning rage came over me as I read Time Off for Parenting Angers Childless in the Tech Industry (front page, Sept. 6) during Labor Day weekend. My husband and two kids had scattered to different sections of our small home so we could each seek as much alone time as possible under the extended quarantine and more than two weeks of unhealthy smoke from nearby forest fires. What struck me most was how absent the pandemic was in this story. The nonparents complaining about their unequal workplace accommodations failed to even acknowledge that Covid-19 was driving the urgent need for more workplace flexibility. Ultimately, this isnt about parents or nonparents. This is about a large portion of the work force coping the best they can with a long-term disaster not of their own making. If a company had an office in a region destroyed by a hurricane, we would afford our colleagues the time they needed to get to safety and regain some semblance of normalcy. For parents in the time of Covid, this is our reality: six months and counting. No one wants to return to normal more than we do. Ashley Boyd Berkeley, Calif. The writer is a vice president at the Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit owner of the Mozilla Corporation, the maker of Firefox. RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the results from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial, that demonstrate BI 425809 met its primary endpoint. The data showed improvement in cognition in stable adult patients with schizophrenia. Central to many everyday tasks, impairment of cognitive function still constitutes a major burden for patients and no pharmacological treatments are currently approved for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). These results, presented at the 33rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress, will advance the understanding of how deficits in transmission of signals between nerve cells may contribute to diminishing cognition in people living with schizophrenia. The Gly-T1 inhibitor, BI 425809, forms a key component of Boehringer Ingelheim's Central Nervous System (CNS) research program. The latest trial results, along with an ongoing combination Phase II study of BI 425809 and adjunctive computerized cognitive training, will help determine the direction for BI 425809 in further schizophrenia research. BI 425809 is an investigational compound. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Prof. W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker, Medical University Innsbruck: "The outcome of this trial is an important step forward in our understanding of cognition in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairment causes significant challenges for people in their everyday functioning. Patients with schizophrenia struggle with remembering things like birthdays, learning new tasks, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life. Advancing our understanding of how we might improve these symptoms in schizophrenia is significant for the research community and the patients and families living with this condition." The Phase II results of BI 425809 in cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia are being further evaluated to assess how they will support the continued research development for the treatment of schizophrenia. "The trial results for our investigational compound BI 425809 in schizophrenia are encouraging. This is a positive advancement in our mechanistic knowledge of how excitatory neurotransmissions affect aspects of mental illness, aligning with our systematic neurobiological approach to CNS research," adds Vikas Mohan Sharma, M.D., head of medicine CNS, Retinopathies & Emerging Areas, Boehringer Ingelheim. "We recognize this is important news for people affected by schizophrenia. We are making progress in developing treatments which will not only reveal important advances in our understanding of schizophrenia but also potentially other neuropsychiatric diseases." Cognition is a fundamental aspect of everyday life, including problem solving, memory and attention. When affected, people living with poor cognition can have a reduced mental ability to process information, remember straightforward things or perceive other people's emotions and expressions. These functions are common to many forms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and depression. Finding solutions for cognitive impairment is a key area of Boehringer Ingelheim CNS research. About BI 425809 Phase II Studies Study 1346.9 was a Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial across 11 countries in patients with schizophrenia receiving stable treatment. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of add-on, once-daily, oral BI 425809 at doses of 225 mg for 12 weeks. The study assessed the change from baseline in cognitive function as measured by the total score of the composite Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) score after 12 weeks of treatment. These findings suggest that BI 425809 may improve cognition in patients with CIAS. In addition, BI 425809 was well tolerated, with no differences in psychiatric adverse events or suicidality between groups. Study 1346.38 is an ongoing study with BI 425809. The aim is to determine the role of increased cognitive stimulation in the form of adjunctive computerized cognitive training to aid the efficacy of pharmacological compounds such as BI 425809 on cognitive functioning. These trials are part of Boehringer Ingelheim's early stage central nervous system (CNS) clinical trial program. In addition to pharmacological investigation Boehringer Ingelheim is applying several digital innovations as part of the clinical trial program to find solutions for patients with neuropsychiatric diseases. About Boehringer Ingelheim in CNS https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/innovation/human-pharma/innovation-cns-disease-research? About Boehringer Ingelheim Making new and better medicines for humans and animals is at the heart of what we do. Our mission is to create breakthrough therapies that change lives. Since its founding in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is independent and family-owned. We have the freedom to pursue our long-term vision, looking ahead to identify the health challenges of the future and targeting those areas of need where we can do the most good. As a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company, more than 51,000 employees create value through innovation daily for our three business areas: Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around $21.3 billion (19 billion euros). Our significant investment of over $3.9 billion (3.5 billion euros) in R&D drives innovation, enabling the next generation of medicines that save lives and improve quality of life. We realize more scientific opportunities by embracing the power of partnership and diversity of experts across the life-science community. By working together, we accelerate the delivery of the next medical breakthrough that will transform the lives of patients now, and in generations to come. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation and is part of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies. In addition, there are Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health in Duluth, GA and Boehringer Ingelheim Fremont, Inc. in Fremont, CA. Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and strengthening our communities. Please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/csr to learn more about Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. For more information, please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Communications Susan Holz Phone: 203-798-4265 Email: [email protected] Further Media Channels www.facebook.com/BoehringerUS www.twitter.com/boehringerus www.youtube.com/user/BoehringerUS SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a leading national commercial real estate financing company, announced that Pharrah Jackson has been named Vice President of Finance for Greystone Affordable Development, a recapitalization and redevelopment manager in the affordable housing sector, reporting to the groups president and CEO, Tanya Eastwood. In her new role within Greystones family of companies, Ms. Jackson will lead a team of analysts and underwriters responsible for securing debt and equity for all of Greystones affordable housing development transactions. Ms. Jackson has more than 20 years of affordable housing experience that spans production, underwriting, closing, servicing and asset management. During her long tenure with Greystone, she has been involved in the financing of over 1,000 affordable housing properties totaling more than $8 billion in debt, having most recently served as Managing Director of the companys industry-leading affordable lending group. Ms. Jackson is also a member of the Mortgage Bankers Associations Affordable Rental Housing Advisory Council. Ms. Jackson began her career as a closing assistant with Washington Mortgage (now PGIM) and has also worked at other Agency lending firms including Red Mortgage and Walker & Dunlop. I am thrilled to welcome Pharrah to Greystone Affordable Developments executive team, said Ms. Eastwood. Not only will she bring a tremendous amount of industry knowledge and experience to our Development team, but she will also be a great leader and mentor within our organization. Greystone Affordable Development, an affiliate of Greystone & Co. II LLC, is a development and transaction management group focused on meeting the challenges associated with the creation, preservation, and recapitalization of multifamily affordable housing throughout the US. To date, the group has coordinated the rehabilitation and preservation of nearly 14,000 apartment units with another 5,300 in various stages of completion across 14 states. The groups mission is to create meaningful and significant impacts on communities by helping to provide low to moderate income households with decent, safe affordable housing. About Greystone Greystone is a national commercial real estate finance company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac lender in these sectors. Our range of services includes commercial lending across a variety of platforms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS, FHA, USDA, bridge and proprietary loan products. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Company LLC, Greystone Funding Company LLC and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greystone.com. PRESS CONTACT: Karen Marotta Greystone 212-896-9149 Karen.Marotta@greyco.com DOHC Over the years, weve witnessed an ever-growing number of groovy custom two-wheelers come out of Indonesias capital, Jakarta. The countrys permissive traffic laws allow moto surgeons to go absolutely wild, and the final results are often awe-inspiring. Quite frankly, Ive got nothing but love for these spectacular displays of sheer creativity!Additionally, the countrys annual Kustomfest helps bring the masterpieces of countless workshops and solo craftsmen under one roof. Let me tell you, this show hosts some of the raddest works of mechanical art youll ever come across, period.In fact, lets dive in a little deeper and have a look at one sinister 1995 Suzuki GSX-R750-based project. One thing to keep in mind is that this marvel is the result of a single mans painstaking efforts. The ambitious fellow goes by the name of Rusdie Jafin, and his glorious creation should give you a pretty clear idea as to what these Indonesian folks are capable of achieving.Before we go into any details about Jafins menacing leviathan, well kick things off by mentioning a few of the original bike's specs. Suzukis 1995 model in the GSX-R750 range is put in motion by a four-strokeinline-four powerplant, with four valves per cylinder and a colossal displacement of 749cc.This liquid-cooled monstrosity will generate a whopping 127 bhp at 12,000 rpm, joined by up to 58 pound-feet (79 Nm) of torque output at around 9,000 revs. A six-speed constant mesh transmission is tasked with channeling the behemoths force to its rear 17-inch three-spoke alloy wheel through a chain final drive. Ultimately, Suzukis untamed beast is blessed with a generous top speed of 153 mph (246 kph).At the front, GSX-R750 is supported by a couple of 43 mm (1.7 inches) Showa inverted forks, along with a single shock absorber and a double-sided swingarm on the opposite end. Braking duties are taken care of by dual 310 mm (12.2 inches) rotors and Nissin six-piston calipers up front, accompanied by a 280 mm (11 inches) disc and a two-piston caliper from Nissin at the rear.Now, Jafin began by disposing of the bikes bulky bodywork to make room for his very own hand-crafted counterparts, including a retro-style fuel tank and a one-off tail section that help achieve the desired cafe racer aesthetic.The following step consisted of transplanting an Aprilia RVX 1000s Ohlins forks and a Kawasaki ZX9s swingarm onto his unique two-wheeled beauty. Furthermore, its multi-spoked aftermarket wheels wear a Honda CBX550Fs front and rear braking setup, which prides itself with fresh Brembo components.While the brakes appearance might mislead you into thinking they are drum modules, you may be surprised to find that they hide ventilated discs. GSX-R750's four-cylinder mill breathes with ease, thanks to a custom straight-cut exhaust system. Needless to say, this thing is one noisy little devil!Last but not least, Jafin topped things off by treating his new ride to a neat matte black finish that brings about some very rugged vibes.Personally, Im hoping to see this talented guy tackling more projects in the future. At this pace, wed certainly find his exploits featured on the upcoming editions of Kustomfests tasty goodness.What are your thoughts on this magnificent creature? New Delhi: BJPs campaign to wrest power from Congress in Uttarakhand on Monday received a shot in the arm with former PCC president Yashpal Arya joining the saffron party in the presence of its president Amit Shah. Apart from Arya, his son Sanjeev Arya and former party legislator from Yamunotri Kedar Singh Rawat, also joined BJP. Arya, a Congress veteran, lashed out at party leadership, saying it no longer represented the core values of the party and expressed his faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shahs leadership. He, along with was joined with other senior BJP leaders from the state during his meeting with Shah. Arya, a six-term MLA, has reportedly been upset with the functioning of Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Meanwhile, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand BJP hailed Aryas joining of party, saying it was a big jolt to the Congress ahead of state Assembly elections slated next month. ALSO READ | Elections 2017: BJP announces candidate list for 64 seats in Uttarakhand, 149 seats for 1st and 2nd Phase of UP Polls It is a big jolt to the Congress. It also vindicates our stand that the party in power was heading for a second vertical split after the first it experienced in March last year when nine party heavyweights deserted it, state BJP spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan told PTI. It has now become clear that the Congress in Uttarakhand is a sinking boat which no one wants to ride, he said. Induction of all these leaders would definitely strengthen the BJP ahead of the polls, he said, adding Arya was a veteran with a mass support base in Kumaon region. Arya wields tremendous clout not only in Bajpur, the seat he represented in the state assembly but also in Nainital from where he won several times in erstwhile undivided Uttar Pradesh, he said. Arya takes the number of sitting Congress MLAs joining BJP after the political crisis in Uttarakhand last year to 11, 10 rebels joining the party earlier who have already been disqualified from the state assembly under the anti-defection law. The former PCC chief had the longest tenure at the helm of the partys state unit. He was PCC president for consecutive two terms and a minister in Harish Rawats Cabinet. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. President repeatedly played down threat from Covid (Getty) The editor of a respected science magazine has strongly condemned the president, as it emerged he had intentionally played down the threat posed by the coronavirus. As the number of infections in the US passed 6.5m and the number of fatalities approached 200,000, excepts of a new book by Bob Woodward revealed the president privately was aware of the seriousness posed by the virus and the pandemic it had triggered. This is deadly stuff, the president told Mr Woodward in February, one of 18 he had with the veteran reporter and exposer of the Watergate scandal, for his new book, Rage. You just breathe the air and that's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. Questioned over the discrepancy over what he was saying in private and his proclamations in public - the president repeatedly claimed the virus was no more deadly than the flu - Mr Trump said he did not want to overly scare people. The fact is, I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country. And I don't want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic as you say, he said. And certainly, I'm not going to drive this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence. We want to show strength. We want to show strength as a nation. And that's what I've done. Mr Trump has been widely criticised over his decisions. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, termed them a life-and-death betrayal of the American people. He knew how dangerous it was. And while the deadly disease ripped through our nation, he failed to do his job on purpose, he said. Now the editor in chief of Science magazine, Herbert Holden Thorp, has also admonished the president, saying his actions represented the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy. When President Donald Trump began talking to the public about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in February and March, scientists were stunned at his seeming lack of understanding of the threat, he wrote in an editorial. Story continues We assumed that he either refused to listen to the White House briefings that must have been occurring or that he was being deliberately sheltered from information to create plausible deniability for federal inaction. He said that because Mr Woodward recorded the interview, the world can hear Mr Trump in his own words admitting how serious it actually was. As he was playing down the virus to the public, Trump was not confused or inadequately briefed: He flat-out lied, repeatedly, about science to the American people, he wrote. These lies demoralised the scientific community and cost countless lives in the United States. Mr Thorp, whose comments were highlighted by HuffPost wrote that over the years the magazine had commented often on the scientific foibles of US presidents. Inadequate action on climate change and environmental degradation during both Republican and Democratic administrations has been criticised frequently, he said. But now, a president has deliberately lied about science in a way that was imminently dangerous to human health and directly led to widespread deaths of Americans. He added: This may be the most shameful moment in the history of US science policy. Read more Networks boycott Trump event over his repeat breach of coronavirus guidelines UK coronavirus cases rise by more than 3,000 for third day in a row Refugees trapped in war-torn Libya lose all hope as coronavirus sees evacuations plummet MOSCOW - The main Kremlin party has retained its dominance in regional elections across Russia, but the opposition made gains in some areas in a challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to early official results released Monday. Voters in dozens of Russian regions cast ballots Sunday to elect regional governors, members of provincial legislatures and city councils. The vote comes weeks after the Kremlins most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Sundays vote was an important test for Navalnys supporters, who were campaigning to win seats in several regional legislatures. Navalny, who fell ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20, was rushed to a hospital in Germany. Specialist labs in France and Sweden have confirmed German findings that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. Navalnys associates have accused the Kremlin of ordering the poisoning, a claim Russian officials have vehemently rejected. Last week, the hospital treating Navalny said his condition has improved, allowing doctors to take him out of an induced coma. In the city of Novosibirsk, which Navalny visited days before falling ill, the head of his regional headquarters, Sergei Boiko, won a seat in the city council. The main Kremlin party, United Russia, which Navalny has contemptuously dubbed a party of crooks and thieves, lost its majority on Novosibirsks city council, according to the preliminary returns. And in Tomsk, the Siberian city Navalny departed from when he collapsed on the plane to Moscow, his representative Ksenia Fadeyeva also secured a city council seat. She thanked voters for their support, tweeting that it was important to win after what happened. Navalny was poisoned in Tomsk, and this is the best counterblow from our headquarters, top Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter. In many regional races, Navalnys supporters have pushed a smart voting strategy, urging voters to support the candidates who have the best chance of defeating those who run on United Russia tickets, irrespective of their political affiliation. That approach seemed to work in some of the races, with candidates with the Communist Party, socialist-oriented Just Russia and the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party posting gains in several regions. However, the impact of those wins is yet to be seen as the three parties are nominally in opposition but usually toe the Kremlins line on all key issues in the federal parliament. Before the main election day, polls were open for two days of early voting a new practice that independent observers said could open additional avenues for manipulations. The independent vote-monitoring group Golos said that in some regions election officials barred observers from polling stations and restricted their access to voting results. The regional elections were a key test for the Kremlin after the July 1 constitutional vote that could allow Putin to stay in power until 2036. While the plebiscite was intended to consolidate his hold on power, it was tarnished by widespread reports of pressure on voters and other irregularities. Putin, who has been in power for more than two decades longer than any Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin argued that resetting the clock on his tenure to allow him to serve two more six-year terms was needed to prevent a succession battle between his lieutenants. He said he would decide later whether to run again. Putins popularity reached a peak after Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea but dwindled steadily in the following years under the impact of economic woes and the governments unpopular decision to raise the retirement age. Plummeting incomes and rising unemployment during the coronavirus outbreak further dented Putins approval ratings. In a challenge to the Kremlin, residents of the city of Khabarovsk on the border with China, have staged regular rallies for two months to protest the arrest of the local governor. Read more about: FSU Assistant Professor of Biological Science Sophie McCoy and her team are proposing formal definitions for algae species and subcategories for the research community to consider: They are recommending algae be classified first by DNA and then by other traits. The work, which includes collaborations with Stacy Krueger-Hadfield, assistant professor of biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Nova Mieszkowska, a research fellow at the Marine Biological Association in the United Kingdom, was published this week in the Journal of Phycology . "Algal species should evolve separately from other lineages, so that's DNA-based, but we should also take into account differences in their ecology, such as what they look like or their role in the environment," McCoy said. The article was published as a perspective rather than offering definitive answers, and the team hopes the larger scientific community will comment on it and start an important conversation. Algae matter more than most people realize because the organisms make about half of the oxygen in the world, McCoy said. Humanity depends on algae, as does the entire food web of the ocean. Scientists have established ways to define animal species, such as determining an organism's ability to produce viable offspring that can subsequently reproduce. For instance, a horse and a donkey can create a mule, but a mule cannot reproduce. That helps classify horses and donkeys as separate species. But that type of categorization doesn't work well for algae because it has unique and complex life stages and very often interbreeds with other algal species. "Rather than having a 'species tree,' like a family tree, algae have more of a web," McCoy said. That intricacy has made it difficult to formalize categories to classify algae species. Some scientists might classify offspring of two algal species as a distinct new species while others would not. Or some might classify algae species by discrete DNA while others classify by physical characteristics. "We aren't all using the same rules, so are we actually looking at different breeds or populations and then artificially calling them species?" McCoy said. "Depending on how we apply these rules, the number of species could go way up or way down." The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The IUCN red list helps scientists evaluate a species' extinction risk. So, how a species is defined changes the perception of biodiversity and conservation, she said. Beyond conservation, catastrophes -- from algal blooms in waterways to the destruction of coral reefs -- could be mitigated by discussing and clarifying algal species classification. McCoy said some of the mysteries surrounding this type of growth are likely related to a lack of uniform identification. "If we are mistakenly separating or grouping species, we're just not going to understand how different types of algae are responding to pollution or climate change," she said. This philosophical change in what it means to be a species is a starting point for McCoy and the team. In addition to starting a conversation, she plans to conduct research that builds on the concept over the next year. ### Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during the autumn months, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Israel was among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday under which people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. The announcement sparked a wave of anger. "It's unfair!" said Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress. "They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic in China late last year, as global cases rapidly approach 29 million. "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP in an interview. But he stressed that the pandemic was "going to finish, at one moment or another", as WHO Europe's 55 members started a two-day online meeting focusing on their response to the virus. Millions back to school The latest surge has sparked alarm across Europe -- a Czech expert warned that his country's health system faces being overwhelmed if the virus continues to spread at its current rate. It has also reheated the debate over how best to respond to the rise in infections, with England limiting social gatherings to no more than six people from Monday. On the other hand, millions of schoolchildren in other affected countries returned to their classrooms for the first time in months. Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months on Monday. Although officials said thousands of extra classrooms had been set up, there were concerns over a lack of surgical masks for teachers and a shortage of single-seat benches. Some southern Italian regions postponed their reopening, worried that they were not properly prepared. Trump rally 'reckless' While Europe battles with rising infections, other parts of the world are tentatively easing restrictions. In a sign of a growing readiness to reopen, Saudi Arabia said it would partially lift a six-month suspension of international flights this week and South Korea said it would ease rules in and around the capital Seoul after cases declined. The backlash against the restrictions is also being factored in by beleaguered governments. Australian police arrested dozens at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sunday after crowds defied stay-at-home orders, which came after rallies in Germany and Poland on Saturday attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Such rallies are relatively common in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Donald Trump, under pressure for his campaigning for the economy to reopen in face of catastrophic figures, was criticised for holding big rallies over the weekend. "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," state governor Steve Sisolak, who is from the rival Democratic Party, tweeted ahead of the Sunday rally. Trump, who used the rally to boast about his success dealing with the pandemic, called Sisolak a "political hack" and urged the crowd to "tell your governor to open your state". 'Exhausted' health workers' There was some good news in Britain, where regulators allowed clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental vaccines. Researchers on the joint AstraZeneca-Oxford University project, who hope to finish tests by the end of the year, had "voluntarily paused" the trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. A vaccine is considered crucial to the fight against the virus, but the WHO's Kluge said the public should not put all their hopes on a single drug. "I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not," he said, explaining that the end of the pandemic would come when communities learn to live with the disease. Meanwhile, the wider effects of the pandemic are biting hard on medical staff and strained health systems. "I gave birth a fortnight ago, and once you're in hospital you realise that the nurses, the carers... they don't have the means," said Severine at a rally in Brussels on Sunday for better health funding. "They're always being asked for more, always too much, they're exhausted." Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. South Africa: G20 Water Ministers commit to extend access to water Despite the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, G20 Water Ministers have affirmed their commitment to cooperate closely. The Ministers will also take concrete actions to maintain existing services and accelerate access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services across the world. The Ministers made the commitment during a virtual G20 Agriculture and Water Ministers held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday. South Africas Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu joined the global Ministers of Agriculture and Water in discussions to strengthen policy cooperation towards food security and nutrition, as well as towards tackling water management challenges. South Africa, which was part of the meeting, was the only representative from Africa that participated and raised crucial issues that concern not only the country, but the region and the continent as a whole. The Ministerial meeting highlighted the devastating human losses and suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic globally and its impact on food security and nutrition, hygiene, and water and sanitation. The G20 Ministerial committee adopted a Ministerial Declaration, which will ensure provision of adequate access to safe and affordable water to households, including in health care facilities. This is in a bid to enable critical hygienic measures such as handwashing to be practiced. Addressing water challenges Regarding water challenges, the G20 Ministerial committee encouraged the international community to work more closely together, sharing innovation and best practice,s and maximise synergies towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 6. The G20 Ministerial Committee also raised a concern about the impact of water scarcity and poor water quality, as well as the significant impact on biodiversity and ecosystems. They further called on countries to prioritise water demand management and conservation and substantially increase water use efficiency and water productivity. Sisulu said that the G20 Dialogue on Water is long overdue and that it came at a critical time of the unprecedented pandemic that puts water at the centre of all interventions. This current situation reawakened in us the notion that water is life and is central to all human development, Minister Sisulu said. In her address to the G20 Ministers, Sisulu endorsed the statement made by the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski, when he said water is vitally important in our sustainability as the human species. The Minister said South Africa supports the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration. Water is a vital concern at all levels and water challenges affect human life, peoples livelihoods, global supply chains, food security, nutrition and ecosystems. It is crucial and urgent that we work towards attracting and increasing water-related investment, innovation, and water security, if we are to achieve the objectives of this forum, Sisulu said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. LAKEVILLE During his long career, attorney Thomas T.C. Morrison litigated cases involving trademark and trade infringement, working for the firm Belknap Webb & Tyler. He helped the firm pioneer the field of false advertising, where national advertisers can sue competitors for false or unsubstantiated claims. The experience led Morrison, in his retirement, to write his first book, Torts R Us, which takes a humorous look at these types of cases, as well as the attorneys who take them on. The characters, brothers named Patrick A. Peters (Pap) and his twin brother Prescott U. Peters (Pup), are lawyers with a distinctive eye for opportunity, Morrison said. Pap convinces Pup, who is a good lawyer, that they should leave their respective big-firm practices in New York City to start a practice as class-action lawyers. The brothers meet a variety of clients, judges and lawyers as they embark on a resourceful and unique approach to lawyer-client relationships The book has 34 chapters, and the first 12 or so are background stories about the lawyers, Morrison said. They grew up in Greenwich, and worked for big law firms, but they got bored and started this class-action law firm. All of the cases that are involved are in those early chapters; they are based on cases that I actually handled. The cases Morrison details in his novel are quite amusing he said. For example, one of the cases is called Breath Magic, and it mirrors a case that I tried in the 1990s. It was a false advertising case. My client made a series of mints and gum for bad breath. The defendant was from South Africa, and he claimed that bad breath originates from the stomach, not the mouth. Of course, thats not true, but he created Breath Assure, saying that mints and gums werent getting at the problem. It was a totally bogus argument. In the real case, Morrison found an expert on bad breath, who had written a book with the same title. We had a trial in New Jersey, and after about three days, the (defendants) lawyers asked for a continuance, and came back with a settlement agreement. They dropped 23 of the 24 claims. They can no longer say that Breath Assure works, Morrison said. Thats what false advertisement laws are for, he said. This is a fairly wild case, in my judgment, because it was so ridiculous. I realized I was involved in a lot of humorous cases. A Columbus, Ohio, native, Morrison began his career after graduating from Otterbein University in Ohio and New York University Law School, where he was a Root-Tilden Scholar. He served active duty as a legal officer in the Air Force for four years, and then joined the New York City law firm of Rogers & Wells, becoming a partner in 1975. In 1977, he moved to Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, and spent the next 34 years trying cases and arguing appeals around the country. During the last five years of his career, Morrison joined a New York law office of a Los Angeles-based firm, where most of their cases were based on advertising class-action suits. Companies were suing for false advertising, he said. The company spends its money, and it either wins or loses. The cases were brought to my clients for really frivolous things. ... For example, something wasnt natural because of one minuscule ingredient, or because something wasnt fresh. These cases might have been interesting for a look from the Federal Trade Commission, at labeling, for example, but the amount of federal class actions, on behalf of consumers, doesnt really work out. Guess who benefits? he said. The lawyers do. The average consumers get a few dollars, maybe a coupon. I started thinking, these cases are ridiculous. They clog the courts, and drive up the costs. Thats what really got me interested in the class-action side of my book, he said. Torts R Us is a satirical farce, Morrison said. Everyone in the stories are a bit farcical; the lawyers, the judges, the clients, he said. But the underlying message is that our class-action system has gone a big awry. Class actions serve a legitimate purpose if youre talking about plane crashes, or bombings, or the Bernie Madoff scandal. Thats what class actions are designed to deal with, and thats the underlying thesis of the book, even though its done in a humorous manner. Since it was published Aug. 19, Torts R Us is receiving positive reviews on Amazon, where it can be purchased. The trick on Amazon is to get good reviews, so that Amazon will begin to promote it, Morrison said. There are 29 reviews, and 28 are five stars. Theyre quite good the reviews are witty and humorous. From that standpoint, Im very pleased. He took part in a podcast recently with a reporter from the Washington Times, and is planning another soon. Once the pandemic calms down, the author hopes to give some in-person talks, perhaps at local bookstores and libraries. Although Torts R Us is his first book, its not his first attempt at writing. When I was in the Air Force, I actually wrote a spy novel, he said. I sent it to one or two publishers; they turned it down, and I didnt really pursue it. What do I know about spy novels anyway? Instead, he focused on his litigation, and wrote many, many briefs. The trick in writing briefs is to write them in plain English, he said. Youre trying to convince a judge, so its important. I concentrated on that, and read a lot of books and heard lectures about writing. I enjoyed being in court, of course, but I loved to write. Morrison discovered Litchfield County while he was practicing law in New York. It was my career that introduced me to the northwest corner of Connecticut, he explained. I was involved in a surrogate court case in New Jersey, but it involved a family-owned business, Bantam Mills. When the father died, he left unclear instructions on who was to run the business. My client was one of three sisters, and she wanted to be in charge, but another sister was president of the company. We had 12 lawsuits in courts all over New York and Connecticut, until it was resolved. Because I wasnt admitted to practice in Connecticut, I hooked with an attorney in Lakeville, and we worked at the Litchfield County Courthouse, that beautiful historic building in the center of Litchfield, Morrison said. I loved the area. He then introduced his wife, Sarah, to the northwest corner. She fell in love with the area, he said, and the couple had their retirement home built in Lakeville in 2007. We didnt move here full-time until I retired at the end of 2015, he said. Until then, it was our weekend home. The Morrisons are happy in their new home. I enjoyed growing up in Columbus, and I lived in Stamford and Weston, but Ive never been happier than in Lakeville, Morrison said. The couple has an adult son ,who is a congressional staff member in Washington, D.C., and Morrison has two older sons from his first marriage. After settling in Lakeville as full-time residents, the Morrisons found ways to get involved in the community. In my case, Im on the board at Music Mountain, the oldest chamber music festival in the country, and Im chairman of the Lakeville Republican Town Committee, he said. We actually reinstituted the committee in 2018; it had gone dormant. The committee was extremely conservative, and this town is not conservative. ... So a group of us got together, and said, lets resurrect it. Its going well; were badly outnumbered, since theres less than 500 registered Republicans in town, and many are unaffiliated or Democrat. My wife, Sarah, is very active with the Salisbury Association, Morrison said. Almost everyone is a registered Democrat, and they tell her how theyre so glad weve resurrected the Republican Town Committee. For information and to order a copy of Torts R Us, visit https://tortsrusbook.com . Bay Area restaurants struggling to survive multiple crises including low customer turnout due to smoke-filled skies and limited indoor dining options because of the pandemic have yet another hurdle to overcome: dwindling federal aid at a time when its needed most. At the center of the looming disaster is Paycheck Protection Program funding, which restaurants will have completely exhausted by November, with no additional federal aid on the horizon. The federal loans are intended to help businesses keep workers on payroll, and thousands of beleaguered Bay Area restaurants used them to survive the pandemics initial shutdown orders, but have now almost used them up. According to one local restaurateur, the situation could present an extinction event for restaurants if more restaurant-specific aid doesnt arrive soon. Pim Techamuanvivit is trying to make the math work when it comes to using her PPP loan to keep her San Francisco restaurant Nari open, but its a struggle, and she feels time is running out. Techamuanvivit spent roughly 70% of her PPP funding within a few weeks of receiving it this summer. It helped her make ends meet for a brief time, and ensured that dozens of her employees retained health insurance. But now more bills are on the horizon, no new revenue is coming in, and there is no clear timeline for when operations at Nari can return to normal. The circumstances are dire but familiar in the Bay Area. At the time, the loans were a glimmer of hope. But for many, that money is gone, and now the industry appears as though its returning to the precarious position it was in during March and April, when the local food scene was quickly collapsing. Restaurateurs and industry advocates say that businesses will likely close this fall until theres more government funding or the pandemic ends. Some closures will be temporary, but other restaurants will likely never reopen. Nothing has gotten better, said restaurateur Laurie Thomas of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, an organization advocating for restaurants in San Francisco. Honestly, its about to get worse. Kimberley Hasselbrink / Special to The Chronicle Most local restaurants that applied for PPP right away received their loans at the end of April, meaning theyll run out by November. The vast majority of those were small loans $150,000 or less. Agreements stipulated that the money primarily be used for payroll and various other expenses within 24 weeks if restaurants wanted to have 100% of the loan forgiven. The $349 billion program began in March and ran out in two weeks. An additional $310 billion in funding was approved in April, and when it stopped accepting new applications on Aug. 8, about $130 million remained, money which has yet to be repurposed. For Nari, Techamuanvivit received $220,000 in PPP funding. She has been paying about $14,000 per month in health insurance costs for her employees, most of whom she had already laid off or furloughed due to the pandemic. Add in some operational costs and Techamuanvivit said shes currently left with less than $30,000 just enough to keep paying for staff health insurance a little longer. Mission District restaurant Prubechu will soon run out of its federal loan dollars, too, and co-owner Shawn Camacho is brainstorming what to do. November marks the start of cold, rainy weather, which might make outdoor dining another saving grace for Prubechu impossible. Camacho said hes trying to find a solution for wet nights on the patio; otherwise the combination of no outdoor dining and no federal aid could be dire. Once that goes, the bucket starts leaking again, Camacho said of the PPP funds. If we go through another lockdown or business doesnt pick up, were either treading water or sinking. Techamuanvivits flagship restaurant, Kin Khao in San Francisco, is temporarily closed. Its located near Union Square, where during the pandemic, she said, there has been little foot traffic. Techamuanvivit is planning to open a fast-casual version of Kin Khao in the citys more lively Dogpatch neighborhood, in hopes of generating enough revenue to prop up her mini-empire long enough to survive the pandemic. Quince owner and restaurateur Lindsay Tusk is advocating for the federal Restaurants Act pending in Congress, which would provide $120 billion in relief for independent restaurants, but its unclear whether the bill will even get a vote. Come the fall, if we dont get this Restaurants Act fast, I dont see how the majority of restaurants will be able to stay open much longer, said Michael Tusk, who, with wife Lindsay, owns San Franciscos Quince, Cotogna and Verjus. Its going to be very brutal. The outlook for the restaurant industrys future has been bleak for months. In July, the restaurant review site Yelp released data showing that more than 2,000 businesses in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area had already permanently closed during the pandemic. More than 300 of those businesses were categorized as restaurants, and the numbers have since grown. Meanwhile, the PPP program has been an imperfect solution for restaurants from the beginning. Some ran out of the funds long ago and have had to make cuts. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. San Francisco Mexican restaurant The Little Chihuahua was one of the few locals to receive the loan on the first round in early April, when businesses had to use all the funds within eight weeks. The loan allowed the restaurant group, which operated four locations at the time, to reopen and get staff working again, but ultimately it wasnt enough to sustain all the restaurants. The Mission District location closed permanently in August. For others, the communication around the use of the loan has been so confusing that they havent spent it. Funky Elephant, a tiny Thai restaurant in Berkeley run by the husband-and-wife team of chef Supasit Puttikaew and Nanchaphon Laptanachai, got a loan in May but waited until July to start using it, in part because everybody they spoke with at the bank gave them different information. Even though restaurants can use 40% of PPP on expenses unrelated to payroll, such as rent and utilities, Laptanachai is worried about the rules changing again or acting on bad information, perhaps forcing Funky Elephant to pay back some of the loan. Thats not worth the risk, so shes using the loan only for payroll which isnt much at this point. Many of her staffers dont want to come into work because of their health, she said. Instead of rehiring everyone, she and her husband have been working mostly by themselves. Shell sometimes bring on a dishwasher or line cook to help on busy nights. Other restaurants never got a loan at all due to confusion. San Franciscos Chicken as Cluck restaurant, which applied for PPP funding early on, was told it had already submitted an application by the U.S. Small Business Administration. According to owner Bua Vanitsthian, a business with a similar name also applied to receive a loan and the confusion ultimately kept them from being able to secure funding. Berkeley Japanese restaurant Fish & Bird Sousaku Izakaya was told in June that it had been approved for the money, but the lender asked for more documents, and then more documents, and went weeks without responding to emails, according to owner Yoshika Hedberg. Then, on August 13, Hedberg got an email stating the deadline had expired, and the lender wouldnt be able to get Fish & Bird a PPP loan unless Congress passed another round of funding. Hedberg had been counting on that loan, as the restaurant has been getting busier but currently can only afford to have two people on payroll. Were in limbo, waiting for the government to get their act together, she said. Wed really like to staff up, but we cant right now. As Techamuanvivit continues coordinating the opening of her fast-casual version of Kin Khao, she said shes keeping a close eye on her financial standing, even if there is little she can do about it. The forthcoming restaurant venture could be a boon for business, but getting it up and running is costing money. And underneath it all is her concern for her staff, whom she hopes to rehire in full after the pandemic, being left without work or health care if she runs out of money. None of us expected this to last so long, and now theres just not enough money to see how we can stay open, Techamuanvivit said. Nobody really knows what to do next. Janelle Bitker and Justin Phillips are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com and jphillips@sfchronicle.com Over 25 parliamentarians have tested positive for coronavirus in the mandatory tests that were conducted before the beginning of the monsoon session. Sources said 17 of the MPs are from Lok Sabha, and nine are from the Rajya Sabha. Among those infected in the Lok Sabha, the BJP has the maximum with 12 MPs, the YRS Congress has two, and the Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP have one each. The Lok Sabha members were tested at the Parliament House on September 13 and 14, sources said. In Rajya Sabha, two each from BJP and Congress and one each from AIADMK,TRS, AAP and TMC were found to be infected. Some leaders tweeted and informed about their Covid-19 report. I was tested positive for COVID. My health is fine but Im being advised to quarantine. Those who was in contact with me from last few days should self isolate and are advised to take the test at the earliest. Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (@JTNBJP) September 14, 2020 After the routine Parliament test for COVID & genome test its confirmed that I have tested positive for the virus. I am currently in good health & spirits. I request everyone who has been recently in contact with me to get tested. Together We will fight & defeat Corona Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) September 14, 2020 The results sparked a Covid-19 scare in Parliament which is meeting with protocols such as social distancing, usage of masks and sanitisers. The Monsoon session is already being held after a long delay and in a truncated fashion. The session normally begins in the last week of June or in the first week of July and lasts for a month. Among the other changes and precautions being undertaken for smooth functioning amid the Covid crisis that has pushed Indias disease burden to over 48.5 lakh cases, the government decided that Lok Sabha will sit from 9 am to 1 pm while the Rajya Sabha will function from 3 pm to 7 pm, with special seating for Members of Parliament (MPs) to ensure social distancing. While close to 200 members were in attendance in the Lok Sabha chamber, over 30 were seated in the visitors gallery situated above the main chamber. A giant TV screen in the Lok Sabha chamber displayed very few Lok Sabha members occupying seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber, meanwhile, in the other venue, Lok Sabha MPs were accommodated following all physical distancing norms. Benches which, generally accommodate six members had a staggered sitting plan for just three. Earlier, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats had issued a detailed set of guidelines for MPs, their personal staff and parliamentary employees, stating that a Covid-19 test report is mandatory for entering Parliament. Doctors in the UK are preparing to trial an experimental 'antibody cocktail' medicine on patients in hospital with Covid-19. The Oxford University team behind the pioneering RECOVERY trial in Britain, which discovered that the steroid dexamethasone can save patients' lives, have announced the newest addition to their study. It is a therapy called REGN-COV2 made by the American biotechnology company Regeneron and will be the first tailor-made Covid-19 therapy to enter a major trial. REGN-COV2 is made using antibodies disease-fighting substances produced naturally by the immune system found in genetically-engineered mice and in actual Covid-19 patients who have recovered from the disease. Scientists hope the therapy will give people the same ability to fend off the disease as survivors. At least 2,000 people at up to 176 hospitals in the UK will be given the therapy as part of the trial, which will compare their recovery to people who receive the same care but without the drug. There are currently around 900 people in hospital in England with Covid-19, according to official statistics. No drugs are currently able to cure Covid-19, although the steroids dexamethasone and hydrocortisone have been shown to be able to reduce the risk of death among the most seriously ill. Regeneron's REGN-COV2 will be trialled on coronavirus patients in UK hospitals as part of Oxford University's ongoing RECOVERY trial (Pictured: A nurse cares for a patient in intensive care at the Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, in May) US-based company Regeneron (New York headquarters pictured) has already been testing its therapy on patients in America 'We have already discovered that one treatment, dexamethasone, benefits Covid-19 patients,' said Professor Peter Horby, from Oxford University. 'but the death rate remains too high so we must keep searching for others. 'The RECOVERY trial was specifically designed so that when promising investigational drugs such as REGN-COV2 became available they can be tested quickly. 'We are looking forward to seeing whether REGN-COV2 is safe and effective in the context of a large-scale randomised clinical trial. 'This is the only way to be certain about whether it works as a treatment for Covid-19.' REGN-COV2 is the first drug that has been specifically designed for coronavirus that will be tested in the RECOVERY trial. Others so far have been drugs already in use for other conditions, including the steroid dexamethasone the trial's biggest success to date. Dexamethasone is a cheap steroid that has been used for decades but experimental use of it on coronavirus patients found that it could cut the risk of death by a third for those on ventilators in intensive care. Professor Horby said when the results were revealed that treating eight people with the drug could save one life and cost just 40 in total. WHAT IS THE RECOVERY TRIAL? More than 12,000 coronavirus patients in the UK have already volunteered to take part in a drug trial run by the University of Oxford to find treatments for Covid-19. The programme is called the RECOVERY Trial (The Randomised Evaluation of COV-id19 thERapY) and is the one of the world's biggest randomised trials, meaning it compares experimental therapy to normal 'standard of care'. The trial got the support of Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and doctors around the country when it launched. Volunteers have since joined the trial from more than 160 NHS trusts around the country and scientists are hopeful more people will continue to sign up if they become seriously ill with Covid-19. Drugs assessed so far include a combination of Lopinavir and Ritonavir (known by the brand name Kaletra), which is used to treat HIV; low-dose Dexamethasone,a steroid used to reduce inflammation; azithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic which may have antiviral properties; and the steroid Tocilizumab. Although it ruled there was 'no clinical benefit' to hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir-ritonavir, RECOVERY announced in June that dexamethasone had been successful in the trial and that it could cut the risk of dying by a third for seriously ill patients. A total of 2,104 patients were randomised to receive 6mg of dexamethasone once a day, either by mouth or by intravenous injection for 10 days. Their outcomes were compared with 4,321 patients given standard care alone, which involves painkillers and, in some cases, antibiotics. For patients on ventilators, the drug cut the risk of death from 40 per cent to 28 per cent (30 per cent reduction). In patients who required oxygen, the risk was reduced from a quarter to a fifth. Advertisement Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the time hailed it as 'the biggest breakthrough yet' and NHS doctors were immediately permitted to use the medication. RECOVERY is one of the world's largest randomised trials of drugs on coronavirus patients, and participants do not know whether they're getting the therapy or not. This is vital for knowing how well the medication works if at all as is the ability to compare their health to people not receiving the treatment. As well as discovering the promise of dexamethasone, RECOVERY was also the study that found hydroxychloroquine an anti-malarial drug that hit global headlines when US President Donald Trump said he was taking it to protect himself didn't work. The Oxford-led trial found there was 'no clinical benefit' of the medicine that had been touted as a cure. People who were given it did not have shorter stays in hospital or improved survival odds, it found. It also ruled that there was no benefit to be had from the HIV drug combination lopinavir-ritonavir. The trials of REGN-COV2 will enrol at least 2,000 people, along with a further 2,000 who won't be given the medicine, and their outcomes will be compared for a month. President of Regeneron, Dr George Yancopoulos, said: 'The world urgently needs new medicines to combat Covid-19, and well-designed trials to evaluate new treatment options will quickly help us learn which are most effective.' And Oxford's Professor Martin Landray added: 'Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have seen the power of randomised trials to provide rigorous assessment of potential treatments. 'Up to now, we have largely been studying whether existing drugs can be re-purposed to tackle this new disease. 'But we now have the opportunity to rigorously assess the impact of a drug specifically designed to target this coronavirus. 'There are good reasons to be excited about this new development RECOVERY will provide a robust assessment of the effect of this lab-manufactured monoclonal antibody combination treatment in hospitalised patients. 'We are very grateful to the patients who have already taken part in the trial and to those who will participate in this next phase of RECOVERY. 'We would not be able to find the best treatments without their support and that of the thousands of hospital and research staff who are working with us.' Independent scientists also welcomed the news, saying that the RECOVERY trial would be the best way to assess whether REGN-COV2 works. Covid-19 expert at the London medical research charity Wellcome, Nick Cammack, said: 'Finding effective treatments will transform the impact of the pandemic on lives and economies across the world. 'Dexamethasone remains the only drug that has made a significant difference to patient mortality from Covid-19: we need many more. 'Investing in research into a wide range of treatments, alongside vaccines and testing, and ensuring all advances are fairly available globally, remains our only exit from the pandemic.' REGN-COV2 is made up of two monoclonal antibodies (REGN10933 and REGN10987). These are man-made antibodies natural substances in the blood that can attack destroy viruses that act like the ones in the immune system. The cocktail of drugs targets two components in the spike protein of the Covid-19 virus with the aim of interrupting its ability to infect living cells. Republicans rabid anti-communism is a sign of their political weakness Joe McCarthy would fit right in at this years Republican National Convention (RNC). Denouncing communists both real and, more often than not, imaginary was the bread and butter for the 1950s red-baiting senator from Wisconsin. At the dawn of the Cold War, the bogeyman of the Soviet Union was the stick used to beat back a strong labor movement and a growing left in the United States. Today, Trump and the GOP are trying the same trick. History repeats. But as the granddaddy of communism, Karl Marx, might say, if McCarthyism was the tragedy, then the anti-socialist antics of the Republicans are surely the farce. The message beamed to the televisions of America from the RNC this week is one of impending doom if Trump is not re-elected. It was more than implied, several times, that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are secretly plotting to install a communist dictatorship to kill freedom and hand the country over to Black Lives Matter protesters and foreign countries. Peruse some of the claims made by speakers at the conventions opening night and you will descend into an alternative universe, an apocalyptic world conjured up to distract, divide, and deceive. Florida Rep Matt Gaetz, one of the top Trump toadies in Congress, declared the Woketopians woke utopians? will make Biden an extra in a movie written, produced, and directed by others. The Democrats will apparently disarm everyone, empty out the prisons, lock all of us in our homes, and invite violent gangs to move in next door. Cuban-American businessman Maximo Alvarez praised Trump for standing against the forces of anarchy and communism and implied Biden might be possessed by the ghost of Fidel Castro. When the Cuban revolutionary was asked decades ago if he was a communist, Alvarez claimed, he replied that he was a Roman Catholic. The Democratic nominee, also a Catholic, is hiding the truth, just like Castro did, Alvarez warned, in order to trick America into swallowing the communist poison pill. 26-year-old Charlie Kirk, who heads up the billionaire-backed right-wing astroturf student group Turning Point USA, pitched the election as a decision between preserving America as we know it and eliminating everything we love. His speech peddled in the kind of racial anxiety that motivates many a white supremacist. Trump, Kirk said, is the bodyguard of Western civilization, the only thing standing between our families and the vengeful mob. It doesnt take too much reading between the lines to see exactly what Kirk was really saying: Trump is the defender of white America against angry Black protesters, immigrants, and foreigners. The coded racism and rabid anti-communism (the two almost always go together) continued in the remarks of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the barefoot gun-toting lawyers who are facing charges for threatening peaceful Black Lives Matters protesters in St Louis back in June. Trying to gin up despair among middle- and upper-income whites living outside the cities, they claimed that the Biden-Harris socialist agenda includes abolishing suburbs, eliminating single-family homes, and letting crime, lawlessness, and low-quality apartments invade thriving neighbourhoods. As they spoke, GOP convention producers cut to an image of Black protesters supposedly marching into white suburbia to destroy it led by none other than St Louiss soon-to-be Congresswoman Cori Bush, referred to by the McCloskeys as the Marxist liberal activist leading the mob to our neighbourhood. The whole speech, equating the entry of Black families into majority white neighbourhoods and Black working-class people standing up for justice with Marxist revolution, was dripping with blatant racism. But it was Donald Trump, Jr and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle who most determinedly fanned the anti-communist flames and strove to whip the non-existent convention crowds into a rabid frenzy. With an anger and intensity that could rival Mussolini, Guilfoyle railed against Biden, Harris, and the rest of the socialists, who will allegedly let rioters destroy our cities, allow human sex drug traffickers ... cross our border, and turn America into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks. Its all part of a plan, apparently, to send all our jobs to China and enslave everyone to the weak, dependent, liberal victim ideology. Junior, no doubt eager to impress his father, stuck to repeating the conspiracy theories and lies proffered by the president over the last several months. Coronavirus struck us courtesy of the Chinese Communist Party, which favours Biden. The Marxist millionaires (if ever there was a more paradoxical notion) backing Biden, according to the little Trump, are salivating at the chance to destroy freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the rule of law. The election is really about church, work, and school versus rioting, looting, and vandalism. It is Donald Trump against the evils of communism and radical Islamic terrorism. The conventions opening night showcased everything Republicans must have been hoping to roll out if theyd gotten the chance to run against Bernie Sanders, an actual socialist. Instead, they got Biden, leaving their already lame anti-communist harangues seem more ill-fitting than ever. Now, they have to settle for making Biden and Harris the puppets of the radical leftwhich, translated from Republican-speak, usually means progressive working-class women of color like Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and, now, Cori Bush. When you think about it, it seems confusing that the election strategists and media managers in the Republican Party actually assume their Cold War redux fantasy land TV program will convince very many people that there is an imminent danger of a communist takeover via the supposed maven of Marxism Joe Biden. Do they really expect people to believe all that nonsense? No, they dont. Trumps response to the coronavirus has been a total and complete failure. His incompetence has contributed to making the COVID-19-sparked downturn into possibly the worst economic crisis in our countrys history. His allegiance to the ideology of white supremacy is repulsive to most Americans at a time when righteous anger against systemic racism has brought as much as a tenth of the US population into the streets in protest. These are the things worrying most voters not the socialist apocalypse. The narrative being spun at the RNC is so narrowly focused and so extremist that one can only conclude the puffed-out chests and anti-socialist muscle-flexing are actually nothing but a sign of the GOPs political weakness. Its a sham show of strength. Republicans know that stoking racial hatred and demonising the left are tactics that will only work with a relatively small segment of voters and that small segment is exactly who the party intends to reach this week. The average of current polls shows Trump pulling in 42 per cent against Bidens 51 per cent. Give or take some marginal movement, the gap hasnt changed much for months. That spells trouble for Trump come November 3. Most analysts have already concluded that winning the popular vote is totally out of reach for Trump (reminder: he didnt win the most votes in 2016, either), and with several swing states leaning toward Biden, squeaking out an Electoral College win is also a tall hurdle. The path to re-election for Trump, therefore, rests on activating every single member of his hard core base. One advantage the president has going for him, though, is that his support among that crowd is solid and enthusiastic. The convention programming is intended to fire them up and not let even one MAGA [Make America Great Again] loyalist stay home on Election Day. There is no intention whatsoever of really doing much to expand the Trump electorate; its too late for that. If putting a few Black Republicans on stage can make some white moderates feel Trumps not too racist to give him their vote, then all the better. If some of the white suburban women whove been wavering in their support for the president can be made to ponder her familys safety, thats a bonus. If an ageing anti-Castro fighter convinces some Miami voters to think twice about Biden, thats a gain. But the clear audience for the RNC is precisely those who have been with Trump from the very start. And to mobilise them, the Republican Party is doing exactly what ruling elites throughout recent history have done anytime people united to stand up for working people and fight back against racism. Trump and his crowd throw out charges of communism in order to distract from their own corruption, theft, and failure. Whatever actual Communists propose such as health care for all, jobs for all, peace, democratic control of the economy, an end to racism is irrelevant to the discussion for the GOP. The humanist, democratic ideals of real Marxists not Biden, Harris, or Trumps other targets are never allowed to enter the conversation. When 180,000 people are dead from coronavirus and over 50,000,000 jobs have evaporated, the ruling party has nothing left to run on. There is no platform; there are no policy proposals. There is nothing left except worshipful praise for the leader and fearful denunciations of everyone and everything else as communism. Its been said that anti-communism is the last refuge of scoundrels. In an era when more than half of Americans under thirty express positive views of socialism, the audience for scoundrels like Trump and his coterie is shrinking. The panicked, knee-jerk anti-communism on display at the Republican National Convention shows the clock is ticking for this farcical strategy. Anti-communism just wont work like it used to, and Trumpism is destined to go the way of McCarthyism. But its still going to take a fight to finish it off. Peoples World September 14 : Superstar Salman Khan hosted controversial reality show Bigg Boss 14 is all set to premiere from October 3, 2020. The official Instagram page of the Colors TV unveiled a new promo of the show featuring Salman Khan on Sunday. In the video, Khan can be seen breaking the chains, taking his mask off and officially announcing Bigg Boss 14. He also says that the show will be the answer to 2020 which was mostly spent at home by people during the corona virus lockdown. The video is captioned as "2020 ki har problem ko chaknachoor karne aa gaya hai #BiggBoss! #BB14 Grand Premiere, 3rd Oct, Saturday raat 9 baje, sirf #Colors par. Catch #BiggBoss2020 before TV on @vootselect. #AbScenePaltega @beingsalmankhan @plaympl @daburdantrakshak @tresemmeindia." The fans of reality show Bigg Boss were eagerly waiting for the premiere of its 14th season. The show was earlier slated to begin in the month of September but due to the destruction caused by the rains in Mumbai, the on-air date got postponed. A few days back, there were reports that Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla is likely to host a particular segment of Bigg Boss 14. He will reportedly monitor the activities of the contestants and provide his expert opinion about the same. It is also being said that previous seasons contestant Shehnaaz Gill will become the first special guest on Bigg Boss 2020 and she has also said yes for the same. As per reports, celebrities llike Jasmin Bhasin, Neha Sharma, Pavitra Punia, Eijaz Khan, Nishant Singh Malkani, Disha Vakani, Tina Datta, Avinash Mukherjee, Shagun Pandey, Nikki Tamboli and Adhyayan Suman have been approached by the makers to participate in the show. The 14th season of the show will see a mix of celebrities and semi-known faces. Once they sign contracts, they would have to be under quarantine for a given period before entering the Bigg Boss house. However, no official confirmation about the name of contestants has been given out yet. Like last year, the Bigg Boss house has been constructed in Mumbai's Film City instead of Lonavala. This time, Bigg Boss 14 will clash with 13th edition of Indian Premier League. Latest updates on Bigg Boss Season 14 LOS ANGELES, California A reward of $100,000 has been offered as authorities continue to search for the person who opened fire on two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies as they sat in their vehicle. The Associated Press reports the 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy are expected to recover after Saturdays shooting in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. KABC Channel 7 reports both are in stable condition. The brazen, ambush-style shooting, which was recorded on surveillance video, occurred at about 7 p.m. Saturday as the deputies sat in an unmarked patrol car, ABC News reports. The suspect, armed with a handgun, walked up to a passenger window and began firing. Update: The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation. pic.twitter.com/cBQjyKkoxJ LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 13, 2020 That was a cowardly act, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a news conference Saturday night, according to ABC News. The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train. To see somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time. Theres no pretty way to say it. Both President Trump and challenger Joe Biden reacted to the shooting, the AP reports, with Trump tweeting Animals that must be hit hard! This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice, Biden tweeted. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. KABC reports that demonstrators gathered outside the hospital where the deputies were being treated, with some yelling anti-law-enforcement slogans and blocking the entrance to the emergency room. The sheriffs department claims some of the demonstrators were yelling, We hope they die! Two people were arrested, including a female reporter for a local radio station. Sheriffs officials say the reporter did not identify herself. However the reporter, Josie Huang, a reporter for public radio station KPCC, a National Public Radio affiliate, tells the Associated Press she was wearing her press pass. The AP also reports Huang can be heard in a video shouting that shes a reporter for KPCC. An investigation has been opened into Huangs arrest, according to the AP. A Rio Rancho veteran is advocating for other veterans affected by an herbicide used in the Vietnam War, Agent Orange. Local Vietnam veteran Ernest Garcia was affected by the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, resulting in health issues. In late August, he advocated to the U.S. Congress in a Zoom meeting for more resources for those affected by the herbicide. In 1984, after a lawsuit against major manufacturers of the herbicide, the Agent Orange Settlement Fund was created. About $197 million would be distributed to Vietnam veterans and their families through the payment program from the settlement fund, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. The payment program operated for six years. During its time, the program received 105,000 claims. Approximately 52,000 Vietnam veterans or their families received cash payments averaging out to about $3,800 each, according to the VA website. Within the settlement fund was also the Class Assistance Program. The program was intended to function as a foundation, according to the VA website. Between 1989 and 1996, it distributed $74 million to 83 social-services organizations throughout the United States, assisting over 239,000 Vietnam veterans and their families. A court ordered the fund closed Sept. 27, 1997, after distributing its funds, according to the VA website. Garcia is among the veterans never to receive assistance from the fund. He applied once in December 1984 and then again in July 2011. I never saw a nickel of it myself, he said. My question was, and my forethought was, it is not just all about me; it was about all the other New Mexico Vietnam veterans that also did not receive compensation. Garcia served in the U.S. Army from 1969-72. He was in Vietnam from 1970-71, originally as an avionics specialist. He later volunteered to become a door gunner after heavy losses of men, he said. I was getting this rage building up in me from the loss. So due to the shortage of pilots, co-pilots, door gunners and crew chiefs, they solicited volunteer door gunners, he said. I jumped into it. While serving as a door gunner, Garcia would kick canisters of Agent Orange out of a helicopter, exposing him to the toxic chemical, he said. The herbicide was used by the U.S. military to kill the forest cover and crops. Over 20 million gallons of various herbicides were sprayed over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1961 to 1971, according to the History Channels website. Garcia, along with his daughter, would later reap the effects of exposure, he said. In due time, when we came back from Vietnam, it took an impact on us medically. My daughter developed epileptic seizures at age 8, he said. Agent Orange is known to cause birth defects such as spina bifida and congenital heart disease. Garcia has had two heart attacks and peripheral artery bypass surgery. He had a blood clot in the back of his knee where he sustained an injury when the helicopter he was serving on was shot down. Garcia advocates for other veterans who have been affected by the herbicide, he said. Through Zoom in a Congressional briefing, Garcia addressed the U.S. Congress with Assistant Speaker Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. He spoke to Congress about the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019. It turned out very good. It was very enlightening. That was my first experience in a congressional meeting like that, especially by Zoom, because I had no idea what Zoom was, so I had to learn quick. And it turned out exceptional, he said. Garcia said he has to commend Lujans office for helping veterans like him. He fights for us tooth and nail, he said. In the Zoom meeting, the congressman discussed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act implementation since January 2020. Garcia and other Vietnam veterans shared their experience with Agent Orange and why assistance is necessary. The law states veterans aboard a vessel fewer than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia, between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. These veterans could be eligible for service connection for conditions related to that exposure, according to the flyer. To be eligible for those disability compensation benefits, veterans must have one or more of the conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure listed on the flyer. Some of these conditions include Parkinsons disease, certain cancers and specific heart diseases. Garcia retired from the Social Security Administration and he now helps veterans receive Social Security benefits or other benefits, he said. Garcia wants accountability and transparency on why so many veterans never received money from the Agent Orange Settlement Fund. About half of veterans who applied to the settlement fund received compensation, according to the VA. Garcia is drafting a letter to Lujan to reopen the lawsuit so more veterans may receive compensation. SAO PAULO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneTrust today announced expanded operations to support Brazilian customers and companies across the globe working to comply with the Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados Pessoais (LGPD). Customers can take advantage of the most widely used technology platform for privacy compliance, OneTrust's vast partner network, and local Brazilian data center hosting options, available natively in both Brazilian Portuguese and dozens of other languages. Learn more about OneTrust LGPD Solutions and sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program Leia em Portugues The LGPD grants many new privacy rights to Brazilian data subjects and requires organizations that process personal data to meet data protection obligations. Much like the GDPR or CCPA, complying with the LGPD typically requires major operational and technological updates and changes. To assist Brazilian customers with LGPD compliance, OneTrust expanded operations, support, and services in Brazil, including: LGPD Fast Track program : Speed up compliance with the LGPD with OneTrust's LGPD same-day Fast Track program. Customers can get implemented in 24 hours with data subject request portal implementation, simple setup and pre-completed workflows, certification, and training and an LGPD-specific setup guide and implementation webinar. : Speed up compliance with the LGPD with OneTrust's LGPD same-day Fast Track program. Customers can get implemented in 24 hours with data subject request portal implementation, simple setup and pre-completed workflows, certification, and training and an LGPD-specific setup guide and implementation webinar. LGPD Research in DataGuidance : Stay up to date with LGPD updates, changes, and new timelines for compliance with research updated daily in OneTrust DataGuidance, including a dedicated LGPD portal. : Stay up to date with LGPD updates, changes, and new timelines for compliance with research updated daily in OneTrust DataGuidance, including a dedicated LGPD portal. Extensive Brazilian partner network : Simplify contracting and in-market support with one of OneTrust's many Brazilian partners, including strategic consulting, law firm, and reseller marketing leaders. : Simplify contracting and in-market support with one of OneTrust's many Brazilian partners, including strategic consulting, law firm, and reseller marketing leaders. Local Sao Paulo office : OneTrust's new office in Sao Paulo will give customers access to local sales, engineering and support resources in Brazil . : OneTrust's new office in Sao Paulo will give customers access to local sales, engineering and support resources in . Brazilian data center : Leverage OneTrust's local Brazilian data center, or use it in combination with one of OneTrust's 10 global data center locations. : Leverage OneTrust's local Brazilian data center, or use it in combination with one of OneTrust's 10 global data center locations. LGPDConnect : Hear from privacy experts in your city and connect with local privacy and security experts during a free, online LGPDConnect event. : Hear from privacy experts in your city and connect with local privacy and security experts during a free, online LGPDConnect event. ANPD Incident Breach Notification Management: Comply with breach notification obligations to manage incidents and notify both to the ANPD and data subjects of relevant security incidents. Comply with breach notification obligations to manage incidents and notify both to the ANPD and data subjects of relevant security incidents. Local languages support: All OneTrust programs, research, technology, and services are available in Brazilian Portuguese. Learn more about OneTrust LGPD Solutions and sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program "OneTrust technologies helped us at a critical moment for all companies in Brazil: the implementation of the LGPD," said Carla Freitas, Information Security Leader at Unimed Campinas. "With its adaptable and easy-to-use tools, it was possible to adopt several processes in a short time, thus allowing us to adhere to the current changes required by LGPD and also to future changes, leading us to be an example for several other companies in the same sector, ensuring that privacy and security is always our priority." To learn more about how OneTrust supports LGPD compliance, sign up for our LGPD Fast Track Program. For more information or to request a demo, visit OneTrust.com or OneTrust.com/BR. OneTrust, OneTrust DataGuidance, and LGPDConnect are registered trademarks or trademarks of OneTrust LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. About OneTrust OneTrust is the #1 fastest growing and most widely used technology platform to help organizations be more trusted, and operationalize privacy, security, data governance, and compliance programs. More than 6,000 customers, including half of the Fortune 500, use OneTrust to build integrated programs that comply with the CCPA, GDPR, LGPD, PDPA, ISO27001, and hundreds of the world's privacy, security, and compliance frameworks. The OneTrust platform is powered by the OneTrust Athena AI and robotic automation engine, and our offerings include: OneTrust Privacy - Privacy Management Software OneTrust PreferenceChoice - Consent and Preference Management Software OneTrust Vendorpedia - Third-Party Risk Management Software and Cyber Risk Exchange OneTrust GRC - Integrated Risk Management Software OneTrust DataDiscovery - AI-Powered Discovery and Classification OneTrust DataGovernance - Governance and Metadata Management OneTrust Ethics - Compliance and Ethics Software OneTrust DataGuidance - Regulatory Research Software To learn more, visit OneTrust.com or connect on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contacts English: Gabrielle Ferree +1 770-294-4668 [email protected] Portuguese: Daniela Freund +1 404-510-9126 [email protected] SOURCE OneTrust Related Links http://OneTrust.com Kathy Griffins impressive Mediterranean-style Bel-Air estate is officially on the market. The comedian, who snapped up the 13,377-square-foot home for $10.5 million in 2016, stands to make a substantial earning off the sale, given that its currently listed at $15.995 million. According to the Los Angeles Times, Griffin hasnt made any substantial changes to the house under her ownership, and its likely because there wasnt a whole lot that needed improving. Built in 2003, the place was renovated shortly before Griffin purchased it and features a welcoming open floor plan with glossy marble and wood-plank floors, pocketing doors, and wood-beamed ceilings. There are a total of 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms spread out across two stories (connected by an elevator), as well as a chefs kitchen, a wine cellar, a home theater, a family room with a wet bar, an office with a fireplace, and a 25,000-gallon infinity-edge swimming pool. Photo: Marc Angeles See the video. Upstairs, the main suite is generously proportioned, with a sitting area, a marble-fronted fireplace, and a cavernous en suite bathroom with a deep-soaking tub, double vanity, and glass-fronted steam shower. I call it the chamber, Griffin previously told Hello magazine of the suite, which she considers her favorite area of the house. There are often times when Im in bed watching my news, the doors open and [my husband] Randys right there in the sitting room watching sports. Or we sit in bed together and watch silly shows. It feels like a sanctuary. And the view is beautiful. To wit: a massive 1,100-square-foot balcony extends off the main suite, which has unobstructed canyon views. Another thing the Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins: My A-Z Index author liked about living there was her former next door neighbors, Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West. After they moved away, Griffin joked to Hello, I would probably still text Kim and say, Can you messenger a cup of sugar? Then shed probably text back from God-only-knows-where on the planet. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk has called on the Ukrainian parliament to adopt on September 15-18 a draft resolution with a statement on the situation in Belarus. According to Ukrinform, she stated this at a meeting of the parliament's conciliation council on September 14. "I would like to say a few words about the key role of the Ukrainian parliament in foreign policy, namely the adoption by the parliament this week of a statement on the events in Belarus. I am convinced that the Ukrainian parliament cannot stay away from the situation when the Belarusian people chose the result they deserve in the presidential election and are now facing the use of brutal force, repression and intimidation by the Belarusian authorities. We have to take a clear position [] That is why I am in favor of the parliament's immediate consideration of a resolution on the situation in the Republic of Belarus," Kondratiuk said. On September 3, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation approved draft resolution No. 3053a "On the Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Situation in the Republic of Belarus." The statement assesses the current situation in Belarus, condemns the government's methods of resolving it, expresses the unacceptability of involving Russian and CSTO forces to normalize the situation, and calls for a democratic solution to the crisis with the involvement of independent international mediators. Protests are going on in Belarus against the rigging of the August 9 presidential election. According to official figures, Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, won 80.1% of the vote, while opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya garnered 10.1%. After that, Tikhanovskaya was forced to leave for Vilnius. Belarusian security forces continue to use violence against demonstrators and detain protesters. According to the opposition, more than 10,000 people have been detained and several people have died since the beginning of the demonstrations. The European Union has not recognized the results of the presidential election in Belarus and has decided to impose personal targeted sanctions on Belarusian officials involved in violence and electoral fraud. op 4medica COVID-19 Employee Screening Mobile App According to Gregg Church, 4medica President, Businesses are navigating the pandemic and its aftermath. Achieving sustainable productivity and worker confidence will depend on how companies prioritize the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees on-site." 4medica announced today the launch of its 4medica COVID-19 Employee Wellness Management suite of COVID-19 apps. The solution helps companies transition employees back to work safely with regular wellness screenings, temperature readings and integrated lab testing results while remaining in compliance with OSHA and CDC COVID-19 safety and tracker protocols. 4medica, a 22-year hospital, lab and physician connectivity pioneer, goes a step further uniquely offering online access to its nationwide network of laboratories for testing. Now through October 31, 4medica is offering 30-day complimentary use of the solution to organizations and businesses. Built on the Google Cloud Platform which is HITRUST Certified and HIPAA compliant, the 4medica COVID-19 Employee Wellness Management solution helps employers manage the flow of data and communications by securing and automating processes that have traditionally been handled through spreadsheets or even pen and paper. Additionally, the solution empowers employers to effectively manage legal exposure when workers are categorized at risk or positive. According to Gregg Church, 4medica President, Businesses are navigating the pandemic and its aftermath. Achieving sustainable productivity and worker confidence will depend on how companies prioritize the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees on-site. HR and other company leaders must rethink new tools to accelerate re-entry and enable long-term success, agility and flexibility for the new normal. Professional Health Services, Inc. (PHS Mobile Solutions), in Havertown, Pennsylvania, is partnering with 4medica to enhance its screening, testing and monitoring process at the job sites of its customers comprising multiple industries, federal and state agencies, and municipalities. Maintaining productivity during the pandemic requires a safe work environment where employees feel comfortable returning to work, and employers can monitor and mitigate risks to support the ongoing prevention of COVID-19, said Michael Kleinman, President, Professional Health Services, Inc. Were excited to offer 4medicas regulatory compliant, comprehensive program to our customers that provides protection for workers on-site while eliminating the high costs of tests and results turnaround time. The solution collects and calculates personal health data to inform company decisions on whether to shut down, scale back or stay open based on the employee populations exposure risk. Our apps will help PHS and their clients identify infected persons and take appropriate actions to help them, while containing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 among other employees and, importantly, their families when they return home, said Church. The suite of apps consists of an employee app that incorporates a wellness questionnaire, temperature readings, online screenings and instant lab test results through connectivity to 4medicas diagnostic labs network. These functions work together to calculate a COVID-19 health risk score to validate a persons health status daily or frequently as pre-determined by the employer. The solution serves as a regular checkpoint for both employers and employees to privately interact on past and current COVID-19 test results and general health status to support ongoing prevention. Additionally, an employer administrator app features a robust clinical dashboard with real-time analytics and reports for compliance transparency purposes via snapshots of employees testing positive, negative or inconclusive. Workers are categorized by health risk to monitor COVID-19 cases and to direct tracking, treatment and information efforts. In a recent survey conducted by McKinsey & Company, executives at top U.S. companies expected 88 percent of their workforces, on average, to be back on-site by December 2020. As employers start to add testing as a requirement to return to work, they can leverage 4medicas established partnerships with hospital-based and national commercial laboratories to redirect testing volume based on capabilities and capacity. 4medica offers a vast network of diagnostic labs and their testing locations along with direct access to pre-arranged lab testing locations, said Church. And, since weve handled patient lab data securely and reliably for over two decades, employers can be assured that were seriously committed to ensuring safety and compliance through reasonable measures to protect health data against loss, theft, misuse and unauthorized access. Journalists: Click on the 4health Mobile App and the 4employer Desktop App to download the 4medica COVID-19 Employee Wellness Management screen images. About 4medica Guaranteeing an unprecedented 1% patient record duplication rate, 4medica solves data integrity, financial and wellness management challenges to achieve true clinical interoperability, transparency. The newly launched 4medica COVID-19 Employee Wellness Management solution helps reopening businesses maintain a safe and secure workplace for employees during the pandemic crisis. Our Big Data Management and Clinical Data Exchange cloud solutions facilitate patient identity management and data exchange to ensure the right data is captured at the right time, the first time. 4medica's Perfect Order for Perfect Payment integrates end-to-end high-volume revenue cycle management services. 4medica has processed up to 6 billion clinical results representing more than 70 million patient identities. The company connects 40,000-plus physicians to hundreds of ACOs, HIEs, HINs, hospitals, health systems, laboratories, radiology imaging centers and payers nationwide. Learn more at http://www.4medica.com. Actress Cynthia Nixon addressed J.K. Rowling's anti-trans comments in a new interview. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) J.K. Rowling's anti-transgender remarks did not sit well with actress Cynthia Nixon's "'Harry Potter' family." In a new interview, Nixon opened up about the harmful effect the author's views have had on her 23-year-old son, Samuel, who is trans and a "Harry Potter" fan. It was really painful for him because so much of his childhood was tied up with Harry Potter," Nixon told the Independent in a story published Monday. "The books seem to be about championing people who are different, so for her to select this one group of people who are obviously different and sort of deny their existence, its just its really baffling. I know she feels like shes standing up for feminism, but I dont get it. In June, Rowling drew sharp criticism for passing judgment on a Devex op-ed about healthcare inequality that used the phrase people who menstruate to be more inclusive. Amid a swift backlash, the English writer doubled down on her tweet, arguing, "If sex isnt real, theres no same-sex attraction. If sex isnt real, the lived reality of women globally is erased." Her follow-up tweet was met with more outrage, as well as pro-trans responses from "Harry Potter" actors Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). In a heartfelt statement for the LGBTQ organization the Trevor Project, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) declared that "Transgender women are women." Of Radcliffe's statement, Nixon said: "The thing that he tried to impart to people was that if you as a queer person or as a non-queer person have found a home in these stories, please dont let this take that away from you. These are still your stories. Rowling defended her tweets again later that month in a lengthy essay that ignited a similar backlash. Several trans activists, including the stars of FX's "Pose" a show that centers trans women also condemned Rowling's behavior. Story continues The "Sex and the City" alum shared her thoughts on the Rowling controversy while promoting her forthcoming Netflix series, "Ratched," a prequel to the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" that tells the origin story of the nefarious Nurse Ratched (Sarah Paulson). The Ryan Murphy drama stars Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs, press secretary to the governor of California. In real life, Nixon recently ran her own gubernatorial campaign against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was reelected in 2018 and has been leading the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The underlying story in 'One Flew' is that heres a woman in power over all of these men who are in trouble, and rather than treating them with empathy, she destroys them. Its hard to remove peoples genders in that plot, Nixon told the Independent. You get vilified, as we saw with Hillary Clintons presidential campaign a few years ago. Its very hard to be a woman in power. "Ratched" debuts Friday on Netflix. Toomin, who is asking voters throughout the county to vote for retaining him, presided over an effort to name a special prosecutor in the case of the actor accused of staging a hate crime against himself in Chicago, where he used to live. Toomin said he believes the effort to bounce him from the bench stems from his decision to appoint Dan Webb to look into why the states attorneys office dropped all 16 felony charges against Smollett last year. Yes, you can go home again. And in Travis McShanes case, that return is especially delicious. The 35-year-old chef, who grew up in Kingwood and graduated from the University of Texas, spent most of his career working for Jonathan Waxman, one of the godfathers of California cuisine who earned a James Beard Award for his work at Barbuto in New York City. As corporate chef for Waxman, McShane oversaw operations of restaurants in San Francisco, Nashville and Atlanta as well as working as executive chef at Barbuto, a West Village treasure known for its signature roasted chicken with salsa verde. The Parliament, for the first time in its history, witnessed a reorganised seating arrangement as the monsoon session began on Monday with many members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sitting in each other's Houses during proceedings to follow the new COVID-19 protocols for maintaining social distancing. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the media before commencement of Parliament's Monsoon Session, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, outside Parliament House in New Delhi, on Monday. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo The privilege of getting seated in either House was earlier enjoyed only by the Council of Ministers. Some ministers were also seated in the galleries of both the Houses that were, along with the chambers, used to seat all the MPs in order to follow physical distancing norms. IMAGE: Parliamentarians observe silence during an obituary reference in Rajya Sabha on the opening day of Monsoon Session of Parliament, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo With the normal seating arrangements disrupted, ministers were seen scurrying for seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber as the spaces generally allotted to them were reassigned to the others. The monsoon session of Parliament started on Monday with the enforcement of unprecedented safety measures in the wake of the pandemic. IMAGE: Rajya Sabha MP Mary Kom at Parliament House on the opening day of Monsoon Session, in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo It is for the first time that chambers of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are being used along with their galleries to seat the MPs of both Houses to enable their functioning. The monsoon session this year is being held in two different shifts -- Rajya Sabha will sit in the mornings and Lok Sabha in the second half of the day. IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla gestures to mediapersons outside Parliament House. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo Speaker Om Birla said in Lok Sabha that rules and procedures have been eased to allow members to sit in both Houses to enforce social distancing norms. A few lighter moments were also seen. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said some members had got the opportunity to sit in the Lok Sabha even without getting elected to the Lower House. "The Rajya Sabha is Lok Sabha," he said while introducing the members who were selected in the panel of vice chairman, to assist the chairman and deputy chairman in running the House. IMAGE: BJP MP JP Nadda in the Rajya Sabha during the opening day of Monsoon Session of Parliament, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo Birla said as part of the procedures, the chambers of the two Houses and the galleries where members were seated will be considered as part of Lok Sabha when the House proceedings are on. He said members do not have to stand while speaking as part of the new procedures put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus. In a lighter vein, he said some may find it difficult to speak while sitting. IMAGE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor arrives at Parliament House. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo While nearly 200 members were present in the Lok Sabha chamber, a little over 50 were seated in the visitors' gallery located above the main chamber. In the Rajya Sabha, some members said in good humour that MPs can now also add to their resumes that they were seated in Lok Sabha. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others pay tribute to ex-President Pranab Mukherjee, legendary Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj and others who passed away this year, during the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session. Photograph: LSTV/PTI Photo Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to the Rajya Sabha after Harivansh was elected as deputy chairman for the second time, lauded the arrangements made to make the session possible. "I congratulate you and your team for the arrangements made," the PM said as he congratulated Harivansh for being re-elected as deputy chairman. IMAGE: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia at Parliament House on the opening day of Monsoon Session, in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo Members were asked by the Chairman to raise their hands before speaking and to speak while remaining in their seats, instead of the past practice of rising while speaking and even during the laying of papers. Naidu also asked members to raise their hands and introduce themselves before speaking, as MPs had to locate fellow members who were not seated in their usual places. The leaders of various parties were allowed to sit in the Rajya Sabha chamber as per the parties' strength. Only nine senior Congress leaders were seated in Rajya Sabha chamber. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not attend the proceedings on the first day. IMAGE: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi speaks with Union Minister Giriraj Singh, right, as they arrive to attend Parliament's Monsoon Session. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo Interestingly, some opposition members expressed concern over how they would lodge their protest. Under normal circumstances, the protesting members would force adjournment of the House by sloganeering or entering the well. Giant TV screens were put up in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers. In Lok Sabha, benches which usually accommodate six members had a numbered seating plan for only three. Glass-like plastic shields of varied sizes were installed in the front and sides of benches to protect members from coronavirus in the Lower House. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to address the media before commencement of the first day of Parliament's Monsoon Session. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo A few officials were seated in the officers gallery, which had separations made with plastic sheets to provide protection from the virus. The gallery which houses visitors from abroad was used to seat Rajya Sabha reporters recording the proceedings. Only a few media personnel were present in the press gallery and there were no visitors to witness the House proceedings. Rajya Sabha Chairman asked members to take extra precautions and urged them not to visit the staff of Rajya Sabha secretariat seated in the well of the House. IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conducts proceedings during the opening day. Photograph: LSTV/PTI Photo He also cautioned members Ravi Shankar Prasad and Jairam Ramesh to not move around in the House and isle after they left their seats. The hustle and bustle during the session was missing on Monday amid unprecedented measures and restricted entry in the Parliament complex. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha. Photograph: LSTV/PTI Photo When the Lok Sabha met at 9 am, the number of members present was less but numbers went up when the House reassembled at around 10.20 am after a one hour adjournment after paying tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee, a sitting MP and 13 former members who died in the recent past. IMAGE: Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury speaks in the Lok Sabha. Photograph: LSTV/PTI Photo Unlike in the past, there were no Opposition protests in the well of both Houses, which is otherwise a usual occurrence on day one of the session as soon as the House assembles. IMAGE: DMK MP Kanimozhi stages a protest against NEET examination before commencement of the first day of Parliament's monsoon session, at Parliament House in New Delhi, on Monday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo As soon as the prime minister entered the House, he was greeted with applause and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan. Modi greeted members, including those from the Opposition, with folded hands. Financial concerns and stress for some families continues growing during the ongoing pandemic. Nonprofit and community organizations in Cy-Fair, such as Northwest Assistance Ministries and Cypress Assistance Ministries, have worked to fill in gaps for local families with food, school supplies, financial assistance and mental health services for all ages. Food Assistance Cypress Assistance Ministries, a nonprofit for low-income families in need of assistance is seeking donations and volunteers in order to continue providing to the local community. In order to serve the people who find themselves in crisis we need the money to help them with their rent, mortgage or utilities, plus money to continue to pay the rent and utilities on our buildings and personnel costs, said Janet Ryan, director of development for Cypress Assistance Ministries. The community continues to be generous in their donations of food. CAMs greatest need at this time is money and volunteers. CAM is also serving an extra ZIP code that lost their local assistance ministry, Bear Creek Ministries. With BCM closed, people who are struggling in that area have no local ministry providing assistance, so CAM makes food available to that zip code, 77084, as well and that is the area demonstrating the most need, Ryan said. CAM is also in need of financial donations to help clients with bills and food. Families in the 77065, 77095, 77429, 77433 and 77084 ZIP codes can receive free food with an ID and proof of residence at the food pantry from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. The CAM food pantry is located at 11265 Huffmeister Rd. in Cypress. CAM is continuing to offer school supplies for CFISD students including backpacks. CAM will be giving the backpacks out Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to noon. Families must bring a photo ID, proof of residence and school registration. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cypressassistance. Cy-Fair Helping Hands, a nonprofit dedicated to homeless and low-income communities, is also providing food for Cy-Fair area families. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and the first and third Saturdays of the month Cy-Fair Helping Hands provides perishable and non-perishable foods from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a drive-thru model. For more information, including how to donate, visit www.facebook.com/CYFAIRHELPINGHANDS. Northwest Assistance Ministries, or NAM, serves hundreds of in-need families a week through their onsite food pantry with both nonperishable and perishable foods and is using a drive-thru model. NAM is providing food assistance Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at their main building. NAM is in need of food and financial donations. Frozen meat, fruit and vegetables, and canned and dry goods are needed for the food pantry. Northwest Assistance Ministries has seen a consistent increase in requests for rent and food assistance, Chief Advancement Officer Brian Carr said. NAMs pantry is getting dangerously low on food. We are seeing a great need from the Greenspoint area and the zip codes nearest 77090. NAM is holding another community food giveaway Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Ecopark-IAH, 16152 JFK Blvd, Houston, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or until food runs out. NAM is also hosting free immunizations from Christus Health Living Mobile Clinics on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their main building. Appointments must be made at 281-885-4649, original shot records must be brought and all guests must wear a mask. NAM is located at 15555 Kuykendahl Rd. in northwest Houston. For more information, visit www.namonline.org. Financial services NAM also provides financial assistance for clients needing help with bills or other expenses after losing their job due to COVID-19. Because of the way our funding is structured, our advice to our clients is to use to use the unemployment (payments) for your utilities, for your prescriptions, for some groceries and allow us to subsidize the rent because we can make that one payment to the landlord and get that caught up, Carr said. NAM has launched an online application process for rent and mortgage assistance, where applicants can submit all appropriate documents without visiting the nonprofit. We are very proud of this client centered innovation to our client intake process, Carr said. We will be able to handle a hundred or more completed applications every Monday without the clients leaving the safety of their homes. For more information, visit www.namonline.org. The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce has a community resources page, www.cyfairchamber.com/wearecyfair, where small businesses can apply for SBA loans, catch up on the most recent mandates on COVID-19 from the state government and individual instruction for navigating loan and benefits application. The chamber of commerce also hosts community luncheons, committee meetings and seminars over Zoom, open to the public per an RSVP. For more information, visit www.cyfairchamber.com. Mental health assistance Shield Bearer counseling sessions are being held through remote teletherapy sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit works with different financial situations to provide counseling for a variety of mental health challenges including grief, abuse, addictions and relationship issues. According to the organizations Facebook page, Shield Bearer has experienced an increase in the demand for mental health services and is seeking financial donations to help the organization continue meeting clients needs. For more information, visit www.shieldbearer.org. Senior Pastor Floyd Smith with Igniting Gods Vision Ministry , a 19-year-old ministry in the Cy-Fair area, said the ministry has continued to operate the recently launched Turning Peer Pressure to Peer Power program and counseling for the local community. Weve launched this ministry enough to where were already dealing with the issues they are struggling with, he said. Our goal is to save money to get our own building or land so well be able to bring them and go through the counseling process. My concern is on the counseling side and what people are going through at this time not only with the teens but also with the pandemic. Cy-Hope also offers counseling and speech therapy both in-person and through telehealth. In-person appointments require clients to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wait in their car until the beginning of the appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 713-466-1360. For more information, visit www.cy-hopecounseling.org. chevall.pryce@chron.com A new report by Yonhap News Agency brings to notice that Samsung is planning to bring more Exynos chips to Samsung as well as non-Samsung smartphones in 2021. Samsung has been facing criticism for the Exynos 990 variants of the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 models. Note that Samsung releases two variants of its flagships, i.e. Snapdragon and Exynos variant. Qualcomm Snapdragon variants are sold in North American and Chinese flagships. While the Exynos variants are sold in European and Asian markets. Advertisement There is nothing wrong is selling flagship variants with home-grown chipsets. But the main issue arises when there is a huge gap in performance between Snapdragon and Exynos variants. Moreover, it becomes more of an issue when both models carry the same price tag. Besides, on multiple occasions, we have seen poor performance in Exynos powered phones. Though Samsung has never officially acknowledged this issue and continues to use Exynos chips in its devices. However, it is very recently that users have become more aware of this fact. Advertisement Notably, for your information, Samsung doesnt even use Exynos chips for devices sold in its home country. Then the question arises why the company sells under-performing flagships in other markets. Samsung Exynos 990 chipsets reportedly surfaced with a heating problem According to local analysts, the performance gap between Exynos and Snapdragon widened after 2017. Besides, the latest Exynos 990 chipset has been surfaced with a heating issue. However, this is not holding down the companys ambition towards Exynos chips. And it is currently developing a new Exynos chip for next year, under the codename Olympus. Advertisement One good thing is that Samsung will use ARM-designed core to bring the performance improvements. Though only this inclusion would not help reduce the performance gap. But it is a welcome change. Apparently, the company will replace Mali GPUs with AMDs Radeon GPUs starting from 2022. Another good sign that the company is internally working to improve its Exynos chips performance. The opportunity that Samsung wants to grab is the increase in the price of SoCs by Qualcomm. Reportedly, Qualcomm has hiked the price of its chipsets. Advertisement Notably, the next premium chip could end up being even more expensive than the Snapdragon 865. This is where Samsung wants to come in as an affordable chip provider. The rise of budget 5G smartphones will make the new Exynos more attractive We all know that 5G is the future. With OEMs launching more budget 5G smartphones, Exynos could come in as a cheap alternative to smartphone manufacturers. Kim Yang-jae, an analyst at KTB Investment & Securities, states that it is highly likely that Samsung would release more Exynos-powered devices in 2021. Advertisement This includes both Samsung as well as non-Samsung phones. Additionally, the usage of Exynos chipset would help the company to bring down the production cost of the phone, in turn generating more profit. Relatives of 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea by Chinese authorities, are escorted by lawmakers and their assistants as they head to attend a press conference in Hong Kong, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. They called for their family members to be returned to the territory, saying their legal rights were being violated. (AP) Beijing: The 12 Hong Kong people arrested at sea by mainland authorities last month were separatists, a spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry said on Sunday, in response to her U.S. counterparts characterisation of the arrest as a deterioration of human rights. The comment came a day after relatives of the detainees held a news conference in Hong Kong demanding the urgent return of the 12 who were intercepted by the Guangdong coast guard on Aug. 23 on a boat bound for Taiwan. Donning masks and hats to shield their identities, they made their first public appeal for help and information on their relatives plight, pleading for them to be allowed to consult lawyers appointed by their families and not the Chinese government and to be allowed to call relatives in Hong Kong. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted on Saturday that their arrest was another example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong, and called on mainland authorities to ensure due process. The arrests came about two months after the mainland government imposed a security law on the special administrative region following months of pro-democracy demonstrations. Chinas Hua Chunying responded in another tweet. Seriously?! Fact check: The 12 people were arrested for illegally crossing the border in waters. They are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate #HongKong from China, she wrote. The Shenzhen city police, in its first notice since the arrest, on Sunday said the 12 Hong Kong citizens were under criminal detention on suspicion of illegally crossing the border. The investigation is ongoing, it said. Police will protect the legitimate rights and interests of criminal suspects in accordance with law, the police said. The relatives on Saturday said they had been given no information on the allegations, and that assistance from the Hong Kong government had been insufficient. A spokesperson for the citys Immigration Department said staff were assisting in the case and were in regular contact with the families. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday said the city government would provide assistance to the arrested citizens. Hong Kong has its own independent legal system and rule-of-law traditions that are vastly different from mainland China, where the justice system is ultimately controlled by the Communist Party. Of all the many overseas takeovers of British firms in the past two decades, none could be more damaging to the national interest and the UKs ambitions to be Europes technological power house than the sale of Cambridge-based Arm Holdings. The proposed 30 billion disposal of this star in the modern-manufacturing firmament to American giant Nvidia would be a huge betrayal of Britains high-tech future and could destroy the fabric of a great company. Arm is perhaps the greatest tech company Britain has created. It became a giant on the back of the research genius of Cambridge University and produces a unique chip and software technology that is the envy of the world. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is pictured above. The proposed 30 billion disposal of this star in the modern-manufacturing firmament to American giant Nvidia would be a huge betrayal of Britains high-tech future and could destroy the fabric of a great company Its smart chip products are one of the key elements of the Apple and Samsung smartphones and are a vital stepping stone to the clever technology of the future. By rights, it should be inviolable, a British titan leading the world. But today the high-tech jewel is being treated by financial players like an old vase passed round at a car-boot sale. The rot set in 2016 when Theresa Mays enfeebled government nodded through the first sale of the company to Japans Softbank in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. It was an attempt to demonstrate Britain was open for business; and although Softbank pledged to uphold Arms integrity, it failed miserably in that task. Now Softbank is selling this totemic company on to Nvidia, a 239 billion behemoth based in Santa Clara, whose business model threatens UK jobs, intellectual property and commercial freedom. Nvidias acquisition of Arm would make it the dominant supplier of smart chips to Apple, Samsung and Chinese phone makers The joint founder of Arm, Hermann Hauser, has warned that the sale of Europes last major tech firm to the Americans would be a disaster. Arm has a critical role to play in Britains cyber defence and in driving the smart revolution which will see much of the economy from motor cars to the domestic kettle develop as part of the internet of things. Nvidias acquisition of Arm would make it the dominant supplier of smart chips to Apple, Samsung and Chinese phone makers. It would thrust Arm, which maintains a politically neutral stance over where it licenses its smart chips, into the furnace of US-China relations. If, for example, rising tensions culminated in an American ban on exports to China, the business could be crippled. Meanwhile, Nvidia is seeking to avoid political fire in Britain by promising to maintain Arms headquarters in Cambridge and to maintain staff levels. Such promises could become meaningless amid the economic conditions unleashed by the pandemic. Despite safeguards demanded of Softbank in the 2016 sale, parts of Arm have already been hived off to Saudi investors and to Beijing. A second sale could make further disposals more likely. But while many say the resale of Arm to Nvidia is a done deal, that is far from the case. Aside from possible regulatory and legal scrutiny in Britain, the sale faces big obstacles in the US. Nvidia competitors such as Intel will object on competition grounds, and the company can also expect a probe from the US government over concerns about technology leaks to China. Boris Johnson should do everything in his powers to prevent this controversial transaction taking place. Failing that, he must insist that legally enforceable undertakings made in 2016 to keep the headquarters in the UK and to double the workforce are renewed by Nvidia for at least five years. Jensen Huang, Nvidias chief executive, says he wants to make Arm even greater. But such overblown rhetoric during a takeover battle often turns out to be worthless. If the UK were determined to stop the deal, it could invoke powers under the 2002 Enterprise Act to stop any change of control that threatens the UKs national security. The ideal outcome would be to release Arm from overseas control and see it re-floated on the London Stock Exchange as an independent entity. This extraordinary British company needs all the protection it can get. The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich and Tim Robards are due to welcome a baby girl in early November. And ahead of the child's arrival, it appears the couple are enjoying an extended babymoon in the laid-back coastal town of Byron Bay. Criminal lawyer Anna, 33, was spotted with her actor husband, 37, on Friday at popular local restaurant The Farm. Byron Bay babymoon: Anna Heinrich (right) covered up her blossoming bump in a loose-fitting white shirt on Friday as she visited The Farm in Byron Bay with her husband, Tim Robards (left) Anna looked radiant in a loose white blouse, which covered up her growing bump. Despite the warmer temperatures, Anna wore a thin camel-hued coat and ripped denim jeans. She styled her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail and shielded her eyes with a pair of chic sunglasses. Meanwhile, Tim showed off his bulging biceps in a blue T-shirt, which he paired with navy shorts and white sneakers. Effortlessly chic! Anna looking glowing in a white button-up blouse that concealed her bump Feeling the heat? Despite the warmer temperatures, Anna wore a thin camel-hued coat and ripped denim jeans Looking good: Tim showed off his bulging biceps in a blue T-shirt, which he paired with navy shorts and white sneakers Looking as loved-up as ever, Tim draped a protective arm over his wife as they walked through the sprawling venue. The couple's extended stay in Byron Bay has sparked rumours they are planning a semi-permanent move to the town beloved by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. However, Anna hinted on Instagram last month that the relocation was only temporary. 'Getting out of Sydney is a luxury these days and Im certainly not taking it for granted. Good to finally spend time with my hubby,' she wrote. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tim and Anna for comment. Relaxed: Anna styled her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail and shielded her eyes with a pair of chic sunglasses Cute: Looking as loved-up as ever, Tim draped a protective arm over his wife as they walked through the sprawling venue Tim and Anna were joined on the outing by Anna's sister Andrea and former Bachelor star Lisa Hyde, plus their families. Andrea welcomed a son named Oliver in December, and the little boy was being carried around by his father, Tynan Diaz. Meanwhile, Lisa, who starred on Blake Garvey's season of The Bachelor in 2014, was there with her adorable daughter Myja-Jae. Born in July 2019, the youngster looked cute as a button with her hair in a pink bow. Family outing: Tim and Anna were joined on the outing by Anna's sister Andrea (left), her fiance Tynan Diaz (right), and their son Oliver Reality TV friends: They were also joined by former Bachelor star Lisa Hyde (right) Mummy and me: Lisa, who starred on Blake Garvey's season of The Bachelor in 2014, was there with her adorable daughter Myja-Jae Next role... fatherhood! Tim recently left Neighbours, which is filmed in Melbourne, after two years playing wealthy businessman Pierce Greyson 'My responsibilities as a husband and father have to take precedence': Tim announced his 'gut-wrenching' decision to quit Neighbours last month Tim recently left Neighbours, which is filmed in Melbourne, after two years playing wealthy businessman Pierce Greyson. The former Bachelor was originally scheduled to film his final scenes in September. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, he wrapped four weeks early so he could return to Sydney to be with his pregnant wife. Tim's filming requirements for Neighbours had forced him and Bondi-based lawyer Anna into a long-distance relationship. After spending most of Anna's pregnancy in Melbourne, Tim said last month he had finally been forced to choose between his career and his responsibilities as an expectant father. 'I made the gut-wrenching decision to depart Neighbours early as my responsibilities as a husband and father have to take precedence,' he said. It's unclear if Tim hopes to return to acting after their baby is born. On the move? The couple's extended stay in Byron Bay has sparked rumours they are planning a semi-permanent move to the town beloved by some of Hollywood's biggest stars Soon-to-be parents: Tim and Anna's baby girl is due in November Tim and Anna's baby girl is due in November. At the start of the year, Anna told The Daily Telegraph that the couple were hoping to have more than one child. 'It has always been on our mind but we are getting older, not that we are old but we want to have hopefully more than one kid,' she said. 'It is something we are both very keen on.' Some researchers propose adopting so-called challenge trials. In the final stage of testing, researchers typically give a vaccine to one group of volunteers and a placebo to another, then wait to see whether significantly fewer in the first group develop the targeted infection. That takes time. A quicker but riskier alternative is to inject volunteers with the vaccine, then deliberately expose them to the pathogen. Such challenge trials are the basis for animal studies of vaccines, and theyve been used in human tests of cholera, malaria and typhoid shots as well. Some prominent scientists have argued that the urgency of a Covid-19 vaccine justifies their use now, and the website 1daysooner.org has collected the names of tens of thousands of people who say theyd participate. Skeptics say its unethical to use this trial design until there are better, proven therapies to treat those who would become sick. (HealthDay)From 2011 to 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of U.S. 15-year-olds with at least one-dose or two-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in Pediatrics. Szu-Ta Chen, M.D., Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues describe trends in HPV vaccination coverage in children using nationwide population-based data. Children were followed from the year they turned 9, and the cumulative incidence of at least one- and two-dose HPV vaccination was estimated. Data were included from 7,837,480 children and 19.8 million person-years. The researchers found that from 2011 to 2017, there was an increase in the proportion of 15-year-old girls and boys with at least a one-dose HPV vaccination, from 38 and 5 percent, respectively, to 57 and 51 percent, respectively; the corresponding proportions with at least a two-dose vaccination increased from 30 and 2 percent to 46 and 39 percent. There was variation in two-dose HPV vaccination coverage by 2017, ranging from from 80 percent in girls in Washington, D.C., to 15 percent in boys in Mississippi. There was a positive association noted for two-dose HPV vaccination coverage with legislation for HPV vaccine education and pediatrician availability. "In 2017, despite the increasing trends in uptake, HPV vaccine coverage remained behind the Healthy People 2020 goal of 80 percent by 15 years of age," the authors write. Explore further HPV vaccine coverage is far behind other infant vaccines in many US states Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. The Leader and Founder of Alive Chapel International, Prophet Elisha Salifu Amoako has denied reports that he has branded a woman who was killed by his pastor husband a witch. According to him, in a sermon at a radio station where he was preaching about demonology, he laid emphasis on the activities of Prophet Sylvester Ofori who once accused her wife earlier of being a witch. Barbara Tommey was shot seven times by his husband a Ghanaian pastor named Sylvester Ofori in the United States of America. Ofori and Barbara were both staying in the US as husband and wife before Barbara left him due to his abusive behavior. According to sources, the man has been beating the wife for so many years now coupled with his irresponsible acts. The family of Barbara persuaded her to leave Sylvester which she did so she has been staying alone for some time now. The husband however tracked her to her workplace where he shot her 7 times after a short confrontation. But speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' program, Prophet Elisha Salifu Amoako explained that the actions of Sylvester Ofori did not really sink well with him when he visited the church to preach. "So after service, his murdered wife told me he was drunk and that has been his behavior since. I counseled him to be of good behaviour since he represented a majority of people he was shepherding." "But having seen all these about him, I decided to advise him about it since these things could be attributed to spiritual implications, and thats what I said," he added. He told Okay FM that there was nowhere he said that the kind-hearted woman was a witch. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/isaac[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 Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un sends open letter to all Party Members in Pyongyang Statement by the Workers Party of Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un visited a typhoon-stricken area of South Hamgyong Province on 5th September and sent an open letter to all the Party Members in Pyongyang. In the letter he said that Kangwon Province and South and North Hamgyong provinces located on the east coast were hit by Typhoon No. 9 that did damage again at a time when an all-out recovery campaign was under way in several areas of the country to remove huge damage done by a quick succession of flood and typhoon. He noted that the Party Central Committee decided to frankly discuss with the party members in the capital city the issue of giving a strong assistance to the recovery from damage in South and North Hamgyong Provinces under such an urgent situation which needs to be tackled without even a moments delay and moreover, as many civilian building forces and units of the Peoples Army are now in the sites for the recovery from damage in Kangwon Province and South and North Hwanghae Provinces. For all the areas of the country, to protect their heart-like capital city in every way all the time is a social custom, and for the people of the capital city, to sincerely aid and encourage the people in the local areas when in need is also a proud social custom of our country, he said. When the Party Members in the capital work in the typhoon-stricken areas in hearty response to the calls of the Party, great strength incomparable with the economic losses by the destructive natural disasters will be gained, he said, calling the party members in the capital the core forces most trusted by the party. Although this year has witnessed uncommon difficulties due to the protracted worldwide public health crisis and natural disasters, we are courageously overcoming all the hardships by dint of the united efforts of the Party and the people, he noted. He termed this year the one of struggle, advance and unity, when the unity is further strengthened in the tense and arduous struggle, not a year of disasters and misfortunes. He said that the Party Central Committee asked the Party Members in the capital to join the recovery of South and North Hamgyong Provinces from damage in order to ensure the successful holding of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the WPK and the 8th Congress of the WPK. He said that we cannot let a lot of people in South Hamgyong Province and North Hamgyong Province who newly suffered damage spend the holiday homeless even though the situation was difficult and time was urgent as October 10 was close at hand. He added that the Party Central Committee appeals to the Party Members in the capital to sincerely console the people in the disaster-stricken areas and to earnestly aid them with the tender care of the party and with warm feelings of the capital city of Pyongyang, so that they would get rid of aftermath as early as possible. He said that the Party Central Committee decided to organise the 12,000-strong divisions of the elite Party members of the capital to be dispatched to South Hamgyong Province and North Hamgyong Province each. He said that if the divisions of the elite Party members in the capital go to the sites for recovery from the damage after holding a loyalty-pledging meeting in the plaza of the holy place where President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il lie in state prior to their departure, the leaders would be very pleased. He said that the main task of the divisions is to become the vanguard and spark in implementing the Partys policy in the van of the working youth and soldiers who turned out in the rehabilitation campaign. He noted that sub-units directly under the divisions should be organised with Party Members with high construction skills who had served in special construction units before their discharge as the divisions of the elite Party Members of the capital to be dispatched this time would mainly be tasked to build dwelling houses and public buildings. He called on the sub-units directly under the divisions to wonderfully complete projects with the stand of responsible educators with high construction methods and skills, improve the quality of overall recovery projects and lavishly transmit advanced construction skills to local builders. He said that the Party Members of the ministries and national institutions should quickly send materials, equipment and goods necessary for the recovery projects in time with the attitude that they are also combatants in the sites for the recovery and thus fulfill their duty as Party Members working in the capital. He stressed that he firmly believes that the divisions of the elite Party members of the capital to be directly organised and dispatched by the Central Committee of the Party to South Hamgyong Province and North Hamgyong Province would successfully fulfil their honourable mission and combat duty as detached corps firmly defending the celebrations of the 75th founding anniversary of the WPK and the convention of the 8th Congress of the WPK and thus register a great victory. President Moon Jae-in and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, shake hands before holding a summit in the Oval Office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, April 19 (local time). Korea Times file Representatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and other stakeholders of the Accelerating Clean Energy Access to Reduce Inequality (ACCESS) project join the launching ceremony online, Sept. 10. / Courtesy of KOICA By Yi Whan-woo More than 20,000 people in rural areas of Indonesia and Timor-Leste will have access to electricity and water thanks to a clean energy project run by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). KOICA, a foreign aid arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said last week it launched the project worth $18 million under the Moon Jae-in administration's Green New Deal initiative. The project, titled, Accelerating Clean Energy Access to Reduce Inequality (ACCESS), uses solar energy to supply electricity and water to 23 villages in the Indonesian provinces of West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Central Kalimantan and 25 villages in Dili, Manatuto and Bobonaro municipalities in Timor-Leste. KOICA started the project on Sept. 10, in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of State Administration of the Republic of Timor-Leste and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) branch office in each of the two countries. "KOICA stands ready to work for the ACCESS partnership, committed to ensuring access to clean energy and tackling the issue of energy inequality," Jeong Hoe-jin, KOICA country director in Indonesia said. Jeong also said the projects are expected to "make progress" in accordance with South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) a broad framework for promoting and supporting collaboration among developing countries. Kim Sik-hyun, KOICA country director in Timor-Leste, called ACCESS "a meaningful and timely project." Kim said, "Internationally, this project shall be a small stepping stone to heal the history of the past and to enhance the friendly relations between two countries through the SSTC between Timor-Leste and Indonesia." "I hope this could be a catalyst for Timor-Leste's long-cherished wish to join ASEAN," he added. Borivli government railway police (GRP) officers arrested a 24-year-old man on Saturday for allegedly touching a nurse inappropriately on a train. The police suspect that the accused, Rameshwar Harijan, has committed similar offences earlier, too. According to senior police inspector Bhardak Pawar of Borivali GRP, Harijan boarded the train without a valid permit. Local train services in Mumbai are suspended for common citizens and only essential service workers are allowed to travel after showing a valid permit. The incident occurred on Friday around 10.30pm between Borivli and Kandivli stations when the 22-year-old nurse was on her way for night shift at a government hospital from Goregaon. Harijan boarded the train when it halted between Kandivli and Borivli stations. He allegedly molested the nurse and continued his journey, said the police. The nurse got off at Borivli station and approached the GRP. The officers said Harijan was caught on CCTV while alighting the train at Dahisar. Based on a tip-off, GRP officers laid a trap at Dahisar station and arrested Harijan. Officers said that Harijan was seen on CCTVs at several other stations on all the three suburban railway lines in the city and is suspected to have committed similar crimes. We are now verifying the complaints and trying to cross-check Harijans face with the CCTV recordings that we have in the other molestation cases said Pawar. Sunday, April 17 was the designated moment. The worlds leading oil producers were expected to bring fresh discipline to the chaotic petroleum market and spark a return to high prices. Meeting in Doha, the glittering capital of petroleum-rich Qatar, the oil ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), along with such key non-OPEC producers as Russia and Mexico, were scheduled to ratify a draft agreement obliging them to freeze their oil output at current levels. In anticipation of such a deal, oil prices had begun to creep inexorably upward, from $30 per barrel in mid-January to $43 on the eve of the gathering. But far from restoring the old oil order, the meeting ended in discord, driving prices down again and revealing deep cracks in the ranks of global energy producers. Whatever the fate of the Saudi royals, if predictions of a future peak in world oil demand prove accurate, the debacle in Doha will be seen as marking the beginning of the end of the old oil order. It is hard to overstate the significance of the Doha debacle. At the very least, it will perpetuate the low oil prices that have plagued the industry for the past two years, forcing smaller firms into bankruptcy and erasing hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in new production capacity. It may also have obliterated any future prospects for cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in regulating the market. Most of all, however, it demonstrated that the petroleum-fueled world weve known these last decadeswith oil demand always thrusting ahead of supply, ensuring steady profits for all major producersis no more. Replacing it is an anemic, possibly even declining, demand for oil that is likely to force suppliers to fight one another for ever-diminishing market shares The Road to Doha Before the Doha gathering, the leaders of the major producing countries expressed confidence that a production freeze would finally halt the devastating slump in oil prices that began in mid-2014. Most of them are heavily dependent on petroleum exports to finance their governments and keep restiveness among their populaces at bay. Both Russia and Venezuela, for instance, rely on energy exports for approximately 50 percent of government income, while for Nigeria its more like 75 percent. So the plunge in prices had already cut deep into government spending around the world, causing civil unrest and even in some cases political turmoil. No one expected the April 17 meeting to result in an immediate, dramatic price upturn, but everyone hoped that it would lay the foundation for a steady rise in the coming months. The leaders of these countries were well aware of one thing: to achieve such progress, unity was crucial. Otherwise they were not likely to overcome the various factors that had caused the price collapsein the first place. Some of these were structural and embedded deep in the way the industry had been organized; some were the product of their own feckless responses to the crisis. On the structural side, global demand for energy had, in recent years, ceased to rise quickly enough to soak up all the crude oil pouring onto the market, thanks in part to new supplies from Iraq and especially from the expanding shale fields of the United States. This oversupply triggered the initial 2014 price drop when Brent crudethe international benchmark blend went from a high of $115 on June 19 to $77 on November 26, the day before a fateful OPEC meeting in Vienna. The next day, OPEC members, led by Saudi Arabia, failed to agree on either production cuts or a freeze, and the price of oil went into freefall. The failure of that November meeting has been widely attributed to the Saudis desire to kill off new output elsewhereespecially shale production in the U.S.and to restore their historic dominance of the global oil market. Many analysts were also convinced that Riyadh was seeking to punish regional rivals Iran and Russia for their support of the Assad regime in Syria (which the Saudis seek to topple). The rejection, in other words, was meant to fulfill two tasks at the same time: blunt or wipe out the challenge posed by North American shale producers and undermine two economically shaky energy powers that opposed Saudi goals in the Middle East by depriving them of much needed oil revenues. Because Saudi Arabia could produce oil so much more cheaply than other countriesfor as little as $3 per barreland because it could draw upon hundreds of billions of dollars in sovereign wealth funds to meet any budget shortfalls of its own, its leaders believed it more capable of weathering any price downturn than its rivals. Today, however, that rosy prediction is looking grimmer as the Saudi royals begin to feel the pinch of low oil prices, and find themselves cutting back on the benefits they had been passing on to an ever-growing, potentially restive population while still financing a costly, inconclusive, and increasingly disastrous war in Yemen. Many energy analysts became convinced that Doha would prove the decisive moment when Riyadh would finally be amenable to a production freeze. Just days before the conference, participants expressed growing confidence that such a plan would indeed be adopted. After all, preliminary negotiations between Russia, Venezuela, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia had produced a draft document that most participants assumed was essentially ready for signature. The only sticking point: the nature of Irans participation. The Iranians were, in fact, agreeable to such a freeze, but only after they were allowed to raise their relatively modest daily output to levels achieved in 2012 before the West imposed sanctions in an effort to force Tehran to agree to dismantle its nuclear enrichment program. Now that those sanctions were, in fact, being lifted as a result of the recently concluded nuclear deal, Tehran was determined to restore the status quo ante. On this, the Saudis balked, having no wish to see their arch-rival obtain added oil revenues. Still, most observers assumed that, in the end, Riyadh would agree to a formula allowing Iran some increase before a freeze. There are positive indications an agreement will be reached during this meeting an initial agreement on freezing production, said Nawal Al-Fuzaia, Kuwaits OPEC representative, echoing the views of other Doha participants. But then something happened. According to people familiar with the sequence of events, Saudi Arabias Deputy Crown Prince and key oil strategist, Mohammed bin Salman, called the Saudi delegation in Doha at 3:00 a.m. on April 17th and instructed them to spurn a deal that provided leeway of any sort for Iran. When the Iranianswho chose not to attend the meetingsignaled that they had no intention of freezing their output to satisfy their rivals, the Saudis rejected the draft agreement it had helped negotiate and the assembly ended in disarray. Geopolitics to the Fore Most analysts have since suggested that the Saudi royals simply considered punishing Iran more important than lowering oil prices. No matter the cost to them, in other words, they could not bring themselves to help Iran pursue its geopolitical objectives, including giving yet more support to Shiite forces in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon. Already feeling pressured by Tehran and ever less confident of Washingtons support, they were ready to use any means available to weaken the Iranians, whatever the danger to themselves. The failure to reach an agreement in Doha is a reminder that Saudi Arabia is in no mood to do Iran any favors right now and that their ongoing geopolitical conflict cannot be discounted as an element of the current Saudi oil policy, said Jason Bordoff of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Many analysts also pointed to the rising influence of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, entrusted with near-total control of the economy and the military by his aging father, King Salman. As Minister of Defense, the prince has spearheaded the Saudi drive to counter the Iranians in a regional struggle for dominance. Most significantly, he is the main force behind Saudi Arabias ongoing intervention in Yemen, aimed at defeating the Houthi rebels, a largely Shia group with loose ties to Iran, and restoring deposed former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. After a year of relentless U.S.-backed airstrikes (including the use of cluster bombs), the Saudi intervention has, in fact, failed to achieve its intended objectives, though it has produced thousands of civilian casualties, provoking fierce condemnation from U.N. officials, and created space for the rise of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Nevertheless, the prince seems determined to keep the conflict going and to counter Iranian influence across the region. For Prince Mohammed, the oil market has evidently become just another arena for this ongoing struggle. Under his guidance, the Financial Timesnoted in April, Saudi Arabias oil policy appears to be less driven by the price of crude than global politics, particularly Riyadhs bitter rivalry with post-sanctions Tehran. This seems to have been the backstory for Riyadhs last-minute decision to scuttle the talks in Doha. On April 16, for instance, Prince Mohammed couldnt have been blunter to Bloomberg, even if he didnt mention the Iranians by name: If all major producers dont freeze production, we will not freeze production. With the proposed agreement in tatters, Saudi Arabia is now expected to boost its own output, ensuring that prices will remain bargain-basement low and so deprive Iran of any windfall from its expected increase in exports. The kingdom, Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg, was prepared to immediately raise production from its current 10.2 million barrels per day to 11.5 million barrels and could add another million barrels if we wanted to in the next six to nine months. With Iranian and Iraqi oil heading for market in larger quantities, thats the definition of oversupply. It would certainly ensure Saudi Arabias continued dominance of the market, but it might also wound the kingdom in a major way, if not fatally. A New Global Reality No doubt geopolitics played a significant role in the Saudi decision, but thats hardly the whole story. Overshadowing discussions about a possible production freeze was a new fact of life for the oil industry: the past would be no predictor of the future when it came to global oil demand. Whatever the Saudis think of the Iranians or vice versa, their industry is being fundamentally transformed, altering relationships among the major producers and eroding their inclination to cooperate. Until very recently, it was assumed that the demand for oil would continue to expand indefinitely, creating space for multiple producers to enter the market, and for ones already in it to increase their output. Even when supply outran demand and drove prices down, as has periodically occurred, producers could always take solace in the knowledge that, as in the past, demand would eventually rebound, jacking prices up again. Under such circumstances and at such a moment, it was just good sense for individual producers to cooperate in lowering output, knowing that everyone would benefit sooner or later from the inevitable price increase. But what happens if confidence in the eventual resurgence of demand begins to wither? Then the incentives to cooperate begin to evaporate, too, and its every producer for itself in a mad scramble to protect market share. This new realitya world in which peak oil demand, rather than peak oil, will shape the consciousness of major playerss what the Doha catastrophe foreshadowed. At the beginning of this century, many energy analysts were convinced that we were at the edge of the arrival of peak oil; a peak, that is, in the output of petroleum in which planetary reserves would be exhausted long before the demand for oil disappeared, triggering a global economic crisis. As a result of advances in drilling technology, however, the supply of oil has continued to grow, while demand has unexpectedly begun to stall. This can be traced both to slowing economic growth globally and to an accelerating green revolution in which the planet will be transitioning to non-carbon fuel sources. With most nations now committed to measures aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases under the just-signed Paris climate accord, the demand for oil is likely to experience significant declines in the years ahead. In other words, global oil demand will peak long before supplies begin to run low, creating a monumental challenge for the oil-producing countries. This is no theoretical construct. Its reality itself. Net consumption of oil in the advanced industrialized nations has already dropped from 50 million barrels per day in 2005 to 45 million barrels in 2014. Further declines are in store as strict fuel efficiency standards for the production of new vehicles and other climate-related measures take effect, the price of solar and wind power continues to fall, and other alternative energy sources come on line. While the demand for oil does continue to rise in the developing world, even there its not climbing at rates previously taken for granted. With such countries also beginning to impose tougher constraints on carbon emissions, global consumption is expected to reach a peak and begin an inexorable decline.According to experts Thijs Van de Graaf and Aviel Verbruggen, overall world peak demand could be reached as early as 2020. In such a world, high-cost oil producers will be driven out of the market and the advantagesuch as it iswill lie with the lowest-cost ones. Countries that depend on petroleum exports for a large share of their revenues will come under increasing pressure to move away from excessive reliance on oil. This may have been another consideration in the Saudi decision at Doha. In the months leading up to the April meeting, senior Saudi officials dropped hints that they were beginning to plan for a post-petroleum era and that Deputy Crown Prince bin Salman would play a key role in overseeing the transition. On April 1, the prince himself indicated that steps were underway to begin this process. As part of the effort, he announced, he was planning an initial public offering of shares in state-owned Saudi Aramco, the worlds number one oil producer, and would transfer the proceeds, an estimated $2 trillion, to its Public Investment Fund (PIF). IPOing Aramco and transferring its shares to PIF will technically make investments the source of Saudi government revenue, not oil, the prince pointed out. What is left now is to diversify investments. So within 20 years, we will be an economy or state that doesnt depend mainly on oil. For a country that more than any other has rested its claim to wealth and power on the production and sale of petroleum, this is a revolutionary statement. If Saudi Arabia says it is ready to begin a move away from reliance on petroleum, we are indeed entering a new world in which, among other things, the titans of oil production will no longer hold sway over our lives as they have in the past. This, in fact, appears to be the outlook adopted by Prince Mohammed in the wake of the Doha debacle. In announcing the kingdoms new economic blueprint on April 25, he vowed to liberate the country from its addiction to oil. This will not, of course, be easy to achieve, given the kingdoms heavy reliance on oil revenues and lack of plausible alternatives. The 30-year-old prince could also face opposition from within the royal family to his audacious moves (as well as his blundering ones in Yemen and possibly elsewhere). Whatever the fate of the Saudi royals, however, if predictions of a future peak in world oil demand prove accurate, the debacle in Doha will be seen as marking the beginning of the end of the old oil order. Michael T. Klare, a TomDispatch regular, is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College and the author, most recently, of The Race for Whats Left. A documentary movie version of his book Blood and Oil is available from the Media Education Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @mklare1. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE New Report Shows Natural Gas Increasingly Becoming an Unnecessary Bridge to Nowhere 10 States Blocking the Power of the Sun New Uncovered Corporate Documents Show #ExxonKnew Much Earlier Than Previously Reported Viral Video of River Catching on Fire Prompts Call for Ban on Fracking Hundreds of people take to the streets in city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania after a police officer fatally shot Munoz. Protests erupted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Sunday after a police officer fatally shot a 27-year-old man who allegedly ran at him with a knife. Police posted the officers body camera video on social media, which appeared to show Ricardo Munoz chasing the officer down a pavement with a knife. The officer shot and killed Munoz, who died at the scene. Munoz was mentally ill diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had not been taking his medications, his sister told local media outlet Lancaster Online. Rulennis Munoz, 33, said she had called a crisis intervention organisation and a police non-emergency number to get her brother involuntarily committed. He had an episode. He was just incoherent and acting out, she said. I called to find out what the procedure was to get him some help. Authorities did not immediately explain why an officer was dispatched, although Munoz was facing four counts of aggravated assault after he was accused last year of stabbing four people, including a 16-year-old boy in the face, following a fight. Protests erupt Hundreds of people took to the streets of Lancaster in protests that were sometimes violent, turning the city of about 60,000 people into the latest flashpoint in a summer of civil unrest across the United States over racism and police use of force. Police fired tear gas early on Monday to disperse the demonstrators. At a news conference on Monday, Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace called on the governor and state legislators to work together to come up with better protocols for responding to 911 calls involving people who may have mental health issues. She said the shooting highlighted a broader problem of poverty affecting as many as half of the citys residents a predicament exacerbated by budget cuts and the coronavirus pandemic and disproportionately affecting minority communities. We must fund housing, social services, and education equitably and adequately in this city, she said. Lancaster, if we care so deeply about loving our neighbour then lets do it. The officer was placed on administrative leave, the mayors office said in a statement, calling it a heartbreaking day for our city. The Lancaster police department said it had arrested eight people early on Monday for arson and other crimes, with four of those detained from outside the county. Some protesters threw bricks at the police station and post office, the police said. PENNSYLVANIA: there were multiple armed individuals in camouflage w/ American flags as identifiers offering tactical to support to Lancaster police Im not sure who they were, but they were not messing around. There presence often made rioters flee pic.twitter.com/8pFpmKt9UH ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) September 14, 2020 The Lancaster County District Attorneys Office said it was investigating the shooting to determine whether there was a justified use of force. District Attorney Heather Adams acknowledged the protests in a news release later on Sunday and called for calm. We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods, Adams stated. The protests are the latest in a long line of anti-police brutality demonstrations that began in the US in May, following George Floyds death in Minneapolis police custody. Most protests have been peaceful, though some have been violent. Police, for their part, have also been accused of excessive force across the country. As for the use of chemical munitions against protesters early Monday, the police department said in a statement that the crowd was given several warnings to disperse before the gas was deployed. A protester takes cover during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake [David Goldman/AP Photo] The crowd failed to follow the instructions, police stated, adding that items including glass bottles, gallon jugs filled with liquid, parts of plastic road barricades and more had been thrown at officers. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs spoke separately by phone with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and invited the ministers to meet individually with the Co-Chairs in person in the coming weeks to further clarify their respective positions, with the aim of resuming serious substantive negotiations without preconditions, Trend reports with reference to OSCE. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) held intensive consultations in Paris on September 14. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the meetings. The Co-Chairs reviewed the situation in the region with particular focus on new developments following the mid-July violent escalation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The Co-Chairs carefully considered and assessed the private and public messages and concerns of the sides. The Co-Chairs were briefed by the PRCiO on the security situation on the ground and welcomed his concrete preparations for the resumption of monitoring activities. The Co-Chairs remain actively and fully engaged in facilitating negotiations for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement in accordance with their OSCE mandate, the report said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 03:08:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People dine under a canopy at a restaurant designed to keep different groups of diners separated and safe following the government's COVID-19 guidelines in London, Britain, Sept. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) Overall, 368,504 coronavirus cases have been confirmed by the British government. LONDON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Coronavirus cases on Sunday soared in Britain by more than 3,000 in the highest rise on a Sunday since mid-May. As of 09:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Sunday, there have been a further 3,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, according to the latest government figures. It followed a further 3,497 cases which were confirmed on Saturday, also the highest rise on a Saturday since May. People dine under a canopy at a restaurant designed to keep different groups of diners separated and safe following the government's COVID-19 guidelines in London, Britain, Sept. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) Overall, 368,504 cases have been confirmed by the British government. The government dashboard also said a further five people had died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday. This brings Britain's total to 41,628. Separate figures published by the British statistics agencies showed that there have now been 57,400 deaths registered in Britain where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The figures were revealed at a time when countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are engaged in a race against time to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Regional leaders are advocating a shared vision for stakeholder capitalism and have signed the Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism for Mena ahead of World Economic Forums Sustainable Development Impact Summit on September 21-24. This roadmap advocates the importance of public-private collaboration and includes the following action points: Crafting inclusive economic policies and a new social contract Stimulating economic integration Reshaping education systems Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution Promoting environmental sustainability Mitigating global health risks Committing to good and agile governance Signatories are members of the World Economic Forums Regional Action Group on the Middle East and North Africa, which the Forum created in April 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Top-level members of government, business and civil society convene monthly during virtual meetings with the aim of developing action-oriented initiatives and projects that strengthen the regions resilience for the post-Covid-19 era. Driven by their conviction that companies and governments need to have a larger societal role, the signatories believe that the shared vision and language agreed upon in the Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism will serve as a guiding framework to steer collaboration. The Regional Action Group on the Middle East and North Africa will offer a platform for projects and initiatives that emerge from these principles, with the aim of scaling them up and replicating them throughout the region. The principles have been released ahead of the World Economic Forums Sustainable Development Impact Summit, which aims to scale up solutions to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of our time. The World Economic Forums Regional Action Group for the Middle East and North Africa reflects the engagement of the region, not only in responding to global challenges, but in proactively contributing to shaping the right vision for the future, said Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia. The communitys vision for the Middle East and North Africa aligns with Saudi Arabias G20 agenda, as it aims to foster higher inclusive economic growth, harness technological advancements, enhance environmental sustainability, promote better governance and partnerships, and enhance global cooperation. A similar view was expressed by Abdulla Bin Touq, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, who said: The Regional Action Group is one of the most important multilateral and regionally focused platforms where policy-makers and private-sector decision-makers can come together to share their views, allowing them to push some of the major regional priorities into the domain of actionable projects. According to Bin Touq, the Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism represent the building blocks for all of us to actively work together in addressing the challenges brought by Covid-19 and to make headway on the economic prosperity of Mena. Adopting a shared vision and language for public-private collaboration through endorsing the Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism for the Mena region is an opportunity to reshape our societies and economies, allowing us to emerge from the pandemic stronger, more unified and more resilient than before, said Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation of Egypt. The Principles for Stakeholder Capitalism form the foundation of a new beginning that will require a fresh approach to how the public and private sectors work together to unlock the regions vast potential, said Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Holding in the UAE. Mirek Dusek, Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum, said: The Principles of Stakeholder Capitalism for the Middle East and North Africa constitute a milestone for the region in preparing for its future. They crucially provide a framework for promoting environmental sustainability, as they are designed to support regional decision-makers in shaping social and economic policies that are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, thereby mitigating potential future climate-related disruptions and putting the region on a path of sustainable, equitable, and inclusive growth. TradeArabia News Service Oracle, chaired by billionaire Ellison (pictured) is one of the few Silicon Valley firms to openly support Donald Trump A company co-founded by President Trump ally Larry Ellison is buying into the US operations of Tik Tok. Oracle, chaired by billionaire Ellison and one of the few Silicon Valley firms to openly support Trump, has agreed a 'technical partnership' with the social media firm's Chinese owner Bytedance. The deal stops short of a full sale of the popular video app, but should help to allay Trump's national security concerns regarding Chinese influence over Tik Tok. The president had accused the app, mostly used by young people to post short videos ranging from dances to make-up tutorials, of being a threat to US national security. Trump has taken an increasingly aggressive stance against Chinese tech companies including Huawei, the telecoms firm which he accused of spying on Western nations. Huawei has denied these claims. Trump threatened to ban Tik Tok unless it found a new owner, which opened up a protracted bidding process. Microsoft threw its hat into the ring, but the Windows softwaremaker said on Sunday its bid had been rejected. The Oracle partnership is likely to give it a minority stake in Tik Tok's US operations, according to reports. Tech giant: Oracle, founded in 1977, is worth around 133bn. It sells data management software But it was unclear whether the deal would satisfy Trump. Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer of Facebook, said: 'A deal where Oracle takes over hosting without source code and significant operational changes would not address any of the legitimate concerns about Tik Tok, and the White House accepting such a deal would demonstrate that this exercise was pure grift.' Oracle, founded in 1977, is worth around 133billion. It sells data management software. The Tik Tok deal may allow it to ramp up its expansion into advertising. GUWAHATI: Two of Assams biggest student organisations, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), came together on Monday to formally announce the formation of a new political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), ahead of next years assembly elections. The new regional party is among several outfits that have formally launched recently or are in the process of being formed. Both the AASU and the AJYCP had earlier formed a 16-member advisory committee of prominent personalities to suggest a way forward. Based on their suggestions, the decision to form a new political party to secure the future of Assam and Assamese people was taken. Work on our party begins from now. The organisation set up across all districts will be completed by October and the partys state-level political convention will be held in November, said Basanta Deka, former professor of Handique Girls College, one of the two convenors of the advisory committee. He added that the new party will follow the slogan, ghore ghore ami (we are in each household) with the aim of reaching out to every house across Assam ahead of the next polls in the eastern state ruled by a coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF). The constitution of the party is nearly complete and its aims and ideologies would be unveiled at a later date. The partys flag, symbol and office-bearers would be announced at the November convention, said former Gauhati University professor Krishnagopal Bhattacharya, the other convenor. This will be the second political party to be formed by leaders belonging to the AASU, after the AGP, which came into being in 1985 after the signing of the Assam Accord that ended the six-year-long anti-foreigner agitation that saw an active participation of both the AASU and the AJYCP. Both these organisations spearheaded the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir in the state, opposing the Centres move to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistanwhich many in Assam feared would lead to large scale influx of Bangladeshis to the border state. Activist Akhil Gogois Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), another outfit that took part in the anti-CAA stir, has announced its plan to launch a political party. Journalist-turned-politician Ajit Bhuyan, who became a Rajya Sabha MP earlier this year with support of Congress and the AIUDF, too has floated an outfit called Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). Lawyer Arun Borbora launched the United Regional Party, Assam, last month. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 'National dignity' most important consideration: presidential office ROC Central News Agency 09/13/2020 07:15 PM Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) There is nothing more important than defending national dignity, a Presidential Office spokesman said Sunday, urging the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) to reconsider whether to attend a forum in China later this month. The comment by Xavier Chang () came in the wake of a Chinese state-owned broadcaster describing the planned visit by former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng () of the KMT to the cross-Taiwan Strait forum as "suing for peace." The KMT should carefully deliberate on the matter, because "there is nothing more important than defending the dignity of Taiwanese people and the nation," Chang said in answer to a reporter's question about the Chinese comment on Wang's visit. The KMT announced last week that Wang would lead the party's delegation to the annual forum on cross-strait affairs, which starts on Sept. 19 in Xiamen, Fujian Province, amid a lack of dialogue between Taiwan and China. However, the announcement received an unexpected response from China Central Television (CCTV), a mouthpiece of the Chinese government. The headline "With the strait on the brink of war, this man (Wang) is coming to the mainland to sue for peace," appeared on a CCTV program on cross-strait affairs hosted by Li Hong () Thursday. Following the broadcast, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang () said that the party does not rule out any possibility in addressing the issue, while demanding an apology from Beijing. Meanwhile, a high-level KMT official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNA on Saturday that the party is considering boycotting the forum should CCTV refuse to apologize over its "sue for peace" headline. On Sunday, following a closed-door meeting with Chiang and KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung (), Wang said the party will make a final decision Monday evening on whether to attend the Xiamen forum, while declining to divulge more about what was discussed at the meeting. (By Wu Jui-chi and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 13/09/20 Jennifer Supupol and Lima Fitzpatrick pictured enjoying the good weather scenes in Sandycove ,Fortyfoot ths afternoon.. Pic Stephen Collins/Collins Photos Ireland will bask in Indian summer weather this week, with temperatures reaching a sizzling 23C. Today will be warm and humid across the country, with the mercury rising to 22C in mostly moderate southwesterly breezes. Tomorrow will see temperatures of up to a 23C, with the warmest weather expected in Leinster. Very little rain is expected to fall this week, as brollies will be swapped for sunscreen. Expand Close Isobel Conachy (10) enjoying in Co Meath gardening in the fine weather. Picture By David Conachy . 13/9//2020 no byline please / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Isobel Conachy (10) enjoying in Co Meath gardening in the fine weather. Picture By David Conachy . 13/9//2020 no byline please Sunseekers took to the streets, beaches and parks yesterday to make the most of the last blast of summer. Malahide, in north county Dublin, trended on Twitter as people took to the village streets to enjoy al-fresco dining. One user posted a video of people enjoying the weather, dining outside and some online felt the village could rival any European sun spot. However, not everyone has been impressed with the scheme to aid social distancing and boost trade. The Save Malahide Village campaigners said the pedestrianisation pilot on New Street has affected trade and caused public-order incidents. Green Party leader and Communications and Climate Action Minister Eamon Ryan praised the cycle lanes being utilised in Dun Laoghaire. Expand Close Archie Laffan from Midleton, a member of An Faobhar Scythe Group, working at Ardnahinch, Co Cork, as part of the East Cork Biodiversity Networking Programme. Photo: Cathal Noonan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Archie Laffan from Midleton, a member of An Faobhar Scythe Group, working at Ardnahinch, Co Cork, as part of the East Cork Biodiversity Networking Programme. Photo: Cathal Noonan The minister posted a video of cyclists racing down the road. "Steady stream of cyclists and pedestrians along Dun Laoghaire seafront today," he wrote. "The council has created a first-class facility which will transform the area for the better." The good weather is forecast to continue on Wednesday. The country will still be enjoying the late sunshine with temperatures of up to 22C. By Thursday, it will be a bit cooler, though temperatures could still rise to as high as 20C and it will be warmest in the west. Expand Close Enjoying the sun along the banks of the Estuary in Malahide was Deirdre Dodd and husband Kieran Lawton from Swords. Photo by Steve Humphreys 13th September 2020 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Enjoying the sun along the banks of the Estuary in Malahide was Deirdre Dodd and husband Kieran Lawton from Swords. Photo by Steve Humphreys 13th September 2020 By Friday temperatures will only reach 18C, though this is still warm for this time of year. Met Eireann said: "Current indications suggest that Saturday will be mainly dry, but rain will move in from the north-west on Sunday." The forecaster issued a summary of this week's weather, saying it is set to be "very mild with a fair amount of dry weather. There will be some showers, mainly over the western half of the country. Becoming cooler later in the week." The forecasters' UV index advised a moderate UV level across the country today - meaning sunseekers should seek shade at midday and apply sunscreen. It is thought regions will experience similar levels throughout the week as the warm weather continues. Over the weekend Donegal was the wettest county, experiencing 50mm of rain. Even as the country bakes in September sunshine, showers may develop in west Munster, Connacht and west Ulster today. The east and south of the country are expected to see the best of the sunshine, with temperatures potentially reaching 24C tomorrow. The unseasonable weather is down to an anticyclone close to Ireland this week, according to the Ireland Weather Channel. South Australia could reopen its borders and allow NSW and ACT residents into the state without quarantining as early as today. SA Premier Stephen Marshall said he hopes open the border to business and family travel as soon as possible. The South Australian Transition Committee will meet on Tuesday morning to discuss the border restrictions as well as COVID-19 cases in NSW and the ACT. South Australia is set to reopen to NSW and ACT this week, allowing eastern residents to travel to the state without spending 14-days in quarantine. Pictured: Barossa Valley SA Premier Steven Marshall (pictured) is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday But Mr Marshall says he will not do anything that is contrary to health advice. 'We want to give as much of a leg up to those people who want to travel as soon as possible,' the premier said on Monday. 'The numbers are looking really good. Just four new (coronavirus) cases in NSW. If they give us the advice tomorrow, we'll be very quick to open that border. 'I'm very keen to open that border the minute I get the advice that it's safe to do so.' Visitors from NSW and the ACT have been forced to quarantine on arrival in South Australia since March and must self isolate for 14 days. The anticipated border announcement is set to remove this mandatory quarantine period. Eased restrictions would allow families to be reunited in the lead up to the September school holidays and the October long weekend. In other changes to coronavirus rules, the premier said he was hopeful crowds of up to 25,000, or about 50 per cent capacity, would be possible at Adelaide Oval for any AFL finals matches. Mr Marshall said he is eager to open the border but it the decision will depend on the latest health advice. Pictured: Dolphin Bay on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia SA reported no new virus cases on Monday, leaving the state's total since the start of the pandemic at 466. Pictured: Murray River He said significant crowds were at games over the weekend, and SA Health officials were reviewing how those games were managed to consider any next steps in increasing numbers. SA reported no new virus cases on Monday, leaving the state's total since the start of the pandemic at 466. The state has no active infections. Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has faced growing calls to reopen her state for the sake of the national economy. The pandemic-induced lockdowns and border restrictions have jeopardised one million tourism jobs, and are set to cost the country a whopping $54.6billion this year. But on Monday, Ms Palaszczuk doubled down on her stance, telling reporters she is prepared lose the election to maintain hard borders and keep COVID-19 out of her state. The premier has come under sustained fire from federal Coalition politicians like Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the state's opposition Liberal National Party over the Queensland's strict border policies in recent weeks. Political opponents have accused Ms Palaszczuk of being heartless for not being more lenient about exemptions on compassionate grounds ahead of the election on October 31. She's promised to speed up the exemption application process, but she will stake her political future on keeping borders shut. 'Now if it means I have to lose the election, I will risk all that if it means keeping Queenslanders safe,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Monday. Advertisement added Professor Hurlbert.Charlotte Allen from Durham, lives with Parkinson's as a patient and carer, and recalled when she first noticed something was wrong:The Octahedron projectwhich involves colleagues from FMS and SAgE in computing, neuroscience, vision science and aging is a part of a wider commitment by the NHS to becoming a world leader in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning and harness the benefits on offer from the technology that range from faster and more personalized diagnosis to potential efficiencies in screening services.AI is the huge potential for transforming healthcare and freeing up medical professionals' time.It is the right time for AI in health care for advances in technologies. It is believed that a range of technologies at different stages of development will undergo robust testing and independent evaluation to ensure that they are effective, accurate, reasonable and affordable.Source: Medindia The siblings of a 12-year-old central Pennsylvania boy who was found beaten and starved to death and covered in feces in his familys home were told to ignore him and not talk to him, the district attorney said Monday morning. That was just part of the torture Maxwell Schollenberger suffered at the hands of his father Scott Schollenberger Jr. and his fathers fiancee Kimberly Maurer, who both are charged with homicide, Lebanon County DA Pier Hess Graf said. This tiny 12-year-old boy never knew the unconditional love from a family, Graf said during a press conference on the homicide charges filed against Scott Schollenberger, 42 and Maurer 35. Max Schollenberger existed, she said. I will not call this living. He existed in a state of perpetual suffering. That suffering lasted for years at the familys Annville home on South White Oak Street, she said. Graf said the boy was kept in his own dark bare room with the door locked from the outside. The blinds on the windows were duct taped shut. The shutters on a window by his bed were nailed closed, the DA said. There wasnt a single electric light, not one toy and no furniture in the second-floor bedroom other than the feces-caked bed on which the boys body was found on May 26, Graf said. The boy never received medical care and never went to school, the DA said. She said police were called after Maurer told a neighbor about the childs death. By the time of his death he was in that room 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Graf said. Scott Schollenberger and Maurer have three other young children together, Graf said. Those children went to the doctor and those children went to school, she said. None of them were abused or malnourished, she said. Every other room (in the house) was normal, Graf said. There was an abundance of foodand that food went to every other person in the household, except for Max Schollenberger. She said it appears Max only received table scraps, when he was fed at all. When he died, he was in such a state that he could no longer digest food, Graf said. Such a deterioration the boy was too weak to walk or stand and weighted only 47 pounds, about half as much as a normal 12-year-old would have taken quitesome time, she said. Investigators have blamed his death on malnutrition and head trauma. Graf said the other children told investigators that when the adults entered his room Max would scream and he would cry. She said she could not discuss a motive for the infliction of the abuse police say the child endured. Authorities never suspected and were not alerted to any crime or child abuse being committed in the Annville home, Graf said. She said no one from outside could see through the windows into the bedroom where Max was imprisoned. There would have been nothing to trigger a Children and Youth (Services) investigation, the DA said. The other children are now in the care of the county Children and Youth agency, she said. Maurer and Scott Schollenberger are in the county prison without bail. Graf said Scott Schollenberger was arrested in Philadelphia without incident. She said the death penalty wont be sought against the couple because it is not legally permitted under the facts of the case. The investigation into Maxs death took months before the arrests were made because she wanted it to be as thorough and as locked down as possible, Graf said. When he was arrested in the homicide case, Scott Scholleberger was on bail from another criminal case, the DA said. Court records show he was awaiting trial in Lebanon County Court on a simple assault charge Annville police filed on July 9. The trial in that case is scheduled for November. Egypt's Sisi and Armenia's FM also exchanged of viewpoints on developments in Libya, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine Egypt and Armenia agreed on the importance of counteracting external interferences by parties who seek their own benefit at the expense of security and stability in the region, a statement by the Egyptian presidency read on Monday. Presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Armenias Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Cairo, where they discussed cooperation and developments in the region. El-Sisi stressed to the Armenian minister Egypts keenness to bolster cooperation mechanisms on various levels to accomplish the joint interests of the two nations. Mnatsakanyan expressed his countrys appreciation for its relations with Egypt, especially given the presence of a sizeable Armenian community in Egypt and the countrys privileged status and pivotal role in the region. The Armenian foreign minister also expressed interest in bolstering cooperation, especially in tourism, trade and the economic level. Rady said the meeting saw an exchange of viewpoints on developments in Libya, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, where they agreed on the necessity of counteracting foreign interferences in the region. The meeting also tackled bilateral cooperation and increasing mutual investments and maximising trade volume, especially in the fields of pharmaceutical manufacturing, technical education, tourism, and the coordination and exchange of information between relevant authorities. Search Keywords: Short link: The owner of TikTok has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as its preferred suitor to buy the popular video-sharing app, according to a source familiar with the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. Microsoft announced Sunday that its bid for TikTok was rejected, removing the tech giant from the running a week before President Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the U.S. over spying concerns. TikTok declined to comment Sunday. Oracle didnt return a request for comment. The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok by Sept. 20 and ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. business, claiming national-security risks due to its Chinese ownership. The government worries about user data being funneled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national-security risk and is suing to stop the administration from the threatened ban. Its not clear whether the proposed acquisition will only cover TikToks U.S. business, and, if so, how it will be split from the rest of TikToks social media platform, which is popular worldwide. Bytedance also owns a second app, Douyin, for the Chinese market. Any deal must still be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, a U.S. government group chaired by the Treasury Secretary that studies mergers for national-security reasons. The president can approve or disapprove a transaction recommended by the panel, though Trump has already voiced support for Oracle as a great company that could handle the acquisition. Microsoft said in a Sunday statement that Bytedance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. Microsoft added it was confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. The company said it would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation. TikTok, which says it has 100 million U.S. users and about 700 million globally, is known for its fun, goofy videos of dancing, lip-syncing, pranks and jokes. It has recently become home to more political content such as the comedian Sarah Cooper, who drew a large audience by lip-syncing Trumps own often-disjointed statements from public appearances. But the app has also raised concerns because of its Chinese ownership. The White House has cracked down on a range of Chinese businesses, including telecom equipment makers Huawei and ZTE and messaging app WeChat, over worries that they would enable Chinese authorities to get U.S. user data. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about censorship and childrens privacy. TikTok denies that it has shared user data with the Chinese government or that it would do so if asked. The company says it has not censored videos at the request of Chinese authorities and insists it is not a national-security threat. TikTok has sued to stop the ban, but not the sale order. The negotiations have been complicated by several factors, including Trumps repeated demands that the U.S. government should get a cut of any deal, a stipulation and role for the president that experts say is unprecedented. In addition, the Chinese government in late August unveiled new regulations that restrict exports of technology, likely including the artificial intelligence system TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means ByteDance would have to obtain a license from China to export such technology to a foreign company. The deal had come together rapidly after the administration ramped up its threats against TikTok this summer, despite TikToks efforts to put distance between its app and its Chinese ownership. It installed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its American CEO, but he resigned in August after just a few months on the job, saying the political environment has sharply changed. Vanessa Pappas, 41, was appointed TikToks interim global head. Both Microsoft and Oracle are known more for their business software offerings than for those intended for consumers. Oracle primarily makes database software. It competes with tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon that provide cloud services as well as business-software specialists like Salesforce. Some analysts see Oracles interest in a consumer business as misguided. Oracle should focus on enterprise-market acquisitions and not invest in a consumer app like TikTok that doesnt fit with the rest of its business, said Jefferies analyst Brent Thill, who compares the idea to Delta Airlines buying a motorcycle company. It doesnt make any sense, he said. Thill suggested that TikTok competitors like Facebook and Snapchat should be cheering on Oracle as a buyer, because Oracle wouldnt add a lot of value to the app. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of President Trump, hosting a fundraiser for him in February at his Rancho Mirage (Riverside County) estate. The company also hired a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence; its CEO, Safra Catz, also served on Trumps transition team. The president said on Aug. 18 that Oracle was a great company that could handle buying TikTok. He declined to state his preference between Oracle and Microsoft as buyers. Pappas has run TikToks North American business since 2018. In a recent interview with the New York Times over Zoom from her home, Pappas said TikToks predicament is unique, and described what it is like to navigate it through a challenging time. Pappas said she is focused on what TikToks future could look like if the apps ownership is bifurcated. Most of all, she said, she is putting TikToks community of creators and users ranging from those who post videos of cake decorating to those who prefer break dancing first. Pappas added that she regularly talks to Zhang Yiming, ByteDances founder and CEO, about all of these issues. In July, TikTok formed a Creator Fund, starting with $200 million, to pay top creators. And with the pandemic forcing people indoors for the foreseeable future, Pappas said she and her team are working on making TikTok an uplifting place to visit. Last month, the company began a national advertising campaign on television and digital media, highlighting more than 30 popular creators under the tagline It starts on TikTok. Weve built this product for hundreds of millions of people, and were not looking for that to change, said Pappas, a former executive at San Brunos YouTube. But keeping TikToks community happy in such a turbulent period may be challenging. Some creators and fans have been rattled by Trumps moves against the app. Since his executive order, people in the United States have installed TikTok about 6.5 million times, down 13% from a year earlier, according to Sensor Tower. Competitors have also pounced. Facebook introduced Reels, a TikTok clone inside Instagram, in August. The Menlo Park company has also doled out millions of dollars to some of TikToks biggest stars to lure them over to using Reels. Tom Keiser, CEO of Hootsuite, a social media management company, said TikTok was right to make its power users a priority. They need to be investing in those folks, he said. Theres so many things out of their control, but their future growth is based on influencers and content creators continuing to evolve and grow and leverage the new capabilities. Pappas said that, unlike Facebook or Twitter, TikTok isnt wholly dependent on ones social graph, or how many friends someone had. The apps discovery algorithm instead surfaces popular content from people with followings both large and small, keeping users in the app longer and coming back more frequently. The New York Times contributed to this report. Matt OBrien and Tali Arbel are Associated Press writers. Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) Eight months from the onset of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling on the international community to accelerate support for efforts to mitigate and combat the illnesss impact on migrants, displaced persons and returnees worldwide On July 31, Jocelyne Khoueiry passed away mercifully five days before seeing Beirut destroyed, again. A key player in the civil war that once tore the city apart, she spent the rest of her life trying to stitch it back together, and all of Lebanon with it. The Beirut explosion on August 4 reminded many of the worst days of the 1975-1990 conflict. The Lebanese capital divided into a Christian east and a Muslim west, alternately shelled by militias and foreign armies vying for control. But though far smaller in scale than the blast at the port, the deaths caused by Jocelynes 1976 hand grenade also shook the nation. Born as one of two daughters in a Maronite Christian family of ten, Jocelyne grew up across the street from the Beirut headquarters of the Phalange. Originally a Christian youth movement dedicated to an independent Lebanon, the Phalange took great offense at the state-within-a-state formed by the 300,000 Palestinians who were fleeing war with Israel. The 1969 Cairo agreement gave the refugees sovereignty to organize their own communities and continue the armed struggle, with the blessingthough not involvementof their host nation. The Khoueiry family provided some of the earliest fighters to the Phalange Christian militia formed in response, and a not yet 20-year-old Jocelyne enlisted with her brothers. In 1975, the civil war broke out in earnest, and several Lebanese Muslim militias sided with the Palestinians. Jocelyne was not a practicing Christian; she preferred the Beirut nightlife. But on May 7, 1976, on a routine patrol on the roof of the Regent Hotel, she had a vision. She said the Virgin Mary appeared to her, and she saw herself kneeling in veneration. But she was also overcome with a sense of dread, and prayed that God would protect the six other female fighters stationed there with her. On the way down from the roof, she saw advancing Palestinian militants. The Regent sat on a dividing line between mixed and wholly Christian neighborhoods of Beirut, and Jocelynes squad was completely alone. While the Phalange militias men had anticipated defending a different hotel encampment, a 300-strong regiment of Palestinians attacked the female outpost instead. The battle lasted six hours. Eventually, Jocelyne risked exposure by climbing back to the roof, and threw down a hand grenade that miraculously killed the Palestinian commander. The militia scattered, and the line was held. Jocelyne became a legend. But in the years that followed, she contemplated becoming a nun. Nothing was enough for me, Jocelyne said in a 2012 interview with Zenit. I wanted to belong to God, and to belong to him totally. Various convents, however, turned her down, saying her place was in the world. She began studying theology at the Holy Spirit University to the north of Beirut. But when the fighting intensified in 1980, Bashir Gemayel, the charismatic leader of the Lebanese Forces which united the Phalange and other Christian militias, came recruiting. Having long remembered her courage, he wanted Jocelyne to head a renewed womens division. She was determined to turn him down. But instead, she heard from God again. These young soldiers are wandering without a guide, she sensed God say. Give them the gospel, and teach them the true faith. Within two minutes, she said yes. And the legend became a scandal. We were described as monsters, but the ladies were different, said Assaad Chaftari, deputy intelligence chief for the Lebanese Forces. I said no to Bashir, we dont want them talking to our menher girls will weaken them. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I was against women fighting, I was not very happy, said Raymond Nader, a Lebanese Forces commander. But deep inside of me, I thought that we needed themjust because we needed fighters. And then the scandal became a scourge. She instilled in us a sense of fear, said Chaden Hani, a Muslim from the Druze sect, who as a teenager had to flee her home in the mountains due to the intensity of intercommunal clashes. Even their women are fightingthat means it is getting fierce, and shows their hatred toward us. But the scourge became an inspiration. Jocelyne was my hero, said Nawal Fares, who enrolled with her at that time. She was everything I wanted to be as a woman. Jocelyne eventually commanded 1,500 women during the war, serving in different capacities, including the front lines. She trained them during the day, and led Bible studies at night. And she set up a team of 30 priests and 12 female spiritual guides, who traveled with the fighters wherever they went. All were dedicated to the cause. For us, Lebanon was as holy as God, as we mixed our nationalism and our Christianity, said Chaftari. Jocelyne was one of the pioneers who thought about the difference. It began in 1985, when Christian infighting soured her on the war. A faction including Chaftari and Nader overthrew the leader of the Lebanese Forces, who was very close to Jocelyne. She announced her girls were laying down their arms, as politics divided her brothers in faith. Nader pleaded with her to stay with them. Jocelyne angrily rebuked him, telling him to leave with her. He did not. In time, Naders faction overthrew Chaftaris. The final years of the civil war pitted Christian against Christian, weakening all. The 1990 Taif Accord humiliated the Christians. Their political powers were curtailed, and while one sides leader was sent into exile, the others was sent to jail. Instead of saving their country, they lost it. Jocelyne, meanwhile, had shifted her strugglefrom arms to knees. For two years, she went into a spiritual retreat. Upon emerging, she mobilized anew. In 1998, she founded the May 31st Movement for Lebanese Women. Dedicated to a Marian spirituality, it aimed to purify their spiritual lives and keep families together. In 1995, she founded Yes to Life, expanding the focus to combat abortion. And in 2000, she founded the Pope John Paul II Center, to lift up the marginalized. Maybe I didnt choose my way, Jocelyne toldLOrient-Le Jour in 2015. I just followed the signs God sent me. Image: Courtesy of Shiraz Awad Meanwhile, God was also giving signs to her former colleagues in battle. After the war, many officers eventually encountered the God of faith, and not just of ideology, said Fares, who became a leading member of the spiritual formation committee within the May 31st movement. And after coming to Jesus, they would go tell Jocelyne. In 1994, Nader said he experienced a life-transforming beatific vision. With a new spiritual orientation, he dedicated himself to reconciling once-feuding Christian officers. It included his own reconciliation with the female colleague he once offended, Jocelyne. Together they worked to prepare Lebanon for the 1997 visit of Pope John Paul II. And she consulted with him on Lebanon: The Message, the 2007 political project inspired by the celebrated papal statement. Lebanon is more than a country, said the pope. It is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism, for East and West alike. But while Jocelyne and Nader primarily focused their activities on rebuilding Lebanon by healing its Christian population, Chaftaris vision was more inclusive. Deemed a traitor at the time of his ouster from the Lebanese Forces, deep spiritual introspection led him to reevaluate his life. As an intelligence officer, Chaftari had given orders to decide if a captured Palestinian would live or die. In 2000, he became the only Lebanese fighter from any religion to publicly apologize for his role in the war. And it offended even Jocelyne, who despite her reservations still believed in the purity of the cause. In 2014, Chaftari co-founded Fighters for Peace to reconcile everyone, Muslim and Christian alike. Three years later, he succeeded with Jocelyneafter she read his book. Though she never joined his organization, in 2018 Jocelyne went with him to West Beirutthe Muslim quarterto give a speech on the role of women in peace and war. She joined the daughter of a prominent civil war-era Shiite Muslim leader. Thank you, Jocelyne told me, Chaftari recalled. You made me cross this fictitious line. Later in her life, Hani traversed an even greater crossing, becoming a follower of Jesus in 2000. Eventually, she forgave the Christians for their conduct in the war. But though she understands the cause, it now troubles her for a deeper reason. I admire her love for Lebanon as a female patriot, said Hani. The blood in her boils in me as well. But I still blame the Christiansthey had a knowledge of Christ, while we didnt. There were other ways to fight for Lebanon. Jocelyne eventually found them, as did Hani. In 2017, Hani joined Arab Baptist Theological Seminary as their researcher in peacebuilding affairs. She co-leads its Friendship Network to bring together lay Christians and Muslims, often from non-integrated areas of Lebanon. Nader continued his friendship with Jocelyne through the difficult final years when pancreatic cancer confined her mostly to her home. But he recalls how she continually kept up with her girls, veterans from the civil war who oversee her organizations. Chaftari is convinced Jocelyne would have become more active in grassroots interfaith reconciliation, had she not fallen ill. He hopes her girls will take up his cause in the years to come. But even though Jocelynes calling was to serve the Christian community of Lebanon, it intersected with the whole. She recalled counseling a Palestinian woman contemplating abortion. Challenging herself, Jocelyne stayed by her side through delivery, and compensated all the lost income from keeping the baby. Jocelynes faith in Lebanon was in a diverse Lebanon, said Fares. She never deviated from this path. She was not the same person as a fighter as she was before she died, but her life was an upward progression, toward God. Two days after her passing, God honored her original desire: Jocelyne was received and buried as a Carmelite nun. As she once told an interviewer: The grace of God does not allow the plagues of war to decide my behavior. I felt that I was really free. SACRAMENTO, Calif. President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, on Monday offered a striking split screen on the role of climate change in raging wildfires on the West Coast, with each staking out dramatically different positions on what has caused the blazes that have consumed vast amounts of acreage in California in recent weeks. In dueling events, Biden linked the blazes as well as deadly heat waves and a recent string of hurricanes and disastrous flooding elsewhere to climate change, while Trump dismissed the established science that shows global temperatures will continue to climb because of rising greenhouse gases from the use of fossil fuels. The president, in California for a briefing on the fires, sparred with the states natural resources chief over his denial of the role that rising temperatures have played in the worsening fire season, with the secretary at one point responding to the president: I dont think the science agrees with you. While Biden and Trumps divergent attitudes toward climate change were already well established, their comments on Monday only stood to underscore their differences on an issue that has put lives at stake. The showdown came as historic wildfires have displaced tens of thousands of residents up and down the West Coast, tinged the sky a red-orange hue and created some of the worlds worst air quality in parts of California. At least 35 people are dead across California, Oregon and Washington, and more than 3 million acres of land have been scorched. In remarks from Wilmington, Del., the former vice president pitched himself as the only choice to combat climate change shortly ahead of Trumps first visit to view the damage in California from the fires that have been raging for weeks. If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more America ablaze? Biden said. If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater? Story continues Trump faced a more direct confrontation at his event here in Californias capital, from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Wade Crowfoot, the head of the states Natural Resources Agency. I think we want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means for our forests and actually work together with that science, Crowfoot told the president at the wildfire briefing, which featured local and federal officials involved in combating the fires. Crowfoot emphasized to the president that science is going to be key. While he applauded Trumps focus on forest management as a method of controlling and fighting wildfires, Crowfoot warned Trump not to ignore the science of climate change, arguing that it would be misguided to sort of put our heads in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, a course of action he said would not ultimately protect Californians. Trump, however, pushed back on Crowfoots assessment, telling the secretary that itll start getting cooler, just watch. I dont think the science agrees with you, Crowfoot responded, to which Trump countered: I dont think science knows, actually. After the briefing, Crawfoot fired back at the president on Twitter, posting a graph of Californias average temperature from June to September, with a trendline showing that figure steadily increasing over the last four decades. It actually wont get cooler Mr. President. #ClimateChangeIsReal, Crowfoot wrote. Newsom, a Democrat with whom Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship, also challenged the president on his views, even as he acknowledged that Trump was unlikely to change them. Id be negligent, and this is not weve known each other too long and as you suggest, the working relationship, I value, he told the president. We obviously feel very strongly that the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier. Somethings happened to the plumbing of the world and we come from a perspective, humbly, where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident, that climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this, he continued, urging Trump to please respect the difference of opinion out here with respect to this fundamental issue of climate change. Absolutely, the president responded. Climate change is playing a role in the severity of the fires, which are expected to increase in frequency in future years. The U.S. endured its fourth-hottest summer ever recorded amid an abnormally dry season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That helped create the volatile conditions on the heels of the nations sixth-warmest winter, as lightning strikes ignited West Coast blazes even before official wildfire season began. Donald Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly, Biden said on Monday. Biden laid out the consequences of climate change along the nations coasts and in suburbs, pointing to the health concerns stemming from wildfires and other natural disasters that disproportionately affect communities of color, as well as the massive costs to the economy and the national security threats posed by sea-level rise. With every bout of natures fury, caused by our own inaction on climate change, more Americans see and feel the devastation, whether theyre in big cities, small towns, on coastlines or farm lands, Biden said. Its happening everywhere and its happening now, and it affects us all. Biden also took aim at Trumps central campaign theme on law and order, using the same phrasing he has employed when criticizing Trumps response to the protests that swept across the country to attack him on his lack of action on climate change. Its clear that were not safe in Donald Trumps America, Biden said. This is Donald Trumps America. Hes in charge. Trump has also warned that immigration is threatening U.S. suburbs, an assertion that Biden called ridiculous in his remarks. You know what is actually threatening our suburbs? he said Wildfires are burning the suburbs of the West. Floods are wiping out suburban neighbors in the Midwest. Hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast. If we have four more years of Trumps climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned by wildfires? How many suburban neighborhoods will be flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away by superstorms? Biden positioned Trumps policies and actions as backward-looking politics that will stand to harm the environment, make communities less healthy and hold back economic progress. Its a mindset that doesnt have any faith in the capacity of the American people to compete, to innovate and to win, Biden said, pointing instead to his own climate plan, which calls for making buildings more energy-efficient, boosting clean-energy jobs and expanding electric transportation. We have to act as a nation, Biden said. It shouldnt be so bad that millions of Americans live in the shadow of an orange sky and are left asking, Is Doomsday here? Trump met with local and federal personnel and attended the wildfire briefing during a trip to McClellan Park near Sacramento, after facing criticism that he has ignored the Western wildfires for weeks. He forcefully pushed back on that criticism prior to the briefing, appearing annoyed when asked what he says to critics who said he was too slow to respond, calling it a nasty question. I said it immediately, let me just tell you, Trump said. I got a call from the governor immediately when the fires began, I called him, and on that call I declared it an emergency, he told reporters on the tarmac upon landing in Sacramento. That was immediate. So dont tell me about not doing it, because that was immediate. That included FEMA coming here, and everything else, so thats a nasty question. Trump has previously denied and downplayed the existence of climate change, and recently reprised attacks on California, accusing the state of causing the wildfires by not taking care of its forests. While forest management plays a role decades of stomping out flames has allowed fuel to build up, creating kindling scientists say the drier, hotter conditions and shifting precipitation patterns brought by climate change are a primary factor for recent wildfires. At campaign rallies over the weekend in Nevada, Trump criticized Californias fire management practices and attacked what he called the states extreme agenda. Please remember the words, very simple: forest management, he said of the wildfires. Trump has previously accused the state of failing to clean or rake its forests. Newsom has meanwhile emphasized that the fires are the direct result of climate change and pledged to fast-track the states climate policies in response to the fires. Asked on Monday specifically whether climate change had a role in the current wildfires, as Newsom has repeatedly argued, Trump disagreed. This is more of a management situation, he said. You look at other countries, Austria, Finland, theyre forest nations and they dont have problems. They manage their forest and theyve been doing it brilliantly for many years and it should happen here. The state has to really do that, that includes the state of Washington and Oregon. Trump repeatedly cited explosive trees, as a problem in California, meaning they catch fire much easier, and can be the start of huge wildfires even with a dropped cigarette. He downplayed disagreements with Newsom on climate change. He does agree with forest management. When I started talking about it years ago, nobody agreed with me, Trump said, adding that you can do it beautifully. Miles Taylor, the chief of staff to former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, has said Trump wanted to shut off emergency relief for California amid the states 2019 wildfires because it was a blue state. Bidens running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, is also expected to travel to her home state of California on Monday. She will meet with emergency service personnel on Tuesday for an assessment of the wildfires, according to the Biden campaign. Carla Marinucci reported from Sacramento, Calif., and Kelsey Tamborrino and Caitlin Oprysko from Washington. Gabby Orr contributed to this report from Sacramento, and Zack Colman from Washington. New Delhi, Sep 14 : Only 28 per cent citizens say they have consumed restaurant food in the last 60 days, and most did it by ordering the food at home, according to a survey by Local Circles. Only 34 per cent citizens are likely to consume restaurant food in the next two months and most of them will order food at home instead of going for a dine out. The survey findings show that the struggle for restaurants will likely continue for longer than initially expected. There have been reports that many restaurants and cafes have shut down shops as they were unable to recover even their operational costs due to lack of customers. Many others have said that they are barely hanging on. Restaurants are also seeking permissions from the government to start 'al fresco' or open air dining to ensure social distancing and minimise the risk of the virus spread. It has been three months since restaurants became operational and although the industry was quite happy with the decision, consumers have largely stayed away from eating out due to the Covid-19 fear. A recent study by the Centre for Disease Control, USA has said that adults who tested positive for Covid-19 in July in America were twice as likely to have visited a restaurant or a coffee shop in the last 14 days. On consuming restaurant food, in response, two per cent said they visited restaurants several times to eat out and three per cent said they visited restaurants just a few times. Another two per cent said they didn't visit a restaurant, but did home delivery of restaurant food several times while 21 per cent said they didn't visit a restaurant, but did home delivery of restaurant food a few times (20 per cent). A total of 72 per cent said they neither visited a restaurant nor did home delivery of restaurant food. This means that only 28 per cent citizens say they have consumed restaurant food in the last 60 days, and most did it by ordering the food at home. For the next 60 days, three per cent said they plan to visit restaurants several times to eat out and six per cent said they plan to visit restaurants just a few times to eat out. Three per cent said they had no plans to visit a restaurant, but will do home delivery of restaurant food several times, while 22 per cent said they have no plans to visit a restaurant, but will do home delivery of restaurant food a few times. Sixty-four per cent said they have no plans to visit a restaurant nor do home delivery of restaurant food. This shows that only 34 per cent citizens are likely to consume restaurant food in the next two months and most of them will order food at home instead of going for a dine out. Citizens are concerned about catching the Covid-19 infection in restaurants and cafes as they are frequented by a variety of people. Studies indicate that restaurants are most prone to virus spread because of the droplets generated while consuming food and the possibility of air transmission to others because of the centralised air conditioning system. The results clearly indicate that most people prefer ordering Indian cuisine much more than international cuisine in India. This is especially true when it comes to tier 2, 3 and 4 towns where international food choices are limited or non-existent. The Brexit focus moves to London this week as MPs debate Boris Johnsons move to change Northern Irelands special trade status. The focus is back on the London parliament in Westminster scene of all that political drama in spring 2019. Boris Johnsons controversial Internal Market Bill, which breaks the international treaty with the EU called the Withdrawal Agreement, goes before MPs for the first time today. The full scale of the internal opposition to Mr Johnsons move will be seen. All five living former UK prime ministers, two from Labour and three from his own Conservative Party, have denounced the legislation. His own former attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, has also castigated the move. Up to 20 Conservative MPs appear ready to back an amendment removing the Northern Ireland clauses. Others are threatening to abstain. But Mr Johnson has the numbers, with a majority of about 80 MPs so this law will march on. Later this week we will hear of opposition from Scotland and Wales, who say the new law is a power grab by Mr Johnson. Read More DUBLIN: The three-party Coalition will keep up the public moral pressure on Mr Johnson and London. After a busy weekend on UK and international media, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney redoubled his criticisms of Mr Johnsons new law again today. Mr Coveney bluntly argued that if the UK can break a deal with the EU so easily, how can other trading partners trust them in future? But all eyes for these few days will be on the London parliament. BRUSSELS: EU leaders had a busy weekend criticising the UKs move, with Michel Barnier again to the fore. EU leaders are determined the UK draft law must be withdrawn by the end of this month. Meanwhile, Brussels officials are ramping up no-deal Brexit preparations ahead of the December 31 deadline for an end to the EU-UK transition trade regime. Otherwise, the normal work agenda is proceeding but the focus here is also on London. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is preparing her landmark State of the Union speech, due to be delivered to the European Parliament on Wednesday. Irish politicians will listen carefully to what she has to say about Brexit and Covid-19 aid measures. Later today, the European Parliament is expected to say when and how ratification hearings will be held for Irelands new Commissioner-designate, Mairead McGuinness. The gruelling public inquisitions are likely at the end of this month or in early October. Ireland needs a voice at the EU Commission table immediately. Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Hanoi Nearly 350 Vietnamese citizens were safely flown home from Australia on a flight on September 12. The flight was arranged by Vietnamese authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and Australian authorities. The passengers included children aged under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, workers whose visas or labour contracts expired, students with no residences due to dormitory closures and those in difficult circumstances The Vietnamese Embassy in Australia sent staff to the airport to assist the citizens with procedures until they boarded the flight. Vietnam Airlines has strictly implemented in-flight security and disease preventive measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Upon landing at Van Don international airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, all the flight crew and passengers were given heath checkups and put into compulsory quarantine in accordance with regulations. In the future, more flights are set to be conducted to repatriate Vietnamese citizens with disadvantaged circumstances, depending on their need and quarantine capacity at home. Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session Monsoon Session: Harivansh Narayan Singh becomes Dy chairman; House adjourned till 9 am tomorrow India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 14: The Rajya Sabha elected Harivansh Narayan Singh as its Deputy Chairman on the first day of the Monsoon session. The last date for filing the nomination was September 11. The Monsoon session of Parliament, cut short due to the pandemic, will not have Question Hour, during which Members of Parliament ask questions to ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries. Monsoon session: No data on death, injury to people during COVID-19 lockdown, says Centre The India-China border row, plunge in GDP growth, nose-diving economy and migrant crisis are some of the key issues that are likely to dominate the Monsoon Session of Parliament which begins today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed gratitude to MPs for choosing the path of duty in the times of coronavirus, saying all MPs had given their nod to the functioning of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha on weekends too. Stressing on following Covid-19 protocol, PM Modi said: "Jab tak dawai nahi tab tak koi dhilai nahi (no laxity till there is a medicine). We want that a vaccine be developed at the earliest from any corner of the world, our scientists succeed and we succeed in bringing everyone out of this problem." The Prime Minister also saluted the courage of soldiers and said: "I believe that all members of the Parliament will give an unequivocal message that the country stands with our soldiers." Monsoon Session: Highlights Rajya Sabha adjourned till 9 am tomorrow Rajya Sabha adopts motion against starred questions and introduction of 'private member business' in the house during this session, in view of COVID-19. NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. "I am grateful to all of you that you considered fit to give this important responsibility to a person who hails from a very ordinary family based in a village and who never went to an English-medium school," says Harivansh Narayan Singh after his re-election as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated Harivansh Narayan Singh on his election to the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman. "The way he has carved his honest image has created a lot of respect in my heart for him," he said, adding that Singh's impartial ways had strengthened the functioning of democracy in the nation. Members of various parties congratulate Harivansh on being re-elected Rajya Sabha deputy chairman 359 members attended proceedings of Lok Sabha on the first day of monsoon session: Lok Sabha Secretariat Rajya Sabha convenes again The session in the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for an hour over the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee, one sitting MP and 13 ex-parliamentarians. Ajit Kumar Bhuiyan (IND, Assam), Phulo Devi Netam (INC, Chhattisgarh), Shibu Soren (JMM, Jharkhand) take oath in Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha session begins at 3 pm. Speaker Om Birla adjourns the Lok Sabha after the lower house passed the Medical Bill. The Lok Sabha is adjourned till 3pm tomorrow. Union Cabinet meeting: Meeting of the Union Cabinet is scheduled to be held at 1.30 pm tomorrow, at the Parliament House Annexe. Epidemic Diseases Bill, Aircaft amendment Bill introduced Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduces Epidemic Diseases Amendment Bill 2020, Homoeopathy Bill in Rajya Sabha. Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri introduces Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 in Rajya Sabha. The Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill and Ithe ndian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill were also introduced. Harivansh Narayan Singh elected as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Harivansh Narayan Singh on his election to the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman. "The way he has carved his honest image has created a lot of respect in my heart for him," he said, adding that Singh's impartial ways had strengthened the functioning of democracy in the nation. Manoj Jha in Rajya Sabha Manoj Jha, after the election of Harivansh Narayan Singh says - "the matter was never been two individuals, because individualism is bad in politics. Politics is the art of impossible, and in the matter of possibilities we choose the lowest hanging fruit and circle our politics around him." "This was not a matter between two individuals," says RJD MP Manoj Jha who contested against Harivansh for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman post. "Ahmad Faraz says - Tu mohabbat se koi chaal to chal, haar jaane ka hausala hai mujhme," he adds. Sougata Roy's remark expunged from House record Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi hit out at TMC MP Saugata Roy for his remark on Finance Minister NIrmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha. "Commenting on personal attire...being a senior member, what is he talking? He should apologise unconditionally. It is an insult to womenfolk," the minister said. The remark has been expunged from record. FM presents first supplementary demands; seeks additional Rs 2.35 lakh crore Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought the Parliament nod for additional spending of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore, including Rs 40,000 crore towards enhanced expenditure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program. Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' "Approval of the Parliament is sought to authorise gross additional expenditure of Rs 2,35,852.87 crore. "Of this, the proposals involving net cash outgo aggregate to Rs 1,66,983.91 crore and gross additional expenditure, matched by savings of the Ministries/Departments or by enhanced receipts/recoveries aggregates to Rs 68,868.33 crore," said the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21. The government has also sought Rs 46,602.43 crore towards providing additional allocation under Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to the states as per recommendations for Fifteenth Finance Commission. Rate of Covid infection low in India: Harsh Vardhan Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday told Lok Sabha that the rate of infection has been low in India. He also added that nearly 77 per cent of patients have recovered. Saying that India has very well managed its fight against coronavirus, the Health Minister said, "With our endeavour to manage Covid-19, India has been able to limit its cases and deaths per million to 3,328 cases per million and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries." State of economy, unemployment biggest challenge: NCP MP Supriya Sule Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule raises the issue of unemployment, "the biggest challenge in India right now". "I think on the first day, what we should have debated today in Parliament is the state of the economy, pandemic & challenges of unemployment," Supriya Sule said. BJP MP Ravi Kishan speaks on drug menace The Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan, raises the issue of drugs and speaks on its impact on the film industry. Ravi Kishan says, "Problem of drug trafficking/addiction is on a rise. Conspiracy is being hatched to destroy country's youth, our neighbouring countries are contributing. Smuggling of drugs from Pakistan and China is done every year - it is brought via Punjab and Nepal." DMK MP Thalikkottai Ballu raised the issue of holding of NEET exams. "There are 12 incidents of suicides among students so far. They had passed class 12 through state board while NEET is conducted only based on the CBSE syllabus," he said. Govt defends Zeo Hour move Home Minister Rajnath Singh said: Leaders of most parties agreed over no Question Hour & Zero Hour for 30 minutes. We apprised you (Speaker) of it following which decision was taken by you. I appeal to all members of House to co-operate as Session is being held in extraordinary situation Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said: "All states are holding session for two days and are passing several bills within 25 minutes. We are holding a 18-day session. Also, in the last five years, 60% of the session in Lok Sabha and 30 per cent in Rajya Sabha have been wasted over Question Hour." Question Hour is the golden hour but you say that it can't be held due to the circumstances. You conduct the proceedings but single out Question Hour. You are trying to strangulate the democracy: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress MP in Lok Sabha. The entire country has stood by the Army irrespective of whose government is at the Centre and will always do the same: Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in Delhi. The session in Lok Sabha resumed at 10.20 am today. Reacting to PM Modi's remarks that MPs must speak in one voice to show solidarity with the soldiers, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said: "The government is accountable to Parliament. When have they reported to us on talks between the Defence and Foreign Ministers (of India & China)? The nation needs to be taken into confidence. The question of support for military is beyond debate; we are strongly with our Army." Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and K Suresh have given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over Chinese incursion in eastern Ladakh. MPs paid tribute to former President Pranab Mukherjee, Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi among others following which the House was adjourned for an hour. RSP's N Premachandran has given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over the 'inclusion of names of prominent leaders in Delhi Police chargesheet on Delhi riots'. DMK and CPI(M) have given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over suicide of students due to NEET. A Tory MP has quit as a Government special envoy over Boris Johnson's plans to tear up parts of the Brexit divorce deal as David Cameron became the fifth former premier to criticise the Prime Minister. Rehman Chishti, the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, said he 'can't support' Mr Johnson's proposals to override elements of the Withdrawal Agreement because they would 'unilaterally break' the UK's legal commitments. He said as an MP and former barrister he feels 'very strongly about keeping the commitments we make' and that 'if we give our word, then we must honour it'. Mr Chishti, who voted for the UK to leave the EU at the 2016 referendum, said backing the PM's plans would be 'contrary to the values I hold dearest'. The resignation of Mr Chishti came after Mr Cameron said breaking an international treaty 'is the very, very last thing you should contemplate' and should only ever be an 'absolute final resort'. The ex-PM, who quit Number 10 in the wake of the referendum result, said he had 'misgivings about what's being proposed' by Mr Johnson. Mr Cameron joins Theresa May, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in criticising the approach taken by the current occupant of Downing Street. Meanwhile, former chancellor Sajid Javid this afternoon joined former attorney general Geoffrey Cox in the growing Tory revolt over the PM's plans to row back on what was agreed with the EU last year. Mr Javid said it was 'not clear to me why it is necessary for the UK to break international law' and as a result he is 'regretfully unable to support' the PM's proposals. Mr Cox, an eminent QC and staunch Eurosceptic, branded the idea of breaching international law 'unconscionable' as Mr Johnson faces a crucial first test on his controversial legislation. MPs are due to vote on the UK Internal Market Bill, which would enable the Government to disregard some of the commitments made in the Withdrawal Agreement, tonight. Mr Johnson will open the debate on the proposals in the House of Common this afternoon as he tries to assuage Tory anger in person. Ministers say the legislation is essential because the EU is threatening to use 'unforeseen' consequences of the deal to stop food being exported from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland. The Government is almost certain to win the first battle, as Mr Johnson has an 80-strong majority and backing from the DUP. However, many Tories are alarmed at the potential impact reneging would have on the UK's global reputation, and could support an amendment to introduce a 'parliamentary lock' later in the process. Theresa May's former legal chief Geoffrey Cox (pictured together in 2019) said it would be 'unconscionable' for the Government to override the Brexit divorce deal Boris Johnson, pictured arriving in Downing Street with his dog Dilyn this morning, is facing a Tory rebellion over his Brexit plans Rehman Chishti today resigned as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Mr Chishti said he could not support the Government's UK Internal Market Bill because it would 'unilaterally break' Britain's legal commitments Brexit: What happens next? MPs will vote this evening, likely at 10pm, on whether to give the UK Internal Market Bill its second reading - the first hurdle any new law must clear. The Government should win the vote easily but all eyes will be on how many Tory MPs abstain or vote against the legislation. The Bill's Committee stage will then start tomorrow as MPs scrutinise the nuts and bolts of the Bill and propose amendments. The major flashpoint is not expected to come until next Monday when MPs start discussing the provisions which relate to Northern Ireland. An amendment put forward by Tory MP Bob Neill which would give Parliament a veto on any attempt by the PM to override the Withdrawal Agreement is then due to be voted on next Tuesday. Reports suggest up to 30 Tory MPs could rebel on the amendment which would still not be enough for the Government to lose given it has a majority of 80. But such an outcome would be massively damaging to Boris Johnson's authority. Whether or not to punish the rebels by withdrawing the Tory whip would also represent a massive headache for Number 10. Advertisement The legislation will enable the UK to unilaterally make decisions on key issues, like customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, contained within the Withdrawal Agreement. Brussels is adamant that the decisions must be made by a joint committee made up of people from both sides - as set out in the treaty. But the Government argues its new proposals are necessary in order to protect the integrity of the UK should the two sides be unable to agree terms. The Government was rocked today by Mr Chishti's decision to quit as a special envoy. He said in his resignation letter to Mr Johnson: 'Having read your letter to colleagues, as well as wider statements on the matter, I will not be able to support this Bill on a matter of principle. 'I have real concerns with the UK unilaterally breaking its legal commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement. 'During my 10 years in Parliament and before that as a Barrister, I have always acted in a manner which respects the rule of law. 'I feel very strongly about keeping the commitments we make; if we give our word, then we must honour it. 'Voting for this Bill as it currently stands would be contrary to the values I hold dearest.' He added: 'I am only too sorry that our difference on this matter means that I cannot vote for the Bill in its current form, on a matter of principle, and thereby will not be able to continue to serve as your Special Envoy.' Mr Chishti was appointed the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief in September last year and was tasked with promoting the UK's 'firm stance' on religious freedom and tolerance around the world. The role, based out of the Foreign Office, involved supporting people across the globe who are persecuted for their faith or beliefs. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said Mr Johnson thanked Mr Chishti for his service and 'would wish him well for the future'. He added: 'But I think we have very clearly set out the reasons for the measures relating to the Northern Ireland protocol. The PM believes it is critical it is passed.' Mr Cameron's intervention this morning means that every living former prime minister has now spoken out against Mr Johnson's plans. Mr Cameron told Sky News: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. 'It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' However, the ex-Tory leader suggested Mr Johnson's plans should be seen in the wider context of the Government's attempts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels. He said: 'So far what's happened is the Government has proposed a law that it might pass, or might not pass, or might use, or might not use depending on whether certain circumstances do, or do not appear. 'And, of course, the bigger picture here is that we are in a vital negotiation with the European Union to get a deal and I think we have to keep that context, that big prize in mind. 'And that's why I have perhaps held back from saying more up to now.' Mr Johnson is facing a growing Tory rebellion over his plans with a series of senior backbench figures having now set out their opposition to the Bill. Mr Javid said this afternoon: Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly. Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so. The former chancellor said he cannot support the UK pre-emptively reneging' on the Withdrawal Agreement. I will therefore regretfully be unable to support the Bill at its second reading, and urge the Government to amend it in the coming days,' he added. Meanwhile, Mr Cox, who served as attorney general under Mrs May and Mr Johnson until he was sacked in February, last night broke ranks to condemn the legislation. He said Mr Johnson should not 'observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back', adding that he could not support a bill which risked undermining 'the standing and reputation of Britain in the world'. Mr Cox axed from the Cabinet in February's reshuffle wrote in The Times: 'It is unconscionable that this country, justly famous for its regard for the rule of law around the world, should act in such a way.' He then said this morning that the Government 'knew' what it was signing up to when it agreed and the ratified the Withdrawal Agreement. He told Times Radio: 'What I can say from my perspective is we simply cannot approve or endorse a situation in which we go back on our word, given solemnly not only by the British Government and on behalf of the British Crown, but also by Parliament when we ratified this in February, unless there are extreme circumstances which arrive involving a breach of duty of the good faith by the EU. What have the five living former PMs said about Boris Johnson's Brexit plans? Theresa May: 'The United Kingdom Government signed the Withdrawal Agreement with the Northern Ireland protocol. This Parliament voted that Withdrawal Agreement into UK legislation. The Government is now changing the operation of that agreement. Given that, how can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?' David Cameron: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' Gordon Brown: 'This is a huge act of self harm. We knew there was a debate over fishing and over state aid but then to explode the argument into breaking an international treaty has been condemned by so many people.' Tony Blair: 'As the world looks on aghast at the UK, the word of which was once accepted as inviolable, this government's action is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation.' Sir John Major: 'For generations, Britain's word solemnly given has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' Advertisement 'In those circumstances, there are then lawful remedies open to us and it is those we should take rather than violating international law and a solemn treaty.' He continued: 'The breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation and it is also a question of honour to me. 'We signed up, we knew what we were signing, we simply can't seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that and I simply can't support that.' Number 10 dismissed the criticism from Mr Cox and said the Bill will 'protect seamless trade and jobs in all four corners of the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period'. 'It will guarantee UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers and workers who rely on them,' the PM's spokesman said. 'It will also provide a vital legal safety net, it removes any ambiguity should an agreement not be reached at the Joint Committee on the Northern Ireland Protocol. 'It protects the integrity of the UK internal market, it ensures ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protects the gains from the peace process.' A spokesman for the European Commission today reiterated the EU's position that the Withdrawal Agreement must be stuck to 'no ifs, no buts'. 'We have played a straight bat on this,' the spokesman said. 'We have set this out extremely clearly, and the rest, frankly, is internal debate in the United Kingdom.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland yesterday defended the proposed laws as 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state'. However, he also delivered a thinly-veiled threat to resign if the legislation is abused. Mr Buckland has faced calls to quit, with critics saying the move is incompatible with his own oath as Lord Chancellor to uphold the law. 'If I see the rule of law being broken in a way I find unacceptable then of course I will go,' Mr Buckland said. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland (pictured) yesterday defended the Government's Brexit legislation, saying it was 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state' The second reading vote tonight is the first hurdle for the legislation, which caused a storm last week when Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis admitted it would break international law. The EU has threatened to collapse negotiations on a future trade deal unless the UK backs down by the end of the month. The main showdown in the Commons is likely to be over an amendment being put together by Tory former minister Bob Neill. That could attract dozens of Tory rebels next week, although it still looks difficult to overturn the government's massive 80 seat majority. Labour shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said this morning that the party would 'look at' whether to support Mr Neill's amendment. He said the Government's plan to use domestic law to override the Withdrawal Agreement was an act of 'legislative hooliganism'. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former Labour leader said: 'The fundamental thing is I think we should take a step back this is not normal. 'I've come on your programme many times to discuss many issues I have never been on your programme discussing a British government coming along and seeking to break international law, an agreement it signed. 'It is honestly a sad day and that's why I think you hear people across the political spectrum condemning the Government.' He added: 'Of the most sensitive issues around Northern Ireland, at the most sensitive stage of the Brexit negotiations I mean it's sort of legislative hooliganism that the Government is engaged in and it will be self-defeating, I fear.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told LBC his party 'will not go along with breaking international law' and he suspects Mr Johnson is using the plans as a 'leverage' tactic in Brexit trade talks. He also questioned whether Mr Johnson knew what he was signing up to in the Withdrawal Agreement as he said: 'Did he know what he was doing... or didn't he bother reading it?' Policing minister Kit Malthouse said the Bill was necessary to keep food flowing between Britain and Northern Ireland. 'For me I mean I'm not a lawyer it looks fairly clear to me, which is we can't allow a situation where GB cannot supply food into Northern Ireland,' he told Today. Asked whether Mr Cox was 'wrong', Mr Malthouse said: 'I would ask for a solution to that conundrum. 'If we get to a situation where we are not recognised as a third country and it therefore becomes illegal to move food to Northern Ireland, what is the UK Prime Minister supposed to do? Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules 'I think this is the solution that needs to be offered if we're going to have resolution to that Northern Ireland is unequivocally part of the UK customs territory, so the fact that is now being brought into question is a very difficult thing for us to face, very concerning but no doubt that will all be thrashed out this afternoon.' It came as Mr Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator was locked in an extraordinary public spat with his EU counterpart last night. David Frost traded blows with Michel Barnier on social media when he denied threatening to block British food exports if trade talks collapsed. Lord Frost said the EU negotiator 'explicitly' made the threat and warned it could lead to food from Great Britain being banned from sale in Northern Ireland. British negotiators have accused Brussels of threatening to block food exports worth 5 billion a year to the EU if there is no trade deal. Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules. In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter yesterday, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules. 'It has been made clear to us in the current talks that there is no guarantee of listing us. I am afraid it has also been said to us explicitly in these talks that if we are not listed we will not be able to move food to Northern Ireland.' Mr Barnier denied that the EU's position was a 'threat to the integrity of the UK', but added: 'We could not have been clearer about the consequences of Brexit.' In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter last night, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules Mr Cameron's intervention came a day after Tony Blair became the fourth former PM to criticise the Internal Market Bill. In a joint article with Sir John, Mr Blair urged MPs to reject the 'shaming' legislation, saying it imperils the Irish peace process, trade negotiations and the UK's integrity. But Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi said Lord Frost's revelations about EU tactics showed 'exactly why no minister, no responsible government can be a bystander and watch a part of the United Kingdom be harmed in this way'. Tory veteran Sir Roger Gale confirmed he will vote against the second reading of the legislation tonight. He said: 'I am not a serial rebel, but I do have principles. If we enter into an international agreement, we have to stand by it.' In this week's TravelSkills on SFGATE newsletter... As the fall travel season gets underway, we are still seeing a slow return to air travel and some promising news from airports and airlines. The TSA said last week was relatively busy for airport security, with most days exceeding 700,000 passengers, and Sunday hitting 809,000. American Airlines says it is going to open its big new Admirals Club at SFO's Harvey Milk Terminal 1 in October (along with seven other lounges in its network). We'll have more details about the clubs (and avocado toast) this week. That news comes on the heels of the "A-side" of SFO's international terminal reopening early this month, and the addition of a handful of unusual new flights from the Bay Area, which you can read about in the stories below. In route news, JetBlue is adding more California routes, including one from San Francisco, one from Palm Springs and several from Los Angeles; United tweaks its new no-change-fees policy; United also announced some new international service, including a route to India from SFO; American will push up the revival of LAX-Sydney flights and code-share them with Alaska; Air New Zealand and Emirates cut SFO schedules; and Salt Lake City will open its new airport next week. Read: Routes: JetBlue's California moves + United, AA, Air New Zealand, Emirates, new SLC airport If international air travel is ever going to open up again in the age of coronavirus, its becoming apparent that some kind of fast and efficient COVID-19 testing program will be required at airports. With the U.S. governments decision to stop its current ineffective policy of checking international arrivals next week, it looks like the private sector might have to take up that task and thats starting to happen, too. Read: Rapid COVID-19 testing at airports essential for air travel rebound For many months now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and major international airlines have been using facial recognition technology to verify the identity of travelers on international trips. But now, facial recognition procedures are starting to be tested on domestic travelers as the TSA, airlines and airports look for ways to make the check-in process more touchless in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read: Facial recognition is coming to domestic air travel Slowly but surely travelers are returning to the skies, and Southwest Airlines is ready to welcome Californians back with a 2-day sale. [NOTE: This short sale has expired, but there are still plenty of good deals out there for fall and winter travel. If you'd like to get alerts about sales like this, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, where posts appear on the day they are published.] If you can book by midnight Wednesday, roundtrip fares are running as low as $80 within California, $100 to/from neighboring states and just $200 to and from Hawaii. Read: Southwest Airlines 2-day sale: Hawaii $198, California $78. Monday morning update: Nonstop fares between the Bay Area and Hawaii (for Nov-Mar flights) are in the $250 roundtrip range. Intra-California fares are at about $97 roundtrip. Not bad! In the midst of a pandemic-induced airline industry tailspin, it appears that United is taking the long view, adding a bevy of new flights to far-flung destinations (including a new "longest" flight from SFO), and adding new wide-body flights to Hawaii from Chicago and New York. It's even getting a new "enhanced" B787 for its longest haul. Read all about it: United announces SFO's longest flight to Bangalore, India Tell your friends about TravelSkills on SFGATE and have them sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts or forward this email to them! Southwest is finally flying to Palm Springs; San Francisco International is expecting significant delays due to some major runway maintenance next month; United introduces an interactive guide to coronavirus-related travel restrictions; Hawaiian joins other airlines in dropping change fees; Swiss revives SFO flights but Fiji Airways delays its return; route news from Alaska at SFO plus Spirit, JSX and Delta at Oakland and American at San Jose; United sets October schedules; and Global Entry enrollment offices will reopen next month. Read: Routes: New Palm Springs flights, SFO delays, COVID-19 help, change fees With Americans shut out of traveling to most countries in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico is looking more attractive to travelers itching for an international trip. But is now the right time to go? Is Mexico safe? What about later this year or the holidays? Read: Should I book a trip to Mexico? Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. Email: chris@travelskills.com. Get up-to-the-minute travel news via Chris's social feeds: Twitter: @cjmcginnis | Facebook: @TravelSkills Netflix has launched two new subscription plans in South Africa that are aimed specifically at mobile devices. These plans are named Mobile and Mobile+, and they are priced at R39 and R59 per month respectively. The company confirmed to MyBroadband that it is testing these new plans in South Africa. Visitors to Netflixs signup page may be presented with the Mobile or Mobile+ option in addition to the standard three plans. The Netflix Mobile plan offers one simultaneous stream and supports smartphones and tablets, and allows users to stream at a resolution of up to 480p. Netflix Mobile+ also supports up to 480p for streaming and allows users to watch on their laptop or desktop computer as well as mobile phones and tablets. The table below details the Netflix Mobile and Mobile+ packages, as outlined on the website. Netflix Mobile plans Netflix Mobile Netflix Mobile+ Video Quality Good Good Resolution 480p 480p Watch on your TV No No Watch on your smartphone or tablet Yes Yes Watch on your laptop No Yes Simultaneous streams 1 1 Price per month R39 R59 Updated streaming plans The new plans are much cheaper than Netflixs existing three packages Basic, Standard, and Premium. These are priced at R99, R139, and R169 respectively, and they support streaming through a smart TV interface as well as higher video quality. Netflix Mobile and Mobile+ have rolled out to a number of other countries, with Mobile+ first becoming available in India in July. Speaking to India Today, Netflix said that it launched the Mobile Plan in the country to make it easier for anybody with a smartphone to sign up to the service. We want to see if members like the added choice this offer brings. Well only roll it out long-term if they do, Netflix said. Users can sign up to the Netflix Mobile and Mobile+ plans by visiting the Netflix signup page. At the moment, this signup page only presents visitors with one of the two options, which seems to be determined at random. Weve had the same three plans for several years now and this test offer reflects significant usage of and preference for mobile in South Africa, Netflix told MyBroadband. Well only roll this out longer-term if people value the increased flexibility. Screenshots of the new plans are shown below. New Netflix plans Now read: SABC at risk of collapse Two allies of stricken Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny are expected to have won local parliamentary seats in the Siberian city of Tomsk when results are released on September 14 for a variety of regional and local elections across the country that the ruling United Russia party likely dominated. Ksenia Fadeyeva and Andrei Fateyev came out on top in two constituencies in Tomsk, the city where Navalny fell ill last month with what his doctors in Germany have said was poisoning by a rare nerve agent from the Novichok group of chemicals. Meanwhile, the ruling United Russia party topped the polls overall in Tomsk with more than 24 percent of the vote, according to early results published by regional election officials on September 14. In another Siberian city, Novosibirsk, the chief of Navalny's local team, Sergei Boiko, reportedly also won a seat on the city council in the September 11-13 voting. The elections were closely watched for signs of protest against the ruling party that backs President Vladimir Putin amid mounting frustrations over declining living standards for many Russians and the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Navalny had promoted a "smart" voting strategy designed to hurt United Russia and fielded dozens of candidates for city councils in Siberia. Citing data from exit polls and preliminary counting, Aleksei Turchak, the secretary of United Russia's general council, said late on September 13 that the ruling party was set to win majorities in all regional legislatures and that its candidates for governor were well ahead. However, the independent monitoring group Golos cited numerous reports of irregularities in the September 13 elections, including ballot-box stuffing and ballots cast by real voters being switched. There were also concerns that early voting allowed over the previous two days because of the coronavirus pandemic had led to irregularities. The local elections were also seen as a crucial test for the increasingly unpopular ruling party ahead of next years national legislative elections. A total of 18 regional governor posts were contested, along with voters choosing 11 regional legislatures and 22 cities voting for municipal legislatures. Four by-elections were also held for vacant seats in the lower house of the national parliament, the State Duma. The polls came less than a month after the August 20 poisoning of Navalny, who is currently hospitalized in Berlin from the suspected ingestion of the Soviet-developed nerve toxin. His supporters blame Kremlin allies. Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation supported candidates it saw as best placed to unseat incumbents of United Russia. With reporting by AFP, the BBC, RFE/RLs Russian Service, and Current Time The United States is in crisis. Thats the conclusion of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The country faces a multitude of concurrent, overlapping risks, all of which are exacerbated by increasing polarization, the non-profit crisis-mapping group states in its September report. Political polarization makes the countrys problems worse, for it fuels false narratives, pushing away possible solutions in favor of conflict, the report says. ACLED, led by political geographer Clionadh Raleigh, compiled Demonstrations and Political Violence in America: New Data for Summer 2020 as part of its U.S. Crisis Monitor project, a joint venture with the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University. The projects stated goal is to provide an evidence base from which to identify risks, hotspots and available resources to empower local communities in times of crisis. The projects September data report concludes that the vast majority (93%) of the thousands of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests sparked by George Floyds death on May 25 have been peaceful, yet nearly half of Americans appear to believe the protests are driven by violence. One recent poll cited in the report found that 42% of respondents are convinced that protesters are trying to incite violence or destroy property.' This disconnect chiefly is a result of disinformation and political polarization, according to ACLED. The new study points to reporting that has documented organized disinformation campaigns aimed at spreading a deliberate mischaracterization of groups or movements [involved in the protests]. ACLED, which identified more than 7,000 protests from May 26 through Aug. 22, also found that the law-enforcement response helped change the nature of some of the protests and further inflamed divisive narratives. This was especially the case when federal forces were involved. The foremost example of this was in Portland, the report indicates. Prior to the deployment of PACT [the federal Protecting American Communities Task Force] at the start of July, the report writes, approximately 8% of demonstrations in Oregon were met with government intervention, and authorities infrequently used force against demonstrators. Since July, however, nearly 28% of demonstrations have been met with intervention and force by government personnel. In Portland specifically, under 24% of demonstrations were met with state force before July. Since July, this figure has risen to 40% of all demonstrations. The report, whose data is updated weekly, also addresses the risks posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and armed non-state actors. Its data indicates, ACLED warns, that the U.S. will likely face increasing violence in the run-up to the national elections. Without significant mitigation efforts, the report states, 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. -- Douglas Perry dperry@oregonian.com @douglasmperry Almost six months after it was first detected in Latin America, the coronavirus death toll has reached 250,000 and exacerbated poverty and inequality, threatening to undo a decade of slow social progress. Among the 620 million people in the region, 6.4 million have been infected. In marginalized neighborhoods the virus has spread alongside financial desperation due to the economic meltdown caused by lockdown measures, with thousands of families facing a stark choice between shielding themselves from the virus and trying to fill their stomachs. In the worst cases, they've been unable to do either. "Because of this pandemic I was left unemployed. There are days when we don't eat," said Milena Maia, who lives in a modest home in Heliopolis, which with 200,000 people is one of the largest favelas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The 36-year-old single mother worked as a cleaner but now relies on handouts from an NGO to feed her three children. She told AFP she knows people that died of COVID-19 and "many that are infected." Priscila Tomas da Silva, her husband and six children had to leave the home they were renting and build their own makeshift accommodation from wood and plastic in a parking lot for trucks on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. Within a few weeks, 700 such shacks sprung up in the parking area, creating a new favela. - Set back 10 years - Latin America represents nine percent of the world's population but has provided 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the last two months. That "shows us how big the impact has been," Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva, Latin American director for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) told AFP. Without effective political reaction, "at a regional level we can talk about a regression of up to 10 years in the levels of multidimensional poverty," he added. Faced with surging cases, many governments -- such as Peru, Argentina and Venezuela -- have rolled back on the easing of confinement measures and pledged support for the poorest sectors of society, although it's often been meagre or failed to reach those that need it. Story continues Chile and Peru allowed people to withdraw money from their pension funds, providing much-needed immediate financial relief. But some experts warn those measures could weaken already fragile social protection systems. "The quarantine and pandemic are exposing deep realities: structural injustice is becoming more visible," priest Lorenzo de Vedia, from the sprawling Villa 21 neighborhood of Buenos Aires, told AFP. "There's not enough State presence and it's disorganized," he added. Throughout the region, people have set up communal kitchens to help those worst affected. Yet anger is widespread. Chile saw violent protests a few weeks ago with road blocks and looting, while in Bolivia people marched demanding government solutions. - 231 million poor - The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) predicts unemployment could reach 13.5 percent this year -- meaning 44 million people out of work, 18 million more than in January. The regional economy is also expected to shrink by nine percent. The World Labor Organization warns that two thirds of people have either lost their job, lost work hours or earnings. As a result, the pandemic has pushed 45 million people out of the middle classes. There are now 231 million poor: 37 percent of the population, according to ECLAC. Peru, which has enjoyed above average growth in recent years, has seen its GDP shrink by 17 percent, with the number of middle income families receding. That's what happened to Sara Paredes and Raul Cisneros, who saw their income disappear from one day to the next. "It's five months since anyone gave me a translation," said Cisneros, 46, a translator and Quechua teacher. Paredes, 45, has been unable to perform in the theatre or give classes in Lima's School of Fine Arts. They're struggling to feed their two children. - 'Pre-existing conditions' - On top of the health and economic crises there's also been an increase in deaths from treatable disease, such as dengue, and domestic violence and truancy. In countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador, hugely dependent on remittances, gang violence has risen again after initially subsiding when the virus struck. Lopez-Calva said that, just as those most vulnerable to COVID-19 are those with pre-existing conditions, "the most vulnerable economies and societies to the pandemic are those with pre-existing conditions." "That's to say those with high inequality, ineffective policies and public institutions, with low trust in the institutions and fiscal incapacity," he continued. ECLAC has pushed governments to provide a basic income and food stamps during the crisis. It has also called for debt grace periods for small and medium-sized companies and greater access to finance under favorable conditions for middle income countries, particularly in the Caribbean. burs-ll/lda/bc/st Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 17:09:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has dispatched 218 Blue Helmets to join the United Nation's peacekeeping mission in the conflict-torn West African nation of Mali, the Khmer Times reported on Monday. A ceremony to send them off on Friday was presided over by Director-General of the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces (NCPF) General Sem Sovanny at the Phnom Penh International Airport. According to NCPF, the 218 peacekeepers - of whom 18 are women - are replacing the equal number of Blue Helmets who are on their way back home. Speaking at the event, Gen. Sovanny said the personnel being sent have certificates stating that each individual has tested negative for COVID-19 before departure and upon arrival will undergo 14-day quarantine before beginning their mission. He said that Cambodia takes COVID-19 transmission seriously and will take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus and protect the peacekeepers. He said the NCPF also reminds all Cambodian forces who are on overseas missions to be vigilant and take measures to prevent transmission of the virus. "Despite the global pandemic, Cambodia is committed to keep sending personnel for peacekeeping missions as part of its obligations as a member of the United Nations," Gen. Sovanny was quoted as saying by the newspaper. According to NCPF, Cambodia has so far committed some 800 of its Blue Helmets, including 80 women, to U.N. peacekeeping missions across Lebanon, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. Enditem A Georgia sheriff's deputy has been fired after disturbing videos show him repeatedly punching a Black man during an arrest on Friday night, authorities said Sunday. Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill said an investigation has been launched and the unidentified deputy was let go due to "excessive use of force." The incident happened when an unmarked police vehicle pulled over a vehicle for an alleged broken taillight, according to CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. Roderick Walker, 26, was a passenger in the back seat, along with his girlfriend, 5-month-old daughter and a stepson, according to The Associated Press. Walker was asked to show identification, but he questioned the request because he wasn't the driver. That's when Walker was asked to exit the car and an arrest by two White deputies took place. Video posted online shows one deputy repeatedly punching Walker in the face as he was pinned down. At one point, Walker's nose started to bleed before he was turned over to be handcuffed. A child in the vehicle can be heard yelling "Daddy." Walker's girlfriend is also heard in the video yelling and telling the deputies that Walker can't breathe. Hill said in a statement that Walker cannot be released from jail because of a "felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for cruelty to children, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and a failure to appear warrant out of Hapeville which resulted in Magistrate Court denying him a bond." A September 12, 2020, photo provided by The Cochran Firm representing Roderick Walker shows him at Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, Georgia, with a visible injury to his left eye. / Credit: Handout via Roderick Walker's Lawyers A photo released by Walker's lawyers on Sunday shows him with a swollen left eye. Meanwhile, Hill said that Walker is "being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor." WGCL-TV said the sheriff's office has not released bodycam video or provided additional details of Walker's arrest. The Georgia NAACP has called on Sheriff Hill to release Walker immediately and urged the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) to "conduct a thorough and independent investigation," according to a statement. Story continues Hill said that a criminal investigation has been turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney's office. Clayton County is south of Atlanta. "Roderick Walker is in jail solely because he was illegally arrested after being assaulted by Clayton County Sheriff deputies, not because of anything he did during that incident or in the past," attorney Shean Williams of The Cochran Firm, who is representing Walker, told CBS News. "Mr. Walker would not be in jail if it were not for this unlawful arrest that violated his legal and constitutional rights." Roderick Walker seen in an undated photo provided by the law firm representing him. / Credit: Handout via The Cochran Firm The Cochran Firm is demanding criminal charges be filed against the deputies involved in Walker's arrest and that GBI "investigate the other questionable conduct displayed by representatives with the Clayton County Sheriff's Office." The lawyers also said the sheriff's statement "is just a weak attempt to deflect from his lack of leadership and continuous encouragement that his deputies violate peoples' civil rights." Walker remains in Clayton County Jail on two charges of misdemeanor battery and two charges of obstruction, according to jail records. No bond has been set. Roderick's girlfriend told CBS News in an interview Sunday evening that they were getting a ride from someone they did not know, who was being generous in taking them from a rental car facility to their house. The driver was also Black and didn't have identification. Williams told the AP the driver was released without a citation. Joaquin Phoenix: The 60 Minutes interview West Coast has some of worst air quality in the world amid wildfires Iran executes 27-year-old wrestling star Navid Afkari (Bloomberg Opinion) -- News that SoftBank Group Corp. has decided to swap its ownership of Arm Ltd. for a $21.5 billion stake in chip giant Nvidia Corp. plus $12 billion in cash is a reminder that the Japanese conglomerate has come a long way from its roots as a software distributor in the early 1990s. SoftBank has already ridden the Nvidia wave once, netting $2.8 billion from buying its stock in 2017, and this looks like another show of support. There are also reports over the weekend pointing to revived talks within the conglomerate about the ultimate bet: taking the business private, since the stock trades at a deep discount to book value. Discussion of such a gamble comes on the heels of revelations that the Tokyo-based company may have dabbled in options to ride the recent rally in technology stocks. Founder Masayoshi Sons most famous punt is on his $98.6 billion Vision Fund. Like most things Son has done through his career, this was a wager largely using other peoples money. Call options confer the right but not the obligation to buy a stock at a specified price within a set time frame, and offer a cheaper way than purchasing the equity directly to speculate on a future price increase. Thats pretty much in keeping with Sons style of using leverage to make outsize bets. SoftBanks $13.3 billion net loss in the March quarter followed by a $11.6 billion profit the following period show how his approach has led to a wild ride.A selection of Bloomberg Opinion columnists thoughts on the man, the company, and the vision: SoftBank Gives Up Pretending It Isn't a Fund: For investors, the reporting shift highlights the truth of what SoftBank Group has become: a fancy, highly managed fund a hedge fund, perhaps whose returns ought to be benchmarked against indexes of its peers and not as the technology company Son once ran. Tim CulpanDoes Uber Make Masa a Savvy Investor or a Shopaholic?: Nothing cements a venture capital firms reputation like a good exit. After a long dry spell, Masayoshi Son is finally catching a break: The listing of Uber Technologies Inc. made his Vision Fund one of the rare investors to book a capital gain from its stake. Shuli RenSoftBank Vision Fund Writedown Isn't the Half of It: There are bigger, deeper, and likely unrecoverable losses ahead for the worlds largest venture-capital fund. That the devaluation of its holdings might be as low as $5 billion, possibly as high as $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, indicates that the Japanese company has barely scratched the surface of what losses it will need to book on its stake in WeWork, let alone the rest of its portfolio. Tim Culpan Story continues Masayoshi Son, Tech Visionary or Robber Baron?: SoftBanks bad year goes well beyond WeWork. Investors are starting to get the feeling that whatever Son brings to the public is troubled. And you dont need to look far for proof: Shares of Uber Technologies Inc. and Slack Technologies Inc., both backed by the Vision Fund, tumbled upon listing. To venture funds that rely on IPOs for exits and profit, this dark suspicion is a kiss of death Shuli Ren Masayoshi Son's Impatience Just Cost $17 Billion: Sons insistence that startups grow faster than their founders planned, and strong-arm them into taking more money than they might have wanted, has turned into a burden. And thats become a huge liability to investors in the Vision Fund and SoftBank, too Tim Culpan Time for SoftBank to Consider That Vision Fund IPO: There are bound to be investors who believe in founder Masayoshi Sons long-term plan to build a stable of companies that will change the world and provide huge profits in the process. After all, many have already bought into SoftBank Group itself, which counts the Vision Fund as a key earnings driver (or drag). Given how illiquid the assets are, and the volatile nature of its earnings, a listing of the Vision Fund would certainly be seen as a bizarre move. But to Son and his acolytes, it may well be seen as visionary. Tim Culpan SoftBank May Not Want Nvidia to Bite Off Its Arm: SoftBank is under pressure from the activist investor Elliott Management Corp. to reduce the gap between the value of its holdings, which include a $172 billion stake in the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., and its own enterprise value. It may therefore want to avoid a deal that would attract drawn-out regulatory scrutiny, with no guarantee of success. Alex Webb & Tae Kim More Reading SoftBanks Fire Sale Doesnt Redeem Sons Strategy: Alex Webb Wirecard Is a Wild Card, Even Without SoftBank Money: Shuli RenA $44 Billion IPO Isnt the Win SoftBank Needs: Webb & CulpanSoftBank's Son Hawks a Hot Stock for Cool Cash: Tara LachapelleSuing SoftBank Doesn't Make Neumann a Sore Loser: Tim Culpan Another 5 Billion Reasons to Walk Away From WeWork: Tim Culpan This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Tim Culpan is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Bloomberg News. 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. An ailing 94-year-old World War II veteran has won immense support after making a very unusual request. Upon his passing, the veteran wants his casket painted to resemble a pack of Juicy Fruit gum. Ex-Navy officer and former restaurant boss Suttie Economy served on the USS English on the Pacific Front during the war. Since retiring, he has garnered a loveable reputation for himself by handing out packets of the fruit-flavored gum to figureheads of his community. Economy has been hospitalized with health issues since 2019, first at the VA Medical Center in Salem and then at the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke, Virginia. In consideration of his failing health, Economy called a longtime friend, Sammy Oakey of Oakeys Funeral Service and Crematory, and asked for a favor, which included painting his casket to resemble a pack of his favorite gum. For decades, Suttie has been known as the guy who takes packs of Juicy Fruit to restaurants, doctors offices, funeral homes, firehouses, etcetera, and gives them out to everyone he sees, Oakey explained to WDBJ-7. He has probably purchased tens of thousands of packs of the gum over the years. Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr.s Juicy Fruit chewing gum, as photographed in Des Plaines, Ill., on June 30, 2005 (Tim Boyle/Getty Images) Oakey immediately agreed to help his friend, considering two options for Economys bespoke design; either the casket in its entirety would be painted as a pack of Juicy Fruit or the logo would be printed on a pall and laid over the casket. However, Oakey was careful to clarify that the casket will not be painted until Economy passes away. The veterans whimsical request, however, was met with a legal obstacle as Mars Wrigley, the manufacturer of Juicy Fruit gum, denied permission for Oakey to render their trademark logo on a casket. Oakey then took to social media. The VA Medical Center in Salem, Va. (Screenshot/Google Maps) For over fifty years, this gentleman has been known in our region for his habit of taking packs of Juicy Fruit chewing gum wherever he goes and giving them to anyone he comes into contact with, the funeral director posted on Aug. 27. This kindness has endeared him to many citizens in the Roanoke Valley. While having difficulty breathing, this veteran is in excellent mental health and knows exactly what he is saying, Oakey continued. Since we are in the profession of carrying out requests, we assured him that we would make this effort. However, when the conglomerate that owns the trademark resisted and the sick veteran got to know about it, he felt crushed by the company that he had faithfully patronized for decades. Oakeys Funeral Service & Crematory in Roanoke, Va. (Screenshot/Google Maps) The community at Roanoke then responded. A helpful local gave Oakey the email address of the president of Mars Wrigley, and Oakey drafted a letter to plead the veterans case. The president replied just days later, conceding to an exception for the 94-year-old veteran. The company even promised to donate some boxes of Juicy Fruit gum for Economys funeral visitation, Oakey told WDBJ-7, although the funeral director expressed hope that the mournful day will be a long time off. On Sept. 4, Oakey took to Twitter with an update. A delivery truck just unloaded boxes containing 250 packs of Juicy Fruit gum for the family, he wrote. And the vet is doing better! We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan will establish a Committee to Protect Rights of Tourists under the Association of Tourism of Azerbaijan to help tourists in solving their problems. The organization will be headed by tourist expert Rahman Guliyev. Guliyev has told Day.az that the committee, as a non-profit organization, will reduce the burden of tourism companies, answer tourists questions and provide them with consulting services. The main goal of the committee is to eliminate tourists distrust of tourism companies. Moreover, he stated that lawyers will be involved in the committee to solve tourists problems. Likewise, he stressed that during pandemic, tourists faced a number of problems, such as the return of air tickets, cancellation of tourists packages and hotel reservations. The committee will help tourists in solving such problems, and regularly review new decision, instructions and immediately inform tourists. It should be noted that the site and the hotline of the committee will be opened in the near future, where tourists who faced problems during the trip can apply. Earlier it was reported that some 618,300 foreigners and stateless persons from around 152 countries visited Azerbaijan during the period of January-July 2020. The number of arrivals from the EU member states amounted to 17,500, from the Persian Gulf countries to 83,300, and from CIS countries to 218,000. Additionally, 68.6 percent of people arrived to the country, arrived by rail and road, 29.5 percent by air and 1.9 percent by sea transports. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz LIVE Christmas Market Launches on November 15, 2020 A virtual interactive online Christmas market is the first of its kind NEWS PROVIDED BY Christkindl.LIVE Sept. 14, 2020 CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- Christkindl.LIVE is going to rescue Christmas in the coronavirus world. COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of many events around the world, and unfortunately, the traditional Christkindl market is no exception. Most cities in the US have made the decision to close the Christmas market for 2020. It's a disappointment for shoppers and vendors alike. But just because the physical market won't be open for shopping this holiday season doesn't mean that market-goers can't still get the Christkindl market experience: We're taking the traditional Christkindlmarket online, featuring novel Christmas gifts and ornaments, German Christmas nutcrackers and handmade wooden items like cuckoo clocks and pyramids. What sets Christkindl.LIVE apart from other e-commerce sites is its Christmas-centric focus. You won't find generic themes or random items here, just 200+ Christmas products from over 10 different brands. The online market will feature German black forest cuckoo clocks, Christmas nutcrackers, Christmas trees, LED lights, loose tea leaves, holiday knitted gloves and hats, Christmas jewelry and more. We'll have just about everything you would expect to find at a traditional Christkindl market. In addition, there will be a human booth assistant live streaming and interacting with customers during designated hours, who can answer specific questions you might have, show you a particular item in more detail, or help you find the perfect gift, just as they would if you walked up to a booth at a real-life Christkindl market. One positive the Christkindl.LIVE offers is engaging activities for families and kids. For example, you can text 'quiz' to (844) 233-7111 to answer 3 multiple-choice questions. "The Christkindl is a reference to which biblical figure?" The Christkindl.LIVE, a virtual Christmas market, will officially launch on Nov. 15, 2020. *Christkindl LIVE is an independent platform that was borne out of the idea that many local Christkindl markets will not be taking place live this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Christkindl LIVE is not affiliated with or part of any existing Christmas market in the US. SOURCE Christkindl LIVE CONTACT: hi@christkindl.live Related Links https://christkindl.live/ Houston's most prominent mega-church will restart weekend services at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. Lakewood Church, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, will be limited to 25 percent capacity or approximately 4,200 people. Osteen asked Lakewood worshippers in a video message to please register for services on the church website. SPECIAL EVENTS RETURN: Mayor Turner announces Houston restart limited live events that meet health and safety criteria The October service will be the first in-person service since February 2020, when Lakewood stopped church gatherings due to the spread of COVID-19. For the past six months we have been consulting with medical experts here in Houston and adhering to the guidelines set by the Texas Governor and the Houston Mayor, and feel that it is the appropriate time to begin reopening the church for in-person worship services, Osteen said in a press release. Lakewood assured church members that certain precautionary measures have now been taken ahead of the October service including bathroom upgrades, escalator safety upgrades, interior air purification, and sanitizing high-traffic public areas. During a Monday afternoon interview, Osteen opened up how excited he was to see his congregation again and why the church has chosen this time to reopen. "We can't wait to see the people of Lakewood again. We missed them during these past six months," Osteen said. "We're excited to announce that on October 18 we'll have in-person services. This just felt like the right time." Osteen shared his spiritual perspective about living through these trying times and how he strives to inspire his congregation. "We think we're in control but really God is in control. That's where you have to choose to live from a place of peace and a place of faith, not of fear," Osteen said. "You come back to that place of peace to make it through those difficult times. I really believe that when you come out, you're going to come back better, come out stronger. You'll have another moment when you trust in the faithfulness of God." Lakewoods services will continue to be live streamed via LakewoodChurch.com, Facebook, YouTube, Sirius XM Radio Channel 128, and the Lakewood Church app. CRUSH (Creative Rituals Under Social Harmony) WALLS originated to both serve the community by bringing people together over shared public art and to encourage wider acceptance of street art. Now, as a result of CRUSH WALLS and various other public art initiatives around the city, Denver has developed a concentrated and thriving street and public art scene, leading AFAR magazine to name it the "Street Art Capital of the Country." The event's initial purpose still maintains a strong presence throughout the week this year especially, as organizers expect some powerful work to emerge from the difficulties people have experienced. The committee selected 100 local, national and international artists to create more than 50 activations and murals throughout the district in one week's time. Beginning September 14, spectators can watch the artists transform the neighborhood with new murals, immersive art experiences, artist battles, youth programming, gallery shows and more either in-person or virtually. The works will be spread throughout a 30-block, open air "gallery," so people are encouraged to explore the whole area to maintain distancing measures, either via self-guided or artist-led walking tours. Masks will be required, and each artist will have safety zones around their work areas. The event creators will also be posting rich digital content for online audiences during this year's event, including daily recaps, drone footage of art in progress, digital mapping and live streaming of artists working. People who visit the festival in-person are encouraged to support the local neighborhood businesses and the local artists, whose work can be found alongside CRUSH merchandise at the HQ gallery in the alley behind Denver Central Market. For those who choose to experience the festival digitally, other CRUSH WALLS virtual experiences and workshops include a Learn to Wheat Paste Youth Workshop, Street Art vs. Graffiti Panel, Representation Matters Artist Panel and more. Full festival details can be found on the CRUSH WALLS website, including event schedules, a complete artist list, an updated map of murals and businesses and more. Once CRUSH WALLS pieces are completed, they are available for anyone visit all year throughout the neighborhood. For more information on how to see this year's works, go to the VISIT DENVER Website. About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau Celebrating 111 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. A total of 17.7 million visitors stayed overnight in Denver in 2019, generating $6 billion in spending, while supporting more than 60,000 jobs, making Tourism one of the largest industries in Denver. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER or by phone at 800 2 Denver. Denver International Airport (DEN; flydenver.com) connects The Mile High City to more than 200 destinations worldwide. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates at: Facebook.com/visitdenver; Twitter.com/visitdenver; Instagram.com/visitdenver; and YouTube.com/visitdenver. Contact: Ashley Geisheker, [email protected] SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau Related Links http://www.visitdenver.com Two of Assams biggest student organizations, All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) came together on Monday to formally announce formation of a new political party, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), ahead of next years assembly polls. The new regional party is among several outfits that have formally launched recently or are in the process of formation to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition comprising the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) in the April election. Both AASU and AJYCP had earlier formed a 16-member advisory committee of prominent personalities to suggest a way forward and based on their suggestions the decision to form a new political party to secure the future of Assam and Assamese people was taken. Work on our party begins from now. The organization set up across all districts will be completed by October and the partys state-level political convention will be held in November, said Basanta Deka, former professor of Handique Girls College, one of the two convenors of the advisory committee. He added that the new party will follow the slogan-ghore ghore ami (we are in each household) with the aim of reaching out to every home across Assam ahead of next years assembly polls. The constitution of the party is nearly complete and its aims and ideologies would be unveiled at a later date. The partys flag, symbol and office bearers would be announced at the November convention, said former Gauhati University professor Krishnagopal Bhattacharya, the other convenor. Incidentally, this will be the second political party to be formed by AASU leaders after Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which came into being in 1985 after signing of the Assam Accord that ended the six-year-long anti-foreigners agitation--in which both AASU and AJYCP played a key role. Both organizations had spearheaded the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir in the state opposing the Centres move to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistanwhich many in Assam feared would lead to large scale influx of Bangladeshis to the state. We have got very good response from the public and other organizations to the new party. Everyone who loves Assam and its people and even those in other parties with similar views are welcome to join us, said veteran politician Jagadish Bhuyan, coordinator of AJP. Earlier, the leadership of both AASU and AJYCP had stressed that formation of the new party wont affect the organizations and they would retain their non-political character. Incidentally, AJP isnt the only political party that will make its debut in the next assembly polls. Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), another outfit which spearheaded the anti-CAA stir has announced its plan to launch a political party. The outfits leader Akhil Gogoi, who is at present in jail since last December for his role in the anti-CAA stir, has urged all outfits to come under one umbrella. Journalist-turned-politician Ajit Bhuyan, who became a Rajya Sabha MP earlier this year with the support of the Congress and AIUDF, has also floated an outfit called Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). Noted lawyer Arun Borbora had launched the United Regional Party, Assam last month. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is an assistant editor based in Guwahati. He covers all eight states of North-East and was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times . ...view detail Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk past an electronic ticker displaying the share price of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. at the Exchange Square complex in Hong Kong, China, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Chinese property software company Ming Yuan Cloud on Monday launched an IPO in Hong Kong to raise as much as 6.17 billion Hong Kong dollars ($798 million), a deal term sheet showed, as the city gears up for its second busiest week for equity offerings this year. The company will sell 374 million shares at a range of HK$15 to HK$16.50 each, which will value it between $3.62 billion and $3.98 billion. A virtual management roadshow will begin Monday, according to the term sheet, and the deal is set to price on Friday. Ming Yuan's deal is part of a slew of IPOs and secondary listings worth at least $4.5 billion due to launch in Hong Kong this week, which is on track to be the second busiest for equity capital markets in the city in 2020, according to Refinitiv data. The busiest week of the year was in June when JD.com and Netease raised $7.5 billion combined. Ming Yuan shares will start trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sept. 25. The deal has attracted six high profile cornerstone investors which will take $276 million worth of stock, equating to 35% of the shares at the top end of the offer, the term sheet shows. Hillhouse has subscribed for $86 million worth of stock, Singapore's GIC and China Structural Reform Fund will take $50 million each, according to the term sheet. Private equity fund Sequoia, BlackRock and Fidelity International will each take $30 million. Among other planned listings, ZTO Express passed its Hong Kong listing committee hearing last week, according to documents lodged with the exchange, and could raise up to $2 billion as it presses on with a secondary listing. Chinese hotel chain Huazhu is currently raising nearly $900 million in its secondary listing and will price its shares on Wednesday, according to its prospectus. MoMAGIC, data sciences driven Mobile Marketing and IoT solutions provider, enters a strategic partnership with Qisda Group, a Taiwanese electronic ODM/OEM/IoT solution leader, to offer the intelligent digital footprint and online monitoring of public opinions with MoMAGICs AI SaaS Platform, TrueInsight, designed for Digital Transformation and AIoT application. As a part of the strategic partnership, MoMAGIC to use its AI-SaaS enabled Platform- TrueInsight, to provide advanced algorithms of Intelligent POI (Point of Interest) Mapping & Intelligent Online Listening, for the retail store chain. Thereby, enabling a critical capability to see through the very dynamic consumer footprint traffic & retail competition analysis via MoMAGICs unique intelligent algorithms, to process the non-sensitive and anonymous consumer movement data. Arun Gupta, the Founder and CEO of MoMAGIC Technologies, said, We are looking forward to this strategic partnership with Qisda Group in Taiwan as window to expand our AI Solution offerings into retail and other industry verticals. With our advanced data science capability, we also hope to expand our AI solution application, out of India and look forward to accelerating our offerings in AI business, to other Asian countries in 2021. MoMAGICs AI solution is able to support retail business and other industry sector- to figure out their consumer insight and competitors business status more deeply, with a breakthrough potential to estimate their business forecast reliably for manpower & inventory demand and even for new product & new service development. Elaborating, on the Qisda partnership, Jason Wu, Chief Strategy Officer of MoMAGIC Technologies and Co-Founder of MoMAGIC Data Intelligence said, MoMAGIC is committed to Digital Transformation solution provision with its Intelligent Platform- TrueInsight. More importantly, the AI SaaS model assists retail sector and other industry sectors to embrace AI in a very affordable and scalable way, without any technical and high-cost burning barriers. We believe AI SaaS solution for Digital Transformation demand in 5G/IoT era is an uprising trend to invest. This is the reason we are determined to partner with Qisda Group, as our business development milestone in Asia, added Jason Wu. Michael Lee, General Manager of Qisda's Business Solutions Group said, We are looking forward to the strategic partnership with MoMAGIC, for AI SaaS solution applied in the retail sector and other similar industry with their AI and Data Science technologies. The cooperation can be extended from Taiwan, even to India and other Asian countries in the future. Businessman Deepak Kochhar, who has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the ICICI Bank kickback for loan scam, has tested positive for COVID-19. Kochhar, who is asymptomatic, has been admitted to AIIMS, Delhi. The ED officials who questioned Deepak Kochhar and his lawyer have also decided to quarantine themselves. Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, was arrested last week for alleged money laundering in a deal between the private lender and Videocon Group. He was remanded to ED custody till September 19 and was recently brought to Delhi from Mumbai by a team of the enforcement agency. He recently met his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal in Delhi following court directions. The Mumbai court, which sent Deepak Kochhar to ED custody, had allowed the businessman to meet with his lawyer in matter related to the case. The money-laundering case was registered in January last year against the businessman, his wife, Chanda Kochhar, Videocon Group MD Venugopal Dhoot and others over allegations of irregularities in loans extended by ICICI Bank to Dhoot-led Videocon Group when Chanda was at the helm of the bank. The ED had registered the money laundering case against the Kochhars on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Kochhars came under probe agencies' lens in October 2016 after whistleblower Arvind Gupta, an investor in both ICICI Bank and Videocon Group, raised concerns about alleged loan irregularities. He had raised concerned over the Rs 3,250 crore plus Rs 660 crore loans and alleged quid pro quo in the form of an identical 10 per cent foreign funding (Rs 325 crore and Rs 66 crore) in Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochhar's company NuPower Renewables. Also Read: Deepak Kochhar arrested: 10 reasons why ex-ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar's husband is behind bars Also Read: ICICI Bank-Videocon case: ED arrests Deepak Kochhar on money laundering charges Also Read: ICICI Bank-Videocon case: Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochhar sent to ED custody till Sept 19 The statement also stressed Egypts condemnation of Ansar Allahs targeting of civilian installations in Yemens Marib with ballistic missiles, which injured several civilians Egypt has expressed its full support for actions by the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against armed Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Iran-backed movements practices further inflame the situation in Yemen. According to an official statement on Sunday, Egypts foreign ministry affirmed that it supports Saudi Arabia in its efforts to push for a political solution in Yemen and enforce the ceasefire between the legitimate government forces and the Houthi movement, formally known as Ansar Allah. The statement also stressed Egypts condemnation of Ansar Allahs targeting of civilian installations in Yemens Marib with ballistic missiles, which injured several civilians. The foreign ministry stresses the importance of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen to make it possible to agree on humanitarian and economic steps that guarantee the alleviation of the growing humanitarian crisis nationwide due to a stalled political solution, it said. The statement came hours after the Saudi-led coalitions fighter jets struck on Sunday barracks and military sites of the Houthi movement in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, according to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV. Local sources told Al Arabiya that the coalition also destroyed four drones at Al-Delmi air base, north of Sanaa. The strikes by the coalition came a few days after the Houthi movement claimed it attacked an important target in Riyadh on Thursday using a ballistic missile and drones. Search Keywords: Short link: Queen Letizia of Spain put safety first with a mask as she headed to a school to mark the beginning of the new term. The Spanish Queen, 47, headed to the Nuestra Senora del Patrocinio College in Milagro, Navarra to mark the start of the Spanish academic year. Letizia's own daughters Infanta Leonor, 14, and Sofia, 13, were forced to quarantine two days after heading back to school after a classmate tested positive for Covid-19. Wearing a pair of stylish black culottes and a grey top, the Spanish royal toured the premises with school staff, who were also wearing masks. Queen Letizia of Spain put safety first with a mask as she headed to a school to mark the beginning of the school term. The Spanish Queen, 47, headed to the Nuestra Senora del Patrocinio College in Milagro, Navarra to mark the start of the Spanish academic year Letizia seemed relaxed at the event which comes a few days after her daughters Infants Leonor, 14 and Sofia, 13, were forced to quarantine after a classmate of Leonor tested positive to Coronavirus For today's engagement, Letizia picked a smart casual outfit with a pair of black culottes. She recycled a 25 sleeveless grey top from Zara that revealed her toned arms and petite waist with a belt of the same fabric. She accessorised with black platform heels tied at her ankles with a wide black bow. The Queen kept it simple, and had styled her dark glossy locks in a sleek and ponytail. For today's outfit, Letizia opted for black culottes with a recycled 25 top from Zara she first wore in 2018 As she toured the school's premises, Letizia kept her look simple and elegant, sporting no bag and little jewellery Wearing a protective mask,the royal waved to the students awaiting her visit at the school in Navarra Only wearing a favourite ring with small golden hoop earrings, Letizia brought the focus to her beautiful hazelnut eyes with a dash of eyeliner and eyeshadow. She looked relaxed and in high spirit during the event which saw her meet the school staff. She later addressed the school's student, who were all wearing masks. The Spanish school term began last week on Wednesday 9 September and saw Letizia's owner daughters return back to school after months of studying from home. School staff guided the royal through the school this morning. The Spanish school term started last week In spite of having her two daughters in quarantine, the Queen kept her cool during the engagement Letizia seemed in good spirit as the school staff walked with her around the school, talking about the upcoming school year However, it was not long before a classmate in Princess Leonor's year tested positive to the virus, sending the royal sisters into a two-week-long quarantine period. It was said at the time that Leonor and Sofia would have to take coronavirus tests themselves. This comes as Spain is experiencing a resurgence in covid-19 cases, having become the first country in Western Europe to register 500,000 infections, with a second surge in cases that coincided with schools reopening. Princess Leonor arrived at school for the first day on Wednesday 9 and was dropped off by her father King Felipe. Letizia expertly put the focus on her toned arms and petite frame with the sleeveless Zara top, tied at the waist The Spanish Queen addressed the students who had been awaiting her visit in the Navarra school, today Both appeared relaxed as they arrived, before Princess Leonor, who is heir to the throne, stepped out of the vehicle and was temperature checked by a member of staff. She went on to accompany her younger sister for her first day on Friday this week It is believed that Princess Leonor started her fourth year of secondary education, while her younger sister Princess Sofia began her second year at the school. The royal looked in good spirits as she stepped out of the school following her visit to Navarra this morning The Spanish queen enjoyed some quiet time in the sunlight during the busy event this morning Letizia expertly brought the focus to her eyes with some eyeliner, eyeshadow , and a dash of mascara The Spanish queen showcased her althetic frame with a sleeveless top which she first wore in 2018 Standing in the doorway of the school in Milagro, Queen Letizia looked poised and relaxed this morning It has been a challenging summer for the Spanish royal family, after runaway former King Juan Carlos caused shockwaves around the country in August by announcing he was leaving his homeland. Princess Leonor has now been deemed by some as a saviour of the monarchy, with The Times writing: 'Attention must turn to the future if the Bourbon monarchy is to survive. 'It is a responsibility that rests of the shoulders of Leonor, and the reigning king, Felipe VI, knows that, as he introduces her to the country while trying to modernise the monarchy.' Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 9 AM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Parliament monsoon session: MHA to answer questions on nationwide lockdown When Parliament meets on Monday for the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will face questions on various issues. Read more Galaxy S20 Fan Edition set to launch on Sep 23 as Samsung announces another Galaxy Unpacked event Its official. Samsung will host a new Galaxy Unpacked event on September 23. The event title Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan is an obvious hint at the launch of rumoured Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. Samsung has earlier held two similar virtual events to launch Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 premium phones. Read more IPL 2020: MS Dhoni depends a lot on him - Ajit Agarkar hopes CSK fast bowler maintains fitness levels In the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings are a little depleted in their squad. In such a scenario, the role of the existing players become all the more important for the team. From the time CSK have landed in the UAE, theyve landed in hot waters. Read more Audi RS models with plug-in hybrid system is not about if but when In a fast changing world, traditional automotive giants are having to change their strategy to not just stay ahead of the curve but to also stay relevant. Read more Tahira Kashyap eats cake off soulmate Ayushmann Khurranas face in special birthday picture. See here Writer and filmmaker Tahira Kashyap has shared a special birthday post for husband, actor Ayushmann Khurrana. Ayushmann turned 36 on Monday. Read more A productive Parliament Parliament convenes today after a long period in what will be a shortened monsoon session which will last till October 1. While the pandemic has prevented the full functioning of many institutions, Parliament is the most important one and it is imperative that its functionaries meet with adequate precautions to discuss the many issues the country faces, and legislate on several pending laws. Read more Wisconsin school teacher shares back-to-school rendition of FRIENDS theme song, netizens love it So no one told you life was gonna be this way- any Friends fan will recognise this line. Ill Be There For You, by The Rembrandts, is the theme song for the popular sitcom and a fan has probably heard it a million times. However, tweaking the lyrics, a Winconsin school teacher has dropped an amazing version of the song that has grabbed the attention of netizens. Read more Military-Linked Chinese Company Collected Personal Data On Thousands of Canadians Global database targets influential figures and their families A Chinese company with reported links to Beijings military and intelligence arm has amassed the personal details of thousands of Canadians as part of a giant global database targeting influential figures and their families, according to reports from a global media consortium that accessed an early copy of the database. The company, Zhenhua Data, is tied to the Peoples Liberation Army, the Ministry of State Security, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and has collated the profiles of 2.4 million people across the world. Titled the Overseas Key Individuals Database, it includes personal information on at least 5,000 Canadians, according to reports from the global media consortium. The database includes prominent people in various sectorspolitics, business, law, academia, and defenceand lists details data points like their birth dates, addresses, marital statuses, and political leanings. Influential Canadians on the list include dozens of current and former MPs including Conservative Leader Erin OToole, mayors of several Western Canadian towns, and current and former members of the Supreme Court of Canada, according to analysis by the Globe and Mail. Senior bureaucrats at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Treasury Board, the Transportation Safety Board, the Export Development Canada, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner were also listed. In addition, the database includes family members of prominent Canadians such as Justin Trudeaus 11-year-old daughter Ella-Grace Trudeau, and Jeremy Fry, the son of long-serving B.C. Liberal MP Hedy Fry. According to the Globes analysis, the database contains nearly 16,000 entries mentioning Canada. Among a shortlist of 3,767 Canadians, the creators assigned a grade to the individuals of either 1, 2, or 3: Those assigned a 1 appeared to be people of direct influence, such as mayors, MPs, or senior civil servants, while those assigned a 2 were often relatives of people in power, such as Mr. Trudeaus daughter and Ms. Frys son. Those assigned a grade of 3 often had criminal convictions, mostly for economic crimes, the newspaper reported. Bank records, job applications, and psychological profiles were also included in the data, much of which was taken from information in the public domain, including news articles, criminal records, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. However, 20 percent of the data is not open source, including confidential documents, indicating that the information was obtained through hacking or the dark web. Zhenhua Datas CEO Wang Xuefeng has endorsed waging unrestricted warfare through manipulating public opinion and psychological warfare, according to a WeChat post. The database was leaked by an anonymous employee of Zhenhua Data and discovered by Professor Chris Balding, who worked at Peking University until 2018 when he fled to Vietnam over safety concerns. In a statement published on his website dated Sept. 14, Balding says he was researching claims into Huawei until he stumbled onto the Holy Grail for China researchers. He provided the information to a global consortium of media outlets in Australia, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany. Balding claims the data validates long-held suspicions surrounding the CCPs surveillance and monitoring operations. What cannot be underestimated is the breadth and depth of the Chinese surveillance state and its extension around the world, he said. The world is only at the beginning stages of understanding how much China invests in intelligence and influence operations using the type of raw data we have to understand their targets. In a previous statement, Balding said the CCP presents an unprecedented challenge to open freedom loving rule of law states around the world. The regime is constructing a techno-surveillance security state that gives the Communist Party powerful means to control citizens domestically, he wrote. We now have evidence of how Chinese firms partner with state agencies to monitor individuals and institutions globally. With reporting from Daniel Y. Teng Dual Part Production Capacity Built at the NAI Interconnect Assembly Plant in Suzhou, China. This project at NAI doubled the existing part-specific capacity of the companys Hermosillo, Mexico facilities by establishing the same part production operations in Suzhou, China. The immediate benefit of this project was to provide a customer with the extra insurance needed to meet critical production and delivery schedules during the uncertainties brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. NAIs investment to create this dual production capacity solved a critical issue this customer had in meeting important delivery dates when they transferred business from a struggling supplier to NAI, demonstrating their trust and confidence in NAI to build the dual capacity and meet still their stringent deadlines. This recent project exemplifies NAIs ability to allocate, split or duplicate customer production requirements among its various facilities utilizing its global manufacturing footprint. This footprint, coupled with NAIs global supply management team, allows the company to optimize production, add flexibility and employ alternatives for their customers projects, while ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of finished goods. Jon Jensen, CEO at NAI, reported Our dedicated teams in Mexico and China worked quickly and diligently on this latest transition project, so that NAI was able to complete it in as little as 10 weeks, which can normally take a company up to a year to accomplish. NAIs global footprint provides a definite advantage for our customers looking to mitigate risk and remain focused on continuity of supply. Mr. Jensen continued There were many elements to plan and coordinate in order to accomplish this duplication of manufacturing capability in another part of the globe. We had language and time zone obstacles, although we turned these into an advantage as the plants in Mexico and China now each work alternate shifts to produce these parts around the clock for our customer. We needed to transfer all our well-documented production and test data from Mexico to China, as well as much of the material inventory. We also established a local supply chain and procured additional materials, supplies and equipment for Suzhou, and we calibrated and conducted the appropriate maintenance checks on all their production equipment. Our teams at both facilities worked tirelessly to meet, and exceed, the target deadline. NAI invites any company interested in offsetting the production risks associated with custom interconnect projects that are inherent with unforeseen events, such as the current pandemic, to contact them. They will be happy to discuss how duplicate and alternative manufacturing facilities can ensure continued and smooth deliveries. If interested in NAIs invitation to discuss how to offset the production risks from unforeseen events, Contact Us or Ask an Expert at NAI. To learn more about NAI, please visit the NAI website. About NAI NAI is the most resourceful interconnect solutions provider customers count on to solve design, manufacturing, and logistics problems. Offering copper and fiber optic cable assemblies and harnesses, coupled with block assemblies, panel and box builds, NAI provides an unparalleled breadth of capability. Being remarkably scalable, flexible, and agile, NAI customer projects are brought to life very quickly, while meeting or exceeding expectations and delivering high reliability. NAI strives for high integrity with customer relationships by providing notable transparency and delivering on promises. Product and market diversity, an extraordinary talent base and an ability to supply globally are distinct characteristics of NAI. Only NAI provides this unique combination of company attributes, distinguishing them as the most reliable supplier of interconnect product solutions and expert service. The Red Crescent staff members were killed and another injured in an attack in northern Syria The Red Crescent said on Monday that one of its staff members was killed and another injured in an attack on the humanitarian aid organisation's vehicle in northern Syria. The attack occurred near al-Bab, a town about 25 miles (45 kilometres) east of Aleppo under control of pro-Turkish forces, Turkish Red Crescent President Kerem Kinik said in a tweet, without identifying the perpetrators. "One of our colleagues from the Red Crescent was martyred and another was injured in the attack," said Kinik, adding that a third staff member was unharmed. Turkey controls large stretches of northeastern Syria through various armed groups, and is conducting operations aimed at driving out Kurdish militias and jihadists. Search Keywords: Short link: Lawyers and judges have been advised to desist from showing too much skin, whether working in court or out of court. This caution is coming from Mr. Anthony Forson, National President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA). Bare arms are generally frowned upon in the office and never appropriate in court. Skirts or blouses should always be bottomed so that cleavage is never revealed. Mr. Forson was speaking at the GBA Webinar held at the Law Court Complex in Accra on Monday under the theme: Enhancing National Cohesion: the Essence of free, fair and Responsible Electoral Process. According to him, hair and makeup should also be conservative. The GBA President said bare legs are never acceptable in court and neither are open toes shoes. Anything flashy such as large gaudy earrings or sandals are also inappropriate. He said female lawyers should always wear dark suits with trousers or knee-length matching skirts. Mr. Forson noted that the legal profession remained one of the most conservative concerning work attires adding that being flashy was not allowed. He said court attire for male lawyers in the absence of formal robes, should always consist of a dark coloured suit that is a tie and properly buttoned shirt. ---GNA Prime Minister Modi faces criticism for not allowing questions as opposition MPs look to corner govt on its policies. Indian lawmakers have returned to Parliament after a five-month absence, with the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic, the nosediving economy and simmering tensions with China setting the stage for a turbulent session. The 18-day session comes as coronavirus infections in India surge faster than anywhere else in the world, with more than 92,000 new cases added on Monday, the day the session opened. Indias total infections have soared past 4.8 million, while more than 79,700 people have died. Lawmakers wore masks and sat separated by transparent plastic sheets while in Parliament. Sessions will be shortened and other health protocols put in place to guard against the virus. Opposition parties have protested the cancelling of Question Hour, when lawmakers ask questions to ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries, saying that takes away the opportunity to grill the government on its policies. Instead of the hour of open debate, only written questions will be allowed. The government has defended the move to suspend Question Hour, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi saying the government isnt running away from discussion. The parliament session is expected to be challenging for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government. It includes laying out measures to revive an economy that shrank by nearly 24 percent in the last quarter, the most of any major country, and trying to stop a virus surge worsened by a weak and underfunded healthcare system. Other measures may be discussed, including to mitigate rising unemployment and solve a bitter military standoff with China, three months after their deadliest military confrontation in decades. On Monday, Modi appealed to all political parties to stand in solidarity with the soldiers guarding Indias borders even as opposition parties demanded more clarity on the governments response to the standoff with China. The border tensions in the cold-desert Ladakh region escalated in June to a medieval clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers when hand-to-hand combat broke out. The Asian giants have accused each other of sending soldiers across the dividing line and firing warning shots for the first time in 45 years, threatening a full-scale military conflict. The foreign ministers of the two countries have agreed to deescalate border tensions, but resolving the impasse is expected to be a long process. Modi also said his government will not rest until a vaccine is developed to fight the coronavirus. But many opposition legislators worry that the government does not look like it is in control. Main opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi targeted Modi over the spike in virus cases and accused the government of implementing the lockdown without a plan. Unplanned lockdown was the gift of one mans ego, which led to the spread of coronavirus across the country, Gandhi tweeted on Monday. Millions of Indians lost their jobs instantly and tens of thousands of migrant workers, out of money and fearing starvation, poured out of cities and headed back to villages when Modi ordered the nationwide lockdown on March 24. The unprecedented migration not only hollowed out Indias economy but also spread the virus to the far reaches of the country. Restrictions have been eased since to revive the economy, even as virus cases grew. Advertisement Firefighters have rescue a scorched kitten with burnt paws from the smoldering debris of California's wildfires as heartbreaking pictures capture the plight of thousands of pets and wild animals fighting for survival Devastating wildfires continued to burn across western states, including California and Oregon, leaving more than 4.6 million acres of land completely scorched and hundreds of thousands of people under evacuation orders. At least 40,000 residents were forced to evacuate in Oregon, with Gov. Kate Brown cautioning that 500,000 could soon follow, and around 42,000 had fled from California. In California, 24 people have died, 10 have died in Oregon and one in Washington. Search and rescue teams are still searching for victims or survivors in burned down home and cars in the aftermath. Emergency crews dampening down hot spots near homes have also been rescuing as many pets as they can, leaving Animal Control crews and veterinarian groups scrambling for resources. Daniel Trevizo, a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain assigned to the North Complex, told Record Searchlight that his team was working when they heard a kitten - now nicknamed 'Fire Cat'. Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Daniel Trevizo (pictured) last week found an injured kitten while his team was cleaning up an affected area in the North Complex North Valley Disaster Group animal rescuer volunteer moves a stray dog to a transport carrier after being found in an area burned by the Bear Fire in California An injured 8 week old kitten with facial burns is being treated at SOVSC, which is a 24/7 hospital dealing with rescued animals from the destructive wildfires devastating the region on Saturday An injured cat named Prince (center) is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant Kaity Kelsey (left) and Vet assistant Kayla Weisz (right)both from Medford at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center North Valley Animal Group rescue team tends to horses found in Northern California after the animals survived part of the Bear Fire in Berry Creek 'While we were cleaning up an area we heard meowing and sure enough, this little kitten comes running up as friendly as can be,' said Trevizo. The area was still smoking as the kitten darted through the area. After taking a quick video of the kitten, Trevizo placed it in the pocket of his fire jacket while he and his crew watered down embers near Lake Oroville. 'We're going ahead and keeping him safe and secure until we can drop him off to animal control,' he said. The extent of the kitten's injuries weren't clear at first, but Trevizo thinks the animal may have been singed in the flames and suffered burnt paws. 'I'll try to secure some food (at the base camp) for the little kitten here and see that it gets properly fed,' he told the publication. 'He's a good little fire cat.' Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Daniel Trevizo on Saturday took selfies with 'Fire Cat' after it was rescued by emergency crews Butte County Animal Control officer Linda Newman (right) prepares to load two donkeys that were found wander along a roadside, as Kari Zeitler (left) of the North Valley Disaster Group stages a horse for rescue that was left behind during the Bear fire North Valley Disaster Group animal rescuers put out water and food for a small fox spotted along the roadside after the Bear Fire in California ripped through the area last week Trevizo added that he saw in a firefighters' text message group that another fire captain had discovered a cat hidden in debris and rescued it. More than 500 miles north, Patti Candell was shocked to find that her home in Mehama, Oregon was still standing after evacuations forced residents to flee. Candell's home was in the path of the Beachie Creek Fire, which has killed at least four people and burned more than 188,900 acres. As of Monday, it is still zero per cent contained. Most of the homes and structures in Candell's neighborhood were destroyed, including her horse stable and barn. In Mehama, Oregon, Patti Candell returned home after evacuations to discover her barn had been completely destroyed but her cows and sheep were incredibly alive The large amount of wildfire across the West Coast have inundated the skies with a smokey haze that continued to cling over the weekend after fires sparked North Valley Disaster Group animal rescuer Steve Wetherbee attempts to feed his ham sandwich to a stray dog found in the area near burned by the Bear Fire 'It's just, you know, devastating, devastating,' she told CNN. Somehow, all her sheep and cows had survived the raging wildfire. 'The barn is, well its back there, you can see just that pile of white stuff. It's there, it's a big, huge 30-by-48 (foot) horse barn, three stalls and all that fun stuff. And yeah, it was wiped out,' Candell said. Her house is just one of a handful that are still standing in Mehama. 'The flames actually came up to the house on this side of the home and on the back and how it didn't catch on fire is just amazing to us,' said Candell. 'It just, I don't know how the fire works, how the wind is.' Butte County in Northern California was also the subject evacuations, and is where Animal Control found a puppy wounded by the fire on Saturday. 'As BCSO deputies and members of BCSO Search and Rescue were searching through properties impacted by the fire, they made an unexpected and welcomed discovery on a large property in Berry Creek, this adorable puppy,' the Butte County Sheriff's Office on Facebook. A photo released by the Butte County Sheriff's Office on Saturday shows a deputy holding a puppy found among charred debris in Berry Creek Authorities named the puppy 'Trooper' (center) and transported it to the Valley Oaks Veterinary Center in Chico, California, to be checked out for injuries A brief investigation by authorities revealed that 'Trooper's' owner had several other dogs and was not able to locate all of them before evacuations began Photos shared by the department showed the scared puppy covered in dirt and soot as an Animal Control crew member held it tightly. The property where they discovered the puppy has been completely devastated and the air holds a smoky quality to it. The puppy suffered some minor burns and was taken to Valley Oaks Veterinary Center in Chico, California, to be checked out. Authorities did some investigating and learned that the owner of damaged home has several dogs and was not able to locate them all before evacuations set in. 'Our deputies decided to give this sweet puppy a name, Trooper,' the Facebook post read. Pictured: A Butte County Animal Control Officer puts out food and water for a cat, which was left behind, at a residence destroyed by the Bear fire Shena Horton, 13, (left) exercises a wildfire evacuated horse at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg, Oregon, after the owner was forced to evacuate due to the Archie Fire A wildfire evacuated horse looks out of a stall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg as around 94 active wildfirs burn across the West Coast this month Butte County Animal Control officer Linda Newman (pictured) retrieves a horse left behind during the Bear Fire in California that has killed at least 10 people so far A burned cat temporarily named Chestnut is seen recovering from her injuries at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) In Oregon, almost a dozen cats rescued amid scorching wildfires are being cared for at a veterinary hospital and staff members have posted their photos on social media hoping to reunite them with their owners. The cats have burned paws covered in bandages. Some of their bellies are seared and, in one case, a cat nicknamed Depot because he was found by the Home Depot, is hooked up to oxygen because its lungs suffered damage from the hot smoke. Rory Applegate, a veterinarian at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, says staff members are working even though some of them have had to evacuate or had family impacted by the blazes. Applegate says the fires are a 'huge emotional toll' on the staff but they are balancing out the management of critical patients and making sure they can stay stable themselves. She said she expects animals to feel the impact of the heavy smoke in the coming days, too. An injured cat named Prince is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant Kaity Kelsey (right) and Vet assistant Kayla Weisz (left) both from Medford, Oregon, at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) Veterinarians and animal rescue crews have asked residents for help as they attempt to car for a large number of injured and displaced animals during the wildfires Veterinary technician Cathy Ackerman checks the medical equipment by the cages for the injured cats at the Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) The group created a GoFundMe to collect donations for supporting local animals and pets amid the wildfires. 'These fires have decimated our communities and have limited the functionality of our local pet rescues and support agencies,' the group wrote in a message. 'We established this GoFundMe to receive these funds for use within our community to support displaced and injured pets, to provide resources for our local pet rescues, and to provide critical funding for financially challenged fire victims.' It has already raised $34,000 of its $100,000 goal. Meanwhile, a 'firenado' has been captured on camera in California as wildfires tear through large swathes of the west coast, killing at least 35 people. Footage showing a wildfire meeting a column of air to create a tornado-like effect was posted on TikTok on Thursday went viral over the weekend. Social media users nicknamed the state 'Hellifornia', with one writing: "2020 said 'Hey, y'all know what's missing? A firenado! That would be so awesome! I got the perfect place, too. Here me out...."' one person wrote. Another posted to Twitter: '2020 is something straight out of a dark science fiction novel, y'all ever seen a tornado on fire?' The clip was posted as firefighters in California were bracing for a shift in weather that could bring stronger winds Monday and stoke dozens of fires still raging across the state. California this week experienced what's being dubbed a 'firenado'. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Northern California through Monday night, saying strong southerly winds and low humidity will result in elevated fire weather conditions across the region Twitter users called the wild fire a 'firenado' and nicknamed California 'Hellifornia' after the video was posted on Thursday A search and rescue team, surrounded by red fire retardant, look for victims under burned residences and vehicles in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon on Sunday Firefighters Kyle Parker (L) Battalion Chief Bob Horst (C) and Sam Hochstatter from the Grant County Fire Department work to secure the fire line on the Cold Springs Fire on Thursday in Omak, Washington. Dozens of wildfires are raging throughout West as record high temperatures and dry vegetation fuel the fast-moving, destructive blazes, destroying hundreds of acres The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Northern California through Monday night with Incident Meteorologist Dan Borsum saying strong southerly winds and low humidity will result in elevated fire weather conditions across the region. He said conditions may improve a little bit Tuesday but not a lot. Borsum added that the air quality in the region may not improve until October. More than 16,750 firefighters were doing battle with fires that had already killed 22 people, destroyed more than 4,100 structures and engulfed scores of communities from the Oregon border to Mexico. Then a Northern California sheriff said Sunday that two more people have died from wildfires, bringing the state's total death toll to 24. Oregon had 10 fatalities and a one-year-old boy died in Washington. The fires on the West Coast have been among the worst ever recorded. In California over 3.2 million acres were charred last month. The Bobcat Fire burns in the Angeles National Forest north of Arcadia prompting evacuations, north East of Los Angeles Firefighters watch the Bobcat Fire after an evacuation was ordered for the residents of Arcadia, California on Sunday A firefighter works to extinguish the Bobcat Fire after an evacuation was ordered in Arcadia on Sunday A helicopter drops water over the Bobcat fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest, near Arcadia, California There was also a warning in effect in Oregon on Sunday night after the weather service said that the wind, humidity and fire danger will 'likely contribute to a significant spread of new and existing fires.' Gusts of wind are expected to reach up to 40 mph. At least 10 people were killed in wildfires that burned the past week throughout Oregon where 35 fires have devastated 902,620 acres. Officials have said more people are missing from other blazes and the number of fatalities is likely to rise. Andrew Phelps, Oregon's emergency management director, said that the state was preparing for a 'mass fatality incident.' 'There are going to be a number of fatalities, folks who just couldn't get warning in time and evacuate their homes and get to safety,' Phelps told MSNBC on Friday. One resident told Reuters about the scene in the town of Pheonix, 'It looks like a war just happened here,' The fire melted the motor right out of my truck - it drained down the driveway,' said Manson, a 43-year-old construction worker. 'I lost everything. I lost all my tools. My truck. I can't work. I lost $30,000 worth of guitars. All gone.' Nearly a week after wildfires ignited across Oregon, which forced thousands of residents to flee their homes, firefighters spent Sunday setting and holding containment lines and starting to assess the damage. A firefighter looks out over an area where crews are working to create a boundary around the Riverside fire near Fernwood, Oregon on Sunday A search and rescue team from Salt Lake City, Utah, including a canine, look for victims through gutted homes in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent, Oregon A burned tree smolders after firefighters and community members extinguished a wildfire on Sunday (left). A search and rescue team, surrounded by red fire retardant, look for victims under burned residences and vehicles in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Talent (right) The Oak Park Motel was destroyed by the flames of the Beachie Creek Fire east of Salem, Oregon, Sunday Flames from the Beachie Creek Fire melted the aluminum rims on a car near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry, North Cascade District Office in Lyons, Oregon on Sunday The Webber family searches for belongings through their home, which was gutted by the Almeda fire, in Talent Evacuees from the Riverside Fire stay in tents at the Milwaukie-Portland Elks Lodge in Oak Grove, Oregon on Sunday Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews and several of her colleagues in Oregon lost their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire. She left her home to respond to a downed power line and said the fire it caused quickly spread, making her issue a level 3 evacuation order within a couple of hours. 'I not only have my life to put back together, I also have a fire department to put back together,' Plews told NBC News. 'And I honestly don't know how I'm going to do that.' She said many people on her team worked a week straight with only a 24 hour rest period by Sunday when the blaze had burned 161,872 acres and was only five per cent contained. The US Forest Service said weather conditions in areas of the state, which include mist and favorable wind, was helping to limit the rapid spread of the blaze and dispersing smoke and fog to better firefighting conditions. Two of the Oregon's largest fires that continue to threaten communities in Clackamas and Marion Counties remained completely uncontained Sunday, but more favorable weather and an easing of some evacuation warnings in areas indicate an improving situation. One of the large fires ravaging the area, the Riverside Fire was still within half a mile of the small city of Estacada, but the spread of the blaze has slowed. In Marion County, where firefighters have been battling the Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires, evacuation levels of several cities were reduced during the weekend. People in central and northeast Oregon, including in Eugene, Portland and Salem, continued to face hazardous air quality Sunday. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality reported Air Quality Index numbers that were off the chart. Air Quality Index is considered hazardous between 301 and 500. Portlands index is currently at 426. Values above 500 - which two cities, Madras and Roseburg both reported having - are beyond the indexs scale. Officials advised people to stay indoors and that the low visibility, caused by fog and smoke, is creating hazardous driving conditions. In Salem, where the Air Quality Index is 394, a dense smokey haze that clouded roads and homes made it difficult to see further than 50 yards ahead. The National Weather Service in Portland reported that rain is expected Monday night, which could help clear smoke in Oregon next week. According to a report last week from Ecofin news agency, Algeria can soon expect reinforcements to its existing compliment of undersea fibre connections. The Algerian minister of post and telecommunications Brahim Boumzar has been quoted as suggesting that the country will soon be connected to a fourth submarine optical fibre cable. Precise details of the plan are sketchy at the moment however; Ecofin reports that the remarks were made on the sidelines during a signing ceremony relating to an agreement involving electronic payment terminals. However, the minister has been quoted as saying that a fourth cable will reinforce the countrys data capacities that are at present supported by three existing cables. One of these is the South East AsiaMiddle EastWestern Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) cable, which carries telecommunications between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France. Another is the Medex cable, launched early last year and linking the Algerian internet network of optical fibre to the international network, giving Algeria connections to the US and Asia, across the Mediterranean. The third cable is the Orval/Alval linking Algiers, Oran, and Valencia in Spain. The announcement came a few weeks after major disruptions to internet connectivity in the country. These are far from uncommon, so it does seems more connectivity may be needed, though via which cable system is as yet unclear. Job Title: Project Officer Data Analyst Organization: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Reports to: Program Manager MEAL About US: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting relief and development work in over 100 countries around the world. CRS carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. CRS Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations; serving people on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs. CRS has worked in Uganda since 1965, initially providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees living in the north. Over the years, CRS has expanded its programming to also address development needs in western, central and eastern Uganda. CRS projects in Uganda currently include agriculture, health, microfinance, peacebuilding and youth. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including the Catholic Church, other faith-based organizations and community entities for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 190 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Moroto, Yumbe, and Hoima About Project: The Vines Project, implemented by CRS Uganda, is a five-year, $13 million Food for Progress project that will make Uganda the worlds next leading supplier of high-quality vanilla. Vines will leverage the expertise of CRS and its partners to enhance the production of safe, pure vanilla and develop sustainable market links with US vanilla companies, directly transforming the lives of 16,200 farmers, 836 supply chain actors and create 15,820 new jobs to reach 32,856 vanilla stakeholders. The Vines strategy reflects best practices in sustainable development and will leave Uganda with a robust vanilla farming community resilient to the boom/bust nature of the market and a cadre of private sector agricultural extensionists to support more sophisticated production, processing, and marketing needs. Job Summary: CRS uses ICT tools and associated skills to support agriculture programs, including digital monitoring and evaluation and analysis of resulting data. As a key driver of this core competency, the Data Analyst provides internal data and geospatial analysis services dedicated to building the capacity and supporting the successful and appropriate implementation of data and geospatial solutions for the Vines project. Additionally, the analyst is a key member of Vines project team and is active in promoting the smart and effective use of data and geospatial analysis to support the project. The data and geospatial analyst will develop map products, reports and/or dashboard applying data and spatial analysis techniques. These products serve as valuable tools to improve the efficacy, adaptation and innovation of the Vines Project. Key Duties and Responsibilities: the best approach to visualize it using ArcGIS suite of tools and/or PowerBI. Evaluate data that will be collected via mobile devices and identifythe best approach to visualize it using ArcGIS suite of tools and/orPowerBI. practices. Prepare high quality map products, using professional cartographicpractices. options to make interactive dashboards accessible online. Use story map, or PowerBI templates and other available publicationoptions to make interactive dashboards accessible online. field. Create ArcGIS maps from data collected via mobile devices in thefield. results and prepare corresponding presentation materials. Create documentation for all work products; document case studyresults and prepare corresponding presentation materials. and information management for the different project activities using ICT4D solutions; Support the development of data collection methodologies, processingand information management for the different project activities usingICT4D solutions; reports interfaced with dynamic graphics using cloud-based reporting tools and dynamic dashboards, to enable decision makers to produce evidence-based reports; Provide ready access to data for real-time monitoring through datareports interfaced with dynamic graphics using cloud-based reporting toolsand dynamic dashboards, to enable decision makers to produceevidence-based reports; protocols to ensure data privacy and data security standards are followed when collecting and disseminating information; Build project-based staff capacity on data management and sharingprotocols to ensure data privacy and data security standards are followedwhen collecting and disseminating information; using project promoted ICT4D solutions and project database; Provide technical and troubleshooting support to project-based staffusing project promoted ICT4D solutions and project database; use of ICT4D solutions (mapping and data visualization) for project learning and knowledge management. Document the best practices, lessons learned and innovations on theuse of ICT4D solutions (mapping and data visualization) for projectlearning and knowledge management. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: Officer Data Analyst job placement must hold Bachelors Degree or equivalent experience in ICT, Information Management or related area; The ideal candidate for the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ProjectOfficer Data Analyst job placement must hold Bachelors Degree orequivalent experience in ICT, Information Management or related area; working with humanitarian and development assistance, preferably with an international NGO; One to two years of experience in data analysis, geospatial mapping,working with humanitarian and development assistance, preferably with aninternational NGO; and Excel required; Experience in database management using Microsoft Access, SQL Serverand Excel required; PowerBi, Zoho, tableau or any other related tools Experience working with data visualization tools such as Excel,PowerBi, Zoho, tableau or any other related tools Knowledge of Data collection tools: i.e. Commcare, DHIS2 Able to work under pressure and to manage competing priorities; expectations with integrity; Have the capacity to establish priorities with the aim of meetingexpectations with integrity; Demonstrated proactive nature in resolving problems; Flexibility to work both in a team and independently; Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility; Demonstrated personal accountability and driven to serve others; Excellent English language oral and written communication skills; Experience working in a variety of developing environments required; Outlook) required; Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint andOutlook) required; essential; Excellent, proactive communications and coordination skillsessential; Required/Desired Foreign Language: required English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills,required Agency-Wide Competencies (for all CRS staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results. Serves with Integrity Models Stewardship Cultivates Constructive Relationships Promotes Learning NOTE: To apply, please follow these instructions exactly otherwise your application will NOT be considered. How to Apply: All candidates should Email a cover letter and CV only to ug_recruitment@crs.org Large files and/or scans of documents will lead to rejection of your application, in the subject line of the email, copy and paste PROJECTOFFICERDATAANALYST only All applications that do not contain this exact subject line will be rejected and not read. Deadline: 23rd September, 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 08:06:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman shows a pumpkin for sale in an autumn market in Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 13, 2020. The autumn markets, where farmers could sell freshly-harvested farm products, opened this weekend around the country. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (file photo) - ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny is able to leave his bed for short periods and is no longer using a ventilator, the German hospital where he is being treated said on Monday. The improvement to Mr Navalnys health comes as three independent laboratories confirmed the top Kremlin critic was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok last month. Moscow had dismissed Berlin doctors diagnosis of Novichok poisoning, accusing them of rushing to conclusions. But German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday that laboratories in France and Sweden have now confirmed independently of one another the proof of a nerve agent of the Novichok group. He added that the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was also testing samples. Mr Navalny pictured before he fell ill - gluchinskiy via AP, File Mr Navalny, 44, is currently undergoing mobilisation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time, the Charite hospital in Berlin said in a statement. Doctors, who have previously warned of lasting damage to his health, did not comment on the long-term outlook for the activist. International leaders have called on the Kremlin to explain the poisoning and threatened further sanctions against Russia in response. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement and said it sees no basis for a criminal probe. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to urgently shed light on the attempted murder of Mr Navalny. Mr Macron told Putin in telephone talks that it is imperative that all light be shed, without delay, on the circumstances of this attempted murder and who is responsible, the French presidency said in a statement. A man stands next to a screen displaying preliminary voting results - Sergei Fadeichev\\TASS via Getty Images Mr Navalnys team has continued its activity in his absence and at the weekend several of his allies won seats in Russian regional elections. Opposition activists took council seats in the Siberian cities of Tomsk and Novosibirsk, where Mr Navalny had been campaigning shortly before his poisoning. Mr Navalnys team had been running a campaign of smart voting in the regional elections, in which they encouraged supporters to vote for whichever candidate had the best chance of beating United Russia, whether they be from Communist or nationalist parties. Some of Mr Navalnys supporters have suggested he was attacked because of the threat this tactic poses to the Kremlin. Today I am here to tell you when it is okay to give up as a Christian. Feeling Stuck Have you ever been in a situation, lets say like during this pandemic, and some things are getting back to normal, but you arent? Schools are reopening, churches are open, people are heading back out to work but you are still stuck. The thoughts that invade your mind, are now possibly telling you to give up because if your situation hasnt changed yet, then it probably wont. And yes, this does seem like the perfect time to give up, to forget about your past and future, and to stop feeling stuck by giving up. You only feel stuck if you are on a journey somewhere if there is no journey, then there is nothing to cause you to feel stuck. Right? Giving up is NOT an option James says, in chapter 1 verse 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. So, when should you give up? Never. This is because we have a crown of life that we are striving for, and we will reach it if we remain steadfast under trial. Life is hard right now, and it might make us want to give up, but Paul also said in Philippians chapter 4, verse 13 that [We] can do all things through [Christ] who gives [us] strength. I could go on and on listing the scriptures on why we shouldnt give up, but it ultimately comes down to how much we know God. God is faithful, and His promises are yes and amen. So, if we know and believe that to be true, we can stop focusing on the horrors of life, and on instead focus on who God says he is. Knowing God We get to know God through our circumstances and through our experiences with our fellow Christians. Through these situations we learn about faith, trust, patience and wisdom. The more we experience, the more we learn and the more we grow, but if we opt out of the experiences, then we miss out on lessons and experiences that could lead us and others closer to God. In no way are these lessons always fun, because growing and changing hurts sometimes. It requires breaking down and rebuilding to get back to a stronger version of the original. Take for example - you break a bone and also break through the skin, as time goes by and the healing process takes place, there will be pain involved. Trust the Process We feel pain, because the pain fibers have been damaged and exposed and are now more sensitive. But also, as the skin heals, and tissues die, they are replaced by new growth. The nerve endings regrow and are sensitive to initial touch, until they are fully grown again and are covered by the protective skin layer. At times a scar is formed as the skin is doing its best to strengthen the area that was damaged. Underneath all of that, the bone resorbs itself and lays down new bone to strengthen the two severed pieces. However, even though, we may feel pain, we are getting stronger as our body heals. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11.) Even though it hurts right now, and it feels like you want to throw in the towel, remember the Creator of the universe cares about you and your situation. He has a plan for your life and a plan to mold you into a better version of you. So, when you feel like giving up, remember that God did not intend for you to quit, because he will see you through. He said he will never leave nor forsake you and he is faithful to his words. So as life moves on, and you feel stuck, remember God will be with you to see you to the end. E ight people in Indonesia were ordered to dig graves for coronavirus victims after they were caught leaving their homes without a face mask, according to reports. Officials in east Java said the order would act as a "deterrent" for those who violate the Covid-19 guidelines. They sanctioned the people who were caught leaving their homes without face coverings and told them to dig graves at a public cemetery in Ngabetan village. Cerme district head Suyono told Tribun News: "There are only three available grave diggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work for them. "Hopefully this can create a deterrent effect against violations." They were reportedly told to dig the graves in groups of two but were not ordered to participate in the funeral services. It comes after Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan announced new restrictions that will last until September 27 to combat an outbreak which he called an emergency situation. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, main streets were less crowded at the start of the two weeks of social restrictions to curb a rise in infections that has pushed its critical-care hospital capacity to unsafe levels. Medical facilities are filling with sick patients. Seven of 67 Covid-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta are 100 per cent occupied, while 46 are more than 60 per cent occupied. Loading.... Indonesias virus task force said more than 54,000 of the nations 218,000 cases of Covid-19 are in Jakarta. The city has recorded 1,391 deaths among the nations overall toll of 8,723. Additional reporting by Associated Press. We havent forgotten that notorious night of 1/11/11, when Democrats ramrodded a four-year, 2-percentage-point hike in the income tax. Quoth then-Senate President John Cullerton: The purpose of this bill is to raise enough money so that we can continue to pay our pensions without borrowing the money. To pay off our debt. To have enough money to pay the interest on that debt. And, for the first time ever, establish caps on how much we can appropriate." Didnt happen. "We have just come through the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes. And we have not paid our bills. IKEA has already jumped into tech with a smart home division and AR furniture app, but now its making a leap into an entirely new category: PC gaming. The Swedish company has announced that its teaming up with ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) division to create affordable gaming furniture accessories with a line of around 30 products. The gaming range will be developed by the IKEA Product Development Center in Shanghai. IKEA said its designers held workshops with ROG designers, along with professional gamers and gaming lovers to nail down the functionality needed for home gaming furniture By teaming up with ROG, IKEA wants to combine its home furnishing knowledge with ROGs expertise in creating exceptional gaming experience, the company wrote. IKEA mentioned it would design and build affordable gaming furniture and accessories, though it didnt say exactly which products it would create with ROG. It seems likely that gaming desks and chairs will part of the mix, however. IKEA and ROG arent the first to do such a collaboration, as Logitech recently teamed with Herman Miller on a gaming chair. However, IKEA might take a different approach, aesthetically speaking.The company said it sees gaming as cross-demographic, so its furniture designs could blend in better with your decor than other gaming chairs and furniture. Well find out soon enough, as the range will launch in China in February of 2021 and be available in the US and elsewhere by October, 2021. New York: The morning after the world learned that a closely watched clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine had been halted last week over safety concerns, the company's chief executive disclosed that a person given the vaccine had experienced serious neurological symptoms. But the remarks were not public. Instead, the chief executive, Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca, spoke at a closed meeting organised by J.P. Morgan, the investment bank. AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot on a visit to Sydney earlier this year. Credit:Kate Geraghty AstraZeneca said on Saturday that an outside panel had cleared its trial in Britain to begin again, but the company still has not given any details about the patient's medical condition, nor has it released a transcript of Soriot's remarks to investors, which were reported by the news outlet STAT and later confirmed by an analyst for J.P. Morgan. Another front-runner in the vaccine race, Pfizer, made a similarly terse announcement on Saturday: The company is proposing to expand its clinical trial to include thousands more participants, but it gave few other details about its plan, including how it would determine the effectiveness of the vaccine in its larger study. TOKYO Yoshihide Suga charted an unlikely course to the cusp of Japans premiership. While most leading Japanese lawmakers come from elite political families, Mr. Suga is the son of a strawberry farmer and a schoolteacher from the countrys rural north. He is known more for expressionless recitations of government policy than flashes of charisma. And at 71, hes even older than Shinzo Abe, who suddenly announced in late August that he was resigning as prime minister because of ill health. Yet on Monday, Mr. Suga, the longtime chief cabinet secretary to Mr. Abe, was overwhelmingly elected as leader of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party during a conclave at a luxury Tokyo hotel. The party has governed Japan for all but four years since World War II and controls Parliament, virtually assuring that Mr. Suga will be elected prime minister during a special session this week. He will have to hit the ground running. Mr. Suga will take office in the middle of a pandemic that has devastated Japans economy, effectively erasing years of growth under Mr. Abe. Japan also is facing deepening pressure from China and North Korea. And it is losing a prime minister who built his foreign policy legacy partly on successful management of President Trump, the mercurial leader of Japans most important strategic ally. When Pat Turenne heard the local MCC thrift shops were looking for volunteers, she was eager to get involved. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion When Pat Turenne heard the local MCC thrift shops were looking for volunteers, she was eager to get involved. The retired physiotherapist, who lives in Charleswood, started volunteering at the Sargent MCC Thrift Shop in the West End in December. "Its contact with other people, its doing something useful, and its giving some time back," says Turenne, 68. "Its been very rewarding in that respect." Turenne volunteers at the Winnipeg shop (664 Burnell St.) Saturday afternoons. She sorts, cleans and prices houseware donations. "Its a never-ending pile of stuff," she says. "I often think at the end of my shift, it looks like I never even made a dent, because the stuff keeps coming in. But thats a good thing." The store is part of a network of not-for-profit thrift shops that support the Mennonite Central Committee. In addition to offering customers quality, gently-used items at a low price, the thrift shops contribute to MCCs relief, development and peace work both locally and around the world. The first MCC thrift shop opened in Altona in 1972, with the expectation the project might last three to six months. Almost 50 years later, there are more than 100 shops across North America that have generated contributions totalling more than $180 million. "I get some satisfaction from that, definitely," Turenne says of knowing the money earned at the shop goes to MCC. "I also enjoy the people very much. Most of my contact is with other workers, because Im not generally on the (sales) floor. Theyre all lovely people that volunteer helpful, pleasant, nice people." Like Turenne, Mike Bagamery enjoys volunteering at the shop because it supports MCCs work. The 25-year-old Fort Garry resident, who is finishing a masters degree in natural resource management at the University of Manitoba, first got involved in May. "I was looking to do something non-academic over the summer, (during) the pandemic," Bagamery says. He volunteers at the shop as a cashier once a week. "I like that Im doing something community-oriented and that Im participating in one of the less environmentally taxing forms of commerce," Bagamery says. "I also appreciate MCCs charity work. I think thats a good reason to raise money: to help people who certainly need it." 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 shop closed its doors in March due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, but reopened in mid-May. Since then, business has never been better, says manager Ruth Jantz. The shop, which is open to the public four days a week, relies on about 100 volunteers. It is currently looking for more to help receive and sort donations. Anyone interested can phone 204-783-8185 or email MCCsargent@shaw.ca. "It would be absolutely impossible to run this store without volunteers," Jantz says. "Theyre just absolutely vital." Its worthwhile work, Turenne says. "I get a lot of pleasure out of it," she says. "I get as much out of doing it as they get out of my little half-day of work." If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com. Boris Johnson today accused the European Union of putting a 'revolver' on the table during trade talks as he lashed out at the bloc for allegedly threatening to block food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister said that in recent months the EU had signalled it was willing to go to 'extreme and unreasonable lengths' if it does not get its way in negotiations. He said the bloc wanted to use measures contained within the Brexit divorce deal in a way that goes 'beyond common sense' in order to 'exert leverage against the UK'. He said the 'most glaring example' was the EU suggesting it could ban UK food exports to the bloc which would also 'create an instant and automatic prohibition on the transfer of our animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland'. The Prime Minister said the EU was effectively threatening to 'blockade' the movement of goods 'within our own country' as he claimed Brussels was yet to 'take that particular revolver off the table'. The PM made the comments in the House of Commons this afternoon as he sought to quash a Tory rebellion over his plans to tear up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. But Labour's shadow business secretary, Ed Miliband, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, accused the PM of 'legislative hooliganism' and 'incompetence'. MPs are due to vote on the Government's UK Internal Market Bill for the first time this evening. The legislation would enable ministers to override parts of the divorce deal struck with Brussels last year. Ministers have admitted the proposals would break international law and a growing number of Tory MPs have said they will not be able to support the Bill. Former chancellor Sajid Javid said this afternoon that it was 'not clear to me why it is necessary for the UK to break international law' and as a result he is 'regretfully unable to support' the PM's proposals. Former attorney general Geoffrey Cox, a QC and staunch Brexiteer, echoed a similar sentiment as he branded the idea of breaching international law 'unconscionable'. Meanwhile, Tory MP Rehman Chishti this morning quit as the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief because of his opposition to the Bill as he said he believed 'if we give our word, then we must honour it'. Separately, David Cameron today became the fifth former prime minister to condemn Mr Johnson's plans as he said breaking international law should only ever be an 'absolute final resort' and that he had 'misgivings' about the approach. Boris Johnson today accused the EU of putting a 'revolver' on the table during trade talks in the form of an alleged threat to block GB food exports to Northern Ireland as he defended his plans to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband accused the Prime Minister of 'legislative hooliganism' Theresa May's former legal chief Geoffrey Cox (pictured together in 2019) said it would be 'unconscionable' for the Government to override the Brexit divorce deal Brexit: What happens next? MPs will vote this evening, likely at 10pm, on whether to give the UK Internal Market Bill its second reading - the first hurdle any new law must clear. The Government should win the vote easily but all eyes will be on how many Tory MPs abstain or vote against the legislation. The Bill's Committee stage will then start tomorrow as MPs scrutinise the nuts and bolts of the Bill and propose amendments. The major flashpoint is not expected to come until next Monday when MPs start discussing the provisions which relate to Northern Ireland. An amendment put forward by Tory MP Bob Neill which would give Parliament a veto on any attempt by the PM to override the Withdrawal Agreement is then due to be voted on next Tuesday. Reports suggest up to 30 Tory MPs could rebel on the amendment which would still not be enough for the Government to lose given it has a majority of 80. But such an outcome would be massively damaging to Boris Johnson's authority. Whether or not to punish the rebels by withdrawing the Tory whip would also represent a massive headache for Number 10. Advertisement The legislation will enable the UK to unilaterally make decisions on key issues, like customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, contained within the Withdrawal Agreement. Brussels is adamant that the decisions must be made by a joint committee made up of people from both sides - as set out in the treaty. But the Government argues its new proposals are necessary in order to protect the integrity of the UK should the two sides be unable to agree terms. The Government is almost certain to win tonight's first vote on the legislation as Mr Johnson has an 80-strong majority and backing from the DUP. However, many Tories are alarmed at the potential impact reneging would have on the UK's global reputation, and could support an amendment to introduce a 'parliamentary lock' later in the process. Mr Johnson tried to win over Conservative rebels as he told the Commons the legislation 'should be welcomed by everyone who cares about the sovereignty and integrity of our United Kingdom'. Setting out his reasons for trying to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal, he said: 'I regret to have to tell the House that in recent months the EU has suggested that it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths. 'Using the Northern Ireland protocol in a way that goes well beyond common sense, simply to exert leverage against the UK in our negotiations for a free trade agreement. 'To take the most glaring example, the EU has said that if we fail to reach an agreement to their satisfaction they might very well refuse to list the UK's food and agricultural products for sale anywhere in the EU. 'And it gets even worse because under this protocol that decision would create an instant and automatic prohibition on the transfer of our animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. EU to delay euro clearing decision over Boris Brexit law threat The European Union is set to delay a decision on allowing clearing houses in London to continue clearing euro transactions for EU-based clients due to Britain's plan to breach part of the Brexit divorce settlement. The delay is one of the first warning shots from the EU as MPs vote later on a bill that would breach parts of Britain's Withdrawal Agreement from the bloc. Brussels had said it would grant Britain 'time-limited' access to euro derivatives clearing from January to avoid huge disruption to markets, as a unit of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) clears over 90 per cent euro-denominated swaps that are widely used by companies. The European Commission was due to formally take that decision later this week, but is now expected to delay it until around the end of the month, Reuters reported, the source said, citing an a derivatives industry source. The Commission had no immediate comment. The delay was linked to Britain's perceived unpicking of the Withdrawal Agreement it signed with the bloc, the source added. Britain left the EU in January and transition arrangements that still allow unfettered access to the bloc end on December 31. Without legal certainty of access to the EU, the LSE's clearing unit LCH must give its clients in the bloc three-months' notice to move billions of euros worth of swaps positions out of Britain. Euro clearing has long been a battleground between Britain, to keen to preserve London's clout as a global finance hub, and EU policymakers, who believe the bulk of activity should reside in the euro zone under the eye of the European Central Bank. But moving large swaps positions from LCH to rivals such as Deutsche Boerse's Eurex in Frankfurt in a short time would be costly for banks and unnerve markets. Brussels had therefore opted to allow more time for this to happen, although it had not said how much time. If Britain's bill to override parts of its Brexit divorce settlement becomes law it could sour its attempts to have access to other financial activities in the bloc such as trading shares. Advertisement 'Our interlocutors on the other side are holding out the possibility of blockading food and agricultural transports within our own country.' He added: 'I have to say that absurd and self-defeating as that action would be, even as we debate this matter the EU has not taken that particular revolver off the table. 'I hope that they will do so and that we can reach a Canada-style free trade agreement as well.' Mr Miliband accused Mr Johnson of presiding over 'legislative hooliganism', telling the Commons: 'I don't understand this. He signed the deal, it's his deal, it is the deal that he said would protect the people of Northern Ireland. 'And I have to say to him, this is not just legislative hooliganism on any issue, it is on the most sensitive issues of all.' The shadow business secretary said Mr Johnson had previously lauded the Withdrawal Agreement he secured but now he insists it is 'contradictory and ambiguous'. Mr Miliband added: 'What incompetence. What failure of governance. And how dare he try and blame everyone else. 'Can I say to the Prime Minister, this time he can't blame (Theresa May), he can't blame John Major, he can't blame the judges, he can't blame the civil servants, he can't sack the cabinet secretary again. 'There's only one person responsible for it, and that is him. This is his deal, it's his mess, it's his failure.' Mr Johnson is facing considerable discontent on the Tory benches over his plans to break international law with a series of senior figures having now set out their opposition to the Bill. Mr Javid said this afternoon: 'Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly. Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so.' The former chancellor said he 'cannot support the UK pre-emptively reneging' on the Withdrawal Agreement. 'I will therefore regretfully be unable to support the Bill at its second reading, and urge the Government to amend it in the coming days,' he added. Meanwhile, Mr Cox, who served as attorney general under Mrs May and Mr Johnson until he was sacked in February, last night broke ranks to condemn the legislation. What have the five living former PMs said about Boris Johnson's Brexit plans? Theresa May: 'The United Kingdom Government signed the Withdrawal Agreement with the Northern Ireland protocol. This Parliament voted that Withdrawal Agreement into UK legislation. The Government is now changing the operation of that agreement. Given that, how can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?' David Cameron: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' Gordon Brown: 'This is a huge act of self harm. We knew there was a debate over fishing and over state aid but then to explode the argument into breaking an international treaty has been condemned by so many people.' Tony Blair: 'As the world looks on aghast at the UK, the word of which was once accepted as inviolable, this government's action is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation.' Sir John Major: 'For generations, Britain's word solemnly given has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' Advertisement He said Mr Johnson should not 'observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back', adding that he could not support a bill which risked undermining 'the standing and reputation of Britain in the world'. Mr Cox axed from the Cabinet in February's reshuffle wrote in The Times: 'It is unconscionable that this country, justly famous for its regard for the rule of law around the world, should act in such a way.' He then said this morning that the Government 'knew' what it was signing up to when it agreed and the ratified the Withdrawal Agreement. He told Times Radio: 'What I can say from my perspective is we simply cannot approve or endorse a situation in which we go back on our word, given solemnly not only by the British Government and on behalf of the British Crown, but also by Parliament when we ratified this in February, unless there are extreme circumstances which arrive involving a breach of duty of the good faith by the EU. 'In those circumstances, there are then lawful remedies open to us and it is those we should take rather than violating international law and a solemn treaty.' He continued: 'The breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation and it is also a question of honour to me. 'We signed up, we knew what we were signing, we simply can't seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that and I simply can't support that.' Number 10 has earlier dismissed the criticism from Mr Cox and said the Bill will 'protect seamless trade and jobs in all four corners of the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period'. 'It will guarantee UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers and workers who rely on them,' the PM's spokesman said. 'It will also provide a vital legal safety net, it removes any ambiguity should an agreement not be reached at the Joint Committee on the Northern Ireland Protocol. 'It protects the integrity of the UK internal market, it ensures ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protects the gains from the peace process.' The Government was rocked this morning by Mr Chishti's decision to quit as a special envoy. He said in his resignation letter to Mr Johnson: 'Having read your letter to colleagues, as well as wider statements on the matter, I will not be able to support this Bill on a matter of principle. 'I have real concerns with the UK unilaterally breaking its legal commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement. Tory MP Rehman Chishti today resigned as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief because of his opposition to the UK Internal Market Bill Mr Chishti said he could not support the legislation because it would 'unilaterally break' Britain's legal commitments 'During my 10 years in Parliament and before that as a Barrister, I have always acted in a manner which respects the rule of law. 'I feel very strongly about keeping the commitments we make; if we give our word, then we must honour it. 'Voting for this Bill as it currently stands would be contrary to the values I hold dearest.' He added: 'I am only too sorry that our difference on this matter means that I cannot vote for the Bill in its current form, on a matter of principle, and thereby will not be able to continue to serve as your Special Envoy.' Mr Chishti was appointed the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief in September last year and was tasked with promoting the UK's 'firm stance' on religious freedom and tolerance around the world. The role, based out of the Foreign Office, involved supporting people across the globe who are persecuted for their faith or beliefs. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said Mr Johnson thanked Mr Chishti for his service and 'would wish him well for the future'. He added: 'But I think we have very clearly set out the reasons for the measures relating to the Northern Ireland protocol. The PM believes it is critical it is passed.' Mr Cameron's intervention this morning means that every living former prime minister has now spoken out against Mr Johnson's plans, following criticism from Theresa May, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Mr Cameron told Sky News: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. 'It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland (pictured) yesterday defended the Government's Brexit legislation, saying it was 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state' However, the ex-Tory leader suggested Mr Johnson's plans should be seen in the wider context of the Government's attempts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels. He said: 'So far what's happened is the Government has proposed a law that it might pass, or might not pass, or might use, or might not use depending on whether certain circumstances do, or do not appear. 'And, of course, the bigger picture here is that we are in a vital negotiation with the European Union to get a deal and I think we have to keep that context, that big prize in mind. 'And that's why I have perhaps held back from saying more up to now.' A spokesman for the European Commission today reiterated the EU's position that the Withdrawal Agreement must be stuck to 'no ifs, no buts'. 'We have played a straight bat on this,' the spokesman said. 'We have set this out extremely clearly, and the rest, frankly, is internal debate in the United Kingdom.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland yesterday defended the proposed laws as 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state'. However, he also delivered a thinly-veiled threat to resign if the legislation is abused. Mr Buckland has faced calls to quit, with critics saying the move is incompatible with his own oath as Lord Chancellor to uphold the law. 'If I see the rule of law being broken in a way I find unacceptable then of course I will go,' Mr Buckland said. The second reading vote tonight is the first hurdle for the legislation, which caused a storm last week when Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis admitted it would break international law. The EU has threatened to collapse negotiations on a future trade deal unless the UK backs down by the end of the month. Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter last night, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules The main showdown in the Commons is likely to be over an amendment being put together by Tory former minister Bob Neill. That could attract dozens of Tory rebels next week, although it still looks difficult to overturn the government's massive 80 seat majority. Mr Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier yesterday had a blazing row about the food exports issue on Twitter. Mr Barnier denied threatening to block British food exports if trade talks collapsed. But Lord Frost said the EU negotiator 'explicitly' made the threat and warned it could lead to food from Great Britain being banned from sale in Northern Ireland. EU leaders will talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping seeking trade and investment Monday, despite tensions over Hong Kong's freedoms and Beijing's treatment of its Uighur minority. Chinese officials, EU chiefs Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a video-conference to replace a full summit with all 27 EU leaders cancelled because of coronavirus. China says an investment deal -- already seven years in the making -- can be agreed this year, but EU officials warn obstacles remain and insist they will not swallow unfavourable terms simply to cut a deal. "Even if there is a political objective to accelerate negotiations and conclude them by the end of the year, we will have this only if it is something worth having," an EU official said. Brussels says "significant progress" has been made in talks since a similar video summit in June, and officials hope to agree a roadmap to a deal by the end of the year -- they also want Beijing to improve market access for European companies. "The EU must define its own interests, and must be strong and independent of both China and the United States," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag. Brussels wants to reinforce respect for intellectual property, to end obligations to transfer technology and to reduce subsidies for Chinese public enterprises. China-US tensions No major breakthrough is expected on Monday but the EU side hopes to persuade Xi to give fresh political impetus to the talks -- and to allow his negotiators more room to compromise. The meeting comes as ties between China and the US deteriorate, with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Washington and Beijing have imposed curbs on each other's diplomats, after another tit-for-tat move in July when the two governments ordered the closure of consulates in Houston and Chengdu. Story continues Both sides have sought to enlist the EU in their spat and, during a visit to Brussels by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell mooted talks to forge a common transatlantic front against China. But little progress has been made on this initiative and broadly Brussels has preferred a middle path, treating Beijing as both a potential partner and a "systemic rival". "The EU stands firm on its interests and values but also wants to cooperate with China," a senior EU official said. Hong Kong The EU will press Xi on Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a controversial new security law -- a move denounced by the West as an assault on the city's freedoms. After the June summit, von der Leyen warned China would face "very negative consequences" if it pressed ahead with the law and the EU would limit exports to Hong Kong of equipment that could be used for surveillance and repression. European concerns about Beijing's rights record are growing. During a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Berlin earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called China out over Hong Kong and its treatment of minority Uighurs. But the European Union is far from united on how to deal with China, with some member states urging a tougher stance on rights and the environment, and others wanting to boost trade. But China as its own concerns. China announced Saturday it was banning imports of pork products from Germany after the European country confirmed its first case of African swine fever. Germany is Europe's biggest pork producer and recently saw a surge in demand from China after it suffered an outbreak of the same disease. Meanwhile, Beijing has used its mammoth "Belt and Road" infrastructure scheme to effectively pick off investment-hungry EU member states such as Greece, Portugal and Italy. (AFP) Chinas reserve authority has finally approved fresh stockpiling of cobalt metal, casting some hope for the pandemic-weathered market, especially for cut cathode amid aerospace negativity. In the evening of Wednesday September 9, Chinese cobalt producers successively received invitations from the countrys State Reserve Bureau (SRB) informing them to collect the tender document the next day - Thursday September 10, kicking off the long-expected stockpiling in the aftermath of Covid-19. Based on past experience, the type of cobalt metal the SRB usually targets is cathode, including cut cathode and broken cathode, according to market sources. With the standstill of industrial activities during the peak infection period and relatively slow economic recovery across the globe in the fallout of the virus, uncertainty over demand from the aerospace sector - one of the biggest consumers of cobalt metal - has haunted the market for most of the first half of 2020. Alloy grade cobalt, which comprises cut cathode and rounds, is a critical material to produce super alloys, and the latter is widely used by the aerospace sector. Alloy grade cobalt prices had been mostly under pressure between mid-March and late July before a strong China rally revived some strength in the international market. But gains were capped in late August while the expected recovery of demand in the international market after the summer lull has not occurred at any notable scale. Fastmarkets assessment for cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam fell to a near one-year low at $13.80-14.10 per lb on July 15, from $17.80-18.40 per lb on March 2 when the downturn began. The metal price was most recently at $15.35-15.75 per lb as of Monday September 14. The benchmark standard grade cobalt price, which includes broken cathode and briquettes, has followed a similar path. Fastmarkets assessment for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam was $15.30-15.70 per lb on Friday September 11, rising only 0.8% in about three weeks. The aerospace industry is still finding it challenging to kick off any significant demand uptake amid intermittent regional lockdowns and travel restrictions, and some market participants have downplayed the recovery in cut cathode demand in the near-to-medium term. But the recent news on SRB stockpiling in China has tempered some bearish sentiment, with some market participants saying purchasing activities will change the supply dynamics to an extent. "The gap left by the aerospace market would be partially mitigated by an SRB purchase. In a situation that's generally tight for hydroxide, and with metal production in China dependent on that, SRB stockpiling takes a large volume out of the market where there also isn't that much feed to go into metal production in preference to salts," a trader said. Cobalt hydroxide prices have been underpinned since May due to the lingering logistics disruptions following a 36-day lockdown in South Africa, where mainstream cobalt raw material is exported. Fastmarkets assessment of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China sits at 76-78% against the benchmark standard grade cobalt price as of September 11. The midpoint of the assessment is at a historical high. Immediate impact limited The scale of support the cobalt metal market could receive from the upcoming stockpiling is largely dictated by the amount Chinas reserve authority takes in, according to some market participants. Market sources say the upward support will be modest if the total stockpiled is around 2,000 tonnes an amount that had been widely rumored in the market before the stockpiling activity was confirmed. The stockpiling will help to consolidate the gains cobalt metal prices made in the past one month, a second trader said. But if it is just 2,000 tonnes purchase, it might not be enough to inject more strength to the market. In other words, the cobalt prices are not likely to have a notable rally unless more metal is stockpiled than what people currently expect, he added. Meanwhile, one market source anticipates that a second round of stockpiling would logically come after the expected initial 2,000-tonne purchase on the basis that an order of that size would not be significant enough as a national reserve. Nevertheless, consensus so far is that the news of the stockpiling is not as big as other market events, hence there has been limited immediate impact on pricing. Some people will buy into this and others wont and there is a chance I can push my chemical prices up, but I think the sum impact will be zero. The news isnt as big as Mutanda closing, which was 20% of the supply of the market and immediately impacted price, a chemical producer said. In 2019, cobalt prices jumped immediately following the news that Glencore would close its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The standard grade cobalt price then rose to $17.70-18.15 per lb in early October 2019, up from $12.25-13.95 per lb on the day the Swiss trader-producer announced the news. A metal producer source said SRB stockpiling is the only hope to the market in the aftermath of Covid-19 and was longed for over the past few months, but as a result any optimism derived from it has already been priced into the market. Speculators also adopted a watchful stance in the local futures platform on September 10-11 after the market experienced some short-lived excitement on the evening of September 9. The most-traded October cobalt contract price on Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange closes at 280,500 yuan per tonne in the night trading session on September 11, compared with 289,000 yuan per tonne at close in the night trading session on September 9. The price had hovered around 273,000 yuan per tonne during the day on September 9 before the SRB revealed its intentions to stockpile cobalt. Setting a floor Although some market participants expect limited notable upward momentum in prices due to the SRB stockpiling, sources see the exercise as enough to set up a floor on cobalt prices in the near term. At the very least the SRB purchase cements the floor under the market at $15 per lb and had Covid-19 not happened the market should have been trading between $15-17 per lb, a third trader said. This might only take the excess units out the market, but producers will go out to buy feedstocks and that will probably put us back in to the range to go $15.50-17 per lb, the third trader added. If the Chinese metal producers add to the ordinary demand for hydroxide, this will squeeze a tight market and also squeeze sulfate and oxide. This all combines to support the metal price." Once the base is set up in the metal prices with stockpiling, it may trigger more restocking activities over the cobalt supply chain, Fastmarkets head of battery materials of base metal research William Adams said. Demand for metal has been hit by the fallout from Covid-19 that has hit industrial demand, so stockpiling will help there, Adams added. The price impact from the actually buying may not be that great [if it is just a 2,000-tonne stockpile], but if the SRB buying supports the view that a base is in place then it may encourage others to restock, he explained. Such restocking of materials will include not only metals but also other cobalt chemicals that find their ultimate applications in the battery sector, according to Vicky Zhao, Fastmarkets battery materials research analyst. Other variables to consider Market participants are also keen to understand the period in which the metal will be purchased. If there is a two-month window then the effect of the purchase will be seen more clearly in the market, several sources have said. Whereas if the buying period is as long as six months then this will dampen the effect of the stockpiling on price action. In addition, the ceiling price that the SRB will set for the tender will determine how many participants are willing to sell. Market participants will also undoubtedly look at the effect of previous cobalt stockpiling on price movement for clues on what this round could bring. When the SRB conducted stockpiling in late 2015 and early 2016, cobalt metal prices barely responded with any significant rally at the time. Yet the metal market embraced a strong rally between late 2016 and early 2018 due to speculative buying amid bullishness on potential cobalt consumption for electric vehicles (EVs), with the earlier 5,000-tonne SRB purchase undoubtedly contributing to the tightness in the market later on. All in all, market participants are taking a watchful stance of the upcoming stockpiling activity on any immediate impact and whether there could be a delayed reaction coupled with other drivers that are yet visible on the horizon. Charlotte Radford in London contributed to this report. By Emilio Parodi MILAN, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A group of scientists sent a formal letter to the Lancet on Monday outlining doubts about the accuracy of early data on Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, one of the authors said, adding further fuel to a dispute surrounding the "Sputnik-V" shot. Fifteen scientists from five countries signed the letter presenting their concerns to the international medical journal, Enrico Bucci, biologist adjunct professor at Philadelphia's Temple University, told Reuters. Reuters did not see the contents of the letter. The move nonetheless highlights growing concern among scientists about the safety and efficacy of the Sputnik-V vaccine, which the government approved for use before completing full human trials. The official letter came days after a larger group of scientists - including the 15 - signed an open letter to the Lancet's editor, published on Bucci's personal blog, after the journal published the early-stage trial results from Moscow's Gamaleya Institute. They said they found patterns in the Phase I/II data, which was peer-reviewed in the journal, that looked "highly unlikely", with multiple participants reporting identical antibody levels. The Gamaleya Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the formal letter sent on Monday. Last week the institute rejected the critique contained in the open letter, which was initially signed by 26 scientists but now has 38 signatories. "The published results are authentic and accurate and were examined by five reviewers at The Lancet," Denis Logunov, a deputy director at the institute, said in a statement. He said his institute submitted the entire body of raw data on the trial results to The Lancet. The Lancet said it had invited the authors of the Russian vaccine study to respond to the questions raised in the open letter by Bucci. "We continue to follow the situation closely," it added. Story continues Alexey Kuznetsov, Russian assistant health minister, told the Interfax news agency on Sept. 10 that the Gamaleya Institute had already sent detailed answers to the Lancet's editor. 'RESULTS ARE PLAUSIBLE' Bucci said the blog published last week had drawn wide international support. "We started with about a dozen of us and now we have reached three times the signatures, with colleagues from the United States, Switzerland, Australia, India, Russia, Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Canada," Bucci said. He said the formal letter to the Lancet was signed only by 15 scientists with expertise in virology, immunology, pharmaceutical development, research integrity and statistical analysis. Most were Italian, but they also included scientists from Sweden, Britain, the United States and Japan, he added. "The journal's editor wrote asking us to send him our points of objections and inviting the authors of Russian vaccine's study to respond to our points," said Bucci. Naor Bar-Zeev, deputy director at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who peer-reviewed the Russian data, last week defended his analysis of the research following the publication of the blog. "The results are plausible, and not very different to those seen with other AdV vectored products," he said. The researchers had provided more detail than was needed for the review and responded to his questions "intelligently and in a matter-of-fact and confident but understated manner". The results of the Russian Phase I/II trials, which involved 76 participants and was conducted in June-July, were published in the Lancet on Sept. 4. They showed that participants developed a positive immune response and no serious side effects, the study's authors said. A Phase III trial, involving 40,000 participants, was launched on Aug. 26. Around 31,000 people have already subscribed to take part, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said. (Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Editing by Josephine Mason and Pravin Char) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:56:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with six of them identified under a mass testing program. The new cases included two imported and 12 local ones, bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 4,971, Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) said at a press briefing on Monday afternoon. Among the local cases, the infection sources of three remained unknown and six asymptomatic patients were found under the Universal Community Testing Program launched by the government, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch, said, adding that there were also several preliminary positive cases. According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, 194 patients are still hospitalized, including 21 in critical condition. Enditem Integrated BioTherapeutics Inc. (IBT), a Maryland company specializing in emerging infectious diseases, announced today Dr. Gary Nabors has joined the firm as Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer. IBT is a biotechnology company focused on the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Nabors to the IBT team. His extensive experience in advanced development of infectious diseases products will bring great value to IBTs efforts to transition its lead product candidates into the clinic, said Dr. M. Javad Aman, President of IBT. Dr. Nabors role as head of product development will enable IBT to effectively translate its discovery pipeline into practical solutions for infectious diseases. Prior to joining IBT, Dr. Nabors served in leading roles at several companies including Sanofi Pasteur, Antex Biologics, Emergent BioSolutions, and DynPort Vaccine Company (DVC). He provided strategic leadership as President of DVC from 2014 through 2020. Prior to that, Dr. Nabors oversaw the characterization of biological threat agents as the Deputy Director of the National Biological Threat Characterization Center from 2012-2014. Dr. Nabors also held positions of increasing responsibility in R&D at Emergent BioSolutions from 2003-2012, where he managed a portfolio of products as Senior Vice President of Vaccines and Therapeutics. Ive had the privilege of getting to know the IBT team through past collaborations and I am excited to join the management team to help advance their breakthrough products into clinical development, said Dr. Nabors. I look forward to supporting IBTs mission to bring novel drugs and therapeutics to market to address the public health threat from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. About Integrated BioTherapeutics: IBT is developing vaccines and immunotherapies for several bacterial and viral infections. IBTs lead vaccine product is a first-in-class multi-component toxoid vaccine (IBT-V02) against Staphylococcus aureus. Supported by CARB-X and Novo Holdings Repair Impact Fund, IBT-V02 is currently undergoing cGMP manufacturing and IND-enabling studies with initiation of clinical trials anticipated in late 2021. IBTs immunotherapeutic pipeline includes a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies for treatment of hemorrhagic fever caused by ebolaviruses (IBT-T02) and a potent, first-in-class, monoclonal antibody against marburgviruses. Furthermore, IBT is developing a number of product candidates for S. aureus, anthrax, and C. difficile based on its proprietary Infection Site Targeted Anti-toxin Antibody (ISTAb) technology. Learn more about IBTs pipeline at https://www.integratedbiotherapeutics.com. IBT Bioservices, the contract research division of IBT, offers in-vitro assays and animal infection models to enable lead-to-candidate selection and eventual progress to IND and clinical development. To learn more visit http://www.IBTBioServices.com or email us at Services@IBTBioservices.com. People between 15 and 45 years old make up 10.2 percent of coronavirus deaths, and people less than 15 years old 0.4 percent Since Egypt reported its first coronavirus fatality in March, a 60-year-old German tourist who died in Red Seas Hurghada, 56.4 percent of the deaths nationwide were of men, Egypts official statistical agency said in a report on Monday, citing a study it had conducted until 18 August. The number of males that died in Egypt since the pandemic has started reached 2,911 people compared to 2,254 female deaths, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said. The report, based on information provided by the health ministry, revealed that people aged 66 and above represented 48.9 percent of the total number of coronavirus deaths, followed by the 46-65 age group, which represented 41 percent of deaths. People between 15 and 45 years old constituted only 10.2 percent of deaths, with people less than 15 years old making up the rest, 0.4 percent, according to the study. Until 18 August Egypt has reported 97,753 coronavirus cases. The figure includes 172 foreigners, 19 of whom died, said the study, with Cairo having 51 of the confirmed cases, the highest number of confirmed cases among foreigners in Egyptian governorates. Cairo is followed by the Red Sea in eastern Egypt, and Aswan in Upper Egypt, reporting 32 and 30 cases, respectively. Cases of infected foreigners were also reported in North Sinai, in northeastern Egypt, and in the Delta governorates of Gharbiya and Menoufiya, in northern Egypt, as well as in Upper Egypts Sohag and Minya. Deaths The average daily number of people who died due to the novel virus in Egypt continued to rise from 2.4 in March to 11.4 in April and then 18 in May, reaching the highest level in June, recording an average 66.4 daily deaths. The number of coronavirus deaths in June reached 1,443. In July, the average number of daily deaths started to decline to 60 and significantly declined in August to 21, given the studys timeframe that ended on 18 August. Upper Egypt's Assiut recorded the highest deaths compared to confirmed infected cases, making up 12.1 percent among Egypts 27 governorates, followed by Damietta in the north with 9.9 percent and Fayoum in Middle Egypt with 9.9 percent. The least death rate compared to confirmed infected cases was in the Deltas Qalioubiya governorate with 1.7 percent, followed by the Red Sea governorate, a popular tourist attraction, with 2.2 percent. Infection rate In the first weeks of the pandemic in Egypt, the growth rate of infection among Egyptians reached its highest, due to the absence of preventive measures, while the period between 13 and 18 August saw the lowest growth rate of infection. Of the total 97,753 coronavirus cases reported until 18 August, 648 cases were reported by the end of March, 4,800 cases in April, 19,430 cases in May and 43,296 cases in June. In July, the number of cases dramatically dropped to 25,746 and continued to plummet in August. The number of cases dropped on 18 August to 163 cases, down from 1,773 cases on 19 June, the countrys highest daily number of confirmed cases. The total number of recoveries represented 63.6 percent, CAPMAS said, adding that the infection rate, given the total number of cases is 976 per million people. Egypt's population now stands at over 100 million. In June, the infection rate was 434 people per million, up from 195 people per million in May, 48 per million in April and 6.5 per million in March. Egypts global position Concerning the number of coronavirus cases, Egypt ranks 26th worldwide, given the timeframe of the report, compared to 5.6 million cases in the US until 18 August. Egypt also ranks 26th worldwide in terms of deaths, compared to around 174,000 deaths in the US, which ranks first. Comparing the number of cases to population, Egypt ranks 199th worldwide with a 0.09 percentage, compared to 4.1 percent in Qatar. In Africa, Egypt has about 8.7 percent of confirmed infected cases in the continent, the study said, making Egypt at the second place after South Africa with a wide gap of about 495,247 cases in total. Egypt ranks second in African deaths, following South Africa, which recorded 12,264 deaths. In the Arab world, Egypt ranks fourth in the number of infected cases, following Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and finally Qatar, which recorded the least count among the four countries. Egypt follows Iraq in the number of coronavirus deaths. Since the pandemic hit the country in mid-February and until 13 September, Egypt has recorded a total of 101,009 infections, including 5,648 deaths and 84,161 recoveries. Egypt witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases in the past weeks, reversing a low of 89 on 22 August the lowest daily infection toll since early April. The government has repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn and the beginning of the new academic year. Search Keywords: Short link: TAIPEI, Taiwan - Biographies and service records of aircraft carrier captains and up-and-coming officers in the U.S. Navy. Real-time tweets originating from overseas U.S. military installations. Profiles and family maps of foreign leaders, including their relatives and children. Records of social media chatter among China watchers in Washington. Those digital crumbs, along with millions of other scraps of social media and online data, have been systematically collected since 2017 by a small Chinese company called Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Technology for the stated purpose of providing intelligence to Chinese military, government and commercial clients, according to a copy of the database that was left unsecured on the Internet and retrieved by an Australian cybersecurity consultancy. The cache, called the Overseas Key Information Database, or OKIDB, purports to offer insights into foreign political, military and business figures, details about countries' infrastructure and military deployments, and public opinion analysis. The database contains information on more than 2 million people, including at least 50,000 Americans and tens of thousands of people who hold prominent public positions, according to Zhenhua's marketing documents and a review of a portion of the database. Although there is no evidence showing that the OKIDB software is currently being used by the Chinese government, Zhenhua's marketing and recruiting documents characterize the company as a patriotic firm, with the military as its primary target customer. U.S. experts who have reviewed the database offer conflicting assessments of its value. Swaths of the database appear to be raw information copied wholesale from U.S. providers such as Factiva, LexisNexis and LinkedIn and contain little human analysis or finished intelligence products. Much of the social media trove appears to be scraped from public accounts accessible to anyone. "There might be gold in there, but this is not something that's useful enough for military or intelligence targeting," said one cybersecurity contractor for the U.S. government who has reviewed the data and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid being publicly associated with a sensitive cache. Zhenhua's claims, the contractor said, are "totally aspirational." But the database, combined with Zhenhua's digital trail - marketing materials, patents and employees' resumes - provides a small window into the firm's ambitions, if not actual capabilities, to glean insights by aggregating and analyzing publicly available, or open-source, data. The potential power of big data has been a long-standing concern for privacy advocates and governments alike, and its use is not exclusive to China. Large-scale open-source collection is undertaken by U.S. government agencies and American companies - the source of much of Zhenhua's data. Robert Potter, founder of the Australian-based internet 2.0 cybersecurity company, and Christopher Balding, an independent researcher, provided an incomplete copy of the underlying database that feeds into the OKIDB software to several news organizations, including The Washington Post. Potter and Balding said they downloaded and reconstructed about 10% of the full database, which is estimated to be about 1 terabyte of text. (Potter worked for The Post as a cybersecurity consultant in 2019.) "Open liberal democracies must consider how best to deal with the very real threats presented by Chinese monitoring of foreign individuals and institutions outside established legal limits," said Balding. Zhenhua declined requests for comment. An employee at the company said speaking to reporters would reveal trade secrets. China's Ministry of Defense did not respond to faxed questions seeking comment. Researchers and current and former U.S. officials say OKIDB appears consistent with a years-long push by the Chinese government to expand the country's ability to harvest vast amounts of data for strategic purposes, even if that data is not immediately revelatory. In 2018, Pentagon officials were alarmed when a fitness-tracking app revealed the locations of overseas U.S. bases. "We know the Chinese Communist Party seeks to promote bulk data collection now, with the intent that the ability to process and use it will follow in the future," said Samantha Hoffman, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Cyber Center. "This data set proves that they're targeting individuals and that social media is an important tool." Little is known about Zhenhua, which operates out of a technology incubator in Shenzhen and an office park in northwest Beijing. Corporate records show the company was founded in 2017 and is majority-owned by a former IBM engineer named Wang Xuefeng, who could not be reached for comment. The records do not offer any indication that Zhenhua is controlled by the government, but the company positions itself among a constellation of data and security firms in the government's close orbit. One of the corporate partners listed on Zhenhua's website, a big-data firm called TRS, prominently advertises clients such as the Chinese military and the Ministry of Public Security, for which it claims to offer big-data analysis tools that can connect "biographies, vehicles and telecommunications" - and visualize them - with "one click." Another partner is Huarong. The big data and security hardware firm's website includes references to Palantir, the Silicon Valley-based U.S. military contractor, but advertises itself as a party-linked, "Red-blooded" company spun off from an unnamed People's Liberation Army enterprise. Huarong co-hosted a "military-civil fusion" trade conference last year in Beijing, where companies seeking business opportunities mingle with military officials. Another of Zhenhua's partners is Global Tone Communication Technology, the subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise owned by the central propaganda department that claims to analyze 10 terabytes of social media and web content a day for government and business clients. In a 2017 speech, an executive of the company said 90% of military-grade intelligence could be derived from open sources, according to a photo retrieved by Hoffman. Anna Puglisi, a former U.S. national counterintelligence officer for East Asia who is now at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said vast, meticulous open-source collection was a hallmark of Chinese information gathering. U.S. counterintelligence vis-a-vis China is "traditionally focused on what's illegal, what's directly tied to what military or intelligence officer, the spy-on-spy stuff like what we had with the Soviet Union," Puglisi said. But in reality, massive open-source collection "fits into the much more holistic way that China goes about acquiring information," she added. "Things like LinkedIn, social media - this seems like an evolution of that methodology." In 2015, China's government issued its first high-level strategy paper on big data and made it a pillar of an industrial development plan called Made in China 2025. Also in 2015, an essay in the Communist Party's International Liaison Department's influential world affairs journal suggested that China could conduct automated Web scraping or legally purchase proprietary databases as its governmental and commercial dealings expand. In 2017, China passed an inaugural national intelligence law that required Chinese organizations and citizens to assist with state intelligence work in accordance with the law. A U.S. official said it was "not a surprise" that a Chinese company was scraping information for strategic gain. Law enforcement and intelligence officials have been warning various agencies for years about digital hygiene, and Congress has also been reviewing social media best practices to minimize espionage risk from China in particular, the official said. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the present-day ubiquity of individual data is such a significant concern that it is now difficult, for example, to recruit and protect intelligence officers. But open-source data is universally used for spying, he added. "If there's a silver lining here, it's we can do to China what they do to us," Himes said. Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said the company has banned Zhenhua from its platform and sent it a cease-and-desist letter. "Scraping public data, as this company appears to have done to a number of services including Facebook, is against our policies," Bourgeois said. A Twitter spokesman said the company had no data-sharing agreements with Zhenhua. A LinkedIn spokeswoman said the company does not permit the use of "software that scrapes or copies information" under its user agreement and that the company is constantly working to improve its defenses to prevent such collection. Although The Post did not have access to the OKIDB software interface, and much of the OKIDB's underlying data retrieved by Potter and Balding were in raw form, a review of data entries offers clues about the company's interests. Navy vessels such as the USS Dwight Eisenhower and Nimitz carriers are tagged with ID numbers, against which relevant social media posts and websites are catalogued. The database assigned hashes and collated information on officers including former chief of naval operations John M. Richardson. There were cursory markups in Chinese about Navy officers' service history or whether they completed training for prospective commanding officers. Entries on former acting secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, for example, named his wife and four children, and educational and private sector background. The entry included a field for a psychological profile, which was filled with a generic placeholder. Images of the OKIDB software taken by Potter, who accessed it through an open server, show a user interface that displays tweets posted from U.S. military installations laid over a map with time stamps. One Facebook post sucked into OKIDB was from the USS George Washington urging sailors' families to refrain from posting publicly about where the aircraft carrier was going. On LinkedIn, one of Zhenhua's engineers, Zhou Peng, describes building a "demonstration system for military deployment simulation." Aside from military figures, the database seemed to scoop up tweets from influential China watchers in Washington. Tweets from Scott Kennedy, a China trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, frequently surface in the database, as do missives from Bill Bishop, publisher of the Sinocism newsletter, and Lyle Morris, who studies the PLA at the Rand Corp. Part of the company's ambitions appear to be offensive. Public corporate records show the company filed patents between late 2018 and April related to scraping news and information, managing data and processing video, but also social media manipulation. The company in September 2019 patented a tool that "simulates social media interaction." "Social media can manipulate reality and weaken a country's administrative, social, military or economic forces, and may also lead to internal conflicts, social polarization and radicalism in a country," Zhenhua said on its recently deactivated page, china-revival.com. Zhenhua maintains a company blog on WeChat with a possibly tongue-in-cheek name - "Bureau 99" - that is reminiscent of the numbered divisions within the Chinese military. On the blog, an unnamed author posts takes on intelligence, U.S.-China relations and how social media influences U.S. presidential campaigns. In one post in August, the author said Chinese open-source intelligence was historically "minimally effective" and relegated to institutions such as the Academy of Military Sciences. That changed with the passage of China's national intelligence law in 2017, the author wrote: The law "promoted the healthy development of the intelligence industry." The company also posts recruitment ads, seemingly aimed at veterans. "Bureau 99: we specialize in researching and deploying open-source intelligence to serve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people," reads a Sept. 10 ad for positions in Beijing. "We only need your passion and expertise!" 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. 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. 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) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Results presented at the 33rd ECNP Congress from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial demonstrated BI 425809 has met its primary endpoint 1,2 Trial results, together with an ongoing combination Phase II study of BI 425809 and adjunctive computerized cognitive training, add to the body of evidence for Boehringer Ingelheims schizophrenia research program 3 Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) has a significant negative impact on daily functioning and remains a focus for Boehringer Ingelheims research across several neuropsychiatric disorders Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the results from a 12-week, placebo-controlled Phase II trial, that demonstrated BI 425809 has met its primary endpoint. The data showed improvement in cognition in stable adult patients with schizophrenia.1 Central to many everyday tasks, impairment of cognitive function still constitutes a major burden for patients, and no pharmacological treatments are currently approved for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). These results presented at the 33rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress will advance the understanding of how deficits in transmission of signals between nerve cells may contribute to diminishing cognition in people living with schizophrenia.2 The Gly-T1 inhibitor, BI 425809, forms a key component of Boehringer Ingelheims Central Nervous System (CNS) research program. The latest trial results, along with an ongoing combination Phase II study of BI 425809 and adjunctive computerized cognitive training, will help determine the direction for BI 425809 in further schizophrenia research.3,4 Prof. W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria: The outcome of this trial is an important step forward in our understanding of cognition in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairment causes significant challenges for people in their everyday functioning. Patients with schizophrenia struggle with remembering things like birthdays, learning new tasks, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life. Advancing our understanding of how we might improve these symptoms in schizophrenia is significant for the research community and the patients and families living with this condition. The Phase II results of BI 425809 in cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia are being further evaluated to assess how they will support the continued research and development for the treatment of schizophrenia. The trial results for our investigational compound BI 425809 in schizophrenia are encouraging. This is a positive advancement in our mechanistic knowledge of how excitatory neurotransmissions affect aspects of mental illness, aligning with our systematic neurobiological approach to CNS research, adds Dr Vikas Mohan Sharma, M.D., head of medicine CNS, Retinopathies & Emerging Areas, Boehringer Ingelheim. We recognize this is important news for people affected by schizophrenia. We are making progress in developing treatments which will not only reveal important advances in our understanding of schizophrenia but also potentially other neuropsychiatric diseases. Cognition is a fundamental aspect of everyday life, including problem solving, memory and attention. When affected, people living with poor cognition can have a reduced mental ability to process information, remember straightforward things or perceive other peoples emotions and expressions. These functions are common to many forms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimers disease and depression. Finding solutions for cognitive impairment is a key area of Boehringer Ingelheim CNS research. ~ENDS~ For references and notes to editiors, please visit: http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/phase-ii-results-cognitive-impairment-schizophrenia View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005477/en/ PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a period defined by an impeachment inquiry, a pandemic, nationwide protests over racial injustice, and a contentious presidential campaign, Americans' knowledge of their First Amendment rights and their ability to name all three branches of the federal government have markedly increased, according to the 2020 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey. Among the highlights of the annual survey, released before Constitution Day (Sept. 17): Americans are much more aware of all five rights protected by the First Amendment when asked unprompted to name them; Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) correctly named freedom of speech as one of the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment, up from 48% in 2017; More than half of those surveyed (51%) accurately named all three branches of the federal government, up from 39% last year, the prior high point in this survey. The civics knowledge survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania was conducted among 1,009 U.S. adults from August 4-9, 2020, prior to the political conventions. It has a margin of error of 3.6%. "Divided government, the impeachment process, and the number of times political leaders have turned to the courts probably deserve credit for increasing awareness of the three branches, while controversies over the right to peaceably assemble, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech may have done the same for the First Amendment," said Annenberg Public Policy Center Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson. Improved knowledge of First Amendment rights Americans' ability to name the five rights protected by the First Amendment has jumped since 2017, when we last asked this question. Their ability to specify some of them more than tripled. Asked to name any of the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution: 73% of Americans named freedom of speech, up from 48% in 2017; 47% named freedom of religion, up from 15% in 2017; 42% named freedom of the press, up from 14% in 2017; 34% named right of assembly, up from 10%; 14% named right to petition the government, up from 3%; Those who could not name any First Amendment right fell to 19% from 37% in 2017 (total of "can't name any" and "don't know"). This upturn in unprompted recall of First Amendment rights is consistent with increases seen in 2018 and 2019 surveys by the Freedom Forum. Over half can name the three branches This year, an unusually high 51% of the U.S. adults surveyed could name the three branches of government the executive branch (White House), the legislative branch (Congress) and the judicial branch (Supreme Court). That compares with 39% in the 2019 survey, which was the high point in 10 prior surveys, since 2006, in which APPC asked this question. In addition: 17% of respondents could name two branches of government, in line with our data since 2006, ranging from 12% to 18%; 8% could name one branch of government, a large drop from 25% in 2019; 23% could not name any branches, essentially unchanged from last year's 22%. How Supreme Court justices rule The survey also asked Americans about the fairness and impartiality of the Supreme Court. Asked which is closer to their view of what guides Supreme Court justices in issuing rulings: 56% of respondents agreed that Supreme Court justices set aside their personal and political views and make rulings based on the Constitution, the law, and the facts of the case a significant increase from 49% in 2019; By contrast, 37% said that Supreme Court justices nominated by Democratic presidents are more likely to make liberal rulings and that Supreme Court justices nominated by Republicans are more likely to make conservative rulings, regardless of the Constitution, the law, and the facts of the case down slightly though not significantly from 41% in 2019. "The actions of the court in the past year appear to have effectively signaled that the justices who cast the decisive votes were guided by the Constitution, laws, and facts of the case more so than by which political party would applaud the outcome," Jamieson noted. "The public probably got that signal from the widely covered rulings that upheld the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the one written by Justice Gorsuch and supported by Chief Justice Roberts that held that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from being discriminated against by employers because of sex." The balance of power The survey asked if the president and the Supreme Court differed on whether an action by the president is constitutional, who would have the final responsibility for deciding whether it is constitutional: Just half the respondents (51%) correctly said the Supreme Court, lower than the 61% in 2019. A growing minority (29%) said it was up to Congress to decide whether the president's acts are constitutional, up from 21% in 2019, which may reflect overgeneralization about congressional authority in a period in which impeachment over alleged unconstitutional action clouded the meaning of the question. When asked what it means when the Supreme Court rules 5-4 on a case: Just over half of respondents (54%) correctly knew that the decision is the law and needs to be followed, down significantly from 59% in 2019; 17% of respondents thought the decision is sent back to Congress for reconsideration, up significantly from 12% in 2019; 13% thought the decision is sent back to the federal court of appeals to be decided, up from 10%. Finally, the survey also asked how much of a majority is required for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to override a presidential veto. Only 47% correctly said it takes a two-thirds majority to override a veto the lowest percentage since 2007. There have been no efforts to override a veto in the past year. Constitution Day and civics The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey was conducted for APPC by SSRS, an independent research company. For the question wording and other data, see the Appendix. The Annenberg Civics Knowledge Survey is released by APPC for Constitution Day, which celebrates the signing of the Constitution in 1787. APPC's activities to enhance civics education include Annenberg Classroom, which offers free classroom resources for teaching the Constitution, and the Civics Renewal Network (CRN), a coalition of over 30 nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations seeking to raise the visibility of civics education by providing free, high-quality resources for teachers. CRN offers a Constitution Day Teacher Toolkit for classrooms. Annenberg Classroom recently released the video "Freedom of Assembly: National Socialist Party v. Skokie" about the First Amendment right of the people "peaceably to assemble," through the lens of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case over the right of neo-Nazis to march in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Ill. The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policy makers about communication's role in advancing public understanding of political, health, and science issues at the local, state and federal levels. SOURCE The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania Related Links http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org Born in 1938, Lloyd played in an amateur show at nine, where his illusions of grandeur were swiftly nipped in the bud by the great pianist Phineas Newborn. But he worked hard, played in blues bands, and wound up in the big time in New York. His buzzing 1960s Greenwich Village neighbourhood contained Bob Dylan, Ornette Coleman, choreographer Merce Cunningham and art rocker John Cale. Decades later, the sonorous contralto of Greece's Maria Farantouri stirred Lloyd in similar way, despite the two singers sharing little beyond delivering what he calls "heart-shocker" moments. When Lloyd visited Farantouri in her seaside home south of Athens, she would sing ancient Greek laments and Byzantine hymns late into the evening, and Lloyd, deeply affected, imagined them collaborating. It was another 10 years before this mix of Greek music and jazz about as improbable as retsina and bourbon happened. As a child growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Charles Lloyd would put a radio under his pillow so Billie Holiday could sing him to sleep. Always a dreamer, he determined that he would find this beautiful woman and take her away from all the misery and heartache that filled her songs. As an acclaimed saxophonist he did eventually make it to New York two years too late to save her. In 1966 he formed a group using the precocious talents of pianist Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette that, unexpectedly embraced by rock audiences, sold a million albums, and was the first band to commercially tour the USSR. Soviet officials reprimanded ecstatic audiences for acting like children, and the saxophone was banned for a period as the perceived cause of this aberrant behaviour. By 1969 the quartet was sharing bills with the likes of Led Zeppelin, but the idealist in Lloyd was confronted by an industry that wanted a star more than an artist. The burn-out from this conflict drove him to heroin, and when he overheard his manager saying his dream was to see Charles on a postage stamp, a friend reminded him that in the US only the dead appear on stamps. Charles fled the scene for the woods by the sea in California's Big Sur, where, for a decade, he meditated and played alone outdoors. In 1981 the astonishingly gifted pianist Michel Petrucciani arrived on his doorstep, which Lloyd took as a signal to leave his retreat, and help expose this marvel to the world. The new century brought him his finest band, with drummer Eric Harland, bassist Reuben Rogers and pianist Jason Moran. In 2010 they joined him in connecting the dots between jazz and the music of Greece. Farantouri, a renowned protester against Greece's hated 1967-74 military dictatorship, who later became almost a deity to her compatriots, had a Charles Lloyd poster on her wall while an exile in London in the 1960s. She has astutely described his playing as having "the power of the mystic and the innocence of a child". Their collaboration was never about Farantouri singing jazz or Lloyd trying to be a Greek musician, but about expanding the art of both. The resultant Athens Concert keeps both forms intact, while also intertwining them, like two lovers whose individual identities are not erased by a romance. Farantouri says the outpouring of the Greek soul is about "departure, nostalgia, love and exile", and on Requiem her contralto sounds simultaneously like a wife singing at her husband's funeral and a mother at her son's birthday. By PTI MUMBAI: A civic-run hospital here handed over the body of a 28-year-old man to the wrong family following which relatives of the deceased created ruckus at the medical facility. The deceased's family members also alleged that his kidney was removed during postmortem. The mix-up happened at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital on Sunday, following which two staffers of its mortuary were suspended and a probe was launched into the matter, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Monday. "Strict action will be taken against those found guilty," the BMC said, while dismissing the allegation that the man's kidney was removed doing postmortem. On Sunday, the medical facility, commonly known as the Sion Hospital, erroneously handed over the body of Ankush Sarvade (28), who succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident while undergoing treatment, to the family of another person, Hemant Digambar, who committed suicide. When the mix-up came to light, Sarvade's family members staged a protest in the hospital. According to the BMC, Sarvade was admitted to the Sion Hospital on August 28 and was on life support since an operation was performed on him. He died on Sunday morning. Digambar was "brought dead" to the hospital on August 12, it said. The Sion Hospital conducted postmortem of both on Sunday and the bodies were kept in the medical facility's mortuary, the BMC said in a release. Sarvade's family members had informed that they will collect the body around 4 pm. In the meantime, Digambar's family members identified Sarvade's body as his and collected it with "police signature" following all due procedures, the civic body said. The error came to light when Sarvade's relatives came to collect his body. By that time, Digamber's family had performed the last rites of Sarvade, it said. Later, Sarvade's angry family members created ruckus in the hospital, but police intervened and brought the situation under control, the civic body said. If we dont get that, then we at the state level are going to be really in a life-or-death, sink-or-swim condition, said Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot (D). The first stimulus really worked. The second one needs to go forward. The idea that youre going to shortchange state budgets because theyre of a different political party obviously is unacceptable. So far, the free trade port has landed a total of 94 major projects including 20 foreign-funded ones, covering sectors such as tourism, modern service and high-tech industries. "The launch of these projects will bring new growth not only to the free trade port but also to global investors," said Han Shengjian, director of the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau. On Sept. 3, the last day of a three-day promotional event in a duty-free shop in Hainan's resort city of Sanya, Chu Yadong scurried back and forth in the shop, picking out skincare products and makeup for his relatives. From July 1, Hainan has increased its annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan (about 4,389 U.S. dollars) to 100,000 yuan per person. According to official data, sales from four offshore duty-free shops in Hainan topped 5 billion yuan from July 1 to Aug. 18, an increase of 250 percent year on year, with an average daily turnover of over 100 million yuan. The Boao Lecheng pilot zone of international medical tourism, a platform to explore the country's development of international medical tourism-related businesses and services, launched a special type of drug insurance on Aug. 2. It covers 70 anti-cancer drugs from around the globe for 35 common cancers, including 49 that have yet to be approved for sale in the Chinese mainland market. The annual premium for Hainan residents is only 29 yuan per person, while the insurance covers up to 1 million yuan in drug costs. Yan Lukai, an official with the pilot zone administration, said as an innovation of the free trade port construction, the insurance enables Hainan residents to share the policy dividends. "Hainan is building a people-centered free trade port, which will not only make Hainan people gain a strong sense of happiness, but also share the development opportunities with people across the country as well as enterprises and skilled workers from all over the world," said Liu Cigui, Party secretary of Hainan. Image Attachments Links: Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=371454 SOURCE Hainan International Economic Development Bureau A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Recently, I found myself in a Harley Street clinic naked from the waist down with my feet in stirrups as a doctor busied himself with my most intimate parts. Why? I was trying out a treatment said to wind back the clock on a mans love life. After several health crises that I miraculously survived, my love life had taken a major hit scouring the internet for help, I happened on Vigore, and its pretty impressive claims. Developed in Israel, where it has been available for eight years, the treatment is said not only to assist men with erectile dysfunction (ED), but also help those who are just not as good as they were in their 20s and 30s. It is also suitable for cases like mine that have their roots in medical factors. Developed in Israel, where it has been available for eight years, Vigore is said not only to assist men with erectile dysfunction (ED), but also help those who are just not as good as they were in their 20s and 30s The treatment normally involves four blasts of sound waves lasting about five minutes each, with an interval of one week between each session. The idea is that the sound waves kick-start the growth of new blood vessels, which boosts blood supply and so improves reduced erections. Erectile dysfunction is common one study showed that it affects about 40 per cent of men aged 40. About 70 per cent of men are affected by the time they reach 70, says Dr Daniel Atkinson, a GP and clinical lead at treated.com, an online consultation and prescription service. Age and lifestyle factors, such as smoking and drinking alcohol excessively, can slowly destroy the small blood vessels in the penis that help supply the blood needed to sustain an erection. Although doctors can prescribe Viagra or similar drugs which help by widening the blood vessels to the penis, so improving flow it doesnt always work. Thats because enough of these small blood vessels need to be present in order to work, explains Dr Atkinson. And Im afraid that was my experience. My erectile dysfunction stems from treatment for a health problem. In August 2018, then aged 51, I went to Whipps Cross Hospital, East London, after suffering severe chest pains for over a week. These hit me in the armpits and my mouth filled with metallic-tasting saliva while I clutched at tables or walls for up to two minutes waiting for them to pass. The treatment normally involves four blasts of sound waves lasting about five minutes each, with an interval of one week between each session (file image) I was sent by ambulance to Barts Hospital in Central London. That night I had a massive heart attack and was put on a ventilator. During a triple heart bypass operation I had a stroke and suffered multiple organ failure. I was in a coma for two weeks, then upon starting to breathe unaided again, suffered an extended period of post-operative delirium that kept me in intensive care for another ten days. This meant I was put on a cocktail of drugs for 12 months, including antidepressant sertraline for post-traumatic stress disorder following this turn of events, and beta-blockers to regulate my heart rate. I added it to the long list of drugs I already took which included statins and metformin to treat the type 2 diabetes I had been diagnosed with three years previously. Within weeks of leaving hospital, I began to suffer from ED, leaving me further depressed. No doctor had warned me that this might happen, and when I went to see my GP, she just gave me a prescription for sildenafil, the generic form of Viagra. She said the problem could have been caused by any or several of the medications, or by deep depression while I was in a coma, my younger brother had a cardiac arrest that put him into a coma, causing his death a few months later and possibly post-traumatic stress disorder. My experience with the GP was apparently typical, to judge from anecdotes on the online forums devoted to the taboo subject of ED the pills are dished out like sweets. Since so many treatments such as Viagra are bought online or via private prescription, its impossible to say how much is taken, but with current estimates that ED affects some 4.3 million men, the figure will be high indeed. And for those like me for whom Viagra doesnt work, there is nothing and certainly from my own experience, little, in the way of understanding from a GP. I know some offer counselling or God forbid penis pumps but I didnt think either of those were right for me. Yet I didnt just want to live with it and carry on the inability to have a normal love life is a big deal. Dating is hard enough but at what point do you casually drop ED into the conversation? So when I came across Vigore at the end of last year, I made an appointment to use one of their machines at The Dr SW Clinic in Harley Street, London, under the supervision of Dr Sherif Wakil, a former spinal surgeon who now specialises in sexual disorders. He talked me through the proposed treatment. Before my consultation I had done the ED self-test online the International Index of Erectile Function where you assign scores to the severity of your ED in a number of scenarios and I scored very badly. In Dr Wakils view, this was because of a combination of diabetes and the antidepressant sertraline and other medicines that conspire to reduce blood flow. He said he thought the Vigore treatment could help. The treatment is called extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and these waves cause micro-trauma to the cells of the penis, he explained. The response to this is thought to be neovascularization this is where tiny new blood vessels grow as part of a healing response. These help with the erections afterwards. He said he has a success rate of between 70 and 80 per cent with his patients but while four sessions usually suffice (at a cost of about 2,500 to 3,000), he proposed six sessions for me because of the various complicating factors, especially diabetes. He said I might expect results within six weeks or so, with a possible full return to working order within three to six months, if all went well. I agreed to the treatment (and paid for it myself) so one morning last December, I found myself sitting in a chair with stirrups. A hose-like attachment was connected to the sound wave machine at the end it had a probe and a small clamp. First, Dr Wakil used the probe to press against an area beneath each testicle for five minutes, delivering the sound waves. I could feel pulsations but not painfully so, akin to a feeling of pins and needles. Then he gave a blast to each side of the shaft of the penis, held in place by the clamp, for three minutes. Then it was done. I returned weekly for the following four weeks and saw his colleague, Dr Nadia Yousri, a former gynaecologist and obstetrician now specialising in aesthetics and sexual wellness. Soon, the awkwardness and embarrassment of that first session was forgotten and it became a straightforward, matter-of-fact business, sessions taking no more than about 45 minutes in total. From around February onwards, spontaneous erections returned and gradually, my sex life got back to where it had been in, say, my 30s. An unmitigated success, its fair to say. And best of all there are reportedly no side-effects, other than the good one . . . ...but some experts are not convinced it works It's easy to understand the appeal of shockwave therapy: for men with erectile dysfunction, it could mean no more popping pills, using a passion-killing vacuum device, or injecting the penis with medication before sex. But does scientific evidence show it really works? Some studies suggest there is a benefit. One, carried out by researchers in Spain, and published in the World Journal Of Urology in July, looked at 76 men with erectile dysfunction who had failed to improve on drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra), taken just before intercourse, or tadalafil, a similar, but daily, tablet. Shockwave treatment, such as Vigore, involves a doctor passing a wand-like device along the penis while it emits gentle pulses for 15 to 20 minutes. This stimulates the growth of new blood vessels to increase blood supply to the penis and is also thought to promote the release of nitric oxide, which helps dilate blood vessels. In the Spanish study, just over half the participants had shockwave treatment once a week for a month while the rest received a sham treatment. Over the following six months, all the men were regularly assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function, a 30-point scoring system that evaluates arousal anything below 14 would normally trigger the use of drugs. Shockwave treatment, such as Vigore, involves a doctor passing a wand-like device along the penis while it emits gentle pulses for 15 to 20 minutes (file image) Researchers found those given shock treatment improved their scores by an average 3.5 points meaning some no longer needed medication. In the sham treatment group, scores fell an average half point. But sexual medicine researchers say most shock therapy studies vary a lot in terms of patient numbers, patient profiles and the type or strength of shockwaves making it difficult to evaluate. Indeed, in 2019 the European Society for Sexual Medicine concluded that while shockwave therapy is safe and well-tolerated, its efficacy is doubtful. The British Society for Sexual Medicine (BSSM) suggests the treatment is used only after others have failed. Dr Geoff Hackett, former BSSM president, says that what evidence there is for shockwave therapy suggest it may only benefit those with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. If you are in this category and can afford the 3,000 cost of private shockwave therapy, then it might just be worth a try. But be prepared to have it again a year or two later, as there is no evidence the effects are permanent. PAT HAGAN Northampton County President Judge Michael J. Koury Jr., seen here during a 2017 naturalization ceremony, says court has changed due to the pandemic.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com Actor Kangana Ranaut on Monday said she is leaving Mumbai with a heavy heart but the way she was terrorized, faced abuses and saw attempts to break her house, her analogy comparing the city with POK was bang on. The actor, whose comment likening Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir triggered a spat with Maharashtra's ruling Shiv Sena, arrived in the city from her home state Himachal Pradesh last week. On the same day her office here faced action for "illegal" alterations by Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) following which she moved the Bombay High Court which stayed the demolition. "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on(sic)," Ranaut wrote on Twitter. Targetting the ruling party, the 33-year-old actor said the protectors had declared themselves to be "destroyers" and were working towards dismantling democracy. "But they are wrong to think I'm weak. By threatening and abusing a woman, they are ruining their own image," she added. On Sunday, Ranaut met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at Raj Bhavan to apprise him of the "injustice" done to her. The actor has been aggressively criticizing the film industry and the way it functions since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June. She initially said it was not a suicide but a "planned murder" by an industry that does not acknowledge outsiders. Ranaut escalated her attack to tackle the alleged drug nexus in the city, as well as targeting the Maharashtra government for its handling of the case, sparking anger after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Her spat with Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut led to her receiving Y-plus securitya detail of around 10 armed commandos who accompany the actress whenever she travels. On her arrival in Mumbai last week, BMC exempted Ranaut from the 14-day home quarantine rule for those arriving from outside the state after she submitted an online application for the exemption as she was on "a short visit." Washington, Sep 14 : Two people were killed and six others injured after a shooting at an off-campus party near a university in the US state of New Jersey, officials said. The shooting took place at around 1.30 a.m. on Sunday near Rutgers University on Delafield Street in New Brunswick, Xinhua news agency quoted Rutgers police as saying in a statement. Local authorities said it was unknown how many suspects fired the bullets, striking down party goers after someone shouted and interrupted the gathering. Information related to the identities of the suspects was limited. Police found eight people suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. They were transferred to an area hospital where two male victims were pronounced dead. The New Brunswick Police Department was actively investigating the incident and asked people with information and those near the scene who might have knowledge to contact the detectives. (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Sally will begin hammering the U.S. Gulf Coast with flooding rains late Monday, making landfall the next day between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, and potentially causing as much as $3 billion in losses and damage. Sally rapidly strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour, the National Hurricane Center said in a special update. Sally, which has sparked evacuations from some offshore energy platforms, will make landfall sometime Tuesday morning or afternoon. The storm may reach 105 mph, NHC said, which would make it a Category 2 hurricane. The U.S. has been pummeled by natural disasters this year, with wildfires devastating the West, storms causing billions of dollars of damage in the East and along the Gulf Coast, and a derecho ripping through the Midwest earlier this summer. Sally is one of five named systems currently in the Atlantic, the first time that has happened since 1971, said Jim Rouiller, lead meteorologist with the Energy Weather Group. With the emergence of Tropical Storm Vicky, the basin has now produced 20 storms, the second most on record. Only 2005 had more storms, with 28. We have everything from fires to hurricanes and everything in between, said Rouiller. He expects Sally to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane before landfall, though the most destructive part of the storm may miss New Orleans. A larger weather system over the U.S. is making an exact track difficult to forecast, but Sally could be the second hurricane since late August to hit Louisiana, which is still recovering from Hurricane Laura. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared an emergency, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a similar warning for the city. The storm could raise ocean levels 7 to 11 feet (2 to 3 meters) at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which could overtop some levees. The storm could potentially lead to between $2 billion to $3 billion in damage and losses, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research. Damage estimates have fluctuated because Sallys forecast intensity and track have shifted several times in the last few days. The price tag could rise even more if Sally gets stronger or takes more time moving through the area, or if water overwhelms flood control systems in New Orleans. Oil Disruption Sally will sweep the eastern edge of the offshore production area, probably halting oil and natural gas drilling for a short time and adding further disruption to the industry. Hurricanes Marco and Laura, as well as Tropical Storm Cristobal, all disrupted work across the Gulf this season. Chevron Corp. said Saturday its evacuating workers and shutting in production at its Blind Faith and Petronius platforms, while Royal Dutch Shell Plc has curtailed operations at three Gulf platforms. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port has suspended operations at the Marine Terminal as Sally approaches in the Gulf of Mexico, according to its website. Mississippi River bar pilots also halted operations Sunday. Phillips 66 has begun a shutdown of the Alliance refinery, the company said in a statement. Along with its storm surge, which can vary due to tides and exactly where the storm makes landfall, Sally could bring 2 to 3 feet of rain in some places, causing massive flooding, Rouiller said. If Sally continues to slow, the potential impact could be worse, and refineries may be down for longer. I am worried it is going to slow up and intensify, Rouiller said. Sally may become known for the severe flooding. The floods could impact cotton, corn and peanut crops through the region, though widespread damage isnt expected, said Don Keeney, a meteorologist with commercial forecaster Maxar. I dont think we are going to see any massive damage, but there will be some localized flood damage right along the path, Keeney said. I dont think it will have much of an impact on the Delta. Seven storms have hit the U.S. in 2020, including Laura, which devastated southwest Louisiana, and Hurricane Isaias, which temporarily knocked out power to millions in the Northeast. In addition to Sally, Hurricane Paulette is battering Bermuda. The other storms -- Rene, Teddy and Vicky -- wont be an immediate threat to land. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. SBI Small Cap has closed for lump-sum investments on September 7, 2020. Speculation is ripe that a few other small-cap funds may follow this strategy of accepting investments through the systematic route alone. Since April 1, small cap funds have received Rs 731.35 crore in net inflows as per data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). A recent directive from the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on September 11, 2020 has asked multi-cap schemes to invest minimum 25 per cent each in large, mid and small-cap stocks. It is expected that a large sum of money in multi-cap funds will move into mid and small cap stocks and indirectly lift the net asset values of small-cap funds. Does that mean you should invest in small cap funds based on these developments? An anatomy of the recent rally Since January 1, 2020, small-cap funds gave 4.03 per cent returns, whereas large-cap schemes declined 6.42 per cent, according to Value Research. In the last three months, the numbers stand at 21.53 per cent and 10.62 per cent, respectively. Small cap schemes fell more than the large-caps in March, but they bounced back and outperformed on the way up. The quick bounce after the March crash must be seen in the larger context, say experts. Small-cap funds severely underperformed their large-cap counterparts in CY 2018 and 2019. These funds lost 18.62 per cent and 1.51 per cent in those years, respectively. Large cap funds delivered 1.1 per cent and 10.53 per cent returns, respectively, in those years. Many small-cap companies reported lower-than-expected earnings over these two years and the valuations also came down severely, says Nimesh Chandan, Head- Equity Investments, Canara Robeco AMC. Investors expectations from small-sized firms were low. Some small-cap firms delivered well even during such volatile times, which made them attractive investments after the crash in March, he adds. From April, when equity markets started to recover, some smart investors saw the opportunity in beaten-down stocks. They werent the only ones. Many new investors started with investing in shares of small-sized companies. Hence, these shares have posted a smart recovery, says Deepak Chhabria, founder director and CEO of Axiom Financial Services. Investment opportunities exist, but there may be landmines After SEBI reclassified stocks based on their market capitalisation in 2018, all stocks from the 251st in terms of market capitalisation are classified as small-cap firms. Many structural reforms in the last five years have made many small-cap companies clean up their books and emerge more compliant. Such good-quality companies spread across sectors offer a wide choice for investors, says Samir Rachh, Fund Manager, Nippon India Mutual Fund. Chandan believes that a carefully crafted portfolio of small-cap companies chosen on the basis of high corporate governance standards, efficient use of capital can create wealth for patient investors. But with such a wide list to pick and choose from, advisors say that fund managers ought to be cautious. Balance sheets of many small-cap companies are not robust. Many of them will find it difficult to sustain if the economy takes longer-than-expected to recover, says Chhabria. He advises against investing in a small-cap fund when markets are close to their highs. Rachh says that small-cap valuations have run ahead of fundamentals. A small correction at this juncture cannot be ruled out and investors can use it as an entry point. Though small-cap funds could deliver well, investors cannot ignore the intermittent volatility. Downward moves can be quick and ferocious. Scheme choices matter Most small cap schemes run diversified portfolios with more than 50 stocks to overcome challenges such as liquidity and concentration risks. As the SEBI regulation mandates 65 per cent investments in small cap stocks, some allocation is made to liquid names in the mid-cap space too. Among large schemes, HDFC Small Cap Fund, with the highest asset under management of Rs 8645 crore, has the lowest portfolio turnover ratio of 7.74 per cent. It had 72 stocks in the portfolio as on August 31, 2020. Nippon India Small Cap Fund, with a size of Rs 8322 crore has 51 per cent turnover and 112 stocks in the portfolio, as on July 31, 2020. While most of them are more or less invested in stocks, both Axis Small Cap and Tata Small cap hold 12.5 per cent in debt investments as on August 31, 2020. Schemes with large assets under management are difficult to manage as the fund managers have to walk on the tight rope of pocketing returns and managing liquidity simultaneously. Should you invest? Investors tend to chase an asset class that has done well in the recent past. Do not invest in small cap funds because they outperformed large and mid-cap schemes over last the last 3-4 months, says Rupesh Bhansali, Head of Mutual Funds, GEPL Capital. He recommends investing in these schemes only if you are a long term investor. You can consider investing in these schemes to the tune of up to 10-15 per cent of your equity portfolio, provided you have adequate appetite to stomach risks. Invest through a systematic investment plan (SIP). Traditionally, these schemes have rewarded investors for the risks they took. However, as mentioned above, these schemes portfolios have undergone significant changes over the last few years. Also, low rate interest rates indicate low growth expectations. In a low interest rate environment, investors need to moderate their returns expectations. Small-cap funds can deliver 200 to 300 bps higher CAGR returns than their large cap counterparts, says Rachh. A 29-years-old mini bus driver, Isiaka Adebayo has been arraigned by Osun State Police Command, Osogbo for alleged manslaughter. The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Akintunde Jacob told the court that the accused person committed the offence on 10th of September, 2020 at about 1:00pm at Aregbe Junction along Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo. Inspector Akintunde Jacob said that the accused person in charge of an Unregistered Suzuki Carry Mini DYNA drove the bus in a manner which caused the death of one Mustapha Kabiru of No. 6 Fadililulahi area Osogbo. The prosecutor added that the accused person drove the vehicle in the highway without drivers' license, vehicle license, Road worthiness, Insurance certificate and hackney stage carriage. He told the court that the offence committed by the accused person was contrary to and punishable under Section 27, 21(b), 142 and 139 of RTA Cap 548 of Laws of Nigeria, 2012. The accused person pleaded not guilty to offence leveled against him. The Defense Counsel, Lukman Adeleke applied for the bail of the accused person in the most liberal terms. The Magistrate, Ishola Omisade admitted the accused person to bail in the sum of N 500,000 with 1 surety in like sum. The case was adjourned to 23rd of November, 2020 for hearing. OTTAWAFederal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna says the government needs to show Canadians they will get the triple benefits of climate action, job creation and inclusiveness for public money spent on the COVID-19 recovery. In an interview with the Star, McKenna said many people are still reeling from the pandemic crisis and that, while the push for a greener economy is part of the governments plans to build back better, Ottawa needs to demonstrate returns on the money it will spend not just on climate, but also by creating jobs and ensuring the recovery helps all segments of the population. What that looks like remains to be seen and is ultimately up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she said but McKennas priority list for the recovery includes increasing broadband internet across the country, expanding public transit and building more affordable housing. And she said recovery efforts will need to leverage the private sector in some cases through the governments arms-length Canada Infrastructure Bank to create jobs and growth in the wake of the deadly pandemic. Canadians really care about action on climate, but theyre very focused on jobs, rightly. Theyre very focused on where our vulnerabilities are right now, said McKenna, who served as environment minister from 2015 to 2019. It is the time to invest wisely, to make sure that you get triple benefits for every taxpayer dollar. Its one glimpse into the Liberal minority governments mindset as it prepares to lay out what Trudeau has billed as its vision for the post-pandemic recovery in a speech from the throne on Sept. 23 that could trigger an election if the opposition parties reject it. The Stars Tonda MacCharles reported this week that Liberals see this as a generational moment. Trudeau and his new finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, have signalled ambitions to seize upon the crisis at hand in order to as the prime minister put it on Aug. 18 change our future for the better. In one sense, such language is political boilerplate. But the fact that Canada is enduring a major economic slump and health crisis has many casting back to prior crises like the Great Depression and Second World War, which spurred major social policy transformations like the advent of Employment Insurance, public health care and the rest of the modern welfare state. David Moscrop, a political theorist at the University of Ottawa, said Canada may be at another such critical juncture in its history, with an increased appetite for big initiatives from Ottawa. Much in the way that there was a postwar consensus that emerged around Keynesianism the doctrine that governments should spend heavily to bounce out of economic downturns theres a consensus now on intervention and government programming, he said. There is also a push from outside government for Canada to use this moment to supercharge federal action to fight climate change. In June, the International Institute for Sustainable Development published a report declaring this to be an historic turning point the likes of which none of us have ever seen. The authors argued there should be green strings attached to the governments recovery spending, such as ensuring recipients of public support are committed to Canadas goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. A group of experts called the Task Force for a Resilient Recovery is also advocating for a green push. In a preliminary report released in July, the task force which includes figures from the business, environmental and academic sectors called for about $50 billion in government spending over the next five years on energy-efficient buildings, shift to zero-emission vehicles, expanding the clean energy sector, environmental conservation and jobs. In her interview with the Star, McKenna stressed that the COVID recovery is not the last chance for Canada to spend money to fight climate change. And like McKenna, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault a longtime environmental activist who has been working with McKenna and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on the governments green recovery plans says there is more to the recovery vision that climate initiatives. Theres a whole social component to it as well, Guilbeault told the Stars Susan Delacourt this week. He cited changes to the workplace that could accelerate manufacturing automation and the need to help retool workers, as well as the need to address shortcomings in aid programs. I think the pandemic made us realize that there were some pretty big cracks in our social safety net, Guilbeault said. The New Democrats are calling for that to be addressed in a number of ways, from permanently expanding Employment Insurance so it includes contract and self-employed workers, to the creation of public pharmacare and universal child-care programs. Laurel Collins, an NDP MP from Victoria, said the party also wants massive investments to retrofit buildings so they are better for the environment, which she argued would create jobs and economic activity while lowering emissions. But Collins said she is wary that the signals of ambition from the Liberals might result less action than the NDP wants. Its hard to get excited about their track record of empty words and broken promises, Collins said, noting that Canada has missed every climate target it has ever committed to. We really need to continue to push them. Conservative MP Dan Albas, the partys new shadow minister of environment, said his party will support policies that broadly help the Canadian economy such as supports for new nuclear power, hydroelectricity and the export of liquefied natural gas. What weve seen time and time again from this government is a lot of rhetoric and ideology, and what we need to see is more practical work with provinces to make these things happen, Albas said. Building back better, in other words, is still just a catchphrase. Canadians may soon learn more about what the Liberals mean by it. Read more about: Rajasthan MP Hanuman Beniwal has questioned the authenticity of the Covid-19 diagnostic tests after he received two contrary reports, one which said he tested positive and the other which said he tested negative. Beniwal, who represents the Nagaur constituency, tweeted the images of the two different test reports. The first test, conducted by the ICMR National Institute of Cancer Research and Prevention as part of the mandatory testing before the monsoon session of Parliament, showed he had the virus. The second test was conducted at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur after he went back unable to attend Parliament. The test sample was negative for coronavirus. Puzzled by the different results, he tweeted, I got checked for Covid-19 in Lok Sabha premises, which came positive. Then I got tested at the SMS medical hospital in Jaipur and the report came negative. I am sharing both the reports with you, which report should be considered correct? he asked his followers. The tests were conducted two days apart. Both were RT-PCR tests, which are considered to be more reliable than the antigen tests. The RT-PCR tests detect viral RNA or its genetic material. They amplify viral RNA while detecting it and because of this amplification step, RT-PCR tests for viral RNA are more sensitive than antigen tests. Beniwal, chief of the RLP, was among the at least 25 parliamentarians who have tested positive for Covid-19 during the mandatory testing conducted before the Parliament session. Of these, 17 are from the Lok Sabha. Among those infected in the Lok Sabha, the BJP has the maximum with 12 MPs, the YRS Congress has two, and the Shiv Sena and DMK have one each, apart from RLPs Beniwal. The Lok Sabha members were tested at the Parliament House on September 13 and 14, sources said. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. By Wang Xueyu and Yang Xiaobo URUMQI, Sept. 14 -- In the early morning of September 11, two Y-20 transport aircraft carrying the first echelon of Chinese troops participating in the Kavkaz-2020 strategic exercise took off and flew to a military airport in Russia thousands of kilometers away in the Astrakhan Region. The transnational strategic delivery through ultra-long distance in succession has taken over 10 hours. Although the Russian side has offered some basic flight data for landing, the Chinese side is unfamiliar with the topography near the airport and the meteorological conditions along the way are complicated. The Chinese military thereby has dispatched elite crew members with rich flight experience after multiple simulated loading and unloading training drills on various problems that may arise during the transportation of air cargo. The Chinese participating troops have exited from Urumqi, passing through the airspace of Kazakhstan, and arriving at a military airport in Russias Astrakhan Region on September 11, local time; afterwards, they arrived at the exercise venue as scheduled by Russian helicopters and transport vehicles. To take part in the joint exercise of multinational forces in Russia, all Chinese troops involved were sent by aircraft in point-to-point force delivery in two echelons to the designated exercise area. The first participating contingent flew to the scheduled airport in Russia on two new type domestically developed transport aircraft along with various weapons and equipment as well as some necessary materials including materials for medical treatment and epidemic prevention and basic living necessities. This is a brand-new experience, effectively testing Chinese militarys capacity in transnational fixed-point delivery for long distance. amphotora/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- A white Georgia sheriff's deputy seen in a viral video repeatedly punching a Black man who was pinned to the ground has been fired after the man's family demanded he be released from jail immediately. Roderick Walker, 26, remained locked up at the Clayton County Jail on Sunday, two days after video surfaced showing him being held on the ground by two Clayton County sheriff's deputies and being pummeled by one as he cried out "I can't breathe" and as his 5-year-old son sat in a car screaming, "Daddy." The incident occurred Friday evening in front of a Georgia Department of Public Health building near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. An attorney for Walker said the incident quickly escalated after a ride-share vehicle Walker was a passenger in was pulled over for a routine traffic violation. On Sunday afternoon, officials announced in a statement that "the Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriffs Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force." The deputy's name was not immediately released. A criminal investigation of the incident will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorneys Office, the statement reads. An earlier statement said sheriff's officials became aware of the incident when a video was posted on social media and that Hill "ordered his entire Internal Affairs Unit to come in and begin an investigation" around 8 p.m. on Friday. Prior to Sunday's announcement of his termination, the deputy was immediately placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the investigation. I just want my son home because he was beaten real bad. He did nothing wrong," Walker's mother, Tywauna Walker, said during a news conference Saturday night in front of the Clayton County Jail. She said that when she watched the video she felt "sad, emotional, hysterical." "I was just hurt because I wasn't there to protect him," Tywauna Walker said. Sheriff Hill also ordered a signature bond courtesy for Walker, but added that Walker remains in jail because there was a felony probation warrant for him out of Fulton County, Georgia, for cruelty to children and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There was also warrant on Walker from Hapeville, Georgia, for failing to appear at a court hearing on an undisclosed charge, officials said. "Mr. Walkers legal counsel will have to resolve these issues to secure his release," the statement from the sheriff's office reads. Walker received medical treatment, including X-rays that detected no fractures to his head, according to the sheriff's office. He is being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor. ABC affiliate station WSB-TV in Atlanta obtained a photo of Walker in jail with a badly bruised and swollen left eye. Disturbing new picture released of Roderick Walker.@wsbtv pic.twitter.com/PDVyty8vdD Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) September 13, 2020 Walker was booked at the jail Friday night on two counts of battery and two counts of obstructing officers. Shean Williams, a lawyer representing Walker's family, called the charges against Walker "frivolous" and demanded that Hill and the Clayton County District Attorney's Office drop the charges immediately and release him. "Roderick Walker is in jail solely because he was illegally arrested after being assaulted by Clayton County Sheriff deputies, not because of anything he did during that incident or in the past," Williams said in a statement following the announcement of the deputy's termination. "Mr. Walker would not be in jail if it were not for this unlawful arrest that violated his legal and constitutional rights." Williams bristled at Hill's statement that Walker was being held on outstanding warrants. "Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill's statement is just a weak attempt to deflect from his lack of leadership and continuous encouragement that his deputies violate peoples' civil rights," Williams said. "The only individuals who perpetrated criminal behavior were the deputies who unlawfully assaulted and arrested him." Williams said he is requesting that the Clayton County District Attorney's officer pursue criminal charges against the two sheriff's deputies and that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launch an independent probe of the episode. Williams said the incident unfolded after Walker, his girlfriend, Janita Davis, and their 5-year-old son dropped off a rental car and were getting a ride home from a ride-share service. The driver was pulled over by Clayton County Sheriff's deputies in an unmarked car for having a busted tail light, Williams said. During the stop, a sheriff's deputy asked Walker, who was a passenger in the vehicle, for his identification, according to Williams. "He informed them that he did not have any ID and that he didnt need any since he was not driving a vehicle," Williams said. "When they didnt like his question, they then demanded that he get out of a vehicle that he wasnt driving. It escalates to him being beaten on the ground, being tased, and almost dying. And they take him to jail." Cellphone video of the incident taken by a witness and by Davis show two Clayton County Sheriff's deputies on top of Walker trying to handcuff him. One of the officers is seen punching Walker in the face and body and yelling, "He bit me." Walker can be heard saying, "I can't breathe" and Davis is heard screaming at the officers, "Don't kill him." The couple's young son, who Davis ordered to get back in the car, is seen in the video watching the incident unfold from the back seat of the vehicle, yelling, "Daddy." Walker's face appeared to be bloody and his body seemed to go listless as the deputies, with the help of a third colleague, handcuffed him. Walker was conscious as the deputies stood him up and placed him in a patrol car. Williams, of the Cochran Law Firm in Atlanta, said the ride-share driver was not charged in the incident. "He (Walker) has at least two episodes where he goes unconscious," Williams said. "When you became unconscious that is a medical term for a brain injury. On this video, you do not see any ambulance or anybody giving medical treatment to Mr. Walker. What you do see is they continue to beat the man ... in his face instead of protecting and serving, which theyre required to do." The local NAACP and community activist from the Black Lives Matter movement were scheduled to hold a rally in front of the Clayton County Jail on Sunday to demand Walker's release, Williams said. We are here demanding that he get out of jail, but we could, unfortunately, be talking and mourning his life," Williams said, invoking the name of George Floyd, the Black man whose May 25 death sparked protest nationwide after cellphone showed Minneapolis police trying to take him into custody and one digging his knee into the back of Floyd's neck. "Weve seen this happen on too many occasions and were just tired of it," Williams said. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Any wedding is full of surprises, but with a royal wedding, there is no telling just what might happen. Whether it be thousands of people lining the streets to cheer on the newly married royal couple or an unexpected appearance from someone famous and well-known, everyone knows that a royal wedding is an affair that no one will forget. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex got married in May 2018, and most fans can remember it as if it were just yesterday. Prince Harry couldnt hide his smile and his affection for Meghan, and she was absolutely glowing as she walked down the aisle to her waiting prince. Immediately following the ceremony, the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex greeted happy fans as they took a carriage ride around the streets of Windsor, England, and we cant even imagine how they felt as they saw all the well-wishers who waited for hours to see them pass by. Here is how Meghans friends stunned her at her royal wedding in the best possible way. From an American actress to British royalty It is pretty safe to say that Meghan and Prince Harry grew up in two completely different worlds. He was born into royalty and has been in the spotlight since the day he was born. Meghan, on the other hand, lived a pretty typical life in LA, California. After graduating from high school, she went on to attend Northwestern University, and it looks like she really enjoyed her time there. Meghan was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and according to the book by Andrew Morton titled Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, the other sisters embraced her warmly. Having always known she wanted to be an actress, Meghan went on to take a few small roles after graduating before finally getting her big break as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits. After getting engaged to Prince Harry, it was announced that Meghan would be retiring from acting as she prepared to take on her new role as the Duchess of Sussex. Meghans time with Kappa Kappa Gamma Meghan Markle | Samir Hussein/WireImage RELATED: Kate Middleton and Meghan Markles Royal Training Included Staged Kidnappings and Fake Guns Being a member of a sorority is a thing that many people dream of for years. According to Town & Country, Meghan was a typical college student who decided to pledge the sorority in 1999, and it would appear that she had the time of her life. Meghan was pretty active during her college days, just like she is now, so it really isnt much of a surprise that she had a significant role as a recruitment chairwoman for the sorority. Her sisters remember her fondly, with one former member saying: Meghan was always diplomatic as she navigated conflict in the sorority house. Another even said that the duchess was an ethereal, sophisticated, beautiful creature who lived with us. From what we can see, Meghan really had a positive impact on so many people during her college days, something that carried into her life well after those days was over. Meghan Markles friends stunned her at her royal wedding in the best possible way There were so many people showing their support for Meghan and Prince Harry on their wedding day, and it is only natural that a group of Meghans sorority sisters were there as well. So, what did they do? BestLife reports that a group of Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae serenaded her from the crowd as she and Prince Harry rode by in their carriage. They were singing Oh Pat, a chant that is traditionally sung to sisters when they get married. When Meghan spotted them, she couldnt hide her delight and surprise, with one person saying that her eyes lit up and her expression totally changed. She was truly stunned and leaned over to whisper to Prince Harry, which didnt go unnoticed. How wonderful that Meghans sorority sisters didnt let the big day go by without doing something so meaningful. Yes Bank rose 2.67% to Rs 15 after domestic credit rating agency ICRA on Friday upgraded its ratings assigned to various debt instruments of the private lender. The rating agency has upgraded Infrastructure bonds and Basel II compliant lower tier II bonds to BBB (Stable) from BB+ (Rating watch). Basel III compliant tier II bonds were upgraded to BBB- from BB. Basel II compliant tier I bonds and upper tier-II bonds were upgraded to BB+ (Stable) from a default (D) rating, Yes Bank said in a filing. ICRA said the rating upgrade factors in the sizeable capital raise of Rs 15,000 crore in July 2020, which has resulted in an improvement in the capital ratios of Yes Bank. The ratios are now comfortably above the regulatory levels. The capital raise follows the Government-approved reconstruction scheme implemented in Q4 March 2020, under which equity capital of Rs 10,000 crore from SBI and other domestic institutions was infused into the bank. The rating upgrade also factors in the improvement in the bank's liquidity position after the stability and subsequent increase in its deposit base. While the improvement in the capital position remains a key positive for the bank, the Covid-19-induced stress on the residual corporate book as on 30 June 2020 (~5% of standard advances were overdue) are likely to keep the credit costs at elevated levels in the near term. The management has guided towards a slippage of ~5% in FY2021. Despite having the flexibility to restructure loans, ICRA estimates that the slippages and credit costs will remain high in a stress scenario. Yes Bank has fully repaid Rs 50,000 crore towards the Special Liquidity Facility (SLF) extended by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), well before the due date. Shares of Yes Bank rallied for third consecutive trading session. The counter has gained 9.7% in last three trading sessions from its previous closing low of Rs 13.67 posted on 9 September 2020. The bank's net profit tumbled 60.1% to Rs 45 crore in Q1 FY21 from Rs 114 crore in Q1 FY20. However, the bank has returned to profitability after reporting loss in the past three quarters. It had reported a net loss of Rs 3,668 crore in Q4 FY20. Total income of the bank fell 32.8% on a year-on-year (YoY) basis to Rs 6,106.74 crore in the June 2020 quarter. Net Interest Margin (NIM) stood at 3% in Q1 FY21 as against 2.8% in Q1 FY20. The bank was under moratorium for 13 days in March 2020. It resumed full-fledged banking operations from 18 March 2020. This came after a consortium of eight public and private banks, led by State Bank of India, agreed to infuse capital into Yes Bank to rescue it from the brink of a collapse. These financial institutions had together pooled in Rs 10,000 crore as investment at Rs 10 per share in Yes Bank when it faced pressure from depositors. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- Oracle Corp. has been selected as the winning bidder for TikToks U.S. operations, the Wall Street Journal reported, after Microsoft Corp. said its bid was rejected by parent company ByteDance Ltd. Oracle will be announced as TikToks trusted tech partner in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unidentified source. The eventual deal wont be structured as an outright sale, the Journal added. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said in a statement. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. Microsoft, which was working with Walmart Inc., had been seen as the more likely winner earlier in the process, but its talks have cooled, a person with knowledge of the matter said earlier today. Microsoft hadnt been asked to make revisions to its initial offer in the face of recent signs of opposition to a deal from Chinese government officials, the person added. Thats given competitor Oracle Corp. an upper hand in the negotiations. Microsoft said in its statement that it was prepared to make changes aimed at addressing U.S. national security concerns. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. 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. Choi Jong-kun, first vice minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, Sept. 12. Yonhap By Do Je-hae Choi Jong-kun, new first vice minister of foreign affairs, returned to Seoul, Sept.12, after his first meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Stephen Biegun at the U.S. State Department. In a statement following the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the two sides had "agreed" on the establishment of a new format of bilateral talks at the director-general level. The ministry said that the role of the tentative consultative body would be to check and coordinate on a wide range of bilateral issues. The ministry highlighted the new type of bilateral talks as a primary achievement of the new first vice minister. But some local media have taken issue with a discrepancy in the statements released by the ministry and the U.S. State Department about the outcome of the Choi-Biegun meeting. In particular, the State Department's readout makes absolutely no mention about any kind of new talks between the two allies. The first vice minister tried to assuage concerns over the discrepancies during an encounter with reporters at Incheon International Airport. "The two statements could be seen as different from one another, but press releases routinely put a focus on what the respective country wants to emphasize," Choi said. "Deputy Secretary Biegun and the U.S. side showed strong understanding for the formation of the talks." Choi explained that the two sides will enter negotiations for the talks to begin as early as mid-October. "This will enable regular consultations at the director-general and vice-ministerial level." Also missing from the U.S. statement is the "close cooperation for a swift resumption of talks between the two Koreas, the U.S. and North Korea," which also appears at the forefront of the Korean statement. Sensitive issues for Korea It is also noticeable that the U.S. statement actually mentions some very sensitive issues for the Korean side, particularly cooperation with Japan and the Indo-Pacific strategy. The statement underlines cooperation on "a broad range of shared interests, including coordination on COVID-19 response and recovery, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, a free and open Indo-Pacific, and cooperation with Japan to promote regional security." "The Deputy Secretary and Vice Minister discussed the Special Measures Agreement, reaffirmed the enduring strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and discussed ways to enhance the Alliance to ensure it remains a force for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific for the decades ahead," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said. The statement comes at a time when concerns are rising on Korea being sidelined from trilateral security cooperation with Japan. In addition, Korea has faced additional challenges to its diplomacy from the escalating competition between the two superpowers and Washington's call for allies in the region to join its Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at containing China, a country that has been prioritized in President Moon's foreign affairs agenda. In this file photo from June 30, 2019, President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone in the village of Panmunjeom. AP-Yonhap With the U.S. presidential election less than two months away, experts are underlining the need for Seoul to maintain close communication with Washington on North Korea as well as bilateral issues. "The most important thing now is how to prepare to take the initiative in Korean Peninsula issues after the elections are over," Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told The Korea Times. In a recent letter to Pope Francis, President Moon said he will "never cease efforts to establish peace on the peninsula under any circumstances." In a recent reshuffle, the South Korean leader filled his senior leadership positions for dealing with North Korea with figures who have years of experience in arranging talks with the North. The surprise appointment of Choi as vice minister is also seen as strong display of Moon's resolve to keep the talks with Pyongyang going. The former presidential aide at the National Security Office was closely involved in President Moon Jae-in's summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But the dominant view is that Moon's eagerness to turn things around in the stalled talks with Pyongyang and the nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the U.S. in the coming months are ill-timed and unlikely to bear results. "History has shown that there have rarely been any breakthroughs in U.S.-North Korea relations during the presidential election season," Yang said. "Seoul should use this time to prepare to get exemption from international sanctions on inter-Korean projects and boost communication with the U.S." The professor explained that, from the North Korean point of view, its diplomatic priority after turning the corner on the COVID-19 situation would be to improve relations with China, not resuming talks and diplomacy with the U.S. or South Korea. Regarding bilateral issues, the biggest point of concern is the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to determine Korea's share of the costs for the maintenance of U.S. troops. The SMA is one of the few issues that is commonly mentioned in the statements of the two countries following the Choi-Biegun meeting. Experts say it is important for Seoul to prepare strategies to resolve the bilateral conflict over the SMA quickly and dispel views that the talks may hamper the alliance. President Donald Trump speaks during an event on judicial appointments, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Sept. 9. AP-Yonhap Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 15) - President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the Department of Justice-led (DOJ) investigating task force to file complaints against officials of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) over the alleged anomalies inside the agency. Duterte read the recommendations of the Task Force PhilHealth during a late Monday night briefing with other Cabinet members. Complaints may be filed both criminal and administrative on key officials including former PhilHealth CEO Ricardo Morales, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jovita Aragona, Chief Operating Officer Arnel De Jesus, Senior Vice President on Fund Management Sector Renato Limsiaco, Jr., Acting Senior Manager, Information Technology and Management Department Calixto Gabuya, Jr., and Senior Vice President on Health Finance Policy Sector Israel Pargas. On the issue of PhilHealth and corruption, it is really an important issue to the Filipinos and to everybody. Everybody is again is placed in jeopardy by the action of the officials, said Duterte. I'm sorry for them, but they have to undergo trial...Although they can always prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, he added. Among the issues raised on PhilHealth are the early disbursement of cash advances to COVID-19 patients prior to its effectivity in June and the procurement of allegedly overpriced IT equipment. Justice Spokesperson and Undersecretary Markk Perete clarified on Tuesday that as soon as supporting documents are finalized, filing may be done with prosecutors for criminal complaints, with the PhilHealth itself for administrative complaints, or with the Office of the Ombudsman for administrative and criminal complaints altogether, depending on the crimes committed and the rank of involved officials. In a statement released late Monday evening, PhilHealth said that it will await the official copy of the Task Force PhilHealth report and will submit to whatever instructions will be issued by Duterte based on the recommendations. "The whole of PhilHealth will continue to cooperate with the subsequent investigations to be conducted by the Task Force's composite teams as well as by the other authorized agencies for the sake of truth and transparency," PhilHealth said. Probe will continue The DOJ said Task Force PhilHealth will still continue its probe on alleged fraudulent activities by officials of the state health insurer while awaiting further directives from Duterte. As the Task Force awaits any further directives from the President, its composite teams will pursue further targeted investigations of specific acts of fraud or corruption committed by health providers and PhilHealth personnel alike, said the department in a statement. Meanwhile, already pending complaints and cases shall be resolved by the agencies concerned with dispatch, it added. The DOJ said the task force received and evaluated the testimony of 14 witnesses; reports and summaries of various cases, whether under investigation or for resolution; documents submitted by resource persons; and reports and recommendations from other bodies, including the Senate. Meanwhile, embattled Health Secretary and PhilHealth ex-officio chairperson Francisco Duque was not in the list of people recommended to face complaints, based on what Duterte read. The Senate Committee of the Whole has recently recommended Duque to heed the call of Senators to resign for his "failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight and efficiency in performing his mandate" resulting in a delayed response in addressing COVID-19, and perceived tolerance of alleged corruption in PhilHealth. Last week, Duterte also advised Duque not to resign despite the allegations thrown at him. Task Force PhilHealth conducted seven hearings lasting over 30 hours on various dates. The DOJ said the full report cannot be released due to ongoing investigations by member-agencies of the task force. Instead, it will issue within the day a more exhaustive statement which contains major portions of the report. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. (TNS) Cynthia Rajeshkanna, a student at Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro, Mass., used to hope that someday all children and teens would have access to free educational assistance. But she thought she had to wait for someone to develop a solution."This thinking applied to any issue or problem that I felt passionately about, but rather than waiting for change to happen, I realized that you have to take it upon yourself," Cynthia said. She added, "The world needs more people that are willing and bold enough to act upon their beliefs and actually carry it out."For Cynthia and classmate Melissa Dai, the solution to the lack of free educational assistance is Aptitutor. The free online tutoring service, learning platform and nonprofit was created by the two teens at the end of May. And it's already providing students with a better education. Subsequently, it's equipping them with skills that can help them to have a brighter future.The teens, who are both straight-A students who regularly volunteer in their community, noticed the urgent need for free supplemental education when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They realized that the move to shorter online classes didn't provide students with a comprehensive learning experience. The lack of free, accessible tutoring became even more detrimental to students than it already had been. But while they created Aptitutor to give back to their community in a time of crisis, they realize that it will still be tremendously valuable after the pandemic.Aptitutor connects qualified high school-age tutors with students in kindergarten through Grade 12 who need help in a variety of academic subjects, including Advanced Placement course work. It also offers Zoom classes. And according to its website https://aptitutornonprofit.wixsite.com/aptitutor , it "gamifies the experience of learning with a fun badge system."Despite all the challenges to launching a new organization and resource, Melissa said that one of the biggest ones they've faced has been raising awareness."Fortunately, we have been gaining quite a bit of traction lately despite the fact that it's summer and students usually want to relax; we've had students ranging from our neighboring town all the way to Ethiopia, she noted. "It has been so inspiring to see the large amount of students who are so proactive when it comes to their education and who actually want to continue learning all year long, and it has truly empowered us and motivated us to move forward as an organization."As the nonprofit has moved forward, the students who benefit from it have moved forward as well. Santhoshi Keesari is a parent of two children who have been using Aptitutor. Her daughter, who is in the seventh grade, sought to enhance her skills related to precalculus, Spanish and math competition, and Keesari has noticed that she's expanded her knowledge in those areas and is honing skills for the academic year ahead.Her son has also benefited from Aptitutor. Keesari said, "My fourth-grader is taking classes in elementary English and math, and it has had a positive impact on him. We have seen improvement in fractions, and he is using the English concepts he learned during the Aptitutor sessions in his writing."The new endeavor has made a difference in the lives of its creators as well. Melissa said co-creating Aptitutor has changed her life. She said that it's been rewarding to know that she's helping students, including ones who might not be able to afford tutoring."I love seeing the look on my tutees' faces the moment they understand a concept I'm teaching them. Those exact moments show me that I'm actually making a difference in their lives by furthering their education," Melissa shared. She added, "With quality education, bright minds of both the current generation and future generations will have the power to change the world for the better. Although we're doing it one step at a time, that's really the overarching goal of Aptitutor: to educate youth for a better and brighter future."Cynthia agreed and added that she's grateful for the opportunity for personal growth. "Establishing and growing a nonprofit organization is by no means an easy feat," she said. "Sending emails back and forth, discussing logistics, and planning ahead - it's an enormous amount of work, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've ultimately improved myself, whether this is through interpersonal skills, organization habits or leadership qualities."Both teens envision a bright future. In addition to establishing grants for supplies for teachers and facilitating intercultural engagement among students in different parts of the world, Cynthia and Melissa hope to work with underprivileged communities. They've already begun working with families at Abby's House, a Worcester-based shelter for homeless women and children.However, Cynthia said that because they realize that not everyone has access to Wi-Fi or the technology needed to use Aptitutor, she and Melissa have raised some funds to address the problem."With this money, we will be able to purchase Chromebooks and devices for students that don't have their own," Cynthia explained. She added, "There's so much to look forward to with Aptitutor, and I'm extremely grateful and excited to be able to help lead this effort." Elizabeth Dukart (left) talks with her son, Matthew, 6, (center), as Sam, 9, (right) works in the background during a homeschooling session on their lawn in Cherry Hill. Dukart pulled her kids from Cherry Hill public schools to homeschool them during the pandemic. Read more Katy Rene knew she didnt want to send her 6-year-old into a classroom this year, given that she and her husband rely on their parents who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus to help care for their children while they work. But Rene wasnt excited by the prospect of her daughter spending hours in front of a screen for virtual learning, having watched her disengage during Zoom kindergarten classes this spring. So she decided to homeschool. It really is very flexible, said Rene, who un-enrolled her child from the Pennridge School District in Bucks County. The pandemic has driven an increasing number of parents around the region and the country to give new consideration to homeschooling, spurred by uncertainty about school schedules and aversion to virtual learning programs. Tracking the growth of homeschooling is difficult. In Pennsylvania, officials say they dont have data for the current school year, while in New Jersey, the state doesnt track it at all. But people connected with the homeschool community say theyve seen a surge in interest. When districts began announcing their plans for the fall, the National Home School Association started getting a deluge of calls, said J. Allen Weston, the groups executive director. We had to expand our inbox two different times to accommodate all the e-mails." Homeschooling is an option only for families with the resources to make it work, but more have been opting in. About 1.7 million children ages 5 through 17, or 3.3%, were homeschooled in 2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics double the number and share from 1999. READ MORE: School reopenings are a mess, home-schooling pods are coming, and they could make inequality even worse National numbers on homeschooling are unreliable, Weston said 26 states require little to no notification if families choose to homeschool, and so dont even keep statistics. Weston believes that, in a typical year, four million children are homeschooled, but that this year, that figure will swell to almost 10 million. Susan Richman, who pushed to legalize homeschooling in Pennsylvania in 1988, has seen increased interest in her Pennsylvania Homeschoolers AP Online program offering virtual Advanced Placement courses to students across the country. More than 1,000 children are enrolled, compared with 850 last year. Richman said shes hearing from families that werent necessarily happy with public schools before. The pandemic is the kick in the seat of the pants" to try homeschooling, she said. Some families are simply searching for an alternative to their districts virtual program including some who sought to enroll in cyber charters that were at capacity, said Verna Aggie, director of Motivated Young Scholars, a West Philadelphia program that serves homeschoolers and children in cyber schools. This year, the program has 12 children enrolled on-site for support with homeschooling, at a cost of $65 a student a week for half-day sessions, Aggie said. In the past, cyber charter students have filled those slots. Previously, parents hadnt expressed much interest in homeschooling, she said. Now its like the school system has changed," she said. We are moving into a different norm. Homeschoolers made up 1.4% of public school enrollment in Pennsylvania in 2018-19, numbering about 25,000 kids. Families opting to homeschool must submit affidavits to their school districts. New Jersey has no such requirement. READ MORE: Parents ask why public schools are closed for class but open to private child care providers Advocates consider Pennsylvania among the most highly regulated states for homeschoolers, with state-mandated subjects, standardized test requirements, and rules that parents have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Parents must have their children assessed by a certified homeschool evaluator each year. New Jerseys requirements are looser. To Rene, a former high school teacher, it all seemed doable. Shes required to keep a portfolio marking her daughters progress, and to log school days 180 are required. If you bake something together, or go on a nature walk, they count as homeschool days, Rene said. She aims to spend an hour a day on more formal instruction: I sort of figure if she reads every day, practices writing and does some math, whatever else we do is a bonus, she said. She was also able to obtain textbooks from her daughters elementary school which Pennsylvania requires districts to offer homeschool families. Rene, who plans to re-enroll her daughter when the time is right, wanted her to maintain a connection to her school, including through such routines as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. We fully support public education, Rene said. It was really important to me that we not take away resources from the public school," including by enrolling in a cyber charter, which districts must pay for students to attend. Thats not the case for homeschoolers, although school districts could see their state subsidy shrink in future years if students unenroll. While Pennsylvania funds schools primarily through local property taxes, districts also receive state funding based on enrollment, as in New Jersey. Officials have said online learning this fall will be far improved from when the pandemic abruptly closed schools in the spring. But a number of parents choosing to homeschool said their experiences with virtual instruction were simply too frustrating. Shana Kline, of Mount Laurel, loves her kids' school and their teachers. But every day of virtual school in the spring was a fight, especially for her 7-year-old, who would refuse to show his face on camera. READ MORE: Summer residents are enrolling their kids in schools down the Shore. But will they stay? These days, shes homeschooling her three oldest, now in pre-K, second grade, and fourth grade all on their own schedules. Her second grader, for instance, likes to tackle schoolwork first thing in the morning and loves taking breaks to jump on the trampoline. I second-guess it all the time, said Kline, a social worker by training. But then I have flashbacks to the spring. Elizabeth Dukarts two children are hands-on learners, and a spring spent learning virtually through their Cherry Hill public school was tough. We managed, and I know the teachers worked hard to make it as wonderful as they could, but I just feel like it didnt work for our family, Dukart said. Theyre all still trying to figure out what to do. She opted to homeschool. The boys are loving it, Dukart said of her first and fourth graders. Their handwriting is neater, their spelling is better. Theyre learning so much." A history lesson about ancient Rome might turn into a cooking lesson, with a nod to her 9-year-olds dream of opening a restaurant someday. A frank conversation about people experiencing homelessness turned into a service learning project making food for the homeless. A former teacher, Dukart had previously considered homeschooling, but dismissed it perceiving a stigma around homeschooling as old-fashioned or not on par with traditional schooling. Now, her family is in the process of converting their basement to a classroom, with an eye toward continuing to homeschool even after the pandemic. We dont like that the coronavirus happened, but homeschooling was such a good decision for us, Dukart said. Richman, the longtime advocate who conducts annual evaluations for homeschool families, said the lines are blurrier today around how people homeschool. Its definitely not just families living on farms, she said. Now, homeschoolers might be students taking a couple classes from their local school. Whatever their plans, Richman expects some parents new to homeschooling will continue after this year. I know a whole lot of homeschoolers who only thought they were going to do this for one year, she said. Rene intends to send her daughter back to her school district. But she sees the upcoming year as an opportunity to bond in a different way. It might end up being a special experience, when everything else around us is so unpredictable and difficult and challenging, she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 14:41 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b45f1 1 Business Sinar-Mas-Land,bsd-city,Mitbana,TOD-transit-oriented-development Free Property developer Sinar Mas Land, through PT Bumi Serpong Damai, has formed a partnership with Singapore-based Mitbana Pte Ltd to build transit-oriented developments (TODs) in BSD City, South Tangerang, Banten. Mitbana, established in March 2019, is a joint venture company of Mitsubishi Corporation from Japan and Surbana Jurong from Singapore. With this commitment, Mitbana will become Sinar Mas Lands largest development partner in BSD City, and we look forward to having our partnership bring even better value to our residents and becoming a model for TOD developments in Indonesia, said Sinar Mas Land group chief executive officer Michael Widjaja. Mitbana will work with Sinar Mas Land to transform over 100 hectares of greenfield land in BSD City into TODs comprising residential units, commercial properties, living amenities and public transport nodes. This undertaking will enlarge BSD Citys existing development footprint and expand on its current population of 200,000 residents, Sinar Mas said in a statement. According to data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Singapore was Indonesias top foreign investor in the first half of 2020, with a total of US$3.4 billion in realized investments comprising 5,348 projects. During the same period, Japan was the second-largest with investment of US$2.4 billion comprising 3,708 projects, the statement read. Mitbana CEO Gareth Wong said, The future growth potential of TODs in Indonesia presents many scalable development opportunities for Mitbana, and we are very excited to make this first step toward realizing our vision of becoming a leading urban development fund that transforms communities through smart, sustainable and social development thrusts. BSD City is Sinar Mas Lands flagship town development that encompasses a total land area of approximately 6,000 hectares. "One of the primary growth drivers for this market is the increasing number of product approvals," says a senior analyst at Technavio. One of the major factors responsible for increasing product approvals is the rising number of research activities by vendors. In May 2016, SentreHEART Inc. received 510(k) approval for the LARIAT XT, a recent soft tissue closure device designed to provide remote suture delivery for immediate, complete closure, with no clip, metal, or implant left behind. The LARIAT XT features a variety of enhancements, such as a fully retractable snare to facilitate ease-of-operator use and expand its applicable anatomic range. In another instance, in February 2020, Abbott had received approval from the US FDA to conduct a clinical trial to assess its Amplatzer Amulet Left Atrial Appendage Occluder for people with atrial fibrillation. As the markets recover Technavio expects the left atrial appendage closure market size to grow by USD 1.64 billion during the period 2020-2024. 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 world is one step closer to having a totally secure internet and an answer to the growing threat of cyber-attacks, thanks to a team of international scientists who have created a unique prototype which could transform how we communicate online. The invention led by the University of Bristol, revealed today in the journal Science Advances, has the potential to serve millions of users, is understood to be the largest-ever quantum network of its kind, and could be used to secure peoples online communication, particularly in these internet-led times accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. By deploying a new technique, harnessing the simple laws of physics, it can make messages completely safe from interception while also overcoming major challenges which have previously limited advances in this little used but much-hyped technology. Lead author Dr Siddarth Joshi, who headed the project at the universitys Quantum Engineering Technology (QET) Labs, said: This represents a massive breakthrough and makes the quantum internet a much more realistic proposition. 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 its an exciting game changer and paves the way for much more rapid development and widespread rollout of this technology. The current internet relies on complex codes to protect information, but hackers are increasingly adept at outsmarting such systems leading to cyber-attacks across the world which cause major privacy breaches and fraud running into trillions of pounds annually. With such costs projected to rise dramatically, the case for finding an alternative is even more compelling and quantum has for decades been hailed as the revolutionary replacement to standard encryption techniques. So far physicists have developed a form of secure encryption, known as quantum key distribution, in which particles of light, called photons, are transmitted. The process allows two parties to share, without risk of interception, a secret key used to encrypt and decrypt information. But to date this technique has only been effective between two users. Until now efforts to expand the network have involved vast infrastructure and a system which requires the creation of another transmitter and receiver for every additional user. Sharing messages in this way, known as trusted nodes, is just not good enough because it uses so much extra hardware which could leak and would no longer be totally secure, Dr Joshi said. The teams quantum technique applies a seemingly magical principle, called entanglement, which Albert Einstein described as spooky action at a distance. It exploits the power of two different particles placed in separate locations, potentially thousands of miles apart, to simultaneously mimic each other. This process presents far greater opportunities for quantum computers, sensors, and information processing. Instead of having to replicate the whole communication system, this latest methodology, called multiplexing, splits the light particles, emitted by a single system, so they can be received by multiple users efficiently, Dr Joshi said. The team created a network for eight users using just eight receiver boxes, whereas the former method would need the number of users multiplied many times in this case, amounting to 56 boxes. As the user numbers grow, the logistics become increasingly unviable for instance 100 users would take 9,900 receiver boxes. To demonstrate its functionality across distance, the receiver boxes were connected to optical fibres via different locations across Bristol and the ability to transmit messages via quantum communication was tested using the citys existing optical fibre network. Besides being completely secure, the beauty of this new technique is its streamline agility, which requires minimal hardware because it integrates with existing technology, Dr Joshi said. The teams unique system also features traffic management, delivering better network control which allows, for instance, certain users to be prioritised with a faster connection. Whereas previous quantum systems have taken years to build, at a cost of millions or even billions of pounds, this network was created within months for less than 300,000. The financial advantages grow as the network expands, so while 100 users on previous quantum systems might cost in the region of 5 billion, Dr Joshi believes multiplexing technology could slash that to around 4.5 million, less than 1 per cent. In recent years quantum cryptography has been successfully used to protect transactions between banking centres in China and secure votes at a Swiss election. Yet its wider application has been held back by the sheer scale of resources and costs involved. With these economies of scale, the prospect of a quantum internet for universal usage is much less far-fetched. We have proved the concept and by further refining our multiplexing methods to optimise and share resources in the network, we could be looking at serving not just hundreds or thousands, but potentially millions of users in the not too distant future, Dr Joshi said. The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic have not only shown importance and potential of the internet, and our growing dependence on it, but also how its absolute security is paramount. Multiplexing entanglement could hold the vital key to making this security a much-needed reality. The research received funding from the Quantum Communications Hubs of the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), Ministry of Science and Education (MSE) of Croatia, and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). Collaborating institutions with the University of Bristol are the University of Leeds, Croatias Ruder Boskovic Institute (RBI) in Zagreb, Austrias Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), in Vienna, and Chinas National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in Changsha. Paper: A trusted node-free eight-user metropolitan quantum communication network, by Siddarth Koduru Joshi et al in Science Advances. COLUMBIA South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette has tested positive for COVID-19 and is recovering at home, the governor's office said Monday. Evette, 53, "began feeling unwell with a mild sore throat and headache Thursday morning" and immediately self-quarantined at her Travelers Rest home, said Brian Symmes, spokesman for Gov. Henry McMaster. "She is feeling better now," Symmes said Monday. Evette was tested Friday afternoon and received the test results back the next day, he said. That makes the lieutenant governor among the nearly 130,300 South Carolinians diagnosed with the virus since early March. More than 2,900 of those have died. But Evette never got sicker beyond the mild symptoms that caused her to self-isolate. Her husband and youngest child are staying at home with her but have not shown symptoms themselves or gotten tested, Symmes said. Two of her staff members, as well as her protective detail, are quarantining at home. A contact tracing investigation revealed few other close contacts. All have been notified, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, the state's new public health director. Traxler did not specify how many were notified. "She was very on top of things. She isolated herself immediately," Traxler said of Evette. "There were few exposures." Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Even her two oldest children were not close contacts. A close contact is defined as someone who spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of a contagious person. People can start spreading the virus 48 hours before they experience any symptoms. The contact tracing investigation covers that period. McMaster and his wife were tested, and their results came back Sunday as negative. It marked the fifth time the 73-year-old Republican governor has been tested since the pandemic started. Evette, the state's first Republican female lieutenant governor, has no idea where or when she contracted the virus. People generally start showing symptoms between two and 14 days after being infected, if they get sick at all. Experts say about half of those who have the virus are asymptomatic and don't know they're spreading it to others. "She has followed the guidance of public health officials in terms of social distancing and has prioritized face coverings in public venues," Symmes said of Evette. "This really goes to show how contagious this virus is and further demonstrates how important it is to prioritize each other's health and safety, just as the lieutenant governor did immediately." McMaster and Evette were last in the same room Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500. The NASCAR race received a state approval for 8,000 spectators, less than 20 percent of capacity. That event was before she would've been contagious, Symmes said. Evette toured the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call center in Greenville last Tuesday. But no one there was identified as being near her long enough to be a close contact, Traxler said. Federal health officials say people with mild to moderate COVID-19 are no longer infectious 10 days after their symptoms started. Evette's 10-day quarantine ends Sept. 20. JERUSALEM - The proposed sale of advanced U.S. fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates is raising concerns among some security experts in Israel that the Middle East could be on the verge of an arms race even as those two countries are expected to sign a peace deal Tuesday at the White House. Senior U.S. and UAE officials say the peace agreement is smoothing the way for the Trump administration to proceed with the sale of long-sought F-35 stealth fighter jets and other sophisticated weaponry to the Persian Gulf state. That prospect is increasing the likelihood that Israel and other Middle East countries will in turn seek more advanced arms. In Israel, the proposed sale is tainting the otherwise great enthusiasm here for the agreements brokered by the White House to normalize relations with the UAE and Bahrain. "From a purely military perspective, I think it's a dangerous development. It's not just a new weapons technology. The F-35 is an entire weapons platform," said Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel and analyst of U.S.-Israel relations. He said the F-35s would represent a "dramatic upgrading" of the Emirates' military capability. Eli Cohen, Israel's intelligence minister, said in an interview that the historic peace agreements to be signed Tuesday would buttress Israel's security by strengthening the alliance against Iran, which he called the main threat to Middle East stability. At the same time, he said Israel - which already has a fleet of 20 F-35s - would object to any arms deal that erodes its military superiority in the region. "We have a clear policy about maintaining our advantage and will protest any weaponry that might damage that advantage," he said. U.S. and UAE officials have not disclosed details of the proposed sale, including the number of jets and how advanced a model is. But under a 12-year-old law, the United States is committed to ensuring that Israel maintains a "qualitative military edge." Another senior figure in Israel's defense establishment warned that there was no guarantee that relations between Israel and the UAE would remain amicable. "Things change here rapidly, and we always need to be aware of this," said the senior figure, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to address security discussions. "Israel is a small country. Its military advantage allows it to maintain strategic virtual depth. Removing this edge is extremely worrying for Israel's security." The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported Sunday that the Israeli army is preparing to present the United States with a list of advanced military hardware that would ensure that Israel keeps its military edge. The newspaper said this list, being compiled by a committee set up by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, probably would include advanced munitions and expedited delivery of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, combat planes and other weapons. The Israeli military would not confirm the accuracy of this report. According to media reports in Israel and the United States, Netanyahu privately condoned the proposed sale of the fighter jets to the UAE as part of an overall deal that included normalizing relations between the UAE and Israel. But Netanyahu, who arrived in Washington on Monday ahead of the White House ceremony, has repeatedly denied agreeing to such an arrangement. A recent statement from his office said the prime minister had made clear his opposition during a July conversation with U.S. Ambassador David Friedman to the sale of F-35s and other advanced weaponry to another Middle East country. As with the earlier sale of F-16s to Egypt, the United States may intend to provide the UAE with an F-35 variant that would allow Israel to maintain its advantage. It is unclear whether the UAE, which already fields a powerful air force, would settle for less than the most sophisticated version of the F-35. The senior Israeli defense figure said the sale of fighter jets to the UAE is sure to spark a regional arms race: "It will have a cascade effect, and it will be harder to prevent sales of advanced weaponry to other countries in the region." Qatar's foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, shared concerns about arms sales to the Middle East during an interview Sunday in Washington, where he participated in security talks Monday with U.S. officials. "We don't want to see any escalation in the region, and we've seen that the region needs to be more peaceful, more focusing on prosperity and development rather than buying military equipment," he said. "We hope that anything under consideration is just to defend our countries and not to be aggressive to other countries." Relations between Qatar and the UAE have been tense in recent years. The F-35 is produced by a U.S.-led consortium, including seven American allies, and six other allied countries have received the aircraft or have been negotiating contracts to get them. The UAE would be the first Arab country to receive the jets. In 2008, the United States enshrined into law its commitment to ensure that Israel maintains its "qualitative military edge" in Middle East, and that pledge has earned broad bipartisan support. Over the years, the United States has provided significant military assistance to back up this promise, with the Obama administration allocating $38 billion in a 10-year aid package. Israeli concerns over the F-35 sale to the UAE could find sympathetic members in Congress. "Depending on what [the Emirates] want, exactly, it could potentially cause a lot of heartburn on both sides of the aisle," said a congressional aide who deals regularly with arms transfers. "This is an increasing curiosity for us, because there's been no information coming" from the administration. "For some, it might be OK," said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "But this is a game changer, giving the Emiratis these kind of capabilities for, really, an unknown purpose. In which conflict do they need an F-35?" A previous sale of U.S. weapons to the Emirates was included in an $8 billion package advanced by the Trump administration last year. By declaring an "emergency," ostensibly a threat posed by Iran, the White House was able to circumvent congressional oversight of the deal. President Donald Trump also vetoed a bipartisan resolution that would have blocked U.S. sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for use in Yemen. A similar emergency declaration to advance the F-35 sale could be hard to defend. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the emergency declaration last year as a "one-time event." But Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. peace negotiator for the Middle East, said it would be difficult for lawmakers to derail the F-35 deal even if they wanted to. "It's very hard for Congress to take responsibility for blocking something that appears tethered to [a peace agreement] that promotes American national interest." At home, Netanyahu has been criticized for not informing senior members of his government about what exactly the agreements entail. "No one knows what is in these agreements, but it is certainly not peace for peace," said Nitzan Horowitz, head of the liberal Meretz party and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. Horowitz, a leading advocate for peace with the Palestinians, said that there has been no discussion about the agreements inside the government or in the Knesset and that Netanyahu has not even consulted with his chief of staff, defense minister or foreign minister. "This has never happened before. Netanyahu just bypassed all of them," Horowitz said. Beyond the F-35s, he said he was deeply concerned about the potential sale of advanced cyber systems to the UAE. "This is technology that can easily be passed on or fall into the wrong hands," he said. - - - DeYoung reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Steven Hendrix in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Billionaire businessman Kerry Stokes' Seven Group Holdings has moved a step closer to board representation at building materials giant Boral after the conglomerate lifted its stake in Boral to 19.98 per cent. Seven Group increased its shareholding from 16.31 per cent shortly after Boral unveiled a $1.35 billion pre-tax impairment last month, mostly relating to its US operations. At the same time Boral chairman Kathryn Fagg told investors the company was in the process of "board renewal" and recruiting two new directors. Seven Group Holdings CEO Ryan Stokes said last month that the company had been watching Boral for 6-12 months before investing in the building materials group. Credit:Louise Kennerley The new directors will be based in Australia and are expected to be announced this year. Long-serving Boral director John Marlay will retire at the end of this year and Eileen Doyle will retire in 2021. Paul Rayner, who is standing for the board again this year, will retire after a replacement is found for his role as chairman of the audit and risk committee. Seven Group has not publicly stated whether it is seeking representation on the Boral board, but observers widely believe it is likely, as Seven and other major investors seek change at the construction materials giant. A 5-year-old boy died in a freak accident when a granite table fell on his head at a family members wedding reception. Luca Berlingerio, who attended the celebration with his parents at the Drake Hotel in Oak Brook, Illinois, was socializing with other children when the tragedy occurred earlier this month. It happened in the blink of an eye, Oak Brook Police Department Commander Benjamin Kadolph told TODAY Parents. Luca Berlingerio (Courtesy Berlingerio Family) According to Kadolph and a press release, the little boy was lying on a tall, narrow table with a granite top that was against the back of a sofa. When he began to slide off, he grabbed the table's edges to steady himself but pulled it down with him. He suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Kadolph called Berlingerio's death "horrific." The Drake Hotels general manager, Lee Hoener, told TODAY Parents in a statement: Our team is heartbroken about this terrible accident. We wish to share our condolences with the family and friends affected. Hoener added that hotel staff will not share specifics about the incident out of respect for the Berlingerio family's privacy. An obituary for Berlingerio stated that he passed away suddenly. Berlingerio, who was buried on Saturday, is survived by his parents, Simone and Anna Berlingerio, and his older brother, Rocco. Luca celebrated his fifth birthday on Aug. 28, just one week before the accident. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. Related video: The BJP leader, dismissing speculation that Ranaut might campaign for the ruling NDA, said Narendra Modi is the 'only campaigner the coalition needs' Gaya: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday dismissed speculations that the ruling NDA in Bihar may rope in Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut as one of its star campaigners for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. Fadnavis also took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray, who has succeeded him as Maharashtra chief minister, saying that the Shiv Sena chief seemed to be "more interested in fighting Kangana than battling corona". "We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in- charge in the state, told reporters here. He was responding to queries about reports in a section of the media that Ranaut, who is considered sympathetic towards the BJP, might canvass for the ruling coalition in Bihar in the Assembly election due in October- November. About Ranaut's spat with the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra following the demolition of a part of her house in Mumbai by the municipal authorities, Fadnavis said, "Uddhav Thackeray needs to concentrate more on battling corona, by which the state has been the worst hit. But he seems to be more interested in settling scores with Kangana." Ranaut has been at loggerheads with the state government following her outburst over the death of Patna-born actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The governments of Maharashtra and Bihar had also engaged in a tug of war after the deceased actor's father KK Singh lodged a complaint at a Patna police station, accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty and others of cheating and abetting his son's suicide. The Maharashtra government supported Chakraborty's contention that Bihar had ''no jurisdiction'' in the matter and took exception to the Nitish Kumar government recommending a CBI probe, which was later upheld by Supreme Court. Fadnavis, who has been touring Bihar since Friday, asserted that "there were no big or little brothers in the NDA" and that the JD(U), BJP and the LJP will contest the elections together and achieve a huge victory. He made the remark in response to queries about the acrimony between Janata Dal (United), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) which was founded by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and is now headed by his son Chirag Paswan. The BJP leader also paid rich tributes to former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying that he was an "ajeya yoddha" (unvanquished warrior). Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who recently resigned from the RJD, died at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Sunday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 17:20:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that he is willing to work with Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein Alois to jointly push for new progress in bilateral relations. Xi made the remarks in his congratulatory message sent to Alois, marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In his message, Xi said that although China and Liechtenstein are far apart and have different histories and cultures, levels of development and national sizes, the distance and differences have not prevented each other from friendly exchanges and cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 70 years ago, China-Liechtenstein relations have improved over time, Xi said, adding that cooperation in various fields has maintained a good momentum. Xi said the practice of China-Liechtenstein relations has well illustrated the important concept of international relations that all countries, big or small, are equal. Noting he attaches great importance to the development of China-Liechtenstein relations, Xi said he is willing to work with Alois to take the 70th anniversary as a new starting point to jointly push for new progress in bilateral relations for the benefit of the two countries and peoples, and wishes China-Liechtenstein friendship will be passed on from generation to generation. In his congratulatory message, Alois said that bilateral ties have been developing continuously in the past 70 years, and that the two sides have carried out good cooperation and lent each other support in various fields. The profound development of bilateral ties have demonstrated the friendship between the two countries, which is especially valuable against the current backdrop that is full of challenges, he said. Enditem OAK PARK, MI A 12-year-old boy died after he suffered a gunshot wound while playing with friends. Fox 2 in Detroit reports that police were called to a house on Saratoga Street just south of Nine Mile in Oak Park on Monday where they found the boy had been shot. EMS arrived and took him to Providence Hospital. Doctors and hospital staff tried to save him but he was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the TV station. Oak Park investigators said they believe the boy was shot when he and his friends were playing with the gun. Investigators are still interviewing witnesses and people who were in the home at the time of the shooting. The boys name has not been released. SIUs virtual Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month celebration kicks off Tuesday by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace Your Future is the theme of Southern Illinois University Carbondales 2020 Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month celebration. Many special events, including guest speakers, pinatas, cooking demonstrations, dancing and more are happening all virtually between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Whats really special about this year is that for the first time it is a system-wide celebration involving SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine, Cristina Castillo, coordinator of SIU Carbondales Hispanic/Latino Resource Center, said. This is historic. Live kickoff The virtual live kick-off begins at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, featuring opening remarks by SIU President Daniel F. Mahony. Carmen Suarez, an assistant professor of practice in SIU Carbondales Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education, is the kick-off keynote speaker. Suarez has extensive experience in higher education diversity, inclusion, bias prevention, cultural competence, equity and related areas. A Chicago native, she is a triple alumna of SIU Carbondale, earning her bachelors degree in history, a masters degree in medieval history and a doctorate in higher education administration. She previously served at SIU as the affirmative action officer, Hispanic community liaison, assistant dean of the School of Law Career Services Office, interim assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management and director of the Office of Diversity and Equity. Suarez earned a number of awards at SIU, including the Lindell W. Sturgis Public Service Award in 2006 and the Outstanding Administrative and Professional Staff Award in 2008. She went on to serve as the founding chief diversity officer at the University of Idaho and as the vice president for global diversity and inclusion at Portland State University before returning to her Midwest roots and SIU. Suarezs career has focused on equity and inclusion for all groups, sexual harassment prevention, career development, and institutional inclusive excellence and strategic planning. SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane, SIU Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook and Dr. Jerry Kruse, dean of the SIU School of Medicine will also speak at the kickoff. Inclusive learning Several events are planned during the month to help participants expand their knowledge and understanding of diversity and the varying communities found within the SIU campuses. A pair of Zoom training sessions at 10 a.m. on Sept. 17 and 21 will focus on Best Practices How to Better Serve Hispanic/Latinx Students in Higher Education. Two virtual live inclusive conversations are set, each featuring a different topic. The session at 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 18 will highlight Colorism in the Latinx Community while the 12:15 p.m. Oct. 2 session will spotlight the LGBTQ community. Several panel discussions Torn Between Tongues is a panel discussion focusing on differing opinions regarding some Hispanic/Latinx students being bilingual while others speak only English. It is set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. Students from Maryville University will also participate. A panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 13, Proud to be the First: Struggles and Successes of First Gen Latinx, will feature first-generation Hispanic/Latinx students sharing their stories including their successes and struggles. Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity Inc., Delta Phi Chapter is sponsoring the event. Castillo said the goal through the various presentations is to highlight the history, culture, customs, contributions and advocacy of the Hispanic/Latinx people. Fun, inclusive activities also set An assortment of entertaining Hispanic/Latinx activities also will take place during the month. Julio Barrenzuela, an acclaimed professional dancer and salsa ambassador will present a virtual live salsa dance lesson at 6 p.m., Sept. 23. And the opportunity to learn about the history of the pinata and how to make a pinata will happen during a livestream virtual event at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. There is a chance to win prizes during Loteria of Latinx personalities, a Hispanic game similar to Bingo, with the virtual game set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 5. Participants will also learn to make delicious Latin food during a virtual live cooking demonstration at 6 p.m. on Oct. 14. For more information Find the complete schedule of events, including links to all virtual events, at hrc.siu.edu. For additional information, call 618-453-1843 or email cristina.castillo@siu.edu. The official, who is also head of the SOM ASEAN of Laos, congratulated Vietnam on successfully hosting all events as scheduled and completing the discussion of a series of documents as planned amid the complex developments of COIVD-19 worldwide. Priorities set by the country as Chair of ASEAN 2020 are progressing well, he added. The AMM 53 and related meetings, held from September 9-12 via video conference, reviewed the implementation of ASEAN-related works and the results of member nations conduction of the blocs plan on building its three pillars, vision, and master plan on ASEAN connectivity, among others. At the event, participating countries agreed and were committed to collaborating in COVID-19 prevention and control, including experience exchange and joint research on vaccine production. ASEAN ministers also approved numerous important documents for cooperation for comprehensive economic recovery within the bloc, including a document on the establishment of an ASEAN fund in response to COVID-19 and the Joint Communique of AMM 53 ASEAN. According to Thongphane Savanphet, at these meetings, ASEAN continued playing its central role in cooperating with international partners, planning programmes, and putting forth priorities in discussions. He said the blocs joint work with its development and dialogue partners have grown robustly in the past five years. The meetings passed plans for ASEANs cooperation for 2021 2025 with partners like the US, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and India, among others. ASEAN ministers agreed to grant the development partnership status to Italy and France. In addition, the ministers also discussed with representatives of ASEAN partner nations on the matters of security and peace, particularly traditional and non-traditional security issues. The Lao official said the pandemic has interrupted the blocs the Code of Conduct in the East Sea/ South China Sea (COC) negotiation this year. In the past week, as part of the event, working groups in charge of the negotiation met, with ASEAN and China agreeing to carry out online negotiation if the pandemic keeps going on longer and committed to concluding the work effectively as soon as possible. A team of officials from the (ECI) on Monday is scheduled to visit Bihar to overview the latest preparation and updates on the Bihar Assembly "The team will reach before lunch to see the latest developments as far as the preparation for Bihar assembly election is concerned," an official from the commission told ANI. In addition, the official said that they will also see the latest pandemic situation in the state. Earlier in August, ECI had released its updated election-related guidelines in which necessary changes were made considering the coronavirus pandemic. A detailed COVID-19 related comprehensive plan will be prepared at the state level, taking local conditions into account, the guidelines had stated. ECI is also considering a proposal to increase poll expenditure during the pandemic. The political parties had suggested the same in their suggestions to the ECI earlier. Earlier, ECI had stated that the announcement for the Bihar Assembly Elections' schedule, as well as the by-elections, will be done by the Commission at an appropriate time. (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's not just the amusing script that is being appreciated by fans of the new Netflix comedy The Duchess, but also Katherine Ryan's standout wardrobe - complete with fur-detailed pyjamas, a sequin raincoat and crystal headbands. Viewers said the outfits featured in the drama - which also include vibrant silver slip-on shoes and numerous knee-high boots - have set a 'new standard for school run attire.' The show follows a 'disruptive single mother' navigating the ups and downs of parenthood in London - with comedian Katherine's character, who has the same name, sharing a close relationship with her only daughter Olive. Katherine debates whether to have a second child and looks at getting a sperm donor before suggesting Olive's father - a former musician called Shep (Peaky Blinders' Rory Keenan), who has a dishevelled life 'off the grid' on a barge - help her get pregnant. Released this month, the comedy has been praised for its amusing storyline and for its equally 'amazing' costumes, with one viewer writing: 'Fifteen minutes into #TheDuchessNetflix and already obsessed with Katherine Ryan's wardrobe. I need feather-trimmed pyjamas.' It's not just the amusing script that is being appreciated by fans of the new Netflix comedy The Duchess, but also Katherine Ryan's standout wardrobe (pictured with her daughter in the show) - complete with fur-detailed pyjamas, a sequin raincoat and crystal headbands Viewers said the outfits (pictured) featured in the drama - which also include vibrant silver slip-on shoes and numerous knee-high boots - have set a 'new standard for school run attire.' Released this month, the comedy has been praised for its amusing storyline and for its equally 'amazing' costumes (above) Another impressed Twitter user said: 'First scene in Katherine Ryan's The Duchess and I'm already living for this school run jumper.' A third added: 'I have binged the entirety of The Duchess and now all I want to be is a single mother with an incredible wardrobe. Teach me your ways.' While a fourth wrote: 'Katherine in The Duchess is exactly the kind of mother I want to be. Will be taking my mug on the school run tomorrow in honour of her.' One viewer said: 'The Duchess is amazeballs! Katherine Ryan is setting a new standard for school run attire! More episodes please! The drama was also praised for its comedic scenes, with some viewers admitting the already wanted a season two to occur. The show follows a 'disruptive single mother' navigating the ups and downs of parenthood in London - with comedian Katherine's character (pictured), who has the same name, sharing a close relationship with her only daughter Olive Katherine (pictured) debates whether to have a second child and looks at getting a sperm donor before suggesting Olive's father - a former musician called Shep (Peaky Blinders' Rory Keenan), who has a dishevelled life 'off the grid' on a barge - help her get pregnant Reaction: The Duchess viewers (above) were sent into a frenzy by Katherine Ryan's eye-catching outfits on the Netflix comedy One person said: 'Absolutely loved The Duchess on Netflix, just gutted I've already finished it. I wanted more.' Another added: 'Just binge watched Katherine Ryan and The Duchess on Netflix... season two please! Funny. Clever. This woman is on fire!' A third wrote: 'I expected a very in-your-face comedy and Katherine Ryan provided it. The Duchess TV series on Netflix is very recommended.' Whilst dealing with a boyfriend who wants to take their relationship to the next level, Katherine has to choose between having a baby with a sperm donor or her estranged partner and Olive's dad. Whilst dealing with a boyfriend who wants to take their relationship to the next level, Katherine has to choose between having a baby with a sperm donor or her estranged partner and Olive's dad (pictured together) Australian comedian Steen Raskopoulos, 33, stars in the shows as the mother's current boyfriend Evan (right) Katherine is featured in a variety of hilarious and embarrassing situations, including confrontations at the school gates and discussing sex with her boyfriend in front of a delivery driver. Another hilarious scene in the comedy sees Katherine visit a fertility doctor who questions why she would need to use a sperm donor to which she responds 'all of my family are dead... to me'. She is then loudly offended when the doctor suggests she use a young man's profile to help with her 'geriatric pregnancy'. Further into the drama, Katherine is also seen struggling to come to terms with her failed musician ex's new girlfriend insisting on being part of Olive's life. Not one for being conventional, Katherine also spends time taking her daughter on nights out and to the pub as she tries to raise her as best she can. The drama was also praised for its comedic scenes, with some viewers admitting the already wanted a season two to occur (pictured) The sitcom is loosely based on the comedian's own life as a mother-of-one who raised her daughter Violet, 11, in London, when they moved to the UK from Canada. Speaking to The Radio Times about the new show in August, Katherine said: 'I've never written a sitcom so that makes it very different (from my previous Netflix specials). 'It was a challenge, because I'm not a screenwriter who's experienced, I don't know the rules, I'm learning the rules. 'The Duchess is super authentic I think to my personality, to my stage persona, because it's a disruptive mum who's a bad person but a good mum. 'She's fashionable, she loves being a mother she's not sad about it it's me, yes. The rest is fiction, but it is a heightened version of me, and I'm really lucky because they're just letting me go and write the real thing that I would have wanted to. Lets recap: TikTok went viral around the world as an app popular with lip-syncing kids, but the U.S. government claims its a national security threat because the company collects reams of data on American citizens. Recognizing those concerns, Microsoft announced in early August it was in talks to buy TikTok, and would let us know the result by Sept. 15 (it subsequently brought Walmart Inc. into the deal). Days later, Trump issued an executive order banning any American entity from doing business with ByteDance. That effectively forced the sale of TikTok, with a deadline this week.Beijing eventually called Trumps bluff and decided that any sale of Chinese artificial intelligence technology needs to get prior approval. That threw a spanner in the works, because while data is what Washington fears, its the technology and algorithms that are truly of value. TikTok had developed its share. Beijing is reported to prefer that the service be shut down entirely than have it carved up in a forced sale. The French cities of Marseille and Bordeaux and their wider regions on Monday announced a series of measures to limit public gatherings as French Covid-19 infections soar. Bordeaux, in the southwest, and the Mediterranean city of Marseille have emerged as virus hotspots along with the capital Paris, heightening fears of a second wave of coronavirus cases despite face mask requirements and strict social distancing rules. Marseille is France's second-biggest city, Bordeaux its ninth. Group and family gatherings will now be limited to 10 people or less in Bordeaux and the surrounding Gironde area, including in open spaces, the regional prefect Fabienne Boccio told a press conferences. Hours later, almost identical measures were announced for Marseille and its region, Bouches du Rhone, with prefect Christophe Mirmand calling the health situation there "very worrying". Standing at bars will no longer be allowed, nor will discotheques or private parties for weddings and other family events. The maximum number of people allowed to watch sporting matches and large events is now 1,000, sparking a string of cancellations for large gatherings planned over coming weeks. Companies are being urged to have employees work from home whenever possible, and bus services will be reinforced during rush hours to avoid crowding. Only two people will be allowed to visit retirement home residents each day in Marseille -- and only two per week in Bordeaux -- in a bid to limit Covid-19 outbreaks among those most vulnerable. Additional gendarme and riot police units will be deployed to enforce the measures, Boccio said, and a fresh review of the situation will be made within three weeks. "If we have to toughen the measures, I will, but if we can lighten them, I'll do that as well," she said. "All the warning signals are flashing red," added Yann Bubien, director of the Bordeaux university hospital and a member of the government's scientific advisory council on the coronavirus. Story continues His hospital has 77 Covid patients, of whom 24 are in intensive care, "a very rapid increase over the past 10 days," he said. On Saturday, France reported 10,561 cases in 24 hours, the highest number since large-scale testing began. The death toll stands at nearly 31,000. Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday that while the crisis was "worsening," he wanted to avoid a new nationwide lockdown that would again cripple the economy. burs/jh/sjw/bp Storm-weary Gulf Coast residents rushed to finish last-minute preparations on Monday as Tropical Storm Sally was upgraded to a hurricane while it chugged slowly through warm Gulf waters. Forecasters predicted that Sally would make landfall late on Monday or early Tuesday, and said the biggest threat is flooding, with as much as two feet of rain falling in some areas. The National Hurricane Center announced late Monday morning that the storm had reached hurricane strength with 85mph winds. 'The bottom line continues to be that Sally is expected to be a dangerous slow-moving hurricane near the coast of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama during the next 2-3 days,' the National Hurricane Center said early Monday. Sally is perhaps the least welcome guest among lots of company: For only the second time in recorded history, there are five tropical cyclones churning in the Atlantic basin, meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said: Paulette, Rene, Teddy and now Vicky also are spinning over ocean waters. Sam Dorsey helps Dianne Fredrick load a sandbag in the back of her truck as Tropical Storm Sally approaches in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on Monday Rodney and Peggy Thomas fill sandbags in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on Monday A beach restoration crew member watches as a bulldozer operator hauls sand to build up a barrier along the beach in Bay St. Louis. Sally is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by the team it hits landfall along the Gulf Coast late on Monday or early Tuesday Authorities in the Gulf Coast states are urging residents in low-lying areas to evacuate The National Hurricane Center upgraded Sally from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Monday mid-afternoon Jeffrey Gagnard of Chalmette, Louisiana, spent Sunday in Mississippi helping his parents prepare their home for Sally - and making sure they safely evacuated ahead of the storm. 'I mean, after Katrina, anything around here and anything on the water, youre going to take serious,' he said, as he loaded the back of his SUV with cases of bottled water in a grocery store parking lot in Waveland, Mississippi. 'You cant take anything lightly.' The National Hurricane Center said it was too early to tell exactly where Sally would come ashore, because its still not known when it would make a turn to the north. At 10am local time, it was about 140 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Its top sustained winds were 65 mph and it was moving toward the coast at just 6 mph. Sally, which was a tropical depression that dumped several inches of rain on South Florida last week, has slowly made its way toward the Gulf Coast Meteorologists expect the tropical storm to strengthen to a hurricane by the time it makes landfall late on Monday The storm is expected to dump up to 2 feet of rain along parts of the Gulf Coast The storm is likely to cause major damage due its slow-moving nature. It was heading west northwest at just 7mph as of Monday afternoon Most of the coastal area stretching from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle are under varying degrees of storm and hurricane watches As of Monday afternoon, radar was picking up wind gusts of up to 51mph in the Gulf of Mexico Flood alerts are also in effect for the low-lying coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico Parts of New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama could see dangerous storm surge People in New Orleans were watching the storm's track intently. A more easterly landfall would likely bring the heavier rains and damaging winds onto the Mississippi coast, or east of that. Outer bands from the storm were hitting the Florida Panhandle as of early Monday afternoon. A more westerly track would pose another test for the low-lying city, where heavy rains have to be pumped out through a century-old drainage system. Officials with the Sewerage and Water Board said Sunday that all of the pumps were in operation ahead of the storm, but the aging system is also susceptible to breakdowns. Sally is expected to reach shore by early Tuesday, bringing dangerous weather conditions, including risk of flooding, to a region stretching from the western Florida Panhandle to southeast Louisiana. The Hurricane Center warned of an 'extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm surge' for areas outside the levee protection system that protects the greater New Orleans area stretching from Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to the Alabama/Florida border. 'I know for a lot of people this storm seemed to come out of nowhere,' said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Sunday. 'We need everybody to pay attention to this storm. Let's take this one seriously.' In Mandeville, a city about 35 miles north of New Orleans, resident Chris Yandle has purchased a week's worth of groceries and moved all his patio furniture into his family's house and shed in preparation for the storm. Flooding has already begun on Quietwater Beach, Florida, on Monday as Tropical Storm Sally slowly makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico Floodwaters are seen engulfing a lifeguard station along Quietwater Beach on Monday The image above shows a satellite photo tracking Sally as it makes its way across the Gulf of Mexico 'I'm mostly trying to stay calm - especially with a family of four and a dog to worry about,' Yandle said. 'I've lived through many hurricanes growing up in Louisiana, but I havent felt this anxious about a hurricane in my life.' Mississippi officials warned that the storm was expected to coincide with high tide, leading to significant storm surge. 'It needs to be understood by all of our friends in the coastal region and in south Mississippi that if you live in low-lying areas, the time to get out is early tomorrow morning,' Governor Tate Reeves said late Sunday. Pensacola, on Floridas Panhandle, was bracing for 10 to 15 inches of rain. Sally could produce rain totals up to 24 inches by the middle of the week, forecasters said. Its maximum sustained winds Monday morning were near 65 mph. 'That system is forecast to bring not only damaging winds but a dangerous storm surge,' said Daniel Brown of the Hurricane Center. 'Because it's slowing down it could produce a tremendous amount of rainfall over the coming days.' The entire island of Bermuda, where homes are built to withstand major hurricanes, was inside the eye of Hurricane Paulette on Monday morning. Once a tropical storm, Rene was forecast to become a remnant low Monday. Teddy became a tropical storm Monday morning, and was expected to become a hurricane later in the week, forecasters said. And Tropical Storm Vicky formed east of the Cape Verde islands. A mandatory evacuation has already been issued in Grand Isle, Louisiana, ahead of Sally. On Saturday, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a mandatory evacuation order for Orleans Parish residents living outside of the parishs levee protection system. All northern Gulf Coast states are urging residents to prepare. 'It is likely that this storm system will be impacting Alabama's Gulf Coast. While it is currently not being predicted as a direct hit to our coastal areas, we know well that we should not take the threat lightly,' said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. She urged residents to prepare and stay informed of the storms path in the coming days. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 17:11:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov (R) meets with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua) China is leading the world in vaccine research and development, and will make new and important contributions to the fight against the epidemic, said Jeenbekov. BISHKEK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan appreciates China's assistance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the central Asian country, and seeks to deepen cooperation with China in the post-epidemic era, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said here on Sunday. As an old Chinese saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative, Jeenbekov said during a meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Kyrgyzstan is a good neighbor and a friend of China, said the president. Kyrgyzstan is very grateful to the Chinese side for the help it offered at the most difficult moment in the fight against the epidemic, including providing material and technical assistance, sending medical experts and sharing experience. He noted that the Kyrgyz side greatly admires the unity of the Chinese people in successfully overcoming the epidemic. China is also leading the world in vaccine research and development, and will make new and important contributions to the fight against the epidemic, said Jeenbekov. He reiterated that Kyrgyzstan highly appreciates the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi Jinping. Kyrgyzstan firmly pursues the One-China policy, stands with China on all major issues concerning China's core interests and will always be a firm friend of China, he noted. Kyrgyzstan is willing to work with China to further promote the co-construction of Belt and Road, and to overcome the adverse effects caused by the epidemic on the economy, said the Kyrgyz president. He added that Kyrgyzstan seeks to expand the two countries' pragmatic cooperation in investment, energy, transportation, agriculture, medicine, to explore new areas, such as electronic commerce and artificial intelligence, and to accelerate construction of the railroad between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. These will promote a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to achieve greater development, said Jeenbekov. Wang said that solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in the fight against the epidemic, and also the best interpretation to the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi. We live in an interconnected world. We should help each other in times of difficulty, said Wang, adding that the Chinese government has launched the largest humanitarian operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China, providing emergency supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations, including Kyrgyzstan. We believe that through solidarity and mutual assistance, mankind will be able to overcome the epidemic, said Wang. China is ready to continue providing support to the Kyrgyz side in fighting the epidemic, strengthen vaccine cooperation and stand with the Kyrgyz people. Wang stressed that China appreciates Kyrgyzstan's firm support on issues concerning China's core interests and China also supports Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and national dignity. China supports Kyrgyzstan for following a development path suited to its national conditions, and opposes any external forces interfering in Kyrgyzstan's internal affairs, said Wang. We are confident that under the leadership of President Jeenbekov, Kyrgyzstan will maintain political stability and social harmony, and continue to move forward along the road of modernization, he said. China is ready to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in the post-epidemic era in accordance with the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and to unveil a new chapter for the development of bilateral relations, said Wang. A stylist has sparked a rush on $25 high-waisted trousers from Kmart that look almost identical to a designer pair almost 12 times the price. Sydney fashion blogger Angel Perez, who posts on Instagram as 'Styling Mum and Bub', caught followers' attention in early September when she shared a series of outfit photos featuring the discount store's cream coloured 'Pleated Jeans'. They are remarkably similar to $295 palazzo pants from Australian designer label Aje, which is headquartered in Sydney's Paddington. Both trousers have deep double-front pockets, flared hems and thick waistbands that sit high above the hips in a flattering style that conceals the tricky-to-tone expanse of the lower stomach. Scroll down for video Luxe for less: Sydney fashion blogger Angel Perez wears the $25 'Pleated Jeans' from Kmart, which look considerably more expensive than their bargain price tag Aje's $295 palazzo pants (pictured) have the same front pockets, flared hems and thick waist band as Kmart's $25 pleated jeans Women have been racing to Kmart to buy the 'perfectly elegant' discount dupe which looks considerably more expensive than its bargain price tag. Comments on stylist Angel Perez's Instagram reveal just how taken people are with the design, with responses including 'so elegant', 'love this look' and 'beautiful pants'. 'I love how high-waisted those trousers are!' one woman replied. Another said she'd been inspired to buy them after seeing how flattering and well tailored they appeared on Ms Perez. It's the latest Kmart clothing to take Australian social media by storm, following an $18 maxi-skirt that flatters every body shape and a $9 shirt that's cheaper than a lunchtime sandwich. Comments on stylist Angel Perez's Instagram reveal just how taken people are with the design (pictured), with responses including 'so elegant', 'love this look' and 'beautiful pants' Available in beige and a rich burgundy, the long-sleeved button-up top is winning praise on Instagram for its comfort, versatility and remarkable affordability. There are only limited sizes of shade 'Peanut' left in stock online, but 'Shiraz' named after the popular red wine is still in available in six, eight, 12 and 14. On Instagram, Melbourne stylist Maria, who posts as The Budget Savvy Girl, said she loves the 'edginess' the ribbed texture adds to an outfit. Perth fashion blogger Louisa Sabrina agreed and said she is looking forward to summer when she plans to wear it over a crop top and linen shorts. Canberra fashion blogger 'This is Genevieve' wears the long-sleeved corduroy shirt from Kmart in shade 'Peanut', currently reduced to $9 Melbourne stylist Maria, who posts as The Budget Savvy Girl (left) and Sydney blogger Angel Perez (right) wear two looks built around the $9 corduroy shirt One follower replied: 'It's such a gorgeous shirt babe. I saw this before the lockdown, now I wish I picked it up. You look fab in it!' Others said she had inspired them to buy the shirt, which has also been endorsed by up-and-coming influencer 'This is Genevieve'. The Canberra fashionista - who is known for creating chic outfits from cheap clothing - paired the shirt with a pair of $20 Kmart jeans which have been flying off shelves in recent weeks. (Photo : (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 29: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers a keynote during the 2015 Microsoft Build Conference on April 29, 2015 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. Thousands are expected to attend the annual developer conference which runs through May 1. (Photo : (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 30: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers the keynote address during the 2016 Microsoft Build Developer Conference on March 30, 2016 in San Francisco, California. The Microsoft Build Developer Conference runs through April 1. The world's largest operating system creator and software developer, Microsoft, has seen its fair share of Chief Executive Officers from different life statures, beginning with its co-founder, Bill Gates. Currently, Satya Nadella, one of the world's most-loved CEO, leads the software company on its daily operations and oversees its standing in the global market. Being the CEO means enormous responsibility and embodying the company's goals and spirit within one's self. Satya Nadella, in his six years as the tech giant's big boss, proves that even a family man can lead a trillion-dollar enterprise into success and global competitiveness against rivals in the industry such as Apple, Google, and the like. Satya Nadella is considered a tech wizard who has it all, leading the world's second most prominent tech company, applying his passion and interests as the CEO. However, Nadella is a simple Indian-American who attributes all his success and current stature in life to his beloved family. Despite all the challenges the company currently faces, competition with Apple, and the recently failed deal with TikTok's mother company, ByteDance, Satya Nadella maintains his composure and positively pushes through life. Get to Know the Inspiring Family Man, Satya Nadella Indeed having it all, Microsoft's Family Man maintained all of the elements in his life that a simple man would find hard to do. Satya Nadella's optimism has kept him at bay and in-control of his life. Business Insider ranks the six-year Microsoft CEO as the Most Loved CEO in America by People-of-color. Satya Nadella came from Hyderabad, India, before migrating to the United States and living in Washington. The CEO completed a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering at the Mangalore University, a Master's Degree in Computer Science with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and another Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. The 53-year-old CEO briefly worked with Sun Microsystems, the famous company that created the Java programming language now acquired by the Oracle Corporation, as a technology staff. Anupama Nadella's Empathy The Economic Times greatly attributes the Microsoft CEO learning from his long-time wife, Anupama Nadella, which he calls "Anu," one of the very core of humanity's behavior, empathy. Satya Nadella's role-model is his wife, Anu, who taught him to be grounded and compassionate of the people around him. The couple also experienced a challenging moment in their life back in 1996, as their son, Zain, shares utero asphyxiation causing brain damage and disability. In Satya Nadella's 2015 book, Hit Refresh, he refers to this moment as life-changing and insightful as he and his wife did not feel anger or hate for being in that situation. Microsoft and Satya Nadella's Career Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 and did wonders with the company that resulted in various colorful projects and remarkable career. Nadella's legacy helped Microsoft pioneer and introduce some of the company's biggest product offerings. Before he was appointed the CEO to succeed the 14-year leadership of Steve Ballmer, Nadella was Microsoft's Cloud and Enterprise Group. The family man transformed the company's cloud infrastructure and services that surprisingly dominated the market and competition leaders. Nadella's appointment as CEO saw Microsoft's purchase of LinkedIn in 2016 and GitHub in 2018. Satya Nadella's leadership and direction with Microsoft tripled its stocks by 2018 and saw a varying annual growth rate. Satya Nadella's personality as a compassionate and family-oriented person drove Microsoft to still be one of the world's most successful companies since its establishment 45 years ago. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TROY, Mich., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KIRCO and Phoenix Senior Living today announced the completion of The Bluffs at Greystone, an independent and assisted living community in Birmingham, Alabama. The 137-unit senior living community, operated by Phoenix Senior Living, provides 63 independent living units, 50 assisted living units and 24 memory care units. Amenities include an indoor pool, a wellness center, yoga studio, an industry-leading dining experience, a pub, full-service salon and spa, outdoor pickle ball and bocce ball courts, and more. "We are very excited to offer a brand new, state-of-the-art senior living community to the Birmingham market," said Matt Kiriluk, president and CEO of KIRCO. "We are committed to enriching the life of seniors and their families and are proud to partner with Phoenix Senior Living as they share our commitment to providing industry leading service, care and hospitality. We look forward to making a lasting positive impact on our residents." Founder and CEO of Phoenix Senior Living, Jesse Marinko, remarks, "Our company is thrilled to serve the Birmingham market with our unique brand of family-focused care. Partnerships with the KIRCO group are exciting and allow us to provide the signature amenities for which our brand is known." He adds, "We take the business of caring for seniors and their families very seriously, and we look forward to providing outstanding senior and memory care options across the state." KIRCO is an investor and developer of independent living, assisted living and memory care facilities that nurture and inspire senior residents and their families. KIRCO MANIX, who completed the construction on the project, has extensive experience in the design and construction of senior living facilities. For each senior living project, KIRCO and KIRCO MANIX select a specialized team that understands the unique needs of seniors in each market to help capture the local dynamic, including architecture, interior design, culture and climate. About Phoenix Senior Living Phoenix Senior Living, headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, is a privately held senior housing company with over 30 properties located within suburban communities throughout the southeast region of the United States. With an executive team bringing a combined 90+ years of senior housing experience, Phoenix focuses on high-quality care with exceptional amenities. Phoenix's mission is to provide residents and families with a meaningful and joyful experience from their very first interaction. They strive to fully understand and support the uniqueness of every resident's physical, social, and emotional needs. Phoenix seeks to foster a secure, positive and unified environment with dedicated, tenured employees. www.phoenixsrliving.com About KIRCO Founded in 1974 and third-generation family owned and operated, KIRCO is an award-winning commercial real estate investment, development, construction (KIRCO MANIX) and facility management organization. Having planned and developed over 35 million square feet of real estate, KIRCO is a major developer from coast-to-coast with primary focuses in corporate real estate (office, industrial, R&D), healthcare and senior housing. KIRCO's vertical integration of development, construction and facility management puts the entire lifecycle at the forefront, bringing a level of cohesive excellence to each project. KIRCO is headquartered in Troy, Mich. and has a presence in Ohio, Minnesota, Alabama and Florida, as well as project experience spanning 17 states. For more information, please visit www.kirco.com. About KIRCO MANIX Operating throughout the region since 1929, KIRCO MANIX provides construction services in the following market sectors: corporate office and headquarters; advanced manufacturing / research and design; warehouse / distribution; retail; healthcare; and senior living market. The company offers customers a unique, full-service approach by managing the design, engineering and construction phase through the eyes of an owner. For more information, please visit www.kircomanix.com or call 248.354.5100. SOURCE KIRCO TDT | Manama Bahrains normalization deal with Israel hailed as a historic breakthrough by US President Donald Trump has been welcomed with open hands by nations all over the world describing it as a major step toward Middle East peace and stability. Earlier announcing the deal on his twitter handle Trump wrote: Another historic breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal. Immediately, following the announcement, the UAE foreign affairs termed the deal as another significant and historic achievement which will contribute enormously to the stability and prosperity of the region. Several Gulf, Arab states also came out quickly voicing their full support for the deal, which they said is an important step aimed at consolidating stability and peace in the Middle East. The nations also viewed the peace deal as a significant move towards achieving a just and a permanent solution to the Palestinian cause. Welcoming the deal, the Bahraini Jewish community in the statement praised His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for his foresight in promoting co-existence and peace in the region.On the historic occasion of furthering peace in the Middle East and the joint statement of the United States, Bahrain, and Israel, the Bahraini Jewish community congratulates our leadership on this momentous the occasion, Ebrahim Dahood Nonoo, the head of the community, said in a statement. The deal also received a deluge of congratulation from ministers, top officials, diplomats and Royal family members in the Kingdom. Courageous stance Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, in a late-night statement, hailed the deal as a courageous stance reflecting His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas wisdom and forward-looking vision. He stressed that the move will serve Bahrains top interests and contribute to consolidating security and stability, as well as promoting progress and prosperity. A major catalyst for peace Industry, Commerce, and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani described the historic breakthrough as a major catalyst for peace in the region. The peace deal, he said, would contribute to heralding wider horizons for commerce with more leading firms in the world. The breakthrough would boost commerce and investment opportunities. Bold and historic breakthrough The deal which represents a bold and historic breakthrough would usher in promising and economic dividends and bolster peace, said Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa. He stressed Bahrains keenness on setting up vital projects that meet aspirations for a better future for Bahrain and people. For the region The National Guard Commander, General His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa said the royal move aims to achieve a more secure, stable and prosperous future for all peoples of the region, as well as contribute to supporting the legitimate Palestinian rights. A significant step towards ending conflict The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said the agreement is a historic and significant step towards achieving peace in the Middle East and ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He affirmed that the Kingdoms unwavering stances have always placed the Palestinian cause at the top of Bahrains priorities by underlining the right of the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights. Courageous Bahraini step Board of Trustees Chairman of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa hailed the deal as a courageous Bahraini step aimed at achieving peace and harmony among all peoples and societies. Two pedestrians were injured after a drunk driver rammed his car into them on Sunday evening in Hadapsar, Pune. The driver was identified as Ravindra Dada Khepe while the identities of the injured could not be immediately ascertained. The windshield of the white Maruti Swift Dzire car that the offender was driving was damaged in the accident. One of the injured is under treatment, while the other sustained scratches, said police inspector (crime) HT Kumbhar . Test carried out showed that the accused was driving under the influence of alcohol, said senior inspector Ramesh Sathe of Hadapsar police station. A case under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act was registered at Hadapsar police station. Britain has been knocked off its traditional top spot as Spain's most important foreign tourism market for the first time in decades. More French holidaymakers picked Spain in July than Brits or Germans in a historic reversal of the sunshine destination's overall tourism figures. The Covid-19 pandemic has been blamed for the dent in the UK's love affair with Spain. Britain has been knocked off its traditional top spot as Spain's most important foreign tourism market for the first time in decades. Above, a view of Palma de Mallorca airport in July More French holidaymakers picked Spain in July than Brits or Germans in a historic reversal of the sunshine destination's overall tourism figures. Above, beachgoers at Barceloneta beach in Barcelona on September 4 Only 378,000 British tourists visited the country in July ahead of Downing Street's introduction of new quarantine rules on returning holidaymakers, compared to the 2.2 million that put the UK in top spot in July last year. The number of French visitors were also down by 58 per cent compared to the 82 per cent UK plunge with 597,000 French nationals picking Spain this July compared to 1.43 million last July. Germany kept second place with 432,302 tourists compared to 1.24 million in July, a drop of 65 per cent. The change been linked to the fact that eight out of ten French holidaymakers who travelled to Spain in July did so by road. France's travel advice also included a July 24 recommendation to its citizens to only avoid Catalonia and not the Balearics or other popular holiday areas like the Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol. By contrast 94 per cent of Brits who reached Spain in July did so by plane, official figures from the country's National Statistics Institute INE show. Britain's end-of-July quarantine decision and removal of Spain from its 'green' foreign travel list was a blanket one, affecting all areas of the mainland as well as the Canary Islands and Balearics. It led to the likes of TUI cancelling flights to the sunshine destination as the UK government advised against non-essential travel to Spain and many families opting for staycations. Only 378,000 British tourists visited the country in July ahead of Downing Street's introduction of new quarantine rules on returning holidaymakers, compared to the 2.2 million that put the UK in top spot in July last year. Above, passengers arrive at Palma de Mallorca airport on July 30 With Spain unlikely to be removed from the UK quarantine list any time soon, Britain's historic annual foreign tourism top spot now looks in danger too. Last year 18 million Brits picked Spain for their holidays, way above second and third-placed Germany and France with around 11 million tourists each. The UK has been Spain's most important foreign tourist market for decades after it began to open up to northern European holidaymakers as a sun and sea destination under former dictator Francisco Franco. Spain first became Britain's favourite holiday destination nearly 20 years ago. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show Spain received 12.5 million British tourists in 2002 whereas France was the preferred holiday destination of 12.1 million Brits. Respected Spanish newspaper El Pais billed it at the time as 'the first year Spain had become the preferred holiday destination of the British.' A year later a World Tourism Organisation chief criticised Benidorm's 'excessive' dependency on British tourism. Britain maintained its historic Spanish number one foreign tourism ranking in the first three months of this year before the Covid-19 crisis led to Spain shutting its borders to holidaymakers from abroad for the following three months until June 21. Figures showing the numbers of foreign tourists who visited Spain in August, due out shortly, are expected to put France above Britain again. The UK has been Spain's most important foreign tourist market for decades after it began to open up to northern European holidaymakers as a sun and sea destination under former dictator Francisco Franco. Above, passengers queue at the Jet2 check-in desk at Palma de Mallorca The plunge in the number of British holidaymakers picking Spain has been blamed for the early closure of hotels in UK-popular resorts like Benidorm and Magaluf. Benidorm mayor Toni Perez reacted to the UK quarantine decision earlier this year by admitting: 'We very much regret it. In Benidorm we've worked a lot to minimise the risks and we haven't got any problems here at the moment. 'It's a very safe destination with beaches which are very well organised and businesses which have established protocols and are applying them. 'The problem in Spain is in certain areas, but in the end this decision affects us all and especially resorts like ours whose main market is British. 'We are going to continue working along the lines we have been up to now, knowing that what we've been doing has been done well and that we offer a safe destination thanks to the hard work of everyone here.' Tony Mayor, president of the Benidorm and Costa Blanca hotel association Hosbec, described it at the time as a 'hammer blow' and predicted at the start of this month less than 15 of Benidorm's 140 hotels could remain open in the famous resort by the end of September. Autumn and winter are normally favourites with foreign holidaymakers including British pensioners seeking to avoid the town's high temperatures in summer. Mr Mayor said 'In autumn and winter we rely on international tourism and elderly holidaymakers who are an at-risk group and are more afraid. 'If there's no family tourism because the schools are starting again, there's not there much margin when it comes to keeping hotels open. 'I'm not saying some won't stay open, but it will only be around 10 to 15.' Surpreet Khunkhun, one of three UMHS medical students to win scholarship to AMSA's Reproductive Justice Leadership Program No matter what your politics or religious beliefs are, it should be a given that people facing important medical decisions deserve access to accurate, unbiased, and confidential information about their healthcare. The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, (UMHS), a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada, announced that three of its medical students have been awarded scholarships from the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) for its Reproductive Justice Leadership Program. Surpreet Khunkhun, Mariana Ndrio, and Eboni Peoples will participate in AMSAs specialized course, which addresses the hidden curriculum in medical school and prepares students to think critically about abortion-related education and training opportunities. Through AMSAs program, these UMHS scholarship winners will study the principles of reproductive justice, diversity and equity in the healthcare workforce, and how maternal mortality and abortion restrictions undermine quality care and harm women of color. Khunkhun, Ndrio, and Peoples described their journey to medical school and shared how their unique experiences drive their passion for learning about reproductive justice for the UMHS blog, The Endeavour. As a first-generation Canadian of Indian descent and second-year medical student Surpreet Khunkhun, acknowledges that sex and reproduction are taboo topics. I grew up knowing very little about the barriers around accessing reproductive services, Khunkhun said. As an aspiring OB/GYN, signing up for AMSAs Reproductive Justice Leadership Program is my first step in educating myself to be the type of physician I want to be. It is very appalling to me that there are people out there getting away with [intentionally] providing inaccurate information to a person seeking medical aid. No matter what your politics or religious beliefs are, it should be a given that people facing important medical decisions deserve access to accurate, unbiased, and confidential information about their healthcare. Second-year UMHS student Mariana Ndrio said she believes reproductive health is every womans right, and knows firsthand about the struggles women face regarding access to care. Having lived in countries like Albania and Greece as a child of refugees, I have borne witness to the barriers women face when accessing reproductive services from a very young age, Ndrio said. Too often I heard stories of migrant and refugee women being left to die in botched abortions or in the process of giving birth under sub-par conditions, whether it be in local hospitals or forgotten refugee camps. In either situation, the same horrific reality persisted: that of not having access to contraception and reproductive services due to ethnic or socioeconomic status. Now more than ever, we as future physicians must be aware of how such barriers disproportionately and directly affect our patientsespecially black, brown, indigenous, and queer women. Eboni Peoples, a third-year medical student at UMHS, is using her training to make a difference for women by participating in virtual discussions with political leaders. Most recently, Peoples spoke to legislative aides in Florida, a state that has tried to place numerous restrictions on abortion and where 73% of counties have no abortion clinic. Since joining the Reproductive Justice Leadership Program, I have been paying more attention to state and federal policies and participated in several Congressional visits via Zoom, Peoples said. [Last month], I met with the legislative aides for Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and legislative aides for Congressman Brian Mast and Congresswoman Donna Shalala. In these meetings, I was able to express my concerns for the health and safety of patients while raising awareness for bodily autonomy. The Reproductive Justice Leadership Program has encouraged me to look into abortion coverages for women and people, and become a more educated advocate for patients who may be interested in those resources. Participants in AMSAs Reproductive Justice Leadership Programs take online courses in abortion-related training and education opportunities. Students complete required online reading before taking each course, which includes expert speakers from the field of reproductive health and justice. Upon successful completion of the course, students earn a certificate of recognition and an AMSA honor cord to wear at graduation from medical school. To learn more about UMHS students Surpreet Khunkhun, Mariana Ndrio, and Eboni Peoples and their participation in AMSAs Reproductive Justice Leadership Program, visit https://www.umhs-sk.org/blog. About UMHS The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS), is a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada. UMHS was founded in 2007 by medical education pioneers Warren and Robert Ross to deliver a highly personalized school experience. Graduates of UMHS earn a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) and qualify to practice medicine throughout the United States and Canada. Students begin their Basic Science studies in St. Kitts, West Indies, and complete their clinical training in the United States. With an unprecedented 96% student retention rate, the vast majority of students that begin their medical studies at UMHS go on to obtain residencies. For more information visit https://www.umhs-sk.org/. Two soldiers from the Fifth Corp were killed in Daraa following clashes between rival groups and rising tensions in the region reports North Press. On Sunday, clashes took place between the Russian-backed Fifth Corps, affiliated with the Syrian government forces, and armed men in the Daraa countryside in south Syria, killing two Fifth Corps soldiers. The Syrian Observatory for Human Right (SOHR) reported clashes between elements of the Fifth Corps and tribal gunmen in the town of Sour in the eastern countryside of Daraa. Two members of the Fifth Corps were killed, amid tension and mobilization on both sides in the area. The clashes coincided with the assassination of a former member of the opposition groups by gunmen in the town of Mazarib in the northern countryside of Daraa. During the few past days, Daraa Governorate has witnessed eight assassinations, targeting members of the government and security forces as well as and former members of the opposition, according to SOHR. The town of Hayt witnessed security tension and a mobilization after a Fifth Corps official, who reconciled with the Syrian government in 2018, was kidnapped. Recently, two centers for reconciliation were announced, the first in Busra al-Sham in the eastern countryside of Daraa, and the other in the city of Daraa, according to local websites. The Busra Center was assigned to the Eighth Brigade of the Fifth Corps, and the second in the Maysaloun School in Daraa city for all wanted persons. SOHR has documented about 651 attacks and assassination attempts, including 427 murders, among them 181 civilians, 12 women, and 15 children. Additionally, about 191 Syrian government troops and pro-government fighters, including 76 former opposition fighters who signed a settlement agreement and became members in the government security apparatus, were killed. The Russian-backed Fifth Corps is an alliance of five Syrian rebel groups that was formed during the Syrian Civil War in September 2014. All five units were affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and used the Syrian independence flag as their symbol until joining with government forces. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. How we long to tell Agnes: Dont give Heidi those cool red boots you think are too young for you! Definitely do not send her to New York City with another student, to attend a lecture on Guernica at the Museum of Modern Art. Your good deeds will not go unpunished. On that trip to Manhattan, Heidi is approached by an older man whose intentions are so clear to us that he could be wearing a stick-on label: Hi! Im a fatuous, predatory sleazeball! But Heidi wants to be loved and admired. She so longs for a man to find her beautiful that she lets herself be lured into his trap. That we know what is going to happen only makes it more awful. Traumatized, Heidi returns to school, to the only person who might comfort her: Miss Vaughan. But Agnes behaves badly. Horrified, she asks Heidi how she could have gone to a mans apartment. This reaction You knew better than that further unsettles the reader. Of course, we know the assault wasnt Heidis fault, but having met her attacker, we may think that we wouldnt have gone home with him, not even when we were Heidis age. Shocked by Agness (unintentional) cruelty, Heidi leaves school and vanishes, apparently from everywhere except Agness troubled conscience. All this transpires in the first third of the novel, which proceeds to chart the paths that Agnes and Heidi take over time: their decades-long collision course. Agness guilt about failing Heidi becomes a controlling passion, though she goes on to have an Instagram-worthy dream life. She moves to Rome and finds work as an art restorer, specializing in wooden sculptures. She marries an appealing, cello-playing Italian whose family runs a historic tobacco shop on one of Romes most beautiful streets. She learns Italian, shops in the markets. She has a daughter whom she adores. And yet she cant get over how badly she failed Heidi. One cant help wishing that Agnes had a friend or therapist to tell her that reacting unhelpfully to a crime isnt the same as committing one, but its quite late in the novel and Agnes is a grandmother by the time her friends and family provide that sensible counsel. In any case, the distinction between criminality and thoughtlessness is lost on Heidi. Early clues alert the attentive reader: The morose, awkward student has transformed herself from a desperate girls school runaway into the sort of TV avenger who would be named Quin Archer. Progressively sleeker and more sharklike, Quin starts out in the fitness industry, marries and abuses her gay trophy pretend-husband, and grows her brand into a popular television show. Meanwhile shes been nursing a plan to pay back Agnes Miss Vaughan for betraying her. (NEW YORK) -- Here are today's In Crisis headlines: White Georgia sheriff's deputy seen beating Black man in viral video fired A white Georgia sheriff's deputy seen in a viral video repeatedly punching a Black man who was pinned to the ground has been fired for excessive use of force. The man in the video, 26-year-old Roderick Walker, remained locked up at the Clayton County Jail on Sunday, two days after he was held on the ground by two Clayton County sheriff's deputies and was pummeled by one of them as his five-year-old son watched. Walkers family demanded he be released from jail immediately. An attorney for Walker said the incident quickly escalated after a ride-share vehicle Walker was a passenger in was pulled over for a routine traffic violation. A criminal investigation of the incident will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorneys Office. COVID-19 numbers Here's the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths. Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University Global diagnosed cases: 29,030,058 Global deaths: 924,831. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 194,084. Number of countries/regions: at least 188 Total patients recovered globally: 19,649,654 Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University There are at least 6,520,606 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country. U.S. deaths: at least 194,084. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 33,023. U.S. total patients recovered: 2,451,406 U.S. total people tested: 88,819,861 The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 762,135 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. That ranks third in the world after Maharashtra, India, which has 1,060,308 reported cases, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 892,257 reported cases. COVID-19 cases hit 29 million worldwide According to Johns Hopkins University, global COVID-19 cases have hit 29 million as of Monday. More than 924,000 have died globally. The U.S. is the worst-affected country, with more than 6.5 million diagnosed and at least 194,000 deaths. Meanwhile, India is reporting the highest daily increases worldwide. The health ministry reported 92,071 new cases on Monday bringing the total to 4,754,356, as well as 1,136 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 79,722. India's highest one-day increase was reported Sunday with 95,249 newly diagnosed cases. Flu shots may be best bet to beat COVID-19 this fall This years flu shot may be the most important one you ever get. As scientists worldwide work towards a COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are saying the flu shot could be our best chance to avoid a public health crisis this fall. If we improved flu shot rates by just 5%, the CDC estimates we would avoid nearly 483,000 flu infections. According to Dr. Atul Nakashi, a policy adviser for the LA County Department of Health Services, that extra 5% is the most measurable impact we can have on COVID right now because itll keep U.S. health care systems from overloading. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Our industry responded quickly and was the first to condemn racist acts that occurred recently on Toronto construction sites, said Richard Lyall, RESCON president. The webinar brought together employer, union and government voices needed to make meaningful change. RESCONs Construction Against Racism Everywhere (CARE) campaign will be educating construction employers and workers. We have always taken a leadership role in fighting racism and discrimination in the construction industry, Lyall said. We are very proud of the fact that we have a multi-racial, multi-cultural and incredibly diverse workforce in Ontarios construction industry and racist behaviour of any kind or in any form will not be tolerated by any of our employers. Along with its board of directors, RESCON will also be organizing a coalition of employers, unions, and sub-trades, with a focus on finding effective solutions to industry racism. We intend to work closely with construction employers and unions, the provincial and municipal governments to address racism in all forms, said Bruno Giancola, chair of RESCONs board of directors. While the recent incidents in no way exemplify the majority of the 400,000 workers, contractors and builders who work in Ontarios construction industry, RESCON is aware that there is a problem and will continue to do all that we can to learn and educate the workforce. Follow the uprising, the Trotskyist said Socialist Alternative (SAlt), in their paper Red Flag, published an article with the title Communists must support uprisings everywhere. In it, they say the 90s and 00s were an easier time for supporting uprisings as the US seemed to have achieved permanent global hegemony. However, they say two recent international uprisings have, for some people, complicated solidarity efforts: the Arab Spring and the unending series of international rebellions that began in 2019. This dogmatic call is at odds with Marxism. There is no place in Marxism for holding principles in absolute terms. Marxism is a science based on dialectics that resolves contradictions through an analysis of material conditions; thus, demanding that every revolt must be supported is antithetical to the Marxist method. Let us examine how this is so. Warping Marxism-Leninism The people in question, says the author, are largely Marxist-Leninists, stating that: [they dont] have a political outlook that extends beyond advocating for, and defending, the US main rivals hoping to achieve a multipolar world by strengthening capitalist states that are competing with the most powerful empire. They state that our wariness towards uprisings is merely conspiracy-mongering. Instead of stating it plainly, the author is disguising our support of the theory of Socialism in One Country (which is not simply support of a multipolar world) and the pragmatism that this theory entails. What is Socialism in One Country? J V Stalin noted prior to the success of the October Revolution, the understanding in Marxist thought was that a revolution in one country was considered impossible as it would require the majority of the working-class of advanced nations to achieve victory. That changed after 1917: Now we must proceed from the possibility of such a victory, for the uneven and spasmodic character of the development of the various capitalist countries under the conditions of imperialism, the development within imperialism of catastrophic contradictions leading to inevitable wars, the growth of the revolutionary movement in all countries of the world-all this leads, not only to the possibility, but also to the necessity of the victory of the proletariat in individual countries. Therefore because capitalism does not develop equally among nations, it is therefore not only possible (as the Russian Revolution showed) but necessary that the victory of the proletariat arise unevenly also. This does not discount the international character of revolution, as Trotskyists like to claim, it only contextualises it within the material conditions: [T]he development and support of the revolution in other countries is an essential task of the victorious revolution. Therefore, the revolution which has been victorious in one country must regard itself not as a self-sufficient entity, but as an aid, as a means for hastening the victory of the proletariat in other countries. While calling Marxist-Leninists conspiracy theorists for challenging the legitimacy of certain uprisings, the author is quick to acknowledge the existence of Western intelligence and its military apparatus overthrowing governments, name checking Venezuela and Bolivia in the process as examples. Thus, they claim, it is easy [] to distinguish a genuine popular uprising from a right-wing plot. They say the cops and security apparatus carried out the groundwork of the Bolivian coup and additionally the cops in Belarus are the strongest bulwark of support for the reactionary government. But what of Venezuela? There, the cops are defending the revolution against the bourgeois reactionaries. This is an example they conveniently left out because it does not fit the narrative. A false equivalence This lack of analysis, whether by omission or ignorance, of the material conditions is what leads to perhaps the most insulting part of this article. After establishing that Marxist-Leninist anti-imperialism is confined purely to rejecting US hegemony, they pose the question: would a modern anti-imperialist have supported the Russian revolution? This is how they liken the situation: A new government, led by the well-known socialist Kerensky, had been installed by a workers revolution only a few months earlier. Other socialists, from parties that had recently been forced to operate underground, had taken up ministerial positions. The government had the strong backing of workers soviets, revolutionary bodies built from the bottom up by working-class activists. On civil liberties, it was well known that Russia was the freest country in the world since its revolution in February. The new government had promised sweeping reforms on a range of questions, including a new constitution. This all compares pretty favourably to politically stagnant and repressive market economies like China, Syria or contemporary Russia. And Kerenskys Russia was menaced by internal and external oppositions in the most extreme form: monarchist generals were openly planning coups, and the Kaisers Germany had been attempting to invade for three years of open warfare. Into this volatile situation comes Lenin with the assistance of German imperialism, which arranged his travel from exile into Russia. Did he, displaying the principles of a modern anti-imperialist, call for critical support for the new Russian government in its military struggle against German invasion? No: he and his Bolshevik Party called for workers to intensify their strikes, demonstrations and political attacks on the government, to build up to a second revolution in which workers would seize powerand defeat world imperialism by overthrowing capitalism. There is a lot to digest in the above, but let us remain on task: Why would Lenin support the provisional government? Kerenskys government supported the imperialist war which Lenin from the start qualified as having the character of a bourgeois, imperialist and dynastic war. Whats more is that the war was deeply unpopular and the Bolsheviks slogan of Peace, Land, and Bread resonated with the working-class and peasantry. It was a socialist party presenting a genuine (dare I make the pun?) socialist alternative to Kerenskys faux-socialism. One can clearly examine the platform of the Bolsheviks in contrast to that of the provisional government and conclude that the differences were stark. The most sinister aspect of this description is the attempt to give Lenin the veneer of being an agent of German imperialism (a lie that has existed for decades, as recently as a New York Times article Was Lenin a German Agent?). Dressing Lenin in such a way is crucial for their argument here and we examine why below. Hong Kong: an analysis In HK, an uprising has broken out. The impetus was an extradition bill that would allow for extradition request for heinous crimes such as rape and murder, which came about after a HK man murdered his pregnant girlfriend. Many were worried that the bill would be used to extradite political dissents despite the bill lacking that language. As a result, a riot has broken out over HK sovereignty. Is this movement a popular, socialist (or at least, progressive) force? It definitely appears that the movement is popular but is it really? The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) claim hundreds of thousands of protestors in attendance at rallies, the police estimates temper those numbers significantly (so have independent media outlets). However, one petition supporting the national security laws received nearly 100,000 signatures from HK citizens in a single day. Furthermore, pro-Beijing rallies were held that have had not dissimilar numbers. HKs largest trade union federation, Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, also backed the legislation. Suffice to say, that at the very least, those rioters are met by supporters in equal measure. Next we must ask, what is the character of this movement? The author has qualified the recent uprisings as having a sense of authentic, internationalist anti-imperialism. Do the dozens, upon dozens, of photos over the entire course of these riots showing hundreds of protestors waving British Hong Kong flags and Trump 2020 banners sound anti-imperialist? Does receiving funds from the AFL-CIOs solidarity centre, who receive funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (an organisation funding the right-wing plot in Venezuela) sound anti-imperialist? Does wanting to establish a free and fair competition in our market economy as the Democratic Party of HK promotes (and who supports the riots) sound anti-imperialist? Additionally, to qualify the HK riots as internationalist is even more of a joke. The HK rioters have largely been mum on the police brutality in the US because theyve drawn support from US President Donald Trump. While Joshua Wong (a figurehead of the riots) has tweeted his support for BLM what is it worth when he has been cultivating close ties with Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Tom Cotton who have been demanding a crackdown on the BLM riots? Even more grotesque is HK billionaire Jimmy Lai, another revered figure of the movement (who has provided financial support), thanking Avi Yemini (a far-right Zionist) for his support in a video where Yemini said comparing the HK riots to those in America is bloody disgraceful. So much for solidarity. And it is here that we return to the sinister characterisation of Lenin. Show me a photo of Lenin posing with the Kaiser, or writings encouraging German imperialism, or anything as incriminatory as the promotion of neoliberalism by Wong and leaders of the HK riots and Ill eat my CPA membership card. SAlt needs to tease the possibility of Lenin being a conspirator because it permits the possibility that characters like Wong are legitimate regardless of where their funding or support comes from. It displays nothing but utter contempt for Lenins legacy. In every possible, conceivable measure the HK riots are nothing but a promotion of bourgeois liberalism and socialists should be well-versed in where that leads. By comparison, in the seventy years since its founding the Peoples Republic of China has achieved the following: High School enrolments have gone from 1.1 per cent to 88.8 per cent; There are 56.7 times the amount of public libraries; the average life expectancy has risen from 35 to 77; The urban population employment has gone from 15.33 mil to 434.19 mil. These stats are virtually endless but highlight the achievements of Marxism-Leninism in action; it is a state with the interests of the working-class at its centre. Destabilising the PRC only serves those who wish to rip its resources away from the hands of the Chinese people into the hands of the capitalist class, and largely foreign interests. Wong and Lai do not speak of a dictatorship of a proletariat, and nor do their supporters. Thus, SAlt, play into the hands of the bourgeoisie, promote their propaganda, and romanticise revolution to every starry-eyed university student who takes their first steps onto a university campus. Questions to consider If all uprisings are equal, it leaves one to wonder: was the Kronstadt rebellion an uprising or a right-wing coup (since these are the only options they present in their article), and do they support it? Where does the author sit on the Soviet-Afghan War? Does the author have a high opinion of the CIA-backed Mujahideen, the present-day offshoots of which include the Taliban and Al-Qaeda? Does the author support their uprisings? This line of questioning can go on forever and it only places Trotskyists like the author into extremely precarious positions. One cannot, as the author suggests, clearly delineate support based on where the police presence is (none of these uprisings were furnished with the support of the police/state), it requires a serious analysis of the class-character of the powers in play. It sometimes means offering critical support, and not playing puritan, ultra-leftist politics, especially when the lives of millions depend on it. A federal judge on Monday said the stay-at-home orders and shutdowns of non-essential businesses imposed by the Gov. Tom Wolf administration this spring violated the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV said Wolf and health secretary Dr. Rachel Levine undertook their actions in a well-intentioned effort to protect Pennsylvanians from the virus. However, the greatest threats to our system of constitutional liberties may arise when the ends are laudable, and the intent is good especially in a time of emergency. The liberties protected by the Constitution are not fair-weather freedoms in place when times are good but able to be cast aside in times of trouble, Stickman wrote in a 67-page opinion. VALPARAISO Defense attorney Clay Patton offered Monday afternoon to reach into his own pocket to pay the bus fare home to Pennsylvania as the best option for one of his clients, who is caught in a sort of limbo after pleading guilty but mentally ill to choking a woman unconscious and stabbing her at least 12 times. Patton, a prosecutor and Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford were uncertain how best to sentence 23-year-old Stephen Rainey, fearing he will not get the mental health care he needs in prison and yet knowing he will likely fail probation if let out on his own. Saying he needs time to seek out the "least harmful" approach, Bradford took the sentencing under advisement until Sept. 28. Rainey, who offered an apology during a rambling statement during Monday's sentencing hearing, pleaded guilty in July to a felony count of battery causing serious bodily injury in return for prosecutors dropping the remaining counts of felony strangulation and misdemeanor battery by bodily waste and invasion of privacy. The incident occurred Sept. 15, 2019, at a Porter apartment, where police found Rainey holding a pocket knife, crying and saying he stabbed someone, according to police. Mukesh Ranjan By Express News Service RANCHI: In yet another incident of "mob justice" in Jharkhand, 33-year-old Sandeep Tirkey, a former member of splinter Maoist outfit - Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI), was lynched by a mob of villagers with traditional weapons and bamboo sticks at Tesera village under Sadar police station in Gumla, around 100-km from capital Ranchi, on Monday morning. According to police, more than 7 cases of loot, murder, and extortion were lodged against Tirkey, who had become a terror among people living in 20 villages in the region. Local sources revealed that troubled with his terror, the villagers, calling a Panchayat, decided to kill him on Sunday night. As per the plan, the villagers tried to corner him in his house at Tesera village on Monday morning, but he was not found there. Later, he was seen at a nearby shop reading a newspaper. The mob, mostly women, surrounded him following which he tried to escape away from there, said a villager requesting anonymity. After chasing him to around one kilometer, the mob nabbed him and thrashed him badly by traditional weapons and bamboo sticks carried by them in a paddy field, he added. ALSO READ | Man lynched by mob of villagers over theft of vegetables in Jharkhand, six arrested According to the villagers, Tirkey succumbed to his injuries on the spot. The villagers claimed that Tirkey used to wave pistol, even on the dispute over trivial issues, and used to threaten them. On Sunday night, he threatened to kill someone following which people were mobilized and reached his home to teach him a lesson, they said. Police recovered the body from the very paddy filed and has started the process of identifying the people involved in the incident. Yes, Sandeep Tirkey was an ex-cadre of PLFI, who was not very active these days but used to terrorize people in the name of PLFI, was killed by villagers. Prima facie, it appears that the villagers, who were annoyed with his attitude, thrashed him to death, said Gumla SP Hardeep P Janardhanan. He has seven cases lodged against him in Gumla, including four murder cases, he added. The SP told that the process of identification of the persons involved in the incident was in process, following which, an FIR will be lodged on the basis of statements recorded by the deceaseds family members. More than 80 villagers, mostly women, were involved in the killing, he added. On the issue of planned murder, the SP said that they were trying to gather facts to get into the details of the matter. Tirkey was out on bail after remaining in jail for over a year in a murder case. Have Our Style Standards Dropped During Isolation? We Asked: Do You Go for Cozy or Miss Dressing Up? The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Product photos from retailer site. The past six months have felt like a long dry spell for many of us. Due to us all having access to WiFi, a plethora of devices, and strangely being under the impression that if we dont post for a few days, the cavalry will be called to come and find us, isolation an act that commonly involves being left alone with ones thoughts, a good book, and only the people in our immediate circle has been rebranded. So it could be presumed that the standard of our appearance may be as important now as ever. RELATED: Best Looking Face Masks In case youre wondering why your feed has turned into a playground consisting of baked goods, inspirational quotes, and home-schooled children, its likely because most of us are feeling in no fit shape to be regularly posting photos of ourselves. Its been a while since a lot of us have been to our favorite personal maintenance spots, and if we have its likely after waiting in lines reaching far into the social distance. Lockdown: Time for a Change (of Clothes) For a few brave souls, this newfound freedom has given opportunity to experiment. Cue social threads of Chris Pines lockdown style which include cowboy hats, white Birkenstocks, and leopard print shirts but its not just the Hollywood set who are trialing a new look. Getty Images I grew a pretty large beard over lockdown and felt myself looking a bit hipstery but still within my standard attire of black jeans and a generic T-shirt, says 31 year old Lewis, a tech product manager. I got rid of the beard in the end, as it didn't suit my lack of a particular style. Thankfully most of us have the anonymity to undergo our style trial-and-error in private. Albeit as our homes now contain not only our private lives, but our work and social life too, the exclusivity of sharing our rawest selves in different corners of our houses with friends, followers, and fans feels more intimate than ever. Patrick, a menswear designer, 43 says his standards have increased and hes had to take more care of his appearance because hes been producing more home shoots to communicate to his customers via Instagram. And while we are hidden in the comfort of our private domains, away from immediate criticism and reeling from a summer ruined by skin hunger the deprivation of physical affection its evident that its taken a toll on us all in one way or another. It could be argued that some have taken to showing off more of their thirsty selves to advertise their availability as a way to feel connected. Others have secluded themselves away as the loneliness of not being able to speak or touch others, that was once a part of our collective daily routine has been pulled away from us. I did find a better balance in lockdown with my body confidence, which I think shows with how quickly I was to just lounge about in swimwear day after day, says, Luke, a fashion editor, 34 who regularly documents his style online. I think as well in that time of being away from everything. I realised how to maintain my body better, as there werent any excuses about not having time to workout or not having time to cook something from scratch. What Are Mens Standards Toward Their Appearance? We think not just with our brains but with our bodies, said Dr. Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, which is good to remember when thinking about the clothes we often gravitate towards wearing. Clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a different psychological state. So you have to wear it, see it on your body and feel it on your skin for it to influence your psychological processes. Gianluca, a content writer, 39 says he felt no big changes, but the need for suits sharply decreased. As I was on furlough during lockdown, I really didn't need to get dressed up, but as I was missing that routine I felt that by dressing up in some way and documenting it, gave me a sense of normality amongst the chaos, Luke added. Documenting it also made me realize that there were days [when] I wasn't just lounging around in swimwear all day so as to avoid the washing machine. Getty Images The common factors that re-appeared when speaking to men on their standards included body transformations, the lack of tolerance for public criticism, and the new comfort of nonchalant dressing but for a few like Patrick, lockdown reintroduced them to old wardrobe favorites. Lockdown helped me to ditch the beer so I have actually lost weight. This has unlocked lots of items from my wardrobe that previously I couldn't fit into! While Lukes wardrobe heavily incorporates dry clean only pieces, he found himself with an internal battle on whether to risk wearing a delicate item and have it sit waiting for his dry cleaners to reopen. So hes reassessed his outfits, now being drawn to easily-washable items such as cotton, linen, and even workout options. What Are Men Buying During Lockdown? According to a survey from finance firm WalletHub, 58 million Americans are spending more money while social distancing and 43% of Americans have participated in comfort buying to ease stress. WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez rationalised that consumers might be spending more than their means, due to stress and boredom. RELATED: What Top Menswear Designers Say About Post-COVID Trends The surge in videoconferencing has led people to keep up with their physical appearance more than you might think, as some of the most popular spending categories are clothing and beauty products, explains Gonzalez. Furthermore, as the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey for June 2020 highlighted data that just over 14% of households surveyed are spending their stimulus checks on clothing, signifying that we are either caring about our appearance or have gone through body transformations (for better or for worse) and are in need of clothes which can now accommodate to our new norm form. So what are men actually spending that money on? All the men we asked confirmed they have made purchases that fall within the current homeware, activewear, beauty, and basics categories which are seeing significant surges, Drapers reported. Amazon Lewis says I did dually buy some new boxers and socks, both from Superdry. Im normally happy with Primark but I think I spent more because I spend so much time just in boxers and a dressing gown. So I thought I'd treat myself to something more comfortable and better looking and there might be a reason behind this as Sarda-Joshi highlighted in the book Start with Your Sock Drawer: The Simple Guide to Living a Less Cluttered Life," by Vicky Silverthorn, that even our underwear and socks can have a strong influence on the way we see ourselves [and] our confidence levels. While Barnaby, a digital marketer, 49 says he has bought various casual items including jogging bottoms, rugby shirts, and sweaters from Ralph Lauren along with new boots from Timberland. Luke admits he has also made quite a few purchases including a lot of Barena trousers (all in relaxed tailored styles), Our Legacy printed shirts, a Loewe khaki parka coat and black crossbody bag, and a few pairs of Nike trainers. So if you too have bought basic in the last couple of months you are not alone.Ordinary fashion goods and basics [non-trend-led styles] are performing better than other categories, principal fashion analyst at Kantar, Anusha Couttigane told Drapers. This might mean there is more resilience for casual brands, as long-term basics may do better. Superdry Organic Cotton Classic Boxer Triple Pack $34.95 at Superdry.com Barena Tapered Cotton-Twill Drawstring Trousers $295 at MrPorter.com Timberland 6" Basic Contrast Collar Boot $139.95 at Amazon.com So Have Mens Style Standards Changed? The answer is yes and no. It only takes a quick Google search to find the swirling contradictions of how a persons productivity is linked to the clothes they wear, but lockdown yet again has highlighted how whether you favor workwear or a relaxed WFH attire, you can still perform at the top of your game. As Gianluca concludes, he took lockdown as an opportunity to wear classier clothes, while Luke says his purchases have all been along the same lines, but are more comfortable and wearable around the house. So as we are wrapping up with the warmer months, itll be interesting to see how winter affects the shopping and dressing habits of men already quite accustomed to staying indoors. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is in talks to invest $3 billion into Southeast Asias biggest ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings Inc, Bloomberg News reported https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-14/alibaba-in-talks-to-invest-3-billion-in-grab-ride-hailing-giant?sref=SCAzRb9t on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Grab declined to comment, while Alibaba was not immediately available to respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company, which has an estimated valuation of $14 billion and counts SoftBank Group Corp as one of its backers, expanded into financial services, food delivery and mobile payments over the last few years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hurt its mainstay ride-hailing business. In June, Grab announced a 5% reduction in staff numbers as it cut costs amid slower growth. On Sept. 14, 1960, the five founding fathers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo of Venezuela; Abdullah al-Tariki of Saudi Arabia; Talaat al-Shaibani of Iraq; Fuad Rouhani of Iran; and Ahmed Sayed Omar of Kuwait gathered together in the Al-Shaab Hall in Baghdad. The historic Baghdad Conference saw these five visionaries gathered together around the premise of cooperation and with the need to write their own story. Perez Alfonzo said after the meeting and the creation of OPEC, We are now united. We are making history.e It is a story that encapsulates a family of nations, people and populations, of feelings and emotions of countries rich in culture and heritage, and of the struggle of a group of developing countries to exercise their inalienable right to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources in the interest of their national development. The history of OPEC is also part of the history of the modern oil industry; a fuel that has been the lifeblood of industrialized nations and helped shape the modern world. Oil is omnipresent in the lives of most people on this planet, accounting for over 30 percent of the global energy mix. The way people live, work and travel all depend on oil. Sixty years alone is a monumental achievement for an organization, but especially so for one representing one of the most volatile commodities oil. Since the early 1970s we have seen seven major market cycles, including the latest in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each of which has seen severe and sudden imbalances threaten the oil market and global economic development. Throughout the organizations history there has been one recurring theme that has transcended across the decades and guided the organizations work to support sustainable oil market stability: cooperation. This has come in the form of building the organization from the five founders in September 1960 to the 13 members today; evolving dialogues, bilateral and multilateral, with other producers and consumers; establishing the OPEC Fund, now the OPEC Fund for International Development in 1976, to help address, among other things, energy poverty; and in OPECs involvement in the UN climate change talks since they began in 1991, and in the continued support of the Paris Agreement. This is not an exhaustive list, but underscores some of what has been accomplished through cooperation over the decades. The most recent demonstration has been through the Declaration of Cooperation that helped restore balance, stability and confidence to the oil market in 2017-19, following the downturn of 2014-16. The declaration has played a major role in reviving the oil industry on the back of the unprecedented oil demand impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decisions taken by the 23 Declaration of Cooperation countries in April and June 2020 were well-informed and well-communicated and provided reassurance to the market that the group is proactive and fully observant of the ever-evolving oil market fundamentals. The spirit of cooperation that guided the founding of OPEC in Baghdad back in September 1960 has been clearly present in the decisions taken in 2020. The idea that the five founder members of OPEC were stronger together 60 years ago was channeled into the response of Declaration of Cooperation participants as they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration has been a platform that has built on OPECs previous cooperative efforts and has also instilled a platform for the future through the endorsement in 2019 of the Charter of Cooperation. The forward looking trajectory that underpins the charter means that it is an important platform for participating countries, not only in helping maintain a sustainable oil market stability, but also in evolving a future for oil and all energies in the energy transition. The challenges the oil market faces in sustaining balance and stability requires the participation of all stakeholders. The challenges our planet faces requires comprehensive solutions no single energy source is a panacea and the need to look for cleaner and more efficient technological solutions everywhere, across all available energies. When tackling emissions there are many avenues to take and we need to pursue them all. There needs to be an appreciation of the nuances in the debate, balancing the needs of people in relation to their social welfare, the economy and the environment. In looking ahead, OPEC reaffirms its faith in the need for broader and deeper dialogue and cooperation and the need for respect among all participants in the energy community. We are open to engage with all stakeholders. We need to ensure sustainable growth, development and prosperity for ourselves, for our children and for our childrens children. Sanusi Barkindo is the secretary general of OPEC. A movie production company that signed Ben Affleck to star in its latest large-budget action thriller accuses a Chubb insurer of violating longstanding custom and practice by refusing to extend a $58 million insurance policy after the film was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Hoosegow Productions says in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court that Chubb National Insurance Co. had promised that it would extend a policy that insured the cast and crew of a movie called Hypnotic, which was scheduled to begin filming in April. After pandemic closure orders delayed production, Chubb refused to renew the policy without a modification that excluded coronavirus, the suit says. Chubb made COVID-19 exclusion a global position after coronavirus shutdowns began, according to the lawsuit. Hoosegow alleges it can no longer purchase production risk insurance without a coronavirus exclusion, which means it cannot renew production of Hypnotic. Chubb Nationals conduct is despicable and has been done with a conscious disregard of Hoosegows rights, constituting oppression, fraud, and/or malice, the lawsuit says. The complaint alleges breach of contract, fraudulent promise and inducement and negligent misrepresentation. Hoosegow says it originally intended to purchase a policy starting coverage of the production on this March 21 and expiring a year later. A Chubb underwriter suggested that the producer set the policy to expire on Oct. 28, 2020 to conform with the expiration date of other policies that Hoosegow had purchased from Chubb. Hoosegow says it agreed only because Chubb had extended coverage for other productions before that had to be delayed, without any changes in terms. The company also had Chubbs intentions in writing: Its underwriter said in an email that the policy could extend as necessary. The suit says Chubb had good reason to expect the insurer would live up to its promise given its marketing materials. The lawsuit notes a statement on the insurers website, Chubb is there for our clients in good times and bad. Another blurb says Chubb is different because it honors the promises we made to you. Hoosegow purchased a policy with $58 million per-occurrence policy limits that paid out if any key cast and crew members, including Alleck and director Robert Rodriguez, could not complete the film due to illness or imminent peril. Hypnotic was to star Affleck as a detective who becomes wrapped up in a mystery over his missing daughter and a secret government program while investigating a string of high-end heists. After the emergence of coronavirus, the producer asked its broker, Arthur J. Gallagher, to inquire about extending the policy, as was discussed originally. Hoosegow said Chubb did not respond until two months later, when it advised the broker that the policy could be renewed with a virus exclusion. When the producers attorney reminded Chubb that its underwriter had promised that the existing policy could be extended if production could be delayed, the insurer replied that it had already communicated its terms to Hoosegows broker. In that note and later correspondence, Chubb did not address Hoosebows assertions that its underwriter had promised to extend the policy, the lawsuit says. Thus, not only did Chubb National wrongfully refuse to reconsider its position, it refused to give any substantive explanation for its position or otherwise engage in a dialogue with its insured. In so doing, Chubb National breached its duty of good faith and its obligation to fairly handle all claims under the Policy. The lawsuit says that Hoosegow has suffered damages because of Chubbs actions, but that the amount is not yet known. Hoosegow said it will amend the complaint when the extent of damages is known. Chubb had not filed a response to the lawsuit as of Friday afternoon. The insurers media relations department did not respond to an email requesting comment. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) President Rodrigo Duterte will respect the findings of the multi-agency task force investigating allegations of fraud and corruption within the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Malacanang said on Monday. "Only the President can answer that question but I doubt it, kasi binigyan niya nga po ng kapangyarihan na maging fact-finding yung task force na binuo niya, no" answered Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque when asked about how the President will handle the task force's findings, which are expected to be submitted September 14th. [Translation: Only the President can answer that question but I doubt it, because he gave the task force, which he built, fact-finding (powers).] RELATED: PhilHealth probes far from over even after Duterte sees Monday report, Guevarra says "And I think dahil siya naman ang bumuo diyan (since he was the one who created it), he will accept the findings of his own task force," the official added. The President assembled the task force in early August and provided it the power to conduct lifestyle checks and impose preventive suspensions on PhilHealth officials. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra leads the task force, whose members are top officials from the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Special Assistant to the President, Anti-Money Laundering Council, National Bureau of Investigation and National Prosecution Service. Aside from findings, the task force is also expected to submit recommendations, including proposed charges against erring employees. Roque likewise allayed concerns that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is also PhilHealth's ex-officio chairperson, will be absolved by the chief executive ahead of the release of the findings. "Sa tingin ko naman po, rerespetuhin ni Presidente kung meron mang ebidensyang mahanap ang task force regardless of who is involved," the Palace spokesperson explained. [Translation: I think the President will respect whatever evidence the task force will find regardless of who is involved.] RELATED: Duterte to Duque: This is not the time to resign In an earlier address, Duterte consoled Duque amid issues hounding the state insurer, saying "if you handle a big organization...talagang magne-negligent ka, kasi hindi mo talaga mahahabol minsan." [Translation: [I]f you handle a big organization...you will be seen as negligent, because you cannot run after them sometimes.] Six months ago, as the pandemic forced parts of the economy to shut down, companies started laying off and furloughing workers. In the months since, some of the states 9 million residents received a $1,200 stimulus check, applied for expanded unemployment benefits, and sought opportunities for aid through the federal Paycheck Protection Program or small business loans. But more than 722,000 residents who are undocumented and their family members were left out of pandemic relief due to citizenship status, according to a new study released Monday by Make the Road New Jersey, an immigrant advocacy group that works closely with the Latino community. 6 Months In: Still Essential and Still Excluded is based on 187 interviews Make the Road NJ conducted with undocumented immigrants and some who are here on a visa to show the economic and physical impact the pandemic is wreaking on the undocumented community. In response to Gov. Phil Murphy and the states lack of relief for people without immigration status, hundreds of immigrants and advocates are expected to hold marches in Newark, Camden, Bridgeton and Princeton on Monday to call on officials to alleviate the economic pain left by the pandemic, the group said. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage The states 500,000 undocumented immigrants were left out of the CARES Act, which funded stimulus checks and pandemic unemployment insurance. It also left out 262,500 spouses and children who do have American citizenship. This is the equivalent of leaving out the population of Hudson County, or Camden and Hunterdon Counties combined, states the study, based on interviews with 187 people. Because undocumented immigrants are struggling to find relief more than one in four work in industries that were hardest hit by the pandemic thousands have reported being unable to pay for basic necessities like food and utilities, the report says. Organizer Rafael Santiago of Newark speaks at a protest held on Wilson Avenue in Newark by the group New Labor, who seeks to have the state pass a bill to provide financial relief to undocumented residents. Monday, September 14, 2020John Jones | For NJ Advance Media According to the study, undocumented immigrants in New Jersey pay $600 million in state and local taxes each year, and $1 billion in federal taxes. Undocumented workers have paid about $1.2 billion into the state unemployment fund over the last decade. Over 80% of respondents said they lost their jobs or lost hours, which is up 10% since a similar study was conducted in April. More than three-quarters said they were worried about paying the light bill, buying food, or buying medicine. Of those who were still working, only 13.7% reported working in safe conditions, according to Make the Road. And one in four residents said they owe at least four months of rent or mortgage payments, the study states, and more than 81% are unsure if they can pay Octobers rent. At least one respondent said she was evicted, and dozens more were harassed by their landlord. Gloria, a 29-year-old Elizabeth resident, said she hasnt paid her rent since May because she ran out of money after losing her job at a shipping facility. The only money she had saved was for the $495 application for DACA, which would provide her with legal status. Once everything happened, I had to prepare myself, but it was unbelievable how expensive everything got. I was buying masks, gloves, food, and all the money I had, it lasted me a month, said Gloria, who asked her last name be withheld to protect her identity. For nearly eight weeks, she said she only sustained herself with rice and beans, losing weight and lacking nutrition to give her the energy for basic morning errands, she said. At times, she had to get by on as little as $20 a week. And at the height of the pandemic, her mom got coronavirus and was hospitalized in Pennsylvania for three weeks. Although she is a citizen with health insurance, theyve received at least $25,000 in hospital bills. We were living our daily lives and this wave of sickness got to my mom, and now were in almost $30,000 in debt, she said. I feel defeated, not being able to pay for anything. The device her 65-year-old mother needs to help sleep as she copes with the long-term effects of COVID-19 is on hold until they find the money, Gloria said, noting her mother is also dealing with allergies and asthma she didnt have prior to the pandemic. Were just trying to survive. Thats all -- were all in survival mode, trying to get through this and come out the other side, she said. The undocumented community, many who work in essential industries like healthcare and delivery, has suffered, but New Jersey still has a chance to reverse the damage by passing bills that would ensure families are included in the recovery, Make the Road said in the report. As the Trump administration and Congress fail to deliver any aid for excluded workers and immigrant families, it is incumbent upon states to take action to protect these frontline workers and families, the group said. At the top of the list of demands is a coronavirus relief fund that would provide $600 per week to undocumented immigrants and family members left out of federal aid something undocumented immigrants have repeatedly asked for since April. In July, dozens camped out in front of the Statehouse in Trenton for 24 hours to ask for the fund be established. Immigrant groups blasted Murphy when he did not propose the relief fund in the revised proposed budget that was unveiled in August. Weve kept a lot in place for our immigrant brothers and sisters. This is a tough budget. I dont know how else to say it, Murphy said at his Aug. 31 press briefing. Hes previously said the state doesnt have the money to create the fund. Few other states have funds dedicated to undocumented immigrants. In Vermont, a $5 million program that would provide checks to 5,000 people who didnt receive federal funds due to immigration status was approved by legislators. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee recently allocated $43 million for an Immigrant Relief Fund. The rallies will also include calls for passage of bills S2480, which would provide a one-time payment to people excluded from the CARES Act, and S2453, which would provide 15 emergency paid sick days for use during a state of emergency and increase the base number of sick days from five to seven. And another bill, A4034, to allow renters to create a payment plan to repay missed rent without fear of eviction and provides forbearance to homeowners who cant make their mortgage payments, which Murphy said he would sign. Its part of human rights and everyones rights, to have basic human rights like housing and food, said Paula, an undocumented immigrant residing in Elizabeth. I feel excluded and discriminated against, because I work and comply with my taxes." An out-of-work hair stylist, Paula said she was forced to refinance four months of rent for the home she shares with her husband and two children. Her family hunkered down during quarantine to stay safe from the virus, because they cant afford to get sick, but staying home has them falling deeper into debt, she added. If even one of the bills passed, she said, it would stabilize her familys debt and provide some peace of mind. If not, Paula said, the debt will keep adding up until they find a way out. In this global emergency, we need some form of help. Were not talking about giving us gifts, were just talking about claiming some of the help thats for us too, because we support this countrys economy with our jobs and taxes, she said. We need stability for whats to come. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Postal workers at Medway Mail Centre are still concerned after three postal workers tested positive for coronavirus, despite Royal Mails claim to have cleaned the delivery office. Only opened in 2012, the Medway in Rochester, Kent, is categorised as being state-of-the-art. The contraction of COVID-19 by three postal workers demonstrates that Royal Mail is continuing to sacrifice workers health in a scramble for profit. A Royal Mail spokesperson trotted out the usual palliatives saying, Royal Mail takes the health and safety of its colleagues, its customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously. The Medway Mail Centre joins a long list of Royal Mail offices that have had outbreaks of coronavirus. Last month, after an outbreak among 12 staff, 900 postal workers at Manchesters main Oldham Road mail depot were told they might have the deadly virus. Even so, they were informed that it would be four days before they were tested. If workers wanted a test before then, they were told it would involve a drive to an out-of-town location. The testing programme was outsourced to the private sector. G4S, the firm given the contract, eventually turned up at the depot but would only test workers on the day shift and refused to cover the evening shiftsaying its contract only covered carrying out tests until 6 p.m. Manchester City Council was forced to contact the Department of Health and Social Care to complain, with all the workers eventually tested. Royal Mails Clacton delivery office, in Oxford Road, Clacton - On-Sea , had to undergo an urgent deep clean after Royal Mail was informed that an employee had contracted COVID-19. Six cases were found at the Wellingborough delivery office in Northampton and two workers ended up in the hospital. There have been walkouts over safety fears at Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and High Wycombe, near London, after employees tested positive for the virus. Postal workers at offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Chatham, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington, Didcot, Edinburgh, Alloa and Fife took unofficial action over safety. The worry of catching the virus is having a significant impact on postal workers physical and mental health. Darren Beech, who worked at the Kidsgrove delivery office, committed suicide and was found by his two brothers who visited his Kidsgrove home on May 17. He was reported to be deeply worried about the coronavirus and felt unprotected. Beech was already anxious about the state of his home and his financial situation. North Staffordshire assistant coroner Margaret Jones said, The deceased was anxious over the state of repair of his house, financial matters and health issues. He was not coping well during the COVID-19 lockdown. Darrens brother, Brian, said in a statement, He was recently worried about finances, although Im not aware if he had any serious debt. He was also recently worried about the COVID-19 situation as he said Royal Mail did not adequately protect him at work. Other deaths have drawn attention to working conditions at Royal Mail. In August, delivery worker Mark Cremer collapsed and died while on his round. The 55-year-old man was found unconscious by a member of the public and died in Worthing Hospital. A review of Royals Mails safety procedures has been called for. Cremer, based at Lancing Delivery Office in West Sussex, was working during the hottest part of August as temperatures exceeded 34 degrees C (93 F). It is standard for postal workers to be out on delivery for three to four hours in the searing heat. Cremer was not the only postal worker to die in the hot weather. Phil Bentham from Barrow-in-Furness, aged 59, died at the end of his round during the same week as Cremer. It is reported that Bentham had recently returned to work after 17 weeks of shielding from COVID-19. What is clear to many postal workers is that delivery offices are dangerous to their health. Postal worker and writer Dan Bradley revealed the horrendous situation facing postal staffas their workload was ramped up during the pandemicin a recent Guardian article. The truth is, since lockdown started in March, my days begin with nausea. The job looks so good on paper, but the reality is barely tenable. Like many postal workers hired since privatisation and an increasing number of people in my office, I am on a part-time contract with little to no chance of full-time hours. My annual take-home income, due to the part-time hours, is so low that I simply cannot pay the bills. Even before lockdown forced everyone indoors, causing a huge surge in online parcel deliveries, the workload was backbreaking. A colleague showed me his pedometerhe had walked 16 miles that day. Despite only being in his early 30s, he has received cortisone injections in his feet and shoulders to work through the pain. His situation is not uncommon; plantar fasciitis is endemic, and I see a lot of illness, injury and burnout. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) offered its sympathies to the family of Phil Bentham and Mark Cremer, who died in sad circumstances and we fully understand the grief and anxiety amongst Phil and Marks work colleagues in their respective delivery units where emotions are naturally running high. But the brutal working conditions that exist in Royal Mail are down to not only Royal Mail, but are the product of the unions collaboration with the company going back decades. The CWU is currently in negotiations with Royal Mail after boasting that it has brought Royal Mail to the table and is demanding adherence to the 2017 Four Pillars Agreement. The CWU claims this heralded a new way of working that enshrined postal workers pay and conditions in law. As the WSWS has explained, the Four Pillars deal was a sellout and included an inferior pension scheme, reduction in working hours in return for productivity boosts through alterations to delivery routes, new duty patterns, new working practices, and greater use of technology to monitor performance. Behind the backs of workers, the CWU is agreeing on fundamental changes in working practices that will be to the detriment of most postal workers. To clear the path for these changes, the union has cleared 600 disagreements off the table so that Royal Mail will be given free rein to impose revisions or job cuts without the threat of strike action. Whatever is agreed, it will mean massive job cuts and a stepping up of productivity. It is being mooted that the Royal Mail will seek the end of the Universal Service Obligation agreement, with Saturday letter deliveries threatened. Another rumoured action is the break-up of Royal Mail, with its parcels company GLS sold off. Based on the CWUs record, it will not fight these drastic changes to postal workers pay and conditions but will instead collaborate in their imposition. Cremer and Bentham, along with the four postal workers who have died from COVID-19, will not be the last such tragedies as a result of Royal Mails profit drive and the CWU s treachery. To oppose the ongoing onslaught of their jobs and conditions, postal workers must organise themselves independently of the CWU. The Socialist Equality Party is fighting for the formation of rank-and-file workplace safety committees in every sector. Last week, the SEP formed an education workers rank-and-file committee, in opposition to the unsafe reopening of schools. We urge postal workers to contact the SEP about your conditions at work and experiences during the pandemic. Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan on Monday (September 14) paid Re 1 fine which was imposed on him by the Supreme Court in August in a contempt case. Bhushan paid the amount in the Supreme Court registry. While announcing the fine, the SC had said that Bhushan can face jail for three months and a ban from practising for three years if he fails to deposit the fine by September 15. "Just because I'm submitting the fine does not mean I have accepted the verdict. We are filing a review plea today. We have filed a writ petition that there must be an appeal procedure created for conviction under contempt," he said. Bhushan was held guilty of contempt of the apex court for tweets criticising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and the SC. "A truth fund has been created, (with) each Re 1 (given by people). We will use the truth fund to help those who are being harassed for speaking out," he said. It is to be noted that Bhushan had also approached the SC seeking the right to appeal against his conviction. Earlier, the SC had sought an unconditional apology from Bhushan and he had replied saying, "We gave several opportunities and encouragement to (Prashant Bhushan) to express regret. He not only gave wide publicity to the second statement but also gave various interviews to press." The lawyer had said that he considered it the discharge of his "highest duty" and apologising would be contempt of his conscience and the court. He had also told before the SC that open criticism was necessary to "safeguard the democracy and its values." The sudden resignation of Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan, due to health reasons could impact Japans relations with some countries unpredictably. Abe had not only nurtured Japans new-age policy with nuanced revisionism but also established personal connections with world leaders, imparting predictability and trust in relationships. The Abe-Modi friendship signified one such leadership bond. Although Abes long reign at the helm and cordial relations with India seems to have provided a solid platform to provide stability even in his absence, how will the long-term relations between India and Japan shape up post-Abe, and more specifically under his successor? Yoshihide Suga, who was on Monday elected the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, is set to succeed Abe as Japans PM. The Modi-Abe chemistry has been variously described as one between friends or old friends. Abes strong India-tilt precedes Modi. It hit an unprecedented high with his famous Confluence of the Two Seas address to the Indian Parliament in 2007, but the relationship achieved newer heights under Modi-Abe. The two leaders met for the first time in September 2014 and concurred on elevating ties to a Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The December 2015 visit of Prime Minister Abe to India kickstarted the broadbasing of bilateral ties, with an action-oriented and long-term approach to political, economic and strategic goals. The two leaders announced the Japan and India Vision 2025 Special Strategic and Global Partnership -- Working together for peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and the world, a joint statement that would serve as a guidepost for a new era in Japan-India relations. In a rare gesture, in 2018, Abe hosted Modi for a private dinner at his holiday home in Yamanashi Prefecture. Abes leadership provided India with a confident partner to broaden its Indo-Pacific strategy, by geographically including the vast region between the Far East and the African continent. The Indo-Pacific strategy has enabled both countries to expand the scope of their cooperation by expanding the scope beyond Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA), which has been a mainstay of bilateral cooperation since 1958. The India-Japan partnership in the Indo-Pacific today relies on working together to promote peace, stability and prosperity through economic growth and development in the region, including Africa, by enhancing connectivity through quality infrastructure and capacity-building. The bilateral partnership in the Indo-Pacific gained new ground under Abe-Modi as their joint development partnership now concerns a host of other countries in the region: Sri Lanka for the development of LNG-related infrastructure, Myanmar for multifaceted development assistance in Rakhine State, Bangladesh for roads, bridges and railway, as well as a comprehensive focus on the socio-economic development of the African continent. The Indo-Pacific partnership between Japan and India has also strengthened the security partnership between the two sides and that is likely to continue under Abes successor. The 2015 induction of Japan into the Malabar naval exercises as a permanent member has opened up new fronts for enhancing interoperability and cooperation for security in the maritime domain. Besides, multilateral cooperative mechanisms like the Japan-America-India Trilateral Meeting (JAI), the Quad, and the Quad Plus have all expanded scope for regional cooperation. Multilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific has risen in utility for both Japan and India as they not only ensure regional security and provide necessary political signalling, but also keep the regional balance of power in check. This is important in the context of Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, its territorial and historical disputes with Japan, and its desire to increase its footprint in the Indian Ocean Region. As Japan and India try to navigate the troubled waters of the Indo-Pacific, a sustained cooperation from the Abe-era should continue under his successor, both in bilateral relations and regional priorities. His successor should also continue the purposeful nuance that Abe maintained vis-a-vis China through a mix of nationalistically driven defence policy, international cooperation and yet a measured approach in dealing with China. The departure of Abe could see a shift in Japans designs to recruit India back to the negotiating table on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region between the 10 member states of ASEAN and its free trade partners, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. India withdrew from RCEP over concerns about its trade deficit with China, a situation that has been compounded by the ongoing border standoff with China. Other ASEAN countries are also keen to have India back in the RCEP fold, particularly Indonesia, which depends on India and China to buy its palm oil. Abes strong relationship with Modi was seen as essential to getting India to rejoin negotiations, although the door will still remain open for India in the near future. Among the many questions still outstanding are those concerning the future of the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), which emerged from the Modi-Abe friendship in November 2016. The AAGC envisions a sustainable growth strategy through a series of consultations and partnerships across Asia and Africa. It has been seen as an alternative to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has caused anxiety in the developing world over concerns about being tied to Chinese credit. The AAGC focuses on development cooperation, infrastructure development, connectivity and developing capacities and it could benefit the wider region by expanding the value chain and creating new channels of production, as well as movement of goods across the Indo-Pacific. Japan needs AAGC because it is very resource-poor and India, while having some deposits of minerals, lacks the fossil fuels needed to boost its economy and support its large population. Neither can afford to miss out on Africa and its growth. While Abes successor is unlikely to rock the boat that Abe and Modi built, the last time Abe resigned due to illness brought about significant change. This time, the LDP remains Japans dominant political party and that could ensure continuity. Japans emergence as a middle power coincided with Indias rise to prominence in the Indo-Pacific. A small shock to the system is unlikely to undermine its dynamic. (Cogan is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, Kansai Gaidai University, Osaka, Japan; Mishra is Deputy Director, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies) TCA (Travel Connections Arabia), a leading global sales and marketing outsourcing agency for the luxury hospitality, tourism and travel industry in the Middle East, has signed a joint venture with Sydney-based QCC Collection, a world-leading boutique lifestyle management company that provides crafted sleep, eat and play concepts for investors and developers. Todays traveller is looking for unique experiences, and for the ultra-wealthy its about doing something thats out of the ordinary. Working with investors and developers on their projects and being able to provide them with an array of knowledge into what these travellers are looking for, as well as consulting with them on unique opportunities or first to market concepts for their specific region, means we can ensure that hospitality continues to develop and diversify, said Ahmed Soliman, CEO of Travel Connections Arabia. The joint venture comes at a time when tourism continues to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a number of businesses shift their business plans in order to diversify their offering. Were not moving away from our core strengths, rather were enhancing them, while providing our insight into the Middle East market, which is a new target for QCC Collection, Soliman added. QCC Collection looks into real estate or site development, as well as reviewing portfolio management and performance improvement, and full back of house operations to support partners, with operations in Europe, South East Asia, Australasia, and through the joint venture now includes the Middle East. "The opportunity to work closely with TCA is ideal for us to grow in the market. We believe in providing excellent service and clear and concise feedback to our clients. We have several clients around the globe that rely on our network and this will enhance the opportunities. The Middle East market is an area we have wanted to grow for a long time and we therefore are looking forward to getting started on this exciting journey, added Caspar P Schmidt, Founder and Owner, QCC Collection. TCAs outstanding collection of hospitality and tourism clients include some of the most exclusive hotels and resorts around the world, such as The Langham, London, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts & Spas, eight exceptional Constance Hotels & Resorts, spread across the Indian Oceans top destinations: the Seychelles, the Maldives, Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as Kempinski, Villa Magna in Madrid, The Leela Goa and The Lungarno Collection, to name a few. QCC Collections established portfolio of clients has included some of the most luxurious and unique projects in the industry, including some of the best lodges in NZ and Australia, incredible boutique hotel brands in China, Bali, Australia and in the US. New projects include luxury sustainable accommodation projects, eco-tourism focussed wineries and one of the most spectacular Glamping sites at Mount Fuji in Japan. QCC Collection believes the future is about fresh air and experiences that last a lifetime. - TradeArabia News Service TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African Gold Group, Inc. (TSX-V: AGG) (AGG or the Company) is pleased to announce that a 10,000 meter drill program has commenced at the Company`s flagship Kobada Gold Project in Southern Mali. The phase 3 program is designed to both increase resources through strike length extension drilling and upgrade certain inferred resources to indicated. The Company continues to focus on advancing the Kobada Gold Project, based upon delivery of its very robust Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) in July 2020 at $1,530/oz gold. The 2020 work program will focus on the following: 10,000 m drill program comprised of approximately 160 holes, utilising reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) rigs at the Kobada main shear zone, its northern extension and the Gosso target. Extension of main shear zone prove strike extension northwards along continuous mineralized zone for at least another 4 km. Gosso target - a mineralized fault zone located 5 km to the East of Kobada main shear zone with known mineralisation in high-grade grab samples (results below). Resource upgrade - upgrade the 575,000oz inferred resources in oxides to the indicated and measured resource category with a target to reach 1 Moz of reserves. The Kobada Gold Project, based in southern Mali, is AGGs flagship asset with the potential to produce 100,000oz of gold per annum. The previous drilling campaigns focused on delineating a 2.3 million-ounce resource, and 755,00oz oxide reserve, and only focused on 4km of 30km of shear zones identified on the concession. The upside potential of the Kobada Gold Project will be targeted in a number of phases, with Phase 3 focusing on the conversion of inferred ounces to indicated and measured resources and subsequently into reserves, and targeted drilling along the Kobada shear to extend the strike of the resource. The delivery of the robust DFS, demonstrating a project with potential to produce 100,000oz per annum, with highly favourable financial deliverables, was a major milestone in the ongoing development of our flagship, ready for construction, Kobada Gold Project, comments Danny Callow, Chief Executive Officer and President of AGG. Despite some of the recent challenges in Mali, we have succeeded in mobilising and commencing exploration drilling. We look forward to re-commencing targeted exploration drilling to bolster the properties significant blue-sky potential by expanding resources and proving the upside potential of what could be a 3 to 5 million ounce deposit. AGG awarded the contract to Etasi Drilling, a Malian drilling company, in keeping with the company policy of utilising high-quality local service providers. This partnership has enabled rapid mobilisation of the drilling fleet to site, more than 10km of roads and drill platforms have been prepared, and the company has started drilling. We are very keen to advance the exploration drilling on our Kobada Gold Project, says Dr. Andreas Rompel, Vice President Exploration. In particular, we are looking forward to new discoveries along the parallel shear which is untested by drilling so far, and to upgrading the oxide resources to get the reserves to over 1 million ounces. Extend Strike North Along Continuous Mineralized Zone Last 3 holes of Phase 2 campaign intersected exceptional results to the north of the resource shell on main shear zone. Highlights include: 22.20m at 5.25 g/t Au from 78.40m to 100.6m 23.80m at 1.57 g/t Au from 110.50m to 134.30m Historical artisanal workings show the extent of the mineralised zone for many kilometres. Step out drilling expected to increase strike length of existing resource pit. Drill plan will follow the continuity of the main shear zone into Faraba concession. Conversion of 575,000 oz Inferred Oxides Near mine shallow resource drilling. In-fill drilling of oxides in gap areas to convert to measured & indicated. Target high confident conversion to reserves to increases life-of-mine to 10+ years. Develop Understanding of Gosso Potential Through Drilling A test pit has been excavated on the Gosso target, located ~5 km to the East of the Kobada Gold Projects resource pit. Mineralization at the Gosso target appears to be identical to the main shear zone in its structural control and reinforces the prospect of multiple mineralized oxide and sulphide deposits in the closer neighbourhood of our Kobada shear. The Gosso target has shown positive gold value assay results from grab samples earlier this year. Sample #207470 returned 1.10 g/t Au Sample #207471 returned 3.16 g/t Au Sample #207473 returned 4.60 g/t Au Sample #207475 returned 1.87 g/t Au The Gosso target will be drill tested to estimate the mineralization and its extent along the shear. The Company intends to initially diamond drill to the north and the south to gain knowledge about the structures defining the gold mineralisation, stepping away from the know fault location in the outcrop, and then follow up with RC drilling for grade estimation. Drilling Company Etasi & Co Drilling SARL (ETASI) has been selected to conduct the Phase 3 drilling program at Kobada Gold Project in Southern Mali. ETASI is the successor company to AMCO, who conducted the Companys Phases 1 and 2 programs during 2019-2020 drilling program. The Company expects a similar high level of productivity by AMCO as demonstrated previously. About African Gold Group African Gold Group is a Canadian listed exploration and development company on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: AGG) with its focus on developing a gold platform in West Africa. Its principal asset is the Kobada Project in southern Mali. For more information regarding African Gold Group visit our website at www.africangoldgroup.com. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by Dr. Andreas Rompel, PhD, Pr. Sci. Nat. (400274/04), FSAIMM, Vice President Exploration of AGG, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and by Mr. Uwe Engelmann (BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat. No. 400058/08, MGSSA), a director of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. For more information: Danny Callow President and Chief Executive Officer +(27) 76 411 3803 Danny.Callow@africangoldgroup.com Scott Eldridge Non-Executive Chairman of the Board (604) 722-5381 Scott.Eldridge@africangoldgroup.com Daniyal Baizak VP Corporate Development (416) 861-2267 Daniyal.Baizak@africangoldgroup.com Cautionary statements This press release contains forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding, the Companys Phase 3 exploration program, expectations of increase in resources or reserves at the Kobada Gold Project, contracting with ETASI, extension of shear zones and additional targets at Gosso and Faraba. Generally, forwardlooking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forwardlooking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of AGG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. Although AGG has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. AGG does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. 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. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4fcc4d1-b9af-4f1a-a958-e8017720fab7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9088da1d-cc12-4563-b28b-d66206e48054 Wales is back to February: There is a period of weeks for us to resolve some of the challenges we have This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 14th, 2020 Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said Wales is effectively back in the position it was in during February, and the coming weeks will be crucial for dealing with the pandemic. The Minister, speaking at the lunchtime briefing today, said: We may need to make choices within the next few weeks on a local level and potentially on a national level. We think were in an equivalent period of time now to the one we faced in early February. In early February, we faced the position where we didnt have the range of knowledge we have now, but we went into a national lockdown in essentially the third week of March. So theres a period of weeks for us to resolve some of the challenges we have. So, I appeal to people to reconsider the choices were making, who were seeing, how many people were seeing, because otherwise, we may need to make more local lockdown choices or potentially a national lockdown with all the interruption of that causes. The Minister was asked Does that mean that were potentially seven weeks away from Coronavirus lockdown? He replied, If there isnt a change in behaviour, we could well be not just seven weeks away from a potential national lockdown, but potentially much quicker. If we see cases continue to rise, with the intelligence and information we have now, with a significant contact tracing we have, then we may be in a position to make that decision and need to make that decision sooner than the seven week period of time. Despite issues around people actually getting tested the Minister said there had been a sharp rise in parts of south Wales adding, There are many similarities between the rises in each of the areas, including socialising indoors and at home without social distancing, and imported cases from holiday travel. In parts of Wales the Minister said there had been change in the pattern of infection with more people now testing positive aged in their 40s and 50s, and gave details that pointed to the issue in Caerphilly, The the heart of it appears to be a party over the bank holiday weekend, which led to 18 new cases of Coronavirus, many of whom visited other venues on nights out. A range of new possible measures that could be used were mentioned, Were also updating our Coronavirus control plan to increase the range of measures that we have to respond to local outbreak. These include actions which have been introduced elsewhere in the UK, Ireland and further afield. These include the possible introduction of curfews, restricting alcohol sales, and changing pub operations, including the possibility of shorter opening hours, or only selling alcohol with food. One early analysis earlier this year was that the first wave of the pandemic hit Wales from east to west and south to north, with the Welsh Government Technical Advisory Cell reporting the initial spread into North Wales followed the major routes from England . from Chester and Liverpool. Last week Professor Van-Tam said current trends are moving away from specific hotspots, and there is a more general and creeping geographic trend across the UK. We asked the Minister about such trends, and is he seeing any geographic trend, and is it following the previous pattern? The Health Minister said, Its broadly similar, but its a mixed picture. Youve seen the hotspots in South Wales, weve seen a modest increase in some authorities within North Wales. Were still at the point though, where despite being an equivalent of February, we can make difference in the spread of coronavirus and in protecting people from harm. We have seen in Cardiff a reduction in cases from a couple of weeks ago. So it is possible for all of us to make a real difference and that I think is really important. There is as I say, responsibility for the government and health services to make the right choices to protect people, but equally we all have individual responsibilities to protect the people around us and that people will come into contact with. The current weekly figures for inpatient confirmed cases in North Wales is similar as it was when lockdown began, however a month later was when we hit the peak. We asked the Health Minister of there was a similar quick rise here would he guarantee the country is equipped and wont run out of resources such as PPE, oxygen or similar. The Health Minister said, We are in a better position than we were in in third week of March going into national lockdown. I recall those press conferences and very difficult days when it came to PPE provision. Weve significantly restocked our provision for PPE, we have a range of orders still to come in, but were in a much better place now than previously. Even with that additional assurance, its still the case that we dont want our health and social care staff using even more significant amounts of PPE because we want to avoid more cases of COVID coming in to our health and care system. So again, it still goes back to even with that better provision, and the assurance of public should take from, it should not lead to risk taking behaviour and avoiding or ignoring the rules are in place. In his reply to us the Minister reiterated a message mentioned several times throughout the brief, perhaps suggesting issues surfacing: I say, for the benefit of everyone, to protect everyone: Be honest with contact tracers, if youre contacted, follow the rules on self isolation. Please make sure you follow the rules on limiting the number of contacts youre having, because that is the way that well get through this and minimize the harm that will otherwise take place right across the country. The Welsh Government feed had some sound issues, so to view the full brief the ITV Wales feed is a better bet today: Drew Barrymore (Getty Images) As Drew Barrymore prepares to launch her very own talk show, shes reflecting on some of her own headline-making appearances as a guest on the late-night circuit like the 1995 moment when she hopped on David Lettermans desk and lifted her top in honour of his birthday. "I think if there's one thing I've learned in a very long life in front of people is there is a line, Barrymore now says of the notorious clip, according to a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning. There is TMI. And I kind of know what that line is, and it's a feeling." Now a 45-year-old mother of two whos launched her own production company in addition to a beauty line and other businesses, Barrymore is a far cry from the former child star and teenage tabloid favourite who went to rehab at age 13. Watch: Drew Barrymore takes us behind the scenes of her new talk show A scion of the famed acting dynasty the Barrymores, the E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial actress successfully petitioned to be emancipated from her parents as a teenager, and documented her heavy partying and alcohol and drug use in the 1991 autobiography Little Girl Lost. "I see someone who knew that I probably was all I had," she says of pushing for emancipation. "So, it was like, you figure it out or, you know, you're gonna go the way of the cliche, as they say." Of those tumultuous days, Barrymore says "I pushed the limits a lot, many different times in my life. And I'm very lucky, I know that. I tested, I pushed, probably too far many a time." Drew Barrymore pictured as a teenager in 1989 (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) But she looks for silver linings out of those experiences, saying: "I at least tried to meet that blessing with having learned something." Her own rocky childhood has also had an impact on how she parents her two daughters, seven-year-old Olive and six-year-old Frankie their father is ex-husband Will Kopelman, from whom she split in 2016. Read more: Drew Barrymore is letting her natural grey hairs grow "I wanna be all about, you know, the pillars of appropriateness and decorum," Barrymore says. "And I don't lie to my kids. I'm, like, I had to find my way here. Story continues So, yeah, I've lived a lot of different lives, and this is what's important to me now. But, my kids have inspired me to be the best person I have ever been in my life, and I thank them every single day for that." Drew Barrymore opened up about her tumultuous youth in an interview for CBS Sunday Morning. (FilmMagic) Read more: Drew Barrymore interviews her younger self in talk show promo With just one day to go before she embarks on a new career in daytime TV during a pandemic, no less the budding talk show host says shes making the most of the second chances shes received. I've also had my career go away at, like, 13, she notes. I mean, if that doesn't give you some perspective and gratitude for every job you get, nothing will. I'm like, I am working!! This is amazing!!" Watch: Drew Barrymore on her new daytime talk show - I just get to be Myself A longtime Trump loyalist with no background in health care, Mr. Caputo, 58, was appointed by the White House to his post in April, at a time when the presidents aides suspected the health secretary, Alex M. Azar II, of protecting his public image instead of Mr. Trumps. Mr. Caputo coordinates the messaging of an 80,000-employee department that is at the center of the pandemic response, overseeing the Food and Drug Administration, the C.D.C. and the National Institutes of Health. Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the presidents coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. Mr. Caputos Facebook comments were another sign of the administrations deep antipathy and suspicion for its own scientific experts across the bureaucracy and the growing political pressure on those experts to toe a political line favorable to Mr. Trump. This weekend, first Politico, then The New York Times and other news media organizations published accounts of how Mr. Caputo and a top aide had routinely worked to revise, delay or even scuttle the core health bulletins of the C.D.C. to paint the administrations pandemic response in a more positive light. The C.D.C.s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports had previously been so thoroughly shielded from political interference that political appointees only saw them just before they were published. Mr. Caputos 26-minute broadside on Facebook against scientists, the news media and Democrats was also another example of a senior administration official stoking public anxiety about the election and conspiracy theories about the deep state the label Mr. Trump often attaches to the federal Civil Service bureaucracy. Mr. Caputo predicted that the president would win re-election in November, but that his Democratic opponent, Joseph R. Biden Jr., would refuse to concede, leading to violence. And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, he said. The drills that youve seen are nothing. There were no obvious signs from administration officials on Monday that Mr. Caputos job was in danger. On the contrary, Mr. Trump again added his voice to the administrations science denialism. As the president visited California to show solidarity with the fire-ravaged West, he challenged the established science of climate change, declaring, It will start getting cooler. He added: Just watch. I dont think science knows, actually. Before TikTok stars dominated social media, James Charles was one of the fastest rising stars in the YouTube community. He first started doing creative makeups over Instagram, which he called "Looks Inspired By," before transitioning to the online video-sharing platform as fans asked him to create full-length video tutorials on how to achieve a specific look. The then 16-year-old New York native uploaded his first-ever video titled "Blue/Brown Serpent Makeup Tutorial," which immediately gained millions of views. In 2016, he received one of his many achievements after being named the first male spokesperson of the cosmetic brand, Covergirl. During his previous interview with Allure, the "aspiring makeup artist" -- which he called himself during that time -- shared that being Covergirl's brand ambassador was "the coolest thing" that has ever happened to him. "It's such a huge honor to be working with one of the most iconic beauty brands in history, alongside huge icons such as Katy Perry. It's groundbreaking, and I cannot wait to see what else comes from it. This year is going to be amazing," Charles said. In 2018, the internet sensation won recognitions such as People's Choice Award for Favorite Beauty Influencer and Teen Choice Award for Choice for Fashion and Beauty category. Now, with over hundreds of videos varying from makeup reviews, viral challenges and makeovers, he is considered one of the most successful creators and biggest beauty influencers with more than 21.7 million Youtube subscribers and 21.3 million Instagram followers. According to multiple reports, his estimated views per video is between 3 to 5 million. James Charles Net Worth Charles is one of the most-followed YouTubers in the world, which means more collaborations and sponsorship from lucrative brands for him. With that said, James Charles' net worth is estimated to be $22 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. In addition to his high-profile deals, the YouTube star has a contract with renowned Los Angeles-based makeup brand Morphe, amounting to millions of dollars." The said deal a big chunk to his overall value.. Launched in 2018, the first James Charles x Morphe Artistry Palette -- which retails around $39 -- was sold out in less than 10 minutes as fans had difficulty purchasing the item from the official Morphe website. "[Charles'] Morphe deal, alone, we know is over a million dollars," CEO of Marketing Nutz Pam Moore told Newsweek. "James is in the media right now and there's going to be plenty of people asking 'What's Morphe?' I would be very interested in seeing what their sales look like right now." Aside from the said deals and partnerships, the 21-year-old beauty guru has appeared in several TV guestings such as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He also did the makeup of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her 2019 music video "Sally Walker." James Charles Merch James Charles' net worth is also boosted by his merch line, which he calls "Sister apparel." The brand offers a variation of sweat pants, hoodies, T-shirts and accessories. One of the crowd favorites is his Rainbow Pride Collection, which consists of fans, hats, hoodies, swimsuits and T-shirts -- basically all you need for the pride march. READ MORE: Kim Kardashian Fury! Kim K Posts Lengthy Rant Over SKIMS Controversy Indian actor Rudhraksh 'Rudi' Jaiswal has revealed how Chris Hemsworth changed his life after the pair starred in Netflix movie Extraction together. The 16-year-old was bullied at school but the Hollywood star, 37, became his mentor on set and has continued to give him advice. 'Before I did Extraction, my life was very different. I was bullied at school, people would try to bring me down and everyday I would go home crying ,' he told The Daily Telegraph. Special bond: Indian actor Rudhraksh 'Rudi' Jaiswal has revealed how Chris Hemsworth changed his life after the pair starred in Netflix movie Extraction together two years ago The Mumbai-based actor went on to say that Aussie star Chris stayed in regular contact with him after filming ended. 'He's been guiding me through this journey. If I'm stuck or need advice, I always reach out to him. He's my idol. He always brings out the best in me,' Rudhraksh said. 'He also helped me improve my acting techniques and taught me the art of dialogue, voice modulation and taking pauses in between lines.' Support: The 16-year-old said he was bullied at school, but the Hollywood star, 37, became his mentor on set The actors spent six months filming Netflix's Extraction in India and Thailand. According to the streaming platform, Extraction has been streamed by 'an estimated 90 million households' since its premiere on April 24. The movie follows SASR operator-turned-mercenary Tyler Rake, played by Chris, as he is recruited to rescue the son of India's biggest drug lord. Friendship: The Mumbai-based actor went on to say that Aussie star Chris has stayed in regular contact after filming ended The son - played by Rudhraksh - is being held for hefty ransom by a rival drug lord in Bangladesh. But when Rake attempts to complete the mission, things start to go terribly awry as corruption and greed come to light. Extraction is based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, Fernando Leon Gonzalez, and Eric Skillman, as well as Marvel film producers Joe and Anthony Russo, who also produced the film. The cross-border tunnel on the China-Laos Railway was completed on Sunday, laying a solid foundation for the full operation of the whole line. Dubbed as the "friendship tunnel," it covers a total length of 9.59 kilometers, with 7.17 kilometers on the Chinese side and 2.42 kilometers on the Lao section. Using China's technical standards and equipment, the China-Laos Railway measures more than 1,000 kilometers from Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province, to Vientiane, capital of Laos. The project is scheduled to be completed and opened to traffic at the end of 2021 and will cut the travel time between Kunming and Vientiane to 12 hours. Whatever headwinds are blowing their way, Justin Trudeaus Liberals are still riding a wave of popular support for their handling of the COVID-19 crisis. A full two thirds of Canadians say the government has handled this file well, according to a recent Angus Reid poll. And thats despite any lingering public concerns about the WE Charity scandal or the prime ministers decision to prorogue Parliament. But whatever accolades the government has earned for what it has done since the COVID-19 outbreak, what it apparently permitted to happen in the two years before the pandemic might severely dent its hard-won reputation as a capable manager. According to recent reports by the Globe and Mail, the federal governments pandemic early warning system was shut down and the officials working on it were silenced just months before the coronavirus hit Canadas shores. This system, which was run by the Global Public Health Intelligence Network, had admirably served Canada and the world for decades. But it was disabled shortly before Canadians needed it more than ever. In hindsight, this seems a blunder of historic proportions. Even the staunchest Liberal supporters will wonder if the federal government could have responded more quickly and effectively to COVID-19 if that network had still been operating at full capacity before the virus hit. Canadians need to know exactly what went wrong here and why because there will be other pandemics to prepare for. The Global Public Health Intelligence Network had proven its worth many times over after being created in the early 1990s. It served to gather information about global outbreaks of illnesses and was capable of analyzing more than 7,000 pieces of data a day. It established itself as a front line defence against pandemics in Canada after the deadly SARS outbreak of 2003. It repeatedly proved its worth by warning about the dangerous bird flu outbreak of 2005, the H1N1 outbreak in Mexico in 2009 and outbreaks of Zika in West Africa. And it won international acclaim. Two years ago the World Health Organization credited the network with providing a fifth of its epidemiological intelligence. But as was noted long ago, prophets can be without honour in their own country. Fickle bureaucrats in the Public Health Agency of Canada seem to have decided in 2018 and 2019 that the network was too international in its orientation and should concentrate more narrowly on domestic matters. While the network had issued more than 1,500 alerts about possible health threats in the previous decade, it fell silent in May 2019 and many of its staff members were shifted to domestic matters. That makes as about much sense as disabling your smoke alarm to save a few bucks on new batteries. If theres anything positive to report about this bizarre situation, its that the government is taking it seriously. It restarted the Global Public Health Intelligence Network alert system. In addition, Health Minister Patty Hajdu last week ordered an independent review of the matter. Canadians should expect to learn who made the decisions about the network and what oversight Liberal politicians provided. That review will also investigate allegations from scientists inside Public Health that their voices were stifled within the department. Many Canadians will remember the delight with which the Liberals, when in opposition, roasted Stephen Harpers Conservatives for disrespecting science. The Liberals may find themselves found guilty of the same offence. But at least they deserve credit for trying to exhume these problems instead of leaving them buried. Palestinian chef Mona Leena Michael went from heading up Oaklands Middle Eastern restaurant, Dyafa, to putting up a Manaeesh pop-up once the coronavirus pandemic struck. On this episode of "Extra Spicy," Michael talks about how the Alameda County health department shut her operation down because of an anonymous complaint even during a global health crisis that has rendered many food industry workers like her unemployable. Plus: Michael shocks co-host Soleil Ho by saying that shes elevating Palestinian cuisine. Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to read an edited transcript of Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips full conversation with Mona Michael. Here is a transcript of Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips' interview with Mona Michael, edited and condensed for clarity. The interview was conducted on Aug. 31. Soleil Ho: Thank you so much for joining us. We're so happy to talk to you. Mona Leena Michael: I'm very excited as well. Soleil Ho: This past couple of months, we've always started with just checking in with just how you're doing with everything. So yeah, what's up? Mona Leena Michael: How am I doing? The timing of this is incredible because s just went down last week. But I'm good. I went through a slump like most chefs did the first couple of months. Especially because I was making some serious moves at Dyafa in the middle of all this and the shelter-in-place was very detrimental to that. So I sulked for a little while. But since then, I have a business plan going for a fast, casual concept. That was not my initial plan because I didn't think we were gonna be six months into this and still dealing with what we're dealing with. But then about four weeks ago, I started doing Manaeesh pop up, which is a Palestinian flatbread, and then somebody decided to call the health department on me last week. So they shut me down on Friday. So, that sucks. So that's why I was like perfect timing because, you know, things were rolling. I was selling out every Friday. It was all solid. And then apparently the lines were pissing somebody off. So here I am. Soleil Ho: OK. We need to know the story. The person who called is a disgruntled customer? Mona Leena Michael: I don't. I don't know. It's somebody disgruntled. I don't know. Obviously, it was anonymous. We got a little glimpse of the clipboard that the health department person had, and there was a photo of my chalkboard menu that was like a setup preservice a couple weeks ago. And the complaint was like, someone's operating without a license, or something or other. Like, how would you even know how I'm operating? So they showed up last Friday with the cops and let me serve a customer and then came up to me and they're just like, we received the complaint, and you got to shut it down. And I was like, Cool. Are you doing this to every other pop-up or is it just because they complained? And she kind of just brushed me off. So, yeah, here I am. I'm trying to make it legit now and keep going. Soleil Ho: It's so ridiculous. I'm so sorry. Mona Leena Michael: You know, it's OK. It's just another hiccup. It's just gonna take me registering with a kitchen and doing the whole jam to keep going. So hopefully by next week I'll be back up and running. Justin Phillips: So your immediate move after Dyafa in Oakland was to do your own. Tell me about that process. Mona Leena Michael: The process for me was, like I said, some heavy, heavy sulking. And then, What can I do next? And then, Oh, s, there goes our extra $600 a week for unemployment. And then, OK, So how can I make that money up in a way I know how to do it. And I happened to move also in August. So my oven in my new location is much more ideal for the Manaeesh thing. So it kind of all just happened and then it picked up and people were stoked. I posted on the Nextdoor app for my neighborhood just to get people aware. And like I said, by week two by 12 minutes in we were sold out. Soleil Ho: So before this, actually, Justin and I were talking about how because of the pandemic, a lot of people who were making food or have services to offer have been moving online to offer their wares. Can you tell us a little bit about how you become your own marketer? And you've done a pop-up before like you're used to this. But I'd love to hear about your process behind establishing your brand and how you get your name out there when there's so much competing right now. Mona Leena Michael: Yeah. So, I wouldn't say that I had a specific procedure or process to this. I really just set in stone the direction that I wanted to go in terms of being out on my own, elevating Palestinian cuisine. ... And specifically, elevating is the key word. Not preserving, but elevating is kind of the direction that I took. From there, everything kind of focused on that: from what I was posting, from what I was talking about, from the cuisine that I was trying to to promote, I guess. And it kind of just naturally started happening. People started noticing. And I also do think that Arabic food right now is booming. So that has helped a lot as well. But in general, I'm always active and trying to respond to people and trying to be present as a chef that's trying to appeal to their audiences. I wish I could tell you more like a specific, detailed process but it really was just like, Here's what I want to focus on. And that's the direction that I'm going to go. And I guess when I manifested that, or I went in that direction, it kind of all started manifesting itself. I've told myself I'd say yes to anything that I could say yes to. To the detriment of my mental health. But we do what we got to do. But, yeah. And here I am. Mona Leena Michael Soleil Ho: So I'm curious, actually, about your use of the word elevated. Which you've clearly thought a lot about. To break down the semantic conflict, in the food world, there are a lot of chefs who say that they elevate X or Y or Z cuisines. And often that means bringing European influence into it. And it has a sort of pseudo-colonialist overture. But I'd love to hear about how you navigate that and how you take that word and make it your own. Mona Leena Michael: Yeah. So specifically for me, when I use the word elevated. ... I've spent 10 years in the industry. And I've learned many different cuisines. I'm French, Italian, Japanese. I worked in a pizza establishment. I've kind of made my way around and learned a lot of different techniques across different cultures of cuisine. And some of those techniques I have found superior to what I learned growing up, for example. Or what I saw my mom do growing up. Where a little tweak in this process can take it from a homemade dish to, Holy crap, I cannot make my food taste like this at home. And it could be something as simple as, I don't know... With hummus, how long you soak your beans and with what you soak them and how often you change that water. And then your cooking process. And then you're cooling process. All of those things matter. So when I say that my goal here is to take the knowledge that I've taken from across the different cuisines that I've learned and use those techniques to turn and I'm going to put this in quotes, because it wasn't my word peasant food, which is something that I've seen being used to describe mezza restaurants ... to take this peasant food that people are being annoyed that they're being overcharged for and giving them a reason to understand what they're paying for. And why it's different from the peasant food which they've had at the hole-in-the-wall place down the street. So that's just always been my goal. It was a specific review I read one time, and it stuck with me. And I was like, You know what? It's kind of mean, but that person has a point. Like, somebody could go down the street and get this hummus and falafel from a corner store for a third of the price or a half of the price that I'm charging. So what am I doing here to make it more worthwhile? And that's the important part. Soleil Ho: I want to hear more about that. How do you seize that aesthetic and make it your own? How do you differentiate, specifically? Mona Leena Michael: I would say that I am not really afraid to take an Arabic dish and bastardize it, for lack of a better term. To kind of mess with it. And who better to bastardize a culture's cuisine than somebody of that culture? Like, I'm sure if somebody that was not Palestinian did what I was doing, like tabbouleh ceviche, somebody would be like, Who are you? What are you even talking about? My husband came up with that idea awhile back, and I was like, You genius. And I took it and ran with it. And it's a beautiful thing because you get to see, one: The connection between the two. A Spanish dish and a Palestinian dish and how they how they combine so well together. But what also differentiates it. And then you get to play around with ratios and seasonings and all that to really perfected into what it is. It's fun for me to be able to make these connections across cultural foods and put them together. You'll see my menus being like fusion, but not in a weird way. It's fusion-y, but it's not obvious what it is. Soleil Ho: Got it. Yeah. When you mentioned tabbouleh ceviche I said, Wait, what? As you described it, it sounds really good. You sort of fleshed out the idea behind it. That's what it takes, right? It just sometimes things sound so random. But when you actually hear what's happening ... and obviously the story behind it is so interesting. You can really change the way the dish is received. Mona Leena Michael: Totally. Absolutely. Soleil Ho: You mentioned, too, that Arab cuisines are being really well established right now in 2020. In the Bay Area especially. What is your evaluation of the scene? Mona Leena Michael: I don't want to use the word gimmicky. But I feel like... and I kind of feel like this in the restaurant industry as a whole. ... It's all about how you're selling it. The gimmick of what it is. And I feel like nowadays, like the Arabs that are out there, especially in the Bay Area, are definitely more like with the times. And modern and cool and hip. And are like willing to break that barrier of like rigidity of our culture. And this protectiveness of our culture. And allowing it to open up into others other things and other ideas and other concepts. So that's what I'm seeing. Like the fast casual concepts back in the day, we're just like, OK, your hummus, your shawarmas and your wraps. It was just very cookie-cutter. And now I feel like at this point in time in the industry, places thrive most when they pick a direction and pick this one thing they do super damn well and stick with it. And I think that's where I see the food world, or at least the community here going. Which is really cool. I like to see that. Mona Leena Michael Soleil Ho: That's an interesting contrast, too, between that continued openness and the way American culture has sort of shifted politically in opposition to the Arab world, too, right? And like there's been a lot of really awful stereotyping and anti-Arab anti-Muslim ... just sort of that region. Perception and politics on the national stage. I mean, ever since Sept. 11th, I think that's been really hard. I'd love to hear your impression of that. Like how that might have shifted or changed the younger folks like you who are in the business and being essentially a public face. Mona Leena Michael: I will say that without any effort nowadays, because we're just OK with who we are and OK with calling ourselves Palestinian It almost automatically makes us controversial. It almost automatically makes us a spectacle. Just by saying, Yeah, I am Palestinian and my cuisine is Palestinian. I've automatically become controversial. For example, and I'm going to go to my partnership with Shuk Shuka I really wanted to take it upon myself to set an example with this project and show the Israelis and Palestinians can work together and can enjoy meals together and really are very, very similar. And the thing that we talked about the most, or the thing that we enforced the most, was keeping politics out of the narrative. And. It's very, very, very easy to do that when you're the oppressor and not the oppressed. So I found myself being quieter about things that I wouldn't normally be quiet about. And I started getting really uncomfortable with that. I was like, You know what? There is something going on in Palestine that I'm not OK with. And I do want to speak out about it. And I can't do that if the narrative that I'm stuck in right now is keeping politics out of my narrative. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. To answer your question, just being an Arab acknowledges the fact that they're an Arab in the United States is a political statement in themselves. Even more so, being a Palestinian that acknowledges themselves as Palestinian and speaks out against what's going on back there that in itself is a political statement. And you can't escape it. I've been in the restaurant industry for 10 years and the service industry for 15. And I am the type person that would just like to shut the f up and cook. I don't want to be bothered. I just want to make some bomb food. I want to give people a great time. And that's what I want to do. Fortunately/unfortunately, because I've decided to embrace my people's cuisine, it's become political. I can't escape it. It's done. So yeah, with Shuk Shuka, I kind of decided to step away from it because I couldn't stand by it anymore. I also noticed that 90% of our clients were Israelis. And my community wasn't ready to be in that sort of the situation and the setting. Most of the time when I did talk about that project to my family, to my Palestinian friends, theyd be like, Are you sure that's a good idea? That was the initial, internal response from those people, because it's years of trauma decades of trauma. And so I decided to like ... I'm not sitting here trying to make a political statement, but I don't feel right not speaking out. So here I am. Soleil Ho: So for now, then, you're focusing on your Manaeesh pop-up, right? Just trying to figure out how to get everything on the straight and narrow because there's narcs everywhere, apparently? Mona Leena Michael: Now I'm on the radar! Narcs! Like I said, I'm working on a fast casual business plan for another exciting concept that I'm going to be working on. Hopefully that'll be coming sooner than later. It's all about finding the right location and all that. But yeah, pop-up: the Manaeesh lady. That's what's happening right now. Soleil Ho: I mean, how do you even get permitted right now? It sounds like permits are so hard to get and they take forever. Yeah. What does that look like? Mona Leena Michael: Which is why I was just like, Let me just sling some flatbreads for a little bit, get this stuff going. Well, it's funny because before we started talking today, I started doing my research on how I'm going to get this continued. And you're not allowed in person anymore. Like nothing's done in person. I just called the planning department, for example, of Oakland, and they were just like, Please leave a message or send us an email and we'll get back to you. And only essential businesses are being prioritized right now. So, Im like, I don't even know what that means. What does that even mean? So it's gonna be interesting, to say the least. I'm going to have to find a way to make it work so that I don't get shut down again. But girl's got to make some money and feed the people, you know. Mona Leena Michael Justin Phillips: I was just laughing about just, you know, the snitch that ratted you out. Mona Leena Michael: I know who it is. I'm just not going to put anybody on blast. But I figured out who it is, and they're just fing haters. That's all it is. Justin Phillips: And look, people are trying to hustle right now. If you take your time out of your day to report someone who's trying to earn a living right now... it just makes no sense to me. Mona Leena Michael: Mind you, it's 20 minutes once a week. It's every Friday. And I'm sold out in 20 minutes. Like, how did you even get mad enough to even go and report me? Like, how did it even get there? So honestly, when that happened to me last Friday, I hit up like Brokeass Cooks and I was like, Y'all, just so you know, this s just happened to me, like be the lookout. Be aware because I doubt that they're gonna go searching for anybody right now. But, like, there are haters out there. So just be careful. Soleil Ho: Yeah thats wild because there's so many businesses like Brokeass Cooks, like Basuku Cheesecakes that have had to out of desperation start these enterprises. And it's just like kicking someone while theyre down at this point because you're not starting this because you're greedy or you want to make more money. You just want to pay rent. Mona Leena Michael: I have rent to pay. I got bills to pay. I got an English bulldog, dude. Those things are not cheap to maintain. My dog, Chef, eats raw. He eats Smallbatch raw duck. He is fancy. But yeah, a girls got bills to pay. Like you're really over the 20 minutes a week? You think that's affecting you? Come on. Its just ridiculous, and it just shows a lack of empathy for the human race. Everybody's going through it right now. You're gonna really kick somebody while they're already down. It sucks. Soleil Ho: Yeah, I mean, I wonder, too, because there are so many people who have recently entered this market. Whereas there have been people who sell churros on the subway, or people who sell tamales who have dealt with sort of police, and like all of that stuff coming down on them all the time. Do you think that people are changing at all with their attitude towards the off-market vendors like the gray market vendors? Do you have a lot further to go in, I guess repairing the relationship between these vendors and the greater public? Mona Leena Michael: I mean, like I think that people that are OK with it are OK with it. And the people that are not are not. I just don't understand how as a functioning solo human, how you can look down the street and see somebody selling food to make a living and have a problem with that. I don't think that's something that you can change about a person. That's just like a hater. Like to even assume that I didn't have my permitting, right? To even assume that because the person who reported me had no idea. It's vengeful. So I don't think that there is going to be this mass change in people's perspective of it. I pay my taxes and I have my permit and I do this. And you're like, You're getting all this money. And I'm like, I'm not getting any money, dude. It's 20 minutes once a week. Im not putting you out of business with this. And I'm certainly not screwing over the tax system, you know what I'm saying? Soleil Ho: Right. I mean, compared to how billionaires get all their tax write offs. Like it's small potatoes. Where can people find you if they are interested in following you on the Internet? Mona Leena Michael: Yeah. If you want to follow me and the things that I'm doing, the best place to start is at my Instagram, @chefmonaleena and my link to my websites also there. But start there. I'm very active on my Instagram more than anything else. Soleil Ho: Well, thank you. Mona Leena Michael: Thanks, guys. Lawyers for the Georgia father and son duo charged with murder over the killing of Ahmaud Arbery have insisted that there was no racial motive behind the shooting, and that the men were not 'a caricature of a Southern vigilante racism'. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, have been jailed since their arrests in May, more than two months after they chased and shot Arbery, a 25-year-old black man who was jogging through their Brunswick neighborhood. A third man, William 'Roddie' Bryan joined in the chase in his pickup, and videotaped the end of it. Bryan was denied bond by Judge Timothy Walmsley in July. The McMichaels also remain in jail, and should have their bond hearings in the coming weeks. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, have been jailed since their arrests in May, more than two months after they chased and shot Arbery, a 25-year-old black man who was jogging through their Brunswick neighborhood Arbery was out jogging in Brunswick on February 23 when he was spotted by Gregory McMichael, who claims he believed the 25-year-old looked like a burglary suspect On Friday the McMichaels' attorneys insisted that their clients were honorable men. 'He is not a stereotype, he is not a caricature of a Southern vigilante racism that he's been made out to be,' said Bob Rubin of Travis McMichael. 'He's actually a man who's lived a very good life, a life of helping others.' Frank Hogue, who represents Greg McMichael, said the pair acted in defense of a neighboring property. Hogue said Arbery had been filmed at least two times on a security video inside a house under construction a few doors down. Arbery was shot and killed while out jogging 'This is what was in their head,' Hogue said. 'Not the narrative you're hearing: Ah, there's a Black man running in our neighborhood. Let's go track him down and shoot him.' It's far from that.' Rubin agreed. 'This case is not about race,' he said. 'Mr Arbery was not targeted because he was black.' Arbery was out jogging when he was gunned down. All three of the accused men have pleaded not guilty. An agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Richard Dial, testified that Arbery may have stopped at the unfinished house to ask for water during his run. Police found nothing from inside the home on Arbery's body. But Larry English, the man who owned the home under construction, had told police and neighbors he had had thousands of dollars in electronics and fishing equipment stolen from his boat in late 2019. Jason Sheffield, Rubin's law partner, said: 'Is this really about water? Is it about trying to study electrical design? What is this about exactly? Has he tried to get into other people's homes? 'All these questions are sort of out there that we're seeking to answer. But it's not about an episode of jogging.' Sheffield said that the McMichaels had confronted white people they saw entering the unfinished house, approaching them with their guns. In the sickening footage of Arbery's death, a shot can be heard and Arbery is seen scuffling with Travis as Arbery appears to try to get the gun away from Travis. Two more shots can be heard and are fired at point-blank range before Arbery is seen in a video stumbling and falling to the ground after being shot as Travis McMichael stands by holding a shotgun The legal team, in their interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, also pushed back on claims by the third man, Bryan, that Travis McMichael had said over Arbery's dead body: 'F****** n*****.' They insisted that Bryan was still in his pickup truck at the time, so couldn't possibly have heard the offensive comment. Dial, the investigator, had also alleged that Travis McMichael used the N-word numerous times in social media posts and in messages on his cell phone in the months leading up to Arbery's death. In one such message, investigators say Travis once exclaimed he loved his job because he was 'on a boat and there were not any n****** anywhere.' In a response to an Instagram post about using violence against black people, Travis McMichael is said to have typed 'Blow that n*****'s head off'. Dial said after a separate search of Bryan's phone, he was also found to have made various racist comments in messages and in posts on social media. Dial called some of the racist statements 'disturbing', and said he has 'never before come across' some of the terms used by Bryan. 'There's evidence of Mr. Bryan's racist attitude in his communications, and from that I extrapolate the reason why he made assumptions he did that day,' Dial said. 'He saw a man running down the road with a truck following him, and I believe he made certain assumptions that were, at least in part, based upon his racial bias.' The attorneys, in their interview, also were at pains to point out both father and son's life of service. Greg McMichael enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1975, and once saved the life of a fellow sailor who got into trouble in the sea off the coast of Spain. He then worked for the Brunswick Police Department, later becoming an investigator for the District Attorney's office, retiring in 2019 after 24 years in law enforcement. Travis McMichael spent nine years with the U.S. Coast Guard. Chris Stewart, a member of the Arbery family's legal team, declined to respond to the three lawyers' comments. 'We don't have a response or even want to acknowledge their attempt at damage control,' he said. Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, seen in their last public court appearance on July 17 pleaded not guilty to murder and aggravated assault charges in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery Neighbor William 'Roddie' Bryan Jr., 50, who took video of the killing, pleaded not guilty to murder and attempt to illegally detain and confine Travis McMichael is pictured being taken into custody on May 7 - more than two month after the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery People who snore could be three times more likely to die from coronavirus if they are admitted to hospital, a study has revealed. University of Warwick scientists carried out a review of 18 studies into obstructive sleep apnoea and coronavirus. They found those who suffer from the condition, which causes snoring and choking when the throat muscles relax and temporarily block the airway during sleep, are at greater risk of being hospitalised or dying from the virus. The condition is most common in people suffering from diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure, which also increase their risk if they catch Covid-19. As many as 1.5million people are thought to suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea in the UK, and 85 per cent of cases are said to be undiagnosed. In the US, 22million people are estimated to suffer from the condition. Obstructive sleep apnoea can increase the risk of death from coronavirus, a study has concluded. Pictured is a stock image of a woman wearing a mask to stop the condition The scientists said that further research into the impact of obstructive sleep apnoea on Covid-19 patients is needed. But the experts, led by Dr Michelle Miller, admitted it 'wouldn't be surprising' if they suffered a negative impact. Obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with other conditions, such as obesity, which are already known to increase the risk of coronavirus. Dr Miller said: 'This is a group of patients that should be more aware that obstructive sleep apnoea could be an additional risk if they get Covid-19. 'Make sure you are compliant with your treatment and take as many precautions as you can to reduce your risk, such as wearing a mask, social distancing, and getting tested as soon as you notice any symptoms. 'Now more than ever is the time to follow your treatment plan as diligently as possible.' She added: 'It is likely that Covid-19 increases oxidative stress and inflammation and has effects on the bradykinin pathways (which normally helps to control blood pressure), all of which are also affected in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. 'When you have individuals in which these mechanisms are already affected, it wouldnt be surprising that Covid-19 affects them more strongly.' Of the studies the experts examined, ten looked at obstructive sleep apnoea while eight investigated the risk of death from coronavirus. One study in Diabetologia on 1,300 diabetics and sleep apnoea sufferers found their risk of death was 2.8 times greater after seven days in hospital. The scientists warned that an estimated 85 per cent of people with the condition are not diagnosed and said, if they are concerned, that they should contact their doctor. The condition can repeatedly stop people from breathing during sleep when the throat muscles relax and cut off the air supply to the lungs, causing sufferers to snore loudly, awaken abruptly and suffer a dry mouth and sore throat. Treatment includes being connected to a machine during sleep which maintains pressure in the airways. The study was published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews. Elections are in the air! And globally millions of Christians will be going to the polls after judging one candidate against another. Discriminating between two or more candidates is more than a muscle to be exercised every four years though. Despite being drilled by secular culture with one of their favourite mantras, "Don't judge", Christians, and indeed everyone, judges and discriminates every single day, and rightly so. We judge daily This is probably most obvious in the context of the (hopefully) deep analysis that goes into picking which candidate to vote for. But even some of the most basic decisions we take involve us judging between several options. If you enter a supermarket; you don't buy bread that is mouldy because you assess and judge that it would maybe be bad for your children. You don't take a taxi with a driver that is clearly drunk because that would put you at risk. Now, being condescending or derisive is a mark of emotional and spiritual immaturity, and I am in no way justifying that kind of behaviour. However, it is clear that human beings must make decisions every day, concerning for e.g. health and safety. This involves analytical thinking, discernment and fair judgement. Relationships involve judgement Let's make the storyline a bit more personal. What if the bread was made in a factory that your brother owned? You overhear him nearby, pointing out that he has recently felt the need to add 2% faeces to each loaf; and he is very emotional about it. What do you do? If it were a stranger, you may risk ignoring and evading, but if you care about your brother, you will have to do your best to explain why placing faeces pieces in the bread is bad. If he were the drunk taxi driver, who loves drinking passionately, you'd have to speak with him as well. In doing so you are sharing your assessment and your judgement, determining the risks to health and safety as you should! How much more so, things that have more eternal consequences? But Jesus said not to judge A viciously scratched out Bible with the only visible words being "Judge not" is an apt description of the secularist's (one who holds a secular worldview- although that person may claim to be a Christian), reading of Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7 says one will be judged to the same extent that they judge. Jesus then chides his listeners, whom he describes as having a plank in their eye while trying to get a speck out of their brother's eye. Clearly, this is a call to introspection, but Jesus isn't saying that you should never take a speck out of the eye of a neighbour. He is saying we shouldn't judge hypocritically, but we should apply the same measure of judgement to ourselves first. Let us not fall into the deception which says that we can't speak to anyone about wrong things they may be doing. That would be unbiblical and dangerous! Let us engage and examine the text and dodge culturally charged interpretations of scripture. Jesus is calling us to judge ourselves first, then others, by the same standard. Later down in the passage Jesus actually encourages believers to judge carefully between sheep and wolves: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Matthew chapter 7 verses 15-17). Here, Jesus is saying we should carefully judge and discern; examining the ways of the 'sheep' and the fruit of the trees; not being caught off guard. This passage and many more would not be in existence of we were being told to not judge. Jesus says we must judge! To top it all off, Jesus said plain as day that we should judge! John chapter 7 verse 24 says in the Amplified Version, Do not judge by appearance, superficially and arrogantly, but judge fairly and righteously. In looking at these passages, you may observe that the stress is on how to judge and how not to judge, not whether or not believers should judge! So next time someone tells you not to judge, remind them that they judged you first, to determine that you shouldnt judge. Theirs is a self-defeating proposition worthy of introspection and correction; which should lead back to the Word, that says we should not judge hypocritically, but rather rightly. Those who fail to judge as Jesus instructed, fail to make the distinction between good and evil and become functionally atheist and post-modern; neutralised at best and active agents of the kingdom of darkness at worst. Now judge my words for yourself, examine the passages and see if I have engaged in them fairly. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 08:03:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Wang Lei BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a virtual meeting with German and European Union (EU) leaders on Monday, a timely and critical gathering to steer the China-EU partnership toward a more stable and mature future in a world where uncertainties abound. It is the second China-EU leaders' meeting in three months, and the latest episode of frequent high-level exchanges between the two sides, demonstrating an earnest hope from Beijing and Brussels to boost all-round cooperation, and build a more open and prosperous world. Cooperation between China and the EU, following the establishment of their diplomatic ties 45 years ago, continues to gain momentum with bilateral trade and mutual investment thriving and people-to-people exchanges flourishing. The two sides have also been working closely on global matters. Humanity is struggling to cope with an unprecedented public health crisis rarely seen in a century, while the global economy is absorbing the impact of perhaps the worst economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Unfortunately, in an age where cooperation and solidarity are much-needed, the specter of isolationism and protectionism is rearing its ugly head. At this drastic moment, China and the EU, which account for about a quarter of the world's population and one third of gross global product, need to step up efforts to advance cooperation and strengthen coordination to better handle challenges in a post-pandemic era. The most urgent task for China and the EU is to build an anti-pandemic partnership to beat the deadly virus and to steer the world economy toward recovery as soon as possible. As governments around the world are seeking to reopen their countries, the two sides need to focus on how to step up their collective and coordinated response to facilitate cross-border movements of people and goods while doing their best to reduce the risk of new trans-border cases to a minimum. A multinational information-sharing network for both people and commercial goods is among the must-dos. China and the EU should also give full play to their respective advantages and work even closer to fast-track the development, production and distribution of effective treatments and vaccines, and make sure those live-saving tools are accessible and affordable. In the field of the economy and trade, the cornerstone of China-EU relations, Beijing and Brussels share a promising future. In 2019, the two-way trade reached roughly 710 billion U.S. dollars, growing at 8 percent year on year. Germany, the EU's rotating presidency in the second half of 2020, has long been China's largest trading partner in Europe. Despite the pandemic, economic and trade cooperation between the two sides remain robust in 2020. In the first eight months, a total of 7,601 China-Europe freight train trips were made, up by 44 percent over the same period in 2019. Looking into the future, it is also important for the two sides to make the pie of their shared interests bigger. Thus China and the EU must join their efforts in the investment treaty negotiations and search for solutions to remaining issues so as to ensure a timely conclusion of a comprehensive deal. On this basis, a joint feasibility study for a China-EU free trade agreement could be put on the table. Furthermore, the two sides should work together to crack open new areas for cooperation, as Xi proposed at the 22nd China-EU leaders' meeting in June, to forge a green and digital partnership between China and the EU by fostering cooperation in clean energy, sustainable finance, e-commerce and cloud computing. The latest bit of good news for EU investors came at the China International Fair for Trade in Services earlier this month, when Beijing announced more practical steps to further open its market, including developing a negative-list system to better manage cross-border services trade, further easing market access for the services sector, and expanding imports of quality services. In the international arena, China and the EU are playing a major role in maintaining world peace and stability, and improving global governance, including jointly fending off unilateralism and protectionism, supporting the guiding roles of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and tackling the world's most pressing issues such as the raging pandemic, terrorism and climate change. To do that, communication and coordination is indispensable. China and the EU need to build a bridge of mutual understanding to overcome their social and political differences and reject xenophobia. The 45-year-old China-EU relationship shows that the two sides share far more in common than their differences would suggest. It is believed that China and the EU can further their own interests by respecting one another's legitimate and core concerns. As the pandemic continues to rage and the global economic crisis remains far from over, the world is crying for more contributions by China and the EU. Together, they should fight tooth and nail for the common future of all. Enditem There are 181 new professors at the top 25 U.S. business schools, including first-time faculty and visiting profs. Among the celebrity hires: former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke (middle row, second from left), who will teach at his alma mater, MIT Sloan. Photo collage by Tori Leonhart The coronavirus pandemic may have slowed hiring at the leading business schools in the United States, but not by much. There were more than 180 new hires in the full-time MBA programs at the top 25 U.S. B-schools in 2020, a slight decline from previous years. Once again, the vast majority are newly minted Ph.D.s, but also once again, many bright stars switched teams. Among the brightest stars is Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania who crossed the campus in May to join the Wharton School as the inaugural recipient of the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang professorship. Duckworth, who maintains her appointment in Penns Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology, is a graduate of Harvard, Oxford, and Penn, a MacArthur Fellow, and a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, which is a group of women leaders honored by the governor for their contributions to the Commonwealth. Duckworth is also founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit that uses psychological science to help children thrive, and faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics, which uses data to advance how organizations make decisions about people, and help leaders operate based on evidence rather than intuition. Duckworths CV would take a whole page to summarize, but another of her pursuits is worth mentioning because it forms the foundation of what shes teaching Wharton MBAs this year. Shes a leading expert on grit the passion and perseverance to accomplish goals. Shes even written a New York Times bestseller about it and conducted a TED Talk on the subject viewed by 20 million. Im thrilled! Duckworth said last month when Wharton announced her appointment to the faculty. So many Wharton faculty are on the cutting edge of behavioral science. Story continues NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF 2020 HIRES ARE NEW TO THE CLASSROOM Angela Duckworth joined the Wharton faculty in May as the inaugural recipient of the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professorship. Wharton photo Whartons 20 new hires this year are second to Harvard Business School, which welcomed 28 new professors and instructors into its ranks. Third on the list for new hires in 2020 is Stanford Graduate School of Business with 12, followed by MIT Sloan School of Management with 11 and three schools with 10 new hires each: Chicago Booth School of Business, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, and Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business. In all, 181 professors, instructors, lecturers, and other new faces joined the 25 highest-ranked U.S. B-schools this year. Thats down in recent history, but not enough to call it a major hiring slump. In 2016, Poets&Quants counted 143 new profs from full professors to guest lecturers at the top 20 schools. In 2017, that number ballooned to 198 at 24 schools. The next year, in 2018, looking at the top 27 schools including P&Qs top 25 there were 277. Among them were 168 whose full-time teaching jobs were the first in their career, or 65%, up from 57% of the previous years total. And in 2019, there were 198 total new professors at the top 25 schools, including 135 for whom the new job was also their first job teaching MBAs. Thats 68% of the total more than two-thirds. This year, of the 181 new hires (listed on pages 2 to 5), 62% are new to the classroom, whether newly minted Ph.D.s or hailing from the corporate/startup world. Sixty-nine total professors have previous MBA teaching experience; two schools, Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business and USC Marshall School of Business, had no new hires at all this year. Going school by school, we see that in 2017, Wharton had the most new hires, at 27, and the next year that distinction went to Harvard, which welcomed 33 new faculty, followed by Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management (23) and the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business (20). In all, 12 of 27 schools welcomed 10 new faculty or more in 2018. In 2019, however, only one school Stanford Graduate School of Business, with 24 hired more than 20 new professors, with NYUs Stern School of Business and USCs Marshall School of Business following at 16 apiece, and Chicago Booth notching 13. In all, just eight schools in the top 25 hired 10 or more new faculty. That number shrank to seven schools this year. In 2018, management profs were the best-represented among all those who relocated: there were 55. That was followed by finance (46), accounting (36), operations (34), marketing (30), strategy (22), tech (13), and entrepreneurship (11). In 2019, management was again the top discipline, with 30 new profs in the field, followed by marketing (24), finance (22), accounting (19), technology (12), operations (8), entrepreneurship (7), and strategy (6). And in 2020, management was the top discipline for new hires with 29, followed by finance (28), economics (23), marketing (20), accounting (15), and eight each in business administration, strategy, and operations. Entrepreneurship accounted for five hires, and tech only three. Among the most interesting hires: Ben Bernanke, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, will return to his alma mater MIT as distinguished senior fellow at the Sloan Schools Golub Center for Finance and Policy, and will teach a course in the spring addressing financial regulation. At Harvard Business School, Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, and Paul McKinnon, former head of human resources at Citigroup, both will teach courses. Stanford GSB, meanwhile, welcomes Prasad Setty, vice president of people operations at Google, to teach a management course. THE POWER & IMPORTANCE OF GRIT Of all the new faces, only one is the foremost expert in grit. This spring, Angela Duckworth spearheaded a new course called Grit Lab: Fostering Passion and Perseverance for undergraduate students in all four Penn schools. Happy with the course which was designed to help students find their passion, explore new skills, and develop perseverance Duckworth is teaching Grit Lab again this fall. As she says in her bestselling book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence. Perseverance, she notes, is a vital trait in the coronavirus era. Theres a lot we cant control these days, many reasons to be frustrated, and much to worry about in the near and distant future, Duckworth says. Without ignoring reality, gritty individuals tend to focus on what is in their power to change, so I recommend hunting for small ways you can wrest some control and bring order and satisfaction to your life. For instance, my husband started making our bed every morning. I started calling my mom every time I go out for a (socially distanced) walk. And both of us think of three things each day for which were grateful. See there next pages for a complete list of new hires at the top 25 U.S. business schools. DONT MISS ALL THE NEW FACULTY AT THE TOP 25 SCHOOLS (2019) and ALL THE NEW PROFESSORS AT THE LEADING BUSINESS SCHOOLS (2018) Sekou Bermiss is an associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. UNC photo Sekou Bermiss, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, was hired away from Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business, where he had taught management since 2018 and where had been an assistant professor for nine years before that. His interview was in January, and then things got interesting. It all came together right as the world was collapsing, Bermiss says. I went out and did my job interview stuff in late January. Then I got busy with other things. And so there really wasnt a decision until early March. I didnt get the official word until like March 11th. And then SXSW (the premier music and tech festival in Austin) got canceled. And then all the stuff at UT started getting canceled, and I was like Oh, Ive got to make this decision in the midst of all this. So its been surreal. Bermiss, a New York native, has family on the East Coast, including his wifes family in North Carolina. But it was the school that really made him want to relocate. I think for me it was definitely a work-life balance kind of thing, he says. McCombs is great. Its a great place. You know, Ive been here 10 years. North Carolina is also a great place big public school, top-notch faculty doing interesting work. You know, weve been without family close by for our whole time in Texas. We have two kids. I didnt want to move just for that, but when I realized, Wow, UNC is a great place, that was the final straw. Bermiss is accustomed to teaching virtually after pivoting at UT McCombs in March, when he was teaching six sections of MBA courses. After that nightmare of logistics, hes ready to teach virtually at UNC in the spring his class, called People Analytics, is a version of what he taught at McCombs. I didnt love the switch, but it did definitely force me to rethink the structure of some of the classes, Bermiss says of remote instruction. And so now I have at least two classes that Im pretty happy with, that I can do virtually, which I didnt have before, right? And I think when this is all said and done, a couple of years from now, I think theres still going to be a huge virtual component to business education more so than weve seen in the past. And so I needed to do this anyway. I wouldnt have planned to do it this way, but it kind of forced a lot of folks to think about what that virtual class looks like. Daisy Lovelace is a professor of the practice at Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Duke photo Daisy Lovelace hates to move. Who doesnt? Fortunately for the professor of the practice at Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business, her move this fall was to a school she was familiar with. Lovelace, who spent last year as an associate professor at the University of Virginias McIntire School of Commerce, was a visiting scholar at Duke Fuqua for the first six months of 2019. She also used to live in Durham, where Duke is located. But that doesnt mean moving isnt a pain, she says. If you think through the logistics of moving, I joke that move is a four-letter word because its just a pain, right? Nobody likes to move, Lovelace tells P&Q. In terms of dealing with packing and unpacking and cleaning and organizing and all of those logistics. And then theres all the other things about closing up shop where you were before, and starting at a new place. The pandemic added to the difficulty. For one, it meant Lovelace couldnt say goodbye to her students in person. It was hard to not be able to see my students before leaving, she says. Theres this lack of closure, not being able to participate in a formal graduation or even just see students that I was close with before transitioning. And so that left some challenges. Lovelace, who taught MBA, EMBA, and undergrad courses for six years at Indiana Universitys Kelley School of Business prior to joining McIntire, is teaching a pair of leadership electives and a doctoral seminar on academic communication this fall at Duke Fuqua. Her husband, Tim Lovelace, is a member of the faculty at Duke School of Law. Daisy Lovelace says her courses are expected to be taught mostly virtually this year, though when she spoke with P&Q in August the details were still being worked out. Shes well-acquainted with remote instruction, having taught for years through LinkedIn Learning. Its full steam ahead, she says. I find that my colleagues across the board have been incredibly welcoming and generous with their time in terms of just kind of walking me through what a typical year would be like, helping me get settled in in that way. Andrey Malenko joins Michigan Ross from Boston Colleges Carroll School of Management. BC photo For Andrey Malenko, teaching remotely this fall is a new experience. Malenko, who joined the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan as an associate professor of finance, was at Boston Colleges Carroll School of Management in March when coronavirus shut down the campus and sent all classes online. But that happened after Malenkos class had just concluded. I finished my class right before the school got shut down, Malenko tells P&Q. I had a half-semester MBA course in corporate finance at Carroll. My class just basically ended, so then we went into spring break and I think the school shut down like a week after the spring break. That said, its great to learn new skills. Honestly, Im used to teaching in-person, and I like doing that a lot. If I teach remotely, I will do my best to deliver a great class remotely, and I will make some adjustments to have the learning experience better fit the remote format. And, I think it will be good to learn new skills. Prior to Carroll, Malenko taught finance for eight years at MIT Sloan. While his Ph.D. from Stanford is in finance, he has two economics degrees as well. Its not the ideal time to switch schools, to uproot and start anew, he acknowledges. But nothing about the coronavirus era is ideal for anyone, he adds. And it helps that Michigan Ross has faculty with years experience in remote delivery through the schools part-time online MBA program. Its not a normal time for anybody, for existing faculty members or for new faculty, Malenko says. There are challenges. Since most of the meetings are over Zoom, you cannot really like, knock on your colleagues door and ask something. There is all kinds of additional formality like scheduling a meeting is more of a formality now. But everybodys in the same position figuring out how to teach class in the new environment, whether its hybrid or remote. So Im probably in the same position as my colleagues who have been around for a long time. And if you think how higher education will be delivered 30 years from now, for sure some remote learning formats are going to be part of that. No doubt. So why not make this investment right now? Marisa Epstein, here with former First Lady Michelle Obama, is the former associate director of the White House Lets Move Initiative and an MBA from Stanford GSB. She will be teaching management at Texas-Austin McCombs this year. The post All The New Professors At The Top 25 U.S. B-Schools appeared first on Poets&Quants. The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce's (ABCC) 'WAHI-Women who inspire' committee, in cooperation with the 'Women Inside Trade' (WIT) Group, are set to host a webinar on September 16, 2020 titled, Challenges and opportunities for women doing business within Arab countries. The virtual session aims to connect Brazilian and Arab women across three key pillars including business, social responsibility, and culture, as well as create a synergy and collaboration through the discussion of various aspects of foreign trade. The event is expected to witness the presence of Shamsa Al-Falasi, Cluster head of the Citibank Global Subsidiaries Group for the GCC & Iraq and Heuda Farah Guessous, cofounder of Moroccos Foodeshow event, a statement said. Rubens Hannun, President, ABCC, said: We are proud to announce the second webinar sponsored by WAHI Women who inspire and WIT, which will be highlighted by key talks and discussions featuring leading Arab and Brazilian businesswomen--all set to inspire and act as a catalyst for synergy and collaboration for female empowerment. The main goal is to create bridges when it comes to business development. The webinar is positioned to serve as a strategic platform focusing on the experiences of women who are used to working with the Arab countries and who have been able to carve out opportunities. Through these series of virtual sessions, we want to encourage more deal-making experiences for those that have done it before and to help others overcome challenges--encouraging businesswomen to conquer new markets and explore business possibilities, Hannun concluded. WAHI Women who inspire is a special committee established within the organization to help increase partnership and cooperation among Arab and Brazilian businesswomen. Meanwhile, WIT is an organization working together to get more women involved in foreign trade. The webinar is the second event to be hosted by WAHI Women who inspire and is part of a series of virtual sessions intended to spread knowledge and awareness regarding business relations between Arab and Brazilian women.-TradeArabia News Service JACKSON, Wyo. - Forest officials in Wyoming have announced that the Bridger-Teton National Forest increased by 240 acres (97 hectares) after formerly private land was transferred to the forest. The Bridger-Teton, The Conservation Fund and the Jackson Hole Land Trust said last week that the forest received the Loomis Park Ranch, about an hour south of Jackson, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported. Its been a top priority for the forest for a couple of decades, The Conservation Fund state Director Dan Schlager said. Were really excited to conserve it, to work with all these great partners, and to add that to the Bridger-Teton going forward for generations. The group purchased the land after it went up for sale in 2016 for about $3 million, officials said. The Bridger-Teton National Forest didnt have the funds, so the Jackson Hole Land Trust held onto ownership until it could gather enough funds. Forest officials said they received enough money after the U.S. Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which included annual funding of $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That fund uses oil and gas royalties to buy wild lands. The Loomis Park Ranch parcel is a great example of what is possible when partners come together for the benefit of our public lands, Forest Supervisor Tricia OConnor said. The founder of Jim's Mowing has blasted the Victorian government for banning his franchisees from working and then offering traders a $3billion small business package. Since August 2, Melbourne residents have been banned from hiring someone to mow their lawn or clean their house as part of the state's strict, Stage Four coronavirus lockdown. Jim Penman, the founder of the Jim's Group company with 3,800 franchisees, has slammed Premier Daniel Andrews' for shutting the economy, and then on Sunday announcing a $3billion Business Survival and Adaptation Package with handouts of up to $20,000 for affected businesses with a wages bill of up to $10million. The founder of Jim's Mowing has blasted the Victorian government for banning his franchisees from working and then offering traders a $3billion small business package 'This is a sick joke. He throws us out of work, destroys our business for absolutely no reason, no reason at all,' he told Sky News presenter Paul Murray on Sunday night. 'He tosses us a few dollars and we're expected to say, "Thank you, wonderful Premier,". 'This is absolute garbage, this is absolutely obscene. I cant tell you how furious I am at whats going on.' Mr Penman, an outspoken critic of Melbourne's Stage Four restrictions, has also called out the double standard of pet groomers and council grass cutters being allowed to work - as his lawn mowing franchisees were banned. 'I am shocked and appalled. I cannot comprehend what is happening. He doesnt even pretend to have any reason. 'I've asked him directly: "What are your reasons for saying that? Why can council operators operate and ours can't?" Jim Penman, the founder of the Jim's Group company with 3,800 franchisees, has slammed Premier Daniel Andrews' for shutting the economy, and then on Sunday announcing a $3billion Business Survival and Adaptation Package with handouts of up to $20,000 for affected businesses with a wages bill of up to $10million 'This is not health. This is nasty, grubby, power-grabbing politics by a man who cares nothing for the health of this community.' On Saturday, Mr Andrews announced that pet groomers would be allowed to resume operating from September 28. Nonetheless, lawn mower operator who travel more than 5km from home will liable for a $1,652 on-the-spot fine, which a magistrate can increase to $10,000 for repeat offences. Mr Penman on August 5 called on his franchisees to ignore the state's Stage Four restrictions and offered to pay their fines, three days after the new level of lockdowns came into effect. He is preparing a lawsuit about the Victorian government estimating the stricter lockdowns have cost 615 contractors $3,000 a week in lost earnings. While the state government has announced a $3billion small business package, the Institute of Public Affairs think tank estimates the Stage Four restrictions have cost the Victorian economy $3.17billion a week. Figure 1 Posse North Trend Posse North Trend Figure 2 Location of Pastinho drill holes Location of Pastinho drill holes Figure 3 Location of Pastinho trenches Location of Pastinho trenches Figure 4 Plan view of trenches and drill holes along section lines Plan view of trenches and drill holes along section lines Figure 5 Cross-section of Pastinho through section line 12 Cross-section of Pastinho through section line 12 Figure 6 Cross-section through Pastinho on section line 15 Cross-section through Pastinho on section line 15 TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Results from a surface exploration program support the theory that there are additional near-surface gold deposits along the Posse North Gold Trend, said Amarillo Gold Corporation (TSXV: AGC) (OTCQB: AGCBF) today. Since February 2020, surface work at the Companys Mara Rosa Property in Brazil has focused on trenching and auger drilling to delineate the higher-grade zones of anomalous gold on surface along the trend. The ongoing aim is to identify potentially economic gold deposits that could add to existing resources and reserves, which could enhance the production profile of the Posse Gold Project . "We are starting to realize the district scale potential of the Posse trend, said Mike Mutchler, Amarillos Chief Executive Officer. These exciting results are consistent with the results of our successful November 2019-February 2020 drill program , which showed the potential for satellite gold deposits at Mara Rosa. A new resource would give us the option to extend the planned life of the Posse Mine, expand the plant throughput, or some combination of both. This would significantly increase the projects expected returns. The surface exploration program focused on three targets. Pastinho, Lambari, and Estrela are located 3.5 kilometres, 4.5 kilometres, and 8.0 kilometres northeast of the Posse Gold Deposit along the Posse North Trend (see Figure 1). Posse North is a northeast trending potassium-radiometric anomaly with coincident gold in soil anomalies greater than 50 parts per billion defined by previous work. Structural features found by airborne magnetics were also useful guides for targeting. A mechanical back-hoe loader dug three-metre-deep trenches generally at every 200 metres. Chip channel samples were taken at one-metre intervals for each trench, which were oriented in a northwest-southeast direction and perpendicular to the main trend of the gold deposits. Story continues The key findings of the surface exploration program are: surface trenching and auger drilling confirm the up-dip extension of the Pastinho gold target the surface soil anomaly at Pastinho has been defined over a strike length of 1.5 kilometre and remains open along strike to the northeast there appear to be subparallel gold structures with up to five mineralized gold zones trending northeast along the Pastinho target. Lambari and Estrela have defined gold anomalies that require follow-up work. The Pastinho target Pastinho is 3.5 kilometres northeast of the Posse Deposit on 6,000 hectares of new exploration tenements that Amarillo gained access to in December 2019. It is a gold mineralized structure approximately 800-900 metres long oriented in a northeast-southwest direction along the same structural trend as the Posse Gold Deposit. The apparent thickness varies from 10-20 metres and dips about 60 degrees northwest. Geologically, Pastinho is similar to Posse. It is characterized by a hydrothermally altered thrusted shear zone developed along the contact between a biotite microcline gneiss (granodiorite composition) and metagabbo and/or amphibolite mafic rocks. There are structural fabrics including mylonites together with hydrothermal alteration minerals like silicification (quartz), biotite, sericite, and carbonate with associated disseminated sulphides that are typically 1-3% pyrite. The results of Amarillos most recent diamond drilling are interpreted to have increased the strike extent to 900 metres (see Figure 2) from the 150 metre long zone of near-surface gold mineralization defined by a previous operator. Examples from these drill results include: hole LMR007A 18.7 metres grading 0.84 g/t gold. It was oriented with an azimuth of 109.1 degrees and a dip of -50 degrees. hole 20P109 11 metres grading 0.74 g/t gold. It was oriented with an azimuth of 125 degrees and a dip of -59 degrees. Nine trenches (see Figures 3 and 4) were dug totalling 791.6 metres, and 850 samples were tested over a strike length of 1.5 kilometres (see Table 1). Highlights of the results include: trench 20TCH001 20 metres grading 1.034 g/t Au trench 20TCH002 11 metres grading 0.95 g/t Au trench 20TCH003 10 metres grading 1.22 g/t Au trench 20TCH004 5.1 metres grading 3.27 g/t Au trench 20TCH009 17 metres grading 1.46 g/t Au. Significantly, the surface trench work has extended the strike length of the Pastinho gold target to 1.5 kilometres. The current interpretation is that the surface trenching program has outlined the up-dip extension of Pastinho. There appear to be up to five subparallel gold structures dipping northwest approximately 50-60 degrees. Pastinho, which has been drill-tested to a depth of approximately 100 metres, remains open at depth. Lambari Lambari is located approximately 1.0 kilometre northeast of Pastinho, and 4.5 kilometres north of Posse. The geological setting of Lambari is similar to the Posse Gold Deposit and Pastinho. Surface work consisted primarily of shallow auger drilling, which defined two gold in soil anomalies. The first anomaly is located along strike and parallel to Pastinho and has a strike length of approximately 1.0 kilometre. The second gold in soil anomaly occurs to the northeast and is parallel to the first anomaly. It has been defined over a distance 1.5 kilometres. Estrela Estrela is located about 3.5 km northeast and along trend from Pastinho, and approximately 8.0 kilometres northeast of Posse. Estrela is interpreted to occur along the same structural corridor as Posse and Lambari and shares similar geology. Work consisted primarily of shallow surface auger drilling and defined a northeast trending gold in soil anomaly over a strike length of 900 metres. Future exploration program The surface exploration work at Mara Rosa has been successful in better defining the Pastinho, Lombari, and Estrela gold exploration targets. In addition to on-going surface trenching and auger drilling of selected targets, next steps will also include completing a detailed induced polarization ground geophysical survey over each of the targets and a diamond drill program. Ground geophysics is expected to begin in late September or early October, with a diamond drilling program planned to begin in late 2020 or early 2021. Approximately C$1.75 million has been budgeted for exploration at Mara Rosa to the end of 2021. Table 1: Trenching results Trench number Number of samples Gold structure From (metres) To (metres) Length (metres) Gold grade (g/t) 20TCH001 96 1 23.00 43.00 20.00 1.034 2 55.00 59.00 4.00 0.320 20TCH002 92 1 23.00 34.00 11.00 0.950 2 54.00 58.00 4.00 0.222 20TCH003 98 1 31.00 41.00 10.00 1.220 2 44.00 55.00 11.00 0.341 3 72.00 80.00 8.00 0.196 4 83.00 84.00 1.00 0.705 5 94.00 95.00 1.00 0.246 20TCH004 89 1 20.90 26.00 5.10 3.265 2 39.00 43.00 4.00 0.271 3 52.00 53.00 1.00 0.491 4 55.00 56.00 1.00 5.435 5 65.00 66.00 1.00 7.275 20TCH005 99 1 31.20 39.10 7.90 1.524 2 50.00 52.00 2.00 0.242 3 60.00 63.00 3.00 0.544 4 68.00 71.00 3.00 0.388 5 80.00 82.00 2.00 1.070 20TCH006 76 1 53.30 56.00 2.70 0.919 20TCH007 66 1 58.00 59.80 1.80 0.393 20TCH007A 32 1 0.00 19.00 19.00 1.431 20TCH008 62 1 47.00 55.65 8.65 0.918 20TCH008A 30 1 22.00 23.00 1.00 1.642 20TCH009 110 1 7.00 24.00 17.00 1.461 2 29.00 31.00 2.00 0.280 3 43.10 43.90 0.80 0.686 Figures The following figures illustrate the Pastinho drill target and the Companys interpretation of the work done to date: Figure 1 Posse North Trend Figure 2 Location of Pastinho drill holes Figure 3 Location of Pastinho trenches Figure 4 Plan view of trenches and drill holes along section lines Figure 5 Cross-section through Pastinho on section line 12 Figure 6 Cross-section through Pastinho on section line 15 To view Figure 1: Posse North Trend, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22bdf620-6122-4e29-a756-f1f85ad099cc This figure shows the potassium radiometric and surface soil anomalies along Posse North Trend. It also shows the location of the Pastinho, Lambari, and Estrela targets, and distance from Posse Gold Deposit. To view Figure 2: Location of Pastinho drill holes, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d17d371c-031e-4dfb-a260-3502cdef5308 To view Figure 3: Location of Pastinho trenches, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6df219d8-f2f8-4576-b95d-bd843ea48b92 To view Figure 4: Plan view of trenches and drill holes along section lines, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cd1e7481-6521-4350-88c2-8510d1ba2eb4 To view Figure 5: Cross-section of Pastinho through section line 12, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2a818c1d-0bb1-4240-b150-57c47820dddd This figure is a northeast facing cross-section through Pastinho on section line 12 based on trench 20TCH007A and diamond drill hole LMR006A. To view Figure 6: Cross-section through Pastinho on section line 15, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8986af50-7de1-4468-9f1c-e02e19748e33 This figure is a cross-section through Pastinho on section line 15, which is approximately 150 metres northeast of section line 12. The surface trenching results again confirm the up-dip extension of Pastinho. In this case, four subparallel gold structures have been defined. About Amarillo Amarillo Gold Corporation is advancing two gold projects in Brazil. Both are in mining-friendly states and have excellent nearby infrastructure. The development stage Posse Gold Project on its Mara Rosa Property in Goias State has received the main permit that provides social and environmental permission for mining. Work is underway on receiving the installation permit. The exploration stage Lavras do Sul Project in Rio Grande do Sul State has more than 22 prospects centered on historic gold workings. Amarillo Gold Corporation trades on the TSXV under the symbol AGC, and on the OTCQB under the symbol AGCBF. For further information, please contact Mike Mutchler Annemarie Brissenden President & CEO Investor Relations 416-294-0736 416-844-6284 mike.mutchler@amarillogold.com annemarie.brissenden@amarillogold.com Qualified Person Michael Durose, P.Geo., Consulting Geologist for Amarillo Gold Corp. and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this release. Quality assurance and quality control Sample handling, preparation and analysis are monitored through the implementation of formal chain-of-custody procedures and quality assurance/quality control programs designed to follow industry best practices. Trench channel samples were taken at 1 m intervals and placed in a secure sample bag and submitted to ALS Laboratories Inc. in Goiania, Goias State, Brazil for preparation by crushing to 70% passing 2.0 mm, riffle splitting to obtain 500 g aliquots, and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns. Pulps are shipped to ALS Laboratories in Lima, Peru and analyzed by a 30 g fire assay and AAS finish. For assays above 10 ppm Au, a cut of the original pulp was re-assayed with a gravimetric finish. Certified standards, non-certified blanks and field duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals, so that QA/QC accounted for about 10% of the total samples. Results are routinely evaluated for accuracy, precision and contamination. Forward-looking statements This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Companys current expectations regarding future events, including its business, operations and condition, and managements objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Various factors may prevent or delay our plans, including but not limited to, the trading price of the common shares of the Company, capital market conditions, impacts from the coronavirus or other epidemics, counterparty risk, TSXV approval(s), contractor availability and performance, weather, access, mineral and gold prices, and success and failure of the exploration and development carried out at various stages of the program. Permission from the government and community is also required to proceed with future mining production. Readers should review the Companys ongoing quarterly and annual filings, as well as any other additional documentation comprising the Companys public disclosure record, for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. Readers should also review the risk factors applicable to junior mining exploration companies generally to better understand the variety of risks that can affect the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any Forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Disclaimer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/ea159400-1978-4084-ba59-f352d5d3a20f The important question is: Therefore, what? Should we teach our children that Churchills sins cancel out his achievements? Does he have as much blood on his hands as some of the worst genocidal dictators of the 20th century, as Indian writer-politician Shashi Tharoor has said? Or would a more differentiated assessment assign him credit for innocent blood that, perhaps, wasnt spilled by Hitler due to British resistance? Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has expressed "grave concern" regarding reports that one civilian was killed, three were injured, and a number of other demonstrators were arrested last Saturday following reported excessive use of force by eastern authorities against peaceful demonstrators in the city of al-Marj, the stronghold of Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Could Google searches predict COVID-19 hotspots? (Getty) Scientists might be able to predict where coronavirus hotspots are about to emerge simply by analysing Google searches. Researchers found that surges in search terms related to coronavirus symptoms tend to happen weeks before a rise in infections is reported in an area. The finding could offer doctors a new tool to track the virus, the researchers said. They compared data from Google Trends for gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms related to COVID-19, including abdominal pain, diarrhoea and ageusia (loss of taste), with Harvard data on the incidence for the virus, ScienceAlert reported. The research was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Watch: How does the new NHS contact tracing app work? The team, led by Imama Ahmad, a gastroenterologist from North Shore Medical Centre in Salem, Massachusetts, wrote: Our results show that Google searches for specific, common GI symptoms correlated with incidence of COVID-19 in the first weeks of the pandemic in five states with high disease burden. Specifically, searches for ageusia and loss of appetite correlated most strongly with the rise in COVID-19 cases in high-incidence states. The researchers said that the lag between searches for symptoms and reported cases was longer than with the flu. Read more: Coronavirus shows us how the planets health is linked to our own They wrote: Thus, searches for GI symptoms preceded the rise in reported COVID-19 in a predictable fashion, slightly longer than the one to two-week lag time observed in prior studies on influenza. The observed time difference could be related to differences in testing availability, reporting, or longer incubation period of COVID-19 compared with Influenza. In a blog post, Google announced it was making data about the coronavirus public. The company said: Today were making available a dataset of search trends for researchers to study the link between symptom-related searches and the spread of COVID-19. We hope this data could lead to a better understanding of the pandemics impact. Story continues The researchers believe that the technique could be useful in predicting and dealing with pandemics. Our data underscore the importance of GI symptoms as a potential harbinger of COVID-19 infection and suggests that Google Trends may be a valuable tool for prediction of pandemics with GI manifestations. Watch: Yahoo UK Health Correspondent, Alexandra Thompson explain how coronavirus is treated A Chinese virologist currently based out of Hong Kong has claimed that the new coronavirus was created in a lab in Wuhan. Dr Li Meng Yan, a researcher at the Hong Kong School of Public Health, has also said that she could produce proof backing her allegations. This whistleblower against the Chinese government had earlier accused the Chinese government of covering up the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. She was thereafter allegedly forced to shift to the United States over concerns around her safety. In December 2019, Yen was asked to focus on SARS-like cases coming out of mainland China. The virologist said that she carried out two pieces of research between December last year and January. Thereafter, the results were shared with the supervisor who is a World Health Organisation consultant. However, she was surprised when asked to maintain complete silence. "They deleted all my information and also they told people to spread rumours about me," she said. Yan had recently participated in an interview on British talk show "Loose Women" from a secret location. In the interview, she discussed her research on COVID-19 and the challenges being faced by her. "The seafood market in Wuhan and all the intermediate hosts, these are the smokescreen and this virus is not from nature," she added. The Chinese officials knew that human-to-human transmission of the virus already existed, Yan said. The virologist also said that the genome sequence of COVID-19 is similar to human fingerprint. It proves that the virus is man-made, she noted. The outbreak of deadly COVID-19 may have been controlled if China had told the truth to the world at the right time, Yan said.Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: DCGI to decide on Serum Institute's clinical trials today Also read: Pfizer, BioNTech to expand COVID-19 vaccine trial; final results by October Experience or conflict of interest Regarding Climate change needs revolving door shut, (A15, Sept. 10): I was very disappointed in Robin Schneiders article. She seems to believe the only people fit to lead, or even work in, government agencies are those who agree with her. For the record, and in spite of 50 years in the oilfield, I believe in clean energy and among other things think the amount of flaring in West Texas and in the world overall is absurd. I also agree with President Obamas Executive Order barring movement back and forth between lobbying and regulating. Many in the petroleum industry are of a like mind. However, to automatically disqualify people from holding leadership roles in government because they know something about what they are charged with regulating is a stretch too far. It would be akin to barring farmers and other agriculturists from working in the Untied States Department of Agriculture or bankers and other Wall Streeters from working for or being the secretary of finance. It might also keep lawyers out of the Justice Department. The problem is at the top. If the president did not want the regulatory directives eased, they would not be eased. If he wished rules to be tightened, they would be tightened. The boss sets the tone and appoints people, regardless of background, who will carry out his agenda. Kenneth B Gunn, Magnolia I can only agree completely with the demand to not have executives from polluting industries serve on environmental protection agencies within the government. I was outraged when Trump assigned Scott Pruitt and then Andrew Wheeler to run the EPA. Not to speak about the subsidizing of the fracking industry. It is totally crazy! I am in full support of the Texas Campaign for the Environment to fight for preserving our environment for all Texans. Dont these people have children and grandchildren for whom they want to leave a healthy environment for them to strive? Dagmar K Beck, Houston The oil and gas industry will be a smaller part of the economy in the future, except for its role in cleaning up the environmental damage it has caused. The prudent path forward is to reduce involvement with it now while increasing involvement with alternative energy sources. Texas has a lot to lose if it does not face this reality. Sara Munson, Houston Robin Schneider is exactly right that fossil fuel executives and lobbyists, who have deceived the public on climate change issues for decades, should not be allowed to take influential roles overseeing energy and climate policy in a Joe Biden Administration. The conflict of interest is obvious. Closer to home, this is also true of the City of Houstons agreement to accept $2 million from the fossil fuel company BP, along with making BP a strategic and technical partner in the Houston Climate Action Plan. The conflict of interest here is equally obvious and should be grounds to reverse this inevitably corrupting agreement. Robert Henschen, Bellaire ORANGE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate National Guacamole Day on Wednesday, September 16, the makers of WHOLLY GUACAMOLE, America's No. 1 refrigerated guacamole made with real ingredients and hand-scooped Hass avocados, are giving Dallas residents an avocado-themed treat. For one day only, the company is introducing "The Pit Stop" at Legacy West shopping mall. This drive-thru guacamole stand will provide visitors with free, tasty guacamole and chips throughout the day. Additionally, as avocado lovers in the area wait for their avocados to ripen on National Guacamole Day, the makers of WHOLLY GUACAMOLE are giving five lucky fans the chance to win free guacamole for a year by swapping out under or over-ripened avocados for delicious, ready to eat guacamole. And if you don't have an avocado to swap, don't worryyou can still stop by and enjoy the guac goodness! Plus, if you are not in the Dallas area and are looking for a way to celebrate, the makers of WHOLLY GUACAMOLE have you covered! Head to @eatwholly on Twitter until 11:59 p.m. CT on Wednesday, September 16, to join in on the fun and enter for a chance to win free guacamole for a year[1]. "Our products allow guacamole fans to enjoy the tasty goodness of real avocados without the issue of them being under- or overripe," said Diana Pusiri, senior brand manager of the WHOLLY brand. "The Pit Stop celebrates the convenience of WHOLLY GUACAMOLE products while giving local residents a fun and socially distanced way to enjoy our favorite food on this annual holiday." Any donated overripe avocados will be responsibly repurposed or composted and sent to Recycle Revolution Dallas. To ensure safety and limited contact for visitors, all foods will be offered in closed, tamper-proof containersperfect for on the go. In addition to promoting social distancing with signage, floor decals and line control, all staff will be wearing masks and gloves, and there will be hand sanitizer on-site. "With roots in Texas and over 700 employees based in the Lone Star State, we are excited to share our love of guac with Dallas locals," said Jean Talley, HR Manager, MegaMex Foods. "I have been with the company here in Saginaw for the last 26 years and we love giving back to the community any way we canfrom blood drives to food drives and toy drives. This is such a fun way to celebrate National Guacamole Day on our home turf." The Pit Stop will be open from 11:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, September 16. WHOLLY GUACAMOLE products make it hassle-free for people to enjoy tasty guacamole anytime, anywhere. Featuring only high-quality ingredients with no added preservatives or artificial flavors, WHOLLY GUACAMOLE is available throughout the Dallas area at Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Winco, Sprouts, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, Brookshire's, Target, and HEB, as well as retailers nationwide. To learn more about the brand, visit www.eatwholly.com. ABOUT THE WHOLLY BRAND The WHOLLY brand, home of WHOLLY AVOCADO and WHOLLY GUACAMOLE, America's No. 1 refrigerated guacamole, is a global leader in ready-to-eat avocado innovation, food safety and quality. All WHOLLY products are made with hand scooped Hass avocados and are gluten free with no preservatives added. High Pressure Technology (HPT) is used to help extend the shelf life of the products and maintain the avocado's delicious flavors and nutrients, while eliminating potentially harmful bacteria. The WHOLLY brand is part of MegaMex Foods, one of the fastest growing Mexican food companies in the U.S. focused on reimagining Mexican flavor. For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.eatwholly.com and follow the brand on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest and Twitter . [1] Visit thepitstop.eatwholly.com/rules to learn more about the free guacamole for a year giveaway. SOURCE WHOLLY GUACAMOLE Related Links https://www.eatwholly.com Months into the global COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have begun discussing what the new normal might look like in metropolitan environments. Some urban planners have framed COVID-19 as an opportunity to re-imagine and improve cities' built landscapes. Such calls follow a common prescriptive : that post-epidemic planning will reinvent cities into dreamscapes of public health, equality and technological progress. Urbanism journalist Alissa Walker recently argued , though, that now is not the time for imagining an urbanist utopia. Instead, she writes, people must come to terms with the historical processes that have made COVID-19 more catastrophic than it should have been. Doing so, argues Walker, requires an honest accounting of the role that fields like urban planning, public health and social work have played in producing urban inequality. The connection between these fields has roots in 19th and 20th-century empire. Throughout much of the African continent, colonial officials exploited outbreaks of disease to implement racial segregation and create economic systems that intentionally marginalised Africans. State-sponsored destruction We are historians of Ghana, each currently writing about a different major city. These are Kumasi, Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi. In our research efforts and in those of many other scholars we've repeatedly seen how medical experts and modernist urban planners exploited outbreaks of disease. Their efforts legitimised emerging systems of technical expertise and advanced white supremacy, global capitalism and imperial order. Those practices, which sidelined indigenous values and systems in favour of Western models, are reproduced through urban planning, public health, and development practice in cities across the continent. There is persistent surprise at the low levels of COVID-19 infection on the continent. There are also inaccurate predictions about its potentially deadly consequences. This suggests that Western models continue to operate as African and global leaders grapple with COVID-19. In the late 19th century, colonial governments often gave medical authorities wide latitude as the de facto architects of urban space. This was inspired by outdated scientific theories of contagion and disease. As the field of urban planning emerged in the 20th century, its practitioners built on these earlier models, reinforcing existing patterns of racial segregation and economic inequality. Take the example of Accra, the Ghanaian capital city. It became the capital of the country then called Gold Coast in 1877. After 1877, British officials sought to decongest the city centre so that they could better control populations and create space for their own administrative and economic activities . Their efforts were most effective in the aftermath of epidemics and natural disasters. These were occasions when urgent public health needs emboldened official action and left local communities vulnerable . Following the city's first plague outbreak in 1908, colonial officials evacuated the most congested districts and moved residents to safe peripheral areas. An earthquake in 1939 inspired additional relocations, allowing the government to seize land for its own purposes. Similar patterns unfolded in the second city of Kumasi, a regional trade hub. In 1924, residents experienced their first plague. Shortly thereafter, they experienced drastic spatial changes in the name of sanitation and urban order. Making a safer Kumasi began with the state-sponsored destruction of the city's zongo or majority Muslim quarters. Sites were redeveloped for European residential, commercial or recreational needs. Former residents were shuttled into government-built houses not suited to healthy urban life. In the port town of Sekondi-Takoradi , now a joint city, outbreaks of disease real and imagined were frequent flashpoints for the flexing of urban planning and public health muscle. In 1940, Takoradi became home to a British Royal Air Force base and Allied aircraft assembly station. Experts designed a plan to demolish city structures and erect armed roadblocks to protect British and American soldiers from malaria. As one city resident quipped nearly 30 years earlier, the real disease that prompted such emergency measures was that of racial prejudice. Colonial planning model These examples emphasise two fundamental points. The first is that urban planning models and expertise were tethered to the interests of British Empire and oppression of colonised people. In cities like Accra and Kumasi, which had been settled long before the arrival of the British, outbreaks of disease were opportunities to remake the towns and seize land from local residents. In the planned town of Takoradi, concerns about disease gave planners another chance to control urban residents. Their efforts produced two distinct zones for the colonised and the colonisers. Second, colonial state planning and public health efforts often targeted, and at times destroyed, local forms of urban knowledge and city design. In many cases , local sanitation and hygiene practices were far more effective than those touted by European experts. The resilience of African urban spatial, social and economic cultures in the face of this social engineering warrants more attention. But it's also important to acknowledge the spatial, cultural, and economic violence that people endured in the name of urban improvements. Listening to the communities These kinds of reflections are important in Ghana right now, as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly continues to demolish homes in working-class communities in Accra . The patterns of colonial spatial violence that played out in Ghanaian cities echo around the world. Contemporary debates about gentrification, inequality and social determinants of health in 21st-century cities point to the importance of revisiting the politics of colonial capitalism and public health. Building new cities needs to start with new conversations that place cities like Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi-Takoradi at their centre. It must recognise the thinking that pervades professional fields charged with improving urban life. This process starts with seeing and listening to the communities that experts have long excluded from policy debates. An earlier version of this article appeared in Nursing Clio . Nate Plageman's research on Sekondi-Takoradi has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Tony Yeboah is affiliated with The World History Project (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), Advisory Board Member. Jennifer Anne Hart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Nate Plageman, Associate Professor, Wake Forest University And Jennifer Anne Hart, Associate Professor of African History, Wayne State University And Tony Yeboah, PhD student in History, Yale University For a few years now tech companies like Apple and Google have been striving hard to reduce their carbon footprint and consume less energy to reduce the stress they put on our planet. Last year, we saw Google announce that it made the largest purchase of renewable energy with 1.6 gigawatt and today, a year later, it has made some even bigger announcements. Reuters Sundar Pichai in a blog post has announced that theyve decided to eliminate the entire carbon legacy which includes emissions before they became carbon neutral in the year 2007. Theyre doing this by purchasing high-quality carbon offsets which brings Googles lifetime net carbon footprint to zero -- making it the first major company to do so. Google has also made improvements to its commitment surrounding running on carbon-free energy across its offices and data centres. Pichai has promised that by 2030, Google aims to run its businesses carbon-free, all the time. Google has also announced that it is helping its partners adopt a sustainable workflow. They announced that theyll be investing in manufacturing regions to allow 5 Gigawatts of new carbon-free energy and help over 500 cities reduce their carbon footprint while empowering a billion people with its products. Moreover, it feels that these moves will help generate over 20,000 jobs in the field of clean energy and other associated industries in not just the US but several other countries. Reuters Pichai while announcing this, stated, Last week, many of us woke up to orange skies in Northern California as wildfires continued to rage up and down the West Coast. I know others in Australia and Brazil have recently experienced similar events, and sadly they wont be the last. The science is clear: The world must act now if were going to avert the worst consequences of climate change. 14 September 2020 | Abuja Our attention has been drawn to a report published by the Daily Independent newspaper on the 14th of September 2020, with the title: Fraud Rocks NCDC COVID-19 Tests For Air Travellers This report is simply incorrect and based on information that is inconsistent with the truth. In addition, no attempt was made to contact the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on this matter before the newspaper went to press. This article is an unfortunate misrepresentation of efforts by Government Ministries and Agencies, to enable safe travel in the context of a pandemic affecting every country in the world. The Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP) was launched by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF-COVID-19) with support from the Coalition Against COVID (CA-COVID). The aim of this platform is to ensure safe travel in the context of COVID-19, and to reduce the risk of a spike in COVID-19 cases as international flights resume. The NITP is currently hosted on the web portal of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and co-managed with Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health and other government institutions within PTF-COVID-19. The decision to make repeat tests mandatory in Nigeria was based on a review of data by NCDC and PTF-COVID-19. The goal was to find the right balance between protecting Nigeria from more infections, while supporting the restart of international travel. From May till August 2020, evacuation and emergency flights were allowed into the country following an initial restriction on international flights. Of the number of people who returned to Nigeria, 5% tested positive within 14 days of arrival in Nigeria. In addition, several people flouted self-isolation guidance on return. Based on this data and the current capacity in Nigeria, it was decided that all travellers to Nigeria must be tested after seven days of return to the country. This was to enable early detection and to reduce the risk of further transmission of the disease. The NCDC has activated several public health laboratories for COVID-19 in Nigeria as at the 14th of September 2020. These laboratories are for public health purposes and therefore provide testing free of charge to the public. To ensure that the public health response is not affected by personal requests and needs, all travel-related testing can only be carried out in private laboratories. This is similar to current practice in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, United Arab Emirates and others. The private laboratories that provide testing for COVID-19 are commercial entities, independent of the Government of Nigeria. The PTF-COVID-19 has ensured that the prices indicated by these laboratories are as subsidised as possible. All payment received on the travel platform are sent directly to the laboratories where the passenger has chosen to be tested, chosen from a list of private laboratories approved for testing COVID-19 in Nigeria. No payment is received by NCDC for any purpose, whatsoever. We advise that passengers should not make payments outside of the official platform. The NCDC COVID-19 microsite has a list of frequently asked questions and answers, for passengers who may be facing challenges with the travel portal. It is important to emphasise that public health laboratories in the NCDC network do not provide testing services to individuals for travel-related purposes. The public health laboratories provide testing free-of-charge as part of the national response. Therefore, travellers are strongly advised to only access accredited private laboratories. A list of accredited private laboratories can be found via www.covid19.ncdc.gov.ng The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and PTF-COVID-19 remains committed to strengthening Nigerias response to COVID-19, and controlling this outbreak. We urge the public to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health. Violet Grace Younes, 4, was killed in a hit and run Drivers who cause death while using their mobile phone at the wheel could face life sentences under proposed new laws announced today (Mon) by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, is proposing maximum jail terms for drivers who cause death by dangerous driving should be increased from 14 years to life after concern that offenders have escaped with soft sentences. Some have been freed after as little as a year in jail under rules allowing early release after serving half their sentence and discounts of a third in sentences for pleading guilty. The changes - disclosed in the Telegraph on Saturday - will also see offenders who kill by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs face life in prison, up from the current maximum of 14 years. There will also be a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving. Mr Buckland said: This government has been clear that punishments must fit the crime but too often families tell us this isnt the case with killer drivers. So, today I am announcing that we will bring forward legislation early next year to introduce life sentences for dangerous drivers who kill on our roads, and ensure they feel the full force of the law. Driver Aidan McAteer, left. and passenger Dean Brennan, right Some 174 people were sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving in 2019 with a further 19 convicted of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. Of these, more than 30 involved deaths caused by a driver who was using a mobile phone at the wheel. In one case last month an HGV driver was jailed for eight years and ten months after killing a schoolboy and a mother-of-two in a motorway collision when he used his mobile phone at the wheel. Under automatic early release rules, James Majury, 33, will be freed in four years. In another case, a lorry driver who crashed into the back of a horsebox killing a grandad while using his phone escaped with a sentence of two years, which would mean just a year in jail under early release. Story continues The changes follow a Government consultation which found 90 per cent backed a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, for which offenders could currently escape with just a fine. Seventy per cent backed a life sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. The new law is expected to be known as Violet-Graces law, after four-year-old Violet Grace Youens was killed by a speeding driver in a stolen car. Her father, Glenn, told the Telegraph it was an emotional moment to see his daughters death play a part in changing the law after a campaign by the family and MPs. She saved two lives by organ donation and now she has played a part in changing the law that will mean that other people will not be let down by the justice system like we were, he said. I hope it will be a deterrent and I hope it will be introduced quickly. It follows a campaign by MPs including former Prime Minister Theresa May and the family of Violet-Grace Youens, who died when Aidan McAteer, 23, mounted the pavement in a Ford Fiesta stolen from a community worker who helped rehabilitate young offenders in Merseyside. It had gone through two red lights and past a police car before McAteer, who did not have a driving licence, lost control, hit a kerb, then crashed into Angela French who had her granddaughter, Violet-Grace, in her arms. He fled to Amsterdam but later admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for nine years four months in 2017, meaning he could be freed next year. Dean Brennan, a passenger in the car, was jailed for six years eight months after admitting stealing the car and assisting McAteer. Marie Rimmer, the St Helens MP who has campaigned with the family, told The Telegraph: A new law doesnt bring Violet-Grace back but what the family want more than anything is that other families dont suffer loss like they have, that other other children dont lose their lives. There has been enough talk and discussion on this issue, now is the time for action. The sentences for killer drivers have been far too lenient for far too long. Its time for the punishment to fit the crime. Rebecca Youens writes about her daughter's death Our world was shattered the day Aiden Macateer and Dean Brennan decided to drive that stolen car so aggressively, recklessly and dangerously. They hit Violet and my mum at 83 mph in a 30 zone, previously reaching speeds of 90mph. Violet was thrown 50 meters in the air, up the road. The car finally stopped just by where Violet landed. Violet lay critically injured in the road, and Macateer and Brennan stepped over Violets body as they made their escape. Both were calculating and evil. Brennan, who was already on parole went to get his hair cut to disguise is appearance and collected Macateers passport from Macateers mum. Brennan left the area and Macateer (driver) was on a flight to Amsterdam within 3 hours, to go to clear his head and smoke some weed. Macateer somehow then managed to get to Alicante, and eventually was arrested at Manchester airport. We are devastated, traumatised, and shadows of the former people we were. Our beautiful Violet-Grace, first born daughter, so kind and caring, was treated like rubbish by Macateer and Brennan - they showed no remorse. They are due out very soon. Violet and our family have a life sentence. Every day is a constant battle trying to survive for our son. We will never get over the horror and the carnage they both caused. We never want any family to feel the injustice we do and thats why we have campaigned for the change in the law. Violet was caring, clever, and beautiful, and should have her whole life ahead of her, however it was cruelly taken away by those two evil individuals. My poor mum has life changing injuries and nearly died too she will never be the same. Violet-Grace is our world, our life, but she is gone forever because of Macateer and Brennan. We are devastated. The Laredo Rotary Club held a school supply donation drive Wednesday for students from Nuevo Laredo. The organization is aiming to get all students in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo supplied with all the educational materials they need to succeed. Event organizers called it a major success as they received more contributions than expected. The event went very well. We had lots of donations from the community, including parents and students looking for community service, and donations even from people within our organization and people who work in the city, Laredo Rotary Club President Dr. Marissa Guerrero said. We saw a great number of both school supplies and monetary donations. Guerrero was concerned that most students have already started school and that the many people suffering financially from pandemic might not have the resources to donate. However, she was pleasantly surprised that was not the case. We are actually very pleased that we exceeded our goal in many ways and might be able to not just help one school from Nuevo Laredo that we had originally planned to help, but may actually be able to help another school as well in Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero said. I am very pleased that even at the time of COVID, the community could come together in such way to help our fellow students. We know that a great lot of people here in Laredo and elsewhere are in immense need. READ MORE: City contract for cold storage inspection facility draws scrutiny, again The donated items were enough to fill a trailer, Guerrero said. The items will not be distributed immediately to the students from Nuevo Laredo but will rather be taken to their warehouse. The monetary donations will be used to buy any missing supplies before they begin distribution. Guerro said she expects the donations to be ready by next week when they hope to deliver the items to Nuevo Laredo. In total, about 400 students from Nuevo Laredo will be provided with school supplies. This includes 200 students that attend Primaria Miguel F. Martinez and 200 from Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia. The purpose is to provide school supplies to needy children in Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero said. It is part of our comprehensive service program focused on education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It started with a food drive for Texas A&M International students, a grant for the Laredo College food pantry and recently a grant for Chromebooks for Los Obispos Middle School students. Now we lend a helping with the great need for students in Nuevo Laredo schools. Guerrero said the need is real in the sister city even since many parents lost their jobs during the pandemic. Therefore, the need for supplies like pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, markers, erasers, sharpeners, crayons and glue was stressed. People from Nuevo Laredo were pleasantly surprised about the events intentions when asked what they thought. I believe that this is what we need to ensure that even though we are separate and we cannot go over there, through organizations like that we remain united, Ruben Perez said. READ MORE: Cuellar protests partial border shutdown, presents plan for reopening Perez said some children he knows are limited due to their parents losing their jobs. He hopes the children can receive the resources necessary to succeed. What can you expect if a child does not have his materials to succeed? He will not, Perez said. But I hope these donations make it to the right individuals and the people that truly need the help are given the opportunity to strive in a world where it is a lot harder to do anything, from getting a new job to finishing and getting an education. There are more donation drives in the works. Guerrero said another event is expected to be held prior to Thanksgiving. This event will focus on selling antiques to local donors and using the funds to purchase more educational materials, she said. As she plans the next event, Guerrero said she is more than grateful for what Laredoans have done already. We thank the Laredo community for their continued support in all that we do, Guerrero said. The rice price in the world market, which is at a nine-year high, helped Vietnam earn $2.2 billion from rice exports in the first eight months of the year. Vietnams fragrant rice was able to take full advantage of the tariff exemption in the EU market. The rice exports have been breaking records this year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. With the sharp rice export turnover increase, Vietnam has become the second largest rice exporter in the world. The Ministry of Agricuture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that while the export volume in the first eight months of the year decreased by 1.7 percent to 4.5 million tons, export turnover still increased by 10.4 percent compared with the same period last year, bringing revenue of $2.2 billion. The Philippines was the top client for Vietnams rice in the first seven months of the year with 35.3 percent of market share. It imported 1.5 million tons of rice worth $688 million, up by 2.7 percent in quantity and 17.3 percent in value. The exports to other markets also increased sharply. Exports to Indonesia, for example, were up by three times, to China by 84 percent. Particularly, exports to Senegal soared by 19.8 times. Regarding the average export price, it saw a 12.5 percent year-over-year increase in the first seven months to $487.2 per ton. Vietnams 5 percent broken rice increased from $470 per ton to $480-490 per ton, the highest level since late 2011. Thailands rice price continued to increase slightly. However, the demand for Thai rice was low because of the uncompetitive price. Analysts therefore believe that Vietnam has the opportunity to boost exports. Asked about rice exports to the EU after EVFTA took effect, director of the Department of Crop Production Nguyen Nhu Cuong said Vietnam has been preparing to export rice to the EU for a long time. To date, the procedures on fragrant rice variety recognition for export to the EU have been set. According to Cuong, the fragrant rice cultivation area in Mekong Delta provinces accounts for 25 percent of the total cultivation area, about 1 million hectares, and the fragrant rice output is estimated at 3.5 million tons. Under EVFTA, Vietnam can export up to 30,000 tons of fragrant rice to the EU every year at a preferential tariff, which is equal to 1.2 percent of fragrant rice output in Mekong Delta, which means great potential for fragrant rice exports. If Vietnam can strictly observe the rules set by the EU and export 30,000 tons of fragrant rice in particular and 80,000 tons of rice in general under the quotas at high prices, this will help heighten the efficiency of Vietnams rice production and strengthen the Vietnamese rice brand in the choosy market. This will also help in negotiations for expanding the quotas for fragrant rice exports to the EU in the future. Tam An Will technical barriers imposed by the Philippines create difficulties for Vietnams rice exports? It will be difficult for Vietnamese businesses to keep stable rice exports to the Philippines in large quantities as currently seen, experts said. Amid the escalating tensions between India and China, a recent report has highlighted that a Shenzen-based technology company is monitoring over 10,000 individuals and organisations. The company with links to the Chinese government and Chinese communist party monitored these individuals and organisations in its global database of "foreign targets". Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co. Limited has identified and monitored in real time a range of "targets" including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Singh Rawat, Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde among others. Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, Naveen Patanaik, Amarinder Singh are also on the list. Not only politicians and leaders, scientists, academicians, journalists, actors, sportspersons, activists are also being monitored, as mentioned in a report in The Indian Express. Even individuals accused of financial crime, corruption, terrorism are being monitored. Zhenhua's list of those being monitored include, former chief ministers Ashok Chavan, Siddaramaiah, Raman Singh, RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant along with as many as 23 former and current Chief Secretaries. India Today Group Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, The Indian Express Chief Editor Raj Kamal Jha, The Hindu Group Chairman N Ravi, Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, former media advisor in PMO Sanjaya Baru are some media personalities under monitoring. Sachin Tendulkar, film director Shyam Benegal, god-woman Radhe Maa, classical dancer Sonal Mansingh are also part of the list of people who are being monitored. The daily stated that it investigated meta data from Zhenhua's operations using big-data tools to extract Indian entities from the massive pile of log files that constituted the company's Overseas Key Information Database (OKIDB). This database uses advanced language, targeting and classification tools to include hundreds of entries without any explicit markers. The OKIDB also tracks relatives of leaders and personalities including PM Modi (wife Jashodaben), Sonia Gandhi (children Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi), Manmohan Singh (wife Gursharan Singh), Akhilesh Yadav (father Mulayam, wife Dimple, father-in-law R C Rawat, uncles Shivpal Singh and Ram Gopal) etc. The daily stated that Zhenhua monitors 'person information and relationship mining' including networks among individuals, institutions and organisations. They look for information from web and social media platforms, track research papers and articles. The database has entries from US, UK, Japan, Australia, UAE, Canada, Germany obtained through a network of researchers from an unnamed source connected to the company. The source shared data with multiple news organisations including The Indian Express. The goal of this database is what it calls 'hybrid warfare' -- to use non-military tools for dominance or damage, subversion or influence. A questionnaire sent to the company did not elicit any response. "Sorry, these questions touch upon our trade secrets. It's not convenient to disclose," was the reply given to a correspondent who visited the Zhenhua's Shenzhen headquarters. However, the Chinese Embassy told the daily that China has not and will not ask companies to collect or provide data, information and intelligence stored within other countries' territories through backdoor means that violate local laws. Also read: 'MPs chose path to duty,' says PM Modi as he thanks parliamentarians for Monsoon session Also read: PM Modi inaugurates 3 petro projects in Bihar; vouches for Nitish Kumar's role in development of 'New Bihar' 80-Year-Old Woman out for Walk Slashed in Random Attack: Police Maryland authorities stated that an 80-year-old woman was out for a morning walk before she was randomly attacked by a male with a knife. Traquan Malik Waller, 20, was identified as the suspect in the slashing incident. Officials told Fox6 in Washington that he allegedly slashed her neck at around 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 9. The incident occurred when she was walking in Columbia, Maryland, on a trail. Authorities told the station that Waller doesnt have an address, and they added there was no known motive for the attack. Investigators said Waller didnt take anything from the woman and didnt say anything to her before the attack. Authorities detained him and took him to the hospital. They added that hell be taken to the Howard County Detention Center upon release from the medical facility. The victim, who was not identified, walked back to the senior living facility before another resident called 911, police said. She was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma and is expected to survive. Waller was charged with assault, attempted murder, and reckless endangerment, officials said. Officials are asking anyone who might have information on the attack to call (410) 313-STOP. Other details about the case were not released by police. A father who left his son brain damaged after shaking him when he wouldn't stop crying failed to tell doctors what happened for two weeks. The father-of-three, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, shook his six-month-old son twice on March 15 last year, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported. On Tuesday, Southport District Court heard the infant's mother came home from work on the day of the incident to find the child floppy, lethargic and vomiting. Hospital staff were unable to find anything wrong with the boy, even after puncturing his lumbar to rule out meningitis. His mother took him back to hospital multiple times over the next two weeks because the youngster was 'off'. The father-of-three, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, shook his six-month-old son twice on March 15 last year (stock image) An MRI taken on March 30 revealed that the boy's brain had been bleeding. The father denied any wrongdoing during police interviews on April 8 and 9, but his partner continued to question him that night. 'He admitted to shaking the child twice after the child would not stop crying,' Crown prosecutor Michael Mitchell told the court. 'It is not suggested the offending was anything other than an act of frustration due to the child's crying.' Police spoke to the father again and he admitted to shaking the child for about two seconds. He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and was sentenced to two years in jail with immediate release on parole. On Tuesday, Southport District Court (pictured) heard the infant's mother came home from work on the day of the incident to find the child floppy, lethargic and vomiting Defence barrister John McInnes said he was sorry for his actions, but added the man had been a drunk who was known to be violent. Judge Catherine Muir said the offence was 'serious violent offending committed by you against a vulnerable child'. 'A child who needs your protection not for your to lose control and shake him for crying.' She accepted it was a one-off incident. The couple have separated and the boy is in the care of his mother, who supervises their visits. He allowed overnight visits with his older two children. The man moved to Australia at the age of 18 and could face deportation. *** Sponsored Content *** Greg Zilberfarb During these unprecedented times, most agencies have made major shifts to employees now working remotely. Since TSN Communications inception over 20 years ago, our employees have always worked remotely. So, while others are trying to figure out the nuances of this new normal, weve had no shifts in priority, no learning curves needed to seamlessly continue to develop and execute communications plans for our clients. Its been business as usual. TSNs clients represent a wide variety of industries, including alternatively fueled vehicles; propane marketing and logistics; automotive engineering; agriculture; foodservice packaging; industrial lift trucks; retail products; and financial. But many of our clients are bigger agencies a partnership that benefits both parties* because TSN has: No retainers. Instead, we work on a project basis, which gives other agencies and our clients flexibility and saves budget. Instead, we work on a project basis, which gives other agencies and our clients flexibility and saves budget. Minimal overhead costs. Since our team works remotely (and without brick-and-mortar costs), we keep our costs down and pass those savings to our clients. Since our team works remotely (and without brick-and-mortar costs), we keep our costs down and pass those savings to our clients. Nimble structure. As a small PR and marketing agency, were nimble and can move quickly, helping clients get noticed immediately. Clients can modify strategy and tactics as needed to meet unexpected goals or last-minute changes to budgets. As a small PR and marketing agency, were nimble and can move quickly, helping clients get noticed immediately. Clients can modify strategy and tactics as needed to meet unexpected goals or last-minute changes to budgets. Top talent. All TSN team members are highly skilled in their area of expertise, meaning clients work directly with top talent, not assistants. All TSN team members are highly skilled in their area of expertise, meaning clients work directly with top talent, not assistants. We create a dynamic partnership with our clients where we become an extension of their teams.That also makes us the perfect complement to larger agencies that receive business requests from smaller clients. The foundation of all partnerships. Our clients talk a lot about that trust. Katey Evans, co-founder of The Frozen Farmer (seen on ABCs Shark Tank), says, TSN Communications unique structure gives me the most for my marketing dollar with a team of top experts that are results-driven, organized, creative and really great to work with. I trust them. Todd Mouw, the president of ROUSH CleanTech, credits TSN as a key partner in helping us promote our brand as the leader in the alternative fuel space. They work hard, get results and are very cost-competitive. Our trust with them has resulted in significant growth of our sales pipeline. Don Manfredi, mentor in residence at the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer, also talks about that trust: I have worked with the TSN team for years and they are an amazing group of talented and professional people that go the extra mile for their clients. I trust them. And Steve Ahrens, president and CEO of the Missouri Propane Gas Association, calls TSN a committed, caring and trusting partner in the health and success of the companies we represent, providing professional, flexible and responsive solutions. Big agencies value the top talent and low cost we bring to their smaller clients and leads. We specialize in getting brands noticed by their target audiences, quickly and effectively. We prioritize strategy and key messaging to help businesses reach their goals and achieve brand consistency. We focus on market research, strategy development, press release distribution, media outreach, content creation, social media management, creative design and video production. TSN team members communicate constantly with each other via multiple mediums, including a robust project management software system. We hire people who other team members refer, which helps to keep our dynamic culture strong and means weve never posted a want ad. We are located all over the nation (Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas), in addition to our headquarters in Virginia. Our staff retention has stayed consistently high, and clients are extremely loyal due to our dedication and service as an extension of their teams. And, we respect each other, plain and simple. We honor our team above any individual. We celebrate successes together. We keep our egos in check and focus on our stated values of respect, enthusiasm, excellence, integrity, collaboration, responsiveness and kindness. Our clients are the experts in their industry. We are experts in getting them noticed. TSNs unique strength is in our people and our process. In fact, TSN registered the phrase Were All About the Process because it reflects a core client value, a process-centric approach that ensures success with each project we touch. To learn more about partnering, contact me at greg@tsncommunications.com. To discover more about our expertise, read case studies and meet our team and inspirations, visit TSNcommunications.com. Heres to trust and partnership. *TSN provides a commission on the first six months of billable work with the leads or clients from bigger agencies. *** Greg Zilberfarb is President and CEO of TSN Communications. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), which has raised more than 2.2 trillion through stake sales, is likely to go on a shopping spree as the coronavirus pandemic has clouded the prospects of cash-strapped businesses, making them takeover targets, said three people aware of the companys plans. Reliance Industries is actively looking to acquire startups, as well as mature companies, to strengthen its digital commerce, 5G and fibre-to-the-home businesses to create Indias largest digital ecosystem spanning telecom, retail and payments, the people said on condition of anonymity. In June, Reliance Industries had said that it has become zero net debt, after offloading stakes in the Jio Platforms unit in back-to-back transactions with strategic and financial investors. Reliance Industries will pay creditors when the payment is due. Currently, the company is planning to use the money it raised over the past few months to invest across businesses, rather than retire debt," said one of the three people. Reliance Industries gross debt stood at 3.36 trillion at the end of the past fiscal year. Kotak Institutional Equities, in a 9 September report, said that Reliance Industries is likely to make large investments to acquire synergistic opportunities across businesses to deploy its large cash balance and incremental free cash flow. On 9 September, Reliance Industries retail arm, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd, sold a 1.75% stake for 7,500 crore to private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. The conglomerate is in talks with more investors for similar stake sales in its retail business. Reliance Industries shares surged more than 7% on Friday to a record high of 2,313.90, making it the first Indian company to hit a market capitalization of $200 billion. Reliance Retail is likely to use a part of the fundraise for Future group acquisition pay-out/debt repayment," said Axis Capital in a 9 September note. Last month, Reliance Retail Ventures acquired the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business from Future Group for 24,713 crore. Reliance Retail is Indias largest physical retailer with operations across grocery, apparel, electronics and fuel retailing. Over the past four years, Reliance Industries has been able to build a digital layer on top of the existing physical layer of retail shops across electronics, grocery and apparels, according to a research note by BofA Securities. We expect Reliance Industries to increase its investments in supply chain and tech-enabled logistics so as to improve last-mile customer experience," the report said, adding that RIL would likely have the JioMart app inside WhatsApp. This should help Reliance Industries improve its reach and business momentum. The new commerce model (in which Reliance is looking to tie up with kiranas) also would likely garner scale as tech adoption improves," it said. In the last three years, Reliance Industries has made 30 acquisitions in the startup space. A majority of the acquisitions were done to add value or to fill gaps in RILs consumer offerings. All these investments fall under five categories: telco, retail, education, healthcare, and agriculture. 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 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Haroutyunyan on Monday received a delegation led by Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan of Armenia. Haroutyunyan noted that the Artsakh authorities are going to multiply the funds being allocated to the republics healthcare sector so as to have free and high-quality medical services. In this context, the President underscored the need to have closer cooperation with the Ministry of Health and medical centers of Armenia. Also, Arayik Haroutyunyan expressed his gratitude to the government of Armenia for donating seven ambulances and three reanimobiles to Artsakh. Armenias health minister, in his turn, stressed that the reforms aimed at improving the healthcare system of Artsakh and making it accessible to the people are welcome, and the authorities of Armenia will continue taking active steps to assist these reforms. As per Torosyan, according to an agreement reached with the Artsakh President, a branch of the National Institute of Health of Armenia will be opened in Artsakh in the near future, and medical staff training and specialization courses will be carried out there. After the meeting, a ceremony of handing over the aforesaid ambulances took place in Artsakh capital city Stepanakert. The Yankees seem set to get a pair of important reinforcements back, as manager Aaron Boone told Jon Morosi of MLB Network Radio on Monday that sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to return from the injured list this week. Judge resumed swinging Monday, while Stanton did so on Sunday. The Yankees have gone almost the entire past month-plus without Judge, who has been on the IL twice since Aug. 11 because of calf issues. He returned from his first stint Aug. 26, but Judge didnt last the full game and went back on the IL after that. The injury problems cut off what was an excellent opening to 2020 for Judge, who has slashed an elite-level .292/.343/.739 with nine home runs in 71 plate appearances. The Yankees have primarily turned right field over to Clint Frazier, whos having a terrific year at the plate in his own right, in Judges absence. Stanton, meanwhile, hasnt played since Aug. 8 on account of a left hamstring strain. Like Judge, Stanton got off to a great start this year with a .293/.453/.585 mark and three home in 54 trips to the plate. A corner outfielder for most of his career, Stanton saw all of his action at designated hitter this year before winding up on the shelf. New York has used various players at DH as subs for Stanton. In spite of prolonged absences for Judge and Stanton, the Yankees have put up above-average offensive numbers this year, as they rank ninth in wRC+ (107) and 12th in runs (223). They were supposed to boast a stacked offense, though, and the fact that they havent has led to a relatively disappointing 26-21 start and a four-game deficit in the American League East. But if Judge and Stanton are their usual selves when they return, they could help the Yankees lock down a playoff spot and perhaps make a serious World Series run in the postseason. In some territories, with some airlines or certain airports, these flights to nowhere never take off: theyre just pretend-flights , aiming to offer frequent fliers suffering from cabin fever that airport experience, which also includes boarding the plane and going through the pre-flight routine. In other cases, like with Singapore Airlines (SIA), they do take off but they never go anywhere.The idea might seem ludicrous to someone who doesnt travel by plane too frequently: that you would pay money to go to the airport, get on the plane and spend 3 hours on the plane, only to land at the same airport. But its something that should tide frequent fliers over for the time being and, more importantly, that would offer some sort of financial relief to cash-strapped airlines.According to the Straits Times , the plan was for SIA to partner with aircraft charter firm Singapore Air Charter, but SIA eventually decided it would go ahead on its own. The flights to nowhere program would kick off next month, in October, and allow for tourists to pay with tourism credits offered by the Government. SIA would not confirm this, but did say they were looking into a variety of options.Each flight would take off and land at the Changi Airport, and it could be bundled with a staycation, a limo ride and airport shopping experiences to be an even more irresistible offer. The flight itself would last some 3 hours, but the experience could be extended depending on what else is part of the package.Independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie from Sobie Aviation tells the publication that such a project would hardly have an impact in terms of revenue, even with the novelty factor. Still, it would break even, and keep planes in the air and crew working. So its better than nothing. With funding support from the Department of Health, the new three year, BSc Hons Paramedic Science course will be based within Ulster Universitys multi award winning School of Nursing on the Magee campus. Educating the next generation of paramedics, this course will help meet the growing workforce demands for more paramedics in Northern Ireland. These future Paramedics will be required in the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and will also have a wider role to play in the transformation of the provision of health and social care within primary and secondary care in Northern Ireland as outlined in the Bengoa Report. The BSc Hons Paramedic Science degree will provide students with the knowledge, critical understanding, skills, values and resilience to apply to enter the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register as a qualified Paramedic. Students will develop confident clinical decision-making skills and leadership attributes that will empower them to provide safe and effective patient care as a Paramedic across a range of settings. Ulster University has been working in partnership with the NI Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust (NIAS HSCT) since 2018 and other care providers, delivering a Foundation degree in Paramedic Practice. A change in HCPC Standards of Education and Training requires that from September 2021, people seeking entry to the HCPC register as a paramedic must have completed a HCPC approved course at the level of Bachelor degree with honours. Ulsters BSc Hons Paramedic Science course has been recommended for HCPC approval, intaking the first cohort of 40 students in September 2021. Professor Carol Curran, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at Ulster University said: We are delighted to launch this new BSc Hons Paramedic Science Degree within our popular and highly regarded School of Nursing, ranked 6th in the UK and in the top 50 globally. Based on our Magee campus this course will add to our health and social care education provision in in the North West with our School of Nursing and new Graduate Entry Medical School. The programme will meet the growing demand for Paramedics in a range of different care settings across Northern Ireland. Throughout the course, students will hone their skills through simulated learning in our clinical skills rooms, and practice-based learning across a range of community, hospital and ambulance based services. Upon graduation they will have the skills and confidence to excel in their role as a Paramedic, providing excellent care to those who need it most. The Minster of Health, Robin Swann MLA commented: The decision by the regulator to increase the educational entry standards for Paramedics to BSc level, reflects their significant and increasing contribution to the delivery of care. I congratulate Ulster University on their progress in developing this new course. My Department will continue to work with Ulster University to ensure a local workforce supply of paramedics, both for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, and increasingly, for advanced and specialist roles, right across Health and Social Care as services are transformed. Jenny Keane, Chief AHP Officer said: The launch of the first BSc Paramedic Programme for Northern Ireland is to be welcomed, it will help alleviate the ever increasing pressures that are being placed on HSC services by providing a new generation of highly skilled paramedics educated to deliver across a wide range of settings. This programme is good news not just for NIAS and its new Clinical Response Model but also for the whole HSC as it moves forward on the delivery of the transformation of services as set out in Bengoa. Paramedics will have key roles to play in this work as we move forward. Ulster University is holding an applicant webinar for the BSc Paramedic Science course on Tuesday 15th September, 7pm. Register here: https://www.ulster.ac. uk/events/recruitment- webinars/15-september/ paramedic-science-in-focus For more information about the course and how to apply please visit: https://www.ulster.ac. uk/courses/202122/paramedic- science-23034 New Delhi, Sep 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi recounted anecdotes of Harivansh Narayan Singh ordering his first shoe to his love for books while heaping praise on him for being grounded and impartial. Modi was congratulating the NDA nominee on being re-elected the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson. "The respect I hold for Harivansh ji, each member of the House shares. He has earned this respect. His unbiased role in Parliament strengthens this democracy," said the Prime Minister in the Upper House after his victory. Modi recounted how Singh had no shoes for a large part of his life and when he ordered one to be made by a village shoemaker, he would visit him regularly to see the progress just like a "rich person visits to see the progress of his bungalow". Modi said it shows how grounded he has been al through his life. Modi also narrated another anecdote when Singh spent his entire scholarship money on buying books, while Singh's family expected the amount to be brought home. He said that the relation between Singh and books continues till date. Modi said that the election to this post was essential for the sake of democratic values. Premier Steven Marshall is set to announce South Australia will drop its COVID-19 border restrictions with NSW and the ACT. Speculation is growing the state's transition committee will drop the 14-day quarantine requirements on Tuesday. But Mr Marshall says he will not do anything that is contrary to health advice. 'We want to give as much of a leg up to those people who want to travel as soon as possible,' the premier said on Monday. 'The numbers are looking really good. Just four new (coronavirus) cases in NSW. If they give us the advice tomorrow, we'll be very quick to open that border. 'I'm very keen to open that border the minute I get the advice that it's safe to do so.' South Australia is set to reopen to NSW and ACT this week, allowing eastern residents to travel to the state without spending 14-days in quarantine. Pictured: Barossa Valley In other changes to coronavirus rules, the premier said he was hopeful crowds of up to 25,000, or about 50 per cent capacity, would be possible at Adelaide Oval for any AFL finals matches. He said significant crowds were at games over the weekend, and SA Health officials were reviewing how those games were managed to consider any next steps in increasing numbers. SA reported no new virus cases on Monday, leaving the state's total since the start of the pandemic at 466. The state has no active infections. Meanwhile, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has faced growing calls to reopen her state for the sake of the national economy. The pandemic-induced lockdowns and border restrictions have jeopardised one million tourism jobs, and are set to cost the country a whopping $54.6billion this year. But on Monday, Ms Palaszczuk doubled down on her stance, telling reporters she is prepared lose the election to maintain hard borders and keep COVID-19 out of her state. SA reported no new virus cases on Monday, leaving the state's total since the start of the pandemic at 466. Pictured: Murray River Mr Marshall said he is eager to open the border but it the decision will depend on the latest health advice. Pictured: Dolphin Bay on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia The premier has come under sustained fire from federal Coalition politicians like Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the state's opposition Liberal National Party over the Queensland's strict border policies in recent weeks. Political opponents have accused Ms Palaszczuk of being heartless for not being more lenient about exemptions on compassionate grounds ahead of the election on October 31. She's promised to speed up the exemption application process, but she will stake her political future on keeping borders shut. 'Now if it means I have to lose the election, I will risk all that if it means keeping Queenslanders safe,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Monday. 'I will always stand up for what I believe to be right in this state. I'm putting myself out there, I'm putting myself on the line, but I'm making no apologies for keeping Queenslanders safe during this time.' The premier said Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia had closed borders but their governments were not under pressure to reopen. Ms Palaszczuk accused political opponents of trying to "tear Queensland apart" because the health response to COVID-19 had left the state in better situation than others. SA Premier Steven Marshall (pictured) is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has doubled-down on her hard-border restrictions despite growing calls for the state to reopen 'In Queensland people are going about their normal jobs as if almost life was back to normal,' she said. 'I'm not going to risk all of that, why would anyone risk that?' Ms Palaszczuk's comments come as the stepsister of a woman denied permission to go to her father's funeral accused the prime minister of using her family's tragedy to advance his political agenda. Alexandra Prendergast is the stepsister Sarah Caisip, who was in quarantine after arriving in the state from Canberra and not allowed to attend her father Bernard's funeral in Brisbane. The prime minister on Thursday called Ms Palaszczuk asking her to intervene but she would only refer it to the chief health officer. Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington asked the premier about Ms Caisip's case in state parliament on the day, and later Mr Morrison phoned 2GB radio host Ray Hadley to talk about the case live on air. In the end, Queensland Health gave Ms Caislip, 26, permission to view her father's body, alone and dressed in full PPE, after the funeral on Thursday. Footage and photos of Ms Caisip and her family were shown on TV news and in the newspapers. Ms Caisip's stepsister reprimanded the prime minister and accused him of conjuring up a media storm, marring her final memories of her father. Sarah Caisip was barred from being allowed to leave her hotel quarantine in Brisbane to attend her father's funeral, despite living in Canberra which has had zero coronavirus cases since July 10 'Mr Morrison, I am extremely disappointed that you have used my family to try and advance your political agenda. Your announcement of my father's funeral (on radio) prompted a media circus outside the crematorium at which the service was held,' Ms Prendergast, 32, wrote in an open letter to the prime minister published by various media outlets. 'I am devastated that the final memories of my father have been marred by the media you have used to prosecute your political agenda.' Ms Prendergast said Mr Morrison's actions made 'an absolutely devastating time for my family even harder'. 'Sarah Caisip should not have been used as a tool to vilify the actions of the Queensland premier and health department' on border controls, she wrote. Ms Prendergast called on Mr Morrison to apologise because while he highlighted her family's case 'there (have) been many, many other cases that are very similar to this case where he has not intervened'. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jusuf Wanandi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 08:28 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a1c03 3 Opinion jakob-oetama,Kompas-Gramedia,in-memoriam Free It is not easy to define what Jakob Oetama has achieved through founding, expanding and always improving his media empire. You can call him a media mogul; but the fact is that he was much more than that. He was our renaissance person, as he had interests in so many diverse issues. He was first and foremost a publisher. He was a publisher in print media, through various newspapers and magazines in Jakarta and across the Indonesian archipelago. He was a publisher in television through successful TV programs, one of which is now considered one of the best national news programs. He was an online publisher, through kompas.com and tribunenews.com, both now considered among the best in the world. He owned the best bookstore in Indonesia, Gramedia, with more than 100 outlets nationwide. He, through his son, established 100 hotels, catering to upper-, middle- and lower-class clients. He also established one of the best printing houses in Indonesia, producing books and other works. But above all these, he was the guru of Indonesia. He was completely committed to national education through the many outlets he created. He was a philosopher by training and implemented his thoughts and ideas in his management style. Despite his achievements, he opted to live a simple life. He always maintained balanced opinions, and offered a positive contribution in his thinking of Indonesian political, economic and social policies. He was always a good philanthropist he helped people, leaders, students and others in need, without having to show it off or seeking respect. He continuously supported the art industry in Indonesia by continuing the initiative of his best friend and co-founder of Kompas, the PK Ojong initiative. The initiative provides help to young artists and many other artists in need through shows and exhibitions of their works, as well as regular coverage of the arts and culture industry of Indonesia in his various media outlets. I was lucky to have known him in the mid-50s, when I was a student activist and he was the editor of a Catholic weekly, Penabur. I met him several times and wrote a piece or two during the years he was at Penabur. We met more often after Kompas was established in 1965. The founding of Kompas was supported by the Catholic Party, just a few months before the Sept. 30, 1965 Movement. Before the failed coup by the Indonesian Communist Party, there were a number of very left-oriented news outlets such as Harian Rakyat, Bintang Timur and Suluh Indonesia. After the aborted putsch, very right-oriented news outlets like Angkatan Bersenjata and Berita Yudha, both owned by the Armed Forces, dominated the national media. Ojong and Jakob through Kompas did an excellent job in providing balanced news in a situation that was already skewed. The newspaper became the most popular in Indonesia within a very short time. Jakob and I had a lot of respect for each other. Six years after Kompas was founded, some intellectuals, including myself, founded the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). During that year, 1971, Kompas had achieved a lot already. I have learned a lot from Bung Jakob, not only from his balanced thinking and outlook in politics, but also his open-mindedness for others, including and especially toward our Muslim leaders, and his empathy toward different groups in society. I also followed his example of balancing our work in politics, economics and international relations with a passion for arts and culture. Since then, we have collected some good art pieces for the CSIS office. Jakob and I shared the same thoughts about politics, the Republic of Indonesia, the people and society, while nurturing empathy for others, especially the have-nots. We had maintained consultations with each other over many issues during the New Order and the aftermath (i.e. the Reform period). But in my opinion, the greatest cooperation we had achieved was through publishing the only credible daily newspaper in the English language in Indonesia, The Jakarta Post, together with Tempo magazine and Suara Pembaharuan daily. The Jakarta Post was my idea. When I served as publisher of Suara Karya daily, I proposed to Pak Ali Moertopo, who then was just appointed the minister of information, to allow us, a coalition of newspapers (Kompas, Suara Karya, Suara Pembaharuan and Tempo magazine) to establish a decent English newspaper. We thought that it was not right for Indonesia, being the biggest country in Southeast Asia, not to have a decent English newspaper. At that time, there were already two other English newspapers but they were, with due respect, really below par for Indonesia. Pak Ali agreed, and Bung Jakob was very supportive from the beginning. He was very proud of the Post, and continued to be so until the last few years that we met. In 2020, the media industry is facing serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has damaged our income. For the last few years, the challenge has been to go through a transition to online media. Kompas, led by Bung Jakobs family, has been very supportive toward the Post as we go through this transition together. However difficult it may be sometimes, with certainty and optimism, and supported by Tempo and the former Suara Pembaharuan Group, the Post will manage this transition. Bung Jakob, thank you for your friendship and cooperation since 1965. My brother Sofjan and I have always trusted you, your ideas, you vision for our future, and your effort to become a good citizen of Indonesia. Indonesia should be thankful for your achievements, your dedication and your sacrifices. In the end, I would like to say that you are more than a Renaissance man you are our great teacher, the national teacher of Indonesia. You are a perfect Indonesian and we are proud to be your friends and to be able to follow your good example. I would like to convey my best wishes to Jakob Oetamas family to stay strong. They are now my very good friends. With them I feel more like we are members of a greater family. May they face the future in the way you taught them. -------- Vice chair of Board of Trustees, CSIS Foundation Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. By Trend Turkmenistan contributes to the development of railway communication in Afghanistan in different ways, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistans State News Agency. Turkmenistan spoke about the support provided to Afghanistan during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Afghan talks, which was attended by the Turkmen delegation headed by country's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. Thus, the role of Turkmenistan - initiated international projects of the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline was emphasized. The Turkmen delegation noted that the country is also using to different ways to support the promotion of the peace process in Afghanistan. Thus, Turkmenistan has always been in favor of resolving issues by political and diplomatic methods and is ready to assist the negotiation process. Turkmenistan also provides humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment kits for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic was sent to Afghanistan from Turkmenistan on August 12, 2020. Turkmenistan and Afghanistan cooperate in trade and economic, fuel and energy, transport and communication spheres. The construction of TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia Pipeline (TAPI) pipeline, high-voltage power transmission line and fiber-optic communication along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route are some of the projects the countries collaborate on. The countries also carry out transit and transport projects. One of them is Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transit and transport corridor that expands economic and trade ties between States of Central and South Asia and Europe. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz National Staffing Employee of the Year Health Care Sector Linda Cardenas Cardenas began working with Assured Healthcare Staffing in 2016 as a contract substitute school nurse with the Round Lake Beach, IL, school district. She established a great rapport with the students and teachers at all of the schools where she was assignedparticularly with one school, Ellis Elementary. In August 2017, Cardenas bridged to a permanent role as a school nurse there. When her school district shuttered this spring due to the pandemic, Cardenas rapidly pivoted professionally to serve as contract nurse at long-term care nursing facilities in her geographic area (on assignments through Assured Healthcare Staffing) where multiple cases of Covid-19 were known to be present. Despite the type of work and environment differing drastically from school nursing and putting her in a potentially dangerous situation health-wise, Cardenas stepped up and has been filling as many shifts as she canincluding overtime, if necessary. A staffing hero, Cardenas is providing crucial health care support to nursing home residents in this very challenging time. Engineering, Information Technology, and Scientific Sector All-Star Melissa Jimenez Jimenez began her partnership with staffing agency, Insight Global, as a client with UCI. Unfortunately, in 2016, UCI experienced budget cuts that resulted in her position as a help desk supervisor being cut. Instead of being discouraged, she took the opportunity to enroll in business analyst and project management classes while also connecting with her partners at Insight Global for available opportunities. In 2017, UCI needed a contract business analyst with expertise in a specific digital workflow platform and, with Jimenez's previous knowledge of the platform and new business analyst and project management skills, she secured the assignment. Three years later, Jimenez was offered a permanent role at UCI as an IT service management and automation supervisor. Staffing created a full circle opportunity for Jimenez to obtain and excel in a permanent role she loves that she would not otherwise have been able to access. Industrial Sector All-Star Darius Bowles After moving to Phoenix for a new job, Bowles' offer fell through almost immediately after he arrived in the city. With no income, he soon found himself without a home or car. Bowles connected with staffing agency, Integrity Staffing Solutions, for temporary work in August 2019, as it offered a desirable flexible schedule and opportunity to learn different jobs. Temporary assignmentsas well as his own perseverance and work ethicgave Bowles a fast route to permanent employment. Working at a large fulfillment warehouse, he was assigned to multiple areas including packing, picking, receiving, and receiving support. Within six months, Bowles bridged to a permanent role with the client. Today, he is living in Phoenix in his own apartment and owns a car, which makes getting to and from work much easier. Staffing helped Bowles turn his life around, and he is now planning to fulfill his dream of traveling around the world once possible again after the pandemic. OfficeClerical and Administrative Sector All-Star Laura Line When Line first joined her staffing agency, Emerson Group, five years ago, she was a single mom and needed the schedule flexibility and worklife balance staffing offers to address her son's needs. She was hired as a temporary receptionist at Emerson Group corporate headquarters. Immediately, Line's kindness and patience with others stood outespecially with nervous candidates visiting the staffing company for an interview. Due to her excellent work and attitude, she was promoted to a temporary production assistant role with Emerson and then bridged to a permanent role as administrative assistant. During her tenure at Emerson, Line was able to take online classes in business administration and got married. In fact, Line and her wife recently purchased their first home together. Staffing changed Line's life for the better by providing desired flexibility to care for her young son and opportunities to grow as a professional by gaining new skill sets and confidence. Professional-Managerial Sector All-Star Natalie Zousel Zousel was employed as a human resources coordinator when she was recruited by her staffing company, Integrated Human Capital, in 2018 for a long-term contract position with Toyota Financial Services. Though her goal was to find a permanent position, Zousel was excited about the opportunity to work for a global organization on contract as an entry-level recruiter. While on assignment, she transitioned to another with a new manager with the company. Zousel excelled there and quickly transitioned to a permanent role with Toyota Financial Services in March 2020. Since bridging to a permanent position, she has been promoted and continues to seek opportunities that challenge her, develop her skills, and allow her to grow personally and professionally. Through staffing, Zousel found a new career path in which she continues to grow and succeed. As National Staffing Employee of the Year, Cardenas will be formally honored at a recognition ceremony during Staffing World 2020, the ASA annual convention and expo, being held virtually this year. The National Staffing Employee of the Year program is sponsored by StaffPro3, a division of PMC Insurance. To learn more about the National Staffing Employee of the Year program and National Staffing Employee Week, visit americanstaffing.net. About the American Staffing Association The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net. Contact Michelle R. Snyder Director, Public Relations 703-253-1151 [email protected] Angela Sidlauskas Manager, Public Relations 703-253-204 [email protected] SOURCE American Staffing Association Related Links http://www.americanstaffing.net on Monday said it has raised about Rs 1,205 crore over the last few days through its qualified institutional placement (QIP) and partial in UK-based OakNorth Bank Ltd. The non-banking finance company (NBFC) has raised Rs 682.87 crore through the and Rs 522 crore from the partial "...the Securities Issuance Committee at its meeting held today i.e. September 14, 2020, has...approved the closure of the issue period of the issue (QIP) today pursuant to the receipt of application forms for an aggregate of 3,47,74,811 fully paid-up equity shares of the company and the funds in the escrow account from eligible qualified institutional buyers in accordance with the terms of the issue, which opened on September 9, 2020," it said in a regulatory filing. said the had issue price of Rs 196.37 per equity share, which was at a discount of 5 per cent from the floor price of Rs 206.70 per share. "Further, the company has sold a portion of its stake in OakNorth Holding Ltd (the wholly owning parent company of OakNorth Bank), to an existing sovereign shareholder of the bank for Rs 82 crore," it added. The company had sold partial stake in OakNorth for Rs 440 crore to private equity investor HighSage Ventures LLC on September 10. "We have sold partial stake in OakNorth for an aggregate amount of Rs 522 crore, to private equity investors, during the last one week. The sale proceeds will be accretive to the regulatory net worth and the CRAR (capital to risk weighted assets ratio) of the company," it said further. OakNorth Bank was launched in September 2015 and Indiabulls had invested Rs 663 crore in November 2015 for a 40 per cent stake in the bank. Within two years of this, in November 2017, Indiabulls Housing recouped its investment by selling about 10 per cent stake to the Government of Singapore's investment arm GIC for Rs 770 crore. Stock of Indiabulls Housing closed at Rs 189.40 apiece on BSE, down 4.66 per cent. (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.) LSU stayed the same among national universities and improved compared to other public colleges in the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report released Sunday night. The school is tied for 153rd among national universities, the same as last year. A total of 389 schools were rated. LSU slips in U.S. News national universities rankings; Tulane moves up, top in Louisiana LSU is tied for No. 153rd among national universities, according to a 2020 survey by U.S. News & World Report released Sunday night. LSU is ranked 71st among public universities, up from 79th last year. "It is an honor to be consistently recognized among Tier 1 universities nationwide as the leading public university in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report, especially in a year when so many higher education institutions are struggling due to the pandemic," LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan Jr. said in a statement. "However, rankings such as these are not how we measure our success," Galligan said. "Instead, our success at LSU is measured by our students' success, our faculty's achievements and the positive impact our research has in our community, state, nation and world, and by that measure I have no doubt that our great university is among the very best anywhere." LSU expects enrollment increase this fall despite coronavirus pandemic Despite the coronavirus pandemic LSU's enrollment is expected to rise when the fall semester begins Aug. 24, school leaders said Thursday. LSU is also ranked 36th among flagship universities and its undergraduate petroleum engineering program is second nationally. Tulane University is ranked 41st among national universities, the highest of any school in Louisiana. Tulane was ranked 40th last year. Loyola University in New Orleans placed 196th among national universities compared to 197th last year. 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 Loyola also moved up 15 spots for undergraduate teaching, tied for 61st in the nation with Columbia University, Cornell University and others. "This honor recognizes our stunning faculty and their devotion to transforming the lives of our students," Tania Tetlow, president of the school, state in a statement. "It is also testament to 500 years of Jesuit excellence in education," Tetlow said. The report is called the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges. "The pandemic has affected students across the country, canceling commencement ceremonies and switching classes from in person to remote," Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U. S. News said in a statement that accompanied the rankings. LSU announces plans for early detection of coronavirus LSU officials said Wednesday they plan to use wastewater tests around dormitories and on-campus apartments to pinpoint potential hotspots for "Whether students have slightly altered their college plans or changed them entirely, it remains our mission to continue providing students and their families with the tools they need to help find the right school for them." The study evaluated more than 1,400 colleges and universities on 17 indicators of academic quality. Among national universities the top three are Princeton University, Harvard University and Columbia University. The top public schools are the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. More information is available at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges?src=usn_pr. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Former MP of the Prosperous Armenia party, former head of the Control Chamber of Armenia Ishkhan Zakaryan has been invited to the National Security Service aimed at checking the legality of acquiring lands in the territory of Garni, the NSS told Armenpress. Other citizens relating to the case have also been invited to the NSS. In order to check the legality of acquisition of that lands, Ishkhan Zakaryan and other persons relating to the case have been invited to the NSS. We cannot provide any other details. Additional information will be provided if necessary, the NSS said. According to some media reports, inviting Ishkhan Zakaryan to the NSS is connected with the park founded by the Zakaryan family in the territory of Garni. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Monday that lawmakers should not allow fears over the size of the nation's deficit or the Federal Reserve's balance sheet to delay additional Covid-19 relief. Mnuchin, who with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has led the administration's Covid-19 relief negotiations, said the economic crisis warrants extraordinary stimulus from Congress and the Fed. "Now is not the time to worry about shrinking the deficit or shrinking the Fed balance sheet," Mnuchin told CNBC's "Squawk Box" from the White House. "There was a time when the Fed was shrinking the balance sheet and coming back to normal. The good news is that gave them a lot of room to increase the balance sheet, which they did." "And I think both the monetary policy working with fiscal policy and what we were able to get done in an unprecedented way with Congress is the reason the economy is doing better," he added. Mnuchin's comments critiqued his fellow Republicans who argue that improving jobs data and strong housing figures relax the need for additional spending to combat the impact of the coronavirus. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for example, voted against a GOP "skinny" stimulus plan last week and has repeatedly attacked his own party for what he views as prodigal spending. "The majority of Republicans are now no different than socialist Democrats when it comes to debt," Paul wrote on Twitter in July. "They simply don't care about debt and are preparing to add at least another trillion dollars in debt this month, combined with the trillions from earlier this summer." The cumulative federal budget deficit for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2020 was $3 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a byproduct of intensified government spending to get the economy through the pandemic-associated shutdown. Mnuchin, who argues that more stimulus is needed to help the U.S. economy, said Monday that "we are rebounding in a very, very significant way." Paul's vote helped sink the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's plan, which fell short of the 60 votes needed on a procedural step to move toward passage. All Democrats present and Paul voted against the bill in a 52-47 vote. That legislation would have reimposed enhanced federal unemployment insurance at a rate of $300 per week, half of the $600 weekly payment that expired at the end of July. The Democrats said it didn't go far enough. Mnuchin struck a more compromising tone Monday and said he's still willing to work with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a new deal. "I think there's many areas of this where is an agreement between the Democrats and the Republicans, and some of the areas we do have differences on the amounts," he said. "But I will continue to work on this: I've told the speaker I'm available any time to negotiate." The Treasury Secretary said he expects the Problem Solvers Caucus to produce a stimulus proposal later Monday. It turned out to be a false alarm. First, a tweet by the Swaraj Abhiyan leader and then a clarification issued by Delhi Police have confirmed that Yogendra Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, Jayati Ghosh and Apoorvanand have not been arraigned as accused in a supplementary chargesheet filed in connection with the death of a 17-year-old in the February riots in Delhi. It does raise a few uncomfortable queries, though, pertaining to both the source and the process resulting in the misleading news flash by the agency. The leaders and activists, however, have been named in unauthenticated disclosure statements obtained by police from the accused and which form part of the chargesheet. It is not admissible in court but can form the basis of legal action against these individuals should there be found, or concocted, corroborative evidence. Prima facie, the allegation against them is about provoking and mobilising the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in Jaffrabad on February 22. But since they were perfectly within their rights to criticise and rally public opinion against CAA, it is no more than the governments political position on the matter. Maligning the image of the government, to quote from the second chargesheet, is no offence under the law. The Delhi Police investigation into the riots has been loudly condemned by this newspaper for being shoddy in the extreme and ideologically charged. The original chargesheet was against Pinjra Tod members Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, and Jamia Millia Islamias Gulfisha Fathima. Incredible though it may appear to be, they are now being accused of instigating an unknown person to shoot Amaan, the 17-year-old riot victim. Curiously or not, Kalita and Narwal have written, I refuse to sign, in some pages of the statements in the new chargesheet. Recently, hearing a bail plea by her, the Delhi high court held that there is no evidence against Kalita of participating in any conspiracy. Clearly, these new revelations strategically hyped by the police is part of its partisan agenda to discredit the anti-CAA movement, discourage new participants and intimidate, harass and harm the protesters. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto will be the only European Union leader to attend the signing ceremony for the Israel-UAE peace deal, which is set to be held in the US on September 15. The foreign ministry spokesman, Mate Paczolay told a local Hungarian news agency that at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, Szijjarto will attend the signing ceremony in the White House. The news of the Hungarian Foreign Minister attending the ceremony comes after Szijjarto called the peace deal the best plan that has the most chances to have peace in the Middle East. While taking to Facebook, Szijjarto said, "Hungary continues to support efforts for peace in the Middle East, and we continue to stand up in international organizations for a fair judgement of the countries of the region. Furthermore, as Bahrain recently agreed to join the agreement, the Hungarian official said, Since the White House prepared a schedule for stabilizing the region, this is the second development that proves that this is the best of the peace plans so far and that has the most chances to finally have peace in the Middle East. READ: Netanyahu: Israel At Threshold Of New Era Of Peace Bahrain joins the peace agreement Brokered by the United States, the Israel-Bahrain peace agreement comes as another diplomatic win for the Trump administration following last month's Israel-UAE peace deal. Bahrain is now the fourth nation in the Middle East to fully recognise Israel. The other Middle Eastern countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel are Egypt that normalised relations in 1979 and Jordan which normalised relations in 1994. READ: Head Of Bahrains Jewish Community On Israel Deal Under the accord, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank, while the Gulf state agreed to normalize relations with Israel. Moreover, the agreement also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the US view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East. Meanwhile, the Arab nations have been demanding a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, which has been a major obstruction for the normalisation of ties. Arab nations have offered Israel normalised ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war. (Image credit: SzijjartoPeter/Facebook) READ: Iran Says Bahrain Now Partner To 'crimes' Of Israel After US-brokered Deal READ: Netanyahu Leaves For The US To Attend WH Ceremony Garrett Dotson, the son of Storage Wars star Dan Dotson, is recovering after being shot while in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Dan, 57, revealed the tragic news that his son had been airlifted to a hospital in La Vegas for emergency surgery in a series of emotional tweets on Sunday. According to Dotson, Garrett is now out of surgery and expected to survive thanks to the lifesaving measures taken by doctors. Tragic: Garrett Dotson, the son of Storage Wars star Dan Dotson, is recovering after being shot while in Lake Havasu, Arizona after being airlifted to a hospital in La Vegas for emergency surgery Garrett's mom Laura spoke with TMZ about the shooting and said that the incident occurred when her son had been out on a date. Laura explained that he was walking with his date back to a car when he 'heard someone say something' and was then shot. The outlet reported that Garrett was able to phone 911 himself and rushed to the hospital where doctors 'determined the bullet hit a main blood vessel to his heart and also fractured his spine.' On Sunday, Dan Dotson tweeted out the news: 'The call you never want: Your sons been shot while in Lake Havasu. They said hes stable. #prayersplease' Heartbreaking: Dan Dotson, 57, revealed the tragic news that his son had been shot in a series of emotional tweets on Sunday Scary: Garrett's mom Laura spoke with TMZ and said that he had been shot while on a date; Doctors in Arizona determined that the bullet fractured his spine and hit a main blood vessel in his heart Unfortunately Garrett's condition took a turn for the worst and the decision was made to airlift him to a trauma hospital in Las Vegas. 'Things changed from stable to critical condition airlifted to Las Vegas just landed in surgery now praise to our heavenly father #prayersplease,' Dan wrote in a later tweet. Laura told TMZ that his injuries were so bad that during the flight from Arizona to Nevada, 'a doctor's hand was in Garrett's chest to stop the bleeding.' Dan took a moment to that that doctor for saving his son and express his gratitude to his fans and followers for their thoughts and prayers during such a difficult time. Prayers: Dan and Lauran thanked fans and friends for sending thoughts and prayers and took a moment to give praise to the doctor who kept their hand in Garrett's chest during the airlift to Las Vegas - a move they credit with saving his life 'Thank you to the surgeon that saved my son from bleeding out on the air trip to Vegas Thank you everyone for the prayers & positive thoughts thrown our way,' he penned. Adding the good news that Garrett has come out and 'is expected to survive.' He tweeted: '#prayerworks #prayerwarriors thank you God for sparing my son Garrett' According to TMZ, Garrett is showing 'positive' signs of improvement and was able to move his foot. Dan and Laura Dotson run American Auctioneers in Riverside, California and they're best know as auctioneers on the A&E series Storage Wars. The pair have been featured in the reality show since season one back in 2010. Japan to Come Up with Missile Defense Plan by year-end: PM Abe Saudi Press Agency Sunday 1442/1/25 - 2020/09/13 Tokyo, Sep 12, 2020, SPA -- Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday, Friday the government, under his successor, will come up with a new plan for dealing with missile threats by the end of the year, Kyodo reported. While there will be no change in the country's exclusively defense-oriented policy under the pacifist Constitution, growing regional threats have called for a review of security policy, Abe said in a statement released just days before he is to leave office. The move comes after the government in June scrapped a plan to deploy the land-based, U.S.-developed Aegis Ashore missile defense system for technical problems and began considering an alternative to the costly system. "I believe we must improve our deterrence and reduce our country's risk of attacks by ballistic missiles and other means," Abe said. "While holding sufficient discussions with the ruling parties, (the government) will set an appropriate path within the year to deal with the difficult security environment surrounding Japan," he said in the statement released in his personal capacity and without Cabinet approval. --SPA 00:19 LOCAL TIME 21:19 GMT 0019 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address TikTok is at the center of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing US tech giant Microsoft said Sunday its offer to buy TikTok was rejected, as a deadline looms for the Chinese-owned video app to sell or shut down its US operations. TikTok has been at the center of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing, and President Donald Trump gave Americans a deadline to stop doing business with TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance -- effectively compelling a sale of the app to a US company. Trump claims that TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage. "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft," the US tech giant said in a statement referring to TikTok's owner. "We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests," the statement added. Following Trump's executive order, Microsoft and Oracle were possible suitors to take over TikTok operations. Microsoft said that it would have "made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation." TikTok has filed a lawsuit challenging the crackdown by the US government, contending that Trump's order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platform is not "an unusual and extraordinary threat." Downloaded 175 million times in the US, TikTok is used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky, short-form videos on their cellphones. It has repeatedly denied sharing data with Beijing. dho/bfm/jm Many have asked why I would want the job of Portland mayor at this stressful time. Heres why: I love Portland and know we can do better. Despite my historic grass-roots campaign forcing a runoff, The Oregonian/OregonLive has published multiple articles about this race without including comment from my team. Multiple polls show our current mayors approval ratings continually plummeting. Team Sarah boasts thousands of volunteers, small dollar donors and endorsers. My campaign is breaking grass-roots fund-raising records. In any election, these are key metrics to demonstrate viability, and I surpass Wheeler. I want to ensure that voters know where I stand on the issues we face. The mayor recently stated in The Oregonian/OregonLive (Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on city protests, police violence, lack of clarity about his stance, Sept. 6), that I refuse to condemn violence. This is untrue. Since the first George Floyd protests back in May, I have stated repeatedly and unequivocally that violence and hatred are wrong, no matter who does it. I have, however, condemned the Portland Police Bureaus violence most vocally because police brutality has sparked over 100 days of mostly-peaceful protests demanding change. Mayor Wheelers response to these demonstrations? Refusing even common-sense reforms like assigning Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty police oversight, which Ive pledged to do on Day One. Now is the time to rally behind Black Lives Matter and youth activists, not tear-gas families in their homes. Wheeler recently admitted failure because hes been going it alone. Now hes asking for four more years to get the hang of the job, which I believe would be irresponsible of us to give him. Change, led by the community, is coming to City Hall. I ask you to fairly cover the viable progressive challenger in this election. Sarah Iannarone, Portland South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg reported hitting a deer with his car when he actually struck and killed a man whose body was not found until Sunday. Ravnsborg was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home some 110 miles away in Pierre on Saturday night when he hit something in the dark that he presumed to be an animal. The following morning the body of 55-year-old Joseph Boever was discovered in the grass next to the crash site. It took investigators nearly 22 hours to identify Boever's body through a family member, leaving his loved ones frustrated and suspicious, his cousin Nick Nemec said. 'My worst fear is that they're trying to get ducks in a row to absolve the attorney general of any wrongdoing,' Nemec told Keloland. Ravnsborg is under investigation by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. His office said he had not been drinking prior to the accident and that he called 911 immediately after. It said he is 'fully cooperating' with the investigation by providing a blood sample, submitting to interviews with authorities and agreeing to a search of his phones. South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (left) is being investigated for a crash that killed Joseph Boever, 56 (right) on Saturday Tire tracks are seen on the side of US Highway 14 near the area where Ranvsborg struck Boever The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, which would normally be involved, is part of the attorney general's office. It is standard practice to request an outside agency to conduct an investigation when there may be a conflict of interest. The Department of Public Safety said only that he told the Hyde County Sheriff's Office that he had hit a deer with his 2011 Ford Taurus and did not confirm whether he reported the crash in a 911 call. Ravnsborg, 44, was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home some 110 miles away in Pierre on Saturday night when he was involved in the crash on US Highway 14, spokesman Tim Bormann said. He had been at a dinner hosted by the Spink County Republicans at Roosters Bar & Grill. The attorney general is known to be a frequent attendee of the fundraisers known as Lincoln Day Dinners, hosted by county GOP groups across the state. Bormann said the attorney general is known to have an occasional drink, but has made it a practice not to drink at the Lincoln Day events. Boever (second right) is pictured next to his estranged wife and other family members in this undated Facebook photo Boever's damaged pickup truck is seen in the middle of a field after he had crashed into a hay bale prior to his death Nick Nemec said Boever had crashed his pickup truck into a bale of hay one mile west of US Highway 14 in Highmore on Saturday evening. He called Nemec's brother, Victor, who gave him a ride to his home located just a mile and a half from the scene of the crash. Victor Nemec and Boever made plans to repair his damaged vehicle the following day, but the 56-year-old apparently decided to return to the truck alone later that night. When Victor arrived at Boever's home in the morning and found the residence empty, he reported his cousin missing, reported the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Twelve hours later, Victor and Nick Nemec received a call asking him to come to a local funeral home to identify their cousin's body. Ravensborg released a statement on Sunday night, addressing the fatal crash. 'I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night,' he said. 'As Governor Noem stated, I am fully cooperating with the investigation and I fully intend to continue do so moving forward. At this time I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family.' He released a second statement on Monday night detailing his account of the accident, saying it was necessary to dispel rumors. Ravnsborg said at 'not time' did he or Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek 'suspect that I had been in an accident with a person' in a statement he released Monday night Ravnsborg said he was driving from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his home some 110 miles (177 kilometers) away when his vehicle hit something he believed to be a large animal. Ravnsborg said he called 911 and then looked around his vehicle in the dark, using a cell phone flashlight. He said that all he could see were pieces of his vehicle. After Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek arrived, the two men surveyed the damage and filled out paperwork for his car to be repaired. 'At no time did either of us suspect that I had been in an accident with a person,' Ravnsborg said. With his car wrecked, Ravnsborg said he borrowed the sheriff's personal car to return to his home in Pierre. The next morning, he and chief of staff Tim Bormann drove back to return the sheriff's car. They stopped at the spot of the accident, where Ravnsborg said he discovered Boever's body in the grass just off the shoulder of the road. He said it was apparent Boever was dead. Ravnsborg was driving back from a Republican fundraiser at the time of the accident Ravnsborg said he drove to Volek's house and reported the dead body. They both returned to the accident scene, where Volek said he would handle the investigation and asked Ravnborg to return to Pierre, according to Ravnsborgs statement. Spokesman Bormann said the attorney general drinks occasionally, but has made it a practice not to drink at the Lincoln Day events. 'I didn't see him with anything but a Coke,' said state Sen. Brock Greenfield, who also attended the dinner. Ravnsborg, who was elected to the post of attorney general in 2018, has received six traffic tickets for speeding in South Dakota over the last six years. He also received tickets for a seat belt violation and for driving a vehicle without a proper exhaust and muffler system. - By Nathan Parsh Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) recently raised its dividend. This already high yielding stock has now given shareholders a dividend increase for more than a decade following its spinoff from Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO). Including when it was part of Altria, the dividend growth streak expands to more than five decades. Does this increase and the income the stock provides make Philip Morris a buy, even following a 15% gain over the last three months? In this article, we will examine the company's most recent quarter, dividend and valuation to determine the answer. Quarterly highlights Philip Morris reported its second quarter earnings results on July 21. Revenue declined 13.6% year-over-year to $6.7 billion, but this wasn't as bad as feared as results were $110 million better than what was expected by Wall Street analysts. Earnings per share decreased 17 cents, or 11.6%, to $1.29, which was 19 ahead of consensus predictions. Currency, as usual, was a headwind during the quarter. Revenue was lower by 9.5% and EPS dropped 7.5% on a currency neutral basis. Covid-19 had a significant impact on results as consumers were out and about less during the quarter. Less disposable income in many regions also played a role in the decline. This was especially pronounced in urban areas around the world, where Philip Morris has a higher market share. Volumes for cigarette and heated tobacco declined 14.5%. Cigarette shipments were down 17.6%. The company's market share fell 10 basis points to 28%, but much of this was related to continued weakness in Indonesia and duty free cigarettes. Is Philip Morris a Buy Following Another Dividend Increase? Source: Philip Morris' Second Quarter Earnings Presentation, slide 18. Cigarette volumes were down at least double-digits in every region, led by a 28% decline in Southeast Asia, a 20% drop in Latin America & Canada and a 13% decrease in the European Union. These results did improve over the course of the quarter as lockdown restrictions were lessened. Story continues That said, Philip Morris' heated tobacco products nearly offset this weakness. This product category had growth of 24.3% in the quarter. The company has seen these products make up a more meaningful percentage of total volumes. Is Philip Morris a Buy Following Another Dividend Increase? Source: Philip Morris' Second Quarter Earnings Presentation, slide 16. In just a few short years, heated tobacco units have grown from an insignificant portion of the company's volumes to a driver of growth. Heated tobacco products represented 10% of shipment volumes versus 8% of volumes in the second quarter of last year. Reduced risk products contributed almost a quarter of sales. The company estimates that nearly three quarters of IQOS users have quit smoking, turning instead to heated tobacco products. IQOS, which was approved by the Food & Drug Administration as a modified risk product in early July, had an estimated 15.4 million users by the end of the second quarter. This compared to 14 million users in the first quarter of 2020 and 11.2 million in second quarter of 2019. IQOS has a commanding market share position in several countries, including in Japan where market share in 20%. The number of users reached 5.8 million. The overall heated tobacco category market share in the country is 25%. Philip Morris was able to pass along a 3.3% increase in pricing in the combustible category. Due to the work off of inventory builds that took place in March ahead of restrictions related to Covid-19 meant that the company wasn't able to raise prices as had been planned. Industry volumes strengthened in June, especially in the European Union where margins are often higher. Total volumes shipped were the highest of the year. IQOS momentum for Philip Morris accelerated during this month as well. The balance sheet looked solid at the end of the quarter as Philip Morris had $17.8 billion in current assets, including $4.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents. This compares to current liabilities of $15.8 billion and $2.6 billion of debt due within a year. Total debt stood at $29.6 billion. Philip Morris has issued full-year guidance of adjusted EPS in a range of $4.92 to $5.07, ahead of consensus estimates of $4.94. This guidance is based on assumed volume declines of 8% to 10% for the company. Philip Morris eyes 15% industry declines for the full year. Dividend and valuation analysis Philip Morris raised its dividend by 2.6% for the upcoming Oct. 13 payment. This is the 13th year in a row that the company has paid a higher dividend than the year before. The company has an average dividend increase of: 3.8% per year over the past three years. 3.4% per year over the past five years. 7.6% per year over the past 10 years. Dividend growth has really slowed in the short-term. Making up for this is the current yield of 5.9%, which is considerably higher than the 10-year average yield of 4.5%. The stock has never averaged a yield this high for an entire year. Only two years (2018 and 2019) had an average yield above 5%. Using the annualized dividend of $4.80 and the company's midpoint for adjusted EPS of $5.00, the payout ratio is 96%. The payout ratio has climbed steadily over the last decade as dividend growth has outpaced EPS growth. The average payout ratio since 2010 is 78%, but the expected payout ratio for 2020 would be the highest over this period of time. The free cash flow payout ratio is also extremely high. Philip Morris distributed $1.83 billion of dividends last quarter while generating $1.79 billion of free cash flow for a payout ratio of 102%. Dividends distributed over the last four quarters totaled $7.26 billion while free cash flow was $7.78 billion for a payout ratio of 93%. The free cash flow pictures looks a little better going back even further, but not by much. Dividends distributed from 2016 through 2019 came to $26.9 billion while free cash flow produced was $31.5 billion for an average free cash flow payout ratio of 85%. Both the EPS and free cash flow payout ratios are very high. Fortunately for Philip Morris, the company doesn't have much in the way of capital expenditures which were just $140 million in the second quarter and $660 million over the also four quarters. Even interest expense hasn't been a headwind as the company's total was just $162 million last quarter and $785 million over the last year. Therefore, nearly every dollar of free cash flow could be paid out in the form of dividends or share buybacks, which have been paused. Because of this, I don't feel that Philip Morris' dividend is in danger of being cut, but a severe downturn in the business could result in one down the road. Shares of Philip Morris closed Friday's trading session at $81.23. Using the company's EPS estimates for the year, the stock has a forward price-earnings ratio of 16.2. The stock's 10-year average price-earnings ratio is 17.5, while the five-year average is 19.3. Just as when I reviewed Altria, I feel that declining volumes for smokable products should earn the stock a lower valuation. Products like IQOS are performing well, but they are not yet at the point where they can offset the decrease in traditional tobacco products all on their own. As a result, I have a target price-earnings range of 16 to 18 for Philip Morris. Multiplying EPS estimates by this range gives us a price target range of $80 to $90. The downside would be 1.5% while the upside could offer a return of 10.8%. The dividend yields at $80 and $90 would be 6% and 5.3%, respectively. Added to the share price returns at the low and high end of my price target range, shares of Philip Morris could offer a minimum 4.5% and as much as 16.1% in total returns. Final thoughts Covid-19 was a major disruption to Philip Morris during the second quarter. The company's cigarette volumes were down at least double-digits in every region that it operates. This changed as the quarter moved along as social distancing restrictions were eased, but are likely to be down at a high rate industry wide for the year. Heated tobacco volumes, on the other hand, were up by high rates in almost every region. The company is also seeing the transition among its customers from traditional tobacco products to heated products like IQOS. Heated tobacco products also make up a sizeable portion of overall volumes compared to just a few years ago. Philip Morris' dividend payout ratios are extremely high, but the company's lack of capital expenditures and interest expense mean that the dividend is likely safe, even if future growth could be minimal. Those looking for income will note that the yield is very high compared to the stock's historical average. At the low end of my valuation range, total returns would be low single-digits, but the total returns could be as high as 16%. I feel that this is a solid risk/reward for Philip Morris and thus rate shares of the company as a buy. Author disclosure: the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. A 20-year-old man has been arrested in Mexico after allegedly shooting a woman and her father dead after she rejected his unsolicited proposal of being her boyfriend. The State of Mexico prosecutor's office announced the apprehension of the suspect, who they identified only as Sebastian, on Sunday. The gunman allegedly visited the home of the 20-year-old woman in Laguna de Chiconautla, a town in the municipality of Ecatepec, on April 30. While there, Sebastian is said to have pleaded with her to give him a chance of forming a relationship. Authorities say when she turned him down, he shot her dead. Sebastian was detained in Ecatepec, Mexico, on Sunday for reportedly killing a 20-year-old woman and her 44-year-old father after she rejected his request to be her boyfriend The state prosecutor's office said that the killer then walked to another room at the residence and opened fired, injuring her mother and brother. Sebastian then allegedly went to another room and killed the woman's 44-year-old father, before fleeing the scene. He was finally detained without incident Sunday in Ecatepec. He is facing two murder charges and two additional charges of attempted murder. Authorities didn't reveal the identities of the victims and only provided the purported shooter's first name in accordance with due process laws. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Steve Keating (Agence France-Presse) Toronto, Canada Mon, September 14, 2020 11:54 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44adc1b 2 Sports mirim-lee,golf-championship,Korea,Women Free South Korea's Mirim Lee eagled her final hole of regulation to force a three-way playoff with American Nelly Korda and Canadian Brooke Henderson at the ANA Inspiration on Sunday, then birdied the first extra hole to walk off with a maiden LPGA major title. It was a wild finish on a scorching hot afternoon in Rancho Mirage, California which ended with Lee taking the winner's traditional cool plunge into Poppie's Pond that rings the 18th hole at Mission Hills Country Club. "I cant believe it. Honestly I have no emotions," offered a tearful Lee through an interpreter. "I just told myself, 'Lets finish this quickly'." Korda, who had led after every round, had looked poised to claim a first major victory when she stepped onto the 18th tee with a one shot lead but a few minutes later found herself in playoff. As Korda prepared to tee off on the last hole of regulation, ahead of her on the par-five 18th, Lee was chipping in from off the green for an eagle and a final round five-under 67 to join the American at 15-under. Henderson would follow with a birdie at the last for a three-under 69 while Korda could do no better than par, also for 69. Back on 18th for the first playoff hole Lee once again relied on her wedge chipping to within five feet and making a nervy putt for birdie with Henderson and Korda both carding pars. It was the fourth career LPGA Tour win for the 29-year-old South Korean and first since 2017. And it came courtesy of a gut-churning rollercoaster finish for Lee who was in the hunt for the title one minute, out of the next and then back in it again with a birdie, bogey, eagle end to regulation. Lee's red hot wedge came to the rescue when she chipped in for birdie on 16 to pull within one of the leaders before just as quickly seeming to throw it all away with bogey at the 17th dropping her two off the pace. But another pitch perfect chip for eagle on 18 put all the pressure on the two women following her. SAN FRANCISCO Nvidia said on Sunday that it would acquire the British chip designer Arm from SoftBank in deal worth about $40 billion, a move that could reshape the battle over technology that powers smartphones and data centers. Nvidia, best known for supplying chips that render images in video games, said it would pay SoftBank a combination of cash and shares in the transaction. Nvidias market capitalization has skyrocketed to over $300 billion lately, partly owing to recent success in artificial intelligence applications and pandemic-fueled growth in chips used for PC gaming. If completed, the transaction would instantly transform Nvidia into one of the most influential players in smartphone technology, a market that had previously eluded it. Arm, which licenses designs that other companies turn into chips, has long defined the computing technology found in most mobile devices. And Arm designs are starting to play a bigger role in cloud data centers. But the deal is likely to prompt close scrutiny by antitrust authorities around the world. Influential Arm customers potentially affected by the transaction include Apple, Samsung Electronics, Amazon.com, Qualcomm and Huawei. As the death toll from the wildfires that have charred millions of acres and created apocalyptic scenes across the West continues to climb, forecasters say that a pattern change is imminent -- but it might not be good news for all. Over 4.7 million acres of land have been charred by active fires burning across the West, with most of these blazes ongoing in California, Washington and Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Many of these blazes exploded in size during a high wind event around the Labor Day holiday. At least 35 people have been killed along the West coast as a result of the blazes, and tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate, according to The Associated Press. George Coble walks through what remains of a home on his property destroyed by a wildfire Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Mill City, Oregon. (AP Photo/John Locher) The amount of smoke being emitted by the blazes has led to extremely unhealthy air quality from Seattle to San Francisco and points inland. High temperatures were about 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit below normal in this corridor over the weekend as the thick smoke obscured the sun. Some of the smoke has billowed high into the atmosphere has been visible as a hazy sky overhead in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. Experts say that Mother Nature will provide some hope for northern areas of the West this week, but not so much for southern areas. "Across the Pacific Northwest, there is some hope for rain this week. This rain is hopefully a sign of things to come as we head toward the climatological end of the fire season across much of the Northwest," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and western U.S. blogger Brian Thompson said. The first bout of wet weather arrived late Monday, bringing Seattle its first rainfall since Aug. 31. Spotty showers will linger along the immediate coast on Wednesday as a storm system swirls just offshore. While significant rainfall is not anticipated, the increased humidity levels will limit the threat of new blazes igniting and should help fire crews gain the upper hand on active fires. Story continues Winds from the Pacific Ocean will also help to disperse smoke away from the coast, but this could lead to worsening air quality farther inland across the Northwest into midweek. Even if the smoke disperses for a time during the day, at night when a temperature inversion sets up, smoke can once again become trapped near the ground. A temperature inversion means that the air is warming up with altitude, as opposed to cooling down. This satellite image from late Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, shows an extensive amount of smoke over the West. The clouds offshore are indicative of a stormy system that will offer some relief to the Northwest into midweek. (CIRA at Colorado State / GOES-West) To the south of the storm system, AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned that gusty winds may increase with no rainfall across Northern California and into the Great Basin, leading to an increased fire danger. Even farther south where winds may not be as gusty, some of the larger fires can create their own locally strong winds due to the amount of heat generated by these infernos. The storm system is forecast to slowly move onshore late in the week, bringing more widespread showers with it, possibly as far south as Northern California. Up to 0.50 of an inch of rain will be possible across the Pacific Northwest late in the week, with most of the rain expected along the immediate coast. "Spotty thunderstorms cannot be ruled out with this system, so you may have a situation where lightning may spark new fires - something we'll have to keep a close eye on," Thompson said, adding that he was confident that the positives would outweigh the negatives with this storm in the Northwest. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP However, it may be a different story farther south and west. "The bad news with this storm is that it will promote gusty winds right as it moves ashore on Thursday across the interior Pacific Northwest, with gusts up to 30 mph, which could help fuel the fires in the area prior to any beneficial rain," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. Gusty winds will also significantly increase the fire danger over the Great Basin and central Rockies late in the week, with no rainfall expected from the storm in these areas. Smoke is likely to be more widely dispersed out of California during this time frame. "In areas where there is smoke, daily afternoon temperatures will continue to be suppressed," Roys said. Smoke inhalation can make breathing difficult and can cause coughing, runny nose, bronchitis, wheezing and exacerbation of chronic diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to Plume Labs, a company that monitors air pollution around the globe. Officials are warning people to avoid or limit spending time outdoors amid the hazardous smoky conditions. There is a chance the 2020 fire season across the West may approach the record number of acres burned in modern history, 10.1 million in 2015. Residents across the western U.S. can monitor the air quality levels in their neighborhood with AccuWeather's Air Quality page, which includes detailed air quality forecasts. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. SINGAPORE There's not enough discussion globally about the coronavirus pandemic's effect on students' learning as schools are closed to prevent further spread of the virus, Indonesia's Education Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim told CNBC on Monday. "A lot of people keep mentioning about the health crisis and about the economic crisis that's caused by the pandemic but not enough people are talking about the educational crisis, the learning crisis that is happening all around the world, not just in Indonesia," the minister told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia." "So we really have to find the right balance between ... the health crisis as well as the educational crisis as leaders," he said ahead of the virtual Singapore Summit happening this week. Students from a school in Surabaya, Indonesia's East Java province, attend in-person lessons under strict health protocols during the coronavirus pandemic. Budiono | Sijori images | Barcroft Media via Getty Images Currently, schools in more than 50 countries remain fully closed, affecting over 870 million students globally, according to data by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO. To ensure that students can continue their education during school closures, many countries moved teaching online. But the arrangement could leave some students behind, especially those who have limited access to the internet a problem that experts said could exacerbate income inequalities in the long run. Indonesia's challenge In archipelagic Indonesia, the challenge of making sure all students have access to remote learning is "enormous," said Makarim. "I think everywhere in the world not just in Indonesia distance learning will at least in the short term have a negative impact on educational outcomes and qualities because it takes a long, long time for people to adapt to new way of teaching and learning," he said. "This in Indonesia is even more acute because of the huge diversity of geographic challenges, infrastructural challenges," he added. "The challenges are enormous, really." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Bexar Countys verified death toll from the novel coronavirus broke 1,000 Sunday, and the total number of cases soared close to 50,000 as the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District worked to resolve backlogged cases on several fronts. Metro Health reported only one new death that occurred within the last two weeks, a Hispanic male in his 80s with underlying health conditions who was a resident of Sonterra Health Center. But the district verified another 23 deaths already reported by the state that occurred between June 25 and Aug. 17; Metro Health is reporting those older cases only once a week on Sundays. The death toll now stands at 1,016. While Metro Health reported only 142 new cases of the novel cornavirus Sunday, district officials added another 1,575 to the total that came from late lab results and state reporting discrepancies. The countys total number of positives is now at 49,915. Routing errors from four labs delayed reporting of more than 345,000 tests results statewide until just last week, and some of the tests dated back to March, according to an email from the Texas Department of State Health Services released Sunday. More than 35,400 of the tests were positive for the virus. The backlog of deaths is due to a different factor. The state reports deaths based solely on death certificates; by that count, Bexar County has 1,204. But Metro Health insists on verifying each death reported by the state because theyve found several instances in the past where death certificates wrongly showed someone who died in Bexar County as a resident of the county but whose home was actually in another county. Theyve also found instances where COVID-19 was listed as a cause of death but no test was conducted. Of the deaths reported as verified Sunday by Metro Health, one occurred in June, 12 in July and 10 in August. Its still investigating 184 others. On the good news side, it appears COVID-19 is continuing to recede in San Antonio hospitals. The signs are encouraging, but only because we continue to do our part, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on social media Sunday. The number of hospitalized patients with the virus dropped for the 12th day in a row Sunday to 246, down from 260 Saturday. Of those, 108 were in intensive care, down from 110 Saturday, and 54 were on ventilators to help them breathe, down from 55 Saturday. Please consider the risks before you head out, and wear a mask if you cant keep your distance from others, Nirenber said. As we head into flu season, we need to ensure our hospitals can handle the stress. Get your flu shot. Wash your hands regularly. Keep it up, San Antonio. Testing continues The city runs two free, walk-up testing locations Cuellar Community Center, 5626 San Fernando Street, and Ramirez Community Center, 1011 Gillette Blvd. which are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is necessary. Brandon Lingle writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. To read more from Brandon, become a subscriber. brandon.lingle@express-news.net | Twitter: @Brandlingle The president of Queenslands African Communities Council will make a direct appeal to the Premier and her opposition counterpart to help migrants who need welfare at Monday night's first leaders' debate ahead of the 2020 state election. Sudanese-born Beny Bol, who represents the 60,000 members of QACC, says about 99 per cent of new African migrants are isolated in their homes, without the skills or English to ask for help or take part in the welfare system. Queensland African Communities Council president Beny Bol at Parliament House. Credit:Queensland Community Alliance We have a newly emerging community and the majority of them are not engaging with the system, Mr Bol said. A lot of them are not going to knock on the doors of the service providers and ask for help. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 03:39:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosts a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2020, via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of China, Germany and European Union (EU) on Monday agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation to ensure the success of the upcoming series of major political agenda between China and the EU, enhance mutual trust, seek mutual benefits on a win-win basis and uphold multilateralism, vowing to bring the ties up to a higher level. That came as Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosted a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting Monday evening in Beijing via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The leaders announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications (GI), stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year, decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships. Xi pointed out the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating changes unseen in a century, and mankind is standing at a new crossroad faced with multiple common challenges. It is only more imperative for China and the EU, as two major forces, markets and civilizations, to firmly grasp the general trend of mutual support and united cooperation in face of such situations, unswervingly promote the sound and stable development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, to inject more positive energy into COVID-19 response efforts, economic recovery and championing justice, Xi said. Xi proposed four principles the two sides should adhere to for developing China-EU relationship. First, China and the EU should adhere to peaceful coexistence. As there are no identical political systems in the world, the coexistence of multiple civilizations represents the normalcy. "The more firm the strength underpinning China-EU peaceful coexistence, the more guaranteed the world peace and prosperity," Xi said. Second, China and the EU should adhere to openness and cooperation. China is working toward the goal of fostering a new, dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. "China will seek better interconnectivity and effectiveness between the two markets and resources on the two sides, to promote common development in a more robust and sustainable way," said Xi. Third, China and the EU should adhere to multilateralism. Xi stressed China is ready to work with the EU to step up dialogue and coordination at bilateral, regional and global levels, stay committed to a global governance outlook featuring consultation, contribution and shared benefit, defend the international order and system with the United Nations at the core, promote the political settlements of international and regional hot-spot issues. Fourth, China and the EU should adhere to dialogue and consultation. "China and the EU need to stay committed to the mainstream of cooperation, resolve misunderstanding through dialogue, overcome difficulties through development and properly manage differences." Noting China and Europe are important trade and investment partners to each other, Xi said the two sides should step up macro-policy coordination, take more measures and unleash more cooperation opportunities. Noting the agreement on GI was officially signed on Monday, Xi said the two sides should adopt a positive and pragmatic attitude, speed up negotiations on the China-EU investment agreement to achieve the goal of completing the negotiations by the end of this year, working to upgrade cooperation, facilitate the post-epidemic world economic recovery and jointly safeguard an open trade and investment environment. "The Chinese market remains open to the EU. More high-quality and safe EU agricultural products are welcome to enter China," Xi said. "The two sides should forge China-EU green partnerships," Xi said, adding that the two sides need to participate constructively in the global multilateral process of tackling climate change and protecting global biodiversity, support each other in running the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next year and promoting the 15th Conference of the Parties of the convention on biodiversity in Kunming to achieve positive results, and contribute to global sustainable development. The two sides need to forge China-EU digital partnerships, Xi said, adding that China has put forward its global initiative on data security, and hopes that the EU will work with China to formulate standards and rules of the global digital field and promote the sound development of global governance in digital economy. Xi said the two sides should properly address each other's legitimate concerns, adding that China follows closely the recent developments of the EU in 5G, foreign investment review, government procurement and competition policy. Xi expressed the hope that the EU will keep its trade and investment market open, foster an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment and protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the EU have maintained close contacts in anti-pandemic and global health cooperation, demonstrating the significance and global impact of China-EU relations, Xi said. For the next step, the two sides should strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and cooperation, maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, and jointly promote the recovery of the world economy, Xi said. Xi called for strengthening vaccine research and development cooperation, to strive for making vaccines universally available global public goods, and fully accommodate the availability and affordability of the vaccines in developing countries. Personnel exchanges must be resumed in an orderly manner, and the cross-border movement of goods should be facilitated, Xi said. Xi urged actively carrying out tripartite cooperation with Africa on the basis of full respect for African countries' will, calling on the international community, especially multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors, to take stronger actions on debt relief in Africa. Xi also clarified China's principled position on Hong Kong-related and Xinjiang-related issues, saying that the essence of the issues is to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and unity, and to protect the rights of people of all ethnic groups to live and work in peace. "China firmly opposes any person or force creating instability, division and chaos in China, and meddling in China's internal affairs by any country," Xi stressed. "There is no one-size-fits-all path to human rights development in the world. There is no best way, only the better one," Xi stressed, adding that countries should priorly handle their own things. Chinese people will not accept "an instructor" on human rights and oppose "double standards". China is willing to strengthen exchanges with the European side based on the principle of mutual respect so that the two sides can both make progress, said Xi. For their parts, Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen said China is an important strategic partner respected by the EU. It is imperative for Europe and China to strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism, resist unilateralism and protectionism, and respond more effectively to various global challenges, which is in line with the common interests of both Europe and China and the international community. The EU is willing to work with China to strengthen dialogue, promote mutual trust, and push cooperation in the fields including economy and trade, investment, green economy, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development for more achievements. The European side was encouraged by the signing of the agreement on GI, welcomed China relaxing market access restrictions, expanding opening up, pledging to concluding the EU-China investment agreement negotiations within this year to inject new impetus into EU-China relations. The European side is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in international organizations, promote anti-pandemic international cooperation, maintain free trade, and promote the economic recovery in Europe, China as well as the world at an early date. On the human rights issue, the European side admitted its problems and expressed the hope to conduct dialogue with China based on the principles of equality and mutual respect to enhance mutual understanding and handle their differences properly. The leaders also exchanged views on international and regional issues including the Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issues, agreeing to strengthen communication and coordination and to make joint efforts in maintaining international and regional security and stability. Enditem Paris, September 14, 2020, 7am Press release AB Science Presents Phase 2B/3 Study Results in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis at the World's Largest Multiple Sclerosis Research Conference 50% of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis have one of the progressive forms of the disease, for which there is no satisfactory treatment to date Masitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by AB Science, provides the first clinical evidence that targeting the innate immune system is an effective strategy for the treatment of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. AB Science SA (Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB), a pharmaceutical company specialized on the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), announced today that it has presented the world's first key results from its Phase 2B/3 study (AB07002) evaluating its lead product, masitinib, in both progressive forms of multiple sclerosis1 during the 8th Joint Meeting of the European (ECTRIMS) and American (ACTRIMS) Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The congress was held in virtual format this year (MSVirtual2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented by Patrick Vermersch (MD, PhD), Professor of Neurology at the University of Lille, France, principal coordinator of study AB07002 and a recognized expert in multiple sclerosis, the results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, the efficacy of a therapeutic product in the treatment of patients suffering from both progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. "These results are the start of a possible revolution in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, as it is the first time a treatment has shown efficacy in both progressive forms of this pathology," commented Professor Patrick Vermersch. "To date, there is no treatment capable of effectively targeting the cells that play a major role in the evolution of the progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. In addition, masitinib can be administered on a long-term basis as it is not an immunosuppressive treatment, which is particularly important in patients who are to receive long-term treatment and who, for some, have already an immune system weakened by previous treatments or because of their age. I am looking forward to continuing the development of this product and to seeing the realization of new therapeutic hope for these patients. Story continues A strong medical need for the progressive forms of multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that affects more than 100,000 people in France and for which no definitive treatment exists to date. It is characterized by a progressive degradation of the nerve cells of the central nervous system by the patient's immune system and comes in two main forms. The relapsing-remitting form characterized by relapses of the disease. During these relapses, patients experience the onset of new symptoms or the worsening of symptoms already present. These flare-ups are usually followed by recovery periods of varying length, after which some symptoms may persist. The relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis are mostly associated with dysfunctions of adaptive immunity2 (B cells and T cells). The progressive form, characterized by a constant and regular worsening of the symptoms of the disease, without a distinct relapse or period of recovery. The rate of onset of severe, disabling, and irreversible disability is much higher in the progressive forms of the disease than in the relapsing remitting forms. In progressive multiple sclerosis, innate3 immune cells such as macrophages, microglia or mast cells have been shown to probably play a major role. To date, the vast majority of treatments for the management of multiple sclerosis target the patient's adaptive immune system and therefore apply mainly to the relapsing remitting forms of the disease. However, patients suffering from a progressive form of the disease currently account for approximately 50% of MS cases. Masitinib: first drug in the world to demonstrate a significant effect on progressive forms of multiple sclerosis AB Science's lead product, masitinib, is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that specifically targets the innate immunity of patients with multiple sclerosis. In the Phase 2B/3 study, AB07002, conducted in 301 patients, masitinib at a dose of 4.5 mg/kg/day slowed disease progression in patients, which was the studys primary objective. Masitinib also demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of reaching a level of disability severe enough to require wheelchair mobility. "With this conclusive study, AB Science is now on the verge of becoming the first biotech company in the world to propose a new approach for the treatment of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. We will of course continue the development of this product and will as soon as possible initiate the process to start a confirmatory study, a necessary step to definitively validate the therapeutic potential of masitinib in a broader population" concludes Professor Olivier Hermine, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of AB Science and member of the French Academy of Sciences. About AB Science Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment. AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Companys lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in oncology, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: AB). Further information is available on AB Sciences website: www.ab-science.com Contacts : Medias relations NewCap Nicolas Merigeau / Arthur Rouille +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 / +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15 nmerigeau@newcap.fr / arouille@newcap.fr AB Science investors@ab-science.com Forward-looking statements - AB Science This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates as well as the assumptions on which they are based, statements based on projects, objectives, intentions and expectations regarding financial results, events, operations, future services, product development and their potential or future performance. These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the words "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate" or "plan" as well as other similar terms. While AB Science believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of AB Science and which may imply that results and actual events significantly differ from those expressed, induced or anticipated in the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include the uncertainties related to product development of the Company which may not be successful or to the marketing authorizations granted by competent authorities or, more generally, any factors that may affect marketing capacity of the products developed by AB Science, as well as those developed or identified in the public documents filed by AB Science with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), including those listed in the Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of AB Science reference document filed with the AMF on November 22, 2016, under the number R.16-078. AB Science disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking information and statements, subject to the applicable regulations, in particular articles 223-1 et seq. of the AMF General Regulations 1 Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) and Non-active Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (nSPMS) 2 Adaptive immunity corresponds to the immune protection that an individual builds over the course of his or her life according to the pathogens to which his or her organism is exposed. 3 An individual's innate immunity represents his immune protection from birth. Attachment Advertisement One of the two Los Angeles deputies who were shot in the head in an ambush on Saturday night helped save her partner's life by applying a tourniquet after she radioed for back-up. FOX11 obtained a photo of the female deputy, who has not been named but was described as a 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, covered in blood after she was shot in the jaw by an unidentified male gunman just before 7pm Saturday in the city's Compton neighborhood. The photo is a still from a security camera that captured the deputy calling for her help as she tended to her partner, a 24-year-old male, who was kneeling behind a pillar after he was also struck in the head. Both deputies are said to be in stable condition and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LACSD) is offering a $100,000 reward for information about the 'dark-skinned' suspect who remains at large as of Monday morning. Video showed the suspect approaching an LACSD vehicle parked outside the Metro Blue Line station and opening fire before he fled on foot. Scroll down for video One of the two Los Angeles deputies who were shot in the head in an ambush on Saturday night helped save her partner's life by applying a tourniquet after she radioed for back-up. FOX11 obtained a photo (above) of the female deputy, who has not been named but was described as a 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, covered in blood after she was shot in the jaw Video released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows the moment that male suspect opened fire on two deputies at a Compton bus station before fleeing on foot Moments after the gunman runs away, the passenger door of the patrol car opens and a deputy stumbles out, pressing a hand to their head. The driver's-side door opens soon after. On the radio, according to footage reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, a shaky voice mutters: '998 Compton Pax.' Recognizing the code for a deputy-involved shooting, a dispatcher asks: 'Just happened?' 'Compton Pax, deputies down,' the voice says, almost unintelligibly. 'Compton Pax 998.' Authorities said that the deputies, who both graduated from the police academy 14 months ago, each sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators are still working to determine the motive for the shooting, which they said occurred 'without warning or provocation'. The suspect was described as a black male between 28 and 30 years old. He was wearing dark clothing at the time of the shooting and was last seen in a black four-door sedan. 'We have a very, very generic description,' Capt Kent Wegner said, noting that officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect. The FBI announced that it was assisting in the manhunt on Sunday. 'That was a cowardly act,' Sheriff Villanueva said at a press conference. 'The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train. 'Seeing somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It p***es me off. It dismays me at the same time. There's no pretty way to say it.' LAPD Chief Michael Moore tweeted: 'Tonight we pray for these two guardians to survive. I recognize and acknowledge we live in troubled times. But we must as a community work thru our differences while loudly and resoundly condemn violence. Blessed are the Peacemakers.' On Sunday evening a video emerged showing a bystander mocking the attack on the officers as a large convoy of patrol cars raced to the scene. 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out,' the unidentified narrator says with a smile. 'That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton.' 'It's going up. Somebody bust on their a**. Somebody bust on the police. Two sheriffs shot in the face. Two sheriffs shot in the face - they tripping. 'Somebody just ran up on the corner and bust on their a**, right through the window'. He then concludes, grinning: 'It's a wrap.' NEW: LASD & the families of the two ambushed deputies have given me permission to show this graphic photo of the moment after they were shot. Im told female deputy was shot through jaw, still radioed for help & applied tourniquet to male deputys wounds. Both stable now. @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/6m06qec1v2 Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 14, 2020 Newly emerged footage shows police patrol cars rushing to the scene in Compton on Saturday night Bystanders filmed as the officers rushed to the aid of their injured colleagues, shot by a gunman in an unprovoked attack The smiling man narrates to the camera. 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out,' he says. That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton' Donald Trump on Sunday said the man who opened fire should face a 'fast trial death penalty' if the deputies die. Speaking at a rally in Nevada on Sunday night, he said: 'If you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty.' To loud cheers, he continued: 'I just saw a video of that animal who went up to the car. They were unsuspecting, fine people - very fine people.' He earlier called the shooter an 'animal' who needed to be 'hit hard' as the FBI was called in to help investigate. The president tweeted: 'If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!' He had retweeted his son Donald Jr. who shared the footage, writing: 'Please pray for these two Sheriff Deputies. Their lives matter!!! #BlueLivesMatter.' Joe Biden said: 'This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.' Kamala Harris added: 'Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice.' A large group of detectives arrived to inspect the scene of the shooting, near the bus terminal Detectives are pictured arriving at the scene of Saturday night's shooting in Compton The two officers were shot as they sat in their patrol car shortly before 7pm on Saturday Heavily-armed police officers were seen arriving on the scene in Compton Shameful footage said to have been taken outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood on Saturday night shows as one protester yells: 'I want to deliver a message to the family of the pigs, I hope they f***ing die.' The protesters had been connected to the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter but that has not been officially confirmed. Another demonstrator tells police: 'Y'all gonna die one by one. This ain't gonna stop.' On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted: 'To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling 'We hope they die' referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL. 'People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through.' On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted about the protests outside the hospital One local faith leader had told KABC: 'They were saying "Death to the police" and "Kill the police," and these are sheriffs, but the message is still the same. They were using all types of curse words and derogatory terms. Unacceptable behavior, because a hospital should be a sanctuary.' A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody, KABC-TV reported. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester. Police later added: 'After deputies issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of a group of protesters blocking the hospital emergency entrance & exits, a male adult protester refused to comply & cooperate 'During his arrest, a struggle ensued at which time a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest 'The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person. Both individuals have been arrested for 148 P.C.' Protesters blocked the entrance to the hospital where the two Los Angeles sheriff's deputies ambushed in a shooting Saturday are fighting for their lives, chanting: 'We hope they f***ing die' As delegations of Afghan society and the hard-line Taliban Islamist movement decide the agenda of expected lengthy talks over their countrys future political system, the issue of a cease-fire between their combatants looms large over the peace process. While the Afghan government has called for an immediate cease-fire, the Taliban appears noncommittal. The group insists discussions about reducing or ceasing the violence that claims scores of Afghan lives daily should be a part of talks at a later point in the peace process. Hameed Hakimi, a research associate with the Chatham House think tank in London, says the Afghan government and the Taliban have divergent interests regarding the cease-fire. For the Afghan government, it will show a tangible achievement, he told RFE/RLs Gandhara website, explaining that the cessation or significant reduction of violence would represent an immediate improvement for the daily lives of an estimated 35 million Afghans. It will decrease pressure on the overstretched Afghan defense and security forces, he added. The Taliban, however, can gain more from the talks if they can keep the violence up and the number of attacks on the Afghan government, he noted. It also plays to advance the Taliban claim, which is unverified and factually problematic, that they control 70 percent of Afghanistan. This attitude was clear at the inauguration of long-delayed intra-Afghan talks on September 12. We demand the announcement of a humanitarian cease-fire, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistans High Council for National Reconciliation, told the meeting, which was attended by Taliban leaders and diplomats from around the world. Such a cease-fire will result in sending humanitarian and development aid to all parts of Afghanistan. Earlier, Abdullah had suggested the Afghan government would be willing to release more jailed Taliban fighters in exchange for a truce. His demand of a humanitarian cease-fire indicated Kabul was likely bracing for significant bargaining over a permanent cease-fire. But deputy Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar did not respond to the demand. The agreement we signed with the United States in February stipulated that discussions over a cease-fire will be part of intra-Afghan negotiations, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem told Radio Free Afghanistan in Doha. Almost all Taliban figures have confirmed that an armistice will be a topic on the agenda, which is still being hashed out in preliminary meetings between the two sides. In Kabul, however, Afghan security officials have seen no immediate decrease in violence. High levels of violence continue, Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said on September 13. He said that in the 24 hours following the inauguration of the Doha talks, Afghan security forces faced 24 Taliban attacks across 19 of Afghanistans 34 provinces. The Afghan defense and security forces are defending themselves against these attacks, he added. Some of the most intense of these clashes took place near the northeastern strategic city of Kunduz, where at least six police officers were killed in Taliban attacks over the weekend. Reuters reported that in a little publicized offensive, the Taliban attempted to overrun Kunduz late last month. The insurgents briefly overran the city of 270,000 in 2015. The fall of Kunduz, the capital of a province by the same name, would be a significant blow to the Afghan government, which controls the countrys major population centers. Hakimi says the Taliban is unlikely to give up violence, its key point of leverage, at the beginning of peace talks. For the vast majority of Taliban fighters and senior elements who believe they should stop fighting only when they have won the war, delaying agreement to any cease-fire helps [maintain] Taliban unity among the hard-liners and those who are aware that a military win for them is impossible, he noted. The Afghan government, on the other hand, could quickly milk political leverage out of a truce. It can help the Afghan governments case for any concessions in talks with the segments of society, especially urbanite Afghans, who oppose any return of the Taliban to power, Hakimi said. Andrew Watkins, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, also sees a military motive behind Kabuls push for a cease-fire. "The Afghan government needs a cease-fire because without current levels of U.S. support, it would very likely continue to lose ground to the Taliban," he told the AFP. Hakimi says that in the absence of a tangible Taliban win in Doha, outside pressure could push the Islamist group toward a cessation of hostilities. We demand violence be reduced and a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire to be reached as soon as possible, Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for Afghan reconciliation, told Ariana News, a private Afghan television station on September 13. During the past two years, Afghans have welcomed the three brief cease-fires between the government and the Taliban. Many are now eagerly awaiting news of a more lasting peace. War, explosions, and suicide do not bring anything, noted Azizullah, a resident of Kabul. If the Taliban want peace, first they should announce a cease-fire. Jose Maria Sison (known as Joma Sison), the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, gave a lengthy interview posted on Anakbayan-Europas Facebook page on September 10, entitled On Trotskyites and other slanderers. The interview is the third given by Sison in response to a devastating critique of the pro-capitalist politics of the CPP by Professor Joseph Scalice. Dr. Scalices lecture, First as Tragedy, Second as Farce: Marcos, Duterte and the Communist Parties of the Philippines, has been viewed thousands of times since it was delivered at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore on August 26. He comprehensively exposed the Philippine Stalinists support for the fascistic president Rodrigo Duterte, and their earlier backing for bourgeois politicians including the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. A screenshot from Sison's interview with Anakbayan-Europa attacking Scalice Sison and his supporters have responded with furious attacks on Dr. Scalice, including threats and libelous accusations that he is an agent of US imperialism and is assisting Dutertes death squads. We urge readers to send us letters defending Dr. Scalice and his rights to academic freedom and free speech. Below we repost Dr. Scalices response to Sison, originally posted on Facebook on September 10: Joma Sison, the head of the Stalinist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has issued another lengthy statement attacking me, this time in the form of an interview with Anakbayan. Reading through the lies he spins is soul-numbing work. He has so little concern for the truth that at times he argues his way into a rhetorical corner of murderous incoherence. Sison is doubling down on his Stalinism. He hails Stalins great achievements, and Anakbayan prints this statement without any attempt to distance itself from such an assertion. Recall that to associate this youth organization, Anakbayanwhich is publishing a statement promoting Joseph Stalinwith the political line of the CPP, is red-tagging. Sison asks his audience, What kind of a historian is Scalice who denies the great historic achievements of Stalin and Mao? I think the answer is: not an apologist for some of the most monstrous figures of the 20th century. An image shared by Sison to slander Scalice and Trotskyists as supporters of Duterte Sison is now attempting to hide the support he gave to one mass murderer, Duterte, yet he is shamelessly lauding another, Stalin, to the skies. Anyone who thinks that you can defend human rights by working in organizations founded on this political line is delusional. I intend to write a detailed response to certain claims. It will take some work. It is always harder to tell the truth than it is to lie. You have to check your facts and provide evidence. Sison seems to believe that Filipino youth and workers are ignorant dupes who will never check his falsehoods, who cannot tell the difference between a serious scholar conducting an evidence based examination of events and an increasingly unhinged political leader who is lying through his teeth. Sison and his cohort are promoting the interview with this image of Trotsky and me in a pastiche with Rodrigo Duterte who is posing with his fascistic raised fist salute. Sison is again claiming that I am a secret agent of the death squads. I would remind everyone that it was Sisonnot Iwho publicly posed with this fascist salute in 2016. An image championing "unity" between Duterte and Sison, shared multiple times by Sison I would ask my readers that if you choose to share this post, that you take the time to share my words and not just this horrible doctored image. Sison asserts that only a Troskyite and fake historian can deny that the CPP always opposed Duterte. This is a staggering lie. I am including a link to the transcript of my lecture, which meticulously details the support that the Communist Party and the national democratic movement gave to Duterte. I will place a link to Sisons slanderous interview with Anakbayan in the comments. Sisons fundamental argument is: Stalin was right; I am always right; we never supported Duterte. He is not looking to win new forces to the party. No one will be won over by this sort of rhetoric. Sison is looking to provide some sort of ideological excuse to those already in the mass movement to prevent them from leaving out of disgust at the repeated betrayals that have been carried out by their leadership. As vicious as his rhetoric is, Sison is not on the offensive. These are the arguments of a desperate, cornered man, lashing out in every direction, defending a legacy of mass murder and betrayal with manifestly diminished coherence. DETROIT, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Detroit Mercy was again ranked among the top 200 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, earning a No. 187 rank in the National Universities category of the publication's "Best Colleges" 2021 edition. Only three other Michigan universities earned a place in this year's group. Detroit Mercy also received favorable recognition in these categories: Best Value Schools, National Universities No. 34 Best School for Veterans, National Universities No.136 Top Performers on Social Mobility No. 129 A+ Schools for B Students The 2021 rankings from U.S. News & World Report reinforce Detroit Mercy's Boundlessly Forward initiatives as the world confronts COVID-19. A month before the pandemic in February 2020, Detroit Mercy announced an expansive McNichols Campus Renovation Project that will significantly transform the McNichols Campus that continues to be a major anchor Institution in northwest Detroit. The multi-year, multi-million-dollar renovation project will begin with a renovation and expansion of the Student Union. Since March, when Detroit Mercy seamlessly transitioned to virtual learning, faculty, staff and the administration have worked to ensure a safe and healthy environment for students returning to classes on all campuses. This includes creation of Titans Together , a branded initiative that was developed to provide guidance and plans and also encourage the solidarity of the University community as faculty, staff and students engage in University business and operations in different and novel ways. The Titans Together initiative followed Detroit Mercy's December 2019 completion of the largest fundraising campaign ever, which raised nearly $115 million and exceeded the $100-million goal. As a result, the University has increased the scholarship endowment from $25 million to more than $70 million today, which will assist the institution in attracting more academically talented students. The University also recently received renewal of a five-year TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant of more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education to provide underrepresented students with academic support, cultural engagement and personal development programming to increase persistence. These milestones, coupled with the institution's undergraduate tuition reset in 2017 that lowered tuition from $41,000 to $28,000, and the graduate tuition reset in 2019 for MBA, Master of Community Development and graduate programs in Architecture, Nursing and Engineering, make the institution's nationally ranked education affordable for students. For more, visit www.udmercy.edu . SOURCE University of Detroit Mercy Related Links https://udmercy.edu A man died in southern Oregon motel room Saturday after he was fired upon by a sheriffs deputy, police say. Oregon State Police said Sunday that the mans death at the Interstate 8 Motel in Lakeview is still under investigation. Its unclear if the man was hit when a Lake County deputy fired at him or if he died some other way, said Capt. Timothy Fox, a state police spokesperson. Lakeview is in south-central Oregon about 15 miles north of the California border. The man who died and the deputy who shot at him have not yet been publicly identified by authorities. The deputy was the first to arrive at the motel around 2:30 p.m. after someone reported around a dozen gunshots, according to state police. The man came out of a motel room and pointed a handgun toward the deputy, who fired at the man after telling him to drop the firearm, state police said. The man went back into the room after. He was later found dead inside by members of a state police SWAT team. No injuries were reported in connection with the initial 911 call warning of gunfire in the area. Police havent released any more information related to the mans death as of Sunday evening. Everton Bailey Jr. HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government will not intervene in the case of 12 city residents who mainland Chinese authorities arrested as they tried to flee by boat to Taiwan, despite pleas from their relatives for help, saying it was a mainland matter. The 12 were arrested on Aug. 23 for illegal entry into mainland China after setting off from Hong Kong in a boat bound for self-ruled Taiwan following a crackdown by Beijing on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony. The failed bid by the 12 to flee to Taiwan has highlighted the fears that many people feel in semi-autonomous Hong Kong about what they see as China's determination to end any push for greater democracy in the financial hub. China's foreign ministry on Sunday labelled the group "separatists". Police in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, where they are being held, said they were suspected of illegal entry. "Everyone, regardless of where they are in any jurisdiction, must respect local laws and be responsible for their actions," Hong Kong's Security Bureau, which is responsible for law and order in the semi-autonomous city, said in a statement. Hong Kong people who broke laws overseas could expect "feasible assistance" from the city while respecting the local judicial system, it said. The bureau said all 12 were suspected of committing crimes in Hong Kong, with 10 of them charged with offences such as manufacturing or possessing explosives, arson, rioting, assaulting police or possession of offensive weapons. Those 10 had been on bail and not allowed to leave Hong Kong, it said. One was suspected of colluding with foreign forces under a national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in June. The law allows for the punishment of anything China considers to be subversion, separatism, terrorism or such collusion. Critics say the law undermines the special status the city was guaranteed when Britain handed it over to China under "one country, two systems" formula in 1997. Story continues Supporters say it will restore stability after months of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests. Relatives of the detainees held a news conference in Hong on Saturday to demand their return. The youngest of the 12 was a boy aged 16 and several of them needed medication, the relatives said. The Security Bureau said families could get legal help and arrangements could be made for medication. (Reporting by Farah Master and Marius Zaharia; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel) More than 10,500 coronavirus cases were reported in France on Saturday, a new daily record. The previous record of 9,843 infections was set just two days previously. The grim number 10, 561 serves to underscore the resurgence of the virus in France, as countries across the continent also grapple with growing caseloads and numbers admitted to hospital. French health health authorities reported that 772 clusters were being investigated, an increase of 86 in the past 24 hours. Over the past week, 2,432 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus, including 417 who are in intensive care. The death toll in hospitals and nursing homes rose by 17 to 30,910 over the past day. In response to Thursdays record rise in new cases, Frances government outlined additional measures to avert a return to the general lockdown put in place earlier in the year. Prime minister Jean Castex promised steps to speed up tests and toughen local measures in high-infection zones. Frances testing capacity last week rose to 1 million per week, compared with just a fraction of that at the start of the pandemic. It has carried out less than 6 million tests in total since the virus first hit. Mr Castex, who came out of self-isolation on Saturday after coming into contact with someone infected with the virus, said the pandemic in France is "obviously worsening". For the first time in many weeks, we are noting a substantial increase in the number of hospitalised people, Mr Castex said on Friday. And in Marseille, which has emerged as a hotspot, doctors sounded the alarm after all 70 intensive care beds in the city and the surrounding Bouches-du-Rhone region became occupied by Tuesday. The number of ICU virus patients in the region has doubled in the past 10 days and now surpasses 100. The regions hospitals are re-activating emergency measures put in place when the pandemic first hit, and having run out of space have been forced to put people in units meant for non-virus patients instead. In March, April and May we were able to absorb the epidemic wave by abandoning other hospital care activities, and today what is at stake is being able to continue treating every other patient while being able to face the epidemic, Laveran Military Training Hospitals chief doctor told The Associated Press, describing it as a battle on two fronts. On the whole, French authorities say theyre better-prepared this time than in March, when infections quickly skyrocketed and the military intervened to transport patients and build Frances first-ever peacetime field hospital. Frances rise in cases has been subject to comparisons across the Channel, where the UK is witnessing daily infections on a level not seen since May. Englands chief medical officer Chris Whitty held France up as an example not to follow as he lent further justification for Boris Johnsons new rule of six restrictions. Coronavirus cases increasing rapidly among young people, Chris Whitty warns Aided by graphs showing case numbers in the UK, France, Spain and Belgium, Professor Whitty said: "What you can see is we're following a pattern extremely similar to the one France followed, and in France that rate has continue to go up. The same is true in Spain. "But in Belgium the same sort of graph was happening but then they took decisive action and at that point rates stabilised and started to come down. It's clear indication that if you act rapidly and decisively when these changes are happening there's a good chance of bringing the rates back down under control. His comments were echoed by former chief scientific adviser Sage member Sir Mark Walport as he warned the UK was "on the edge of losing control" of the virus. You've only got to look across the Channel to see what's happening in France, what's happening in Spain, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: He added: "The short answer is the only way to stop the spread of this infection is to reduce the number of people we all come into contact with, that lowers the risk. "It's a very, very fine balancing act, it's very important to get youngsters back to school, people to university, but it means we're going to have to hold back our contacts in other areas." The professor said he was "definitely" still working from home, adding: "Where people can work from home, there's an extremely strong argument that they should do so." Additional reporting by agencies More Australians are turning 50 than any other age in 2020, with 338,081 people marking a half century of life due to the baby and migration boom of those born between 1970 and 1971. But social distancing restrictions and border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has meant hundreds of thousands of those 50th birthday celebrations never took place - one of them Annette Densham's epic round the world adventure. Ms Densham, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, had a calendar jam-packed with memorable events including a week in Bali, a month-long tour of Mexico, 50 live music concerts and a New Year's cruise around the South Pacific. Coronavirus put a line through all of that, leaving Ms Densham and others like her more strained, anxious and upset than they had imagined they would be. Clinical psychologist and behavioural expert Jaimie Bloch says there's a reason for that. Sydney psychologist Jaimie Bloch (pictured) believes the emotional distress of missing important life events has far-reaching consequences that are not always immediately obvious Ms Bloch believes the emotional distress of missing important life events has far-reaching consequences that are not always immediately obvious. 'As humans we spend a lot of time dedicated to working hard,' the Sydney practitioner told Daily Mail Australia. 'We often use the anticipation and planning of milestones as a way to manage stress by having something to look forward to, to work hard towards and to have as a well-deserved reward.' Queensland woman Annette Densham (pictured left) had a calendar jam-packed with memorable events to mark her milestone 50th birthday before the outbreak of COVID-19 But the constraints of travel bans, border closures and social distancing has disrupted those plans to an extent that has never been seen before. 'These changes have created a range of emotions like grief, loneliness, sadness, disappointment, anger, frustration and anxiety, which is not just experienced by the person whose milestone it was but their loved ones looking forward to the event too,' Ms Bloch said. To offset the disappointment, Pizza Hut is giving away $1,000 to 50 people who have missed their 50th birthday due to the COVID-19 crisis as part of its 'Missed Milestones' campaign. How to cope with missing milestone during COVID-19 1. 'Double celebrate' Traditionally celebrations occur around the date of the milestone, but this doesn't mean that milestones are restricted to a celebration time limit. Be open minded to having multiple celebrations for your milestone. This may look like having a virtual party during this pandemic and scheduling an actual party at a later date when it's safe to do so. 2. Get creative There is no rule book about how to celebrate a special occasion! We have all been stuck in this traditional idea of having big gatherings, but these big gatherings can be impersonal. Embrace the shift this year and get creative. This may look like a fun virtual party. You can still get all dressed up, blast the music, have speeches and engage in activities even virtually! 3. Make the effort and appreciate the effort If you know someone who is celebrating a special occasion this year, like turning 50, make extra effort. Things look different this year so it's not enough to just call and wish someone happy birthday. Help organise a special gift or be part of a car parade party in the street. These small gestures of care and love will be more meaningful than a big party. Source: Clinical psychologist and behavioural expert Jaimie Bloch Advertisement More Australians are turning 50 than any other age in 2020, with 338,081 people marking a half century of life due to the baby and migration boom of those born between 1970 and 1971 (stock image) Pizza Hut's chief marketing officer Chet Patel said he hopes the giveaway will bring joy to Australians during extraordinarily challenging times. 'Missed Milestones aims to show Aussies a bit of love and generosity, recognising those who have been impacted personally this year,' he told Daily Mail Australia. As a brand that's been 'stitched into the fabric of Australian society' for five decades and is celebrating its own 50th anniversary in 2020, Mr Patel felt it was only right that the restaurant give back to loyal customers who are doing it tough. 'Hopefully, the lucky recipients will get to spend the money and celebrate in a way that is more memorable than they would have initially imagined,' he said. To be in with a chance to win, simply enter the details of the person you wish to nominate and describe in 50 words or less why they deserve to be one of the 50 Australians to receive $1,000 each. Online entries are now open on Pizza Hut's website, with winners announced on Friday, October 2. The conference discussed ways to ensure adequate oxygen at all healthcare facilities in these seven states and unrestricted intra- as well as inter-state movement of oxygen (Representational pic) Green corridors traffic-free roads that allow speedy delivery of human organs for transplantation in ambulances should now be extended to transportation of liquid oxygen tanks to hospitals in cities, the Centre has told Telangana and six other states. The states, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana state, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, were told this during a videoconference on Sunday by Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal. The conference discussed ways to ensure adequate oxygen at all healthcare facilities in these seven states and unrestricted intra- as well as inter-state movement of oxygen. The states were advised to remove any restrictions on movement of medical oxygen between states, ensure facility wise/hospital wise oxygen inventory management and advance planning for timely replenishment so that there are no shortage, pay bills to oxygen suppliers on time, and improve power supply to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to oxygen manufacturing units. The states were told that oxygen cylinders that are sent for refilling must be properly disinfected before being dispatched to medical oxygen manufacturers. On the first working day after the resumption of services on the entire network to pre-Covid levels, the Delhi Metro on September 14 clocked a ridership of 2.49 lakh, officials said. Line-1 had 29,394 passengers, Line 2 had 76,266, Line 3 had 67,114, Line-4 had 7908, Line-5 had 10,370, Line-6 had 21,354, Line-7 had 15,420, Line-8 had 16,349, Line-9 had 1,472 and the airport Line had a ridership of 4,237 until 7:30 pm, they said. As many as 12,987 smart cards were sold on September 14. Penalties were imposed on 182 passengers for causing nuisance, they said. Last week Delhi Metro officials had warned that in case people are found flouting norms, they can be penalised under the Metro Railway (Operations and Maintenance) Act and may also be handed over to police, if required. A few minutes after the metro services resumed operations on September 14, train services on the Yellow Line (Samayapur Badli to HUDA City Centre) were affected due to technical reasons. 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 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted that train services will be affected due to track repair work between Rajiv Chowk (one of the busiest interchange stations) and New Delhi station. Initially, when the metro services restarted on September 7 after five months, trains were being operated for 4 hours each in the morning and evening. Normal timings from 6 am to 11 pm were restored from September 12 onwards. All lines of the Delhi Metro network comprising 349 km and 253 Metro stations are now fully operational and restored to pre-COVID levels. Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (135) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (348) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (442) Jan 2014 (547) Feb 2014 (476) Mar 2014 (526) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (469) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (443) Oct 2014 (472) Nov 2014 (497) Dec 2014 (536) Jan 2015 (539) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (582) Apr 2015 (658) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (924) Nov 2015 (802) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (866) May 2016 (947) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (967) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (809) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (935) Jul 2019 (950) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (849) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (789) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (812) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (475) The government on Monday sought Parliaments approval for infusing 20,000 crore in public sector banks in the current financial year to meet regulatory requirements. This is part of the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 moved by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. In all, the government has sought Parliaments nod for additional spending of 2.35 lakh crore, which includes a cash outgo of 1.66 lakh crore, primarily to meet expenses for combating the Covid-19 pandemic. For meeting expenditure towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks through issue of Government Securities the government has asked for Parliaments authorisation of 20,000 crore, as per a document. In 2019-20, the government proposed to make 70,000 crore capital infusion into the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to boost credit for a strong impetus to the economy. However, the government refrained from committing any capital in the Budget 2020-21 for the PSBs, hoping that the lenders will raise funds from the market depending on the requirements In the last financial year, Punjab National Bank got 16,091 crore, Union Bank of India received 11,768 crore while Canara Bank and Indian Bank got 6,571 crore and 2,534 crore, respectively. Allahabad Bank received 2,153 crore, United Bank of India got 1,666 crore and Andhra Bank received 200 crore. These three lenders have been merged with various PSBs. Besides, Bank of Baroda got a capital infusion of 7,000 crore, Indian Overseas Bank received 4,360 crore and UCO Bank got 2,142 crore. Punjab & Sind Bank received 787 crore and Central Bank of India got 3,353 crore. In addition, LIC-controlled IDBI Bank received additional capital of 4,557 crore through the supplementary demands for grants. The government has also sought 1,232 crore as subsidy to Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) on interest subvention of 2 per cent on prompt repayment of Shishu Loans extended under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). Further, Sitharaman has sought approval of Parliament of 4,000 crore for meeting an additional expenditure towards Grants-in-Aid General to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for the Guarantee Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility to eligible MSME borrowers. (Newser) Just what the Gulf Coast didn't want: another hurricane. Sally earned the designation Monday with winds of up to 85mph, says the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane early Tuesday in southeastern Louisiana, though it's still too early to predict a spot, reports USA Today. But what is clear is that coastal cities from Louisiana to Florida are in for rough weather starting Monday. Authorities in New Orleans, for instance, are watching the storm's path closely, per the AP. story continues below I know for a lot of people this storm seemed to come out of nowhere, says Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. We need everybody to pay attention to this storm. Lets take this one seriously. Residents can expect "an extremely dangerous storm surge, flooding rainfall, and damaging winds," according to Weather.com. Further inland, the Southeast in general should brace for flooding because of rain. (Read more hurricanes stories.) STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree today approving the new composition of the Security Council, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The Security Council consists of: More than 70,000 new cases of COVID-19 were identified among U.S. children in the last week of August and first week of September, as schools began to reopen. But there was no systematic way for education leaders to know whether sick children or their ill adult peers ended up on campusor for district leaders to get a handle on when to close schools to curb an outbreak. The federal government does not publicly track school-related COVID-19 cases. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did track coronavirus-related school closures last spring , it has not continued to track school closures or moves to full-remote learning related to outbreaks this fall. Nationwide, fewer than half of states collect and provide (or are preparing to provide) any public data on COVID-19 infections related to schools. Some states such as New York and Michigan have announced they would launch data dashboards this month. And of the states that do have dashboards, not all provide the same level of detail. Mississippis dashboard, for example , includes both the total new and cumulative cases among students and staff at each school, while Tennessees notes, in addition to the number of COVID-19 cases at a school, whether the school uses an in-person or hybrid learning model, which could create a higher risk for spreading infection. Wheres the Data? Even when the data are public, they can be difficult for educators, administrators, and parents to find. For example, Michigan plans to begin posting data to a dashboard on its health department site later this month, while Tennessees education department posts its own coronavirus dashboard. In Texas, schools submit weekly reports on the number of people in their buildings who have tested positive for the virus to the Texas Education Agency, but send separate, more detailed forms to local health departments for contact tracing. Critics in several states, including Florida, Iowa, Michigan, and Texas, have voiced concern that states are providing too little guidance for districts, and delays and reporting issues have made it more difficult to identify potential outbreaks in time to get ahead of them. Elements for a District COVID-19 Dashboard Student absences from COVID-19: a daily or weekly update (as often as is feasible) of the number of positive test results. Some districts use totals, while others use school-by-school or grade-span totals. a daily or weekly update (as often as is feasible) of the number of positive test results. Some districts use totals, while others use school-by-school or grade-span totals. Staff absences from COVID-19: The same data as student totals, but for staff. It can be helpful to separate out staff from student infections as some studies have suggested school-based outbreaks are more likely to begin among staff or other adults on campus. The same data as student totals, but for staff. It can be helpful to separate out staff from student infections as some studies have suggested school-based outbreaks are more likely to begin among staff or other adults on campus. Cumulative totals or 7- or 14-day rolling averages of COVID-19 absences: These data can help identify trends over time, which can be particularly important in comparing district infections to community spread rates when trying to make a decision about whether to move to remote instruction. These data can help identify trends over time, which can be particularly important in comparing district infections to community spread rates when trying to make a decision about whether to move to remote instruction. Staff/student absences from quarantine: This data takes into account those who have been identified based on symptoms or through contact with an infected person, but who have not received a positive coronavirus test themselves. This data takes into account those who have been identified based on symptoms or through contact with an infected person, but who have not received a positive coronavirus test themselves. Staff/student absences from other illnesses: A few districts are also collecting data on absences from other illnesses, since symptoms from the coming flu and allergy seasons will likely mimic coronavirus in many ways. Understanding trends in these illnesses can help administrators understand whether their schools are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak or something less severe. In Iowa, a largely rural state which has seen one of the largest recent spikes in coronavirus rates, confusion over how to track and report outbreaks has caused widespread problems for districts trying to respond. The state does not release school-related coronavirus data, meaning districts must rely on parent reports or direct relays from local health departments to identify a student or staff member who is absent due to COVID-19. In order to change over to remote learning, a district must have at least a 10 percent COVID-19 infection among students and staff, as well as an infection rate of at least 15 percent in the county. And students who are quarantined at home because of coronavirus exposure would not count toward that absenteeism threshold, making it incredibly difficult for district administrators to properly calculate infection rates when requesting a move to remote-only learning. Districts are having to do all the work themselves, said Sara Anne Willette, a data analyst who has run an independent Iowa COVID-19 case tracker since March. Some districts are in counties with great public health departments, some are in counties where they hear about cases from parents and never hear about them from the [health department.] In a lot of our rural districts where cases are spiking, the health department gets overwhelmed and they dont have time to keep the district informed. When it comes to rural districts, its been a very steep learning curve. Stopgap Groups Step Up In the absence of solid data, independent groups and local partnerships are filling in as stopgaps for many districts. For example, the National Education Association launched a nationwide tracker of reports of school-related COVID-19 outbreaks, based on a spreadsheet that Kansas teacher Alisha Morris built from Google searches and news reports. Now, the tracker allows users to report cases from their own schools or districts and search for confirmed and suspected cases by state. Similarly, the COVID Monitor , an online tracker developed by a former health official in Florida, aggregates data from news reports and local health data. Willette, a data analyst who also has an autoimmune disorder, has been working with schools, health offices, and the public to maintain an associated school coronavirus map for her Iowa COVID-19 tracker. Willettes tracker includes not just data on overall cases, but also the numbers of staff and students quarantined and recovered and the grade spans affected where possible. Research to date has suggested elementary-age students may be less likely to contract and spread the coronavirus than high school students and adults. Yet at a time when hundreds of students may be quarantined in a single outbreak, individual and crowdsourced trackers cant help every district. To keep ahead of outbreaks, education leaders need more local partnerships. Local Partnerships In a bad winter, North Shore School District 112 in Illinois is used to making day-to-day decisions on snow days. Now, Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld tracks a different daily forecast, from the Lake County Health Department. The week after Labor Day, as students settled into a new school year of hybrid remote and in-person learning, the clouds were already gathering as Lubelfeld reported a dozen of his own students quarantined for the coronavirus. Also, community infection rates had ticked up from 13 to 14 per 100,000 people during the week. When it goes over 14 [infections] per 100,000, thats telling me like a weather forecast that weve got a problem, he said. If the rate stays that high through the week, the district will switch over to full virtual instruction until infection rates drop. Were not there yet, but Im checking this literally every day and Im comparing the number of live cases and going over the math. In spite of the uncertainty, Lubelfeld considers his district lucky. Illinois doesnt release school-related coronavirus case data, and its overall data typically lags by seven to 10 days. The district has been able to keep on top of new cases and make calls about how to plan in-person and remote learning thanks to a close partnership with its county health department. Student data privacy can already be a minefield for administrators and student health data even more so, but federal guidelines suggest districts can work with local health departments for contact tracing and to keep their communities informed about outbreaks without running afoul of either the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or the Health Information Privacy Act. For example, when a North Shore, Ill., teacher contracted COVID-19 the week school started up for staff, the district and county health department used the case as an opportunity to run parallel contact tracing to check each agencys work and plan how to reach out to the community. Only three others had to go into quarantine, Lubelfeld said, and the district held a week of practice for all staff and families in submitting symptom self-checksa rehearsal he credits with helping the district find students who had been infected before they arrived for in-person learning on the first day of school. The cornerstone is keeping in clear communication with our families, he said. Keeping the virus in check requires a triangle of information, he said, from the school, the health department, and families. My hope is that our requests and regular communication will get our families to stand up and join that; so that a family would reach out to us before we had to hear from the county. TDT | Manama Bahrain strongly condemns the continued attacks by Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia against civilians in Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones, flagrantly violating Saudis sovereignty and stability, the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and seriously threatening regional security and stability. The Foreign Affairs Ministry affirmed the solidarity of Bahrain with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi against all those who attempt to undermine its security and territorial integrity. While the ministry denounces the practices and aggressive actions of the Houthi militia, it also condemns its continuing attack on the Yemeni city of Marib, inhabited by millions of innocent displaced people who were forced to seek refuge from the oppression and violations of the Houthis, which further exacerbates the humanitarian situation in Yemen. The ministry condemns the terrorist Houthi militias continued obstruction of the efforts of the UN secretary-generals envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and rejecting his initiatives, especially his proposal to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement in preparation for the restoration of the political process to reach a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis. The ministry also stressed the need for the international community to take action that compels the terrorist Houthi militia to respond to these international efforts aimed at ending the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people and preserving the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen. Craig Ritchie had to steel himself to stop the tears from flowing when he unwrapped a dictionary that is reviving the sleeping language of his people, the Dhangatti from the Macleay River in northern NSW. Mr Ritchie, the chief executive of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Studies (AIATSIS), grew up speaking and later teaching English, a "beautiful but nonetheless foreign language" to his family. Now he is teaching his grandchildren to call him 'babaa', grandpa in Dhangatti. To mark the 13th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on Sunday, @TwitterAU will celebrate Australian Indigenous languages with voice tweets - a new feature on the social media platform - in language including Adnyamathanha and Erub Mer. Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross from the band Electric Fields, and author Boori Monty Pryor, will be among those sending messages and telling stories. The Dubai-based airline Emirates is resuming flights to destinations in Morocco and Russia this month. The Gulf carrier continues to rebuild its network after receiving cash from the government. On Friday, Emirates announced it would resume flights to Casablanca on Sept. 18. By that time, the airline will be flying regularly to 14 African airports. Emirates also began flights to Moscow on Friday, which brings its European destinations to 26, the airline said in a press release. Emirates hub Dubai is trying to boost tourism amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Visitors can enter the city provided they show a recent negative COVID-19 test. All travelers to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), whether they are entering or transiting, must now have a negative COVID-19 test to fly. The UAE recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases in two months on Aug. 31, but the country remains open. Emirates is operating regularly scheduled flights to multiple continents but is still struggling financially due to reduced revenue from the downturn in global travel. In August, the government of Dubai provided the airline with $2 billion to help it stay afloat. Emirates also offered employees unpaid leave again last month and cut jobs in June. Other Gulf carriers, including Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways, have faced similar difficulties. London: The extradition hearing for Julian Assange has been plagued by technical difficulties, throwing proceedings into further delay because of coronavirus. Assange is fighting the US Department of Justice's request for him to be extradited to the US to face 18 charges of violating the Espionage Act. The charges relate to the publication of more than half a million US defence and diplomatic documents on the WikiLeaks website. The charges carry a maximum 175 years jail term. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a prison van travelling to Westminster Magistrates Court in London on December 20, 2019. Credit:AP Court officials in London spent more than an hour trying to establish a video link to the United States to hear the evidence of Eric Lewis, a US attorney who opposes Assange's extradition. It was problematic and premature of a police officer to dismiss Olga Edwards report of assaults by husband John Edwards against their children as a premeditated attempt to influence some family court and divorce proceedings, an inquest heard. Hornsby police also failed to record the victims name and incident type correctly, and didnt investigate the report any further, when they should have. On July 5, 2018, Edwards gunned down his two children, Jack and Jennifer, in the West Pennant Hills rental where they lived with their mother Olga, after fleeing Edwards violent control. He later killed himself. Five months after her children were shot dead by their father, Olga Edwards took her own life. Credit:LinkedIn Olga was so scared of Edwards she kept their new address a secret, but he stalked his daughter and followed her home from school. Pochi viaggiatori con la certificazione del test negativo in mano. Chiedono di poter effettuare il test in aeroporto, ma i controlli immediati con il personale Ats non sono stati attivati. Al momento vengono effettuati solo a chi arriva da Croazia, Grecia, Malta e Spagna. E' caos all'aeroporto di Elmas nel giorno di entrata in vigore della nuova ordinanza, nonostante i chiarimenti della Regione. E mentre il governo valuta l'impugnazione, i viaggiatori sono spaesati. Unico faro per chi arriva allo scalo cagliaritano e un banchetto sistemato al reparto arrivi. Distribuisce un foglio con le indicazioni utili per trovare nelle vicinanze una struttura che esegue il test. Prima cosa da fare, chiamare un numero verde per comunicare il proprio arrivo e la volonta di sottoporsi a tampone entro 48 ore. "Ma non risponde nessuno", denunciano alcuni passeggeri. Non rispondono neanche dalle strutture indicate nell'elenco fornito all'arrivo. A una passeggera veneta alla fine hanno risposto: "Mi hanno detto che ci serve l'impegnativa del medico, ma io sono veneta e sto in Sardegna". E cosi si allungano i tempi dell'isolamento fiduciario. "Bisognava gestire meglio la situazione sotto il profilo organizzativo", dice un altro passeggero arrivato dalla Lombardia. Alcuni passeggeri sono sbigottiti: "Non ho fatto il test perche non ne sapevo nulla", spiega un turista in arrivo da Milano. Scettica anche una coppia in viaggio di nozze: "Se fanno l'ordinanza a fine settimana, come facciamo a fare il test? Speriamo che facciano tutto al villaggio vacanze". Qualcuno che aspetta racconta l'esperienza dei nipoti sardi sbarcati a Fiumicino nei giorni scorsi: "In dieci minuti hanno fatto il test a Roma in una struttura pubblica". (Unioneonline/L) LA TURISTA: "NESSUNO SA NIENTE" (di Michele Ruffi) Riproduzione riservata And yet the need is great. Virtually every organization has had to move to remote services or seen increases in demand, says Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Any help is really important right now." Even if you are in a position to give, recent tax-law changes may be holding you back. Currently, only a small minority of Americans are able to reduce their taxes by making deductible contributions, because most filers are now better off taking a standard deduction than itemizing. Still, there are strategies that lower the cost of giving. Here's how to make the most of them. 1. Get a new deduction. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in March, allows taxpayers taking the standard deduction to claim up to $300 in charitable deductions, as well. To qualify, you must give money to what's known as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit a food bank or religious institution, for example, not a political campaign or a homeowners association. Keep a record of your gifts. 2. Define charity more broadly. Even if you can't make more tax-deductible gifts, that's not all bad, says Ross Levin, an Edina, Minnesota, financial adviser. When the deductions go away, the real meaning of gifting is established, he notes. Instead of giving just to 501(c)(3) charities, you can give directly to people in need. If you're not deducting contributions, their nondeductible status won't matter to you. But protect yourself from scams by avoiding online personal appeals that you can't verify, from people you don't know. 3. Use your IRA. If you are 70 1/2 or older, you are eligible for a great tax break. You can give directly from a traditional IRA to a 501(c)(3) charity without having to declare that amount as taxable income, as you would a regular IRA withdrawal. Make sure that checks are made out not to you but to the charity (which can't be what's known as a donor-advised fund). Required minimum distributions are waived for this year, but in future years you'll be able to use contributions to fulfill all or part of any RMDs that you might be obligated to take. 4. Give assets. Instead of making a cash donation to a charity, offer to make that gift in the form of shares of stock or mutual funds that have risen in value since you've owned them. If you have held the shares for at least a year, you can give them away without having to pay a tax on any capital gains. Levin says that this is a great strategy even for people who don't consider themselves wealthy but who have owned a bit of stock for a long time. 5. Amass your gifts. In 2020 the standard federal deduction, used in lieu of itemized deductions, is $24,800 for couples and $12,400 for single tax filers (slightly higher if you're at least 65 or blind). If your potential deductions, such as mortgage interest and medical care, come close to matching your standard deduction, you can make extra charitable gifts this year (offsetting them with smaller donations next year) and get a larger tax break by itemizing. Finally, if you are wealthy enough to have significant savings and be in a position to itemize, you get a CARES Act break, too. For 2020 only, you can deduct cash contributions up to 100 percent of your adjusted gross income, instead of the prior 60 percent limit. You could turn Terrible 2020 into your year to make a grand gesture. Linda Stern, author of Living on Your Nest Egg, has been writing about finances since 1980. HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or the "Group", HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) announced that its life insurance arm, Ping An Life, is driving business in four key areas: its growth model, marketing, product strategy and channel integration. During the 2020 interim results conference, Lu Min, Chief Insurance Business Officer of Ping An, said, "Despite the unprecedented challenges and the industry's inertia to sweeping changes, we are confident that this reform will pave the way for Ping An Life's further development in the next decade." Ping An Life's Reform Will Set It Apart The previous round of business reform for Ping An Life began in 2004. Based on market conditions, Ping An switched from investment-linked insurance products to protection products and withdrew from low-value bancassurance channels. The number of insurance agents shrank to 200,000 from 320,000. These changes laid a strong foundation for the next decade. The current transformation program was proposed in 2018 and officially launched in the second half of 2019. Due to the changes in the market, customer demand and technology over the last decade, the traditional agent model is not sustainable, Mr. Lu said. The current reform involves four key areas: Growth model Ping An will continue to enhance the quality of its team of agents, and will shift its focus from fast growth of the team to a balance between quality and scale. The number of Ping An Life's agents at the end of June 2020 increased by 1.2% quarter-on-quarter, and the number of agents will stabilize gradually. Marketing The traditional system is manually driven, which results in some operational inefficiencies. Ping An will use various technologies to shift to data-driven operations. Product strategy Ping An can draw on its strengths in integrated financial services to build a "life insurance +" product portfolio to meet the range of customers' needs in daily life. Ping An will provide customers with tailored and comprehensive offerings in life insurance, health care, elderly care and education. Channel integration Ping An is moving from a two-pronged online and offline business model to online-and-offline model. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ping An Life used online platforms such as the Jin Guan Jia insurance policy management app and E-Sales app to support agents' online operations. Through core applications such as Smart Customer Services and Smart Quick Claim, Ping An Life already provides customers with 24-hours, seven-days-a-week services for claims and renewal. In the first half of 2020, Ping An Life processed 1.69 million claims. Compared with the same period last year, the share of claims settled within 30 minutes via the Smart Quick Claim increased from 47% to 50%, with the quickest case taking only one minute. Ping An Life's New "Basic Law" Emphasizes Quality Before Scale A key step in Ping An Life's transformation has been the update of its Basic Management Measures for Life Insurance Business Personnel, or Basic Law. Mr. Lu said the amendments include organization reclassification, agent ranking by experience, and increased long-term investment in agents. Organization reclassification will clearly differentiate the roles of various units. Ping An will divide business units into three categories, a productivity-focused category, a balanced development (between labor and productivity) category, and a high-quality labor-focused category. Agents will be grouped into three categories: new recruits, outstanding agents and supervisors, with tailored policies and practices for each. For new recruits, Ping An has increased and extended the duration of their subsidies. For outstanding agents, Ping An has offered more incentives to encourage them to recruit outstanding agents. For supervisors, the focus will be on digital management. Ping An will increase long-term investment in agents in areas such as benefits, remuneration and management. Mr. Lu said, "Ping An Life's Basic Law supports the objective of Ping An Life's business reform, which is to grow stronger before growing bigger, focusing on quality before scale. In the revision of Ping An's Basic Law, we have shifted from rapid growth of our team of agents as the key business growth driver, to pursuing both agent quantity and quality. We will continue to emphasize recruitment, but will expand our force with quality agents, instead of pursuing sheer numbers." Ping An Life has completed the top-level design of most of the transformation projects, and launched pilot programs at branches for nearly half of the projects. Most of the reform projects will be implemented this year, with the results reflected in the business at the start of 2021. Ping An recently announced its 2020 interim results: operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company in the first half of 2020 increased by 1.2% year on year to RMB74,310 million. Operating profit after tax of the life and health insurance business rose by 6.4% year on year to RMB51,535 million. End About Ping An Group Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. With over 210 million retail customers and 560 million Internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Ping An has two over-arching strategies, "pan financial assets" and "pan health care", which focus on the provision of financial and healthcare services through our integrated financial services platform and our five ecosystems of financial services, health care, auto services, real estate services and smart city services. Our "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services using technology. As China's first joint stock insurance company, Ping An is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai. In 2020, Ping An ranked 7th in the Forbes Global 2000 list and ranked 21st in the Fortune Global 500 list. Ping An also ranked 38th in the 2020 WPP Kantar Millward Brown BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list. For more information, please visit www.pingan.cn. SOURCE Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. Related Links www.pingan.cn Suriya's note in Tamil stated that the government should create equal opportunities for everyone. Tamil actor Suriya's recent tweet on conducting the NEET amid the COVID-19 pandemic has landed him into a legal tussle. Justice SM Subramaniam of the Madras High Court has urged Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against the actor. According to a report by The Hindu, Justice Subramanian has insisted the need to initiate suo moto criminal contempt of court against the Tamil superstar. The actor in his statement posted on Sunday claimed that courts were ordering students to take National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) 2020, when the judged were holding only virtual courts amid the pandemic. Justice Subramaniam said, "The said statement in my considered opinion amounts to contempt of court as the integrity and devotion of the honourable judges as well as the judicial system of our great nation are not only undermined, but criticised in bad taste, wherein there is threat to the public confidence on the judiciary, the communication read." He added that Suriya has committed contempt warranting contempt proceedings to uphold the majesty of our Indian judicial System. The actor shared a post on Twitter for NEET aspirants who died by suicide and urged people to raise voice against the entrance examination conducted for admission to MBBS programmes. As per a report by The Times of India, Suriya's note in Tamil stated that the government should create equal opportunities for everyone. "People who do not know the realities faced by poor students are framing education policies," he added. My heart goes out to the three families..! Can't imagine their pain..!! pic.twitter.com/weLEuMwdWL Suriya Sivakumar (@Suriya_offl) September 13, 2020 A day before NEET, a 19-year-old medical aspirant allegedly died of suicide apparently "apprehensive" over the exam. The victim, identified as Jothisri Durga, was found hanging at her residence. As per the police, a purported suicide note left behind by her mentioned that she was "apprehensive" though others had "high hopes". NEET UG 2020 was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on 13 September at 3,860 centres across the country. The upcoming Phase 4 lines of the Delhi Metros automatic fare collection (AFC) system will be fully compliant with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) and commuters will also be able to use a mobile phone to enter or exit a station on its corridors, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Mangu Singh has said. The inter-operable NCMC, dubbed One Nation One Card, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March last year. He said that these two facilities might be rolled out at the Airport Express Line by the end of this year. Know all about the One Nation One Card: The indigenously-developed NCMC enables people to pay multiple kinds of transport charges, including for metro and bus services across the country, through a common card. It will also allow card holders to pay their toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and even withdraw money. In Delhi Metros Phase 4, the AFC system will fully accept the national common mobility cards, which can be used in any city, Singh told news agency PTI. A mobile phone will effectively work as smart card, and riders will be able to use to enter or exit the AFC gates, in Phase 4 metro lines. The DMRC has clarified that old smart cards will also work on the new lines. The Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by PM Modi, in March last year had approved three out of the six corridors of the Delhi Metros proposed Phase 4 project. Under approved segment, 61.679 kilometres of new metro lines shall be constructed across three different corridors comprising 45 metro stations. These new sections shall provide interconnectivity among the already operational lines of the Delhi Metro. The corridors approved by the Union cabinet include Mukundpur-Maujpur, R K Ashram-Janakpuri West and Aerocity-Tughlakabad. The other three proposed corridors of Phase 4 which have not yet been approved are Rithala-Bawana-Narela, Inderlok-Indraprastha and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block. Work had begun on the construction of Delhi Metros Phase 4 project with a groundbreaking ceremony held at Haider Badli Mor on December 30 last year. Piling work had begun for construction of 10 stations of 28.92-km Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor, which is an extension of the Magenta Line and will have a total of 22 stations. The Phase 4 project will see many highs and several firsts for the DMRC, including the first-ever metro bridge over Yamuna to be built using the cantilever construction technique, and the highest point in the DMRC system, at Haiderpur Badli Mor. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said India's linguistic diversity is its strength as well as a symbol of unity and the new education policy provides for parallel development of Hindi and other Indian languages. In a series of tweets and a video message in Hindi, on the occasion of Hindi Divas, Shah said Hindi is an unbreakable part of Indian culture and it has been an effective and powerful medium of national unity and identity since the freedom struggle. "A country is identified by its border and geography, but its biggest identity is its language. The various languages and dialects of India are its strength as well as a symbol of unity. In India, which is full of cultural and linguistic diversity, Hindi has been a unifying force for the whole nation for centuries," he said. The home minister said the greatest strength of Hindi is that it is scientific as well as known for its originality and simplicity. "With the new education policy of the Modi government, there will be parallel development of Hindi and other Indian languages," he said. Shah appealed to employees of government offices, banks and other institutions to use Hindi as much as possible along with local languages. "Today, on the occasion of Hindi Divas, I salute all those who have contributed to its empowerment. I also call upon the countrymen to take a pledge to contribute more in the protection and promotion of Hindi along with their mother tongue. My best wishes on the occasion of Hindi Divas," he said. Shah also appealed to people to take steps to attract the younger generation towards Hindi and urged the parents to speak to their children in Indian languages. Referring to the ongoing fight against coronavirus, he said India has been successful in its fight against the pandemic under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also appreciated the state governments in their active cooperation in combating COVID-19. Image by Marie Stephan While international travel remains uncertain at the moment, it goes without saying that our neighbouring countries will be much easier to access than destinations that are further away, once its safe to travel again. The mountainous country of Bhutan has always been a popular destination for Indian travellers and this trend promises to only get stronger in the new normal. While Bhutan is known for its unparalleled Himalayan vistas, its also quite a revelation when it comes to food. Aside from traditional local recipes, theres also influence from neighbouring countries such as India, Nepal and China. When its safe to travel again, plan a trip to Bhutan and make you sure you drop in at least some of these eateries. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will on Tuesday, September 15, hold a crunch meeting involving key stakeholders in the Malian political crisis at the Peduase Lodge, Aburi of the Eastern Region. The extraordinary meeting is expected to dialogue on ways of returning Mali to constitutional rule. It forms part of the mediation efforts to prevent further deterioration of the Malian political situation. The meeting will bring together delegation from nine African countries including; Key stakeholders from the Malian military junta, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and relevant stakeholders who spearheaded the demonstrations prior to the coup d'etat on August 18, 2020 that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government. Addressing a news conference in Accra on Sunday, ahead of the consultative meeting, Mrs Shirley Oyorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said at the 57th ECOWAS ordinary meeting held in Niamey, capital of Niger, on September 7, 2020, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State demanded that the Malian National Council for the People's Salvation present a roadmap for holding an election within 12 months in Mali. Therefore, the meeting in Ghana will demand the roadmap towards organising an election in Mali. The ECOWAS Authority also demanded that the Heads of Transitional Government and Prime Minister, both civilians should be appointed not later than September 15, 2020. The meeting will be the first assignment for President Akufo-Addo since his election as ECOWAS Chair. President Akufo-Addo's election as ECOWAS Chair placed him in the same shoes as his predecessors towards resolving the enormous task of ensuring peace and harmony in Mali. Meanwhile, Mali has been suspended from ECOWAS following the political uprising in that country, therefore no representative from Malian government would be in Ghana for the meeting. Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah noted that the Malian political crisis posed a serious security threat to the sub region, especially as the continent was about to operationalize the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) agreement, and it was imperative to find an amicable solution to the crisis. In view of the upcoming ECOWAS extraordinary meeting in Ghana, traffic situation from Accra to Peduase Lodge in Aburi would be affected. The Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service would deploy traffic wardens to direct movements of vehicles. Superintendent Dr Samuel Sasu Mensah in charge of Operations at the MTTD told the media that vehicular traffic on the N4 road to Peduase would be affected, therefore motorists are supposed to use alternative routes. Some other principal roads that would be affected include; Airport By-pass road, VVIP Lounge road to Liberation Road, Independence Avenue road to Arko Adjei Interchange, Kempinski Hotel road to Independence Avenue, and National Theatre road to Independence Avenue. 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 Advertisement Bodycam video shows Ricardo Munoz, 27, pictured 'brandishing a knife over his head' in a threatening manner. He was shot dead Police shot dead a 27-year-old man - who was awaiting trial for stabbing and seriously injuring four people - after he charged at an officer while brandishing a huge knife over his head. Officers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania were called to a home at 4.15pm yesterday by Ricardo Munoz's sister who said he had become aggressive toward their mother and was trying to break into her house. Body camera footage released by the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office shows the 27-year-old emerging from the house as soon as an officer arrived 10 minutes later. Munoz could be seen charging at the officer while brandishing a knife above his head 'in clear view' and 'in a threatening manner' before the officer fired at him. He died at the scene. Yesterday's shooting sparked protests in the city, with people marching from the scene of the shooting to the Lancaster Police Department while chanting 'this is what democracy looks like'. WGAL-TV reported that protesters also smashed in windows of police cars. Munoz was awaiting criminal trial on four counts of aggravated assault before he was shot dead yesterday. He also had previous charges of stalking, harassment and criminal trespassing. Ricardo Munoz was fatally shot by an officer who authorities say was responding to a domestic disturbance call. He can be seen here holding a knife in his right hand The officer responding to the incident fired several shots at Munoz Munoz fell to the ground and died at the scene a short time later Last year, Munoz stabbed and seriously injured four people, including a 16-year-old boy. At the time, police said an argument between Munoz and several people became physical. He was punched and kicked by them before they walked away from the fight. Munoz then retreived a folding knife from his backpack and stabbed four other people. It's not clear if the four people stabbed were involved in the initial argument. When police arrived at the scene, they found Munoz standing outside a home holding a knife to his throat. He refused to drop the knife when commanded to by officers, and then tried to jump over a handrail. Cops then used a taser on him to subdue him, and he was taken into custody. A protester can be seen smashing the windows of Lancaster's historic post office during demonstrations The DA urged protesters to 'remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods'. Several police cars were also damaged in the protest Protest in front of Lancaster police station over police shooting earlier this evening https://t.co/CX9MsijXHb Carter Walker (@CarterLNP) September 14, 2020 Protesters gathered outside the Lancaster Police headquarters calling for accountability Police Chief Jarrad Berkihiser held a brief news conference but shared very few details of the shooting. He said that people could remain near the crime scene, but urged them to stay calm and peaceful. A 'final determination on the use of force' will be made by District Attorney Adams. 'We ask that acts of protest remain peaceful as violence and destruction of property will become headlines and serve no purpose for the safety and wellbeing of our citizens and neighborhoods,' the DA's office requested. In a statement, Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace said: 'This has been a heartbreaking day for our city. I grieve for the loss of life and know that there are more questions to be answered as the investigation continues.' The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident. Protesters gathered outside the police station in Lancaster after the bodycam video was released. Reports suggests bricks were launched at windows and officers' cars Police and protesters are on the scene after Ricardo Munoz was shot by police on Sunday Police were on the scene and attempted to keep order among protesters close by Aparna Ramachandra In March 2020, once the lockdown was implemented, the RBI had announced that banks and NBFCs may offer a three-month moratorium to their borrowers, including credit card holders. So, borrowers had the option of not making their EMI payments. However, interest would continue to be levied. The intention was to help borrowers tide over liquidity issues because of the lockdown. This further got extended by three more months. With the August 31 deadline behind us, and the Supreme Court deferring the hearing on repayments till September 28, 2020, there is too much of confusion. There is no clear sight of a full unlocking, and many borrowers are clearly at risk, as they may fall into a debt trap. At this juncture, another extension looks unlikely. But at the same time, we have to wait and watch how the RBI and the Supreme Court act. Moratorium taken even by those who could afford to pay On August 6, the RBI announced certain measures for retail borrowers to tide over the cashflow crisis. With salary cuts and job losses, many could find it difficult to pay EMIs. When the option for the moratorium was given many people opted for it. More than one-third of the moratorium seekers were not really facing financial difficulties, pay cuts etc., but still opted for one thinking they will conserve cash. Another 20 per cent did it out of fear that they may lose their job or face a pay cut. Listen | Corporate Buzz: Was 'Vi' a good idea for Vodafone? Reacting impulsively or out of anxiety has proven to be expensive. Because, the moratorium was only a deferral for a few months, and never a waiver. Banks were going to continue charging interest on the unpaid amount. The impact of missing the EMIs will vary across borrowers. Those borrowers who have a longer tenure will bear a higher cost. Plus, EMIs are designed in such a way that the interest component forms a bigger fraction of the repayment in the initial years. Hence, if you opted for this moratorium in the early phase, a bigger amount of unpaid interest gets added to your loan. Conversely, the dent will not be so severe for someone who has completed, say, 15 years of their loan tenure. The ones nearing closure will be the least affected and they should have ideally paid off and completed the loans. Another mistake people make is to take a personal loan for tiding over any liquidity crunch. Taking a loan to pay off another, shifting one credit card over dues to another credit card is a sure shot formula for getting into a debt trap. What next after the moratorium? According to me, borrowers will largely have three options. -Make a one-time payment of the amount that has accrued during the moratorium period. -Request their lender to add the accrued interest to the outstanding loan and EMI can be reworked. This will mean an increase in the EMI. For those with long tenure loans, it would work. The EMI will increase, but the payment for interest will be less. -Request the lender to add the interest to the outstanding loan and increase the loan tenure. The tenure will increase, but will not hurt the cash flows. You can always pre-pay/pre-close at a later date once your financial situation improves. My suggestion would be to increase the EMI instead of increasing the tenure of the loan. Increase in loan tenure will add to your interest burden. Some lenders may provide borrowers the option of paying off the accumulated interest in one shot at the end of the moratorium. This may be done if you have dud investments of the past that you can sell. It is better to redeem a badly performing investment than pay steep interest or default on a loan. All the relief suggestions that are currently being suggested and spoken about are for the good borrowers as of March 2020. So, credit card defaults will not be treated with kid gloves. Request for restructuring, new EMIs etc. will not be entertained for borrowers who had defaulted or had overdues as of March 2020. (The writer is founder Director of rectifycredit.com) It would be a good idea to take stock of your investments, and figure out which of those are relatively liquid. It is advisable to redeem a few such investments and repay the debt. Bad debt now will hurt credit profiles and the ability to raise new loans in the future. Talk to your lender, share documents/proofs about cash flow issues (if any), loss of job etc. and request for a reworking. (Natural News) In a time of widespread civil unrest, the Austin City Council voted to de-fund their police department, crippling their own law enforcement as crime runs amok. As the police department is forced to scale back, their jurisdiction will naturally shrink, limiting their ability to respond to burglaries, sexual assaults and other violent encounters. The Austin city police will lose $150 million this year alone, as a third of their budget is cut the money funneled to other social projects. Motorists traveling into the city of Austin along I-35 are now greeted by a billboard that reads, Enter at your own risk. Limited support next 20 miles. These billboards are sponsored by the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) and are accompanied by the hashtag Back the Blue. According to TMPA, the billboards are intended to raise public awareness that Austin is a de-funded city, with little to no support coming from the citys liberal leaders. This reckless act, a political stunt by the city council pandering to the radical left, will do nothing but endanger the people of Austin, a TMPA spokesperson stated. As the largest police association in Texas, it is our duty and responsibility to stand up for the brave men and women of the APD, as well as the other law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction within the city limits, which will have less of APDs resources to depend on, and to raise public awareness of the dangers of de-funding not just Austin, but any city across the U.S. The Austin City Council obeys the left-wing mob, threatening citizens safety The left-wing mob, which includes Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other destitute criminal lowlifes, has devastated cities across the United States. Raging mobs have clashed violently with police, threatened innocent lives, while looting, burning and vandalizing their way to power. Instead of actively preparing for civil unrest, the Austin City Council has decided to weaken its law enforcement operations, obeying the demands of the left-wing mob. The Austin City Council is diverting the funds away from law enforcement so they can fund their other social pet projects. This forces law enforcement officers to scale back their operations and get more creative with revenue sources. De-funding law enforcement does not stop color of law abuses. It only emboldens the abuses, forcing police to become pirates who look for new ways to harvest money from the community. A scaled-back police force ultimately becomes overrun by the criminal mobs; officers may adapt to the influx of crime by carrying out the mobs demands. This de-funding also strains the good officers that remain, forcing them to work overtime under stressful conditions, leading to compromised decision-making. Instead of finding ways to raise money for their pet projects, the Austin City Council has decided to take it out on their law enforcement officers, putting the city at risk. Even though it might be important to fund a trained crisis response team or provide services for victims of violent crime, law enforcement operations should not have to take the hit in order to fund these pursuits. As the safety of the city is compromised, the Austin City Council also approved tax, rate, and fee changes that would increase the financial burden for each person living in the city by 7.9 percent on average. In other words, the citizens of Austin are getting robbed twice. This is not only a financial battle that negatively affects police budgets. The de-funding of law enforcement is more so a psychological war affecting the long term safety of the citizens. If the city leaders continue to show their disdain for the citys own law enforcement, then this openly invites crime, terror, and mob activity in the city. If the city leaders fail to prioritize law and order, then they become part of the problem, welcoming crime and sponsoring its reach. Sources include: LawEnforcementToday.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com Federal authorities are investigating the death of a Black man during what Louisiana State Police described as a struggle to take him into custody following a rural police chase last year, officials told The Associated Press. The death of 49-year-old Ronald Greene remains shrouded in secrecy because State Police have declined to release body-camera footage related to the May 2019 chase north of Monroe, Louisiana. Troopers say it began when Greene failed to stop for an unspecified traffic violation. Greenes death drew new attention after his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit this year alleging state troopers brutalized Greene and left him beaten, bloodied and in cardiac arrest before covering up his actual cause of death. Greenes family said authorities initially claimed Greene died after crashing into a tree but omitted what State Police now acknowledge was the struggle preceding his death. The lawsuit, drawing on witness accounts, alleges officers pinned Greene to the ground and used a stun gun on him even after he apologized for leading them on a chase. Greenes mother, Mona Hardin, said her family has not been able to grieve because so many questions remain unresolved. She said her son had been a well-liked barber who lived in West Monroe and had a giving spirit. This has gutted our family, Hardin told AP. How do people live with themselves after doing something like this? The investigation comes amid heightened racial tensions within Louisiana State Police, an agency that has been plagued by misconduct cases in recent years. Earlier this month, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said it was unacceptable that State Police had failed to discipline a trooper recorded using a racial slur on duty. The handling of Greenes death has eroded the agencys credibility even further, said Eugene W. Collins, president of the Baton Rouge branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The public has a right to know what happened to Mr. Greene that day, he said, and the concealing of this information by the Louisiana State Police is not only disgusting but immoral. State Police spokesman Capt. Chavez Cammon said the agency is co-operating with federal officials even as it conducts its own internal investigation. Two law enforcement officials familiar with the case said State Police are investigating whether one of the responding troopers improperly turned off his body camera during Greenes arrest. They spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Edwards is aware of the investigation and expects that there will be a comprehensive and fair evaluation of the facts, spokeswoman Shauna Sanford wrote in an email. He has not seen the video. Greenes death was ruled accidental and attributed to cardiac arrest, said Renee Smith, the Union Parish coroner who was not in office when that determination was made. Smith said her offices file on Greene attributed his death to a car crash and makes no mention of a struggle with State Police. The physical evidence weve been able to review is inconsistent with the manner of death that theyve described, said Lee Merritt, a prominent civil rights lawyer representing Greenes family. Local prosecutors did not bring charges against the responding troopers but referred Greenes death to the U.S. Justice Department for a civil rights investigation, said Laurie James, first assistant district attorney in Union Parish. Asked for his reaction to footage of Greenes death, John Belton, the Union Parish district attorney, said it would be inappropriate for me to comment because of the ongoing federal investigation. The FBI declined to comment. The U.S. Attorneys Office in Shreveport confirmed the federal investigation into Greenes death but declined further comment. State Police have released few details about Greenes death. A crash report says troopers attempted to pull him over for an unspecified traffic violation shortly after midnight May 10, 2019, about 30 miles south of the Arkansas state line. Greene refused to stop, the report says, and a pursuit ensued. A single-page police report released by State Police says the chase ended when Greene crashed his vehicle. Greene was taken into custody after resisting arrest and a struggle with Troopers, the report says, adding that he became unresponsive and died on the way to a local hospital. The report doesnt describe any use of force by troopers. Greenes family contends the crash was not serious enough to account for his fatal injuries. Their lawsuit says his vehicle did not make impact with a tree and his airbag did not deploy. Greene was not injured and could walk, speak and otherwise function in a healthy manner after the crash, the lawsuit says, adding an autopsy found cuts and blunt-force injuries to Greenes head and face. Obviously the body cam footage is critical, said Mark Maguire, a Philadelphia attorney also representing Greenes family. 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 president did not want to have problems with Mr. Trump, so he released the dam water, said Sen. Gustavo Madero Munoz, who represents the National Action Party in Chihuahua and was named by Lopez Obrador as a protest conspirator. He did it in a clumsy and authoritarian way. There were no meetings, no explanation. He didnt want to accept the blame, so he has invented other guilty parties. Colleges and universities are working extra hard to disgrace themselves this week, and four efforts in particular stand out. Whats this? Another white woman claiming to be black? Inside Higher Ed reports: Historian Jessica Krug, who last week admitted to being white and faking being Black for her entire career, resigned from her associate professorship at George Washington University, effective immediately, the institution announcedWednesday. But on the heels of her scandal comes another confession of racial fraud from a scholar. This time its a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison where Krug got her own Ph.D. The graduate student in question is CV Vitolo-Haddad, a Ph.D. candidate in journalism and mass communication. They (Vitolo-Haddads preferred pronoun) were outed last week via an anonymous post on Medium and subsequently wrote two posts of their own on the platform. Vitolo-Haddad described their own actions as letting guesses about my ancestry become answers I wanted but couldnt prove and allowing people to make assumptions when I should have corrected them. If white privilege rules all, why would someone claim falsely to be black? The University of Rhode Island is taking down a World War II mural because wait for it it isnt diverse enough. The College Fix reports: The University of Rhode Island recently announced plans to remove two murals depicting World War II veterans because it lacks diversity and a sensitivity to todays complex and painful problems, according to the university. Kathy Collins, vice president of student affairs, told CBS 12 she received complaints because the two folk-art murals portraying life in the GI Bill era of the 1950s portray a very homogeneous population and that most of the people depicted in the murals are predominantly white. Collins also told the CBS news affiliate that some students told the school they didnt feel comfortable sitting in that space. However, the University of Edinburgh has these two colleges beat. Theyre taking David Humes name off of a campus building because wait for it! Hume was a racist! Edinburgh University has renamed its David Hume Tower over the philosophers comments on matters of race. The building, which will be used as a student study space this academic year, will now be known as 40 George Square. An online petition claiming David Hume wrote racist epithets and calling for the building to be renamed has been signed more than 1,700 times. Face masks mandatory in shops and supermarkets in Wales This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 14th, 2020 Changes to the amount of people who can meet in doors and the use of face masks in Wales come into force from today. First Minister Mark Drakeford said the new measures are to prevent a new coronavirus crisis in Wales, not respond to one. As part of the changes face coverings are required in all indoor public places, for both customers and staff working in those indoor public areas. This includes a very wide range of locations, such as shops and shopping centres, places of worship, hairdressers and salons, cinemas and museums, gyms and leisure centres, and anywhere that is open to members of the public. It would also include any public areas within buildings that are otherwise closed to the public for example a reception area of an office building. The only indoor public areas where face coverings will not be required are where you are inside a place to eat or drink, for example, cafes, restaurants and pubs. But where food and drink is only being served for consumption in part of the premises for example, a cafe which also offers take away services you will need to wear a face covering in the parts of the premises where people are not eating or drinking. The requirement will apply to everyone aged 11 and over including customers and staff. However, you may have a reasonable excuse not to wear a face covering if (for example): You are not able to put on or to wear a face covering because of a physical or mental illness, or because of a disability or impairment; You are accompanying somebody who relies on lip reading where they need to communicate; or You are escaping from a threat or danger and dont have a face covering. From today only a maximum of six people from the extended household will be able to meet indoors at any one time. This rule applies in pubs and restaurants as well as in peoples homes. Children under 11 will not be counted in the six. The first minister said: Coronavirus is on the rise again in Wales, after many weeks of being in decline. Once again we are having to focus on tightening restrictions across Wales to prevent cases from rising even higher and prevent the problem from worsening as we have seen elsewhere in the UK. The new measures we are announcing today are designed to prevent a new coronavirus crisis here in Wales, not respond to one. Wales is not immune to the spread of coronavirus elsewhere in the UK, and as difficulties deepen elsewhere, we must expect that to have an impact here, too. Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda's 1994 genocide, declined to plead on Monday to all the 13 charges facing him, demanding he be allowed to plead to each separate count in a case that has also thrust a spotlight on to President Paul Kagame's government. Rusesabagina, who once called for armed resistance to the government in a YouTube video, appeared in a Kigali court accused of terrorism, complicity in murder and forming or joining an irregular armed group, among other charges. His trial promises to be the most high-profile yet in a string of cases against Kagame's opponents. Brought to court handcuffed in a van inscribed "RIB" for Rwanda Investigation Bureau, the 66-year-old Rusesabagina wore a tan suit and an anti-coronavirus mask. He sat pensively before responding. He told the court that he had contributed 20,000 euros ($24,000) to the National Liberation Front (FLN), the military wing of the Mouvement Rwandais pour le Changement Democratique, which he co-chairs. "FLN killed people," he acknowledged. "If there are bad acts that were done against the people, I regret that and I ask forgiveness to the families of victims." Rusesabagina refused to enter a plea for any of the charges. He was due to appear again on Thursday to apply for bail. HOLLYWOOD MOVIE The Oscar-nominated film "Hotel Rwanda" portrayed Rusesabagina, a former hotel manager, using his connections with the Hutu elite to protect Tutsis fleeing the slaughter. After the genocide, Rusesabagina acquired Belgian citizenship and became resident of the United States. He became a vocal critic of Kagame, whom he accused of stifling opposition, an accusation the government denies. Rusesabagina has not been allowed to meet lawyers appointed by his family, they said in a statement. But one of his government-appointed lawyers, David Rugaza, argued he was on trial for exercising freedom of speech. "He got a Belgian citizenship in 1999," Rugaza told the one-judge hearing. "Rwanda is trying a foreign citizen (for) freedom of expression that he enjoyed while abroad." Some in Rwanda, including Kagame, have accused Rusesabagina of exaggerating his heroism, which he denies. It is still unclear how Rusesabagina came to be in Rwanda. His family say he was disappeared from Dubai. The court struck out a defence objection that the arrest was irregular, ruling that it had jurisdiction because Rusesabagina was arrested in Rwandan territory, without providing further details. JUSTICE SYSTEM UNDER SCRUTINY Kagame has ruled Rwanda since the end of the genocide and won the last elections - in 2017 - with nearly 99% of the vote. He has enjoyed widespread credit and support from Western donors for restoring Rwanda to stability, cracking down on corruption and boosting economic growth in the East African nation of 12 million. But international rights groups and political opponents say his rule is increasingly tainted by repression. "Kagame and other government officials regularly threaten those who criticize the government," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a briefing note, adding that the judiciary lacked independence and torture of prisoners was common. The government denies accusations of torture of detainees. Tibor Nagy, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, tweeted earlier this month that the United States wanted to see Rusesabagina receive a "fair trial". Michaela Wrong, a British author researching a book about Rwandan politics, said the trial was already putting the Kagame government under greater scrutiny. "The Rwandan government's traditional supporters may well start asking themselves why so many opposition activists disappear and meet violent ends in Rwanda, why so many human rights activists and journalists flee abroad," she said. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: The private Pine Cobble School has switched to remote learning after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19. Single Positive COVID-19 Test Prompts Pine Cobble School to Go Remote WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Out of an abundance of caution, Pine Cobble School has moved to remote instruction for two weeks after one teacher last week tested positive for COVID-19. The school received word on Saturday that a teacher who went home with a fever had tested positive on Friday for the novel coronavirus, according to Head of School Sue Wells. That teacher's class had been remote since the instructor went home on Wednesday. The rest of the school, which opened for classes on Sept. 8, began a two-week period of remote instruction on Monday. Update: On Tuesday, Pine Cobble reported that a second faculty member, in the same grade as the first teacher who tested positive, has tested positive for COVID-19. "We do have a protocol in place that if there's a positive case in a classroom, that classroom will go remote for two weeks, and if there's a second [positive test], the school will go remote," Wells said on Monday afternoon. "In this case, we decided to go fully remote. "We've obviously communicated with the health inspector and we communicated with medical advisers who agreed that with the extenuating circumstances of it being the start of the year, they agreed with the whole group going remote." The entire school community was tested before the start of school through Boston's Broad Institute, the same non-profit conducting tests at Williams College. Wells said all 188 of those tests came back negative. She said the school likely will need to do another round of asymptomatic tests before a return to in-person instruction at the end of the month. As for the pupils in the class that was sent home last Wednesday, their families were encouraged to have tests done at Berkshire Medical Center even before the teacher's test result came back. Once the teacher's case was confirmed, "it was required that they get tested," Wells said. On Monday morning, town Health Inspector Jeff Kennedy told the Board of Health that an administrator from Pine Cobble called him as soon as the positive test result came in. The board asked Kennedy to review the protocols and procedures at Pine Cobble and the town's other private school, Buxton School. Buxton, a day school and boarding school, is requiring students to self-isolate and test before arrival on campus. Once on campus, boarders are not allowed to leave campus, and "after the initial two weeks, day students will only be allowed off-campus to return home," according to the school's website. Buxton plans to conduct as many classes as possible outside, and to use a "hyflex" model with synchronous online and in-person instruction. According to Pine Cobble's website, it is supplying masks for pupils and staff and requiring that they be worn at all times, except during designated mask breaks. All classrooms are set up with a minimum of 6 feet of social distance, and classes are being maintained as cohorts that will not interact with one another during the school day. Famlies are required to complete a health survey on their child each day before arrival at the school. Wells said she stands at the driveway of the school each morning to ensure that the survey is completed, and no one faculty or staff is allowed on the grounds without that confirmation. Wells said the first four days of classes went well except for the one class where a teacher displayed symptoms. She also said the school is well positioned for a transition to remote instruction, which it needed to use in March when the pandemic began. "We had all the remote learning in the spring," Wells said. "[Teachers] were up to speed. This summer, they've been taking a look at what was learning and what wasn't working whether it was new apps or getting more adept at Google Suites. "The teachers have been making more robust what they did in the spring between their own knowledge and working together. Obviously, we're hoping we are here most of the year, but we are ready to be remote." Director-General of the CBI, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged the UK to become a global leader in climate action to create new green jobs and lift productivity after the coronavirus crisis. Director general of the CBI, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, will tell a conference that the Government should use the rest of the year to reignite global efforts to achieve net zero by 2050. Launching the CBIs Green Recovery Roadmap, she will urge ministers to take ambitious steps, towards achieving fast and bold climate action. CBIs Green Recovery Roadmap outlines six priorities to reignite business investment, create green jobs and kickstart a sustainable economic recovery. The initiative proposes measures such as, quicker delivery of electric vehicle charging points, at least 1bn ($1.3bn) of Government funding for hydrogen testing programmes, the creation of an Office for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, as well as retrofitting homes and buildings to be more energy efficient. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Business groups urge for extension to grant schemes Fairbairn is also pushing for the publication of an Energy White Paper and National Infrastructure Strategy this autumn to unlock business investment. Speaking at the CBIs first virtual Net-Zero Conference, Fairbairn will say: For so many, this feels like a time of fiercely competing goals. The world faces two seemingly separate yet fundamental problems. Covid-19, the biggest health crisis in living memory, and climate change the defining challenge of the modern era. The response to one affects success on the other, and the defining question is, how does the UK use this moment to rebuild our economy and the greener and stronger world we want to return to. Business has been promised and is waiting for the Governments climate blueprint the Energy White Paper, National Infrastructure Strategy, as well as plans for the decarbonisation of transport, heat and buildings. Enabling firms to strike ahead with their investment plans for a net zero future with confidence. The business group represent 190,000 businesses of all sizes and sectors, across the UK, employing nearly 7 million people, about one third of the private sector employees. In July, British startup Britishvolt, announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Welsh government to build Britains first gigafactory, which will produce batteries for electric cars. New Mexico exports to Mexico are headed for another record high this year, growing 11% from January-June, compared with the first half of 2019. In contrast, trade with Asian and European countries is down substantially, likely hindered by logistical disruptions and economic fallout from the global pandemic, plus President Donald Trumps ongoing trade war with China. Exports to Mexico have grown dramatically over the past decade, especially last year, when sales south of the border leapt to an all-time record of $2.39 billion, up 58% from the $1.51 billion in state exports logged in 2018, according to trade data from the U.S. Commerce Department. Those trends continued during the first half of 2020. Exports to Mexico grew by another $109 million, from $977 million in January-June 2019 to $1.09 billion this year. Telecommuting in the pandemic has apparently boosted trade with Mexico, given the rising demand for computers and related goods, said New Mexico Trade Alliance President Randy Trask. Sales of computer and electronic components to Mexico-based manufacturers like Foxconn grew 24% in the first half of 2020, from $546 million in January-June of 2019 to $676 million this year. In contrast, sales of fabricated metal products, oil and gas, transportation equipment, paper, and other goods fell during the first six months of 2020. Theres been a gigantic surge in demand for computers and related electronics with people forced to work remotely from home, Trask said. Thats boosted New Mexico exports, particularly computer components from Santa Teresa to the Foxconn plant across the border. Full ratification of the new U.S, Mexico, Canada Agreement which officially replaced the old North American Free Trade Agreement on July 1 has also brought a renewed sense of stability among trade partners on both sides of the border, said Jerry Pacheco, executive director of the International Business Accelerator and president of the Border Industrial Association and a regular columnist for Business Outlook. We still dont know what the long-term impact on industries like auto manufacturing will be, but ratification of the new USMCA brought a collective sigh of relief along the border, Pacheco said. Now that trade negotiations are over, we can all learn to play under the new rules without uncertainty about the future. Exports to Mexico, which accounted for 56% of all state exports worldwide from January-June, helped buffer a decline in global sales of New Mexico products. Worldwide exports fell 5%, from $1.96 billion in the first half of 2019 to $1.95 billion this year. Exports to Europe declined by 20%, from $170 million to $136 million, and sales to Asian countries fell by 18%, from $691 million to $565 million. Sales to China are markedly lower, falling 22% from $506 million in January-June 2019 to $393 million this year. Supply chain disruptions from the pandemic are a factor. But the Trump administrations ongoing trade war with China is also taking a toll, Pacheco said. The China trade war is hurting us, Pacheco said. Exports are suffering a lot, with agricultural and industrial products caught in the crossfire. The search engine's share giant dropped by nearly 4.8 percentage points in August 2020 year-on-year. Googles share in Vietnam's search market has dropped to a record low of 89.9% in August 2020 from 94.4% a year earlier as a locally-developed search engine gains a larger piece, according to the latest report by Statcounter, a web traffic analysis website. Source: Statcounter. Chart: Nhat Minh According to the report, Google is closely followed by the Vietnamese engine Coc Coc (with a 6.52% share), Microsoft-owned Bing (1.5%), Yahoo! (1.4%), Chinese engine Baidu (0.2%) and South Koreas Naver (0.1%). In August, the market share of Coc Coc doubled that of the same period in 2019 and is expected to rise to 10% by the end of 2020. Coc Coc aims to reach 30 million mobile users in 2020, from 24 million in 2019. It will focus on the mobile platform and partner with the government and local publishers, the companys CEO Jean-Paul Schmetz told a media gathering last year in Hanoi. Meanwhile, statistics from Statista shows the same result as Statcounters in terms of search engine market share in Vietnam. Source: Statista's search engine market share in Vietnam, 2010-2019. Screenshot: NM The German online portal for statistics showed Google led the search engine market in Vietnam with a share of 94.13% and 94.36% in 2010 and 2019, respectively. Meanwhile, from a zero market share in 2010, the Vietnamese browser and search engine company Coc Coc ranked second after 10 years. Others such as Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Yandex Ru, Naver, Ask Jeeves, Snap.do, etc kept slight change in terms of market share during 2010-2019, according to Statcounter and Statista. Hanoitimes Nhat Minh Photo of Googles made-in-Vietnam smartphone Pixel 4a leaked This is Googles latest smartphone model, which was first introduced to the market in early August after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CAIRO Egypts Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali al-Moselhi met with Mirghani Idris Soliman, the director of the Sudans Military Industry Corporation, in Cairo Aug. 18 and agreed to study the possible leasing of agricultural lands in Sudan. According to the agreement, the land will be cultivated with sunflowers, soybeans and corn under the direction of the Egyptian Ministry of Supply's Holding Company for Food Industries, supplying edible oils to the Egyptian market and limiting imports. No further details were revealed. During the meeting, the two officials also agreed to boost cooperation between the two countries in the field of food production, one important area being the provision of livestock by Sudanese company Etegahat. The agreement comes amid a momentum in the relations between Egypt and Sudan after Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly paid a visit to Khartoum on Aug. 15. The Egyptian and Sudanese positions have converged during the recent rounds of negotiations with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Yaman al-Hamaki, a professor of economics at Ain Shams University in Cairo, told Al-Monitor over the phone, This agreement represents an important step that will make a difference to the Egyptian and Sudanese economies, and through it, the countries can become a bread basket for Gulf countries that depend on imports. This gives huge growth prospects in both countries. Hamaki added, Both countries have strengths that can be invested in this agreement, as Egypt has technical knowledge in agriculture, experts and modern technology, and Sudan has areas of arable land and abundance of water, which will make the relationship complementary and benefit the two parties at every turn. She stressed the need to consider past experiences and study the obstacles that have hindered such agreements, as well as develop a detailed action plan to overcome institutional and procedural problems. This agreement will most likely hold up in light of Sudans rapprochement with Egypt on the GERD crisis, especially after the border tensions that erupted in May between Sudan and Ethiopia, Hamaki added. According to a report by the State Information Service, Egypt and Sudan have strong commercial relations. Egypt imports from Sudan livestock, sesame seeds, wheat flour, and raw materials, while Sudan imports from Egypt food products, building materials, textiles and medicines. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached about $1 billion in 2017, while the volume of Egyptian investments in the Sudanese market was estimated at $10.1 billion and the volume of Sudanese investments in Egypt at $97 million. Medhat al-Sharif, a member of the parliaments economic committee, told Al-Monitor over the phone, The idea of leasing agricultural lands in Sudan has been on the table for some time now. The idea of economic integration between Egypt and Sudan was proposed during the era of late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the 1980s, adding that some countries he did not name hindered such plans because they would have changed the economic map in the region. Sharif pointed out, This agreement is beneficial for both parties, as Egypt suffers from water scarcity regardless of the GERD crisis and there is difficulty in reclaiming desert lands because they require large quantities of water. Sudan has fertile uncultivated lands and enough water to cultivate crops. The state report indicated that Sudan has some 84 million hectares (840,000 square kilometers) of arable land, but only 19.3 million hectares (190,000 square kilometers) is being used for agriculture. Sudan also possesses about 24 million hectares (240,000 square kilometers) of pasture land and 64 million hectares (640,000 square kilometers) of forest that could be used in the timber trade and paper industry. Nader Noureddine, a professor of water resources and land reclamation at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor over the phone, Egypt has a shortage of basic strategic crops, which is why it relies on imports. He noted that five types of crops are suitable for agriculture in Sudanese lands, such as yellow corn that is used in livestock and poultry feed, in addition to sunflowers and soybeans for oil. According to the data from the government-affiliated Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, soybeans were the top agricultural commodities that Egypt imported in May in terms of value and amounted to about $167.2 million. Egyptian imports of sunflower seeds amounted to $10.7 million and its imported corn amounted to about $111.7 million. Many countries rent agricultural land to avoid price fluctuations on the world market, Noureddine explained, adding that the agreement is an important step that will have a positive impact on the economy. Judith Ramirez received a letter this month that shed been dreading: The Honolulu hotel that furloughed her from a housekeeping job in March, during the lockdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, made her layoff permanent. Ramirez, 40, was originally told she might be called back after business picked up. But infections increased in Hawaii over the summer and quarantine restrictions for visitors were extended, a blow to the states tourism-dependent hotels. Six months into the pandemic, evidence of longer-term damage to the U.S. labor market is emerging, according to separate analyzes of detailed monthly jobs data by labor economists and Reuters. Retirements are drifting up, women arent reengaging with the job market quickly, and temporary furloughs are becoming permanent. Retirements are drifting up, women arent reengaging with the job market quickly, and temporary furloughs like Ramirezs are becoming permanent trends that could weigh on the U.S. economic recovery in the short term as well as the countrys prospects in the long term. Economic growth depends on how many people work. If more retire, or are kept from the job market because of childcare or health and safety issues, growth is slower. In the first few months of the recession we were much more focused on how many jobs could come back, how many jobs could be preserved, said Kathryn Anne Edwards, a labor economist at RAND Corp. Now the question is really how much damage has this done. WOMEN, OLDER WORKERS DROP OUT The U.S. economic drag is falling heavily on two groups, women and older workers, who fueled a rise in labor force participation prior to the pandemic. That supported stronger-than-expected economic growth in 2018 and 2019, and showed how a historically low unemployment rate drew people back into jobs. Those workers may now be getting stranded. Women and workers aged 65 and older make up a disproportionate share of the 3.7 million people no longer working or actively seeking a job since the pandemic hit, Labor Department data show. People 65 and older made up less than 7% of the workforce in February, but 17% of those who have left the labor market through August. Women previously accounted for 47% of the workforce, but make up 54% of the departed. Initial evidence of longer-term trouble is starting to show in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) that forms the basis of regular government employment reports. After a spike in women leaving the labor force in the early months of the pandemic, particularly to tend to family responsibilities, theres been slower movement back into jobs compared to the months before the pandemic, according to an analysis of CPS data by Nick Bunker, economic research director for North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab. The percentage of women and men who moved from employed to out of the labor force jumped as the pandemic layoffs hit in April. The number of women, however, who cited child care or family responsibilities as the reason, increased 178%, while the number of men citing it less than doubled, Bunkers analysis showed. The percentage of those women moving in the other direction month to month from caring for family into a job meanwhile has dropped, to a low of 5% in April from 6.6% in 2019, though it rose to 5.8% in July. It is lower for men too. The data suggests that being out of the labor force for family reasons is a stickier state than prior to the pandemic, Bunker said. The 2007-2009 recession fell disproportionately on the male-dominated construction and manufacturing industries. The pandemic has caused more job losses in services concentrated among women, and brought the added complication of school closings and concerns about the safety of daycare centers and nursing homes. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found CPS data shows a rising share of workers 65 and older are calling it quits, a development many economists expected given the risk COVID-19 poses to older people. Nearly a fifth of that age group working as of July 2019 were retired as of July of this year, compared to 17% for the prior year, the centers research concluded. The percentage of these workers who consider themselves retired instead of merely out of work also rose steadily in recent months, from 14.2% in April to 19.5% in June. It is something we expected might happen that people who were close to retirement might transition earlier, said Anqi Chen, the centers assistant director for savings research. NOT LIKE LAST RECESSION The situation is rekindling debates from a decade ago about how unemployment can lead to long-term economic scarring, but the specifics are different. The 2007-2009 recession fell disproportionately on the male-dominated construction and manufacturing industries. The pandemic has caused more job losses in services concentrated among women, and brought the added complication of school closings and concerns about the safety of daycare centers and nursing homes. The road back to employment may be getting harder, as suggested in the analysis of CPS data by Rands Edwards. Of 7.6 million people temporarily laid off as of June, the number who had found jobs by July 2.4 million was eclipsed by the 2.8 million who either left the labor force altogether or said they were no longer expecting to get their jobs back. Thats the first time in the pandemic that was the case. Ramirez, the laid-off housekeeper, said she has been looking for a job, but not many places are hiring with travel sharply down from pre-pandemic levels and many retail stores closed. Some businesses say they have a list of furloughed employees waiting to be called back. Theres no hiring here, she said. People dont know we are struggling. (Reporting by Howard Schneider and Jonnelle Marte Editing by Paul Simao) Topics COVID-19 USA Baylor University labels conservative group's 9/11 flag display 'sensitive content' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Baylor University in Texas received backlash from conservatives last Friday after it placed a sign in front of an annual on-campus 9/11 flag display, warning students of sensitive content in accordance with a standard process enacted last year. The student group Young Conservatives of Texas at Baylor cried foul last Friday, telling supporters on Twitter that its on-campus display of the over 2,000 United States flags to memorialize those who tragically perished in the 9/11 attacks is now considered Sensitive Content. In a tweet, Young Conservatives of Texas shared a video showing small American flags planted in the grass of a common area on campus with one white sign in the ground stating: Please be advised: sensitive content. Displaying the American Flag to memorialize those who tragically perished in the 9/11 attacks is now considered Sensitive Content. Honoring those who died and first responders isnt Sensitive, its American. pic.twitter.com/0DHmY7h2sJ Baylor YCT (@BaylorYCT) September 11, 2020 In a statement, Young Conservatives of Texas at Baylor Chapter Chairman Jake Neidert explained that his group places 2,977 Americans flags in the grass at Baylors Fountain Mall each year on Sept. 11 to honor the victims and first responders who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The display only includes flags with no no signage or political messaging, according to Neidert. Every year we do our best to ensure that this event is about America not politics, he said. Upon our initial request to place the memorial this year, we made it clear to Baylor Student Activities that this was not a political event. Neidert stated that Baylors Department of Student Activities informed the student group about 24 hours in advance of the demonstration that it would place expression activity signs near the flags. These signs amount to nothing short of a trigger warning for an event that should unite all Americans, Neidert argued. As Baylor students, this is incredibly saddening for us to see. 9/11 is a day that we can forget our political identities and come together to remember those who died and celebrate the triumph of our nation over evil. In his statement, Neidert asked Baylor, one of the largest Baptist universities in the world, to apologize for displaying the warning signs. On Twitter, Baylor University responded. We fully support the 9/11 display of American flags, regret that the signage we used has taken away from the intent of the display, and apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused, the tweet from the school reads. Along with a tweet, the university included a photo of a three-paragraph statement calling the Young Conservatives display moving. The university clarified that the 9/11 display is the only official student event that has been allowed since the start of the fall semester. Out of reverence for the exhibit of flags and in knowing that its moving symbolism could evoke a wide range of emotions, signage was placed near the display notifying those who passed by of its potential impact, the school said. This is a standard part of our process regarding outdoor displays which we implemented last year based on feedback from our campus community. Online, conservatives were quick to condemn the school. Baylor University posted a trigger warning at a display of American flags honoring the fallen of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. What in the world is going on at Baylor? asked popular conservative columnist, author and radio host Todd Starnes. Baylor University held its own 9/11 tribute on Friday. At 12:15 p.m., the on-campus bell tower, the McLane Carillon, began a 26-minute performance to honor the victims of 9/11. Today, we remember those whose lives were changed forever on September 11, 2001. #NeverForget, a tweet from Baylor University on Friday reads. Scandal-prone G4S has accused a private equity backed Canadian rival of exploiting the coronavirus crisis to mount a 3billion hostile takeover bid. The security group saw its shares plunge 68 per cent after the pandemic struck and was still down 33 per cent on the year at the start of trading yesterday. But G4S stock soared more than 25 per cent after Garda World, the largest privately-owned security firm on earth, offered 190p a share for the London-listed firm and promised to turn it around. G4S soared more than 25 per cent after Garda World, the largest privately-owned security firm on earth, offered 190p a share for the London-listed firm and promised to turn it around In a strongly worded statement, it said G4S has 'failed its shareholders, employees, customers and the public for at least a decade'. The Canadian business also urged G4S shareholders to force its board to come to the negotiating table, claiming it had been repeatedly 'summarily dismissed or ignored' as previous approaches have been spurned. Stephan Cretier, founder and chief executive of Garda World, said: 'G4S needs an owner, not a manager.' The 57-year-old added: 'We will turn G4S around, ensuring it delivers for its customers, its people and the public.' The Montreal-based firm which is 51 per cent backed by London-based private equity giant BC Partners said it had offered to pay 190p a share. This amounts to a 31 per cent premium on the 145p G4S shares had been trading at just before the offer was made. The deal, it said, would be funded with equity from BC Partners and loans from three banks. Ratcheting up the pressure, BC Partners' chairman Raymond Svider and Cretier said in a joint letter to G4S chairman John Connolly on August 31: 'This is an offer your board should not ignore.' The security group saw its shares plunge 68 per cent after the pandemic struck and was still down 33 per cent on the year at the start of trading yesterday The latest offer was welcomed by investors with shares soaring by a quarter, or 36.55p, to 182.45p. But G4S hit back, describing the timing of the unsolicited proposal from BC Partners and Garda World as 'highly opportunistic, coming at is does at a time of severe turbulence in global financial markets'. It said the company had proven itself to be 'particularly resilient' since the outbreak of the pandemic, and said the offer 'significantly undervalues the company and its prospects'. It said 'shareholders are strongly advised to take absolutely no action in relation to the new proposal'. The firm added that two offers were made in June, one at 145p per share and the other at 153p per share, which were both unanimously rejected by the board. Garda World now has to make a formal takeover bid by 5pm on October 12. G4S employs around 533,000 people in more than 80 countries, including around 25,000 in the UK. It runs security and cash handling services, while also managing Covid test centres around the UK and four prisons. But the FTSE 250 firm has been mired in a string of scandals in recent years such as failing to provide enough staff for the London Olympics in 2012. G4S also landed itself in hot water after it emerged it had been overcharging taxpayers for tagging criminals, some of whom were dead or back in prison. Garda World employs more than 102,000 globally and one commentator said it would be a case of the 'tiddler swallowing the whale' if the deal does go ahead. Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, said: 'I think this is just the start of an autumn of deals. I think we will see many more bids of this nature foreign private money snapping up cheap, undervalued UK equities.' Government and opposition MPs are backing a proposal to have refugees go bush to fill vital fruit and vegetable picking jobs left behind by backpackers locked out of the country. There are tens of thousands fewer backpackers in Australia this year than normal, which has left Australia's fruit and vegetable stock at risk of rotting in the fields if an alternative supply of workers cannot be found to harvest it. Fruit growers are urgently trying to find enough workers to harvest their crops this year. Credit:Dean Sewell Labor's Julian Hill, The Nationals' Damian Drum and Liberal John Alexander, who are all on a parliamentary committee trying to find solutions, said there was some merit in a proposal put forward by the Refugee Council of Australia to offer the 17,000 people in Australia on two classes of refugee visas an easier path to residency in exchange for helping out. "There's a desperate need for warm human bodies prepared to work hard in the regions right now and for the next couple of years until the borders reopen properly," said Mr Hill, who represents the diverse south-eastern Melbourne electorate of Bruce. MILL CITY Fred Girod stood near the edge of a steep drop between what remained of his house and the Santiam River, grasping the destruction days after the Beachie Creek wildfire destroyed homes, businesses and landmarks along the canyon. The walls of the one-story home had collapsed, leaving two stone columns and a chimney that rose out of the rubble. The heat and flames had twisted the frame of the deck where he would sit to watch bald eagles, ospreys and sunrises. Girod, a 69-year-old state senator, made an impromptu trip Sunday into his sprawling district that includes many of the most hard-hit areas decimated by wildfires that have now burned more than 1 million acres across the state and killed at least 10 people. It hurts, Girod said, hands in his dark denim jeans. WILDFIRE TRACKER: See all fires in Oregon and across the nation Girod had been turned away last week when he tried to reach his home near Mill City, population 1,900, one of the larger towns in the Santiam Canyon. But he was able to make it this day by heading north via Linn County. My job is to know whats happening in the district, Girod said. I need to be able to assess the damage. He got help from Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist. Sen. Fred Girod walks through the remains of his home near Mill City, Oregon, on Sept. 13, 2020. Mill City, Gates and other towns along the Santiam River were all but destroyed by the Beachie Creek Fire and residents were forced to evacuate. "This was my forever home," Girod said. Brooke Herbert / StaffBrooke Herbert/The Oregonian/OregonLive The men drove a loop through some of the towns in the evacuation zone, first going on the south side of the Santiam River through Lyons and Mill City, then crossing the river to Gates and then the northern half of Mill City on their way back to Salem. As they passed through the Linn County countryside into the Cascade foothills, the two politicians talked about how to help people deal with the devastation. If they rebuild, can they keep their old property tax rates? Who will do the cleanups of all the toxic materials? How will kids go back to school or get any education? Sen. Fred Girod took a tour of the damage days after the Beachie Creek fire destroyed multiple homes along the canyon. They first passed through Lyons in Linn County, where a 13-year-old boy and his grandmother had died in a car at the family home trying to escape last Tuesday as fierce winds whipped fires into conflagrations. Seven more miles took them to Mill City, straddling the border between Linn and Marion counties and divided by the river. The towns mayor, Tim Kirsch, and city recorder Stacie Cook met them at City Hall. Mill City appeared to suffer relatively little damage south of the river. That was thanks in large part to the work of a few dozen volunteer firefighters, loggers and a man with a caterpillar tractor, Kirsch said. The volunteers had made their stand along a dirt road, now flanked on the right side by smoldering piles of debris and burnt trees and on the left side by large mounds of earth. Remains of a burned home and vehicles in Gates, Oregon on Sept. 13, 2020. The town of Gates, along the Santiam River was all but destroyed by the Beachie Creek Fire. Residents were forced to evacuate. Brooke Herbert / StaffBrooke Herbert/The Oregonian/OregonLive Girod and the others then headed five miles to Gates, stopping at a National Guard and Marion County Sheriffs Office roadblock. They said were going into Marion County to assess the damage. The deputy took everyones IDs and, after handing them back, let the car through. Be safe, a deputy said. Do what you need to do and get out, OK? We will, Nyquist said. A different scene awaited them. From here on out, its just complete devastation, Kirsch said as they drove over the bridge to the north side of the river. They stopped the car in front of the charred remains of a motel and trailer park. The metal sheeting of a roof lay on the ground next to burned-out cars, a metal swing-set and thick clumps of ash mixed with dirt and debris. Metal that melted and solidified appeared to leak out from car wheels. A mountain bike stood, mangled and stuck in the rubble. Everything that burned was varying shades of brown, beige, gray or black. Cars sat with the wheels resting on the ground and seat springs showing. A house across the road from what used to be the motel appeared unscathed, with only the surrounding trees blackened. Three chickens wandered out onto the road from the property and pecked at the gravel. Girod leaned forward as they approached him. How did you guys survive? he said. Sen. Fred Girod walks through the remains of his home near Mill City, Oregon, on Sept. 13, 2020. Mill City, Gates and other towns along the Santiam River were all but destroyed by the Beachie Creek Fire and residents were forced to evacuate. Brooke Herbert / StaffBrooke Herbert/The Oregonian/OregonLive His home was one of the last stops. Girod walked around the house that his parents had built in 1968, a year before he finished high school. The only recognizable items in the ash were a metal bed frame in what used to be his bedroom and a metal bowl for logs that stood on the fireplace mantle for logs. He doubts the three cats he left behind are alive perhaps the toughest loss for him and his wife to bear. He has yet to decide if hell rebuild. First, hell have to clean up the property, see what the insurance companies say and check the condition of the trees. The remains of his Dodge diesel truck, recently in cherry condition, stood higher up the hill from his house. Thats my forever home, Girod said. Thats my forever truck. Were you affected by the wildfires? Please get in touch. Brooke Herbert of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report. Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com| 503-294-7674| @fedorzarkhin Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte meets Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-09-13 00:07:07 MANILA, Philippines Sept. 12 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with the visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe in Manila on the afternoon of September 11, 2020. Duterte said that the delegation is the first high-level one to visit the Philippines since the COVID-19 pandemic, showing that China attaches great importance to the China-Philippine relations. Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Philippine side hereby expresses congratulations on it, he stated. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government and military provided a large amount of selfless assistance to the Philippines, and the Philippines side is sincerely grateful for that, he added. Maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is in the common interests of all countries in the region. It is hoped that all parties will resolve their conflicts and differences through friendly consultations on the basis of respect for international law, and jointly achieve long-term peace and stability in the South China Sea, Duterte expressed. General Wei Fenghe said that China and Philippine enjoy a long-established friendship, and the relations between the two countries continue to make new progress under the joint guidance of President Xi Jinping and His Excellency the President Duterte. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries support each other, which reflect the good-neighborly and friendly relations of mutual assistance. The Chinese military is willing to develop closer and more pragmatic cooperation with the Philippine military, said Wei. Maintaining the stability of the South China Sea is the shared responsibility of the two countries. It is necessary to persist in resolving issues within the region through consultations, strengthen communication and coordination, so as to properly manage differences, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the South China Sea, Wei added. On Friday morning, General Wei Henghe also held talks with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. They exchanged views on the international and regional situations, the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, the South China Sea issue, etc. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), one of the largest commercial banks in Bahrain, and Ithmaar Holding, the parent of Ithmaar Bank today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the potential acquisition by BBK of Ithmaar Banks Bahrain operations as well as specific assets of IB Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Holding. The MoU, which was signed by BBK Chief Executive Officer Dr AbdulRahman Ali Saif and Ithmaar Holding Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Abdul Rahim, who is also the Ithmaar Bank Chief Executive Officer, builds on the joint BBK-Ithmaar Holding statement made on August 26, 2020 announcing initial talks regarding the potential acquisition. The plans, which are subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, are still in the discussions phase and subject to the completion of due diligence by both parties, said a statement. When implemented, the plans will significantly expand BBKs already large operations in Bahrain and add a turn-key, full-service Islamic banking solution, while also bolstering the already well established Ithmaar Bank brand and position it to better capitalise on opportunities for growth. The plans are in line with Ithmaar Holdings strategy of creating value for its shareholders. Details of the plans will be announced in due course, following necessary approvals. TradeArabia News Service When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Eastern Pacific Ocean, it gathered water vapor data on Tropical Storm Karina. The data showed that the storm was being affected by wind shear from the northeast, pushing the bulk of clouds to the southwest. Karina formed late on Saturday, Sept. 12 as Tropical Depression 16E (TD16E). TD16E developed about 470 miles (755 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Six hours later at 5 a.m. EDT on Sept. 13, the depression organized and strengthened into a tropical storm and was renamed Karina. A Look at Water Vapor Content Water vapor analysis of tropical cyclones tells forecasters how much potential a storm has to develop. Water vapor releases latent heat as it condenses into liquid. That liquid becomes clouds and thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone. Temperature is important when trying to understand how strong storms can be. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and stronger the storms. On Sept. 14 at 6:05 a.m. EDT (1005 UTC), NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Karina in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument gathered water vapor content and temperature information and found highest concentrations of water vapor and coldest cloud top temperatures were southwest of the center. That is because of strong northeasterly wind shear pushing the strong storms away from the center of circulation. MODIS data showed coldest cloud top temperatures in those storms were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius) in those storms. Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall. "Karina continues to be a sheared cyclone with the deep convection displaced to the southwest of the exposed low-level center," noted Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami. "Recent scatterometer [instrument that analyzes winds] data showed winds up to 40 knots in the southern semicircle, and thus the initial intensity remains 40 knots." Wind Shear Affecting Karina The shape of a tropical cyclone provides forecasters with an idea of its organization and strength. When outside winds batter a storm, it can change the storm's shape. Winds can push most of the associated clouds and rain to one side of a storm. In general, wind shear is a measure of how the speed and direction of winds change with altitude. Tropical cyclones are like rotating cylinders of winds. Each level needs to be stacked on top each other vertically in order for the storm to maintain strength or intensify. Wind shear occurs when winds at different levels of the atmosphere push against the rotating cylinder of winds, weakening the rotation by pushing it apart at different levels. Karina's Status on Sept. 14 At 5 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. PDT/0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Karina was located near latitude 17.9 degrees north and longitude 118.2 degrees west. Karina is centered 640 miles (1,025 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Karina is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 kph). Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 kph) with higher gusts. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km) from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 millibars. Karina's Forecast A turn toward the northwest is expected by tonight, Sept. 14, with this motion continuing for the next few days. Some slight strengthening is forecast in the next 24 hours, with gradual weakening expected to begin on Tuesday. ### NASA's Aqua satellite is one in a fleet of NASA satellites that provide data for hurricane research. NASA Researches Tropical Cyclones Hurricanes/tropical cyclones 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 more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration. By Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center A chemist from RUDN University together with colleagues created a new type of two-dimensional nanofilm from an organic material called calixarene. The invention can be used as a protective coating in electronics and as a part of molecular filters. They also suggested a way of increasing the durability of such films with UV radiation. A chemist from RUDN University together with colleagues created a new type of two-dimensional nanofilm from an organic material called calixarene. The invention can be used as a protective coating in electronics and as a part of molecular filters. They also suggested a way of increasing the durability of such films with UV radiation. Calixarenes are large bowl-shaped organic molecules that consist of several rings. The outer ring of the bowl is hydrophilic, i.e. actively retains water. The innermost ring is hydrophobic or water-repellent. Calixarenes are known in the chemical industry as additives: for example, they play a role in the synthesis of ethylene and propylene polymers. Scientists from Belarus and Russia, including a chemist from RUDN University suggested a new way of using them. They developed 0.8-1.5 nm thick calixarene-based films that can work as water-repellent coatings. "These 2D organic films can be used to create protective hydrophobic or anti-corrosion coatings for organic electronics or to develop molecular filters," said Alexey Kletskov, a Candidate of Chemical Sciences, and a researcher at the Joint Institute for Chemical Research, RUDN University. The team used the Langmuir-Blodgett method to construct a thin film from single molecules. The method had been developed especially for the molecules that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. When put in water, molecules like this align on the surface with their hydrophobic parts turned up. After that, they are pressed with special plungers, and when the required density is reached, the film is moved onto a solid base. To strengthen the film, the team used UV radiation. It has enough energy to break down hydrocarbon chains that bind the outer and inner rings of each molecule together. First the chains are broken, and then they bind again, but this time with loose ends from other calixarene molecules. As a result, all molecules in the film become closely tied together. The team studied the structure of the films using an atomic-force microscope and found out that the efficiency of UV radiation correlates with the length of the chains in the original macromolecules. Molecules with short chains formed more stable films, and in the case of long-chain molecules, UV radiation caused the films to have irregular structure with clusters. Therefore, UV light was found to not always be beneficial for film quality. Depending on the molecule structure, it can reduce the water-repellent properties of a film or have no considerable effect at all. It is an important factor to consider when using the films as hydrophobic coatings on different surfaces, from displays to construction coatings. For almost a decade Trojan work has been underway within the East Belfast Mission to promote the Irish language among unionists, loyalists and Protestants alike. Now Irish language activist Linda Ervine and her team in the Turas project, who run weekly Irish classes for learners at the Skainos Centre, have turned to animation in a bid to address this sensitive subject. The first in a series of short animated films that show normal, everyday Protestants and unionists who have engaged with or learned Irish is being unveiled virtually today (MON) to mark the start of Good Relations Week. Linda (58) has teamed up with Don Duncan, a lecturer in Broadcast Journalism at Queens University Belfast, to create the films. A great diversity of people have come to Turas down the years and Ive always been interested in their stories and why they want to learn Irish, Linda explained. I realised that there was a real richness there so I wanted some way to record this. In the beginning when people first came some of them were very nervous and worried about anybody knowing that they were learning Irish and thankfully for most people that has changed. Linda added: These new animated films are really engaging as they provide a short yet intense message which is very powerful. There is also an innocence about them and they are in no way threatening. Sometimes we are attacked about why people are learning Irish and asked who comes here. Ive often been told that there are no Protestants or working class people here. "These films show in a very safe way that actually that isnt true and here are people talking about their reasons for learning Irish and what they get from it. Don got in touch with Belfast-based production company Enter Yes who helped to make Lindas dream a reality. We have talked to three students so far who all have different experiences of Irish. Our aim is to create a mosaic of people who all have this one thing in common - an interest in the Irish language and in learning it, Don added. The voice behind the first animated film is mother-of-two Gail McCune (47), who took the plunge and walked the short distance from her home to her first Irish class seven years ago. I knew the classes were happening because my eldest daughter brought home a newsletter from her school with details. I just decided to go down the next day and see what was happening, Gail said. I felt that if I didnt go then Id end up chickening out and never go. When I was a teenager I was involved in some cross border projects and had always wondered why those from down south were learning Irish and I wasnt. At my school you could only do French, German and Latin. My great-great grandmother was from Dublin so a few Irish phrases had been passed down through the generations but by the time they got to my mum she couldnt really remember them. Gail, who along with Linda is just beginning the second year of an Irish language degree at Queens, says she has no regrets about her decision. At the beginning I felt that I needed some justification for wanting to learn Irish but Ive since realised that you can choose to do it because youre interested. It has been really great craic and Ive met lots of good people so its very sociable. I still dont know how I got to this point because I set out to do something fun once a week down the road and now Im at university, she added. The second animation is currently in production and has been voiced by fellow student and father-of-two Ivor Reid (58). I came along to the classes in around 2013 when Lindas husband Brian talked me into it because I was already a volunteer with the East Belfast Mission, he said. I hadnt a clue about Irish and the only phrase I knew at that point was tiocfaidh ar la. When I was a kid Irish was seen as the enemys language and nothing to do with you or not your language. Ivor added: Getting to know the origins of place names like Carryduff, Castlereagh and Knocknagoney and what they mean really caught my interest. "Those sorts of things meant nothing to me before but it has been like walking through a magic door into a different world. Among my family and friends no one really cares that I chose to learn Irish. Some people might get themselves into a state about it but at the end of the day it doesnt bother me because Im doing nothing wrong. The first animation featuring Gail McCune will be officially launched on Turas' social media channels later today and its also available to view at belfasttelegraph.co.uk. While India's economic mismanagement in the past few years derailed its growth story, plunging the quarterly growth rate to minus 23.9% in Q1 of FY21 - from a high of plus 8.2% in Q4 of FY18, its fiscal policy too has been erratic. The Centre's knee-jerk reactions to the shortfall in GST collection threatens the very tax regime and with it "cooperative federalism". It is finding new excuses to deny states their legitimate (statutory) GST compensation of Rs 2.35 lakh crore for FY21 and forcing them to borrow from the central bank RBI to meet the shortfall. The latest justifications are: (i) states have parked Rs 1.8 lakh crore in treasury bills - short-term debt instruments issued by the Centre for 91 to 365 days - and (ii) states have borrowed only 2.75% of their GSDP against their limit of 3%. A Central government official likened this to "keeping the powder dry", an approach, the official disclosed the Centre has adopted in the time of serious crisis. In the meanwhile, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has warned that "to conserve resources for future stimulus" (keeping the power dry) is "self-defeating" and advised against unrealistic "claiming V-shaped recovery". India should, instead, think why in spite of providing 20% of GDP in fiscal and credit relief packages the US is still worried that it may not return to pre-pandemic GDP level by the end of 2021. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXVI: Derailment of economy is not 'Act of God', it is 'Art of Misdirection' Describing India's Rs 21 lakh crore relief (9% of GDP) as "meagre; primarily free food grains to poor households; and credit guarantees to banks for lending to small and medium (SMEs) firms, where the takedown has been patchy", he sees the need for the government and bureaucrats "to be frightened out of their complacency and into meaningful activity". Likening the current state of the economy to "a patient", Rajan writes ("The Alarm in the GDP Numbers") that help (relief) is needed now when the patient is fighting the disease, without which "the patient atrophies" and by the time the disease is contained, the patient is reduced to "a shell of herself". Instead of focussing on boosting fiscal spending keeping deficit aside for now, India is embarking on a venture to expand its tax base in the midst of the crisis. India's knee-jerk reaction to lack of fiscal resources On August 14, the Centre disclosed its intent to track high-value transactions - education fee over Rs 1 lakh, hotel bills over Rs 20,000, life insurance payment over Rs 50,000 etc. - to nail tax evaders. This is unlikely to help. India has been tracking high-value transactions and scanning all data sources for years, routinely identifying large numbers of tax evaders also but does little about it. The Non-filers Monitoring System (NIS) is meant for this and has tracked annual information returns (AIRs), centralised information branch (CIB) data and TDS/TCS statements etc. In 2019, a news report quoted tax authorities saying that 20.4 million cases of 'non-filers' had been identified during 2013-2017, of which 2.5 million were 'dropped filers' - who stopped filing returns. In 2016, another report quoted tax authorities as saying that 6.7 million potential non-filers carrying out high-value transactions in 2014-15 had been identified. (For more read " Taxing the untaxed III: Is govt oblivious to leakages in direct tax collection? ") What happened to them is not known. No information is available in public to suggest effective action or improvement in tax collection. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXV: How a series of economic misadventures derailed India's growth story A lot is indeed wrong with the Indian tax system. First, it is a regressive one with high reliance on indirect tax, rather than direct tax as is the case with developed economies. Second, it does not tax agricultural income even when large amounts are routinely claimed as such by non-agriculturists for tax evasion and money laundering. (For more read " Taxing the untaxed I: Why govt should tax agricultural income ") Third, India does not even have basic information on how many of those filing returns are actually paying tax and how much and whether all known high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) (dollar millionaires) are actually paying tax. Millions of self-employed, professionals and firms file self-assessment returns or pay presumptive tax, which carries huge risks of evasion. (For more read " Taxing the untaxed II: Why India's smaller taxpayers bear heavier burden ") Fourth, there are a large number of shell companies and tax havens for profit-shifting and tax avoidance by domestic and foreign firms which are merrily operating without let or hindrance because India would not implement its anti-tax avoidance General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) framed in 2012. (For more read " Coronavirus Lockdown XII: Why the wealthy should be taxed more ") Here is an interesting development from the US. US firms shift 52% profit to tax havens On August 23, tax expert Prof. Gabriel Zucman of Berkeley University presented his analysis of tax evasion by US firms in 2018. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXII: Why is India reluctant to provide unemployment allowance? He concluded that US firms booked 52% of foreign profits in tax havens, thereby avoiding tax. He also concluded that the Trump administration's corporate tax cut of 2017 did not work since profit-shifting to tax havens is "essentially stable relative to 2017". The following graph, taken from his analysis, shows the trend in profit-shifting. Prof. Zucman also noted another adverse impact of tax havens. He said, workers are paid very little in jurisdictions with low effective tax (tax haven): in Ireland (tax haven), for every $1 of wage paid to labour, the US firms reported a profit of $9 but in Germany (relatively higher effective tax rate), for every $1 of wage these firms reported a profit of $0.2. In 2018, US firms booked more profit in tax-haven Ireland ($98 billion) than in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and China combined ($79 billion). He arrived at these estimates because the US government tracks and makes such data public. India does not even track profit-shifting. However, there is some assessment about it. The World Inequality Lab published a global study, "The Missing Profits of Nations", in April 2020 which provides an estimate for 2015. Prof. Zucman is one of its authors. The report shows domestic and foreign firms operating in India shifted $9 billion to tax havens in 2015. Also, note India had an effective corporate tax rate of 10% then (2015). It cut corporate tax further in September 2019. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXI: Will NEP 2020 bring quality and equity in education? The leading payers in profit-shifting were: US ($142 billion), UK ($61 billion), Germany ($55 billion), China ($55 billion) and France ($32 billion). Barring Germany (11%), all these countries had very high effective tax rates (US 21%, UK 17%, France 27% and China 20%). The following extract from this report shows pre-tax profit in $ billion (first column), profits reported by domestic (second column) and foreign firms (third column), profit shifted (fourth column), effective corporate tax rate (fifth column) and loss in corporate tax collection (sixth column). India's FDI inflows mostly come via tax havens India may not figure in the list of corporate tax havens, but it certainly lets tax havens play a major role in its fiscal management. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)'s latest data (May 2020) shows nine of the top 10 sources of FDI inflows to India are among the top 25 tax havens in the Corporate Tax Haven Index (CTHI) of 2019. The CTHI lists 64 such jurisdictions. Together, these nine tax havens contributed 82.8%, 70.5% and 84.1% of total FDI inflows in FY18, FY19 and FY20, respectively. The only one of the top 10 missing is Japan, which does not figure in the CTHI list, and contributed 3.6%, 6.7% and 6.5%, in the respective years. The share on nine tax havens in the past 20 years (April 2020 to March 2020) is a whopping 78.9%. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXIII: What stops India from taking care of its crisis-hit workers? The graph below captures their share in the past three fiscals (percentage of FY20 marked). Three remarkable features of the above graph are: First, FDI inflows from Mauritius have reduced after India renegotiated its Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with it in 2016 even though it is a partial one and not yet fully operational. (For more read " Taxing the untaxed VIII: How India and multilateral bodies are fighting tax avoidance ") Second, the inflows from other tax havens have risen dramatically: Singapore, the Netherlands, the US, Cyprus and Cayman Islands. Third, though India has renegotiated its tax avoidance treaty with Cyprus and Singapore, there is a jump in FDI inflows from there. India has signed DTAAs with 96 countries, many of which are tax havens. India's FDI outflows too mostly come via tax havens India's love with tax havens is reflected in FDI outflows too, as most such outflows are through them. According to the RBI data, released in April 2020, 82.6% of total outflows in FY19 were through tax havens - up from 81.7% in FY18. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XX: Do developed economies depend on private schooling and funding for quality education? How much of all these constitute round-tripping and profit-shifting is not known. The government does not track these things. Like the US, it should, especially since it gives incentives on FDI inflows and cut corporate tax by Rs 1.45 lakh crore for domestic firms amidst the prolonged economic slowdown in September 2019 when the quarterly GDP fell to 4.4%, consistently nose-diving from 8.2% in Q4 of FY18 (more than two years ago). Last month the RBI disclosed what corporates did with the tax cut: "The corporate tax cut of September 2019 has been utilised in debt servicing, build-up of cash balances and other current assets rather than restarting the capex cycle. These underlying developments suggest that the appetite for investment is anaemic and in need of more reforms." Also Read: Rebooting Economy XIX: How India relies on low-paid ad hoc teachers for schooling children India reluctant to push fiscal spending to revive economy Lack of tax resources is showing in the Centre's inability to spend more to revive demand and boost chances of a quick economic turnaround, in addition to gross ineptitude reflected in not spending what it can. The finance ministry data shows during April-July 2020, the Centre's total spending is just 11% higher than the corresponding period of 2019. It spent Rs 10.5 lakh crore during this period in the current fiscal, against Rs 9.5 lakh crore spent in the corresponding period in FY19. The first four months of the current fiscal year are also marked by a 40% fall in net tax collection. Another disturbing aspect of the Centre's fiscal spending is a traditionally low share of capital expenditure (capex), which is what drives growth and has a higher multiplier effect (3.25) compared to revenue expenditure (multiplier effect of 0.45). Also Read: Rebooting Economy XVIII: Does quality education really matter to India? Data shows, the Centre's capex has been confined to 1.5-18% of GDP, while revenue expenditure is limited to 11-12.2% of GDP. India's low tax resources The problem is not new. India's tax base and collections have been very poor. Its tax-to-GDP ratio (Centre and states combined) has been less than 20%. In FY20, it was just 18.5% while in FY18 it was 17.8%. In contrast, the OECD countries had an average of 34.5% in 2018 (of 34 of 37 members for which data is available), with France, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Italy recording more than 40%. In 2017, the average was 34.2% in 2017. (India's FY19 and FY18 correspond to 2018 and 2017.) There are several reasons for India's low tax base and collection. It has a regressive tax regime in which indirect taxes play a major role: contributing an average of 61.5% of the total tax revenue in the past 10 years. That is not the case with developed economies. In the OECD countries, for example, the average share of direct tax was 65% in 2017, the latest year for which data is available. India's small 'size of government' India has traditionally been a low fiscal spending state compared to developed economies. Comparative data for 2018 shows, the average government general spending of the OECD countries (data available for 28 countries) was 42% of their GDP. India's was just 18% (Centre and states together) in comparison. Also Read: Rebooting Economy XVII: Why governments promote shadow banking Economists describe this ratio as "size of government". The following graph shows the relative "size of government" of select OECD countries and India. The impact of a bigger size of government or, higher fiscal spending is known. A 2016 OECD study concludes: "The size and mix of public spending can have a considerable effect on growth and inequality. For instance, too large governments tend to reduce growth, unless governments function in a highly effective way. On the other hand, large governments tend to redistribute more, thereby reducing inequality. Also the spending components, such as government investment, family benefits or subsidies matter for growth and inequality." What India should be doing to overcome the crisis is clearly not only to stop prevaricating, spending far more but also change its fiscal policy paradigm. CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX-V: FLY) (OTCQX: FLYLF) (the Company or Flyht) announced today that the Company will participate in the Lake Street Capital Markets 4th Annual Best Ideas Growth Conference, being held virtually on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Bill Tempany, Interim CEO, and Alana Forbes, CFO, will be holding one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the day. About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. Flyht provides airlines with Actionable Intelligence to transform operational insight into immediate, quantifiable action, delivering industry leading solutions to improve aviation safety, efficiency and profitability. This unique capability is driven by Flyhts patented aircraft certified hardware products including AFIRS, a satcom aircraft interface device which enables real-time streaming of flight information, cockpit voice and black box data streaming and TAMDAR, which aggregates and streams airborne weather data in real-time. Flyht is headquartered in Calgary, Canada with an office in Littleton, Colorado, and is an AS9100 Quality registered company. For more information, visit www.flyht.com . Contact Information: FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. FNK IR LLC Alana Forbes Matt Chesler, CFA Chief Financial Officer Investor Relations 403.291.7437 646.809.2183 aforbes@flyht.com flyht@fnkir.com investors@flyht.com Join us on social media! By Ernest Scheyder Sept 14 (Reuters) - China's CATL will buy more than 10 million shares of Neo Lithium Corp to become the company's third-largest shareholder, the latest in a string of investments by Chinese companies into South American lithium projects. The deal, announced on Monday, comes as demand for the electric vehicle battery metal is expected to triple over the next five years as automakers shift their focus away from internal combustion engines to EVs. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), which supplies lithium iron phosphate batteries to Tesla Inc, will pay C$8.5 million ($6.5 million) for its stake in Toronto-based Neo Lithium, the companies said on Monday. CATL will also gain one seat on Neo Lithium's board and sit on the company's technical committee, where it will help Neo draft a feasibility study for its Tres Quebradas Lithium project in Argentina's northern Catamarca province. That study will help Neo Lithium attract more investors and firm its timeline for opening the project, which the company hopes will initially produce 20,000 tonnes of lithium. The deal is expected to close later this year after Chinese government approval. BlackRock Inc will remain Neo Lithium's largest shareholder. Shares of Neo Lithium jumped 30 percent to C$0.75 in midday trading. Neo Lithium says it will retain full control over the project's lithium, though China is the world's largest consumer of the white metal and the world's largest EV market. Chinese companies in recent years have invested in lithium projects across Chile and Argentina. The deal with CATL was at a 45 percent premium to Neo Lithium's Friday closing stock price. To abrogate CATL's concerns about the premium, several Neo Lithium executives agreed to buy roughly 483,000 shares at the same price. "We justified the valuation with our own pockets," Waldo Perez, Neo Lithium's chief executive, told Reuters. ($1 = 1.3164 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; editing by Grant McCool) SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Demandbase , the leader in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) , announced today its appointment of Allison Metcalfe to the role of Chief Revenue Officer. As Demandbase's CRO, Metcalfe will lead the company's Sales, Advertising, and Customer Success teams while partnering with Marketing and Product teams to exceed revenue goals. Metcalfe's appointment reinforces the company's commitment to expanding the leadership team with top talent to help achieve goals while reshaping the B2B martech landscape. Click-to-Tweet - New era of B2B leadership keeps taking shape as Demandbase adds @AllisonMetcalfe to exec team as CRO https://bit.ly/3mevguE #leadersinB2B #B2Bmartech #B2Badtech #reshapingB2B #ABM An accomplished executive with extensive experience across customer success, partnerships, sales, and marketing, Metcalfe has a proven track record of leading high-performing, customer-centric revenue teams and building revenue-generating divisions while nurturing the next generation of leaders. In her new role, Metcalfe will be responsible for overseeing Demandbase's revenue operations. "We are thrilled to have Allison Metcalfe rejoin Demandbase as our Chief Revenue Officer and help us continue to accelerate our growth trajectory. Allison is a dynamic leader with extensive experience growing important business categories, scaling revenue, and building effective teams, making her the ideal candidate to lead our organization," said Gabe Rogol, Chief Executive Officer, Demandbase. "As ABM continues to become core to B2B Marketing, B2B organizations rely on the Demandbase platform to execute go-to-market strategies, to deliver personalized experiences to customers, and to drive growth." Metcalfe joins Demandbase after a successful seven-year stint at the leading advertising technology company LiveRamp. Throughout her career, Metcalfe has had extensive experience creating business lines and building teams to drive growth. She was responsible for creating LiveRamp's customer success function before moving onto building LiveRamp TV, the company's TV advertising division, which helped them establish a net new revenue stream from the $80+ billion TV advertising industry, and now accounts for 10 percent of their over $300M in annual recurring revenue. More recently, Metcalfe held the role of Senior Vice President of Field Strategy, Productivity, and Partnerships. Previously, Metcalfe was a Customer Success leader at Demandbase. She also held leadership Customer Success roles at Jigsaw (now Data.com, acquired by Salesforce) and Equilar. Metcalfe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Sociology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. "Returning to Demandbase, an organization that has been at the forefront of B2B martech, as Chief Revenue Officer is an incredible opportunity," said Allison Metcalfe, Chief Revenue Officer, Demandbase. "I'm thrilled to work with the company's dynamic revenue-generating teams to empower our B2B customers to leverage ABM to scale for significant growth." Allison Metcalfe joins the growing leadership team at Demandbase, including Jon Miller, Chief Product Officer; Brain Babcock, Chief Technology Officer; and Supreet Oberoi, Senior Vice President of Engineering. About Demandbase Demandbase is the leader in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and an indispensable part of the B2B tech stack. The company offers the only end-to-end ABM platform that helps B2B marketers identify, win, and grow the accounts that matter most. The biggest and fastest-growing companies in the world, such as Accenture, Adobe, DocuSign, GE, Salesforce, and others, rely on Demandbase to drive their ABM strategy and maximize their marketing performance. The company has received numerous honors, including Inc. 5000, San Francisco Business Times Best Places to Work, JMP Securities list "The Hot 100: The Best Privately Held Software Companies," the Deloitte Fast 500, and Gartner Cool Vendor for Tech Go-To-Market. In 2019, Demandbase executives authored the definitive book on ABM, " Account-Based Marketing: How to Target and Engage the Companies That Will Grow Your Revenue ." Recently, Demandbase acquired Engagio, the leading B2B account-based engagement platform, making a significant step in fulfilling the mission of transforming how B2B organizations go-to-market. For more information, please visit www.demandbase.com or follow the company on Twitter @Demandbase . SOURCE Demandbase Related Links http://www.demandbase.com Felicia Tambascios first pregnancy was going fairly smoothly. But on July 20, at week 38, the 20-year-old Brookfield resident woke with horrible upper abdominal cramps, a searing headache and vomiting. Her boyfriend took her to the hospital, but Tambascio was left to wait in a hallway alone. Per COVID-19 restrictions, no visitors were allowed unless the patient was admitted to labor and delivery. After it was discovered that Tambascio was suffering from the life-threatening condition preeclampsia, she was escorted to the labor and delivery ward and induced. I wanted my mom there so bad, Tambascio recalled. Pandemic restrictions allowed just one support person during a hospital birth, so the young couple soldiered on alone, greeting their daughter two weeks early. Once moved to the postnatal ward, Tambascio recalled feeling abandoned as she waited upward of 40 minutes for a nurse to respond to her calls. After three days, Tambascio was discharged despite her blood pressure remaining elevated, a risk factor for seizures and other related complications in women with preeclampsia. Typically, a patient with preeclampsia would need to demonstrate normal blood pressure levels before being released. Tambascios experience offers a glimpse into how precautions intended to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19 such as limiting external support persons during and after childbirth, offering early discharge, and using telehealth in lieu of in-person postnatal follow-up visits may unintentionally exacerbate threats to the health outcomes of new mothers and infants in the U.S., which already lag behind those of almost every other developed nation. According to the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. maternal mortality ratio (deaths/100,000 live births) is 14, compared to 7 in Canada and 4 in Sweden. Dr. Mary Cooper, the Connecticut Hospital Associations senior vice president of clinical services, defended area hospitals choice to implement procedures designed to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. We have one of the lowest COVID rates in the country right now, Cooper said. A need for better support Maternal health experts say pandemic-related hospital practices such as allowing early discharges arent necessarily problematic in and of themselves. Going home at 24 hours [after delivery] can be the right thing for many women. But without close follow-up, its not a good model of care, said Dr. Michelle Telfer, assistant professor of Midwifery & Womens Health Specialty at Yale School of Nursing. The lack of postpartum support minimal in the U.S. even in non-pandemic times compared to that in most other advanced countries is whats worrisome, Telfer said. Women in the U.S. typically dont see their provider until six weeks after childbirth. Contrast that with the United Kingdom, where most women see a midwife for pre- and postpartum care at home at least three times in the first 10 days after delivery, for up to four weeks if necessary. Its huge to maintain breastfeeding, and catch complications, Telfer said. During the pandemic, some pediatrician and OB-GYN practices have offered expectant and new mothers the option of telehealth visits in place of in-person visits. But its unclear if and how telemedicine can capture essential measures of an infant or mothers health such as an accurate blood pressure reading, presence of an infection or assessment of mental health. There are times when its appropriate, and times when you need to be seen, said Kathy LiVolsi, clinical operations director of maternal-child health at Stamford Hospital, referring to telemedicine visits. If a newborn is experiencing weight loss, for instance, a doctor needs to lay eyes on the baby. Even maternal health professionals need personalized support before, during and after childbirth. I am a nurse-midwife, and I was overwhelmed after giving birth, said Dr. Lucinda Canty, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. Due to COVID restrictions, most, if not all, Connecticut hospitals allow women just one support person with them during labor and delivery, often forcing them to choose, as Tambascio did. Especially for women planning to use a doula for support, this restriction can make a vital difference. Doulas, non-clinical professionals who support mothers during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum, are known to improve birth outcomes. Seeds of positive change Thats why Canty and other advocates for maternal health are pushing for greater access to doulas. Their services, which typically run anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000, are not covered by most health insurance plans. Subsequently, doulas are out of reach for women who could benefit from them the most. The Doulas for Connecticut Coalition, of which Canty is a member, aims to enhance the professional reputation of doulas statewide by developing a clearly defined scope of their work, ensuring uniform certification through the state, and pushing for reimbursement of their services by all forms of health coverage, including Medicaid. A related effort seeks to make doulas more accessible to expectant and new mothers of color because, as Yales Telfer points out, poor mortality and morbidity in this country hit Black and brown women at a much higher rate. In a recent study analyzing readmission rates for new mothers who gave birth in Connecticut hospitals, Black women were twice as likely as white women to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of having a vaginal or cesarean delivery; Hispanic women, 40-50 percent more likely. Telfer supports efforts to close these gaps. Shes a lead consultant for an initiative to expand access to doulas for women in Greater New Haven, particularly Black women at risk for maternal mortality and morbidity. The initiative was launched by New Haven Healthy Start (NHSS), whose efforts over the past few decades have resulted in lowering the disproportionately high death rates of Black infants born there. Earlier this year, NHSS, using grassroots methods, recruited 42 women (incidentally, all women of color) from the surrounding community and trained them free of charge to become doulas for pregnant women in Greater New Haven. Other efforts to improve childbirth outcomes in Connecticut are underway. This fall, the Connecticut Hospital Association will provide infrastructure for the states 24 birthing hospitals to join The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, a national data-driven initiative to improve maternal safety and outcomes by addressing nine patient safety bundles, each focusing on a specific maternal health issue, including postpartum depression, hypertension and hemorrhage, and the reduction of peripartum racial/ethnic disparities. In the meantime, women giving birth during the pandemic continue to confront a set of restrictions and recommendations intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. While some of these may inadvertently threaten to widen cracks in a health care system that bears some responsibility for the nations less-than-stellar birth outcomes, at least one pandemic practice is proving to be a positive change. At Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, for instance, most newborns are staying with their mothers in the hospital rather than in the nursery. The change, begun during the pandemic to minimize unnecessary human contact and possible virus exposure, has had an unexpected upside, said Christine VanVliet, nurse manager of the labor and delivery unit. I think patients enjoy the family bonding time, she said. The practice has proven so positive, she said, that the hospital is considering extending it after the pandemic ends. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana Trump has been branded a 'bigoted embarrassment' for her 'disturbing' comments on US immigration today. Czech-born businesswoman Ivana, 71, who lives in New York, married Donald Trump in 1977, and while the pair divorced in 1990, the former model claims she is able to speak to the President at 'any time'. Appearing on morning show Loose Women, Ivana - who is herself a legal immigrant to the US - said she is 'very proud' of her former partner, particularly for 'all he has achieved with immigration', insisting that all who migrate to America should 'enter legally'. Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana, pictured with her former husband in New York in 1989, has been called a 'bigoted embarrassment' for making 'disturbing' comments on US immigration today Appearing on morning show Loose Women, the 71-year-old said that she is 'very proud' of her former partner, particularly for 'all he has achieved with immigration' She then went on to rant about US immigrants 'not dressing Americanly' once in the country, while accusing some of 'not having a job, stealing, and raping American women'. Ivana grew up in Czechoslovakia and moved to Canada in September 1973. She met Trump at a modeling event in New York City in 1976, and they married in April 1977. The couple's first son, Donald Trump Jr, was born later that year in December. They welcomed their daughter Ivanka in 1981 and then their son Eric in 1984. All three of the children were born in New York, making them US citizens; Ivana was legally living in the country at the time, but she didn't become a US citizen until 1988, although she was eligible for naturalization and citizenship three years after tying the knot with Trump. During her interview, Ivana addressed her own emigration to the US, insisting that she 'has no problem with immigrants' if they enter the country legally, pay taxes, and 'be a part of society' - while suggesting that those who travel to the US illegally all become involved in criminal activities. Who is Ivana Trump and where was she born? Donald Trump's first wife was born Ivana Zelnickova in Zlin, Czechoslovakia. She took up skiing at the age of four, and encouraged by her father, she progressed to join the junior national ski team and through the sport, she had the opportunity to travel beyond the Soviet-era communist boundaries of what was then the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. She moved to Prague for a masters degree in physical education, and while studying she married her friend Alfred Winklmayr in 1971, despite dating another man, Jiri Syrovatka, since 1967. The marriage was purely to facilitate getting an Austrian passport so that she could leave Communist Czechoslovakia without defection. It meant she could retain the right to return to visit her parents, and her passport came through in 1972 - the same year as she completed her masters. The following year, she obtained an absentee divorce from Alfred Winklmayr in Los Angeles, where he had moved to teach skiing. She then started a relationship with the lyricist and playwright Jiri Staidl who was killed in a car accident in 1973. After his death, Ivana moved to Canada to live with Jiri Syrovatka, who had defected and owned a ski boutique in Montreal. She lived in Montreal for two years where she continued to improve her English by taking night courses at McGill University and also worked as a model and a ski instructor. In 1976, she met Donald Trump in New York on a modelling trip, after being sent to the city to help promote the 1976 Summer Olympics, which were held in Montreal. The married and had three children, and she became a naturalized US citizen in 1988. Advertisement Her comments left viewers outraged, with one calling the outburst 'disturbing', while another called the mother-of-three an 'embarrassing bigot'. When asked whether she is proud of her ex husband, she said: 'Very proud, he was my husband of 15 years, I wish him all the best. 'I see he can do a great job, he is pro everything which I believe in. He is Republican and so am I. He has achieved so much - especially with immigration. 'I am an immigrant, and I have no problem with the immigrants, but they must come into the country legally and get a job and pay taxes like the rest of the Americans and just live and and be part of society. 'There are some people who don't even dress Americanly, they dress whatever they dress in and they don't get a job and they steal and they rape the women and that is not the idea.' Viewers were outraged by the comments, with one calling the outburst 'disturbing', while another called the mother-of-three an 'embarrassing bigot' When asked whether she felt her view on immigration could be perceived as inhumane, she went on: 'It is inhumane, but everybody has to pick themselves up. 'They have to properly, apply for the visa so they can come to America and cross the border properly and get a job, have a house, start a family.' Host Jane Moore interjected: 'But those opportunities are very few and far between nowadays aren't they?' 'They are, but the people who will prevail, the people who want to work will prevail, the people who want to get food stamps and sleep on the benches, this is what we don't want,' Ivana insisted. Viewers were quick to take to Twitter to rage at the conversation, with one writing: 'Ivana Trump omg!! Her remarks on immigration absolutely disturbing.' Ivana insisted that all immigration into America should be legal, and that those who are able to 'cross legally and get a job will prevail' Host Jane Moore interjected: 'But those opportunities are very few and far between nowadays aren't they?' Another said: 'Ivana Trump on @loosewomen just now saying immigrants don't even 'dress American and they steal and rape the woman' comes as a massive shock (NOT!!) that she's a bigoted embarrassment just like her ex husband.' During the interview, Ivana was asked how often she is able to speak with the president, with whom she has three children Eric, 36, Ivanka, 38, and Donald Jr., 42. She replied: 'I can speak to him any time.' Ivana revealed that while she and Donald had a rocky relationship following their divorce, they have since become 'very good friends'. 'It took about two years until our prenuptial agreement was finalised and we split whatever we had to split,' she said. 'We spoke about our kids - we have three wonderful kids to raise. They needed people to look after them and guide them and so after that we became very good friends.' However, she admitted that she never speaks to his current wife Melania, 50, who she referred to as his 'ex wife', because she doesn't like to be 'involved with his private life'. Ivana married Donald Trump in 1977 and while the pair divorced in 1990, she claims she is able to speak to the President 'any time' She admitted that she never speaks to his current wife Melania, 50, pictured this month, who she referred to as his 'ex wife', as she doesn't like to be 'involved with his private life' 'I speak directly to Mr President,' said Ivana, 'I don't get involved with his private life, we speak about our children but I don't give him advice. I tell him what I think is right and wrong but we don't speak about ex wives.' When asked whether she felt Melania is a good First Lady, she said: 'I am not sure, she's very quiet and she doesn't go to too many places. She goes when she has to go but she's quiet.' Ivana was also asked if her daughter Ivanka could follow in her father's footsteps and become president one day, and she insisted it is certainly a possibility as far as she is concerned. 'Definitely,' she said, adding: 'I think she's in the White House every day, she's next to her father every day, she knows all that is going around... I think she could be one day the first woman president, definitely. She's smart as hell, she's beautiful.' In August 2018, Ivanka spoke out about her mother's move to the US during an interview about her father's immigration policy. At the time, she spoke out about the illegal immigrant families who were being separated at the border, admitting that she was 'vehemently against' the idea of pulling parents and children apart. 'Illegal immigration is incredibly complicated,' she told Axios. 'I am a daughter of an immigrant. My mother grew up in Communist Czech Republic. But we are a country of laws. So you know, she came to this country legally.' Pamela Barr didnt expect to be teaching lesson plans to her 6-year-old grandson while babysitting her three other grandchildren, but the 52-year-old southwest Houston resident wanted to help her daughters, both of whom work during the day. The challenges of week 1 in Houston ISD online school were immense: The web system crashed and her 6-year-old grandson, who has ADHD, struggled to interact with his teachers online. The things theyre having him do are not on his level, Barr said. There is a special way you have to teach him ... in school they had hands-on learning. So, Barr has decided to pull him out of school and homeschool him herself. While a teacher may be able to explain some concepts better, she says its not worth the risk of in-person instruction. I want him to go back, but then you got to worry about COVID-19, Barr said. Id rather just teach him. With a break from childcare duties Sunday afternoon, Barr was among the families to head to the courtyard at Cuney Homes for a school supplies distribution benefiting the affordable housing complex. About 800 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed, as well as masks, hand sanitizer and pajamas, as part of a collaboration among My Voice Count, The House of Charity and Cuney Homes. Attendees were also encouraged to fill out the Census form. Participants lamented how the school year has been a learning curve for everyone parents and grandparents included. Caretakers across the nation are getting schooled on patience, time management, and even how to be effective teachers themselves. Houston ISD will be online only until at least Oct. 19, and attendance during the first week hovered around 160,000 students well below the 200,000 students enrolled in the states largest school district last fall. Alice LeBlanc,75, attended the supply distribution with her grandchildren so that her daughter, who has four children, could have some time to herself. Its been hectic. Its really stressful, LeBlanc said. She cant go to work because she stays home with her kids all day. Some families have liked the switch to virtual learning. Katherine Stelly, 28, said shes enjoyed spending time with her children at home. She has preK and first grade students at Blackshear Elementary, and another too young to attend school. This little one likes the attention, she said, gesturing to her child in a stroller. She also hopes working online might make her children a little tech savvier. Its pretty cool because kids get to learn about technology, and with COVID its necessary to be online, Stelly said. For many students, online schooling is bittersweet. Semaiah Watts, a seventh-grade student at Cullen Middle School, enjoys the flexibility of doing her schoolwork from home but misses her friends and a teacher she had in a cooking class. I miss little things, like just walking around school with my friends, Watts said. Defense spokesman: China firmly opposes US report on Chinese military PLA Daily Source: Xinhuanet Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-09-13 20:24:44 BEIJING -- A Chinese defense spokesman on Sunday expressed firm opposition to a recent report released by the US Department of Defense. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said the report titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020" is further proof of the US intent to smear China and its military. China deplores and firmly opposes the action by the US side, Wu said. The report deliberately distorted relations between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese military, misinterpreted China's national defense policy and military strategies, and hyped up the so-called "Chinese military threat," Wu said. The US side issued such reports in the past 20 consecutive years, Wu said, describing it as a blatant act of hegemony and provocation that has severely hurt bilateral and military-to-military relations. China has lodged stern representations with the US side, Wu added. Stressing that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the people's armed forces under the CPC leadership, Wu said upholding the Party's leadership is the soul of the PLA and the PLA is committed to whole-heartedly serving the people. China follows the path of peaceful development and adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, said Wu, adding that China's military development is aimed at safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests. "It does not target any country, nor does it pose a threat to any other country," Wu said. Wu reiterated that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. He said tensions across the Taiwan Straits are primarily caused by the Democratic Progressive Party's attempts to bank on foreign support and use of force to resist reunification, as well as the external anti-China elements' attempts to use Taiwan to contain and divide China. Citing the US wars and military actions against countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya over the past two decades, Wu said the United States has proven to be the one that instigated regional chaos, violated international order and destroying world peace. Wu said the Chinese military will faithfully put to practice the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, firmly safeguard the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, actively take part in regional security cooperation, and promptly provide international public security goods. "The Chinese military is committed to safeguarding world peace, contributing to global development, and upholding international order," Wu said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address This fall, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is launching its largest ever survey of deer hunters to better understand which harvest opportunities hunters decide to take. Participating hunters will use an online diary to record the number of hours they spend hunting, deer sightings and observations related to buck age and harvest selectivity. The aim of this study is to gain more information about statewide hunter success and selectivity when deer hunting. The deer hunter diary started with the beginning of the bow season on Sept. 12 and will run until the end of the nine-day gun season on Nov. 29. The department plans to contact more than 130,000 licensed hunters by email asking them to participate in the diary survey. The DNR will randomly select hunters to participate in three days of online diary entries to record their experiences deer hunting. Examples of the types of questions asked within the diary include: How many hours were spent hunting, how many deer were seen, how many deer the hunter had an opportunity to harvest and how many deer were harvested. This study allows for a unique opportunity for hunters to have direct involvement in citizen science and deer management in Wisconsin, said Robert Holsman, DNR resource sociologist. This is the first time we are conducting the deer hunter diary at the statewide level, and we are looking forward to hearing directly from deer hunters about their observations of deer and experiences while hunting. We test piloted this study in Bayfield and Iowa counties last fall, and we are hoping to build off of our findings to figure out how often hunters are passing bucks they consider to be too small, said Meghan Pluemer, DNR resource sociologist. With the 2020 Wisconsin bow season underway, the department asks that hunters participating in the bow season keep an eye on their email starting Sept. 12 as they may be selected to respond to the deer hunter diary. Groups of deer hunters will be sampled continually throughout the deer seasons this fall, so hunters may be selected to participate at any time throughout the bow and nine-day firearm season. Participation in the diary survey is optional, and the department strongly encourages everyone selected to take part. For the diaries to reflect hunter experiences statewide, it is important that hunters respond if they are selected to participate. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The design of 12 modern visitor accommodation villas in Sharp Road, Matakana, has been heavily influenced by their rural surroundings. Plume Villas, owned by Clyde and Farida Cooper, are due to officially open on July 11. The complex can cater for up to 50 guests, with one, two and three-bedroom options. There is a helipad and pool on site, and future plans include a petanque court and walkway to the nearby Glen Eden River. Clyde and Farida felt it was important to design the villas in a style that suited the landscape and was in keeping with the rural setting. Were great fans of Matakana and if we do things to bring more people here, then everyone benefits, they say. Since purchasing the Runner Duck vineyard in June 2008, the couple has invested heavily in the area. The Herons Flight Restaurant became Plume in 2010 and the tearooms in Matakana became the cafe in 2012. There were plans to develop a restaurant alongside the cafe, but the villas seemed like a more logical next step. Plume is already a dining destination, but to grow the conference and wedding market, we needed accommodation of a certain standard, Clyde says. The interior design is stylish and modern. Gardens throughout the complex will eventually give each villa privacy, as well as enhancing the rural aspect. Ideally, we would have built to accommodate 70 to 80 guests on the 7.8 hectare site, but there were council limitations, particularly around stormwater and wastewater disposal. Project architect, Chris Bassett, of Designpoint Architecture based in Snells Beach, has had a long-standing relationship with Plume, and his partner, Brigid Maire, did the interior design and landscaping. Chris says configuring the site within the limitations was a challenge. A lot of attention was given to moving vehicles unobtrusively around the site and to diminishing the scale of the paved areas. Theres an understated elegance to the villa interiors, with similar finishes, furnishing and colour schemes, but the subtle differences in materials make each villa feel unique. Extensive landscaping throughout the site will eventually deliver privacy, as well as bringing a country feel to the doorstep. Weve gone for quality rather than luxury, Clyde says. We felt it was important to keep the country feel and make it a boutique experience. Like the rest of Plume, the villas arent ostentatious, but they are pretty up there. The couple started planning the complex in 2015 and when it came time to build, one of the first challenges was finding a local builder who was available and could meet the budget. We use local tradesmen, local services and local products wherever possible so we approached a number of local firms, but they were all too busy. Eventually, they went with a Cambridge company that built the villas off-site and delivered them in stages over 12 months. Its certainly been an interesting experience dealing with two main contractors one doing the build and the other all the earthworks, but it has come together quite satisfactorily in the end. Clyde and Farida have undertaken a nationwide marketing campaign, across both print media and online, to spread the word about the villas. The promotions target women, who are seen as the holiday, corporate event and dining decision-makers, both at home and at work. Winter is always the challenge for local tourism operators, so Clyde and Farida hope the conferences will smooth out the seasonal highs and lows, and are pleased that event and accommodation bookings have already started. Warkworth Lodge owner and Matakana Coast Tourism member Liz Bays has welcomed the opening of the villas as a boost for tourism in the area. The need for more accommodation options in the area cant be over-stated, she says. Most local accommodation providers are full throughout summer and I spend a lot of time on the phone trying to find rooms for people. Often they have to keep going north to Whangarei. Ive even loaned people bedding on occasions, so they could take a cabin at Pakiri. We get a lot of the overflow from Auckland and even the so-called off-season is still a lot busier than it used to be. Some of its to do with the motorway, but also the amount of building going on Warkworth is pumping. An Auckland Tourism spokesperson says they regularly send media to Mahurangi and often have difficulty finding accommodation, limiting the time the media teams can spend in the region. What does freedom really mean? The recent rallies around Australia protesting against restrictive measures to combat the pandemic are emblematic of intensifying contradictions within liberal ideology and its material basis in Australia. Images of the various rallies show an abundance of placards with a strange mix of the rhetoric of 60s hippie counterculture, and that of far-right conspiracy theories, both of which are imports from the United States. These may seem like strange bedfellows, but in both cases the central conceit is the bourgeois concept and fetishization of freedom taken to a particular logical extreme logical in a formal sense, although as we see, deeply illogical when tested against the real world. It is tempting to write these people off as fringe extremists and think no more about it. But that would not grasp the deeper material and ideological roots of these ideas. According to the flavour of bourgeois liberal ideology that is the ruling ideology of Australian capitalist society, the concepts of freedom and democracy are so deeply intertwined as to be practically identical. In a bourgeois democracy, the main marker of its supposedly democratic nature is the freedom experienced under it in various forms. What matters most, in this conception, is ones freedom to act always according to their will, and express in any context whatever views they wish. Whether or not the peoples views and interests are actually reflected in governance is regarded as decidedly secondary. The fact that regardless of the apparent freedoms of bourgeois society, the government and state disproportionately represent the interests of the miniscule ultra-wealthy minority in our society over the interests of the vast majority of people, and in the Australian case even disproportionately represent the interests of a foreign power (the US) over objective Australian national interests, is not regarded as a contradiction. This demonstrates the idealism inherent in the bourgeois concepts of freedom and democracy, as these ideas are treated as having primary reality as ideas-in-themselves and the objective material outcomes are treated as secondary, instead of the other way around. Whether or not the words freedom and democracy are used to improve the lives of people, or to justify abhorrent acts to subjugate the world and kill millions in aggressive wars, some people are also happy to overlook. If things were as simple as more individual freedom more democracy, then all of politics would be an extremely simple affair. The basic question of politics the contradiction between the great variety of individual and group interests in society, and the objective necessity for society as a whole to function in a more or less unified way, according to this or that conception of collective interest would not exist. The socialist concept of democracy does not follow this idealist approach, but rather a materialist approach that privileges objective facts and outcomes over abstract ideas. The question of how the facts are, or should be, established is of course an extremely complex one and will not be dealt with in this article; but it must be asserted that it is in fact possible to do such a thing to a certain degree of accuracy, else not only does politics again become trivial and meaningless but so too does science. It is relevant to note that the misunderstanding and even denial of science is often a consequence of the views I am discussing; yet those espousing them demonstrate by their actions that they know politics to be anything but trivial. Democracy must mean that individuals have a duty to uphold the collective interest, established through democratic processes, above their own, in any case where the two interests are in irreconcilable conflict. To reject this is in fact a violation of democracy; but liberal ideology teaches the exact opposite, that the freedom to do so is itself an expression of democracy. Violation of the democratic will for democracys sake! The pandemic has illuminated these different notions of democracy and their consequences. It has shown, clearer than ever, that when there is an objective collective interest, there is a need for unity in action to achieve it. Appealing to the freedom to violate the collective interest according to individual interest has become understood by many people as an affront to democracy, not its expression. But this reality poses problems for the ruling bourgeois ideology, as its internal contradictions and contradictions with reality are being exposed. When China was the first to implement lockdowns to combat the pandemic, the measures were described by many Australian politicians and mainstream media as authoritarian and draconian the latter being a word that some journalists seem to think means Chinese. But this years experience has proved that the measures China took were precisely what was needed to minimise suffering of the people and deaths. But countries like Australia and the US have found themselves caught between this reality and their bourgeois ideology, resulting in an inconsistent mix of methods that have caused widespread confusion, fear and unnecessary suffering and deaths. It is reassuring to some to imagine that the truth is simple and reconciles these difficult contradictions with a single thought: its all fake, we just need our freedom and everything will be okay. This faith in ideas with no need to understand them as reflections of material reality is a powerful tool of the ruling class to inspire reaction, and has hold of not just the fringe extremists but much of our society. Engels cited Hegel and wrote: Freedom is the insight into necessity. Chandigarh With Covid cases and fatalities on the rise in the state, Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday directed the health department to step up local manufacturing of medical oxygen to ensure that there is no shortage to tackle any future crisis. He was chairing a meeting to take stock of the Covid situation in the state. The CM was told that the health department has so far issued licence to an industrial supplier to manufacture medical oxygen, while six packaging units have been allowed to package oxygen for medical use. With this, the state now has internal capacity to manufacture 800 medical oxygen cylinders and package 2,000 units per day. With the supplies from other states, there will be enough oxygen to meet any further escalation in demand, the CM was told. Chief secretary Vini Mahajan said Punjab was following the 10-day discharge policy as per ICMR guidelines. She said, to manage the increasing number of cases, it has been decided to add 50 L3 beds at Faridkot Medical College. Dr KK Talwar, head of the group of experts on health for the government, said the panel will be sending samples to IMTECH to check on the nature of the virus and ascertain if it has mutated in the last one month, in comparison with the samples sent earlier. Punjab figures not worst in country A special invitee to the meeting, Ambuj Roy, a professor of cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, said majority of the Covid deaths in Punjab had taken place after August 6. At 2.96% the case fatality rate (CFR) in Punjab was higher than the national average of 1.65%, as was the deaths per million at 78.5 (national average 58.3), he noted, but added these figures were still better than many states in the country. In fact, Punjabs positivity rate of 5.72% was much better than the national average of 8.47%. To a query from the chief minister on the success of plasma therapy, Dr Talwar said studies did not confirm results so far though FDA had recommended this course of treatment. However, given that there was no evidence of any negative impact either, it was advisable to give plasma therapy to moderate and moderately serious patients, said Dr Talwar. Health secretary Hussan Lal, in his presentation, apprised the chief minister of the various measures taken to boost testing and monitor home isolation cases, with the health department in the process of engaging a professional agency to monitor these cases. To boost testing, various steps have been taken to streamline walk-in testing, with sufficient teams and counters being put in place across districts to minimise waiting time and make the entire process smooth for the people. Harassment of junior students by seniors is a rooted social problem. We believe that the cruelty on novices known as ragging is a symptom of rooted social disease. Unfortunately, we do not see an in-depth sociological approach to address the substances of this issue. Editorial We have lost many student lives due to ragging in the state universities of this country. Some students were permanently paralyzed or traumatized. Although several steps have been taken to change this primitive culture, each step has turned into a hollow action. Now, the head of the governments body responsible for the wellbeing of the universities and students, the University Grants Commission, came out with a new plan. That is, to deploy members of the state intelligence service to stop the ragging in universities. This strategy is very important. But, which country on earth tells that the authority is planning to conduct the intelligence operation before they are being conducted? Do you need to rocket science to understand what will happen to your desire to make omelette when the eggs dropped on a rock? However, needless to say, the government should have a strategic plan to implement against this cruel act of certain university students. It would not be appropriate if there was an attempt to deploy members of the security forces in uniform or civilian clothes inside the universities to eliminate the cruelty on novices. If such a situation arises, university students can protest by giving different interpretations. What is important here is the implementation of a series of strategic intelligence operations at several layers within the legal framework. The necessary technical knowledge can be provided through the state security apparatus. But, the human resources needed for that should be found in the universities themselves. It is indeed too late to introduce, a proper communications system for reporting ragging in universities. There must be a rapid action program to respond promptly to such incidents. Look at the prevailing grim situation in the universities; why cant we introduce the hotline for free of charge? Dont these universities have the capacity to find a few sponsors to place digital billboards with strong messages against ragging? Higher education in this country has been under the control of various money launderers for many years. Unfortunately; many students are unaware of the opportunities ahead of them. There is no definite plan to expand their tiny world. Unofficial reports indicate that some students are being abused by teachers disguised as saints. The methodology for filling vacancies in academic and non-academic staff in universities is very weak. There are allegations that only sexual attraction is important for certain appointments. Our feeling is that these are not empty accusations as saying goes where there's smoke there's fire. If the state universities in this country were to function properly, they should produce intellectuals. If so, those institutions should have become the highest of higher education institutions in the world. What has happened instead? Some parts of these institutes were once torture chambers. Many of the so-called intellectuals produced by these institutions are hollow bootlickers of political vulgarism. They know only how to brag about themselves. Other than that they did nothing substantive to define the lives of students as teachers. The university student who sees this real breakdown is naturally anxious. If the teacher who is supposed to guide his life is a stinking political henchman or a sex addict, is there anyone he can trust? This situation can be better understood by visiting the social networking sites of teachers working in state universities in this country. The statements they make on social media are pathetic. In the final analysis, these are national thieves. Look at the banality of intellectual evils in this country! Harassment of junior students by seniors is a rooted social problem. We believe that the cruelty on novices known as ragging is a symptom of rooted social disease. Unfortunately, we do not see an in-depth sociological approach to address the substances of this issue. It is in this context, why many university students became tools in various political camps. As a result, efficiency, capability and reliability of these state education institutions were faded and they have lost their reputation. No doubt, it is a fundamental right to protect and promote his or her political believes as long as it does not violate others right. But wasting the prime period of one's life on the filth of others is the height of stupidity. As a result, the history of our higher education institutes tells us that many students lost their pathway. Eventually, they missed opportunities to make their lives meaningful. Many of them became daydreamers of false liberation through social revolution. That emptiness was filled with hatred and intolerance for the other. The student who goes home after graduation has to enlist the help of a politician to become a time-consuming development officer who stays in a government institution from morning till evening. Doesn't this show the misery facing the nation and the productions of our higher education institutes? A real overhaul is essential to change this whole system. There should be a transparent program in which teachers are responsible and accountable not only to themselves but also to students. No doubt, it is the responsibility of the government and other parties to take all necessary steps to curb the practice of ragging and other forms of harassment. The responsibilities of the intelligence services are enormous. The properly strategized plan will have the capability to turn these state educational institutions, which has been a source of shame for decades, into places of national pride. According to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's election manifesto, every student sits for the advanced level will have a chance at university. But, what is the national mechanism to get the best out of them! NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, recognizing the genre's top songwriters, producers and publishers of the previous year. BMI's Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Producer of the Year, Publisher of the Year and 2020's Social Star were announced across BMI's digital and social channels to commemorate the remarkable achievements of these music creators. For the complete list of winners and to view exclusive content, including video messages, performances, and a look back on the last 20 years of the award show, go to bmi.com/randbhiphop2020. "We are honored to recognize the accomplishments of our exceptional family of songwriters, producers and publishers. For the past 20 years, I've watched their artistry shape the landscape of hip-hop and R&B and witnessed the undeniable influence their creative works have had on other genres," said Catherine Brewton, Vice President Creative, Atlanta. "Today, we applaud our creators' enduring musical contributions and look forward to the day we can celebrate together once again." Song of the Year was awarded to the ubiquitous smash hit "Talk," performed by Khalid. As the lead single off his sophomore album, Free Spirit, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned the songwriter his sixth GRAMMY nomination, this time for Record of the Year. With this accolade, Khalid adds another BMI award to his collection after picking up Songwriter of the Year at this year's BMI Pop Awards. In honor of this award, Khalid gave BMI an exclusive acoustic performance of "Talk," which can be seen here. GRAMMY award-winning lyricist and producer J. Cole and GRAMMY-nominated recording artist and musician Post Malone tied for the coveted title of Songwriter of the Year. The two power players of hip-hop wrote six of BMI's most-performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs in 2019 between them with Cole's "a lot," "Middle Child" and "The London," and Malone's "Goodbyes," "Sunflower" and "Wow." J. Cole kicked off the year with his critically acclaimed single "a lot," which earned the rapper his first GRAMMY for Best Rap Song. "Middle Child" became Cole's highest-charting record to date, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100, while "The London," released later that year, received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Post Malone started the year on a high note with the chart-dominating hit "Sunflower," earning two GRAMMY nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. His seventh top-ten single, "Goodbyes," followed along with the catchy single "Wow." which claimed the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks the second year in a row that Malone has been named BMI's R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year, and earlier this year, he was also crowned BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year at the 2020 BMI Pop Awards. Nick Mira was named BMI's R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year for having ten BMI songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart over the past year, including two of his collaborations with late BMI songwriter/rapper Juice WRLD, "Lucid Dreams" and "Bandit." Mira is one of the most sought-after producers in the industry after amassing numerous noteworthy credits during his short tenor with hip-hop heavyweights such as Gunna, Post Malone, Lil Tecca and Young Thug, to name a few. Seven other producers were also highlighted for having five or more songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart over the past year, including Charlie Handsome, Eminem, London On Da Track, Mike Dean, Tay Keith, Taz Taylor and Wesley Glass aka Wheezy Beatz. For the second year in a row, Sony/ATV Music Publishing received honors for Publisher of the Year for representing 20 of BMI's best performing R&B/Hip-Hop songs of 2019 including "Look Back at It," "My Type," "Old Town Road (Remix)," "Swervin," "Truth Hurts" and more. Bobby Fishscale is the newly minted 2020 BMI Social Star, an award presented to the nominated affiliate who has the most engagement with their social followers over a 10-day voting period. This year, BMI has partnered with some of the top music streaming platforms to offer the winner exciting opportunities on their respective services. Fishscale joins previous winners Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly, Zendaya, SoMo, Joey Bada$$, Kashdoll, Derez De'Shon and NLE Choppa in sharing the recognition. BMI also celebrated the songwriters, producers, and publishers of the 35 most-performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs of the previous year. The year's group of honorees includes 41 first-time R&B/Hip-Hop award recipients. Among the songs being honored are Gunna's "Drip Too Hard" (featuring Lil Baby) co-written by Chandler "Turbo" Durham, Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" co-written by Ricky Reed and Jesse Saint John, DJ Khaled's "Leave Me Alone," "Trip" by Ella Mai co-written by Quintin Gulledge, Lil Nas X's "Panini" co-written by Denzel Baptise and David Biral, and Chris Brown's "No Guidance" co-written by Tyler "Velous" Bryant, Nija Charles and Teddy Walton, among others. For a complete list of 2020 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards winner and to learn more about your favorite songwriters, please visit bmi.com/randbhiphop2020 and on social media by going to @BMI and #BMIRnBHHAwards to join the conversation. ABOUT BMI: Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 17 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI's repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.'s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI's The Weekly and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music. SOURCE Broadcast Music, Inc. Related Links https://www.bmi.com Leningrad Region official suspected of $9 mln embezzlement flickr.com/ Marco Verch 14:16 14/09/2020 ST. PETERSBURG, September 14 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) Alexander Boluchevsky, Chairman of the finance committee of the Leningrad Regions Vyborg district administration, has been arrested on suspicion of stealing 700 million rubles (over $9 million), the regional Investigative Committees Investigations Directorate has told RAPSI. Last December, during the meeting of the Vyborg Common Council, Boluchevsky reported that the 2020 towns budget was estimated at 712 million rubles, and the Vyborg districts budget was 5 billion rubles ($66.5 million). A case was opened over embezzlement and forgery by an official. According to the investigation, a check by prosecutors and investigators revealed that Boluchevsky using work completion certificates for repair and overhaul of premises and buildings in Vyborg, which were not de facto fulfilled, transferred budget funds totaling over 700 million rubles to accounts of controlled entities. Later, the money was given to him, investigators claim. Investigators take steps aimed at the compensation of damage, the statement reads. Queenslands Chief Health Officer has police officers outside her home and with her everywhere she goes after receiving death threats over her handling of interstate border exemption cases. Jeannette Young faced an onslaught of criticism after denying 26-year-old Canberra nurse Sarah Caisip's plea to leave hotel quarantine to attend her father's funeral with her mother and sister. Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young is now under police guard. Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Chris Perry revealed on Nine's Today Show on Monday that Dr Young received death threats from the public following coverage of the case. Dr Young said she was grateful for police protection, not because of the physical protection they provided but because it showed the government was supporting her in her decisions. By Ali Kucukgocmen and George Georgiopoulos ISTANBUL/ATHENS (Reuters) - Turkey's seismic research vessel Oruc Reis returned to waters near the southern province of Antalya on Sunday, Refinitiv data showed, a move Greece said was a positive first step in easing tensions over offshore natural resources. But Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar played down the significance of the move, saying the ship had returned to shore as part of scheduled plans. NATO members Turkey and Greece have overlapping claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions flared last month after Ankara sent Oruc Reis to map out possible oil and gas drilling prospects in waters claimed by Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Turkey's navy had issued an advisory earlier this month saying that the Oruc Reis would continue operations in the area until Sept. 12. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said the ship would continue exploratory operations for longer but no extension to the advisory has been issued so far. Refinitiv ship tracking data showed Oruc Reis, along with two accompanying vessels, had anchored at a location just off the coast of Antalya on Sunday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the move. "The return of Oruc Reis is a positive first step, I hope there will be continuity. We want to talk with Turkey but in a climate without provocations," he told reporters in Thessaloniki. Ankara faces potential sanctions from the European Union, which fully supports member states Greece and Cyprus, due to the dispute but many states, including Germany, want to defuse the stand-off through dialogue. "A sanctions list exists as an option (against Turkey). Our desire is not to see it implemented but it will be done if we see that the other side is not returning to the path of logic," Mitsotakis said. PRE-CONDITIONS Turkey has also said it is open to solving issues with Greece through dialogue but had publicly rejected any pre-conditions, including Oruc Reis halting operations, ahead of negotiations. Story continues Akar, who was visiting Antalya's Kas district, near the Greek island of Kastellorizo, said that Turkey was on the side of dialogue and political solution. He later told state-owned Anadolu news agency that Oruc Reis' return did not mean Ankara had given up its rights in the area. "There are planned operations. There will be back-and-forth movements within the framework of this plan," he said. Seismic surveys are part of preparatory work for potential hydrocarbon exploration. Turkey says it has a legitimate claim over the area in the eastern Mediterranean. There is no agreement between Greece and Turkey delimiting their continental shelves, while Turkey disputes any claims by Cyprus, with which it has no diplomatic relations. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Its internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government represents the whole island in the European Union, though its authority is effectively contained to the southern part. North Cyprus is an unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara. (Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and George Georgiopoulos in Athens; editing by Alexandra Hudson and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) The Electoral Commission has set a filing fee of Ghc 100,000 for persons and parties willing to file their nominations to contest for the Presidential seat and Ghc 10,000 for aspiring parliamentarians. This was disclosed at "Let The Citizen Know" press conference held at the Electoral Commission office in Accra, Monday. Addressing the media, Electoral Commission Chairperson, Madam Jean Mensa said individuals or parties need to deposit the said amount in a form of a bankers draft to the Commission after downloading, filling and submitting their forms within 5 days. "The Presidential Candidate will be required to deposit an amount of Ghc 100,000 in a form of a Bankers draft to the Commission, Parliamentary Candidates will be required to deposit Ghc 10,000 in a form of a Bankers draft as well. We wish all candidates for both presidential and parliamentary elections well, we trust that the nomination process will be efficient, seemless and orderly . . ." she stated. Nominations opened from 6pm Monday, Septmber 14 She said the forms can be accessed on the EC's website https://ec.gov.gh/political-parties/ "Forms will be available to all political parties from 6pm today," she said. In the EC's bid to ensure security and integrity of the nomination process, each political party will be provided with a unique password to enable them access the password protected nomination forms. Passwords will be provided to the General Secretaries of the political parties. Independent candidates will also be issued with unique passwords. The Commission will receive the filled out nomination forms from the Presidential and Parliamentary candidates from Monday, 5th October to Friday, 9th October, 2020. The forms will be recieved between the hours of 9am and 12noon, and 2pm and 5pm each day. The forms can be submitted by duplicates. The nomination forms for Presidential Candidates will be submitted to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission at the headquarters of the EC and Parliamentary Candidates will have to submit their forms at their District offices where they seek election. Aspirants to file nomination forms online For the first time in the country's electoral history, aspirants in this years presidential and parliamentary elections will not physically pick nomination forms from the offices of the Electoral Commission (EC). This is because the commission has decided to open the filing of nominations using its online portal. The move was part of the safety protocols for curbing the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). "The nomination forms will be made available on our website and so candidates no longer have to come to pick up their forms at our offices before filing; they simply have to visit our websites and download them, she said. Additionally, she said, the guidelines for nominations would be available on the EC's website for political parties and candidates to access. Old order Per Ghana's electoral laws, aspirants seeking to contest parliamentary and presidential elections are required to file their nominations with the EC. Over the years, the practice has been that aspirants or their representatives visit the offices of the EC at the district, regional or national levels to pick the nomination forms, which are completed and filed at a later date. The atmosphere on such occasions is usually charged, as they are characterised by drumming, singing, dancing and sloganeering. The latest move by the EC is a departure from the old order and implies that the euphoria and colour that come with the picking and filing of nomination forms will be absent. Find attached full speech of Jean Mensa 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 Biden doesnt stand for anything, but all signs point to a far left presidency By Rachel Alexander Even Democrats admit that voting for Joe Biden is a vote against President Trump, not a vote for Bidens policies. Biden has gone back and forth on issues in fact recently, not just looking back at his more than 40 years in office and hasnt come out strongly for much of anything. Ask most Democrats which policy position of Bidens they like and they wont be able to name one. If theyre an experienced Democrat, theyll merely fall back on one of the traditional differences between Democrats and Republicans, like abortion or the Second Amendment. But voting for Biden isnt going to improve things. He may be waffling now, since hes trying to run to the middle in order to win over the moderates and swing voters, but hes shown that he can be pulled to the far left. Earlier in the campaign, he said he would end fracking. Now that he realizes it could cause him to lose Pennsylvania and the rust belt, he now supports fracking. Likely Democrats Biden would pick for his cabinet include the far left crew who ran against him for president. The senators in the group all co-sponsored a bill that would spend an estimated $50 trillion-$90 trillion on climate change. This would destroy the energy industry and cause more rolling blackouts in California. Its impossible to tell whether he would pursue a carbon tax. Biden has said he will cut taxes for the middle class, and those making $400,000 a year wont see any tax increase. But this is a false promise; even President George H.W. Bush, a Republican in favor of tax cuts, was unable to keep his promise of not raising taxes. With all the spending the Democrats are proposing, combined with all the spending on COVID-19 relief, there is no way Biden will be able to stick to this. Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institute, a left-leaning think tank fairly representative of Democrats, explained in 2017 why taxes must be raised on the middle class. He says in order to afford all of the spending, we need to remove tax deductions on mortgage interest, state income taxes and local property taxes. This will significantly raise taxes on the middle class. Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow and director of the MPI office at the New York University School of Law, said Bidens positions on immigration have evolved quite a bit even from the beginning of his own campaign. The Obama administration deported more illegal immigrants than the Trump administration, resulting in the nickname deporter-in-chief for Obama. Bidens website says he would resume similar policies to the Obama administration. He hasnt called to abolish ICE. But Biden has admitted that the Obama approach to illegal immigration was wrong, and vows to change that. So which is it? Does he want to continue Obamas policies there or not? He will be under tremendous pressure to distinguish his administration, and with race issues dominating the country currently he will be pushed to the left. For months, since the rioting broke out in May after the death of George Floyd, Biden stayed quiet about it. Now that the polls are showing the vast majority of the public doesnt approve of the rioting, he has finally started criticizing the rioting. He even flubbed that, first blaming it on far right wingers instead of Antifa and Black Lives Matter. But that will change. His vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris, who has been ranked the most liberal member of the Senate, promoted and fundraised for a group bailing out the rioters. Since Obama was a black Democratic president, it is very likely Biden would continue his policies in dealing with issues of race. Obama did nothing to stop the rioting, in fact he made it worse by encouraging the rioters. After George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, Obama reacted by saying, If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon. If you think the rioting is bad now, wait until Biden assumes the presidency. He will let it go on and on. And the rioters have shown they wont relent if Democrats are in power. The rioting is occurring in the big blue cities run by Democrats, targeting the homes of Democratic politicians. Its worse than it was under Obama, so if allowed to continue under a Biden administration, were going to see even more killings and destruction. Biden will make Obama look tame. If people think they are getting another Obama, they are mistaken. All the signs if you look beneath Biden's dishonest waffling point to a much more radical presidency. Biden already adopted significant portions of Bernie Sanders platform after Sanders dropped out of the race. If Biden wins the presidency, expect to see him adopt much of the rest, including the unaffordable Medicare for All, tuition-free public college and the Green New Deal. Biden has kept fairly quiet on some issues, such as religious freedom, abortion and guns, in order to have it both ways, but these issues are usually where Democrats predictably lurch to the left when in power. We saw what happened under Obama as the left made inroads in these areas, making life difficult for many of us. That was just the tip of the iceberg. The Democratic Party has become so radicalized in recent years, as evidenced by its leaders becoming Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that it is terrifying to think what they are going to do next with Biden in power. I was always skeptical of warnings about how bad the country could become if a Democrat is elected, thinking a lot of it was fear mongering, but when I saw the drastic changes under the Obama administration, I realized some of the predictions will come true under a Biden administration. There are certain things you are no longer allowed to say or do, and that list is going to become longer under Biden. You think the cancel culture is bad now, its going to spread even further to moderate Democrats, apolitical people, conservative minorities, conservative LGBT, and the self-employed (by targeting their customers); threatening them too if they dont promote far left views. Trump is the main person holding this back from expanding. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications.mericano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home Hemp Cigarettes - the healthier alternative to Tobacco and Vaping WATERLOO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / SponsorsOne Inc., (CSE:SPO)(OTC PINK:SPONF)(FRA:5SO), a company that utilizes its proprietary platform that combines digital marketing, wholesale and retail distribution, branding, and operational & funding capital, giving it a competitive first-mover advantage in rapidly building, launching and selling proprietary brands focused in the craft Alcohol, Functional Beverage and Hemp Sectors, announces today it is preparing to launch a direct to consumer line up of organic Hemp pre-rolled cigarettes. "Our plan is to bring a healthier product alternative to addictive tobacco and vaping" states Myles Bartholomew, CEO of SponsorsOne. "We believe the health benefits provided from smokable organic hemp flower as the delivery system for CBD and CBG will be a game changer." In a study published by the journal Addiction, researchers learned that CBD can help tobacco smokers quit by altering their brains' attentional biases to cigarette cues. Simply put, when a tobacco smoker has a craving, they do not associate the same positive feelings and satiety with tobacco as they typically would when they're under the effects of CBD1 . Over 5.6 trillion tobacco cigarettes were produced globally in 2019 and were smoked by over 1.1 billion people. Of the 1.1 billion people smoking, 845 million smoked multiple times per day2. The total global revenue for tobacco cigarettes is forecasted in 2020 to exceed $711 billion with an expected annual growth rate of 2.8% until 20233. Hemp cigarettes will compete in this overall market. SponsorsOne is in discussion with a number of producers and co-packers to produce an organic hemp pre-rolled cigarettes with the goal of delivering up to 15mg of CBD or CBG per cigarette. It is known that the bioavailability through the lungs is very fast versus ingesting or topical absorption, making the delivery of CBD and CBG highly effective. The known health benefits of CBD and CBG are in their infancy stages and are being documented daily as new discoveries occur. Using the internal Brand building capability at SponsorsOne, we will create a new brand and strategy, produce the creative marketing content, and launch directly to consumer and wholesale distribution. SponsorsOne expects to have this new Brand launched in 2021. Reference 1: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.14243 Reference 2: https://www.pmi.com/who-we-are/tobacco-facts/tobacco-economics Reference 3:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.14243 About SponsorsOne Inc. SponsorsOne is the leader in the next evolution of digital marketing through influencer marketing, storytelling, and digital-commerce with the SponsorCoin platform and its highly scalable - smart contract-based digital-currency. Combined, this allows brands to build and manage exclusive and highly engaged communities of influencers (from pro to micro-influencers) within the social realm. The SponsorCoin platform provides for data-driven marketing campaigns that will change the way brands connect with their customers. SponsorCoin is a tool for brands to inspire real movements around their products and services in which their most valuable customers become their best salespeople, producing far higher ROI than current social media advertising methods. SponsorsOne, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SponsorsOne Media Inc., provides full creative and Brand building/management services to all our Brands as well as manages the influencer communities for each Brand. If the Brand wants to get big - fast, our wholly-owned subsidiary S1 Brands Inc., will build a wholesale/retail distribution channel for the Brand acting as a master distributor. S1 Brands provides sales and marketing on behalf of the Brand to its vast network of national wholesalers and retailers and provides purchase order financing to assist the Brand in fulfilling every order. Ownership of the Brand combined with distribution, digital marketing innovation, and capital is the winning formula to build the next billion-dollar brand. To learn more, please visit www.sponsorsone.com Contact: info@sponsorsone.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Gary Bartholomew, Executive Chairman The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this Press Release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology, are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause 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. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: risks associated with marketing and sale of securities the need for additional financing requirements and access to capital, reliance on key personnel the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers or directors with certain other projects the volatility of the volume and price of the Common Shares, the failure of the business strategy, the integrity of the Company's patents and proprietary intellectual property and competition. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors, and other uncertainties and potential events, including the risk factors, set out in the Company's Listing Statement. The Company has assumed a certain progression, which may not be realized. It has also assumed that the material factors referred to above will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE SECURITIES LEGISLATION. SOURCE: Cyber North Ventures View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606089/SponsorsOne-to-launch-Organic-Hemp-Cigarette-Brand Los Angeles, Sep 14 : Shoot of the Megan Fox-starrer, Midnight In The Switchgrass, has been put on hold once again owing to Covid-19 cases. Shooting for the crime thriller was halted in March but resumed in July, reports dailymail.co.uk. Now, according to TMZ, production has been delayed again after two crew members tested Covid-19 positive. A spokesperson for film company told the site that filming in Puerto Rico had initially resumed with Covid-19 protocols to ensure safety for all, but an outbreak still occured. The two crew members, who were asymptomatic, have been quarantined. Director Randall Emmett is now planning to resume filming in Santa Barbara in a few weeks from now, with stricter precautions. "Midnight In The Switchgrass" also stars Bruce Willis. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) COVID-19 pandemic halts cancer care and damages oncologists' wellbeing Lugano, Switzerland, 14 September 2020 - Delays and cancellation of cancer treatments and other safety measures undertaken to minimise the risk of exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19) have generated a huge backlog in oncology care and research. The threat of delayed diagnoses looms while oncology professionals face burnout, according to new studies discussed at the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020. But is only COVID-19 to blame? "Whether the risk for dark statistics is real or not will only become evident in the future when more robust results from real-world studies and registries are available," said Dr Stefan Zimmermann, ESMO Press Officer, at the congress opening press conference. "For now, it is legitimate to ask ourselves if there are other factors beyond COVID-19 that currently put strain on oncology as the pandemic has also revealed some weaknesses in how cancer care is resourced and organised," he added. Prior to the pandemic, Europe's cancer burden was estimated by the ECIS - European Cancer Information System (1) to reach 2.7 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths in 2020. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has placed unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems around the world. A study (2) to be presented at the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 highlights the extent to which COVID-19 has challenged the organisation and delivery of cancer care. Responses were obtained from oncology centres in 18 countries. Overall, 60.9% reported that clinical activity was reduced at the peak of the pandemic, while nearly two-thirds (64.2%) cited under-treatment as a major concern and 37% expected to see significant reductions in clinical trials this year. Study author Dr Guy Jerusalem, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart Tilman, Belgium, said: "COVID-19 has had a major impact on the organisation of patient care, on the wellbeing of caregivers and clinical trial activities. There is a risk that the diagnosis of new cancer cases will be delayed and that more patients will be diagnosed at a later stage of their disease." The data also revealed that the cancer treatments most likely to have been cancelled or delayed were surgery (in 44.1% of centres), chemotherapy (25.7%) and radiotherapy (13.7%), while an earlier end to palliative care was observed in 32.1% of centres. The impact of COVID-19 on patient care worldwide is also highlighted in another study (3) which gathered data from 356 cancer centres across 54 countries during April 2020. The vast majority (88%) reported facing challenges in providing care during the pandemic, with 54% and 45% reporting cases of coronavirus among their patients and staff, respectively. And while half (55%) reduced services pre-emptively, others were forced to do so after being overwhelmed by the situation (20%) or following a shortage of personal protective equipment (19%), staff (18%) and medicines (9.8%). As a result, 46% of centres reported that more than one in 10 patients missed at least one cycle of treatment, with some estimating that up to 80% of patients were exposed to some harm. To continue providing treatment to patients throughout the pandemic, most centres (83.6%) adapted, by implementing virtual clinics and virtual tumour boards (93%), with more than half of respondents suggesting that both will continue beyond the pandemic (55.5% and 60%, respectively). Centres also performed routine tests in laboratories close to patients' homes (76%) and shipped medication to patients (68%) so that treatment could continue. Study author Dr Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said: "The detrimental impact of COVID-19 on cancer care is widespread, with varying magnitude among centres worldwide. The pandemic has impacted healthcare systems globally, interrupting care and exposing cancer patients to significant risks of being harmed." "Even before the pandemic, pressure on healthcare professionals and systems was mounting as a result of the growing cancer burden in Europe and globally," said Dr Rosa Giuliani, ESMO Director of Public Policy. "A harmonised EU action that provides comparable cancer burden indicators across European countries is extremely important. In this context, the JRC-IARC scientific collaboration has resulted in the computation of up-to-date figures for 2020 new cancer occurrences and cancer deaths. These numbers help to support the development of national policies, tackling the rising burden of cancer with prevention measures as well as with the provision of the necessary resources." Cancer patients are not the only ones at risk. The results of two online surveys undertaken by the ESMO Resilience Task Force in May 2020 (4) - the largest ever COVID-19 survey of the oncology workforce - reveals the impact of the pandemic on oncology professionals. The first survey showed that more than one-third (38%) experienced feelings of burnout and 25% were at risk of distress, while two-thirds (66%) said they were unable to perform their duties as well as they could prior to the pandemic. This survey, involving 1,520 participants from 101 countries, also found that levels of wellbeing and job performance declined as national COVID-19 mortality rates rose. A follow-up online survey undertaken in July-August 2020 showed that while job performance had improved compared to the first study, indicating early signals of taking control of the emergency, both wellbeing and burnout rates had worsened. The main factors associated with distress and burnout were increased working hours, feeling worried about wellbeing, less resilience and oncologists' concerns about training and career. "The ESMO Resilience Task Force surveys indicate that COVID-19 is having an impact on wellbeing, burnout and job performance," said Dr Susana Banerjee, ESMO Director of Membership, lead author of the surveys. "As an oncology community, we must work collaboratively, individuals and organisations, to ensure that resources are used in the best way possible to support oncology professionals and make sure that ?distress and burnout do not increase. The ESMO Resilience Task Force will look into developing more specific interventions so that we can further help and support oncology professionals during and beyond the pandemic." Dr Giuseppe Curigliano, ESMO Guidelines Committee Chair, added: "ESMO has responded quickly to the crisis brought by the pandemic, developing a series of specific recommendations across different diseases, to guide oncologists in providing cancer care under unprecedented circumstances. (5) It is now crucial to avoid delays to any treatment which could impact survival by re-allocating resources to cancer patients and continuing to deliver the best possible treatment." ### Notes to Editors The recording of the ESMO 2020 Opening Press Conference can be viewed online using the passcode: ESMO_PC_2020 The shadow of dark statistics in cancer: is COVID-19 the only one to be blamed? Moderator: Stefan Zimmermann, CHUV - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland - ESMO Press Officer Panellists: Solange Peters, CHUV - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland - ESMO President John Haanen, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands - ESMO 2020 Scientific Chair Rosa Giuliani, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, UK - ESMO Director for Public Policy Pilar Garrido, Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Spain - ESMO Women for Oncology Committee Chair Giuseppe Curigliano, IEO - Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Italy - ESMO Guidelines Committee Chair Manola Bettio, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Italy Guy Jerusalem, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart Tilman, Belgium Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Susana Banerjee, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK References (1) Measuring cancer burden and its time trends across Europe: https:/ / ecis. jrc. ec. europa. eu/ Abstract 1581O "Estimation of European cancer burden for the year 2020" will be presented by Tadeusz Dyba during the Proffered paper session "Public policy" on Monday, 21 September 2020, 14:25-16:05. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (2) LBA76 "Expected medium and long term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in Oncology" will be presented by Guy Jerusalem during the Mini Oral session "SARS-CoV-2 and cancer" available on demand as of Friday 18 September at 09:00 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (3) Abstract 1678P "The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care: A Global Collaborative Study" by Abdul-Rahman Jazieh will be available as e-poster on demand as of Thursday, 17 September at 09:00 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (4) LBA70 "The Impact of COVID-19 on Oncology Professionals: Initial Results of The ESMO Resilience Task Force Survey Collaboration" will be presented by Susana Banerjee in the Proffered paper session "SARS-CoV-2 and cancer" on Saturday, 19 September 2020, 14:25-16:05. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020 (5) Cancer patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic: https:/ / www. esmo. org/ guidelines/ cancer-patient-management-during-the-covid-19-pandemic About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. http://www. esmo. org This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM; OTCQX: TPRFF) announced today that it produced a total of 20,644 ounces of gold in August 2020, up 14% over last months production. This brings the total for the first two months of the third quarter of 2020 to 38,755 ounces, up 5% over the same two-month period last year. Gran Colombias total gold production for the first eight months of 2020 of 143,230 ounces, compared with a total of 155,359 ounces in the first eight months of 2019, reflects the impact of COVID-19 on its mining operations predominantly in the second quarter of this year. The Company continues to expect its 2020 annual production will range between 218,000 and 226,000 ounces of gold. Lombardo Paredes, Chief Executive Officer of Gran Colombia, commenting on the Companys latest production results, said, We are pleased with the improvement in our operating results in August. Segovia continues to run steadily and at Marmato, we are beginning to see the benefit of our mine optimization work in the Upper Zone mine on our production results in August now that we have a full complement of workers available to us. We remain vigilant in our COVID-19 protocols to protect the safety of our workers and we are confident that we will meet our production guidance for the year. Gran Colombia processed an average of 1,293 tonnes per day (tpd) in August 2020 at its Segovia Operations, up from 1,155 tpd last month, with an average head grade of 15.4 g/t. This resulted in 17,901 ounces of gold production in August bringing the total for the first two months of the third quarter of 2020 to 34,359 ounces, up 5% over the same two-month period last year primarily attributable to 7% higher head grades. For the first eight months of 2020, the Segovia Operations have processed an average of 1,242 tpd at an average head grade of 14.7 g/t compared with an average of 1,173 tpd processed during the first eight months last year at an average head grade of 16.9 g/t. Segovias total gold production for the first eight months of 2020 amounted to 129,082 ounces compared with 138,850 ounces in the first eight months last year and reflects the impact of COVID-19 on its operations from late March through mid-April. Story continues At Caldas Gold Corp.s Marmato mine, operations benefitted in August 2020 from an increased availability of workers and the implementation of action plans to begin to improve mining practices to reduce dilution as outlined in Caldas Golds recent pre-feasibility technical report for the mine expansion at its Marmato Project. As such, Caldas Gold saw an increase in its daily processing rate to an average of 1,034 tpd in August, up about 23% from last month, with an average head grade of 3.0 g/t, up from 2.2 g/t last month. For the first two months of the third quarter of 2020, Caldas Gold has processed an average of 939 tpd with an average head grade of 2.6 g/t compared with an average of 1,024 tpd processed with an average head grade of 2.3 g/t in the same two-month period last year. This brings total gold production for the first two months of the third quarter of 2020 to 4,396 ounces, up 9% over the same two-month period last year. For the first eight months of 2020, Caldas Gold has processed an average of 805 tpd with an average head grade of 2.5 g/t compared with an average of 1,009 tpd processed in the first eight months of 2019 with an average head grade of 2.4 g/t. Caldas Golds mill recovery rate has also improved to an average of 89% in the first eight months of 2020 compared with 87% in the same period last year. Caldas Golds total gold production for the first eight months of 2020 of 14,148 ounces, compared with a total of 16,509 ounces in the first eight months of 2019, reflects the impact of COVID-19 on its mining operations from late March through July of this year. About Gran Colombia Gold Corp. Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based mid-tier gold producer with its primary focus in Colombia where it is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer with several mines in operation at its high-grade Segovia Operations. Gran Colombia owns approximately 57.5% of Caldas Gold Corp. (TSX-V: CGC; OTCQX: ALLXF), a Canadian mining company currently advancing a major expansion and modernization of its underground mining operations at its Marmato Project in Colombia. Gran Colombias project pipeline includes its Zancudo Project in Colombia together with an approximately 20% equity interest in Gold X Mining Corp. (TSXV: GLDX) (Guyana Toroparu) and an approximately 26% equity interest in Western Atlas Resources Inc. (Western Atlas) (TSX-V: WA) (Nunavut Meadowbank). Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to production guidance and anticipated business plans or strategies. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gran Colombia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated as of March 30, 2020 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Gran Colombia disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For Further Information, Contact: Mike Davies Chief Financial Officer (416) 360-4653 investorrelations@grancolombiagold.com A woman traveling from Fort Myers, Florida, to Chicago said she was escorted off her Southwest Airline flight on Saturday because her 2-year-old son was snacking prior to takeoff and wasn't wearing his mask. Jodi Degyansky, 34, wants airlines to have more compassion for parents who have toddlers that might have difficulty donning their masks for a long time. "We are trying to get used to it, but he's 2," Degyansky said. Degyansky said she flew to Florida to visit her family in Naples. On her arrival flight to Southwest Florida International Airport, the flight attendants were much more understanding, she said. "On the way back I was surprised the flight attendants were much stricter," Degyansky said. Jodi Degyansky and her son were escorted off of a Southwest Airlines flight at RSW because the 2-year-old was not wearing his mask in order to eat some snacks, she said. More: Lee, Collier among 12 COVID 'red zones' needing mask mandates, leaked White House report says Degyansky said she boarded the flight with her son, Hayes, and he took off his mask to eat some snacks. On multiple occasions, a flight attendant told her that he needed to be masked, but he was eating, she said. The plane had already left the gate, but returned for staff to escort them off the flight. For about 15 minutes, Degyansky argued with airline personnel because her son had his mask back on, but they did not listen to her, she said. According to CDC guidelines, children 2 years and older should wear a mask over their nose and mouth if its difficult to social distance. "My toddler who literally turned 2 two weeks ago. ... I know you have to draw the line but let's be a little compassionate with everyone's individual circumstances," she said. Degyansky said a flight attendant told her that parents were using snacks and chips as an excuse to not put masks on their toddlers. But that wasn't the case for Degyansky, she said. The mother said she supports wearing masks and is aware of how it can stop the spread of COVID-19. "I'm sure other parents are going through this," Degyansky said. "I want people to either do their homework before they choose to fly or find an airline that has more leniency." Story continues Jodi Degyansky and her son were escorted off of a Southwest Airlines flight at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers because the 2-year-old was eating snacks and so not wearing his mask, she said. Degyansky said it was humiliating to have the plane return to the gate so she could be escorted off. According to her, the airline offered to find her another flight for later in the day, but none were direct to Chicago. The next direct flight was on Monday, she said. Instead, she booked a flight on American Airlines, but it cost her $600. "I just felt like I can't believe it happened," Degyansky said. "I was left scrambling how the hell am I going to get home? What if I didnt have the resources to buy a $600 ticket?" More: Fort Myers votes no on mask mandate after raucous 5-hour 'circus' meeting According to Degyansky, Southwest Airlines said they would refund her money, but hadn't by of Sunday. In a statement to The News-Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Southwest Airlines said they are looking into the situation to learn more about what occurred and will reach out to Degyansky. However, the company policy is that a customer must wear a mask and that it's communicated often prior to the flight and during the check-in process. "If a Customer is unable to wear a face covering for any reason, Southwest regrets that we are unable to transport the individual. In those cases, we will issue a full refund and hope to welcome the Customer onboard in the future, if public health guidance regarding face coverings changes," said Ro Hawthorne, a spokesperson for the airline. "Caring for others with our Southwest Hearts is at the center of everything we do, which is especially important during this pandemic. We appreciate the ongoing support and spirit of cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we collectively take care of each other while striving to prevent the spread of COVID-19." This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Airlines escorts mother, 2-year-old from flight over mask If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. You've probably heard by now that Latinos are contracting and dying from the coronavirus more than any other ethnic group in California. But the pandemic is also disproportionately affecting their financial health. That's according to a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which shows that in Los Angeles, 71% of Latinos -- almost twice the percentage of whites -- report serious financial problems from July to August. (For context, 52% of Black households in L.A. report serious financial problems; for white households, that number is 37%.) That's been the case for Juan Quezada, who after working his way up from dishwasher to restaurant manager in East L.A. lost his job in March when Governor Gavin Newsom ordered restaurants to close. "I am just draining my savings. Draining and draining and draining," he told me. "I had to sell my car. Uber is a luxury." He now bikes or rides the bus to his part-time job as a fast food cashier. "I only work three hours and four hours rather than eight or 10 or 12 like I used to work," Quezada said. He estimates he has about six months of savings left, and he's not alone. In Los Angeles, more than 35% of households report serious problems with paying credit cards, loans, or other expenses, while the same percentage report having depleted all or most of their savings. Eleven percent of those polled say they didn't have any savings at the start of the outbreak. 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 LATINO POVERTY IS DIFFERENT "In Washington, the idea is you're poor because you don't work. That's not the issue with Latinos," David Hayes-Bautista, a professor of medicine at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told me. "Latinos work. But they're poor. The problem is, we don't pay them," he said. Hayes-Bautista's not being hyperbolic. Latinos have the highest rate of labor force participation of any group in California. When officials shut down most businesses in March, Latinos, like everyone else, lost jobs. But Latinos got back to work faster. "In April the Latino [labor force participation] rate bounced right back up and actually has continued to increase slowly, whereas the non-Latino rate is dropping," he said. "The reward that Latinos have for their high work ethic is a high rate of poverty." Hayes-Bautista points out that in California, as in some other regions in the U.S., Latinos tend to hold many of the jobs that have been deemed essential -- like cleaners, agriculture, and construction workers for example - that require them to leave home and interact with the public, increasing their exposure. Latinos now account for 60% of the COVID-19 cases in California, even though they're about 40% of the population, according to state data. Not only are they getting infected, but there's been a five-fold increase in working age Latinos dying from the virus since May. "These are workers usually in their prime years, peak earning power and everything else," Hayes-Bautista said. "Latinos between 50 and 69, those are the ones that are being hit the hardest. That's pretty worrying." EXPOSED WITH NO HEALTH INSURANCE Many of the essential jobs that Latinos are more likely to do -- farm worker, nursing home aide -- lack benefits. That means Latinos are more exposed to the coronavirus and less likely to have health insurance due to lack of coverage through an employer. Others, like Mariel Alvarez, lack health insurance because of their immigration status. Alvarez is undocumented and was brought to the U.S. by her parents as a child from Bolivia. She lives with her parents and sisters in the San Fernando Valley. Alvarez told me she lost her sales job and her employer-sponsored health insurance when the pandemic hit in March. Then she got sick. Eventually, her whole family was ill. Alvarez had to pay out of pocket to go to a CVS clinic near her home. But after a couple of $50 visits, it got too expensive. "I just couldn't afford to continue to go to the doctor," she said. She thinks she had COVID-19, but she was never able to get tested. Now that Alvarez has recovered, getting a job with health insurance is crucial, because she doesn't qualify for any state or federal support. She is one of roughly 640,000 immigrants with a permit that allows her to work and defers deportation under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. "I don't want to jeopardize that. You're not supposed to use any of the government assistance when you're on that. You're only supposed to work and that's it," Alvarez said. The pandemic has created a big need for one job -- contact tracers. So Alvarez completed a certificate online. She's currently going through the application process; if she gets hired, she hopes to have benefits again. In the meantime, she told me, she'll do her best not to get sick. [Editor's note: A portion of this story talking about Latinos in the workforce has been edited for clarity.] Burlington is bringing more of its off-price merchandise to the Houston area this month with three new stores in Pearland, Cypress and Richmond. The Pearland Parkway Village store opened Thursday, the company said, and shops at Fairfield Town Center in Cypress and in Aliana Town Center in Richmond are scheduled to open Sept. 18. Controversial changes to university funding may have a better chance of securing a key vote in the Senate after the University of Tasmania publicly backed the Morrison government's proposed reforms. The University of Sydney and University of NSW have opposed key elements of the funding overhaul but support from UTAS could boost the government's chances of passing the bill with the support of Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie. University of Tasmania vice-chancellor Rufus Black has backed the federal government's proposed university funding reforms, boosting the government's chances of securing Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie's crucial vote. The government needs to secure three crossbench votes in the Senate to legislate the reforms, which propose to cut 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. UTAS, the only university in Senator Lambie's home state, was among a raft of universities to formalise their positions in written submissions, published on Monday, to a Senate committee that will begin its two-day inquiry into the bill on Tuesday. A well-known Kazakh civil rights activist, Erbol Eskhozhin, has been fined for publicly calling police officers "Nazarbaev's puppies." Nursultan Nazarbaev is Kazakhstans former president who ruled the Central Asian nation for almost 30 years before he resigned in March 2019. He continues to control the country as the leader of the ruling Nur-Otan party and the lifetime chairman of the powerful Security Council. A court in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, on September 14 found Eskhozhin guilty of insulting police and fined him $530, his lawyer Olga Enns told RFE/RL. Eskhozhin called the police "Nazarbaev's puppies" when law enforcement officers were dispersing demonstrators in Nur-Sultan, the capital, during protests early this year. Eskhozhin said he will not pay the fine, adding that the court's decision will be appealed and that the case against him is politically motivated. "I can't pay the fine, even if they jail me.... The ruling indicates that the authorities are scared of the increasing number of civil rights activists in the country. People do not have as much fear now," Eskhozhin said. Since last year, the 43-year-old activist has been sentenced six times to several days in jail for taking part in unsanctioned rallies and, in all, has spent 85 days in jail. On Tuesday, Apple will update us with new versions of older products, and possibly show off some new ones as well. Everything but new iPhones and Macintosh computers, which are expected at a separate event in October. The Apple event begins at 10 a.m. PDT and will be streamed on Apple's website, YouTube channel and on the Apple app for Apple TV. It will also be recorded and archived on Apple.com The company is expected to introduce updated iPads and Apple Watch editions, possibly AirPod over-the-ear headphones and Apple's take on the Tile Bluetooth key finder. Missing will be the new iPhone models, which has been delayed for an October release. Apple is expected to have a separate iPhone event in October. One big difference: This will be the first Apple product reveal in the iPhone era that won't be done before a live, adoring audience. Instead, it will feature pre-recorded demos, over a two-hour time frame. This stylus does not work with Windows operating systems and the iPad Air 2. App Store woes: Apple countersues, seeks damages from Fortnite publisher Epic Games in high stakes legal dispute iPhone? Apple event on Sept. 15: Don't look for new iPhones just yet, analysts say The iPhone is Apple's biggest revenue generator, by far, followed by Services, the division that hounds customers to upgrade their iCloud storage, watch iTunes movie rentals and subscribe to its Music service. No. 3 is iPads, followed by Macs and Apple's Wearables division, which includes Apple Watch and the AirPods Bluetooth buds. A closer look: Apple Watch Get ready for Series 6 of the Watch, which is expected to be more about software than hardware. While the watch will have a more powerful processing chip, according to Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, the big sell will be health features, he says. It is expected to be able to detect blood oxygen level, according to source code 9to5 found in the iOS 14 mobile operating system upgrade. Watch users could get an improved electrocardiogram feature to check heart rate. Story continues Apple's roster of Apple Watches currently has Series 5 starting at $399 and Series 3, the edition from 2017, for $199. Bloomberg says Apple will replace Series 3 with a new lower-end Watch, one that will include the health features of the more expensive watches. iPad The 9to5Mac blog sees Apple putting most of its attention on a revised and different looking iPad Air, that will be sans a Home button and Face ID, instead using the older Touch ID, but this time built into the side button of the tablet. This suggests that Apple could offer this feature on the new iPhones coming in October as well, as Face ID has proved problematic in the COVID-19 era, since it can't recognize faces with masks on. Engadget suggests the new iPad Air, with edge-to-edge display, could be as large as the top-of-the-line, 11-inch iPad Pro, with bigger bezels but sold for a much lower price point, $499 to the current $799 for the Pro. The iPad line starts at an economical $329 for the entry-level model, with the Air in middle position between the cheapest and most expensive models. But the Air looks "dated" according to 9to5, and giving it a "more modern look," would help Apple competitively, the website says. Others Could we see other products at the event as well? Apple enthusiast blogs suggest over-the-ear headphones, called AirPods Studio, could join the lineup along with the long rumored AppleTags, Apple's clone of the Tile Bluetooth key tracker. Apple also could release an updated HomePod, the smart speaker Apple introduced in early 2018 to take on Amazon Echo and Google speakers. It currently sells for $299. Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Apple September event 2020: iPad, Watch announcements expected Tuesday The U.S. Intelligence and government officials detailed in intelligence papers that Iran is contemplating an assassination attempt against America's ambassador to South Africa. Assassination attempt According to officials, they have been aware of the threats towards Ambassador Lana Marks since the spring, but the intelligence detail has suddenly become more specific in recent weeks. The 66-year-old ambassador has been made aware of the threat to her life. The Iranian embassy in South Africa, located in the capital Pretoria, is said to be involved in the plot, according to Politico. The plot to kill the ambassador would act as a revenge attack after President Donald Trump decided to kill General Qassem Soleimani, a powerful Iranian general. However, such a move might also result in another attack from President Trump in a show of power and strength, especially since the U.S. presidential election is fast approaching. Also Read: Iran Issues Arrest Warrant for Donald Trump for Terrorism, Asked Help from Interpol Solemani's death General Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike in January 2020. At the time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. killed Soleimani to re-establish a deterrent against Iran. The general led the Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that oversees much of Iran's military activities outside its borders. Americans blame him for the death of dozens of U.S. troops in the region. After Soleimani's death, Iran took their anger to the streets and issued an arrest warrant for U.S. President Donald Trump and 35 other people who were involved in the death of the general, according to BBC. Who is Ambassador Marks? Lana Marks has known President Trump for more than 20 years and became the U.S. ambassador on October 2019. Marks is a member of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago and was among the few women in Princess Diana's inner circle before her death. Before becoming a diplomat, Marks was known for her six-figure handbags, clutched by Hollywood celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. The U.S. Intelligence did not know why the Iranians want to target Marks, but it is likely due to her long-standing friendship with President Trump, as the attack on her life would be more personal, according to The Sun. U.S. intelligence officials have also suggested that carrying out an attack in South Africa could be easier than targeting American diplomats in other parts of the world where relationships between the U.S. and the said country are great. According to Intelligence officials, carrying out an attack in South Africa could be easier than targeting American diplomats in other parts of the world where improved relationships between the U.S. and local police and national intelligence services could see an attack foiled. After the killing of General Soleimani, President Trump noted that the general had been plotting to attack American diplomatic missions. Trump said in January that they were looking to "blow up our embassy" and that "I can reveal I believe it probably would've been four embassies." General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said that he had been expecting a response from Iran over the U.S.' presence in Iraq. On September 9, McKenzie confirmed plans to cut the U.S. troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September. Related Article: US Government Says Iran's Arrest Warrant for Trump is Propaganda Stunt @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. We developed it initially for people to use in communities, but its a great tool for us to use, as well, Frye said. So thats why we came up with that red piece from the very beginning. Weve had it all along, but that was really for us to try to use as a warning system for us. Previously, public health officials in Oklahoma had called the states alert system unhelpful in part because it failed to use local or regional hospital data to pair with the county new case rates for its high-risk designation. The state on Friday launched a portion of its revamped COVID-19 alert map that now relies on regional rather than statewide hospital data as the gate for a county to enter the red, or high-risk, category. The maps legend contains the updated trigger points, but the map itself remains defined by county and not hospital region. All other colors of the map are based on each individual countys seven-day rolling average of new cases per capita. The White House Coronavirus Task Force has privately produced weekly state-level reports since June 29 that assess COVID-19 spread in each county. Appointment 14 September 2020 Park Hyatt Jeddah-Marina, Club and Spa has named Mohamed Elshear as its new director of sales. A veteran in the field, Elshear has been in hospitality for 11 years, now expected to oversee sales at the hotel and maximise revenues. Graduating with a bachelor of hotel management, he started his career in 2009 with Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria as a trainee, before climbing the ladder to sales executive in 2011 with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Oman, Muscat. After this, his career accelerated, working in the sales department with IHG across the region. In 2018, he joined Kempinski Al Khobar Saudi Arabia as assistant director of sales before taking his new, and most senior position, with Park Hyatt. During the Republican National Convention, he reiterated his pledge to clamp down on illegal immigration, and his reelection campaign has emphasized the restrictive immigration agenda that was central to his platform in 2016. A recent television ad airing in battleground states said former Vice President Joe Bidens support for offering a path to citizenship to millions of immigrants unlawfully in the country would undermine Americans by creating more competition for jobs and more beneficiaries of welfare programs. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan, shown in this file photo, said he will continue to negotiate with the school district. The PFT's contract expired Aug. 31. Read more Theres no deal yet between the Philadelphia School District and its teachers union, but the negotiators have made significant progress and will stay at the table, union leaders said Monday night. Negotiations have been fruitful in securing critical COVID-related protections for children and educators, and we are also making gains on the topic of wages, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan said in a statement. Because of this progress and our desire to move expeditiously toward settlement, I am continuing to negotiate. The teachers' contract expired Aug. 31. The unions 13,000 members had authorized Jordan to keep negotiating through Monday. Jordan said he would call teachers together for a membership meeting shortly; at that meeting, I will either bring my members a tentative agreement to review, or alternatively I will present them with options for next steps. Asked about the tenor of PFT contract negotiations late last week, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said he was optimistic that we will get to an agreement. For the first time in decades, the PFT has the option to strike. When the district was under state takeover, teachers were forbidden from striking. READ MORE: Philly teacher contract expires without a new deal; district trying to shake down teachers, union chief says Jordan had previously accused the district of trying to shake down teachers, tying raises to the PFTs agreeing to a school reopening plan. Philadelphias 125,000 students began the school year with remote instruction only, and will continue learning from home at least through November. District officials have said theyre eager to get teachers and children back in classrooms if health conditions permit, but teachers are wary, given the school systems track record with building conditions. The union represents district teachers, who are paid between $45,360 and $91,852, plus counselors, nurses, secretaries, and other school-based workers. A research collaboration between Monash University and Lava Therapeutics details a novel immune-oncology approach for the potential treatment of cancer. Instrumental to the study was co-first author Dr Roeland Lameris from Amsterdam UMC and colleagues from the University of Melbourne. Published in Nature Cancer, the study, co-led by Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's ARC Laureate Fellow Professor Jamie Rossjohn and Dr Adam Shahine, highlights the synergy between an antibody fragment, known as a nanobody, that not only acts as a bridge helping to link together two key immune cell receptors but also takes advantage of their interaction, enabling the body to enhance its immune response to cancer. These antibody fragments, denoted as nanobodies, act by targeting the interaction between a molecule known as CD1d and Natural Killer T cells (NKT) in a stable and long-lasting manner, against tumour samples of patients with multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia. The new findings will serve as a model for the potential generation of new and effective therapies against a broad range of cancers. Using the Australian Synchrotron, the team at Monash University provided detailed atomic insight into how the nanobodies exerted their effect on immune cells in a cancer model. "We were able to precisely visualise how the nanobody simultaneously recognised CD1d and the NKT TCR, thereby providing a molecular basis for their anti-tumour properties," Professor Rossjohn stated. Hans van der Vliet, professor in medical oncology at Amsterdam UMC and chief scientific officer of Lava Therapeutics, says "By targeting and boosting natural immune cells that are inherent in all humans, such as NKT cells and gamma-delta T cells, for an enhanced therapeutic effect, we believe our approach could ultimately translate into a broadly applicable immunotherapeutic approach for a range of cancer indications." "This collaborative work paves the way for rationally developing improved therapeutics to treat a range of cancers" said co-first author Dr Shahine. About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning six discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection and Immunity, Metabolic Disease and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery. ### Read the full paper in Nature Cancer titled: "A single domain bispecific antibody targeting CD1d and the NKT T cell receptor induces a potent anti-tumour response" DOI: 10.1038/s43018-020-00111-6 Media Enquiries please contact: Wendy Smith - Monash Media E: wendy.smith1@monash.edu T: +61 (0) 425 725 836 LAKE CHARLES, La., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medivant Healthcare, the nation's newest and most advanced generic drug manufacturer, announced today that they have donated 5,000 vials of Lidocaine 1% Single Dose Injectables to Lake Charles Memorial Hospital following the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura. Currently, Lidocaine is one of the most essential generic drugs needed to sustain US Hospital Emergency Rooms and ICUs. The Category 4 Hurricane made landfall in Louisiana last month as one of the strongest storms on record, bringing catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash-flooding to the Gulf Coast. The storm left six people dead in Louisiana and countless injured. Immediate access to Lidocaine and other life-saving drugs has proven to be critical as hospitals throughout the US have already reported widespread medication shortages that were even further perpetuated by the coronavirus pandemic. "'Generic Medicine Made in the USA, For the USA', is not just our slogan, it's what we do on a daily basis," says Founder of Medivant Healthcare, Viraj Gandhi. "Being located in Arizona, we are able to deliver our generics anywhere in the US, within a day or two. When tragedy hits our nation, such as Covid-19, Natural Disasters and other Perils, we don't just sell, we give. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering from the devastation in Lake Charles, due to Hurricane Laura. We hope our donation makes a difference, helping the hospital, their patients and their families in the community." Government officials have already been on an accelerated mission to bring the production of life-saving medicines back to American soil and away from China. Today, Medivant Healthcare proved just how critical it is to have a US Supply chain. Medivant Healthcare remains committed to manufacturing top quality, low costing generics in the USA for the USA. With a manufacturing capability of up to 80,000 vials of generic drugs a day, Medivant Healthcare prides themselves on having high output, high quality, low costing US made generics. This is accomplished at Medivant Healthcare's state of the art, single line, automated facility, which follows cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) manufacturing guidelines, far and above current production requirements in the US. Medivant exclusively serves US hospitals, hospital groups, surgical centers, doctors' offices and emergency centers. It is a business-to-business model with no direct to consumer sales. For more information about Medivant Healthcare, visit their website: www.medivanthealth.com Virtual Tour of Medivant Healthcare's facility: http://www.iviewd.com/medivant/ Contact: Dana Lewis 818-538-6148 [email protected] SOURCE Medivant Healthcare If you want to rebuild the path on your own, the easiest solution would be to install a thick base of crushed gravel after you fix the drainage issues. Add edging to keep the gravel in place. You could then set the pavers you already have on that, or go with gravel alone. As the pavers heave or settle over time, or as tree roots poke through the gravel, you would need to add gravel to keep the path level. Ayushmann Khurrana has wowed us with one superlative performance after the other ever since he burst on the screen with Vicky Donor (2012). He doesnt believe in following a set pattern and has been known to take risks when it comes to choosing roles. He was a sperm donor in his debut film, has played a man with erectile dysfunction in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, played a gay lover in Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, a man going bald in Bala, and even an expert in mimicking the voices of women in Dream Girl. He showed his versatility by playing a tough-as-nails cop in Article 15. On the occasion of his birthday, today, we bring you a list of Ayushmann Khurrana Movies down the years. 1. Ayushmann Khurrana Movies - Vicky Donor (2012) Director: Shoojit Sircar Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam, Annu Kapoor Ayushmann played Vicky Arora, a man who sold his sperm to earn money. It was a never-seen-before scenario which talked about how couples are pressured so much by society to have children. It could have easily turned into a cheap sex comedy but didn't. Vicky meets an ambitious accountant Ashima Roy (Yami Gautam) and they fall in love after overcoming several hurdles. Ashima, ironically, turns out to be infertile and thats when Vicky opens up to her about his past. With the help of his mentor, Dr Baldev Chaddha (Annu Kapoor), makes her realise that what he did brought joy to the lives of so many couples. Seeing that Ashima begins to love him even more and the couple decides to adopt a baby. MasterChef celebrity guest judge Shannon Martinez, 38, is battling a rare form of breast cancer. Shannon, who runs the vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters in Melbourne, shared her heartbreaking diagnosis via Instagram on Saturday. Uploading a photo of herself shaving off her hair, the popular restaurateur revealed she is battling triple-negative breast cancer, a type of cancer where the three receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer tumours are not present. Heartbreaking: MasterChef celebrity guest judge Shannon Martinez, 38, revealed she is battling a rare form of breast cancer on Saturday 'Gang, it's time I share some news with you all. Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with 'Triple Negative Breast Cancer' which is an uncommon diagnosis,' she began her caption, explaining that she's preparing to join a trial treatment of combined immunotherapy and double chemotherapy. 'Currently, the side effects are causing days on end with no sleep and very little energy but I feel that a lifetime of working punishingly long hours in hospitality has weirdly prepared me for chemo,' she continued. After coming to terms with the 'initial shock' of her diagnosis, the chef decided to turn her battle into something more positive. Confronting: Uploading a photo of herself shaving off her hair, the popular restaurateur revealed she is battling triple-negative breast cancer Diagnosis: Triple-negative breast cancer is a cancer where the three receptors that are commonly found in breast cancer tumours are not present. Shannon is pictured wearing a headscarf following chemotherapy treatment 'I've decided to use my experience and trade to help others also undergoing cancer treatment to face their challenges along the way in the form of two literary projects,' she explained. Shannon revealed she's writing a cookbook called Cooking with Chemo. For You & Your Squad, which will follow her journey 'from start to finish, the ups and downs of this s**tshow and everything in-between.' She will also be releasing a comic book titled The Adventures of Chuck and her Bubble of Trouble. Sharing her journey: Shannon revealed she's writing a cookbook called Cooking with Chemo. For You & Your Squad Proceeds of the book sales will go towards cancer research. 'Due to COVID-19 restrictions and my compromised immune system, I am unable to leave the house, so what better time to use than now for myself and for others?' she wrote. Shannon went on to thank the 'rockstar' staff working at her restaurants Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli for 'holding down the fort' while she is at home. Health battle: Shannon, who runs the vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters in Melbourne, said she has been forced to stay at home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic due to her compromised immune system. Pictured in 2019 with Duncan Balwood Triple negative breast cancer explained Triple negative breast cancer is a form of breast cancer that doesn't possess the three receptors typically found on breast cells oestrogen, progesterone and HER2. Roughly 15 percent of breast cancers worldwide are triple negative. Roughly 18,000 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, 2,700 of whom have triple negative breast cancer. Anyone can get triple negative breast cancer, but pre-menopausal women under the age of 40 - have a higher rate of the disease than older women. Treatment for triple negative breast cancer differs from other cancer treatments because of the absence of these three receptors. People with oestrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive breast cancer are typically treated with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, while people with HER2 positive breast cancer usually take a drug called Herceptin. None of these are effective against triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer generally responds well to chemotherapy. Five years after diagnosis, people who had triple negative breast cancer are no more likely to have a recurrence of the disease than people with other types of breast cancer. In the long term, over the course of 10 years or more, recurrence is less likely with triple negative breast cancer. Treatment usually involves surgery either lumpectomy or mastectomy radiotherapy, if a lumpectomy is performed, and chemotherapy. Source: Breast Cancer Network Australia Advertisement Ending on a positive note, Shannon wrote: 'I want to thank you all for your continued support during this wild time, if not for you, the doors may have shut long ago. WE WILL SURVIVE THIS, bigger and better! See you all soon.' Back in May, Shannon received some backlash after appearing on MasterChef Australia to host a vegan challenge. Judge Melissa Leong pointed out the fact that Shannon is a meat eater, which caused her to awkwardly respond: 'No. I'm not [vegan]. Shock, horror. But I think that lends itself to sort of why I make the food that I make, you know?' 'I'm coming at vegan food from a non-vegan perspective, I guess': In May, Shannon received some backlash on after appearing on MasterChef Australia to host a vegan challenge, despite not being vegan herself 'I'm coming at vegan food from a non-vegan perspective, I guess. Understanding mouthfeel, textures, flavours.' However, many fans thought it was odd for a chef who specialises in vegan cuisine not to actually be vegan. 'It really unsettles me that the owner of Smith & Daughters isn't vegan,' Tweeted one viewer, while another added: 'A vegan chef that isn't vegan? What is she doing with her life? From our applicant pool of 183 companies this year, nView medical was scored by our hospitals at the very top. nView medical, a medical imaging company with breakthrough image creation technology, is preparing to pilot its first surgical scanner: nView s1. This week HealthTech Arkansas announced that nView was selected out of a pool of hundreds of applicants to participate in its Accelerator Program, which guarantees pilots within its network of 11 healthcare providers: Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Arkansas Heart Hospital, Arkansas Urology, Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, Conway Regional Health System, Mercy, OrthoArkansas, St. Bernards Healthcare, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), and Washington Regional Medical Center. From our applicant pool of 183 companies this year, nView medical was scored by our hospitals at the very top. Theyre excited to begin their pilot projects and clinical studies with nView, and are optimistic about the companys ability to improve surgical efficiencies and clinical outcomes, said Jeff Stinson, director of HealthTech Arkansas. We are excited to see how our technology can improve surgery for providers, surgeons, and patients. HTA provides the medical start-up ecosystem with a unique opportunity to bring new technology into hospitals. Their program was a perfect match given our stage of development and the readiness of our technology. We are eager to partner with HTA and its broad network of healthcare providers, said Cristian Atria, CEO of nView medical. nView medical, based in Salt Lake City, UT, is a startup whose mission is to make surgery safer, faster, and consistently accurate. nView develops imaging systems, bringing breakthrough AI solutions for image creation, image processing, and image visualization to surgery and interventional radiology. nView medical backers include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the State Of Utah, the National Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation, MedTech Innovator, Dr. Kevin Foley, MD, and Fusion Fund (Palo Alto, CA). HealthTech Arkansas is a third-year accelerator program focused exclusively on provider engagement with early-stage companies and works with both Arkansas-based and out-of-state companies. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission awarded a grant to HealthTech Arkansas through a program designed to increase acceleration activities in targeted industries in the state. The Washington Post "Post Reports" is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you've come to expect from the newsroom of The Post - for your ears. - - - The effects of global warming in the Arctic are so severe that the region is shifting to a different climate, one characterized less by ice and snow and more by open water and rain, scientists said Monday. Already, they said, sea ice in the Arctic has declined so much that even an extremely cold year would not result in as much ice as was typical decades ago. Two other characteristics of the regions climate, seasonal air temperatures and the number of days of rain instead of snow, are shifting in the same way, the researchers said. The Arctic is among the parts of the world most influenced by climate change, with sharply rising temperatures, thawing permafrost and other effects in addition to shrinking sea ice. The study, by Laura Landrum and Marika M. Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., is an effort to put what is occurring in the region in context. Everybody knows the Arctic is changing, said Dr. Landrum, a climate scientist and the lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change. We really wanted to quantify if this is a new climate. Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has turned 36 on Monday and the actor celebrated the happy occasion by cutting a cake at his home in Chandigarh. Wife Tahira Kashyap shared an adorable image of the lovely couple on social media from Ayushmanns birthday party in which the former is seen licking cake off the latters face. Posting the couples adorable image, Tahira wrote a sweet birthday wish for her hubby. Having my cake and eating it too," she captioned the lovey-dovey pic that has cake smeared all over Ayushmanns face. Take a look. On the work front, Ayushmann was last seen in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. He is currently preparing for his next with director Abhishek Kapoor. The actor describes it as a progressive love story. He further told IANS about the film, Im running against time to achieve the desired physique for this film and I know for a fact that I cant take a single day off from working out. So, even on my birthday, Im going to train really hard." He also said he wants to surprise the audience with his physical transformation in the yet-untitled film co-starring Vaani Kapoor. Im grateful that Im spending my birthday with my entire family this year. I dont remember when was the last time that I got to do this in the recent years. So, it is going to be very special," he summed up. Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said its likely the U.S. will deploy a Covid-19 vaccine to the public before year-end and that the company is prepared for that scenario, pushing back against more tepid expectations shared by health authorities. Bourla said Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation that hes quite comfortable that the vaccine the company is developing in partnership with BioNTech SE is safe and that it could be available to Americans before 2021, contingent on an approval from U.S. regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I cannot say what the FDA will do, Bourla said. But I think its a likely scenario, and we are preparing for it. New York-based Pfizer and Germanys BioNTech are seen as frontrunners in the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, alongside Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc. Bourla said Pfizer and its partner have a 60% chance of knowing the efficacy of its still experimental vaccine by the end of October. Of course that doesnt mean that it works; that means that well know if it works, Bourla said. The timing of clinical trial results depends on enough people in the study getting Covid-19 to make a calculation. But positive results could clear the way for approval, he said. Bourlas assurances come just as Pfizer and BioNTech have expanded the number of clinical trial participants theyre seeking in order to include more people with diverse backgrounds. Expanded Enrollment The companies said in a statement Saturday that they expect to enroll the 30,000 patients they originally sought for its final-phase clinical trial this week. They are also expanding that target to 44,000 participants to include people as young as 16, and to allow those with HIV and Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Bourla said on CBS that they will also focus on recruiting more people of color, including African Americans and Latinos, to the late-stage trial in coming weeks. He said the study participants are currently 60% White and 40% people of color, and that older volunteers make up 44% of the cohort. The companies joined other vaccine developers last week in an unusual pledge to only submit applications with the FDA for vaccine clearance when the drugs have shown to be safe and effective in large clinical trials. That followed concerns that President Donald Trump is pushing the agency to cut corners to get a vaccine to market before the Nov. 3 election. Bourla said part of the reason Pfizer didnt accept taxpayer dollars to fund its Covid-19 vaccine research and development was to avoid government bureaucracy and influence. I wanted to keep Pfizer out of politics, he said. Political Pressure Trump has said publicly that a vaccine could be authorized by the November election even though other top U.S. health officials, including National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, have said they think closer to the end of the year is more realistic. Even then, enough vaccine wont be available to cover most Americans until well into 2021. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, also speaking on CBS, said its atypical that the approval process of any drug or vaccine would be discussed within a political context. I dont think were going to see an authorization before the election, said Gottlieb, who sits on Pfizers board of directors. He added that Americans distrust in a Covid-19 vaccine will likely dissipate after the election. The former FDA chief said he expects most Americans wont be vaccinated until 2021 or later. This is likely to be a very staged market entry, Gottlieb said. He described a process in which regulators will first issue an emergency use approval providing a limited supply of shots to those at high risk of infection, including frontline workers. Then the FDA will slowly walk down that approval to make it more broadly available, Gottlieb said. Jackson Pollock, "Red Composition (Painting 1946)," oil on Masonite, 19 1/4 x 23 1/4 in. (Christie's) When the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y., announced the other day that it would be sending a critically important 20th century painting to the auction block, it was obvious that museum officials were worried and maybe more than a little embarrassed by the inexcusable move they were about to make. Like naughty children hoping the grown-ups wouldnt notice tiny hands dipping into the cookie jar, they dropped the stunning press release into the media black hole that is Labor Day weekend. Jackson Pollocks 1946 Red Composition, only his second experiment with the groundbreaking drip technique that would prove to be a post-World War II watershed for art internationally, has been in the Everson's collection for almost 30 years. The $18 million auction estimate almost certainly means that the small painting will disappear from the public realm, vanishing into private hands. Few other museums have the resources to compete. A key public asset is being privatized. Compounding the tragedy: The Everson is betraying its legacy. The museums origins date back more than a century, when it became the first to be dedicated specifically to American art. Its shocking that the Everson has now chosen to sell off an irreplaceable artifact a rare formative work by the first American painter with profound international impact. The sale is scheduled for the evening of Oct. 6 at Christies in New York City. Just four weeks' notice doesnt give much time for public consideration of the deal. Surely Everson director Elizabeth Dunbar and the museums board of trustees had been working on the plan for quite some time. An institutional decision this consequential is not lightly made. The speed of the sale belies the planning. As if that were not enough, the museum also sought to head off potential criticism at the pass. The 1991 donors of the Pollock, Everson trustee Marshall M. Reisman and his wife, Dorothy, are both deceased. The press release features a statement by Robert Falter, trustee of the $30 million Reisman Foundation, assuring that the late benefactors would have been extremely happy with the plan. Story continues Of course, we dont know that. Maybe yes, maybe no. The only thing we know for sure is that the Reismans wanted to share this particular private pleasure with the public, so they gave their important American painting to the museum. Unsurprisingly, the Everson accepted the exceptional gift. But now the Pollock is likely to disappear into an unknown oligarchs private estate or some freehold warehouse in Switzerland. The museum, apparently wishing to allay worries about the sale, also posted on its website the answers to 10 presumed questions about the deal. Contrary to that aim, one answer undercuts confidence in the scheme: Q: Why did the Everson elect to auction this painting, rather than sell it directly? A: Public auction is the preferred sale mechanism for sales from museum collections to ensure that the highest price is received. Well, no. Public auction is the preferred sale mechanism to avoid even an appearance of corruption. Not only is it false to claim that an auction assuredly maximizes the monetary return in ways that a private sale cannot (although Christies is probably thrilled to have a museum make such a bald marketing claim on its behalf), its also not the leading reason auctions are generally preferred over private transactions for museum deaccession sales. Sunshine is. Transparency and public view minimize the possibility of mischief behind closed doors. In America that nonprofit principle goes back at least to the 1950s, when the Minneapolis Institute of Arts scandalously sold off some 50 European paintings by Veronese, Guercino, Canaletto and others to a private London dealer, unbeknownst to the local public. Minneapolitans were not amused when word got out. The ethics around such a momentous collection sale are absent from the Eversons deaccession FAQs, while profit potential is plugged. That is cause for serious concern. This is not to suggest anything untoward at the museum not by any means. But if the mechanisms around deaccessioning important art are unclear to Everson officials, then the wisdom of their thinking behind choosing to sell at all is thrown into greater doubt. So, why is the Everson Museum unloading its Pollock? Now is the time for action, director Dunbar explained in the press release, later elaborating the sentiment in a telephone interview. By deaccessioning a single artwork, we can make enormous strides in building a collection that reflects the amazing diversity of our community. The sale of legitimate public patrimony to the highest bidder is touted as a marvelous way to bring racial and gender equity to the institution going forward. Balderdash. The Everson would need to unload half of its collection for it to reflect the diversity of a city that is 45% nonwhite, according to the most recent census estimate. The Everson is a small museum with an annual operating budget of less than $2.5 million and a full-time staff of just 14. There is some 19th century American art but 20th and 21st century work dominates. Ceramics are its chief strength, a virtually encyclopedic holding that accounts for almost half of the roughly 11,000-piece collection. Economically, the region struggles. A third of the local population lives in poverty, making Syracuse the poorest city in the state. Restricted museum endowments for acquisitions ($875,000), conservation ($75,000) and operations ($8 million) are modest. In 2017, the museum developed a Collecting Priorities Plan, partly to redress the imbalance familiar to most museum collections largely composed of art made by white men. Dunbar said some progress has been made. More than a third of recent purchases are works by nonwhite artists, 60% of them women. Thats good. But the Everson is now the third American museum in as many years, all led by white directors, to sell art by blue-chip white artists to create a diversity acquisition fund. In 2018, the Baltimore Museum of Art sold seven works by Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Robert Rauschenberg and others (some at auction, some privately). A year later, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art sent a very fine $50 million Mark Rothko to the block. The Eversons Pollock deaccession, using the Rule of Three, marks a certifiable trend. And a terrible trend at that. The goal of diversifying white patriarchal patterns of museum art collecting is hugely important. This sort of quick fix belies the seriousness. The end not only doesnt justify the means, these processes do real damage. The clamor for privatizing public assets as a solution for social ills took off 40 years ago with the rightward shove of the Reagan era. The subsequent withering of the public sphere, culminating now in the first U.S. president elected with zero record of public service hows that working out for you? has finally seeped into the administration of art museum collections. The public world needs strengthening, not weakening. Real remedy is a long, slow haul. Better that the Everson loudly commit in writing, in its by-laws and through action to a thorough structural overhaul that would bring actual equity to its boardroom, staff and volunteer roster, as well as its exhibition program and purchases of art. Like arguments for crashing the Postal Service in favor of efficient FedEx or UPS or turning over the Social Security Administration to the wolves of Wall Street, the well-intentioned Pollock remedy is spurious. Museums deaccession art all the time, of course, since prudent collection management is a prime curatorial function. But historic inequities are not corrected through blunt erasure and replacement, which is what Baltimore, San Francisco and now Syracuse have been up to. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping is an old joke that art museums are putting into practice. Sorry, but in a matter of genuine gravity, retail therapy just doesnt cut it. We all have nightmares about the horrors of the Leaving Cert, but the class of Covid-19 have had one of the hardest leaving cert years in Irish history. Award-winning mental health charity A Lust for Life, co-founded in 2015 by Niall Bressie Breslin, is launching a new six-part podcast series, It All Works Out, created by the class of Covid-19 who have had and continue to have an unprecedented and traumatic year. The six-part series is created by Leaving Cert students, for Leaving Cert students, to help the class of Covid-19 deal with the uncertainty of their exam year, understand the grief they have faced and help with the transition into college without the coming of age milestones associated with the Leaving Cert. Each episode explores different issues, from coping with the unknown, to exploring the opportunity to reform the Leaving Cert, to speaking with people who took alternative paths to their careers; and is hosted by Leaving Cert student and Deputy President of ISSU Luke Casserly. The series features contributions from Leaving Cert students around Ireland and draws on a team of experts to explore how to cope and move forward in these difficult times. The series sets out to equip young people with both a voice and tools to facilitate their resilience, centering their experience. The six-part podcast launched last week on all podcast streaming platforms. We made this podcast series because we at A Lust for Life could see how hard this year has been on all our young people, but in particular on this years Leaving Cert class of Covid-19, said A Lust For Life co-founder, chair and acting CEO Paula McLoughlin. We wanted to create a space for these young people to talk about what theyve been through, to share their feelings about the rollercoaster the year has been, and to look to the future together at a time when we still cant all be together in one room. We wanted to bring together these smart, articulate and insightful young people to share their perspectives on the year theyve had. Also featured in the podcast are Psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr Aisling Leonard Curtain; Trinity College Guidance Counsellor Brid Hannan; Niall Bressie Breslin (Co-founder and Creative Director of A Lust for Life); Ciara Fanning, honorary President ISSU; Brian Pennie; Mick Finnegan and comedian Sir Stevo Timothy. The podcast features the song, True Friends, by Jerry Fish, who is donating the proceeds of all sales to A Lust for Life. Previous podcasts by the A Lust for Life team include Where theres a Will, winner of the 2019 Headline Mental Health Media Award for Mental Health Content. Producer Ciara OConnor Walsh is also a recent British Podcast Award winner for her work on the hit podcast, Where Is My Mind, with Niall Breslin. EU leaders will talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping seeking trade and investment on Monday, despite tensions over Hong Kong's freedoms and Beijing's treatment of its Uighur minority. Chinese officials, EU chiefs Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a video-conference to replace a full summit with all 27 EU leaders cancelled because of coronavirus. China says an investment deal -- already seven years in the making -- can be agreed this year, but EU officials warn obstacles remain and insist they will not swallow unfavourable terms simply to cut a deal. "Even if there is a political objective to accelerate negotiations and conclude them by the end of the year, we will have this only if it is something worth having," an EU official said. Also Read: European companies fear 'arbitrary punishment' amid China-Europe tensions Brussels says "significant progress" has been made in talks since a similar video summit in June, and officials hope to agree a roadmap to a deal by the end of the year -- they also want Beijing to improve market access for European companies. "The EU must define its own interests, and must be strong and independent of both China and the United States," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag. Brussels wants to reinforce respect for intellectual property, to end obligations to transfer technology and to reduce subsidies for Chinese public enterprises. No major breakthrough is expected on Monday but the EU side hopes to persuade Xi to give fresh political impetus to the talks -- and to allow his negotiators more room to compromise. The meeting comes as ties between China and the US deteriorate, with both sides locked in fierce recriminations over trade disputes, human rights and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Washington and Beijing have imposed curbs on each other's diplomats, after another tit-for-tat move in July when the two governments ordered the closure of consulates in Houston and Chengdu. Both sides have sought to enlist the EU in their spat and, during a visit to Brussels by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in June, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell mooted talks to forge a common transatlantic front against China. But little progress has been made on this initiative and broadly Brussels has preferred a middle path, treating Beijing as boa poteth ntial partner and a "systemic rival". "The EU stands firm on its interests and values but also wants to cooperate with China," a senior EU official said. The EU will press Xi on Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a controversial new security law -- a move denounced by the West as an assault on the city's freedoms. After the June summit, von der Leyen warned China would face "very negative consequences" if it pressed ahead with the law and the EU would limit exports to Hong Kong of equipment that could be used for surveillance and repression. European concerns about Beijing's rights record are growing. During a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Berlin earlier this month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called China out over Hong Kong and its treatment of minority Uighurs. But the European Union is far from united on how to deal with China, with some member states urging a tougher stance on rights and the environment, and others wanting to boost trade. But China as its own concerns. China announced Saturday it was banning imports of pork products from Germany after the European country confirmed its first case of African swine fever. Germany is Europe's biggest pork producer and recently saw a surge in demand from China after it suffered an outbreak of the same disease. Meanwhile, Beijing has used its mammoth "Belt and Road" infrastructure scheme to effectively pick off investment-hungry EU member states such as Greece, Portugal and Italy. Tenant farmers are seeking 'crucial' amendments to the Agriculture Bill as the post-Brexit legislation enters its final parliamentary stages. The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) welcomed provisions within the Bill on farm tenants, but said there were 'significant weaknesses' which needed to be addressed. Peers in the House of Lords will begin debating the Report Stage of the Agriculture Bill before it heads back to the House of Commons for sign off prior to Royal assent. The new legislation will provide the foundation upon which future policy for agriculture and the farmed environment will be built in the years ahead. But there are concerns within the tenanted farming sector that without landlord consent, farmers will struggle to take part in the flagship public payments for public goods policy. And whilst the Bill provides a 'good framework' for some tenants to appeal against the refusal of their landlords to let them take part in schemes, newer tenants occupying on Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs) are excluded from the appeal process. The government argues that as FBTs are normally let for shorter terms and therefore renegotiated more often, tenants should be able to negotiate the terms that they need to take part in new schemes. But the TFA's Chief Executive George Dunn said: With FBTs representing nearly half the land in the tenanted sector of agriculture in England, it makes no sense that they should be excluded from the appeal process." Mr Dunn added that the governments argument 'misunderstood' the way in which the let land market operates. "With many more people seeking than providing opportunities to farm, landlords are routinely able to dictate the terms under which farms are let. "Without an adequate appeals process, many FBT tenants will be locked out of future schemes," Mr Dunn said. Private information about thousands of coronavirus patients was uploaded onto a public computer system in a major data security breach, it was revealed today. Personal details of almost 20,000 Welsh residents affected by the disease was placed on a searchable online server, Public Health Wales confirmed today. In the cases of 16,179 people, the information published consisted of their initials, date of birth, geographical area and gender. However, for a further 1,926 people living in nursing homes or other enclosed settings such as supported housing, or residents who shared a postcode with them, the information also included the name of the setting. The data was for every Welsh resident who had tested positive for Covid-19 between February 27 and August 30. Public Health Wales blamed 'individual error and removed the data on the morning of August 31 after being alerted to the breach. In the 20 hours it was online, it had been viewed 56 times. A spokesman said there was 'no evidence at this stage' that the data had been misused. But Andrew RT Davies MS, shadow health minister for the Welsh Conservatives, questioned why Health Minister Vaughan Gething had not spoken about the breach during a press conference this morning. Andrew RT Davies (right), shadow health minister for the Welsh Conservatives, questioned why Health Minister Vaughan Gething (top) had not spoken about the breach during a press conference on Monday 'I acknowledge that the risk is considered to be ''low'', but I'm not sure that that will be much comfort to the nearly 2,000 residents of care homes or other enclosed settings whose - albeit limited - information was posted along with their place of residence,' Mr Davies said. 'The health minister appears to have sat on this for two weeks and done a press conference earlier today without disclosing this significant failing - and that's unacceptable. 'When people across Wales are being asked to provide our personal data for the purposes of track and trace this revelation could well damage public confidence.' Tracey Cooper, chief executive of Public Health Wales, said: 'We take our obligations to protect people's data extremely seriously and I am sorry that on this occasion we failed. 'I would like to reassure the public that we have in place very clear processes and policies on data protection. 'We have commenced a swift and thorough external investigation into how this specific incident occurred and the lessons to be learned. 'I would like to reassure our public that we have taken immediate steps to strengthen our procedures and sincerely apologise again for any anxiety this may cause people.' The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Welsh Government were informed of the breach on September 2 and an external investigation has been commissioned. This will be led by the head of governance at the NHS Wales Informatics Service. A risk assessment and legal advice have concluded that the risk of identifying the individuals affected by the data breach 'appears low', Public Health Wales said. The Welsh Government said it was not commenting on the data breach. Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, shadow health minister for Plaid Cymru, said the breach must not happen again. 'Any data breach is serious, and this data breach including potential means of identifying patients is of serious concern,' he said. 'Public Health Wales and Welsh Government have to be able to explain how exactly this happened, and give assurances that this can't happen again. 'People need to know that information held about them and their health is in safe hands, and this will raise questions in the minds of many people.' A spokeswoman for the ICO said it would be 'making inquiries' into the breach. 'Trust and confidence in the way NHS Wales Test, Trace and Protect Service uses and safeguards personal data is essential to public participation, so the programme is successful in helping tackle the coronavirus pandemic,' she said. 'Public Health Wales has made us aware of an incident and we will be making enquiries.' Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during the autumn months, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high. Israel was among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday under which people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. The announcement sparked a wave of anger. "It's unfair!" said Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress. "They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic in China late last year, as global cases rapidly approach 29 million. New cases of Covid-19 in European countries in the last 7 days. By Robin BJALON (AFP) "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP in an interview. But he stressed that the pandemic was "going to finish, at one moment or another", as WHO Europe's 55 members started a two-day online meeting focusing on their response to the virus. Millions back to school The latest surge has sparked alarm across Europe -- a Czech expert warned that his country's health system faces being overwhelmed if the virus continues to spread at its current rate. Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months. By Vincenzo PINTO (AFP) It has also reheated the debate over how best to respond to the rise in infections, with England limiting social gatherings to no more than six people from Monday. On the other hand, millions of schoolchildren in other affected countries returned to their classrooms for the first time in months. Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months on Monday. Although officials said thousands of extra classrooms had been set up, there were concerns over a lack of surgical masks for teachers and a shortage of single-seat benches. Some southern Italian regions postponed their reopening, worried that they were not properly prepared. Trump rally 'reckless' While Europe battles with rising infections, other parts of the world are tentatively easing restrictions. Israel was among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday under which people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. By Emmanuel DUNAND (AFP) In a sign of a growing readiness to reopen, Saudi Arabia said it would partially lift a six-month suspension of international flights this week and South Korea said it would ease rules in and around the capital Seoul after cases declined. The backlash against the restrictions is also being factored in by beleaguered governments. Australian police arrested dozens at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sunday after crowds defied stay-at-home orders, which came after rallies in Germany and Poland on Saturday attended by anti-vaccine campaigners, conspiracy theorists and far-right activists. Such rallies are relatively common in the United States, the hardest-hit nation in the world with more than 6.5 million infections and 194,000 deaths. President Donald Trump, under pressure for his campaigning for the economy to reopen in face of catastrophic figures, was criticised for holding big rallies over the weekend. "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," state governor Steve Sisolak, who is from the rival Democratic Party, tweeted ahead of the Sunday rally. Trump, who used the rally to boast about his success dealing with the pandemic, called Sisolak a "political hack" and urged the crowd to "tell your governor to open your state". 'Exhausted' health workers There was some good news in Britain, where regulators allowed clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental vaccines. Australian police arrested dozens at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sunday after crowds defied stay-at-home orders. By William WEST (AFP) Researchers on the joint AstraZeneca-Oxford University project, who hope to finish tests by the end of the year, had "voluntarily paused" the trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. A vaccine is considered crucial to the fight against the virus, but the WHO's Kluge said the public should not put all their hopes on a single drug. "I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not," he said, explaining that the end of the pandemic would come when communities learn to live with the disease. Meanwhile, the wider effects of the pandemic are biting hard on medical staff and strained health systems. "I gave birth a fortnight ago, and once you're in hospital you realise that the nurses, the carers... they don't have the means," said Severine at a rally in Brussels on Sunday for better health funding. "They're always being asked for more, always too much, they're exhausted." burs-jxb/pma Gilead Sciences Inc. is nearing a deal to buy biotech Immunomedics Inc. and its prized breast-cancer drug for more than $20 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Immunomedics has a market value of roughly $10 billion following a recent surge in its stock, meaning that Gilead is paying up to secure ownership of the company. A deal could be announced Monday if not sooner, assuming talks dont fall apart and a rival drugmaker doesnt jump in, some of the people said. Immunomedics, based in Morris Plains, N.J., sells breast-cancer drug Trodelvy, which would be attractive to several large drugmakers, many of which have set their sights on adding more fast-growing oncology therapies to their portfolios. Breast-cancer treatment is one of the most lucrative segments of the world-wide cancer-drugs market, which EvaluatePharma pegs at $157 billion this year. Trodelvy has shown signs of success in treating lung and other cancers, too. At a medical conference this coming week, Immunomedics is expected to present data on Trodelvys performance against bladder cancer. In April, Trodelvy was approved in the U.S. to treat a form of the disease that has spread to other parts of the body and is known as triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is an especially aggressive form of the disease that pharmaceutical companies have struggled to treat because it lacks the molecular targets that drugs can home in on. It accounts for 10% to 15% of breast cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. Discussions between Gilead and Immunomedics were initially centered around a partnership before shifting to a full-fledged takeover negotiation, some of the people said. An acquisition would give Gileadan antiviral-drug leader that has been seeking for years to build up its portfolio of therapies for other diseasesa foothold in the fast-growing cancer drug market. And Gilead doesnt take on any risk that regulators wont approve the drug, since they already have done it. The Foster City, Calif., company is best known for its blockbuster hepatitis C offerings and HIV therapies. Most recently, Gilead has drawn notice for Covid-19 drug remdesivir, which the U.S. authorized for use in July and is expected to significantly boost the companys revenue this year. Cancer drugs, however, promise to provide Gilead a more enduring business that could help the company offset declining sales of its hepatitis C drugs and competition for its HIV franchise. Gilead Chief Executive Daniel ODay, who took the helm in March 2019, has since been inking deals designed to bolster the companys portfolio. In 2019, it spent more than $5 billion deepening a partnership with Belgian biotech firm Galapagos NV. Earlier this year, it paid about $5 billion for biotech company Forty Seven Inc. and its blood-cancer drug. Trodelvy belongs to a relatively new class of cancer agents called antibody drug conjugates. These drugs consist of an antibody that hunts down cancer cells and carries payloads of chemotherapy that is deployed to destroy the tumor target. In 2017, Immunomedics had planned to sell the rights to the drug to biotech Seattle Genetics Inc., which specializes in antibody drug conjugates. But activist investor venBio Select Advisor LLC, which then had a large stake in Immunomedics, stepped in and blocked the deal, saying it wasnt in investor interests. The husband-and-wife team that ran Immunomedics resigned from the company and the activist, now called Avoro Capital Advisors, gained representation on the companys board. Avoros Behzad Aghazadeh remains Immunomedics chairman and Avoro owns a roughly 11% stake in the company, according to FactSet. The companys history has been up and down since that battle. In 2019, the FDA postponed approval of Trodelvy, which Immunomedics said stemmed from chemistry and manufacturing issues. An FDA inspection found testing and record-keeping problems at the companys plant. Immunomedics share price is up 99% so far this year. Trodelvy rang up $20.1 million in net sales in its first two months on the market, which Jefferies & Co. analysts said indicated the drug could become a go-to treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. In 2022, Jefferies estimates, Trodelvy sales will reach $480 million. Trodelvy could generate even more sales if trials under way find it works against other cancers, including another form of breast cancer known as HER2-negative and non-small cell lung cancer. Write to Cara Lombardo at cara.lombardo@wsj.com and Jonathan D. Rockoff at Jonathan.Rockoff@wsj.com 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 Il 29 giugno 2020, il Segretario di Stato americano Pompeo ha rilasciato la cosiddetta dichiarazione "Sulla pianificazione familiare forzata e sulla sterilizzazione forzata nello Xinjiang". Lo stesso giorno, l'Associated Press ha pubblicato un cosiddetto rapporto di indagine intitolato "La Cina adotta il controllo forzato delle nascite per ridurre la popolazione uigura" (Nota: per i dettagli del rapporto dell'Associated Press, vedere: https // apnews.com / e2674c069d46f6d5c9a3d3be40d612d4). Sia la dichiarazione di Pompeo che il rapporto dell'Associated Press hanno affermato che il governo cinese aveva adottato severe misure di sterilizzazione per ridurre il tasso di natalita degli uiguri e di altre minoranze etniche al fine di frenare la popolazione delle minoranze etniche. La dichiarazione di Pompeo e il rapporto dell'Associated Press citavano principalmente i contenuti ed i dati nel rapporto di ricerca "Sterilizzazione, IUD e controllo forzato delle nascite: le misure adottate dal Partito Comunista Cinese per reprimere la natalita uigura nello Xinjiang, pubblicato dalla Jamestown Foundation nel giugno di quest'anno e scritto da Adrian Zenz. Il rapporto afferma che i suoi dati sono basati su statistiche ufficiali e rapporti emessi dalla Cina, ma in realta questo rapporto e pieno di fatti e dati falsificati. L'autore del rapporto, Adrian Zenz, e impiegato dal Fondo per le vittime del comunismo, un'organizzazione di estrema destra sostenuta dal governo degli Stati Uniti. Dalla sua istituzione nel 1983, la fondazione ha ripetutamente ignorato i fatti oggettivi e assegnato i cosiddetti "premi per i diritti umani" ad alcuni terroristi criminali, denigrando il contributo del governo cinese nello Xinjiang e nella lotta contro il COVID-19. Successivamente, utilizzeremo fatti oggettivi e dati reali per smascherare tutti i tipi di bugie inventate da Adrian Zenz. Responding to Adrian Zenzs Lies on Xinjiangs Birth Control: A Survey on Fertility Willingness of Ethnic Minority Women in Xinjiang Lin Fangfei, Ph.D School of Politics and Public Administration, Xinjiang University US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo published a press statementtitled On Chinas Coercive Family Planning and Forced Sterilization Program in Xinjiangon 29 June 2020. On the same day, the Associated Press released an investigation report titled China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress populationSee this report athttps://apnews.com/e2674c069d46f6d5c9a3d3be40d612d4, accessed on September 1, 2020.. Both Pompeo statement and the Associated Presss report claimed that aiming to curb the Muslim population in Xinjiang, Chinese government has taken a series of draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities. One research report, written by Adrian Zenz and titled by Sterilizations, IUDs, and mandatory birth control: The CCP's campaign to suppress Uyghur birth rates in Xinjiang (hereinafter, referred to as Zenzs report), was published by Jamestown Foundation in June 2020. Zenzs report is the main citing source of Pompeos statement and the Associated Presss investigation report. Zenzs report claimed thatits data was quoted from Chinas official documents and statistical yearbook, yet in fact, this report has a large number of problems, mainly including fabricating facts and falsifying data. Thewording that Chinese government has adopted compulsory sterilization to Uyghur women in Xinjiang, in the essence, is a baseless fake news whichwas concocted by US government and somewestern foundations and scholars with anti-communist background. Adrian Zenz,the author of the report, is a Germany scholar hired by The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation an extreme right-wing organization sponsored by the US government. Since its establishment in 1983, this foundation, disregarding the objective facts, has repeatedly conferred so-called human rights awards tosome criminal terrorists, and slandered and denied Chinas salient contribution in fighting against COVID-19. Inhis report, Zenz listed his so-called significant research findingsof Chinese government suppressingUyghur birth ratesby mandatorymeasures, and declared that [f]or the first time, the veracity and scale of these anecdotal accountsThese anecdotal accounts here refer to mandatory birth control in Xinjiang. can be confirmed through a systematic analysis of government documentsZenzs reportp2.. In the following sections, using objective facts and statistical data, we will refute Zenzs significant research findings and eventually expose how he concocted these lies through fabricating facts and falsifying data. Lie 1: The natural population growth rate in Xinjiang has a sharp decrease. To denigrated maliciously denigrated Chinas population policy based on ethnic equality as a genocide policy, Zenz asserted that since 2015, the natural population growth rate in Xinjiang has dropped sharply, and in 2018 the natural population growth rate of Hotan and Kashgar was merely 2.58See Zenzs report, p2, p8.. Yet, the data Zenz cited in the report is seriously inconsistent with real official statistical data. According toXinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2019, the natural population growth rates of the four prefectures in south Xinjiang in 2018 are as follows: Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecturewas 11.45, Aksu Prefecturewas 5.67, Kashgar Prefecturewas 6.93, Hotan Prefecturewas 2.96SeeXinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2019, Table 3-6: Natural Changes of Population by Prefecture, City, County, p82-83.. In addition, Zenz did notindicate the accurate source of relevant data when he referring to the natural population growth rates in Hotan and Kashgar. Thus, the data probably is untrustworthy, and its authenticity is problematic as well. Xinjiangs natural population growth rate has indeed declined since 2015, however,its decline is by no means as sharp asdescribed in Zenzs report. Xinjiangsnaturalpopulation growth rate in 2018 is 6.13, which was higher than the national natural population growth rate of 3.81SeeChinese Statistical Yearbook 2019, Table 2-8 the urban-rural composition, birth rate, death rate, and natural growth rate of population by regions (2018),http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2019/indexch.htm, accessed on September 2, 2020.. In final section, by presenting the objective data and some specific cases, I will argue thatthe changes occurring in the natural growth rate of Xinjiangs population is areasonable phenomenon, rather than consequenceof so-called mandatoryintervention by Chinese government, elaboratethe reasons of decreasing growthrate in Xinjiang itis mainly caused by decreasing fertility willingnessof ethnic minority women, and amply reflectsChinasefforts and achievements in promoting the protection of womens and childrens rights over a long period of time. Pompeoand Zenzs claimis a groundless statement that the decreasingnatural population growth rate in Xinjiang is mainly caused by mandatory birth control policies implemented by Chinese government upon ethnic minority residents. Regulations on Population and Family Planning of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,the local regulationrelated to Xinjiangsfamily planning policy thatwas newly revised in July 2017, clearly stated that Xinjiang implements the birth policy that one urban couple is admitted to have two children, and one rural couple is admitted to have three childrenSeehttps://www.sohu.com/a/352896992_363955, accessed on September 2, 2020.. There is no conflict between this newly revised regulation and the previous regulation in referring to the family planning policy of ethnic minorities after new regulationbeing issued,the urban ethnic minoritycouplesstill havethe right of having two children, and the rural couples also havekept the right of having three children.The protection of reproductive rightsof ethnic minoritiesin Xinjiang is exactly the concrete manifestationof Chinese governments insistence in protecting the legal rights of allthe ethnic groups withoutany discrimination. Westerncountriesdefamation of Xinjiangs family planning policies is completely nonsense and only reflects their extremely sinister intentions. Lie 2: Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture has set an unprecedented near-zero population growth target for 2020a mere 1.05 per mille. Citing the data from one official document titled Departmental Budget of Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture Health Commission 2020, Zenz claimed that Kizilsu government has set an unprecedented near-zero population growth targetZenzs report, p.2, p9, p25., that is Kizilsus natural population growth rate plans to be reduced to 1.05 in 2020Ibid, p9..Zenzthus used this new evidenceto continue confirming his absurd conclusion that Chinese government has adopted compulsory birth control against Uighurs and other minorities. Actually, Zenzs report completely falsified the figures in the official documents of Kizilsu government. In this document from Kizilsus Health CommissionI directlydownloadedthis official document from the website link provided by Zenzs report., it clearly indicates that thegoal of natural population growth ratein 2020is 1.05% (see Figure 1), that is 10.5, if conversed intothe unit of pre mille.This numberis not much different from Kizilsusnatural population growth rate of 11.45%SeeXinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2019,Table 3-6: Natural Changes of Population by Prefecture, City, County, p83.. However, Zenz, throughdeliberately tampering with the unit of the ratio and fabricating false figures, attacked and discredited the family planning policies implemented by Chinese governmentwithsinisterpurposes. Figure 1: Screen-shot of Departmental Budget of Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture Health Commission 2020 Lie 3: Those ethnic minority women who violated Xinjiangs family planning policies would beimprisonedto the vocational education and training center. This is the third lie made by Zenz in his report. He claimed thatXinjiangs government documents stipulate that those ethnic minority women who violate family planning policieswould be sent to the vocational education and training center. He regarded these official documents asa piece of strong evidenceto prove theauthenticityof Karakax List. Karakax List pointed out that the violations of family planning policies were the most common reason for internment. Ironically, afterlooking through these officialdocuments Zenz listed and quoted in the report, I has not found any evidences to prove Zenzs statement.On the contrary, all the documents emphasized that the family planning work must be carried out in compliance with national laws and local regulations. In the white paper ofVocational Education and Training in Xinjiangpublished by the State Council Information Office, it is clearly stated that,Xinjiangs vocational education and training work aims to prevent the breeding and spread of terrorism and religious extremism, effectively curbing the frequent terrorist incidents and protecting the rights to life, health, and development of the people of all ethnic groupsSee this white paper:http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2019-08/16/content_5421633.htm, accessed on September 2, 2020..The Population and Family Planning Law of the People's Republic of Chinaalso has clearly stipulated about the penalties for the acts violating the law, that is,the illegalchild-bearers will pay social compensation fee. The official website of Xinjiangs government has a detailed policy interpretation on family planning policy in Xinjiang. Itinterprets that, in the casethat residents who are temporarily unable to pay social compensation fee due tofamilieseconomic difficulties, the payment can be deferred or paid in installments. It fully demonstrates that the Chinese government not only obeys the principle of ruling the country by law, but also has the characteristics of humanity during the specific implementation process. Zenzs report, however,deliberately fabricatedthe non-existent connection between the establishment ofvocational education and training center and the illegal activities violating the law of family planning, in an attempt to stigmatize and attack Chinas family planning policies and to negate the achievements of vocational education and training work in anti-terrorism. What is Karakax List, a so-called leak official documentmentioned in Zenzs report? In February 2020, some Western media released a document without any official stamps, claiming that this documentcalled Karakax List recordedthe specificreasons in details whymore than 300 Uyghur residents were detained in vocational education and training center inKarakax county. According to this document, the illegalchildbirth was the primary reason for Uyghur residents being detained.China Dailydida careful investigation and verification aboutKarakax List in this February. This report found thatthe vast majority of the 311 Uyghur residents listedon the Karakax List have been working and living normally in society the whole time, and only very few people, who were affected by religious extremism and committed minor offenses, received vocational education and trainingChinaDaily,Officials: Xinjiang 'name list' terrorist hoaxFebruary 24,2020. Seehttps://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202002/24/WS5e5307e9a3101282172799f1.html, accessed on September 3, 2020.. The Karakax List, as one editorialfromGlobal Timespointed out, was totallyfabricated, and its concurrence reflected the customary tactic used by Western countries to discredit Chinas Xinjiang policyGlobal Times,When will Western media show around Xinjiang end?, February 28, 2020. Seehttps://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnKpsia, accessed on September 3, 2020.. Lie 4: In 2018, at least 80percentof the new surgeriesof IUDplacementsinChinawerepreformedinXinjiang. Figure 2: Screen-shot ofChina Health Statistical Yearbook 2019 Zenz continued making up some sensational conclusions in his report - In 2018, at least 80 percent of the new surgeries of IUD placements in China were preformed in XinjiangZenzs reportp3.. In fact, according toChina Health Statistics Yearbook 2019officially published by the National Health Commission, the number of new surgeries of IUD placement in Xinjiang in 2018 was 328,475, and the number of new surgeries nationwide was 3,774,318 (See Figure 2). It is easily estimated that the number of Xinjiangs newsurgeries of IUD placements accounted for only 8.7% of thenational number.Obviously, the percentage Zenz concluded isfar from the real data. Another evidencealso confirms that Zenzsdata wastotally fabricated. The number of new surgeries of IUD placements in Xinjiang did not showobviousfluctuations from 2015 to 2018,and actually,the number ofnew surgeries of Xinjiangin 2018decreased, compared with 2015See the table Family planning operations in various regions Selected fromChina Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook 2016andChina Health Statistics Yearbook 2019.. Ironically, Zenz claimed that his data sourceswere all from official statistics,yet he was unable to use the officialdata to calculatea right answer that ought to be obtained by avery simple division. Lie 5: The Chinese government has performed compulsory birth control operations on Uyghur women whoonlyhaveonechild,andtheshares of women aged 18 to 49 who were either widowed or in menopause have more than doubled since the onset of the internment campaign in KuqaCounty. In his report, Zenz presented one form that recordingthe situationof IUD checking forwomen by quarterin one District, Payzawat County (see Figure 3),and criticizedthat the localhealth and family planning department conducted excessively frequent inspections on ethnic minority womenZenzs reportp12, 13.. Then, he took this evidenceto prove his findings thatthe Chinese government even took compulsory birth control measures on Uyghur women with only one child. Chin's fertility technical services have insisted the principle of combining state guidance and individual voluntary, and emphasized that all the Chinese citizens have the right to be informed of freely choosing contraceptive methods.The decisions of operating birth control surgeries that Uyghur and other ethnic minority residentsmade is fullybased on their willingnessand full knowledge about the surgeries. In other words,one woman has the right todecide to have herself sterilized after having one child.The sources of the form Zenz providedwere unknownand unidentified, and this formdid not contain any evidence to prove that womens choice to operate IUD placement after having a child is a government-compulsory behavior, not a voluntary behavior. Zenzs conclusion is not the fact but the product of his extrapolation. Figure 3: Quarterly IUD check list for Kumarik District, Payzawat County, directly cited from Zenzs report, p. 13. It should be mentionedhere that the World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly verified the safetyof IUDs. In the website of WHO, IUDs are identified asa safe and effective method of long-term reversible contraception and the most widely used reversible method of contraception in the world today, used by an estimated 100 million womenSee the official website of WHO,https://extranet.who.int/rhl/topics/fertility-regulation/contraception/copper-containing-framed-intrauterine-devices-contraception, accessed on September 3, 2020.. Some relevant medical studies also confirms that it is necessary that women who use the IUDs go to the hospital for regular checkups to ensure its placement is correctSeehttp://www.thepaper.cn/baidu.jsp?contid=1534503, accessed on September 3, 2020.. Free regular gynecological examinations provided by Chinese government have effectively reduced or prevented womensrisk of gynecological diseases. The detection rate of womens gynecological diseases in Xinjiang has dropped from 41.6% in 2010 to 29.9% in 2018Date source: the table of the detection of gynecological diseases inChina Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook2010andChina Health Statistics Yearbook 2019.. It definitely is a great achievement promoted by Chinese government in the protection of women's rights and interests which cannot be discredited. It is even more absurd that another lie made by Zenz without any evidence. Zenz claimed that the shares of women aged 18 to 49 who were either widowed or in menopause have more than doubled since the onset of the internment campaign in Kuqa County, because those womens husbandsdied of internmentor those women who were detained in the vocational educationand trainingcenters had been forced to be injected Depo-Provera, a well-known long-acting reversible hormonal contraceptive injection. Zenzthus censured Chinese government as the culpritwho caused those womens menopause or losingfertilityabilitiesZenzs report, p3, p9.. Scholars and media reporters from many counties have visited the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang since the centers establishment. They have fully appreciated that the centers have fully respected students religious beliefs, spiritual and cultural life. Yet, the so-called evidences Zenzoffering to support his absurd lie were merely his previous article and one table that was quoted from the sixth national population census. This table merely existed inone footnote from Zenzsreport yet cannot be found in the sixth national censuss report. Lie 6: The natural growth rate of the Han population in oneresidentialdistrict in Hotan was nearly 8 times higher than that of the Uyghur population in 2018. Zenz stated thatthe natural growth rate of the Han population in Gulbagh Residential District in Hotan was nearly 8 times higher than that of the Uyghur population in 2018, and claimed that Beijing is doubling down on a policy of Han settler colonialismZenzs reportp3, p9.. The facts again are distorted. First,Zenz did not indicate the source of the data about the natural population growth rate of Gulbagh Residential District, and thus the authenticity of the data source cannot be verified. Second, a variety of factors may cause the significant change of the natural population growth rate of one district. For instances, the birth rate may significantly increase in one district during a short period, if a large number of young people or new couples flood into this district due to some reasons, such as urban renewal or relocation. Third, Zenzs conclusion was invalid as it severelyviolated the basic principle of statistics even if the data is true, the change concurring in one districtespeciallyin a very short period would be inadequate to reflect theoverall change in one county or city. Actually,if we comparing the demographic changes of Han population with that of Uighur population in Hotan from 2017 to 2018, it shows that the number of total Uyghur population in Hotan increased, while that of total Han population decreasedData source: Table 3-7 population by region, state, city, county and by ethnic group in Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2018andXinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2019.. In the essence, Zenzs conclusion aboutHan settler colonialismwas totally a liemade by playing the numbers game. The truth: Reasonable population growth rate and Chinas achievements in protecting women's rights No dark cloud can forever prevent the sun from shining, and truth is the best lie crusher. The natural population growth rate in Xinjiang since 2010 has indeed shown a declining trend, yet this phenomenon is definitely not caused bythe groundless allegationtrumped up by some western governments and scholars that Chinese governmenthas implemented mandatorybirth control on Uyghur residents. On the contrary, this demographic change reflects Chinas long-term efforts and important achievements in promoting policies to protect the rights and interests of women and children in ethnic minority areas. Many sociological and demographicresearcheshave pointed out thatthe variationin population fertilityrate is closely related tomany factors including the changesof social policies, the level of social and economic development, womens fertility willingness, and population migration. In addition, some studiesalso have emphasized that women's fertility willingnessplays in a crucialrole in affecting the change of fertilityrateGuo Zhigang. 2008. China's low fertility and its determinants,Population Research, 32(4),1-12.. Li and Chang, by analyzingthe data collected by the sixth national censusin 2010, foundsome factors affecting the high fertility rate of Uighurs, including relatively backward social and economic development in local community,womensearly marriages, low education, and womens reproductive autonomy restricted by religious beliefsLi Jianxin, and Chang qingling. 2016. Analysis of Marriage and Fertility Status of Xinjiang Uygurconcentrated areas,Northwest Journal of Ethnology, 88: 118-128.. Looking back to the past ten years, we figure out that thefertility rates of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang has decreased. On the one hand, ethnic minority residents in Xinjiang have continued enjoying equal and even more preferential policies of population and family planning. On the other hand, Xinjiang, especially south Xinjiang, has been experiencing a rapid social and economic development, during which Chinese government has taken a series of policies and measures to promote gender equality andto protect womens rights and interests. More and more ethnic minority women have fully enjoyed the right to education and employment and also obtained more autonomy in deciding the fertility issues. It is a close correlation between the decline in fertility rate andgender equality in educationYe Hua, and Wu Xiaogang. 2011. Fertility Decline and the Trend in Educational Gender Inequality in China,Sociological Studies,2011(5): 153-177.. In past ten years,Uyghur women in Xinjiang havefully enjoyed their rights to be educated. In 2018, the enrollment rate of school-age children in all primary schools in Xinjiang has reached 99.91%, a very high ratioSeehttp://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-01/15/c_1123993237.htm, accessed on September 4, 2020.. Increasing young Uyghur womenhave gotten the university degree or above. From 1998to 2018,the number of womenin Xinjiang receiving higher education andits proportion ofthe total populationhas increased significantly. According to China Statistical Yearbook, the proportion of the female population aged 6 and over in Xinjiang with auniversitydegree or above hasraisedfrom 5.07% in 1998 to 17.63% in 2018Data source: Table of population aged 6 and over by sex and education level by region fromChina Statistical Yearbook 1999andChina Statistical Yearbook 2019.. As the level of womens education increases, young Uyghur women have voluntarily postponed their ages of first marriage and childbearing. Munila, a 25-year-old Uyghur girl from Kashgar, is currently studying in Urumqi for pursing her postgraduate degreeInterviewing conducted in July 24, 2020. She has a stable relationship with her boyfriend, yet Munila temporarily has no plan to immediately get married because in her opinion, finding a stable job after graduation school graduates is the priority for her now. In her careful arrangements about the future, the marriage will be considered after she working for one or two years. As for the issue of childbearing, she prefers having one child, and accepts two children on the premise that she and her future husband have the capacity of providing the good living conditions for their children. Compared with her parents, the first marriage age of Munila and her peers has been postponed, however, as Munila told to me, she has not felt any anxiety or pressure on her late marriage from his family. Aynur,who had grewup in a rural village, now isa 32-year-old young mother from Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous PrefectureInterviewing conducted in July 25, 2020. She has two sisters and one brother, and she and her two sisters have obtainedthe bachelors degrees and gotten stable jobs now. Aynur returned to Kizilsu after graduating from graduate school in Xinjiang University, has become a high school teacher. She has been married for three years, having one child andbeing pregnantwith her second baby. Aynur and her husband plan to have two children, as this couple hope that two children would accompany with each other in the future. Aynur now can conveniently receive the regular pregnancy checkups during her pregnancy. She also hadenjoyed legal maternity leave and received maternity allowanceduring she having her first child. The stories of Munila and Aynur vividly reflectthe attitude differences between theUyghuryouth and the generation of their parents towards marriageand childbearing, The young girls concern more about their individual development and occupy more autonomy in choosing their marriage and deciding their future. Additionally, rural women having more employment chances is one of key reasons that Uyghur rural women has changed their fertility willingness. In recent years,some provincesin central andeastern China have actively assisted Xinjiang to promoteits economic development. In Kashgar, the Industrial Park established by Shenzhen city has provided a large number of jobs for local rural women. Many Uyghur and other ethnic minority women who had only stay at home and taken care of housework, have had the chances to go out of villages and work in the factoriesSee this newshttp://kashi.gov.cn/Item/37385.aspx, accessed on September 4, 2020.. Their family income has increased, and their abilities has been improved. The living radiusof Uighur rural womenhas no longer been confined to their families, andwomensself-confidence has also increased.Uyghurrural women through working and studying in factories, they have gradually had a comprehensive understanding of family planing policy, and begun to concern more aboutthe quality of their childrens education, instead of merely pursuing the quantity of bearing children. The cases and stories above fullydemonstratethat the change of Xinjiangs ethnic minority womens fertility willingness is not the result of policy compulsion by government, but is derived from their ownchanging willand attitudeon fertility. This change is the significant achievement of Chinas gender and ethnic equality, achieved by thelong-term measures of protecting womens rights and interests and the policies of minority preferential treatmentthat Chinese government has unremittingly promoted, and also closely related tothe prosperous and stablesocial atmospherein Xinjiang. China, asa responsible major country,strictly complies and abidesbyUniversal Declaration of Human RightsandThe Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Womenand other international conventions adopted by the United Nations. Somewestern countries and research institutions, based ontheir ideological prejudice and deliberate purposes, have concocted various absurd lies and maliciously slandered Chinese government by despicable means of fabricating facts and tampering data. However, we firmly believe thatonce the truth comes closer, the lie will run away. The ethnic equality policies implementedby Chinese government definitely willleadpeople of all ethnic groups in Xinjiangtowards a more prosperous and stablefuture. Several months ago, it seemed as if we were nearing a period of national reckoning on race. Polling showed that a majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, supported many of the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly around reforming policing. Since then, however, the voices for justice and social change have been drowned out by louder and angrier calls for law and order appealing to the racial fears of some Americans. Public officials have an important role in leveraging the resources of their governments to address the underlying causes of this tension and bring their communities together.Accomplishing these won't be easy. Millions of Americans are hurting from the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken nearly 194,000 lives while disproportionately impacting Black and Latino communities. At the same time, we've seen more high-profile instances of police violence against African Americans, including the shooting in Kenosha, Wis., of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the presence of three of his young children, leaving him paralyzed.Adding to the pain and losses has been violence that has erupted at some of the racial-justice demonstrations, often in the provocative presence of armed militia-type counterprotesters. A week after a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., was charged with the murders in Kenosha of two BLM protesters, an antifa supporter in Lacey, Wash., was killed by law enforcement officers who were attempting to arrest him for the killing in Portland, Ore., of a man affiliated with a right-wing group.Those incidents of deadly violence, however, obscure the reality that the BLM protests across the nation have been overwhelmingly peaceful and multiracial (those killed and implicated in the Kenosha and Portland shootings were white). Local officials have done a reasonably good job of trying to protect life and property, but the number of guns on the streets, along with President Trump's insistence on condemning the violence on only one side while refusing to show empathy for the families of the deceased and injured, have only made things worse.Will this exploitation for political purposes of the pain and fear our nation is experiencing work? Some find a glimpse of hope in post-convention polling that shows little change in attitudes among Democratic and Republican voters about their parties' nominees, particularly on who is viewed more favorably for "keeping Americans safe from harm."But it is too early to tell whether we will be able to get back to where we were in the weeks after the killing of George Floyd, when it seemed as if we might be on the precipice of discussing long-needed improvements to race relations. Businesses and organizations were hiring diversity firms to help them develop equity programs, and books on inclusion and antiracism were flying off the shelves. Today much of this has slowed down. The prospects of making progress, or even prioritizing the need to address systemic racism, seem much farther away. Instead, much of the national conversation is being dominated by efforts to whip up fear that the suburbs are going to be overrun by low-income Black and brown citizens.There also as been too much unproductive debate by the far extremes of both the left and the right on whether to completely defund the police. While some on the right have taken to bearing arms as a show of support for the police, a number of high-profile Black mayors and progressive public officials have felt the need to push back on calls to eliminate all police funding. Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka, for example, has described the idea of abolishing the police department as a "bourgeois, liberal" approach that draws attention away from more sensible reforms. New York City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr. has called the movement to defund police "political gentrification." The politicization of law enforcement is dangerous in and of itself, but public officials have the ability to bring us back to more important issues. In addition to working on transforming policing and advancing racial justice, there must be a renewed emphasis on better delivering services in the fields of job training, economic development, affordable housing, public health and education. Given the havoc that the pandemic has wreaked on many state and local budgets, funding for these initiatives will have to come from public officials' willingness to be creative.A good place to start in the search for funding is with some questions: Have the hundreds of millions of dollars that states and local governments have forfeited in tax breaks to attract businesses created jobs and stimulated the economy as advocates promised they would? Do we need to hold on to so much governmental real estate when the coronavirus has shown us that many public services can be delivered efficiently online? Should we keep investing in the militarization of our police departments when the public is crying out for more community oriented policing and justice?Finally, public officials need to do a better job bringing other community leaders to the table to help. The clergy must speak out more about the moral implications of generational poverty and institutionalized racism. Business leaders should do the same, while using their powerful voices, wealth and acumen to help state and local officials figure out the best solutions to solving budgetary issues and how best to govern in a crisis. And the media must do a better job of providing background and context for today's crises.Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Black Lives Matter movement for bringing front and center the historic problem of police brutality. BLM is more than a slogan to many Americans. It is a mandate for major policy changes at all levels of government and in every facet of society. Public officials must heed this call and play a key role.GoverningGoverning Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:15:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Policemen checks an outbound China-Europe freight train at Horgos Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 20, 2020. (Photo by Zhang Jia/Xinhua) BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's virtual meeting with German and European Union (EU) leaders Monday is poised to send a signal of certainty as China and the EU are committed to enhancing communication and cooperation and defending multilateralism and free trade. China and the EU represent two major forces, markets and civilizations. The elevated communication and cooperation between the two sides is crucial to safeguarding world peace, stability and prosperity, especially when the world is entering a period of turbulence and change with the rise of protectionism, unilateralism and bullying. Certain countries and political forces keep playing the blame game, clamoring for "decoupling," and pulling out of international organizations and agreements. What they are doing is sabotaging international cooperation, stoking confrontation between ideologies and social systems, and putting the world in jeopardy. Such moves notwithstanding, peace and development remain the theme of the times. The trend toward a multipolar world remains unchanged, and continuous globalization endures despite twists and turns. It is high time China and the EU should strengthen mutual political trust, promote cooperation and advance relations. Economic and trade interests are the most important common factors in China-EU relations. The EU has been China's largest trading partner for a long time. The two sides have great potential to expand the scale of bilateral trade and investment, advance green development and cooperation on digital economy, and deepen cooperation in combating the COVID-19 outbreak. Such cooperation will not only make the pie of common interests bigger but also help stabilize global industrial and supply chains. China-EU cooperation is mutually beneficial and does not target a third party. A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2020. (Photo by Lyu Bin/Xinhua) It is worth noting that both China and the EU are keen to reach a comprehensive, balanced and high-level investment agreement, which will help resolve some outstanding issues in bilateral economic relations. This requires both sides to meet halfway and exert political influence in the final stage of the negotiations. China has decided to build a new development pattern known as "dual circulation," which takes the domestic market as the mainstay while allowing domestic and foreign markets to boost each other. This is a good opportunity for EU companies to share China's development dividends. Chinese companies are also trying to access the EU market on a more balanced and reciprocal basis, which would eventually benefit the bloc itself. As two major driving forces for peaceful development, China and the EU can also strengthen communication on improving global governance, promote sustainable development, resolve global and regional hotspot issues and jointly safeguard and practice multilateralism. Cooperation is, and will continue to be, the mainstay of China-EU relations despite some false accusations against China in Europe. Medical supplies coming along with the third Chinese medical team are unloaded from the plane at Milan Malpensa Airport in Milan, Italy, March 25, 2020. (Str/Xinhua) History will remember how China-EU relations have withstood tests at critical moments. More than 10 years ago, China offered assistance to an EU suffering from the international financial crisis followed by the European debt crisis. Five years ago, China supported Europe in promoting the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. This year, China and the EU have carried out effective anti-epidemic cooperation amid an unprecedented public health crisis rarely seen in a century. It is time for China and the EU to enhance communication and cooperation, find common ground and resolve differences, to demonstrate to the world that at a time of uncertainty, multilateralism, openness and cooperation will prevail. By Akbar Mammadov Turkeys Parliament Speaker Mustafa Shentop has said that his country is by Azerbaijans side over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also said that Armenian occupation poses a threat not only to Azerbaijan but to the entire region. Shentop made the remark during the meeting with the Azerbaijani delegation headed by the Parliaments Speaker Sahiba Gafarova on September 11. Welcoming the Azerbaijani parliament speaker and members of the delegation, Shentop said that Turkey and Azerbaijan are brotherly countries. They are two states and one nation connected by deep historical roots of friendship and brotherhood for centuries. Azerbaijan's sorrow is our sorrow, Azerbaijan's joy is our joy, Shentop said. In turn, Gafarova said that it was her first foreign visit since her appointment, reminding that there is a tradition between the two countries officials to make their first official foreign visits to the fraternal country. It is very commendable and I am sure that this wonderful tradition between the two fraternal countries will continue," she added. While speaking about the Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, Gafarova stressed that there is no alternative to these relations in the world political system. Our relations are based on the true spirit of brotherhood of our peoples. Today, the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are at the level of strategic partnership, she said. She also brought to the attention of the Turkish colleague that the Azerbaijani parliament and the Turkish Grand National Assembly are the fraternal parliaments following the spirit of relations between our peoples. This brotherhood is observed in the cooperation of the parliaments both on a bilateral basis and within the international organizations. There are interacting friendship groups in our parliaments, Gafarova said. These groups are led by Ahliman Amiraslanov from the Azerbaijani side and Shamil Ayrim from the Turkish side. Shamil Ayrim was awarded the Dostlug Order by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his services in the development of fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Furthermore, Gafarova stressed the importance to expand mutual visits and meetings between the heads of the parliaments and friendship groups as the intensification of contacts between friendship groups makes an important contribution to the further deepening of ties between the two countries. The speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament expressed gratitude to the Turkish politicians and political parties as four parties represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly issued a joint statement on the cross-border provocation committed by Armenia in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district on July 12. Being one nation and two states, our history has a lot in common. Therefore, both countries must build the future to preserve this commonality. Furthermore, Gafarova stressed that President Ilham Aliyevs earlier comments on the Mediterranean crisis voiced while receiving the Greek ambassador in Azerbaijan was the position of Azerbaijani people. She reminded that Azerbaijan and Turkey have very close relations. To date, 249 documents have been signed between the two countries. These documents cover a wide range of spheres beginning from the education sector and ending with energy projects. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, TAP, TANAP projects are important projects not only for our countries but for the entire region. The fact that we are implementing these projects together testifies to our unity, brotherhood, and friendship. I think that we should further expand these relations," she noted. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Were going to continue updating this file with the most important things to know about coronavirus in Connecticut every day: Sept. 18 Deaths take a small jump up Daily confirmed coronavirus cases were down somewhat Friday, with only 141 new confirmed cases statewide (compared to 220 on Thursday). The most notable increase in cases at least in the big cities was Hartford, where there continues to be an increase in the average number of new cases. Deaths from coronavirus, though increased to four statewide in a single day notable, as there was an increase of one on Thursday and two on Wednesday. Are colleges fueling the rise in cases? Sacred Heart University has announced a total of 67 positive coronavirus cases, including 34 new cases in the last seven days. The college is randomly testing students without symptoms, and theyre only testing a small percentage of the student body this far, so its possible that the number of cases will rise precipitously, at Sacred Heart and elsewhere, as more students are tested. CDC reverses course on testing again Back in July, the CDC said tests were not really necessary. Except for rare situations, a test-based strategy is no longer recommended, the agency wrote. At the time, many epidemiologists and public health experts were flummoxed. Then, Friday, the CDC reversed that guidance, saying, Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection. Not many people are comfortable with the idea of a vaccine The number of adults who say they would get a coronavirus vaccine has dropped significantly, according to a poll published by Pew Research Center. Only 51 percent of American adults say they would definitely get vaccinated, with another 30 percent saying they would probably get a vaccine. The probablys have stayed the same, but the number of people who definitely would be vaccinated against the coronavirus was over 70 percent in May. People are concerned that the process is being rushed, according to the survey. Masks and social distancing are working against the flu The CDC said that efforts to combat the coronavirus are working against the flu, too: Following widespread adoption of community mitigation measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the percentage of U.S. respiratory specimens submitted for influenza testing that tested positive decreased from [greater than] 20 percent to 2.3 percent and has remained at historically low interseasonal levels. Sept. 17 Number of new cases increases since yesterday Today the State of Connecticut announced 220 new coronavirus cases, one more death and five more hospitalizations since yesterday. The positivity rate (the percentage of total tests that are positive) is at 1.6 percent, an increase from yesterdays rate of 1.2 percent. Gov. Ned Lamont said during a press conference that it was a troubling trend, though still far lower than the positivity rate in many other states. Intimate partner violence not being reported during the pandemic There is a pandemic within the pandemic, according to a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Calls to hotlines about intimate partner violence dropped 50 percent in some places, and that doesnt mean the violence has stopped. Instead, it suggests that intimate partners are unable or unwilling to reach out because they are trapped with their abusers in isolation and quarantine. COVID-19 transmission rate increases Connecticut's transmission rate has increased to 1.17. This means that every infected individual is expected to pass the virus along to more than one other person, indicating that the virus is spreading. Connecticut has not seen a transmission rate this high since April 1, when it was at 1.16, according to rt.lives model. A number above 1.0 indicates that COVID-19 will spread quickly, anything below signals that infections will slow. Moderna releases new details about its vaccine trial Biotech company Moderna has released details about the vaccine trial going forward. The first analysis of trial data may not be done until late December and those results may not be enough to tell if the vaccine works, according to the document. The next analysis of results will not be until March of 2021. Three-year-olds are now to wear masks at childcare programs Connecticuts Office of Early Childhood announced that soon three-year-olds will be required to wear face masks at childcare programs. The mandate will go into effect starting Sept. 21, as part of a state order. Sept. 16 Coronavirus death rate in CT inches up Connecticut was averaging two coronavirus-related deaths per day, but that number has started to increase. On Sept. 10, the rolling seven-day average was one death per day, but the data showed the average number of deaths per day in Connecticut doubling to two on Sept. 11 and it has remained at an average of two deaths since then. New daily cases up 136 Wednesday the State of Connecticut announced 135 new coronavirus cases, two more deaths and one less hospitalization. The positivity rate (the percentage of total tests that are positive) is at 1.2 percent, a decrease from yesterdays rate of 1.3 percent. Rolling seven-day average of new cases Danburys spike continues as new cases increase slightly each day. Trends show that larger cities are experiencing seeing a small incline in cases, with the exception of New Haven, which has seen a decrease in rolling seven-day average of new cases. New Havens average number of new cases has decreased to 4.86, while Danburys average has increased to 22.14 new cases today. More minority children are dying according to CDC The CDC said this week that, as of July 31, a total of 78 percent of all the kids who have died from coronavirus infections are minorities. As of the end of July, there were 121 coronavirus-associated deaths in the U.S. among people aged younger than 21. Thats not a lot, considering the fact that were nearing 200,000 total deaths from the disease in this country. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/images/COVIDNET-hospitalizations-Age-Race-Ethnicity-SEP5-1200x675s.gif Gov. Lamont has one of the highest COVID-19 approval ratings A 50-state survey rates Gov. Ned Lamont at number four in terms of highest in-state COVID-19 approval ratings. Number one was Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, who got 76 percent approval. Lamont is not trailing far behind with 64 percent approval. Not enough vaccines for the world to resume pre-pandemic life World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan doesnt think there are enough vaccines for the whole world to resume its pre-pandemic life until 2022, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday. World Health Organisation scientists predict the need for social distancing and masks will continue into next year. Sept. 15 There were 136 new cases in a single day The state of Connecticut announced an increase of 136 in the number of positive COVID-19 tests. The positivity rate (the percentage of total tests that are positive) is at 1.3 percent, an increase from yesterdays rate of 1.1 percent but still far below that in other states. Danbury saw the highest daily increase Danbury has been going through what amounts to a mini-spike and though the numbers are small, the trend continues. There was an increase of 16 new cases, day-over-day, in Danbury, with Bridgeport right behind, with a daily increase of 15 new cases. Of the states largest cities, New Haven appears to be in the best shape, with a rolling seven-day average of new cases actually decreasing to 5.43. By contrast, Danburys rolling seven-day average is 21.43 new cases as of today. Vaccine trial restarts amid concerns Development of a vaccine being by drugmaker AstraZenica and the University of Oxford was halted when a patient developed spinal cord damage. That trial has restarted, though officials at NIH have expressed some reservations. "The highest levels of NIH are very concerned," NIH official Dr. Avindra Nath told CNN. "Everyone's hopes are on a vaccine, and if you have a major complication the whole thing could get derailed." New way to treat the virus found? Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh say they have found a new way to treat the coronavirus. They say they have identified the smallest molecule yet that neutralizes the virus. If so, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, it could be a very effective way to treat COVID-19. $100 fine for not wearing a mask Gov. Ned Lamont said yesterday that there would be a $100 fine for not wearing a mask, going forward. Police and public health officials will be allowed to write tickets, though thow that would be enforced has not yet been discussed. The CDC has said restaurants are dangerous The Centers for Disease Control said last week that adults with COVID infections were twice as likely to have been to a restaurant. The study they released did not distinguish between eating outdoors and indoors, so its possible eating outdoors might increase your risk of a COVID infection. Adults with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative SARS-CoV-2 test results, the CDC said, including indoor, patio and outdoor seating. Sept. 14, 2020: There were 569 new cases since Friday Gov. Ned Lamont announced at a Monday press conference 569 confirmed coronavirus cases since Friday. The governor also said that the positivity rate the percentage of total coronavirus tests that are positive is at 1.1 percent. He was careful to put that into context, saying that the positivity rate in other states is significantly higher. The transmission rate in Connecticut is 1.09. The transmission rate (or Rt) in Connecticut, as estimated by the website rt.live, has reached 1.09, the highest its been since April 3. The transmission rate indicates the rate of secondary infections the number of people a single patient is expected to infect. If its below 1, the virus is contained; above 1, it means the virus is spreading. Pfizer said it could distribute a vaccine by the end of the year The CEO of drugmaker Pfizer, Albert Bourla, told CBS Face the Nation that the company expects to give data on vaccine development to the Food and Drug Administration by the end of October. If the FDA gives its approval, Bourla said Pfizer is prepared to distribute hundreds of thousands of doses by the end of the year. Should ethics drive vaccine distribution? A research letter published by a trio of legal and health scholars suggests that ethical concerns should determine who gets a limited number of vaccine doses. Some, they wrote, have suggested a lottery as a fair way to handle it, but they argue that disregards medical necessity and the need to prioritize disadvantaged populations. Google searches may predict COVID outbreaks A study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, showed that Google search trends for gastrointestinal issues might predict coronavirus outbreaks by as much as four weeks. A look at Google Trends showed that there were in fact a higher volume of searches for diarrhea and loss of smell in Connecticut in early March, just as the pandemic was getting up to speed. Afghanistan's Abdullah Warns Government-Taliban Ceasefire Negotiations Will Take Time Sputnik News 11:20 GMT 13.09.2020 DOHA (Sputnik) - The ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha will be lengthy, as a decades-long war cannot be concluded in a matter of days, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said at a press conference on Sunday. "In a day or two, these problems will not be solved, but the first step that people want is a reduction in violence. A long war does not simply end in a few days," Abdullah remarked. Government and Taliban negotiators are aware of the desire of Afghan people for a reduction in violence in the country, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation stated. "The people of Afghanistan want the violence to end as soon as possible, we are talking about it and both sides will discuss it, as per the agenda. The spirit of our team is strong enough to move towards negotiations," Abdullah remarked. Both the government and the insurgent group have expressed a willingness to continue the negotiations, Abdullah stated, adding that the current opportunity to reach peace should not be missed. At the same press conference, Masoom Stanekzai, the ex-chief of the National Directorate of Security who is heading the government's negotiating team, praised the spirit of the talks so far. "There was a positive spirit in the conversation, the atmosphere was very good before going into controversial discussions. If we move forward in this spirit, the result will be good as both sides have a responsibility to end the war," Stanekzai stated. The lead negotiator for the government added that his team's primary responsibility at the talks was to the Afghan people. The landmark peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in Doha on Saturday after both sides successfully completed a prisoner exchange arrangement. The US and the Taliban agreed on a peace deal on February 29, with this agreement intended to pave the way for the immediate commencement of intra-Afghan talks. However, this dialogue was delayed multiple times as both the government in Kabul and the insurgent group disagreed over the prisoner exchange process. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia responded to questions from the public via Sunday Nation. The current accumulated pensions bill is estimated at Sh100 billion annually, and with the pending unprocessed applications and thousands others hitting or nearing retirement age, there is a real possibility of aggregate pensions clocking Sh159 billion in the next two years. What is the governments policy to tame spiralling pensions bill? Could the government consider consolidating all pensions under the Retirements Regulatory Authority? Elly Owiny Kotieno, Kisumu The pension wage bill has continued to increase over the years and is projected to increase to over Sh100 billion in the current financial year, 2020/21. To ensure sustainability of the public service pension wage bill, the government is implementing pension reforms including harmonisation of pension policies for the public service and introduction of a contributory pension scheme for public servants. It is already work in progress. The government has gazetted January 1, 2021 to be the commencement date of the Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS) Act. The employee and employer contribution will be at the rate of 7.5 per cent and 15 per cent of the basic salary respectively. This aims to bring under control the spiralling pension expenditure in the medium and long-term and free more resources for government development projects in other critical sectors of the economy. The PSSS scheme covers teachers, civil servants and disciplined services (police, prison officers and NYS) and any other service that the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury determines as public service for the purposes of the Act. The PSSS, like other Public Retirement Pension Schemes, is under the regulation of the Retirement Benefits Authority. Can we trust the Cabinet that it means well for the country when it is fronting selfish agendas in these difficult times Kenyans are going through? Ann Njoki Njunge, Limuru There are principles of governance that inform the conduct of public servants and these are clearly articulated in various Articles of the Constitution. Chapter Six on Leadership and Integrity prescribes the conduct of State officers and Chapter 9 Article 153 enumerates responsibility and accountability in Cabinet. Chapter 13 Article 232 covers principles and values of Public Service. There are checks to ensure integrity is at the core of conduct of all public officers. The public service one-year internship programme that was started last year has now prepared its first batch of 3,100 inaugural graduates. What plans do you have to absorb them into public service? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi The government maintains a data base of all beneficiaries of the programme and keeps track of their progress. The programme is working amazingly well. Already, some interns have been absorbed by the organisations they were deployed to after proving their competency. Others applied and were competitively appointed for positions advertised by the Public Service Commission, while others have left to pursue careers in the private sector. For those who will not have found substantive positions at the expiry of the internship period, they will be considered competitively alongside other deserving applicants for any Public Service jobs advertised by the Public Service Commission. With only 20 per cent female MPs, Kenya ranks 76th among the top 100 countries, according to the World Classification of Women in National Parliaments, well behind Rwanda and Uganda, where women occupy 56 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. What practical steps have you taken to ensure women are involved in the socio-economic and political spheres? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi In line with our mandate, the ministry has prioritised womens economic empowerment through financial inclusion and capacity building of women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses. This is implemented through three affirmative action funds that target women specifically The Women Enterprise Fund provides accessible and affordable credit and business support services to women entrepreneurs to start or expand business for wealth and employment creation. Second is Uwezo Fund which aims to expand access to finance for the youth, women and persons with disability at the constituency level for businesses and enterprises development. Third is the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) whose objective is to empower vulnerable groups in the society to improve their well-being. The government has also provided to the marginalised women, youth and persons with disabilities opportunity to do business with government through the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities Programme (AGPO). By April 2019, AGPO statistics indicated that tendering had increased to 45,812 tenders being awarded to youth (44 per cent), women (53 per cent) and persons with disabilities (three per cent)-owned enterprises. The impact of these funds has been phenomenal. You recently tabled before the Senate a report on the distribution of senior positions in the national government across all communities. What have you proposed as a way forward in this matter? Dan Murugu, Nakuru Chapter Four Article 43 of our Constitution on economic and social rights enshrines fair treatment to all Kenyans. Recruitment in the Public Service is awake to this provision and is undertaken on the basis of fair competition and merit; representation of Kenyas diverse communities; adequate and equal opportunities to all gender, youth, members of all ethnic groups, persons with disabilities and minorities. Progressively, the provisions of the Constitution will ensure fair inclusivity. Unlike at the Teachers Service Commission, in public service those who graduated recently are absorbed leaving out earlier graduates. I think this is unfair. What is your take? James Njoroge Kimani, Subukia There are guidelines that guide recruitment protocols in every organisation. In the Public Service, the factor of year of completion of candidates is considered alongside other factors stipulated in the Constitution and relevant legislation. Recruitment in the Public Service is undertaken on the basis of fair competition and merit; representation of Kenyas diverse communities; adequate and equal opportunities to all gender, youth, members of all ethnic groups, persons with disabilities and minorities. Given the higher retirement age for judges and professors at public universities, why is the same not extended to some cadres in the mainstream civil service? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi Different occupations have varied physical, mental and emotional demands on the job holders and thereby necessitate the setting of varying retirement ages. There are management considerations as well. Some job descriptions are extremely specialised and require extensive training and experience that the public service is keen to use to the full benefit of the country. Such personnel may be requested to continue serving for longer than usual. Increasing the mandatory retirement age would also pose succession management challenges in the Public Service. On several occasions, a bill to entrench the two-thirds gender requirement has been brought to Parliament and defeated. What has been manifestly wrong with the bills? Francis Njuguna, Kibichoi The not more than two-thirds provision of the Constitution has contributed to a steady rise of women occupying various decision-making positions. There are more women in Parliament and county assemblies. For example, following the 2017 General Election, women accounted for 33 per cent. From the year 2009, women ministers were only three out of 20 compared to seven women Cabinet secretaries out of 21 in 2020, translating to 33 per cent. There has been remarkable progress within the Judiciary, where women comprise 28.6 per cent in Supreme Court; 36.8 per cent in Court of Appeal; 48.8 per cent in the High Court; and 53.5 per cent of magistrates. Also significant is that women are occupying strategic dockets given that for the first time in Kenyas history we have the first female Auditor General while the positions of Budget Comptroller, Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Salaries and Revenue Commission are headed by women. Within Parliament, women are also heading important portfolios such as the National Assembly Finance Committee, among others. Whereas we have not achieved the desired number of women in Parliament, we should continue to work towards the realisation of the not more than two-thirds gender rule considering women comprise 50.5 per cent of the population. Last year, your ministry and that of the Treasury launched a Rapid Result Initiative on the processing and payments of retired officers. My file was forwarded to the Treasury on October 3, 2019, to date I have not been paid. What could be the issue? Kaburu J. Mbogori The delay may be due to the manual nature of the process but it is now ready for payment. Numerous surveys have continued to portray a public service which holds tax-payers in contempt through corruption, delays, absenteeism, arrogance or all sorts of discrimination. What is your take on this and what legacy would you wish to leave in your ministry? Komen Moris, Eldoret The public service in Kenya has served the country well, providing all the human resource needed for socio-economic development since independence. Indeed, Kenya public service is a successful global winner in innovative service delivery and provides benchmarks for best practice for governments in this region, including Southern African countries. Despite these successes, the service, being a bureaucratic system, has over the years experienced difficulties in service delivery, especially due to long processes and the manual nature of the same. Recognising this, the government in 2003 embarked on key reforms and introduced Results Based Management in the service. These reforms aimed at transforming the service and making it citizen-centric, responsive, efficient and effective. The reforms have continued over the years and ongoing reforms include performance management system; strengthening of the service through succession management, staff redistribution, rationalisation of staff establishment, entry level recruitment, and promotion of competent and qualified staff. We are currently developing a masterplan on rare and critical skills in the public service and introducing uniform norms and standards to ensure consistency and harmony across the public service. Internally, we are enhancing staff welfare through provision of Civil Servants Medical Scheme, introduction of a Group Life Policy, Contributory Pension to enhance retirement benefits. To make the public services more accessible to citizens, the government has instituted service digitisation across the functional areas in the public service. Of note, is the establishment of the Huduma Kenya Programme. This is a one-stop shop for highly sought public services. Currently, Huduma has on boarded about 112 services in all the 52 centres across the republic. We have seen some international lenders like the International Finance Corporation (IFC) providing millions of dollars to financial institutions to lend to SMEs. Unfortunately, Kenyas banking sector still requires collateral in the form of title deeds to advance credit, yet our youth and women do not have such collateral. What is your ministry doing to ensure that youth and women are not discriminated by these financial institutions when seeking post Covid-19 recovery support? Elisha N Oduor, Nairobi Kenya is working on a comprehensive strategy to boost recovery of women and youth-led businesses that have suffered disruptions linked to Covid-19 pandemic. The government has developed an inventory of female and youth-owned enterprises that have suffered due to the pandemic, to facilitate their bailout. The women and youth led businesses will benefit from a stimulus package launched by the government in April to bailout local start-ups affected by the pandemic. This is being done through semi-autonomous government agencies within the ministry, namely; Women Enterprise Fund, Uwezo Fund and National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) The government is also working on a bailout strategy with financial institutions such as IFC to restore the SMEs to profitability. Youth and women-owned enterprises will benefit from LPO financing from commercial banks that have received credit from IFC. The government will also engage the financial institutions to see ways of relaxing the issue of collaterals to youth, women and PLWDs-owned enterprises. By sending Nong Rong, a Chinese politician with close links to United Front Works Department (UFWD), as ambassador to Pakistan, Beijing is making an all out bid to influence South Asia in support of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and divide critics of the Xi Jinping regime. Ambassador Nong replaces career diplomat Yao Jing in Islamabad this week. A study of Chinese ambassadors posted in South Asia shows that Beijings present representative to Bangladesh Li Jiming and former Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan had links with the UFWD. This organisation, in which President Xi Jinping served for many years, is mandated with psychological operations with the task of influencing political, economic and intellectuals in other countries and the objective of systematic penetration into systems of targeted country. Even the Chinese ambassador in Nepal Hou Yonqi is an Asian affairs expert with an PLA intelligence background as she was Director, Department of External Security Affairs in 2012-2013. Fluent in Urdu, Ambassador Hou has been tasked by Beijing to keep the communist movement in Nepal together and not split between Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and party president Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prachanda. Clearly the task of Chinas ambassadors to South Asia is to push the BRI and aggressively undermine the Indian civilisational influence. The benign sounding UFWD is a unique organisation that has been formed to create a critical mass of support for the Communist Party of China (CPC) among non-communists. It has a domestic and international wing. Domestically its role is to build sympathisers among people who are not part of the 86 million strong CPC. For instance, ethnic minorities, religious groups within China especially in border provinces and regions have been its prime targets. In an attempt to foster CPC hegemony inside the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the UFWD has been tasked to build critical social support in Xinjiang, using soft power. Consequently, UFWD has been extremely active among the ethnic Uyghur community, with the objective of Sinicizing Xinjiang. Similarly, the UFWD has been very active among the Tibetan Buddhist community in Tibet. In fact, the UFWD has been openly activated after Xi Jinpings latest ruling on Sinicizing Tibet, to foster greater social integration in China, to support the One-China principle. The UFWD was a key institution promoted by Mao, following the lead of the Soviet Union, where the concept of the UF was first floated during the Russian revolution by Lenin. The organization was revived by new paramount leader Xi Jinping in 2014. The UFWD always has played an important external role, focusing mainly on co-opting Overseas Chinese (OC) who are non- communists. In the 1980s, for instance, UF outreach was purposed toward attracting foreign investment and economic aid from OC businessmen and entrepreneurs, a strategy that was especially successful with those who still retained familial and ancestral ties with coastal provinces that had established Special Economic Zones which included coastal provinces such as GuangdongFujian and Zhejiang. But important influencers have also been tapped among foreigners. During Xis time, the overseas wing of the UFWD has been extremely active to create support for BRI initiatives , including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Gulf Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as countries in Central and Eastern Europe which have been identified as Chinas bridgeheads to promote BRI. The modus operandi of UFWD is to target opinion makers and try to co-opt them to support Chinas cause. Internally, the UFWD focuses on Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference ( CPPCC), a Maoist era advisory body that is now a permanent fixture of the Chinese political system. The CPPCCs political significance lies in the way it enables the Party-state to co-opt non-CPC elites, especially as two-thirds of its membersmany of whom are co-opted religious, business, and artistic elites, among others - are not members of the Party. The UFWD is at the forefront for inviting opinion makers across generations in target countries by promoting fully funded academic conferences, media conferences and media trips, ang offering generous belt and road initiative scholarship especially in key developing countries in South Asia, poor ASEAN countries and Africa. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dubbing the SAD chief's sudden U-turn on the farm ordinances as a cheap gimmick to hoodwink the farming community, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday dared Sukhbir Singh Badal, to quit the BJP-led Centre to prove his party's sincerity in the matter. As per a press release from the Chief Minister's Office, on Sunday slammed the SAD president over his party's brazen double standards on the issue and asked if the Akali leader was ready to vote against the Ordinances in Parliament as and when the central government puts them to vote. "Pointing out that, as a member of the ruling alliance at the Centre, the SAD was party to the Ordinances and had supported them unconditionally, the Chief Minister slammed Sukhbir over his party's brazen double standards on the issue and asked if the Akali leader was ready to vote against the Ordinances in Parliament as and when the central government puts them to vote," the statement said. According to the statement, the Chief Minister recalled Sukhbir's assertion that the central government had assured SAD that there would be no tinkering of the MSP. "It is more than obvious now that the SAD president had lied then in a deliberate bid to mislead the Given his track record, nothing that Sukhbir was saying now on the issue could be believed or trusted in," the statement quoted the chief minister. The Chief Minister also pointed to the SAD's stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act and the Register of Citizens, among other major issues concerning the state, asking what they were doing when the Ordinances were being brought in and why they did not object then. "The SAD's sudden decision to urge the Centre 'not to rush through the Ordinances' reflected their desperation to get back into the good books of the farmers' unions/organisations with an eye on the Assembly elections, which were just about 18 months away. After compromising the interests of the so brazenly, the Akalis were now trying to cover up their catastrophic blunder with their latest tactic," the statement quoted the Chief Minister. As per the statement, the Chief Minister also ridiculed the SAD's decision to send a delegation led by Sukhbir to meet the central government to discuss the concern of the "The SAD's claims of being ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard the interests of the farmers were completely humbug. Sukhbir should stop trying to befool the people of with his dirty games," the Chief Minister was quoted in the statement. It further quoted, "Your wife is a union minister. Has she, even once, spoken for the farmers in the cabinet? On the contrary, the presence of the Akalis in the union cabinet had ensured that the Congress-ruled Punjab continues to get stepmotherly treatment from the central government. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thiruvananthapuram: In an unprecedented move on Friday, KT Jaleel, a first-time minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in Kerala, was grilled by the Enforcement Directorate for about three hours regarding allegations of his links to the gold smuggling via the diplomatic channel in Thiruvananthapuram Airport. However, the central, as well as the state leadership of CPM, stood behind the three-time independent MLA backed by the party. Hence the opposition was quick to question why the party was giving Jaleel more immunity than senior leader EP Jayarajan, NCP leaders AK Saseendran and Thomas Chandy. This was in reference to the resignations by the leaders from the Cabinet while they faced allegations. Jayarajan, a Central Committee member, had to stand outside the cabinet after being shamed over alleging nepotism. Then why is the chief minister shielding Jaleel? " asked K Surendran, State BJP President. When compared to Jaleel, those allegations could be considered insignificant, said K Muraleedharan, Congress MP. Reason Behind CPMs Stand The CPM central leadership conveyed the message to the state secretariat that Jaleel need not be asked to resign as that could damage the image of the government at a time when the party is preparing for an assembly election and local body elections. The elections are expected to take place after six months. Who is Jaleel? He is the Minister for Higher Education, Welfare of Minorities, Wakf and Hajj in the Pinarayi Vijayan led LDF ministry. He was a firebrand leader of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) leader as a student and a chairman of the PSMO College, Thirurangadi Malappuram where he did his graduation and Post Graduation. He later joined the Muslim League and became state president of its Youth Wing, Muslim Youth League. He has a PhD on the topic Role of Variyam Kunjahammed haji and Ali Musliyar in the Malabar Rebellion of 1921 and is Associate Professor of History in his alma mater. His popularity reached outside the Muslim League circles as a party youth leader after his fight with Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikkitty in 2004 over the alleged lack of transparency and misuse of tsunami funds. Following the rebellion, he was ousted from the league in 2005 and the CPM, in a shrewd move, placed him as an independent backed by the party in the 2006 assembly elections. The anti-corruption image of the young leader helped LDF in a big way and it could bag five out of the total 12 seats in the district, which was unimaginable in the Muslim League forte till then. After trouncing Kunhalikkutty in one of the biggest electoral sabotages in state political history, Jaleel turned out to be one of the poster boys of the secular forces in the state. Odd Man in The presence of Jaleel as one of the five to accompany Pinarayi Vijayan then CPM state secretary during his Nava Kerala Yatra, a state tour in 2009 to rev up the party machinery irked many as they found him as a misfit in the team especially for his former SIMI links. He was not even a primary member of the party, while others in the escort were party central committee members A Vijayaraghavan and E P Jayarajan, and state committee members M V Govindan and T N Seema. In Pinaryi Cabinet With the clean image, scholarly speeches and erudite manners, Jaleel continued to repeat the victory in 2011 and 2016. The induction of Jaleel in the Pinarayi cabinet in 2016 was not a big surprise, even though he is not a party member. He was given the portfolio of Local Administration, one of the focus areas of the CPM. However, his portfolio was changed in 2018 and he was given the charge Higher Education after bifurcating the education department, which was a first in the state. Controversies History repeated as Jaleel came under fire after being accused of nepotism by Muslim Youth League leader PK Firoz over the appointment of KT Adeeb, the ministers cousin, as the general manager of Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation Limited (KSMDFC). Then came the mark gifting controversy as it is alleged one more mark was granted to the B Tech student on the directions of the ministers personal secretary. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala recently claimed the minister intervened in helping a candidate pass an examination conducted by the University. In July 2020, Jaleel was accused of links to gold smuggling racket which used former UAE consulate staffer to smuggle 30KG gold from UAE to India. Jaleel denied any involvement, saying that the contact with Swapna Suresh, one of the key accused in the case, was regarding a charity work suggested by the UAE Consulate General in Thiruvananthapuram. I am not guilty and is ready to face the probe," he said after allegations were raised against him. On September 11, ED questioned Jaleel from 9:30 am. It lasted for nearly six hours. The agency asked him over the import of Quran boxes from the UAE using the diplomatic baggage route, his connections with the UAE consulate general and Swapna Suresh. After denying the information on meeting ED to the media, Jaleel posted on Facebook, Only truth will prevail. Nothing, but the truth. Even if the whole world is against you, nothing else would prevail,. The minister was tight-lipped till News 18 broke the news and the opposition parties, Congress and the BJP took to the streets of Kerala demanding the resignation of the cabinet minister. He travelled 329 kilometres from his personal residence "Gazal in Valanchery in Malappuram braving violent protests including waving black flags and throwing eggs at his cavalcade by Opposition parties at various spots to reach Ganga, his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:07:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli court sentenced on Monday a Jewish settler who burned to death a Palestinian family in 2015 to three life sentences in jail. The Central District Court in Lod, outside Tel Aviv, handed down right-wing extremist Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, a life sentence for every family member he killed, 18-month-old baby Ali Dawabshe, the baby's mother Riham, and father Saad. The judges wrote in their decision, a copy of which was seen by Xinhua, that Ben-Uliel's actions "were meticulously planned, and stemmed from the extremist ideology and racism." The punishment was "close to the maximum penalty prescribed by the law," the judges said. Local Israeli media reported that Ben-Uliel's wife Orian said their family plans to appeal Israel's Supreme Court against the sentence. "The judges didn't seek justice or truth. They decided to incriminate my husband at any price," she told reporters outside the courtroom. The sentence came after Ben-Uliel was found guilty of murder the toddler and his parents by firebombing their home in the West Bank village of Duma. The baby's four-year-old brother survived but sustained serious injuries. Enditem Teachers in Sharon are expected to rally Monday afternoon after claiming working conditions in school buildings are hazardous ahead of the districts planned reopening later this week amid the coronavirus pandemic, news outlets reported. The Norfolk County towns five public schools are scheduled to open Wednesday with remote learning. In-person instruction will resume Thursday, and a combination of the two teaching models will stay in place for the next few months. To highlight educators' fears about students returning to classes this week, members of the Sharon Teachers Association will demonstrate at 3:15 p.m. outside of Sharon Town Hall, NBC Boston reported. The demonstration comes after weeks of disagreement between the teachers union and the Sharon School Committee. In August, the STA was negotiating a reopening plan with the district and voted to start the academic year with remote learning, citing concerns with a lack of health and safety protocols to protect students and educators. The union claimed school administrators were ignoring the concerns of teachers when drawing up reopening plans. Teachers refused to work in their classrooms earlier this summer during professional development days, noting there were safety concerns surrounding the air quality in buildings, according to NBC Boston. The STA later reached an agreement with the towns school committee after a hearing with the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board regarding a petition that officials filed to have the work stoppage be declared an illegal strike, the news outlet reported. The state labor board ruled last week that another teachers strike in Andover over alleged unsafe working conditions during the COVID-19 public health crisis was illegal. Leaders and other members of the Andover Education Association were ordered by the board to immediately cease and desist from engaging in any strike, work stoppage, slowdown or other withholding of services. Sharon educators agreed on Sept. 10 to return to their classrooms and comply with the districts hybrid teaching model of in-person and remote instruction, according to another report from NBC Boston. However, the STA claimed school buildings remain unsafe work areas and should not yet be used for hybrid learning. In a statement to NBC Boston, the union cited concerns about disassembled radiator units and dirty work areas as well as missing air filters and clear dividers. Much of the work that the district committed to doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 remains incomplete, the statement said. Related Content: Albuquerques small businesses are evolving to be the fittest and most adaptable in the country amid the restrictions of the COVID-19 health pandemic. From broadening their business models to digitizing operations and creating more buying options for consumers, Albuquerques innovative small business community is showing the nation that Albuquerque is a solution-driven city of resilience, innovation and economic stability. San Francisco-based mobile payment company Square recently recognized Albuquerque in its 2020 Rise of eCommerce Report. The study highlighted 50 cities that saw the largest increase in merchants adopting an online presence after the outbreak of COVID-19. Albuquerque led the pack, with eight times more merchants conducting e-commerce. Put another way, adoption of online sales was up 800% during the study months of March and April, when compared to the first two months of the year, said David Rusenko, Squares general manager of e-commerce. That number could be even greater since some shops moving online may not use Square and therefore were not included in the tally. Albuquerque was followed by Durham, North Carolina, and Portland, Oregon, in the top 50 ranking. Other ranked cities include Seattle, Kansas City and San Francisco. Given Squares global experience with retail and restaurant operations over the last decade, Rusenko said the company feels confident the research reflects more than just a sales metric. It represents resilience, Rusenko said. It shows that the Albuquerque business community exhibits significant nimbleness and resourcefulness when forced to adapt to new situations. When faced with the challenge (of the economic crisis), Albuquerque was the city where businesses stepped up to the challenge and did so at the highest rate, more so than any other city. People just didnt roll over. Mayor Tim Keller and the city of Albuquerque Economic Development Department leapt to action to support small businesses in March as COVID-19 began to majorly impact the operations of small businesses. EDD immediately developed and deployed the Micro-Business Relief Program, providing a diverse array of 150 qualifying micro-businesses with working capital grants of $5,000 each. Also, utilizing $200,000 in funding provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the city has been making grants available to restaurants, breweries and food trucks to support the set-up and operation of outdoor dining options, and it waived permitting and inspection fees for building out patios. Native- and woman-owned Bow and Arrow Brewing Co. resumed serving on its patio over the summer, but the Albuquerque brewery now also sells beer and merchandise online to supplement its more limited on-site business. President and CEO Shyla Sheppard said the brewery expanded to an e-commerce platform at the onset of COVID-19. The decision has helped to keep them afloat. COVID has been the impetus for us to get on it and make some decisions in a few key areas, leveraging technology, Sheppard said, adding that Bow and Arrow is now getting orders from all over the country. We saw returns on it almost immediately, so that was huge, just knowing people were willing to adopt this new way of transacting. Technology has helped manage the (economic and health) risk. Retailers and restaurants that are using the pandemic as an opportunity to expand beyond their traditional business models are likely to come out of the crisis more competitive. Upgrading to an online presence doesnt mean eliminating brick-and-mortar operations; it supplements a brick-and-mortar and gives customers more options and more flexibility at a time of uncertainty, Rusenko said. While the economic impact of the pandemic has been dire, both the city of Albuquerque and small businesses have responded with unprecedented swiftness and agility, investing in their future and ensuring Albuquerques Main Street economy remains open today and tomorrow. Keller emphasizes the public can continue to help, too, by purchasing gift cards, buying merchandise online, dining at or ordering takeout from local businesses, sourcing groceries locally and tipping more than usual. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:58:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARBIN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province saw its exports grow 6.3 percent year on year to 20.55 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of this year, local customs authorities said. The province's total foreign trade, however, declined 15.5 percent year on year to 91.76 billion yuan during the period with imports falling 20.2 percent to 71.21 billion yuan, according to Harbin Customs. Heilongjiang's foreign trade with Russia dropped 21.8 percent year on year to 57.71 billion yuan, accounting for 62.9 percent of its total trade volume. The Heilongjiang pilot free trade zone (FTZ) contributed 11.6 percent or 10.6 billion yuan of the total trade. A total of 491 enterprises have been registered in the FTZ since its establishment one year ago. Enditem A sheriff's deputy in Georgia was fired Sunday after videos posted to social media showed him repeatedly striking a Black man who was pinned to the ground. The Clayton County Sheriff's Office said the deputy, who is white, was fired for excessive use of force in the encounter Friday with Roderick Walker, 26. A criminal investigation was being turned over to the Clayton County district attorney's office, the sheriff's office said in a statement. An attorney for Walker, Shean Williams, said Saturday that Walker was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for having a broken taillight. When a deputy asked for his identification, he refused "like every American citizen has the right to do," Williams said. "Why are you asking for my ID?" Williams quoted Walker saying. "I'm not driving, and I haven't done anything wrong." After authorities told Walker to get out of the car, Williams said, the deputies "attacked" him. IMAGE: Roderick Walker (AP) At least two videos show the confrontation from different angles. In one, an officer is heard saying Walker is biting his hand. In the same video, deputies pin Walker down and appear to have him in a hold around his neck. Walker can be heard saying "I can't breathe" while appearing to gasp for air. A woman can be heard screaming: "No! Don't kill him! He said he can't breathe!" The deputies are still on top of the man for several seconds after the woman's plea. When the deputies get off him, he is bleeding from his nose and appears to have lost consciousness. Williams said Walker went unconscious twice. At least one child can he heard screaming in the background. The deputies are then seen rolling Walker onto his stomach and handcuffing him. The video ends with a third deputy asking the woman to get into a car. Another video shot from afar shows a boy inside a car parked next to the scene, yelling, "Daddy! Daddy!" The same video shows a deputy punching the man while he is pinned down. Story continues There does not appear to be any video indicating what led up to the incident, and it was unclear how the interaction became violent. Authorities have not said why the car was pulled over. The Clayton County Sheriff's Office said in the statement that Walker received medical treatment, including X-rays, and that no fractures were found. A photo released by his attorneys showed him with a swollen eye. Jail records show that Walker was arrested on suspicion of obstructing or hindering an officer and battery, which Williams said should be dropped. The sheriff's office said Sunday that Walker would have been released on his own recognizance but that he was being held on an outstanding felony probation warrant for cruelty to children and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as well as another warrant for failure to appear. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts Williams, the sheriff's office and the Southern States Police Benevolent Association did not respond to requests for comment Sunday. The arrest comes after months of protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor, the death of George Floyd in police custody and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Referring to those cases, Gerald Griggs of the NAACP in Atlanta said Saturday that he and others are demanding that Walker be released but that they could be mourning his life. "We've seen this happen on too many occasions, and we're just tired of it," he said. The 2020 Campaign Manager for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Joshua Alabi has charged the youth to speak up on the Agyapa Royalties deal. According to him, the deal has dire implications on the countrys future hence the youth must reject it, If you keep quiet and it gets to your time, there will no money for you to run this country, he said. Speaking to Accra based radio station, Citi FM, Mr Alabi stressed that NDCs decision to reject the deal is in the interest of the youth of the country. Prior to approving the Agyapa Royalties transaction, Parliament in 2018 passed the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act 2018 which establishes the Fund to manage the equity interests of Ghana in mining companies and receive royalties on behalf of the government. The sole purpose of the fund is to manage and invest these royalties and revenue from equities for higher returns for the benefit of the country and government through the MIIF. In exchange for that, the Agyapa Royalties Limited aims to raise between US$500 million and US$750 million for the Government on the Ghana and London Stock exchanges intended for development projects. Some civil society groups have, however, asked the government to suspend the establishment of the SPV until all documents relating to its establishment and its owners have been disclosed. They said the opaque manner in which the policy was being implemented, including the relatively weak transparency and public oversight arrangements, and the haste with which the government was running to the market, in spite of the concerns raised by a broad spectrum of the people, and did not engender public trust and consensus building on the matter. This approach rather raises moral and governance questions. The assumption that once everything goes through Parliament it is above board and represents the interest of all Ghanaians is deceptive and turns democracy on its head. It makes the elected the only relevant stakeholders in policy making, they stated. Stressing on the NDCs position on the deal, Mr. Alabi said it stinks and insisted his party will reject the deal agreement when voted into power. UBA Loans When we win we will not respect that one. And we will not respect that one to protect people like you (youth) so that when it gets to your turn to run the country, it will be easier for you, he stressed. You should be interested in that particular deal. That deal stinks and that is why apart from the government almost everybody is talking about it. But because they have power, they are trying to push it through you. My President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama says when he wins he will not respect that deal because we disagree with it. You push it through Parliament because you have the majority fine, but apart from the minority in parliament, almost everyone is talking about it. We are still pushing it, 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 They call it the invisible enemy, but President Donald Trump tried to turn the novel coronavirus into the irrelevant enemy. In an explosive revelation in the new book Rage, Trump tells journalist Bob Woodward that he downplayed the gravity of the pandemic, saying he wanted to spare the country from panicking. The book is based on 18 interviews with the president. You just breathe the air, and thats how its passed, Trump told Woodward during a Feb. 7 phone interview. And so thats a tricky one. ... Its also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. As it turned out, Trump swapped panic for complacency, a trade-off that may have been more damaging to the country, with countless Americans feeling fearless in the face of a fearsome menace. The death toll in the United States is pushing 200,000, and we are left to wonder if lives might have been saved if the coronavirus had been taken more seriously. If you saw any of the coronavirus briefings, you know the president downplayed its severity. What makes Rage so revelatory and disturbing is the president knew the virus was catastrophic. The intel was undeniable. Robert OBrien, his national security adviser, told him it would be the biggest national security threat of his presidency. That was back in January. But what the president knew, and what the president told the public, were shockingly different. Undeterred by the truth, the president offered alternative facts, saying the virus was no more perilous than the flu. But he went further. On Feb. 10, he said, You know a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat as the heat comes in. The president, however, did not just dismiss the threat; he defied it. I wanted to always play it down, Trump told Woodward on March 19. I still like playing it down, because I dont want to create a panic. Despite knowing the virus was airborne, he encouraged Americans to spurn face masks, often mocking those who wore them, including Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. We witnessed this at his rally in Tulsa, Okla. The event attracted about 6,000 supporters, according to fire officials. They were enthusiastic and often maskless. Three weeks later, Oklahomans learned the consequence of that complacency. State health officials reported 687 new COVID-19 cases, the second-highest increase since the onset of the virus. The 70-day average during that period was almost six times the average in early April, according to news channel KOCO 5 in Oklahoma City. We want to show confidence, we want to show strength, Trump told reporters, defending his decision to downplay the virus. Real strength lies in confronting crises, not minimizing them. Picture Winston Churchill during World War II, George W. Bush immediately after 9/11. They recognized the greatest ally in any crisis is knowledge, which helps us navigate the turbulent waters of the unknown. Trump did not give us facts; he gave us lies or, for the charitable among us, misinformation. We believe Woodward should have released these interviews in March because it would have better informed the public about the dangers of COVID-19 and helped settle so much of the early uncertainty. Nevertheless, the information is released now, and he did something smart with this book: He taped his conversations with the president. Hearing the comments gives them greater resonance, greater clarity and provides certainty in an age when facts are manipulated. Because of those tapes, Trump cannot call the book a hoax. He did the next worst thing, though; he called it a hit job. If it was, it shows the remarkable hubris of the president; after all, he was a willing participant in the hit. Britain's testing fiasco is hindering the ability of the NHS to resume normal services, hospital leaders warned today. Doctors and nurses are having to leave the frontline to self-isolate because they or family members cannot book a test. NHS Providers says that if the shortage is not addressed soon it will wreak havoc for hospitals as virus cases continue to escalate. It came as an investigation by the LBC radio station yesterday found there were no test bookings available at any of the country's ten coronavirus hotspots including Bolton, Salford, Bradford and Manchester. But Priti Patel denied that tests were unavailable in the country's worst-hit areas. The Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast today that she has seen with her own eyes that swabs are available in towns hit by local lockdown rules. In another humiliating blow to the testing system, head teachers have warned that schools which were closed for months because of the pandemic will 'grind to a halt' if teachers can't get tested quickly. And care home bosses have criticised ministers for failing to deliver on their promise to prioritise testing in the vulnerable sector ahead of the winter, amid fears it could be ravaged by a second wave of Covid-19. The testing shortage which minister fear will last for weeks has come days after Downing Street committed to 'Operation Moonshot', an ambitious plan to eventually carry out 10million tests a day to track the virus in real time. Matt Hancock has repeatedly spoken of 'ramping up' testing capacity and boasted that Britain now does more swab tests than many of its neighbours. But the system seems to be cracking under the pressure of carrying out the approximately 200,000 swabs per day before 'Moonshot' has even begun. Ministers are now reportedly drawing up plans to restrict tests. Health chiefs have blamed the problems on a 'critical pinch point' in labs that process the tests due to a sudden spike in demand. This has led to patients being told to travel 500 miles or more across England because there are no tests available nearby. Other bosses say a shortage of staff is to blame for the fiasco, which has seen swabs flown to Germany to be analysed. Laboratories are now desperately hunting 400 technicians to fix the problem and have admitted they will accept 'recent graduates'. Oxford University's Sir John Bell, who has been overseeing Number 10's antibody test programme and advising ministers, believes the fiasco has been caused by a 'second wave' of Covid-19 had led to a surge in demand for tests. In other coronavirus developments in Britain today: A major report warned Britain is facing a 'looming addiction crisis' with the number of people now classed as drinking at high risk levels having doubled to almost 8.5million since February; The coronavirus 'Rule of Six' descended into farce as Britons ignored the new restrictions, amid warnings that pubs could face a 9pm curfew if the level of infections keep rising; Fears over a wave of coronavirus redundancies were fueled as figures showed the unemployment rate rose from 3.9 per cent to 4.1 per cent in the quarter to July with nearly 700,000 payroll jobs gone since March. An investigation by the LBC radio station yesterday found there were no test bookings available at any of the country's ten coronavirus hotspots including Bolton, Salford, Bradford and Manchester NO TESTS AVAILABLE 'IN 10 OF ENGLAND'S COVID-19 HOTSPOTS' No walk-in, drive-in or postal coronavirus tests are available for people with symptoms of the disease in England's 10 outbreak hotspots, it was claimed yesterday. Swabs are not available in Bolton, which is fighting the largest outbreak of the virus in the country with an infection rate of 122 cases for every 100,000 people. The Government website where testing slots are booked also shows there are no tests available in Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester, according to LBC radio. When postcodes in each area are put into the testing system it allegedly comes up with the message: 'This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later.' The leader of the council in Bolton, which has Britain's highest infection rate, said there were 'major flaws' with the online booking system and that it was out of the council's control because the Government runs it. He said the issue was 'unacceptable'. Advertisement Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon piled pressure on the Government yesterday by claiming the backlog was also affecting Scottish patients. Test results are processed in one of seven Lighthouse Labs across the country in areas including Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, Loughborough in Leicestershire, Cambridge and Glasgow. Miss Sturgeon is concerned that the backlog in England is having a knock-on effect in the Glasgow lab, leading to delays in Scotland. She said yesterday: 'We've been raising these concerns with the UK Government.' A senior government source last night dismissed her claims as 'wrong', adding: 'It is disappointing the First Minister has decided to play politics with the pandemic. 'We have been working with the Scottish government through the weekend to ensure they have the support on testing they need. The First Minister should get her own house in order before blaming others.' But in an intervention today, NHS Providers which represents hospital trusts warns that the backlog is hitting the health service's ability to get back to normal. Chief executive Chris Hopson said: 'It's clear there are capacity problems with the testing regime. 'Trust leaders from Bristol, Leeds and London have all raised concerns about the lack of testing availability, leading to greater levels of staff absence. 'NHS trusts are working in the dark they don't know why these shortages are occurring, how long they are likely to last, how geographically widespread they are likely to be and what priority will be given to healthcare workers and their families in accessing scarce tests.' Yesterday it was revealed that swabs are not available in Bolton, which is fighting the largest outbreak of the virus in the country with an infection rate of 122 cases for every 100,000 people. The Government website where testing slots are booked also shows there are no tests available in Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester, according to LBC radio. Coronavirus tests are currently unavailable in the ten centres of the UK's coronavirus outbreak, reports LBC. Pictured above is a testing centre in Bolton, northern England Those trying to get tests in the ten UK hotspots are being greeted with this message NEARLY 500,000 PATIENTS HAVE BEEN WAITING AT LEAST SIX WEEKS FOR KEY TESTS Nearly half a million patients have been waiting six weeks or more for key diagnostic tests to detect cancer, heart attacks and other serious conditions. The figures have increased 12-fold in just a year as hospitals struggle with a post-Covid backlog. Charities fear the long waits will have a devastating impact on NHS patients, particularly those who have cancer which may become untreatable. Separate data shows that the number of patients having cancer treatment is down by a quarter on the same time last year. The total has fallen by 6,647 to 21,599. Yesterday the Mail revealed that hospital admissions had plummeted across seven serious illnesses. There is a growing backlog of patients who were unable to receive treatment at the height of the pandemic and who are now at risk of serious complications. This number is continuing to rise because social distancing and infection control measures mean hospitals can deal with only a limited number of patients. The latest NHS data shows that 489,647 patients had been waiting more than six weeks for one of 15 key diagnostic tests in July, the last month for which there are figures. A shocking 291,982 of them had been waiting at least 13 weeks. By comparison, in July 2019, just 40,099 had been waiting six weeks or more and 5,675 for at least 13 weeks. Michelle Mitchell of Cancer Research UK said: 'Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on cancer services and the lives of cancer patients. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment will not be even more impacted by any future waves of Covid-19.' Alex Norris, a Labour health spokesman, said: 'Patients waiting for these tests cannot afford for the Government to be as slow as they have been in other areas. Some of these tests will be used to diagnose cancer, and for those patients, we know that early diagnosis leads to better treatment and survival.' An NHS spokesman said: 'Hospitals have been working round the clock throughout the pandemic so that patients can continue to receive vital tests and treatment while staying safe between March and July.' The backlog is also affecting routine surgery such as hip and knee operations and NHS figures last week showed that 2.1million patients had been waiting at least 18 weeks. Advertisement When postcodes in each area are put into the testing system it allegedly comes up with the message: 'This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later.' The leader of the council in Bolton, which has Britain's highest infection rate, said there were 'major flaws' with the online booking system and that it was out of the council's control because the Government runs it. He said the issue was 'unacceptable'. Ms Patel said it was 'wrong to say' that there were no tests available after she was quizzed about the long delays in trying to book a test in Bolton where the infection rate is the highest in England. Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, she said: 'Tests are available, youve heard me say, particularly in local lockdown areas, Ive seen this myself, Ive seen the teams that have been working on this. 'Mobile testing is going in, capacity is going into local areas where lockdowns have been undertaken and are taking place. 'I think it is wrong to say tests are not available, new book-in slots are being made available every single day, mobile testing units are being made available. 'And on top of that home testing kits are being issued across the country but specifically in local lockdown areas.' But the Home Secretary added: 'Clearly there is much more work that needs to be undertaken with Public Health England and the actual public health bodies in those particular local areas. 'As a Government we work with Public Health England to surge where there is demand in local hotspot areas and we continue to do that.' On access to testing, she said the majority of tests are available within a 10-mile radius. 'It seems to me therell be extreme cases where people cant get to test locations within that radius but that doesnt mean that Public Health England are not working night and day to boost capacity,' she added. Head teachers have also warned schools will also be hit by staff being unable to get tested quickly. One primary head in Southampton told The Guardian how three self-isolating staff were unable to get swabs, adding: 'We will grind to a halt if the availability of tests does not improve rapidly.' Another primary school head in Sussex said test shortages will 'derail the reopening' and ensure instability for both staff and pupils. Labour MP Stella Creasy yesterday described the situation as an 'absolute farce'. She told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I've had lots of parents get in touch with me this morning because they've got children with symptoms that are listed who need to get a test who cannot book one online, who've been trying all over the weekend to book one. 'Our walk-in centre which is on their doorstep yesterday started turning people away if they didn't have an appointment, which would make sense if it was busy but I've been down there myself and there's nothing happening there. 'They don't know how many tests they need to do, they don't know how many scientists they need and they don't know what the demand is.' Priti Patel (left) denied that tests were unavailable in the country's worst-hit areas. The Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast today that she has seen with her own eyes that swabs are available in towns hit by local lockdown rules. Oxford University's Sir John Bell (right), who has been overseeing Number 10's antibody test programme and advising ministers, believes the fiasco has been caused by a 'second wave' of Covid-19 had led to a surge in demand for tests Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon piled pressure on the Government by claiming the backlog was also affecting Scottish patients PRITI PATEL DENIES THERE ARE A LACK OF TESTS IN BADLY-HIT AREAS Home Secretary Priti Patel said it was 'wrong to say' that there were no tests available after she was quizzed about the long delays in trying to book a test in Bolton where the infection rate is the highest in England. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: 'Tests are available, youve heard me say, particularly in local lockdown areas, Ive seen this myself, Ive seen the teams that have been working on this. 'Mobile testing is going in, capacity is going into local areas where lockdowns have been undertaken and are taking place. 'I think it is wrong to say tests are not available, new book-in slots are being made available every single day, mobile testing units are being made available. 'And on top of that home testing kits are being issued across the country but specifically in local lockdown areas.' The Government is 'surging capacity' in local lockdown areas and tests are available within a 10-mile radius, she added. Ms Patel said: 'Clearly there is much more work that needs to be undertaken with Public Health England and the actual public health bodies in those particular local areas. 'As a Government we work with Public Health England to surge where there is demand in local hotspot areas and we continue to do that. On access to testing, she said the majority of tests are available within a 10-mile radius. 'It seems to me therell be extreme cases where people cant get to test locations within that radius but that doesnt mean that Public Health England are not working night and day to boost capacity,' she added. Advertisement Last week Boris Johnson said he wanted to carry out millions of tests a day as part of a highly ambitious strategy known as 'Operation Moonshot'. But scientists warned that the plans were 'fundamentally flawed' and even dangerous as the tests can wrongly tell people they are either positive or negative. The testing chief of NHS Test & Trace last week issued a public apology on Twitter and said lab capacity was to blame for slow turnaround times and people being unable to order swabs. It is not clear why labs are struggling to process the tests, which are the same as they have been throughout the pandemic. One government source told The Times that Britain was in for a 'rough few weeks' until another lighthouse lab opens in Leicestershire. Lord Bethell of Romford, the testing minister, blamed the return of children to school for putting 'enormous pressure' on testing centres because youngsters are often joined by their parents and other household members. He told peers yesterday that Number 10 was 'throwing everything we can' at the system to make it work. On September 10, 227,465 tests were processed while the Department of Health claimed it had the capacity to cope with 364,917 in a day. Labour's Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, claimed it 'beggars belief' that ministers didn't use the summer to ramp up testing capacity ahead of schools reopening. LBC's Westminster correspondent Ben Kentish said that when they tried to get tests in any of the ten areas, they were not offered one. 'The government testing website simply says the service is very busy and people should come back in a few hours,' he said. 'We tried to get a test in the top ten areas. In all ten they were unable to get any sort of tests in any of the ten areas.' Coronavirus test appointments are uploaded on the Government's testing portal throughout the day, meaning those looking to book a test are advised to check back regularly. Once each test is booked the site shows there are none available in the area at present. All the ten areas that yesterday did not have tests available are listed by Public Health England as the areas of England with the biggest coronavirus outbreaks. Their latest report placed Bolton at the top of the list, followed by Bradford with 72 cases per 100,000, Oldham with 66 cases per 100,000 and Salford with 62 cases per 100,000. SECOND WAVE TO BLAME FOR LACK OF TESTS, TOP EXPERT CLAIMS An Oxford University expert who has been overseeing the government's antibody testing programme and advising ministers blamed a second wave for the testing fiasco. Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a spike in Covid-19 cases had led to a surge in demand for tests. He said: 'I think what's going wrong is the second wave. 'A month ago they had spare capacity in testing - significant spare capacity - but I think what has been underestimated was the speed at which the second wave would arrive, but also the pressure put on the system from children returning to school, and the testing demands associated with that, and people increasingly out and about. 'So, I think they are definitely behind the curve in terms of getting the necessary tests for what we need today." Sir John said there would be a 'significant increase' in testing capacity over the next two weeks. 'But this will get worse because of course we haven't hit winter yet - we haven't all started to sniffle, get fevers, get colds, and that's going to add additional confusion to the problem,' he said. 'The demand will go up. The real question is whether they can get supply in a position where it can outpace demand, and that's the challenge at the moment.' Advertisement Testing shortages came to the fore last week when people revealed they were either being sent dozens of miles away from home to get a test, while others were unable to get any at all. Online booking systems were unable to process requests for tests meaning people who thought they might have the coronavirus had to go without. In response the chief of testing at NHS Test & Trace, Sarah-Jane Marsh, issued a 'heartfelt apology' last week. Ms Marsh said there was capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point'. She added that the system is doing 'all it can to expand quickly'. There have been reports of people being told there are no appointments available at test centres in England and that there are no home tests kits available to send out. Ms Marsh wrote on Twitter: 'Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present. 'All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don't look overcrowded; it's our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly. 'We have additional NHS, Lighthouse, University and Partner Labs all due to open up imminently and we are also expanding the use of non-Laboratory based tests. The testing team work on this 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We recognise the country is depending on us.' Embarrassingly, the problems come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week committed to his Operation Moonshot and to getting mass testing up and running in the UK by next year. He said a pilot programme will be launched in Salford next month which will see audiences at both indoor and outdoor venues tested on the day to see if they are infectious. Those who test positive for coronavirus will be sent home while those who test negative will be allowed in. The PM said if the pilot is successful the measures could be rolled out nationwide and that he wanted everybody in the UK to eventually have access to daily coronavirus testing, with pregnancy-style checks providing results in as little as 15 minutes. Mr Johnson told a Downing Street coronavirus press conference that negative tests would effectively provide people with a 'passport' which would allow them a 'freedom to mingle with everybody else who is similarly not infectious in a way that is currently impossible'. The Prime Minister said he hoped the mass testing approach will be 'widespread by the spring'. Mr Johnson told a press conference last week that up until now testing has been used primarily to identify people who have the disease so they can be isolated from the rest of society. The PM said that will continue to be the priority with a goal of increasing testing capacity to 500,000 a day by the end of October. But he said that 'in the near future we want to start using testing to identify people who are negative... so we can allow them to behave in a more normal way'. He said new types of coronavirus tests which are 'simple, quick and scalable will become available' allowing for results in 90 or even 20 minutes and for tests to be administered in their millions everyday. Mr Johnson said: 'That level of testing would allow people to lead more normal lives, without the need for social distancing.' Ms Marsh said there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point' Bolton has been placed under strengthened lockdown restrictions following a surge in cases, and last week became the first place in England to be forced to move pubs back to a takeaway only service. Other measures imposed include a limit on opening hours, with venues required to close from 10pm to 5am, and a law stating people cannot socialise outside of their household. A further 96 cases of people with coronavirus were confirmed yesterday in Bolton, bringing its cumulative total to 3,239. A spokesman for Bolton council said they are aware the Government is planning to open three new walk-in and drive-in test centres in their area so that more appointments will be available. Leader of the council, David Greenhalgh, said today: 'We completely understand how frustrating it is for people who are finding it difficult to book a test. 'This is an unacceptable situation, and myself and senior officers have escalated the issue to the highest levels. 'In our experience, there are major flaws with the online booking system, but this is a nationally run site, which is not locally run and is out of our control. 'We, as a local authority have done everything asked of us. Our teams have been working hard to increase testing capacity in Bolton two new test centres have opened in the borough and a third is due to open this week; and yet we know these two new sites are currently operating below capacity, and our own residents cannot access a local test. 'This is unacceptable and it needs to get sorted and the issues resolved, and I urge Government to treat this as a matter of the utmost priority. 'We would ask people to try booking an appointment in a few hours. Also, please only book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms or you have been asked to get tested.' Matt Hancock last week accused people of trying to get a coronavirus test when they didn't have symptoms of the virus, alleging they had seen a 25 per cent surge in demand for these cases. Guidance makes clear the tests are only for those who have symptoms, or who have been asked to get a test by authorities. Mr Hancock appealed for only those with symptoms to get a test, in response to a backlog caused by 'lab issues'. A sign in Bolton orders those suffering coronavirus symptoms to get a test, despite a lack of testing capacity Ms Sturgeon has accused the UK government of trying to limit the number of tests available in Scotland while speaking at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing. 'We were concerned over the weekend that one of the ways the UK Government was trying to deal with the backlog was to restrict access to testing, and the Health Secretary managed to avoid that happening in Scotland,' she said. She also expressed 'serious concern' about the testing backlog and urged Mr Hancock to share the 'full scale and nature of issues they are facing' so her Government could help to try and fix the problem. She continued: 'There was a proposal over the weekend that the available slots at mobile testing units and regional testing centres in Scotland would be reduced and the Health Secretary managed to avoid that happening so that we retained full capacity for Scotland. 'We have no indication at the moment that there is any significant issue in Scotland with people accessing testing slots. 'The issue that we do appear to be suffering some impacts from - and again it's a UK-wide issue - is a backlog in tests being processed that is then leading to a longer turnaround time.' Scotland's Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, said she had 'constructive conversations' with Mr Hancock and her Welsh counterpart Vaughan Gething about the backlog, which she said was caused by rising demand and an 'issue with the speed and capacity of processing the tests'. She added: 'I was pleased that we managed not to have the restrictions on access to testing slots that were originally being proposed, but this is work that we need to continue because we need to try as best we can to work cooperatively and to resolve this situation.' The Government's data shows that growth in testing capacity has largely stalled since mid-July, when around 350,000 tests were processed every day. On September 10, the latest day for which data is available, show 374,000 tests were processed by labs across the country. It comes as the UK records a sudden surge in coronavirus cases, with daily reported cases remaining above 2,000 for more than a week. A further 2, 621 cases of coronavirus were recorded today in the UK amid mounting fears of a second wave. Government statistics now show some 2,998 infections are being recorded each day, on average. For comparison, more than 3,300 cases were confirmed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Top experts insist the UK doesn't yet need to panic over the rising numbers because they are only a fraction of the 100,000-plus that occurred each day during the darkest period of the crisis. Other scientists, however, say action is needed to prevent Britain being hit by another wave. Another nine deaths from coronavirus were also recorded, taking the official number of coronavirus victims to 41,637. The UK's Department of Health has been contacted for comment. Image: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new head of Japans ruling party on September 14, paving way for him to become the countrys next prime minister. Suga received 377 votes in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election held to pick a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced in August that he would resign due to health problems. The other contenders -- former Foreign minister Fumio Kishida and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba -- received a combined 157 votes. The expected victory for Suga, currently the chief Cabinet Secretary of Abes government, nearly guarantees his election as the next prime minister in a parliamentary vote on September 16. This is because the Liberal Democrats ruling coalition holds majority in the House. What helped Suga? Suga gained the support of party heavyweights and their wing members early in the campaign on expectations that he would continue Abes policies. However, some have raised criticism from inside and outside the party that the process of selecting Abe's successor is undemocratic. Suga, son of strawberry farmers, has said his top priorities are fighting the novel coronavirus and turning around Japan's economy that has been battered by the pandemic. Often descried as Abe's right-hand man, Suga says he is a reformist and that he has worked to achieve policies by breaking territorial barriers of bureaucracy. He has been credited efforts in raising minimum wages, achieving a booming foreign tourism industry, lowering cellphone bills and improving agricultural exports. While he has maintained a low-key image as a policy coordinator and an influential bureaucrat, Suga is well known for his iron-fist approach to getting work done. Abe, while announcing his resignation, had declined to talk about his successor. Asked about the succession plan, Abe had said he will leave it up to the party and that he will not make any comments about the procedure. He had also declined to endorse any particular person as his successor. Also read: Japan's fractured opposition unites as Yoshihide Suga set to succeed PM Shinzo Abe (With inputs from AP) YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan says that Turkeys actions in the Caucasus undermine the effort toward peace and stability in the region. Speaking at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry in Cairo in response to Sky News Arabias question, the Armenian FM said that during the Azerbaijani attack on Armenia in July 2020 Turkey was the only country that was taking a one-sided, very aggressive approach. Sky News Arabia: You have spoken about the depth of Armenian-Egyptian relations and the historical and future role of Egypt for Armenia conditioned by the investment of Armenians and the presence of the Armenian community. But there is still tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan. How do you assess the behavior of Turkey in the Caucasus and Eastern Mediterranean? Does this behaviour pose a danger or not? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Thank you very much for the question. So far as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is concerned, we have been and remain extremely focused on the most important existential issues of our compatriots - the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Our focus and our ultimate priorities concern the sustainability of the very physical security of our compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh and the question of status, the recognition of the right to self-determination and implementation of it without limitations. The security is in the heart of this very important priority for Armenia so far as the resolution is concerned. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, which comprises France, Russia, and the USA, has been and remains the only important international platform, format within which we are seeking solution to this conflict. The conflict resolution can be based on compromise and compromise means that each of the parties has to take respective steps towards a balanced, measurable solution, which meets the interests of all. It cannot be a my way or no way solution. Within this, I think we have the sensitivity of the international community towards this conflict. There is no such thing as bundling conflicts together and viewing them through one single prism. So far as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is concerned, this conflict has its peculiarities, its history, its nuance, its important differences. Within this we value very much the very careful approach of all our partners towards the strictly peaceful resolution. There is no military solution to this. We may insist on that because Armenia has all the capacity to defend itself, Nagorno-Karabakh has all the capacity to defend itself. There is only one guarantor of the security of our compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh and that is only Armenia. We are resolute in this defence and it is with this confidence and understanding that we deny any attempts to military solution. So within this we have a good understanding of all our international partners, and we have the very careful, responsible approach of our international partners, in respect of the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, and in respect of their endeavor for peace and stability in the region. Egypt in that sense is a very important partner for us. Now Turkey. During the events in July, Turkey has been the only country that was taking a one-sided, very aggressive approach: one-sided in support of Azerbaijan, and aggressive approach toward Armenia and the Armenian people, in rhetoric at all levels and in action. Of course we see the military build-up that they are attempting. We are hearing about the use of the foreign terrorist fighters to be transferred to Azerbaijan or maybe they are already transferred. We see the heavy military presence, the build-up. These are exactly the moves which undermine the effort toward peace and stability in the region. We are resolute in our defense and we will also resolutely deny any such policies which project power, which are aggressive in their nature and which are of destabilizing nature. We see this power projection from Eastern Mediterranean to North Africa, to the Middle East and to the South Caucasus as well. So these are not welcomed policies at all. Editing by Stepan Kocharyan STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Five public schools on Staten Island will open their doors to students on the delayed first day of school on Sept. 21 with a new principal for the 2020-2021 academic year. Each of these schools will start the academic year with an interim acting principal while the C-30 process to hire a permanent principal is completed, according to the city Department of Education (DOE). The Chancellors Regulation C-30 governs the selection, assignment and appointment of all principals. Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday dismissed speculations that the ruling NDA in Bihar may rope in Bollywood actress as one of its star campaigners for the upcoming assembly in the state. Fadnavis also took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray, who has succeeded him as Maharashtra chief minister, saying that the Shiv Sena chief seemed to be "more interested in fighting Kangana than battling corona". "We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in- charge in the state, told reporters here. He was responding to queries about reports in a section of the media that Ranaut, who is considered sympathetic towards the BJP, might canvass for the ruling coalition in Bihar in the assembly due in October- November. About Ranaut's spat with the Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra following the demolition of a part of her house in Mumbai by the municipal authorities, Fadnavis said, "Uddhav Thackeray needs to concentrate more on battling corona, by which the state has been the worst hit. But he seems to be more interested in settling scores with Kangana." Ranaut has been at loggerheads with the Shiv Sena government following her outburst over the death of Patna-born actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The governments of Maharashtra and Bihar had also engaged in a tug of war after the deceased actor's father K K Singh lodged a complaint at a Patna police station, accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty and others of cheating and abetting his son's suicide. The Maharashtra government supported Chakraborty's contention that Bihar had 'no jurisdiction' in the matter and took exception to the Nitish Kumar government recommending a CBI probe, which was later upheld by Supreme Court. Fadnavis, who has been touring Bihar since Friday, asserted that "there were no big or little brothers in the NDA" and that the JD(U), BJP and the LJP will contest the together and achieve a huge victory. He made the remark in response to queries about the acrimony between Janata Dal (United), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) which was founded by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and is now headed by his son Chirag Paswan. The BJP leader also paid rich tributes to former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying that he was an "ajeya yoddha" (unvanquished warrior). Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who recently resigned from the RJD, died at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Sunday. (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.) Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday returned to state capital Chandigarh after recovering from COVID-19 and urged people to religiously follow all the guidelines like wearing masks and social distancing to stay safe. He asserted that there was no need to be afraid of coronavirus, but we have to remain vigilant. After testing positive for novel coronavirus on August 24, barely two days before the day-long monsoon session of the state assembly, Khattar was admitted to Gurgaon's Medanta Hospital for treatment. Khattar, 66, had developed fever and body ache three days prior to testing positive for COVID-19. He was taken to the hospital around 2.30 am on August 25 where he remained admitted for the next 17 days and after being discharged he rested for a few more days in PWD rest house in Gurgaon. After being admitted to the hospital, a multidisciplinary team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; PGIMS, Rohtak, Gurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr Virender Yadav, Medanta's Dr Sushila Kataria had reviewed his condition, line of treatment and progress made, a state government statement had said earlier. Talking to reporters in Gurgaon shortly before leaving for Chandigarh, Khattar said he has fully recovered though doctors have advised him to monitor his health for the next 10 days. "I want to thank all those who wished and prayed for my speedy recovery as well as the doctors who were involved in my treatment," he said. Replying to a question, Khattar urged people to religiously follow all the guidelines issued by the government and other authorities in the wake of the pandemic. "We all have to act responsibly and follow all the guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and hand sanitising to stay safe," he said. "We don't have to be afraid of coronavirus, we have to be vigilant. Being vigilant is essential to defeat this pandemic," the chief minister said. Khattar also advised people, especially those who are at a higher risk, To avoid going out of their homes. "Because we have seen instances where an entire family became infected after one of its members contracted the virus," he said. Replying to a question, he said while he was on road to recovery, he tried to keep himself engaged in some official work. To another query, he said he cannot say for sure from where he contracted the infection, but just before catching the virus, he had been attending many official meetings in Delhi. One of the meetings Khattar had attended days before he tested positive was with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who also tested positive for COVID-19 later. Workers of PetroVietnam Gas JSC (GAS). GAS dropped 3.8 per cent last week. - VNA/VNS Photo The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange edged up 0.02 per cent to close Friday at 888.97 points. The southern market index declined a total of 1.39 per cent last week. An average of 348.7 million shares were traded on the southern exchange each session last week, worth VND7.3 trillion (US$314.7 million). According to Mirae Asset Vietnam Securities Co, the VN-Index was in a correcting process after testing the resistance zone of 900 points last week. The index was showing signs of balancing at 883-885 points and the next technical support level is expected to be 875-880 points. The company said cash flow is set to flow into stocks with positive six-month business results. MB Securities JSC said the market was in an accumulation stage and price fluctuations are being narrowed with trading volume decreasing. Therefore, the domestic market would have a chance to recover in the coming sessions," the company said. Technically, the VN-Index is facing the resistance zone of 900 points, groups of stocks of energy and food and beverage will attract the cash flow, it added. According to Tran Xuan Bach, a stock analyst at Bao Viet Securities Co, the VN-Index will fluctuate between 880-885 points and 895-905 points for several sessions. Overall, we maintain our positive outlook on market movements in the short term, Bach said. Market corrections are necessary for several stock sectors to cool down and accumulate for their impulsiveness and could possibly offer opportunities for investors to participate in the market at a reasonable price. Stock sectors with macroeconomic benefits are expected to attract investors once revisiting fair prices. The maturity of September futures contracts will take place on Thursday while VanEck and FTSE will have their Q3 portfolio review next week, Bach said. He said the stock exposure should be maintained at 50 per cent of total investment. Investors who already sold previously may consider reopening buying positions at support 880-885 points. Investors with high stock exposure should consider lowering short-term stock exposure at resistance 900-905 points, he said. Saigon-Hanoi Securities JSC (SHS) said the VN-Index had fallen after five consecutive gaining weeks with increasing liquidity, which indicated selling pressure during the week was relatively strong. It forecast that this week the VN-Index would continue to decline with the nearest support zone about 875 points. With the market falling again last week, most major stock sectors also dropped. According to SHS statistics, oil and gas stocks fell the most with notable losers of Vietnam National Petroleum Group (PLX) decreasing 3.7 per cent, PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (OIL) falling 2.5 per cent, PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services Corporation (PVD) down 2.7 per cent, PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PVS) falling 2.4 per cent, PetroVietnam Gas JSC (GAS) dropping 3.8 per cent and PV Power (POW) declining 3.8 per cent. Banking stock also performed poorly with Vietcombank (VCB) falling 3.1 per cent, Vietinbank (CTG) down 1.5 per cent, Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BID) losing 3.9 per cent, VPBank (VPB) declining 2.6 per cent, Military Bank (MBB) decreasing 1.1 per cent, Techcombank (TCB) losing 2.5 per cent and Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) falling 1.4 per cent. Stocks in the Vin family also fell sharply. Vingroup (VIC) decreased by 3.1 per cent and Vinhomes (VHM) lost 2.9 per cent. On the other side, stocks in the fertiliser sector gained ground, such as Petrovietnam Fertilizer & Chemicals Corporation (DPM) increasing by 4.9 per cent, Binh ien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company (BFC) rising by 10.7 per cent, and PetroVietnam Ca Mau Fertiliser JSC (DCM) increasing by 2.5 per cent. In the seaport industry, Gemadept Corporation (GMD) rose 5.4 per cent and Vietnam Container Shipping Joint Stock Corporation (VSC) increased 0.9 per cent. Real estate stocks such as Phat Dat Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company (PDR) increased 19.2 per cent, Ba Ria - Vung Tau House Development JSC (HDC) rose 5.9 per cent and Nam Long Investment Corporation (NLG) climbed 1.4 per cent. According to the Vietnam Securities Depository (VSD), in the first 11 days of September, VSD issued 107 new trading accounts to foreign investors, of which there were 74 individual investors and 12 organisations. Earlier in August, VSD issued 296 new trading accounts to foreign investors. The recent increase in the number of foreign trading accounts has been a positive signal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused the number of foreign investors entering Vietnam to plummet. File photo shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan) BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense spokesman on Sunday expressed firm opposition to a recent report released by the U.S. Department of Defense. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said the report titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020" is further proof of the U.S. intent to smear China and its military. China deplores and firmly opposes the action by the U.S. side, Wu said. The report deliberately distorted relations between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese military, misinterpreted China's national defense policy and military strategies, and hyped up the so-called "Chinese military threat," Wu said. The U.S. side issued such reports in the past 20 consecutive years, Wu said, describing it as a blatant act of hegemony and provocation that has severely hurt bilateral and military-to-military relations. China has lodged stern representations with the U.S. side, Wu added. Stressing that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the people's armed forces under the CPC leadership, Wu said upholding the Party's leadership is the soul of the PLA and the PLA is committed to whole-heartedly serving the people. China follows the path of peaceful development and adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, said Wu, adding that China's military development is aimed at safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests. "It does not target any country, nor does it pose a threat to any other country," Wu said. Wu reiterated that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. He said tensions across the Taiwan Strait are primarily caused by the Democratic Progressive Party's attempts to bank on foreign support and use of force to resist reunification, as well as the external anti-China elements' attempts to use Taiwan to contain and divide China. Citing the U.S. wars and military actions against countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya over the past two decades, Wu said the United States has proven to be the one that instigated regional chaos, violated international order and destroying world peace. Wu said the Chinese military will faithfully put to practice the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, firmly safeguard the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, actively take part in regional security cooperation, and promptly provide international public security goods. "The Chinese military is committed to safeguarding world peace, contributing to global development, and upholding international order," Wu said. TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flora Growth Corp. (Flora or the Company) is pleased to announce it has launched a new brand, Almost Virgin, through Kasa Wholefoods (Kasa). The Almost Virgin brand is anticipated to consist primarily of various CBD-containing sensual products. Further to this announcement, two companies that Flora intends to acquire pursuant to letters of intent have received approvals from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Kasas Mambe brand, which produces food and beverages using responsibly sourced exotic fruits from the Amazon, received FDA approval to import select products to the United States. Breeze Laboratory received notice that its business registration with the FDA has been approved. About the Almost Virgin Brand Almost Virgin was conceived to satisfy the curious minds of our bold and sensual customers. The initial collection is designed to enhance sexual experiences in our lives and to increase awareness about our bodies and health while helping relieve stress from todays fast-paced and demanding life. The initial collection is anticipated to include CBD-based recipes with all-natural ingredients and shall consist of a sex oil and an oral spray. Flora is expecting to sell the Almost Virgin brand in the United States by the end of September 2020. In August 2020, both the CBD sex oil and oral spray received approval from the Colombian Sanitary authority (INVIMA), which permits CBD sales of the products in Colombia. The product is currently being manufactured by Breeze Laboratory and is immediately available for sale. Based on our market research, there is an unmet demand for sensual products in the CBD space, commented Floras President of Consumer Goods, Luis Merchan. We believe the Almost Virgin brand is well-positioned to satisfy customer needs and generate meaningful revenues for Flora, he continued. About the Mambe Export Approval Kasas Mambe brand has received approval from the FDA to import their assorted single-origin chocolates and native Colombian superfruit juices into the United States. Kasa intends to import these products into the United States without CBD until necessary approvals are obtained. In the interim, Kasas CBD-containing juices and chocolates are being produced in Colorado and Florida for distribution in the United States. A submission for approval of the import and distribution in Canada for the Mambe CBD and non-CBD portfolio has also been submitted and is expected in the fall of 2020. About the Breeze Laboratory FDA Registration Breeze Laboratory received notice from the FDA that its business registration was approved. This will allow Breeze Laboratory to apply for FDA approval for individual products as required by U.S. regulations. This approval is an important step in the growth of Floras business as it is a necessary step in selling our portfolio of goods in the U.S. Further, it demonstrates our commitment to producing high-quality consumer products with complete transparency on ingredients. About Kasa Wholefoods Kasa Wholefoods is a Colombian company that owns the Mambe brand, which produces food and beverages using responsibly sourced exotic fruits from the Amazon. Earlier this year, Flora announced the signing of a letter of intent to acquire a 90% stake in Kasa Wholefoods. The transaction is subject to the parties negotiating and entering into a definitive agreement and is expected to close after the current Regulation A+ Tier 2 offering. About Breeze Laboratory S.A.S. Breeze Laboratory is a cosmetic and dermo-cosmetic development and manufacturing company based in Bogota, Colombia. The company currently manufactures INVIMA (Colombian FDA-equivalent) approved cosmetics and dermo-cosmetics and has started the process of building EU-GMP compliant facilities. These facilities are projected to be used to manufacture products for Mambe, Flora Beauty, and Cronomed using the organic CBD oil produced at Cosechemos. Earlier this year, Flora announced the signing of a letter of intent to acquire a 90% stake in Breeze Laboratory (the Transaction). Completion of the Transaction remains subject to the parties negotiating and entering into a definitive agreement and is expected after the current Regulation A+ Tier 2 offering closes. Flora Growth Corp. Flora is a vertically integrated cannabis company striving to be a globally recognized cannabis brand by leveraging low-cost production of cannabis to supply CBD oil to our portfolio of consumer and medical brands. Flora prioritizes organic ingredients and value-chain sustainability across its portfolio to create products that help consumers restore and thrive. For further information, contact: Evan Veryard +1 416 571 9037 evan.veryard@floragrowth.ca Website: www.floragrowth.ca Cautionary Notes This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the products to be included in the Almost Virgin collection, the timing to completion of the Transaction and the acquisition of a 90% stake in Kasa, as well as the conditions precedent to closing such transactions, importing and selling CBD and non-CBD products into the United States and Canada, including the timing and conditions precedent of any such activities, Breeze Laboratorys product-specific applications for FDA approval, the ability of Breeze Laboratorys future facility to manufacture products for Mambe, Flora Beauty, and Cronomed using the organic CBD oil produced at Cosechemos, and the Companys strategy, and future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9c702c2c-e270-45fc-89ea-49830d34f799 Switzerland and Uzbekistan have reached an agreement on returning more than $130 million to Tashkent that was seized in connection with criminal proceedings against Gulnara Karimova, the oldest daughter of late President Islam Karimov. The Swiss government said on September 11 that, according to the nonbinding framework agreement, any returned assets "shall be used for the benefit of the people of Uzbekistan." Transparency and the creation of a monitoring mechanism are among the requirements for the restitution to take place, the statement said. Switzerland froze around 800 million Swiss francs ($880 million) in 2012 in connection with criminal proceedings against Karimova, of which almost $131 million was confiscated in 2019. The remaining funds remain frozen, and the statement stressed that the framework agreement would cover any more assets definitively confiscated in the still-ongoing criminal case. Earlier in May, Uzbek government officials said Tashkent received from France assets worth $10 million illegally acquired by Karimova. Tashkent has sought over $1 billion from foreign jurisdictions since announcing Karimova's imprisonment in 2017. Karimova, once seen as a possible successor to Karimov, was placed under house arrest in Tashkent in 2014 while her father was still alive and running the country. Karimov died in 2016 and Shavkat Mirziyoev became his successor soon afterward. Criminal investigations in Switzerland, the United States, Sweden, and the Netherlands have linked Karimova to a massive, years-long bribery scheme that revolved mainly around foreign telecommunications companies gaining access to the lucrative Uzbek market. In December 2017, Karimova was sentenced to a 10-year prison term, but the sentence was later reclassified to house arrest and shortened to five years. She was placed in jail in March 2019 for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest. In February, she sent a letter to Mirziyoev offering to return $686 million to the country's treasury in exchange for the dismissal of the court case against her at home. But a month later, she received an additional 13 years and four months in prison after being found guilty of extortion, money laundering, and other crimes. With reporting by AP and AFP SALLY POTTERS The Roads Not Taken (rated 15) is showing at the Regal Cinema in Henley from today (Friday). It follows a day in the life of Leo (Javier Bardem) and his daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning) as she grapples with the challenges of her fathers chaotic mind. As they weave their way through New York City, Leos journey takes on a hallucinatory quality as he floats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future. Also showing is a new adaptation of Les Miserables (rated 15). It features Stephane (Damien Bonnard) who has just arrived from Cherbourg and joins the anti-criminality brigade of Montfermeil in a sensitive district of the Paris suburbs. He is paired up with Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga), whose methods are sometimes special. Stephane rapidly discovers the tensions between the various neighborhood groups. When an arrest starts to get out of hand, a drone is filming every move they make. Meanwhile, Tenet (rated 12A), the latest sci-fi thriller from Christopher Nolan, is still showing. It stars John David Washington, who is known as the Protagonist and is on a mission to save the world. South Africa: Webinar to empower consumers on their rights The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Nomalungelo Gina, has encouraged consumers to educate themselves on consumer rights at the Consumer Protection Webinar taking place this week. The importance of educating consumers about their rights during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical, as some businesses may see an opening to exploit consumers, and for unfair competition and practices to thrive, Gina said on Monday. The webinar will explain consumer rights and complaints processes, responsible credit lending, borrowing and spending, price hikes, amendments of the Competition Act and collusive conduct, including the process of reporting inflated prices. We want to... update [consumers] on the cases under investigation for unfair business trading and create awareness on the steps and processes to follow in reporting price colluding, Gina said. The webinar will give panellists an opportunity to share with the audience the various support services, programmes, processes and recourses available to consumers and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and further impress upon the need to keep a healthy credit life during these times. The webinar will be hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) in conjunction with its agencies, the Competition Commission (CompCom), the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the National Credit Regulator (NCR). To take part in the conversation, and acquire knowledge on unfair business practices and exploitation, click on the link below to join the webinar: https://gcis.zoom.us/j/92253505093 The webinar will take place on Thursday at 2pm. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report finds on average 1.7 percent of vote-by-mail ballots cast in California have been rejected over the past decade. In three counties studied, young and newly registered voters were more likely than older voters to have their ballots rejected. Improving California's Vote-by-Mail Process: A Three-County Study, published by the California Voter Foundation, September 2020 In all three counties studied, young voters' mail ballots were rejected at the three times the counties' overall rates. Young voters were more likely to have their ballots rejected due to lateness, while older voters whose ballots were rejected were more likely to neglect to sign their ballot envelopes. "Improving California's Vote-by-Mail Process by Reducing Ballot Rejection: A Three-County Study," published by the California Voter Foundation, examines the demographics and voting methods of Sacramento, San Mateo and Santa Clara County voters whose November 2018 General Election vote-by-mail ballots were rejected, online at www.calvoter.org/rejectedballots. "Casting a vote-by-mail ballot is an important safety measure to ensure people can vote during the coronavirus pandemic without putting their or other's health at risk," said CVF's president and report co-author Kim Alexander. "But it shifts responsibility for getting it right from poll workers to voters. Late return and envelope signatures missing or not sufficiently matching voters' signatures on file are the leading reasons why some ballots are rejected." The study, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Mindy S. Romero, founder and director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (formerly the California Civic Engagement Project) and the study's co-author, found young voters' ballot rejection rates were three times higher than overall rejection rates in the three counties studied. Newly registered voters' rejection rates were also higher. "Young voters have several factors working against them. They are new to voting, less familiar with the U.S. Mail, and lack experience making a signature," Alexander said. Older voters were more likely to neglect to sign their envelopes, the study found. Lateness was the leading reason for ballot rejection in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, while in Sacramento it was mismatched signatures. For the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election, all active, registered voters will be sent vote-by-mail ballots and can also vote in person, giving Californians voting options under executive orders and emergency legislation enacted earlier this year. Counties must contact voters with missing or mismatched envelope signatures and help them submit a valid signature so their ballots can be counted. In the three counties studied, on average 54 percent of 2018 election ballots challenged because of signature problems were "cured" and counted through this outreach. In Sacramento and San Mateo counties, all but a handful of ballots rejected as "too late" were returned by U.S. Mail. California law requires counties to count vote-by-mail ballots received by 8 pm or postmarked by Election Day and received within three days (extended to 17 days for November's election). In Sacramento, the CVF study found across three elections, most "too late" ballots were postmarked after Election Day and could not be counted even with the grace period. "Voters who want to vote closer to Election Day should return their ballots in person to a drop box, voting site, or their county election office," said Cathy Darling Allen, CVF Board Chair and Shasta County Registrar of Voters. CVF also advises voters to check their registration status and sign up for ballot tracking. Voters unsure of what their voter registration signature looks like can refer to the one on their California driver's license or ID since it is the one on file for voters who register online or through the DMV. CVF recommends additional reforms including enacting new signature verification regulations and notifying voters when their ballots are rejected and why. CVF is also releasing a new song and music video providing tips to help California voters successfully cast vote-by-mail ballots. The California Voter Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working to improve the voting process to better serve voters. CVF's study was supported by grants from Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Sacramento County's Transient Occupancy Tax Grant Program. Contact: Kim Alexander, 916-441-2494, [email protected] Cathy Darling Allen, (530) 604-2655, [email protected] SOURCE California Voter Foundation Hyundai car owners can upgrade or opt for a new Hyundai vehicle as part of a new back to school campaign to mark the beginning of the new academic year offered by the Juma Al Majid Establishment, the exclusive distributor of Hyundai Motors in the UAE. Covering a variety of SUVs and sedans, the back to school offer, which runs until the end of September, includes convenient installment plans and comes bundled with a number of additional benefits. The Tucson, one of Hyundais most-selling SUVs, is a car of choice among families and individuals seeking to level up their summer. It is being offered with easy installment plans of AED1,122 ($305) per month. Additional benefits include a three-year/50,000-kilometre service contract, one-year of free registration, five-year roadside assistance, five-year or 100,000-kilometre manufacturer warranty, and an exclusive 120 days of deferred payment. For a bigger family, customers can explore the offer on the always remarkable Palisade, which, under this offer, would cost only AED2,140 per month. The offer on the Palisade also includes a five-year/100,000-kilometre service contract, one year of free registration, complimentary LLUMAR window tinting, and five years of roadside assistance, along with a five-year or 100,000-kilometre manufacturer warranty and 120 days of deferred payment. For those looking to accentuate their style, the sedan Accent, is being offered at installments as low as AED777 per month, coupled with additional benefits, like a three-year/50,000-kilometre service contract, one year of free registration, five-year roadside assistance, five years or 100,000-kilometre manufacturer warranty, and 120 days of deferred payment.-- Tradearabia News Service By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: Despite the change of actors in the Armenian theater of absurdity and the promises of the new troupe staff to ensure a decent life for its citizens in a short time, the socio-economic situation in Armenia continues to slide downhill. This process continues, slowly but steadily. For example, an author of article issued in Yerevans "Aravot" newspaper wrote: "A group of our compatriots in recent days have been holding protests, demanding permission to leave for Russia. ... As far as I know, Armenians in Moscow, Krasnodar or Glendale dont hold demonstrations under the slogan "We want to return to Armenia." Even those who have only Armenia's citizenship, prefer to stay somewhere where even considering COVID-19, there are job perspectives, and more or less clear future for children... and, of course, no one will probably dare to reproach them for not giving up everything to return to Armenia. Likewise, I cannot blame people who want to return to Russia: they must understand that the state of Armenia cannot help them in any way," said the article. Nothing can be added to these words of the Armenian author living in Yerevan. Its a pity, however, that this is just a statement of fact, without publicly voicing the root reasons why the state of Armenia is unable to help its citizens. Its still a big question on whose side is time in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Many people in Armenia think that its on their side. Well, time will show. Baku, in turn, continues its policy of forcing the aggressor to peace, including by putting pressure on sensitive points of the Armenian economy. Until quite recently, Armenia had no competitors in the export of electricity to neighboring countries, but the situation is changing. According to the US Knoema data technology company, as well as Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy and the Armenian Energy Agency (data for 2019), the export of electricity (in billion kilowatt-hours) from Armenia and Azerbaijan is as following: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 zerbaijan 0,265 1.096 1.283 1.445 1.491 rmenia 1.424 1.229 1.44 1.208 1.251 Power engineering is one of the strategic sectors of the Armenian economy, and the export of electricity is, accordingly, one of the main items of its income. Armenia has two traditional directions for exporting its electricity - Iran and Georgia. Recently, Azerbaijan has been increasingly disputing the role of Armenia as a regional leader in the export of electricity. This was confirmed by Georgias Electricity System Commercial Operator (ESCO) JSC, according to which in 2019, 68 percent of electricity imports to Georgia came from Azerbaijan and 32 percent from Russia. As for Iran, north provinces of which need additional electricity supply, it has been considered for a long time as the main direction of Armenia's electricity strategy. In this regard, the opinion of the President of Armenias Energy Security Institute Vahe Davtyan, expressed by him in his interview to Yerevans "Lragir" newspaper, is interesting - he doesnt hide his fears due to the increased activity of Azerbaijan in terms of supplying electricity to Iran. He noted that the appearance of the Azerbaijani state-owned company Azerenergy on the Iranian market in 2018 creates serious competition and damages Armenia's energy interests. The Armenian expert warned that in the near future Armenia should be ready for tough competition with Azerbaijan in the Iranian market, as well as with Turkmenistan. The second alarming aspect, according to the Armenian expert, is that Armenia may once again find itself be outside large infrastructure projects of the region. The fact is that Armenia pins big hopes a project of laying high-voltage Iran-Armenia line. This project is part of the North-South electricity corridor, which, in turn, is designed to synchronize the power systems of Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia. The construction of the power transmission line was to be completed first in 2018, then in 2019, and is now scheduled for the end of 2020. "In the current situation, we see how Azerbaijan proposes to form an alternative corridor across its territory. The Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia electricity corridor project has already been put on the agenda, in the event of which the Armenian corridor may lose its initial geopolitical significance," Davtyan had said. So, Azerbaijan's "encroachments" on the Iranian electricity market which is one of the last remaining "holy cows" at Armenia's disposal, which bring hard cash to the country's budget, may drive one of the final nails in the Armenian economys coffin. Before that, Armenia suffered a failure with projects to build the Iran-Armenia railway, with plans to become a transit country for Iranian and Turkmen gas, with the construction of an oil refinery on the border with Iran. Its not excluded that one of the next revolutions in Armenia will be held under the slogan "Return of territories, peace with Azerbaijan". --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Even before the mortal remains of former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh could be consigned to flames, an ugly verbal spat has broken out between Grand Alliance and NDA leaders over the letter written by Singh from his hospital bed in New Delhi days before his death. The RJD and Congress cast doubts over letters written by him and alleged that he was compelled to write such letters. Singh, who died at AIIMS in New Delhi on Sunday, had on Thursday announced his resignation from the party vide a hand-written letter addressed to jailed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and followed it up with a series of communications the next day, drawing the attention of chief minister Nitish Kumar towards a number of issues. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating oil and natural gas projects in Bihar, had appealed to CM to execute the development projects he wrote about in the letter. Lets together--the state and the Centre--fulfil his wishes, Modi said. Among other things, Singh had sought extension of MGNREGA benefits to the farm sector. The RJD and Congress leaders termed the whole matter as fishy. Also read: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tests positive for Covid-19 No person admitted to a hospital ICU can write a letter. He was upset over many things which he had expressed freely. But he never betrayed any intention of quitting the party he had nurtured. The state government is doing politics in the matter, said Bhai Birendra, RJD MLA from Maner. It seems to be a conspiracy of the NDA, he added. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad SIngh backed RJD MLA. I met Raghuvansh babu just a week back. He was a transparent man and had he really been thinking of quitting his party, he would not have tried to hide it. There is some conspiracy at some level, the Congress leader said. He was critical of Nitish Kumar during our meeting, he said. The NDA leaders, on the other hand, expressed their shock over the allegations of the GA leaders. They are shameless. No RJD leader bothered about him when he was ill. Now, when he raised certain issues related to Vaishali, they are talking rubbish, said minister and JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar. Also read: The importance of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh Singh had been tormented by the pettiness of the RJDs new generation of leaders. Who can forget Tej Pratap Yadavs remarks demeaning his stature? The party will face his curse, said BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand. Lalu Prasads eldest son Tejpratap Yadav Yadav had reacted to Singhs exit by saying a lota (pot) of water makes no difference to an ocean. Former BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Gopal Narain SIngh too joined the issue and called it novice politics of young RJD leaders. Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, former union ministers body was consigned to flames with full state honours. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chilean police said Saturday that more than 100 people were arrested after clashes marking the 47th anniversary of the coup d'etat that overthrew the leftist government of Salvador Allende. Sixteen police officers and two civilians were wounded in the clashes that erupted after ceremonies commemorating Allende, who died in the coup that ushered in 17 years of military rule under General Augusto Pinochet. Police general Ricardo Yanez said three police barracks had come under attack, his forces had been targeted by "several attacks with incendiary devices" and vehicles had been torched. Most of the disturbances took place in the capital Santiago, after a march to the La Moneda presidential palace to pay tribute to Allende. The clashes continued through the night and into early morning. The date is marked annually by violent incidents between protesters and police, with residents in some neighborhoods erecting barricades. Yanez said the number of violent incidents had increased this year but that they were less intense than previously. Interior Minister Victor Perez told a press conference that "it is clear that there are violent groups whose only capacity is to destroy" and that needed to be confronted and brought to justice. Most the clashes occurred in Santiago, especially around the central Plaza Italia square which was the epicenter of months of social protests that erupted in October last year and left around 30 people dead and thousands wounded. Allende committed suicide by shooting himself during the September 11, 1973 coup, having vowed not to be taken alive as Pinochet's troops stormed the presidential palace. San Francisco, Sep 14 : Bytedance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has chosen Cloud major Oracle over Microsoft to run its US operations as a 'trusted tech partner, multiple media reports revealed on Monday while an official announcement was still awaited. According to The New York Times, it was unclear whether TikTok's choice of Oracle as a technology partner would mean that "Oracle would also take a majority ownership stake of the social media app". This is different from an outright sale and appears to suggest Oracle will help run TikTok's US operations with its Cloud technologies. In an official statement, Microsoft said its bid for TikTok operations in the US was rejected. "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests," Microsoft said. "To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement," the tech giant added. After TikTok was banned in India in June, along with 58 other Chinese apps, the Donald Trump administration in the US increased pressure on the ByteDance-owned platform to sell its US operations by mid-September or face a ban. According to NYT, Oracle has cultivated close ties with the Trump administration. "Its founder, Larry Ellison, hosted a fund-raiser for Trump this year, and its chief executive, Safra Catz, served on the president's transition team and has frequently visited the White House". Trump said last month that he would support Oracle buying TikTok. "I think that Oracle would be certainly somebody that could handle it," he told reporters. Trump maintained there will be "no extension of the TikTok deadline". Riding on new customer wins in both Cloud applications and infrastructure businesses, Oracle posted better than expected results for its FY21 first quarter results last week, generating $9.4 billion in revenue which was up 2 per cent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, China said the Trump administration's deadline for TikTok sale is tantamount to "coercive robbery". "The tricks of economic bullying and political manipulation that the US played on non-American companies are tantamount to coercive robbery," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson over the weekend. ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey would 'love it' if a ceasefire declared in Libya last month is successful but there are many doubts after eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar dismissed the move, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Wednesday. Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) declared the ceasefire last month and called for a lifting of a seven-month blockade on oil facilities ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey would "love it" if a ceasefire declared in Libya last month is successful but there are many doubts after eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar dismissed the move, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Wednesday. Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) declared the ceasefire last month and called for a lifting of a seven-month blockade on oil facilities. The leader of a rival parliament to the east, Aguila Saleh, also appealed for a halt to hostilities. Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) dismissed the ceasefire as a marketing stunt, saying rival forces were mobilising around front lines in Sirte and Jufra, strategic areas for both sides. Turkey has provided military support to Fayez al-Serraj's GNA, helping reverse the LNA's 14-month assault on Tripoli in June. Haftar's LNA is supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Eastern parlianmentary leader Saleh is seen to have gained clout relative to Haftar since the LNA's retreat from Tripoli. "We see there are points by Serraj and Saleh that are good points, like lifting the (oil) embargo, but there are some issues with the statements as well," Oktay told an online panel, referring to differing calls for demilitarised zones in Sirte and Jufra. "Saleh has tried to somehow reach an agreement and Haftar has already rejected it. If it goes through, we would love it, but unfortunately there are many doubts. Unfortunately, there are huge military accumulations by countries supporting Haftar." Both sides and their foreign patrons have been mobilising around the central city of Sirte, though there has been little fighting in recent weeks. The sides have also accused each other of quickly violating truces and using them to rearm. Last week, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey wanted talks between the warring parties to resume. "We support the ceasefire and the disarmament of the Sirte-Jufra line on the condition that Libya is not divided," he said. The United Nations has been coordinating international efforts for military, political and economic deals in Libya following a summit in January in Berlin. Ankara and Moscow have also been holding talks on a ceasefire, with Turkish officials going to Moscow for discussions on Monday. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Editing by Ece Toksabay and Mark Heinrich) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Restrictions began to relax. Restaurants reopened their doors. And, slowly, people crept out from their homes in the middle of a pandemic. But Madisyn Hess, 21, a senior at Christopher Newport University, still hasn't seen many of her friends in person since March. Hess, from McGaheysville, Va., is paralyzed from the waist down. Her lungs are damaged. "My diaphragm is partially paralyzed, so respiratory illnesses are very dangerous for me," said Hess, who is studying psychology. "Flu season, pneumonia season, I'm already at high risk." Hess's school in Newport News, Va., like hundreds throughout the country, reopened in August for a mix of in-person and online classes. Many of the students who have returned are eager to restart their social lives. At CNU, officials reported six active cases, all students, on Friday. "I've been invited to a few parties, which, obviously, I declined," said Hess, who lives in an off-campus apartment with her boyfriend. She cannot risk contracting the novel coronavirus. "It's just not in the cards for me this year." It's a lonely feeling, she said. Until she found other women like her - all college-age and much less willing than their peers to flout public health guidelines because of their preexisting health conditions. They meet weekly on video chats, provide updates through group messages and help one another navigate the pandemic, the school year and friends who do not always understand why they cannot party or eat at a restaurant. "I already felt disposable, in a sense, by society. And now it's just even more reiterated," Hess said during a support-group meeting. "It's so refreshing to talk to people who get it." Casandra Paiz, a 22-year-old senior at Bryn Mawr College, is taking her classes remotely from her family's home outside Chicago. She has asthma and fibromyalgia. Paiz said the support group gives her a chance to vent. "We can rant for like two hours straight," she said in an interview. Bryn Mawr, in suburban Philadelphia, has administered 1,042 coronavirus tests since Aug. 26, and one came back positive. The rants range from frustration with friends to complaints about the ways their schools have reopened. Cameron Lynch, a William & Mary sophomore who started the support group, got the idea after posting a letter on Instagram that outlined her frustrations. The sociology major has Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and a form of muscular dystrophy. Dozens of students took notice - they commented on Lynch's post and reached out to share their own stories. So the 19-year-old created a digital space for them to connect. Samantha Price, a junior at the University of Mary Washington with Type 1 diabetes, helps coordinate the meetings. Lynch dialed into a recent support group meeting from her parents' flat in London. She was knitting a sweater. "I finally found an internship," Lynch said. The women cheered. "My school is not doing all-online classes, so I've had to drop like half of my classes." She's interning, remotely, at Disability Rights UK, an advocacy organization. "A normal cold will kind of knock me out for a couple of weeks, so I can't imagine what covid would do to me," Lynch said in an interview. She decided to take her classes, also remotely, from London. Lynch said she's had to drop classes that would not meet online, a common experience for students who are hesitant to return to the classroom. She and Price this summer wrote a letter to college leaders in Virginia, asking them to make every course available online. "Our greatest concern is the lack of equitable learning solutions for this high-risk population," the letter said. "Without remote learning options for all their classes, hundreds of immunocompromised students are being forced to either risk their health and attend in-person classes or make last-minute changes to their carefully designed schedules to switch to a limited variety of online courses. Students shouldn't be forced to make such a choice." The University of Virginia is offering remote options for courses being taught face-to-face. Many other schools in the state are not. The women who joined a recent support group meeting discussed their schedules and lamented seeing their friends post party pictures on social media. "The saddest part is that they're not even ashamed of it," said Price, who's taking classes from her parents' home in Fairfax, Va. "These are people that are supposed to be our friends." Hannah Hardiman, who's in her fourth year at U-Va., agreed. "It just kills me," she said. Her university has reported more than 280 cases of the coronavirus among students and employees since Aug. 17. Coronavirus cases have surged on campuses such as Temple University and Indiana University, where nearly 800 students living in communal housing - including Greek life housing - have tested positive. Officials at James Madison University, worried about an increase in positive cases and a potential shortage of isolation beds, suspended in-person classes for the rest of the month. Schools promised to enforce policies to keep students masked and distant, but it's proved difficult to consistently monitor thousands of young adults. Students do not just come to campuses to take classes and use the library. They also want to interact. Hardiman, from Fairfax, said she does not blame people her age for wanting to be social - many of them have spent months away from one another and in their homes away from their friends. But she wishes they'd consider people like her, who are more likely to have serious complications with the virus. "What's frustrating, more than anything, is the disregard for other people," Hardiman said in an interview. "I think this is very much a community effort to slow the spread and protect everyone in the community." Hardiman, who is taking a medicine that suppresses her immune system, decided to move onto campus. She has three roommates, friends who understand her health condition and have agreed to follow the rules to keep everyone safe. "It's definitely hard going through college without some sort of relief or way to connect with other people," she said. "If I had stayed home, I definitely would have been missing that." The community she's built through the support group has helped Hardiman and the other women settle into the new school year. The weekly video calls are a place to unwind, vent and ask for advice. "I'm in pain all the time," Lynch told the group. "I live in a small flat, so I can't really do at-home workouts." Paiz recommended anti-inflammatory foods, yoga and turmeric supplements. "We've had to fight our medical problems since Day 1, and not many people have had to do that," Paiz said in an interview. The support group "has been really helpful, in terms of having people thinking similarly to me, in terms of covid and being an immunocompromised person." HSCAP 2020 | An official notice stated that a total of 4,76,046 students have applied this year for admission to 2,80,212 seats HSCAP 2020 | The Kerala government has released the first allotment list for admission to Plus One classes in government and aided schools on its official website - hscap.kerala.gov.in. Candidates who have applied for the first higher secondary admission can visit the website to check and download the allotment result. According to a report by The Indian Express, the official notice by the Kerala Department of Higher Secondary Education stated that a total of 4,76,046 students have applied this year for admission to 2,80,212 seats. Of these, 2,22,522 students have been allotted seats. After the first allotment result, the total vacant seats are 57,878. Candidates whose name has been mentioned in the first allotment list will be required to pay a fee to reserve it otherwise it will be released in the second allotment list if there is any. Candidates will have to carry their original certificates for verification to respective schools. The date, time, and other details will be mentioned in the candidate login. A report by Times Now said that the admission based on the first allotment result has started today (14 September). Candidates can confirm their seats by 19 September. The admission process is being conducted online this year to restrict the spread of COVID-19. As per a report by The Times of India, candidates whose names have been mentioned in the first allotment are supposed to be present along with their parents at the respective schools in the time and date mentioned in the letter. Candidates can collect the print out of the allotment letter from the schools. Steps to check the HSCAP first allotment list 2020: Step 1: Go to hscap.kerala.gov.in Step 2: Tap on the candidate login link Step 3: Enter user name, password, and district to log in Step 4: The allotment list will appear on the screen Step 5: Take a printout for future reference The University of New Mexico retaliated against the director of Africana Studies for demanding that his program be elevated to a department and later removed him when the program got state funding for the change, according to a whistleblower lawsuit. Attorney for Charles Becknell Jr. filed the whistleblower lawsuit in state district court last month alleging the school retaliated against him and failed to adequately investigate a series of racist and threatening emails he received. Becknell sought to elevate Africana Studies from a program to a department that would grant undergraduate and graduate degrees after Chicano Studies and Native American Studies had achieved department status, the lawsuit said. But a dean told Becknell that the University of New Mexico was focused on elevating Chicano Studies to a department and an upgrade of Africana Studies wasnt in the immediate plans, the lawsuit claims. After Africana Studies got state funding to become a department, Becknell was told it needed a tenure-track professor to lead the new program and Becknell was removed. The University of New Mexico said Becknell remains the director of the Africana Studies program and will search for a new director when it becomes a department. University of New Mexico spokeswoman Cinnamon Blair said the school is aware of the lawsuit but doesnt comment on pending litigation. Becknell is seeking unspecified damages and his old position. Chicano Studies and Native American Studies recently began granting graduate degrees and have seen enrollment jump. For example, Chicano Studies boosted student enrollment from 96 in 2011 to 707 last fall. The change has come even as other departments and programs within the University of New Mexico have seen drops in students and the school overall has experienced a decline in enrollment. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Education Universities Mexico Job Title: Project Manager I Agroforestry Organization: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Reports to: Chief of Party About US: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting relief and development work in over 100 countries around the world. CRS carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. CRS Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations; serving people on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs. CRS has worked in Uganda since 1965, initially providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees living in the north. Over the years, CRS has expanded its programming to also address development needs in western, central and eastern Uganda. CRS projects in Uganda currently include agriculture, health, microfinance, peacebuilding and youth. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including the Catholic Church, other faith-based organizations and community entities for maximum impact and sustainability. CRS Uganda employs around 190 staff and has its main office in Kampala, with sub-offices in Moroto, Yumbe, and Hoima About Project: The Vines Project, implemented by CRS Uganda, is a five-year, $13 million Food for Progress project that will make Uganda the worlds next leading supplier of high-quality vanilla. Vines will leverage the expertise of CRS and its partners to enhance the production of safe, pure vanilla and develop sustainable market links with US vanilla companies, directly transforming the lives of 16,200 farmers, 836 supply chain actors and create 15,820 new jobs to reach 32,856 vanilla stakeholders. The Vines strategy reflects best practices in sustainable development and will leave Uganda with a robust vanilla farming community resilient to the boom/bust nature of the market and a cadre of private sector agricultural extensionists to support more sophisticated production, processing, and marketing needs. Job Summary: The Agro-forestry Specialist will lead all field activities related to the coordination, training, and monitoring of project agro-forestry approaches, good agricultural practices and climate smart adaptations to increase the production, productivity, and quality of Ugandan vanilla. The Specialist will lead the analysis of farming systems and implement the capacity building of farmers in key areas such as soil and water management. This position will report to Chief of Party. Your technical, training, and collaborative skills, as well as vanilla value chain knowledge will ensure that the CRS delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of this project. Key Duties and Responsibilities: monitoring and reporting activities through most of the project cycle start-up, implementation and close-out in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. You will lead the implementation of technical, coordinating,monitoring and reporting activities through most of the project cycle start-up, implementation and close-out in line with CRS program qualityprinciples and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. in all project activities related to agro-forestry, good agricultural practices, and climate smart adaptation. You will lead the training, coaching, monitoring, and coordinationin all project activities related to agro-forestry, good agriculturalpractices, and climate smart adaptation. throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities following MEAL Policy. Proactively identify issues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. You will ensure the learning properly accompanies project activitiesthroughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinatingproject evaluation activities following MEAL Policy. Proactively identifyissues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementationschedules. project, applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches. You will lead the strengthening of partnerships relevant to Vinesproject, applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, toolsand approaches. partner organizations and contribute to capacity strengthening and required interventions to support quality project implementation. Identify staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs ofpartner organizations and contribute to capacity strengthening andrequired interventions to support quality project implementation. results. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and disseminateresults. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: Manager I Agroforestry job placement must hold a Bachelors Degree required. Masters Degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, or a related field would be a plus. The ideal candidate for the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ProjectManager I Agroforestry job placement must hold a Bachelors Degreerequired. Masters Degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, or a related fieldwould be a plus. positions in the field of Agriculture, preferably for a donor funded, time-bound project. Minimum of 5 years of work experience in technical or managementpositions in the field of Agriculture, preferably for a donor funded,time-bound project. agricultural practices. Proven understanding of agro-forestry approaches and goodagricultural practices. Experience in value chain projects or programs. Additional experience may substitute for some education. Required/Desired Foreign Language: required English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills,required Preferred Qualifications donors, a plus. Relevant technical experience, especially for USG or other publicdonors, a plus. Staff supervision experience. strengthening community partnerships. Experience working with stakeholders at various levels andstrengthening community partnerships. plus. Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, aplus. Experience analyzing data and contributing to evaluation reports. PowerPoint). Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word,PowerPoint). to make sound judgment. Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with abilityto make sound judgment. effectively with local stakeholders. Representation abilities. Strong relationship management skills and the ability to workeffectively with local stakeholders. Representation abilities. Ability to contribute to written reports. Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented. responsibilities. Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assignedresponsibilities. Agency-Wide Competencies (for all CRS staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results. Serves with Integrity Models Stewardship Cultivates Constructive Relationships Promotes Learning NOTE: To apply, please follow these instructions exactly otherwise your application will NOT be considered. How to Apply: All candidates should Email a cover letter and CV only to ug_recruitment@crs.org Large files and/or scans of documents will lead to rejection of your application, in the subject line of the email, copy and paste PROJECTMANAGERIAGROFORESTRY only All applications that do not contain this exact subject line will be rejected and not read. Deadline: 25th September, 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline Defendants in Moscow court building arson to spend 4 years each behind bars RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 19:08 14/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 14 (RAPSI) The Dorogomilovsky District Court in Moscow sentenced two defendants in a case over arson of another Moscow district court to four years in a penal colony each, a RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom on Monday. The defendants, Rafis Galimov and Ruslan Ibragimov, were also fined 886,000 rubles (about $12,000 at the current exchange rate) to compensate damages to the Nikulinsky district court building. The men admitted guilt only partially. According to prosecutors, the arson was paid for by certain businessman Grigoryev; as a defendant in a separate case he was sentenced to 6 years in prison in absentia after failing to appear at the final hearing; later he was put on the wanted list. Grigoryev, the prosecution says, offered 100,000 rubles (about $1,500) for the crime seeking to destroy some criminal case materials kept in the court building. Three current news items concern a Republican operative named Michael Caputo whom Donald Trump installed in April as his personal enforcer at the Department of Health and Human Services (Caputo is, ostensibly, the departments assistant secretary of public affairs). The first is that the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis announced that it will be investigating Caputos alleged attempts, originally reported by Politico, to edit and even retroactively modify Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on the pandemic to make them more flattering to Trump. The second is that Caputo has deleted his Twitter account after celebrating the tear-gassing of protesters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and calling someone with four followers a douchebag. Advertisement The third Caputo story is, somehow, much more dramatic: In a Sunday Facebook Live appearance, the HHS official alleged that there is a seditious resistance unit within the CDC that is attempting to sustain the pandemic until after the presidential electionand said that he believes this unit is plotting to murder him. (Said Caputo: Theyre going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think thats where this is going.) In addition to this targeted assassination, Caputo asserted that left-wing activists are conducting drills across the country to prepare to kill Trump supporters in the event that Joe Biden does not win the election. 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. Caputo also confirmed a report that he has been put in charge of an imminent $250 million coronavirus public-information campaign that, conveniently for the president, plans to promote a message of hope regarding the pandemics course. Advertisement Advertisement Very normal, to delegate an enormous amount of control over a critical public-safety issue to a person such as this! On Sunday, meanwhile, Trump held an indoor rally in Henderson, Nevada; here is his campaigns justification for not holding the event outdoors: Trump campaign spox Tim Murtaugh is defending the decision to host an indoor rally tonight. In a statement per pool, he says that if people can gamble in casinos or "burn down small businesses in riots" they can "gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment" to hear from Trump. pic.twitter.com/7OYjJsTULB Megan Messerly (@meganmesserly) September 13, 2020 Advertisement Casinos are indeed open in Nevada, but they remain under capacity restrictions and mask requirements; you can see the photo above for a sense of the physical distancing and mask rules the campaign enforced at its own event. The last time Trump held a rally indoors, Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate who attended it, fell ill with COVID-19 and died shortly thereafter. Advertisement Since the Republican National Convention, Trumps campaign has enjoyed its best stretch of polling since May. But best in this context means that Trump went from trailing Joe Biden by 9-ish points nationally to trailing him by 7-plus points nationally, and Mondays news seems likely to reorient the national news cycle around an issue on which the president does not have an advantage. Here, for example, are the results of an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A majority of Americans (68%) do not trust what Trump says about the coronavirus pandemic. Overall approval of Trumps handling of the pandemic is unchanged, with just over a third (35%) approving. ABC/Ipsos questions did not specifically address whether voters would approve of Trump getting people killed with indoor rallies or delegating virus-related authority to a weird hatchet man who appears to be having mental problems, but it is probably safe to say these developments will not help his campaign. If Caputo is killed by a secret-scientist-assassin murder cabal, however, one could see it creating a kind of sympathy vote effect for the incumbent. Jurys still out! For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Oil markets are spiraling downwards as bearish factors mount and sentiment shifts. One of these factors is the concerns over rising exports from OPEC+ in Q3, with the possibility of a total breakdown of the OPEC+ agreement. Another factor is the possibility of a Joe Biden election victory in the US, which could lead to the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the removal restrictions on Iranian crude oil exports. Joe Biden is ahead of Donald Trump in most national polls. Furthermore, the market has been weighed down by concerns that oil demand recovery is slowing due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections globally. COVID-19 cases are rebounding in the UK and France, with the number of daily cases reported exceeding 3 thousand cases in the UK and 10 thousand cases in France. The uptick in cases has increased the likelihood of another lockdown being implemented across Europe. With increasing crude stocks and low refinery runs signaling weak demand, the markets are expected to remain under pressure. Last Friday, Brent closed at $39.83, down by 6.63 percent w/w, while WTI closed at $37.33, down by 6.14 percent w/w. Money managers reduced their net long positions by 57.39 million barrels w/w in WTI contracts to stand at 269.49 million barrels while reducing net long positions in Brent contracts by 67.31 million barrels w/w to stand at 121.17 million barrels. It seems that poor fundamentals are now having a significant impact on market sentiment. EIA reports a rise in crude inventories with declining refining runs The EIA reported an unexpected rise in crude oil inventories by 2 million barrels to stand at 500.4 million barrels, while the strategic petroleum reserve declined by 0.3 million bbl/d to stand at 647.3 million bbl/d. There was a withdrawal from gasoline and middle distillates inventories and a decline in refinery runs which went down by 1.09 million bbl/d w/w to stand at 12.78 million bbl/d as the driving season ended in the U.S. The decline in refinery utilization during Hurricane Laura last week was largely responsible. Gasoline inventories were down by 2.95 million barrels, while distillate stocks decreased by 1.68 million barrels. The EIA data suggests that U.S. oil demand stands at 15.26 million bbl/d, down by 0.51 million bbl/d w/w. The U.S. oil production rose by 300 thousand bbl/d to stand at 10 million bbl/d after a partial recovery from the disruption caused by Hurricane Laura. Related: Citi Bank Sees $60 Oil In 2021 Hurricane Sally to create another supply concern in the USGC This week, the Gulf of Mexico, which produces around 17 percent of the U.S. oil production, may have another supply disruption as Hurricane Sally, which is a category 2 hurricane, is expected to dump between 6 to 12 inches of rainfall from Western Florida to Southeast Louisiana. Both Chevron and Murphy Oil started evacuating their offshore platforms, while Chevron's Pascagoula refinery is implementing a storm preparation procedure. The hurricane is likely to cause U.S. production from the Gulf of Mexico to dip once again. Iraq compliance improving despite poor data from Kurdistan OPEC+ is holding its meeting this week, on the 17th of September, where producers are expected to review compliance. Most analysts expect the group to stick to the production agreement throughout Aug-Dec 2020, easing cuts to 7.70 million bbl/d, from 9.7 million bbl/d. The latest data reported by Iraq's state oil marketer, SOMO, shows that Iraqs production in August averaged 3.578 million bbl/d including 456 thousand bbl/d from Kurdistan. That is 174 thousand bbl/d above its quota of 3.404 million bbl/d. Compliance has improved since July when Iraqi production averaged 3.697 million bbl/d. According to SOMO, Kurdistan achieved compliance of 79 percent while the federal states compliance hit 102 percent. The total August crude oil exports from Iraq stood at 3.023 million bbl/d, including 2.597 million bbl/d from the federal state and 426,000 b/d from Kurdistan. The conflict between the federal government and semi-autonomous Kurdistan continues to affect Iraqs compliance figures. Iraq will now ask for an extension to achieve its compensation plans in October and November. EIA slashes its demand forecast to 8.32 million bbl/d Oil market reports from the IEA and OPEC are expected to be released this week in which demand forecasts will likely be altered. The EIA released its STEO last week in which it slashed its demand growth forecast by 0.21 million bbl/d to a total decline of 8.32 million bbl/d y/y, due to lower than expected consumption growth in China. That means the EIA expects an average demand of 93.1 million bbl/d in 2020 with an expected rise in demand by 6.5 million bbl/d in 2021. In its forecast, the EIA assumes that U.S. GDP will have declined by 4.6 percent in the first half of 2020. The EIA estimates that global oil demand averaged 94.3 million bbl/d in August, which is 1 million higher than our forecast published a few months ago. Furthermore, the EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to average 11.4 million bbl/d in 2020 and 11.1 million bbl/d in 2021, compared with 12.2 million bbl/d in 2019 which suggests nearly flat levels this year and next due low price expectations. By Yousef Alshammari for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: .@TziMa8, Jacky Lai and Tony Giroux Cast in Lifetime's First Asian American-Led Christmas Movie https://t.co/NUd34jmwIo TVLine.com (@TVLine) September 14, 2020 Lifetimes First LGBTQ Christmas Movie to Star Marrieds @BenLewisHere and Blake Lee https://t.co/o9I1wbGG8B TVLine.com (@TVLine) September 14, 2020 -Lifetime is ready for their first Asian American-led Christmas movie!-The synopsis reads as follows:A Sugar & Spice Holiday is centered on the story of a Chinese-American woman who draws on her familys cultural traditions to spice up an old-fashioned Christmas baking competition. It follows Suzie (Lai), a rising young architect, who returns to her small hometown in Maine for Christmas where her Chinese American family runs the local Lobster Bar. Following the loss of her beloved grandmother who was a legendary baker in their community, Suzie is guilted into following in her grandmothers footsteps by entering the local gingerbread house competition. Teaming up with an old high school friend Billy (Giroux), who grew up to be a catch, Suzie must find the right recipes and mix of sugar and spice to win the competition and perhaps find some love in the process.Jennifer Liao will direct the telepic, which was written by Eirene Donohue and cast by Judy Lee.-Ben Lewis (Arrow) and Blake Lee who are married in real life are staring in Lifetimes first LGBTQ themed Christmas movie!-The synopsis reads as follows:The Christmas Setup follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo (Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Wong) to spend the holidays with his mom Kate (Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Lee), Hugos high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patricks attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kates Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.Source: 1 Democrats plan to end the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court with radical judges. These changes would give the left license to radically transform the nation. There is, however, another threat theyve dusted off ahead of the Nov. 3rd election thatif executedwouldnt just be transformative, but totally destructive. They want to abolish the Electoral College. Destroying this institution will mean the end of national campaigning (and the engagement, negotiation, and localized promises that go along with it). What politician will ever again stump in Kenosha or Breckenridge? What will a vote get you in Idaho or Montana? It will mean fewer crucial checks on voter fraud. It will mean tyranny by the coastal hives; by California technocrats and by Wall Street corporatists. It will mean a nation highly susceptible to one-party rule and inevitably totalitarianism, which, if still called America, would be America in name only. There are innumerable articles arguing for and against this institution, yet given the present state of the Democrat Partymajoritively made desperate and hysterical by their upset four years ago, the failure of their Russian collusion hoax (advanced by their acolytes in the mainstream media), bad post-modern thinking, a disastrous Obama administration, and the inefficacy of their deep state coupit seems prudent to raise the matter once more. After all, it is better to discuss this now when only parts of America are on fire rather than when all is set ablaze by the Dems guerrilla fighters upon their realization late November that Trump has won 362 electoral college votes despite losing the popular vote. Plus, if that oracle of daytime-programming wisdom Joy Behar is calling for the Electoral Colleges diminution, clearly someone needs to respond. There have been a few occasions where the popular vote did not secure for a candidate the presidency. In 1824, Andrew Jackson lost to John Quincy Adams. Rutherford B. Hayes beat Sam Tilden in 1876. Grover Cleveland got steamrolled by Benjamin Harrison for an Electoral College (EC) win in 1888. In 2000, George W. Bushs EC win over Al Gore made the Dems susceptible to the derangement that set the stage for 2016, where Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but nevertheless got thoroughly trounced by Donald Trump 304 to 227. When the EC worked in their favor in 2008 and 2012, the Dems were silent on the subject. Recognizing that Trump is transformative and that conservative populism is sweeping over once-solidly blue states, the Dems are petrified that they wont be able to sooner take advantage of their imported voting bloc via amnesty and resettlementthat total power has been once again set beyond their reach. Theyre desperate. Is it the systems fault? Or are states just not voting properly? Some people do vote properlyin the big cites, predominantly on the coasts. The big cities are used to big government, and becoming ever-more reliant on it. Best part about these big cities: theyre almost universally Democrat-run, and for the most part, theyre situated in Democrat states. Those are the people you want deciding your elections! That California and New York should have so few electors is a travesty! That the backbone of the country should get to straighten on Nov. 3rd and carry the body is anathema. So what is this thing Joy Behar wants us to destroy? The United States of America is a representative [federal] republic. It qualifies as an indirect democracy, but this isn't justly reflected in the revisionist histories and stump speeches popular today or in the emulations exported to conquered third-world nations around the globe. In fact, democratic neither appears in the Declaration of Independence nor in the Constitution. Erik Maria Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn pointed out that the noun republic is also missing from the aforementioned documents. On this matter, the Constitution only states that member states of the Union should have a republican form of government. A republic is a state wherein power is held by the people and their elected representatives who choose as their head-of-state a president rather than a monarch. The relationship between the people and their elected representativeswhere choosing the president is concernedis tied to the Electoral College (EC). The EC is comprised of intermediaries. We cast our votes, and these intermediariescalled electorsthen cast theirs reflecting our majoritive will. There are 538 of these electors. An elector is chosen at the state level. Electors are nominated during the parties state-level elections. A partys central committee, with ethical standards and criteria in mind, then chooses the electors. Altogether, 538 electors decide who will become president. 270 or more votes are required to clinch the win. Even smaller states with fewer electors can make a big difference one way or the otherfar bigger than any they could hope to make based on the popular vote. The number of each state's electors corresponds with that state's membership in the Senate and House. California has fifty-five electors. Texas: thirty-eight. New York: twenty-nine. Florida: twenty-nine. Illinois: twenty. And so forth. If a candidate wins the plurality of votes, they receive all of the states electors (Maine and Nebraska have their own thing going on, with congressional districts weighing in). So if Joe Biden won a majority in California, hed get fifty-five towards the required 270 votes. Last election, President Trump beat never-president Clinton by seventy-seven electoral votes. Clinton had won the popular vote, but it didnt matter. California and New York couldnt translate numbers into additional electors. Though the renewed antipathy for the EC may solely concern power and obstacles to gaining more (I dont think thats a cynical reading), the Dems messaging now echoes philosophical differences older than this nation. We wont discuss direct democracy in ancient Greece, though it is precisely that concept which is and has always been at war with American republicanism. The Democrats, especially in the Trump era, tend to favor direct democracy, at least rhetorically. They dont care that direct democracy is a fleeting thing; that tyranny of the majority would quickly produce a regionally focused, though nationally all-powerful, ruling class and a hapless [rural] minority for it to run roughshod over; or that a nation where forty-eight states have their future and policies determined by two coastal powers would not be free. Power is the Democrats highest aim, regardless of what system of politics and governance they enjoy it in. The republican system was designed to deny tyrannical forces such power, hence the venom back in circulation. America is not a pure democracy, and it owes its success and stability at least in part to that fact. Just as the Jacobins misconstrued the Founders' design, leading them to run astray in their failed French replicationinto horrific orgies of blood and totalitarianismpundits and politicians today similarly err in their definitions and in their conflations of ideals with reality, which are invariably at odds with not only Alexander Hamilton's quasi-monarchist aspirations and Thomas Jefferson's heavy with distaste for the swinish multitudes, but with the nation's founding documents that call for a regimented system of checks and balances. The Founders were actually quite suspicious of pure democracy. John Adams suggested that democracy would inevitably evolve into oligarchy and into despotism. In The Works of John Adams (Vol. 6), he claimed that: The people, when they have been unchecked have been as unjust, tyrannical, brutal, barbarous and cruel as any king or senate possessed by an uncontrollable power. The majority has eternally and without anyone exception usurped over the rights of the minority. Much later, Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg (1884-1951) echoed these sentiments and the suspicions of the Founders when he stated that: The government of the United States is a representative republic and not a pure democracy. The difference is as profound today as it was when the foundations of the Constitution were set in the ages...We are a representative republic. We are not a pure democracyYet we are constantly trying to graft the latter on the former, and every effort we make in this direction, with but few exceptions, is a blow aimed at the heart of the Constitution. Not all in the thirteen colonies shared Vandenberg's and Founders antipathy for pure democracy, and this ideological schism contributed to the polarity within the early government. The essential historical struggle between the chief American political parties, dating back to Andrew Jackson, ostensibly has been, on the one side, to conserve and preserve the republic, and on the other side, to assimilate and promote democratic elements within it. The latter pursuit has not been in vain or without fruit; the expansion of the meaning of the prefix demo has since been modified to include women, blacks, and other groups previously denied involvement and a say in the process. In fact, assuming the essential structure of America remained in place, this give-and-take wouldnt necessarily be ruinous. Unfortunately, we live in a moment of extremes, bereft of nuance, and hostile to compromise. Even though the two parties have changed a great deal (the Democrats have maintained their fidelity to racism, eugenics, and bigotry), the alignment on this issue remains the same. That motley crew of leftists, corporatists, technocrats, neoliberal warmongers, and detached urban elite who will vote blue want the EC gone for myriad reasons, but all going back to gaining and then centralizing power. (The Green New Deal would both require and result in an enormous amount of centralized political power.) The economically-nationalist conservative populists on the right (with or without the RINO relics who may be onside depending on which way the wind is blowing) want to preserve the EC to spread and check power. (I do not doubt that some Republicans, too, are after affluence, but the right generally views the state as a threat to liberty, not as its guarantor). Jefferson stated in 1785 that: The mobs of the great cities add just so much to the support of pure government, as sores do to the strength of the human body. If Democrat policy and conduct in Portland, Washington D.C., New York, and Los Angeles are to be scaled up, then we are headed for a truly impure and sickly government. In addition to the catastrophe of unchecked coastal reign, the ECs undoing would precipitate additional destruction. Allen Guelzo rightly pointed out that were we to abolish the Electoral College, "there would be no sense in having a Senate (which, after all, represents the interests of the states), and eventually, no sense in even having states, except as administrative departments of the central government. Anyone wary of too great a centralization of power should take pause at the possibility of an unchecked Washington establishment wedded (extra to what is already the case) to an authoritarian Silicon Valley. The result would be a cyberpunk nightmare realized. Biden supporters were able to tear down statues of the Founding Fathers without any real opposition. They are now emboldened to think themselves capable of tearing down those institutions the Founders gifted this nation, the Electoral College specifically. If successful in tearing down this key republican institution, they will be caught in the collapse along with us. Its a suicidal prospect, but the Democratswith G.K. Chestertons understanding of suicide as a murder of the whole worldare keen to kill all if from the carnage they can exact some form of unbridled power or wealth. The foundations will, however, hold so long as patriots rally to protect them. Most Americans do not think that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are outmoded parchment. They instead recognize these foundational works as living documents that guarantee the rights, liberties, and destiny of people across America; in small towns, on remote farms, in quiet villages, and in bustling cities, all originally granted by a living God (not by the state). They recognize that the Electoral College buttresses these guarantees. Thankfully, there is a sufficient number on the right as well as some moderates who will not dare forsake that great nation bequeathed to them by proud Americans, won with the blood of patriots. It is essential that they vote for those who will protect what protects our regional agency, which is precisely why the Dems are doing everything they can to confuse and suppress the Republican vote. To dismantle the Electoral College is to dismantle America. This election is about more than personalities; about more than taking on the genocidal CCP, onshoring manufacturing jobs, making citizenship mean something again, or reifying Americas borders; its about more than protecting the unborn from Democrat butchers or treating Americans as individuals as opposed to constituents of deplorable collectives; its about more than making America great again. Its about making sure that this country remains America in more than just name. Image credit: Pixabay public domain The Minority Morcha of the West Bengal has set an ambitious target of inducting 20 lakh Muslims by the end of the year, as part of its efforts to dent the vote share of the ruling TMC in the state, ahead of 2021 Assembly elections. According to the Minority Morcha's state president, Ali Hossain, around 4.5 lakh people from the community have already joined the saffron party. "We have set a target of inducting 20 lakh minorities by December. Of that, four lakh have already been inducted. In the next four months, the target will be achieved," he said. Muslims constitute 28-30 per cent of the state's total vote share, and play a deciding factor in more than 120 of the 294 assembly segments in the state. According to Hossain, opposition parties, for several years, have "misguided" the community members about BJP's intentions and generated a "fear psychosis". "Many intellectuals and educated youths from the minority community have now joined the as they have realized that the party believes in 'development for all'. "Opposition camps have been misleading the Muslims about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Now people have come to realise that it has nothing to do with their citizenship," he said. According to sources in the morcha, the saffron party plans to woo around 10 lakh Muslims from 120 minority- dominated Assembly constituencies in the state, and the rest from the remaining 174 segments. "During this membership drive, we shall focus on the minority-dominated districts of North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda and Murshidabad," Ansari explained. State sources said the party had been trying to woo the minorities for quite some time, but its efforts received a setback following last year's vehement protests over the CAA and the proposed exercise to prepare the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal. "To win elections in West Bengal, it is necessary to secure a section of the minority votes or ensure that the minority votes of the TMC get divided. En bloc minority votes for a particular party can swing the elections. "Over the last few years, the minorities have got disillusioned with the TMC government and restored their faith on the development agenda of the BJP," a senior saffron party leader here said. The TMC, however, mocked the BJP's "game plan", and said minorities stand firmly behind the Mamata Banerjee-led party, as it is the most "credible secular force" in Bengal. "The minorities would never trust a communal force like the BJP. The TMC is the most secular force in the state, which has worked relentlessly for the development of all communities," the ruling party's secretary-general, Partha Chatterjee, said. The BJP, over the last few years, has made deep inroads and emerged as a prime challenger of the ruling TMC in Bengal, by pushing the traditional opposition parties the CPI (M) and the Congress to distant third and fourth positions. The saffron camp reached its all-time high in Bengal last year, when it stunned political pundits by bagging 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, four less than the ruling TMC, and with a staggering vote share of 41 per cent votes. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government's failure to meet conservation targets has resulted in British wildlife suffering a 'lost decade', with many species close to extinction, the RSPB warned. Not enough investment has been made to protect nature, the charity said, while the UK was not meeting international goals for protecting land and sea habitats. Analysis from the UK Government of progress towards international goals agreed in 2010 claim it has met or exceeded only five of 20 targets for this year. However, an independent assessment by the RSPB has suggested that the UK is actually performing even worse than in the official analysis. In fact, they warned, the Government has made either no progress or has been going in the wrong direction in six of the areas. Britain needs to implement new, legally binding national targets backed up with sufficient funding to protect wildlife, the conservation charity added. The Government's failure to meet conservation targets has resulted in British wildlife suffering a 'lost decade', with many species close to extinction, the RSPB warned. Pictured, a redshank one of the United Kingdom's threatened bird species The warning from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds comes on the eve of the publication of the United Nation's latest Global Biodiversity Outlook report, which will warn that the world has failed to halt declines across the natural world. A total of 196 nations signed the so-called Aichi Biodiversity Targets in 2010 in which they agreed to meet a series of goals to protect nature with the deadline for meeting the targets being this year. Post-2020 targets were due to be set out during a major conference in China this year, however this has had to be postponed as a result of COVID-19. In the United Kingdom, there has been no progress on the target to prevent extinction and improve the fortunes of threatened species, with two-fifths of species having been in decline since 1970, the RSPB has warned. Furthermore, they charity has asserted that not enough land of ocean is being protected or managed for nature, despite the Government reporting that 28 per cent of land and 24 percent of the seas being under protection. These figures include such designations as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but many areas do not provide for nature, the RSPB said. The RSPB has pointed to the overall poor health of upland peatland, an important natural habitat, as well as the Wash England's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest where populations of threatened birds like redshanks are in sharp decline. Meanwhile, effective management of marine protected areas is 'severely lacking', a report from the conservation charity has warned while public funding to protect nature has declined across the past decade. The charity is calling for the Government to back ambitious global conservation goal and commit to conserving 30 per cent of the UK's land and seas by the year 2030. Furthermore, they added, there needs to be a strong Fisheries Bill which helps marine areas recover, fundamental reform of agriculture policy to support nature-friendly farming, and a 'substantial' increase in funding for conservation. The UK will need to spend 2.9 billion a year over the next decade on environmental land management, the RSPB has claimed, including 615 million annually specifically to restore and create habitats. 'The UK is not alone in failing to meet the ambitious targets set out 10 years ago, but it is now time that the high ambitions set by successive governments becomes action,' said RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight. 'Every country in the UK must create legally binding targets to restore nature, invest in nature and green jobs, and support farmers to produce healthy food thats good for people, climate and wildlife.' 'We have to put our money where our mouth is and use the next decade to do something truly impressive.' 'We are committed to a greener future, which is why we are leading the world by setting ambitious goals for nature and biodiversity in our landmark Environment Bill,' a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said. Furthermore, they added, the department is 'introducing new ways to reward farmers for protecting the environment and investing 640 million in the Nature for Climate Fund.' 'Furthermore we remain the first major economy to legislate for net zero and as we build back greener from the coronavirus pandemic we are committed to shaping a cleaner and more resilient society.' NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Sometimes one of the best lessons in life is growing up in humble beginnings because it gives you that burning desire to build something great. That is the very motivation that drove Blake Ryan Hawkins to build a successful real estate company in the Houston area, Freedom Hawk Real Estate. Since 2018, Blake and his team have worked with investors to create synergistic connections for joint ventures on single family homes, multifamily apartments, and commercial properties. Freedom Hawk specializes in doing the leg work behind the transactions including marketing, clearing title issues and working with buyers, all while providing 60% of the profits to clients. The core philosophy of Freedom Hawk Real Estate is to enable sellers, buyers and investors to profitable real estate transactions using a high level of trust and integrity in everything they do. Through their efforts, the team of four have closed 57 transactions so far this year. Blake started his path in the real estate industry with the desire to build something that could last a lifetime and he could share with generations, including his 12 year old son. With his mentors' guidance, he bundled his raw ability for leadership and business to turn it into something productive. Blake's strength is building teams and providing motivation to achieve business goals. For Blake, fear is the lack of belief or knowledge of something he wants to accomplish, and success is being in alignment with what God wants from him. He enjoys the journey of life and his goal is to continue developing lasting partnerships and investment opportunities in the Houston and San Antonio areas. Like many entrepreneurs, Blake faces the challenge of self-doubt, uncertainty and not knowing where everything will lead. However he realizes that it is critical to have a growth mindset when starting your own business. His advice for those contemplating a new venture is to "Make a decision from a place of dogged determination, combined with clear intention of where and who you want to become. This will lead to the natural evolution of the business/ brand growth." The natural evolution for Blake is breaking through his limitations to unleash his full potential and harnessing his energy, drive and determination to build a brand that lasts a lifetime. There is no time to let self-doubt stop the forward thinking and progress. With his personal desire to succeed on a new level, Blake combined his experience in the fitness, automotive and real estate industries to create Freedom Hawk Real Estate. During these times, Blake and his team pivoted their business to accommodate social distancing by doing more virtual appointments with potential investors. However networking is key for nurturing connections so Blake capitalized on his extended network to develop the "Business Meets Real Estate' event open to all investors and entrepreneurs the first Saturday of every month. These events provide practical tips for investing and connecting people with potential opportunities, while providing a chance to socialize with peers. As the business continues to grow their portfolio, Blake is working on the next project - a new podcast "The Opportunity Zone" with tips on joint ventures. They consult with potential clients about the joint venture partnerships and develop a strategy for completing real estate transactions. To find out more about Blake's projects and the opportunity to get involved with real estate investments with Blake's team, click here. CONTACT: Kiley Almy Kiley@nextwavemktg.com Next Wave Marketing SOURCE: Blake Ryan Hawkin View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606010/Blake-Ryan-Hawkins--Doing-Real-Estate-Texas-Style Export Bahrain, a leading initiative of the Kingdoms national SME Development Board has partnered with the Lulu Hypermarket to make available a platform for national products that are Made in Bahrain on shelves of the hypermarket. The partnership is in line with Export Bahrains vision to provide new solutions to encourage the export and recognition of national product brands -in markets across the region and globe. Export Bahrains partnership with Lulu Hypermarket includes three key elements; scaling existing Bahraini businesses to be situated in Lulus international branches. Positioning of products made in Bahrain within Lulus local shelves to raise the visibility of national products and to be able to later expand into international branches by nurturing their relationship with an international retailer. Also, the agreement entails that Export Bahrain will work with Lulu Hypermarkets to introduce more Bahrain made products to its private label brand of products. Under this exclusive new Export Bahrain support platform all businesses with a commercial registration and are based in Bahrain have an exclusive opportunity to apply through Export Bahrain and avail the benefits of this collaboration subject to requirements and business readiness. Export Bahrain will be working closely with Lulu Hypermarkets to identify demanded products that meet consumer and market requirements across all product segments but with special focus on food supplies, primarily healthy products, organic food and superfoods, home supplies, utensils and products that usually have a low visibility presence at Lulu. This step will also add to Lulus calibre of products and increase the presence of home-made quality items for consumers under one roof. Dr Nasser Qaedi, CEO of Export Bahrain said: We are confident that this strategic alliance with one of the biggest retailers in the Middle East which serves over one million shopping patrons, will create vast opportunities for Bahrains local businesses. This is a golden opportunity for all businesses to expand by placing their mark in the global market, and tap into a global customer based, a new revenue source for their premium local products and services. We want to encourage businesses to position themselves with global consumers in mind via these initiatives, especially for businesses planning to expand access to their products or services into the region and beyond. Lulu Director Juzer Rupawala said: The move to promote Bahrain-made products throughout the Lulu chain globally comes within the template of Lulu International Group Managing Director Yusuffali MAs business philosophy that the development of a nation lies in the building of its industrial resources. Safa AKhaliq, Director of Export Bahrain said: This partnership is a crucial step that will open new doors to global export opportunities, generate growth through increase in sales and revenues and expand international exposure and presence of products that are made in Bahrain for SMEs. This solution will be yet another addition to our rapidly expanding portfolio of services and partnerships that are designed to leverage upon the existing strengths of key players in the market that can help companies expand their b2b and b2c footprint. We look forward to creating a win-win scenario for our customers and partners where hypermarkets can access diverse competitively costed products to be on their shelves to expand their offerings to customers while SMEs also benefit from exposure and larger consumer audience that could potentially lead to more sales, she added. TradeArabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 06:34:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cleared a major hurdle in the British House of Commons Monday when lawmakers rejected a challenge to his controversial Internal Market Bill. MPs voted to give the UK Internal Market Bill a second reading by 340 to 263. Johnson said the legislation was necessary to prevent the EU taking an "extreme and unreasonable" interpretation of the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement relating to Northern Ireland. The prime minister opened a debate in the House of Commons at the start of the bill's legislative journey where it faces a rough ride over the coming days. During the debate, Johnson claimed the EU's current approach could lead to excessive checks and even tariffs on goods moving from Northern Ireland to Britain's mainland. He said the bill would ensure the UK's "economic and political integrity." Summing up the reading before MPs went to vote, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said that the UK is committed to making a success of its negotiations with the EU. "What this bill is not doing is not walking away from negotiation with the European Union. Those negotiations go on," Gove said. MPs who opposed to the bill claimed it would breach international law by overriding some parts of the Brexit deal signed by Britain and the EU. Six former prime ministers of Britain had also expressed opposition to the bill. They feared it would harm Britain's global reputation if it passed a bill breaking international law. But Johnson defended it, saying it was meant as a safety net to protect Britain's internal market spanning Britain's mainland and Northern Ireland. Britain is currently following EU rules until the end of this year when a transition period comes to an end. Both Johnson and Gove said they wanted to reach a future trade deal with Brussels by Jan. 1. Enditem The chief of the clinical trials unit of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid on September 13 said that Spain's first trials of a coronavirus vaccine are scheduled to begin on Monday, September 14. The vaccine which is to be tested is developed by the United States corporation Johnson & Johnson. According to the reports by ANI, phase 1 trials were held in the US and Belgium. However, the phase 2 trials will take place in Spain, Germany and Belgium again. Spain to begin phase 2 of trials Alberto Borobia said that the Marques de Valdecilla hospital in Santander will begin with the trials on Monday, September 14. However, the La Paz and La Princesa university hospitals in Madrid will take over on Tuesday, September 15. There will be a total of 190 participants for the trials. Out of the 190, La Paz University Hospital's share will be 50 adults aged 18-55 and 25 seniors aged over 65. The participants will be getting 1-2 shots of the vaccine within the gap of a month. Doctors will be monitoring the participants throughout the period of the trial. Read: Spain Sees Sharp Cases Rise Just As Schools Reopen Borobia said, If everything goes well, the first wave of vaccination will end on September 22. However, the final results on the vaccine are expected in not less than 16 months. The transition to Phase 3 clinical trials was permissible upon satisfactory preliminary results, said Borobia. According to the protocols by the World Health Organization, to be approved for industrial production, a candidate vaccine has to complete 3 phases of clinical trials. Read: Spain Churches Comply With Stricter Coronavirus Measures Phase 1 involves small-scale studies on up to 100 participants. This is to determine a candidate vaccine's safety and clinical tolerance. Phase 2 can take up to 1,000 participants. This phase is more representative in terms of their age, ethnicity, and other statistically significant factors. It aims at determining the optimal dose, intervals between doses, and the minimum necessary number of doses in a target population. However, Phase 3, which is also the last and final phase can include up to 10,000 participants with the maximum representation of target population categories. In this phase, the vaccine is ready to move into industrial production. Read: Spain Protesters Call For Virus-safe Schools Also Read: Spain: Portable Pools Are A Hit Among Citizens Amid Strict COVID-19 Restrictions (Image Credits: ANI) After seven days of trials and errors and staggered reopening of its entire system, Delhi Metro is keenly forward to Monday the first full working weekday when the entire network will become operational after nearly six months and the first acid test of all the safety and social distancing norms that have been put in place. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation plans to make 4,500 train trips from Monday , as it expects a surge in ridership. Nearly 1.5 lakh people had taken a ride on the Metro on Saturday, when the entire network spread over 389kms was made operational for the first time after nearly six months. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials expressed confidence that even if the crowd increases, they are ready to deal with the increase in ridership, while ensuring all safety norms to contain the spread of Covid-19. Going by the gradual increase in ridership between September 7 and September 12, when the entire network was thrown open to the public, DMRC officials are expecting a dramatic increase in ridership from Monday. The DMRC switched back to its pre-lockdown schedule on September 12, with trains operating between 6am and 11am on all 10 corridors, at a gap of 2.5 minutes to 6 minutes, on an average. With the number of commuters gradually increasing, the challenge before the Metro is to run its services at pre-lockdown speed while following all the Covid protocol, which involves social distancing and sanitisation of the trains. Anuj Dayal, executive director, DMRC, said, Over 4,500 trips will be made with 294 trains across the network, including Airport Express Line. A team of around 8,000 housekeeping staff will look after the overall sanitisation work across the network. Around 1,500 Delhi Metro officers and staff along with civil defence volunteers are being specially deployed at the stations to facilitate commuter movement, in addition to the regular staff. DMRC officials say that the new system has been carefully worked out. While all measures are in place, DMRC officials have urged commuters to avoid unnecessary travel, especially during peak hours. We would also request the commuters to stagger the timing of their journeys, so that we can all avoid the peak hour rush, Dayal said. Dayal added, Delhi Metro officers and staff along with civil defence volunteers will be deputed at the stations to facilitate commuters. Adequate availability of sanitisers as well as thermal scanners has already been ensured. Flying squads have been deputed to ensure adherence to Covid 19 related norms inside the system. Due to low turnout, as compared to the pre-lockdown period, DMRCs train operations have been affected in the first week of its opening. While DMRCs managing director Mangu Singh had urged commuters to break the peak, the Metro has put in place a mechanism to avoid crowding at stations. A DMRC official said that from Monday, the DMRC might start empty trains or short loop some trains to manage crowded zones. We have worked out a clear strategy to manage crowding at stations. We may opt for starting certain empty trains from terminal stations or short loop some trains to manage the crowded zones on a particular route/sections, if need be, said the official. Myanmars apparent continued targeting of civilians in the countrys Rakhine and Chin states could constitute additional war crimes and crimes against humanity, the UN rights chief said Monday. Michelle Bachelet demanded action to remedy the serious rights violations suffered by Myanmars Rohingya minority in particular. Military operations in 2017 forced some 750,000 Rohingya to flee from conflict-torn Rakhine state to Bangladesh in violence that now sees Myanmar facing genocide charges at the UNs top court. Speaking at the opening of the 45th Human Rights Council in Geneva, Bachelet decried that the abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities in the country were ongoing. People from the Rakhine, Chin, Mro, Daignet and Rohingya communities are increasingly affected by the armed conflict in Rakhine and Chin States, Bachelet said. She pointed to disappearances and extra-judicial killings of civilians; massive civilian displacement; arbitrary arrests, torture and deaths in custody; and the destruction of civilian property. Civilian casualties have also been increasing. In some cases, they appear to have been targeted or attacked indiscriminately, which may constitute further war crimes or even crimes against humanity, she said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights lamented that no concrete measures had been taken by the government towards accountability for the terrible human rights crisis inflicted upon the Rohingya by the military operations in Rakhine which started three years ago. Bachelet said government administrators were now reclassifying areas where Rohingya villages were previously located, removing the names of villages from official maps and potentially altering how the land may be used. This should end immediately, and the prior situation should be restored, she said. Hate speech Satellite images and eye-witness accounts indicate that areas in northern Rakhine have been burnt in recent months something contested by the government, Bachelet added. This only underscores the need for independent, on-the-ground investigation, she said. Myanmars military has always justified its 2017 operations as a means to root out Rohingya militants after attacks against around a dozen security posts and police stations. The Rohingya are widely seen as illegal immigrants in Myanmar, denied citizenship and rights. Bachelet highlighted that most Rohingya will not be able to vote in the forthcoming November elections, branding the situation as disappointing. The vast majority of Rohingya will be prevented from participating in the elections, since they have effectively been stripped of their previously recognised rights to vote and stand for office, she said. Action must now be taken to properly remedy the serious violations the Rohingya have suffered, and include them into the life of their country. I also encourage the government to remove the barriers that impede democratic freedoms and undermine the equal enjoyment of human rights by all in Myanmar. The LNU Lightning Complex wildfire just outside Vacaville, California in August didn't raze Nathan Reppert's Los Reyes Restaurante Y Cantina, but nearby evacuations and billowing ash clouds have already cost the business about $40,000 in missed revenue, Reppert estimates. Amid a historic wildfire season on the West Coast, with simultaneous blazes in Oregon, Washington, and California, plus a pandemic, Reppert says he's just "drained." The Creek Fire, which is raging about 200 miles south of Vacaville near the Sierra National Forest, has darkened the sun and made ash fall from the sky, making it almost impossible to offer outdoor seating, a key source of revenue for Reppert's business. While it still does takeout and delivery, the Vacaville restaurant has been closed to indoor dining since July. "As a business owner, we need the revenue to continue to stay open," says Reppert, who squeezed a few tables under the eaves of the restaurant to try and scrape together some cash, despite the warnings to stay inside amid worsening air quality. "As a human being, we don't want to put our staff in a position where they're even more stressed out." He's hardly alone. Hundreds of thousands of residents from California, Washington, and Oregon have been evacuated after fires engulfed millions of acres of land this summer. Yet residents and businesses as far away as Hawaii and Ohio are seeing the residual smoke and air quality degradation as a result of the serial conflagrations. California is battling about 16 active blazes, according to state's website, and at least 35 people have died in the wildfires across the West Coast and in Washington State. Many of Oregon's forests are also ablaze. The state of Oregon says it's preparing for "a mass fatality incident," which means injuries and death will likely outpace local ability to provide health care and other resources. Forty thousand people in Oregon have been asked to evacuate. On Guard He's not evacuated yet, but Niko Mantele, CEO of Eugene, Oregon-based events company Stretch Shapes, says he is prepared to leave if need be. He's currently about five miles from the eastern edge of Springfield, Oregon, where Level One--"be ready"--evacuation orders have been issued for the McKenzie Fire. Another, larger fire called Beachie Creek is raging east of Salem, Oregon, about 60 miles north of Eugene. About 70 miles to the south, the smallest of all three, the Archie Creek Fire, is burning. "We're kind of surrounded," says Mantele, whose company landed at No. 2,941 on the 2020 Inc. 5000, a list of the fastest-growing companies in America. The main impact right now is the air quality, he adds. Today, Eugene's air quality is as bad as the scale measures, at "hazardous." Mantele and his team, which now numbers 19, down from 40 prior to the pandemic, have worked hard to seal up "every crack" in the walls of their warehouse, even sealing up the space under all the doors. Mantele canceled production days last week and moved them to this week, assuming his team can make it in. Of course, the wildfires and the ensuing smoke are just another blow in a heavy year. "It literally gets me in the gut when I think about everything that all of our people are going through," says Mantele, who notes that he and employees have been casually sharing money for groceries or other needs while they're fighting to keep the company going. He has kept 15 staffers on a one-day-a-week schedule, so they don't lose their health insurance. The company pivoted to providing backdrops for virtual events, TikTok-ers, and YouTubers after in-person events largely tapered off in March. Reppert echoed Mantele's exasperation. The restaurateur says he is trying to do what he can for employees whose homes have burned down, or who need to take in relatives whose homes have burned down, or when they have needed to go help friends evacuate their pets. Los Reyes donated 500 meals to local hospitals and has fed people whose homes have burned down for free. A Muslim Australian woman is using her social media following to inspire young girls of faith to celebrate their religion through fashion. Yasmin Jay is a Sydney based fashion designer and model who boasts nearly 150,000 followers on her Instagram profile. The proud Muslim woman's feed showcases her incredible sense of style, matching her hijab with Gucci designer outfits, jewellery and accessories. Ms Jay started using social media at 15 and has grown her following by providing an authentic window into her life and faith in her online presence. Yasmin Jay (pictured) uses her social media channels to empower young Muslim women 'My page is a modest fashion page and I basically post up images of me styling my different outfits,' Ms Jay told ABC Radio National. 'I blog my everyday life and when I travel or go to events, so it's pretty much my platform to express myself.' Ms Jay said she didn't go searching for fame and believes her page became popular through posting genuine examples of her faith in fashion. 'Faith is definitely something that is related to modest fashion. I wear the hijab, so wearing the hijab we dress modestly,' she said. 'Modesty isn't just about the way you dress, but it's how you speak and carry yourself, how you talk to people. 'It's so much more than just how you look.' Ms Jay is a Sydney-based model and fashion designer who boasts nearly 150,000 Instagram followers Ms Jay works two other jobs and said she doesn't want to identify as an influencer, considering her page a visual diary into her daily life. She collaborates with brands for sponsored content and wants her page to be a positive source of inspiration for young Muslim women. 'Because this has turned into a job I do have to make sure I'm being consistent and making sure my engagement is up,' Ms Jay said. 'Because if I am getting paid for a certain post I do put that expectation on myself to make it beautiful and amazing and it actually does well to best represent the business. 'But as well I make sure it's as authentic as possible to myself.' Ms Jay believes her account's authenticity with her faith is what has made it resonate with fans Ms Jay said she feels empowered when wearing a hijab and hopes her channels will help to change the negative perception of oppressed Muslim women in the media. 'I wanted [my page] to mean a lot more than me basically posting a photo. I wanted to build a community where I could allow girls to feel confident and empowered, especially wearing a scarf,' she said. 'Especially in the media, hijabi girls receive so much criticism. I want to be that voice where I can represent our community. 'Just because you wear the scarf and the media says one, two, three, it does not stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. 'Me wearing the hijab does not stop me, it only empowers me and makes me want to push even more.' On September 15, President Donald Trump will chair a ceremony inaugurating normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE in Washington, with leaders of the two countries being present. As noted by some observers, the Trump administration possibly believes that this arrangement will pave the way to build a peaceful alliance between Israel and Arab countries. This move might truly serve to contain Iran, but does not mean solution of the Iran problem. As is well known, the Middle East has long been defined by words like turbulence, insecurity, instability and uncertainty. The absence of peace could be attributed in part to the lack of an inclusive security mechanism or structure in the region. Regional actors should be playing a decisive role in security issues via dialogue and negotiations within the mechanism, while external actors should push the various conflicting parties to solve disputes via dialogue instead of imposing solutions and arrangements, even though this is sometimes necessary. Iran has long been defined in American academic and political discourse as a threat to regional security. The problem of Iran might truly exist as something objective as its growing strength and influence in the region that could be reasonably perceived as a kind of threat. Indeed, Iran does have a group of people keeping anti-American mentalities. However, the Iran problem could be more reasonably regarded as an outcome of the absence of an inclusive security framework in the region. For many years, particularly during the post-Cold War years, the U.S. divided Middle Eastern countries into two categories, pro-American moderates and anti-American radicals. The moderates include the GCC countries Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Palestine led by Palestinian Authority while the radicals included Iran, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Qaddafi's Libya, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas. Israel is regarded as a special ally which sometimes is also called the 51st state of the U.S. Accordingly, the U.S. has taken the strategy of supporting the moderates and protecting Israel unconditionally while containing Iran and other radicals. And the U.S. was able to employ its own strategic resources along with those of the moderates to implement its containment policy. It is true that for some time, this strategy has proved to be effective as the region remained relatively stable during the 1990s largely due to U.S. dominance. However, the problem of Iran and other called radicals have never been really solved. Instead, the sanctioning, punishing and confrontational nature of U.S. policy have even created strong dissatisfaction and even more hostility and even outright hatred among the so-called radicals, providing further seeds of instability. Iran is a nation state with a population of 80 million and situated on the side of the chokepoint of the Hormuz Straits. Just imagine Iranian troops sitting on the other side of the Hormuz watching tankers carrying oil of its neighbors on the other side while its own oil cannot be exported due to unreasonable unilateral sanctions! The vulnerability of the strategy is self-evident particularly when the U.S. neither has sufficient resources to inject into the region nor enough to get deeply involved. That might be the reasons why the U.S. and Gulf Monarchies perceive Iran's threat has been increasing rather than decreasing over the last decades and the reason why Iran has remained a threat to U.S. interests in the region for more than 40 years. Suppose the U.S. had taken another approach, to put Iran in the tent, things could have evolved in the opposite direction. If the U.S. had not taken Iran as the target of its regional security governance, and if the U.S. had helped to establish a mechanism for dialogue with Iran as a part, the picture could have been different. The tensions between Iran and the U.S. and between Iran and Arab countries could be there, but would be less fierce. Worthy of mention is that Barack Obama's administration did create an opportunity to engage Iran. By negotiating a solution to the nuclear issue, Obama actually paved part of the road for future engagement with Iran and even for including Iran in the tent. Unfortunately, the Trump administration closed that door again by withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and re-installing sanctions. Building an alliance between Israel and Arab countries, as mentioned, is really something new as such alliance has never existed before, and might serve to keep pressure on Iran. However, it cannot truly solve the perceived Iran threat as it follows the same old logic of perceiving Iran as the other side of the security story in the region, and of containing Iran as the way out. But as mentioned, if the U.S. really wants to reduce tensions in the region, it will have to work together with other major external powers to push for dialogue among regional actors and to build an inclusive mechanism with Iran in. Jin Liangxiang is Senior Research Fellow with the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Grace Community Church, John MacArthur defy 'utterly impossible' restrictions on worship services Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church defied a court order that directed them to refrain from holding indoor services amid COVID-19. The pastor argued that following the countys stringent guidelines would completely shut the church down. On Sunday, Grace Community held a packed morning service, just days after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted the countys request for an injunction prohibiting the Sun Valley-based church from holding indoor services in violation of county health orders. MacArthur began the service by outlining why Grace Church does not just comply with the orders that have been laid down for churches. I thought it might be helpful to give you the list of things that are required of us as a church so that you understand how utterly impossible that would be," MacArthur said. He then read a long list of the county's requirements, including no singing, no hugging, temperature checks, no communion, using the bathroom exclusively during the service, shortening sermons, and maintaining six feet of social distance at all times everywhere, among others. MacArthur said following all the rules would "completely shut the church down." "Obviously, this is not constitutional, but more importantly, it goes against the will of the Lord of the church, who calls us together," the pastor said. So look at the person next to you and say, I don't know who you are but I'm so glad I'm sitting next to you. The pastor went on to question whether or not the United States is truly a nation under God. Nations are obligated to worship the true God, he stressed. Did you hear what I just said? They're obligated to worship the true God and there are dire circumstances that will come upon them if they fail to do that ... That is not an option; that is a divine command. MacArthur argued that when any government separates from God and His law in Scripture and from His people and His church, it invites judgment on a personal scale and a national scale. "Its unavoidable because God is immutable. He doesn't change," he said. "When [the] government thinks its only responsibility is for physical, material, social temporal needs and ignores the spiritual reality of the true God and people's spiritual needs, when a nation becomes indifferent to the true God and His Word and His law, it makes a grave mistake, which if not reversed, will lead that nation to its own destruction. The notion of a secular state is a lie, he declared. Government is ordained by God. County officials have repeatedly tried to get a court order to shutter the church, which has been holding in-person worship services since last month in violation of orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff ruled that the church must not conduct any indoor worship services; as for outdoor worship services, the county allows them as long as attendees fully comply with the countys mandates relating to physical distancing and face coverings, according to the nonprofit law firm Thomas More Society. In an 18-page ruling, Beckloff wrote that the county demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of its claims and found that the balance of harms tips in its favor. "The potential consequences of community spread of COVID-19 and concomitant risk of death to members of the community associated and unassociated with the Church outweighs the harm that flows from the restriction on indoor worship caused by the County Health Order," the judge wrote. Previously, officials sent a cease and desist letter to the church and threatened MacArthur with fines and even possible arrest if his church doesnt comply with state orders. In August, Los Angeles County terminated a lease agreement for a parking lot the church has used for over 40 years. And last week, the county fined Grace Community $1,000 for violating a COVID-19 sign ordinance due to the placement of the sign. Following Thursdays ruling, Thomas More Society Special Counsel Jenna Ellis said attorneys will continue to fight for Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community Churchs constitutionally protected right to hold church. While the judge did go out of his way to repeatedly state that he is not ruling on the merits, only a ruling at this very preliminary stage, Pastor MacArthur is still harmed because he has every right to hold church," Ellis contended. Church is essential, and no government agent has the runaway, unlimited power to force churches to close indefinitely. The Countys argument was basically because we can, which is the very definition of tyranny. Without limiting governments power in favor of freedom and protected rights, we have no liberty. We will fight for religious freedom, as our founders did when they wrote the First Amendment. Only half of Americans think that presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump have the mental soundness for the job, as the president claims that Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are more mentally fit than the Democratic nominee. A new poll by Fox News that was published on Sunday, showed that 51 per cent of Americans think Joe Biden has the mental soundness to serve effectively as president. The poll found that only 47 per cent felt that Mr Trump had the mental soundness for the job, while two per cent were unsure. Of those asked by Fox News, 45 per cent said that Mr Biden did not have the mental soundness to be president. The poll came a few days after a survey by CNBC-Change Research was released, which asked likely voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin if they thought the candidates were mentally fit enough for the job. The survey showed that 51 per cent of voters in the states felt that Mr Trump is unfit for the job, while 52 per cent said the same about Mr Biden. When it came to physical fitness, 52 per cent of those asked in the Fox News poll responded that they thought Mr Trump was physically fit enough to be president, while 54 per cent said the same about the Democratic nominee. The mental and physical fitness of both candidates has been a talking point of the 2020 campaign, with the 74-year-old president repeatedly criticising the 77-year-old former vice presidents cognitive ability. Mr Trump often refers to the Democratic nominee as sleepy Joe, and earlier this month claimed that a 97-year-old veteran in a crowd at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, is mentally sharper than Mr Biden. On Monday, following the release of the Fox News poll, Mr Trump compared Mr Bidens mental fitness to both North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un and Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to journalist Julia Davis. After the president made the remarks, Ms Davis tweeted: Trump claims that Putin and Kim Jong-un are more mentally fit than Biden. Still fanboying for dictators, and he responded: I didnt know there would be even a question about this! At the rally in Nevada, Mr Trump added: I deal with all these people and they dont have the kind of mental problem that sleepy Joe has. They are very sharp. Kim Jong-un doesnt know about the problems that Joe has we need very sharp people. Im sorry, Joe is not qualified for this position. The comments came a few days after the president claimed without evidence at a rally in Minnesota last week: Biden is shot. I'm telling you he's shot, and added: There's something going on. Mr Trump has also repeatedly boasted about passing a cognitive test, but when asked by CBS News last week if he would do the same, Mr Biden replied: Why the hell would I take a test? The national poll also shows that Mr Biden has a lead of 51 to 46 per cent over Mr Trump going into Novembers presidential election, which is an increase of two per cent from Fox News previous poll, according to Newsweek. It also shows that the Democratic nominee has a lead of 15 percentage points with women, while Mr Trump has a six point lead with men. The Republican nominee also came out on top with white voters, with an 11 point lead, while Mr Biden is ahead of Mr Trump by 54 points with non-white voters. Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Sunday had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi in continuation of political consultations during his visit to Israel earlier this month. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), the two ministers assessed the latest developments in preparations for holding a new joint session of the two national governments in 2021, namely the developments in setting up an expert working group to work on preparing the substance of the meeting in favourite areas of shared interest, such as agriculture, water management, IT, cyber security and artificial intelligence, to identify concrete co-operation projects.The discussion provided an opportunity for a new exchange of views on topics of common interest in the region, with emphasis on the stage of the Middle East Peace Process.Aurescu reiterated Romania's praise for an announcement regarding the normalisation of relations between Bahrain and Israel, as well as the relevant role of the United States of America in this process. He also voiced confidence that the normalisation of relations between Bahrain and Israel, together with the similar announcement in August on the normalisation of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, could contribute to the stability and security of the Middle East.MAE quotes Aurescu as having reiterated Romania's support for a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "As it is known, Romania supports this settlement of the dispute under international law and the solution of two states, Israel and Palestine, coexisting side by side in peace and security, which is the only viable option that meets the aspirations of both parties," reads the MAE release.According MAE, Aurescu indicated that Romania will continue to support, as mentioned in his discussions of September 2-3 in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as in Ramallah, two sides engaging in a constructive dialogue, in order to resume direct negotiations to identify a sustainable solution.Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi reaffirmed his appreciation for Romania's position and contribution to this file, according to MAE Slow down: The construction sector has dipped in August following a surge earlier in the year Construction activity plunged again last month following an earlier post-lockdown increase, as the economic impact of the pandemic weighs on the sector. The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) published this morning notched up a reading of 44 in August, compared to 53.2 in July. Any figure below 50 signals contraction. And worryingly for the Government and home-hunters, the pace of activity in housing construction showed a clear slowdown. The housing activity index slumped to 44.7 from 57.8 in July - a sharp contraction. The fall comes as the pace of house building still remains well below levels required to provide a sufficient number of homes to meet long-term demand. While the rate of contraction across the sector last month was nowhere near as severe as seen during the lockdown, it underscores the level of uncertainty that exists in the trade. "Some firms have continued to report ongoing recovery in activity and orders, though in August this was more than offset by those who reported a drop," said Simon Barry, chief economist for the Republic of Ireland at Ulster Bank. "High levels of market uncertainty linked to the effects of the pandemic and some recent signs of a cooling in the wider economy's recovery momentum weighed on the August results, including in relation to sentiment about the sector's future prospects." Activity fell across all segments of the construction sector. The index for commercial activity tumbled to 41.6 from 50.2. The index for civil engineering dipped to 42.1 from 42.3. Despite the poor readings last month, Mr Barry remains convinced housing in particular will show signs of improvement in coming months. "Respondents continued to express optimism in the year-ahead outlook reflecting expectations that, despite some prominent risks and headwinds, the economy's recovery will stay on track," he said. "Furthermore, with leading indicators such as the housing commencements data continuing to point to further upside for housing output, we would be surprised if the housing PMI in particular doesn't show renewed improvement in the months ahead," added Mr Barry. Google is the world's most popular search engine, accounting for 75% of all desktop internet searches and over 90% of all mobile phone searches. That's why it matters tremendously that it's using its power over what Americans know to limit searches that might lead to information about Biden's suspected dementia. It also appears that Google isn't listing articles that are critical of Obama in a way that could hurt Biden or help Trump. To understand what Google is doing, you need to know that Google, like all search engines, has an autocomplete function. As you start typing in the query box, the search engine will start making suggestions for the most common searches that use the words you're typing. To choose an innocuous example, if you type "dogs are" in the Google search engine, it will suggest the following as the most common searches that begin with the words "dogs are": Please note that, at the bottom of that image, you'll see a statement that tells you that you can "Report inappropriate predictions." In other words, Google has it within its power to affect the computer algorithm to erase predictions. It's now time for the "Google's gift to Biden" experiment. To appreciate what Google has done, you need to start with search engines other than Google. I'm betting that your results will echo mine. The search engines I chose were Bing, DogPile, and DuckDuckGo. These are all among Google's top competitors. In each of these search engines, I typed the words "Joe Biden." In all three, one of the top suggested searches was "Joe Biden dementia": I then expanded the search by adding the word "has." The search engines offered me a whole menu of possibilities related to Biden's mental competence: What these three search engines reflect is that some of the most common searches on the internet for Biden relate to his mental competence. Since that is such a popular search, you would guess that Google would return identical results. That guess would be wrong. Again, you can replicate what I did. When I typed "Joe Biden" in the Google search engine, I got general suggestions that did not mention dementia. When I expanded the search to "Joe Biden has," Google, the world's most relied upon search engine, returned only one suggestion: I next decided to go whole hog and enter "Joe Biden has dementia." Google didn't even acknowledge that anyone else has ever done this search: What this means is that if you're an American voter who wants to find out what most Americans think when it comes to Joe Biden, you won't get that information using America's most popular search engine. Google is hiding from you that people are deeply concerned about Biden's cognitive abilities. Google isn't only lying about what matters to people. Google is also refusing to list articles. Breitbart has complained about Google purging its site from search results. Of course, Breitbart is a big target, which makes it easier to strike. However, Google is purging anti-Obama posts (which also means anti-Biden posts) from small sites. In October 2019, at Bookworm Room, I wrote a post about the changes Obama had made in the Pentagon. The post had a pretty unique title: "Under Obama, there came to be a cancer in the Pentagon." While Google will return links to other posts at my site that mention the "cancer in the Pentagon" post, it will not return the original post. What's just as interesting is that, since the first time I've run this search, Google is returning a smaller number of responsive links. (See here and here.) Scott Adams, who ran this search experiment himself, says that what Google is doing is bigger than just hiding information. It is making the topic vanish. He explains that the media dictates everything we think we know. If the media doesn't report it, we don't know it: Republicans likely have an advantage over Democrats because they're exposed to more varied news sources. Republicans will likely read the New York Times and watch Fox News. Democrats will do the former, not the latter. It's long past time for Congress to investigate what Google is doing with its search results. This is not a matter of free speech. It is, instead, a case of Google's circumventing campaign financing laws by giving Joe Biden an in-kind gift hiding anything bad from Americans looking to learn more about him or the administration in which he served that is hugely valuable. KBL LOGO Financial inclusion benefits everyone. KBLs job is to make it easier for businesses to seize the opportunities presented by prepaid white label programs that are available to them Financial inclusion via alternative banking opportunities has opened opportunities for individuals and businesses around the globe. Yet many organizations that recognize the value of these fintech solutions have struggled to adopt them due to the lack of in-house expertise. That is especially true when it comes to white label prepaid card programs, according to Steven Foster, Founder, KnowByLity (KBL). KBL, for its part, is a global provider of prepaid card issuing software design and management that helps clients with end-to-end white label prepaid card issuing and management. White label prepaid programs let businesses put their logo on a Visa or Mastercard as a revenue-generating and/or brand-building tool. They can include gift cards, debit cards, payroll cards, transit cards, HSA cards, and general use cards. Yet, white label programs are only as effective as the fintech behind them. Companies like KBL offer comprehensive mobile and desktop platforms tailored to clients' varying needs along with customer experience platforms. Their software solutions ensure white label programs are rich in features and functions, simple to use, graphically appealing, and compliant with all regulatory requirements for the financial services industry-specific to each geographic location. The banking industry of today bears little resemblance to that of a decade ago. Today, payments are largely driven by technology and informed by customer behavior, explained Foster. KBL helps clients keep pace and maximize opportunities by handling software development and program management to allow that to happen seamlessly. KBL handles the software integration to clients systems, program management, and call center services as well as nitty-gritty details like BIN sponsorship, cross-border and global currency functions, and sponsor bank and card vendor relationships. The importance of finding the right partner to launch a white label prepaid card program is essential, he stressed. The statistics seem to support that assertion. Between 2011 and 2014, more than 1.2 billion people worldwide without bank accounts gained access to the financial system, allowing them to improve their own and their families quality of life and start or grow businesses. Prepaid cards were a significant factor in that. White label prepaid card programs, as a result, have been adopted at a faster rate, giving those businesses an additional revenue stream, a means of attracting and retaining customers, and the ability to collect data to help in developing consumer relationships.Financial inclusion benefits everyone. KBLs job is to make it easier for businesses to seize the opportunities presented by prepaid white label programs that are available to them, added Foster. For more information about white label prepaid card issuing software design and management, go to http://www.kblholdings.com. Five Covid-19 patients in Quang Nam Province are discharged from hospital. Known as patient 592, she was admitted to Quang Nam Central Hospital on August 1 after testing positive for the virus, technically known as SARS-CoV-2. The other four recovered patients are a 13-year-old boy and a 75-year-old woman in Dai Loc District, and two women in Duy Xuyen District. Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Health Department Mai Van Muoi said these five people will continue to be isolated and at home for 14 days and will be tested two more times before they can re-join the community. A total of 76 Covid-19 patients in Quang Nam Province have been cured and released from hospital previously. Meanwhile, the municipal government in Da Nang, the epicentre of Vietnams latest coronavirus outbreak, held a ceremony to bid farewell to 62 health workers from Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Nghe An Province who had been dispatched to Da Nang to help with the virus containment efforts. They are the last to leave the city after the coronavirus has been essentially brought under control more than a month after its resurgence in late July. At the meeting, Da Nang Chairman Huynh Duc Tho expressed his sincere gratitude to the doctors and underlined the extreme value of their assistance in a difficult time when the citys health system became understaffed due to a rising number of Covid-19 cases. In neighbouring Thua Thien Hue Province, the local government also lifted the ban on some social activities starting from September 12 but are still asking for the adherence to safety guidelines./. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 The National Association of Realtors today announced the retirement of Bill Malkasian, CAE, Chief Advocacy Officer and Senior Vice President of the Advocacy Group, and Joe Ventrone, Vice President of the Federal Policy and Industry Relations Team, both effective December 31, 2020. Shannon McGahn, currently Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, will be promoted to Chief Advocacy Officer, effective October 1, 2020. "Bill and Joe have both had a profound impact on protecting the interests of Realtors, the real estate industry and current and future property owners and I want to thank them for their contributions to NAR," said Bob Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer at NAR. "Looking ahead, I am excited to have Shannon step up to Chief Advocacy Officer and continue modernizing our approach to advocacy she is exactly the kind of leader we need to fully align our advocacy efforts across all levels of government." Malkasian developed NAR's advocacy strategy for nearly a decade, leading teams that advocated on behalf of Realtors in Congress, in State Legislatures and at the city and county levels. His expertise and leadership helped NAR along with state and local Realtor Associations' advocacy programs enjoy a stellar reputation of strong grassroots, political engagement and community activism. Prior to joining NAR, Malkasian served as the CEO at the Wisconsin Realtors Association for 35 years. Ventrone was instrumental in advocating vital legislative and regulatory issues before Congress, the White House and federal agencies for NAR. A long-time fixture in the real estate industry, Ventrone's expertise in housing issues spanned over 40 years and included stints in the private sector, top federal agencies and on Capitol Hill during both Democratic and Republican administrations. By announcing their retirement now, Malkasian and Ventrone will ensure a smooth transition before their retirement at the end of the year. Bringing nearly two decades of experience in the legislative and executive branches of government, McGahn will leverage her political expertise to drive NAR strategy and Realtor Party advocacy efforts as the association's next Chief Advocacy Officer. McGahn has led NAR's Congressional advocacy team for the past two years, where she aligned efforts across the federal, state and local levels and opened lines of communications between Realtors and their elected representatives in city halls, statehouses and in Washington, DC. "Bill and Joe have left such an incredible mark on the association by giving Realtors everywhere a voice," said McGahn. "Because of their work, NAR has an organized army of advocates across this country to help tell the Realtor story. "Real estate makes up one-fifth of the American economy. We have a duty to our members and consumers to tell their story - our work makes the dream of property ownership a reality for millions of Americans." McGahn joined NAR in 2018 as the first woman to hold the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs position and will be the first female Chief Advocacy Officer in NAR's 110-year history. Before joining NAR, McGahn served as the staff director for the House Financial Services Committee and, prior to that, as a counselor to the United States Treasury Secretary. She also held communications roles for three members of House Leadership during her nearly 20-year Capitol Hill career. In addition, McGahn served as Vice President for a D.C.-based public affairs firm, and held the same position for a consulting firm focused on grassroots communication in major national media markets. The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. SOURCE National Association of Realtors Related Links https://www.nar.realtor The company founded by a former director of the National Broadband Plan has won a UK state contract worth up to 180m to roll out high speed broadband in the North, according to sources close to the process. Conal Henrys firm, Fibrus, was competing directly with BT for the state-subsidised broadband contract in the North. An official announcement on the deal has yet to be made. Read More Granahan McCourt, the company behind the Irish National Broadband Plans National Broadband Ireland, dropped out of the running for the contract in the North earlier this year. A spokesperson for Fibrus declined to comment. A spokesperson for BT Openreach said: The Stratum tender process is still ongoing, so we cant comment on that. However, our full fibre build continues, with the aim of reaching at least 525,000 premises by the end of March 2021 and we dont plan to stop there. The state-subsidised deal, called 'Project Stratum', will see Fibrus extend high speed broadband to parts of the North left behind by commercial operators. The Project Stratum contract aims to improve broadband connectivity by extending Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband infrastructure to approximately 79,000 premises across Northern Ireland that cannot yet access NGA broadband services, according to Northern Irelands Department for the Economy. Mr Henry was a long-time executive in Enet, which became a central player in the consortium that went on to win the public tender for the National Broadband Plan. He left Enet in early 2018, subsequently founding Fibrus with Dominic Kearns last year. Fibrus says it has a 100m (114m) capital investment plan to cover 145,000 premises in Northern Ireland by 2024. Earlier this year, Mr Henry sold a majority share in Fibrus to the British equity firm Infracapital for an undisclosed fee. Infracapital is a London-based equity firm that specialises in unlisted infrastructure companies. It has a portfolio of 53 investments across Europe, representing 6bn under management across six separate funds. The news comes after Irelands NBP company chairman David McCourt said that the 3bn state-subsidised project may now be completed in five years rather than the seven years initially agreed under contract with the government. The NBP aims to connect up to 540,000 rural homes and businesses to high-end fibre. Under the existing terms of the NBP agreement, 115,000 rural premises are to be passed by the fibre broadband network by the end of 2021, with between 70,000 to 100,000 premises connected for each of the five years after that. Last week, the government said that Covid-related factors have not been pleaded to draw down any of the 480m contained in a contingency fund that makes up part of the 3bn National Broadband Plan contract. More Kansans Than Ever Believe In Global Warming, Yale Survey Shows Climate change is at the root of this year's extreme weather events, from the wild swings between flooding and drought in Kansas to larger hurricanes and some of the worst wildfires the West has seen. And the majority of Americans are starting to take notice, according to the latest survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Ivy League informs us that the Sunflower State is worried about the fate of the planet . . . But probably not enough to give up their gas guzzling cars.Read more: Coffee machine stalwarts, Nespresso have recently launched their newest Vertuo System, that uses innovative CentrifusionTM extraction Technology, to give you the creamiest perfect cup at home. The expertly crafted Vertuo system, offers high-quality coffee for large cups, with 27 unique blends for coffee lovers to enjoy matching their coffee taste at any time of the day. We recently reviewed this revolutionary home coffee experience and here are all the reasons why you should be bringing this coffee machine home! Multiple cup sizes For those who long for more than an espresso or have varying coffee preferences within the family, this new power horse allows for different coffee styles and sizes right from the tiny espresso, to double espresso, Gran Lungo, Mug and a whopping 414ml sized Alto! Nespresso Vertuo: Every Reason Why You Need to Take This Coffee Machine Home Easy peasy Love a one-button setup? The Nespresso Vertuo system comes with the ultimate convenience of a one-touch button, and an intelligent one at that. The innovative system is the first of its kind to automatically recognise the coffee variety being brewed and adjusts the extraction parameters to create the perfect dark full-bodied coffee. It even knows how to read barcodes! Each coffee pod comes with a specific barcode that the Vertuo system uses to identify the type of coffee being prepared. Just press the button and your machine reads the code to recognise the capsule and automatically adjust brewing parameters such as length of infusion, the temperature and amount of water, the speed of the rotation and the flow rate. Nespresso Vertuo: Every Reason Why You Need to Take This Coffee Machine Home Crema If you visit cafes to enjoy that tall mug of coffee with the right amount of froth on it, this is an important feature of the Vertuo to make note of. Centrifusion technology rotates the coffee grounds and water at high speed, offering a naturally formed generous and silky crema. Prefer milk with your coffee? You can even add milk to your cup before the coffee begins to fill it, allowing the milk to enhance this generous natural crema that is unique to Vertuo. The results is an exceptionally creamy texture to your coffee - literally the perfect cup, as you like it! Story continues Nespresso Vertuo: Every Reason Why You Need to Take This Coffee Machine Home 27 Coffee Blends across 5 cup sizes and a stunning design Of all the reasons to buy the Nespresso Vertuo system, its versatility as a home coffee machine is what wins hand-down. Vertuo coffees come in five cup sizes, in three different sized capsules, offering a wide range of blends, each with its own intensity and aroma. Did we say how gorgeous it is to look at too? The Vertuo Plus machines available in Singapore come in 4 different models: Vertuo Plus White, Vertuo Plus Cherry Red, Vertuo Plus Piano Black and Vertuo Plus Titan. As we begin to spend more and more time at home, an investment in the Nespresso Vertuo for all of its convenience and top-notch coffee is an easy pick. If you enjoy your coffee blends and look forward to that perfect cuppa every morning - the Nespresso Vertuo is a gadget for your kitchen that should make it home. The Nespresso Vertuo system is priced at SGD368 and SGD438 for a Machine Bundle (inclusive of Aeroccino3 Milk Frother). All of their coffee ranges, capsules and accessories are available for purchase at Nespresso boutiques, on their website or via the Nespresso app. Press Release September 14, 2020 3RD READING MANIFESTATION "DOKTOR PARA SA BAYAN ACT" It is not coincidence in view of the current pandemic that the measure we just approved on third and final reading today includes Senate President Sotto's Senate Bill No. 1. We thank all our collegaues, we thank all of your overwhelming support to the "Doktor Para sa Bayan Act", most especially Senate President Tito Sotto. Thank you sir, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, our majority floor leader Migz Zuburi, our minority floor leader, Senator Drilon; all our colleagues for introducing amendment and for co-sponsoring this measure , may I just acknowledge them - Sen.Sonny Angara, vice -chair Wyn Gatchalian, Sen. Nancy Binay, Sen.Dick Gordon, Sen. Grace Poe, Pia Cayetano, Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, Sen. Lito Lapid, Sen. Ping Lacson, Sen.Tol Tolentino, Sen.Bong Revilla, Villar, Sen. Bong Go; from the minority Senators Pangilinan and Hontiveros. We are at war and the doctors are the combatants. Just as we train soldiers in peace time, so must we train more in times of war. So, let it be now, with doctors and physicians. Unfortunately, we only have 9 public medical schools in the country while medical education remains the most expensive course in the Philippines. Ngayon po, kahit sinong Pilipino, anuman ang antas sa buhay, kaya nang tuparin ang pangarap na maging doktor. Infact, kasama sa ating ipinasang batas ang pagtatayo, pagtutulungan ng DOH at CHED,na magtayo ng marmai pang medical schools na mag-ooffer ng pagdodoktor Many of our medical graduates leave the country to practice medicine abroad. Some have even opted to go back to school to become certified nurses just to get out of the country to work elsewhere. As a lamentable and evident result, we suffer the horrendous scarcity of medical doctors, serving, specially our underprivileged countrymen. Our present doctor to population ratio is at 3 is to 10,000. The World Health Organization recommended a ratio of 10 is to 10,000. With the passage of SB 1520 or "Doktor Para sa Bayan Act" Bill, there is hope now that our situation can change. We will give free medical education to poor and deserving students in all our regions but we will also require them to render a return service, fitting and proper to the Filipino people, from medical doctors who were educated from the government's coffers. Ginoong Pangulo, kapag nakapagtapos po ang isang anak at nagkaroon ng trabaho, inaasahang siya naman ang magtutustos sa kanyang mga magulang. Ganun din po ang intensyon ng panukalang ito. Pag-aaralin ka ng medisina ng estado pero inaasahang magsisilbi ka rin sa bayan. This bill, Mr. President ,will be a legacy of this Senate. And I'm sure that the generations of Filipinos that will come after us will be thankful for the passage of this measure which also is a proof that amid the pandemic, the priority of the People's Senate is our people's health. The University of Hyderabad spokesperson mentioned the measures taken to ensure a student is not able to cheat or resort to any unfair means during the course of the test. The University of Hyderabad (UoH) is going to conduct the final year examination on 16 September. The varsity has finalised a method for conducting the last semester tests. According to The Times of India, the department heads of the University of Hyderabad were given several options to choose from and most of them opted for a pen and paper test in the online mode. Students appearing for the University of Hyderabad Final Exams will not have to type in their answers or be on a video call. Professor Vinod Pavarala, who is the spokesperson of UoH, said, Most departments have decided to send the question paper to the students online and give them two to four hours of time to write their answers. He said that the students need not be on a video call or online while writing the answers. But they will have to send a scanned copy of their answer sheets to the varsity after the conclusion of exams. The spokesperson also mentioned the measures taken to ensure a student is not able to cheat or resort to any unfair means during the course of the test. He said even though the exam was on the lines of an open book test, the questions will have an element of analysis and interpretation so that students can be judged on the basis of their novel answers. Additionally, some departments will be conducting oral exams after the theory papers to check how engaged a student is with their course and curriculum. The final year exam will be of 50 marks. Students will be evaluated for the rest 50 marks on a continuous basis. On the other hand, the University of Hyderabad will be conducting the online entrance examination for the 2020-21 batch from 24 September, reported Jagran Josh. These exams will be for the postgraduate candidates along with those opting for integrated courses. The Tecno Spark Power 2 launched in India in late June, a INR 10,000 phone with a massive 7.0 display and an equally massive 6,000 mAh battery. But if you want a slightly more affordable option with most of the same specs, then the new Spark Power 2 Air may be for you. The sizable 7.0 display covers more than 90% of the front of the device. The resolution is on the low side, 720p+, but that will work just fine with Netflixs HD plan (INR 350/month). The phone packs stereo speakers to enhance the viewing experience to boot. Tecno Spark Power 2 Air: 7.0" 720+ display (up to 480 nits of brightness) 6,000 mAh battery The 6,000 mAh battery should last 15 hours of video playback according to official numbers. Or 13 hours of playing a game, if you prefer. Theres no word on charging speed, but Tecno does touts an AI-powered battery care feature. Above the display is an 8MP camera inside a teardrop notch. Its paired with a dual LED flash for late night selfies. The back technically houses a quad camera, though only the 13 MP main cam (f/1.8 lens aperture) is of note its joined by 2 MP macro and depth modules, plus an AI lens, whatever that is. At least the quad LED promises bright illumination for night time photos. Tecno Spark Power 2 Air The Tecno Spark Power 2 Air is equipped with a MediaTek Helio A22 chipset (four A53 cores at 2.0 GHz, PowerVR GE6320 GPU), running Android 10 skinned with HiOS 6.1 (note: full fat Android this time, not Android Go). RAM capacity is 3GB while storage starts at 32GB (it can be expanded with a microSD card). This is a dual SIM phone, its card slot can accept two nano-SIMs and one microSD (up to 256 GB). Dual LTE and VoLTE are supported, additional connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5 (ac) and Bluetooth 5.0. The Tecno Spark Power 2 Air will go on sale on September 20 at noon. You will find it on Flipkart, which already has a landing page set up. The price is INR 8,500 ($115) or 15% cheaper than the Power 2. You will be able to choose between Cosmic Shine and Ice Jadeite colors. Do have a look at the Power 2, though. Its only slightly pricier than the Air and has the same the screen and battery. However, it offers an octa-core processor, a better GPU and more memory, plus theres a 5MP ultra wide camera on the back. Here it is on Flipkart. WARSAW, Poland - Warsaws mayor has come under criticism after a video emerged of him demanding that DJs at a night club change their music, seeming to leverage his influence by stating its my city. Rafal Trzaskowski, who was the opposition candidate in an unsuccessful presidential bid this summer, was attending a friends birthday party in a trendy club on the weekend when the video was reportedly taken of him trying to persuade the DJs to play funk music to dance to. The DJs told Trzaskowski and his friends that it was against their policy to take requests and did not change the music. The incident has provoked serious criticism as well as mockery. Some said it was not acceptable behaviour for Trzaskowski, who is the deputy head of the centrist opposition Civic Platform party but plans to start his own political movement soon. To be Warsaw mayor and former presidential candidate aspiring to be the leader of the opposition and founder of a new movement and to blow it all in one night out while tipsy just because the music did not suit him. Thats an achievement, even in Polish politics, tweeted Andrzej Gajcy, a journalist for the Onet news site. Other commentators defended the mayor. Trzaskowski has not directly responded to the criticism. David Cameron on Monday became the fifth former prime minister of the United Kingdom to raise concerns or condemn the government's plan to break international law in order to amend the Brexit deal Boris Johnson agreed to with the European Union last year. The state of play: Johnson is facing a possible intra-party rebellion over a new bill that would override provisions in the Brexit divorce deal related to Northern Ireland, a country in the U.K. that shares a border with EU member state Ireland. With talks over a long-term free trade agreement at risk of collapse, the EU has demanded that Johnson scrap the bill and is threatening legal action if he refuses. The U.K. is now likely to leave the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31 without a free trade agreement, something that experts have warned could cause significant economic disruptions. What they're saying: Theresa May (2016-2019): "How can the government reassure future international partners that the U.K. can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" "How can the government reassure future international partners that the U.K. can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?" David Cameron (2010-2016): "Passing an act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So I do have misgivings about what's being proposed." "Passing an act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So I do have misgivings about what's being proposed." Gordon Brown (2007-2010): "It's self-harm. You can't sign an international treaty what was it 12 months ago? The prime minister negotiating it, he's signing it, and then break it. You've got no respect." "It's self-harm. You can't sign an international treaty what was it 12 months ago? The prime minister negotiating it, he's signing it, and then break it. You've got no respect." Tony Blair (1997-2007): "What is being proposed now is shocking. How can it be compatible with the codes of conduct that bind ministers, law officers and civil servants deliberately to break treaty obligations?" "What is being proposed now is shocking. How can it be compatible with the codes of conduct that bind ministers, law officers and civil servants deliberately to break treaty obligations?" John Major (1990-1997): "For generations, Britains word solemnly given has been accepted by a friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. If we lose our reputation for honoring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained." Go deeper: Why Brexit talks have once again been thrown into chaos In 20 years as a state trooper, Ed Benecchi participated in his fair share of stakeouts. He busted drug rings, sought evasive criminals and solved mysteries, all in the states biggest cities. Now, as a captain on his hometown police force in Plymouth a little-traveled, mostly rural, 22-square-mile town of 12,000 people between Waterbury and Bristol hes facing his greatest adversary: a 1,000-pound beefalo named Buddy who has captured the hearts, minds and imaginations of Connecticut. Its a tale that might have come straight out of the illustrated books of our youth, and feels destined for big screen animation. Buddy, headed for a near-certain demise at Plymouth Meats on August 3, saw a weak spot in the lineup of humans herding him toward his fate. He made a break for it. Surprisingly agile and stealthy for a hoofed creature of his stature, Buddy has since roamed the forested hills of the Litchfield County gateway town, evading Benecchi and anyone else who may seek to send him to the steakhouse. Buddy, a mix of bison and common bovine, seems to have found his paradise on the 800-acre property owned by the local water company theres plenty to eat and drink, and since its private property, he doesnt have to worry much about uninvited guests who might want to catch a glimpse of Plymouths own Sasquatch. At least thats how Benecchi imagines Buddys thought process. Benecchi has now spent more than a month trying to enter the mind of the beefalo. Its like fishing, Benecchi said. Youre trying to figure out when hes going to get here, you have have to have the right bait and you have to be patient. Its a lot of trial and error. The plan hes settled on after consulting with local bovine experts and after attempts to track and corral Buddy using a drone were unsuccessful is a little bit Pavlovian and a little bit Wile E. Coyote. Every day around 5 p.m., after hes clocked out from his shift as the police captain, Benecchi drives his truck to an undisclosed location where a local homeowner allows Benecchi to set his beefalo trap. The homeowner doesnt want to be identified until after Buddy is apprehended for fear of thwarting Benecchis efforts. After a quick honk of the horn to let Buddy know hes there, Benecchi pulls a bucket from his truck and scans the trees hoping to lock eyes with his quarry. Hes positive the bull is watching from afar, though its clear from video evidence that Buddy often waits several hours after Benecchi leaves to venture out of his hiding spot. Any snap of a twig or rustle of a tree branch causes Benecchi to go silent and scan again for Buddy. Usually, its just a squirrel. Benecchi has yet to see Buddy in the flesh, though hes captured footage of his Moby Dick on a trail camera he strapped to a tree facing the trap. 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 in mid-August when they attempted to capture Buddy, but it appeared he was preparing to charge. The officers and Buddy retreated from each other at that time, and the decision was made to come up with a new plan. Hence the trap. The trap consists of a cattle trailer and a few pen rails. Every evening Benecchi heaps an orange pan full of cow chow (mostly grain and corn) and opens the pen rails a little wider. He moves the bait about six inches closer to the open back door of the trailer. The homeowner, who is by now fully involved in the plot to capture Buddy, tosses out a few dozen apples from his orchard as a sweet alternative and fills a pair of plastic buckets with water. Hes also strewn hay in a sort of breadcrumb fashion into and out of the penned area. Eventually Buddy will be eating with his horns in the trailer, and then maybe the next day after that hell go all the way in the trailer to eat and well just close it up behind him, Benecchi said. On Friday, the food was still about eight feet from the back of the trailer. But according to the trail camera footage, Buddys visits to the feeding area are getting earlier and earlier and hes staying a little longer each time. That means the plot is working and hes warming up to Benecchi. On Friday though, Buddy never showed up, perhaps spooked by the scent of a new stranger and noticing that the fence around his food had been extended. It could take a while before Buddy is fully hoodwinked. Benecchi is OK with that. Buddy may be his greatest foe, but hes also rammed his way straight into Benecchis heart. I just want him to be safe, Benecchi said. Its an underdog story. Everyone is rooting for Buddy. It would be so terrible if a hunter got him or if he got hit by a car. A lot of hard work has gone into this and we want to see Buddy live out his life. I am doing this truly out of the joy in my heart to try to help this animal. I want the story to end positively. Buddy has become a local celebrity of sorts around Plymouth, a town once known across the new nation for its clockmaking by Eli Terry, Seth Thomas (who moved to what is now Thomaston) and others. Everybody in town seems to know the story of Buddy the Refugee Beefalo, and many local businesses have taken to showing support for Buddy through their signage. Support, that is, for the most part. Buddy may want to avoid the American Legion hall, which is advertising beefalo burgers coming soon to anyone driving by. Once hes caught, Buddy is headed for Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in Florida where hell roam with other rescued cattle and exotic creatures. Benecchis department raised more than $8,000 through a GoFundMe to purchase Buddy from the owner he escaped from and send him to Critter Creek and announced the sponsored retirement last week. The homeowner, who has seen all manner of wildlife on his property, said the quest to capture Buddy has been one of the highlights of his year. Im glad hes going to go to a sanctuary to live out his life, said the owner, who is nearing 70 and has lived in Plymouth most of his life. This is bigger than the fame. This time were going through with so many bad things happening in the world, this is something positive. Its a story that makes people happy. Buddy is going to be OK. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt Workers in the auto and auto parts industry have spoken out in defense of the striking University of Michigan graduate student instructors, who are beginning the second week of their walkout to demand remote-only classes and to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19. Wildcat strikes and job actions by autoworkers forced the shutdown of the North American auto industry in mid-March, part of an upsurge of working class struggle. The work stoppages were carried out in defiance and against the United Auto Workers (UAW), which attempted to keep the factories open despite the spread of the deadly contagion. The factories were eventually reopened in May, with great fanfare about new safety protocols from the UAW and figures such as Michigans Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. However, these inadequate measures have been summarily abandoned as the companies have ramped up production in the pursuit of profits. Autoworkers at Warren Truck plant in Warren, Michigan, on May 18, 2020 (AP photo/Paul Sancya) In response, workers have begun to set up rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the UAW, to expose the concealment of outbreaks and fight for the interests of workers. I support the graduate students on strike at U of M, Mark, a member of the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant Rank-and-File Safety Committee, told the WSWS. They should expand the struggle. We all deserve to be treated better. Pushing us back to work and back to school is a homicidal attack. People are getting sick and dying because of it. For the working class, we are the only ones who hold our best interests at heart. The universities, the auto companies and the government do not care. My union, the UAW, is on the side of the company. They are putting our health at risk for the profits of the stockholders. Enough is enough! It is time to take a stand. A general strike is a must to put a stop to this back to work and back to school madness. Ron, a member of the FCA Sterling Heights Rank-and-File Safety Committee, added, University of Michigan is one of the bigger schools and there are a lot of people watching this. To see the grad student revolt and take a stand is incredible. They rejected the universitys proposal and showed how strong they could be. It is inspiring. COVID-19 effects everyone, whether you have a PhD or a high school diploma. We need solidarity and unification, across the working class. But the students cant win this fight if it is isolated to a college campus. They are fighting the whole government. If they appealed to workers in the factories a lot would join. A lot of workers are busting their ass to pay tuition for their children. We are in the same fight: You want to be in a safe environment to get an education and we want a safe environment at work. This is a class struggle. Referring to the revelations that Trump deliberately misled the public over the danger from COVID-19, Ron continued, It doesnt shock me that Trump knew how deadly this virus was as early January. So did the Democrats. Nearly 200,000 have died because they lied. DL, a member of the Faurecia Gladstone Rank-and-file Safety Committee in Columbus, Indiana, said, I congratulate the University of Michigan strikers. The grad students, the Residential Advisers and other workers at the university and the community at large are beginning to unite, and they are standing together against the tyranny of the university that brings students and professors, graduate instructors and the rest of the staff back to the campus in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Mexico, the deaths from COVID-19 are rising badly. They have to go to work just like we do. Over 50 percent of the Mexican workers are living at or below poverty level, and the government is pushing them back to work. If we all stand together, that will bring down the monstrous act of forcing us back to work and back to school in the midst of this pandemic. The University of Michigan strike is showing the way forward. All workers will need to stand together. We need hands across the world to stop this. Its going to take the working class of the world to do it. A member of the Ford Chicago Rank-and-File Safety Committee praised the grad students at U of M, saying: I applaud them for being fearless, courageous and bold enough to put themselves in a position like that. I see it as a foundation to build on to show people of my generation and in my workplace that these younger people are thinking about their future. They are standing up for a better future and we should support them to fight for that future. Like the herding of workers into the auto factories, the drive to reopen schools and colleges even as the pandemic continues to rage is entirely driven by profit interests. The University of Michigan has long had close business and financial ties to General Motors and other automakers, including large donations from the GM Foundation to the College of Engineering and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. In 2018, Ross Professor Eric Gordon praised GMs decision to shut four plants and lay off thousands of workers, writing in The Hill that CEO Mary Barra was thinking about repositioning GM for the future. LOS ANGELESThe enactment of AB5, the California law that forced employers to redefine many independent contractors as actual employees, upended the states gig economy, and created confusion for adult performers, as well as mainstream actors, freelance writers, musicians, photographers and other creative artists, who suddenly found themselves wondering if they could continue to work at all. But according to Kiffanie Stahle, a Sacramento-based attorney who specializes in representing clients who run their own creative businesses, the situation is simpler than AB5, and its newly-passed companion law AB2257, makes it seem. I personally think people are overreacting to it, Stahle told AVN, referring to the two new gig worker laws. I think weve gone too far away from what is a true line between independent contractors and employees. People are pseudo-employees, but arent getting the benefits when the relationship ends. While the gig economy appears to be based on blurring that line, with companies hiring workers as independent contractors then in some cases paying them such low fees that they are forced to essentially work full-time to make ends meet, Stahle finds that trend in corporate behavior unacceptable. We have allowed large businesses to get away with paying people below minimum wage, not allowing them to have health care benefits being pseudo-employees, basically, without any of the benefits that come along with an employment relationship, or the end of an employment relationship. Whether a worker should be considered an employee or independent contractor all comes down to one factor, Stahle says control. The employee or independent contractor test is really examining how much independence and control she has in performing her job, Stahle said in a recent blog post on her site The Artists J.D., which provides legal advice for workers in creative fields. The more that you are in charge, the more likely she is an employee. The more control and flexibility she has, the more likely she is an independent contractor. Like any photographers models, performers in adult videos, at least those they do not produce themselves, should be considered and treated as employees, Stahle said, in an interview with AVN. I always tell my photographer clients that there is no way in hell that your model will ever be considered anything but an employee, she said. You are telling them exactly where to stand, how to look, what to wear. When push comes to shove, the state is going to call them an employee. In other words, because a model must follow a directors or photographers instructions, she does not control the conditions of her job. Therefore employee. In fact, Stahle says she has been giving the same advice for a decade, well before AB5 took effect in January of this year. The Internal Revenue Service test, which existed for federal tax purposes long before AB5 was enacted, is not really any different than the ABC test that is now required for many workers under AB5. The test is applied by the employer, who assumes all of the risk in hiring workers as independent contractors when they may not meet the test, Stahle says. For performers on camming platforms, the situation is different, however. Though there have been reports of camming platforms barring California-based performers, for fear that they would be required to hire them as employees under AB5, Stahle says that those fears appear unfounded. She equates the sites to a platform such as Patreon, on which creators post content, and fans pay fees to access that content. People who have a Patreon platform are not employees of Patreon, Stahle said. On a platform like that, their employees are people who make the tech the engineers and those kinds of people who are making the tech platform possible for people to create on it. Not the creators themselves. Just because people create content on those platforms, it doesnt turn them into employees. Finding themselves classified as employees, is not something that freelance workers many of whom deliberately choose independence for its flexibility and ability to determine their own working conditions should fear. Flexibility and employment are not mutually exclusive, she said. When I worked in restaurants, I worked for four different restaurants at the same time. If as a business owner, someone is providing the core services of my business then I need to respect that person and treat them like a member of the team. Thats legally what an employee is. An employee is a person whos delivering the core products and services of your business. In Stahles view, AB5 is an attempt to correct a situation in which business has been permitted to rely too heavily on pseudo-employees, who are treated as independent contractors when they do, in fact, provide the core products and services of the businesses that hire them. AB5 is trying to say that these people never should have been allowed to be independent contractors under the law, Stahle says. We as a state are saying this is no longer acceptable. You need to be paying employment taxes, you need to have safety nets, you need to have unemployment benefits available to these people. Were sick and tired of you as a corporation making millions of dollars off the backs of people who should be employees. Critics of the AB5 law, however, say the reality that the law has created is different from the bills intentions. In the adult industry, according to Free Speech Coalition spokesperson Mike Stabile, weve had some companies pull out of California entirely, rather than deal with the regulations. But Stabile also noted that other adult production companies have moved performers to payroll as a precautionary measure, while others have been waiting to see how exemptions play out. Other industries have also reacted to the law by cutting workers, rather than granting them the benefits and protections of employment. According to a Business Insider report last December, after the law passed the state legislature, to save money, companies responded by slashing jobs for part-time and full-time freelance workers altogether right before the holidays. Photo By Santosh7700 / Wikimedia Commons Shares of mid- and small-cap companies were in demand after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) mandated multi-cap funds to invest at least 25% of their portfolios in large, mid and small cap companies. The S&P BSE MidCap index rose 1.86% to 14,932.98. The index has added 3.39% in three sessions. Mphasis (up 8.27%), Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals (up 6.86%), Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (up 6.50%), Bharat Electronics (up 5.77%) and AU Small Finance Bank (up 5.25%) were the top mid-cap gainers. The S&P BSE SmallCap index advanced 3.98% to 15,132.77. The index has jumped 5.80% in three sessions. Multi Commodity Exchange of India (up 14.95%), Blue Star (up 13.71%), ITD Cementation India (up 11.41%), Engineers India (up 11.40%) and Persistent Systems (up 11.14%) were the top small-cap gainers. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 291.27 points or 0.75% to 39,145.82. In a circular dated 11 September 2020, Sebi issued guidelines regarding categorization and rationalization of mutual fund schemes. Sebi said that in order to diversify the underlying investments of 'multi-cap funds', such funds must invest at least 25% of their portfolios in large, mid and small cap companies. Sebi added that all the existing multi-cap funds shall ensure compliance with the above provisions within one month from the date of publishing the next list of stocks by Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), i.e. January 2021. Later, Sebi clarified on 13 September 2020, that mutual funds have many options to meet with the requirements of the circular, based on the preference of their unit holders. "Apart from rebalancing their portfolio in the Multi Cap schemes, they could inter-alia facilitate switch to other schemes by unitholders, merge their Multi Cap scheme with their Large Cap scheme or convert their Multi Cap scheme to another scheme category, for instance Large cum Mid Cap scheme," Sebi said. The market regulator added that it is conscious of market stability and therefore has given time to the mutual funds till 31 January 2021 to achieve compliance with the circular, through its preferred route of which rebalancing of the portfolio is only one such route. 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 Cabinet sub committee on Covid-19 will meet today to finalise new plans for living alongside the virus. Under the plan, counties or regions would be graded on their current level of the disease and restrictions imposed accordingly. The plan could see visits to homes across Dublin limited to six people from just two home, rather than the current three. Places which are deemed to be at the upper end of the scale would also see closures to certain businesses, with the opening of Dublin's "wet pubs" next week in severe jeopardy due to the rise in the numbers of cases of the virus in the capital. It is understood that there will be new guidance on international travel as the aviation and travel industries continue to call for an opening up of restrictions. The plan will be discussed at today's meeting and signed off at tomorrow's full Cabinet meeting, where a 600 million winter plan for the health service will also be discussed. The Cabinet sub committee will also discuss the return of spectators to sporting events in areas which outbreaks are under control. This plan could see up to 5,000 people allowed attend events at large stadiums like Croke Park and Pairc Upaii Chaoimh. The 14-day incidence of the virus in Ireland has soared above 40 per 100,000 of population in the last week as large outbreaks are detected in Dublin and Limerick in particular. In parts of Dublin, that incidence is nearly 80 per 100,000. Yesterday's figures saw a total of 255 cases nationwide, with 156 in Dublin, fueling concerns around the level of transmission in the county. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Sinn Fein's health spokesperson David Cullinane said that the government must avoid a "snakes and ladders approach" to the plan. "The most important thing is there is transparency: that we fully understand why a county, city or region would be in any phase at any given time. "It's important we keep this very simple: that we keep the message very simple, and people clearly understand what is expected of them. "Obviously that has to be underpinned by public health guidelines. We have to keep people safe. But my fear is the more we complicate this, then you start to lose people. Let's keep the message simple. "What we need to do is avoid a kind of snakes and ladders approach in terms of these different phases - of counties going up and down, but no logic, with people not understanding why they're at level two or level three." Washington: Donald Trump might be the first US President in 150 years to not have a pet in the White House after a plan to have him adopt a golden doodle dog fell through. With Trumps inauguration on January 20, many are left wondering if his family will have a pet residing with them at the White House. If not, he could be the first president in 150 years without a pet. The Trump family does not have a history of keeping animals around the house and there is not any indication, at least, not yet. This is a very significant time in presidential pet history. First families with pets make people feel like theyre just like us, said Claire McLean, founder of the Presidential Pet Museum, a donation-based institution not affiliated with the White House or the federal government. The museum displayed statues, books, vintage pictures, and artifacts such as a bell that was said to belong to former William Tafts milk cow. You can teach children and adults about the presidents of the US through the pets easier than you can through anything else, McLean was quoted as saying by CBS news. A White House without a four-legged friend would be a rarity, says Dave Baker, the co-owner of the museum. Throughout history, Americas first families often had pets in their families. President Barack Obamas fluffy family dogs Bo and Sunny have stolen Americans hearts. But as the Obama family prepares to leave the White House at the end of January, so will the fluffy tenants. George W Bush had a Scottish terrier named Barney Bush, the Clintons had a Labrador retriever named Buddy and a cat named Socks, while Americas 27th president, William Howard Taft, had a milk cow. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. ATLANTA - The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) will hold its first virtual Advocates for Arthritis event on Tuesday, Sept. 15, where more than 120 rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, and patient advocates will meet with lawmakers via video to discuss the healthcare challenges they are facing in the midst of COVID-19. During the event, advocates will urge lawmakers to adopt legislation that ensures continued delivery of accessible, safe and affordable care throughout this public health emergency and beyond. "The pandemic has altered almost every aspect of our rheumatology practices," said ACR President Ellen Gravallese, MD. "It has impacted our patients' lives significantly and required us to create new ways of delivering care through improved telehealth and other adaptations." Rheumatology providers face significant resource challenges as a result of the current climate. As providers work to balance patient safety and continued access to care, many have been forced to retool their operations, move a significant portion of visits to telehealth, source their own personal protective equipment (PPE), and help patients navigate drug supply challenges - while in many cases operating with less staff due to social distancing protocols, furloughs and layoffs. Meanwhile, patients are concerned about their ability to access rheumatic care while avoiding exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A recent national patient survey conducted by the ACR found a 52 percent decline since 2019 among patients who say they are currently being treated by a rheumatology provider. Further, 66 percent of respondents reported using telehealth for rheumatology visits, with COVID-19 cited as the most common reason. While telehealth has been a welcome option for providers and patients alike, some visits - such as those involving biologic therapy infusions - must be conducted in-person via an office visit. Additionally, the rheumatology workforce shortage has made it increasingly difficult for patients in rural areas to find a practicing rheumatologist. According to the latest federal estimates, 54 million Americans have a doctor-diagnosed rheumatic disease. A recent academic study suggests that number that could be as high as 91 million when taking into account symptoms reported by undiagnosed individuals. Even though as many as one-quarter to one-third of U.S. adults may be living with a rheumatic disease, there is an average of only one practicing rheumatologist for every 40,000 people, while it is estimated that the U.S. will need thousands more adult rheumatologists by 2030 to meet the challenges caused by a rapidly aging population and a fast-retiring workforce. To address these challenges and ensure the continued delivery of high-quality care, rheumatology providers and patients are encouraging Congressional leaders to adopt the following legislative solutions: Health Care at Home Act (H.R. 6644/S. 3741) - This legislation would require all employer-sponsored ERISA-regulated health insurance plans to provide reimbursement for telehealth visits (including audio-only visits) at the same rate as in-office visits for the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act (H.R. 4932/S. 2741) - This legislation would expand telehealth services through Medicare and make it easier for patients to connect with their providers. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 1763/S. 348) would better prepare the nation for its next health care crisis by increasing the number of residency positions eligible for Medicare support by 15,000 slots over five years. Further, the legislation requires that at least 50% of the additional 3,000 slots added each fiscal year be directed to a "shortage specialty" residency program as identified by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), like rheumatology. Funding for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP). This program supports loan repayment and pediatric provider training experiences for primary care and dentistry providers who serve rural and underserved areas or community-based settings. Reauthorization of this program was included in the CARES Act but has not been funded. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (H.R. 6788/S. 3599) reallocates to healthcare workers visas that were previously authorized by Congress and have not been used. Of these, 15,000 visas would be reallocated for international medical graduates and 25,000 visas for international nurses to ensure durable immigration status for our vital workforce. Noting the precarious financial state of cognitive care specialists who treat complex conditions, rheumatology leaders are also urging lawmakers to support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' important updates to the Physician Fee Schedule slated to take effect in January 2021. Established in concert with the American Medical Association, these updated reimbursements for complex office visits - also known as "Evaluation and Management" (E/M) visits - are critical to ensuring specialties on the front lines of treating chronic illness can continue serving patients in need. "While the rheumatology community has adapted to meet these challenges head-on, there is serious concern about the long-term sustainability of this new practice landscape without additional, targeted federal interventions and funding support from lawmakers," said Gravallese. ### The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is an international medical society representing over 7,700 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals with a mission to empower rheumatology professionals to excel in their specialty. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatologists are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. For more information, visit http://www.rheumatology.org. The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG has unanimously decided to extend the contract of Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, until April 30, 2024. Before the extension, Baumanns contract would have expired at the 2021 Annual Stockholders Meeting. Baumann, 57, has worked for Bayer since 1988. He was appointed to the Board of Management in 2010 and has been its Chairman since May 2016. Bayer is strategically very well positioned as a focused life science company with leading businesses in the attractive growth markets of health and nutrition. This is particularly evident in light of the current challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Bayer's strategic strength and robust operational performance are due in large part to Werner Baumann and the entire management team, commented Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG. Under Baumanns leadership, the task at hand is to use the coming period of more than three and a half years to successfully drive Bayers further development in a highly challenging environment, Winkeljohann said. Concretely, this means overcoming the effects of the coronavirus crisis, setting the course for profitable growth after patent expirations for important products of the Pharmaceuticals Division, building on the leading position of the Crop Science business through innovation, digitalization and sustainability, accelerating growth at Consumer Health and systematically continuing the efficiency and structural programs. The Supervisory Board is firmly convinced that Werner Baumann is the right leader to advance this comprehensive transformation purposefully and resolutely. His profound knowledge of Bayers markets, businesses, organization and strengths are key to this, Winkeljohann continued. We also expect that the glyphosate litigation will be handled in a way that is satisfactory for the company, makes economic sense and is structured in a way that enables potential future cases to be efficiently resolved. The employee representatives on the Supervisory Board also support and welcome the extension of Baumanns contract. We value his integrity and his regard for employees interests. In the interest of the company, and particularly its employees, it remains our task to continue to move Bayer forward together in a spirit of social partnership, said Oliver Zuhlke, Chairman of the Central Works Council and Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Im very grateful to the Supervisory Board for the trust they have placed in me. And Im also pleased that the Supervisory Board agreed to extend my contract until the end of April 2024 instead of the maximum possible four-year period and thus accommodate my personal plans. I for my part will do all I can to lead Bayer successfully and sustainably over the next few years, for the benefit of our owners, our people and other stakeholder groups, said Baumann. Werner Baumann was born in Krefeld, Germany, on October 6, 1962. After studying economics in Aachen and Cologne, he joined Bayer AG in 1988. His first duties were in the Corporate Finance Department in Leverkusen. In 1991 he transferred to Bayer Hispania Comercial in Barcelona, Spain, to take up a position as controller, becoming assistant to the managing director in 1995. A year later, he moved to Bayer Corporation in Tarrytown, United States. In July 2002, Baumann returned to Germany to become a member of the Executive Committee and Head of Central Administration & Organization at Bayer HealthCare. In October 2003, he was appointed a member of the Board of Management of the newly formed subgroup Bayer HealthCare AG. Baumann was named Chief Financial Officer of Bayer AG effective January 1, 2010. From October 1, 2014, until his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Management, he was Chief Strategy and Portfolio Officer and also responsible for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region. Baumann became Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG on May 1, 2016. He has also served as Labor Director of Bayer AG and Chief Sustainability Officer since January 1, 2020. Werner Baumann is married and has four children. Chinese city bordering Myanmar locks down community after suspected COVID-19 patient Global Times By Liu Caiyu Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 13:00:20 A newly reported COVID-19 infection has triggered the lockdown of a residential complex in a Chinese city bordering Myanmar in Southwest China's Yunnan Province on Saturday afternoon, and the unknown source of the possible infection sparked concerns over illegal crossings. The infected, diagnosed as asymptomatic patient, is a 32-year-old Burmese and tested positive on Saturday, authorities said on Sunday. After the suspected patient was detected, the neighborhood Aoxing Shiji in Ruili was put under lockdown to prevent a possible spread of the disease, the Ruili anti-epidemic authority announced on Saturday. Residents are required to stay in their homes during the lockdown period. The anti-epidemic group will provide residents with support. A source told the Global Times that the suspected patient surnamed Chen went to the Jingcheng Hospital in Ruili on Thursday and was diagnosed as a suspected case on Saturday. Whether Chen is actually infected will require further examination. It is not known when, where or how Chen may have been infected, unnerving residents in the city, which has not seen domestic cases for months. But there was speculation that illegal border crossings may be the reason, as Ruili borders the Myanmar city of Muse. The Global Times learned that land ports linking Myanmar and China have been closed to passengers since the early days of the epidemic and freight truck drivers are under epidemic-control measures. With a population of more than 200,000, Ruili has lots of interchanges with Myanmar, including jade trade. Border control authorities in Yunnan, which shares 1,941 kilometers of borderline with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, have been on high alert, implementing strict measures during the epidemic. Myanmar reported 201 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday morning, bringing the total number of infections to 2,796, according to a release from its Ministry of Health and Sports. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Court gives Jewish settler three life sentences for murdering a Palestinian toddler and his parents in an arson attack. An Israeli court handed a Jewish settler three life sentences on Monday for murdering a Palestinian toddler and his parents in an arson attack on their home in the occupied West Bank. Amiram Ben-Uliel, 25, was sentenced by the Lod court following his conviction in May for the 2015 killings. He was also found guilty of two counts each of attempted murder and arson, along with conspiracy to commit a hate crime. The arson attack killed 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh. His mother, Riham, and father, Saad, later died of their wounds. Alis four-year-old brother Ahmad survived with burns on his body. 181111050501560 The court said Ben-Uliels actions were meticulously planned, and stemmed from the radical ideology he held and racism. It said the punishment was close to the maximum penalty prescribed by the law. The Dawabsheh family said no prison sentence could atone for the crime. The toddlers grandfather, in court for the sentencing, told journalists the ruling brought him no joy. It will not bring back my family, said Hussein Dawabsheh. What will the courts decision give me? What will it give to Ahmad? It wont return anything to him. Ben-Uliel will spend a minimum of 15 years behind bars with the sentence backdated to his arrest in 2015. The court also ordered him to pay nearly one million shekels ($290,000) in compensation. The settler refused to testify at his trial and his lawyer sought to disqualify a confession and other prosecution evidence, which he said Shin Bet security service interrogators had extracted by force. Revenge The 2015 arson attack came amid a wave of vigilante attacks on West Bank Palestinians by Jewish settlers. Ben-Uliel had sought to avenge the killing of an Israeli a month earlier. He chose the Dawabsheh family home and another dwelling in Duma village, near Nablus, on the assumption they were inhabited and, before firebombing them, spray-painted Revenge and Long Live King Messiah on their walls. Ben-Uliel was acquitted of a charge of belonging to a terrorist organisation. He first threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a house whose inhabitants were not at home. He then proceeded to the Dawabsheh house and threw a second petrol bomb through the bedroom window where the couple and their two children were sleeping, before fleeing. Hilltop youth The murders shone a spotlight on Jewish attacks on Palestinians and sparked accusations that Israel had not done enough to prevent such violence. Critics said lesser attacks on mosques or churches had long gone unpunished. As the investigation into the Duma attack dragged on, Palestinians complained of a double-standard, where Palestinian suspects are quickly rounded up and prosecuted under a military legal system that gives them few rights, while Jewish Israelis are protected by the countrys criminal laws. Ben-Uliel belonged to a movement known as the hilltop youth, a leaderless group of young Jewish settlers who set up unauthorised outposts, usually clusters of trailers, on West Bank hilltops land the Palestinians want for their hoped-for state. The Hilltop Youth have been known to attack Palestinians and even to clash with Israeli soldiers in response to perceived moves by the government to limit settlement activity. A second, underaged defendant in the case entered a plea deal last year in which murder charges against him were reduced to conspiracy charges. The youth had admitted to staking out Duma ahead of the attack with Ben-Uliel, but was said not to have participated in it. The convicted mans wife, Orian Ben-Uliel, told reporters outside the courtroom following the sentencing the judges didnt seek justice or truth. They decided to incriminate my husband at any price, and the family would appeal to the countrys Supreme Court. A woman has revealed that she was left with unsightly scars all over her stomach and 'butchered boobs' after having plastic surgery in Mexico not once, not twice, but three times. In a preview clip from Monday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched, Jessica shocks Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif as she opens up about her disastrous surgeries and her decision to keep going under the knife. After undergoing a dramatic weight loss that left her with sagging skin, Jessica had a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck in Guadalajara, but she wasn't 'happy' with her results. That's when she headed to Tijuana. Scroll down for video Problems: Jessica shocks Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif as she opens up about her disastrous surgeries in Mexico on Monday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched First: After undergoing a dramatic weight loss that left her with sagging skin, Jessica had a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck in Guadalajara, but she wasn't 'happy' with the results 'I wanted bigger breasts, maybe even another tummy tuck,' she explains to the doctors. 'I still had, you know, flabby skin.' Jessica opted to have another breast augmentation to increase the size of her implants, another tummy tuck, and liposuction this time in Tijuana, where her friend had recently had plastic surgery. 'The surgeon taped me with surgical tape. No gauze. Nothing,' she recalls. 'So I called my sister, and she's slowly, slowly trying to remove it.' Jessica's sister tells the doctors that it looked like the skin was actually 'coming off with the tape.' And that basically left me with scars everywhere,' Jessica adds. Ouch: Jessica wanted 'bigger breasts' and more skin removed, so she went to Tijuana to have another round of surgeries. The surgeon applied surgical tape directly onto her wounds Disaster: When the surgical tape was removed, she was left with scars all over her stomach 'Dr. Dubrow and Dr. Nassif are visibly stunned that her surgeon would make such a grave and careless mistake. 'Wow, you know what? I don't think I've ever said this in my entire life. I'm speechless,' Dr. Dubrow tells her. 'Did you call him and say, "Hey I've got this disaster brewing?"' Jessica notes that when she contacted the surgeon, he blamed her for removing the tape, saying: 'Well, I told you not to take it off.' In his testimonial, Dr. Dubrow warns that tape should never be directly put onto a wound because it will lead to unnecessary scarring. 'As the skin stretches and becomes swollen, the tape does not expand with it and will cause a burn type reaction to the skin,' he explains. Oh no: Despite the trauma, Jessica went under the knife for a second time in Tijuana to fix her breasts and ended up with 'butchered boobs' Why risk it? Dr. Nassif (left) and Dr. Dubrow (right) couldn't believe that Jessica would get another surgery in Tijuana after being permenantly scarred End result: Jessica says her third breast augmentation left her with a nipple that sits on top of her breast Despite everything that had happened to her, Jessica decided to have a third breast augmentation in Tijuana, much to the doctors' surprise. After my second surgery, I had oval looking breasts. I wanted to do something about it, so I went back to Tijuana. But my third surgeon definitely left me with butchered boob,' she admits in her testimonial. Dr. Nassif can't help but ask Jessica where that trust came from when she planned another surgery in Tijuana after having such a traumatic experience. Jessica said she was 'was seeing a lot of girls out and about' with good results from doctors, so she decided to take the plunge again. But, unfortunately, for Jessica, the third time wasn't a charm. 'So before my surgery, my nipple was here,' she says, pointing to the middle of her chest. 'My nipple is here now,' she notes, pointing to the top of her breast. 'I mean, this is a disaster,' Dr. Dubrow admits at the end of the clip. New Delhi, Sep 14 : A Delhi court on Monday sent former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, arrested in connection with a case related to the widespread violence which broke out in the capital's northeast area this February, to 10 days police custody "considering the nature of the case". Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Khalid on Sunday night under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after questioning him for over ten hours. He was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of Karkardooma court via video-conferencing on Monday afternoon. The Additional Sessions Judge said: "Considering the nature of the case and role of the accused Umar Khalid that has surfaced so far regarding the conspiracy and involvement in anti-CAA/NPR/NRC protest...I deem it fit that, for having an effective and proper investigation, to allow the present application for seeking police custody remand of the accused Umar Khalid for a period of ten days." The court has directed the investigating officer to get the accused medically examined every 24 hours. Khalid's lawyers -- Trideep Pais, Sanya Kumar and Rakshanda Deka -- have also been permitted to confer with the accused for a period not exceeding half an hour at the beginning of the police custody and thereafter, every day during the remand period. During the course of proceedings on Monday, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad sought 10 days police custody of Khalid to confront him with huge technical data running into 11 lakh pages, "as well as other evidence collected during investigation of present case and also to examine at length about other suspects and various other aspects". According to the remand application, names of some more suspects have also cropped up during the investigation of riots and Khalid is required to be questioned at length about those suspects to obtain their exact particulars for further investigation. "From the examination of witnesses, it is revealed that accused Umar Khalid was coordinating the protest sites in Delhi in connivance with other radical groups. The mobile phone of accused Umar Khalid was already seized in this case and more than 40 GB data was extracted by CERT." The remand application further said that during the interrogation, his active involvement in anti-CAA, NPR, NRC protests with the support of several other radical groups and organisations, which finally resulted in to recent riots, was "reconfirmed". Advocate Pais opposed the remand application of the police and claimed that his client was "not in Delhi during the riots". He contended that no reason has been mentioned in the remand application as to why such drawn-out police custody is required. "Application has no base. Why has the police not mentioned which speech of Umar was problematic. What do they want for him in 10 days?" he asked. Counsel requested the court to ensure safety and security of Khalid. It was further submitted that certain items like track suits, t-shirt, etc. be also given to the accused. Allowing the request, the judge directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police to make proper arrangements for ensuring his safety and security during the police custody remand. He will now be produced before the court on September 24. Khalid is accused of hatching a criminal conspiracy to cause communal unrest by inciting people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. On March 6, the FIR was registered against Khalid and a person identified as Danish based on information provided by an informer to Crime Branch Sub-Inspector Arvind Kumar. According to FIR number 59/2020, complainant Arvind Kumar said that riots are a premeditated conspiracy. "The conspiracy was hatched by Umar Khalid and two others associated with different organisations," as per the FIR. Khalid gave provocative speeches at two different places and appealed to people to block the roads during US President Donald Trump's visit, to spread propaganda at the international level about how minorities in India are being persecuted, the FIR added. He and his associates brought women and children to the road at several places in a bid to hatch conspiracy to incite riots, the Sub-Inspector alleged, adding that firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles, and stones were stored at homes in Kardampuri, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Shiv Vihar and nearby areas as part of the conspiracy. Explaining the conspiracy, the complainant said that co-accused Danish was given the responsibility of gathering people from different places to take part in the violence. "On February 23, women and children were made to block the roads under the Jafrabad Metro Station to create tension amidst the neighbourhood people in a bid to give rise to riots," it added. Besides this, Khalid is also named in charge sheets filed in various cases of the riots. Communal violence broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after clashes between the citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. Famed journalist Bob Woodward appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night where he spoke about his recently released conversations with President Trump. For his new book Rage, Woodward had multiple recorded conversations with Trump. In the recordings, Trump can be heard telling Woodward in February and March about the dangers of the coronavirus, a stark contrast to what the president said publicly. In public, Trump downplayed the coronavirus, even saying it would magically disappear as warmer weather crept in. It goes, it goes through air, Bob. Thats always tougher than the touch. You know, the touch, you dont have to touch things, right? But the air, you just breathe the air and thats how its passed. And so thats a very tricky one. Thats a very delicate one, Trump is heard saying in a recording from February 7, adding, Its also more deadly than your, you know, your, even your strenuous flus. This is more deadly. This is five peryou know, this is five percent versus one percent and less than one percent. You know, so, this is deadly stuff. In another recording, from March 19, Trump says, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I dont want to create a panic. Woodward believes Trumps misrepresentation of the coronavirus to the public was a mistake and a failure on the part of the president. I think he did not understand the American public, Woodward said. And he said, Well, I dont want to create a panic. We know from history when the public is told the truth they organize. We have a problem, were going to step up. And Trump thought, Oh, well, theyll panic. When theres a crisis, when the president, particularly, knows something, its time to tell the public in some form. He failed. Woodward also believes Trumps lying about the coronavirus was a dereliction of duty. The President of the United States has a duty to warn, Woodward said. The public will understand that, but if they get the feeling that theyre not getting the truth, then youre going down the path of deceit and cover-up. Story continues And Woodward reflected on a conversation he had with Trump in August, in which, the president said nothing more could have been done to fight the coronavirus. Nothing more could have been done. Does he remember what he told me back in February about its more deadly than the flu? Woodward asked. I mean, it almost took my breath away that there was such certainty when he was absolutely wrong about the issue that defines the position of this country right now. 60 Minutes airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBS. Watch Chris Cuomo question how pro-life Republicans who knew Trump was lying about the coronavirus: For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. BERLIN: Germany and France called on Russia on Monday to cooperate and investigate what happened to Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after laboratories in France and Sweden independently confirmed that he was poisoned with the Soviet-style nerve agent Novichok. The apparent assassination attempt has brought tensions between Russia and Europe to new heights and fuelled calls for sanctions against Moscow - including scrapping the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a Kremlin flagship project to bring more Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Russia`s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of using the incident as a pretext to impose additional sanctions on Russia, the Interfax news agency reported. German army doctors at Berlin`s Charite hospital, to which Navalny was evacuated after falling unconscious during a flight over Siberia last month, were the first to say he had been poisoned with Novichok. Navalny awoke from a coma last week. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the initial findings had now been independently corroborated by laboratories in France and Sweden. Samples taken from the Russian opposition politician had also been sent to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague for additional tests in their labs, Seibert added. "We renew our call for Russia to explain these events," Seibert said. French President Emmanuel Macron`s office said in a statement after holding a telephone call with President Vladimir Putin that Moscow had to explain itself now. "The president expressed his deep concern over the criminal act perpetrated against Alexei Navalany and the imperative that all light be shed, without delay, on the circumstances and responsibilities of this attempted assassination," Macron`s office said. Macron expressed his full solidarity with Germany on the steps to be taken and the consequences to be drawn from the situation, it added. "Clarification is needed from Russia in the context of a credible and transparent investigation," the Elysee said. According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Putin told Macron that it was "inappropriate" to make groundless accusations against Russia over the Navalny case. Putin said that Russia wanted Germany to hand over medical test results taken from Navalny, the Kremlin added. In an update on Navalny`s health status, the Charite hospital said his condition continued to improve. "The patient has been successfully removed from mechanical ventilation. He is currently undergoing mobilization and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time," it said. LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NatWest Group plc (the "Offeror") has today launched tender offers to purchase for cash (each, an "Offer" and, together, the "Offers") any and all of certain series of its U.S. dollar denominated notes set out in the table below (the "Notes"). The Offers are being made on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the offer to purchase dated September 14, 2020 (the "Offer to Purchase") and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (together, the "Offer Documents"). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the same meaning as in the Offer to Purchase. Purpose of the Offers The Offeror is undertaking the Offers in order to provide the holders of the Notes with an opportunity to have their Notes repurchased while maintaining a prudent approach to the management of NatWest Group's capital position. The Offeror will continue to meet all of its capital requirements irrespective of the outcome of the Offers. Terms of the Offers The Offeror is offering to purchase for cash, on the terms and conditions described in the Offer to Purchase any and all of the outstanding Notes set out in the table below. Title of Security Issuer ISIN/CUSIP Principal Amount Issued Principal Amount Outstanding Fixed Spread (bps) Reference U.S. Treasury Security First Call Date Maturity Bloomberg Reference Page Purchase Price(1) 6.425% Non-Cumulative Trust Preferred Securities ("Trust Securities") RBS Capital Trust II US74927PAA75 74927PAA7 $650,000,000(3) $393,573,000(3) 105 0.625% U.S. Treasury Security due August 2030 January 3, 2034 N/A FIT1 To be determined as described herein 7.648% Dollar Perpetual Regulatory tier One Securities, Series 1 ("PROs") The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc(2) US780097AH44 780097AH4 $1,200,000,000 $761,746,000 140 0.625% U.S. Treasury Security due August 2030 September 30, 2031 N/A FIT1 To be determined as described herein 6.125% Subordinated Tier 2 Notes due 2022 ("2022 Notes") The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (2) US780099CE50 780099CE5 $2,250,000,000 $2,250,000,000 145 0.125% U.S. Treasury Security due August 2022 N/A December 15, 2022 FIT1 To be determined as described herein 6.100% Subordinated Tier 2 Notes due 2023 ("2023 Notes") The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc(2) US780097AY76 780097AY7 $1,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000 155 0.125% U.S. Treasury Security due August 2023 N/A June 10, 2023 FIT1 To be determined as described herein (1) Per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes (as defined herein) validly tendered and accepted for purchase. (2) Currently NatWest Group plc. (3) Excluding $256,427,000 principal amount of 6.425% Non-Cumulative Trust Preferred Securities, which are held by the Offeror as of the date of this Offer to Purchase and are deemed not to be outstanding. The Trust Securities, the PROs and Tier 2 Notes are collectively referred to as the "Notes" and each, a "Series". The Offers will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 21, 2020, unless extended (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Deadline") or earlier terminated. Purchase Price; Accrued Interest Purchase Price The Purchase Price for each $1,000 principal amount of the relevant Series validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Expiration Deadline and accepted for purchase by the Offeror will be equal to an amount (rounded to the nearest $0.01) that would reflect, as of the Settlement Date, a yield to the maturity date, in the case of Tier 2 Notes, or the yield on the first call date, in the case of Trust Securities and PROs, equal to the sum of (i) the Reference Yield for such Series of Notes, plus (ii) the Fixed Spread set forth in the table above. Specifically, the Purchase Price will equal (i) the value of all remaining payments of principal and interest on the relevant Series of Notes up to and including the scheduled maturity (in the case of the Tier 2 Notes) or the First Call Date (in the case of the Trust Securities and PROs) of the relevant Series, discounted to the Settlement Date (as defined herein), at a discount rate equal to (x) the relevant Reference Yield (as defined herein) plus (y) the relevant Fixed Spread, minus (ii) Accrued Interest (in the case of the Tier 2 Notes and PROs) or Accrued Distribution (in the case of the Trust Securities). Accrued Interest In addition to the Purchase Price, holders of the PROs and Tier 2 Notes accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers will also receive accrued and unpaid interest on each $1,000 principal amount of such Notes (rounded to the nearest $0.01) from, and including, the last interest payment date up to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined below) (the "Accrued Interest"). Accrued Interest for each $1,000 principal amount of such Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase will be rounded to the nearest $0.01, with $0.005 being rounded upwards. Accrued Distribution In addition to the Purchase Price, holders of the Trust Securities accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers will also receive an amount equal to accrued and unpaid interest on each $1,000 principal amount of such Trust Securities (rounded to the nearest $0.01) from, and including, the last distribution payment date up to, but not including, the Settlement Date (the "Accrued Distribution"). Accrued Distribution for each $1,000 principal amount of Trust Securities validly tendered and accepted for purchase will be rounded to the nearest $0.01, with $0.005 being rounded upwards. Settlement Unless the Offers are extended, reopened or earlier terminated, payment of the Purchase Price, plus any Accrued Interest or Accrued Distribution, as the case may be, to holders of Notes that are validly tendered and not withdrawn and accepted for purchase is expected to be made on September 24, 2020 (the "Settlement Date"). Offer Conditions The Offers are not conditional upon any minimum amount of Notes being tendered. However, the Offers are conditional upon the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase. Withdrawal Rights Notes tendered pursuant an Offer may be withdrawn at any time before the earlier of (i) the Withdrawal Deadline and (ii) if the relevant Offer is extended, the 10th Business Day after the commencement of the Offers. Notes tendered pursuant to an Offer may also be withdrawn at any time after the 60th Business Day after commencement of the Offers if, for any reason, that Offer has not been consummated within 60 Business Days of commencement. The relevant deadline set by the relevant Clearing System or any intermediary for the submission of Tender Instructions may be earlier than the deadlines set out herein. Indicative Timetable The following table sets out the expected dates and times of the key events relating to the Offers. This is an indicative timetable and is subject to change. Events Dates and Times Commencement Date Commencement of the Offers upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase. September 14, 2020 Price Determination Time The time at which the Reference Yield for each Series of Notes will be determined by the Dealer Managers. 02:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 21, 2020, unless otherwise extended Withdrawal Deadline The deadline for holders to validly withdraw Notes tendered before this date and time, unless otherwise extended as described herein. 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 21, 2020, unless otherwise extended Expiration Deadline The deadline for holders to tender Notes pursuant to the Offers in order to qualify for payment of the Purchase Price plus any Accrued Interest and/or Accrued Distribution, as applicable. 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 21, 2020, unless otherwise extended Guaranteed Delivery Date The deadline for holders using the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Offer to Purchase to deliver their Notes. Close of business on the second Business Day following the Expiration Deadline Settlement Date Payment of the Purchase Price, plus any Accrued Interest or Accrued Distribution, as applicable, for all Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers. Expected on September 24, 2020 The times and dates above are subject, where applicable, to the right of the Offeror to extend, re-open, amend, limit, terminate or withdraw the Offers, subject to applicable law. Accordingly, the actual timetable may differ significantly from the expected timetable set out above. Holders should confirm with the bank, securities broker or any other intermediary through which they hold their Notes whether such intermediary needs to receive instructions from a holder before the deadlines specified above in order for that holder to be able to participate in, or withdraw their instruction to participate in, the Offers. FURTHER INFORMATION Copies of the Offer Documents are available at the following web address: www.lucid-is.com/natwest Requests for additional copies of the Offer Documents and information in relation to the procedures for tendering should be directed to: Tender Agent Lucid Issuer Services Limited Email: [email protected] David Shilson Telephone: +44 20 7704-0880 NatWest Treasury Markets Scott Forrest Email: [email protected] Head of Treasury DCM Telephone: +44 (0)7747 455969 Investor Relations Paul Pybus Email: [email protected] Head of Debt Investor Relations Telephone: +44 776 916 1183 250 Bishopsgate London, EC2M 4AA Global Arranger and Lead Dealer Manager NatWest Markets Telephone: +44 20 7678-5222 Email: [email protected] Attn: Liability Management Dealer Managers Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC Telephone: +1 800 828-3182 Telephone: +44 20 7552-6157 Collect: +1 212 357-0215 Toll Free: +1 800 828 3182 Email: [email protected] Attn: Liability Management Group UBS Investment Bank Telephone: + 1 888 719-4210 Collect: (203) 719 4210 U.K.: +44 20 7568 1121 Email: [email protected] Attn: Liability Management DISCLAIMER This announcement and the Offer to Purchase (including the documents incorporated by reference therein) contain important information which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offer. If you are in any doubt as to the contents of this announcement or the Offer to Purchase or the action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial and legal advice, including as to any tax consequences, immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial or legal adviser. Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee or intermediary must contact such entity if it wishes to participate in the Offer. None of the Offeror, the Dealer Managers, the Tender Agent or the trustee with respect to the Notes (or any of their respective directors, employees or affiliates) make any recommendation as to whether holders should tender Notes pursuant to the Offer. OFFER RESTRICTIONS European Economic Area ("EEA") The communication of this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers does not constitute an offer of securities to the public for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 and accordingly the requirement to produce a prospectus does not apply to the Offers. United Kingdom The communication of this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers are not being made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"). Accordingly, this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and such other documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of the Offer to Purchase and such other documents and/or materials is exempt from the restriction on financial promotions under section 21 of the FSMA on the basis that they are only being distributed to and are only directed at persons to whom they can lawfully be circulated outside the United Kingdom or to: (i) persons in the United Kingdom having professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Financial Promotion Order")); (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.") of the Financial Promotion Order; (iii) persons falling within Article 43 of the Financial Promotion Order; or (iv) any other persons to whom the Offer to Purchase and such other documents and/or materials may otherwise lawfully be communicated under the Financial Promotion Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This announcement and the Offer to Purchase and such documents and/or materials are directed only at relevant persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement and the Offer to Purchase relate is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Belgium Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have been submitted to or will be submitted for approval or recognition to the Financial Services and Markets Authority (Autorite des services et marches financiers / Autoriteit voor financiele diensten en markten) and, accordingly, the Offers may not be made in Belgium by way of a public offering, as defined in Articles 3 and 6 of the Belgian Law of April 1, 2007 on public takeover bids as amended or replaced from time to time. Accordingly, the Offers may not be advertised and the Offers will not be extended, and neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offers (including any memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar documents) have been or shall be distributed or made available, directly or indirectly, to any person in Belgium other than "qualified investors" in the sense of Article 10 of the Belgian Law of June 16, 2006 on the public offer of placement instruments and the admission to trading of placement instruments on regulated markets, acting on their own account. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase have been issued only for the personal use of the above qualified investors and exclusively for the purpose of the Offers. Accordingly, the information contained in this announcement and the Offer to Purchase may not be used for any other purpose or disclosed to any other person in Belgium. France This announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or offering materials relating to the Offers may not be distributed in the Republic of France except to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifies) as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase have not been and will not be submitted for clearance to the Autorite des marches financiers. Italy None of the Offers, this announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other documents or materials relating to the Offers has been or will be submitted to the clearance procedure of the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa ("CONSOB"), pursuant to applicable Italian laws and regulations. The Offers are being carried out in the Republic of Italy ("Italy") as an exempted offer pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended (the "Issuers' Regulation"). The Offers are also being carried out in compliance with article 35-bis, paragraph 7 of the Issuers' Regulation. Holders or beneficial owners of the Notes located in Italy can tender the Notes through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-a-vis its clients in connection with the Notes and the Offers. Canada The materials relating to the Offers do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation in any place where offers or solicitations are not permitted by law. Any offer or solicitation in Canada must be made through a dealer that is appropriately registered under the laws of the applicable province or territory of Canada, or pursuant to an exemption from that requirement. Hong Kong The communication of this Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers and/or the Notes is not being made in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "CWUMPO"), or (ii) under the exemptions applicable under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "SFO") and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers and/or the Notes being a "prospectus" as defined in the CWUMPO. General The Offers do not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell Notes (and offers to sell will not be accepted from the holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities or other laws require the Offers to be made by a licensed broker or dealer or similar and any of the Dealer Managers or any of the Dealer Manager's respective affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in that jurisdiction, the Offers shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of the Offeror in such jurisdiction. Each holder participating in the Offers will be deemed to give certain representations in respect of the jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in the Offer to Purchase. Any tender of Notes pursuant to the Offer to Purchase from a holder that is unable to make these representations will be rejected. Each of the Offeror, the Dealer Managers and Lucid Issuer Services Limited reserves the right, in its absolute discretion (and without prejudice to the relevant holder's responsibility for the representations made by it), to investigate in relation to any tender of Notes, whether any such representation given by a holder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result the Offeror determines (for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such offer to sell will be rejected. The Offeror and its affiliates expressly reserve the right at any time or from time to time following completion or termination of the Offers, to purchase or exchange or offer to purchase or exchange Notes or to issue an invitation to submit offers to sell Notes (including, without limitation, those tendered pursuant to the Offers but not accepted for purchase) through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, exchange offers or otherwise, in each case on terms that may be more or less favorable than those contemplated by the Offers. In addition, the Offeror also reserves the right to issue new debt securities from time to time, including during the term of the Offers. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014. For the purposes of MAR, this announcement is made by ALEXANDER HOLCROFT, HEAD OF INVESTOR RELATIONS FOR natwest group plc. Legal Entity Identifiers NatWest Group plc 2138005O9XJIJN4JPN90 FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS From time to time, we may make statements, both written and oral, regarding our assumptions, projections, expectations, intentions or beliefs about future events. These statements constitute "forward-looking statements". We caution that these statements may and often do vary materially from actual results. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should read the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in the Offer to Purchase, in our Annual Report and H1 2020 Interim Report which are incorporated by reference herein and in our interim report on Form 6-K containing our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended as at March 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on May 1, 2020 (the "Q1 2020 Interim Report") and "Forward-Looking Statements" in our Annual Report and H1 2020 Interim Report, which are incorporated by reference in the Offer to Purchase. You should also read the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in our Q1 2020 Interim Report. Any forward-looking statements made herein or in the documents incorporated by reference herein speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), any applicable stock exchange or any applicable law, we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained in the Offer to Purchase or the documents incorporated by reference herein to reflect any changes in expectations with regard thereto or any new information or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. The reader should, however, consult any additional disclosures that we have made or may make in documents we have filed or may file with the SEC. SOURCE NatWest Group plc The 73-year-old, appointed by Donald Trump in 2017, confirmed his decision in a phone call with the president last week Beijing: The US ambassador to China will step down early next month, ending a three-year tenure marked by a trade war and increasingly bitter relations between the world's two largest economies. Terry Branstad, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, confirmed his decision in a phone call with Trump last week, the US Embassy said in a statement on Monday. It did not give a reason for his departure. "I am proudest of our work in getting the phase one trade deal and delivering tangible results for our communities back home," he was quoted as saying at an embassy staff meeting on Monday. Word of his departure leaked out earlier in the day when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Branstad on Twitter for his service. Ambassador Branstad has contributed to rebalancing US-China relations so that it is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair, Pompeo wrote in a follow-up tweet. China''s foreign ministry said before the embassy announcement that it was aware of Pompeo's tweet but had not received any notification that Branstad was leaving. Branstad became embroiled in a recent controversy when China's People's Daily newspaper rejected an opinion column that he had written. Pompeo tweeted last week that China's ruling Communist Party refused to run Branstad's op-ed while the Chinese ambassador to the United States is free to publish in any US media outlet. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded that Branstad's article was full of loopholes, seriously inconsistent with facts and wantonly attacks and smears China. The US Embassy had contacted the People's Daily on 26 August about the piece, asking that it be printed in full without any edits before 4 September, the People's Daily said in a statement posted online. Branstad, 73, is a native of Iowa and was governor of the major farming state for 22 years over two spans, from 1983 to 1999 and 2011 to 2017. Early in his first term, he met Xi Jinping, now China's leader, when the then county-level Communist Party official visited Iowa on a 1985 trade trip. Trump appointed him ambassador after a vacancy of several months, during which the embassy's No. 2 official, David Rank, resigned after criticising the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. Soon after arriving in Beijing in June 2017, Branstad welcomed American beef back to the Chinese market after a 14-year ban, saying I know it is a key priority of the president to reduce the trade deficit, and this is one of the ways we can do it. But trade relations quickly soured, as the US imposed tariffs on Chinese products and China retaliated in kind. Other disputes followed over technology, human rights and the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Branstad joined US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin at trade talks with Chinese counterparts in Beijing in May 2019. The phase one deal reached the following January represented a truce but did not address the more fundamental complaints of the American side. The US Embassy statement also noted Branstad's role in the effort to reduce the flow of fentanyl from China to the United States, including a 2018 pact in which China agreed to list the opioid as a controlled substance. Branstad also made a rare visit to Tibet in May 2019, where he expressed concerns about what the US called Chinese government interference in the freedom of Tibetan Buddhists to organise and practice their religion. He encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences, an embassy statement at the time said. A workshop in Bac Quang District, Ha Giang Province is damaged due to a landslide on September 13, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Van Long. At least two people were killed amid heavy rains and floods in the northern Ha Giang and Vinh Phuc provinces on Sunday. Heavy rains were recorded in several locations across Ha Giang and Vinh Phuc on Saturday and Sunday. One house in Ha Giang was buried after a talus slope collapsed Sunday morning, killing a 13-year-old boy, the provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention confirmed. One factory was damaged and a three-hectare rice field flooded, it added. In Vinh Phuc, a 33-year-old man was killed by lightning the same morning, authorities said. Rocks and rubble also came down into a National Highway 2B section passing through Tam Down Town, paralyzing traffic. In nearby Dien Bien Province, about 1,700 cubic meters of sludge and mud flowed down to a street, jamming a section of National Highway 279 in Dien Bien District, said Pham Van Tuan, head of a local road management department under the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam. As of Monday morning, authorities were still putting up warning signs, re-routing traffic, and removing mud in the area, he added. Mountainous areas in northern Vietnam continued to receive downpours on Monday afternoon. Provinces like Lao Cai, Son La, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, and Phu Tho might experience floods and landslides as a result, meteorologists warned. The Afghan government intensified calls for a cease-fire with the Taliban on September 14 as Kabul and the militants began the second day of historic peace talks. Negotiations kicked off over the weekend in Qatar and are initially expected to focus on technical details such as schedules for the talks and a code of conduct, the Afghan government said. The Afghan government and its allies, including NATO and the United States, are calling for the Taliban to agree to a truce to help advance what are expected to be long and grinding negotiations to end 19 years of conflict. But the Taliban have not agreed to a cease-fire and have conducted near daily attacks on Afghan security forces since the United States and the militants struck an agreement in February that could see foreign troops exit Afghanistan. The deal, which paved the way for the Qatar negotiations, did not commit the insurgents to any reduction of violence, only requiring that it be "an item on the agenda" in negotiations. Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi tweeted September 14 that the presence of government negotiators at the talks "is aimed at achieving a cease-fire, ending the violence, and ensuring lasting peace and stability in the country." As talks were under way in Qatar, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and a U.S. delegation visited Pakistan, a key regional power broker with sway over the Taliban. The U.S. team met with Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Pakistan claims its influence over the Taliban is overstated, but it says it is willing to do whatever is possible for peace in Afghanistan. A military statement said the U.S. delegation greatly appreciated" Pakistans role in the peace process and that it could not have succeeded without Pakistans sincere and unconditional support." In 2015, Pakistan hosted the first ever face-to-face talks between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban, but those talks collapsed when the Afghan government announced the death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar. Since then, the United States worked with Islamabad to help convince the Taliban to meet with the U.S. and Afghan officials. Last month, a Taliban political team led by Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar visited Islamabad to consult with Pakistani officials. Pakistan freed Baradar from prison in 2018 in what was widely viewed as a coordinated move with the United States to advance U.S.-Taliban peace talks. A comprehensive peace deal could take months or years to reach, involving other countries and the willingness of the warring sides to compromise on major sticking points and share power. The Taliban have long been concerned that reducing violence levels could decrease their negotiating leverage, but heightened violence also risks derailing talks in their early stages. The U.S.-backed negotiations are already taking place six months later than planned due to disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap and ongoing violence. With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters Houstons oil and gas industry is facing a long recovery from the coronavirus pandemic if my familys travel spending or lack thereof is any indication. Since the pandemic began to close the U.S. economy in March, my family has spent just $386 to gas up our two cars, about a quarter of the $1,412 we spent over the same six-month period last year. Our family of four spent nothing on flights so far this year, down from $1,220 by this time last year. Although my wife returned to work last month at a local school district, Im still working from home like most of my colleagues at the Houston Chronicle. My usual 57-mile, round trip commute from Cypress to our Southwest Freeway office has been replaced by a short walk from my bedroom to the study. Ill get to enjoy my shorter commute for several more months, as Chronicle editors say my coworkers and I wont return to the newsroom for the remainder of the year. As coronavirus cases spiked in Texas this summer, my family stayed close to home. There were no road trips to Austin to celebrate cousins birthdays, no overnight getaways to Galveston and no weekend jaunts to Lake Travis with neighbors. After New Jersey imposed a two-week quarantine on visitors from Texas, we sadly canceled our July flights to see family and friends back east. TERMINAL DECLINE: Global oil demand could peak in 2030 with rise of electric vehicles Were not alone. Global demand for crude oil plunged by 16 million barrels per day during the second quarter, the largest drop in a single quarter, according to Bank of America Securities. Although demand is recovering as more states and countries lift work and travel restrictions, gasoline and jet fuel consumption remains below historic averages as many people continue to work from home and refrain from flying. Gasoline demand, which plunged about 50 percent in March and April, is still down about 15 percent from a year ago, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gas prices this summer have been the lowest in 16 years, averaging just $1.77 in Houston between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Thats down 64 cents from last summer, according to Gasbuddy. Demand for jet fuel, which plummeted about 80 percent this spring, is still down about 60 percent, according to EIA. At Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, air travel was down by 75 percent in July, according to the Houston Airport System. Nationally, the number of commercial flights is down by half from pre-pandemic levels. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox The demand destruction wrought by the pandemic has been devastating for the oil and gas industry in Texas, which has shed tens of thousands of jobs since the pandemic started. Oil and gas production employment in Texas is expected to bottom out at around 150,000 this fall, 50,000 fewer workers than in February and the lowest number since 2005, according to the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. The industry may be in for prolonged pain. Bank of America forecasts that global oil demand could take three years to recover from the pandemic, assuming there is a vaccine or treatment developed for the coronavirus. Although road travel is expected to recover from the pandemic later this year, air travel is expected to take at least three years to recover. Thats a long time for life to get back to normal. I miss my friends, my coworkers and most of all, my family back in New Jersey. Lets all do our part to continue to flatten the curve, so we can confidently take to the roads and skies again soon. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 14:06:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday launched an anti-subsidy probe into imports from the United States of certain monoalkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, or glycol ethers. The probe is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 14, 2021, but may extend to March 14, 2022, under special circumstances, the MOC said. Enditem The question is one that has been unresolved despite 50 years of research ORLANDO, Sept. 14, 2020 - A University of Central Florida researcher is co-author of a new paper that may help answer why some animals have a magnetic "sixth" sense, such as sea turtles' ability to return to the beach where they were born. The question is one that has been unresolved despite 50 years of research. "The search for a mechanism has been proposed as one of the last major frontiers in sensory biology and described as if we are 'searching for a needle in a hay stack,'" says Robert Fitak, an assistant professor in UCF's Department of Biology, part of UCF's College of Sciences. Fitak and researchers in the United Kingdom and Israel recently authored an article in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B that proposes a hypothesis that the magnetic sense comes from a symbiotic relationship with magnetotactic bacteria. Magnetotactic bacteria are a special type of bacteria whose movement is influenced by magnetic fields, including the Earth's. Animals that sense Earth's magnetic field include sea turtles, birds, fish and lobsters. Sea turtles, for example, can use the ability for navigation to return to the beach where they were born. Learning how organisms interact with magnetic fields can improve humans' understanding of how to use Earth's magnetic fields for their own navigation purposes. It can also inform ecological research into the effects of human modifications of the magnetic environment, such as constructing power lines, on biodiversity. Research into the interaction of animals with magnetic fields can also aid the development of therapies that use magnetism for drug delivery. In the article, the researchers review the arguments for and against the hypothesis, present evidence published in support that has arisen in the past few years, as well as offer new supportive evidence of their own. Their new evidence comes from Fitak, who mined one of the largest genetic databases of microbes, known as the Metagenomic Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology database, for the presence of magnetotactic bacteria that had been found in animal samples. Previous microbial diversity studies have often focused on large patterns of the presence or absence of bacteria phyla in animals rather than specific species, Fitak says. "The presence of these magnetotactic bacteria had been largely overlooked, or 'lost in the mud' amongst the massive scale of these datasets," he says. Fitak found, for the first time, that magnetotactic bacteria are associated with many animals, including a penguin species, loggerhead sea turtles, bats and Atlantic right whales. For instance, Candidatus Magnetobacterium bavaricum regularly occurred in penguins and loggerhead sea turtles, while Magnetospirillum and Magnetococcus regularly occurred in the mammal species brown bats and Atlantic right whales. Fitak says researchers still don't know where in the animal that the magnetotactic bacteria would live, but it could be that they would be associated with nervous tissue, like the eye or brain. "I'm working with the co-authors and local UCF researchers to develop a genetic test for these bacteria, and we plan to subsequently screen various animals and specific tissues, such as in sea turtles, fish, spiny lobsters and birds," Fitak says. Before joining UCF in 2019, Fitak worked for more than four years as a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University performing experiments to identify genes related to a magnetic sense in fish and lobsters using modern genomic techniques. He says the hypothesis that animals use magnetic bacteria in a symbiotic way to gain a magnetic sense warrants further exploration but still needs more evidence before anything conclusive can be stated. ### Fitak received his doctorate in genetics from the University of Arizona and his bachelor's in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University. He is a member of UCF's Genomics and Bioinformatics Cluster. Study co-authors included Eviatar Natan with The Aleph Lab, Ltd., in Oxford, England; and Yuval Werber and Yoni Vortman with Tel-Hai Academic College in Tel Hai, Israel. CONTACT: Robert H. Wells, Office of Research, robert.wells@ucf.edu The shooter of two Los Angeles County deputies is still at large, and the sheriff's department continues its manhunt with a substantial reward for anyone with information on the suspect. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the two LA deputies have already "survived the worst." He noted that they would likely survive the ambush shooting that happened to them Saturday. It happened just before 7 p.m. at the deputies' patrol vehicle, Villanueva said in a press conference Saturday. A surveillance video showed that the shooter fired at close range, leaving the deputies with critical injuries. The shooter immediately fled the scene, which was just near Compton's police station. It is believed one of the victims was shot in the face and the other was shot in the head. They both had to go through surgeries but are likely to survive, reported Orange County Register. One of the victims was a 31-year-old female, and the other was a 24-year-old male. They both sustained multiple gunshot wounds but are now in stable condition. Reward Offered for Information on Shooter The surveillance video did not give much information on the suspect, other than he is a man who wore dark clothing. Authorities said the man might be around 28 to 30 years old.With few details on the ambush shooter, the officials turned to the community on Sunday. They offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who can help track down the suspect. Anyone with information leading to the gunman's arrest and conviction will get the reward, reported NBC Los Angeles. "We really need the public's help in apprehending the suspect," said Deputy Juanita Navarro late Saturday. Navarro said the gunman is a "very dangerous individual," and the department will use all the resources they have to locate him. "We're not going to stop," she added. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors authorized the reward, the department announced on Sunday afternoon. More Video Feed Provides Details Authorities did not see any possible motive for the attack. New surveillance video and dispatch calls did add some more details as to what happened, though. The Los Angeles Times reviewed the view, and it did indeed showed a figure in dark clothes casually walking up to where the patrol car was parked. The man approached the car from behind, shot the car's passengers, and ran back the way he came. Moments later, the doors of the car opened, and one of the deputies stumbled out. On the radio, one shaky voice muttered: "998 Compton Pax." A dispatcher recognized the code for a deputy-involved shooting and asked: "Just happened?" "Compton Pax, deputies down," the voice said, barely audible. In the extended footage, the shooter turned a corner out of the frame. Seconds later, a second figure was seen lingering on the sidewalk. It's not clear if the second person was involved in the attack. As the security footage released by the department was recorded with a fisheye lens, the height and weight of the shooter were distorted, Capt. Kent Wegener said. Check these out! Two Los Angeles Deputies Shot in Ambush Justice Department: US Charged 57 People with PPP Fraud Cases Deadly Shooting in Portland Sparks as Pro-Trump Groups Clash with Protesters NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces it has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Harborside Inc. (OTC: HSDEF) between July 2, 2019 and August 12, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Harborside investors under the federal securities laws. To join the Harborside class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-1897.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. NO CLASS HAS YET BEEN CERTIFIED IN THE ABOVE ACTION. UNTIL A CLASS IS CERTIFIED, YOU ARE NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL UNLESS YOU RETAIN ONE. YOU MAY RETAIN COUNSEL OF YOUR CHOICE. YOU MAY ALSO REMAIN AN ABSENT CLASS MEMBER AND DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. AN INVESTOR'S ABILITY TO SHARE IN ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE RECOVERY IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON SERVING AS LEAD PLAINTIFF. According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Harborside had undisclosed material weaknesses and insufficient financial controls; (2) Harborside's previously issued financial statements were false and unreliable; (3) Harborside's earlier reported financial statements would need restatement; (4) as a result of the foregoing and subsequent reporting delays, Harborside's Canadian stock trading would be suspended; (5) Harborside downplayed the negative impacts of errors and delays regarding its financial statements; and (6) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 9, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. If you wish to join the litigation, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-1897.html or to discuss your rights or interests regarding this class action, please contact Phillip Kim, Esq. of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm. Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 3 each year since 2013. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm's attorneys are ranked and recognized by numerous independent and respected sources. Rosen Law Firm has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Related Links www.rosenlegal.com President Trump holds a Make America Great Again campaign rally in Winston-Salem, NCA United States on September 8, 2020 Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images President Donald Trump condoned the killing of a man under investigation in connection to the murder of a right-wing activist in Portland, Oregon. Trump praised US Marshals for "taking care of" Michael Forest Reinoehl "in 15 minutes," referring officers shooting and killing Reinoehl as they went in to arrest him earlier this month. "The US Marshals killed him and I will tell you something, that's the way it has to be," Trump said, referring to Reinoehl. "There has to be retribution when you have crime like this." "We are on our way to normalizing the execution of criminal suspects before arrest, trial or conviction. It's that serious," tweeted Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump repeatedly celebrated federal law enforcement's killing of a man under investigation in the murder of a right-wing activist in Portland, Oregon. "A man, who's a bad guy, bad guy, shot somebody right in the middle of the street," Trump said at a rally on Sunday night, referring to Michael Forest Reinoehl, a self-described anti-fascist suspected of killing Aaron Danielson at a protest in late August. "Two-and-a-half days, nothing happened. I said, 'What's going on?' We sent in the US Marshals. It was taken care of in 15 minutes. Okay? 15 minutes." Trump's comments elicited big cheers from the crowd. The president suggested that law enforcement should be empowered to bypass due process and kill criminal suspects in order to quell rioting in American cities. He added that local police "could do a great job, if they were let to do their job, but they're not." The president similarly called for illegal "retribution" against alleged criminals in an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro that aired over the weekend. Story continues "The US Marshals killed him and I will tell you something, that's the way it has to be," Trump said, referring to Reinoehl. "There has to be retribution when you have crime like this." The president's apparent endorsement of police killings was widely condemned by his critics. "So the President is admitting that federal authorities killed Michael Reinoehl for "retribution"? We are on our way to normalizing the execution of criminal suspects before arrest, trial or conviction. It's that serious," tweeted Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Some pointed out that Trump's celebration of the killing of an antifa activist comes after a former senior Department of Homeland Security official accused top DHS officials of manipulating intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by the far-left group and downplay the threat posed by far-right groups. "Trump's encouragement of extrajudicial killing comes after a whistleblower described DHS demands to "modify intelligence" to paint antifa as a domestic terrorist threat," Michelle Goldberg, a progressive New York Times columnist, tweeted. "This is a systematic effort to put a group of Americans outside of the most basic legal protections." The US Marshals released a statement saying that Reinoehl "produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers," as officers moved to arrest him. The Marshals shot and killed Reinoehl, who was pronounced dead at the scene. It's unclear if Reinoehl fired at law enforcement. Witnesses at the scene of Reinoehl's death provided dramatically different accounts of his killing. One eyewitness said law enforcement shot Reinoehl before they gave him a "stop" command and claimed that Reinoehl was holding a cell phone, not a firearm, when he was killed. Trump has expressed contradictory sentiments when it comes to violence perpetrated by his supporters. The president refused to condemn Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who shot three Black Lives Matter-aligned protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month, killing two of them. Rittenhouse has been charged with homicide. "I just feel bad for that 17-year-old," Trump said. Right-wing activists have gone further, celebrating Rittenhouse as a hero for allegedly attempting to protect the city from rioters. Read the original article on Business Insider It has been a long time coming, but finally restrictions are beginning to ease. This is not before time. Victorians could be forgiven for feeling some iso-fatigue. The changes that kicked in on Monday may be limited, but for children returning to playgrounds and those living on their own getting a chance to socialise, they must be a very welcome reprieve. Experience tells us there will be temptation to test the limits of what is allowed. A sunny day often brings out the crowds. Many people will be desperate to physically reconnect with family and friends. As the time in lockdown has dragged from weeks to months, frustration has grown. Children were finally allowed to use playgrounds again as of Monday. Credit:Hanna Mills Turbet While there were very vocal and, at times, aggressive anti-lockdown protests over the weekend, when you weigh these up against the severity of the restrictions, particularly in Melbourne, it should not be surprising that certain people are ready to blow off steam. The Age does not condone the actions of those confronting police but accepts that discontent will surface. Police have an enormous task on their hands. They would do well to offer some leniency as we come out of lockdown, as they did when we entered it. Each time the rules are changed it will take a while for people to learn to navigate their new boundaries. Police issued more than half a million dollars' worth of fines on Sunday to individuals breaching restrictions, with many handed out to protesters. That is not a good outcome for anyone. Users of Zoom and other video conference tools should be aware of the growing risk of impersonation attacks. Even the use of other video platforms to keep in touch with friends on a social level now poses higher security risks. A report released this month by Eli Sanders, chief data scientist at INKY, attempted to raise awareness of this growing vulnerability. INKY is a cloud-based email security platform that uses artificial intelligence to spot signs of fraud, along with spam and malware. INKY researchers identified attacks stemming from Australia, Germany, the U.S. and elsewhere. Cybercriminals are capitalizing on the exponential increase of users turning to Zoom and Teams to collaborate across work and friend networks. Phishing Frenzy Zoom has seen an unprecedented rise in new users this year, primarily driven by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This web-based video conferencing giant jumped from 10 million daily meeting participants last December to 300 million this April. This meteoric rise in users caused a veritable phishing frenzy where cybercriminals around the globe are trying to capitalize on opportunities for scam and fraud. These include an explosion of fake meeting invitations that impersonate Zoom and Teams in phishing forays that attempt to steal users confidential details. Some users might not be aware of precautions or [be] familiar with how Zoom works. The goal of this phishing campaign is to steal Microsoft credentials, but you dont actually need to log into a Microsoft account to attend a Zoom conference, Sanders told TechNewsWorld. A related issue called Zoom bombing is also prevalent. Trolls and hackers disrupt non-password protected public conferences by uploading offensive graphic content, malicious links, and malware, he added. Other platforms are risky, too. Bad actors also send similar phishing emails that impersonate Microsoft Teams, Skype, RingCentral, and Cisco Webex. Why the Fuss? When someones login credentials are stolen, the thieves sell the information on the Dark Web to multiple bad actors. The phisher also has immediate access to the victims Microsoft account, so they can view all emails, access sensitive uploads on OneDrive, or send phishing emails from that compromised account, Sanders explained. INKY claimed its technology stopped approximately 5,000 of these phishing attacks. The company highlighted the origin and attack mechanism of 13 unique phishing templates, all designed to lure Zoom users into giving up the kinds of confidential credentials that allow cybercriminals to steal billions of dollars each year. Average losses per company totaled nearly US$75,000 per incident in 2019. These types of phishing attacks can doom small-to-mid-sized businesses. Not surprisingly, that Zoom & Doom expression is part of the INKY report title. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Zooms newcomer status and the rush to adjust to working from home contributed to making the video platform a prevalent target for attack. Zoom has lots of new users since students and workers now rely on it to replace in-person meetings, agreed Sanders. Always Be On Guard Knowing that these phishing scams are on the rise big time is one thing. Being able to prevent falling victim to them is something else. Common phishing lures are fake notifications delivered in voicemail, new document alerts and account updates. The attackers goal is usually credential harvesting or installing malware with an email attachment, according to Sanders. A basic step that organizations can provide to their staff is user awareness training to help those who normally interact with these phishing attacks learn to be suspicious of their email. One tactic is for the user to manually check for clues which can be rather obvious. For instance, look for unknown senders, hover over a link (without clicking) to reveal the URL embedded behind it, and be suspicious of attachments, Sanders suggested. Many companies also have a previous investment in security email gateways (SEGs) to attempt to spot these malicious emails. But bad actors are creative and fool the user and these legacy systems all the time, he noted. These platforms can be easily accessed by both work computers and mobile devices. On phones and tablets, smaller screens hide a lot of the red flags employees have been trained to spot, according to Hank Schless, senior manager for security solutions at Lookout. The devices will also shorten the name of the file or URL being delivered by the threat actor. This makes it difficult to spot a suspicious document or website name, he told TechNewsWorld. If the user clicks on the malicious link and goes to the phishing page, it may be close to impossible to spot the differences between the real and fake page. If employees are not familiar with the platforms interface, it is unlikely that they will be able to spot any giveaways of the phishing page or even question why theyre being asked to login in the first place, explained Schless. Dangers Lurk Even before COVID-19 and global remote work, bad actors routinely used fake Google G-Suite and Microsoft Office 365 links to try to phish a companys employees. The number of people using Zoom and Teams has increased dramatically with everyone forced to work from home. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Malicious actors know new users are unfamiliar with the apps. So the cybercriminals exploit with both malicious URLs and fake message attachments to bring targets to phishing pages, Schless noted. Mobile phishing rates are 200 percent higher for users of Office 365 and G-Suite than those without them, according to Lookout data. Employees are much more likely to engage with a link or document if it looks like its part of the app ecosystem you already use. When your employees are outside the office and on the go, there is high likelihood they are going to be reviewing documents on mobile devices, he added. Matters like this will likely be an issue on every type of platform, forever. This is just a 2020 version of phishing or spear phishing (sending targeted fake emails), according to Bryan Becker, product manager at WhiteHat Security. Even video game platforms have this issue with criminals using these techniques to steal virtual currencies, he told TechNewsWorld. All one has to do is look at one of the most recent major phishing campaigns carried out against Twitter users, observed Becker. The recent happenings at Twitter are a perfect example of the potential dangers that lurk beneath the attacks, he said. He was referring to the July 30 announcement Twitter officials made about the unprecedented July 15 phone spear phishing attack targeting 130 people including CEOs, celebrities, and politicians. The attackers took control of 45 of those accounts and used them send tweets promoting a basic bitcoin scam. Ruses Revealed INKYs report pointed out multiple techniques attackers used in the Zoom and Teams campaigns. Sanders highlighted a few of those techniques: Malicious links to fake O365 or Outlook login pages, where a simple copy/paste of actual HTML/source code from Microsoft makes it look very convincing to the user; HTML attachments that build the fake login page as localhost on the users computer. Including an attachment prevents SEGs from finding the link on an industry blocklist/reputation checkers. Also, the attachments are encoded so they are not readable by humans or the typical SEG; The attacker personalizes the phishing email with information from the users email address. Attackers add the users or companys name as part of the From Display Name, email content, malicious link (created dynamically), zoom meeting name; Fake logos that are actually just text and CSS tricks to make it appear as a logo in order to get by the SEG. Sanders detailed other tricks that attackers used to pull off the phishing assaults. For instance, they used hijacked accounts to get past any SPF or DKIM checks or created new domains with realistic-sounding names to trick users, such as Zoom Communications.com or Zoom VideoConfrence.com. Did you notice the spelling error? Spelling and grammar mistakes are typical clues to an attack. But many users simply do not notice such things. While some hijacked accounts are well known and can be found on industry blocklists, the new accounts are attempting to implement a zero-day attack to bypass the SEG, Sanders explained. Eventually, they get discovered and blocked. But in the meantime, they can get through the SEGs. Albert Bourla (R), chief executive officer of Pfizer, waits to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, N.Y., on Jan. 17, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Pfizer Could Know if Vaccine Is Effective by End of October American pharmaceutical company Pfizers chief executive officer said Sunday that there is a good chance the company will know whether its CCP virus vaccine is effective by the end of October. Pfizer head Albert Bourla said during an appearance on CBSs Face the Nation that, based on the companys studies, the efficacy of the vaccine candidate it is developing in partnership with BioNTech SE will be known by the end of next month. Yes, in our base case, we have quite the goodits more than 60 percent that we will know if the product works or not by the end of October, Bourla told host Margaret Brennan. But of course that doesnt mean that it works. It means that we will know if it works. Bourla said that while the company isnt certain whether Americans will be able to receive a CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine before the new year, they are preparing for it, if its vaccine candidate is proven to be safe and effective by federal regulators such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I cannot say what the FDA will do, but I think it is a likely scenario and we are preparing for it, Bourla said, referring to potential vaccine distribution by the end of the year. We started already manufacturing and we have already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses, so just in case we have a good study readout, conclusive and FDA, plus the advisory committee feels comfortable, we will be ready. Moderna and AstraZeneca are also conducting large-scale final-stage trials in the United States for COVID-19 vaccines. A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past the Pfizer headquarters in New York City on July 22, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) Pfizers experimental vaccine, called BNT162b2, is a messenger RNA (mRNA), meaning that it relies on segments of genetic material delivered into cells to help stimulate an immune response. While the technology can be used to fast-track the vaccines development over other methods, a setback of mRNA vaccines includes requiring to store and distribute them at extremely cold temperatures to prevent them from degrading. Pfizers experimental vaccine, for example, must be stored and distributed at -94 degrees Fahrenheit, and must be stored in a refrigerator at below 46 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours once thawed. These requirements will make it very difficult for community clinics and local pharmacies to store and administer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials told the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Pfizer has almost finished enrolling 30,000 people in its phase 3 vaccine trial. Bourla said the company is also working toward enrolling 44,000 people to increase the diversity of the population and to expand to more vulnerable populations. For example, we go to younger people. Right now, the study recruits from 18 to 85. Now we will go to 16 years old. Also, we will go to people with special conditions, chronic conditions like HIV patients, the CEO said. I think we should strive to have as more diverse population as possible. Bourla said that in the coming weeks, Pfizer will work on recruiting more people of color, including Latinos and African Americans, to take part in the trial. Currently, the studys participants are 60 percent White and 40 percent people of color, with older volunteers making up 44 percent of the group, he added. In July, the Trump administration announced that it will pay Pfizer close to $2 billion for a December delivery of 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, following FDA authorization or approval. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said at the time that under the agreement, the United States could purchase an additional 500 million doses. Pfizer and BioNTech said Americans will receive the vaccine at no cost. Handout image of Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Centre at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, and former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in Xiamen, China By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) - A Chinese scholar banned from Australia on security grounds says he has become critical of Canberra in recent years but is no security risk, adding his biggest contribution to a WeChat group at the centre of a security investigation was usually an emoji. A decision by Australia's national security agency to cancel the visas of two Chinese academics of Australian literature has embroiled Canberra's oldest soft power programme in China in a bitter diplomatic dispute. One of the banned academics, Chen Hong, had drawn recent attention for criticising the Australian government in the Chinese newspaper The Global Times. Chen told Reuters in an interview that he became critical of Australia after 2017, when Canberra began a "heatbreaking" noisy political debate about Chinese influence. "I don't think Australia is a country that should be clamping down on voices," Chen said. "In my classroom my students all know that I am an 'Australianist'," he said. Chen teaches Australian culture at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, where he is director of the Australian Studies Centre. Chen first visited Australia as a 24-year-old at the personal invitation of former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam. Whitlam established diplomatic relations between Australia and China in 1972, and later headed the government's Australia China Council, which helped fund the study of Australian literature in Chinese universities. ASIO RAIDS The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation moved in August to cancel Chen's visa, and that of Li Jianjun, director of the Australian Studies Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies University, labelling them a risk to national security, Chen confirmed. ASIO has declined to comment on its reasons. Chen said the men were members of a WeChat group with a New South Wales (NSW) state Labor politician and his staffer, whose homes were raided in June by federal police in a foreign interference investigation. Story continues China's foreign ministry said Chinese journalists in Australia were also searched by ASIO, but ASIO has declined to comment, and the government has said only that it takes foreign interference seriously and ASIO acts on evidence. High Court documents lodged by the NSW politician's staffer, who is challenging the foreign interference law, show the investigation centres on a private social media group. Chen says the WeChat group included two Chinese journalists and was used to organise a dinner on one of his visits to Sydney. Afterwards, people who attended the dinner continued to post photographs and newspaper articles. Chen says he was the least active member, and usually responded with an emoji or meme. "I cannot establish any remote link between what I have been doing and the allegations that I constitute a risk to Australian security," he said. Western Sydney University, where Li is studying for a PhD, told Chinese students in an email it was supporting Li to seek a review of the visa cancellation. The university told Reuters in a statement Li had an "impressive track record". The visa decision was a matter for government, it said, adding it supported new government guidelines on foreign interference. Jocelyn Chey, a former Consul-General in Hong Kong who also helped establish the Australia China Council in 1979, says she regards Li as "one of our best friends in China". "Any time I have heard him speak about Australia it has been very positive," she told Reuters in an email. POLITICAL RESEARCH Two Australian academics who knew Chen said they were surprised by his recent criticism of the Australian government. "From an Australian point of view, he seems to slip between academic work and journalism and the (China Communist) Party line," said Greg McCarthy, a former chair of Australian studies at Peking University. McCarthy said he believes Chen felt betrayed as the diplomatic dispute between Canberra and Beijing worsened after 2017. "Chen stepped into the middle of politics with a background in literature and an idealised version of Australia," he said. Chen's engagement with Australia began in 1987 with a PhD on Australia's Nobel laureate Patrick White and he began studying in Australia in 1991. When he returned to Shanghai in 1994, he was asked by his university to interpret for another former prime minister, Bob Hawke, on a business trip. Chen's university encouraged him to "diversify" from Australian literature, he said, so he "expanded research to Australian politics and foreign affairs". He said the Global Times is the only English-language newspaper that offers opportunities in China to have his articles published, and his criticism of Australia is aimed at improving relations. He said he continues to write on Australian culture in Chinese literary journals. Chen visited Australia six times in 2019, including one visit at the invitation of the Chinese embassy, which organised for three Chinese academics to meet with Australian think-tanks - including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, labelled as "anti-China" by Beijing. The Chinese embassy paid for his $1,000 airfare, he said. "You can't buy someone for that," he added. (Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Michael Perry) The 76 day lockdown in Wuhan, China, beginning on Jan. 23, was highly covered by new cycles around the world as COVID-19 spread around the word. Now the first feature documentary on the pandemic, titled 76 Days, has premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), showcasing human stories as frontline medical professionals and patients battle the virus. One of three directors, Hao Wu, told Yahoo Canada he had a personal reason to explore this story. The filmmaker had planned on taking his children to China in early 2020 so his parents could spend time with their grandchildren, something that wasnt able to happen with the pandemic. I'm still not sure when my parents will ever [be able] to see their grandchildren again, Wu said. The New York City-based filmmakers grandfather also passed away in early March and Wu wasnt able to see him because of COVID-19 travel restrictions in China. Medical workers limiting the number of patients admitted into a hospital during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC. 76 Days takes place in a local hospital with overcrowding and overwhelmed hospital workers in the first days of the virus. The film tells the story of patients at various stages of their illness being treated for the virus. One of the many heartbreaking moments is seeing hospital staff trying to return cell phone and personal items to the family of the deceased. You also get the rare opportunity to see different patients in the hospital, like one with dementia who keeps trying to leave, while others are crying out to get information on where family members are, not knowing if they are in a hospital or elsewhere trying to fight off COVID-19. Wus two other co-directors had been shooting footage in Wuhan already when he saw their video and was impacted by their work. It was so intimate and raw and emotional, he said. His two co-directors were wearing the same personal protective equipment (PPE) as the healthcare workers, overalls, mask, shield and goggles, but Wu said he has huge admiration for them putting their own health at risk. Story continues All I could do is make sure they're being careful, to remind them to be careful, Wu said. In late March, there was a brief moment when Wus two co-directors didnt want to work on the film anymore as tensions between the U.S. and China rose to new heights and Wu had to use the films rough cut to convince them to work on the project. Nurses collapse from exhaustion in a hospital hallway during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC. We all have to cling on to hope to survive this It may seem like an unlikely situation to focus on human stories based on people you cant really distinguish from each other because of the PPE, but the narrative is so compelling it pushes through in a way that makes you still feel connected to each and every one of these individuals working so hard to keep people safe and healthy. Even though it's not ideal, it will be hard visually to remember every characters face, but...each story was so unique and emotionally resonant, so I was hoping viewers will be able to just like latch on to the story, Wu said. 76 Days may be one specific view of Wuhan but while Wu was editing he saw the story in the more micro details rather than the macro environment of COVID-19 in China and the rest of the world. The details can really show the humanity in the story, he said. That's why I didn't do a beat-by-beat breakdown of the timeline of the outbreak, or the lockdown in Wuhan. I didn't include any news clips to remind the viewers what's happening in the rest of the world while Wuhan was locked down, I didn't include any talking heads commenting on what went right or wrong during Wuhans lockdown. I didn't do any of that because I just want people to focus on the human stories, hopefully that will make the film live longer as well. With Wu in New York during the filming process, he said that the constant COVID-19 news cycle made him toon out, particularly when there is still so much unknown information about the virus. I was spending a lot of time while I was editing the film reading about the past pandemics...I read a lot about how human beings reacted to that, he explained. Reading that and also looking at the footage made me realize, I just want to focus on the human stories because that's the only thing that will survive. Nurse drawing a smiley face on a medical glove to raise spirits of hospitalized coronavirus patients in a hospital in Wuhan, China. As seen in 76 Days, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous. Image courtesy of 76 Days LLC. Wu admits that this approach in 76 Days may not move the audience from a news value perspective compared to some other films that will likely come out later about COVID-19, but hes happy with the angle the filmmakers chose to go with. My personal hope is that people can see...how similar we still are, especially during this pandemic, he said. We all have our fear and despair, heartbreak, pain but there's also hope. We all have to cling on to hope to survive this. I want people to be able to see how the Wuhan lockdown experience, even though it was dramatic, even though it was [very extreme] from the daily COVID-19 experience in many parts of the developed world that we're living through...the emotions are similar. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) takes place from Sept. 10 to Sept. 19. Information on screenings and tickets at tiff.net. The Office of the Special Prosecutor is looking forward to receiving documentation in relation to the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal later today from Parliament. It would be recalled that the Special Prosecutor wrote to Parliament last week to demand information and related documents for the transaction agreements. The request is in line with the mandate of the office to exercise the functions and powers of the prevention of corrupt activities. When furnished with the information, the Special Prosecutor's Office will seek to ascertain whether the controversial transaction could potentially promote corruption. The Special Prosecutor made a request to the House last week. The request, made by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu was pursuant to Sections 2(1) (c), 29 and 73 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) and Regulation 31 (1) and (2) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374) which mandates the office to exercise the functions and powers of prevention of corrupt activities. This office will be concentrating on any potential of the said transaction(s) to promote and facilitate the suspected commission of corruption and corruption-related offences and advise the government accordingly, portions of the letter sighted by citinewsroom.com noted. About the deal In 2018, Parliament passed the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act 2018 which establishes the Fund to manage the equity interests of Ghana in mining companies and receive royalties on behalf of the government. The purpose of the fund is to manage and invest these royalties and revenue from equities for higher returns for the benefit of the country. The government then, through the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), set up Agyapa Royalties Limited to monetize Ghana's gold royalties. This was after Parliament on August 14, approved the Agyapa Mineral Royalty Limited agreement with the government of Ghana despite the walkout by the Minority. In exchange, the company plans to raise between $500 million and $750 million for the government on the Ghana and London Stock exchanges to invest in developmental projects. The deal, however, has become a topical issue following concerns from members of the opposition. Civil Society groups in Mines and Energy have also described the Special Purpose Vehicle as one which is not transparent and must be suspended. But the government insists the deal is in the best interest of the country. Following on from the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalize relations, Bahrain too will sign a peace agreement with Israel and establish full diplomatic relations with it. Israel has reaffirmed its commitment to keep the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem open to prayer by Muslims from all over the world, Trend reports with reference to Globes. The crown prince of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is due to attend the signing of the agreement between Israel and the UAE at the White House in Washington on Tuesday and to declare officially the establishment of relations with Israel. US president Donald Trump announced the new development on Twitter and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an official statement. "Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal - the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days," Trump tweeted. By Laman Ismayilova People across the world are traveling to Naftalan specifically to feel the healing effect of its oil. The medicinal properties of the Naftalan oil treat more than 70 illnesses related to bones, skin and joints. So far, Naftalan attracts tourists not only with medicinal oil, but also unique historical sites. Ancient dwelling has been discovered near Naftalan. The dwelling in Gashalty-Garagoyunlu village was found under a hill ten meters high and an area of almost five hectares, Sputnik Azerbaijan reported. There are two meters high adobe brick walls belonging to the Eneolith at the base of the dwelling. The age of the building is six thousand years. Another layer of the structure is associated with the Late Bronze Age - the beginning of the Iron Age. Several graves and even burials inside jugs are found there. The walls of the dwelling are dating back to the Middle Ages, the times of the Atabek State. Archaeologists have not yet reached the last layer, but today ancient coins have been discovered there, which can help specialists establish the exact date of the construction on the upper layer of the walls. Speaking about the site, Muzaffar Huseynov, leading researcher of the Bronze and First Iron Age Archeology Department at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography stressed that there are many mounds near the ancient walls. In addition, ceramics, a bracelet made of glass beads, wells have been found there. Scientists believe that that a defensive structure could have been located at this place, since the location is well chosen from the point of view of protection. Naftalan is visited by thousands of tourists all year round and the presence of a historical monument nearby will make this place even more significant. Apart from its recreation centers, the city has many places that are worth visiting. Here you can see a rich collection of national costumes, domestic utensils as well as exposition dedicated to the city's main symbol - Naftalan oil. The city is also famous for the Museum of Crutches. Crutches left by tourists who came to Naftalan for treatment serve as exposition items here. After successful treatment crutches are no longer necessary, and they stay at the museum. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz (Newser) Nevada's governor slammed President Trump for staging an indoor rally Sunday night, and Trump fired back in an interview. The president tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal that his campaign tried to secure multiple outdoor sites but was blocked by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. They canceled six different sites because the governor wouldnt let it happen, all external sites, he says, calling Sisolak a "political hack." Eventually, Trump spoke at the Xtreme Manufacturing facility in Henderson, which is owned by a friend. The campaign estimates 5,000 attended, and images make clear that masks and social distancing weren't big priorities. Trump also said in the interview that he is not personally worried at such events. story continues below Im on a stage and its very far away, Trump said. And so Im not at all concerned. On Fox News Monday, campaign press official Erin Perrine defended the rally. If you can violently riot in the streets, if you can violently protest in the streets, if you can go and gamble in a casino without any health or safety precautions, then the president can stand in front of supporters and have a conversation with them about whats a stake here in 2020," Perrine said. But the Hill reports that anchor Sandra Smith pushed back. This goes against the presidents own administrations guidelines," she said. "It goes against the CDC guidelines when it comes to coronavirus. (Read more President Trump 2020 stories.) Dr Alex George has told how 'the world came down on his shoulders' when he learned that his younger brother Llyr had died following a battle with mental health. Taking to Lorraine on Monday, the Love Island star, 30, said he felt a 'tremendous guilt' as a mental health advocate and described it as 'the toughest time of my life imaginable.' His 19-year-old brother, Llyr George, tragically passed away in July and was just weeks away from getting into medical school and following in Alex's footsteps. Emotional: Dr Alex George, 30, has told how 'the world ended' when he received the news that his younger brother Llyr had passed away following a battle with mental health in an interview with Lorraine on Monday In the first interview since Llyr passed away, Alex described how 'the world kind of ended in that sense' and revealed how his little brother was a 'little mini me'. Speaking about the night he was told of the tragic news, he said: 'I had a phone call from my dad and I could tell from the call. I said: "What has happened? Who has passed away?" 'You could tell something bad had happened. When he said it was Llyr the world kind of ended in that sense.' Family: Dr Alex described how his younger brother Llyr George was his 'mini me' and the siblings shared the 'same passions' He added: 'The world kind of came down on my shoulders almost. My little brother Elliot picked me up and we drove back to Wales. 'We sat in silence for like five hours between each of us crying and shouting and just letting out all of this kind of anguish I guess.' Speaking about his struggle to come to terms with the loss, he said: 'Thats the hard thing, I felt tremendous guilt. Im a doctor, Im the older brother. 'I always wanted to protect and look after him. What could I have done differently? Im supposed to be a mental health advocate. It was just the worst thing.' The A&E doctor also described how he was in 'disbelief' and went into 'really dark parts' of his mind during the journey home to Wales. Honest: The A&E doctor described how he was in 'disbelief' and went into 'really dark parts' of his mind during the journey home to Wales He said: 'It was weird I went into different parts of my mind on that journey home. Really dark parts of my mind. Just disbelief - I couldn't believe that this had happened. 'As a family we were so proud of him and that's why it was such a shock for all of us.' Dr Alex added: 'Losing someone to mental health is obviously very toughwhen someone is 19, [he had] a lot of things to look forward to.' Open: In an emotional interview Dr Alex described how the world 'came down on his shoulders' and told how Llyr was his 'little mini me' and shared 'the same passions' The NHS doctor continued: 'It shocks me in my working career and it has now shocked me in my personal life. You can't predict these things and mental health can affect anyone. 'We were so excited for him be was such a kind little boy. In some ways he was a little mini me. 'He had the same passions, he loved medicine, he loved science, he was a bit geeky like I am.' 'Disbelief': The NHS doctor spoke on Lorraine about how 'mental health can affect anyone' The doctor also recently shared a Just Giving page that he set up in memory of his late brother, which he posted on his Instagram story in hopes that his followers could donate. Just an hour after mentioning the fundraiser to raise money for mental health charities, Alex thanked his fans for their immediate contributions: 'Wow, you guys are being so generous. Let's do this!' Alex confirmed that his brother's funeral took place at the beginning of August. Lorraine on ITV weekdays from 9am. If you have been affected by this story, please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 20:20:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has cracked down a ring smuggling nearly 240 kg of drugs to the country, Vietnam News Agency reported Monday. On Sept. 8, customs authorities in central Ha Tinh province caught red-handed a 44-year-old woman smuggling 98 kg of drugs, which were contained in five wooden statues, according to the report. She confessed that she was hired by a person to transport the drug and hand over to some people in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City, according to local media. Further investigating the case, the authorities in the city on Sept. 10 arrested six members of the ring, confiscating 19 cakes of heroin and 22.5 kg of synthetic drugs. On the same day, border guards in Ha Tinh coordinated with relevant Lao authorities to capture four traffickers, seizing 110 kg of drugs hidden in wooden statues. To date, functional forces have confiscated more than 237 kg of drugs of all kinds, according to the report by Vietnam News Agency. Further investigation is underway. As stipulated in Vietnamese laws, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces the death penalty. Enditem Chinese company ByteDance has decided not to sell or transfer the algorithm behind its video-sharing application TikTok in any sale or divestment deal, according to South China Morning Post. Beijing [China], September 14: Chinese company ByteDance has decided not to sell or transfer the algorithm behind its video-sharing application TikTok in any sale or divestment deal, according to South China Morning Post. Citing a source briefed on the Chinese companys boardroom discussions, South China Morning Post reported, The company [ByteDance] will not hand out source code to any US buyer, but the technology team of TikTok in the US can develop a new algorithm. South China Morning Post further reported that ByteDance has reportedly informed the US authorities and potential bidders of the decision. On September 10, US President Donald Trump said, There will be no extension of the TikTok deadline, We will either close up TikTok in this country for security reasons or it will be sold. We will see what happens. Also read: Israel enforces second Covid-19 lockdown as fresh cases emerge Also read: Nepal landslide: Death toll rises to 11, over 20 still missing On August 6, Trump signed an executive order banning any US transactions with ByteDance, set to take effect in 45 days. On August 14, the US President issued another executive order, requiring ByteDance to divest its interests in TikToks operations in the US within 90 days. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed TikTok and other applications like WeChat are feeding data directly to Chinas national security apparatus. Also read: Spain to begin clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine today AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Epiphany Dermatology, a leading dermatology company committed to improving access to exceptional dermatologic care, announced today it has expanded its presence in Santa Fe, New Mexico through its partnership with James H. Auerbach, MD, PC. The practice has a long-established reputation of providing high quality dermatology services to patients in the greater Santa Fe area with its two physicians, Dr. James Auerbach and Dr. David Jaffe. Dr. Auerbach is a board-certified dermatologist who earned his medical degree at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Southern California Medical Center. Dr. Jaffe is also a board-certified dermatologist who earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and completed his dermatology residency at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Auerbach commented, "My staff, Dr. Jaffe and I are excited to join Epiphany. Epiphany has been committed to the Santa Fe market for several years and with high patient satisfaction. It has invested significant resources into supporting practices in underserved regions so that patients can have access to affordable specialized care for their skin. Further, Epiphany is focused on maintaining high standards of care company-wide, so that the dermatologic care is excellent at all of their locations." Gheorghe Pusta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Epiphany, said, "We are thrilled to have Dr. Auerbach, Dr. Jaffe, and their exceptional team join Epiphany on our quest to build a special company. Through our interactions with Dr. Auerbach and Dr. Jaffe, we were pleased to learn they are as committed as we are to making clinical excellence accessible across Northern New Mexico. This is an exciting opportunity to expand our provider network and improve access to great dermatologic care in the Santa Fe market." Through this partnership, Dr. Auerbach, Dr. Jaffe and their team gain additional resources to help with operations, managed care, marketing, compliance, human resources, recruiting, IT, and many other support services. Mr. Pusta further commented that, "Despite unprecedented COVID-related challenges in healthcare and the broader economy, we remain fully committed to investing in our growth and are well-funded to do so. Since inception, we have grown the right way, with a common-sense focus on sound operations and true integration, so that we can truly support our dermatologists and share the best practices that each partner brings to Epiphany. That approach has allowed us to collaboratively manage COVID-related challenges more safely and soundly. Likewise, our approach has resulted in a secure financial profile, which allows us to weather the economic storm so that we are there for our patients and partners well into the future." About Epiphany Dermatology Epiphany Dermatology is a rapidly expanding dermatology company, driven by a passion to improve access to high quality dermatologic care in a values-based manner. Through its partnership with leading dermatologists across 52 locations in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, Epiphany provides general dermatology, skin cancer care, Mohs surgery, cosmetic services, and additional dermatologic services. Epiphany raises the standard of dermatology care by making clinical excellence accessible to all patients, promptly and in a warm and inviting environment. Epiphany Dermatology is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more details, please visit www.epiphanydermatology.com or call (512) 628-0465. Ted Emmert Chief Development Officer Epiphany Dermatology (512) 628-0465 [email protected] Gheorghe Pusta Chief Executive Officer Epiphany Dermatology (512) 628-0465 [email protected] SOURCE CI Capital Partners Tens of thousands of people have been forced to rely on food banks for the first time in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to new research which shows demand for food parcels is set to soar by 61 per cent this winter compared to the same period last year. Analysis published by the Trussell Trust, the UKs largest food bank provider, estimates that 846,000 food parcels will be distributed in October to December this year with six given out every minute as furlough comes to an end and unemployment is set to rocket. The research, carried out on behalf of the charity by Heriot-Watt University, also shows that during the start of the pandemic, around half of people who used a food bank in the Trussell Trust network had never needed one before and families with children were hardest hit. The latest data shows that almost 100,000 households received support from a food bank in the Trussell Trust network for the first time between April and June this year. It comes as separate findings published by Action for Children indicate that a new wave of families who have never needed help before are struggling to make ends meet due to falling incomes and rising household costs with 71 per cent of households supported by the charity's emergency appeal having not had financial issues before the pandemic. With the end of the furlough scheme in October set to see unemployment soar to levels not seen since the early 1990s, the charity warns that families will be plunged into even deeper crisis as thousands struggle to keep their children clothed and well-fed. In one case, parents Leah Gale, 25, and Carl, 28, from Sherborne in Dorset, found themselves struggling to afford the basics for their three children Jayden, six, Colby, four, and Evelyn, two when work dried up for Carl, a self-employed painter and decorator, during lockdown. The family were forced to turn to their local food bank for the first time, and they have also been supported by funds from Action for Childrens coronavirus appeal, which helped them pay for gas and electricity as well as buy summer clothes for their children. We were doing OK before the pandemic just. But everything went downhill rapidly after lockdown, Leah explained. Leah Gale, who has three children Jayden, Cloby and Evelyn says she and her family has never struggled like this before' (Action for Children) As Carl is self-employed, were not entitled to any government help or furloughing or anything, so weve been forced to borrow left, right and centre from family and friends as well as take out a loan to cover the council tax. Weve never struggled like this before, ever. Covering lifes basic expenses since March has pushed us into the most debt weve ever been in and it doesnt look like things will get better for a long while yet. Dee Woods, co-founder of Granville Community Kitchen, which provides both food parcels and cooked meals to local people in need in Brent, London, said there had been a 700 per cent rise in demand since the start of lockdown with the service now supporting around 700 people per week, compared to 100 in March. She said the rise was made up of a combination of people who had lost their jobs and werent offered furlough or had no recourse to public funds, those still in work but with reduced hours, those whose benefits dont cover their needs and rough sleepers who were placed in hotels during lockdown but have now had to leave. Explaining that many had never used a food bank before, she said: People turn up and break down into tears. They never thought they would end up in a situation where they would need to ask for help to eat. Sometimes theyve already gone without food for days. It really is heartbreaking. Help the Hungry: Olivia Colman visits The Felix Project Ms Woods said she was concerned about the months ahead, adding: We are preparing for a tsunami. Right now it feels calm, but there will be increasing unemployment when the furlough scheme ends and more people lose their jobs and have to go on benefits. Sally Noden, who runs Action for Childrens Newcastle family support service, which has been working in partnership with the citys West End food bank, said she and her team had supported many families who hadnt needed help before often single parents who had lost their income due to the pandemic. Its been a real struggle for families that had been just about managing before and had never had to go to food banks to suddenly have to say, I dont have enough food. Thats a really big thing for a parent. It can really impact on their mental health and their self-esteem, she said. Ministers are being urged to put a protective shield around struggling families by not withdrawing the 20-a-week increase in universal credit, which was announced in response to the pandemic, and by boosting child benefit this winter, to prevent a generation of children from being scarred by poverty. Jonathan Reynolds, Labours shadow work and pensions secretary, urged the government to take further, urgent action to make sure that no one goes hungry during the public health crisis. Months into this crisis too many people are still falling through the gaps in the safety net and children are going hungry as a result. The governments incompetence is worsening already unacceptable levels of child poverty in the UK, he said. The Trussell Trust warned that, without action, 670,000 additional people are set to be classed as destitute by the end of 2020 on top of year-on-year rises in the number of people unable to afford food and forced to use food banks across the UK. Emma Revie, chief executive of the charity, warned that food banks and other community charities could not continue to pick up the pieces, adding: Our research finds that Covid-19 has led to tens of thousands of new people needing to use a food bank for the first time. This is not right. With the furlough scheme set to wind down, we must act now to put in place protection for each other. The Budget and comprehensive spending review present a pivotal opportunity to put things right. Carol Iddon, deputy chief executive at Action for Children, said families were hanging by a thread as they faced one of the bleakest winters of their lives". While parents on low incomes are starting to buckle, a new wave of families whove never needed help before are now also struggling to make ends meet," she added. The government must put a protective shield around struggling families by ensuring that Novembers Budget makes clear that universal credit will not be cut by 20 a week in the spring. Andrew Forsey, director of Feeding Britain, said the new food bank figures were incredibly troubling, adding: They show that something very serious has been happening to the poorest individuals in our society and this has been amplified by the pandemic." Sabine Goodwin, coordinator of the Independent Food Aid Network, pointed out that on top of the 1,200 Trussell Trust food banks, there were at least 916 independent food banks distributing emergency food parcels every week all of which had also seen a huge rise in demand. Decisive and immediate action needs to be taken to turn the tide of escalating poverty levels driving the proliferation of food banks, food pantries and other charitable food aid providers, she said. Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Show all 6 1 /6 Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Aiden and Tanya from South Hill School in Hemel Hempstead put up Damien Hirst's butterfly heart in their school window Jeremy Selwyn Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Brothers and sisters, Mei, Rio and Jui, proudly hold up Help The Hungry posters Nigel Howard Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Elise and Josie pose with their poster at their Carshalton home Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London The heart is a symbol of solidarity and hope to support the Independent's Help The Hungry campaign Evening Standard Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London The Turner Prize-winning artist created the rainbow heart design filled with butterflies, one of his motifs, to pay tribute to charities and individuals helping to feed vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis Help The Hungry: Damien Hirst rainbow heart displayed across London Students at South Hill School in Hemel Hempstead wave as they display a butterfly heart poster A government spokesperson said: We have provided 9.3bn extra welfare support to help those most in need, including increasing universal credit by up to 20 a week, as well as introducing income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters. Meanwhile, since mid-March weve supported 3.9 million claims to universal credit and made 1.3 million advance payments to people who could not wait. The Independents Help The Hungry campaign is highlighting projects that need your help to feed people left vulnerable by the Covid-19 crisis According to movies such as 2001's "Spy Game," if the CIA wants you, a field officer will approach you toward the end of your military enlistment and offer you a job as a field officer. If film and television have taught me anything, this is how covert intelligence officers are made. Right after that, you learn languages, codebreaking and how to use a Russian radio, all to a soundtrack mixed by the Dust Brothers. After that kind of training, there's no government you can't take down and no terrorist you can't take out. The agency would probably get a lot more recruits if that were the case. It's not, but it would be super cool. In reality, most military personnel who get to work for the CIA through a process called "sheep dipping." This is where the military pretends to separate you, but you secretly still work for it and the CIA. But if you aren't a Marine Corps scout sniper and the CIA isn't interested in borrowing your military occupational specialty, that doesn't mean you can't go work for America's most storied intelligence service. It just means it isn't necessarily seeking you out. Once you leave the military, your clandestine service career may still await you, but getting in is a lot more ... ho-hum. Anyone (well, any U.S. citizen) can apply to work at the CIA as an operations officer by applying on the website, just like any other government job. I was disappointed too. Read: How to Join the FBI After Leaving the Military After a thorough background check (this is the CIA, man), applicants take a medical exam and a polygraph examination to get a security clearance, which will be at least secret but, depending on what you're applying for, could be Top Secret-SSBI. A few things to know and do: You must be a U.S. citizen. You must be physically in the United States. Don't do drugs for at least 12 months before you apply. You will have to move to the Washington, D.C., area. You need at least a four-year degree with a 3.0 GPA. Theyre pretty serious about the drugs thing. Don't follow the CIA on social media. Don't tell anyone you applied. Really, stop doing drugs. Once you choose the job you want to apply for, you will have three days to finish the application and submit the required documents, which often include writing samples and qualification justifications. If the CIA is interested in you, someone will call, email or send you a letter (yes, a letter) within 45 days. If the agency isn't interested, it's not an oversight. You've been rejected. If you feel slighted by this, you can apply again after one year. No matter what, don't call the CIA. You don't need that kind of attention. The CIA Memorial Wall at CIA headquarters, located in the Old Headquarters Building in Langley, Virginia, United States. It contains 102 (83 when picture was taken) stars, representing the deaths of 102 CIA officers. The names of 63 are revealed in the memorial book (on the wall below the stars), while 39 remain secret. (CIA) What the CIA won't do is surprise you at a party or a bar to recruit you and start training. Anyone who approaches you in a public place and says they're a CIA agent and has a job for you is probably a liar (CIA personnel don't call themselves "agents"). Unlike other jobs, the application process for the CIA could take a year or more, which includes a live interview. You know, like a regular job. But unlike regular jobs, you will then undergo aptitude and personality tests. Those who go the Directorate of Operations route -- what used to be called the clandestine service -- have an entirely different set of circumstances to work under. From the CIA Directorate of Operations (DO) website: "All new DO officers joining the elite team are required to live and work under cover. Training provides you with the skills needed to live and work under cover, but only you can decide if hiding the truth from others (including many family members, friends, and close acquaintances) is a commitment you can accept." Be advised that most CIA careers are not clandestine, not fieldwork and do not look cool even with a Dust Brothers soundtrack. Successful applicants might find themselves working inside a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) -- essentially a secret vault of classified documents -- for eight hours a day, instead of scoping out Eastern Europeans from a cafe in Prague, like they always imagined. One Quora user who was once a CIA officer said the job was less like "Homeland" and more like "The Office," with officers and analysts complaining about computer crashes in line at the CIA Starbucks. He writes that he spent a lot of time doing things most people do at other agencies and companies, including managing schedules, editing reports and coordinating other offices. The difference is in the dedication CIA officers and analysts have to their jobs, knowing that their commitment could prevent the next 9/11 attacks. This feeling, of course, also leads to a stressful work environment, knowing what might be at stake if you happened to go home early one day. "There's also definitely a "Holy S---" moment everyone has early in their career where something happens, and it hits you that you're actually working at the CIA," he writes. "It's a pretty cool feeling and I had plenty of those moments, but if I told you about them I'd have to kill you." -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers, as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken on Monday slammed the AAP government in Delhi and BJP-led Centre for doing little to stop the Supreme Courts recent order to remove 48,000 slum dwellings on railway land within 90 days. Maken hit out at both the Central and state governments and asked why they didnt inform the SC about the protocols laid down for rehabilitation of slums dwellers in Delhi, after a high court judgment in March 2019. Also read: Delhi slum eviction: 11 slum dwellers file plea to join proceedings in Supreme Court case The state and Central governments are just issuing statements, but none of them have taken steps to address the issue. When the matter was being heard by the SC, why didnt the Delhi government and the Centre inform the court about the protocol in place for the rehabilitation slum dwellers, said Maken, who had filed a petition challenging the SCs August 31 order. The former Delhi Congress chief also said that those impacted by the order, the slum residents, were not even represented when the court had ordered removal of their dwelling units. Maken also hit out at the Delhi government for delay in allotting vacant houses constructed for those belonging to the economically weaker sections. Maken, a former Union urban development minister, said that between February 2007 and June 2013, the Centre had sanctioned funds for the construction of 67,784 flats. Under JNNURM and Rajiv Awas Yojana, close to R1,300 crore was given to the Delhi government. There are 35,000 flats lying vacant and 16,000 flats are under construction, which should have been ready long back. They (the AAP government) have not been able to allot these flats. It has been seven years, the 16,000 flats should have been ready by now, said Maken. R isks of the first lockdown in London escalated today amid anger over shambles in the test-and-trace-system grounding workers at home. The number of Covid-19 cases has jumped in a swathe of north London boroughs including Redbridge, where there have been nearly 200 cases in the first 11 days of September. The true scale of cases in the capital is feared to be even higher with people struggling to get test appointments and then waiting days for results. Thousands of workers are believed to be having to self-isolate at home as they wait test results for them and their children who have picked up bugs since returning to school. Some are also being told to travel hundreds of miles to get a test. In Redbridge, 191 Covid cases were recorded in the first 11 days of this month, with a worrying 28 on Friday alone. Council and public health chiefs are already urging local people to abide by social distancing rules to avoid a local lockdown as already happening in other parts of Britain. Confirmed cases in the north London borough have spiralled from 55 in the last ten days in August. Mark Santos, Redbridges Cabinet member for public health, accused the Government of failing to properly support the local community as people were unable to get tested at a walk-in facility at Mildmay Road car park in Ilford at the weekend. We have got a spike and people were being turned away from being tested, he told the Standard. Im worried about people getting seriously ill and dying. He also stressed: I would actively encourage people to follow the rules that keep them safe otherwise there is a real potential of a lockdown. The Department of Health and Social Care said test-and-traces capacity was at the highest it has ever been but we are seeing a significant demand for tests including from people who do not have symptoms. A spokesman added: We are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups. Scientists are predicting that four east London boroughs are at high risk of becoming Covid hotspots by the end of the month, with more than 50 cases a week per 100,000 population. The Covid calculator run by Imperial College London, which uses the number of new cases and deaths to make its predictions, estimates that Redbridge has an 81 per cent chance of becoming a hotspot. In neighbouring Newham there is a 75 per cent chance, Havering 74 per cent and Tower Hamlets 67 per cent. Enfield has a 70 per cent chance. The England-wide figure is 67 per cent. Separate figures show that almost 100 patients with Covid were admitted to hospitals in London in the last week. The total of 94 admissions was almost double the 51 in the previous week. Loading.... Across the UK, there are currently 884 people in hospital, including 79 on ventilators. Jockeys ease off their horses after crossing the finish line during a race at Santa Anita Park in 2013. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Santa Anita has postponed this weekends opening of its autumn meeting for one week, until Sept. 25, because of the nearby Bobcat fire affecting the San Gabriel Valley. The combination of poor air quality and the track being used as an evacuation center precipitated the decision. Our local community has been deeply impacted by the Bobcat fire burning for more than a week in the mountains behind us, said Aidan Butler, acting executive director of California operations for the Stronach Group. The current weather pattern has kept the smoke in the valley, and the air quality is quite poor now. Santa Anita was supposed to open Saturday for two days of racing before going to a Friday through Sunday schedule for the remainder of the five-week season. The stakes races that were scheduled for this weekend will be added to the following weekend, which includes the biggest day of the meeting on Sept. 26. On that Saturday, there will be three Grade 1 races plus other graded stakes. The smoke has impacted some training schedules, so postponing until next weekend will allow everyone a chance to be ready to go, said Steve Lym, vice president of racing at the track. We are planning on filling extra races throughout the meet to give our horsemen the opportunity to run their horses. This is similar to what Del Mar did during its summer meeting when it reduced racing to three days a week. When the track opens, it will not be open to fans because of the coronavirus. Vijay Inder Singla Chandigarh: Providing a major relief to mid-day-meal (MDM) workers and other staff, the Punjab government has given its nod to provide them maternity leave benefits in accordance with the Maternity Benefit Act. While confirming the development, Punjab School education minister Vijay Inder Singla said that mid-day-meal is purely government funded scheme and all female employees under this scheme will be eligible to avail the benefits of maternity leave. Advertisement Vijay Inder Singla The cabinet minister said that though the nod has been given by the government but the beneficiary employees will remain bound by the conditions and guidelines so issued by the union or state government from time to time. Vijay Inder Singla said that Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government is working tirelessly for the welfare and upliftment of all underprivileged sections of the society. Advertisement He added that the education department has also been taking new initiatives to uplift the standard of education and provide all basic amenities to the students in the school premises. He said that more than 6,000 government schools have been turned into smart schools and apart from modern learning techniques, other infrastructure has also been upgraded. Punjab governmentSingla said that these efforts have also started showing positive results as the government schools have witnessed around 15 percent increase in registrations. Advertisement He added that amidst the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the government school teachers were regularly taking online classes of students with the help of the internet. He said that the school education department has also been broadcasting classes with the help of TV channels including Doordarshan. He said that apart from online classes, the department has also launched several online competitions and students were regularly being encouraged for active participation. COVID-19 has brought changes to elections across the globe. In the U.S., some Democrats are demanding universal mail-in voting. Nancy Pelosi and others make the illogical claim that fraud is not of concern. Republicans and even some Democrats are concerned, especially considering how rapidly the process would be initiated. Governor Cuomo (D-N.Y.) said, concerning mail in voting: Obviously its a harder system to police People showing up, people actually showing ID, is still the easiest system to assure total integrity. I find it interesting that former widespread concerns about mail-in voting have vanished for many Democrats. A New York Times 2012 article, Error and Fraud at Issue as Absentee Voting Rises, cites bipartisan consensus that voting by mail is more easily abused than other forms of voting. A bipartisan report signed by President Carter said, Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud. Throughout the world, there is concern about absentee voting. Of the 37 countries in the OECD, 47 percent ban absentee voting unless the citizen is living abroad, and 14 percent ban it entirely. Of the 27 European Union countries, 63 percent ban absentee voting unless living abroad and 22 percent ban it entirely. France has not allowed in-country absentee voting since a 1975 absentee voting scandal. Resuming it this spring was considered, but not done. What Democrats are pushing, however, is much more than traditional absentee voting. Their Universal Mail-in Voting requires all voters be mailed a ballot without request. Potential fraud is obviously more of a problem than with simple absentee voting, because requiring people to request a ballot assures that people who are dead or moved out of state are not sent them, and those sent are more likely to go to the correct address. The May 12 election in Paterson, New Jersey, illustrates problems, especially when universal mail-in voting is rapidly enacted as it was by Governor Murphy D-N.J. The election has been declared invalid and will be redone. Ballots were found in garbage cans, left in bulk in a lobby instead of in individual mailboxes. Many reported never having received a ballot, though they were listed as having voted. Four men have been criminally charged. New Jersey is one of four states starting universal mail-in voting this year. Five states routinely conduct elections almost entirely by mail. Wisconsin and 34 other states use absentee voting in which a voter can request an absentee ballot for no specific reason. Six additional states provide absentee ballots only to those having a specific reason for one. A study from Stanford University found no link between in-person voting in Wisconsin in April and increased spread of COVID-19. Voting absentee in Wisconsin is not burdensome, and Wisconsin thankfully will not be switching to universal mail-in voting. The Wisconsin Election Commission for the first time will send a form to request an absentee ballot to registered voters. The voter must make the request by Oct. 29 with the form provided or by fax, email, on line at MyVote.Wi.gov. In-person absentee voting is also available within a certain time period before the election. Part of a $7.3 million congressional grant for pandemic election expenses will be used for the form mailing. Other measures the grant could reimburse include hiring excess poll workers to account for absences and giving hazard pay to those who work and providing PPE and cleaning supplies. If a shortage of poll workers occurs, having members of the National Guard assist seems very valid. The fate of ballot harvesting (absentee ballots being collected by third parties) in Wisconsin is still not clear, due to ambiguities in the statutes. It seems that absent a successful lawsuit, the practice will be allowed. Washington state has a universal mail-in voting system. Their secretary of state said in an NPR interview that states that have moved to vote-by-mail have taken five to 10 years to build in capacity, and that states could have an expansion of absentee voting, but they couldnt make the switch completely to vote-by-mail between now and November. If this is accurate, Wisconsin has acted appropriately. Absentee voting is being made easier by provision of applications to all voters, but an attempt to switch entirely is not being made. Pamela B. Wolfe of the town of Geneva is a member of the Republican Party of Walworth County. The management of Arik Air on Monday apologised to its customers over the disruption caused by the picketing of its operations in Lagos on Monday. The airline appealed to its passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the picketing carried out by aviation unions. Adebanji Ola, Manager, Communications of Arik Air, made the apology in a statement Monday evening. Operations of Arik Air were on Monday shut down by the aviation unions over alleged non-payment of staff salaries since April. The unions said the airline failed to cater for staff welfare after it allegedly placed many of the workforce on compulsory leave, amid other anti-labour practices. The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the unions included the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN). But Arik said in its statement that the picketing was done without the approval of the leadership of the unions. We wish to place on record that the picketing was illegal and has no backing of the aviation unions whose leadership have embraced dialogue by attending mediatory meetings called by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the statement said. The management strongly condemns this action and once again assures all stakeholders of a safe and conducive working environment. We shall also protect the interest of the flying public for a safe, friendly and on time travelling experience. We are already working with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Aviation and NCAA to resolve all pending issues with the unions and a section of the staff, he said. Mr Ola also assured customers with valid tickets who could not fly on Monday to modify such tickets at no cost for future travels. We are working to bring the situation under control and the public will be advised accordingly, he said. Kangana Ranaut had a tumultuous week after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir and called the citys police force a sham". She arrived in Mumbai amid tight security on September 9, the same day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation conducted a demolition drive at her office, razing portions that they claimed were illegally built. She and her sister Rangoli Chandel will be leaving for their home in Manali today. Before leaving for her hometown, the actress took to Twitter saying her analogy about Mumbai and PoK was bang on. With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on," she tweeted. In a subsequent, she mentioned that people are making a big mistake by considering her weak. , ! , !! Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 14, 2020 Meanwhile, amidst escalating tension between her and the ruling Shiv Sena party, Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. Following her meeting, Kangana tweeted: A short while ago I met His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ji. I explained my point of view to him and also requested that justice be given to me, it will restore faith of common citizen and particularly daughters in the system." A short while ago I met His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ji. I explained my point of view to him and also requested that justice be given to me it will restore faith of common citizen and particularly daughters in the system. pic.twitter.com/oCNByhvNOT Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 13, 2020 The actress drew the ire of the Shiv Sena government after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in her tweets. She received strong-worded reactions from Sena leaders, following which she was given Y-plus security. Greece to Buy French-Made Military Hardware Amid Ankara-Athens Tensions in East Mediterranean Sputnik News Oleg Burunov. Sputnik International 08:43 GMT 13.09.2020(updated 11:33 GMT 13.09.2020) The Turkish-Greek standoff over drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean has simmered for months, escalating in early August, when Athens demanded that Ankara immediately halt its "illegal" gas exploration activities in the area. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced a major arms purchase programme for the country, which was reportedly hammered out during his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at an EU summit in Corsica earlier this week. "The time has come to reinforce the armed forces []. These initiatives constitute a robust programme that will become a national shield", Mitsotakis said in a keynote address in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Saturday. He added that Greece would buy 18 French-made Rafale warplanes, four multi-purpose frigates, and four navy helicopters, as well as new anti-tank weapons, navy torpedoes, and air force missiles. Additionally, the country will recruit 15,000 new troops and inject funds into the national arms industry and cyberattack defence, Mitsotakis said, in what is expected to become Greece's most ambitious military overhaul in almost 20 years. French Defence Minister Florence Parly, for her part, welcomed the Paris-Athens arms deal, which comes amid the ongoing standoff between Greece and Turkey over gas drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean. She spoke after Mitsotakis reiterated Athens' desire to conduct dialogue with Ankara, provided Turkey stops acting "like a provocateur". "We do need dialogue, but not when held at gunpoint. If we cannot agree then we must seek resolution at the (International Court of Justice at the) Hague", the Greek prime minister noted in a recent article published in The Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and Le Monde. France, in turn, deployed warships and fighter jets to the region last month, joining military exercises with Italy, Greece, and Cyprus as the Turkish-Greek dispute escalated after Ankara sent its Oruc Reis survey vessel to a disputed Eastern Mediterranean area earlier in August. Last month, Greece also ratified a maritime border pact with Egypt, in an apparent response to 2019's Turkish-Libyan deal which stipulates Ankara's access to Eastern Mediterranean areas with large hydrocarbon deposits. Both sides have rejected each other's agreements as null and void, while the EU has warned that unless Turkey sits down for talks with Greece, the bloc will slap sanctions on Ankara before the end of September. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, warned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron "not to mess with Turkey" after Macron urged the EU to adopt a "united and clear" stance on Turkey, accusing Ankara of "no longer [being] a partner in this [Eastern Mediterranean] region". The French president called on Brussels to outline "red lines" with Turkey, while simultaneously working to "restart a fruitful dialogue" with Ankara. The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded by describing Macron's comments as "arrogant", and claiming that they were a "reflection of his incompetence and despair". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US tech giant Microsoft has said its offer to buy TikTok was rejected, as a deadline looms for the Chinese-owned video app to sell or shut down its US operations. TikTok has been at the center of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing, and President Donald Trump gave Americans a deadline to stop doing business with TikToks Chinese parent company ByteDance effectively compelling a sale of the app to a US company. Trump claims that TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft," the US tech giant said in a statement referring to TikToks owner. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests," the statement added. Following Trumps executive order, Microsoft and Oracle were possible suitors to take over TikTok operations. Microsoft said that it would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation." The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported that Oracle had won the bidding war, citing people familiar with the deal, although the company did not immediately confirm the matter to AFP. The Oracle bid would next need approval from the White House and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a source told the Journal, with both parties under the belief it would meet US data security concerns. TikTok has filed a lawsuit challenging the crackdown by the US government, contending that Trumps order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platform is not an unusual and extraordinary threat." Downloaded 175 million times in the US, TikTok is used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky, short-form videos on their cellphones. It has repeatedly denied sharing data with Beijing. Pronab Mandal By Express News Service KOLKATA: Taking a soft Hindutwa stance, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that her government will provide poor Brahmin priests monthly stipend and free house. In order to woo the Hindi-speaking voters, she further announced that the existing Hindi academy would be revamped. TMC's Hindi cell, which had been lying defunct for years, would be restructured, she added. Mamatas announcements came days after BJPs national president JP Nadda accused her of being anti-Hindu for imposing a lockdown on the day of Ram Mandirs foundation stone laying ceremony. It seems that the financial assistance for priests is aimed to counter BJPs allegation that she follows the politics of appeasement. "We held four meetings in the recent past. A list of 8,000 poor priests has been prepared who will be given Rs 1,000 each per month. Besides, the state government will construct homes for them under the states housing scheme for the poor," Mamata said. "I would request all of you not to find any other meaning in this announcement. It is being done to help the Brahmin priests. They will start getting the allowance from next month as it is the Durga Puja season," the chief minister told a press conference here. The move to revamp Hindi academy and restructure the partys Hindi cell is said to be an attempt to cause a dent on the saffron camps vote bank by taking Hindi speaking voters, who form 14 per cent of the states electorate, into confidence. According to records available with the election commission, Hindi speaking voters can be a deciding factor at least 18 to 20 Assembly constituencies in urban and semi-urban parts of the state. ALSO READ | Bengal govt to offer jobs to kin of deceased and incapacitated COVID warriors "Warm wishes on #HindiDiwas. Bengali is a land of inclusivity and through our persistent efforts we have proudly inculcated Tagores values of Unity in Diversity. GoWB has taken various initiatives to strengthen Hindi Education, Culture and Welfare of the community in Bengal," Mamata tweeted. Urging the Centre to include Bengali in the list of classical languages, she further wrote on her Twitter handle, "GoWB has constantly preserved to undertake inclusive development for all by giving recognition to Hindi, Urdu, Gurumukhi, Ol Chiki, Rajbanshi, Kamtapuri, Kurukh languages. I urge the Centre to follow suit by also including Bengali as a classical language in NEP 2020." The BJP, which emerged as the ruling TMCs principal opposition by bagging 18 Lok Sabha seats out of 42 in the 2019 general elections, defeated the TMC in all the constituencies where Hindi speaking voters form a majority. It secured victory in Asansol, Barrackpore, and Kharagpur Lok Sabha seats where Hindi speaking voters have always been a deciding factor. The BJP showed impressive performance with a 10.7 per cent increase in its vote share in north Kolkata Lok Sabha seat, which has a considerable number Hindi speaking voters, though the party failed to snatch away the seat from the TMC. "For example, we never thought of losing Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat as we fielded a strong candidate like Dinesh Trivedi. Arjun Singh defected to the BJP as he was denied ticket in Barrackpore, a belt dominated by non-Bengali voters, he got the dividend of being a Hindi speaking contestant and won the electoral battle. Since the next years election is crucial, every seat is important and our party supremo will leave no stone unturned to win the polls," said a senior TMC leader. Newly appointed West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also charged the state government with "appeasing the minorities". The TMC had faced criticism after coming to power in 2011 for announcing monthly allowance for Imams. The state government had then said that it would be provided by the Wakf Board of West Bengal. In a bid to dent the BJP's support base among the Hindi-speaking people and the tribal areas of the state, the state government also announced the setting up of a Hindi Academy and a Dalit Sahitya Academy. "We had earlier formed a Hindi Academy after coming to power. Today we have restructured it and have decided to form a new Hindi Academy with former (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Gupta as its chairman. We respect all languages and don't have a linguistic bias," she said. Gupta is also the editor of a Hindi daily published from Kolkata. Banerjee also announced the 25-member board of the Academy. She also tried to reach out to the tribal electorate of the state, a large section of which voted for the BJP in Jangalmahal area, which comprises the districts of Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia, in the Lok Sabha poll of 2019. "For the betterment of the languages of tribals, we have decided to form a Dalit Sahitya Academy. Dalits' languages have influence on the Bengali language," she said. The opposition BJP and CPI(M) criticized the state government's decision of allowance to Hindu priests and setting up of a Hindi Academy claiming that they are "poll gimmicks". "What was she doing for all these years? Why didn't she announce this allowance when similar assistance was announced for Imams? This is nothing but a poll gimmick. And regarding the Hindi Academy, it was the TMC which has called Hindi-speaking people outsiders," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said. West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said that the announcement reflects the desperation of the TMC government. "The chief minister has realized that only appeasement of minorities will not work. So, she has decided to give doles to Hindu priests. This is a poll gimmick. She is not interested in the development of either Hindus or Muslims," Chowdhury claimed. CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that such "politics of dole" will further deepen the communal divide in the state. (With PTI Inputs) The lockdown has proven to be a boon for nature in myriad ways. In the initial months there was a marked difference in pollution levels in cities across the world, and the absence of human activity continues to allow animals and birds to come out in the open like never before. More recently, the number of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins seen around Hong Kong has jumped up owing to a pause in high-speed ferry traffic amid lockdown. Reuters Also Read: How Heartless Can Humans Be? Someone Shot A Dolphin In The Face And Left It To Die Marine scientist Lindsay Porter of the University of St. Andrews said the mammals also known as Chinese white dolphins and pink dolphins were moving back into parts of the Pearl River Delta that they typically avoided due to the ferries that connect Hong Kong and Macau. According to Reuters, dolphin numbers in the area had jumped by up to 30% since March when the ferry traffic was suspended, allowing scientists a rare opportunity to study how underwater noise affected their behaviour. These waters, which were once one of the busiest thoroughfares in Hong Kong, have now become very quiet, said Porter who has studied dolphins for three decades from Hong Kong. Porter and her team drop microphones into the water and use drones to watch for dolphins. The research suggested the dolphins had adapted more rapidly than expected to the quiet environment, and the population was likely to rebound when such stressors were removed. Reuters Also Read: Gangetic Dolphins Struggle To Communicate As Their Underwater Homes Get Noisy Scientists think there are about 2,000 dolphins in the entire Pearl River estuary. I sometimes feel that were studying the slow demise of this population, which can be really sad, she said. Hong Kongs conservation plans have focused on opening marine parks, where ship traffic is limited but not banned. Three of those areas are frequented by dolphins. The Hong Kong WWF, a conservation group, and Porter said such measures were inadequate as dolphins were still in danger of being hit by ferries as they moved between the protected areas. Reuters Back in April, the rare South Asian River Dolphin, also known as the Ganges Dolphin, was spotted near the ghats in Kolkata. It is apparently the only freshwater dolphin categorised as 'critically endangered' so its recent appearance came as a pleasant surprise to environmentalists. Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, a senior environmental activist who spotted the Dolphins at a place called Babughat in Kolkata told TOI that the reduction in water pollution and human movement are the biggest reasons for their reappearance. Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - September 14, 2020) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today delivered a report to Congress on the 39th Annual Small Business Forum. The Forum is a unique event where members of the public and private sectors gather to craft suggestions for policy impacting emerging businesses and their investors, from startups to smaller public companies. The Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation hosted the 2020 Forum on June 18, 2020 in a completely virtual format, which resulted in an inclusive event that engaged entrepreneurs, investors, market participants and other thought leaders from across the country. The 2020 Forum report is now available for download online. The 2020 Forum highlighted challenges and success stories from startups to small cap companies across the country and featured discussions about women-owned, minority-owned, and rural businesses and their investors, as well as the potential paths for the next generation of publicly-listed companies. Video archives of the keynote addresses and spotlight discussions are available online. The report provides a summary of the Forum proceedings, including the recommendations developed by participants for changes needed to the capital raising framework, and the Commission's responses to the recommendations. The report seeks to incorporate the passion conveyed by the talented and thoughtful speakers and participants who spoke openly and candidly about their successes and challenges in capital formation, as well as ways that the framework could be updated to enable a more inclusive capital formation ecosystem. The Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation thanks the speakers, participants, advisory planning group members, and SEC staff members who made this year's virtual Forum a success. Four men face drug charges after police in Brockton seized 22 pounds of marijuana, along with fentanyl, cocaine, two handguns and more than $6,000 in cash after an investigation was spurred by gunshots Sunday night, authorities said. Michael Santos, 23, of Brockton; Lue Amos Andrade, 25, of Bridgewater; Kareem Pires, 25, of Brockton; and Giovanni Osorio, 22, of Brockton; all face drug-rated charges. In addition to drug possession charges, Andrade also was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Pires was charged with trafficking cocaine of 36 games or more and trafficking fentanyl of more than 10 grams. Osorio faces charges of firing a gun within 500 feet of a building and improper storage of a firearm. After responding to the area of 39 Harvard St. at around 11:30 p.m., police sought and received a search warrant for second unit at the home and a car parked in the driveway, authorities said. Detectives, police said, seized more than 22 pounds of marijuana, 26 grams of fentanyl, 60 grams of cocaine, a Smith & Wesson gun, and a Ruger 9mm Pistol, several rounds of ammunition, and more than $6,000 in cash. Authorities received the warrant after responding to reports of shots fired, including an alert from ShotSpotter, which detected eight rounds, police said. Several shell casings were recovered at the scene, authorities said. During the investigation, Brockton Hospital notified police that a man was in their ER was suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach, police said. Police interviewed the man at the hospital and three men at the home on Harvard Street, who investigators believe were involved in the shooting, authorities said. The three men were arrested, police said, and the gunshot victim was charged with cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. Wisconsins attorney general seeks to rob the states citizens of their sovereignty. He is trying to grab power that does not belong to him and wants to make mischief while avoiding oversight. This lawless behavior aimed today at Wisconsins farmers and tomorrow at small towns must be checked. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Attorney General Josh Kaul oppose a number of Wisconsin farmers in a legal dispute that focuses on high-capacity wells. The specific questions in that dispute are whether Wisconsin farmers can use high-capacity wells and under what conditions. (A high-capacity well is one that can withdraw more than 100,000 gallons a day.) These wells are critical to many of Wisconsins farmers, who use them to irrigate crops and to raise livestock. (Many small towns also use high-capacity wells.) While access to such wells is important during a regular farming cycle, if there is such a thing, it is even more so during times of drought, when deep, high-capacity wells can serve as their only sources of water. Simply put, access to high-capacity wells can make the difference between prosperity or destitution for Wisconsin farmers. The attorney general seeks to avoid laws intended in part, to protect those farmers. The Wisconsin legislature passed a series of laws that expressly define the conditions under which the DNR can grant or deny permits to build and operate high-capacity wells. But the attorney general wants the power to ignore that legislation and make the law as he sees fit. He wants the DNR to have the power to impose non-legislative conditions on farmers who seek high-capacity wells. He believes he is a better steward of the peoples waters, and the environmental impacts to them, than the legislature, farmers, and the people themselves. The broader dispute goes beyond farmers, however. It effects every Wisconsinites liberties and raises fundamental questions about government power. Does Wisconsins legislature, elected by the people in their sovereign capacity, make the law? Or can an unelected state agency unmoored from legislative control, and against the express wishes of Wisconsins elected officials make law? Reversing the states legal position in the middle of an ongoing lawsuit, Kaul seeks power through unchecked administrative control. Story continues Those in power cannot and must not make law that way. Government power comes from the consent of the governed. Through the Wisconsin constitution, we consented to be governed by legislators and elected officials, those whom we can hold accountable. By seeking to ignore the legislature (and a formal opinion of the previous attorney general), Kaul seeks to take power that does not belong to him and give it over to the DNR (and keep some for himself). That power belongs to the people and, in turn, to the legislature they elect. The attorney general may not make law that contravenes what the legislature has declared. Even if he was motivated by good intent, the inescapable fact is the constitution clearly makes the legislature supreme over the bureaucracy. To make matters even worse, he does not want Wisconsinites to know how he arrived at this decision. He has claimed the power to avoid open-records laws that none of his predecessors dared claim. He changed the states legal position during the dispute, and those affected, reasonably, want to know why. When they asked, the attorney general essentially told them to pound sand. The Wisconsin Department of Justice has refused to turn over documents that would shed light on its decision to change legal positions, claiming attorney-client privilege. That privilege is important, but it can also be used inappropriately to shield government actors from embarrassment and scrutiny. That is the whole point of open-records laws to hold government actors accountable and to prevent them from abusing their power. When asked to identify the client who claimed the privilege, the DOJ responded that the DOJ itself was the client. In other words, the DOJ claimed the right to refuse open-records requests on behalf of itself. Its like the constitution pleading the Fifth on itself, to itself. If the DOJ is its own client and can assert a privilege to avoid turning over documents, there is little (other than judicial challenges) stopping it from skirting Wisconsins open records laws. These actions set a terrible example when people want greater, not less, institutional transparency. Ironically, Kaul recently stated: Its important that we lead by example. With todays announcement [on a separate topic], we are re-affirming the importance of transparency in government. He was correct at least there. The office must lead by example. Here, it failed. That we must protect Wisconsins God-given natural resources, such as our water, is manifest. That we must also maintain fidelity to the Wisconsin constitution and to the peoples sovereignty is equally so. The attorney generals power grab destroys liberty and must not be allowed to stand. More from National Review Dhaka, Sep 14 : Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that failure to solve the Rohingya crisis may lead to radicalism and terrorism. "Our fear is that, if this problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to pockets of radicalism, and since terrorists have no borders and faith, there's high possibility of creation of uncertainty in the region which may frustrate our hope for a peaceful, secure and stable region," Momen said while addressing the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held online on Saturday. Dhaka fears that the crisis can frustrate the hope for regional peace and stability if it is not resolved at the earliest, the Minister said. Momen further said that Bangladesh sheltered some 1.1 million Rohingya despite the threat to the country's economy and ecology, on humanitarian grounds and it was keen to solve the crisis through constructive diplomacy with good neighbourly spirit. So far, Bangladesh has signed three deals with Myanmar for the repatriation of the Rohingya, while the latter has also agreed to take the refugees back and create a conducive environment for their voluntary repatriation, safety and security. "But unfortunately, till today, no one went back and instead of creating a conducive environment, fighting and shelling are going on in (Myanmar's) Rakhine state," the Minister noted. Momen said the Rohingya were not returning to their homeland primarily because they do not trust their government regarding their safety and security. Bangladesh had urged Myanmar to engage non-military civilian observers from other friendly countries and organisations like ASEAN, China, Russia and India, saying it may reduce trust deficit for a sustainable return. "We solicit support from our ARF partners so that these hapless Rohingya can return to their home in safety, security and dignity, resettle there, and reintegrate in their society. Once they return to their homeland, they could be contributing members in the development of Myanmar." He said that the Asia-Pacific is the most dynamic region in the world in terms of economic growth and the main challenge foris to sustain the growth momentum. But the coronavirus pandemic now has become a big challenge. "May I draw your attention to the fact that once vaccine is developed, it must be available to all without discrimination." Momen also touched upon other challenges, including terrorism, climate change, irregular movement of people, drug trafficking, and transnational crimes, which can only be adequately and effectively addressed through mutual trust and cooperation underpinned by multilateral arrangements. Bangladesh will always support the ARF initiatives regarding these issues, the Minister said, adding: "Let us work together to enhance the role of ARF in this trying time so that it can serve as the premier regional security forum in the Asia-Pacific region." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A key part of the Green Deal is the European Climate Law. At a webinar on 30 June, the four major Nordic organisations for private sector employers presented a new joint position paper: The Climate Law post Covid-19 the role of industry and business in reaching the objectives of climate action and economic recovery. The Nordic business federations from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are committed to the EU ambition of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. They also share the view that Europe should continue to play a leading role in climate action and provide solutions beyond European borders. If designed and implemented properly, the European Green Deal presented by the European Commission could be an important instrument for achieving these ambitions. A key part of the Green Deal is the European Climate Law. At a webinar on 30 June, the four major Nordic organisations for private sector employers presented a new joint position paper: The Climate Law post Covid-19 the role of industry and business in reaching the objectives of climate action and economic recovery. The Climate Law will be crucial to achieving the European Commissions climate-neutral ambitions. Therefore, the Nordic business community welcome the European Climate Law as an important instrument, one that underlines the EUs determination to deliver on its ambitious climate agenda. Such a law will create predictability and could therefore increase the willingness of European companies to invest. However, this would require a well-functioning regulatory framework that accounts for international competition. While policies set the course and define the climate-neutral ambitions, the private sector will largely be responsible for delivering the technologies, solutions, products and innovations that are needed to achieve such high goals. This is also key to the success of the European Green Deal. In the position paper, the business Nordic organisations formulated a number of recommendations that the policy makers should consider in order to make the Climate Law an effective instrument for climate action. At the webinar, where the position paper was presented, representatives from the Nordic employers organisations and Nordic companies described how they perceived the EUs climate ambitions and the proposed Climate Law. According to Ingrid Reumert from construction company Velux, economic growth and job creation are back on the agenda and will become more important than for a long time after the coronavirus crisis. The construction industry holds a key role in the green transformation but also for a healthier society, which I believe will be noticeable after COVID-19. The Green Deal will be a key tool for growth. After COVID-19, we will also need to overcome the barriers to a green transformation and be more transparent about the emissions generated by the industry. The construction industry is working hard to reduce its environmental impact by, for example, improving energy efficiency and re-using materials. One of the big questions is how we can adopt a life-cycle perspective from the construction of a building, to when it is renovated or demolished. To achieve our emission targets, the gap between the renovations that are performed and the renovations that need to be carried out every year needs to be significantly reduced. We have to find a balance between emissions, costs and living standards, said Ingrid Reumert. Hege Skryseth is the CEO of Kongsberg Digital, a company in the maritime sector. She described her industry as fairly conservative and probably not a digital frontrunner. And this was actually one of the areas where she saw great potential for combating climate change. I dont doubt for a second that technological developments will be crucial to a greener industry. We see major opportunities, for example, for electrification of the shipping fleet and for having a number of autonomous ships. There are many possibilities here for reducing emissions in the maritime sector. Skryseth, whose company operates globally, sees major differences in efforts to combat climate change. I can see many new initiatives in the move towards smart deliveries especially from China and how the transport industry is becoming less dependent on fossil fuels. There are some regions around the world with less focus on climate change, even if industry is accepting more and more responsibility. The EU can make a contribution here through coordination, public investments in technology and infrastructure, which is something the industry has been requesting. Carita Ollikainen, from Valmet Corporation, said there are statements and articles in the EUs climate policy that are difficult to interpret and that are making it difficult for both the EU and others to work towards climate neutrality. We also think that the EU is a bit too soft in some areas. We believe we can produce more energy with lower emissions, but unless there is a market and demand for the technology for negative emissions, we wont be able to go down that path. In addition, the ambitions for how much waste can be recycled should be significantly raised, because there are huge amounts of energy and environmental gains to be realised here. Ollikainen, whose company is highly committed to sustainability, welcomes the Green Deal and the proposed Climate Law. The current regulations are so unclear that it is very difficult for her company to operate in the single market with some of their products. The new law could help to set a clear target for both us and our customers for a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. But most of all, we need a better law that works for both the single market and outside the EU. We hope this law can contribute to that. The webinar moderator was Anders Ladefoged, Head of European Policy at the Confederation of Danish Industry. He summarised by saying something that the entire Nordic business sector supports: The business community has the will and the technology, but the EU has to set the right rules and set ambitious goals! Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:02:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry reported 56 new COVID-19 positive cases, totaling the patients infected with the disease to 38,772 since the outbreak of the pandemic in February in Afghanistan, said a statement of the ministry released here Monday. According to the statement, five patients have succumbed to the virus over the period, bringing the number of COVID-19-related deaths to 1,425. Meanwhile, 435 more patients have recovered, totaling the number of the recovered to 32,073, the statement added. Enditem The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) said that it has adopted proactive measures to end prepaid metre complaints in its franchise. KEDCOs franchise includes Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. Ibrahim Shawai, Head of Corporate Communications of the company, stated this in a statement issued on Monday in Kano. Mr Shawai disclosed that the company adopted effective modalities to enhance its operational efficiency to deal with rampant prepaid metre complaints. He noted that the low implementation of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) 2020, as metre tokens purchased after Sept. 1 were rejected by KEDCO prepaid meters. It requires a key change token that will re-programme the meter to accept the new tariff. This has caused a surge incomplaints from our customers on their inability to load purchased credits and slow turnaround in resolving requests, Shawai said in the statement. He said that the company accorded priority to address meter-related complaints to positively meet customers satisfaction. Mr Shawai urged customers to channel their complaints via its portal: http://customercare.kedco.ng/, offices and toll free number: 070055551111. The first contestant to win the top prize Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 14 years says he'll spend his winnings on a 'comfortable retirement' and 'buying CDs'. Donald Fear, 57, from Telford, was revealed as the sixth champion in the ITV programme's 22-year history last week, and spent the day after his win in July at a holiday caravan with his wife Deb in Whitley Bay, Northumberland. The father-of-four appeared on This Morning today, where he confessed that while he doesn't know 'how you spend that much' money, his tastes are 'fairly reasonable' and he'll focus on his retirement and the needs of his family. Donald Fear (pictured) , 57, from Telford, became the sixth champion in ITV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? 22-year history last week He spent the day after his win on a holiday caravan with his wife Deb (pictured right) in Whitley Bay, Northumberland 'I don't know how you spend that much,' he said. 'The first priority is just making sure I have a comfortable retirement and after that my tastes are fairly reasonable. I spend money on CDs, but you'd struggle to spend a million pounds on CDs. 'Ill make sure I have enough for myself and turn to family, see who needs what in the family.' Speaking of the night of his spectacular win, he added: 'We had all my family round and we were going away on holiday the next day. 'We were supposed to be going away to Spain, but because of Covid had booked a last-minute caravan holiday in Whitley Bay and so actually spent the evening packing.' The father-of-four appeared on This Morning today, where he confessed that while he doesn't know 'how you spend that much' money While Donald managed to keep his win secret from some members of the family, he was unable to hide anything from his wife Deb. 'I didnt phone anyone from the studio itself,said Donald. 'I was trying to keep it a secret, but so many decisions have to be taken with my wife, so I decided to tell her as soon as I arrived home.' Donald is a history and politics teacher at Haberdashers' Adams Grammar school in Newport, Shropshire and says his 5000,000 question was a 'standard A-Level politics class question'. 'The 5000,000 question was a case and point, that James Callaghan held all four of the great offices of state is a standard A-Level politics class question,' he told. However the teacher admitted he would have been less knowledgeable if we were given pop culture questions. Donald was able to answer the 1million question 'In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?' before he'd seen it properly 'I do own a large number of the That's What I Call Music CDs, but I'm not sure who was number one in 2004,' he said. Host Holly Willoughby then quizzed him: 'What about The Kardashians? 'The who?' replied Donald. Today he returned to work to find students and peers were thrilled about his win - however admitted he will be stepping back from his role at the end of the school term. 'I'm just about to teach a sixth form class,' he said. 'I walked into school with clapping and cheering.' His older brother Davyth had also been a contestant on the programme last year - but fell at the final hurdle, walking away with 500,000 on September 1. Host Holly Willoughby (pictured) then quizzed him on his popular culture knowledge asking how much he knew about the Kardashians, to which he replied: 'the who?' Donald is a history and politics teacher at Haberdashers' Adams Grammar school in Newport, Shropshire and today returned to work 'He was absolutely made up, said Donald, 'He was so pleased.' Speaking of their childhood, he went on: 'We didnt have a telly, we didnt have a car and quizzes have been a staple of my life from as young as I can remember. 'We were all very close in age, and a very close and loving family and games and quizzes have always been part of our existence really, I can't imagine a time it wasn't.' Donald was able to answer the 1million question 'In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?' before he'd seen it properly, because he'd taught piracy one year as a special unit and was very good with dates. He said: 'The first thing I spotted as the question flashed up on my screen is the date, and I knew it would be Blackbeard and I had Blackbeard in my head before I read the question, and then it was Blackbeard.' - Maine Mendoza posted a series of messages that caught the attention of her fans and followers - Her tweets are about the accusation of some AlDub fans that she is ungrateful towards being a part of the AlDub love team and their loyal fans - The actress pointed out that she has never failed to express her gratitude and appreciation for the fans of her love team with Alden - Likewise, Maine advised her former fans to let go of their anger and just let her be happy with her current life PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Maine Mendoza (Photo from Wikimedia Commons) Source: UGC Maine Mendoza tweeted a series of messages that caught the attention of her fans and followers. KAMI learned that Maines tweets are about the accusation of some AlDub fans that she is ungrateful towards being a part of the AlDub love team and their loyal fans. According to the Kapuso star, she has never failed to express her gratitude and appreciation for the fans of her love team with Alden. She added that those who are no longer fans of her should let go of their anger and just let her be happy with her current life. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Habambuhay akong magpapasalamat sa mga sumuporta/nagmahal at sa mga patuloy na sumusuporta at nagmamahal ADN man o hindi. Nirerespeto ko yung umalis at yung mga nanatili. Pero sana doon sa mga umalis, hayaan na sana natin ang isat isa. Wag na pairalin ang galit sa puso, Maine tweeted. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! The accusation that she is ungrateful to the AlDub Nation (ADN) started when she revealed online that she was no longer happy pretending that there is something romantic between her and her love team partner, Alden Richards. Furthermore, AlDub fans also bashed her heavily online after she revealed that she is dating actor Arjo Atayde. Maine Mendoza is an actress and endorser in the Philippines. She is also a host of the iconic noontime program, Eat Bulaga. Maine rose to fame due to her love team with Alden Richards. The actress is now dating Kapamilya actor Arjo Atayde. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh PHOENIX Arizona State University President Michael Crow alleges several restaurant-bars near the schools Tempe campus have violated the safety protocols businesses must abide by to operate amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arizona Republic reported Sunday that Crow sent a letter to Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ and the head of the state Department of Liquor Licenses and Control about the alleged violations by some Mill Avenue eating and drinking establishments. The letter was accompanied by photos and descriptions of people inside various bars who were not wearing masks or doing social distancing on Sept. 5 and 6, according to the Republic. The alleged violations represent the kind of undisciplined and risky activity which, if not properly addressed in a timely manner, could worsen COVID-19 spread among the ASU community and in the larger community surrounding the Tempe campus, the letter said. According to ADHS guidelines released Aug. 10, bars can only operate as restaurant service dining during the phase that started on Aug. 27, when the county reached a moderate spread category COVID-19. It also requires bars to operate at 50% occupancy, ensure social distancing, require masks for employees and customers not actively eating or drinking, eliminate standing room where customers congregate and prohibit dancing, karaoke and parlor games. Since the Aug. 27 reopening of some Phoenix-area bars, a few businesses were ordered to shut down after violating coronavirus guidelines. Arizona Department of Health Services officials on Sunday reported 384 more confirmed coronavirus cases and seven additional deaths amid continued slowing in the coronavirus outbreak in the state. The additional cases increased the statewide total to 208,512 and the known death toll to 5,322. COVID-19-related hospitalization metrics reported by the department continued to drop, a trend that began in July after the state became a national hot spot in June. Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press showed drops in seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths over the past two weeks. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some especially older adults and people with existing health problems it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. Scientists have created the first gene-edited livestock that can produce sperm with the traits of donor animals, allowing them to act as 'surrogate sires'. The breakthrough could result in 'elite' offspring that are bigger, healthier and meatier, helping to meet the food demands of a growing global population. The technique was developed by researchers from Washington State University and Edinburgh University's Roslin Institute, which is famous for creating the world's first cloned mammal, Dolly the Sheep. It involves breeding sterile male animals and then transplanting stem cells from donor animals into their testes, causing them to produce sperm that only carries the genetic material of the selected donor. Project leader Professor Jon Oatley said the new technique could improve the efficiency of food production - or even save species from extinction. This is a gene-edited surrogate bull. It can't produce its own genetic offspring but in future its sperm will carry the genetic material of another bull and will pass it on to cows 'With this technology, we can get better dissemination of desirable traits and improve the efficiency of food production,' said Professor Oatley. TECHNIQUE ALLOWS ANIMALS TO REPRODUCE THE NATURAL WAY The new technique involves switching off the NANOS2 gene in the embryo of a target animal. This 'switches off' the ability for males of the species to reproduce. When they can reproduce - stem cells from a donor animal are transplanted into their testes. Then when they reproduce they only pass on the transplanted DNA. Artificial insemination is rarely used with beef cattle who need to roam freely to feed and in pigs the animals have to be nearby as their sperm doesn't last long. Surrogates deliver the donor genetic material the natural way - through normal reproduction. This enables farmers to let their animals interact normally. Donors and surrogates do not need to be near each other since either frozen sperm or the animal itself can be shipped to different places. Advertisement 'This can have a major impact on addressing food insecurity around the world. 'If we can tackle this genetically, then that means less water, less feed and fewer antibiotics we have to put into the animals.' The researchers used a gene editing (GE) tool called CRISPR-Cas9, which has been described as a pair of 'molecular scissors' - snipping DNA using a harmless virus. Unlike genetic modification, nothing is added from another species - it is just the selection of the best DNA from other members of the same species. Oatley and colleagues removed a male fertility gene called NANOS2 in the embryos of pigs, goats, cattle and mice that would be raised as 'surrogate sires'. These mammals then grew up sterile, but otherwise healthy. They began producing sperm after stem cells from donor animals were transplanted into their testes. It held only the genetic material of the selected creatures - nothing from the surrogate sire. The groundbreaking procedure only seeks to bring about changes that could occur naturally - such as infertility, according to the transatlantic team. Oatley's lab is now refining the system before the next step - getting offspring from the surrogate pigs, goats and cattle. They will not be their own, but the donor's. Dr Harry Leitch, an expert in genetics and reproduction from Imperial College London, not involved in the study, said the research is an important step forward. 'The next step in pigs and goats will be to demonstrate that this sperm is functional meaning that it can fertilise an egg and make healthy offspring,' he said. Experts have been searching for a way to create surrogate sires for decades to overcome selective breeding and artificial insemination. The latter is common in dairy cattle who are often confined and so their reproductive behaviour is relatively easy to control, the team explained. However, artificial insemination is rarely used with beef cattle, which need to roam freely to feed, and in pigs the animals have to be nearby as their sperm doesn't last long. Surrogates deliver the donor genetic material the natural way - through normal reproduction - enabling farmers to let their animals interact normally. Donors and surrogates do not need to be near each other, since either frozen sperm or the animal itself can be shipped to different places. Goats are particularly difficult to artificially inseminate but this new technique allows the healthiest males to pass their genetic material to animals via a donor sire Washington State University reproductive biologist Jon Oatley feeds a goat 'surrogate sire' The change in the genetic material doesn't render females infertile - it only affects male fertility - so a female interacting with a donor sire could still have fertile female offspring. It has great potential to help food supply in places in the developing world where herders have to rely on selective breeding to improve their stock. Co-author Prof Irina Polejaeva, of Utah State University, said: 'Goats are the number one source of protein in a lot of developing countries. 'This technology could allow faster dissemination of specific traits in goats, whether it's disease resistance, greater heat tolerance or better meat quality.' The technology also opens the door to genetic conservation of endangered species whose dwindling numbers leave animals isolated - limiting their genetic diversity. Prof Oatley added: 'Even if all science is finished, the speed at which this can be put into action in livestock production anywhere in the world is going to be influenced by societal acceptance and federal policy. 'By working with policymakers and the public, we can help to provide information assuring the public that this science does not carry the risks that other methods do.' The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Islamabad, Sep 15 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, while commenting on the recent gang-rape of a women by two men in front of her little kids, said on Monday that rapists should be handed down the most severe punishment to curb rising sexual violence in the country. Imran Khan went on to elaborate the punishments -- public hanging of rapists or chemically castrating them. During an interview with a local television channel, the Pakistan premier said that the motorway gang-rape case has "shaken the entire nation". "I was shocked to find out from the police that sex crimes in the country are increasing greatly," he said. "The rapists should be given exemplary punishments. In my opinion, they should be hanged at the chowk (main square)," he said, adding that the punishment should be reserved for rapists and those who abuse children. However, the Prime Minister highlighted that upon discussing this with the cabinet, it was intimated that such a punishment would not be accepted internationally. "Unfortunately, we had a discussion and we were told it would not be internationally acceptable," Khan said, adding that "GSP-Plus trade status given to us by the European Union will be affected." Khan said that the country needs a fresh legislation to ensure that there is permanent sterilisation of such criminals. "One other option can be chemically or surgically castrating the rapists, according to the degree of the crime,"" Khan said, adding that many other countries practice the same punishment for rapists. Regretting the fact that there is no registry of sex offenders in the country, Khan said that this was the reason why "convicted pedophile from a European country entered into Pakistan and sexually abused children here". "World history tells that when you increase vulgarity in the society, two things happen: sex crimes increase and the family system breaks down," he said. The Pakistan premier's comments came at a time when the whole country is bursting with anger over the motorway gang-rape incident, with many blaming the Imran Khan-led government for failing to ensure safety of women in the country. As per the latest reports, the two rapists named Abid Ali and Waqar ul Hasan have been identified through geofencing and DNA testing. Waqar ul Hasan has been arrested by the police after getting information from his relative Iqrar ul Hasan. The Punjab government said that a manhunt is underway to track down and nab Abid Ali, claiming that he will be arrested at the earliest. Pakistani people are demanding public hanging of the rapists with immediate effect. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Some microorganisms, the so-called methanotrophs, make a living by oxidizing methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2). Ammonia (NH3) is structurally very similar to methane, thus methanotrophs also co-metabolize ammonia and produce nitrite. While this process was observed in cell cultures, the underlying biochemical mechanism was not understood. Boran Kartal, head of the Microbial Physiology Group at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, and a group of scientists from Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, now shed light on an exciting missing link in the process: the production of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is a highly reactive and toxic molecule with fascinating and versatile roles in biology and atmospheric chemistry. It is a signaling molecule, the precursor of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O), depletes the ozone layer in our atmosphere, and a key intermediate in the global nitrogen cycle. It now turns out that NO is also the key for the survival of methanotrophs that face ammonia in the environment - which they do more and more as fertilizer input into nature increases. When methanotrophs co-metabolize ammonia they initially produce hydroxylamine, which inhibits other important metabolic processes, resulting in cell death. Thus, methanotrophs need to get rid of hydroxylamine as fast as possible. "Carrying a hydroxylamine-converting enzyme is a matter of life or death for methane-eating microbes", Kartal says. For their study, Kartal and his colleagues used a methanotrophic bacterium named Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum, which originates from a volcanic mud pot, characterized by high temperatures and low pH, in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. From this microbe, we purified a hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (mHAO) enzyme. Previously it was believed that mHAO enzyme would oxidize hydroxylamine to nitrite in methanotrophs. We now showed that it actually rapidly produces NO." Boran Kartal, Head of the Microbial Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology The mHAO enzyme is very similar to the one used by "actual" ammonia oxidizers, which is quite astonishing, as Kartal explains: "It is now clear that enzymatically there is not much difference between aerobic ammonia- and methane-oxidizing bacteria. Using essentially the same set of enzymes, methanotrophs can act as de facto ammonia oxidizers in the environment. Still, how these microbes oxidize NO further to nitrite remains unknown." The adaptation of the mHAO enzyme to the hot volcanic mud pots is also intriguing, Kartal believes: "At the amino acid level, the mHAO and its counterpart from ammonia oxidizers are very similar, but the protein we isolated from M. fumariolicum thrives at temperatures up to 80 C, almost 30 C above the temperature optimum of their "actual" ammonia-oxidizing relatives. Understanding how so similar enzymes have such different temperature optima and range will be very interesting to investigate." According to Kartal, production of NO from ammonia has further implications for methane-eating microbes: "Currently there are no known methanotrophs that can make a living out of ammonia oxidation to nitrite via NO, but there could be methanotrophs out there that found a way to connect ammonia conversion to cell growth." He's been spotted packing on the PDA in recent days with his new girlfriend Katie Holmes. But Emilio Vitolo Jr. was on his own on Sunday as he took some time off at his restaurant Emilio's Ballato in New York City to sit and chat with customers. The 33-year-old chef was dressed casually in a plain white shirt as he shared a laugh with friends at a table outdoors. Down time: Katie Holme's new boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr., 33, was spotted Sunday as he took a break at his restaurant Emilio's Ballato in New York City to chat with customers Vitolo Jr. wore a blue surgical-style mask, though he rendered it useless by resting it under his chin while talking with others. The restaurateur had some time off, as he normally serves as the chef at the respected Italian restaurant. In its positive review, New York Magazine noted the restaurant has a 'clubby' atmosphere, partly due to his father Emilio Vitolo, who owns the restaurant and sits at a front table where he can decide who gets a table and in what order they'll be served. Despite the insular style, plenty of celebrities have been drawn to the restaurants classic Italian dishes, including former President Barack Obama and Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Bradley Cooper. Low key: The celebrity chef was dressed casually in a plain white shirt as he shared a laugh with friends at a table outdoors Risky business: Vitolo Jr. wore a blue surgical-style mask, though he rendered it useless by resting it under his chin while talking with others Emilio was most recently spotted with his new girlfriend Katie Holmes on Tuesday when they couldn't contain their passion outside his restaurant. DailyMail.com published photos of the chef and the 41-year-old Dawson's Creek star locking lips just feet away from his father, who kindly averted his eyes. On Wednesday, DailyMail.com revealed that Vitolo broke it off with his live-in fiancee Rachel Emmons, 24, via text when handsy photos of him and Holmes were first published, leaving the handbag designer shocked and forcing her to move back home. Lovebirds: Emilio was most recently spotted with his new girlfriend Katie Holmes on Tuesday when they couldn't contain their passion outside his restaurant; shown in November 2019 Awkward: He and the Logan Lucky star kissed outside the restaurant while his father kindly averted his eyes Katie and Emilio's friendship has been growing since October 2019, and she doesn't seem to have been bothered by his engagement. Katie and Emilio first met when a mutual friend introduced them, and their passions have only intensified since she returned home to New York City following time quarantining with her family in Ohio. An insider close to the Logan Lucky star said she's now behaving 'like a teenage girl in love' because Vitolo is 'openly affectionate with her, left his fiancee to be with her and gives her something [her ex-boyfriend] Jamie [Foxx] couldn't,' the source added. The insider said Holmes had been devastated by her breakup last year with the playboy actor, who never seemed to give up his roving eye and was still too close for comfort with his baby mama. Dawson's Creek is available on Stan in Australia Splitsville: DailyMail.com revealed that Vitolo broke it off with his live-in fiancee Rachel Emmons, 24, via text when handsy photos of him and Holmes were first published New relationship: An insider close to the Logan Lucky star said she's now behaving 'like a teenage girl in love' because Vitolo is 'openly affectionate with her' The acting couple were first linked in 2013 hand-in-hand through Malibu, but they kept their relationship private throughout the years. The couple finally split after they took their relationship public last year at the Met Gala. Prior to coupling up with Foxx, Holmes was married to Hollywood icon Tom Cruise. The couple began their whirlwind courtship in 2005 and were married in seven weeks. Katie filed for divorce in 2012, which was finalized after only ten days. She and Cruise had welcomed their daughter Suri in 2006, who now spends her time with Katie, who has primary custody. Tony Abbott has branded state border closures as 'heartless and mind-boggling'. The former prime minister said states with low coronavirus case numbers should open up to each other. Last week Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was slammed for refusing to let a 26-year-old nurse from Covid-free Canberra go to her father's Brisbane funeral. Several other stories have emerged of families being torn apart by border closures, including a father dying of cancer who was told that only one of his four children in New South Wales could visit him in Queensland. Tony Abbott (pictured with this family when he was elected in 2013) has branded state border closures as 'heartless and mind-boggling' Sarah Caisip (in yellow) was allowed to have a private viewing of her father's body, dressed in PPE and with security guards minding her. She was not allowed to greet her family 'We are now seeing the heartless and mind-boggling bureaucratic bloody-mindedness that goes with these border closures,' Mr Abbott told The Australian. 'That New South Welshmen coming from a state with almost no cases and going into a state with almost no cases should be seen as somehow toxic to Queenslanders is simply crazy.' The 62-year-old also said that Scott Morrison should lift the ban on Australian citizens and permanent residents going overseas unless they are exempt. He said the rules should be 'liberalised as soon as possible' - but he supported quarantine remaining in place for Australians returning home. Premier Palaszczuk cheered and wooped when Brisbane was granted the AFL final and she let hundreds of staff enter the state - while keeping ordinary families apart Mr Abbott is currently in hotel quarantine in Sydney after returning from a trip to the UK, where has has been appointed a trade advisor. The 62-year-old will be tasked with helping Britain strike trade deals with nations around the world, including Australia, after leaving the European Union. Mr Abbott lost his seat in Warringah, on Sydney's northern beaches, at the federal election in May 2018 and has been looking for a job since. During Australia's devastating summer of bushfires, he filled his time by volunteering as a fireman with his local rural fire service branch. Australia's state border closures 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 Mr Abbott (pictured working as a volunteer fireman) lost his seat in Warringah, on Sydney's northern beaches, at the federal election in May 2018 and has been looking for a job since then Questions have now been raised about whether Mr Abbott will have to register as an agent of foreign influence under Australia's transparency laws. Prime Minister Scott Morrison brushed off those questions earlier last month, simply saying the appointment was a 'good hire'. 'I'll leave that for the attorney-general to sort out and I'm sure there's paperwork for Tony to fill out - I'm sure he'll get that done,' the prime minister told reporters in Canberra. 'But well done Boris, good hire.' The UK is currently negotiating trade deals with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States. Photo: (Photo : Photo from Pexels) A dad killed his children by shooting them at home. Reports say that the dad killed himself as well. When the police arrived, they found a shirt that says, "World's Greatest Daddy." The kids were identified as Jennifer, 13 years old, and Jack, 15 years old. Their father, John Edwards was 67 years old. The incident happened in July 2018. Six months after that, the mother of the children that the dad killed took her life as well. The father left a note blaming the mom, Olga, for the horrible killing of their children. READ ALSO: Utah Dad Says He Has Forgiven Son Who Tried to Kill Him for College Tuition The horrible killing According to reports, before the dad killed his children, Edwards hunted down the location of his kids. Police say that he possibly hired a private investigator to do so. When he was able to identify the location of Jennifer and Jack, he went there and shot the two children. Authorities reported that when they arrived at the scene, they saw the children 'crumpled together' at the bedroom desk. The children sustained multiple gunshot wounds. READ ALSO: Suspect to Horrible Shooting of Four Cousins in Michigan Now in Police Custody The suicide note After the horrible killing, the dad killed himself in his rented apartment in Normanhurst, Australia. When the police discovered the body of Edwards, they discovered a USB-stick. This stick was found near his body, and it was containing a file for the children's mom. Before the dad killed his children, he wrote a note. The suicide note indicates how much Edwards pins the horrible killing of their children to Olga. The note says, "None of this had to happen had you been a halfway normal person." READ ALSO: Dad Wants to Impress Daughter's Boyfriend, Ends up Crashing Luxury Car The mom's sufferings The mom has already broken up with Edwards in 2016. Even before the separation, Olga and the children have been said to suffer from Edwards. Olga, disclosed to authorities, that the children have been abused by their dad because of petty things, like touching his phone or CD collection. Six months after the dad killed his children, Olga took her own life. READ ALSO: North Carolina Teen Pleads Guilty in Stabbing Older Sister Investigation continues Even after the death of the entire family, the police investigated how the father obtained handguns despite his domestic violence records. Aside from the suffering that Olga and her children experienced, there were also details on how his other partners experienced maltreatment from Edwards. One of his seven previous partners reportedly said she was threatened by Edwards, another said she was given rat poison. One of his ten children even described custody visits as prison-like. The firearms were used to kill his children and himself. News outlets reported that it was because a staff of the NSW Firearms Registry used a database that did not pick up the domestic violence reports. The inquest on this matter will run until September 25. READ ALSO: Florida Dad Kills 11-Year-Old Daughter Who Was Terminally Ill, Then Commits Suicide Theres growing frustration among New Mexico lawmakers and environmental regulators about the U.S. governments slow pace in cleaning up contamination from decades of nuclear research and bomb-making at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The officials shared their concerns during a legislative meeting last week, saying New Mexico is taking a backseat to other states and that legal action might be their only leverage against the U.S. Energy Department as it sets priorities for the nations multibillion-dollar cleanup program for Cold War-era waste. Since January, only five shipments of waste have been sent from Los Alamos to the governments underground repository in southern New Mexico. Meanwhile, the Idaho National Laboratory is sending two to three shipments a week, or more than three times the goal environmental managers at Los Alamos have set for the coming year. Cleanup work at Los Alamos the birthplace of the atomic bomb is governed by a consent decree with the state. New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney said his agency would not be opposed to renegotiating that agreement given the growing concerns of lawmakers, watchdog groups and environmentalists. The slow pace has been the subject of ongoing discussions among state and federal officials. Were seeing more and more that were trending towards an impasse on the movement of legacy contamination from Los Alamos, Kenney said, acknowledging that New Mexico may have to follow the lead of other states that have sued over contamination. If thats our only option, then thats an option were going to explore and were going to need to figure out how to do that in a way that yields a better result for New Mexico, he said. Because right now were at the bottom of the list and thats unacceptable. Steve Hoffman, deputy manager of the Energy Departments Office of Environmental Management at Los Alamos, said the coronavirus outbreak has complicated operations. He said new policies and procedures had to be established to ensure workers safety. There also was a slowdown at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, where the waste is stashed in rooms carved out of an ancient salt formation about a half-mile underground. The idea is that the shifting salt will eventually entomb the radioactive tools, clothing, gloves and other debris that make up the waste. Aside from developing a mobile loading system, Hoffman said a new indoor system will soon be tested to ensure work can continue regardless of weather conditions. He pointed to a shipment that had been scheduled this week and was cancelled due to damaging winds that swept across the state. Were with you. We want to increase the pace, he told lawmakers. Environmental managers at the lab have set 2027 as the goal for completing cleanup of the Cold War-era waste. Unacceptable is how state Rep. Christine Chandler described the goal. The Los Alamos Democrat was visibly frustrated, shaking her head and scoffing at the suggestion that simply making demands of the federal government would entice it to develop a more robust cleanup plan. We say we want a seat at the table, and all thats great. Whats the motivator to get us a seat at the table? Chandler asked. Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat, said the state should negotiate an agreement that sets hard deadlines and includes penalties for missed milestones. He also voiced concerns about the proposed federal budget request for cleanup work at Los Alamos, noting that more money is being funneled toward the production of plutonium cores used for the nuclear arsenal. We have billions and billions and billions to expand the mission but yet we are continuing to shortchange the cleanup and I just think those priorities are kind of messed up, he said. The lab submitted its annual cleanup plan in August, but state officials confirmed Wednesday that they countered the proposal after raising significant concerns. State officials also noted that the environment department has collected $275,000 in penalties over the last 18 months for not complying with cleanup orders. TAYLORVILLE A former Jacksonville radio host has been arrested on a possession of child pornography charges stemming from a Taylorville investigation. Robert T. Tobin, 64, of Springfield was arrested by Illinois State Police and federal marshals Thursday. Tobin lived in Taylorville in February when police started the investigation, according to Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler. Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion found that 55 percent of people in the U.S. believe in angels. "A lot of times when people hear about angels, they think about these cartoon figures with wings, halos and harps. I don't think that's the idea. I think the idea is that we live in a spiritual reality and these are spiritual beings that God's created and we call them angels," Rodney Stark, a Director for Studies of Religion at Baylor University explained. In the Bible, there were specific reasons angels appeared. In Genesis 22:11-12, an angel warned Abraham to not kill his son Isaac. Judges 13:13-14 revealed that Manoah and his wife were informed by an angel that they would have a son. In Luke 1:8-19, Zacharias was notified that he was going to have a son by the angel Gabriel. In Luke 1:26-38, Mary was given an angelic message about giving birth to the Savior of the World. Paul experienced an angel guiding him at sea. It makes sense that angels would connect with us today, just as they did in Biblical times. Here are 5 stories of encounters with guardian angels. Victoria Sarvadi Victoria Savadi died in the ICU and remained in a coma after organ failure. She felt that she was falling off a roof of a building and that the free-falling was like being on a grid of time measurement unique to her. Dr. Frank Oski Dr. Frank Oski was on his rounds at the hospital and the day was nothing out of the ordinary. Then he saw an angel appear as bright as the sun in a dying patients room. The angel said that life is an endless cycle of improvements and that humans are not perfect yet. "She said that most people have this secret revealed to them when they die, but that handicapped children often know this and endure their problems without complaining because they know that their burdens will pass. Some of these children have even been given the challenge of teaching the rest of us how to love, Oski wrote about the experience in a major pediatric journal. He added that he is not looking to convince people of the experience. But does ask people to have an open mind. Dr. Ron Phillip Charisma Magazine reported that another doctor had a wild experience. During a drive home, Dr. Ron Phillip experienced turbulent weather and his car hit a snow embankment. He cried out to God to help him. But the answer was something that he didn't expect. God told Him to call on the angels for help! Soon a glow appeared to be in the passenger seat and the angel interceded to rescue him. The story becomes even more perplexing as the state trooper at the scene wished him and the passenger a safe drive home! Jimmy Jones This story will give you chills. During one of the largest tornados breakouts in American history, delivery driver Jimmy Jones got out of his truck and ran for cover. When he made it to the top of the underpass someone was already there, CBN reported. When I got up under there I see this fella sitting on this blanket. I was scared out of my mind. And I run up and got right in his face, I said, Sir, weve got to take cover. Theres a tornado. And he looked at me and he stood up and it was like everything slowed down at that point. He said, Is that right?" If that doesn't give you the chills, what ensued was more hair-raising. The paramedics said there was no one else at the scene and the guy probably got sucked up by the tornado. Jones responded by telling them "He was there. I saw him. I know what I saw. Rose Benvenuto Rose Benvenuto swerved to avoid hitting a dog and ended up in a severe accident. Only my guardian angel could have saved me from such an accident, she told ABC. The then 58-year-old Rose was lucky to be alive. Upon looking at the mangled wreckage, first responders were shocked to come to the scene and find the driver still alive and with hardly a scratch. Bewildered by the angel that they saw taken from the wreckage, they took another look. The negatives also showed an image of the same angel. The woman involved in the accident firmly believes that it was indeed her guardian angel watching over her. We can't explain everything in life and encounters with guardian angels are one of those things. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, Psalm 91:11 said. God does send His messengers to protect us and to inform. What are your angel stories? Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the case, has been admitted for the second time in Thrissur Medical College after she complained of chest pain, Viyyur Jail Authority said. She was shifted from Viyyur Prison in the Thrissur district. She was discharged from Thrissur Medical College on Saturday after 6 days of treatment on chest pain. The matter, which pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels, had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crores, smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage, was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. (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 figure was announced by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at an international press conference in Hanoi on September 12 following the conclusion of the meetings. Minh said AMM 53 has been a success, which reflects ASEANs responsiveness and determination that help Vietnam productively organise the video conferences amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the framework of AMM 53, the ASEAN foreign ministers, guests and partners attended 19 meetings, including AMM 53, Special Session of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting on Sub-regional Development, the 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting Interface with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives, the ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue on Strengthening Womens Role for Sustainable Peace and Security, and the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum. Forty two documents have been adopted, the biggest number of documents adopted in the history of ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meetings. They include the Joint Communique' of AMM 53 and the ARF Hanoi Plan of Action II (2020-2025). The ASEAN Foreign Ministers continued affirm strong determination and commitment to fully and effectively implementing goals and priorities on the spirit of Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN 2020. In parallel with that are efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN needs to support the people and businesses to overcome the consequences of the disease, step by step recover the economy and return their life to normal. The ministers affirmed the determination to maintain Southeast Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability while strengthening ASEANs centrality, unity and resilience, and promoting trust building, mutual respect and the rule of law in line with the spirit of the Foreign Ministers' Statement on the occasion of marking the 53rd founding anniversary of ASEAN on August 8, 2020. Participants discussed measures to strengthen partnerships of ASEAN for peace and sustainable development. Partners continue support the central role of ASEAN in shaping an open, inclusive, transparent and rules-based regional architecture. They affirmed that ASEAN and partners will continue promoting effective cooperation in responding to emerging challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting comprehensive recovery. ASEAN agreed to grant the status of development partnership to France and Italy, while admitting Columbia and Cuba in the ASEANs Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC). During the meetings, participants discussed non-traditional security challenges, such as terrorism, transnational crime, natural disasters and climate change, as well as international and regional issues of common concern. The ministers reiterated ASEAN's principled position and emphasised the importance and benefits of peace, security, stability and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea/South China Sea, which is the common benefits of all countries and supported by ASEAN partners. They affirmed the parties need to promote dialogue; build trust; and refrain from the acts that further complicate the situation; and avoid militarisation, use or threat to use force; settle disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. They expressed the hope the DOC will be fully and effectively implemented and urged parties to soon finalise an effective and efficient COC in accordance with international law. ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi spoke highly of Vietnams comprehensive and professional preparations and outcomes of AMM 53, with the biggest number of documents adopted within the framework of ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meetings so far. Digital meetings, video conferences do not stop us create an environment to produce one of the most productive meetings of ASEAN foreign ministers, he said, adding this is the testament that we able to do this without no face-to-face meeting. Minh said, as the ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam is actively preparing for the 37th ASEAN Summit slated for November this year, though the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic are unpredictable. Vietnam is exerting its utmost efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, Minh said, expressing his hope that ASEAN nations and partners will overcome the pandemic so that ASEAN foreign ministers will be able to meet face-to-face in the upcoming 37th ASEAN Summit. The Centre on Monday introduced three bill in Lok Sabha on farm sector with Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserting that they will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier. He said the proposed laws will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice. The minister said that these steps are only the latest in a series of measures taken by the government as part of its continuous commitment to championing the cause of welfare of the farmers of India. Tomar said that almost 86 per cent of farmers have agricultural land of less than two hectares and they are often unable to benefit from minimum support price (MSPs). He, however, assured the House that the MSP will stay. The Congress and other parties have been opposing the legislations, alleging it will undermine the safety net provided to the farmers by the MSP system and will lead to their exploitation by big companies. Tomar said the bill will help the farmers as they are unable to invest much in their farm and do not attract investments from others. He also rejected the criticism that it was beyond the remit of the union government to legislate on these issues, saying opposition members should trust the Centre. The Opposition has alleged that the Centre brought in the legislations without consulting the states under whose domain 'agriculture' and 'mandis' come. The minister asked the opposition members to study the content of the bills deeply before "running to oppose them". He stressed that farmers will get a lot of benefit from these laws as they can enter into an agreement with private traders for selling their produce. These agreements will be about the produce and not the farmland, he asserted, rebutting suggestions that farmers may lose ownership of their land. Opposing the bills, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said constitutional provisions are very clear that agriculture is a subject on the State List. "Such a law can only be brought by state governments. Through this bill, the centre will nullify Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) law enacted by various state governments," Chowdhury said. The central government is not competent to make such a law, he asserted, adding,"This is a case of legislative overreach and a direct attack on the federal structure of the Constitution." Chowdhury pointed out that farmers of Punjab and Haryana are protesting against these bills. TMC member Saugata Roy claimed that farming will move into the hands of capitalists due to these legislations. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill violates the basic tenets of federalism enshrined in India's Constitution. "It is beyond the legislative competence of this house to enact any law on agriculture, which is a domain of the state governments," Tharoor said The bill endangers the right to food of the countrymen, he added. The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, bars state governments from imposing taxes on sale and purchase of farm produce undertaken outside the mandis and give farmers the freedom to sell their produce at remunerative prices. Besides, any conflicts arising from the transactions will be dealt with exclusively by the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and District Collectorate within 30 days and not in the jurisdiction of civil courts. At present, farmers are allowed to sell their agriculture produce at 6,900-odd APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees) mandis spread across the nation. There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside the mandis. The ordinances were promulgated on June 5, 2020. However, the Union Agriculture Ministry notified them on July 20. TROY On Monday, grief poured from a small white house on Third Avenue in Lansingburgh. The house is where Ayshawn Davis lived. It's where his family gathered to wrap arms around each another in sorrow, to sob and wail at their loss, to rage against the horror of an 11-year-old child killed in a drive-by shooting. "An innocent person, an angel," said Ayshawn's father, Tarence Davis. "They killed an innocent angel for no reason." Ayshawn was shot three miles to the south, on Old Sixth Avenue, a narrow street near downtown and four blocks from Troy City Hall. There, at around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday night, bullets sprayed from a passing car. One hit Ayshawn in the head. Tarence Davis, 41, said his son was staying with a friend of the family "his godbrother," Davis said over the weekend while he and Ayshawn's mother, Latoya Alston, were in New York City to clear the home of his recently deceased mother. Davis didn't know, or understand, why his son was outside on a stoop so late, and said he wouldn't have been if had he been at home. He didn't know who the bullets were meant to hit. Of the shooter, Davis said: "That's a coward right there." This has been a terrible summer of mayhem in Troy, where Ayshawn became the city's 12th homicide victim this year, and in Albany, where 14 people have been killed so far. The metastasizing violence has wounded several children, including a seven-year-old shot in the knee in Albany last month. But Ayshawn's death was a new and more terrible shock, a moment where Troy and the region sucked in its breath in horror. Is this who we are? A place where sixth graders die in the streets? How do we make this end? How do we convince the lost young men responsible for the violence to put away their guns? "It's too much," Tarence Davis said of the violence. "It needs to stop." A short walk from the house is Jimmy's Pizzeria, where Ayshawn showed up one day last summer and convinced owner Tony Buchanan to let him do chores around the restaurant. His ambition led Spectrum News to profile Ayshawn, who was shown sweeping the sidewalk and washing windows. "You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it," Ayshawn confidently told the television station. He was killed almost exactly one year later. Buchanan, describing himself as shocked and disheartened by the city's out-of-control violence, on Monday remembered Ayshawn as an energetic kid with an ear-to-ear smile. When he was asked what Ayshawn could have become if that bullet hadn't stolen his future, Buchanan said: "Anything he wanted." Tarence Davis agreed, remembering his son as entrepreneurial, smart, talented and motivated always with a plan to make a little money, always thinking about how he could get ahead. Ayshawn was excited about life, he said. He was looking forward to moving on from Rensselaer Park Elementary and starting middle school. He was eager to learn what he would become. He was supposed to have so much life ahead of him. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "He didn't get to find out who he really is," Davis said. Davis was standing in front of the house Monday as he spoke. Behind him, Ayshawn's family members continued to hug and sob as Latoya Alston's cries echoed out into a street where neighborhood children circled on bicycles. Neighbors, some who knew Ayshawn and some who didn't, stopped by to share their sorrow or drop off food. A man walked through the gate and enveloped Davis in a hug. One woman, her face drawn, arrived with a red-eyed child and attached balloons to the front fence. "You can see he was loved," Davis said. Ayshawn's death called to mind the 2008 killing of Kathina Thomas in Albany's West Hill neighborhood. She was 10 years old a giggly girl who loved to dance and ride her bike when she was hit by a stray bullet as she stood on the front steps of her First Street home. "Mommy, I got shot in the back," she said, before falling forward into her mother's arms. Kathina's death was a conscience shock for Albany and the region, stunning strangers who had never seen the child hold her beloved teddy bear or heard her sing. Angry civic leaders promised her killing would be a catalyst for change. More attention would be directed toward preventing gun violence, they promised. The girl would not die in vain, they said. And yes, there was more attention paid to combating violence after Kathina's death, at least for a time. But gunshots still shatter the peace, in Troy and Albany and Schenectady and cities all around the country. Now another child has died and another family grieves. Aren't we tired of this? cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The head of a South Beach-based technology company is on the hook for more than $133,000 and could spend up to 33 months behind bars after admitting he bilked a federal program serving disadvantaged kids in Brooklyn Catholic schools. John Comito, 69, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud during a remote conference in Brooklyn federal court. The defendant admitted to ripping off the E-rate program. Comito, the chief executive officer of AutoExec Computer Systems Inc., said he submitted an invoice in October 2015, in which he falsely claimed his company had provided certain Internet services and equipment to schools under the program. Brooklyn federal prosecutors said the company illegally obtained $433,000. Comito personally profited to the tune of $133,240, said prosecutors. Under the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to forfeit his illegal gains. I wish to express to the court how sorry I am for my conduct, Comito said. Comito was busted last December. In announcing his arrest, authorities accused the defendant of two counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud with respect to the E-rate program. The program distributes money to schools and libraries serving impoverished kids to buy telecommunications services, Internet access and related equipment, said authorities. The E-rate program defrays approved costs by up to 90 percent, said authorities. To qualify, educational institutions must certify that they are purchasing equipment and services from a private vendor. Between 2013 and 2017, AutoExec contracted with 26 elementary, middle and high schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn to provide telecommunication services and equipment, officials said. At least eight schools received no equipment or services, said authorities. The other 18 schools received partial, substandard or non-approved equipment and services, officials said. Comito told the judge he had neglected to supply schools with some of the equipment they were supposed to get. Public records indicate AutoExec is located on Sand Lane. Those records also show addresses for Comito in the Mid-Island. Prosecutors and defense lawyer Michael F. Bachner told the court Comito could receive a prison sentence of between 27 and 33 months, according to their calculations of federal sentencing guidelines. The guidelines, however, are advisory, and the sentencing judge isnt bound by them. Comito agreed not to appeal the sentence if his prison sentence doesnt exceed 37 months. Besides forfeiting his gains of $133,240, the defendant could be fined up to $866,000 or twice the victims' loss amount. Comito could also be sentenced to up to three years of supervised release. The court set a Dec. 15 conference date to determine the status of the federal Probation Departments pre-sentencing report. Comito must pay his forfeiture at least 30 days before sentencing. With todays guilty plea, Comito will now be held to account for defrauding the E-rate federal program and schools in order to enrich himself at the expense of the deserving children the program was designed to serve, said Seth D. DuCharme, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement. Bachner, the defense lawyer, declined comment when reached by email after the proceeding. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Francisco J. Navarro are prosecuting the case. New Delhi: The Central government on Monday (September 14, 2020) informed that there have been 3186 incidents of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in the Jammu region since the start of 2020. The Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said that these violations occurred between January 1 and September 7, 2020. In addition, 242 incidents of cross-border firing were also reported along the Indo-Pak International Border in the Jammu region from January 1 to August 31. "There have been 8 fatalities and 2 injuries of Army personnel in J&K till September 7 and there have been 5 injuries of BSF personnel along the International Border and Line of Control in J&K," said the Ministry of Defence. As per the official statement, appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required, has been carried out by the Indian Army and Border Security Force. "All the cases have been taken up with Pakistan authorities through the established mechanisms of hotlines, flag meetings, Directorate General of Military Operations talks as well as diplomatic channels between the two countries," said the MoD. John Boyega (Credit: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP) British fragrance maker Jo Malone London has apologised to John Boyega for re-shooting an ad that he wrote, directed and starred in, which was then released for the Chinese market. The ad was recast with the Chinese actor Liu Haoran, and featured many of the original elements of Boyega's work, including a scene in which Boyega is riding a horse in a park. Where Boyega's film, called A London Gent, featured a multi-cultural cast and was shot around his home neighbourhood of Peckham, south-east London, the Chinese reshoot contained no black faces at all. In a statement to THR, the company said: We deeply apologise for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign. Read more: John Boyega slams Disney over sidelining his character John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on Johns personal experiences and should not have been replicated. While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognise that this was painful and that offence was caused. We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward. It said that it had also apologised to Haoran for the incident. The original film, released last year after Boyega was named a global ambassador for the brand, featured the actor with real-life family and friends. The company celebrated its nomination for an industry media award just a few weeks ago. We are thrilled to announce that our Jo Malone London Gent film featuring @JohnBoyega is the proud winner of The Fragrance Foundation Virtual Awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign. #ScentofAGent #TheFragranceFoundationAwards pic.twitter.com/rNZpTVXLB6 Jo Malone London (@JoMaloneLondon) August 27, 2020 Boyega as become one of the most outspoken Black British actors on the subject of inequality, going viral with his impassioned speech during the Black Lives Matter protests in London. Story continues The Star Wars star also excoriated Disney in an interview with GQ recently, accusing the studio of using him to market the movies, and then all but abandoning his character's story. Read more: John Boyega has moved on from Star Wars Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all, he said. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience... Nah, nah, nah. Ill take that deal when its a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Lets be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. Im not exposing anything. Disney also hit headlines in 2015, after Boyegas image was significantly reduced in size in adverts for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Watch: John Boyega calls out Disney for sidelining diverse Star Wars characters When it comes to running for office, women just have to put up with a lot more than men do. Last week, Republican congressional candidate Jeanne Ives had three signs in Naperville defaced with a vulgar slur. Four years ago, someone took a picture of state Rep. Avery Bournes face and manipulated it on to the naked body of another woman and mailed the phony image to people throughout her legislative district. Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris has been publicly called a prostitute on various social media forums. Lets face it, these are things that male candidates dont have to deal with. In the case of Harris, much attention has been paid to her past relationship with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who is 23 years her senior. It is interesting that her once dating someone 23 years her senior is considered a blotch on her record. But Donald Trump marrying someone 23 years his junior is just a mild curiosity for most folks. By the way, both Brown and Trump were married but estranged from their wives at the inception of these relationships. Actress Robbin Young tweeted, Kamala doesnt care if Willie was good women who prostitute themselves only care about money and prestige. In my 33 years in journalism, Ive never heard an allegation like that made against a man holding public office. But over and over, Ive heard that assertion made against women running for county offices and as high as vice president. There is a real double standard here. A man who dated a lot of women is called a stud but a woman who dated a lot of men is called something else, said Denny Jacobs, a former long-time state senator from East Moline. It shouldnt make any difference who someone used to date. But for women seeking office, it does matter, he said. But it goes beyond that. A woman doesnt have to be beautiful, but she has to be presentable. For us men, that is not an issue. When Ives first contemplated a run for the Illinois House, she hired a consultant. He told me, You cant just go to the grocery store wearing sweats anymore. People expect women running for office to look good all of the time. I just looked at him and said, I had five kids at home if I need to go to the store, Ill wear sweats if I need to. I still go to the store wearing sweats. In the case of Bourne, R-Raymond, the doctored photos appeared to be an effort to denigrate an accomplished woman. She is the youngest person to serve in the General Assembly in Illinois 202 years. Imagine someone pasting Mike Madigans face onto a photo of a naked man and mailing it out. It just wouldnt be an effective smear campaign. But, unfortunately, women in public life are held to a different standard. Rumors are spread, lies are told and usually it pertains to their personal lives. Sadly, an undercurrent of misogyny remains a constant in American politics. Ives noted Trumps 2016 comment to Rolling Stone about his female primary opponent, Carly Fiorina, Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? To be sure, both male and female candidates have signs vandalized. But the attack against Ives was far more personal. Someone used spray paint to write that horrible word on the sign, she told me during a telephone interview. We took the signs down right away so children wouldnt see them. Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and a freelance reporter. He can be reached at ScottReeder1965@gmail.com. MINSK -- The United Nations Human Rights Council has agreed to hold an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Belarus on September 18, amid a crackdown on protesters calling for President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign. Twenty-five mostly Western countries on the council on September 14 voted in favor of a motion submitted by Germany on behalf of the European Union. Venezuela and the Philippines opposed the debate, with 20 abstentions by developing and emerging countries. German envoy Michael von Ungern-Sternberg described a "steep deterioration" in the situation in Belarus since last months disputed presidential election that gave Lukashenka a sixth term. "Enforced disappearances, forced abductions, expulsions, and arbitrary detentions continue to take place every day in the country, he said. Belarusian Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich objected to the move, which he described as "a form of direct intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state" by EU countries. The bloc is creating the conditions for preserving this political standoff in the society of Belarus," he said. Addressing the Human Rights Council, the UN human rights chief said her office was receiving "alarming reports of the ongoing violent repression of peaceful demonstrations " in Belarus. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that reports continue to indicate unnecessary or excessive use of force by law enforcement officials; thousands of arrests, many of them apparently arbitrary; and hundreds of allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including against children, with some reports indicating sexual violence. Machelet also noted the reported abductions by unidentified individuals of people associated with the opposition and the arrests and harassment of journalists reporting on the protests. All allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment by the security forces should be documented and investigated, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice, she added. With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP Schools in and around Mobile and the Gulf Coast are announcing closings as Tropical Storm Sally moves toward landfall along the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Sally is moving toward the Gulf coast, and hurricane conditions will be possible there by late Tuesday., according to the National Weather Service. Gulf Shores schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, September 16th. The Board of Education and school offices will also be closed. Baldwin County Public Schools will remain open but has cancelled extracurricular activities Monday. Update: ALL students will be released at 3:00 p.m. today and buses will roll immediately after. For those students who attend After School Care, it is not canceled to help accommodate those parents who are working. As for the rest of the week, Baldwin County Public Schools will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Wednesday, Sept. 16. This includes extended care, extracurricular activities, athletic games and practices. A decision for Thursday and Friday will come later as we evaluate the impacts to our area after the storm makes landfall. Realizing the storm surge and rain this storm may bring, we will have difficulty running bus operations on Wednesday in low lying areas and we are making the decision today to cancel school for Wednesday, too, according to the Baldwin County schools announcement. Clarke County Schools and Washington County Schools will be closed Tuesday. ACCEL Day and Evening Academy will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Satsuma City will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with virtual school cancelled on Wednesday. Saraland City Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday and will reopen Thursday. The system will also maintain a scheduled learn-at-home day Friday. Chickasaw County Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Escambia County Schools will be closed Tuesday. Escambia Academy will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with no after school activities starting Monday. Conecuh County Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, including remote learning. The Archdiocese of Mobile has announced that all Catholic schools in Mobile and Baldwin counties will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. St. Pauls Episcopal School will conclude all activities for grades PreK through 8th, and all after school events by 4 p.m. today. Upper school athletics will conclude no later than 6 p.m. Missed practices will be excused. The school will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with no activities or classes held. All campuses of Coastal Alabama Community College will close at 2 p.m. today and will remain closed through Wednesday. Online classes will continue to meet virtually. On-campus activities and classes will resume on Thursday. The University of Mobile will move to remote instruction for all classes through Wednesday. All on-campus activities are cancelled. Unless otherwise announced, normal operations will resume on Thursday. Spring Hill College is cancelling classes at 1:30 p.m. today. Dining services will remain open and Tuesday classes will remain online. The University of South Alabama is telling resident students who are able to leave campus and safely travel home to do so immediately. The Housing Office will be closing all fraternity and sorority houses; Delta 3, 4, 5 and 6; Gamma 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Resident students who are not able to leave campus will be sent instructions on sheltering in place from the Housing Office this afternoon. All classes, events and activities are canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday. USA Libraries, the Student Center and the Student Recreation Center will be closed. All non-essential employees should plan to continue to work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday if they are able to do so. USA Health is implementing its severe weather plans, and health employees should check with their supervisors for information. For resident students, USA Police will respond to emergency situations, so students should call (251) 460-6312 in an emergency. Mobile County Public Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. This will include remote learning, which will resume on Thursday. The system is also delaying the return of all groups of students by one week, to include the food service program, which will resume on Monday, Sept. 21. Each student has the option of continuing with remote instruction or returning to school on this new schedule: Monday, Sept. 21: Students who receive special-education services and who were scheduled to return on the 14th may return on this date. These students have been contacted by the MCPSS Division of Special Services. Monday, Sept. 28: Students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st grade, 6th grade and 9th grade, may return to school if they choose to do so. Monday, Oct. 5: Students in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 7th grade, and 11th grade, may return to school. Monday, Oct. 12: Students in 5th grade, 8th grade, 10th grade and 12th grade, may return to school. Students continuing with remote instruction will follow instructions provided by their individual schools. COMPTON, Calif. - President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday denounced what police called an ambush of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and said the attacker, still at large, should face heavy punishment. The sheriff expressed optimism Sunday that the deputies would recover after being shot Saturday night as they sat in their patrol vehicle in Compton. A video released by authorities shows a person walk up to a parked police car, fire a gun into the passenger-side window and run away. Police and elected officials have urged the community to come together in condemnation of the attack, which comes at a fraught moment for law enforcement across the nation and in Los Angeles. Police agencies, including the sheriff's department there, have faced mounting anger and demonstrations over deadly force deployed against people of color. But politicians and community leaders - including prominent critics of law enforcement - quickly denounced Saturday's violence, and the Justice Department offered its resources for the investigation. In an early-morning tweet, Trump, who has campaigned on "law and order," called for a forceful response. "Animals that must be hit hard!" he said. Later Sunday morning, Trump tweeted of the officers: "If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!" At a roundtable in Nevada, the president spoke of stiffer penalties for violence, saying that if a suspect is apprehended, "we are going to get much faster with our courts and we have to get much tougher with our sentencing." Biden also condemned the "cold-blooded shooting" in a tweet Sunday morning. "Acts of lawlessness and violence directed against police officers are unacceptable, outrageous, and entirely counterproductive to the pursuit of greater peace and justice in America - as are the actions of those who cheer such attacks on," Biden said in a statement Sunday afternoon. "Those who perpetrate these crimes must be brought to justice, and, if convicted, face the full brunt of the law." And Ben Crump, a prominent lawyer representing families of Black men and women killed by police - including the relatives of a man fatally shot by Los Angeles sheriff's deputies - urged people to come forward with information about the attack after reiterating his calls to hold the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department "accountable for systemic brutality." Violence such as the two deputies' shooting "is NOT the answer," he tweeted. The injured deputies, a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man, were sworn in 14 months ago, officials said at a news conference. Both suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to authorities, and underwent surgery Saturday night. Sheriff Alex Villanueva called the shooting a "cowardly act," echoing the words of state Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer earlier at the news conference. Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat, called the deputies "heroes," and Villanueva said the attack was a reminder of the tough and dangerous job facing law enforcement. "Seeing somebody just walk up and start shooting on them, it's - it pisses me off," Villanueva said. "It dismays me at the same time." Authorities have not discussed the shooter's potential motive. The sheriff's department said Sunday that no updates on the investigation were available. Last year, 48 law enforcement officers were killed by an offender "while engaged in or on account of the performance of their official duties," according to the FBI. Villanueva, who on Sunday tweeted appreciation for "overwhelming support" from across the country, expressed concern about other suspects opening fire on officers "unprovoked." The deputies, part of a transportation detail, were shot about 7 p.m. Saturday and radioed for help, according to the sheriff's department. The shooter fled on foot. Sheriff's Capt. Kent Wegener said Saturday night that despite video recording the incident, authorities have a "very, very generic suspect description" provided by one of the wounded deputies: Details captured through a "fisheye lens," he said, are "going to be deceiving." On Sunday afternoon, the sheriff's department announced a $100,000 reward for information "leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect," who was described as a black man between 28 and 30 years old in dark clothing. More than a dozen homicide detectives were on the scene Saturday night, along with other specialists and district attorney staff members. Calling the shooting "evil in its purest form," Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec tweeted that Attorney General William Barr is "monitoring the situation" and that his department will "use all federal tools available to assist in bringing anyone responsible to justice." Employees at Superior Grocers in Compton, near the location of the shooting, said they knew something was wrong Saturday night when they heard screaming. Sales manager Juan Ceja, 33, said he heard people outside shouting "gunshot, gunshots." He ran out of the big-box store to find scared employees and dozens of people running. "Why would you come shoot two officers who were just in their squad car?" he wondered, saying it "makes no sense." Some of his employees were not as concerned as he was about the police, he said. "One of the guys said back, 'That's what they deserve,' " Ceja recalled. "And I was like, 'They were just in a squad car, what did they deserve to get those gunshots?' " Police and protesters' tactics drew scrutiny after demonstrations formed Saturday outside St. Francis Medical Center, where the deputies received treatment. In tweets, the sheriff's department said protesters were "blocking the entrance & exit" of the hospital's emergency room. In videos of the event, protesters gather on paths outside the medical center and a person can heard saying, "I hope they die." The department also announced the arrests of two people: a male protester who "refused to comply" after a dispersal order and a woman "later identified as a member of the press." Josie Huang, a reporter for local new organizations KPCC and LAist, said she was detained and cited on a charge of obstructing an officer, despite wearing a lanyard identifying her as a news media member. She posted video of officers telling her to back up as she filmed an arrest. In another clip, she says she is a reporter. "You guys are hurting me!" she says. Police officials said Huang was arrested because she interfered with another arrest and "did not identify herself as press." Journalists quickly condemned the arrest as a violation of Huang's rights, calling for the charge to be dropped. The sheriff's department did not respond to questions about Huang. On Sunday afternoon, the scene outside St. Francis Medical Center was calm. Officers said the protests had ended Saturday. Three members of the sheriff's department stood outside the hospital's entrance holding gifts, balloons, a teddy bear and a letter addressed to "Our Hero." - - - Sonmez and Knowles reported from Washington. BTS' experience continues to expose the entrenched fissures around race, language and national origin in a music industry which purports to be global. By Kim-Marie Spence K-pop supergroup BTS made pop history on 31 August when it became the first Korean group to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with their first wholly English-language single 'Dynamite.' The song topped Spotifys Global Top 50 chart and rose to number one on the iTunes charts in over 100 countries. It also set a YouTube record for the most views in 24 hours. BTSs success, particularly on the Billboard Hot 100 recently, highlights the need to re-examine how we define pop music within the global music industry. The Billboard Hot 100 and Top 200 are pop musics apex. These charts are based on three metrics streaming, radio airplay and digital sales in order of importance. The radio component of the charts is derived from monitoring radio airplay from over 1,200 radio stations throughout the US. Interestingly, in the week that Dynamite topped the charts, it didnt enter the Top 50 Radio Songs chart. BTSs, and to a wider extent K-pops, lack of western radio airplay has been a consistent bugbear. The reason that BTS was able to top the Billboard 100 without radio play was due to their fandom, ARMY. ARMY has long realised that one way to ensure the success of their chosen group and their visibility within western media is through sales and streaming. Media academics, Dal Yong Jin and Kyong Yoon suggested that the lack of Korean pop content in mainstream media catalysed the development of the Korean pop culture social mediascape. Radios role While BTS was able to top without radio play, radio is still powerful in the US market and is musics largest and most influential market. Around 272 million Americans still listen to radio, with radio reaching more Americans than any other platform in 2019. The inclusion of radio airplay within the Billboard Hot 100 metric keeps the major charts bent in favour of English-language, particularly Euro-American (American, Canadian and British), music. Language has been identified as one reason for the lack of mainstream media attention, with Dynamites success attributed to its English-language content. However, BTSs enduring popularity since 2016 and that of other K-pop groups such as BLACKPINK, demonstrate the ability of significant sections of the Euro-American audience to enjoy non-English songs. The fact that K-pop, despite its popularity, continues to receive such low or non-existent radio play is arguably due to gatekeeping of radio rather the preferences of the audience. This exclusion applies to other languages on American radio. Despite over 50 million Spanish speakers in the US, only two Spanish language songs have charted in the top ten. The centres of the global music industry have historically been London, New York and Los Angeles. This means that artists from these cities and English-language music have an outsized influence within the global music industry. Redefining pop Genre definitions are also an aspect of gatekeeping, which have historically kept Black, Asian and ethnic minorities and non-English speakers out of the hit parade. Radio stations programme according to genre. Recently, there has been a move to define K-pop as a genre separate from pop, with the MTV VMAs including a K-pop category, a move criticised for ghettoising K-pop from pop. K-pop insiders themselves disagree that K-pop is a distinct genre. Veteran K-pop journalist, Tamar Herman, wrote that K-pop was a fandom and an industry, rather than a genre. Likewise T.O.P, of K-pop group Big Bang, known for its R&B and rap influences, noted that: You dont divide pop music by whos doing it. We dont say, for instance, white pop when white people make music. Pop music can be defined in two ways. First, it is music that is popular on a mass scale. And, second, since rock and roll in the 50s, it is a mass market melting pot of sonic influences, including R&B, disco and dancehall. K-pop fits both understandings. Among many accolades that demonstrate its mass popularity, BTS is the first group since The Beatles to have three number one albums in a single year on the Billboard 200 Chart. Music academics Hyunjoon Shin and Seung-Ah Lee noted in their book, Made in Korea, that: [K-pop] had the familiar twinges of R&B, rock, hip-hop, and soul that is so heavily used in contemporary western pop music. They also note that (one of) its main distinctions is its origin story. Black performers have long endured similar limiting genre definitions. In a year marked by Black Lives Matter protests, the music industry has been forced to question the systemic racism inherent in their genre labelling. The long criticised urban music category has been disavowed by labels and the Grammys. Upon winning the Grammy Best Rap Album for his 20202 album IGOR, Tyler the Creator said that: They always put [us] in a rap or urban category I dont like that urban word. To me, its just a politically correct way to say the N-word. Why cant we just be in pop? Foreign black performers have also long dealt with limiting genre definitions. Being relegated to reggae or urban stations and award categories has severely limited the hit prospects of Jamaican reggae and dancehall musicians. Despite dancehall being the sound of successive summers, only Euro-American performers are programmed on pop stations, such as Ed Sheerans 'Shape of You.' Non-musical factors such as race, nationality and language have impacted BTSs journey in the global music industry. When the Beatles had three number ones in one year in 1995-6, they won three Grammys. BTS, for the same feat, received no Grammy nominations or awards. However, the institution obviously recognises their importance, archiving suits they wore to the awards in the Grammy Museum collection. BTSs experience continues to expose the entrenched fissures around race, language and national origin in an industry which purports to be global. While K-pop has its distinctive characteristics, there are far-reaching political and economic implications of leaving K-pop out of pops definition. Kim-Marie Spence, Postdoctoral Researcher in Pop and Global Cultural Industries (and Adjunct Lecturer, University of the West Indies), Solent University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Feature image: Facebook @bangtan.official By Akbar Mammadov Armenia's illegal settlement policy across Azerbaijan's occupied territories is a military crime, Presidential Aide, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev has said in an interview with Azertag. He reminded that Armenia is conducting a policy of illegal settlement across Azerbaijan's occupied territories and has recently started settling Armenians from Lebanon there. News of a family from Lebanon resettled in the city of Shusha a destination of utmost historical and moral significance for Azerbaijan has been posted on social media. As the world countries, including Azerbaijan, are dealing with the issue of elimination of tragedy's consequences that befell Lebanon and offering humanitarian assistance, Armenia is exploiting this tragedy and people's hardship, pushing their sordid agenda, Hajiyev told Azertag. The presidential aide stressed that thereby, Armenia has once again demonstrated that it recognizes no moral values. I wish to emphasize that the population resettled in our occupied territories has become a victim of Armenia's reckless and adventurist policy. It must be said that the policy of illegal settlement across Azerbaijan's occupied territories has no validity, and Azerbaijan rejects its outcome categorically, Hajiyev said. Furthermore, Hajiyev underlined that Armenia is also using the people from Lebanon and Syria resettled in the occupied territories as mercenaries. Thus, he pointed out that Armenia aims to alter the demographic situation across Azerbaijan's occupied territories by pursuing the illegal settlement policy. The same policy is a flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention of 1949. According to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, the occupying power cannot transfer its civilian population into the territory it occupies. During the 1946 Nuremberg International Military Tribunal for the Trial of Major War Criminals, two of the defendants were convicted for changing the ethnic composition of the occupied territories, the presidential aide noted. Saying that ironically, such actions are considered a crime under Armenia's own legislation, Hajiyev highlighted that in Article 390 of Armenia's Criminal Code, the occupying power's deportation of the local population and transfer of its people to the occupied territories is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, punishable by 8-12 years of imprisonment. The presidential aide said that Armenia's military aggression on the border Tovuz district in July as well as its attempt to carry out a subversion operation across the Line of Contact reveal that Armenia is preparing for yet another provocation and military adventurism. Hajiyev also recalled the recent Armenian provocative statement regarding the missile attack on the second greatest city of Azerbaijan-Ganja. Moreover, in recent days, Armenia has once again begun to declare explicitly; through the puppet regime, it installed in our occupied territories its intention to occupy Azerbaijan's other areas and threatened to launch a missile strike on the city of Ganja. Furthermore, Hajiyev emphasized that Armenia's Prime Minister and Defense Ministers recent provocative statements show that Yerevan wants to disrupt the negotiations process and secure the annexation of Azerbaijan's occupied territories. He pointed out that the responsibility for perpetrating provocations and escalating the situation lies with Armenia's political and military leadership. Armenia must withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan's occupied territories to achieve progress in the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. The conflict must be resolved only and solely in line with Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, Hajiyev stressed. It should be noted that on September 11, the head of the so-called regime set up in Nagorno-Karabakh shared a video post on his Facebook page about the settlement of Lebanese Armenians in Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory after the deadly explosion in Beirut last month. The leader of the separatists said the first Lebanese-Armenian families are already being approved in Nagorno-Karabakh and reaffirmed that the so-called regime is interested in preserving the Lebanese-Armenian colony. The separatist leader had voiced his readiness to receive Armenians, during the phone conversation with the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I who is based in Lebanons capital-Beirut after the explosion in that city. He offered the settling of 150 Lebanese-Armenian families in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian military-political leadership seizes every opportunity to illegally settle Armenians in Azerbaijans occupied territories in a bid to artificially change the demographics of the region and saw the recent deadly blast in Beirut as another opportunity to illegally settle Armenians in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent seven regions. The illegal settlement of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Armenias annexation policy under the guise of repatriation and humanitarian assistance. It should be noted that Armenia had earlier moved thousands of Syrian Armenians to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan since the start of the Syrian war. According to UNHCR figures, at least 15,000 Syrians have found refuge in Armenia since the start of the crisis. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz University Health Networks chief executive is alarmed by new COVID-19 hospitalizations coupled with increasingly sloppy habits he sees in society that could intensify the viruss GTA resurgence. After Kevin Smith tweeted Im worried and noting the UHN which includes Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital is again seeing COVID-19 patients, he elaborated in an interview. The UHN went from a peak of about 100 COVID-19 patients to none. One patient admitted seven to 10 days ago has grown to seven cases, Smith said Sunday. That looks terribly familiar to wave one of the pandemic, Smith said. Slow growth but it doubles every week or so. That concerns me, coupled with me continuing to see and hear GTAers not taking this risk as seriously as we once did. Im seeing a lot less physical distancing, a lot of people gathering, a lot of social events occurring and worst of all poor masking. I see so many people who think (their mask) is a chin warmer or dont bother to cover their nose ... I see it in the grocery store, in malls, walking on the street, even in our hospitals with our health care providers, weve gotten too relaxed about some of those issues, Smith said. Almost every major (infection) uptick weve seen so far has been following some kind of social get-together a wedding, a party, a backyard barbecue. People got a little taste of that (freedom) between wave one and wave two, but they absolutely need to cease and desist so were sure weve got this (pandemic) back under control. Dr. David Frost, a UHN internal medicine specialist, also registered his concern at new COVID-19 patients, tweeting: Time to close indoor restaurants/bars. If schools close before bars, we have our priorities wrong. Bold action now will save lives and may keep kids in school where they should be. The Ontario Hospital Association issued a dire warning Sunday that Ontario is losing ground in the fight against COVID-19. Hard-won gains in that fight are slipping away, wrote OHA president Anthony Dale in a statement, imploring Ontarians to strictly adhere to public health measures to reduce the rising infection rate. Make no mistake, COVID-19 is still a very real threat, even if reopening freedoms lulled people into a false sense of security, Dale wrote. Without continued vigilance, todays isolated outbreaks in Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa could easily spread throughout Ontario. If current trends continue to accelerate, economic restrictions may tighten once more, and the school year for our children will be in jeopardy. Ontario reported 44,504 COVID-19 cases Sunday, an increase of 204. It was the third straight day with more than 200 new infections a threshold the province hadnt crossed since late July. The vast majority of new infections are in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa. According to the Stars count, the rate of infections has risen steadily in Toronto since the city entered Stage 3 reopening on July 31. On Aug. 1, Toronto reported an average of about 15 new daily cases over the previous week. By Sunday that seven-day average had more than tripled to 53 daily infections. That indicator which recently turned from green to yellow, or caution, on Toronto Public Healths online dashboard is now red. However, the daily increase average remains well below the peak daily infection rate of about 230 in late May. Also, the public health dashboard rates Torontos health system capacity to cope with cases as green, or good. So far, the viruss infection resurgence has not translated into a spike in hospitalizations or deaths. Provincial figures for Sunday indicated one new COVID-19 death, after zero Saturday, and four fewer people in hospital. Springtime fears the virus would overwhelm Ontarios health care system, as it had in Italy and New York, were not borne out. Experts credit the government lockdown on most commercial and social activities plus residents adhering to orders on physical distancing, mask-wearing and more. But Smith said his hospitals and GTA residents must not let their guards down, with an unpredictable virus again on the rise and most businesses operating under Stage 3 reopening. If we hadnt virtually turned off society but more importantly observed masking, physical distancing and hand washing health care capacity wouldnt have been a success, it could have been an Italy or New York story, he said. We shouldnt believe that that story isnt possible in this wave if people take this too lightly. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital, said about 60 per cent of newly infected Ontarians are relatively young and less likely to get seriously ill. But wed be foolish to think that this infection will stay limited to one demographic, Bogoch said, and as it spreads to others who are less likely to have an easy course of infection for example, people over age 60 or with underlying health conditions we expect to see more hospitalized individuals. Were starting to see very early trends of that. Its small but its real. Clearly, if we dont do anything to stop it were going to see a growing number of cases in the community which will translate to a growing number of cases in the hospital. Were, so far, far from (crashing the hospital system) but we know that is a possibility if we get what were doing now wrong. Bogoch noted health officials now know much more about COVID-19 treatment and how to contain the virus. The hazard of transmission during sustained close indoor contact, for example, is now better understood. Public health strategies should target young people, using social media channels more effective at changing their behaviour than warnings from older experts, Bogoch said. And, like Smith, he warned residents about their behaviour at gatherings as cooler weather pushes people indoors. Before you go to synagogue, temple, church, mosque look to see if they have effective public health interventions, and if participants could spread the virus through singing or chanting, Bogoch said. People are going to get together, theyre going to socialize but can we do it safely? Its okay to hang out with friends, but go outdoors or in smaller groups. If theres a house party with a lot of people, think about not going. Officials need to use data to identify current infection sources, but also look at whats happening in other places to see what could spread COVID-19 here, he said. Torontos public health chief, Dr. Eileen de Villa, is expected this week to give Mayor John Tory a report with details on the most common sources of local infections. A version of that report is expected to be made public. Last week, her department told the Star that factors in the increased infection rate include Torontonians socializing with people outside their social bubbles while not wearing masks, and residents returning from travel elsewhere in Canada. Dr. David Fisman, of U of Ts Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said ensuring the coming surge of COVID-19 infections doesnt crash the health care system depends on hospital physical capacity and overflow, supplies, staff and systems. Strengthening Ontarios school reopening plans, including smaller classes and more outdoor classes, and proactively looking at the need to scale back some Stage 3 freedoms, including for bars, could limit spread and help spare hospitals, he said. David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider The central government on Monday said 6,210 teaching posts are lying vacant in all Central Universities and 12,437 sanctioned non-teaching posts are lying vacant as on date. Despite the high number of vacancies, one-third of the total sanctioned strength of teachers, the government said there was no such proposal under consideration in the ministry of education to absorb already working ad-hoc, temporary, contract or guest faculty as permanent teachers. Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, while responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on vacancies in Central Universities, said the number of vacant teaching positions for OBCs has risen to 300 for the year 2019-20, while for SCs and STs, the figure stands at 172 and 73 respectively. This is a jump of 23 vacancies for OBCs, 16 for SC and five for STs, from 2018-19. In 2017-18 the vacancies in teaching posts for OBCs were 165, for SCs 113 and STs 38. The figures were revealed in reply to a question posed by Ganesh Singh, MP from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, related to vacancies in teaching and non-teaching posts. In the non-teaching posts for 2019-20, there are 40 vacant posts for OBCs, 21 for SCs and 9 for STs. In 2018-19, there were 158 vacant posts for OBCs, 80 for SCs and 40 for STs. In 2017-18, there were 95 vacant posts for OBCs, 69 for SCs and 32 for STs. In Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), 196 teaching posts and 1090 non-teaching posts are vacant as on 1st July, 2020 and 31st December, 2019 respectively. In three Sanskrit Central Universities, 52 teaching and 116 non-teaching posts are vacant. Occurring of vacancies and filling up is a continuous process. The Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) continuously monitor it with Universities, he said. UGC has prepared guidelines for recruitment of faculty in universities, colleges and institutions deemed to be universities outlining the selection procedure and the time frame for recruitment which has been circulated to all Universities to adhere to the guidelines. The Universities have also been requested to take steps to ensure that the vacancies in the Universities as well as in the Colleges affiliated to the Universities are filled up at the earliest. However, the onus of filling up the teaching posts lies on Central Universities which are autonomous bodies created under Acts of Parliament, he said in the reply. Street unrest erupted after the Supreme Electoral Tribunal moved the planned vote from Sept. 6 to Oct. 18 following warnings from medical experts that it would be unsafe to hold the election while the pandemic was not yet under control. It was the third time the vote has been delayed, angering protesters who accuse the government of interim President Jeanine Anez of simply trying to hang on to power. Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its judgement convicting him and imposing a fine of Re 1 on him for criminal contempt of court in the suo motu contempt case over his tweets. Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its judgement convicting him and imposing a fine of Re 1 on him for criminal contempt of court in the suo motu contempt case over his tweets. Earlier today, Bhushan said that he will submit the fine in the registry today but had added that it doesnt mean he accepts the Supreme Courts judgement. He had said that he will file a review petition against the conviction and fine. The senior lawyer had on September 12 filed a petition in the top court seeking directions for an appeal against conviction in criminal contempt cases to be heard by a larger and a different bench. Bhushan was convicted and a fine of Re 1 was imposed on him by the Supreme Court in connection with a suo motu criminal contempt of court case over two of his tweets. Also read: 17 MPs including Meenakshi Lekhi, Ananth Kumar test Covid positive as Parl session begins Also read: Not running away, Govt tries to placate Oppn as they slam suspension of question hour move One of the tweets, posted on June 29, was related to his post on a picture of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde on a high-end bike. In his second tweet, Bhushan had expressed his opinion on the role of the last four CJIs amid the state of affairs in the country. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is also hearing another contempt of court case against Bhushan for his interview to a magazine in 2009 in which he was quoted as saying that half of the 16 former Chief Justices of India (CJIs) were corrupt. Also read: Hope Parliament sends message that nation stands with soldiers, says PM Modi The Ray Team, Engel & Volkers Jacksonville. *Not Pictured: Judy Harkleroad We were drawn to Engel & Volkers by the professionalism, leading edge technology and great support for the advisors. To be part of such a dynamic international company brings a whole new dimension to our business. Engel & Volkers Florida today announced the Ray Team, a top-producing six-member real estate team, has joined Engel & Volkers Jacksonville to serve the specialized, residential property needs within the greater Jacksonville area. The Ray team is led by Cammy Ray and also includes Marsha Bergen, Judy Harkleroad, Victoria Ji, Richard Ray and Larry Scalia. The Ray Team was previously with Watson Realty Corp.s Ponte Verda office for the last 13 years. The Ray Team makes a wonderful addition to our talented team, said Corey Hasting, License Partner of Engel & Volkers Jacksonville. Our real estate advisors are highly-trained, dedicated to their profession and truly understand our clients special needs in the high-end real estate market. I am confident the entire team will feel right at home in our shop and will push us to even greater heights. The Ray Team will now be based out of Engel & Volkers Jacksonvilles St. Johns shop, located in the Shoppes of St. Johns Parkway. The team has already transacted almost $20,000,000 in production this year, totaling a career volume of nearly $100,000,000. They specialize in luxury homes, relocation, first time home buyers and planned unit development (PUD) within the areas of Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Saint Augustine and Saint Johns. During their time with Watson Realty Corp., the Ray Team earned multiple awards including Gold Pinnacle Club, Presidents Club and the Silver Pinnacle Award. Suddenly you just know it's time to start something new, said Cammy Ray. To feel renewed and invigorated by the opportunity. We were drawn to Engel & Volkers by the professionalism, leading edge technology and great support for the advisors. To be part of such a dynamic international company brings a whole new dimension to our business. Team lead Cammy Ray, began her successful real estate career in Cold Spring Harbor, New York in 1993 with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty serving communities along Long Islands North Shore; she built her business there for eight years, before moving to Florida. Cammy Ray is a member of the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing and holds her credentials as a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) which allows her to handle short sales and counsel homeowners in distress. Engel & Volkers has maintained a presence in the Jacksonville market since Hasting obtained the rights to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Beach in April of 2018. Since then, he also obtained the rights to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville. Hasting has grown his team to over 35 advisors. Press contact: Linzee Werkmeister, Director, Public Relations & Franchise Support Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 About Engel & Volkers: Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a bespoke, white-glove concierge client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 175 shop locations with more than 4,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 12,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate, yachting and aviation. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. 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For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit florida.evrealestate.com There has been considerable reporting about a second wave of the Wuhan coronavirus in Europe. The reporting reflects increases, often significant ones, in new reported cases in many European countries. However, so far and for the most part, the number of new reported cases is much lower than it was in the early Spring, even though there is probably more testing going on now. And the increase in the number of deaths attributed to the virus so far is very small. Belgium was probably the European nation hit hardest by the first wave of the virus. By June, the number of new reported cases there was negligible and virtually no one was dying from the virus. (All numbers used in this post are from Worldometer.) Now, the number of new reported cases in Belgium is up to almost two-thirds of what it was at the peak in April. This has been true for a month. Yet, virtually no one is dying as a result. Theres a good chance that this will change, but if the second wave were as deadly as the first, I think we would already be seeing an increase in deaths. The pattern in the UK is very much the same as in Belgium. It was also hit hard in the Spring, saw cases diminish sharply in mid-Summer, and for the past month is reporting about two-thirds of the peak number. Yet, virtually no deaths are being attributed to the virus. Spains second wave came earlier, beginning in July. At the end of August, new reported cases were back to the Spring level. Spain has seen an uptick in the number of new deaths attributed to the coronavirus. However, the number is almost always fewer than 100 a day. In April, the number typically ranged from 750 to 900. The story is similar throughout Europe. Last Wednesday, the entire continent reported only 252 deaths from the virus. In the Spring, that would have been a very good day in Spain and Italy. (It would still be a very good day in the U.S.) Israel is seeing deaths attributed to the virus rise to levels higher than its Spring peak. However, Israel is a special case. Arguably, it never had a first wave of the virus, and certainly not a serious one. Reported cases, never reached 1,000 per day in the Spring. These days, they routinely exceed 3,000. If the second wave of the virus in Europe is proving to be much less deadly than the first, why is that so? For one thing, those infected in the second wave are probably younger than those who were infected in the first. For another, treatment has probably improved. In addition, the various European countries may be doing better at finding asymptomatic patients and isolating them. Finally, its also possible that the virus currently circulating in Europe is simply less deadly than the virus that was infecting people six months ago. The virus may have mutated. What about the United States? We, too, are now seeing a younger infected population now, and we have better treatments and more testing of the asymptomatic than in the Spring. Arguably, though, as a nation were still in our first wave. New reported cases never dropped off here the way they did in Europe. Daily deaths attributed to the virus did decline significantly in June, but spiked in August, and have declined slowly the past few weeks. I think its more useful, for purposes of discussing second waves in the U.S., to look at particular states. New York and New Jersey had horrible first waves of the virus in the Spring. So far, neither has had a second wave, perhaps because, for better or for worse, both continue to impose stringent restrictions on a range of activities. Texas and Florida had their first waves in the Summer. These waves are gradually receding. Washington State can perhaps be said to have had a first and a second wave. The first wave, at the end of March and the beginning of April, saw daily reported cases of about 500 per day and, in late April, about 30 deaths per day attributed to the virus. By late May, new reported cases were at only around 250 per day despite extensive testing, and throughout June the death count was steady at around 10 per day. In July, new reported cases spiked to around 1,000 per day basically double the number during the first wave. At the beginning of August, the death count briefly returned to its first wave level, before dropping off sharply by the start of September. If we treat Washington as having two waves, the second appears to have been somewhat less deadly than the first, but far more deadly compared to the first than the European second waves have been. But the virus never receded in Washington to the same degree as it did in the European nations discussed above. The U.S. as a whole has not followed European patterns. It may be that the strand of the virus in this country differs materially from the one that afflicted Europe. Thus, we cannot be confident that second waves in the U.S. will resemble those in Europe. Police officers will receive new powers allowing them to stop and search criminals previously convicted of carrying a weapon, under Government plans to tackle knife crime. The Home Office is proposing to use Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) to imprison repeat offenders who are caught carrying a knife or offensive weapon - including those who have received non-custodial sentences. Under the current stop-and-search laws officers typically must have 'reasonable grounds' to carry out the search, such as suspecting someone is carrying drugs or a weapon. However the new plans will see courts be given powers to issue the SVRO on individuals convicted of carrying an offensive weapon and will allow officers to search individuals subject to the order. The move comes after figures revealed the number of recorded knife crimes in England and Wales soared by 7 per cent to its highest ever level in 2019, with a third of all offences recorded in London. Announcing the new powers, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said: 'Knife crime has a devastating effect on young lives and our neighbourhoods. Police officers will receive new powers allowing them to stop and search criminals carrying a Serious Violence Reduction Orders. (Stock image) 'Our ambition is for these new powers to transform the way stop and search is used by targeting the small number of the most serious and persistent criminals. 'The law-abiding majority should not have to live in fear, which is why we are taking action across all fronts to keep them safe.' Meanwhile the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Serious Violent Crime, Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire, said: 'We welcome this consultation and the opportunity it gives communities and partners to contribute their thoughts on the proposed power. 'We know that it is only by listening and working together that we can bring about the sustained changes needed to tackle the harms of knife-crime.' The Home Office launched an eight-week public consultation on the proposals on Monday, to determine monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure transparency. The new law will allow officers to be able to stop and search those who are subject to an SVRO to check if they are carrying a knife or offensive weapon again. If caught and convicted a second time, offenders could then expect to be handed a custodial sentence under the existing 'two strikes' legislation brought in by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said knife crime and reoffending has risen under the Tories as an 'inevitable consequence of deep cuts to the police and preventive services'. 'A range of actions are needed to tackle repeat offending, with a strategy that carries the confidence of all our communities, not simply a public consultation on piecemeal measures,' the Labour MP added. Meanwhile Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael called for a return to 'community policing' so officers can build a relationship with the areas they serve. 'A targeted approach can only work if police officers have the trust and confidence they need to identify the weapon-carriers in their communities,' he added. Chief Superintendent Roy Smith (pictured) today condemned 'baying mobs' prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement who were crippling the efforts of police officers to stop and search suspects John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation representing rank-and-file officers, said: 'The vast majority of the public want to see police officers stopping and searching those who are the biggest risk, this will allow us to do this in a more targeted way.' A spokeswoman from the Equality and Human Rights Commission added: 'This is an important time in the dialogue between police and community and we offer our support to the Government to ensure that any new powers are proportionate, clearly communicated in order to build trust and only used with appropriate safeguards in place.' The new powers come as Chief superintendent Roy Smith today condemned 'baying mobs' prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement who were crippling the efforts of police officers to stop and search suspects. Mr Smith, who is area commander for north west London, criticised groups putting extra strain on officers carrying out their duties. Earlier this year the officer described how he was leaving a community meeting when he responded to a 999 call. Upon arrival to the scene, he was met by a hostile crowd shouting at an officer for detaining and searching a black teenager inside a shop. After finding a knife on the young boy, Mr Smith described how he went back outside to the shouting crowds and held it out for them to see. He later told The Times: 'It sometimes feels like a baying mob. If it's outrage, then outrage at what? 'Are you seriously telling me that you are outraged that the police are enforcing the law? 'That you are outraged that we are out there trying to stop people walking around the streets with weapons and from there being a bloodbath in London?' The Scotland Yard police officer added that following the death of George Floyd in May, tensions around stop and searches in the capital had worsened. Mr Floyd died after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nearly nine minutes. Following his death, thousands across the globe took to the streets calling for the officers involved to be jailed for their crime. Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged in June with second-degree murder while officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Charles Cadiz Despite the pandemic, the long-running outdoor cinema series in Bernal Heights will happen in 2020. But like most cultural events, it will look a little different. After 16 seasons of presenting free film screenings in our neighborhood parks and alternative venues including a motorcycle shop, art gallery, cafe, butcher shop, library, and a laundromat," says BHOC co-founder Anne Batmale, the pandemic forced us to re-imagine how to present a Bernal-local, outdoor experience and still keep our audience, volunteers and crew safe thus the idea of a pop-up drive-in. On September 13, the rescue team along with the army commenced a search hand rescue operation for the missing persons, after a deadly landslide wreaked havoc on three villages in Nepals mountains, authorities said in a statement. As many as 11 dead bodies have been retrieved out of the debris as the Nepal police, armed forces, and the local villagers continue to search for at least 15 more people who have been declared missing post the calamity, Nepal government administrator Baburam Khanal said in an AP report. Heavy rainfall and weather conditions made the job of the rescuers challenging, however, Sundays clear skies allowed the forces to scourge through the higher ground in the landslide area, in the Sindhupalchowk district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu. The landslide was triggered by the heavy monsoon rain as the massive mudslides hit different areas causing the landslide in the region. The government administrators sprung to action, as a security team comprising the Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel was dispatched to the incident site, who started rescue efforts in the area. Due to the continuing rains prevented helicopter mission in the Himalayan nation. Of the 11 bodies recovered, seven were identified as women, meanwhile, search operations have been going on to rescue the missing people, Nepal's home ministry told separate PTI sources. Read: Nepal And China To Reveal New Height Of Mount Everest After COVID Pandemic Delay Read: Nepal Govt Working On A Plan To Woo Indian Tourists After Improvement In COVID-19 Situation Several missing or feared buried According to an AP report, the landslide was triggered overnight, as it swept the Nepalese villages. Immediately, at least six people were found dead, while 26 were reported either missing or feared buried under the extensive debris of land. Bodies of the deceased villagers were pulled out of the ruins at Seby the official's team dispatched on site. Homes of several villagers were reported destroyed in the monsoon casualties. According to the Home Ministrys data, deaths caused due to the monsoon related calamity shot up to a total of 351, while as many as 85 were still missing in Nepal this year. Read: Leopard Spotted In Chandeli Village Along India-Nepal Border, Movements Under Surveillance [In this photo by PTI landslide wreaked havoc on three villages in Nepals mountains.] [An injured girl is rescued after a landslide struck in Sindhupalchowk district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Credit: AP] [Flash floods and a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed many and several went missing. Credit: Twitter/@AaravSeth888] [Several areas were submerged in Sindhupalchowk district, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Kathmandu.Credit: Twitter/@AaravSeth888] [Himalayan nation Nepal's biggest monsoon-related disaster this year that led many to evacuate homes and flee. Credit: Twitter/@AaravSeth888] [Animals were also seen stranded in the monsoon related calamity in Nepal in this year 2020. Credit: Twitter/@AaravSeth888] [Around 18 houses in Sindhupalchowk district. Credit: ANI] Read: Nepal's Coronavirus Infection Tally Rises To 46,257 Read: Nepali National Carrying 6.1 Kg Of Charas Arrested In Indo-Nepal Border Town Advertisement Footage has emerged showing the enormous police response to the shooting of two sheriffs deputies in Los Angeles and a man mocking the attack on the two officers. The video shows a convoy of patrol cars racing towards the scene, shortly before 7pm on Saturday night. Crowds of people looked on as, sirens blazing, officers raced to help their wounded colleagues, who had been ambushed and shot at close range in Compton, Los Angeles. The man narrates to the camera. 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out,' he says. That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton.' The smiling cameraman adds: 'It's going up. Somebody bust on their a**. Somebody bust on the police. Two sheriffs shot in the face. Two sheriffs shot in the face - they tripping. 'Somebody just ran up on the corner and bust on their a**, right through the window'. He then concludes, grinning: 'It's a wrap.' The two deputies, who have not been identified, are listed in a stable condition and a $100,000 reward has been offered to help track down the gunman as the manhunt intensifies. Newly emerged footage shows police patrol cars rushing to the scene in Compton on Saturday night Bystanders filmed as the officers rushed to the aid of their injured colleagues, shot by a gunman in an unprovoked attack The smiling man narrates to the camera. 'Compton. N***** just aired the police out,' he says. That's crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton' On Sunday the Los Angeles Times reported that one of the two officers had managed to radio for help. Moments after the gunman runs away, the passenger door of the patrol car opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head. The driver's-side door opens soon after. On the radio, according to footage reviewed by the paper, a shaky voice mutters: '998 Compton Pax.' Recognizing the code for a deputy-involved shooting, a dispatcher asks: 'Just happened?' 'Compton Pax, deputies down,' the voice says, almost unintelligibly. 'Compton Pax 998.' The officers, one the 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, the other a 24-year-old man, were shot at the Metro Blue Line station at Willowbrook Avenue and Oak Street in Compton by a male suspect who then fled the scene. Donald Trump on Sunday said the man who opened fire should face a 'fast trial death penalty' if the deputies die. Speaking at a rally in Nevada on Sunday night, he said: 'If you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty.' To loud cheers, he continued: 'I just saw a video of that animal who went up to the car. They were unsuspecting, fine people - very fine people.' Heavily-armed police officers were seen arriving on the scene in Compton The two officers were shot as they sat in their patrol car shortly before 7pm on Saturday Detectives are pictured arriving at the scene of Saturday night's shooting in Compton A large group of detectives arrived to inspect the scene of the shooting, near the bus terminal Detectives are pictured arriving at the scene of Saturday's shooting in Compton He earlier called the shooter an 'animal' who needed to be 'hit hard' as the FBI was called in to help investigate. The president tweeted: 'If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!' He had retweeted his son Donald Jr. who shared the footage, writing: 'Please pray for these two Sheriff Deputies. Their lives matter!!! #BlueLivesMatter.' Joe Biden said: 'This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.' Kamala Harris added: 'Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice.' The Los Angeles County board of supervisors has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman. Shameful footage said to have been taken outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood on Saturday night shows as one protester yells: 'I want to deliver a message to the family of the pigs, I hope they f***ing die.' The protesters had been connected to the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter but that has not been officially confirmed. Another demonstrator tells police: 'Y'all gonna die one by one. This ain't gonna stop.' On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted: 'To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling 'We hope they die' referring to 2 LA Sheriff's ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL. On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted about the protests outside the hospital Protesters have blocked the entrance to the hospital where the two Los Angeles sheriff's deputies ambushed in a shooting Saturday are fighting for their lives, chanting: 'We hope they f***ing die' 'People's lives are at stake when ambulances can't get through.' One local faith leader had told KABC: 'They were saying "Death to the police" and "Kill the police," and these are sheriffs, but the message is still the same. They were using all types of curse words and derogatory terms. Unacceptable behavior, because a hospital should be a sanctuary.' A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody, KABC-TV reported. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester. Police later added: 'After deputies issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of a group of protesters blocking the hospital emergency entrance & exits, a male adult protester refused to comply & cooperate 'During his arrest, a struggle ensued at which time a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest 'The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person. Both individuals have been arrested for 148 P.C.' Video released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows the moment that male suspect opened fire on two deputies at a Compton bus station After shooting multiple rounds at the deputies, the male ran away A radio reporter who was near the protest scene was taken into custody, KABC-TV reported. The sheriff's department later tweeted that the reporter interfered with the arrest of a male protester President Trump said that 'animals' must be 'hit hard' after the Los Angeles sheriff's department released video of the gunman who opened fire on two deputies Video released by the sheriff's department Saturday shows the suspect walking up to the car and immediately opening fire on the male and female officers before running off. 'The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,' the department said in a post. Both deputies sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition, according to the department's Twitter account. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago. Neither have been officially named. During the press conference, Sheriff Villanueva said that the two deputies initiated radio contact after they were shot. They were transported with the assistance of other deputies,' he shared. 'That was a cowardly act,' Villanueva added. 'The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train.' 'Seeing somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It p***es me off. It dismays me at the same time. There's no pretty way to say it.' Footage of the protesters surrounding the hospital where they are being treated sparked outrage online. @themetskipper wrote: 'This is the result of the anti police narrative.' Capt. Kent Wegner said: 'He walked along the passenger side of the car. He acted as if he was going to walk past the car and then he made a left turn directly toward the car, raised a pistol and fired several rounds inside of the vehicle, striking both of the sheriff's deputies.' During the press conference, Sheriff Villanueva said that the two deputies initiated radio contact after they were shot The two deputies, a male and female officer with the Transit Services Bureau, have undergone surgery 'Moments ago, 2 of our Sheriff Deputies were shot in Compton and were transported to a local hospital,' the department said in a Saturday night Twitter post. 'They are both still fighting for their lives, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. 'We will update this thread with information as it becomes available.' Police on Sunday were still hunting the shooter. They said: 'The suspect is described as a male Black 28-30 years-old, wearing dark clothing.' He was last seen in a black, four door sedan, cops said. The FBI has shared that they are now assisting in the search for the gunman. 'FBI Los Angeles has offered resources and stands ready to assist in response to reports of an attack on @lasdhq deputies tonight,' FBI Los Angeles said on Twitter. Capt. Wegener said officers were blanketing the area in search of the suspect seen on the video opening fire with a pistol. 'We have a very, very generic description,' he said. LAPD Chief Michael Moore tweeted: 'Tonight we pray for these two guardians to survive. I recognize and acknowledge we live in troubled times. But we must as a community work thru our differences while loudly and resoundly condemn violence. Blessed are the Peacemakers.' BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan has exported 3,140 tons of petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons worth to Hungary countries to 1.07 million euros in June 2020, Eurostat representative told Trend. In turn, overall 1H2020 petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons export from Kazakhstan to Hungary amounted to 17,957 tons worth 6.8 million euros. Thus, compared to May 2020 the export volume increased by 15.6 percent (2,716 tons), whereas compared to Jan. 2020 the volume increased by 68.4 percent (1,864 tons). The value of petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons export from Kazakhstan to Hungary was 52.4 percent more than in May 2020 (705,701 euros), and 12.9 percent more than in Jan. 2020 (952,798 euros). The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Hungary amounted to $64.7 million over 1H2020, compared to $48.2 million during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Hungary amounted to $6.7 million over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $5.9 million during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Hungary stood at about $59.6 million over the reporting period, compared to $42.3 million during the same period of 2019. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh "We're thrilled to partner with Todd Snyder to put his incredible design touch on one of our brand new Treetop Lodges, while also celebrating L.L.Bean - a quintessential Maine brand," says Justin Grimes, Managing Director of Kennebunkport Resort Collection. "We are always seeking ways to offer our discerning guests new and exciting, yet upscale experiences at Hidden Pond, and we know they are going to be eager to stay in The From Away Lodge by Todd Snyder ." Blending Savile Row craftsmanship with a downtown New York aesthetic, Todd Snyder makes effortless everyday luxuries for the modern gentleman with a line that is relaxed, refined and always impeccably tailored. "I was honored to design this suite at Hidden Pond. Our From Away Lodge is inspired by our Fall 2020 Runway Collection, which we called From Away because when you're visiting Maine, you realize you're either a Maine-Ah (from Maine) or From Away (not from Maine). I had a lot of fun translating the collection's concept to the suite's design aesthetic," said Todd Snyder. "The suite is a reflection of how inspired I was by my first trip to Maine - the beauty of outdoor life, the people and the traditions. I hope a stay in this suite will help guests appreciate what makes Maine such a special destination." Todd Snyder, in collaboration with Hurlbutt Design and Maine-based designer Krista Stokes, combined traditional outdoor elements with premium textures and fabrics to create an upscale sanctuary amongst the enchanted woods where Hidden Pond is situated. Mirroring his runway collection, The From Away Lodge by Todd Snyder showcases a minimalist, contemporary design elevated by industrial accents. The interior's playful color palette of red, black, and green, with pops of orange, embraces Todd Snyder's forward-thinking design along with the hotel's coastal New England charm. Additionally, guests who book the suite can discover the allure of Maine and personify "The Way Life Should Be" by splurging on The From Away Experience Package, tailor made by Todd Snyder highlighting quintessential local and exclusive experiences in partnership with L.L.Bean's Outdoor Discovery Program. The immersive package starting at $10,500 includes: a five-night stay, a 30-minute one-on-one virtual styling session with Todd Snyder himself, a Todd Snyder VIP card, which entitles the individual to 30-percent off Todd Snyder merchandise for one year, a $200 L.L.Bean gift card, as well as a private session with the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Program where guests can choose from a variety of outdoor activities and lessons ranging from stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, clay-disc shooting, fly-casting, archery and more. The package will also include a Porch Picnic for two delivered to the Treetop Lodge as well as luxury roundtrip transportation to/from Portland International Airport (when needed). Rates for The From Away Lodge by Todd Snyder start at $1,000 per night. For additional information and to book a stay, visit https://hiddenpondmaine.com/guest-cottages/the-from-away-lodge-2 , email [email protected] or call (800) 573-7186. For more information on Todd Snyder and their upcoming "From Away" collection, visit http://toddsnyder.com/LLBeanxTS and sign up for early access. PR Contacts Hidden Pond / Kennebunkport Resort Collection LeCollectiveM [email protected] Todd Snyder Linda Gaunt Communications Maggie Long [email protected] L.L.Bean [email protected] SOURCE Hidden Pond Resort Gov. Mike Parsons clumsy mishandling of Missouris nascent medical marijuana industry isnt news even legislators from his own party have long knocked him for it but that mishandling now has a price tag attached to it: $1.3 million (and counting). Thats how much the state has spent so far in legal fees defending against action by companies that were denied marijuana licenses by the state, and that claim the process is compromised. Add this to Parsons even more egregious mismanagement of the pandemic response, and the challenge gets harder for him to convince voters hes the right person for this job. Missourians in 2018 approved a ballot measure with 66% of the vote to allow the sale of medical marijuana. Parson, who took over from disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens, was tasked with setting up the regulatory structure over the new industry. What followed was a textbook demonstration of how not to do it. The states limitation on the number of licenses for businesses to sell medical marijuana was controversial in itself. As former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Wolff wrote in a Post-Dispatch op-ed in March, such a limitation wasnt required by the constitutional amendment the voters passed, and it amounts to our states free-market Republicans having the state run a cartel. But the bigger problem was the way Parsons administration went about choosing winners and losers among the predictably huge pool of interested individuals and companies. The process has been rife with glaringly apparent conflicts of interest. Parsons administration chose former GOP state Rep. Lyndall Fraker to head the medical marijuana unit despite his lack of medical background. Frakers deputy, Amy Moore, is married to an attorney who represents clients in the marijuana industry, a situation that required Moore to be walled off from some decisions, Fraker told lawmakers in March. Powerful lobbyist and former House Speaker Steve Tilley, an old friend and major fundraiser to Parson, is also a major player in the new industry, drawing scrutiny from federal investigators. Then there is the application scorer chosen by the state, Nevada-based Wise Health Solutions, which is affiliated with Oaksterdam University, an unaccredited California institution that offers paying clients training on how to get into the cannabis business. As the Post-Dispatchs Jack Suntrup reports, the flood of expensive legal appeals by rejected applicants rests in part on the claim that Wise gave wildly different scores to businesses that provided identical answers on their applications. Why did it? How much of this is incompetence versus corruption is unclear, in part because of the administrations outrageous secrecy, which prompted a Post-Dispatch lawsuit. Whats beyond debate is that the rollout of this important and potentially advantageous industry for the state a fair election-year test of a sitting governor has been a debacle. LIVE Christmas Market Launches on November 15, 2020 A virtual interactive online Christmas market is the first of its kind NEWS PROVIDED BY Christkindl.LIVE Sept. 14, 2020 CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christkindl.LIVE is going to rescue Christmas in the coronavirus world. COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of many events around the world, and unfortunately, the traditional Christkindl market is no exception. Most cities in the US have made the decision to close the Christmas market for 2020. It's a disappointment for shoppers and vendors alike. But just because the physical market won't be open for shopping this holiday season doesn't mean that market-goers can't still get the Christkindl market experience: We're taking the traditional Christkindlmarket online, featuring novel Christmas gifts and ornaments, German Christmas nutcrackers and handmade wooden items like cuckoo clocks and pyramids. What sets Christkindl.LIVE apart from other e-commerce sites is its Christmas-centric focus. You won't find generic themes or random items here, just 200+ Christmas products from over 10 different brands. The online market will feature German black forest cuckoo clocks, Christmas nutcrackers, Christmas trees, LED lights, loose tea leaves, holiday knitted gloves and hats, Christmas jewelry and more. We'll have just about everything you would expect to find at a traditional Christkindl market. In addition, there will be a human booth assistant live streaming and interacting with customers during designated hours, who can answer specific questions you might have, show you a particular item in more detail, or help you find the perfect gift, just as they would if you walked up to a booth at a real-life Christkindl market. One positive the Christkindl.LIVE offers is engaging activities for families and kids. For example, you can text 'quiz' to (844) 233-7111 to answer 3 multiple-choice questions. "The Christkindl is a reference to which biblical figure?" The Christkindl.LIVE, a virtual Christmas market, will officially launch on Nov. 15, 2020. *Christkindl LIVE is an independent platform that was borne out of the idea that many local Christkindl markets will not be taking place live this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Christkindl LIVE is not affiliated with or part of any existing Christmas market in the US. SOURCE Christkindl LIVE CONTACT: hi@christkindl.live Related Links https://christkindl.live/ The Federal Court has found a Syrian man who was held in immigration detention after his visa was revoked rather than being sent home was falsely imprisoned and is entitled to damages, in a ruling with implications for other detainees. The man, who joined his mother in Australia on a child visa in May 2005, had his visa cancelled by the Immigration Minister on character grounds in October 2014 and was placed in immigration detention. The Federal Court ordered the man to be released from Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre immediately. Credit:DIAC images via Wikimedia Commons After cancelling his visa, the Commonwealth was legally obliged to remove him from Australia "as soon as reasonably practicable". The Commonwealth did not take steps to return him to his birth country, on the basis it had protection obligations not to send him to Syria. Despite this, the man was not granted a protection visa, leaving him in limbo in detention. Climbing Mountains: Dr. Phyllis Millers Upward Journey, is described as "an inspiring new biography about the extraordinary life of a prominent Tennessee physician." Written by local author, Lynelle Mason, the book profiles Dr. Millers humble beginnings in a Polk County farmstead to an outstanding career and her eventual election as the first woman to head the Tennessee Medical Association. Dr. Millers parents died while she was still in high school, but through tenacity and the assistance of some key teachers and mentors, she completed high school and earned a scholarship to Tennessee Technological University. She worked her way through college and the University of Tennessee School of Medicine with a variety of jobs, most notably in the urine room at John Gaskin Hospital. After a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Erlanger, Dr. Miller began a long career in Chattanooga, delivering thousands of babies over the next 20 years and caring for thousands of women. While caring for her patients, Dr. Miller garnered the respect of her peers. She was a trailblazer for women in medicine. Her firsts included serving as the first woman president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, the first woman president of the Tennessee Medical Association, and the first woman to serve as chief of staff at Erlanger Hospital. Dr. Miller continues to care for patients as part of Erlanger Womens Institute for Specialized Health. She is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Author Lynelle Mason spent 30 years as an elementary school educator in Georgia with 25 years as a special education resource teacher. She is the author of eight books, including her own autobiography, Tarnished Haloes, and her Trailblazer trilogy aimed at middle-grade youth to adults. Climbing Mountains is available locally through Dr. Miller at phyl0876@aol.com. The cost is $18 (plus $2.80 for shipping). It is also available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Good Faith Media at https://goodfaithmedia.org/product/climbing-mountains-by-lynelle-sweat-mason/. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Climbing Mountains will be donated to the Polk County Education Foundation to provide college scholarships for deserving students in Polk County. Dr. Miller was a founding member of the Foundation in 2004. China lodges solemn representations with U.S. for its report on Chinese military PLA Daily Source: CGTN.COM Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-09-13 15:22:46 A spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday expressed China's strong dissatisfaction with a report released by the U.S. Department of Defense on September 1, stating that it misinterpreted China's national defense policy. The U.S. Department of Defense's 2020 China Military Power Report published on September 1 has twisted China's defense policies and military strategies, said the ministry spokesperson Wu Qian. "The Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the report and lodged solemn representations to the United States," said the spokesperson. The spokesperson rejected the groundless accusation from the U.S. on China's military modernization, defense expenditure, nuclear policy and Taiwan-related issues, saying the report aims to hype up the so-called "Chinese military threat" and misinterpreted China's national defense policy and military strategies. "It is another example of U.S. defaming China's national defense and military modernization," noted Wu. Wu said the U.S. has long been recognized as the troublemaker and violator of world peace and order, citing Iraq, Syria and Libya as examples and pointing out U.S. military operations has resulted in over 800,000 casualties and millions internally displaced. He said the U.S. should review its own behavior and contribute to the sound development of the bilateral relations. Reiterating China's firm stance on the one-China principle, Wu attributed the tensions in the Taiwan Strait to the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) refusal of national reunification and what he called foreign interference in Taiwan affairs. "'Taiwan Independence' is a dead end," said Wu, warning the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take all necessary measures to defeat any plots that attempt to separate Taiwan from China and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The PLA, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has always borne in mind its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, Wu stressed, adding the PLA's commitment is recognized by the people through great contributions and sacrifice in tackling major natural disasters and protecting people's safety and property. The spokesperson continued by dismissing the so-called China Threat Theory, reiterating that China stays committed to peaceful development and defensive military strategies. "China's military development purely aims to defend its national sovereignty." According to Wu, who addressed the Chinese military as a staunch force for world peace, going global for the Chinese military brings the world safety rather than threats. It will provide opportunities rather than challenges, Wu assured. He referred to the international military cooperation China proposed in the period of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, during which the Chinese military actively participated in international communication and exchanges. We viewed the efforts as proof of the Chinese military shouldering its international responsibilities with concrete actions. The Chinese military will stay committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the vision of a community with shared future for mankind, Wu pledged, adding the Chinese military will always be a defender of and contributor to world peace and development. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Netflix has acquired Maclom & Marie, a film starring Zendaya and John David Washington that was shot secretly during quarantine, for a whopping $30 million. A number of buyers watched promo footage from the film, including HBO and Amazon who were potential buyers, according to Deadline. The $30 million acquisition is the largest price ever paid for a film acquisition out of a film festival, with the deal struck at the Toronto International Film Festival, which has largely gone virtual/digital this year. New film: Netflix has acquired Maclom & Marie, a film starring Zendaya and John David Washington that was shot secretly during quarantine, for a whopping $30 million The film was also pursued by a number of other buyers, including Searchlight, MGM, Apple, A24 and Focus Features. The story follows a filmmaker (Washington) who returns home with his girlfriend (Zendaya) following a whirlwind premiere of his movie. As the filmmaker awaits the film's imminent critical and commercial success, revelations come out about the couple that tests their relationship's strength. Pursued: The film was also pursued by a number of other buyers, including Searchlight, MGM, Apple, A24 and Focus Features The film was written and directed by Sam Levinson, the son of director Barry Levinson who also created Zendaya's HBO series Euphoria. 'I am so grateful to this cast and crew, many of whom are my Euphoria family, for coming together during such uncertain times,' Levinson said in a statement. 'We felt privileged to be able to make this film together and we did so with a lot of love,' he added. Zendaya's show: The film was written and directed by Sam Levinson, the son of director Barry Levinson who also created Zendaya's HBO series Euphoria 'We are all thrilled that it has ended up with Netflix which is unparalleled in allowing filmmakers the freedom to tell their stories that reach audiences all over the world,' he concluded. The film reportedly came about after production shut down on the second season of Euphoria, with Zendaya asking Levinson to write and direct a movie with her during quarantine. Filming took place between June 17 and July 2 at Feldman Architectures Caterpillar House, an environmentally conscious glass architectural marvel in Carmel, CA. Quarantine film: The film reportedly came about after production shut down on the second season of Euphoria, with Zendaya asking Levinson to write and direct a movie with her during quarantine Filming: Filming took place between June 17 and July 2 at Feldman Architectures Caterpillar House, an environmentally conscious glass architectural marvel in Carmel, CA The production was in compliance with WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA, and extensive COVID-19 safety protocols. The production will also share a portion of proceeds from the sale to Feeding America. Zendaya will next be seen on the big screen in the highly-anticipated sci-fi film Dune, in theaters December 18, with Washington currently starring in Tenet. Charity: The production will also share a portion of proceeds from the sale to Feeding America Former President and Flagbearer of the opposition NDC, John Mahama, has made a strong case for the legalization of commercial motorbike transport aka OKADA He has insisted and declared that OKADA has come to stay and the only time to regulate the sector is NOW! John Mahama is also calling on his critics to stop behaving like ostriches" because nothing will stop the NDC from legalizing OKADA. Mr. Mahama made these comments on Monday, September 14, 2020, when he was met by the leadership of the okada business at the premises of Class FM where he had an interview. He added that okada is the only means of transport for some people in some parts of the country. When I announced our intention to legalise okada and regulate it, there were varied opinions on it. We cannot behave like ostriches with our heads in the sand because its a business that has come to stay and sustaining many people. We like it or not, it is reality and so its better we legalise and regulate and make it safe so that they can become part of our transport modes. There are some people who ride motorcycles to work every day because that is the means of transport they can afford. There are those who ride it to deliver parcels, food and other items and there are others who use it for commercial purposes and people sit behind, and they take them from one location to another. If we legalise it, we will be able to make it safer. We will be able to ensure that there is some insurance for the person sitting on it so if anything happens the person is covered. The leadership of the Association also thanked Mr. Mahama for recognising their business and promised to support and campaign for him in the upcoming 2020 elections. We are here to assure you that we are so happy you have realised that the work we do is important and you have assured to legalise it for us. We believe and know that you are going to put things in place to make our work safer. On the day you launched your manifesto, we saw our work in it, and we were so happy. Others dont know some of us are also family and have children that depend on us and are of age to vote and all. We want to assure you that we are going to join you and do the campaign together with. Work towards proper transport plan, not legalising okadas Economist Meanwhile, Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie , an economist, has urged the National Democratic Congress to come up with a more substantive plan for the transport sector than simply legalising commercial motor transport. Speaking on The Big Issue, he said he was against the NDC's plan to legalise okada operations. If they are saying they are going to legalise it because it has come to stay, that I will not support. Dr. Sarkodie also said it was not prudent to compare Ghana to other countries like Nigeria that have mainstream use of okada. I have heard people say we should legalise okada because okada has come to stay. I do not support this argument. Nigeria is not our model. What is the Ghana model in terms of transportation? ---CitiNewsRoom Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Monday won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership vote and will secure the post of the prime minister. Photograph: @sugawitter According to the final count, Suga secured 377 votes, followed far behind by former foreign minister Fumio Kishida with 89 votes and former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba with 68 votes. On Wednesday, the Japanese Parliament will confirm Suga as the head of government, replacing long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who unexpectedly announced in late August his decision to resign due to health problems. Suga pledged to continue the policy of his predecessor. "A political vacuum is inadmissible amid the ongoing national crisis in light of the coronavirus infection. I plan to inherit and develop the effort made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," Suga said, as aired by the NHK broadcaster. Techfest, the annual science and technology festival of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, launched a nationwide initiative for college-goers to address mental health concerns among the youth amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The initiative will comprise organising extensive workshops that will be attended by over 90 counsellors from across the country. The festival committee has also launched a section on its official website that will connect students to counsellors and help fight the stigma attached to mental illnesses. It is called HOPE (Healing Occurs with Positivity and Expression). Also Read: Election commissions tech advisory panel to assess options for remote voting The website will feature an interactive query section where the students will be able to post their queries and mental health-related issues anonymously and get help from counsellors. The website will also host helpline numbers of more than 10 prominent NGOs (non-governmental organisations) from across the country. Blogs addressing general mental health issues will be also published on the website, said a spokesperson for Techfest. On Sunday afternoon, the Techfest team started the initiative with an Instagram Live with Radhika Madan, an actor, and Akila Maheshwari, a trustee and the founder of NAMI Indiaa non-profit working to eradicate and treatment of mental illness in the country by integrating and involving consumers, mentally-challenged people, doctors, healthcare workers, and the government. The website was launched on Sunday and the workshops are expected to begin on September 26. SoftBank Group Corp said on Monday it has agreed to sell chip designer ARM to Nvidia Corp for as much as $40 billion in a deal set to reshape the semiconductor landscape. The deal puts a vital supplier to Apple Inc and others across the industry under the control of a single player and will face potential pushback from regulators and Nvidia rivals. Nvidia will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in shares and $12 billion in cash, including $2 billion on signing. The deal will see SoftBank and the $100 billion Vision Fund, which has a 25% stake in ARM, take a stake in Nvidia of between 6.7% and 8.1%. SoftBank could also be paid an additional $5 billion in cash or shares depending on the chip designer's business performance, with ARM employees to be paid $1.5 billion in Nvidia shares. The sale marks an early exit for SoftBank, four years after the $32 billion acquisition of the British chip technology firm. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has lionised the potential of ARM but is slashing his stakes in major assets to raise cash. SoftBank executives, frustrated at the group's share performance, have held early stage talks about taking the Japanese technology group private, a source told Reuters. Those talks could gain momentum following the ARM sale. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals including in Britain, the United States and China and is expected to close in March 2022. With potential pushback looming, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasised he will retain ARM's neutral licensing model and expand it by licensing out Nvidia intellectual property for the first time. Nvidia said it will licence its flagship graphical processor unit through ARM's network of silicon partners. It will build chips for devices like self-driving cars but also make its technology available for others. The companies did not discuss the deal with the British government until shortly before the announcement because the talks were secret, Huang said. A new artificial intelligence research center will be built at ARM's Cambridge headquarters. "Cambridge is going to be a site of growth," Huang said. China Scrutiny ARM will not become subject to U.S. export controls under the deal, Huang said. The purchase is likely to come under close scrutiny in China, where thousands of companies from Huawei to small startups use ARM technology. Nvidia will take control of the minority stake in joint venture ARM China. ARM is in dispute with the venture, which licenses chip architecture to local companies, over its management. Nvidia began as a graphics chip designer and has expanded into products for areas including artificial intelligence and data centers. The ARM acquisition will put Nvidia into even more intense competition with rivals in the data center chip market such as Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc because ARM has been developing technology to compete with their chips. In what would amount to a direct challenge to those rivals, Huang said it is "possible" Nvidia will build its own server chips based on ARM designs. Nvidia is buying up technologies in parts of the booming data center business where it does not currently play. In April it completed the purchase of Israel-based Mellanox Inc, which makes high-speed networking technology that is used in data centers and supercomputers. ARM does not make chips but instead has created an instruction set architecture - the most fundamental intellectual property that underpins computing chips - on which it bases designs for computing cores. ARM licenses its chip designs and technology to companies like Qualcomm Inc, Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which in turn use the technology in their chips for smartphones and other devices. Apple's forthcoming Mac computers will use ARM-based chips. Chief of Defence Intelligence comments on threats the UK will face in coming decades Lieutenant-General Jim Hockenhull looks to the future, outlining the changing character of the threat and the role of UK Defence 13 September 2020 The UK's adversaries are developing new ways of operating, backed up by cutting edge military capabilities that leverage advanced technologies, the Chief of Defence Intelligence today warns. In the first ever media briefing at Defence Intelligence's Cambridgeshire base, Lt Gen Hockenhull has said that the shifting global picture has changed the character of warfare in ways that will challenge the West to keep pace with adversaries who do not play by the rules. Global players such as Russia and China continually challenge the existing order without prompting direct conflict, operating in the expanding grey-zone between war and peacetime. Conflict is bleeding into new domains, such as cyber and space, threatening our cohesion, our resilience and our global interests. Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant-General Jim Hockenhull said: Whilst conventional threats remain, we have seen our adversaries invest in Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and other ground-breaking technologies, whilst also supercharging more traditional techniques of influence and leverage. As we have seen in Salisbury, hostile states are willing to take incredible risks. We must make sure that we have both the intent and the capability to ensure that such wanton acts of irresponsibility will not go unpunished. Traditionally more comfortable in the shadows, Defence Intelligence [DI] have been brought to the fore by recent developments. Tasked with watching for global instability, tracking threats to the UK and monitoring human rights violations, amongst other things, analysts at DI provide advice to senior officials, shaping the Government's approach to emerging threats and supporting UK forces deployed across the globe. DI are already well placed to make this shift. Operating the world's only fully integrated TOP SECRET collaboration centre, they are already working closely with 5 Eyes partners and other allied intelligence agencies. Moreover, in their support to the Coronavirus response, they have already proved their agility and adaptability when faced with new challenges. Possessing the UK's sole strategic medical intelligence capability, they rapidly shifted focus the Covid Assessment Team, or CAT. This moved their analysts from tasks such as assessing the UK's overseas medical capabilities and understanding bio-hacking, to assessing the current and future threat posed by COVID-19. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Variable clouds with snow showers. Areas of freezing rain possible. Temps nearly steady around 30. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%.. Tonight Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Areas of freezing rain possible. Low around 20F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian, was wrongly imprisoned on death row in Pakistan for 10 years. Now, safely in Canada, she speaks to the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about her plight, and that of girls and religious minorities all over Pakistan. Bibi has become a symbol of the persecution Christian minorities face around the world. In her conversation with Alessandro Monteduro, the director of ACN's Italian Office, Bibi spoke about the suffering of many young Pakistani girls, who are abducted and forced to convert and marry against their wills. In response to two young girls, Huma Younus and Maira Shahbaz, both victim of such abuse, Asia Bibi stated, "I know that these girls are being persecuted and I appeal to Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, please help our young girls, because none of them should have to suffer like this!" Parallel to the abuse of young girls in Pakistan are Pakistan's "anti-blasphemy" laws. These laws, according to ACN's regular report on Religious Freedom Worldwide, were incorporated relatively recently in 1986 and create a severe restriction on religious freedom. Any type of derogatory comment towards Islam or defilement of its Holy Scriptures can be punishable by imprisonment for life or a death sentence. Thus these laws can be used by the government to persecute religious minorities such as Bibi, a Christian and mother of five children. Bibi, wrongly accused by these laws and imprisoned for so long unable to see her family, hopes to use her story of suffering to inspire change and help others in her situation. When speaking to Monteduro, Bibi explained, "At the moment of the founding of Pakistan and its separation from India, our founder Ali Jinnah, in his opening proclamation, guaranteed freedom of religion and thought to all citizens... But today there are some groups which are using the existing laws, and so I appeal to the Prime Minister of Pakistan-especially for the victims of the blasphemy laws and the girls who have been forcibly converted-to safeguard and protect the minorities, who are also Pakistani citizens." Bibi concluded her message, stating, "As a victim myself, I am speaking from my own experience. I suffered terribly and lived through so many difficulties, but now I am free and I hope that these laws can be changed in such a way as to prevent any abuse of them." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:12:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) touches elbows with his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Guan Jianwu) BISHKEK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov agreed to further deepen cooperation between the two countries here on Sunday. At a meeting with Aidarbekov, Wang noted that Kyrgyzstan is a friendly neighbor and a comprehensive strategic partner of China, and bilateral ties have developed substantially thanks to the support from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. The traditional friendship featuring mutual support and mutual aid has withstood the test of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been developing further during the countries' joint fight against the disease, adding a new dimension to their comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said. Wang said his visit was aimed at boosting China-Kyrgyzstan anti-COVID-19 cooperation, and China will continue to stand with the Kyrgyz people until the pandemic is completely defeated. China is leading in the global efforts in developing COVID-19 vaccine, which will be shared as a global public good after it has been successfully developed, said Wang. China is willing to give priority to the needs of Kyrgyzstan, work with the Kyrgyz side on vaccine cooperation and explore areas of cooperation on traditional Chinese medicine research and development for the benefit of the Kyrgyz people, he said. Wang said his visit also aimed to further consolidate mutual support, and the two neighbors are a community of shared interests and security. He said China, as a trustworthy friend of Kyrgyzstan, firmly backs the latter in following a development path that fits its national conditions and has the people's support, in defending its sovereignty, independence, dignity and rightful interests, and in opposing foreign interference in its internal affairs. China appreciates Kyrgyzstan's staunch support on issues concerning China's core interests, Wang said, adding that both countries should understand and trust each other, and jointly safeguard their rightful interests. Wang said his visit aimed to open win-win cooperation in the post-pandemic era, and both sides should make up for lost time by speeding up cooperation in various fields between the two countries. The Torugart checkpoint between China and Kyrgyzstan has reopened to facilitate cross-border cargo, while personnel of Chinese enterprises have been returning to Kyrgyzstan to restart major cooperative projects, Wang noted. Work has resumed in the North-South Alternative Road in Kyrgyzstan as well as the renovation of the road network in Bishkek and the country's irrigation system among other projects, he said. China is ready to import from Kyrgyzstan more high-quality agricultural products that are popular with the Chinese market, and welcomes the latter to participate in the third China International Import Expo, Wang said. At the meeting, Aidarbekov said Kyrgyzstan speaks highly of the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed the pace of bilateral cooperation, adding that leaders of both countries have been in close contact and reached important consensus. The Kyrgyz foreign minister said his country thanks China for the valuable anti-epidemic aid and hopes to continue to get support in areas of vaccines and traditional Chinese medicine. He said Kyrgyzstan will continue advancing its friendship with China, adhere to the one-China policy as always, support the development path chosen by the Chinese people, support China's principled position on issues relating to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and firmly oppose any foreign interference in China's internal affairs. He said Kyrgyzstan is willing to participate fully in the Belt and Road cooperation, push forward the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas including trade, investment, education and youth with China. China has successfully commenced the foreign ministers' meeting mechanism with five central Asian countries, which will serve as a new platform and open up broader prospect for the cooperation between central Asian countries and China, said Aidarbekov. After the talks, Wang and Aidarbekov met the press together and witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral cooperation. Enditem Our significant growth rate is a true testament to our world-class team. The Dallas Business Journal announced their rankings for the Middle Market 50 awards, an annual list of the fastest-growing private and public middle market companies in North Texas. Newline Interactive ranked 18th on the list in their first year. Official placements on the list are determined by a revenue growth percentage over a three year period from 2017 to 2019. Eligible companies must make a minimum of $10 million and a maximum of $1 billion in revenue each year. Newlines three year growth percentage was 146%, pushing them well into the top half of ranking companies. We are always honored to be included among the best businesses in North Texas, said Chris Bradford, Founder and President of Newline Interactive. Our significant growth rate is a true testament to our world-class team and our commitment to quality products, innovation, and providing best-in-class service and support. Newline Interactive joined companies such as Crayon Software Experts and Independent Financial on this years Middle Market 50 list, and was one of nine companies based in Plano. # # # About Newline Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Newline Interactive is a leading supplier of interactive touch screens and innovative software that increases productivity and enables collaboration. Newline Interactive develops products that help organizations in a wide range of vertical markets including financial services, education, healthcare, law enforcement, manufacturing, municipalities, and legal services. Compliance with social distancing guidelines is expected to decrease the spread, morbidity, and mortality related to any contagious disease. Social distancing, according to the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), is a non-pharmaceutical infection prevention and control intervention implemented to avoid/decrease contact between those who are infected with a disease-causing pathogen and those who are not, so as to stop or slow down the rate and extent of disease transmission in a community. As per the unlock guidelines issued on August 29, based on the directive related to social distancing, individuals must maintain a distance of six feet in public spaces. While social distancing is a widely-used term, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization has promoted the term physical distancing over social distancing. According to her, physical distancing is keeping the physical distance from people so that we can prevent the virus from transferring to one another. A close examination of all the unlock guidelines show that the need to maintain six feet distance in public spaces, while being an extremely important directive, is directing people to maintain physical distancing rather than social distancing. On May 10, when the total number of cases in the United Kingdom (UK) was 219,183, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined a conditional plan to reopen society. Accordingly, the public was allowed to enjoy parks and public spaces, and take unlimited outdoor exercise provided they were done only with members of the same household. Today when the doubling rate in the UK is 129 days, social distancing guidelines, among other things, suggest the following for people living in England: A maximum of six people can meet outdoors and indoors from multiple households; a household of more than six can gather in public or private, but not join members outside the household. While the physical distancing guidelines related to public spaces are well understood by people in India, adherence to the guidelines is another question. The guidelines on large public gatherings and congregations are clear they are prohibited, as was observed during the Ganesh Charturthi and Moharram festivals. But, with the easing of restrictions and phased reopening, what social distancing rules are people to follow related to their movement to other households for, presumably, avoidable social interactions? One can argue that all are expected to wear masks and practise social distancing, but the definition of social distancing is six feet distance. A recent research study finds that silent transmission of Covid-19 during the pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic stages was estimated to be responsible for more than half of the overall transmission. Pre-symptomatic Covid-19 patients can transmit the infection, unaware theyre carrying the virus, by leaving their infected droplets on surfaces. Further, a team of researchers from Princeton University and the University of Montpellier, while calculating infection probability during casual conversations in a social setting (across the table over lunch or parties) found that in a poorly-ventilated space, the infection risk of speaking with a superspreader, without a mask, even for less than one minute, is high even with a three-metre separation. A caveat: This paper is yet to be peer-reviewed. So, in the absence of detailed-and-clear social distancing guidelines, can we not make our own citizen-formulated ones? Learning from other nations, can we not, for instance, say we will physically meet members from another household only for essential purposes, like care-giving, and forsake physical interaction for all other avoidable purposes? Access to technology has ensured we dont get disconnected from our families and loved ones during the lockdown. Maybe our lives, for a few months more, will be dependent on mediated-technology. But arent we capable of these small sacrifices? For the numbers to come down, all of us must do our bit. Payal S Kapoor is associate professor Area Chair-Marketing FORE School of Management, New Delhi The views expressed are personal YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Air Defense and Electronic Warfare troops of the Armenian Armed Forces and the Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri held UAV detection and elimination drills as part of wider Armenia-Russia bilateral tactical battalion exercises in Armenia, Russias Southern Military District said in a news release. The ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft weapon system was employed for eliminating simulated enemy drones on 1500-meter altitude from up to 2500-meter distance. The electronic warfare troops deployed jammers to disrupt imaginary enemy communications and analyzed intelligence reports on imaginary enemy UAVs and transmitted the data to the air defense units. More than 1500 Armenian and Russian troops, 300 units of equipment, including fighter jets and gunships, are participating in the bilateral drills. Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan When the porter reached the Woodland Terrace and Hutchins Road intersection, he slowed to 7 mph, according to the lawsuit, and then sped into the intersection. He then struck Walsh, who did not have a stop sign, the suit alleged. Neoliberalism benefits the few and makes life for the many increasingly impossible. Big data and blanket surveillance give state and corporate intelligence confidence that they can pre-empt and manage mass, social reactions to neoliberalism. This article is an excerpt from my new book, The War on You. TARGET: EVERYONE In 1997, the U.S. Space Command published its Vision for 2020. The Vision says that military force is necessary to protect U.S. trade and investment. Colonial forces repelled Native American attacks, Navies enforced sea-based commerce, the Air Force had the advantage of the high ground. In modern times, space is an additional domain of warfare. The technologies that we take for grantedcargo tankers, computers, e-commerce, drones, GPS, the internet, jet aircraft, touchscreens, and the satellites that make these things possiblewere developed in the military sector with public treasure before their transfer to private, for-profit corporations. This, says the Space Command, will lead to Full Spectrum Dominance. A few years later, Dennis M. Bushnell, the chief scientist at NASAs Langley Research Center, gave a presentation based on the work of a host of powerful U.S. (and other) institutions, including: the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Forces Command, the National Research Council, and many others. Entitled Future Strategic Issues/Future Warfare [Circa 2025], the PowerPoint presentation anticipates: a) scenarios created by U.S. forces and agencies and b) scenarios to which they might have to respond. The projection is contingent on the use of hi-technology. According to the report there are/will be six Technological Ages of Humankind: Hunter/killer groups (sic) [million BC-10K BC]; Agriculture [10K BC-1800 AD]; Industrial [1800-1950]; IT [1950-2020]; Bio/Nano [2020-?]; Virtual. In the past, Hunter/gatherer groups fought over hunting grounds against other tribal bands and used handheld/thrown weapons. In the agricultural era, professional armies also used handheld/thrown weapons to fight over farm lands. In the industrial era, conscripted armies fought over natural resources, using mechanical and chemical weapons. In our time, IT/Bio/Bots (robots) are used to prevent societal disruption. The new enemy is everyone. Everyone. Similarly, a British Ministry of Defence projection to the year 2050 states: Warfare could become ever more personalised with individuals and their families being targeted in novel ways. KNOWLEDGE DOMINANCE The war on you is the militarization of everyday life with the express goal of controlling society, including your thoughts and actions. A U.S. Army document on information operations from 2003 specifically cites activists as potential threats to elite interests. Nonstate actors, ranging from drug cartels to social activists, are taking advantage of the possibilities the information environment offers, particularly with the commercialization of the internet. Info dominance as the Space Command calls it can counter these threats: these actors use the international news media to attempt to influence global public opinion and shape decision-maker perceptions. Founded in 1977, the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command featured an Information Dominance Center, itself founded in 1999 by the private, veteran-owned company, IIT. Information Operations in support of civil-military interactions is becoming increasingly more important as non-kinetic courses-of-action are required, wrote two researchers for the military in 1999. They also said that information operations, as defined by the Joint Chiefs of Staff JP 3-13 (1998) publication, are aimed at influencing the information and information systems of an adversary. They also confirm that [s]uch operations require the continuous and close integration of offensive and defensive activities and may involve public and civil affairs-related actions. They conclude: This capability begins the transition from Information Dominance to Knowledge Dominance. ATTUNED TO DISPARITIES The lines between law enforcement and militarism are blurred, as are the lines between military technology and civilian technology. Some police forces carry military-grade weapons. The same satellites that enable us to use smartphones enable the armed forces to operate. In a projection out to the year 2036, the British Ministry of Defence says that [t]he clear distinction between combatants and non-combatants will be increasingly difficult to discern, as the urban poor will be employed in the informal sector and will be highly vulnerable to externally-derived economic shocks and illicit exploitation (emphasize in original). This comes as Boris Johnson threatens to criminalize Extinction Rebellion and Donald Trump labels Black Lives Matter domestic terrorists. In 2017, the U.S. Army published The Operational Environment and the Changing Character of Future Warfare. The report reads: The convergence of more information and more people with fewer state resources will constrain governments efforts to address rampant poverty, violence, and pollution, and create a breeding ground for dissatisfaction among increasingly aware, yet still disempowered populations. The U.S. military, in some ways, survives by maintaining the unjust status quo. It justifies its existence to policymakers as the guarantor of the economic order. However, [a] global populace that is increasingly attuned and sensitive to disparities in economic resources and the diffusion of social influence, thanks in part to the internet and instant communication, will lead to further challenges to the status quo and lead to system rattling events. These, according to the military, include the Arab Spring, the Color Revolutions in Eastern Europe, the Greek monetary crisis, BREXIT, and the mass migrations to Europe from the Middle East and North Africa. The document might have also added to the list of unpredictable, life-changing political events COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, sparked them time round by the police murder of George Floyd. ZBELLION The majority of BLM protestors in the U.S. and around the world are Millennials (people born between circa mid-1980s and late-1990s) and Generation Z (GenZ, those born after circa late-90s). The Pentagon is worried about GenZ. Millennials matured as their dreams and aspirations crumbled in the wake of major geopolitical and financial events, meaning that they were demoralized in their teens and easier to control. But the more cynical GenZ was born into misery. Unlike Millennials, who learned how to use and indeed pioneered much of the technology available today, i.e., they were one step behind their rulers, GenZ was born hyper-connected, giving them unique opportunities to harness for a better world the very technologies that the Pentagon utilizes as tools of oppression. These views are expressed by military planners in their Joint Land, Air and Sea Strategic Special Program (JLASS). Providing no small insight into the thinking of the top generals, U.S. military war colleges planned to stop an imagined Zbellion in the year 2025. Although Millennials experienced [9/11 and the Great Recession] during their coming of age, Gen Z lived through them as part of their childhood, affecting their realism and world view, says the projection. The younger generation is the least likely to believe there is such a thing as the American Dream, and that the system is rigged against them. Frequently seeing themselves as agents for social change, they crave fulfillment and excitement in their job to help move the world forwarda dangerous proposition from elite viewpoints. CONCLUSION The seeds of resistance are taking root. The Progressive International has been established to counter the global political shift to the far-right. Extinction Rebellion activists risk prison and hefty fines to halt the climate emergency. Black Lives Matter activists are taking direct action to make both sides of the political establishment bend to their demands for justice and dignity. Thanks to Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party in the UK has been dragged kicking and screaming to the left. In the Fifth republique, the pro-immigrant, anti-climate change, La France insoumise (France Unbowed) has 500,000 members, despite being just four years old. In the U.S., progressives are rejecting the Republican Party that calls itself the Democratic Party and forming a long-overdue, third organization: Movement for a Peoples Party. People are taking action against the war on them and, in the spirit of international solidarity, could soon be active against the wars on others. United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for doing a great job in coronavirus testing, as he continued to slam his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for being a complete disaster in handling the swine flu during the previous administration. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump rallies with supporters at a campaign event in Henderson, Nevada, on September 13, 2020. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters "By far, we've tested more people than India, than many, many big countries put together. India is second (in coronavirus testing after the US). We're 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi calls me and says, what a job you've done with testing," Trump said at an election rally in Reno, Nevada. Trump is currently making a swing of some of the key states in the West Coast and has been spending a considerable amount of time in Nevada. The President said that Modi's comment on testing being done by the US needs to be explained to the media, which is after him over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I said, explain that to these dishonest people (media people) back (at the election rally). Biden's record demonstrates that if he had been in charge, when the China virus arrived, hundreds of thousands of more Americans would have died. "As vice president, he presided over the worst and the weakest and the slowest economic recovery, since the great depression," Trump said. Trump said that it was the most pathetic recovery, since the depression. "No state was hit harder by Biden's failure than Nevada. This is not the guy you want," he said. Trump said that he has spent the last four years bringing jobs back to America, securing borders, rebuilding the military and standing up to China, like never before. "Nobody had ever stood up to China like we have stood up to China and you haven't seen the last of it," he said. Biden, if he wins, would be controlled by the left radicals. "Now he wants to surrender our country to the violent left wing mob. If Biden wins, China wins. If Biden wins, the mob wins," Trump said. "If Biden wins the rioters win, the anarchists win, the flag burners, the anarchists...they all win," he alleged. Alleging that this is a rigged election, Trump said that this is the only way he could be defeated. "But I'll tell you what, he (Biden) is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics. He doesn't know he's alive. He doesn't know he's alive," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 18:57:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic is putting routine immunization for children in Fiji and other parts of the Pacific in danger. According to the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), the UNICEF in the Pacific said that it has recorded a decline in child vaccination coverage as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring about fear and uncertainty. The UNICEF is concerned that this could later lead to an increase of disease-susceptible children in the Pacific region. Fiji's Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Monday that Fiji has one of the highest immunization coverage rates globally. UNICEF Pacific Representative Sheldon Yett said that healthcare disruptions caused by COVID-19 could have a devastating impact on child mortality as mothers fear taking their children for immunization. "We have seen a drop-off. A small drop-off and fear where some mothers are afraid to take their children to get essential vaccines. That's a problem. We know diseases like measles can be very dangerous to children. The focus is on COVID-19 but there are other issues out there as well." Waqainabete said that COVID-19 does not erase other diseases and their impact, and they will ensure that every child gets their full immunization routine. He said that getting children immunized is part of the law and these vaccines are essential for protecting children from infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, tuberculosis, mumps or polio. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that misinformation about vaccines are also adding fuel to the fire, putting young lives at risk. It said that the avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunizations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself. Enditem Armonde Casagrande takes a photo of Mary Boylan in front of a Joe Biden cutout in Pennsylvania's Luzerne County. (Aimee Dilger / Associated Press) There are no mass protests over racial injustice or police brutality here, and the only fires or violence Wendy Williams encounters are on television and online. Yet the spotty images of unrest in faraway Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis., linger in her mind. If anything, she'd like President Trump to crack down harder, to follow through on his threats to send more troops to quash the protests. She wishes he didn't say so many inflammatory things, yet resents those who label him a racist. "There's always been racism. There's always gonna be racism, but it's not him that's doing it," Williams, a white, 53-year-old stay-at-home mom, said outside a Walmart. "It's the Democrats and the media that are getting it out there and keeping it out there. And if the riots don't get taken care of, it's just making it worse." Williams said she did not vote in presidential elections before Trump came along in 2016. Now, she is an essential part of his 2020 coalition. She lives in Wilkes-Barre, in blue-collar Luzerne County, one of three Pennsylvania counties that flipped from blue to red in 2016 and helped give Trump the state and a narrow electoral college victory. Trump's racially loaded calls for "law and order" in the face of mostly peaceful protests, and his dire warnings that Democratic nominee Joe Biden will "demolish the suburbs," have alienated some voters in the actual suburbs, where Black and Latino populations are growing and many educated white women are abandoning the Republican Party. But Trump's appeals to the grievances of white supporters including his recent order to purge the federal government of racial sensitivity training appear to be resonating with voters in down-at-the-heels industrial cities such as Wilkes-Barre, where his campaign hopes for a surge of white working-class voters. Trumps promises to crack down on "chaos" in cities actually play better with voters that are far away from the unrest, said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Poll. Story continues Polls show Biden leading Trump by 5 percentage points in Pennsylvania, according to an average compiled Friday by FiveThirtyEight. Both campaigns agree that Trump's best chance to overtake Biden in the state is to get more rural and small-town voters to counter Biden's strength in and around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Luzerne County is overwhelmingly white, although it has grown more diverse in the last decade. Black and Latino residents account for 21% of the population of 317,000. Most residents live in single-family houses or duplexes, many with freshly mowed lawns and a few stray tires, well-used porches and American flags. Railroad tracks, Catholic churches and views of billowing smokestacks and the Pocono Mountains are never far. The old Sears and Bon-Ton stores in the Wyoming Valley Mall are vacant, along with much of the food court. A pair of universities have taken over many of the buildings downtown. Most shopping takes place at big-box stores and supermarkets at the top of the hill. Interviews with voters here largely confirm what polls say about Trump. People either love him or hate him, with even fewer persuadable voters than four years ago, despite a flailing economy and a coronavirus outbreak that has killed 190,000 Americans and continues to spread. Those who like Trump tend to overlook or forgive his flawed handling of the pandemic, along with the scandals and character issues cited by Biden supporters. Many of Trump's supporters get their news from Trump-friendly sources and agree with the president that Biden is too far left or mentally frail, ignoring Biden's efforts to reassure voters that he is neither. Trump "is the first one, the first president in my lifetime and I'm 53 to actually keep the promises that he said he was going to do," Williams said. Research shows Trump has fulfilled fewer of his campaign promises than other recent presidents. Those who oppose Trump say they are frustrated that his supporters don't see that he's "the biggest phony that ever existed," as Cynthia Bhagat put it. The 80-year-old retiree volunteered for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and plans to make calls for Biden. But Bhagat said she no longer recognizes her community, and not just because the coal mines that dominated the region decades ago have been replaced by warehouses for Adidas and Chewy pet foods. "This was all Democratic when I was born and it's now Trump country and I don't understand it," she said, pointing to Trump's supporters among her cousins as evidence of that shift. She said her children, whose father was northern Indian Sikh, faced "very subtle in-grown racism" when they were growing up, and she sees racial prejudice as pernicious. "Trump just presses that button," she said. Ashley Murray, of Sherman Hills, Pa., plans to vote for Joe Biden. She says people in her community support Trump because it is largely white and "they feel like he's saying things that they want to say." (Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times) Ashley Murray, a 33-year-old nursing home employee, sees a similar dynamic, even as she notes the irony that at least some Trump voters here helped put President Obama in office twice. Trump is "the part of them that, because most of the county is basically white, and they feel like he's saying things that they want to say, doing things that they want to do," she said. "They feel like he's standing up for them, even though he's not for them." Appeals to racial and cultural identity here predate Trump's rise. In 2006, Lou Barletta, then mayor of the second-largest city in the county, Hazleton, championed an ordinance that he said was designed to make life intolerable for immigrants who came to the country illegally. It included provisions to fine landlords and deny permits for businesses that hire them. Courts ruled the ordinance unconstitutional, but Barletta was elected to Congress in 2010 and was one of the first House members to endorse Trump, largely on the issue of immigration. He left office for an unsuccessful Senate run in 2018. Trump continues to rail against immigration this year but now uses his harshest rhetoric against protesters and Democrats. He argues that the country's real race problem is bias against white, not Black, Americans. "The Democrats never even mentioned the words LAW & ORDER at their National Convention," Trump tweeted Thursday. "If I dont win, Americas Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, 'Friendly Protesters.'" Biden has tried to make inroads here, delivering a recent speech in Pittsburgh about the unrest, and speaking often of his childhood in Scranton, just north of here. Trump has come more often, holding a campaign event in nearby Old Forge the night Biden accepted the Democratic nomination and sending Vice President Mike Pence soon after. Both candidates visited Shanksville on Friday, the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, for a memorial event. Trump's focus on the county, while potentially boosting support, raises questions about whether the president's campaign is as confident as it claims. Democrats hold advantages in new registrations and mail-in ballot applications, although Trump overcame the registration advantage in 2016. Even if Trump repeats his victory in Luzerne, Biden can make up the difference with increased turnout in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. Michael Truchon, a retired prison maintenance worker, applauds the president for putting "the hammer down" to stop people from tearing down monuments of Confederate generals and others. Truchon believes racism exists but says "the statistics are being skewed" when it comes to police shootings. "They're oppressed by the Democrats," he said of Black Americans. "They have the same opportunities I have." Tim Merli, of Jessup, Pa., says he has never voted in a presidential election but plans to vote for President Trump. He is rebuilding the curb at the old mall in Wilkes-Barre. (Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times) Tim Merli, 29, plans to vote for Trump after skipping previous elections. He said the president has no choice but to threaten the protesters. "I understand where they're coming from but, like, completely destroying something that's just going to make more anger and more retaliation and more problems to come," he said while repairing a curb at the mall. Some Trump supporters are uncomfortable with his rhetoric surrounding race. Alicia O'Donnell, a retired business analyst, points to Trump's work on sentencing reform as evidence he has helped Black inmates and said the president is simply offering to help cities deal with vandalism and violence when he calls for "law and order." "I just think he spews to Twitter quicker than he should," said O'Donnell, who voted in 2016 for the Libertarian candidate and plans to vote for Trump this time. A sign along the road in Mountain Top, Pa., in Luzerne County, one of three counties that flipped from blue to red in the 2016 presidential election. (Noah Bierman / Los Angeles Times) But in the hills overlooking the Susquehanna River, a highway is flanked with Trump signs and pro-police flags. A homemade sign shows a picture of Biden, scowling, surrounded by Democratic leaders and three of the four members of the Squad, prominent first-term liberal congresswomen of color. "OPEN BORDERS, SANCTUARY CITIES, MOB RULE," it warns. An obstacle to the Royal Canal Greenway project between Maynooth and Leixlip in North Kildare has been cleared, Kildare County Council has said. It had emerged in July that the National Transport Authority wanted to increase the agreed width of the route from 3m to 4m due to social distancing requirements in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. County Council engineers had insisted at the time that this wasnt possible due to the physical constraints beside the canal. However, the Council said on Friday last that the issue has been resolved and it is now expected that the tendering process will be completed early next year. A statement by the Council said: The Director of Services for Roads, Transportation and Public Safety and the Project Manager for the Royal Canal Greenway held a Microsoft Teams meeting with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to resolve outstanding design issues. At this meeting, agreement was reached to proceed with the scheme to final detailed design and tender in accordance with the Part 8 granted for the scheme. It is envisaged that the tendering process will be completed by Quarter 1, 2021 and contract awarded, subject to funding being confirmed by the NTA in 2021. The entire 84km route for pedestrians and cyclists runs between Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare and Dublin. The Maynooth to Moyvalley route is practically complete with Waterways Ireland preparing to install picnic benches and signage. Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock will be the towns closest to the new amenity. It will be Irelands biggest greenway once it is completed. The first stage is a 22km paddling trail in Westmeath from McNeads Bridge in Coralstown to Coolnahay townland. According to Waterways Ireland, the Greenway is a recreational, off-road route for walkers, cyclists and other non-motorised vehicles and will be free to everybody. Marketing experts will be hired by Waterways Ireland to promote the Greenway to locals and visitors. Local Kildare businesses will also be encouraged to set up services related to the Greenway such a bike hire business. THREE men appearing before the Special Criminal Court charged with involvement in the attempted murder of Christy Keane by the McCarthy-Dundon crime gang have been served with books of evidence this Monday morning. Mr Keane was shot a number of times as he parked his car on the grounds of the University of Limerick at around 6.35am on June 29, 2015. Noel Price (42) of Kileely Road, Kileely, is charged that with having knowledge of the existence of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation, that he assisted in making available a vehicle to that criminal organisation with the intention of facilitating the attempted murder of Mr Keane, or being reckless as to same. The offence is alleged to have occurred between June 27-29, 2015 at the car park. Co-accused John Costello (39) of Hennessy Avenue, Kileely, is charged with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, to wit the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation, and that he provided transport to persons with the intention of facilitating the commission of the attempted murder of Mr Keane at the same location on June 29, 2015. The third defendant, Larry McCarthy (42), of Tower Lodge, Old Cork Road, is charged with making a vehicle available to a criminal organisation, the McCarthy-Dundons, in the attempted murder of Mr Keane, between June 27-29, 2015. The alleged offences come under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt remanded all three men in custody to appear again before the non-jury court on November 2. No walk-in, drive-in or postal coronavirus tests are available for people with symptoms of the disease in England's 10 outbreak hotspots, it was claimed today. Swabs are not available in Bolton, which is fighting the largest outbreak of the virus in the country with an infection rate of 122 cases for every 100,000 people. The Government website where testing slots are booked also shows there are no tests available in Salford, Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Preston, Pendle, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester, according to LBC radio. When postcodes in each area are put into the testing system it allegedly comes up with the message: 'This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later.' The leader of the council in Bolton, which has Britain's highest infection rate, said there were 'major flaws' with the online booking system and that it was out of the council's control because the Government runs it. He said the issue was 'unacceptable'. It comes as Nicola Sturgeon today accused the UK government of trying to limit the number of slots available for testing in Scottish mobile and regional test centres. She said the Health Secretary had made the request after telling her a 'demand issue' had led to a reduction in test availability. In a humiliating performance for the government the testing shortage has come just days after Downing Street committed to 'Operation Moonshot', an ambitious plan to one day carry out 10million tests a day to track the virus in real time. Matt Hancock and his officials have repeatedly spoken of 'ramping up' testing capacity and boasted that Britain now does more swab tests than many of its neighbours. But the system seems, inexplicably, to be cracking under the pressure of carrying out the approximately 200,000 swabs per day before 'Moonshot' has even begun. The testing chief of NHS Test & Trace last week issued a public apology on Twitter and said lab capacity was to blame for slow turnaround times and people being unable to order swabs. It is not clear why labs are struggling to process the tests, which are the same as they have been throughout the pandemic. On September 10, 227,465 tests were processed while the Department of Health claimed it had the capacity to cope with 364,917 in a day. Coronavirus tests are currently unavailable in the ten centres of the UK's coronavirus outbreak, reports LBC. Pictured above is a testing centre in Bolton, northern England Those trying to get tests in the ten UK hotspots are being greeted with this message LBC's Westminster correspondent Ben Kentish said that when they tried to get tests in any of the ten areas, they were not offered one. 'The government testing website simply says the service is very busy and people should come back in a few hours,' he said. 'We tried to get a test in the top ten areas. In all ten they were unable to get any sort of tests in any of the ten areas.' Coronavirus test appointments are uploaded on the Government's testing portal throughout the day, meaning those looking to book a test are advised to check back regularly. UK'S COVID RESPONSE IS BEING LED BY A 'DAD'S ARMY' WITH LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE, CLAIM TWO OXFORD EXPERTS Britain's coronavirus response is being led by a 'Dad's Army' of well-paid people with no experience, two leading scientists have said as they called on Number 10 to stop panicking and scrap the controversial 'rule of six'. Professors Carl Heneghan and Tom Jefferson, from Oxford University, accused Boris Johnson of making a series of 'catastrophic' errors since returning to work in April, following his own battle with the killer virus. They said the country's pandemic response has suffered because it has been led by Government officials inexperienced in controlling public health. Health Secretary Matt Hancock, they pointed out, has had the job for only two years; chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty was appointed in 2019; Boris Johnson was elected last year; and the Joint Biosecurity Centre - created to fight the Covid-19 pandemic - is run by a spy. Professor Heneghan and Professor Jefferson warned the government's new move to limit gatherings - which came into force today - was 'disturbing' and had 'no scientific evidence to back it up'. They argued that it may instead end up having 'major consequences'. And in urging ministers to carry on with life because containing the spread of Covid-19 is 'unrealistic', they warned the 'roll of the dice' to crack down on large gatherings may tip the public over the edge and said it should be 'binned'. Gatherings of more than six people have been made illegal in a bid to stem a surge in coronavirus cases, which experts have warned is on the verge of spiralling out of control. Under-12s are exempt from the rules in Wales and Scotland. Advertisement Once each test is booked the site shows there are none available in the area at present. All the ten areas that currently do not have tests available are listed by Public Health England as the areas of England with the biggest coronavirus outbreaks. Their latest report placed Bolton at the top of the list, followed by Bradford with 72 cases per 100,000, Oldham with 66 cases per 100,000 and Salford with 62 cases per 100,000. Testing shortages came to the fore last week when people revealed they were either being sent dozens of miles away from home to get a test, while others were unable to get any at all. Online booking systems were unable to process requests for tests meaning people who thought they might have the coronavirus had to go without. In response the chief of testing at NHS Test & Trace, Sarah-Jane Marsh, issued a 'heartfelt apology' last week. Ms Marsh said there was capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point'. She added that the system is doing 'all it can to expand quickly'. There have been reports of people being told there are no appointments available at test centres in England and that there are no home tests kits available to send out. Ms Marsh wrote on Twitter: 'Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present. 'All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don't look overcrowded; it's our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly. 'We have additional NHS, Lighthouse, University and Partner Labs all due to open up imminently and we are also expanding the use of non-Laboratory based tests. The testing team work on this 18 hours a day, seven days a week. We recognise the country is depending on us.' Embarrassingly, the problems come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week committed to his Operation Moonshot and to getting mass testing up and running in the UK by next year. He said a pilot programme will be launched in Salford next month which will see audiences at both indoor and outdoor venues tested on the day to see if they are infectious. Those who test positive for coronavirus will be sent home while those who test negative will be allowed in. The PM said if the pilot is successful the measures could be rolled out nationwide and that he wanted everybody in the UK to eventually have access to daily coronavirus testing, with pregnancy-style checks providing results in as little as 15 minutes. Mr Johnson told a Downing Street coronavirus press conference that negative tests would effectively provide people with a 'passport' which would allow them a 'freedom to mingle with everybody else who is similarly not infectious in a way that is currently impossible'. The Prime Minister said he hoped the mass testing approach will be 'widespread by the spring'. Mr Johnson told a press conference last week that up until now testing has been used primarily to identify people who have the disease so they can be isolated from the rest of society. The PM said that will continue to be the priority with a goal of increasing testing capacity to 500,000 a day by the end of October. But he said that 'in the near future we want to start using testing to identify people who are negative... so we can allow them to behave in a more normal way'. He said new types of coronavirus tests which are 'simple, quick and scalable will become available' allowing for results in 90 or even 20 minutes and for tests to be administered in their millions everyday. Mr Johnson said: 'That level of testing would allow people to lead more normal lives, without the need for social distancing.' Ms Marsh said there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a 'critical pinch-point' Bolton has been placed under strengthened lockdown restrictions following a surge in cases, and last week became the first place in England to be forced to move pubs back to a takeaway only service. Other measures imposed include a limit on opening hours, with venues required to close from 10pm to 5am, and a law stating people cannot socialise outside of their household. A further 96 cases of people with coronavirus were confirmed yesterday in Bolton, bringing its cumulative total to 3,239. A spokesman for Bolton council said they are aware the Government is planning to open three new walk-in and drive-in test centres in their area so that more appointments will be available. Leader of the council, David Greenhalgh, said today: 'We completely understand how frustrating it is for people who are finding it difficult to book a test. 'This is an unacceptable situation, and myself and senior officers have escalated the issue to the highest levels. 'In our experience, there are major flaws with the online booking system, but this is a nationally run site, which is not locally run and is out of our control. 'We, as a local authority have done everything asked of us. Our teams have been working hard to increase testing capacity in Bolton two new test centres have opened in the borough and a third is due to open this week; and yet we know these two new sites are currently operating below capacity, and our own residents cannot access a local test. 'This is unacceptable and it needs to get sorted and the issues resolved, and I urge Government to treat this as a matter of the utmost priority. 'We would ask people to try booking an appointment in a few hours. Also, please only book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms or you have been asked to get tested.' Matt Hancock last week accused people of trying to get a coronavirus test when they didn't have symptoms of the virus, alleging they had seen a 25 per cent surge in demand for these cases. Guidance makes clear the tests are only for those who have symptoms, or who have been asked to get a test by authorities. Mr Hancock appealed for only those with symptoms to get a test, in response to a backlog caused by 'lab issues'. A sign in Bolton orders those suffering coronavirus symptoms to get a test, despite a lack of testing capacity Ms Sturgeon has accused the UK government of trying to limit the number of tests available in Scotland while speaking at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing. 'We were concerned over the weekend that one of the ways the UK Government was trying to deal with the backlog was to restrict access to testing, and the Health Secretary managed to avoid that happening in Scotland,' she said. She also expressed 'serious concern' about the testing backlog and urged Mr Hancock to share the 'full scale and nature of issues they are facing' so her Government could help to try and fix the problem. She continued: 'There was a proposal over the weekend that the available slots at mobile testing units and regional testing centres in Scotland would be reduced and the Health Secretary managed to avoid that happening so that we retained full capacity for Scotland. 'We have no indication at the moment that there is any significant issue in Scotland with people accessing testing slots. 'The issue that we do appear to be suffering some impacts from - and again it's a UK-wide issue - is a backlog in tests being processed that is then leading to a longer turnaround time.' Scotland's Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, said she had 'constructive conversations' with Mr Hancock and her Welsh counterpart Vaughan Gething about the backlog, which she said was caused by rising demand and an 'issue with the speed and capacity of processing the tests'. She added: 'I was pleased that we managed not to have the restrictions on access to testing slots that were originally being proposed, but this is work that we need to continue because we need to try as best we can to work cooperatively and to resolve this situation.' The Government's data shows that growth in testing capacity has largely stalled since mid-July, when around 350,000 tests were processed every day. On September 10, the latest day for which data is available, show 374,000 tests were processed by labs across the country. It comes as the UK records a sudden surge in coronavirus cases, with daily reported cases remaining above 2,000 for more than a week. A further 2, 621 cases of coronavirus were recorded today in the UK amid mounting fears of a second wave. Government statistics now show some 2,998 infections are being recorded each day, on average. For comparison, more than 3,300 cases were confirmed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Top experts insist the UK doesn't yet need to panic over the rising numbers because they are only a fraction of the 100,000-plus that occurred each day during the darkest period of the crisis. Other scientists, however, say action is needed to prevent Britain being hit by another wave. Another nine deaths from coronavirus were also recorded, taking the official number of coronavirus victims to 41,637. The UK's Department of Health has been contacted for comment. With the number of hospitalisations of patients with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on the rise, hospitals in Delhi have started running out of intensive care unit beds. Only 35% of the total 2,201 ICU beds earmarked for the treatment of Covid-19 patients across hospitals remain vacant as on Monday morning, according to the Delhi Corona App. With this in mind, the Delhi government yesterday ordered 28 big private hospitals to reserve 80% of their total ICU beds for Covid-19 patients. The total number of hospitalisations stood at 6,503, according to the daily health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Sunday. This has overshot the highest number of hospitalisations just over 6,200 - Delhi had seen during the surge in cases in June. Those in hospitals account for only about 22% of the total number of active cases or those still living with the infection in Delhi. The government had set up a committee in the beginning of June to assess the need for hospital beds. Based on the trends then, the committee had predicted that Delhi would need 15,000 beds by the end of June and 42,000 by mid-July. However, the numbers started declining in June-end. The government, in the meantime, had ramped up its bed capacity to over 15,000 and slowly started bringing it down in August when the number of new cases as well as hospitalisations saw a dip. Currently, Delhi has 14,397 beds earmarked for the treatment of Covid-19 patients across hospitals both government and private. Of these, only 15% beds are in the intensive care units and are either with or without ventilators. To increase the number of ICU beds, the government had first directed its own hospitals - Lok Nayak, Guru Teg Bahadur, and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital - to scale up the number of ICU beds. The three hospitals currently have 600 ICU beds of which almost 48% remain vacant. It is the big private multi-speciality hospitals that are running out of ICU beds, about 85% of the ICU beds in these hospitals are currently occupied. You see, the patients who had been delaying their surgeries and other planned procedures have started visiting the hospitals in the last one month, with most of the big private hospitals running at 90% of their total ICU capacity. If you look at the statistics from these bigger hospitals in the last three months, they received about 2.5 times non-Covid patients than Covid patients. This means the government would be jeopardising the lives of these non-Covid patients, said Girdhar Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers (India). Apart from that, this move is also penalising the private hospitals economically. When they say 80% of the ICU beds have to be reserved, it means the beds have to be reserved even if there arent any Covid-19 patients. But, the government would not be paying the hospitals. It is one thing to say, reserve 500 beds and we will pay for it. Besides, why should ICU beds be kept vacant when someone else might need it, said Gyani. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Daisy Kalnina, 33, founded salon gel polish brand The GelBottle Inc in 2017. Last year, it became the first official nail supplier to London Fashion Week and Kalnina launched its sister brand, Peacci. She lives in Brighton with her husband and three children. I wanted to become a professional painter. Unfortunately it's an uncertain path, and I come from a modest background. Age 15, I helped manage my mother's beauty salon. Later, I studied business and IT and started a double glazing company. But then the recession hit, and I had to close the business. Daisy Kalnina, 33, founded salon gel polish brand The GelBottle Inc in 2017 By 2012, I was a single mother with three children, so I decided to open a nail salon in my home. I thought, I can take my greatest passion art and put it on nails. It wasn't easy to balance childcare with working from home, so I found a retail space to rent in Brighton for 600 a month. I used my savings and applied for a government small business start-up grant, but I couldn't find a nail product that gave me the colours, pigments and quality I wanted even my favourite brand offered only 70 shades. So I decided to create my own line of professional gel polish, just for my clients. I did a lot of research and found a supplier who could send me different formulas to test. Daisy founded her company after being unable to find a nail product that gave her the colours, pigments and quality she wanted even her favourite brand offered only 70 shades. She then launched sister brand Peacci (pictured) The GelBottle Inc was born with a range of 300 colours. Our polishes are strong, long-wearing, 100 per cent cruelty-free and vegan. My customers were obsessed and pushed me to launch the brand nationwide and beyond. We began supplying nail artists in the U.S. and the Kardashians started using us, as did Jennifer Lopez and Dua Lipa. Then, in 2019, we became the first-ever official nail supplier to London Fashion Week. During Fashion Week, I noticed that models needed different nail looks multiple times a day. Long-lasting gel polish just wasn't going to be suitable, so I decided to create a sister brand offering home polish with a superior pigment. Turnover for the firm was 12million last year and they now have a huge warehouse in Shoreham Peacci launched in July 2019 with a collection of trend-led shades. Last year, turnover was 12 million. Today, we have a huge warehouse in Shoreham, West Sussex, where we employ 30 people. We can cater for any style and any age. For our nude collection, the aim is to launch something in every single skin tone, A to Z. I never became a painter, but I love that nail art really is a creative form of expression. The Associated Press Chinas Mars probe Tianwen-1, which blasted into space in July, is now more than 15 million kilometres from Earth en route to the red planet, the National Space Administration said Saturday. The administration said that Tianwen-1 was in stable condition, having completed its first mid-course orbital correction early last month. It will be about 195 million kilometres from Earth when it arrives at Mars around February, having travelled 470 million kilometres in all to get there. The administration, however, has yet to release information about a mysterious reusable experimental spacecraft that returned to Earth a week ago after a two-day flight. The spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, and marks Chinas most ambitious Mars mission yet as it seeks to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the planet. It was blasted into space aboard a Long March-5 on 23 July during a month when the United Arab Emirates and the US also took advantage of a shortened distance between the planets to launch similar missions. China said the reusable spacecraft returned to its designated landing site last Sunday, calling the flight a breakthrough that will eventually provide convenient round-trip transport to space at a low cost. No other details on the mission or the configuration of the spacecraft have been released. That is also seen as an attempt to put China on the leading edge of space flight. The US has for years been operating the secretive X-37B space plane that remains in orbit for months. Chinas military-backed space program has developed rapidly since it became just the third country after Russia and the US to put a man in space in 2003. Last year, Chinas Change-4 became the first spacecraft from any country to land on the far side of the moon. The program has also suffered the occasional setback. The northwestern satellite launch centre of Jiuquan reported that an optical satellite launched midday Saturday failed to enter its preset orbit after abnormalities were observed during the flight of its carrier rocket. Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden waves after delivering remarks in Warren, Mich., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Biden Pitches Tougher Gun Control After Deputy Ambush Attack Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sept. 13 called for tighter gun restrictions in the wake of what authorities described as an ambush, in which two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies were critically wounded. Weapons of war have no place in our communities, Biden wrote on Twitter. We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. His statement followed an earlier tweet in which he referred to a 10-year Senate ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, saying Congress should never have let it expire. As president, Ill take on the @NRA and well ban them once again. Bidens comments follow an earlier statement he made when he called the incident, in which a 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy were shot in Compton on Sept. 12, unconscionable. This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished, Biden wrote. Video footage of the shooting showed a suspect approaching the vehicle the deputies were sitting in before opening fire. The two officers are expected to recover, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sept. 13. After being shot at point-blank range, the officers were still able to call for help. They performed in an admirable fashion in spite of grave adversity, Villanueva said in a conversation with local religious leaders. God bless them. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) deputies walk outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters) Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) deputies stand outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters) President Donald Trump first responded to the ambush-style shooting on Sept. 13, referring to criminals who target law enforcement as animals that must be hit hard! If [the deputies] die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this! Trump later wrote. The LA County sheriff, in a tweet on Sept. 14, thanked Biden and Trump for expressing their sympathies. On behalf of @LASDHQ, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to both @RealDonaldTrump and @JoeBiden for reaching out today and offering their kind words regarding the horrific ambush which our two brave deputies survived last night, Villanueva wrote. Trump later went after Biden for allegedly being weak on crime. Hes not strong for law and order, and everybody knows that, Trump said of Biden on Sept. 13. When you see a scene like happened just last night in California with the two police peoplea woman, a manshot at stone cold short range. Trump and Republican allies have often cast Biden and Democratic elected officials as weak on crime in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests and a wave of anti-police sentiment following George Floyds death in May. Far-left activists and some Democratic politicians have also called to defund or abolish police departments over the summer. Biden has said he opposes defunding police departments. Lets get the facts straight. I not only dont want to defund the police, Biden said in August, I want to add $300 million to their local budgets to deal with community policing to get police and communities back together again. However, on July 8, Biden said he was in favor of redirecting some police funds to community policing and other initiatives when asked about it in an interview. Yes, absolutely, he replied. Trump has called himself the president of law and order. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 02:55:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Kremlin photo) Putin reiterated Moscow's position that Belarusians themselves, in a calm mode and in dialogue with each other, come to understand this situation and reach a common decision, without any prompts and pressure from outside. MOSCOW, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he hopes a constitutional reform planned by his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko will help settle the ongoing crisis in Belarus. "I am sure that, bearing in mind your experience in politics, work in this area will be organized at the highest level and this will create new frontiers in the development of your country's political system," Putin said at a meeting with Lukashenko in Russia's Sochi. He reiterated Moscow's position that Belarusians themselves, in a calm mode and in dialogue with each other, come to understand this situation and reach a common decision, without any prompts and pressure from outside. He added that Russia views Belarus as its closest ally and will fulfill all the obligations it has assumed in relation to the neighboring country. Putin recalled that Russia and Belarus have very deep and stable cooperation in various areas, with Russia being the biggest investor in the Belarusian economy. He said that the two countries need to make additional efforts to not only restore the trade and economic relations damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also create conditions for moving them forward. For this, Russia will provide Belarus with a state loan of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, Putin said. Moscow and Minsk should also continue cooperation in the military and defense sphere, Putin added. At the meeting, Lukashenko said that Russia and Belarus must keep conducting joint military drills and plan them for years to come. To this, Putin responded that the two countries conducted joint military activities almost every month and they will continue in accordance with joint agreements. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) A bill seeking to provide aid for households under tenancy agreements around has been filed in Congress. Albay Second District Representative and Ways and Means Committee Chair Joey Sarte Salceda has proposed House Bill No. 7665, which aims to make rent refinancing options available for over two million households. The bill also calls for an eviction moratorium of three months in order to give more time for tenants and landlords to renegotiate rental agreements. In the same manner, it will allow concerned agencies to implement the measures contained in the proposal. The Bayanihan rent deferments are good; but because it takes people longer than 3 months to find new jobs, we still run the risk of eviction, unless we can find ways to get pending rent paid now, and allow tenants more time to finance their rent, Salceda said. Deferments alone are unsustainable, because lessors many of which are retirees need to eat, too, he added. Under House Bill No. 7665, the Social Security System, the Government Service Insurance System, and the Pag-IBIG Fund are required to offer rent refinancing loans to their members at reasonable rates. The Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines are likewise mandated to provide loans at rates not higher than their lowest yielding ones. With the rent relief, tenants will be provided with an extended loan repayment period. Banks will be paying for their rent for some determined period. Furthermore, House Bill No. 7655 allows the acceptance of promissory notes, provided that government institutions will extend financial assistance to the tenants. The rent obligation will be converted into loan to prevent any tenant from being evicted within the period initially paid for. Upon implementation of the bill, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development will put up rental assistance centers to help tenants and lessors renegotiate terms of lease, and look for other assistance programs. Grace periods which disrupt the consistency of payments to lessors may also harm property owners typically, the elderly or the retired who rely on rental income as their main source of income. The lack of consistent rental income may hamper the property owners ability to maintain the quality of the property to the detriment of both the tenant and the owner, Salceda said. The House Ways and Means chair disclosed that some 2.7 million households occupy rented housing, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. He said it is estimated to have increased to 3.1 million this year. Our analysis of the newly unemployed shows that up to 3% of these households, or some 93,000 households, may be in danger of eviction due to nonpayment of rent dues, even with the Bayanihan measures [providing] rent relief, he noted. Salceda stressed that the measures under his proposal would complement [our] rent payment deferment strategies. He said such will be a more financially sustainable approach that would restore stability and consistency in the rent agreements for both tenants and lessors. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 17:25 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44bbc3f 1 National National-Police,raids,COVID-19,coronavirus Free The National Polices plan to involve community leaders and local gang leaders to help authorities raise awareness about the COVID-19 health protocols has been met with strong objections. The deputy National Police chief Comr. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono said the move was a result of the limited number of police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel. The assistance of community and gang leaders, he argued, was needed as part of efforts to discipline the public amid the ongoing pandemic, especially regarding mask-wearing and physical-distancing measures. In Indonesia, local gangs are linked to security in areas such as traditional markets and parking spots, which they protect in exchange for money. We don't recruit gang members, but we involve them. They are the informal part of raising public awareness, but not exactly to enforce local regulations," he said in a hearing with the House of Representatives on Monday. Gatot, who also serves as deputy chief executive of the country's COVID-19 handling committee, said in addition to gangs other community groups would also be involved such as ojek (motorcycle taxi) groups and hobby-based communities like motorcycle enthusiasts. In the hearing, he also asserted that the police and the TNI would supervise them so that they did not violate human rights. "We will use those who are already among the existing communities. If we do this together, we can stop virus transmission. Gatot went on to say that the police would also carry out operations throughout Indonesia involving various parties in order to uphold the mandatory health protocols. The ones who will enforce security will still be the local Public Order Agency [Satpol PP], said Gatot. Read also: Govt to enforce mandatory mask-wearing operation across Indonesia Didik Mukrianto of the Democratic Party criticized the initiative, saying that it could be counterproductive for society. "I appreciate the spirit of the National Police in responding to the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. However, the public perception of gangs is negative. They often disturb the communities themselves, Didik said. He added that the National Police must carefully recalculate the impact, including the psychological impact on society. "I hope the police will be confident and believe that their personnel are more than capable of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Theres no need to involve local gangs for this, he added. The Indonesian Market Traders Association (IKAPPI) Jakarta branch similarly rejected the plan, chairman of IKAPPI in Jakarta Miftahuddin said. He argued that instead of seeking help from local gangs, the authorities involve the scouts (Pramuka), traders associations, or heads of the blocks in the markets. "The involvement of traders itself could increase other traders awareness, Miftahuddin said as quoted by Tempo.co. He said traders in Jakarta had experienced a drop in revenue of around 60-70 percent due to the previous large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and they were currently trying to recover and restart their economic activities. They are recovering now. They will be intimidated by the presence of gang members watching their activities," he said. Appointment 14 September 2020 Conrad Bora Bora Nui has appointed Nathalie Debonnet as the new Commercial Director of the award-winning French Polynesian resort. Boasting 20 years of experience in hospitality, Nathalie is seasoned veteran with a proven track record in sales and marketing, specializing in the luxury sector. Most recently, Nathalie served for five years as Cluster Director of Sales & Marketing for the St. Regis Bora Bora and Le Meridien Bora Bora. Prior, Nathalie served as the Regional Director of Leisure Sales West Coast for the Leading Hotels of the World, accounting for the overall management of both the west coast travel industry sales and the regional sales office. Born in France, Nathalie is now based in Santa Monica where she has spent the last 12 years. Sola Yomi-Ajayi, the CEO of the United Bank for Africa (UBA)s operations in the United States, has been appointed to the Export-Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) Committee on Sub-Saharan Africa for 2020/2021. Established by the US Congress, the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee provides guidance and advice regarding US EXIM policies and programmes designed to support the expansion of financing for US manufactured goods and services in Sub-Saharan Africa. The committee is composed of prominent members of the US business community and Ms. Yomi-Ajayi is the sole representative of an African institution. UBA USA is the only Sub-Saharan African deposit-taking institution regulated in the United States and provides a unique portfolio of banking solutions to corporates, governments, multilaterals, and development organisations transacting with Africa. UBA USA can assist in trade finance, treasury, foreign exchange, transaction management and lending, drawing on UBAs seventy-year heritage and unique pan-African network. UBAs Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, stated that the appointment is recognition of the role UBA has played over decades in promoting and supporting large and small businesses in all its 20 countries of operations in Africa. The appointment of Sola, as a member of the US EXIM Advisory Committee for Sub-Saharan Africa is welcome news. UBAs global network of offices in New York, London and Paris, permits us to be the preferred financial intermediary between Africa and the rest of the world. Our mission at UBA is fully aligned with the objectives of the US EXIM. The EXIM President and Chairman, Kimberly Reed, who congratulated Yomi-Ajayi and the other appointees said, With six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world and more than one billion consumers, Africa is poised to play a pivotal role in the global economy. Supporting US exports to sub-Saharan Africa is one of our top priorities at EXIM, and my deepest congratulations goes to the new members of the EXIM Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee. Others appointed into the committee are Daniel Runde, who chairs the committee, C. Derek Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Energy and Natural Resource Security, Inc; Scott Eisner, Senior Vice President, African Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Rebecca Enonchong, Founder and Chief Executive Officer AppsTech; Lori Helmers, Executive Director/Americas Export Finance Head, JPMorgan Chase Bank; Florizelle Liser, President and Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Council on Africa; Mima Nedelcovych, Chairman, AfricaGlobal Schaffer; EE Okpa, Principal, The OKPA Co; Marise Duff Stewart, Director Customer and Industry Relations, Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company and Paul Sullivan, President International Business, Acrow Bridge. EXIM is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports American jobs by providing competitive and necessary export credit to support sales of U.S. goods and services to international buyers. United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading Pan-African financial institution, offering banking services to more than twenty-one million customers, across over 1,000 business offices and customer touch points, in 20 African countries. With banking operations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and presence in France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail; commercial and corporate banking; innovative cross-border payments and remittances; trade finance and ancillary banking services. The northern Gulf Coast was getting hit early Tuesday by slow-moving Hurricane Sally's outer bands, which arrived with the threat of strong winds, life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding. The storm strengthened earlier Monday to a category 2 hurricane and made its way across the Gulf of Mexico toward Mississippi and Alabama with 100-mph sustained winds. Sally is expected to make landfall late Tuesday or Wednesday. Hurricane warnings stretched from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Navarre, Florida, but forecasters while stressing significant uncertainty kept nudging the predicted track to the east. That eased fears in New Orleans, which once was in the storms crosshairs. Sally's slow speed prompted worries that the storm would stall out over land, dumping lots of water and flooding coastal communities. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered the state's beaches to close Monday afternoon in preparation for the storm. "I urge everyone to tune in to their trusted weather source, and pay attention to your local officials for updates regarding your area as they make further recommendations based off the unique needs of your community," Ivey said. The storm's maximum sustained winds of 100 mph are expected to grow stronger overnight Monday, the National Hurricane Center said. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Saturday. On Monday, the Hurricane Warning area included metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. While we ultimately don't know where Sally will make landfall, much of Southeast Louisiana is in the storm's cone and the risk of tropical storm force or hurricane strength winds continues to increase," Edwards said in a statement. This storm has the potential to be very serious. President Donald Trump on Monday night approved an emergency declaration for Alabama, which authorizes federal assistance, due to the hurricane. The president has also approved emergency declarations for Mississippi and Louisiana. Story continues My team and I are closely monitoring extremely dangerous Hurricane Sally. We are fully engaged with State & Local Leaders to assist the great people of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Be ready and listen to State and Local Leaders! @GovernorKayIvey @LouisianaGov @TateReeves Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2020 Louisiana is still reeling from Hurricane Laura, which hit in late August as a Category 4 storm and destroyed much of Lake Charles. Electric services remain severely limited in much of the city, which is also under a boil advisory for water. Tennessee authorities sent 35 members of various agencies to Louisiana to offer support to the weather battered state, including employees of the Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management and Nashville Fire Department. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also sent dozens of search and rescue personnel and boats to the state. Sally is not expected to bring as intense surges and winds as Laura, but at the mouth of the Mississippi River, storm surge levels, which vary based on the tidal cycles, could reach as high as 11 feet. On Monday night, the storm was 100 miles east of the Mississippi River and 135 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Sally was moving at 5 mph, the center said. During a news conference earlier, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said that although the forecast track for Sally had shifted east slightly, storm surge projections still topped nine feet for one coastal county and as much as 20 inches of rain could present "significant water challenges." "It is still anticipated that we will bear the brunt of this storm," he said. Image: Rodney and Peggy Thomas fill sandbags as Tropical Storm Sally approaches in Bay St. Louis (Jonathan Bachman / Reuters) In Mobile, Alabama, Ashley McGee Flores, 33, filled up her gas tank Monday and drove with her two young children to her sister's home 20 minutes inland. Though she doesn't live in an evacuation zone, she made the decision to leave after learning that the storm shifted. Hurricanes are "literally part of our life," she said in an interview Monday. "I just think people should have the mind-set of, 'I'd rather overprepare and it not be as bad as for us,' than to be underprepared and suffer the consequences of that. In the town of Mandeville, Louisiana, 35 miles north of New Orleans, Chris Yandle was cleaning a ditch in the front yard, filling his cars with gas and tying patio furniture together before evacuating with his family. Even though the shift in the hurricane's track suggested that the region may avoid a direct hit, he said, the storm's movement had made him even more frantic. "You think, Oh its not coming this way, and all of a sudden, four hours later, it has changed course," said Yandle, 38, a native of the area who's experienced other powerful hurricanes to hit Louisiana. For whatever reason, this storm is probably the most anxious Ive ever been, said Yandle, adding: "Its 2020. What other event can possibly happen that we havent gotten yet?" In New Orleans, meanwhile, officials were also preparing for the storm. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Monday that it was good news that the storm had shifted, but the water in some canals had still been drained to prepare for a downpour and all of the city's 99 drainage pumps were operational. "It can again easily move back," she said. "Forecasts are not certain where the landfall will be, but it is definitely in the path of the city of New Orleans." OnePlus Nord, the latest of the OnePlus series' sale has started today at 2 pm on the Amazon India website. The OnePlus Nord's 8+128GB and 12+256 GB versions are available for sale on Amazon. Along with this, OnePlus Q1 TVs, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 8, and the 8 Pro are also available for sale. The OnePlus Nord's 12+ 256 GB variant price is set at Rs 29,999 in the country. Its 6+64 GB version is priced Rs 24,999. Amazon India is offering a discount of Rs 1,000 for those who will pay with an ICICI bank credit card. The offer also applies to those purchasing the device with Credit Card/Debit Card EMI. Additionally, OnePlus will be offering no-cost EMIs while purchasing these products via an eligible ICICI Bank card. However, the instant discount on no-cost EMI will only be available on the transaction for and six months EMI periods and on transaction amounting to Rs 10,000 crore. OnePlus Nord specification: OnePlus Nord comes with a 6.4-HD inch full-HD+AMOLED display with a 90HZ refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The smartphone runs on the Android 10.0 + OxygenOS 10.0 operating system and powered by Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G Octa-core processor. The front camera is a 32 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide). The OnePlus Nord is fueled with Non-removable Li-Po 4115 mAh battery + Fast charging 30W, 70 per cent in 30 min. Meanwhile, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is also working on another device by early September with Snapdragon 662 or Snapdragon 665 chip priced between Rs 16,000 and Rs 18,000. OnePlus had earlier said that it is looking to introduce more affordable phones like Nord in the future. Also read: Chinese investment in India falls 28.5% YoY to $163.77 million in FY20 Also read: HCL Tech expects better Q2 revenue than previous forecast The United Arab Emirates (UAE) approved the use of an emergency COVID-19 vaccine for at-risk workers on Monday. The UAE government announced the approval of the coronavirus vaccine in a series of tweets. The vaccine will be available to first defense workers who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. The vaccine completed three phases of clinical trials. Those who took the trial vaccine developed antibodies and did not exhibit dangerous side effects, according to the Emirati government. COVID-19 is still spreading in the Emirates, as it is throughout the Gulf. The country registered 777 new cases of the virus on Monday. This brings the total number of active, confirmed cases in the country to 10,285, according to Ministry of Health and Prevention statistics. Mondays figure is close to the highest-ever daily toll in the country, according to Worldometer. The UAE is now largely open for normal activities. The international community has yet to agree on a vaccine for the virus, though several are deep in the process of development. Creating a vaccine is a priority for the UAE. In June, the UAE and Israel announced they would begin cooperating on research to fight the virus. The UAE and Israel have furthered their joint virus efforts since agreeing to normalize ties in August. After releasing a circular with details of this years end-of-term final year examinations, the University of Mumbai (MU) released another circular on Monday to clarify the multiple choice question (MCQ) format and the role of lead colleges. In Mondays circular, MU stated, The concept of a lead or cluster college is to bring together a group of affiliated colleges in a given geographical region offering similar programs and facilitate the synchronisation and coordination with respect to execution of various academic and examination work. The circular, signed by controller of examination Vinod Patil, reiterated that MCQs will be based only on what was taught in colleges until March 13 this year. For those appearing as repeater candidates, the exam will be on the complete portion. Lead colleges have the responsibilities of coordinating with affiliate colleges and encouraging involvement of teachers of all colleges of a particular subject to formulate a comprehensive bank of questions for MCQs. Inter-cluster support in order to facilitate preparation of a large base of MCQs will also be encouraged, says the circular. MCQs will make comprise 25-40 questions, depending upon the requirement of the subject, and the one-hour paper will be of maximum 50 marks. Some teachers complained the question bank drastically increases their workload. We have been asked to put together a question bank of 250 questions for every subject, and I alone teach four subjects across two departments. So the total workload is immense for the time we have in hand before exams for repeater candidates begins, said a professor of a suburban college on condition of anonymity. Some teachers have suggested colleges in each cluster should divide work on every subject and pile the MCQ question bank together to avoid repetition of questions. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Association of Non-Government Colleges, representing non-government colleges, has approached MU vice chancellor Suhas Pednekar on Monday requesting that autonomous colleges and cluster universities form one particular cluster and then follow MU guidelines as mentioned in the two circulars. Autonomous institutes can work in tandem, said T Shiware, chairman of the association. As per MUs schedule, practical exams for repeater candidates will begin on September 15 and theory exams will start from September 25. Exams for new candidates will take place between October 1 and 15. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 14 congratulated Rajya Sabha member Harivansh for getting re-elected as the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, calling him outstanding umpire who has been conducting proceedings in an impartial manner. Each member of the House shares the respect I hold for Harivanshji. He has earned the respect for his unbiased role in Parliament that strengthens our democracy, the prime minister said in Rajya Sabha on the first day of Monsoon Session. Harivansh, a Janata Dal (United) MP from Bihar was elected deputy chairman of the House second time. The Opposition had fielded Rashtriya Lok Dal MP Prof Manoj Kumar Jha as a joint candidate for the post that had fallen vacant in March. I want to congratulate Harivanshji. Be it as a journalist or social worker, he has endeared himself to many. We have all seen the manner in which he conducts the House proceedings, Modi said. Harivansh Ji is a torchbearer of democracy, hailing from Bihar, a land known for its democratic ethos. It is Bihar that has a close link with JP (Narayan) and Bapu's Champaran Satyagraha," he said. He said that after becoming an MP, Harivanshji has always ensured that all MPs become more dutiful. The journalist inside him has stayed alive, the PM said, praising the newly elected deputy chairpersons grassroots connections and association with former prime minister Chandrashekhar. Harivansh Ji belongs to all sides of the aisle. He has conducted proceedings in an impartial manner. He has been an outstanding umpire and will continue being so in the times to come. He has always been diligent in performing his duties, Modi said. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also congratulated Harivansh. This is the second time he has been elected as the deputy chairman of the House. I congratulate him. He has been just to members of all parties, Azad said. Here we are once again. Four years after Americans went to the polls and watched Hillary Clinton secure 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, only for him to walk off with the prize of the presidency regardless, the nation is set for another showdown. On 3 November, barely 50 days away, supporters of the two main parties will cast ballots for either Trump or Joe Biden, Barack Obamas vice-president who wanted to run in 2016, but who was pressured to step aside for Clinton by his boss. The Green Party and the Libertarians are also contesting, though nobody expects them to win. While the faces of Trump, 74, and 77-year-old Biden are well known, the landscape in which the election is being fought is anything but. In the autumn of 2016, unemployment stood at 4.9 per cent, down from 10 per cent at the height of the 2009 recession, and the 161,000 jobs added that October represented the 73rd consecutive month of job gains. Today, things feel sharply different, for several reasons. As the summer draws to an end, the coronavirus pandemic that has infected 6.4m Americans and killed 190,000 has also wrecked the economic fortunes of many. China warned US not to interfere with its relations with India With no sign of disengagement along LAC by China, Delhi pins hopes on diplomacy Over 60 Chinese soldiers killed in Galwan Valley clash claims US newspaper report India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 14: An American newspaper has claimed that over 60 Chinese soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley clash with India. News Week said in an article that in the June 15 clash 60 soldiers of the Chinese PLA had been killed. This comes weeks after another report said that 30 soldiers were killed in the clash, while attributing the same to US intelligence reports. The report also says that the failure of the PLA on the Indian border would have far reaching effects. The Chinese military had initially told the Chinese president, Xi Jinping that the focus should be on driving out opponents and recruiting loyalists. Chinese PLA wanted a repeat of Galwan Valley: Shots fired at LAC first time in 45 years The article says that the number of Chinese killed could exceed 60, but Beijing will not admit to the extent of the debacle. On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a two hour long meeting with the NSA and the military brass. Chief of Defence Staff later appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence. However the China issue was not discussed. The CDS agreed to a request by NCP leader, Sharad Pawar who sought to know the details of the border row and said that a letter would be submitted to the committee. These developments took place after External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi at Moscow. During the meeting both sides agreed that the troops should maintain proper distance and also ease tensions. The foreign ministers of India and China underlined the importance of disengagement at the Line of Actual Control as the first step towards deescalation of tensions. The military commanders of India and China will meet in the next couple of days to discuss disengagement from friction points along the LAC. While no date has been fixed as yet, sources say that there are some issues under discussion before the military commanders could meet. Officials say that the military commanders would work out the process to disengage. China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar agreed that the de-escalation should follow comprehensive disengagement. India told China that the massing of Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control is a cause of grave concern. Beijing was told that the provocative behaviour by the Chinese along the LAC showed complete disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols. When Yi said that the bi-lateral ties should continue on a parallel track, Jaishankar reminded him about the immense build up of Chinese troops. China has deployed 50,000 men, tanks, missiles and 150 aircraft. Yogi Adityanath warns: Rapists will be destroyed | Oneindia News While Yi spoke about thinning of troops, he had no clear answer about the massive troop build up. Jaishankar however added that while India is all in favour of bi-lateral ties, this could work well only if the borders were peaceful. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, September 14, 2020, 16:18 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 02:52:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Monday named eight challenges for future operations. He asked for efforts to ensure that all peace operations are coherent with, and contribute to overarching political strategies that further a positive peace. "Aiming for short-term stability is not enough. Our missions should be vectors for inclusive, responsive and transformative futures for the people we serve. This means linking particular mandate areas ... back to politics," he told the Security Council in an annual briefing on peacekeeping reform. He said the pandemic has shown, painfully, how widespread inequality is, and how social justice, development and peace go hand in hand. "We need more substantive, strategic integration with development and peacebuilding actors, on an ongoing basis, not only during drawdown and transitions." Lacroix called for efforts to deepen integration within UN peacekeeping operations, among civilian and uniformed components, as well as with the UN country team. He also called for cooperation with regional organizations and actors that have a tangible influence in conflict-affected countries. He stressed the need to improve performance of peace operations and to improve the safety and security of peacekeepers. He called for the strengthening of strategic guidance and planning capacities, including by developing clear objectives, and for efforts to achieve a more robust and agile posture, including by drawing upon new technologies and effective strategic communications. Finally, he asked for the application of a gender perspective across all areas of work. "Gender is not only about numbers, it is about the meaningful consideration of the gender-differentiated impacts of our work and what we hope to achieve." "Looking forward, we want UN peacekeeping to continue to be an indispensable multilateral tool in the peace and security toolbox in the years to come," said Lacroix. "We will need to continue to respond to the immediate challenges, including fragmented armed groups, weak commitment to peace by conflict actors, and the regionalization of conflict. Over the next five to 10 years, these challenges will be compounded by other ones. We are likely to see a world transformed by potentially lethal and disruptive technologies, climate-related disruptions, a more urbanized population." To have missions fit for purpose for the coming decades, the United Nations is examining responses to systemic issues, and has begun an internal reflection on the types of adaptations that will be required for UN peace operations to continue to make a difference in the future, he said. "As we mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, the need to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war' remains imperative as ever. It is only through strengthened joint and collective international action and solidarity that we can ensure that progress continues to be made in the right direction," he said. Enditem After being prescribed antibiotics for a suspected urinary tract infection (UTI), Adam Sawczuk was expecting to bounce back to health within days. Hed had stabbing pain and a dull ache in his groin for more than a week. My GP decided to prescribe stronger fluoroquinolone antibiotics [called ofloxacin] after a seven-day course of a milder antibiotic [doxycycline] hadnt worked, says Adam, 32, an NHS psychologist who lives in Carlisle, Cumbria. I wasnt happy about this because the type of infection hadnt even been confirmed yet. I knew certain bacteria only respond to specific drugs, so wanted to wait to confirm. But my GP said I should take a course of ofloxacin or have the same drug via an IV drip in hospital to prevent the infection worsening. Within hours I felt nauseous and became extremely sensitive to noise. I stayed still, and my symptoms settled after a few hours, so I took a second tablet. I woke that night with my heart racing my exercise tracker showed my heart rate was 160 beats per minute, the same as when Im running. After being prescribed antibiotics for a suspected urinary tract infection (UTI), Adam Sawczuk was expecting to bounce back to health within days The next day, more symptoms kicked in including crippling lower backache and nerve pain and, after reading about the drugs side-effects, Adam decided not to take any more ofloxacin tablets. It felt like my body was on fire, he says. I couldnt walk properly as my back was so painful. I rang my GP and they said it was my infection and sent me to A&E. He continues: The doctor there was dismissive when I suggested my symptoms could be a side-effect of the antibiotics. Instead, he wanted me to take more drugs gabapentin for nerve pain and sleeping pills but I refused. I know that those drugs can have side-effects, too. Adam went home, but over the next few days the nerve pain intensified, he developed tinnitus, and his heart rate was racing and then plunging. My dad took me back to A&E a couple of days later, he says. Id gone from running long distances to being unable to walk up the stairs. Fluoroquinolones and quinolones are antibiotics that work against bacteria such as salmonella, E.coli and pseudomonas (which cause lung infections and UTIs). They include ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin the drug Adam took. There are fears these are over-prescribed because it is estimated that in between 1 per cent and 15 per cent of cases they cause serious side-effects including tendon problems, such as Achilles tendon rupture, and nerve, joint and muscle pain. Other side-effects reported include fatigue, tinnitus and cardiac symptoms. These effects are believed to be caused by the drugs damaging the mitochondria a cells engines affecting repair to muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. Hed had stabbing pain and a dull ache in his groin for more than a week. My GP decided to prescribe stronger fluoroquinolone antibiotics [called ofloxacin (pictured)] after a seven-day course of a milder antibiotic [doxycycline] hadnt worked, says Adam, 32 Good Health first reported on these adverse side-effects in 2012, and in 2018 drug safety authority the European Medicines Agency (EMA) finally held a public hearing in London to take evidence from medical experts and affected patients. In March last year, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued guidance stressing that quinolones and fluoroquinolones should not be used to treat minor infections. However, Good Health has discovered that fluoroquinolones are still being widely prescribed. There were 589,116 prescriptions dispensed in 2019, according to NHS Digital, just less than 2 per cent of the 35 million antibiotics prescribed every year. And there have been more than 2,000 reports of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for fluoroquinolones since 2014. Most ADRs are not reported. Adam, 32, is an NHS psychologist who lives in Carlisle, Cumbria Adam says: I told an A&E consultant that Id read about fluoroquinolone toxicity side-effects in the scientific literature and was a health professional, and said I was convinced that was the cause. The doctor agreed to order the tests for high levels of inflammatory markers and low magnesium signs of fluoroquinolone toxicity and the results fitted. My dad and I were so relieved, we both cried. But his problems werent over, and within weeks he needed a wheelchair. After two months, Adam contacted Dr Neal Millar, an orthopaedic surgeon and scientist at the University of Glasgow one of only two doctors in the UK who specialises in fluoroquinolone toxicity and has made a gradual recovery with specialist physio. An MHRA spokesperson says: Following an EU-wide review, prompted by reports of disabling and long-lasting adverse reactions, including those affecting the muscles, joints and nervous system, the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in the UK has been restricted to serious, life-threatening bacterial infections. The guidance advises patients to stop treatment at the first signs of an adverse reaction. Dr Millar says: I am still seeing the same number of patients for side-effects of fluoroquinolones as I did before guidance was issued. I think the guidance has helped more patients get referrals for investigations to specialists. But I dont think it has had impact in terms of the infections for which quinolones are prescribed. SCREEN TIME: How what you watch affects your health This week: Disney films lift your mood Watching old Disney films can reduce negative feelings in patients undergoing physically demanding treatment, according to a study published in May on the JAMA Network Open platform. The researchers, from the Medical University of Vienna, in Austria, compared the responses of two groups of patients having chemotherapy. Each patient filled in a questionnaire about their mood, energy levels and feelings. The patients who watched the films felt less worried about their situation after treatment than those who didnt watch the films. Watching Disney films, particularly those you saw as a child, reminds you of a time when you had fewer worries and that can help take you away from causes of stress, says Bernie Wooder, a psychologist in Hertfordshire. On top of that, many films, such as Disneys The Little Mermaid, can have a theme of hope, strength and overcoming negativity. This can have a powerful effect on our own feelings. Advertisement GPs are busy and this guidance could have been missed, he adds. (In his evidence to the EMA, Dr Millar argued that the complication rate was not 1 per cent, as reported, but up to 15 per cent, and so quinolones should only be prescribed for the most serious cases in hospitals, but this was rejected by the EMA and the MHRA.) An MHRA spokeswoman told Good Health that a letter highlighting the new guidance was sent to thousands of GPs and hospital doctors in March 2019. A drug safety alert was published and an urgent safety message was sent to liaison officers in all NHS trusts. Separately, Dr Millar is concerned that patients who have had adverse effects are often told there is no treatment, but this is not true we can treat symptoms such as tendon problems, for instance, with specialist graded physiotherapy, he says. Dr Millar is working on a research project on quinolone toxicity with Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, NHS chair of pharmacogenetics and director of the Centre for Drug Safety Science at Liverpool University. Professor Pirmohamed says: What has been discovered more recently is that patients can be affected by multi-system side-effects, including memory problems, nerve pain, lethargy and fatigue. Two years on, Adam still suffers from pain, joint problems and tinnitus, but can walk again and is hoping to return to work next year. He brought a complaint about being prescribed a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, but it was rejected by NHS England. He intends to appeal to the Ombudsman. He says: My big fear is that there are so many other people whose symptoms are dismissed. quintoxsupport.co.uk The Irish community in the USSR was never large, but Irish people did find their ways into many corners of the revolutionary society. Some of Irelands expats in the Soviet state came from Ulster, with Donegal being particularly well represented in this small emigrant population. One of the first Donegal emigrants in the land of the Soviets was Thomas R Forde, a retired British naval captain, who emigrated from Donegal to Moscow in 1932 with dreams of becoming a carpenter. Forde once wrote a letter to a Moscow newspaper complaining that the Red Flag over the Kremlin Palace was being allowed to fly foul, a naval term meaning that the flag was being allowed to twist and contort around its pole. Particularly in the early post-revolutionary decades, most of the Irish emigrants to the USSR were drawn, like Forde, to the Red Flag and the ideology it represented: communism. Another member of Donegals radical diaspora was Margaret Daisy McMackin, who was born in Dunglow in 1899. McMackin was raised in Belfast, where she was educated, earning a BA in Celtic Languages and French at QUB. She spent most of her life in Dublin, with two interludes in the USSR. She first visited the USSR in 1932 as part of a teachers delegation and remained in Moscow after the tour ended, taking up work in the International Agrarian Institute in Moscow. In 1935, she returned to Moscow, where she fell in love with and married Padraic Breslin, yet another Irish emigrant in the USSR with a Donegal link: his father was from the Glenties. Tragically, Padraic Breslin died in 1942 in a labour camp in Kazan, a victim of the Stalinist terror. The Communist International, the organising body of world communist parties, maintained personnel files on all of the revolutionaries who came into its orbit. One of the largest Irish personnel files, totalling to more than 70 pages, belongs to the well-known Belfast communist Betty Sinclair. Expand Close Betty Sinclair. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Betty Sinclair. In 1933, Sinclair travelled to Moscow under the alias Jean Napier to study at the International Lenin School. Established in 1928, the International Lenin School was a clandestine training school for international revolutionaries. In her biographical statement prepared for the school in January 1934, Sinclair outlined her working-class credentials, describing her experience of the textile industry and noting that she had worked with the communist movement in Ireland since 1932. Much of the folder on Sinclair is taken up with newspaper clippings from her post-WW2 political career. Sinclair was one of the few Irish graduates of the Lenin School to have a long and prominent activist career in Ireland, another being Sean Murray, born in Cushendall, Co Antrim in 1898, who became the long-serving general secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland. The Troubles in Northern Ireland naturally attracted Press attention in the Soviet Union. The Soviet press agency, TASS, even dispatched a correspondent named Yuri Ustimenko to cover Ireland and the conflict in 1970. Ustimenko later published an account of his time in Ireland titled Get to Know Ireland, which featured a chapter dedicated to his experiences in occupied Belfast. The Troubles also found its way into Soviet culture. The Soviet prog-rock band Autograph recorded a 1981 track, Ireland. Ulster, with lyrics describing the apathy of London ladies towards events in Northern Ireland. Later, in 1985, Autograph were chosen as the Soviet contribution to Live Aid, joining by video link from Moscow. Many more stories of Irish people who found themselves in the worlds first socialist state and Soviet perceptions of Ireland will be discussed in an online talk jointly hosted by EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and the Dublin Festival of History. The talk, titled The Irish in the USSR, will be streamed on Thursday, September 17 (6.30pm). Those interested in attending must register in advance online. Details can be found on the Dublin Festival of History site (dublinfestivalofhistory.ie) or the EPIC site (epicchq.com). The lecture is part of a wider series on Hidden Histories of the Irish Abroad The next talk in the series will take place in October. The topic will be: Ireland and the Black Atlantic. Both Chattanooga and Cleveland are among cities across the southeast that will be seeing new franchises of the chicken tenders brand, Huey Magoos. Huey Magoo President and CEO Andy Howard announced Monday the company will be opening franchises across the southeast in Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. Huey Magoos will open five new restaurants in Tennessee, including cities Chattanooga, Cleveland and Charleston, eight new restaurants in South Carolina, including cities Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Columbia and five new restaurants in Georgia, including cities Milledgeville, Statesboro, Centerville and Warner Robins. The brand also annuonces several grand openings company-wide slated for the remainder of this year in Florida cities Coral Springs and Lady Lake, Valdosta, Georgia and McComb, Mississippi, plus new restaurant leases signed in Florida cities Spring Hill and Odessa and Georgia cities Milledgeville and Flowery Branch, by its family of new and existing franchisees. "Magoos expansion comes on the heels of the brand safely reopening doors for dine-in service at select restaurants in accordance with local and state guidelines," officials said. "To ensure all guests comfort and confidence in enjoying a tasty meal in each of the restaurant locations, Huey Magoos has implemented numerous health, safety and sanitization protocols." (Check www.hueymagoos.com for updates on all restaurants dining room openings.) In these challenging times, we feel incredibly fortunate that Huey Magoos is in fact thriving with positive comp store sales, 120 franchises sold, more leases signed and restaurant openings set, says Mr. Howard. This is a true testament to the phenomenal brand, our amazing high-quality product, ease of operations and excellent team of operators. As we further grow our footprint across the Southeast, our promise to everyone is that we will do everything we can to keep your family and ours safe and healthy while enjoying Americas best chicken tenders. We look ahead with much anticipation and excitement for Huey Magoos continued expansion. Huey Magoos offers dine-in/out, take out, delivery through third-party delivery services, drive-thru and curbside pickup (at participating restaurants). "All guests will enjoy Huey Magoos signature grilled, hand-breaded or sauced premium chicken tenders, farm fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps," officials said. "Each Huey Magoos tender is always made fresh, all natural, with no antibiotics ever, no hormones, no steroids and no preservatives." Inside the campaign, they are creating a special litigation unit, which will be led by Donald B. Verrilli Jr. and Walter Dellinger, two former solicitors general, who are joining the campaign. Hundreds of lawyers will be involved, including a team at the Democratic law firm Perkins Coie, led by Marc Elias, which will focus on the state-by-state fight over vote casting and counting rules. And Eric H. Holder Jr., the former attorney general in the Obama administration, will serve as something of a liaison between the campaign and the many independent groups involved in the legal fight over the election, which is already raging in the courts. We can and will hold a free and fair election this fall and be able to trust the results, Ms. Remus said in an interview. Mr. Bauer, who was general counsel on both of Barack Obamas presidential campaigns, said the operation would be far more sophisticated and resourced than those during past campaigns. Ms. Remus and Mr. Bauer outlined a multipronged program that will include some elements common to past presidential campaigns, such as fighting off voter suppression and ensuring people understood how to vote, and some more unique to 2020, such as administering an election during a pandemic and guarding against foreign interference. There are, Mr. Bauer said, some unique challenges this year. The process of voting is especially complex now, as multiple states have raced to expand the ability to vote by mail because of the coronavirus. At the same time, Mr. Trump has repeatedly and falsely accused that process of being riddled with fraud, even as he himself has voted by mail in the past and Republican Party officials have encouraged supporters to cast ballots that way. Mr. Trump went even further this month when he suggested that his supporters could stress-test the system in North Carolina by voting twice an illegal act. President Donald Trump arrived Monday in California to be briefed on wildfires engulfing swaths of the US West. The quick stop during a three-day reelection campaign swing was the first time Trump has visited California since the devastating blazes began. Minutes earlier, Democratic challenger Joe Biden branded Trump a climate arsonist whose policies are contributing to evermore powerful natural disasters. On arrival in McClellan Park, near Sacramento in central California, Trump repeated his argument that the ever-growing danger from wildfires in places like California, Oregon and Washington is due to insufficient maintenance of forest areas to make them less combustible. There has to be strong forest management, he said. With regard to the forests, when trees fall down after a short period of time, about 18 months, they become very dry. They become really like a match stick, he said. They just explode. Trump immediately went into a meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has strongly argued that the fires are driven mostly by global warming. Newsom acknowledged that we have not done justice on our forest management, though he pointed out that more than half of the land in California is under federal, not state control. But he said the overwhelming cause of the problem is far bigger. The hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier, he said. We submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident: that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this. A man walks his dog past a placard stating "ALL SMALL BUSINESS IS ESSENTIAL" outside Atilis Gym on May 20, 2020 in Bellmawr, New Jersey. Mark Makela | Getty Images Last week, the U.S. Senate gave up the fight to save America's small businesses. They walked away from negotiations that would have extended a lifeline to grass roots entrepreneurs on the front lines of one of the worst economic catastrophes in U.S. history. But from Colorado to Ohio to Virginia, we have seen communities across the country stepping up where the federal government has failed. As we've been researching an upcoming book about the future of entrepreneurship, we have found cities dipping deep into strained budgets, turning to new technological solutions and coming together in creative ways to save their local businesses, lending hands and providing investment dollars to struggling businesses in their communities. Communities are leading where the Trump administration is failing and as election-year politics freeze Congress into inaction on renewing and simplifying the aid programs passed last spring. Consider what happened in the small mountain city of Staunton, Virgina. On Aug. 8, a storm cell stalled there, dumping five inches of rain in an hour and 40 minutes. Rivers ran through the downtown, four feet high. Cars went through windows, according to Debbie Irwin, the director of the Staunton Community Creative Fund, an entrepreneurship support organization. At least 50 small businesses flooded. This after six months of a pandemic assault that has devastated businesses and dragged revenue down by as much as 70% to 80% across this community. The morning of the flood, Irwin started messaging Greg Bean, executive director of the Staunton Downtown Development Association. "What can we do," she texted. Within hours, they had organized hundreds of volunteers to carry trash and scoop mud from the storefronts and restaurant floors. Their GoFundMe page, set with a $20,000 goal, surpassed $100,000 within four hours. "We've been relying on the grit and resilience of small business owners," said Irwin. "I don't know how much more we can expect from them." Even as communities such as Staunton act, they know it won't be enough. An economic catastrophe in the making The probable loss of millions of small businesses over the next six months is an economic catastrophe of historic magnitude. America is home to a lot of big companies that dominate the headlines, mindshare and financial markets of our country. But the real story of American business has always been about small. Small businesses create two-thirds of net new jobs and are the driving force behind U.S. innovation and competitiveness," says the SBA, which tracks business trends for the U.S. government. Small businesses accounted for 44% of all economic activity in the United States and were responsible for $5.9 trillion in GDP in 2014, the last year for which data are available. Small business closures will instantly swell unemployment numbers and put further strain on localities' budgets. Small business is a broad term and includes an array of companies across the country, and there are some who haven't been affected or that have benefitted from the pandemic. But what you might think of as "grassroots entrepreneurs" represent by far the greatest number: Restaurants, hair salons, local shops and markets. They're getting clobbered, and it's going to get worse as we move from summer into fall and winter and the weather deteriorates. Some 400 miles away from Staunton, trying to stave off the catastrophe, the city of Akron, Ohio, has given out more than $5 million in direct grants through the CARES Act. More than 90% of the 13,262 employers in Akron in 2018 had fewer than 50 employees, employing as many as 160,000 people. Those establishments likely include some larger restaurants that survived the first wave of the pandemic, but might not survive the winter. "To permanently lose 20% to 30% of them would be catastrophic," said James Hardy, the deputy mayor for integrated development by email. "Particularly when you consider that Akron had only recently 'recovered' from the Great Recession. Meaning we had returned to pre-recession job numbers." Even worse is what happens to the employees. "It would be a gut punch to thousands of local residents and entrepreneurs. One that could send them and their families back for a generation," Hardy said. "60% of Akron residents live paycheck to paycheck or worse. We know from this and other research that Black and female workers and business owners will continue to be hit the hardest." The city is now experimenting with a new app the city's version is called Akronite to promote small businesses and to encourage residents to shop locally. About 2,600 people have signed up so far. Akron is spending more than $200,000 on the app over two years. Akronites spend money in small businesses to earn "blimpies" (think Goodyear) and redeem the rewards for cash at small businesses. Hardy expects the investment in the app to pay off in terms of higher spending at local businesses. But the biggest benefit: The small business owners will feel that somebody cares. "They're scared and frustrated," he said. So is he. "I'm choosing my words carefully," he said. "There is a lack of leadership in Washington, D.C." Grassroots relief efforts A handful of communities are helping small businesses that are willing to sell equity in their companies through local investing platforms, including MainVest, outside Boston, LocalStake, based in Indiana, and Milk Money, based in Vermont. Investors can buy into local businesses for as little as $100, based on business or expansion plans. But the most important thing communities can do for small businesses now is find some way to get them cold hard cash until there's a real end to the pandemic. The support can come in the form of grants or less preferable low-interest loans and other forms of support to help rebuild their businesses. When the federal aid programs ended July 31, many localities stepped up to offer support. The city of Staunton, for instance, offered $12,500 grants. Augusta County, Virginia, also offered assistance to its local businesses. Many communities have been taking some of the money from their own CARES Act allocations and instead repurposing it to support businesses in their communities instead, according to Lewis. But that money is quickly depleted. In Colorado, an innovative statewide loan program called The Gap Fund began offering grants and loans to Colorado businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Launched with $25 million raised from public and private sources, the fund received almost 1,500 applications in its first 24 hours. The average funding request was $24,000. It's a great start, but clearly the need is many times the capacity of its current resources. The most important thing communities can do for small businesses now is find some way to get them cold hard cash until there's a real end to the pandemic. The support can come in the form of grants or less preferable low-interest loans and other forms of support to help rebuild their businesses. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and BURNABY, Canada, and LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A quantum research competition inviting universities and nonprofits to compete for free time on a quantum computer was just announced by three collaborating organizations. The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) a non-profit organization chartered by the National Academy of Sciences and NASA to advance space exploration and science and engage the University community in its efforts; D-Wave, a global leader in quantum computing systems, software and services; and Standard Chartered Bank, a leading international banking group, jointly announced a Research Opportunity Program inviting eligible candidates to compete for free time on the D-Wave 2000Q quantum computer hosted at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The competition builds upon the success of previous competitions. First launched in 2014, the Research Opportunity Program has given access to the D-Wave quantum computer for principal investigators and collaborators representing more than 30 distinct institutions and resulted in more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Information about the previously awarded projects is available at https://riacs.usra.edu/quantum/rfp. The objective of the program is to advance the state-of-the-art in quantum computing and its application to artificial intelligence. USRA has been a customer and collaborator of D-Wave since the inception of NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) in 2013. QuAIL has been conducting research in quantum annealing on multiple systems including the 512-qubit D-Wave Two, the 1024-qubit D-Wave 2X and the current 2000+ qubit D-Wave 2000Q. Dr. Davide Venturelli of the USRA Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, which has been working with NASA since 1983 conducting collaborative research in artificial intelligence and advanced computing projects, noted "Our previous quantum annealing programs delivered science discoveries as well as many foundational proof-of-concept applications in the field of machine learning, robotics, supply chain management, wireless communications and many others. We believe that empirical research on large-scale machines such as the D-Wave quantum computer is essential to create efficient future hybrid quantum-classical solutions and to train the workforce of quantum computing professionals of tomorrow." Standard Chartered Bank, a leading international banking group that is present in 60 markets, announced last month a partnership with USRA to investigate the applications of quantum computing to machine learning and optimization. Kahina Van Dyke, Global Head of Digital Channels and Data Analytics, says "At Standard Chartered, we recognize the importance of investing in quantum computing and the impact on commercial outcomes it will bring in due course. It is why we believe programs like these are essential to help us discover a pipeline of ideas that will bring us closer to the demonstration of quantum advantage on the real-world practical use cases". Winners of the competition will receive valuable, free time on the D-Wave 2000Q system at NASA Ames. A governing committee evaluates submitted proposals on the scientific merit, on the research team and on the application objective, as detailed in the request for proposals (RFP). "Quantum computing has always been at its best when the industry is focused on collaborative research and development," said Mark Johnson, VP Processor Design and Development, D-Wave. "More and more businesses and developers are exploring quantum applications to turn their ideas into real innovation with a tangible impact. Competitions like the Research Opportunity Program are important to bring together research institutions, non-profits and academic organizations to further quantum advancements, and move the entire ecosystem forward." PR Contacts: USRA: PR Contact: Dr. Suraiya Farukhi, [email protected]; Tel: 443-812-694 Technical Contact: David Bell, [email protected] Standard Chartered: Shaun Gamble, [email protected] Tel: +44 2078855934 D-Wave: Addy Bhasin, [email protected] Tel: 949-812-1560 About USRA Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. RIACS is a USRA department for research in fundamental and applied information sciences, leading projects on quantum computing funded by NASA, DARPA, the US Airforce and the National Science Foundation. More information is available at: https://riacs.usra.edu/quantum/ and www.usra.edu Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn twitter.com/USRAedu @USRAedu; https://www.facebook.com/USRAedu/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/usra/ About Standard Chartered A leading international banking group, with a presence in 60 of the world's most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 85 Standard Chartered drives commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good, Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. About D-Wave Systems Inc. D-Wave is the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software and services and is the world's first commercial supplier of quantum computers. Our mission is to unlock the power of quantum computing for the world. We do this by delivering customer value with practical quantum applications for problems as diverse as logistics, artificial intelligence, materials sciences, drug discovery, cybersecurity, fault detection, and financial modeling. D-Wave's systems are being used by some of the world's most advanced organizations, including NEC, Volkswagen, DENSO, Lockheed Martin, USRA, USC, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. With headquarters near Vancouver, Canada, D-Wave's US operations are based in Palo Alto, CA and Bellevue, WA. D-Wave has a blue-chip investor base including PSP Investments, Goldman Sachs, BDC Capital, NEC Corp., and In-Q-Tel. For more information, visit: www.dwavesys.com SOURCE Universities Space Research Association Related Links http://www.usra.edu A gunman shot and killed two people and wounded three others in a series of shootings and carjackings that ended in a police chase and suicide. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) Officials: 3 Dead, 3 Injured in Violent Rampage in Tennessee A gunman shot and killed two people and wounded three others in a series of shootings and carjackings that ended in a police chase and suicide, said officials. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Dangelo Dorsey, 29, is suspected of killing two people. TBI Director David Rausch told reporters that after he crashed a stolen car, Dorsey then killed himself, reported The Tennessean. In one instance, Dorsey allegedly held a couple hostage at gunpoint before taking them to a home in McMinnville and shooting 23-year-old Jordan Stevens in front of his wife, officials told Fox17. He then forced the woman into the vehicle to the interstate, leading to a police chase. Dorsey ended up crashing the car. He then shot and killed himself, officials said, adding that the female hostage was found safe after the accident. Stevens mother, Michelle Stevens, said her son was on his way to church with his pregnant wife, Aileen, when they were taken hostage. I want everyone to know Jordan died a hero, Michelle Stevens told Fox17. A GoFundMe was set up for the family. We are heartbroken for this precious family and for the loss of Jordan Stevens who was a husband, son, brother, and soon-to-be father. We know there are not enough words or actions to provide comfort but would like to help in any way possible. If you are able to, please consider helping me provide financial support for Jordans wife Aileen Stevens and the Stevens family during this difficult time, according to the page. Paris Hilton Opens Up About Past Abusive Relationships: I Put Up with Things No One Should Paris Hilton is opening up about toxic relationships with several ex-boyfriends from her past Paris Hilton is unveiling a side of herself fans have never seen before. The star's YouTube Originals documentary, This Is Paris, premiered Monday. In the nearly two-hour film, helmed by Emmy-winning director Alexandra Dean, Paris, 39, goes into detail about the alleged abuse she suffered in boarding school in Utah and how her trauma has carried over into adulthood. Ultimately, in speaking out, she says she hopes to expose and shut down institutions that administer cruel psychiatric treatment to minors. Here are the biggest revelations. She still has nightmares from the physical and emotional abuse she says she suffered as a teenager. The documentary focuses in large part on the years that preceded Paris' mega-fame. As a kid, she remembers being a "free spirit," and her sister Nicky Rothschild Hilton, 36, reflects on Paris' tomboy tendencies growing up. But things changed when the family moved to New York as Paris entered her teens. She got a fake ID and tapped into the party scene, much to her parents Kathy and Rick Hilton's horror. "I think I just got addicted to the night life," she says. "I felt accepted. I just felt like the queen of the night. That's where I really became Paris." Paris Hilton Finally, her parents had enough, and sent their daughter to an outdoor wilderness program. "I feel like my parents were scared and they didn't want their reputations to be ruined," Paris says. "So I felt like I was just kind of sent away to be hidden. There's all these places called emotional growth schools. The first place was in the middle of nowhere. We were building other camps, basically doing manual labor all day long." She ended up escaping with a few other girls. "We ran through cornfields, through mountains. The guys that worked at the camp grabbed us and then we got back and they literally just beat the hell out of us in front of everyone," she recalls. "And then they sent me to this other place, which was hell, too. And I ran away from there." Story continues A pattern emerged. Then, Paris says, one night, she was taken from her bed as if she was being kidnapped. "I remember it was a school night," Nicky recalls in the documentary. "It was the middle of the night, and I just heard screaming bloody murder. I knew there was a takedown in the works. I didn't know it was people coming in and capturing her." "I thought I was being kidnapped. I started screaming for my mom and dad no one came," Paris says. "As they were taking me, I saw my parents standing by their door crying. I was like, 'Please help me, what's happening?' And no one would tell me what was happening." Paris Hilton/Youtube Paris Hilton She ended up at Provo Canyon School in Utah "the worst of the worst," she says. "You're sitting on a chair, staring at the wall all day long, getting yelled at or hit. I felt like a lot of the people who worked there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked." She claims she and her peers were regularly given mystery pills, and when she refused to take them, she was sent to solitary confinement without clothing, sometimes for 20 hours at a time. In a statement to PEOPLE last month, and also on its website, the school noted that it changed ownership in August 2000, after Paris was a student. "We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to that time," the statement reads. "We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric needs." RELATED: Paris Hilton Opens Up About the Secret Terrifying Abuse She Suffered as a Teen Paris, who was there for 11 months, says the only thing that kept her going "was thinking about what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become when I got out of there." "I was going to do everything in my power to be so successful that my parents could never control me again," she says. But to this day, she suffers from insomnia and recurring nightmares. "I wish I could bring a camera into my dreams and show you what it's like," she says. "It's terrifying, and I relive that every night. I experienced it, and to this day I'm still traumatized." Her parents didn't know about the alleged abuse. Before the making of the film, Paris had never told her family about what happened to her. "My parents were in New York [at the time]. They didn't know," she says. "I was so angry and so upset. I hated them." Rick is not featured in the documentary, but it captures moments of revelation for Kathy, 61. In one scene, she's told for the first time by the filmmaker that Paris says she was put into solitary confinement at Provo Canyon School. Nicky, who says her parents were "always trying to protect us and shield us," calls her mom and dad the "king and queen of sweeping everything under the rug." But she also says her older sister was "very naughty," and that she even used to tell on her. "Have you ever said sorry to Mom and Dad?" she asks Paris in one scene. "No," Paris says. "I went through hell, too." RELATED: Paris Hilton Says She Created a 'Barbie Persona' to Avoid the Pain of Her Abusive Past Venturelli/WireImage The Hilton family Towards the end of the film, Paris tracks down some of her old roommates and fellow students, who share their own stories of alleged abuse at Provo Canyon School. The group gathers to shoot a "#BreakCodeSilence" campaign, and it's an emotional night all around. In one of the documentary's final scenes, Paris sits down with Kathy to tell her about the movement and show her the photograph of a sign she made outlining her trauma. "I know this is something that we've never discussed before," she tells her mom quietly. "They were constantly being abusive in every way. But I couldn't tell you guys because every time I tried, I would get punished by them." Kathy is stunned into silence. "Had I known this, you know that Dad and I would have been there in one second," she finally says as they hug. She felt "pressured" into filming her sex tape. In the movie, Paris also speaks out about the sex tape of her and her ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon that was leaked online without her consent in 2003. "That was a private moment with a teenage girl not in her right headspace," she says. "But everyone was watching it and laughing, like it's something funny." "If that happened today, it would not be the same story at all," she continues. "But they made me the bad person, like I did something bad. It was my first real relationship. [I was] 18, I was just so in love with him and I wanted to make him happy. I just remember him pulling out the camera, and he was kind of pressuring me into. Like, 'Oh, you're so boring. Do you want me to just call someone else? No one will ever see it.' It was like being electronically raped, and for people to think that I [leaked] it on purpose? Because after that, all of these leaked tapes were coming out and it almost became like a blueprint to become famous. I didn't need to do that. I always had a plan." She struggles to trust people, especially in relationships. In the film, Paris confesses that she sets up spy cameras in her room whenever she starts dating someone new because she wants "to know what's happening when I'm not here." She also says she ends up getting a new computer with every relationship, "because they always break into my computers, or they'll scream at me and threaten me [for my password]." At the time, she was newly dating then-boyfriend Aleks Novakovic after meeting at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. "I thought he was handsome," she says. "He's visited me in L.A. twice, which is a big deal to me, because after my last relationship, I was basically planning on being single the rest of my life. But I don't want to be seen in public together yet. I'm not ready for that." She ended up keeping their relationship largely out of the public eye, but This Is Paris captures a nasty argument during her set at the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium that prompted their split. "I just had had enough at that point," she says. "A person can only take so much. Anything that tries to control me I can't have room for in my life." Paris says she went through abusive relationships with five ex-boyfriends from her past. In one scene, she confides in Nicky about her struggles to develop healthy relationships. "When you have to travel every day, basically, [it's hard] to maintain a relationship," she says. "Unless you're going to have some bitch boy following me around like they always do, and I lose all respect for them. They become emasculated." "You need to date an equal," Nicky says. "I'm freaked out by people," Paris replies. "Especially men." The star is now dating entrepreneur Carter Reum, 39, and recently told PEOPLE she feels "so safe with him." "Before, I don't think I was really ready for a good relationship," she said. "But I've learned so much. And I'm so grateful to have found my perfect match." Kevin Mazur/Getty Paris Hilton and Carter Reum She wants babies but is prioritizing her career goals. In the film, Nicky teases her sister for being "greedy" and refusing to "turn down a check." Paris, for her part, admits she "loves making money," and details her fixation with making a billion dollars. Her aspirations make it hard to find time to settle down, but the star does envision a family in her future. "I just don't want to miss that opportunity to never do it. At least I have my eggs frozen," she says. "I definitely want to have a girl first and name her London. I just don't know when I'm going to have time. I will not stop until I make a billion dollars, and then I think I can relax. I know it sounds crazy. I just don't want to have to worry. I don't want to ever have to worry about anything." This Is Paris is streaming now on YouTube. If you or someone you know need mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. News Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey ordered flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff, Friday, September 11th, from sunrise to sunset in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Governor released the following statement: Nineteen years ago, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the worst terrorist attack on American soil. The events of September 11 left our nation shocked and devastated but never broken. As American hearts gripped the full scope of the devastation, alarm turned to action; distress to determination. Determination to lift up our country and secure justice on behalf of the victims. On this solemn anniversary and every day, Arizona is grateful to all the men and women who put themselves in harms way to serve others: our law enforcement, firefighters, first responders, medical professionals and our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. As we pray for the victims of 9/11 and their families, let us resolve once again, personally, in our hearts, as a state and as a nation - that we will never forget. Britain is facing a 'looming addiction crisis' with millions turning to alcohol to cope with the pandemic, a major report warns today. The number of people drinking at 'high risk' levels has doubled to almost 8.5million since February, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Experts fear money worries, the stresses of juggling work and childcare and the emotional fallout from the virus has left many reaching for the bottle. Thousands more sought help for addiction to painkillers during lockdown amid fears delays to NHS treatment could cause cases to rocket. Doctors are worried excessive drinking during the pandemic will have a major toll on the health of the nation for years to come. The number of people drinking at 'high risk' levels has doubled to almost 8.5million since February, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists Professor Julia Sinclair, chair of the addictions faculty at RCPsych, said: 'Drinking at high levels not only makes people more likely to become alcohol dependent, but many will develop other health problems including liver disease, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis and depression. 'Drug-related deaths and alcohol-related hospital admissions were already at all-time highs before Covid-19. 'The looming addiction crisis cannot be tackled unless there is substantial investment from government.' The professional body, which represents over 18,000 psychiatrists in the UK, analysed the latest data from Public Health England (PHE) on the indirect effects of Covid-19. In surveys of more than 10,000 people PHE found that more than 8.4million are now drinking at problem levels, up from 4.8million in February. The problem is rife among the middle class where more than four in ten are now consuming too much alcohol, up from almost 28 per cent in February. Problem drinking also increased among blue collar workers - up from almost 15 per cent to 31 per cent over the same time period, they calculate. Experts said the increase was being driven by a number of factors including lockdown, anxiety about the pandemic and job uncertainty. Health officials used a clinical questionnaire to assess the amount of alcohol consumed, frequency and levels of harm and dependence. Those who scored eight points or more on topics including 'feelings of guilt or remorse after drinking', are classed as 'high risk'. They found one in five people - 19 per cent - were in the high-risk category, the equivalent of 8.4million people in England. Doctors are concerned specialist addiction services will be unable to cope with the soaring demand while the NHS is also bracing itself for a surge in alcohol-related ill health. Drinking regularly - even at low levels - can raise the risk of a host of health problems including strokes, heart attacks and liver disease. Experts said the increase was being driven by a number of factors including lockdown, anxiety about the pandemic and job uncertainty The trend - which experts say is fuelled by the rise in people drinking at home - could be particularly damaging in the event of a second wave. Studies have found people with alcohol use disorder are more likely to develop serious complications if they catch Covid-19, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. People using drugs such as benzodiazepines such as diazepam, which are commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, are also more vulnerable to the virus, research suggests. Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) show there were 3,459 new adult cases in April 2020 - up by a fifth on the same time last year (2,947) and the highest since 2015. The warning comes a year after Matt Hancock vowed to end over-medicalisation 'once and for all'. The Health Secretary made the pledge after a report found 11.5 million patients in England had received at least one prescription in the past 12 months for drugs such as antidepressants, sleeping pills, tranquilisers and opioid painkillers. The Mail has been campaigning for greater recognition of the prescription drugs addiction crisis since March 2017. Hospital admissions linked to alcohol, meanwhile, have already soared more than 60 per cent in a decade, with middle-aged drinkers driving the rise. Nearly 1.3million people admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol in England in 2018/19 up 8 per cent on the previous year and 61 per cent since 2008/9, according to NHS Digital. Some 47 per cent of those admitted for alcohol-related reasons last year were aged between 55 and 74, compared to just 3 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds. Now, officials are worried that rising alcohol abuse is yet more collateral damage from the pandemic, which last week saw record waiting lists for routine treatments. The number of adults consuming more than 50 units a week has soared by 33 per cent since lockdown started, according to Public Health England monitoring. Alcohol sales at supermarkets also soared by 43 per cent in the four weeks to mid-June as people were forced to turn their backs on pubs and restaurants. Today's findings are backed up by a major study by King's College London, published at the end of May, which found that 29 per cent of adults were drinking more alcohol. A survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by Help4Addiction, also warned that four in ten households were drinking more. That followed a stark warning from experts in the British Medical Journal that the toll of increased alcohol harm could last for a generation. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK said: 'The worrying findings from this report highlight the hidden alcohol harm crisis in this country. Before the pandemic, only one in five harmful and dependent drinkers got the help they needed; that proportion will be significantly lower now.' He said the cross-party Commission on Alcohol Harm report, published this week, would demonstrate how lives were ruined by alcohol. 'With the increase in harmful drinking in the wake of social isolation, unemployment and financial hardship coinciding with reductions in treatment services, the call for an urgent UK Government alcohol strategy is not just empty rhetoric - it is essential,' he added. Rosanna O' Connor, acting director of health improvement at Public Health England, advised that people cut their risk by taking days off from drinking. 'The Covid-19 pandemic has meant we have all made significant changes to our everyday lives,' she said. 'Some of this has been conscious, and in other cases it may well have crept up on us without us noticing. 'The data shows that there are now more high risk drinkers compared to before lockdown.' 'One of the ways that people can reduce their risk is by taking days off from drinking.' Psychiatrists are calling for a a multi-million-pound funding boost in the upcoming spending review. Long live the Communist Youth of Chile CPA statement The Communist Party of Australia fraternally greets the 88th anniversary of the Communist Youth of Chile. On 5th September 1932 the Juventudes Comunistas de Chile (Communist Youth of Chile) was founded as a historical necessity for the Communist Party of Chile to have a youth wing. Young people from fourteen to twenty-eight years of age find in the Communist youth the organisation where they can develop their skills to organise broad sectors of the youth to train the new cadre for the Communist Party of Chile, to help transform the Chilean society and build socialism. The Chilean youth have been championing the struggle for democracy and against the dictatorship of capital and for the freedom of the Mapuche political prisoners. The events of October 2019 saw the Chilean people particularly, the youth fighting to get rid of the Pinochet era Constitution. Long live the Communist Youth of Chile. Communist Party of Australia, CPA The first ever and currently the most talked-about political rally in Ghana was held on Sunday, September 13, 2020. In the current situation of the country, political parties are strategizing to fit into the new normal. Ghana is in its electioneering year and as usual, the campaign season is lit but in the midst of the Coronavirus plague, it takes a party that has the interest of the Ghanaian populace at heart to roll out initiatives to benefit the people without endangering their lives. As part of measures to protect as well as bring the campaign rally to the homes of the citizenry, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Sunday, held a virtual rally dubbed Round 2 Virtual Rally which is the first of its kind in the political history of Ghana. It could also be registered in the political records that the NPP is the first to hold a virtual rally in the country. The Round 2 Virtual Rally was inspired by the party's 2016 HOPE Campaign. The HOPE Campaign gave Ghanaians hope of a better Ghana under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. HOPE stands for Honesty, Opportunity, Prosperity and Education, and these four pillars, the NPP believes, have been achieved in the first term of the President Akufo-Addo. The NPP's Round 2 rally targeted particularly the youth because they are the future leaders. It was not only interested in the welfare of the youth but also to groom and inspire confidence and hope in them. The rally under the hashtag ''Round2'' was also aimed at the NPP clinching a landslide victory in the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and the party's National Organizer, Sammi Awuku among others who spoke at the event on Sunday took turns to whip the confidence of Ghanaians to give #4more4Nana. They believed a good government led by President Nana Akufo-Addo deserves another opportunity to do more good works in the nation.Sunday's rally pushed for a second term for the current administration to fulfill its manifesto to Ghanaians.A reminder of some of the promises for the next four years of the Akufo-Addo administration is more free education, free Wi-Fi to all tertiary institutions, grant for student loans without a guarantor, a National Rental Scheme to provide affordable apartments for young graduates, continuity in the payment of teacher and nurses trainees' allowances, an airport and a new harbor in Cape Coast and many more good initiatives to enhance the progress of the economy. National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku, on his part opined that the December 7, 2020, polls would be between prosperity and poverty. He called on Ghanaians to consolidate the gains made by retaining the current administration, since a vote for the NDC would certainly destroy all the good works done so far. Like the adage that "he who climbs a good tree deserves a good push", Mr Awuku said, "the President has begun a good work and deserves a good push by the Ghanaian electorates.' "The NPP administration has initiated policies including free Senior High School which has helped poor and deprived families send their wards to school.....if the NPP had been retained after former President Kufour left office, Ghana would have several factories and other solid policies aside from the free SHS....," he added. According to the Speakers which included Sheila Bartels, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ablekuma North and Akosua Manu, Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA), these and many more are the reasons for a Round 2 for the President. To access all information or volunteer to push the #Round2 agenda, log on to www.round2campaign.com. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Humbang Hasundutan, North Sumatra Mon, September 14, 2020 13:35 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b0e2d 1 National North-Sumatra,Agriculture-Ministry,agriculture,Syahrul-Yasin-Limpo,horticulture,farm,farmland,food-estate,food-security Free The government is set to develop 30,000 hectares into farmland in Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra by next month as the Agriculture Ministry commences its food estate program to spur the local economy. The first phase of the program will make use of 1,000 ha for potatoes, shallots and garlic, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said. The food estate program were developing is the first of its kind in Indonesia. However, it will not be limited to North Sumatra. This is the pilot project, he said during a visit to Ria Ria village in the regency on Friday. If the pilot project succeeds, regions with similar land characteristics will be included in the program, Syahrul said. We can expect good results if capital intervention also follows. Residents must be empowered through each hectare that is being developed, he said. Syahrul also said the agriculture sector had recorded 22 percent growth during the pandemic. He cited that based on ministry records, the export of horticulture products in August had reached Rp 22 trillion (US$ 1.4 billion) and a total of Rp 225 trillion from January to August. The food estate program in North Sumatra, Syahrul added, aimed to improve the provinces economy through agriculture and enhance the countrys resilience in food security. North Sumatras deputy governor, Musa Rajekshah, welcomed the program, saying that the administration supported the program. We are grateful to see spacious land used for state and residents interests, especially for Humbang Hasundutan regency, he said during the visit. Humbang Hasundutan Regent Dosmar Banjarnahor expressed the same optimism. President Joko Jokowi Widodo previously ordered the Public Works and Housing Ministry to expand the governments food estate program by developing 165,000 ha in Pulang Pisau regency, Central Kalimantan, into farmland. The program seeks to address the governments concerns about a looming food crisis as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, heeding an earlier warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization. (trn) An estimated few dozen people showed up at Jersey Citys 9/11 Memorial Saturday afternoon to show their support for law enforcement agencies, a small measure of pushback against a months-long movement in the city calling for the police to be defunded. Since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, Jersey City has seen a sustained Black Lives Matter movement, which has drawn crowds of thousands to protests against police brutality. Last month, members of the public flooded a virtual city council meeting to demand Jersey City cut the police departments budget. Saturdays event appeared to be the citys first organized rally in support of law enforcement since Floyds death. A group called the Patriot Project organized the event. The groups founder, a Union man who gave his name as Tommy Gunns, said the Patriot Project was formed to try and bring like minds together who support police and law enforcement, who love the flag, who care about our country and the way it is. The event, which Gunns said drew about 60 people, was intended to be nonpartisan, he said. A virtual flier sent out before the event said only that the event would be a show of support for law enforcement, front line workers, veterans and the military. But according to videos of speeches, the event seemed to sometimes resemble a Republican political rally. Hudson County Republican Chair Jose Arango said in a speech that the state of New Jersey was creating a socialist state and preventing residents from voting like regular people. And state GOP Committeeman Joshua Sotomayor Einstein spoke about a BLM Antifa cult and criticized politicians who marched in Black Lives Matter rallies, saying they were hypocritical and fanning the flames. Jersey City Councilman Rich Boggiano, a retired police officer, also spoke at the rally. Why not support the police and the fire(fighters)? he said Monday. I think theyre doing a damn good job. But Boggiano said he left early and hadnt been told of any political leanings at the event. There was not supposed to be any politics involved. None. Zero. Thats what I was promised, he said, noting that he had been invited to speak and wasnt part of the organizers. Mayor Steve Fulop was at the event briefly, but left before the speeches began, city spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione said. The mayor stopped by before the rally started, he thanked the police officers and military veterans standing around, and then the mayor left, Wallace-Scalcione said in an email. When the mayor was there it was nonpolitical, and the mayor would have no knowledge of what was said afterward since he wasnt there when the rally started. Several opposition parliamentarians questioned the government over the removal of Question Hour on day one of the Parliaments monsoon session proceedings on Monday. Parliamentarians from Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) said that there are several issues like unemployment, NEET exams and national security should have been discussed. Union defence minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rajnath Singh appealed to all parliamentarians present on day one of the monsoon session in the Lok Sabha to ensure the proceedings went smoothly. Singh outlined to the parliamentarians that the proceedings are being held under extraordinary circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to news agency ANI, Leaders of most parties agreed over no Question Hour & Zero Hour for 30 minutes. We apprised you (Speaker) of it following which decision was taken by you. I appeal to all members of the House to co-operate as Session is being held in an extraordinary situation. Few MPs including leader of the Indian National Congress in the House Adhir Ranjan Choudhury were concerned about the removal of Question Hour as well as the limiting of Zero Hour to 30 minutes. Choudhury said, Question Hour is the golden hour but you say that it cant be held due to the circumstances. You conduct the proceedings but single out Question Hour. You are trying to strangulate democracy. NCP MP Supriya Sule said that India is not the only country facing the pandemic and discussions on important issues cannot be set aside. She said, This is a global scenario & were not the only country going through it. But it should be the priority of govt. I dont see this govt at the Centre talking extensively either about the economy or unemployment challenges. We should put it on priority. The monsoon session is being held keeping in mind that the pandemic continues to affect the nation as it recorded more than a thousand deaths and registered more than 90,000 cases for almost a week in a row. Parliamentarians underwent Covid-19 tests, premises were sanitised on a war footing and the Upper House and Lower House proceedings will be held in two shifts. Opposition party MPs are protesting against the motion to scrap Question Hour and private member bills during the session. The government looks forward to introducing the motion on October 1. Classes at the Jettie S. Tisdale School in Bridgeport are canceled on Monday, Sept. 14, due to a confirmed case of COVID-19. Superintendent Michael Testani confirmed the case Sunday afternoon. According to an email sent out by the school to staff, the person who tested positive for coronavirus was a staff member. In a Facebook post Sunday evening, Principal Charmaine Worthy said the school would sanitize classrooms, offices and the cafeteria on Monday while closed. The facility at 250 Hollister Ave. is a turnaround arts school, according to the Bridgeport Public Schools website. In an email to staff, Bridgeport Superintendent of Schools Michael Testani said he knows the staff member testing positive has raised concerns among everyone. I want to assure you all that all health and safety protocols have been put in place at the school, Testani said. It is extremly important that we are diligent in our mitigation strategies across the district. Testanti reminded staff to follow health and safety protocols such as wearing a mask. New Delhi, Sep 14 : National Democratic Alliance nominee Harivansh Narayan Singh was re-elected Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Monday, as the Opposition did not press for voting though a motion to name Manoj Jha as the opposition candidate was moved. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him and said that he had "high regards for Harivanshji". "I hope that the Deputy Chairperson will run the House well. I appeal to all to cooperate with the Chair," Modi said, adding that the Janata Dal-United leader will manage the Rajya Sabha proceedings without partiality. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, welcomed Harivansh's re-election and said "we hope that the Deputy Chairperson will see us as equals". The opposition did not press for voting as many non-National Democratic Alliance parties did not commit support to Jha, while parties like YSR Congress and Biju Janata Dal announced support to the NDA nominee. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti had announced it will abstain. The post fell vacant after Harivansh's term in the Upper House ended. He has since been re-elected from Bihar. The Cook County medical examiners office said he lived on the block where the shooting occurred. Police said the incident was domestic-related but had no details. It apparently occurred between 2 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:19:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants killed a former Afghan senator and five of his guards in the country's western Badghis province on Monday, the acting provincial governor confirmed. The incident happened when a vehicle carrying Rangeen Mushkwani, a former member of Meshrano Jirga or upper house of the country's parliament, was struck by a roadside bomb blast at midday, acting-Governor Faiz Mohammad Mirzazada told Xinhua. The deceased Mushkwani was travelling from Ab Kamari district to provincial capital Qala-e-Naw city when the explosion took place in Mubarak Shah village of Ab Kamari, the official added. "Another vehicle accompanying Mushkwani was also affected in the attack as a gunfight followed the explosion, and an exchange of fire between the Taliban and people aboard the vehicle took place," he said. Details about the gunfight were not immediately available. Badghis province has been the scene of heavy clashes in recent years. The attack came as a government delegation and Taliban representatives are involved in peace talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Enditem A 51-year-old woman was shot in the buttocks by an unknown man in a black mask Monday afternoon. On Wednesday, a dice game was interrupted when someone in a vehicle shot five people. And on Friday, officers arrived on Polk Street to find a 14-year-old boy suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. Police said investigators recovered a handgun from the boy. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have not released the boys name. Watch: Piers Morgan rips into BGT viewers who complained about Diversitys BLM performance Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid have defended Diversity star Ashley Banjo over the Black Lives Matter-inspired Britains Got Talent dance routine which has sparked over 15,000 complaints. The Good Morning Britain co-presenters addressed the topic live on the ITV breakfast show on Monday (14 September) and condemned people sending threats and racial abuse to Banjo. Speaking on the show, Morgan said: "What are they complaining about? I'm serious, what are you complaining about? "George Floyd was a black man in America who died when a white police officer put his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes... a moment that horrified the world. Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid discuss the 2019 Met Gala on 'Good Morning Britain'. (Credit: ITV) "Diversity are a brilliant dance group, they are artists. Read more: Ashley Banjo makes a defiant entrance to 'Britain's Got Talent' after 15,000 complaints He went on to read comments from people unhappy with the dance routine who vowed to boycott BGT. Ashley Banjo on the red carpet at The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane. (Photo by Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) He said: "It's that that offends you? Not the death of George Floyd? You don't have to enjoy it, you can appreciate the art, it's powerful what they did." He added: "If you can't handle that, there's something wrong with you. You are the problem, you're part of the problem you see? "By the way, if you don't like me saying this don't watch us either, don't watch GMB as I agree with Ashley Banjo and Diversity, and I think what they did was brilliant. If you can't handle it Britain, wake up." Reid added: "If you think it's an excuse to send Ashley and Diversity abuse and threats, there is something wrong with you." Banjo took to social media to address the furore on Sunday, 13 September. In a seven minute clip posted to Instagram, Banjo said though the majority of the feedback hed had was positive, he had also received negativity, including threats and racial abuse. Story continues He said: "A lot of the comments showed just why this performance was needed. "Racism is very real. I knew it before, and I definitely know it now. After this performance, everything that we've received it's been overwhelming in a negative sense sometimes. It's been tough." Read more: Jordan Banjo reveals online abuse He added: "If an artist can't use real world issues to inspire their art what's the point? Britain's Got Talent has been the stage for so many incredible performances to express so many different kinds of stories. "Black Lives Matter, long before it was anything political, was a statement. Black Lives Matter is a fact. It is and always will be a fact, that's what I stand by and what every single one of my team proudly stands by." Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV from 6am. NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "In Plain Sight" Report Summary: Bot traffic is any online activity performed by an automated process rather than human action. Bots are often associated with cybercriminals and malware, but our research confirms it is far easier to generate robotic activity with developer tools such as headless Chrome and Amazon Web Services. Browser bots use automation tools such as Selenium, Puppeteer, and Playwright. These tools are developed and maintained by Google and Microsoft, and can be deployed at enormous scale using cloud computing technologies provided by Amazon (AWS), Google (GCP), and Microsoft (Azure). Puppeteer has been downloaded over 100 million times. In this report, we describe what developer tools are capable of, show how they can be used to generate robotic traffic, and provide examples of how bots are inadequately handled by companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Yahoo. The intention of this report is not to shame individual advertising platforms or brands, but to demonstrate that the technological and economic barriers to commit ad fraud are very low. https://www.methodmi.com/reports/in-plain-sight From MMI Leadership: "Research and intelligence gathering has been foundational in the development of MMI as a company and a utility product for all enterprises that interact with the web. The effects of automated bot traffic are large and difficult to measure, but we must work on operationally seamless solutions to address this problem while keeping human user privacy at the top of our minds." Praneet Sharma - Co-Founder and CTO "Ultimately, to advertisers it is irrelevant if a bot is malicious or not. As an advertiser your concern should be not paying for them or letting them pollute your analytics." Marc Goldberg - Chief Revenue Officer MMI: Method Media Intelligence provides solutions to prevent undesired bot activity online. Founded by Shailin Dhar and Praneet Sharma, we verify the integrity of digital media and other online assets. Our patented bot detection technology detects headless browsers and data center activity on the web. We are based in New York City with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, and London. SOURCE Method Media Intelligence Related Links https://www.methodmi.com A federal appeals court has revived a key part of a race- and sex-discrimination lawsuit filed by a Louisiana high school student who alleges that he faced harassment from a school administrator over his dyed hair. Jaylon Sewell, who is Black, alleges that he was called to the deans office on the first day of school at Neville High School in Monroe, La., in 2016 because of his two-toned blond-dyed hair. Sewell alleges that despite a dress code barring hair dyed outlandish colors, other students sported hair dyed blond, purple, and red, with some wearing fiery-colored hair tips. Sewell alleges that he was the only student disciplined over dyed hair during the 2016-17 academic year. And after his mother met with the superintendent to complain that her son was being singled out as a Black male, the suit says, the dean of students ridiculed Sewell frequently as a thug and fool, and once asked him if he was gay with that mess in his head. Sewell later faced an allegations of sexual assault of another student, which the suit contends was the result of the dean encouraging a female student to fabricate the accusation. The dean told Sewell around that time that he wouldnt be getting in so much trouble if his hair were not that color, the suit alleges. A school board committee declined to expel Sewell over the alleged assault, court papers say. Sewell and his mother filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Educations office for civil rights, which investigated and found that the Monroe City School District had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibit, respectively, race discrimination and sex discrimination in federally funded schools. The family sued the school district under Title VI and Title IX and raised other claims. A federal district court granted the defendants motion to dismiss on all claims. In its Sept. 10 decision in Sewell v. Monroe City School Board , a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, unanimously affirmed the dismissal of the students allegations of intentional discrimination and retaliation under Title VI and Title IX. The intentional discrimination claim was filed too late, the court said, while the retaliation claims failed because the school board was not deliberately indifferent to the possible retaliation. By contrast, Sewells harassment claim has some legs, the appeals court said. First, it is plausible that [the deans] harassment of Sewell stemmed from a discriminatory view that African American males should not have two-toned blonde hair, the court said. Most obviously, [the dean] treated Sewell differently from students who were not black males. The appeals court said the OCR investigation supports the plausibility of Sewells claims. The court said the alleged pattern of harassment by the dean over the students dyed hair may well have been so severe, pervasive, and offensive that it denied Sewell an educational benefit. Intense verbal abuse that comes from an authority figurelike a school administratorand persists for most of the school year can constitute a hostile educational environment, the court added. Sewell has alleged sufficient facts to nudge his claims across the line from conceivable to plausible. LONDON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Further to its launch announcement on September 8, 2020, Anglo American Capital plc (the "Company") announces today the pricing of its invitation to holders of its U.S.$600,000,000 4.125% Senior Securities due September 27, 2022 guaranteed by Anglo American plc (the "Securities") to tender any and all of their Securities for purchase by the Company for cash (the "Tender Offer"), on the terms of, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the New Issue Condition (as defined below) and the other conditions contained in, a tender offer memorandum dated September 8, 2020 (the "Tender Offer Memorandum"). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum. Holders are advised to read carefully the Tender Offer Memorandum for full details of, and information on the procedures for participating in, the Tender Offer. The Company hereby announces that the Purchase Price, Reference Yield, Purchase Spread and Purchase Yield are as set out in the table below. Title of Securities ISINs and CUSIP Numbers Purchase Price* (per U.S.$1,000 nominal amount) Reference Yield Purchase Spread Purchase Yield Reference U.S. Treasury Security Bloomberg Reference Page** U.S.$600,000,000 4.125% Senior Securities due September 27, 2022 guaranteed by Anglo American plc[2] US034863AG56 and USG03762CH52 034863AG5 and G03762CH5 U.S.$1,066.06 0.133 per cent. 70 bps 0.833 per cent. 0.125% U.S. Treasury Notes due August 31, 2022 PX1 * Holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the settlement date. ** The applicable page on Bloomberg from which the Dealer Managers will quote the bid side price of the Reference U.S. Treasury Security. The Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m. New York City time, on September 14, 2020 (the "Expiration Time"), unless extended, re-opened, and/or terminated as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum. In order to receive the Tender Consideration, holders of Securities must validly tender (and not validly withdraw) their Securities by the Expiration Time, by delivering, or arranging to have delivered on their behalf, a valid Electronic Offer Instruction that is received by the Information and Tender Agent by the Expiration Time. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Tender Offer Memorandum, holders who (i) validly tender their Securities at or prior to the Expiration Time or (ii) validly tender their Securities at or prior to the Guaranteed Delivery Date pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures, and in either case do not validly withdraw their tender, and whose Securities are accepted for purchase by the Company, will receive the Tender Consideration in respect of Securities accepted for purchase on the Settlement Date. The results of the Tender Offer are expected to be announced on September 15, 2020. The acceptance of Securities for purchase is conditional on the satisfaction of the conditions of the Tender Offer as provided in the Tender Offer Memorandum, including the satisfaction or waiver of the New Issue Condition. The Settlement Date for the Tender Offer is expected to be September 17, 2020 (subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the New Issue Condition). Securities purchased by the Company pursuant to the Tender Offer will be cancelled and will not be re-issued or re-sold. FURTHER INFORMATION D.F. King has been appointed by the Company as Information and Tender Agent for the purposes of the Tender Offer. BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. and Santander Investment Securities Inc. have been appointed as Dealer Managers for the purposes of the Tender Offer. Holders of Securities may access the Tender Offer Memorandum and the form of notice of guaranteed delivery (as described in the Tender Offer Memorandum) at https://sites.dfkingltd.com/angloamerican. Requests for information in relation to the Tender Offer should be directed to: DEALER MANAGERS BNP Paribas 16, boulevard des Italiens 75009 Paris France Attention: Liability Management Group In the United States: Toll Free: + 1 888 210 4358 In Europe: Telephone: +33 1 55 77 78 94 E-mail: [email protected] Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 United States Attention: Liability Management Group In the United States: Collect: +1 212 357-0215 Toll Free: +1 800 828-3182 In Europe: Telephone: +44 20 7774 9862 E-mail: [email protected] HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. 452 Fifth Avenue New York, NY, 10018 United States of America Attention: Liability Management Telephone (U.S. Collect): +1 212 525 5552 Telephone (U.S. Toll-Free): +1 888 HSBC 4LM In Europe: Telephone: +44 20 7992 6237 Email: [email protected] Santander Investment Securities Inc. 45 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 United States Attention: Liability Management Telephone (U.S. Collect): +1 (212) 940-1442 Telephone (U.S. Toll-Free): +1 (855) 404-3636 In Europe: Telephone: +44 (0) 7418 709 688 Requests for information in relation to the procedures for tendering Securities in the Tender Offer and the submission of Electronic Offer Instructions or for copies of the Tender Offer Memorandum, form of guaranteed delivery or related documents should be directed to: THE INFORMATION AND TENDER AGENT D.F. King Offer Website: https://sites.dfkingltd.com/angloamerican Email: [email protected] In New York 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor New York, New York 10005 United States of America Tel: +1 212 269 5550 / Toll Free: (877) 865-5051 By Facsimile: +1 (212) 709 3328 Attention: Andrew Beck Confirmation: +1 (212) 269 5552 In London 65 Gresham Street London EC2V 7NQ United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7920 9700 This announcement is released by Anglo American Capital plc and contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), encompassing information relating to the Tender Offer described above. For the purposes of MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055, this announcement is made by Matthew Looseley (Group Company Secretary) at Anglo American Capital plc. NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER Nothing in this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes an offer of securities in the United States of America. The securities referred to above have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The New Issue, and the guarantee thereof, have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. The New Issue is being offered and sold in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to certain non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. Subject to applicable law, the Company or any of its affiliates may at any time and from time to time following completion or cancellation of the Tender Offer purchase or exchange or offer to purchase or exchange remaining outstanding Securities or issue an invitation to submit offers to sell Securities (including, without limitation, those tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer but not accepted for purchase) through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, exchange offers or otherwise, in each case on terms that may be more or less favorable than those contemplated by the Tender Offer. This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Tender Offer Memorandum. This announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum contain important information which must be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Tender Offer. If any holder of Securities is in any doubt as to the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own legal, accounting and financial advice, including as to any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, attorney, accountant or other independent financial adviser. Any individual or company whose Securities are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee or intermediary must contact such entity if it wishes to participate in the Tender Offer. None of the Company, the Dealer Managers, the Information and Tender Agent and any person who controls, or is a director, officer, employee or agent of such persons, or any affiliate of such persons, makes any recommendation as to whether holders of Securities should participate in the Tender Offer. OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS This announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum do not constitute an invitation to participate in the Tender Offer in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such offer or invitation or for there to be such participation under applicable securities laws. The distribution of this announcement and the Tender Offer Memorandum in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum comes are required by each of the Company, the Dealer Managers and the Information and Tender Agent to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. United Kingdom The communication of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Tender Offer are not being made by, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved by, an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to those persons in the United Kingdom falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or to persons falling within Article 43(2) of the Order, or to other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made in accordance with the Order. Italy None of the Tender Offer, this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum or any other documents or materials relating to the Tender Offer have been or will be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa ("CONSOB") pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. The Tender Offer is being carried out in the Republic of Italy ("Italy") as an exempted offer pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended. Any holder or beneficial owner of Securities located in Italy may tender their Securities for purchase in the Tender Offer through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in the Republic of Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-a-vis its clients in connection with the Securities or the Tender Offer Memorandum. France Neither this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum nor any other document or material relating to the Tender Offer have only been and shall only be distributed in France to qualified investors as defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. This Tender Offer Memorandum has not been and will not be submitted for clearance to nor approved by the Autorite des Marches Financiers. General The Tender Offer does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell Securities (and Offers to Sell will not be accepted from Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities or other laws require the Tender Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer or similar and any of the Dealer Managers or any of the Dealer Managers' respective affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Tender Offer shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of the Company in such jurisdiction. Each Holder participating in the Tender Offer will be deemed to give certain representations in respect of the jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in the Tender Offer Memorandum. Any tender of Securities for purchase pursuant to an Offer to Sell pursuant to the Tender Offer from a Holder that is unable to make these representations may be rejected. Each of the Company, the Dealer Managers and the Information and Tender Agent reserves the right, in its absolute discretion (and without prejudice to the relevant Holder's responsibility for the representations made by it), to investigate, in relation to any tender of Securities for purchase pursuant to the Tender Offer, whether any such representation given by a Holder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result the Company determines (for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such Offer to Sell may be rejected. [1] (LEI TINT358G1SSHR3L3PW36) [2] (LEI 549300S9XF92D1X8ME43) SOURCE Anglo American Capital plc Voters are seen keeping a distance at Brisbane City Hall in Brisbane, Australia on March 28, 2020. (Jono Searle/Getty Images) Queensland Businesses Call for Less Red Tape Queenslands business sector wants political parties on the campaign trail to commit to reducing regulation and costs while providing targeted grants to encourage sustainable practices as the state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) has announced its priorities for businesses in the led up to the state election on Oct. 31. CCIQ said small businesses are the engine room of local communities and drivers of the economy, and they want to know how the next elected government will do business with them. In a media release published on Sept. 15, CCIQs general manager of advocacy and policy, Amanda Rohan, said: As we have been saying consistently throughout the COVID-19 crisis, there is no reverting to business as usual. And that goes for the priorities we are calling for. In Queensland, 445,830 small businesses collectively generate $113 billion for the states economy; employing 44 percent of the private sector workforce. Rohan said CCIQs priorities are to enable businesses to succeed now and to create an environment for them to grow and be resilient and sustainable going into the future. In Queensland, we will always face a magnitude of external challenges. Were still in a drought, cyclones, and storms will still come. And as we have seen in the last six months, our economy is exposed to international influences, Rohan said. CCIQ wants the government to reduce regulatory complexities and duplication of processes and provide targeted funding and grants for sustainable practices to help reduce the increasing burden of operating costs carried by business. Importantly, there needs to be future policies that lay the foundation of long-term change, incentivising diversification and expansion opportunities. While developing digital adaption and capabilities, she said. Queenslands future success is reliant on business success; we cant emphasise that enough. This election, all political parties need to show business they are prepared to back their success and commit to these election priorities, she said. On Sept. 7, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick announced the government would invest $1 billion directly into commercial businesses and projects to generate Queensland jobs through the COVID-19 recovery. Among other areas, it will target small and medium businesses. Half of this will go to state-owned energy companies in a Renewable Energy Fund. The other half will go to other areas of the economy through a Backing Queensland Business Investment Fund managed by the state-owned Queensland Investment Corporation. The fund will support good quality Queensland businesses that need capital to create jobs, he said. Importantly, the Fund will also consider taking ownership positions in assets that have been previously privatised, where it means more jobs for Queenslanders, he added. The treasurer said the Backing Queensland Business Investment Fund would have the ability to partner with entities like superannuation funds and other financial institutions. Business as usual will not cut it as we recover from COVID-19, the treasurer said. More than ever, Queensland businesses need to be resilient and agile to deal with rapidly evolving threats and opportunities. Lee University has been ranked once again in the upper tier of Southern universities in the 2021 U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges. This year Lee ranked #33, moving up one spot from last year, within the top 50 Best Regional Universities category out of 132 Southern universities, which included both public and private. The ranked schools are evaluated in up to 15 areas related to academic excellence such as graduation rate, peer-assessment, freshman retention rate, student-faculty ratio, and acceptance rate. It is gratifying to see that Lee is again in the top tier and rising this year," said Lee President Dr. Mark Walker. We strive to be an institution of excellence, and it is encouraging to see that our efforts are reflected in these reviews. In addition to the main ranking, Lee appears in three specialty rankings this year. These include A+ Schools for B Students, the Best Value Schools listing, and Best Colleges for Veterans. To judge the level of quality at each of the schools on the A-plus Schools for B Students list, U.S. News first examined two variables: the schools performance in the 2021 edition of the Best Colleges rankings and the average freshman retention rate. Schools had to bring an average of 75 percent of their freshmen back the following fall, as well as admit a significant proportion of students who were not straight A students in high school. To determine which colleges met the Best Value Schools criteria, academic quality and cost were both considered. School rankings were determined by the ratio of schools quality to price, the percentage of need-based students who received scholarships and grants, and the percentage of the school costs, such as room and board, fees, and books that were covered by the average need-based scholarship or grant. The Best Colleges for Veterans ranking is awarded to schools that reported on their enrollment of and benefits for veterans and active-duty service members as part of the U.S. News annual statistical survey of undergraduate schools. These rankings only include schools in the 2021-edition of the U.S. News rankings that meet the criteria. U.S. News has been ranking colleges for 36 years and continues to be a closely watched college ranking, said officials. The magazine reviewed over 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide for the 2021 annual issue. For more information and a list of rankings, visit usnews.com/colleges. Mentioning that the period of the Budget session of Parliament was curtailed in March due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said this Monsoon Session is being organised in a specific environment with all necessary health precautions to contain the spread of the disease which so far has infected 47,54,357 people across the country. (Image: Special Arrangement) Convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall has brought a High Court challenge aimed at securing a transfer from Limerick Prison back to the Dochas Centre woman's prison in Dublin. The court heard that Mulhall was transferred to Limerick Prison from the Dochas Centre on December 24 2018 two days after she was allegedly seen by a prison officer sitting on another prison officer while performing a beauty treatment. In a sworn statement to the court Mulhall disputes that version of events, and says she has never been given the opportunity to address the prison authorities as to what she says actually occurred. She claims that as a result of the move her Dublin-based family, for a variety of reasons, have not visited her since she was moved to Limerick. The lack of visits, she says has caused "great stress and upset to her and her family members." In her sworn statement she said that I am lonely and sad due to "the lack of visits from my family" and "I miss my dog who was part of canine programme I was undertaking prior to my transfer." As a result, she has brought proceedings against the Irish Prison Service, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Ireland and the Attorney General seeking a return to the Dochas Centre. Represented by Conor Power SC and Cian Kelly BL Mulhall seeks various orders including one directing the respondents to return her to Dublin, as well as an order quashing the decision to transfer her to Limerick. Mr Power said that despite the fact she was moved to Limerick just before Christmas 2018 she was not fully sure why she had been transferred to Limerick, where she enjoys enhanced or trusted prisoner status. It was not until June 2020, following a Freedom of Information request, that his client got it writing why she had been transferred to Limerick. In the information obtained the Prison service said that Mulhall had been found in a very compromising position with a prison officer, that the relation between Mulhall and the female officer has been the focus of media attention previously. The information obtained from the Prison Service under the FOI also stated that Mulhall was involved in a number of high-profile liaisons while in Dochas, which received significant media coverage including adverse comment and that she should be transferred to Limerick until further notice. Mulhall he said disputes that, and had she been afforded the opportunity to address the situation which I was not, I would have told the governor exactly what happened and this transfer could have been avoided. Counsel said that if it is a case that his client was moved as a punishment then she was entitled to a hearing under prison disciplinary regulations. No such hearing had taken place. Counsel if it was not a punishment then the prison authorities had not taken certain rights into account including her and her family's rights. Counsel added that this was an action his client is entitled to take and was not an attempt to 'micromanage' prison regimes. The application for permission to bring the challenge came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan this Monday. The judge, noting that there is a large volume of case law about how courts should not micromanage prisons, said the application for leave should be heard in the presence of lawyers for the respondents. The matter was adjourned to a date next month. Known as the 'scissors sisters' Charlotte, and her sister Linda Mulhall, were convicted in 2006 of the killing of their mother's boyfriend Farah Swaleh Noor, in March 2005. The dismembered body of Noor, who had a history of being extremely violent towards women, was found dumped in the Royal Canal, near Croke Park, some days afterwards. Following a high-profile trial at the Central Criminal Court Charlotte, who was aged 21 years at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder. Linda was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Linda was released in 2018. Patna, Sep 14 : Following the demise of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stalwart Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the party has challenged the genuiness of the four letters reportedly written by the late leader. Mritunjay Tiwari, Bihar RJD's spokesperson said, "We wonder how he could remove the oxygen mask while he was on a ventilator and especially, when he was having a severe illness, to write letters. Did he know that he was dying?" "For us, he was like Bhishma Pitamaha of the party. I smell a deep conspiracy behind it. While we are busy in his last rites, the Opposition is making political points over his death," he added. "Letters circulated in the media where it was written that he wants to bag an MLC (Member of Legislative Council) seat for his son who was working in Delhi for years. The status of Raghuvansh Babu was such that if he wanted anything like this, he could have spoken to RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who could not have denied it to him. What is the need of writing a letter to Nitish Kumar," Tiwari said. RJD Chief Spokesperson Bhai Virendra has also levelled the same allegations against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders for conspiring against the RJD through the death of Raghuvansh Babu. ARLINGTON, Texas, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agora Data, Inc., a finance solution provider of predictive loan technology, will exhibit its latest products in the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo. The conference is an annual event for auto dealers throughout the U.S., featuring breakout education sessions and webinars with expert speakers discussing a variety of industry-related topics, as well as multi-day live virtual expo to visit sponsor booths. "For almost 75 years, NIADA has been one of the most valuable resources for independent auto dealers across the nation. We are always pleased to be a part of this annual event and will be participating in this year's virtual format," said Steve Burke, CEO of Agora Data. "Like many other businesses this year, auto dealers have had to adjust their business strategies. As a trusted resource and provider of auto finance solutions, we fully appreciate that performance, particularly during uncertain times, is essential. I am inspired to see the industry come together to develop solutions, share information, and foster new ideas to positively impact the future of Buy Here Pay Here dealers." For BHPH dealers wanting to grow their businesses, Agora welcomes the opportunity to share ways to increase profits, convert loans to cash, and provide access to low-interest funding through the capital markets. The team will be available during the virtual expo times on Sept. 22, Sept. 29, and Oct. 6. In addition to scheduling a meeting through the NIADA event website, Agora is also available at 877-592-4672 or [email protected]. About NIADA: The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) is among the nation's largest trade associations, representing the used motor vehicle industry comprised of more than 38,000 licensed used car dealers. Since 1946, NIADA has represented the voice and interests of used car dealers at the federal level in Washington, D.C. For more than 70 years, NIADA has engineered programs and leveraged technology to fulfill its mission to advance, educate, and promote the independent used car dealer. NIADA members subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics of duty, honor, and integrity, and believe in the advancement of small businesses in support of the free-market system. More information is available at www.niada.com or www.bhphinfo.com. About Agora Data, Inc: Agora is re-inventing auto finance for BHPH dealers and finance companies. Founded in 2017 by a best-in-class team of professionals with experience from top financial and technology organizations, the company has successfully combined billions in historical loan performance data with experiences from top executives in auto finance to develop its AI-Infused predictive loan technology and modeling. Agora's development of an easy-to-use platform with actionable dashboards provides direct access to the untapped BHPH auto market connecting dealers, sub-prime buyers, and capital market lenders with results-driven opportunities for growth and access to capital. www.agoradata.com. For more information, please contact Agora at (877) 592-4672 or [email protected]. Related Images image1.png SOURCE Agora Data, Inc. First year University of Windsor law students started the school year on a tense footing. The president of the school, Robert Gordon, arrived at the online orientation session to give a welcome speech. This prompted several students to later leave the session in protest. The problem? One of the incoming students was Jordan Afolabi, a Black student who has filed several ongoing complaints of anti-Black racism against Windsor faculty and staff dating back to his time in undergrad at the university. And Gordon is one of them. Law students who left the orientation were displeased that little was done during the session to address Afolabis concerns and discomfort, based on the virtual chat log and interviews conducted by the Star. I was very upset and I didnt even attend most of my orientation afterwards, Afolabi said. In January, the Star published a column about a 2019 altercation between Afolabi and another non-Black student, which resulted in Afolabi facing a disproportionate amount of discipline, and led Afolabi to file numerous complaints of discrimination, anti-Black racism and racial profiling. This now includes a complaint against Gordon for failure to act on these complaints against members of his office. In a statement to the Star, the University of Windsor said that the complaints Afolabi has made predate Gordons time as president and that he was unaware of formal complaints against him. It went on to say the university was unaware of any requirement for the President to not be in contact with any students. Over the course of pursuing his complaints against the university, Afolabi was made aware that while a complaint is under investigation, it is very important to not contact the parties for the complaint whether through passive or active modes of communication. Afolabi received this notice in March from the human rights department of the university, which is investigating his complaints after he emailed a few university vice-presidents and administrators. Attending the orientation was mandatory for participation marks, Afolabi told the Star in an interview, and if he had to attend, he said the president should not have, considering this rule. A Black student shouldnt have to go through this and a white student probably wouldnt have to sit through a lecture from someone that theyve accused of harassment, or some other form of misconduct. It wouldnt be expected there, so we shouldnt do this, Afolabi said. While the virtual session was going on, Afolabi says he made attempts to use the private chat function to tell the dean of the law school, Christopher Waters, that he thought it was inappropriate to have both him and Gordon present. But the feature was disabled and his comment didnt receive a response, he said. When Waters, who was co-facilitating the orientation, opened the call for questions, Afolabi turned on his mic and said: Im rather concerned that Robert Gordon is included on this call in light of the ongoing investigation that were both part of. The presentation continued, while several students continued to voice their upset in writing through the chat, which the Star reviewed. Some ultimately left. Associate Dean Beverly Jacobs, who was also co-ordinating the orientation, later arranged for another call where students could voice their concerns and opinions about how the incident was handled, something Afolabi and others are appreciative of. This allowed students to provide support for Jordan and all other students who had been deeply affected by the events that took place, said Palwinder Singh, a law student who was at the orientation. The university should take the issues this brought up seriously because creating a safe space to hear the concerns of students should be more important than the reputation of the university, Singh continued. Lukas VanDusen, another student, said the events of orientation didnt get the year started off on a positive note. I chose Windsor because they have such a good social justice reputation. Thats kind of the niche theyve carved themselves in law schools. And on day one to see that, kind of immediately put into question thats not a great tone. He said the school can recover, depending on what it decides to do next going forward. Afolabi says he felt badly that he had to disrupt what was a milestone day for students. It just should have not come up, he said. I messaged privately, and it should have been dealt with there and nothing happens. Then I go publicly. He added these were people who will eventually be his professional colleagues, but whom hes never met. I have to go through this undignified process in front of 250 people. Angelyn Francis is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering inequity and inequality. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: afrancis@thestar.ca South Jersey MS Center We have implemented social distancing, mask wearing by all who enter the office, regimented hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, and room cleaning protocols. Dr. Steven M. Bromley, Dr. Indrani Hightower, and Dr. Keith Preis have started offering telemedicine services to patients of The South Jersey MS Center to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic. The providers are also actively seeing patients in the office, while meeting and exceeding CDC guidelines for safety and sterility. The team at the South Jersey MS Center is now working six days per week and extending hours to address the needs of parents who are currently homeschooling their children. The team is also prepared to accommodate the needs of elderly and immunocompromised patients. We have implemented social distancing, mask wearing by all who enter the office, regimented hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, and room cleaning protocols, say the NJ Top Docs of South Jersey MS Center. Dr. Steven M. Bromley, Dr. Indrani Hightower and Dr. Keith Preis are also excited to now offer their patients several new FDA approved infusions. For the prevention of migraines they are now offering Vyepti infusions every three months. For the treatment of myasthenia gravis, Soliris treatments can be prescribed for patients, which is a treatment given every other week. For multiple sclerosis and other immunological conditions affecting the nervous system, the South Jersey MS Center continues to provide all cutting edge therapies. Lastly, they are also extending new lines of therapy that are immunoprotective and promote general wellness in their patients. We now can offer Nutraceutical infusions, which strengthen the immune system, promote rehydration, promote wellness, and also include anti aging properties, says Dr. Bromley, the director of the South Jersey MS Center. Some elective infusions help to boost immune system function and include IV fluids, high doses of vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins. The well known Myers Cocktail infusion includes electrolytes, high doses of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium and antioxidants. As a thank you for fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines, the team at the South Jersey MS Center are offering healthcare providers and first responders discounted rates for their first infusion service. To learn more about the new services the South Jersey MS Center is offering, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-doctors/southjerseymscenter/ --- About Us NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted. NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment. For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. ELSAH Principia College President John Williams on Friday addressed the community, both in person and remotely, for the Fall 2020 Convocation. Instead of taking place inside Cox Auditorium as usual, Principia held Convocation inside the chapel for 47 new students and Williams, and outside on the Chapel Green for everyone else including professors dressed in their academic attire and students. The large, masked crowd occupied the majority of the Chapel Green, maintaining appropriate social distancing as they listened to Williams voice echo through the speakers. Professors and upperclassmen applauded as the new students walk down the path from the chapel. In his speech, Williams shared meaningful experiences from his own past, which he applied to certain elements of todays cultural and political atmosphere. These anecdotes were centered around casting off his own ingrained stereotypes and learning to be an agent of positive change. We are at a pivot point in history, and that is really cool, Williams said enthusiastically. I believe that we are not subjects or victims. We, in fact, have the power of choice, agency. We do not have to be victims we can influence change. Williams also shared a few tips for students that he said could help them survive in college, such as questioning each other and professors with respect and humility, and taking the time to truly know everybody in the community. On a more technical note, Williams spoke on how the lack of people on campus this summer allowed for the undertaking of a variety of projects, including work on Sylvester and Buck houses and installing electric locks on dorm doors. This was followed by a formal update to the community about the COVID-19 situation, in which Williams happily informed the crowd that there have been no known cases of the virus on campus since students returned. We have been successful in casting out fear on this campus in these two weeks, Williams said, referencing this years metaphysical theme. We do not have to be victims we can influence change. Williams encouraged students to remain prayerfully vigilant as the college prepares to open up more (which includes allowing students to leave campus). He also stressed important practical steps that must remain in place, such as the daily health screenings and frequent hand-washing. We all want to help and support one another in this really weird time so we can have an excellent adventure, said Williams. It was really cool getting to be one of the few inside [the Chapel], said Sissy Sugarman, a freshman. Weve had so many Zoom meetings recently, so getting to do something that was in person and felt so real was nice. Its amazing how I would never think that that was a privilege before this. In keeping with tradition, Convocation ended with the new students marching down the pathway in front of the Chapel, flanked by faculty, professors, and other students applauding as they passed. An upbeat live performance by Principias jazz band wrapped up the ceremony. A PUB in Sonning Common has a new pop-up Brazilian menu. The Bird in Hand in Peppard Road has hired Andre Moure, who is originally from Sao Paulo. Mr Moure found his passion for cooking at his familys restaurant where he learned to make dishes such as churrasquinho misto, or barbecued meat skewers. He then went to the Instituto Gastronomico das Americas, a culinary school where he was taught cooking techniques and how to run a business. He then ran his own restaurant, called San Antonio, in Sao Paulo for eight years before leaving because Brazils taxes were too high. In March, Mr Moure moved to Reading with his wife, Carla, 37, and their eight-year-old son Caio. He was hired by the Bird in Hand as a chef and impressed Dan Wilson and his wife Helen Blundell who run the pub, with his Brazilian food. Ms Blundell, 42, said: He would even try to make the normal menu a lot more interesting. I think it was his way of nudging us. She and her husband felt the pub needed a new start after being closed for three months because of the coronavirus lockdown. Ms Blundell said: I think he would have got bored if we didnt let him make the Brazilian food as well. Mr Moures dishes include moqueca de peixe, which is haddock, shrimps, double cream, red onion, mixed peppers and chilli, lasange de beringela, an aubergine lasagne with cheese and tomato sauce, and a gran bird, chocolate pudding. Mr Wilson, 48, said: You can get pub food anywhere but its not often that you can work with a Brazilian chef. Its hard to get people to come out anyway so we need to give them something to come out for. Mr Moure said: I am enjoying it here in Sonning Common so far but it is a lot colder than San Paulo and Ive already had a cold. The pop-up menu is a permanent addition to the pubs existing menu. The US president says at a campaign rally that the cost of prescription drugs will be dropping like a rock very soon. President Donald Trump started a process that could cut some U.S. drug costs by tying prices to those paid by countries with national health systems, a move drugmakers said will stifle innovation. The order, released on Sunday, came after an earlier attempt to force pharmaceutical companies to make reductions didnt yield results. Trump, while on a campaign swing to Nevada, tweeted that hed signed an order on the most favored nation plan, which would try to link Medicare Part B and Part D prices to lower prices paid by other countries. The approach was broader than an initial effort that only targeted Part B. The order is a first step that instructs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to begin the rule-making process to test a payment model for some medicines. It offered few details. The cost of prescription drugs will be dropping like a rock very soon, Trump said Sunday at a rally in Henderson, Nevada. The drug companies dont like me too much. The order falls far short of an immediate cut that Trump has touted would lower patients out-of-pocket costs. Instead, it starts the process for HHS Secretary Alex Azar to test the impact of such a change. That likely means patients wont see lower prices until well after the U.S. presidential election in November, if at all, as the path to lowering drug prices remains uncertain. In late July, Trump announced plans for multiple executive orders, including one that would allow Americans to buy medication imported from Canada. The president announced the favored nations order at the same conference in an attempt to pressure drug companies to the table to strike a deal. New Version The White House released that July 24 order on Sunday, but also announced that it had been rescinded. The new order issued Sunday echoes the earlier orders provision on Part B, which refers to the Medicare plan that encompasses therapies administered in a doctors office or hospital, but adds a section on Part D, the prescription drug benefit. If Trump ultimately benchmarks prices to those of countries with universal health care systems, it could slash drug company revenues. With scientists and researchers at Americas biopharmaceutical companies working around the clock to fight a deadly pandemic, it is simply dumbfounding that the Trump administration would move forward with its threat to import foreign price controls and the inevitable delays to innovation that will follow, Biotechnology Innovation Organization CEO Michelle McMurry-Heath said in a statement. We will use every tool available including legal action if necessary to fight this risky foreign price control scheme. Stephen Ubl, chief executive officer of the drug industrys largest trade organization, called the White House approach irresponsible and unworkable. They are now expanding the policy to include medicines in both Medicare Part B and Part D, an overreach that further threatens Americas innovation leadership and puts access to medicines for tens of millions of seniors at risk, said Ubl, head of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, typically a reliable backer of Republicans, said in a statement that Trumps flawed and dangerous policy was coming at the worst possible time. The U.S. Chamber is assessing options to challenge this misguided policy, said Neil Brady, the organizations chief policy officer. Plans Opponents The planned order drew ire from the drug industry when it was broached in July. Pharmaceutical groups ran advertisements against the measure, as Trump began touting the as-of-yet-unspecified policy at campaign rallies. Trump said at the time that he would give the industry 30 days to aid him in finding an alternative solution to cut drug costs, and was open to meet with those in the sector to find a compromise. No agreement was announced. Former Republican representative and longtime industry lobbyist James Greenwood has suggested Trumps most favored nations order contradicts his other political positions. The president rails against socialist medicine, but hes willing to import socialist pricing models into the United States, Greenwood told Bloomberg in February, as the Trump administration began developing the plan. Democrats have also raised concerns. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the moves took no real action to lower prices. Trump has sought to improve his standing on health-care issues, particularly with older voters, as negative sentiment over his handling of the coronavirus has mounted. Research from the data firm 0ptimus found has found the pandemic has activated a new group of Coronavoters who pose a threat to his presidency: Republicans for whom the virus was the last straw, and low-propensity Democratic and independent voters who will mobilize to the polls come November. A home cook has revealed how Aldi's popular $3.50 garlic dip can be used to completely transform your potato bake. The Mediterranean Delite budget buy has been selling out across Australia for the past two months, with men and women using it to make everything from pizza bases to salad dressings. Shopper Jodie noticed the trend on social media and decided to join the hype by trying something new. 'I decided to join the bandwagon and buy the Aldi garlic dip and use it in my potato bake for tonight - omg this is going to be amazing,' Jodie said and posted two images to the Aldi Fans Australia Facebook group. A savvy home cook has used the Mediterranean Delite garlic dip from Aldi to add a burst of flavour to her potato bake Jodie whisked one tablespoon of the garlic dip with half a cup of cream and cheese and poured the mixture over the potatoes before baking it in the oven. She served the roasted potatoes with lamb chops cooked and green vegetables for the perfect tasty dinner. Jodie was so pleased with the result she said her next attempt will be to make garlic prawns using the $3.50 dip. The amateur home cook said the meal tasted delicious and encouraged others to make it themselves too. Jodie whisked one tablespoon of the garlic dip with half a cup of cream and cheese and poured the mixture over the potatoes before baking in the oven Many were left impressed as other social media users thanked Jodie for sharing the idea online. 'Oh I might have to try that!' one person said. 'Bought this [dip] last week, will definitely make this asap,' another said. Another said the dip is great to use with chicken, barbecue meats, in wraps and on vegetables. In August another woman used the same dip to add a burst of flavour to roasted vegetables In August another woman used the same dip to add a burst of flavour to roasted vegetables. Mum Suzanne said on Facebook she combined the dip with chopped raw cauliflower, sprinkled olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli spice and parmesan cheese before roasting the vegetable in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for half an hour until tender. 'Found another way to use the garlic dip! Was so good!' she said. The social media post received more than 900 'likes' and others were impressed by the idea. MARYVILLE The villages Dollar General store is once again back on track. The store will be built on the west side of Route 159 at West Division Street, diagonal from village hall, after some demolition occurs. According to Bob Elkan, manager for Glenwood Equities, construction will begin in mid-October and the store should open just before Valentines Day, 2021. Glenwood then leases the completed buildings to Dollar General. He said the building will comprise 9,100-square-feet and have 33 parking slots. The number of employees could range from six to 10 people but Elkan added that the final worker tally will be determined by those running the store. We are expecting good results out of this location, based on other area locations, he said. Mayor Craig Short said that at the Aug. 31 planning commission meeting, the developer, Glenwood Equities, proposed three changes at the request of the planning commission. First, the building will feature brick and stone on three sides (west, furthest from Route 159 will be metal siding) all the way to the top, (no metal fascia around the top) with a color scheme similar to the Hazelwood, Missouri location. Second, it will have a ground monument-style sign and finally, it will sport a masonry dumpster enclosure. Short said the planning commission unanimously voted in favor of the final development plan with those contingencies. This Dollar General will look substantially similar to the Carlyle Dollar General store. Elkan said the Maryville store will have the same corner entrance and exit as Carlyle and the same sort of masonry. The village board unanimously passed the resolution Sept. 2 Trustee Todd Bell was absent and Trustee Ed Kostyshock abstained to follow the planning commissions recommendation and accept the final development plan. In late July, the planning commission denied the preliminary plat for the site until more space was added between the south property line and the rear of the building and the buildings exterior contained too much metal and not enough brick or stone. Elkan said Glenwood has erected three new Dollar General locations in the past 18 months and has stores across southern Illinois Glen Carbon, Collinsville, Troy, Belleville, St. Jacob, Salem, Greenville, Pocahontas, Aviston and Livingston, among other areas. Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 659-5735 The Salvation Army is starting its annual holiday fundraising campaign earlier than ever in an attempt to rescue Christmas. Facing an increased demand amid the coronavirus pandemic with high unemployment, the nations largest social services organization said it will start collecting donations in its iconic red kettles with bell-ringing volunteers Monday instead of waiting until closer to Thanksgiving as in past years. Yet with a surge of store closings, a decline in foot traffic to retail locations, consumers carrying less cash and a countrywide coin shortage, the Salvation Army said it expects to see up to a 50 per cent decrease in fundraising. Our ability to raise vital funds to serve those in need this Christmas and beyond is at risk, said commissioner Kenneth Hodder, the faith-based charitys national commander, in a news release. We need everyone who has the capacity to come alongside us and ensure that the holiday season is bright for millions in need. While the campaign officially starts Monday, not all red kettles countrywide will start collecting immediately as itll be a local decision. Amid COVID-19, the organization said requests for help are at all-time high and it estimates it could serve up to 155 per cent more people this year with Christmas assistance from putting food on the table, paying bills, providing shelter and helping place gifts under the tree if resources are available. Since March, the Salvation Army says it has provided more than 100 million meals and 1.5 million nights of shelter. Last year, $126 million (U.S.) was raised through about 30,000 red kettles. In a statement to USA Today, Salvation Army said it is working with corporate and community partners to determine how many red kettles will be safely placed, but we expect it will be less than our typical number. Bell ringers will be provided masks and instructed to follow all local and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety protocols, officials told USA Today, adding they also will be trained to maintain social distancing and to clean kettles each day. Getting donations in cashless society Instead of searching for change or dollar bills in pockets or wallets, the Salvation Army says consumers can contribute by pulling out their cellphones. Last holiday season, the Salvation Army put a modern spin on fundraising when it launched Kettle Pay and allowed consumers to donate digitally with Apple Pay or Google Pay at any red kettle across the country. With Kettle Pay, donors scan a QR code for Apple Pay or hover over a Google Pay symbol to donate electronically. As America moves toward a cashless society, The Salvation Army has been adapting to make it simpler and safer for donors to give, Hodder said in a statement to USA Today, noting 63 per cent of consumers are carrying less cash and coins. Donations can be sent by texting KETTLES to 91999 and by saying to Amazon Alexa, Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army, then specifying the amount. Donations also will be accepted at RescueChristmas.org. Many businesses and experts have been encouraging consumers to use contactless payment systems because of concerns about the spread of the viral infection via cash and credit cards. Reports of the coin shortage, which U.S. Mint officials call a disruption of the supply channels of circulating coinage, started in mid-June. Fewer open stores this holiday season As many as 25,000 stores could shutter in 2020 due to COVID-19 impact, according to a report from Coresight Research. Since May, department store chains and apparel retailers have announced thousands of store closures with a record number of bankruptcies. Although stores have been grappling with declining foot traffic for years, officials have said the impact of the pandemic have accelerated the closings and bankruptcy filings. Among those that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection are: Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Justice, Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, J.C. Penney, Sur La Table, Neiman Marcus, Tuesday Morning, Lord + Taylor and J. Crew. Other retailers, who havent filed for bankruptcy, also plan to shutter locations, including Victorias Secret, Nordstrom and Signet Jewelers, parent company of Kay, Zales and Jared. Holiday shopping starting earlier While Salvation Army is kicking off its ,campaign early, retailers are planning to start the holiday shopping earlier than past years too. Walmart, Target and Best Buy have said they will start offering deals for the holiday season early to reduce crowds and spread out demand. Last week, Home Depot announced its Black Friday sale will stretch nearly two months instead of a single day with deals available in stores and online. Michael Brown, a partner in the consumer practice at Kearney, a global strategy and management consultant firm, recently told USA Today that holiday sales will need to start as early as October for retailers to have enough selling days in restricted occupancy stores. The suspect raising a gun before shooting the two deputies ((Los Angeles Sheriff's Department)) The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has warned that a social media post that claimed to identify the suspect in a shooting of officers in Compton is not accurate. On Saturday, two deputies were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station in Compton, California. The deputies, a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old mother, are expected to recover after they both underwent surgery over the weekend, according to Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villanueva. On Saturday, the department released footage of the shooting from a nearby surveillance camera, and offered a $100,000 (77,556) reward to anyone who could help identify the alleged shooter. The surveillance footage showed a suspect walk up to the patrol car and fire two shots into the passenger side window before running from the scene. The authorities described the suspect as a black man between the ages of 28 to 30, but admitted that they only had a very generic description of him. However, on Sunday, a social media post that claimed to identify the suspect in the shooting spread, which prompted the department to refute the claims. The department tweeted: Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our two deputies yesterday. Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our 2 deputies yesterday. This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time. LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) September 14, 2020 This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time. The shooting was condemned by both the Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, and the Republican nominee Donald Trump. Story continues President Donald Trump called for the shooter to be given the death penalty, while Mr Biden tweeted: This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery. https://t.co/330QfeIUGg Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 13, 2020 In recent weeks, the department has faced scrutiny over police brutality, following more than three months of Black Lives Matter protests across the US that were sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. A small group of Compton residents protested against police outside the hospital where the deputies were recovering on Sunday, and sheriff Villanueva described the gathering as an unlawful assembly of a group of protesters. The FBI is aiding the department with its investigation into Saturdays shooting. Read more Compton police shooting: Everything we know about 'ambush' gun attack on two police officers in LA It always seemed strange that Microsoft would buy TikTok's U.S. operations. On paper, at least, the two companies have little in common aside from the fact that they both make software. Even then, Microsoft is known for pretty boring business productivity tools, as well as the operating system that powers 85 percent of the world's computers. Aside from the Xbox, its audience is mostly businesses and professionals. TikTok, on the other hand, is known for creating what might be the world's best content-recommendation algorithm. According to SensorTower, TikTok has been installed on 186 million devices here in the U.S. and has over 100 million active users, many of whom are teenagers who mostly upload dance videos. There doesn't seem like a lot of crossover between those two markets. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has rejected Microsoft's bid. It appears, for now at least, that Oracle is the winning bidder. Interestingly, Oracle's role appears to be more of a custodian to alleviate concerns that the company would share personal data from U.S. users with the Chinese government. That's the reason the Department of Defense, back in January, advised active duty and civilian employees not to install the app on any devices. In Oracle's case, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the company won't actually purchase TikTok but will serve as a "trusted tech partner." That's similar to what was originally offered by Microsoft before the Trump Administration made it clear that it wouldn't accept anything other than a sale. Microsoft, along with Walmart, was negotiating just for TikTok's operations in the U.S. and a handful of other countries. Which is why it now comes as a surprise that Microsoft went from clear front runner to being left out entirely. In a statement, Microsoft said: We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. Part of that slide could have resulted from the fact that the TikTok algorithm wasn't going to be a part of the deal. China had quietly added A.I. technology to its list of prohibited exports, making it virtually impossible for whichever company bought TikTok to take control of arguably its most valuable component. While there are other valuable assets associated with TikTok--namely a fast-growing, and highly-engaged audience--without the algorithm, the deal hardly seems worth the trouble. And this deal has been almost nothing but trouble. From the original short timeline after President Trump ordered a ban unless TikTok was sold by mid-September, to the fact that Trump later made clear he expected the U.S. to receive a substantial "key money" payment for allowing such a sale, everything about this has been a headache. In fact, it was such a headache that the company's CEO, Kevin Mayer, resigned in late August, saying that "as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for." It turns out, it wasn't going to look anything like what he signed up for, so he left. Honestly, that's probably good advice for Microsoft. Sure, the company has very smart people advising it, and it certainly doesn't need me to give advice. It does, however, sometimes take a little perspective to see when the cost just isn't worth it. In Microsoft's case, the decision wasn't entirely theirs, but that just means the company probably dodged a bullet. Microsoft absolutely does not "need" TikTok. It doesn't meet a real gap in the company's core business that it can't fill in some other way. At best, it would have provided a platform on which to build new businesses. That's great, but for a company with a $1.5 trillion market cap, the actual added value was likely to be insignificant. In that case, Microsoft comes out ahead simply because it no longer has to calculate the cost of the political firestorm that was sure to continue to follow TikTok. It's free of the burden of justifying what was likely to be a $30 billion purchase for an app that makes no money. Mostly, it's just free of the distraction. Delhi University (DU) will start conducting the second phase of open book exams (OBE) in blended mode --both online and offline ---from Monday, with around 12,780 students expected to take the tests. While 9,467 students will take the exam in online mode, only 3,313 have chosen to appear for it in-person. According to the DUs officiating dean (examination) DS Rawat, of around 12,780 registered students,10,780 are from the School of Open Learning (SoL) and around 2,000 are those enrolled in regular colleges and Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB). While regular students and those from NCWEB will visit their respective colleges and departments to take their exams, those enrolled in the school of learning (SoL) have been allotted centres located in different areas across the city, he said. HT had on September 11 reported that only a quarter of students appearing in the second phase of DU exams have opted to appear in-person for their exams. In some colleges, including Sri Ram College of Commerce and Aryabhatta College, no student had registered to appear in the second phase of the exams physically. The exam will be held between September 14 and October 1. The colleges selected as examination centres for SoL students included Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, Deen Dyal Upadhayay (DDU) College, Deshbandhu College, Saheed Bhagat Singh College and Shyama Prasad Mukherji College for Women (Girls), along with three other SoL centers. DU will conduct the second phase of its open-book exams for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students who could not appear in the first phase, that was held online between August 10 and August 31. This time, the students have been given the option to either write the exam online or visit the universitys examination centres to take the tests. The universitys examination department had last week issued a detailed advisory to all the colleges and asked them to be ready with thermal scanners, sanitisers and masks before the exams commenced. At the colleges or examination centres, students will be asked to submit an undertaking declaring themselves free of any symptom of Covid-19. They have been asked to carry their own paper sheets to write the exams; gadgets such as mobile phones or laptops to download the question paper, sanitisers, masks, gloves, and a transparent water bottle. Payal Mago, principal of Shaheed Rajguru College in Vasundhara Enclave, said that they have exams in two shifts at their college on Monday. In the first shift we are expecting only seven students. But in the second shift, around 150 students will take the exam on Monday. We are ready with all the arrangements. We have also procured oximeters to have a quick check on students before they enter the exam centres, she said. Principal of all other colleges said that they will sanitise their campus premises before students will arrive on Monday. Rajiv Agarwal, principal of Deshbandhu College, said that they are expecting around 80 students on Monday. We have an exam only in the second shift tomorrow. We procured face masks, gloves and sanitising lotions. We have kept boxes in each room for students to keep their answers scripts after completing the exams. We are making efforts to make it a contactless exam, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail With barely three months ahead to the 2020 general elections, the Eastern Regional General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Jeff Konadu has stated that government is not feeling self-satisfied over its achievements. According to him, the NPP will not underestimate any opponent but will rather reach out Ghanaians with the government's many achievements and the projects that are currently ongoing. Upon all our national campaigns and tours, Presidential tours and media engagements we dont want to feel pompous or underestimate anyone. We will still work hard because winning an election isnt a one-day affair but a long-running process. Therefore we are going to send our volunteering groups to the ground, to every house, to every village and cities for them to preach the good works of this current administration, he said. Jeff Konadu made this known when addressing the first Eastern Regional Patriotic Health Team conference in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua. He called on the various youth groups and volunteering group of the NPP to work hard as according to him, the youth and the volunteering groups are very important when it comes to the boot on grounds campaign. Patriotic Health Team is a group of healthy volunteers from all angles of the health sector coming together to help spread the good works of the NPP and to also help in community health development. In his address, the National President of Patriotic Health Team, Douglas Kwesi Boateng also hinted that the volunteering group is ready to hit the grounds for a healthy campaign for the ruling NPP ahead of the December polls. He said the main aim of their group is to help NPP members and all Ghanaians live a healthy life in this coronavirus pandemic season. He added that the volunteering group are going to work professionally and advised any member whose aim is to acquire personal interest to change their minds and rather focus on pushing the governments agenda and good works. He indicated that his team are about to introduce a new style which will see the NPP retains power. He advised members of the volunteering group to be very active and sacrifice to push the partys agenda and spread the good messages whiles helping Ghanaians to keep up with their health status. 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 The Delhi Police was seeking custody of the ex-JNU student leader in order to confront him with 'huge technical data' running into 11 lakh pages New Delhi: A Delhi court Monday sent former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, arrested under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, to police custody for 10 days in a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February. Khalid was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing. Police had sought his custody for 10 days saying they wanted to confront him with documents running into 11 lakh pages. Khalid was arrested on Sunday night in the case. His counsel opposed the remand application saying he was not in Delhi during 23-26 February, when the riots took place. In the FIR, the police have claimed that the communal violence was a "premeditated conspiracy" which was allegedly hatched by Khalid and two others. Khalid has also been booked for the offences of sedition, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and rioting. Khalid had allegedly given provocative speeches at two different places and appealed to the citizens to come out on streets and block the roads during the visit of US President Donald Trump to spread propaganda at international level about how minorities in India are being tortured, the FIR alleged. In this conspiracy, firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles and stones were collected at numerous homes, FIR claimed. Co-accused Danish was allegedly given the responsibility to gather people from two different places to take part in the riots, police alleged. Women and children were made to block the roads under the Jafrabad metro station on 23 February to create tension among people in the neighbourhood, the FIR said. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With consumers expressing caution and concern heading back into reopened salons and spas, the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), the professional beauty industry's largest and most inclusive trade organization, is helping to identify the Three Things You Need To Know About Salon and Spa Safety to help ensure consumer education and confidence -- especially as we head into the fall and winter months. Over the last six months, the PBA has actively led the beauty industry through each phase of the COVID-19 pandemic; including supporting licensed professionals through its $1.5M Relief Fund, working tirelessly with various state governments on reopening guidelines and timings, providing salon reopening guidelines and training, and actively campaigning for relief legislation. The organization has an unparalleled understanding of how Covid-19 has affected salons and spas -- and their guests. Using those insights, resources, and its global partnerships, the PBA has developed guidance to help consumers feel confident going back to the salon and spa environment, while minimizing risk, and includes the following three things you need to know: The professional beauty industry is one of the ONLY service industries that require cleanliness training in order to obtain a license. The beauty industry requires stringent training and an occupational license. Steve Sleeper , the PBA's executive director shares, "As part of their licensing program, cosmetologists and aestheticians are trained extensively in healthy and public safety, and must follow their state's strict infection control guidelines." The professional beauty industry is a regulated industry, helping to ensure that safety is a key priority. Extra measures matter. Look for salons and spas who are taking Covid-19 safety seriously. The PBA released "Getting Back to Work Guidelines" that highlight protocols for Safe Salons and Spas, including such measures as temperature checks, sanitizer stations, and plexiglass dividers or social distanced chairs, as well as whether your state requires it or not, ensuring both staff and guests are wearing masks at all times. Note -- it's a two-way street: if guests also approach salon and spa services with safety in mind, the risks are even further reduced. "The PBA wants salons, spas, service providers, and consumers to start to rebuild an industry devastated by the pandemic in the absolute safest way possible," shares Steve Sleeper . "It's going to take time, but with transparency, safety, and respect, the beauty industry will rebound, and consumers can feel safe, confident, and pampered again." Look for GBAC STAR Facility Accredited Salons. If you're looking for a salon and/or spa that's gone above and beyond, seek out a GBAC STAR accredited facility. In an effort to create a standardized cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention protocol for the entire professional beauty industry, the PBA has launched a partnership with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, and its GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation Program. This partnership marks the first time the professional beauty industry is aligning on such a standardized protocol with a nationally recognized entity that will help clients feel safer than ever to enter a salon/spa. GBAC STAR is the cleaning industry's only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities. GBAC STAR-accredited facilities, such as American Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, and the Javits Center, are able to demonstrate that correct work practices, procedures and systems are in place to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics; providing salons and spas a standardized, high level measure of safety and cleaning best practices. Through this partnership, PBA is offering its members a discount on this annual accreditation to help create this industry-wide standardization and confidence for salons, spas, and their clientele. "The Professional Beauty Association is excited to partner with GBAC on instituting a recognizable cleaning and disinfection accreditation seal to ensure the health and safety of salons and spas, their staff, and clientele," shares Steve Sleeper . "Our goal is to help provide a resource for the industry to institute this nationally recognized standardization, helping to create the safest salon and spa experience possible." GBAC STAR accreditation means that a salon or spa has: Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease. Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response. For more information on the GBAC program, visit: https://www.probeauty.org/membership-resources/gbac-star . For more information on the PBA, visit: www.probeauty.org. SOURCE Professional Beauty Association President Donald Trump interrupted a Western campaign swing Monday by flying to California to review wildfire damage and renew his argument with state and local officials about what he says is the main cause of the fires that claimed the lives of at least 35 people this month. Though government officials and scientists identified climate change as the primary culprit behind the intense wildfires, Trump insisted during a briefing in Northern California that "forest management" is more to blame. "When trees fall down after a short period of time, they become very dry really like a matchstick ... and they can explode," Trump said as he and others breathed in the smoky, hazy air near Sacramento. Officials working on the wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington state said the problem will get worse if Trump continues to ignore the impact of climate change. During a briefing with Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, told him forest management is an issue, but "climate change is real, and that is exacerbating this." "Please respect, and I know you do, the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue ... of climate change, Newsom said. When Wade Crowfoot, California secretary for natural resources identified climate change as the primary cause of the wildfires, Trump interrupted: "It'll start getting cooler you just watch." "I wish science agreed with you," Crowfoot told the president. Trump responded, "I don't think science knows, actually." President Donald Trump arrives at Sacramento McClellan Airport to survey wildfire damage in California on Sept. 14. 'I could never have envisioned this': At least 35 dead as nearly 100 wildfires rage across 12 Western states More: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak says Trump took 'reckless and selfish actions' by holding indoor rally In a campaign speech Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump's refusal to address climate change threatens to bring more wildfires, floods and other environmental calamities. Story continues "If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze?" Biden said during a climate change speech. "If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater?" As smoke obscured the view of mountains in Northern California, Trump received his briefing on wildfire damage at McClellan Park, a former Air Force Base thats home to the states Office of Emergency Services. Trump participated in a ceremony recognizing the work of the California National Guard. Over the past three weeks, deadly wildfires have destroyed more than 5 million acres in California, Oregon and Washington and forced thousands from their homes. Forest management, Trump's preferred solution, can range from clearing out overgrown vegetation which can serve as kindling to cutting pathways and roads through the woods to give firefighters easier access. Trump has threatened to withhold federal aid from California and other states if they do not change forest management policies. At a rally in Pennsylvania last month, Trump said, "You gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and theyre like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up." Trump took a more tactful tone at the start of his visit Monday, saying he gets along with Newsom. "He does agree with me on forest management," Trump said. "Its a very important subject. You drop a cigarette on it, you come back an hour later and you have a forest fire. Asked why he waited so long to visit, Trump told a reporter, "Thats a nasty question. I got a call from your governor immediately. On that call, I declared it a national emergency. Thats a nasty question. Trump, who spent the weekend campaigning for reelection in Nevada, resumes his Western swing after the California stop. He is scheduled to fly to Phoenix for a roundtable discussion with Latino voters. Trump is scheduled to return to the White House late Monday. The wildfire review came a day after officials in Nevada criticized Trump for holding a mass political rally indoors, risking the spread of COVID-19. "At a time when Nevada is focused on getting our economy back on track and protecting public health, the presidents actions this weekend are shameful, dangerous and irresponsible," Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump: California, Oregon wildfires the result of 'forest management' Conn. governor skewered for suggesting black churches should lead support for COVID-19 vaccine Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is coming under fire from religious and political leaders in his state for suggesting that black churches should lead support for a coronavirus vaccine. His suggestion comes at a time when a majority of U.S. voters continue to express reticence about being first in line to get it. We are not guinea pigs. This will not be another Tuskegee and we are not going to allow it. Ned Lamont is being called to the carpet and anyone else, any other legislator that is on this bandwagon, let him and his family take the vaccine first. Let Bill Gates and his family take the vaccine first. Let the legislators take the vaccine first. We dont need it. Were OK, civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay said at a press conference Thursday in response to Lamonts suggestion. The controversy over black churches and the coronavirus vaccine erupted last week after Lamont cited a recent study that showed African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to get tested for COVID-19 than whites, but less willing to be vaccinated, according to the Hartford Courant. Only 38% of black respondents compared to 67% of whites said they would get the coronavirus vaccine, according to a recent Siena College Research Institute/DataHaven survey of Connecticut adults. Ive got to do a better job in education, Lamont said. Ive got to do work with the churches. Ive got to do everything I can to give people confidence that we would never be asking you to first get tested and then try a vaccine until were absolutely certain its safe. ... Thats something were going to have to work on every day. Shortly after he made that statement, state Sen. Douglas McCrory asked on his Facebook page: Governor Lamont just mentioned he was going to work with the Black churches to encourage the use of a vaccine for COVID-19. What do you think about that? McCrory was overwhelmed with responses and he told the Hartford Courant that he thought it was unusual for the governor to focus on black churches the way he did. Noting that the vaccine is being rushed, he asked, Why encourage the black community to take part in something that most people would probably be afraid of taking themselves, understanding the historic relationship between the medical industry and the black community? That historic relationship between the medical industry and the black community involves what many have come to know as the Tuskegee trial. From 1932 through 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted a study of the effects of untreated syphilis in black men in Macon County, Alabama. The men in the study were offered free medical care and burials, but not penicillin, which became the recommended drug for treatment of syphilis in the 1940s, The CT Mirror noted. Dont come to our churches and try to convince us because when you try to convince me of something, it tells me that youre hiding something. If you present me with the truth, the truth will prevail. Give me the facts, give me the data, and then I will make a decision and then you dont need to convince me, Lindsay stressed at her press conference. Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr., senior pastor at the 11,000-member First Cathedral in Bloomfield, asked, "My main issue is this: Why doesnt [Lamont] work with the white churches first, or the Spanish churches? as reported by the Hartford Courant. "Why pull out the black churches? Why should we trust this? Why not have a conversation with the African-American pastors first to see our take on it? At the recently held National Medical Association's virtual annual convention, past and present U.S. surgeons general said vaccine hesitancy in the black community could worsen the disproportionate impact of COVID-19, Medpage Today reported. Latinos and non-Hispanic black individuals are hospitalized for COVID-19 at a rate that is 4.7 times higher than the rate of non-Hispanic white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. David Satcher, former surgeon general in the Clinton administration, said during his time with HHS, the government partnered with a national group of black churches to promote immunizations in children before age 2. At the time, immunization rates were below 30% overall and lower in the black community. "People are not going to necessarily always trust us, but they might trust the church," he said. "So that's what we took advantage of, and it worked out quite well." Current Surgeon General Jerome Adams said he visited the 10 largest churches in the country over the summer. Bishop John L. Selders Jr., organizing pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ in Hartford, noted that many in his congregation are being cautious. You cant help but hear the echoes coming from Washington that say were going to have a vaccine maybe before the election, how its being used in a political context, Selders told the Hartford Courant. Its very hard to be able to hear and have confidence, quite frankly, in what might be offered. "Im also excited about the opportunity to partner with Smile Brands to open this state-of-the-art facility and serve the community of Cleveland." Smile Brands Inc., one of the nations leading providers of business support services to dental groups in the United States, today announced the grand opening of another affiliated Castle Dental office, serving the community of Cleveland, TN. Patients will enjoy convenient hours, a comfortable office, and full-service care at the new Cleveland location. The newest Castle Dental office provides full-service general dentistry, plus specialty care services, such as orthodontics (braces), Invisalign, oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics, and implants. Located at 702 Paul Huff Parkway in Cleveland, the office will be open four days a week, including evenings. Castle Dental accepts most major insurance plans and offers flexible financing options so patients can afford the care they need. To celebrate the grand opening, the new Cleveland office will offer a special $39 new patient check-up package, including an exam and digital x-rays, and $100 off dental services over $300. Opening this new location helps Smile Brands and its affiliated dental groups achieve their mission to provide Smiles for Everyone by bringing affordable dental care to local neighborhoods. Leading the clinical team in the new Castle Dental office is Dr. Eric J. Palacios. Dr. Palacios has advanced training in General Dentistry and is committed to providing a friendly and knowledgeable approach to patients so they are happy with their smiles. I have a very patient-centered approach to dentistry, explains Dr. Palacios. I enjoy getting to know my patients so they can have a positive experience during their treatment. Im also excited about the opportunity to partner with Smile Brands to open this state-of-the-art facility and serve the community of Cleveland. Prospective patients can call the new Cleveland Castle Dental office at 423-790-3787 or toll-free at 1-800-TO-SMILE (1-800-867-6453). People can also visit us online to schedule an appointment at the new Cleveland location. About Smile Brands Inc. Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. The organizations award-winning culture has made it the only dental support organization on Glassdoors Best Places to Work for the past three years. Smile Brands affiliated dentists benefit from industry-leading business support services, so they can spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. The organization supports over 440 affiliated practices and 60 brands across 18 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Since the COVID-19 pandemic first came to Los Angeles in the spring, the county Department of Public Health has hired nearly 2,600 people to do the manual work of contact tracing: asking people who test positive for the coronavirus to list everywhere they've been and everyone they've seen in recent days, then tracking down anyone they've encountered and testing them before they spread the virus further. But the rate of community spread in Los Angeles is overwhelming the county's capacity, said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. That's why she and other civic leaders gathered Wednesday night in a ballroom atop City Hall to encourage Angelenos to download an app called SafePass, developed by the tech company behind the popular but controversial safety-alert app Citizen. Here's how SafePass works: Users download the app and give it permission to use their phone's short-range Bluetooth signal. Then, whenever the app detects another SafePass user nearby for more than five minutes, it logs that user as a contact. A user who tests positive for the coronavirus can upload their test result into the app, which automatically sends out an alert to everyone logged as a contact: You've been exposed to the virus, please get tested and isolate yourself if necessary. That alert is anonymousit says only that a user has been exposed, not who did the exposingand the company behind the app, Sp0n Inc., says it automatically deletes users' data after 30 days to preserve their privacy (and within 24 hours if a user deletes the app). Google and Apple, which between them control the operating systems of nearly all the phones in the U.S., announced plans to create a similar Bluetooth-based contact tracing system in April. At the time, critics said the system was a poor replacement for labor-intensive manual contact tracing because it is effective only when a critical mass of users all have the app turned on. An Oxford University study found that 60% of a population needs to opt in for a Bluetooth-based app to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But with the county's army of manual contact tracers working in the background, L.A. leaders are betting that any additional contact tracing helpseven if that help comes from a tech company whose approach to public safety has often come under fire. Citizen first launched in 2016 as Vigilante, an app that alerted users to nearby 911 calls and encouraged them to rush to the scene to share live video of what was going down. Critics quickly highlighted the risk of encouraging racial profiling, harassment and dangerous behavior, and within two days, Apple pulled Vigilante from its App Store over safety concerns. The following spring, the app relaunched as Citizen, with new messaging that focused more on user safety than anti-crime vigilantism and, a few months later, a new round of $12 million in venture capital funding. The new version removed prompts urging users to get footage of active crimes but still allowed users to submit their own incident reports. In the years since, the company says, its user base has grown to more than 5 million, even as critics continue to argue that the app fosters racist surveillance and presents users with warped visions of crime-ridden cities when crime rates are at historic lows. Citizen expanded to Los Angeles in spring 2019. In just the last 18 months, the company says, it has assembled a user base of nearly 1 million in L.A. County. "Our mission is to keep our users safe," said Andrew Frame, Sp0n's chief executive. "So when the pandemic hit, there was a lot of discussion within the company.... 'It seems like COVID is the No. 1 safety issue right now. What can we do?'" The company first rolled out an experimental contact tracing feature on the Citizen app itself in the spring, asking users if they'd like to opt into the feature and give the app access to their Bluetooth antennas. "An enormous amount of our user base immediately opted in," Frame said, including more than 100,000 users in Los Angeles. An Apple rule concerning contact tracing apps forced the company to spin SafePass off into a standalone app. Frame said despite Citizen's use of police and fire scanner feeds in its app, the company has no official relationship with law enforcement and will not share users' data without their consent unless authorities have a search warrant or a subpoena. "There is no data sharing or deal, cooperation, or anything with law enforcement," Frame said. "We're doing this as a community good." L.A. leaders saw Citizen's large user base, the company's proven technical ability to handle millions of users and the fact that the app came at no cost to users or taxpayers as selling points that were difficult to resist. "Contact tracing saves lives, and our city and county leadership have deployed every possible tool to slow the spread of this virus," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "Given Citizen's immense capacity, millions of existing users, and focus on data privacy, we knew we could hit the ground running with SafePass." L.A. isn't the first city to partner with Citizen for digital contact tracing. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who has made headlines for his ambitious experiments with universal basic income, began urging Stocktonians to download SafePass in August. Tubbs said he had some initial concerns over data privacy, but after the company laid out its safeguards, he was sold. "I think at this juncture, in the city and as a state, we need every tool in the arsenal," Tubbs said. "The more people on the app, the more effective the app is, but if it helps alert one, 10, a thousand, or any number of people greater than zero" that they've been exposed to the virus, that's a success. SafePass users are able to get a free coronavirus test delivered to their home through a partnership with the genetic healthcare company Phosphorus. Frame said his company is losing money on the service as a whole and has no plans to monetize SafePass, but he said the expense is worth it to advance the company's mission and get the world back to a point where the coronavirus is contained and the lockdowns can end. The free publicity that comes from being the official digital contact tracer of a county of 10 million can't hurt either. SafePass users don't need to download the Citizen app, but the same login will work for both. Explore further Europe tests gateway for tracing apps to work across borders 2020 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Officials from Oregon charged a homeless man with starting one of the two ignition points for the 3,200-acre Almeda fire in the southern part of Oregon, according to Jackson County Sheriff's Office. Culprit caught The 41-year-old man, Michael Jarrod Bakkela, was seen by residents lighting a fire behind their house on September 8. State troopers arrived at the scene after receiving a call from residents; they found the suspect standing close to a massive fire. The Jackson County deputies, who also responded to the call, said that the fire was spreading so fast that it was threatening several homes in the area. Bakkela was previously arrested for violating probation on an earlier drug charge, and he was later charged with two counts of arson, 14 counts of reckless endangering and 15 counts of criminal mischief. Also Read: Fact Check: Is Antifa Behind the Devastating Wildfires? The fire Bakkela is said to have started was the one of two ignition points for the fire in Almeda, which was at 50% contained by noon on September 12, according to OregonLive. Two people were found dead in the fire, one of whom has been determined to have died due to the blaze. But that person was found near the other origin point and not the one that Bakkela allegedly started. Oregon Fire Marshal's office spokesman Rick Tyler said that it had not been determined if the second person died because of the fire like the first body they found. Wildfire in Oregon The Almeda fire is one of the smaller wildfires currently burning in Oregon. According to Gov. Kate Brown, more than 1 million acres have been scorched, and seven people are now dead with dozens more missing. Tens of thousands are under mandatory evacuation orders with several hundred thousand more told to be prepared to evacuate and pack up. Adding to the panic and difficulties of battling the devastating fires are rumors that Antifa, the anti-fascist group, is said to have started the fires and are planning to loot houses that are evacuated. This is, of course, not true. There were also rumors accusing Democrats of starting the fires for political gain. But this rumor was debunked by state and federal officials, as there was no evidence to support them, according to OregonLive. Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara, the criminal investigation into the start of the Almeda fire is ongoing, and that rumors about Antifa groups starting fires are 100% false information. Numerous agencies have posted on social media urging people to stop sharing the rumors, but the falsehoods continue to spread. On September 10, armed men confronted an Oregon Public Broadcasting journalist and two other reporters in Molalla and ordered them to leave the city. Sergio Olmos said on Twitter that he was interviewing a couple when two men with rifles approached them and asked them what they were doing and what they were taking pictures of. He said the men told them to leave. One of the reporters with Olmos, Justin Yau, wrote on Twitter that the armed men were "wary of outsiders based on rumors of arsonists starting fires in the area." On September 11, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that residents in Corbett had set up checkpoints and were stopping cars, warning that "it is never legal to block a public roadway or force other citizens to stop." Related Article: 13-Year-Old Boy Found Dead with Dog on His Lap After Trying to Flee Wildfire @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the 45 years since the release of John Lennons 'Imagine' as a single in October 1975, the world has undergone enormous changes, one of the most significant of which was the Fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. This paved the way for German reunification in October 1990 and, in turn, triggered the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. In 1992, in the aftermath of the implosion of the USSR, the American scholar Francis Fukuyama of Stanford University was quick off the mark with a book entitled The End of History in which he predicted the triumph of liberalism as well as secularisation. Well, it hasnt quite worked out like that, not for liberalism and certainly not for secularisation. The horrific events of 9/11, the perpetrators of which were religiously motivated, put a bloody end to all talk of the end of history. The destruction of the World Trade Center also raised again, though with a new and sudden urgency, old questions. In view of all that has happened, why does anyone need religion in the 21st century? And why do so many people across the globe still claim a religious affiliation of one sort or another? Surely in these more secular times, we should be seeing an abandonment of religion. Questions such as these surface from time to time in discussions on radio and television about the persistence of religion, or when the differences between Christianity and Islam are being talked about. But nobody pretends anymore that religion doesnt matter. It was Karl Marx (1818-1883) who popularised the idea of religion as a crutch, something that gives false comfort. He called it the opiate of the poor. But as broadcaster John Humphrys emphasised in his 2007 book In God We Doubt, for vast numbers of ordinary, thoughtful people it is impossible not to believe in God. Quite simply - and this will cause many an atheist lip to curl - they want there to be something else. But what if there isnt something else? What if there is no heaven, or no hell? In July 2001, on the day that Liverpool Airport was being renamed the John Lennon Airport, his widow Yoko Ono made this comment to those attending the ceremony: As John said, there is no hell below us, and above us only sky. This statement of unbelief in the supernatural has a powerful resonance for many young people today, a tribute among others things to the powerful influence of a musical and cultural icon. In January 2001, the Observer published the results of a poll conducted in co-operation with Channel 4 to to find the 100 Greatest No 1 Singles. The winner was John Lennons Imagine, recorded at the home of the best and most richly gifted of the Beatles in Ascot in May 1971, though not released as a single until October 1975. 1971: Cover of the John Lennon classic album "Imagine", released in 1971. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) In an anatomy of an anthem, Yoko One said: We both felt that it was an important song . . . the song was more like a prayer than a prediction: a prayer in the sense of Lets hope that this will circulate. The result of the poll was hardly a surprise. With its utopian sentiments, solemn piano coda and wistful lyrics, Imagine has become the premier item in pops slim hymnal, edging McCartneys Let It Be into second place, with Simon and Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Waters among the also rans, wrote Neil Spencer in the Observers commentary on the poll. The song is (a) anti-religion, (b) anti-nationalism, (c) anti-capitalism, and (d) anti-conformity. And of course for these sentiments, plus its inherent musical qualities, it had and still has huge appeal, especially among the disenchanted and rebellious young. We find (a) in the lines Imagine theres no heaven . . . and no religion too; (b) in Nothing to kill or die for; (c) in Imagine no possessions and No need for greed or hunger, and (d) in Imagine all the people sharing all the world a blueprint for a utopia that hitherto only writers of science fiction have speculated about. Read More Analysis: Collapsing Indian economy spells trouble for democracy In the course of the song, Lennon concedes that critics of the message of the lyrics may dismiss him as a dreamer, but most assuredly, as he was quick to add in the recording, he is not the only one. In a post-9/11 world, where we have witnessed the emergence (or re-emergence) of politicised religion, very many people must from time to time have felt that the world would be a far better place if all religions were abolished. And many of them do not accept, as Popes would have all us accept, that a world without God is a world without hope. These days a new generation of disaffected youth - deeply skeptical of conventional religion, anti-church, anti-establishment, anti-war, anti-hypocrisy, anti-globalisation - readily embrace the idealism of Imagine. Never mind the irony of the admonition to imagine no possessions coming from a millionaire rock star, or the fact that one of Lennons most scabrous critics, the author Albert Goldman (best known for a controversial 1981 biography of Elvis Presley), has dismissed Imagine as a hippie wishing-list full of pennyweight dreams for a better world. In spite of this, the song is still regarded bye the young as an anthem of hope, an anthem full of promise, resonating with the vision of an alternative world, a war-free, greed-free, conflict-free and, yes, a God-free world. It is easy to be cynical in an age when cynicism is a synonym for cool, but Lennon believed in the possibility of a better world. And such is the status and influence of rock stars today that he may well have inspired millions of young people to believe in such a possibility as well. And that is no bad thing. In the 45 years since its release as a single in Britain, Lennons vision of a God-less, secularised society has been realised to a considerable extent in parts of the Western world in particular. But the overall impact of the process of secularisation on the religious landscape globally has been less than many predicted or others hoped for. The American philosopher Sam Harris ( The End of Faith) is one of the best-known of the New Atheists along with Richard Dawkins ( The God Delusion) and Christopher Hitchens ( God Is Not Great) whose books have sold in huge numbers. Yet in his 2010 book The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values, Harris felt compelled to make this admission: Since the nineteenth century, it has been widely assumed that the spread of industrialised society would spell the end of religion. "Marx, Freud and Weber - along with innumerable anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and psychologists influenced by their work - expected religious belief to wither in the light of modernity. "It has not come to pass. Religion remains one of the most important aspects of human life in the twenty-first century. That same year the editor of the Economist, John Micklethwait, in partnership with the magazines Washingtons bureau chief, Adrian Wooldridge, produced a book called God Is Back - How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World. That said it all. Lennons dream had been buried in the rubble of the World Trade Centre. I always try to take an optimistic view when bad things happen. Now is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely reform, for the betterment of all, the Bridgeport Police Department. As a former insider of the BPD, knowing the need to regain public trust while improving working conditions for the dedicated members of the BPD, I offer the following 10-point plan: 1. The city should voluntarily enter into a five-year consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice whereby the DOJ would embed their personnel inside police headquarters and actually participate in the day-to-day operations and management of the BPD with all major financial, personnel, training and law enforcement strategies requiring DOJ staff approval. 2. You cannot improve what you do not measure. Simply publishing an agencys FBI Part I and Part II Crime Statistics and response times to calls for service is not enough to provide transparency. Using real-time data, publish the cost of defending every lawsuit brought against the Police Department (including hours spent by the city attorneys staff at their respective rates of pay), as well as the cost of judgments paid. Publish the amount of money spent as well as lost time investigating both internal as well as external complaints made against members of the BPD. Publish the value of damaged, lost or missing equipment. Publish the cost of workers compensation payments. Follow criminal arrests through the court system and subsequently publish the prosecution rate, as well as the conviction rate of those arrested. Include in annual personnel evaluations objective metrics such as absenteeism, sustained complaints and court judgments against personnel (both frequency and dollar amounts). 3. Since ordinances are more difficult to change that policies, enact a municipal ordinance establishing the required education, experience and skill levels required for all executive level positions. Require that an outside organization such as the Police Executive Research Forum or the International Association of Chiefs of Police be retained to conduct all aspects of recruitment and selection processes for executive level positions within the BPD. 4. Realize and accept that no new chief can solve all the issues facing the BPD on their own. Whoever becomes the next chief needs the ability to select, both from within and from without the BPD, a management team who not only share the chiefs vision of reform, but agree to be rated by the progress they make achieving such reform. 5. Lobby the state Legislature to pass a statute allowing for a limited, and narrowly focused, reopening of the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the police union allowing for streamlined internal investigation procedures and strengthened management rights including such goals of identifying and removing from service chronic rule-violating personnel. 6. Dont defund the police fund the police. Somewhere in time funding the BPD meant only one thing more overtime. If you can manage the overtime, you can make capital investments. That should be the focus. 7. Have you visited police headquarters on Congress Avenue (circa 1965) or the training academy on Newfield Avenue (circa 1900) lately? Both facilities are a disgrace. What image does this project and what message does this send to the public and to the staff of the BPD? Neither facility is conducive to modern policing work flow practices. Both are inefficient in every measure and frankly a public embarrassment. If the public is to rightfully demand excellence from their police, the public also needs to treat the police with the same respect. In this case, that means clean, modern, healthy and efficient work spaces. 8. Establish a perpetual, five-year rolling capital investment and infrastructure plan for the BPD. This will ensure police personnel can depend on always having a safe fleet of vehicles, needed equipment, and clean, modern facilities in which to work. Bond rating agencies, bondholders, taxpayers and the City Council would have stability in their long-term fiscal planning as to the budget. 9. Make achieving both state as well as national accreditation a priority. Under DOJ supervision, hire a team of experienced accreditation staff on a performance-based contract with clearly defined deadlines to achieve both goals. The City Council must commit to fully fund accreditation activities until achieved, and then to provide ongoing funding to maintain such accreditations. 10. Being a police officer is difficult enough, especially during these times of national outcries against law enforcement; being a police manager is an added layer of difficulty. Passing a civil service exam and attending a two-day seminar does not make one a great leader. Create a culture of excellence in police supervision and management by consistent, evidence-based and meaningful investment in leadership training. Some police departments nationwide have reputations for being chief factories, meaning so many members of a given department rise through the ranks and become police chiefs in other organizations because of the outstanding leadership skills they honed during their tenure. The BPD can be the same. Good leaders, when spread throughout an organization, will not allow an organization to be hijacked by the corrupt. While many will disagree with some, if not all, of my recommendations, hopefully Ive created a catalyst for serious debate. The citizens, taxpayers and honest members of the Bridgeport Police Department all deserve better. James Nardozzi is a former assistant chief of the Bridgeport Police Department. As of the end of the second quarter, CMHC said that the rate of defaults was more muted than anticipated, although delinquencies are likely to increase once deferral programs end this fall. Incomes have been reasonably well-sustained, consumption has slowed, and so savings overall in the economy have gone up. That's helpful in reducing vulnerabilities, said Tiff Macklem, Bank of Canada Governor. Having said that, weve been very clear at the Bank of Canada, weve underlined the vulnerabilities caused by household indebtedness and too much reliance on the housing sector. Those have not entirely gone away, but when you look at our policy response, the best predictor of whether somebody is going to repay their mortgage is whether they have a job. Latest employment figures showed that the Canadian labour market had its fourth consecutive month of gains with the addition of 245,800 jobs in August. The national unemployment rate stood at 10.2%, and the economy has now recovered around 1.9 million of the 3 million jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CMHC said that approximately 20% of Canadians indicated a willingness to move their mortgages to new lenders, as many institutions did not sufficiently accommodate their needs during the height of the pandemics economic devastation. Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: Six former Madras High Court judges have come out in defence of actor Suriya on Monday after justice SM Subramanian wrote a letter to Chief Justice AP Sahi to initiate criminal contempt proceedings. The actor in a statement on his Twitter page on Sunday had remarked that the courts in the country were rendering justice by holding virtual proceedings. However, they want students to take the NEET exam without any fear. Retired Madras High Court judges Justice K Chandru, K N Basha, T Sudanthiram, D Hariparanthaman, K Kannan and G M Akbar Ali have addressed a letter to the Chief Justice A P Sahi to put the issue to rest by not initiating any criminal contempt proceedings against the actor. In the letter, the judges said, "If the letter is read in its totality and considering the good work done by him through his charitable trust which had helped hundreds of poor students to complete their higher education and get placements, we should show generosity and magnanimity in leaving the matter without any cognizance." ALSO READ: Madras High Court judge seeks contempt proceedings against actor Suriya for remarks on NEET It appears that the actor had stated that while afraid of risking their lives due to COVID-19, the court which dispenses justice through videoconferencing is ordering students to go and write NEET without fear, the former judges said. We are afraid that considering such a statement as contempt of court would be slightly off the mark and it did not require any action as requested by the judge. Where four students have committed suicide unable to meet the NEET requirement and in a surcharged atmosphere, an artistic persons overreaction should not be taken seriously and out of context. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Advocates Association led by president and senior advocate S Prabhakaran issued a statement condemning Suriya. The association said that the actor's statement was interfering with the process and functioning of judicial discretion and amounted to criminal contempt since the NEET issue was being dealt with by the Supreme Court. Opposing the contempt of court proceedings, 25 lawyers of the Madras High Court led by NGR Prasad and Sudha Ramalingam in a detailed letter stated that initiation of such proceedings against the actor would amount to stifling freedom of speech and expression. Jehanabad: A 12-year-old student of a government school was allegedly raped by the principal and three teachers, police said on Monday. Principal of Kako Secondary School Aju Ahmed and three teachersAtul Rahman, Abdul Bari and Md Shakautraped the girl on Sunday when she was alone in the building, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) P K Srivastava said. The accused took her to the roof of the school building and committed the crime, the SDPO said quoting an FIR registered against the four based on a complaint filed by the girls mother. The victim was spotted by her mother, also a teacher in the same school, lying in a disheveled state on the roof. The girl then narrated the incident to her, the SDPO said. The accused are at large and searches are being conducted to nab them, he said. Sunday, routinely a holiday, had been declared a working day in the school in a verbal communication by the Principal who had instead ordered it to be closed on Friday, Srivastava said. By Kwon Mee-yooRM, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, has donated 100 million won ($84,000) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Foundation, Korea to support the printing of rare and out-of-print art books.According to the museum, RM donated the money on the occasion of his 27th birthday last Saturday and it will be used to print and reissue books on Korean modern and contemporary art and distribute them to about 400 public libraries and schools throughout the country.The books printed with support from RM are catalogues of seven Korean artists Kim Whan-ki, Lee Jung-seob, Varlen Pen, Yoo Young-kuk, Park Nae-hyeon, Yun Hyong-keun and Lee Seung-jio as well as exhibition catalogues, "Birth of the Modern Art Museum: Art and Architecture of MMCA Deoksugung" and "The Modern and Contemporary Korean Calligraphy."RM visited both aforementioned exhibitions on Korea's modern art in 2018 and 2020, respectively, as well as other exhibitions at the state-run museum including avant-garde artist Lee Seung-jio's retrospective "Advancing Columns" in August.MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said he was pleasantly surprised when RM expressed his wish to encourage young people to read art books and nurture their artistic sensibilities through reading as he also received inspiration and spiritual comfort from art."We appreciate RM's positive influence in the art field as he visits museums despite his busy schedule, and will do our best with him to encourage a culture of reading art books," Youn said in a statement.In addition to his K-pop activities, RM is a well-known art aficionado and visits art museums and galleries regularly amid busy international tours and promotional schedules.Venues he has visited have become popular among his fans. When he posts pictures with artwork on social media, BTS fans visit the place, touring art institutions after RM.Art historian and Korea National University of Arts professor Yang Jung-moo said RM's activities could call attention to Korean art in a similar way to how BTS' popularity increased interest in the Korean language, products and culture in general."RM could contribute to discover more content in Korean art," Yang said.RM has frequently posted a wide range of pieces on art on social media, but he has shown a special attachment for Korean modern art, including Dansaekhwa masters Kim Whan-ki, Lee U-fan and Yun Hyong-keun.In 2019, RM visited "Yun Hyong-keun, a Retrospective," a retrospective of Yun at the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice, Italy. He also visited Space Lee Ufan at the Busan Museum of Art during his visit to Busan for BTS's fan meeting there and left a note in the visitors' book saying "I was here to enjoy (the exhibition), Master! I like your 'Wind' (series)," and the museum has had a jump in visitors after RM's visit.Earlier this year, RM visited "Yun Hyong-keun 1989-1999" at PKM Gallery and Kim Bo-hie's "Towards" at Kumho Museum of Art.Most recently, RM posted a picture of himself with collaborative art unit a'strict's " Starry Beach " at the Kukje Gallery on Sept. 12, his birthday.Meanwhile, BTS became the first Korean group to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's main Hot 100 singles chart with its disco-pop song "Dynamite" in August and has remained in the top position for a second consecutive week. Devendra Fadnavis said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should fight against COVID-19 rather than the opposition or actor Kangana Ranaut. Maharashtra accounts for 40 per cent total deaths in the country due to COVID-19, hence Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should fight against COVID-19 rather than the opposition or actor Kangana Ranaut, said Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra BJP leader. Fadavis said, Today in Maharashtra there are more than 10 lakh COVID-19 patients and our state accounts for 40 per cent total deaths in the country. Firstly, our Chief Minister should fight against coronavirus rather than opposition or Kangana. Speaking about Bihar elections, Fadnavis said, We will practise making man to man contact while maintaining physical distancing. The credibility of our opposition parties has ended. People will bless our alliance. Earlier on Sunday, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis in Bihars Ara said that the beating up of a former Naval officer in Mumbai is a kind of state-sponsored terror, and reiterated that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should stop the gunda raj. Also read: India-China standoff set to rock Parl, Cong gives adjournment notice on Ladakh Also read: Hope Parliament sends message that nation stands with soldiers, says PM Modi What happened is very wrong. This is a kind of state-sponsored terror. As I did through my tweet yesterday, I call upon the Chief Minister to stop this gunda raj. Six people were arrested yesterday after pressure from the media but were released within 10 minutes. I do not think Maharashtra has ever seen such a situation before, Fadnavis said while speaking to the media here. Fadnavis reached Bihar on Friday ahead of the state assembly elections along with BJP national president JP Nadda as part of his two-day visit to poll-bound Bihar. Earlier on Friday, Madan Sharma, a former Navy officer alleged that he was beaten up by goons from the Shiv Sena after he forwarded a message on WhatsApp. An extremely sad and shocking incident. A retired naval officer got beaten up by goons because of just a WhatsApp forward. Please stop this Gunda Raj Hon Uddhav Thackeray ji. We demand strong action and punishment for these goons, Fadnavis had tweeted on Friday, along with a picture of the officer. Six people were arrested in connection with the incident on Saturday. Also read: Umar Khalid held under UAPA for involvement in Delhi riots T wo men have been charged with murder more than a year after an investigation was launched into a fatal stabbing of a man in north London. Steven Brown, 47, was knifed in the heart outside a builders merchants in Mathias Road, Stoke Newington, on April 17. He died at the scene. Scotland Yard said Alican Cetinkaya, 24, of Culross Close, Tottenham, and Reece Lucey, 23, of Grosvenor Avenue, Islington, were charged with murder on Monday. Cetinkaya has also been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, while Lucey has been charged with throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The pair are due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. In April last year police said they had arrested 12 people in relation to the stabbing, with all being released under investigation or bailed at the time. A post-mortem examination held at Poplar Mortuary gave Mr Brown's cause of death as a stab wound to the heart and haemorrhage. The SEC complaint alleges that Feiner used his position to solicit investments from the Orthodox Jewish community in Chicago and that one of his victims was an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, who lost $1.25 million in the scheme. In June, Feiner and Baver settled with the SEC, without admitting or denying the allegations. The court still must determine the amount Feiner and Baver must pay. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As of this writing (1 PM, ET, Sunday, September 13), two young Los Angeles sheriffs are fighting for their lives after being shot in the head and face. One is just 31 years-old and a married mother; the other is only 24. They were ambushed and shot in cold blood by a single suspect last night, but as of now, there has been no official statement from BLM leaders condemning the shooting. Why? We have no idea who the shooter was. But we do know that when word got out that ambulances were racing the downed officers to an LA hospital that protesters showed up to block the emergency room exits and entrances. We do know they reportedly shouted, We hope they die. And, Death to the police. And, Kill the police. And, I hope they [expletive] die. And, Y'all gonna die one by one. This is evil, sick, and demented. And at this moment, these sentiments are being associated with BLM. Now is the time for BLM leaders, both nationally and locally, to issue clear and unequivocal statements declaring, We deplore the coldblooded shooting of these two officers of the law. We condemn this without qualification. This is antithetical to our values or our goals, and our cause is not advanced by the attempted murder of these two police officers. In the past, when misguided anti-abortion activists have shot and killed abortion doctors, pro-life leaders around the nation immediately said, We denounce this killing. We are pro-life. We are not murderers. We condemn this act of violence without equivocation or caveat. At such times, you dont dance around the issue. You dont even talk about the horror of abortion at that moment. You simply say, This killing was wrong, and it does not reflect our values or goals. Thats what BLM leaders and their supporters need to do right now, especially when the main picture we are getting is the one of alleged BLM supporters hoping these officers die. That is the headline story on conservative news outlets all over the Internet today. And tweets like this are going viral: This video shows 2 police in Compton being ambushed and shot while they sat in their car. BLM activists then blocked the ambulance entrance of the Hospital ER shouting We hope they die. If youre an undecided voter, I hope you just made your decision. BLM leaders, where are you? Prominent BLM supporters, where are you? Where are your voices now? As a nation, we were sickened by the video of death of George Floyd to the point that staunchly conservative, pro-police voices like Dan Bongino spoke out against the actions of Derek Chauvin. Yet I dont believe for a second that Chauvin set out that day to kill a Black man. And I dont believe that the vast majority of police officers are looking for opportunities to engage in acts of brutality against unarmed Black suspects. Even so, when we see something horrible like the death of George Floyd or the death of Ahmaud Arbery (which I wrote about immediately upon seeing the video), we raise our voices and say, This is terribly wrong, and those involved must face justice. Even President Trump called for an immediate investigation into Floyds death, while around the nation, we were saying Floyds name. Yet, to repeat, as reprehensible as Chauvins actions were, I dont believe he saw George Floyd that day and said, I want to kill him. In contrast, last nights shooter clearly had one goal: to murder those two officers as they sat in their car. Where is the condemnation? Where is the acknowledgement that the life of a young mother and a young man also matter? Im looking right now at headlines on CNN and MSNBC and Huffington Post. None of them mention the protesters outside the hospital trying to block the doors or shouting for the death of the wounded officers. In fact, none of the stories mention this at all. Over at the New York Times homepage, I do not see a single headline about the shooting, let alone about the ugly, death-desiring protests. Not one. Why? Back in June, the heartbroken 16-year-old daughter of a slain cop also ambushed and murdered posted this moving tribute to her dad: Words cannot describe the pain Im in, but Im glad my dad is at peace. You were an amazing man and anyone who ever came across you knew that. Im going to miss you so much. you died doing what you loved most, you died a hero. i love you daddy, see you soon. #bluelivesmatter. In response, she was savaged by critics and mockers on social media. Multiple users declared that blue lives dont exist, while others posted laughing emojis and messages such as, [expletive] you and your dead daddy. It got so bad that this grieving teen deleted the tribute to her dad. What kind of sick world are we living in? The fact is, by condemning the attempted murder of these two officers, the BLM movement can show its humanity, its concern for justice, its desire for equal treatment for all under the law. And by condemning this horrible, cowardly act, the leaders can reiterate that saying Black Lives Matter does not mean that other lives do not matter. Right now, however, many of us honestly do not know where the radical leaders of this radical group stand. (For those unfamiliar with my viewpoints, I absolutely affirm that Black lives do matter and call for equal treatment of all in our society. But I reject the BLM movement.) BLM leaders and major supporters, where are you? Or is there so much hatred for the police that you cannot bring yourselves to condemn this murderous attack on these officers of the law? Your responses (or lack thereof) will be very telling. For the moment though, let us not forget the victims. May God grant them a complete recovery, and may the shooter be brought to justice. Qatari news network, Al Jazeera, will soon resume operating in Algeria 20 years after authorities shut down the office of the Doha-media. Algerian authorities reportedly early this week validated a license application from the media. They however rebuffed the renewal of Dubai-based Al Arabiyas license meaning the Saudi media is expected to pull out from the North African country. Algeria officially refused to renew Al Arabiyas license over UAE-Israel August groundbreaking normalization deal. Algiers and Doha condemned the agreement deemed a stab in the back of Palestinians. Algeria under the leadership of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, friendly with the UAE, closed Al Jazeera office in 2000. The return of Al Jazeera however critics say has been forced on Algiers by Ankara, Qatars main global ally since 2017 after Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut off their diplomatic relations with Doha and imposed a sea/land/air blockade. Turkey reportedly is in possession of secret information on the Algerian army which wields a sway on the regime of Abdelmadjid Tebboune, after mining intelligence from retired chief warrant officer and the secretary of late army Chief of Staff Gaid Salah, Guermit Bounouira during his exile in Turkey from March to July. Bounouira had been extradited to Algeria and charged with high treason for handing over secret documents to and information to foreign agents. Written by: Jaber Ali on September 11, 2020. on September 14, 2020. Wheat Markets Mixed so far Barchart - 1 hour ago Front month wheat futures are trading mostly weaker for Fridays midday. KC prices are firm with 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cent gains. Chicago wheat is down a penny to 4 1/4 cents so far. MPLS wheat is trading... ZWH22 : 783-4 (-0.85%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.4294 (-0.90%) KEH22 : 795-4 (-0.13%) KEPAWS.CM : 7.7712 (-0.13%) MWH22 : 938-4 (-0.66%) Hogs Continuing Higher Through Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Lean hog futures continue their rally through Fridays midday, adding another $0.20 to $1.37 to the upside. USDAs National Average Base hog price for Friday morning was down by 69 cents to $60.45.... HEG22 : 86.325 (+1.65%) HEK22 : 99.000 (+0.97%) KMG22 : 96.100 (+1.69%) Corn Trading Mixed for Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Fridays corn market has old crop futures in the black at midday, with fractional losses for new crop. Consultant HIS Markit expects U.S. corn acres to reach 90.4m for 22/23 in an updated estimate. If... ZCH22 : 617-4 (+1.06%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.0369 (+1.03%) ZCK22 : 615-0 (+0.70%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%) Coffee Prices Slip on Increased Farmer Selling in Brazil Barchart - Fri Jan 21, 10:27AM CST March arabica coffee (KCH2 ) this morning is down -5.00 (-2.05%), and Mar ICE Robusta coffee (RMH22 ) is down -20 (-0.90%). Coffee prices this morning are moderately lower. Signs of increased farmer selling... KCH22 : 237.90s (-2.36%) RMH22 : 2,213s (-0.63%) ^USDBRL : 5.45686 (+0.72%) Vatican appeals court upholds convictions of ex-bank chiefs AP - Fri Jan 21, 10:12AM CST ROME (AP) A Vatican appeals court has upheld the convictions of two former managers of the Vatican bank and ordered them to pay back some 40 million euros from bad investments over a decade ago. $SPX : 4,441.65 (-0.92%) $DOWI : 34,520.57 (-0.56%) $IUXX : 14,650.52 (-1.32%) Crude Falls as Prices Consolidate Below Thursdays 7-Year High Barchart - Fri Jan 21, 10:12AM CST March WTI crude oil (CLH22 ) this morning is down -0.75 (-0.88%), and March RBOB gasoline (RBH22 ) is down -2.22 (-0.90%). February Nymex natural gas (NGG22 ) is up by +0.099 (+2.60%). WTI crude oil and... CLH22 : 84.98 (-0.67%) RBH22 : 2.4431 (-0.94%) NGH22 : 3.817 (+4.60%) Still Pushing for More Monica Kingsley - Fri Jan 21, 9:45AM CST S&P 500 gave up yet again the opening gains the bear didnt pause even for a day or two. Buyers defeated during the first hours, and credit markets are once again leaning the bearish way. Risk-off... Five people have been detained and 13 have been charged. The police raided homes of several people linked to the corruption at Zilina courts. (Source: TASR) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Altogether 13 people have been charged and five have been detained after a police raid in Zilina. The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) launched the Plevel (Weeds) Operation on September 14, targeting corruption activities. Several media outlets soon reported that the raid is aimed against judges from Zilina courts and people who have bribed them. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Among those detained is chair of the Zilina Regional Court Eva Kyselova, former judge Pavol Polka and ex-chair of the Zilina District Court Daniel Beres, the Dennik N daily reported. The trio, together with lawyer Lubos Mahdon and Juraj Filipovic, Beres childhood friend, have been charged with accepting bribes, the daily wrote. A huge corruption scheme Back in July, a Bloomberg report said that NVIDIA was interested in acquiring in the technology giant ARM from its owner, Softbank. NVIDIA has officially announced that a deal has been struck between the two companies, where NVIDIA will acquire the entirety of ARM Limited for a sum of $40 billion. The transaction is expected to close in 18 months, during which period both companies will operate individually. After this period, NVIDIA has stated that ARM will operate as a division under NVIDIA and continue to be headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Arms CEO, Simon Segars, and his management team will continue to work for ARM, with just a change in the parent company from Softback to NVIDIA. With the acquisition, NVIDIA plans to leverage its expertise in the AI computing space and unite it with ARMs vast knowledge in the computing ecosystem and CPUs. Jenson Huang, CEO of NVIDIA particularly noted the future advantages of integrating AI computing in the IoT space, which is a space that ARM is heavily invested in. For the near future, NVIDIA is investing in ARMs R&D presence by building an AI research and education center at their Cambridge campus. NVIDIA has no interest in losing ARMs existing customers and has stated that they will continue ARMs open-licensing model, and maintain customer neutrality. ARM licenses its CPU designs to many major companies in the CPU space such as Apple, Google, Samsung, etc. Apple even recently announced their move from Intel-based CPUs to their own ARM-based Apple silicon CPUs. Commenting on the acquisition, Simon Segars, CEO of Arm said: EU High Representative on Nord Stream 2 completion: "Up to the Germans" 01:57, 14.09.20 7414 Borrell says Nord Stream 2 is "not a European project." Eleven Russian children taken from Syria returned to relatives The press service of Russia' Children Rights Commissioner 11:00 14/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 14 (RAPSI) Eleven Russian children transferred from Syria on Sunday met with their relatives, the press service of Russias Children Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova told RAPSI. They will be taken to Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria. Four more minors from Chechnya, Astrakhan and Dagestan are still in a hospital, according to the statement. Earlier this month, a plane of Russias Defense Ministry with fifteen Russian children onboard returned from Syria. During the flight the minors were accompanied by doctors. After the landing they were transferred to an observation center, according to the statement. This plane carried in particular ill children, Kuznetsova said at that time. Paralyzed boy and girl as well as children with fragment wounds were sent to a hospital. In August, 26 minors returned from orphanages in Syrias Damask with the direct assistance of Kuznetsova. This was the first flight after the lifting of the coronavirus restrictions. The children were accompanied by doctors. After all quarantine measures they will be transferred to their relatives. Currently, the work on the return of a next group of 70 children is underway. Boris Johnson is facing a rebellion of around twenty MPs tonight as his controversial Internal Market Bill passes its second reading in the House of Commons. The Government is expected to win the vote, which would allow ministers to break the Withdrawal Agreement to prevent customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK if Britain leaves the EU without a deal in January. Mr Johnson faces rebellion from several high profile former Cabinet ministers, including Theresa May, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Wright and Andrew Mitchell. Many MPs will rebel by abstaining or voting for hostile amendments, rather than by voting against the bill. Sir Bob Neill, a Tory backbencher, has tabled an amendment calling for a final vote in Parliament before minister could use their law-breaking powers under the bill. Mr Johnson has said MPs can have final say over whether ministers can use the powers in the Internal Market Bill - but only after they have been invoked. The Prime Minister stressed that he understood their unease and had "absolutely no desire to use these powers - they are an insurance policy". If an agreement is reached with the EU, "they will never be invoked", he added. "But what we cannot do now is tolerate a situation where our EU counterparts seriously believe they have the power to break up our country... that illusion must be decently dispatched." 09:32 PM BREAKING: Government passes bill to next stage with majority of 77 Mr Johnson's bill passed through the House this evening with a majority of 77 - UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill has cleared its first Commons hurdle after MPs approved giving it a second reading by 340 votes to 263, with a majority of 77. Story continues 09:16 PM Government wins on Starmer amendment Boris Johnson has seen off Sir Keir Starmer's amendment by a margin of 213 to 349. That means MPs will now vote on the bill itself. This is the last vote of the night and will determine whether we hear the bill again. Spoiler: We will. 09:06 PM While we wait... Here's tomorrow's Matt cartoon. matt 09:03 PM Divison! The Deputy Speaker has called a division on the Starmer amendment, which would stop the bill in its path. MPs are now in the division lobbies. We aren't expecting this one to pass. 09:01 PM Top Tory: Will this really be used as a last resort? Tom Tugendhat, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, asks Mr Gove to confirm that the provisions in the bill would only be used as an absolute last resort to "keep food flowing between GB and NI". Mr Gove says the precedent of negotiations between the UK and EU shows they are able to negotiate in good faith without resorting to drastic measures. 08:59 PM Gove: The EU is not negotiating in the way we might have hoped Michael Gove says the EU often behaves in an unexpected and unfortunate way. He says the Union is threatening to remove "third country" status of the UK after Brexit, and is using the Common Fisheries Policy as a bargaining chip in negotiations. He says it is possible the EU is "not negotiating absolutely 100 per cent in line with what we might have hoped. In that case, it is important MPs safeguard UK interests while "operating in a constructive spirit" in joint committee negotiations. 08:55 PM Idea Government abandoning Ireland is 'for the birds' - Gove Michael Gove says the debate is about ensuring safety of jobs and the economy, not about walking away from negotiations with the EU or the Withdrawal Agreement. Mr Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is closing the case for the Government. He says the idea the Government is abandoning the Northern Ireland Protocol is "for the birds". In a ribbing of Ian Blackford, who Mr Gove says made the longest speech in the debate, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster says the bill does protect devolution. The SNP has made at least seven speeches this evening claiming that the Internal Market Bill removes power from Scotland. 08:51 PM Rachel Reeves: Who you gonna call? Rachel Reeves closed today's debate for the Opposition - Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament Rachel Reeves has closed the case for the Opposition in today's debate. She said the bill is being debated on the same day the Government is encouraging the public to snitch on people socialising. If the British public observe this government breaking the law, who should they telephone? She adds that all living Prime Ministers have said that the bill will damage the UK's standing in the world. 08:37 PM New border in Ireland would create 'hostility', says Irish MP Stephen Farry, the Alliance MP for North Down, said any border on the island of Ireland would create "fresh hostility". He said: "The protocol is, in effect, the bare minimum to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland." Mr Farry added: "It is pragmatically easier to manage an interface down the Irish Sea than it is across the land border. We're talking about the difference between seven air and sea crossings versus 270 land crossings." 08:16 PM Which Tories will rebel tonight? So far, 17 Tory MPs have indicated they will either abstain or vote against tonight's bill. Some said they will vote the bill through, but they will vote against the Government in rebel amendments. The list so far includes: Sir Bob Neill, Geoffrey Cox, Simon Hoare, George Freeman, Tobias Ellwood, Damian Green, Damian Collins, Sir Oliver Heald, Sir Roger Gale, Gary Streeter, Rehman Chishti, Jack Lopresti, Sajid Javid, Charles Walker, Jeremy Wright, Andrew Mitchell and Imran Khan. 08:12 PM So that's how they get through hours of Brexit debate This tweet from Sun Political Editor Harry Cole suggests ministers might be getting through this mammoth debate with a glass or two... From the peals of laughter wafting out of open windows, through the courtyards and up to the attic where they keep the Press... I would wager the drinks trolley are flowing in ministerial offices. All the bars in Parliament remain closed. Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) September 14, 2020 07:38 PM Gove nods as he is urged to listen to backbenchers on Brexit bill Michael Gove could be seen nodding from his frontbench seat as Sir Charles Walker urged him to listen to their concerns and find a solution. "I do hope, I see (Mr Gove) in his place, the Government goes away tonight, I do hope the Prime Minister reflects on what is going on and listens to the concerns of this House and comes back with a solution that allows me to skip through the division lobby at third reading and support him in this important bill," Sir Charles said. 07:34 PM "If you keep whacking a dog, don't be surprised when it bites you" 1922 Executive member Charles Walker - Andrew Crowley Sir Charles Walker, the Executive Secretary of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, said the Government had tried to put members "on the wrong side of the law". "I'm no fan of the EU...I think they're a pain in the neck. But surely we have to exhaust all other options before we press the nuclear button. "I'm not going to be voting for this bill at the second reading. Because if you keep whacking a dog, don't be surprised when it bites you back." 07:19 PM Sir Ed Davey: The House must stop the PM Sir Ed Davey, the new Lib Dem leader, said respecting the rule of law has never been more precious due to the pandemic. Sir Ed said: "If we are to beat this dreadful virus people need to obey the law, even when some of the emergency Covid laws are amongst the most draconian the British people have faced for centuries. "So the rule of law has never been more precious to the health of our nation. And yet this Prime Minister has chosen this moment to trash the rule of law. "This House must stop him, tonight." 07:04 PM Andrew Mitchell will rebel on Brexit bill Andrew Mitchell, a former Cabinet minister and Chief Whip, is the latest to say he will not back the Government's bill. Andrew Mitchell becomes latest former cabinet minister to declare he will rebel on Internal Market Bill: "I am not going to vote to breach international law." Failing to follow it would do "incalculable damage to our reputation all around the world", he says. Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) September 14, 2020 Mr Mitchell said he will vote for the UK Internal Market Bill at second reading, but will vote against anything that breaches international law. He told MPs: "So, I have no hesitation in supporting the second reading and I give the Government my strong support in reaching a deal. "But, I am not going to vote to breach international law and I want to explain to the House why." "We are one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, we have a duty to uphold international law. The rule of law is incredibly important for our basic liberties and human rights and failing to do so will do incalculable damage to our reputation all around the world." 06:45 PM Andrea Leadsom: the EU has not acted in good faith The former Business Secretary said the EU Commission had not acted in good faith - Getty Images/Leon Neal Andrea Leadsom says almost all MPs want there to be a free trade agreement with the EU, and no one wants to break international law. But the European Commission has not acted in good faith and expects the UK to continue to follow EU rules after Brexit has taken place, she says. MPs should be able to "hold their heads up with integrity" after Brexit has taken place, having protected the Good Friday Agreement, she says. 06:37 PM Speeches must now be three minutes The Deputy Speaker has just reduced the time limit on MP speeches to three minutes. That decision won't be popular with the SNP, who have used this debate so far to make lengthy speeches about Scottish independence. 06:32 PM Former Cabinet minister 'cannot accept' breach of law Jeremy Wright, former Culture Secretary, says the majority of the bill is "sensible and necessary". But three clauses in the bill "take what was agreed less than a year ago about the primacy of the Withdrawal Agreement over British law and reverse it," he says. "They are not a clarification, but a contradiction of that agreement." Mr Wright says if the Government had issues with the European Union's interpretation of the Withdrawal Agreement, it could go to an independent arbitration panel. There is no need to break the law to get around disputes of interpretation, he says. "I cannot accept the proposed solution is necessary or right." Mr Wright cites the Skripal poisoning, persecution of the Uighurs and imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe as other examples of international law breaches. 06:19 PM Why are we still banging on about Brexit? Lillian Greenwood, the Labour backbencher, says her constituents would be baffled to tune into the debate this evening and wondering "why we are arguing about Brexit again". Dealing with coronavirus and passing a deal with the EU is more important than "posturing" from the Government, she says. A furious Tory backbencher replies that it is no surprise there is more debate over Brexit towards the end of the transition period. 06:12 PM Britannia waives the rules, says furious SNP MP Last Night of the Proms was a sore topic for Tories this year - Mark Allan/BBC Brendan O'Hara, an SNP MP, says the debate about Last Night of the Proms was a misnomer, because it wasn't a case of "Britannia rules the waves" but "Britannia waives the rules". "It's not just now, it was ever thus," he says. "Go anywhere still recovering from the wreckage of British colonialism, and they'll give you chapter and verse about Britannia bending, breaking and inventing, waiving the rules, to suit its own ends. "The world had probably half expected that those days were gone. Sadly, clearly not." Mr O'Hara adds that tonight's "shenanigans" will bring Scottish independence closer because Scots will not put up with breaches of the law. 06:03 PM Country expects no less than taking back control, says veteran Brexiteer Sir Bernard Jenkin said the "voters will expect no less" than for the Government to "take back control of our laws" in the face of the "unreasonable enforcement of the Withdrawal Agreement by the European Union". The veteran Brexiteer said the Government has a large mandate to pass the Internal Markets Bill and its voters will expect no less from it. 05:59 PM Sir Bob Neill's amendment 'flawed' David Allen Green, a legal commentator who often narrates these difficult Brexit issues, says the Neill amendment is flawed because it would still allow the Government, in theory, to break the law. The fact that MPs would be able to block an attempt to use an illegal statutory instrument does not make any difference, he tweeted. The amendment from @neill_bob is, alas, flawed as it places power for ministers to make unlawful regulations on a statutory basis That there would be a further vote is incidental The operative power would be there, disfiguring our statute book Law-breaking as law of the land david allen green (@davidallengreen) September 14, 2020 05:41 PM Sir Oliver Heald: This is an unprecedented law breach Sir Oliver Heald, a Tory backbencher and QC, says he cannot support the section of the legislation that breaches international law. He is part of a group of Tories, including former leader Lord Howard, who think breaching the law for any reason is unacceptable. Sir Oliver refers to an argument doing the rounds in Westminster at the moment, which says that there has already been a breach of international law in recent years, under David Cameron in 2013. He notes that Dominic Grieve was the Attorney General at the time, and he never would have allowed the UK Government to pass an illegal bill. He suggest Mr Johnson's bill is unprecedented in its deliberately illegal apprach. 05:26 PM What would Mrs Thatcher say? Darren Jones, a Labour backbencher, causes uproar on the Tory benches by speculating on what Margaret Thatcher's view on the Internal Market Bill might be. "Could you imagine for one second what Mrs Thatcher might say from that despatch boxes in these circumstances," he asked. "I can assure you Mrs Thatcher wouldn't agree to breaching international obligations and the rule of law because of the way it weakens our standing in the world and our negotiations in the European Union". He says he cannot support the bill as a Labour politician, but the bill "isn't very Conservative either". 05:22 PM DUP: Bill fulfils Government's obligations to Northern Ireland Sammy Wilson, a DUP MP, says the Government is fulfilling its obligations to the people of Northern Ireland by putting this bill through. The DUP are concerned that if the bill doesn't pass and there is no deal by January 31, there would be customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK - what they refer to as "a border down the Irish Sea". Sammy Wilson, speaking in a debate last year - JESSICA TAYLOR/AFP Eagle-eyed Brexit watchers will remember this issue is exactly what lost the Government the support of the DUP - and its majority - before last year's election. The DUP are therefore backing this bill, which would solve the border issue by creating customs checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic, not between the North and the rest of the UK. 05:16 PM Has Boris conceded to the rebels or not? Confusion abounds. The bill being debated allows ministers to break the Withdrawal Agreement in certain circumstances. Sir Bob Neill has submitted an amendment for debate on Tuesday that would allow MPs a final vote if those powers were ever used. That amendment is the biggest issue for the Government in the passage of this bill. It initially seemed that Boris Johnson had granted a huge concession to the rebels when he said earlier MPs would be allowed a vote, but it now appears that he was referring to a process that would allow MPs to reverse this sort of statutory instrument by passing a vote in Parliament within 40 days. The powers to break Withdrawal Agreement would come into effect as soon as they achieved royal assent. Parliament would have 40 days to debate and vote on it, so MPs could retrospectively kill it off. Unlikely to be enough for the rebels. Gordon Rayner (@gordonrayner) September 14, 2020 Downing Street says they won't be given an up-front vote, which is what the Neill amendment calls for. So it seems the rebels won't be satiated with that offer from Boris Johnson. The debate over a final say is back on. 05:07 PM Sir Bob Neill: I still can't back this bill Sir Bob Neill stands to explain his concerns with the bill. He jokes that he will try to show that "the best advocacy can be the most concise" - a jibe at Ian Blackford's 26-minute contribution. Sir Bob's amendment is the one that is giving the Government the biggest headache - it would give MPs another vote on whether MPs can use the law-breaking powers in the bill. Boris Johnson has already promised that power, but Sir Bob said he still opposed the "egregious, needless and potentially damaging elements" of the bill. "Having listened to what the Prime Minister has said, I want to give the Government a chance in a constructive spirit," he said. But he adds the Bill unamended is against the spirit of what the country and Conservative Party stands for, and he cannotsupport it. 04:52 PM Blackford bickers with Gove as he blames Tories Mr Blackford accused the Tories of abandoning Scotland - House of Commons Mr Blackford says the bill is a classic example of Mr Johnson's government being obsessed by centralisation of power. His speech - which began with specific issues with the bill being debated - has drifted to a general criticism of the Tories, deregulation, centralisation and anti-Scottish sentiment. He accuses the Prime Minister of being more interested in spending money in London than in Scotland. The SNP Westminster leader ends up in a tit-for-tat dispute with Alok Sharma and Michael Gove, who are sitting on the Government front bench. Mr Blackford challenges Mr Gove to speak to Scottish teaching unions about Brexit, but the former education secretary waves his finger in response. 04:46 PM SNP will not back Labour's amendment Ian Blackford says although he and Labour share an opposition to the bill, his party will not back Sir Keir Starmer's amendment, which would stop it progressing to the second reading. He says the SNP cannot accept other conditions that are attached to the amendment. Mr Starmer - who is not in the chamber due to a member of his family experiencing Covid symptoms - has submitted the below amendment. It will be voted on at the end of tonight's debate, but is not expected to pass. 04:41 PM Ian Blackford calls on Tory MPs not to 'support the PM by breaking the law' The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called on Conservative MPs to go against the Government, telling them it is "a matter of principle". The MP for Ross, Skke and Lochabar told Tory colleagues "this is a test and I understand the challenge Conservative members face... [but] don't support the Prime Minister by breaking the law this evening. It is as simple as that." Mr Blackford claimed "the PM has form" noting that "a year ago he went to the Queen to prorogue Parliament - an illegal act that the courts forced him to reverse." The bill had "the fingerprints" of Dominic Cummings, he added. 04:30 PM Has the PM done enough to call off the rebellion? Is Bob Neill wavering after the Prime Minister promised an additional vote before ministers use the powers granted in the Internal Market Bill? Although the bill as it stands does not include that provision, this is what Boris Johnson has promised. Ed Miliband has given five reasons why Labour will not support the bill, including the fact that he says it does not just allow the government to break international law; passing the bill breaks international law. He says the Neill amendment would breach the protocol, and so it would break the law. But the justice committee chair intervenes, arguing a bill only becomes law when it is implemented. Mr Miliband disagrees, and says Labour would not risk this interpretation. Naturally Labour will not support this bill - but if Mr Johnson has done enough to persuade Sir Bob, he may have just called off the rebellion. 04:16 PM Ed Miliband warns over hypocrisy in dealing with China for 'going back on their word' Ed Miliband says Boris Johnson wants to unite the country and congratulates him on having united his five predecessors - but adds: "Unfortunately, their point of agreement is that he is trashing the reputation of this country and the reputation of his office." The shadow business secretary points to the fact the UK has called out China for "going back on their word" over Hong Kong, asking: "What will they throw back at us? That we too don't keep to international law." 04:12 PM Ed Miliband: Internal Market Bill is not about Remain or Leave - but right or wrong Ed Miliband has suggested Boris Johnson might not understand the Internal Market Bill, saying that while Labour supports the principle of legislating for a common UK-wide framework after Brexit, this is not the way to do it. "I don't know if the Prime Minister even understands this legislation... he's got many things on his plate," the shadow business secretary said. The Government has been "cavalier in its approach", he added. The former Labour leader said he could never imagine David Cameron bringing legislation forward to break international law, and never thought it would happen in his lifetime. He questions whether it is right, or necessary, to do so, stressing that the UK is known for being the mother of parliaments and has a reputation "for rule-making, not rule-breaking". "This is not an argument about Remain or Leave, it is an argument about right versus wrong," he adds, citing numerous Brexiters who have come out against the bill. 03:59 PM Boris Johnson: We cannot tolerate EU attempts to break up our country Another former attorney general, Conservative MP Jeremy Wright, claims the bill will give ministers "overt" power to break international law. But Boris Johnson insists that it is just to "protect the country against the EU's proven willingness to use this delicately balanced protocol in ways in which it was never intended." The bill will give ministers "powers in reserve" to protect the UK's integrity, he says. He understands MPs' unease and has "absolutely no desire to use these powers - they are an insurance policy". If an agreement is reached with the EU, "they will never be invoked", he adds. The passing of the bill does not mean the powers will necessarily be used. The UK will seek an arbitration and consider safeguards, Mr Johnson says. "It is not a question of if we meet our international obligations, but how we do so," he adds. "We will work with the EU on all these issues... so that any dispute is resolved as quickly and as amicably as possible," he adds. "But what we cannot do now is tolerate a situation where our EU counterparts seriously believe they have the power to break up our country... that illusion must be decently dispatched." 03:53 PM Boris Johnson claims EU is 'riding roughshod' on UK tariff agreement Bob Neill intervenes to ask about the new law, saying "reserve powers" should only be brought in as a "backstop". "The timing upon which they come into force is very important for our reputation as upholders of the rule of law," the MP who is seeking an amendment to this bill adds. Boris Johnson says he agrees, and that "there are other avenues the EU could explore if they are determined to interpret the protocol in absurd ways". He says the Government must take a "package of protective measures" in the bill, highlighting that the UK had offered to pay tariffs travelling through Northern Ireland as long as this was refunded if the goods remained in Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister says this is "the best way of solving this problem", but claims that the EU is now arguing "every good is at risk and now liable for tariffs", which would mean tariffs being paid on items travelling within the UK. "This is unreasonable and plainly against the spirit of that protocol," he adds. It "rides roughshod" over their commitment to the protocol. 03:47 PM EU has threatened an 'instant and automatic prohibition' on GB-NI exports, Boris Johnson claims The EU has threatened to "instant and automatic prohibition" of animal products from Britain to Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson has said, "blockading food and agricultural products within our own country". The Prime Minister told MPs that "in recent months the EU has suggested it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths, using the Northern Ireland protocol in a way that goes well beyond common sense to export their leverage against the UK" during trade talks. Mr Johnson claimed the "most glaring example", was that the EU has said that if we fail to reach an agreement to their satisfaction they might refuse to list food and agricultural products for sale anywhere in the EU". That would have the effect of an instant ban on animal products passing from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, he claimed. The "threats reveal the spirit" of the EU's approach to Brexit talks, Mr Johnson said. 03:41 PM Boris Johnson: Internal Market Bill will 'stop the EU using a stick against this country' Boris Johnson is telling MPs that the bill is required because it will "provide the legal certainty" that businesses trading across the Irish Sea need. He gives way for an intervention, asking him about his policy being compared to a "Nixonian madman theory" by Tobias Ellwood. Unamended I cannot support this Bill. Lets secure Brexit-but remember what we stand for. Already this Bill is damaging brand UK, diminishing our role-model status as defender of global standards. As we go to the wire lets see more British statecraft-less Nixonian Madman Theory pic.twitter.com/pD5Sl55cC6 Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) September 12, 2020 But the PM ploughs on undeterred, saying the original Withdrawal Agreement "struck a careful balance" that protected the Good Friday Agreement and the EU's Single Market. This bill is an insurance policy, he tells MPs, "to stop any such use of a stick against this country". 03:36 PM Today's vote is a rehearsal for next week's big showdown We have heard from several Conservative backbenchers throughout the day, saying they will abstain or vote against the Government tonight, with sources estimating between 20 and 30 will rebel. Whips have been making calls throughout the day to persuade them to stick with Downing Street and I'm told at this stage it is more carrot than stick. It seems that both sides are keeping their powder dry for the real showdown, expected over Bob Neill's amendment which will be read next week. Clearly the Prime Minister is spooked sufficiently to have cancelled a planned engagement and appear in the Commons, having subbed himself in to replace Alok Sharma. Either way, the bill is not expected to fail at this stage - but the scale of rebellion will give us a sense of what is to come. 03:29 PM Have your say on: the Government's controversial Brexit bill MPs will shortly begin debating a controversial new bill that overrides part of the Withdrawal Agreement, just months after the UK signed up to it. Boris Johnson will open the debate, and he is expected to stress that desperate times call for desperate measures - and there would be no need to resort to this if the EU granted third country status, enabling Great Britain to continue exporting goods to Northern Ireland. But critics including Geoffrey Cox, Simon Hoare, Bob Neill and Damian Collins fear it could erode the UK's reputation globally, and hinder our chances of getting a good deal. But what do you think? Have your say in the poll below. 03:20 PM Boris Johnson is in the building Boris Johnson has arrived at the Houses of Parliament ahead of opening the debate into his proposed Internal Market Bill. The Prime Minister is set to face down critics of the new law, which ministers have openly admitted will break its EU divorce treaty, as wrangling over Brexit returns to the British parliament. Mr Johnson is facing threats of rebellion from a number of Conservative backbenchers. Boris Johnson arrives this afternoon - AFP 03:17 PM Liz Truss stands firm as she is challenged on state aid provision in Japan deal Liz Truss has defended the new deal struck with Japan, as MPs probe her on reports that it includes greater state aid provisions than is being sought through the deal with the EU. The SNP's Alyn Smith claimed that the deal as reported "goes far beyond what the UK is seeking with the EU" and challenged her description of it as "standard", saying "there are no standard state aid clauses". Mr Smith added: "Will she stand by it, will she resile from it in six months' time in a limited way , or has she dropped the ball?" But Ms Truss held firm, saying: "Many FDAs have subsidiary clauses but no FDA apart from the one the EU is demanding with UK has one bloc imposing its subsidy regime on another country." Alyn Smith MP - AFP 02:58 PM Liz Truss rubbishes claims that UK budged on state aid in Japan deal Liz Truss has rubbished suggestions that the UK has given Japan more rights on state aid than it is willing to give the EU. Emily Thornberry, Labour's shadow trade secretary and an arch-Remainer, posed a series of questions including how the deal could be seen as comparable to the amount lost in the relationship with the EU. But the trade secretary told MPs: "We can have both deals, we are Global Britain. We can have deals with CPTPP, the EU and Canada." Ms Truss also argued the agreement on state aid was "vastly different to what the EU are trying to do to us, which is essentially impose the EU's state aid regime on us, which as David Frost has said is simply not acceptable." She claimed her Labour counterpart wanted to rerun the 2016 Brexit referendum, telling her: "The people have decided - it is time to get behind it." 02:44 PM Liz Truss hails Japan trade deal as 'first of many' in statement to MPs Liz Truss is giving a statement to the Commons about the "British-shaped deal" she has secured with Japan, the first such deal as an independent trading nation. The Trade Secretary tells MPs it is a key stepping stone to joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which will "hitch us to one of the fastest growing parts of the world". She promises MPs will be given full scrutiny of the deal ahead of time, and it will be then independently scrutinised in areas including environment and labour so that it can be fully debated in Parliament. "I am strongly of the view that this is a great deal for Britain," Ms Truss says, adding "it will be the first of many, because there is a huge appetite to do business with Global Britain." Liz Truss - AFP 02:38 PM MP who replaced Dominic Grieve backs Boris Johnson on controversial bill The MP who took the seat of Brexit rebel Dominic Grieve has said she will be backing the Government in today's debate on the Internal Market Bill. Joy Morrissey became the MP for Beaconsfield in December, defeating the former attorney general who had represented Beaconsfield for 22 years before having the whip removed over his refusal to back a no deal. Clearly, she's not planning to follow in those footsteps. The Government and @BorisJohnson have my full support re Internal Market Bill. We must protect UK sovereignty & fight for the best deal for Britain. I hope all my colleagues will do the same. Conservative MPs pledged to deliver Brexit and thats what we plan on doing. Joy Morrissey MP (@joymorrissey) September 14, 2020 02:23 PM Tory peers unimpressed by being invited to 'listen' to Boris Johnson address Boris Johnson is addressing Conservative peers at 6:30pm tonight, following his appearance in the Commons, as the Prime Minister continues efforts to woo members of his own party. But in what sounds like a re-run of last Friday's tech-addled attempts to rouse support from the backbenches, it seems that Tory members of the House of Lords will not get a chance of ask questions. One grumpy peer texts to say: "It is somewhat ironic that we have been invited to 'listen' to the PM - not 'hear from', or 'be updated by', or some other more emollient phraseology." Boris Johnson's attempts to win over MPs last Friday was derailed by creaking technology - Reuters 02:15 PM Government's 'negotiating tactic has backfired', claims Leo Varadkar The UK Government's Brexit "negotiating tactic has now backfired", Ireland's deputy premier said. Leo Varadkar, who stepped down as Taoiseach earlier this year, said countries including the United States were "wondering if this is the kind of place we can do any deal with or any treaty with", following plans to introduce a bill that will override part of the Withdrawal Agreement. Speaking in Co Kildare, Mr Varadkar said: "I think what they [UK Government] have done - if it was a negotiating tactic - has now backfired. "Brexit was supposed to be about the UK being independent, being sovereign, being able to negotiate trade deals with America when they felt they have been held back by the European Union," Mr Varadkar added. "If the UK becomes a country that no longer obligates its treaties, that doesn't respect international law, there is no country that is going to want to deal with them. "I think they have made a mistake in this regard and I hope they will reconsider." Leo Varadkar 02:07 PM Brendan Chilton: A looming no-deal will test how ready Keir Starmer is to embrace Brexit Today MPs will begin debating a new bill designed to circumvent the flaws and severe constitutional problems in last year's Withdrawal Agreement. In all the noise and excitement of the announcement from the government, there was one former ardent Remainer who was notably absent from the ranks of the appalled, outraged, offended and downright horrified: the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer. While attention will be rightly focused on the negotiations, it is important to observe Labours position on this issue, argues councillor Brendan Chilton. 01:45 PM Matt Hancock wanted to restrict Scottish tests to deal with UK-wide backlog, Nicola Sturgeon claims Matt Hancock wanted to restrict the number of people who could get a coronavirus test in Scotland because of a UK-wide backlog, Nicola Sturgeon has claimed. Speaking at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said the Health Secretary had proposed limiting the number of slots available for testing in Scottish mobile and regional test centres. But his Scottish counterpart Jeane Freeman "managed to avoid that happening" during negotiations over the weekend, she said. Ms Sturgeon said she has "serious concern" about the testing backlog and has urged Mr Hancock to share the "full scale and nature of issues they are facing" so her government could help to try and fix the problems. "We have no indication at the moment that there is any significant issue in Scotland with people accessing testing slots." Ms Sturgeon added: "The issue that we do appear to be suffering some impacts from - and again it's a UK-wide issue - is a backlog in tests being processed that is then leading to a longer turnaround time." Matt Hancock - PA 01:36 PM Northern Ireland is not the EU's plaything, says Arlene Foster The EU must stop using Northern Ireland as a "play thing", Arlene Foster has said. Responding to questions about claims made by Lord Frost that the EU had raised the prospect of certain products being blocked from entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, the first minister and leader of the DUP called on the EU to "stop using Northern Ireland to get their own way". She added: "We are not the play thing of the European Union and it causes great difficulties here in Northern Ireland when people use Northern Ireland in that fashion." Mrs Foster urged the EU/UK joint committee to make progress on outstanding issues around state aid and customs processes. Asked about the Internal Market Bill that would override elements of the NI Protocol, Mrs Foster said she still hoped an overarching trade deal could be struck, negating the need for such measures to come into operation. Arlene Foster - PA 01:32 PM Chief scientific adviser claims he was 'told off' by Chris Whitty over lockdown plea A rift between the chief scientific adviser and other officials including Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, and Mark Sedwell, has emerged over when the first lockdown should have been brought in. An email from Sir Patrick Vallance, seen by the BBC, claims he "argued stronger than anyone for action for lockdown" to be brought in, but received a "telling off" from senior officials - including Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer. Sir Patrick and Prof Whitty have regularly appeared at the Downing Street press conference together, as well as appearing before select committees. Back in May, Sir Patrick admitted that introducing a lockdown some days earlier "would have made a difference" to the UK's rate. Chris Whitty (L) and Sir Patrick Vallance - Shutterstock 01:16 PM Prime Minister's ally Conor Burns to back Internal Market Bill Boris Johnson's longstanding ally Conor Burns has said he will be backing his boss on the Internal Market Bill. The Government and @BorisJohnson will have my full support in the days ahead. We must protect all parts of our United Kingdom as we end the transition period and regain our sovereignty. I hope all my colleagues will do the same. United we stand the best chance of a FTA with EU. Conor Burns (@ConorBurnsUK) September 14, 2020 Given that he's a Brexiteer, and Mr Johnson's former PPS, this is not surprising - but the fact he felt moved to tweet his support shows the extent to which the fight for backbench hearts and minds is playing out. 01:06 PM Issues with Lighthouse Labs will run on for weeks, health minister warns Issues with the Lighthouse Labs will not be resolved "for a number of weeks", Wales' health minister has claimed. Vaughan Gething told reporters there needed to be "an urgent resolution at UK level to make sure that we don't have this issue running through the autumn and winter" "If Matt Hancock were here today answering your question about whether this is acceptable or not, I don't think he'd pretend that this is acceptable," he added "It's a matter to be resolved as urgently as possible but I don't think that it's going to be resolved for a number of weeks and that follows a conversation that all four health ministers had at the end of last week." Mr Gething said that was why changes were being made to run mobile testing units through Welsh laboratories to ensure there was enough capacity "if we do see further spikes". Lighthouse labs were set up to boost capacity for tests - WPA Pool 12:56 PM Veteran Tory MP Gary Streeter confirms he will not back Government on new bill Veteran Tory MP Gary Streeter has confirmed he will not be voting in support of the controversial Internal Market Bill, in further sign of a growing rebellion. The man who has been South West Devon MP since 1997 tweeted: "Just to let constituents know that I will not be supporting the Government over the Internal Market Bill. "I will explain my reasons in my Facebook article later this week. Those constituents who have emailed me will get a response today." Just to let constituents know that I will not be supporting the government over the Internal Market Bill. I will explain my reasons in my Facebook article later this week. Those constituents who have emailed me will get a response today. Gary Streeter MP (@garystreeterSWD) September 14, 2020 He follows a number of Conservative colleagues including former attorney general Geoffrey Cox, Northern Ireland Committee chair Simon Hoare and justice committee chair Bob Neill in saying they will not back the Government on this bill. 12:52 PM Wales seeing 'similar' increase in coronavirus cases to early Februrary, warns minister Wales is seeing a pattern of increasing Covid-19 cases "similar to the situation we faced in early February", the country's health minister has warned. Vaughan Gething said Wales' Tactical Advisory Cell had warned that "action should be taken now to prevent significant harm or another full lockdown". Mr Gething told a press conference that the range of measures to tackle local outbreaks had been increased in Wales. "These include the possible introduction of curfews, restricting alcohol sales and changing pub operations including the possibility of shorter opening hours or only selling alcohol with food," he said. Mr Gething said issues with the UK Government's Lighthouse Labs were "plainly not acceptable". Community testing was started in the Rhondda area of south Wales at the end of last week but this was "hampered by ongoing issues" with the labs. 12:44 PM Lobby latest: Police not expected to immediately impose 'rule of six' fines, says Downing Street Police are not expected to start imposing fines from today on people who break the "rule of six" restrictions, Downing Street has said. The new rules came into force overnight, but were published with less than half an hour's warning. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "What you would expect to happen is for the police to be out today encouraging people to follow the new rules but in the coming days, if we see people continuing to flout the new rules, it is right that people could face a fine. "The regulations are in place to help to stop the spread of the virus, to protect the NHS and to ultimately save lives." Asked whether people should report neighbours who breach coronavirus rules, he added: "What we want people to be focused on is following the new rules and ensuring that they, themselves, help again as they have in the past to slow the spread of the virus. "What you have seen in recent weeks is some egregious flouting of the rules, such as the holding of large illegal parties, and members of the public have been contacting the police about those because they have been concerned about the risk to public health." 12:41 PM Lobby latest: Downing Street urges EU to 'think better' of plan to block GB-NI exports Downing Street has urged Brussels to "think better" of plans to block exports travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said while Brexit talks were ongoing "we sought to avoid discussing the content of those" discussions, noting that "the fact of this particular matter was put into the public domain by the EU in a statement on Thursday evening". He said: "The EU made the fact of this matter public and we have, as you've seen from the Prime Minister and Lord Frost, set out our clear position on that." He added: "You already have a series of comments on social media from Lord Frost last night which I think set out in detail what the issues are and which clearly urge the EU to think better of this because it obviously doesn't make it easier to negotiate a good free trade agreement and a solid future relationship which we all want." 1/7 I would like to make a few comments and state a few facts, in my capacity as the PM's negotiator in the current and last autumn's talks. https://t.co/qJ2hGUf5RM David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) September 13, 2020 12:37 PM Lobby latest: Controversial law-breaking bill is 'safety net for responsible Government' Downing Street has fended off criticism from former prime minister David Cameron and ex-attorney general Geoffrey Cox, saying the controversial new bill is essential for "a responsible Government". "We have been very clear in setting out our reasons for introducing the measures in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol," said the Prime Minister's official spokesman. "They are to create a legal safety net, to protect the integrity of the UK's internal market, ensure ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and to protect the gains from the peace protest." Asked about Mr Cox's comments that Britain risked its "honour" with the Bill, the spokesman added: "I think if you look to the PM's article on Saturday and also what he said in the House of Commons. "We are fully committed to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol and remain committed to the Joint Committee process to resolve the outstanding issues. "But as a responsible Government, we do also need to ensure that we have a legal safety net in place to ensure we can take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the UK internal market is always protected." Outspoken former AG Geoffrey Cox - Reuters 12:33 PM Lobby latest: PM thanks MP who quit as special envoy over controversial bill The Prime Minister has thanked Tory MP Rehman Chishti, who quit as the Prime Minister's special envoy on freedom of religion and belief in protest at the Internal Market Bill (11:46am). The Downing Street spokesman said: "The PM thanks him for his service and wishes him well for the future. "But as I say, I think we have both clearly set out the reasons for the measures related to the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Prime Minister believes it is critical that this legislation is passed." 12:21 PM Ed Miliband to take on Boris Johnson in afternoon debate, Labour confirms Ed Miliband, shadow business secretary, will still be making Labour's opening remarks on today's debate, despite the Prime Minister subbing himself in last minute. Alok Sharma, the Business Secretary, had been down on the order paper to open the second reading of the controversial Internal Market Bill this afternoon. However Boris Johnson will be doing it himself, in a bid to woo wavering backbenchers, amid concerns of a growing backbench rebellion. Sir Keir Starmer is currently having to self-isolate after a member of his household started displaying symptoms of coronavirus this morning. 11:56 AM Damian Collins joins Tory rebels on Bob Neill's amendment Conservative MP Damian Collins has added his name to Bob Neill's amendment of the controversial Internal Market Bill. The former DCMS Committee chair joins George Freeman, Simon Hoare, Damian Green and Sir Oliver Heald on the amendment, requiring parliamentary approval before any future decision could be made by the Government to disapply the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol. This won't be debated until next week but it further sets the stage for a dramatic debate from 4pm this afternoon. I've added my name in support of the @neill_bob amendment to the Internal Market Bill. This requires parliamentary approval before any future decision could be made by the government, to disapply the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement. pic.twitter.com/6HsFxj9a7O Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) September 14, 2020 11:52 AM Chancellor urged to extend furlough scheme ahead of critical redundancy point this week The boss of the TUC urged the Chancellor not to cut off support for jobs as the furlough scheme ends, otherwise she said there could be mass redundancies. Speaking at the first online congress, Frances O'Grady said time was running out to prevent huge job losses, adding: "From this Thursday, it will be just 45 days before the job retention scheme ends. That's the notice period that companies have to give if they intend to make mass redundancies." She claimed that "ministers struggle to imagine lives that are unlike their own, like when the Prime Minister ordered a return to work, without a proper plan for public transport, and precious little thought about working mums and dads, and childcare. "Instead, a useless app, a mutant algorithm, and a half-baked test and trace system. Less 'moonshot', more moonshine." 11:39 AM Brussels has 'played a straight bat' on Withdrawal Agreement, spokesman claims Brussels has "played a straight bat" on the Withdrawal Agreement, a spokesman has claimed, arguing that the current row over food exports from Britain to Northern Ireland is "internal debate in the UK". MPs are due to debate the Internal Market Bill this afternoon, which will override parts of the agreement signed last year by Boris Johnson - something which ministers have admitted breaks international law. A spokesman for the European Commission said at a press briefing today: "The Withdrawal Agreement is the underpinning, and it's the framework for our relationship with the UK - no ifs, no buts. "Questions relating to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement are meant to be discussed and resolved in the Joint Committee. "We have played a straight bat on this," he added. "We have set this out extremely clearly, and the rest, frankly, is internal debate in the United Kingdom. We are not going to get involved in the comments and remarks that are made by different players." EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier - AFP 11:25 AM Scotland's coronavirus cases climb, Nicola Sturgeon confirms A total of 70 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland in the past 24 hours, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. The statistics show that 22,749 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up from 22,679 the day before. This is 2.7 per cent of newly-tested individuals. No deaths of confirmed Covid-19 patients have been recorded in the past 24 hours.There are 264 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, up by five in 24 hours. Of these patients, seven were in intensive care, the same as the previous day. More than 900,000 people have downloaded the Protect Scotland coronavirus contact tracing app since its launch last week, Ms Sturgeon said. She added that this was enough for the technology to begin working, but urged those who have not to do so. Nicola Sturgeon - AFP 11:21 AM Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The UK has to defend itself against predatory diplomacy, deal or no deal If the UK were about to violate international law and resile from the Northern Ireland Protocol, it would be a very grave matter. But a potent allegation has been made that suggests something closer the opposite. We need to know whether or not the EU negotiating team cynically misused its stranglehold control over the Withdrawal Agreement to twist its intent, and in so doing breached the EUs obligations of good faith and subverted the Good Friday peace accord. If it is true that Michel Barnier explicitly threatened to obstruct exports and food supplies from Great Britain to Ulster by means of an extreme and malicious interpretation of the Protocol as the Prime Minister asserts it is the EU that is playing fast and loose with international law, and arguably crossing a line into geopolitical vandalism. If it is not true, this country needs a new government immediately. As Ambrose Evans-Pritchard argues, the facts will out. 11:10 AM Red Wall Tory hits back over Cox intervention Red Wall Conservative MP Dehenna Davison has hit back at Geoffrey Cox's intervention, asking the former attorney general: "What of our word to our constituents? The Bishop Auckland MP said: "We gave people our word that we would deliver Brexit. "We gave people our word that we would not allow there to be a wall down the Irish Sea. "We gave people our word that we would protect the integrity of the UK. This matters." And what of our word to our constituents? We gave people our word that we would deliver Brexit. We gave people our word that we would not allow there to be a wall down the Irish Sea. We gave people our word that we would protect the integrity of the UK. This matters. https://t.co/9Qbx8RD07W Dehenna Davison MP (@DehennaDavison) September 14, 2020 11:07 AM Watch: David Cameron says he has 'misgivings' about controversial new Brexit bill David Cameron is the latest prime minister to express concern about the Government's controversial new Brexit bill, saying he has "misgivings about what is being proposed". Boris Johnson's former boss has broken his silence, saying: "Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. "So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed." His intervention comes after Theresa May, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown all raised their own concerns. Watch below 10:59 AM Labour leader self-isolating after household member shows coronavirus symptoms Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating after a member of his household started showing "possible symptoms of the coronavirus". He is not speaking during today's debate on the Internal Market Bill, but it is not clear how this will affect his ability to take part in other debates such as PMQs. It is understood that Sir Keir is not displaying symptoms. The household member has had a test, and the Labour leader will continue to quarantine "while awaiting the results of the test and further advice from medical professionals," a spokesperson said. The Labour leader had gone into the studio at LBC this morning, and the radio station has been alerted. 10:46 AM Special envoy quits over Government's controversial new Brexit bill The Government's special envoy for freedom of religion and belief has quit over the Internal Market Bill. Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti, who is based at the Foreign Office, tweeted that he had handed Boris Johnson his resignation this morning. "I cant support Internal Market Bill in its current form, which unilaterally break UKs legal commitments," he said. "As an MP for 10yrs and former barrister, values of respecting rule of law & honouring ones word are dear to me." Ive written to the PM resigning as PMs Special Envoy on FoRB. I cant support Internal Market Bill in its current form, which unilaterally break UKs legal commitments. As an MP for 10yrs & former Barrister, values of respecting rule of law & honouring ones word are dear to me pic.twitter.com/dZq2TzX3kG Rehman Chishti (@Rehman_Chishti) September 14, 2020 As resignations go, it's a pretty minor one but will still be unwelcome while the whips office is trying to win over backbenchers. 10:38 AM Have your say on: the Government's controversial Brexit bill Today MPs will begin debating a controversial new bill that overrides part of the Withdrawal Agreement, just months after the UK signed up to it. Ministers freely conceded it would break the law but Number 10 and loyal MPs such as Theresa Villiers (8:18am) argue that desperate times call for desperate measures - and there would be no need to resort to this if the EU granted third country status, enabling Great Britain to continue exporting goods to Northern Ireland. Critics including Geoffrey Cox, Bob Neill and Ed Miliband have warned that it will erode the UK's international standing, meaning we have no leg to stand on when to comes to dispute with other countries. Former prime ministers including David Cameron, Theresa May, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have also raised concerns. But what do you think? Have your say in the poll below. 10:27 AM Michael Fabricant to back Government on controversial bill 'with enthusiasm' This afternoon is likely to witness a certain amount of drama in the Commons, with numerous MPs suggesting they will abstain or vote against the Government over a controversial piece of legislation that would enable the UK to override the Withdrawal Agreement. But not Michael Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield. This morning he tweeted that the EU's position - potentially blocking Britain from exporting food to Northern Ireland - was "wholly unacceptable". "The Government must now introduce its own backstop to prevent this and the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill does just that," he said, later adding he would be backing the bill "with enthusiasm". Michael Fabricant - PA 10:20 AM Wimbledon MP hints at Brexit bill rebellion Wimbledon MP and former minister Stephen Hammond has shown a bit of ankle on the Internal Market Bill. That isnt the case in Wimbledon https://t.co/lK6t7z74sW Stephen Hammond MP (@S_Hammond) September 14, 2020 Mr Hammond, whose majority was squeezed during December's election, has a very pro-Remain constituency and fought hard to persuade long-standing Conservative voters to stick with him, despite their misgivings about Brexit. But other MPs have suggested that they've not had much in the way of outrage from constituents, with one saying he was "only getting emails from arch Remainers or 38 degrees types". 10:02 AM Watch: Public should call police if they see others breaking 'rule of six', says minister Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, did the broadcast round this morning on behalf of the Government, setting out the new 'rule of six' regulations, which came into force overnight. Among other things, he advised people to call the non-emergency police number if they are "concerned" about people breaching the new rules. Watch below. 09:59 AM Sir Graham Brady challenges Government over 'peak infringement' on rule of six It's not just Brexit that is exercising backbenchers today. Several backbenchers are also up in arms over new rules making it illegal for more than six people to "mingle". Changes to regulations in England were published late on Sunday night, around 30 minutes before they came into force. People face fines of 100, doubling to a maximum of 3,200 for repeat offences, for breaching the law, which bans social gatherings of more than six people both indoors and outdoors. Exemptions include schools and work settings, while places of worship, gyms, restaurants and hospitality settings can still hold more than six in total, while weddings and funerals can still go ahead with a limit of 30 people. But Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 committee, has said England should be brought into line with Scotland and Wales, where the limit of six people gathering does not include the under-12s. Its peak infringement of peoples liberties and their right to a normal family life, Sir Graham told Times Radio. Sir Graham Brady - Telegraph 09:47 AM Nick Timothy: The bad-faith EU is furious that the UK now has a backstop of its own Theresa May might not like the latest action from Number 10 - but her former aide Nick Timothy sees things somewhat differently. Writing for us today, the former Downing Street chief of staff explains not just what the Prime Minister is doing, and why, but also argues that Parliament must support the Internal Market Bill. Read what he has to say here. 09:31 AM Former minister to go against Government as Tory rebellion grows It is not hugely surprising given his interventions, but former transport minister George Freeman has said he will vote against the Government on the Internal Market Bill. Earlier today, the Mid-Norfolk MP tweeted: "Our democracy & global standing rests on UK ministers not breaking the law & keeping our word." He also described former PM Theresa May as a "heavyweight Brexiteer" which might be stretching it a tad. Just now he has followed that up, saying: "Having read the Internal Market Bill & all the briefings over w/e Im clear: "The Clauses clearing up the legal uncertainty over the GB Internal Mkt in Wales & Scotland are necessary - the unilateral ripping up of the Northern Ireland Protocol Withdrawal Agreement is not." He added: 2/2. I share the concerns of former @Conservatives PMs & Party leaders & senior (Brexiteer) lawyers & MPs that this is v damaging. I cannot vote for the Bill as it stands. Im backing the #Neil Amendment. And talking to Ministers & No10 to urge the NIP measures withdrawn. https://t.co/R9yppIRVAj George Freeman MP (@GeorgeFreemanMP) September 14, 2020 09:23 AM Labour supports Government on 'rule of six', says Keir Starmer Labour supports the Government's "rule of six" restrictions which have come into force this week, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The opposition leader said the new rules were "simple, easily understood" and an improvement on the "slow" response to the outbreak in February and March, although he called on the Government to improve Test and Trace. "We can't repeat that error again, so I do support the 'rule of six'," he told LBC. "As the leader of the Opposition I say to everybody, please follow the Government advice, please follow these rules." He added: "You can make the argument of why not five or why not six or seven - you have to go with a number backed by the science and they say six and I think we should abide by that rule." However, not everyone agrees... 09:19 AM XR newspaper blockade 'put more people off', says Labour leader Extinction Rebellion's newspaper blockade was "counterproductive" and put more people off than it did win them over, the Labour leader has said. Sir Keir Starmer told LBC radio the climate change protest group was "wrong in my view and counterproductive" to deploy such tactics. "A free press is a cornerstone of our democracy and people should be able to read the newspaper that they want to read," he added. "I actually think it was counterproductive, I think it put more people off than brought people on. "The test of this is actually is it persuading people that this cause is the right cause and make them more likely to take action themselves in the way they go about their every day lives and I actually think this action was counterproductive. "I suspect there is more people now who are less sympathetic than there were before." 09:17 AM Labour leader has not spoken to MPs who praised XR newspaper blockade Sir Keir Starmer has not spoken to Labour MPs Dawn Butler and Diane Abbott who expressed support for the Extinction Rebellion blockade of the newspaper printing presses. The Telegraph was among several national newspapers disrupted by the protest last weekend, which the MP for Brent praised on Twitter as "excellent work", before her tweet was later deleted. The Labour leader told LBC: "I haven't directly spoken to either of them about it - I disagree with them. "Obviously people will have different opinions but my strong opinion is this was counterproductive, it was wrong and we shouldn't miss the bigger picture here which is that climate change is a very important issue and we do need to shine a light on that but this is the wrong way to do it." Sir Keir said it was "rubbish" that he had been slow to condemn the actions of the environmentalist group - as has been claimed by Oliver Dowden. "The Labour Party put out a line, that's what we do, but I in fact put out a line myself anyway," he added. Dawn Butler - PA 09:06 AM Breaking Withdrawal Agreement will damage UK reputation, Keir Starmer warns Boris Johnson's plan to override the Withdrawal Agreement through new legislation will erode international trust in the UK for years to come, Sir Keir Starmer has warned. "He is making a mistake reneging on a treaty, that will have reputational damage for the UK," the Labour leader told LBC radio. "Here we are on the world stage for the first time in many years on our own and what's the first thing we do? We break a treaty. "It's basic stuff - if you say to other nations we agree something and a few months later you say no we don't, the chances are they aren't going to trust you going forward." Sir Keir claimed Labour would support legislation on an internal market "if the Government took away these problems, didn't breach international law and act in this way." He added: "I would say to the Prime Minister, look go away, go back to the drawing board, drop these problems, don't act in this reckless and wrong way and we'll look again at the legislation." Keir Starmer - PA/Wire 08:58 AM Pro-Brexit groups urge MPs to back controversial bill, claiming EU is in breach of Withdrawal Agreement MPs are being petitioned by pro-Brexit groups to back the controversial Internal Markets Bill, saying this action is "justified under international law" because of the EU's own breaches of the Withdrawal Agreement. Groups including Facts4EU.Org, Brexit Watch, Scientists for Britain and Global Britain, and individuals including Professor Patrick Minford former MEP David Campbell Bannerman and economist Catherine McBride, have signed a letter calling on backbenchers to support the bill, despite concerns that it would break the rule of law. The letter says: "It is our collective assessment backed by highly-respected and EU-experienced lawyers - that the European Union is in serious and material breaches of its good faith, best endeavours' and other obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement, in which it committed to respect the UKs sovereignty and internal market. "We therefore believe that the Government is entitled to act to protect the UK to the fullest extent from EU demands purportedly based on this document, and that such action is justified under international law on account of these breaches. "We ask you to vote in support of the Internal Market and Finance Bills so that a strong and consistent message from the British people and its Parliament is sent to Brussels... The entire country needs certainty in the coming months and we hope you will play your part in providing this." 08:41 AM Boris Johnson 'all over the place' on Brexit, says Labour leader Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Prime Minister needed to "get on with" getting a deal with the EU rather than re-treading old ground. Speaking to LBC, he said: "Boris Johnson is all over the place. Here he is, he's signed a deal - he either knew what he was signing, in which case how has he got himself in this position? Or else he didn't know, which I think is probably worse. "I don't think the outstanding issues can't be resolved so my message to Boris Johnson is: get on with it and actually focus on what most people are speaking about this morning which is how on Earth do we defeat and deal with this pandemic? "That's what's on people's minds - they thought this was over, he's reopening it, I think the nation would say to Boris Johnson, 'Get on with it, you're wrong'." Sir Keir made this very point in the Telegraph this weekend - read it here if you haven't already. 08:23 AM Government needs law-breaking legislation to solve Brexit 'conundrum', says minister The Government is bringing forward legislation that breaks international law because it needs "a solution to that conundrum", the policing minister has said. Number 10 has been fending off criticism this morning after former attorney general Geoffrey Cox said the plans would do "unconscionable" damage to Britain's international reputation. Mr Cox whose legal advice killed Theresa Mays Brexit deal last year - said there was "no doubt" the "unpalatable" implications of the Withdrawal Agreement were known when the PM signed it. But Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, told Radio 4's Today programme: "If we get to a situation where we are not recognised as a third country and it therefore becomes illegal to move food to Northern Ireland, what is the UK Prime Minister supposed to do? "I think this is the solution that needs to be offered if we're going to have resolution to that - Northern Ireland is unequivocally part of the UK customs territory, so the fact that is now being brought into question is a very difficult thing for us to face, very concerning but no doubt that will all be thrashed out this afternoon." This afternoon's second reading of the bill, which is due to kick off at 4pm, will set the stage for a more significant showdown next week when an amendment put forward by veteran MP and serial rebel Bob Neill comes to a vote. 08:19 AM Tory whips in 'gentle, beseeching phase' to head off rebellion over controversial new bill Conservative whips are in "the gentle, beseeching phase" of calling MPs in an attempt to head off a rebellion over the Government's controversial new bill, which will be debated this afternoon. One former minister told the Telegraph she expected a "massive, massive row" but the drama over the Internal Markets Bill is not expected to block it at this stage. Sources suggested there would be fewer than 30 Tory MPs rebelling, which means it will pass the second reading stage this evening. However the Bob Neill amendment due next week presents a bigger headache for the whips office. It is understood that MPs are being placated with promises to review the planning reforms, another sticking point for Tory MPs and one that hits home harder. One said: "Planning is the bigger prize." Another added: "I don't especially like what is going on, but I would rather rebel on other things... you have to pick the battles." 08:11 AM Have your say on: the Government's law-breaking bill Today MPs will begin debating a controversial new bill that overrides part of the Withdrawal Agreement, just months after the UK signed up to it. Ministers freely conceded it would break the law but Number 10 and loyal MPs such as Theresa Villiers (8:18am) argue that desperate times call for desperate measures - and there would be no need to resort to this if the EU granted third country status, enabling Great Britain to continue exporting goods to Northern Ireland. Critics including Geoffrey Cox, Bob Neill and Ed Miliband have warned that it will erode the UK's international standing, meaning we have no leg to stand on when to comes to dispute with other countries. Former prime ministers including David Cameron, Theresa May, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have also raised concerns. But what do you think? Have your say in the poll below. 07:57 AM ICYMI: The Frost-Barnier Twitter spat that spelled it all out Political Twitter spats are hardly anything new, but the one that took place yesterday afternoon is well worth having a glance over, if you haven't already. Michel Barnier took to the social media platform to argue against the UK Government's claim that the Northern Ireland Protocol could be used to break up the UK and insisted that Brussels was not refusing to grant Britain third party status. But David Frost hit back on Twitter by insisting the EU "knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules" and warned that without third party listing it would become "automatically illegal" for Northern Ireland to import food products from mainland Britain. You can read the full thing here. David Frost and Michel Barnier in Brussels - Reuters 07:45 AM David Cameron says he has 'misgivings' about controversial new Brexit bill David Cameron is the latest prime minister to express concern about the Government's controversial new Brexit bill, saying he has "misgivings about what is being proposed" The former Conservative leader said: "Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. "So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed." But he stressed "the bigger picture here is we are in a vital negotiation with the European Union to get a deal", urging people to "keep that context, that big prize, in mind". "Breaching the Withdrawal Agreement should be a last resort. Former prime minister @David_Cameron says he has misgivings over the governments proposed Internal Market Bill.#KayBurley: https://t.co/C5rHb4KKxV pic.twitter.com/ESy3FbdU2h SkyNews (@SkyNews) September 14, 2020 He joins Theresa May, Tony Blair, John Major and Gordon Brown in voicing concerns about the bill. 07:39 AM Rule of law should not be broken for 'mess of pottage', says senior Tory MP Northern Ireland Committee chair Simon Hoare has said the rule of law should not be broken "for a mess of pottage", in a further sign of the growing Tory rebellion. Following Geoffrey Cox's intervention overnight, the North Dorset MP said: "I remember hearing lots of colleagues saying at the time: if Geoffrey says its no dice; Im not playing. Lots saying if Cox unhappy Im not going for it. As a committed Brexiter he should remain an important lightening rod." He added: Two wrongs do not make a right. Adherence to the Rule of Law should be inviolate and not bartered away for a mess of pottage https://t.co/xbeh7OerIQ Simon Hoare MP (@Simon4NDorset) September 14, 2020 07:30 AM Government must clarify plans for controversial law-breaking Brexit bill Geoffrey Cox said the Government had not done enough to explain how it would use the powers set out in the Internal Market Bill. Speaking to Times Radio, the Former attorney general said: "I think the fundamental problem at the moment is that it is not clear the circumstances in which the powers taken by the Bill would be used. "The Government thus far has not given any definition to those circumstances. "If the powers are to be used simply to nullify the foreseeable and ordinary consequences of an agreement we signed, that to me is simply to go back on an agreement that both the British Government signed solemnly and Parliament itself ratified in February. "I think it is wrong that the British Government or our Parliament should renege on an agreement on which we gave our solemn word." 07:28 AM Geoffrey Cox suggests he could be persuaded on controversial Brexit bill Geoffrey Cox has intimated that he could still back the controversial bill, if he is convinced of "extreme circumstances.. involving a breach of duty of the good faith by the EU." The former attorney general told Times Radio that if the Government was able to "dispel the impression, a very unfortunate impression" that Brandon Lewis had given last week - namely that the Internal Markets Bill would be use expressly to "violate a treaty into which we solemnly entered just a few months ago" - then he might be persuaded. If the powers are only to be used in "these specific circumstances" then he might be minded to back it, the MP said, although noted that "I haven't had those assurances" yet. "I will be listening keenly today," he added. But Mr Cox made it clear he thought that was unlikely, noting that there were "lawful remedies open to us and it is those we should take rather than violating international law and a solemn treaty." He continued: "The breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation and it is also a question of honour to me - we signed up, we knew what we were signing, we simply can't seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that and I simply can't support that. 07:21 AM Minister rubbishes 'poetic' intervention from Geoffrey Cox Arguments against the UK Internal Market Bill do not "solve the problem we're faced with", the policing minister has said. Asked what he thought of former attorney general Geoffrey Cox's intervention overnight, Kit Malthouse told the BBC: "Well it's very poetic but it doesn't, for me personally, solve the problem that we're faced with, which is we're in a situation where if this third-country status is withheld from the UK. "It means that food exports from GB to Northern Ireland could in theory become illegal in the future and in those circumstances I'm not quite sure what a British Prime Minister is supposed to do. "What we've done is to say transparently that this is a situation which we think may occur, certainly that's what's being intimated from the EU, that it's a problem we have to solve so here's a bill that solves it." He added: "In the end those people that oppose this bill have to tell us what the resolution is." Kit Malthouse - Christopher Pledger for the Telegraph 07:18 AM Former minister Theresa Villiers to support controversial new Brexit bill Former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers has said she won't be rebelling on the controversial Internal Market Bill, despite ministers admitting it breaks international law. Number 10 insists it is a vital "insurance policy" to ensure that Britain can continue to export food to Northern Ireland after Brexit. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "I will be supporting the Bill because I think it is sensible to have a fall-back position if the EU continues to refuse to negotiate reasonably on arrangements for transporting goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland." Ms Villiers said the Government was "certainly taking a tough approach" to the negotiations with Brussels by tabling the legislation but added that the measures in the Bill would only be required if no agreement was forthcoming on how the Northern Ireland Protocol could be "exercised". She added that a "day-to-day part of the international law system" involved discrepancies over its domestic application, citing David Cameron's refusal to introduce votes for prisoners despite a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. Theresa Villiers - PA 07:13 AM Former attorney general accuses Boris Johnson of 'unconscionable' damage to UK reputation Overnight, former attorney general Geoffrey Cox has said he will not back the Government's attempts to override the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement when it comes before the Commons. He accused Boris Johnson of doing "unconscionable" damage to Britain's international reputation. Mr Cox whose legal advice killed Theresa Mays Brexit deal last year - said there was "no doubt" the "unpalatable" implications of the Withdrawal Agreement were known when the PM signed it. "We, the British government and Parliament, have given our word. Our honour, our credibility, our self-respect and our future influence in the world all rest upon us keeping that word," Mr Cox wrote in The Times. He said that there were lawful ways for the government to deal with its concerns, such as using a procedure set out in the agreement to take "temporary and proportional measures" to protect the UK's interests if approved by the Commons. "What ministers should not do, however provoked or frustrated they may feel, is to take or use powers permanently and unilaterally to rewrite portions of an agreement into which this country freely entered just a few months ago," he said. Geoffrey Cox - AFP 07:10 AM Government accused of 'legislative hooliganism' over controversial new Brexit bill Labour shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said the Government's plan to use domestic law to override the Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels was an act of "legislative hooliganism". Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former Labour leader said: "The fundamental thing is - I think we should take a step back - this is not normal. "I've come on your programme many times to discuss many issues - I have never been on your programme discussing a British government coming along and seeking to break international law, an agreement it signed. "It is honestly a sad day and that's why I think you hear people across the political spectrum condemning the Government." He added: "Of the most sensitive issues around Northern Ireland, at the most sensitive stage of the Brexit negotiations - I mean it's sort of legislative hooliganism that the Government is engaged in and it will be self-defeating, I fear." 06:40 AM Justice Secretary threatens to quit over Brexit divorce deal The Justice Secretary has said he will resign over any "unacceptable" breach of international law as Boris Johnson tried to quell a Tory rebellion over his plans to amend the Brexit divorce deal. Robert Buckland said he did not believe the Government would "get to that point" where it had to break the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU last year, but added that, if it did, "I know in my mind what I have to do". As Parliament prepares to debate legislation that would reverse aspects of the EU divorce deal this week, Mr Johnson is facing the growing threat of an attempt to defeat it from his own MPs. The Telegraph has learned that Government whips have begun talks with rebels about a possible compromise that could give Parliament more say in the matter. After excluding Chick-fil-A as a vendor at the San Antonio International Airport last year, city officials must now offer the Georgia fast food chain a spot at the airport as part of a settlement with federal officials. San Antonio reached an informal agreement last week with the Federal Aviation Administration over its decision last year to strike Chick-fil-A from a contract with an Atlanta-based concessionaire to bring a new slate of vendors to the airport, officials said Monday. On ExpressNews.com: Delve into the history of the Chick-fil-A controversary with San Antonio's City Council. The FAA launched a probe into the incident after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in March 2019 requested Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Elaine Chao to look into whether the city broke federal law or Transportation Department regulations. It announced the informal resolution with the city in a letter dated Sept. 10. City officials said they offered to resolve the FAA investigation informally. Under the resolution, the city must offer Chick-fil-A a slot at the airport within 45 days at terms reasonable and consistent with customary business practices. Whether a Chick-fil-A restaurant will wind up at the airport depends on whether the company would be interested in setting up shop there and whether City Council approves such a deal, officials said. The city maintains that at no point did it discriminate against Chick-fil-A, city officials said in a statement. Paxton applauded the agreement between the city and federal agency in a statement Monday. This is a win for religious liberty in Texas and I strongly commend the FAA and the City of San Antonio for reaching this resolution, Paxton said. To exclude a respected vendor based on religious beliefs is the opposite of tolerance and is inconsistent with the Constitution, Texas law, and Texas values. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports A Kinahan cartel "footsoldier" who was jailed for his part in the failed plot to kill Patrick 'Patsy' Hutch has been given extra prison time for a separate threat to burn out a garda's car. Ciaran O'Driscoll (25) was waiting for a case in a Dublin courtroom in 2019 when he squared up to a garda and made the threat, saying it was a "f**king promise". At the time, he had not yet been charged over his part in the Hutch murder plot, but has since been jailed for five years after admitting acting as a "lookout" for the crime. Last week, Judge John Hughes gave him a consecutive four-month sentence for his courtroom outburst. Abusive O'Driscoll, of Avondale House, North Cumberland Street, Dublin 1, was charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and threatening to cause criminal damage. The offences happened at a sitting of Dublin District Court in the Criminal Courts of Justice on November 7, 2019. He pleaded guilty, but his defence said he denied the "specific" threat. Garda Cathal Keon told Dublin District Court he spoke to the accused at 12.03pm on the day to tell him what an upcoming case was about when O'Driscoll said "see that threat, it's an effing promise". The court heard O'Driscoll had 90 previous convictions for offences, including possession of drugs, assault and robbery. He was sentenced to five years in jail on June 29 for conspiracy to commit a crime - the Hutch murder plot. Defence barrister Eoghan Weldon said the courtroom incident happened against a backdrop of addiction and instability in the accused's life. It was at a time when he was waiting for a contested case to be called and "tensions were heightened". O'Driscoll had recently lost his mother at the time and was "in the throes of quite a severe drug addiction". There was now a change in his life while he was in custody; he had successfully rehabilitated himself, was engaging in education and studying criminology, which was giving him a greater insight into his own behaviour, Mr Weldon said. "He wasn't in the right frame of mind when this happened. "He wants to deal with it and put everything that happened behind him," Mr Weldon said. "He wants to come out of custody a new man." The garda repeated the nature of the threat and told Judge Hughes it referred to his own personal car. Mr Weldon said his client's instructions were that this was not what was said and O'Driscoll was "not accepting that that specific threat was made". Judge Hughes said the accused may have been stressed at the time but courts by their nature were stressful places. He said the offences had happened in "the place where justice is administered". Lookout He made the four months consecutive on the criminal damage threat charge. O'Driscoll was jailed for five years at the Special Criminal Court in June for his part in the plot to kill Patsy Hutch, older brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, in 2018. Co-accused Stephen Curtis (32) was sentenced to five years, while Michael Burns (43) was given a nine-year sentence. O'Driscoll had agreed to act as a lookout to watch Mr Hutch's house and signal a hit-team when he emerged. Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the Kinahan cartel was a cynical criminal organisation. Another four men have also been jailed for their part in the plot. Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a sunny Australian city known for being one of the world's largest coal export ports, an environmental philosopher would often field pleading calls from residents. As they spoke, their distress over the sheer scale of the impacts from open-pit mines and other heavy industry in the area was palpable. Sitting at the dinner table with his wife, the philosopher struggled to characterize the specific nature of their paina pain "experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault." Glenn Albrecht, the philosopher in question, and his wife, Jill, first thought of the concept of nostalgiabecause, as Albrecht writes, the term was once linked to "a diagnosable illness associated with the melancholia of homesickness for people who were distant from their home." But the distressed residents of Australia's Hunter Valley weren't emigres in exile longing for home. Quite the contrary, they had remained in place, even as the landscape that had once brought them solace became unrecognizable. Eventually, Albrecht coined the term "solastalgia"a neologism that combines the words nostalgia, solace and desolationto describe their profound sense of loss and isolation, and the overwhelming feelings of powerlessness that came with it. Solastalgia, as Albrecht defined it in a 2004 essay, is "manifest in an attack on one's sense of place, in the erosion of the sense of belonging (identity) to a particular place and a feeling of distress (psychological desolation) about its transformation." In short, it is "a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at 'home.'" It's a word that has started to be used more frequently in recent years, particularly in the context of climate change. Perhaps it describes some of the destabilizing sorrow you've experienced as the ash rains down and fire burns in every direction. Californians have long defined themselves against an unforgiving landscape of grand beauty and destruction. But it's never been quite like this before. On Thursday, the massive August Complex fire burning in and around Tehama County officially became the largest blaze in California historymeaning the first, third and fourth largest fires in California history are all burning right now. It's difficult not to wonder what our state will look like when and if the flames subside. Or if we will ever feel fully safe here again. "We have relationships to places," explains Dr. Susan Clayton, a professor of psychology and environmental studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio. "They're very significant to our history and our sense of who we are." Clayton studies the psychological effects of climate change. It's a relatively new area of focus in the field of psychology, which makes it difficult to speak definitively about the longer-term impacts. But researchers believe that climate change will have both chronic and acute impacts on mental health. According to a 2017 American Psychological Assn. report Clayton coauthored, the acute impacts will probably include more trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake of climate change-induced extreme weather and other major destabilizing events. Chronic impacts could manifest as a heightened sense of helplessness, hopelessness or fatalism as people reckon with profound changes to their environment or what they see as their lack of control over what's happening. But Clayton says some of the more incremental impacts of climate change could damage our psychological well-being. "There is very good evidence that, for example, hot weather actually is bad for our mental health," she explained. "You see increases in suicide rates, increases in aggression and increases in psychiatric hospitalization." The overhanging existential threat of climate change can also create a background level of worry, often referred to as "eco-anxiety" or "climate anxiety." As Clayton explains, some level of anxiety can be a motivating force, spurring action and changebut too much can be debilitating, paralyzing us. Humans are creatures capable of incredible levels of cognitive dissonance. We light cigarettes knowing smoking kills, rebuild homes in burn zones and wake up every morning knowing that somedayseveral billion years from nowthe sun will likely engulf the earth. The question has always been what we can bear to ignore, and what kind of dissonance actually behooves us. The inevitable fate of our solar system surely falls into that latter category. But the ravages of climate change are here now. So what is the middle ground between sticking our heads in the sand and becoming psychologically overwhelmed by what we know? Say you are lucky enough to be outside the path of acute danger, at least for today. How can we lead a meaningful life with these threats looming, knowing so much is beyond our control? "For all of us, we need to find this way of thinkingThere is something I can do," Clayton said. Maybe you can't save the world, but you can exert some small sense of control over your corner of it, even with something as simple as readying your own evacuation plans. She also mentioned pressing local officials on certain issues, or voting to address the matter at hand. I worry that invoking these small steps might sound glib or Pollyanna-ish, particularly in the face of such flagrant destruction, made possible by so many years of greed and ineptitude. We obviously need large-scale, sustained action from every level of leadership. But if you are feeling profound grief and despair, personal action can at least help repair your own sense of powerlessness. Writing recently about his own reckoning with climate despair, my colleague Sammy Roth, an energy reporter at The Times, quoted a line from the rabbinic teachings of Pirkei Avot that I have thought about often in the weeks since: "It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either." 2020 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Lao trainees visit the CREC-2 rail-welding yard in Vientiane, Laos, Sept. 11, 2020. Some 70 Lao trainees to join the China-Laos railway's future operation visited the China Railway No.2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) rail-welding yard in the Lao capital Vientiane on Friday. The Lao trainees also took a ride on the engineering train running on the ready railway section near Lao capital. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua) Police in Nyando, Kisumu County are reportedly tracking a gang of 10 men that raped two high school girls in Ahero. As reported by Citizen Digital on Sunday, the girls were walking home from a night vigil in Korowe area in Rabuor when the gang waylaid them near Deliverance Church. Nyando Justice Centre Coordinator Caren Omanga, who attended to the victims, said the girls were treated at Ahero sub-county hospital and are recuperating at home. Ms Omanga said the girls were able to identify one of the suspects and officers from Ahero Police Station are tracking him to help identify the other suspects. She called on the police to rein in disco matangas and night vigils, which she said have crept back despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew. SIX new confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Limerick today, figures just out reveal. It comes as an additional 208 new cases of the condition are confirmed across Ireland, meaning that 31,192 have now contracted coronavirus in this country. Elsewhere, the period of time someone must self-isolate after recovering from the disease has been cut from 14 to 10 days. There have been no new deaths reported, which keeps the number of fatalities in Ireland at a total of 1,784, the Health Protection Service Centre (HPSC) date has revealed. Of today's new cases 98 are woman and 110 are men, with 62% of these under 45 years of age. A third of these are associated with outbreaks or close contacts of a confrirmed cases, with 18 identified as community transmission. The majority of the new cases - 108 - are in Dublin. Elsewhere, there are 18 new cases in Louth, 12 in Donegal, 10 in Meath, nine in Kildare, eight in Waterford, seven in Cork, six in Limerick and six in Wexford. The remaining 24 cases are located across 12 more counties including Clare and Tipperary. The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. Dr Ronan Glynn, the acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said: "Nphet has decided to reduce the period of isolation from 14 to 10 days for confirmed cases from the onset of symptoms, based on advice received from the Expert Advisory Group following a review of the evidence. In addition, it has been agreed that nasal swabs are an acceptable alternative to nasopharyngeal swab for use in children in the community. This will hopefully make testing a simpler process for children going forward." "Covid-19 is an evolving pandemic and NPHET is committed to adapting advice and guidelines based on emerging evidence. Nine new confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in Limerick last night, a small number the night before, 10 on Friday, 11 last Thursday, with none on Wednesday, and 15 on Tuesday last week. Resumption of trials of AstraZeneca's potential coronavirus vaccine has cheered investors European stock markets were close to flat Monday but Wall Street enjoyed solid gains, buoyed by coronavirus vaccine hopes and big-ticket deals. Trials on one of the most advanced vaccines resumed at the weekend after pausing when a volunteer fell ill. British regulators gave AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford the go-ahead to push on following an investigation, while the drug group said it remained hopeful the vaccine would still be available "by the end of this year, early next year". Meanwhile pharma giant Gilead said it would buy breast cancer drug maker Immunomedics for $21 billion. And in tech, Japan's SoftBank group announced the sale of British chip designer Arm to US-based NVIDIA for $40 billion, while the US Treasury said it had received a bid involving Oracle for video-sharing app TikTok's US operations. "US stocks are rebounding noticeably from a two-week pullback from record high territory, with a flood of M&A activity and a host of news on the Covid-19 vaccine/treatment front fostering the recovery," Charles Schwab analysts wrote. Europe was weighed down as countries reported rising coronavirus infections and some issued new measures to control the spread of Covid-19. The World Health Organization's European chief Hans Kluge told AFP Monday that the autumn will be "tougher" with "more mortality" from Covid-19. And Britain's parliament found itself arguing about Brexit again, with threats of rebellion and resignations over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan for a new law that would break his EU divorce treaty. The contentious legislation, unveiled last week, would override the divorce deal the UK struck with the EU last year in several key areas related to Northern Ireland. "The Brexit vote should ensure volatility for the pound and FTSE," noted Joshua Mahony, senior market analyst at IG trading group. Sterling was up slightly against both the dollar and the euro, although it was far from making up the 3.6 percent it shed last week on Brexit concerns. Story continues - No Washington deal in sight - While major deals like Oracle's proposal to serve as Tiktok's "trusted technology provider" -- after a mooted sale to Microsoft fell through -- have proven a shot in the arm for markets, politics offered less for investors to celebrate. "The market doesn't seem to be holding out much hope right now" that Washington will agree on a new round of stimulus to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus before November's elections, Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare commented. Some reassurance could come from a Fed meeting next week, with policymakers likely to issue "a reminder that it stands ready to provide more policy support if necessary," he said. Markets will be eyeing the central bank's economic forecasts and "looking for details on the recent monetary policy shift... aimed at prioritising the recovery in the labor markets over inflation," Schwab analysts wrote. - Key figures around 2050 GMT - New York - Dow Jones: UP 1.2 percent at 27,993.33 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 1.3 percent at 3,383.54 (close) New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.9 percent at 11,056.65 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 6,026.25 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.1 percent at 13,193.66 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 5,051.88 (close) EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 3,316.79 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 23,559.30 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.6 percent at 24,640.28 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,278.81 (close) Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2845 from $1.2796 at 2100 GMT on Friday Euro/pound: DOWN at 92.35 pence from 92.58 pence Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1862 from $1.1846 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 105.73 yen from 106.16 yen West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $37.26 per barrel Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $39.83 per barrel dan-jmb NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Parliamentary sources said. The statement would assume significance in the backdrop of demands made by the Opposition for a debate on the issue. Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow recently. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had also met in Moscow a few days ago. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs are also likely to meet over video conferencing on Tuesday afternoon, government sources said. During the monsoon session, which began on Monday, the opposition is seeking to corner the government on its handling of the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the COVID-19 situation, economic downturn and unemployment, and is pressing for discussions on these issues. The Congress and other opposition parties raised these demands in the first business advisory committee (BAC) meeting for Lok Sabha chaired by Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, but no time has been allocated yet for these discussions. The BAC for Lok Sabha will be held again on Tuesday afternoon to further discuss the first week's business schedule. Similar demands have been raised by the Congress in the BAC for Rajya Sabha as well. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy accused the police of remaining inactive even as Kannur has been witnessing widespread bomb-making which is like a prelude to assembly elections. In a statement here, Chandy said the CPMs involvement in bomb-making is clearly evident. He rued the fact that an inert police have failed to nab those providing encouragement to those involved in the unlawful activity. The Congress leader referred to the latest incident of bomb-making at Ponnyam in Thalassery which saw a CPM cadre, formerly accused of involvement in TP murder case, had lost his palms. In another incident at Irikkur, two CPM workers were killed in an explosion while making bombs. The CPM leaders had maintained that they didnt have anything to do with it, said Chandy. "As party secretary, Pinarayi Vijayayan had handed over compensation to the family members of party workers who lost their lives in the blast. At the time, he had maintained that they had sacrificed their lives for the party," said Chandy, while urging that the police be given a free hand to raid the bomb-making centres in Kannur without interference from the ruling CPM. Evacuation of refugees trapped in war-torn Libya has fallen by nearly 90 per cent this year compared to the whole of 2019, according to data from the United Nations, which warned global resettlement of asylum seekers was at a record low. UN officials said coronavirus travel restrictions have halted resettlement programmes, stranding tens of thousands of the worlds most vulnerable people. Among the hardest hit are those trapped in war-wrecked Libya, where refugees risk kidnap, torture, enslavement, or being held in abusive government detention centres. Despite the dangers so far this year, UN officials say only 297 people have been safely removed from the country, and only 169 of those rehomed. Last year 2,260 individuals were able to leave Libya with the UNs assistance, including 859 who were resettled and 1,410 who were evacuated. The numbers this year will be particularly low in comparison to the previous two years because of Covid-19 not only because of the impact on departures from Libya but also on transit and receiving countries, said Shabia Mantoo, the UNHCRs spokesperson on resettlement. With travel restrictions tentatively lifting, she urged states to fulfil their pledges to take in some of the worlds most vulnerable. Australian politicians are putting pressure on Rio Tinto to appoint someone from the country as its next chief executive, after the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site sparked a major backlash. Jean-Sebastien Jacques was forced to quit last week following a backlash after the mining group blew up ancient caves in Pilbara, Western Australia, earlier this year. The French-born British citizen, 48, will step down at the end of March next year, or when a replacement is found whichever is earlier. Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques was forced to quit last week following a backlash after the miner blew up ancient caves in Pilbara, Western Australia (pictuerd), earlier this year But Australia's treasury is pushing for Rio to appoint an Australian to lead the Anglo-Australian firm. Although its corporate headquarters is based in London, the mining group generates the bulk of its earnings in Australia, which has vast iron ore deposits. Australia's treasury minister Josh Frydenberg said: 'Rio Tinto is one of the great companies of the world with a proud Australian history. 'With the vast majority of its revenue coming from Australia, it is fitting to once again see an Australian as chief executive along with the majority of the board.' Frydenberg added that he had a 'constructive conversation' about the matter with Rio's chairman Simon Thompson. The Australian government is pressing to tighten foreign investment rules and protect strategic industries amid concerns over souring relations with China and the impact of Covid-19. But Rio has also come under pressure from Australian politicians for having too little appreciation of the cultural heritage of the iron-ore rich region of Pilbara, where it generates 90 per cent of its revenues. Jacques told a parliamentary inquiry into the Juukan Gorge blasts that he was not aware of the cultural significance of the rock shelters until they were blown up on May 24. Ben Wyatt, treasurer of the Western Australian state government, told Australian media: 'There's no one on that board with any real understanding of the Aboriginal groups who own the country on which they operate. 'That to me screams risk, and it's something I am stunned hasn't been picked up over the years.' Potential Australian candidates are understood to include Anglo-American boss Mark Cutifani, and Sandeep Biswas, boss of Newcrest Mining. With NAFCUs Virtual Congressional Caucus kicking off on Monday, the associations Vice President of Legislative Affairs Brad Thaler penned an op-ed in CU Today calling credit union leaders to action to advocate for the nations servicemembers. As I write this, bank lobbyists are hard at work distorting the facts to trick Congress into treating for-profit mega-banks the same as local, not-for-profit credit unions when it comes to nominal leases on military bases, wrote Thaler. As credit union advocates join NAFCU next week in the associations advocacy efforts, Thaler asked credit union leaders to join in opposition to this banker-sought policy change regarding leases on military bases. Under a provision in the Senate version of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Department of Defense would be required to treat all for-profit banks and not-for-profit credit unions that same when it comes to nominal cost leases on military installations. NAFCU is leading the fight with others in the credit union industry to ensure this misguided policy does not get included in the final 2021 NDAA and we hope you will join us in this fight, Thaler said. This is what we do at NAFCU: We fight for credit unions, their 121 million members, and our local communities. Based on what's mainly out there, you'd think the people cheering the attempted murder of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Sunday were psychopathic lowlifes, morally grotesque male Madame Defarges, cackling pleasure at the sight of two cops gunned down in cold blood, while blocking an emergency room entrance as these same wounded cops fought for their lives, yelling, "We hope they die." People like this verifiable creep: Heres the reaction of an eyewitness to the ambush of two Deputies shot in the head in #Compton. The victims are in the background. No one is going to help them. Vote like your life depends on it. #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/tE8NH5YZvm James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 13, 2020 But far from it. Leftist elites are explicitly making it clear that they, too, cheer the killers. According to the Daily Wire: On Saturday night, soon after two Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies seated in their patrol car were shot in the head in an ambush in Compton, a leftist think tank called The Gravel Institute responded to a tweet stating, Say it with me: blue lives matter, by replying, Say it with me: they dont. They deleted their tweet after it got controversial, but we heard them the first time. In any case, it's far from the only insane such sentiment they've spewed, they've also cheered assaults on the helpless elderly, such as they did here: because they suck https://t.co/oZrj6J37UO Gravel Institute (@GravelInstitute) August 28, 2020 ...and they didn't delete that tweet. Don't think it was just some intern, tweeting on the Gravel Institute's masthead. High-ranking leftists are openly cheering the carnage, too. The wounded deputies who were blocked from life-saving treatment at the emergency entrance to St. Francis Hospital by mobs of baying lowlifes are situated in the nearby city of Lynwood, which is led by a city manager who tweeted this: NEW: Jose Ometeotl, the city manager of Lynwood, posted on his Instagram that Chickens come home to roost following the ambush shooting of two LASD deputies in Compton. One is a 31 y/o mom of a young boy, the other is a 24 year old male deputy, both very new. @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/CpMmmEZp5z Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 13, 2020 This freak is a powerful person...cheering the criminals. This is strikingly counterintuitive after all, wouldn't the public official have some say-so in how the cops are to act if indeed there were ever a problem? Who would have more say-so? And wouldn't such a person presumably be in need of police protection? His insults to the cops are a dinner triangle to Lynwood's abundant criminal community to come rob his house, at a minimum. The only way it might make sense would be if Ometeotl was the criminal. If he's not a criminal, he's very, very stupid, and either is a sign of just how deep the blue-city crisis is. The elites have turned against the very law enforcement they need for their cities' protection, and their own protection, while literally cheering the criminals on. Newt Gingrich sums it up well, given the scope of the problem, in a report from Breitbart:: In a Sunday interview on New York WABC 770 AM radio's "The Cats Roundtable," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sounded off on the ongoing unrest in some of the United States' major cities leading up to the 2020 presidential election. Gingrich said it is "beginning to sink in" across the country how "pro-criminal and anti-police the modern Democrats have become." He added that billionaire George Soros is "spending millions of dollars" across the country to help "elect pro-criminal, anti-police district attorneys." "I think the degree to which people are learning about how pro-criminal and anti-police the modern Democrats have become," Gingrich told host John Catsimatidis. "And I think that's been a big deal. And the very fact that George Soros is going around the country spending millions of dollars to elect pro-criminal, anti-police district attorneys, that's beginning to sink in." The elites are a big part of the problem, openly cheering attempted murder, while placing in key positions prosecutors who won't prosecute and leaders who call cops the enemy. It's a criminal's delight, and with the elites onboard this repugnant setup, the police will simply have no backup and no reason to enforce at all. President Trump and Attorney General William Barr said they intended to get to the bottom of who might be directing these riots they shouldn't discount that among these higher-ups may be the criminals themselves. Image credit: James Woods Twitter screen shot. The law on Armenian citizens who havent passed compulsory military service through violation of the prescribed order hasnt been in effect for a long time, and according to the existing legislation, all Armenian citizens who are abroad and are wanted for not serving in the army can only be brought to justice and be sent to jail. This is what deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Mkhitar Hayrapetyan told reporters in parliament today. According to him, this is what compelled him to find new solutions and introduce a bill. There have been hundreds of applications sent from people asking deputies to find a solution. A year ago, we declared that we will find a new solution that will be institutional, but the parliament postponed discussions on the law, and we came back with new solutions. Our aim is to use the resource that we have abroad and give Diaspora Armenians an opportunity. Citizens of Armenia who have attained the age of 27 can return to Armenia and pay the amounts of the two-year salary of a contractual serviceman plus surcharges which will make up AMD 5-5.5 million, but if those citizens wish to get enlisted in the army in the course of the next three years, they will get the money back, Mkhitaryan said, adding that hes not sure whether the Ministry of Defense will approve of this since its clear that the ministry will have its clear position on any decision regarding finance for exemption from military service. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in the Senate subway area of the Capitol before President Donald Trumps State of the Union address in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Five Big-City Mayors Backing Police Budget Cuts Get Latest Ernst Squeal Award Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) named the mayors of Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, as her latest Squeal Award recipients for defunding police departments then blasting President Donald Trump for cutting their federal aid. In cities across our country, the safety, security, and basic rights of Americans are under assault as radical politicians tolerate, and even encourage, lawlessnessand seek to defund law enforcement, Ernst said in a statement Sept. 14 to announce the recipients. Folks, canceling the police will only make our streets more dangerous, putting the life and liberty of the very residents in those communities at risk, the Iowa Republican said. All five of the mayorsSeattles Jenny Durkan, Portlands Ted Wheeler, New Yorks Bill de Blasio, Washingtons Muriel Bowser, and San Franciscos London Breedhave backed demands that law enforcement funding either be dramatically reduced, re-allocated, or abolished altogether. All five cities have seen repeated riots, deaths, and destruction instigated by Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and other radical left-wing groups seeking the violent overthrow of government in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man, in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. Law enforcement officials in the five cities have been handicapped by the mayors in how theyve been allowed to deal with rioters, looters, and destruction of public and private property. The results are heartbreaking, Ernst said in her statement. New York City, for example, is witnessing an extreme spike in shootings and murders as a direct result of its city and state officials tolerance of crime. The hundreds of victims include a church caretaker shot inside the church and a mother shot in the head in front of a school. That is why I am giving my September 2020 Squeal Award to the mayors of these cities who are failing their own residents by forbidding law enforcement and emergency responders from doing their jobs, resulting in the tragic loss of life. Ernst also condemned the five mayors for threatening to sue Trump for acting on the July 21 letter signed by Ernst and other congressional Republicans urging the president to cut federal funding to cities that slash police department budgets. In Fiscal Year 2019, the federal government provided the top 20 most populous U.S. cities over $88 billion in taxpayer dollars. That money comes from the people, and should have been spent to protect them, not put them in harms way, Ernst and the other signers said in the letter. The most fundamental duty of these cities is to provide security for law-abiding citizens. Instead, we have seen businesses destroyed and lives senselessly taken. Ernst wrote in her Sept. 14 statement: Following our urging, the President is now directing the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to cut off federal funding to these five lawless jurisdictions. And like clockwork, the mayors of these cities are now planning a lawsuit. Without the slightest hint of irony, the same politicians sworn to enforce the law but who want to cut funding for law enforcement are now squealing when their own funding is being cut. An investigation by Open the Books, a nonprofit government watchdog, found nearly $15 billion in federal grants and contracts going to the five cities. Seattles total, for example, was $365.1 million in federal dollars. The City of Seattle (Mayor Jenny Durkan) received $97.5 million. The public schools received $42.5 million. The housing authority received $203 million in federal aid, the nonprofit reported earlier this year. Other governments receiving aid included City Lighta city-owned utility ($3.8 million), and the Port of Seattle ($17 million). Seattle colleges received $1.1 million in grant funding. Since FY2016, federal funding into Seattle-based governments increased from $283.6 million to $365.1 million (FY2019), up 28.7 percent. Federal funding of local government in the nations capital is even more extensive, according to Open the Books. In Washington, D.C. (Mayor Muriel Bowser), we found 33 separate city agencies receiving federal funds: the district government ($2 billion), the Metropolitan Police Department ($3.8 million), the fire department ($5.7 million), emergency management ($18.5 million), the DC university ($76.4 million), housing authority ($125.6 million), and public schools ($996.4 million). Other D.C. units of government receiving federal money included human services ($54.3 million), employment services ($35.9 million), health department ($24.3 million), energy and environment ($7.3 million), consumer & regulatory affairs ($3 million), and the commission on the arts ($1.8 million). Since FY2016, federal funding into Washington, D.C. increased from $2.2 billion to $3.3 billion (FY2019), up 50 percent. (This comparison between the years does not account for a $4.5 billion in funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to an entity listed in the federal data as Dist. of Col. in FY2019.) When riots erupted in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and elsewhere in the national capital in June, Trump criticized Bowser for not locking down the city as the protests turned violent. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc WATERLOO REGION The regions Ion light rail transit project has earned the Region of Waterloo an award that celebrates innovative environmental initiatives. The Sustainable Communities Award is handed out by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The region was recognized for exceptional work in transportation for its light rail transit service that began in June 2019. Press Release September 14, 2020 STOP THE KILLINGS! Message for the Global Day of Action on the Philippines The Philippines is in a maelstrom of multiple and unprecedented crises. A pandemic still ravages the health and wellbeing of this nation of more than 100 million; a recession shatters tens of millions of jobs and businesses; while an abysmally inept and morally bankrupt leadership presides over a country whose last few vestiges of democracy and responsible governance have been massively corroding. But, the catastrophe that has been always been with us since Day 1 when Rodrigo Duterte took power as President is the human rights calamity, the worst of its kind in Philippine history. It is prevalent as it is persistent, and it devours the very soul of our nation, disregarding the very dignity and worth of every human person, and obliterating the Filipino's sacred ideals and traditions of due process and equality before the law. With no let-up for more than four (4) years now, extrajudicial killings under Duterte's so-called "war on drugs" continue unabated. In her June 2020 report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the High Commissioner for Human Rights found that these killings were indeed widespread and systematic, and that at least 8,663 mostly poor Filipinos had been killed, with other estimates, including that from the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR), of more than triple that number. Under this climate of impunity, attacks against human rights defenders and critics of the government - activists, journalists, members of groups associated with the political left, and leaders of the opposition, the churches, trade unions, indigenous peoples and peasant groups - have been frequent and rampant, as well. The High Commissioner "verified the killings of 208 human rights defenders, journalists and trade unionists, including 30 women". Just last month, in separate incidents, assailants brutally murdered Zara Alvarez, a paralegal for the human rights group Karapatan, and Randall Echanis, a leader of the peasant group Anakpawis and a seasoned activist. Given the magnitude and relentlessness of the killings and other gross human rights violations, the High Commissioner, the CHR, a number of UN Special Rapporteurs, and many civil society organizations have been urging the UNHRC to establish an on-the-ground independent and impartial investigation into human rights abuses in the country. The experts have likewise appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to "expedite and prioritize the completion of its preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines." I join the call for an UNHRC-led investigation, and for expedited ICC process. I likewise appeal to different governments across the globe to immediately impose targeted sanctions (such as those provided by the Global Magnitsky Act and similar penalties) against abusive and corrupt Philippine government officials, and come to the aid of the Filipino people, who have long been brutalized, terrorized and abused by Duterte, his co-conspirators and accomplices. In the absence of domestic accountability, I pray that global instruments of justice will commence the task of exacting criminal and moral responsibilities, ensuring redress for the victims and their families, and signaling a definite end to the mass atrocities. In the face of a disabled national government, I hope for an ever growing and unstoppable network of individuals, groups and peoples in the Philippines and abroad who are bound by solidarity and a collective struggle for common humanity and the dignity of the Filipino. #StopTheKillingsPH #EndImpunityNow #InvestigateDuterte LEILA M. DE LIMA Senator, Republic of the Philippines and a Prisoner of Conscience 14 September 2020 Former adult film actress Zoe Parker has died in her sleep at the age of 24, her fiance has announced. Her death came just months after she quit the porn industry, and she had recently got engaged and moved back to her native Texas to start a new life. A cause of death has not yet been announced. We are sad to report that Zoe Parker passed away in her sleep on September 12th at around 2 am, fiance Jay Campbell wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to cover funeral expenses. As of early Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign was not taking donations. Zoe Parker, 24, passed away in her sleep at around 2am on Saturday, her fiance said Her fiance, Jay Campbell of Weatherford, Texas, wrote: She had started doing great and recently announced her engagement and by all accounts seemed truly happy for the first time in her life. Campbell wrote: After leaving the adult industry, Zoe Parker moved back home to Texas to be near her family to start a new life. She had started doing great and recently announced her engagement and by all accounts seemed truly happy for the first time in her life. Family and friends were stunned at her sudden death, with one insider telling industry news blog MikeSouth.com: 'I spoke to Zoe Parker just last night. I still can't even believe she's gone. 'It doesn't even seem possible. She was so happy with her new life back in Texas. 'As you can imagine, her fiance is utterly devastated. Zoe loved him so much.' Parker began her career in the porn industry in 2014, when she appeared in films for production companies including Desperate Pleasures and Bang Bros. Campbell announced his fiancee's passing on a GoFundMe page which he started to cover funeral expenses She moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to pursue adult film acting full time, according to Adult Video News. Parker has appeared in more than 100 films. In 2017, she was nominated for Best Virtual Reality Sex Scene at the AVN Awards for her appearance in Valentines Day Surprise. 'Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Zoe Parker. We're sending our strength and love to her family, loved ones, and fans,' the Adult Performers Guild, the union representing adult film actors, tweeted. Sarah Vandella, a colleague in the porn industry, tweeted: 'Very saddened by this I was on set with Zoe a few times my heart goes out to her and her family.' 'Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Zoe Parker. We're sending our strength and love to her family, loved ones, and fans,' the Adult Performers Guild, the union representing adult film actors, tweeted Sarah Vandella, a colleague in the porn industry, tweeted: 'Very saddened by this I was on set with Zoe a few times my heart goes out to her and her family.' In 2016, Parker made an appearance at the Exxxotica convention in 2016. She told an interviewer that her entry into the porn business was thanks to the attention she attracted on her web-camming. While many area residents eyes were trained on continued hurricane recovery, deadly wildfires in the western United States and politics; Jefferson County this week hit several grim milestones in the fight against COVID-19. The county saw its 100th and youngest virus-related death - a 22-year-old Beaumont man. It also logged its second city to surpass 1,000 positive cases since the pandemic began. These markers came as the number of positive coronavirus cases confirmed each day continued to rise after a late-August low, and they underscore the message being repeated by public health officials. We want the public to know that the pandemic is still here, said Beaumont Public Health Director Sherry Ulmer. We still are encouraging people to get tested. We want them to know that just because things are opening up, they dont have to attend. We still need people to wear masks, wash their hands, practice social distancing and avoid large crowds. Related: Fact check: How close is Beaumont to virus threshold? Since August 31, the seven-day average number of cases confirmed each day across the county has increased from a low of nearly six to nearly 31. As of Thursday, the county had recorded 5,396 cases of coronavirus. Ulmer said the health department believes late Augusts drop in confirmed COVID-19 cases was the result of residents shifting their focus from the pandemic to Hurricane Laura preparation and evacuation. She expects to see the number of confirmed cases to continue increasing as more residents return home and resume normal routines. At this time, she said the testing capabilities at private providers across the region seem to be enough to meet the demand. However, the health department is monitoring those numbers and is aware of opportunities to again work with the state to put on city-sponsored clinics. More Information Coronavirus testing When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today Where: Jasper County Sub-Courthouse, 33625 Hwy 96 S, Buna To register: txcovidtest.org When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Where: Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church, 3755 Fannett Rd., Beaumont To register: 409-835-8443 When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 Where: Jasper County Annex Building, 271 E. Lamar, Jasper To register: Up to 24 hours in advance at txcovidtest.org See More Collapse Port Arthur, which last week hosted two testing clinics through the state, surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, whos been arguably the most outspoken elected official on coronavirus-related precautions, said thats obviously not a distinction to be proud of. However, hes glad his city was able to stave it off this long and the county hasnt seen as many virus-related deaths as others. We could see a bright side that were not as bad as we could be, he said. But I was really hoping we wouldnt get here. He added that those numbers dont factor in the full impact of hurricane evacuations and potential Labor Day celebrations on the virus spread. One aspect that has helped the vast majority of even the most critical local coronavirus patients recover is that hospitals havent been as overwhelmed as those in other areas of the state. Related: BISD delays in-person start date According to data from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, a daily average of just over 23 ICU patients across Jefferson County hospitals were confirmed to have COVID-19. While nowhere near the mid-July average of 41 coronavirus patients, the average number of COVID-19 patients in ICU, as well as coronavirus patients overall, has steadily risen since the beginning of this month. Hospital capacity is just one of the metrics the Beaumont Public Health Department is watching as some local schools resume in-person learning - the next big step for the community amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The health department and the Beaumont Independent School District worked in concert with a myriad of other officials on a plan to limit the virus spread once students return to campus, Ulmer said. Now theyre working on another plan to determine, once students do return, when schools would need to close again and how action could be taken. Ulmer said the department anticipates the positivity rate at schools and across the community as well as the number of hospitalizations to be major parts of that plan. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain The total exports of Iran's largest steel mills companies, rose up to 1.7 million tons over the past five months of current Iranian year (March 21- August 21), Trend reports citing IRNA. According to statistics, Iran's large steel mills companies perfomance reveals that Iran exported 507,302 tons in August and it is expected that Iran's steel production to reach about 30m tons of which more than one million tons will be exported. Irans annual steel production is planned to reach 45 million tons by the Iranian year of 1400 (March 2021-March 2022). Iran aims to become the worlds sixth largest steel producer as per the 20-Year Vision Plan, which targets annual production capacity expansion to 55 million tons and 20-25 million tons of exports per year by 2025. According to a recent report by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization on the development of under-construction steel production units, a total of 19.1 million tons will be added to Irans annual steel production capacity by the time the development of all units is complete in the fiscal 2023-24. The addition of 19.1 million tons by the time the under-construction projects come on stream to the current capacity means the aggregate output capacity will reach 54.1 million tons by March 2024, only 900,000 tons short of the target. Irans steel export capacity currently hovers around $4 billion per year. Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar has pledged to reopen the countrys oil ports this weekend, the U.S. embassy in the North African country said in a statement on Saturday. The Ambassador underscored U.S. confidence in the NOC and support for a financial model that would constitute a credible guarantee that oil and gas revenues would be managed transparently and preserved for the benefit of the Libyan people, the statement read. The LNA subsequently conveyed to the U.S. government the personal commitment of General Haftar to allow the full reopening of the energy sector no later than September 12. Groups affiliated with Haftars Libyan National Army blockaded the countrys oil terminals in January, suspending exports and effectively decimating production from over 1.2 million bpd to less than 100,000 bpd. The National Oil Corporation, which is the sole entity authorized to deal with oil sales, declared force majeure on exports soon after. In July, the force majeure was lifted for a couple of days before the LNA reinstalled the blockade. In the meantime, the group has been fighting the UN-backed Government of National Accord for full control of Libya. Last month, however, the LNA agreed to reopen the terminals for a while, to empty storage tanks full of crude oil and condensate and export them, leaving some for domestic use in parts of Libya that suffered blackouts because of a shortage of fuel for their power plants. The move preceded the agreement of a ceasefire between the warring factions that sparked hopes the oil ports could be re-opened if the ceasefire held. This will give OPEC a headache, however. The cartel has been banking on Libyas involuntary contribution to its production cut efforts. If the ports are reopened, so will be the fields and production could start rising, which will immediately affect prices, already embattled by forecasts of slow and only partial demand recovery. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: During a brief press conference on Sunday evening, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) announced that state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (R) was involved in a fatal car accident on Saturday night. The crash took place west of Highmore, in central South Dakota, and Noem said law enforcement is "working on identifying the deceased and notifying the family." The accident occurred as Ravnsborg was driving home from a dinner hosted by the state GOP. Following Noem's press conference, Ravnsborg's office released a statement saying he is "shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night. As Gov. Noem stated, I am fully cooperating with the investigation and I fully intend to continue to do so moving forward. At this time I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family." Tim Bormann, Ravnsborg's spokesman, told the Rapid City Journal that Ravnsborg was not injured in the crash. He also said Ravnsborg "drinks lightly," and doesn't think he was drinking at the dinner. A spokesperson for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said details about the car accident, like whether alcohol was a factor and if any charges are pending, are expected to be shared on Monday. More stories from theweek.com Cousins of man killed in accident involving South Dakota's AG share concerns over investigation Court-tapped judge-advocate tears into Barr's 'corrupt and politically motivated' move to drop Flynn case Biden campaign unveils high-powered legal war room The COVID-19 pandemic caused the closure of many schools around the world, both primary and secondary, in March or April. This has been estimated by different researchers to have widely varying impacts on the incidence and mortality of COVID-19. For instance, one study shows that weekly incidence was reduced by 62%, and weekly deaths by 58%, while others estimated only a 2% to 4% reduction in deaths. Now a new study by researchers at the Institute for Disease Modeling and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 focuses on modeling the potential risk of COVID-19 for school students and staff if schools are re-opened in a range of scenarios. This could guide further research on the health and educational outcomes of school reopenings. A schematic diagram of the in-person school contact networks of students, teachers and additional school staff under different cohorting strategies. Normal, preCOVID-19 patterns allow for mixing of students and teachers across grades and classrooms. A cohorted strategy places elementary and middle school students into classrooms with their own teachers, preventing contact between students in different classrooms in these schools. High schools remain mixed due to the highly individualized schedules of students in many U.S. based high schools, including those in King County, Washington. Teachers and additional school staff have contacts with each other to reflect their use of common staff paces such as a teachers lounge, front office, and other rooms for preparation. Risks and Benefits Public educational experts assert that learning in school has many benefits for the child, whether in terms of social interactions, physical play, and activity, or educational resources. In children from poverty-stricken families, a school may make the difference in eating or going hungry. In keeping with this perception, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports the re-opening of schools. The researchers point out that this will also put almost one in four teachers at higher risk of falling gravely ill due to COVID-19. In fact, almost 80% of teachers in one US poll in July said they were concerned about the risk to their health once schools re-opened, and two-thirds said they would prefer remote learning to continue. In Europe and Asia, the school re-opening experience has varied. Some opened smoothly, and others closed almost as soon as they re-opened because of a spurt in outbreaks within schools. Most countries initiated reopenings when the case detection rate over the preceding 14 days was less than 25/100,000. In many cases, younger students were first returned to in-person learning, and schedules were switched around to enable some cohorting. Eective reproduction number over the simulated period of school reopening (Sept 1st - Dec 1st) averaged across the top 20 parameter sets, assuming a COVID-19 case detection rate of 50 cases per 100,000 in the 14 days prior to school reopening. Error bars represent the standard deviation of the top 20 parameter sets. Risk Reducing Behavior The current study focused on finding the impact of behavioral changes such as mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene (all three together may reduce transmission by a fourth), case detection (by screening any symptomatic person, diagnostic testing of positive screens, and tracing contacts), and changing classroom structure (creating cohorts of students and teachers which reduces contact with others outside the classroom, changing the schedules to A/B patterns where alternate groups of children who attend on different days of the week, and switching between remote and in-person classes). Assumptions and Scenarios for Re-opening The researchers looked at seven scenarios, depending on the level of countermeasures used at school, from none to all, and from only elementary school to both elementary and middle school in-person learning, and from simultaneously schedules to A/B scheduling, or completely remote learning. The assumption was that preschools and universities would not open and that high schools would be unable to apply separate cohorts for students given the highly individualized schedules at this level. They modeled the first three months of the school term, defining average class sizes and the number of students per school. The researchers used the effective reproduction number Re, well as the case detection rate in the two weeks before schools re-opened, to indicate the size and the trajectory of the outbreak in that region. They assumed that with schools closed, the epidemic was slowly waning, with an Re of 0.9. They estimated school-based transmission for case detection rates of 20, 50, or 110 diagnosed cases per 100,000 individuals, fitting the definition of low, medium, and high case detection rates in the US concerning school re-opening. They concluded, In-person schooling, even with sufficient countermeasures, poses significant risks to students, teachers, and staff. Impact of Various Measures The model shows that at least one COVID-19 case would show up at school in anywhere from 5% to 42% of schools. Asymptomatic infections will go unmarked. Symptomatic individuals will be detected by screening and sent home. The model also shows that without school countermeasures, with a high case detection rate, almost 25% and 20% of staff/teachers and students respectively will come to school while carrying the infectious virus. If re-opening is delayed until the case detection rate is 20/100,000, this risk is reduced by 2.5 times. All active infections may not be equally infectious, and school countermeasures will play a significant role in minimizing the risk of onward spread. These include case detection, isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine. If these are in place, the reduction in incidence will be four-fold less even at the highest case detection rate. Using A/B schedules would still further reduce the risk of viral spread, especially if only elementary schools are re-opened. In such a situation, the cumulative infection rate could be as low as 0.2% to 1.7%, and 0.1% to 1%, for staff and students, respectively. This represents, they say, at least a 14-fold reduction in the risk of COVID-19 for teachers and staff in schools, compared to universal re-opening without countermeasures. For instance, for a county with a population of 2.25 million, this would mean 900-6,200 more tests in the first three months of school. Conversely, if an A/B approach with two groups per classroom attending two days a week in staggered fashion is used, the viral spread would be only about 0.6 - 4.3% and 0.4 - 3.1% for teachers/staff and students, respectively. It may be observed that this is higher than the risk with the first scenario, but it offers all the students in the school some opportunity to attend school. Will School Reopening Also Increase Community Spread? The researchers also estimated that in order to minimize infection rates within schools, about 83% of learning days would have to be at home, either because of COVID-19 related measures like quarantine or isolation or because of remote learning. The most significant effect, however, is because of the pre-opening COVID-19 infection rate and not the school strategy, since if the population prevalence is high, the infection rate is seven times higher than if it is at the lowest level. Moreover, under the assumptions that the researchers operated on, community transmission is unlikely to increase much as long as schools take precautions during re-opening, and the latter occurs at a time when community spread is decreasing. While the current study assumes that children from K1-12 are as infectious as adults, other studies have indicated that children under 10 are half as infectious. Susceptibility-wise, it is assumed that below the age of 10 years, children are only a third as susceptible as older adults, while for those between 10 and 20 years, it is two-thirds that of older adults. This may not be the case, according to a recent pediatric study in Australia, which suggests that they are equally vulnerable. However, this is unimportant, provided countermeasures are taken in schools. Implications and Future Directions The researchers conclude that, with respect to in-person learning, Modeling results suggest that, depending on the case detection rate of COVID-19 in the community, an incremental approach that returns the youngest students first with a reduced schedule would minimize the risk of infection within schools and provide important benefits to the neediest children. Returning the youngest students who have the lowest susceptibility first, therefore, has the highest risk-benefit ratio. Some countries have done this with a lower incidence rate at the time of re-opening. The case detection rate and the size of the school will determine which strategy is optimal. Secondly, the most significant reduction in risk costs the greatest in terms of loss of in-person learning days. Remote learning has widely varying benefits depending on the age, economic and social status, and the resources available at home. Even when this is adopted, screening of symptomatic individuals with quick isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine will be essential to reducing the risk of transmission. The study is limited by the many assumptions, based on the literature, and the omission of contacts at the workplace by parents after schools re-open. The increased burden of contact tracing on local healthcare efforts is not included in the analysis. Moreover, the contacts made between children out of school and during transportation, as well as the difficulties in creating cohorts with limited resources and highly variable elective courses, are omitted. Thus, further refinements are required to estimate the impact of school opening on viral transmission. Nonetheless, the study shows, Re-opening schools is not a zero-risk activity. The challenge ahead is to balance the risks to the teachers and staff with the benefits to the students while treating COVID as the community problem it really is. *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. US Military Black Hawk Helicopters Arriving in Estonia for Training, Defence Forces Sputnik News 16:45 GMT 13.09.2020 HELSINKI (Sputnik) - Several US military UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will arrive at Estonia's Amari airbase, near the capital of Tallinn, on Sunday to conduct training missions in the Baltic country, the Estonian Defence Forces said in a press release. "US Army multipurpose UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will arrive at the Amari airbase on Sunday. Next week, the helicopters will conduct missions around the airbase, central training ground and the Tapa army base. Their task will be to co-operate with the Estonian Defense Forces," the press release read. The helicopters, which are currently based in Latvia, belong to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. They will remain in Estonia until Friday, the Estonian Defence Forces said. Belarusian Defence Minister, Viktor Khrenin, said on Saturday evening that Minsk has noticed an uptick in the number of US military reconnaissance flights being conducted along its border. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address September 10 was supposed to be my first day of teaching online. Almost exactly six months before, I stood in a classroom and asked my students if reports of the coronavirus made them feel afraid. It turned out to be the last conversation we would have face to face. That evening, our governor canceled school, and the remainder of the year was eventually scuttled. Last week was supposed to be a time to establish connection with a new crop of students and to usher in a new kind of normal with virtual teaching. But late Wednesday afternoon in Clackamas County, Oregon, the color of the air changed. I saw great orange-gray billows piling up over the roof, and the sun looked like a red eye blinking down through the haze. The next day, smoke poured in, obscuring first the distant hills, then the nearer hills, then the trees at the end of our street. Finally, at 2 oclock that afternoon, when local officials moved the boundary of the evacuation zone from five miles away to five blocks away and as ash began to drift down onto our laurel hedges, I decided to pack up my kids and go. I filled my car with birth certificates, photo albums, and computers and then drove away, trying to stay ahead of the encroaching flames. The West Coast fires arent the first disaster of this year. As the calamities pile up, my friends and I keep saying to one another, 2020! As if this year is a one-off. As if, when the calendar turns to January 1, 2021, our troubles will be over. But as the year drags on, Im finding it harder to hope for the possibility of better times anytime soon. What if 2020 is not an anomaly but a bellwether? What if the problems accumulating nowclimate change and racial reckoning, political division and disease controlget worse before they get better? As I drove up the freeway surrounded by smoke and bumper-to-bumper traffic, unable to see the mountains and trees, unable to see the water under the bridge as we crossed from Oregon into Washington, I thought of the Israelites in the desert, wandering along after the pillar of fire and the cloud of smoke. Theyd had a doozy of a year themselves. Some of the plagues had been reserved for the Egyptians, but other hardships had fallen on the Israelites: the late-night escape, the pursuing army, and the walk through the middle of a sea. When they began to follow God into the desert, they had no idea that 40 years would pass before they emerged. Would it have been better if they had known? Probably not. They didnt need to see the end from the beginning. All they needed to see was where God led. All they needed to watch was the movement of the cloud. At the Lords command they encamped, and at the Lords command they set out (Num. 9:23). In these days of 2020, we are all a bit like the ancient Israelites: evacuees from the world as we knew it, headed out into the unknown. We still write things on our calendars, of course. We cast our visions and make our plans. In past years, some of us have gotten away with imagining that the pages of those planners depict the future with accuracy. But 2020 has laid bare the truth that our times have always been in Gods hands. What will happen next year or next week? Will school be canceled by a pandemic or a wildfire? What disaster will strike next? We cannot know. I used to wonder why God chose to appear to the Israelites by day in a cloud of smoke. A pillar of fire, at least, gives light and heat. Smoke, on the other hand, reduces visibility. It disorients and obfuscates. But on that long freeway drive, I saw the symbolic purpose of smoke: It forces us to admit that we cant see where were going, and it forces us to rely on God. Im not suggesting that the wildfires plaguing my beloved home state are a gift from God. No, fires and viruses and all manner of natural disasters are clearly evidence of a sin-sick and groaning creation. But our God is a creative God who works good even from calamity, and trust is the good that I see God working in my own heart in the midst of this terrible year. Ive learned it the hard way, which might be the only way. For now, my family and I are far from home. After we crossed the border into Washington and the smoke thinned a bit, we pulled off at a rest stop. There were lots of cars with Oregon platescars stacked with Rubbermaid totes that were full, I imagined, of birth certificates and photo albums and computers. One family leaned on the doors of their car, reaching for the five pizza boxes theyd balanced on top. Several of us walked our dogs in the grass. As we passed each other wearing our cotton masks, I could sense what was hidden from view: astonishment and relief, uncertainty and fear. I feel those same emotions as I think about my familys transitory life. Out here in the wilderness, Im learning that I cannot know the future, much less control it. But I can hold Gods hand as I inch into the haze. Sarah Sanderson has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Seattle Pacific University and teaches creative writing and public speaking to K-12 students near Portland, Oregon. Find more on her blog. Around 200 people in Istanbul demonstrated on Sunday against a French magazine's decision to republish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo -- the target of a massacre by Islamist gunmen in 2015 -- reprinted the controversial images to mark the start of the trial earlier this month of the alleged accomplices in the assault. Images of the prophet are banned in Islam. Twelve people, including some of France's most celebrated cartoonists, were killed on January 7, 2015, when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi went on a gun rampage at the paper's offices in Paris. Some protesters in Beyazit Square on the European side of Istanbul held placards warning Charlie Hebdo and French President Emmanuel Macron "will pay a heavy price". Macron defended the magazine's "freedom to blaspheme". Turkey's foreign ministry condemned the decision to republish the cartoons "that disrespect our religion and our prophet". Nureddin Sirin, Kudus ( meaning "Jerusalem") TV editor-in-chief, warned "Macron will pay a very heavy price for both his arrogance in the eastern Mediterranean and his backing of insults against Islam using press freedom as an excuse". He was referring to the tensions between Ankara and Paris over Turkey's gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece and Turkey are locked in a bitter row over energy resources and maritime borders, and France backs Athens, even deploying ships to the region in support. vid-raz/har A champion of the Dutch euthanasia system has admitted that British critics are right to warn that assisted dying is a slippery slope to random killing of the defenceless. Dr Bert Keizer said that the type of patients whose lives are ended in the Netherlands has spread far beyond the terminally ill and now includes physically and mentally healthy old people who find that their life no longer has content. Dr Keizer, one of his countrys most prominent practitioners of euthanasia, said that, in future, assisted dying in the Netherlands is likely to be extended to prisoners serving life sentences who desperately long for death and disabled children whose parents believe their suffering is hopeless. A champion of the Dutch euthanasia system has admitted that British critics are right to warn that assisted dying is a slippery slope to random killing of the defenceless' [File photo] He said that after assisted dying was legalised in the Netherlands in 2002 what our British colleagues had predicted years earlier, with unconcealed complacency, happened: those who embark on euthanasia venture down a slippery slope along which you irrevocably slide down to the random killing of defenceless sick people. Dr Keizer added: Every time a line was drawn, it was also pushed back. His view, set out in the Dutch Medical Association Journal, amounts to a warning to British right-to-die campaigners. Last month Tory MP and former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell added to pressure for an assisted dying law They have pressed in Parliament for a law to allow doctors to prescribe deadly drugs only to terminally ill patients and in recent weeks have revived their attempts. Last month Tory MP and former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell added to pressure for an assisted dying law. We need to make clear that we are not looking here for a massive change, he said. We are looking for very, very tight reform. But Parliament has repeatedly refused to change the 1961 Suicide Act, which provides for a jail sentence of up to 14 years for anyone who helps someone to die. In the most recent Commons vote in 2015 MPs rejected a law to allow doctors to prescribe such drugs by 336 to 118. THE SHINE family in Adare have purchased a mobile home but it is not destined for Ballybunion or Kilkee. It is located at the side of Samco Agricultural Manufacturings newly built factory which they moved into in November 2019. Matthew Shine, Samco sales director, said the reason for the purchase is because they export 80% of products they produce in Adare. For us to continue maintaining our business abroad we must visit our customers and the only way to keep our work colleagues and families safe when returning from trips is to isolate away from everyone, said Matthew. His brother Robert - who has recently taken over as managing director from their pioneering dad Sam - is the first to stay in the mobile home as he visited Holland, Belgium and Germany in August. Then I will be heading to the UK for a number of weeks while our colleague Damian Tobianski will be heading to Poland and we will return at the same time. So that the isolation period will be the strict 14 days for myself and Damian. Roberts European excursion was the first one abroad since March for the normally jet-setting family and their employees. I was actually in southern Chile in early March visiting customers and planning orders. Then the schools closed back in Ireland and things started to go pear-shaped as my return flight back to Ireland on March 25 was cancelled. I contacted the Irish Embassy in Santiago, Chile and I found a flight out of Chile and landed back in Ireland on a very surreal, quiet St Patrick's Day, said Mathew. In the agricultural industry, clients like boots on the ground on their land and not in Ireland. Most of our customers on a day-to-day basis do not have much contact with people as they are busy working the land and caring for animals and for us to explain to our long-standing customers that we couldn't travel due to the situation - I must say they were very disappointed. Now six months on, I think everyone truly understands the situation regarding travel abroad and the risks associated. Now that Samcos staff are air-borne again they are doing everything to minimise those risks before they leave, as well as staying in the mobile when they return. Before any of us travel we always check the essentials - rain jackets, welly boots, company embroidered shirts, leaflets, pens, the basics when meeting customers to set up machines for simply to walk the crops. Now we nearly have to bring a full medical kit with us with disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, masks etc. Today we see it everywhere and its good to see everyone trying their best and taking the necessary precautions. One good thing that came out of lockdown for Samco - best known for its 3 in 1 machine - was it gave staff more time to innovate. We are always planning 10 months of the year for two special months of ultra madness which is April and May. Those two months are nicknamed "the silly season" as in April and May the majority of our 3 in 1 machines are in the fields working from Japan to Europe to Canada. So normally there is virtually nobody in our offices, production or assembly floors because we always send staff to those parts of the world to support the customer with technical advice and hands on backup service. The fact that we were all grounded this April and May made it very challenging to support our customers. It made us more innovative where we did short social media videos of both technical and common problems customers might come across, and we actually found from all of us being grounded within the factory walls so to speak, with open discussions with our team members. We have identified some common issues which we will look to update and upgrade on some current machine models. So if anything that was very beneficial to us. Self-isolation will take a toll on family life as a two week trip, for example, will mean four weeks before they can come home again. When speaking to Robert through the open window he is looking forward to finally getting home to see his wife and children. He has given me some pointers though. He said that when I move into the isolation unit an extra bed cover is required as it is much colder than he expected and also he recommended a good set of earbuds as the birds like to sing very early in the mornings! But the show must go on and Samco has recently signed a contract to be the main dealer for County Limerick for the Kverneland brand. More details to follow in the coming weeks. A Derry couple will travel to Greece in the coming days to continue their selfless work in helping refugees who are fleeing war-torn countries, persecution and poverty. Hilda Orr has dedicated her life to such work since 2015 when the image of a young boy lying face down on a beach off Lesbos affected her deeply. It was a photo which sparked international outcry over the human cost of the refugee crisis. Prior to her humanitarian work Hilda was a maths teacher at North West Regional College and taught English at foreign language schools - skills she has since used to help educate refugees. According to the United Nations (UN) the number of globally forcibly displaced people topped 70 million for the first time at the end of 2018. This number includes almost 26 million refugees, 3.5 million asylum seekers, and over 41 million internally displaced persons. Huge numbers of migrants have been arriving in Greece since 2015. There are Syrians whose homes were demolished in the civil war, Afghans whose country has been plagued with violence since the United States invasion in 2001 as well as North Africans, Pakistanis and many more. People from Derry and Donegal donate money via Mrs Orrs Fund a Food Drop Facebook page and she travels to Athens where she helps those in desperate need. I have been doing a bit of everything, I jump in with any organisation that I feel is helping, from clothes distribution to warehouse work to buying food vouchers for people, she said. LIVING CONDITIONS The Facebook group exists, presently, to support the 225 people living in two large tents outside Malakasa official camp. The 35 families and 90 singles who live in dire conditions and a one hour train journey from central Athens, are attempting to exist without food, showers or a proper electrical supply. Most of the residents make the daily train journey into the Greek capital city to join a long queue for a small tub of food from the municipality which is their only meal of the day. Describing the conditions in which refugees live, Mrs Orr said: The facilities are totally inadequate for the number of people who are there. The sick, the elderly and those with small babies find it difficult to make this journey, and rely entirely on volunteers to bring food. Now we hope to be able to send a weekly delivery of fresh bread, fruit and vegetables, eggs and tinned foods - depending on available funds - from Dhaka Market in Athens to these very needy people. All funds raised will be used solely for this purpose. Hildas husband, Chris Orr (pictured below), a former UTV cameraman made the trip with her two years ago when they stayed for six months following his retirement. Mr Orr set-up a free medical clinic with an American doctor, using skills he learned at home working with an independent ambulance company called Proparamedics. Refugees were having to queue in long lines trying to see a doctor and very often they would wait all day and not be seen, he explained. After the EU-Turkey deal in March 2016, less migrants were arriving in Greece. The deal was initially intended to curb the large numbers of refugees arriving in Europe or losing their lives on the way in 2015. But Hilda said: Theyre still coming in and theyre held on the island until theyre accepted as asylum seekers, which can take many years, so theyre in a hellish position. Once theyre granted asylum theyre told to go off and get a job but its hard enough for Greek people to get a job at the moment. EXTREMELY VULNERABLE Greece is amongst the countries which have accepted a disproportionate number of refugees compared to other EU countries. Mrs Orr said there are three sets of people, the two extremes, at the good end very helpful and compassionate Greeks and the opposite end right-wing fascists who actively resist refugees. Then there are the vast majority who just want to get on with their lives and wish the problem away. Given the challenges faced by Greece, the UN has been calling on the EU and its member states to step up their support and demonstrate their solidarity, particularly through the relocation of vulnerable asylum-seekers. Britain has been criticised with the UN insisting that intercepting boats crossing the English Channel is not the answer. Pascale Moreau, UNHCR Director for Europe, said: Our collective response should be comprehensive and complementary from saving lives to combating smuggling rings, expanding legal options, and ensuring that all those who are in need of protection can effectively access it. Mrs Orr said there should be free passage and EU countries should at the very least provide a safe haven for extremely vulnerable minors and help with the reunification of families. Im not a politician but something has to be done, she said. Hilda will be departing for Athens in the coming days for a three-week trip, while Chris will accompany her for one week of that stay. Anyone who would like to support their cause can do so by visiting Hildas Facebook page FIND A FOOD DROP. We couldnt do this without the help of ordinary Derry people, the generosity of people has been amazing, they concluded. MANZINI-Gospel musicians need to be creative and take advantage of the current situation. These sentiments were shared by President of the Association of Christian Artists of Eswatini (ACAESWA) Phetsile Masilela during the associations annual general meeting that was held at Caritas, Manzini yesterday. The meeting was attended by some ACAESWA members, who all observed health precautions by wearing face masks, sanitising and practising social distancing. During the gathering, the members celebrated their achievements which included online workshops, shows and their online music upload which benefitted 22 artists. Online The 22 artists were assisted to upload their music online using funds from the association which cost E4 650. While delivering the report, the president shared that they had two meetings with the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) and the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affair to lobby for a relief fund for artists. Masilela shared that the meetings were not successful due to a number of reasons that have been stated by government, which included that some of the artists were not registered with the Eswatini Revenue Authority (ERA). She went on to state that a proposal was also submitted to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for funding, however, they also had to go through the ministry to get approval, which was not successful. The second meeting was to negotiate the opening of the industry. The association was requested to submit a written communication with clear guidelines on how the COVID-19 regulations will be followed should the industry be opened. This has been done and submitted to the ministry, the latest update is that it has been reviewed by Cabinet, she said. It is worth noting that they wanted government to ease three categories; namely CD launch shows, fundraising dinners and medium music shows. Masilela also shared the associations proposed guidelines to avoid the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines stated that they would not be hosting more than 100 people, members who wish to attend shows shall maintain social distancing, all people shall have their temperatures checked and if ones temperature was above 38 degrees Celsius they would be advised to seek medical attention as well as that shows would not exceed two hours. Advantage The president went on to advise the members to put on their creative caps and take advantage of the eased platforms including churches and hotels. We have seen some of the local houses hosting shows successfully and I would like to the members to take advantage of the situation and explore it, she said. Boris Johnson has sought to head off a growing parliamentary rebellion by telling MPs they will have an extra lock on plans to tear up part of the Brexit treaty and potentially breach international law. Former chancellor Sajid Javid became the latest senior Tory to warn he would not support the prime ministers controversial UK Internal Market Bill in its current form. Following Mr Javids warning, MPs voted to give the UK Internal Market Bill a second reading by 340 to 263 a government majority of 77. Two Tory MPs Sir Roger Gale and Andrew Percy voted against the Bill, while 30 did not cast a vote although some may have been "paired" with opposition MPs. Ed Milliband, business spokesman for the Labour Party, accused Johnson of "trashing the reputation of this country and trashing the reputation of his office". Mr Javids bombshell came as Mr Johnson stood up in the House of Commons to plead with MPs to vote for the Bill, which he describes as a safety net to prevent the EU blocking food exports from the British mainland to Northern Ireland. In a bid to quell a damaging revolt he told MPs if the powers at the centre of the controversy "were ever needed, ministers would return to this House with a statutory instrument on which a vote would be held". Government sources played down the idea Mr Johnson had offered a concession, and said the extra vote had always been in the Bill. A number of rebels also suggested it was not enough to secure their support. The legislation has come under fire from all five living former prime ministers, including Mr Johnsons immediate predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron, as well as Brexit-backing Tory grandees like former leader Michael Howard and ex-chancellor Norman Lamont. Mr Javid who resigned from Mr Johnsons cabinet after senior adviser Dominic Cummings tried to seize control of his advisers said: It is not clear to me why it is necessary for the UK to break international law. I am regretfully unable to support the UK Internal Market Bill unamended. On the day strict new rule of six Covid restrictions came into force, Labour also said Mr Johnsons plans meant there was one rule for the British public and one rule for the government. Earlier, Mr Johnsons government suffered a blow as a Tory MP Rehman Chishti resigned as the prime minister's special envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief in opposition to the clauses in the Bill. Mr Javid said: "While I fully backed every measure necessary to get the withdrawal agreement negotiated and passed by parliament, I cannot support the UK pre-emptively reneging on that agreement. I will therefore regretfully be unable to support the bill at its second reading and urge the government to amend it in the coming days. Meanwhile Damian Collins, former chair of the Commons Culture committee became the latest Tory MP to announce his backing for a rebel amendment, designed to give MPs a say over when the powers can be used. Ex-minister Gary Streeter said: I will not be supporting the government over the Internal Market Bill. Geoffrey Cox, who was Mr Johnson's attorney general when the Withdrawal Agreement was signed, also criticised the plans. He told Times Radio the breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation and it is also a question of honour to me we signed up, we knew what we were signing." Last week Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, admitted the Internal Market Bill does break international law in a limited and specific way. At the weekend Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, said he would resign if the law was broken in a way he found unacceptable, while Tobias Ellwood, the Tory MP and chair of the Commons Defence committee compared No 10s strategy to Nixonian madman theory. An amendment, designed to give MPs a say over when the powers can be used, and seen as one of the crunch votes on the Bill, will come before MPs next week. Its architect Sir Bob Neill said Mr Johnsons comments were not enough and he was still opposed to needless and potentially damaging elements of the Bill. Mr Johnson attempted to face down his critics in the Commons, telling MPs the controversial UK Internal Market Bill should be welcomed by everyone who cares about the sovereignty and integrity of our United Kingdom. Mr Johnson said he understood those who felt unease over the measures, which he had no desire to use. They were an insurance policy which would never be invoked if there is a deal with the EU, he said. But former culture secretary Jeremy Wright was among the Tory MPs who appeared to signal their misgivings, questioning the prime minister on whether the Bill would contravene the ministerial code. A series of Tory backbenchers announced in the Commons they could not back the Bill. Imran Ahmad Khan, the MP for Wakefield, said he could not vote for legislation which would break international law. Other MPs appeared to express more general dissatisfaction with their government. Tory MP Charles Walker told the Commons: I'm not going to be voting for this bill. Because if you keep whacking a dog don't be surprised when it bites you back." There has been a decline in foreign direct inflow from China in the last three years, with FDI coming down to USD 163.77 million in 2019-20, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com. Giving details of the total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow from Chinese companies in India, he said, it was USD 350.22 million in 2017-18, while it declined to USD 229 million in the following year. During 2019-20, FDI further came down to USD 163.77 million, he said in a written reply on the first day of the monsoon session. With regard to outflow from India, he said, it was USD 20.63 million in calendar year 2020 as against USD 27.57 million in the corresponding period last year. To curb opportunistic takeovers or acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the government issued Press Note 3 earlier this year, he said. "A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited. However, an entity of a country which shares land border with India or where the beneficial owner of an investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the government route," he said quoting the Press Note 3. Further, he said, "A citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment." Replying to another question, Thakur said the department of expenditure has released the central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the states including Maharashtra in the first week of April 2020 in the view of the pandemic. Further, to provide additional resources to states to fight against Covid-19 and considering the request of the states for relaxation of the existing Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) limit of 3 per cent of gross state domestic product (GSDP), additional borrowing limit of up to 2 percent of GSDP has been allowed to states for the year 2020-21, he said. Out of the additional borrowing limit of 2 per cent of GSDP allowed to states, consent of 0.50 per cent of GSDP amounting to Rs 1,06,830 crore has already been issued to the states including the consent of Rs 15,394 crore to the state of Maharashtra to raise open market borrowing (OMB) during the year 2020-21, he added. US moves tanks in Lithuania closer to Belarus border as Russia plans joint drills Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 10:36 AM The United States has ordered its military forces and equipment in Lithuania to move closer to the Belarusian border as Minsk and Moscow gear up for a joint defense drill. In a televised interview Sunday on STV channel, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin warned that an American armor battalion had redeployed its tanks to a location in Lithuania close to the Belarusian border. "Fulfilling the head of state's assignment to follow the situation in the areas adjacent to Belarus and the movement of troops, we can see that NATO is moving forces in the neighboring states as part of Operations Enhanced Forward Presence and Atlantic Resolve," he said. "In particular, the redeployment of the 2nd Battalion of 69th Armor Regiment of the United States to the Pabrade firing range [in Lithuania], 15 kilometers from our state border, is underway," he added. "We cannot help but be alarmed that about 500 people, 29 tanks and 43 Bradley fighting vehicles would be engaged in the vicinity of our border," Khrenin said. Late last month, the US Air Force flew six B-52 bombers in close formation over all 30 NATO countries, a move military experts said served as a warning to Russia and Belarus. "We cannot help but be concerned about the flights of B-52 bombers along our state border," Khrenin said. Belarus has witnessed turmoil since the presidential election on August 9. The opposition disputed the results of the election, which President Alexander Lukashenko officially won by a landslide. Western countries quickly alleged voter fraud, and mass protests followed. Last month, Lukashenko dismissed calls for a new election and warned that foreign powers aimed to destabilize the country. He instructed the military to closely monitor NATO activity in neighboring Poland and Lithuania, putting the troops on the western border on high alert. Lukashenko held a meeting with heads of the defense and law enforcement bodies on Saturday, focusing on the situation on the western border as well as sociopolitical developments in the country. Lukashenko asked the defense minister and the chief of the General Staff to put forward their proposals for the Belarusian army's actions in the near future. In an interview with Russian media aired on Wednesday, Lukashenko said that Russia would "join us to repel an aggression from the west" under the Collective Security Treaty and the Union State treaty. "It is our zone of responsibility," he said, adding that Belarus was also bound by treaty to defend Russia. "Should someone try to carry out an act of aggression against Russia through Belarus or near Belarus, our 60,000-65,000-strong army will go to war," Lukashenko said. Russia has long been alarmed by NATO's expansion on its so-called eastern flank. Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday it would send troops from its Pskov division of paratroopers to Belarus for joint military drills starting on Monday, the RIA news agency reported. The "Slavic brotherhood" joint military drills are due to run from September 14-25, the defense ministry said, adding that the Russian paratroopers would return to Russia once they were over. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No fewer than 18 Nigerian professors from different areas of specialisations and institutions have indicated interest to succeed the incumbent Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Idowu Olayinka. PREMIUM TIMES gathered on Monday that Mr Olayinkas tenure will come to an end on November 30. His successor is expected to assume office on December 1 and serve for the next five years. It was, however, gathered that 18 academics from various fields and institutions have expressed interest to be the vice-chancellor of the 72-year-old university. The University of Ibadan, which is the oldest university in Nigeria, was established in 1948. Director of Public Communication, University of Ibadan, Tunji Oladejo, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, confirmed that 18 academics have expressed interest to succeed the incumbent. He said 18 amply qualified professors of international repute make up the list of applicants for the post of the VC this year. He said 11 of the 18 applicants are from the university, three are from the University of Ilorin, one from Obafemi Awolowo University, one from University of Port Harcourt, one from Federal University of Technology, Akure while one is from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso. The 11 candidates who are currently lecturers at the University of Ibadan are; Kayode Adebowale (Department of Chemistry) Adeyinka Aderinto (Department of Sociology), Olusegun Ademowo (College of Medicine), Olatunde Farombi (Department of Biochemistry), Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa (Department of Surgery) and Temitope Alonge (Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma). Others are Ta-hatu Hamzat (Department of Physiotherapy), Dele Layiwola (Institute of African Studies) Clement Kolawole (Dept of Arts and Social Science Edu), Babatunde Salako (Dept of Medicine) and Aderemi Raji-Oyelade (Dept of English). The three candidates who are currently lecturers at University of Ilorin are Babatunde Adeleke (Department of Statistics), Raheem Lawal (Department of Arts Education) and Hassan Saliu (Department of Political Science). The rest are; Femi Mimiko (Department of International relations, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), Hakeem Fawehinmi (Department of Anatomy, University of Port Harcourt), Razaq Kalilu (Department of Fine and Applied Arts, LAUTECH) and Kayode Onifade (Department of Microbiology, (FUTA). A substantial chunk of ice has broken away from the Arctic's largest remaining ice shelf as a result of warmer temperatures, scientists have confirmed. The section, which broke away and fractured into smaller pieces in Greenland, was around 110 square km, satellite imagery shows. Researchers said the breaking up of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, otherwise know as 79N, was further evidence of rapid climate change occurring in the region. Speaking to the BBC, Dr Jenny Turton, a polar researcher at Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany, said temperatures there have increased by 3C in as many decades. Icebergs floating in Greenland / AFP via Getty Images "The atmosphere in this region has warmed by about 3C since 1980," she said. "And in 2019 and 2020, it saw record summer temperatures." The shelf has now disintegrated at a section known as the Spalte Glacier. It was already fractured by summer temperatures last year, but this year weather added to the problem. Scientists studying oceans have also seen higher water temperatures in the region leading to experts theorising that the mound of ice is being melted from above and below. Prof Jason Box from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) told the publication: "79N became 'the largest remaining Arctic ice shelf' only fairly recently, after the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland lost a lot of area in 2010 and 2012. "What makes 79N so important is the way it's attached to the interior ice sheet, and that means that one day - if the climate warms as we expect - this region will probably become one of the major centres of action for the deglaciation of Greenland." He explained the middle section of the shelf was likely to come apart in another "10 or 20 years". Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden was not the first mound to break apart this summer, and in July 80sq km of ice came away from the Milne Ice Shelf in Canada. Scientists said in 2019 530 billion tonnes of ice sheet melted - enough to raise global sea levels by around 1.5mm. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Researchers at the Babraham Institute have used their understanding of cellular signaling to highlight a pitfall in an emerging treatment for cancer and inflammation. A new review just published in Biochemical Society Transactions summarizes the researchers' current knowledge, which includes details of their research published in Nature Communications earlier this year. Developing awareness around these findings will prevent wasted effort and resource being spent on further drug discovery research relating to this drug target by commercial pharmaceutical companies. The research study focused on an emerging drug target in cancer and inflammation, and the use of small-molecule inhibitors to develop a new precision medicineone that is matched to patients based on a genetic understanding of their disease. In this case, the compounds being investigated targeted a protein involved in cell signaling called ERK5. ERK5 is known to play an important role in some diseases, most notably in inflammation and cancer, and is thought to promote cell proliferation. Inhibiting this protein is an attractive strategy to develop novel anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer therapeutics and various large pharma have commercial research programs to explore this for therapeutic purposes (for example, Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca). While conducting research using some potential ERK5 inhibitors, the research team of Drs Pamela Lochhead and Simon Cook at the Babraham Institute along with collaborators at Newcastle University, University of York in the UK, and Harvard Medical School in the U.S., noticed an unusual effect; the inhibitors acted in the opposite way what to was expected and activated ERK5 instead of blocking it. The team applied their knowledge of the ERK5 signaling pathway to dissect the molecular basis of this. As summarized in their latest review, the team found that the unintended activation of ERK5 was due to the binding location of the inhibitors. ERK5 inhibitors that bound to the kinase domain of the protein led to the protein being shuttled to the cell nucleus and activated. Blocking ERK5 has therapeutic potential, but activating it could have undesirable consequences in terms of stimulated unwanted cell growth. Similar observations have been seen before with a precision medicine developed to treat melanoma (a form of skin cancer) where it unintentionally caused another type of skin cancer, cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma. These research findings and improved understanding will prevent this situation being repeated. Dr. Pamela Lochhead, a senior postdoctoral researcher in the Cook lab and first author on the research paper and the review, said "It was surprising that the inhibitors we tested caused activation of ERK5, but we knew that by working out how this happened, we would be able to inform drug discovery efforts in developing new, safer medicines". Explore further Blocking known cancer driver unexpectedly reveals a new tumor-promoting pathway More information: Pamela A. Lochhead et al. Paradoxical activation of the protein kinase-transcription factor ERK5 by ERK5 kinase inhibitors, Nature Communications (2020). Pamela A. Lochhead et al. Paradoxical activation of the protein kinase-transcription factor ERK5 by ERK5 kinase inhibitors,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15031-3 Simon J. Cook et al. Small molecule ERK5 kinase inhibitors paradoxically activate ERK5 signalling: be careful what you wish for, Biochemical Society Transactions (2020). DOI: 10.1042/BST20190338 Journal information: Nature Communications While Halle Berry couldn't make it to the Toronto International Film Festival for their drive-in premiere of her directorial debut Bruised, she did put in an appearance via facetime. The 54-year-old actress stars in and directs Bruised, which was picked up in a massive $20 million deal by Netflix on Friday, a day before the Saturday premiere. With the help of her co-star Shameir Anderson, Berry facetimed into the premiere, and later shared video from the premiere, held at Toronto's CityView Drive-In. Facetime premiere: While Halle Berry couldn't make it to the Toronto International Film Festival for their drive-in premiere of her directorial debut Bruised, she did put in an appearance via facetime Berry also shared video from Instagram user Alicia Vivianga, where Shameir Anderson was on stage trying to connect with Berry through facetime. 'This is a TIFF moment, a TIFF first,' Anderson proclaimed, before Berry was connected, as viewers in their cars started honking their horns for Berry. Anderson then told her that it was a 'sold out show' for the premiere of her directorial debut and asked his co-star and director how she feels. Sold out: Anderson then told her that it was a 'sold out show' for the premiere of her directorial debut Video: Berry also shared video from Instagram user Alicia Vivianga, where Shameir Anderson was on stage trying to connect with Berry through facetime 'I feel amazing! I feel so amazing,' Berry said through facetime. 'I thank everyone so much for being here tonight. It's such a big moment for all of us.' She then thanked Anderson for being there, 'and representing the Bruised family' at the premiere screening. 'I hope you guys enjoy these amazing performers perform their hearts out for you, and I believe, at the end of the day, you're gonna see some of the best acting by these performers you're gonna see in a long time,' she added. Amazing: 'I feel amazing! I feel so amazing,' Berry said through facetime. 'I thank everyone so much for being here tonight. It's such a big moment for all of us' Representing: She then thanked Anderson for being there, 'and representing the Bruised family' at the premiere screening Premiere: 'I hope you guys enjoy these amazing performers perform their hearts out for you, and I believe, at the end of the day, you're gonna see some of the best acting by these performers you're gonna see in a long time,' she added She also shared fun videos from before the premiere, where Anderson took over the TIFF Instagram. Berry stars as Jackie Justice in Bruised, a disgraced MMA fighter who returns to the octagon while her six-year-old son, who she once abandoned, returns to her life. The film was picked up on Friday, a day before the drive-in premiere, by Netflix, acquired for a whopping $20 million. Shaeir: She also shared fun videos from before the premiere, where Anderson took over the TIFF Instagram Sold: The film was picked up on Friday, a day before the drive-in premiere, by Netflix, acquired for a whopping $20 million There is no indication yet when Netflix may premiere Bruised, which also stars Adan Canto, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nikolai Nikolaeff. Berry is next slated to appear in Moonfall from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich, which is in pre-production. The actress will star alongside Patrick Wilson, Josh Gad and Charlie Plummer, following a space crew which is on a collision course with Earth after being struck by an asteroid. Debut: There is no indication yet when Netflix may premiere Bruised, which also stars Adan Canto, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nikolai Nikolaeff A cafe owner in West Sussex has put up a sign saying customers wearing face masks would be banned from entering his premises. Michael Schneider, who runs the J Voke Vintage Tearoom in Chichester, said masks are a "Government muzzle" which offer no protection against the spread of coronavirus. The poster says: "Masks offer you NO PROTECTION against a VIRUS. Will a chain link fence protect you against a mosquito? Well, will it?" The sign - entitled Con-A-Virus Notice Government Muzzles! - also says that consenting to Government demands by wearing a mask will lead to "suppressing your immune system" and "reducing your oxygen intake". It adds: "Turn off your Television and engage your brain before you spend the rest of your lives living on your kneesOWNED BY THE STATE! "The reason youre being ordered to stand two metres apart and wear a muzzle is nothing to do with a virusits Applied Behavioural Psychology to CONTROL YOU." A notice on the floor says: "Stand here until you realise your government is brainwashing you! (You may be here sometime)." Mr Schneider told the Metro that he believed human rights were being taken away but he would not stop anyone from wearing a mask in his cafe if they were doing it of their "own volition" and it made them feel safe. He said his footfall had trebled since putting up the poster and added: "More people die in road traffic accidents than they do with Covid-19. "What is the justification to bring the whole economy to its knees?" A Sussex Police spokesman said that a community support officer had spoken to the proprietor of the cafe, who confirmed he would not turn away people wearing masks. The spokesman said: "In conversation he said that he wasnt actually going to refuse entry to anybody wearing a face mask he told the PCSO that it was just his belief that they shouldnt be wearing them because he believed that Covid-19 was a fraud and didnt exist. Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures 1 /30 Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People have been warned against having a "party weekend" PA A former chief scientific adviser said the UK is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus PA People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA A group of friends enjoy the Autumn sunshine at a bar in Brighton PA Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton AFP via Getty Images General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People gather in the Soho area REUTERS People dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton i AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People gather in the food market in Camden AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People attend a busking show in Leicester AP "He was neither asked nor directed to remove the poster and we are not aware of any complaints from the public." A Chichester District Council spokeswoman said: "As a council, we have received some complaints about the face covering signage at J Voke Vintage Tearoom. Loading.... "We have passed these on to Sussex Police, as the agency responsible for face covering guidance, so that they can investigate this." Among the issues discussed was a joint response to emerging challenges. Talks between President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi lasted for over four hours. This was reported by the Belarus news agency BelTA. Read alsoLukashenko loses legitimacy in democratic society Polish FM "The heads of state discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral relations, the situation in the region, a joint response to emerging challenges," it reported. In their statements at the beginning of the talks, the two leaders reaffirmed the strategic allied nature of relations between Belarus and Russia, their focus on enhancing trade and economic cooperation, adherence to previous agreements, including cooperation in the defense sphere. They also talked about the post-election period in Belarus and the situation both inside the country and abroad in that context. Meeting in Sochi On September 14, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko flew to Sochi, where he was scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. These were tete-a-tete talks, their agenda included "issues of joint response to emerging challenges." Amity amid protests in Belarus Primrose Retirement Communities has as earned a 2020 Employee Approved award from NRC Health, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based healthcare-intelligence firm. The award recognizes senior-care organizations across the country for engaging and inspiring their employees. "It's quite an honor to have Primrose be chosen by its employees for the culture that we have here. We are very appreciative of everything our staff does and for them helping us win this award," said Jim Thares, founder and CEO. Only 20 assisted living or skilled nursing organizations earned this distinction and Primrose placed 13th in the nation for outstanding culture. Winners were selected according to the results from NRC Health's 2019 Employee Experience Survey. To qualify, organizations must have a high percentage of respondents willing to recommend their locations as places to work. This measure is known as the Net Promoter Score, and it strongly correlates with employee engagement, organizational loyalty and job satisfaction. "We are proud to honor those senior living organizations who continue to provide outstanding work experiences for their employees," said Helen Hrdy, chief growth officer of NRC Health. "We commend these organizations for supporting a work environment dedicated to the success of their staff." "We have over 1,700 employees across the company, and I think this award is a testament to the culture at every single one of our communities," said BJ Schaefbauer, president. "We know that our employees are our most important resource, and we thank them for this award. The passion that our teams have to serve, especially those on the front lines, is our most important resource." Primrose Retirement Community of Midland is located at 5600 Waldo Ave. The community consists of 28 townhome villas, 50 assisted living apartment homes, and 24 memory care apartment homes. Primrose Retirement Communities headquartered in Aberdeen, South Dakota, provides high quality independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities across the country that specialize in personalized services and resident-focused care. Founded in 1989, the mission of Primrose Retirement Communities is to create a happy and healthy living environment for seniors. From the opening of the first Primrose community in Aberdeen in 1991, Primrose has grown to include over 40 locations in 19 states. -- Processed by Ashley Schafer, Ashley.Schafer@hearstnp.com Over 1,000 centrifuges doing enrichment work at Fordow facility: Iran nuclear chief Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 2:49 PM Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says 1,044 centrifuges are currently operating at Fordow uranium enrichment site as an evidence to the fact that the country has taken in full the fourth step it had promised to reduce its commitments under a landmark nuclear deal with the world powers. US President Donald Trump, a hawkish critic of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May 2018, and unleashed the "toughest ever" sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism. In response to the US' unilateral move and Europe's failure to help Iran take advantage of economic benefits of the deal, Tehran rowed back on its nuclear commitments five times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA. The Islamic Republic, however, stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe would find practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions. As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA, while in the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA limit of 3.76 percent. In the third phase, after the European signatories to the JCPOA failed to meet a 60-day deadline to meet Iran's demands and fulfill their commitments under the deal, Tehran started up advanced centrifuges to boost the country's stockpile of enriched uranium and activated 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 centrifuges for research and development purposes. In November 2019, Iran also began injecting gas into centrifuges at Fordow as part of its fourth step away from the JCPOA under the supervision of the IAEA. The Iranian government in January issued a statement announcing its decision to take the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments under the JCPOA. The Iranian government announced that from now on, the country will observe no operational limitations on its nuclear industry, including with regard to the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the amount of enriched materials as well as research and development. "The fourth step to reduce JCPOA commitments by Iran has been taken in full as a result of which, 1,044 centrifuges are now doing the enrichment work at Fordow site," Iran's nuclear chief said on Sunday. He made the remarks in reaction to recent statements by a number of Iranian parliamentarians who claimed that the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has failed to complete the fourth step it had promised to take to reduce the country's commitments as per the JCPOA. "The policies related to the fourth step for the reduction of JCPOA commitments have been fully implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran and we have activated a new wing of Fordow [nuclear facility]," Salehi added. "Based on the policies adopted to reduce JCPOA commitments, 1,044 centrifuges are doing enrichment [work] at Fordow. Therefore, as the executor of these polices, we have totally fulfilled our duty," the Iranian nuclear chief pointed out. Under the nuclear deal, Iran had undertaken that these 1,044 centrifuge machines would not enrich uranium, but in line with the policies to reduce JCPOA commitments, the country is now enriching uranium to the amount it requires, and we will stockpile the enriched materials, Salehi noted. He emphasized that Iran has been faced with a political challenge posed by the global arrogance since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which gradually turned to a nuclear challenge, saying, "We finally succeeded in isolating the US in this challenge and this is a very valuable achievement for the Islamic Republic of Iran." Back in January, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the country is now enriching more uranium than it did before inking the JCPOA with world powers, as the remaining signatories of the landmark accord had failed to live up to their commitments. "Today, [uranium] enrichment is carried out more than that time [before the deal was reached] and we did not stand idly by. If they (the other deal parties) reduced their commitments, so did we," Rouhani added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LONDON Michael Kors has secured Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan as a brand ambassador. She is set to return to the big screen with the highly anticipated crime thriller Son of the Neon Night. With almost 50 million followers on Chinas microblogging site Weibo, Gao is no stranger to the brand or Kors himself. She helped cut the ribbon to open the first Michael Kors China flagship store in 2014, attended the brands spring-summer 2015 runway show, and wore the brand to the 2015 Met Gala. I found Michael to be very charming when meeting him in both Shanghai and New York, Gao told WWD. He has a unique and forward-looking design concept. Its my honor to work closely with Michaels team. Had everything gone to plan this year, I was looking forward to going to New York to attend his show and catching up. Until then, Ill be keeping an eye on his upcoming collection, virtually, she added. Kors thinks Gao is a talented and graceful beauty who always looks chic. Im always inspired by women who can do it all, and make it look easy. Weve worked with her in the past, and were excited to officially announce her as our brand ambassador and welcome her into the Michael Kors family, he said. Her appointment is also a strategic move for Michael Kors parent company Capri Holdings to present newness and further capitalize on a robust luxury spending rebound in China. Michael Kors two current regional ambassadors, Leo Wu and Lareina Song, resonate more with the younger demographic, while Gao wields more influence over Tai-tais, wealthy Chinese housewives, as she has frequently appeared in popular TV series and movies since the late Nineties. John Idol, chairman, and chief executive officer at Capri Holdings, told a recent earnings call that in China, we are experiencing more rapid recovery as luxury sales are benefiting from domestic demand. We need fresh new merchandise, customers really responding, more than ever, to newness. Story continues In her first appearance as the brand ambassador, Gao stars in the fall 2020 Michael Michael Kors campaign carrying the new Soho and Hendrix bags. Michael Kors handbags are always elegant, sophisticated and fashionable. No matter if you are wearing something tailored, a lace skirt, or workout wear. Or, whether youre working, shuttling through the airport, or attending an important dinner the handbag always brings it together and helps you stand out, Gao added. During the lockdown, Gao had the luxury of binging on TV. I loved the Japanese drama Grand Maison Tokyo and the Danish film The Hunt (Jagten). The genres differ so much but both were thought-provoking, she said. And Gao is thrilled about her comeback to the big screen with director Juno Maks Sons of the Neon Night. The film gathers a number of major film stars in the region, such as Leung Ka-fai, Koo Tin-lok, Lau Ching-wan, and Takeshi Kaneshiro, and she plays a retired therapist, the female lead, in the film. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The German government has said specialist laboratories in France and Sweden have confirmed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. A German military laboratory previously confirmed the substance was present in his samples. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has also received samples and is taking steps to have those tested at its reference laboratories. Expand Close Mr Navalny is Vladimir Putins most visible opponent (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Navalny is Vladimir Putins most visible opponent (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/AP) Independently of the ongoing examinations by the OPCW, three laboratories have now confirmed independently of one another the proof of a nerve agent of the Novichok group as the cause of Mr Navalnys poisoning, Mr Seibert said in a statement. He said Germany has asked France and Sweden for an independent review of its findings using new samples from Mr Navalny. Mr Navalny, the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on August 20 on a domestic flight in Russia. Berlin has demanded Russia investigate the case. Mr Seibert renewed Germanys demand on Monday that Russia explain itself on the matter. He added we are in close consultation with our European partners on further steps. Expand Close Military personnel at the site near the Maltings in Salisbury where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on a park bench after a nerve agent attack (Ben Birchall/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Military personnel at the site near the Maltings in Salisbury where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on a park bench after a nerve agent attack (Ben Birchall/PA) The Kremlin has bristled at calls from Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders for Russia to answer questions in the case, denying any official involvement and accusing the West of trying to smear Moscow. Russian authorities have prodded Germany to share the evidence that led it to conclude without doubt that Mr Navalny was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group. It is the same class of Soviet-era agent that British authorities said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels. Mr Seibert would not identify the specialist French and Swedish labs at a regular government news conference. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Mr Navalny during a phone call with Mr Putin on Monday, his office said. Mr Macron confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, according to the statement. A clarification is needed from Russia within the framework of a credible and transparent investigation, it added. Asked why no samples have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied: Mr Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. There are samples from Mr Navalny on the Russian side. She added Russia has all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Mr Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. It is not clear when Berlins Charite hospital will next issue an update on his condition. Kangana Ranaut Says Her Last Few Days In Mumbai Proved Her PoK Analogy Was Bang On The actress tweeted, "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my work place, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on." On Sunday, Kangana Visited Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari To Discuss About The Unjust Treatment Given To Her During Her Mumbai Stay "A short while ago I met His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ji. I explained my point of view to him and also requested that justice be given to me it will restore faith of common citizen and particularly daughters in the system," the actress had posted along with a bunch of pictures from the visit. Further, while speaking with ANI, Kangana said that the Governor listened to her like a daughter. Kangana Ranaut's Verbal Spat With Sanjay Raut For the unversed, Kangana's spat with the State government began when she blasted the Mumbai police over the handling of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, and claimed that she fears for her safety in the city. The actress even compared Mumbai to Pok in one of her tweets. Kangana's comments irked many political leaders in Maharashtra including Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. What followed next was a war of words between Kangana and Sanjay. Kangana Ranaut's Mumbai Office Was Razed Down By BMC Further, things took an ugly turn when the BMC partially demolished her Pali Hill office in Bandra due to 'illegal alterations', in her absence. An angry Kangana lashed out at the civic body in a series of tweets. Within few hours, the demolition drive was stalled by the Bombay High Court who described BMC's act as 'malafide' and slammed the civic body for its hasty decision. Six more persons were arrested from Mumbai on Sunday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) probing the drug angle in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, taking the total count of people held so far to 16, an official said. The six accused have been identified as Karamjeet Singh Anand, Dwayne Fernandes, Sanket Patel, Ankush Anreja, Sandeep Gupta and Aftab Fateh Ansari, he said, adding that they were picked up after their names emerged during investigation. They all were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. The official said Anand is a supplier of drugs who has had connections in film industry. Fernandes used to deal in curated marijuana and hashish, and is an associate of Showik Chakraborty, brother of actress Rhea Chakraborty who was arrested earlier by the federal anti-drugs agency in the case, he said. The NCB suspects Fernandes had supplied drugs which were arranged for the actor, the official said. Patel used to work under Anand and used to deliver narcotics to celebrities, the official said. On Guptas role, he said the former is a rickshaw driver, but he used to transport bulk quantities of weed" to retail dealers like Fernandes. Ansari is an associate of Gupta, he said. He said Anreja runs a kitchen in a posh locality in the city, but also used to sell contrabands like weed, Hash and MD to high-profile client. Anreja used to buy drugs from Patel and was also connected with the network operated by Anuj Keshwani, who was arrested in the case earlier, and Anand, the official added. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB is probing the drugs case in which Rhea Chakraborty, Showik, late Rajputs manager Samuel Miranda, domestic help Dipesh Sawant and others have been arrested. Donald Trump addresses the crowd at Minden-Tahoe airport in Nevada (AFP via Getty Images) Donald Trump has called for the death penalty against a suspect captured on surveillance footage shooting two sheriffs deputies in Los Angeles as the president campaigns in Nevada for a second day. The president also announced a measure he says will lower prescription drug costs, though details were not immediately clear. He has again publicly mused on the possibilty of serving more than two terms as president during a combative campaign rally in Minden, Nevada on Saturday night, the first of two rallies in the state as his campaign seeks to capture the crucial battleground state. The president suggested on Saturday that based on the way we were treated, were probably entitled to another four during an address in which he announced his intention to be vicious toward his election opponents, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Thousands of people, few wearing face masks, packed into Minden-Tahoe airport, near Reno, on Saturday. On Sunday, the president will hold his first indoor rally since his June event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, facing renewed scrutiny over his failure to warn Americans about the lethal dangers of the coronavirus pandemic and its airborne transmission, recently uncovered interviews with journalist Bob Woodward revealed. His West Coast tour will also visit California on Monday amid scenes of devastation caused by wildfires. During a Latinos For Trump roundtable event on Sunday, the president once again blamed forest management for the fires that have scorched the West Coast. Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley pushed back against the presidents statements and argued that the climate crisis, not whether forest floors are rake, has accelerated the emergency. The president has said it's all about raking the forest," Mr Merkley said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday. It's just a big and devastating lie. Meanwhile a message to supporters from the campaign for re-electing Trump, who has said he did not want to create panic by downplaying coronavirus concerns, spread a baseless and dangerous claim that antifa would attack your homes if his rival is elected. Story continues Follow live coverage as it happened Read more Trump says he has signed new executive order to lower drug prices Trump repeats California 'forest management' is to blame for wildfires despite it being dismissed as 'devastating lie' Networks boycott Trump event over his repeat breach of coronavirus guidelines 'Talk to a firefighter if climate change is real: LA mayor eviscerates Flat Earth Trump on environmental crisis ahead of visit News outlets demand apology after female reporter is seized in Compton police shooting arrests WASHINGTON Congress is poised to allow gaming on the lands of two Native American tribes in Texas after the U.S. House passed a bill pushed by Texas Republicans to take the matter out of the hands of state officials, who have tried for years to shut down bingo facilities on the reservations. But standing in the way of the bipartisan legislation is U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who has pushed back on the bill in the Senate, siding with Texas top elected officials who view the bill as the federal governments latest attempt to bigfoot state law that bans gaming. Cornyn, who is among the most powerful Republicans in the Senate, has urged the committee that would oversee the legislation not to hold hearings on it until the state and tribes can reach a resolution something that has been out of reach for more than a decade as the two sides have battled in court. The gambling bill is a rare instance of the longtime Republican senator clashing with members of the Texas delegation from his own party, including U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, who authored the legislation. Babin and 18 other members of the Texas delegation, 10 Republicans and eight Democrats, wrote to Cornyn last month urging him to support the bill. They wrote that the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta gaming facilities have an estimated $645 million annual impact on the economies of El Paso and Livingston, where they are based two areas that traditionally have high unemployment rates even before the pandemic. Its also a position that could cost Cornyn some support in East Texas as he faces what many expect to be his most difficult reelection fight yet. Its a reliably Republican area, but one where virtually every elected official has backed the Alabama-Coushatta tribes electronic bingo operation, which they say supports hundreds of jobs in Polk County. Many have sought to turn up the heat on Cornyn in recent weeks. This bill and the jobs it would save have been left to hang in the balance by our senior senator, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy, a Republican, wrote in an op-ed in The Freestone County Times over the weekend. His unwillingness to support and assist us on this issue is at odds with pro-business principles, and East Texas could suffer as a result. CASINOS IN HOUSTON? Texas lawmaker tried to legalize gambling for hurricane relief A spokesman for Cornyn said the senators position has not changed since he wrote to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee last October asking them not to take up the legislation. At the time, Cornyn wrote that Republicans Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton have concerns with the legislation. Gaming is illegal in Texas and current federal law prohibits gambling on certain tribal lands unless authorized by the state. This matter is currently the subject of litigation in federal court, Cornyn wrote at the time. In light of these legal and policy disagreements between the Texas state government and these tribes, I request any committee hearings concerning this legislation be postponed until these parties have reached a resolution or agreement. Cornyns roadblock in the Senate is the latest setback for the tribes in their years-long effort to establish their right to offer electronic bingo on their lands, something both tribes do, despite attempts by the state to shut down their facilities. Gaming is illegal in Texas and current federal law prohibits gambling on certain tribal lands unless authorized by the state. A 1988 federal law restored the two tribes federal recognition, but included language prohibiting gaming on their lands something in line with state law of the time. That prohibition, however, was not included in legislation recognizing another tribe in Texas, the Kickapoo, who freely operate a gaming facility in Eagle Pass. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Texas, meanwhile, allows some bingo facilities to operate, but the proceeds have to go to charity and local elections have to approve them. The new federal legislation would make clear that the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta can offer gaming on their lands under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, another federal law that regulates gaming on tribal lands. That law created the National Indian Gaming Commission, which has given the green light to both tribes already. But the state of Texas has consistently sought to shut them down. For decades the federal government said Native American tribes need to become self sufficient, said Cecilia Flores, chairwoman of the Alabama-Coushatta tribal council. We finally figured out how to do that This could help us on our own two feet to stay self sufficient. The tribe is the second largest employer in Polk County and the bingo hall it opened in 2016 its latest attempt to offer gaming after getting approval from the federal commission the year before supports some 700 jobs. The tribe relies on the money the facility generates to fund everything from its police and fire departments to Head Start and health programs. Its seen as a boon to the local economy, with an estimated impact of $170 million annually. A dozen local elected officials and business leaders signed a letter that ran as a paid advertisement in the Austin American-Statesman over the summer, specifically calling on Cornyn to support the legislation. Everybody gets it, from the most conservative county commissioners in East Texas. I have made presentations and they all get it, Flores said. They know that Texas families need these jobs. Flores has tried to make the pitch to Cornyn, as well. She said she attended a 2019 fundraiser in Tyler County where she asked the senator face to face if he would support the legislation. She said Cornyn said he would, but that Flores would have to work on the governor. Abbott has said the legislation violates principles of federalism by allowing the expansion of gaming in Texas without state oversight and in violation of the Texas Constitution. I oppose this legislation, as well as any federal legislation that expands gaming in Texas, Abbott wrote in a letter last year to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. I strongly encourage Congress to reject this attempt to restrict Texas power to regulate activities within its borders. In the letter, Abbott pointed out that the courts have so far sided with the state, ruling in Texas favor in 2002, 2003, 2018 and again last year, when the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for the state. The issue could go to the Supreme Court, though Texas has argued the court shouldnt take it up. Paxton wrote in a brief that there is no need for the courts involvement because Congress may soon act on the matter. Indeed, legislation is currently pending that would allow the Alabama-Coushatta and Pueblo to take advantage of IGRAs permissive gaming regime, Paxton wrote. The House passed that bill in July with bipartisan support, and it is now awaiting Senate action. Flores said that sums up the situation: Its always putting it off on someone else. ben.wermund@chron.com WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a live-streamed conference on September 13 that countries must join the World Health Organization's (WHO) COVAX vaccine program latest by September 18, adding, that the new deadline would help ensure that immunizations are "fairly and efficiently distributed". Thus far, over 92 lower-income nations have sought assistance via the COVAX facility, WHO director-General said. Further, he urged the rich nations who haven't joined yet to confirm intentions if they wanted to be a part of the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Councils initiative, latest by the end of the week. But we must not wait for the vaccine, we must work with the tools we have, he insisted. WHOs ACT-Accelerator is an up-and-running, global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was launched on 24 April 2020 by WHO with the European Commission, France, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and supported by the UN Secretary-General and multiple Heads of Government. Under this facility, WHO started the COVAX plan which is aimed at providing equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine to countries without discrimination. Typically, according to WHO, COVAX is a mechanism to enable globally coordinated efforts in interests of all countries, including those that invested in the vaccines. "Initially, when there will be limited supply (of COVID-19 vaccines), it's important to provide the vaccine to those at highest risk around the globe," the WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had explained at a media briefing at the launch, as he had urged member states to join the vaccine arm of the Act-Accelerator. Read: Apple Face Mask Comes With Three-layer Protection; Who All Can Use It? Read: Taiwan Plans To Join WHO's COVAX Vaccine Programme, Discussing With Lawyers The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, and H.E. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway. Further, in the conference, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed the nations for a quantum leap in funding for the ACT-Accelerator to get the world moving, working and prospering again. WHO emphasized that the ACT-Accelerator facility would increase the chance of success for all countries by giving access to a greater number of tools more quickly. If people in low- and middle-income countries miss out on vaccines, the virus will continue to kill and the economic recovery globally will be delayed, Tedros said at the inaugural meeting of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Facilitation Council, in the presence of Dr Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. EU "will unite the world" against coronavirus Meanwhile, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said, Todays launch of the Facilitation Council brings us closer to our global goal: access to coronavirus vaccines, tests, and treatments for everyone who needs them, anywhere. He added, EU will use all its convening power to help keep the world united against coronavirus with the chairmanship of Norway and South Africa and expertise of the WHO and international partners. He said that via the COVAX plan, the council aims that no country or region will be left behind in the fight against the coronavirus. Read: WHO Chief Tedros Hopes To See World Free From COVID-19 Completely In 2 Years Read: WHO Chief Scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan Says Trial Suspension Is A 'wake Up Call' Greece to Buy Warplanes, Battleships to Boost Defenses against Turkey By Anthee Carassava September 13, 2020 With tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey rising, Greece has announced plans to purchase a grab bag of new warplanes, frigates, helicopters and weapons systems. Greece's defense shopping spree comes amid a new diplomatic scramble with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visiting Cyprus to ease an energy standoff in the eastern Mediterranean. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the defense upgrade, saying it stemmed from the need to offset what he called Turkey's destabilizing moves in the region. Along with its longstanding air and sea claims in the Aegean, Ankara is now torpedoing peace in the eastern Mediterranean, Mitsotakis said. Turkey is threatening southeast Europe and is undermining security at a crucial crossroads between East and West, he said. Greece and Turkey are locked in an increasingly tense and dangerous standoff in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean over hydrocarbon drilling rights and delineation of their maritime boundaries. In a speech at a trade fair, Mitsotakis said Greece would obtain 18 new warplanes from France to replace its aging fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters. The shopping list will also include four new navy helicopters and an equal number of frigates. Existing battleships will also be refurbished. Details of the deals were not announced but it is not the first instance this year in which Greece has shown an interest in substantially upgrading its defenses. Greece and the U.S. are already in talks for the procurement of at least 24 fifth-generation F-35 warplanes for $3 billion. Having finalized its intent, the new acquisitions, experts say, would give Athens a significant qualitative edge in its air defense against Turkey, which is facing problems in procuring new aircraft and upgrading its existing fleet. The United States suspended Turkey from the F-35 Fighter program after it moved to acquire advanced Russian S-400 air defense missile systems last year. Mitsotakis' announcement comes amid a new diplomatic effort in the region by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to convince Greece and Turkey to back off from their monthlong standoff in the eastern Mediterranean. After talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and other officials, Pompeo said the United States remains deeply concerned by Turkey's continuing operations surveying for natural resources in areas over which Greece and Cyprus both assert jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean. Pompeo added that, "Countries in the region need to resolve disagreements including on security and energy, resource and maritime issues diplomatically and peacefully. Increased military tensions help no one but adversaries who would like to see division in transatlantic unity." Pompeo's visit to Cyprus comes hot on the heels of a similar visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Greece has refused to engage in negotiations with Turkey until it stops searching for eastern Mediterranean gas reserves. However, Sunday, just hours after Pompeo shuttled to Cyprus for high-level talks, hopes of a breakthrough seemed to emerge. Turkey called its top research vessel back to base, leaving an opening for a potential start to crucial negotiations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DUBAI (Reuters) - Oman welcomes Bahrain's decision to normalise relations with Israel and hopes it will contribute to Israeli-Palestinian peace, Oman state media said on Sunday. Bahrain on Friday became the second Gulf country to normalise ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates said they would do so a month ago, moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran. "[Oman] hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital," the government statement said. Israel's intelligence minister said a few days after the UAE-Israel accord was announced on Aug. 13 that Oman could also formalise ties with the country. Oman has welcomed the UAE and Bahraini decisions, but has not commented on its own prospects for normalised relations. In 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman and discussed peace initiatives in the Middle East with then-Omani leader Sultan Qaboos. In a turbulent region, Oman has maintained its neutrality. It has kept friendly relations with a range of regional actors, including arch-foes the United States and Iran. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Catherine Evans and Alexandra Hudson) By Huw Jones and Carolyn Cohn LONDON (Reuters) - Luxembourg's financial regulator said on Monday that European Union regulators should avoid trying to fix problems that don't exist in operating cross-border investment funds. The EU's securities watchdog ESMA last month suggested a tightening of rules that allow portfolios of funds domiciled in Luxembourg, Dublin and elsewhere in the bloc to be managed from non-EU centres such as London after Brexit. "We have to be watching very carefully," said Claude Marx, director general of Luxembourg's financial regulator CSSF. "I have sometimes the impression that we may be looking to fix something that has never been an issue." Many of the funds domiciled in Luxembourg and Ireland are run by managers in London. Britain left the EU in January and, after transition arrangements end in December, will rely on so-called "delegation" for cross-border asset management to continue. ESMA has said that temporary Brexit safeguards to stop asset managers running "shell" fund companies in the EU should be hard-wired into the bloc's laws. The EU watchdog, on whose board Marx sits, said there was merit in having "clearer legal drafting" on the minimum number of staff that fund companies must have inside the EU. Corinne Lamesch, chair of the Luxembourg funds industry body Alfi, said Marx's comments were "music to the ears" of asset managers. "We have an ecosystem which works very well. Like building a car, you take pieces from different countries. We are doing the same," Lamesch said. (Reporting by Huw Jones and Carolyn Cohn; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Maine health officials revealed that five deaths and 161 COVID-19 cases are now linked to an outbreak that happened last month at a local wedding. The unsettling uptick came after the outbreak was reported in three separate towns, and an epidemiological investigation was launched at the church of the wedding's officiating pastor. The outbreak began on August 7 when people attended the indoor wedding and reception in the small town of Millinocket, according to Mine Center for Disease Control spokesman Robert Long. The official ceremony took place at Tri-Town Baptist Church and around 65 people attended the reception at Big Moose Inn. The state's limit on social gatherings is 50 people. The venue owner has since admitted that they misunderstood local capacity rules and overbooked the event, but by then the outbreak had already begun. Outbreaks linked to a wedding held at Big Moose Inn last month in Millinocket, Maine, have resulted in five deaths and 161 confirmed COVID-19 cases The MCDC on Sunday reported that the number of deaths rose to five after three were initially reported by September 1. Of those five deaths, Bangor Daily reported that four of them happened at Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in the small town of Madison. At least 28 people at the facility - 13 residents and 15 employees - have been infected with the virus after a staff member contracted it. The staffer had contracted it from a parent, who was infected by a child who attended the wedding. Health officials over the weekend announced the death of two Somerset County women in their 80s due to COVID-19 complications. A Maine CDC representative declined to confirm if those women were residents of the facility. Four of the five COVID-19 deaths linked to the August wedding happened at Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison, Maine (pictured) Officials said Theresa Detremont (pictured) did not attend the Millinocket wedding before she was infected One of the five victims included Theresa Dentremont, an 83-year-old woman who died at Millinocket Regional Hospital on August 21 after contracting the virus. Detremont did not attend the wedding, but hospital staff believed she may have been infected by someone who did. She had been self-isolating at home with her husband for much of the pandemic given they fell into the high-risk COVID-19 category. Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center was one of two confirmed sites tied to the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Nearly 130 miles south, the York County Jail in Alfred reported an virus outbreak in August. At the moment, 48 inmates, 18 jail staffers and 17 household members of those staffers have been infected. No deaths have been linked to this outbreak. Health officials said 48 inmates at York County Jail, 18 staffers and 17 household members of those staffers were infected by the outbreak (pictured) Pictured: a map shows the locations of the outbreaks in Maine Maine health officials confirmed that there are now 161 cases connected to the outbreak - a boost from 147 two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Pastor Todd Bell, who runs his Calvary Baptist Church 225 miles away in Sanford, has continued to hold in-person services despite the mounting outbreak. The pastor's staunch defiance of pandemic precautions has led some local organizations to suspend collaboration with the church's outreach programs. Bell addressed the controversy in his sermon on Sunday, urging congregants to ignore critics and listen to him instead. Bell welcomed worshippers into Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford (pictured) on Sunday Pastor Todd Bell (pictured) has continued to hold in-person services at Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford, Maine, even after he officiated a wedding that was linked to cases and deaths Last Sunday's service was broadcast via livestream on the church's website without video, so it was unclear how many people attended or whether they adhered to the state's mask mandate, social distancing guidelines and 50-person limit on indoor gatherings. In the livestream, Bell was heard inviting attendees to greet the people around them, according to the Press Herald. During his sermon, Bell said that the church had continued to hold full-time classes through its affiliate youth academy. He described how God sent a 'perfect rainbow' as a sign of support for that decision at an orientation event for the school last week. The pastor also described how people outside the church had told him to 'go back to North Carolina' - where he lived prior to moving to Maine in the 90s - after he was tied to the wedding outbreak. 'People think I'm a weirdo,' he said. 'They really do, and I'm glad I'm among friends here today.' It's believed the church stopped streaming video of services after footage from previous services on August 26 and 30 showed congregants standing close together and singing without masks - sparking criticism in the community. Bell is seen giving a sermon during an in-person service on August 30, where worshippers ignored the state's mask mandate and social distancing guidelines Bell defended his insistence on holding in-person services in a radio address on Friday, revealing that he is seeking legal counsel from David Gibbs III, the founder, president and general counsel for the National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL). The NCLL bills itself as 'a legal ministry that protects the rights of churches and Christian organizations nationwide'. Bell did not specify what kind of work Gibbs would be doing for the church. Gibbs confirmed to the Press Herald that he is working with Calvary Baptist but did not say if he was formally representing the church or what legal issues he might address. On the NCLL website, Gibbs recommends that churches follow state and local regulations requiring that masks be worn during services. He also notes that courts are likely to uphold governors' orders regarding the pandemic. Bell is seeking legal counsel from David Gibbs III (pictured) of the National Center for Life and Liberty Churches around the country have repeatedly fought against COVID-19 restrictions - which in some cases have banned them from holding in-person services altogether - arguing that the rules violate religious liberty. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills' executive order limits indoor gatherings to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 100 people, and requires that people keep physical distance at such gatherings. Maine Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew warned that the state has the authority to crack down on any activities that threaten public health, including religious services. 'We have those enforcement tools and, if needed, will use them,' Lambrew said. Bell addressed the outbreak linked to the Millinocket wedding he officiated during a sermon last month, telling the congregation: 'It was a beautiful wedding. 'Six families from our church went there. We never expected to get COVID. Nobody expected to experience the things that happened because you went to a beautiful wedding like that.' He said he had been on the receiving end of negative social media comments for officiating the wedding before quoting a Bible verse that reads: 'Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.' 'Men have reviled me,' he said. SAN FRANCISCO and SUZHOU, China, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high quality medicines for treatment of oncology, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases, and Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly",NYSE: LLY) jointly announce that results of six clinical studies of TYVYT (sintilimab injection) will be presented during the upcoming European Society of Medical Oncology ("ESMO") Virtual Congress 2020 from September 19th to 21st. The annual ESMO conference is among the most prestigious and influential global oncology conferences, during which oncologists around the world will share the latest research progress in cancer treatments. The six sintilimab studies to be presented at ESMO Virtual Congress include two LBAs (late-breaking abstracts, mini oral) and four e-posters (including two ongoing Phase 3 studies). The studies cover indications including lung cancer, gynecological cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, and other solid tumors. A brief summary of the studies is as follows: Cancer Type: Lung Cancer Presentation type: LBA (mini oral) Biomarker Results from the ORIENT-11 Study (NCT 03607539): Finding biomarkers to accurately predict the efficacy of Immuno-combination therapy is still a hotspot and difficult issue in the study of PD-1 inhibitors. In the ORIENT-11 study, sequencing was conducted on baseline tumor biopsies to explore the association between immune related genes and clinical efficacy. The results could improve our understanding of the mechanism of action of immunotherapy-chemotherapy combination and provide a scientific rationale for future selection of suitable patients. Researcher: Professor Yunpeng Yang, Sun Yat sen University cancer center Results of the ORIENT-12 Study (NCT03629925): sintilimab plus gemcitabine and platinum chemotherapy as first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC). Clinical benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with advanced sqNSCLC is limited. Previous studies have shown the clinical benefits of the combination therapy of PD-1 inhibitor with paclitaxel/platinum chemotherapy as first-line treatment for sqNSCLC. In a Phase 1b cohort study, sintilimab in combination with gemcitabine/platinum chemotherapy has shown good efficacy and acceptable safety as first-line treatment for sqNSCLC. ORIENT-12 is a randomized, double-blind, Phase 3 study evaluating sintilimab or placebo in combination with gemcitabine and platinum chemotherapy as first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic sqNSCLC. ORIENT-12 has demonstrated for the first time survival benefit by treatment with PD-1 inhibitor in combination with gemcitabine and platinum chemotherapy in first-line sqNSCLC. Researcher: Professor Caicun Zhou, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University Cancer Type: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Presentation Type: e-poster Sintilimab plus IBI305 (bevacizumab) as the first-line treatment for advanced HCC (NCT03794440). So far the treatment of first-line advanced HCC is limited with feasible choices such as sorafenib or lenvatinib. Immuno-oncology inhibitors have shown therapeutic value in HCC, with PD-L1 inhibitor (atezolizumab) in combination with a VEGF inhibitor reporting clinical benefits in unresectable or metastatic HCC patients before systemic treatment. This study will announce the safety and preliminary efficacy of combining PD-1 inhibitor and VEGF inhibitor in the first line treatment for patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic HCC. Currently sintilimab is undergoing Phase 2/3 study in combination with Byvasda (bevacizumab injection) in comparison with sorafenib in the first-line treatment of advanced HCC. Researcher: Academician Jia Fan, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Cancer type: Gastric Cancer Report type: e-poster ORIENT-106 Study: To date, systemic chemotherapy remains the main choice for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer / gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEJ). The prognosis of these patients is poor with the median overall survival (mOS) only about one year. Preclinical studies have shown that an anti-VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) antibody can restart the tumor microenvironment to avoid immunosuppression of tumor cells. In clinical studies, it was also observed that blocking PD-1 and VEGFR-2 at the same time could achieve synergistic anti-tumor effect. The ORIENT-106 study based on this theory is a multicenter, randomized, open label Phase 3 clinical trial to verify the efficacy and safety of sintilimab (IgG4 PD-1 inhibitor) and ramucirumab (IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist) as the first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic G/GEJ. Researcher: President Ruihua Xu, Sun Yat sen University Cancer Center Cancer type: Gynecological Tumor Report type: e-poster There are limited effective treatment for advanced cervical cancer patients who have previously received platinum-based chemotherapy. PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy has shown promising efficacy in patients with cervical cancer with positive PD-L1 expression. The combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus anti-angiogenesis drugs has shown significant anti-tumor activity in certain cancers. Professor Qin Xu from Fujian Cancer Hospital conducted a phase II study of sintilimab plus anlotinib for the treatment of advanced cervical cancer with positive PD-L1 expression. The study may potentially further improve the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced cervical cancer who have previously received platinum-based chemotherapy. Researcher: Professor Qin Xu, Fujian Cancer Hospital Cancer type: Solid Tumors Report type: e-poster The antitumor effect of chemotherapy combined with either PARP inhibitors or PD-1 inhibitors have been demonstrated in several studies, and previous researches have shown a synergetic effect of PARP inhibitors combining with PD-1 inhibitors. However, little was known regarding the combination of the three regimens. This is a phase 1b clinical study initiated by Professor Hu Yi of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, exploring the combination of sintilimab, platinum and niraparib (a PARP1/2 inhibitor) in the treatment of previously treated advanced solid tumors. The novel triple combination could potentially overcome resistance and further improve clinical outcomes of patients with advanced solid tumors who failed standard therapy. Researcher: Professor Yi Hu, Chinese people's Liberation Army General Hospital 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. About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com. About Innovent Biologic's strategic cooperation with Eli Lilly and Company Innovent entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly focusing on biological medicine in March 2015 a groundbreaking partnership between a Chinese pharmaceutical company and a multinational pharmaceutical company. Under the agreement, Innovent and Lilly are co-developing and commercializing oncology medicines, including TYVYT (sintilimab injection) in China. In October 2015, the two companies announced the extension of their existing collaboration to include co-development of three additional antibodies targeting oncology indications. In August 2019, Innovent entered into an additional licensing agreement with Lilly to develop and commercialize a potentially global best-in-class diabetes medicine in China. In August 2020, Innovent and Lilly announced an expansion of their strategic alliance for TYVYT (sintilimab injection). Its collaboration with Lilly indicates that Innovent has established a comprehensive level of cooperation between China's innovative pharmaceuticals sector and the international pharmaceuticals sector in areas such as R&D, CMC, clinical development and commercialization. SOURCE Innovent Biologics, Inc. Related Links www.innoventbio.com The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike action if the government fails to pay its Book and Research Allowance. According to UTAG, the government has not paid its members in spite of the fact that the necessary documents to facilitate payment have been presented to the appropriate institutions. The Association President, Professor Charles Marfo told NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie', that by the close of the day, September 14, 2020, if the government fails to settle the allowance, they will embark on a strike. We are tired, he told host Kwesi Aboagye. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Delhi [India], September 14 (ANI): Ahead of the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs staged a protest against NEET 2020 in the Parliament premises. DMK MPs TR Balu, Tiruchi Siva and Kanimozhi, among others were part of the protest held at the premises. "NEET deprives dreams to the poor and rural students who score high marks in school education but are unable to get through NEET exam because they are not able to get any private coaching. Students have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu due to the fear of this exam," Siva told reporters here. The leaders were seen wearing face masks with "Ban NEET, save TN students" written on them. DMK and Communist Party of India (M) have also moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha over 'suicide of 12 teenage students due to NEET'. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was held with almost 85-90 per cent students appearing in it according to the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour, shortly after it met, following obituary references and offering tributes to former members who passed away recently. Lok Sabha MPs paid tribute to former President Pranab Mukherjee, legendary Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, ex-Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, Uttar Pradesh Ministers Kamal Rani and Chetan Chauhan and ex-Union Minister Rahguvansh Prasad Singh and others who passed away recently. (ANI) In a press conference on Sunday evening, Egypt's Mostaqbal Watan (Future of the Homeland) Party announced that it has formed a coalition comprising 16 political parties, aiming to run for 284 seats allocated to party lists. Mostaqbal Watan also announced that there will be coordination among the coalition parties regarding another 284 seats reserved for individual candidates. Ashraf Rashad, first deputy head of Mostaqbal Watan Party, said the National Unified Coalition, raising the slogan "For the Sake of Egypt," will include political parties from different ideological platforms. "It was originally planned that the coalition would include 11 political parties, but another five political parties showed interest in joining the coalition," said Rashad. Mahmoud El-Kott, a member of the Political Parties' Young People's Coordination Committee, which is a member of the coalition, said in a TV interview that the names of the 16 political parties joining the coalition will be announced within a few hours. The names of 12 political parties were announced on Sunday. These are Mostaqbal Watan, Al-Wafd, the Guardians of the Nation, Modern Egypt, the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, the People's Republican, the Reform and Development, Tagammu, the Generation's Will, the Egyptian Freedom, the Justice, and the Congress. Hossam El-Khouli, second deputy head of Mostaqbal Watan, said the formation of the coalition represents a democratic step. "The political parties joining the coalition are a mix of loyalist and opposition forces, but they are all united in their love of Egypt," said El-Khouli. El-Khouli also revealed that there will be coordination among the coalition's political parties regarding competition for the 284 individual seats. Anwar El-Sadat, head of the liberal Reform and Development Party, said that although his party raised reservations over political developments in Egypt in the last few years, it has no choice but to join the coalition for the sake of the country. "All I hope now is that candidates on the coalition's Unified List will be good enough to win the confidence of voters," said El-Sadat. Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa, head of the Wafd Party, said that although his party is an opposition one, it decided to join the coalition because it puts national interests above all other considerations. Gamal Zahran, a political science professor with Suez Canal University and a former independent MP, said in an article in Al-Ahram, "I hope that the Mostaqbal Watan-led National Unified coalition will not be the only one competing for the 284 party list seats." Zahran said that if the scenario of last Augusts Senate election repeats itself, with the Mostaqbal Watan coalition running uncontested, it will mean that there will be no competition and the turnout will be very low. Egypt's parliamentary elections will kick off on 17 September by opening the door for candidate registration, and will wrap up on 14 December by announcing the final results. The election will be split into two stages. The first stage will cover 14 governorates between 21 October and 30 November. These comprise Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira, and Marsa Matruh. The second stage will cover 13 governorates between 4 November and 14 December. These comprise Cairo, Qalioubiya, Daqahliyya, Menoufiya, Gharbiya, Kafr El-Sheikh, Sharqiya, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailiya, Suez, North Sinai, and South Sinai. A total of 568 seats will be up for grabs in Egypt's upcoming parliamentary elections, while another 28 seats (5 percent) will be named by the president, bringing the House's seats to a total of 596. The 568 seats are split equally between individual and party list deputies meaning there will be 284 candidates from each category. The House election law stipulates that 25 percent of the total seats must be reserved for women. Search Keywords: Short link: After India issued a new map covering Nepals Kalapani region last year, Nepal protested and sent a note demanding a diplomatic dialogue for the solution to the problem. But, India showed no interest in discussing the issue. After India inaugurated a road in the area earlier this year, Nepal, however, issued a new map that included the disputed region. Since then, there has been a lack of communication between the two neighbours. But, on Indias Independence Day last Saturday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had a phone conversation with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and discussions were held on the development of the two countries. Experts in diplomatic affairs believe that the lack of communication has ended with a brief conversation. But, will there be a dialogue between Nepal and India on the border issue anytime soon? This is what former Foreign Affairs Minister Bhekh Bahadur Thapa has to say: How do you analyse current relationships between the two countries? The two countries were in a state of noncommunication for a long time. Where did it start? When India published a new map to accommodate the latest development of Jammu and Kashmir, it also included the territory that it had admitted as disputed. It did so while the dialogue was going on. The conclusion reached by India without any dialogue on the disputed land put Nepal in an awkward position. After Nepal called for a solution through the diplomatic process and India did not respond, Nepal also drew up a new map to claim its ownership of the territory. We had entered a kind of worrying situation since. But, having close ties, there was no hindrance in trade, travel and social relations between the two countries. Can the recent phone conversation between the two prime ministers and the discussion between the two countries on development issues be understood as a beginning of the dialogue again? Complaints of delays in Indian aid projects before the lack-of-communication situation came to the fore from Nepals side. To address this, an annual meeting was convened to review by Nepals foreign secretary and Indias ambassador. Mondays meeting can be taken as a sign that the countries have entered the dialogue as there had been no recent formal meeting and dialogue before. The phone conversation between the prime ministers on the occasion of Indias Independence Day not only broke the deadlock but also gave the impression that the problems could be resolved through dialogue. Nepal seems to have continuously emphasised a dialogue. In this situation, did we fail or did India fail? It is India which failed first. The two countries were constantly trying to resolve the issue from technical, administrative, diplomatic, and political levels. A joint committee had declared Kalapani and Susta as disputed regions. Nepal felt cornered after India drew a map including the same territory. The only way we could counteract was to seize control of our territory. That is all Nepal has done. But, instead of continuing the dialogue, the two countries reached a state of noncommunication. The bases of dialogue at the diplomatic level are still unanswered. But, no matter how embarrassing the problem may be, the search for a solution is not through other means than dialogue. But, did not the unacceptance of the EPG report for two years show that Indias attitude towards Nepal is not positive? This is not to say that the EPG report has been accepted, but it is certainly being delayed. I (who led Nepal in the EPG) am still in dialogue with Bhagat Singh Koshyari (who led India in the EPG), and we have not given up hope. The EPG report is not a unilateral report. This includes not only Nepals grievances but also those of India. This is perhaps the first time that both Nepal and India have prepared a joint report and suggested a solution to the problem. As the coordinator of the Nepali side, what I can say is that whether the joint report is accepted or rejected, it is difficult to improve the relations without addressing the issues raised by it. Prime Minister Modi talks about the Neighbours First policy, but his relations with neighbours, not only Nepal, have soured. Do you think Modi is under pressure now? Indian media have raised voices that relations with neighbours should improve. However, I do not want to say anything about Indias stubbornness. But, the idea of improving relations with Nepal has been raised in India time and again. Prime Minister Modis address to the Constituent Assembly when he came to Nepal in 2014 was, in a way, an opportunity for us to change the relations between the two countries. But, then, there was the 2015 trade embargo. Even now, there has been a state of noncommunication for a long time. But, it cant last very long. The signs now are that both are unwilling to go through the ordeal. The beginning of dialogue at the highest level of the prime ministers is an important opportunity. In Nepal, a popular opinion is that the solution to the problem should be found at the political level, but it is not happening. Why? Democracy came to Nepal around the time of Indias independence. India has a long history of trying to amend a number of provisions since the 1950 treaty to give a new dimension to the concept that was inspired when it established relations with Nepal. I remember, after the political change in India, Lal Bahadur Shastri came after Jawaharlal Nehru. He also said that it was his priority to have good relations with the neighbours, but he could not implement it. With the advent of Indira Gandhi, it felt India had somehow returned to traditional thinking. After that, IK Gujral said that he would treat the neighbours differently, but he did not last long. Then, we entered an awkward situation when the process of moving the old treaty into a retrograde direction began under Rajiv Gandhi. It remains to be seen whether the views that Modiji has expressed in recent times to create a new situation will be positive or not. But, looking at the ups and downs in between, it can be said that India has endorsed a traditional notion of oppressing and keeping neighbours under surveillance in the name of stability and security concerns. Addressing that could also involve intellectual practices, informing people through the media and entering the political arena. Nepal has never left its place in that. But often, Nepals leadership tries to follow hasty diplomacy making light remarks about serious issues, isnt it? The concept of national security should be universally accepted, and there should be a diplomatic dialogue and cooperation to reach a conclusion. We are not yet mature in this. Due to that, there has been an uproar from time to time; different ideas of different parties have come up. Looking from the outside world, Nepal is still lagging behind in the process of bringing maturity in the practice of sitting together and protecting the interests of the nation, not going back and forth on basic issues. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University is the fifth-most innovative school in the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, released Monday (Sept. 14). Its a one-spot improvement over last years rankings, with Purdue overtaking Stanford University for the fifth spot. The annual Best Colleges rankings compared more than 1,500 institutions on a variety of metrics. Overall, Purdue ranked 53rd among all institutions, up four spots from the previous year, and 17th among public institutions, up one spot from 2019. In other recent rankings, Purdue was No. 4 on CNBCs 2020 list of the top public U.S. colleges that pay off the most. Purdue also was ranked third in startup creation in an IP Watchdog Institute report. In the U.S. News innovation ranking, Purdue is the only Indiana institution among the top 50 and the only Big Ten Conference school in the top 10. The ranking for most innovative was based on a survey of peers. College presidents, provosts and admissions deans were asked to nominate up to 15 colleges or universities that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities. These rankings enable top college officials to pick schools that the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes the colleges are making on their campuses. Purdue is regarded for its persistent pursuit of innovation where people bring their best and learn to build a better world together. Its pillars of affordability and accessibility, online learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) leadership, transformative education and world-changing research support its land-grant mission, as captured in the Universitys mantra, The Next Giant Leap (see YouTube video highlighting Purdue pillars). Ingenuity and innovation is a large part of what defines Purdue, said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. It is what attracts some of the most promising students around the world and brings some of the finest faculty and staff to West Lafayette. Purdue provides opportunity at all levels to create, to innovate, to try and fail and to try again. Were very proud of the role we play in bringing solutions to the worlds challenges small and large. Only Arizona State University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia State University and Georgia Institute of Technology topped Purdue on the most innovative list. After Purdue in the fifth spot, Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and Elon University rounded out the top 10. In other undergraduate rankings, Purdues College of Engineering continues to be ranked in the top 10 of the country at No. 9. Four engineering disciplines are among the nations top five in specialty rankings, including a 10th straight No. 1 ranking for agricultural and biological engineering. Industrial engineering is at No. 2, while civil engineering is at No. 3. Aeronautical and astronautical engineering is ranked fifth. The consistency Purdue Engineering has shown as a top-10 national program is gratifying, said acting dean Mark Lundstrom. To have four specialty programs ranked in the top five, led, of course, by the persistent No. 1 ranking of agricultural and biological engineering, is a credit to our overall engineering program. Purdue engineers are highly sought, both in state, and around the nation. Agricultural and biological engineering, a department in both the colleges of Engineering and Agriculture, represents a partnership that has led to the departments internationally recognized contributions (College of Agriculture release). Our colleges work together to support extraordinary faculty whose prominence as researchers is matched by their commitment to their students, said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. In the overall ranking, Purdues rank of No. 53 is tied with Ohio State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Santa Clara and Villanova University. The 17th ranking among public schools is tied with Ohio State. In other rankings of note: Co-ops and Internships: No. 13. Purdue is the only Indiana or Big Ten institution ranked in the top 20. Computer Sciences: No. 20 (tied with Harvey Mudd College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University and Yale University). Best Colleges for Veterans: No. 27 (tied with Ohio State University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). About Purdue University Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/. Writer: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu Media Contact: Jim Bush, 765-336-1909, jsbush@purdue.edu Sources: Jay Akridge, akridge@purdue.edu Mark Lundstrom, lundstro@purdue.edu Karen Plaut, kplaut@purdue.edu Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines: Google searches for symptoms such as diarrhoea and abdominal pain could act as an early warning for a coronavirus outbreak, a study has revealed. Academics found there was a surge in coronavirus cases roughly three to four weeks after a spike in online searches for the symptoms. In New York, one of 15 regions examined in the study, searches for 'diarrhoea' almost doubled three weeks before the city's cases of Covid-19 soared. The NHS does not currently recognise diarrhoea as being a tell-tale sign of Covid-19, contradicting their colleagues in the US. It says only a fever, a new cough and a loss of taste and smell are symptoms of the virus, meaning thousands of Britons who don't experience those effects may fail to self-isolate and get tested during the early stages of their infection. Scientists have already called for diarrhoea to be added to the list of symptoms for children in Britain, after their ability to spot the disease in youngsters rose from 76 to 97 per cent when it was included in the symptoms list. Diarrhoea could be an early warning sign of coronavirus. A study found that searches for this rose before an outbreak of coronavirus was detected in their area The ability to detect children who had coronavirus rose from 76 per cent to 97 per cent when stomach and gut pains were included with the official NHS symptoms, say researchers (stock) What are the symptoms of coronavirus? What the NHS says: A high temperature New continuous cough Loss of taste or smell What other symptoms are there? As many as 16 other symptoms of coronavirus have also been identified, although they are yet to be listed by the NHS. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US updated its list back in May to include these symptoms: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhoea The UK's Covid symptom app says it has additional several further warning signs of the disease. It has done this by asking more than 3.9 million people to report daily how they are feeling. When they feel unwell they are asked to report the symptoms. Those that test positive for coronavirus then tell the app, allowing it to reveal less-well-known signs of the disease. It adds the following: Skin rash Hives Delirium Abdominal pain Chest pain Hoarse voice Eye soreness Dizziness or light-headed Advertisement The study, carried out by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, used Google Trends to monitor digital queries for 'diarrhoea', 'loss of appetite' and 'loss of smell' made in 15 states between January 20 and April 20. It revealed a correlation between searches for these terms and a rise in coronavirus cases almost a month later. The five states with the strongest correlation were New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois. The research was published in the Journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Writing in the study Dr Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said: 'Gastrointestinal symptoms appear to be a harbinger of Covid-19 infection. 'Google Trends may be a valuable tool for predicting geographic hotspots of Covid-19 and other epidemic diseases that have gastrointestinal manifestations.' UK health chiefs have been repeatedly accused of being behind the curve when it comes to fighting coronavirus for continuously refusing to list gut problems as symptoms of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US revised its website four months ago to include diarrhoea, alongside a runny or blocked nose, nausea and five others. Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King's College London, warned that the UK's list of symptoms is still 'too limited' and has fallen behind other countries around the world. Speaking to MailOnline, he said: 'By only stating three symptoms we are failing to provide people with all the information they need to take action.' His Covid Symptom Study app, where users enter in what symptoms they have when they are feeling unwell and whether they have tested positive for coronavirus, has identified 20 possible symptoms. 'What our data has shown is that symptoms like headache and fatigue are more common than the classical symptoms,' he said. 'We also see children under 18 and adults over 65 presenting with different symptoms.' The team behind the app is working directly with the Government, and hoping to get more symptoms added to the official list 'soon'. The limited number of recognised symptoms means that many possible infections may be missed in the early stages, increasing the risk that the disease could be spread to others as people don't realise they may need a test and to self-isolate. Scientists in Northern Ireland advised at the start of this month that vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pains should be considered as symptoms of coronavirus in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recognises 11 Covid-19 symptoms The UK has been accused of missing 'the majority' of Covid-19 cases because it still only recognises three tell-tale signs of the infection (the NHS website, shown) Dr Tom Waterfield at Queen's University Belfast told the BBC: 'We are finding that diarrhoea and vomiting is a symptom reported by some children and I think adding it to the list of known symptoms is worth considering.' Dr Waterfield and other scientists studied 992 children, of whom 68 had coronavirus. They had an average age of 10 years. By looking at children with fever, coughs and changes in smell or taste the official Covid-19 symptoms scientists correctly identified 76 per cent of children with the coronavirus. But when they added children who had stomach problems this rose to 97 per cent 33 out of the 34. Dr Waterfield and colleagues wrote: 'This study demonstrates that approximately half of children are asymptomatic when infected with SARS-CoV-2 and that current UK testing strategies will fail to diagnose the majority of paediatric infections.' The NHS, like the majority of health bodies around the globe, initially recognised just two symptoms of coronavirus - a dry and persistent cough and a fever. But a mountain of evidence emerged in the months after the initial outbreak in China showing the virus caused rarer symptoms. Health bosses dug their heels in and refused to admit any new symptoms to their list despite mounting reports that loss of taste and smell should be included. They finally caved-in in May, adding it to their list, but have since refused to recognise any additional symptoms of coronavirus. Advertisement Greece has accused migrants of deliberately burning their overcrowded camp in Lesbos last week where hundreds were forced to relocate to. Families, children, young men and pregnant women have been left wandering aimlessly since a blaze ripped through the Moria camp on the night of September 8, forcing its 12,000 occupants to sleep rough in abandoned buildings, on roadsides and even rooftops. 'The camp was burned by refugees and migrants who wanted to blackmail the government in order to be rapidly transferred from the island (to the continent),' Stelios Petsas, the Greek government's spokesman, told reporters in Athens. He gave no further details. Greece's migrations minister last week made similar accusations, even as an investigation has yet to conclude. Greece has accused migrants of deliberately burning their overcrowded camp in Lesbos last week where hundreds were forced to relocate to. Pictured: Migrants walk near a makeshift camp on Lesbos today Families, children, young men and pregnant women have been left wandering aimlessly since a blaze ripped through the Moria camp on the night of September 8. Pictured: Migrants sit on top of an abandoned building on the island after being forced to move 12,000 migrats have been forced to sleep rough in abandoned buildings, on roadsides (pictured) and even rooftops Authorities are erecting a new camp of white tents in haste near the eastern port-village of Panagiouda as exhaustion, hunger and fear set in, and locals look on with trepidation. Many refugees refuse to go there, fearing they will just be forgotten inside while others are reluctantly making their way to the site. The new camp 'seems harsh, with its direct sunlight and no shade. But I'm entering tomorrow as I have no choice,' said Pariba, an Afghan woman. Inside the site, which is closed to the press, Malik, an Algerian migrant, told AFP by phone that he had settled there with his wife and five children. 'There's nothing in the camp, no shower, no mattresses. There is only one meal per day, and they give us a carton with six bottles of water,' said the French teacher. Authorities are erecting a new camp of white tents in haste near the eastern port-village of Panagiouda as exhaustion, hunger and fear set in, and locals look on with trepidation Two migrants clean themselves in an abandoned building near the Kara Tepe camp on Lesos. Litter is seen lying across the floor of the building Migrants are pictured walking next to a fence near the makeshift camp on the island of Lesbos earlier today He added he was currently living alongside some 200 refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and African countries. In photos by one of his fellow camp members who wanted to remain anonymous, groups of migrants are seen waiting for food and water in scorching heat, some wearing masks. Residents nearby were looking on with a wary eye, calling on European countries to lend a helping hand. 'We're afraid. Ninety percent of the people here are against the new camp, and all of us, we want them to leave the island,' said Savvas Afentoulis, 70, sitting at a cafe in Panagiouda. 'Greece can't handle alone the situation, the EU has to find a solution.' Afentoulis was quick to point out this was not always the case in Lesbos, the main port of entry for arrivals in EU member state Greece because of its close proximity to Turkey. 'We're afraid. Ninety percent of the people here are against the new camp, and all of us, we want them to leave the island,' said Savvas Afentoulis, 70, sitting at a cafe in Panagiouda. Pictured: Migrants sit at a table in a desolate building on Lesbos Several European countries have signed up to a scheme to host unaccompanied minors from the destroyed Moria camp, but that's around 400 people, a drop in the ocean One window in an abandoned building on the island is seen illuminated with a migrant stood inside. Around 12,000 migrants have been moved to Lesbos since the Moria camp fire At the height of the migrant crisis that kicked off in 2015, Lesbos saw hundreds of thousands of people arrive, many of them Syrians fleeing war, and residents united in solidarity to help them. 'But after, when Moria got full with people, they started to steal our sheep, and made damages,' Afentoulis said. Not far off, four young Somalis who dream of going to France or Germany hoped to be allowed into the new camp. They too were scared. 'If we go there we are killed,' said Ahmed, 18, showing the road where thousands of refugees are sleeping rough and then pointing to the nearby village. Some of the migrants who have been forced to relocate to new accommodation on the Greek island of Lesbos are refusing to move, after a fire destroyed their overcrowded refugee camp. Greece has resettled hundreds of migrants in a temporary new tent facility and hopes to have moved all of them this week, government officials said on Monday. Drone images show the extent of the damage caused to the Moria refugee camp when the fire broke out last Wednesday. An image taken with a drone shows an aerial view of the burnt-down Moria refugee camp on Lesbos island, Greece, on September 14 A fire broke out in the overcrowded Moria Refugee Camp early last Wednesday, destroying large parts of some 13,000 refugees' accommodations The Greek Ministry for Migration and Asylum is trying to persuade the migrants and refugees living on the streets, in the surrounding areas and even the rooftops and yards of nearby businesses, to move into a new facility Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that Greece would build a permanent new migrant reception centre to replace the Moria facility. Destroyed refugee camp pictured above More than 12,000 people, mostly refugees from Afghanistan, Africa and Syria, are without shelter and are having to sleep out in the open without proper sanitation after the fire tore through the migrant camp. Greece is now registering the migrants and testing them for the COVID-19 disease before channeling them into the temporary tent camp at Kara Tepe, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, though a police officer said some were refusing to move to the facility. 'We expect that in the next three to four days all will be housed, a bit less than the (total number of) roughly 12,000 homeless,' he told reporters. The Greek Ministry for Migration and Asylum is trying to persuade the migrants and refugees living on the streets, in the surrounding areas and even the rooftops and yards of nearby businesses, to move into a new facility. Greece is now registering the migrants and testing them for the COVID-19 disease before channeling them into the temporary tent camp at Kara Tepe. Destruction of Moria refugee camp pictured above An image taken with a drone shows an aerial view of the burnt-down Moria refugee camp on Lesbos island, Greece, on Sunday Authorities have already moved some 400 minors from the island to the Greek mainland since the blaze for possible resettlement in other European countries About 600 migrants have so far been resettled in the temporary tent camp and 14 of them have tested positive for COVID-19, a government official said n the chaos following last week's fire, authorities lost sight of 35 people who had tested positive, deepening fears of an outbreak among migrants sleeping closely together without proper sanitation Authorities have already moved some 400 minors from the island to the Greek mainland since the blaze for possible resettlement in other European countries. About 600 migrants have so far been resettled in the temporary tent camp and 14 of them have tested positive for COVID-19, a government official said. In the chaos following last week's fire, authorities lost sight of 35 people who had tested positive, deepening fears of an outbreak among migrants sleeping closely together without proper sanitation. Thousands of migrants left homeless on the Greek island of Lesbos after fires destroyed the overcrowded Moria camp protested against a new refugee camp being built on the island last Friday Protesters held up signs pleading for help from Germany, a favoured destination for many migrants and refugees who arrive in Greece from the nearby Turkish coast, during the protest on Friday Last Friday, thousands of migrants protested against a new refugee camp being built on the island. Clapping and chanting songs, the protesters demanding to leave the island were boisterous but peaceful on the road leading to the island's main town. Some held up signs pleading for help from Germany, a favoured destination for many migrants and refugees who arrive in Greece from the nearby Turkish coast. But the Greek government announced it would not be 'blackmailed' by the protesters and has no plans to relocate them away from the island. Fire almost completely destroyed Moria, the largest migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, leaving more than 12,000 asylum seekers without shelter People walk along a perimeter wall on the outskirts of the Moria camp as flames burn in the background after a blaze broke out around 2am Wednesday, September 9 A man picks his way between the destroyed remains of tents inside the Moria camp, after the fire had burned out Petsas repeated on Monday the government's suspicion that the fire was started deliberately 'by migrants who wanted to blackmail the government to leave the island'. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is continuing. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that Greece would build a permanent new migrant reception centre to replace the Moria facility. Germany's Bild newspaper reported on Monday that Berlin is considering taking in thousands of refugees from Lesbos as a one-off gesture and also wants the Moria camp to be rebuilt and run by the European Union. Several European countries have signed up to a scheme to host unaccompanied minors from the destroyed Moria camp. But that's around 400 people, a drop in the ocean. Germany said Monday it was mulling taking in more migrants, possibly families with children. In the meantime, Petsas, the Greek government spokesman, said the aim was to house everyone in the temporary camp within three to four days. He added that all those entering the camp would be tested for coronavirus, as the threat of the pandemic remains ever present. According to Greece's migrations minister, Notis Mitarachi, some 200 migrants may be contaminated. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. No casualties were reported in the past day. Ukraine has reported two violations of the latest ceasefire agreements by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone on Sunday, September 13. "In the past day, September 13, Russian Federation's armed formations twice violated the ceasefire agreements reached on July 22," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Command wrote on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on September 14, 2020. In particular, the enemy opened fire from under-barrel grenade launchers on the Ukrainian positions near the town of Avdiyivka and the village of Pisky. Joint Forces did not return fire. Read alsoZelensky's Office explains why 'one-time inspection' in Donbas suspendedNo casualties were reported in the past day. Since Monday 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 By Trend China and Kazakhstan will continue to boost cooperation in various areas in the post-epidemic era, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday while meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Xinhua reports, Trend reports citing Kazinform. Kazakhstan is an important Eurasian country and a friendly neighbour of China, said Wang, adding that China always gives priority to its relations with Kazakhstan in its overall foreign policy, especially the neighborhood diplomacy. He said that the heads of state of the two countries, who have forged firm mutual trust and friendship, have been providing strategic guidance to the healthy development of the bilateral ties and mutually beneficial cooperation. The two heads of state agreed to lift the bilateral relationship to a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership last year, Wang noted, adding that the two sides should implement the consensus reached by the leaders in various fields, make it a common cognition of all walks of life in the two countries, so as to consolidate public support for the bilateral ties. The two sides should jointly well preserve the hard-earned China-Kazakhstan relations and make sure that their relationship will not be disturbed and maintain a sound and steady momentum of development, he said. Wang said the two countries have helped and supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. At the time when the prevention and control of COVID-19 have become a regular practice, the two sides should strengthen all-round cooperation in the post-epidemic era in an orderly manner, implement the docking of the joint construction of the Belt and Road with the Bright Path new economic policy and further tap the potential of cooperation in various areas, he added. With the China-Europe freight train service becoming a land transportation artery like a modern railway version of camel caravans across Eurasia, Kazakhstan's role as a strategic hub for transit transport has become more prominent, Wang said, adding that China is ready to scale up the cross-border railway and highway transportation and accelerate exploration to restore and enhance the cargo capacity at border crossings. The two sides will build the Silk Road of Health, Wang said. China will continue to support Kazakhstan in its fight against COVID-19, share its experience in epidemic prevention and control and treatment of patients and strengthen cooperation in the research and development of vaccines and medicines until the epidemic is defeated in Kazakhstan, he noted. The two sides will also build the Digital Silk Road to strengthen cooperation in the digital economy, Wang said. China has recently proposed its global initiative on data security, which aims to promote the formulation of global data security rules and build an open, cooperative and secure global data space, Wang said. China welcomes joint efforts of all countries including Kazakhstan to advance the process and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the Kazakh side to jointly combat disinformation, said Wang. For his part, Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan always places ties with China as its foreign policy priority, and the Kazakhstan-China relations have made great strides despite the epidemic, with the two sides maintaining high-level exchanges and constantly-deepening good-neighbourliness and friendship. The two heads of state decided to build the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership last year, which lifted the bilateral ties to a new level, he said. Kazakhstan speaks highly of the decisive anti-epidemic measures taken by China and appreciates China's support to Kazakhstan in the fight against COVID-19, said the minister. He said that the two sides should resume normal exchanges between various departments and at various levels as soon as possible, resume port customs clearance and freight transportation, and tap the cooperation potential in the fields such as infrastructure, investment, trade, transportation and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Kazakhstan supports China-proposed initiatives, such as building a global community of health for all, he said. The Kazakh side also supports the Global Initiative on Data Security launched by China, said Tleuberdi, adding Kazakhstan is willing to make this a priority in the bilateral cooperation and work with China to combat disinformation. The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the regional and international issues of common concern, and announced the launch of a program to facilitate personnel exchanges for the resumption of work and production in the two countries. September 13, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Thanks to courageous investigators, many anomalies in the official explanation of the events of 9/11 were posted on the Internet in the following months, providing evidence that this was a false flag operation, and that Osama bin Laden was innocent, as he repeatedly declared in the Afghan and Pakistani press and on Al Jazeera.[1] The proofs of this appalling fraud have been accumulating ever since, and are now accessible to anyone willing to spend a few hours of research on the Web. (Although, while preparing this article, I noticed that Google is now making access to that research more difficult than it was five years ago, artificially prioritizing anti-conspiracy sites.) For example, members of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth have demonstrated that it was impossible for plane crashes and jet fuel fires to trigger the collapse of the Twin Towers. Even Donald Trump understood this. In fact, speaking of collapse is perhaps misleading: the towers literally exploded, pulverizing concrete and projecting pieces of steel beams weighing several hundred tons hundreds of meters laterally at high speeds. The pyroclastic dust that immediately flooded through the streets, not unlike the dust from a volcano, indicates a high temperature mixture of hot gasses and relatively dense solid particles, an impossible phenomenon in a simple collapse. It is also impossible that WTC7, another skyscraper (47 stories), which had not been hit by a plane, collapsed into its own footprint at near free-fall speed, unless by controlled demolition. Testimonies of firefighters recorded shortly after the events describe sequences of explosions just before the collapse, well below the plane impact. The presence of molten metal in the wreckage up to three weeks after the attack is inexplicable except by the presence of incompletely burned explosives. Firefighter Philip Ruvolo testified before Etienne Saurets camera for his film Collateral Damages (2011): Youd get down below and youd see molten steelmolten steel running down the channelways, like you were in a foundrylike lava. Aviation professionals have also reported impossibilities in the behavior of the planes. The charted speeds of the two aircraft hitting the Twin Towers, 443 mph and 542 mph, exclude these aircraft being Boeing 767s, because these speeds are virtually impossible near ground level. In the unlikely event such speeds could be attained without the aircraft falling apart, flying them accurately into the towers was mission impossible, especially by the amateur pilots blamed for the hijacking. Hosni Mubarak, a former pilot, said he could never do it. (He is not the only head of state to have voiced his doubts: Chavez and Ahmadinejad are among them.) Recall that neither of the black boxes of the jetliners was ever found, an incomprehensible situation. And of course, there are the obvious anomalies of Shanksville and Pentagon crash sites: no plane or credible plane debris can be seen on any of the numerous photos easily available. Among the growing number of Americans who disbelieve the official version of the 9/11 attacks, two basic theories are in competition: I called them inside job and Mossad job. The first one is the dominant thesis within the so-called 9/11 Truth movement, and blames the American government, or a faction within the American Deep State. The second one claims that the masterminds were members of a powerful Israeli network deeply infiltrated in all spheres of power within the US, including media, government, military and secret services. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter This Mossad job thesis has been gaining ground since Alan Sabrosky, a professor at the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Military Academy, published in July 2012 an article entitled Demystifying 9/11: Israel and the Tactics of Mistake, where he voiced his conviction that September 11th was a classic Mossad-orchestrated operation. We can notice from the outset that incriminating Israelis or Arabs are both outside job theories (in fact, they are mirror images of each other, which is understandable in light of what Gilad Atzmon explains about Jewish projected guilt).[2] Before even looking at the evidence, outside job sounds more credible that inside job. There is something monstrous in the idea that a government can deceive and terrorize its own citizens by killing thousands of them, just for starting a series of wars that are not even in the nations interest. By comparison, a foreign power attacking the U.S. under the false flag of a third power almost seems like fair play. Indeed suspicion of Israels role should be natural to anyone aware of the reputation of the Mossad as: Wildcard. Ruthless and cunning. Has capability to target U.S. forces and make it look like a Palestinian/Arab act, in the words of a report of the U.S. Army School for Advanced Military Studies quoted by the Washington Times, September 10th, 2001 the day before the attacks. This is an important point, because it raises the question of how and why the 9/11 Truth movement has been led to endorse massively the outrageous inside job thesis without even considering the more likely thesis of an attack by a foreign power acting under an Islamic false flagand what foreign power but Israel would do that? Of course, the two dissenting theses do not necessarily exclude each other; at least, no one incriminating Israel denies that corrupted elements from the American administration or deep state were involved. The passionate attachment between Israel and the U.S. has been going on for decades, and 9/11 is one of its monstruous offsprings. I can think of no better symbol of that reality than the marriage of Ted and Barbara Olson. Ted Oslon, after having defended Bush in the disputed 2000 election, had been rewarded with the post of Solicitor General (he also defended Dick Cheney when he refused to submit to Congress Enron-related documents). Barbara was a famous CNN reporter, but before that, she was born Barbara Kay Bracher of Jewish parents, educated at Yeshiva University School of Law, and hired by the legal firm WilmerHale, of which Jamie Gorelick, a future member of the 9/11 Commission, was also a member, and whose clients include powerful Israeli firms like Amdocs, a digital communication company charged with spying for Israel in the United States. On September 11, 2001, Barbara Olson alledgedly was on flight AA77, from which she made two telephone calls to her husband. Her calls were reported on CNN in the afternoon, and contributed to crystallize some details of the official story, such as the box cutters used as only weapons by the hijackers. Repeatedly invited on television shows after 9/11, Ted Olson frequently contradicted himself when questioned about the calls from his wife. In a 2006 report, the FBI identified only one call from Barbara Olson, and it was an unconnected call lasting 0 seconds. Like all other reported phone calls from desperate passengers (including the famous Hi, Mom. This is Mark Bingham), Barbaras call was simply impossible, because the technology required to make high-altitude phone calls was not developed until 2004.[3] 9/11 was made possible by an alliance between secret worshippers of Israel and corrupted American elements. The question is: who, of the two, were the masterminds of this incredibly daring and complex operation, and for what higher purpose? Another question is: why do those who keep repeating as a mantra 9/11 was an inside job ignore totally the compelling evidence pointing to Israel? In other words, to what extent do they constitute a controlled opposition intended to cover up for Israel? Asking this type of question does not mean suspecting anyone who defends an erroneous or incomplete theory of being a hypocrite. Most people defending one theory or the other do so sincerely, based on the information to which they have access. I have myself been a believer in the official theory for 7 years, and in the inside job theory for 2 years, before progressively moving on to the present argument from 2010. On the other hand, we can assume that those who lead the public into error on a long term are not just mistaken but lying. In any case, it is legitimate to investigate the background of opinion makers, and when they are caught lying or distorting the truth, we can speculate on their motivation. I will come back to this issue at the end of the article. Researchers who believe Israel orchestrated 9/11 cite the behavior of a group of individuals who have come to be known as the dancing Israelis since their arrest, though their aim was to pass as dancing Arabs. Dressed in ostensibly Middle Eastern attire, they were seen by various witnesses standing on the roof of a van parked in Jersey City, cheering and taking photos of each other with the WTC in the background, at the very moment the first plane hit the North Tower. The suspects then moved their van to another parking spot in Jersey City, where other witnesses saw them deliver the same ostentatious celebrations. One anonymous call to the police in Jersey City, reported the same day by NBC News, mentioned a white van, 2 or 3 guys in there. They look like Palestinians and going around a building. [] I see the guy by Newark Airport mixing some junk and he has those sheikh uniforms. [] Hes dressed like an Arab. The police soon issued the following BOLO alert (be-on-the-look-out) for a Vehicle possibly related to New York terrorist attack. White, 2000 Chevrolet van with New Jersey registration with Urban Moving Systems sign on back seen at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, at the time of first impact of jetliner into World Trade Center. Three individuals with van were seen celebrating after initial impact and subsequent explosion. By chance, the van was intercepted around 4 pm, with five young men inside: Sivan and Paul Kurzberg, Yaron Shmuel, Oded Ellner, and Omer Marmari. Before any question was asked, the driver, Sivan Kurzberg, burst out: We are Israelis. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are your problem.The Kurzberg brothers were formally identified as Mossad agents. All five officially worked for a moving company (a classic cover for espionage) named Urban Moving Systems, whose owner, Dominik Otto Suter, fled the country for Tel Aviv on September 14.[4] This event was first reported the day after the attacks by journalist Paulo Lima in the New Jersey newspaper The Bergen Record, based on sources close to the investigation who were convinced of the suspects foreknowledge of the mornings attacks: It looked like they knew what was going to happen when they were at Liberty State Park.The 579-page FBI report on the investigation that followed (partially declassified in 2005) reveals several important facts. First, once developed, the photos taken by the suspects while watching the North Tower on fire confirm their attitudes of celebration: They smiled, they hugged each other and they appeared to high five one another. To explain their contentment, the suspects said they were simply happy that, thanks to these terrorist attacks, the United States will take steps to stop terrorism in the world. Yet at this point, before the second tower was hit, most Americans believed the crash was an accident. The five Israelis were found connected to another company called Classic International Movers, which employed five other Israelis arrested for their contacts with the nineteen presumed suicide hijackers. In addition, one of the five suspects had called an individual in South America with authentic ties to Islamic militants in the middle east. Finally, the FBI report states that the The vehicle was also searched by a trained bomb-sniffing dog which yielded a positive result for the presence of explosive traces. After all this incriminating evidence comes the most puzzling passage of the report: its conclusion that the FBI no longer has any investigative interests in the detainees and they should proceed with the appropriate immigration proceedings. In fact, a letter addressed to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, dated September 25, 2001, proves that, less than two weeks after the events, the FBI federal headquarter had already decided to close the investigation, asking that The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service should proceed with the appropriate immigration proceedings. The five dancing Israelis, also known as the high fivers, were detained 71 days in a Brooklyn prison, where they first refused, then failed, lie detector tests. Finally, they were quietly returned to Israel under the minimal charge of visa violation. Three of them were then invited on an Israeli TV talk show in November 2001, where one of them ingenuously declared: Our purpose was simply to document the event. The five dancing Israelis, the only suspects arrested on the very day of the 9/11 attacks, were just the tip of an iceberg. In September 2001, the federal police were busy dismantling the largest Israeli spy network ever uncovered on American soil. In the summer preceding the attack, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) compiled a report which would be revealed to the public by the Washington Post on November 23rd, 2001, followed by a Carl Camerons four-part documentary broadcast on Fox News from December 11th, 2001. On March 14th, 2002, an article in French newspaper Le Monde signed by Sylvain Cypel also referred to the report, shortly before the French magazine Intelligence Online made it fully accessible on the Internet.[5] It said that 140 Israeli spies, aged between 20 and 30, had been arrested since March 2001, while 60 more were arrested after September 11. Generally posing as art students, they visited at least 36 sensitive sites of the Department of Defense. A majority of those questioned have stated they served in military intelligence, electronic signal intercept, or explosive ordnance units. Some have been linked to high-ranking officials in the Israeli military. One was the son of a two-star general, one served as the bodyguard to the head of the Israeli Army, one served in a Patriot mission unit. Another, Peer Segalovitz, officer in the 605 Battalion of the Golan Heights, acknowledged he could blow up buildings, bridges, cars, and anything else that he needed to.[6] Of special interest is the mention that the Hollywood, Florida, area seems to be a central point for these individuals.[7] More than 30 out of the 140 fake Israeli students identified before 9/11 lived in that city of 140,000 inhabitants. And this city also happens to be the place where fifteen of the nineteen alleged 9/11 Islamist hijackers had regrouped (nine in Hollywood, six in the vicinity), including four of the five supposed to have hijacked Flight AA11. What was the relationship between the Israeli spies and the Islamist terrorists? We were told by mainstream news that the former were monitoring the latter, but failed to report suspicious activities of these terrorists to American authorities. From such a presentation, Israel comes out clean, since a spy agency cannot be blamed for not sharing information with the country it is spying in. At worst, the Israeli Intelligence can be accused of letting it happena guarantee of impunity. In reality, the Israeli agents were certainly not just monitoring the future hijackers, but financing and manipulating them, before disposing of them. We know that Israeli Hanan Serfaty, who rented two flats near Mohamed Atta, had handled at least $100,000 in three months. And we also learned from the New York Times on February 19, 2009, that Ali al-Jarrah, cousin of the alleged hijacker of Flight UA93 Ziad al-Jarrah, had spent twenty-five years spying for the Mossad as an undercover agent infiltrating the Palestinian resistance and Hezbollah. Israeli agents apparently appreciate operating under the cover of artists. Shortly before September 11, a group of fourteen Jewish artists under the name of Gelatin installed themselves on the ninety-first floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. There, as a work of street art, they removed a window and extended a wooden balcony. To understand what role this piece of scaffolding may have played, it must be remembered that the explosion supposedly resulting from the impact of the Boeing AA11 on the North Tower took place between the ninety-second and the ninety-eighth floors. With the only film of the impact on the North Tower being that of the Naudet brothers, who are under suspicion for numerous reasons, many researchers are convinced that no aircraft hit this tower, and that the explosion simulating the impact was provoked by pre-planted explosives inside the tower. Floors ninety-three to one hundred of the North Tower were occupied by Marsh & McLennan, whose CEO was Jeffrey Greenberg, son of wealthy Zionist (and financier of George W. Bush) Maurice Greenberg, who also happens to be the owner of Kroll Inc., the firm in charge of security for the entire World Trade Center complex on 9/11. The Greenbergs were also the insurers of the Twin Towers and, on July 24, 2001, they took the precaution of having the contract reinsured by competitors. In November 2000, the board of directors of Marsh & McLennan was joined by (Lewis) Paul Bremer, the chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism, who, on September 11, 2001, two hours only after the pulverization of the North Tower, would appear on NBC to name bin Laden as prime suspect, perfectly calm as 400 of his employees are missing (295 will finally be declared dead). It is the day that will change our lives, he said. It is the day when the war that the terrorists declared on the US [. . .] has been brought home to the US. In 2003, Bremer would be appointed administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to level the Iraqi state to the ground and oversee the theft of almost a trillion dollars intended for its reconstruction. With Goldberg and Bremer, we have reached the upper level of the conspiracy, comprising a number of influential Jewish personalities, working inside and outside the U.S. government super-sayanim, so to speak. The most representative of those outside government is Larry Silverstein, the real estate shark who, with his partner Frank Lowy, leased the Twin Towers from New York City in the spring of 2001. The head of the New York Port Authority, who granted Silverstein and Lowy the lease, was none other than Lewis Eisenberg, another member of the United Jewish Appeal Federation and former vice-president of AIPAC. It appeared that Silverstein had made a disastrous deal, because the Twin Towers had to be decontaminated for asbestos. The decontamination process had been indefinitely postponed since the 1980s because of its cost, estimated at nearly $1 billion in 1989. In 2001, the New York Port Authority had been all too happy to shift responsibility to Silverstein. Immediately after acquiring the Twin Towers, Silverstein renegotiated the insurance contracts to cover terrorist attacks, doubling the coverage to $3.5 billion, and made sure he would retain the right to rebuild after such an event. After the attacks, he took his insurers to court in order to receive double compensation, claiming that the two planes were two separate attacks. After a long legal battle, he pocketed $4.5 billion. Silverstein is a leading member of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, the biggest fundraiser for Israel (after the US government, which pays about $3 billion per year in aid to Israel). Silverstein also maintained close ties with Netanyahu, according to Haaretz (November 21, 2001): The two have been on friendly terms since Netanyahus stint as Israels ambassador to the United Nations. For years they kept in close touch. Every Sunday afternoon, New York time, Netanyahu would call Silverstein. Besides being a powerful man, Larry is a lucky man: as he explained in this interview, every morning of the week, he had breakfast at the Windows on the World on top of the North Tower, but on September 11th, he had an appointment with his dermatologist. Accomplices to the 9/11 false flag attack with strong Israeli connections should also be tracked at the other end of the trajectory of the planes reported to have crashed into the Twin Towers. Flights AA11 and UA175 took off from Logan Airport in Boston, which subcontracted their security to International Consultants on Targeted Security (ICTS), a firm based in Israel and headed by Menachem Atzmon, a treasurer of the Likud. So did Newark Airport where flight UA93 reportedly took off before crashing in Shanksville. A serious investigation would follow many other trails, such as the Odigo instant messages received by employees at the WTC two hours before the plane crashes, as reported by Haaretz on September 27th, 2001. The first plane hit the WTC at the precise time announced, almost to the minute, admitted Alex Diamandis, vice-president of Odigo, headquartered in Israel. Also disturbing is the behavior of the American branch of Zim Israel Navigational, a maritime shipping giant 48% owned by the Jewish state (occasionally used as a cover for the Israeli secret services), which moved its offices from the WTC, along with its 200 employees, September 4th, 2001, one week before the attacks like an act of God, we moved, said the CEO Shaul Cohen-Mintz when interviewed by USA Today, November 17th, 2001. But of course, none of these trails were ever pursued. That is because the most powerful conspirators were at the highest level of the Justice Department. Michael Chertoff was head of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in 2001, and responsible, among many other things, for securing the release of the Israeli agents arrested before and after 9/11, including the dancing Israelis. In 2003, this son of a rabbi and of a Mossad pioneer would be appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, in charge of counter-terrorism on the American soil, which allowed him to control dissenting citizens and restrain access to the evidence under the pretext of Sensitive Security Information. Another chief of the cover-up was Philip Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 presidential Commission established in November 2002. Zelikow is a self-styled specialist in the art of making public myths by searing or molding events [that] take on transcendent importance and, therefore, retain their power even as the experiencing generation passes from the scene (Wikipedia). In December 1998, he co-signed an article for Foreign Affairs entitled Catastrophic Terrorism, in which he speculated on what would have happened if the 1993 WTC bombing (already attributed to bin Laden) had been done with a nuclear bomb: An act of catastrophic terrorism that killed thousands or tens of thousands of people and/or disrupted the necessities of life for hundreds of thousands, or even millions, would be a watershed event in Americas history. It could involve loss of life and property unprecedented for peacetime and undermine Americans fundamental sense of security within their own borders in a manner akin to the 1949 Soviet atomic bomb test, or perhaps even worse. Like Pearl Harbor, the event would divide our past and future into a before and after. The United States might respond with draconian measures scaling back civil liberties, allowing wider surveillance of citizens, detention of suspects and use of deadly force. This is the man who controlled the governmental investigation on the 9/11 terror attacks. Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, who nominally led the commission, revealed in their book Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission (2006), that the commission was set up to fail from the beginning. Zelikow, they claim, had already written a synopsis and a conclusion for the final report before the first meeting. He controlled all the working groups, prevented them from communicating with each other, and gave them as sole mission to prove the official story; Team 1A, for example, was tasked to tell the story of Al-Qaedas most successful operationthe 9/11 attacks. A tight control of mainstream media is perhaps the most delicate aspect of the whole operation. I will not delve into that aspect, for we all know what to expect from the MSM. For a groundbreaking argument on the extent to which 9/11 was psy-op orchestrated by MSM, I recommend Ace Bakers 2012 documentary 9/11 The Great American Psy-Opera, chapters 6, 7 and 8. If we move up to the very highest level of the conspiracy, we find ourselves in Tel Aviv. The preparation for 9/11 coincided with the coming to power of Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996, followed by Ehud Barak in July 1999, and Ariel Sharon in March 2001, who brought back Netanyahu as minister of Foreign Affairs in 2002 (with Netanyahu again becoming prime minister in 2009). It must be noted that both Netanyahu and Ehud Barak were temporarily out of the Israeli government in September 2001, just like Ben-Gurion at the time of Kennedys assassination (read my article on JFK). A few months before 9/11, Barak, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, was recruited as a consultant to a Mossad front company, SCP Partner, specializing in security and located less than seven miles from Urban Moving Systems.[8] One hour after the explosion of the North Tower, Barak was on BBC World to point the finger at bin Laden (the first to do so), and concluded: Its a time to launch an operational, complete war against terror. As for Netanyahu, we are not surprised to hear him boast, on CNN in 2006, of having predicted in 1995 that, if the West doesnt wake up to the suicidal nature of militant Islam, the next thing you will see is militant Islam bringing down the World Trade Center. Netanyahu is exemplary of the ever closer special relationship between the US and Israel, which started with Truman and blossomed under Johnson. Netanyahu had lived, studied, and worked in the United States from 1960 to 1978, between his 11th and his 27th yearexcept during his military serviceand again after the age of 33, when he was appointed deputy ambassador to Washington and then permanent delegate to the United Nations. Netanyahu appeared regularly on CNN in the early 1990s, contributing to the transformation of the worlds leading news channel into a major Zionist propaganda tool. His political destiny was largely planned and shaped in the United States, under the supervision of those we now call neoconservatives, and the only thing that distinguishes him from them is that, for public relations reasons, he does not possess American nationality. Whats a neocon? once asked Bush 43 to his father Bush 41, after more than three years in the White House. Do you want names, or a description? answered 41. Description. Well, said 41, Ill give it to you in one word: Israel.[9] That anecdote, quoted by Andrew Cockburn, sums it up. The neoconservative movement was born in the editorial office of the monthly magazine Commentary, which had replaced the Contemporary Jewish Record in 1945 as the press organ of the American Jewish Committee. If there is an intellectual movement in America to whose invention Jews can lay sole claim, neoconservatism is it, wrote Gal Beckerman in the Jewish Daily Forward, January 6, 2006. It is a fact that as a political philosophy, neoconservatism was born among the children of Jewish immigrants and is now largely the intellectual domain of those immigrants grandchildren. The founding fathers of neoconservatism (Norman Podhoretz, Irving Kristol, Donald Kagan, Paul Wolfowitz, Adam Shulsky) were self-proclaimed disciples of Leo Strauss, a German Jewish immigrant teaching at the University of Chicago. Strauss can be characterized as a meta-Zionist in the sense that, while an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, he rejected the idea that Israel as a nation should be contained within borders; Israel must retain her specificity, which is to be everywhere, he said in essence in his 1962 lecture Why We Remain Jews. Strauss would also approve of being called a Machiavellian, for in his Thoughts on Machiavelli, he praised the the intrepidity of his thought, the grandeur of his vision, and the graceful subtlety of his speech (p. 13). Machiavellis model of a prince was Cesar Borgia, the tyrant who after having appointed the cruel Ramiro dOrco to subdue the province of Romania, had him executed with utter cruelty, thus reaping the peoples gratitude after having diverted their hatred onto another. Machiavelli, writes Strauss, is a patriot of a particular kind: He is more concerned with the salvation of his fatherland than with the salvation of his soul (p. 10). And that happens to be exactly what Jewishness is all about, according to Jewish thinkers such as Harry Waton: The Jews that have a deeper understanding of Judaism know that the only immortality there is for the Jew is the immortality in the Jewish people (read more here). As a matter of fact, in the Jewish World Review of June 7, 1999, Michael Ledeen, a neocon and founding member of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), assumed that Machiavelli must have been a secret Jew, since if you listen to his political philosophy you will hear Jewish music. The neoconservatives of the first generation originally positioned themselves on the far left. Irving Kristol, one of the main editors of Commentary, had long claimed to be a Trotskyist. It was soon after the 1967 successful annexation of Arab territories by Israel that the Straussians experienced their conversion to right-wing militarism, to which they owe their new name. Norman Podhoretz, editor-in-chief from 1960 to 1995, turned from anti-war activist to defense budget booster in the early 70s. He gave the following explanation in 1979: American support for Israel depended upon continued American involvement in international affairsfrom which it followed that an American withdrawal into the kind of isolationist mood [. . .] that now looked as though it might soon prevail again, represented a direct threat to the security of Israel. (Breaking Ranks, p. 336). Leading the U.S. into war for the benefit of Israel is the essence of the Machiavellian crypto-Zionists known deceptively as neoconservatives. The story of how the neoconservatives reached the position of influence they held under George W. Bush is a complicated one, which I can only outline. They entered the state apparatus for the first time in the baggage of Rumsfeld and Cheney, during president Fords cabinet reshuffle known as the Halloween Massacre, following Nixons resignation. When the Cold War calmed down after America evacuated its troops from Vietnam in 1973, and the CIA produced reassuring analyses of the USSRs military capabilities and ambitions, Rumsfeld (as Secretary of Defense) and Cheney (as Chief of Staff) persuaded Ford to appoint an independent committee, known as Team B, to revise upward the CIA estimates of the Soviet threat, and reactivate a war attitude in public opinion, Congress, and Administration. Team B was chaired by Richard Pipes and co-chaired by Paul Wolfowitz, both introduced by Richard Perle. During the Democratic parenthesis of the Carter presidency (197680), the neoconservatives worked at unifying the largest number of Jews around their policies, by founding the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), which became the second-most powerful pro-Israel lobby after AIPAC. According to its mission statement, it is dedicated to educating Congressional, military and civilian national security decision-makers on American defense and strategic interests, primarily in the Middle East, the cornerstone of which is a robust U.S.-Israeli security cooperation. In 1980, the neocons were rewarded by Ronald Reagan for their support by a dozen posts in national security and foreign policy: Richard Perle and Douglas Feith to the Department of Defense; Richard Pipes at the National Security Council; Paul Wolfowitz, Lewis Scooter Libby, and Michael Ledeen in the State Department. They helped Reagan escalate the Cold War, showering billions of dollars on the military-industrial complex. The long term planning of 9/11 probably started then. Isser Harel, founder of Israeli secret services (Shai in 1944, Shin Bet in 1948, Mossad until 1963) is reported as prophesizing in 1980, in an interview with Christian Zionist Michael Evans, that Islamic terrorism would end up hitting America in their phallic symbol: Your biggest phallic symbol is New York City and your tallest building will be the phallic symbol they will hit.[10] (A whole article would be needed to document and explain the revival of the Jewish gift of apocalyptic prophecy in recent decades.) In 1996, during the Clinton years, the neoconservatives threw all their weight into their ultimate think tank, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), directed by William Kristol and Robert Kagan. PNAC recommended taking advantage of the defeat of communism to reinforce American hegemony by preventing the emergence of any rival. Their Statement of Principles vowed to extend the current Pax Americana, which entailed a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges. In its September 2000 report entitled Rebuilding Americas Defenses, PNAC anticipated that US forces must become able to rapidly deploy and win multiple simultaneous large-scale wars. This required a profound transformation, including the development of a new family of nuclear weapons designed to address new sets of military requirements. Unfortunately, according to the authors of the report, the process of transformation [] is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing eventlike a new Pearl Harbor. It is certainly no coincidence that the three-hour-long blockbuster Pearl Harbor was released in the summer 2001, conveniently entrenching the New Pearl Harbor meme into the minds of millions. PNACs architects played the American hegemony card by draping themselves in the super-patriotic discourse of Americas civilizing mission. But their duplicity is exposed in a document brought to public knowledge in 2008: a report published in 1996 by the Israeli think tank Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies (IASPS), entitled A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm, written specifically for the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The team responsible for the report was led by Richard Perle, and included Douglas Feith and David Wurmser, who figured the same year among the signatories of PNAC. As its title suggests, the Clean Break report invited Netanyahu to break with the Oslo Accords of 1993, which officially committed Israel to the return of the territories it occupied illegally since 1967. The new prime minister should instead engage every possible energy on rebuilding Zionism and reaffirm Israels right to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In November 2000, Bush Jr. was elected under conditions that raised protests of electoral fraud. Dick Cheney, who had directed his campaign, named himself vice-president and introduced two dozens neoconservatives in foreign policy key positions. The State Department was entrusted to Colin Powell, but he was surrounded with neocon aides such as David Wurmser. As National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, a specialist of Russia with no expertise in the Middle East, was entirely dependent on her neocon adviser Philip Zelikow. William Luti and Elliott Abrams, and later Eliot Cohen, were also tasked with steering Rice. But it was mainly from within the Defense Department under Donald Rumsfeld that the most influential neocons were able to fashion US foreign and military policy. Richard Perle occupied the crucial position of director of the Defense Policy Board, responsible for defining military strategy, while Paul Wolfowitz became the soul of the Pentagon as deputy secretary with Douglas Feith as under secretary. After eight months in the presidency, Bush was confronted with the catastrophic event, the new Pearl Harbor that PNAC had wished for a year earlier. 9/11 was a real Hanukkah miracle for Israel, commented Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy and Israeli National Security Council chairman Uzi Dayan. Netanyahu rejoiced: Its very good [] it will generate immediate sympathy [], strengthen the bond between our two peoples, because weve experienced terror over so many decades, but the United States has now experienced a massive hemorrhaging of terror. On September 21, he published an op-ed in the New York Post entitled Today, We Are All Americans, in which he delivered his favorite propaganda line: For the bin Ladens of the world, Israel is merely a sideshow. America is the target. Three days later the New Republic responded with a headline on behalf of the Americans: We are all Israelis now. Americans experienced 9/11 as an act of hatred from the Arab world, and they felt an immediate sympathy for Israel, which the neoconservatives relentlessly exploited. One of the aims was to encourage Americans to view Israels oppression of the Palestinians as part of the global fight against Islamic terrorism. It was a great success. In the years preceding September 11, Israels reputation had bottomed out; condemnations had been raining from around the world for its policy of apartheid and colonization, and its systematic war against Palestinian command structures. Increasing numbers of American voices questioned the merits of the special relationship between the United States and Israel. From the day of the attacks, it was all over. As Americans now intended to fight Arab terrorists to the death, they would stop demanding from Israel more reasonable, proportionate retaliation against Palestinian suicide bombers and rockets. Instead, the presidents speeches (written by neocon David Frum) characterized the 9/11 attacks as the trigger for a world war of a new type, one fought against an invisible enemy scattered throughout the Middle East. First, vengeance must come not only against bin Laden, but also against the state harboring him: We will make no distinction between those who committed these acts and those who harbor them (Sept. 11). Second, the war extends to the world: Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated (Sept. 20). Third, any country that does not support Washington will be treated as an enemy: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists (Sept. 20). In an article in the Wall Street Journal dated November 20, 2001, the neoconservative Eliot Cohen dubbed the war against terrorism as World War IV, a framing soon echoed by other American Zionists (the odd choice of the name WWIV rather than WWIII comes, I suspect, from the neocons ethnocentric worldview, in which every world war is a step toward Greater Israel; since one major step was accomplished in 1967, the Cold War counts as WW3). In September 2004, at a conference in Washington entitled World War IV: Why We Fight, Whom We Fight, How We Fight, Cohen said: The enemy in this war is not terrorism [] but militant Islam. Like the Cold War, the imminent world war, according to Cohens vision, has ideological roots, will have global implications, and will last a long time, involving a whole range of conflicts. The self-fulfilling prophecy of a new World War centered in the Middle East has also been popularized by Norman Podhoretz, in How to Win World War IV (Commentary, February 2002), followed by a second article in, World War IV: How It Started, What It Means, and Why We Have to Win, (September 2004), and finally a book titled World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism (2007).[11] In the case of 9/11 as in the case of Kennedy, controlled opposition operates on many levels, and many honest scholars now realize that the 9/11 Truth movement itself is partly channeled by individuals and groups secretly aiming at drawing suspicions away from Israel. Such is certainly the case of the three young Jews (Avery, Rowe, and Bermas) who directed the film Loose Change (2005), the most widely watched 9/11 conspiracy film since its first version in 2005. They hitched their whole thesis on a comparison with the never carried-out false flag project Operation Northwoods (timely revealed to the public in May 2001 in James Bamfords book Body of Secrets, written with the support of former NSA director Michael Hayden, now working for Michael Chertoff), but they failed to mention the attack on the USS Liberty, a well-documented false flag attack by Israel on its U.S. ally. They did not breathe a word about the neoconservatives loyalty to Israel, and treat anyone who cited the Israeli role in 9/11 as anti-Semitic. The same can be said of Bermass more recent film Invisible Empire (2010), also produced by Alex Jones: a compilation of anti-imperialist cliches focusing on the Bushs and the Rockefellers, without a single hint of the (((Others))). It is interesting to note that the 9/11 scenario put forward by Loose Change had actually been prewritten by Hollywood: on the 4th of March, 2001, Fox TV broadcast the first episode of the series The Lone Gunmen, watched by 13 million Americans. The plot is about computer hackers working for a secret cabal within the U.S. government, who hijack a jet by remote control with the intent to crash it into one of the Twin Towers, while making it appear to have been hijacked by Islamic terrorists. At the last seconds, the pilots manage to regain control of the plane. The purpose of the failed operation was to trigger a world war under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Truthers of the inside job school fancy that this episode must have been written by some whistleblower inside Fox. Unlikely! There is, of course, some truth in the inside job theory, as I said at the beginning. Israel (in the wider sense) would not be able to pull such an operation and get away with it, without complicity at the highest level of U.S. government. How does that work? Pretty much like for the Kennedy assassination, if you consider that the country was then ruled by its vice-president Dick Cheney, the president being a mere dummy (see Lou Dubose and Jake Bernstein, Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency, Random House, 2006). In my book JFK-9/11, I have proposed a plausible scenario of how Israel had in fact hijacked a smaller false flag attack on the Pentagon fabricated by the American Deep State, for the limited purpose of justifying the overthrow of the Talibans in Afghanistan, a goal fully supported by such Great Gamers as Zbigniew Brzezinski, but which didnt in itself interest the neocons. What the neocons wanted was a new war against Iraq and then a general conflagration in the Middle East leading to the crumbling of all the enemies of Israel, with Syria and Iran high on the list. So they outbid everyone and gave the operation the scale they wanted with the help of their New York super-sayan Silvertein. George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and other goyim who had been kept out of the loop, finding themselves embroiled in geopolitical machinations of global scope, could merely try to save face. On September 19 and 20, Richard Perles Defense Policy Board met in the company of Paul Wolfowitz and Bernard Lewis (inventor of the self-fulfilling prophecy of the clash of civilizations) but in the absence of Powell and Rice. They prepared a letter to Bush, written on PNAC letterhead, to remind him of his historic mission: Even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the attack, any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. Failure to undertake such an effort will constitute an early and perhaps decisive surrender in the war on international terrorism. [12] This was an ultimatum. Bush was certainly aware of the leverage that the neocons had acquired over the major print and television media. He was obliged, under penalty of ending in the proverbial trash bin of history, to endorse the invasion of Iraq that his father had refused the Zionists ten years earlier. As for Brzezinski and other genuine U.S. imperialists, their support for the invasion of Afghanistan made their timid protests against the Iraq war ineffective. It was a little late in February 2007 when Brzezinski denounced before the Senate a historical, strategic and moral calamity [] driven by Manichaean impulses and imperial hubris. In 2012 he declared, regarding the risk of conflagration with Iran, that Obama should stop following Israel like a stupid mule. He soon disappeared from the MSM, as a useful idiot no longer useful. The half truth of the exclusively inside job theory, which denounces 9/11 as a false flag operation perpetrated by the American state on its own citizens, functions like a secondary false flag hiding the real masters of the operation, who are in fact agents in the service of a foreign nation. One of the aims of this inside-jobish controlled opposition is to force American officials to maintain the bin Laden did it masquerade, knowing that tearing apart the fake Islamic flag would only reveal the U.S. flag, not the Israeli flag. No longer controlling the media, they would not have the means to raise this second veil to expose Israel. Any effort to get at the truth would be political suicide. Everyone understands what is at stake: if one day, under mounting pressure from public opinion or for some other strategic reason, the mainstream media abandons the official bin Laden story, the well-rehearsed slogan 9/11 was an inside job will have prepared Americans to turn against their own government, while the neocon Zionists will remain untouchable (Machiavellis method: make another accomplish your dirty ends, then turn popular vengeance against him). And God knows what will happen, if the government has not by then succeeded in disarming its citizens through Sandy Hook-type psy-ops. Government officials have little choice but to stick to the Al-Qaeda story, at least for the next fifty years. After reaching this conclusion in JFK-9/11, I had the satisfaction of finding that Victor Thorn, in a book that had eluded me (Made in Israel: 9-11 and the Jewish Plot Against America, Sisyphus Press, 2011), had already expressed it in harsher terms: In essence, the 9-11 truth movement was created prior to Sept. 11, 2001 as a means of suppressing news relating to Israeli complicity. By 20022003, truthers began appearing at rallies holding placards that read 9-11 was an inside job. Initially, these signs provided hope for those who didnt believe the government and mainstream medias absurd cover stories. But then an awful realization emerged: The slogan 9-11 was an inside job was quite possibly the greatest example of Israeli propaganda ever devised. [] The mantra, 9-11 was an inside job is only partially true and is inherently damaging to the truth movement because it shifts all attention away from Israels traitorous assault against America. [] Leaders of these fake 9-11 groups know the truth about Israels 9-11 barbarity. Their willingness to perpetuate or cover it up ultimately makes them as guilty and vile as those who launched the attacks. There are no degrees of separation in this matter. Its a black-and-white issue. Tell the entire truth about Israels Murder, Inc. cabal, or sleep in the same infected bed as these murdering dogs lie in. [] Faux conspiratologists complain about the government and news sources not telling the truth, yet theyve erected an utter blackout on data regarding Israel and 9-11. Some readers will complain that I am making a very complex operation appear too simple. I plead guilty: I have merely tried here to outline the case against Israel in the short scope of an article. But I am fully aware that creating Greater Israel through a world war fought by the U.S. might not have been the only consideration in the preparation of 9/11. Many private interests had to be involved. Yet I believe none of them interfered with Israels plan, and most of them supported it. There is, for example, the missing gold in the WTC basement : $200 million were recovered from the estimated $1 billion stored: who took the rest? But that is nothing compared to the $2.3 trillion that were missing from the accounts of the Department of Defense for the year 2000, in addition to $1.1 trillion missing for 1999, according to a televised declaration made on September 10th, 2001, the day before the attacks, by Donald Rumsfeld. Just for comparison, this is more than one thousand times the colossal losses of Enron, which triggered a chain of bankruptcies that same year. All this money evaporated into thin air under the watch of William Cohen, Defense Secretary during Bill Clintons second term. In 2001, the man who was tasked to help track down the missing trillions was Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Dov Zakheim, a member of PNAC and an ordained rabbi. Practically, the mystery had to be resolved by financial analysts at Resource Services Washington (RSW). Unfortunately, their offices were destroyed by al-Qaeda the following morning. The hijackers or Flight AA77, rather than hitting the command center on the eastern side of the Pentagon, chose to attempt a theoretically impossible downward spiral at 180 degrees in order to hit the west side of the building precisely at the location of the accounting offices. The 34 experts at RSW perished in their offices, together with 12 other financial analysts, as is noted in the biography of the team leader Robert Russell for the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial: The weekend before his death, his entire office attended a crab feast at the Russell home. They were celebrating the end of the fiscal-year budget completion. Tragically, every person that attended that party was involved in the Pentagon explosion, and are currently missing. By an incredible coincidence, one of the financial experts trying to make sense of the Pentagon financial loss, Bryan Jack, was reported to have died at the precise location of his office, not because he was working there that day, but because he was on a business trip on Flight AA77. In the words of the Washington Post database: Bryan C. Jack was responsible for crunching Americas defense budget. He was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77, bound for official business in California when his plane struck the Pentagon, where, on any other day, Jack would have been at work at his computer. Yahweh must have a sense of chutzpah! Laurent Guyenot is the author of JFK-9/11: 50 years of Deep State, Progressive Press, 2014, and From Yahweh to Zion: Jealous God, Chosen People, Promised Land Clash of Civilizations, 2018. (or $30 shipping included from Sifting and Winnowing, POB 221, Lone Rock, WI 53556). - " Source " - Footnotes [1] Philippe Broussard, En depit des declarations americaines, les indices menant a Ben Laden restent minces, Le Monde, September 25, 2001. [2] Gilad Atzmon, Being in Time: a Post-Political Manifesto, Interlink Publishing, 2017 , p. 142. [3] David Ray Griffin, 9/11 Contradictions, Arris Books, 2008, pp. 170-182; Webster Griffin Tarpley, 9/11 Synthetic Terror Made in USA, Progressive Press, 2008, pp. 321-324. [4] Christopher Bollyn, Solving 9-11: The Deception That Changed the World, C. Bollyn, 2012, pp. 278280. [5] It is quoted here from Bollyns book and from Justin Raimondo, The Terror Enigma: 9/11 and the Israeli Connection, iUniverse, 2003. [6] Christopher Bollyn, Solving 9-11: The Deception That Changed the World, C. Bollyn, 2012, p. 159. [7] Justin Raimondo, The Terror Enigma: 9/11 and the Israeli Connection, iUniverse, 2003, p. 3. [8] Christopher Bollyn, Solving 9-11: The Deception that Changed the World, 2012 , pp. 278-280. [9] Quoted by Andrew Cockburn, who claims to have heard the anecdote from friends of the family, in Rumsfeld: His Rise, His fall, and Catastrophic Legacy, Scribner, 2011, p. 219. [10] Michael Evans told of this prophecy in an interview with Deborath Calwell and in his book The American Prophecies, Terrorism and Mid-East Conflict Reveal a Nations Destiny), quoted in Christopher Bollyn, Solving 9-11: The Deception That Changed the World, C. Bollyn, 2012, p. 71. [11] Stephen Sniegoski, The Transparent Cabal: The Neoconservative Agenda, War in the Middle East, and the National Interest of Israel, Enigma Edition, 2008, p. 193. [12] Stephen Sniegoski, The Transparent Cabal: The Neoconservative Agenda, War in the Middle East, and the National Interest of Israel, Enigma Edition, 2008, p. 144. W ell, here we are, another new year. Another new variant in the coronavirus. And with the new year, the wine trade in Italy and America is ... In an article by SCMP written back on July 12, 2020, Hong Kong's very own top university has previously dismissed as "hearsay" and also distanced itself from allegations made by a certain virologist that it formerly employed stating that Beijing actually covered up the whole coronavirus outbreak back in December. A particular Li-MengYan , who was working as a postdoctoral fellow at the known University of Hong Kong's own school of public health, gave the story in a Fox News interview that the HKU itself had failed to act upon her previous statements that the virus could eventually spread amongst humans. The virologist had claims before the pandemic broke out The virologist then said that she had uncovered certain evidence that the Chinese authorities themselves were well aware of the human-to-human transmission of the known coronavirus sometime late December, which she previously said that she passed to her superiors over at the university but was then asked to keep this knowledge quite. HKU has confirmed that Yan was an actual postdoctoral fellow who had previously left the university. According to the reading, HKU did note that the content of this said news report does not actually accord with the whole key facts as they understood. It was also stated that they have observed that what she might have actually emphasized in the previously reported interview actually has no actual scientific basis but closely resembles hearsay. HKU has also clarified that Yan has not actually conducted research regarding this topic at the university from the time December to January. Read Also: Chinese Whistleblower, Dr. Li-Meng Yan to Release Scientific Proof that Coronavirus Came from Wuhan Lab, Not at a Wet Market The dangerous discovery was asked to be kept secret Yan has recently stated that she was one of the world's own first scientists to study the recent virus from December's end when her own supervisor Professor Leo Poom Lit-man, the known HKU school's division head, they asked her to secretly actually investigate the developments all the way in mainland China. She previously obtained back on December 31 what she then called particular first-hand information from a known scientist friend that was working for the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, who actually claimed that there indeed was a human-to-human transition because of the known existence of clusters within different families. Yan then claimed that when she actually told Poon about the possible human-to-human transmission, he then proceeded to ask her to stay silent and also be careful. Professor Yuen Kwok-yung then informed the health minister known as Sophia Chan Siu-chee about the outbreak in Wuhan. The statement included a warning that its pandemic potential could be quite similar to Sars, which was also transmitted between human beings. The possibility of this human-to-human transmission had actually been previously discussed by researchers all across the border by then, but there was still no official confirmation yet. Read Also: Whistleblower? Chinese Virologist Who Claims COVID-19 Originated in a 'Military Lab' Fled to US in Fear This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Urian Buenconsejo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko flew to Russia to meet with president Vladimir Putin for talks on Monday amid ongoing protests at home and fears among the Belarusian opposition that he might cede parts of the countrys independence in return for the Kremlins support. Lukashenko and Putin met on Monday in Sochi on Russias Black Sea -- where Putin has a residence -- for the talks that were announced last week.The two leaders appeared in front of cameras, sitting in two chairs to deliver remarks, where Lukashenko thanked Putin for Russia's backing already during the weeks of protests that have called for an end to his 26-year rule in Belarus. First of all I want to thank you, Lukashenko told Putin. You acted very decently and as a a human being," he said. "You find out who your friends are during trouble." In recent weeks, Putin has thrown Russia's support behind Belarus, signaling it will not tolerate his removal by force and warning it could send a "reserve" of security forces into Belarus to protect him if the protests -- which have been very peaceful -- seek to topple him violently. In Sochi, Putin reiterated that Russia will fulfil all its treaty obligations to Belarus, including a mutual security agreement that both men have previously cited as possible grounds for Russia sending security forces to Belarus if needed. "We look at Belarus as our closest ally and, without question, as I have more than once told you by phone, we will fulfill all the obligations we have taken on ourselves," Putin said. He added that he believed the situation in Belarus must be resolved without any outside interference. Putin also said Russia would give a $1.5 billion state credit loan to Belarus, a major economic lifeline for Lukashenko. He also noted that Russian troops had begun a planned military exercise in Belarus on Monday called '"Slavic Brotherhood". Putin emphasized that the exercise had been planned for a year and said the troops would return to Russia afterwards, but said that joint exercises between the two countries' military were set to occur most months. Story continues Lukashenko has painted the protests as part of an imminent Western invasion, making false claims that NATO troops are on Belarus' border. PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greets officials during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at an airport in Sochi, Russia September 14, 2020. (Andrei Stasevich/Belta/via Reuters) The two men's meeting comes after tens of thousands of people again protested in Belarus capital Minsk and other cities on Sunday demanding an end to Lukashenkos rule for the fifth weekend running, despite a massive deployment of security forces. Hundreds of heavily armored riot police again sealed off parts of Minsk, in places moving to aggressively to detain them, and in another city using water cannons against a peaceful crowd. Belarus Interior ministry on Monday said over 700 people had been detained during the protests. The protests have continued for weeks since they were triggered by Belarus' presidential election on August 9, which gave Lukashenko over 80% of the vote, amid allegations of widespread ballot fraud, and the demonstrations ballooned following a brutal crackdown by security forces. Smaller demonstrations have continued on most weekdays and then turn into huge crowds each Sunday. In recent days, after pulling back from demonstrations for the first few weeks, security forces now have been cracking down again. 100,000 march in Minsk to demand Belarus leader resign A huge column of protesters in Minsk on Sunday sought to peacefully march to a suburb where Lukashenko and other top officials have houses. Most of the column was blocked by police, but some protesters succeeded in reaching Lukashenko's press secretary's house, where they were attacked by masked officers, who a video showed him appearing to throw stun grenades. In Minsk, riot police and masked officers attacked some groups of protesters, dragging people into vans and clubbing some. Masked officers in unmarked uniforms in some places were filmed leaping from vans and grabbing demonstrators at random and in the western city of Brest, police turned a water cannon on a peaceful crowd. Russia for years has pressed Lukashenko to accept greater economic and political integration for Belarus with Russia. The two countries are already connected via the so-called "Union State" treaty, but which in reality has mainly existed on paper for two decades but which potentially envisages Belarus and Russia having a single currency and central bank among other things. Lukashenko has resisted those efforts, straining relations with the Kremlin in the last two years. But now dependent on Moscow for his political survival, many observers believe Russia will seek to push Lukashenko into making concessions, in what some have suggested could amount to a "soft annexation" of Belarus. Belarus' main opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in the presidential election and has since declared herself the country's "national leader", on Monday warned Putin that any agreements he made with Lukashenko in Sochi would be illegitimate. "I want to remind Vladimir Putin, that whatever you accept and whatever you agree during the meeting in Sochi it will not have nay legal force. All agreements signed with the illegitimate Lukashenko will be re-examined by the new government," Tikhanovskaya said in a statement released by her team in Lithuania where she was forced to flee days after the election. I greatly regret that you have decided to hold dialogue with the usurper and not with the Belarusian people," she said. Lukashenko and Putin in their public remarks in Sochi said little concrete about the "Union State" beyond agreeing on the need for greater economic cooperation and reaffirming their determination to continue joint work in the defense sector. Lukashenko laughed at what he said was a "lot of conspiracy thinking" around his meeting with Putin. He dismissed the protests, telling Putin things in Minsk were not as they appeared in the media, but said "the main thing is not to cross the line." PHOTO: FILE- In this file photo taken on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet in the Black sea resort of Sochi, Russia. (Sergei Chirikov/AP) "There are red lines which no one has the right to cross," Lukashenko said, an apparent reference to the use of force. "But for now no one has crossed those lines." "But weve demonstrated our firmness," he said. "And what's nice -- I'm very grateful to you for this -- you have demonstrated that the Belarusian border is the border of the Union State." Putin said he supported Lukashenko's proposal to consider changing Belarus' constitution soon, saying it was "timely" and "appropriate". Lukashenko has repeatedly spoken vaguely about convening discussions around changing the constitution but without the participation of the opposition, who have dismissed the suggestion as a stalling tactic. Russia has already provided some support to Lukashenko. Last month, it sent journalists from Russian state media to replace workers who were striking at Belarusian state television. Belarus protest leader detained at Ukraine border after disappearing from Minsk The protests in Belarus have not been anti-Russian or founded on pulling the country away from Moscow and closer to Europe, with the opposition and most demonstrators saying they believe Belarus must have strong relations with Moscow. But Putin's decision to back Lukashenko as he seeks to quash the protests could change attitudes. Many analysts believe the Kremlin is not enthusiastic about Lukashenko as a partner and in the long-term could seek a managed transition that would see him replaced a by pro-Russian politician more acceptable in Belarus. But in the short-term, the Kremlin has made clear it will not tolerate him being toppled by protests on the street. The European Union and the United States have condemned the use of force against demonstrators and most European countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko's re-election. Last week, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun warned that Russia's decision to throw its backing behind Lukashenko risks turning the Belarusian people, who have no grievance with Russia, against Moscow." The U.S. and the EU have said they are preparing to impose targeted sanctions against individual Belarusian officials deemed responsible for the election fraud and the violence. Germany's government on Monday said it hoped the EU sanctions would be finalised next week, after foreign ministers from the bloc's member states meet in Brussels. The U.S. has said it is coordinating sanctions with the EU but that both may go ahead with imposing them without waiting for the other. Lukashenko flies to Russia for talks with Putin amid Belarus protests originally appeared on abcnews.go.com As a woman in her early 20s working and living in New York City, Carolyn Witte experienced first-hand just how broken the health-care system can be when it comes to addressing the health concerns and needs of women. After going through a three-year long process of seeing various doctors before finally being diagnosed with a hormonal endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at 25, Witte knew she had to do something to help other women have a more seamless experience with doctors and health-care providers. In 2016, she quit her job as a team lead at Google's Creative Lab to focus full-time on building an innovative health-care platform for women called Tia, which Witte describes as an "ecosystem of products, tools and services designed for the distinct needs of women." Tia, officially launched in 2017 and was co-founded by Witte's college best friend Felicity Yost, who quit her job as a product manager at the internet company Owler to focus on their new startup. In the beginning, Witte tells CNBC Make It, she and Yost wanted Tia to be a free information app "that was almost like a personalized WebMD for women's health" where users could type in concerns and questions about their health and receive a response from a health professional. But, after reviewing over 200,000 conversations with users within their first few months of business, the now 30-year-old founders quickly realized that not only did women turn to Tia for information and insight about their health, but they also wanted Tia to be their actual doctor. So in 2019, Tia opened its first physical clinic in New York City, which now includes a team of 15 physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, therapists and other health-care providers. In May 2020, the founders announced they had raised $24.275 million in funding, bringing their total amount of investor money to $32 million all of which they plan to use to help them expand their services amid the pandemic. Tia's New York City clinic. Photo credit: Tia Growing Tia from an app to a clinic Using her experience with design from Google and Yost's experience with technology, Witte says she and Yost wanted to build an app that was "the answer to Googling your health effectively." "My approach was that to get women better health care, you first have to give them better health information," she says, while recalling her own horrible experience of receiving inadequate information and resources about her PCOS diagnosis from doctors. "So, that's what we built." In the beginning, Witte says, she and Yost relied heavily on Instagram marketing, word-of-mouth from users and Google advertising to grow their customer-base. "We wanted to quite literally be the answer to Googling your health so what we did was we bought ads on Google and said, 'You know, someone's gonna say 'Google, I missed my birth control pill,' and if we buy ads we could intersect and guide them to Tia.'" These marketing efforts eventually paid off with Tia receiving about 3,000 questions per day from users within their first few months of business. Without any experience or background in the health-care field themselves, Witte and Yost relied on their team of about four health educators who worked in clinics or for Planned Parenthood hotlines to help them provide responses to the health concerns and questions users had. Since these health educators were not actual doctors, Witte says she and Yost had to make it clear in the beginning that Tia was not an app that you could turn to for a diagnosis, but rather an app that you could turn to for information about symptoms and experiences you may be having. "It was a very fine line because someone might ask a question like, 'Tia, what causes a UTI?' And then someone else might ask, 'Do I have a UTI,'" she says, while explaining that the app would only provide an answer around the causes for a urinary tract infection, but would never confirm with a user that they actually have it. "So that was a fine line that we had to walk, which led us to actually evolve and hire doctors onto Tia who could actually deliver health care in clinic and virtually." To date, Tia has one brick-and-mortar location in New York City that serves 3,000 female patients who are looking for a one-stop shop to see a primary care doctor, a OB-GYN, a mental health therapist and other health experts who can service their needs. "When we opened the Tia clinic, the premise was to take all these different specialists that don't typically work together and bring them together, not just under one roof, but to work together in an integrative model to deliver what we describe as 'whole women's healthcare,'" Witte says. "So whether you have a UTI, or pelvic pain, or want an IUD, or have repeated migraines, or have PCOS like I do, or struggle with infertility or have a thyroid condition, Tia is your medical home." Tia co-founders Felicity Yost and Carolyn Witte. Photo credit: Tia Pivoting for the pandemic and raising money At the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March, Witte and Yost decided that it was in the best interest of their staff and patients to close their New York City clinic temporarily and ramp up the virtual care services they offered online. "We did not have to close because we're not a restaurant or a yoga studio," says Witte, while adding that Tia re-opened its physical location on June 1. She says their decision to close was made in an effort to protect the safety of their patients and providers since there was a shortage of personal protective equipment for health-care workers. As a result, Tia started to offer Covid-related care services, gynecology services and primary care services virtually so that patients who were used to visiting their physical location could still receive comprehensive care. These services include a coronavirus risk assessment where you can talk to a doctor virtually about your symptoms if you think you've been exposed to the virus, a virtual assessment if you feel like you have the cold or flu, a UTI, a STD, a vaginal infection and a host of other health concerns. "The response has been really profound," Witte says, while adding that 50% of their 3,000 members were using some form of their virtual care services in the first 90 days of them closing their clinic. As the platform continues to expand in its services and reach, Witte says they have maintained a no-cost charge for the "tens of thousands" of users who continue to use their app across the country. But, for users who take advantage of Tia's virtual health-care services, membership comes with a fee of $15 per month or $150 per year. This fee is separate from the co-pays and other service fees you pay, depending on your insurance, when you have an in-person visit with a Tia doctor. Witte says she and Yost's ability to successfully scale their startup over the last three years has played a key role in them securing more than $24 million in funding earlier this year. "We were able to fundraise on not just a vision, but a working model," says Witte. "Oftentimes people say women have to prove more, well we had a lot of proof that our model was really working. And ultimately, we were looking for investors who believed in the long-term vision for Tia care and who knew that we weren't just a really cool clinic with, you know, cool looking waiting rooms and a millennial app, but we were really transforming the way healthcare was delivered at scale, and that we were the women to do it." Tia's latest round of funding was led by Threshold Ventures with participation from Define Ventures, ACME, Torch Capital, John Doerr, Homebrew and Compound. Threshold's managing partner Emily Melton and Define's founder and managing partner Lynne Chou O'Keefe also joined Tia's all-female board of directors. With this new capital, Witte says Tia plans to expand its virtual services and its brick-and-mortar locations, as well as expand the support they offer women throughout their reproductive life, "which means getting into prenatal, postpartum, and obstetrical care to guide women through the pregnancy journey." Check out: Americans spend over $5,000 a year on groceriessave hundreds at supermarkets with these cards Don't miss: How the founders of Chief, a private network for C-suite women, are expanding amid the pandemic All residents north of Elkins Avenue and east of Santa Anita Avenue were ordered to evacuate due to dangerous wildfire conditions, Xinhua news agency quoted the city authorities as saying in a statement. San Francisco, Sep 14 (IANS) An evacuation order has been issued for residents in parts of the City of Arcadia in Southern California as a massive wildfire was inching closer to the populated communities. "Do not wait until it is too late. If you have not already done so, quickly gather your family, pets, important papers, medications, and any emergency supplies, and evacuate the area as soon as possible. "If your family must split up, determine a designated meeting place to account for every member," the statement added. The blaze, dubbed Bobcat Fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest has scorched around 32,000 acres with only 6 per cent containment, according to InciWeb, an inter-agency all-risk incident web information management system. "The fire continues to actively grow to the north and south, with keeping it out of the foothills communities as the top priority. Crews are constructing handline and dozerline where possible to stop the downhill progression," InciWeb said, adding that helicopters are being used to support the ground forces as air conditions allow. Over 800 firefighters are battling the blaze and a Red Cross evacuation centre has been established in Arcadia. Evacuation warnings were also still in effect for other nearby cities of Monrovia, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena. Meanwhile, Southern California remained shrouded in smoke due to the raging wildfires. The August Complex Fire, California's largest ever, has merged to cover 875,059 acres, with only 25 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said. In the San Bernardino Mountains, the 14,212 acre El Dorado Fire which occurred on September 5 was contained by 41 per cent, according to Cal Fire. A smoke advisory remains in effect in most of Los Angeles County and parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties due to the Bobcat Fire. President Donald Trump will visit California on Monday for a briefing with emergency response officials on the devastating wildfires racing through the region, according to local media. A map updated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) showed air quality in the region during this weekend is expected to range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children, elderly, and people with respiratory or heart disease. In some areas near the wildfire scenes, the air quality is forecast as "unhealthy" level. "Breathing in smoke can aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks, cause acute bronchitis, and increase the risk of respiratory infections," the National Weather Service warned on its official website. The SCAQMD issued a smoke advisory every day since the El Dorado and Bobcat fires erupted last week and brought ash, dust and debris across the region. Additionally, smoke from wildfires in Northern and Central California is making its way south. The fires have killed a total of 19 people and has so far scorched 3.2 million acres and destroyed some 4,000 structures across California. About 16,570 firefighters were battling 29 major wildfires statewide Sunday. The federal, state and local resources assigned to active wildfires include more than 2,200 fire engines, 388 water tenders, 304 bulldozers and 104 aircraft, according to Cal Fire. --IANS ksk/ CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While Ohio wont allow multiple collection boxes for absentee ballots, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections plans to staff six libraries where residents can return ballots leading up to the presidential election. The board voted unanimously Monday to have a politically balanced team at each library, divided between locations in Cleveland and on the countys east and west sides, beginning Oct. 13. There, people will be able to submit ballot requests, as well as turn in their official ballots, according to a news release. That way, residents dont have to drive to the Board of Elections downtown, the board said. The plan will also cut down on traffic congestion and relieve the U.S. Postal System, they said. UPDATE: Shortly after Cuyahoga County announced its plan, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose forbid them from implementing it at least while lawsuits of ballot drop boxes are pending. The number of Cuyahoga County ballot requests have already exceeded the total number ballots cast by mail during the last general election. The Board of Elections is comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans who are selected by their county parties. The behavior of voters has drastically changed due to health concerns surrounding the current pandemic, elections board Director Anthony Perlatti said in a news release. This tells us that people do not want to travel, and people are avoiding crowded places. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, has banned county boards of elections from offering more than one drop box for completed absentee ballots this November, saying offering more possibly exceeded his offices legal authority, and would invite lawsuits. LaRoses decision prompted two lawsuits one in Franklin County from the Ohio Democratic Party and another in federal court from voter-rights groups challenging LaRoses decision. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, expected high mail-voting volumes, concerns about the U.S. Postal Service, expansion of mail voting by other U.S. states and rhetoric from President Donald Trump, voting procedures have become highly politicized, with ballot drop-boxes emerging as a major issue. County-by-county elections procedures also have been an issue for years in Ohio, pitting elections officials in the states largest counties, who have called for flexibility for their more densely populated areas, against the states Republican elections officials who have called for uniformity. Related -- How to apply for Ohios vote-by-mail option, and why its secure: Election Truth The Cuyahoga County plan appears to be an end-around the ballot dropbox prohibition by LaRose. In a press release, local board members compared offering ballot collections locations to the existing precedent of sending bipartisan teams of elections workers to help nursing home residents vote. Creating a plan executed by bipartisan teams of employees that ensures the integrity of the voting process further builds voter confidence, said Board Chairman Jeff Hastings, a Republican. This is a commonsense solution that will protect public health, said Board Member Dave Wondolowski, a Democrat. The program will help take the pressure off of the USPS which will be responsible for delivering hundreds of thousands of ballots prior to the deadline." Here are the locations of the libraries, as announced by Cuyahoga County: Cuyahoga County Libraries: Fairview Park Branch 21255 Lorain Road North Royalton Branch 5071 Wallings Road S. Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch 1876 S. Green Road Cleveland Public Libraries: One million hotel workers have been laid off during the pandemic, and today the industry association announced it has sought a government bailout. The Thai Hotels Association said it has asked the Finance Ministry and Bank of Thailand for THB100 billion (US$3.2 billion) in rescue funds and soft loans after the pandemic left tourism devastated and so many out of work. The association said in a statement it had asked the central bank for more soft loans that can be repaid in two to three years at a fixed 2% rate. While some hotels have been able to resume operation, a great deal remains at very low occupancy due to their dependency on international arrivals. Thailands borders have been closed since March and will remain so until further notice. If Thailand doesnt soon begin welcoming guests from abroad, association president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi said the industry will suffer even more, with more workers laid off and more hotels closing permanently. Related ThaiGov sneaks French tourists in to test Phuket model Another day, another 20 billion: ThaiGov wants to pay salaries for unemployed grads This article, With 1 million jobless, Thai Hotels Association seeks 100 billion baht bailout, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! Vijay Deverakonda's Team took to their official Twitter handle to warn a few fraudulent production houses pretending to be making a film with the actor, by conducting auditions to gain access to several actors. Releasing a statement they wrote, "We, Team Deverakonda have noticed that few production company/lies have been fraudulently misrepresenting to be making a film with Vijay Deverakonda and have been conducting auditions and gain access to actors/ actresses." The team further added that any project that the actor shall commit to, will be announced officially by the actor or the producers associated with the project. Revealing that stringent action will be taken against the fraudulent companies, they wrote, "Any project Vijay Deverakonda is associated with shall be formally announced by him and his producers. Official confirmation can also be verified on VDs official SM handles. While we take action against these perpetrators, We request all to be alert and double-check any information in their personal best interests." Vijay Deverakonda was last seen in Kranthi Madhav's 2020 romantic-drama World Famous Lover. He will next be seen in Puri Jagannadh's next project, which has been tentatively titled Fighter. The film will also star Bollywood diva Ananya Panday opposite the actor. Promising high-octane sequences, the film is backed by Charmee Kaur, Puri Jagannadh and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Fighter will simultaneously be released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and will also be dubbed in all south Indian languages. Earlier, in an interview, Vijay Deverakonda confirmed that he will be dubbing his dialogues for the Hindi version of the highly-anticipated film. If reports are to be believed, the actor has also taken professional martial arts training from Thailand for the role. Fighter has so far completed 40 days of shoot schedule. What's Bothering Vijay Deverakonda Amid Coronavirus Lockdown? Vijay Deverakonda Slips While Walking Towards Versova Jetty; Video Goes Viral US-based Facebook Inc has lost a preliminary bid to dodge a privacy lawsuit filed against it by Australia's Information Commissioner over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, after a court ruled the lawsuit could be served on it outside Australia. Lawyers for Facebook Inc had asked Federal Court Justice Thomas Thawley to set aside his earlier decision allowing the Information Commissioner to serve legal documents on the company in America. They did not ask Justice Thawley to set aside an identical decision allowing documents to be served on Facebook Ireland. The commissioner has alleged the personal data of Facebook users was disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected. Credit:Bloomberg Australia's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk, has alleged the personal data of more than 300,000 Australian Facebook users was disclosed between March 2014 and May 2015 for purposes other than those for which it was collected a breach of Australia's Privacy Act. The information, which included a range of personal details, including birthdays, locations, page likes, friend lists and email addresses, was allegedly disclosed to data science firm Cambridge Analytica through the "This is Your Digital Life" app. COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday and is recovering in isolation with her family at home, officials said. Evette had a sore throat and headache Thursday and was tested for the virus. She has stayed at her familys home near Greenville since noting the symptoms, said Brian Symmes, the spokesman for Gov. Henry McMaster. She is feeling better now, said Symmes, adding Evette plans to stay out of the public for two weeks. Evettes positive test prompted McMaster and his wife to get COVID-19 tests, which both came back negative Sunday. It was the fifth negative test since the pandemic began for the governor and the third for his wife, Symmes said. Two members of Evettes staff and some of her security detail are also isolating but have not tested positive for COVID-19, Symmes said. Health officials traced Evettes contacts for two days, including an appearance to thank workers at a suicide prevention hotline in Greenville on Sept. 8. Evette, 53, and the 73-year-old governor were last together on Sept. 6, as they watched a NASCAR race at Darlington Speedway, Symmes said. But where the lieutenant governor was infected with the virus will likely never be known, said Brannon Traxler, interim public health director for South Carolina. Its almost impossible in these situations to determine where someone was exposed, Traxler said. South Carolinas rate of COVID-19 infection has dropped significantly since it nearly led the country in July. The state is currently seeing an average of about 870 cases a day, down from the seven-day average peak of nearly 1,950 cases in mid-July. But since students have returned to schools and colleges, the state has seen the decline in cases stop and begin rising again. Evette joins a rising number of state officials across the U.S. to get COVID-19. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin St itt announced his positive test in July. Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green said Saturday he had COVID-19. Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn tested positive in July along with a number of other lawmakers after a legislative session. Evette released a statement Monday saying her infection shows how easily the virus is spread and asking people to keep wearing masks, social distancing and getting tested if they have any reason to think they might have COVID-19. Im fortunate to have had only mild symptoms and Im already feeling much better. David has taken GREAT care of me! Evette wrote on social media, thanking her husband for his help. ___ Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP. ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:26:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Eight more U.S. soldiers and their families tested positive for COVID-19 in South Korea amid lingering worry about a recent resurgence in the country, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. The USFK said in a statement that eight USFK affiliated individuals were confirmed with the virus after arriving in South Korea between Sept. 1 and Sept. 10. Three service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on Sept. 1 and Sept. 9. Two service members and three dependents arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights from the United States on Sept. 6 and Sept. 10. The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys or the Osan Air Base, both in Pyeongtaek. The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 188, according to Yonhap news agency. Worry remained here over the recent surge in local cases. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 109 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 22,285. The daily caseload stayed below 200 for 12 straight days, but continued to grow in triple digits since Aug. 14. "Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the USFK said. Enditem Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds held a top-secret baptism for their son on Saturday, it has been revealed. Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson's baptism was witnessed by only a few family and friends at the weekend, just days before new lockdown restrictions on social gatherings came into force. There was no reception after the religious ceremony as the PM and Ms Symonds were reportedly keen to set a good example for the public and abide by social distancing rules. Downing Street declined to comment on the baptism. The couple has not released any photographs of the baptism or announced where it took place. A source told The Sun: 'After everything Boris and Carrie have been through this year, baptising Wilfred was a very special moment. Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson with his parents Carrie Symonds and Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'They shared it with a small number of people and the service was simple but beautiful, with lots of tears and laughter. 'They're not intending to release photographs as it was a special private moment.' The PM's four month old son was born on April 29, just weeks after Mr Johnson left intensive care after battling coronavirus. One of the baby's middle names, Nicholas, is a tribute to the two doctors who cared for the Prime Minister as he battled the deadly disease. It comes as the coronavirus 'rule of six' comes into force in England today, meaning any social gatherings of more than six people will break the law. People face fines of up to 3,200 if they do not abide by the new measure, which applies to both indoor and outdoor settings and follows a rapid increase in the number of daily positive cases. Regulations enabling the enforcement of the rule were published late on Sunday night, around 30 minutes before they came into effect. The couple recently took a family holiday to Scotland while Parliament was in recess More than 3,000 Covid-19 cases were recorded in the UK for the third day in a row on Sunday - the first time since May that cases were above 3,000 on three consecutive days. The new law comes amid concerns about an increase in cases in care homes and growing criticism of the NHS Test and Trace system. Aside from limited exemptions including work and education, police will be able to disperse gatherings of more than six people and issue fines ranging from 100 to 3,200. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the recent rise in cases 'makes it clear that more needs to be done to stop the spread of this disease'. The rule applies across England and replaces the existing ban on participating in gatherings of more than 30 and the current guidance on allowing two households to meet indoors. Chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council Martin Hewitt has urged the public to 'stick to the limits'. He said: 'Preventing the spread of coronavirus is a shared effort and police are playing our part alongside Government, businesses, hospitality owners, local authorities and others. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds leaving after the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London on Commonwealth Day in March this year 'Officers are in their communities following our approach to engage, explain and encourage people to follow the rules. We will issue fines when people refuse to comply. 'The demands on the police service are now at similar levels to before the pandemic, which makes it crucially important that we all take personal responsibility, stick to the limits and prevent the spread of this deadly virus.' Meanwhile, a survey suggests a second peak is the number one concern among medics who want to avoid a return to the 'horror and tragedy' of the pandemic's early days. The British Medical Association (BMA) poll found that 86% of more than 8,000 doctors and medical students in England said that a second peak was likely or very likely in the next six months. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman, said: 'With daily cases still alarmingly high, and winter just around the corner, we are at a critical crossroads in the fight against this deadly virus. 'All efforts must be made to avoid a repeat of the horror and tragedy we all experienced earlier this year.' Officials will be hoping the warm and sunny weather forecast for Monday does not encourage people to gather in groups in outdoor spaces. Temperatures as high as 29C (84F) are expected in some parts, according to the Met Office. The Government said that as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 3,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the R number - the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission - climbed above one. According to Government advisers, the last time R was above one was in early March. Former UK Leaders Unite to Slam Johnson on Brexit Plan LONDONTwo former British prime ministers who played crucial roles in bringing peace to Northern Ireland joined forces on Sept. 13 to urge lawmakers to reject government plans to override the Brexit deal with the European Union, arguing that it imperils that peace and damages the UKs reputation. In an article in The Sunday Times, John Major and Tony Blair slammed the current British government for shaming the country with legislation that, in places, goes against the very deal it signed to allow for the UKs smooth departure from the EU earlier this year. Major, a Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, and Blair, his Labour successor for a decade, said Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Internal Market Bill questions the very integrity of the UK. This governments action is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation, they said. The planned legislation, which will be debated by British lawmakers this week, has led to a furious outcry within the EU as it would diminish the blocs previously agreed oversight of trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland if a UK-EU trade agreement isnt secured. The British government has admitted that the legislation would break international law but argues that its an insurance policy for that potential no-deal scenario. Johnson has said the legislation is needed to end EU threats to impose a blockade in the Irish Sea that the prime minister asserted could carve up our country. Britains Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC on Sept. 13 that the legislation was a break the glass in the emergency provision, if needed, and that he would resign if he believed the rule of law was broken in an unacceptable way. I dont believe were going to get to that stage, he said. EU leaders have furiously rejected Johnsons charge that the bloc is planning a major disruption to normal trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told the BBC that the kind of inflammatory language coming from the British government was spin and not the truth. Still, with the British government showing no sign of changing course, there are real concerns that the talks on a future trade deal between the UK and the EU could collapse within weeks. If that happens, tariffs and other impediments to trade will be imposed by both sides at the start of 2021. The UK left the EU on Jan. 31, but is in a transition period that effectively sees it benefit from the blocs tariff-free trade until the end of the year, while a future relationship is negotiated. Even before the latest standoff, discussions between the EUs chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and his UK counterpart, David Frost, had made very little progress. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the UK and the EU. The EU wanted assurances the border wouldnt be used as a back route for unlicensed goods arriving in Ireland from the rest of the UKEngland, Scotland, and Wales. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk. The pair said the bill negates the predictability, political stability and legal clarity that are integral to the delicate balance between the north and south of Ireland that is at the core of the peace process. Its unclear whether the planned legislation will get through the British Parliament, with a number of Johnsons fellow Conservatives uneasy at the prospect of the government breaching international law. Tobias Ellwood is one lawmaker who has said he couldnt accept the legislation, arguing that the bill diminishes our role-model status as a defender of global standards. By Pan Pylas The recent visit of Indias external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, to Iran could not have come at a more opportune moment, days before the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the US. Two high-level visits from India to Iran, the other being that of defence minister Rajnath Singh two days before Jaishankars, points to New Delhis commitment to strengthen its bilateral relations with Tehran at an uncertain moment in regional geopolitics. Jaishankars participation in the opening ceremony of crucial intra-Afghan talks via a video link also underscores the reality that the Taliban are close to being formally integrated into the Afghan governing apparatus in the wake of Americas drawdown of troops from Afghanistan. India and Iran may have differing views on the US presence there, but are both aware of the challenges once the Taliban gain authority and the current regime in Kabul weakens as a result. Iran is known to have tactically engaged a few Taliban factions, but it cannot do any business with those espousing hardcore anti-Shia beliefs. Jihadist groups, which are not charitable towards Tehran, include the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Sunni terror groups such as the Haqqani Network that are supported by Pakistans security establishment. This dynamic is what makes Iran an indispensable partner for India as the US gradually winds down its troop presence in Afghanistan. At a time when Irans economy is in dire straits due to low oil prices and severe economic sanctions, its leadership cannot afford an Afghanistan at war with itself and its neighbours. New Delhi and Tehran remain keen on coordinating their policies to sustain President Ashraf Ghanis regime. Ghanis recent public declaration that peace does not require a political deal on power sharing, implying that he has no intention of stepping down in favour of an interim government, was an attempt to reassure many Afghans uneasy with the frightening possibility of Taliban dominance. It was also a signal to India that all is not lost. After staying on the sidelines for too long, Indias decision to participate in intra-Afghan talks seems aimed at regaining diplomatic momentum and re-asserting Indias position on an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled" peace process. New Delhi recognizes that Afghanistan is a treacherous terrain. As New Delhi gears up for a Taliban-heavy regime, Indias role in Kabuls strategic frame must endure and outlive the Ghani regime. But a big part of the challenge is that Pakistan is no longer the sole danger. The Chabahar port is the most tangible symbol of India-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral cooperation. It was never a low-hanging fruit, but ever since Iran and China forged a 25-year deal that envisions infrastructure development in Chabahar as well, concerns have been growing in New Delhi. Tehrans diplomatic isolation has always been viewed by Beijing as a huge opportunity to penetrate Iran. Since Beijings potential involvement in the Chabahar project has unmistakable strategic implications for New Delhi, China cannot be allowed to chip away at Indias vital interests in its extended neighbourhood. While India is no doubt reviewing the challenge posed by China and calibrating its response as a crisis along the Line of Actual Control unfolds, the prevailing regional balance of power poses a dilemma of dealing with Beijing in the wider spectrum of political, economic and security relationships.An altered scenario means it may not be possible to immediately create another version of the Northern Alliance" between India, Iran and Russia, but New Delhi has no intention of giving in to Chinese desire for regional preponderance. India has the wherewithal to effectively bridge gaps among their respective perceptions on what comes next in Afghanistan and how to counter Pakistans terror-oriented policies. Trumps hasty troop withdrawal fails to acknowledge a simple reality of the Afghan conflict: that Rawalpindi is the principal driver of every facet of it. Therefore, alliance politics and the need for a hedge against a US exit must shape New Delhis policy discourse. The focus has to be China, given its status as the main originator of Indias most serious external troubles. India likely envisages Moscows role in the regional security matrix not as a disrupter, but as a balancer. Despite the alliance-like relationship between Russia and China, Moscow does share with New Delhi an instinctive preference for holding China in check. Greater coordination between India, Iran and Russia has to be cultivated. Despite the start of intra-Afghan talks, the Afghan conflict is far from over, and a failure to reach a consensus in Qatar would only present a more complex array of challenges and threats than before. What happens in Afghanistan never stays in Afghanistan. Therefore, India must urgently mobilize a coalition for a major regional diplomatic push aimed at resolving the Afghan crisis. Besides convergence on regional security, India, Iran and Russia can develop cooperative mechanisms for commercial and economic ties with Afghanistan. This could help India moderate Chinese aggressiveness and Pakistani intransigence. If New Delhi is to realize its objectives in Afghanistan as well as Iran, it will require both fresh leverage and credibility. Neither of these will be possible without a coalition of partners. New Delhi cannot afford to ignore its Eurasian frontiers even as it focuses on shaping new realities in the Indo-Pacific. Harsh V. Pant and Vinay Kaura are, respectively, director of studies at Observer Research Foundation, and assistant professor at Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. "Support for our nation's military is one of our founding principles that continues to be a primary social mission for Stargazer," says Stargazer Founder & CEO, Peter Huntley. "It's difficult to imagine the hardships faced by the families of our fallen or disabled service-members. By partnering with Folds of Honor, we can help ensure the legacy of our fellow Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy." There is no shortage of need within the American veteran's community. According to the most recent figures released by the U.S. Department of Defense, there have been 7,052 casualties, with an additional 53,244 military service-members wounded in action since 2001. "We salute Stargazer Cast Iron and their life-changing support and commitment to Folds of Honor," said Lt Col Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. "This program goes a long way toward providing educational assistance to spouses and children of troops who have fallen or been disabled. Folds of Honor is proud to stand with Stargazer Cast Iron as they illustrate their commitment to our armed forces and their families." Interested parties can help honor the legacy of our fallen or disabled military veterans by placing an order at stargazercastiron.com between September 14, 2020September 20,2020 or by donating directly to Folds of Honor at foldsofhonor.org . About Stargazer Cast Iron LLC Founded in 2015, Stargazer Cast Iron is a Direct-to-Consumer manufacturer of premium, American-made cast iron cookware products and accessories. Their industry leading products are available exclusively at stargazercastiron.com . About Folds of Honor Founded in 2007, Folds of Honor is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States Armed Forces. SOURCE Stargazer Cast Iron LLC Related Links https://www.stargazercastiron.com When Parliament meets on Monday for the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will face questions on various issues. The ministry has to answer questions on strict restrictions imposed for 68 days during the nationwide lockdown because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, police excesses to enforce the measures, several guidelines related to the viral outbreak issued by it, the investigation in the Kerala gold smuggling case and a rise in crime graph amid the contagion. The MHA has prepared a list of unstarred questions for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of queries received from various members of Parliament (MPs). Also Read: For a meaningful monsoon session Several questions are expected to be raised on the imposition of nationwide lockdown restrictions from March 25, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines issued by the ministry periodically, handling of lockdown by police, treatment of migrant labourers, individual restrictions imposed by various states and the stimulus package announced following the Covid-19 outbreak. An interesting question has also been raised for the MHA regarding drug trafficking in Bollywood. The question becomes pertinent following the ongoing separate probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34). Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. Also Read: Monsoon session of Parliament: Over 1k officials being screened The NCB had last week arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is at the centre of a raging controversy over Rajputs death; her brother Showik and several others in connection with the supply of drugs. Some MPs have also asked about the number of deaths in the police and central paramilitary forces due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Several issues raised in previous sessions will also figure during the monsoon session such as the detention of political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, voting rights to west Pakistan and Bangladesh refugees, caste-based census, infiltration of terrorists via the India-Pakistan border, the impact of the removal of Article 370 from J&K, steps taken to check left-wing extremism (LWE) activities etc. Some MPs are expected to raise other issues for the MHA such as an increase in online fraud, circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICNs), overcrowding in prisons and foreign funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Most of the queries raised by the MPs will be answered by two junior ministers in the MHA --- G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai -- since home minister Amit Shah hasnt been keeping well. The two houses of Parliament will sit in two shifts from Monday -- 9 am to 1 am and 3 pm to 7 pm --- because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Only those who have Covid-19 negative reports will be allowed to enter Parliament and wearing masks is mandatory. Move comes amid Palestinian anger over US-sponsored agreements between Israel and UAE, Bahrain. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtayeh has said the government will present a recommendation to President Mahmoud Abbas to reconsider relations with the Arab League. The move comes amid Palestinian anger about recent US-brokered agreements to normalise relations between Israel and two Gulf nations the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Arab League has become a symbol of the Arab inaction, Ishtayeh said during his weekly cabinet meeting on Monday. Last week, an Arab League ministerial meeting failed to adopt a Palestinian draft condemning the UAE-Israel normalisation agreement that took place in August. Bahrain then became the fourth Arab country to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel after UAE, Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). The White House will host the signing ceremony of the normalisation agreements on Tuesday. The ceremony will be attended by US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul-Latif al-Zayani. Tuesday will be a black day in the history of the Arab nations and a defeat of the Arab League institution, Ishtayeh said. The Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the Bahrain-Israel normalisation deal as another betrayal by an Arab state. The agreement was a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people, like the UAE-Israel deal announced last month, Ahmad Majdalani, social affairs minister in the occupied West Bank-based PA, told the AFP news agency at the time. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the deal was an aggression that dealt serious prejudice to the Palestinian cause. The Palestinian leadership wants an independent state based on the de facto borders before the 1967 war, in which Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and annexed East Jerusalem. Arab countries had long called for Israels withdrawal from already illegally occupied land, a just solution for Palestinian refugees and a settlement that leads to the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state in exchange for establishing ties with it. SEELEY LAKE, Mont. Two people have died and one has been hospitalized after a plane crash in Montana. The crash happened Saturday night north of Seeley Lake Airport, the Missoula County Sheriffs Office said in a statement on its Facebook page. Authorities located the damaged plane early Sunday morning. The pilot and the passenger who died in the crash have been identified as Charles E. Wolff, 67 of Green Valley, Arizona, and Wayne D. Cahoon, 59 of Seeley Lake, Montana. It is not clear who was flying the plane. A second passenger was transported to a hospital. Authorities did not provide details on the passengers condition. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash of the aircraft, which it identified as a Cessna 172, a single-engine, four-passenger plane. Seeley Lake is about 98 miles (158 kilometers) northwest of Helena. In this June 30, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the North Korean side of the border at the village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone. Journalist Bob Woodward's book, "Rage," includes new details about Trump's comments on Kim. AP North Korean leader Kim Jong-un began putting conditions on denuclearization three months after his first-ever summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, a soon-to-be-published book showed. In his upcoming book, "Rage," Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward also noted that correspondence between Kim and Trump "increased in both frequency and affection" following their first summit held in June 2018. "I just have arrived back in America, and the media for North Korea and you has been fantastic," Trump wrote to Kim on June 15, three days after the two met in Singapore in one of 27 letters exchanged between the two leaders disclosed in the Wooodward book. In response, Kim wrote back on July 6, saying, "The significant first meeting with Your Excellency and the joint statement that we signed together in Singapore 24 days ago was indeed the start of a meaningful journey," according to excerpts of the book obtained by Yonhap News Agency. Kim began putting conditions on denuclearization about three months later. "We are willing to take further meaningful steps one at a time in a phased manner, such as the complete shutdown of the Nuclear Weapons Institute or the Satellite Launch District and the irreversible closure of the nuclear materials production facility," Kim said in his Sept. 6 letter. It was not clear whether Kim had also listed his demands in return, based on what appears to be parts, not the entirety of his letter included in the book set to be published Tuesday. Still, Woodward pointed out, "Historically the U.S. had rejected conditions outright." In their first meeting in Singapore, that also marked the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit, Trump and Kim signed a four-point agreement, under which North Korea reaffirmed its commitment to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee. Trump and Kim met again in February 2019 in Hanoi for two days, but their talks ended without a deal. Woodward offered an account of what went wrong, citing quotes from his 18 exclusive interviews with Trump held between December and July. Kim was ready to give up one of his nuclear sites, but he had five, he writes. "Listen, one doesn't help and two doesn't help and three doesn't help and four doesn't help. Five does help," Trump was quoted as telling him. The two leaders met again on June 30, 2019, though only briefly at the Joint Security Area inside the Demilitarized Zone that separates South and North Korea. They have yet to hold another meeting since despite exchanging more letters from then on, in one of which Kim expressed anger of the United States' joint military exercise with South Korea. "My belief was that the provocative combined military exercises would either be cancelled or postponed ahead of our two countries' working-level negotiations where we would continue to discuss important matters," Kim said in a letter dated Aug. 5, 2019, according to Woodward. "I am clearly offended and I do not want to hide this feeling from you. I am really, very offended," he added. In a press conference immediately following their first summit in Singapore, Trump made a surprise announcement that the U.S. would be ending its joint military exercises with South Korea. "We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should," Trump had told the conference. In November 2019, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, together with his South Korean counterpart, also announced a decision to put off the allies' annual winter exercise "as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advance of peace." North Korea has yet to return to the dialogue table with the U.S. (Yonhap) "On behalf of our entire board of directors, we wholeheartedly welcome Terry to his new role as President and CEO of Vizgen," said Dr. David R. Walt, Cofounder of Vizgen; Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Core Faculty, Wyss Institute for Bioinspired Engineering, Harvard University; HHMI Professor. "Terry's technical savvy combined with his demonstrated business acumen in building out product and service offerings on a global scale will benefit Vizgen as the Company enters the next phase of commercial development." Prior to joining Vizgen , Terry was President of Akoya Biosciences, a post he assumed after an acquisition from PerkinElmer where he served as General Manager, Quantitative Pathology Solutions. Previously, he held several executive positions at global biopharma and diagnostic companies including Roche, Hologic, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and has extensive experience in launching innovative technologies in new markets. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS in Microbiology from Virginia Tech, and dual BS degrees in Molecular Genetics and Psychology from The Ohio State University. "I'm excited to take the helm at Vizgen to work together with an incredibly talented team of scientists and innovators to bring an unsurpassed spatial profiling technology to market," said Mr. Lo. "Gene expression with spatial context has now become the new research frontier in unlocking core biological questions, and Vizgen's technology is regarded as a premier solution to gain insight into the molecular underpinnings of health, the progression to disease, and the development of new therapies and vaccines." Vizgen's MERFISH technology was developed in the laboratory of Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and David B. Arnold, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. Dr. Zhuang and Dr. Jeffrey Moffitt, a former postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Zhuang's lab and now an Assistant Professor at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and the Department of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, are also cofounders of Vizgen. MERFISH enables spatially resolved, single-cell genomic profiling at extremely high levels of throughput and accuracy. The novel technology is used as a tool for several Human Cell Atlas projects and was named a " Technology to Watch " by Nature for mapping the transcriptome. Vizgen launched in January 2020 with a $14M Series A Financing led by ARCH Venture Partners and Northpond Ventures. Last month the Company announced an early release program for its spatial genomics platform to provide scientific investigators an opportunity to gain access to the proprietary technology to accelerate their research. Vizgen's technology is already being employed by world-leading academic research institutions including the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and The Rockefeller University. For more information email: [email protected] About Vizgen Vizgen is developing the next generation of spatially resolved genomic profiling tools that enable researchers to gain new insight into the biological systems that underlie human health and disease. The company's patented MERFISH technology enables massively multiplexed, genome-scale nucleic acid imaging with high accuracy and unrivaled detection efficiency at subcellular resolution. MERFISH provides transformative insight into a wide range of tissue-scale basic research and translational medicine in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine. For more information, go to www.vizgen.com , connect on social media @Twitter , @LinkedIn and Facebook , and join the MERFISH Group at: https://bit.ly/merfishgroup . SOURCE Vizgen Java fiends around Southtown will soon be able to support asylum seekers in the San Antonio area while catching their morning buzz. A new food trailer dubbed Cafe Cotidiano is about two weeks from opening with a menu of coffee and baked goods. The project is an outreach mission launched by the San Antonio Mennonite Church in the King William area, and proceeds will benefit asylum-seeking families living in the San Antonio area. The way that were sourcing our coffee beans is from the home countries of the families in our community, said church pastor Katie Best-Richmond. The trailer will also include baked goods such as empanadas, pupusas and samosas, representing the cuisine from asylum seekers from Honduras and Tajikistan. On ExpressNews.com: 25 coffee shops to keep San Antonio buzzing For customers who want to support the project remotely, coffee beans and insulated coffee tumblers are available for purchase online. The beans are being roasted by the San Antonio-based Cafe Azteca, and are available on a one-time, biweekly or monthly basis. Cafe Cotidiano will be parked in a space adorned with wall murals, picnic tables and palm trees adjacent to the church. Were really excited to be able to open this for the whole community, Best-Richmond said. We hope it will be a great way to gather and eat in a socially-distant outdoor way. Cafe Cotidiano will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday outside the Mennonite church at 1443 S. St. Marys St. in the King William neighborhood. More at cafecotidianosatx.com or Facebook: @cafecotidianosatx . Paul Stephen is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Paul, become a subscriber. pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen Henry Kwabena Kokofu, former Bantama MP, has challenged Ex-President John Dramani Mahama to boldly mention names of the Akyem people who are into sakawa business. Ex-President John Mahama has come under barrage of criticisms after he shared an article authored by Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo. The article, which is in reference to the Agyapa Royalties deal, was titled "Agyapa Royalties Fraud Is The Last Straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas Must Go" and the author described President Akufo-Addo's administration as nepotic. Following Ex-President Mahama's action, natives of Akyem Abuakwa traditional area hit the streets in protest against former President John Mahama, describing the ''Akyem sakawa boys'' comment as ethnocentric. The demonstrators clad in red and black wielded placards with inscriptions such as; "Mahama is shameless, Mahama stop these insults and JM enough is enough you are warned". Touching on the issue on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Kwabena Kokofu bemoaned Mr. Mahama's endorsement of the words used to describe Akyem people. He, however, dared John Mahama to mention names to prove he is brave and proud of the comments. "They want to avoid law suit. So, they have generalized it . . . you should name them. Is it proper that you can't mention individual names but will lump an entire tribe together?" he rhetorically asked. 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 Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle government accusations that it equipped 250,000 diesel cars and vans sold in the United States with devices that cheated emissions tests and spewed pollutants into the air, California and U.S. Justice Department officials announced Monday. About $300 million of the settlement will go to California, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra said. The German automaker has also announced a separate $700 million settlement of a class-action suit by purchasers of the vehicles, from model years 2009 through 2016. Daimler halted U.S. sales of diesel-powered cars in 2016. The settlements are similar to the Volkswagen emissions scandal in 2015 that led to a $14.7 billion settlement with vehicle owners and the U.S. government and the imprisonment of several VW executives. Cheating isnt the smartest way to market your product, Becerra said in a statement. Daimler is finding that out today. But theyre not the first nor likely the last to try. Of the 250,000 vehicles, 39,646 were sold in California, Becerras office said. The office said the states $300 million share includes $17.5 million for environmental monitoring and enforcement, and for environmental projects in California. Daimler, like Volkswagen, was accused of rigging diesel emissions systems to artificially lower release of nitrous oxides during testing. The pollutants are a major cause of smog and also contribute to global warming. The $1.5 billion settlement includes the costs of repairing the vehicles, funding government projects to reduce nitrous oxide pollution, and civil penalties to the government, Becerras office said. The separate $700 million settlement will compensate vehicle owners for their losses. The separate $700 million settlement will compensate owners of Mercedes BlueTEC vehicles for their losses. Lawyers said the current owner would receive $3,290 unless one or more former owners of the same vehicle also applied for a refund. If so, the current owner would get $2,467.50 and the former owners would share $822.50. Daimler will also pay for updated software, called an approved emissions modification, on each vehicle so that future emissions tests produce accurate results. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The Trump administration announced the settlement while fighting separately to lower U.S. fuel-economy standards, an action that would increase emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases. California has sued the administration for revoking a long-standing waiver that allowed the state to set stricter fuel-economy standards. Daimlers actions first came to light last year, when German auto regulators reached a $960 million settlement with the company for test-cheating devices on more than 680,000 Mercedes diesel vehicles sold worldwide. Daimler said Monday it denies the authorities allegations and the class action plaintiffs claims and does not admit any liability but avoids lengthy court actions with respective legal and financial risks by agreeing to the settlement. Since 2016, Daimler has significantly enhanced technical compliance and its innovative compliance management system provides a blueprint for automotive industry, the company said. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Burberry reopens store in Paragon. (PHOTO: Burberry) SINGAPORE Burberrys refurbished store in Singapore takes inspiration from the fashion houses Regent Street store in London and the creative codes introduced by Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci. Based on the colour palette of beige, white and blue, the store features fixtures and plinths constructed in a variety of materials and textures, from plywood to mirrored and high-gloss finishes. The store features the Autumn/Winter 2020 Pre-Collection, which continues to focus on Burberrys new identity reinforcing pieces and prints from the Burberry archive. From pussy-bow blouses and hooded jackets to cropped tops and tailoring, heritage pieces have been updated with a modern touch. The store also houses Burberrys latest accessories including the brands new signature style, the Pocket Bag, which launched in August with a campaign starring Bella Hadid, as well as the TB Bag and the Lola Bag. Three exclusive styles will be available at the store - the Small Horseferry Print Quilted Raffia Lola Bag, the Monogram Motif Canvas and Leather Bucket Bag and the Large Soft Cotton Canvas Belt Bag. Crafted from canvas and raffia, the bags come in a natural colour and feature the Thomas Burberry Monogram pattern and Horseferry print in a vibrant hue of yellow. There are virtual client appointments for those who would avoid visiting store sites, and customer order pick-up is available in store, with employees adhering to all health and safety measures. Burberry currently has three stores in Singapore. DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sales Benchmark Index (SBI), a management consultancy specializing in B2B revenue growth, today announced the publication of their latest research report, "Revitalizing Growth: Accelerate While Others Stand Still." The report uncovers how market leaders have responded to the disruptive economic climate to outpace the competition. SBI's study surveyed 37 CEOs from both public and private B2B companies and have found that IT Services companies have found themselves in one of three categories: Survivors, Observers, or Accelerators. While the research has shown that 61% of industry leaders fit within the Observers category, only 8% were identified as Accelerators based on their ability to remain pragmatic, agile, and vigilant throughout the planning process. "In an industry that was anticipating high single-digit growth, IT Services companies must lower sales and marketing costs given market compression and margin pressure," said Matt Sharrers, CEO of SBI. "Our research indicates that Accelerators are not only able to do this but also maintain growth." This report outlines how CEOs and their teams can make strategic decisions to outpace their competition and industry by adapting best practices form the Accelerators. Namely, how to: Re-assess the revenue growth strategy to adapt to changes over time. Re-imagine the commercial engine to evaluate new opportunities in the market. Re-allocate resources and execute to implement quickly and flawlessly. "Although CIOs drive the buying process, consensus is more important than ever with more influencers and decision makers involved," said Anthony Erickson, Managing Director, IT Services Practice. "In response, Accelerators have reexamined the buyer and customer experience, including the rapidly growing impact of digital to meet these needs." You can access the full research report here and subscribe to get more information on upcoming webinars and virtual annual planning workshops. About Sales Benchmark Index: SBI is a management consulting firm specializing in sales and marketing that is dedicated to helping you Make Your Number. SBI is a firm comprised of former sales and marketing senior executives and top tier management consultants that help clients accelerate their rate of revenue growth. SBI provides consulting, insights, research and advisory services, and benchmarking data to private equity clients and enterprise clients across North America and Europe. Founded in 2006, SBI is headquartered in Dallas, TX. For more information, please visit: www.salesbenchmarkindex.com. Media Contact: Brian Waters (407) 228-0523 [email protected] SOURCE Sales Benchmark Index Main entrance gate of SsangYong Motor at its plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, is seen in this file photo. Korea Times file By Kim Yoo-chul Months after Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Goenka confirmed his company's plan to give up control of its struggling Korean unit SsangYong Motor, the latter is very close to signing a binding investment agreement with U.S.-based vehicle distributor HAAH Automotive Holdings, sources said Monday. "SsangYong Motor plans to sign an investment agreement with HAAH sometime this week, at the earliest," a senior automotive industry source said. The planned agreement would likely be a "binding offer," a deal where potential buyers usually hope to close an acquisition before the target entity goes into court receivership due to heavy liquidity issues. The expectations pushed SsangYong shares to their daily high limit-up of 30 percent to end at 5,620 won per ordinary share on the KOSPI, according to the bourse operator, the Korea Exchange. HAAH is partly owned by China's automobile company Chery, which has recently been aggressively seeking automotive assets globally. The agreement means the Chinese firm would become a stakeholder in the ailing Korean carmaker. Mahindra, the largest shareholder of SsangYong earlier said it was planning to cut its shareholding in SsangYong to below 50 percent from the current 75 percent if it gets new investors. The source said HAAH was planning to invest millions of dollars into Ssangyong. However, because SsangYong needs at least 550 billion won to normalize its operations, Chery will provide some of the required funds over a certain period of time. HAAH is unable to become the single largest shareholder in SsangYong because its annual sales were estimated at $20 million. "Helped by the financial backing of Chery, HAAH will begin discussions with SsangYong investors as the investors are demanding Mahindra maintain at least a 51 percent shareholding in SsangYong for a loan rollover or extension," the source added. As of the first half of this year, the total short-term debt SsangYong needs to repay is 306 billion won of this, JPMorgan, BNP Paribas, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and other foreign investment banks are owed 150 billion won. "Korea Development Bank (KDB) Chairman Lee dong-gull will be very cooperative to make sure HAAH's investment actually happens as he has told investors many times that the state-run bank will do its utmost to prevent SsangYong from a complete failure," another source said. The intention behind HAAH's approach to SsangYong isn't clearly known, though some speculate that Chery was hoping to sell its vehicles via HAAH by taking advantage of the Korea-US FTA. The bilateral trade pact between Seoul and Washington was cited as the core consideration when Chinese vehicle manufacturer BYD made its move to acquire SsangYong Motor. "Chery probably interprets HAAH's investment as a detour to expand its presence in the United States or other Western markets it has its eye on," the second source added. HAAH is based in Irvine, Calif. Chery is planning to distribute Chinese vehicles in the North American market, specifically its Vantas SUV, by 2021. Expansion: From left: John Hood, director of Food and Tourism with Invest NI; Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Estate Yogurt; Lady Dufferin; Clandeboye Estate manager Mark Logan; and Mark Bleakney, Southern Regional manager of Invest NI Luxury yoghurt business Clandeboye Estate hopes to make 80 tonnes of the dairy product a week as it invests over 2m in a new factory in Co Down. The Bangor company is creating 13 new jobs as it builds new premises on the grounds of Clandeboye Estate - the ancestral home of Lady Dufferin. She launched the Clandeboye brand of yoghurt, from the milk of the estate's pedigree herds of Holstein and Jersey cows, in 2007. Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, said: "Our mission is to grow Clandeboye Yoghurt as sustainably as possible and to maintain the high quality of our natural yoghurt offering. "Everything from grazing to production takes place within the Clandeboye Estate, with milk sourced from the herd and local producers - a complete 'farm to spoon' journey." The latest expansion is backed by economic development agency Invest NI. He said its backing would enable it to invest in new machinery at the factory - giving it the capacity to produce up to 80 tonnes of yoghurt per week, over four times what it normally produces. John Hood, director of food and drink at Invest NI, said the brand had developed into a premium offering stocked in retailers like Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda. Invest NI has offered the company 470,000 support towards the new factory and machinery. This project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014-2020. Separately, Economy Minister Diane Dodds has announced 20 high quality training places on the Alchemy Technology Services Assured Skills Academy in the north west. The training places are open to people with a Bachelor's or Master's degree or a Level 5 qualification in IT-related disciplines. For more information visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/assured-skills 14.09.2020 LISTEN The Chiefs of Ahafo Region have eulogized the President of the Republic for instituting policies that have impacted positively in the lives of their people. Their statement was made when the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo - Addo accompanied by some ministers paid a two - day working visit to the region to inspect and commission projects of the government. Addressing the President and his team at Goaso, capital of the region, the Paramount Chief of Goaso Traditional Council, Nana Kwasi Bosomprah said the creation of the region by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led government has been a blessing to them due to how development has begun thriving in all sectors. He explained now the region which has contributed and still contributing massively to the growth of the country per the quantum of gold, timber, foodstuffs among others it supplies and was receiving less of the national cake can boost of getting development due them kind courtesy President Akufo Addo. " I can't say all is well with us but we are better under Akufo Addo's regime " he stated. At Kenyasi, capital of Asutifi North the President of Kenyasi No.1 Traditional Council, Nana Osei Abiri (II) on education explained the introduction of the free education policy at the Senior High School (SHS) level has offloaded the financial burden parents in the region endure before enrolling their wards. He said it was not easy for most parents in the region to secure secondary education for their brilliant children after basic education because they are mere farmers who earn little. He further mentioned that the bringing back of teacher - nurse training allowance which was sidelined by the previous government has brought back smiles to parents and students. Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Duayaw Nkwanta the capital of Tano North, Nana Buasum Basuah, Nkosuohene touched on the benefits farmers in the region have derived from the various farming policies instituted by this government which has made farming more attractive. According to him, now the rate at which the youth in the region are engaging in farming being either crop or animal is mind-blowing due to how President Akufo Addo has branded farming so he needs to be applauded. On roads the chiefs explained, credible contractors have been assigned by the government under the auspices of the road ministry to either construct or reshape most of their roads. Talk of employment which was a threat to the region, the chiefs gave a standing ovation to the President for bringing to bear the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) program, youth in afforestation, and the rest to help absorb greater numbers of the youth who were unemployed. They chiefs categorically said Ahafo Region has really benefited from this government and the people will be ungrateful not to express gratitude to the President who is steering the affairs. " We're not in heaven but at least we're better off due to NPP policies " they stated. His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo - Addo accompanied by Health, Education, Roads, Agricultural, Trade among others thanked the chiefs for commending his performance as the head of government. The President told the chiefs and the people that governance must always be given to persons with brilliant ideas to help improve the living standards of the people just like what he and his team are exhibited making Ghanaians attest to it. " I'm not surprised at your commendation because you've been waiting for development for long " President Nana Addo mentioned. He assured the chiefs to expect more developmental projects to help the region which is young per the creation to catch up with the traditional ones (10 regions). At Techimantia, a sod was cut for the construction of 40.1km Bechem - Techimantia - Akomadan road, at Bechem, a Business Resource Centre was commissioned, at Kenyasi, a 68 - bed ward, doctor's accommodation, and children's ward were commissioned among others. As a two-time Iraq War veteran who happens to be a public health professional and a Black man, the past few months have been equal parts inspiring and disorienting. I have been inspired by the protests, large and small, that demand that America live up to its promise of equality. Yet I have been dismayed by the presidents intentional actions to fan the flames of racism and white supremacy, mismanagement of the national response to COVID-19, and frequent politicization of the military. Like many Americans, balancing my civic duty to be an informed citizen while avoiding the lies and propaganda that are pervasive throughout the executive branch has been challenging. I try to keep the big picture in mind to avoid being distracted by the chaos propagated by the White House. Despite my best efforts, there is one piece of recent news about the president of which I just cant let go. Its the reporting that the president didnt want disabled veterans to participate in a parade, because nobody wants to see that. READ MORE: A Philadelphia military veteran in recovery is using his home to help struggling veterans find peace and sanctuary Incidents of the presidents disrespect of the military, service members, and their families are too numerous to count. Some of his most disgraceful remarks disparaged POWs, Gold Star families, and those who choose to serve in uniform. But the nobody wants to see that comment is particularly disturbing because it demonstrates a degree of cascading ignorance that is rare even for this president. While a military parade in the style of authoritarian dictators like North Koreas Kim Jung Un is strangely dystopian, the idea that disabled veterans are an eyesore offers us all a glimpse into Trumps depraved thinking and ignorance. Its important to remember that wounded veterans often have injuries that are invisible at first glance. Credible estimates indicate that as many as 30% of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans live with mental health conditions, yet less than half actually receive treatment. As startling as this statistic is, it doesnt account for the full impact that military service can have on families and communities. I have witnessed firsthand the toll that multiple deployments have on military families. These include missed birthdays and graduations, strained relationships, and divorce. These sacrifices are not fodder for political hay, they are part of the full cost of war. Treating our veterans with dignity and respect must be paramount. Its my hope that when Americans encounter a disabled veteran, that they first and foremost experience compassion and reverence. Its also understandable if someone experiences a modicum of discomfort. As a senators aide in the early 2010s, I attended dozens of service member funerals at each I experienced a range of emotions. Sometimes utter grief at a life lost, sometimes inspiration from the acts of heroism in the final moments of the service members life, and sometimes discomfort with the realization that family would be left to continue on to pick up the pieces left by death. This discomfort is not an eyesore, its a reminder that decisions made on behalf of the American people to protect the common defense bear huge implications for the lives of our heroic service members. The discomfort is a reminder that we must approach each of these decisions with gravity and thoughtfulness that the use of military force warrants. Service members and veterans deserve a president who understands the full costs of service, and Trump is and will never be that. Xavior Robinson served six years in the Army and deployed to Iraq and South Korea. He is currently the chief operating officer at Pathways to Housing PA. Russian leader agrees to $1.5bn loan with Minsk and says Belarus crisis should be resolved without foreign interference. Russia has agreed to a $1.5bn loan with Minsk, President Vladimir Putin said at talks on Monday with Alexander Lukashenko, the embattled Belarusian leader, adding that the Belarusian people should resolve the crisis without foreign interference. Putin, in comments broadcast on television from the talks in Russias Sochi, said he thought a proposal by Lukashenko to carry out constitutional reform was logical and timely. Lukashenko arrived in Sochi to meet Putin on Monday, as protests continued across Belarus seeking the end of his rule following a disputed August 9 election. His plane landed in the Black Sea region a day after police arrested 774 people at anti-government rallies across the country, including 500 in the capital, Minsk, the Belarusian interior ministry said. At least 100,000 protesters flooded the streets of Minsk on Sunday. The meeting, in which Lukashenko thanked Putin for his support, marked the first face-to-face talks between the leaders since the contested Belarusian election. Putin congratulated Lukashenko on his victory at the time, but later described the vote as not ideal. The Russian presidents actions have so far suggest he has no desire to see the leader of a neighbouring ex-Soviet country toppled by pressure from the streets even if Lukashenko has often proved a prickly and difficult ally. Protests, some featuring violence, have gripped the country for five weeks since the vote, with anti-Kremlin placards seen at some rallies Im worried about Russias intentions to enforce its interests here. We have to be friends with Russia, but it is not good for neighbouring countries to be involved in our internal problems, said a protester at Sundays rally. Katsiaryna Shmatsina of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies told Al Jazeera: Lukashenko this month has exhausted all the tools he used to apply in the previous years which were used to large scale oppression towards people. People would get beaten and detained and then this would scale down protests. This time this doesnt work. On Monday, the UN rights council agreed to host an urgent debate on reports of violence at the hands of authorities during protests. Lukashenko, 65, last week gave an interview to Russian journalists, including Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Kremlin-controlled channel RT, in which he warned that if his government falls, Russia will be next. Lukashenko, who has ruled the Eastern European nation of 9.5 million people with an iron fist since 1994, has previously blamed the West for fomenting demonstrations in Belarus in hopes of turning it into a bridgehead against Russia. Al Jazeeras Step Vaessen, reporting from Minsk, said: Lukashenko has left Belarus for the first time since the political crisis has started and his bargaining position has not improved after this mass rally on Sunday. He was hoping to keep the numbers low to show to President Putin that he has everything under control which obviously didnt work. He needs more support from President Putin then ever before. And Putin is willing to give him his support because Putin really wants to prevent Belarus to fall in the hands of the West and possibly NATO. But that support will come at a price. Belarusian opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, currently in Lithuania, warned Putin against signing any agreement with Lukashenko. She said she was sorry Putin was having a dialogue with an usurper and not with the Belarusian people, said Vaessen. Leading UAE-based facilities management services provider Emrill has reached a major milestone in its ongoing efforts to ensure the health and safety of all employees, achieving 13 million safe manhours without lost-time injury (LTI) in 2020. Reaching 13 million safe manhours in August, this achievement marks 243 days without an LTI across all of Emrills sites, including Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai master communities, Dubai Airport and residential towers on Dubais Palm Jumeirah, said a statement from Emrill. In 2020, Emrill expanded its already extensive suite of health and safety training courses, adding its Frontline Supervisor (FLS) Health, Safety and Environment Training module. The learning outcomes of the module include understanding responsibilities, recognising common workplace hazards, implementing appropriate control measures, evaluating and mitigating risks and recognising the different ways in which health and safety performance can be measured and improved, it stated. Emrill CEO Stuart Harrison said: "The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees are at the forefront of everything we do. We have created a safety-first culture, in which every employee is accountable not only for personal safety but also for the wellbeing of colleagues and the residents of the communities and sites we serve." "Achieving this milestone demonstrates the ongoing commitment of every Emrill employee to ensure our sites and facilities safety is second to none," he stated. Over the years, Emrill has launched several safety initiatives to create an environment of openness and awareness in which all Emrill employees are actively engaged in meeting safety targets. The companys Target Zero initiatives message was simple: If it is not safe, dont do it. In another highly successful campaign, titled Dont Walk By, Emrill employees were empowered to identify and raise concerns about any unsafe working practices and conditions to any other team member with confidence. All employees have been issued with a Stop Work Card, giving them the authority to stop any unsafe activity. Other ongoing safety programmes include Emrills Behavioural Based Safety and Working at Height initiatives, as well as monthly roleplay activities and Toolbox Talks, which focus on safe working practices. Since the launch of the module, 92 per cent of the 443 eligible employees have completed the course, with 93 per cent of participants achieving a pass rate of over 70 per cent on the final assessment. Integrated management system (IMS) manager Faisulla Shariff said: "The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it many challenges, including how to continue delivering world-class training and maintaining best practice standards while adhering to physical distancing guidelines." "To ensure Emrill employees could complete the module, which is so critical for the safety of our frontline supervisors and the teams they manage, we adapted the course and training methodologies to enable us to deliver the lessons virtually," he stated. To date, 15 per cent of participants have completed the module via virtual learning, achieving comparable results to face-to-face learners at the end of the course, he added. Upon completing the course, whether via classroom-based or virtual learning, all participants were required to complete a multiple-choice assessment. Those participants achieving more than 70 per cent were awarded a certificate. Any participants not achieving the minimum score was given further instruction, with additional support if required, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the course material and its practical application before retaking the assessment. Harrison said: "Learning doesnt stop at the end of the course and we require the lessons from the classroom are carried through to employees daily roles onsite. The FLS module was designed to be highly practical, featuring information that could be taken straight from the course and applied." "The principles are revisited frequently in the form of onsite meetings, the setting of KPIs and ongoing performance management and employee appraisals. We are serious about ensuring everything our employees have learned is implemented across every level of the business because safety is not just a box to be ticked off for us; its a fundamental part of our business," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday said it would provide braille ballots to guide visually challenged persons for Saturdays governorship election in Edo State. Mahmoud Yakubu, chairman of INEC, said this in Benin City during an expanded stakeholders meeting organised by the commission. The meeting had in attendance the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, chairpersons of the 14 participating political parties in the election and their candidates, civil society organisations, among others. Mr Yakubu said the commission would be deploying magnifying glasses and braille ballot guides to assist persons who need it so as to vote unaided. As in previous elections, the Commission is deploying magnifying glasses and braille ballot guides to assist Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to vote unaided. Earlier, the commission translated and published its policy of conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Voters Code of Conduct into braille to ensure greater awareness and effective participation of all citizens in the electoral process irrespective of disability, Mr Yakubu said. He assured the people of Edo that their votes would count in the September 19 governorship election, adding that it is the peoples choice that would determine the outcome of the election. According to Mr Yakubu, electoral violators will face the consequences of their actions if caught during the governorship election. Mr Yakubu, who promised that the election would be credible, free, and fair, however listed some of the infractions to include vote-buying, multiple voting, hijacking, and diversion of election materials as well as ballot-box snatching and stuffing, among others. Edo people must be allowed to freely vote for their preferred candidate without inducement or harassment. We have been assured by the security agencies that thugs and their sponsors will not have the freedom to move around freely to disrupt the election or collation of results, he said. The INEC chairperson also disclosed that the national headquarters of the commission would monitor the election throughout the state through a zoom situation room. This zoom situation room will allow us to receive live reports from the field. Accredited observers and the media will also be invited to join at intervals. By doing so, the commission will receive first-hand information as the election is going on. The votes of the eligible voters will count. Only the choice made by the people of Edo will determine the outcome of the election. Our focus is on our processes and procedures. Nothing more. Be rest assured that Saturdays election will be credible, Mr Yakubu said. In his remarks, Shuaib Ibrahim, director-general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), appealed to all stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of all corps members deployed for the election. Mr Ibrahim, who was represented by Benjamin Ayodele, the South-South supervisor of NYSC, thanked INEC for the confidence reposed in the corps. Osato Bazuaye, a representative of the Oba of Benin, called on INEC and the Inspector General to ensure that the election was free, fair, and peaceful. On Saturday, 39-year-old Hollywood actor Chris Evans shared a nude photograph of himself to his 5.7 million followers seemingly accidentally, while attempting to upload an Instagram video. The photo that drove Twitter wild was of an erect penis that everyone assumed to be the actors. Although he almost immediately deleted the video, screenshots made their way across Twitter, prompting thousands of jokes, with many people expressing their attraction to Evans. Twitter is notorious for its humor, so sometimes the larger point can get lost amid the deftly crafted memes and jokes. But theres nothing funny about someones nude pictures being shared without their consent. Its sad to see that when it comes to celebrities, even those of us who claim to be fierce advocates for consent can sometimes end up throwing our values out the window. Much of this is due to the inherent violence of celebrity culture. We lift these people up on a pedestal, far away from us mortal beings. We consume them, relentlessly. Because of this, so often, celebrities need for privacy and respect is of little consequence. The industries that prop up their outsized fame have encouraged us to feel like were shareholders in the myth of their celebrity which includes not only their bodies, but their minds and spirits and innermost feelings. We assume we are entitled to bear witness to it all, regardless of consent. The levels of removal we have from celebrities our exposure to them or rare interactions with them happening almost entirely on social media help us to maintain this detachment. Technology can be a tool of connection weve never seen this more clearly than during the Covid-19 pandemic but it can also strip away empathy, making our proclaimed values about consent a lot easier to abandon. In the case of Evans pictures, gender also plays a huge role here, and one that should not be ignored. Previously, women actors like Jennifer Lawrence whose nude pictures were leaked without their consent were blamed relentlessly and cruelly. I was just so afraid, Lawrence told Vanity Fair in 2014. I didn't know how this would affect my career. In contrast, Evans seemed to be mostly spared from cruel or threatening messages. Having your personal pictures shared without your consent is traumatizing in any context, but it is harder to heal from these incidents when youre being called sexist slurs, when youre getting a barrage of rape threats, and when you fear that you will lose professional opportunities. Evans has been open about his serious struggles with depression and anxiety, and those struggles surely must have resurfaced in the wake of this incident. However, its undeniable that he was treated differently than women and people of other marginalized genders are when their nude photos are leaked. As always, misogyny also harms men. So the misogynistic views that lead people to take Evans pictures and lack of consent less seriously is also what can lead men to feel more isolated when these violations of consent occur. Theres a pressure to regard it as just a joke" a compliment, even and move on. Theres a sense that a man would not mind his body being shared and dissected across the internet, so it becomes less of a serious offense to share and ogle at those pictures; less of a violation. During times like these, its important for people to understand that we do not own any human being. We are not owed access to their bodies, and we do not have the right to taunt them and share their private pictures. Were conditioned to believe that celebrities belong to us in many ways, but they do not. The more we disregard consent even when it just seems like a joke, even if the person feels pressure to play along the more we make this world a more dangerous place for everyone, especially the most marginalized. Because of his gender, race, and status, Evans will likely not face any professional consequences or public castigation for this apparent social media slip-up. However, he is still a human being whose consent was violated when people continued to share a sexual photograph that he clearly wanted to remain private. Those things hurt and they leave scars, regardless of who you are. Suga was intimately associated with the Abe era, and he highlighted its achievements during televised debates to emphasize that he would deliver more of the same. On foreign policy, that means keeping the alliance with the United States as the centerpiece, forging closer links with democracies in the Asia-Pacific region but also maintaining reasonably cordial ties with China. Americas Racial Reckoning: What you need to know Full coverage: Race & Reckoning Demographic changes: How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990 Newsletter: Subscribe to About US to read the latest on race and identity George Floyds America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life Resources: Understanding racism and inequality in America Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:48:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ali Bagheri, international affairs assistant of Iran's Judiciary, strongly protested on Monday against "interferences of some European embassies in internal affairs of Iran," official news agency Mizan reported. "If you are clueless about what justice and fairness mean, at least observe diplomatic etiquette and do not spread lies like an opposition group," Bagheri said at a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary. On Monday, the embassies of Germany and France in Tehran issued separate statements to condemn the execution on Sunday of a "Qisas" death penalty sentence against a wrestler for the murder of a security agent, on request of the victim's family. Foreign pressure, the Iranian official said, "will neither blunt the sharp razor of justice by the Judiciary, nor diminish the broad umbrella of Islamic mercy." Bagheri said that European states have "a long history of supporting dictators, selling weapons of mass destruction to dictator Saddam (Hussein), and boycotting food and medicine needed by ordinary people," and cannot "even take the gesture of defending human rights." Enditem By Deepak Chopra, MD Although meditation has become widely popular, higher consciousness baffles and intimidates people. It seems like a faraway exotic attainment, and perhaps more myth that reality. But higher consciousness is just a convenient catch-all for expanded awareness. Reaching any higher state depends on a simple, very basic axiom: You cannot change what you are not aware of. Grasping this statement takes only a minute, but the point is critically important. To be aware is also called being mindful. It is very desirable to be mindful. It keeps you in the present moment. It involves being alert and open to new experiences. Mindfulness is detached: you are open to the present moment but are not attached to any outcome that you either desire or fear. Yet mindfulness has a built-in catch. How do you remind yourself to be mindful when you have drifted away from the present moment? Mindfulness is the very state you are not in. Telling someone to be mindful is like saying Dont forget to remember. Fortunately, you can get past the catch. It involves the simple act of noticing. Your mind is designed to notice things all the time and sending the signal to you. When you notice a friend in the crowd or something appetizing on a restaurant menu or an attractive stranger, what actually happens? You flick a switch and start to pay attention. The thing you notice is selected from lots of other things you are not noticing. When you see a friend in the crowd, you ignore the other people all around. The one-minute lesson, which you can adopt immediately, is 1. Notice when you feel distracted, stressed, angry, anxious, or otherwise out of tune. Dont dismiss this perception. 2. Pause. Whatever you are about to say or do, whatever reaction you are in the middle of, back away from it. 3. Put your attention in the middle of your chest in the region of the heart, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths until you return to the situation with a clear mind. These steps are simple, but noticing can be extremely powerful. You have found the key to change, following the axiom that what you are not aware of, you cannot change. By noticing, you give awareness an opening that it doesnt otherwise have. Noticing can change the course of history, as in 1928 when the Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find, much to his annoyance, that green mold has spoiled some open dishes of cultured bacteria. Instead of reacting as he and other researchers always had, simply throwing out the tainted specimens, Fleming noticed, paused to think, and realized, in a stroke of awareness, that he was observing a powerful killer of bacteria. Penicillin was born from an observation made hundreds of times before but without truly noticing what was going on. Noticing doesnt simply flick a switch; it invites you to rethink, reframe, and go deeper than your normal reaction. In an instant you call upon the minds natural ability to reflect. We do not notice at random. Instead, we notice Something were looking for Something we judge against Something we fear Something we might be attracted to Something that offers an explanation or solution These are the ingredients in everyones agenda, even though no two agendas match. In my new book, Total Meditation, I outline the best agenda for effortlessly nurturing higher consciousness. The best agenda is to promote your personal growth by noticing opportunities to be more conscious. Catching yourself doing something unconsciously is an important part of this agenda. But there are also other dimensions of the total meditation agenda: Notice when someone else needs attention and appreciation. Notice an opportunity to give or be of service. Notice an opportunity to be kind. Notice when help is needed. Notice beauty in Nature. Setting your inner agenda to take advantage of such opportunities helps reset your deeper awareness. Like the internal clock that notices what time it is even when you are asleep, deeper levels of consciousness know much more than your thinking mind does. In particular, your deeper awareness is the source of the most valued things in human existence: love, compassion, creativity, curiosity, discovery, intelligence, and evolution. Set your agenda to any of these things and it will turn into opportunities that you begin to notice more and more. Alexander Fleming was primed to discover penicillin because he was already a noted researcher with important findings to his credit. A loving mother is already primed to notice if her child feels unwell, something that might escape the attention of a negligent parent. To notice is to open the door of awareness. What you do after that is up to you. In total meditation you notice much more than you did before, but there is no obligation to act in a certain away. Consciousness can accomplish anything, but consciousness is its own reward. In daily life, shifting your inner agenda also involves getting past the kind of noticing that doesnt serve your personal evolution. Noticing other peoples faults, being on the lookout to correct someone else, assigning to ourselves the role of rule enforcer, or judging people as winners or losers are wrong uses of noticing. Theres no getting around the fact that agendas have a dark side. It is hard to notice something without immediately judging it. In total meditation, it is important to be aware of your judgments but not act on them. We are all too practiced in likes and dislikes, acceptance and rejection, attraction and aversion. These opposites dominate our inner agendas. But simply by favoring a new agenda, you can change, and in time what you notice will more and more be self-enhancing. Freedom from judgment begins by not favoring judgments you know are negative. Noticing isnt random. You can begin right now to notice opportunities to wake up. This alone is enough to greatly accelerate your personal evolution. DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day whole health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 90 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution and his next book, Total Meditation (Harmony Book, September 22, 2020) will help to achieve new dimensions of stress-free living and joyful living. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century. www.deepakchopra.com Courtesy photo City of Laredo officials have identified the K-9 handler in charge of Chester, the K-9 officer which died after being left inside a locked vehicle. He was identified as Mario A. Larranaga Jr. His termination letter states that he committed a violation of the Municipal Civil Service Rules and Regulations of the City of Laredo, violation of well-known and/or well established job safety rules or regulations and any violation of the city ethics code or any other wrongful, improper or unlawful conduct. President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed embattled Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and promised economic support as the Belarusian strongman vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow. Lukashenko thanked Putin for his support and vowed to stick closer to "elder brother" Moscow during one-to-one talks at the Russian president's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The Belarusian leader was making his first foreign trip since his disputed win in August 9 presidential polls prompted mass protests against his rule, the latest drawing tens of thousands on Sunday in Minsk. Putin appeared to endorse Lukashenko's political future, praising the Belarusian's sketched-out plans for constitutional changes to appease the opposition. The Russian president said during joint televised comments he was "sure that considering your experience" this would "allow the development of the country's political system to reach new heights." Putin also offered economic support, saying Russia would extend Belarus a government loan of $1.5 billion and called for more trade between the countries. He said that Belarusians should "deal with this situation themselves, calmly and in dialogue with each other, without hints and pressure from outside". As they spoke, Lukashenko leaned towards Putin in his chair, while the Russian leader sat with his legs placed wide apart, sometimes drumming his fingers and tapping his feet. 'Elder brother' Putin said last month that Russia had created a reserve group of law enforcement officers to help ensure security in Belarus and he reiterated Monday that Russia was "committed to all its obligations" under a military alliance of former Soviet countries. Lukashenko thanked Putin for behaving "very decently, very humanely" and said of Belarus that "we need to stick closer to our elder brother and cooperate on all issues." After consistently depicting the crisis as sparked by outside players, Lukashenko criticised military drills in NATO countries near Belarus's borders, saying that Russia and Belarus would prepare their armies to resist any threats. Story continues The Belarusian arrived in Russia a day after the latest demonstration against his rule saw police detain more than 500 protesters in Minsk. Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claims she was the true winner in polls, condemned Putin for negotiating with "illegitimate Lukashenko." "I really regret you decided to hold dialogue with a usurper and not with the Belarusian people," Tikhanovskaya, who has taken shelter in Lithuania, said in a statement. Lukashenko on Monday described the protests in Belarus as "a very serious lesson," but said he hoped that this had been "overcome." While his harsh crackdown on demonstrators has prompted international condemnation and sanctions, Russia has remained a firm ally. Putin congratulated Lukashenko after the elections and the leaders have exchanged frequent calls as Russia has stepped up political and military contacts in recent weeks. As the position of the Belarusian strongman -- in power for 26 years -- has weakened, Russia has called for closer integration, although the leaders did not describe concrete steps in their public comments. 'Don't sell country' Putin has long called for full unification with Belarus, while Lukashenko has so far ruled this out. Russia dwarfs Belarus, with a population of around 9.5 million, and provides it with cheap fuel. Belarus is strategically important to Russia as a buffer zone, bordered to the West by EU and NATO members. The two countries have already formed a close relationship as a "union state" with strong military and economic links and an open border until the coronavirus outbreak. While opposition protests have focused on domestic issues, protesters called on Lukashenko not to "sell the country" at a mass demonstration on Sunday. Police detained nearly 7,000 people during protests in the days after the election and three people died on the streets or in custody, with detainees giving accounts of beatings and torture. The United Nations rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Monday that allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees "should be documented and investigated, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice." (AFP) Manali, Sep 14 : An Italian national has been arrested for possessing 1.63 kg charas in Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, the police said on Monday. Claudio Piccirilli (52) was travelling to Delhi from Manali in a private Volvo bus on Sunday night, which was stopped by the police for checking at Bajaura. The charas was skillfully concealed in a briefcase. Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 has been registered against the accused. Piccirilli stayed in a guesthouse in Manali for two weeks. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Limited easing should be joined with individual vigilance The government eased social distancing for Seoul and its surrounding area by half a notch to Level 2, Monday. It is a limited two weeks of easing, down from the Level 2.5 measures of the past two weeks. The caveat is that distancing efforts will be further strengthened from Sept. 28 as a special 14-day antivirus period will be introduced for the approaching Chuseok holiday. With new daily infections still in the 100s, the latest measure can only be received with nervous relief. Small businesses will be relieved to reopen, in the case of internet cafes, or operate longer hours, in the case of franchise cafes and restaurants. The economic losses suffered by these businesses were one of the main reasons for the easing. Citizens in the area may be happier for a bit more normalcy in their lives. Yet, no one should declare themselves worry-free from COVID-19. That's why we must commit to the highest level of voluntary civic duty by adhering to hygiene and anti-COVID-19 precautions. The government is asking people to refrain from returning to their hometowns during Chuseok so as to lessen migration during that time. The momentary relief should be appreciated with hyper vigilance. Jeong Eun-kyeong, chief of the newly launched Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, has pledged to come up with a domestically developed vaccine by next year, and treatment by this year. In the meantime, one out of four new infections are untraceable and small infection clusters are occurring at hospitals and homes for senior citizens. The latest step shows the government has learned and will offer flexible guidelines to fight COVID-19. The guidelines may feel discriminatory but we should keep in mind that the goal is to protect all. A drug company says that adding an anti-inflammatory medicine to a drug already widely used for hospitalised COVID-19 patients shortens their time to recovery by an additional day. Eli Lilly announced the results on Monday from a 1000-person study sponsored by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The result have not yet been published or reviewed by independent scientists, but the government confirmed that Lilly's statement was accurate. Eli Lilly conducted a 1000-person study sponsored by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Credit:AP The study tested baricitinib, a pill that Indianapolis-based Lilly already sells as Olumiant to treat rheumatoid arthritis, the less common form of arthritis that occurs when a mistaken or overreacting immune system attacks joints, causing inflammation. An overactive immune system also can lead to serious problems in coronavirus patients. All study participants received remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug previously shown to reduce the time to recovery, defined as being well enough to leave the hospital, by four days on average. Those who also were given baricitinib recovered one day sooner than those given remdesivir alone, Lilly said. Death toll in Sindhupalchowk District of Central Nepal has risen to 11 while 20 are reported missing after landslide triggered by incessant rainfall over-night swept residential area. Death toll in Sindhupalchowk District of Central Nepal has risen to 11 while 20 are reported missing after landslide triggered by incessant rainfall over-night swept residential area. Preliminary report of Police stated that a total of 11 houses were swept by the landslide. Information Officer at District Police Office Prakash Sapkota told ANI over the phone that a total of 7 houses were swept by a landslide in Nagpuje, 2 in Virkharka and 2 in Newar Tole. He said that as per their report a total of 31 people were in those house before it was swept overnight, out of them they had recovered bodies of 11 people, 20 were still unaccounted. Police have established the identity of those dead in the latest round of calamity that has struck the district. Earlier in 2015, hundreds of people lost their lives due to the massive earthquake which laid some of its epicentres in the district. Also read: Tibetans hold anti-China protest in solidarity with Special Frontier Force commando in New York Also read: Unlike Pakistan, China opposed to Taliban control in Afghanistan Sapkota added that they recovered one body nearly 8 kilometres down, the Sunkoshi River that afternoon. Search and rescuers had struggled throughout the day to find the missing ones hoping for lives under the debris. Along with search, assessment of the damage caused by the landslide result of downpour is being conducted simultaneously. A total of 3 residents of Virkharka Tole, 16 of Nagpuje and One of Newar Tole is missing. It is assumed that a big mound of soil triggered the landslide. It has reached up to the Bhotekoshi River which lies around 700 meters down from the site of impact, Superintendent of Police, Sindhupalchowk Rajan Adhikari said. The Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been undertaking search operation with the help of locals. As the impact of the landslide has been seen up to riverine down, a search operation is being conducted in the river. Also read: US, UAE sign agreement for increased consular privileges and immunities Ala. suspends license of abortionist who bragged about cutting preborn babies vocal cords Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An abortionist who once bragged about cutting babies vocal cords during abortions had her medical license temporarily suspended by the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners for lying on her application. Leah Torres became the medical at the West Alabama Womens Center in Tuscaloosa following the retirement of abortionist Louis Payne, 82, amid an investigation into the May 7 death of one of his patients, according to the pro-life group Operation Rescue. Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners said in an order and letter dated Aug. 20 that Torres committed fraud" for not reporting that a medical malpractice action had been filed against her, failing to notify the board that her hospital admitting privileges had been revoked, and not admitting that she suffered from "a mental, emotional, nervous, or behavioral disorder or condition." The board also said Torres submitted "false, misleading, or untruthful information" to the board and "committed unprofessional conduct" by making public statements about the "practice of medicine which violate the high standards of honesty, diligence, prudence, and ethical integrity." Torres gained notoriety in 2018 after she posted a comment on Twitter that many found offensive and shocking. At the time, she was an abortionist working at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the now-deleted tweet, Torres responded to an inquiry from a pro-life Twitter user who asked: Do you hear their heartbeats when you lay down at night? Do you hear their screams? No, Torres replied. You know fetuses cant scream, right? I transect the cord 1st so theres really no opportunity, if theyre even far enough along to have a larynx. Later that year, Torres came under fire for another tweet, where she asserted that God performs way more abortions than I do. Everyone seems to assert they know what god thinks, so have at it. God performs way more abortions than I do, so theres that. https://t.co/mdTPnob8E5 Leah Torres, MD (@LeahNTorres) December 29, 2018 Torres had been working at the Tuscaloosa clinic under a temporary license while she waited for the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners to approve her application for a certificate of qualification, which was denied. A week after the board denied Torres' application for a certificate of qualification, she had her license suspended and was ordered to immediately cease and desist from the practice of medicine in the State of Alabama. In its order, the Medical License Commission of Alabama explained that the Board presently has evidence in its possession that the continuance in practice of LEAH N. TORRES, M.D. may constitute an immediate danger to her patients and/or the public. A hearing is scheduled to take place on Dec. 21, where the board will make its case in front of the commission and Torres will have the opportunity to answer for the concerns raised in the complaint filed against her. Just three weeks before her license was suspended, the far-left website Rewire, which advocates for abortion and legalizing prostitution, touted Torres as the doctor helping transform abortion care in Alabama." The site added, With Dr. Leah Torres as its new medical director, West Alabama Womens Center will expand its services in a state hostile to abortion rights. According to the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, the West Alabama Womens Center performed 3,371 abortions in 2018, more than half of the 6,484 performed statewide that year. Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, took to Twitter to express support for the suspension of Torres license. Abortionists do not practice medicine. Torres murdered thousands of infants, Rose proclaimed. Every state in America should suspend ALL abortionist licenses & refuse to allow the slaughter to continue. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One person suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. at East 104th Street and Blue Ridge Boulevard. There is no additional information at this time. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The decision comes days after a video went viral online showing two train conductors verbally abusing a conscript for not producing a ticket Related Egyptian transport ministry sanctions train conductors after verbal abuse of conscript Egypt will allow army personnel and policemen to use regular trains for free, according an official circular sent to railway stations on Monday. According to the circular, army and police personnel can use the trains for free if they are wearing their uniforms or by using their identity cards or travel forms. The decision comes days after a four-minute video went viral online showing two train conductors verbally abusing a conscript in military uniform for not producing a ticket, leading to a dispute. In the video, one of the two conductors asks the conscript to take off his protective facemask so they can hear what he is saying, and reproached him for not having a ticket. The conductors asked the man to pay for a ticket, to which he responded that he had already paid for one. The conscript then decided to get off the train, but a female passenger intervened and paid for his ticket. The transportation ministry has imposed sanctions and fines on the conductors, including transferring them to work on freight trains, and a fine of EGP 4,000 ($247) each for not wearing masks in accordance with coronavirus preventive measures. The Armed Forces issued a statement following the incident praising the transportation ministrys decision, adding that the conductors represented only themselves with their actions. The military statement also praised the woman who paid for the conscripts ticket. The woman, who has been lauded on social media, was honored alongside the conscript by the defense ministry in a ceremony on Sunday. Search Keywords: Short link: The moment a deal normalising ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel was announced, the head of a Tel Aviv technology organisation received dozens of LinkedIn invitations from Emiratis. A month on from the August diplomatic breakthrough, Eugene Kandel, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central, was already in Dubai selling Israeli technology. Kandel's organisation works to "build bridges" between Israeli technology companies and governments, businesses and organisations. The launching of public business ties "can provide a lot of opportunities for many Israelis," Kandel told AFP. Rather than wait for the signing ceremony at the White House on Tuesday between the two countries, as well as cementing an Israeli-Bahraini deal, Israeli business leaders rushed to Abu Dhabi and Dubai with catalogues of their wares. The first business delegation visited the UAE last week, following an official Israeli government visit, and another group of industry leaders is due in the Emirates on Monday. Among them is Kandel, a former economic advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since the landmark Israel-UAE deal was announced on August 13, the average number of Emirati users on the Start-Up Nation Central platform has increased by 122 percent. The amount of time they have spent looking at Israeli start-ups on the website has jumped by 600 percent, according to the organisation, which did not provide user numbers. Investment in Israel's start-up sector grew by 33 percent to $4.6 billion in the first half of this year, according to an internal study. But the figures include contracts negotiated in 2019, and so do not fully show the impact of coronavirus on the industry. The pandemic could lead to a "sharp decline" in start-up investments over the next few months, especially foreign ones, Kandel warned. In the past, Israeli start-ups tended to grow locally before being acquired by foreign firms. But that has been changing over the past five years, Kandel said. "We believe that there is a lot of potential to continue this trend, and so that money from the Emirates could replace some of the other money," which was lost due to the pandemic, Kandel told AFP. Eugene Kandel of Start-Up Nation Central, an Israeli organisation that works to bring technology companies, governments and businesses together, sees "opportunities" in the normalisation of ties with the UAE / AFP Israel and the UAE are keen to exchange agricultural technology -- both countries seek food security in the midst of the desert -- as well as financial technology and cybersecurity. In recent years the Israeli company NSO, whose Pegasus spyware can remotely extract data from mobile phones, has signed contracts with Bahrain and the emirate of Abu Dhabi, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Investors could also be drawn to Israeli missiles, drones, anti-drone and anti-missile systems, as the country is a global leader in military technology. - Cultural bridge - Israel's prominence in these fields is in part due to its compulsory military service, which includes elite technology units that serve as start-up incubators. The country's Jewish ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors, however, which constitute around 10 and 20 percent of the population respectively, are largely exempt from the conscription and under-represented in the technology sector. The Technion, one of Israel's leading universities, is committed to increasing the amount of tech graduates among Israel's minority groups. Over the past 15 years the number of Arab students in the Technion has grown by 200 percent, the institution says. Flags fly in Israel -- of the US, the UAE, Israel and Bahrain -- ahead of the signing on Tuesday of agreements to normalise ties between the nations / AFP With doors now opening to the Gulf, Kandel said Israel must now tap into that unrealised potential. "Arab-Israelis... could be the cultural bridge," he said. "They know how to work with (Israel's) Jewish majority, but also how to... work within the Arab world." As well as working as developers, he saw potential for Arab-Israelis to play a role in business development, marketing and sales. "You need somebody who speaks the language so you have a much wider net," he said. "It's like tapping another 20 percent of the population." Israeli entrepreneur Erel Margalit, who heads investment firm JVP Margalit, is planning to send a delegation to the UAE in coming weeks. "We want to invest in young, dynamic, smart Arab entrepreneurs," said Margalit, whose company specialises in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and financial technology. The entrepreneur told AFP he sees the Emirates as a country of tech innovators, rather than just customers. His goal is to open a start-up incubator in Dubai. "It's our goal, it's our dream," Margalit said. "It would serve as a gateway to the whole region." NEW HAVEN Ten city schools will reopen their doors in October to allow juniors and seniors the opportunity to take the SAT or PSAT after several missed their chance during the emergency shutdown of schools in March. After district staff worked throughout the summer to prepare school buildings to reopen for students who want some in-person instruction, the Board of Education voted to keep school buildings closed for the first 10 weeks of the school year under the belief that the safety measures in place were insufficient. Director of Student Services Typhanie Jackson last week requested that the school board approve the reopening of 10 high schools for two days in October so students can take the exams. She said the board needed to act because of an approaching Sept. 16 deadline to order the materials for exam dates on Oct. 14 and 29. We dont know how many of the students would actually volunteer to take the test, said Jackson. Although the number could, in theory, include all of the roughly 1,300 juniors and a number of seniors who had their SAT exams canceled in the spring, she said she does not expect that many students to try to take the tests all at once. Jackson said Wednesday that students who take the PSAT can qualify for scholarship money, making it advantageous for many New Haven students to take the exam. Ordinarily, the tests are proctored with about 20 students per room Jackson said the district would be looking to do so this year with 10 students per room to promote social distancing. She said the district is looking to hold the exams in high schools only so students can feel comfortable in a familiar space and know exactly how to find their exam rooms so there is less traffic in hallways. She said the district also would pull volunteers from all roles more than just teachers to stand in to proctor the tests to promote social distancing. The board voted unanimously to allow for the district to order the testing materials. Board member Matt Wilcox requested more information on the safety protocols the district intends on implementing to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus. Jackson said the district already has plans to mandate students complete a health assessment and to have their temperatures checked at the door, and to require masks at all times. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Parliament convenes today after a long period in what will be a shortened monsoon session which will last till October 1. While the pandemic has prevented the full functioning of many institutions, Parliament is the most important one and it is imperative that its functionaries meet with adequate precautions to discuss the many issues the country faces, and legislate on several pending laws. The very fact that Parliament is back in business is a positive step. The most important thing, despite the fact that there will be no Question Hour, is to ensure that this session is productive. There is far too much at stake for it to be frittered away in needless contention and disruptions. There are at 11 ordinances which the government is looking to push through, though once again the Opposition has expressed reservations about this form of legislation. The government must be clear on its Covid-19 strategy going forward, it must be transparent on the facts of Chinas incursions on the border and the talks between the two countries. It has to address an economy which is faltering and discuss mitigating measures over and above the ones already taken to get things back on track. The issue of migrant workers and the massive job losses are a matter of concern and must be addressed with an aim of finding solutions which preclude party affiliations. The draft Environmental Impact Assessment policy and the aftermath of natural disasters like floods in many parts of the country all merit the attention of the lawmakers. It can only be hoped that the session does not get derailed by controversial issues including the one surrounding the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput which has become highly politicised with many sections of the media and public becoming obsessed with the case. The Opposition has every right to raise matters of public good, national security, social welfare and point out the shortcomings on the part of the government. The government must act in a spirit of accommodation and respond in a comprehensive and mature manner. Given the crises that India faces on many fronts, there is really no time to lose. Constructive engagement is the only way forward and Parliament must use the limited time available to it to let all points of view be heard and find solutions for the greater common good. Press Release September 14, 2020 Bong Go calls for greater inter-agency approach for stricter mask-wearing policy Senator Christopher "Bong" Go said that three things are needed to fully implement a stronger mask-wearing policy nationwide amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: "Bayanihan, suporta sa kabuhayan ng mga kababayan, at malasakit sa mga mahihirap at pinaka-nangangailangan." In line with these, Go appealed to the Executive department to ensure that collaboration among public and private sectors is promoted to implement the stricter mask-wearing policy, necessary support is given for local industries producing masks, and that government should be able to provide masks to the poor and vulnerable sectors who cannot afford to buy their own. "Magbayanihan tayo, suportahan natin ang kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan, at magmalasakit tayo sa mga pinaka-nangangailangan. Ito ang tatlong mga bagay na dapat natin laging tandaan," he emphasized. In line with his earlier appeal for the government to enforce a stronger face mask-wearing policy, Go is urging the Executive branch to ensure full inter-agency support and collaboration with the private sector for such policy to be implemented properly. "Dahil inobliga natin ang lahat na magsuot ng masks upang matigil ang pagkalat ng COVID-19, obligasyon rin nating mga nasa gobyerno na siguraduhing lahat ng mga Pilipino ay may may kapasidad na makakuha ng mask na isusuot para sa kanilang proteksyon. Parte 'yan ng bayanihan," he said. He also urged government to establish guidelines for the seamless production and distribution of masks following the initial implementation of a program to give away free, locally-made masks to the poorest of the poor and most vulnerable households. "Siguraduhin nating sapat ang supply ng masks. Tulungan natin ang mga lokal na industriya na gumagawa nito para rin mabigyan ng kabuhayan ang ating mga kababayan," Go explained, adding that "wearing masks can save lives while buying locally made masks can save jobs." The Senator also emphasized the need to be more proactive in implementing a stronger mask wearing policy by understanding and showing compassion to the needs and limitations of the poor. "Maging mas proactive tayo at magmalasakit sa mga mahihirap. Kung walang pambili ng mask, bigyan dapat ng libreng mask para lahat ay makapag-comply sa stronger mask wearing policy," he urged. Go explained that poor Filipinos are burdened by the adverse impacts of the pandemic on their livelihood. Hence, government should provide additional support for them in order to balance the need to jumpstart the economy while still protecting the health of its citizens. "Inoobliga natin silang magsuot ng masks kahit halos wala na nga silang pambili ng pagkain. Uunahin siyempre nila ang bumili ng pagkain kaysa bumili ng mask. Para naman mabuhay, kailangan nilang bumalik sa trabaho pero hindi sila makakapagtrabaho ng maayos kung hindi sila protektado," Go said. "Kaya dapat lang na bigyan sila ng libreng masks para makasunod sila sa patakaran at maprotektahan ang kanilang sarili," he added. To enhance government efforts, Go suggested outlining the respective duties of concerned agencies relative to the production and distribution of free masks nationwide. He suggested that the Department of Trade and Industry can lead the efforts for the production and procurement of the masks while the Department of Health and Department of Science and Technology can help determine the quality specifications needed to locally produce the proper masks. He added that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority should help train more workers needing livelihood to help in the local production of masks, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development should be tasked to distribute the face masks to priority beneficiaries. Moreover, the Senator urged government to establish linkages with local suppliers of raw materials and manufacturers of critical medical equipment and personal protective equipment. He further recommended agencies concerned with business creation and employment programs to provide the necessary resources and skills training in order to boost production of locally made masks. "Tulungan rin nating makaahon ang mga lokal na industriya, tulad ng mga mananahi at mga nagbebenta ng raw materials, na magagamit sa paggawa ng masks. Kung mapapalakas natin ang local production ng masks, mabibigyan natin ng livelihood ang mga tao, lalo na 'yung mga nawalan ng trabaho, at mas mapoprotektahan natin ang ating mga kababayan mula sa sakit," he continued. Despite some experts saying that the country's ongoing efforts are leading to "flattening of the curve" on the number of COVID-19 cases, Go renewed his call to the general public to remain vigilant, cooperate with authorities, comply with health protocols and continue to show compassion to each other. "Pinaalalahanan ko ang publiko na ang pagsuot ng mask ay pangunahing paraan upang proteksyunan ang sarili at bilang pagrespeto o pagbibigay konsiderasyon rin sa kapwa tao. Huwag natin balewalain ang simpleng patakaran na ito na makakapagligtas ng buhay ng kapwa nating Pilipino,"said Go. Citing medical experts, the Senator explained that wearing the right kind of mask alone can decrease the risk of catching and spreading the virus by 85%. With social distancing and the use of face shields, the risk may be reduced by more than 90%. He also urged them to continue observing simple precautionary measures, like practicing social distancing, frequent hand washing and avoiding non-essential travels. France's finance minister said on Friday that the European Union should push ahead with its own digital tax early next year if broader efforts to find a global solution do not bring a breakthrough in the coming months. Nearly 140 countries are currently negotiating the first major rewrite of international tax rules in a generation to account for the rise of big digital companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. With a blueprint for a deal due from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) next month, the aim of reaching an agreement by a year-end deadline is looking increasingly challenging. Speaking to reporters at a meeting of European finance ministers in Berlin, France's Bruno Le Maire said he wanted to have a fair and efficient international taxation system as soon as possible, ideally within the OECD framework. "If you look at the consequences of the economic crisis, the only winners are the digital giants," Le Maire said. "If it proves to be impossible to get a consensus by the end if this year at the OECD level, we should have, by the beginning of next year, 2021, a European solution for digital taxation." France already has a tax on digital services, but has suspended it until the end of the year to avoid a clash with the United States, where the biggest digital firms are located, and to give the OECD time to work out a global solution. But huge pressure on public finances all over the world from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the digital tax issue back to the fore and most EU countries would welcome it, although some are wary of Europe going it alone. A digital services tax is also very important for the EU as one of the ways to repay huge joint borrowing to finance economic recovery after the pandemic-induced recession, and has the backing of Germany. "We will work to make it feasible that a global consensus on this question can be reached," German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Indian Army and People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China during an event to hand over 5 Indian youths by PLA, at Kibithu in Anjaw district. PTI Photo The fire that was lit by the Chinese in the Galwan Valley on June 15 continues to smoulder in eastern Ladakh. The worst incident of violence on the India-China border since 1967 claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers. Several weeks later, many efforts to resolve the situation are yet to yield the desired results. India has demanded China restore the status quo, while China blames India, claiming sovereignty over the area. This is the second India-China standoff in recent memory. The tussle between the two militaries in Doklam in 2017 is still fresh in our memory. The Chinese attitude towards India has been evident for years, if not decades. Covert Chinese backing for anti-India groups in the Northeast has been known for long. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, its tight embrace of Pakistan, including support at the UN for Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar, are mirrored in its ant-India activities elsewhere in our neighbourhood. Each of Indias neighbours is vulnerable to Chinese stratagems: Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives or Bhutan. Chinas aggressiveness isnt restricted to Indias neighbourhood. Its activities in the South China Sea have alienated much of Southeast Asia, and raised alarm bells in several Western capitals. Its bellicose approach to Taiwan hasnt gone unnoticed in Washington or elsewhere. Even worse is its approach towards Hong Kong, where it is systematically undermining the One country, two systems principle, which was the basis for the governance of Hong Kong and Macau since they became Chinas Special Administrative Regions in the late-1990s. Britain has taken the lead to speak out against the draconian security law that China imposed on Hong Kong in July. Human rights violations across China are another issue that bothers the West. The heavy-handed tackling of unarmed protesters in Hong Kong was brought into the worlds living rooms by international TV channels. The treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province has alarmed not only the West but also Central Asia. China has demonstrated a voracious economic appetite. Of late, it has increasingly given direct loans and trade credits to developing nations, much beyond their capacity to pay back. One report claims it has given $1.5 trillion in such loans and credits to over 150 countries, and more than 50 developing nations owe more than 15 per cent of their GDP to China. It eyes the assets of nations unable to service their debts, though the Chinese media denies this. Chinas approach to trade is no less aggressive. The United States and China are engaged in what is described as a trade war, while European and other countries are concerned over Chinas single-minded approach. Chinese companies like Huawei and many Chinese apps are increasingly attracting greater scrutiny. India, too, has taken action to ban several of these apps. While disliking Chinas political and economic approach, most countries have looked the other way due to their growing dependence on Chinese finance and investments. The tipping point may have been reached as the world struggles to cope with the human and economic impact of the coronavirus that has brought most developed countries virtually to their knees. India faces a challenge from China on its borders. It also has an opportunity to engage with a world that is increasingly uncomfortable with Chinas actions. The engagement among the Quadrilateral (India, Australia, Japan and the US) has been revitalised. It is time that the Quad is expanded to include Britain, that has a direct interest in Hong Kong and is a long-time maritime power. In addition, Britain has a good understanding of this region. France can similarly bring greater depth to this initiative. Closer coordination between the Quad and Southeast Asia must also be on our agenda. Our engagements shouldnt be limited to the Indo-Pacific; strengthening ties with Central Asian nations should also be an important objective. These efforts shouldnt be seen or projected as anti-China, and such coordination is vital to maintain secure and peaceful maritime movement in the Indo-Pacific. It could benefit development of the blue economy, studying the impact of climate change and disaster relief and management. Our engagements with the Quad also shouldnt be seen as a panacea for our border problems with China. We must resolve the current situation with China through dialogue, but our engagement with China must firmly convey our resolve to defend our sovereignty. Indias preference for peace should not be mistaken for military inability or unwillingness. This red line must be understood by the Chinese. Within the bounds of this position, the creativity of our diplomats and policymakers can try and find a solution that is acceptable to both sides and which the Chinese leadership can take back to their people without appearing to have surrendered or backtracked. In war and diplomacy, it is always advisable not to open too many fronts simultaneously. The Chinese seem to have opened too many fronts. Despite its strength and power, China today seems to have few friends in the world. Its efforts to encircle India may have had dubious success, but its own overambition, bordering on arrogance, has led to the near encirclement of China itself. Is it an arrogant misjudgement on Chinas part, which made it supremely confident of handling such widespread unhappiness of its actions across the globe? Somehow, its difficult to accept that Chinese policymakers could have been so naive. Some blame internal struggle and dissonance within the Chinese leadership for the current overstretch. Others point to the centenary of the Communist Party of China next year and the desire of the leadership in Beijing to deliver the Chinese vision of itself as a great superpower at this important landmark. Covid-19s appearance as China is preparing to deliver this vision; its actions in Ladakh and other places while the rest of the world is preoccupied with the Wuhan virus could be a coincidence, unless the macho Chinese behaviour in Ladakh and south of its borders is aimed at diverting the attention of its own people. China is busy spreading its wings. From Hambantota to Gwadar, from Djibouti to Greeces Piraeus Port, and now its efforts to establish its footprint in the islands of southern Italy, combined with its increasing assertiveness in Hong Kong, the South China Sea and Ladakh, paint a picture of a China that has decided its time has come. India must remain on guard, both militarily and diplomatically. When it comes to the crunch, our battles are our own! Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:22:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the suspected poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as well as the situation in Belarus, Ukraine and Libya by telephone on Monday. Putin emphasized the "inappropriateness of unfounded accusations" against Russia, adding that in order to discover what truly happened, Germany should share Navalny's biomaterials, the Kremlin said in a statement. As for Belarus, which witnessed mass protests due to the refusal of the opposition to recognize the results of the country's presidential elections, Putin reiterated Moscow's position on the "inadmissibility" of foreign interference and external pressure, it said. "When discussing the intra-Ukrainian conflict, concern was expressed over the lack of progress in the implementation of the 2015 Minsk agreements, which remain the uncontested basis for settlement," it read. Putin and Macron also touched upon the need for a political settlement in Libya. Enditem Karnataka Startup Cell received 345 applications across 3 phases Karnataka Startup Cell, Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka launched Combat Covid19 Challenge in March 2020 inviting applications from innovators who have developed innovative product/ solutions to combat Covid19 pandemic. Karnataka Startup Cell received 345 applications across 3 phases. Applications were evaluated through a structured evaluation process by independent jury nominated by industry associations against certain parameters like Novelty/ Innovation, Feasibility & Social Impact, Timeline for Deployment and Reach, Scalability & Regulatory Hurdles, and Team Strength. Based on the readiness, certifications & compliances, 16 product/ solutions were selected for showcase. The products were launched by Dr Ashwath Narayan C N, Deputy Chief Minister, IT, BT and S&T through an online platform. Product/ Solutions launched under Combat COVID 19 challenge by Karnataka Startup Cell, KITS; PHILIPSBURG:--- Following the rapid increase in the number of infected persons due to the COVID-19 virus in Sint Maarten, the new safety protocol has been adopted by the Traffic Department in an effort to make sure we all remain Covid-19 free. Effective immediately, the Traffic Department will be working by appointment only. They can be reached by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and by telephone number 542 22 22, with extensions 241/ 239. Services handled by the Traffic Department include but are not limited to: the export of motor vehicles, hit and run (driving-on after a collision), an inspection of vehicles at events and in traffic accidents, for interviewing witnesses and suspects as well as going to the site in the case of ore serious road accidents. Steps for the export of motor vehicles: 1. Persons must send an e-mail with the following documents attached to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ,: Bill of Sale or proof of ownership Inspection card (old/expired) of the intended vehicle Proof of insurance of intended vehicle (if insured) Copy of identification card of the seller of the vehicle Copy of identification card of the purchaser of the vehicle A letter stating that said vehicle will be exported or that the vehicle will be registered in Saint Martin. 2. The applicant shall receive a reply from the Traffic Department within 3 working days by email, with a scheduled appointment for the control of the motor vehicle. 3. This appointment schedule always takes place on Wednesday mornings at the Simpson Bay Police Station, excluding Public holidays. 4. On the day of the appointment, you will report to Simpson Bay police station, with the motor vehicle to be exported, for the inspection and the following documents: A letter stating that the vehicle will be exported or that the vehicle will be registered in Saint Martin. Two stamps worth Naf. 5,- Once everything is checked and found to be in good order, you will be given the stamped documents on the same day as the inspection. Please note when coming to your scheduled appointment it is mandatory to have on a mask or you will not be attended to. KPSM Press Release. HOUSTON - A Texas police officer has been charged with assault for fatally shooting a woman after a struggle over the officers stun gun last year, prosecutors announced Monday. A Harris County grand jury indicted Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz Monday for shooting Pamela Turner in the parking lot of an apartment complex where they both lived in May 2019. Delacruz was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant, a felony that could lead to a sentence of five years to life in prison if hes convicted. Prosecutors said hell be given the chance to turn himself in. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, on Monday called Turners death a tragedy. It is important to acknowledge that her family and the community are in pain, said Ogg, who is up for reelection in November. Greg Cagle, Delacruzs attorney, said he believed the case against his client was being motivated by politics. Theres no facts that would justify a criminal charge against the officer, he said. Delacruz shot Turner after a struggle with the 44-year-old Black woman that a bystander captured on video. The footage showed Delacruz standing over Turner and reaching down to try to grab her arms. Turner then yells, Im pregnant. Moments later, something flashes as she reaches her arm out toward the officer. Suddenly, Delacruz pulls away and fires five gunshots. Police in the Houston suburb said the Hispanic officer shot Turner during an attempted arrest after she shocked him with his Taser. Court records showed three outstanding misdemeanour warrants against Turner at the time. Delacruz was defending himself when he shot Turner, Cagle said. When someone takes a police officers taser and then uses it against them, the officer is left with no options other than deadly force. Thats how the officers are trained, he said. Ben Crump, a lawyer for Turners family, said last year that she was not pregnant but had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He said Delacruz knew his neighbour suffered from mental illness and shot her from a safe distance away. Devon Jacob, another lawyer for Turners family, said the force that Delacruz used was not objectively reasonable. Delacruz returned to work less than two weeks after the shooting, but the department said hed be on administrative duty while the Texas Rangers and the civil rights division of the Harris County district attorneys office investigated the shooting. The charge against Delacruz comes after months of protests over racism and police violence in cities across the country following the death of George Floyd in May. Floyd, who was Black and grew up in Houston, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyds neck for several minutes while he was handcuffed on the ground. Baytown police Lt. Steve Dorris asked in a statement for the community to maintain trust in the legal process and its police as the case proceeds . He did not answer questions about Delacruzs employment status or the internal affairs investigation into the shooting. Delacruz, who has been with the Baytown police department since 2008, did not face any disciplinary action after the shooting, Cagle said. Jacob said the department returning Delacruz to duty was an act of deliberate indifference. __ Bleiberg reported from Dallas. __ Follow Jake Bleiberg on Twitter at, www.twitter.com/jzbleiberg, and Juan A. Lozano at, https://twitter.com/juanlozano70. 32 students are quarantining this week after coming into close contact with someone with coronavirus across 3 schools in the Port Neches-Groves ISD. The cases occured over the last two weeks, and parents at each school were notified by letter when the positive cases were confirmed. Assistant Superintendent Julie Gauthier said students who are sent home to quarantine take work with them, and follow a similar procedure to years past, when students were out with the flu or strep throat. The district is the only one in the region not to offer a virtual learning option. In the most recent case at Port Neches-Grove High School last Tuesday, no students came into close contact. Another case at that school had 3 close contacts, according to information provided by the district Monday. Another case at Port Neches Middle School had 22 close contacts, and one case at Groves Elementary had 7. Hardin-Jefferson ISD currently only has two active coronavirus cases, down from 13 at the end of August. PN-G officials are urging parents to keep students at home if they get tested for the coronavirus and are awaiting results. I think part of the confusion is that at the age of our students, when they get sick, the symptoms are so mild that they think they surely dont have it because (theyre) not running a fever, Gauthier told The Enterprise last week. In this case the student was sent to school, and then the parent received a call from the health department that the child was positive. Gauthier said in the most recent case, the student was only on campus for a short time, and that face coverings were worn by everyone with whom the student came in contact. To be in close contact, you have to be within 6 feet without any kind of protection for over 15-30 minutes, she said. I can tell you the kid was not on campus for long. Gauthier said the incident, which was detailed to parents in a letter sent home Tuesday after school, was an example of their protocols working. The students were seated properly, she said. That should be what happens is you keep people from having to be in close contact. Last Tuesday was PN-GISDs first day back following the evacuation for Hurricane Laura. Nederland ISD confirmed 4 cases of the coronavirus Monday three at Nederland High School and one at Central Middle School. In accordance with state guidelines, this is a notification that there have been three positive cases of COVID-19 reported after this weekend at your childs school, a letter from NHS Principle Steven Beagle said. If your child has been in close contact with the positive individual, you will be contacted by a campus administrator. This is not a close contact letter. Close contact, as laid out in the letter and by district policies, is defined as being directly exposed to infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on); or being within 6 feet for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes. Some factors, including if proper masks were worn and the environment had proper ventilation and dividers could change that determination, according to the letter. An identical letter was sent home to parents of students at Central Middle School. Both letters ask parents to continue monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19, including fever of greater than 100 degrees, cough, difficulty breathing and sudden loss of taste or smell. NISD started school on Sept. 8. Vidor ISD was reporting two active student cases as of Monday. The Beaumont Enterprise is tracking coronavirus cases at all Southeast Texas school districts, and will share more information as it becomes available. If you have any information, alerts from schools, or questions reach out to the reporter at isaac.windes@hearstnp.com This post will be updated. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes The two sides could also be forced to trade under WTO rules in the absence of a deal by 31 December. Photo: Getty European and British automative industry leaders have joined forces to call for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the bloc and the UK to prevent a no-deal Brexit before the end of the transition period. The 23 industry giants, including the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), want negotiators to secure a deal that delivers zero tariffs, modern rules of origin and avoids different regulations across the channel. With just 15 weeks left till the end of the UKs withdrawal, the group also warns of the severe repercussions for the sector that employs 14.6 million people. Failure to seal a deal could risk a trade loss worth up to 110bn (102bn, $130.2bn) over the next five years to 2025. The bleak picture comes after the coronavirus crisis already wiped 100bn in motor vehicle production value. The two sides could be forced to trade under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules in the absence of a FTA by 31 December, which could see 10% tariffs placed on cars and up to 22% on vans and trucks. READ MORE: Coronavirus: The UK economys rebound lost momentum in July According to new figures for cars and vans alone a reduction in demand resulting from a 10% WTO tariff could erase some three million units from EU and UK factory output to 2025, meaning UK plants could lose a whopping 52.8bn and those based across the EU up to 57.7bn. Suppliers would also suffer from changes in trading rules. The pandemic has already caused production of motor vehicles to lose some 3.6 million units across the sector this year, while before COVID-19 hit, EU and UK production was running at 18.5 million units a year. The shock of tariffs and other trade barriers would compound the damage already dealt by a global pandemic and recession, putting businesses and livelihoods at risk. Our industries are deeply integrated so we urge all parties to recognise the needs of this vital provider of jobs and economic prosperity, and pull out every single stop to secure an ambitious free trade deal now, before it is too late," Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said. Story continues Eric-Mark Huitema, ACEA Director General, has also called for an ambitious EU-UK trade deal by January 2021, warning that the stakes are high for the EU auto industry, which is reeling from the COVID-19 crisis. READ MORE: UK seals first post-Brexit trade deal with Japan President of VDA, Hildegard Muller, said: "The automotive industry needs stable and reliable framework conditions. It would be to the great disadvantage of both sides if the UK withdrawal were to end with the application of tariffs in mutual trade. This would jeopardise closely linked value chains and possibly make them unprofitable. Our member companies have more than 100 production sites in the United Kingdom. We hope that the EU and the UK will continue their close partnership - with a comprehensive free trade agreement." The EU and UK automotive industries spend some 60.8bn on innovation per year and are responsible for 20% of the global motor vehicle production, making it Europe's largest research and development (R&D) investor. A vital part of the UK economy, the car sector employs around 168,000 people in manufacturing and 823,000 across the wider automotive industry, it also accounts for 14.4% of total UK export of goods and invests 3.75bn each year in automotive R&D. The deal also suggests strategic confusion. ODays first big transaction after taking over in 2019 was a $5.1 billion partnership with Galapagos NV. He chose to buy an equity stake in the company and take part ownership of R&D projects instead of purchasing the whole business outright because he believed Galapagos would be more innovative on its own. Its a reasonable strategy and limits Gileads downside, though the firm paid a lot for what it got. But then in March, ODay edged away from caution by announcing a high-premium acquisition of cancer-drug developer FortySeven Inc. for $4.9 billion; and now, he is seemingly throwing all caution to the wind with his deal for Immunomedics. The man got into the back seat of his car. Aqeel did his usual routine of asking for the mans name to confirm he had the right person. When everything checked out, he slid his car into drive and let his foot off the brake. Then he heard gunshots. OREGON: Nearly all the dozens of people reported missing after a devastating blaze in southern Oregon have been accounted for, authorities said over the weekend as crews battled wildfires that have killed at least 35 from California to Washington state. The flames up and down the West Coast have destroyed neighbourhoods, leaving nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars, forced tens of thousands to flee and cast a shroud of smoke that has given Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, some of the worst air quality in the world. The smoke filled the air with an acrid metallic smell like pennies and spread to nearby states. While making it difficult to breathe, it helped firefighters by blocking the sun and turning the weather cooler as they tried to get a handle on the blazes, which were slowing in some places. But warnings of low moisture and strong winds that could fan the flames added urgency to the battle. The so-called red flag warnings stretched from hard-hit southern Oregon to Northern California and extended through Monday evening. Lexi Soulios, her husband and son were afraid they would have to evacuate for a second time because of the weather. They left their small southern Oregon town of Talent last week when they saw a big, huge flow of dark smoke coming up," then went past roadblocks Friday to pick through the charred ruins of their home. While they are staying farther south in Ashland, known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she said by text message that the forecast may mean they could be on the move again. "So this isn't over yet but we just had the car checked so we feel prepared," Lexi Soulios wrote. Authorities last week reported as many as 50 people could be missing after a wildfire in the Ashland area. But the Jackson County sheriff's office said late Saturday that four people had died in the blaze and that the number of missing was down to one. At least 10 people have been killed in the past week throughout Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing from other fires, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. In California, 24 people have died, and one in Washington state. Thousands of homes and other buildings have burned. Barbara Rose Bettison, 25, left her farm among the trees and fields of Eagle Creek, outside Portland, when a sheriff's deputy knocked on her door Tuesday. They drove away on a road that became an ominous dividing line, with blue skies on one side and the other filled with black and brown smoke. She took shelter at an Elks Lodge near Portland, where evacuees wrapped themselves in blankets and set up tents out back. "It's terrifying. We've never had any form of natural disaster,? she said. Bettison, a UPS driver, was able to get out with her chickens, rabbits and cats. She hasn't been back, but neighbours said it is so smoky they can't see their hands in front of their faces. "I'm hoping there has not been too much damage because it would break my heart," she said. Farther south in the town of Talent, Dave Monroe came to his burned home, partially hoping he'd find his three cats. "We thought we'd get out of this summer with no fires," he said. "There is something going on, that's for sure, man. Every summer we're burning up." Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in the US to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas. The Democratic governors of all three states say the fires are a consequence of climate change, taking aim at President Donald Trump ahead of his visit Monday to California for a fire briefing. It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." At a rally in Nevada, Trump blamed inadequate forest management, which White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed on CNN's "State of the Union," saying that for many years in California, ?particularly because of budget cutbacks, there was no inclination to manage our forests. Firefighter Steve McAdoo has run from one blaze to another in Oregon for six days, seeing buildings burn and trees light up like candles. "We lost track of time because you can't see the sun and you've been up for so many days, he said. "Forty-eight to 72 hours nonstop, you feel like you're in a dream. As he and his team battled the blazes, McAdoo worried about his wife and daughter at home just miles away. They evacuated safely, but at times he could communicate with them only in one-word text messages: 'busy'. McAdoo and other firefighters got their first real break Sunday to take showers, shave and check their equipment. And though it's a faint shadow of its usual self, he can finally see the sun. "It's nice today to at least see the dot in the sky," he said. Meanwhile, Oregon's fire marshal, who resigned after being placed on leave amid a personnel investigation, says he was trying to help a colleague and 'didn't do anything wrong.' Jim Walker told TV news station KOIN in Portland that state police leaders put him on leave after he tried to help a co-worker whose family was missing in a fire zone, saying his superiors decided he had overstepped his authority. The U.S. Senate's Indian Affairs Committee has recently addressed a bill to implement the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes water compact. Senator Daines introduced the legislation and Senator Tester has cosponsored it. Bipartisan support for the compact isn't unusual, however, as this compact has strong bipartisan support from the Montana Legislature, as well as from groups as disparate as the Montana Farm Bureau and Trout Unlimited. The CSKT water compact represents a fair, publicly negotiated settlement of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe's Indian reserved water rights. While the underlying treaty with each tribe is different, every federally recognized Montana tribe has these rights and our state has already successfully implemented six Indian reserved water rights settlements. The CSKT water compact is not special, it is simply the last compact to be addressed. The only alternative to this negotiated settlement is litigation. Rational individuals understand that there are no winners in either Montana's water court or in Federal court. Litigation wastes time, consumes enormous financial resources, and leaves all parties less than whole. Further, one of the hardest parts of any settlement is finding enough water to fully satisfy all of the existing claims. Compacts solve the problem of over appropriation by allocating water from previously unavailable sources litigation does not allow for this option. Settlement of the CSKT's claims will also bring much-needed funding for the refurbishment of the Flathead Irrigation Project. This project, which delivers water to the compact stakeholders, is in dire need of maintenance, repair, and replacement. The settlement legislation sets aside funds for this work. In stark contrast, litigation cannot appropriate funds for this effort. The CSKT water compact settles all claims on the Flathead Indian Reservation, it settles off reservation claims on the west side of the continental divide, and it dismisses, with prejudice, any CSKT claims to water on the east side of the divide. The compact brings necessary funds for the refurbishment of the Flathead Irrigation Project and it avoids decades of wasteful court battles. I commend Senators Daines and Tester for their support of this settlement and I ask that you contact their offices to let them know that you back their efforts. Rep. Ray Shaw, R-Sheridan, represents House District 71 in the Montana Legislature. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Kerala: Matsya Sampada Yojana fails to cheer fishermen by V Sajeev Kumar September 14,2020 | Source: The Hindu Business Line The ?20,000-crore package under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana has failed to bring cheers to Keralas fisher-folk, as they view the announcement as a political gimmick eyeing the ensuing Bihar polls. Charles George, president of the Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi, told BusinessLine that Bihar is not a fish-producing State and the government has totally neglected the coastal States that are focussed in deep sea fishing and inland water fishery. The fisheries sector in the country is labour-intensive and the government should look at the concern of the producing community while focussing on increasing production. Instead of corporatisation of the sector, we bat for co-operatisation for an inclusive overall development of all stakeholders, he said. The Prime Minister launched the scheme in 21 States on Thursday by inaugurating facilities in Patna, Purnia, Sitamarhi, Madhepura, Kishanganj and Samastipur to provide new infrastructure, modern equipment and access to new markets for fish producers apart from more opportunities for farming. A leading seafood exporter said that the declaration would benefit only North Indian states and ignores coastal States in providing the requisite needs for the sector. The immediate requirement for the crisis-ridden seafood export sector is working capital as Covid-19 lockdown has battered the entire value chain with declining product value, dwindling sales in the overseas markets coupled with a fishing ban etc. The sector has sought interest waiver on the existing loans in the lockdown period which has been denied in the package. The seafood fraternity also demanded to raise the MEIS benefits to remain competitive in the export market. The request for giving subsidies for ESI insurance schemes has also turned down. Guidelines missing Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal, General Secretary of All Kerala Mechanised Boat Owners Association, termed the announcement as old wine in a new bottle. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the scheme under Atmanirbhar package without giving any guidelines in availing the benefits. We are of the view that several initiatives such as deep sea exploration, upgrading fish landing centres, marketing efforts by avoiding middlemen etc can be done with required guidelines, which is still missing in the new announcement, he said. The abundant fish resources in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean have always prompted foreign trawlers including the Chinese to poach in Indian waters. To tap the resources, he said that the government should take efforts to curb fishing by foreign trawlers and allow Indian crafts to fish outside the EEZ as was done in major countries. Anil Tharayath Vargehse, Secretariat of National Fishworkers Forum, said that PMMSY was designed to attract investments and it expects existing players to diversify into culture based fisheries across production and supply chain. But fish workers are concerned as the support towards their livelihood in the scheme is minimal, if not merely token. The high financial investments in the sector would be subject to fluctuations in global market conditions. Large scale changes on land and water upon privatisation of public systems would expect to create permanent damages to fragile economies. China's aircraft carrier Liaoning takes part in a military drill of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the western Pacific Ocean on April 18, 2018. (Reuters) China Poses The Greatest Threat to World Order: UK Military Intelligence Chief The Chinese regime poses the greatest threat to world order, Britains Chief of Defence Intelligence told British media on Sunday. Lt. Gen. Jim Hockenhull, speaking at the first media briefing at the UKs Defence Intelligence hub based at the Royal Air Force base in Wyton, Cambridgeshire, discussed how global players such as Russia and China continually challenge the existing order without prompting direct conflict, operating in the expanding grey-zone between war and peacetime, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. While Hockenhull saw Russia as posing the greatest military and geopolitical threat to European security, he reserved the starkest warning for Chinas communist regime, The Telegraph reported. Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers take part in a performance during an open day at Stonecutters Island naval base in Hong Kong, on June 30, 2019. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) China is increasingly authoritarian and assertive, he said. It poses the greatest threat to world order, seeking to impose Chinese standards and norms and using its economic power to influence and subvert, backed up by massive investment in modernizing its armed forces. According to The Sun, Hockenhull said that Beijing had accelerated its modernization of the military since Xi Jinping came to power in 2013. The Chinese military now boasts an array of leading-edge weapons systems that are fast eroding Western military advantages, he said, according to The Sun, adding, Its growing fleet of Renhai-class destroyers are the most capable of any navy. A Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning (C), during military drills in the South China Sea, on Jan. 2, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The shifting global picture has changed the character of warfare in ways that will challenge the West to keep pace with adversaries who do not play by the rules, Hockenhull said, according to the Ministry of Defence. He warned that conflict is bleeding into new domains such as cyber and space, threatening Britains cohesion, resilience, and global interests. Whilst conventional threats remain, we have seen our adversaries invest in Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and other ground-breaking technologies, whilst also supercharging more traditional techniques of influence and leverage, he said. A Long March 3B rocket carrying the Beidou-3GEO3 satellite lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province on June 23, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The UK government is conducting a comprehensive review of its foreign, security, and defense policy. As part of the review, Britains Ministry of Defence is planning to pivot away from traditional defense and operate much more in the newest domains of space, cyber, and sub-sea, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in July. Both Russia and China have been developing offensive space weapons and upgrading their capabilities, Wallace wrote in The Telegraph. Cyber-attacks by hostile state actors are also seen as posing a heightened risk to the UK, especially during the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Medical workers take swab samples from residents to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus, in a street in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province on May 15, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) On July 22, UKs Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said he was deeply concerned over evidence that China is engaged in malicious cyber attacks against commercial, medical and academic institutions, including those working to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. A day earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that two Chinese hackers had been indicted for targeting businesses and government agencies in several countries, including the UK, Belgium, Germany, the United States, Australia, and Japan, for stealing millions of dollars worth of trade secrets and other sensitive information, and attempting to steal research on COVID-19. On May 5, the UKs National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency (CISA) issued a joint advisory, exposing malicious cyber campaigns targeting international health-care and medical research organizations involved in the coronavirus response. To counter cyber threats, the UK government announced on Thursday that health-care businesses will be able to get government-funded training in order to boost their cyber-security and protect sensitive data. Lily Zhou and Janita Kan contributed to this report. Imperial Valley News Center William M. Kelly, M.D., Inc And Omega Imaging, Inc. Agree To Pay $5 Million To Resolve Alleged False Claims Washington, DC - William M. Kelly Inc. and Omega Imaging Inc., together, operate 11 radiology facilities in Southern California, have agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly submitting claims to Medicare and the military healthcare program, TRICARE, for unsupervised radiology services and services provided at unaccredited facilities, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Todays settlement demonstrates the departments unrelenting commitment to protect the public fisc and patient safety, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark of the Department of Justices Civil Division. The department will aggressively pursue unscrupulous healthcare providers who cut corners that could jeopardize the health and safety of Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries. Patients rightly expect that medical providers follow the proper procedures and protocol when administering complex treatments to ensure patient safety, said Timothy B. DeFrancesca, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Working with our law enforcement partners we remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the integrity of government health programs. The settlement resolves allegations that the defendants submitted claims for CT scans and MRIs involving contrast injections that were not properly supervised by a physician. Applicable program rules require a physician to be present in the office suite when a patient undergoes an examination that involves the administration of intravenous contrast material. The defendants allegedly performed and billed for these procedures when no supervising physician was present in the office suite. The settlement also resolves allegations that a certain number of the defendants facilities lacked accreditation. Contemporaneous with the settlement, William M. Kelly, Inc. and Omega Imaging Inc. entered into a three-year Integrity Agreement (IA) with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General requiring, among other things, the implementation of a risk assessment and internal review process designed to identify and address evolving compliance risks. The IA requires training, auditing, and monitoring designed to address the conduct alleged in the case. The settlement, which was based on the defendants ability to pay, resolves allegations originally brought in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the FCA by Syd Ackerman, who was formerly employed by the defendants. The FCA permits private parties to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to receive a share of any recovery. The FCA permits the United States to intervene in such a lawsuit, as it did in part here. Mr. Ackerman will receive approximately $925,000 of the settlement proceeds. This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General and Office of Investigations; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the Defense Health Agency Office of General Counsel. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Syd Ackerman v. William M. Kelly, M.D., Inc. and Omega Imaging, Inc., No. EDCV 13-02195 JGB (DTBx) (C.D. Cal.). The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. Suspected militants in Mozambique's insurgency-hit north have attacked two trucks transporting passengers, killing at least two people and further undermining road access to a gas-rich area, military sources said Sunday. Jihadists seized the key port town of Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado province last month, less than 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of one of Africa's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) investment projects off the Afungi peninsula. The Mozambican army has no yet managed to regain control of the area, where violence has intensified since the insurgency took hold in 2017. On Saturday, suspected jihahists ambushed two cargo trucks carrying passengers from the northeastern town of Palma to the district of Nangade, near the Tanzanian border. Two unnamed military sources confirmed the attack, which took place near an army post 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Palma. "Assistance was provided but at the moment two deaths and many injured are confirmed," said a soldier who witnessed the attack, explaining that one of the trucks crashed into a tree. The victims were taken to hospital in Nangade. A high-ranking officer in Palma said the ambush significantly raised the threat level posed by insurgency. "The vehicles circulated without military escort because we assumed that the route was safe", he told AFP. "With this attack we can assume that we are isolated from the rest of the province and the country. Right now the only safe way to get in and out of the Palma is by air." The trucks were travelling along one of the main roads into Palma, which sits alongside 75 trillion cubic feet of LNG. The town is the base for a $23 billion gas exploration project developed by French oil giant Total, as well as other investments by American-owned Exxon-Mobil and Italy's Eni. "We are surrounded and at this moment the defence and security forces have neither the conditions nor the capacity to repel the insurgents from Palma and recover Mocimboa da Praia," confided another military officer based in the town. Militants have launched a series attacks on villages and towns in Cabo Delgado over the past three years, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing at least 250,000. The group has grown bolder in recent months, escalating violence as part of a campaign to establish an Islamist caliphate. Their attacks have already rendered the road network between provincial capital Pemba and Palma impassable. Earlier this week, militants seized control of two small islands in the Indian Ocean, threatening maritime traffic in the region. Total has assured it is not using Mocimboa as a logistical hub and that it has built its own maritime facilities. In the past week, two large ratings agencies Moody's and Fitch Ratings have issued fresh notes on the Sunil Mittal-controlled Bharti Airtel. These notes have broadly given a positive outlook for Airtel and its subsidiaries following the Supreme Court verdict on the AGR (adjusted gross revenues) matter that has provided relief to the incumbent telcos Airtel and Vodafone Idea. While the Moody's report has upgraded Airtel's rating outlook to stable from negative, the Fitch note hasn't changed the ratings outlook but expects the telco to gain substantial market share at the cost of Vodafone Idea. For instance, the Moody's report points out the change in outlook reflects improving profitability at Bharti's core Indian mobile business, because of a moderation in industry competition, an increase in its 4G customer base, and a tariff hike from December 2019. ALSO READ: Moody's upgrades Bharti Airtel rating outlook to 'stable' from 'negative' "The competition in the Indian mobile segment has moderated over the last nine months as the price war following Reliance Jio Infocomm's entry in September 2016 has subsided. But the pandemic has resulted in some subscriber contraction (1-2 per cent) over the last few months, which has amplified the impact of a natural attrition of subscribers due to SIM card consolidation in India following the tariff hikes implement in December 2019. However, an increase in the composition of its 4G customers, which comprised nearly 50 per cent of its Indian mobile subscriber base in June 2020, is helping to stabilise profitability," says the Moody's report. As per Fitch Ratings, the Supreme Court's latest ruling will allow Airtel to pay the remaining outstanding dues in 10 annual payments of about $600 million (Rs 4,410 crore) starting March 2022 instead of a lumpsum. The telco has paid Rs 18,004 crore, and is yet to pay Rs 25,976 crore. "We expect Jio and Bharti to increase their combined revenue market share to 75-80 per cent from around 70 per cent in the next 12-18 months, at the expense of Vodafone Idea, which will likely lose 50-70 million subscribers in the next 12 months," Fitch Ratings report said. ALSO READ: After AGR verdict, Airtel, Vodafone Idea at the mercy of Reliance Jio Interestingly, the agencies believe that since Airtel is not required to make lumpsum AGR payment to Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the telco can use some of its recently-raised funds to deleverage. For instance, Airtel raised $3 billion in January - a part of which ($2 billion) was raised through a QIP (qualified institutional placement) and $1 billion through FCCB (foreign currency convertible bonds) issue. "The staggered AGR payment plan will help alleviate pressure on the company' cash flow. It also means that some of the proceeds Bharti raised earlier this year to fund the AGR liability, can instead be applied to debt reduction. According to management, this is actually already underway. Moody's also recognizes that around 30-35 per cent of Bharti's reported debt levels are spectrum liabilities, which are not exposed to refinancing risks," says the report. Nevertheless, the AGR dues are going to impact the cash flows of Airtel and Vodafone Idea, and the incumbents would be necessarily required to hike tariffs. As per financial services firm Jefferies, Airtel will have to increase ARPUs (average revenue per user) by 10 per cent to meet its obligations, and it expects around round of tariff hikes in the near term. "With the verdict removing a key uncertainty around the stock, the mobile market moving steadily towards a duopoly and another round of tariff hikes...," Jefferies said on September 1. ALSO READ: Sebi shortlists Bharti Airtel, Wipro, 5 others to refurbish IT infra, communications network 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 Uzbekistans Jizzakh Petroleum has announced a major investment in a new state-of-the-art chemical complex in the country. Announced in May 2019 and being built in in Bukhara region, the chemical complex is claimed to be one of the largest and more advanced than others in the CIS region. It will operate using domestic feedstock and will allow natural gas monetisation via the production of export oriented and high value-added products. The estimated cost of construction is $2.8 billion. Successful completion of the project will further diversify Uzbekistans economy, develop its domestic textile, chemical and parapharmaceutical industries, and reduce import levels into Uzbekistan. The plants location was determined by the presence of competitive feedstock and energy supplies, suitable infrastructure, and proximity to key markets across Europe and Asia, consolidating the role of Uzbekistan as the energy leader in the region. General Director of JV Jizzakh Petroleum, Shokir Fayzullayev, said: Even in these current difficult times we are happy to report progress in this unique and ambitious project. We are keen to play a key role in enabling a new carbon economy for Uzbekistan and the region as a whole by supporting innovative projects and solutions on the way to a cleaner and safer future. We aspire to create a world-class chemical company making great products for society, and this project is fully aligned with our vision. Our approach is not limited to our immediate operations, but we take the entire supply chain and the interests of all stakeholders into account. We look forward to working closely with all our partners and consultants to implement this visionary state-of-the-art complex that will contribute to our economy and to the people of Uzbekistan and Central Asia at large. Continuous work on the project has been carried out and the first, preparatory stage is now completed, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consulting and technical partners including IHS Markit, Nexant, and Amec Foster Wheeler (Wood) have concluded marketing analysis and feasibility studies on the project. The final stage of licensor selection is currently underway and once completed the next stage of the project, FEED, will begin. Following a screening study, IHS Markit selected 18 end products for the next stage from 47 olefin derivatives. Nexant then completed a detailed marketing study for the 18 product types, from which low-density polyethylene (LDPE), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) were chosen for planned production. These results became the basis for drawing up various options for the basic configuration of the future plant. AFW (Wood) conducted research into the project configuration and selected the optimal option for the configuration of the future gas chemical complex. When completed, a new 500,000 tons state-of-the-art olefins plant is expected to process 1.5bcm of natural gas per annum and manufacture high-quality polymers used in many sectors of the worldwide economy. Tradearabia News Service Viral video app TikTok will be separated from its Chinese parent company Bytedance and be sold to Oracle, according to new reports. Oracle has been chosen as a technology partner but the negotiations would result in a restructuring rather than sale, the reports claimed. The app was previously expected to be sold to Microsoft. Microsoft announced Sunday that its bid to acquire TikTok's US operations was rejected, removing the tech giant from the running a week before President Donald Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the US over spying concerns. Bytedance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests, Microsoft said in its statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas, it concluded. Walmart, which had planned to partner with Microsoft on the acquisition, said Sunday it "continues to have an interest in a TikTok investment" and is talking about it with Bytedance and other parties. The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok by 20 September and ordered Bytedance to sell its US business, claiming national-security risks due to its Chinese ownership. The government worries about user data being funneled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national-security risk and is suing to stop the administration from the threatened ban. TikTok denies that it has shared user data with the Chinese government or that it would do so if asked. The company says it has not censored videos at the request of Chinese authorities and insists it is not a national-security threat. TikTok has sued to stop the ban, but not the sale order. The negotiations have been complicated by several factors, including Trump's repeated demands that the U.S. government should get a "cut" of any deal, a stipulation and role for the president that experts say is unprecedented. It's not clear if the proposed deal will only cover TikTok's US business, and, if so, how it will be split from the rest of TikTok's social media platform, which is popular worldwide. Any deal must still be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, a US government group chaired by the Treasury Secretary that studies mergers for national-security reasons. The president can approve or deny a transaction recommended by the panel, though Trump has already voiced support for Oracle as a "great company" that could handle the acquisition. In addition, the Chinese government in late August unveiled new regulations that restrict exports of technology, likely including the artificial intelligence system TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means ByteDance would have to obtain a license from China to export such technology to a foreign company. Oracle primarily makes database software. It competes with tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon that provide cloud services as well as business-software specialists like Salesforce. Some analysts see Oracle's interest in a consumer business as misguided. Oracle should focus on enterprise-market acquisitions and not invest in a consumer app like TikTok. "It doesn't make any sense," said Jefferies analyst Brent Thill, who compares the idea to Delta Airlines buying a motorcycle company. Thill suggested that TikTok competitors like Facebook and Snapchat should be "cheering on Oracle" as a buyer, because Oracle wouldn't "add a lot of value to the app." Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of President Donald Trump, hosting a fundraiser for him in February at his Rancho Mirage estate. The company also hired a former top aide to Vice President Mike Pence; its CEO, Safra Catz, also served on Trump's transition team. The president has previously said that Oracle was "a great company" that "could handle" buying TikTok. He declined to state his preference between Oracle and Microsoft as buyers. The Independent has reached out to TikTok for comment. Oracle declined to comment. The White House declined to comment. Additional reporting by agencies Advertisement Melburnians are unhappy, and it's not just the 'tinfoil hat wearing brigade' the police would have you believe. On Sunday, hundreds of Melburnians took to the streets to protest Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' continued lockdown of Victoria's citizens. Young women in active wear joined Muslims in hijabs, beard-stroking hipsters and toffs in their Sunday finest. A Melburnian wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat attended a protest at the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday Police officers doing their best impersonation of the cover of the original Mad Max video tape arrest a woman on Sunday A young woman in activewear is taken away by police in Melbourne during a rally at the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday Another young woman is detained by police on Sunday in Melbourne during the market protest People held placards declaring their grandparents had fled Nazi Germany to live a life of freedom in Australia Under Stage Four lockdown restrictions, protesting is now banned across the state, with those even thinking about attending dragged out of their homes in handcuffs by enthusiastic police. Melburnians fortunate enough to live within walking distance of the Queen Victoria Market were presented with disturbing scenes as their weekend shop quickly turned into a warzone. Ordinary market shoppers were not to know it was going to happen. If reports are accurate, those planning to protest on Sunday had very little time to get there themselves. Social media is no longer a safe place for Victorians to vent their spleens on matters such as public gatherings. Not unless you're among the vocal fans of the Victorian premier shouting down all who would oppose his iron-clad beliefs. A day earlier, as the skies opened over Melbourne with an icy blast, police may have carried false hope that tensions across Melbourne had simmered. On Saturday, they had arrested just 14 people - no doubt die-hard believers in democracy considering the atrocious conditions outdoors. The arrests obviously did little to deter up to 250 Victorians marching on the market to voice their objections to the premier's lockdown. Of course, the usual troublemakers were on deck at the market too. Some hurled fruit at police and others ranted about paedophiles running the country. But the ordinary Australians far outnumbered the 'crazies' Victoria Police like to refer as the only people who seem to protest over lockdown. People held placards declaring their grandparents had fled Nazi Germany to live a life of freedom in Australia. 'We want our lives back', a sign begged. 'Our businesses back, our freedom back.' These people looked nothing like the kind of person Victoria Police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius describes. The tough-talking police big-wig has been sinking the boot into Victorians who would dare protest for weeks now. On Friday, he turned on another brave display from the comfort of his pulpit at police headquarters. 'I feel a bit like a dog returning to eat his own vomit,' he crowed. 'I'm sick of it.' A woman attempts to protest at the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday where police made dozens of arrests and issued 176 fines Police question two women during an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Sunday A woman is detained by Victoria Police in Melbourne on Sunday amid growing civil unrest over lockdown Police arrest a protester at a rally against lockdown regulations in Melbourne An anti-lockdown protester is detained by members of Victoria Police at the Queen Victoria Market on September 13 Mr Cornelius had warned that police would be ready and waiting for anyone who turned-up to the protest - and Melburnians by now know he wasn't kidding. 'If people were less selfish and a bit more grown up, we wouldn't have to keep doing this,' Mr Cornelius said. Earlier that week police had done their best to dismantle the planned 'Melbourne Freedom Walk'. Police raided the home of Middle Park man Tony Pecora on Thursday as part of an investigation into the 'co-ordination and encouragement of protest activity'. Organisers claimed the walk to be legal and asked citizens to 'come together, get healthy and talk about getting our freedoms back'. 'Don't take us for fools,' Mr Cornelius warned. 'We'll have no hesitation in issuing fines.' Police have also had no issue with tearing people from their cars and spraying others in the face with pepper spray for the simplest of resistance to their demands during Stage Four lockdown. Just weeks ago, the assistant commissioner labelled anti-lockdown protesters the 'tinfoil-hat wearing brigade'. 'They're taking every opportunity to leverage the current situation to serve their ridiculous notions about so called sovereign citizens, about constitutional issues and about how 5G is going to kill your grandkids,' he said of a previous protest. 'I mean it's just crazy, it's batsh*t crazy nonsense.' Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius has been accused of having a crack from the cheap seats during Melbourne's Stage Four lockdown A young man yells as police arrest him on Sunday at the Queen Victoria Market Protesters in Guy Fawkes masks march during an anti-lockdown demonstration in Melbourne's central business district on Sunday Previously an anti-lockdown rally was held at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, resulting in 17 arrests and more than 160 fines being issued for breaching government health directions A protester is arrested near the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne on Sunday and made to wear a face mask Police officers on Sunday resembled the sleeve of an old Mad Max VHS video tape. They wore helmets, masks and body armour from head to foot and carried shields Anti-lockdown protesters organised a 'freedom walk' to demonstrate against Melbourne's current Stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions Metropolitan Melbourne remains under stage four lockdown restrictions, with people only allowed to leave home to give or receive care, shopping for food and essential items, daily exercise and work while an overnight curfew from 8pm to 5am is also in place About 1,100 people had shown interest in Sunday's walk and 340 had committed to attend before Facebook took down the event's online page on Wednesday Down on the mean streets, police walking the beat wish the boss would head back to his office for a coffee and shut his mouth. 'If it was (Police Commissioner Shane) Patton, who has been catching crooks since he was a teenager spouting off like that maybe we could take it,' an officer told Daily Mail Australia. 'He [Cornelius] kicks back with a port at night watching us deal with the mess on TV.' About 1,100 people had shown interest in Sunday's walk and 340 had committed to attend before Facebook took down the event's online page on Wednesday. While some of those people Mr Cornelius described were no doubt within the market protesters, they were by no means in the majority. Nor were they the majority in Dandenong when ordinary residents gathered to walk along the local creek there just weeks ago. Again, ordinary Melburnians were presented with extraordinarily ugly scenes involving Victoria Police. On Sunday, those Melburnians took a stand against a lockdown they honestly believe is wrong. By the end of the day, Victoria Police had arrested 74 of them and handed out 176 fines. Rewind to June 6, when close to 10,000 protesters gathered at Parliament House on Spring Street and marched to Flinders Street Station for the Black Lives Matters protest. Police stood back and let them march. Protesters carried placards reading: 'We need a new system' and 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'. At one point, masked police formed a line and stood silently as protesters punched the air and chanted 'F**k the police'. Melburnians marched from the market towards the CBD after police busted up their rally A woman tries to make a break for it after being detained by police at the market on Sunday Police arrest another protester near the Queen Victoria Market on Sunday A man is detained by members of Victoria Police at the Queen Victoria Market on September 13 Protesters march through the CBD during an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on Sunday, September 13 On Sunday, those Melburnians took a stand against a lockdown they honestly believe is wrong. By the end of the day, Victoria Police had arrested 74 of them and handed out 176 fines Melburnians are unhappy, and its not just the 'tinfoil hat wearing brigade' the police would have you believe Protesters carried placards reading: 'We need a new system' and 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere' But this is Melbourne in September 2020, and things have changed a lot since June. Police officers on Sunday resembled the sleeve of an old Mad Max VHS video tape. They wore helmets, masks and body armour from head to foot and carried shields. Officers bravely galloped on horseback into the fray and arrested everyone they could get their hands on. One protester wore a pro-Trump 'Make America Great Again' cap. On Monday, as Victoria recorded 35 new cases of coronavirus - the lowest daily increase since 33 cases were recorded on June 25 - many are left wondering if someone can do the same for Australia. On Sunday, hundreds of Melburnians took to the streets to protest Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' continued lockdown of Victoria's citizens To stop the coronavirus, the most successful countries slammed their doors shut to visitors. It worked. Until they let outsiders back in. To stop the coronavirus, the most successful countries slammed their doors shut to visitors. It worked. Until they let outsiders back in. In March, I wrote two widely read articles about the emerging coronavirus pandemic, Why You Must Act Now, then The Hammer and the Dance, which called for a hammer (stringent measures to stop the virus) followed by a dance (intelligent but less aggressive actions to prevent the pandemic from coming back). Since then, many countries have used a hammer: schools closed; businesses shuttered; public events were banned; masks were required; citizens were ordered to shelter at home. All those actions helped slow the spread of the virus. But as the world failed to dance the right way, it has been facing resurgences of the pandemic. Ive been examining the failures and what needs to happen next time. Measures like masks, testing, contact tracing, isolations, quarantines are still necessary, but one approach has not been emphasized enough: the fence. Countries that quickly closed their borders or carefully monitored anyone coming in have been most successful in slowing infections. Some countries use fences to block outsiders from crossing their borders. Some countries limit travel within their borders. As the United States considers relaxing some border controls and European countries reimpose travel restrictions, they need to realize that these fences are necessary to control the virus and if they are enforced, theyll be effective. Back in May, the coronavirus was out of control. Brazil, Russia and the United States had noticeably more cases than Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. You might think this would be because the first three have been more lax in their approach. Certainly, the leaders of these nations were half-hearted and worse in handling the virus. But many regional governments within each country actually imposed quite severe restrictions on activity. This shows Oxford Universitys Stringency Index, which zeroes in on the strictest measures in a country, whether part of a national, state or local government response to slow the virus, like closing businesses and limiting gatherings. As you can see, Brazil, Russia and the United States rank higher in the stringency of their measures much stricter, overall, than Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Yet those countries still had some of the worst outbreaks in the world. Notes: Reflects newly reported cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks of May. Stringency data is a derivation of the Oxford University Stringency Index, adjusted to exclude policies on inter- and intranational travel restrictions, averaged over March, April and May. Excludes figures for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Chile. Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker, Blavatnik School of Government; New York Times database of reported Covid-19 cases. Thats because their national governments didnt coordinate a central response, leaving state governments to battle the virus largely on their own. Some states pursued aggressive actions to slow the pandemic while others took a hands-off approach. Those differing responses hamstrung states that adopted stricter measures, since travel between states continued, undermining the efforts of hard-working governments to suppress the virus, and spreading it throughout the countries. Part One The Spread This is what the active cases per region looked like as they spread through China early this year. The virus expanded from the epicenter in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, to surrounding regions. Two weeks after the Jan. 23 lockdown of Hubei Province, 60 percent of all Chinese cases were in Wuhan, 20 percent were in the rest of Hubei and the remaining 20 percent in neighboring provinces. Notes: Data is reported by prefecture. Chongqing Municipality is shown using administrative divisions. Not all regions reported data. Where there were gaps, the last available date was used. Source: Ding Xiang Yuan via the Covid-19 Time Series Infection Data Warehouse Its as if there were concentric circles around the epicenter. The closer you were to it, the more cases you had. The same thing happened in Italy. The main outbreak was initially concentrated around Lodi. It exploded, infecting surrounding areas, including Milan. View by Active cases By population Notes: Active cases reflect newly reported cases over the previous 14 days. | Source: Italy's Department of Civil Protection, Coronavirus Emergency The government applied a hammer: Shelter-at-home orders were issued, nonessential businesses were closed. The restrictions included a fence: Citizens were explicitly barred from traveling to other parts of the country. Without travel, the spread froze. The provinces that hadnt been affected, like those in southern Italy, would be spared. The shape of the map barely changed. Cases just kept going down in every province. We saw the same pattern unfolding in Spain and France. View by Active cases By population Spain Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 100 1,000 20,000 Madrid Spains cases start in Madrid Travel ban begins in March February 15 March 15 Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May April 15 May 15 And continue to fall June 15 France Daily active cases (log scale) 1 40 1,000 7,000 Paris The virus surges Frances outbreak takes hold April 15 March 20 By June, infections recede Countermeasures take effect June 15 May 15 And continue to fall July 15 Daily active cases (log scale) Madrid 1 10 100 1,000 20,000 Travel ban begins in March Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May And continue to fall Spains cases start in Madrid June 15 February 15 March 15 April 15 May 15 Paris 1 40 1,000 4,000 7,000 Frances outbreak takes hold The virus surges Countermeasures take effect By June, infections recede And continue to fall March 20 April 15 May 15 June 15 July 15 Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 Madrid 100 1,000 20,000 Travel ban begins in March Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May And continue to fall Spains cases start in Madrid April 15 June 15 February 15 March 15 May 15 1 1 1 Paris 40 1,000 1,000 1,000 4,000 7,000 7,000 7,000 The virus surges Frances outbreak takes hold Countermeasures take effect By June, infections recede And continue to fall April 15 July 15 March 20 May 15 June 15 Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Sources: Spains National Center of Epidemiology, Carlos IIl Health Institute, and Ministries of Science and Innovation and of Health Spain Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 100 525 Madrid Spains cases start in Madrid Travel ban begins in March February 15 March 15 Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May April 15 May 15 And continue to fall June 15 France Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 100 380 Paris The virus surges Frances outbreak takes hold April 15 March 20 By June, infections recede Countermeasures take effect June 15 May 15 And continue to fall July 15 Daily cases by population (log scale) Madrid 1 10 100 525 Travel ban begins in March Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May And continue to fall Spains cases start in Madrid June 15 February 15 March 15 April 15 May 15 Paris 1 10 100 380 Frances outbreak takes hold The virus surges Countermeasures take effect By June, infections recede And continue to fall March 20 April 15 May 15 June 15 July 15 Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 Madrid 10 100 525 Travel ban begins in March Infections seem frozen Infections fade by May And continue to fall Spains cases start in Madrid April 15 June 15 February 15 March 15 May 15 1 Paris 10 100 380 The virus surges Frances outbreak takes hold Countermeasures take effect By June, infections recede And continue to fall April 15 July 15 March 20 May 15 June 15 Sources: Spains National Center of Epidemiology, Carlos IIl Health Institute, and Ministries of Science and Innovation and of Health | Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Now lets look at what happened in Portugal, Brazil and Russia. At first, Portugal did not suffer as big an outbreak as other E.U. countries. Maybe thats why it was relatively lenient. Portugal did close its land border with Spain, its only neighbor, and imposed stay-at-home orders, but did not explicitly forbid internal movement. Nor did it close its airports to visitors from other E.U. states, the United States, Britain or Brazil. The result? Hot spots kept igniting throughout the country during the lockdown. The capital, Lisbon, had such a bad outbreak that it had to reimpose stay-at-home orders in the middle of June, when the rest of the European Union was reopening. By the end of June, when all E.U. members opened their borders to one another, only Sweden which never applied a hammer had more cases per inhabitant than Portugal. View by Active cases By population Russia Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 100 78,000 1,000 Moscow Russias cases start in Moscow Infections dont stay there April 1 April 15 They spread east And get worse May1 May 15 By June its everywhere June 1 Portugal Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 100 700 Porto Lisbon Portugal saw cases everywhere April 15 April 1 People kept traveling May 15 May1 Cases remained steady June 1 Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 100 Moscow 1,000 78,000 And get worse They spread east Russias cases start in Moscow Infections dont stay there By June its everywhere May 15 May1 April 1 June 1 April 15 1 Porto 10 100 700 Lisbon May1 People kept traveling July 1 Portugal saw cases everywhere Cases remained steady April 1 August 1 June 1 Daily active cases (log scale) 1 10 100 Moscow 1,000 78,000 Infections dont stay there They spread east And get worse By June its everywhere Russias cases start in Moscow May1 May 15 April 1 April 15 June 1 Porto 1 10 100 700 Lisbon Portugal saw cases everywhere May 1 People kept traveling July 1 Cases remained steady June 1 August 1 April 1 Sources: Daily Bulletin of the Director General of Health, via ESRI Portugal | Federal subjects of Russia compiled by Sergei Mironov on GitHub Russia Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 600 100 Moscow Russias cases start in Moscow Infections dont stay there April 1 April 15 They spread east And get worse May1 May 15 By June its everywhere June 1 Portugal Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 100 1,000 Porto Lisbon Portugal saw cases everywhere April 15 April 1 People kept traveling May 15 May1 1 10 100 1,000 Cases remained steady June 1 Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 Moscow 100 600 And get worse They spread east Russias cases start in Moscow Infections dont stay there By June its everywhere May 15 May1 April 1 June 1 April 15 1 1 Porto 10 100 10 1,000 100 1,000 Lisbon May1 People kept traveling July 1 Portugal saw cases everywhere Cases remained steady April 1 August 1 June 1 Daily cases by population (log scale) 1 10 Moscow 100 600 Infections dont stay there They spread east And get worse By June its everywhere Russias cases start in Moscow May1 May 15 April 1 April 15 June 1 Porto 1 10 100 1,000 Lisbon Portugal saw cases everywhere May 1 People kept traveling July 1 Cases remained steady June 1 August 1 April 1 Sources: Daily Bulletin of the Director General of Health, via ESRI Portugal | Federal subjects of Russia compiled by Sergei Mironov on GitHub In Russia, Vladimir Putins government claimed that the situation was under control, didnt manage it centrally, and left it to the states to impose restrictions. Many of them applied lockdowns; only a few closed borders. As a result, the coronavirus traveled for thousands of miles, from the west to the east, in a matter of weeks, and the outbreak persists. Something similar happened in Brazil. Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, ridiculed social distancing measures, suggested the coronavirus was like a measly cold, and called for the economy to reopen. The states were left to do all the work. They adopted strict measures, including ordering businesses to close, sheltering in place, and limiting public transportation between cities and states. But, crucially, few states closed borders with other states. As a result, the epidemic spread everywhere, starting in the well-connected coast and eventually reaching the remote areas of the Amazon forest. Now lets look at what happened in the United States. The United States closed its borders to many countries, beginning with China on Feb. 2, followed by Iran a month later, much of Europe in mid-March and Brazil in May. It also eliminated nonessential travel from Mexico and Canada in March. But many of these bans were too late or too lenient. For instance, some 40,000 people traveled from China to the United States in the two months after President Trump imposed restrictions. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that the ban on travelers from the European Union came too late to prevent widespread community transmission in New York City. The coronavirus first afflicted mostly cities that are international hubs. The virus moved swiftly from there. By mid-April, most of the United States was seeing infections, demonstrated here using data on prevalence, the number of active cases by population. Anonymized cell phone data from this time allows us to see how many travelers passed between metro regions. Using the prevalence of the virus in those places, we can roughly estimate how many of those travelers might have been carrying the virus. Each dot represents 100 possibly infected travelers, based on averages of the first two weeks of April. This is how the virus works: If an area without infections receives visitors from another area that is infected, it will inevitably become infected. This was one of the earliest lessons from the outbreak that began in New York City and spread outward. Connecticut was one of the first states to lock down, but that didnt stop the virus from crossing its southwestern border. But also consider New Mexico, which applied one of the longest-lasting hammers, shutting down schools and businesses and ordering people to wear masks. Even so, cases in Dona Ana County, which borders Texas, began to rise following cases in nearby El Paso. New Mexicos lockdown kept a lid on cases in Albuquerque, but didnt prevent the spread of the virus into the Navajo Nation, which includes portions of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. The first outbreak of that area was traced to a church rally in Chilchinbeto, Ariz., inside the Navajo Nation, in March. The same pattern played out in rural Oregon. In July, cases rose in Malheur County, which sits just west of Idahos capital, Boise. Malheurs health director said the countys proximity to populous Canyon, Payette and Washington Counties in Idaho played a pivotal role in the number of local cases. In Washington, cases initially appeared in the Seattle area. Counties to the southeast were next. Soon, Umatilla County, Ore., suffered its first outbreak. Neighboring counties in Oregon still had low prevalence. Farm workers traveling to Umatilla for the harvest were the likely seeds. When the coronavirus appeared in the San Francisco Bay Area, six of its counties ordered a lockdown; some residents fled the area to Lake Tahoe despite a statewide shelter-at-home order. Soon after, Washoe County, one of the counties on the Nevada side of the lake, had an outbreak. Of the six original cases that were tracked from outside the county, four were from California, three of them from the Bay Area. Through July, the virus raged across Americas Southern and Western states. At the same time, people began traveling more, based on averages from the last two weeks of July. As the number of cases increased across the country, the risk for more infected travelers increased as well. Note: Reflects newly reported cases per 100,000 people over the last 14 days. Figures on possibly infected travelers reflect estimates of travelers between core-based statistical areas (derived from data provided by Cuebiq) and prevalence of Covid-19 infections (assuming only 10 percent of infections are identified). If people can travel from infected regions to places with few or no infections, infections will spread, no matter how much other work was done to keep the virus at bay. And it only takes a few viral seeds to cause havoc. Initially, Singapore controlled the virus really well. Unfortunately, it was slow to close its borders with countries other than China. By March, enough seeds were introduced from other countries to cause a huge outbreak, with over 57,000 cases to date, more than Wuhan. The same thing happened in Argentina. A few seeds from abroad early on just about 800 in total led to over 500,000 cases. A few infections are enough for a major outbreak. This is why all regions should consider a fence. Part Two The Fence Fences are policies that countries or states put in place to keep out infections. There are three types. Walls, or strict travel bans, are the most aggressive. Most people are barred from coming in, so most infections are prevented. Most East Asian and E.U. countries erected walls by banning citizens from many countries with high infection rates, including the United States. Quarantines are less aggressive: Instead of being barred from entering, visitors have to spend several days without social contact until they are cleared. Usually, governments require two weeks of quarantine, but some communities allow people with negative P.C.R. tests (typically done with nasal or throat swabs) to leave quarantine early. Hong Kong is a good example. The last type of fence is the checkpoint: Travelers can come in, but they must be assessed individually first. Quarantines and checkpoints stop many but not all contagious people from spreading the virus. Still, the infections that get through can be more easily controlled. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Iceland all have a wall: They ban people from many countries. For those they let in, they have special types of quarantines. In Taiwan, for example, on arrival, you must present a negative P.C.R. test taken within three days, provide your phone number to the authorities, go directly into quarantine by private transport or special buses that dont stop along the way, and stay isolated for two weeks. Twice a day, the government enforces the quarantine by checking on your whereabouts with phone calls. It also tracks your mobile phone. If your phone moves away from the quarantine site or shuts down, the police will show up within minutes. If the phone remains in one place for too long, the tracking system might assume that you left it behind and call you. South Korea is very similar, except that it uses an app instead of your phone number to track visitors. It houses foreign travelers in quarantine facilities, which range from run-down government buildings to five-star hotels. Japan is similar to South Korea and Taiwan, but with less quarantine enforcement and higher prevalence. Iceland too has a weaker process and more cases. It allows travelers to avoid the two-week quarantine if they have two negative P.C.R. tests, one on arrival and one five or six days after, with isolation in between. What about other countries? For months, most European Union countries banned travel inside their borders and from their E.U. neighbors. Most of these countries got their epidemics under control. But at the beginning of July, borders between these countries reopened. And now, the E.U. is suffering the beginning of its second wave. Spain, for example, has a wall with many countries outside of the European Union, but only a weak checkpoint for E.U. countries. Travelers have their temperatures checked and must fill a form sharing where they are coming from, their destination address, and whether they have had the coronavirus. On their own, these steps are close to worthless. People can lie on the form. And temperature checks catch just a small number of cases. Pre-symptomatics, those who havent developed symptoms yet, cause about half of all infections. Of those who are symptomatic, 20 percent dont have a fever. And thermometers might not be sensitive enough to catch some of the remainder. A better checkpoint precaution is a P.C.R. test, which will catch around 70 percent of cases. Some countries, however, request only that travelers show proof of a negative P.C.R. test performed within the last 72 hours. By itself, this is also almost useless. A person will usually test negative just after being infected. As the illness progresses over the next few days, symptoms may appear and the test is more likely to turn out positive. The peak of contagiousness is around the fifth day, and the test is most sensitive around the eighth day, catching around 80 percent of cases. This means that people with a negative P.C.R. test 72 hours ago might have caught the virus just before or after the test and are reaching peak contagiousness during travel, or after arriving at their destination. A test at the checkpoint allows more opportunity to catch infected people. And another P.C.R. test a few days afterward, with a quarantine in between, will also catch those who got infected just before traveling. What is the United States doing? Nearly 30 states imposed quarantines on visitors in the last seven months, but there was little or no enforcement. And most states have eased or lifted them. Of the states that turned to quarantines, two of the most interesting are Alaska and Hawaii. The differences are very telling. Alaska applied a hammer when it had around 100 cases. At the end of March, it required all travelers entering the state to self-quarantine, and notably banned internal travel for all but essential work or critical personal needs. Cases plummeted. Alaska started reopening by the end of April. The state fully reopened in May. But although officials threatened quarantine violators with up to $25,000 in fines and prison time, the rule was not enforced. Cases started growing, with infections coming in on seafood boats and overtaking food-processing plants and then communities. The prevalence jumped from four active cases per 100,000 people at the end of May to over 200 at the end of July. Initially, Hawaii followed an approach similar to Alaska's. It also issued a shelter-in-place mandate at the end of March, when there were few cases. People flying into the state were required to quarantine. Violators faced fines of up to $5,000 or a prison term of up to one year. But Hawaii did what Alaska did not: enforce its quarantine. On arrival, visitors had to identify their hotel, and the authorities called the hotel to make sure guests abided by the lockdown. Sometimes, the government called visitors or checked their social media. Hotel employees and Hawaii residents also alerted the authorities about violators. Nearly 200 people have been arrested for breaking quarantine. Unfortunately, this system was much weaker than in places like Taiwan or South Korea, and eventually enough cases entered Oahu to spur an outbreak in August. In the end, it wasn't enough to hold back the tide. That could be because, in the end, only an estimated 40 percent of Hawaiis visitors fully respected the states measures for their two full weeks of quarantine, based on analysis of anonymized cell phone records of travelers provided by Cuebiq. Hawaiis quarantine is not airtight. That's still far more visitors sheltering in place than in Alaska. Initially, they had obeyed Alaska's quarantine, but eventually fewer travelers stayed home. Other states have asked travelers to self-quarantine voluntarily or have threatened them with fines. In those states, visitors appear to be mostly ignoring the rules. That would be less of a problem if people were not traveling much anymore. That was the case for a time: Travel dropped precipitously in March and April. But recently, travel is back to pre-coronavirus levels in Alaska. In Hawaii, visitors probably got the memo that they will have to quarantine if they visit. Fewer people are coming and going. Yet the country as a whole has gone the route of Alaska rather than Hawaii. Travel is above pre-coronavirus levels. Note: Shelter-in-place percentages reflect the share of out-of-state travelers who stay within a 330-foot radius each day for 14 days after arriving in a new state. | Source: Traveler data provided by Cuebiq If Hawaiis system had been as airtight as those of Japan, Taiwan or South Korea, it might have avoided its August outbreak. Hawaii has an obvious advantage over other U.S. states: Its a collection of islands. Japan, Taiwan and Iceland are also islands; South Korea is nearly one. Nearly all visitors arrive at the airport, making them easier to monitor, which is important because air travel has a bigger impact on spread than other travel methods. Yet road trips also propagate the virus, and controlling road travel is difficult, especially at state borders. How do you enforce restrictions on travel by car? Nearly all E.U. countries closed their borders and many limited travel within their borders, including very intensely connected areas such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and their borders with France and Germany. E.U. countries simply took it seriously. France and Spain each fined more than one million people for violating the rules. In some cases, the police set up checkpoints, as in Finland and Germany, and even blocked some roads. In the United States, such a system could be simple: All people traveling to a state requiring a quarantine would fill out a form before coming in, detailing their travel plans, their quarantine location over the next two weeks, and how to contact them to confirm they are complying. The policy would be enforced through random checks and fines, or through an app visitors would be required to place on their phones to track their whereabouts. (This of course raises privacy concerns.) They could shorten the quarantine with negative P.C.R. tests, ideally at the time of entry and four days after. Measures could be adapted to the type of visitor and the situation at their place of origin. For example, essential workers like truckers would be exempt, but they would need to minimize contact with others during their stay. Regions that share a low prevalence green zones could band together to form an area free of fences, but protected by fences on their borders with high-prevalence states. New York Citys regulations are geared toward this approach. The city has set up checkpoints at major entry points. But the authorities merely inform visitors of quarantine requirements. Fines of up to $10,000 are possible but only two people had received summonses for violating quarantine orders as of late last week. Until the city truly enforces its quarantine, visitors will keep visiting, and its likely that infections will rise. Britain also requires quarantines for travelers coming in, but has fined only around 30 people out of millions of travelers. It took this threatening but essentially worthless measure against E.U. countries since they reopened their borders to one another in July, with many experiencing more outbreaks. New travel bans and social gathering limits have been imposed. Infections are once again rising in Britain, and new infections seem guaranteed this month, as students go back to school and workers return to their offices. No country has been able to control the virus without a fence. Fences are not enough to stop the virus on their own, but theyre a necessary part of the solution. European countries and U.S. states had hoped otherwise. They were deluded. They opened their arms to their neighbors too soon and got infected in the hug. They need to realize that not every country or state is effectively fighting the virus. Why should their citizens sacrifice so much for so long, with lockdowns and business closures, only to waste their efforts when their neighbors visit? And as long as states fail to control their borders, the coronavirus will come back. Vietnamese rice is having enormous opportunity for export to EU market The exports of many items, particularly vegetables and fruits, were hit hard by the protracted health crisis. Despite this, however, many firms have still secured stable orders to export to many markets with high technical requirements. According to Nguyen Dinh Tung, chairman of Vina T&T Group, one of the leading local fruit exporters, the company exports 30 containers of frozen durian and 22 containers of coconut to the US every month and is happy with positive feedback from the customers. The exports of these two fruits alone generate around $1.8 million a month in export value for Vina T&T. More significantly, it helps promote the Vietnamese coconut brand in the global marketplace to better compete with brands from around the world. To be able to maintain the product flow to the US, as one of Vietnams 15 biggest fruit exporters to the US in the past decade, Vina T&T heavily prioritises product quality. "As one of the most demanding food markets, companies will be encouraged to match the requirements and then consistently stay at that level if they do not want to miss out on opportunities." Pham Thai Binh CEO, Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC As of now, all the company products have acquired HACCP and GlobalGAP standards and are monitored in every stage from harvesting, packaging to shipping in order to ensure the products are of the best quality. In the words of CEO Nguyen Dinh Tung, the impact of the pandemic is inevitable. It, however, drives business innovations and opens opportunities to those having the capacity to adapt to the new situation. In the case of Vina T&T, besides exporting fresh fruit, the company has engaged in freezing some kinds of fresh fruits in a bid to diversify export markets as well as export new customers. This allows the sharp rise of Vitenamese fresh and frozen fruit exports to the US, Canada, and Australia. Also active in agricultural sector, Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC based in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has secured rice export contracts with three EU customers. Under the contracts, the company will be exporting a total of 3,000 tonnes of ST20 and Jasmine fragrant rice to the EU. This late August, Trung An shipped 150 tonnes to this market. According to Pham Thai Binh, CEO of Trung An, this is not the first time the company secures a rice export contract to the EU but this was the first rice order since the enforcement of the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). He noted that rice products must obtain a GlobalGAP certificate, have clear product traceability and good quality to meet strict market requirements. After making inroads into Japan, South Korea, Russia, and South Africa, this July, Le Gia Foods and Trading Services Co., Ltd. succeeded in setting foot in Taiwan. According to Le Anh, CEO of Le Gia, although the deal itself is not big, it has significant meaning as Taiwan has a fairly large Vietnamese expat community. This result came on the back of years of negotiation and countless examinations to meet the standards set by Taiwanese partners, said Anh. Binh from Trung Anh noted that exporters must be diligently working to meet different standards in different markets. Take rice export as an example. The EVFTA is expected to bring a breakthrough for rice exports. Moreover, the agreement should also be considered a gateway for Vietnamese rice brands to approach stricter markets. As one of the most demanding food markets, companies will be encouraged to match the requirements and then consistently stay at that level if they do not want to miss out on opportunities, said Binh. VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from Banfield Pet Hospital reveals an estimated 75 million pets in the U.S. may not have access to the veterinary care they need by 2030, with an important factor being a critical shortage of veterinarians. Further, with nearly 90% of veterinary professionals identifying as white according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need to not only increase the number of veterinary professionals in the U.S. but also diversify the talent pipeline is a critical focus area at today's annual Pet Healthcare Industry Summit. As the nation's leading provider of preventive veterinary medicine, and part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, Banfield is committed to the following initiatives to increase the pipeline of veterinary professionals and build a more diverse industry: Increase representation within Banfield by ensuring 30% or more of its veterinarian and paraprofessional population are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) by 2030. Strengthen the pipeline of Black veterinarians by partnering with Mars Veterinary Health, Royal Canin and the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine to launch the Banfield & Royal Canin Student Support Fund with an initial $125K gift to help Tuskegee veterinary students who have financial need. and the College of Veterinary Medicine to launch the Banfield & Royal Canin Student Support Fund with an initial gift to help Tuskegee veterinary students who have financial need. A $1 million investment over the next year in equity, inclusion and diversity efforts to increase representation, offer training, and support industry efforts to improve the diversity pipeline. "The veterinary profession is not only essential we are in increasingly high demand. Today's environment has only strengthened the human animal bond as pets provide unconditional love through these unpredictable times," said Brian Garish, president of Banfield Pet Hospital. "Pets are here for us, and as veterinary professionals, we must be here for them. Banfield is committed to partnering with the veterinary industry to ensure the talent pipeline grows and diversifies to meet the evolving needs of pets, people and society." Understanding that systemic issues require systemic solutions, Banfield is also announcing a new coalition the "Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition" to ensure efforts to increase equity, inclusion and diversity (EI&D) among veterinary professionals are ongoing and industry wide. Founding coalition members include pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim as well as veterinary leaders from other Mars Veterinary Health practices, Royal Canin, Antech Diagnostics, the National Association for Black Veterinarians, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association, aiming to add partners in the future to strengthen the talent pipeline of tomorrow. The coalition will work in partnership with a commission that is being established by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the AAVMC, the Veterinary Medical Association Executives and others, together aiming to drive equity, inclusion and diversity across the profession. "We believe a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging are essential to better understanding the customers and patients we serve," said Randolph Legg, senior vice president, head of U.S. commercial business at Boehringer Ingelheim. "By joining the Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition as a founding partner, we are looking forward to help influence the necessary changes in our industry that will create more equitable opportunities for the profession." "We are honored to partner with Banfield and other organizations to address the challenges in the industry and create the change needed to foster a diverse and inclusive profession," said Bob Betz, vice president - veterinary pillar, Royal Canin USA. "As a business dedicated to cats and dogs and the people who love them, we are committed to supporting them in one of the best ways we can helping the veterinary experts we trust by providing opportunities to develop a more inclusive talent pipeline." "The AAVMC firmly believes in the value of diversity within the veterinary medical profession and attracting student populations that are more reflective of society as a whole," said Andrew Maccabe, chief executive officer of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. "We look forward to partnering with Banfield and other industry leaders to continue our efforts in supporting and elevating underrepresented groups to help foster their success and growth in veterinary medicine." Banfield also commissioned a survey of high school and college students with Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine to examine why so few diverse students apply to veterinary colleges so the industry can start addressing these barriers head-on. Key findings include 57% of all students surveyed had once considered becoming a veterinarian, and 32% changed their mind before graduating college. When looking at Black students in this population, over 50% said they were persuaded by someone elsea family member, friend, mentor or school counselorto choose a different career. Together, we must leverage the collective strength of the industry to help increase representation, offer mentorship opportunities and prioritize targeted work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the goal of diversifying the pipeline of Black students entering veterinary colleges. "With nearly 70% of Black veterinarians in the U.S. being Tuskegee graduates, we're inspired by the work Banfield and Royal Canin are doing to continue to push for a more equitable, inclusive and diverse profession," said Dr. Ruby Perry, dean of the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. "We believe strongly in equality of opportunity and are honored to accept the $125K gift from both organizations towards helping to remove financial barriers for our students on their path to becoming veterinarians." This work can't be done alone, and Banfield is proud to continue to partner with the industry and amplify the important work that so many veterinary professionals and organizations have already been doing. For more information on Banfield, visit Banfield.com. About Banfield Pet Hospital Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in Portland, Ore. in 1955 and today is a pioneer in preventive veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in 42 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. More than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians are committed to providing high-quality veterinary care to over three million pets annually. As part of the Mars Veterinary Health family of brands, Banfield is committed to its purposeA BETTER WORLD FOR PETSbecause pets make a better world for us. Press seeking additional information are invited to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595. SOURCE Banfield Pet Hospital Related Links https://www.banfield.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:08:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued a set of guidelines, urging the consolidation of the achievements made during the Party education campaign themed "staying true to our founding mission." The guidelines call for enhanced study and discussion of the Party's theories and strengthened education on ideals and convictions among CPC members. Regular self-examination and self-criticism should be conducted by Party members, and problems found should be rectified in time, according to the guidelines. The guidelines ask Party members to continue to commit themselves to a people-centered approach in their work. The guidelines caution against the practices of bureaucratism and formalities for formalities' sake, and urge Party members to abide by the Party's regulations and disciplines and uphold integrity. The office has asked local authorities across the country to thoroughly implement the guidelines. The months-long campaign among CPC members nationwide was launched on May 31, 2019. Enditem Many scientists have questioned the legitimacy of the data as they claim to have noticed inconsistencies in the data and figures that are part of the vaccine study. The Russian vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V, produced antibodies in volunteers injected with it, without prompting any adverse effects. The findings of the vaccines Phase 1 and 2 human trials were published in the journal The Lancet on 4 September. On 11 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country was the first to approve a vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the new coronavirus, leaving experts clamouring for results from trials of the vaccine. While the bulk of the reservations from health experts came from the US and the UK, there were voices of distrust from within Russia. On 12 August, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it will review the data from the studies before giving its stamp of approval for human use of the vaccine. Recently, 32 researchers that took part in the clinical trials published findings from early, human trials to test its safety. Two vectors, two shots The Sputnik V vaccine is being developed by Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with the Russian Defence Ministry and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has bankrolled the project. Sputnik V uses a combination of two viral vectors adapted from the common cold-causing adenovirus, for pharmaceutical use the adenovirus type 26 (rAd26) vector and a recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) vector. The vector carries the genetic code of the spike protein, which is spread across the surface of the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus. This code acts like a tag for the immune system to recognize the virus if a genuine infection by the coronavirus comes along. In phase 1 of each trial, individual components of the two-part vaccine (rAd26-S & rAd5-S) were tested for safety Phase 2 tested whether the vaccine elicited an immune response by giving the full two-part vaccine rAd26-S was given first, then rAd5-S was given 21 d later (4/8) The Lancet (@TheLancet) September 4, 2020 According to a statement by the RDIF, the use of two different vectors in two separate shots achieves a more effective immune response, as compared to the use of the same vector in two shots. By using the same vector twice, the immune system launches a defence mechanism against the virus and starts to reject the drug in the second injection, The vaccine can be given to a person in two ways - frozen or lyophilised - is the process of freeze-drying a vaccine to make it more convenient to transfer and increase its shelf life. It is administered via an intramuscular injection - which is a technique used to deliver the vaccine deep into the muscles, allowing it to be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly. Phase 1 and 2 completed As of 1 August, Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of the Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo were complete, as per a TASS report, in adult male and female volunteers between the ages of 1860 years. Early trials of the vaccine began on 18 June in a group of 18 volunteers. In this Phase 1 study, nine volunteers were given one dose of rAd26-S and the other nine were given a dose of rAd5-S. This was done to determine that both the adenovirus vector constructs were safe to use in people. This was soon followed by second-stage trials in 20 volunteers, who were given shots of a 'prime-boost vaccination' with rAd26-S on day 0 (23 June), and rAd5-S 21 days later. The research team, led by Denis Y Logunov who is the principal investigator of the study, found that the vaccine provides antibodies immunity (stable humoral and cellular immune response) and had no adverse reactions on any of the volunteers it was administered to. The most common adverse events reported in the study were pain at the injection site, hyperthermia, headache, asthenia and muscle and joint pain. That said, most of these adverse events were mild, with no serious adverse events reported, which is an encouraging sign. According to a statement by the RDIF, the level of antibodies in the volunteers vaccinated was 1.4-1.5 times higher than those in patients who had recovered from COVID-19. In contrast, AstraZeneca-Oxford found that the volunteers participating in its clinical trials had antibodies virtually equal to that of those who had recovered from the infection. There were concerns that by using the virus of the common cold, the resulting vaccine would not be that effective and that people will have preexisting immunity towards the adenoviruses. Researchers from the institute via this study have proved otherwise. The statement by RDIF said that the study has also determined the optimal dosage that is safe and will allow for an effective immune response in 100 percent of those vaccinated, even in those who have recently had a common cold. What critics are saying As per a recent report in the New York Times, even if the vaccine were modestly effective, theres no research to show whether those given the vaccine were less likely to become infected than those who are not. This is an observation commonly made in Phase 3 trials. Naor Bar-Zeev and Tom Inglesby from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health critiqued, in a commentary in The Lancet, that the vaccine was given to "young military personnel" who are likely to be "fitter and healthier than the general population." They also point to the ethnicity of the people who took part in the trials, implying a lack of diversity for the vaccine to be considered safe to test in a larger population. In a Comment, @naorbz & @T_Inglesby describe the studies as "encouraging but small. The immunogenicity bodes well, although nothing can be inferred on immunogenicity in older age groups & clinical efficacy for any #COVID19 vaccine has not yet been shown" https://t.co/nYQ6QfqccD pic.twitter.com/0RttILQVF9 The Lancet (@TheLancet) September 4, 2020 However, Bar-Zeev also told The New York Times, The science looks like it was done impeccably well but larger trials need to be completed before we know if it is effective. Enrico Bucci, a biochemistry and microbiology expert at Temple University, US has written an open letter to the editor of The Lancet claiming inconsistencies in the data and figures that are part of the Russian vaccine study. At last count, 26 other scientists have also signed the letter agreeing with Bucci. They believe that 'several data patterns' appear repeatedly in the experiments. The data looks like it's been photoshopped its too similar and too unlikely from a statistical point of view, said Andrea Cossarizza, professor of pathology and immunology at the University of Modena and one of the signatories to the letter while speaking to The Moscow Times. According to a report by The Print, The Lancet said in an emailed statement that they are aware of the letter and "encourage scientific debate on papers we have published We have shared the letter directly with the authors and encouraged them to engage in the scientific discussion. The five suspects in booking photos. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations) Child Sexual Exploitation Sting in Arizona Leads to 5 Arrests Operation Home Alone 2 resulted in the arrests of five men on charges related to child sexual exploitation in Arizona, including a former detective, federal officials said last week. HSI, working alongside our law enforcement partners, is deeply committed to pursuing alleged predators lurking within our communities seeking to harm and exploit our most vulnerable population, Scott Brown, special agent in charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Phoenix, said in a statement. This multi-agency effort epitomizes our ongoing mission in Arizona and is a testament to the men and woman who [are] working these heinous cases. Officials said the arrests were the result of a monthslong operation to combat child sexual exploitation in Pinal County, Arizona, adding that a number of local, state, and federal agencies, including HSI, were involved. Arizona Department of Public Safety detectives led the joint effort. Ryan Kellerman, 36; Daniel May, 40; Matthew Salley, 38; Christopher Butts, 44; and Jordan Holloway, 26, were arrested in the sting, the HSI stated. It noted that Butts is a former Maricopa County Sheriffs Office detective who was arrested in February on sexual exploitation charges. He was charged last week with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and furnishing harmful items to a minor. Kellerman, May, Salley, and Holloway were charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation, while Kellerman also faces the additional charge of furnishing harmful items to a minor. Hes also the subject of an investigation by the City of Maricopa Police Department. This is an ongoing investigation and additional arrests are pending. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, HSI officials wrote. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Playboy launched "CBD by Playboy," a high-quality, broad-spectrum CBD-based product line specially designed to enhance intimacy and sexual pleasure. The line is being introduced with three products: an arousal spray, an intimacy gel and a bath bomb, and is available at PleasureForAll.com. These new products expand Playboy's existing line of sexual wellness consumer products, which along with a three-part education course announced today, are a natural evolution for a brand that has led the cultural conversation on sex and pleasure for decades. The new products from Playboy were designed to help address the "orgasm gap" -- the phenomenon covered in Playboy's reporting and in recent independent scientific research that 85% of men climaxed the last time they had sex compared to just 64% of women, and that 95% of heterosexual men in the U.S. reported they usually or always orgasmed during sex, compared to just 65% of heterosexual women. A three-part education course was developed in partnership between women's health start-up Allbodies and Playboy to provide further access for all people to learn about the biology behind orgasms, build confidence communicating about pleasure and learn techniques for individual and partner arousal and pleasure. The classes will feature sex educators Myisha Battle, Jimanekia Eborn, and Sonalee Rashatwar and Allbodies co-founder Lauren Bille and Penda N'diaye as hosts. Free registration is open now at PleasureForAll.com. "Our ambition at Playboy is to help everybody and every body explore and pursue pleasure. While Playboy helped usher in the first sexual revolution, there's more work to do to ensure all can access pleasure. We know women in particular experience orgasm less frequently than their male sexual partners," said Anita Little, Playboy Sex & Culture Editor. "The launch of our new CBD by Playboy line, and our larger assortment of Sexual Wellness products, are part of our continued effort to help close the orgasm gap. Our aim is to provide everyone with the knowledge -- and now also the sexual wellness products they need -- to have the most fulfilling sexual experiences possible." Allbodies Founder & CEO Lauren Bille added, "We're excited for Playboy's new venture, CBD by Playboy, and are proud to partner with the most iconic pleasure and lifestyle brand around. Allbodies has always been focused on helping people find more freedom, power and fun with their body through education, which aligns perfectly with Playboy's new products and this series. Who doesn't want more orgasms?" With warming and arousing sensations as well as relaxing effects, CBD by Playboy products are meant to awaken the senses and create more sensual experiences. Playboy's CBD-based Intimacy Gel is perfect for couples or individuals looking to enhance their intimate encounters. It uses Broad-Spectrum Water Soluble CBD Powder, designed for maximum absorption and bioavailability. Other ingredients to round out the experience include Maca Root and Horny Goat Weed. and Horny Goat Weed. Designed for the female consumer, the CBD-based Arousal Spray creates a pleasurable warming and arousing sensation to heighten your play. It awakens the senses when applied before intimacy. It contains Broad-Spectrum Phytocannabinoid-Rich Hemp Oil and other ingredients including Kava Kava and Vitamin B3. A light natural vanilla scent and flavor, matching the Intimacy Gel, ensures the spray will support the indulgence of any pleasures. Finally, the CBD-based Bath Bomb is a sensual way to wind down after a long day or set the mood for intimacy, including pleasant aromas and gentle effervescence. It uses Broad-Spectrum Phytocannabinoid-Rich Hemp Oil along with a blend of relaxing essential oils and rose petals. CBD by Playboy expands Playboy's existing line of popular Condoms and Lubricants (www.PlayboyCondoms.com). In addition to offering CBD by Playboy, PleasureForAll.com is a hub for sexual wellness conversation and education, including original reporting and content from Playboy, related features and articles, and advice from Playboy Advisors. The new online destination will also carry a limited-time collection of Playboy's new Pleasure for All apparel and accessories. Playboy reaches millions of people every day with its products and services and is now one step closer to serving its audiences a true path to experience Pleasure for All. ABOUT PLAYBOY ENTERPRISES Playboy Enterprises today reaches a wide global audience through a diverse portfolio of consumer products, content, gaming and hospitality offerings. Originally founded in 1953 as a sophisticated and cheeky men's magazine with a reputation for challenging taboos, Playboy has grown into a global lifestyle brand with a strong consumer business focused on four categories comprising The Pleasure Lifestyle: Sexual Wellness, Apparel & Accessories, Home & Hospitality and Grooming, Beauty & Skincare. Under its mission of Pleasure for All, the 66-year-old Playboy brand drives more than $3 billion in annual sales at retail across 180 countries. With 97% unaided global brand recognition and nearly 50 million social media fans worldwide, Playboy remains one of the most iconic brands in history. SOURCE Playboy Enterprises, Inc. Related Links http://www.PlayboyCondoms.com Tampa Bay Lightning foward Brayden Point celebrates after slipping the backcheck of Islanders Mathew Barzal (13) and scoring a goal to lift the Lightning to a 4-1 win in game four of their Eastern Conference playoff series in Edmonton, Canada Ondrej Palat and Blake Coleman scored 12 seconds apart in the second period and the Tampa Bay Lightning put the New York Islanders on the brink of Stanley Cup playoff elimination with a 4-1 win on Sunday. Palat finished with a goal and an assist and Brayden Point returned from injury to score his ninth of the playoffs as the Lightning seized a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. "We played a complete game. They had some pushes but we got a lot of pucks behind their defence and our forwards made the right plays," said Lightning forward Coleman. Nikita Kucherov and Yanni Gourde both had two assists and Patrick Maroon scored into an empty net for the Lightning. Game five is Tuesday in the COVID-19 quarantine bubble in Edmonton, Canada. Point was injured in game two and missed game three of the series with an undisclosed injury but wasted no time getting back into playoff mode as he and Kucherov lead the team in scoring. Point has 25 points, including nine goals, in 16 playoff games and Kucherov has 19 assists and 25 points in 17 games. "He's the most dangerous guy in the playoffs this year," said Coleman of Point. Point scored 3:33 into the third from in close to break game four open for Tampa, giving the Lightning a 3-1 lead. Palat did all the heavy lifting on the goal, deftly kicking the puck to Kucherov in the centre zone then getting the it back and passing cross ice to Point, who was left wide open in front of the goal after Isles forward Mathew Barzal skated past. Point had plenty of time to take two chops at the puck and beat Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Brock Nelson opened the scoring for the Islanders at 11:27 of the second period to make it 1-0, setting off a quick succession of goals by both teams. Just 15 seconds later, Coleman broke loose and scored on a breakaway to tie it. Palat then finished off a beautiful three-man passing play at 11:54 of the second. Story continues "We gave up a goal and we were not happy. We wanted to turn the page quickly and get up ice," said Coleman. The scoring spree took just 27 seconds, making it the third fastest three-goal combined stretch in playoff history. gph/bb President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (L) and the European Council President Charles Michel (R) are talking to media after an EU-China Summit on June 22, 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images LONDON EU and Chinese officials are meeting on Monday, but it will not be the grand ceremony they had hoped for. Both sides had planned to meet in Leipzig, Germany this month as they looked to sign an investment agreement before the end of 2020. However, with a global pandemic and little progress in their negotiations to date, the grand summit has been scaled down to a video call. "Trust is very thin," Yu Jie, senior research fellow at Chatam House, told CNBC. The EU and China have often clashed over human rights issues, trade and economic policy. In June, just days after meeting with European officials, China passed a new security law for Hong Kong that dented people's ability to protest a move that Europe had expressly opposed. We have to recognise that we do not share the same values, political systems, or approach to multilateralism. Charles Michel EU Council President Meanwhile, in a recent trip to five European nations, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi was reminded of the EU's opposition to Beijing's attitude toward Hong Kong and Taiwan. In a joint press conference, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas publicly rebuked Wang for threatening a Czech politician over the latter's recent trip to Taiwan. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in China in late 2019, has complicated the two regions' delicate relationship even further. "We have to recognise that we do not share the same values, political systems, or approach to multilateralism," Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said in June following a call with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. No significant progress? 12 HK anti-govt rioters under criminal detention for illegally crossing border: Shenzhen police Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 16:13:37 Twelve Hong Kong residents have been put under criminal detention for illegally cross-ing the border area, the Shenzhen police said on Sunday, adding that the case is under investigation. The Hong Kong Police Force has been notified about the case, and will soon inform the detainees' family members of the criminal detention, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will provide necessary assistance as requested by their families, Hong Kong media reported. The Shenzhen police also said their legitimate rights will be protected in accordance with the law. Chinese mainland maritime police in August arrested 12 people suspected of illegally crossing the border in waters under mainland jurisdiction in South China's Guangdong Province. Hong Kong media reported that one of them was an anti-government rioter who allegedly violated the national security law for Hong Kong, and had been released on bail pending an investigation. As part of its commonly used tactics of interfering in China's internal affairs, US Secre-tary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, "Washington is deeply concerned about 12 Hong Kong democracy activists being held" in the mainland, saying they have been de-nied access to lawyers and local authorities have not provided information on their wel-fare or the charges against them. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said earlier on Sunday in a tweet that the 12 arrested for illegally crossing the border "are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China." Some legal experts told the Global Times in an earlier interview that the 12 were alleged to have secretly transported people across the border in waters, in violation of the Criminal Law of China. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The case against a man accused of sexually assaulting a young woman and exposing himself to girls in a Dublin park could be struck out if progress is not made by the prosecution in the next two weeks. Ahmed Yagoub (56) is accused of following two 16-year-olds and performing a sex act on himself in one incident before going on to assault a 19-year-old at the same location later. Judge Flann Brennan granted an adjournment at Dublin District Court, with a two-week deadline for the directions of the DPP to be given. Mr Yagoub, an Argentinian national of The Crescent, Millbrook Lawns, Tallaght, is charged with sexual assault and offensive conduct of a sexual nature at a Dublin park, on June 26 and July 11. He had been granted bail last month pending the directions of the DPP in the case, but when he came back before Dublin District Court last week, a garda said the directions of the DPP were not available. Defence barrister John Griffin said the accused had already spent a number of days in custody before being granted bail. The judge granted an adjournment for two weeks, but made it peremptory against the State, saying the DPP's directions should be given by the next date. At a bail hearing last month, the court heard Mr Yagoub replied "I didn't do it" when charged. In that hearing, Sgt Fiona Clifford said in the first incident, two 16-year-olds were in a shop near the park when they saw the accused. A witness said she could see the man from behind in the park and believed him to be masturbating, the sergeant said. The two girls then turned around and it was alleged they also saw him masturbating. Bushes The court heard the accused told gardai he was in the park but offered the possible scenario that he may have been urinating. In another incident, two friends, aged 19 and 17, were socialising in the park and went to the toilet in bushes, Sgt Clifford said. The 19-year-old noticed the man behind her, pulled up her trousers and he grabbed her by the buttocks, pinched her between her legs over her clothes, the garda alleged. She jumped up, the friends saw the man had his genitals exposed and started screaming. The suspect ran, Sgt Clifford said. Mr Yagoub said he was at the scene and saw the two girls but denied any sexual offence, the court heard. The US State Department has released a new webpage highlighting the Chinese government's human rights abuses committed against Uyghurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang Province in northwestern China. Relations between the US and China have worsened in recent times with the two countries sparring over a range of issues including Beijing's territorial aggression in the South China Sea and the Chinese government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The US State Department has released a new webpage highlighting the Chinese governments human rights abuses committed against Uyghurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang Province in northwestern China. We released a new webpage that illustrates the Chinese Communist Partys abuses perpetrated against Uyghurs and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang. The US is committed to leading the global fight against these egregious human rights abuses, the State Department said in a tweet earlier. Relations between the US and China have worsened in recent times with the two countries sparring over a range of issues including Beijings territorial aggression in the South China Sea and the Chinese governments handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Pompeo has said recently that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours from the Taiwan Strait to the Himalayas and beyond and hoped for a peaceful resolution of the situation on the India-China border. Also Read: Saugata Roys remark on Nirmala Sitharaman draws flak, BJP seeks unconditional apology We call on the Chinese Communist Party to immediately end these horrific practices and ask all nations to join the United States in demanding an end to these dehumanising abuses, he said in a statement. The US has sanctioned several high-ranking Chinese government officials in connection to the human rights violations of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. (ANI) Also Read: 45000 Special Centralised Integrated system smart TV to be installed in Govt schools Britains Liberal Democrats have dropped Geeta Sidhu-Robb as one of their candidates for London mayor and suspended her from the party after a video emerged of her making anti-semitic remarks during the 1997 general election. The lawyer and businesswoman, who has roots in Punjab, was the Conservative candidate in Blackburn, Lancashire in the 1997 election. Her opponent was senior Labour leader Jack Straw. Footage from that election campaign, revealed by PoliticsHome website, shows Sidhu-Robb saying she planned to inform voters about Straws faith, adding, how is a Muslim going to vote for someone who is Jewish? She is then seen going around in a car in Blackburn, appealing to voters on a loudspeaker in Urdu. Dont vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew, she is seen as saying about her rival candidate, who held various cabinet positions in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments, including as foreign secretary. Straw is a Christian, but has some Jewish ancestry. The Blackburn constituency has a large Muslim minority, around 25% of the population. The video sparked an investigation by Liberal Democrats, the third largest party in UK after Labour and Conservatives. A Liberal Democrats spokesperson said: Geeta Sidhu-Robb has been suspended from the Liberal Democrats and will not be on the ballot paper to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London. Sidhu-Robb apologised after the footage emerged. I am deeply ashamed of the ignorant and abusive language I used on one occasion in the 1997 General Election campaign. As shown in the footage, I instantly regretted my appalling behaviour, which I continue to do, she tweeted. Those words are entirely inconsistent with my views and values, and though there are no excuses for my actions, there is some context; that is, that I was under a great deal of strain and retaliated to the racial abuse I was receiving in Blackburn like for like. Two wrongs never make a right. I made a mistake and I take responsibility for my abhorrent actions 23 years ago, they were never repeated. I urge you to judge me on who I am today, a campaigner committed to eradicating inequality and discrimination in all its forms, she added. The London mayoral election was due in May, but has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sidhu-Robb was shortlisted for the mayoral candidacy alongside Liberal Democrats councillor Luisa Porrit, with the contest due to run until October 13. The party, which formed a coalition government with the Conservatives under David Cameron from 2010 to 2015, is finalising its candidate after Siobhan Benita, who was to contest against mayor Sadiq Khan, withdrew recently. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Car makers across the UK and the EU are urging politicians to secure a Brexit trade deal to avoid 'catastrophic' losses. Tariffs would threaten the production of 3 million EU- and UK-built cars and vans over the next five years. This would mean losses of up to 84billion for the European automotive sector, and threaten thousands of jobs. Warning: Tariffs would threaten the production of 3 million EU- and UK-built cars and vans over the next five years Trade bodies warned there are 'only weeks left to save the EU and UK auto sectors' from 'Brexit disaster'. Without a deal in place by 31 December, both sides would be forced to trade under so-called World Trade Organisation (WTO) non-preferential rules, including a 10 per cent tariff on cars and up to 22 per cent on vans and trucks. Such tariffs far higher than the small margins of most manufacturers would almost certainly need to be passed on to consumers, making the average family car around 1,500 more expensive to purchase. The industry has warned that the impact could also likely result in reduced choice for drivers if motor manufacturers are forced to reconsider the availability of some of their vehicles. Furthermore, automotive suppliers and their products will be hit by tariffs. This will make production more expensive or will lead to more imports of parts from other competitive countries. Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive Speaking for the UK industry, Mike Hawes, of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: 'These figures paint a bleak picture of the devastation that would follow a No Deal. 'The shock of tariffs and other trade barriers would compound the damage already dealt by a global pandemic and recession, putting businesses at risk.' Before the coronavirus crisis hit, EU and UK production of motor vehicles was running at 18.5 million units a year. So far in 2020, some 3.6 million units have already been lost across the sector due to the pandemic. Estimates now suggest that, for cars and vans alone, a reduction in demand resulting from a 10 per cent WTO tariff could wipe some three million units from EU and UK factory output over the next five years, with losses worth 48.8 billion to UK plants and 57.7 billion (53.3 billion) to those based across the EU. Suppliers would also suffer from these changes. It has been estimate that around 3.6 million units have already been lost across the automotive sector in the UK an EU due to the pandemic The SMMT was joined with the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), along with 21 national associations to call on ministers to find an 'ambitious' EU-UK free-trade agreement with automotive-specific provisions, which they described as being 'critical to the European automotive industry's future success'. Eric-Mark Huitema, ACEA director general, said: 'The stakes are high for the EU auto industry we absolutely must have an ambitious EU-UK trade agreement in place by January. 'Otherwise our sector already reeling from the Covid crisis will be hit hard by a double whammy.' Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly claimed that COVID-19 was made in a Wuhan laboratory. The coronavirus COVID-19 most likely originated in natural wildlife populations before spreading to humans, according to fact-checking website Science Feedback. "Although the exact origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains unknown, previous claims that the virus contained artificial elements or that it had been patented were debunked," according to a report. "The virus most likely originated in nature, probably in bats, according to the genetic similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and other animal coronaviruses," stated the report. Earlier on September 14, Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan had claimed that COVID-19 was made in a Wuhan laboratory. Yan, who was associated with the Hong Kong School of Public Health, had been researching on the coronavirus for a long time. The Chinese virologist claimed that during her research she came across that coronavirus was developed in a laboratory in China. Hyderabad, Sep 14 : A member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Monday tested positive for Covid-19. Jaffar Hussain Meraj, who represents Nampally constituency in Hyderabad, was found infected by the virus. "He is asymptomatic and in home isolation," the party said. The legislator tested positive on a day when the Assembly and Legislative Council resumed session after the week-end break. Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Council Chairman G. Sukhender Reddy had directed all the legislators, legislature staff, police and media persons on duty to get themselves tested for coronavirus again before the sessions resumed. All the legislators had undergone the test before the session began on September 7 as the presiding officers had made the test mandatory for attending the session. All staff members, security personnel and media persons were also asked to undergo the test. The presiding officers had announced that only those who test negative will be allowed to attend the session or enter Assembly premises for their duties. A day before the session, Finance Minister T. Harish Rao had tested positive. He was under home isolation. He got himself tested again on Saturday and was found negative for the infection. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A man protesting the arrival of the president in northern California on Monday was struck by a California Highway Patrol car while demonstrating in the street . Video shot by a bystander and posted to Twitter shows protesters were in the street gathered outside McClellan Park in Sacramento ahead of the presidents visit. Although some supporters of the president were present, many were attempting to make their voices heard over concerns regarding climate change, when all of sudden a single protester decided to climb on top of the police car. Instead of slowing down, the officer kept on driving just as the man had clambered up onto the roof of the vehicle. The police officer driving the car suddenly accelerated away causing the man to lose his balance and tumble from the top of the car, hitting the ground. A man was protesting in the street in Sacramento ahead of the president's visit The protester climbed on top of the California Highway Patrol car onto its roof The officer driving decided to suddenly speed up causing the man topple off Other protesters who were watching the incident unfold screamed in horror while some videoed the police car as it sped off and attempted to chase it down the road. An ambulance was called and the man was taken to the hospital a short time later, although the extent of his injuries are unknown. The patrol car sped away leaving the demonstrator needing medical attention - the extent of his injuries are unknown Fellow demonstrators ran after the police officer after the incident which was caught on video The crowd applauds as Metro Fire loads the protester away on a stretcher. Extent of injuries unknown @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/StJ88zlW3z Jessica Mensch (@Jessmensch) September 14, 2020 On Twitter, there was little sympathy for the man. 'You have a right to protest, but you don't have a right to put others in harms way or to impede others. This protester should be cited for at least damaging the police vehicle, and possible arrested for mayhem. Also, I hope the guy in the red hat who was on top of the CHP vehicle at least broke his jaw when he landed. Being stupid should have consequences, and those consequences should be painful,' wrote one. 'Those that climbed aboard the CHP car or tried to block it deserved EVERY bump and bruise. They were interfering with a peace officer in performance of his duties. Hope that facial recognition software is good enough to identify these jerks for ARREST!' added another. Trump was headed to McClellan Park, a former air base just outside Sacramento, California. There was little sympathy for the protestor on Twitter One twitter user wished injury on the man who ended up falling from the car Another Twitter users said that medical aid should be denied to those who stood on police cars California wildfires have already incinerated a record 2.3 million acres this year and are expected to continue till December With crews battling wildfires that have killed at least 35 people, destroyed neighborhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke, another fight has emerged: leaders in the Democratic-led states and President Donald Trump have clashed over the role of climate change ahead of his visit. California, Oregon and Washington state have seen historic wildfires that have burned faster and farther than ever before. Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger wildfires in the U.S. to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas. The Democratic governors say the fires are a consequence of climate change, while the Trump administration has blamed poor forest management for the flames that have raced through the region and made the air in places like Portland, Oregon, Seattle and San Francisco some of the worst in the world. President Trump has pushed for forest management to help combat fires but Gov. Gavin Newsom told him 'climate change is real' Protests against President Donald Trump just took a turn. Bystander video shows a protester climb on top of a CHP car. The officer keeps driving knocking the protester onto the street. The protester is waiting on medical aid @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/Wi7lDvzZdX Jessica Mensch (@Jessmensch) September 14, 2020 The governors have been blunt: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday called climate change 'a blowtorch over our states in the West.' 'It is maddening right now that when we have this cosmic challenge to our communities, with the entire West Coast of the United States on fire, to have a president to deny that these are not just wildfires, these are climate fires,' Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.' As Newsom toured a ghostlike landscape destroyed by flames Friday, he called out the 'ideological BS' of those who deny the danger. 'The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California, observe it with your own eyes,' he said. He noted that just in the last month, California had its hottest August, with world-record-setting heat in Death Valley. It had 14,000 dry lightning strikes that set off hundreds of fires, some that combined into creating five of the 10 largest fires in the state's recorded history. And it had back-to-back heat waves. Symbolic gesture: Donald Trump's talks with California leaders including governor Gavin Newsom (fourth from left) saw him challenge on climate change Oregon Governor Kate Brown said about 500,000 acres typically burn each year, but just in the past week, flames have swallowed over a million acres, pointing to long-term drought and recent wild weather swings in the state. 'This is truly the bellwether for climate change on the West Coast,' she said Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' 'And this is a wake-up call for all of us that we have got to do everything in our power to tackle climate change.' At a rally in Nevada, Trump blamed the way states have run the land, saying 'it is about forest management.' White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed that Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union,' saying that for many years in California, 'particularly because of budget cutbacks, there was no inclination to manage our forests.' Forest management, which includes tree thinning and brush clearing, is costly, labor-intensive work that is effective in reducing fuel for wildfires. Millions of dollars are spent on such reduction efforts every year in Western states though many argue more needs to be done. The efforts can also be undercut when homeowners in rural areas don't undertake similar efforts on their own properties. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti accused Trump of perpetuating a lie that only forest management can curtail the massive fires seen in recent years. He pointed to drought and the need to reduce carbon emissions. 'Talk to a firefighter, if you think that climate change isn't real,' the Democratic mayor said on CNN's 'State of the Union.' It isn't clear if global warming caused the dry, windy conditions that have fed the fires in the Pacific Northwest, but a warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity, said Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. Warnings of low moisture and strong winds could fan the flames in hard-hit southern Oregon to Northern California and last through Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as the fast-moving flames turned neighborhoods to nothing but charred rubble and burned-out cars. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state. A chicken wanders through charred remains from the Beachie Creek Fire near the destroyed Oregon Department of Forestry Firefighter Steve McAdoo, who has run from one blaze to another in Oregon for six days, said his neighbors in rural areas outside Portland should clear trees near their homes because a week like they just survived could happen again. 'I would think the way the climate is changing, this may not be the last time,' he said. In the small southern Oregon town of Talent, Dave Monroe came back to his burned home, partly hoping he'd find his three cats. 'We thought we'd get out of this summer with no fires,' he said. 'There is something going on, that's for sure, man. Every summer we're burning up.' San Jose police released body cam footage worn by officers during several tense faceoffs with protesters in the wake of George Floyds death, including one incident where a cop was seen taunting demonstrators with expletives. Officer Jared Yuen was filmed screaming lets get this motherf***er and shut up, b**** after protesters filmed him smiling and licking his lips. The initial video of the incident went viral and sparked an intense backlash, prompting the San Jose police to launch an internal investigation amid calls for Yuen to be fired. One clip of Yuen shows him smiling, licking his lips and bobbing side to side all while clutching a gun in his hands. An outraged protester shouts 'this is funny to them, they're smiling'. San Jose cop Jared Yuen is being investigated after screaming 'let's get this motherf***er' and 'shut up, b****' as he faced off with George Floyd protesters in California on May 29 The San Jose Police Department on Friday released bodycam footage showing Yuen taunt protesters (above) as they stood opposite a line of officers As protesters yelled at officers, Yuen is heard taunting them by saying 'let's get that motherf****r' and 'shut up, b*****' Another adds: 'They're having a blast out here.' Yuen screams 'let's get this motherf***er' as the cops start edging towards the crowd of demonstrators. Another clip shows Yuen screaming 'shut up, b****' at a protester after she asked: 'Why are you on that side?' The viral video of Yuen taunting protesters ignited widespread calls for his dismissal. As of Monday, Yuen, a six-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department, was still on the job, though in an administrative capacity. An internal investigation into his conduct is ongoing. San Jose police on Friday released about an hours worth of video footage from the Yuen incident as well as two others, including a collision between a police motorcycle and a suspect fleeing arrest. The release of the footage came after the mayor, Sam Liccardo, reportedly threatened to use his authority to speed up publication in the face of foot-dragging by police, according to The Mercury News. San Jose police also released footage showing a bank robbery suspect fleeing arrest just moments before he collides with a police motorcycle The image above shows the moment just before the suspect collides with the motorcycle on the night of May 31 The collision was also filmed by witnesses nearby who captured the incident on their cell phones We hope releasing these videos will provide the public more clarity into each of these incidents, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement. Each video is only one piece of information used to fully understand a complex event. Some opinions and conclusions may be affected after watching certain videos; others will not. Police also released footage of a bank robbery suspect being run over by a police motorcycle as he was fleeing arrest. In the video, which was captured by cell phone from several witnesses nearby, several officers are chasing a man down a sidewalk. Police claim he tried to rob a bank and was getting away. As officers gave chase, the suspect ran into the street, where he was hit by an oncoming police motorcycle. The suspect is then knocked to the ground. Footage also shows police tackling and beating a man who tried to grab an officers baton after cops used projectiles to clear protesters from a San Jose intersection. David Baca, one of the protesters, approached a skirmish line where police issued an order for demonstrators to disperse. He reportedly called one of the officers a racist before he was shot with severl rubber bullets and hit with a baton. Baca suffered a shattered knee and was later rushed to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. Footage taken from a news helicopter overhead shows the incident unfold. David noticed one of the officers shooting rubber bullets much faster than the others and aiming at the groups with people of color, those of whom were not doing anything violent but rather just using their freedom of speech, his wife wrote in a GoFundMe page. Footage also shows police tackling and beating a man who tried to grab an officers baton after cops used projectiles to clear protesters from a San Jose intersection on May 29 David Baca, one of the protesters, approached a skirmish line where police issued an order for demonstrators to disperse He reportedly called one of the officers a racist before he was shot with severl rubber bullets and hit with a baton Footage of the incident was captured by television news helicopters overhead. Police are seen beating Baca with batons Baca suffered a shattered knee and was later rushed to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery Thats when David stepped out from the sidewalk and approached the line of officers and called him a racist. He stepped away from the sidewalk and was then shot two times (once in the leg and once in the torso) with a rubber bullet. As he stood at the front of the protest recording the officer he called racist, at about 6 feet away, he was suddenly hit in the neck with a baton by another officer. He defended himself automatically and was then grabbed and thrown from one cop to another as they beat him, kicked, punched, hit with batons, and stomped on when he was already on the floor. As I was falling to the ground, someone was already choking me, Baca is quoted as saying by his wife. I just stopped fighting. I knew that I could break my arms. I laid there on the floor, in a chokehold, about to pass out. I said I cant breathe. After that I couldnt even speak because I was being choked. I laid there looking at the crowd of people in front of me, watching me, helpless. No one came to help. He tells me via email from his home in Los Angeles: I woke up Monday Aug. 17 aching all over and just feeling crappy. On Wednesday, Aug. 19, I took the test and tested positive. No, I wasnt afraid at first. That came later. I called my family doctor and told him the circumstances and he told me to quarantine myself in the home, keep a constant eye on my temperature and I had my daughter buy me an Oximeter at a drug store so I could check my oxygen levels. Started taking Tylenol every six hours. On Monday Aug. 31st, I felt worse. Thats when I got a little scared. I called the doctor and he recommended I go immediately to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I spent five days there and they put me on a steroid program and after three days I was feeling better and two days later they released me. Now I feel great. My appetite is back, Im exercising again, slowly, and my spirits are high because the doctors tell me I am COVID free and will be the rest of my life. The incredible amount of love and prayers from family and friends humbled me greatly. I am so grateful to them all. (Natural News) A protest march from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., turned violent after Black Lives Matter (BLM) terrorists started accosting people in their neighborhoods, threatening them and pointing weapons at their homes and businesses. One incident in Pennsylvania resulted in protesters being shot at by a local resident who, fearing for the safety of his family and neighbors, discharged a weapon at activists who came barreling down the street obviously looking for a conflict. According to Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), a property owner near the Troop G Bedford station phoned law enforcement about a group of people that had entered a private business parking lot. Troopers later learned the group was comprised of approximately 30 activists who are traveling on foot and in vehicles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., an official announcement reveals about the incident. At approximately 11:35 p.m. at the same location and before state police arrival, the property owners confronted the activists. The confrontation escalated, and gunshots were exchanged between the property owners and the activists. Local police say that one of the activists was struck by birdshot from a shotgun. This person was taken to the Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown for treatment before being released. A shotgun, shotgun shells, a semi-automatic pistol and 9mm casings were all recovered at the scene, reports further explain. This type of chaos and more is only going to intensify as we approach Nov. 3, by the way. Listen to the following episode of The Health Ranger Report for one veterans take on what Americans should expect up until the election and beyond: Protesters are illegally arming themselves while pretending to be peaceful Another related shooting occurred in the parking lot of a hotel in nearby Bedford, with the same protesters involved. Many of them came armed, some potentially illegally, and proceeded to roam through neighborhoods in the dark before encountering pushback. These protesters are also trying to keep their identities hidden, as some footage exposes them for yelling out things like turn off the camera! and dont show his face! Check out the following video, in which you can hear the protesters trying to hide the identity of the alleged victim of the buckshot and/or birdshot shooting incident: Was this protester armed? asks Chris Menahan, writing for Information Liberation. Did he threaten the homeowner or commit a crime which would make the homeowners actions a clear-cut case of self-defense? One fellow protester in Nittys (referring to activist Frank Nitty Sensabaugh) crew can clearly be heard shouting, Where the f*** is my gun at?' Menahan points out further. Another protester can be seen reaching for his waistband and grabbing what appears to be a gun after the first round of shots [was] fired. Another thing that the mainstream media, if it is even reporting on this incident at all, is leaving out from the coverage is that firearms are illegal in D.C., which is where these protesters are headed. You need a permit just to own a pistol in Maryland and it can take a while just to get the paperwork approved, Menahan explains. Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) to have a gun in your car. All of this would suggest that this peaceful protest is actually an armed raid designed to terrorize innocent people who want nothing to do with the chaos and violence being lobbed at them by the BLM terrorist mob. If their mission is peaceful, why dont they do it in daylight? added one Information Liberation commentor to the conversation. To keep up with the latest news about Black Lives Matter terrorism, be sure to bookmark CivilWar.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com NaturalNews.com (Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Saturday said that it has resumed clinical trials in the UK of its Covid-19 vaccine after a green light from the country's Medicines Health Regulatory Authority. Earlier in September, the company paused the vaccine trials across the world after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness. The drugs company is developing the coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, alongside Oxford University. "The company will continue to work with health authorities across the world and be guided as to when other clinical trials can resume to provide the vaccine broadly, equitably and at no profit during this pandemic," AstraZeneca said on Saturday. AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate is one of nine around the world currently in late-stage phase 3 human trials. In the US, the company began enrolling 30,000 volunteers across dozens of sites on August 31, and smaller groups are being tested in Brazil and elsewhere in South America. On Thursday last week, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said at a media event that a Covid-19 vaccine could still be available by as early as the year end, despite the clinical trial's pause. "We could still have a vaccine by the end of this year, early next year," Soriot said. AstraZeneca's AZD1222 vaccine uses a weakened version of a common cold-causing adenovirus engineered to code for the spike protein that the novel coronavirus uses to invade cells. After vaccination, this protein is produced inside the human body, which primes the immune system to attack the coronavirus if the person is later infected. By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams from The Real Housewives of Atlanta are feuding on social media. The peaches are calling each other out for not supporting one another during these trying times. After Moore implied Williams was only using her BLM activism for the show, the latter kicked off. Now, Moore is firing back with more claims and asking Williams to be real. Porsha Williams and Kenya Moore | Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images What set Porsha Williams off? Williams has used her platform for good since the Black Lives Matter movement took over America. The RHOA star has raised awareness of social injustices and has even gotten arrested fighting for the cause. Her work has not gone unnoticed from her Bravo co-stars and Cynthia Bailey recently praised her efforts. We are living in crazy [and] uncertain times so it is always good to check in with your girls [and] also make yourself available for them to check in on you, Bailey posted. Super proud of all the work Porsha has been doing on the front line for the BLM movement. We are all in this together. Lets keep the conversation going in the name of justice. RELATED: RHOA: Porsha Williams Blasts Eva Marcille for Ageist Attacks at Reunion It was in the comments section where things got a little interesting. Although the majority of the replies were positive there were a few that criticized Williams. There was one particular person that had an issue with the Dish Nation personality and said she was clout chasing. Porsha is clout chasing. This girl is doing all this for show, the troll replied on Instagram. Glad it is positive but trust it is for show. The same person went on to write another comment where they said Williams didnt even know what the Underground Railroad was but now shes a civil rights leader. She needed to clean up her image and needed a storyline. Sorry but not buying it. One housewife that saw these comments was the former Miss USA beauty queen. Moore replied to the troll with the side-eyes emoji, implying that she second their thoughts. Porsha Williams reads Kenya Moore Williams noticed the negative comment after Moore zeroed in on it. The peach was undoubtedly not happy with Moore raising awareness of these comments and instead asked her to be supportive. [Kenya Moore], you should be ashamed of yourself trying to bring attention to this disgusting troll, Williams replied, in a screenshot captured by The Peach Report Daily. You actually felt compelled to respond to this lie? You want people to pay attention to this mess? Shame on you. RELATED: RHOA: Porsha Williams Exposes Kenya Moores Lie About Shamea Morton You knew people and blogs would follow this, she continued. You should be supporting me as a fellow black woman trying so hard to change this world and instead youre the least supportive person ever. If youre going to spend time bringing awareness to anything, try something positive in life oops I forgot misery loves company. Kenya Moore claps back As an outspoken woman, Moore did not stay silent after Williams replied. The aspiring actress clapped back and exposed Williams asking her to be real. Over [side-eyes emoji], really? Moore started. I support you and I support the movement and will follow REAL leaders, not storylines. Looks like Kenya is getting a little jealous of all the positive attention and growth Porsha has been doing #RHOA (Credit: @ThePeachReport) pic.twitter.com/67uQkYrIMm Queens of Bravo (@queensofbravo) September 13, 2020 RELATED: RHOA Star Porsha Williams Arrested Fighting for Justice for Breonna Taylor So be REAL on and of camera, the RHOA star continued. REAL change starts with YOU. Lets be REAL apologetic to Eva Marcille who has been a REAL activist before she ever heard of you. Lets be REAL that you said [you] would beat her a** after BLM and Kandi behind her back with #thegirloverthere after she privately shared big change [at] Bravo for us ALL. Moore goes on to say that shes been supportive of Williams and her daughter in front of the camera and behind the scenes as well. All this drama is expected to play out on the new season of RHOA, which Bravo has yet to confirm when it will be back on the air. More than 170 leading environmentalists have urged people to back Joe Biden, saying that a protest vote for a third party could allow Donald Trump to be reelected. Pointing to what happened in 2000 and 2016, when a Republican candidate secured the presidency by a series of narrow margins and then enacted policies that harmed the environment, they called on people to put aside political purity and vote for the Democratic nominee. We the undersigned are lifelong activists in the environmental movement. Many of us have been taking to the streets to prick the public conscience since the 1960s, says a public letter released on Monday. We have learned in the course of decades that militancy can build awareness of the environmental threat to human life itself, and activists younger than we have inspired us with the Green New Deal and the Sunrise Movement and by becoming visionary leaders of a new generation. It says in the past, many her voted for third parties, such as the Greens or Libertarians. But not in 2020. Biden V Trump: US election opinion polls Only by rallying behind the Democratic Party can we end the Trump administrations unprecedented malignancy, fear mongering, pathological lying, and atrocious policymaking. This is not the year to make a utopian statement or to waste a single vote. Among the signatories are Denis Hayes, the founder of Earth Day, John Adams, a founding member of the Natural Resources Defence Council, Charlene Dougherty, of the Environmental Defence Fund, and Elizabeth Campbell, who formerly worked for the department of the interior. The letter, which comes as wildfires have killed several dozen in the American West and as Mr Trump continues to blame alleged poor forest management rather than the climate change crisis, says that in 2000 Al Gore lost Florida, and with it the White House, by less than 600 votes in a states where Green Party candidate Ralph Nader secured 97,000 votes. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin, which gave Mr Trump sufficient electoral college votes to win, by just 20,000. In that same race, around 30,000 people voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and more than 100,000 cast ballots for Gary Johnson and the Libertarians. Angry right-wing voters and liberal absentees put Trump in the White House in 2016. In 2020 the same unholy team could keep him there, says the letter. There was no immediate to the letter from either the Greens or the Libertarians. One organiser, Peter Harnik, director of both the Centre for City Park Excellence and The Trust for Public Land, told The Independent the signatories were not suggesting third parties ought not to be on the ballot. He also acknowledged many voters disliked the nations two party system. Yet he said: This is the system in which we have to operate. He said the signatories were compelled to speak out in large part because of Mr Trumps record on the environment, which had seen him overturn many of the regulations enacted by Barack Obama. He had also announced the US will pull out the 2015 Paris Accord on Climate. After he took office in 2001, one of George W Bushs first acts was to announce the US would not push to ratify the Kyoto treaty on global warming. Commentators say Mr Bidens position of the environment has been pushed to the left by the presence in the primary of Bernie Sanders, whose supporters he will need to beat Mr Trump. One of the policy workshops he and Mr Sanders established this summer focused on the environment. It was chaired by former secretary of state John Kerry, and congresswomanAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a supporter of Mr Sanders who just last year denounced Mr Bidens middle of the road approach. The workshop created a series of policies, including spending $2 trillion to combat climate change and environmental racism, and push to make electrical production carbon neutral by 2035. Weve seen a pretty huge transformation in Bidens climate plan, Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, told the Washington Post. What Ive seen in the last six to eight weeks is a pretty big transition in upping his ambition and centering environmental justice. Watch: Ed Miliband slams Boris Johnson over the Northern Ireland Protocol in the House of Commons Labour has claimed Boris Johnson is undoing Brexit as the backlash against his illegal plans to override the EU divorce deal intensified. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said the prime minister has severely damaged the UKs reputation as an upholder of the rule of law with his legislative hooliganism. It came as the government sought to progress its controversial Internal Market Bill in the House of Commons on Monday. The bill has been presented as a safety net to potentially override the Brexit deal struck with the EU in October last year, if a future relationship trade agreement isnt in place by the end of the transition period on 31 December. Boris Johnson was accused by Ed Miliband of 'undoing Brexit'. (Parliamentlive.tv) However, the government last week admitted the proposed legislation would break international law, prompting anger on the Conservative backbenches. A number of MPs have rebelled, including former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said on Monday he will not back the bill. After Johnson took to the Commons despatch box to face down his critics, Miliband rounded on his famous get Brexit done phrase, which the PM uttered hundreds of times during last years general election campaign. From a man who said he wanted to get Brexit done and won an election on it, this bill gets Brexit undone by overturning key aspects of the protocol that were agreed. A frowning Johnson shook his head at the suggestion and appeared to mutter the word rubbish. Miliband continued: I never thought respecting international law would in my lifetime be a matter of disagreement. Miliband, who led Labour between 2010 and 2015, added: If there is one thing we are known for around the world, it is the rule of law. The country of the Magna Carta, the country that is known for having the mother of all parliaments, the country that out of the darkness of the Second World War helped found the United Nations./ Story continues Watch: What does a no-deal Brexit actually mean and what are its potential consequences? Our global reputation for rule making, not rule breaking, is one of the reasons we are so respected around the world. Johnson defended his controversial plan by suggesting the EU was being unreasonable and failing to negotiate in good faith. Talks between the two sides for a future relationship deal have long been deadlocked and Johnson accused the EU of going to extreme and unreasonable lengths over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Championed by the PM last year, it was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland by keeping Northern Ireland closely aligned with EU customs rules. Johnson told MPs: In recent months the EU has suggested that it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths, using the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that goes well beyond common sense simply to exert leverage against the UK in our negotiations for a free trade agreement. Boris Johnson wearing 'get Brexit done' boxing gloves during last year's general election campaign. (Frank Augstein/pool/AFP via Getty Images) He warned the EU could seek to act in other absurd ways, slapping tariffs on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Mr Johnson said that if they fail to negotiate in good faith the UK must introduce a package of protective powers. In an effort to reassure Tory MPs, the PM said the measures contained in the bill to set aside parts of the Brexit deal were an insurance policy that he hoped would never be invoked if an agreement was reached with Brussels. The bill was being debated at its second reading, the second of 11 parliamentary stages before it can gain royal assent and become law. A vote for the second reading was set to take place later on Monday night. As Ontario schoolchildren return to classrooms after a six-month pandemic break, MPPs will be back at Queens Park following an abbreviated summer recess. Because COVID-19 upended the legislative calendar, parliamentarians sat until July 22, six weeks later than usual. But their brief summer hiatus has concluded and they will resume sitting in the house on Monday with Premier Doug Ford insisting he has no appetite for politicking during a health crisis. I hope the tone with the opposition is collaborative. Weve been collaborative. I just hope they dont play politics. I dont have time for politics Ford told reporters Thursday during a campaign-style swing through Sudbury. I dont care what colour party you are from green, orange, red or blue we need to work together, he referring to the colours of the Greens, New Democrats, Liberals and his Progressive Conservatives. Thats what our goal is, to work together, work collaboratively with all parties. And thats the reason ... weve been able to get through this COVID and have the lowest numbers in North America for a large region. Government house leader Paul Calandra, who expressed gratitude to MPPs of all stripes for being accommodating during the outbreak, said it should be a busy fall. While Finance Minister Rod Phillipss budget, which is expected by Nov. 15, will be a cornerstone of the session, Calandra said there is much to do before then. We have to deal with the rent-freeze legislation and that will be coming forward very, very soon, he said in an interview Friday. Unlike the summer sitting, which was held against the backdrop of a state of emergency with a limited number of members allowed in the chamber, all 124 MPPs can be in the house at once, but they will have to wear masks. Calandra emphasized it is unlikely the 72 Tory MPPs would be in the house at once, however. Voting will continue to be done in the adjacent government and opposition lobbies instead of the in legislature as a safety precaution. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, mindful of the recent uptick in new COVID-19 cases that has stoked fears of a second wave, said her party would be keeping the Tories feet to the fire. This pandemic took advantage of the gaps in underfunded services, including long-term care and our childrens schools, said Horwath. Cuts to education, long-term care and public health undermined the things that families needed to be safe. If I were premier today, Id be doing the opposite hiring thousands of teachers, education workers and nursing home staff to battle back against COVID-19, and protect the people we love, she said Friday. Returning to normal is not good enough. People deserve action that doesnt just piece together some of what they lost. They deserve more security and better services than they had before the pandemic. Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who does not currently have a seat in the house, said the Grits want to ensure Ontario is prepared for another coronavirus onslaught. Earlier this year, when COVID-19 first struck, everyone was caught off-guard and all levels of government scrambled to respond, Del Duca said Friday. But now, there are no more excuses. Doug Ford has had months to prepare for a potential second wave and I'm calling on him to share the details of his plan, assuming he has one, with the people of Ontario, as his counterparts in British Columbia and Quebec have already done. Del Duca said second-wave planning should include expanded sick leave for workers, a strategy for non-essential interprovincial travel restrictions, and pay hikes for front-line employees. The Ontario Liberal caucus will continue to fight relentlessly for safe schools and nursing homes, and an economic recovery that supports those who have been battered most by the pandemic: small business entrepreneurs, women and people of colour. Green Leader Mike Schreiner wants the government to seize the opportunity the crisis has presented. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested our mettle as a province, and we arent done with it yet. We still have many choices to make, and they need to be ones that will set us up for a better future, he said on Thursday. Schreiner stressed the choices we make now will signal to the rest of the world whether we are ready and willing to embrace the global $27 trillion green economy and fix the gaps in our social safety net. I believe that it is our responsibility not to turn backwards and return to the old path this province was on. This is not the time to fight the future, but to embrace it, he said, calling for an agenda that will tackle climate change and boost economic growth while helping workers and their communities. Together we can build back smarter. Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie Read more about: NEW DELHI: Delhi's Karkardooma court on Monday (September 14) granted a 10-day custody of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid to Special Cell of Delhi Police. Khalid was produced before the court via video conferencing today. According to reports, police reportedly said in court that want to confront Umar Khalid with over 11 lakh pages of documents in connection with Delhi riots. Umar Khalid, a former JNU students and activist is accused of being a conspirator in communal riots in Delhi in February that left over 50 people dead and thousands displaced. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was arrested by the Special Cell after 11 hours of interrogation. He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged role in northeast Delhi riots. Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. On September 13, Khalid was summoned by the Special Cell of Delhi Police for questioning regarding the northeast violence that rocked the capital this February. His phone was also seized by the police. In a charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch against suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, the investigating officer has alleged that on January 8, more than a month before the riots, Hussain met with Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of 'United Against Hate' at the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protest, and Umar asked him to be prepared for something big/riots at the time of United States President Donald Trump's visit. Later, the special cell started a probe into the larger conspiracy in connection with the Delhi violence. In February, violence took place in the northeast area of Delhi between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which led to the deaths of at least 53 people. DENVER ( Police on Wednesday announced a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for setting a house fire in Denver that killed five recent immigrants from the West African nation of Senegal. Lt. Matt Clark with the Denver Police Departments Major Crimes Division said during a news conference that investigators have fielded about four dozen tips following the Aug. 5 fire and have reviewed countless hours of video footage from various surveillance cameras in the area. Police also have released a surveillance photo showing three suspects wearing full face masks and hoodies. Investigators say the three fled in a dark-colored sedan after the fire was set in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood, a relatively new development of closely spaced homes near Denver International Airport. Killed were Djibril and Adja Diol, along with their 22-month-old daughter Khadija, as well as relative Hassan Diol and her infant daughter Hawa Baye. Three other people managed to escape by jumping from the second floor of the home. It makes it even harder when we had kids, babies that were caught in the middle of this tragedy. We owe it to them. We owe it to them to solve this crime, said family spokesman Papa Dia, who wore a T-shirt printed with the photos of the five victims. Police, fire officials and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating because there are indications that it was arson. Authorities have not elaborated on the evidence because they say they do not want to compromise the investigation. Meanwhile, some Muslim advocacy groups have called on police to consider the possibility of a hate crime, but police officials have said detectives are looking at all possible angles. We fully understand and appreciate the concern that the families and the residents may have been targeted either because of their race or religion, Clark said. This is certainly an element of the investigation that were actively probing. Dia said that possibility has spread fear in Denvers African immigrant community. These people are home in the middle of the night, and their life was taken away. I cannot express enough the fear that exists in the community, and the only thing that would put us at ease is by helping us solve this crime, he said. After the fire, Senegal President Macky Sall tweeted in French that he was monitoring the investigation closely, and he wished the surviving victims a speedy recovery. Senegal Consul General Elhadji Ndao flew to Denver at the request of his countrys leaders and said he is looking forward to the investigation. About the photo: In this Aug. 5, 2020, file photo, investigators stand outside a house where five people were found dead after a fire in suburban Denver. Police on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, announced a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for setting the house fire in Denver that killed five recent immigrants from the West African nation of Senegal. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert, File) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jadavpur University has formally decided to provide android handsets and data pack to students, not having such facilities, as new semester classes are slated to begin this month, an official said on Sunday. The JU also decided to hold final semester examination in arts and science stream in contactless digital mode from October 1 to 10. JU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya told PTI on Sunday that those students not having smartphones and net connectivity will be provided with the handsets and data pack in arts, science and engineering streams very soon. Read More: Jadavpur University starts virtual classes for arts, science students We will provide them with good quality sets compatible with net facilities, sharing, uploading and downloading options and for those needing good connectivity data pack and recharge for three months, Bhattacharya said. He, however, said the total number of such students was being assessed by a university committee after the students union provided their own survey figure. Asked how the students not having android sets and poor net connectivity will get access to classes as digital classes in arts and science are slated to begin from September 14, Bhattacharya said the authorities are planning to complete the process as early as possible. Semester classes for engineering are slated to begin from September 25. Asked to elaborate on the digital mode of teaching, Bhattacharya said it will be done on a virtual platform on Google. Also, audio and video clips of lectures and course contents will be uploaded at a secure, protected dedicated section in university portal. The teachers of the concerned department will be able to access the section and share the links of files through pdf with the student having net connectivity. The students having net connectivity will share the contents with those deprived of the facilities as of now. Once they too get the facilities, everyone will be able to participate in classes and there will be no digital divide. The varsity will provide the handsets and net pack from its own fund raised from contributions from various quarters including alumni and faculty. The Pro-VC said the university on Friday decided to hold final semester exams in arts and science streams from October 1 to 10 in non-contact, digital mode. Questions will be sent through email before exams. Students will have to download the questions and answer on paper sheet in two hours time. After two hours they will have to mail it back through attachment, he said. The students will be given some extra time keeping in mind net connectivity issues but that cannot be indefinitely extended. If any student faces difficulty he can call up a helpline number given before the exams, he said. The varsity decided to hold exams after the UGC gave nod to the state Higher education department to conduct final semester tests in October, he said. Bamboo Airways on Saturday received the Embraer E195 aircraft to serve on its three new routes to Con Dao, Photo courtesy of Bamboo Airways Vo Huy Cuong, deputy head of Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) told a forum held in the central province of Thanh Hoa on Saturday that demand to visit Con Dao has been high for many years and is still rising. However, it has been difficult to fly to the island. Cuong said in addition to flights from HCM City or the southern city of Can Tho to Con Dao, visitors could travel by boat, but it takes at least nine hours from HCM City and four hours from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in calm sea conditions to reach the tourism site. Con Dao Airport is located on the island and investing in lights for night operation is difficult due to weather and environmental conditions. It is not allowed to operate 24 hours a day, making flights only available during the day. Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, is the only airline currently operating regular flights to the island, flying from HCM City and Can Tho. It can carry up to 68 passengers per flight. Bamboo Airways will launch new direct flights from Hanoi, Hai Phong and Vinh to Con Dao from September 29. It is a great effort to reach a maximum of 24 visits to Con Dao per day. Bamboo Airways' three non-stop flights to Con Dao will meet the need of spiritual tourism, assist in solving problems about take-off time at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. It will also help serve the increasing travel demand and reduce travel time and gas consumption for connecting flights, he added. Dang Tat Thang, vice chairman cum general director of Bamboo Airways, said the company's goal since its establishment has been to connect localities with few flights. Thang said his first trip to the island took 12 hours as he had to fly from HCM City. Bamboo Airways struggled to open the routes in the past as the airline had previously considered using an Airbus A319 aircraft for the flight. However, the airport's runway needed to be extended. During a business trip, he experienced the new generation of the Embraer 195 jet and was very impressed. With the approval of the CAAV, Bamboo Airways took six months to deploy this route. The airline will use the Embraer E195 jet on the route, transporting 124 passengers each flight. According to statistics from the CAAV, up to 90 per cent of tourists visiting Con Dao are people from the northern region as the island is famous for spiritual tourism. That was why Bamboo Airways chose Hanoi, Hai Phong and Vinh - the three cities with the largest population in the north to open the direct flights, he said. Trinh Hang, director of the Department of Tourism of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, said that in the past, tourists had to fly to Con Dao by helicopter, which was very expensive. Since the airport was built in 2004, at the peak, despite there were 26 weekend flights and 5-8 flights on weekdays, yet many tourists still complained of not being able to buy tickets. With the new route of Bamboo Airways, tourists from the north can travel more conveniently, without having to connect from HCM City or Can Tho. The locality has been trying to develop infrastructure. Currently, a lot of investors are working to provide better services to tourists. The province has also calculated a plan for sustainable tourism development and considering development but still retains the ecosystem, Hang said. According to Dinh Ngoc Duc, Director of the Tourism Market Department under Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNTA), Con Daos tourism potential is enormous as the number of tourists coming to the island has increased by 400 per cent in the last few years despite the lack of flights and poor traffic infrastructure. With the three new routes, he assessed that more tourists would come thanks to the convenience. He also expressed his wish to develop Con Dao sustainably, attracting visitors, but not at all costs to protect the island. The three new routes of Bamboo Airways together with other provinces are the starting point of the second stimulus tourism programme in the last months of the year. VNTA will accompany airlines, destinations and enterprise in the programme, he said. Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of FLC Group and Bamboo Airways, said being people doing business in the aviation and tourism sectors want to help tourism flourish again. FLC proposed Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) approve funding to install lights at Con Dao Airport to allow the airport to increase flight capacity at night. At the forum, many travel firms said they expected the tourist market to Con Dao to thrive thanks to the new direct flights and that they would work with Bamboo Airways to offer package tours. In 2019, Con Dao welcomed nearly 400,000 tourists, up 37 per cent compared to 2018. Confession I dont dive. Im neither a professional diver (no surprise there) nor even a recreational one. Subsequently, you may be forgiven for thinking that you dont have to believe what I say about this. And its true, you dont. Generally speaking, you dont have to believe everything you read. (In other words, stop reposting unverified articles you found on Facebook.) What I do know how to do, however is collect, synthesise and present information from a number of trusted sources. So in terms of dive watches, I can state with some confidence that what youre about to read is 100 percent bona fide. And if you dont think so, you can go look it up yourself. Its not that hard, it takes, like, five seconds to go Google it. Okay, this first thing youve probably heard already. Helium escape valves are pointless unless youre a saturation diver. Whats saturation diving? My friend, let me introduce you to Wikipedia. In case you didnt want to click on the link and leave this page (and who could blame you?), heres a summary: saturation diving is a form of diving which evolved out of a need for divers to remain at depths of 50m or more below sea level, for days or weeks at a time, without requiring decompression sessions whenever divers return to the surface. Divers work or do whatever it is theyre underwater to do at depths of 50m or more, they live in special chambers that are pressurised to an equivalent degree, and they travel back and forth between living and working spaces via a pressurised diving bell. The air in the pressurised environments is a mix of oxygen and an inert gas, mostly helium, and saturation divers breathe in this stuff for days. This is what causes decompression sickness (the bends) when divers dont take enough time to ascend gradually. The helium that has accumulated in the bloodstream forms into bubbles due to the rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure, resulting in physiological symptoms that range from a light rash to death. Dont try this at home, boys and girls. Now, the helium accumulates in your watch as well, because its a sneaky little atom, and when your watch gets the bends, it often manifests this by literally blowing its top. The dial crystal pops right off, a victim of the expanding helium inside the watch case that is pushing its way out of the weakest mechanical joint of the watch. This is what the helium escape valve is for. Its essentially a pressure equalisation system. You dont need it if youre not a saturation diver ie, youre not an undersea driller or James Cameron. Now, the second thing. We all think that an essential feature of a dive watch is a unidirectional rotating bezel. Heres something else that I want to introduce you to: ISO-6425 Section 4.1.5, the part of the international standard governing the definition and features of a dive watch that specifically refers to an indication of dive time. The section numbers change in between updates Im referring to one of the most recent revisions, published in 2018. This particular section, about the indication of dive time, however, hasnt been revised or changed in decades, so it shouldnt be news to anyone. It states that a dive watch should have a device should have a diving time indicator (such as a rotating bezel), which should be protected against any inadvertent or wrong manipulation. A unidirectional rotating bezel doesnt meet this criteria. It is protected against inadvertent manipulation only in one direction, when the ISO requirement specifies an absolute protection, not just one kind of protection. (If a judge orders you to stay away from your ex and you argue that youll stay away from her only when shes awake, thats really not good enough.) The absolute protection thing is important because of once again decompression times. The unidirectional rotating bezel is useful for calculating total dive time, because in theory (and in reality), underestimating your remaining dive time and surfacing with spare oxygen in your tank is a lot better than overestimating your remaining dive time and running out. However, underestimating your decompression time is just as dangerous and could lead to repeat after me physiological symptoms that range from a light rash to death. To sum up, helium escape valves are useless except for saturation diving. And if you cant block your rotating bezel in both directions, your watch isnt a dive watch. #SorryNotSorry. "We wanted to bring Quimbees deep expertise in delivering high-quality, engaging video lessons in a convenient format to the CLE space," said Matt Sellers, founder and chief executive officer of Quimbee. As attorneys turn to remote working solutions, Quimbee is helping legal professionals complete their continuing legal education (CLE) requirements at home with an all-new product offering: Quimbee CLE. With online mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) and CLE programs, Quimbee is making continuing legal education more accessible to practicing attorneys. The legal education companylargely known for its best-in-class law school study aids, bar review, and MBE reviewis taking a fresh approach to continuing education for lawyers with engaging, illustrated videos backed by learning science and taught by trusted attorney CLE presenters. CLE or MCLE is a necessary part of an attorneys career. Most jurisdictions require practicing attorneys to complete a set number of legal education credit hours each reporting period; this requirement ensures that attorneys stay on top of current developments in the law and maintain their professional skills. For many attorneys, satisfying CLE requirements can be a bit of a slog, said Matt Sellers, founder and chief executive officer of Quimbee. Live trainings are still the default, and the online programs that are available are often just webcasts or recordings of those sessions. Talking-head lectures and poor audio quality are not conducive to a good viewing experience. We wanted to bring Quimbees deep expertise in delivering high-quality, engaging video lessons in a convenient format to the CLE space. Quimbee is famous for creating legal-education videos that are educational and easy to digest. With online CLE, Quimbee brings the same ethos to creating entertaining CLEs on topics that lawyers need to know. From how to practice law remotely while maintaining practice standards to helping clients navigate the regulations associated with launching a craft distillery, Quimbee is helping modern attorneys access the education they need in an easy and convenient way. Quimbee CLE allows users to pick and choose topics most relevant to their practice. From Unleashing the Laws of Assistant Animals to Oral Argument Bootcamp, Quimbee offers dozens of courses in 18 jurisdictions. Further, Quimbee is actively adding more resources to support attorneys nationwide. Quimbee offers courses by jurisdiction and by practice area to keep legal professionals up-to-date on current legal developments in their state and beyond, for as little as $49 per course. Plus, Quimbee helps attorneys take the guesswork out of CLE shopping with all-inclusive bundles. Attorneys can select their state or jurisdiction, and Quimbee will pull courses that meet their CLE requirements. And for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions, Quimbee offers CLE credit in each jurisdiction at no extra cost. In a time when the future of in-person work is changing rapidly, Quimbee delivers the CLE courses lawyers need, allowing them to earn credits from the safety of their own homes. With the comfort and convenience of accessing Quimbee CLE online, attorneys nationwide can easily complete their continuing legal education anytime, anywhere. Whether attorneys are looking for niche practice areas or want to knock out all of their reporting requirements, theyll find affordable options that make it easy to earn their CLE credits. For more than a decade, Quimbee has served over 300,000 law students for over as one of the most widely used online legal education tools in the country. While I urge protesters to make their demands known peacefully without falling into the temptation of aggression and violence, I appeal to all those with public and governmental responsibilities to listen to the voice of their fellow citizens and to meet their just aspirations by ensuring full respect for human rights and civil liberties, Francis said. You are here: Business The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday launched an anti-subsidy probe into imports from the United States of certain monoalkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, or glycol ethers. The probe is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 14, 2021, but may extend to March 14, 2022, under special circumstances, the MOC said. News Washington, DC - The Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) Wednesday announced nearly $8 million in funding to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement. Community Policing Development (CPD) program funds are used to develop the capacity of law enforcement to implement community policing by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime and promoting safe communities. The COPS Office also announced a new $8.5 million award under the Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) program to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University to provide multi-disciplinary, scenario-based active shooter training to first responders. One of the top priorities of the Department of Justice is to keep communities safe from violent crime, said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. The two grant programs announced today will promote promising best practices to advance community policing, which is a proven public safety approach, and provide much-needed training against active shooters, which remain a constant threat to the citizens of this great country. Highlights of todays 24 CPD awards include $500,000 to the International Association of Chiefs of Police to document and advance victim support services; $1.3 million to the University of Tennessee to establish a rural law enforcement training center; and $500,000 to Movement Forward, which is a national law enforcement and faith-based partnership program. Additionally, $1.3 million is being awarded in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportations National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to expand training opportunities for officers and create updated resource guides for law enforcement on safe and effective vehicular pursuits. The full list of awards is available on the COPS Office website at: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/cpd/Award_List.pdf Since 2017, COPS Office funding through the PASS program has provided active shooter training for approximately 53,000 first responders across the nation. The additional $8.5 million announced today will fund training for roughly 20,000 additional first responders. Additional information about the PASS program can be found here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/pass/Award_List.pdf. The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance. Prince Andrew may appear to be entirely sheltered by his royal protection, but it looks like the Duke of York is slowly being disowned by the Royal Family, particularly his father, Prince Philip. Aside from Prince Harry and Megha Markle, the 60-year-old royal has been a total headache to the British monarchy these past few months. His friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the alleged association to his sex trafficking scheme indeed hit the royal family to its core. In late 2019, one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Roberts (now Guiffre), accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her at the age of 17. The former sex slave claims that the billionaire financier and former associate Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her and was forced to have sex with the British prince three times from 1999 to 2001. The whole scandal tainted the Duke of York's reputation, including that of the Royal Family, leading him to step back on his royal duties to avoid public scrutiny. Despite the Buckingham Palace's effort to shield Prince Andrew from the massive backlash and the authorities, the Duke of York's image continues to spiral down and drag the monarchy with him. But it looks like his very own father had enough of Queen Elizabeth II's favorite son; his recent move shows that Prince Philip is completely disgusted by Andrew's scandals. Prince Philip's Decision According to reports, the Duke of York is being brushed off the upcoming celebration of Prince Philip's 100th birthday, which will happen in June 2021. "The Sun" reported that Prince Andrew would not be invited to celebrate this milestone and told organizers to leave him out of the picture in any photo ops during the party. The Duke of Edinburgh's team also left out Prince Andrew from writing an introduction to the exhibit program due to the left and right controversies he was involved in. "There is a warning from up high to play down, Andrew. He will be included as little as possible," the source said. "It's not whitewashing history because you can't leave him out entirely. But it will not make a big deal of his relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh over the year," the source added. The insider claims that this move only shows that Prince Andrew is already having a problematic relationship with his father, and it is also affecting his role in the monarchy. The upcoming exhibition will be run by the Royal Collection Trust, which manages the arts and displays across all 13 royal residences in the United Kingdom. The organization said that any plans are not yet confirmed at the moment. Prince Philip's alleged snubbing came after the Duke of York reportedly joined his 99-year-old father and 94-year-old mother for lunch at the Balmoral estate. Based on the photos obtained by "The Sun," Prince Andrew appears to be nervous as he drove heads to meet his parents while driving his Land Rover Defender. The royal couple is said to cut short their Scottish holiday for a two-week break at Sandringham. READ MORE: Greedy Kardashians: KUWTK Cancelled After Network Refuses MASSIVE Pay Demands? News Oracle, Not Microsoft, Wins TikTok Buyout Bid Oracle's proposal to acquire TikTok's social media operations outside China emerged victorious over the weekend, putting an end to Microsoft's competing buyout bid. Various U.S. tech companies began discussions last month to buy TikTok's U.S. operations, which are owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. Those acquisition talks were prompted by allegations by the Trump administration that TikTok was funneling information on U.S. users to the Chinese government, and was thus a threat to U.S. security. Microsoft was considered to be in the running for an acquisition, joined later in its bidding effort by retailer Walmart. Oracle had also entered into the TikTok discussions, as well as others. Spying Allegations Last year, ByteDance had claimed that its U.S. TikTok operations had been separated from its China operations. The company took that action in response to the U.S. Department of Treasury's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) claims that TikTok represented a U.S. national security risk. The U.S. TikTok data is stored in the United States, with a backup in Singapore, ByteDance had said, which apparently didn't appease U.S. officials. The competition to buy the U.S. TikTok assets took on the disconcerting air of a U.S. state intervention on behalf of U.S. tech companies, with speculation about Trump company favoritism being involved. Trump also had suggested that the Treasury Department would get revenue out of a deal. China is a semi-closed market for U.S. businesses, which have to partner with a Chinese company in order to do business there. The prospect of China using social media to spy on Americans may be disturbing, but it's peculiarly shadowed by U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) efforts to do the very same thing, as exposed years ago by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. This domestic NSA spying was recently was rebuffed by a federal court in a case that involved AT&T, another U.S. company that collaborated on NSA domestic spying. Microsoft had been the first tech company to join in in the NSA's PRISM spying program, according to a leaked contractor slide. If it had won the TikTok bid, Microsoft had promised to add "world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections" to the social media service. Buyout Talks On Sunday, Microsoft issued an announcement indicating that ByteDance won't sell TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft. On Monday, Oracle issued an announcement confirming Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's statement over the weekend that "Oracle will serve as the trusted technology partner" to ByteDance. Mnuchin's statement wasn't available at press time, but he did talk with CNBC on Monday. In that interview, Mnuchin said that the actual deadline for coming to an agreement was Sept. 20, not Sept. 15. He added that there are two processes that still need to be completed regarding the Oracle deal: a review by the CFIUS and a national security review. "I will confirm that we did get a proposal over the weekend that includes Oracle as the trusted technology partner, with Oracle making many representations for national security issues," Mnuchin told CNBC. "There's also a commitment to create TikTok Global, a U.S.-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs. I'm not going to go into the entire proposal -- we will be reviewing that at the CFIUS committee this week. And then we will be making a recommendation to the president and reviewing it with him." He added that the Treasury Department had a lot of confidence in Microsoft and Oracle on making the TikTok technology safe, and that there will be discussions with Oracle over security matters in the next few days. The turnabout and deal-making has been confusing. ByteDance recently claimed that it wouldn't sell its TikTok U.S. operations to either Oracle or Microsoft, according to a Sunday-published Reuters article, which cited a state-run TV station in China. A sweeping review of the teaching of writing in NSW schools found it has been widely neglected in the secondary years, leaving thousands of students struggling with crucial skills such as writing clear sentences or expressing complex ideas. The review, commissioned by the NSW Education Standards Authority, found educators lacked knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching writing, as well as training and resources that could help them. Over recent decades, writing had been "forgotten" amid a strong public policy focus on reading, the report said. The NSW Education Standards Authority report found educators lacked knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching writing. Credit:Louise Kennerley Almost a decade's worth of NAPLAN data shows high school students struggle with writing more than with reading or numeracy. But without those skills, they "struggle to show what they know, and their learning remains untapped or unseen", the report said. The report found year 9 students in NSW in 2019 were the equivalent of five months behind the level of year 9 students in 2011. On average, one in six of those students was below the minimum standard required to succeed in their final years of school. That compared with one in 20 below the standard in reading and in numeracy. In Southeast Asia, wildlife trade is running rampant, and Vietnam plays a key role in combating wildlife trafficking. Since the country opened its market to China in the late 1980s, a huge amount of wildlife and its products has been transported across the border every year. Species have also been exported to other Asian countries, Europe and the USA. Furthermore, in recent years, Vietnam has also supported the transit of pangolin scales and other wildlife products from across Asia and even as far as Africa all the way to China and other destinations. Additionally, in line with the expanding wealthy middle class, consumption of wildlife and its products has risen dramatically in Vietnam. As a consequence, the country takes on all three major roles in the international wildlife trade: export, transit and consumption. Freshwater turtles and tortoises make up a large part of the international trade between Vietnam and China and the domestic trade within Vietnam. Meanwhile, due to the increasing use of social networks, wildlife trade is shifting to online-based platforms, thereby further facilitating access to threatened species. Consequently, the Vietnamese pond turtle and the Swinhoe's softshell turtle, for example, are already on the brink of extinction. Despite the repeated recent survey efforts of conservation biologists, no viable populations of their species have been found. One of the effective approaches to the conservation of the most endangered species is to have confiscated animals released back into the wild, following the necessary treatment and quarantine, or transferring them to conservation breeding programmes. However, in either of the cases, it is necessary to know about the origin of the animals, because the release of individuals at sites they are not naturally adapted to, or at localities inhabited by populations of incompatible genetic makeup can have negative effects both on the gene pool and ecosystem health. In the present research article, published in the peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal Nature Conservation, turtle conservationist and molecular biologist Dr. Minh D. Le of Vietnam National University (Hanoi) and the American Museum of Natural History (New York), in collaboration with the Cologne Zoo (Germany) and the Asian Turtle Program - Indo-Myanmar Conservation (Hanoi), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (Hanoi) and Hanoi Procuratorate University (Hanoi), studies the geographic distribution of genetic diversity of the endangered Four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata). The species, whose common name relates to the four eye-resembling spots, located on the back of its head, has traditionally been neglected by scientific and conservation efforts. Having analysed field-collected and local trade samples along with confiscated animals, the researchers concluded that there is a significant number of genetically distinct lineages distributed in Vietnam and China, and that local trade samples could provide key data for resolving the genetic patterns of the species. They remind that Four-eyed turtles are getting more and more difficult to find in the wild. On the other hand, the study highlights that confiscated animals are of various origin and, therefore, must not be released arbitrarily where they have been seized. Instead, the researchers recommend that captive programmes establish regular genetic screenings to determine the origin of confiscated turtles, so that the risk of crossing different lineages is eliminated. Such genetic screenings are of crucial importance to solve the current issues with biodiversity conservation in the country and the region. "Like other developing countries, Vietnam does not have any specific guidelines on how to release confiscated animals back into the wild yet. This and other similar studies emphasise the role of the government in the implementation of stricter laws and regulation," said Dr. Minh D. Le, lead author of the study. "This research once more underscores the IUCN's One Plan Approach, which aims to develop integrative strategies to combine in situ and ex situ measures with expert groups, for the purposes of species conservation," added Dr. Thomas Ziegler of the Cologne Zoo. ### The research was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER), the United States Agency for International Development, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology and IDEAWILD. Original source: Le MD, McCormack TEM, Hoang HV, Duong HT, Nguyen TQ, Ziegler T, Nguyen HD, Ngo HT (2020) Threats from wildlife trade: The importance of genetic data in safeguarding the endangered Four-eyed Turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata). Nature Conservation 41: 91-111. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.41.54661 Contact: Dr Minh Duc Le, Vietnam National University Email: le.duc.minh@hus.edu.vn Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 13:33:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov (R) meets with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Xinhua) BISHKEK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan appreciates China's assistance in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the central Asian country, and seeks to deepen cooperation with China in the post-epidemic era, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said here on Sunday. As an old Chinese saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative, Jeenbekov said during a meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Kyrgyzstan is a good neighbor and a friend of China, said the president. Kyrgyzstan is very grateful to the Chinese side for the help it offered at the most difficult moment in the fight against the epidemic, including providing material and technical assistance, sending medical experts and sharing experience. He noted that the Kyrgyz side greatly admires the unity of the Chinese people in successfully overcoming the epidemic. China is also leading the world in vaccine research and development, and will make new and important contributions to the fight against the epidemic, said Jeenbekov. He reiterated that Kyrgyzstan highly appreciates the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi Jinping. Kyrgyzstan firmly pursues the One-China policy, stands with China on all major issues concerning China's core interests and will always be a firm friend of China, he noted. Kyrgyzstan is willing to work with China to further promote the co-construction of Belt and Road, and to overcome the adverse effects caused by the epidemic on the economy, said the Kyrgyz president. He added that Kyrgyzstan seeks to expand the two countries' pragmatic cooperation in investment, energy, transportation, agriculture, medicine, to explore new areas, such as electronic commerce and artificial intelligence, and to accelerate construction of the railroad between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. These will promote a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to achieve greater development, said Jeenbekov. Wang said that solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in the fight against the epidemic, and also the best interpretation to the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by President Xi. We live in an interconnected world. We should help each other in times of difficulty, said Wang, adding that the Chinese government has launched the largest humanitarian operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China, providing emergency supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations, including Kyrgyzstan. We believe that through solidarity and mutual assistance, mankind will be able to overcome the epidemic, said Wang. China is ready to continue providing support to the Kyrgyz side in fighting the epidemic, strengthen vaccine cooperation and stand with the Kyrgyz people. Wang stressed that China appreciates Kyrgyzstan's firm support on issues concerning China's core interests and China also supports Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and national dignity. China supports Kyrgyzstan for following a development path suited to its national conditions, and opposes any external forces interfering in Kyrgyzstan's internal affairs, said Wang. We are confident that under the leadership of President Jeenbekov, Kyrgyzstan will maintain political stability and social harmony, and continue to move forward along the road of modernization, he said. China is ready to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in the post-epidemic era in accordance with the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and to unveil a new chapter for the development of bilateral relations, said Wang. Enditem Kanpur: An eight-member SIT formed by the Kanpur police is looking into allegations of forced conversion on the pretext of marriage and has come across over a dozen such cases, an official said. The SIT was formed about a fortnight ago after some members of Hindu organisations met Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal, alleging 'love jihad' incidents. The issue had surfaced after a Kanpur woman, Shalini Yadav, married a Muslim man recently. The couple, however, approached a Delhi court, denying allegations of forced conversion. According to the official, the special investigation team (SIT) will investigate the alleged role of Islamic organisations in it. The SIT led by Deepak Bhuker, Superintendent of Police, Kanpur (South), has been told to look into any fixed pattern or modus operandi behind the alleged incidents, the official said. The SIT, which has till now come across at least a dozen such cases, mostly from the Juhi area in Kanpur, has decided to investigate if any Islamic organisation has a role in funding the ?love jihad' racket in Kanpur, the official said. There is a strong possibility that some Islamic outfits may be providing financial assistance to a handful of organisations involved in such anti-national acts, the official claimed. Meanwhile, SP Deepak Bhuker said the help of a special SWAT team has been sought for surveillance, he added. The SIT has contacted local police stations and sought details of all alleged 'love jihad' cases reported in the past two years, he said. Bhuker said the probe team has been extracting records related to a dozen phone numbers to establish links. They have been gathering information about such couples, their bank accounts and recording statements of their family members, Bhuker said, adding that phone numbers of their aides have also been extracted. Bhuker, however, said in the case involving Shalini Yadav, the couple had approached the Delhi High Court and later appeared before a magistrate at the Tees Hazari court there, denying the allegations. He said the woman had said that she was a major and married a man of her choice. Since the woman is a major and there is nothing for police to do, a closure report will be sent to the court soon, the SP said. Police are looking into the conspiracy angle to ascertain if youths involved in this are being funded from abroad, the SP said. Police are also trying to find out if the youth in any case hid their identity, the SP said. Recently, the Kanpur police had arrested two people-- Mohsin Khan and Aamir--in an alleged 'love jihad' case, said another senior official. Mohsin Khan allegedly befriended a girl, posing as Sameer and then married her, the senior official added. His friend Aamir became befriended a younger sister of Mohsin's wife but the girl realised their plan and stopped meeting him. She was then allegedly threatened with dire consequences if she did not marry Aamir. Another case was reported from the Naubasta area where Fateh Khan possessed two Aadhaar cards, one of these in the name of Aryan Malhotra, said Kanpur's Govind Nagar Circle Officer Vikas Pandey. The Hindu family in whose house he had rented a room for two years had later accused him of abusing their minor daughter. Upon investigation, it was found that he had two identity cards, one of which was fake. His real name was Fateh Khan and he is a resident of Bijnor. He was sent to jail on charges of rape, Pandey added. KINCHELOE, MI -- Inmates at the Chippewa Correctional Facility took control over a housing unit at the prison Sunday night for a few hours according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. The MDOC says the takeover took place following a three-person fight in a level two housing unit at the prison. Officers responded to the fight around 10:25 p.m. Sunday and used a taser on one of the people involved in the brawl. That prisoner was taken to the hospital via ambulance before eventually being treated and released back into MDOC custody. However, after the ambulance left, the other prisoners exited their cells and began to approach the officer station. Before the prisoners made contact, the officers were able to exit safely, according to MDOC. Staff took control of the prison once again around 4 a.m. Monday. No officers or prisoners were injured during the takeover and the entire prison in back under control of the MDOC. The U.S. Border Patrol and the Michigan State Police were also involved in helping regain control of the prison. READ MORE 7 people shot outside Grand Rapids business, among 11 shot overnight citywide Two mid-Michigan casinos prohibit use of certain masks Kid Rock to join Donald Trump Jr. for Michigan campaign rally to promote the presidents reelection Community College of Philadelphia student and contact tracer Tyshien Maddox at the college's regional center in West Philadelphia. The college has partnered with the city to provide students who could work as contact tracers. Read more Tyshien Maddox had seen what the coronavirus could do: His mother got it. So did his two brothers and his grandparents. And a cousin died from it. So when Community College of Philadelphia, where he is a student, asked whether he would be interested in working for the citys Department of Public Health as a contact tracer, he was all in. Anything I can do to help out and let people know this is real, said Maddox, 38, of West Philadelphia. It was very scary for us. Maddox is one of 13 CCP students working among the citys 80 contact tracers. They call known contacts of coronavirus patients, warn them about possible exposure, check on their health daily, and ask them to quarantine. The health department reached out to the community college for help in finding potential contact tracers because it wanted people who live in the communities where the virus spread, knowing that building trust and fostering cooperation are key. We made sure we had hires from all the zip codes with the highest rates of COVID-19, said Meagan Pharis, assistant manager of research analytics at the health department. READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia will start fall with online classes They looked for candidates who speak multiple languages, are knowledgeable about immigrant concerns, and have experience with the virus that helps them empathize with families fighting it. Maddox was the one taking care of his family when they got sick in mid-March. He donned a mask and took meals and supplies to two households. I take this virus personal, said Maddox. who also is working as a health aide as he pursues his associates degree in mass media. Contact tracing jobs are wildly popular. The city receives hundreds of letters of interest within a day of posting the jobs, said James Garrow, a health department spokesperson. The department wanted to offer employment opportunities to local community college students at a time when many workers had been displaced. We wanted to kind of meet people at the start of their careers and offer a pipeline to opportunity and gainful employment, said Kezia Barnett, a health department research and evaluation associate. Philadelphia has seen almost 35,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,700 deaths since the pandemic began. The city started a pilot contact tracing program last spring and launched its full program in July, once new cases had slowed to a level at which officials thought tracing could help and enough tracers were hired. The city also employs 25 case investigators who interview infected people and develop a list of their close contacts to pass on to tracers. At first, the city was tracing about half its cases. As of last week, 75% of those who became infected were being contacted, Garrow said. And contact tracers have been able to reach almost 80% of the contacts identified by patients and get them to agree to quarantine, Garrow said. Philadelphia is making progress, but still has work to do when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19, said Lyle Ungar, a professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania. Bucks and Montgomery Counties trace more than 90% of their cases. READ MORE: Parts of Pa. reopened without robust coronavirus contact tracing to keep residents safe More rapid testing is crucial to making the work of contact tracers effective, said Ungar, who has argued that the city needs many more of them. Without rapid testing, the city may not identify many positive cases until those people have already spread the virus to others. The city plans to hire 15 to 20 more contact tracers in the next month. Community college students again are among the candidates, said Ayanna Washington, director of the colleges Career Connections program. For the first round of hiring, the college looked for candidates in its health, education, and communications programs, she said. More than 50 students attended a Zoom session to learn more about the job, and the career department helped people pull together their resumes and practice interviewing virtually, Washington said. Lauren Lopez, 38, of Grays Ferry, had been taking a break from her job as a licensed practical nurse since the pandemic started to stay at home with her third grader. The contact tracing job, which pays about $38,000 a year to start, offered the opportunity to work from home. She started in July and is currently monitoring about 90 people. Most are pleasant and cooperative when she reaches out, she said. A small percentage hang up on her. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. Older people tend to be a little more surprised and concerned, sometimes a little upset, said Lopez, who is pursuing a nursing degree. They always come around and listen and end up being really receptive. Tracers are allowed to disclose the date possible exposures took place and sometimes general information about location, such as an educational setting, she said. But they do not disclose the identities of infected people. Lopez said she starts conversations by asking people how they are feeling. Thats really the most important part, she said. The contact tracers offer connections to food delivery or to notify a persons employer or school about the quarantine. They also provide information about testing and arrange to contact the person daily by text or phone through the quarantine period, to make sure they dont become symptomatic. The city expects the contact tracing program, funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to cost about $10 million if it runs at full capacity for an entire year. Contact tracers take an online training course developed by Johns Hopkins public health school and shadow experienced tracers to learn about the job before starting, said Garrow, the health department spokesperson. Maddox said his prior work as a telemarketer helped him, and the colleges support was invaluable. Without CCP, I wouldnt have been able to get this job, he said, and Im thankful. Staff writer Sarah Gantz contributed to this article. Libyan protesters torch Haftar-backed govt. headquarters in Benghazi Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 6:05 PM Libyan protesters have reportedly set fire to headquarters of the eastern administration backed by rebel forces under the command of renegade general Khalifa Haftar in the country's second city of Benghazi. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from the interior ministry in the eastern government said a group of demonstrators attacked the cabinet building in the early hours of Sunday and set it ablaze before fleeing the scene. Police and firefighters quickly arrived but the fire had destroyed the main entrance to the building, according to the official. Reports also said protests erupted in the northeastern city of al-Marj, with police forces opening fire on demonstrators after they forced their way into the police station. Protests in Benghazi began late Thursday in the wake of rising anger at regular power cuts, cash shortages and high fuel prices as Haftar imposed blockade against most of the country's oil facilities in January. Libya which sits atop the largest oil reserves in Africa has been forced to halt its oil production as a result of the illegal blockade. The violence-wracked country used to produce nearly 1.2 million barrels per day last year but that figure plunged to about 90,000 daily barrels since the rebel forces forced the halt to the operations at the eastern oilfields and ports. The blockade has cost the North African nation at least eight billion dollars. Libya first plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising backed by a NATO intervention led to the ouster of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. Two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya since 2014, namely the internationally-recognized government run by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the parliament based in the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by Haftar's rebels. The Libyan rebels are supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Jordan. They launched an unsuccessful military offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli, and unseat the government in April 2019. The Libyan military has undone many of the rebels' gains with crucial support from its own patron, Turkey. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A Delhi court on Monday sent Umar Khalid to 10-day police custody day after his arrest under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for alleged role in the conspiracy behind the February riots in the national capital. Also Read: Umar Khalid arrested in connection with North-East Delhi riots Special public prosecutor Amit Prasad had told additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat at the Karkardooma district court that Khalid has to be confronted with voluminous documentary evidence. The Delhi Polices special cell is looking into a larger conspiracy case in addition to multiple cases filed in connection with the riots that left 53 people dead and close to 400 injured. In separate charge sheets related to the riots, the police have said Khalid met suspended and jailed Aam Aadmi Partys councillor Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi on January 8 at the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest site against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)-National Register of Citiznens (NRC) to allegedly plan the riots. He has been interrogated twice in the last two months for his alleged role. The police have also linked Khalids speeches to the riots. Khalids lawyer, Trideep Pais, told the court during the virtual hearing that the police have to clarify where he gave the speeches and show the proof that his client asked people to come and protest. He added Khalid is against the CAA and he is not ashamed of it. Khalids father, Sayed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, has accused the Delhi police of targeting those who participated in the protests against the CAA and NRC. This is nothing but an attempt to corner the activists and silence the voices of those who dissent against the government. The Delhi police have been trying to weave a false story by naming few people who participated in the anti-CAA-NRC protests, including Umar, as the masterminds behind the north-east [Delhi] violence. However, everyone knows who was actually behind the riots. The riots were triggered following clashes between supporters of the CAA and its opponents. The CAAs passage in December to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who have entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before December 31, 2014, triggered protests across the country. Opponents of the law insist it is discriminatory and unconstitutional as it leaves out the Muslims and links faith to citizenship in a secular country. They say it could result in the expulsion or detentions of the Muslims unable to provide the documentation if the law is seen in the context of a proposed pan-India NRC. A process carried out in Assam to detect undocumented immigrants led to the exclusion of around two million people from the NRC in 2018. Khalid was arrested after being questioned twice. He has denied the allegations, calling the inquiry a conspiracy. Shocked that an anti-terror law UAPA has been used to arrest a young, thinking, idealist like @UmarKhalidJNU who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form. He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves.@DelhiPolice can't detain India's future for long. Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 14, 2020 Also Read: Umar Khalids arrest: Activists, academicians, politicians express solidarity, call it a witch-hunt Hussain, Jamia student Meeran Haider, Jamia Coordination Committees Safoora Zargar, and Pinjra Tod activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita have also been arrested under UAPA on charges of allegedly planning and executing the north-east Delhi riots. The riots were triggered in the run-up to the assembly elections in Delhi and right-wing groups have also faced accusations of fanning them. Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav called Khalid a thinking idealist and added he is shocked that an anti-terror law has been used to arrest the activist who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form. He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves. @DelhiPolice cant detain Indias future for long, Yadav said in a tweet. A court in Israel has sentenced a Jewish settler to life in prison after he was found guilty of murdering three Palestinians in 2015, one of whom was a toddler. Amiram Ben-Uliel was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences on Monday for an attack the judge said was committed out of "extreme and racist ideology." Ben-Uliel, 25, was convicted in May of three counts of murder and two charges of attempted murder and arson for the deaths of Ali, Saad and Riham Dawabsheh in the West Bank town of Duma. On the night of July 31, 2015, Ben-Uliel hurled Molotov cocktails into the Dawabsheh home as the family slept inside, according to the indictment. Eighteen-month-old Ali died in the home, and his parents, Saad and Riham, succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. Their 5-year-old son, Ahmed, survived with extreme burns. Ben-Uliel also spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on their walls and firebombed another empty home, the court said, adding that his actions were meticulously planned and stemmed from the radical ideology he held and racism. According to court documents, Ben-Uliel torched the homes "solely because they were Arabs living in Duma, and the attack was in retaliation for the death of Malachi Rosenfeld, an Israel killed by a Palestinian in a drive-by shooting in 2015. Ben-Uliel belonged to a far-right Jewish movement known as hilltop youth, which has attacked Palestinians and set up unauthorized outposts in the West Bank. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit a hate crime but acquitted of membership in a terrorist organization. Ben-Uliels family said he was tortured into giving false confessions, which Israels domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, denied. His wife, Orian Ben-Uliel, said the family would appeal the ruling to Israels Supreme Court. Under a plea deal, another defendant whose name is withheld because he was a minor at the time of the murders was convicted as an accessory to the crimes. He will be sentenced on Wednesday. By Shamsuzzaman Ansari, TwoCircles.net The question, when will the coronavirus go away is on everyones mind. Healthcare experts and analysts can only attempt to estimate the timeline by analyzing trends in the observed data. However, there is no definite answer to the same. Countries like New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan have achieved the elimination of COVID-19 cases to some extent, indicating elimination is feasible. Many sources revealed New Zealand remained free of the virus for more than 100 days. Support TwoCircles Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head at the World Health Organization, guesstimates the COVID-19 pandemic might end within two years if resources are strategically pooled across the globe. Prof. Dr Lothar Wieler, from Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany, also predicts that the pandemic would likely last for 2 years, and by then, approximately 60% to 70% of the worlds population would be tested positive with COVID-19, and develop immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Microsoft co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates predicts the end of the pandemic in the rich world by the end of 2021, and for the poor world, by the end of 2022. Bhaskaran Raman and his team from IIT Bombay whose analysis is based on Nobel laureate Prof Michael Levitts model had claimed in July that COVID-19 pandemic will not end in India before October 2020. With the term pandemic-end, he didnt mean the disease will vanish completely but rather will be sporadic while the number of mortalities would be considerably low. According to the Times Fact-India Outbreak Report, collaborative research and analysis by the Times Network and California based consulting firm, Protiviti, the end date of the pandemic is anticipated to be the first week of December 2020. As per this research study, India is set to hit its peak of 7.87 lakh active cases as early as September 2, and after which the curve may hit a plateau till September 16, following which the cases are projected to show a steady decline. The report claims some Indian states have already started to peak out and some might come out of it during the later part of August to early September while some highly infected ones may take a month longer. According to Dr T Jacob John, professor emeritus and former head of virology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, across India, the COVID-19 cases have peaked mainly in highly urbanized and medium urbanized areas. Rural areas are yet to witness the peak. How the CORONA pandemic will end? Scientists believe that 60-70% of people needed to acquire herd immunity to stop spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Herd immunity is an epidemiological concept that describes a situation where a significant proportion of a population becomes immune to disease and stops spreading in the population. As per this concept, if 70 people out of 100 are immune against a disease then the remaining 30 people will hardly be exposed to the disease and thus any further spread of the infection would vanish in this scenario. Herd immunity can be acquired either by a safe and effective vaccination or through natural infection. The idea of acquiring herd immunity entirely through natural infection would be a disastrous strategy. Its mainly because a large number of people will become severely ill and as a result, a sudden spike in sick people needing intensive medical care and hospital beds will overwhelm the healthcare system. Hence, herd immunity, without a vaccine, is not an effective way forward. COVID-19 vaccine development status Researchers across the globe are working day and night to find an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. A vaccine would protect people by triggering their immune systems to fight the virus so they should not become sick. According to an article published in the National Geographic, more than 150 coronavirus vaccines are in development across the globe. Till date, there is only one approved COVID-19 vaccine i.e. Sputnik V. This Russian vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in collaboration with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). However, the researchers from the west and other countries are sceptical about the efficacy and safety of the new vaccine owing to limited data available in the public domain. The other key vaccines in the late stage of clinical trials are AZD1222 by AstraZeneca and Oxford; mRNA-1273 by ModeRNA and National Health Institute; BNT162 by Pfizer and BioNtech; Adenovirus Type 5 Vector vaccine by CanSino Biologics and Ad26.COV2-S by Janssen. According to Pfizers CEO Alberta Bourla, they could have resulted from their late-stage coronavirus vaccine BNT162 trial as early as October 2020. AstraZeneca and Researchers from Oxford decided to halt the phase III trial of AZD1222 after one of the UK participants suffered a potentially unexplained illness. Though this incident might not be a big deal and might not have a significant impact on AZD1222 development status, an unprecedented event like this highlights the significance of the results from large, properly designed trials to assess vaccine safety before allowing it for mass use. While the US President Trump claims to have a vaccine in the US ready by October-November, healthcare experts anticipate the first half of 2021 as the most feasible timeline for the same. Many are hoping with the advent of COVID-19 vaccine, the pandemic will end. However, Dr Anthony Fauci, coronavirus adviser to President Trump, says the virus will never fully disappear. Though vaccination will play a vital role, it wont be able to control the pandemic on its own; instead, it would be achieved by a combination of safe and effective vaccination, a degree of herd immunity as a result of natural immunization, and appropriate public health measures. Even if a vaccine works perfectly and is approved by the regulatory body, there will be other challenges when it comes to manufacturing and distribution. There may also be challenges concerning demand and supply and in deciding which population/country/region should get the vaccine first. Billions of people needed to be vaccinated across the world to achieve herd immunity, and this will require a massive scale of manufacturing capacity. Within a country, there likely wont be enough doses to give to everyone at once; indicating government officials will have to prioritize who gets it first. Though the WHO says it is working on a plan to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines, however, in reality how that plan would be enforced is not clear. Researchers have already warned that it might not be feasible for pharma companies to produce enough vaccine for everyone, and hence in this scenario rich countries might hoard stocks with them, leaving poor countries with limited supplies. Its not easy to predict the exact timeline of the end of COVID-19 as there are multiple factors which directly or indirectly influence the course of this pandemic. Considering the current development status of key corona vaccines, none of these vaccines is going to be available for mass use until early 2021. Once a safe and effective vaccine is approved and becomes available, a combination of mass vaccination, herd immunity as a result of natural immunization, and appropriate public health measures will lead the situation to improve by December 2021. Till then the world should learn to live with restrictions. Shamsuzzaman Ansari is a Healthcare Consultant with an MNC based in Gurgaon. He has 7 years of experience in healthcare business research and pharma consulting. The opinion expressed here is his personal and has nothing to do with his employer. Theres nothing like telling people to socially distance themselves from one another to stay safe in a pandemic to drive home the plight of those who are homeless. Tens of thousands of Canadians dont have a room of their own, let alone a home. Theyre at the mercy of overcrowded shelter systems that warehouse people at night and send them back on the streets every morning, clutching their belongings. For years governments have known that emergency shelters were, in fact, providing permanent housing for far too many people. Theres been a great deal of talk about how terrible this situation is and how people need to be moved out of the shelter system and into affordable or supportive housing. Yet, year after year, Canadas largest city, Toronto, has instead expanded its emergency shelter system to cope with the immediate need while conversations continued about the tragedy of homelessness and what to do about it. Then COVID-19 came along and made homelessness not just a tragic situation but a completely unacceptable one from a public health perspective. And very quickly Toronto and other cities snapped up hotels to move people out of bunks in shelters into a space of their own. The very type of thing that advocates had long called for, but somehow had not been possible on a large scale until now. Toronto needs to keep going with these kind of innovations to get more people in need into suitable permanent housing. So its welcome to see that is just what the city seems to be contemplating. According to a draft of the shelter strategy that will be made public on Tuesday and go to the Planning and Housing Committee for debate next week, the city is proposing a series of measures to shift away from shelters and respite services and towards housing and supports. It calls for acquiring hotels, rooming houses, office and residential space; redeveloping some existing shelters into housing units; and accelerating plans to build affordable homes with prefabricated modular projects. Toronto has a decades-long history of creating temporary emergency responses to homelessness crises that become part of our permanent infrastructure, says the report. We need to make sure our pandemic response also moves us in the right direction to end homelessness. Theres still much to do to turn this strategy, jointly developed by the city and United Way Greater Toronto, into action and funding will be key. How much and where from? The price tag will undoubtedly be high upfront but its important to remember that Toronto currently spends hundreds of millions a year maintaining an emergency shelter system that does little to help people get back on their feet. Much of that funding could be redirected to better housing options and, done right, this could also lead to reductions in spending elsewhere from health care to criminal justice. The actions that Toronto and other cities are taking to provide better and safer options for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that governments know what needs to be done and when we marshal the right resources we can make significant change quickly. This better way must not be cast aside once the COVID-19 crisis passes. What weve learned through the pandemic should be used as a starting point for permanent change in how we house those who cant afford to rent or need support to maintain a home of their own. The proposed new strategy to transform Torontos shelter system that will soon be up for debate is the right direction to take. Now the city needs to stay the course. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called on world leaders Saturday to join forces in fighting climate change. Now we should pay more attention about global warming," the exiled leader said in a video message to a virtual meeting of Group of Seven parliamentary leaders. The session was hosted by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a longstanding advocate for the Himalayan region. National leaders have been meeting less frequently with the Dalai Lama due to pressure from China. In his video address, the Dalai Lama said people today have more of a sense of shared interest in saving the planet. If you look (at) past history, too much emphasis individual nation, individual religion, including color," the 85-year-old Buddhist leader said, according to a statement from the International Campaign for Tibet. So it creates a lot of problem. Basically, you see, they are selfish, self-centered attitudes," the 1989 Nobel peace laureate said. Climate change is affecting some of the worlds least powerful people, the Dalai Lama added. Due to global warming, too much rain some area. Some area dry. So these people suffer, the Dalai Lama said. Particularly like in Africa and some area in India and China also." The impact along economic lines is also imbalanced, he added. The rich people, big hotel, not much serious sort of feeling, the Dalai Lama said. But poor people, they really face serious problem." Saturdays meeting brought Pelosi together with counterparts from Britain, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. S pace scientists have recreated the extreme weather conditions of Mars in the London commuter belt to prepare the new Rover robot for its mission to track down life on the Red Planet. Experts at UCLs Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Dorking have built the head and eyes of the Rosalind Franklin Rover which is due to blast off from Kazakhstan in 2022. Named after the Notting Hill-born DNA pioneer, the newest rover robot will drill for signs of water in rocks and sample the air, taking 3D images as part of the 900 million ExoMars astrobiology project, a joint European Space Agency and Russian venture. The scientists today revealed how the camera system they built was put through a gruelling process nicknamed shake and bake, which pummelled the delicate instruments to simulate intense vibrations of rocket take-off, the tough seven-month space flight and bumpy landing when its parent capsule floats down by parachute. The rovers cameras, wiring and oblong metal box protecting them were also heated and frozen to replicate minus 120C Martian nights in thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, and daytime heat up to 50C. The cameras inside the 'head' of the Rosalind Franklin rover have been stress-tested to ensure they can survive harsh Martian conditions / ESA The 3D and macro optics Panoramic Camera system, or PanCam, features three high-resolution cameras that will be perched atop a mast with multi-coloured atmospheric filters to see traces of water and dust. Photos will help the six-wheeled rover find the best spots to drill two metres below the surface to collect samples. Anna Nash, a contamination control engineer working at UCL's Space Science Laboratory, where the rigours of space travel are simulated to test equipment / Lucy Young PanCams principal investigator Professor Andrew Coates, a deputy director at the laboratory, said: You cant just take a high-street camera and send that to Mars. The tests that have been done here to make sure it will survive include a vibration test, something where you effectively shake the instrument to make sure it will survive the launch on the rocket, and a shock test to make sure it will survive the landing. Weve also simulated what it sounds like inside a rocket when it goes off. Once youre on the surface of Mars its a really harsh environment. Loading.... Every batch of images of the Martian landscape compressed in a zip file each day will take as little as seven minutes to cover the average 140 million miles back to mission control on Earth via the rovers orbiting satellite. Professor Joshua Alabi is urging Ghanaians to reject the ruling NPP government under Nana Akufo-Addo on December 7th because their policies and actions do not represent the interest of the nation. According to Professor Joshua Alabi, 2020 Campaign Manager of the opposition NDC, a perfect example to cite is the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal. According to him, the deal stinks and will have dire consequences on the countrys future leaders. Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Alabi insisted that the NDC will not honour the agreement if voted into power. We will not respect the deal when we win to protect people like you [youth] so that when it gets to your turn to run the country, it will be easier for you. If you keep quiet and it gets to your time, there will no money for you to run this country, he stressed. Prof. Alabi also charged the youth to question the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal. You should be interested in that particular deal. That deal stinks. That is why almost everyone apart from the government is talking about it. But because they have power, they are trying to push it through you. My President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama says when he wins he will not respect that deal because we disagree with it. You push it through Parliament because you have the majority fine, but apart from the minority in parliament, almost everyone is talking about it. We are still pushing it, he said. The government of Ghana through the Minerals Income Investment Fund set up the special purpose vehicle to monetize gold royalties and Ghana's equity in gold mining activities. Some Civil Society groups have described the deal as opaque, lacking oversight mechanisms and not profitable for Ghanaians. The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama has on several occasions said it will not honour the agreement if he is elected President on December 7, 2020. According to the former President, the deal looks shady and his government will not respect it. The government of Ghana, even though the royalties are ours, cannot control that company, meanwhile we have [special purpose] vehicles we can use here. We have the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund. If you assigned the gold royalties to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund which is a 100 percent [government] entity, it can do exactly the same thing that you want Agyapa to do. If I become president, I will not respect that agreement. Ghanaians cannot accept this. We do not accept that the government of Ghana should invest our royalties in an offshore tax haven, he said. ---CitiNewsRoom The United States has welcomed Serbia's intention to recognise the Lebanese-based movement as a terrorist organisation, calling on other countries to follow the lead, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement on Sunday (local time). Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed an agreement committing Belgrade to recognising as a terrorist organisation during his visit to Washington last week, where he attended talks with US President Donald Trump and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti. Kosovo already designated Hezbollah's military wing last year and extended the designation upon its political wing in June. "Serbia's announcement that it will designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization in its entirety is another significant step limiting this Iranian backed terrorist group's ability to operate in Europe," the statement read. Pompeo described Serbia's announcement as "dominoes ... falling on Hizballah's European operations," urging the countries to designate the organisation in its entirety with no distinction between its military and political wings. "We urge all countries in Europe and elsewhere to take whatever action they can to prevent Hizballah operatives, recruiters, and financiers from operating on their territories," the statement added. was established in the 1980s as a paramilitary and political organisation originating in Lebanon's Shiite population. The group initially aimed to end Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's military wing is also active in Syria, where it is fighting on behalf of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. (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 local councillor has criticised Debenhams for its treatment of workers who have been made redundant at its Foyleside store in Derry. It comes after the company announced 2,500 job losses at its stores across the U.K. a couple of weeks ago. Eleven stores in the Republic of Ireland have already closed leaving 1,000 people out of work. Redundancy negotiations collapsed this week when liquidator KPMGs offer was rejected by workers who staged a sit-in. Speaking in the Oireachtas, Taoiseach Micheal Martin recognised that workers have been treated shoddily, shabbily and unacceptably. Dialogue should be resumed, he said, so that workers receive a satisfactory redundancy package. Members of the parliament asked for emergency legislation to be brought in to protect workers rights but the Taoiseach argued it was not that simple. People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin said he has been contacted by Debenhams workers who have been on furlough and informed at the end of August they would be made redundant. The workers are mainly full-time staff, he says, including some of the longest employed in the Derry store. Because there is no union in Foylesides Debenhams, People Before Profit cllrs have been assisting the workers to ensure their rights are protected. The Derry cllr said he was shocked to discover that Debenhams, a large company with a HR department, has not been following the law in relation to redundancy procedures. Instead, the company has been using the pandemic as an excuse not to go through the three step process required by law when making workers redundant. They have not consulted the workers, which they must do even if there is no union. They have not developed or provided objective and non-discriminatory redundancy selection criteria, often known as the redundancy selection matrix. Nor have they identified the pool of employees from which all or some employees will be made redundant. Rather than following the law, Debenhams have simply informed workers they are being made redundant - and because the company is in administration, they wont even be providing statutory redundancy pay. He added: Debenhams is still trading, yet several of those made redundant are on maternity leave. Because the time when someone is on maternity leave is when they are most likely to lose their jobs unfairly, the law gives additional protections to those on maternity leave. But because of the lack of consultation or clear selection criteria for those being made redundant, there is an understandable feeling that at least some are being made redundant because they are on maternity leave. Debenhams told 18 members of staff they were being made redundant. This is just two short of the 20 redundancies that would have required the company to have a collective consultation about the planned redundancies. Debenhams seems to think that, because there is no requirement for a collective consultation when fewer than 20 are being let go, they can ignore the law. They cannot. People Before Profit will be doing everything we can to ensure workers rights are respected and encourage all workers to protect themselves by joining a trade union. In response, a spokesperson for the Joint Administrators (Debenhams is in administration) said: In normal circumstances an employer proposing to make redundancies would embark on a period of consultation with its employees. But this is rarely possible in insolvency where the options available are limited and the administrators must consider their own duty to creditors. Those affected by redundancy will take no particular comfort from this, but the steps taken are in response to an unpredictable and challenging trading environment and aim to ensure the future viability of the business, while also meeting wider statutory obligations. Its been a heck of a year, right? We hope you are doing well, and that you are staying safe. After much discussion, we have decided to do at least one more search this year. Michigans Best Doughnut! Why doughnuts? Well, we know we can practice social distancing rather easily, and doughnuts are very portable. We expect to be spending a lot of time in parking lots across Michigan, managing boxes of doughnuts, gulping coffee and making sure we have enough napkins. But, were getting ahead of ourselves. We first need to gather nominees to determine a list of finalists. This is where you come in. How to make a nomination Send us an email. Tell us the name of your favorite doughnut shop, its address or at least what city its located in, and what makes their doughnuts so good. Tell us if your favorites, too. Put Michigans Best Doughnut is at......." Be sure to include the name of the shop in the subject field. Email us at: gonzo@mlive.com or asherma2@mlive.com After the nomination process, well create regional polls that will go up on Monday, Sept. 21, and youll be able to vote through noon Friday, Sept. 25. As on past searches, each regional winner is guaranteed a visit. Well decide the other finalists from a variety of other factors, including poll placement, reputation, history and passionate pleas from you. Yes, your emails really matter! Well visit around 30 finalists. Can you guess where these are from?John Gonzalez What makes a great doughnut shop? Were looking for those places that are fixtures in your neighborhoods. Those places that bring communities together with the best Long Johns, Crullers, Bear Claws, old-fashioned cake doughnuts, jelly-filled, creme-filled, cinnamon rolls, and the list goes on an on. Were also interested in gourmet doughnut shops that are popping up all over the state. We love the creativity. And were even open to cider mills that make great doughnuts. You tell us. As always, were looking for mom and pop places, independent shops, and Michigan-based, of course. By the way, we did this search back in 2014, and we cant wait to hear from you again. This search is being sponsored by our friends at Michigan Sugar. John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman of Michigan's Best meet up with a park ranger at Kitch-iti-kipi, Michigans largest freshwater spring, located at Palms Book State Park in Manistique in the Upper Peninsula.John Gonzalez Follow our Michigans Best adventures on social media: @mlivemibest on Twitter @mlivemibest on Instagram Facebook at MLiveMIBest. Join in by using the hashtags #mibest, #BestDoughnut and #ItriedMiBest In addition: Amy Sherman is on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail. John Gonzalez is on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo. Special thanks to Michigans Best Doughnut search sponsor, the Michigan Sugar Company. BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military has introduced a monthly one-day event to hear suggestions from the civilian sector concerning military technological innovation, the Science and Technology Commission (STC) of the Central Military Commission said on Sunday. The first such event was held on Saturday, gathering 44 participants from universities, research institutes and high-tech firms, said the STC. Since the STC released the monthly event schedule in July, 755 scientific research teams have signed up and submitted national defense innovation ideas, it added. LITCHFIELD Lee Cantelon brought his exhibit, A Place for You, which depicts women and girls who were released or rescued after being held hostage by the terrorist group Boko Haram, to Wisdom House during the retreat house and conference centers themed day of events, Earth Wisdom: Spirit, Soil, Sacred Search. Each portion of Saturdays event, according to Deborah Kelly, executive director, explored and celebrated the wisdom of planet Earth with a focus on Earth Spirituality, a celebration of Earth Soil ... and reflection on peoples Sacred Search for a place to live. Cantelons exhibit features photos taken during his three years of travel throughout Nigeria to document women and girls rescued or released from Boko Haram. Cantelons photos are of displaced women and their children who are now victims of Fulani violence. According to crisisgroup.org, violence between Nigerian herders and farmers has escalated, killing more than 1,300 people since January 2018. The conflict has evolved from spontaneous reactions to deadlier planned attacks, particularly in Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Taraba states. Three factors have aggravated this decades-long conflict arising from environmental degradation in the far north and encroachment upon grazing grounds in the Middle Belt: militia attacks; the poor government response to distress calls and failure to punish past perpetrators; and new laws banning open grazing in Benue and Taraba states, the organization said in a statement. The farmer-herder conflict has become Nigerias gravest security challenge, now claiming far more lives than the Boko Haram insurgency. It has displaced hundreds of thousands and sharpened ethnic, regional and religious polarization. It threatens to become even deadlier and could affect forthcoming elections and undermine national stability, according to the statement. Understanding the meaning of being internally displaced is the theme of the exhibit showing how people search for security and peace in both their external and internal world here in the west and the far reaches of the world, said Cantelon, a resident of Northfield. The Earth Wisdom day also included a workshop, Spiritual Visions of Reality, with John Grim, Ph.D, a senior lecturer and research scholar at Yale University, who discussed the insights and vision of Thomas Berry and Teilhard de Chardin, according to a statement. Wisdom House also celebrated a conservation easement of 54 acres by the Daughters of Wisdom at Wisdom House, in collaboration with the nonprofit Litchfield Land Trust. The conservation easement will protect the 54 acres from development and thereby protect its natural soil, ecosystem, streams, native wildlife and birds that depend on the land, according to land trust members. The Daughters of Wisdom will continue to own the land, which will be protected in perpetuity, Kelly said. For information on Wisdom House, call 860-567-3163, or visit www.wisdomhouse.org. The Serbian government is preparing a state aid package for its national carrier in order to minimise the effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on the airline. Last week, the state informed the International Monetary Funds (IMF) mission in Serbia of its plans to assist the company, noting it was currently the only state-owned enterprise which would receive aid. Commenting on the plans, which are yet to be fully revealed to the public, the IMF said, The authorities agreed that close monitoring of revenue and expenditure risks will be critical going forward. At this stage only Air Serbia had been identified as in need of government support. The mission underscores that state support for troubled state-owned enterprises, including Air Serbia, should be offered in a transparent way. It suggests using the Funds technical assistance to help monitor possible losses on bank loans backed by state guarantees. The Serbian government had previously said it would provide wide-ranging support for its national carrier. The Minister for Finance, Sinisa Mali, noted the government would assist Air Serbia with the repayment of two loans, valued 52.9 million US dollars and 63 million dollars, labeling the airline as being of national interest. The company will see the first of the two loans mature this month. Mr Mali said, We are negotiating with the creditors. While I cant reveal the contents of those talks, I can say that we will certainly help Air Serbia. We are working towards resolving this problem together with our partners at Etihad Airways. The Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure has drafted four strategies to financially assist the countrys national carrier. According to the ministry, the country will provide direct fiscal support as its main mode of assistance. The amount will depend on the final financial fallout from Covid-19. It said it was difficult to approximate an exact sum the state would invest in the national carrier but noted the assistance would be continuous and in line with the governments priorities, needs and possibilities. Mr Mali said that a joint business plan has been drafted with the airlines management, adding that the current situation in the global air transport sector might be used to acquire another aircraft for the company. Putin backs Lukashenko as Belarus leader vows closer ties Russian President Vladimir Putin (r) hosted his Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in the Black Sea resort of Sochi President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed embattled Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and promised a $1.5 billion loan as the Belarusian strongman vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow. Lukashenko thanked Putin and vowed to stick closer to "elder brother" Moscow during one-to-one talks at the Russian president's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi that lasted around four hours. The Belarusian leader was making his first foreign trip since his disputed win in August 9 presidential polls prompted mass protests against his rule, the latest drawing tens of thousands on Sunday in Minsk. Putin appeared to endorse Lukashenko's political future, praising the Belarusian's sketched-out plans for constitutional changes to appease the opposition. The Russian president said during joint televised comments he was "sure that considering your experience" this would "allow the development of the country's political system to reach new heights." Putin also offered economic support, saying Russia would extend Belarus a government loan of $1.5 billion. He said that Belarusians should deal with the political crisis "themselves, calmly and in dialogue with each other, without hints and pressure from outside". As they spoke, Lukashenko leaned towards Putin in his chair, while the Russian leader sat with his legs placed wide apart, sometimes drumming his fingers and tapping his feet. - 'Elder brother' - The talks lasted almost four hours, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, calling them "constructive." He said Lukashenko confirmed to Putin "his intention to make changes to the constitution," while declining to give details. Lukashenko first raised this several years ago but has made few concrete proposals. Since the mass protests began, he has suggested constitutional reforms as a response to calls for social change, although this falls far short of the opposition's demands. Story continues Putin said last month that Russia had created a reserve group of law enforcement officers to help ensure security in Belarus and he reiterated Monday that Russia was "committed to all its obligations" under a military alliance of former Soviet countries. Lukashenko thanked Putin for behaving "very decently" and said of Belarus that "we need to stick closer to our elder brother and cooperate on all issues". After consistently blaming the crisis on outside players, Lukashenko criticised military drills in NATO countries near Belarus's borders, saying that Russia and Belarus would prepare their armies to resist any threats. The Belarusian leader visited Russia a day after the latest demonstration against his rule saw police detain more than 500 protesters in Minsk. - 'A very serious lesson' - Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claims she was the true winner in polls, condemned Putin for negotiating with "illegitimate Lukashenko." "I really regret you decided to hold dialogue with a usurper and not with the Belarusian people," Tikhanovskaya, who has taken shelter in Lithuania, said in a statement. She later said Lukashenko should be personally liable for Moscow's $1.5 billion loan and warned Russians that their taxes "will be used to pay for beating us up." Lukashenko on Monday described the protests in Belarus as "a very serious lesson," that he said he hoped had been "overcome." While his harsh crackdown on demonstrators has prompted international condemnation and sanctions, Russia has remained a firm ally. Putin congratulated Lukashenko after the elections and the leaders have exchanged frequent calls in recent weeks. As the position of the Belarusian strongman -- in power for 26 years -- has weakened, Russia has called for closer integration, although the leaders did not elaborate on this on Monday. - 'Don't sell country' - Putin has long urged full unification with Belarus, while Lukashenko has so far ruled this out. Russia dwarfs Belarus, which has a population of around 9.5 million, and provides it with cheap fuel. Belarus is strategically important to Russia as a buffer zone, bordered to the West by EU and NATO members. The two countries have already formed a close relationship as a "union state" with strong military and economic links. While opposition protests have focused on domestic issues, protesters called on Lukashenko not to "sell the country" at the mass rally on Sunday. Police detained nearly 7,000 people during protests in the days after the election and three demonstrators died, with those imprisoned saying they were beaten and tortured. The United Nations rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Monday that these allegations "should be documented and investigated, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice." mp-am/pvh Homes in Caerphilly, Wales, as economists warn UK property prices will fall next year. Photo: Mark Hawkins/Barcroft Media via Getty Images UK property prices will plunge by 13.8% next year after a recent mini-boom begins to rapidly unravel, new research suggests. The Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) highlighted Britain housing market paradox, with soaring activity in recent months despite Britain only just emerging from the steepest recession on record. A study by the economic forecaster said many of the drivers of the recent rebound in sales and prices were transitory in nature, and predicted as they tail off, prices will start falling later this year. The CEBR highlighted stamp duty cuts in England and Northern Ireland, the furlough scheme, greater pent-up demand for purchases than sales post-national lockdown, and the suspension of most repossessions and forced sales as major factors buoying up the market. Watch: Yahoo UK Reporter Mhari Aurora explains why house prices are climbing during a recession READ MORE: UK house prices unaffordable as index hits four-year high It noted there were just 161 mortgage repossession claims issued between April and June, compared with 6,000 during a typical three-month period. Meanwhile the CEBR estimates almost 150,000 transactions were put on hold between March and June, fuelling subsequent demand. The CEBR expects pent-up demand will work its way out of the system in the coming weeks, while the furlough scheme is already being wound down and mortgage possessions will resume from 31 October. The stamp duty holiday ends next April, also hitting prices bar an expected short spike in the run-up to the deadline. READ MORE: Shared ownership explained as scheme expanded The economic consultancy also argued housing activity over the summer is more likely to have been skewed towards higher-value properties, distorting some of the unofficial [mortgage lender] data. The greater economic hit on lower-income workers of the pandemic is likely to have shifted the kind of properties being sold towards more expensive properties, it indicated. Story continues Our analysis suggests that prices will start to fall significantly towards the end of the year and the first half of 2021, it said in a note. Watch: What is shared ownership? A promising young actor suffering from depression has had his life laid bare for the grubby public to paw through. An ordinary family has been pitched into the middle of a nightmare of an investigation and arrested for no reason discernible at present. And a young actress has had her reputation, and probably career, destroyed so that TRP ratings can soar, notes Sherna Gandhy. IMAGE: ActOR Rhea Chakraborty at the Narcotics Control Bureau office in Ballard Estate, south Mumbai. Photograph: Arun Patil When Rhea Chakraborty's father retired Lieutenant Colonel Indrajt Chakraborty said bitterly that the investigation that was supposed to be into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, had effectively demolished his middle class family, he said nothing but the truth. And it is a truth that should send shivers down the spines of all of us. What started, quite rightly, as a police investigation into the actor's apparent suicide -- in case of all apparent suicides it is essential to rule out the possibility of murder -- has evolved over two months into a desperate hunt to prove something against his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty by a bewildering number of federal agencies, a peculiar Supreme Court judgment, and most spectacularly, by the media, which has gone completely berserk. Acting on a hunch of the late actor's Bihar-based father, the Bihar police registered his FIR accusing Rhea of swindling Rs 15 crore from his son's bank account. The Supreme Court then directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the case, which until then was being investigated quite ably but perhaps not vindictively enough, by the Mumbai police. The CBI is a federal agency, and since we know nothing about how that agency works (and even if we did know, we would not be able to make head or tail of it), one cannot say what it has found though it is more than likely that it has found nothing tying Rhea to Sushant's suicide. 'Abetment to suicide' was apparently what had to be proved, in addition to charges in Sushant's father's FIR of money being swindled by the Chakraborty family. Since it is notoriously difficult to prove 'abetment to suicide', the money swindling angle soon became the focus of the investigation and the Enforcement Directorate entered the picture. A wide variety of people have been interrogated -- cooks, accountants, psychiatrists, a hotelier in Goa who says he had never met Sushant, househelps, flatmate etc, etc etc. Chakraborty and her family members have been interrogated for long hours at a stretch, on several days, something I am not sure is permissible. All sorts of 'friends' of Sushant Singh have crawled out of the woodwork to put in their two bits worth and get their five minutes of fame. Chakraborty's mother, father and brother have been booked by the CBI for criminal conspiracy, abetment to suicide, wrongful restraint, etc etc. In the meantime, Sushant's father ups the ante by releasing a video in which he claims Rhea killed his son by giving him poison! Since he was sitting several hundred miles away in Patna, I don't know how he knew this, but then the case is full of accusations and counter-accusations of the most bizarre kind. The ED entered the picture to see if the Rs 15 crore that Rajput senior said had been swindled from his son's accoun, could be detected in Chakraborty's bank account, or if it could find evidence of 'money laundering', the ED's favourite pasttime, though I can't remember the last time anyone was convicted of this crime. It doesn't look like the ED was having any more luck than the CBI, so in comes the third federal agency, the Narcotics Control Bureau. Ah, success at last. I am still trying to figure out why this agency thought it necessary to embroil itself in the case, but then many things about the case are inexplicable. IMAGE: Rhea Chakraborty outside the NCB office, September 6, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo One way or another the sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau managed to get 'evidence' that Rhea's brother, and Sushant's two man servants had been buying marijuana for the actor and arrested the three and several others for procuring drugs or selling them or something like that -- no one is very clear on the exact charges. The NCB then sniffed around some more and managed to find 'evidence' that Rhea too had a hand in the drugs thing and registered a case against her for consumption of narcotic drugs and for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy, though how they knew she had consumed anything remains another mystery. Sounded like using a hammer to crack an egg, but on September 8, the NCB brought in the heavy artillery and arrested her and sent her to judicial custody. She was denied bail too. The reason for the arrest? 'Rhea revealed her involvement in procurement of drugs and its financial transactions. It is clear that she is an active member of the drug syndicate.' (NCB in its remand application). Well, well, buying marijuana for Sushant and paying for it has made Rhea part of a 'drug syndicate'. That's all that three top investigating agencies have come up with thus far after a much hyped investigation into a murder or abetment to suicide or money laundering case. A woefully small amount considering the grinder that Rhea and her family have been put through We can only hope that there is more yet to be revealed so we don't think that us taxpayers's money has been entirely wasted. Poor Sushant's death is forgotten because the far more salacious topic of drug procurement for a person who is now dead has become central to the investigation and the media is hoping against hope that all of Bollywood will somehow be implicated! This is like manna from heaven for television newscasters who can see the TRPs zooming. As indeed they have been doing since the beginning of this case. The most sensational rubbish has been spewed by television channels 24x7 and been gobbled up by mindless viewers. Since I have eliminated Indian news television channels from the bouquet of channels I watch, I cannot describe at first hand the antics of the Indian television news fraternity in the last two months, but I have been sent video clips that have left me open-mouthed in amazement. IMAGE: Sushant Singh Rajput with Rhea Chakraborty in happier times. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rhea Chakraborty/Instagram Arnab Goswami poking fingers at the screen as he bellows defiance at Maharashtra ministers, and actor Kangana Ranaut sitting in a throne-like chair, wearing a frothy white gown, and whining about how unsafe she feels in Mumbai (and getting Y-plus security in exchange from a gleeful central government), are astonishing examples of news reportage turning into soap opera. If you are wondering how these two characters have got into the picture (bear in mind that it all started out as a police inquiry to establish Sushant's suicide), I can only say that the media and those who live by it are super excited to jump into any story that has the potential to put them at centre stage and up their ratings. There is also a grimy political angle to this but we won't go into that for now. The media -- television specially and social media too -- bear a heavy responsibility for turning a routine case into a circus, caring nothing for who it maligns, who it tramples over, what lies it tells and what flights of imagination it touches when it 'recreates' scenes it has no knowledge of whatsoever. More and more, it looks like television persons are yearning for a career on the big screen and being unable to make it, are playing out their fantasies in their newsrooms. Instead of turning away in disgust, television audiences are lapping it up. According to one survey, English news channels have tripled their TRPs since the Sushant Singh case began. According to an article in The News Minute, reporters in several newsrooms have protested against the kind of reporting they are being made to do, but senior editors and managements have insisted they keep it up because it is minting them money. A video clip of a reporter screaming at the top of her lungs at a watchman in Rhea's building, who would not allow her in, was a shocking example of how journalism has deteriorated. The target of much of the media and social media's venom is Rhea Chakraborty. A group on Facebook claiming to want justice for Sushant likens Rhea to the coronavirus and one of its members said in an interview that she should be hanged. A large cut-out of her in a bikini-like top and skirt on the front page of a Mumbai tabloid the day after she was arrested was entirely unnecessary and obviously used to gladden the eyeballs of the salacious. With truly grave issues such as the stand-off with China, seriously bad economic figures, high unemployment and a COVID-19 pandemic that won't go away, even otherwise sober newspapers have chosen to put the case on their front pages. Much of the media coverage shows a shocking misogyny, painting Rhea Chakraborty as the villain of the piece for no discernible reason whatsoever except that she seems to be an independent minded woman who had a live-in relationship and stands accused of buying marijuana for her boyfriend. Sexism continues to bedevil news reporting and people's thinking so that any woman named in a high profile investigation is always assumed to be guilty and the most awful things are said about her. We saw this kind of merciless persecution in the Aarushi Talwar case, and the Indrani Mukherji case when news channels spouted their own theories of who did the killing and how, as if they were personally present. Ds Talwar was painted as a modern-day Lady Macbeth because she did not cry and was always calm and impassive! IMAGE: Rhea Chakraborty outside the NCB office in Mumbai. Such disregard for the truth, and what is clearly a trial by media, should claim the attention of regulatory bodies such as the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters Association, but these are toothless tigers since neither has the power of enforcement. I said at the beginning that this case should send shivers down our spines. It should because what has happened to this family can happen to any one of us. A promising young actor suffering from depression and possibly drugs has had his life laid bare for the grubby public to paw through. An ordinary family has been pitched into the middle of a nightmare of an investigation and arrested for no reason discernible at present. And a young actress has had her reputation, and probably career, destroyed so that TRP ratings can soar. Despicable is the only word to describe the antics of investigating agencies, the media, and the public. Sherna Gandhy is a distinguished journalist and commentator. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Drones will be used to monitor social distancing and crowd numbers at some of New South Wales' most popular beaches this summer. Surf Life Saving NSW President George Shales said he hopes beachgoers respect the measures 'particularly regarding beach safety but also regarding social distancing requirements'. More than 20 people are currently banned from gathering in public places under NSW public health orders. Despite drones circling the busiest NSW shorelines, Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman said it won't be the job of lifeguards to actively police social distancing rules. 'Life savers are not there to police the public, that is not our job,' he said. Drones will be used to monitor social distancing and crowd numbers at some of New South Wales' most popular beaches this summer. Pictured: Bondi Beach More than 20 people are currently banned from gathering in a public place under NSW public health orders Despite drones circling the busiest NSW shorelines, Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman said it won't be life guards' jobs to actively police social distancing rules 'We're there to ensure a safe aquatic swimming environment. We will obviously notify NSW Police if we have any suspicions or concerns around the numbers that are at the beaches.' Meanwhile, hefty new fines have been announced for NSW residents caught at private gatherings of more than 20 people. Each and every guest could cop a $1000 fine if there are more than 20 people partying together as the festive season gets under way. NSW Police are warning that amendments have been made to the Public Health Order, with partygoers now risking hefty fines fine if the gathering exceeds the 20-person limit. Where previously, only the organiser of a gathering was liable to receive a fine if the number of people at the premises breached the Public Health Order, every reveller will now be held responsible for the breach. The changes, which come into effect at midnight, aim to ensure the safety of the community ahead of the expected increase in gatherings associated with Christmas and end-of-year festivities. Operation Coronavirus Commander Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell said on Monday it's only natural that as the weather warms up, people will be more likely to gather. 'These amendments aim to ensure that an increase in expected gatherings doesn't mean an increase in COVID-19 cases,' he said. 'The new changes come in addition to other restrictions which remain in place, including a limit on numbers at outdoor gatherings and licensed premises.' NSW has recorded just one new locally acquired COVID-19 case but health authorities are warning there's no room for complacency amid lower testing rates and with school holidays due soon. Four new cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday including three returned travellers in hotel quarantine and one linked to a known cluster. The locally acquired case is a close contact of a previous case who attended the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club. Each and every guest could cop a $1000 fine if there are more than 20 people partying together in NSW as the festive season gets under way NSW Health acting director Christine Selvey said testing rates had dropped recently and urged people with the mildest symptoms to make sure they get tested. 'Testing numbers have dropped over the past two weeks and this is a concern particularly in areas like southwestern, western and southeastern Sydney,' she said in a video update on Monday. More than 9300 people were tested in the latest reporting period, down from 14,426 the previous day. Although weekend test numbers usually drop, Sunday's figure is well below recent weekend numbers, which have been in excess of 20,000. Premier Gladys Berejiklian implored people to not become complacent, saying every day is a battle against the virus. 'Remember we let our guard down earlier in the year and the Victoria situation arose unexpectedly,' she told reporters in Sydney on Monday. She also urged other states to help ease the burden of accepting returned travellers into hotel quarantine. GRAND RAPIDS, MI U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos acknowledged there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to schools reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic but she believes its vital for all school leaders to come up with a plan to bring students back into the classroom for in-person learning. Schools should be prepared to go back to school in-person, and that should be an option because we know for many families, thats the right choice for their children, she said in a press conference following a visit Monday to a school in Grand Rapids. We know that for every community, for every school building, the exact template will look slightly different, so we will continue to provide support and urge local leaders to do what they need to do. What we have been doing from day one is supporting states and school districts with as much flexibility as were able to grant under law from the federal level. DeVos, who has been vocal in her support of schools reopening for face-to-face classes during the pandemic, met with teachers and students at Sacred Heart Academy in Grand Rapids Monday, Sept. 14, to learn how the school has been able to reopen safely, hoping other schools across the country will follow suit. The U.S. Secretary of Education visited several classrooms at Sacred Heart on Monday, speaking with students, parents and teachers about how they feel to be back in class after months out of the classroom. DeVos said her goal in visiting Sacred Heart on Monday was to help highlight the possibility of being back together" for in-person learning. Its a joy to see kids together in class, in-person, and to not only see that in their eyes but hear it in their voices as well, she said. During a round-table discussion with school leaders, students and parents, DeVos said its a tragedy that many schools are not offering an in-person learning option this fall. I think about the tragedy (not reopening) is for kids across the country and where we are now with a lot of schools not reopening in-person or even offering that opportunity and the kids that will be hurt the most in all of that are the kids whose families dont have the resources to do what needs to be done. Its a real tragedy. Sacred Heart Academy is part of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids school system, an alliance of 31 learning communities serving more than 6,340 preschool through 12th grade students across West Michigan. The school system is offering full, in-person learning five days a week this fall and started the school year Aug. 19. RELATED: So far, so good says principal as Grand Rapids Catholic school students returned to class Schools in the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids are following safety guidelines set by its corresponding health department, David Faber, superintendent of Catholic schools in the diocese told MLive at the start of the school year. For example, Catholic schools in Kent County are required to conduct screening surveys and temperature checks with families each morning before kids come to school. Each family is required to complete the questionnaire, which asks about any coronavirus symptoms or potential exposure, by 7:30 a.m. before the student can enter the school. Any students who dont complete the screening survey will be stopped at the door and must answer the screening questions in person. Students and staff are also required to wear masks in the building throughout the day except during meals, with K-5 students allowed to remove their masks only when seated in their classroom. DeVos said Mondays visit was an affirmation of how important it is for children to be back in school across the country. I think Sacred Heart has been a good demonstration of being able to reopen safely in ways that instill confidence with both faculty, as well as families, she said. The Rev. Robert Sirico, priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish, said when the school system created its plan for reopening, teachers were committed to returning for face-to-face learning without hesitation about the ongoing pandemic. When we sat down and this was in the context of national reports of so many public school teachers saying we cant go back to school because theres danger, my job isnt worth my life' but when we put the question to our faculty and teachers, they said, This is our vocation, we will give our lives for our kids if we have to. When asked if she plans to issue national guidelines on returning to in-person learning, DeVos said each school district will require its own unique approach to reopening. She cited recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on in-person learning as a starting point for districts when building a plan for face-to-face learning. The CDC released guidance for school districts that includes measures to stagger class schedules and pivot to online learning in the event of spikes in community transmission of the virus. But President Donald Trump called the guidelines impractical, and DeVos said partial reopenings are unacceptable. RELATED: Betsy DeVos has long been the boogeyman of public education. Critics say her push to reopen schools shows why. The U.S. Secretary of Education came under fire earlier this summer for her push to resume in-person learning amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Protesters even gathered outside her familys Lake Macatawa mansion in Holland Aug. 20 to voice their displeasure. They carried a Wake Up Betsy banner during the late-night display. To help you navigate this complicated fall, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up. COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS: In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nosewhile in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/. More on MLive: Second student tests positive for COVID-19 in Kent Countys Forest Hills School District Michigan high schools on honor system when telling opponents about coronavirus cases before sporting events Its not worth it: GVSU students alarmed by off-campus gatherings as coronavirus cases surge By Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos More than ever before, communication technologies are providing innovative solutions to help address social, environmental, and economic challenges by enhancing efficiency and enabling both intensified network usage and more well-informed decisions. The communications industry supports other industries by enabling them to deliver services, while mobile networks globally and in Vietnam are proving yet again that they can deliver the performance and reliability to support society in this hour of need. Every year our global chief technology officer Erik Ekudden releases a report on the technology trends that he sees shaping the communications industry. In this years report, the trends reflect on the ongoing evolution of the network platform in terms of the key needs that are driving its evolution and the emerging capabilities that will meet both those and other needs. Digital infrastructure offers endless possibilities to individuals, enterprises, and governments across the globe with its unique ability to bridge vast distances and enable powerful new solutions to a wide range of social, environmental, and economic challenges. Healthcare, education, finance, commerce, governance, and agriculture are just a few of the sectors that stand to benefit from the massive efficiency gains that digital infrastructure can provide. Designed to carry vital messages, commands, reasoning, insights, intelligence, and all the sensory information needed to support the continuous evolution of industry and society, the network platform is designed to be the spinal cord of digital infrastructure. The major advantage of the network platform is that it will be accessible anywhere, with guaranteed performance, and will be inherently reliable, fulfilling all requirements for secure communication. The first three of the seven trends this year are the key drivers of network platform evolution. All three highlight the growing need to bridge the gap between physical and digital realities. Most notably, this involves delivering sensory experiences over networks and utilising digital representations to make the physical world fully programmable. A collaborative and automated physical world As physical and digital realities become increasingly interconnected, advanced cyber-physical systems have emerged. The systems consist of humans, physical objects (machines and other things), processes, networking and computation, and the interactions between them all. Their primary purpose is to provide individuals, organisations and enterprises with full transparency to monitor and control assets and places, thereby generating massive efficiency benefits. One early example of this is the way that cyber-physical systems can help planners optimise energy and materials usage. Man in robot factory using AR_Brandmanual powerpoint Connected, intelligent machines Machines will become increasingly intelligent and autonomous as their cognitive abilities continue to expand. Their understanding of the world around them will continue to grow in tandem with their ability to interact with other machines as part of a cognitive system of systems. The internet of senses The ability to deliver multisensory experiences over future networks will make it easier than ever before to transfer skills over the internet. It will ultimately lead to the emergence of the internet of senses, which combines visual, audio, 3D touch, and other technologies to allow human beings to have remote sensory experiences. The internet of senses will enable seamless interaction with remote objects and machines, making it possible to fully realise use cases such as remote health checks, remote operation of machinery, holographic communication, and virtual reality holidays. Eventually, brain-computer interfaces will enable communication at the speed of thought where, instead of speaking to machines, humans will merely think in order to direct them. Video surveillance by drone rural 2 A fully-connected future The remaining trends are increasingly advanced technologies in four areas non-limiting connectivity, pervasive network compute fabric, trustworthy infrastructure, and cognitive networks. Breakthroughs in these four areas will be essential to fully enable the top three trends and continuously expand the capabilities of digital infrastructure through the network platform in the years and decades ahead. Future technologies will enable a fully digitalised, automated, and programmable world of connected humans, machines, things, and places. Traffic in future networks will be generated not only by human communication but also by connected and intelligent machines embedded with AI. As time goes on, the percentage of traffic generated by humans will drop as that of traffic generated by machines including autonomous vehicles, drones, and surveillance systems rises. Items that make up the Internet of Things require even more sophisticated communication than humans do. For example, they must be able to interact dynamically with the network. Sensor data will be used to support the development of pervasive cyber-physical systems consisting of physical objects connected to collaborative digital twins. Future capabilities will also include support for the transfer of modalities like sense of smell. It is clear the most important future network trends to watch are those that relate most closely to the growth and expansion of intelligent digital infrastructure on the network platform. ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 5, 2020 the U.S. Navy awarded Gibbs & Cox, Inc. a contract to perform Concept Design Studies for the development of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV). The Concept Design Study has an anticipated completion date of August 2021 with an option for additional design studies, which would extend the forecasted completion date to May 2022. These studies will inform the Navy in development of a future competitive procurement for the Detail Design and Construction of the LUSV. "We look forward to continuing our role as a leading provider of unmanned autonomous surface vehicles to the US Navy, building on our MUSV and prior awards. The LUSV represents a critical step forward in fulfilling the Navy's future capability needs, and we are proud to be a part of meeting that challenge," said Chris Deegan, President and Chief Executive of Gibbs & Cox. Gibbs & Cox, Inc. is the largest independent and privately-owned naval architecture and marine engineering firm in the United States. Since our founding in 1929, 24 classes of combatants and nearly 7,000 vessels have been built to G&C designs. We proudly support military and commercial clients in the U.S. and internationally with all phases of marine design, construction, and lifecycle management. Our passion is solving our customers' 21st century maritime challenges with quality and integrity. SOURCE Gibbs & Cox, Inc. Related Links http://www.gibbscox.com By Lungelo Ndhlovu BULAWAYO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Smangele Tshuma got divorced after five years of marriage, her in-laws forced her out of the home that she had been living in with her husband in southwestern Zimbabwe and took the three donkeys she had bought with money from selling blankets. Like most marriages in the countrys rural areas, Tshumas had been a customary, unregistered union in which everything she brought to the marriage was considered her husbands property, the mother of two told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. In a country where women are largely treated as dependents of men, a ruling by Zimbabwes Supreme Court in June that entitles married couples to an equal share of their property upon divorce was hailed as historic by womens rights advocates. Now, they are encouraging women - especially in rural areas - to register their marriages and working to spread awareness about the new law, to tackle what is considered by many as one of the main barriers to womens access to land and property. Traditionally, women are regarded as kids, Tshuma, 38, said in a phone interview from her parents home in Tsukuru village, where she and her children have been living since the divorce in 2013. That mentality has to change if the country is serious about addressing gender inequality. Before the new law, women often found themselves trapped in failing or abusive marriages, knowing that divorce could leave them with no financial security, said Melissa Ndlovu, programmes manager at the non-profit Emthonjeni Womens Forum. By freeing women from relying on their partners for money, the new law provides them with a sense of security, helps them support the education and health of their children, and reduces incidents of violence against women, Ndlovu said. The implementation of this law is important as a womans ability to own, inherit and control land and property is vital to her ability to access resources and participate in the economy, she said. TRADITIONAL BELIEFS Land is unevenly distributed in Zimbabwe, where progress for womens land rights has been very slow, according to the Gender and Land Rights Database compiled by the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In a 2017 report, the FAO noted that 36% of women and 36% of men in Zimbabwe own land either solely or jointly with another family member. But, of those, only 11% of women are sole landowners - compared with 22% of men - suggesting that when women own land they are more likely to share the ownership rights with another family member. Zimbabwes constitution gives women and men equal rights to property and land, but in many rural communities tradition overrides national legislation, say legal experts. The country has also signed various regional and international conventions and declarations giving women the same rights as men, noted Thubelihle Ncube, a legal expert with the anti-corruption charity Transparency International Zimbabwe. Everyone has a right to buy, own and sell all forms of property, regardless of gender and marital status. All these declarations forbid placing women at a disadvantage, Ncube said. The biggest obstacle to many rural women owning property or land is the traditional belief that a womans place is in the kitchen, she added. VALUING UNPAID CARE WORK In its June decision, Zimbabwes Supreme Court ruled that a judge can award a woman half of all movable and immovable properties when she divorces, regardless of her monetary contribution toward the purchase of those properties. Secretary for Womens Affairs Melusi Matshiya said the verdict is a welcome development. It is fallacious to suggest that women do not contribute to the acquisition of immovable property, Matshiya said in emailed comments. Women perform the bulk of the familys unpaid care work. Such work contributes to the family stability and the conducive environment necessary to acquire immovable property. Previous divorce laws did not recognise womens non-financial contribution to the household, explained Choice Damiso, a lawyer with the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) who represented the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court was facing two pertinent issues: whether or not the property was matrimonial property and, if so, how it should be shared, she said in a phone interview. The plaintiff wanted 50% and the defendant wanted 100%. These issues are by no means new to the courts as the rate of divorce continues to soar. In 2019, more than 2,600 couples in Zimbabwe filed for divorce, about a 40% increase from two years earlier, according to statistics obtained from the High Courts Family Law division. LOST EVERYTHING Memory Chindewere of the Padare/Enkundleni/Mens Forum on Gender, a non-profit working with men and boys to support womens rights, said it is vital for women to register their customary marriages to be protected by the new law. In previous cases, before this new law, women only got things like chairs, kitchen units and the husband would get real property which mattered most, like cars, livestock and (houses), he said in a phone interview. Since custom forbids many women in Zimbabwe from working, the new laws recognition of their caregiving contribution to the marriage is actually a better option, because women have been disadvantaged for a very long time, Chindewere added. Sibongumusa Maphosa (not her real name), 45, left her physically violent marriage last year, but said she lost everything in the process. The ruling by the Supreme Court will help a lot of women who are faced with such a dilemma in the country, said Maphosa, who works in cattle rearing in a rural part of Matabeleland North province. We are thankful our court system is taking womens issues seriously. Filipino fisherman gets life for 8 deaths aboard Taiwanese vessel by Wang Shwu-fen and Ko Lin September 09,2020 | Source: CNA A Filipino fisherman involved in a killing spree that led to the death of eight crew members aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel early last year was given life imprisonment on Tuesday. Aurelio Arafiles Fronda was convicted of homicide, attempted murder and abandonment of a body, the Pingtung District Court said in its ruling. The incident took place aboard the Taiwanese longliner Wen Peng when it was operating in the Indian Ocean near Mauritius last February. According to Pingtung prosecutors, the murders occurred after Fronda got into a heated argument with several members of the crew, of which 11 were Indonesian, 10 Filipinos and three Taiwanese, the latter three being the captain, chief engineer and observer. He stabbed two of his Filipino counterparts to death, while the remaining crew members were forced to jump overboard for fear of their lives, the court document read. Those who jumped overboard, including the three Taiwanese, were later rescued by another nearby Taiwanese fishing boat, although six others were never found and are now presumed dead, it said. A Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel was subsequently deployed to the Wen Peng's last known coordinates to help with the rescue mission and arrest the alleged assailant. After concluding their investigation, prosecutors in July last year indicted Fronda on charges of homicide, recommending that he be handed a heavy sentence, as he showed no mercy during his murderous assaults. Theme(s): Others. The Union on Sunday advised Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, and to ensure adequate Oxygen availability in all healthcare facilities and unrestricted intra as well as inter-state movement of oxygen in view of COVID-19 pandemic. The Union held a virtual meeting where Union Health Secretary, Secretary DPIIT and Secretary Pharmaceuticals participated. State Health Secretaries and Industries Secretaries of these seven states also participated in the meeting. The States were specifically advised to ensure facility wise/hospital wise oxygen inventory management and advance planning for timely replenishment so that there are no stockout and to ensure that no restriction is imposed on the movement of Medical Oxygen between States and UTs. They were requested to ensure Provision of "Green Corridor" for Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tankers within the cities. "Hospitals and institutions have long term tender/ contract agreement for supply of Oxygen with oxygen manufacturers, which need to be honoured. Hence, States must not impose restrictions on free movement of Oxygen," the statement read. These seven states were told to improve power supply infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted supply to Oxygen Manufacturing Units and to ensure proper disinfection of Oxygen cylinders as per protocols while sending cylinders to fillers of Oxygen. "Effective coordination with steel plants for Oxygen procurement since steel plants provide approx. 550 MT per day oxygen in addition to oxygen manufacturers who provide 6400 MT per day should be maintained," it stated. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Officials on Sunday removed Level 1 evacuation notices for parts of Clackamas County, signaling that large wildfires burning in the area pose a lesser threat as firefighting conditions improve. Residents of areas including Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley and Milwaukie are no longer on notice they should pack and await evacuation orders. The move came as the Riverside fire, which is burning about half a mile from Estacada, and Beachie Creek fire, which has crept into southwestern Clackamas County, remain completely uncontained. Oregons historic wildfires have burned more than 1 million acres statewide, spanning from the southern border to the coast and Clackamas County. That figure is about twice the yearly average over each of the past 10 years. Authorities have confirmed that at least 8 people have died statewide, 22 are unaccounted for and hundreds are reeling from lost homes. More than 40,000 have been forced to leave their homes. Meanwhile, air quality throughout Oregon and most of the West remains poor Monday, with Portland again claiming the worst conditions among major cities across the globe. Multnomah County authorities went as far as saying nobody should be outside. And a National Weather Service meteorologist said the state still has several days of smoke-filled air to come. Here is the latest on fires burning throughout the state. This report will be updated throughout the day Monday. Clackamas County fires Sundays announcement that the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office has lifted Level 1 evacuation notices to some of the western and northern parts of the county came as a huge relief to many residents. But the Riverside fire, now burning 134,575 acres, was still within half a mile of the small city of Estacada on Sunday. The fire was still 0% contained Monday morning, with 385 people fighting the blaze. The fires growth, however, has slowed considerably. The U.S. Forest Service said good weather conditions were limiting the rapid growth of the blaze, but conditions remained dangerous, and the fire remains active. A big chunk of Clackamas County, including Estacada, is still under a Level 3 Go! evacuation order as of Monday morning. But Molalla residents are being allowed to return home under a Level 2 evacuation order, meaning they should be ready to leave again at any time. Officials said residents should not yet bring livestock back home. Containing the biggest blaze in Clackamas County was not something that would happen anytime soon, officials said. With the additional resources arriving, we are continuing our efforts to suppress the Riverside Fire where we can do so safely and effectively, Dave Bales, Deputy Incident Commander, said in a statement. With a fire perimeter 107 miles long, were looking at a marathon here and not a sprint. Officials also announced a community meeting for communities impacted by the Riverside fire. The meeting was scheduled for at 6 p.m. Monday and will be hosted on Facebook. Marion County Search and rescue personnel have continued to look for the dead amid the devastation along Oregon 22, which straddles the border between Linn and Marion counties. Federal teams from the National Urban Search & Rescue Response System were joining local authorities in their search efforts and, as of Monday morning, only one person remained missing and unaccounted for. Four people have died in the Marion County wildfires. Lyons, Gates and Detroit are among the towns that have been devastated. The Marion County Sheriffs Office said Sunday that several towns remain under Level 3 evacuations, including Detroit, Mill City, Lyons and Idanha. By the afternoon, the city of Scotts Mills was downgraded to Level 2 evacuation status, joining areas east of Meridan Road, Davis Creek and Victor Point. The 188,374-acre Beachie Creek fire, one of two large blazes burning in the county, didnt grow between Sunday and Monday mornings. It remains completely uncontained. The Lionshead fire, meanwhile, has grown nearly 10,000 acres. Its now 148,682 acres and 5% contained. Authorities announced Monday that the blaze had destroyed 264 residences and 14 commercial properties in the Detroit area. Jackson County The 3,200-acre Almeda fire is now 70% contained. Meanwhile, the South Obenchain blaze has grown to 30,503 acres and remains 20% contained. Some areas near the South Obenchain fire have been moved up to Level 2 near the fires perimeter. Detectives have found all but one of the 50 people reported missing, according to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office. Five people have been confirmed dead in the blazes. Josephine County The Slater fire has grown over 4,300 acres to a total of 126,333 acres, according to Monday figures. Its now 5% contained. The blaze has prompted evacuations of residents near the California border, as well as all areas of the Oregon Caves National Monument, which remains closed. Firefighters have kept the fire away from towns like Cave Junction, which is under a Level 2 evacuation, and Kerby, which is under Level 1. No residential structures are known to have burned in the fires, but 150 structures had been destroyed as of Monday. Lake County The human-caused Brattain fire has grown another 10,000 acres to a total of 30,000 acres. More personnel are also fighting the blaze, which is completely uncontained. Firefighters conducted burning operations Saturday in an effort to protect the small town of Paisley and outlying homes from the fire. The operations prompted a Level 3 evacuation for all residents of Paisley, which is home to over 300 people. Officials say the fire is active on both the north and south ends due to erratic winds and say people who dont need to be in the area should leave immediately. Lane County The Holiday Farm fire has decimated Blue River, where about 800 people live, and ravaged countless other buildings and dwellings along Oregon 126. The fire grew about 3,150 acres from Sunday to Monday morning. It now covers a total of over 165,000 acres and is 6% contained. Douglas County The Douglas County Sheriffs Office on Sunday night announced that 109 homes have been destroyed in the Archie Creek fire east of Roseburg and no new reports of structure damage were reported on Monday as crews reported decreased fire activity due to favorable weather conditions. Some Level 3 evacuation orders were also reduced on Sunday to Level 2. "The reduction in these areas does not mean that the danger is gone, Sgt. Brad ODell, a sheriffs office spokesman, said in a statement. "Residents, if deciding to return, must continue to monitor official sources of information and be prepared to leave at a moments notice if the situation changes. The blaze covers 121,379 acres and is 10% contained. Lincoln County The Echo Mountain Complex remained at 2,435 acres from Sunday into Monday. During that same stretch, firefighters were able to increase the amount of fire thats contained from 20% to 25%. Residents east and south of the Rose Lodge area can return home Monday, as authorities announced the areas had moved from a Level 3 to a Level 2 evacuation order. Level 3 evacuations remain in effect in and around the blaze. Washington County Both fires in Washington County are now 100% contained. On Monday afternoon, the Oregon Department of Forestry said the Powerline Fire, which led to evacuations near Hagg Lake, was 100% contained. Crews have finished mopping up the fire and have transferred operations back to the Gaston Rural Fire District. All Level 3 evacuation orders have also been lifted for the Chehalem-Bald Peak fire, meaning all residents are allowed to return home. The blaze was 100% contained Monday afternoon. NEWS UPDATES 5:25 p.m.: Alaska Airlines has suspended all flights in and out of Portland until Tuesday afternoon, as wildfire smoke inundates the region. Its also shutting down operations in Spokane, Eugene, Medford, Redmond, Pasco and Walla Walla. Across the West, fires are creating thick smoke and haze, causing very poor air quality conditions in the Portland and Spokane areas, Alaska said in a statement Monday. We made the difficult decision to stop our operation so that our employees and guests can remain safe. Alaska is the busiest airline serving PDX. It wasnt immediately clear if other airlines will take similar steps. The airline said the decision affects dozens of flights. 4:50 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden called for a significant and coordinated federal response to prevent catastrophic forest fires from continuing to ravage Oregon and other states in the future, saying the suffocating smoke blanketing the West is debt coming due on decades of poor forest management. Wyden made the comments on the Senate floor Monday after touring the devastation caused by wildfires across Oregon in recent days. 3:55 p.m.: A wildfire that spread last week and threatened homes in Washington and Yamhill counties is now fully contained, authorities said on Monday. Portland General Electric has also restored power to the area. Cassandra Ulven, a chief with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, said that while all Level 3 evacuation orders related to that fire have been lifted, residents still need to be prepared to leave again if conditions change. 3:15 p.m.: Two days before the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office announced a deputy was on administrative leave after he suggested anti-fascists started wildfires in the area, a captain with the agency told county commissioners a similar story in a public meeting. Law enforcement, including Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, have tried to bat down unfounded rumors of coordinated arson plans and widespread looting in evacuated areas, saying there was no evidence to back them up. Sheriffs offices across the state, along with the FBI, have roundly debunked the claims. But its apparent that some of the rumors got a boost from the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office. Capt. Jeff Smith told the county board of commissioners that the sheriffs office had reliable sightings and reports of antifa affiliates in the Estacada area with chainsaws, and also related a report about people stashing gasoline canisters thats since been debunked. During a news conference later Monday, Roberts said the information Smith provided about extremist groups had been discredited. I want to clarify for the record that one of our captains indicated a source stating antifa was involved in possible criminal activity, the sheriff said. That source has since determined to be false. 2:16 p.m.: Gov. Kate Brown said in a press briefing Monday that with wildfires still burning and 10 people confirmed dead from fire-related causes, she is grateful for help pouring in from around the nation and Canada. Twenty-two people have been reported missing and are unaccounted for, Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. One week into the wildfires, our state has been pushed to its limits, necessitating the outside help, Brown said. Read more from the briefing. 1:15 p.m.: Oregon State Police have opened the first-ever mobile morgue in response to historic wildfires that are expected to result in dozens of deaths. The morgue was set up in a state facility in Linn County. A separate facility is expected to open this week where families of the dead and missing can undergo rapid DNA testing to aid in identification. So far, the state has reported 10 deaths from the wildfires. Another 50 people are unaccounted for, a number that officials stress is fluid and may rise as recovery efforts continue. Of those 22 are confirmed as missing, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. 1 p.m.: Gov. Kate Brown said at a press conference that more firefighters were coming to Oregon from states across the country and that she had asked President Donald Trump to declare the state a major disaster. 11:55 a.m.: The Department of Environmental Quality and the National Weather Service extended an air quality alert for western Oregon and southwest Washington through noon Thursday due to hazardous air quality from wildfires throughout the area. 10:50 a.m.: U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, is scheduled to join President Donald Trump in Sacramento, California, to discuss Oregon wildfires. Waldens office said he continues to work with Trumps administration to make sure Oregon gets necessary support and resources. 10:40 a.m.: The Linn County Sheriffs Office said responders were called early Monday to eight small fires east and west of Sweet Home, as well as outside Brownsville. The blazes occurred in a two-hour timeframe. Authorities are looking for a vehicle of interest a small white or silver 1990s Nissan pickup truck with a black canopy. The truck was seen in the area of one of the blazes. Despite at least four arrests in suspected arson cases around the state in recent weeks, local police departments and the FBI have roundly rejected and debunked rumors of widespread arson in relation to the massive wildfires that have burned in Oregon over the last week. Jim Ryan and The Oregonian/OregonLive staff Aimee Green, Kale Williams, Jayati Ramakrishnan and Everton Bailey Jr. of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. Being a contestant on The Bachelor may seem like a fairytale - but it appears life on-set is anything but rosy. Limited catering options, hectic filming schedules and not being able to talk to Locky Gilbert off-camera are a just a few of the hurdles contestants face on the show. 'The food options aren't very exciting there are no banquets or lavish catering, not unless it's part of a date,' an on-set spy told Woman's Day this week. The sad reality of The Bachelor! Limited catering options, hectic filming schedules and not being able to talk to Locky Gilbert off-camera are a just a few of the hurdles contestants face on the show. Pictured: Contestants According to the publication, the contestants are required to be on call 24/7. 'You're expected to wake up whenever producers tell you to,' the source alleged. The first cocktail party is filmed over several nights for as long as 12 hours at a time. Some of the women end up getting drunk simply out of boredom and find themselves saying things they regret on camera. Revealed: 'The food options aren't very exciting there are no banquets or lavish catering, not unless it's part of a date,' an on-set spy told Woman's Day this week. Pictured: a Bachelor rose ceremony The television insider also claimed that Locky, 32, is off limits when the show isn't being filmed. 'The girls are instructed not to talk to Locky when there are no cameras rolling it causes continuity issues if conversations are had without them being recorded.' It comes just days after an insider claimed that this year's season was 'a f**king punish' working for the production team at Warner Bros. because the cast wasn't up to scratch. According to the publication, contestants are required to be on call 24/7. 'You're expected to wake up whenever producers tell you to,' the source alleged. Pictured: Locky Gilbert Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the source claimed: 'Producers couldn't stand most of the girls.' 'They just wanted to be on the show to become famous. Some were fame hungry, some had dreams to become actors, and others were there for clout.' Producers apparently worked overtime to convince Locky to keep the few entertaining and engaging women in the mansion for as long as possible. The former No. 2 executive at the National Rifle Association has performed a major about-face on gun control, effectively saying in a new book and recent interviews that he disagrees with the conservative groups most stubborn positions on gun rights. Once having toed the NRA line on unbridled gun freedoms even as children were mass-murdered in schools Joshua L. Powell now says he favors gun control and is openly challenging what he terms its greed and high-level corruption. It would have been far more effective for Powell to have spoken such words while he was still at the NRA in order to put the lie to chief executive Wayne LaPierres mind-numbing defense of unrestricted gun rights. But better late than never. Powell deserves to be hauled before Congress to testify about the NRAs cynical manipulation of American gun owners and warping of the U.S. political system. He told National Public Radio that the NRA is now in a pretty bad death spiral because of financial abuse and mismanagement. Once among the nations richest and most powerful lobbying organizations, the NRA has seen its financial fortunes dwindle. Staffers have been laid off and media outlets shut down. Powells new book, Inside the NRA, offers some clues as to where the money went. He says LaPierre and others milked bank accounts to pay for lavish housing, personal travel, clothing and other perks. Similarly, former NRA President Oliver North, the disgraced former Army lieutenant colonel of Iran-Contra infamy, also charged that LaPierre engaged in financial misappropriation. North lost his challenge and wound up departing the NRAs leadership circle. The Senate and FBI have launched investigations into cash infusions to the NRA by the Russian government ahead of the 2016 election. Powell describes LaPierre as financially incompetent yet adept at exploiting NRA members ignorance. LaPierre even found a way to capitalize on the 2012 deaths of 20 young children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Wayne was out there selling the program to our members, raising money off it, claiming we were protecting kids schools, Powells book says. 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. When President Donald Trump raised the possibility of supporting gun restrictions after the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, LaPierre effectively took the president to the woodshed, resulting in Trump backing down rather than risking the support of his gun-owning base. If Powell is serious about undoing the damage the NRA has caused across America, his first order of business should be to cooperate with Congress in shutting down the groups outsized lobbying influence and restoring sanity to the nations gun laws. Obama establishes task force to respond to college rapes WASHINGTON President Barack Obama shone a light Wednesday on a college sexual assault epidemic that is often shrouded in secrecy, with victims fearing stigma, police poorly trained to investigate and universities reluctant to disclose the violence. A White House report highlights a stunning prevalence of rape on college campuses, with 1 in 5 female students assaulted while only 1 in 8 student victims report it. No one is more at risk of being raped or sexually assaulted than women at our nations colleges and universities, said the report by the White House Council on Women and Girls. Nearly 22 million American women and 1.6 million men have been raped in their lifetimes, according to the report. It chronicled the devastating effects, including depression, substance abuse and a wide range of physical ailments such as chronic pain and diabetes. The report said campus sexual assaults are fueled by drinking and drug use that can incapacitate victims, often at student parties at the hands of someone they know. Perpetrators often are serial offenders. One study cited by the report found that 7 percent of college men admitted to attempting rape, and 63 percent of those men admitted to multiple offenses, averaging six rapes each. Obama, who has overseen a military that has grappled with its own crisis of sexual assaults, spoke out against the crime as an affront on our basic decency and humanity. He then signed a memorandum creating a task force to respond to campus rapes. Obama said he was speaking out as president and a father of two daughters, and that men must express outrage to stop the crime. We need to encourage young people, men and women, to realize that sexual assault is simply unacceptable, Obama said. And theyre going to have to summon the bravery to stand up and say so, especially when the social pressure to keep quiet or to go along can be very intense. Obama gave the task force, comprising administration officials, 90 days to come up with recommendations for colleges to prevent and respond to the crime, increase public awareness of each schools track record and enhance coordination among federal agencies to hold schools accountable if they dont confront the problem. Records obtained by The Associated Press under the federal Freedom of Information Act illustrate a continuing problem for colleges in investigating crime. The documents include anonymous complaints sent to the Education Department, often alleging universities havent accurately reported on-campus crime or appropriately punished assailants as required under federal law. A former Amherst College student, Angie Epifano, has accused the school of trivializing her report of being raped in a dorm room in 2011 by an acquaintance. She said school counselors questioned whether she was really raped, refused her request to change dorms, discouraged her from pressing charges and had police take her to a psychiatric ward. She withdrew from Amherst while her alleged attacker graduated. Among the federal laws requiring colleges to address sexual assault are: Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in education; the renewed Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law last year with new provisions on college sexual assault; and the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to publicly report their crime statistics every year. The Education Department has investigated and fined several schools for not accurately reporting crimes. Most notably was a 2006 case at Eastern Michigan University, in which the government eventually fined the school a then-record $357,000 for not revealing a student had been sexually assaulted and murdered in her dorm room. Violent crime can be underreported on college campuses, advocates say, because of a universitys public-image incentive to keep figures low, or because crimes can occur off campus and instead be investigated by local police. Other times, schools put such suspects before a campus court whose proceedings are largely secret and not subjected to judicial review. Students Active for Ending Rape, a nonprofit group that works with student activists to push for sexual assault policy changes on their campuses, said in a report last year that schools often do not fully address the problem. The report gave more than 80 percent of college policies a grade C or below, an F to nearly one-quarter and said one-third dont fully comply with the Clery Act. The White House report also declares that the criminal justice response to sexual assault broadly is too often inadequate and lays out a goal of increasing arrest, prosecution and conviction rates without any specific targets. The report says the federal government should promote training and help police increase testing of DNA evidence collected from victims. The report mentions sexual assaults in the military Obama last month directed the Pentagon to better prevent and respond to the crime within its ranks or face further reforms. White House officials say they want to set the example by turning around the sexual assault problem in the military. Ive made it clear I expect significant progress in the year ahead, Obama said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 11:58:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday expressed concern over reports of excessive use of force against demonstrators in the eastern Libyan city of al-Marj. "UNSMIL expresses grave concern regarding reports that one civilian was killed, three were injured, and a number of other demonstrators were arrested on 12 September following the reported excessive use of force by eastern authorities against peaceful demonstrators in the city of al-Marj," the UNSMIL said in a statement. The UNSMIL called for a thorough and immediate investigation into these incidents and for the speedy release of all those arbitrarily arrested and detained. "The UNSMIL reminds all parties in Libya that the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights and fall within Libya's obligations under international human rights law," the statement said. The demonstrations in the country are motivated by deep-seated frustrations about sustained poor living conditions, shortages of electricity and water, rampant corruption, misgovernance, and a lack of service provision throughout the country, the mission said. The demonstrations underscore the urgent need to lift the oil blockade and return to a full and inclusive political process that will meet the aspirations of the Libyan people for representative government, dignity, and peace, the mission said. Protests broke out in a number of cities in eastern Libya against lack of basic services, mainly electricity, healthcare and funds in local banks. The eastern-based government of Libya, headed by Abdullah Al-Thani, on Sunday presented its resignation to the eastern-based House of Representatives (parliament) following three days of protests in eastern Libya. Enditem Political parties are engaged in a slanging match after actor Kangana Ranaut left Mumbai for her hometown Manali in Himachal Pradesh (HP) on Monday. Ranaut is locked in a bitter war of words with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government, comprising the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, over actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death probe. The Congress and the NCP criticised Ranaut for her studied silence about the alleged drug nexus in Bollywood. The Opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, questioned the Maharashtra government for allowing her to leave Mumbai. When she says that she has the information about the Bollywood drug mafia, she should have ideally gone to the Mumbai NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) office and recorded her statement. Instead she is going back to Manali, said Sachin Sawant, a spokesperson for the Congress. Sawant said two inferences could be drawn from her radio silence. Either, she is not disclosing the fact that in itself is a crime, or she has made up a story, he added. The NCP criticised Ranaut for driving her own personal agenda. She is defaming Mumbai because she plans to join politics. It is sad that she is defaming Mumbai, which has given her everything, said Nawab Malik, who belongs to the NCP and also a minister in the MVA coalition government. Thats alright, she has only this work now (to make statements against Mumbai). The people can clearly see her love for Mumbai through these statements. Mumbaikars will now decide whether she can live in Mumbai or not after she equated Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir. She has got a dual personality. Shes an actor too. Whatever script shes given, she will say those lines... journalists should investigate who has given her the script, Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab said, reacting to Ranauts statement. The BJP criticised the MVA coalition government for Ranauts departure from Mumbai. Home minister Anil Deshmukh had said Maharashtra Police would investigate the allegations that Ranaut used to consume drugs. Was she investigated? How come the state government allowed her to leave Mumbai in the first place without questioning her? asked Atul Bhatalkar, a BJP member in the Maharashtra legislative assembly (MLA). Ranaut tweeted that she was leaving Mumbai with a heavy heart. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON As they roam around the African savanna in search for food, giraffes and elephants alter the diversity and richness of its vegetation. By studying the foraging patterns of these megaherbivores across different terrains in a savanna in Kenya, scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and collaborating institutions discovered that these large mammals prefer to eat their meals on flat ground, potentially impacting the growth and survival of plant species on even savanna landscapes, such as valleys and plateaus. Megaherbivores are more concerned about eating as much food as possible while expending the minimum amount of effort, than about avoiding potential predators. Elephants may consume as much as 600 pounds of vegetation in a day; giraffes, about 75. This drove scientists to wonder about the impact of these megaherbivores on vegetation across a range of landscapes in the savanna. "Previous studies have demonstrated that megaherbivores adjust their movement patterns to avoid costly mountaineering," said co-author David Kenfack, STRI staff scientist, coordinator of the ForestGEO network forest monitoring plots in Africa and recently elected Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. "We wanted to know the extent to which fine-scale variations in topography may influence browsing damage by these charismatic megaherbivores and evaluate whether seasonal shortages in food availability would force the megaherbivores to venture into areas with rugged terrain." Their observations conducted within a 120-hectare Smithsonian ForestGEO long-term vegetation monitoring plot located at Mpala Research Center in Kenya confirmed that giraffes and elephants prefer flat ground while foraging. They compared the damage on Acacia mellifera trees, which grow all over the savanna landscape and are a common meal for megaherbivores. They found that the trees growing on steep slopes were taller and had fewer stems than those in valleys and plateaus, suggesting that elephant and giraffes tend to avoid feeding in these less accessible habitats. This behavior did not change during the dry season, when resources become scarce, indicating that these two species would rather disperse to new areas with more favorable conditions than climb up a nearby slope to feed. For the authors, these feeding patterns may help preserve steep slopes as habitat refugia, with a greater diversity and density of vegetation than more frequently visited areas. Their findings support this argument: the number and variety of trees encountered on the steep slopes was higher than in the valleys and plateaus. "This study has broadened our understanding of the role of topography in explaining diversity patterns of plants," said Duncan Kimuyu, a Smithsonian Mpala postdoctoral fellow, lecturer at Karatina University in Kenya and main author of the study. "Further research is warranted to understand how other factors such as differences in soil properties may interact with topography and megaherbivores to influence the growth and survival of vegetation in the African savanna." ### Members of the research team are affiliated with STRI, Karatina University, Mpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation and the National Museums of Kenya. Research was funded by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, ForestGEO and the International Foundation for Science (D/5455-2). The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. But rather than cowing Palestinian leaders into submission, those moves have only made them more defiant. President Mahmoud Abbas officially cut all ties to Israel and the U.S. in May and said the Palestinians would no longer be bound by any past agreements. The Palestinians have rejected the UAE and Bahrain deals as a betrayal of their cause and insist no other country has the right to negotiate on their behalf. Kolkata, Sep 14 : With the Durga Puja round the corner, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would hold a meeting with puja committee members on September 25 to chalk out guidelines to celebrate the festival during the 'new normal'. Banerjee said it would be really challenging for both the state government and puja organisers to host the celebrations with adequate safety in the Covid-19 pandemic. "I would urge all the Durga puja committees to erect pandals (marquees) leaving as many open areas as possible. If they can keep the maximum area open in and around the pandals, it would be better and well-ventilated," the CM said in a press conference at the state secretariat here. The CM said the state government will shortly issue detailed guidelines for organising the Durga Puja this year. "I think it will be healthy if the puja committees can keep most of the area of their pandals open, except for the space where the idols would be placed," she added. Latest updates on Navratri Festival 2020 Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The Democratic opponent of state Rep. Rebecca Dow filed an ethics complaint Monday accusing Dow of violating New Mexicos conflict-of-interest rules and the Governmental Conduct Act. In a nine-page complaint, Democratic House candidate Karen Whitlock said her opponent had misrepresented her position as a legislator in state contract documents awarding work to a nonprofit group she founded, AppleTree Educational Center. In New Mexico, Whitlock said in a news release, we have clear rules intended to create transparency and ensure that our legislators do not use their position for personal gain. We deserve to know why Rebecca Dow broke the rules. Dow, a Republican from Truth or Consequences, said the allegations are unfounded. She said she doesnt own or have an interest in AppleTree. Theyre grasping at straws, Dow said in an interview. Dow said she was an employee of the nonprofit group which offers prekindergarten and other educational services but left the job at the beginning of 2019. She is now a volunteer, she said. The complaint may be the first disclosed to the public since lawmakers established a new state agency to handle allegations of wrongdoing by legislators and other public officials. The state Ethics Commission began accepting complaints this year, but it makes them public only after a finding of probable cause. Anyone who files a complaint is permitted to make it public, and Whitlock announced hers in a news release. Quick action on the complaint isnt likely. The State Ethics Commission is prohibited from acting on most complaints within 60 days of an election, although it may dismiss frivolous, unsubstantiated complaints or refer allegations outside its jurisdiction to other agencies. In the complaint, Whitlock, who lives in Mimbres, cited potential violations of state laws on financial disclosure, governmental conduct, the procurement code and ethics. Much of the complaint focuses on Dows relationship with AppleTree and the groups state contracts. It notes that AppleTrees website lists Dow as founder and CEO. The complaint alleges that Dow signed state documents on behalf of AppleTree asserting that she wasnt a legislator. The signature is illegible, but Whitlock said it matches Dows signature on other documents. The state Governmental Conduct Act prohibits state contracts with legislators or businesses in which a legislator has a substantial interest unless the interest is disclosed and the award meets certain procurement requirements. Whitlocks complaint contends that at least some of the AppleTree contracts were awarded without a competitive process. The group worked for the Public Education and Children, Youth and Families departments. Dow said Friday that AppleTree is governed by a board, and she was simply an employee just as many other members of New Mexicos part-time, citizen Legislature work for employers that receive state funding. Dow, who took office in 2017, said she consulted with the Legislative Council Service to ensure she didnt break any rules when she worked at AppleTree. She also questioned the timing of the complaint, noting its proximity to the Nov. 3 election. Dow, Whitlock and Libertarian William Kinney are competing in House District 38, which covers Truth or Consequences and Silver City in southwestern New Mexico. European stock exchange owner Euronext has tabled an offer to buy the Borsa Italiana from the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Euronext said it had finally submitted its long-rumoured proposal, partnering with Italy's sovereign wealth fund CDP Equity and banking group Intesa Sanpaolo. The offer pits Euronext against Switzerland's exchange SIX and Germany's Deutsche Boerse, both of which have also joined the race for the Italian exchange. Euronext has tabled an offer to buy Milan-based exchange the Borsa Italiana partnering with Italy's sovereign wealth fund CDP Equity and banking group Intesa Sanpaolo The LSE bought Borsa Italiana in 2007 for 1.5billion, but the bids are thought to value the company at more than 3billion. A sale of the Italian unit should help the LSE in its efforts to get its blockbuster 20billion merger with data provider Refinitiv over the line. It wants to win approval from the European Union's competition watchdogs, which launched an investigation into the deal in June. Euronext said: 'The proposed combination of Borsa Italiana and Euronext would create a leading player in continental European capital markets, where Italy would be the largest revenue contributor to the enlarged Euronext group.' Euronext has been in the shadow of the LSE, with a market value of just 6.5billion compared to the British exchange's 32billion. We are providing elite management education while ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff. Following rigorous safety guidelines for students, professors and staff, SKEMA Business School will open the Fall semester September 16 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Courses for graduates and undergraduates will be taught via a hybrid model with classes taught 70% face-to-face and 30% online. SKEMA Business School is a global school with seven campuses on five continents including one in Raleigh. Located on the campus of North Carolina State University, SKEMA has welcomed students from the U.S., Europe, Asia and other countries for the past 10 years. We are moving forward with our fall schedule and our academic year, says Mohamed A. Desoky, Associate Dean of Academic Programs. We are trying to find the balance of providing students the elite management education that they are paying for, while ensuring their safety along with the health of our faculty and staff, The trends of this pandemic will not deter those efforts we owe it to the students and to the economy. Thanksgiving break will be November 25-27, and on-campus instruction concludes on December 18. Final exams will be conducted in person or online during the week of December 14 for the majority of the programs. In Raleigh, SKEMA offers a bachelors programs in International Business for undergraduates and graduate degrees including a Master of Science in International Business, and a Master of Science in Financial Markets and Investments. The action plan to ensure the highest levels of safety to prevent transmission of COVID-19 includes: Guidelines consistent with CDC, federal, state and UNC Education System that will be released in August. Six feet of distance between each seat/student. Mandatory masks required for all students and professors. Face Shields available for faculty Shields installed on each faculty desk/podium. Thermometers in each class; daily temperature readings for students and professors. Hand sanitizers in all classrooms. Tracking of students and staff. Desks/chairs/doors disinfected between each class Tracking of student/staff absences. Testing offered at NCSU Health Center (if ill/symptoms) All classrooms will be disinfected daily. Corporate engagement for SKEMA and students typically begins in the Fall in full swing and normally consists of company visits and conferences, says Gisa Rollin, Director of Development. We have been forced to shift our modes of communications as we continue to take precaution with the pandemic. Moving purely online this summer has been a good experience for both our corporate office and partners to adjust to the new way of collaborating and learning. In the recent Financial Times rankings for business schools released in June, 2020, SKEMA Business School was ranked #3 in the world in the Masters in Finance category. Fifty-five business schools were ranked in this category. About SKEMA Busines School With 8,500 students of 120 nationalities and 45,000 graduates in 145 countries, SKEMA Business School is a global school which, through its research, its 50 teaching programmes, its international multi-site structure trains and educates the talents that 21st century businesses need. The school is now present on 7 sites: 3 campuses in France (Lille, SophiaAntipolis, Paris), 1 in China (Suzhou), 1 in the United States (Raleigh), 1 in Brazil (Belo Horizonte) and 1 in South Africa (Cape Town - Stellenbosch). SKEMA is multi-accredited - Equis, AACSB and EFMD Accredited EMBA. Its programs are recognized in France (Visa, Master Degree, RNCP, CGE label), as well as in the United States (licensing), Brazil (certificacao) and China. http://www.skema.edu. Follow us on twitter: @SKEMA_BS Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 22:16:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese people will make over 3.4 billion domestic trips in 2020, down 43 percent year on year, according to a report released Monday by the China Tourism Academy. The report said that China will gain 2.76 trillion yuan (about 400 billion U.S. dollars) of revenue from domestic tourism in 2020, down 52 percent from the previous year due to the COVID-19 epidemic. It also noted that China's tourism sector is in rapid recovery. Over 80 percent of Chinese people expressed their willingness to travel during the third quarter of 2020, 90 percent of the figure for the same period in 2019. Moreover, over 90 percent of China's hotels and scenic spots have resumed business. About 60 percent of travel agencies have resumed work, and among them, some 95 percent expressed their confidence in future development. During the first half of 2020, China saw some 1.17 billion domestic trips, with 640 billion yuan of tourism revenue, dropping by 62 percent and 77 percent year on year, respectively, according to the report. Enditem YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) contacted Armenias Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan to discuss the current process of the judicial appointment of the Constitutional Court judges and an agreement was reached to closely follow the process, the Armenian Ombudsmans Office said in a news release. The Human Rights Defender and the OSCE ODIHR had a number of discussions regarding the importance of an independent evaluation of the process of appointment of the Constitutional Court judges, and how the two institutions can jointly work in following the process. The OSCE ODIHR said it will provide expert support in assessment and will prepare a legal analysis regarding the legislation regulating the judges appointment, applicable international standards, obligation and experience. The purpose of the assessment is to carry out an independent and impartial study from the perspective of development of public trust for the judiciary, Tatoyans Office said, adding that they will focus on the legal acts and procedures regulating the appointment of judges, the application of these procedures and transparency. Both sides highlighted that parliament must ensure maximum transparency in all phases of the process. Public trust for the judiciary can be strengthened through transparent processes, the Ombudsman said. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan YouTube is seeking to challenge TikTok, and is testing its own short-form format in India YouTube on Monday began testing a TikTok rival in India, saying it would refine its short video format and roll it out in more countries in coming months. YouTube Shorts made its debut as TikTok pursues a partnership with Oracle that it hopes will spare it from being shut-down in the US by President Donald Trump. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday confirmed a bid from Oracle concerning TikTok's American operations after the video-sharing app's parent ByteDance rejected a proposal from Microsoft. But it remained unclear whether the venture would pass muster with Washington regulators. "Shorts is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones," YouTube vice president of product management Chris Jaffe said in a blog. "Over the next few days in India, we're launching an early beta of Shorts with a handful of new creation tools to test this out." YouTube Shorts videos are limited to 15 seconds, according to the Google-owned platform used by some 2 billion people worldwide. Jaffe noted that Shorts will be modified based on user feedback before being made more broadly available. TikTok's brand of brief, quirky videos made on users' cellphones has grown hugely popular. But Trump's claims that TikTok could be used by China to track US federal employees, build dossiers for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage has sparked a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing. TikTok has rejected the charges and sued over the crackdown, contending that the US order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platform is not "an unusual and extraordinary threat." Trump effectively ordered the sale of the Chinese company's US operations by September 20, after which the app would shut down. gc/bgs WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet2 announced today that its Community Anchor Program (CAP) has received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant of $249,788 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant supports initiatives that empower library practitioners to become more informed consumers, advocates, and providers of internet access and digital services to their communities. The Internet2 CAP works with regional and local research and education networks across the country to connect the full range of community anchor institutions to advanced broadband capabilities. Stephanie Stenberg, director of the Internet2 CAP, will be teaming up with library consultant Carson Block to improve upon the Toward Gigabit Libraries (TGL) toolkit and expand outreach to tribal, rural, and urban libraries across the United States. "In order for libraries to bring digital resources to their patrons, they need robust and scalable broadband infrastructure to serve their facilities," said Stenberg. "We are excited to continue supporting tribal and rural libraries' efforts in connecting to advanced broadband capabilities, and expanding our outreach efforts for the first time to urban libraries that are often located in technology deserts." The TGL program was initially funded by an IMLS grant (RE-00-15-0110-15) in 2015, and created a broadband toolkit and customized broadband improvement plan designed to help public and tribal librarians learn about their current broadband infrastructure and internal information technology environment. "We've seen tremendous success with the adoption of the TGL toolkit," added Stenberg. "One of our community's success stories comes from Montana, which adopted the toolkit for 115 of its 117 libraries across the state. Implementing the toolkit enabled Montana libraries to gather accurate data about their current broadband capabilities." An investment in broadband is key for libraries to be able to provide innovative programs and services. In Montana, broadband allows libraries to support virtual reality programs and distance learning services. Yet despite federal recommendations that libraries serving up to 50,000 people should have at minimum a 100 megabits per second internet connection, fewer than five libraries across Montana meet this speed level. Jennie Stapp, Montana State Librarian, spearheaded the initiative for all libraries across the state to complete the toolkit. "Fewer than a dozen of the libraries in the entire state have a dedicated IT person, most rely on either their local governments or a volunteer to provide that support," said Stapp. "The gigabit toolkit is accessible in terms of the amount of time and investment it takes for a library to complete it, especially for small or rural libraries that just don't have either the time or the technical know-how." The toolkit's accessibility and guidance for collecting data prompted the State Library of Montana to move forward with rolling it out across the state. The state's ability to work with each librarian to gather consistent data about speed, hardware, and local providers was key in producing an accurate and useful statewide data set. "This new grant builds on earlier efforts by our colleague James Werle, who passed away in 2018," concluded Stenberg. "James pioneered the TGL toolkit and traveled to 12 states, where he worked with more than 70 library staff in 58 rural public and tribal libraries to pilot the use of the toolkit. We're honored to carry out his vision of helping libraries across the nation better understand broadband and IT." About Internet2 Internet2 is a non-profit, member-driven advanced technology community founded by the nation's leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 serves 323 U.S. universities, 60 government agencies, 43 regional and state education networks and through them supports more than 100,000 community anchor institutions, over 1,000 InCommon participants, and 54 leading corporations working with our community, and 70 national research and education network partners that represent more than 100 countries. Internet2 delivers a diverse portfolio of technology solutions that leverages, integrates, and amplifies the strengths of its members and helps support their educational, research and community service missions. Internet2's core infrastructure components include the nation's largest and fastest research and education network that was built to deliver advanced, customized services that are accessed and secured by the community-developed trust and identity framework. Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Washington, D.C.; and West Hartford, Conn. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or follow @Internet2 on Twitter. SOURCE Internet2 Related Links https://www.internet2.edu This comes a day after police arrested former JNU student leader Umar Khalid under UAPA for his alleged role in the riots New Delhi: The Delhi Police's Special Cell has summoned short film producer Rahul Roy and documentary filmmaker Saba Dewan for questioning in connection with the northeast Delhi riots, official sources said on Monday. They said that Dewan and Roy have been asked to join the investigation on Monday. It comes a day after police arrested former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA) for his alleged role in the riots. He was arrested by the Special Cell after 11 hours of interrogation. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiraled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. More than 600 projects with a total investment of 600 billion yuan (about 87.7 billion U.S. dollars) were signed Saturday during the online World Manufacturing Convention held in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province. China's domestic market has huge growth potential and the development of the country's manufacturing industry will bring the world greater investment opportunities and broader investment prospects under the new economic development pattern of "dual circulation," said Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen at the opening ceremony of the convention's Jianghuai Online Economic Forum. Xu Lijin, chairman of Efort Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., who took part in the online deals signing, said he has full confidence in the future as China's economy is resilient and dynamic. The World Manufacturing Convention was held online for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on promoting high-quality growth of manufacturing and digital economy as well as on guiding the digital eocnomy to deeply integrate with the real economy. Zhang Xi, vice governor of Anhui Province, said 1,073 projects with a total investment of 962.2 billion yuan were signed during the World Manufacturing Convention in 2018 and 2019. By the end of August, 1,008 projects had finished company registrations and 880 projects had started construction, Zhang said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 15:37:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has announced a major crackdown on pedophiles, with offenders' assets to be seized for the first time. Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton announced on Monday that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) will seize car, homes and cash of child abusers through proceeds of crime laws. "If a sex offender is found to be profiting or seeking to gain from the exploitation of children, they can expect to have their bank account, their home or even their car seized," Dutton told News Corp Australia on Monday. "We are going to target those who profit from an abhorrent trade in child abuse." It comes in response to an AFP warning that there has been a significant spike in Australians using the dark web to watch children being sexually abused online. Reece Kershaw, who was appointed as Commissioner of the AFP in 2019, vowed that the AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) would target pedophiles in the same way it does organized crime and drug dealers. "It is truly sickening that offenders are profiting from the abuse, degradation and misery of children," Kershaw said. "I make no apologies for using the full force of the law in our fight to lock these offenders away, and strip them of their tainted assets." The government has previously called for the cooperation of social media giants such as Facebook to prevent online child abuse with Dutton describing them as "vital" in the fight. Enditem An injured kitten is treated in an Oregon veterinary hospital. Photo: AP Crews resumed searching for the dead yesterday among blackened ruins left by wildfires raging in three western US states, where millions of hectares have burned in weeks and dozens have been killed. A blitz of wildfires across Oregon, California and Washington has destroyed thousands of homes and a half dozen small towns this summer, scorching a landscape the size of New Jersey. After four days of brutally hot, windy weather, the weekend brought calmer winds blowing inland from the Pacific Ocean, and cooler, moister conditions that helped crews make headway against blazes that had burned unchecked earlier in the week. Still, emergency officials worried that the shifting weather might not bring much relief to southern Oregon, where an apocalyptic scene of charred residential neighbourhoods and trailer parks stretched for several kilometres along Highway 99 south of Medford through the neighbouring communities of Phoenix and Talent. "We're concerned that the incoming front is not going to provide a lot of rain here in the Medford region and it's going to bring increased winds," said Bureau of Land Management spokesman Kyle Sullivan. Oregon governor Kate Brown called the perilous blazes a "once-in-a-generation event" and the director of Oregon's office of emergency management, Andrew Phelps, said authorities were bracing for the possibility of "mass fatality" incidents. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon, according to the office of emergency management. Ms Brown has said dozens of people remained missing across three counties. "There are going to be a number of fatalities, folks that just couldn't get warning in time and couldn't evacuate their homes and get to safety," Mr Phelps said. There were 38 actives fires burning in Oregon as of yesterday morning. In California, tens of thousands of firefighters were battling 28 major wildfires as of Saturday afternoon. Improving weather conditions had helped them gain a measure of containment over most of the blazes. The White House said President Trump will meet federal and California officials today after blaming western governors for intense fire seasons in recent years, accusing them of bad forest management. On Saturday, Democratic opponent Joe Biden linked the incidents to climate change. More than 4,000 homes and other structures have been incinerated in California over the past three weeks. NDC Flagbearer former President John Dramani Mahama has finally replied Akyem groups who protested last week against his his Akyem sakawa-tag. The groups further threatened to ban him from campaigning in the area. Following this development, John Mahama has declared that nobody can stand in his way or stop him from campaigning in the Akyem area. The Akyem group, Concerned Citizens of Okyeman, said the former president should apologise for sharing an article on the controversial Agyapa deal by lawmaker Isaac Adongo which used the labelling. They demanded an apology within 72hours. Commenting on the issue on Accra-based Class FM, the NDC flagbearer said he has not abused any ethnic group. Nobody bans anyone from going anywherewe shouldnt go there because if other people say they are banning other people what kind of country are we going to have. I have not said anythingI have not abused Akyem people. Like I said there are many Akyem people in my party why would I say anything insulting to them.? It didnt come to me as anything that I thought about, I saw his post I just reposted it. For me, it was the arguments he made there that were very cogent thats why I reposted it, he said. Meanwhile, the National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress George Opare Addo says he will resign from the party if the former President apologises over the comment. If that happens I will leave the NDC. Because there is nothing to apologise for. The article was in the context of those who are involved in the deal, so there is nothing to apologise for, he told Bola Ray on Starr Chat. Spokesperson for the NDC 2020 campaign James Agyenim Boateng has also said the former President will not apologise over development. The point that Adongo made was that certain people close to the President are involved in some shady deal. Theres no apology to render because Mr. Mahama has not used the word being attributed to him. Those demanding an apology need to show they are members of government and also need to show they are behind the shady deal. This is a deliberate attempt to overshadow the NDC manifesto and we can clearly see-through, he told Starr News. A release by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) read that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would deliver a message to the countrymen on the occasion of Hindi Diwas (September 14, 2020). Union Home Minister Amit Shah will deliver a message to the countrymen on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on September 14. A release by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) read that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would deliver a message to the countrymen on the occasion of Hindi Diwas (September 14, 2020), which would be broadcast on Doordarshans National Channel at 10.30 am. On 14 September 1949, Hindi was given the status of official language by the Constituent Assembly, on the occasion of which Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on September 14. According to MHA, Rajbhasha Kirti and Rajbhasha Gaurav awards are being given by the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for outstanding work in Central Government Offices/Ministries/Undertakings/Banks etc on this important occasion. MHA said that the awards for Hindi Diwas have already been announced. The ministry had said that the Hindi Diwas celebrations were not being held this year due to the odd circumstances arising out of COVID-19. Also read: India-China standoff set to rock Parl, Cong gives adjournment notice on Ladakh Also read: Hope Parliament sends message that nation stands with soldiers, says PM Modi Hindi Diwas is celebrated each year on September 14 in the Hindi speaking states of India to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as one of the official languages of India. Also read: Union Minister Amit Shah admitted to AIIMS for complete medical checkup The capital city will remain in the zone at least until September 28 when the authorities will be reviewing zoning depending on COVID-19 developments across country. Tougher quarantine rules have been imposed in Kyiv after the city was assigned to the "orange zone" in line with the adaptive quarantine criteria introduced in Ukraine on August 1. Minister Oleh Nemchynov on Facebook explained the new set of restrictions, imposed on Kyiv residents and businesses in addition to those applied in the green and yellow zones. Read alsoLocal elections in Ukraine to be held even in COVID-19 red zone: CECWhat's banned? Mass events (in culture, sports, social life, religion, advertisement, and others) with over 220 attendees and more than 1 person per 10 square meters; Operations of all accommodation facilities other than hotels; Groups of more than 20 students in educational facilities (other than preschool, general secondary, out-of-school, and specialized art education facilities); Scheduled hospitalization. All patients receiving medical treatment related to scheduled hospitalization are subject to mandatory COVID-19 testing; Operations of gyms and fitness centers; Children's admission to health and recreation camps; their rehabilitation and recreation outside the specified areas; Visits to temporary detention centers, including those for illegal aliens and refugees; Transportation of passengers by road (except taxis) and urban electric transport on urban, suburban, long-distance, inter-district routes with over 50% of seating capacity filled; Reception of visitors by trade (including by shops located in malls) and household service establishments; and Catering services, except for reception of visitors while ensuring occupancy under 50% of indoor seating capacity. What's allowed? In contrast to the strictest restrictions provided for the red-zone quarantine zones, orange zone still allows: Holding mass events (in culture, sports, social life, religion, and other) with attendance up to 220 persons, with social distancing rules of 1 person per 10 square meters of indoor area; Operations of public transport; Studying in educational facilities; Operations of malls, cafes, and restaurants; and Boarding interregional transport (trains, buses, etc.). Coronavirus in Kyiv On September 11, a new daily high of new active cases was set in Kyiv at 404, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16,523, of which 261 were fatal and 11,114 still active. The capital ranks second among Ukraine regions in terms of the number of identified COVID-19 patients (after Lviv region). The situation in Kyiv is deteriorating: until September 10, the city was in the yellow quarantine zone, and until August 13 in the green zone. Adaptive quarantine in Ukraine The adaptive quarantine was introduced on August 1. Ukrainian regions were split into the red, green, orange zones depending on hospital load, the average number of PCR and ELISA tests, and the ascertainment rate of COVID-19. The new rules are effective September 14 and at least until September 28 when the authorities will be reviewing zoning depending on COVID-19 developments across country. University of Washington ecologist Christopher Schell is studying how coronavirus shutdowns have affected wildlife in Seattle and other cities. But when planning fieldwork, he also thinks about how hes perceived in neighbourhoods where he installs wildlife cameras. I wear the nerdiest glasses I have and often a jacket that has my college logo, so that people dont mistake me for what they think is a thug or hooligan, said Schell, who is African American. The recent episode of a white woman calling the police on a Black birder in New Yorks Central Park shocked many people. But for Black environmental scientists, worrying about whether they are likely to be harassed or asked to justify their presence while doing fieldwork is a familiar concern. Tanisha Williams, a botanist at Bucknell University, knows exactly which plants shes looking for. But after being questioned by strangers in public parks, Williams, who is Black, has started carrying her field guides with her. Ive been quizzed by random strangers, she said. Now I bring my wildflower books and botanical field guides, trying to look like a scientist. Its for other people. I wouldnt otherwise lug these books. Overt harassment and subtle intimidation during fieldwork compound the discrimination that Black scientists and those from other underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds already feel in academic settings. Now researchers in the environmental sciences are increasingly raising issues of discrimination and marginalization in the wake of a national reckoning on race. They are also pointing out how a lack of diversity among scientists can lead to flawed or incomplete research. A National Science Foundation survey found that in 2016, scholars who identified as Black or African American were awarded just 6 per cent of all doctorates in life sciences, and less than 3 per cent of doctorates in physical and Earth sciences. Students who identified as Hispanic or Latino were awarded less than 8 per cent of doctorates in life sciences and about 5 per cent of doctorates in physical and Earth sciences. According to the most recent census, Black people make up 13.4 per cent of the population, and Latinos 18.5 per cent. The issue is not lack of interest on the part of students from the underrepresented groups, said the University of Washingtons Scott Freeman, who studies educational pipelines to degrees in science, technology, engineering or math. But many of those students come from families with fewer financial resources and face gaps in access to secondary education that is geared toward the sciences or college preparation. Those factors can influence how well they perform in freshman general chemistry considered a gateway course for pursuing these so-called STEM majors. Its possible to decrease the impact of these disadvantages by adjusting teaching styles, such as replacing traditional large lectures with hands-on learning, according to Freemans research. And students from underrepresented backgrounds who overcome initial obstacles are hyper persistent in their studies, continuing at higher rates in STEM fields compared with their white peers, he found. Addressing these gaps has taken on new urgency as the US confronts systemic racism in the wake of nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. At a meeting this summer of the Society for Conservation Biology North America, one panel was devoted to why conservation science needs to prioritize racial and social justice. Hundreds of scientists have joined a wider discussion among academics about racism, posting their personal experiences of discrimination under the Twitter hashtag #BlackintheIvory, referring to the ivory tower. But environmental scientists must confront discrimination not just in the halls of academia but in the field as well. Carnivore ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant, a fellow at the National Geographic Society, said she has to put her feelings aside when her fieldwork takes her to places where she encounters racist symbols. While driving in rural Maryland to study bears, Wynn-Grant, who is Black, passed several Confederate flags and a cloth doll of a lynched man hanging from a tree. This is the extra labor Black people have to do in order to participate in something theyre interested in, she said. Many researchers say that exposing middle school and high school students to scientists from diverse backgrounds is essential to combating systemic racism. Growing up, the only Black botanist Id heard of was George Washington Carver, said Williams, the scientist at Bucknell, who helped organize a Twitter campaign to highlight the achievements of Black botanists. Itumeleng Moroenyane, a doctoral student at the National Institute of Scientific Research in Quebec, grew up in post-apartheid South Africa and said he was the only Black botany student in his universitys graduating class. Moroenyane now makes it a priority to mentor younger Black scholars. Corina Newsome said her passion for biology started during a high school internship at the Philadelphia Zoo, where a zookeeper who mentored her was the first Black scientist she had met. Now an ornithologist at Georgia Southern University, Newsome, who is Black, said institutions can promote diversity by helping students find mentors and offering paid internships. Bansy Kalappa By Express News Service BENGALURU: What is causing the floods in Karnataka? Just one word: Encroachment. So now, the government is looking at a long-term strategy to fight the floods. After carefully studying the flooding and the consequent damage and losses, the government has identified one of the main causes - narrowing of the flow path of riverways due to encroachments. The water resources department has identified hundreds of encroachments along the water flow area, some of which are agricultural and others permanent structures. In what could be seen as a rerun of last year, floods this year have devastated many districts. The flooding is not always due to excess rain or release of water from the dams though they are important factors. Last year, the loss due to the floods was Rs 35,000 plus crore. And this year, the loss is put at over Rs 8,000 crore. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Water Resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi said that they plan to clear the encroachments along the course of the rivers on either side, especially where stretches have been encroached upon. Once the encroachments are cleared, they plan to plant trees along the earmarked areas so that they can hold soil and prevent erosion. Jarkiholi said there have been many encroachments in urban and semi-urban stretches, and consequently the course of the river flow has been clogged. Most encroachments date back to a couple of decades. The other issue of flooding is silt in the dams. Once the dams are desilted, it would greatly increase their storage capacity. Jarkiholi agreed that the holding capacity of some dams had come down and they need to be desilted immediately. He pointed to the case of Tungabhadra where about 30 tmcft of water was redirected towards the Navile balancing reservoir because of this reason. He said going by the huge amounts of silt there, they may need about 1.32 lakh acres if the silt is deposited to a uniform height of 5 ft or about 66,000 acres if it is dumped to a height of 10 feet. Some experts have suggested dumping the silt in Ballari where many mining areas and shafts can take a lot of this. But that would mean transporting the silt from the Tungabhadra area to the mining zone - a distance of 53km - involving huge transportation cost. He said that after the COVID challenges are over, he will seek a meeting with the CM and initiate action on these proposals. Asked about the non-inclusion of experts like Sharad Jawali in the Water disputes legal team and not consulting legends like Fali Nariman, Jarkiholi said he has a plan about this which he cannot reveal at the moment. ST. LOUIS The remains of a soldier killed in action during the Korean War will be interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery later this week. A funeral will be held for Army Cpl. Jerome V. Hummel on Thursday at Hoffmeister South County Chapel before the internment. Hummel, a native of St. Louis, was a member of the Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action when he was 23 years old on Nov. 30, 1950, in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces. Hummel's remains were among 55 boxes purported to contain the remains of U.S. service members killed in the Korean War that were turned over by North Korea in July 2018 after President Donald Trumps summit with the countrys leader, Kim Jong Un. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System identified Hummels remains using evidence that included DNA analysis. Leonard Hummel, of Hutto, Texas, said he and his sister, Annette Heidenreich of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, had provided their DNA several years ago in hopes it could be used to someday identify their brother. More than 7,600 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. 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. NIH augments large scale study of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers To meet the pressing need to better understand the prevalence, progression, and clinical impact of Alzheimer's disease among Mexican Americans, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has added funding for more biomarker measures, including positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, to the ongoing Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders (HABLE) Study. NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded new support that is expected to total $45.5 million over five years to the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth for the Health and Aging Brain Among Latino Elders-Amyloid, Tau, and Neurodegeneration (HABLE-AT(N)) Study. This combined investment and effort will help researchers better understand the health disparities of brain aging and Alzheimer's between Mexican Americans and non-Latino whites. "To successfully battle and ultimately prevent or treat a complex disease such as Alzheimer's, we need to understand how this disease and other forms of dementia affect our nation's diverse communities differently," said Eliezer Masliah, M.D., director of the NIA Division of Neuroscience. "Measuring additional biomarkers in this population will provide important clues to guide approaches to target the right disease processes in the right people at the right time." Launched in September 2017, the HABLE study has nearly completed recruitment of 1,000 Mexican Americans and 1,000 non-Latino whites, age 50 years and older, in the Fort Worth area. HABLE participants receive a functional exam, clinical labs, neuropsychological testing, bloodwork, and an MRI of the brain. The added funding for HABLE-AT(N) significantly expands the neuroimaging component of the study to include amyloid and tau PET. The researchers also plan to determine if traces of amyloid peptides (A40 and A42), tau, and neurofilament light (NfL) -- as well as exosomes in the blood -- can be used to screen across the spectrum of Alzheimer's, from asymptomatic to mild cognitive impairment and advanced stages of the disease. An additional benefit of HABLE and HABLE AT(N) will be the ability to better classify/categorize participants into groups by type of dementia and stage of the disease. This will help facilitate potential enrollment in future studies. The research teams for HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) consist of leading experts in Mexican American cognitive aging, neuroimaging, blood-based biomarkers, as well as advanced statistical modeling. Sid O'Bryant, Ph.D., professor and executive director of the HSC Institute for Translational Research, and professor in HSC's Pharmacology & Neuroscience unit, is the principal investigator for both efforts. Importance of underrepresented populations Developing a better understanding of how and why many diseases affect diverse communities in different ways is paramount in the search for treatments and prevention for Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. While studies suggest that dementia prevalence rates appear to be declining, most of this evidence is based on studies in non-Latino whites; it is largely unknown whether these trends extend to underrepresented populations. Projections from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the number of Latinos age 65 and older is expected to nearly quadruple by 2060, whereas, for the same age range, the number of non-Hispanic whites is expected to increase by about 23% and the number of Blacks will more than double. Because aging is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's, this means Latinos will face the largest increase in Alzheimer's cases of any racial/ethnic group nationwide -- about 3.5 million by 2060. Mexican Americans are the largest segment of the U.S. Latino population. "The scope and urgency of HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) is crucial for this underserved population," said Dallas Anderson, Ph.D., a program director in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of NIA's Division of Neuroscience. "Most importantly, it will help to clarify questions in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in Mexican Americans." Informacion de salud -- http://www. nia. nih. gov/ espanol NIA recently updated its website with a new Spanish-language health information landing page: http://www. nia. nih. gov/ espanol . Current information is available on subjects such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, as well as clinical trials and other aging-related health topics. Reaching research goals NIA is committed to supporting studies on risk factors related to health disparities. A key part of the HABLE-AT(N) study is its alignment with the NIA-Alzheimer's Association Research Framework. This biological construct is based on three general groups of biomarkers: beta-amyloid (A), tau (T), and neurodegeneration or neuronal injury (N). Also referred to as the AT(N) research framework, it is designed to facilitate better understanding of the disease process and the sequence of events that lead to cognitive impairment and dementia. HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) are also responsive to the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework. The new study is instrumental in making sure Alzheimer's biomarker studies are increasingly representative of the population. HABLE-AT(N) will provide a variety of biological, behavioral, environmental, and sociocultural data to examine the big picture of how Alzheimer's affects people throughout their lives. There will also be data to determine whether Mexican Americans experience the same Alzheimer's biomarker trajectory reported in past studies. HSC's Institute for Translational Research will also make the HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) data available to the scientific community to facilitate rapid scientific advancements, thereby meeting an NIA goal of open access to research data. The HABLE-AT(N) Study is funded by NIH grant R01AG058533-01A1. The HABLE Study is funded by NIH grant R01AG054073. NIA leads NIH's systematic planning, development, and implementation of research milestones to achieve the goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer's and related dementias. HABLE and HABLE-AT(N) demonstrate efforts toward the following milestones: 1.J, "Clarify the epidemiology of health disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) prevalence and incidence by documenting and monitoring trends in health disparities in AD/ADRD prevalence and incidence over time." 9.G, "Initiate studies to link peripheral blood-based molecular signatures and central imaging and CSF biomarkers." 1.E, "Expand existing large scale, open-science molecular profiling efforts." ### UNTHSC media contacts: - Alex Branch, Alexander.Branch@unthsc.edu - Diane Smith-Pinckney, Diane.Smith-pinckney@unthsc.edu About the National Institute on Aging (NIA): NIA leads the U.S. federal government effort to conduct and support research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. Learn more about age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative diseases via NIA's Alzheimer's and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center website. For information about a broad range of aging topics, visit the main NIA website and stay connected. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www. nih. gov . This story has been published on: 2020-09-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A study published in an international peer-reviewed journal this month has found an extraordinary rise in health research output from Bihar, the third most populous state of India, post-2010. For the ten-year period from 2010 to 2019, a total of 706 research articles was published during this decade, which is more than 70% of total health research output on Bihar. In terms of growth, this was more than five times higher in output as compared to the previous decade. Clinical subjects (25 %) followed by leishmaniasis (23%) were the most common theme. The study by Keshri VR and Tigga NS and published in Global Health Reports said medical institutions (45%) were the biggest contributors to health research and over 60% of papers were authored by a lead author from outside Bihar with a majority not having a local co-author. Also read: Centre revises most Ayushman packages The majority of lead authors of research papers based on Bihar were affiliated to an institution or organisation outside Bihar (61.5%). But a majority of the research papers in basic or clinical research domain were led by authors located in Bihar (54.7%). Researchers based in other Indian states and outside India contributed to 41.2% and 16.6% of the research papers on Bihar. Among international authors, the highest proportion was based in the US (8.4%), followed by European countries, including the UK (5.6%). The location of the lead authors of around 3.8% of total papers was either not mentioned or was not available. Leishmaniasis, an endemic disease whose 80% of the total cases in India are reported from Bihar, was the most common subject funded by both national (53.1%) and international (31.5%) funding sources. The study, however, found the number of papers per million of the population was 0.1 and 2.9 for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh compared to 9.3 for Karnataka. It cites inadequate teaching and research facilities as significant bottlenecks of Bihars health sector. The study has called for a policy intervention to address Bihars very limited health research output, which is also not aligned with the priorities of health systems and disease burden. Overall, the health research output from a group of eight large states with 46% of the population of India accounted for less than 10% of total health research output of the country. Health in India is a subject matter under the jurisdiction of state governments and a significant disparity in health systems and health research output indicate skewed priorities. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The police in a statement, said, 'Some are taking a few lines of the chargesheet out of context to create controversy and doubt about the investigation' New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Sunday said it is investigating the role of all individuals who took part in the February riots and were behind the "larger conspiracy of organising violence" and inciting communal passion among communities. In an official statement, it said various groups are using social media platforms and other online portals to raise questions about the fairness of investigation into the northeast Delhi riot cases. It is alleged that anti-CAA protestors, including social activists, academicians and students, are being framed in "false cases", the force said. "Some are taking out few lines out of the chargesheets filed in the courts out of context in order to create a controversy and doubt about the investigation. Their assertion is not true and, instead, motivated," the police said in the statement. The statement said the Delhi Police does not consider it appropriate and necessary to reply to them at this stage as the matter is sub-judice. The force said it is for the police to conduct investigation and submit its report to the court to take cognisance in the matter for trial, adding that those raising questions may instead take it up in the court of law at the appropriate time as per established judicial process. The riots in the northeast district between 23 and 26 February had claimed 53 lives and left 581 injured, 97 of them with gunshot wounds. "Delhi Police is investigating into the role of all such individuals who took part in the riot and were part of the larger conspiracy in organising violence in the northeast Delhi and inciting communal passion and hatred amongst communities," it also stated. According to the force, the Delhi Police has registered 751 FIRs in connection with communal riots that took place in the last week of February this year. As far as the investigation is concerned, Delhi Police has meticulously carried out the probe in the most professional manner, it said. After collecting and collating all evidences, the investigation has been finalised in most of the important cases and the charge sheets submitted in the court for trial, the police also said. They said that the riots also caused large scale damage to both private and public properties. In their attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel received injuries and 2 succumbed, the statement said. So far, police have arrested 1,575 persons in 751 cases. Over 250 charge sheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused (571 Hindus and 582 Muslims) have been chargesheeted. All these cases are pending before the special courts constituted for the trial, the police added. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.14 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Azerbaijani Parliaments Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, during her official visit to Turkey, met with the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports on September 14. Having expressed her gratitude to the Turkish President for the opportunity to meet, Gafarova conveyed to him greetings and best wishes from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The speaker said that Azerbaijan and Turkey support and rely on each other in all crucial issues. "The statements made personally by you, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, in connection with the provocation committed by Armenia on July 12 in the direction of the Tovuz district, were greatly welcomed by the Azerbaijani people, she noted. We have always felt the support of fraternal Turkey and we thank you and the members of the Turkish government for the unequivocal expression of this support. Gafarova stated that the threats that events in the region pose for Turkey are serious, and Azerbaijan sees it. However, the decisive position of the Turkish state, in particular the position of Your Excellency regarding these threats, is greatly welcomed by the Azerbaijani public, too. The struggle that you have conducted in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Black, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas is a national struggle for defense of the Turkish peoples fair interests. We understand this, she also said. As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said a few days ago, when receiving the newly appointed Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan, Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. We support and will support Turkey without any hesitations in all cases. Turks are our brothers, so in all matters well be with them," she stressed. Sincere friendship and brotherhood between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey - President Ilham Aliyev and you - give an additional impetus to relations and support between our countries, Gafarova pointed out. The Speaker of Azerbaijans Parliament congratulated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the discovery of a natural gas field in the Black Sea and stressed the important role of this in meeting the energy needs of Turkey. In turn, the Turkish president wished success to the newly elected Azerbaijani parliament. He asked to convey his greetings and best wishes to President Ilham Aliyev. Turkey and Azerbaijan are two brotherly countries. The joy of Azerbaijan is our joy, its sorrow is our sorrow, he said. Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the countries always occupy the same position at international platforms and support each other in crucial issues. The recent words voiced by President Ilham Aliyev when accepting the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan are a clear proof of this, he said. "Therefore, we once again express our gratitude to the entire fraternal people of Azerbaijan headed by President Ilham Aliyev. He also stressed that Turkey has always been next to Azerbaijan and in the future this will always be so. Touching upon the joint economic projects implemented by the two countries in the region, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars projects are part of strategic cooperation between them. The president also expressed satisfaction with the relations between the parliaments of the two fraternal countries. He noted that Azerbaijani and Turkish parliamentarians have ample opportunities to work together, shoulder to shoulder in international organizations. On August 31, the Supreme Court had directed the Railways to remove slums within three months. The Indian Railways on September 14 said it will not remove any encroachment without proper decision taken jointly with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Delhi government. "The Railway officials are convening regular meetings with all stakeholders, i.e, the Delhi government (with Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board on September 5) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (on September 10) to find means and ways to follow the order of the Supreme Court. The Railways will not remove any encroachment without proper decision along with the MoHUA and the state government," it said in a statement. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the apex court that the Centre is yet to take decision on removal of 48,000 slum dwellings along railway tracks in Delhi. On August 31, the Supreme Court had directed the Railways to remove the 48,000 slum dwellings within three months. Applications were filed by Congress leader Ajay Maken and 11 slum dwellers asking the apex court not to remove close to 2.4 lakh dwellers till alternative housing is provided to them. Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis D onald Trump has been accused of putting lives at risk after his first indoor rally in nearly three months was attended by thousands of supporters without face masks. The President openly defied social-distancing regulations to host last nights campaign event in Henderson, Nevada, in which he told the packed crowd that the nation was making the last turn in defeating Covid-19. Relatively few inside the venue wore masks except those in the stands directly behind Mr Trump, which appeared in broadcasts. We are not shutting the country again. A shutdown would destroy the lives and dreams of millions of Americans, Mr Trump said, before adding: We will very easy defeat the China virus. Both indoor and outdoor gatherings in Nevada have been limited to 50 people since May restrictions based on White House guidelines. Relatively few inside the venue wore masks / Getty Images The states Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, accused Mr Trump of taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger. The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic, he tweeted. The election rally was Mr Trumps first to be held indoors since his disastrous event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was blamed for a surge in virus infections. Trump supporters at a campaign event in Henderson, Nevada / REUTERS Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh rejected criticism of the event If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States, he said. Crowd overflow outside and watches US President Donald Trump's campaign rally speech on a screen / AFP via Getty Images His campaign team said rally attendees were subject to a temperature check, had access to hand sanitisers, and were given masks and were encouraged to wear them. New Delhi, Sep 14 : Japan has announced a $221 million China exit subsidy for Japanese companies to shift their base to India and other regions. In April, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed building an economy that is less dependent on one country -- China, so that the nation can avoid supply chain disruptions. In mid-July, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry unveiled the first group of Japanese companies to subsidise shifting manufacturing out of China to Southeast Asia or Japan in a bid to build a more resilient supply chain. Ahead of the India-Japan summit, the Japanese government has announced it would add India and Bangladesh to a list of ASEAN countries to qualify for subsidies for Japanese manufacturers moving out of China. The move comes following a recent virtual meeting between the trade ministers of India, Japan and Australia to advance cooperation on building trusted supply chain resilience in the Indo-Pacific to reduce dependence on China, which is a major trade partner with all three countries. The SCRI (Supply Chains Resilience Initiative) is aimed to build an alternative supply chain, away from China. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal explained, "diversification of supply chain is critical for managing the risks associated with the supply of inputs, including disciplining price volatility. We could provide the core pathway for linking value chains in the region by creating a network of reliable, long-term supplies and appropriate capacities". He further stated that the initiative could not have come at a more opportune time in the post-Covid-19 scenario when there is a likelihood of churning of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region. He said that in May 2020, Prime Minister Modi had stressed that it is the need of the hour that India should play a big role in the supply chains. The Japanese government's supplementary budget earmarked 23.5 billion yen ($221 million) for businesses that wish to move their production to Southeast Asian nations from China. The country's manufacturers can now receive subsidies for pilot programmes and feasibility studies. The Japanese government's programme aims to ensure a steady supply chain of products like medical supplies and electrical components in case of any emergency. Currently, Japanese companies' supply chain relies heavily on China. The issue came to light during the Covid-19 pandemic when supplies from China were cut off. In the second round of applications, projects would contribute to the ASEAN-Japan supply chain, assuming that relocation will occur to India and Bangladesh. Feasibility studies on decentralising manufacturing plans were also carried out along with the experimental introduction of facilities. The first round of subsidies, which was announced in July, granted around 10 billion yen to 30 companies relocating their production sites to Southeast Asia. Another 57 firms are also receiving support for moving manufacturing facilities to Japan. Exodus of Manufacturing: Impact on China The movement of production capacity from China will increase unemployment in the communist country as jobs move away. The US-China trade tensions have already cost about two million industrial jobs in China. Its border aggression with India has seen the latter severe its trade and business ties giving China a major economic blow. China wants to move up the value chain and produce more high-tech goods as it has repeatedly indicated, for which it needs FDI and more open trade. China is beginning to miss out on these two factors as a result of the US-China trade war, tensions with neighbours on account of aggressive behaviour and suspension of human rights in Hong Kong. In the medium to long-term, China could see a larger negative effect on productivity. A reduction in productivity growth will hurt China's potential growth rate, which increasingly relies on technological innovation, rather than, for example, labour force growth. Finally, global value chains from China will be disrupted with countries like India, Bangladesh and the southeast Asian region taking away the giant's business. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72066020R10016 ISSUANCE DATE: September 15, 2020 CLOSING DATE/TIME: October 13, 2020 at 17:00 (Kinshasa Time) SUBJECT: Solicitation for a Cooperating Country National Personal Service Contractor (CCNPSC - Local Compensation Plan) USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Lab and Logistics), based in Kinshasa Dear Prospective Offerors: The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation. Offers must be in accordance with Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offers. Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the Attached 1. Sincerely, /S/ Priscilla Sampil Contracting Officer I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72066020R10016 2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 15, 2020 3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 13, 2020 at 17:00 (Kinshasa Time) 4. POINT OF CONTACT: Christiane Lemba at usaidhrkinshasa@usaid.gov 5. POSITION TITLE: USAID Project Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Lab and Logistics) 6. MARKET VALUE: equivalent to FSN-11 in accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/DRC. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value. 7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance is five (5) years, estimated to start o/a February 2021. The services provided under this contract are expected to be of continuing nature executed by USAID through a series of sequential contracts, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory job performance and need for continued services. 8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties. 9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Cooperating Country Nationals as defined in AIDAR Appendix J: Cooperating country national (CCN) means an individual who is a cooperating country citizen or a non-cooperating country citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the cooperating country. 10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Security Certification issued by the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office Click here to download the full document - PDF format Smoke from the West Coast's massive wildfires was visible as President Donald Trump exited Air Force One at McClellan Park, a former U.S. Air Force Base about 10 miles outside Sacramento, Calif., Monday. Trump visited the Golden State for a briefing on the multiple wildfires burning across the West Coast since mid-August, and from the tarmac he called a question regarding his slow response to the fires "nasty." "I got a call from the governor immediately and I called him immediately," Trump said. "On that call I declared an emergency. I gave an emergency declaration so don't tell me about not doing it. That included FEMA coming here immediately...That's a nasty question." While Trump signed an emergency declaration to open up federal funding for California to fight the fires in late-August, he didn't tweet about the fires until Friday night, according to the Washington Post. Speaking with reporters, the president said he has a "good relationship" with California Gov. Gavin Newsom even though they're "obviously from different sides of the political spectrum." Minutes after landing, Trump met with Newsom and other state officials. The governor got straight to the point. "It is self-evident that climate change is real," Newsom told the president. "I feel very strongly the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier." As he has repeatedly done in the past, Trump downplayed climate change and called on the need for better forest management to deter wildfires. California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot urged the president to recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forests. If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think its all about vegetation management, were not going to succeed together protecting Californians," Crowfoot added. It will start getting cooler, Trump said. "Just you watch." I wish science agreed with you, Crowfoot said. I dont think science knows, Trump says. The fires have killed at least 33 people, burned millions of acres and forced thousands from their homes on the West Coast. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. By Tom Perry and Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's factional rivalries put the brakes on moves to form a new government on Monday on the eve of a deadline agreed with France and stalling efforts to exit a dire economic crisis. Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib met President Michel Aoun for talks after two leading politicians objected to the way the cabinet was being formed. Political sources said Adib did not present a list of ministerial names as had been anticipated. Missing Tuesday's deadline could prove an early blow to a French effort to secure agreement from fractious politicians on reforms to root out corruption in return for foreign aid needed to resolve the worst crisis since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. France's Foreign Ministry said Lebanese politicians needed to deliver on their promise to agree on a cabinet. "It is up to them to translate this commitment into action without delay," spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said. President Emmanuel Macron said on Sept. 1, during a visit a month after a devastating Beirut port blast, that Lebanese politicians agreed to form a cabinet in 15 days, or by Tuesday, an ambitious timeline given it usually takes months. "The parties still have to fall into line," a French Elysee official said. After meeting Aoun, Lebanon's prime minister-designate told reporters: "God willing, all will be well." Sources with knowledge of the meeting said Adib told the Lebanese president he would return in a few days while Aoun consulted with various factions. 'TAKE A BREATH' Shi'ite and Christian parties voiced objections on Sunday to the way the Sunni prime minister-designate was trying to form the government without the traditional consultations. Adib, named on Aug. 31 after Macron's intervention just before his Beirut trip, has been working to form a cabinet of experts and plans to overhaul the leadership of ministries controlled by the same factions for years, sources say. Story continues Nabih Berri, the prominent Shi'ite parliament speaker and ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, said his group would not join a government formed on terms now proposed. But he said his group would cooperate in efforts to stabilise Lebanon. There has been little comment from Hezbollah, the heavily armed and politically powerful movement Washington deems a terrorist group but which Paris says has a legitimate political role. Any boycott by Berri and Hezbollah would deny the cabinet broad Shi'ite support in a sectarian system built on consensus among the nation's Muslim and Christian groups. A political source said Aoun and Adib agreed "that the sides take a breath to recrystalise this (government) formation in a way to protect it and secure its chances of succeeding." A senior politician said Adib told Aoun he would hold more consultations. He said if Adib gave into Berri's demands other factions would also want a say in picking ministers. "We will be back to square zero," the politician said. Berri wants to name the finance minister, a post held by a Shi'ite chosen by him since 2014. The minister will have a crucial role in drawing up Lebanon's economic rescue plan. Political sources said he became more insistent after the United States applied sanctions on his senior aide, Ali Hassan Khalil, who previously held the post. (Reporting by Ellen Francis and Tom Perry in Beirut and Michel Rose and John Irish in Paris; Editing by Edmund Blair) Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, today launched a new text-based mental health support which will be available to all returning and new third level students. Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI) has partnered with 50808, a free, anonymous 24/7 text service, to provide the new mental health support service for third level students. The text service partnership with PCHEI has been in development since March 2020. Minister Harris said: Students are our future leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs and business leaders, teachers, engineers, health staff, chefs, mechanics. Many of our science students will progress to careers where they develop new vaccines, so that we will have less risk from viruses such as the one we are valiantly trying to stem at present. They have endured so much. We now must take care of students mental health as we have a duty of care to them. This partnership will be vital. It will offer students a lifeline at any hour of the day. It will be free and anonymous. Our students need this service more than ever. I am also delighted that my Department was able to secure 5 million in funding for mental health services in our institutions of higher education, to ensure the ability of HEIs around the country to continue to provide assistance to students in need of help. A recent USI report, National Report on Students and COVID-19, shows that almost 27% of students would use a text support service provided by the college, while 26% indicated that they would use a text support service facilitated externally. Counsellors across the higher education sector are hopeful that 50808 will attract these students, who can text anonymously in a way that feels safe for them - maybe as a first step to further support. Were delighted to partner with 50808 so that our students have the option to engage with support, at the time they may immediately need it, and in a mode that is very comfortable and familiar to young people, explained Gertie Raftery, chairperson of PCHEI. "We're thrilled to be partnering with counselling services across the higher education sector in Ireland to provide an additional support to the suite of interventions available to students on campus, said Ian Power, CEO of 50808 and Spunout.ie, a national youth wellbeing and information website. We know that mental health challenges are something we can experience at any time, day or night, and we're delighted to be working with PCHEI and their members to ensure a listening ear for college students both out-of-hours and during the college day itself. 50808 will be available to listen to what's going on for students 24/7 and provide immediate support in an effort to help students move forward, feel better and get access to further supports and services if required." Targeted initiatives like 50808, which is funded by the HSE, are making mental health services more readily accessible to those in higher education, according to John Meehan, assistant director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). We know that people are particularly vulnerable at transition points in their life, such as the move to third level. This initiative is a great example of true partnership working, between health and education, and importantly will provide 24 hour crisis support to students whenever they need it, he said. This work is particularly aligned with our efforts in the HSE, to realise a wider suite of innovative and online mental health solutions. It is also aligned with our national strategy to reduce suicide, Connecting for Life, in which young people are identified as a key priority group. Now more than ever, we rely heavily on strong cross-sectoral and interagency partnerships in order to make meaningful progress. We would like to thank the PCHEI, HEA and to 50808 for all their collaborative efforts in bringing this partnership project to launch today, Mr Meehan added. Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Lorna Fitzpatrick, president of the Union of Student in Ireland (USI), said: It is really great to see this partnership launch today. The 50808 service is set to be a very valuable resource for students who may not be able to reach out to their counselling services on campus for various reasons. Student mental health is a priority for us all and ensuring students have access to someone to speak to when they are in need is so important. She continued: Students come from a variety of backgrounds and living situations and have many competing priorities and a lot to juggle, so they need to have different types of services to engage with for support. USI and PCHEI have worked very closely over the past number of years, and we are delighted to be able to support this partnership too. She's not bashful about sharing her opinions via social media. And as the world still reels from Avengers star Chris Evans' NSFW Instagram goof, Chrissy Teigen is joining in the conversation. Seemingly giving the Captain America actor a pass for his very revealing appendage snap, Teigen, 34, tweeted Sunday: 'My WhatsApp automatically saves every photo to my roll so any boobs in my phone are my girlfriends showing me their boobs or boobs they hate or boobs they love or yeah def also my boobs. Id say 80 percent of my roll is whatsapp nonsense between friends.' Opinion: Chrissy Teigen added her two cents worth about Chris Evans' NSFW Instagram gaffe, tweeting Sunday about how easy it is to have something go public you didn't intend to The model and mom-of-two continued: 'I know you can change the settings but I like it. Tons of pics of the kids between families, easy when it saves. It just means that every once in a while there is a crazy random meme I dont recall in my roll!' When some of her followers pressed her on why she didn't adjust the settings so as to prevent something she didn't want to share going public, Teigen responded: 'I don't want to.' When commenters kept on at her, she said: 'No I like it. I get loads of photos of the kids and makes it easier.' Set in her ways; When some of her fans pressed her on why she didn't adjust the settings to prevent something she didn't want to share going public, Teigen responded: 'I don't want to' Mom: Also Sunday, the model, who's married to John Legend, shared this snap of daughter Luna, four. Chrissy and John also share son Miles, two, and are expecting baby number three Meanwhile, Evans' brother Scott Evans also chimed in Sunday morning about his sibling's headline-making gaffe. 'Was off social media for the day yesterday. So. What'd I miss?' the 36-year-old tweeted. Chris' Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo also attempted to cheer the actor up following the unusual photo leak. 'Bro, while Trump is in office there is NOTHING you could possibly do to embarrass yourself. See... silver lining,' Mark assured his costar. 'What did I miss?' Chris Evans' brother Scott Evans did not let the photo leak moment fly by as he hilariously addressed it on his Twitter account on Sunday morning 'Silver lining': Chris' Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo also attempted to cheer the actor up following the unusual photo leak (pictured February 2020) The tweets were sent after Chris accidentally shared a photo of a penis during an innocuous game on Instagram. The 39-year-old Avengers: Endgame star shared a short video to his Instagram Stories on Saturday of himself and some friends playing Heads Up. But at the end of the video, a shot of the actor's phone camera roll came up, which featured a close-up photo of a penis. The entire clip has since been deleted. The picture didn't leave anything to the imagination, but it was cropped too closely to have any identifying features. Another image in the photo grid featured a headshot of the Avengers star with the words 'Guard That P***y' superimposed. Hilarious: Evans poked fun at the incident on his Twitter account Water under the bridge: Ruffalo reassured his costar on the social media platform Evans quickly became the subject of hundreds of thousands of tweets about the shocking photo. Most posts took a light-hearted approach to the accidental disclosure, with some gushing about the actor's potential anatomy. One Twitter user joked, 'Chris Evans seeing the response online..' and paired the caption with a gif of his Knives Out character saying, 'We gotta do this more often!' Whoops! Evans, 39, shocked social media users on Saturday after he accidentally shared a picture of a penis to Instagram in the middle of a PG-rated game with friends; shown in November 2019 Missed it: Evans shared a video of a game of Heads Up with friends to his Insta Stories, but a final shot of his camera roll revealed a picture of a penis; still from Captain America: First Avenger Quick to action: It wasn't clear if the member belonged to Evans or someone else, but that didn't stop Twitter users from poking fun at the accidental disclosure In the flesh: One person joked that they only wanted to see the penis if Evans showed it to them himself Digging it: Others sounded excited at the prospect of the photo Another person wrote, 'I don't wanna see Chris Evans' ding a ling unless he is showing it to me in person. Okkk?' The verified user Ines Helene shared a lustier post. 'Chris Evans leaking his own nudes is my favourite thing ever. Okay daddy we see you [big eyes emoji],' she wrote, before following it up with, 'I'll never snitch on daddy.' Security: The actor also had a headshot with the words 'Guard That P***y' superimposed, which elicited humorous tweets Own worst enemy: Another poster joked about how Chris couldn't even trust himself not to leak nudes Fakeout: A meme quickly developed in which users shared the camera roll but inserted a different unexpected photo in place of the penis Surprise! One users inserted a joke image of Thanos from the Avengers films as he showed off his beefy physique Another poster included a photo of one of the Queen's Guards at Buckingham Palace and wrote, 'i just KNOW that chris evans is gonna be guarding that p***y like this.' One user wrote 'Seeing why Chris Evans is trending. Me:' and included a meme reading, 'Trust nobody not even yourself' that showed a man whose doppelganger was sneaking up behind him with a gun. Although plenty of users had their own reactions to the accidental photo, a meme quickly developed in which Twitter posters shared the image of Evans' camera roll (which was cropped out by Twitter) but included something unexpected in place of the penis. 'Can someone explain why chris evans has this picture of thanos in his phone?' one post read, while featuring a camera roll snap including a humorous image of Thanos from the Avengers films with his bulging muscles and derriere exposed. Do the right thing: But it wasn't all fun and games, and multiple posters urged people not to share the photos as they were released without Evans' consent Too cute: Some users started sharing adorable photos of the Avengers star with his dog to break up the jokes Perfect match: One tweet included a cute photo of Chris dog wearing the same cable-knit sweater he wore in Knives Out It wasn't all fun and games, though, and multiple Twitter users called out those searching for the nude photo and posting about it because it lacked Evans' consent. 'I will put this right here: please do not share Chris Evans' nudes. It's not okay because he's a man, it's not okay because he's adored, it's NOT OKAY because he accidentally posted it himself. He's taken the images down; so should you. #consentmatters,' urged one person. Another fan wrote: 'Everyone talking about chris evans leaking his own nudes needs to really not spread that video around. You're violating his privacy after he realized and deleted it. yall really need to not spread that around.' Others tried to swamp the search results tied to the Captain America star's name with adorable photos of him with his dog Dodger, whom he adopted in April 2018. 'I feel so bad for him right now. Let's give this picture some attention because this man is incredible!' wrote Emma Fitzgerald, while including a sweet photo of the actor with in a New England Patriots shirt while cuddled up with his dog. Another tweet juxtaposed a still of Evans in his popular cable-knit sweater from Knives Out with an adorable photo of his dog wearing a sleeveless update on the design. History: Evans was linked to Baby Driver actress Lily James after they were spotted together twice in London in July, and he previously dated Jenny Slate and Minka Kelly, among others; shown in September 2019 Caitlyn Gray wrote, 'Chris Evans and his dog wearing matching sweaters is the only reason he should be trending today.' Evans was most recently linked to Baby Driver actress Lily James, after they were spotted together twice while in London in July. In 2016, he sparked a relationship with former SNL actress Jenny Slate. The couple took a break in 2017 before reuniting later in the year, though they broke up for good in March of 2018. Prior to that he had a years-long onoff relationship with Minka Kelly. Bud Lowenthal became the CEO of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. (NYSE:OPY) in 1985, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Oppenheimer Holdings. See our latest analysis for Oppenheimer Holdings How Does Total Compensation For Bud Lowenthal Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? According to our data, Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. has a market capitalization of US$295m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$5.9m over the year to December 2019. Notably, that's an increase of 18% over the year before. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at US$500k. In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations ranging from US$100m to US$400m, the reported median CEO total compensation was US$2.1m. Accordingly, our analysis reveals that Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. pays Bud Lowenthal north of the industry median. Furthermore, Bud Lowenthal directly owns US$78m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$500k US$500k 9% Other US$5.4m US$4.5m 91% Total Compensation US$5.9m US$5.0m 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 15% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 85% is other remuneration. In Oppenheimer Holdings' case, non-salary compensation represents a greater slice of total remuneration, in comparison to the broader industry. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance. Oppenheimer Holdings Inc.'s Growth Oppenheimer Holdings Inc.'s earnings per share (EPS) grew 50% per year over the last three years. It achieved revenue growth of 7.5% over the last year. Story continues This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently and is good news for the shareholders. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. While we don't have analyst forecasts for the company, shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Has Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. Been A Good Investment? Boasting a total shareholder return of 53% over three years, Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. has done well by shareholders. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size. To Conclude... As we noted earlier, Oppenheimer Holdings pays its CEO higher than the norm for similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. Importantly though, EPS growth and shareholder returns are very impressive over the last three years. Considering such exceptional results for the company, we'd venture to say CEO compensation is fair. The pleasing shareholder returns are the cherry on top. We wouldn't be wrong in saying that shareholders feel that Bud's performance creates value for the company. CEO compensation is a crucial aspect to keep your eyes on but investors also need to keep their eyes open for other issues related to business performance. We've identified 1 warning sign for Oppenheimer Holdings that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment. Switching gears from Oppenheimer Holdings, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. 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 Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday dismissed an application by five leaders of a faction of the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) seeking to join in an appeal filed by the governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, against the judgement of the Bayelsa governorship election tribunal. The ANDP had in its earlier petition challenged the illegal disqualification of its candidate, Lucky King-George, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from participating in the November 16, 2019 governorship election. In a split decision on August 17, the tribunal upheld the ANDPs petition and ordered that INEC conduct a fresh governorship election in the state within 90 days, a judgement Mr Diri seeks to cancel. The ANDPs counsel, Dominic Anyiador, in a fresh application on Monday, registered names of five members seeking to be joined as interested members in the suit earlier filed by the party. READ ALSO: The five factional leaders are James Femowei (chairman), Barnabas Nwanguwa (national vice chairman), Fortune Oyadongha (national publicity secretary), Fred Ikhaghu (national director NGO/Volunteers) and Linda Nyam (director of admin and records). The applicants in their submission claimed that they are genuine members of the ANDP and that they were unaware of the petition filed by the party at the tribunal challenging Mr Diris election. They stated their support for the governor. They also stated that Charles Ogholi, the national chairman of the party, had already been expelled from the party since 2018 and thus had no right or power to do anything. The 1st respondent (ANDP) as a political party endorsed and adopted his excellency Senator Duoye Diri and his deputy Lawrence Erhujakpor as its gubernatorial candidates in the said November 16th 2019 gubernatorial election conducted by the 3rd (INEC) respondent in Bayelsa State. The judgement of the lower court nullifying the election of the governor of Bayelsa State came to the interested parties and other members of the 1st respondent as a rude shock reason being that they were/are not aware of any pending suit by the 1st respondent against the governor of Bayelsa State bothering on his election held on the 16th day of November 2019, the applicants counsel posited. In its defence, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, counsel to Mr Ogholi, in turn urged the court to dismiss the application saying to the court that it lacked jurisdiction on the matter because it is an inter-party affair. In its judgement, the appeal courts three-member panel led by Steven Adah, dismissed the application saying it was, irrelevant, prejudicial and a waste of judicial time and ordered that the appellants and the respondents be paid the sum of N200,000 each by the applicants. The European Investment Bank will stand by Egypt in case of a second wave of coronavirus, said Alfredo Abad With a portfolio of 4.8 billion, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has been one of the biggest investors in the Egyptian market over the past 40 years. In an exclusive interview, head of the EIBs Cairo Office Alfredo Abad shares with Ahram Online the banks plans in the domestic market amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and how the bank is expected to support Egypt in case of a looming second wave. Ahram Online: Do you think the anticipated second wave of COVID-19 will severely hit the global economy? Alfredo Abad: There are uncertainties over the future development of COVID-19. For this, authorities need to plan for different possible scenarios. However, the expected economic impact may be less than in past months because healthcare systems are better prepared to tackle the pandemic. In addition, countries have adopted policies and financial response packages to reduce the economic impact of the pandemic. For a clearer understanding of COVID-19 impacts outside the European Union (EU), the EIBs Economics Department developed an index based on a small set of economic indicators to rate countries economic vulnerability to the crisis. The indicators include measures for the quality of the healthcare system, the age of the population, the structure of the economy, and countries ability to respond to shocks. The index divides countries into three categories of vulnerability: low, intermediate, and high. The index shows that the economies of low-income countries are highly vulnerable: half of low-income countries and 25 percent of middle-income countries are assigned to the high vulnerability category. Unsurprisingly, higher-income countries generally have better coping capacities, even when hit by this global shock. In the EU, for example, the European Commission proposed the Next Generation EU budget at 750 billion as well as targeted reinforcements to the long-term EU budget for 2021-2027 that will bring the total of the EU budget to 1.85 trillion. This financial firepower of the EU will support economies against COVID-19 impacts as well as other shocks. AO: How has COVID-19 impacted Egypts economy? AA: The services sector, including tourism and travel, was hit by the pandemic from the very beginning. However, sectors like the agriculture, followed by the industry, showed more resilience. Egypt enjoys a diversified economy with a young population. These two factors helped to reduce the economic and health impacts of COVID 19. In addition, the rapid economic response of the government has supported economic activity. AO: How do you assess the containment and precaution measures Egypt has adopted to allay the coronavirus repercussions? AA: The Egyptian government responded to the pandemic with important measures in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which played a significant role in reducing the spread of the virus so far. AO: What about the economic procedures? AA: Egypts economic response to COVID-19, which came in the early stages, has mitigated the economic fall-out of the pandemic. The rapid reaction of the government and the central bank enabled the Egyptian economy to grow at a time many economies were contracting. The latest figures suggest an annual growth rate of 3.8 percent for FY 2019/2020. Without the emergency response package, this would not have been possible. Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided a 12-month Stand-by Arrangement for Egypt to help Egypt cope with challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrangement provides funds to meet the balance of payments needs and to finance the fiscal deficit. It also helps to safeguard the macroeconomic stability achieved over the past years, support health and social spending to protect vulnerable groups, and advance a set of key structural reforms to put Egypt on a strong footing for sustained recovery with higher and more inclusive growth and job creation over the medium term. AO: How have the EIB's investments in Egypt helped? AA: The EIB has a longstanding partnership with Egypt for more than 40 years. The bank financed and supported the implementation of various projects in many sectors to support social and economic development and create job opportunities in the country, as the funds provided by the European Investment Bank to Egypt amounted to nearly 9.8 billion over these years. Recently, we discussed with Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat means to reinforce the longstanding relationship with Egypt. In February, we issued a joint statement to reflect on future cooperation between Egypt and the bank. We will remain mobilised to provide the necessary financing to achieving Egypts National Development Agenda 2030, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the EU policy objectives in Egypt, as well as the EU partnership objectives. AO: What is the volume of the EIB business in the Egyptian market? AA: Our current portfolio is worth over 4.8 billion, covering numerous development projects in various sectors including water and wastewater, transportation, SMEs, air-navigation, environment, and energy. AO: How can the new banking law enhance Egypts banking system? AA: The new banking law is part of the structural reform efforts pursued by the Egyptian authorities. The law provides a modern framework in which to conduct monetary policy and strengthens the independence of the Central Bank of Egypt. The new regulatory framework can strengthen banking sector governance and thereby support financial stability and financial inclusion. AO: Which Egyptian sectors is the EIB interested to support and invest in amid the coronavirus crisis? AA: We are looking forward to stepping up our cooperation with the Egyptian government to support sustainable development, climate change mitigation and adaptation and the environment. EIB actions will be based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the EIBs new strategy for climate action and environmental sustainability launched by the end of 2019. AO: How did the pandemic change your action plans in the Egyptian market? AA: As part of the Team Europe response to COVID 19, we mobilised more financing for Egypt to address urgent financing needs in the country. AO: How does the EIB support Egypt amid the crisis? AA: We discussed the needs of Egypt with Minister El-Mashat and our local partners. Moreover, we took rapid steps to support the Egyptian economy. Recently we signed an agreement with the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) for 800 million to support SMEs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we approved a financing package of 1.1 billion to support the transport sector in Egypt. The 800m will focus on companies in the sectors most affected by the pandemic and whose production capacity has been affected. The banks financing helps provide the liquidity needed to support short-term working capital needs in such a challenging period. The loan will help to sustain the business continuity of many Egyptian companies and support them in maintaining existing jobs and creating additional jobs. AO: What procedures should the government adopt to develop more economic resilience? AA: The Egyptian government has a very ambitious investment plan in different sectors. The implementation of the plan will further improve available infrastructure and create more opportunities in the country. As part of the Stand-by Agreement with the IMF, there are plans to reinforce the role of the private sector in the economy. AO: How can the EIB support Egypt's economy in case of a second coronavirus wave? AA: We work closely with the Egyptian government to respond to urgent needs. We are increasing our support of the private sector to improve access to finance. Our support continues to improve the resilience of the Egyptian economy in the framework of the banks Economic Resilience Initiative. The agreement signed with the NBE is the first agreement signed in Egypt under this framework. AO: What are the EIB's future plans in Egypt? AA: We will seek to strengthen cooperation in new sectors and deepen our cooperation in the transport and energy sectors, support of SMEs and the environment (water and wastewater, and climate adaptation). For 2020, the EIB expects to significantly increase its lending volume. We are following a long pipeline of public sector investment projects in the areas of urban public transport, railway rehabilitation, water and wastewater, and irrigation. Search Keywords: Short link: September 14, 2020 NIH contracts to explore radiation countermeasures, Alzheimers medication, and convalescent plasma, Mission Bio gets $70M for single cell multi-omics technology, and more. $300M: Series D for New Materials Science and material innovation company Zymergen (Emeryville, Calif.) has announced $300M in new investment to accelerate its delivery of revolutionary, high performance materials. The investment includes initial Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford, joined by Baron Capital Group and one of the worlds largest sovereign wealth funds, as well as additional growth financing from Perceptive Advisors. A number of current investors are also returning, and Zymergen expects to raise additional capital in Q4 as part of a Series D round. Zymergen develops and launches better performing products more sustainably and for a fraction of the cost and time that it typically takes using incumbent techniques. A unique combination of biology, chemistry, machine learning and lab automation underpins Zymergens powerful proprietary platform, driving the companys ability to discover, design and commercialize never-before-seen materials. $270M: Series C for Multiomics Blood Testing for Cancer Freenome (South San Francisco, Calif.) announced an oversubscribed $270M Series C financing to accelerate the PREEMPT CRC clinical trial for Freenomes blood test for colorectal cancer screening and precancerous lesion detection, advance a pipeline of blood tests for both the early detection and early intervention of additional cancers, and continue building the companys proprietary multiomics platform. PREEMPT CRC is an FDA registrational study launched in May 2020 to support approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first front-line blood test to help the 45 million people who are currently not up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening guidelines in the U.S. The Series C financing was led by new investor Bain Capital Life Sciences and existing investor Perceptive Advisors. They were joined by a group of other new investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company, LLC, Janus Henderson Investors, Farallon Capital Management, Rock Springs Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, EcoR1 Capital, LLC, Catalio Capital Management, and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. $100M: Radiation Countermeasures SRI International (Menlo Park, Calif.) has been awarded a seven-year contract of up to $100 million from the National Institutes of Healths (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to support the research and development of radiation/nuclear medical countermeasures (MCMs). Under the contract, SRI Biosciences, a division of SRI International, will provide facilities, expertise, and capabilities to advance the development of MCMs for the mitigation or treatment of acute radiation syndromes as well as the treatment of delayed effects from acute radiation exposure (ARS/DEARE) and internal radionuclide contamination. SRI researchers will also support NIAIDs ongoing biodosimetry efforts. $74M: Five-Year NIH Grant To Test Alzheimers Meds Alzheon (Framingham, Mass.) has announced today that the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) has awarded the company a grant expected to total $47 million over 5 years to support a Phase 3 clinical study with ALZ-801, an oral agent that blocks the formation of neurotoxic soluble amyloid oligomers. The study will enroll Early AD patients, who have two copies of the apolipoprotein e4 allele (APOE4/4). AD patients with this genetic profile have been shown to have a higher risk of rapid disease progression and to be responsive to agents targeting pathogenic amyloid oligomers. $70M: Series C for Single Cell Multi-Omics Technology Mission Bio (South San Francisco, Calif.) announced $70 million in its Series C financing led by Novo Growth, the growth equity arm of Novo Holdings. Soleus Capital also joins the round, along with earlier investors Mayfield, Cota, and Agilent, bringing the companys total funding to more than $120 million. The funds will be used to scale its single-cell multi-omics technology, the Tapestri Platform, to expand the companys reach in more effective clinical trials for novel cancer treatments, as well as characterization for cell and gene therapy. $50M: Decentralized Research THREAD (Durhan, NC) received additional capital commitment of up to $50 million from strategic health care investors, Water Street Healthcare Partners and JLL Partners. The companys latest capital infusion builds on a year of significant growth and investments in its platform and services to advance decentralized research approaches for large-scale, Phase Ib - IV global clinical trials. To date, THREAD has supported more than 100 decentralized studies. The company will continue to invest in expanding and enhancing its innovative platform and supporting services. $40M: Decentralized Clinical Trials Science 37 (Los Angeles) has closed an oversubscribed $40 million funding round. Existing investors Lux Capital, Redmile Group, and PPD, Inc. led the round, and are joined by existing investors Novartis, Amgen, Sanofi Ventures, GV, and Glynn Capital. Notable new investors include LifeSci Ventures and Mubadala Ventures. Science 37 will use the new capital to support its rapid growth, expand its technology platform, and accelerate its global expansion effortsfurther strengthening its ability to help sponsors execute decentralized trials and enable patients to participate in trials from anywhere, without the burden of traveling to a traditional clinical site. $34M: NIH Grant for Nationwide Study of Convalescent Plasma Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.) has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of "convalescent plasma" as a treatment for COVID-19. The randomized, controlled trial will test whether infusions of plasma, the liquid part of blood collected from COVID-19 survivors, can help other hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The study will recruit 1,000 participants in approximately 51 sites across the country. The goal is to complete enrollment by October 31, and report results by November. $25.5M: Series B for Healthcare Interoperability Bridge Connector (Nashville, Tenn.), an interoperability company changing the way health care communicates, today announced it has raised $25.5 million in Series B financing. The latest round, led by Axioma Ventures, was joined by all existing investors, including veteran investor Jeff Vinick, and brings Bridge Connectors total funding to over $45 million. After achieving over 1000% year-over-year growth in 2019, the investment will further support the companys increasing market share in health care interoperability and growth of Destinations, a new integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) that connects health data systems using use-case-based interoperability blueprints to speed integrations with major vendors. Bridge Connector provides a suite of vendor-agnostic integration solutions and a full-service delivery model, helping health care vendors, providers, and payers more easily share data between disparate systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs) or patient engagement solutions. $12M: Cloud Clinical Data Platform Castor (Hoboken, New Jersey) has announced a $12 million funding round led by Two Sigma Ventures with participation from Hambrecht Ducera Growth Ventures and existing investor INKEF Capital. Castors clinical data platform that simplifies the clinical trial process, from recruitment to analysis, for researchers globally. Its used by more than 50,000 users across academia and commercial research, powering more than 4,000 studies with more than 2,000,000 enrolled patients across 90 countries. 192 medical device, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs) are using Castors platform. Castor made its platform freely available for all non-profit COVID-19 research starting in February. $11.8M: Series A for Digital Sedation Oncomfort (Brussells), the Belgian inventor of and leader in Digital Sedationa method for relieving patients' pain and anxiety without medicationhas completed a 10 million Series A funding round co-led by two prominent institutional investors: Debiopharm and Credit Mutuel Innovation. Oncomfort plans to use this investment to develop its innovative digital therapy solutions and accelerate its international expansion in Europe and the US. Founded in 2017, Oncomfort invented Digital Sedation, a completely new method for relieving patients' pain and anxiety through treatment with clinically proven sessions of therapeutic Virtual Reality. Since the launch of the Sedakit for Digital Sedation in Benelux and France in June 2019, over 30,000 patients have been treated and have had their pain and anxiety relieved before, during, and after interventions in many clinical fields such as anesthesia, oncology, interventional radiology and cardiology, as well as pediatrics. $9.94M: Five Year NIH Grant for Rare Genetic Diseases Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Tex.) has received a five-year, $9.94 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for the new Center for Precision Medicine Models to facilitate the study of rare genetic diseases. The center will use precision animal models of a patients or group of patients specific genetic variation and study why the change causes disease and how the disease can be treated. The center will take nominations for genetic variants to model from patients, patient groups, clinicians, researchers, and NIH-funded consortiums like the Undiagnosed Diseases Network and the Centers for Mendelian Genomics. An accepted disease-causing genetic variant must previously be identified in order to be considered for modeling. After a case is submitted, the centers clinical and bioinformatics teams will independently assess the genetic variant for likelihood of causing disease. Next, the modeling team will decide if a precision model organism can be produced for that particular genetic change and whether appropriate resources are available within the center to study the disease. A final decision about whether to select the case will be made based on likely clinical benefit to the patient. $3M: Series of Grants from Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) is issuing the first of three grant rounds, totaling $3 million, as part of the organizations DxQI Seed Grant Program. The initial awards are up to $50,000 for 17 organizations testing interventions to improve the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of diagnoses. The 17 grantees awarded in this round are: Advocate Aurora Health; Atrium Health; The Atrium Health Levine Childrens Hospital; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Brigham Health/Brigham and Womens Hospital; The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Kaiser Permanente East Bay; Maine Medical Center; McMaster University; MedStar Health; Northwell Health; Northwestern Memorial HealthCare; Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children; The University of Michigan and Hurley Medical Center; The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio & University Health System; The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and The Veterans Education and Research Association of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. $1.5M: Regulatory Information Management Solutions Rimsys (Pittsburgh, Penn.) closed a $1.5 million investment round, led by Allos Ventures. The financing round will support Rimsys penetration of the MedTech Regulatory Information Management market through planned expansions of its product offering, sales, and marketing execution. Rimsys solution seamlessly integrates with MedTech manufacturers existing quality management systems, product lifecycle management systems, and sales and distribution software systems. Rimsys robust digital platform, with its intuitive user interface and global intelligence, enables its customers to meet market entrance requirements and grow internationally. John McIlwraith, managing director at Allos Ventures will join Rimsys board of directors. $1.3M: AI for Drug Repurposing for COVID-19 Relation Therapeutics (London), a drug development company driven by data science and machine learning (ML), has announced Project RE, which will apply Relation Therapeutics and its partners technology to the identification of repurposed drug combinations as potential therapeutic candidates for COVID-19. Funding for Project RE is provided by a $1.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Relation Therapeutics. Project RE will focus on finding therapies to tackle viral entry and replication and is co-led between Mila (Quebec AI Institute) and Relation Therapeutics, with the overall scientific direction by Mila founder Professor Yoshua Bengio. The project will also create a platform to develop therapies that appropriately modulate the immune response through distinct stages of infection with oversight from Relations Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Roblin. $356,000: AI for Microbiome-Disease Link BioLizard (Ghent, Belgium) received a 300,000 research grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to leverage its world-leading expertise in bioinformatics, AI and machine learning, to establish the causal link between the human microbiome and disease. Collecting data from the broadest set of microbes, patient background and interactions, BioLizard is building a framework using state-of-the-art bioinformatics and AI tools to evaluate causal links in the human microbiome, purely from data. This will allow evaluation of whether microbe A causes disease B or if theyre only distantly related, thereby requiring a refining of focus. $100,000: COVID-19 Fast Grant for Enzymes Critical to SARS-CoV-2 Replication Dr. Christopher Basler, professor and director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a $100,000 COVID-19 Fast Grant to study enzymes that are critical for the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Basler is exploring several small molecule inhibitors that would block formation of membranes needed for SARS-CoV-2 infection. These include enzymes such as VPS34, long chain fatty acyl-coA synthetase and fatty acid synthase. Drugs that affect cell membranes and lipids are being pursued as treatments for other medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. Early data from the Basler lab suggest such drugs might be effective to slow SARS-CoV-2. A drug dealer has been ordered to pay back the 600,000 he made from peddling cocaine between 2018 and 2019 - even if it takes him the rest of his life. Yousef Woolcock, 37, will have to hand over any significant amounts of money he makes after he is released from a 17-year jail sentence. A judge ordered a whole of life payback plan at a Proceeds of Crime Hearing in Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday. Bundles of cash and a black Audi worth more than 16,000 have already been confiscated. Woolcock must pay the money after he is released from prison in almost two decades' time. He will then be saddled with the debt until it is paid back in full. Yousef Woolcock (pictured), 37, will have to hand over any significant amounts of money he makes after he is released from a 17-year jail sentence If he is given any valuable assets by way of inheritance, a gift, or even a lottery win, the police will have the power to seize it under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Sergeant Tim Jones, said: 'The Proceeds of Crime Act is powerful legislation which hits criminals in the pocket and ensures that crime does not pay for people like Yousef Woolcock. 'Long gone are the days when criminals will serve their time behind bars only to return to benefit from a lifestyle of luxury funded by their criminal past.' The dealer, from Barry in South Wales, was caught as part of Operation Blue Pearl and arrested in August last year. Bundles of cash were confiscated from the drug dealer. Operation Blue Pearl was launched after police received information that drugs were being transported from Barry to the South Wales valleys He was head of a sophisticated drugs gang that shipped class A substances inland from Barry to dealers in the South Wales valleys, including Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil. Between August 2018 and July 2019 Woolcock sold around 18kg of heroin and crack by contacting dealers and customers through a mobile phone known as the 'Barry line'. He was finally arrested when CCTV caught him topping up the phone. During the whole 12-month operation 64,000 worth of class A drugs, over 12,000 in cash, and weapons including knives, Tasers and hammers were seized by officers. Bundles of cash and a black Audi (pictured) worth more than 16,000 have already been confiscated. Woolcock must pay the full 600,000 upon his release from prison and will be saddled with the debt until it is paid back A South Wales police spokesman said: 'It means he will never be able to own a house or a car. 'We have specially trained officers who will make sure its confiscated. 'A lot of his profits might have already gone on holidays and we cant take what he doesnt have. He will be saddled with this debt for the rest of his life until its paid.' Woolcock was found with three packages of heroin worth between 2,580 and 5,160 in his anus while imprisoned at HMP Cardiff in November 2018. He was later convicted of two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possessing heroin with intent to supply. Pompeo is hopeful for end of Qatar blockade and wants to build on Arab-Israeli rapprochement to better confront Iran. The Trump administration is hoping to capitalise on agreements to be signed this week between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain by pressing for an end to a dispute that has roiled relations between the Gulf Arab countries. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the US is hopeful that Saudi Arabia and its regional allies will end a more-than-three-year blockade on neighbouring Qatar that has persisted despite repeated US calls for a resolution. Pompeo said it was particularly important to build on Arab-Israeli rapprochement to better confront increasing malign behaviour from Iran. To keep our focus on this work and to close the door to increased Iranian meddling, its past time to find a solution to the Gulf rift, Pompeo said. The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to open Qatars air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. I look forward to progress on this issue. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a speech during the opening of Afghan peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Pompeo made the comments at the opening of the US-Qatar strategic dialogue at the State Department also attended by Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and their Qatari counterparts. All of them also noted that Qatar is currently hosting peace talks between Afghanistans warring sides. We are confronting issues that matter not only to our two nations but also to the wider stability of the Middle East and neighbouring regions, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Despite regional challenges, including the ongoing blockade against us, our collaboration has continuously strengthened. The crisis has torn apart the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE part of the boycott thats targeted fellow member Qatar since 2017. Egypt also joined the boycott and all closed their airspace and borders to Qatar. Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, US Presidents senior adviser Jared Kushner and UAEs National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan hold a meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [File: Ministry of Presidential Affairs/WAM/Handout via Reuters] The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatars support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha. The four nations have also pointed to Qatars close relationship with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore gas field that provides the peninsular nation with its wealth. Qatar restored full diplomatic ties to Iran amid the dispute. Narendra Modi and Donald Trump Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for doing a great job in coronavirus testing, as he continued to slam his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for being a complete disaster in handling the swine flu during the previous administration. "By far, we've tested more people than India, than many, many big countries put together. India is second in coronavirus testing after the US. We're 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi calls me and says, what a job you've done with testing," Trump said. Advertisement Donald TrumpTrump is currently making a swing of some of the key states in the West Coast and has been spending a considerable amount of time in Nevada. The president said that Modi's comment on testing being done by the US needs to be explained to the media, which is after him over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. "I said; explain that to these media people. Biden's record demonstrates that if he had been in charge, when the China virus arrived, hundreds of thousands of more Americans would have died. As vice president, he presided over the worst and the weakest and the slowest economic recovery, since the great depression, Trump said. Trump said that it was the most pathetic recovery, since the depression. No state was hit harder by Biden's failure than Nevada. This is not the guy you want, he said. Advertisement Narendra Modi and Donald Trump Trump said that he has spent the last four years bringing jobs back to America, securing borders, rebuilding the military and standing up to China, like never before. "Nobody had ever stood up to China like we have stood up to China and you haven't seen the last of it, he said. Biden, if he wins, would be controlled by the left radicals. Now he wants to surrender our country to the violent left wing mob. If Biden wins, China wins. If Biden wins, the mob wins, Trump said. If Biden wins the rioters win, the anarchists win, the flag burners, the anarchists...they all win, he alleged. Monday, September 14, 2020 at 3:03PM If this patent ever becomes an actual product feature, Instagram can charge its users a fee for adding links to photo captions. The patent application Instagram's parent company Facebook filed back in 2016, displays a pop-up that would appear when a user adds a URL to a caption. It asks you if you want to pay $2 to make the link live. Titled "Adding paid links to media captions in a social networking system," the patent describes how the system would function: "If the online system detects the text content of the caption includes a string of link text identifying an address, the online system prompts the posting user to pay a fee in exchange for generating a link." Since it's beginnings, it isn't possible to link a story, product, or other URLs in captions of photos. So, users have to add links through their bio or Instagram Stories (at least for verified users). Of course, getting users to pay for this feature is an entirely different question. But it will open up a new way for the social network to generate revenue. However, we do have to remind you that patents don't always become final products. At the very least, it shows us what the company is thinking about releasing on the app. Source: Protocol; Via: The Verge Digital initiatives for seamless travel and e-commerce being forged by new partnership between Mastercard and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Mastercard and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Co-Develop digital initiatives and tools to Reimagine Tourism in the Digital-First Age STB and Mastercard have signed a digital initiatives partnership to jointly explore solutions and ideas to transform the tourism visitor experience Mastercard and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on September 10 announced a partnership, with STB being the first National Tourism Organisation to join Mastercards City Possible programme. As part of the programme, the two partners will collaborate on addressing challenges faced by Singapores tourism industry. Through the partnership, a range of solutions and initiatives will be explored to help the sector transform their businesses, pivot to new audiences, and prepare for the gradual return of international visitors. With increased demand for contactless options in a COVID-19 world, the partnership will commence with co-creating digital initiatives for seamless international travel and e-commerce, while enhancing the experience for consumers. This partnership is under Mastercards City Possible program, which has been designed with the vision to #MakeTechWorkForPeople by aligning key stakeholders to address challenging issues faced by city planners. City Possible connects its members to holistic urban solutions and provides unrivalled access to the best knowledge and expertise from a global community of urban leaders, businesses, NGOs and academics. This partnership will see Mastercard and STB collaborating on these projects with the following objectives: digital initiatives The digital initiatives will enhance experience for consumers Joint Technology Development The partners will work together to research and develop ways to enhance STBs Visit Singapore Pass (VSP) to provide more contactless ticketing and payments for tourism offerings in Singapore. (The Visit Singapore Pass (VSP) is a single digital pass that provides visitors with seamless access to curated experiences across Singapore, using a universal ticketing standard.) This will provide a more seamless journey for all consumers in Singapore, tourists and locals alike. Story continues Mastercards City Possible programme would provide strong support for the joint technology development, by dedicating talent and expertise from Mastercards Singapore-based Labs team to work on the project. In addition, the partners would also be able to leverage City Possibles global network of knowledge and expertise on urban solutions to further innovate in the project. Generate Insights and Identify Trends The partners will also share data insights and collaborate in using the insights for business planning in the tourism industry. (STB and Mastercard said that any data sharing will be in compliance with all applicable data privacy laws and regulations.) For example, information on spending patterns and trends could help the tourism industry better plan the launch timings of promotions and campaigns. Joint Marketing- The partners will identify opportunities to work together on joint marketing and advertising campaigns that will drive visitorship to Singapores tourism offerings, as Singapore prepares for the gradual return of international visitors. We are honoured to partner Mastercard as this collaboration will allow for greater sharing of ideas, resources, and expertise. This partnership places Singapore and STB on the path to becoming a global lab for solutions and pilots, creating travel experiences that are safe, yet personalised to the needs of our visitors, said Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. The partnership is also in line with our efforts to transform and build new capabilities for our tourism industry. As we chart a new path forward for the tourism sector, it is crucial to develop and implement solutions that can meet evolving consumer needs, Tan said. The way we live, work, travel and consume has undergone rapid changes due to the pandemic. Mastercard Impact StudiesTM show that more people are adopting digital technologies, especially for payments and ecommerce, to stay safe and continue everyday living with peace of mind. There is an urgent need for public and private sector players to work together to identify the best strategies for all industries to digitize, be flexible, and agile in efforts to keep up with new consumer demands. Singapore Tourism Board has always been on the cutting edge of technological innovation, helping Singapore to maintain its leading position among the top five most popular cities in the world for international travellers. Mastercard looks forward to working closely with STB, to reimagine Singapores travel sector, said Ari Sarker, Co-President, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. 2019 marked 10 years worth of insights stemming from Mastercards Global Destination Cities Index. The report showed the rise of international travel to cities around the world and the impact it is having in driving local commerce. The report said travel is booming, but for host countries and cities, generating profits cant live in isolation. Holistic strategies must create pathways to sustainable and inclusive growth for all segments of society. With the right insights, innovations, and partnerships between the public and private sectors, we can help local leaders better understand how to anticipate, plan for, and manage increasing flows of visitors and how to empower businesses of all sizes to better serve the needs of international visitors. The benefits of good planning will extend beyond commerce to inclusive, sustainable growth and being respectful of local natural habitats. Mastercards globally trusted network stands at the heart of the tourism industry and todays announcement builds on established partnerships with national, regional and city governments to provide insights into trends in the tourism industry with the goal of building more economically sustainable strategies. In 2019, the Tourism sector contributed 4% of Singapores annual GDP with over 19 million visitors. With this industry now facing 60%+ drop in revenue and employment. it is more critical than ever to co-create innovative technology to rejuvenate the industry and ensure an inclusive recovery. The post Digital initiatives for seamless e-commerce being forged by new partnership appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources. Manama, Bahrain KFHBahrain, announced today the launch of a first-of-its-kind Sharia compliant Securitization Program offering financial institutions and state-owned entities an innovative solution to manage both their liquidity positions and balance sheets through the issuance of a Series of Mudaraba Sukuk under a trust structure. Under the Program, a Series of Mudaraba Sukuk will be issued against a select pool of financing portfolios where the sukuk holders become the ultimate beneficiaries of the financing portfolio. This will allow institutions the flexibility to expand or contract their balance sheet, increased capacity to grow business by booking new financing deals, and improve key ratios as and when required. The Securitization Program has been designed in a way that can also be used for non-KFH-Bahrain financing portfolios, where the Bank acts as an arranger. This provides a wonderful platform for any financial institution regulated by the CBB or any government-owned entity to securitize their assets through the issuance of various Series. Commenting on this Program, Mr. Abdulhakeem Alkhayyat, Managing Director and CEO said: We are pleased to announce the launch of the first Securitization Program for an Islamic financial institution. This Program is very timely; the valuable products that could emerge from the Program would not only be beneficial for the Bank, but will also benefit the entire industry. We would like to thank the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain Mr. Rasheed Al Maraj for his continuous support and the professionalism and diligent efforts of his team. Also, we would like to congratulate our employees who worked on achieving this important milestone. Alkhayyat added: Through the issuance of asset-back securities, such as mortgage-backed securities, it will increase market activity and financial institutions ability to finance housing units in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This should lead to more market movement making the sector much more efficient. Furthermore, this will positively contribute to the capital markets in Bahrain. In addition, Mr. Rashid Alkhan, Head of Wealth Management also commented: This Program has been diligently structured to ensure it has the right protection for all stakeholders, including our valued investors. It provides an opportunity for clients to diversify their portfolio allocation strategy and enhance their risk-adjusted returns by having exposure to a combination of assets. This product is a valuable addition to the suite of Wealth Management products and services. KFH Wealth Management department provides a one-stop shop for clients with unique products and services across all major asset classes, enabling them to benefit from investment diversification. The products include Sukuk, Asset-backed Securities, Islamic Margin Finance, Restricted Investment Accounts (RIA), Lombard Finance, and Operational & Fixed Deposit Accounts. Additionally, the department collaborates with the Banks partner, KFH Capital, to give investors access to unique investment opportunities such as income generating real estate, and other alternative investments globally. Late former President Pranab Mukherjee had a thumb rule for smooth conduct of Parliament sessions: the Opposition must have its say, no matter what the government thought and the government must have its way with its legislative business, even if the Opposition was dead against it. A parliamentary session in the time of COVID-19, which begins on September 14, however, needs more than just application of the rule, because so much has happened in the last six months. Hitherto, both sides have been at loggerheads since the Lok Sabha polls of 2014, which brought the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power. More so, after the 2019 polls, which handed an even greater mandate to Modi, resulting in the ties between the government and the Opposition turning to anything but cordial. The last Parliament session ended on March 23, 12 days ahead of its scheduled closure. By then, the pandemic had reared its head across the states. Article 85(1) in the Constitution states: The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one Session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next Session. This meant that the Houses must be summoned before September 19. Consequently, we are set to see Parliament reassemble to handle a heavy legislative agenda 33 Bills, including those to replace 11 ordinances that were promulgated during the inter-session period. The session will have many firsts because of the strict requirement to stick to COVID-19 protocol. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will sit on alternate days so that members can maintain physical distancing by being spread over both chambers. Even the visitor galleries will be occupied by the MPs. In all, there will be 18 sittings without a days break. The lunch break, between 1 pm and 3 pm, would be used to disinfect the chambers. There will be no Question Hour, though members can get written answers to written questions. The Zero Hour, where any member can raise issues of urgent national importance, will be reduced to 30 minutes. For the MPs, the new drill is indeed a tough call. They will have to turn up in the House with a COVID-19 negative certificate, and avoid close contact with their colleagues who are used to being huddling together. The government had held extensive discussions with various political parties, and a majority of them were in favour of retaining the Zero Hour, while doing away with the Question Hour. However, the Oppositions case is that, under the present dispensation, their attempts to address the peoples issues and concerns have often been overtaken by the formers zeal to push its legislative business (tuned to its political agenda). They have rather accused the government of using the pandemic as an excuse to do away with parliamentary scrutiny of its executive actions. Some Opposition members are also upset that their proposal for virtual attendance by MPs was not accepted by the chair, citing technological issues. So much so, many senior MPs (who have crossed 65 years of age and belong to the Upper House) have decided to give a miss to the session because they fear that they would be exposing themselves to the virus. It must not be forgotten that the average age of Lok Sabha MPs is 54 and that of the Rajya Sabha is 63. Everyone would agree that the government must be answerable to Parliament on the management of the pandemic or avoid queries on issues such as Chinas aggression on the LAC, the challenges on the economic front following the GDP contraction, or on the Centres commitment to states under the GST regime. At the same time, the Houses cannot be held hostage to a saga of continuous disruptions or adjournments witnessed earlier just because the Opposition cannot muster numbers to block the governments legislation. Ideally, Mukherjees thumb rule should be allowed to play: let the Opposition get full opportunity to voice its fears and misgivings on all issues and bills. In a quid quo pro, the government must not be blocked on its way to bring in the changes if it can convince a majority of MPs why they are so needed for the country to move forward again. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 18:48:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 pupils have been killed and seven others injured after a fire burnt a dormitory to ashes at a primary school in Tanzania's northwest region of Kagera, an official said on Monday. "The 10 victims were burnt beyond recognition and three of the seven injured pupils are in critical condition," Marco Gaguti, Kagera regional commissioner, told Xinhua when reached by phone. Gaguti said the fire broke out at around 11 p.m. local time on Sunday razing a dormitory for 74 pupils in Itera village in Kyerwa district. The school is for boys only. "Most of the pupils trapped in the dormitory were rescued by police, the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force (TFRF) and neighbors," said Gaguti who was at the scene of the grisly accident. Gaguti said the cause of the fire was yet to be established but he has formed a probe committee comprising of members from the police force, the Tanzania Electric Supply Company, the Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service and the TFRF. "We hope the investigative team will be able to establish the cause of the fire," said Gaguti, adding that the school has been shut down for seven days to pave way for the investigations. Enditem WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MRNS) - Shares of the drug company surged nearly 70% in after-hours trading on Monday. Marinus announced that its Ganaxolone achieved primary endpoint in late stage trial for CDKL5 deficiency disorder, a rare form of genetic epilepsy. The company plans to submit New Drug Application by mid-2021 with commercial launch targeted for first half of 2022. Novus Therapeutics, Inc. (NVUS) - The nano-cap company's stock soared over 140% in after-hours period after the company announced it has completed the acquisition of Anelixis Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held clinical stage biotechnology company developing a next generation anti-CD40 Ligand (CD40L) antibody as a potential treatment for organ and cellular transplantation, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) - Shares of the company jumped nearly 6% after the bell on Monday after the company lifted its financial outlook and announced a 4:1 stock split. For 2021, NextEra Energy increased its financial expectations by $0.20 and now expects adjusted earnings of $9.60 to $10.15 per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters currently estimate earnings of $9.88 per share. For 2022 and 2023, NextEra Energy expects to grow 6% to 8% Nikola Corp. (NKLA) - The electric car company's shares slipped 8% in extended trading on Monday after a Bloomberg report that the Securities and Exchange Commission will examine the company after a short seller report alleged that Nikola deceived investors about its business prospects. Nikola said that the report had 'dozens' of inaccuracies and that it had contacted the SEC. 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. By Kevin McHugh New Jersey is ranked second in the nation in the reduction of the prison population by percentage, much of this is due to progressive policies including investments in prisoner reentry and community reintegration programs. One such community reintegration program that New Jersey has pioneered nationally has been investment in Residential Community Release Programs (RCRPs), or halfway houses. Individuals who have been incarcerated have basic, yet extremely complex needs. They require transitional support, community supervision, access to substance abuse and mental health treatment services, healthcare, employment assistance, life skills development and housing placement assistance. Halfway houses address these unique needs while providing each individual with the services and support needed to establish and sustain independent, self-fulfilled lives while enabling successful integration back to the community. New Jerseys community corrections providers, like the New Jersey Association on Correction, which opened the first halfway house for offenders in New Jersey in 1966 and has been advocating for and providing services to formerly incarcerated individuals for more than 50 years, along with many others throughout the state, are pivotal to the successful reintegration of individuals back into society after incarceration. These providers pioneered the implementation of evidence-based practices in halfway houses. For nearly four decades, New Jersey has established a solid community corrections infrastructure that allows providers to successfully and safely deliver the services necessary to meet the evolving needs of those returning to society after incarceration. Halfway houses have a distinct place within this infrastructure providing a safe, structured environment where offenders nearing release to the community can rebuild their lives through programs that address the multiple, complex challenges they may face when transitioning back into society. These programs serve as buffers between the prison and the public safeguarding our communities by allowing for the gradual and safe reintegration of offenders at a steady, stable pace with multiple support systems to ensure success. The successes of halfway houses in New Jersey are undeniable. Halfway houses have directly contributed to the substantial reduction of recidivism rates, making New Jersey a national leader and model for the successful reintegration of individuals back into society after incarceration. Halfway houses have also contributed to a 40% reduction of the prison population to date. Additionally, they have contributed to a marked improvement in public safety, as evidenced by a 37% reduction in the offender recidivism rates and the dramatically lower state crime rates. Despite the proven success of these programs, the proposed 2021 budget slashes funding to halfway houses by $27 million. This drastic cut comes at a time when thousands of offenders are expected to be released directly into the community in response to COVID-19 public health emergency legislation. Recent critics may be publicly mischaracterizing the important work of these programs. However, providers of these programs continue to be driven by non-profit organizations with a mission to serve and a passionate desire to help returning citizens succeed in establishing new, stable lives after incarceration and to end the cycle of reincarceration. The State of New Jersey has an obligation to continue to provide support for those who are returning from the criminal justice system and the disproportionate number of minorities served by these programs and this should be reflected in their budget and policy initiatives. Releasing thousands of inmates directly into the community, while at the same time pulling funding for community reentry programs, jeopardizes both the safety of those being released and of the public, while increasing the tremendous burden on disadvantaged communities to address the social services needed for those returning to society after incarceration. Plain and simple, this is a disaster waiting to happen. If we are mindful of history, especially in New Jersey, we know what the consequences of one bad release decision can be remember Megans Law? What is the level of risk we are exposing the community to when we reduce and/or circumvent the safeguards that we have put in place for this very purpose? Who should we point our fingers at when lives are lost and tragedies occur as a result of these ill-conceived measures? New Jersey is clearly going in the wrong direction. You cannot release an individual who has been incarcerated back into the community with absolutely nothing no support, no assistance, no guidance and with nowhere to turn. You are setting up that individual for failure and, further, re-offense. We urge our legislators to reconsider funding cuts to programs that ensure the safety and success of all New Jersey residents. Without continued funding for these critical programs in this years budget, these programs will close forever. It is time to find a creative, viable solution that would allow reentry providers to do what they do best provide the necessary supports to this vulnerable population while offering vital services to ensure their long-term success. Kevin McHugh is the executive director of the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The old American tradition of trust busting is having something of a renaissance. In late July, Congress summoned the chief executives of Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook for a historic hearing on the tech giants allegedly anti-competitive behavior. As soon as this month, state and federal prosecutors plan to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Google. And now, the New York state Legislature is about to consider a new bill that one expert said would put New York at the forefront of antitrust enforcement in the nation. On Monday, the state Senate will hold a hearing on a bill introduced earlier this summer by state Sen. Michael Gianaris that would expand the states ability to sue companies including tech giants for anti-competitive behavior. While antitrust enforcement tends to be thought of as something happening at the federal level the Department of Justices impending lawsuit against Google, for example the passage of this legislation could allow New York to take more aggressive action against companies allegedly engaging in anti-competitive behavior than its currently able to under federal antitrust laws. This bill in one stroke would transform New York state into a pioneer, a center of antitrust enforcement, said Tim Wu, a former advisor in the state attorney generals office, and author of the book, The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age. The 21st Century Antitrust Act introduced by Gianaris would amend New Yorks current antitrust law known as the Donnelly Act in a few key ways. First, it would allow private class action antitrust lawsuits, increase the maximum prison sentence for antitrust crimes to 15 years and increase the maximum penalty to $100 million. Second, it would allow the state to sue a single company for engaging in creating or attempting to create a monopoly. Currently, the law only allows the state to bring a lawsuit against two or more companies conspiring to conduct anti-competitive behavior. That standard is outdated, Gianaris said. When the laws were first written, 100-plus years ago, what they were really trying to get at were bid rigging or price fixing among players in the industry, where two or more players would team up to influence the market, he told City & State. And since that time, what we've seen is that unilateral behavior is a problem as well. Gianaris offered examples of that kind of behavior, including big companies undercutting their competition on prices even to their own temporary losses or a search engine directing traffic to its own products. (Google has been accused of doing the latter, but has denied the claim.) While antitrust lawsuits against unilateral action can be brought in federal court, Wu said theyre typically harder cases to win there. The federal judiciary has been loaded up for eight years maybe 20 years with antitrust skeptics, particularly in the Republican party, he said. So you have a federal judiciary thats pretty hostile to the antitrust laws. Under Gianaris legislation, these types of cases could now be brought in state court too, where judges may be less hostile to ruling against companies engaging in anti-competitive practices. But the most notable, and likely to be most controversial, aspect of the legislation is language that changes the standard of illegal behavior to include a company in a dominant position but not technically a monopoly abusing that position. That standard goes beyond whats defined as illegal in existing U.S. antitrust law, but it is used in other parts of the world, including in the European Union. Proving that a company is a monopoly is a bit like threading the eye of a needle, Wu said, noting that companies such as Amazon can argue that theyre not monopolies even as its accused of pushing smaller companies out of the market or using data from its third-party sellers for its own benefit. But legislation making it illegal for a company in a dominant position to abuse that position could make it easier to target some of those Big Tech companies. That actually covers a lot more companies than monopoly, because there are a lot of powerful companies who are dominant but not (a) monopoly, Wu said of the dominance standard. Already, however, critics have said that this standard is too vague and may even be unconstitutional. The state legislation does not explicitly define a dominant position and its not clear what constitutes an abuse of market dominance, though Gianaris said that part of the purpose of Mondays hearing is to refine the proposal. New York Attorney General Letitia James an antitrust crusader in her own right has already backed the proposal, and Gianaris said they are working hand-in-hand with her office on the legislation. But while the congressional hearings on antitrust issues earlier this summer put Big Techs unchecked powers in the spotlight, pushback on this legislation from big companies and industry groups will likely be fierce. Ahead of Mondays hearing, several groups had submitted written testimony against the legislation, including tech industry groups Tech:NYC and TechNet. As S.8700s bill memo states, Big Tech is the target of this bill, written testimony from Tech:NYC reads. But the chance to work and partner with Big Tech is partly what drives smaller tech companies and startups to New York. To make any businesses think twice about locating or expanding in New York right now is not something we as a New York-focused organization can support. While the full list of witnesses at Mondays hearing was not immediately available on the state Senates website, Gianaris said that not all business groups will line up against the legislation. This is a pro-business proposal in the sense that small and medium sized businesses that have been getting pounded by the big players will benefit greatly from this, he said. And we're gonna have some people testifying exactly about that. Sponsored Content Many hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are injured each year as a result of accidents, and a significant proportion of these injuries are lifechanging. Life-changing injuries can have a significant and devastating impact on those affected. It can result in permanent disability, ongoing health issues, psychological problems and even reduced life expectancy. You may have to take long periods of time off work or you may not be able to return to your job. As a result of whats happened, you may have long-term medical and care needs. If you or a family member has suffered a life-changing injury due to an accident that wasnt your fault or as a result of medical negligence, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation. 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Call Kim Chamberlain in confidence: 0800 884 0777 or emai info@novumlaw.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 02:59:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the United States expects progress and solutions to the dispute between Qatar and its neighbors. "To keep our focus on this work, and to close the door to increased Iranian meddling, it's past time to find a solution to the Gulf rift," Pompeo said at the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue with visiting Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to reopen Qatar's air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. I look forward to progress on this issue," he added. In a phone call with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud earlier this month, President Donald Trump urged Saudi Arabia to negotiate with other Gulf countries to resolve the rift. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a diplomatic and economic blockade on Qatar since June 2017, alleging that the gas-rich Gulf country supports terrorism and interferes in their domestic affairs. Qatar has repeatedly denied the charges, calling it "unjustified" and "baseless." Enditem LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV), a leading worldwide supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, announced today that it plans to acquire 14 quick-lube locations that will expand its company-owned service center network in Texas. The company has signed a definitive agreement with Kent Lubrication Centers Ltd. (doing business as Avis Lube) to purchase its existing quick-lube centers which will be rebranded as Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM (VIOC) service centers. This acquisition is expected to close in the company's first quarter of fiscal 2021. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "A core element of Valvoline's business strategy is to continue to grow and strengthen our industry-leading quick-lube network through organic store expansion and high-quality acquisitions in both core and new markets." said Tony Puckett, senior vice president and president, Valvoline Quick Lubes. "With Avis Lube's focus on customer service and employee professional training, their culture is an excellent fit for the Valvoline brand. These 14 service centers in the Midland/Odessa area will enable us to expand deeper into Texas beyond our current base of company and franchise service centers in the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin markets." "As an owner, it was a bittersweet decision to sell," said Bill Kent, owner of Kent Lubrication Centers Ltd. "After getting to know the excellent management team at Valvoline, I realized I could not have found a better company to provide my loyal Avis Lube team members with the continued career and growth opportunities they deserve. The Valvoline Instant Oil Change quick- lube team shares our same commitment to trusted service. I want to thank my team for their hard work and commitment to making Avis Lube a premier quick-lube chain over the last 44 years. I am confident our team members and guests will find Valvoline an excellent new owner in the communities that Avis Lube has had the honor to serve." About Valvoline Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company's heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. It operates and franchises approximately 1,400 quick-lube locations, and it is the No. 2 chain by number of stores in the United States under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM brand and the No. 3 chain by number of stores in Canada under the Valvoline Great Canadian Oil Change brand. It also markets Valvoline lubricants and automotive chemicals, including the Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife technology motor oil for engines over 75,000 miles; Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic motor oil; Valvoline Premium Blue heavy-duty motor oil; Valvoline Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid; and Zerex antifreeze. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, including estimates, projections, statements related to Valvoline's business plans and operating results are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Valvoline has identified some of these forward-looking statements with words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "is likely," "predicts," "projects," "forecasts," "may," "will," "should" and "intends" and the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on Valvoline's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions as of the date such statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Valvoline's most recently filed periodic reports on Forms 10-K and Forms 10-Q, which are available on Valvoline's website at http://investors.valvoline.com/sec-filings or on the SEC's website at http://sec.gov. Valvoline assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. TM Trademark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries SM Service mark, Valvoline or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Sean T. Cornett Sr. Director, Investor Relations +1 (859) 357-2798 [email protected] Michele Gaither Sparks Sr. Director, Corporate Communications +1 (859) 230-8079 [email protected] SOURCE Valvoline Inc. Related Links http://www.valvoline.com Chennai, Sep 14 : Truck major Ashok Leyland Ltd, with its new light commercial vehicle (LCV) 'Bada Dost', will be able to address a larger part of this market segment within and outside India, Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja said on Monday. Addressing reporters at the launch of Bada Dost model, he said: "Globally LCVs account for 70 per cent of the overall commercial vehicles market." According to him, Bada Dost - i3 and i4 - variants along with other current offerings, close the gap in Ashok Leyland's LCV product portfolio. Hinduja said the new LCV comes with right and left hand drive options, enabling the company to look at international markets. The company would launch an electric model of Bada Dost too, he added. Powered by BS-VI engine, the i4 has a payload capacity of 1,860 kg and i3 of 1,405 kg. The new models will be initially launched in seven states and over the next three months, they will be available pan India. The ex-showroom prices (Mumbai) is Rs 7.75 lakh and Rs. 7.95 lakh (i3 LS and LX) and Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 7.99 lakh (i4 LS and LX), the company said. It was two years back, Ashok Leyland decided to fill up the gap in its product portfolio and invested about Rs 350 crore in developing a new LCV platform, Managing Director and CEO Vipin Sondhi said. According to Sondhi, nearly 40 per cent of the Ashok Leyland's turnover is from LCVs - Dost, Partner and Mitr. "We plan to build on this and expand the LCV market and increase our global foot print," he added. On the rationale for branding the new offering Bada Dost instead of a new name, Chief Operating Officer Nitin Seth said the vehicle comes from the Dost lineage and the company is building on an existing successful brand. "It gives the customer a confidence. There are no plans to phase out Dost," he said. According to Sondhi, the company will come out with electric Bada Dost with a battery. The Central government recently permitted registration of electric vehicles, with or without battery. Police announce the arrest of a second man in connection with the rape of a woman on a popular highway last week. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for public hangings and chemical castration of rapists as authorities reported arresting a second man in connection with the rape of a woman on a popular highway in Punjab province last week. The woman was raped in front of her children after her car ran out of fuel on a motorway near the eastern city of Lahore. The incident drew a number of protesters to the streets in several cities, including Islamabad and Karachi, denouncing attacks on women. They [rapists] should be given exemplary punishments. In my opinion, they should be hanged at the chowk [intersection], said Khan. The way murders are graded as first degree, second degree and third degree, rape should also be graded this way, and the first grade rapists should be castrated and incapable completely. Last Thursday, police took 15 people for questioning. 200913061221699 On Sunday, a man was arrested but denied involvement in the crime. He remains in police custody but said he was wrongly named in the case because his sim card was being used by one of his friends, who later turned out to be one of the suspects. On Monday, police said they arrested one of the two assailants suspected of carrying out the crime. Provincial Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the man arrested on Monday, Shafqat Ali, has confessed to committing the crime. His DNA matches and he has also confessed to the crime. Our entire team continues to work towards the arrest of suspect Abid Ali and we expect him to be arrested soon, said Buzdar. Lahore police chief Umar Sheikh faced an angry backlash and calls for his resignation after the incident last week, after suggesting the rape was partially the victims fault. Legal expert Osama Malik told the AFP news agency the rape conviction rate can be as low as 2 percent. This drops even lower in cases where a minor has been raped. That is one of the reasons that rape is rarely reported, said Malik. He also blamed social stigma attached to sex crimes and the abhorrently misogynistic attitude of many police officials for the underreporting of rape cases. Alessandra Ambrosio recently enjoyed some quality family time during a tropical getaway to the Maldives. And the Brazilian model is already feeling some nostalgia for the scenic Indian Ocean views. She accentuated her stunning figure Sunday in a classic burnt orange one-piece swimsuit, as she enjoyed a day of yachting in a throwback photo from her recent vacation. Yacht chic: Alessandra Ambrosio accentuated her stunning figure Sunday in a classic burnt orange one-piece swimsuit, as she enjoyed a day of yachting in a throwback photo from her recent Maldives getaway The 39-year-old served major Bond girl vibes in the belted swimsuit, which featured a structured bustier. She credited daughter Anja Louise, 12, with taking the picture, which she captioned: 'Captain ALE. Shot by @anjalouise.a.m' Ambrosio previously shared a selfie in the look, which was accessorized with a yellow bandana wrapped around her hair, gold and turquoise necklaces and a pair of gold-framed sunglasses. She also included a photo with boyfriend Nicolo Oddi, 39, her son Noah Phoenix, eight, and a friend's baby, writing: 'All aboard ... missing these trio so much already ' Accessorizing: The 39-year-old previously shared a selfie in the look, which was accessorized with a yellow bandana wrapped around her hair, gold and turquoise necklaces and a pair of gold-framed sunglasses Good company: She also included a photo with boyfriend Nicolo Oddi, 39, her son Noah Phoenix, eight, and a friend's baby, writing: 'All aboard ... missing these trio so much already ' Family vacation: They were also accompanied by her daughter Anja Louise, 12, whom she shares with ex Jamie Mazur, 39 The Victoria's Secret Angel shares Anja and Noah with ex Jamie Mazur, 39, to whom she was engaged from 2008 to 2018, before calling it quits. Ambrosio has become a United States citizen since returning home to Los Angeles earlier this month. She took to her Instagram Story on Labor Day with her naturalization certificate, writing: 'From the newest adittion to the American team !!!' Although COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of all naturalization ceremonies, she celebrated with friends and family after getting all her necessary documents. Ambrosio has lived in the US for roughly 20 years, having kicked off her successful modeling career when she was 15. Update: The Oracle -TikTok tie-up is confirmed as a concept. Oracle put out a release earlier today saying that is party to an agreement in which it would partner with TikTok, and that the proposal has been submitted to the US government. Here's Oracle's statement in full: Oracle confirms Secretary Mnuchin's statement that it is part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle will serve as the trusted technology provider. Oracle has a 40-year track record providing secure, highly performant technology solutions. Original article: Enterprise provider Oracle is said to have won the bidding war for the U.S. operations of TikTok, a chase in which Microsoft was booted from earlier today. A TikTok spokesperson said the company "[doesn't] comment on rumors or speculation." Oracle did not immediately respond to TechCrunch for comment. The Wall Street Journal writes that Oracle, a rare ally of the Trump administration in Silicon Valley, will be announced as TikToks "trusted tech partner" in the United States. Additionally, the Journal cites that a person familiar with the matter says the deal is "likely not to be structured as an outright sale." Oracle's alleged purchase of TikToks U.S. operations would put an end to the unclear fate of the app within the country. The app's reported buy comes days before September 20, the day that the Trump administration set for a ban on TikTok's operations if the company doesn't reach an agreement with a buyer. But there's much confusion about which deadline TikTok will adhere to as Trump said last week "there will be no extension" of the September 15 deadline. On Sunday, Microsoft said its bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok has been rejected by the apps parent company, ByteDance. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests, the statement read, stating that Microsoft would make significant changes around security, privacy, online safety, and disinformation. Story continues We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas, the statement added. Read More Issues and fears around TikToks security has been a flagship issue for the app. TikTok was banned in India, along with 58 other apps, due to national security and defence issues. India was TikToks biggest overseas market. In addition to Microsoft, a number of prominent tech companies have rumored to be in the market for TikToks U.S. operations such as Twitter, Google, and Walmart. But, as our Ron Miller pointed out, theres some reason toward why a company like Oracle would crave an app like TikTok: marketshare. Oracle has grown out of its database roots and made its way into marketing automation and cloud infrastructure. The company is not just a database maker and provider. It's a massive operation, that monetizes off of data. Earlier in this pandemic, the enterprise data provider teamed up with Zoom. If Oracle were to bring the same kind of partnership to fruition with TikTok, it would have landed a huge client. Holger Mueller, an analyst at Constellation Research, told TechCrunch Oracle's scoop of TikTok "will add plenty of load to their infrastructure service." "Thats what matters to them with viral loads preferred. If Microsoft gets TikTok it could boost their usage by between 2% and 5%, while for Oracle it could be as much 10%, he said. Oracles reported buy, thus, could be a boost that actually makes sense. But a dramatic one, nonetheless. It's uncertain how an Oracle deal will carry out or win approval from Beijing, which is clearly not happy with a forced sale. Two weeks ago, the Chinese government updated a set of trade rules that could block the export of artificial intelligence technologies such as those used to personalize TikTok's user feeds. The revision is widely viewed as Beijing's move to complicate TikTok's sale and ByteDance said at the time it will "strictly abide by" the law. Over the weekend, Reuters reported that Beijing would rather see TikTok close down in the U.S. rather than following Washington's order to sell, which would "make both ByteDance and China appear weak in the face of pressure from Washington." Some form of transaction may still happen, but it might leave out TikTok's proprietary algorithms developed by ByteDance's Beijing office, a source told the South China Morning Post. That means TikTok's U.S. operations or future owner would have to rewrite the very codes that have propelled the app to global domination. After all, Oracle might end up as a minority stakeholder rather than an owner of TikTok, according to CNBC. An investment tie might just be strong enough to bind Oracle's cloud services to TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the U.S. market alone. Whether a sale happens or not, getting caught in geopolitical tensions is probably the last thing that Zhang Yiming, the ambitious Chinese founder of ByteDance, would want for his brainchild. How Chinas Medicinal Monopoly Leaves the World Vulnerable Coronavirus has revealed Americas dependence on China for protective and medical supplies Commentary The Chinese regime stunned the world this year with its gross misconduct and concealment of critical facts that led to the emergence and spread of COVID-19. Beijings stonewalling efforts directly resulted in the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, the collapse of regional economies, and the inability of countries to prepare for and respond effectively to the outbreak. Even more concerning, as countries struggled to grapple with the burden of the virus, the regime used its medicinal monopoly as a tool to shut down dissent against its dangerous behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed to the American people the dependence by our country and the world on China for crucial medicines and supply chains. In fact, the reality of Chinas monopoly on essential raw materials and manufacturing output is far worse than is generally known. According to medical expert Rosemary Gibson, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has exhibited a pattern of deliberate and dangerous manipulation of drugs sold in the United States and other countries for economically motivated reasons. Her recent analysis in the Center for Security Policys new book, Defending Against Biothreats: What We Can Learn From the Coronavirus Pandemic to Enhance U.S. Defenses Against Pandemics and Biological Weapons, meticulously details the litany of Beijings medical monopolies and lawfare strategies to disarm the United States and its other adversaries against biothreats. Since the onset of the pandemic, China has produced and exported defective products around the globe, significantly weakening the response of government and hospitals. As detailed by Gibson, the United Kingdom and the United States received millions of defective testing kits from China. N-95 masks, hospital gowns, surgical instruments, and ventilators exported by China were contaminated. In May, the Trump administration barred 66 Chinese companies from exporting medical masks to America because of their defectiveness. COVID-19 also exposed Chinas dominance in the worlds production of the raw materials used to create essential antibiotics and medicines. Beijing currently produces 90 percent of the ingredients in medicines used to care for critically ill coronavirus patients. As demand for supplies surged in early March, countries realized their extremely vulnerable position relying on a single country for essential medicines. Although the United States is an international leader in research, the majority of manufacturing of drugs and medical supplies has shifted overseas. Americas last penicillin fermentation plant shuttered in 2004, leaving China to fill in the vacuum. Gibson explains that Beijings penicillin cartel intentionally dumps products on the global market at below-market prices, forcing manufacturing plants all over the world to close their doors. China currently supplies 90 percent of U.S. antibiotics. Keenly aware of this dependence, China is continuing to issue threats to withhold drugs and preventative supplies from America and other countries that criticize the regimes culpability in the pandemic. According to Xinhua, the state-run media agency in Beijing, Chinese officials have the ability to impose pharmaceutical export controls which would send America into the hell of a novel coronavirus epidemic. In April, China also threatened to withhold aid from the Netherlands for changing the name of its office in Taiwan to include the word Taipei. The national security implications of Chinas medical monopoly are astounding. The Chinese regimes constant threats to withhold critical drugs from the world highlights the dangers of the centralization of the global supply chain in a single country; especially one ruled by the authoritarian stronghold of the CCP. As countries aim to better prepare for the next pandemic, the diversification of manufacturing bases must be prioritized. Rosemary Gibsons incisive analysis in her book is a must-read to understand this dire and growing threat to global security. Maya Carlin is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy, located in Washington, D.C. She is also a M.A. candidate in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security at IDC Herzliyas Lauder School of Government in Israel. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Russias ruling party is on course for a series of local election wins, but also looks set to suffer some setbacks as allies of poisoned Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny scored rare victories in city council votes in Siberia. Coming a year before parliamentary elections, the local polls were seen as a major test for the United Russia party, which backs President Vladimir Putin, amid growing discontent over economic woes. While votes were still being counted, official early results on Sunday showed pro-Kremlin politicians coasting to expected landslide wins to serve as the governors of the regions of Komi, Tatarstan, Kamchatka and more than a dozen others. But Navalnys supporters made gains in Novosibirsk, Russias third city by population, and the student town of Tomsk where United Russia appeared to have lost its council majority. People are sick of the authorities. You cant sit on the throne for 20 years, grab, steal endlessly, do all of this and go unpunished, said Ksenia Fadeyeva, who won a council seat in Tomsk. Members of a local electoral commission count ballots at a polling station after municipal election polls closed in Tomsk [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters] Navalny supporter Andrei Fateev, 32, also won a seat in Tomsk, while other allies, like Sergei Boyko, looked set to win council seats in Novosibirsk. In an effort to fight Putins electoral machine, Navalny and his team had urged Russians to vote tactically by backing the strongest candidates against the ones fielded by United Russia. What theyre trying to do is chip away at the Kremlins image of invincibility, that the Kremlin completely controls elections, said Ben Noble, from the University College London, commenting on the new approach being adopted by Putins opponents. If through smart voting Navalny and his team can demonstrate that there is scope for competition, for opposition success, then that might lead to a snowball effect and thats something the Kremlin is extremely worried about, he told Al Jazeera. Navalny was in Siberia to promote his smart voting campaign last month when he was poisoned with what Germany says was a Novichok nerve agent, sparking an international outcry. His associates believe the use of the banned chemical weapon shows only the Russian state could be responsible. The Kremlin has rejected any suggestion that Russia was to blame for what to happened to Navalny, who is currently recovering at a Berlin hospital. Meanwhile, the independent election monitor group Golos said on Sunday it had received a stream of reports that observers had been denied their legal rights to view documents and submit complaints, with conflicts sometimes ending in fisticuffs. It had also received reports of ballot stuffing and officials switching ballot papers cast by real voters for ones they had filled in, the group added. Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova denounced such unobjective and mean accusations. New Delhi: When the world had waged a war against the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist groups and their leaders were busy in making recruitments to launch attacks in India. The most wanted terrorist, Maulana Masood Azhar, was hatching a plot against the Ram temple in Ayodhya while roaming freely in Pakistan. Zee News has gathered exclusive information and evidence against terrorists, Hafiz Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar, who were busy with their terror network in Pakistan when the world was striving hard to contain the coronavirus menace. The lockdown was imposed across the world, but there was no lockdown in terror factories in Pakistan. Rather, these units were busier in conspiring to shake Delhi and Mumbai. From January to August this year, terrorists released several anti-India videos and statements, besides holding their meetings in big cities of Pakistan during the lockdown. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan may feign ignorance about these developments, but it is difficult to believe that the Pakistan Army did not know anything about these activities. Currently, there are about 40,000 terrorists in Pakistan, of which 16 have been declared as international terrorists by the United Nations. These terrorists belong to terror organizations like Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Jaish-e-Mohammad and both these organizations are banned worldwide, but their activities still continue in Pakistan. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 5th August 2020, it was believed that it would mark a new beginning in India, but Pakistan failed to appreciate it. Pakistan-based terrorists are constantly trying to target the Ram temple since then. Maulana Masood Azhar stated that he wants to offer prayers in Babri Masjid while issuing threats that the construction of the Ram temple as illegal. He issued a statement that his followers are also ready to lay down their lives to stop this construction. Last year, the United Nations Security Council declared Masood Azhar as an international terrorist for masterminding the terror attacks in Pulwama and Pathankot, but Pakistan has so far not taken any action against him. On May 24 this year, the terrorist organization Jaish also released two banners. The first banner has a picture of Flight IC-814 of Indian Airlines, which was hijacked by terrorists in the year 1999. By showing this picture of its banner, Jaish is trying to remind the world of its operation. The then Indian government had released three terrorists, including Masood Azhar, for the safe return of passengers on Flight IC-814. India has paid a heavy price for that as Masood Azhar conspired several terror attacks since his release. The day of February 29, 2020, was very significant for Masood Azhar and most of the terror organizations in Pakistan as the US and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Now, the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan will begin in the next 14 months. For the past 18 years, the US Army and the Afghan forces were jointly fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan have been getting help from Pakistan. The peace deal is being described as a victory for the Taliban. Masood Azhar, who considered it a victory for Islamic forces, made a statement on March 8, 2020. Along with Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, his entire family is involved in terror conspiracy against India. The younger brother of Masood Azhar, Talha al-Saif, also spews venom against India through his audio clips. In one such clip, he is heard saying that even US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not defeat Jaish. This disclosure by Zee News on terrorists getting training in Pakistan is very important because the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) would hold its virtual meeting on Tuesday. A detailed report about Pakistan will also be presented in this meeting which would take a decision either to put Pakistan in the Black List or not. This list is for those countries that promote terrorism. Pakistan is currently in its Gray List, but the decision to put it into the Black List will be taken in a meeting slated to take place in France in October. Pakistan remains on the Gray list since 2018. Although Pakistan has been stating that it has taken action against terrorist organizations, the Zee News exclusive report has exposed the true face of Pakistan before the world. Lucknow: SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav today said he would contest against Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the assembly elections if he does not "listen" to him, seeking to wield the stick after the chief ministership carrot failed to make his rebellious son fall in line. With chances of a rapprochement between the two warring factions in the party receding with each passing day, Mulayam accused Akhilesh of having a "negative approach" towards Muslims, a loyal vote bank of the Samajwadi Party for years. "Akhilesh is acting at the behest of Ramgopal (Yadav). If he does not listen, I will fight against him," Mulayam, a Lok Sabha member from Azamgarh, told party workers. Ram Gopal, a member of the Rajya Sabha and Mulayam's cousin, has sided with Akhilesh in his fight for control over the party. Read | Samajwadi Party feud: What if Mulayam Singh Yadav doesn't get 'cycle'; a look at possible scenarios The SP founder alleged that Akhilesh had a "negative approach" towards Muslims and that he was playing into the hands of Ramgopal Yadav, who was working "on directions of BJP". "I will live for Muslims and die for them. When it comes to Muslims' interest, I will also fight against him (Akhilesh)", he said. "I have always stood for protecting the interest of the Muslims. When I ensured appointment of a Muslim as the state's Director General of Police (DGP), Akhilesh did not talk to me for 15 days. He did not want any Muslim on this post. Read | If Samajwadi Party splits, will pick Akhilesh over Mulayam: NCP It sent an anti-Muslim message," Mulayam said. The Samajwadi Party supremo said he had made many sacrifices to build the party and Akhilesh sacked several ministers including a woman without valid reasons. Mulayam had sprung a surprise earlier this month when he said Akhilesh will be the chief minister if party retained power after the assembly elections, extending an olive branch to his recalcitrant son. However, Akhilesh and Ramgopal Yadav, a key stretegist of the party, have steadfastly rejected the overture. Akhilesh reportedly demanded that he be allowed to continue to lead the party for the next three months, a demand that was rejected by Mulayam. Read | UP assembly elections 2017: Stage is set, poll process to start rolling with notification on Tuesday Amid reports that the Akhilesh camp enjoyed support of a majority of party delegates, MPs and legislators, Mulayam indicated he may move the court if the party's name and election symbol was allotted to the rival camp by the Election Commission. Mulayam said it was upto the EC to decide on it but the fight will "reach the court". Earlier in the day, Mulayam reached the residence of his younger brother and state SP president Shivpal Yadav. Interestingly, he also called Naresh Uttam, who has been appointed party state president by Akhilesh, and he was present during Mulayam's address to partymen. Mulayam said he was trying his best to save the party and slammed Akhilesh for "not understanding things". Read | UP Polls: 3.8 crore young voters to decide fate of next Uttar Pradesh CM For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The three-day monsoon session of the commenced on Monday at the Kalaivanar auditorium here, amidst demand by the opposition for a ban on the Eligibility cum Entrance Test(NEET) in the state. The session was held at the auditorium and not Fort St.George as is the practice, due to the coronavirus pandemic with the former offering more space to follow social distancing. On the first day of the session, obituary references were made to former President Pranab Mukherjee, MLA J Anbazhagan who died of Covid-19 and all those in the state who succumbed to coronavirus. The opposition led by party President M K Stalin turned up wearing face masks containing the bilingual slogans "Ban NEET, Save TN Students". Ahead of the session, Speaker P Dhanapal, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam, Stalin and all the members underwent COVID-19 test. On Monday, the House condoled the deaths of Pranab Mukherjee, Congress MP H Vasantha Kumar, who resigned as Nanguneri MLA to successfully contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Kanyakumari, Anbazhagan and those who had lost their lives due to coronavirus. Dhanapal later adjourned the House for the day after the members paid homage to the departed and passed a condolence resolution. Later, speaking to reporters outside the auditorium, Stalin said he had sought the Speaker to include the names of the aspirants in Tamil Nadu who had committed suicide, in the Assembly condolence resolution. "I had put forth this demand before the resolution was taken up by the house. But he (Speaker) declined. This is not only regrettable but also condemnable," Stalin said, while pointing out the aspirants allegedly committed suicide due to fear of the exam. As many as four medical aspirants from Madurai, Ariyalur, Dharmapuri and Namakkal districts allegedly committed suicide last week, with their deaths sending shock waves across the state. The leader of the opposition also claimed that the Assembly business advisory committee refused to pay heed to the party's suggestion for an extended session to discuss crucial issues like and the Centre's draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 notification. "I and my party MLAs have given about 15 to 20 notices seeking special call attention motion to discuss the issues. I wonder if these could be taken up in the next two days," Stalin told reporters. (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 Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh (MP) government has apparently realised the flaws in the save the girl child campaign called Ladli Laxmi Scheme (LLS) 13 years after it was launched. The realisation has come following a decrease in sex ratio at birth by 33 points. The state government is considering certain changes to the LLS to make it more effective. State women and child development (WCD) department officials said the LLS couldnt be effective as more focus was given on providing financial assistance to girls for school education and also for their marriage. These measures were not enough to change the patriarchal mindset of the public towards a girl child, they added. Officials said the data released by various national agencies in the past related to skewed sex ratio at birth, drop-out rates of girls from schools, the growing number of cases of female infanticide and foeticide suggest a worrisome trend. The benefit, which is being provided under the LLS, will continue as it has become a law. But the WCD department is all set to introduce an integrated scheme in place of all old state-run schemes, including the LLS with a new vision to save the girl child. The renewed focus will be more on making girls self-reliant, independent, breadwinners for their respective families and inspiration for others in ushering social changes, said a WCD official. Under the new scheme, the girls will be given financial aid for higher education, for preparation of competitive examinations and to set up a business. A campaign will be run to give a social message that a girl child can earn and is no more a burden. The achievers will be projected as brand ambassadors by the department, said the officer. Similarly, training will be held regularly in rural and urban areas for boys to make them sensitive about girls and to change their mindset. A social audit will be conducted regularly to know the change in society, he added. According to a new draft, the home, law, industry and other few departments will also be part of the scheme in a bid to ensure if any crime is committed against a woman, then justice will be delivered to her. Plans are afoot to eradicate stigmatisation of rape survivors and her family members and other acts of violence against women. In 2007, the LLS was introduced to improve skewed sex ratio, foster a positive attitude towards girls in the society, provide education to them and stop social evils such as infanticide and foeticide. But, the scheme failed to deliver expected results, the government data showed. MPs sex ratio at birth worsened from 960 in 2005-06 to 927 in 2015-16, as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) report. Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Prathams Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2018, report, which was released the following year, showed that the drop-out rate for girls in the 11-14 age group and in the 15-16 age category increased to 7.7% and 26.8%, respectively, from 7.3% and 23.4%, respectively, in 2006. The Asian Centre for Human Rights Commission (ACHRC) report, which was released in 2016, showed that MP had the highest cases of female infanticide and foeticide (537) in the country between 1994 and 2014. The report had prompted the state government to make changes to the LLS. Veena Bandyopadhyay, social policy specialist, United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), said: Some positive changes were found, but the preference for sons continues in the society. The state government should take additional measures to promote girl child by providing job training and helping them in becoming an earning member of her family. Waseem Siddique, convener, Childline Indore, said, The LLS has failed to curb foeticide and infanticide cases in the state. Though MP is the worst-affected state, only 50 such cases were reported until 2018. A total of seven people have got convicted until August under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act, 1994 The WCD department has accepted the flaws in the scheme during various inter-departmental meetings, officials said. The scheme, which has over 36 lakh beneficiaries, failed to address several concerns. The major flaw in the LLS is that the beneficiary gets 1 lakh after she attains 21 years of age and the money cannot be used for education. The money is set aside for solemnising a girl childs marriage. Similarly, the grant of 12,000, which is being given in three installments to ensure school education of girls, is not enough to change the mindset of the public, said a WCD officer, requesting anonymity. Another WCD officer said, The governments emphasis on marriage and school education finances created an impression that a girl child is a burden. In the past 13 years, the department hardly conducted any mass survey to know the impact of the scheme, which led to various unfavourable reports. Prashant Dubey, a child rights activist, said parents feel marriage is the only way to protect their daughters. The department should address this concern of parents because this is also a reason behind infanticide, foeticide and drop-out from schools, he said. Minister for WCD Imarti Devi said, The old benefits in the LLS will continue. In the new scheme, we will focus more on making a girl child independent and self-reliant. Similarly, the coordination with other departments, including home and panchayat, will also help to provide a safe environment to our girls. We are serious about our girls future and the changes in the campaign will reflect our intent. The new scheme will address all pending issues. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Our team of global security professionals decided to make it impossible for fraudsters to hide behind devices, bots and malicious programs. Obsecure, a cybersecurity company that guarantees the authenticity of digital actions, making digital experiences as safe, trusted and simple as physical in-person interactions, officially launches today at Finovate Fall with the debut of its two flagship products AuthenticAction() and AuthenticMessage(). The company also announced that renowned cybersecurity industry executives Ben Wallach and Avner Gideoni have joined as executive advisors. Our team of global security professionals decided to make it impossible for fraudsters to hide behind devices, bots and malicious programs, said Co-founder and CEO Erez Zohar. By providing the same visibility and transparency as face-to-face interactions do, Obsecures solutions help organizations trust their customers, vendors and employees as they interact digitally, while preventing fraudsters from impersonating others. Obsecures technology introduces a new paradigm in digital trust by guaranteeing the authenticity of digitally performed actions. Using AI, biometrics and unique action capture techniques, the identity of the person performing a digital action is captured and verified simultaneously with the action they performed, providing an indisputable tamper-resistant proof of the activity and guaranteeing that the action is authentic and can be trusted. This notary-grade process works in the background and doesn't require any additional authentication steps from the user, providing a simple and effortless digital experience while enabling limitless digital services. The unique approach of Obsecures technology is so robust that it can hermetically protect from existing and future account takeover and malware attacks, said Avner Gideoni, global expert in threat analysis and Executive Advisor for Obsecure. I am thrilled to be a part of a team that will finally close the security gaps fraudsters abuse. Obsecures new products include: AuthenticAction - a simple SDK that integrates the power of Obsecures technology into websites and mobile apps to increase the level of trust and eliminate multiple authentication steps, limitations and false declines. AuthenticMessage - a standalone messaging application that ensures the authenticity of business communication, preventing social engineering and business email compromise attacks. With the recent acceleration of digital usage, FIs are actively searching for emerging technology that will exponentially elevate the level of trust they have in their customers digital identity and ultimately increase the customers trust in their digital services. A prime example would be the elimination of transaction limits for services such as Zelle, said Ben Wallach, a seasoned fraud executive and Executive Advisor for Obsecure, Im excited to join the team on their mission to enable real-world trust in digital interactions and ultimately creating an effortless digital customer journey." Attend Obsecures demo at Finovate Fall on Tuesday, September 15th from 1:00-1:55 pm ET by visiting the following link after registering for the event. The Obsecure team will also be available for meetings in their virtual booth at the show. About Obsecure Obsecure was founded to introduce real-world authenticity to the digital world. The cybersecurity companys goal is to transform any digital service to ensure the highest level of experience, security and trust. The co-founding team consists of industry veterans with over 100 years of collective experience in the cybercrime and fraud industry. Based in Cambridge Massachusetts, Obsecures products guarantee the authenticity of digital actions, making digital experiences as safe, trusted and simple as physical in-person interactions. Additional information on Obsecure can be found at http://www.obsecure.io. CONTACT: Janine Savarese Savarese Communications (908) 461-5767 jsavlowe@savcopr.com ### Why didnt you tell us about the felony on your record? the manager of a Target angrily asked Bryan Strong over the phone. I dont have a felony on my record, Strong replied. That is the conversation that led to Strong being part of a class action lawsuit addressing discriminatory hiring practices. His situation illustrated the problem, although he was only a small part of the case. The conversation was when Strong realized Target had dug really deep in its background check. It wasnt the first time, and it wasnt the last time, that Strong says corporations digging into his history have hurt his ability to get a job. This phone call occurred in the summer of 2016. Strong had been hired to work at the Target department store in Pleasant Prairie. But about two weeks after he was told he had been hired, the Racine native still had not been given a start date. He called the store, and thats when the manager inaccurately accused him of being a felon and not disclosing it. Strongs past When Strong was 17, he was accused of trying to pass a counterfeit bill at the now-closed Pick n Save on Rapids Drive across from Horlick High School. Using a counterfeit bill can be prosecuted as a felony, but the case was never investigated, Strong said. He also has had another misdemeanor case expunged from his record. The remains of those cases have somehow live on in background checks making it tougher for him to get hired, particularly at major corporations. Thats got to be illegal, Strong thought to himself after the Target manager hung up on him. But he found there wasnt much he could do about it at the time. According to Christopher McNerney, an associate in the national law firm Outten & Golden, on the federal level, there are no protections that specifically say a private employer cannot deny someone based on criminal history. However, if a company is going to deny someone a job, they cannot do it discriminatorily. A multimillion-dollar civil case (Times v. Target Corp.) that McNerney started working on in 2018 alleged that Target was acting discriminatorily because it was filtering out so many applicants due to criminal background. The basis for that argument was that, in the American legal system, people of color have been continuously prosecuted, investigated, tried and convicted at higher rates than the average. As such, the plaintiffs argued, Targets screening process was overbroad and discriminatory since it was so consistently screening out people of color for jobs for which they were qualified. Bigger issue According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Black adults are 5.9 times as likely to be incarcerated than whites, and Hispanics are 3.1 times more likely. The Sentencing Project, a criminal justice advocacy nonprofit based in Washington D.C., concluded that African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, and they are more likely to experience lengthy prison sentences. When it comes to businesses, you have to have a reasonable (background check) process, McNerney said. You cant have overbroad screens you cant paint with too broad of a brush. You have to look at each specific persons situation. In winter 2019, Target agreed to pay upwards of $3.7 million in the case and agreed to review its screening practices. Due to the bias and prejudice present in every level of the criminal justice system, Black and Latinx individuals are disproportionately likely to have an arrest or conviction record, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund said in a statement about the case. These disparities are then carried over into the employment realm, when companies implement overly broad criminal background screening policies. Under Targets prior screening policy, a disproportionate number of otherwise-qualified Black and Latinx applicants were automatically disqualified from employment opportunities. The plaintiffs fought for that settlement not by showing Target was discriminatory toward people with a criminal record, but by showing Targets broad screening out of people with smudges on their records was racially discriminatory toward people of color because people of color have been disproportionately and heavily prosecuted. By having background checks that arent too strict, McNerney also pointed out that businesses would expand the pools of quality applicants. Thats one of the ways businesses can counter systemic racism, he said: I think thats one of the things were trying to address with these lawsuits: Showing that having a conviction in and of itself is a bar to employment (because) thats not fair and thats not right. This is a very American concept, that we are more than just the worst thing we did. Strong, who is Black, said that the Black Lives Matter movement wont make a difference unless this type of discrimination is ended. Times v Target check to Bryan Strong A check for $156.86 was sent to Bryan Strong as a part of the agreement in the class-action lawsuit Times v. Target, in which Target Corp. agr Strong was part of Times v. Target. But he received just $156.86, according to a copy of the check he received. He could have made that money in a couple shifts had he been hired at Target, which is now paying a minimum of $15 per hour to its employees. Now 34, Strong says he has run into similar issues with other corporations, which have stated directly that the decision not to hire Strong was influenced in part by information contained in a consumer/investigative consumer report, according to a copy of an employment rejection letter that Strong provide to The Journal Times. Although hes talked about these problems in the past, there is rarely any recourse. Cases like Times v. Target are few and far between. Most recently, Strong was working at Amazon after fighting to get a job in Kenosha, but he left in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic; he is at higher risk of complications due to a respiratory problem. Once again, he finds himself out of work. Correction: Bryan Strong's history has been updated since it was originally published in this story to clarify two prior cases that no longer are supposed to be on his record but have come up in background checks conducted by potential employers. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. Nearly 29 Million COVID Cases Worldwide By VOA News September 13, 2020 There are almost 29 million COVID-19 infections worldwide. The United States remains the country with the most infections, with more than 6.4 million cases. India has eclipsed Brazil to take over the second spot with 4.7 million cases. Infections in India's largest state, Maharashtra, home to financial capital Mumbai, topped 1 million Saturday, stifling the country's attempts to reinvigorate its economy. Brazil has 4.3 million cases. An article in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that universal face mask wearing "might help reduce the severity of disease and ensure that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic." If that premise is correct, the article suggested, face mask wearing could become a form of inoculation "that would generate immunity and thereby slow the spread of the virus" during the global wait for the development of a vaccine. The daily number of new coronavirus cases reached an all-time high of 1,007 Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, surpassing levels during a May peak. Authorities warned residents last week to comply with preventive measures when daily infections jumped fivefold over a month ago. On the Greek Islands of Lesbos Saturday, asylum seekers peacefully protested the construction of a replacement camp after successive fires this week destroyed the overcrowded Maria camp, forcing them sleep in the open for a fourth consecutive night. The protesters were demanding to leave the island after the camp, built to accommodate 2,750 people, became so overcrowded that the fires left more than 12,000 in need of emergency shelter. Officials said the fires were deliberately set by some camp residents angered about the imposition of new lockdown measures after 35 people tested positive for COVID-19. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has resumed trials of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine after getting permission from safety monitors, the company announced Saturday. "Clinical trials for the AstraZeneca Oxford coronavirus vaccine, AZD1222, have resumed in the UK following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority that it was safe to do so," the company said in a statement. The pharmaceutical company paused the trials Tuesday because a volunteer participant became ill after receiving the experimental drug. The company issued a statement that day saying the pause in testing was a "routine action, which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials." AstraZeneca's drug is one of nine vaccine candidates in late stage Phase 3 human trials around the world. The company began enrolling 30,000 volunteers August 31, and the vaccine was being tested in smaller groups in Brazil and in other South American countries before the trials were temporarily suspended. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address San Francisco is launching a program that aims to improve health outcomes for new Black and Pacific Islander mothers and their babies by providing no-strings-attached funding that can help eliminate the manifold stresses of financial insecurity. Mayor London Breed announced the first of its kind pilot program Monday that aims to address racial maternal health disparities and prevent premature births by increasing economic and community support for Black and Pacific Islander women in San Francisco. The Abundant Birth Project, a collaboration with the Expecting Justice initiative at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, will provide $1,000 a month to 150 Black and Pacific Islander expectant mothers in San Francisco. Mothers will receive unconditional aid throughout pregnancy and for six months after their babies are born. Participants will be selected over the next two years. The project is funded by a patchwork of philanthropic donations and city funding, including $1.1 million from Jack Dorseys #startsmall campaign. Donations also came from the Hellman Foundation, Genentech and the citys health department. Black and Pacific Islander people are not having increased adverse birth outcomes because of something thats inherently wrong with them or because of their race, said Dr. Zea Malawa, a physician with Expecting Justice. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Underlying stress often rooted in financial insecurity may contribute to high rates of premature births, Malawa said. Black families make up half of all maternal deaths and more than 15% of infant deaths in San Francisco, despite accounting for only 4% of all births, according to city data. Pacific Islander babies have the second highest premature birth rate in the city at 10.4%. Researchers will also study the social factors that can weigh on health and are often based more on ZIP code than genetic code, said Dr. Larry Rand, the principal investigator of the Preterm Birth Initiative at UC San Francisco. Housing and food security, employment conditions, and racist treatment in public institutions are sometimes more likely to cause adverse birth outcomes than a womans biology. Communities often can solve the problem if we would just give them the resources, the space and the platform, Rand said. Officials believe maternal health disparities are exacerbated by the increasing wealth gap in San Francisco, where the average annual income for Black families is $30,000, and the average household income for Pacific Islander families is $67,000. The overall average household income in the city, by comparison, is more than $104,000. 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. Providing guaranteed income support to mothers during pregnancy is an innovative and equitable approach that will ease some of the financial stress that all too often keeps women from being able to put their health first, Breed said in a statement. The Abundant Birth Project is rooted in racial justice and recognizes that Black and Pacific Islander mothers suffer disparate health impacts, in part because of the persistent wealth and income gap. Solaire Spellen, associate director of the Preterm Birth Initiative, said it is critical that mothers be unhampered by restrictions on how to use the money because it is important to dismantle the welfare queen stereotype that prevents many women from seeking aid. We felt strongly that this should be an unconditional cash supplement, Spellen said. We wanted people to have the freedom, liberty and dignity to receive the funds and do what they need to do with them, because they know whats best for them. If the pilot program is successful, Malawa hopes to establish long-term funding through policy and expand the program to reach marginalized groups across California including the Bay Area mothers priced out of San Francisco. And after a summer defined in part by nationwide civil unrest, a lot of us are recognizing that racism itself needs to be addressed. Many people have no idea what that would look like, but this project is a really exciting starting place. Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @v_anana The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the draft state budget for 2021, said representative of the government in the Verkhovna Rada Vasyl Mokan. "This morning, at an extraordinary meeting, the Cabinet of Ministers has adopted the draft law 'On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021,'"Mokan wrote on his Facebook page. He noted that the adoption of the draft budget by the government took place according to the schedule of the budget process and by September 15, the document is to be submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada. Every new creation is a world unto itself. A wholly new space born of a play between spirit and sensation. Singular yet timeless, innovative and performance-driven, the RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-House Chronograph is poised at the intersection between Haute Horlogerie, dance and music. Movement is all. Movement of time, of bodies, of notes. The latest face of Richard Millethe ultimate metronome of emotionis a work in which technicity serves and drives elegance. Its also an in-house creation, featuring the first flyback chronograph entirely developed and designed by the brand. An achievement crowning no less than 30 months of full-time work on the part of a dedicated team. RM 72-01 Chronographe Lifestyle Maison Titane Richard Mille The new RM 72-01 keeps time, three beats to a measure, a rhythm emphasising three numbers: three, eight and eleven. The hands dance in stylised harmony within their three respective timescales (blue for seconds, orange for minutes, green for hours), orchestrated by a six-column wheel. The transfers from minutes to hours have been isolated from the seconds wheel in this flyback chronograph which incorporates a double oscillating pinion mechanism developed and patented by Richard Mille. The brand has submitted a patent application for its double-clutch chronograph. This pinion, which can enmesh or withdraw from the gear teeth, has been twinned. Theres now one for the minutes and another for seconds. This system is thinner than a vertical clutch, which would be hard to fit into the heart of the movement, explains Salvador Arbona, Technical Director for Movements. As a result, the chronograph function has little impact on the power reserve. The Calibre CRMC1 thus remains quite slim, at just 6.05 mm thick, despite comprising 425 different components. RM 72-01 Chronographe Lifestyle Maison Titane Richard Mille Equipped with 24-hour and 60-minute counters positioned at 5 oclock and 2 oclock respectively, it proves that a chronograph need not be limited to timing only short periods. This mechanism was entirely imagined, manufactured and assembled in Les Breuleux, at the brands facilities. Its sublime precision can be viewed through its openwork caseback, a hallmark of the Richard Mille brand. This model is available in four different combinations5N red gold, titanium and black or white ceramic. It features an automatic winding movement, with a 50-hour power reserve irrespective of how much the chronograph is activated. It is a strikingly architectural watch offering true ease of use. Embodying pure mechanics and hand finishing, it is designed for everyday use. RM 72-01 Chronographe Lifestyle Maison Richard Mille It was evident that renowned artists such as choreographer Benjamin Millepied and composer Thomas Roussel would be needed to fully express in technical and artistic terms, the tremendous ambitions of this project. Like Richard Mille, both of these hybrid creators have built their oeuvre, W I T H I N, on a resolutely singular vision and an obsession with perfect timing and harmonious movement. Be it in the realm of ballet or symphonic orchestra, Benjamin Millepied and Thomas Roussel both rely on a wealth of heritage and tradition to shape modern visions of their respective arts. They fashion singular works that powerfully combine the quintessence of their disciplines and their contemporary sensibilities. And it is precisely this hybrid synthesis of science and emotion that prompted them to embrace the watchmaking brands new project. RM 72-01 Chronographe Lifestyle Maison Richard Mille For their a work titled W I T H I N, Benjamin Millepied took place behind the camera this time, at the Joshua Tree, in the heart of sand and stone. This stark mineral environment exalts the nobility and beauty of the materials Richard Mille employs for its watches. Amidst this sublime decor, the dancers unfurl a choreography of cyclical parallels that sifts and winnows the seconds, clothing time and space with intense vitality and energy. This mysterious setting, in which humanity appears to reconnect with our origins, was a perfect source of inspiration for Thomas Roussel. After sampling the watchs chronometrice function, the compositor built a tempo around it, a musical rhythm anchored in the raw energy and abandon of the dancers. Around a whirlwind of vitality, he weaves a music redolent of origins, repetitive and mysterious. The composition was recorded by the fifty musicians of the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra in the studio at St. Lukes church in London. In May, 25 employees at the Maple Lodge Farms poultry processing plant in Brampton acquired COVID-19, leading to a death and high-profile public awareness. In the past few days, much more muted news broke of an even larger outbreak in Peel Region in which 61 employees of a Mississauga business acquired COVID-19. The name and location and all other details about the business at the centre of the outbreak remain a well-kept secret. I think we owe the public complete transparency, said Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, where the majority of the 61 cases are based. I struggle with the explanation that we should have different thresholds on what we disclose. The two cases in the same region point to growing confusion about when and how major COVID outbreaks are reported and where public health officials strike the balance between the publics right to know and the protection of corporate and employee privacy. I have a disagreement with public health on the level of disclosure, said Brown. Dr. Monica Hau, acting medical officer of health for Peel, told the Star Sunday that disclosure policies in Peel have evolved since the Maple Lodge case. (The Maple Lodge Farms outbreak) was in the early days of the pandemic, she said. I think we learned early on that there was a lot of attention at that time and now we prefer to try to concentrate on working with employers to focus on contact tracing. Provincial guidance on workplace outbreaks provides no requirement for public notification unless there is a risk to the public. And there is no specific threshold of active cases from a workplace that would trigger public announcement if health officials believe they have the outbreak under control, she said. Over the past several months, the Star has revealed workplace outbreaks that were never reported publicly by health officials, including a case last month of an outbreak involving 184 workers in a Toronto bakery. Meanwhile, the public was repeatedly informed of outbreaks in long-term care homes and hospitals, sparking vigorous debate followed by heightened public vigilance and government response, including tighter oversight and investments in safety equipment. Hau confirmed to the Star that the business at the centre of the latest Peel outbreak is a manufacturing facility in Mississauga that is currently closed. She would not provide any further details. We are cautious about identifying workplaces in the event that could lead to an identification of positive cases and breach their privacy. For example, if the name of the business where the outbreak occurred is made public, the identities of the infected employees could be potentially revealed, she said. If there are known locations and people know others who work there and they understand theyve been off work for a couple of weeksit may be easier for them to identify whether they were a positive case, said Hau. These people with COVID are already dealing with a difficult time. So to inadvertently provide information in a public forum that could identify them would be a breach of privacy law. Withholding business identities has another benefit for public health investigators, she said. We will get more cooperation if employers are not also dealing with public attention at the same time. We are concentrating and focusing on getting the information on their employeesand helping them improve infection control practices. Public health officials are now monitoring the 61 infected employees and their families, including regular telephone contacts and contact tracing, she said. Brown said keeping the identity of the business secret can have the counter-effect of widening the net of public suspicion and anxiety that implicates far more companies than necessary. The public can understand there may be outbreaks in businesses. There isnt going to be reputational damage. Theres only reputational damage when theres secrecy. Michael Palleschi, a Brampton councillor whose riding includes Maple Lodge Farms, said hes disappointed in the dramatically different level of public disclosure that Peel Public Health adopted for this far more serious outbreak. I dont agree. I think it should be released to the public and let the public decide. Karen Ras, a Mississauga councillor, said the public has a right to know about a large outbreak like this one. The lines are blurry (around public disclosure) and we need some clarity, she said. I would like to err on the side of more transparency and openness to the public. These people go home to families who go out into the community. As it stands, companies can decide whether to voluntarily announce a major outbreak in their workplace. Maple Lodge Farms and its union, for example, addressed the outbreak publicly with expressions of deep sadness and details on the steps it was taking to respond. That type of transparency should be mandatory, Ras said. Grocery stores, for example, are open and transparent if theres an outbreak in their stores, said Ras. Theres a level of public confidence about it. The public will go back. I dont think other companies should be different. They should be required to do it. Three Yale Medical School alumni, Drs. James K. Gude, John Barchilon and David S. Fedson, will be presenting research that shows how commonly prescribed, low cost medications for high blood pressure and high cholesterol -- known as ARBs, statins and ACE inhibitors --reduce the severity of Covid-19 infection and make it so much milder that in one study of hospitalized patients death rates dropped from 9.8% to 3.7%. Other studies closely support those findings. Their research and reports are taken from 6 Belgian, 2 UK hospitals, Yale's Center for Outcomes Research and Evalua-tion and the New York Hospital-Cornell/Columbia Presbyterian hospitals as well as multiple other institutions. And while vaccines and antivirals are the "perfect cure," they take a long time for broad distribution. The physicians present a very good treatment we should be using now until vaccines and antivirals become widely available. They will discuss how we got there, why so little attention has been paid to such encouraging results, and specifically how to treat high risk Covid-19 patients. To watch this webinar click on https://zoom.us/j/213542901 DIAL-IN INFORMATION: +1-669-900-6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 213 542 901 Host: James K. Gude, MD , postgrad training at Stanford Univ. Hospital, Pulmonologist, Critical Care Specialist, clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF Medical School, a founder of Global OffsiteCare.org, the 501c3 non-profit telemedicine resource for underserved communities which is based in Petaluma, California, will be moderator/host for their Wednesday mornings Global Grand Rounds on 16 September 2020. They have practicing physician viewers on all 4 continents. Presenters are: John Barchilon, MD , postgrad training at Yale, surgery at the New York Hospital Cornell, Yale fellowship in immunopathology; prior ER Physician and now Urgent Care Specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California speaking from Thousand Oaks, California NB: Dr. Barchilon is acting on his own behalf and is not representing Kaiser Permanente at this time. David Fedson, MD , postgrad training at Univ. of Chicago Hospitals in medicine, formerly Professor of Medicine, Univ. of Chicago, then Univ. of Virginia Medical School, speaking from Sergy Haut, France Confirm what time GGRs are in your timezone here: tiny.cc/GGRTimeZones ATTACHMENTS: CME Form Sign In Sheet LINK TO 14 REFERENCES: https://globaloffsitecare.box.com/v/goodnewsaboutcovid19 SOURCE J.M. Barchilon MD Inc Washington, Sep 14 : US President Donald Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for coronavirus testing in America, which is currently the worst-hit country in the world. Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally on Saturday night in Nevada. The President said: "We've tested more people than India than many many big countries put together. India's second. We are 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people... And Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi calls me. He says what a job you've done with testing. I said explain that to these dishonest people back." Trump then goes on to slam his Democratic rival Joe Biden, saying that if he was in charge when the "China virus" arrived, "hundred of thousands of more Americans would have died". As of Monday, the US accounts for the world's highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths at 6,520,234 and 194,081 respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University. India is currently in the second place in terms of cases at 4,846,427, while the country's death toll stood at 79,722. At the rally, Trump warned that he was prepared to "be really vicious" in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. Nevada is among the locations his campaign is targeting as they work to rebuild enthusiasm around his handling of the US economy and solidify his support with Hispanic voters, said a Politico news report. Along with Arizona, where the President is traveling on Monday, Nevada is also a state where campaign aides believe Trump's expanded Latino support could make a difference in the November 3 election. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Police will patrol public spaces across London to enforce the tighter rule of six coronavirus restrictions. Officers will also respond "swiftly" to reports of groups gathering in large numbers, according to the Metropolitan Police. The force confirmed that fines of up to 100 would be issued where necessary when people fail to respond to warnings. Repeat offenders face a maximum penalty of 3,200. The new regulations cut the size of permitted gatherings both indoors and outdoors from 30 to six from Monday, although there are a series of exemptions, including meetings for work or educational purposes, funerals or sporting activities. Matt Twist, the deputy assistant commissioner who leads the Metropolitan Polices response to the coronavirus, said: Coronavirus has had an enormous impact on London and the life of Londoners and my thoughts are with all those who have battled the virus or who have lost loved ones. "Our city has made huge sacrifices since the start of lockdown in March and officers across the Met have been working around the clock to keep London safe and support our heroic health colleagues. Recommended Six problems with the rule of six to tackle coronavirus spread Throughout this period, the vast majority of Londoners have complied with the regulations. Todays changes are an important step to reduce the spread of the virus and I would urge everyone to take them seriously and comply. We will be deploying resources across the capital to engage with groups of more than six to highlight the risks and regulations. Where necessary, officers will enforce the regulations. We will be working closely with the London boroughs and their enforcement teams, and doing all we can to persuade Londoners to take the threat seriously. Where people just wont listen, and are putting everyone at risk, we absolutely will take enforcement action. It is very clear that we cannot control the spread of the virus through enforcement alone, and we need Londoners to work with us. Therefore, please continue to act responsibly maintain social distancing, respect the new regulations and guidance, and help keep yourself, your friends and family safe. Senior police officers have questioned whether the new regulations can be enforced now that demand has increased since the lockdown was eased. Brian Booth, chair of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: We just dont have the resources, the world has woken up again and its busy. The Metropolitan Police said its officers would continue to use the Four Es model of policing adopted across the UK in relation to the coronavirus laws. Officers will first engage, explain and encourage people to follow the regulations before deciding whether to enforce them with fines. Coronavirus remains a real and deadly threat and officers will be deployed in every borough to help keep people safe, the force said. They will patrol public spaces and will also respond swiftly to incidents where groups gather in large numbers. Monday, September 14, 2020 at 7:15AM NVIDIA has officially announced that it bought the semiconductor design company Arm for US$40 billion, which will help expand the graphics giant's presence in mobile computing. It plans to invest more in artificial intelligence technology to bring it to platforms like smartphones, PCs, and self-driving cars. Arm will gain access to NVIDIA's products and more support for its R&D initiatives. NVIDIA says it will build an AI supercomputer powered by Arm CPUs at its Cambridge headquarters to cement its commitment to the acquisition. NVIDIA assures that Arm's technology will maintain its open licensing model and neutrality with current customers, which means Arm designs can take advantage of NVIDIA's tech as well. We should expect some unconventional chip designs from NVIDIA in the future. NVIDIA and Arm's boards have approved the acquisition, and the companies expect to close the transaction within 18 months. It'll require regulatory approval in the US, UK, EU, and China, of course. Source: Engadget Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, the US Marine convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude but recently pardoned, could still face sanctions now that he has returned home after spending five years in a Manila jail. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who once served as lawyer of Laude's family, said the absolute pardon granted by President Rodrigo Duterte to Pemberted did not exempt the soldier from court marshal proceedings in the United States where he flew back immediately after his release on Sunday morning. RELATED: Revisiting the Jennifer Laude murder case Roque said representatives from the US Marine Corps made this commitment during the pretrial of the Laude homicide case. "Ang pangako po nila, kung makakalabas si Pemberton, ibig sabihin matatapos lang ang proseso sa Pilipinas. Pag-uwi raw po ni Pemberton, tuloy pa rin ang kanyang court martial proceedings at doon po malalaman kung meron pang additional na parusa na ipapataw sa kanya at 'yung kanyang qualification to remain in service," Roque said during his Monday media briefing. [Translation: They (American representatives) promised that if Pemberton walked free, it would mean the end of the legal process in the Philippines. But when Pemberton returned home, the court marshal proceedings would continue and that's where it would be determined if there would additional sanctions again him and if he is still qualified to remain in service.] Roque, a human rights lawyer before he joined the government, represented the Laude family in hearings before an Olongapo court against Pemberton. In a surprise move, Duterte last week pardoned Pemberton after serving five years and 10 months in detention at a special cell inside Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippine military's headquarters. The absolute pardon granted "total extinction" of Pemberton's criminal liability, restored his civil and political rights and remitted all penalties imposed on the American serviceman. He walked free and was deported over the weeked to the US, a standard practice for foreigners who face criminal charges or convictions and are considered "undesirable aliens." READ: Pemberton expresses sincere sympathy to Laude family, thanks Duterte for pardon Members of the LGBTQIA+ community condemned Duterte's grant of pardon, saying it was an injustice to Laude. A local court granted Pemberton early release on September 1, citing his good conduct in prison. The US Marine was convicted of homicide for killing Laude, then 26 years old. The transgender woman was found alone in the bathroom of a motel room, her neck blackened with strangulation marks and her head rammed into the toilet after a night out with Pemberton on October 11, 2014. In his briefing, Roque denied the Laude family's claim that Duterte broke his promise that he would not let Pemberton walk free while he was in office, stressing no such committment was made by the President. Roque said that the Laudes never met the President in person, but that they received financial aid from Malacanang three times. "Ang pangako po ni Presidente ay bibigyan niya ng katarungan ang pagkamatay ni Jennifer Laude, at nakulong naman po si Pemberton ng halos anim na taon," he stressed. [Translation: What the President promised was justice for Jennifer Laude's death, and Pemberton did spend almost six years in jail.] Despite the pardon, Roque noted that Pemberton was forcibly sent home by Philippine authorities and that he would always be branded as a "convicted killer." READ: Roque believes Pemberton pardon was in exchange for US-made COVID-19 vaccine Iran has considered an assassination attempt against the US ambassador to South Africa as a retaliatory measure against the US for its drone strike in January that killed Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani. The ambassador, Lana Marks, a longtime friend of Donald Trump who was unanimously confirmed to her post by the Senate in 2019, has been informed of the potential plot, Politico reported, citing two anonymous sources, one of whom was familiar with the issue or another who had seen intelligence suggesting the potential assassination. For months, Iran has been weighing different ways to retaliate against the American drone strike that took out Mr Soleimani and at least six others in Iraq on 3 January. Mr Soleimani for years was seen as the main and most dangerous opponent by Iran's adversaries in the Middle East and beyond. Inside the country, many people viewed him as a national hero. As the leader of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), he had survived several attempts to kill him by western, Israeli and Arab states over the past two decades. The Quds force that Mr Soleimani commanded before his death oversees Irans military operations outside its own borders. The unit has frequently supported proxy militias that were adversaries of US-backed groups in the region, though it has seldom directly engaged American troops. In April 2019, however, the US State Department accused Mr Soleimanis units of killing more than 600 American soldiers over the course of the Iraq War. In 2018, former FBI agent and national security analyst Ali Soufan wrote of Mr Soleimani: "More than anyone else, Soleimani has been responsible for the creation of an arc of influence which Iran terms its 'Axis of Resistance' extending from the Gulf of Oman through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.'' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterised the drone strike against Mr Soleimani as a step to re-establish deterrence after a tumultuous year of confrontations between the two countries. Iran subsequently launched a rocket strike against a joint US-Iraq airbase, injuring more than 100 US troops but killing none. US officials believe a plan for an attack against Ms Marks has been in Irans back pocket since the spring, but that it has become more specific in recent weeks, Politico reported. The publication reported that intelligence officials are unsure why Iran is potentially targeting Ms Marks, who does not have any known links to the country. Ms Marks was born in South Africa and speaks Xhosa and Afrikaans, two languages native to the region. She has known Mr Trump for decades, and was a member of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. She made her fortune as the designer of an eponymous high-end fashion line known most prominently for its leather handbags. Afghan forces, Taliban clash as Doha peace talks continue Iran Press TV Sunday, 13 September 2020 3:26 PM Peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban were held for the 2nd day, but reports of ongoing violent clashes back in Afghanistan are stark reminder of obstacles ahead. The peace talks resumed Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha, where the Taliban have a representative office. The talks are expected to tackle thorny issues, including a permanent cease-fire, the rights of women and minorities, and the disarming of tens of thousands of Taliban militants and militias loyal to warlords. Constitutional changes and power sharing are expected to be on the agenda as well. Abdullah Abdullah, the country's former chief executive officer who is heading the Afghan negotiating team, earlier said that achieving a significant reduction in violence and a permanent ceasefire would be among the first issues in Sunday talks. He said the Taliban could offer a truce in exchange for the release of more of their jailed militants. "This could be one of their ideas or one of their demands," said Abdullah, who also heads Afghanistan's peace council. The first day included a formal ceremony and efforts to agree on a framework of the first direct negotiations between the two sides since a deal clinched between the United States and the militant group earlier this year. At a ceremony opening the talks on Saturday, the Afghan government called for a ceasefire, but the Taliban did not mention a truce as they came to the negotiating table. Diplomats and delegates warned during the opening ceremony that the negotiations will be arduous and messy. "We will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days, weeks and months," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Doha. Observers said that although getting both sides to the negotiating table was a major achievement, this does not mean the path to peace will be easy, especially with violence increasing around Afghanistan. President Donald Trump made the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan a promise before the 2016 presidential election. In the countdown to the November presidential election, Washington has ramped up pressure to start intra-Afghan negotiations. Afghan forces, Taliban continue to clash amid talks The Afghan Defense Ministry said that Taliban and the government forces were still fighting in many places across the war-ravaged country. "With the start of intra-Afghan talks, we were expecting the Taliban to reduce the number of their attacks, but unfortunately their attacks are still going in high numbers," Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry said. "We don't have exact information about the Taliban attacks on Saturday, but I can say the number of attacks has increased instead of decreased." Local Afghan officials said Sunday at least six police were killed in a Taliban attack in Kunduz overnight, while five officers were slain in another attack in Kapisa province. A roadside mine blast in the capital Kabul also wounded two civilians, while another explosion in Kabul district resulted in no casualties. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the militant group attacked a convoy of Afghan forces that had arrived to launch an anti-terror operation along a key highway in Kunduz. He added that security forces carried out air and artillery strikes on Saturday night in the provinces of Baghlan and Jowzjan On Friday, the eve of the inauguration of the talks, the Taliban carried out 18 attacks against government forces and installations across the country, inflicting heavy casualties. The peace talks were held one day after the 19th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States that triggered the US military invasion of Afghanistan. The intra-Afghan talks were set to take place in March but have repeatedly been delayed over a prisoner exchange agreement made as part of the United States-Taliban deal signed in February. Under the deal with the US, the Taliban agreed to stop their attacks on US-led foreign forces in return for the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and prisoner swap with the government. The Afghan government was a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but it has been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free the Taliban prisoners. Official data shows that bombings and other assaults by the Taliban have surged 70 percent since the militant group signed the deal with the United States in February. Washington invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-run government in 2001 on the pretext of fighting terrorism following the September 11 attacks in New York. Afghanistan has been gripped by insecurity since the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror in 2001. Many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops. American forces have since remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now, Donald Trump. About 2,400 US soldiers have been killed, along with unknown numbers of Afghan troops and Taliban militants. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or injured since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thirty-one women living with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) in Bauchi communities have been successfully treated at Gamawa General Hospital, now a Fistula Treatment Centre, in the Gamawa local government area of the state. The Director, Fistula Foundation Nigeria (FFN), Musa Isa, made this known while giving an update on the five-day Free Fistula Repair Campaign at Gamawa General Hospital. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign was funded by the Canadian Government, under the Global Affairs Canada Gender-Based Violence/Harmful Traditional Practices (GBV/HTP) project. The five-day campaign started from September 7 and ended on September 11. The free fistula repair was a collaboration by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and the Fistula Foundation Nigeria (FFN). Mr Isa said that the 31 repaired VVF patients were among the 53 women living with fistula mobilised from the communities. He added that all the women treated are recuperating well, thanks to Bauchi State Ministry of Health and thanks to our surgeons and the team. One of the patients, a nine-year-old girl, had leaking urine as a result of rape, while two other patients were victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), aged 11 years and 14 years. Another two of the patients, aged six years and 16 years, had been living with congenital fistula. According to him, the Gamawa Fistula Treatment Centre has two doctors and four nurses, trained in basic fistula management. They will continue to conduct routine repairs. The centre director thanked the government and people of Canada for making it possible to have a VVF treatment centre at Gamawa in Bauchi State. He urged women and girls living with the condition from any part of the country to register at the centre for surgery to solve the problem. NAN reports that VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence. The condition could be caused by prolonged labour during childbirth, rape or FGM. However, it could be repaired through surgery. (NAN) Mexico said Monday that it had asked Israel to detain a former top investigator into the murky disappearance of 43 students in 2014 in a case that shocked the country. Tomas Zeron, who was head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, is wanted over allegations of serious irregularities in the probe into one of the country's worst human rights tragedies. In July, Mexico said Zeron was in Canada and that it was seeking his extradition, but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he was now believed to be in Israel. "The government of Israel could not, I mean it respectfully, give protection to a person with these characteristics," Lopez Obrador told reporters. "It would not be fair or humane because there are sufficient elements to show that he acted improperly." Zeron is one of the architects of the so-called "historical truth," the official version of the case presented in January 2015 by the government of then-president Enrique Pena Nieto, which was rejected by the victims' families. The disappearance of the teaching students in 2014 sent shockwaves around Mexico. They had commandeered five buses to travel to a protest, but were stopped by corrupt police in the city of Iguala, Guerrero and handed over to a drug cartel. Prosecutors initially said the cartel mistook the students for members of a rival gang and killed them before incinerating their bodies at a garbage dump and tossing the remains in a river. However, independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights rejected the government's conclusion, and the families of the victims continue to demand answers. yug/dr/to Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session 'Not running away': Govt defends Question Hour move amid Opposition stir India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 14: Amid Opposition stir, the government on Monday defended the decision to do away with the Question Hour for this monsoon session. Raising questions over the removal of the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The Question Hour is the essential of Parliament democracy. It is the soul of the House. By removing it, the government is trying to stifle opposition views." Speaking along similar lines, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi "urged the executive not to encroach into the territory of the legislature." Opposition demands discussion in Lok Sabha on standoff at LAC, economic slowdown Parliament's Monsoon Session begins with Covid-19 protocol being strictly followed | Oneindia News The government, however, said that leaders of most of the parties had agreed over the no Question Hour due to the situation, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. "Leaders of most parties agreed over no Question Hour and Zero Hour for 30 minutes. We apprised you [Speaker] of it following which decision was taken by you. I appeal to all members of House to co-operate as Session is being held in an extraordinary situation," Rajnath Singh said. Defended the government's stand on the cancellation of Question Hour in the ongoing Monsoon Session, BJP MP Pralhad Joshi said the Centre was not running away from a discussion. "It's an extraordinary situation. When Assemblies aren't ready to meet for a single day, we -with around 800-850 MPs- are meeting here. There are so many ways to question the govt, govt isn't running away from the discussion. We're ready for discussion," Pralhad Joshi said. The former admission director of a Massachusetts nursing home was accused this week of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly resident and using the money to pay for family vacations, home repairs and other expenses, authorities said. Christina Polcari, who worked at the Meadow Green Nursing Home in Waltham, was charged in connection with the scheme to steal $230,000 from the resident, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday. Authorities claimed that from August 2018 to May 2019, Polcari spent the residents funds on personal expenses, including repairs to her home, restaurants, cash withdrawals and vacations for her and her family. She is accused of using a forged signature for various promissory notes, letter and checks to cover up the theft, Healeys office said in a statement. The nursing home administrator left her position in May 2019 when officials at the facility found out about her suspected crimes, according to the statement. Before she left her job, Polcari allegedly paid a portion of the stolen money back to the victim, the statement said. The 54-year-old Belmont woman was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on one count each of larceny over $1,200 and embezzlement as well as five counts of forgery, according to Healeys office. Polcari is expected be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court via virtual conference at a later date, the attorney general said. Making an official visit to Cairo, Foreign Zohrab Mnatsakanian also accused Ankara of destabilizing these and neighboring regions, including the South Caucasus. We are following closely developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Mnatsakanian said after talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. We are in solidarity with Greece and Cyprus on their inalienable rights to economic activities in the exclusive economic zone in line with international law. I want to also emphasize our solidarity and support to Egypt in the same way, he told a joint news conference held shortly before his separate meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Mnatsakanian went on to praise Egypts commitment to peace and stability in Libya where Cairo and Ankara support rival warring factions. We very much welcome your efforts in this regard, he told Shoukry. Tensions between Turkey on one side and Greece, Cyprus and Egypt on the other have grown in recent months over conflicting claims to the extent of their continental shelves in the eastern Mediterranean. In early August, Egypt and Greece signed an agreement designating their exclusive economic zone in the region thought to be rich in natural gas. Both nations had denounced as illegal a similar deal signed by Turkey and Libyas internationally recognized government earlier. For its part, the Turkish government described the Greek-Egyptian agreement as null and void before ordering more preparatory work for potential hydrocarbons exploration. Armenia publicly sided with Greece and Cyprus later in August, sparking a renewed war of words with its big neighbor and arch-rival. Yerevan and Ankara began trading bitter accusations following the July 12 outbreak of heavy fighting on Armenias border with Azerbaijan, Turkeys regional ally. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders blamed Yerevan for the weeklong deadly hostilities and reaffirmed support for Baku in unusually strong terms, raising the possibility of Turkish military intervention in the Karabakh conflict. Mnatsakanian expressed serious concern over the Turkish military buildup and cited unconfirmed reports that Ankara is recruiting Islamist militants in Syria and sending them to Azerbaijan. These are exactly the moves which undermine the efforts towards peace and stability in the region, he said. In that context, the Armenian minister spoke of the same sources of destabilization in the South Caucasus, the east Mediterranean and North Africa. Any attempts to export instability and escalation to different regions as part of power projection is deplorable, whether it is in North Africa or in the South Caucasus, he said in another jibe at Ankara. Successive Turkish governments have refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan and open the Turkish-Armenian border out of solidarity with Azerbaijan. They have made the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations conditional on a Karabakh settlement acceptable to Baku. Turkeys relationship with Egypt has been strained ever since the 2013 overthrow of the Arab nations former Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi. The latter was supported by Erdogans Islamist-rooted AK Party during his short rule. Many members and supporters of Mursis Muslim Brotherhood fled to Turkey after the coup. Mnatsakanian seemed satisfied with his very good discussion with the Egyptian foreign minister, saying that it focused not only on international security but also ways of expanding Armenian-Egyptian relations. We are keen to take practical steps in this direction, he said. The top Armenian diplomat also said his country supports Egypts efforts to sign a free-trade deal with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. He further revealed that al-Sisi is planning to visit Armenia. But he gave no possible dates for the trip. The European Union is heading for a significant drop in sugar output this year after fields were devastated by pests and dry weather, making the bloc a net importer and pressuring a fragile sugar industry, analysts say. Sugar production in the EU and Britain is set to fall to 16.1 million tonnes, down from about 17 million in 2019, mainly due to lower sugar beet output in top producer France, French growers group CGB estimates. Yields in France are expected to fall by 15% compared to the five-year average mainly because jaundice transmitted by aphids ravaged fields across the country, CGB analyst Timothe Masson said. Combined with a lower area sown, that means production of sugar beet, also used to make ethanol fuel, would fall to 31.7 million tonnes from 38.6 million in 2019, cutting French refined sugar production to 4.1 million tonnes from 4.9 million. You have to go back to 2003 to see such poor yields, Masson said. The lower output this year will mean a shorter production period for sugar producers at similar costs, reducing their competitiveness, Masson said. He estimated the loss for the French sugar industry at 170 million euros ($202 million). Growers say the drop in yields could have been avoided if they had been allowed to use neonicotinoids, a pesticide banned in many parts of the European Union because it is believed to be harmful to bees. Frances farm minister said he planned a derogation to use the pesticide on sugar beet in a bid to convince farmers not to turn away from the crop. The sugar industry is still trying to recover after years of poor returns due to a slump in sugar prices. The drop in yields was expected to be similar in the UK but would be partly offset by a 5% rise in area, said Arthur Marshall, senior commercial analyst at NFU Sugar. UK sugar production totaled 1.19 million tonnes in the 2019/20 season, according to processor British Sugar. The impact of a neonicotinoids ban was lower in Germany but sugar beet suffered from dry weather this year, farmers said. Germanys refined sugar production from beets in the 2020/21 season starting now is forecast to fall to about 4.12 million tonnes from 4.23 million last season, Germanys sugar industry association WVZ said in its first harvest forecast. In Poland, refined sugar production was preliminarily estimated to rise to around 2.2 million tonnes from 2.0 million last season, a slightly higher sugar beet yield than a year earlier, said Rafal Strachota, director of Polish beet growers association KZPBC. Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has advised against the leakage of examination questions to final year students. Professor Joseph Osafo asked the examination authorities and parents to discourage school children from engaging in examination malpractices which often comes through their reliance on leaked examination papers or carry illegal items to aid them in writing their papers. The Senior Lecturer made this comment while discussing the Junior High School (JHS) final year students writing their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) today, September 14, 2020. Professor Joseph Osafo bemoaned the culture where leaked exam papers, known in local parlance as ''apor'', have become a part of the examination system. He called on the West African Examination Council (WAEC) which conducts the final exams to put mechanisms in place to avoid the examination papers from leaking. He also urged parents to psych their children to be studious and adequately prepare themselves to pass their examinations without carrying foreign materials to their exam halls or depending on leaked papers to determine their performance in the ongoing BECE. "Let the child enter into the examination hall with the brain . . . They're going to fall on the greatest asset - their brain - for a recall so they have to be careful they don't carry anything," he counseled 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 A federal appeals court on Monday reinstated the Trump administrations order to deport more than 300,000 undocumented immigrants whose home countries were hit by disasters, rejecting a judges decision that the order was an arbitrary change of policy and may have been motivated by racism. In revoking Temporary Protected Status for people who fled El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan, President Trumps Department of Homeland Security may have reversed the policies and legal interpretations of its predecessors, but cannot be challenged in court, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 ruling. The decision to designate any foreign country for TPS begins and ends with the secretary of Homeland Security, Judge Consuelo Callahan said in the majority opinion. She said the secretarys authority to consider conditions in a foreign country and decide whether they justify continued U.S. shelter is not only broad, but unreviewable. And although President Trumps description of Haiti and African nations as shole countries was offensive and disparaging, Callahan said, there is no evidence that it contributed to his administrations revocation of protected status. In dissent, Judge Morgan Christen said federal law does not allow the government to drastically change its legal interpretations and policies without explanation when the result is harm to people who have reasonably relied on the prior policies. The lives of 300,000 noncitizens and 200,000 U.S. citizen children will be forever changed by these TPS terminations, Christen said. In a separate opinion, Judge Ryan Nelson said the number would actually be lower because a federal judge in New York, in another case, has barred the deportation of the 46,000 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status, a decision the Trump administration is appealing. Nelson agreed with Callahan that the administrations change of policy was immune from judicial review but said the New York order, still in effect, shows why individual federal judges generally should not be allowed to issue nationwide injunctions against federal government policies. Nelson was appointed by President Trump, Callahan by President George W. Bush, and Christen by President Barack Obama. The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on behalf of nine immigrants with protected status and five U.S.-born children of immigrants in the program, said it would appeal the ruling. The presidents vile statements about TPS holders made perfectly clear that his administration acted out of racial animus, said ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham. The Constitution does not permit policy to be driven by racism. In a statement, the Justice Department said, We applaud the Ninth Circuits recognition of the plain language of the Immigration and Nationality Act and its rejection of the baseless accusations of animus behind the actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security. Temporary Protected Status, established by a 1990 federal law, allows undocumented immigrants with no serious criminal records to live and work in the United States if a natural disaster or war in their homeland has made it unsafe to return. The status is typically renewed every 18 months. Immigrants from 10 nations currently hold the status. They include 263,000 Salvadorans, who were allowed to remain in the United States after a 2001 earthquake; 5,300 Nicaraguans, after a hurricane in 1998; 46,000 Haitians, following a 2010 quake; and 1,000 Sudanese because of an ongoing civil war. Past administrations have extended the protections because of new or continuing hardships in a migrants homeland; for example, continued hurricane damage and an outbreak of cholera in Haiti, and violence and natural disasters in Nicaragua and El Salvador. But in 2017, Trumps then-secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, said the hardships caused by the original disasters in the four countries no longer existed, and the law did not allow the United States to extend protected status based on current conditions abroad. In an October 2018 injunction against the deportations, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco said federal law requires the government to offer a rational explanation for new legal interpretations and other policy changes that cause hardship to individuals. Chen also noted that Trumps shole countries slur came during a White House meeting on Temporary Protected Status, a week before Homeland Security announced the termination of TPS for Haitians. The judge cited other racial denigrations by Trump and also noted Dukes 2018 statement that the ending of protected status was a result of an America first view an indication, the judge said, that she was carrying out the presidents agenda. But the appeals court majority said there was no evidence that Trump personally sought to influence the TPS terminations. Noting that the administration had extended protected status for other nations with non-white populations, Callahan said the policy shift could be attributed to the administrations emphasis on a merit-based entry system, its focus on Americas economic and national security interests, and its view on the limitations of TPS and the programs seeming overextension by prior administrations. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko On Wednesday, September 9, dealer David Zwirner inaugurated one of his major fall shows in New York, a presentation of new paintings by artist Harold Ancart. Before the Covid-19 era, Zwirner would have thrown his gallery open to hundreds of people and then invited a slightly smaller groupoften upward of 40 or 50 collectors, friends of the artist, curators, and criticsto dinner at a restaurant. This time around. Zwirner hosted a dinner for Ancarts show, but it was Harold, just a couple of people who work in the gallery, and a few friends, he says. I think we were six people altogether at Altro Paradiso, outside on the street. Welcome to the reopened New York gallery world, where dealers, collectors, and artists are still figuring out how to exist in an ecosystem that previously relied on crowds, dinners, and constant travel to sell art. Every gallery is now open by appointment. Most will accept drop-ins if the space is under capacity. Beyond that, the logistics of doing business varies from gallery to gallery. As far as New York goes, its a very opaque situation, says dealer Marianne Boesky, whose namesake Chelsea gallery will reopen with a show of paintings by artist Gina Beavers on Sept. 15. Everyone is doing their own thing. Thats the bottom line: Theres no consensus. No More Frenzied Openings ... Along with everyone else, Boesky closed her gallery in March. Now, as she begins her fall program, one half of her gallery is open to the public, and visitors can book slots through online appointments. (Ten people will be allowed in, through half-hour intervals. Were not going to be doing openings in the traditional sense, she says. Its hard, because if you cant get more than 10 to 20 people together, youre not going to have that buzzthat energy and excitement. To compensate, Boesky says shes working on a digital alternative that recreates the immediacy and personality of a live opening. You can enter the space, see the works in three dimensions, and can say, Is Kelly around? Is Mary around? I want to chat with them, and a gallery director will be there and walk you through the show, she says. The tech isnt quite there yet, but were working on it. Hauser & Wirth was set to inaugurate its new Annabelle Selldorf-designed 36,000-square-foot gallery on Manhattans 22nd Street in May. Obviously, that couldnt happen, says gallery co-President Marc Payot. For its delayed opening in its new space, the gallery has put together a benefit exhibition, Artists for New York, comprising art donated from artists. The proceeds will go to 14 not-for-profit arts organizations across the city. Were not doing a party, were not doing a press eventnothing, Payot says. Its the opposite of an event-driven opening. The large gatherings that animated the art world will be missed, dealers say, but they stress that openings have a minimal impact on sales. Its a celebration of creativity and an artist having worked hard, says Payot. Does it generate energy, and does this maybe then lead to some sales? Possibly, but its not that linear. Lower East Side dealer Miguel Abreu is going even further. Dinners lost their utility long ago, he says. Collectors didnt want to go to them anymore. They were sick of them; they were invited to 60 a month. Any pleasure in it was stripped away, he continues. At our openings in the last few years, there were fewer and fewer collectors, it was all artists and friends. (For pair of openings on September 10, Abreu invited anyone who attended to go to a nearby park for tacos.) For Now One of the most beautiful openings I can remember happened in January for Noah Davis, a young artist who passed away very early, says Zwirner. It was his first major show in New York, and it was endlessly exciting to the extent that the catalogue sold out, and we had to reprint it. Now, he says, you do much better with artists where the audience is already strong. Its hard to introduce brand-new work that people arent familiar with, because you have a limit on how [interest in] the work can spread at this moment. Zwirner says he hasnt made any changes to his exhibition schedule, for which theres already a significant, Covid-19-related backlog. We havent adjusted our program, other than that were showing everyone we couldnt show for the last six months, he says. The rescheduling has been a little bit of a nightmare to make sure you can get everyone on deck. The real issue, he says, is that were primarily a brick-and-mortar business. I never like to say it, but were part of the world of retail, where you come in and you want to experience the object. When collectors have come through the door, he says, everyone is wearing masks, and we have safety protocols, but weve actually stood in front of the artworks with clients, and sold them. Openings, Zwirner continues, are part of that in-person experience. Its a beautiful tradition: You celebrate the artist, you see friends, you go gallery-hopping. Its so New York, its so quintessential, and I want it to come back. Boesky, too, says she wants to return to a world of gallery dinnersbut old-school dinners, like when I opened in 1996, she says. I would just cook them, and then it became this whole other animal: seated dinners that cost $50,000. I dont enjoy going to a lot of those. It just feels obligatory. Goodbye to All That Dealers uniformly agree that things shouldnt go back to the way they were. Art was being absorbed by this relentless activity of the art world circuit, Abreu says. It was stripped of its power of expressionto reach people and engage peopleand the result was that everybody had been forced into the position of shopping and not collecting anymore. Even Zwirner and Payot, each helming one of the largest galleries in the world, say galleries needed to change. Well all run our business differently, says Zwirner. Everything from the obviousa plexiglass divider at the reception desk, appointments scheduled in advance, and galleries leaning even more heavily than before on digital previews of shows sent out to clientsto how many art fairs Zwirner will attend every year is being reconsidered. There was almost a hysteria in the art world to be everywhere at all times. That, he says needs to be rethought. Payot agrees that travel particularly needs to be scaled back. This crisis has made us think of everything differently, he says. The relationship between digital and physical [sales], how much do we actually need in terms of events and openings, and how much do we actually need to travel? Boesky is reconfiguring about one-half of her gallery as semi-private exhibition spaces. Does it make sense for me to have a 15,000-square-foot public exhibition space? she asks rhetorically. It doesnt, because we cant have a gathering of 500 people for an opening. The forced reset, Boesky continues, has compelled her to take a step back to reconsider whats good for her, her artists, and her staff. The life we lived prior was not reasonable, it was insane, she says. Im looking forward to a new normaland not chasing my tail 24/7. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Michael Bloomberg is ready to spend as much as $100m (84m) to help Joe Biden win the pivotal state of Florida in November's US presidential election. The billionaire media mogul, who sought the Democratic nomination himself, pledged his support in a state that has 29 electoral college votes. According to recent opinion polls, Mr Biden enjoys a thin lead over Donald Trump in the state. Much of the money will be spent on advertising slots aimed at Florida's large Hispanic community, where Mr Biden appears to be underperforming compared with Hillary Clinton four years ago. "Mike's substantial investment in Florida will allow Democrats and the Biden campaign to invest heavily in other key states like Pennsylvania, which will be critical to a Democratic victory," his spokesman said. "And, this will force Republicans and the Trump campaign to shift even more of their limited resources to Florida." Read More Republicans, however, feel confident in their chances in the state, pointing to GOP wins in 2018 and stronger than expected turnout in 2016 as evidence the state is trending in their direction. The latest national opinion polls show Mr Biden maintaining a lead over Mr Trump, although the margins have narrowed over the past month. However, with the presidential race approaching its final lap, Mr Biden has been far more successful in raising cash than Mr Trump. Figures for August showed that the Republican National Committee had raised $210m, around $154m less than the Democrats. According to The Washington Post, the Republican cash crunch has resulted in the party scaling back TV advertising at a time when Mr Biden is flooding the airwaves. Mr Trump's response has been to step up rallies, hurtling around the country to take his message to voters in person, despite concerns about the threat of Covid-19 in mass gatherings. On Saturday night, the US president appeared in Nevada and accused state governor Steve Sisolak of trying to use mail-in voting to fix the election. "The Democrats are trying to rig this election because that's the only way they're going to win," he said. He also floated again the possibility that he would seek a third term if he was re-elected. The Republicans have gone to court trying to overturn a bill expanding mail-in voting in Nevada where, according to the latest poll, Mr Biden has a four-point lead. Mr Biden's narrowing lead has caused alarm among some Democrats, notably Bernie Sanders, who reportedly has voiced fears that the moderate strategy could hand the election to Mr Trump. Faiz Shakir, who acted as Mr Sanders's campaign manager when he sought the election, confirmed that he had urged Mr Biden to make some "strategic adjustments", including focusing on raising wages and expanding healthcare. In a sign the planned investment had annoyed Mr Trump, the president tweeted out his disdain for Mr Bloomberg yesterday, referencing the attacks the businessman received at a Democratic primary debate in February from Senator Elizabeth Warren. Daily Telegraph, London Read More Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two former Honda Aircraft sales executives, Glenn Gonzales and Vishal Hiremath, created Jet It in 2018 with the goal of bridging the gap between private charter flights and exorbitantly expensive private aviation services. Expanding Worldwide Private Aviation: Jet It offers hybrid ownership in North America while JetClub offers membership in Southeast Asia and India, and hybrid co-ownership in Europe. As an aviation company built by aviators, Jet It's offerings attract an underserved market-niche, keeping it in high demand. In just their first full calendar year of operations, Jet It's growth is phenomenal. Jet It is the largest fleet operator of HondaJets in North America and on track to grow its fleet to double digits before year's end. The company began in 2018 with 3 employees, including the 2 founders, and has grown to over 50. Now, co-founders Gonzales and Hiremath are moving forward with an international expansion with the launch of JetClub. With the delivery of the first JetClub HondaJet this week, their innovative hybrid model arrives in Europe and Asia. Aside from introducing a new private aviation service, JetClub will provide access to a consistent experience in Europe and Asia to Jet It owners who are traveling abroad. The same access and private jet availability will be available to JetClub members traveling to North America. The ultimate goal -- create 2 turn-key aviation services. JetClub is servicing SE Asia and India as a membership-based private travel service and is offering a hybrid co-ownership service to Europe. JetClub will allow individuals and businesses to affordably commute within their regions while having access to a worldwide fleet when they travel to other regions. JetClub expects to operate throughout SE Asia and Europe by the middle of 2021. Hiremath says, "After experiencing success and a positive reception to Jet It in North America, we believed we could create a global leader in affordable private travel solutions, and the launch of JetClub is the next step towards that goal." Gonzales added, "We plan to replicate Jet It's success in Europe and Asia with the same high level of customer service excellence we are known for. Members/owners can call our international concierge and we will arrange transportation as they travel throughout these regions. In some countries, where there are no FBOs or private terminals, we will have our ground VIP services available that will guide our passengers through immigration and airport terminals." SOURCE Jet It; JetClub Related Links http://www.gojetit.com The Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, is home to Clandeboye Yoghurt. It will build a new factory there and create 13 new jobs, with the aim of increasing production and growing sales internationally. General manager Bryan Boggs said: This will give us the capacity to produce up to 80 tonnes of yoghurt per week, over four times what we normally produce. All of this combined will help us to increase our export sales and expand in the Great Britain market. Over the last 12 years, Clandeboye Estate has built its farm-based artisan yoghurt brand into a premium offering. Invest NIs support has helped it to grow in Ireland and Britain, with major retailers such as Aldi, Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda stocking its products. Invest NI has offered the company 470,000 support towards the new factory and machinery. Advertisement The project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014-2020. More than a million people face the prospect of new Covid-19 restrictions on visits to their homes due to concern over the rate of infections in the capital. New limits on visitors to a person's home are expected to be introduced as early as tomorrow in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, the reopening of 'wet pubs' in Dublin from September 21 is also at risk, with ministers set to deliberate on the issue amid the surge in Covid-19 cases. Gardai have stepped up visible patrols in the capital in a bid to ensure compliance with Covid-19 regulations like the wearing of face coverings. Expand Close Dr Ronan Glynn. Picture: Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Ronan Glynn. Picture: Collins Under new measures to be considered by Government, the number of visitors allowed to a home in Dublin would stay at six. However, the Irish Independent understands the number of households visitors can come from would be reduced to as low as one from the current three. This was recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) last week but the Government put off a decision on the matter as ministers continue to finalise their broader 'Living With Covid' plan which is also due to be published tomorrow. Read More A total of 156 of the cases of Covid-19 reported last night were in Dublin, representing just over 60pc of the 255 new infections nationwide. Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn took to social media over the weekend to urge people in Dublin to have fewer visitors in their homes. He said the infection rate in Dublin was 78 cases per 100,000, that the number of cases could double in the next two weeks and that many infections were clustered in households. Taoiseach Micheal Martin last night denied the Government was acting too slowly on introducing Nphet's recommendations for Dublin, telling RTE that ministers will be "acting decisively" tomorrow. Asked about the situation in Dublin, Mr Martin also said: "We have to learn also from what we've done in the past. Certainly the severe restrictions brought in to Kildare, Laois and Offaly did work". Government sources last night played down the chances of any imminent restrictions on non-essential travel in and out of Dublin, as were imposed on those three counties last month. One senior source pointed out that the rate of infection was at 200 per 100,000 people when the measure was introduced in Kildare. The Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 will meet this evening as ministers seek to finalise the medium-term plan for living with Covid-19. With no end in sight to the pandemic, strict limits on everyday life are set to last at least six months and the plan will set out five levels of restrictions. Level one will be the most lenient - allowing up to 10 visitors from three households to a person's home - while level five would be a return to a nationwide lockdown. Ireland is currently effectively in level two of restrictions. Level three would involve instructions to people to stay within defined regions, counties or even areas within counties, though sources stressed no final decisions have been taken last night. In level one of the plan, attendance of up to 500 people would be allowed at sporting venues with capacity for 5,000, though it's understood that some in Government are pushing for this to be increased for stadiums like Croke Park or the Aviva Stadium. The Government is also likely to adopt a traffic-light system for foreign travel being developed by the EU. President Donald Trump has voiced his support for stand up comic and self-proclaimed psychedelic adventurer Joe Rogan to host a presidential debate unlike any other in history. The host of The Joe Rogan Experience, a popular podcast series, pitched the idea on a podcast hosted by retired UFC fighter Tim Kennedy. Kennedy tweeted about the idea during the weekend, describing how Rogan offered to moderate a debate between former Vice President Joe Biden and the president that would be four hours with no live audiences. Just the two candidates, cameras, and their vision of how to move this country forward, he wrote. Who wants this? Mr Trump retweeted Kennedys post, writing in response to his question: I do! Mr Rogans hugely popular podcast has made headlines in the past with high profile guests like Bernie Sanders and Elon Musk the latter of which famously smoked a joint live on air. The president was on an early morning Twitter spree when he made the comments on Monday, amid attacks against his Democratic opponents vice presidential pick, Kamala Harris, who he called a super liberal wack job in one social media post. Mr Trump has ramped up his attacks against Democrats in recent days, claiming Mr Biden wouldnt serve a full term if elected in November. There are at least three presidential debates scheduled to take place ahead of Election Day, including one on 29 September, followed by two in October. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence and Ms Harris are scheduled to debate each other on 7 October. Little else is known about the details of the upcoming debates, however. The Covid-19 outbreak has caused unexpected changes, including the venue for the first debate, which will be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The University of Notre Dame was scheduled to host the first event, but withdrew due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are highly indebted as a community to our doctors, nurses, delivery staff, farmers, teachers, researchers, sanitation workers, grocery workers, househelps, chefs, firefighters, journalists, police and other emergency services workers who have kept the world going amid the raging coronavirus pandemic while we snuggled inside the security of our homes with our loved ones. From working for inhumane hours to bearing salary crunch and skipping of meals, these workers have been on the frontline and Google could not stay back from appreciating them through its signature doodle. Google doodles quirky appreciation for those on the front lines is exactly the peppiness our Monday morning needs. The search engines homepage today reminds users of the coronavirus helpers fight against the crisis and urges all to stay at home in honour of their tireless unconditional work. The doodle features the double o in its name as a funky caricature of all the frontline warriors with red hearts floating above them. Google Doodle goes all hearts for coronavirus helpers this Monday (Google homepage) Though the doodle was initially shared by Google in April this year, another appreciation and reminder was needed given the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and extention of the pandemic with no vaccine in sight. Google elaborated, As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever. Were launching a Doodle series to recognize and honor many of those on the front lines. Today, wed like to say: To all coronavirus helpers, thank you. The best way to say thank you to all those on the front lines is by staying at home. Together, we will move past this. #GoogleDoodle pic.twitter.com/EXSihXojhf Google India (@GoogleIndia) April 17, 2020 At the bottom of the message, Google also listed ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19. They included simple but compulsory steps like, Wear a mask. Save lives. Wear a face cover. Wash your hands. Keep a safe distance. It is important to clean your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub and not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Stay home if you feel unwell and cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue while coughing or sneezing. Seek medical attention at the earliest if you experience fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible and maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Well get through this. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Founder and General Overseer of Alive Chapel International, Prophet Elisha Salifu Amoako who doubles as the spiritual father of Sylvester Ofori, the US-based Ghanaian pastor who allegedly shot and killed his wife, has rubbished claims that the late wife was a witch. According to him, reports circulating that he has tagged Barbara Tommey as a witch is a calculated attempt to tarnish his reputation. I will never say that and I have never said that Barbara Tommey is a witch, he said. Prophet Elisha Salifu Amoako in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie' said he has a cordial relationship with late Barbaras family and recalled how he delivered her from an unknown sickness. He told host Kwesi Aboagye that he once cautioned the embattled pastor about the untimely demise of his wife and asked him to pray about it when he visited them in Orlando, Florida. Prophet Salifu Amoako said the couple allowed some spirit to take the better part of their marriage. I visited them; his wife complained to me about their situation, I spoke to them. I went to him on a different day and told him he should be careful otherwise, he will kill his wife. Whatever has happened was caused by a spirit that is haunting the gentleman. People are whining on social media but they dont even know the man. I know him. I know them. I prophesied theyd go to America before they left the shores on Ghana. I repeat, something is haunting the gentleman. Whatever has happened is pure witchcraft; it is a calculated witchcraft attack on him, he said. Sylvester Ofori and Barbara Tommey video emerged on the internet - unlike the first which showed a loving couple during their wedding ceremony, this video reveals the abuse and death threats Barbara received from her estranged husband.From the video, Barbara and her siblings had gone to her marital home to retrieve some documents.However, the peaceable mission turned violent after, Sylvester had attacked Barbara in the process even in the presence of her siblings.Her enraged brother had stepped in and restrained Ofori from doing any more harm to Barbara, keeping him away from her the whole time.In the ensuing argument, Barbaras brother accused Sylvester of being a fake man of God. Ofori in response called Barbara a witch, and told Barbaras brother angrily: If I dont kill your sister then I am fake.Barbara was told to report the matter to the police, but she refused, saying she didnt want to escalate the issue any further.Unfortunately, a few days later, Sylvester carried out his threat when he shot and killed Barbara Tommey several times in front of her place of work. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flights to Karachi, the capital city of the Sindh Province in Pakistan, will commence on 25 September 2020. Image: Pegasus Airlines. DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sales Benchmark Index (SBI), a management consultancy specializing in B2B revenue growth, today announced the publication of their latest research report, "Revitalizing Growth: Accelerate While Others Stand Still." The report uncovers how market leaders have responded to the disruptive economic climate to outpace the competition. SBI's study surveyed 157 CEOs from both public and private B2B companies and have found that UC&C companies have found themselves in one of two categories: Observers or Accelerators. While the majority are in the "Observer" category, we have found that the "Accelerators" have adopted agile revenue planning processes and it has helped them outperform their industry. "Unlike other industries, UC&C companies saw demand for their solutions explode nearly overnight," said Matt Sharrers, CEO of SBI. "Although some have done well observing, others made hard choices and are already in test mode, ready to take action and overtake their competitors." This report outlines how CEOs and their teams can make strategic decisions to outpace their competition and industry by adapting best practices form the Accelerators. Namely, how to: Re-assess the revenue growth strategy to adapt to changes over time. Re-imagine the commercial engine to evaluate new opportunities in the market. Re-allocate resources and execute to implement quickly and flawlessly. "It is uncertain how long the changes in demand will last," notes Gregg Blatt, Managing Director, UC&C Practice. "Market leaders have implemented Customer Experience (CX) differentiation, informed by customer and market listening, to ensure they retain newly acquired customers." You can access the full research report here and subscribe to get more information on upcoming webinars and virtual annual planning workshops. About Sales Benchmark Index: SBI is a management consulting firm specializing in sales and marketing that is dedicated to helping you Make Your Number. SBI is a firm comprised of former sales and marketing senior executives and top tier management consultants that help clients accelerate their rate of revenue growth. SBI provides consulting, insights, research and advisory services, and benchmarking data to private equity clients and enterprise clients across North America and Europe. Founded in 2006, SBI is headquartered in Dallas, TX. For more information, please visit: www.salesbenchmarkindex.com. Media Contact: Brian Waters (407) 228-0523 [email protected] SOURCE Sales Benchmark Index The handover of full operational control of Korean troops to Seoul may be delayed, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Robert Abrams has warned. He was speaking during an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington last week. Abrams warned that there is a great deal more to do until all 26 conditions for the handover laid out in 2015 by the two allies are met. He expressed concern that Seoul is rushing toward the handover before President Moon Jae-in's term in office expires in 2022, as Moon has promised. Abrams added that the media are giving the impression that the three-step verification of Korea's operational and mission capability is the only condition for the handover. But he warned that there are many more conditions to be met before Combined Forces Command can be led by a South Korean general. "There's more progress in 2019 than in the previous three years. And so (we are) making a lot of great strides in meeting these conditions," Abrams said. "But honestly, and I've said this multiple times before, we've got ways to go. The commitment that we have is that there's no movement of the goalposts." He laid out the basic principles for the handover -- Korea's capability to lead the future command, the acquisition and development of an integrated anti-missile defense system for the Korean Peninsula, and a trouble-free situation on the peninsula. Defending himself against accusation from lawmakers here that the USFK is in some way hindering progress in inter-Korean relations, Abrams said, "There's just frankly so many falsehoods that have been spread." United Nations Command, which he heads "does not enforce UN sanctions. Does not. Doesn't have the authority and nor will it," he said. "It is obligated, however, as a member, and under the auspices of the United Nations to report any potential violations, but it absolutely does not enforce UN sanctions." KAMPALA ChildFund Uganda Country Program has received UGX 129 million from Standard Chartered Bank Uganda towards the ongoing response to COVID19 prevention for Kampala Metropolitan Area in the divisions of Rubaga, Makindye, Nakawa and parts of Wakiso district. This generous donation will be used to promote and strengthen positive knowledge, skills, and practice among 2,300 households and other highly congested places such as market areas in response to the COVID19 pandemic. Together with Kampala Area Federation of Communities, ChildFund Ugandas Implementing Partner, the funds will be used in procuring handwashing facilities for communal places of high congestion, developing, and producing Information Education and Communication materials to aide risk communication within the vulnerable communities. This is in addition to working with and supporting Village Health Teams to ensure that children and their families have appropriate and accurate information about COVID19 prevention and compliance measures per Standard Operating Procedures put forward by government. Albert Saltson, CEO Standard Chartered Bank Uganda upon making the donation said; We are delighted to partner with ChildFund Uganda to reach more masses in populous areas COVID19 Pandemic has had devastating effects on our society and we are partnering with Government and NGOs to support the communities to curb the spread and prevent any negative shocks. Our financial contributions towards COVID19, currently standing at Ugx 1.6 billion is a testament to our brand promise Here for good. We are committed to going beyond banking to stand with our clients and community in this uncertain time. ChildFund Ugandas Country Director Moses Otai welcomed this collaboration and financial support from a socially responsible corporate partner in ensuring that all is done to stem the spread of COVID 19, strengthen community resilience and ensure child and family safety from all associated effects of COVID19. ChildFund looks forward to working with more corporate sector partners to reach more communities and families in a sustainable way. Otai said. Related DOHC Back in 2006, Sven Decoux built his very first custom motorcycle, based on a Ducati Monster 900. Three years later, he would go on to establish a used bike dealership, named SD Motors, while continuing his one-off exploits as a hobby. However, seeing that his machines had a tendency to attract a great deal of positive feedback, he founded Barn Built Bikes in 2014.The workshops introductory project was a BMW R850-based scrambler that went on to occupy a first-place podium at SoulFuels 2015 Classic Boxer Sprint, an annual event hosted in Francorchamps, Belgium. To keep up with customer demand, Decoux was later joined by two other moto surgeons in his two-wheeled adventures.As of today, the trio prides itself with a breathtaking portfolio, which hosts more outstanding masterpieces than you could possibly count. To give you a better idea as to what these ambitious fellows are all about, well be having a quick look at what theyve managed to accomplish with a 2002 model in Ducatis fearsome Monster S4 lineup.It goes without saying that the donor is one hell of a beast. The Monster S4 is put in motion by a ferocious L-twinbehemoth, with a desmodromic valvetrain and a compression ratio of 11:1. This nasty piece of liquid-cooled machinery boasts a genuinely gargantuan displacement of 916cc. It is fed by a Marelli electronic fuel injection kit with 50 mm (2 inches) throttle bodies.The four-stroke mill is capable of delivering up to 101 hp at 8,750 rpm, along with 68 pound-feet (92 Nm) of crushing torque at around 7,000 revs. Power reaches a chain final drive by means of a six-speed transmission, enabling Ducatis animal to run the quarter mile in just over 11 seconds at 123 mph (198 kph). Its top speed is rated at a respectable 149 mph (239 kph).A tubular steel trellis frame is tasked with holding the entire structure in place. It is supported by 43 mm (1.7 inches) Showa inverted forks at the front, accompanied by a fully-adjustable Sachs monoshock and an aluminum swingarm on the opposite end. At the front, stopping power is taken care of by dual 320 mm (12.6 inches) discs and four-piston calipers, coupled with a single 245 mm (9.65 inches) brake rotor and a two-piston caliper at the back.In terms of BBBs unique Monster S4, the crew kicked things off by tweaking its fuel tank to achieve a timeless aesthetic. The module was skillfully hand-shaped and incorporated back into the frame. Additionally, the workshop modified S4s subframe to fit a custom leather seat thatll comfortably accommodate two occupants.The new subframe also houses a Motogadget M.unit, which handles the bikes electrics. Up front, you will notice a set of aftermarket clip-ons from Gilles Tooling, as well as a fresh LED headlight that keeps things looking retro. The handlebars wear more components from the Motogadget catalogue, such as bar-end turn signals and one funky digital gauge.Top it all off, the Belgian trio disposed of the standard wheels to make room for an Alpina pair, hugged by Pirelli rubber. They proceeded to install rear-mounted foot pegs that ensure a more aggressive riding stance. On the other hand, that sweet Akrapovic muffler was readily available when this bike reached Barn Builts doorstep. Well, isnt that convenient?And there we have it, ladies and gents. Should you be looking to delight your eyes with some more tasty goodness from this Belgian workshop, you may pay them a visit on their Facebook or Instagram profiles. While you're at it, show these folks some damn love for their efforts, will you? (Bloomberg Opinion) -- When Nikola Corp. Executive Chairman Trevor Milton learned last week that his electric and hydrogen truck startup was the subject of a scathing research report questioning the companys inconsistent claims about its technology and capabilities, he published a brief video defending himself. The long story short is, none of it even really matters, he said. Milton couldnt have been more wrong. The $5.5 billion in market value that Nikola had added earlier in the week when it struck an industrial partnership with General Motors Co. vanished when investors took fright at the deceit alleged by short seller Hindenburg Research. The shares pared losses in Mondays pre-market trading after the company published a rebuttal to some of the points raised by Hindenburg. Its vital for shareholders to be able to trust the statements Nikola executives make because the company hasnt sold a single next-generation truck and doesnt have any meaningful revenue yet. Nikola stock is popular among inexperienced retail investors, and the business model is incredibly ambitious and complex. It spans both the production of electric and hydrogen heavy-duty trucks and pickups, as well as the sale of hydrogen to fuel them. But in one respect Miltons defiance actually made sense. Unbridled optimism is par for the course in Silicon Valley, and a bit of exaggeration is tolerated if it helps secure the investment needed to change the world in a hurry. Critics are branded haters, shills for entrenched interests or short sellers out to make a quick buck. Couple this with a political culture where facts are malleable, and you have a potentially dangerous blurring of the lines. Its precisely Miltons massive ambition that won Nikola early backing by experienced partners: German auto-parts supplier Robert Bosch Gmbh and Italian truck and agricultural equipment company CNH Industrial NV. Earlier this year, former GM Vice Chairman Steve Girskys VectoIQ, a special purpose acquisition company, took Nikola public following a reverse merger. Now Girskys former employer GM has joined the Nikola juggernaut, too, in return for an 11% stake. Story continues In other words, whether or not Nikola faked it something the company strongly denies its now much closer to making it. Hindenburg says these industrial powerhouses did not do their homework before backing Milton. However, all will have done due diligence on Nikola a point the company stressed in Mondays rebuttal. And even the most cursory examination will have uncovered two things. First is that Nikola has comparatively little technology of its own, and instead its strength is in integrating innovations from others. In announcing their partnership last week, neither Milton nor GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra were able to provide many convincing examples of innovations Nikola would bring to the table. The second obvious insight would be that Milton is fond of making bold claims about Nikolas technology, prospects and his own talents, especially on social media. He unabashedly told a recent podcast that Nikola will be one of the top five or 10 greatest growth stories in American history. Amid all the fuss, its telling that Nikolas industrial partners havent tried to distance themselves from Milton. Bosch has been a Nikola partner since 2017, and more than 200 of its employees were closely involved in developing critical parts of the truck, including the electric motor for the axle, the vehicle-control unit and the battery. (Milton and acolytes have sometimes glossed over this extensive role in public comments.) Bosch must therefore be aware of what Nikolas engineers can and cant do. The same applies to CNHs subsidiary Iveco, which is providing a truck platform and is handling European manufacturing. For its part, GM said on Friday that it remains fully confident in the value we will create by working together. And that says it all, doesnt it? By hitching a ride on Nikolas coattails, these companies with roots in the has-been world of combustion engines must have hoped a bit of the excitement it generated would rub off on them. Electric-vehicle startups are achieving nosebleed valuations just look at Tesla Inc. If Nikolas latest response doesnt suffice to win over the skeptics, some of the buzz around the stock could evaporate, making it harder to raise the capital needed to fund the companys hydrogen plans. But in the end Nikola should be able to deliver at least some of what its promised precisely because its partners are doing so much of the work. In the meantime, it would be wise for Nikolas board to consider Miltons limitations as a leader. A college dropout, Milton has conceded hes more of a vision guy and isnt a fan of paperwork. He was replaced as CEO earlier this year. The board should impress on him that in the long run results speak louder than words, especially those blurted out on Twitter and Instagram. For investors, there are lessons to be heeded, too. As a slew of inexperienced companies are taken public via SPACs, a process that avoids the kind of institutional vetting delivered by a traditional IPO, other stories similar to Nikola are likely to emerge. Nikola was, however, obliged to file a prospectus before going public, and in that document its pretty clear about the risks and limitations of the business model. Its a good reminder that investors should pay less heed to outlandish statements made by executives on social media and at product launches, and far more to lawyer-approved statements in regulatory filings. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies. He previously worked for the Financial Times. 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 leak remains an essential ingredient in the operation of a free press and, in turn, a functioning democracy. (stock photo) Independent News & Media (INM) owner Mediahuis has agreed a deal to takeover Dutch media group NDC Mediagroep, the biggest regional news publisher in the northern Netherland. It continues a slew of acquisitions by Belgium headquartered Mediahuis, which expanded into Ireland by buying INM last year and this year agreed a deal to buy Luxembourg's largest media group Saint-Paul Luxembourg which publishes the 'Luxembourg Times', 'Telecran', and the country's oldest newspaper, 'Luxemburger Wort'. NDC media group is the largest independent media company in the north of the Netherlands. It publishes titles including Dagblad van het Noorden, Leeuwarder Courant, Friesch Dagblad and dozens of regional news and weekly newspapers. The group has 600 employs and had a turnover last year of 112m. Mediahuis already has a significant business in the Netherlands where it publishes titles including national titles NRC and De Telegraaf and regional brands mainly in the south of the country including De Limburger and Haarlems Dagblad. In a statement Mediahuis confirmed it has reached an agreement in principal with NDC shareholders FB Oranjewoud and JM Fonds. They said the acquisition enables NDC mediagroep to gain digital and commercial impact. The transaction is subject to approval by the Dutch competition authority ACM. Mediahuis adds the necessary economies of scale and expertise to accelerate the digital transformation of NDC in the next phase, and to successfully consolidate its independent regional journalism and leading position in the Northern Netherlands, Mediahuis said in a statement. Mediahuis Group CEO Gert Ysebaert said digitalisation of the media is driving the need for consolidation: The continuing digitisation makes it necessary for media companies to join forces, make optimal use of economies of scale and learn from each other's expertise. "The strong regional brands of NDC, each with their individual signature, have everything they need to strengthen their leading market position and further anchor their independent journalism in the Northern Dutch society." Approximately 40,000 people receive transplanted organs yearly in the United States. By early April of this year, however, transplants of all types had fallen by half. The relationships between the organ donor and transplant profession, and those of us in aviation medical transportation are invariably linked with the same purpose to meet the needs of patients and the organs they depend on. The interconnectedness of the aviation-medical profession and its mission of transporting lifesaving organs hovered through unexpected obstacles during the early days of the pandemic. While the aviation medical transport segment continued its emergency flights with physicians and nurses aboard, the virus posed unique challenges for both organ procurement and transplantation, and those aviation medical transport companies, air rescue, rotary-wing (HEMS) and fixed-wing (AEMS) emergency medical services (EMS), faced unprecedented challenges.(1) But Sim Shain, CEO and Founder of ParaFlight EMS and Aviation, and OrganFlights.com], is no stranger to navigating a national crisis while transporting donor organs, and the physicians and nurses to receiving hospitals and healthcare facilities. Shains 27-year career in the pre-hospital air-med transport profession includes the 9-11 crisis as he was a true first responder that day. Although the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the transportation, logistics, testing, and treatment challenges of organ donation and transplant surgeries, emergency aviation medical services is the nature of what we do every day, said Shain. Both the aviation medical transport and organ transplantation professions are highly-regulated fields with specific centralized reporting procedures at every level. Collectively, we have adapted to the rapidly changing circumstances and will continue to work through these unprecedented challenges until the pandemic ceases to impact our mission of transporting lifesaving organs to hospitals for the patients transplantation surgeries. The Issues Healthcare Faced The inability to rapid-test organs and tissue for the virus was a major factor in the decline of transplants.(2) There was a severe shortage of ventilators in areas that were struck hard by the virus since in addition to the donorwho is placed on a ventilatorthe recipients of the heart, lungs, kidneys and liver need ventilators as well. Concerns about the safety of accepting donors who could possibly be COVID infected, and whether it would transmit to the recipient.(2) One team of researchers in the United States reported a decline of recovered organs from more than 110 a day on March 6 to fewer than 60 per day on April 5. During the same timeframe, the number of transplanted kidneys dropped from nearly 55 a day to about 35 a day.(3) As hospitals grappled with the shortages of supplies and risks of the virus to patients, the number of organ transplant surgeries procedures plummeted; the availability of organs fell as a natural byproduct. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which manages the nation's transplant system, said donations bottomed out in late March and early April.(2) In collaboration with his network of aviation partners, and a team of physicians and nurses, organ procurement organizations and transplant programs, Shain was determined his company would prevail to provide private flights at no cost during the most grueling period of the pandemic. Within 75 flight hours, ParaFlight conducted 30 missions, including two flights that transported over 7,000 plasma test tubes to the Mayo Clinic. The company transported medical equipment to other hospitals and healthcare facilities, including a midnight flight to pick up a specialized ventilator in Albany, NY, via helicopter and flew it to NYC for a patient. Additionally, Shain volunteered and flew along with COVID-19 patient Eli Beer, the noted founder and President of United Hatzalah, an Israel-based EMS volunteer service, on a flight from Miami to Israel.(3) We provided the medical personnel, ambulance and medical equipment at no charge. In other missions, we repatriated more than 100 people back home, both medical and those who were elderly and/or immunocompromised who couldn't risk flying commercially, he said. We also flew patients on commercial aircraft with one of our medical escorts, which is an added benefit of our services. To quantify the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on organ donation and transplantation, a study showed approximately 40,000 people receive transplanted organs yearly in the United States. By early April of this year, however, transplants of all types had fallen by half.(4) According to UNOS, lung transplants have increased 7.3% whereas heart transplants increased 4.2%.(5) Yet by early June, transplants were almost back to pre-pandemic levels, and heart transplant specialists credit a mix of factors.(2) When testing became more available, doctors could confirm if both donor and recipient were COVID-negative. As cases of COVID-19 appeared to be leveling off in many areas, ICUs opened up.(2) ParaFlight stands ready as our partners and network of dedicated aviation medical professionals reinvigorate the highly-respected transplant infrastructure as the pandemic begins to lessen, said Shain. The relationships between the organ donor and transplant profession, and those of us in aviation medical transportation are invariably linked with the same purpose to meet the needs of patients and the organs they depend on. We remain impenetrable to the challenges that crisis brings and are positioned to steadily increase our mission of serving others. About Sim Shain and ParaFlight EMS and Aviation Sim Shain, Founder and CEO of ParaFlight EMS and Aviation, has led a remarkable 27-year career working in the pre-hospital emergency medical space. He is a noteworthy leader who takes on challenging responsibilities leading corporate, medical, and charity flights and missions specializing in organ transplants. As a volunteer paramedic, Sims passion for facilitating surgical teams and harvested organs safely and efficiently to hospitals for procedures was born out of the atrocities of 9-11. A very close friend of Sims was a philanthropist who had his own jet and outfitted it with a stretcher and oxygen - and sent Sim on missions. This same friend was near ground zero on 9-11 and was struck with cancer. Before he passed away, he urged Sim to carry on his dedication. Sim is surging forward with this endeavor in his memory. Sims own experience driving an ambulance into ground zero on 9-11 has further fueled his mission for saving lives. He is on the official list of first responders and fortunately has not experienced any health issues thus far. Sim is a devoted volunteer who contributes towards numerous well-known organizations such as Chai Lifelines Camp Simcha, United Hatzalah of Israel, The Special Children's Center, Birthright Israel, and providing Hatzolah EMS, in-flight medical support to children with cancer and disabilities, free of charge. ParaFlight EMS and Aviation personifies his lifelong mission of "changing the world, one organ at a time." For more, visit https://www.paraflight.aero. 1. Roland Albrecht, 1,2 Jurgen Knapp,3 Lorenz Theiler,2,3 Marcus Eder,2 and Urs Pietsch 1, Transport of COVID-19 and other highly contagious patients by helicopter and fixed-wing air ambulance: a narrative review and experience of the Swiss air rescue Rega, Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med, Published online 2020 May 14, 2020, doi: 10.1186/s13049-020-00734-9 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7222521/ 2. Organ transplants make a turnaround from COVID-19 decline , American Heart Association News, heart.org, June 18, 2020, Givertz, Dr. Michael, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, Drazner, Dr. Mark, clinical chief of cardiology, UT-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. 3. Rachel Ginsberg, The Reprieve: United Hatzalah Boss Survives VOVID-10 Battle; 07 May 2020; EMS World; emsworld.com/article/1224317/reprieve-united-hatzalah-boss-survives-covid-19-battle-ems-emt-paramedic-israel-coronavirus 4. heart.org/en/news/2020/06/18/organ-transplants-make-a-turnaround-from-covid-19-decline Steep Decline in Organ Transplants Amid COVID-19 Outbreak, pennmedicine.org, May 12, 2020, pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2020/may/steep-decline-in-organ-transplants-amid-covid19-outbreak 5. United Network of Organ Sharing, Transplant Trends: More Transplants Than Ever, unos.org/data/transplant-trends/. As if the unprecedented crisis brought on by coronavirus was not enough, a series of decisions on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, the Consumer Protection Act and RERA over the last few months has added to homebuyers misery. Here are some of the key issues: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) has been amended to introduce a minimum threshold requirement. Now, 100 homebuyers or 10 percent of the total number of homebuyers, whichever is lower will be needed to trigger an IBC petition at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) against a defaulting developer for the purposes of grievance resolution or liquidation, as the case may be. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the pecuniary jurisdiction of various consumer forums has been raised substantially. 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 Related stories Abhay Upadhyay President |Forum For People's Collective Efforts and member, Central Advisory Council, RERA, MoHUA A homebuyer will now have to approach the district forum for amounts paid up to Rs 1 crore, the state forum for amounts paid from Rs 1 crore up to Rs 10 crore; and the national forum for amounts over Rs 10 crore. These thresholds were at Rs 20 lakh, Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore, and over Rs 1 crore, respectively under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, that was applicable before the latest amendments. The ministry of housing and urban affairs, Government of India, vide an Office Memorandum dated May 13, 2020, issued an advisory for extending the registration of real estate projects due to Force Majeure under the provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act, 2016 (RERA). The Office Memorandum states: The registration of all real estate projects whose completion date, revised completion date, or extended completion date expires on or after March 25, 2020, may be automatically extended by 6 months with a further extension of 3 months. When RERA was enacted and brought into force, it was expected that homebuyers would prefer to approach RERA Regulatory Authorities / Appellate Tribunal, as an Act having real estate specific clauses, both preventive and curative. Important among them are -- mandatory registration of real estate projects; deposit of 70 percent of the money received from allottees in a separate bank account; prohibition on modifications of sanctioned plans without the written consent of two-third allottees; bar on collecting more than 10 percent of the value of the property as a booking amount without entering into an Agreement for Sale with the allottee among others. It didnt take long for homebuyers to realise that RERA was way-off its goal not by miles but by light-years. Not only was its implementation lethargic (since the Rules were diluted and there were inordinate delays in setting up Regulatory Authorities by most states), but also the Regulatory Authorities were found passing orders which were not strictly as per the provisions of the Act. To add to the agony of homebuyers, these orders were also not being enforced. Thus, with developers not obeying the orders, RERA was proving to be completely ineffective. The Authorities also strayed away from the core objective of RERA i.e. to protect homebuyers interests, by focusing on a subsidiary provision - section 32 of RERA Functions of Authority for promotion of real estate sector. Section 32 has a limited mandate for providing recommendations to the State Government and/or Municipal Authorities/Town Planning Authorities based on the authorities experience with time, which is also not binding, for the promotion of the sector. RERA was not enacted for this purpose, but is a side event. It would have been much better both for the consumers and the real estate sector, had the Authorities focused on the objectives of the Act more so when the entire sector has gone astray in the past decade. Altogether this has distanced home buyers from any hope of justice, thereby eroding their faith in RERA to protect their life savings, to a point of no return. The failure of RERA led to homebuyers approaching NCLT under the IBC or the Consumer Forums under the Consumer Protection Act. It was felt that these forums were more effective in getting a fair and just outcome, and ensuring its timely enforcement. This, however, made the developers uncomfortable. Consequently, they started demanding, not only by themselves but also through other agencies that all forums other than RERA which are currently available to homebuyers be barred, namely NCLT under IBC and the Consumer Forums under the Consumer Protection Act. When the IBC Amendment Bill, 2020, was being reviewed by the Parliamentary Panel (chaired by Jayant Sinha, MP, Lok Sabha, BJP) we (FPCE) had deposed before the Committee opposing the minimum thresholds of 100 persons/10 percent buyers, provided in the Amendment Bill. In spite of reiteration that this amendment would create a heavy burden on homebuyers (tilting the balance in favour of builders) and also that these matters were considered quite in detail by the Supreme Court when the very IBC was challenged by the builders, we got no relief from the Parliamentary Committee. The builders community has been vehemently demanding that like civil courts, Consumer Forums should also be barred under RERA. Now, though the Consumer Forum has not been barred outright, by increasing the monetary thresholds under the new consumer protection law, the time periods for final disposal of consumer (home buyers) complaints would automatically jump by a few years, due to downgrading of forums based on pecuniary jurisdiction. What could not be achieved overtly has been achieved covertly. It is pertinent to mention that since the enactment of RERA in 2016 the Central Advisory Council (CAC) (an advisory body under RERA) met for the first time on May 14, 2018. Fast forward to April 29, 2020, when an emergency virtual meeting of the CAC was called for the second time to give an extension to all real estate projects registered under RERA. The FPCE raised objections during the meeting and subsequently also in writing through and email followed by a letter, that the decision to grant a blanket extension of six to nine months to all real estate projects was both unfair to home buyers and patently illegal. After all, the actual lockdown during which construction was not permitted lasted less than a month, whereas Force Majeure tenure was for six months, extendable up to nine months. This is illegal not only because the extension was to be given over and above the period of one year already provided under section 6 (Extension of Registration) of RERA, but also because no such power to give direction/advice by the Central Government to RERA Authorities exists under the provisions of RERA. Needless to say, the recent decisions have given great relief to builders as they will not be liable for any interest, compensation or penalty for this period. Meanwhile, homebuyers will be the ultimate sufferers during this already-difficult time when they are facing one of the worst crisis of their lives due to job losses and pay cuts for which no relief was considered in the same CAC meeting or thereafter, even though we had raised this issue. The pertinent questions are:>> What is the message the government is trying to give by taking the aforementioned decisions which are certainly not in the interest of homebuyers? >> Why are homebuyers are being pushed to approach RERA for redressal of their grievances without ensuring - effectiveness of RERA; timely justice (orders and its implementation); and stringent action against repeat offending builders. This is obviously sending a wrong message, which will only embolden the builders to continue their wrongdoings, as recourse to legal action against them is now restricted and the options available under compulsion (read RERA) is proving to be ineffective. Such a one-sided policy without any accountability over the years has resulted in the promoters becoming obscenely wealthy, while all other stakeholders home buyers, banks, development authorities, creditors have been left high and dry. It is now time to introspect what is wrong with the sector despite RERA and direct sops doled out over the years in annual Budgets and why the real estate sector continues to be a drag on the economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has rung alarm bells across the society and economy. A sharp V-shaped recovery in economic activity is not possible if citizens remain stripped of their purchasing power and fraud remains the accepted normal. The real estate sector needs to lead from the front. That is only possible if we adopt a policy of zero tolerance for any kind of malpractices in the sector; ensure time-bound justice mechanism for suffering homebuyers and restore the faith and confidence among prospective homebuyers by ensuring that performance surpasses promises by a wide margin. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Yogi Adityanath government is all set to raise Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) to safeguard the key establishments and monuments besides providing security cover to the VIPs. It will be raised on the pattern of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The special feature force, initially 9,919 personnel strong, will be given special powers and its members would be able to make arrests or search without a warrant issued by a magistrate. The government is contemplating to frame rules through an ordinance to run this force. The force would be raised under the jurisdiction of UP DGP.U The state government decided to raise the force following an order from the Allahabad High Court, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts last December. Additional Chief Secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi, said the government had asked DGP HC Awasthy to prepare a detailed plan in this regard. A blueprint in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP. This is a dream project of the UP CM. The decision to raise this force has been taken in compliance with an order of the High Court which had recommended that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. The High Court had directed the government to constitute a specialised force to protect civil courts, upcoming airports, Metro rails besides providing security to VIPs. Awasthi said the force may provide security to the banks, too, if required. In the first phase, five battalions of the UPSSF would be constituted and it would be headed by an ADG-ranked officer. An estimated Rs 1,747 crore would be spent per year on these battalions. Awasthi said in the first phase, the government would take the help of PAC in putting in place the requisite infrastructure and manpower. Such patrols will be regular. On September 14, accompanied by fighters of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, three strategic bombers of the U.S. Air Force B-52H were again in the Ukrainian airspace. "Under the escort of Ukrainian fighters, the B-52 headed towards the Black Sea for a joint action with partner states in the field of collective security," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Facebook on September 14. Read alsoTwo U.S. bombers fly over Ukraine in integration with Ukrainian fighter jets (Photo) "Such patrols will be regular, as the B-52 missions in the skies of Ukraine are part of a long-planned deployment of six B-52s at Fairford Air Force Base of the Royal British Air Force," it said. B-52 crews provide collective defense capabilities for the United States, NATO Allies and Partners, as well as strategic and operational capabilities to deter Russia. "American partners are consistent in their actions, supporting Ukraine, both on the diplomatic front and in the Ukrainian sky," it said. More related news reports As fires continue to rage across the West Coast of the United States, millions of people have suffered from the destruction of their homes, the deaths of loved ones and animals, mass evacuation, and the health risks posed by hazardous air quality. The 2020 fire season has quickly spiraled into a social and environmental catastrophe, far surpassing Californias last historic Camp Fire in 2018. Roughly 100 large fires, some of which have merged into massive complexes, have broken historical records as 3.4 million acres have burned in California, joined by over one million acres in Oregon and over 600,000 acres in Washington. Experts can only describe the fires as unprecedented in their size, speed, and destruction. To give a sense of the nature of these flames, 900,000 acres burned in a single 72-hour period in Oregon alone. Thirty-three confirmed deaths have been counted as of Sunday, including a one-year-old boy in Renton, Washington. Dozens were missing in Oregon over the weekend, with rescue crews working to identify them. The western US wildfires, seen from space, on Sept 9, 2020. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin) Further, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, sometimes scrambling in a matter of minutes as flames quickly approach their neighborhoods. About 12 percent of the Oregon state population, or more than 500,000 people, were given varying degrees of evacuation alerts for the weekend. We didn't know what to grab. We didnt pack. Who knows what to do when you're going through this? Nailah Garner told KOMO News regarding her husbands and her experience fleeing their home in a small forested town of Vida, Oregon. After the fires swept through the area and she returned to the apocalyptic scenes, Garner commented, It's all gone, and it looks like a war zone hit it. Many have sought refuge with family members or friends who lived in less risky areas, soon after being forced to pack up again and travel further as evacuation orders expanded. Others have traveled to evacuation sites that were hastily set up at churches, schools, fairgrounds, and event centers. Given the heavy agricultural importance of many of the affected regions, families have had to find shelter not only for themselves but for their livestock as well. The Oregon State Fairgrounds is currently housing 500 animals and 1,500 families. The National Interagency Fire Center reported on Sunday that over 30,000 firefighters and support personnel were deployed to fires across the US. While the majority of the fires are along the West Coast, firefighters are combatting blazes in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. While 30,000 may seem like a large number, the firefighting teams are overwhelmed and understaffed for the complex task of managing the infernos. Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia told CNN on Saturday that his department is fighting the 32,000-acre Bobcat Fire with 500 personnel, when it usually has 1,000 to 1,500 and that some firefighters are working more than 24 hours in a shift. Adding to the risks posed to the lives and health of West Coast residents is the giant smoke plume that is currently resting on the densely populated western half of California, Oregon, and Washington. The smoke has created very hazardous air conditions which began last week and are expected to last for weeks in California. Scientists use the Air Quality Index (AQI) to monitor air pollution throughout the world, measuring the parts of fine particulate matter within a cubic meter of air. The AQI measurements were created for a scale of 0 to 500, ranging from healthy air quality to dangerous air quality. The entire West Coast has had AQI over 100, which is considered unhealthy for at-risk groups with lung conditions and asthma. Many cities have recorded far higher levels, surpassing 300 AQI that is unhealthy for all groups. Air quality index measurements between 500 and 820 were recorded in Southern and Central Oregon, the northeastern outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Central Valley in California. Portland, Oregon has been placed under a State of Emergency due to the combination of hazardous air quality as well as the threat of fires creeping towards its suburbs. On Sunday morning, Portlands air quality index value averaged about 516, becoming the number one major city with the worst air quality in the world. The recent events strike parallels with modern records of 755 AQI in Beijing, China in 2011 and over 1,200 in New Delhi, India last November, where urban pollution reached obscene heights. The number of tiny particles of hazardous smoke entering residents lungs and bloodstreams can cause serious health consequences, straining their respiratory and cardiovascular systems. This can cause irritated throats, burning eye sensations, compromised immunity, asthma attacks, bronchitis, lung failure, heart attacks, cardiac arrest, and other severe conditions. These health risks have caused an uptick in immediate hospitalizations, while also making the population more susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, the symptoms of which become more severe for those with compromised respiratory and immune systems. Theres that aspect that people who are sick with COVID, but maybe not sick enough to notice or go to the hospital. But then when you add smoke on top of it, it could kick them into an extra-bad respiratory response, Jeffrey Pierce, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University, explained to Oregon Public Broadcasting. These hazardous conditions have affected well over 20 million people, taking into account the most populous metro areas in the region: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. The combination of little to no preparation by the ruling class for disasters and the extreme weather conditions fueled by climate change has made it possible for these annual fires to become such devastating experiences for millions. As with all natural disasters, the brunt of the damage will fall to the working class and the most vulnerable in society. Thousands of essential workers are forced to labor in toxic air and become more susceptible to the coronavirus, the elderly and those with chronic health conditions confront life-threatening conditions from the smoke, the homeless are not sheltered in the countless empty housing units that could be utilized, and many of those who have lost their homes will be left with nothing. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 06:15:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close - It is important that China and the EU remain steadfast in pursuit of sound and steady growth of their comprehensive strategic partnership and adhere to four principles, namely peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism, and dialogue and consultation, said Xi. - During the meeting, the Chinese and EU leaders stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year. - The Chinese and EU leaders announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications. - The leaders also decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships. BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link. They reached consensus on advancing ties, safeguarding multilateralism, and jointly addressing global challenges. Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosts a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2020, via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Xinhua/Li Tao) SOUND, STABLE CHINA-EU TIES URGED "The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the once-in-a-century transformations unfolding in the world and placed humanity at a new crossroads," said Xi. It is important that China and the EU remain steadfast in pursuit of sound and steady growth of their comprehensive strategic partnership and adhere to four principles, namely peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism, and dialogue and consultation, said Xi. This year marks the 45th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties. Despite the pandemic of COVID-19, which is still raging globally, communication between China and the EU does not stop. The frequency and intensity of bilateral high-level exchanges speak to the strong commitment of China and the EU to promoting the partnership. "Under current circumstances, closer high-level communication between the two sides on this relationship and issues of mutual interest can help strengthen political mutual trust, promote practical cooperation and advance China-EU relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Sept. 10. Observers held that though the world is undergoing huge changes, mutual benefits, complementarities, as well as dialogue and cooperation remain fundamental features in China-EU ties. Moreover, China and the EU have carried out effective anti-epidemic cooperation, which will inject impetus for them to promote ties in the future. "We hail the frankness and pragmatic spirit in which this meeting took place. We believe that by bringing the commitment of cooperation into substantial dialogues, both Europe and China can benefit, share and learn a lot from each other," said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international digital association in Brussels. Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosts a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2020, via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) CONSENSUS ON COOPERATION During the meeting, the Chinese and EU leaders stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year. The Chinese and EU leaders announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications. The leaders also decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships. "If China and the EU could finish the negotiations by the end of this year, it will be of special significance. It will send a positive message of China and the EU working together during the trying times, and give a strong boost to the business confidence on both sides. It will also contribute to the post-COVID-19 global economy recovery and to the concerted efforts to safeguard an open trade and investment environment," said Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, at a briefing on the meeting on Sept. 11. "They enjoy cooperation space as the two sides look forward to exploring opportunities in each other's market," said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noting that mutual benefit is the essence of China-EU cooperation. For China and the EU, cooperation is far greater than competition, while consensus far exceeds differences, said Chen. In August this year, the China-Europe freight trains have maintained strong growth. The trips made and the volume of goods delivered were 1,247 and 110,000 TEUs respectively, up by 62 percent and 66 percent year on year. The growth once again indicates that economic globalization is an irreversible trend of the times as countries are economically interdependent with unprecedented integration of interests. Chinese President Xi Jinping co-hosts a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2020, via video link with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) JOINTLY SAFEGUARDING MULTILATERALISM In the meeting, Xi said under the current circumstances, it is only more imperative for China and the EU, as two major forces, markets and civilizations, to inject more positive energy into COVID-19 response efforts, economic recovery and championing justice in the world. Xi stressed China is ready to work with the EU to step up dialogue and coordination at bilateral, regional and global levels, stay committed to a global governance outlook featuring consultation, contribution and shared benefit, defend the international order and system with the United Nations at the core, promote the political settlements of international and regional hot-spot issues. For their parts, Merkel, Michel and von der Leyen said it is imperative for Europe and China to strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism, resist unilateralism and protectionism, and respond more effectively to various global challenges. The European side is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in international organizations, promote anti-pandemic international cooperation, maintain free trade, and promote the economic recovery in Europe, China as well as the world at an early date, said the European leaders. "The slowdown caused by the pandemic also holds a lot of potential that must now be tapped together," Robby Schlund, member of the German Bundestag, told Xinhua that it is particularly important to stress that people should support good relations in the sense of economic multilateralism for mutual benefits. (Xinhua reporters Sun Yi, Wu Yue, Wang Bin, Cheng Xin, Pan Jie, Zou Duowei, Ren Ke. Video reporters: Lu Jia, Zhao Xiaoshuai, Qu Lanjuan, Zhou Shengbin, Chen Changqi, Yang Sanjun, Han Chong, Zhao Yuchao; Video editor: Wu Yao.) GALLUP A proposal to amend sentencing for people caught breaking the coronavirus curfew on the Navajo Nation is awaiting consideration by the Navajo Nation Council. Police have been charging curfew violators with public nuisance, which gives judges the choice of sentencing violators to 30 days in jail or fines up to $1,000, the Gallup Independent reported Thursday. One judge in Chinle, Arizona, issued a warning to a curfew offender, the newspaper reported. Under the new guidelines, first-time offenders would be ordered to pay fines of $500. Second-time culprits would face $1,000 fines. Third-time offenders would pay $1,000 fines and face sentences of up to 30 days. The councils Law and Order Committee on Tuesday unanimously backed the proposal, but the councils Health, Education and Human Services Committee unanimously opposed it Sept. 2. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486731900)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486878568)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486731900)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486878568)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486728d28)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486878568)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486878568)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04861ea260)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0486bb1410)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f0486bb1410)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 The 196ac non-residential farm at Dowth in Co Louth comes to auction next month with a guide price of 2.4m. Big is beautiful on the land market these days with sizeable holdings of over 100ac featuring frequently in auction reports. And there is plenty of interest in a 196ac non-residential farm at Dowth in Co Louth which comes to auction next month with a guide price of 2.4m. Located at Little Grange, 6km from Drogheda and 5km from Slane, the holding is in the heart of the Boyne Valley, the birthplace of farming in Ireland. The land has 161ac in tillage, 35ac in permanent pasture and it is divided into two lots by the N51. A piggery located at the centre of the property is not included in the sale. Stephen Barry of selling agents Raymond Potterton says the lands gently slope down to the Mattock River, which meanders through the property at one side of the road and bounds it at the other. Expand Close All the land is on a southward slope there is a total consistency in the quality of the ground. Youll never see a puddle on it," says Stephen Barry of Raymond Potterton auctioneers. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp All the land is on a southward slope there is a total consistency in the quality of the ground. Youll never see a puddle on it," says Stephen Barry of Raymond Potterton auctioneers. "The free-draining fertile soil has produced some of the highest yields in the region over the years. It undoubtedly has some of the best soil in the country with a pebbly composition ensuring free drainage and a high level of natural aeration, said Mr Barry. All the land is on a southward slope and there is a total consistency in the quality of the ground. Youll never see a puddle on it. Divisions The land is divided by the N51 Slane to Drogheda road with 79ac on one side and 117ac on the other. The 79ac is made up of 61ac of tillage with frontage and access on to the N51, while 18ac of pasture has its own entrance to the main road and frontage on to the Tullyallen road. The 117ac across the road has frontage to the Mattock river. The tillage portion extends to 100ac while a parcel of 17ac is in grass. The tillage is in one field and is the best of arable land equally suited to cereal or root crops. When sold, the property will be handed over in crop to new owners. The auction takes place at the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan at 3pm on Tuesday, October 20 at 3pm. Kells residential farm Next week Pottertons will handle the sale of a 20ac non-residential holding at Rodstown, Kells in Co Meath with a pre-auction guide of 160,000 or 8,000/ac. Located midway between Navan and Kells and a short distance off the old N3, it is described by the auctioneers as a fine farm The lands are laid out in two regular shaped divisions, have excellent frontage to a local public road and are all under good quality permanent pasture. The mature boundaries provide excellent shelter and the lands would be an ideal location for a residence subject to the necessary planning permission being obtained. The property will be sold at auction at the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan at 3pm on Wednesday, September 23. SoftBank Gives Up Pretending It Isnt a Fund: For investors, the reporting shift highlights the truth of what SoftBank Group has become: a fancy, highly managed fund a hedge fund, perhaps whose returns ought to be benchmarked against indexes of its peers and not as the technology company Son once ran. Tim CulpanDoes Uber Make Masa a Savvy Investor or a Shopaholic?: Nothing cements a venture capital firms reputation like a good exit. After a long dry spell, Masayoshi Son is finally catching a break: The listing of Uber Technologies Inc. made his Vision Fund one of the rare investors to book a capital gain from its stake. Shuli RenSoftBank Vision Fund Writedown Isnt the Half of It: There are bigger, deeper, and likely unrecoverable losses ahead for the worlds largest venture-capital fund. That the devaluation of its holdings might be as low as $5 billion, possibly as high as $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, indicates that the Japanese company has barely scratched the surface of what losses it will need to book on its stake in WeWork, let alone the rest of its portfolio. Tim Culpan Spain's first trials of a coronavirus vaccine are scheduled to begin on Monday, Alberto Borobia, the chief of the clinical trials unit of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, said on Sunday. Spains first trials of a coronavirus vaccine are scheduled to begin on Monday, Alberto Borobia, the chief of the clinical trials unit of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, said on Sunday. The vaccine to be tested was developed by US corporation Johnson & Johnson. Phase 1 trials were held in the United States and Belgium. The trials in Spain will fall under Phase 2, to be also held in Germany and Belgium. Three Spanish hospitals will be administering the trials the Marques de Valdecilla hospital in Santander will launch then on Monday and the La Paz and La Princesa university hospitals in Madrid will join in on Tuesday, according to Borobia. The expected pool of participants includes 190 volunteers, of which La Paz University Hospitals share will be 50 adults aged 18-55 and 25 seniors aged over 65, Borobia told Spanish news agency Servimedia. Also read: Tibetans hold anti-China protest in solidarity with Special Frontier Force commando in New York Also read: Unlike Pakistan, China opposed to Taliban control in Afghanistan The participants will get either one shot of the vaccine or two shots a month apart. There will also be a group that will be given a placebo. Doctors will monitor the participants throughout the entire period of trials.If everything goes well, Borobia said, the first wave of vaccination will end on September 22. While the final results on the vaccines safety and effectiveness are expected no sooner than in 16 months, Borobia said the transition to Phase 3 clinical trials was permissible upon satisfactory preliminary results. The epidemiological situation in Spain, which used to be Europes second-worst outbreak at the beginning of the year, worsened again in July. More than 560,000 cases were confirmed by Spanish health authorities, as of Sunday. Over the past week alone, 53,000 new cases were detected and 241 people died from the coronavirus. According to WHO protocols, a candidate vaccine has to complete three phases of clinical trials to be approved for industrial production. Phase 1 normally involves small-scale studies on up to 100 participants to determine a candidate vaccines safety and clinical tolerance. Phase 2 can include up to 1,000 and is more representative in terms of their age, ethnicity, and other statistically significant factors. This phase pursues to determine the optimal dose, intervals between doses, and the minimum necessary number of doses in a target population. Phase 3 trials are the largest and can include up to 10,000 participants with the maximum representation of target population categories. A candidate vaccine is ready to move into industrial production if this last phase provides clear and definitive evidence of its safety and efficacy. Also read: US, UAE sign agreement for increased consular privileges and immunities The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said it will release the results of the just concluded West African Senior Secondary Scho... The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said it will release the results of the just concluded West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) within 45 days after the exam has ended. The examination ended on Saturday nationwide and in other four West African member countries of WAEC Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia. A total of 1,459,463 students sat for the exams in Nigeria. The head of public affairs of WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu, on Sunday told newsmen that the results will be available soon. Certainly, we will still work towards achieving this 45 days time lag target, Ojijeogu said. He described the conduct of the exams as a huge success, saying it was hitch-free nationwide. ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece recorded its first coronavirus case in the overcrowded migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos and the facility has been placed under a two-week quarantine, the government said on Wednesday. A 40-year old asylum seeker has tested positive for the virus and has been placed in isolation, and authorities were trying to trace the people he had contacted, an official at the migration ministry said ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece recorded its first coronavirus case in the overcrowded migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos and the facility has been placed under a two-week quarantine, the government said on Wednesday. A 40-year old asylum seeker has tested positive for the virus and has been placed in isolation, and authorities were trying to trace the people he had contacted, an official at the migration ministry said. The Moria facility, which hosts about 13,000 people - more than four times its stated capacity - has been frequently criticised by aid groups for poor living conditions. The International Rescue Committee called for an urgent increase in healthcare and sanitation services on Lesbos, including sufficient space for isolation and quarantine. "Social distancing and basic hygiene measures like handwashing are simply impossible to adhere to in Moria, where thousands of people live in close proximity to each other with inadequate access to running water and soap," said Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, the IRC Greece director. Since March 1, all migrants reaching Lesbos have been quarantined away from the islands camps. Greece has recorded 10,757 COVID-19 cases since the first infection in February, and 273 COVID-related deaths. In recent weeks it has suffered a surge in cases, which has forced Greek authorities to gradually reimpose restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Lesbos is situated just off the coast of Turkey and hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees have used the island as a staging post in recent years in their attempt to get to mainland Europe. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; editing by Mark Heinrich) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Belarus's embattled strongman Alexander Lukashenko mopped his brow under Vladimir Putin's gaze today as he flew to Russia to beg for the Kremlin's support. The man nicknamed the 'last dictator in Europe' cut a submissive figure as he pleaded with Putin to back his regime while the bored-looking Russian president said he was 'sure' that Lukashenko could survive in power. Lukashenko is facing the gravest crisis of his 26-year rule and has failed to reclaim the streets from protesters since claiming victory in a disputed election last month. But economic and military support from Moscow - including a $1.5billion loan which Putin offered today - could help tip the balance in Lukashenko's favour as his security forces crack down hard on the opposition. The key meeting in Sochi today came as the UN rights chief decried hundreds of allegations of torture amid the crackdown on protests in Belarus, calling for investigations into all reports of ill-treatment, and for perpetrators to be tried. Feeling the heat: Alexander Lukashenko (left) mops his brow under the gaze of Russia's president Vladimir Putin today as he pleads for Russia's support to stay in power in Belarus Plea for help: Lukashenko leaned towards the Russian president as he begged for the Kremlin's support while the bored-looking Putin said he was 'sure' the crisis would be resolved Make or break: The 'last dictator in Europe' appeared to be feeling the pressure as he battles to extend his 26-year term in power At ease: Putin made himself comfortable during the summit at the Black Sea resort of Sochi 'Emotional' Lukashenko meets 'distracted' Putin: Body language expert on Sochi summit Body language expert Judi James said Lukashenko appeared 'emotional' and 'under pressure' as he pleaded with Vladimir Putin to save his regime. Putin looked 'distracted' and showed signs of 'impatience', she said - but spread his legs to show 'confidence and status' compared to his embattled visitor. 'The power signals all seem to belong to Putin here as he sits in full alpha splay mode, facing front and with his arms and knees spread to register confidence and status,' she said. 'His role seems to be mainly that of listener as Lukashenko offers something of a monologue so emotional it lacks much in the way of pauses. 'In contrast, Lukashenko sits slewed diagonally in his chair, facing Putin and, with his feet stretched off to his right and his forearm on the chair arm between the them, he appears to want to minimize the spatial distance caused by the round table. 'Lukashenko's gestures suggest a desire to convince or persuade when his hands open, palms displayed, but when he closes his hands the clasp forms what looks like a plead gesture and the thumb-rub looks like a self-comfort ritual. 'His eyebrows are raised like his tone and when he pats his brow with a hankie it makes it appear he is under some pressure here.' Putin was picking at the arm of his chair, tapping his fingertips on the furniture and playing with his tie while Lukashenko spoke, she said. 'Distraction rituals can have several meanings, including links with hunting in the animal kingdom, but some of these look like metronomic rituals to suggest Putin is keen to move onto the proper discussions,' she said. 'Apart from signals of what could be impatience his mood looks good in terms of cool confidence as his thumbs are up and one of his toes also raises.' Advertisement Body language expert Judi James told MailOnline that Putin appeared 'distracted' at today's summit, fidgeting with his armchair and playing with his tie while listening to Lukashenko's pleas for support. 'The power signals all seem to belong to Putin here as he sits in full alpha splay mode, facing front and with his arms and knees spread to register confidence and status,' she said. 'His role seems to be mainly that of listener as Lukashenko offers something of a monologue so emotional it lacks much in the way of pauses.' At one point Lukashenko closed his hand in 'what looks like a plead gesture', she said, while patting his brow with a handkerchief in a gesture which 'makes it appear he is under some pressure here'. The Belarusian opposition accuses Lukashenko of rigging last month's presidential election, which he says he won fairly with 80 per cent of the vote. Since then, thousands of people have been arrested and nearly all the opposition's key leaders have been detained, deported or forced to flee the country. At least 100,000 protesters took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday, taunting Lukashenko with chants of 'You're a rat'. Police said they detained over 400 people. Footage showed crowds of women taking on security forces despite one female protester being bundled into a vehicle by Lukashenko's riot police. One elderly woman was loudly cheered after whacking a man with a broom as he tried to escape a crowd of protesters. 'Given their scale and number, all allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment by the security forces should be documented and investigated, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice,' Michelle Bachelet told the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 45th session in Geneva. Putin's actions so far suggest he has no desire to see the leader of a neighbouring ex-Soviet country toppled by pressure from the streets - even if Lukashenko has often proved a prickly and difficult ally. The opposition has dismissed Lukashenko's talk about constitutional reform as an attempt to win time and assuage the protesters' anger. But Putin hailed it as a 'timely and reasonable' move that would help 'reach a new level in the development of the political system.' Putin also said that Russia would provide a $1.5billion loan to Belarus and fulfill all its obligations under a union treaty between the two neighbours. 'We want Belarusians themselves, without prompting and pressure from outside, to sort out this situation in a calm manner and through dialogue and to find a common solution,' Putin said. 'I'm sure that considering your experience... work in this direction will be organised at the highest level and allow the development of the country's political system to reach new heights,' he told Lukashenko. 'First of all, I want to thank you...personally thank you and all Russians, all those, and I will not list them, who were involved in supporting us during this post-election time,' Lukashenko said after the talks. The 66-year-old, who has played down the dangers of the coronavirus, arrived without a mask at the Black Sea resort earlier today. Belarusian opposition supporters take part in a rally on Sunday where at least 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Minsk, taunting Lukashenko with chants of 'You're a rat' President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is seeking the backing of Russia's Vladimir Putin at a crucial meeting today (pictured, the pair in calmer times in February 2019) Belarusian women take on Lukashenko's security forces Belarusian women were at the forefront of the protests in Minsk this weekend - with one woman taking on the regime armed with a broom. The elderly woman was loudly cheered after whacking a man, reputedly a Belarusian security agent, over the head as he tried to escape protesters. Footage showed another crowd of women trying to rip the balaclavas from the faces of Lukashenko's riot police, who fought back by trying to bundle one of the women away. Separate footage showed a woman being thrown into the back of a van while masked troopers look on. Three women - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo - were at the forefront of the opposition's election campaign, with Tikhanovskaya claiming victory in a poll that her supporters say was rigged. She has since fled to Lithuania while Kolesnikova allegedly fended off an attempt to deport her to Ukraine by tearing up her passport. Advertisement The Kremlin leader said last month he had set up a 'reserve police force' at Lukashenko's request, but it would be deployed only if needed. Hours before the summit, Russian news agencies reported Moscow was sending paratroopers for joint 'Slavic Brotherhood' military drills with Belarus which will last until September 25. Russia has also offered to restructure Belarusian debt and support the banking system. The cost of further backing from the Kremlin could be Lukashenko's acceptance of even greater Russian dominance in the relationship between the two countries. The Kremlin has long pushed for closer political and economic integration with Minsk, including a joint currency, but Lukashenko has resisted the pressure from his more powerful neighbour. But his position could become increasingly precarious if the protests persist and continue to grow. The Kremlin said the talks would cover the 'prospects for moving forward integration processes', adding that the leaders would discuss the countries' strategic partnership as well as trade and energy ties. Russia dwarfs Belarus and provides it with cheap fuel, while Belarus is strategically important to Russia as a buffer zone against the EU and NATO. The two countries have already formed a close relationship as a 'union state' with strong military and economic links and an open border until the coronavirus outbreak. The latest mass protest, called the March of Heroes, saw police detain more than 500 demonstrators in Minsk as well as more than two hundred in other cities, according to the interior ministry. 'We have to show with this march that he doesn't control the country, that he is not in a position to speak on behalf of Belarusians,' said Gennady, 35, a logistics worker. The most brutal crackdown came in the days after the August 9 election when police detained nearly 7,000 people and three people died on the streets or in custody . Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claims she was the true winner of the election, condemned Putin for negotiating with 'illegitimate Lukashenko.' 'I really regret you decided to hold dialogue with a usurper and not with the Belarusian people,' said Tikhanovskaya, who has taken refuge in Lithuania. Opposition leaders Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (left) and Maria Kolesnikova (right) during a rally before the disputed August election The Netherlands branch of the Greenpeace environmental organization said on Monday that it plans to take the Dutch government to court over a bailout for the KLM airline, as the decision pushes the country "deeper into climate crisis." MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2020) The Netherlands branch of the Greenpeace environmental organization said on Monday that it plans to take the Dutch government to court over a bailout for the KLM airline, as the decision pushes the country "deeper into climate crisis." In June, Amsterdam pledged to contribute $3.8 billion to Air France-KLM, a conglomerate of the flag carriers of France and the Netherlands. "[The bailout will] push us deeper into the climate crisis and contravenes the Dutch state's duty to look after its citizens . .. We are convinced that we have right on our side and can show serious arguments ... We have carried out a detailed case study with lawyers and legal experts, and we think we have a good chance of having this billion euro subsidy package dropped,' The Greenpeace Netherlands said, as quoted by the DutchNews portal. The environmental organization claims that the Dutch government's decision undermines the Supreme Court's 2019 ruling that required the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect the health of citizens. Officials said that this is a 'dream project' of CM Adityanath. 'The basis of this force is an order of the High Court, which had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force,' officials said Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said a special force will be constituted on the basis of orders of the Allahabad High Court, which had expressed its displeasure over the security at civil courts last December. Briefing reporters in Lucknow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, "The state government has given orders for the constitution of a special security force. A roadmap in this regard has been sought from the UP DGP." "This is a dream project of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The basis of this force is an order of the High Court, which had ordered that there should be a specialised force for civil courts. In all, there will be 9,919 personnel in the force," he added. Awasthi said five battalions will be constituted in the first phase and it will be headed by an ADG-ranked officer. "Expenses incurred in the first phase will be around Rs 1,747 crore," Awasthi said. Later in a statement, he said the force will provide security to the high court, district courts, administrative offices, and buildings, Metro rail, airports, banks, financial institutions, educational institutions, and industrial units. This force will have the power to search without any warrant. Members of this force can arrest any person without the orders of a magistrate or a warrant, the statement said. On 18 December 2019, the Allahabad High Court had pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government over a shootout at a Bijnor courtroom. Three assailants had on December 17, 2019, opened fire in the court of the Bijnor chief judicial magistrate, killing a murder accused and injuring three others two policemen and a court employee. The Muzaffarnagar court had witnessed a similar incident in 2015, when an armed man entered the courtroom masquerading as a lawyer and shot dead Vicky Tyagi, an alleged gangster. Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Kumari Yadav, 36, was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the civil court premises in Agra on 13 June, 2019. A two-judge HC bench had said that most incompetent police personnel are being posted at the courts, adding that it will seek the deployment of central forces if the state government is not up to the task. Newly released government emails reveal Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife enlisting agency officials to assist in filling out 'personal cards' for Christmas. The request adds to other publicly known allegations that Pompeo relied on a longtime aide at state to walk the family dog and perform other errands. 'I see that you are out of the office all next week, Susan Pompeo wrote Toni Porter, a longtime aide to Pompeo, on December 19th, with Christmas right around the corner. Susan Pompeo (r), the wife of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, wrote a top State Department advisor seeking help with 'personal' Christmas cards Mike Pompeo posts photos of himself with wife Susan for Valentine's Day on Twitter 'Do you know, is Joe also out? Im wondering if we are sending the last of our personal cards out, who will be there to help me. Mike will not want to go outside you and Joe for this assistance,' she wrote. She sent the email from her personal account. Porter is a Pompeo advisor who has worked for him for years and followed him from Kansas. She has been identified as the aide whose alleged dog-walking for Pompeo was at the center of an inspector general's probe. The vacationing Porter forwarded the email to another aide: Lisa Kenna, who serves executive secretary at the State Department. Kenna's response indicated some trepidation about the task. Toni Porter told a House committee she was 'uncomfortable' with the Christmas card requests Then-Rep. Pompeo (2-L, Republican of Kansas) poses for a photo with his family prior to being sworn-in as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by US Vice President Mike Pence (L) in the Vice President's ceremonial Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 January 2017. Pompeo was accompanied by his wife, Susan (2-R) and his son, Nick (R) Mike Pompeo caused an internal fracas at the CIA when he and his family - wife Susan and son Nicholas are seen in a 2018 State Department photo - stayed at 'The Farm' for Christmas 2017 'Id worry about asking others for personal things, Kenna wrote. The House Foreign Affairs Committee published interview transcripts with Kenna and Porter on Friday, and McClatchy obtained copies of emails about the Christmas card work. Porter told the committee the task made her 'uncomfortable.' Asked why, she responded: 'Because I was at the State Department.' She said she didn't contact ethics officials because, 'It was a real-time sort of activity and there was not time to contact the ethics attorney.' Asked if she ever saw the Pompeo's socially, Porter responded: 'There are times that we might have, you know, just quick little get-togethers. For example, at Christmas I have been at their home for a small gift exchange that included cookies and other baked goods.' During questioning a Republican staff lawyer apologized for 'sexist attacks' against Porter. 'I wanted to apologize. I made an omission earlier. I was talking about this investigation and how it's all unfolded what I perceive to be sort of sexist attacks against you and Ms. Kenna, dragging you up here, threatening you with subpoenas, and dragging your name through the mud publicly,' the lawyer said. The lawyer said of Susan Pompeo: 'And the omission I made was leaving out Mrs. Pompeo, and that's what's happening here. She's a strong woman who's supportive of her husband's career. She is a real asset to the Department.' Niagara Regional Police believe a medical incident was the cause of collisions in St. Catharines Sunday evening. Police said the collisions involving a blue Jeep Liberty occurred shortly before 7 p.m. on Welland Avenue near Geneva Street remain under investigation, but no charges have been laid. NRP spokeswoman Stephanie Sabourin said the collision is believed to have been caused by a medical incident. The Jeep was travelling east on Welland Avenue when it collided with a vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road. The Jeep then left the roadway and slammed into a pickup truck parked in a driveway. A man was transported to St. Catharines hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Monday and not separately reported by Alliance News: Henry Boot PLC - property investment and development company - Places struggling unit Starfish Commercial Ltd into voluntary liquidation. To book GBP200,000 in impairment costs as a result. Frontier IP Group PLC - London-based specialist in commercialising intellectual property - Portfolio firm Fieldwork Robotics awarded GBP84,000 grant from Innovate UK to boost robot technology in agriculture field. Tekcapital PLC - UK intellectual property investment company - Portfolio firm Guident acquires shock absorption technology designed for electric vehicles. Acquires exclusive license to a US patent from state of New York. Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust Ltd - UK-focused real estate investment trust - Completes 13 new lettings, renewals and reviews since June 30, adding GBP800,000 in rent. Rent collected for period ending September 30 now totals 82%. Notes 95% of rent collected from office portfolio, 92% in industrial and just 53% in retail and leisure. Residential Secure Income PLC - Investor in affordable shared ownership, retirement and local authority housing - Acquires six new build homes from Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing for GBP1.6 million in total. Supermarket Income REIT PLC - grocery property-focused real estate investment trust - Acquires Tesco PLC supermarket from CBRE Global Investors for GBP39.5 million. Duke Royalty Ltd - London-based royalty finance provider - Exits GBP2.0 million investment in Xtremepush Ltd, a Dublin-based business-to-business technology platform. Represents Duke first exit. Reabold Resources PLC - oil and gas project investor - Updates on IMIC-1 well, Romania. Liquids lifted from well and recovered substances include "sludge-like material". Gas flow observed after 12 hours was combination of methane and nitrogen. Well has now been shut in. Reabold holds interest in well operator ADX Energy Ltd via its 51% stake in Danube Petroleum Ltd. Power Metal Resources PLC - metals exploration and development company - Exercises option to earn-in to Silver Peak project, Canada. Has option to earn-in a 30% stake. Central Asia Metals PLC- metals explorer and developer - Reports short-term leakage of tailing from Sasa facility in North Macedonia. Says no one was harmed by leak but site is now not operational. Investigation into cause of the leak has kicked off. Oilex Ltd - Aberdeen-based oil and gas explorer - Amends sale and purchase agreement with Armour Energy Ltd over disposal of Cooper-Eromanga basin. Extends completion date to October 15 from September 15. ECR Minerals PLC - Australia-focused gold exploration and development company - Notes field mapping underway at targets at Bailieston project area in Victoria, Australia. Acquires diamond drill rig which can drill as deep as 1,300 metres. Identifies "high priority gold prospects". Salt Lake Potash Ltd - Australia-focused miner - Says Lake Way Project at Wiluna in Western Australia now 60% complete and on track for output in March quarter of 2021. IronRidge Resources Ltd - African focussed minerals exploration company - Enters into agreement with Australasian Gold Ltd for sale of non-core May Queen gold project asset in Australia. IronRidge to receive 4.5 million Australasian Gold shares, a 35% stake. IronRidge to invest AUD100,000 to provide Australasian Gold with working capital. Jangada Mines PLC - London-based minerals explorer - Preliminary economic assessment commissioned at Pitombeiras vanadium project, Brazil. Advance Energy PLC - upstream oil & gas company - Subsidiary Resolute Oil & Gas UK Ltd and 25%-owned investee Holywell Resources Ltd awarded, subject to documentation, a 50% interest in lock 43/25 and part-blocks 43/29, 43/30, 48/4 and 48/5 in the Oil & Gas Authority's 32nd offshore licensing round. Castillo Copper Ltd - Australia and Zambia focused base metal explorer - Finds new gold mineralisation at Big One deposit at Mt Oxide project, Australia. Will soon kick off drilling at Mt Oxide. Pensana Rare Earths PLC - operator of rare earths project in Angola - Reports "substantial" increase in mineral resource estimate at Longonjo project in Angola. Asset contains more than 2.3 times the previous estimate of measures and indicated resources. Mosman Oil & Gas Ltd - oil explorer - Completes drilling at Stanley-4 well in East Texas. Drilled completed to target depth of roughly 5,000 feet. Bluebird Merchant Ventures Ltd - Korean-focused gold development firm - Joint-venture partner Southern Gold does not accept an offer from Bluebird to acquire its 50% stake in Gubong and Kochang projects. Under terms of JV, an independent expert will determine a value which Bluebird must pay. Bluebird says it is "confident" it can acquire Southern Gold's interest "on attractive terms". SolGold PLC - Australian gold miner - Completes USD100 million royalty financing with Franco Nevada Corp in relation to Alpala copper and gold project, Ecuador. SolGold to use cash to progress project. Boku Inc - US-based mobile payments solution provider - Launches KakaoPay in Republic of Korea, allowing customers to make digital purchases on video game stores. MTI Wireless Edge Ltd - antenna manufacturer based in Israel - Secures new agreement worth USD500,000 for deployment of 5G backhaul solutions. Seeing Machines Ltd - computer vision technology company headquartered in London - To launch driver monitoring system for automotive industry. Kit is expected to be available to tier 1 automotive companies by end of 2020. Panoply Holdings PLC - IT service management company - Strong trading continued and has secured GBP10 million worth of new contract wins in first two months of second quarter. Expects annual earnings in line with expectations. Syncona Ltd - healthcare company with headquarters in London - Forms subsidiary named Resolution Therapeutics, a cell therapy company investigating liver disease treatment. Also co-led Series A financing for T-cell receptor firm Neogene Therapeutics. Makes USD19.0 million commitment. RTW Venture Fund Ltd - life sciences-focused investment firm - Leads USD50 million Series B financing in NiKang Therapeutics Inc. NiKang is ninth investment following RTW's October 2019 IPO. Vectura Group PLC - London-based drug delivery products - Partners with Monash University to develop an inhaled oxytocin aimed at preventing postpartum haemorrhage, vaginal bleeding, in childbirth. Vectura says to receive undisclosed revenue on a fee-for-service basis. Aeorema Communications PLC - London-based live events agency - To open New York events office, boosting global workforce to 24. Completes development of KIT virtual events platform. Brighton Pier Group PLC - Operator of Brighton Pier - Trading between July 4 and September 6 better than board expectations, with total revenue at 77% of year prior. Initially planned October for reopening of late night venues but virus uncertainty means it is yet to commit to a date. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Womans Hour host Jane Garvey has revealed why she is leaving the show after 13 years. Garvey co-hosts the Radio 4 programme with Jenni Murray, who also announced she was stepping down in July after three decades. Speaking to broadcaster Fi Glover on the pairs podcast Fortunately with Fi and Jane, Garvey talked about her frustration with discussing the same topics over and over again. It would be brilliant to have fresh indignation on the programme, she said. My indignation bank was somewhat depleted It is frustrating." She added: "I've been incredibly fortunate in every aspect of my life, really. "A lot of things I was talking about have never personally, thank God, impacted on me or my nearest and dearest and I am talking about hideous sexual violence and all those terrible things that you are obliged as a presenter on Woman's Hour to visit quite regularly. It just needs a reboot and now its going to get one. Jenni Murray joined 'Woman's Hour' in 1987 (BBC) Garvey also said that being part of the comforting fabric of national life is lovely, and described her replacement, Emma Barnett, as a force of nature. Garvey will go on to host her own Radio 4 interview series in 2021. She will also become a regular late-night fixture with their Fortunately podcast arriving on the Radio 4 schedule. In this file photo dated Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi leaves Parliament House after attending proceedings during the Budget Session, in New Delhi. PTI Photo The latest recast of the Congress leadership by its president Sonia Gandhi seems to be in line with the saying the more you change, the more you remain the same. The party has chosen to return to ad hocism, a strategy which has helped it float at many critical times but weakened it every time. Gandhi, who returned to her post after being interim president for a year, has picked the same people who have been at the helm of the party all these years, to assist her. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), once the most powerful political forum in the country, sees no change that reflects the changed political reality of the country. The exercise comes in the background of 23 senior party leaders writing a letter to Gandhi demanding that the party have a full-time president who can inspire the party cadre, more freedom to state units and election to the state units. It is to the credit of Gandhi that she has included some of the letter writers, including veteran face Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jitendra Prasada, members of the CWC. She, however, dropped them from the new arrangement which will advise her on organisational and operational matters. That articulate faces of the party such as Dr Shashi Tharoor, who has been an effective voice of the party within Parliament where it is a famished lot, and outside has not been accommodated in any of the new committees, is a signal that the rebels will find it tough to go further up in the party hierarchy if they raise their voice for more democratisation. The party seems to have no plans to brook dissidence if it is aimed at its first family. It is disappointing that the grand old party of Indian politics has chosen to ignore the signals that emanate from the ground asking to reinvent itself and be the bulwark of resistance to the right wing politics that is bent on undoing every single block with which the republic is built. Instead of looking for fresh faces that can inject new enthusiasm into the minds of the party workers whom one would be able to find in every village, the choice of leadership has remained a game of musical chairs. A series of challenges of unprecedented magnitude and reach, each one with a firepower that can seriously damage its future, faces India and the government and the party that leads it have conveniently chosen to ignore each one of it. It is estimated that India will have the most number of Covid infections by mid-October. The economy has been in tatters and the pandemic has pushed it further down. The border issue is far from over, though the determined efforts of the Armed Forces have been able to checkmate the enemy at the border. The country deserves an Opposition which can hold the government accountable to Parliament and the people, and the Congress has the leading roles in ensuring it. A vibrant and elected leadership alone can ensure it. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on September 13 said that he will volunteer to be the first one to get COVID-19 vaccine shot to allay fears regarding the safety of the vaccines. "I will be the first to offer myself for receiving COVID-19 vaccine if people have a trust deficit (in it)," Vardhan said during an online interaction under the programme 'Sunday Samvad'. While the precise date is not known yet, Vardhan said that COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by the first quarter of 2021. He also said that the government is planning to authorise emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine and a consensus on the matter is likely soon. Also Read: Government discussing emergency use authorisation of COVID-19 vaccine: Union Health Minister "A consensus on emergency authorisation for COVID-19 vaccine is likely soon," he said, adding that frontline healthcare workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will be given priority. 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 Track this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on coronavirus pandemic The Health Minister further said that the government is taking full precautions while conducting human trials of the coronavirus vaccine. Additionally, the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19, under the Chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, is drawing up a detailed strategy on how to immunise majority of the population, he said. Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines are being discussed intensely," he stated adding that the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity. India's COVID-19 caseload on September 13 mounted to 47,54,356 with 94,372 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 78,586 with 1,114 people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours. Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state by the pandemic followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Also Read: Health Ministry issues SOPs for skill training institutes, technical programmes of higher educational institutes Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on September 13 issued standard operating procedures (SOP) for skill training institutions and higher education institutions conducting courses in technical programmes requiring lab work. In the SOP for conducting teaching activities in the classroom, it mandated a distance of 6 ft between chairs and desks, and that classroom activities should be staggered with separate time slots. According to the SOP released, academic scheduling should have a mix of regular classroom teaching, online teaching or assessments. Sharing of laptops, notebook, stationery etc among students has also been disallowed. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has concluded his visit to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines, as Chinese analysts said Sunday that paying visits to these Southeast Asian countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic proves the importance and solidity of China's ties with these nations. From September 7-11, Wei visited the four ASEAN members meeting with their leaders, including Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, Bruneian Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. The four countries expressed their willingness to enter into defense cooperation with China, according to China's Ministry of National Defense. In the meetings with the leaders of these countries, the issue of the South China Sea was mentioned every time. Wei said at the meeting with Duterte that safeguarding the stability of the South China Sea is a "shared responsibility of the two sides." Before Wei embarked on his tour, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged ASEAN countries to do more to pressure China on the South China Sea. "Don't just speak up, but act," Pompeo said at an online virtual meeting with the 10 ASEAN countries' foreign ministers. However, Duterte stressed to Wei on Friday that the two countries must peacefully solve all disputes according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant international mechanisms and push forward the execution of the Code of Conduct in the disputed region. According to Malaysian media, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Wei's visit provided a chance for both sides to discuss the dispute, and the stance he made to Wei is that the disputes should be resolved by diplomatic measures. Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted former Malaysian deputy minister of defense Liew Chin Tong as saying that "no other region is of higher stake and more consequential to China's rise than maritime Southeast Asia in the context of heightened US-China tension." Liew said that China must treat maritime Southeast Asian states as its top foreign policy priority as it is a region that is geographically close to China, and the states in the region are cautiously hedging between the US and China. Beijing is seeking to balance US influence in the Asia-Pacific amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, said the SCMP report. However, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that this is a Western-style interpretation as China's military diplomacy is not directed against any third party or other countries, and it is not interested in balancing the power of any country. "China hopes to maintain peaceful and friendly relations with neighboring countries to ensure security, stability and prosperity in the region, rather than constant conflicts in the area," Li said. Li believed that anything China does in Southeast Asia or the South China Sea will be seen by the US as directing against itself, as the country has great influence and destructive power in the region and also the US has clearly defined China as a strategic competitor. China must strengthen communication and cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, which is both necessary and urgent, as the US has been increasingly forming alliances and stirring up disputes in the region, Li said. "The face-to-face communication as the epidemic is under control shows the sincerity of the two sides to build a high degree of mutual trust and it is also conducive to in-depth and productive exchanges between the leaders of the visiting countries," he noted. Since China's national defense is closely connected with its diplomacy, Wei's visit is not only to deepen mutual trust in the defense field with China's Southeast Asian neighbors, but also to strengthen close diplomatic ties and build a mutually coordinated relationship on security in the region, Li said. The countries in the region have their own concerns based on their interests, but they all hope the region will remain stable and peaceful. This is same as China's claim and interests in the region of the South China Sea, Li noted. Islamabad, Sep 14 : A fresh session of Pakistan's National Assembly (NA) will commence on Monday in which bills related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other important legislations are likely to be tabled. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan will introduce the FATF-related Anti-Money Laundering (second amendment) Bill, 2020, the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020, the Companies Amendment Bill, 2020, and the Limited Liabilities Partnership Amendment Bill, 2020, Dawn news reported. Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will present the Joint Maritime Information Organisation Bill, 2020, for constitution and regulation of the Joint Maritime Organisation. The decision to call fresh sessions of NA as well as the Senate was taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 7. Regarding the bills related to the FATF, Awan had said the government would not allow any delay in passage of bills of national interest. The Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill and the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill were rejected by the Senate in its last session on August 25. The sessions came ahead of a crucial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Joint Group of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) slated to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will review Pakistan's measures against money laundering. Pakistan, the US, the UK, France, Germany, China, India, New Zealand and Australia will be in attendance, The Express Tribune reported. The recommendations will be put before the FATF on October 16. Pakistan was placed on the FATF's grey list in June 2018 and had to meet its 27-point action plan to avoid getting blacklisted as a non-compliant nation. The Union health ministry issued a set of fresh protocols on Sunday, saying that patients who recovered from acute Covid-19 may continue to have symptoms like fatigue, body ache, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing. The country registered another huge spike of 94,372 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, that pushed the overall tally to above 47.5 lakhs. It is the fourth consecutive day when new Covid-19 cases hovered around 95,000. With 1,114 new fatalities, the death toll has risen to 78,586. Of the new infections in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra alone had more than 22,000 cases, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka with over 9,000 cases each. Maharashtra also had the maximum number of 391 deaths, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with 94 and 76 fatalities respectively. There has also been a steep rise in recoveries, with the recovery rate going up to 77.88 per cent. With the surge in coronavirus cases, the health ministry suggested yoga, pranayama and walks in its post-Covid management protocol. It made it clear the recovery period may be longer for those suffering from severe symptoms and those with any pre-existing health conditions. It strongly advised physical exercise and taking immunity boosting medicines after recovery. Connecticut filed a lawsuit on Monday against oil giant ExxonMobil Corp for misleading the public over the effects of climate change, becoming the latest state to target the fossil fuel industry for violating state consumer protection laws. The states attorney general, William Tong, filed the lawsuit in Connecticuts Superior Court, alleging that Exxon violated the states unfair trade practices act, deceiving Connecticut consumers about what the company knew about fossil fuels effect on climate change. Exxon Mobil made billions of dollars during its decades-long campaign of deception that continues today, said Attorney General Tong, adding that the state should not have to bear the expense of fortifying our infrastructure to adapt to the very real consequences of climate change. Over the last few months, attorneys general from Massachusetts, Minnesota, the District of Columbia and Delaware have sued members of the fossil fuel industry, accusing companies of violating state laws by deceiving consumers about harms caused by their products. Exxon spokesman Casey Norton said the company will defend itself in court and continue to invest in efforts to reduce emissions. Legal proceedings like this waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money and do nothing to advance meaningful actions that reduce the risks of climate change, Norton said. Unlike other states lawsuits, which either target multiple companies or trade groups or highlight other violations like fraud, Connecticut is focused on one company and one law. Tong will examine all of Exxon Mobils deceptions dating back decades as well as the companys current advertising and marketing, which he says falsely portray Exxon as working to combat climate change. The state is seeking remediation for past, present and future harm from climate change, restitution for investments it had to make to adapt to climate change, disgorgement of corporate profits, and establishment of a third-party controlled education fund on climate change, among other relief. Oracle has reportedly won the bid to manage TikToks US operations. The California-based software company beats out another software giant Microsoft in the bidding process that was on for a better part of the past two months. Walmart was also reportedly interested in acquiring the popular short-form video-sharing app. ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, has selected Oracle as its trusted tech partner in the US, The Wall Street Journal reports. The deal is likely not an outright sale, the report cites an unidentified person familiar with the matter. This suggests that TikTok will now operate over Oracles cloud services in the US. This new operation structure should do enough to satisfy President Donald Trumps security concerns. The American government was of concern that its Chinese counterpart may have access to TikToks user data, which poses a threat to national security. The Trump-led administration wanted ByteDance to divest the apps US operations to an American company. Advertisement ByteDance had until September 15th to salvage its US business or face a nationwide ban. The Chinese firm has now managed to strike a deal just days ahead of the deadline. Oracle beats Microsoft to manage TikTok in the US News of Oracle winning the TikTok bid comes just after Microsoft announced that its bid was rejected by ByteDance. Along with the US, the Windows maker was also pursuing a deal to acquire TikTok in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. However, ByteDance seemingly wasnt willing to sell off the entire business. Instead, the company has chosen Oracle as a trusted technology partner. ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft, the company said in a statement. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users while protecting national security interests. We would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. Advertisement However, ByteDance reportedly didnt even ask Microsoft to revise its deal following the recent involvement of the Chinese government. The Beijing officials have put restrictions on the export of TikToks AI technology. This essentially blocked an outright sale of the company and gave Oracle an upper hand in negotiating as a partner. Oracle has collaborated with the US government in the past as well. President Trump himself was very supportive of the companys interest in TikTok and this may have played in its favor. Itll be interesting to see how the new TikTok operates in the US now. J.P. Morgan Chase headquarters in New York /AFP-Yonhap By Anna J. Park After a huge controversy blew up over the "real hidden intention" behind JPMorgan's recent report on major Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion, the local financial authorities might be pressuring the U.S.-based investment bank to correct its alleged "unfair business practices" statement, sources said Monday. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) didn't deny the possibility of punishing the bank, though the regulator only said, "It is inappropriate for them to mention the case at this stage whether the financial authorities are looking into the matter or not." An FSS official added, "The FSS cannot confirm any facts related to these matters, as messages on the issue could send the wrong signals to the market. Currently we cannot confirm anything on the matter." The nation's bourse operator Korea Exchange is on the same page with the FSS; while JPMorgan's Seoul office could not be reached for comment. The latest update comes as suspicion still lingers over whether JPMorgan's recent acts regarding Celltrion could constitute an "unfair transaction practice" on the local capital market. The controversy started when JPMorgan issued an "underweight" investment report last Wednesday on Celltrion and Celltrion Healthcare, cutting down the firms' stock target prices by 30 percent from the previous day's trading. With the reports' announcement on that day, the two companies' stock prices fell by 6.13 percent and 4.36 percent, respectively, at closing. JPMorgan, however, was estimated to have purchased 221,708 shares of Celltrion Healthcare the very next day after its research team published the "underweight" opinion. Such a contradictory move by the global investment bank strengthened earlier thoughts and questions on whether the research paper was part of a choreographed plan to short-sell the biopharma companies' stocks. The fact that other major local securities firms' investment papers on Celltrion and Celltrion Healthcare set their target prices much higher than JPMorgan also amplified suspicions that the investment bank had an ulterior motive other than objectively delivering research results. Following Celltrion's official rebuttal of the JPMorgan investment report the next day, some retail investors in Korea filed an online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, urging the nation's financial authorities to investigate JPMorgan's trading. As of 3:20 p.m. Monday, 14,137 people have signed the petition. It is still uncertain whether the suspicions of local retail investors are based on solid facts or just conjecture, yet there has been some reasoning behind retail investors' suspicions over global investment banks' short-selling plans backed by their off-balance negative reports. Various foreign investment firms, including JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Nomura Securities, have published underweight positions on Celltrion over the past few years, while the biopharma firm has been one of the most-shorted stocks in Korea during the period. Given that short-selling has long been used exclusively by institutional investors, and that local securities firms mostly published positive investment papers on the pharmaceutical company, retail investors suspect global investment banks as the source of major short-selling of the company, and complained about an uneven playing field due to this. JPMorgan's previous track record of receiving warnings from the FSS early this year also adds to retail investors' doubts over the firm's fairness in its trading patterns. Based on investigations conducted during the summer last year, the FSS decided to issue warnings over internal control of intra-group information sharing. Back in 2015, the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase was also sanctioned by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its involvement in garnering profits by artificially lowering stock prices. An intended strike action owing to the payment of book and research allowance due members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has been suspended. The strike was supposed to help the university teachers demand the payment of their book and research allowance. According to the Association, the government has shown the needed commitment to pay the allowance for the 2019/2020 academic year, hence the U-turn. UTAG would like to inform the public and all stakeholders that it has suspended the intended withdrawal of its service in all the public universities by the close of the day, Monday, September 14, 2020. This decision follows from a show of commitment by the government towards the payment of last academic years book and research allowances. UTAG has gathered pieces of information through its discussions with the people representing government that amply suggest that the government is heeding to the call of UTAG to pay the allowance, which should have been paid by the end of July 2020 at the latest. UTAG has, however, urged the government to complete the payment processes by the end of September 2020, otherwise, it may be compelled to return to the withdrawal of its services. Background The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) had earlier given the government by close of Monday, September 14, 2020, to pay its members' book and research allowance for the 2019/2020 academic year or prepare for a strike. The Association added that Should the next Academic year's calendar, which has already seen some disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic be derailed, it should not be blamed on us but the government's actions and inactions in its dealing with the Association on the subject matter. Book and research allowance The book and research allowance is provided by the government to public universities for the purpose of funding researches in academia for national development. ---CitinewsRoom By Trend China and Kazakhstan will continue to boost cooperation in various areas in the post-epidemic era, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday while meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Xinhua reports, Trend reports citing Kazinform. Kazakhstan is an important Eurasian country and a friendly neighbour of China, said Wang, adding that China always gives priority to its relations with Kazakhstan in its overall foreign policy, especially the neighborhood diplomacy. He said that the heads of state of the two countries, who have forged firm mutual trust and friendship, have been providing strategic guidance to the healthy development of the bilateral ties and mutually beneficial cooperation. The two heads of state agreed to lift the bilateral relationship to a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership last year, Wang noted, adding that the two sides should implement the consensus reached by the leaders in various fields, make it a common cognition of all walks of life in the two countries, so as to consolidate public support for the bilateral ties. The two sides should jointly well preserve the hard-earned China-Kazakhstan relations and make sure that their relationship will not be disturbed and maintain a sound and steady momentum of development, he said. Wang said the two countries have helped and supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. At the time when the prevention and control of COVID-19 have become a regular practice, the two sides should strengthen all-round cooperation in the post-epidemic era in an orderly manner, implement the docking of the joint construction of the Belt and Road with the Bright Path new economic policy and further tap the potential of cooperation in various areas, he added. With the China-Europe freight train service becoming a land transportation artery like a modern railway version of camel caravans across Eurasia, Kazakhstan's role as a strategic hub for transit transport has become more prominent, Wang said, adding that China is ready to scale up the cross-border railway and highway transportation and accelerate exploration to restore and enhance the cargo capacity at border crossings. The two sides will build the Silk Road of Health, Wang said. China will continue to support Kazakhstan in its fight against COVID-19, share its experience in epidemic prevention and control and treatment of patients and strengthen cooperation in the research and development of vaccines and medicines until the epidemic is defeated in Kazakhstan, he noted. The two sides will also build the Digital Silk Road to strengthen cooperation in the digital economy, Wang said. China has recently proposed its global initiative on data security, which aims to promote the formulation of global data security rules and build an open, cooperative and secure global data space, Wang said. China welcomes joint efforts of all countries including Kazakhstan to advance the process and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the Kazakh side to jointly combat disinformation, said Wang. For his part, Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan always places ties with China as its foreign policy priority, and the Kazakhstan-China relations have made great strides despite the epidemic, with the two sides maintaining high-level exchanges and constantly-deepening good-neighbourliness and friendship. The two heads of state decided to build the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership last year, which lifted the bilateral ties to a new level, he said. Kazakhstan speaks highly of the decisive anti-epidemic measures taken by China and appreciates China's support to Kazakhstan in the fight against COVID-19, said the minister. He said that the two sides should resume normal exchanges between various departments and at various levels as soon as possible, resume port customs clearance and freight transportation, and tap the cooperation potential in the fields such as infrastructure, investment, trade, transportation and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Kazakhstan supports China-proposed initiatives, such as building a global community of health for all, he said. The Kazakh side also supports the Global Initiative on Data Security launched by China, said Tleuberdi, adding Kazakhstan is willing to make this a priority in the bilateral cooperation and work with China to combat disinformation. The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the regional and international issues of common concern, and announced the launch of a program to facilitate personnel exchanges for the resumption of work and production in the two countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz WESTPORT, Conn., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LCR Capital Partners , a global private investment and advisory services firm focused on U.S. immigration and investment, is excited to announce that it has agreed to acquire Altacircle LLC , a digital marketing consultancy that has a deep expertise in advertising technology and lead generation. John Baker "The immigration investment market continues to evolve. First it was the abrupt halt of Chinese investment and growth of new markets like India and Brazil. This year, the new investment level and the pressure from the pandemic has only reinforced how important digital tools are to client acquisition and management. We believe immigration investment firms like ours need to adopt the tools and culture of innovative fintech firms as we develop new products and work with even more sophisticated clients across the globe," said Suresh Rajan, Founder and Executive Chairman of LCR. Altacircle is a marketing and technology consulting firm founded by John Baker, an agency entrepreneur who has driven digital strategy with major brands in both New York and London since 1995. Leveraging leading technology platforms, Altacircle brings access to industry experts who know what works and delivery partners who can produce marketing assets cost effectively. "We have been working with Altacircle over the last 12 months and we have changed how we approach marketing and how we use digital tools across the business. John brings a level of marketing sophistication and experience that is truly differentiated in our industry. He also understands how to apply technology and has experience supporting new ventures," said Sherman Baldwin, CEO of LCR. With this transaction, LCR takes 100% ownership of Altacricle and John Baker will take the position of Chief Marketing Officer as an equity partner and member of LCR's Senior Leadership Team. "After 30 years of working in marketing agencies, I'm excited to be focusing my experience on LCR and the immigration investment industry. It is clear that clients have choices and the decision to take a second residency or move to the United States is a significant one. This means LCR has to have the tools and products to be a trusted advisor and support long-term relationships with our clients. Trusted teams, great technology and innovative thinking are the way to make this happen," said John Baker. About Altacircle and John Baker Altacircle is a digital marketing consultancy focused on lead generation and innovation. It was founded in 2018 by John Baker who was previously Chief Marketing Officer of Mirum, a global digital agency he helped to create inside J Walter Thompson and WPP. He has worked in senior positions at agencies including Ogilvy and Proximity leading digital strategy and business development. He began his digital agency career at Modem Media and Organic. Altacircle brings together senior marketing experts and cost-effective delivery partners to transform how businesses approach digital marketing and innovation. About LCR Capital Partners LCR Capital Partners is a global private investment and advisory services firm that is the ideal partner for families interested in U.S. immigration and investment. Founded in 2012, LCR is led by classmates who met at Harvard Business School and worked together at McKinsey & Company. The firm focuses on conservatively-structured funds invested in signature real estate developments. These projects create new American jobs and help develop communities across the United States. Over the past 5 years, LCR has built long-term, trust-based relationships with a client base of over 800 HNW investors from 30+ countries managing their EB-5 process to gain U.S. residency. LCR is headquartered in Westport, CT and runs a global network of five regional offices: Miami (Latin America); Sao Paulo (Brazil); Dubai (GCC), Singapore (Southeast Asia) and Mumbai (India). Website: http://www.lcrcapital.com Media Contact: John M. Baker CMO, LCR Capital Partner Email: [email protected] Tel: 646 684 7587 SOURCE LCR Capital Partners Related Links http://www.lcrcapital.com By PTI NEW DELHI: Journalist Priya Ramani told a Delhi court on Monday that she was targeted selectively through a criminal defamation complaint by former Union minister M J Akbar to halt the avalanche of allegations of sexual misconduct" against him in the wake of #MeToo movement in 2018. Ramani made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja through her lawyer during the final hearing in the complaint filed by Akbar against her. Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist. Akbar resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018. Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Ramani, told the court on Monday that over 14 women accused Akbar of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement but he has filed complaint only against Ramani. "Priya Ramani was targeted selectively. Either everyone's articles and tweets are defamatory or none is. Or are the other allegations accepted," she said. John read Akbar's statement that he was aware of the existence of other allegations on the date of the filing of complaints. "He chose to go after Priya Ramani. Till date there is no complaint against anyone else. Priya Ramani was selectively targeted to halt the avalanche of allegations that came out against him at that time," she told the court. ALSO READ | #ArrestSajidKhan trends as actor-filmmaker faces fresh sexual harassment charge Contradicting Akbar's testimony, John said that "Complainant (Akbar) wants us to believe that he didn't have full details of the tweets as he was in Africa. In the evidence of Joyeeta Basu (witness appearing in support of Akbar's complaint), this is falsified." Basu said that Mr Akbar thanked her on October 10, 2018 for her tweet in solidarity with him and she told him to take legal action. "All this is while he is still in Africa," John said. John further said that the witnesses produced by Akbar to prove his complain were not reliable. "Most of them said that the damage to reputation was because of Ramani's tweets but were disconnected to the tweets by other women. It is not possible that they did not read the avalanche of allegations against Akbar." "By quoting only Ramani's tweets, an inference can be drawn that they are lying. The witness were devoted to Akbar. One said they shared a 'guru-shishya' relationship. These witnesses are close professional and personal associates," John told the court. She said the complainant witnesses were "unreliable as they are interested parties". "They pleaded ignorance of allegations by other journalists. They selectively deposed against Ramani. They had no personal knowledge about her truth. So what are they testifying against? None of them have met me. They don't know about my incident or have worked with me. How can you therefore contest my allegations," John told the court. Ramani told a Delhi court earlier that her "disclosure" of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar was "her truth", which she made in "good faith for the public good". The court will further hear the arguments on September 19. Akbar had earlier told the court that Ramani defamed him by calling him names such as 'media's biggest predator' that harmed his reputation. He denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign against him. Akbar had earlier told the court that the allegations made in an article in 'Vogue' and the subsequent tweets were defamatory on the face of it as the complainant had deposed them to be false and imaginary and that an "immediate damage" was caused to him due to the "false" allegations by Ramani. Ramani had earlier told the court that her "disclosure" of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar has come at "a great personal cost" and she had "nothing to gain" from it. She had said her move would empower women to speak up and make them understand their rights at workplace. Several women came up with accounts of the alleged sexual harassment by Akbar while they were working as journalists under him. He has termed the allegations "false, fabricated and deeply distressing" and said he was taking appropriate legal action against them. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, speaking on Thursday (REUTERS) In dueling campaign stops with the president in Minnesota, Joe Biden mocked Donald Trump for repeatedly saying he will reveal an infrastructure plan that never seems to materialize. Mr Trump took particular exception to his opponent's continued reference of a Columbia University study showing implementation of coronavirus guidelines a week earlier would have saved 36,000 lives. It was the second campaign event in as many days for Mr Biden after his CNN town hall appearance on Thursday night, in which he was mocked for breaking social distancing rules with host Anderson Cooper. During the event, Mr Biden said he had benefited from white privilege and knew how it felt to be looked down upon because he was from working class Scranton and didn't go to an Ivy League university. New polls showed Mr Biden well ahead of Mr Trump in Arizona and Maine. But in a call with Senate Democrats on Friday, the party's November contender said he takes nothing for granted and that he plans on appearing in key battleground states as the election enters the final bend. Despite the continued advantage in the polling and only 46 days left before the public democratically elects the next occupant of the White House, Biden again called on the president to step down from his position in the Oval Office before his first term has expired. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load YEREVAN. We have a constitution and an adopted law; we, the judges, are obligated to carry out the actions taken after the adoption of the law. President of the Court of Cassation Yervand Khundkaryan, a candidate for a judge of the Constitutional Court of Armeniaand who is nominated to this post by the General Assembly of Judges, noted this in a talk with journalists in the National Assembly Monday, referring to the question whether he considers as constitutional the process that left three vacancies in the Constitutional Court, and he was nominated as a candidate for a judge of this court. "As to what happened from both the political point of view until the adoption of the law, we, the judges, have no right to assess it; the serving judge cannot make such an assessment. Many things can upset me as a person, but every judge is obligated to fulfill the requirements of the law," Khundkaryan said. WASHINGTON - Automaker Daimler AG and subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA have agreed to pay $1.5 billion to the U.S. government and California state regulators to resolve emissions cheating allegations, officials said Monday. The U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency and the California attorney generals office say Daimler violated environmental laws by using so-called defeat device software to circumvent emissions testing and sold about 250,000 cars and vans in the U.S. with diesel engines that didnt comply with state and federal laws. The settlement, which includes civil penalties, will also require Daimler to fix the vehicles, officials said. In addition, the company will pay $700 million to settle U.S. consumer lawsuits. The Stuttgart, Germany-based automaker said on Aug. 13 that it had agreements with the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Customs and Border Protection, the California Air Resources Board and others over civil and environmental claims involving the diesel cars and vans. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said Daimler did not disclose all of its software, which included devices designed to defeat emissions controls. In a statement, Daimler said it denies the allegations that it cheated and does not admit to any liability in the U.S. The settlements resolve civil proceedings without any determination that Mercedes and Daimler vehicles used defeat devices, the company said. Plus, Daimler said it did not receive a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act from the EPA or California regulators, which is common when defeat devices are used. The company said it is not obligated to buy back the vehicles, as Volkswagen was, nor will it have an independent monitor to track its progress on the settlement. By resolving these proceedings, Daimler avoids lengthy court actions with respective legal and financial risks, the company said. Daimler also said the emissions control system in the U.S. vehicles is different than models sold in Europe because of different regulatory and legal requirements. Daimler AG said the settlement would bring costs of about $1.5 billion, and the civil settlement will bring a one-off charge of $875 million. It estimated that further expenses of a mid three-digit-million euros would be required to fulfil conditions of the settlements. Daimler said owners of model year 2009 through 2016 Mercedes cars and 2010 through 2016 Sprinter vans with BlueTEC II diesel engines will be notified of recalls to fix excessive vehicle emissions. Customers will receive letters starting late this year, and the company will set up a customer website, Daimler said in a statement. The letters will have details of the civil lawsuit settlement including a claim form, Daimler said. Separately, the company will pay attorneys fees of around $83 million. Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer involved in the class-action lawsuits against Daimler, said in a statement that current owners can get $3,290 or more, while former owners can get $822.50. The recall repairs will vary by model and include software fixes, or in some cases changes to the catalytic converters, Berman said. The repairs will bring the vehicles into compliance with pollution laws, he said. Owners of Mercedes dirty diesel cars will finally be able to receive the compensation they deserve and repairs to ensure their vehicles are not emitting illegal levels of harmful pollutants, Berman said. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the cost of the Daimler settlement is likely to send a message to deter other companies from engaging in similar conduct. We expect that this relief will also serve to deter any others who may be tempted to violate our nations pollution laws in the future, Rosen said. As part of the U.S. government settlement, Daimler will pay an $875 million civil penalty about $3,500 for each vehicle that was sold in the U.S. The company will also be required to fix the vehicles and will need to replace some old locomotive engines with newer, low nitrogen oxide-emitting engines that should offset the illegal emissions from its vehicles, Rosen said. A Justice Department official said the company did not have to admit guilt as part of the settlement. In addition, officials in California will receive $17.5 million for future environmental enforcement, as well as to support environmentally-beneficial projects in the state, officials said. Long term, cheating isnt the smartest way to market your product. Daimler is finding that out today. But theyre not the first nor likely the last to try, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Daimlers pollution practices also are under investigation in Germany. In April 2016, the Justice Department asked Daimler to conduct an internal probe into its exhaust emissions certification process. The request came as the EPA began checking all diesel engines after the Volkswagen cheating was revealed. Volkswagen, ended up paying $2.8 billion to settle a criminal case due to emissions cheating. Fiat Chrysler also is being investigated for allegedly cheating on emissions. VW admitted that it turned on pollution controls when vehicles were being tested in EPA labs, and turning them off when the diesel vehicles were on real roads. The company duped the EPA for years before being discovered by a non-profit climate group and researchers at West Virginia University. In September 2019, federal prosecutors charged a Fiat Chrysler engineer with rigging pollution tests on more than 100,000 diesel pickup trucks and SUVs sold in the U.S., the first indictment since a wave of similar cases against Volkswagen and its managers. The alleged scheme isnt as large as the Volkswagen emissions scandal, which involved nearly 600,000 vehicles. But the charges showed that investigators are still on the case, even after Fiat Chrysler agreed to a $650 million civil settlement. ITServe Alliance ITServe Alliance, with the help of their 16 chapters, has raised over $300,000 just this year for their CSR Foundation to support struggling communities across the United States spending just $140,000 of their total so far by donating meals and supplies to families, local organizations, and businesses across the country. Their 3 Texas Chapters (Austin, Houston, and Dallas) are making profound impacts throughout the state. The Dallas Chapter has donated over $20,000 to the North Texas Food bank, served over 1,250 lunches to the Texas National Guard, Roanoke Senior Living Center, Police and Fire Departments along with $3,250 to Parkland Hospital. Their most recent donations include donating $20,000 to CISDR (Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region Inc.,) to support programs in Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District and $9,000 to Coppell ISD to provide WiFi hot spots so 100+ students can attend online classes. The Austin Chapter has prepared, packed, and served over 11,700 meals to the Central Food Bank of Texas and over 1,200 N95 masks to front-line workers and first responders so far this year. The Houston Chapter has provided dinner for 8 weekends to Krause Children's Center 1,200 kids meals and 300 families in the greater Houston area along with donating over 2,500 masks to Fortbend County, the Sunrise Senior Living Center, and MUD148 District. The Chicago Chapter frequently holds food drives and so far this year have donated and served over 9,600 meals to organizations such as Hessed House in Aurora, The Bridge Community Church in Prospect Heights, the Hispanic Community around Cook County, Joliet First Assembly, the community in Calumet City, and even school supplies in the Illinois 17th District. The community support continues with over 1,440 masks donated to the front-line workers at the Cook County Board Commissioner, the Illinois 17th District, St. Patrick's Residence, The Grove of Fox Valley, and more. Most recently, this Chapter has adopted a highway to keep the environment safe and clean. The Northeast Chapter of ITServe Alliance has donated over 700 meals and 400 masks to local hospitals, medical centers, and nursing homes, and a total of $6,000 to the Trenton Soup Kitchen. Some of the organizations they've donated to include Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, Paterson Hospital, the American Indian Nurse Association, Princeton Medical Center, and more. In Philadelphia, their local chapter has donated $1,000 to the Northampton Borough Police Department, 1,000 surgical masks and 170 N95 masks to first responders, and 300 meals to healthcare workers at the Masonic Village Nursing Home. From 4 additional chapters, they donated $3,500 worth of food items in Phoenix, donated essentials enough for 2 weeks to 100 families in Atlanta, donated 150+ KN95 masks to the police departments of St. Louis, and Columbus has donated over 750 hand sewn reusable masks and hand sanitizer to the Delaware Count Disabilities and to The Center of New Americans with the help of Sewa International. ITServe Alliance continues to support communities and invites anyone who is willing to join them. Keep up with all COVID-19 relief initiatives and additional CSR activities on their social handles and by visiting http://itservecsr.org. About ITServe Alliance ITServe Alliance is the largest association of IT solutions and services organizations in the US, representing over 1,200+ member companies. ITServe Alliance is the voice of all prestigious IT companies functioning with similar interests across the United States. Through the years, ITServe Alliance has evolved as a respected platform to collaborate and initiate measures in the direction of protecting common interests to ensure the collective success of its member companies. Since its inception in 2010, ITServe Alliance has served to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and value of its members across the nation through its 16 country-wide Regional Chapters. Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - September 14, 2020) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) is pleased to announce that the high-resolution site tour video, showcasing the talented team that is rapidly constructing the tier-one Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is now available for viewing. The link to the high-resolution version of the Kamoa-Kakula site tour video is: https://player.vimeo.com/video/457336163?quality=1080p "The site tour video allows everyone to meet members of the team that is building the ultra-high-grade Kakula Mine soon to become the world's next great copper mine - as well as members of the outstanding exploration team that is looking for the next Kakula," said Mr. Friedland, Ivanhoe Mines' Executive Co-Chairman. "The video highlights the project's intense focus on producing the world's 'greenest' copper; its priority on local employment and women's leadership positions; and its emphasis on uplifting local communities through improved health and education, and sustainable farming initiatives creating an unique opportunity for Ivanhoe to significantly differentiate itself within the mining industry." "We also are confident that the video will help dispel many of the myths about the DRC, most of which are perpetuated by people who have never set foot in the country," Mr. Friedland concluded. Translation of the video is underway and will soon be available in French and Mandarin. About Ivanhoe Mines Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal joint-venture projects in Southern Africa: the development of major new, mechanized, underground mines at the Kamoa-Kakula discoveries in the DRC and at the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC. Kamoa-Kakula and Kipushi will be powered by clean, renewable hydroelectricity and will be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of metal produced. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its wholly-owned Western Foreland exploration licences in the DRC, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project. Story continues Information contacts Investors Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 Media Matthew Keevil +1.604. 558.1034 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63739 Ricardo Munoz was killed in a police-involved shooting Sunday in Lancaster. His family said Monday the police did not need to kill Munoz, who had a mental-health disorder and was suffering from an episode. (Provided by Deborah Munoz). At a campaign rally and in a television interview, President Donald Trump reiterated his threats of police-military repression during and after the Nov. 3 election to maintain himself in power. He suggested again that he deserved a third term, for a total of 12 years in office, although that would violate the US Constitution. His campaign speech Saturday night in Minden, Nevada, a small town outside of Reno, included a litany of insults and threats against his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, and a claim that he would defeat Biden in Nevada and nationally on Nov. 3. And then, after that, well negotiate, right? Trump said. Because were probablybased on the way we were treatedwere probably entitled to another four after that. Trump has repeatedly suggested staying in office beyond the two-term limit set by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Trump also claimed that he could not be defeated in the Nov. 3 election unless the vote was rigged. Opinion polls show him trailing Biden both nationally and in virtually every battleground state, including Nevada, although many polls show the race tightening. The same day, Trump gave an interview to the Justice with Jeanine program on Fox News, hosted by Jeanine Pirro, in which he openly threatened violence against political opponents. Pirro asked, Lets say there are threats, they say that theyre going to threaten riots if they lose on Election Night, assuming we get a winner on Election Night. What are you going to do? Trump responded, Well put them down very quickly if they do that, adding, We have the right to do that, we have the power to do that if we want. He then cited the Insurrection Act of 1807, which he had threatened to invoke in June against the mass protests against police violence that swept the United States after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Referring to National Guard and other federal troops, he said, We just send them in and we do it very easy. I mean its very easy. Id rather not do that because theres no reason for it, but if we had to, wed do that and put it down within minutes, within minutes. Later in the same interview, he claimed that demonstrators against police violence were being paid for by rich liberals. This is an argument made in explicitly anti-Semitic terms by the fascistic QAnon group and the ultra-right Breitbart News, who portray liberal billionaire George Soros, a survivor of the Holocaust, as responsible for left-wing political activity in America. Trump also defended the police assassination of Michael Reinoehl, the anti-fascist protester from Portland gunned down Sept. 3 by police belonging to the federally-led Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders Task Force. He emphasized his personal role in ordering the killing of Reinoehl, saying, Two-and-a-half days went by and I put out when are you going to go get him? The US Marshals went in to get him. He continued, The US Marshals killed him and I will tell you something, thats the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this. There cant be guys standing up that want to fight Even more wide-ranging threats of violence came from Roger Stone, Trumps longtime political crony and adviser, whom Trump saved from the prospect of prison in July by commuting his sentence for lying to congressional committees and to Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Stone appeared Sept. 10 on the Infowars program hosted by the fascist Alex Jones and said Trump was likely to lose the Nov. 3 election, although he claimed this would be the result of voting being corrupted through the use of mail ballots. He then urged Trump to declare martial law, invoke the Insurrection Act, seize ballot boxes in states like Nevada where mail-in voting prevails, and arrest political opponents in both the media and the Democratic Party. According to an account by the watchdog group Media Matters, Stone said that Trump would have the authority to arrest Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, former defense secretary James Mattis and the Clintons. Stone cited a report in the online publication Daily Beast about planned protests against Trump if he claims falsely to have won the Nov. 3 vote. If the Daily Beast is involved in provably seditious acts, Stone said, their entire staff can be taken into custody and their office shut down. He added, They want to play war, this is war. These fascistic ravings must be taken seriously. Trump and his political hatchetmen are deeply unpopular, but they have one important advantage. Their nominal opposition in the Democratic Party represents the same class as TrumpWall Street and the super-richand has no intention of conducting a serious struggle against a power grab by the ultra-right. As the Socialist Equality Party warned in a statement published Sept. 9 by the World Socialist Web Site: The campaign between Trump and Biden is pitting an administration that is making an increasingly open appeal to violence and police state repression against a Democratic Party campaign that, as always, offers no genuine alternative to the drive toward authoritarianism and war. Trump does not have an electoral strategy, in the sense of seeking to win the support of a majority of those who vote in the Nov. 3 election, or even in states that could deliver him an Electoral College majority. Rather, he seeks to create such an atmosphere of chaos and crisis leading up to the election that he can assert a claim to rule, backed by the police, sections of the military and armed right-wing groups. More broadly, as the Sept. 9 SEP statement says, Trump is seeking to create conditions, regardless of the outcome on November 3, in which he will emerge as the leader of an extra-constitutional, right-wing movement. The threat of authoritarian rule in the United States cannot be fought through the Democratic Party and casting a vote for the ticket of Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. On the contrary, the Democrats represent merely an alternative route to the same destination. While Trump seeks police state rule, backed by armed bands of what he now calls citizens militias, the Democrats seek to subordinate political life to the CIA and the Pentagon, the reactionary instruments of American imperialism. Throughout Trumps four years in office, the Democrats have sought to divert all popular opposition to Trump into the blind alley of their right-wing anti-Russia campaign. This continues today, with Biden lambasting Trump for not confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin about alleged bounties paid by Moscow to the Taliban for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan, for which no evidence has been produced. Biden has followed this up with a declaration that if elected he will not pull US troops out of Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria. Neither capitalist party, Democrats or Republicans, offers any solution to the crisis gripping American society, including the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic collapse and the ongoing rampage of police violence that takes a thousand lives a year. The Socialist Equality Party candidates in 2020, Joseph Kishore for president and Norissa Santa Cruz for vice president, offer the only genuine alternative to the twin parties of big business. We urge workers and young people to contact our campaign and join the fight for socialism. The flashy young owners of a new Sydney restaurant that features a lavish $4 million interior have been accused of not paying staff - for the second time. Julia Rose Gelonese, 25, and her boyfriend Ussi Monix Da Silva, 27, are already facing action in the Federal Court over allegations they failed to pay staff at their restaurant Upper East Side in Bondi, in Sydney's east. The couple were taken to court after an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Fair Work alleged that Upper East Side staff - many of whom were on working holiday or student visas - had been underpaid or in some cases received no payment at all. The court action is still ongoing. There are now similar claims from workers at new CBD venue Meu Jardim - where Mr Da Silva boasted about spending $4.1 million on a fit out that includes a firepit and waterfall. According to ASIC documents Ms Gelonese took over from her boyfriend as director of Upper East Side in 2019, while Mr Da Silva controls Meu Jardim. But both restaurants share the same registered business address according to ASIC. Julia Rose Gelonese (pictured) and her boyfriend Uzzi Da Silva have been accused of failing to pay staff on time at two restaurants they control in Sydney But despite allegedly struggling to pay staff, Ms Gelonese and Mr Da Silva (pictured) somehow had the finances to open up a new venue Meu Jardim - and boasted to media about a $4.1 million fit out that includes a firepit and waterfall 'I like to create things that shock the system. Youre surrounded by brickwork in the laneway and then you come inside and bang youre in a glacier cave,' Mr Da Silva told Broadsheet earlier this year. 'We're changing the mould... when you come in it's like a futuristic oasis.' Daily Mail Australia can reveal that within just months of opening, staff at Meu Jardim were chasing management for their wages, with many claiming they are still owed superannuation. Matteo Pellegrino began working at Meu Jardim in January as the restaurant geared up for its grand opening. The 28-year-old was hired as a supervisor and was initially impressed by the venue, but his attitude quickly changed when he was not paid on time - forcing him to take out a bank loan just to pay his bills. 'We found out after we had been employed and had been working with them for a while that they had not been paying people over there at the Bondi venue', Mr Pellegrino said. 'By the time it opened we'd already got every single one of our pays late. They kept assuring us that once they were opened, once they had revenue: "We're going to be fine to pay you". 'But even still, weeks after we opened they were paying us late. 'We were meant to be getting paid weekly but it was really once or twice a month, on different dates, and there was just no consistency to it. 'I had to borrow money after I blew through my savings. (I had to borrow) from a bank and also from my parents.' Mr Pellegrino said Ms Gelonese and Mr Da Silva would come into the restaurant on a few occasions each week, but barely engaged with staff. He said the couple seemed more interested in their lavish 'Instagram lifestyle' than they were in running a successful business. 'I just got the impression that they just wanted to have an Instagram lifestyle and thought that maybe by opening a fancy restaurant they could do that,' Mr Pellegrino said. 'There was this guy that they said was a secret investor. He was funding the whole thing essentially, I'm not sure why.' Matteo Pellegrino began working at Meu Jardim in January and told Daily Mail Australia he was regularly paid late 'Other (restaurants) are going for rustic looks; were changing the mould,' Mr Da Silva bragged to Broadsheet magazine earlier this year Intended to look like a glacier, the venue cost $4.1 million to fit out and includes a waterfall and firepit Other staff members who worked at Meu Jardim had similar experiences. One man, who did not want to be named, said he was also consistently paid late. 'The first time I had concerns was when the first payslip didn't arrive in the first week of March,' the bar worker said. 'The funds for payslip one were never actually paid into my nominated bank account until the 16th of March. 'Pre-COVID, Ussi and Julia both frequented the venue quite often, especially around opening night in February. Ussi was in almost every weekend. 'Every night Ussi was in, he would ask for rounds of shots, which we were directed to charge to the business. 'They were definitely living the lavish lifestyle while in the venue. Post-COVID, I never saw Julia at the venue but Ussi still came in fairly regularly.' A former staff member at the couple's other restaurant Upper East Side shared text messages showing just how employees were allegedly strung along. I just couldn't believe this situation happened in Australia... Esty Reyes, ex-Upper East Side worker Esty Reyes was told by Ms Gelonese that her wage would be in her bank balance 'by Friday' - February 21. On several occasions in the weeks that followed, the businesswoman claimed she would send Ms Reyes a 'payslip' by the end of the day. But when money had not arrived by March 25 - more than a month later - Ms Gelonese finally admitted there was a problem. 'Right now there's no revenue coming in so it's extremely hard to finalise anything at this present time,' her text read. 'As mentioned, I'm waiting for some funds to come in so I can finalise.' Ms Gelonese next told Ms Reyes the money would be in her bank account by April 6. But it was not until July - five months after she was first due to be paid - that the bank transaction finally went through. By this stage COVID-19 restrictions had forced the lockdown of many businesses and left Ms Reyes out of work and out of money. 'I tried to be patient, but then everything closed and I was trying to survive,' she said. 'I offered (for them) to even only pay me half. They finally paid me five months late at which point I was already in Mexico and only after I raised my voice. 'I just couldn't believe this situation happened in Australia.' Esty Reyes, a former employee at Upper East Side, said she was not paid on time The United Workers Union told Daily Mail Australia the underpayment of staff at the two Sydney venues was concerning Text exchanges between Ms Gelonese and a former employee show complaints about not being paid began in February and stretched on for months After complaints by several Upper East Side staff members, the Ombudsman began an investigation and found they had likely breached 11 areas of the restaurant award and two of the national employment standards. When Ms Gelonese did not meet the Fair Work Ombudsman's compliance deadline, the case was taken before the Federal Court. In a statement, Sandra Parker of the Fair Work Ombudsman said that in the wake of major cases of underpayment by celebrity chefs including George Colambaris and Neil Perry, they were 'cracking down' on the hospitality industry. 'Under the Fair Work Act, inspectors can issue a Compliance Notice if they form a belief that an employer has breached certain workplace laws,' Ms Parker said. 'Where employers do not comply with our notices, a court can order them to pay penalties in addition to back-paying any affected employees. 'The Fair Work Ombudsman is cracking down on alleged underpayments in the fast food, restaurant and cafe sector, particularly when it involves migrant workers.' Wage theft was last week criminalised in Queensland, which followed Victoria's lead from earlier this year, however New South Wales is yet to do the same. Karma Lord, director of Hospo Voice the hospitality arm of the United Workers Union, slammed the restaurant she called an 'Instagram playground for rich and famous'. 'What does it say about the NSW hospitality industry that an employer who doesn't pay its workers at one venue, who has been prosecuted by the Ombudsman for wage theft, can go on to spend millions opening another sumptuous venue?' she said. Ms Gelonese took over directorship of Upper East Side from her boyfriend Mr Da Silva (above) with the action taken against them by the Fair Work Ombudsman remaining before the courts Much like its sister venue in the city, Upper East Side is decked out in style with thousands of fairylights covering the roof Since opening in 2017 the bar has become popular among reality TV stars such as Sam Frost (back row, second from right) 'Workers shared with us the horror and anxiety of working in this Instagram playground for the rich and famous, while going months without being paid and having to beg for their wages.' Ms Gelonese claimed that despite the two businesses sharing a registered address, she was only affiliated with Upper East Side - not Meu Jardim. Mr Da Silva has been contacted for comment. Upper East Side had previously been taken to court for running up massive debts of more than $95,000 to businesses who had provided food, alcohol and services. The businesses pursing the bar included Roxy Jacenko's prominent PR firm Sweaty Betty, which was owed $10,102. One outstanding bill from a labour hire company was for $36,745 to JRM Hospitality. Roxy Jacenko (pictured) and her firm PR Sweaty Betty provided services for Upper East Side worth $10,102 It was understood JRM was engaged by the bar to employ staff after a number of chefs and other staff walked off the job suddenly in mid-2017. Ms Gelonese has previously told Daily Mail Australia that all payments to her employees at Upper East Side had now been 'finalised'. In addition to paying her staff, Ms Gelonese claimed the debts owed to a number of businesses had also been settled. The pandemic has caused major disruption for many restaurants and bars, with many unable to open and forced to close because of government lockdowns. "When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus's spectrum, it was a shock!", says team leader Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in the UK, who first spotted signs of phosphine in observations from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), operated by the East Asian Observatory, in Hawai'i. Confirming their discovery required using 45 antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, a more sensitive telescope in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner. Both facilities observed Venus at a wavelength of about 1 millimetre, much longer than the human eye can see -- only telescopes at high altitude can detect it effectively. The international team, which includes researchers from the UK, US and Japan, estimates that phosphine exists in Venus's clouds at a small concentration, only about twenty molecules in every billion. Following their observations, they ran calculations to see whether these amounts could come from natural non-biological processes on the planet. Some ideas included sunlight, minerals blown upwards from the surface, volcanoes, or lightning, but none of these could make anywhere near enough of it. These non-biological sources were found to make at most one ten thousandth of the amount of phosphine that the telescopes saw. To create the observed quantity of phosphine (which consists of hydrogen and phosphorus) on Venus, terrestrial organisms would only need to work at about 10% of their maximum productivity, according to the team. Earth bacteria are known to make phosphine: they take up phosphate from minerals or biological material, add hydrogen, and ultimately expel phosphine. Any organisms on Venus will probably be very different to their Earth cousins, but they too could be the source of phosphine in the atmosphere. While the discovery of phosphine in Venus's clouds came as a surprise, the researchers are confident in their detection. "To our great relief, the conditions were good at ALMA for follow-up observations while Venus was at a suitable angle to Earth. Processing the data was tricky, though, as ALMA isn't usually looking for very subtle effects in very bright objects like Venus," says team member Anita Richards of the UK ALMA Regional Centre and the University of Manchester. "In the end, we found that both observatories had seen the same thing -- faint absorption at the right wavelength to be phosphine gas, where the molecules are backlit by the warmer clouds below," adds Greaves, who led the study published today in Nature Astronomy. Another team member, Clara Sousa Silva of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, has investigated phosphine as a "biosignature" gas of non-oxygen-using life on planets around other stars, because normal chemistry makes so little of it. She comments: "Finding phosphine on Venus was an unexpected bonus! The discovery raises many questions, such as how any organisms could survive. On Earth, some microbes can cope with up to about 5% of acid in their environment -- but the clouds of Venus are almost entirely made of acid." The team believes their discovery is significant because they can rule out many alternative ways to make phosphine, but they acknowledge that confirming the presence of "life" needs a lot more work. Although the high clouds of Venus have temperatures up to a pleasant 30 degrees Celsius, they are incredibly acidic -- around 90% sulphuric acid -- posing major issues for any microbes trying to survive there. ESO astronomer and ALMA European Operations Manager Leonardo Testi, who did not participate in the new study, says: "The non-biological production of phosphine on Venus is excluded by our current understanding of phosphine chemistry in rocky planets' atmospheres. Confirming the existence of life on Venus's atmosphere would be a major breakthrough for astrobiology; thus, it is essential to follow-up on this exciting result with theoretical and observational studies to exclude the possibility that phosphine on rocky planets may also have a chemical origin different than on Earth." More observations of Venus and of rocky planets outside our Solar System, including with ESO's forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope, may help gather clues on how phosphine can originate on them and contribute to the search for signs of life beyond Earth. ### More information This research was presented in the paper "Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus" to appear in Nature Astronomy. The team is composed of Jane S. Greaves (School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, UK [Cardiff]), Anita M. S. Richards (Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, The University of Manchester, UK), William Bains (Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA [MIT]), Paul Rimmer (Department of Earth Sciences and Cavendish Astrophysics, University of Cambridge and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK), Hideo Sagawa (Department of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Science, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan), David L. Clements (Department of Physics, Imperial College London, UK [Imperial]), Sara Seager (MIT), Janusz J. Petkowski (MIT), Clara Sousa-Silva (MIT), Sukrit Ranjan (MIT), Emily Drabek-Maunder (Cardiff and Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, UK), Helen J. Fraser (School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK), Annabel Cartwright (Cardiff), Ingo Mueller-Wodarg (Imperial), Zhuchang Zhan (MIT), Per Friberg (EAO/JCMT), Iain Coulson (EAO/JCMT), E'lisa Lee (EAO/JCMT) and Jim Hoge (EAO/JCMT). An accompanying paper by some of team members, titled "The Venusian Lower Atmosphere Haze as a Depot for Desiccated Microbial Life: A Proposed Life Cycle for Persistence of the Venusian Aerial Biosphere - https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2020.2244 ", was published in Astrobiology in August 2020. Another related study by some of the same authors, "Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres - https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2018.1954 ", was published in Astrobiology in January 2020. The European Southern Observatory (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 Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. With a diameter of 15m (50 feet) the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is the largest single dish astronomical telescope in the world designed specifically to operate in the submillimetre wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The JCMT is used to study our Solar System, interstellar and circumstellar dust and gas, evolved stars, and distant galaxies. It is situated in the science reserve of Maunakea, Hawai'i, at an altitude of 4092m (13 425 feet). The JCMT is operated by the East Asian Observatory on behalf of NAOJ; ASIAA; KASI; CAMS as well as the National Key R&D Program of China. Additional funding support is provided by the STFC and participating universities in the UK and Canada. Links Research paper - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2015/eso2015a.pdf Royal Astronomical Society press briefing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IIj3e5BFp0&feature=youtu.be Photos of ALMA - https://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=Atacama%20Large%20Millimeter/submillimeter%20Array Photos of JCMT - https://www.eaobservatory.org/jcmt/public/gallery/images/ Related past ESO release -- Astronomers Reveal Interstellar Thread of One of Life's Building Blocks: ALMA and Rosetta map the journey of phosphorus - https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2001/ Related past Royal Astronomical Society release -- Paucity of phosphorus hints at precarious path for extraterrestrial life - https://ewass.ras.ac.uk/11-paucity-of-phosphorus-hints-at-precarious-path-for-extraterrestrial-life For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso.org/sci/publications/announcements/sciann17277.html Space Scoop kids' version of this press release - http://www.spacescoop.org/en/scoops/2036/life-on-venus/ Contacts Jane Greaves (study author) Cardiff University Cardiff, UK Email: GreavesJ1@cardiff.ac.uk Anita Richards (study author) UK ALMA Regional Centre and University of Manchester Manchester, UK Email: a.m.s.richards@manchester.ac.uk Clara Sousa Silva (study author) Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, USA Tel: +1 617 253 6283 Email: cssilva@mit.edu Leonardo Testi (contact for independent comment on the study) European Southern Observatory Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6541 Email: ltesti@eso.org Dave Clements (study author) Imperial College London, UK Email: d.clements@imperial.ac.uk Paul Rimmer (study author) University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK Email: pbr27@cam.ac.uk William Bains (study author) Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, USA Email: bains@mit.edu 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 Realme C17 is officially set to launch on September 20 in Bangladesh for what will be the phones global debut Realme C17 is officially set to launch on September 20 in Bangladesh for what will be the phones global debut, a first for the country. The Realme C17 has been spotted previously visiting Geekbench and now a new leak has revealed the key specifications and features of the upcoming budget phone. The C17 will likely be placed at the top of the C-series as the company also plans to launch the Realme 7i soon. Realme Bangladesh has posted the phones teasers on its official Instagram and Facebook accounts and confirmed the launch of the C17 on September 20 in an online event. The Realme C17 has been detailed in multiple images that give away all there is to know about the phone. A tweet by the_tech_guy on Twitter reveals the key specifications and features of the upcoming Realme C17. Realme C17 Specifications : 6.5 inches HD+ 90Hz IPS LCD display SD 460 SoC (13MP+8MP+2MP+2MP) quad rear cameras and 8MP front camera 6GB+128GB 5000mAh battery with 18W charging pic.twitter.com/A9GWPIP6B9 the_tech_guy (@_the_tech_guy) September 14, 2020 Realme C17 leaked specifications The Realme C17 is expected to feature a 6.5-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) resolution display with a 90Hz high refresh rate and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera on the top-left corner. The C17 is rumoured to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 610 GPU. It will likely run on Android 10 based Realme UI out-of-the-box. This is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage but we suspect there will be multiple variants at the time of launch. The C17 also supports microSD cards for further storage expansion. Realme C17 could come with a quad-camera setup on the back that consists of a primary 13MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 119-degree field-of-view, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera. The fingerprint reader is situated at the back and the C17 is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. The C17 comes in two colours, Navy Blue and Lake Green. When the character Elroy came down with "Venus virus" on the futuristic cartoon "The Jetsons" in 1962, his mom called the doctor -- who appeared in the living room via a video screen. Actual telemedicine, health care delivered from a distance, was in its infancy at the time, but the real thing has more or less caught up with that vision. Until recently, its impact was limited by concerns for safety, accuracy and privacy. Now, because of the coronavirus pandemic, its use has skyrocketed as people across the world eschew visiting a doctor's office out of fear of exposure to the novel pathogen. When the coronavirus hit, medical practitioners started ramping up their virtual offerings -- notably appointments via videoconferencing apps such as FaceTime and Zoom -- as a way to continue caring for patients and keep their businesses alive. At the same time, regulators loosened the rules that had restricted telemedicine. In the U.S., for example, officials eased enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which sets strict privacy standards. Also, government insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid expanded the types of services covered and began paying for virtual visits at the higher, in-person rate. A report from McKinsey & Co. in June concluded that 46% of consumers in the U.S. were using telemedicine, up from 11% a year earlier. Industry analysts expect the trend toward acceptance to continue. Coronavirus will likely remain a health threat for the next several years, until immunity gained from vaccines and infections is widespread globally. By then, telemedicine is likely to be an embedded part of the health-care ecosystem. McKinsey estimated that with changes such as replacing 20% of emergency room visits and 25% of health-care office visits, telemedicine eventually could account for a fifth of all Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance spending on outpatient, office and home health care. That would amount to $250 billion in 2020, compared with the $3 billion the industry generated annually in the U.S. before coronavirus hit. -- The background For most of its history, telemedicine was used mainly by people in hard-to-reach areas -- in the most extreme case, astronauts on the International Space Station. It was seen as a small, bonus product for health-care providers who primarily cared for patients in person. In the U.S., Medicare, which covers the elderly and often sets industry standards, was one of the main stumbling blocks: It only paid for telemedicine if patients were in rural areas and went to a local medical facility that connected them remotely to experts. Restrictions on health professionals working across state lines -- since suspended for telemedicine -- further constrained its use. For years, demand for the technology rose slowly, with the most enthusiastic users younger people accustomed to connecting with people and getting goods and services over the internet. The largest providers focused on virtual urgent care, helping patients get immediate visits, often with doctors they didn't know. Growth was held back by concerns among patients, health-care organizations and doctors that telemedicine would lead to lower-quality care, poor results and inconsistencies in diagnoses and treatment plans. -- The argument Now that patients and physicians are on board, they've found unexpected benefits. For patients, telemedicine can make it faster, cheaper and safer to get medical care. They don't have to take as much time off regular activities, travel to the doctor's office, possibly pay for parking, or wait for the start of an appointment, perhaps in a room crowded with sick people. For physicians, the practice, once established, often saves time, allowing them to care for more patients and potentially increase profits. A growing body of evidence shows that telemedicine is just as good as in-person visits for many types of medical care, and even better for others. A study from the University of Texas Southwestern found it led to an increase in patients getting specialized care and fewer missed appointments in April 2020 compared to the same month a year earlier. A 2018 study in rural and remote regions of Australia found that a telemedicine program connecting local clinics to cardiology specialists at a metropolitan location boosted testing for heart disease by 42% in a single year; it reduced driving time by more than 300 miles (500 km) per patient and shaved about two weeks off the time required to get a test and more than a month off the wait to receive results. Still, limitations remain. Nothing replaces the nuances doctors can pick up using all their senses in an actual visit. Even the basics, such as listening to the heart or getting a blood pressure reading, can't be done remotely in most cases. Lots of patients, including many who could benefit the most, have difficulty accessing telemedicine. One in three Americans over the age of 65 has trouble connecting with a doctor remotely, often for lack of the necessary equipment or technical skills, according to a study from the University of California in San Francisco. Patients with disabilities, especially those who have hearing, visual or cognitive issues, are particularly limited. Late US astronomer Carl Sagan predicted in 1967 that there could be life on Venus. Now, two telescopes in Hawaii and Chile spotted in the thick Venutian clouds the chemical signature of phosphine, a noxious gas that on Earth is only associated with life, according to a study journal Nature Astronomy published on September 14. Astronomers have found a potential sign of life high in the atmosphere of neighboring Venus: hints there may be bizarre microbes living in the sulfuric acid-laden clouds of the hothouse planet. Several outside experts and the study authors themselves agreed this is tantalizing but said it is far from the first proof of life on another planet. They said it doesn't satisfy the extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" standard established by Sagan, who speculated about the possibility of life in the clouds of Venus in 1967. Sagan pointed out that a high carbon-dioxide atmosphere was not an obstacle. "Sagan's work on Venus was formative, though few today remember his impact," Mashable quoted Darby Dyar, the chair of NASAs Venus Exploration Advisory Group, as saying. "His idea was prescient, and still makes sense today: between the hellish surface conditions on present-day Venus and the near-vacuum of outer space must be a temperate region where life could live on." Its not a smoking gun," said study co-author David Clements, an Imperial College of London astrophysicist. Its not even gunshot residue on the hands of your prime suspect, but there is a distinct whiff of cordite in the air which may be suggesting something. As astronomers plan for searches for life on planets outside our solar system, a major method is to look for chemical signatures that can only be made by biological processes, called biosignatures. After three astronomers met in a bar in Hawaii, they decided to look that way at the closest planet to Earth: Venus. They searched for phosphine, which is three hydrogen atoms and a phosphorous atom. On Earth, there are only two ways phosphine can be formed, study authors said. One is in an industrial process. (The gas was produced for use as chemical warfare agent in World War I.) The other way is as part of some kind of poorly understood function in animals and microbes. Some scientists consider it a waste product, others don't. Phosphine is found in ooze at the bottom of ponds, the guts of some creatures like badgers and perhaps most unpleasantly associated with piles of penguin guano, Clements said. Study co-author Sara Seager, an MIT planetary scientist, said researchers exhaustively went through every possibility and ruled all of them out: volcanoes, lightning strikes, small meteorites falling into the atmosphere. ... Not a single process we looked at could produce phosphine in high enough quantities to explain our teams findings. That leaves life. The astronomers hypothesize a scenario for how life could exist on the inhospitable planet where temperatures on the surface are around 800 degrees (425 degrees Celsius) with no water. Venus is hell. Venus is kind of Earths evil twin, Clements said. Clearly something has gone wrong, very wrong, with Venus. Its the victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. But thats on the surface. Seager said all the action may be 30 miles (50 kilometers) above ground in the thick carbon-dioxide layer cloud deck, where it's about room temperature or slightly warmer. It contains droplets with tiny amounts of water but mostly sulfuric acid that is a billion times more acidic than whats found on Earth. The phosphine could be coming from some kind of microbes, probably single-cell ones, inside those sulfuric acid droplets, living their entire lives in the 10-mile-deep (16-kilometer-deep) clouds, Seager and Clements said. When the droplets fall, the potential life probably dries out and could then get picked up in another drop and reanimate, they said. Life is definitely a possibility, but more proof is needed, several outside scientists said. Cornell University astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger said the idea of this being the signature of biology at work is exciting, but she said we dont know enough about Venus to say life is the only explanation for the phosphine. Im not skeptical, Im hesitant, said Justin Filiberto, a planetary geochemist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston who specializes in Venus and Mars and isnt part of the study team. Filiberto said the levels of phosphine found might be explained away by volcanoes. He said recent studies that were not taken into account in this latest research suggest that Venus may have far more active volcanoes than originally thought. But Clements said that explanation would make sense only if Venus were at least 200 times as volcanically active as Earth. David Grinspoon, a Washington-based astrobiologist at the Planetary Science Institute who wrote a 1997 book suggesting Venus could harbor life, said the finding almost seems too good to be true. Im excited, but Im also cautious, Grinspoon said. We found an encouraging sign that demands we follow up. NASA hasnt sent anything to Venus since 1989, though Russia, Europe and Japan have dispatched probes. The U.S. space agency is considering two possible Venus missions. One of them, called DAVINCI+, would go into the Venutian atmosphere as early as 2026. Clements said his head tells him its probably a 10% chance that its life, but his heart "obviously wants it to be much bigger because it would be so exciting. Now Open 14 September 2020 Canopy by Hilton, Hilton's lifestyle hotel brand, today announced the addition of Canopy by Hilton Memphis Downtown. The 174-room hotel opens today at 164 Union Avenue, on the previous site of the Benchmark Hotel. "We are pleased to bring Canopy to the heart of Downtown Memphis," said Jose Nieto, Chief Enthusiast/General Manager for the hotel. "The downtown district has everything visitors look for, including immediate access to the AutoZone Park, FedEx Arena, Orpheum Theater, restaurants, popular tourist destination and, of course, unlimited access to the best barbeque you will ever have!" Locally Inspired Design Canopy Memphis is designed by HBG Design and developed on the old site of the Benchmark Hotel. Its design will pay homage to the soulful spirit of the neighborhood while infusing a hip, modern look and feel. Guest Room Headboards are inspired by old thunderbird backseats The canopy over the bed is designed out of old cane speakers The bedside lights are designed to resemble old microphone heads Every mattress is made exclusively for Canopy and features Serta cool gel technology Each room is outfitted with a Nespresso machine Bathrooms feature floor to ceiling marble Eat. Drink. Smile. The hotel will feature a signature restaurant, Curfew, by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani - American cuisine with a Spanish and Italian flare - and a sophisticated bar program. We've Got You Covered Canopy Memphis will provide an array of amenities to suit guests who are looking to work, exercise and relax. Amenities include pet-friendly accommodations, complimentary Canopy bikes for exploring the city, Hilton CleanStay cleanliness program, a 1,200-square-foot fitness room and a cozy boardroom, which accommodates up to 10 people. The Neighborhood Located in Downtown Memphis, Canopy Memphis is conveniently situated steps away from Beale Street and in close proximity to popular destinations such as the FedEx Forum, Orpheum Theater, AutoZone Park, the Lorraine Motel and S. Main Art District. As part of Hilton, Canopy Memphis Downtown guests enjoy benefits of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for the company's 18 distinct hotel brands. Members who book directly with Hilton have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount, free standard Wi-Fi and the Hilton Honors mobile app. As a lifestyle brand that embraces its locale, Canopy by Hilton provides guests with authentic and unique local experiences. Each property is designed as a natural extension of its neighborhood with a connection to local art, food, drink and culture. Hotel Team Members are called Enthusiasts Canopy's local experts and connect guests to the best of their neighborhood, offering recommendations for the best restaurants, shops, running paths and more. A Cork student who spent most of her last two years in school undergoing intense treatment for a rare bone cancer is thrilled to have been offered her dream college course. Mia Dorney from Ballyvolane said she was blown away when she received her Leaving Cert results and then an offer to study on her first choice of college course. After being diagnosed with osteosarcoma on her left femur in 2018, the teenager had to learn to use her leg again after major surgery, spending time in a wheelchair and undergoing bouts of chemotherapy. When she felt well enough, Mia would keep up with her studies from her bed in Cork University Hospital (CUH) while she underwent treatment. Some days if I was feeling well enough Id ask mom and dad to bring up my school bag and Id just do a bit of reading or a bit of studying while I was on chemo," she told the Irish Examiner. Mia Dorney is now off to study Business Information Systems (BIS) at Cork Institute of Technology. Picture: Jim Coughlan. A former student of St Aidan's Community College on Dublin Hill, Mia is very grateful for the support she received from her school. She said: My teachers were so good to me. When I felt well enough on the weeks I had chemo off, they would come down to my house and try their best to help me catch up and keep up with my studies. Mia was diagnosed just as she was beginning fifth year in school. She said: "What I thought were just little aches and pains from playing sport was actually a tumour in my left femur. I got the diagnosis and I had to start chemo within two weeks." Read More Teen makes his dream become a virtual reality Continuing with chemo throughout fifth year meant Mia could not go to school. She said: "It was an aggressive cancer so I was treated quite aggressively and I was very sick. As well as chemotherapy, Mia had a knee replacement, and part of her femur replaced as well. "I also had metal bars put up and down my leg to hold it in place. I had to spend time in a wheelchair because I couldn't bend my leg at all." "It took me four or five months to get the bend back, doing a lot of physio and hydro-physio." All while that was going on, I just really wanted to graduate with all my friends and do my Leaving Cert in 2020 so that wed go off to college together. I started off with my friends so I wanted to finish school with them. Thankfully, Mia got the all-clear in April 2019, returning to school last September. "Because I couldn't do PE or anything over my legs, I did extra classes with teachers just once or twice a week to catch up on the things I missed." However, she began to worry about her studies and her Leaving Cert when the schools closed in March due to Covid-19. Last Monday, those worries were "blown out of the water" when she received her results. Mia Dorney, centre, at the unveiling of the #Room4ARC banner on Grand Parade last year. Mia is heading to CIT to study business information systems. File picture: Brian Lougheed She said: "I didnt think I was going to do as well as I did, considering the circumstances. My family were all delighted when I got my results. I didnt even know what to think!" My teachers really were so good to me, they really helped me a lot to catch up and keep up with my classmates as much as possible. Mia is now off to study Business Information Systems (BIS) at Cork Institute of Technology. She loves Irish and one day would like to get into marketing but she has not decided just yet on her chosen career. She said: "It's so broad and there are so many opportunities that I know I'll find my dream career so I am happy to go into that course and see where it takes me." "I like marketing, and I like the idea of business and IT and that's kind of where the degree will take me so I'm looking forward to starting it now." In recognition of its health and safety response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Miami International Airport is the first airport in Florida, second in the United States and third in North America to be accredited under the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation program . The accreditation is based on evidence that MIA is following best practices and has implemented key measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19. "ACI's Airport Health Accreditation Program promotes best practices and helps align efforts across the industry to harmonize measures, processes and procedures, and I congratulate Miami International Airport in successfully achieving accreditation," ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. "The recovery of the industry from the impacts of COVID-19 will require a coordinated, global effort, and Miami International Airport's accreditation shows that it is committed to high standards of health and hygiene that accord with globally recognized standards and protocols." ACI's Airport Health Accreditation program assists airports by assessing new health measures and procedures introduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations. Areas of assessment for accreditation include cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing (where feasible and practical), staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities. "Congratulations to the Miami-Dade Aviation Department for its aggressive efforts to make MIA one of the top airports in the world for health and safety in the post-COVID-19 era," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. "As business and leisure travel to Miami-Dade County continues to steadily increase, achievements like MIA's health accreditation by ACI World is more evidence that our community and our local tourism industry are ready to welcome visitors back to the gateway of the Americas." The Airport Health Accreditation program is consistent with the recommendations and industry priorities put forward by ACI-NA's Airport Industry Recovery Advisory Panel in June 2020. As the report recommends, the restart and recovery of the aviation sector will require a consistent and harmonized approach with clear industry standards and good practices. "From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority at MIA has been to exceed industry best practices and implement every measure possible to protect the wellbeing of our customers and employees," said Lester Sola, MIA Director and CEO. "Accreditation from a global industry leader like ACI, after undergoing its rigorous evaluation process, should provide a high degree of reassurance to our passengers that they can fly safely through MIA." The Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) is the voice of North American airports, representing local, regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA is the largest of the five worldwide regions of the ACI. Its members represent more than 300 airports operating in the United States and Canada and nearly 400 aviation-related businesses. "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, North American airports have taken unprecedented steps to ensure the health and safety of passengers and airport workers," said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. "We are proud to recognize Miami International Airport in achieving their Airport Health Accreditation. This important step further demonstrates the airport's deep commitment to promoting health and safety as air travel begins to recover." Click here for hi-res image and video Subscribe for more MIA news Connect with us on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Linkedin MEDIA CONTACT: Greg Chin 786.251.0588 [email protected] www.miami-airport.com SOURCE Miami International Airport Related Links http://www.miami-airport.com CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Relativity, a global legal and compliance technology company, today announced the general release of its next generation interface, Aero UI. Aero UI gives users the same access to the power and security of RelativityOne with a new intuitive user interface streamlining processes and ultimately increasing efficiency. "We built Aero UI with all users in mind to simplify the inherently complex processes of managing large volumes of data, without compromising access to the most advanced technology in the industry," said Chris Brown, Chief Product Officer at Relativity. "Aero UI embodies a bold move towards a default simple and optionally advanced interface with a focus on improving time-to-value for users. This simply powerful mindset goes beyond Aero UI; it's the catalyst driving a paradigm shift in how Relativity builds experiences for and more importantly with our customers." Aero UI is more than just a redesign of the user interface, Relativity has rearchitected the platform across five key dimensions that are vital for customers: Modern Aesthetics The teams took a data-driven UX approach to restyled pages across the platform to improve usability. The tool now looks and feels more contemporary, including usability improvement through clearer button definition, fewer items on the screen by default and more obvious page hierarchy. The teams took a data-driven UX approach to restyled pages across the platform to improve usability. The tool now looks and feels more contemporary, including usability improvement through clearer button definition, fewer items on the screen by default and more obvious page hierarchy. Next-Gen Viewer A rearchitected document viewer offers faster performance and navigation throughout review, including faster doc-to-doc speeds and cleaned-up icons and text. A rearchitected document viewer offers faster performance and navigation throughout review, including faster doc-to-doc speeds and cleaned-up icons and text. Workflow-Based Navigation Makes it easier for users to find what they need and improves how users navigate between pages to accomplish tasks and follow a more logical workflow. Makes it easier for users to find what they need and improves how users navigate between pages to accomplish tasks and follow a more logical workflow. Lightning-Fast Performance Relativity has made performance improvements to make navigating across pages incredibly fast. There has been an 81% improvement in jump-in times and 40% improvement in page load times. Relativity has made performance improvements to make navigating across pages incredibly fast. There has been an 81% improvement in jump-in times and 40% improvement in page load times. Automated Workflows Users can automate and templatize manual work in RelativityOne to eliminate steps in the case set up process to reduce human error and focus on more value-add work. This feature will be available Sept. 26 for U.S. customers and Oct. 10 globally. These improvements have already been instrumental in driving performance gains and efficiencies. Streamlined navigation that makes it easier for users to find what they need quickly, faster load times and the ability to customize the platform provides customers the ability to devote their time and resources to address other pressing business priorities. "Performance of Aero UI has been impressive. It has already saved our teams nearly five hours a week," said Liraz Kolnik, e-Discovery Operations Manager at Control Risks. "In other words, that is five additional hours per week that we can spend on training, additional client requests, workspace maintenance and other tasks." Not only is the intuitive navigation of Aero UI helping customers save time, it's also empowering more attorneys to take advantage of the benefits of RelativityOne. Aero UI is designed to be accessible to every user technical or not, which provides more opportunities for even novice users to feel confident working within a single platform to collaborate more effectively with their teams. "With Aero UI, our attorneys are more willing to jump into RelativityOne which saves us a lot of time," said Joe Obermaier e-Discovery and Information Governance Lead at Broadcom. "With an easier-to-use interface, we are fielding fewer questions and spending less time supporting our internal teams with RelativityOne questions." Customer feedback was critical in building Aero UI. Relativity engaged customers in early vision discussions, design concepts, hands-on prototypes and test environments, and finally the Aero Advanced Access Program, where several customers used Aero UI in production before its official release. Relativity collaborated closely with these organizations to incorporate their input to improve Aero UI ahead of the general rollout. Service provider, Array, took part in the program and has already experienced a significant increase in new cases since joining. Within just 46 days, Array's team presented demos to 99 people across 45 different law firms and organizations. As a direct result of those demos and their early access to Aero UI, Array won 21 new projects, is currently in the running for multiple projects from five potential clients and won a large corporate client who is in the process of moving 18 terabytes of data into their RelativityOne instance. Learn more about how Aero UI is helping Array stay competitive in the marketplace. Aero UI will be a focal point at Relativity Fest 2020, now a free, fully-virtual conference for e-discovery, compliance and tech professionals, taking place Sept. 21-23. Aero UI-focused sessions will cover everything from a baseline overview of what users can expect with the new UI; to how automated workflows can eliminate manual steps in the case setup process; to how Relativity designed, built and went to market with Aero UI. Attendees can additionally learn more at the virtual Aero UI booth and receive an Aero UI hands-on tour where they can test-drive the new user experience in RelativityOne. View the full agenda and register now for Relativity Fest 2020. About Relativity At Relativity, we make software to help users organize data, discover the truth, and act on it. Our platform is used by more than 13,000 organizations around the world to manage large volumes of data and quickly identify key issues during litigation, internal investigations, and compliance operations with SaaS platform RelativityOne and Relativity Trace. Relativity has users in 48+ countries from organizations, including the U.S. Department of Justice, and 199 of the Am Law 200. Relativity has been named one of Chicago's Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune for nine consecutive years. Please contact Relativity at [email protected] or visit http://www.relativity.com for more information. Contact Olivia Mulvey, Relativity Corporate Communications Email: [email protected] SOURCE Relativity Related Links https://www.relativity.com Amid speculations that the BJP is planning to rope in Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut as one of its star campaigners for the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that the party is not planning to bring in Kangana as star campaigner. Fadnavis also took a jibe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying it seems that that the Shiv Sena chief is "more interested in fighting Kangana than battling corona". "We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis told reporters. It is to be noted that the former Maharashtra CM has been appointed as the BJP's election in-charge in Bihar. Commenting on the war of words between Shiv Sena and Kangana following the demolition of the actor's home in Mumbai by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, "Uddhav Thackeray needs to concentrate more on battling corona, by which the state has been the worst hit. But he seems to be more interested in settling scores with Kangana." It is to be noted that Ranaut has been at loggerheads with the Maharashtra government following her comments after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Kangana came to Mumbai from Manali on September 9 amid her bitter face-off with the Maharashtra government and after a 5-day visit to the city, she left for Manali on Monday (September 14). Before flying to Manali, Kangana tweeted to say, "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my workplace, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on." New Delhi: In the espionage conspiracy against India, the Chinese government is directly involved as hands of senior Beijing officials have been traced, according to the government sources. The mega espionage conspiracy by Shenzen-based company, Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co. Limited, is understood to have been done by this Chinese firm with the Chinese government's support. Apart from India, the Chinese government has reportedly allowed this conspiracy in several other countries to maintain its supremacy in the world. The available data proves the hand of Chinese authorities behind it. Live TV The recent Indian government's decision to ban more than 200 Chinese apps, and exclude several Chinese telecom firms from participating in 4G and 5G bidding process was not only to expose Chinese mentality but also to protect the country from the digital conspiracy. According to reports, Chinese companies have utilised and analyzed the data available on social media. It is impossible to take any punitive action in the given situation, but if necessary, the government is likely to ban more Chinese apps as well as companies. Notably, China has hatched an espionage conspiracy against India and is reportedly spying on over 10,000 eminent Indians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. Many Union ministers, leaders of the opposition and Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary are being monitored. Zee News had recently run a 'Made in India' campaign appealing to the people of the country to stop using Chinese items and buy Indian products. The campaign was a mammoth success as over 1 crore people pledged to boycott Chinese products. Zee News reports from Line of Actual Control, exposing the nefarious plans of Beijing are understood to have been apparent reasons behind this espionage. The Shenzen-based Chinese company is also monitoring bureaucrats in key positions, judges, scientists, academicians, journalists, actors, and sportspersons, besides religious figures and activists, said a report published in Indian Express. UtilityTrailersToday.com features for-sale listings, including detailed specifications and photos, for a full range of utility trailers and related equipment. Listings on the site include flatbed, cargo, gooseneck, landscape, and other types of trailers, including caul haulers, recreational trailers, and dump trailers. Buyers can search the site for specific assets or browse listings by category, manufacturer, year, price, condition, or location. Qualified sellers manage and update listings through the Sandhills Cloud, a web-based suite of business applications that includes inventory management, lead oversight, advertising, and many other services. "UtilityTrailersToday.com evolved from the success of Truck Paper and a growing need for a platform serving buyers and sellers of utility trailers," says Sandhills Corporate Sales Executive Jared Koch. "It makes it easy for buyers to find what they need, and for sellers to connect with buyers in this thriving niche market." Sellers interested in listing equipment on UtilityTrailersToday.com can contact Sandhills directly for more information. About Sandhills Global Sandhills Global is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our products and services gather, process, and distribute information in the form of trade publications, websites, and online services that connect buyers and sellers across the construction, agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, heavy equipment, commercial trucking, and aviation industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Globalwe are the cloud. Contact Sandhills www.sandhills.com/contact-us 402-479-2181 SOURCE Sandhills Global Related Links http://www.sandhills.com Microsoft on Sunday night announced via a blog post that its takeover offer for TikTok's U.S. operations has been rejected by TikTok's parent company, China's ByteDance. Next up: Oracle is the only publicly known bidder left for TikTok U.S., which soon faces a White House deadline to either agree to a deal or be banned. Microsoft's full statement: ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas. Earlier: Resetting the TikTok deal odds AMERSHAM, United Kingdom, Sept. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cytiva, a global life sciences leader, is expanding its manufacturing capacity and hiring personnel in key areas to support the long-term growth of the biotechnology industry. Emmanuel Ligner, President and CEO, Cytiva, says: "We know from our customers that availability and lead time are the most important considerations after quality. Cytiva's long-term commitment is to deliver the best product, at the right time, and support our customers with expertise. The industry is growing rapidly, now even more due to COVID-19. Accelerating this investment will reinforce these commitments." While the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing short-term demand, the biotherapeutics industry was already predicted to grow by double digits between now and 20251. Cytiva's global product manufacturing and distribution network encompasses 13 sites across Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The investments, totaling around 500 million USD, will respond to in-region, for-region demand, bolster security of supply through dual manufacturing, and increase overall global capacity in key product areas. Cytiva is investing in talent, too, hiring nearly 1,000 people around the world. Ligner says: "We're acquiring talent in every area of our business, from commercial to those on production lines, in order to better serve customers for the long term." Single-use technologies are used to manufacture 85%2 of the biologics currently in pre-commercial and clinical manufacturing lines. As regulatory approvals occur, demand for single-use products at manufacturing scale is expected to grow substantially. Through additional equipment and infrastructure at multiple sites, Cytiva's capacity to manufacture single-use products will more than double. In Asia-Pacific, single-use capacity will triple through a partnership with one of the largest healthcare technology suppliers in China, Wego, which is already producing consumables for Cytiva's customers in the region. Cell culture media production will increase thanks to new manufacturing lines and cleanroom space in Logan, Utah, as well as additional shifts and personnel. The Singapore and Pasching, Austria locations are increasing output through more personnel and additional work shifts. This follows on from a tenfold increase in powdered cell culture media production announced in May 2018. The manufacturing capacity of Cytiva's MabSelect and Capto chromatography product platforms has doubled, as part of a 70 million USD per year (2017 - 2022) capacity gains and facility modernization program at its Uppsala, Sweden site. Now, the plant is fully automated with the latest technology to allow continuous manufacturing. Other elements include the capacity extension of the Sephadex resin, setting-up additional facilities for in-house manufacturing, and the development of automation and digitalization infrastructure. Cytiva is also enabling the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy market through an investment in a new facility in Grens, Switzerland to manufacture single-use kits for its Sepax and Sefia cell processing systems. Cytiva has a longstanding and comprehensive Security of Supply program in place which enables manufacturing output to respond to market demands while ensuring that operations and service capabilities continue safely. For some product lines, part of the solution is having multiple sites able to deliver to customers. Ligner says: "Dual manufacturing assures our customers that if one location encounters capacity constraints, we have plenty of back-up ready to activate." About Cytiva Cytiva is a global life sciences leader with over 7,000 associates across 40 countries dedicated to advancing and accelerating therapeutics. As a trusted partner to customers that range in scale and scope, Cytiva brings speed, efficiency, and capacity to research and manufacturing workflows, enabling the development, manufacture, and delivery of transformative medicines to patients. 1 BioPlan's 2020 Report and Survey of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and Production, p 29 2 BioPlan's 2020 Report and Survey of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and Production, p 58 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252653/Cytiva_Capacity_Expansion.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1138636/cytiva_Logo.jpg Related Links https://cytiva.com SOURCE Cytiva LONDON The European Union will not go as far as to impose sanctions on Turkey, one regional expert told CNBC, despite Ankara's controversial activity in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkey, Greece and Cyprus have been at odds over the former's exploration of energy resources in parts of Eastern Mediterranean waters that both Athens and Nicosia claim are part of their own territory. The countries and territories of this region include Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Libya. The dispute, which goes back over four decades, has escalated in recent weeks. Turkey's pursuit to expand its oil and gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean even resulted in a minor collision between two frigates last month. Greece, increasingly angry at what it describes as "illegal" activity by Turkey, has called on its EU partners to impose "tough sanctions" on Ankara. EU leaders will be discussing the standoff between NATO members at an emergency meeting in two weeks' time. For its part, Turkey has claimed it has every right to prospect in the contested waters and accuses Greece of trying to grab an unfair share of maritime resources. "Leaders cannot do anything else but reinstate their solidarity with Greece," Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Turkey, told CNBC earlier this month. "Sanctions would not give much result here," he said. From coast to coast, the United States has many excellent community colleges from which to choose. Stacker ranks the top 100, using data from Niche. Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Patel said in the Lok Sabha on Monday the first day of the 18-day uninterrupted monsoon session of Parliament -- that the tourism sector has been severely impacted because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The minister was responding to an unstarred question in the Lower House of Parliament. In a written reply, Patel said: no formal study has been instituted for assessment of the impact on the tourism sector and job losses. Also Read: Parliament monsoon session: LS passes Homoeopathy and Indian systems of medicine bills He added: However, several rounds of discussions and brainstorming sessions with industry stakeholders indicate massive loss of revenue and jobs. In view of the highly unorganised nature of the tourism sector, the impact in numerical terms can only be ascertained in due course. According to another written reply submitted by the minister, the contribution of tourism in the gross domestic product (GDP) and jobs in 2018-19 was 5% and 12.95%, respectively. Patel reached out to international tourists through his response. The ministry of tourism through the India Tourism Offices overseas proposes to undertake various promotional activities which include participation in travel fairs and exhibitions; advertising in the local print, electronic, outdoor and digital media; organising webinars to highlight success stories about Covid-19 in India to build confidence among foreign tour operators and travellers. There has been no arrival of foreign tourists to the country as international flights have been non-operational since March 22. Earlier, officials had told HT that the focus would increasingly be to boost domestic tourism, as the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to continue to deter people from travelling long distances. Also Read: Parliament monsoon session: No data available on migrant deaths during lockdown, says Centre The ministry has also undertaken Dekho Apna Desh webinars, aerial photography of key cities and cultural assets in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Udupi, Aurangabad and iconic tourist sites across the country during the 68-day nation-wide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25 in a bid to contain the spread of the viral outbreak. Patel said the ministry has launched SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for Hospitality Industry) for effective implementation of guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued in reference to Covid-19 and beyond for safe operations of hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfast (B&B) and other hospitality units. Patel said the ministry does not have any regulatory authority to seek refunds of advance amount paid. He added: However, industry stakeholders have been requested to consider such issues and requests sympathetically. The minister also cited the key steps taken by various ministries of the government to help the tourism sector recover. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended moratorium on term loans until August 31, said Patel. The government has further announced Atmanirbhar Bharat package through which a Rs 3 lakh crore collateral free automatic loan has been made available for MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). The loan will have four-year tenure and a 12-month moratorium, he added. Patel also said that a 16-member committee has been set up to look into Indian culture, spanning as far back as 12,000 years ago. The panel includes experts from a range of fields, including Archaeological Survey of India, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Vivekananda Foundation, Geographical Survey of India and Delhi Universitys department of English, as well a representative from the ministry of culture. An expert committee has been set up for conducting holistic study of origin and evolution of Indian culture since 12,000 years before present and its interface with other cultures of the world, Patel said. A surge in web searches about gut ailments is helping researchers predict the next Covid-19 hotspots, a study has revealed. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that areas where there was a spike in Google queries relating to diarrhoea and loss of appetite frequently reported a rise in cases of Covid-19 three to four weeks later. Other markers included a loss of taste, nausea and abdominal pain. A link between Covid-19 and gut ailments was first identified in China earlier this year, with about a third of sufferers reporting gastrointestinal rather than respiratory sickness. Other patients complained of suffering from both. The link between gut problems and the virus prompted the researchers to examine data from the Google Trends tool. They examined material from 15 US states and tracked the search results against the incidence of the disease four weeks later. They found the data provided a potential Covid-19 early warning system. The correlation was particularly marked in New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois - among the worst-hit states at the start of the pandemic. "Our data underscores the importance of GI symptoms as a potential harbinger of Covid-19 infection and suggests that Google Trends may be a valuable tool for prediction of pandemics with GI manifestations," Kyle Staller, one of the study's authors, told Bloomberg. Other techniques for tracking the disease include testing wastewater - a method which was used in the past for early detection of diseases such as polio. ( Daily Telegraph, London) On Day 1 of Parliaments Monsoon Session, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter as India recorded over 92,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours. In his tweet, Gandhi said, The Modi government has said we must be self-reliant which means save your own lives as the PM is busy with peacocks. The dig was a reference to a recent video of the prime minister feeding peacocks at his residence. While Rahul Gandhis attack was all over Twitter, he was nowhere to be seen. The former Congress president has taken leave from Lok Sabha in a letter written to the Speaker to travel abroad for a routine check-up of his mother Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi has had to postpone her annual check-up at a US hospital for an undisclosed illness. She is usually accompanied by one of her children and this time, Rahul Gandhi has chosen to accompany her. However, some in the party are unhappy with the timing of his visit. They feel with the Question Hour being suspended and elections in Bihar and Bengal coming up, it was important for him to be present physically. Rahul Gandhi has been one of the most aggressive voices to attack the government on coronavirus, economy and China but many of his colleagues feel that now was the time for him to be present in Parliament to take on the government. More importantly, this is also the time when Rahul Gandhi and Congress could try and reach out to other opposition parties. Rahul Gandhi has often been accused of not being around when needed the most; whether it was during the anti-CAA protests or Delhi riots. In fact, even though he has been aggressive on the China issue, he has skipped 11 meeting of the parliamentary committee on defence. He attended it for the first time this week to raise the issue of the food habits of jawans. Supporters of Rahul Gandhi say he does not have to be around to take up issues as his support is always backstage. Also, in this case, a personal reason for absence should not be made a political issue. However, the fact remains that Rahul Gandhis absence puts his party on the back foot while it leaves the BJP smiling and helps reinforce their labelling him as a tourist politician. Tim Leach has been the CEO of Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE:CXO) since 2006, 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 Concho Resources. Check out our latest analysis for Concho Resources How Does Total Compensation For Tim Leach Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? At the time of writing, our data shows that Concho Resources Inc. has a market capitalization of US$8.9b, and reported total annual CEO compensation of US$13m for the year to December 2019. That's mostly flat as compared to the prior year's compensation. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at US$1.1m. On comparing similar companies from the same industry with market caps ranging from US$4.0b to US$12b, we found that the median CEO total compensation was US$12m. So it looks like Concho Resources compensates Tim Leach in line with the median for the industry. Furthermore, Tim Leach directly owns US$37m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$1.1m US$1.1m 8% Other US$12m US$12m 92% Total Compensation US$13m US$13m 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 15% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 85% is other remuneration. In Concho Resources' case, non-salary compensation represents a greater slice of total remuneration, in comparison to the broader industry. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance. Concho Resources Inc.'s Growth Concho Resources Inc. has reduced its earnings per share by 111% a year over the last three years. It saw its revenue drop 16% over the last year. Story continues Few shareholders would be pleased to read that EPS have declined. And the fact that revenue is down year on year arguably paints an ugly picture. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings.. Has Concho Resources Inc. Been A Good Investment? Given the total shareholder loss of 63% over three years, many shareholders in Concho Resources Inc. are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. So shareholders would probably want the company to be lessto generous with CEO compensation. To Conclude... As we noted earlier, Concho Resources pays its CEO in line with similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. In the meantime, the company has reported declining EPS growth and shareholder returns over the last three years. We'd stop short of saying compensation is inappropriate, but we would understand if shareholders had questions regarding a future raise. CEO compensation can have a massive impact on performance, but it's just one element. We did our research and spotted 3 warning signs for Concho Resources that investors should look into moving forward. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. People wear face masks as they shop in a main market in Jerusalem, Israel, on July 16, 2020. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters) Israel to Lock Down Nationwide in Main Holiday Season Amid COVID-19 Surge JERUSALEMIsrael will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second-wave surge of new cases, the governments coronavirus cabinet voted on Sunday. During the lockdown, which comes during the Jewish high-holiday season, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. The public sector will operate with fewer staff, but non-governmental offices and businesses will not have to close, as long as they do not accept customers. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and no more than 20 people outdoors. Rosh Hashanah prayer services will continue in synagogues, but the number of participants will be limited depending on the zone and size of the building. I know those measures will exact a heavy price on us all, Netanyahu said in a televised address. This is not the kind of holiday we are used to. And we certainly wont be able to celebrate with our extended families. The Finance Ministry said the lockdown will cost the economy, which slipped into a recession in the wake of the virus, an estimated 6.5 billion shekels ($1.88 billion). Netanyahu said he instructed his finance minister to come up with a new economic package to assist businesses hurt by the lockdown. Israel declared an even tighter lockdown in April when the virus first arrived, after which daily cases dropped to low double digits among a population of nine million. But as the economy reopened, daily infections jumped. On Saturday, 2,715 new cases were reported. Since the outbreak began, 1,108 people have died. The countrys health system raised a red flag a few days ago, spurring the government to act, Netanyahu said. A report said that Israel was recording one of the highest percentages of positive COVID-19 tests in the world, and that seriously ill patients were increasing, which if uncontrolled, would risk pushing the capacity of the countrys health system towards its limits. On Saturday, 138 patients in Israel were on life support with ventilators, and another 495 were in serious condition. The Health Ministry said that 1,018 patients were needing hospitalizationthe most since April. The director general of the Health Ministry, Hezi Levy, said in a radio interview earlier on Sunday that dozens of localities are being sucked into the circle of morbidity. We have to impose severe restrictions, but they will be able to stem this wave and not bring us to the brink of an abyss, Levy said. Forget Australias shuttered international borders; right now we cant open up domestically. One take is this is a perfectly logical decision that will benefit us in the long run. Another take is that it is a political shambles, led by certain recalcitrant leaders, that just goes to show how hard creating travel corridors with other nations will be. As Western Australia refuses to endanger its flatlining rate of confirmed cases and its status as the only Australian state not in a recession (as the ABC reports, it has opted not to join the rest of the country in opening state coronavirus borders by Christmas), Queenslands state premiere is also playing hard ball on its border laws (anyone who comes from what Queensland considers to be a hotspot i.e. the whole of NSW, ACT and Victoria has to apply for an exemption to enter the state). Its not just private citizens being negatively affected: whatever your take on the wisdom of limiting interstate travel to the degree we are, the outcome is taking a serious toll on airlines. Qantas full year results for the financial year 2020 show the airline is down 91 per cent on the financial year of 2019, and shows a statutory loss before tax of $2.7 billion and a $4 billion revenue impact from the COVID crisis in 2H20. Much of this, clearly, is due to international travel restrictions. But safely opening domestic borders as soon as possible will help the airline recoup some of these losses moving forward and is a key move that will aid Austrlias aviation industry, Qantas argues. To that effect, Qantas has started surveying customers, encouraging them to share their thoughts and lend their support for safely restarting domestic travel as soon as safely possible. In a safely open our borders plea, Qantas requests decisions on domestic border closures be risk-assessed against an agreed set of medical criteria and a shared definition of what constitutes a COVID hotspot. While it might be a while before we can fly overseas again, were lucky there are so many amazing destinations right here in our own backyard. Not to mention friends and family we long to see again. But that can only happen if our domestic borders are opened. There is huge pent up demand for domestic travel with Australians wanting to get away on holiday after being stuck at home. We want to see Australians reunite with loved ones after months of being separated. And we want to see local businesses, and the one million people in the tourism industry, get back to work. The health response to this crisis is our most important priority. Qantas then provides customers with an information box in which those interested can register their support for safely restarting domestic travel. By completing this form you consent to Qantas providing this information to your State or Federal MP by way of letter to campaign for the opening of Australias domestic borders, where its safe to do so. Australian business has been pushing hard to open state borders during coronavirus. In an open letter in August, hundreds of tourism representatives, including Flight Centre Travel Group chief executive Graham Turner and Helloworld Travel executive director and chief executive Cinzia and Andrew Burnes, implored state political leaders to stop making ad hoc policy changes around border crossings, saying the uncertainty it was creating was having a devastating effect on the domestic tourism industry, the ABC reports. However, while they acknowledge calls for a more nationally coherent approach have merit, business groups pressuring politicians to reopen state borders quickly should not ignore the health and economic benefits of the coronavirus lockdowns, two leading economists say, (ABC). In other words: we dont want political grandstanding, or borders to be shut any longer than neccessary, but we must take a science based approach when opening them and take into account the social and economic costs of gettting things wrong, or opening prematurely. What will happen next? Watch this (air) space. Read Next GERMANTOWN, Md., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthWell Foundation, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, has launched a new fund to provide copayment and premium assistance to patients living with adrenal insufficiency (AI). Through the fund, HealthWell will provide up to $6,600 in financial assistance for a 12-month grant period to eligible patients who have annual household incomes up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level. About Adrenal Insufficiency According to the National Adrenal Diseases Foundation (NADF), adrenal insufficiency is a life-threatening disorder caused by impaired secretion of vital hormones produced in the cortex of adrenal glands, small glands located just above the kidneys. This condition can be caused by primary destruction or dysfunction of the adrenal glands (Primary Adrenal Insufficiency, PAI) or impairment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency, SAI). There are several causes of PAI: autoimmunity (often referred to as Addison's disease), adrenal infiltration or injury, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), adrenal hypoplasia congenital, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) insensitivity syndromes, drug induced, or other metabolic disorders. Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs in people with certain conditions that affect the pituitary gland. Most people with SAI have it from use of suppressive doses of glucocorticoids for other illnesses. Adrenal insufficiency affects the body's ability to respond to stress and maintain other essential life functions. Patients require daily replacement doses of glucocorticoids and in most cases also mineralocorticoid hormones. With treatment, most people with adrenal insufficiency can have a fairly normal, active life. The most serious complication of adrenal insufficiency is called adrenal crisis. If not treated immediately, adrenal crisis can lead to death. "We are honored to work with the HealthWell Foundation to provide financial assistance for those who need it most and to raise awareness about adrenal insufficiency. The fund for adrenal insufficiency patients will support the financial needs of the community," said Kalina Warren, NADF Board President. "Especially during a pandemic, there are many who are having great difficulty keeping up with medical expenses. Adrenal insufficiency is a chronic condition and the medications are life-preserving, so there is no option but to continue taking them. Working together, we can help patients continue lifesaving treatments that would otherwise not be attainable." "People living with adrenal insufficiency can experience difficulties in daily life due to fatigue, stress, and lack of energy. Proper diagnosis and treatment are essential for patients to be able to manage their condition," said Krista Zodet, HealthWell Foundation President. "If untreated, AI can cause serious, irreversible damage and, possibly death. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are now able to offer people living with AI a financial lifeline so they can start or continue critical, sometimes lifesaving, treatment." To determine eligibility and apply for financial assistance, visit HealthWell's Adrenal Insufficiency Fund page. To learn how you can support this or other HealthWell programs, visit HealthWellFoundation.org. About the HealthWell Foundation A nationally recognized, independent non-profit organization founded in 2003, the HealthWell Foundation has served as a safety net across over 70 disease areas for more than 500,000 underinsured patients. Since its inception, HealthWell has provided over $1.6 billion in grant support to access life-changing medical treatments patients otherwise would not be able to afford. HealthWell provides financial assistance to adults and children facing medical hardship resulting from gaps in their insurance that cause out-of-pocket medical expenses to escalate rapidly. HealthWell assists with the treatment-related cost-sharing obligations of these patients. HealthWell ranked 33rd on the 2019 Forbes list of the 100 Largest U.S. Charities and was recognized for its 100 percent fundraising efficiency. For more information, visit www.HealthWellFoundation.org. About the National Adrenal Diseases Foundation (NADF) The National Adrenal Diseases Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the adrenal disease community. Their mission is to inform, educate, and support those with adrenal disease and their families to improve their quality of life. NADF's goals are to stop death from undiagnosed adrenal insufficiency; improve life quality of those who suffer from adrenal disease, and to promote the study of adrenal disease to improve treatment and find cures. As a result of the dedication of the NADF Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers, those with adrenal insufficiency have a highly respected resource to find life-preserving information and treatment guidance approved by their medical advisors, highly recognized in the endocrine medical community. The newly diagnosed can look to NADF for information from one of its "Facts You Need to Know" pamphlets in addition to a tremendous array of information provided to all adrenal disease patients. NADF is proud of their robust program of support groups led by volunteers who help share information and provide support to patients across the US. More information can be found on their website: www.nadf.us. CONTACT: Ginny Dunn 240-632-5309 [email protected] SOURCE HealthWell Foundation Related Links healthwellfoundation.org A groundless new trial of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, on shock charges brought by Tehran this week, has been postponed at the last minute with no future date set, her husband has said. The former BBC employee, who has been imprisoned in Iran for four years over allegations of plotting to overthrow the regime which she denies was hauled up before a revolutionary court on Tuesday and told she would face fresh charges at a trial on Sunday. Her lawyer was given mere days to prepare for the trial, which could have seen the 42-year-old imprisoned for another 10 years on charges of spreading anti-government propaganda, according to her husband. There appeared to be no new evidence in the case, which Tehran dropped in December 2017, after a visit from the then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson, but reopened in May 2018. Richard Ratcliffe who believes the charges are further evidence his wife is being used as political leverage in a fiscal dispute over a botched UK-Iran arms deal struck in the 1970s confirmed on Sunday that the trial had been cancelled at the last minute. People should not underestimate the level of stress, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband on Sunday morning. "People tell me to calm down. You don't understand what it is like. Nothing is calm." She added: "And this morning I just wanted to scream out loud for 10 minutes or to bang my head against the wall - just to let it out. I really can't take it any more. They have all these games and I have no power in them. "Sometimes I am just full of anger ready to explode. I find myself hating everything in this life, including myself. There is no escape. "I would have rather it happened today. I do not sleep at all while the case is hanging over me. This morning I wanted to get it over with - to know where I stand now rather than continue with this whole stupid game." Having been moved to house arrest in March, when thousands of prisoners were granted clemency and released from Iranian jails during the coronavirus outbreak, the mother-of-one woke up terrified on Tuesday when soldiers came to take her to court, her husband said. The guys in the Jeep came along, Revolutionary Guards, theyre the guys that kept her and interrogated her, Mr Ratcliffe said on Thursday. So she was fearing the worst, that she was being taken back to prison and had to be reassured, really, that it was actually court she was going to. Amnesty International UK accused the Iranian authorities of playing cruel political games with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and called on the UK government to make getting her home for Christmas its absolute priority. Nazanin has already been unjustly convicted once after a deeply unfair trial. It is a nonsense that she should ever have even faced a second court date, said the human rights organisations director Kate Allen. It appears the Iranian authorities are playing cruel political games with Nazanin. The situation has gone on long enough. Nazanin has continued to suffer in Iran away from her husband and young daughter. The UK government has had four and a half years to secure her unconditional release and has failed to do so. Securing Nazanins release should be an absolute priority. As a matter of urgency, ministers now need to step up their efforts to get Nazanin home in time for Christmas and provide a clear plan on how they will do this. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: We welcome the deferral of this groundless court hearing, and call on Iran to make Nazanins release permanent so that she can return to her family in the UK. Mr Ratcliffe had urged UK officials to insist on attending her trial and said the situation had left his family caught between two governments fighting. We've always been treated in a strange, odd way and marked out as exceptional, he said. This second court case is doing again that, and its signalling again shes being held for political leverage to push the British government to do something. Husband of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe gives Christmas update on British charity worker jailed Iran Thats a tricky position for us to be in, its a tricky position for the British government to be in. He believes that Iran is holding Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe in order to force the UK into settling a multimillion-pound dispute dating back to the 1970s, when the Shah paid the UK 400m for 1,500 Chieftan tanks. After he was toppled in 1979, Britain refused to deliver the remaining 1,315 tanks to the new Islamic Republic and kept the money, despite British courts accepting it should be repaid. The postponement comes mere days after defence secretary Ben Wallace confirmed that he believed Westminster owed a debt to Tehran over the arms deal and that efforts were under way to fulfil it without breaching current sanctions on Iran. Revealing for the first time that such efforts were being made, he wrote in a letter seen by The Guardian: With regard to IMS Ltd and the outstanding legal dispute the government acknowledges there is a debt to be paid and continues to explore every legal avenue for the lawful discharge of that debt. Before he joined the cabinet, Mr Wallace was critical of the governments long delay in settling the debt, describing it as un-British, double-dealing and obfuscatory. Mr Ratcliffe said he was heartened by Mr Wallaces letter, which he said was the first reply the family had ever had to letters to successive defence secretaries about the issue. I appreciate him responding and setting out his personal position that the IMS debt should be paid, Mr Ratcliffe told the paper. Id also like to understand at a basic level what is going on. The prime minister, the defence secretary and a lot of other ministers are all on record saying they want this solved. It is not clear, then, who can be blocking this. Additional reporting by PA Thousands of farmers from 10 organisations under the banner of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordinator Committee (AIKSCC) held rallies in five districts of Punjab against three agriculture ordinances and campaigned for the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 on Monday. The farmers assembled at the Barnala grain market to participate in the lalkar (challenge) rally to protest against what they said were the Centres three anti-farmer ordinances introduced amid the Covid-19 pandemic. These were the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance. Farmer leaders Buta Singh Burjgill, Ruldu Singh Mansa, Jaipal Singh and Baldev Singh Nihalgarh said in a joint statement that the Central and state governments were pursuing and implementing anti-farming policies mandated by the World Trade Organisation. The government wanted to hand over agriculture to national and international corporates, they alleged. The BJP had promised to implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations during the Parliamentary election campaign in 2014. Also, the Central government promised to double the farmers income by 2022. We want to remind the government of these promises, said Burjgill. A large number of farmers are protesting outside Parliament and thousands of farmers held protests in Amritsar, Jalandhar (Phagwara), Barnala, Patiala and Moga districts of Punjab. The Central government has enlisted these ordinances to present on the very first day of the Parliament session. It was just a symbolic rally but we have asked our cadre to prepare for September 16 action when we may block rail or other places, said Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda). Accusing the Shiromani Akali Dal of taking U-turns and asking its leaders to stop shedding crocodile tears, Jagmohan Singh said if the party shared the farmers concerns it should withdraw its support to the Central Government and come forward openly to support the farmers agitation. Bridge over Beas blocked Meanwhile, in their campaign against the ordinances, farmers from Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts laid siege to the Tanda-Sri Hargobindpur road and blocked the bridge over the Beas river. Led by the Kisan Sangharsh Committee state general secretary Sawinder Singh Chutala, the farmers started their dharna at about 11 am, which continued till late in the evening. However, despite heavy police presence and prohibitory orders in place the agitators were allowed to give speeches. Chutala said the agitation would be intensified if the Centre did not repeal the ordinances and lower diesel rates. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 23:25:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Monday reported that 4,169 new COVID-19 cases were detected during the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 294,478. Meanwhile, a statement by the ministry said that 4,427 recovered from COVID-19 during the day, the highest in a single day since the outbreak of the disease, raising the tally of recoveries to 229,132. It also reported 72 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 8,086 in the country. The new cases were recorded after 23,989 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 1,926,390 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Ryadh Abdul-Amir, head of the Public Health Department in the Health Ministry, said in a press release that "the coexistence with coronavirus will continue, and we do not know when it will end." Abdul-Amir also said that the COVID-19 infections have decreased while the number of recoveries has increased. Therefore, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety has eased restrictive measures due to economic difficulties, on condition that the citizens should adhere to the health preventive measures. During the past few days, the committee, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, took several decisions to ease health restrictions, including permitting movement among the country's provinces, reopening the border crossings for commercial movement, restaurants, tourist facilities of the five-star hotels, and lifting the ban on sporting events. Iraq has taken 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 Baghdad. Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem PARIS A deputy mayor of Paris resigned on Monday and prosecutors opened an investigation of him for possible sexual assault, just weeks after they started an investigation into rape allegations against a former deputy mayor. Pierre Aidenbaum, tendered his resignation as deputy mayor on Monday after possible acts of sexual harassment against a female co-worker came to light, the city council said in a statement. It did not go into detail about the allegations, which it said were immediately reported to the Public Prosecutor. A short time later, the Paris Public Prosecutors office announced that it had opened an investigation of Mr. Aidenbaum, 78, on a charge of sexual assault. In a statement sent by his lawyers to the news agency Agence France-Presse, Mr. Aidenbaum said that the relationship in question was not at all criminal and asked to be heard as soon as possible to show his innocence. Donald Trump's younger brother died Saturday night (local time) after being hospitalised in New York, the US president said in a statement. Robert Trump, 71, was a businessman known for an even keel that seemed almost incompatible with the family name. The president visited his brother at a New York City hospital on Friday after White House officials said he had become seriously ill. Robert Trump, President Donald Trump's younger brother had died aged 71. Source: AAP It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight," Donald Trump said in a statement. He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace. The youngest of the Trump siblings remained close to the 74-year-old president and, as recently as June, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Trump family that unsuccessfully sought to stop publication of a tell-all book by the presidents niece, Mary. Robert Trump had reportedly been hospitalised in the intensive care unit for several days that same month. President Donald Trump arrives at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York to visit his sick brother Robert Trump. Source: AFP/Getty Images Strikingly different from his brother Both longtime businessmen, Robert and Donald had strikingly different personalities. Donald Trump once described his younger brother as much quieter and easygoing than I am, and "the only guy in my life whom I ever call honey. Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance but later joined the family business, managing real estate holdings as a top executive in the Trump Organization. When he worked in the Trump Organization, he was known as the nice Trump," Gwenda Blair, a Trump family biographer, told The Associated Press. Robert was the one people would try to get to intervene if there was a problem. Robert Stewart Trump was born in 1948, the youngest of New York City real estate developer Fred Trump's five children. The president, more than two years older than Robert, admittedly bullied his brother in their younger years, even as he praised his loyalty and laid-back demeanour. Story continues The Trump family, including Donald and Robert, are seen together. Source: AP I think it must be hard to have me for a brother but hes never said anything about it and were very close," Donald Trump wrote in his 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal. Robert gets along with almost everyone," he added, "which is great for me since I sometimes have to be the bad guy. In the 1980s, Donald Trump tapped Robert Trump to oversee an Atlantic City casino project, calling him the perfect fit for the job. When it cannibalised his other casinos, though, he pointed the finger of blame at Robert, said Blair, author of "The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire." When the slot machines jammed the opening weekend at the Taj Mahal, he very specifically and furiously denounced Robert, and Robert walked out and never worked for his brother again, Blair said. A Boston University graduate, Robert Trump later managed the Brooklyn portion of father Fred Trump's real estate empire, which was eventually sold. Once a regular boldface name in Manhattans social pages, Robert Trump had kept a lower profile in recent years. He was not a newsmaker, Blair said. Before divorcing his first wife, Blaine Trump, more than a decade ago, Robert Trump had been active on Manhattans Upper East Side charity circuit. He avoided the limelight during his elder brother's presidency, having retired to the Hudson Valley. But he described himself as a big supporter of the White House run in a 2016 interview with the New York Post. I support Donald one thousand percent, Robert Trump said. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 15. Source: AP In early March of 2020, he married his longtime girlfriend, Ann Marie Pallan. The eldest Trump sibling and Mary's father, Fred Trump Jr., struggled with alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 43. The president's surviving siblings include Elizabeth Trump Grau and Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal appeals judge. Authors Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher described Robert Trump as soft spoken but cerebral in Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President: He lacked Donalds charismatic showmanship, and he was happy to leave the bravado to his brother, but he could show flashes of Trump temper." With Associated Press Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Actor Rupal Patel, whose line of dialogue -- rasode mein kaun tha -- went viral recently, has confirmed her return for the upcoming second season of her hit television soap, Saath Nibhana Saathiya. The new season was announced shortly after the humorous video, created by Yashraj Mukhate, became a rage online. Rupal, who plays Kokila Modi on the show, told Mumbai Mirror, There cannot be SNS 2 without its Koki. The actor had previously said that she hadnt been approached by the producers for the new season. She had told Latestly, Actually, I have heard about it, but Im not sure about the same. Right now, Im happy playing the role of Meenakshi Rajvansh on Yeh Rishtey Hai Pyaar Ke on Star Plus. But my love and blessings are with Rashmi maam. Saath Nibhaana Saathiya producer Rashmi Sharma recently told Mumbai Mirror in an interview that the new season would be incomplete without the Modi family, so Kokilaben and Gopi Bahu (played by Devoleena Bhattacharjee at the time the show went off air) would return. I couldnt sleep the night I was approached for SNS 2 as I prefer doing one show at a time, Rupal said. But the channel, Rajan sir and Rashmi maam have assured me that we will figure out a way to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly. She said that she was first shown the viral video by her sister, and has since seen it multiple times. Till I saw Yashrajjis face, I was in shock because I was sure I hadnt said the dialogue that way. But eventually, I was delighted and proud, and so was my family. And I felt that if a youngster had taken interest in my work and made it popular again, I had to congratulate him personally, she said. Also read: Saath Nibhana Saathiya season 2: Harsh Nagar, Sneha Jain to play lead pair Harsh Nagar and Sneha Jain are all set to play the lead roles. Devoleena Bhattacharjee will reprise her role of Gopi Bahu for the second season of the popular show, that was last aired in 2017. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ernst Haas/Getty Its difficult to describe how beautiful Joshua trees are, but when you drive into Joshua Tree National Park and see vast canyons filled with gangly arms, raised in haphazard directions, it hits you: this tree is different, this tree is special. What you might not know is this: the Joshua tree is also an endangered, threatened species. Well, at least, it should be. The science put forth by the Center of Biological Diversity (CBD) is difficult to argue with. However, the effort to save the Joshua tree ran into an unlikely foe. It wasnt oil or mining companies undercutting conservation. At the recent hearings to determine whether or not the Joshua tree was to be listed as a protected species, one adversary stood outsolar companies. In October of last year, Brendan Cummings of the CBD submitted a petition to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), recommending that the western Joshua trees move toward protection under the state Endangered Species Act. This April, CDFW accepted the recommendation and on Aug. 21 held a hearing to determine whether, in fact, the Joshua tree would or should be upgraded to candidate species status. Cummings spells out the rationale for the Joshua tree to be listed. Climate change represents an existential threat to western Joshua trees. Even in the absence of climate change, the convergence of factors necessary for recruitment (read: reproduction) results in successful establishment of new seedlings only a few times in a century. Cummings cites pollution, climate change, and drought, as inhibitors to the Joshua tree life cycle. This would all lead to the extinction of the Joshua tree within the century. Recently, nature gave us an eerie prelude. On Saturday, Sept. 5, a fire caused by lightning strikes and exacerbated by high temperatures as well as a lack of rainfall (read: climate change) burned more than 1.3 million Joshua trees in the Mojave National Preserve. California is on the forefront of fighting climate change, however. The states renewable energy goals include a requirement for 100 percent clean electricity by the year 2045 and a goal of reducing planet-warming emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. But, in order to achieve these goals, there needs to be a lot of solar energymore than has ever been built before, says Shannon Eddy, the executive director of the Large-Scale Solar Association (LSSA), which represents utility-scale solar developers and owners. Solar companies in the Mojave, like EDF, which is in the process of developing a massive solar farm called Big Beau, believe fighting climate change through the production of renewables is more urgent than desert ecology sustainability efforts. Story continues The Daily Beast obtained EDFs permits for California Native Desert Plant Harvesting scheduled in July on the Big Beau project site. These were obtained a month before the CDFW hearing and the possibility that after the hearing removal of the trees would be exorbitantly expensive or impossible loomed large. Regardless, in July, EDF permitted the harvesting of over 200 Joshua trees. While this wont necessarily lead to their direct endangerment, its an interesting paradigm for a solar energy company that markets itself as striving towards providing future generations with the means to power their lives in the most economic, environmental, and socially responsible ways possible. On the other hand, Scott Kulkhe, the Project Manager of Big Beau spoke to the environmental tensions at play. Its a balancing act, he told The Daily Beast. We need to cite these projects somewhere, and in the process we try to invoke as little environmental damage as possible. The argument that Kulkhe and solar companies make is best put by Shannon Eddy: There is a tension between needing to build more solar projects than anyone ever has before in order to meet goals by 2045, and to do it sustainably. We are beyond the question of whether or not they are needed, and were moving into territory where we have to decide where they will go. Some will go in the desert, some on farmland, some on rooftops. But this is a process that will require everyone to work togetherand it will likely require difficult decisions. For example, Eddy continues, for homeowners, that may mean seeing projects in their viewsheds. For conservationists, it could mean seeing projects in desert areas. For county planners, it will mean ameliorating myriad local perspectives about where projects should and shouldn't go. The climate-conservation nexus, when it comes to renewable energy siting, is profound and complex, and could emerge as one of our greatest collective challenges. Eddy is correct, but thats not to say there arent other options. In fact, many believe the tension between fighting climate change quickly, and doing so sustainably is a false choice. A paper recently published in Nature, written by Dr. Steven Grodsky, an Assistant Research Ecologist and Dr. Rebecca Hernandez, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Air and Water Resources at UC Davis demonstrated that the way some solar companies have been removing native plants has had negative effects on perennial plant structure and covering plants, inhibiting regrowth of plants bladed, and stunting that of plants mowed, and thereby, the stability of the surrounding ecology in the Mojave desert. Grodsky and Hernandez also pointed out that while their study focused on Mojave Yucca, the tree is in the same genus as the Joshua tree, making it easy to extrapolate their findings to the Joshua trees. Importantly, Hernandez and Grodsky hope this studys data will prove that future solar projects should be built somewhere other than pristine desert lands; as preferable locations, they list vacant parking lots, atop closed landfills, and in places closer to city centers with already disturbed environments. But Eddy doesnt think its possible to build in just those places alone, given how much solar energy is needed, and how quickly. She mentions the Desert Renewable Conservation Plan (DRECP), a joint effort between the US Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Land Management, and California Energy Commission to identify areas in the desert appropriate for utility-scale development of solar, as well as wind and geothermal projects. Eddy calls the plan a win for environmentalists, because it allocated much more Bureau of Land Management turf to conservation than to solar. They basically took 10 million acres and set aside 4.9 million for permanent conservation, while identifying 388,000 acres for potential renewable energy development, she says. And to develop on those 388,000 acres, its extremely difficult. However, Hernandez says the DRECP was not a clear win for environmentalists. She told The Daily Beast that the DRECP actually doesnt take into account the land on which many environmentalists believe solar projects should go, like atop closed landfills or on already disrupted lands. Hernandez also wondered about new technologies that might make solar energy gathering and transmission more efficient in order to limit the amount of panels that would need to be planted in the first place. At the 11th hour, three days before the hearing, the LSSA launched a last-ditch campaign to push back the final decision on Joshua trees, citing the loss of economic opportunity and the need for renewable energy now. It worked. On Aug. 20, the CDFW had its hearing for the Joshua tree. Representatives from both sides stood up and made their case for development versus immediate conservation. The Big Beau Developers argued that if the Joshua tree were listed as an endangered species, their project would never be completed. The choice for Charlton H. Bonham, the Director of the CDFW, and the rest of the committee was between a greener future with Joshua trees and a greener future without them. While the committee agreed that Joshua trees should be considered for listing, the decision was pushed to a later date so that both sides, environmentalists and developers, could collaborate on a way to continue development on Mojave lands that both sides were happy with. This collaboration will come to fruition in the form of a 2084, which under the CDFW authorizes taking of candidate species. Taking means cutting, or really, is a euphemism for killing a candidate species. And so, Joshua trees remain an unlisted species, and likely, even when they are listed (if they are), there will be a workaround for developers to mow them down in order to make room for large scale solar projects. These projects might be our only hope of moving away from fossil fuels and slowing global warming before its too late. Lets hope its worth it. 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. Majority of adults surveyed believe science can solve critical global challenges. However, only half of respondents believe governments are doing a good job in leveraging science to inform decisions. Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) today released In Support of the Primacy of Science, a white paper exploring international attitudes regarding the role of science in society, business, and policymaking. The white paperpresenting findings from an independent survey, conducted by Povaddo for PMI, of over 19,000 adults across 19 countries and territoriesindicates that citizens around the world want governments, public authorities, and private businesses to prioritize science and facts when tackling critical issues. The global insights reveal that faith in science is high, with most people surveyed (77 percent) hopeful that advances in science will solve many of societys biggest problems. Supporting this view, there is also strong interest in businesses prioritizing science, with 90 percent of respondents saying it is important to them that businesses invest continually in science to improve their products. Despite these positive attitudes, nearly half of respondents (47 percent) believe that society does not place enough importance on science. Given the diverging opinions, the white paper challenges the need for regulators to place greater focus on science to inform policy decisions, with half (51 percent) of respondents believing that their government does a good job ensuring science and evidence are included in the decision-making process. Science can help make significant strides in our collective efforts to address the worlds most pressing problems said Dr. Moira Gilchrist, vice president for Strategic & Scientific Communications at PMI. Unfortunately, governments and broader society have yet to embrace science at its fullest potential, as this global survey shows. Ensuring facts and evidence are given greater prominence in policymakingover ideology, politics, and unsubstantiated beliefswill help match the publics expectations for science to sit at the heart of decisions impacting them and their future. The survey also reveals that peoples access to accurate scientific information is far from assured today, with nearly half of the total sample indicating that they find it difficult to access reliable information about scientific developments and relevant studies. This finding is alarming and sends a clear signal across business, media, and government that accurately communicating scientific information should remain an important priority, added Dr. Gilchrist. When reliable scientific information is in short supply, misinformation, wild guesses, and hearsay can take more space and significantly hamper peoples ability to make informed decisions. PMI is undergoing a fundamental transformation into a science- and technology-led company with the aim of delivering a smoke-free futurea future without cigarettes. With the right regulatory encouragement and support from civil society, we believe this goal can be achieved in many countries in 10 to 15 years. Science is central to delivering on this commitment. Since 2008, PMI has invested billions of dollars in developing, testing, and manufacturing better alternatives to cigarettes for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke. These products are the result of nearly two decades of R&D work, underpinned by a rigorous scientific assessment program and led by a team that today includes more than 430 world-class scientists and other experts. We make our scientific findings and methods available for others to scrutinize, we invite independent research into our products, and we encourage a broad, science-based conversation with regulators, scientists, and the public health community about these better alternatives and the role they can play in tobacco control and harm reduction. To read the In Support of the Primacy of Science paper, visit https://www.pmi.com/primacyofscience. Survey Methodology Povaddo conducted this online survey on behalf of PMI between June 25 and July 8, 2020. The survey was fielded among 19,100 general population adults ages 21 and older in 19 countries and territories: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. For the overall sample, there is a margin of error of +/- 0.72% at the 95% confidence interval. 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. PMI ships a version of its smoke-free devices and consumables authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Altria Group, Inc. for sale in the United States 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. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200914005316/en/ TCN News 170 students of Bihars Rahmani Program of Excellence have qualified the national Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Mains) 2020 breaking their own record of 2019 despite innumerable troubles due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Support TwoCircles Rahmani Program of Excellence, a unit of Rahmani Foundation, has been a breakthrough educational initiative to address the Muslim communitys socio-economic lag caused due to low or no education. The program, a brainchild of Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani expressed his gratitude to the consistent guidance of Abhayanand (Ex. DGP Bihar), and to the continuous efforts of team leadership comprising the faculty, management and staff. Other than the remarkable number of qualifications, Rehan Khan achieved the All India Rank of 311 and General EWS rank of 36, while Mohammad Jabir achieved the category rank of 86 and Zishan Khatib 344 respectively, and Junaid scored 100 percentile on Physics. Speaking about the tough times during the pandemic, Maulana Rahmani explained that as schools and universities shut down owing to government guidelines, Rahmani Foundation was no different in suffering the massive aftereffects of COVID19. He said that the closing down of institutional premises instantly created a feeling of confusion, lack of interest, and hopelessness among all its students. With sincere efforts and quick planning, the Foundation moved its instructional sessions and teaching online since April. However, due to the lack of smartphones and even lesser accessibility of the internet, it was difficult for students to access the e-learning environment, explains Maulana Rahmani. Consequently, the program faculty became proactive in ensuring that the majority of students had at least a borrowed phone on which they could attend lectures, and be provided with regular counseling sessions. Despite all of these efforts, the program facilitators report that there was a noticeable lag in the performance in a good number of students. Decent devices, stable internet connectivity, and electricity remained a challenge throughout the process. JEE Mains, which is conducted twice every year by the National Testing Agency (NTA), usually records approximately ten lakh in each session but this year due to COVID-19, about eight lakh students participated in the delayed September session. While more details are being analyzed about the Rahmani program students results, Maulana Rahmani maintains that this result could not have been realized had the students and their parents not partnered and cooperated with the institution, especially given its different model of education and training that seeks to transform students into learners. UPDATE: Lancaster mayor urges calm as fatal police-involved shooting spurs protests Editors note: Some footage in the video below is graphic and may be disturbing to some readers. Lancaster Bureau of Police has released the body-worn camera footage from the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz. The Lancaster District Attorneys Office is investigating the shooting but has said that Munoz was acting in a threatening manner toward police who had been called over a domestic disturbance. Officers arrived at the home in the 300 block of Laurel Street in Lancaster around 4:15 p.m., the DAs office said. The video released Sunday night shows an officer approaching the home and asking a woman who answered the door whered he go? After a moment, a man can be heard saying something as the woman says ay Dios or oh god in Spanish. While she goes to a side porch, the officer tells her to get back as a man comes running out of the home with a knife. The officer runs, as the man chases him with the knife raised, and shots can be heard in the footage. The man can then be seen lying on the sidewalk. According to LancasterOnline, protests broke out in the city following the shooting. The outlet also reported the officer is on administrative leave. You can watch the video in full here: At least 115 people were injured this summer when police shot them in the head or neck with so-called "less-lethal" projectiles at protests over racial injustice and police brutality, according to a report published Monday. It's the most comprehensive tally of such injuries to date, with about twice as many victims as USA TODAY and Kaiser Health News cited in a July examination of how police across the U.S. wielded the weapons to control crowds. But Physicians for Human Rights, the organization that compiled the incidents, believes even its figures are an undercount because its analysis is based on publicly available data and excluded some reports without adequate evidence. The organization identified Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Los Angeles as hotspots during the period studied, May 26 to July 27. C.J. Montano, in the hospital after attending a Los Angeles protest, where the police shot a projectile at his head. The Marine was hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to bleeding in his brain. (Courtesy of CJ Montano) Abigail Rodas, who was shot in the jaw with a rubber bullet on May 30, was one of the victims in Los Angeles, according to a lawsuit filed against the city and the police chief on behalf of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Community Action Network and 14 people, including six who were struck with projectiles. According to the suit, Rodas was leaving a protest when she was struck in the face by a projectile and momentarily lost consciousness. A steel plate was used to repair her jawbone, the lawsuit says. She couldn't talk for about 10 days and could drink only liquids for a week, it says. Nearly three weeks after the injury, she has screws in her gums and rubber bands to immobilize her jaw while the bones rejoin, the suit says. The city denied the allegations in a court filing, saying any use of force "was reasonable and necessary for self-defense." Protests shine light on use of 'less lethal' weapons The sheer number of incidents in those two months was shocking, said Dr. Rohini Haar, the lead investigator for the analysis and an emergency physician in Oakland, California. Story continues It seems systematic," Haar said. "It seems like there needs to be a reckoning with the use of force in protests." 'Protests shouldnt end in people being blinded': Cities, states begin to ban police use of rubber bullets Rochester protests: We know about injuries to police last Saturday night. What about injuries to protesters? The projectiles in question are often called "rubber bullets," but in law enforcement they're known as kinetic impact projectiles. They include plastic projectiles tipped with hard sponge or foam, "bean bag" rounds that consist of fabric socks containing metal shot, and "Sting-Balls" grenades that spray hard rubber pellets. The report also cites incidents in which tear gas canisters were fired at people. Denver Police shoot a pepper ball at a man as he retreats during a protest outside the State Capitol over the death of George Floyd, Saturday, May 30, 2020, in Denver. Though the weapons are referred to as "less lethal," Haar said, there should be a shift to language that acknowledges how dangerous they can be. Weapons are just as lethal as somebody wants them to be, she said. A study published in 2017 in the medical journal BMJ Open, which Haar co-authored, found that 3% of people hit by projectiles worldwide died. Fifteen percent of the 1,984 people studied were permanently injured. In a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of Austin doctors said 19 patients were treated for bean bag-related wounds at the downtown hospital closest to the protests over two days in late May. 'Less lethal' can still maim and kill: A visual guide to weapons police use on protesters For its analysis, Physicians for Human Rights searched social media, news accounts, lawsuits and other publicly available sources. They counted incidents on social media only if they were documented by photos or videos, and included news reports without visual evidence only from major newspapers or local affiliates of major outlets. Physicians for Human Rights identified by name most of the people who were struck. Among the group's recommendations are banning weapons that release scattershot or multiple projectiles from a single canister because they can hit people indiscriminately, Haar said. Metal projectiles are particularly dangerous, she said. She called for more training and adherence to departments' rules on the use of such weapons. One of the findings of our study is police do not even appear to be following their own protocols for how to use these weapons or when, Haar said. There are no national standards for police use of less-lethal projectiles and no comprehensive data on their use, USA TODAY and Kaiser Health News found. Demonstrators in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Jose, Denver and Dallas said they were shot with less-lethal projectiles even though those departments dont allow the weapons to be used against nonviolent people. Some witnesses said police aimed at faces or fired at close range. Police have said they fired the weapons to protect themselves and property in chaotic, dangerous situations. Fractured skulls, lost eyes: Police break their own rules when shooting protesters with rubber bullets Wounded say enough is enough: Police use of rubber bullets, bean bag rounds has left a bloody trail for decades 'Protesters feel like they're being attacked' Haar, who has been studying these projectiles since 2014, said they have no place in crowd control. "Even before you get to the use of weapons, there needs to be a change in how we engage with protesters in terms of communication," she said. For example, police can get the phone number of a protest leader, opening the lines of communication. Police have other options besides firing projectiles, Haar said, such as "arresting the person that is actually violent, not just dispersing the entire crowd, or changing what you decide is an illegal assembly." Haar said the use of these projectiles tends to escalate tensions, "where the protesters feel like theyre being attacked. Those who aren't struck, she said, "are often incited. Its not until that full crowd is dispersed that the anger goes away. The volatility has a cumulative impact that can last weeks or months. At least seven major U.S. cities and a few states have enacted or proposed limits on the use of less-lethal projectiles. Similar efforts have stalled in the face of opposition from police agencies or other critics. And as the summer stretched on, local and federal law enforcement agencies continued to use less-lethal weapons when confronting protesters. Haar said city councils have reached out to her recently, showing they are "really trying to reckon with what they want in their communities." "I see more hope now than I have in all of my years of research," she said. "I think the attention now is remarkable, and we actually have a really good chance of getting some actual, meaningful change." Contributing: Kevin McCoy This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Analysis: 115 head injuries from rubber bullets, 'less lethal' weapons In Phase III KITE study, Beovu (brolucizumab) 6 mg achieved its primary endpoint of non-inferiority to aflibercept 2 mg in mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at year one (week 52)1 In a key secondary endpoint, more than half of Beovu patients were maintained on a three-month dosing interval through year one, following the loading phase1 Beovu showed superior improvement versus aflibercept in change of central subfield thickness, a secondary endpoint, over the period of week 40 through week 521 Beovu demonstrated an overall well-tolerated safety profile comparable to aflibercept; in addition the rate of intraocular inflammation was equivalent between Beovu and aflibercept1 Novartis actively progressing full clinical development program of Beovu, with studies across wet AMD, DME, retinal vein occlusion and proliferative diabetic retinopathy Basel, September 14, 2020 - Novartis today reported the first interpretable results of the Phase III KITE study, assessing the efficacy and safety of Beovu (brolucizumab) 6 mg in diabetic macular edema (DME). The trial met its primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating non-inferiority for Beovu versus aflibercept 2 mg in mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at year one (week 52)1. In a secondary endpoint, Beovu demonstrated superior improvement versus aflibercept in change of central subfield thickness (CST, a key indicator of fluid in the retina) over the period of week 40 through week 521. More than half of patients in the Beovu arm were maintained on a three-month dosing interval through year one, following the loading phase. All aflibercept patients were on a two-month dosing interval after the loading phase1. In KITE, Beovu demonstrated an overall well-tolerated safety profile comparable to aflibercept1. In addition, the rate of intraocular inflammation was equivalent between Beovu and aflibercept1. "Living with DME has significant impact on patients' lives and frequent treatment injections are needed to control the increased fluid in the eye," said Dirk Sauer, Global Head Development, Novartis Pharma Ophthalmology. "This data confirms our strong belief in Beovu as a potential therapy for DME patients, and if approved, will provide patients with a new treatment option to control their disease through better resolution of retinal fluid and CST reductions." The KITE pivotal trial is an ongoing two-year study that enrolled 360 patients with DME across 80 centers in 23 countries1. The data from KITE will be submitted for presentation at medical congresses and for peer-review publication. Novartis is currently conducting a second study in DME, KESTREL2, and anticipates results later in the year, when Novartis will assess next steps with health authorities. Novartis is actively progressing studies across wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), DME, retinal vein occlusion and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The favorable benefit-risk of the Beovu development program was supported by a company-requested review of ongoing studies by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Novartis has a comprehensive program of work underway to help support retina specialists with the latest data and understanding they need to make appropriate treatment decisions for their wet AMD patients. Beovu is currently approved in over 40 countries for the treatment of wet AMD. About Diabetic Macular Edema DME is the leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes and affects 21 million people across the world, including 12% of people with type 1 diabetes and 28% of those with type 2 diabetes3,4. Consistently high blood sugar levels associated with diabetes can damage small blood vessels in the eye, causing them to leak fluid5. The resulting accumulation of fluid (known as edema) in the macula can lead to vision loss6. The macula is the area of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision6. Early symptoms of DME include blurry or wavy central vision and distorted color perception, although the disease can also progress without symptoms at early stages5,6. About Beovu (brolucizumab) Beovu (brolucizumab, also known as RTH258) is approved in more than 40 countries, including in the US7, EU8, UK8, Japan9, Canada10 and Australia11, for the treatment of wet AMD. Additional trials are currently ongoing which study the effects of brolucizumab in patients with AMD, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Brolucizumab is the most clinically advanced humanized single-chain antibody fragment (scFv)12-14. Single-chain antibody fragments are highly sought after in drug development due to their small size, enhanced tissue penetration, rapid clearance from systemic circulation and drug delivery characteristics14-16. The proprietary innovative structure results in a small molecule (26 kDa) with potent inhibition of, and high affinity to, all VEGF-A isoforms15. Beovu is engineered to deliver the highest concentration of drug, providing more active binding agents12-14. In preclinical studies, Beovu inhibited activation of VEGF receptors through prevention of the ligand-receptor interaction15-17. Increased signaling through the VEGF pathway is associated with pathologic ocular angiogenesis and retinal edema18. Inhibition of the VEGF pathway has been shown to inhibit the growth of neovascular lesions and suppress endothelial cell proliferation and vascular permeability18. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "seek," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com (https://www.novartis.com). Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at https://twitter.com/novartisnews (https://twitter.com/novartisnews) For Novartis multimedia content, please visit https://www.novartis.com/news/media-library (https://www.novartis.com/news/media-library) For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com) References Novartis data on file. September 2020. ClinicalTrials.gov. Study of Efficacy and Safety of Brolucizumab vs. Aflibercept in Patients With Visual Impairment Due to Diabetic Macular Edema (KESTREL). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03481634 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03481634). Accessed September 2020. Leasher JL, et al. Global Estimates on the Number of People Blind or Visually Impaired by Diabetic Retinopathy: A Meta-Analysis from 1990 to 2010. Diabetes Care. 2016;39:1643-9. Romero-Aroca P. Managing diabetic macular edema: The leading cause of diabetes blindness. World J Diabetes. 2011;2(6):98-104. doi:10.4239/wjd.v2.i6.98. National Eye Institute. Diabetic Retinopathy. Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/diabetic-retinopathy (https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/diabetic-retinopathy). Accessed August 2020. National Eye Institute. Macular Edema. Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/macular-edemasection-id-1556 (https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/macular-edemasection-id-1556). Accessed August 2020. Beovu [US prescribing information] East Hanover, NJ. Novartis: 2019 Beovu [summary of product characteristics] Basel, Switzerland. Novartis: 2020. Pharma Japan. National Health Insurance Pricing. Available at: https://pj.jiho.jp/sites/default/files/pj/document/2020/05/New%20Drugs%20to%20Be%20Added%20to%20NHI%20Price%20List%20on%20May%2020_1.pdf (https://pj.jiho.jp/sites/default/files/pj/document/2020/05/New%20Drugs%20to%20Be%20Added%20to%20NHI%20Price%20List%20on%20May%2020_1.pdf). Accessed September 2020. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommendation. Available at: https://cadth.ca/sites/default/files/cdr/complete/SR0632%20Beovu%20-%20CDEC%20Final%20Recommendation%20%E2%80%93%20May%2025%2C%202020_for%20posting.pdf (https://cadth.ca/sites/default/files/cdr/complete/SR0632%20Beovu%20-%20CDEC%20Final%20Recommendation%20%E2%80%93%20May%2025%2C%202020_for%20posting.pdf). Accessed September 2020. Beovu [prescription medicine decision summary] Australia. Novartis: 2020. Dugel P, Koh A, Ogura Y, et al; HAWK and HARRIER Study Investigators. HAWK and HARRIER: Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-masked trials of brolucizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2020;127(1):72-84 Dugel PU, Singh RP, Koh A, et al. HAWK and HARRIER: 96-Week outcomes from the phase 3 trials of brolucizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration [published online ahead of print]. Ophthalmology. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.06.028 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.06.028). Nimz EL, et al. Intraocular and systemic pharmacokinetics of brolucizumab (RTH258) in nonhuman primates. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting. 2016. Abstract 4996 Escher D, et al. Single-chain antibody fragments in ophthalmology. Oral presentation at EURETINA congress. 2015. Abstract. Gaudreault J, et al. Preclinical pharmacology and safety of ESBA1008, a single-chain antibody fragment, investigated as potential treatment for age related macular degeneration. ARVO Annual Meeting abstract. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012;53:3025. http://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2354604 (http://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2354604) (link is external). Accessed February 2020 Tietz J, et al. Affinity and Potency of RTH258 (ESBA1008), a Novel Inhibitor of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A for the Treatment of Retinal Disorders. IOVS. 2015; 56(7):1501. Kim R. Introduction, mechanism of action and rationale for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs in age-related macular degeneration. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2007;55(6):413-415. # # # Novartis Media Relations E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com) Peter Zuest Novartis External Communications + 41 79 899 9812 (mobile) peter.zuest@novartis.com (mailto:peter.zuest@novartis.com) Eric Althoff Novartis US External Communications +1 646 438 4335 eric.althoff@novartis.com (mailto:eric.althoff@novartis.com) Amy Wolf Novartis Division Communications + 41 61 696 58 94 (direct) + 41 79 576 07 23 (mobile) amy.wolf@novartis.com (mailto:amy.wolf@novartis.com) Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com) The loss of traditional film festivals because of the pandemic means more than missing out on cocktail parties and the red carpet. For small indie films, not having a chance to build word-of-mouth momentum at the festivals could be the difference between becoming an unlikely Oscar darling or another also-ran in the video-on-demand market. Ricky Staub, a 37-year-old filmmaker, had ambitious plans when his directorial debut, Concrete Cowboy, landed coveted spots in the Telluride and Toronto film festivals. That all changed when Telluride was canceled and Toronto opted for a hybrid model with in-person screenings for Canadian audiences and a virtual version for everyone else. Everyone told me the best part of finishing your movie was when you started going to the festivals, Mr. Staub said. I dont get to experience that at all. I have huge amounts of gratitude, but Im sad I dont get to go. EV Going forward, the Ford Motor Company plans to go all in with the F-150and subsequent models. One of those is the Volkswagen ID.3 if you can believe it, but with a different body shell, Ford logos, and a slightly redesigned cockpit. The unlikely partnership stems from Volkswagen tapping the American automaker for the Rangers platform, and in exchange, the Blue Oval can use the ID.3 platform.The collaboration goes so deep that Ford expects to sell 600,000 electric vehicles on the German automakers EV architecture in the six-year period starting in 2023. Theres also talk that a second MEB model a sub-Mustang Mach-E crossover the size of the ID.4 is coming after a hatchback the size of the ID.3.Pixel artist Kleber Silva focused his Photoshop skills on the first of two American EVs with German underpinnings, and truth be told, the Mach-E front fascia suits this body style rather well. Even the rear end looks interesting thanks to Escape-like taillights, contrasting well with the black-painted liftgate of the compact hatch.The reason Ford has high expectations of this collaboration is simple if you look at the big picture. European countries will adopt a 95-gram fleet average target for CO2 emissions in 2021, and the near future will be even harder for the internal combustion engine in this part of the world. Given these challenges, industry experts look forward to increasing electric adoption by the end of the decade.As far as the phase-out of fossil fuel is concerned, Norway leads the rankings by banning the sale of ICE vehicles in 2025 . Iceland and Sweden will follow suit in 2030, the United Kingdom in 2032 or 2035, and France in 2040 at the latest.Greater EV adoption is nice in theory, but European countries that declared war on gasoline and diesel should be aware that the charging infrastructure also needs to be upgraded in terms of charging rates as well as the number of stations. Little by little, however, the inevitable is certain to happen to the detriment of fossil fuels. There are rumors that Suga could call a snap election soon after he takes over the prime ministership. If successful, he could consolidate his popularity. If not, maybe this is just an interim leader, said Ken Hijino, a professor of law at Kyoto University, and they will come up with some surprise younger, more attractive face to go into the general election. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- N2Growth, Inc., a global leadership consulting and executive search firm, announces the appointment of Kelli Vukelic as Chief Operating Officer. A respected executive search professional, she has more than two decades of experience in executive search and talent management. Mrs. Vukelic joins N2Growth after 20 years at Korn Ferry where she held several roles of increasing responsibility to ultimately become a senior leader within the global technology practice. She brings a combination of operational improvement experience and global go-to-market expertise to her new role. "Kelli is a great addition to our team and will help us tremendously moving forward. She's not only a proven industry player, but she's a great human being and a really good fit for our team. N2Growth has continued to grow throughout 2020, and Kelli's arrival will only accelerate that progress as we continue to set the standard for what search should be," said Mike Myatt, Chairman at N2Growth. "What I found most compelling about N2Growth is its elite status in the executive search market," said Mrs. Vukelic. "N2Growth is disrupting the market through a complete innovation of traditional practices coupled with an unparalleled commitment to client excellence. Furthermore, the experience of N2Growth's professionals is demonstrated proof that the firm is poised for exponential growth. I'm looking forward to contributing to the company's next levels of success." Mrs. Vukelic will be responsible for operational performance at the firm, harnessing the firm's talent to address clients' most critical talent issues, and driving the innovations required to establish the future of search. N2Growth is a global leadership consulting and executive search firm with practices serving all industries and functions. Ranked a top executive recruiting firm by Forbes, N2Growth serves more than 50 markets across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. More information on N2Growth can be found at www.N2Growth.com. Media Inquiries: Dan Evans, Chief Marketing Officer N2Growth [email protected] Related Images n2growth.png N2Growth SOURCE N2Growth Related Links http://www.N2Growth.com Jerusalem: Israel's cabinet has voted to impose a second nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to try to tamp down a raging coronavirus outbreak, brushing aside appeals from a business world warning of economic strangulation and the powerful ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Ministers voted on Sunday, local time, to strictly limit movement, gatherings and economic activity for at least three weeks coinciding with a major Jewish holiday season. Israel is entering a second lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. Pictured: ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray in divided sections at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City. Credit:AP Health experts "raised a red flag," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose emergency coalition government was formed in May expressly to tackle the health emergency. "Senior Health Ministry officials warned us that the morbidity situation requires immediate steps." During the lockdown, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. As countries struggle to safely reopen schools, China is harnessing the power of its authoritarian system to offer in-person learning for its vast population of students including 195 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade at public schools. On the first day of school in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged, officials reviewed the students travel histories and coronavirus test results. Local Communist Party cadres made sure teachers followed detailed instructions on hygiene and showed an anti-epidemic spirit. The country has adopted many of the same sanitation and distancing procedures used elsewhere, but it has rolled them out with a forceful, command-and-control approach that brooks no dissent. It has mobilized battalions of local officials to inspect classrooms as well as to deploy apps and other technology to monitor students and staff members. By Akbar Mammadov Armenian armed forces have sought to escalate the tension on the border with Azerbaijan once again. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported today that the units of the Armenian armed forces shelled the Alibeyli village of the border Tovuz region in the evening of August 13. The Azerbaijan Army forces suppressed the adversary's fire, without suffering any losses, the ministry said. It should be noted that Tovuz, Azerbaijan's strategically-important district, was the epicenter of Armenias cross-border provocation recently. On July 12, Armenian forces shelled Azerbaijan's positions in Tovuz. The Armenian attack killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including an army general, as well as a 76-year-old civilian. Armenian forces retreated after suffering losses in Azerbaijan's retaliation. Since 16 July, eight UAVs of the Armenian armed forces, attempting to carry out a reconnaissance flight over the positions of the Azerbaijani Army's units, have been destroyed by the Azerbaijani Air Defense units. It should be noted that Armenia has stepped up its military provocation recently, staging sabotage both on the border and on the line of contact. On August 23 at around 6:00 am, Azerbaijan thwarted a provocation attempt by the sabotage-reconnaissance group of the Armenian armed forces in the direction of Goranboy region of Azerbaijan. As a result of measures taken by the Azerbaijani army, the commander of the sabotage-reconnaissance group of the Armenian Armed Forces, senior lieutenant Gurgen Alaverdyan was taken as prisoner. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 'What a job you have done': Trump claims PM Modi's praise in COVID fight International oi-Deepika S Washington, Sep 14: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for doing a great job in coronavirus testing, as he continued to slam his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for being a complete disaster in handling the swine flu during the previous administration. "By far, we've tested more people than India, than many, many big countries put together. India is second (in coronavirus testing after the US). We're 44 million tests ahead of India. They have 1.5 billion people. And Prime Minister Modi calls me and says, what a job you've done with testing," Trump said at an election rally in Reno, Nevada. Trump is currently making a swing of some of the key states in the West Coast and has been spending a considerable amount of time in Nevada. The president said that PM Modi's comment on testing being done by the US needs to be explained to the media, which is after him over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I said, explain that to these dishonest people (media people) back (at the election rally). Biden's record demonstrates that if he had been in charge, when the China virus arrived, hundreds of thousands of more Americans would have died. As vice president, he presided over the worst and the weakest and the slowest economic recovery, since the great depression," Trump said. Trump said that it was the most pathetic recovery, since the depression. "No state was hit harder by Biden''s failure than Nevada. This is not the guy you want," he said. We have incredible nuclear weapons says Donald Trump Trump said that he has spent the last four years bringing jobs back to America, securing borders, rebuilding the military and standing up to China, like never before. "Nobody had ever stood up to China like we have stood up to China and you haven't seen the last of it," he said. Monsoon session of the Parliament begins, Cong MP says 'Govt trying to strangulate democracy' Biden, if he wins, would be controlled by the left radicals. "Now he wants to surrender our country to the violent left wing mob. If Biden wins, China wins. If Biden wins, the mob wins," Trump said. "If Biden wins the rioters win, the anarchists win, the flag burners, the anarchists...they all win," he alleged. Alleging that this is a rigged election, Trump said that this is the only way he could be defeated. "But I'll tell you what, he (Biden) is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics. He doesn't know he''s alive. He doesn't know he's alive," he said. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the cases per million population in the country have also been limited to 3,328 in the country.India registered 92,071 new Covid cases & 1,136 deaths in the last 24 hours pushing the country's caseload to cross the 48 lakh mark. The total case tally stands at 48,46,428 and death toll is at 79,722. Owing to the nationwide efforts the COVID-19 related deaths have been limited to 55 per million population, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday.Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister also said that the cases per million population in the country have also been limited to 3,328 in the country. With our endeavour to manage COVID-19, India has been able to limit its cases and deaths to 3,328 cases and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries, the Minister said. Maximum cases and deaths primarily reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat. All these reported more than 1 lakh cases, he added.The Health Minister also informed Parliament about the COVID-19 situation in the country.77,512 recoveries registered in the last 24 hours in India taking the total number of recoveries to 37,80,107 and recovery rate to 78 per cent. More than 60 per cent of active cases are concentrated in 5 states- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, he said. As per the Ministry today, the number of active cases in the country stands at 9,86,598. The toll due to COVID-19 stands at 79,722 in the country as of today. As per the Health Ministry, there are 9,86,598 active cases while 37,80,108 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated.As per the Ministry, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected State from the infection with 2,80,138 active cases while 29,115 patients have succumbed to the virus in the State. Andhra Pradesh comes second with 95,733 active cases and 4,846 deaths.Tamil Nadu has a total of 47,110 active cases and 8,307 deaths whereas Karnataka has 97,834 active cases and 7161 fatalities due to the pathogen. 793 new COVID-19 cases, 30 recoveries & 7 deaths reported in Rajasthan in the last 24 hours, taking states positive case tally to 1,03,201 till date, including 84,548 recoveries, 17,410 active cases & 1,243 deaths so farDelhi has a total of 28,059 active cases and 4,715 fatalities due to COVID-19. The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday informed that 9,78,500 samples were tested on Sunday. The cumulative samples tested up to Sunday stand at 5,72,39.428. ALSO READ: Monsoon session: DMK MPs stage protest against NEET 2020 at Parliament premises ALSO READ: Hope Parliament sends message that nation stands with soldiers, says PM Modi With legacy inputs. New Delhi: The monsoon session of Parliament commenced on Monday (September 14) amid unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lok Sabha members seated in different locations, including the Rajya Sabha chamber, in view of the physical distancing norms put in place to check the spread of coronavirus. Before the Lower House met at 9 am, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that Parliament will unitedly give a message that the country is standing solidly behind soldiers guarding India's borders. In an apparent reference to the ongoing border row with China in Ladakh, Modi said Indian soldiers are bravely discharging their duties while standing guard in difficult hilly terrains with snowfall expected in the coming days and weeks. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said MPs have chosen the path of their duty and added that all precautions will be taken. Modi also enquired about the health of media personnel while noting that they will not get the opportunity to move around freely like before due to the coronavirus guidelines. As some Lok Sabha members attended the House proceedings while seated in the Rajya Sabha chamber, Speaker Om Birla said this is perhaps for the first time that such an arrangement had been put in place. Birla also said members do not have to stand while speaking as part of the new procedures put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus. Members participated in debates while sitting on their numbered seats. The Speaker said rules have been eased to allow Lok Sabha members to sit in Rajya Sabha and similarly Rajya Sabha members can occupy seats in the lower house to ensure distancing during the session of the upper house. The Lok Sabha secretariat said 359 members attended the proceedings of Lok Sabha on Monday. With two vacancies, the current strength to Lok Sabha is 541. A giant TV screen in the Lok Sabha chamber showed very few Lok Sabha members were occupying seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Benches which usually accommodate six members had a numbered sitting plan for only three. Glass-like plastic shields of varied sizes were installed in front of benches to protect members from coronavirus. The shield also covered part of the members' sides. The front seats of the Treasury benches on the right of the Speaker's podium were occupied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on a seat marked as number one, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on seat number 2, and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on seat number 3. The front seats of the opposition benches were occupied by T R Baalu of the DMK and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress. Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, 80, was helped inside the House on a wheelchair and was seated next to National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah in the second row of opposition benches. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan made a statement in the House on the novel coronavirus, saying the central government undertook the COVID-19 challenge with the highest level of political commitment. During the proceedings, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought Parliament's nod for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, which includes a cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore, primarily to meet expenses for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The government also introduced three bills on the farm sector with Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserting that they will help farmers get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments and technology. The Centre also introduced The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier. Another bill which seeks to reduce for one year the salaries of MPs by 30 per cent "to meet the exigencies arising out of COVID-19 pandemic" was also introduced. It also seeks to replace an ordinance. Harivansh re-elected Dy Chairman of Rajya Sabha NDA nominee Harivansh Narayan Singh was re-elected as the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu declared Harivansh elected after a motion moved by BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, and seconded by Leader of the House Thaawarchand Gehlot, was carried by a voice vote. Opposition parties led by the Congress and the DMK had moved motions for electing RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha but these were not put to vote as they did not press for it. Leaders of various parties greeted Harivansh, the nominee of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, on his election. The Janata Dal (United) leader received lavish praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said Harivansh belongs to all sides of the aisle. "He has conducted proceedings in an impartial manner. He has been an outstanding umpire and will continue being so in the times to come," Modi said, adding Harivansh has in his first term made efforts to ensure productivity and positivity in Parliament. "He is a torchbearer of democracy, hailing from Bihar, a land known for its democratic ethos" and that has close links "with JP, Karpoori Thakur and Bapu's Champaran Satyagraha". "Be it as a journalist or social worker, he has endeared himself to many. We have all seen the manner in which he conducts the House proceedings," Modi said. The election was necessitated as Harivansh completed his term as a member of Rajya Sabha this year. In 2018, Harivansh had defeated Congress' BK Hariprasad in the election to the post. Narrating his humble background, the PM spoke about how Harivansh could get a pair of shoes only during high school and added that JP has left much influence on him. He said the House has seen 250 sessions and reflects a mature democracy. He also congratulated Manoj Jha. The prime minister lauded Naidu and his team also for making arrangements for the smooth functioning of the House during COVID-19. Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "This is the second time he has been elected as the deputy chairman of the House. I congratulate him. He has been just to members of all parties." Harivansh expressed gratitude towards all the members of the House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Naidu and leaders of various parties. Rajnath Singh to make statement Sino-India standoff on Tuesday Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Parliamentary sources said. The statement would assume significance in the backdrop of demands made by the Opposition for a debate on the issue. Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow recently. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had also met in Moscow a few days ago. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs are also likely to meet over video conferencing on Tuesday afternoon, government sources said. During the monsoon session, which began on Monday, the opposition is seeking to corner the government on its handling of the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the COVID-19 situation, economic downturn and unemployment, and is pressing for discussions on these issues. The Congress and other opposition parties raised these demands in the first business advisory committee (BAC) meeting for Lok Sabha chaired by Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, but no time has been allocated yet for these discussions. The BAC for Lok Sabha will be held again on Tuesday afternoon to further discuss the first week's business schedule. Similar demands have been raised by the Congress in the BAC for Rajya Sabha as well. (With Agency Inputs) Press Release September 14, 2020 Gatchalian seeks transparency in the oil industry to protect consumers Senator Win Gatchalian raised the need for transparency in the downstream oil industry in the pricing mechanism for pump prices of fuel products. The Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee made the call following a Supreme Court ruling barring a Manila trial court from directing the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Commission on Audit (COA) to open and examine the books of accounts of Petron Corporation, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, and Chevron Philippines for alleged monopoly and collusion. The SC even ruled that under Republic Act No. 8479 also known as the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1988, the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice (DOE-DOJ) Task Force is mandated to investigate and file the necessary complaints with the proper court against erring oil companies. "I'm planning to file a bill that will give more teeth to existing laws in the downstream oil industry and we are studying ways to strengthen the anti-trust safeguards in RA 8479 and how it can interact with the Philippine Competition Act," Gatchalian said. The Anti-Trust Safeguards stipulated in RA 8479 ensures fair competition and prevents cartels, monopolies, and predatory pricing in the industry. Many consumers have been complaining that whenever world crude prices increase, these major players instantly hike prices despite the fact that they had purchased their inventories at a much lower price long before the scheduled increase, prompting the senator to look into the uniform price adjustments of the 'Big 3' oil companies. The lawmaker hit the lack of transparency in the pricing mechanism that is why the doors are wide open to speculations of possible collusion among the 'Big 3' to manipulate pump prices. Based on the DOE's Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) year-end comprehensive report for the fiscal year 2019, the three major oil players continue to have a stronghold of the country's petroleum product market share cornering 50.65 percent of the total demand. Of the three oil giants, Petron Corporation enjoys 24.59 percent of the market share followed by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation with 18.49 percent while Chevron Philippines comes in third with 7.57 percent. "The promise of the law is to provide reasonable prices, encourage competition and investments. The cut-throat competition among oil companies leading to lower prices, which was envisioned when RA 8479 was enacted, is simply not happening," Gatchalian ended. ### Suriin ang book of accounts ng 'Big 3' oil companies para sa makatarungang presyo -- Gatchalian Iginiit ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang pagpapatupad ng tamang presyuhan ng mga produktong petrolyo sa merkado. Para magkaalaman aniya, mainam na buksan ang books of accounts ng tatlong higanteng kumpanya ng langis. Kamakailan lamang ay nagpasiya ang kataas taasang hukuman na baligtarin ang kautusan ng Manila Trial Court noong 2019 sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Commission on Audit (COA), at Bureau of Customs (BoC) na pabuksan sa Petron Corporation, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, at Chevron Philippines ang kanilang books of accounts. Sabi ng Korte Suprema hindi raw ito mandato ng mga nasabing ahensiya ng gobyerno. Bagkus, sa ilalim ng Section 14 ng Republic Act No. 8479 o ang Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1988, ang Department of Energy at Department of Justice (DOE-DOJ) Joint Task Force ang may mandatong magsagawa ng mga imbestigasyon at magsampa ng kaukulang kaso laban sa mga pasaway na kumpanya ng langis. "Balak kong maghain ng panukalang batas na magpapaigting sa kasalukuyang batas sa industriya ng downstream oil. Pinag-iisipan ko na rin ang ilang mga paraan para mas patatagin ang anti-trust safeguards na nasa RA 8479 at kung papaano ito iuugnay sa Philippine Competition Act," ayon kay Gatchalian. Ang probisyon ng anti-trust safeguards sa RA 8479 ay may layong panatilihin ang patas na kumpetisyon at maiwasan ang kartel at monopolya na siyang nagdidikta ng hindi makatarungang presyo sa merkado. Maraming mga mamimili ang umaalma sa kalakaran ng pagtataas ng presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo. Nagtataka sila kung bakit sa tuwing tumataas ang presyo ng langis sa pandaigdigang pamilihan ay agaran din ang sabay-sabay na pagatataas sa presyo ng tinaguriang "Big 3"kahit na nauna na silang mag-angkat ng langis bago pa tumaas ang presyo sa world market. Kaya minarapat ng chairman ng Senate Committee on Energy na busisiing mabuti ang galawan sa presyo. Mariing sinabing ng senador na dahil sa kawalan ng 'transparency', umiingay ang ispekulasyon na may monopolya o sabwatang nangyayari sa pagitan ng tatlong malalaking kumpanya para manipulahin ang presyo sa merkado. Sa kasalukuyan, ang downstream oil industry ay patuloy na pinangungunahan pa rin ng mga tinaguriang 'Big 3' oil companies kahit na mahigit tatlong dekada nang naisabatas ang Oil Deregulation Law. Base sa 2019 year-end comprehensive report ng Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) ng DOE, pinakamalaki ang market share ng Petron (24.59%), pumapangalawa ang Shell (18.49%) at pangatlo ang Chevron ( 7.57%). "Kailangan ng transparency. Sa maraming pagkakataon na inakala nating mangyayari nuong maisabatas ang Oil Deregualtion Law, tulad ng pagbunsod ng kumpetisyon sa industriya at makatuwring pag-pepresyo ng mga produktong petrolyo, hanggang ngayon ay suntok sa buwan," pagtatapos ni Gatchalian. The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin is warning parents Holy Communions mustn't become "an occasion of irresponsible behaviour", risking the spread of Covid-19 when families return home from churches after the religious ceremony. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was responding to comments made by acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn about gatherings in households after baptism and First Holy Communion liturgies and the increase in infections in the greater Dublin area. Last week Dr Glynn said: "People are letting their guard down in social settings." He called out household gatherings, including communion parties, christenings and other family events where people are coming together from multiple households. "If at all possible, those need to be stopped for the next few weeks if we are going to get this back under control," he said. In a statement to more than 190 parishes, Dr Martin said Dr Glynn's comments were clearly about celebrations in households and did not refer to religious ceremonies. He said First Holy Communion liturgies are being celebrated in small groups in churches, with full respect for the social distancing and face covering norms. "Where these norms are being respected and where the religious ceremony is carried out safely with thoughtfulness and dignity, I see no reason, as some have suggested, that such liturgies should be cancelled." "We have to be careful that our liturgies do not, despite our efforts, become the occasion of irresponsible behaviour by families when they return home," he said. He said families should be reminded of the need for "scrupulous adherence" to public health obligations and restrictions on household gatherings at registration for First Holy Communions and practise for the ceremony. The archbishop, who leads the largest Catholic diocese in the country, also underlined the special norms regarding the numbers who may attend regular religious services. This is 50 people or pods of 50 people, conditional on ensuring there are staggered entry and exiting from churches to prevent large gatherings after a religious ceremony. Large gatherings outside churches, he warned, could lead to new restrictions being introduced. "I am aware of the challenge this places on priests who despite asking people not to gather, find that their advice is at times not being respected. "It is not the task of priests to have to police such situations," he said. People should be reminded that the restrictions in place were not arbitrary or optional. "It is a question of Christian responsibility and solidarity in the common task of limiting the spread of the virus," he said. Last week, Dr Martin issued a statement warning there were indications "that social distancing in some cases has become loose, especially before and after liturgical ceremonies". He said public health authorities had contacted several bishops to express concern about breaches of social distancing. Iran is said to be contemplating an assassination attempt against America's ambassador to South Africa. The alleged plot has been detailed in intelligence papers which have been seen by U.S. intelligence and government officials. American officials say they have been aware of threats towards ambassador, Lana Marks, 66, since the spring but the intelligence detail has suddenly become more specific in recent weeks. U.S. officials say they have been made aware of threats towards the South African ambassador, Lana Marks The alleged plot revolves around the assassination of Lana Marks and the US Embassy in the South African capital Pretoria, pictured Before Lana Marks became a diplomat, she was a luxury handbag designer. She is pictured here in front of her collection in 2009 Lana Marks was a fashion designer and is currently the US ambassador to South Africa, her home country Marks has been made aware of the threat. The Iranian embassy in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, is said to be involved in the plot according to Politico. Such a plot would act as a revenge attack after President Donald Trump decided to kill Qassem Soleimani, a powerful Iranian general, but it might also result in another tit-for-tat attack by Trump in a show of strength, particularly as the U.S. election approaches. Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike in January. At the time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. killed Soleimani to re-establish a deterrent against Iran. Soleimani led the Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that oversees much of the country's military activities outside its borders. Americans blame him for the death of numerous U.S. troops in the region. The plot against Marks is believed to be in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, pictured, as he was visiting Baghdad in January Lana Marks and her husband, Dr. Neville Marks, live in Palm Beach Marks along with her husband are both members of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, pictured Marks, who has known Trump for more than 20 years, became the U.S. ambassador last October. Marks is a member of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago and was among the few women in Princess Diana's inner circle prior to her death. Before becoming a diplomat, Marks was best known for her six-figure handbags, clutched by A-list celebrities like Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie and Kate Winslett. It's not known why the Iranians would want to target Marks but it is likely her long-standing friendship with Trump is a reason and would make the attack on her life all the more personal. Marks, 66, pictured right, was a handbag designer before becoming a diplomat appointed by Donald Trump. She was among the few women in Princess Diana's inner circle prior to her death Intelligence officials have also suggested that carrying out an attack in South Africa could be easier than targeting American diplomats in other parts of the world where improved relationships between the U.S. and local police and national intelligence services could see an attack foiled. After Soleimani's killing, Trump noted that the general had been plotting to attack American diplomatic missions. 'They were looking to blow up our embassy,' Trump said in January, later revealing, 'I can reveal I believe it probably would've been four embassies.' After Soleimani's killing President Trump noted that the general had been plotting to attack American diplomatic missions General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, has said that he had been expecting a 'response' from Iran over the US's presence in Iraq. 'I do not know what the nature of that response will be, but we will certainly be ready for it, should it occur,' he said. Last Wednesday, McKenzie confirmed plans to cut the U.S. troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September. Lockdowns have not been kind to a special little garden at Whangaparaoa Primary, which has suffered from repeated vandalism. The schools Sensory Garden, still in the process of completion, is designed to be enjoyed by pupils with special needs. It also aimed to beautify an unsightly area (HM February 1, 2019). Last lockdown one of the wooden balancing poles installed by Orewa Rotarians was ripped from its concrete footings and partly destroyed and this time around, seven mosaic pavers were stolen. Two were found, damaged beyond repair and dumped in nearby Edith Hopper Park. The garden was instigated by Ongoing Resourcing Scheme teacher Angela Howse. Work began last year and only the planting remains to be done. Angela says the vandalism is gut wrenching. One of the pavers was decorated with the handprints of two students who have since left the school and were the inspiration for the garden. Children have put hours of work and effort into making these pavers, Angela says. The money for the materials was raised by some of last years Year 3 and Year 4 children who held a market day and donated their earnings. Unfortunately this type of project does not get funding and we have had to apply for grants and community support and business support. Everything that gets broken or needs to be replaced takes us a step back and further away from our goal. Angela says repeated vandalism has led to a re-think of how the garden is structured. The stolen pavers were placed loose in an area so they could be touched, moved around and played with. Bunnings recently donated several large garden pots for the garden, but I am worried if we put them there, they will be destroyed too, she says. We might have to look at a new solution maybe someone who is creative and could make a large solid mosaic sculpture. Its very discouraging and makes me angry. But we have to find a way to make this happen for the kids. The school hopes to use security camera footage to identify the culprits and any information in this regard is also welcomed by the school. Anyone who can help with completing the garden, in any way, can contact Angela, phone 021 965 005, email ahowse@wgp.school.nz (Alliance News) - Staffing firm SThree PLC on Monday said its third quarter continued to be hit by Covid-19 though it has seen a "significant uptick in general sales activity". SThree's net fees fell 14% year-on-year to GBP75.7 million in the period to August 31. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region, excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland, saw a 22% net fees decline. The company's Germany, Austria and Switzerland operations had a 9% decline. In Asia Pacific, net fees fell by a third and in the US, they slipped 3%. SThree - which is focused on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sector - explained it has been assessing which "regions represent the best STEM markets" and can allow it to grow in market share. The company said it will close its Australian operations by the end of November. "Group net fees in quarter three declined 14% in the year as performance continues to be impacted by declines in aggregate demand as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic across all of our territories and sectors," SThree said. Promisingly, the company hailed its "balance sheet strength" which has allowed it to return staff from furlough and pay back a GBP50 million revolving credit facility. Chief Executive Mark Dorman said: "Whilst the year-on-year decline in net fees was marginally greater in quarter three than quarter two, there has been an improving underlying sequential performance in the business since the half year. We have seen a significant uptick in general sales activity levels across most regions, improving contractor retention levels and thus a stabilisation of the contractor order book." SThree shares were 2.8% higher at 253.50 pence each in London on Monday morning. By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A photoshopped image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holding a T-shirt with Hindi theriyathu poda (I dont know Hindi, Go!)" written on it has gone viral on social media. This comes amid the raging debate in the country regarding the imposition of the Hindi language between Hindi speaking and non-Hindi speaking states in India. For those unaware, heres some context. A few weeks ago, Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, daughter of the late M Karunanidhi, tweeted about how she had been treated at the airport in Chennai. Kanimozhi accused the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for questioning her nationality" because she could not understand Hindi. This kickstarted a debate on whether being an Indian national meant that one would have to necessarily understand and speak Hindi. Today at the airport a CISF officer asked me if I am anIndian, when I asked her to speak to me in tamil or English as I did not know Hindi. I would like to know from when being indian is equal to knowing Hindi. #hindiimposition," Kanimozhi had tweeted then. In solidarity with Kanimozhi, non-Hindi speakers started posting photos where they can be seen wearing T-shirts that say I am Indian, I dont speak Hindi. The idea is to suggest that you can be an Indian without having to know the Hindi language. The hashtag that accompanied most of these pictures was #HindiTheriyathuPoda, which means, Dont know Hindi. READ: #HindiTheriyathuPoda: T-shirts With Slogans Against Hindi Imposition are a Rage in Tamil Nadu READ: Kanimozhi Faces Discrimination After She Asked CISF Staff to Speak in English or Tamil That is when the image of Trudeau holding the t-shirt began doing the rounds on social media. The post on Facebook, where it originally appeared, suggested that Trudeau too had backed the non-Hindi speaking states in their fight against Hindi imposition. The post, in Tamil, said that Trudeau could not remain silent and would stand by the Tamilians. The post, however, is fake. On reverse searching the image, it led us to a 2019 tweet by Trudeau which proves that the image has been morphed to include the slogan. The t-shirt originally read Vaccines cause adults" and the photo was posted by the Prime Minister himself on My 30, 2019. Take a look: Another photo of Trudeau wearing the t-shirt was posted by Canadian MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor on May 31, 2019. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines save lives.Our Prime Minister is an incredible supporter of vaccination I was so excited to present him with one of @drgigiosler's #VaccinesCauseAdults shirts! pic.twitter.com/tL0Yqp4COk Ginette Petitpas Taylor (@GinettePT) May 30, 2019 In fact, Justin Trudeau has always been extremely vocal on social media and during his campaigns about the importance of vaccines. Sesh Mobile App Overview "Amid the current pandemic, the need for an accessible, modern mental healthcare solution has become patently acute. [...]Were thrilled for Sesh's launch bringing high-quality online group support to people across the U.S." Today, Sesh Therapy, a mental health startup focused on expanding access to group support, announced the launch of their mobile application. With an emphasis on a person-first approach, the Sesh mobile app connects users with real people - peers and licensed therapists - for video-enabled group support on a variety of topics related to condition, community and therapeutic modality. Licensed therapists have been facilitating support sessions on the web version of the platform since March with consistent weekly offerings such as Addressing Anxiety, Becoming Body Positive, Inner Healing for Womxn of Color and more. Sesh provides a service that people need now more than ever. As a Sesh facilitator, I've enjoyed the ability to expand my reach as a mental health professional and help additional people during these difficult times," said Sesh Clinical Director, Kruti Quazi. "I'm excited that the mobile application will bring the Sesh support system to an even larger community." Upon opening the app, individuals are asked to complete a brief intake survey that assesses current anxiety and depression levels. Once sign up is complete, full access to the Sesh community is unlocked. All users receive access to a free two-week trial upon sign-up, with membership at an accessible $15/week, billed monthly, thereafter. Therapists are interviewed by the Sesh team and thoroughly vetted and verified. Sesh worked with the team at Carbon Five on the initial development of the native mobile app, emphasizing performance, security and an engaging user experience. "Amid the current pandemic, the need for an accessible, modern mental healthcare solution has become patently acute. Carbon Five had the opportunity to work with the visionary founders of Sesh Therapy on their native mobile app solution right at the moment of market shift," said Brandy Davis-Balsamo, New York Managing Director at Carbon Five. "Were thrilled for Sesh's launch bringing high-quality online group support to people across the U.S." Vittoria Bergeron and Alyssa Musket, Sesh co-founders, are on a mission to make mental healthcare accessible, starting with online group support. Millions of Americans are in need of affordable and accessible mental healthcare, greatly overwhelming the current system. This is despite the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of capable therapists ready to provide support, concluded Bergeron. Sesh is here to help. -- About Sesh Sesh is on a mission to make mental healthcare accessible, starting with online group support. For $15 per week, members gain unlimited access to 1-hour peer support sessions led by licensed therapists on a variety of topics based on condition and community. Session topics vary according to condition, community, or modality and include topics such as Anxiety Support, Inner Healing for Womxn of Color, and Art Therapy. App Store: http://bit.ly/DownloadSesh Google Play: http://bit.ly/SeshGoogle Press Kit: http://bit.ly/SeshPressKit Website http://www.seshtherapy.com Instagram http://www.instagram.com/seshyourself Facebook http://www.facebook.com/seshyourself Twitter http://www.twitter.com/seshyourself LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/company/seshyourself About CarbonFive Carbon Five is a digital product development consultancy. C5 partners with clients to create exceptional products and grow effective teams. The team works with numerous startups in addition to companies and organizations like Coinbase, StitchFix, Filecoin, IPFS, Compass, Everlane, WeWork, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Website http://www.carbonfive.com Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 150.5, up 4.3% on the day as on 12:59 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 17.03% in last one year as compared to a 4.94% gain in NIFTY and a 10.59% gain in the Nifty Auto index. Tata Motors Ltd rose for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 150.5, up 4.3% on the day as on 12:59 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.72% on the day, quoting at 11546.95. The Sensex is at 39143.85, up 0.74%. Tata Motors Ltd has added around 21.81% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has added around 2.65% in last one month and is currently quoting at 7956.8, up 1.47% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 519.54 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 882.68 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark September futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 151.1, up 4.39% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is up 17.03% in last one year as compared to a 4.94% gain in NIFTY and a 10.59% gain in the Nifty Auto index. The PE of the stock is 0 based on TTM earnings ending June 20. 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 Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between Vietnam and Cambodia will come into effect on October 1, allowing certain inmates to continue serving jail terms in their home nations, the Cambodian Ministry of Justice announced yesterday. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh (Photo: VNA) Kim Santepheap, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, said the treaty will benefit both nations and it was different from an extradition agreement. This treaty will allow the transfer of sentenced persons between the two nations, he said, adding that in some cases, families of the sentenced persons can also request the respective governments for the transfer. Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh said this is a very humanitarian arrangement, reflecting mutual trust and close cooperation between law enforcement authorities of the two countries. He said the treaty would help both sides to transfer certain inmates to continue serving their sentences in their own countries so their families can also visit and support them while in prison. The ambassador expressed his hope that the Vietnam and Cambodia will continue their joint efforts to find and curb transnational crimes, including human trafficking, drug abuse and illegal trade, and reduce the crime rates in both countries. Kin Phea, Director-General of the Royal Academy of Cambodias International Relations Institute, described the treaty as a good legal instrument that highlights good legal cooperation between the two countries. During his visit to Vietnam in December 2016, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc witnessed the signing of three cooperative agreements, including the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the two nations and the Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. In May 2020, the Vietnamese Embassy presented 4,000 antimicrobial face masks to detention centres through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Cambodia. The support was in response to a call from the ICRC in Cambodia for medical supplies for detainees amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic./.VNA Why it matters: Wow. Thats about all you can say to what could prove to be one of the biggest semiconductor purchases in the multi-decade history of the chip business. The amazing irony is that this $40 billion dollar deal doesnt involve any chips at all. The news that was announced on what proved to be a rather eventful Sunday evening is that GPU giant and AI leader Nvidia is planning to acquire the IP assets and business of Cambridge, UK-based Arm from Softbank. Though few people truly understand or appreciate what Arm does or the influence it has, the simple fact is that it arguably owns one of the pre-eminent positions in the tech world. Put simply, almost every single smartphone currently being used or being sold in the world uses an Arm-based CPU: Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei, and MediaTek among others all license the CPU architectures -- and in some cases GPU, AI co-processors and other components -- that Arms engineers and designers create. Smartphone makers, in turn, use those designs to create chips that are then integrated into the devices we use. Must read: How ARM Came to Dominate the Mobile Market Apple and a few others have whats called an architectural license that allows them to take the basic design of the CPU and then customize around it. Many others, including Qualcomm, take the design as it is and then add other components of either their own or Arms design in order to build, for instance, Qualcomms very popular Snapdragon line of SoCs (system on chips). In other words, its Arm thats arguably been driving the incredible growth and sophistication of smartphone hardware and architecture for roughly the past 15 years or so. The companys influence, however, extends way beyond smartphones. Most recently, Arm has also been making significant inroads in the data center business with its Neo brand of server-focused IP. Oh, and there is the fact that Apple just announced that it was going to transition the Mac off of x86-based CPU architectures from the likes of Intel and move entirely to its own custom CPUs based onyou guessed itArm-based CPU architectures. Toss in the fledgling but growing Windows on Arm-based PC businessas exemplified by Microsofts Surface ProXalong with a huge, but little recognized presence in IoT devices, and you can see that, to some degree or another, Arms influence extends to just about every person on the planet. As a result, its not surprising to see Nvidias interest in Arm. Indeed, rumors started flying several months ago that Nvidia could be a potential purchaser of Arm, but manymyself includedbrushed it off as unrealistic. Yet, here we are. My concerns, as well as those of many other industry observers, are that it would be very challenging for a company with a defined position within the industry to maintain the Switzerland-like neutrality that Arm has been able to offer. When Softbank purchased Arm about 4 years ago for nearly $32 billion, there were even a few concerns raised thenbecause of the incredibly influential role that Arm playsbut those concerns were quickly tossed aside when people realized Softbank didnt have any vested interests in specific platforms or tech hardware companies. Thats not the case for Nvidia, however, and thats why a number of questions are being raised about the challenges expected to come from Nvidias competitors, and even non-competing Arm customers, on the regulatory front. Nvidia has said that the purchase process could extend to as long as 18 months because of the approvals that would need to occur in multiple geographies across the world. If you look at the business that each company is currently in, however, there really isnt much overlap. Nvidia has no presence in the smartphone market and, despite multiple efforts in the past, no major CPU architecture of any kind. In fact, ironically, Nvidias actually an Arm licensee. Arm does have GPU and NPU (neural processing unitused for AI acceleration) IP and chip designs, and even some that theoretically compete with Nvidia in the data center market. Arms current impact in those areas is tiny, however, and that market is evolving at an extremely fast pace. Most importantly, Nvidia sells actual chips, and Arm sells chip IP designs. Those are very different and non-overlapping business models. The level of power and influence this combination could create is likely to give some big tech companies pauseespecially those who compete directly with Nvidia (notably Intel and AMD) and even those who have been loyal Arm licenseesbut may have potential issues with Nvidia (notably Apple and Qualcomm) The biggest issues will likely come down to the competitive threats and strategic concerns that the combination of Nvidia and Arm will create. The truth is, this acquisition could be a brilliant move for Nvidia, because it would extend the companys level of influence and exposure to many areas of the tech market that it has never been able to reach. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang specifically called out how the combination would give the company the ability to extend its AI efforts to a significantly broader range of devices. This is important to consider because, while most people think of Nvidia primarily as a GPU chip maker, Huang sees the company as having a much wider purviewthat it is really more of an AI enabling company, which happens to make chips that in turn make AI faster and more efficient to do. In that light, the Arm acquisition makes complete sense. Plus, it allows the company to finally scratch the CPU itch that it's had (and Huang) for a very long time. The level of power and influence this combination could create is likely to give some big tech companies pauseespecially those who compete directly with Nvidia (notably Intel and AMD) and even those who have been loyal Arm licenseesbut may have potential issues with Nvidia (notably Apple and Qualcomm). While I really dont think Nvidias goal was to go after Intelafter all, the companies have been strong partners for yearstheres no doubt that this deal could have a big impact long-term on Intels business in several sectors. As a result, I wouldnt be the least bit surprised to see Intel oppose the proposed sale. Largest tech deals in history Company Acquisition Price Year Dell EMC $64 billion 2015 Nvidia Arm $40 billion 2020 Avago Broadcom $37 billion 2015 IBM Red Hat $34 billion 2018 Softbank ARM $31.4 billion 2016 Microsoft LinkedIn $26.2 billion 2016 In Apples case, given that it just announced a long-term switch to Arm-based CPUs for the Mac, but has not been using Nvidia GPUs for many years, it will be interesting to see if Apple shows any signs of backtracking on its strategic decision. I doubt itespecially because Apple heavily customizes its Arm-based A line of CPUs for iPhones and iPads and will likely do the same for its Mac-specific Arm-based chipsbut it will certainly be interesting to watch. Geopolitically, the move could be a big challenge for an already struggling China semiconductor market. At the same time, Arm had already started limiting its work with Huaweis HiSilicon semiconductor branch in the middle of last year, so the fact that Arm could be owned by a US company wouldnt seem to make a big change (though, politically these days, anything could happen). Frankly, a bigger issue could be the UK itself. Arm is considered the crown jewel of the UK tech industry, so its government is very sensitive to the appearance of selling out to other countries. Given that Arm already sold to Japan-based Softbank in 2016, however, as well as Nvidias smart and shrewd move to build a significant AI research center in Cambridge, those concerns likely wont last long. From a technology perspective, there are a few other interesting issues to consider. First, many have argued that this purchase could push Arm licensees toward RISC-V, an open source IP chip architecture that many see as a potential challenger to Arm. The truth is, however, most of RISC-Vs success has been at the low-power microcontroller end of Arms business, and it really does not pose any significant threat to the higher-power Arm designs used for smartphones, PCs, and servers. Over time, the threat could grow, but its likely a long way off. There are many very interesting new developments, in areas like automotive, smart home, robotics, industrial and others, that could emerge from the combined mind-power and technical abilities of an Nvidia-Arm combination. Another interesting challenge to consider would be the potential integration of technologies between the two companies. Specifically, Arm has made its name creating CPU (and GPU) designs that are incredibly power efficient and perform very well in battery-powered or other power constrained environments. Nvidias GPUs, on the other hand, well, lets just say arent generally known as power-sippers. In fact, its not unusual for them to require significantly more power than other elements of a PC or server. Of course, over time, it would be great to see Arms proficiency in power conservation transferred over to GPU designs, just as it would be great to see Nvidias prowess in graphics and AI acceleration added to Arms existing offerings. In fact, it is these types of promises that make this potential combination appealing on many levels. There are many very interesting new developments, in areas like automotive, smart home, robotics, industrial and others, that could emerge from the combined mind-power and technical abilities of an Nvidia-Arm combination. At the same time, there is a very real risk to the long-term trust-based business model that Arm has been able to create, if Nvidia starts to intervene too much. Nvidia clearly seems to understand these issues and has vowed to maintain Arm as an independent, UK-based company that will continue to honor its unique IP-based business model. If it doesnt, Arm could lose the huge range of licensing customers it now has, causing serious damage to Arms overall business. Ultimately, its going to be a question of balance, trust, and intelligent leveraging of the assets that each company can bring to the table. No doubt, there will be serious questions from both customers and competitorsas there should be in a potential merger of this importance. Nevertheless, the potential new upsides and opportunities this merger could create, not just for the combined entity but for the tech industry as a whole, seem too compelling to pass up. It might not be an easy or necessarily perfectly straight path ahead, but it sure seems like a big step forward into an exciting future. Bob ODonnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech. Four on Trial Over Drug-Related Murder in South Australia An Adelaide man growing drugs in his home was beaten to death by a group of men who came to steal his cannabis crop, a court has heard. Benjamin John Mitchell, 33, Alfred Claude Rigney, 44, Matt Bernard Tenhoopen, 25, and Aaron Donald Carver, 37, have gone on trial in the Supreme Court charged with the murder of Urim Gjabri in October 2018. The 46-year-old, an Albanian national who came to Australia as a refugee, was found dead in the rental property, his body discovered by a friend in a pool of dried blood. Opening the trial on Sept 14, prosecutor Rob Walker told the jury that Gjabri died of severe blunt force trauma to the head. He had his skull caved in, suffering several fractures, Walker said. On the crown case, each of the accused were party to a plan to commit a home invasion or robbery because they went to his home and emerged with his cannabis. The court was told that during investigations, police found the DNA of two of the accused inside the dead mans house. They also found the DNA of a third defendant on the steering wheel of Gjabris car. However, the jury heard the prosecution could not say who actually killed the victim or how many blows he suffered. Walker said that was not necessary to prove the charge of murder. The court was told Gjabris injuries would not have killed him straight away and he may have walked around the home for some time. His body was not found until three days after the attack and robbery. It was alleged the accused initially loaded the cannabis into the dead mans car in garbage bags but soon after transferred it to two other cars before fleeing the scene, leaving a portion of the crop behind. The trial was continuing. Tim Dornin in Adelaide New Delhi: Deepak Kochhar, the husband of former ICICI Bank MD&CEO Chanda Kochhar, who has been recently arrested in connection with ICICI Bank-Videocon case, has tested positive for Covid-19. He has been admitted to AIIMS, Delhi. Deepak Kochhar was recently brought to Delhi from Mumbai by a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, has met his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal at its Khan Market headquarter here following court directions. A Mumbai court had sent Deepak Kochhar to ED custody till September 19 in connection with the money laundering case related to the alleged misappropriation in the loans granted by the ICICI Bank to Videocon. However, he was also allowed to have several meetings with his lawyer. Advocate Vijay Aggarwal had met Deepak Kochhar in Delhi on September 10 for legal guidance in the matter and is again slated to meet with him on Monday. The ED team had brought him to Delhi to confront him with voluminous documents and other materials collected during raids at his office. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and advocate Naveen Kumar Matta, representing the ED, had submitted that throughout the course of the investigation, Deepak had remained evasive and non-cooperative. "For the same reason, investigation on certain crucial aspects of the case is still ongoing. Deepak Kochhar has deliberately not provided crucial documents/ leads and taken stands contradictory to the records, on one pretext or another, deliberately misled the ED," the lawyers had submitted before the court. The stand of Deepak Kochhar on certain crucial aspects is contrary to the records of the case, despite being provided with ample opportunities to rebut the same, the lawyer said adding that he also willfully withheld the information which was in his exclusive knowledge. The ED has also said that there was material in possession and reasons to believe that the Deepak Kochhar is guilty of the offences of money laundering as defined under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The economic offences watchdog had said that Deepak Kochhar is involved in the laundering of the proceeds of crime and has been involved in projecting the proceeds of crime as untainted. It said that he directly attempted to indulge, knowingly assist, is knowingly a party and is actually involved in process or activity connected with the proceeds of crime and projecting it as untainted property. He is in fact owning and continuing to enjoy the proceeds of crime generated from the criminal activity related to the scheduled offences in this case, the ED had said. ED initiated an investigation after registering a case under PMLA on the basis of FIR for illegal sanctioning loans amounting to 1,875 crore to Videocon Group of companies. "The investigation revealed that 64 crore, out of the loan of 300 crore sanctioned by a committee headed by Chanda Kochhar to Videocon International Electronics Limited, was transferred to NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd (NRPL, earlier known as NuPower Renewables Limited, a company of Deepak Kochhar, husband of Chanda Kochhar) by VIL on September 8, 2009, just one day after disbursement of loan by ICICI Bank," the ED had said earlier. 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 Shoukry called for reaching a comprehensive and official ceasefire agreement and moving foreign troops out of Libya Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry stressed to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in a phone call on Monday the necessity of moving to "active negotiations" to reach the desired political settlement in Libya. Shoukry called for stability on the ground in the oil-rich country, reaching a comprehensive and official ceasefire agreement, as well as dismantling militias and taking foreign troops out of Libya, a statement by the ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said. Egypt announced an initiative, dubbed the Cairo Declaration, earlier this summer which mandates a Libyan-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the countrys conflict. The oil-rich country has been split since 2014 between two rival administrations in the east and west with parallel institutions; the eastern government is represented by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives allied with the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Commander Khalifa Haftar, while the west is represented by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). Egypt, France, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates back the LNA while the GNA is backed by Qatar, Turkish troops, and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. Turkey began earlier this year sending thousands of Syrian jihadists and mercenaries into Libya to back the GNA. Libyan rivals had engaged in closed-door talks in the Moroccan city of Bouznika from 6 to 8 September, which yielded a joint statement pointing to "important compromises," according to AFP. They also agreed to pause the talks and resume discussions during the last week of September. The Egyptian and Russian ministers also discussed the latest developments in Syria and pushed for reaching a comprehensive settlement drawing on the related United Nations references in a way that preserves the unity, independence and sovereignty of Syrian territories and institutions as well as the safety of the Syrian people. The call covered the updates on the Palestinian cause. Shoukry and Lavrov affirmed the significance of enhancing security, stability, and peace in the region, in addition to preserving the legitimate Palestinian rights and the principle of the two-state solution, Hafez added. Egypt supports a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, according to UN Security Council resolutions. The ministers underscored the importance of proceeding political consultations between Cairo and Moscow. Search Keywords: Short link: She is expecting her first child with Tammy Hembrow's ex fiance, Reece Hawkins. And model London Goheen revealed the perks of pregnancy in an Instagram post on Sunday. The 22-year-old was simply glowing as she posed for a flawless selfie. The perks of pregnancy! Instagram model and Reece Hawkins' fiance London Goheen showed the perks of her pregnancy as she posed for a selfie over the weekend The raven-haired beauty showed off her cleavage in a plunging black lace top, as well as a set of new long hair extensions. London was previously planning on charging her followers to see photos of her baby bump on OnlyFans. But on Thursday, she gave her followers a peek at her pregnancy for free by sharing a photo of herself at the gym with fiance Reece. In the image, London's baby bump was visible in a pair of tight high-waisted leggings. Blossoming! London recently showed off her growing baby bump as she went for a drive with her partner Reece No charge! London was previously planning on charging her followers to see photos of her baby bump on OnlyFans, but on Thursday she gave her followers a peek at her pregnancy for free by sharing a photo of herself at the gym with Reece She then posted a video of Reece lifting dumbbells in the gym, but she didn't share any footage of herself. London, who boasts 524,000 Instagram followers, copped backlash after revealing that she's going to be charging fans $14.99 per month on the subscription service. 'She's literally charging people for her OnlyFans to view pics of her bump? What the f**k,' one follower commented on London's pregnancy announcement on Instagram. Another wrote: 'Wow sis is really charging $9.99 per month to see her pregnancy photos lol.' Backlash: London was SLAMMED recently for asking fans to pay $15 per month to see her baby bump on OnlyFans One fan said that while she's happy for influencer Reece, 25, and London, they just can't comprehend coughing up the cash for the images. 'Congratulations. I would love to keep track of everything for your pregnancy. Just like with your relationship to watch you guys grow together... But I don't want to pay for an OnlyFans...' However, another follower said that posting to OnlyFans is a good idea, saying it's 'so much safer and more secure!!' More secure: She said she made the decision to post on OnlyFans because over the years she and Reece have been 'harassed to the point where we've had to seek legal action' 'What the f**k': The 22-year-old, who boasts 524,000 followers, copped backlash after revealing she's going to be charging fans $14.99 per month on the subscription service In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, London defended her decision to show off her baby bump on OnlyFans. 'I have chosen to show detailed parts of my pregnancy on that platform because I've had to experience harassment and bullying for the last two years over my relationship with Reece,' she explained. 'I have 100 per cent control of my profile and what people have access to and comment on. 'I never said it was compulsory. People can choose if they wish to subscribe or not. If people don't like the idea of it or disagree with my decision then they don't have to be involved... 'We're just doing this to ensure a HAPPY POSITIVE FRUITFUL PREGNANCY.' Many a parent who caught their kid watching Monty Pythons Flying Circus in the 1970s felt, as one 70s American dad proclaimed, that it was the singularly dumbest thing ever broadcast on the tube. Fans of the show know otherwise. The Pythons created some of sharpest satire of conservative authority figures and middle-class mores. But they did it in the broadly silliest of ways. The troupe, who met at Oxford and Cambridge, where theyd been studying for professional careers, decided they preferred to follow in the footsteps of their heroes on The Goon Show. What must their parents have thought? But the Pythons made good. They grew up to be avuncular authorities themselves, of the kind they might have skewered in their younger days. After several decades of making highly regarded travel documentaries, Michael Palin became president of the Royal Geographical Society, an office one can imagine him occupying in the short-pants uniform of a Bruce. Instead, photographed in academic casual holding a globe, he was dubbed by The Independent as a man with the world in his hands. Unlike fellow accomplished Python John Cleese, who can never resist getting in a joke, Palin has mostly played the straight man in his TV presenter career. He brings to this role an earnestness that endeared viewers for decades. Its a quality that shines through in his documentaries on art for BBC Scotland, in which he explores the worlds of his favorite painters without a hint of the pretentiousness we would find in a Python caricature. Just above, Palin travels to Maine to learn about the life of Andrew Wyeth and the setting of his most famous work, Christinas World. Palins passion for art and for travel are of a piecedriven not by ideas about what art or travel should be, but rather by what they were like for him. Palin brings this personal approach to the conversation above with Caroline Campbell, Head of Curatorial at the British National Gallery. Here, he discusses ten paintings which I cannot avoid when Im going in the gallery. They always catch my eye, and each one means something to me. Artists included in his rather esoteric collection include the late-Medieval/early-Renaissance pioneer Duccio, Hans Holbein the Younger, William Hogarth, and Joseph Mallord William Turner. While these may be familiar names to any art lover, the works Palin chooses from each artist may not be. His thoughtful, perceptive responses to these works are not those of the professional critic or of the professional comedian. They are the responses of a frequent traveler who notices something new on every trip. Related Content: Monty Python Pays Tribute to Terry Jones: Watch Their Montage of Jones Beloved Characters in Action John Cleese Revisits His 20 Years as an Ivy League Professor in His New Book, Professor at Large: The Cornell Years New Animated Film Tells the Life Story of Monty Pythons Graham Chapman Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness COVID-19 case numbers in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the U.S., as anti-mask sentiment grows in the two states. According to Johns Hopkins University researchers, North and South Dakota rank first and second respectively in new cases per capita over the past two weeks. The two Midwestern states, which have up to this point largely avoided the worst of the pandemic, are now making headlines not only for an increase in positivity rate, but also for a fierce backlash against local leaders' proposals of a face mask mandate. The Associated Press reported that this week the city of Brookings, South Dakota, was forced to move a meeting to discuss requirements of face coverings in businesses into an arena, as a large group of citizens showed up to express their opposition. Saturday saw one of the biggest one-day jumps in coronavirus-related deaths in South Dakota, according to Dakota News Now: the state recorded six deaths, bringing the total to 183. The state also posted some of the country's highest positivity rates for tests in the last week, according to the AP--more than 17% --which indicates that there are more infections than what tests show. By Associated Press As COVID-19 swept through the South, Mel Prince watched with alarm as some of the HIV positive patients she helps in the rural Black Belt stopped showing up for lab tests and doctor's visits. Some fell back into drug and alcohol abuse. Others feared the AIDS virus made them more vulnerable to the coronavirus and refused to leave their homes. Around the same time, Prince's HIV organization in Selma, Alabama, stopped sending staff to health fairs and other sites to test people for HIV. The virus has made it very challenging for us, said Prince, executive director of Selma AIR. "We just continue to let people know were here, and were trying our best to take care of their needs. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the delivery of all types of health care services in the U.S. Doctors have put off surgeries to conserve hospital beds and medical supplies for COVID-19 patients and turned to telemedicine for routine consultations to avoid potentially exposing patients to the virus. The fight against HIV has not been spared. Clinics have stopped or limited testing for the disease, and public health officials overwhelmed by demands to control COVID-19 have shifted staff away from tracking HIV patients. Progress against the virus had already stalled in recent years. Now, health experts and advocates worry the country is at risk of backsliding, with a spike in new HIV infections because people don't know they have the disease, aren't aware if their treatment is working or aren't getting a drug that can prevent them from getting HIV in the first place. Were losing people who are doing HIV testing and focusing on HIV to the COVID-19 response," said Ace Robinson, with the national nonprofit HIV eradication group, NMAC. "And that means that were not able to support people to maintain the care that they deserve. The issue is of particular concern in the South, which accounted for more than half of the country's roughly 37,000 HIV infections in 2018 and has been a focus of the Trump administration's goal of eradicating the disease by 2030. Fewer people in the South are aware that they have HIV compared with other regions in the U.S, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parts of the Black Belt a poor agricultural region stretching from Louisiana to Virginia that was first known for the color of its soil and then for its mostly Black population have particularly high rates of new HIV infections. HIV workers contacted by The Associated Press in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas all reported a drop in HIV testing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. ALSO READ: UK tests if COVID-19 vaccines might work better inhaled Mildred Harper, who is HIV positive, was too afraid to go to a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital in April for a blood test to check on her HIV treatment. Harper is on medication that can give people with the AIDS virus a near-normal life expectancy and make it effectively impossible for them to infect other people. Elsewhere in the world, the coronavirus has disrupted the supply of those drugs. But people on the medication need periodic lab work to make sure the drugs are keeping the amount of virus in their bodies low. If their treatment is effective, they are not believed to face any additional risk for COVID-19, according to the CDC. Harper, 56, said the coronavirus had sent her into a depression, and she was paranoid about contracting it at the hospital. It kind of felt like I was diagnosed with HIV again because it isolated me from everybody, Harper said. Lee Storrow sought an HIV test in North Carolina in June, but staff at the clinic he contacted said they were focused on testing for COVID-19. Local health officials had stopped testing for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, and a Planned Parenthood clinic could not see him for weeks, he said. Storrow, an HIV policy advocate and educator, said he was eventually able to get a home test kit online from a company called NURX. The CDC has encouraged HIV health providers to mail testing kits to peoples homes. It took me four different steps to figure out how to get my own STI test, and Im someone who thinks about STI testing on a daily basis," he said. "It does make me concerned and wonder about folks who are so much more on the margins. Testing at the HIV clinic at Augusta University in Georgia stopped completely for two weeks early on, said Raven Wells, the clinic's community outreach coordinator. Tests are now conducted by appointment instead of just driving around trying to contact as many people as you can, Wells said. At sites run by the Birmingham, Alabama-based social services organization AIDS Alabama, testing is down roughly 75%, from about 30 tests a week before the pandemic to 30 tests a month now amid a drop in walk-in clients, said Tony Christon-Walker, the organization's director of prevention and community partnerships. Meanwhile, scores of state social workers in Alabama who were trained to track down and reengage people who dropped out of HIV treatment have instead been put to work investigating COVID-19 cases, said Sharon Jordan, director of the HIV Prevention and Care Office at the Alabama Department of Public Health. I feel like the HIV community, those who are infected, probably feel as if nobody is thinking about us anymore, she said. Annual HIV infections in the United States have dropped by more than two-thirds since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, but the number of new infections has leveled off in recent years, according to the CDC. An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, but more than 40% either do not know they are infected or dont have the virus under control. President Donald Trump's administration announced an ambitious plan last year to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by focusing on hot spots for the infection and getting people on drugs. Federal health officials say that remains a priority, though they acknowledge challenges posed by COVID-19. We dont have the luxury of pulling back, said Rev. A.J. Johnson, CEO of an HIV testing organization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "This is a war against HIV-AIDS, not a battle. The program is led by two nationally renowned experts in the field: Rakesh Singh, MD , pediatric cardiologist and faculty member of the Department of Pediatrics, who serves as medical director of pediatric heart failure and transplantation; and T.K. Susheel Kumar, MD , pediatric cardiac surgeon and associate professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, who serves as the surgical director. Dr. Singh joined Hassenfeld Children's Hospital in March 2020 from Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, where he served as the medical director of heart failure and transplantation from 2014 to 2019. He has been directly involved in more than 150 pediatric heart transplants in his career. Dr. Kumar, whose decades-long career spans across two continents, spent the last 15 years as a cardiac surgeon in both India and the United States. He has performed dozens of complicated heart transplants in infants and children. "We are thrilled to have Dr. Singh and Dr. Kumar lead our efforts to develop a successful pediatric heart failure and transplantation program here at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital," says Catherine S. Manno, MD, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor of Pediatrics and chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "The new program further enhances our already robust Congenital Heart Program with the advanced expertise to care for children with the most complex cardiac needs." A Leader in Survival Rates and Transplant Medicine A national leader in pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital's Congenital Heart Program has a 99 percent survival rate, exceeding those of the largest programs in the northeast region and the national average1. The Congenital Heart Program, led by world-renowned cardiac surgeon Ralph S. Mosca, MD, the George E. Reed Professor of Cardiac Surgery and professor in the Department of Pediatrics, diagnoses and treats the most complex and rare congenital and acquired heart defects in patients from the fetal period through adulthood. The multidisciplinary team includes pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and perfusionists. NYU Langone's Transplant Institute has the top adult heart transplant program in the nation according to recently published data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, based on rapid transplant rates, low mortality while waiting for a transplant, and one-year post-transplant survival. This is the fifth new solid organ transplantation program to launch at NYU Langone since 2017, following new adult heart, lung, and pancreas, and pediatric kidney transplantation programs. With each new program, the Transplant Institute has redoubled its efforts to increase donation and transplantation rates. Recent research has focused on utilizing organs that may otherwise be rejected, such as those from donors with hepatitis C, and developing new protocols such as a novel organ revitalization technique which enables donation after cardiac death. "This new pediatric heart transplant program underlines our commitment to providing superlative, comprehensive care to all patients who may need a transplant, while advancing the field of transplantation," says Robert Montgomery, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery and director of NYU Langone's Transplant Institute. Family-Centered Approach Pediatric heart transplant patients will receive inpatient care of at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital, located in NYU Langone's Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion. The 160,000-square-foot facility is accessible through its own entrance and contains 68 single-patient roomsthe only pediatric inpatient facility with this feature in Manhattan. After discharge, patients and families will continue to see their providers at a new Congenital Heart Ambulatory Center, which will open in the same building this winter. "When a child has a significant heart condition, the diagnosis impacts the entire family," Dr. Singh says. "As a pediatric cardiologist, I make a point of getting to know everyone involved in the child's care so I can help them navigate this new world and give them hope. Our pediatric patients and families work with the same team from admission to discharge, and the family-centered facilities and resources at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital aim to decrease anxiety and promote healing as much as possible." He and Dr. Kumar work closely with a support team, which includes a social worker and child life specialist, to ensure the unique social and emotional needs of every patient and their families are met. "It is an honor to be part of a world-class team of surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists and nurses with skill sets to take on the most complex congenital heart lesions," says Dr. Kumar. "I consider it a great privilege to be able to make a difference in the lives of children and families. It is what motivates me every day." Media Inquiries Annie Harris Phone: 212-404-3588 [email protected] 1 Source: All statistics are from the most recently validated Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) data covering a four year period, July 2015June 2019. (publicreporting.sts.org/chsd) SOURCE NYU Langone Health Related Links http://www.med.nyu.edu In 50 days, America will either double down on the disruptive force of America First or elect a man vowing to put the international order back together again. Why it matters: America still has the world's biggest economy, most powerful military and deepest network of alliances. But it is unclear what it intends to do with them. Breaking it down: New polling from the Eurasia Group Foundation indicates that Americans broadly want their leaders to strike (or restore) international agreements while avoiding military conflict under nearly all circumstances. In an election season shaped by crises at home, voters tend to want their president to prioritize challenges within Americas borders while limiting their ambitions and expenditures beyond them. Data: Eurasia Group Foundation; Note: "Don't know" answers were not included; Chart: Axios Visuals By the numbers: Based on responses to a series of foreign policy questions, the report finds that 38.6% of Americans the largest group believe the U.S. should increase its diplomatic efforts abroad while decreasing its global military presence. Just 10.3% take the opposite view, favoring military strength over diplomacy. Meanwhile, 30.6% are traditional internationalists, committed to both military primacy and multilateral diplomacy (until recently, those views formed a strong consensus in Washington). The remaining 20.5% are genuine isolationists who believe the U.S. should shed its international obligations and go its own way. The results are strikingly similar for both parties (though the bipartisanship evaporates on more specific issues, like the Iran deal). On one side: Trump's foreign policy has been fairly scattershot, and therefore difficult to categorize. Disengaging militarily from the Middle East and negotiating with North Korea's Kim Jong-un are fairly popular. But antagonizing allies, discarding international agreements and increasing defense spending are not. The other side: Biden, meanwhile, has waxed and waned on military intervention over a long career, but he seems to fit the "traditional internationalist" mold. Despite pressure from the left, Biden has been making clear that he won't pull up stakes from Afghanistan, slash the Pentagon budget or suspend drone strikes, Axios' Hans Nichols and Margaret Talev report. I cannot see him cowering because some progressives on the left have this misimpression on what these counterterrorism strikes entail, former CIA director John Brennan told Axios. Biden is on the conservative side of where the party is, said Matt Duss, foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders. But his advisers are very engaged in the conversation and are very aware of where the Democratic base is moving. The big picture: Bill Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a veteran diplomat, contends that the U.S. needs to carve out a new role for itself neither isolationist nor swaggering superpower. At an Axios event on Friday, Burns emphasized the importance of engaging with allies to confront shared challenges like climate change or the rise of China. At the same time, he said, the U.S. must ensure the policies it pursues abroad on trade or global health, say also benefit Americans. The bottom line: "Recognizing and deepening that connection between foreign policy and domestic renewal, I think, is going to be the single deepest challenge for several administrations to come," Burns said. US Coast Guard suspends search for missing fisherman off Hawaii September 14,2020 | Source: Marex The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a fisherman who went missing Wednesday about 300 miles to the east of Hawaii. At 0630 hours on Wednesday, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a call from the fishing vessel St. Marie Anne, which is homeported in Honolulu. The St. Marie Anne's captain reported that a crewmember was missing and had last been seen at about 0400 hours. The victim, Phouc Nguyen, was a 53 years-old Vietnamese man. When last seen, he was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt with no life jacket. JRCC Honolulu launched an aircrew at 0900 from Air Station Barbers Point. The cutter Joseph Gerczak and the cutter Kimball also began a search, joined by the crew of the St. Marie Anne. The crews searched for about 77 hours and covered nearly 9,000 square nautical miles - an area roughly the size of New Hampshire. However, the search was not successful, and it was suspended Friday. We always want to continue searching with every asset at our disposal, said Lt. Diane French, Command Duty Officer at JRCC Honolulu. Its always a difficult decision to suspend." The majority of fishermen in Hawaii's commercial fleet are foreign nationals, primarily from Vietnam, Indonesia, Kiribati and the Philippines. Wages may be as low as $1 per hour, and the non-U.S. crewmembers are generally not permitted to disembark on U.S. soil. 2020 The Maritime Executive, LLC. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Monday took a page out of President Trump's campaign playbook by saying "you aren't safe" under Mr. Trump but due to climate change. Mr. Trump has campaigned that Biden and the Democrats want to "abolish the suburbs." "You know what is actually threatening our suburbs?" Biden said during a speech in Delaware addressing fires burning across the West coast. "Wildfires are burning the suburbs in the West. Floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest. Hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast. If we have four more years of Trump's climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires? How many suburban neighborhoods will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in super storms?" The suburban vote is considered key to either candidate's path to victory. Amid an uptick in violence in cities, Mr. Trump has claimed that unrest will spread to the suburbs if he doesn't win reelection. But a CBS News Battleground Tracker poll published earlier this month showed the notion that violence could spread to the suburbs is not a concern among those who actually live in them. In his speech Monday, Biden also labeled Mr. Trump as a "climate arsonist" and a "climate denier." He spoke as the president traveled to California to be briefed by state and local officials about the fires. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks about climate change and the wildfires on the West Coast at the Delaware Museum of Natural History on September 14, 2020. / Credit: Drew Angerer / Getty Images Biden has repeatedly attacked Mr. Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic as not following science, and on Monday, he portrayed his response to the wildfires in the same light. "We need a president who respects science," Biden said. "Who understands that the damage from climate change is already here. Unless we take urgent action, it'll soon be more catastrophic." At least 35 people have died in the West due to the devastating wildfires that have burned not just in California, but also Oregon and Washington. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said on "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the wildfires are a "wake-up call" on climate change. Story continues "This is truly the bellwether for climate change on the West Coast," said Brown, a Democrat. "And this is a wake-up call for all of us that we have got to do everything in our power to tackle climate change." Mr. Trump is visiting the West Coast this week, holding rallies in Nevada on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, he attended a briefing with California Governor Gavin Newsom. Joaquin Phoenix: The 60 Minutes interview Inside the model shop behind bin Laden raid Search for suspect who ambushed 2 Los Angeles sheriff's deputies Jagan Mohan Reddy government is investigating every possibility to elevate instruction division in the state. It will be the first time in the hitory of Andhra Pradesh that administration schools will be before long giving intense rivalry to the non-public schools and establishments in terms of digitalisation. Jagan Mohan Reddy government is leaving no stone unturned to uplift education sector in the state. It will be the first time in the history of Andhra Pradesh that government schools will be soon giving tough competition to the private schools and institutions in terms of digitalisation. This plan will be implemented in a phased manner, in first phase govt has its aim to install 10000 smart TVs, the cost of which comes up to a total of 45Cr to 50Cr. Every government school in the state will be having its own smart television for the digitalised learning, so the days are gone wherein for good education parents use to think of sending their children to the private schools by having a pinch to their pockets. Earlier in the first week of September in a review meeting held at camp office in Tadepalli by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, it was directed to the officials that no student should be left out to enjoy Digital education and all government schools should be equipped with the Centralised integrated system smart TVs. Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh said that Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has his vision of digitalising 45,000 schools by the next academic year starting.Further adding to his statement Minister told that the officials are working day and night to meet the Chief Ministers given deadline which is beginning of the academic year in June for the completion of the work under Nadu-Nedu. ALSO READ: PRSU 2020 time table released: Know how to check B.A., B.Sc, B.Com, B.Ed, M.A. time table ALSO READ: Assam JMEE Result 2020 to be released @ www.astu.ac.in: Check result dates, steps to download here Get AfricaFocus Bulletin by e-mail! Format for print or mobile India/Africa: Common Threads of Kanga and Vitenge AfricaFocus Bulletin September 14, 2020 (2020-09-14) (Reposted from sources cited below) Editor's Note The new book Common Threads (along with an accompanying video, both open access), explores the ties that bind India and Africa through the material medium of cloth, from antiquity to the present. Cloth made in India has been sold across African markets for millennia, by Indian, African, and European traders. ... Most significantly, it highlights the role of African consumers in defining the evolution of these genres of fabric, and the centrality of people-to-people connections in sustaining the continued cosmopolitanism of these transoceanic connectivities. This AfricaFocus Bulletin features an interview with one of the editors of this vividly illustrated book, brief excerpts from the book, and a link to the 22-minute video which vividly portrays the fabric and the people who make it, trade it, and wear it. For anyone interested in the long history and present reality of South- South cooperation across the Indian Ocean, this is an incredible resource. AfricaFocus normally focuses on current realities and crises. But it is well worth making an occasional exception, even in terms of understanding the present, because the worlds response to African crises is still beset by cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings deeply rooted in history. I highly recommend this well-researched and well-presented project. For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on culture, visit http://www.africafocus.org/cultexp.php. For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on trade, visit http://www.africafocus.org/tradexp.php. The book Common Threads is available as a PDF download at https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/120547. A print version is available for order at http://www.ascwebshop.nl/Common-threads-:-fabrics-made-in-India-for-Africa The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jplcCfOfi5A. ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++ Common threads the ties that bind India and Africa through fabric Cliffordene Norton, Meera Venkatachalam Voertaal Academisch 2020-08-19 https://voertaal.nu/common-threads-the-ties-that-bind-india-and-africa-through-fabric/ Common threads: Fabrics made-in-India for Africa Edited by M Venkatachalam, R Modi and J Salazar Published by African Studies Centre Leiden Common Threads explores the ties that bind India and Africa through the material medium of cloth, from antiquity to the present. Cloth made in India has been sold across African markets for millennia, by Indian, African, and European traders. The history of this trade offers perspectives into the rich stories of bi-directorial migrations of peoples, across the Indian Ocean, the exchange of visual aesthetics, and the co-production of cultures in the two geographies. Common Threads uses photographs to tell the story of the creation of these textiles in India, which today is concentrated in the small town of Jetpur in the Rajkot district of Cujarat. It sheds light on the artists and the agencies in India that are involved in the design, production, and logistics of this enterprise. Most significantly, it highlights the role of African consumers in defining the evolution of these genres of fabric, and the centrality of people-to-people connections in sustaining the continued cosmopolitanism of these transoceanic connectivities. Photo credits for vitenge on left and kanga on right: http://pixabay.com and http://youtube.com. Cliffordene Norton interviews Meera Venkatachalam, co-editor of Common threads: Fabrics made-in-India for Africa. Q: Congratulations on the publication of your book, Common threads: Fabrics made-in-India for Africa. What was the inspiration behind this book? A: This project began when we learned that African prints were being made in factories around Mumbai for consumers all over Africa, from Nairobi to Lome. We were well aware that African prints were manufactured in the Netherlands and, more recently, in China, but we did not know that the iconic wax print among other types of cloth was being designed and manufactured in India. So, we attempted to tell this story, contextualising Indias current role in producing cloth for Africa against the backdrop of its historical status as a major global cloth producer. Q: Why focus on this history of the textile trade? A: It is well known that India was a major producer of cloth for millennia. But it is generally believed in India that the colonial era disrupted Indian cloth production that raw materials were exported from India to Europe, and that British-manufactured goods were received into the Indian market. However, a glimpse into the textile trade between India and Africa in the colonial era reveals that the textile industry especially in western India and Mumbai (then Bombay) grew substantially in the colonial era by adapting to the demand for cloth in Africa. This phenomenon fuelled colonial Bombays industrialisation, a little-known historical fact. Q: When did the textile trade between India and Africa start? A: This trade is over 2 000 years old! Q: The spice route between India and Africa is well known. Has your research revealed any similarities or differences between these two trade routes/products? A: We have attempted to historicise our work and to view current textile production in India for Africa against broader temporal trajectories. There are both continuities and discontinuities. The current trade to East Africa may be viewed as a continuity of older precolonial and colonial routes and processes, which facilitated the circulation of peoples, goods and capital between India and East Africa. For instance, Indian families with strong links to the Indian diaspora in East Africa are engaged in the cloth trade today, relying on the know-how of Indians settled there, for conducting market research and negotiating access to markets. But today, we also find Indian traders operating in markets in West Africa this is a new phenomenon, as, unlike in East Africa, Indian traders have never been present in West Africa in large numbers until now. Q: Common threads uses photographs to tell the story of the creation of these textiles in India. Why did you use this research method? A: The patterns and designs represented in this cloth from the East African kanga to what is known as kitenge tell stories that are deeply embedded in the sociocultural matrixes of the people who wear them in Africa. We wanted to show as many of them as possible in our book. Q: Take us through the process of compiling and editing the book. A: It has taken us three and a half years to put this together. We had to sift through large quantities of field notes, photographs and video clips generated out of our fieldwork. We also read previously published literature on the subject. Eventually, we began to see it fall into place, and our focus came to rest on Indian designers and merchants in the cloth trade, on the genres of African designs and on the process of production in India. Q: What did you edit out of this book? A: As we began writing, we realised that we were telling the story not just of the cloth trade between India and Africa, but of other movements which were intertwined with the cloth trade such as the slave trade from Africa to India, and free and unfree migrations of people from the Indian subcontinent to Africa. We tried to incorporate as many of these related phenomena as possible, while staying focused on cloth. Therefore, some of these themes are introduced very briefly, and many details which we would have liked to include are left out. We also have a number of pictures of beautifully designed African wax prints and kangas which did not make it into the book! Q: How would you bridge the gap from your research to research users? A: We have tried to use as many visual aids as possible to achieve this, from the use of photographs to making a film. Q: How do you see this book impacting the field? A: We hope to highlight the current Indian agency in producing cloth for Africa, which is not well known. We also hope to highlight other themes in the study of India-Africa relations and African studies, which are discussed only in passing in this book, but are in need of more research. For instance, thousands of itinerant African traders and entrepreneurs come to India several times a year to buy consumer goods for sale in their countries of origin. Also, India is home to a small but growing African diaspora now and very little is known about this. Q: How do you feel about converting your research into the documentary Common threads Fabrics from India for Africa? Our film, also called Common threads: Fabrics made-in-India for Africa, was premiered at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2018 (ZIFF 2018) and was shortlisted in the documentaries section. It can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jplcCfOfi5A We made the film in order to reach a broader non-academic audience, and we hope this has been the case! We thank our publishers, ASCL, for working with us to produce the book, and we are pleased that it is open access. ****************************************************** Brief excerpts from Common Threads The history of trade between India and Africa has been inextricably linked through the material medium of textiles. Common Threads: Fabrics made in-India for Africa, contextualises Indias role in the production of textiles and the lesser-known trade in beautifully printed cloth for African markets. This trade that has existed since antiquity and continues to the present time has created longstanding people-to-people connections across the Indian Ocean. It showcases the way in which the production, trading, and exchange of textiles manufactured in India has been governed by discerning consumer preferences on the African continent for centuries. This project was conceptualised at the Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai, in early 2016. We learnt that there were factories in western India in Tarapur, on the outskirts of Mumbai, and in the town of Jetpur, in Gujarat that produce bright and vibrant kanga and vitenge, African prints for consumers across Africa. This project entailed fieldwork mainly in Tarapur (Maharashtra, India) and Jetpur (Gujarat, India), Nairobi and Mombasa (Kenya), and Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar (Tanzania). The project took about three years to complete. It culminated in this photo-essay book and a documentary film. There exists a commendable body of scholarly work on the subject, published by established historians of textiles and the Indian Ocean world, and by art historians. We read their work with great interest, built upon the existing knowledge, and added an India focus, to fill in the gap. We realised that rich oral narratives of the old diaspora, mainly Gujaratis who had immigrated to East Africa in the early nineteenth century and thereafter were not documented although they had been a part of the designing, trading, and consumption of these African prints kanga and kitenge since the inception of these genres of cloth. At Mali Ya Abdulla (est.1887, Biashara Street, Mombasa), we were privy to some of the most astounding printed fabrics, from the colonial period or thereabouts. We have captured these on camera and have showcased them in this volume. We also came across several other noteworthy visual representations on cloth, which have deep social, political, and cultural meanings to people in Africa. Thus, each image printed on the fabric in this volume is a repository of multiple aspects of life on the Swahili coast and beyond. The textiles are also testimony to the transoceanic co-production of cultures and cosmopolitanism of the Indian Ocean world. One example is the little studied exchange of aesthetics of personal adornment, family memories, and storytelling as described by writer Sultan Somjee in his novel Home Between Crossings. ... A kanga is a cloth with a thick border on all four sides, measuring 66 x 44 inches, worn in pairs around the waist and chest. Swahili or English proverbs are often imprinted upon the kangas. In Jetpur, kitenge refers to any nonkanga type of continuous fabric: 6 or 12 yards, printed in a variety of styles ranging from wax prints to batiks with a thin border. Vitenge are worn in a number of ways in different cultural zones. Rural West African women wear two six- yard pieces, one secured around the waist and another below the shoulders, tied with a cord. The pieces do not necessarily correspond to each other. Urban African women sew them into one or two-piece dresses of different patterns, sometimes worn with matching headgear. This two-piece dress, styled in the fashion of a Victorian womans attire, is known as the kaba in Ghana, and a buba and iro in the Yoruba-speaking belt of Nigeria. Varieties of vitenge are also in demand in East African markets. The development of East and West Africa as discrete cloth zones is a residual feature of a longer history of Indias positioning within global dynamics of trade. ... Over the centuries, the Indian cloth trade has developed through two very different trajectories across East and West Africa. Geographically, East Africa is closer and therefore more accessible from India. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (hereinafter The Periplus), a Greco-Roman manual on trade and navigation from the first century AD, describes an active trade between ports such as Barygaza (Baruch) on the western coast of India and the East African port cities such as Adulis of the Aksum Empire (contemporary Eritrea), Malao in Berbera (contemporary Somalia), and Rhapta in Azania (around present-day Dar es Salaam) (Schoff, 1912, pp. 22-3, 25-6; 28, 39). Facilitated by the monsoon winds, the dhows (wooden 29boats with sails), moved peoples, goods, and ideas between the coast of East Africa, and the shorelines of western India and Arabia (Sherriff, 1987, p. 2). This trade continued through the medieval period and received an immense stimulus through the European presence in the Indian Ocean during the colonial era. People, cultures, and ideologies of both the terrains India and Africa were in frequent contact with each other for centuries. Africans, generically known as Habshis (a corruption of Habesha, the name used for Abyssinia or Ethiopia) were frequently encountered in medieval and early- modern India. They came as traders, soldiers, and slaves. Africans played a crucial role in the history of Delhi, the Sultanates of Gujarat, the pre-Maratha Deccan and the Bahmani kingdom (Alpers 2017, pp. 62-3). Trade between India and West Africa followed a different trajectory. Historically, Indian traders had little knowledge, contact, or control over West African markets. This region was located further away double the distance as compared to East Africa, which was only about 4000 kms away from Mumbai. In the pre- colonial era, India simply did not have the same immediacy in West African imagination as it did in East Africa, remaining a distant construct, created through the re-envisioning of several cultural interlocutors. Indian cloth entered West African markets as re- exports as Indian cloth enjoyed a global reputation on account of its high quality, variety, and colours. It was sold by intermediaries Arabs, Ottomans, other Africans, and Europeans through land routes from the Middle East, southern Europe, and the Sahara. During the colonial era, Indian cotton continued to enter West African markets through oceanic routes opened up by the European colonial powers (Johnson, 1974; Lemire & Riello, 2006; Riello, 2010). ... People-to-people narratives in Indo-African relations Popular accounts of the relations between the people of India and countries in Africa are often marked by incidents of mutual hostility. Africans of Indian origin have faced antagonism in their adopted homes, culminating in the 1972 expulsion of Asians under Idi Amin, whose reasons for expulsion were among other things, driven by his Africanisation agenda (Amor, 2003). Similarly, Africans in India have been at the receiving end of sporadic but consistent racist violence (Modi & DSilva, 2016). In recent years, even the symbolism of Gandhi, once seen as a bridge between India and Africa because his struggle against imperialism was shaped by his experiences in both regions, has become steeped in controversy amid accusations of him being racist towards Black Africans. However, these sensational incidents of antagonism, which have come to occupy primacy in the narrative of Indo-African relations, obfuscate a long, quotidian and an extraordinary history of people-to-people connections that, on closer investigation, paints a picture of co-existence and harmony. Many Indians in Africa are thoroughly interwoven into the fabric of their adopted homelands (Oonk, 2013). They prefer to be identified as Africans first and foremost, and recognise themselves as People of Indian Origin only secondarily (McCann, 2011). Similarly, many Africans are integrated into the socio-cultural matrixes of their Indian host communities, through community organisations and religious networks, and play significant and valued roles in promoting inter- cultural understanding. This complex dynamic of Indo-African people-to-people relations in both geographies remains understudied. This book is an evidence-based endeavor to shed light on these long-standing associations and demonstrate that they persevere to this day. AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. For an archive of previous Bulletins, see http://www.africafocus.org, Current links to books on AfricaFocus go to the non-profit bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshores and also provides commissions to affiliates such as AfricaFocus. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. To subscribe to receive future bulletins by email, click here. Mohammad Makhlouf has died of coronavirus in Damascus, following a long career of providing support to the Assad family writes Alsouria Net. Mohammad Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assads maternal uncle, and father of tycoon, Rami Makhlouf, has passed away at al-Assad University Hospital in Damascus as a result of the coronavirus. Ali Makhlouf, the grandson of Mohammad Makhlouf, mourned the passing of his grandfather on his Instagram account on Saturday, without specifying the cause of death. Pro-regime El-Khabar website wrote that Mohammad Makhlouf died due to health complications related to the coronavirus infection. Who is Mohammad Makhlouf? Mohammad Makhlouf was born in the city of Jableh (Bustan al-Basha) in Lattkia Governorate and has five sons: Rami, Ihab, Hafez, Iyad, and Ahmed and two daughters. Makhlouf was the trustee of the Assad family and its money manager. He is the father of Rami Makhlouf, who is seen as one of the most prominent businessmen affiliated with the regime. Mohammad Makhlouf was the financial go-to person of Hafez al-Assad. His son, Rami, assumed the task during Bashar al-Assads rule, before the recent disputes erupted. In recent years, several media sources wrote that Makhlouf had been living in Moscow since mid-2012, where he ran the familys estate in the country, alongside his son, Hafez, who was head of the Damascus branch of the General Intelligence Department (State Security). Makhlouf also controlled the state-owned tobacco monopoly, what is known as Regie, during Hafez al-Assads presidency, which is when he first started to engage in corruption on a large scale, according to Firas Tlass, son of former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, who described Makhlouf as the patriarch of the family. The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Makhlouf in August 2011 based on his close ties to Assad, and prevented him from entering the European Union. Makhlouf tried to appeal the penalties in 2015 on the grounds that they violate his right to privacy and claiming that they prevent him from maintaining the lifestyle that his family is accustomed to. The EU General Court rejected his claim. 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 leaders of Uganda and Tanzania have signed an agreement for the construction of what they say will be the world's longest heated oil pipeline, linking Uganda's planned oil fields in the country's west to the Indian Ocean port of Tanga. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and President John Magufuli of Tanzania signed the host and implementation agreement Sunday in the remote Tanzanian town of Chato. Construction of the 897-mile pipeline is expected to begin in 2021 and will cost an estimated $3.5 billion, according to Ugandan authorities who expressed optimism that money Uganda will earn from its oil deposits will finance ambitious infrastructure projects and launch the country into middle-income status. No further details about the agreement were released, including who will build the pipeline or how it will be financed. French oil giant Total, a major investor in Uganda's oil industry, announced last week that it had reached a deal with Ugandan authorities governing the crude oil export pipeline that will cross sensitive protected areas, rivers, and farmland. The conditions are set for the ramp-up of project activities and in particular, we will resume the land acquisition activities in Uganda while respecting the highest human rights standards, Total's Uganda office said in a statement. Despite the assurances, local and outside watchdog groups have warned that the rights of local communities are at risk because of the pipeline project, which could displace over 12,000 families and endanger vital ecosystems. The French rights group known as FIDH cited attacks on human rights defenders opposed to the project, a climate of fear, and a slow, inaccessible justice system out of reach for vulnerable people. Total is also criticized for digging oil wells in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park, a protected area popular with tourists. Total and its development partner in Uganda's oil fields the China National Offshore Oil Corporation must take urgent measures to avoid what could be a disaster waiting to happen, FIDH's Sacha Feierabend said in a statement to The Associated Press. It remains unclear precisely when Uganda will become an oil producer following administrative delays and tax disagreements with oil companies such as Tullow, which discovered Uganda's oil reserves in 2006 but later sold its entire stake to Total for $575 million. A sample of a school "report card" for coronavirus cases that L.A. Unified hopes to use as part of its testing program. (Los Angeles Unified) When schools finally reopen, Los Angeles public school students and their parents will face one new admissions requirement: a negative coronavirus test. All 80 school districts in Los Angeles County are closed to the general student population until at least November. But when the time comes, a coronavirus test will be a crucial part of the reopening process in the state's largest school district, Los Angeles Unified. Families that do not agree can stick with online-only instruction. "We are going out and we're testing all of our employees and all of our students," said school board President Richard Vladovic, speaking Monday at the testing site set up at Harry Bridges Span School in Wilmington. "That's essential as we prepare to return to schools." Vladovic said the district's ambitious testing plan gives him hope that campuses could reopen soon in some form. Long Beach Unified, the county's second-largest district, announced last week that the general student population would not return to campuses until January. Besides mandatory testing, L.A. Unified is incorporating an unusual degree of transparency setting up a website that will provide detailed information about coronavirus outbreaks at an individual campus and even each classroom. LAUSD Supt. Austin Beutner announces a testing and contact tracing program. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times) L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said in an interview Monday that the groundbreaking initiative has to not only help make schools safe, but make them feel safe, which is why parents and the public will be able to look up a school and learn the number of positive cases to date and the number of active cases broken down by grade and by the small "cohorts" of students who will spend the day together once a campus is able to reopen. Students or staff would not be identified. But parents could learn, for example, about a new case among the 12 first-graders in a particular cohort. In that example, the public web page would note: "All families of students in Cohort 1A are notified to stay home and students in 1A will participate in online learning until health guidelines allow their return." Story continues If the rest of the school doesnt know where the occurrence was, youre not creating an environment where people feel its safe to come back, Beutner said. The online information also would allow parents to learn about what's going on at L.A. Unified schools around them, such as how many schools nearby are open or closed and test results in the school community by age. The age range starts at newborn to 5 and goes up to 71-plus, because the goal is to include information about infections among all family members. Families would not be identified. The district's massive undertaking will involve nearly 500,000 K-12 students, 75,000 staff members and thousands of preschool and adult school students. The district's partners include UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, Anthem Blue Cross and HealthNet, among others with a price tag of roughly $300 per student over a year, about $150 million. The district has received hundreds of millions of dollars in coronavirus-related aid but released few details of how the testing would be paid for. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, in a call Thursday with county school officials, expressed skepticism about the benefits of widespread school-based testing unless it were done every other day with a fast turnaround for results. Better, she said, to focus on preventive measures and targeted testing and contact tracing. The district plan includes those elements. As of Monday, schools in Los Angeles County are permitted to open to serve small groups of students with special needs, such as students with disabilities and students learning English. But the process for bringing students back involves extensive safety measures and negotiations with employee groups, notably the teachers union. And most public schools in the county, including L.A. Unified, do not appear ready to immediately bring back any groups of students for instruction. As part of the L.A. Unified testing ramp up, more than 5,000 staff members and their children were tested late last week. Seven tests came back positive, six adults and one child, Beutner said Monday. The first group to be tested includes employees working at schools and some of their children. The first students are likely to be those referred by teachers for one-on-one, in-person tutoring, which will take place outside, but on campus. Beutner added that, over the next several weeks, all staff and students will be provided with an initial, baseline test. After this, "there will be periodic testing based on advice from epidemiologists." The district also will provide testing for household members of students or staff who test positive or who show symptoms. In this way, the L.A. Unified initiative will feed into the larger county health program. Beutner said that the district hopes to build up to 5,000 tests per day this week, with the goal of soon reaching as many as 20,000 per day. BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, an award that recognizes inspiring, public-spirited young people, marks its 20th anniversary and announces its 2020 winners. Over the past two decades, the Barron Prize has honored nearly 500 young heroes from across the U.S. and Canada. They have helped the hungry and the homeless, invented life-saving technologies, protected our oceans and endangered species, and addressed climate change, among myriad other initiatives. They have raised more than $24 million for their causes and have inspired countless people by their example. Established by author T. A. Barron, the Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education. T. A. Barron writes about fictional young heroes in his bestselling books and founded the Barron Prize as a way to champion real-life inspiring young people. He named the award after his mother, Gloria Barron, a quiet hero who loved children and created a hands-on nature museum at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Barron Prize honors her belief that every person no matter their age or circumstance -- has the power to make the world a better place. "Nothing is more uplifting than learning about heroic people who have truly made a difference," says T. A. Barron. "The goal of the Barron Prize is to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their example will encourage others to take action." As in past years, the 2020 Barron Prize winners are making a difference across a wide range of current issues. They are protecting the environment, providing food for those in need, detecting and treating diseases, improving literacy, and more. The 2020 winners are: Aniyah Ayres, age 14, of Pennsylvania, who created Aniyah's Mission to help Philadelphians in need and to show young people that their voices and actions matter. Annie Zhu, age 17, of Texas, who co-founded Fresh Hub to reduce food waste and provide nutritious food to people living in Houston's food deserts. She also created Readiness Across Mathematics to support underserved youth in learning math. Bill Tong, age 18, of Maryland, who founded the Bioma Project, an environmental education nonprofit that brings native fish aquariums into classrooms. Chander Payne, age 17, of Maryland, founder of Urban Beet, which creates urban farms in order to provide fresh food to underserved people and help cool city neighborhoods. Dana Perella, age 9, of Colorado, who started Cookies4Cures. She bakes and sells cookies and has raised more than $100,000 to fund research into rare pediatric diseases. Isabella Paoletti-Tejeda, age 18, of California, who created Read a Story, Change a Life, a literacy intervention program that has helped more than 2,500 at-risk youth learn to read and write. Isha Clarke, age 17, of California, co-founder of Youth vs. Apocalypse, a diverse group of young climate justice activists. Kavi Dolasia, age 18, of California, co-founder of Reaching Out with Robotics, a student-run program that works to increase technology literacy for underserved youth. Kavi Gandhi, age 17, of Pennsylvania, who leads the Yash Gandhi Foundation and has raised more than $460,000 to help find a cure for I-Cell, a rare, genetic childhood disease. Lillian Petersen, age 17, of New Mexico, who created an early warning system using satellite imagery to predict crop yields in every African country several months before the harvest. Madhvi Chittoor, age 9, of Colorado, who founded Madhvi4EcoEthics to reduce plastic and Styrofoam pollution and inspire others to do the same. Matine Khalighi, age 18, of Colorado, co-founder of Helping the Homeless Colorado, recently rebranded as EEqual, a national nonprofit that supports the education of students experiencing homelessness. Sammie Vance, age 11, of Indiana, founder of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project, which recycles plastic caps into designated benches where schoolchildren can sit when looking for a friend. Topher Jones, age 12, of Idaho, who created the Lonesome Larry Project and has raised nearly $11,000 to protect sockeye salmon and other threatened fish by selling custom-designed socks. Viraj Mehta, age 17, of Arizona, who develops technologies and apps for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancers. "When I look at the accomplishments of these inspiring young heroes and the scope of what they have achieved both individually and collectively, I am filled with awe and appreciation," says T. A. Barron. "They work hard to make their ideals and passions a reality and are an example to us all. We are so proud of these young people who have made such a positive difference over the last 20 years and we look forward to honoring many more in the years ahead." About the Barron Prize: Established in 2001 by author T. A. Barron, the Barron Prize is a national award that annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education. These young people are as diverse as their service projects. They are female and male, urban and rural, and from a wide variety of backgrounds across the U.S. and Canada. All of them demonstrate heroic character qualities like courage, compassion, and perseverance. Through the years, the Barron Prize has earned the support of Girl Scouts of the USA, The Wilderness Society, Youth Service America, and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, among other organizations. To learn more about the Barron Prize, visit www.barronprize.org. About T. A. Barron T. A. Barron grew up in Colorado ranch country and traveled widely as a Rhodes Scholar. He is the winner of the de Grummond Medallion for "lifetime contribution to the field of children's and young adult literature." His highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling books include The Lost Years of Merlin (now being developed into a film), The Great Tree of Avalon (a New York Times bestseller), The Ancient One, and The Hero's Trail, which profiles heroic young people from diverse backgrounds and inspires young people to think of how they can make a positive difference in the world. He loves to write and hike in Colorado. For more information visit www.TABarron.com SOURCE Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes Related Links http://www.barronprize.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 12:46:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The essence of diplomacy is to build bridges, not to burn them, and to establish dialogue where problems arise, Ivan Timofeyev, programs director at the Russian International Affairs Council, has said. The expert made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua, noting that Washington's decision to impose restrictions on Chinese diplomats in the United States is detrimental. Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department announced that senior Chinese diplomats would be required to seek approval to visit U.S. university campuses and meet with local government officials. Chinese diplomats would also have to get permission to host cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people outside mission properties. "This will have a bad effect on U.S.-China relations," Timofeyev told Xinhua in an interview following the U.S. announcement. "At a time when relations are deteriorating, dialogue is needed and diplomats should be more actively involved in such work, but we witness the opposite. They will have fewer opportunities, which is certainly bad," he said. In his view, the Americans have added ideological points in relations with China and they believe that their political system is the best. "China is a sovereign state. It is up to the country and its people to decide what kind of economy, state, and so on to have, not the Americans. Beijing does not impose its views on Washington or teach it how to develop the U.S. political system," Timofeyev said. U.S. fencing off China and attempting to isolate China from technology and markets can harm the United States and its businesses in return, he said. "China and the United States are two large countries and strong economies, which are highly interdependent. So, if this rivalry goes far, the whole world will suffer from it," Timofeyev said. The expert also noted that the world has already reacted to the U.S. strategy of unilateral sanctions and all big countries have begun thinking about how to protect themselves. Enditem Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is seeking to reassure the public after a shootout in Montreal's Old Port between police and a suspect left residents of the normally bustling, tourist-friendly neighbourhood shaken. Plante said Montreal police would increase its patrols in the area, particularly late at night as bars close. Five people, including a police officer and a 33-year-old man, were taken to hospital following the shooting, which took place around 2 a.m. Sunday near the Clocktower Quay. More than 20 shots were fired in all, according to Radio-Canada sources. "I was shocked," the mayor told reporters late Monday afternoon. "My message to Montrealers is that this violence is unacceptable and we are taking this very seriously." Christine Caron, a longtime resident who heads up a local neighbourhood association, said the shooting is part of a troubling trend she has observed this summer, which has been different than any other given the pandemic. "I think the problems are located around nightlife. There seems to be a movement of problematic crowds around the bars in the area since the beginning of the summer and to us it seems that it's worse than it was the year before," she said on Daybreak. "Of course, this year there aren't any tourists around so it's more quiet to start with. Maybe the violence shows up more, the place being more quiet. I don't know, it's difficult to tell from our point of view." Chantal Venne, who lives in a nearby condo, also noted there had been some altercations this summer. She didn't hear the shooting itself, but said a bullet was found outside her building the next morning. Quebec's police watchdog has taken over the investigation, because civilians were injured during the intervention. According to the Bureau des enquetes independantes (BEI), three police officers responded to the call. They told the BEI that a 33-year-old man started shooting in their direction, hitting one of the officers. Story continues Police say they then returned fire and hit the suspect. In addition to the suspect and the police officer, a waitress and two bystanders were also hit, according to Radio-Canada sources. All five people are expected to survive. Warning: This eyewitness video contains images of violence Guy Ryan, a former inspector with the SPVM's organized crime unit, said police often respond to bar fights and disagreements in the early morning hours on the weekend. But it's rare that guns are involved. He said that in itself makes the incident worrisome. The next night, in a separate incident, shots were fired at an apartment building in Pointe-aux-Trembles. Several nearby residents called 911 after hearing the shots. Investigators found several bullet marks on the wall of the building and one shell casing on the ground. No one was injured. Plante said police would put more officers in both areas and would go door-to-door in Pointe-aux-Trembles, to "make sure that people feel safe." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday said theres still a chance that lawmakers agree on a COVID-19 stimulus deal after Senate Democrats blocked the most recent Republican proposal. Mnuchin, in a CNBC interview, said that while the economy has rebounded following the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in late March, there are clearly parts of the economy that need more work. The president and I want to have more support to help those American businesses impacted by this, he said. I think theres many areas of this where there is an agreement between Democrats and Republicans. There are some areas where we have differences on the amounts. But I will continue to work on this. I told (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) Im available anytime to negotiate. The secretary argued the latest $500 billion package unveiled last week by Senate Republicans had components that are supporting kids and jobs and small businesses. Both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Pelosi have pushed for at least $2 trillion in aid, including millions more in food and housing assistance, and funds to state and local governments whose budgets have seen unprecedented shortfalls since the pandemic began. The House of Representatives passed a $3 trillion package in mid-May. The GOP package included enhanced unemployment benefits through the end of 2020, at $300 weekly instead of the $600 that expired at the end of July. A non-starter for Democrats was that the bill included zero new funding for state and local governments, which have seen unprecedented budget shortfalls and layoffs during the pandemic. The Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small business loans, would have receive a $250 billion boost. The GOP plan also provided more aid to schools as they reopen this year, and $10 billion apiece to the U.S. Postal Service and to support child care. The secretary disagrees with some in the GOP whove argued against a new COVID-19 stimulus bill, saying now is not the time to worry about shrinking the deficit or federal balance sheet. Mnuchin said Monday that he would not speculate on whether were going to get something or not," making the case that the battle for the White House between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden played into the negotiations. I think there is a compromise if the Speaker is willing to move forward, he added. I am concerned that shes afraid that any deal would be good for the president. Obviously we have politics that are getting in the way." Pelosi, in a news conference last week, said, Lets not have a skinny bill when we have a massive problem. She said Republican lawmakers and the Trump administrations delay, denial and distortion has caused many deaths. Related Content: The last six months have been financially exhausting for all of us. Im glad the government finally decided to heed to our demands and allowed reopening of gyms in the city, says Ankur Sehgal, owner of two centres of Strength Gym in Paschim Vihar, Delhi. Most gym owners and fitness enthusiasts in Delhi are happy with the recent orders that permit reopening of gyms and yoga institutes, within the guidelines that mention how strictly these places need to follow social distancing and other standard operating procedures due to Covid-19 situation. Gym owners feel that the resumption of their businesses will help them pay their employees. Ive been lending a helping hand to all my employees, and did not lay off anyone. But, this wasnt the case with all places in Delhi as many lost their jobs during the time when gyms and other fitness centres were asked to remain shut, and not everyone had an alternate source of living. Hopefully now all those people will get some financial support, adds Sehgal. Fitness enthusiasts are excited that theyll be able to resume their regime, which had taken a hit because of the temporary closure of gyms. Ever since the lockdown, I tried working out at home and used various apps to keep myself fit. But, it was extremely tough for me to maintain a routine. Now that the gyms are opening up again, Im happy that Ill have an hour just to myself, says Rupsi Kumar, a Delhi-based HR professional. Though we are still battling cases of Covid-19, I feel its a good thing that gyms are reopening. Arpan Khosla, a stand-up comic Arpan Khosla, a Dwarka-based stand-up comedian, is hopeful that people will be careful while resuming their visits to fitness centres amid the pandemic, and says, Though we are still battling cases of Covid-19, I feel its a good thing that gyms are reopening since they are important for a persons physical and mental health; both of which have deteriorated during the pandemic. But, I hope all the safety measures are followed! We will ensure all safety measures are complied with, says Nikhil Kakkar, COO, Golds Gym India. Sharing that the safety of their staff and members is on top of their mind, he adds, Trainers have been asked to wear masks and gloves at all times, and sanitisation stations have been erected at all centres. We will follow basic cleaning and disinfecting protocols, and will sanitise the clubs on an hourly basis. There will be less members for each session in order to main social distancing. There has been zero revenue for the last six months, and gym members are expecting their memberships to be extended for the Covid-19 period. Istayak Ansari, a gym owner Since the orders came in late night on Sunday, not all gym in the Capital could reopen on Monday morning as many were busy making arrangements to ensure they run in compliance with the Covid-19 safety protocol. But some gym owners are still feeling the pinch of delay in the decision to reopen the gyms. This decision should have been taken three months back, when salons were allowed to open across India. We made several representations to the government in the last four months, which went unheard, says Istayak Ansari, founder and director, UFC Gym India, adding that the losses that the industry has suffered will take at least a year to recover. There has been zero revenue for the last six months, and gym members are expecting their memberships to be extended for the Covid-19 period. This will also lead to revenue loss in absence of any help from the government, says Ansari. In non-containment zones, yoga institutes have also been granted permission to reopen. Poonam Arora, who runs Priyasha Yoga Studio in Rohini, says, Ive reduced my batch size, and am screening all members (before they enter the class). During this pandemic, people have become more conscious of their health and well-being, so Im hoping this will boost our business after a six-month lull! Author tweets @bhagat_mallika Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Ghost month has hit the local carmakers group hard once more as the local vehicle sales scene continues to be ravaged this 2020. Based on the joint report of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA), vehicle sales show a 12.8-percent decline of 17,906 units for August 2020 sales compared to the 20,542 units rolled out in July this year. The latest sales volume for August also reflected a 39.5 percent drop from the 29,599 units delivered the same month last year. The vehicle sales for the first eight months of the year still needs to show signs of improvement: 123,489 units sold versus the 235,544 vehicle output for the same period in 2019. Motorcycle EDSA CAMPI President Atty. Rommel Gutierrez explained that the downturn can be attributed to the low business and consumer confidence amid the general economic slowdown. Spending remains a challenge especially for big-ticket items such as cars, Gutierrez was quoted as saying. This has resulted in another auto sales decline of nearly 13%. Economic recovery can be a gauge of the industrys future performance, but it also depends on the policy environment. Any restrictive policies such as safeguard duty will only limit the industrys capability to navigate the current crisis, he added. CAMPI noted that the The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is currently investigating on imported automobiles following a petition filed by the Philippine Metalworkers Association, which was filed before the country experienced Covid-19 pandemic. Further, the group is eyeing for the DTI's ongoing investigation to consider the impact of the pandemic on auto industry recovery. Meanwhile, CAMPI is eyeing to reach their new sales target of 240,000 units for this year by providing attractive promotions to boost sales. Our objective is to achieve if not outperform this new target. Otherwise, recovery will be even more difficult, Gutierrez noted. Story continues Back in May, the CAMPI-TMA sales reached 4,788 unitsa 3,500 percent increase from the 133 units sold in April after suffering their biggest blow to date in March 2020the month the country underwent on lockdown. Back in March, it only sold 11,029 units, representing a negative growth of 63 percent compared to the 29,790 units sold back in February this year. Photo/s from Ruben D. Manahan IV Also read: Sales for local group of automakers begin normalizing in June Car, Truckmakers' Group Sales Down in January 2020 Local Car Manufacturers Rebound in February 2020 The keystone Salt Waste Processing Facility should be "operational in the relatively near future," according to a U.S. Department of Energy cleanup executive, enabling the treatment of vast amounts of radioactive waste currently stored at the Savannah River Site. "In 10 years, nearly all of the waste, salt waste inventory, and most of the tank waste, will be treated at Savannah River," said Todd Shrader, Environmental Management's principal deputy assistant secretary, a top-tier post. "That's a really big deal. We now have a path to treat, basically, all of the waste at Savannah River." Shrader was speaking at the ExchangeMonitor's annual RadWaste Summit, this year held virtually. His remarks, about 45 minutes long, were posted online. The Energy Department, which stewards the Savannah River Site, in August authorized radioactive, or so-called hot, operations to begin at the Salt Waste Processing Facility. The approval of Critical Decision 4 last month marked the multibillion-dollar project's completion, propelling it toward the actual processing of nuclear waste. At the time, such processing was on track to begin later this year. "So it'll be an exciting year, or exciting decade," Shrader said, "at Savannah River coming up." Startup of the Salt Waste Processing Facility was among Environmental Management's 2020 priorities. Parsons was almost 20 years ago selected to design, build, commission and, in the short term, operate the facility. Construction wrapped in 2016. The SWPF is designed as a nuclear waste workhorse; it's meant to process annually millions of gallons of waste, far more than what's done now. The liquid waste at SRS, south of Aiken and near New Ellenton and Jackson, has been described as the single largest environmental threat the Palmetto State faces. "This coming decade, we should see a significant amount of tank waste treated around the complex," Shrader said, hinting at other installations, like the Hanford Site in Washington. "We should see a significant reduction in our footprint. We should finish at a number of small sites around the complex." Salt waste occupies a majority of tank space at the Savannah River Site. Getting rid of it, then, is of utmost importance. "What we really want to do is close the tanks, right?" Savannah River Site manager Michael Budney rhetorically asked the S.C. Governor's Nuclear Advisory Council late last year. A 17-year-old Indiana girl was charged with murder for the shooting deaths of Dominos employee Joshua Ungersma and her boyfriend. Jaelynn Billups, the suspect, is accused of shooting and killing Ungersma on the night of Aug. 31, officials said last week. Billups also faces murder charges in the death of her boyfriend Alberto Vanmeter, who tried to rob Ungersma, prosecutors said. Billups and Vanmeter were attempting to rob Ungersma, who delivered a pizza. Ungersma then shot and killed Vanmeter during the robbery, according to a probable cause witness in the case who was identified as Patrick Gibson, reported the Journal and Courier. Gibson said he went outside his home in Lafayette near 16th and Hart streets after hearing Ungersmas shots. Ungersma told him that he was OK but needed the police. When Gibsons roommate called 911, Billups walked to Ungersma and shot him, Gibson added. Ungersma died of several gunshot wounds, officials said in the affidavit, according to the paper. Officials said that Ungersma and Vanmeter were dead when they arrived on the scene, WTHR reported. They added that upon arrival, Billups was seen tossing a 9 mm handgun to the sidewalk when she was asked to show her hands to police. Jaelynn Niree Billups did aid, induce or cause Joshua Ungersma to kill Alberto Edwardo Vanmetere, while Billups and Vanmetere were committing or attempting to commit robbery, the affidavit said. Prosecutors said Billups ordered a pizza from Dominos to be delivered to an empty house. She was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, theft, pointing a firearm, carrying a handgun without a license, and the two murder charges, officials said. According to an obituary, Ungersma was the father of a newborn child and stepfather of his wifes son. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the family. Joshua was such a great man, he saw the good and potential in everyone. With his passing being so tragic and unexpected, i wanted to ask for assistance with covering his funeral expenses. Any help and/ or encouraging words and memories are welcomed and appreciated. Joshs mother, Sheila Anderson, will be beneficiary of your generous donations. She will ensure that after funeral expenses are covered, your contributions will be put into a trust fund for Sebastian. Thank you for all your love, your caring, and your help, the page says. From The Epoch Times Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali's Ministry of Education has set exam dates following the end of more than five months of teacher union strikes on Friday, PANA learned from official sources A worker assembles a box for delivery at the Amazon fulfillment center in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 30, 2019. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo/Reuters) Amazon to Hire 100,000 in US, Canada as E-Commerce Surges Amid Pandemic Amazon has announced plans to hire 100,000 workers in the United States and Canada, amid an online shopping boom fueled by the pandemic. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant said in a statement on Sept. 14 it seeks to fill full- and part-time positions as we expand our footprint, with the new jobs paying at least $15 an hour. The company is also offering industry-leading benefits, including health and dental insurance, and paid parental leave for up to 20 weeks. Hiring for the new positions has begun, said Amazon, which is offering signing bonuses of as much as $1,000 in some locations. The company also noted it plans to open 100 operational buildings this month, including fulfillment centers, delivery stations, sorting centers, and other sites. It comes as Amazon, in its second-quarter earnings report, said net sales rose by 40 percent to $88.9 billion, from $63.4 billion in the year-earlier period. The company also benefited from the online grocery boom, seeing these sales triple year-over-year as virus concerns drove more customers to have their groceries delivered rather than going to physical stores. The pandemic has fueled an e-commerce boom, with a recent analysis by Digital Commerce 360 finding that visits to the top 2000 e-commerce sites in North America increased, on average, by 125 percent between March and June, compared to the same period in 2019. The top 100 retailers, which include Amazon and Walmart, accounted for 80 percent of the collective growth in traffic. While the fastest-growing categories in e-commerce were office supplies and sporting goods, according to the Digital Commerce 360 report, the outbreak has also accelerated an online grocery movement, with analysts and executives predicting that it will last beyond the pandemic. The head of Whole Foods Market, which Amazon bought in 2017 for $13.4 billion in a bid to expand its brick-and-mortar footprint and gain an edge in the $700 billion grocery industry, said he believes the trend away from in-person shopping will persist even after the pandemic subsides. When things return to normal, there will be a lot of people who dont go back to shopping in-person, CEO John Mackey told The Wall Street Journal in an interview. He said that the grocery chain closed some of its stores to walk-in shoppers to meet the spike in demand for deliveries amid the outbreak. People are purchasing differently, and thats partly because theyre not eating at restaurants as much, he said, adding that hes seen a tremendous increase in demand for all the animal proteins, while interest in prepared foods has dropped. Food retailer Kroger, meanwhile, reported strong second-quarter results on Sept. 11, including a 127 percent year-over-year surge in digital sales. Shopping for groceries online is part of a trend thats likely to last beyond the pandemic, with an April analysis from RBC Capital Markets noting an accelerated secular shift to online grocery shopping driven by the outbreak. Online grocery shopping is now a way of life for consumers, RBC analyst Mark Mahaney wrote in an analysis of online grocery trends. Pre-COVID-19, well over half of consumers bought groceries onlineand many are now willing to do so permanently, he wrote. We believe that online grocery shopping may now be becoming a habitual practice among shoppers. The Greek coast guard said three died, 53 have been saved and efforts continued deep into the evening to locate other people who might be in the water. A smuggling boat sank off the southern Greek island of Crete on Monday, leaving three dead, while a large rescue operation managed to save 53 others from the sea, authorities said. The Greek coast guard said efforts continued deep into the evening to locate other people who might be in the water. It said it was unclear whether anybody was still missing, as the survivors were not in a position to give accurate numbers of how many had been on board when the vessel went down. The dead included two children and a woman. Initially, a person claiming to be a passenger who notified authorities by phone said 16 people were on the vessel that sank 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of Crete amid high winds Monday, the coast guard said. A Greek naval frigate and an air force helicopter took part in the search, together with two coast guard boats and three merchant ships. There was no indication where the vessel sailed from, how big it was or where it had been heading to. Greece's Aegean Sea islands are often the destination for thousands of asylum-seekers and migrants from the Mideast, Africa and Asia who cross from the nearby Turkish coast in hopes of finding a better life in the European Union. But on some occasions, smuggling gangs route yachts south of Crete to head for Italy. Search Keywords: Short link: 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning -- 4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS. We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover. We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come. Allies of poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Sunday they had secured city council seats in Siberia as independent monitors condemned a reported "stream" of voting irregularities in regional polls. In several dozen of the country's 85 regions, Russians voted for regional governors and lawmakers in regional and city legislatures as well as in several by-elections for national MPs. The polls came a year ahead of parliamentary elections and are seen as a test for the Kremlin, as the ruling party faces sinking popularity and simmering public anger over economic woes. In an effort to fight President Vladimir Putin's electoral machine, Navalny and his team have urged Russians to vote tactically by backing the strongest candidates against the ruling party United Russia. Some of the highest-profile campaigns have taken place in Novosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city, and neighbouring Tomsk where Navalny travelled last month. On Sunday night, his team said that the heads of Navalny's offices for Novosibirsk and Tomsk both secured city council seats. Navalny had been in Siberia to promote his "smart voting" campaign when he was poisoned with what Germany says was a Novichok nerve agent. 'First victory' Ksenia Fadeyeva, the 28-year-old head of Navalny's Tomsk office, said she won a city council seat along with another Navalny ally. "This is the first victory of a Navalny office head," Ivan Zhdanov, director of the opposition politician's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on Twitter. "It was in Tomsk where Navalny was poisoned." In Novosibirsk, the 37-year-old head of Navalny's local office, Sergei Boiko, also won a council seat. To counter United Russia and the Communist Party, Boiko has created an opposition alliance, which has put forward around 30 candidates for the city legislature. Voter Damir Adgamov, a 26-year-old dental technician, said he backed Boiko's coalition after watching Navalny's videos on YouTube. Story continues "I decided to try," he said. "I don't know if things will be better with Navalny or Boiko or worse, but at least we'll see." Vladimir Semyonov, a 57-year-old retired army officer, said he had also voted for an opposition candidate, "to change something, so we don't have stagnation". Boiko said his supporters had recorded dozens of violations, including an attempt to illegally remove observers while a safe containing early votes at one polling station had its seals broken. Ballot stuffing United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev praised the party's electoral successes, saying that according to exit polls it was heading for victory in regional legislatures. According to initial results, a second-round runoff was not expected in any of 18 regions that elected governors. Officials are expected to announce the first results on Monday. Several regions recorded large turnouts in two days of early voting, with more than 50 percent of the electorate casting ballots early in the far eastern Jewish Autonomous Region and in Tatarstan. The independent election monitor group Golos said it had received a "stream of reports" that observers had been denied their legal rights to view documents and submit complaints, with conflicts sometimes ending in "fisticuffs". It had also received reports of ballot stuffing and officials switching ballot papers cast by real voters for ones they had filled in, the group added. For the first time, elections in the country were held over three days and some polling stations for early voting were open-air. Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov said the scheme was thought up to combat the tactical voting system. "At night, God alone knows what happens to the ballots and it's not clear how to monitor and count this," he said. Electoral chief Ella Pamfilova denounced such "unobjective and mean" accusations. "Currently we do not see that many violations," she said. The three-day system was first used this summer for a national vote on constitutional amendments that made it possible for Putin to stay in power until 2036. Political analysts say the results of the polls will help the Kremlin determine whether the unpopular ruling party needs to be reformed. The poisoning of Navalny could have also influenced voters. After he was evacuated from Siberia to Berlin, German doctors said Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. His associates believe the use of the banned chemical weapon shows that only the Russian state could be responsible. Navalny is now out of a medically induced coma and reacting to speech, the Berlin hospital treating him said on Monday. (AFP) Myanmar should immediately engage non-military civilian observers from friendly countries, including India, to make the Rohingyas repatriation process effective, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Momen has said, warning that the failure in resolving the humanitarian problem would lead to radicalism and terrorism that would hamper peace and stability in the region. Addressing the virtual ministerial meeting of 27th ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, Momen said Rohingyas are not returning to their homeland (Myanmar) primarily because they do not trust their government over safety and security issues. "Despite the threat to our economy, ecology, and overall societal impact, Bangladesh gave shelter, on a humanitarian ground, to nearly 1.1 million persecuted people fleeing a massacre in Myanmar, their homeland. Myanmar is our friendly country and therefore, Bangladesh signed 3 instruments with Myanmar for repatriation. Myanmar agreed to take back them after verification," the minister said during his address of the summit organised by Vietnam this year. "They also agreed to create a conducive environment for their voluntary repatriation and they agreed to ensure safety and security of the displaced people. But unfortunately, till today, none went back and instead of creating a conducive environment, fighting and shelling is ongoing in the Rakhine state," he added. According to the United Nations, more than 9,00,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's restive Rakhine State since 2017 after large-scale violence following a military crackdown. The exodus of refugees in large numbers has resulted in a major crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh. While Bangladesh has been pushing for the repatriation of the refugees, mostly residing in the congested camps of the country's Cox's Bazar, through talks with Myanmar and raising the issues with the UN, nothing concrete has happened so far. Momen raised fears that if the problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to radicalism and terrorism. "Our fear is that, if this problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to pockets of radicalism and since terrorists have no borders, no faith, there's a high possibility of creation of uncertainty in the region which may frustrate our hope for a peaceful, secure and stable region," he said. The minister also urged Myanmar to allow non-military observers from its neighbouring nations to resolve the problem at the earliest. "In order to reduce trust deficit and confidence building, we suggested Myanmar engage non-military civilian observers from friendly countries like China, Russia India or other friends of their choice," he said. This may reduce the trust deficit for a sustainable return, the minister said. "We solicit support from our ARF partners so that these hapless Rohingyas can return to their home in safety, security and dignity, resettle there, and reintegrate in their society. Once they return to their homeland they could be contributing members in the development of Myanmar," he added. During the occasion, the minister also urged the region to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic effectively and expressed hope that the vaccine for the diseases would solve the problem permanently. "Covid-19 showed us that the accumulation of stockpiles of weapons can not save human lives. Rather investment in medical and social areas can protect us from this Covid," Momen said. The foreign minister also said that once a vaccine against Covid-19 is developed, it must be available to all without discrimination. The Barasat court in North 24 Parganas district on Monday declared Anindita Pal Dey, 35, guilty of murdering her husband Rajat Kumar Dey, who was a Calcutta High Court lawyer, on November 25, 2018. The court will pronounce the sentence on Wednesday. Dey, who was 34, was strangled with the cable of a mobile phone charger. Anindita Pal Dey, who is also a lawyer, was also accused of tampering with evidence. Deys body was found on the floor of the couples bedroom. Anindita initially told the police that he fell from the bed and had a heart attack. I want maximum punishment for her, said Samir Dey, the victims father, who was present in the court on Monday. It is the victory of truth. The verdict has proved that evidence has the last word, said Bibhas Chatterjee, the public prosecutor. Anindita, who was out on bail till now, was also present in the court. The police had arrested her six days after the murder. She made contradictory statements for six days in an apparent bid to mislead investigators, the police said. Avvaru Ravindranath, the then deputy commissioner (detective department) of Bidhannagar City Police, said she broke down during interrogation and confessed. The contradictions in her statement became apparent after the autopsy report confirmed that Deys death was caused by strangulation, Ravindranath told HT in December 2018. The police said the couple often fought over the number of phone calls that Anindita made. The couple had allegedly quarrelled on the night of the murder as well. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The lawyer representing Fort Hood Spc. Vanessa Guillen's family will join lawmakers introducing the #IAmVanessaGuillen Bill on Capitol Hill Wednesday. The bill will allow soldiers to report sexual harassment and assault to a third party if passed. COVID-19 UPDATES: Houston ISD announces campuses with cases "We all need this Bill to pass so we can help protect our men and women serving in the military," Attorney Natalie Khawam said in a statement. "Our soldiers deserve to have the same rights and protections we all have, especially since they are serving our country." Khawam said California Rep. Jackie Speier (D) and Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R) are leading the bill. Guillen went missing from Fort Hood on April 22. Her remains were located in June, and her funeral was held in Houston last month. Investigators believe Aaron Robinson, another soldier at Fort Hood, killed Guillen on April 22. Robinson shot and killed himself when law enforcement officers confronted him on July 1. His girlfriend Cecily Aguilar is charged with helping dispose of Guillen's body, the Houston Chronicle reported. Guillen reportedly told her mother and sister that an officer on the base was sexually harassing her, but did not report it, saying that nothing had been done when other women on the base had reported the issue. "The IAmVanessaGuillen bill is a bipartisan bill," Khawam said. "It is not a political issue, it's a human rights issue." Latvian Prime Minister: Navalny Poisoning Shows EU Must Open Its Eyes About Russia By RFE/RL September 13, 2020 Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins says the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny shows that the European Union must get more realistic about its dealings with Russia. "What still has to happen to see that this is a Russia that is dangerous for Europe and for our European values?" Karins said in an interview published on September 13 by German broadcaster ARD. "We must finally open our eyes." Karins said targeted sanctions under consideration by the EU are only symbolic, and therefore is reiterating his call for Germany to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. Other Eastern European countries -- Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania -- are pressing for a halt to the project, and Karins said since the Navalny poisoning, it's no longer possible to ignore these calls. Latvia believes that Russia's motive is to increase German dependence on Russian natural gas, Karins said, accusing Moscow of using Europe's reliance on gas as a political weapon. Some European politicians say that the EU must be use caution when dealing with Russia on international conflicts because it can use its veto power on the UN Security Council to block important resolutions. Russia also is a major ally of Syria, and the EU needs its cooperation to ensure deliveries of humanitarian aid. Karins nevertheless said in the ARD interview that Russia today is not the Russia that many once believed would move toward democracy. Europeans must recognize that the Russian government is far from democracy, he said. Berlin has been facing increasing calls for a sharper response to the poisoning. Some opposition politicians have called for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be canceled. The controversial pipeline project is more than 90 percent complete. It has become controversial because it would largely reroute natural gas to Europe around Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of billions of dollars in annual transit fees. The United States opposes the project on the grounds that it strengthens the Kremlin's grip on the European energy market and punishes Ukraine, which is battling Russia-backed separatists in its eastern provinces. European vessels laying the pipeline halted their work in December following the first round of U.S. sanctions that specifically targeted their activity. Russia is hoping to complete it using its own ships, but the United States has taken steps to stop that by widening the sanctions beyond vessels to any company working on the project. Navalny remains in a hospital in Berlin after German doctors concluded "without doubt" that he was poisoned with a military nerve agent from the Soviet-designed Novichok group. The 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner was flown to Germany on August 22, two days after falling ill on a flight in Siberia. Germany has demanded that Russia explain the affair, but Russia denies any involvement and has pressed Germany to share the evidence that led to the poisoning conclusion. Based on reporting by ARD Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/latvian-prime- minister-navalny-poisoning-shows-eu-must-open-its- eyes-about-russia/30835888.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 About two dozen Hurricane Laura evacuees and their advocates marched through the streets of New Orleans on Thursday to protest what they called the slow response from the federal government on getting them needed financial assistance. Evacuees from Lake Charles, DeRidder, Vinton and other cities hit hard when Laura raked the state last month marched holding signs that read FEMA The people of Lake Charles need assistance now and FEMA Lake Charles children need school today. The march ended outside the federal building in New Orleans, where they chanted What do we want? Justice, When do we want it? Now. Estevan Hernandez, of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and one of the marchs organizers, said Lake Charles and its surroundings has suffered an estimated $10 billion to $12 billion in damage from Laura but FEMA has only released $29 million. The government needs to give more, he said. When will these people get some answers and real relief? People have been abandoned in Lake Charles and thats why were out here today. FEMA issued a statement Thursday that the agency is fully engaged, and our top priorities continue to be survivor needs and power and water restoration. We are working with our local, state, and federal partners to facilitate these actions in an effective manner. The statement added that FEMA has so far registered more than 131,000 Louisiana survivors and put more than $73 million in the hands of residents, including nearly $47 million for housing assistance and more than $26 million for other assistance. Jennifer Fisher, 44, of Lake Charles, said the roof was ripped off the home she shares with her mother and the shed that was behind the house now sits in the front yard. FEMA is just not acting quickly enough, she said. Theres so much red tape. Fisher said shes been seeking financial assistance from FEMA for weeks, Now, she said theyre asking her for a copy of her identification, which she doesnt have. Until I can get a copy of the ID, which costs $31, they cant help me. I told them I dont have any money for an ID. So what am I supposed to do? she said. Im at a standstill. Im stuck. I guess Ive just got to keep the faith and keep God first and know that hes going to work this out. Tyla Simms, 30, also from Lake Charles, said her trailer home was flipped over during the storm and theres no time frame on when she and her four children will be able to return. Were just waiting. The bottom line is we need help, she said. People think because we didnt have the flood that were OK. But thats not the case. Go walk through there and see. Poles down everywhere, buildings smashed to rubble. Its just awful. Both Fisher and Simms thanked the city of New Orleans for its kindness during the storms aftermath. Its not the city. The citys been great. Its the federal government, Simms said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Hurricane In this June 28, 2017, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad makes comments about pro-democracy activist and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo during a photocall and remarks to journalists at the Ambassador's residence in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) US Ambassador to China to Step Down Next Month U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will step down from his post in early October, ending a three-year tenure in Beijing marked by deteriorating relations between the two countries. Branstad, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, informed the president of his decision in a phone call last week, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Sept. 14. It didnt provide the reason for his departure. I am proudest of our work in getting the phase one trade deal and delivering tangible results for our communities back home, Branstad said at an internal staff meeting on Sept. 14, according to the U.S. Embassy. Prior to the embassys announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Branstad for his service on Twitter. Ambassador Branstad has contributed to rebalancing U.S.-China relations so that it is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair, Pompeo said. This will have lasting, positive effects on U.S. foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come. Recently, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) official mouthpiece, Peoples Daily, refused to carry an op-ed written by Branstad. Pompeo last week said the papers rejection exposed the CCPs fear of free speech and serious intellectual debate, and called out the regimes hypocrisy in its reasoning for the rejection. In a letter drafted to the U.S. Embassy in China, Peoples Daily complained of a lack of fair and reciprocal treatment by the United States. He noted that Chinas ambassador to the United States this year alone has published five op-eds in prominent U.S. outlets such as The Washington Post and given exclusive interviews to media such as CNN and CBS. Branstads proposed op-ed, titled Resetting the Relationship Based on Reciprocity, argued that the Chinese regime has exploited the United States open society, while preventing U.S. officials, including Branstad himself, from engaging freely with the Chinese people. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded that Branstads article was full of loopholes, seriously inconsistent with facts, and wantonly attacks and smears China. Branstad, 72, an Iowa native who spent more than 22 years as that states governorthe longest tenure of a state governor in U.S. historyresigned in May 2017 to take the diplomatic post in China. He had long been acquainted with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, having hosted Xi in Iowa when the latter was still a young agricultural official from northern China in 1985. Over the years, the two kept in contact and Xi has called Branstad an old friend. Pompeo said in a tweet that Trump chose Branstad for ambassador because his decades-long experience dealing with China made him the best person to represent the Administration and to defend American interests and ideals in this important relationship. Soon after arriving in Beijing in June 2017, Branstad welcomed U.S. beef back to the Chinese market after a 14-year ban, saying, I know it is a key priority of the president to reduce the trade deficit, and this is one of the ways we can do it. But trade relations quickly soured, as the United States imposed tariffs on Chinese products citing Chinas unfair trade practices, and China retaliated in kind. Other disputes followed over technology, human rights, and the response to the CCP virus pandemic. Branstad joined U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for trade talks with Chinese counterparts in Beijing in May 2019. The phase one deal signed the following January represented a truce, but didnt address the more fundamental complaints of the U.S. side. The U.S. Embassy statement also noted Branstads role in the effort to reduce the flow of fentanyl from China to the United States, including a 2018 pact in which China agreed to list the synthetic opioid and all its derivatives as controlled substances. Branstad also made a rare visit to Tibet in May 2019, where he expressed concerns about the Chinese regimes interference in the freedom of Tibetan Buddhists to organize and practice their religion. In December 2019, on Human Rights Day, Branstad called out the regimes ongoing human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, religious groups, and dissidents. In a statement, the ambassador said that during his time in China, he had witnessed the failure of the PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] governance model to protect the fundamental freedoms of its people, as stipulated in the Declaration and in the PRCs own laws, referring to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, which China is a signatory. The PRC cannot expect to earn the international respect it seeks as long as it fails to abide by its commitment to defend individual human rights and freedoms, Branstad said at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Fine Gael senator has slammed Sinn Fein over the continuing sale of IRA memorabilia on the partys online shop. Senator Mary Seery Kearney has branded the decision an insult to victims of the Troubles. Sinn Fein offer the sale of clothes, badges and clothing on their online shop on their official website. One item up for sale is a badge displaying a van with Irish Republican Army displayed on the side, showing men with guns primed alongside an Irish flag. Senator Seery Kearney said: To see Sinn Fein advocate for the sale and wearing of badges displaying guns and labelled Irish Republican Army is nothing short of an insult to the victims of the Troubles, as well as their families and those they left behind. Throughout the Troubles, more than 3,600 people lost their lives at the hands of unnecessary violence. Over half of these victims were innocent civilians, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid the ultimate price. The Dublin senator added: Sinn Fein claims to be a peaceful party and have tried to detach themselves from their roots in violence. "However, this is yet another indication of how this could not be further from the truth. Expand Close One of the items for sale / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp One of the items for sale Claims by Sinn Fein to be wholly committed to achieving Irish reunification through peaceful methods are brought into question on a regular basis. Senator Seery Kearney said the continuing sale of memorabilia such as this brings further questions. Who controls Sinn Fein? Does Sinn Fein recognise there is only one army in this country Oglaigh na hEireann the Irish Defence Forces? A truly united Ireland must be a place where all members of society feel welcome; from all backgrounds. As Sinn Fein clearly have not yet learned this, it begs the question as to what society they envisage for those who do not hail from a nationalist background. The establishment of a United Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach under this Government will allow these questions to be considered with the respect they deserve. We cannot rush into a border poll, nor can we allow Sinn Fein to drive the narrative on this issue. "No one has a monopoly on wanting a United Ireland, let alone those who cannot detach themselves from violence, Senator Seery Kearney added. Sinn Fein has been contacted for comment. Editorial Coalition-ALP tag team against the working class In recent weeks, the bourgeois duopoly that runs our government have been a little careless in revealing their true class allegiances. The ALP, who present themselves as the party of labour, of Australias working-class, have been voting in step with the Coalition, who have sold themselves as efficient economic managers looking out for the country with sensible policy decisions. It is of course all but a ruse. Ideological differences exist only in terms of degree to which they serve the interests of the ruling class but they nevertheless support the ruling class all the same. Greens senator Rachel Siewerts motion to maintain the supplement rate on JobSeeker to $550 a week was voted down by both major parties. This was not surprising as internal discussions within the ALP have left them torn on this question. While those in the Left faction of the ALP, such as Lisa Chesters acknowledge that prior to the increase the rate was previously too low, little seems to have been offered as a solution. The position of the ALP largely rests on acknowledging how low the rate is, that a comprehensive review needs to take place but that to commit to a figure during the pandemic is premature. This is nothing but a stalling tactic, an unwillingness to want to reveal a concrete position lest they open themselves to attack by the Coalition. The government of course all the more happy to stoke that fear to keep the opposition from attacking its policy decisions. Furthermore, when it came to the opening up of new gas fields, both the ALP and the Coalition voted in support. A move like this should be expected by the Coalition as the party has largely been dominated by climate scepticism fuelled by donations from mining giants like Gina Rinehart (more on that in a moment). However, the ALP, who like to present themselves as progressives on this issue, have failed to live up to their own self-proclaimed reputation. Again, this issue seems to be one fought on factional grounds, where Joel Fitzgibbon is one of the loudest voices in the party room. Late last year, Fitzgibbon argued for the ALP to adopt the Governments climate change targets (ABC). In August, Fitzgibbon further expressed his desire for the party to be pulled to the right on climate action stating that Labor needs to develop a middle-ground message [...] in order to win government. And if it wasnt clear enough that the Opposition was doing the governments bidding, wonder no more. Earlier this month, the ALP was helping the government to water down state donation laws. As it currently stands, the High Court of Australia has upheld the Queensland ban on developer donations. As a result, the Government introduced the Electoral Legislation (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill seeking to undermine state autonomy, and in the process our democracy. The bill would provide immunity from state law where donations are made for federal purposes (Guardian UK). Greens senator Larissa Waters has qualified the bill as legalised corruption, further stating: It has legalised flow of big donations to buy outcomes that suit private profits and that deliver a well-paid job once that politician leaves parliament. Outside of a few superficial modifications to the transparency of donations, the ALP seem all for it. Again, however, not is all well within the ALP, even on the issue of receiving donations as Queensland Labor have dissented. What becomes apparent here is two things. The first is that despite all the rhetoric, the ALP is not a party with the interests of the working-class at its heart and its actions in recent months all but prove this to be true. The second is that ALP is torn apart by factional infighting which weakens its ability to fight for the working class, if it wished to do so. The Communists are seeking to run in election in the future and promise to be neither of these things. Firstly, they have always fought in the interests of the working-class and our policies have been consistent in that regard in every election we have run in. Secondly, as a Marxist-Leninist party operates on the principle of democratic centralism. What is democratic centralism? To quote Lenin: The principle of democratic centralism [] implies universal and full freedom to criticise, so long as this does not disturb the unity of a definite action. This means your communist representative will not put their individual voice above the collective decisions made so we can fight stronger together for you. Help us register our electoral body The Communists: www.cpa.org.au/communists-registration By Online Desk Actress Swara Bhasker has come out in support of former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid, who was arrested on charges of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by Delhi Police on Sunday night. In a tweet, Bhasker posted: #FreeUmarKhalid #ScrapUAPA" with a poster size photo of Khalid. Khalid was arrested after being interrogated for 11 hours on Sunday and was produced in front of Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing. "Khalid was called for questioning on Sunday and arrested. His family was informed about his arrest," said sources in Delhi Police. The former student leader was also questioned by Delhi Police Crime Branch for a few hours on September 2, in connection with Delhi riots that took place in February this year and had earlier been booked too under the contentious act in another case related to the riots. ALSO READ | 'Flesh' series hits jackpot with hard-hitting depiction of human trafficking Bhasker on the other hand has also been in the news for extending support to actress Rhea Chakraborty who was arrested by the NCB earlier this month on drug charges that surfaced during the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. ALSO WATCH: Terming it a 'witch hunt' many celebrities came out in support of Chakraborty, who they claim has become a victim of patriarchy. On the work front, Swara was recently seen in web series 'Flesh' where she essayed the role of a police officer named Radha Nautiyal who tries to bust a human trafficking ring. (With ENS inputs) New Delhi: On September 9, actress Kangana Ranaut came to Mumbai amid her bitter face-off with the ruling Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. And, after a 5-day visit to the city, earlier today, Kangana left for her hometown Manali. Maharashtra: Actor Kangana Ranaut leaves from her residence for Mumbai Airport. pic.twitter.com/lnzPneAshP ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Before flying to Manali, Kangana tweeted to say, "With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my workplace, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on." The actress drew the ire of the Shiv Sena government after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in her tweets. She received strong-worded reactions from Sena leaders, including Sanjay Raut, whom Kangana accused of threatening her to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in the police. Following this, she was given Y security. Kangana arrived in Mumbai amid tight security. On the same day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had conducted a demolition drive at her Mumbai office, razing portions that they claimed were "illegally built". Later, the Bombay High Court granted a stay on the demolition of the office, asking the BMC to file a reply on the actress' petition. Kangana approached the Bombay High Court on challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for 'illegal construction' and sought a stay on the demolition process. A day after the demolition, Kangana visited her Mumbai office to inspect property damage. On Sunday, the actress also met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with sister Rangoli Chandel and stated that she hopes that she would get justice on the matter. "I am honoured that Governor Koshyari met me. I talked about how I have been treated in Mumbai which has given me so much. I hope I get justice," Kangana said. Swedish Electrical Safety Agency threatens ban on sale of optimizers In Sweden the Swedish Electrical Safety Agency may ban the sale of optimizers used in Solar Panel installations due to the high level of RF Pollution they produce A translation of an SSA post reads: The Swedish Electrical Safety Agency wants to remove optimizers that spread interference. "It should be easy for the electrician to do the right thing." - We want to remove all solar cell products that spread disruption from the market. It should be easy for the electrician to do the right thing, and if you choose CE-marked gadgets and follow the manufacturer's instructions, the system should be nice, says Martin Gustafsson, who is an inspector in market control at the Swedish Electrical Safety Agency. reports of disturbing solar cells. In addition to radio amateurs such as Anders Ljunggren, the mobile operator Telia is among those affected . The Swedish Electrical Safety Board has made inspection visits to disturbing facilities, and carried out a market review of optimizers and inverters from eleven different manufacturers. "They take advantage of a gap in the standard and instead hide behind a general EMC standard." The report is not complete yet. However, one of the conclusions is that a number of manufacturers of interfering products have chosen not to use the standard developed for photovoltaic products, but which has not yet been harmonized by the European Commission. - They use a gap in the standard and instead hide behind a general EMC standard, which does not make any demands on the dc side. This makes our evidentiary situation difficult. But if the disruption problems are not solved, the products can be banned from sale, says Martin Gustafsson. Text: Charlotta von Schultz - www.elinstallatoren.se Thank you SM5TJH / Janne for the information Source SSA https://tinyurl.com/SwedenSSA By Elnur Bagishov Trend: As many as 2,619 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, 156 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,798 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 3.58 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 404,600 people have been infected, and 23,313 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 348,000 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. Three doctoral students earn UDP Graduate Student Awards Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 MANHATTAN Outstanding achievements in their academic work and scholarship have earned three Kansas State University doctoral students awards from the university's highest-ranking professors. The winners of the University Distinguished Professors Graduate Student Awards will be recognized at the University Distinguished Professors Group meeting on Sept. 15. Recipients are Matthew Galliart, doctoral candidate in biology, Hutchinson; Hayley Fisher, doctoral candidate in psychology, Nashville, Tennessee; and Simran Bawa, doctoral candidate in biochemistry, India. The awards recognize graduate students who have shown exceptional achievement in graduate studies and demonstrate excellence in scholarship through publications and other accomplishments appropriate for their academic field. The University Distinguished Professors Group has established a set of guidelines and criteria for the evaluation of candidates, and Carol Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School, coordinates the selection process. Galliart received a $2,500 award to support his research. His dissertation is "Ecotype variation in big bluestem across the Great Plains' climate gradient." This research focuses on characterizing natural variation in growth, form and function in the dominant prairie grass big bluestem, with a main focus on drought tolerance. "The ultimate goal of this research is to identify the genomic basis for drought tolerance to better understand how big bluestem will ultimately respond to the future drier climate predicted throughout the Great Plains due to climate change," Galliart said. Galliart wants to advance understanding of local adaptation of the dominant prairie grass, big bluestem, to provide scientifically informed recommendations for conservation and restoration plantings for rangelands and prairies in the face of climate change. His major professor is Loretta Johnson, professor of biology. Fisher received a $5,000 award to support her research. Her dissertation is "The role of a thalamocortical circuit in neural compensation in a novel devaluation task in rats." Her research confirms whether neural compensation between two prefrontal cortex regions occurs in a novel devaluation task developed by her research team that models goal-directed decision-making. "My research also aims to determine one way the compensation could occur to provide a more holistic view of how neural circuits dynamically change to respond to alterations in the environment and how this system is dysfunctional in neuropsychiatric conditions," Fisher said. Fisher's research can help provide reliable behavioral methods to predict and delay disease state onset in humans, leading to better functional outcomes in difficult to treat disorders like schizophrenia. Fisher's advisor is Charles Pickens, assistant professor of psychological sciences. Bawa received a $2,500 award to support her research. Her dissertation is "Altered metabolism in TRIM32-deficient tissues." Her research on the process of tissue and organ growth focuses on the expression of Drosophila TRIM32. Previous work with her research team found that loss of Drosophila TRIM32 is associated with smaller muscles with progressive tissue degeneration in patients with a type of muscular dystrophy. "It was assumed that this reduced cell size was a secondary consequence of muscle deterioration," Bawa said. "We made the surprising discovery that loss of TRIM32 reduces glycolytic flux, thus limiting the ability of cells to produce cellular building blocks required for growth." Bawa's research provides a better understanding of TRIM32 functions, which may lead to therapeutic interventions to either increase cell size in patients with mutations in TRIM32 or to limit the growth of cancers that overexpress TRIM32. Bawa's major professor is Erika Geisbrecht, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics. "I congratulate Ms. Fisher, Ms. Bawa and Mr. Galliart upon being named recipients of the University Distinguished Professors' Graduate Student Award," said Mary Beth Kirkham, president of the University Distinguished Professors Group. The university distinguished professors are pleased to support their outstanding research. We also appreciate the funding from the Office of the Vice President for Research, which makes the awards possible. The students' research not only advances knowledge but also recognizes Kansas State University for its excellent doctoral program." The awards are made possible through a combination of donations from individual university distinguished professors and support from the university's vice president for research. COMMENT | Why illicit trade, money laundering thriving during Covid-19 COMMENT | When the Covid-19 pandemic hit South Africa in March, the government responded with heavy-handed measures that included a prohibition on alcoholic drinks and tobacco. It was hoped that the strict restrictions would reduce violent crime, social gatherings for a weekend of binge-drinking, and health issues. While the ban made headway in reducing crime, with murder rates reported to have been reduced by 63 percent, it also partly backfired. Illicit trade of alcohol is now booming in the country as organised crime groups have pounced, smuggling in contraband products for a quick profit. The production of counterfeit alcohol has also increased, becoming a potential health threat. Before the pandemic hit, it was estimated that South Africa lost about US$3.8 billion (RM15.77 billion) to the illicit trade of alcohol annually. This year, the South African Treasury reported that it has already lost US$5.7 billion in alcohol and tobacco taxes in the first four months alone money badly needed to fight Covid-19. With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, plenty of goods have seen their demand spike since countries closed their borders and disrupted global supply chains. This has fuelled widespread illicit trade. This has led to another crime to blossom: trade-based money laundering. It is increasingly having a sizable impact on government revenues, as countries pour vast resources into fighting the pandemic. Covid-19 has brought many activities to a halt, but not crime. Illicit trade is thriving driven largely by the restrictions of legitimate products. As government expenditure increases to battle Covid-19, the duty and taxes they require badly are disappearing into the pockets of criminals. We need to take urgent action to resolve these issues. Criminal double trouble Illicit trade will continue to prosper as the pandemic continues to wipe out jobs. With less money to spend, more people will look for cheaper, illegal goods. Story continues Trade-based money laundering is powering it all, with many gaps for illicit traders to exploit. Invoices and trade documents can be falsified, quality and quantity of goods undeclared, and movement of these goods easily obscured. Front companies legitimate businesses used to disguise illegal financial activities are also easy covers for illegal distributions. Malaysia is no exception to the proceedings. Malaysias geographical position in addition to the economic troubles that have been brought about by Covid-19 makes it even more vulnerable to illegal trade. There are definite concerns over the porousness of borders that have been compromised by illegal syndicates determined to take advantage of growing demand. As the country faces its worst-ever economic recession since the 1990s, organised criminal groups would be on the lookout on how to further exploit the expected increase in demand for goods that are in short supply or have a hefty price differential due to differing excise taxes or regulations imposed, such as tobacco and alcohol products. Even with strict border lock-downs in place during the current recovery movement control order period which ends on Dec 31, illegal syndicates continue to eagerly stockpile their illicit inventory to meet demand, despite border and travel restrictions. This can only take place with a very organised and systemic mode of smuggling. The supremely high levels of contraband cigarette trading, which is estimated to exceed over 60 percent of the market or approximately 12 billion sticks a year, could only happen through large scale container shipment smuggled through key entry points, possibly aided through the system by unscrupulous elements. Illicit traders are extremely resourceful, making use of existing supply chains to move their goods. Many have reinvented themselves by harnessing e-commerce platforms as borders closed. In April, French police removed over 70 fraudulent websites claiming to sell Covid-19 treatments. In July, authorities in Europe took down Encrochat, an encrypted communications network used by criminals to distribute illicit goods and launder money. Given the sophisticated nature of their activities, addressing the problem will require a risk-based targeted approach to enforcement supported by strong policies. In this regard, it is pertinent that several industries have proposed greater containment of organised channels of smuggling in Malaysia, as an example the use of transshipment facilities through ports that have been abused for contraband smuggling. This policy proposal is worthy of consideration. Smuggling activities will lead to enormous economic implications. The World Economic Forum estimates that over US$2.2 trillion, or three percent of the global GDP, will be lost to the illicit trade in 2020. Malaysias reputation as an economy is also at risk, as it will fall under increasing scrutiny from foreign companies. Investors confidence will waver. Adapting to the fight To fight these ever-evolving threats, we need to adapt and find new ways of dealing with them. First, public and private sectors need to harness data analytics to fight trade-based money laundering. Just like how criminals are turning to technology, we must also use it to fight crime. With data analytics, authorities can compile and analyse trade documents from banks, exporters, and importers onto a single platform, to get a big picture of the trades that are actually being done. They can easily scrutinise customs information and bills of lading to see if any freight carriers had been previously associated with illegal activities, and flag them accordingly when they come to port. Second, we need closer public-private partnerships. Having regular dialogue and feedback sessions will allow trade associations and consortiums to share data or provide timely feedback on any new government policies or taxes being considered with the relevant law enforcement and government bodies. Doing so makes them more proactive rather than reactive in eradicating such crimes. The World Customs Organisation is an example of how governments, academics, and private organisations can come together to fight illicit trade. Another example can be seen in Crime Stoppers Asias collaboration with industry and law enforcement partners. We take in anonymous tips and analyse the information against various primary, third-party, and open-source data sources to generate an overview of criminal activity that can be pursued by our law enforcement partners. Despite a looming economic recession, authorities need to convince bargain-hunting online shoppers that procuring cheaper, banned or non-duty paid goods from the black market is not a victimless crime. The profits earned by organised criminal groups will likely fuel more serious crimes like drugs, weapons or human trafficking, and even terrorist networks. The pandemic may have expanded the criminal battle space, but these unprecedented times have also called for even more global collaboration and cooperation to address these threats. Our response will determine how successfully we can further curb the nexus of illegal trade and money laundering in the post Covid-19 world. RICHARD CARRICK is the CEO of Crime Stoppers Asia, an international non-profit organisation committed to supporting law enforcement and preventing crimes through anonymous reporting. The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini. I have been researching the history of Hamilton Place and am interested in finding the houses that were relocated from Gunbarrel Road, as one of them belonged to my grandparents, Obie and Roberta Johnson. I would appreciate any and all help that anyone can give me. Their address was 1913 Gunbarrel Road. It was between Igou Gap Road and Jarnigan Road. Myra Rasmussen billras46@bellsouth.net A clause in the UAE-Bahrain accords with Israel leaves door wide open to Jewish prayer at holy site, analysts say. A statement embedded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain normalisation agreements with Israel, brokered by the United States, may lead to the division of the Al-Aqsa compound because it violates the status quo, analysts say. According to a report by NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem (TJ), the statements mark a radical change in the status quo and have far-reaching and potentially explosive ramifications. Under the status quo affirmed in 1967, only Muslims can pray within al-Haram al-Sharif, also known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which consists of 14 hectares (35 acres). Non-Muslims can visit but cannot pray at the site. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed this status quo in a formal declaration in 2015. However, a clause included in the recent accords between Israel and Gulf Arab states indicates this may no longer be the case. According to the joint statement between the US, Israel, and the UAE released on August 13 by US President Donald Trump: As set forth in the Vision of Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalems other holy sites should remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths. But Israel defines Al-Aqsa as the structure of the one mosque, as does the statement, the TJ report clarified. According to Israel [and apparently to the United States], anything on the Mount that is not the structure of the mosque is defined as one of Jerusalems other holy sites and open to prayer by all including Jews, the report said. This choice of terminology is neither random nor a misstep, and cannot [be] seen as anything but an intentional albeit surreptitious attempt to leave the door wide open to Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, thereby radically changing the status quo. The same statement was repeated in the accord with Bahrain, announced on Friday. Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020 Khaled Zabarqa, a Palestinian lawyer specialising in Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem affairs, told Al Jazeera the statement very clearly says the mosque is not under Muslim sovereignty. When the UAE accepted such a clause, it agrees and gives a green light for Israeli sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque, Zabarqa said. Its a clear and massive violation for the international and legal status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque [conceived] after the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, which says everything inside the walls is under Jordanian custody. This is not innocent Palestinians have long been concerned over possible attempts to partition the holy mosque, as was the case with Hebrons Ibrahimi Mosque. Over the years, there has been a growing Temple Movement, mostly led by the extreme nationalistic religious Jewish right that seeks to change the status quo, the report by TJ said. Some call for Jewish prayer on the holy compound, while others aim to build the Third Temple over the ruins of the Dome of the Rock, which according to messianic belief would usher the coming of the messiah. The Israeli NGO Ir Amim has published numerous reports over the years warning of this once-fringe group, which today is part of the political and religious mainstream and benefits from close ties with Israeli authorities. These activists believe allowing Jewish prayer at the compound and dividing the holy site between Muslims and Jews would be a step towards asserting sovereignty, and eventually attaining their ultimate goal of building the temple. In recent years, an increasing number of Jewish visitors have been attempting to pray at the site in violation of the status quo. Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli attorney specialising in the geopolitics of Jerusalem, told Al Jazeera he is deeply concerned about what is happening. What were witnessing in Jerusalem is the ascendency of the religious factions that weaponise religion. Were on a trajectory that will lead us to a conflagration. We know these clauses are worked out together, every single word in a joint team of US and Israel. The transition from the term Haram al-Sharif to the term Al-Aqsa Mosque is not an accident, Seidemann said. Written with malice A more blatant statement was included in Trumps deal of the century plan for the Middle East, unveiled in late January alongside Netanyahu at the White House. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, has been the main point person on the proposal, and Ron Dermer, Israels ambassador to the US, has been linked to the wording of the deal. The plan stipulated the status quo at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif should be continued, but in the following sentence it also said: People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The clause was met with controversy, prompting US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman to walk it back at a press briefing on January 28. Theres nothing in the plan that would impose any alteration of the status quo thats not subject to agreement of all parties, he said. A senior US official familiar with both the parties and the issues told Al Jazeera he had no doubts that the language in the Israel-UAE statement was written with malice of forethought by the Israeli side, without a clear understanding from the Emirates, and with the complicity of a clueless American team. The rapid walk-back by Friedman of what was in the Trump plan attests to this: Dermer likely inserted it, Kushner didnt have a clue, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The fact that it was Friedman who walked it back, rather than the White House, also means the Trump plan language is still official and determining if push comes to shove Even if the Kushner-Friedman dolts understand the ramifications, it is clear they dont care. Eddie Vasquez, senior adviser and spokesperson at the US Department of State, in an email to Al Jazeera referred to a fact sheet published after the deal of the century was released, which said the status quo will be preserved. All Muslims are welcome to peacefully visit Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the points said. But there was no clarification as to why the term Al-Aqsa Mosque was used instead of Haram al-Sharif in the accords with the UAE and Bahrain. Israeli sovereignty over Al-Aqsa The normalisation agreements come as Israeli authorities recently installed loudspeakers on the eastern and western side of the Al-Aqsa compound last week, without the permission of the Waqf. The holy compound is administered by the Islamic Waqf, seated in Jordan. According to the status quo, Israel is only responsible for security outside of the gates. A clause embedded in the normalisation agreements marks a radical change in the status quo at the holy Al-Aqsa compound in occupied East Jerusalem, observers say [File: Mersiha Gadzo/Al Jazeera] The Israel police said its for security reasons, but we dont really see this security reason, Omar Kiswani, director of the Al-Aqsa compound, told Al Jazeera. We consider this action an attempt to impose control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque and to undermine the Waqfs role in the mosque, Kiswani said. Zabarqa said Jordan, as the custodian of the site, has no power to deal with the occupation [authorities]. I believe Jordan needs to make a change and make new allies such as with Turkey. It has to use the financial and diplomatic relations with Israel as a card to put pressure, but it seems its weak enough to stand beside the Americans, Zabarqa said. TJ noted in its report that there was no mention in the accord of the Waqf and its autonomous role. The Muslim claims to Haram al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa are being transformed from one of proprietorship to that of welcome guest with the right to visit and pray at Al-Aqsa, it said. A landmine Zabarqa said the clause is groundbreaking for the Israeli-American narrative and believes the UAE accepted to be the spearhead of it. Zabarqa noted in 2014 that the UAE was involved in the transfer of more than 30 buildings to illegal Israeli settlers in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem. This shows us the clear role the Emirates play in changing the status quo term to another one that recognises Israel sovereignty over Al-Aqsa, Zabarqa said. Seidemann said when the Emiratis and Bahrainis take part in the ceremony on Tuesday hosted by Trump at the White House to sign a historic declaration of peace with Israel, they should demand clarification to be assured the status quo is intact. All you would need is for Kushner and Netanyahu to say: I continue to believe what I said in 2015. Theyve been asked to do that for the last two weeks, they havent done that. This is not innocent, Seidemann said. This is a landmine the Trump administration and Netanyahu are leaving for the next administration, the next Israeli government. Theyre tinkering with Haram al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa/Temple Mount. It will light a fuse, Seidemann said. The fuse may be a long fuse, but it will blow up and its not too late to prevent it from blowing up. With reporting by Dareen Jubeh in occupied East Jerusalem COVID-19 has punctured plans for an inflatable waterpark next summer on the Welland Recreational Canal, says a report headed to city council Tuesday night. City staff will ask politicians to consider reissuing a request for proposals (RFP) to operate a facility on the north end of the waterway, at the Community Boathouse on Thorold Road. In May, PT Watersports was the only company that bid on running a waterpark in the Rose City, though five other companies picked up RFP documents. At the time at least one councillor wanted to delay awarding the contract, concerned over a lack of information when it came to liability insurance, security, the size and capacity of the park, and the number of lifeguards that would be working. Another councillor said there was a misconception the park would be free to city residents and wanted to see the park located at the Lincoln Street Docks. The idea of a waterpark has been floated since August 2019. Earlier this year two groups Pirate Ship Cove out of Jordan and Welland resident Derek Stonier of Splashtown Niagara approached the city about setting up in the former canal. Neither of those groups submitted a proposal and did not respond to the city when asked why. PT Watersports opened its first waterpark FunSplash Hamilton in June 2018 at Binbrook Conservation Area. It also operates St. Marys Quarry waterpark in St. Marys. Tuesdays report, by recreation and culture division manager Richard Dalton and fleet, equipment and purchasing manager Adam Beres, said PT Watersports has faced significant impacts due to COVID-19, including the closure of all its facilities this year. Due to this impact, PT Watersports have indicated they are not ready to proceed with the financial and operational commitment of entering a contract to open a new facility at this time, the report said. Westman residents were greeted with a blood-red sun on Monday as smoke from the wildfires on the United States Pacific coast reached the area. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/9/2020 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Westman residents were greeted with a blood-red sun on Monday as smoke from the wildfires on the United States Pacific coast reached the area. The smoke is too high to impair visibility or be smelled by people in Westman, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Sara Hoffman. "At this point in time, the smoke is all aloft and it's sort of trapped at that upper level," she said. "That's why you're seeing hazy skies but you're not necessarily smelling smoke." A cold front might enter the prairies on Tuesday, Hoffman said, and cause the smoke to sink closer to the ground. However, that's more likely to happen in Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan. "It's a little uncertain right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if late Tuesday into Tuesday evening, you start to smell a little bit of smoke as that cold front swings through," she said. If the cold front does reach Westman, people might start to notice the smell and those with pre-existing health conditions might want to be careful when going outside. Anyone concerned about air quality should keep an eye on the air quality index on the Environment Canada website. As of 9:45 a.m. Monday morning, the air quality was at one on the scale, the lowest possible and least dangerous rating. The Brandon Sun File image Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis dismissed speculations that the ruling NDA in Bihar may rope in Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut as one of its star campaigners for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Fadnavis also took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray, who has succeeded him as Maharashtra chief minister, saying that the Shiv Sena chief seemed to be "more interested in fighting Kangana than battling corona". "We need no other star campaigner as the NDA has, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the biggest star campaigner," Fadnavis, who has been appointed as the BJP's election in- charge in the state, told reporters here. He was responding to queries about reports in a section of the media that Ranaut, who is considered sympathetic towards the BJP, might canvass for the ruling coalition in Bihar in the assembly elections due in October- November. About Ranaut's spat with the Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra following the demolition of a part of her house in Mumbai by the municipal authorities, Fadnavis said, "Uddhav Thackeray needs to concentrate more on battling corona, by which the state has been the worst hit. But he seems to be more interested in settling scores with Kangana." Ranaut has been at loggerheads with the Shiv Sena government following her outburst over the death of Patna-born actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The governments of Maharashtra and Bihar had also engaged in a tug of war after the deceased actor's father K K Singh lodged a complaint at a Patna police station, accusing actress Rhea Chakraborty and others of cheating and abetting his son's suicide. The Maharashtra government supported Chakraborty's contention that Bihar had 'no jurisdiction' in the matter and took exception to the Nitish Kumar government recommending a CBI probe, which was later upheld by Supreme Court. Fadnavis, who has been touring Bihar since Friday, asserted that "there were no big or little brothers in the NDA" and that the JD(U), BJP and the LJP will contest the elections together and achieve a huge victory. He made the remark in response to queries about the acrimony between Janata Dal (United), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) which was founded by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and is now headed by his son Chirag Paswan. The BJP leader also paid rich tributes to former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying that he was an "ajeya yoddha" (unvanquished warrior). Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who recently resigned from the RJD, died at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Sunday. ICQPodcast - Hams Celebrate Healthcare Heroes In this episode, Martin M1MRB is joined by Leslie Butterfield G0CIB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU and Edmund Spicer M0MNG to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief and this episodes feature is Hams Celebrate Healthcare Heroes. ICQ AMATEUR/HAM RADIO PODCAST DONORS We would like to thank Scott McDonald (KA9P), Annemarie Nugent (EI9KW) and DAVID LEBLANC (KF7JAF) along with our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate News stories include: - ARRL Board elects new CEO Trans-Atlantic Opening on 144 MHz between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean FCC Proposes Charging Amateur Radio License Fees ISS 437.800 MHz Cross Band Repeater Activated Brazil Proposes End of All Amateur Radio Exams Six Metre Group AGM Goes Online Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary EURAO Party - Summer 2020: working on 80m and 40m bands The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com SAN FRANCISCOFalcon Studios Group has released The Chalet, its latest bareback feature, on DVD and for digital download. Steve Cruz directs the feature, starring Falcon exclusives Colton Reece, Skyy Knox and Josh Moore, with BelAmi exclusives Peter Annaud and Jim Durden, along with Pietro Duarte and Dmitry Osten. To see the AVN story about the debut scene from the movie, click here. Set in the Austrian Alps, The Chalet opens with Knox ending his day on the slopes with a scorching raw hook-up with ski instructor Annaud. Next, Reece meets Pietro Duarte in a village bar, and as soon as the bartender is away, he takes on Duarte. Then, a knock at the door from room service by Durden ends up with Moore and the young hunk hooking up. When Reece explores the town, he runs into a handsome couple, but only one of them is up for some fun as Reece hits it with Osten. Falcon Studios travels to the Austrian Alps to capture some beautiful location footage and some of the hottest sex from our exclusives paired with amazing European talent, including two scenes with BelAmi exclusives Peter Annaud and Jim Durden, Cruz said. We were all having an amazing time in production with our hosts at Haus Romeo resort when the announcement was made that the American crew must return home immediately before the travel ban went into effect. Basically a 48-hour warning. Luckily, we shot four terrific scenes and just completed our movie. Its a gorgeous romp through a land of breathtaking country, and men. Falcon Studios is excited to release the latest bareback full feature The Chalet. Award-winning director Steve Cruz captured one of the finest recent casts in mesmerizing sex set in a breathtaking location, said Tim Valenti, president of Falcon and NakedSword. This new movie has stunning Falcon exclusives, exceptional BelAmi exclusives and international studs. I know the fans will love it! For DVD retail and wholesale purchasing, email John Gunderson at [email protected]. For more information, including image assets and access to Falcon Studios Group Media FTP, email Toby J Morris at [email protected]. Thane: A 30-year-old man has been booked for allegedly harassing a woman school teacher and stalking her on social media, police said on Monday. The accused followed the 24-year-old woman on a social networking site. He later called up the victims mother demanding that the woman be married to him or else he would kidnap her and throw acid on her. The man also threatened the victims mother, they said. Fed up with the harassment call that the accused began around June last year, the woman filed a complaint with Kasarwadavli police on Sunday evening. Subsequently, the man was booked under IPC sections 354(D)(1)(2) (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Senior Police Inspector P D Tele said. No arrest has been made so far, police said adding that further probe in the matter was on. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) Congressmen from both the majority and the minority blocs are seeking a higher budget of up to 1 billion for the Office of the Vice President so its projects can reach more pandemic-hit Filipinos. Vice President Leni Robredo defended the budget herself before the House Committee on Appropriations on Monday, noting that while they try to "make do" with what they have, a bigger amount will help them expand the scope of their programs to assist different sectors. The OVP has requested a budget of 720 million for 2021, but the Department of Budget and Management has only approved 679 million under the National Expenditure Program. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez recommended a 10 percent-increase in the OVP budget, but Baguio City Rep. Mark Go and Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite noted that the budget should either be doubled or at least reach over 1 billion, as the approved 679 million would be "too meager" for their operations. "It would help us greatly if we are given more. That would mean we are able to serve more people and communities," Robredo said. Robredo's office takes the smallest slice of the 4.5 trillion national budget that is currently under congressional scrutiny. Her office's 2021 budget is even smaller than this year's 708.01 million. Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado pointed out that it is "ironic" for the OVP to have the smallest budget allocation "in the entire bureaucracy," while it still manages to earn the highest audit rating for two straight years. The OVP has been actively coordinating with the private sector to help address the COVID-19 pandemic over the past months. The OVP previously launched programs which rolled out personal protective equipment, free shuttle services, and dormitories for health workers. It also purchased coronavirus test and extraction kits which were delivered to various private and state laboratories. Robredo's office also recently launched the "Bayanihanapbuhay" platform to help Filipinos look for job opportunities online. For its second leg, they will launch within the week another initiative to provide opportunities for those from the micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs which earlier benefited from her anti-poverty program Angat Buhay. Lawmakers will still finalize the 2021 budget for the OVP during the plenary debates. CNN Philippines' Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. LANZHOU, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism shows that the number of tourists and total income of rural tourism in July and August have recovered to more than 90 percent of that of the same period in previous years. Traveling to city's suburban areas has become the first choice for people to go out and have fun under the current situation, according to the ministry. At a meeting on rural tourism held in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, Hu Heping, the minister of culture and tourism, said that the rural tourism revenue dropped 77.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, but the industry quickly recovered in the second quarter. From January to August, a total of 1.207 billion trips to rural areas were made across the country, with a total revenue of 592.5 billion yuan (about 86.7 billion U.S. dollars), data shows. About 94.5 percent of the business in rural tourism has returned to operation, hiring 10.61 million employees. In 2019, the total number of trips to rural areas in China was 3.09 billion, accounting for more than half of the total domestic trips, and the total revenue of rural tourism was 1.81 trillion yuan. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that the Trump administration will conduct a national security review of the sale of TikTok to Oracle, which won the bidding war for the video-sharing apps U.S. operations. ByteDance, TikToks Beijing-based parent company, has accepted an offer from Oracle, a tech firm based in California, to buy TikToks U.S. operations. The announcement comes just one day ahead of the deadline that President Trump set for ByteDance to unload TikToks U.S. operations or risk being blacklisted in America. The Chinese company rejected a joint buying offer from Microsoft and Walmart. Mnuchin told CNBC that the deal will undergo a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. as well as a national security review under the presidents executive order. We did get a proposal over the weekend that includes Oracle as the trusted technology partner, with Oracle making many representations for national security issues, Mnuchin said, adding that, theres also a commitment to create TikTok Global as a U.S.-headquartered company with 20,000 new jobs. We will be reviewing that at the CFIUS committee this week, and then, we will be making a recommendation to the president and reviewing it with him, the treasury secretary said. In early August, Trump issued an executive order requiring ByteDance to find an American buyer for TikTok by September 15, and if they fail to secure a purchaser, Trump said he would shut down the app in the U.S. effective September 20. There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States, Trump wrote in his executive order. Several Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Demers, the assistant attorney general of the National Security Division, have warned about national security threats posed by TikTok, saying the Chinese government could be collecting the data of Americans. Story continues A critical factor for us driving national security is making sure the technology on Americans phones is safe and making sure it is not corrupt, Mnuchin said. We have a lot of confidence in both Microsoft and Oracle. Theyve chosen Oracle. Well be reviewing it with their technical teams and our technical teams to see if they can make the representations we need. Microsoft released a statement on Sunday saying that ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks U.S. operations to Microsoft, and adding, we are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests. More from National Review The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha met on Monday for the Monsoon Session under unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the two Houses convening in separate shifts, and strict physical distancing being maintained. India's COVID-19 case tally crossed 48 lakh with 92,071 new infections being reported in a day, the Union health ministry said, adding that over 37.8 lakh people have recuperated so far, taking the national recovery rate to 78 percent on Monday. The total coronavirus caseload mounted to 48,46,427, while the toll climbed to 79,722, with 1,136 more people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has further dropped to 1.64 percent, the ministry said. The tally of total cases includes 9,86,598 active cases, and 37,80,107 people cured patients, the data stated. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 5,72,39,428 samples have been tested up to 13 September with 9,78,500 samples being tested on Sunday. The Johns Hopkins University, which has been compiling COVID-19 data from all over the world, put India in the number one position in terms of the number of recovered coronavirus patients at 37,80,107, followed by Brazil at 37,23,206 patients and the US at 24,51,406 patients. According to data, 19,625,959 people around the world have recovered from the coronavirus while the total number of COVID-19 cases across the world stands at 29,006,033, and the total number of deaths reported globally stands at 9,24,105. Meanwhile, health minister Harsh Vardhan said in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Centre's "timely decisions", including imposing a nationwide lockdown, helped in preventing at least 37,000 deaths and spared between 14 and 29 lakh people from being infected. Presenting his statement on the first day of the Parliament's Monsoon Session, which began amid stringent precautionary protocols, Vardhan also highlighted measures taken by the Centre to curb the spread of the pandemic. He added that in India, about 92 percent of the reported infected patients have mild symptoms, while oxygen therapy was required in 5.8 percent cases and intensive care in 1.7 percent cases. "I wish to inform this House that the government is taking all necessary measures to prevent spread of the COVID in India," he said, adding that he was "daily reviewing the situation." The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha met on Monday for the Monsoon Session under unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the two Houses convening in separate shifts, and strict physical distancing being maintained. Manish Sisodia tests COVID-19 positive Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said he tested positive for COVID-19 and has gone into self-isolation. PTI quoted sources as saying that over the past few days, he visited the official residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, met health minister Satyendra Jain and held meetings with education department officials. "Had got my COVID-19 test done after I had a mild fever. The report has come positive. I have gone into self-isolation. As of now, I have no fever or any other issue. I am fine. By your blessings, I will recover fully and return to work soon," Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi. Earlier in the day, the 48-year-old AAP leader did not attend the one-day session of the Delhi Assembly. "He (Sisodia) was regularly coming to the Delhi Secretariat and attending meetings with education department officials. They will be getting tested in the next couple of days," a source told PTI. Sisodia had also visited the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Tilak Nagar and Hari Nagar in the past few days, the report said. The report added that most employees posted at the chief minister and deputy chief minister's offices underwent COVID-19 tests at a temporary facility at the Delhi Assembly before the commencement of one-day special session. Meanwhile, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain asserted that the COVID-19 situation will soon be under control and people should not panic. He also claimed that the Delhi government was the "first in the world" to start home isolation of coronavirus patients. "The COVID-19 situation will be soon under control. We are testing more than 60,000 people every day. There is no need to panic, but people should be cautious and use face mask and follow other measures to prevent spread of the virus," Jain said while addressing a one-day session of the Delhi Assembly. "We learnt from wherever we could in the fight against coronavirus and maintained transparency. Delhi government was the first in the world to start home isolation. We started use of pulse oximeters. I want to clarify that the treatment of corona in government hospitals is in no way less better than in private hospitals." Gyms in the National Capital opened on Monday after a gap of five months. Thermal screening, limited entry, regular sanitisation of equipment are some of the precautions that are being followed by gym owners as they resume operations. In an order issued late on Sunday night, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said gymnasiums and yoga institutes were permitted to reopen, except in the containment zones, with immediate effect. State-wise deaths Of the 1,136 fresh deaths, 416 were reported from Maharashtra, 104 from Karnataka, 80 from Uttar Pradesh, 74 from Tamil Nadu, 68 from Punjab, 66 from Andhra Pradesh, 58 from West Bengal, 34 from Madhya Pradesh, 29 from Delhi, 19 from Haryana, 16 each from Assam and Chhattisgarh, 15 each from Puducherry, Rajasthan and Gujarat, 14 each from Kerala, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir and 13 each from Jharkhand and Telangana. Twelve fatalities were reported from Uttarakhand, 10 from Odisha, six from Tripura, four each from Goa and Himachal Pradesh, three from Sikkim while Chandigarh, Ladakh, Manipur and Meghalaya have registered one fatality each. Of the total 79,722 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 29,531, followed by 8,381 deaths in Tamil Nadu, 7,265 in Karnataka, 4,912 in Andhra Pradesh, 4,744 in Delhi, 4,429 in Uttar Pradesh, 3,945 in West Bengal, 3,210 in Gujarat and 2,356 in Punjab. So far, 1,762 people have died of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, 1,236 in Rajasthan, 975 in Haryana, 974 in Telangana, 878 in Jammu and Kashmir, 822 in Bihar, 626 in Odisha, 555 each in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, 469 in Assam, 439 in Kerala and 414 in Uttarakhand. Puducherry has registered 385 fatalities, Goa 290, Tripura 200, Chandigarh 93, Himachal Pradesh 77, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 51, Manipur 46, Ladakh 40, Meghalaya 26, Sikkim 14, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh 10, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two. The health ministry said more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. Ranchi, Sep 14 : A former Maoist guerrilla has been beaten to death in Jharkhand's Gumla district on Monday, the police said. According to the police, Sandeep Tirkey, 38, a resident of Tesera village in Gumla district, was brutally beaten up by the villagers. Sandeep was earlier an active member of banned Maoist outfit People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI). A scuffle had broken out between Tirkey and some village youth last Saturday over a mobile theft. On Sunday, Tirkey had reportedly thrashed one village boy and held him at gun point before the villagers intervened and pacified both sides. On Monday morning, more than 50 villagers surrounded Tirkey and thrashed him brutally. He died on the spot. The body has been sent for post-mortem. The police recovered one knife and nine axe from Sandeep's house. Netanyahu used doctored video of Abbas to influence Trump's policy, Woodward reveals By Haaretz September 13, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - According to excerpts from 'Rage' published by U.S. media, at a time when Trump was wondering if Israel was the obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, Netanyahu showed him a fake video to steer him away from pro-Palestinian sentiments Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a doctored video which showed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calling for the murder of children, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Bob Woodward in his new book "Rage". The incident occurred on May 22, 2017, at a time when Trump was beginning to have doubts about Netanyahu and wondering aloud if the Israeli prime minister might be the real obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, Woodward wrote, according to excerpts from the book published by U.S. media. A day after watching the "spliced-together" video intended to "counter any pro-Palestinian sentiments that were surfacing," Trump confronted Abbas, calling him a "murderer" and "liar," and shortly after ordered the closure of the Palestinian representative office in Washington and cut nearly all U.S. aid to the West Bank, Gaza and Palestinian refugees. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter On May 27, 2017, Haaretz covered reports of shouting during a meeting between Abbas and Trump, and was told by a top Palestinian figure that "there is a power struggle here for the president's ear and of course the Paletinians aren't in the best position." As described by the Jewish Insider, which obtained an advance copy of the book, Woodward portrays a strained relationship between Tillerson and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was tasked with resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Tillerson believed Netanyahu's relationship with Kushner, whose family he had known for many years, was "nauseating to watch." After Kushner had shown Tillerson several versions of the Middle East Peace Plan, Tillerson told Kushner that Palestinians "are not going to care about your money That's not going to buy you peace. Tillerson was sacked in March 2018 and was replaced by then CIA director Mike Pompeo. Bob Woodwards latest book, Rage is an intimate and damning account of Trump, drawing from hundreds of hours of interviews, including 18 interviews with Trump lasting nine hours, as well as correspondence and confidential documents. The book, slated to be published on September 15, provides details of the U.S. president and some of his top aides, and concludes with Woodwards assessment of Trump as "the wrong man for the job. A chunk of Greenland's largest remaining ice shelf - larger than the city of Paris - has broken off into the Arctic due to rapid climate change, according to scientists. Researchers working for the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) studied satellite images of the ice shelf taken over over the past three decades and say rising temperatures have led to increasing ice shelf disintegration. An estimated 42.3 square miles chunk of of ice broke off off the fjord called Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden into the far north-east Arctic in each of the past two years. Average temperatures in the region have increased by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1980 - with record summer temperatures recorded in 2019 and 2020. Greenpeace spokesperson, Laure Meller, described the findings as 'another alarm bell being rung by the climate crisis in a rapidly heating Arctic'. Researchers working for the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) studied satellite images of the ice shelf taken over the past seven years. Left is the shelf in 2013 and right is the same shelf this year This is an EU Copernicus Sentinel 2B satellite image from July 31, 2019 showing the pools and rivers of water (dark blue) on the surface of the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream extends 372 miles into the interior of the ice sheet - draining through Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden and Zachariae Glacier. The Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden shelf, also known as 79N, is 50 miles long and 12 miles wide - it has shattered into many small pieces as a result of a warming climate. 'We should be very concerned about what appears to be progressive disintegration at the Arctic's largest remaining ice shelf,' GEUS professor Jason Box said. At the leading edge, 79N splits in two, with a minor offshoot turning north - it is this offshoot - called Spalte Glacier - that has since disintegrated. 'If we see more warm summers like we observed the last two years, it will be contributing more to the accelerating global sea level rise,' Box said. The melting of Greenland's ice sheet contributed to a sea level rise of 0.4 inches between 1992 and 2018, researchers claim. Dr. Niels J. Korsgaard, researcher at GEUS, said when an ice shelf is reduced or collapses it makes the glaciers thin and their collapse accelerate. 'When you observe large parts of an ice shelf breaking off you do raise an eyebrow, but with current developments in the Arctic there is also the realisation that this is to be expected,' said Korsgaard. 'Temperatures in the Arctic are rising faster than the global average. More heat is available from air and ocean to melt away the bottom and surface of ice shelves, and the thinning ice shelves are more susceptible to breaking up. 'We saw this with Zachariae Glacier, this summer with Milne Ice Shelf in Canada, and now Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier is losing parts of its ice shelf as well.' Ruth Mottram, from the Danish Meteorological Institute in Copenhagen, said, 'again this year, the ice sheet has lost more ice than has been added in the form of snow.' The red area in the optical satellite image shows the ice lost the past two years from the part of the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier called Spalte Glacier that calves into Djimphna Sund Disintegration at the northern tributary of the Arctic's largest remaining ice shelf showing disintegration at the Spalte glacier, northern tributary to the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier with minor advance elsewhere 'If we had seen this meltdown 30 years ago, we would have called it extreme. So in recent years, we have become accustomed to a high meltdown.' She said ice loss at levels once regarded as extreme and at the 'high end of worst case scenario predictions' are now becoming normal. A study from August found that ice loss in Greenland during an extra-warm 2019 would have been enough to cover California in more than four feet of water. Dr Anne Solgaard, from GEUS, was part of the team that used satellite images to determine that speed of disintegration of the ice shelf and related glaciers. 'Using almost 30 years of satellite data, we see speed up in the glacier flow over the past decade,' said Solgaard. 'It is not only near the current disintegration, but we measure acceleration upstream where the ice begins to float, indicating a large-scale change to this huge glacier.' SaudiArabia has sentenced eight people convicted in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case. SaudiArabia has sentenced eight people convicted in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case. A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced eight people convicted in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case. The Saudi journalist was killed in the Kingdoms consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The public prosecution said five people received 20-year prison sentences, one was jailed for 10 years and another two were jailed for seven years. Nvidias planned purchase of UK-based Arm gives US firm serious sway in an industry crucial to global tech supremacy. Nvidia Corps $40bn acquisition of chip designer Arm is set to catapult it into the fray of geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington, analysts and lawyers said. Arms blueprints for powering chipsets are a critical component for many Chinese smartphone makers and AI firms and China is expected to take a dim view of an American company having so much sway in an industry it has prioritised in its battle for tech supremacy with the United States. Anything that creates more concentration in the industry to the benefit of a US company, I would think thats not aligned with what China wants, said Art Dicker, director at Shanghai-based R&P China Lawyers. Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation, which has to give the go-ahead for the deal alongside other regulators globally, did not respond to a request for comment. Shares of Nvidia rose 7.6 percent on Monday following the announcement. Stewart Randall, who tracks Chinas chip sector at Shanghai-based consultancy Intralink, said that the acquisition, one of the largest semiconductor takeovers ever, will prompt many Chinese chipmakers to look for and develop alternatives to Arm, which is being sold by Japans SoftBank Group Corp. However, while a handful of options exist such as other open-source technologies RISC-V and MIPS, most cannot currently compete with Arms mature ecosystem, tech experts said. If this needs Chinese government regulatory approval, I can't see it getting it unless they get something big in return. Stewart Randall, Intralink An executive from one Chinese startup said it had been looking at moving away from Arm for some time but considered it too much trouble. Now, he said, they plan to accelerate efforts. Meanwhile, Arms ownership by an American company also raises the possibility that Washington could place restrictions on its business in China, industry experts said. The chief executives of Nvidia and Arm told Reuters in an interview that Nvidia will retain Arms United Kingdom headquarters which exempt it from many US export control laws and open licensing model. The UKs government will scrutinise the deal, including what it might mean for the companys headquarters in England, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. Chinese companies including Alibaba and Huawei are members of the RISC-V foundation, an open-source project that originated at the University of California, Berkeley and which many experts see as a potential beneficiary of any retreat from Arm. Chinas government has also been pouring money into its domestic chip sector in hopes of fostering companies that can rival giants from the US, South Korea and Japan. Beijing helped close a 204 billion yuan ($28.9bn) fund last year to finance semiconductor companies, after raising a nearly 140 billion yuan ($20.6bn) fund in 2014. Clients and complications A key supplier to Apple, Arm does not make chips but licenses an instruction set architecture the most fundamental intellectual property underpinning computing chips. According to the companys most recent public filing before it was acquired by SoftBank in 2016, it generated about one-fifth of its revenue from China, where semiconductor startups have mushroomed in recent years. First as a publicly traded British company and then as a unit of Japans SoftBank, Arms ownership was not an issue for China. Huaweis Hisilicon chip unit used Arm designs to build its Kirin chips before Washingtons trade restrictions on the Chinese company crippled the division, while Unisoc, a chipmaker owned by Chinas state-backed tech conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup, counts on the companys blueprints. They are used too by more specialised firms such as Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co Ltd, which makes chips for the internet of things, and Horizon Robotics, a Beijing-based startup maker of automotive chips valued at $3bn in early 2019. The two companies did not respond to a request for comment. Smartphone brands such as Oppo and Xiaomi Corp indirectly rely on Arm as buyers of chips based on its designs made by Qualcomm and MediaTek. Both companies declined to comment. Further complicating the deal is a corporate dispute between Allen Wu, CEO of Arms China JV, and the units parent company. In June this year, Arm issued a statement saying that Wu had stepped down from his role, while Arm China has said Wu retains his position. Arm and Nvidia said they are confident the dispute will be resolved quickly and will not interfere with the acquisition. Arm China declined to comment on the implications of the acquisition on its business. Some analysts saw Beijing using the uncertain status of Wus control of the JV as leverage as it mulls approving the deal, perhaps pushing for a spinoff. The deal would include 47 percent of Arm China, but what does that mean anymore? said Intralinks Randall. If this needs Chinese government regulatory approval, I cant see it getting it unless they get something big in return. WASHINGTON Arizona had the highest rate of housing loss in the nation, according to a new national study, and that was before what experts called a tsunami of evictions that is expected to hit this fall. The report by New America Foundation looked at evictions and foreclosures by county across the country and found Arizona was first for overall housing loss and second for evictions from 2014-2016. The state was third for foreclosures from 2014-2018. Displaced in America also included an in-depth look at Maricopa County, which experienced a total housing loss rate of 4.5% from 2014-2018, more than double the national average during the period. The trends behind those numbers do not bode well for this fall, experts said, when economic problems from the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to lead to more housing losses. From looking at the past these patterns that we saw in this report some of the drivers of housing loss really are amplified by the current pandemic said Patricia Solis, an Arizona State University geography professor and executive director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience, which partnered with New America. Harsh Vardhan New Delhi: A Covid-19 vaccine is likely to be available by early next year and the government is considering its emergency authorisation for high-risk settings, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan said, asserting he will take the first dosage if there is any concern over its safety. According to a Health Ministry statement, he said while no date has been fixed for the launch of a vaccine, it may be ready by the first quarter of 2021, and made available first to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity. Advertisement Harsh VardhanThe minister made these remarks during interaction with his social media followers on the Sunday Samvad platform. He covered a multitude of queries concerning not only the current Covid-19 situation, but also the government's approach to it, the changes expected in the post Covid world and the steps taken by the Modi dispensation. Vardhan stated the government is taking full precautions in human trials of vaccines and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 under the Chairmanship of Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, is drawing up a detailed strategy on how to immunize the majority of the population. Advertisement Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines etc., are also been discussed intensely," he stated. Covid-19 vaccineFurther, he said the government is considering emergency authorization of Covid-19 vaccination especially for senior citizens and people working in high-risk settings. To allay any fear regarding the safety aspect of vaccines, he said he would be happy to take the first dosage if people have a trust deficit. Advertisement The Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Council of Medical Research have been proactive in responding to the emerging situation, he said. The minister, however, also noted that a safe and effective vaccine will help in establishing immunity to Covid-19 at a much faster pace as compared to the natural infection, the statement said. Covid-19 vaccine Advertisement Vardhan highlighted how the pandemic became a turning point for Indian manufacturing. From the time when there were no indigenous manufacturers of PPEs with requisite standards, now there are nearly 110 indigenous manufacturers of PPE with requisite standards. The country is in a position to not only meet its own demands but also export to help out fellow nations, Vardhan said. Vardhan said the government has directed all states and UTs to fix a reasonable price for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals for making it affordable for the common man. Free coverage up to Rs 5 lakhs for Covid-19 patients for those who are eligible under the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY package was announced, the statement said. CoronavirusHe added that the Central government has also asked states and UTs to proactively engage with the private sector health providers and consider pooling in public and private healthcare facilities, as this will help in providing prompt, good quality and reasonable health care to Covid-19 patients. He has himself appealed to the private hospitals to refrain from overcharging Covid patients, the statement stated. 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 likely to make statement in Parliament today over India-China standoff India pti-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 14: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Parliamentary sources said. The statement would assume significance in the backdrop of demands made by the Opposition for a debate on the issue. Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow recently. After meeting with Rajnath, 3 service chiefs, CDS Rawat appears before Standing Committee on Defence External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had also met in Moscow a few days ago. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs are also likely to meet over video conferencing on Tuesday afternoon, government sources said. During the monsoon session, which began on Monday, the opposition is seeking to corner the government on its handling of the standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the COVID-19 situation, economic downturn and unemployment, and is pressing for discussions on these issues. Sushant Singh Rajput drug probe: 3 accused in NCB custody till Sep 16 The Congress and other opposition parties raised these demands in the first business advisory committee (BAC) meeting for Lok Sabha chaired by Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, but no time has been allocated yet for these discussions. The BAC for Lok Sabha will be held again on Tuesday afternoon to further discuss the first week's business schedule. Similar demands have been raised by the Congress in the BAC for Rajya Sabha as well. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is urging congressional and administration leaders to return to the negotiating table and pass a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package. American cities continue to face devastating budget shortfalls as a direct result of the pandemic. Today USCM President Louisville (KY) Mayor Greg Fischer, USCM Vice President Dayton (OH) Mayor Nan Whaley, and USCM Second Vice President Miami (FL) Mayor Francis Suarez issued the following statement: "Do not give up. Our leaders must not accept failure and allow the recovery to falter. While Congress went away for August, America's challenges from COVID-19 did not. So many are counting on further action by Congress, not the least of which are the millions who live in American cities. "Cities have largely been left behind in Washington's response to this crisis, and the fiscal situation for local governments everywhere continues to deteriorate. The cost of inaction is being paid by residents everywhere who are left with reduced services at a time when they are needed most, and has resulted in increased unemployment rolls, as public employees who provide these services are laid off. Cities are drivers of our economy, and we cannot have a strong recovery without strong cities. Mayors everywhere, in big cities and small, are urging Congress and the White House to come together to meet this critical moment in history." About the United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors , or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors . SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors Related Links www.usmayors.org live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Bharti Airtel share price gained a percent at open on September 14 after Moody's Investors Service on September 11 revised Bharti Airtel's credit outlook rating to stable from negative. The research firm revised the rating on account of easing of competition in the telecom sector, increase in 4G customer base and mobile services rates from December. It also considered options given to the company to make payment of pending adjusted gross revenue in installments while revising the outlook. "Moody's Investors Service has affirmed Bharti Airtel Ba1 corporate family rating and senior unsecured rating as well as the backed senior unsecured notes issued by Bharti's subsidiary, Bharti Airtel Int'l (Netherlands) B.V. At the same time, Moody's has changed the rating outlook to stable from negative," Moody's said in a statement. Credit rating indicates ability of a company to pay back debt. The stock price was trading at Rs 491.40, down Rs 0.25, or 0.05 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 498.00 and an intraday low of Rs 491.25. "The ratings affirmation and change in outlook to stable reflect improving profitability at Bharti's core Indian mobile business, because of a moderation in industry competition, an increase in its 4G customer base, and a tariff hike from December 2019," Moody's Senior Vice President Annalisa DiChiara said. Just at the moment, at a time of plague, it might be appropriate to consider what's possible in the Melbourne theatre when and if it ever opens again. Well, of course the theatres will open, but what do we want from them, when they do? My hunch is that there was fairly widespread dissatisfaction with the theatre we've had, and no doubt it was ever thus. As part of the great English language imperium, Australians are forever comparing the theatre we have with what we've seen overseas or are familiar with from film and television. And this is further complicated by the fact that Australian cultural life is dominated by Sydney and Melbourne, and one consequence of this is that we have never had a national theatre in the way we have had the Sydney-based Opera Australia and the Melbourne-based Australian Ballet. Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale starred in Euripides Medea, directed by Simon Stone, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Like Robyn Nevin, I wish we did. Id like to see a nominally Canberra-based company operating continuously, from the national capital at first, which performed drama, ancient and modern, classic and contemporary, with repertory ensembles in both Melbourne and Sydney. Sometimes the Sydney Theatre Company looked like a substitute for this, with Cate Blanchetts A Streetcar Named Desire touring to New York. Similarly, Geoffrey Rushs Exit The King, for which he went on to win a Tony award in New York, began here in Melbourne, directed by his friend Neil Armfield at The Malthouse. But its a sad fact that we havent seen some of the greatest Australian actors working here in Melbourne very often. Think of how in the 1950s Robert Helpmann toured in Shakespeare with his friend Katharine Hepburn. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The letter bomb which went off in the Congress party seeking introspection on a democratically-elected leadership to chart the future course, had also echoed in partys UP chapter quite prominently. UP is being looked after by Gandhi family scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra since 2019. There have been rumblings among the senior ranks against the state leadership ever since Priyanka set up her team last year. Ten senior Congressmen in Uttar Pradesh were expelled last year when they came out openly against team Priyanka and the appointment of Ajay Kumar Lallu as partys state unit chief where they did not find any place. However, in a recent mega reshuffle by the party high command, the UP netas got positions of prominence in various panels while the partys national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was elevated as the only in-charge of the party in the state. Appointed in January 2019, Priyanka Gandhi started as the general secretary and was looking after as in-charge of only eastern UP. The prominent among those who made it to various central responsibilities in the party include former MP Jitin Prasada who was reappointed as West Bengal in-charge. The state is due to go to poll in 2021. Prasada, one among 23 dissenters who had shot off the letter to party high command, has also been given the responsibility of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While Prasada thanked party leadership for reposing faith in him and pledged his commitment towards the new responsibilities, there were murmurs that he would continue to remain active in UP with his pro-Brahmin campaign. The other prominent faces from UP to be elevated included PL Punia and RPN Singh who have helmed party affairs in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, respectively. Even a party loyalist and former MP from Varanasi Rajesh Mishra was inducted into central election authority which will work directly under party president Sonia Gandhi and undertake crucial organisational elections and membership drives for the party. The authority is being led by Madhusudan Mistry. Mishra had refused the advisory role given to him by Priyanka while reconstituting her executive team UP last year. Veteran politician and former Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tewari was inducted as a permanent invitee to the All India Congress Committee. A crucial voice in UP, Tewari is expected to work closely with Priyanka Gandhi. Similarly, a prominent Congress face from Aligarh Vivek Bansal -- was appointed Haryana in-charge. Earlier, he served as secretary in-charge in Rajasthan. Congress leader with UP connection Rajiv Shukla was made the in-charge of Himachal Pradesh. However, former UPCC chief Raj Babbar, who had also signed the letter of dissent, failed to make it to any panel and has been ignored by the leadership. Babbar had resigned after the partys miserable decimation in the 2019 general elections. Congress could retain only one Lok Sabha seat Rae Bareli-- in the state in the 2019 general elections. It has emerged that Beijing would rather see TikTok close down in the U.S. as opposing having to complete a forced sale. As reported by CNBC, sources close to both parties have revealed the intentions of the Chinese government. For a couple of weeks news of the sale of TikTok has gone comparatively quiet. Trump has sowed doubt about the deadline meaning that although TikTok is in talks about a sale the deadline may not get extended. One of the parties interesting in buying TikTok is Microsoft. They have been in talks for a number of weeks now. However, it looks like the Chinese government wants to block any deal involving Microsoft. Advertisement It now looks like Microsoft itself may not be the problem. Beijing seems intent to stop any sort of forced sale of TikTok. Chinese government against the sale of TikTok The main reason for opposing any sort of forced sale is the appearance that would give off. Reportedly, Chinese officials believe giving into a forced sale would make them look weak to the west. However, ByteDance has made a statement on the topic that does not quite corroborate this view. The company said that the Chinese government had never suggested that it should shut down. Advertisement Things are a fair bit more complex than this simple binary selection but from ByteDances perspective, they see little opposition to a sale. However, we do know that the Chinese government has looked to use revisions it made to a technology exports list to delay the sale of TikTok. Chinas State Council Information Office and its foreign and commerce ministries were approached for comment on the matter. However, they did not immediately respond. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, however, has said that the U.S. has abused the concept of national security. He urged the Trump administration to stop oppressing foreign companies. Advertisement As things stand the deal to sell TikTok may look quite complex in order to get around the Chinese regulations. Potentially the sale would not involve key algorithms to get around the regulations. These algorithms are now on a list of technologies that will need Chinese government approval before they are exported. This new list came into force very recently although the Chinese government said it did not change the regulations to target specific companies. How any sort of agreement or deal gets resolved in this situation is beginning to look more and more unlikely. Hopefully, for TikTok users, something does get sorted but with all the complications currently flying around it is difficult to get your hopes up. A gunman killed two people and wounded three others in a series of shootings and carjackings in Tennessee that ended with a high-speed chase as he fled police before shooting himself dead in front of a pregnant hostage on Sunday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said in a press release that the deadly rampage began at 9.30am along Interstate 24 near Beechgrove when Dangelo Dorsey, 29, opened fire inside a moving vehicle, killing one person and wounding another. Dorsey, of St. Louis, Missouri, got out of the vehicle as traffic came to a halt on the interstate, shooting a driver in the hand as he attempted to carjack her vehicle, and shooting a nearby truck driver in the face, Rausch said. Scroll down for video Officials in Tennessee say crime spree suspect Dangelo Dorsey (left) killed two people, including Jordan Stevens, 23, who was shot dead in front of his pregnant wife (right) The deadly rampage began on Sunday morning along Interstate 24 near Beechgrove, Tennessee, Dorsey then rear-ended a Ford Mustang carrying a husband and wife. Believing it was just a fender-bender, the car stopped and Dorsey jumped in, forcing the couple to drive him to their home in Morrison, Rausch said, according to WKRN. While there, Dorsey allegedly stole two of their guns, swapped vehicles and forced the married couple to go with him. At some point, authorities said, Dorsey fatally shot the man in front of his pregnant wife and forced his body out of the Toyota Rav4 along I-24 near Manchester, then drove off with the woman still inside the car. Officials then located the SUV and a chase ensued, reaching speeds over 100mph. The SUV ultimately crashed and flipped, Rausch said. 'At that point, Dorsey took his own life,' Rausch stated. 'The female hostage was safely recovered.' Tennessee Bureau of Investigations says Dorsey carjacked the Stevens couple and forced them to take him to their home, where he stole their guns and swapped vehicles Aileen, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, was forced into the SUV along with her husband, who was later shot dead and thrown from the vehicle On Monday, authorities identified the two men killed as Darcey Johnson, 28, and Phillip Jordan Stevens, 23. Johnson, from St Louis, was killed in the initial shooting on Interstate 24 and Stevens was killed after being taken hostage alongside his wife, Aileen Stevens, who is expecting the couple's first child. Dorsey shot himself dead after the vehicle he and Aileen Stevens were in crashed and flipped over during a high-speed chase Stevens' mother told WTVC her son and daughter-in-law were on their way to church when they were carjacked and taken hostage. According to Michelle Stevens, Jordan begged Dorsey to spare his wife and their unborn baby and take him instead. 'I want everyone to know Jordan died a hero,' the mother added. Michelle Stevens also said that her daughter-in-law and their baby, a girl, are expected to be fine. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to provide financial support for the Stevens family. 'I want to extend our deepest sympathies to the innocent lives that have been impacted by today's set of events,' Rausch stated. He added that Dorsey had no adult arrest record in Tennessee but had a lengthy criminal history in Missouri. At the time of the deadly crime spree, there were no outstanding warrants for his arrest. A week after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) inspected the bungalow of fashion designer Manish Malhotra actor Kangana Ranauts neighbour at Bandras Pali Hill over alleged structural violations, the civic body on Monday clarified that while it has prepared a notice related to the alterations, it has not served it yet. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called BMCs approach towards illegal structures selective , stating that structural violations at Ranauts office were demolished within 24 hours. The notice generated by BMC (a copy of which is with HT), names Malhotra under section 351 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act. The notice states illegal construction/commencement of work and mentions four violations contrary to the section 342 and 346 of the MMC Act. It mentions that there is unauthorised change of user from residential to commercial office and addition and alteration by way of constructing partitions/cabins on the first floor; unauthorised construction of structure with brick wall and shed with sheet roof on the second floor terrace. The notice asks Malhotra to show sufficient evidence for the construction and alterations, failing which, the said work will be pulled down and BMC could take action against him under section 475A of the MMC Act, which includes punishment of imprisonment and fine. Vinayak Vispute, additional municipal commissioner, H-West ward, which covers Bandra, said, We have not issued any notice to Malhotra yet. There is no question of demolition of any illegal construction at his house yet. There is some construction adjoining bungalows of both Ranaut and Malhotra. However, Ranauts matter is in court, and we do not want to exercise any contempt of court. Malhotras spokesperson was not available for a comment. Ranaut was issued a notice under section 354 (A) of the MMC Act by BMC on September 8, giving her 24 hours to explain the alleged illegal construction or face action. The next day, BMC went ahead with the demolition, citing that her explanation was not satisfactory. Ranaut then approached the court, which put a stay on the matter till further hearing. The actor has been involved in a bitter war of words with Maharashtras ruling party Shiv Sena, which also controls BMC, after she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). BJP corporator Vinod Mishra said, Why has the BMC not served the notice for illegalities despite generating it? It is clear that the notice and the subsequent demolition at Ranauts house was an act of revenge by singling her out. After a prolonged phase of playing cat and mouse, India and China last Friday declared a truce and the promise to end the brinkmanship. The obvious question is whether this promise will hold. To be honest the odds are stacked against it. To be sure both sides have checked all the key boxes guaranteeing truce. The joint statement issued by both countries and inked by foreign ministers S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi categorically states the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side," before adding, the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions." However, the Chinese history of perfidy, double-speak and relentless pursuit of Middle Kingdom status (or the centre of civilization) suggest otherwise. Making matters worse, China is gradually losing the perception battle. Further, given the asymmetry between the two countries, Indias chutzpah against an economic and military giant must be hugely frustrating to its Northern neighbour. Worse it is denting the tough guy image that Chinese President Xi Jinping has so assiduously cultivated; a win, even a pyrrhic one, will be helpful to sell domestically. At the same time the weather clock is running down and maintaining a forward post in inclement weather where temperatures drop to -40C is a daunting task for any army. And on the other side an emboldened India is equally committed to holding its own in protecting its borders. It has been careful to calibrate its defensive responses to Chinese aggression, even while it has worked the diplomatic phone lines to tap into growing global disaffection toward China. While the United States has already signalled this in no uncertain terms, what should worry China is that Europe, which at one time was economically dependent on China, has formally pivoted toward India and Australia. Last week Germany joined Francethe presence of its defence minister, albeit for the induction of the first batch of Rafael fighter aircraft into the Indian Air Force, is in itself a very significant diplomatic statement; the optics will not be lost on Chinato bolster this realignment. It is not that these countries are underwriting any future conflict, but the fact that they are in Indias corner must be worrying to China. Adding to this is the fact that the situation on the ground in Ladakh is potentially explosive. On a razors edge as it were. With battle-ready troops, who have already had a few run-ins including the bloody confrontation in Galwan valley leading to fatalities on either side (though the Chinese have not officially admitted to losing personnel), ranged mere metres from each other, anything could trigger a violent conflict. Ideally, wiser heads on both sides need to prevail. The opportunity cost of the current face-off is already apparent. China has all but lost a potentially lucrative market for its goods; and by burning bridges with India it has buried the powerful idea of an Asian Century. Worse it is in the middle of a global PR battle for its failure to alert and contain the spread of the deadly covid-19 virus which originated in Wuhan, China. Really not the best time to make more enemies. On the other hand India, which is battling the worst contraction in its economy due to covid-19 induced lockdowns, has had to divert precious mind space and resources toward bolstering its troops along the border. Also playing at the back of its mind is the risk of a two-front battleinvolving Pakistan on the western borderif the situation does worsen. Hopefully this situation may never arise. But at the least the two Asian majors have formally declared each other as rivals. India needs to assume that it will be at the receiving end of Chinese aggressionovertly and covertly. What next? China, desperate to understand a new India, should probably read-up V.S. Naipauls India: A Wounded Civilisation. Though written years ago it holds a light to a rapidly transforming India. The crisis of India is not only political or economic," Naipaul wrote, The larger crisis is of a wounded old civilisation that has at last become aware of its inadequacies." Anil Padmanabhan is managing editor of Mint and writes every week on the intersection of politics and economics. Comments are welcome at anil.p@livemint.com Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Parents wait outside a school in Tongliao, in northern China's Inner Mongolia region on September 10, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images) Inner Mongolia to Withhold Bank Loans, Social Security for Parents of Students Boycotting New School Policy Faced with angry protests and school boycotts for three straight weeks, authorities in Inner Mongolia are trying a new tactic to pressure locals into complying with a proposal to limit Mongolian language teaching: by threatening to withhold eligibility for job awards, bank loans, and social security payments. Since late August, ethnic Mongolians in Inner Mongolia have protested in front of local government offices or schools to oppose a new policy requiring classes in primary and middle schools to be taught in Mandarin Chinese and use standardized Chinese-language textbooks. Ethnic Mongolians have a distinct language and culture from the Han Chinese ethnic majority who speak Mandarin. The Epoch Times also obtained more internal government documents showing authorities plans to suppress local protests and utilize united front groups to promote the policy. Threats Lianchao Han, a Chinese human rights lawyer who is currently a visiting fellow at U.S. think tank Hudson Institute, posted on his Twitter account a document issued by the Abag Banner government in Xilingol League, which detailed eight rules regarding the new policy. A banner is a county-level city in Inner Mongolia. Parents wait outside a school in Tongliao, in northern Chinas Inner Mongolia region on September 10, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images) Since the language policy was announced in late August, thousands of students have walked out of classrooms in protest and refused to return. In the document, which Han obtained from sources in China, the banner government told all township governments in the banner to ensure that at least 70 percent of primary and middle students are in school by inspection time, 5 p.m. on Sept. 14. Class schedules in China typically run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 90 percent of students should be in school by 5 p.m. the following day. And 100 percent of students must be in school by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. For the townships with the smallest proportion of students returning to school, the local mayors would be dismissed from their office. Other officials in the township government would face different kinds of punishment. The document did not provide details. For teachers of classes in each grade with the small proportion of returning students, the instructors would not be eligible for any awards in the three years, nor salary increases. For high school students who dont return to school by Sept. 16, the school should expel them immediately, the document stated. For primary or middle school students who dont return to school by Sept. 16, the school should count them as suspected dropouts, and file lawsuits against these students parents or guardians, it added. For those parents who are contractor employees of government organs, they will be dismissed. Banks must stop approving any loans to them, and their social security payments must be terminated. Furthermore, all government officials and staff members are forbidden from disclosing Chinese-language-education-related internal notices or documents to third parties. Otherwise, they would be detained and punished by law enforcement, according to the document. Chinese netizens shared similar instructions released by the Hure Banner government in Tongliao city, Hexigten Banner government in Chifeng city, and the West Ujimqin Banner government and Sonid Right Banner in Xilingol League. These documents first were posted by Chinese netizens from Inner Mongolia, and quickly shared on Twitter by overseas Chinese before they were removed by Chinese censors. Systematic Control The Epoch Times obtained an internal notice issued by the Alxa Left Banner government in Alxa League on Aug. 30, which stated the government will set up a special team to respond to local petitioners who opposed the language policy. In China, petitioners seek an audience with officials to resolve their grievances. An internal government document identifying two people who went to petition against the Chinese language education policy in Alxa Left Banner, northern Chinas Inner Mongolia, on Aug. 31, 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times) On Aug. 31, the banner government issued another document in which it listed the petitioners names, IDs, and phone numbers. The document required that local officials educate the petitioners and inform the government leaders where the petitioners are from. Other internal documents, dated Sept. 1 to Sept. 4, showed that officials in different banner governments visited local Tibetan Buddhist temples to ask lamas and monks to support the education policy. Most Mongols practice Tibetan Buddhism. Authorities will also organize meetings with members of the local United Fronta government organ tasked with persuading citizens to support the Chinese regimes policiesto promote the policy. Farmers are in the process of organising live interactive tours and educational demonstrations for this weekend's virtual Open Farm Sunday. Food and biodiversity will be at the heart of the two-day virtual event, to commence this weekend - 19 and 20 September. It follows the first virtual Leaf Online Farm Sunday (LOFS) held in June to mark the original date of farmings annual open day. Organisers Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) said farmers can take part through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #LOFS20. It said the pandemic had highlighted the value of food as well as the countryside, all in which farmers played a 'fundamental role' in. The focus on Saturday's event is nutritious food, seasonal recipes and cookery demonstrations. For Sunday, farmers across Britain are invited to virtually open their farm gates and show the public how their food is produced. Farmers will also be encouraged to go live on Facebook, send in videos and share photographs about their wildlife and biodiversity highlights. Annabel Shackleton, LEAF Open Farm Sunday Manager, said the virtual events will tell the stories of British farming to the public. It is not the event we had originally planned for 2020, but in fact both of our virtual events in June and in September - provide an opportunity to involve more farmers. "These could be farmers who may not have been able to host a LEAF Open Farm Sunday event, but who can dip their toe in this year with as little as one photo or a self-made video on their social channels. "What we want to show is a really rich and diverse kaleidoscope of farming stories from the people who can tell them best, Ms Shackleton said. Tips for self-filming Some top tips for self-filming highlighted in a recent LOFS host farmer meeting include: Go live if you are confident. 82% of viewers would rather watch a live video. Or take a photo or video that morning and post it the same day. When filming, keep things fun and light-hearted where you can Make sure you have a good backdrop cow? Combine? Woods? If you have a particular message you want to get across say things three times in three different ways to help the audience absorb it Authenticity is key do not edit videos too much the public like the raw material Use visual content be prepared with props Always film with your phone in landscape (not portrait) Use #LOFS20 on social media, and tag @OpenFarmSunday Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14 2020 The government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Indonesia launched on Thursday an US$18 million project to provide solar power systems to rural communities in four provinces across the country. The project, called ACCESS Project, will install 23 communal solar power systems with a total power of 1.2 megawatts (MW) in 23 villages in West Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Central Kalimantan by 2023. The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Indonesia, which handles South Koreas official development assistance, has agreed to fund the project with a grant. Sophie Kemkhadze, the deputy resident representative of UNDP Indonesia, said in a virtual talk on Thursday that the project would contribute to the achievement of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as it entered the final decade of meeting the goals. So, ACCESS Project is a beacon of important contribution to SDGs for both Indonesia and Timor Leste, not only because it addresses one particular goal for SDGs, which is access to global energy, or because it contributes to the agenda of environment and climate, but also because it addresses so many different goals, Sophie said. ACCESS project is in line with the governments agenda as it seeks to raise the share of regions that have access to electricity, called electrification ratio, to 100 percent from around 99 percent today. The last one percentage point equals 5 million people, according to an estimate by the Indonesian Energy Ministry. The project also takes place in neighboring Timor Leste, where the countrys State Administration Ministry and KOICA local branch will install 1,000 highly effective solar lamp systems in 25 villages across three municipalities and develop 11 solar water pumping systems. Verania Andria, a senior advisor for sustainable energy at UNDP Indonesia, said the project would provide access to electricity for 20,000 people and access to clean water for 3,500 people in total from the selected regions in both countries. The locations [in Indonesia] are based on regional administrations proposal to the [Indonesian energy ministry] to get small-scale energy. But due to the governments budget constraints, they have yet to get an allocation. Thus, ACCESS supports the villages that have not received any funds, Verania said. The project will also train and certify 80 people to operate the solar power systems and establish 33 renewable energy service enterprises at the local level. Verania also said that at the end of the year, the project would be open for bids from companies wanting to develop the solar power systems, aiming to finish construction by 2021 and start conducting the certification program in 2022. Harris Yahya, the director of renewable energy at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said the government was facing challenges to provide electricity to rural communities because they were far from urban centers. The people also did not live close to each other, making it expensive to expand electrical grids. The government is planning to overcome these challenges by developing a portable device called Talis, which can store enough power to light a house with three LED light bulbs for up to six days. It works like a portable charger for mobile devices, according to Harris. It needs charging and there will be a charging center, said Harris. That is the model that we will develop. 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 PTI BEIJANG: The US ambassador to China appears to be leaving his post, based on tweets posted Monday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo thanked Ambassador Terry Branstad on Twitter for his more than three years of service. There was no immediate confirmation from the State Department. Ambassador Branstad has contributed to rebalancing U.S.-China relations so that it is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair, Pompeo wrote in a follow-up tweet. China's foreign ministry said it was aware of Pompeo's tweet but had not received any notification that Branstad was leaving. Branstad was embroiled in a recent controversy when China's official People's Daily newspaper rejected an opinion column that he had written. It wasn't clear whether his apparent departure was related to the piece. Pompeo tweeted last week that China's ruling Communist Party refused to run Branstad's op-ed while the Chinese ambassador to the United States is free to publish in any U.S.media outlet. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded that Branstad's article was full of loopholes, seriously inconsistent with facts and wantonly attacks and smears China. The U.S.Embassy had contacted the People's Daily on August 26 about the piece, asking that it be printed in full without any edits before Sept.4, the People's Daily said in a statement posted online. Branstad, who arrived in Beijing in June 2017, is a native of Iowa and was governor of the major farming state for 22 years over two spans, from 1983 to 1999 and 2011 to 2017. Early in his first term, he met Xi Jinping, now China's leader, when Xi visited Iowa as a county-level Communist Party official on a 1985 trade trip. He was appointed ambassador by President Donald Trump after a vacancy of several months, during which the embassy's No.2 official, David Rank, resigned after criticising Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. Soon after his arrival in Beijing, Branstad welcomed back American beef to the Chinese market after a 14-year ban, saying I know it is a key priority of the president to reduce the trade deficit, and this is one of the ways we can do it. He joined U.S.Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at trade talks with Chinese counterparts in Beijing in May 2019. He also made a rare visit to Tibet later that month, where he expressed concerns about what the U.S. called Chinese government interference in the freedom of Tibetan Buddhists to organize and practice their religion. He encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences, a U.S.Embassy statement said. The United States embassy in Libya and the Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter have agreed to lift oil blockades by Saturday, September 12. This move could lead to a settlement between the country and its opposing sides. Tribes loyal to Hifter have kept export terminals closed and also choked off all the major pipelines since the start of the year with the objective of putting pressure on their rivals in Tripoli, which are backed by the United Nations. Read: Libyan Forces Set Conditions For Lifting Oil Blockade Oil blockade to be lifted The US embassy statement said Hifters Libyan Arab Armed Forces conveyed to the US government the personal commitment of General Hifter to allow the full reopening of the energy sector no later than Sept. 12. However, reports by AP suggest that by Saturday evening it was not clear if the blockade was lifted. There had been no comments from LAAF after that. The US embassy said that it was encouraged by an apparent sovereign Libyan agreement to enable Libyas National Oil Corporation to resume its vital and apolitical work. It added, The US supports a financial model that would constitute a credible guarantee that oil and gas revenues would be managed transparently and preserved for the benefit of the Libyan people. Credible safeguards will enable all Libyans to have confidence that revenues are not misappropriated. Read: Libya's Eastern Side Witnesses Rare Wave Of Protests, Parliament Calls Emergency Meeting Back in the month of July, the Libyan Forces set conditions for the opening of oil blockades. Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for Hifter's forces, called for oil revenues to flow into a bank account in a foreign country with a clear mechanism to distribute funds fairly among Libyas regions. Also, he demanded international guarantees that oil revenues would not be used to fund terrorists and mercenaries, hinting towards Syrians that Turkey brought in recent months to fight on the side of the Tripoli government. Al-Mosmari also called for an audit of Libya's central bank in Tripoli. This would help in reviewing the spending in the past years. Libya has been in the midst of a violent civil war since 2014 and as a result, has been essentially bifurcated into two autonomous regions, military commander Khalifa Hifter who is the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army rules the east and the south backed by the United Arab Emirates, while an UN-supported government based in Tripoli controls the west. Read: Libya Peace-building Efforts Remains A Serious Concern Amid New Political Crisis Also Read: EU's Josep Borrell Meets Egypt FM, Discusses Libya (Image Credits: AP) Columbia-Greene Media has recently teamed up with the US Postal Service to provide same-day delivery of your local newspaper with your mail. Our expanded daily delivery of your local news reaches into the following areas: As Ghana heads for the 2020 polls, several players are leading the fort for various political parties and influencing how young people participate in the elections. From involvement in the national campaign to being a part of manifesto teams, political parties have fervently identified the crucial role young people deserve on the tables of planning the future of the country. With the majority of the voting population being the youth who are also considered as the most active players on the campaign trail, the times when the efforts of young people were undermined are slowly closing. Former President Jerry John Rawlings became a head of state at 32 and since then various young people have been elected as Parliamentarians and others appointed as, District Chief Executives, Ministers, CEOs amongst many other positions. The political journey, in this 4th republic, for young Ghanaians has been phenomenal and remarkable. Also, taking our minds back to the works and influence of the Young Patriots during the first republic, we can easily say young people have always been an integral part of the success of any government in Ghana. Even as social media becomes the main platform for the activities of campaigning during this global pandemic, some young people have demonstrated sterling leadership in carrying out their works with determination, intelligence, foresight, optimism, charisma and exuberant confidence coupled with great communication skills. This article seeks to outline the young people who have become frontline role models for other young politicians in Ghana. From running for office as members of parliament to being members of the national campaign team, these young people have proven beyond doubt that politics and running a nation is not a job for only older people. With representation from the 2 major political parties in Ghana and a good dose of gender parity, below are the young Ghanaians influencing the upcoming 2020 elections. Amanda Okyere (27) Amanda Okyere is National Democratic Congress (NDCs) Parliamentary Candidate for the Suhum constituency in the Eastern Region. At 27, She is one of the youngest candidates in the country running for office to become a member of parliament. Her biggest task is to redeem the sit back for the NDC party, an attempt which has been unsuccessful by several former contenders. Davis Opoku Ansah (35) Davis Opoku Ansah popularly known as OPK is a first-time contender for the seat of the Member of Parliament representing the Mpraeso constituency in the Eastern region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He successfully defeated the incumbent in his party primaries with sterling performance and is vigorously campaigning to increase the vote margin for his party in his constituency. He served as Director of Communications, then later as Director of Operations for the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG). Edem Agbana Edem Agbana is the deputy National Youth Organiser of the opposition NDC and the partys manifesto spokesperson on Youth Development. Emerging from a background of student politics after serving as the SRC president in the University of Ghana, his experience in the campaign front is such admirable. Edudzi Tamakloe Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe is a member of the NDCs legal team and popular spokesperson for the party. His role in the election is evident as to the number of cases the party has to go through. His leadership in the party is also inspiring other young lawyers to join the campaign trail to share the messages of their various parties. Farouk Aliu Mahama (39) It is unsurprising to see Farouk Mahama step into the soldering shoes of his late father, Aljahi Aliu Mahama, former Vice President of Ghana. With the influence he holds through his familys track record, he won the primaries in Northern Region to represent the people of Yendi in parliament on the ticket of the NPP. His win will be another endorsement for the role young people deserve to play in national politics. Felix Kwakye Ofosu Felix Kwakye Ofosu is a former Deputy Information Minister and currently aspiring g them on several media channels to sell the manifesto and messages of the party to be a Member of Parliament representing the Abura Asebu Kwamankese constituency on the ticket of the NDC. He is also a known communicator in the party representing. Francisca Oteng-Mensah (27) Francisca Oteng-Mensah is currently the youngest member in Ghana parliament representing the Kwabre East Constituency on the ticket of the NPP. She currently holds the role as Board Chairperson of the National Youth Authority. Her role in the constituency is quite admirable and she has set a great example for other young politicians to follow in the country. Henry Nana Boakye Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye is the current National Youth Organiser of the NPP and a strong pillar in the campaign team projecting the works of the ruling government. His role as the leader of the youth of the party allows him to influence the daily activities of the youthful campaign movement of the NPP. He is known to be a formidable influencer among young people in the party and is consulted widely on the role of young people in retaining his party in power. John Dumelo (36) John Dumelo is an actor, entrepreneur and politician currently aspiring to be a Member of Parliament on the ticket of the NDC in the Ayawaso West Wuogon. He stands tall as the most followed politician on social media and has been able to use the various platforms to project his campaign activities which have gained admiration across his fan base. John Ntim Fordjour (34) Hon John Ntim Fordjour is a pastor and currently Member of Parliament representing the Assin South constituency on0 the ticket of the NPP. He is currently running for his second term. Julian M. Cobbinah Julian M. Cobbinah is currently the youngest member of the NDCs national campaign team. As a former president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Julians influence transcends among various national student bodies across the country. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (38) Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is the current Minister for Information and Member of Parliament representing the Ofoase-Ayirebi constituency on the ticket of the NPP. As the official spokesperson of the ruling government, Kojo has attained enough recognition and admiration from young people across the country. Contending for the second time, it is expected of him to make an impressive record by increasing his vote margin. Kow Essuman (34): Lawyer Kow Essuman Esq. is an assistant secretary and counsel to the President of Ghana and a core member of the communication team assembled to execute the 2020 campaign of the NPP. His actions are expected to reflect in the social media activities of the president and NPP. He is currently a board member of the Minerals Income Investment Fund and was voted as the Most Influential Young Ghanaian in 2017 in a ranking poll by Avance Media. Prince Hamidu Armah (Dr) (39) Dr Prince Hamidu Armah is a former lecturer and the current head of the National Council for Curriculum Assessment. He is an aspiring member of parliament for the Kwesimintin constituency for the NPP after defeating the incumbent at the partys primaries. His national position offers him the opportunity to market himself and his potentials to his constituents. Sammy Awuku (36) Sammy Awuku is the current National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party and the board chair of the Youth Employment Agency. His position offers him influence as the director of activities across the country in regards to how the ruling party fairs in the upcoming election. Sammy Gyamfi Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi Esq. is the Communications Director and official spokesperson of the opposition NDC. As the youngest member of the national executive, Sammys role in the NDC offers him the platform to influence daily communication strategies of the party. Samuel Nartey George (35) Sam George is the current Member of Parliament for the Ningo Prampram Constituency representing the NDC and the spokesperson of the NDCs manifesto on Infrastructure. He is also running for a second term on the ticket of the NDC. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (40) Hon Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa is a Deputy Minister and the current Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency representing the NDC. He is very outspoken on various national matters and represents the NDC on various panels to tout the achievements and accomplishments of his party and why they should be given a second chance. Sarah Adwoa Safo (38) Sarah Adwoa Safo is the current Minister of Procurement, Majority Chief Whip and the current Member of Parliament and candidate for Dome Kwabenya constituency representing the NPP. Her role in the party extends beyond her accolades to have been the face of youth leadership in politics. Her accomplishment stands tall and she represents her people with applauds from her constituents. Vincent Ekow Assafuah Jnr Vincent Ekow Assafuah Jnr is the current PRO of the Ministry of Education and aspiring Member of Parliament for the Old Tafo constituency on the ticket of the NPP. 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 CLEVELAND, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The experience of the past months powered Advance Ohio's development of a matching grant program for advertisers through the summer of 2020. From June through August, hundreds of businesses took advantage of the matching grant. Today it was announced that matching advertising will be available through 2021. Our northeast Ohio team shares the community's sense of hope as we return to school, adjust our expectations, and look ahead to the holiday season. Businesses will most certainly face a changed community landscape with unique challenges through the fall and winter. "Our community continues to need our support. At The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com, we must rise to the challenge to be partners in every sense: offering proven strategies, support through uncertainty, and a helping hand for advertisers growing their business with us," said Advance Ohio's Regional President, Brad Harmon. "We have a deep responsibility to our communities to find creative ways to support their evolving needs, and these matching grants can help at a time when it is needed most." While the summer program, offered from June through August, 2020, included a 1:1 match on qualifying advertising, this new program provides a tiered approach, with increasing benefits over time. Information can be found at www.advanceohiocares.com or through a sales representative of The Plain Dealer or Cleveland.com. Advance Ohio is a dynamic media company that operates cleveland.com, the #1 source of news and information in the state, and Sun News, one of the largest AAM-audited paid weekly chains in the USA. We are responsible for all multimedia ad sales for The Plain Dealer, Sun News, and cleveland.com and are the leading consumer engagement experts in Ohio. Our mission is to tell stories that inspire, engage, and drive change. High-quality journalism and storytelling is at the heart of what we do. Read Today's News | Subscribe to Daily Newsletters SOURCE Advance Ohio Advertising supremo Sir Martin Sorrell has called on the government to 'lead by example' to get workers back to their offices by 'reducing the fear factor' on using public transport. The former WPP chief and current head of S4 Capital told LBC Radio that people are put off from returning to their place of work because they believe that using trains and buses is too dangerous. Speaking to presenter Nick Ferrari, he said: 'We're being encouraged to bike into work and walk into work, but not everyone can do it.' Sorrell, 75, said the 'Rule of Six,' which limits public gatherings to six people and comes into force today, has heightened the fears of returning to offices Asked what he thought could been done to enhance commuter travel, Sorrell suggested Prime Minister Boris Johnson could have 'led by example and got the bus or the tube to show people it is safe.' He added: 'We haven't had a concerted campaign, either at the national or local level, to get people back to work through reducing the fear factor on public transport, and I think that needs to be done to make people feel safe.' Sorrell, 75, said the 'Rule of Six', which limits public gatherings to six people and came into force today, has heightened the fears of returning to offices. 'But obviously, if we're seeing the pandemic 'R' factors rise, people are increasingly concerned about their safety, and naturally, they'll stay more at home. Numerous media organisations mooted a government-led campaign to get employees back to their offices at the end of August. However, no 'return to work' movement ever materialised. Sorrell's comments come as the World Heath Organisation's European chief Dr Hans Kluge urged people to not be 'too scared' of returning to the office. Sir Martin's former company WPP revealed at the end of August that only 3 per cent of its 10,000 UK staff had returned to working at its offices Kluge stated: Its normal that if you open up, you are going to see spikes, so thats nothing surprising. What we hope for, and we are seeing it, is to be positive. Several countries have learnt how to apply the measures in a more localised, in a more tailored way to protect both health and economies because its a balance. Figures released by TfL last week showed that the number of trips on the London Underground on Monday were 15 per cent higher than the previous Tuesday, but are still around two-thirds down on their early March levels. This has caused a massive knock-on effect for the capital's high street footfall, with data from the Centre for Cities showing a 69 per cent decline on its pre-lockdown levels. Other major cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh have also been dramatically affected. Sir Martin's former company WPP revealed at the end of August that only 3 per cent of its 10,000 UK staff had returned to working at its offices. Its German division, by contrast, had 17 per cent of employees back in the office. Boris Johnson has been looking to get people back into offices amid fears city centres will turn into ghost towns if employees continue to work remotely. But speaking to the PA news agency, Sir Martin said the government had 'itself to blame' for the lack of returnees. He has previously recommended a freeze in rail fares to help entice workers to return to the office. The lower commuting levels have caused a massive knock-on effect on the capital's high street footfall, with Centre for Cities data showing a 69 per cent decline on its pre-lockdown levels However, he remarked that it was not essential for staff to come back to the office and is 'not convinced' of the argument that it causes a loss of culture in firms. But the CBI business body has warned getting employees back to the office is as important as getting children back to school, while several other business leaders claim it is essential to many sectors. Many of the city's biggest banks are not set to bring workers back en-masse for some time. Natwest Group has told its 50,000 UK staff they will work remotely until next year, and HSBC has said it will not allow back more than 20 per cent of staff. Other financial giants, including investment bank Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and City firm Linklaters are giving staff the option to work from home part-time and go into the office on a rota basis. (ANSA) - ROME, SEP 14 - Schools reopened in much of Italy on Monday for the first time since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March. Some 5.6 million pupils are back in class in 12 regions, plus the autonomous province of Trento. The reopening of Italy's schools is a big test for the State and for Premier Giuseppe Conte's government. "There will be difficulties," Conte said. "I thank the teachers and the school principals. "I thank the families, who have made many sacrifices". President Sergio Mattarella will inaugurate the school year later on Monday in Vo', a Veneto town that was one of Italy's first coronavirus hotspots. Pupils must be at least one metre apart from each other while in class. They are allowed to lower their facemasks during lessons. Pupils at some schools where it is not possible to respect the one-metre rule, however, will have to wear masks throughout the day. Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said 94 million masks have been sent to Italy's schools. "The students have a great desire to go back to class and reacquire sociality," Azzolina told RAI television. "This year will be complex and we know that. "But we have worked hard and constructed a prevention strategy that will function if everyone does their bit with responsibility". (ANSA). Louis Smith and Charlie Bruce (Getty Images) Strictly Come Dancing winner and former gymnast Louis Smith is set to become a first-time father. The 31-year-old has shared he and girlfriend Charlie Bruce will be welcoming a baby girl into their family. Smith wrote on Instagram: "Doing life on my terms. A big surprise and its amazing to be having a baby girl with my woman @charliebruce1990. In this crazy time and during a global struggle I wish everyone a happy life and a world of positivity. Find the light in darknesss [sic] and the hope at the end of a tunnel. Read more: Strictly 2020 will have live studio audience "Life is full of ups and downs and right now we are taking an up." He posted a slow-motion video of the gender reveal as Smith burst a balloon with help from a catapult resulting in pink confetti exploding from it. In a separate post to her own Instagram page, dancer Bruce confirmed her due date is in February. The happy news comes almost two years after Smith retired from professional gymnastics at the age of 29. During his sporting career he won bronze on the pommel horse at the 2008 Beijing Games, later claiming a team bronze at the men's artistic team all-around event in London 2012 as well as the silver medal in the men's pommel horse. Olympian Louis Smith arriving for the launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2012, at BBC TV Centre in west London. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images) In 2012, Smith also took part in Strictly where he was partnered with professional dancer Flavia Cacace with the pair ultimately winning the contest. Read more: Katy Perry reveals gift Taylor Swift sent to her newborn After announcing his retirement from gymnastics in 2018, he went on to star in West End show Rip It Up alongside fellow Strictly stars Harry Judd, Aston Merrygold and Jay McGuiness. He will also be starring opposite Love Island winner Amber Davies in the upcoming UK tour of Bring It On the musical. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.14 By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: Despite the change of actors in the Armenian theater of absurdity and the promises of the new troupe staff to ensure a decent life for its citizens in a short time, the socio-economic situation in Armenia continues to slide downhill. This process continues, slowly but steadily. For example, an author of article issued in Yerevans "Aravot" newspaper wrote: "A group of our compatriots in recent days have been holding protests, demanding permission to leave for Russia. ... As far as I know, Armenians in Moscow, Krasnodar or Glendale dont hold demonstrations under the slogan "We want to return to Armenia." Even those who have only Armenia's citizenship, prefer to stay somewhere where even considering COVID-19, there are job perspectives, and more or less clear future for children... and, of course, no one will probably dare to reproach them for not giving up everything to return to Armenia. Likewise, I cannot blame people who want to return to Russia: they must understand that the state of Armenia cannot help them in any way," said the article. Nothing can be added to these words of the Armenian author living in Yerevan. Its a pity, however, that this is just a statement of fact, without publicly voicing the root reasons why the state of Armenia is unable to help its citizens. Its still a big question on whose side is time in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Many people in Armenia think that its on their side. Well, time will show. Baku, in turn, continues its policy of forcing the aggressor to peace, including by putting pressure on sensitive points of the Armenian economy. Until quite recently, Armenia had no competitors in the export of electricity to neighboring countries, but the situation is changing. According to the US Knoema data technology company, as well as Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy and the Armenian Energy Agency (data for 2019), the export of electricity (in billion kilowatt-hours) from Armenia and Azerbaijan is as following: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 zerbaijan 0,265 1.096 1.283 1.445 1.491 rmenia 1.424 1.229 1.44 1.208 1.251 Power engineering is one of the strategic sectors of the Armenian economy, and the export of electricity is, accordingly, one of the main items of its income. Armenia has two traditional directions for exporting its electricity - Iran and Georgia. Recently, Azerbaijan has been increasingly disputing the role of Armenia as a regional leader in the export of electricity. This was confirmed by Georgias Electricity System Commercial Operator (ESCO) JSC, according to which in 2019, 68 percent of electricity imports to Georgia came from Azerbaijan and 32 percent from Russia. As for Iran, north provinces of which need additional electricity supply, it has been considered for a long time as the main direction of Armenia's electricity strategy. In this regard, the opinion of the President of Armenias Energy Security Institute Vahe Davtyan, expressed by him in his interview to Yerevans "Lragir" newspaper, is interesting - he doesnt hide his fears due to the increased activity of Azerbaijan in terms of supplying electricity to Iran. He noted that the appearance of the Azerbaijani state-owned company Azerenergy on the Iranian market in 2018 creates serious competition and damages Armenia's energy interests. The Armenian expert warned that in the near future Armenia should be ready for tough competition with Azerbaijan in the Iranian market, as well as with Turkmenistan. The second alarming aspect, according to the Armenian expert, is that Armenia may once again find itself be outside large infrastructure projects of the region. The fact is that Armenia pins big hopes a project of laying high-voltage Iran-Armenia line. This project is part of the North-South electricity corridor, which, in turn, is designed to synchronize the power systems of Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia. The construction of the power transmission line was to be completed first in 2018, then in 2019, and is now scheduled for the end of 2020. "In the current situation, we see how Azerbaijan proposes to form an alternative corridor across its territory. The Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia electricity corridor project has already been put on the agenda, in the event of which the Armenian corridor may lose its initial geopolitical significance," Davtyan had said. So, Azerbaijan's "encroachments" on the Iranian electricity market which is one of the last remaining "holy cows" at Armenia's disposal, which bring hard cash to the country's budget, may drive one of the final nails in the Armenian economys coffin. Before that, Armenia suffered a failure with projects to build the Iran-Armenia railway, with plans to become a transit country for Iranian and Turkmen gas, with the construction of an oil refinery on the border with Iran. Its not excluded that one of the next revolutions in Armenia will be held under the slogan "Return of territories, peace with Azerbaijan". Former Queensland bikie Shane Bowden will face court in October after allegedly breaching quarantine in Victoria to travel to Queensland last month. Queensland police issued a statement on Monday alleging a 48-year-old Queensland man flew from Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne on August 31 and provided false information on his border declaration. Shane Scott Bowden, a former member of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang. Credit:Facebook Police investigations revealed he had also allegedly breached quarantine in Victoria. He was immediately put into hotel quarantine under border restrictions requiring Queenslanders returning home to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The claim: Jill Biden says all Americans will be required to learn Spanish if Joe Biden is elected president The former second lady and wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden taught English full-time at Northern Virginia Community College while her husband was vice president, according to its Facebook page. But Jill Biden appears to be actively courting Latino voters. The Washington Post reported on her outreach to Hispanic leaders including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to support her husband's campaign. The article also mentioned she is learning Spanish on the mobile app Babbel. Biden also spoke to the League of United Latin American Citizens during a virtual roundtable address. The organization confirmed that Biden guaranteed Latinos "a place at the table" in her husband's administration during the conversation, according to the official website. "I teach a lot of immigrants, and refugees. I love their stories, I love who they are as people, and I love the fact that I can help them on their path to success," Biden told CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Rita Braver during an Aug. 9 interview where she expressed an interest in continuing to teach if she becomes first lady. Amid this, claims surfaced about Biden's desire to have all Americans learn Spanish. An Aug. 26 Facebook post "quoted" her alleged statement to the New York Post: "All Americans Will Be Required to Learn Spanish When We Win." The post does not include a link to an article or an additional reference. USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment. Fact check: National property tax isn't part of Joe Biden's plan Is compulsory Spanish for all Americans part of Jill Biden's platform? The only article published under the "Jill Biden" tag by the New York Post prior to Aug. 26 was an Aug. 19 summary of her speech at the Democratic National Convention. There is no mention of Spanish in the article. Story continues More: Prominent Latinos criticize Democrats for lack of representation at DNC The full transcript of Biden's DNC speech contains no reference to Spanish or a proposal mandating Americans learn the language if Joe Biden is elected president. However, the article "Dr. Jill Biden: 'All Americans Will Be Required to Learn Spanish When We Win,'" on the website US Mags Press states otherwise. The article features an embedded video of Jill Biden's June 30 appearance on ABC's "The View." "She claims that the purpose of learning Spanish is to be competitive in the Western Hemispheres business and cultural arena. Obviously, this is not true," the article states. The author also accused Biden of completing "the assimilation process to turn the United States into part of Mexico and to give free healthcare and welfare to all illegal immigrants on the backs of American taxpayers." Fact check: Biden does not say taxpayers are obligated to pay health care for immigrants There was no mention of the proposed language learning requirement during the nearly eight-minute interview on "The View." Biden spoke about the presidential campaign and promoted her children's book on the show. Biden's "spokesperson" Arturo Tubollos also "spoke to the press" in Spanish, according to the article. An untranslated version of the statement is provided. "Unfortunately, no one was there to translate, but Sr. Tubollos sure seemed excited about something," claims the author. "If he was excited about something in Spanish then we dont want it in America!" USA TODAY confirmed Michael LaRosa is the spokesperson for Jill Biden, according to his Twitter bio. We reached out to him for comment. The US Mags Press article is obviously full of disinformation, but this was intentional. The website is a host for satirical "news" pieces. "If you can seriously read this stuff and think it can be passed off as real to reasonable people, you need to go out, right now, and buy a sense of humor and a clue," US Mags Press stated. The Jill Biden article is clearly tagged "SATIRE AND/OR CONSERVATIVE FAN FICTION" at the top. It is also an exact copy from another satirical website, Taters Gonna Tate. Author Pete Strocker encouraged readers to "Reelect Donald Trump!" at the end of his satirical piece. The only difference between it and the US Mags Press copy is the embedded video of Biden's interview on "The View." Otherwise, they are clearly labeled as satire. Fact check: White House didn't fire pandemic response unit when it was disbanded in 2018 Our rating: False We rate this claim FALSE, based on our research. Jill Biden never said she would require Americans to learn Spanish if her husband is elected president. The notion originated on a website that promotes "conservative fan fiction" and other forms of satire. The author of the claim clearly identified the article as satirical. But social media posts falsely present statements from that article as fact. Our fact-check sources: Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Jill Biden won't require Americans to learn Spanish The coronavirus has spread to Vikarabad district in Telangana as well. (DC file photo) Hyderabad: The spread of Covid-19 into the rural districts of Telangana has picked up but the state administration has refused to set up containment zones there to slow down the epidemic. Over the past three weeks, the semi-urban Medchal-Malkajgiri district, adjacent to Hyderabad, has reported 2,832 new Covid-19 cases, Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district 346, Bhadradri-Kothagudem 1,629, Vikarabad 373 cases, and Yadadri-Bhongir 1,048 new Covid-19 cases. Yet, the daily Covid-19 bulletins released by the Telangana Health Department, steadfastly maintain that none of these five districts requires any containment zones within which to cordon off the infection and prevent its spread to other areas. Since August 22, there is no mention in the daily Covid-19 bulletin of any containment zone set up in Medchal-Malkajgiri, Yadadri-Bhongir, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Jayashankar-Bhupalapally, and Vikarabad districts despite new cases being discovered daily in alarming numbers. This is not the first time that the daily Covid-19 bulletin has mystified rather than clarified the reality on the ground. The Telangana High Court has pulled up the state government for the poor detail in the Covid-19 bulletin. The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recommends that infected people should be prevented from moving about freely, and that all people living in containment zones must be tested for Covid-19. This makes the establishment of containment zones imperative for disease control. Incidentally, over the past few months, after setting up containment zones by cordoning off neighborhoods during the initial phases of the lockdown, the state had been designating individual homes too as containment zones. For instance, if a member of a family, or more than one, living in an apartment tests positive, only that apartment is considered a containment 'zone', though the rest of those living in the same building can officially be treated as being outside of the zone. Shock hit Ahero village in Maili Tisa, Bahati sub-county in Nakuru, Kenya after a 66-year-old man was found early Sunday beheaded and his head thrown into a water tank with body dumped in a garbage pit. Peter Ndungu Kinyanjui, 66, who was a diabetic patient was living with his 42-year-old son. According to Grace Wambui, the mans sister-in-law, they suspect that mans son may have committed the murder since he suffers from mental health issues. The son, identified as Samuel Kinyanjui, missed his monthly health check-up after tellings his relatives he couldnt because his clothes were dirty, Wambui said. She said that he was a cool person who never provoked anyone. The man is still at large but police are searching for him. Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, who visited the family, decried a surge in the abuse of drugs and a high murder rate in the region. We have seen planting of bhang in some parts of Wanyororo. It is a worrying situation and we need to take more efforts in eradicating the menace, Ngunjiri said. Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika expressed concern over prevalent murder incidents in Bahati, many of them involving domestic disturbances. Last week we had an incident involving a sister and a brother and its worrying, Kihika said. The son is still at large and a search has been activated to nab him. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 00:53:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 China cybersecurity week, a campaign to promote public awareness of cybersecurity, was launched on Monday nationwide. Addressing a forum on cybersecurity in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, on Monday, a key event of the campaign, Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, stressed the importance of establishing a correct view of cybersecurity and promoting the construction of cybersecurity protection systems and capacity in the face of the increasingly serious and complex situation. The campaign, scheduled to run until Sept. 20, will also feature events including a digital exhibition and a cybersecurity contest. China initiated the first cybersecurity week in 2014. Enditem The stark warning comes as a new report claims parents who are already struggling to feed and clothe their children will plunge into a financial crisis in the coming months Thousands of beleaguered Northern Ireland families have been told to brace themselves for the bleakest winter of their lives. The stark warning comes as a new report claims parents who are already struggling to feed and clothe their children will plunge into a financial crisis in the coming months. It also predicts that a so-called 'new wave' of families who've never needed help before will find themselves in dire straits, with furlough ending and unemployment set to rocket. Action for Children has published the report as it launches its End Childhood Crisis campaign. It has also called on the Chancellor to announce in November's Budget that he will extend the 20 weekly increase in Universal Credit beyond next spring. Read More Lorna Ballard, director of Northern Ireland at the children's charity, said child poverty levels are higher than they've ever been. "Six months into this pandemic, families across Northern Ireland are hanging by a thread as they face one of the bleakest winters of their lives," she said. "While parents on low incomes are starting to buckle, a new wave of families who've never needed help before are now also struggling to make ends meet. "Our key workers say child poverty levels are at the worst they can remember and have had to deliver life-changing support to thousands of families desperate to keep their kids clothed and well-fed." She added: "With furlough ending and unemployment set to rocket just as we hit the colder months, they'll be plunged into even deeper crisis." Since lockdown began, Action for Children said it has supported over 10,000 vulnerable children across the UK via its emergency appeal, with 63% of the fund spent on helping families with food, clothes, bills and learning resources. The charity also said that while thousands of vulnerable families struggled even before coronavirus hit, a new wave of families have found themselves in dire straits virtually overnight because of falling incomes and rising household costs. Indeed, a huge 71% accessing the appeal didn't have financial issues before the pandemic. Over a quarter (27%) of the families who needed emergency help to obtain learning resources to develop or keep up with schoolwork, particularly online, were based in Northern Ireland. More than one in 10 (11%) families in Northern Ireland revealed they were having to choose between eating meals and paying bills, with some parents reporting skipping meals in order to feed their children. Ms Ballard has called on the Executive to establish a child poverty strategy in order to "prevent a generation of children from being scarred by poverty and the pandemic". For further information, visit actionforchildren.org.uk It was a choppy start to the week for Wetherspoons investors as traders digested an update about Covid infections and the rule of six restrictions. Wetherspoons revealed 66 employees had tested positive for coronavirus at 50 of its pubs. Of these, 28 have returned to work after a period of isolation. Wetherspoons revealed 66 employees had tested positive for coronavirus at 50 of its pubs. Of these, 28 have returned to work after a period of isolation This is a fraction of its overall workforce of more than 41,500 and its 861 watering holes. But it was the type of number that would at the very least raise eyebrows at a time when infections are surging and people are starting to question whether daily life is as back to normal as it has seemed. Chairman Tim Martin has insisted that the situation with regards to pubs has been widely misunderstood and that, provided venues keep to strict hygiene measures, they are safe to remain open citing Sweden as a prime example. Wetherspoons has had more than 32m visits to its pubs since their doors started reopening in early July though contrary to fears that there would be a mad bingeing scramble this past weekend, Martin said it was actually quieter than expected. Stock Watch - Symphony Environmental Technologies A university study found an active ingredient made by Symphony Environmental Technologies could make plastics resistant to Covid-19. Symphonys technology could be added to plastic products when they are being made, making them capable of killing Covid-19 cells. It could also be added to films or tapes that could be put in train carriages and offices, wrapped around door handles, to prevent the spread of the virus. Symphony shares soared 24.4 per cent, or 5.5p, to 28p. Wetherspoons has spent 15million kitting out its sites with safety measures, has an established way of putting in online orders and has clearly seen a lot of people pass through its doors. But shares fell yesterday, by as much as 5 per cent, as Wetherspoons own figures on the coronavirus dovetailed with the start of new Covid-19 restrictions that cap the number of people who can socialise together in a group at six. The FTSE 250-listed groups stock eventually pared back losses, closing down 1.4 per cent, or 12.5p, at 914p. Fellow watering-hole owner Brighton Pier Group had a very different start to the week. The small-cap company which runs Brighton Palace Pier and a number of high-end bars rose 9.8 per cent, or 3p, to 33.5p after it said trading had been much better than expected over the last 10 weeks. At its sites that have reopened, turnover is running at about 77 per cent of last year. And it is going to trial a format without live music at some of its usually DJ-led late-night venues but said it still needs the Government to make it clear when it can properly restart the party. It was a mixed day on the wider market, with the FTSE 100 falling by 0.1 per cent, or 5.84 points, to 6026.25, as tensions ratcheted up over Brexit negotiations. The FTSE 250, in contrast, rose 0.7 per cent, or 121.39 points, to 17677.26. Footsie-listed Aviva was little moved by new chief executive Amanda Blanc putting her money where her mouth is and ploughing 1million into buying shares in the insurance provider. Blanc, who has been at Avivas helm since July, hoovered up 324,887 shares at around 300p each. She is attempting to restructure the group and revive its stock a plan that has so far included offloading its Singapore business for 1.5billion. Despite the big gesture, shares fell 0.4 per cent, or 1.2p, to 302p. Landlord CLS climbed 0.7 per cent, or 1.5p, to 208.5p after it spent almost 60million buying three office sites in Greater London and the South East. But elsewhere in the property sector, housebuilder MJ Gleeson said profits had slumped by 86 per cent to just 5.6million as turnover fell 41 per cent to 147million. The swift closure of sites in the spring resulted in a sharp drop in sales in the year to June 30. Shares fell 2.3 per cent, or 14p, to 600p. And litigation funder Burford Capital rose 2.1 per cent, or 11.6p, to 576p after it got the green light to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in addition to its London listing. New Delhi: Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava Monday said a charge sheet will be filed by Thursday in connection with a conspiracy case in the northeast Delhi riots as the force is approaching towards the final league of investigation. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwaha also said the riots were result of a planned conspiracy because during the investigation, the police found a common pattern the anti-CAA protesters followed: block the road traffic. It was the first indicator that there was a conspiracy due to which it all started, he said. The two officers spoke at a webinar, where Srivastava also said that some of the people police are probing have a very good social media presence and they are trying to take away the sheen from the investigation. As we are approaching towards the final end of investigation, Umar Khalid (former JNU student) has also been arrested. So, there is more and more sort of a cry, especially in the social media and also on the TV channels. (They) are trying to take away the sheen from the investigation. You know that people whom we are investigating, many (of them) have a very good social media presence, the Commissioner said. Khalid was arrested Sunday under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots. The Commissioner said the Delhi Police has registered altogether 751 cases and conducted its investigation in a very fair and impartial manner. Out of the 751 cases, 340 have been solved, while the police has not got much lead in the remaining cases, he said. Out of 751, one case is basically regarding the conspiracy, and this has been registered by the Crime Branch, but was transferred to the Special Cell because it required detailed investigation. They are required to file the charge sheet by September 17, Shrivastava said. The webinar was organised by the Delhi Police Retired Gazetted Officers Association where Shrivastava also tried to put to rest all false accusations and claims made against his force in connection with the riots and reasserted that all actions taken by the police were in absolute compliance of the law. The other 59 important cases were given to the three SITs which were formed under the Crime Branch and out of the 59 cases, 46 were solved and in all these, the charges sheets have been filed and we are still filing the supplementary charge sheets, he said. Remaining few cases are with the district police and they are also doing a good job to ensure that all the evidences are collected properly and presented in a proper manner, the police commissioner added. On his part, Kushwaha said, When we started investigating the Delhi riots, we first saw all the sites and found a common pattern that traffic jam was started at all the sites simultaneously. It was the first indicator that there was a conspiracy due to which it all started. There were 25 protest sites and most of them were formed in trans-Yamuna area, Kushwaha said. It also came in notice that the people who were sitting on protest sites were led by those who came from outside. They were not locals. People kept on going to the protest sites again and again and they talked about CAA-NRC so that more and more people would come there and it would look like a CAA-NRC protest was going on, the DCP said. On February 11, when it was announced that US President Donald Trump will visit India, suddenly the tone and tenor of the protest got changed, he said. On February 22, the protesting leaders and women sat on road under Jafrabad metro station and blocked the road, Kushwah said. Following that pattern, the other sites in northeast Delhi were also suddenly traffic-jammed, stone-pelting started at Maujpur where the pro and anti-CAA and NRC protestors were sitting, he said. Suddenly, the stone-pelting turned into a well-planned riots, the DCP said. The protest sites were formed with a planned conspiracy to show that children and locals were agitating, and traffic jam and stone-pelting happened, the DCP said. Acid bottles and petrol bomb were used. Even firing took place in which one head constable Ratan Lal died. There was a huge slingshot inside the Rajdhani School which was pre-installed. A narrative is being created that pro-CAA/NRC people were involved in it, but it has not come into the investigation yet, he said. Besides 11 Special Public Prosecutor that were hired by the force, the Commissioner stated that six more SPPs including the solicitor general of India, two additional solicitor of general of India and three more senior lawyers have been roped in so that the cases are defended and taken up well in all courts. There's always cause to celebrate in the Teigen/Legend household. And Chrissy Teigen took to social media on Monday morning to commemorate her seventh wedding anniversary to John Legend. The 34-year-old culinary enthusiast shared a host of stunning snaps from their Lake Como wedding in 2013 after being showered with homemade gifts from their children, Luna, four, and Miles, two. Bliss: Chrissy Teigen took to social media on Monday morning to commemorate her seventh wedding anniversary to John Legend Teigen shared in her joy receiving a handmade card from her daughter, with Disney princess stickers adorning a piece of blue paper and a family photo positioned in the middle. 'Look how cute this is,' Chrissy said as she read the card. 'Hi mommy and dad, so happy you got married. I love you, Luna.' Another drawing depicted the happy couple hours after they said 'I do' and changed outfits for their evening reception at the Villa Pizzo in Italy. 'This is us on our wedding day,' Chrissy shared of Luna's drawing. 'I did actually have a red dress on, it was my nighttime dress. Shes' got a good memory just from old pictures.' Family: The 34-year-old culinary enthusiast shared a host of stunning snaps from their Lake Como wedding in 2013 after being showered with homemade gifts from their children, Luna, four, and Miles, two Artist: Another drawing depicted the happy couple hours after they said 'I do' and changed outfits for their evening reception at the Villa Pizzo in Italy Miles joined in on the fun as he presented Chrissy with a black-and-white photo from their nuptials, with bright blue marker etched across the couple's faces. 'I love it,' she told her little boy between hysterical laughs. Teigen, who is pregnant with her third child, posted a video of the kids sharing in the celebrations. 'Happy 7th anniversary! 14 years together! love u buddy,' she wrote. 'My best pal. Youre like a brother to me!!' Miles joined in on the fun as he presented Chrissy with a black-and-white photo from their nuptials, with bright blue marker etched across the couple's faces 'I love it,' she told her little boy between hysterical laughs Happiness: Teigen, who is pregnant with her third child, posted a video of the kids sharing in the celebrations A few social snaps showed Chrissy walking down the aisle in one of three Vera Wang dresses for her big day. She later changed into a mermaid style gown with a pleated bodice to take photos with her dapper new husband. Teigen and Legend met in 2007 while on set of his music video for the song Stereo and were engaged four years later after a romantic proposal while on holiday in the Maldives. Bride: A few social snaps showed Chrissy walking down the aisle in one of three Vera Wang dresses for her big day A mood: She later changed into a mermaid style gown with a pleated bodice to take photos with her dapper new husband Theresa May's former legal chief Geoffrey Cox said it would be 'unconscionable' for the Government to over-ride the Brexit divorce deal. MPs are preparing for tonight's vote on the controversial Internal Market Bill, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson says is needed to prevent the EU holding Britain to ransom over Northern Ireland. Ministers are braced for a rebellion by Tory MPs, who are alarmed by the Government's admission that the legislation will break international law by over-riding parts of the Brexit deal negotiated by the PM last year. However, the majority of rebels are expected to hold fire until next week, when they will try to amend it to include a 'parliamentary lock' on powers that would breach the deal. Mr Cox last night became the most prominent Tory MP to oppose the controversial bill. Theresa May's former legal chief Geoffrey Cox (pictured together in 2019) said it would be 'unconscionable' for the Government to over-ride the Brexit divorce deal He said Mr Johnson should not 'observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back', adding that he could not support a bill which risked undermining 'the standing and reputation of Britain in the world'. Mr Cox who was sacked from the Cabinet in February's reshuffle wrote in The Times: 'It is unconscionable that this country, justly famous for its regard for the rule of law around the world, should act in such a way.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland yesterday defended the legislation, saying it was 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state'. Mr Buckland has faced calls to quit, with critics saying the move is incompatible with his own oath as Lord Chancellor to uphold the law. He repeatedly ducked questions about his own position yesterday before finally answering: 'If I see the rule of law being broken in a way I find unacceptable then of course I will go.' MPs are preparing for tonight's vote on the controversial Internal Market Bill, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured) says is needed to prevent the EU holding Britain to ransom over Northern Ireland Justice Secretary Robert Buckland (pictured) yesterday defended the legislation, saying it was 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state' It comes as Mr Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator was locked in an extraordinary public spat with his EU counterpart last night. David Frost traded blows with Michel Barnier on social media when he denied threatening to block British food exports if trade talks collapsed. Lord Frost said the EU negotiator 'explicitly' made the threat and warned it could lead to food from Great Britain being banned from sale in Northern Ireland. British negotiators have accused Brussels of threatening to block food exports worth 5 billion a year to the EU if there is no trade deal. Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules. Mr Cox (pictured) last night became the most prominent Tory MP to oppose the controversial bill Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter last night, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules. 'It has been made clear to us in the current talks that there is no guarantee of listing us. I am afraid it has also been said to us explicitly in these talks that if we are not listed we will not be able to move food to Northern Ireland.' Mr Barnier denied that the EU's position was a 'threat to the integrity of the UK', but added: 'We could not have been clearer about the consequences of Brexit.' Tony Blair yesterday became the fourth former PM to criticise the Internal Market Bill, joining Theresa May, Gordon Brown and Sir John Major. In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter last night, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules In a joint article with Sir John, Mr Blair urged MPs to reject the 'shaming' legislation, saying it imperils the Irish peace process, trade negotiations and the UK's integrity. But Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi said Lord Frost's revelations about EU tactics showed 'exactly why no minister, no responsible government can be a bystander and watch a part of the United Kingdom be harmed in this way'. Tory veteran Sir Roger Gale confirmed he will vote against the second reading of the legislation tonight. He said: 'I am not a serial rebel, but I do have principles. If we enter into an international agreement, we have to stand by it.' Big Brother's Nicole Franzel has lost an Olay endorsement after she was seen with others mocking Ian Terry, a houseguest who is on the autism spectrum. Franzel, 28, was fired by sponsors including Olay after she was seen on a live feed with castmates Memphis Garrett, Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones making fun of Terry and his self-soothing technique of rocking back and forth. In the incident, Garrett compared Ian to the young boy from The Shining, mimicking the child's 'Red rum' line and saying he may have nightmares of Ian rocking at the end of his bed. The latest: Big Brother's Nicole Franzel, 28, has lost an Olay endorsement after she was seen with others mocking Ian Terry, a houseguest who is on the autism spectrum Briones told Franzel that watching Ian rock back and forth stressed her out. 'I can't even look at him sometimes because his constant movement, it stresses me out - do you feel like that?' she asked Franzel. Franzel replied, 'Yeah I do sometimes ... I feel mean saying that, but I'll literally have to move to a point where I can't see him out of my peripheral vision.' As the incident made headlines, people began tweeting at sponsors for Franzel - who previously appeared on 2014's Big Brother 16 and won the show two years later - calling for accountability for her actions. Cruel: Terry was the subject of cruel jokes made by Big Brother contestants making fun of his autism self-soothing techniques She said of Ian, 'I literally have to move to a point where I can't see him out of my peripheral vision' Olay wrote to one user, 'Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We no longer have a business relationship with this person and have no plans for future work together. 'We have zero-tolerance for bullying and we do not support the behavior displayed by this person.' The Ubly, Michigan native also lost her gig endorsing Winery Chateau Ste. Michelle, who said on Thursday they had taken 'immediate action' to sever ties with Franzel after reviewing the incident. Quick to act: As the incident made headlines, people began tweeting at sponsors for Franzel - who previously appeared on 2014's Big Brother 16 and won the show two years later - calling for accountability for her actions The Ubly, Michigan native also lost her gig endorsing Winery Chateau Ste. Michelle, who said on Thursday they had taken 'immediate action' to sever ties with Franzel after reviewing the incident The others could be seen laughing as the bullying continued The brand said they 'decided to end [their] collaboration now and in the future' with Franzel, adding, 'We do not tolerate or condone discrimination or bullying of any kind.' The corporate moves came as group of Big Brother personalities called out Franzel and other cast members for their conduct. Alum Kat Dunn post a list of 'strengths that come with Autism' to which Kaysar Ridha said, 'People on the spectrum are some of the best our society has to offer. 'Im mortified by the actions of these Big Brother houseguests. Before leaving I reminded Ian to never let anyone laugh at him. Ever. Period. #BB22.' Repercussions: The corporate moves came as group of Big Brother personalities called out Franzel and other cast members for their conduct 'It stresses me out': Memphis Garrett was among the contestants making fun of Ian Terry on Big Brother: All-Stars Bullying: He even said he may have nightmares of Ian rocking at the end of his bed Janelle Pierzina, who appeared on season 22 until last month, also commented on the incident, saying that 'instead of laughing they should be standing up for Ian,' as 'He has a disability.' Season 21's Kat Dunn posted a series of links detailing autism resources, looking to steer the discussion toward a more positive note. 'If youre on the spectrum and watching these clips, please dont feel "weird" or any less amazing than you are,' Dunn said. 'Instead of crowding your timeline with more trash, Im going to tweet out some other links with more important (and reputable) information for you to see #bb22.' Season 15's Andy Herren put some of the onus on the network, adding, 'If production can tell houseguests to stop singing, they can tell houseguests to stop making fun of someone with autism.' This is not the first time Big Brother contestants have been slammed for making racist or offensive remarks. In a 2019 statement, CBS and show producers condoned some of the opinions expressed by their contestants. 'At times, the houseguests say things that we do not condone,' read the statement obtained by Us Weekly. 'We share some of the viewers' concerns about inappropriate behavior and offensive comments, and producers have addressed specific incidents with the houseguests involved. 'However, there is absolutely no truth that the casting of the show is racially motivated, that the houseguests' behavior is predetermined or that the outcome is controlled in any way.' ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Amplifier Advisors and a group of university, government, corporate and community partners today announce the launch of a cohort of the Tandem Product Academy to help 20 existing technology companies in Northern Virginia pivot their business models to succeed in the COVID-19 economy. The highly regarded Tandem Product Academy will help the leadership teams of selected businesses find a business model that will sustain these businesses during the pandemic and position them for success thereafter. The program commences Oct. 21, 2020. Jonathan Aberman leads a discussion of robotic opportunities with regional entrepreneurs This cohort of the Tandem Product Academy is led by a partnership of Amplifier Advisors, an innovation business led by regional technology leader Jonathan Aberman, George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis and Marymount University's Marymount Intrapreneurship Initiative. It is funded by the GoVirginia, a bipartisan business-led economic development initiative of the Commonwealth of Virginia, with corporate support from Modus Create, Seyfarth Shaw and REQ. Its community partners include Fairfax County Economic Development Corporation, Arlington County Economic Development Corporation, Manassas County, Greater Washington Board of Trade, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Northern Virginia Technology Council and Virginia CIT. The teaching team includes faculty from Marymount University and well-known technology entrepreneurs and investors, including Mark Walsh, Gene Riechers, Ben Foster, Erich Baumgartner, Tien Wong, Pat Sheridan, Elizabeth Shea and Jonathan Aberman. The Tandem Product Academy will operate virtually with all-cohort classes alternating with individual company mentor sessions. Participating companies will work with the teaching team to create a comprehensive business pivot plan over a four-month period. The program is professionally run and its classes taught at a level that is meaningful for experienced business leaders. The immediately prior cohort of the Tandem Product Academy achieved a participant satisfaction rate of 95%. Founder of Amplifier Advisors Jonathan Aberman said, "The post-COVID-19 economy is punishing for technology businesses that do not have the right product-market fit but, as we can see from regional and national successes, when a technology business has the right fit, this is a great time to be in the technology industry. We want to help a group of promising technology businesses find their best opportunities to pivot what they have built into a market that will be rewarding for the current economy and what's next." Victor Hoskins, CEO of Fairfax County Economic Development Corporation, added, "The region needs more than innovation it needs inclusive, diversified innovation. It also needs to address the dislocations and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us. By helping Northern Virginia technology companies adapt and pivot their businesses to new opportunities, the Tandem Product Academy will grow our economy in new ways and position all of us for a better future." The companies selected will not pay to participate in the program. Aberman noted, "Our program operates downstream from our region's more than 130 accelerators, incubators and co-working communities. It is targeted at experienced teams, as well as emerging teams, who have met the challenge of starting a technology business but are now facing challenges of achieving business scale and resiliency during a difficult time." Academy instructor and Ruxton Ventures chairman Mark Walsh pointed out, "This is a tough time and we all wanted to do a cohort of the Tandem Product Academy to make a difference. One of the best things about our region's technology community is how we all work together. Our teaching team has worked together in many ways over years and we are looking forward to using our collective experience to help." Participants must be senior leaders of a business that has a technology product that has achieved some commercial adoption and whose company, within the last 12 months, has done any of the following: Had gross revenue in excess of $500,000 ; ; Obtained at least $500,000 in capital from sources other than the founder's immediate friends and family; or in capital from sources other than the founder's immediate friends and family; or Received at least $500,000 in federal research and development funding. Interested entrepreneurs should visit the Tandem Innovation Alliance website for more information and to apply. A committee of faculty members and partners will select up to 20 qualifying businesses prior to the first class on Oct. 21, 2020. For further information, visit http://www.tandeminnovate.com/academy. Media Contact: Jonathan Aberman, Managing Director Amplifier Advisors [email protected] Tel: 703 260 1700 Related Images jonathan-aberman-founder-tandem.jpg Jonathan Aberman, founder Tandem Product Academy Jonathan Aberman leads a discussion of robotic opportunities with regional entrepreneurs SOURCE Tandem Product Academy Related Links http://www.tandeminnovate.com/academy New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has recovered hookahs, ashtrays and medicines while conducting a raid at late star Sushant Singh Rajput's Pavana Lake farmhouse. Pictures of the recovered items have been accessed by Zee News exclusively. Sushant had rented the farmhouse. He used to pay Rs 2.5 lakh per month for the place. According to NCB sources, the actor often used to host parties at the farmhouse with actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, house manager Samuel Miranda, flatmate Sidharth Pithani and other friends. It has also been learnt that apart from Sushant and his friends, many other top Bollywood celebs partied at the same farmhouse. If sources are to be believed many parties were held at the farmhouse when Sushant was battling depression and used to take steroids for it. Sushant was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. Rhea, Showik, Samuel Miranda, his cook Dipesh Sawant have been arrested in a drug case linked to the actor's death. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and NCB are simultaneously probing Sushant's death case from various angles. Bihar CM to lay foundation stone of new Patna Collectorate complex on Wednesday India pti-Madhuri Adnal Patna, Sep 14: The Bihar government has set the wheels in motion for the construction of a new complex of the Patna Collectorate, days after the high court lifted an interim stay on the demolition of the historic landmark, dealing a blow to a sustained bid by citizens for its preservation. Sources said on Monday that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is slated to lay the foundation stone of the new complex, which will replace the centuries-old Patna Collectorate, parts of which were built during the Dutch-era. Raghuvansh's death has left deep political void in Bihar, nation: PM Modi "A sprawling new collectorate complex will come up on the site of the old district collectorate. The CM is slated to lay its foundation stone day after tomorrow at 4.30 pm," an official source said. "The plan was to have it done today so that work could begin soon on the construction of the new complex. However, due to death of Raghuvansh ji, there was change of plan," he said. Former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh died on Sunday at AIIMS New Delhi, where he was admitted for treatment of post-COVID complications. He was 74. The Patna High Court verdict earlier this month in the INTACH vs State of Bihar case also brought an end to the year-long litigation, which put the poor condition of unprotected built heritage of Patna and rest of Bihar in sharp focus. The Bihar government had in 2016 proposed to demolish the old Patna Collectorate for a new highrise complex, triggering public outcry and appeals from various quarters in India and abroad to spare the demolition and preserve it as a "signpost of Patna's history". The demolition matter subsided for a while after a letter to the Bihar chief minister by the then Dutch ambassador, Alphonsus Stoelinga, in 2016, in which he had also appealed to preserve this "shared heritage" of the two countries and have it listed under the Bihar state archaeology department. However, in the later half of 2019, boards were put up on the walls of the Dutch-era Record Room building, saying it was the "Site for construction of the new Collectorate complex". Subsequently, the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH) had filed two petitions in the Patna High Court on August 30 last year, challenging the demolition proposal and seeking constitution of the Bihar Urban Arts and Heritage Commission, which was pending since 2012. On September 25 last year, a bench of the high court passed an order to put an interim stay on the demolition. Bihar Assembly Elections: 136 out of 240 sitting MLAs have pending criminal cases Later, the heritage commission was set up by the Bihar government on March 30 on the directions of the court. The commission, however, recommended demolition of the centuries-old landmark despite opposition from heritage experts and a sustained citizen-led campaign, 'Save Historic Patna Collectorate', since 2016 to save and preserve it. The Patna Collectorate complex, parts of which are over 250 years old, is situated on the banks of the Ganga and is endowed with high ceilings, huge doors and hanging skylights. The collectorate is one of the last surviving signatures of Dutch architecture in the Bihar capital, especially the Record Room and the old District Engineer's Office. British-era structures in its complex include the DM Office Building and District Board Patna Building. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S Kumar of the Patna High Court disposed the case on September 1 and passed a verdict saying, "we vacate the interim order dated 25.09.2019 leaving it open for the government to take necessary consequential action". The high court verdict has come as a big jolt to historians, conservation architects and many other heritage loves and experts who have been pleading to the Bihar government to not demolish the historic Collectorate, and preserve and restore it as a "rare signpost of history" while linking it to the heritage tourism circuit in the state. Patna High Court lawyer and member of 'Save Historic Patna Collectorate' movement, Kumar Shanu, felt "the judgement may also jeopardise the fate of other unprotected heritage buildings in Patna and rest of Bihar". "After the appeal by the Dutch envoy and others, the competent authority should have listed it as a heritage building under the state archaeology department and not let it be unlisted, a lacuna that the government took advantage of," he said. By Julie Steenhuysen and Marisa Taylor CHICAGO (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial remains on hold in the United States pending a U.S. investigation into a serious side effect in Britain even as other trials of the vaccine resume, sources familiar with the details told Reuters. AstraZeneca on Saturday said it had restarted its trial in Britain after regulators completed their review of a serious side effect in one trial participant there. This was the first indication that the U.S. trial will remain on hold until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a safety panel investigate the case. Enrollment in the company's global trials of the vaccine, which it is developing with researchers at Oxford University, was put on pause on Sept. 6. Sources told Reuters that enrollment of new patients and other trial procedures for the pivotal U.S. trial were being rescheduled until at least midweek and that it was not clear how long it would take for the FDA to complete its probe. Governments around the world are desperate for a vaccine to help end the pandemic, which has caused more than 900,000 deaths and global economic turmoil. The World Health Organization (WHO) had flagged AstraZeneca's as the most promising. A prolonged delay in the U.S. trial could slow access to the vaccine in the United States. The British adverse event involved a study patient thought to be suffering a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis. An AstraZeneca spokeswoman declined to comment on when the U.S. trial would resume. She said in an email the company "will continue to work with health authorities across the world, including the FDA, and be guided as to when other clinical trials can resume." The status of the South African and Indian trials remains unknown, but the trial in Brazil has also restarted. The company has not commented on timing of resumption in other parts of the world besides Britain. FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen and Marisa Taylor; Editing by Peter Henderson and Cynthia Osterman) Do you work at Lears Hammond plant? Contact the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter today to learn more about organizing a rank-and-file safety committee. Auto parts workers stopped production and refused to work for several hours Friday night at Lear Corporations automotive seating plant in Hammond, Indiana after learning about potential COVID-19 cases in the facility. Lears seating plant in Hammond, Indiana (Credit: Sai Abhinov) Lear employs roughly 875 workers at its northwest Indiana plant, which supplies seats for the Ford Explorer and other models built at the nearby Chicago Assembly Plant (CAP). Because CAP runs on the just-in-time supply system, Ford was forced to idle CAP and send workers home early Saturday morning after running out of seats from Lear within hours of the work stoppage. Ryan, a worker at the Lear plant, spoke to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter about the work stoppage. His name has been changed to protect him from retaliation. Ryan was on one of the lines where the job action took place, saying, There was a situation at Lear Friday night that shut us down for two hours and resulted in management and the union being called in. He said that workers stopped a line on the sub-assembly side of the plantwhere wages start at the poverty level of just $14.10 an hourafter learning that one of their coworkers had been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for several days, but had not been prevented from coming to work by the temperature check or other screening measures. Everyone refused to work, we shut down for two hours, until management was called in and made us return to work. United Auto Workers officials from Local 2335 defended management and also insisted that workers restart the line, Ryan said. The union president Hanif Hassan basically sided with management. In addition to the wildcat action on the sub-assembly side of the plant, which involved nearly 30 workers, a larger group of workers on the main assembly side (referred to as Just-in-Time, JIT) also stopped work over concerns that two workers had COVID-19 symptoms. There was the entire JIT first row, Ryan continued. They stopped with us and Id say close to 100 to 150 [were involved]. The stoppage at Lear is only the latest in a series of wildcat strikes in the global auto industry over the course of the year against the reckless drive by the companies to maintain full production during the pandemic. A wave of wildcat strikes in mid-March, which overwhelmed desperate attempts by the UAW to maintain production, successfully shut down the industry across North America for two months. This weeks stoppage at Lear was at least the second at the plant since the onset of the pandemic. On March 17, a group of 30 to 40 workers walked off after learning that a manager had tested positive. That action was itself part of a wave of wildcat strikes that erupted across North America, which forced the shutdown of the auto industry. In the aftermath of wildcat strikes in March and June, workers at auto plants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Chicago began to organize rank-and-file safety committees independently of the unions in order to fight for safe and humane working conditions. To halt the spread of the virus in the plant and ensure their needs take precedence over corporate profits, workers at Lear should organize their own rank-and-file safety committee, linking up with the committee at CAP and other auto plants, and the network of safety committees being organized by teachers throughout the US to stop the deadly reopening of schools. As with the other major auto companies, Lear routinely violates its own inadequate safety measures, which have been progressively abandoned week by week. Lear sent a mass text to employees Saturday stating that six new positive cases had been confirmed, without disclosing where they were located in the plant or the total confirmed cases to date. Workers at Lear, as at other parts suppliers, have been subjected to relentless speedup and forced overtime, as the companies seek to make up lost inventory and squeeze out whatever they can from a relative uptick in demand. Workers on B shift at the plant have been scheduled 14 consecutive Saturday overtime shifts in a row, Ryan said. Ryan spoke bitterly about management and the UAWs blatant indifference to workers health and safety: Last night was an opportunity for the company to show that they actually care about us, but instead they essentially slapped us in the face and showed us that they really dont care about us workers, and the union sided with management. This company would rather put our lives in jeopardy just to continue to make a profit. But at the end of the day, we the production workers are the reason that Lear, Ford and all of the other companies are making a profit. Without us they dont make their money. Word of the latest job action at Lear spread quickly among Ford workers at CAP via social media Friday night as production at that plant ground to a halt. A veteran worker at CAP applauded Lear workers, telling the WSWS that workers at Lear, Ford, GM and other people at other companies that feel their safety or life is in danger should do what they feel is right for them without fear of losing their jobs. The UAW union is just as bad as the company. I would also walk out if I thought it was necessary to protect myself. This virus is the real thing. Lear, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, is the worlds ninth-largest auto supplier, according to Automotive News, reporting nearly $20 billion in sales in 2019, and employing over 160,000 workers across 39 countries. While the company presented itself as an industry leader in safety measures by publicizing a Safe Work Playbook prior to the reopening, its overriding concern for profit and disregard for workers lives has been demonstrated throughout its operations. In Mexico, at least 18 workers died from COVID-19 at the companys Rio Bravo plant in Ciudad Juarez this year. A veteran worker at the Lear Hammond plant spoke to the WSWS. Every day is a risk. Im scared to death in there every day. Im so upset with the whole agenda. The UAW president had no business sending us back to work. If they were going to send us back to work, they shouldve had the company test everybody. As at other plants, workers learned about new COVID-19 cases primarily through each other on Facebook, which the company has sought to discourage. She said one worker posted about his own positive test in order to warn his coworkers. He went live on Facebook to tell us. The company never told us to quarantine. They never told us anything. HR told him not to post about it. Why was it kept quiet? Why have I found out on social media that I may need to quarantine? In the middle of the pandemic, they had a job fair. They hired at least 200-300 people without giving them a COVID-19 test. I think once they get caught up [on production] theyre going to let them go. She denounced the promises the company made in order to convince workers to return, which were broken, one after another. They said we werent going to work overtime, not true. They told us we werent going to cross paths. They let us off at the same time, no room to social distance. Were crossing paths with whatever shift is coming after us. A lot of these big companies sold us a pipe dream, oh were going to do this, were going to do that. But the Big Three have failed us. Tremendously. All these big businesses, all they care about is the money. The worker praised workers for organizing rank-and-file committees at plants in Detroit and elsewhere, saying, Im so proud of them. She added, We dont need a union. They gave the power to the company. Its crazy to sacrifice the blood of your workers. They just dont care. Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 : The Congress in Kerala is probing how party leader Rahul Gandhi got to recommended the name of a son of a BJP leader for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya under the MP quota, a party leader said on Monday. Speaking to IANS, Congress legislator and Wayanad DCC President IC Balakrishnan said that angry party workers had complained about the recommendation. "As soon as the complaint surfaced, we decided to take appropriate action. As a first step, a probe is on to find out what actually happened. Once the probe is over, we will bring this to the attention of the party leadership," said Balakrishnan. According to KV rules, a Lok Sabha MP can recommend a fixed number of students for KV admissions every year from their respective constituencies. Rahul Gandhi represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text San Francisco, Sep 14 : Microsoft has revealed that its bid for TikTok operations in the US was rejected, leaving the other front-runner Oracle to be the likely winner even as an official announcement is awaited. "ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests," Microsoft said in a statement late on Sunday. "To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combating disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement.A "We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas," it added. After TikTok was banned in India in June, along with 58 other Chinese apps, the Donald Trump administration in the US increased pressure on the ByteDance-owned platform to sell its US operations by mid-September or face a ban. SAN FRANCISCO - The cityscape resembles the surface of a distant planet, populated by a masked alien culture. The air, choked with blown ash, is difficult to breathe. There is the Golden Gate Bridge, looming in the distance through a drift-smoke haze, and the Salesforce Tower, which against the blood-orange sky appears as a colossal spaceship in a doomsday film. San Francisco, and much of California, has never been like this. California has become a warming, burning, epidemic-challenged and expensive state, with many who live in sophisticated cities, idyllic oceanfront towns and windblown mountain communities thinking hard about the viability of a place many have called home forever. For the first time in a decade, more people left California last year for other states than arrived. Monica Gupta Mehta and her husband, an entrepreneur, have been through tech busts and booms, earthquakes, wildfire seasons and power outages. But it was not until the skies darkened and cast an unsettling orange light on their Palo Alto home earlier this week that they ever considered moving their family of five somewhere else. "For the first time in 20-something years, the thought crossed our minds: Do we really want to live here?" said Mehta, who is starting an education tech company. It would be difficult to leave. They love the area's abundant nature and are tied to Silicon Valley by work and a network of extended family members, who followed them west from Pittsburgh. But Mehta says it is something she would consider if her family is in regular danger. "Yesterday felt so apocalyptic," Mehta said. "People are really starting to reconsider whether California has enough to offer them." This is the latest iteration of the California Dream, a Gold Rush-era slogan meant to capture the hopeful migration of an old nation to a new, rich West. For generations, the tacit agreement for California residents resembled a kind of too-good-to-be-true deal. Live in the lovely if often drought-plagued Sierra, or beneath the beachfront Pacific Coast cliffs, and work in an economy constantly reinventing itself, from Hollywood to the farms of the San Joaquin to Silicon Valley. But for many of California's 40 million residents, the California Dream has become the California Compromise, one increasingly challenging to justify, with a rapidly changing climate, a thumb-on-the-scales economy, high taxes and a pandemic that has killed more here than in any other state. During the course of his term, President Donald Trump has singled out California, a state he lost by 30 percentage points, as an example of Democrat-caused urban unrest, irresponsible immigration policy and poor forest management, even though nearly 60 percent of the state's forests are managed by the federal government. Several are burning today, with millions of acres already scorched. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has responded specifically in some cases, but in others, he has invoked the California Dream, an adjective attached to no other state. In his January 2019 inaugural address, Newsom warned that "there is nothing inevitable about" that dream. "And now more than ever, it is up to us to defend it," he said. As the state's climate has shifted to one of extremes, soaking wet seasons followed suddenly by sharp, dry heat and wind, no region has been safe from fire. This year - even before peak fire season has gotten underway - widespread fires have forced evacuations, from San Jose in Silicon Valley to the distant hamlet of Big Creek along the western slopes of the Sierra. More than two dozen major fires are burning around the state and have consumed a record 3.1 million acres of land, more than 3,000 homes and at least 10 lives. Los Angeles has reported the worst air quality in three decades as a result of fires surrounding that city, already notorious for orange air and seasonal dry cough. Wine Country is burning for the third year straight, with a number of vineyards lost. Homes have been destroyed far to the south in San Diego County, and more than 200 campers had to be airlifted to safety amid the Creek Fire, still burning hot and fast between Fresno and Mammoth Lakes. The mountains behind Santa Barbara County, which gave way after being burned bare by the Thomas Fire three years ago, have turned a worrisome gray-brown tinder in recent weeks. Those slopes, prepared by one of the state's largest fires in history at the time, slid during rain-saturated mudslides in January 2018. Twenty people were killed in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, sweeping some from inside their foothill homes all the way to the sea. The mandatory evacuation orders issued then included the home recently bought by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, newcomers to Santa Barbara's shifting climate. "Hopefully, this is a wake-up call," said Anne-Marie Bonneau, who two decades ago left her home in Ontario, Canada, for the Bay Area but misses the clean air and less-fractious political environment beyond the northern border. "What is it going to take for this country to do something about the climate crisis? Millions of people are affected by this." She sees what is happening in California as just the beginning of what is to come across the continent. "As always, California's sort of on the leading edge," she said. "We're always ahead of everybody." Kim Cobb is among the climate scientists who, for years, have warned that the consequences of a warming planet will grow more intense, more deadly and more costly over time. But even she has been startled by the scenes unfolding across the West as wildfires rage this summer. "It's an entirely different thing to look at this footage and hear the sobbing voices of people who have lost loved ones and property and livelihoods," said Cobb, a professor at Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Science. "It's shocking for us emotionally, as well as for any global citizen who is watching this." She is also adamant that on our current trajectory, the worst lies ahead. "The science couldn't be any clearer on this point. The links between warming temperatures and these wildfires are clear," Cobb said. "This is going to get a lot worse. . . . I know that challenges the imagination." The fire fallout and the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 14,000 people in California, have provided a kind of CT-scan view of the state and its many inequities. Accounting for 61% of cases, Latinos comprise the vast majority of the coronavirus victims, an infection rate disproportionately high given that they make up just 35% of the overall state population. Many are the "essential workers" serving food, picking crops and living lives that are not privileged enough to take refuge in the safety of telecommuting. During the summer, the novel coronavirus and wildfires have revealed much for Californians: who stays safe from fire and disease, who keeps their jobs, who waits at home for a shrinking benefits check, and who has a soft-landing evacuation site or a hard shelter bed. This is the debit side of the California Compromise. It is an economy, the world's fifth largest, that is built by government policy and private enterprise to favor the skilled in Silicon Valley, Hollywood and the wealthy everywhere else. The rest of California is increasingly a service economy that pays a far larger share of its income in taxes and on housing and food. Median income in the state is $75,277. The median home price in San Francisco is $1.3 million, nearly twice that of Los Angeles. The state government is doing next to nothing to close the gap. Three years ago, state lawmakers approved the nation's second-highest gasoline tax, adding more than 47 cents to the price of a gallon. With home prices skyrocketing along the coast, service workers in particular are moving farther inland from their jobs and into fire country, meaning they are paying far more as a share of their income on fuel just to stay employed. The taxes raise more than $5 billion in annual revenue for roads and transportation projects. But the sometimes hours-long commutes, with affordable housing so far from job centers, also undermine the state's goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2045, an achievement that could alleviate some of the extreme weather. A poll conducted late last year by the University of California at Berkeley found that more than half of California voters had given "serious" or "some" consideration to leaving the state because of the high cost of housing, heavy taxation or its political culture. The draw for some, and the magnet that keeps many here, is the state's breathtaking physical beauty, family history and a liberal political culture appealing to supporters, many of whom in the north are inheritors of a counterculture ethos. Through legislation or direct action at the ballot box, California voters established the country's first "sanctuary state" for undocumented immigrants, built from the ground a vibrant justice-reform movement, and committed to some of the boldest environmental protection goals in the country. In addition, a measure to restore affirmative action to college admission decisions, banned since 1996, is on the November ballot. The legislature just created a committee to study the cost of reparations to racial and ethnic groups the state has historically mistreated. Marijuana is legal. So are hallucinogenic mushrooms in Oakland. The political gulf once ran between north and south in California, a Bay Area vs. Los Angeles standoff for power and resources. Now the delineation is east and west, including between liberal San Francisco and towns such as Oroville, now threatened by fire. Sarah and Joey Wilson, a therapist and the owner of a gold mining supply shop, respectively, live 15 minutes from Oroville in Kelly Ridge and are experienced evacuees. But what most bothers them, beyond the frequent fires, is encroachment by the government on their outdoor lifestyles. Lakes that Joey used to fish are now off-limits. State-erected gates now block public roads he used to drive to access recreational land. And regulations have limited some kinds of gold prospecting, the hobby that supports his business. "That's actually probably made us want to move more than something like this," Sarah Wilson, 45, said of the close-by wildfire flames. The loyalty to liberal politics serves as an anchor for many of the state's urban - and most-entrenched - residents. But it has only light, if any, appeal to newcomers or those here specifically for work. Peter Alvaro has lived in his rent-controlled apartment in the heart of San Francisco since 1999, when he moved from New Jersey for a taste of the city's famed counterculture. He knows the fires will only get worse, as they have steadily in the past three years. But Alvaro feels his identity is tied up in the city and in the surrounding nature. He loves raising his two daughters here, going to the beach three times a week and watching the city constantly change around him. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Many of the people leaving San Francisco are tech workers, newly freed from the city they helped make so expensive by the ability to work remotely during the coronavirus outbreak. "The tech workers weren't necessarily attached to the city, they came here because there was opportunity," said Alvaro, a professor of computer science at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "I hope the city can regrow some of the unique character that was lost in the last boom. The fact that young, wealthy adults are fleeing is good for the culture." Just after the first fires started last month, Gary Cook and his wife packed their three rescue cats into a rented SUV and drove from Napa to their new home in Idaho. After 18 years in Wine Country, Cook and his wife felt California was not right for them anymore. It was not the fires, which Cook said were not an issue for him, but the area's cost of living, high taxes, power outages and political climate. Cook, who recently retired, felt that as a conservative, he no longer had a voice politically in California. "There were significant changes going on that changed our outlook on the whole California dream," Cook said. He said he will miss Napa's famed restaurant scene. Idaho is laid back, and the people are more aligned with his views, but it is more of a steak-and-potatoes kind of place, he says. Business is booming for Scott Fuller, who runs a real estate relocation business. Called Leaving the Bay Area and Leaving SoCal, the company helps people ready to move away from the state's two largest metro areas sell their homes and find others. Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Idaho are the top four states his clients are buying in, and many tech workers are trying out smaller industry hubs such as Denver, Austin, Phoenix and Seattle. Since the pandemic began, he also has been helping people move to less-populated areas within the state such as Placerville or Lake Tahoe. But that trend could reverse quickly because of the record wildfire season, which has been burning around those regions. "For a lot of people, [California's] losing its luster," Fuller said. "For the average person who maybe came out here for the weather, I think they're saying the trade off is just not worth it any longer." It has been hard to locate a place on the map, outside the city centers, where a fire has not cropped up in the past month. Some are burning deep in wilderness, a possible long-term benefit for the health of the forests struggling now for the same scant water supply, and others along costal stretches that have never seen fire in modern history. Others are haunting the dry foothills where fire - and death - have been commonplace in recent years. Just a few miles north of Oroville lies the Sierra foothill town of Paradise, having burned to the ground in just hours on Nov. 8, 2018, in a wind-whipped tragedy of historically deadly proportions. Eighty-five people died, many simply overwhelmed by the sprinting flames as they tried to flee in cars and on foot. The Bear Fire is at Paradise's door again, with much less there to burn as the city slowly rebuilds. Now a thick layer of black and white ash covers the streets, sidewalks and shops of Oroville, a city of 15,000 people that swelled by 25 percent virtually overnight with evacuees from the fire in Paradise, also known as the Camp Fire. The fire followed a near-disaster by a year when the Oroville Dam spillways almost failed with the flooding of the Feather River, threatening to inundate the city. It is difficult today to find an Oroville resident who did not know someone who perished or lost a home in the Camp Fire. Now, amid a pandemic, the fast-moving Bear Fire is forcing new evacuations as it burns northeast of town. The fire already has wiped out the small town of Berry Creek, which sits just north of Lake Oroville. Just outside of Oroville, police cars block entry to the roads that lead to the lake, which this time of year would normally be abuzz with Jet Skis and motorboats. But few residents of Oroville, a conservative, roll-with-the-punches kind of frontier place, are discouraged enough to leave California. More than natural disasters, many residents say it is the liberal overreach of the Democrat-dominated government of their state that has them frustrated. In 2016, Trump won Butte County in a state where he was trounced almost everywhere else. "California is always going to be California," said Judy McClure, 69, a retired school librarian. Rather than leave, she said, she would like to see the government loosen regulations and allow more aggressive forest management to prevent bigger fires. "There's too much government," she said. - - - Albergotti reported from Oroville, Calif.; Dennis reported from Washington; and Wilson reported from Santa Barbara, Calif. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar left the possibility of localised restrictions of the kind seen in Kildare, Laois and Offaly for Dublin open. Photo: Julien Behal TANAISTE Leo Varadkar has said there's "growing confidence" that a Covid-19 vaccine will be available in the first half of next year. But he warned that until that happens it will be a "game of cat and mouse" with the virus that will mean local restrictions for some parts of the country. There is growing concern over the rise in infections in Dublin and the Cabinet is to meet tomorrow to decide on additional restrictions for the Capital. They will consider new rules about visitors to a person's home as well as whether or not to allow pubs in Dublin that don't serve food to open from September 21. The Government is also finalising its medium term plan for 'Living with Covid' which is also due to be published tomorrow. Mr Varadkar was speaking as he launched new grants for small businesses impacted by Covid-19 at the K-Leisure Centre in Naas. He was asked about the deliberations for new Covid-19 measures in Dublin where he said the situation is "worrying". Mr Varadkar left open the possibility of localised restrictions of the kind seen in Kildare, Laois and Offaly for Dublin. He was asked if such local measures would become normal elsewhere in the country in the months ahead. Mr Varadkar said that phase of responding to the pandemic is trying to suppress the virus while opening the economy, schools and colleges. "That in some ways is a game of cat and mouse and that does mean local restrictions of different levels being turned on and off for the next couple of months." However, he added: "There is hope on the horizon, a lot of progress is being made in terms of the vaccine. "And I think there's growing confidence that in the first half of the new year, we'll be in a position to vaccinate older people, those most at risk and healthcare workers. "That could change things, and change things for the better. "But where we are at the moment I think we're going to be for the next six months at least unfortunately," Mr Varadkar added. He said any additional restrictions for Dublin will be decided upon tomorrow. Read More Mr Varadkar added: "The truth is the situation in Dublin is worrying. We've seen a situation where the incidence of the virus was as low as five or six per 100,000 over 14 days and now it's hitting about 80. "Depending on how you count it a 10 or 20 fold increase in the incidence of the virus in Dublin in the space of a few weeks. "And while that has not yet resulted in a dramatic increase in people in hospital or ICUs or deaths, the truth is that it's probably going to head that way if we don't get on top of it. "We watch what's happening in Madrid and in Spain, and we don't want to go there." He added: "There is an opportunity to... flatten the curve again in Dublin. We'll like to make a decision as a Government tomorrow as to what mixed of additional restrictions will be required in the Capital." Asked specifically about pubs reopening he reiterated that the decision will be made by Cabinet tomorrow. He said: "what I can say is that based on data, based on the evidence the situation in Dublin is markedly different from the rest of the country. And that will require a different response." On the possibility of the kinds of restrictions on people's travel seen in Kildare, Laois and Offaly last month Mr Varadkar said he would be cautious of describing what happened in the three counties as a lock-down. He said use of that word is reminds him of April and May when the schools were closed and people were limited to distances of tow or five kilometres from their homes. "We're not considering that for any part of the country at the moment". He said such measures would be level five in the Government's new plan. Mr Varadkar added: "I do think that some regions and some counties are going to see local restrictions like the ones that were seen in Kildare, Laois and Offaly. "The good news about that is they worked, and those restrictions were eased and released after a few weeks. "So, the message I think to any county that may be heading into additional restrictions like Dublin, for example, is that if we work together, if we remember the three W's [washing hands, wearing a face covering and watching distance from others], we can get on top of it." Mr Varadkar said that there will be some "flexibility" in the 'Living with Covid' plan. He said: "we will need to allow ourselves flexibility over the next couple of months. "There's still a lot we don't know about this virus, and if the science changes, if the facts changes, we're going to make sure that we have a plan that can change too. "We're not going to stick to it just because it's there. "We're going to make sure that any decisions we make are driven by evidence." Mark Galli, former editor of Christianity Today, converts to Catholicism; considers himself evangelical Catholic Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Mark Galli, who was editor-in-chief of the evangelical publication Christianity Today until January, is now a member of the Catholic Church after his formal conversion to Catholicism at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Illinois, on Sunday. I deeply appreciate all the good wishes the last two days for my joining the Catholic church, Galli, formerly a Presbyterian pastor, tweeted. Sorry I cant reply to each tweet. Perhaps I was naive (probably was!), but I didn't expect this much response. Thank you. At the ceremony on Sunday, Galli stood before Bishop Richard Pates, who said, Francis, be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, while dabbing Gallis forehead with anointing oil, according to Religion News Service, which reported that Galli chose his confirmation name after St. Francis of Assisi. In many ways, I became a Catholic not to reject my evangelical convictions but merely to ground myself more deeply in them, Galli said last week, speaking to Evangelization & Culture, the Journal of the Word on Fire Institute. In some ways, I now consider myself today an evangelical Catholic. Many evangelicals who discover the dark side of the movement become cynical. And many evangelicals who become Catholics look back and despise their evangelical past. Ive never been tempted to do that. Evangelicals, like Christians from any movement, can do some pretty despicable things. But overall theyve been a force for good in the world. They remind me of some of the more heroic Catholics Im aware of in their ability to make tremendous sacrifices, serving in some of the most troubled places on the planet to share the Gospel. Ive been proud to be part of that movement. Talking about his faith journey, Galli said one of the key turning points was when he was editing an issue of a magazine called Christian History on Francis of Assisi. Naturally, his life of heroic self-denial and absolute infatuation with Jesus deeply impressed me, he said. At the same time, in the evenings, I was reading John Paul IIs encyclical The Splendor of Truth. I cant remember why I decided to read it, other than my general interest in theological currents of the day. Having read that, he continued, he became deeply impressed not only with the mind of John Paul II but with the Catholic sensibility that was woven into this philosophical treatise. And I remarked to myself that it was amazing that the same Church produced both a Francis and a John Paul II. That was probably the moment when my interest in things Catholic began to accelerate, although it would still take many years before I could say I was converted, he explained. Galli went on to say that while many Protestants feel that Roman Catholicism is a version of works righteousness, I discovered that Roman Catholics believe in a grace that is even more radical than the radical Lutherans profess. Before his conversion, Galli was part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for around two decades, the Episcopal Church for 14 years and later an Anglican church. JACKSON, MI A former teacher at a Catholic school in Jackson is facing charges of sexual assault against minors. The 66-year-old former teacher is facing two felony charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Two people reported abuse from the man, a news release from the Michigan Attorneys General Office said. The man taught drama and music at St. John Catholic School between 1974 and 1977, the release said. Court records reveal years of alleged sex abuse by priests across Michigan He was arrested Monday, Sept. 14, in Fort Myers, Florida. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, the news release said. Jackson County District Court is holding virtual arraignments during the coronavirus pandemic. The former teacher is being held without bond. MLive does not name suspect until theyve been arraigned. This is the 10th person connected to the Catholic Church that the attorneys general office has charged since October 2018 when they seized 1.5 million paper documents and 3.5 million electronic documents, the release said. Two former Upper Peninsula priests charged with with sex crimes The Diocese of Lansing reported the allegations of sexual abuse to the attorney general and the Jackson County Prosecutor in 2019, a news release from the Diocese said. The Diocese of Lansing, of course, abhors all sexual abuse and will continue to support all victims in reporting abuse, pursuing justice, and obtaining healing," the release said. First-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while second-degree criminal sexual conduct carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. Information about clergy abuse can be submitted to the attorneys general office online here or by calling 844-324-3374. This article was updated at 3:34 p.m. to include a statement from the Diocese of Lansing. Read more from MLive.com: 20 questions the gym industry has about Michigans new fitness center rules Teen dies after shes pulled from Lake Michigan Isle Royale wolf update: Surprise pups, a missing wolf and a lot of tension Accountant (19%), Sales Manager (17%) and Marketing Manager (15%) are the top jobs that GCC employers are hiring for over the next three months, said a survey report. The latest Job Index Survey from Bayt.com, the Middle Easts top job site, and YouGov, global online market research company, has revealed that most employers across the region demand good communication in English and Arabic (67%), as well as good leadership skills (42%) and being a team player (42%) as top skills for their hires. Released bi-annually, the survey is an in-depth study that aims to measure the job availability and hiring trends. The study also identifies trends in the Mena job market and provides an understanding of required skill sets and qualifications in the region. HIRING INTENTIONS The top industries looking to hire the highest number of candidates in the next three months across the Mena region are Business Consultancy/Business Management/Management Consulting (58%), Healthcare/Medical Services and Oil/Gas/Petrochemicals (both at 55%). GCC companies will be mainly hiring entry level staff especially Junior Executives (43%), followed by Managers (27%) and Coordinators (26%). Furthermore, Sales Managers (20%), Accountants (19%), and Marketing Managers (16%) are the top roles Mena employers are looking for. The GCC is looking to hire Accountants (19%), Sales Managers (17%) and Marketing Managers (15%), while Levant is looking to hire Sales Managers, Accountants and Receptionists (all at 23%), whereas North Africa is looking to hire Sales Managers (22%), Accountants (19%) and Marketing Executives (18%). Echoing the short term, Business Consultancy/Business Management/Management Consulting industry (81%) continue to have the highest hiring intentions in the next one year across the Mena region, followed by IT/Internet/E-commerce (68%) and Consumer Goods/FMCG (66%). Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: The Bayt.com Job Index Survey gives us the opportunity to measure the job availability and hiring trends, twice a year. Faced with an unprecedented global crisis in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, our region continues to evolve and transform affecting the most in-demand jobs and skills, as well as the factors which are crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS When it comes to skill sets in the GCC, good communication skills in both English and Arabic languages are highly sought after (67%), followed by good leadership skills (42%) and being a team player (42%). More than one-third of GCC employers surveyed (34%) state that they are looking for candidates with managerial experience (ability to manage a team), while another 34% want candidates with sales and marketing experience and 30% are searching for those with mid-level experience (3 to 7 years). In terms of academic qualifications, Business Management (25%), Engineering (23%) and Commerce (17%) are the most sought-after amongst employers in the GCC region. INDUSTRIES ATTRACTING TOP TALENT Overall, Banking/Finance (29%) is seen as the industry that attracts or retains top talent across the Mena region, followed by Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (28%) and Healthcare/Medical Services (26%). Banking/Finance emerges as the main industry attracting national talent (33%) and fresh graduates (29%). This is followed by Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (25% for both national talent and fresh graduates). When it comes to female talent, Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (37%) is considered the most attractive, followed by Banking/Finance (32%) and Healthcare/Medical Services (32%). The Job Index Survey is a key indicator of the Mena regions hiring activities. For job seekers, this survey is a useful guide outlining the general perspectives and sentiments regarding matters like job availability and skills required. For employers and managers, the survey depicts many findings and predictions regarding the regional business and job market, said Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov. Data for the Middle East Job Index Survey 2020 was collected online from June 23, 2020 to August 6, 2020. Results are based on a sample of 1,055 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.-- Tradearabia News Service A court in Vietnams capital Hanoi on Monday sentenced two defendants to death, also handing down a life sentence and other sentences ranging from six years to 15-months probation, in the trial of 29 villagers over a deadly land-rights clash in January at the Dong Tam commune. Brothers Le Dinh Chuc and Le Dinh Cong, both sentenced to death, had been charged with murder in the deaths of three police officers who were killed in the Jan. 9 clash when they were attacked by petrol bombs and fell into a concrete shaft while running between two houses. Their father, Dong Tam village elder Le Dinh Kinh, 84, was also killed during the early-morning raid on the village by 3,000 security officers intervening in a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site about 25 miles south of the capital. Le Dinh Congs son Le Dinh Doanh was sentenced on Monday to life in prison, while another defendant, Bui Viet Hieu, was given a 16-year prison term and Nguyen Quoc Tien and Nguyen Van Tuyen were handed 12 and 13 year terms respectively. Others received prison terms of five and six years, and 17 received suspended sentences, with 13 of that group released by the court, sources told RFAs Vietnamese Service at the end of the trial, which began on Sept. 7 and ended last Thursday, with sentencing postponed till today. Nguyen Thi Duyenniece-in-law of village leader Le Dinh Kinh, who was shot and killed by police during the raidtold RFA on Monday that she was not surprised by the outcome of the trial, saying, I had prepared myself for the worst.Certainly, [the Vietnamese court and police] would have done all they could to ensure that the Dong Tam residents would have to endure long terms in jail, she said.As I said in court there were four deaths to be accounted for in this case, added defense attorney Nguyen Van Mieng, also speaking to RFA. Therefore, the court really needed to investigate and closely check what happened in all of those deaths.There was never enough evidence to charge Le Dinh Cong and Le Dinh Chuc with murder, Nguyen added.At the trial, presiding judge Truong Viet Toan had rejected defense requests to summon as witnesses Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chungnow held under detention in an unrelated corruption investigationand representatives of the Ministry of Defense and Hanois Public Security Department, saying these officials were not relevant to the case.Slain village elder Le Dinh Kinhs widow Du Thi Thanh, mother of the two men sentenced to death, was also not allowed to appear as a witness in court, sources close to the trial said.On Monday, Du filed a petition with senior Vietnamese leaders, including Vietnams prime minister and the Minister of Police, denouncing Public Security Ministry spokesman To An Xo, who had referred in a recent statement to Le Dinh Kinh as a new type of wicked landlord.Before he was shot and killed by police, Le had never been prosecuted for any crime and had no criminal record, Du said in her petition, demanding that Vietnamese leaders hold To accountable for slandering her husbands memory.Reached for comment on the trial, Hanoi-based dissident activist Nguyen Quang A slammed Mondays sentences, calling Vietnams ruling Communist Party deaf and blind to justice. The Vietnamese government always just imposes its will, resulting in atrocities and inhumane acts against [the countrys] people, he said.The heavy sentences against the Dong Tam defendants, including the death sentence against two persons, come as no surprise, added Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch in a statement Monday.Vietnams rulers are bending over backwards to show their toughest possible face against the Dong Tam villagers because they worry this communitys defiance could be contagious unless the defendants are hit with the most severe penalties, Robertson said.With the ruling communist partys national congress just a few months away, there was never a possibility of anything but a rushed trial through a controlled court that would throw the book at these defendants.Carl Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, meanwhile called the Dong Tam raid and resulting trial a culmination of 40 years of problems with land in Vietnam.Trials in Vietnam are not free and fair as we understand them, Thayer said. Its not rule of law. Its rule by law. The political decision is: you either put them on trial or you dont. And if youre putting them on trial, youre predetermining [the outcome].While all land in Vietnam is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint as residents accuse the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation to farming families displaced by development. HOUSTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Baylor Genetics is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of information. Baylor Genetics recently notified individuals of a data security incident involving access to certain employee email accounts by unauthorized third-parties. Upon learning of this issue, Baylor Genetics promptly disabled access to the impacted email accounts and required mandatory password resets to prevent further access by unauthorized parties. Baylor Genetics immediately commenced a prompt and thorough investigation, working closely with external cybersecurity professionals. After an extensive forensic investigation and comprehensive and time-consuming manual document review, we discovered on July 16, 2020 that one or more of the email accounts accessed between September 24, 2019 and November 14, 2019 contained identifiable personal and/or protected health information. Baylor Genetics has no evidence to suggest that any data is misused or otherwise in the possession of someone it should not be. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are issuing notices to anyone whose information may have been contained in the accessed accounts. The accessed email accounts contained the personal and protected health information of certain individuals who had genetic testing performed by Baylor Genetics, including their names, dates of birth, test orders, patient account numbers unique to Baylor Genetics, and, in a very limited number of cases, Social Security numbers, financial account information, driver's license numbers, and passport numbers. Test results were not contained in the impacted email accounts. This incident does not affect all individuals who received testing from Baylor Genetics. Baylor Genetics is sending notification letters to each affected individual for whom we have enough information to determine a physical address. Notified individuals should monitor insurance statements for any transactions related to care or services that have not actually been received. For the very limited number of individuals whose Social Security numbers were impacted, complimentary credit monitoring was offered. Since the date of this incident, Baylor Genetics has taken significant measures to improve its technical safeguards in order to minimize the risk of a similar incident in the future, including improving its multi-factor authentication software and providing additional training to Baylor Genetics employees. For further questions or additional information regarding this incident, or to determine if you may be impacted, Baylor Genetics has set up a dedicated toll-free response line for patients to ask questions. The response line can be contacted at (866) 925-2017and is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time. About Baylor Genetics: Baylor Genetics is a joint venture of H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. and Baylor College of Medicine, including the #1 NIH-funded Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. Located in Houston's Texas Medical Center, Baylor Genetics provides specialized genetic and infectious disease testing solutions. Learn more about Baylor Genetics at www.baylorgenetics.com. SOURCE Baylor Genetics Related Links https://www.baylorgenetics.com ANN ARBOR, MI And then there were two. City Councils search for a new administrator to run Ann Arbors city hall and carry out council policy directives is down to two finalists after a third candidate dropped out of the running. That leaves Cara Pavlicek, village manager in Oak Park, Illinois, and Tom Crawford, Ann Arbors interim administrator and longtime chief financial officer. Council is expected to vote on next steps in the process Monday night, Sept. 14, and that could mean entering contract negotiations with one of them. As a followup to recent interviews, both candidates have recorded video presentations, laying out their visions for the city. Watch them here: Eric Wobser, city manager in Sandusky, Ohio, gave Ann Arbor notice he was withdrawing from consideration for the job in an email Friday, Sept. 11. He said it was an honor to be a finalist and he was grateful to be considered. I have greatly enjoyed the process, and Ann Arbor is an incredible community with strong leadership in place moving forward, Wobser wrote. However, it would take the perfect opportunity at the right time for me to consider leaving Sandusky, where we have made great progress but still have important work ahead. Therefore, I am withdrawing my candidacy for the Ann Arbor city administrator position and wish you, City Council, and the Ann Arbor community the best as the process continues. A fourth finalist, Joyce Parker, withdrew last month, saying she didnt think council was willing to hire an external candidate, let alone a Black woman. City administrator finalist expressed doubts Ann Arbor would hire a Black woman Dozens of community members and city staff provided feedback on the final candidates via an online survey. About 70% of community members who responded said they would recommend Crawford, including 53% who said highly recommend." About 47% of community member respondents also said they would recommend Pavlicek, including 30% who said highly recommend. Pavlicek scored higher among city staffers, with 76% saying they would recommend her, including 52% who said highly recommend, while 58% said they would recommend Crawford, including 38% who said highly recommend. Only three of 11 council members provided feedback via the survey, but all three indicated they prefer Crawford. See survey feedback about both candidates' perceived strengths and weaknesses. Council meets at 6 p.m. Monday to consider selecting one of the two candidates. The meeting will be broadcast live by Community Television Network, including via YouTube. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: City administrator finalists explain why theyd be a good fit for Ann Arbor Accusations fly during heated council debate over Ann Arbor city administrator search Why was Ann Arbor City Administrator Howard Lazarus fired? Emails shed some light Emails show blowback against Ann Arbor council after firing administrator Ann Arbor launches search for new city administrator with ability to be apolitical Artificial intelligence can do more than recommend a song or suggest what to write in an email. It might even be able to predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Larissa Casaburi, a researcher in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, is using artificial intelligence to study how being a coal miner affects COVID-19 outcomes. She's also investigating the ways smoking, vaping and having a chronic lung condition influence how COVID-19 patients fare. "One of the features of machine learning is that it can develop personalized predictive models," said Casaburi, an associate professor of radiology. "It's precise medicine. It's a novel approach to improve patients' care, and there's a lot of research interest in it." Using demographic and health data associated with COVID-19 patients in West Virginia, Casaburi and her colleagues will build a machine learning model that predicts the patients' outcomes based on multiple variables. They will draw this data from the WVU COVID-19 registry. "The artificial intelligence will make the analysis more accurate than traditional statistical models," she said. The model--produced by SporeData, a partner in the project--will consider whether patients have asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other lung conditions. It will appraise CT scans of their lungs. And it will take into account whether they have chronic lung disease, whether they smoke or vape, whether they have worked in a coal mine and other factors. The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute has funded the $30,000 project. "West Virginia is uniquely positioned to test our hypothesis, mainly because of the high percentage of smokers here," Casaburi said. "Approximately 25 percent of the population has a history of smoking." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia is tied with Maine for the highest prevalence of asthma. COPD is also prevalent in the state. In 2011, the CDC reported that 8.9 percent of West Virginians had been diagnosed with the disease. But "one of the most important parts of this project is the large population of coal miners" in West Virginia, Casaburi said. According to the Energy Information Administration, West Virginia was the largest employer of coal workers in 2016. The model could help doctors individualize care for COVID-19 patients, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Research reported in this publication was supported by the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute. WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, under Award Number U54GM104942, to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to impact health disparities in West Virginia. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CTSI. ### An old building in Qasr el-Nile Street, one of the main arteries that runs through downtown Cairo, the urban center of Egypts capital, partially collapsed Aug. 15, injuring four people. The building was not an ordinary one. According to an Aug. 16 statement by the public prosecution, the four-story building, which housed two residential units and several stores, was built in 1941 and registered as a building of special architectural style. The prosecution noted that there had been several orders to restore the listed building in the past, the last of which dated to 1993, but all these orders had been ignored. The collapse of the listed building was the latest in a chain of a wider and recurring phenomenon the traditional leniency of the authorities when it comes to enforcing laws and regulations on construction and maintenance, coupled with the illegal action of some owners and real estate developers, have made these types of incidents frequent, and has recently become an important concern for the Egyptian government. In regard to historic buildings, the state of negligence does not help. Downtown Cairo has long been a glaring example of this process. Developed between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century, the new heart of the Egyptian capital, located in an area that extends from the Old City to the Nile River, has a distinctive architectural style that combines European styles with local influences and materials. The quarter, also known as Khedivial Cairo, underwent a deep transformation during its early years, when most of its original buildings that included houses and villas faded within decades, giving way to a second wave of construction during the first half of the 20th century that better defines the area nowadays. The turning point for Khedivial Cairo came with the 1952 coup that brought the military to power. The wave of nationalizations pushed by Gamal Abdel Nasser led to a government acquisition of more than half of the buildings in downtown Cairo. A new strict rent control system and ownership model were also instituted. Little by little, the upper and middle classes that had inhabited the neighborhood started to move out. Following the open-door policy adopted by Anwar Sadat in the 1970s, local businesses were turned into shops selling consumer goods and more buildings lost their residents. All these factors accompanied by a lack of public awareness toward buildings from the 19th and early 20th century and the fragmentation of ownership after several generations help explain the general state of decay that many of them reached by the early 2000s. The first significant efforts to restore and preserve the architectural heritage of downtown Cairo began about two decades ago, according to Soheir Hawas, a professor of architecture and urban design at Cairo University and a leading heritage researcher. Back then, the first university courses on modern heritage conservation started to be introduced. And in 2004, the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH), a government entity that aims to apply the values of aesthetics to the exterior of buildings and urban spaces, started to work. The two main laws that regulate modern heritage, such as the one in downtown Cairo, were drafted by NOUH, of which Hawas was a founder and chair of the Research, Studies and Policies Department from 2004 to 2013. The first law, enacted in 2006, aimed at listing all modern heritage buildings and structures in three categories, depending on the degree of protection. And the second one, enacted in 2008, is an urban harmony law for the purpose of registering entire neighborhoods. In 2017, an inventory prepared by NOUH listed 700 buildings of special architectural style in Khedivial Cairo, which is also one of the areas included in the second law, along with other neighborhoods like Heliopolis. The listed buildings in downtown Cairo fall under the responsibility of the governorate. Those laws together are enough to help each other to protect heritage. The laws just need to be applied and respected, Hawas told Al-Monitor. The main public efforts until today have focused on uplifting downtown Cairos outer image of buildings and streets. These have included the design of some pedestrian streets, lighting and circulation control. At the same time, the facades of some buildings have been restored, and various offices and stores have returned to the area. In recent months, the government has also been particularly active with the controversial development of the iconic Tahrir Square, which is part of a broader modernization plan of downtown Cairo. Restoration is very important and it should not be [just] about beautifying, about putting makeup, to cover ugliness. It should be restored to last longer and remain in good condition, Hawas said. What we are asking now is to go inside [of these buildings], she added. One of the main players in the industry is Al-Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment, a private investment company established in 2008. The company owns 25 buildings, which it started to maintain and develop, Karim Shafei, its co-founder, chairman and CEO, told Al-Monitor. According to Shafei, the main achievements of Al-Ismaelia since its foundation include much-needed maintenance of the buildings, new rents that can be imposed by buying entire buildings and the consolidation of ownership of the buildings they purchased in the hands of a single owner. I bought buildings from 120 heirs at some stage, he said. When working according to the law, taking the right decisions under the supervision of NOUH, Al-Ismaelia and other such companies will be very successful and will complete what we started. Hawas noted. At the same time, Al-Ismaelia has launched a project to document old buildings from a historical and social perspective, as well as a campaign to transform downtown Cairo in an artistic and cultural hub to attract life back into the area, Shafei noted. As part of these efforts, the company is deeply involved in organizing the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), held every spring since 2012 in multiple spots of the capitals city center. This year D-CAF was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Al-Ismaelia is interested in downtown because it is one of the most beautifully designed neighborhoods from an urban perspective. It is emulating a lot what Haussmann did in Paris," Shafei said. The buildings were priced at a very low price, he said. You might find other districts with nice old buildings, but price-wise downtown was 20% to 25% of those prices, he added. If you look at downtown today versus what it was 10 or 12 years ago, you will see that there is a significant change, Shafei added. The change is not complete, but you can already see the direction toward which it is heading. The enhancement and development of downtown Cairo, which is easily accessible, also offers opportunities to boost tourism in the area. For now Cairo is more focused on cultural tourism. There are no places where a foreigner can go and walk around and see Egyptians live their lives, Shafei said. If you go to Beirut you can go to the monuments, but you can also just walk, go around and see how [the locals] live their normal lives. Cairo does not offer that experience." Putting this idea into practice, Al-Ismaelia has organized for more than five years a weekly tour in downtown Cairo (D-Tour) now on hold to explore its different points of interest, including the buildings purchased by the company as they stand after their renovation. Our mission is to revive downtown Cairo, so this is our way to attract a different kind of tourism [to the area]. This is local tourism, but we feel that once we take this to the next level it is also going to attract [international] tourists, Yara Salib, head of marketing and public relations at Al-Ismaelia who has more than 20 years of experience in the tourism sector, told Al-Monitor. It is not the traditional form of tourism, but it is a small tour that we design to highlight the architecture in downtown and [aimed at] tourists who are looking for something different and more local, she added. The US Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, is stepping down, Mike Pompeo announced today, amid deteriorating relations on trade, Hong Kong and coronavirus. The Secretary of State thanked Branstad, tweeting that he had 'contributed to rebalancing US-China relations so that it is results-oriented, reciprocal, and fair.' The reasons for the ambassador's departure were not immediately clear, and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - while acknowledging Pompeo's tweet - said it had not received notice of his resignation. However, the former two-term Iowa governor, 73, roiled Beijing earlier this month with an opinion piece penned for the Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily, which had accused China of 'exploiting' US openness in recent years. Terry Branstad makes comments about pro-democracy activist and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo during a photocall and remarks to journalists at the Ambassador's residence in Beijing in June 2017 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted early on Monday to announce that Branstad was stepping down from his post In a statement on the embassy's Weibo (Chinese Twitter equivalent), Branstad said: 'I will step down from the post of U.S. Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China early next month. 'I am extremely honored to represent the President of the United States and the American people in the past over three years. We are rebalancing the US-China relationship to make it fair, reciprocal and to promote positive growth in both countries. This effort will continue. Pompeo in Warsaw, Poland, last month 'As Im leaving the office, I am as optimistic as when I first arrived. I have met so many amazing people in China. My wife Chris and I will never forget your hospitality.' Branstad had been in office since May 2017, representing Washington in Beijing during a period of strained ties with China, marked by tensions over trade, regional territorial claims, the coronavirus pandemic, and unrest in Hong Kong. In June, he was summoned by Beijing after President Donald Trump signed a law that paved the way for sanctions over Hong Kong, an action the foreign ministry slammed as 'gross interference in China's internal affairs'. Last year, he called on Beijing to open a 'substantive dialogue' with the Dalai Lama during a rare visit to Tibet, a region where the central government is accused of widespread repression. Branstad's article for the People's Daily last week prompted a war of words between Washington and Beijing, who said it was not fit for publication. Branstad 'needed back in Iowa for the Trump campaign' Branstad, previously the longest-serving governor of Iowa, a state in the U.S. Farm Belt which helped Trump get elected in 2016, will leave China in early October, the U.S. embassy said in a statement. Republican Trump won Iowa by about 9 percentage points in 2016 after his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama had won in the 2008 and 2012 elections. Trump was expected to win the state easily in 2020 against Democratic candidate Joe Biden, but some opinion polls show the race tightening, attracting money from Democrats in the U.S. Senate and presidential race who now see the state as winnable. Sources familiar with the matter cite Branstad's popularity in Iowa, having served there as governor for over two decades, as an asset to Trump. 'I suspect the real answer, as usual, is the simplest one: the Trump campaign needs help shoring up Iowa, including making the case to farmers that the President's trade policy has helped them - not an easy sell,' said Matthew Goodman, a trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trump has tested the loyalty of his rural base in Iowa through his trade wars with China and his handling of corn-based ethanol mandates, a core economy for the state. On Saturday, Trump hinted that Branstad might be joining the campaign. In a video posted on Twitter by Iowa senator Joni Ernst, Trump said Branstad would be coming home from China 'because he wants to campaign.' Source: Reuters Advertisement The US Embassy had contacted the People's Daily on August 26 about the piece, asking that it be printed in full without any edits by September 9. Pompeo tweeted that the Communist Party refused to run Branstad's op-ed while the Chinese ambassador to the United States 'is free to publish in any U.S. media outlet.' Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded that Branstad's article was 'full of loopholes, seriously inconsistent with facts and wantonly attacks and smears China.' An early supporter of Trump's run for the White House in 2016, Branstad was appointed soon after the election. At the time, Trump's transition team praised his 'tremendous understanding of China and Chinese people.' He was reported to have a long-standing relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he first met in the 1980s in Iowa. Branstad will retire and leave Beijing early next month. Hu Xijin, chief editor of major Chinese nationalist newspaper Global Times, commented on his Weibo: 'When Branstad was appointed as the ambassador to China, Chinese and American public opinion had high expectations that he could play a role in promoting relations between the two countries. 'However, the three years he served as ambassador to China were the three years when Sino-US relations deteriorated the most. He is in a very awkward position. 'Few ambassadors are willing to seriously deteriorate the relationship between their country and the host country during his tenure instead of improving it. From this perspective, I dont believe that Ambassador Branstad played a role in promoting the process of the cliff-like fall of Sino-US relations. 'The sharp reversal of the US policy towards China is obviously directly determined by Washington. Even if Ambassador Branstad has the intention to ease the cliff-like fall of Sino-US relations, his room for action is very small. He is unlikely to stand in the way of Washington being hostile to China. 'Before Branstad came to China, he was the governor of Iowa, an agricultural state in the United States with close ties to China. After Branstad came to China, he acted relatively low-key, and the U.S.'s bad words against China were basically directly issued by Washington. 'Most of the people who came into contact with Branstad in China have a good personal impression of him. It is still unclear whether Branstad himself offered to resign as ambassador to China or Washington directly removed him. According to the analysis of Chinese scholars, the former is more likely. If so, perhaps he does not want to be the scapegoat that ruined Sino-US relations for the Trump administration. Of course, it is not ruled out that Trump transfers him back to help stabilize the election in Iowa. 'In any case, Sino-US relations have deteriorated severely during his tenure as ambassador to China. This cannot be the ambassadors professional glory. If the US news is true, his departure from China will be bleak. The United States will not succeed in doing this to China, and history is destined to give it negative comments. Branstad will be one of these followers. As for where the Sino-US relations will go next, the replacement of a weaker ambassador to China will not become an influential factor.' It has been a privilege to work with Julie for the last three years here at Envoy. She is incredibly devoted, trustworthy and respected as Envoys General Counsel, and Im honored to have her as part of my leadership team, said Ron Millard, Envoy CEO. Houston Business Journal released their annual awards that recognize women in Houston-area companies who are outstanding business leaders. Envoy Mortgage Chief Legal Advisor, Julie Caggiano, was among the candidates recognized for the 2020 Women Who Mean Business award. Caggiano is the Chief Legal Advisor to Envoys executive team and guides various compliance initiatives. After 21 years of law firm experience, Caggiano joined Envoy in 2010, equipped with a law degree and a MBA, allowing her to field both business and legal decisions for the company, making her a valuable force within the organization. It has been a privilege to work with Julie for the last three years here at Envoy. She is incredibly devoted, trustworthy and respected as Envoys General Counsel, and Im honored to have her as part of my leadership team, said Ron Millard, Envoy CEO. Since joining the company, her core focus has been establishing Envoys compliance management program. She also provides expert legal support regarding mergers and acquisitions, human resources and corporate governance. In 2017, when private investor, Platform Partners, acquired a stake in Envoy, Caggiano seamlessly spearheaded the initiative that ultimately allowed for Envoys expansion. In 2017, she was named one of Houstons Top 50 Women in Law by the National Diversity Council and one of Houstons Top 50 General Counsel in 2019. Caggiano stays abreast of changes in legislation through her work with the American Bar Associations financial services community and by working closely with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and state regulators. Caggiano is also a member of many professional and philanthropic organizations, including the Consumer Financial Services Committee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section, CREW Houston and the National and Texas Mortgage Bankers Associations. She is also President of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers, as well as Treasurer of the Boards of Houston Eye Associates Foundation and the Houston Delta Gamma Foundation. About Envoy Mortgage: Founded in 1997, Envoy Mortgage is an independently owned national mortgage lender headquartered in Houston, TX dedicated to serving retail originators exclusively to allow them to serve their customers and grow their businesses. As a Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie approved seller/servicer, Envoy offers a full menu of loan products with locations across the U.S. Licensed in 48 states, Envoy branches deliver outstanding customer service while offering a full menu of loan products with the tools, expertise and technology needed to support all functions of the mortgage process. More information is available at https://www.envoymortgage.com. Envoy Mortgage, Ltd. NMLS #6666. Press Contact: Melody Warren Envoy Mortgage mwarren@envoymortgage.com 713-714-1338 Former Prime Minister Theresa May and ex-chancellor Savid Javid led the Tory rebellion against Boris Johnson's Brexit bill last night. Mrs May joined Mr Javid in abstaining to vote on the controversial Internal Markets order, but it still managed to clear the House of Commons. Labour had also tried to get it thrown out over fears it broke international law without success. Mr Javid, who resigned his post in February after rejecting Mr Johnson's order to fire his team of aides, made clear his reason for refusing to vote. He said in a statement: 'Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly. 'Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so'. Boris Johnson has said the legislation was necessary to prevent the EU taking an 'extreme and unreasonable' interpretation of the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement relating to Northern Ireland. Former Prime Minister and Chancellor Theresa May and Savid Javid abstained in the vote A fed-up looking Boris Johnson during the vote in Parliament last night, which saw Tories rebel TORY REBELS Voted against the Government (2 MPs): Sir Roger Gale Andrew Percy Abstained having spoken out against Government (13 MPs): Sir Robert Neill Geoffrey Cox Simon Hoare George Freeman Tobias Ellwood Gary Streeter Rehman Chishti Jack Lopresti Sajid Javid Charles Walker Jeremy Wright Ben Spencer Sir Oliver Heald Abstained, reasons unclear* (17 MPs): Andrew Stuart Crispin Blunt Karen Bradley Sir Graham Brady Sir Christopher Chop Jackie Doyle-Price Dr Liam Fox Richard Graham Stephen Hammond James Heappey Damian Hinds Sir Edward Leigh Tim Loughton Theresa May Owen Paterson Julian Smith John Stevenson **There are several legitimate reasons people can abstain from votes without angering the whips, such as being paired with a rival MP who cannot make the vote for health reasons. Advertisement He claims some in Brussels were now threatening to block UK exports to the EU and to insist on tariffs on all goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. The Opposition's amendment to scrap the controversial bill failed on Monday night, winning just 213 'aye' votes, compared to 349 noes. MPs have also now voted to give the UK Internal Market Bill a second reading by 340 to 263 - a Government majority of 77. Two Tory MPs, Sir Roger Gale and Andrew Percy, voted against the Bill, while 30 did not cast a vote - although some may have been 'paired' with opposition MPs. The Government tally was bolstered by the support of seven DUP MPs. The Commons will begin detailed line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill on Tuesday, with votes expected next week on amendments to the Northern Ireland provisions which some Tories may back. Michael Gove has now accused the European Union of not always being constructive in talks over post-Brexit trade relations, as he urged legislators to back a government bill that would breach the divorce deal between London and Brussels. 'The EU has not always been the constructive partner that all of us might have hoped,' Gove said in closing remarks at the end of a House of Commons debate on the controversial Internal Market bill. 'We were told that we would get a Canada deal. That's not on the table,' said Gove, adding that on the disputed subject of fisheries the EU stance amounted to wanting rights to fish in UK waters just like before Brexit. It comes after Boris Johnson accused the European Union of putting a 'revolver' on the table during trade talks as he lashed out at the bloc for allegedly threatening to block food exports from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister said that in recent months the EU had signalled it was willing to go to 'extreme and unreasonable lengths' if it does not get its way in negotiations. He said the bloc wanted to use measures contained within the Brexit divorce deal in a way that goes 'beyond common sense' in order to 'exert leverage against the UK'. The legislation will enable the UK to unilaterally make decisions on key issues, like customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, contained within the Withdrawal Agreement. Boris Johnson today accused the EU of putting a 'revolver' on the table during trade talks in the form of an alleged threat to block GB food exports to Northern Ireland as he defended his plans to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) leaves the House of Commons in London after the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill cleared its first Commons hurdle He said the 'most glaring example' was the EU suggesting it could ban UK food exports to the bloc which would also 'create an instant and automatic prohibition on the transfer of our animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland'. The Prime Minister said the EU was effectively threatening to 'blockade' the movement of goods 'within our own country' as he claimed Brussels was yet to 'take that particular revolver off the table'. The PM made the comments in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon as he sought to quash a Tory rebellion over his plans to tear up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement. But Labour's shadow business secretary, Ed Miliband, who was standing in for Sir Keir Starmer, accused the PM of 'legislative hooliganism' and 'incompetence'. Ministers have admitted the proposals would break international law and a growing number of Tory MPs have said they will not be able to support the Bill. MP Rehman Chishti quit yesterday morning as the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief because of his opposition to the Bill as he said he believed 'if we give our word, then we must honour it'. Separately, David Cameron became the fifth former prime minister to condemn Mr Johnson's plans as he said on Monday breaking international law should only ever be an 'absolute final resort' and that he had 'misgivings' about the approach. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband accused the Prime Minister of 'legislative hooliganism' Theresa May's former legal chief Geoffrey Cox (pictured together in 2019) said it would be 'unconscionable' for the Government to override the Brexit divorce deal Brussels is adamant that the decisions must be made by a joint committee made up of people from both sides - as set out in the treaty. But the Government argues its new proposals are necessary in order to protect the integrity of the UK should the two sides be unable to agree terms. However, many Tories are alarmed at the potential impact reneging would have on the UK's global reputation, and could support an amendment to introduce a 'parliamentary lock' later in the process. Mr Johnson tried to win over Conservative rebels as he told the Commons the legislation 'should be welcomed by everyone who cares about the sovereignty and integrity of our United Kingdom'. Setting out his reasons for trying to override parts of the Brexit divorce deal, he said: 'I regret to have to tell the House that in recent months the EU has suggested that it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths. 'Using the Northern Ireland protocol in a way that goes well beyond common sense, simply to exert leverage against the UK in our negotiations for a free trade agreement. 'To take the most glaring example, the EU has said that if we fail to reach an agreement to their satisfaction they might very well refuse to list the UK's food and agricultural products for sale anywhere in the EU. 'And it gets even worse because under this protocol that decision would create an instant and automatic prohibition on the transfer of our animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. EU to delay euro clearing decision over Boris Brexit law threat The European Union is set to delay a decision on allowing clearing houses in London to continue clearing euro transactions for EU-based clients due to Britain's plan to breach part of the Brexit divorce settlement. The delay is one of the first warning shots from the EU as MPs vote later on a bill that would breach parts of Britain's Withdrawal Agreement from the bloc. Brussels had said it would grant Britain 'time-limited' access to euro derivatives clearing from January to avoid huge disruption to markets, as a unit of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) clears over 90 per cent euro-denominated swaps that are widely used by companies. The European Commission was due to formally take that decision later this week, but is now expected to delay it until around the end of the month, Reuters reported, the source said, citing an a derivatives industry source. The Commission had no immediate comment. The delay was linked to Britain's perceived unpicking of the Withdrawal Agreement it signed with the bloc, the source added. Britain left the EU in January and transition arrangements that still allow unfettered access to the bloc end on December 31. Without legal certainty of access to the EU, the LSE's clearing unit LCH must give its clients in the bloc three-months' notice to move billions of euros worth of swaps positions out of Britain. Euro clearing has long been a battleground between Britain, to keen to preserve London's clout as a global finance hub, and EU policymakers, who believe the bulk of activity should reside in the euro zone under the eye of the European Central Bank. But moving large swaps positions from LCH to rivals such as Deutsche Boerse's Eurex in Frankfurt in a short time would be costly for banks and unnerve markets. Brussels had therefore opted to allow more time for this to happen, although it had not said how much time. If Britain's bill to override parts of its Brexit divorce settlement becomes law it could sour its attempts to have access to other financial activities in the bloc such as trading shares. Advertisement 'Our interlocutors on the other side are holding out the possibility of blockading food and agricultural transports within our own country.' He added: 'I have to say that absurd and self-defeating as that action would be, even as we debate this matter the EU has not taken that particular revolver off the table. 'I hope that they will do so and that we can reach a Canada-style free trade agreement as well.' Mr Miliband accused Mr Johnson of presiding over 'legislative hooliganism', telling the Commons: 'I don't understand this. He signed the deal, it's his deal, it is the deal that he said would protect the people of Northern Ireland. 'And I have to say to him, this is not just legislative hooliganism on any issue, it is on the most sensitive issues of all.' The shadow business secretary said Mr Johnson had previously lauded the Withdrawal Agreement he secured but now he insists it is 'contradictory and ambiguous'. Mr Miliband added: 'What incompetence. What failure of governance. And how dare he try and blame everyone else. 'Can I say to the Prime Minister, this time he can't blame (Theresa May), he can't blame John Major, he can't blame the judges, he can't blame the civil servants, he can't sack the cabinet secretary again. 'There's only one person responsible for it, and that is him. This is his deal, it's his mess, it's his failure.' Mr Johnson is facing considerable discontent on the Tory benches over his plans to break international law with a series of senior figures having now set out their opposition to the Bill. Mr Javid said this afternoon: 'Breaking international law is a step that should never be taken lightly. Having carefully studied the UK Internal Market Bill it is not clear to me why it is necessary to do so.' The former chancellor said he 'cannot support the UK pre-emptively reneging' on the Withdrawal Agreement. 'I will therefore regretfully be unable to support the Bill at its second reading, and urge the Government to amend it in the coming days,' he added. Meanwhile, Mr Cox, who served as attorney general under Mrs May and Mr Johnson until he was sacked in February, broke ranks to condemn the legislation. What have the five living former PMs said about Boris Johnson's Brexit plans? Theresa May: 'The United Kingdom Government signed the Withdrawal Agreement with the Northern Ireland protocol. This Parliament voted that Withdrawal Agreement into UK legislation. The Government is now changing the operation of that agreement. Given that, how can the Government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs?' David Cameron: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' Gordon Brown: 'This is a huge act of self harm. We knew there was a debate over fishing and over state aid but then to explode the argument into breaking an international treaty has been condemned by so many people.' Tony Blair: 'As the world looks on aghast at the UK, the word of which was once accepted as inviolable, this government's action is shaming itself and embarrassing our nation.' Sir John Major: 'For generations, Britain's word solemnly given has been accepted by friend and foe. Our signature on any treaty or agreement has been sacrosanct. Over the last century, as our military strength has dwindled, our word has retained its power. If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.' Advertisement He said Mr Johnson should not 'observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back', adding that he could not support a bill which risked undermining 'the standing and reputation of Britain in the world'. Mr Cox axed from the Cabinet in February's reshuffle wrote in The Times: 'It is unconscionable that this country, justly famous for its regard for the rule of law around the world, should act in such a way.' He then said this morning that the Government 'knew' what it was signing up to when it agreed and the ratified the Withdrawal Agreement. He told Times Radio: 'What I can say from my perspective is we simply cannot approve or endorse a situation in which we go back on our word, given solemnly not only by the British Government and on behalf of the British Crown, but also by Parliament when we ratified this in February, unless there are extreme circumstances which arrive involving a breach of duty of the good faith by the EU. 'In those circumstances, there are then lawful remedies open to us and it is those we should take rather than violating international law and a solemn treaty.' He continued: 'The breaking of the law leads ultimately to very long-term and permanent damage to this country's reputation and it is also a question of honour to me. 'We signed up, we knew what we were signing, we simply can't seek to nullify those ordinary consequences of doing that and I simply can't support that.' Number 10 has earlier dismissed the criticism from Mr Cox and said the Bill will 'protect seamless trade and jobs in all four corners of the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period'. 'It will guarantee UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK while maintaining world-leading standards for consumers and workers who rely on them,' the PM's spokesman said. 'It will also provide a vital legal safety net, it removes any ambiguity should an agreement not be reached at the Joint Committee on the Northern Ireland Protocol. 'It protects the integrity of the UK internal market, it ensures ministers can always deliver on their obligations to Northern Ireland and protects the gains from the peace process.' The Government was rocked this morning by Mr Chishti's decision to quit as a special envoy. He said in his resignation letter to Mr Johnson: 'Having read your letter to colleagues, as well as wider statements on the matter, I will not be able to support this Bill on a matter of principle. 'I have real concerns with the UK unilaterally breaking its legal commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement. Tory MP Rehman Chishti today resigned as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief because of his opposition to the UK Internal Market Bill Mr Chishti said he could not support the legislation because it would 'unilaterally break' Britain's legal commitments 'During my 10 years in Parliament and before that as a Barrister, I have always acted in a manner which respects the rule of law. 'I feel very strongly about keeping the commitments we make; if we give our word, then we must honour it. 'Voting for this Bill as it currently stands would be contrary to the values I hold dearest.' He added: 'I am only too sorry that our difference on this matter means that I cannot vote for the Bill in its current form, on a matter of principle, and thereby will not be able to continue to serve as your Special Envoy.' Mr Chishti was appointed the PM's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief in September last year and was tasked with promoting the UK's 'firm stance' on religious freedom and tolerance around the world. The role, based out of the Foreign Office, involved supporting people across the globe who are persecuted for their faith or beliefs. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said Mr Johnson thanked Mr Chishti for his service and 'would wish him well for the future'. He added: 'But I think we have very clearly set out the reasons for the measures relating to the Northern Ireland protocol. The PM believes it is critical it is passed.' Mr Cameron's intervention means that every living former prime minister has now spoken out against Mr Johnson's plans, following criticism from Theresa May, Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Mr Cameron told Sky News: 'Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. 'It should be an absolute final resort. So, I do have misgivings about what's being proposed.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland (pictured) defended the Government's Brexit legislation, saying it was 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state' However, the ex-Tory leader suggested Mr Johnson's plans should be seen in the wider context of the Government's attempts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels. He said: 'So far what's happened is the Government has proposed a law that it might pass, or might not pass, or might use, or might not use depending on whether certain circumstances do, or do not appear. 'And, of course, the bigger picture here is that we are in a vital negotiation with the European Union to get a deal and I think we have to keep that context, that big prize in mind. 'And that's why I have perhaps held back from saying more up to now.' A spokesman for the European Commission reiterated the EU's position that the Withdrawal Agreement must be stuck to 'no ifs, no buts'. 'We have played a straight bat on this,' the spokesman said. 'We have set this out extremely clearly, and the rest, frankly, is internal debate in the United Kingdom.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland defended the proposed laws as 'in accordance with the most honourable traditions of the British state'. However, he also delivered a thinly-veiled threat to resign if the legislation is abused. Mr Buckland has faced calls to quit, with critics saying the move is incompatible with his own oath as Lord Chancellor to uphold the law. 'If I see the rule of law being broken in a way I find unacceptable then of course I will go,' Mr Buckland said. The EU has threatened to collapse negotiations on a future trade deal unless the UK backs down by the end of the month. Mr Barnier yesterday said he was 'not refusing to list' Britain as a so-called 'third country' for food export purposes. But he said the listing could only take place when the UK explained its biosecurity rules In an exchange with Mr Barnier on Twitter last night, Lord Frost hit back: 'The EU knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules because we are operating EU rules The main showdown in the Commons was thought likely to be over an amendment being put together by Tory former minister Bob Neill. That could attract dozens of Tory rebels next week, although it still looks difficult to overturn the government's massive 80 seat majority. Mr Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier had a blazing row about the food exports issue on Twitter. Mr Barnier denied threatening to block British food exports if trade talks collapsed. But Lord Frost said the EU negotiator 'explicitly' made the threat and warned it could lead to food from Great Britain being banned from sale in Northern Ireland. National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday attended the first day of Parliaments monsoon session, his first since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre on August 5 last year. A former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah was among several politicians from the Valley who were detained in the wake of the governments Article 370 move. #WATCH: National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah leaves from the Parliament after attending first day of the #MonsoonSession. He was put under detention after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year and was released on 13th March. pic.twitter.com/KB6cyQSepI ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2020 Two other former chief ministers--Abdullahs son Omar and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti-were also among those detained by the government. While Farooq Abdullah was released on March 13 this year and Omar on March 24, Muftis detention continues. By abrogating Article 370, the government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Parliaments 18-day monsoon session began on Monday with Covid-19 protocols in place, with Lok Sabha proceedings taking place in the first half of the day. The lower house was adjourned till Tuesday. Both houses of Parliament were adjourned in March due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Millions of Italian children returned to the classroom on Monday as most schools reopened more than six months after they were closed to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Although some Italian schools opened earlier this month, roughly 5.6 million students from a total of eight million went back to school on Monday, confronting a new reality of restrictions. Italy was one of the first in Europe to be hit by the pandemic, which has now officially killed over 35,500 people out of a total of 280,000 cases. Premier Giuseppe Conte admitted on Sunday that Italian schools faced a difficult situation, including a lack of teachers, single-seat benches and surgical masks. "There will be difficulties and inconveniences, especially in the beginning," Conte wrote on Facebook. He also saluted teachers, who he said had "made an extraordinary effort in the months of confinement to continue lessons and distant learning". "We are grateful to you," he said. With the country registering more than 1,500 infections a day, Conte also had particular words for youngsters. "You have to do your part. You have to commit yourselves to the rules of caution that will allow you to protect your health and the health of the people you love," he said. Italian Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said more than 5,000 extra classrooms had been created to give pupils more space. Nevertheless, some southern regions like Puglia and Calabria already postponed the reopening until September 24, over concerns they were not ready to meet all the new requirements. Italian officials said the back-to-school strategy involved immediate quarantine of those "in close contact" with a student or teacher testing positive. After a positive result, pupils will be allowed back to school only after returning two negatives, carried out a day apart. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP An Oregon man was arrested early Monday morning for the second time in 12 hours after he set multiple fires along a Portland freeway. Shortly after 4p.m. on Sunday, Portland Police were called to assist firefighters in extinguishing a small brush fire along Interstate 205, which caused no injuries or structural damages. A witness flagged down police officers about an hour later and pointed out the suspect, who was in a tent nearby. Officers arrested the suspect, who confirmed he lit the fire with the device, the Portland Police Bureau said. Domingo Lopez Jr., 45, was arrested for using a Molotov Cocktail to start the brush fire and booked in the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of reckless burning and second degree disorderly conduct. Lopez was later released and went on to start six more small fires in the early hours of Monday morning. Portland police responded shortly after 3:30a.m. to reports of multiple fires burning along the west side of the same freeway. Portland Fire and Rescue extinguished three of them while passing community members put out the other three, police said. All were caught early. Officers found Lopez walking along the shoulder and arrested him again. He was taken to a hospital on a Police Officer Hold for a mental health evaluation. Police confiscated a plastic bottle with a wick and a lighter as evidence. Lopez now faces seven counts of reckless burning and one count of second-degree disorderly conduct. Police said arson investigators were following up to see if any other charges are warranted. Lopez is the fifth individual to be arrested on suspicion of arson as fires burn through West Coast states. Two men in Washington state, a man in Oregon and a woman in California have also been arrested. At least 35 people have died as of Monday from fires in California, Oregon, and Washington. In Oregon, a million acres have burned, and more than 40,000 people have fled their homes. More from National Review DUBLIN, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) regarding the company's New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval for the investigational agent terlipressin to treat adults with hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1). The CRL stated that, based on the available data, the agency cannot approve the terlipressin NDA in its current form and requires more information to support a positive risk-benefit profile for terlipressin for patients with HRS-1. HRS-1 is an acute and life-threatening syndrome involving acute kidney failure in people with cirrhosis1 for which there is currently no FDA-approved treatment.2 HRS-1 is estimated to affect between 30,000 and 40,000 Americans annually,3,4 and often is a challenge to effectively diagnose in a timely manner due to its diagnosis of exclusion.5 If left untreated, HRS-1 has a median survival time of approximately two weeks and greater than 80 percent mortality within three months.5,6 U.S. discharge data in a recently published study indicated an in-hospital mortality rate of 34.2% (n=1,133), while an additional 14.4% (n=475) of patients were discharged to hospice.7 "While we are disappointed that the FDA issued a complete response letter for terlipressin, we remain confident in the strength of the data from our Phase 3 CONFIRM study, which is the largest clinical trial ever conducted in this rare condition," said Steven Romano, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt. "HRS-1 is a complex disease that affects a critically ill patient population with no approved treatment in the U.S. at present. We are surprised by and disagree with the FDA's decision and remain committed to pursuing all available options as we continue working with the FDA toward approval of terlipressin in order to help address this difficult and life-threatening syndrome." Terlipressin is an investigational agent being evaluated for the treatment of HRS-1 in the U.S., and its safety and effectiveness have not yet been established by the FDA. Terlipressin is approved in many countries outside the United States, where it has been a standard of care for decades in the treatment of patients with HRS-1.8,9 Terlipressin, together with albumin, is currently the standard of care for HRS-1 in countries where it is available.10 In 2005, terlipressin was granted Fast Track designation by the FDA, which provides for expedited review to facilitate development of drugs intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and fill an unmet medical need.11 In 2016, Mallinckrodt and the FDA reached agreement on the Phase 3 CONFIRM trial protocol design and data analysis under the agency's special protocol assessment (SPA) process. A SPA is an advance agreement with the FDA for the acceptability of the clinical design, endpoints and statistical data analyses for a Phase 3 trial before the start of the trial. On July 15, 2020, the company announced that the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA voted to recommend approval of its investigational agent terlipressin to treat adults with HRS-1 based, in part, on results from the Phase 3 CONFIRM trial. The CONFIRM trial was the largest-ever prospective study (n=300) conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of terlipressin in patients with HRS-1 for potential use in the U.S. and Canada. Initial results were presented in a late-breaking session at The Liver Meeting 2019, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). About Terlipressin Terlipressin is a potent vasopressin analogue selective for V1 receptors being investigated for the treatment of HRS-1 in the U.S. and Canada. It is an investigational product in these countries as the safety and efficacy have not been established with, nor has approval been granted by, regulatory authorities in either country. Terlipressin is approved for use outside the U.S. and Canada. ABOUT MALLINCKRODT Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com. Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release includes forward-looking statements with regard to terlipressin, including with regard to interactions with regulators as well as its potential impact on patients. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law. CONTACT Media Inquiries Caren Begun Green Room Communications 201-396-8551 [email protected] Investor Relations Daniel J. Speciale Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations Officer 314-654-3638 [email protected] Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners. 2020 Mallinckrodt. US-2001369 09/20 References 1 National Organization for Rare Disorders. Hepatorenal Syndrome. Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/hepatorenal-syndrome/. Accessed September 12, 2020. 2 Boyer TD, Medicis JJ, Pappas SC, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to confirm the reversal of hepatorenal syndrome type 1 with terlipressin: the REVERSE trial design. Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials. 2012:4. https://www.dovepress.com/a-randomized-placebo-controlled-double-blind-study-to-confirm-the-reve-peer-reviewed-article-OAJCT. 3 C Pant, B S Jani, M Desai, A Deshpande, Prashant Pandya, Ryan Taylor, R Gilroy, M Olyaee. Hepatorenal syndrome in hospitalized patients with chronic liver disease: results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 20022012. Journal of Investigative Medicine. 2016; 64:3338. 4 United States Census Bureau: Quick Facts. Available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218. Accessed September 12, 2020. 5 Gines P, Sola E, Angeli P, et al. Hepatorenal syndrome. Nature Reviews. 2018;4:23. 6 Colle I and Laterre PF. Hepatorenal syndrome: the clinical impact of vasoactive therapy. Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2018;12(2):173-188. DOI: 10.1080/17474124.2018.1417034. 7 Jamil K, Lodaya K, Tavares R, Huang X, Hayashida D. The hepatorenal syndrome patient journey: Portrait of an often-fatal path for those with liver disease. Presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) Chicago, IL. May 2, 2020 May 5, 2020. 8 De Franchis R. Evolving Consensus in Portal Hypertension Report of the Baveno IV Consensus Workshop on methodology of diagnosis and therapy in portal hypertension. J Hepatol. 2005;43:167-176. 9 Ioannou GN, Doust J, Rockey DC. Terlipressin for acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2003;1. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002147. 10 European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Clinical practice guidelines for the management of patients with decompensated cirrhosis. J Hepatol. 2018;69(2):406-460. 11 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fast Track. Available at https://www.fda.gov/patients/fast-track-breakthrough-therapy-accelerated-approval-priority-review/fast-track. Accessed September 12, 2020. SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Related Links http://www.mallinckrodt.com Details added (first version posted on 13:48) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: Armenia implements an illegal policy of settlement in the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan - in Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent districts, Azerbaijani MP Ogtay Asadov said, Trend reports on Sept.14. According to Asadov, the evidence of such policy is the information on the resettlement of Armenians from Lebanon to the historic Azerbaijani city of Shusha in Nagorno Karabakh, recently spread in social networks. Asadov said that by resettling the Lebanese Armenians to Shusha, Armenia is trying to artificially increase the number of Armenians in the occupied territories. "Like other states, Azerbaijan helps Lebanon in eliminating the consequences of the tragedy that occurred recently in this country, while nothing is sacred for Armenia, the MP said. Remaining true to its "traditions", this country is trying to take advantage of this situation for its purposes. However, at the same time, the Armenian leadership is well aware that this policy is doomed to failure. They are well aware that the illegal resettlement policy has no legal basis." This is not the first time when Armenia is trying to illegally resettle the Armenians from some countries of the Middle East to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the MP said. The fact of the illegal settlement was also indicated in the report of the OSCE fact-finding mission in 2005. Thus, having sent this mission twice to the occupied territories, the OSCE reaffirmed the illegal resettlement of the Armenians to the Nagorno-Karabakh region," Asadov said. This policy of Armenia is the gross violation of the international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Convention, the MP said. In accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, an occupying country has no right to resettle its population to the occupied territories. "The OSCE Minsk Group must comment on this situation, Asadov said. The MP added that the OSCE Minsk Group must promptly react to the illegal resettlement of the Armenians to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region 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. A killer mosquito-borne virus has now claimed the lives of four victims across two Spanish provinces. Three people have died from West Nile Virus in Seville, in the worst outbreak on record in Spain's southern region of Andalucia. On Monday the neighbouring province of Cadiz had its first victim - an 87-year-old woman who lost her battle for life in Puerto Real Hospital. Local health chiefs said there were another five confirmed cases in Cadiz, with three in hospital including one in intensive care. Two risk areas in the second province afflicted by the virus have now been declared. One is Puerto Real a 15-minute drive from the city of Cadiz. Three people have died from West Nile Virus in Seville, in the worst outbreak on record in Spain 's southern region of Andalucia. On Monday the neighbouring province of Cadiz had its first victim - an 87-year-old woman who lost her battle for life in Puerto Real Hospital The other is a triangle of three municipalities whose outlying areas includes the popular beach resort town of Conil de la Frontera and a beautiful village and popular tourist spot called Vejer de la Frontera. Seville had been the focal point of the West Nile Virus outbreak until the weekend and the number of confirmed cases there currently stands at 24. Its three fatalities have been two men aged 70 and 77 and a woman aged 85. Confirmation of the third death in Seville came just days after experts warned the killer virus could pose the next health risk for British holidaymakers travelling to Spain. Pablo Barreiro, an expert in infectious diseases, told Spanish press: 'Only about two to five per cent of the cases present symptoms. 'It's an illness that can go unnoticed very easily.' Claiming the virus could spread across Spain in the future, especially in the hot summer months, Mr Barreiro said prevention based around the regular use of mosquito repellent was the most effective solution. Three people have already died from West Nile Virus in Seville in the worst outbreak on record in Spain's southern region of Andalucia (file image, mosquito) West Nile virus, spread by the Culex mosquito, first reached Spain in 2004 with horses being most affected. The current outbreak is the worst on record in Spain's southern Andalucia region, which includes popular Brit holiday areas like the Costa del Sol and is the most populated of the country's regions with nearly nine million inhabitants. Elderly people and those with underlying health conditions like diabetes and cancer are most at risk, but it can cause meningitis in children. Wetlands and swimming pools in countryside areas have been identified as the places where the mosquitoes carrying the virus are most likely to be found. REDMOND (dpa-AFX) - ByteDance Ltd, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has selected Oracle to be the social video app's U.S. technology partner, and Oracle will take a significant stake in the business, according to reports citing people familiar with matter. Meanwhile, Microsoft said Sunday that ByteDance would not sell TikTok's US operations to the company. 'We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests,' Microsoft said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has ordered a ban of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok unless it is bought by a domestic company, recently before said he would not extend the deadline given for its parent ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets. Last week, Bloomberg had reported that ByteDance was most likely to miss the deadline for a sale, following new Chinese regulations. Chinese officials reportedly require any proposal to be submitted for approval with detailed information about technical and financial issues, and the review is expected to take time. Microsoft said on August 2 that it was in talks to buy TikTok in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Weeks later Walmart said it was in talks with Microsoft on a possible TikTok deal. It was on August 6 that Trump signed the Executive Order to ban TikTok, along with another Chinese firm WeChat, citing a threat to national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Trump earlier said he wanted a deal by September 15, while the executive order gives a 45-day time till September 20. Meanwhile, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or CFIUS requires sale of TikTok assets by mid-November. 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. JERUSALEM: Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second- wave surge of new cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. During the lockdown, which comes during the Jewish high-holiday season, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. The public sector will operate with fewer staff, but non-governmental offices and businesses will not have to close, as long as they do not accept customers. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and no more than 20 people outdoors. I know those measures will exact a heavy price on us all," Netanyahu said in a televised address. This is not the kind of holiday we are used to. And we certainly wont be able to celebrate with our extended families." The Finance Ministry said the lockdown will cost the economy, which slipped into a recession in the wake of the virus, an estimated 6.5 billion shekels ($1.88 billion). Netanyahu, who has faced increasing criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, said he instructed his finance minister to come up with a new economic package to assist businesses hurt by the lockdown. Israel declared an even tighter lockdown in April when the virus first arrived, after which daily cases dropped to low double digits among a population of nine million. But as the economy reopened, daily infections jumped, passing 4,000 last week. On Saturday, 2,715 new cases were reported. Since the outbreak began, 1,108 people have died. The countrys health system raised a red flag" a few days ago, spurring the government to act, Netanyahu said. The director general of the Health Ministry, Hezi Levy, said in a radio interview earlier on Sunday that dozens of localities are being sucked into the circle of morbidity." We have to impose severe restrictions, but they will be able to stem this wave and not bring us to the brink of an abyss," Levy said. ($1 = 3.4566 shekels) 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 Health and Human Services spokesperson Michael Caputo baselessly accused career scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday of gathering a "resistance unit" for "sedition" against President Trump, the New York Times reports. Driving the news: House Democrats are launching an investigation into allegations that Trump's political appointees including Caputo, a former member of the Trump campaign with no scientific background pressured CDC officials "to block the publication of accurate scientific reports" on the coronavirus. What he's saying: Caputo encouraged followers to buy ammunition in a Facebook livestream on Sunday, while predicting that former Vice President Joe Biden would refuse to concede the 2020 election after, he believes, Trump wins re-election. And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, he said. "The drills that youve seen are nothing. If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because its going to be hard to get. Caputo described the killing of a right-wing activist during a pro-Trump rally in Portland by a man who described himself on social media as "100% ANTIFA" as a "drill," characterizing it, without evidence, as part of a broader attack on Trump supporters. He also told his Facebook audience that he feels his "mental health has definitely failed" in part due to critical media coverage, and sounded "anguished" over the coronavirus death toll, according to the Times. In attacks against CDC scientists, Caputo claimed they havent gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops to plot how theyre going to attack Donald Trump, per the Times. There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president. The other side: HHS told the Times in a statement that Caputo is "a critical, integral part of the presidents coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. The big picture: Trump has echoed the kind of "deep state" rhetoric promoted by Caputo and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, claiming last month, without evidence, that the FDA was holding up progress on vaccines and therapeutics to damage him politically. Kakinada : , Sep 14 (IANS) An Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation driver has been arrested for battering his wife with a dumb-bell in Indrapalem village in East Godavari district, police said on Monday. "Thangedi Srinivas was arrested for the assault on his wife Madhavi on September 4 night. He is currently in remand," a police official told IANS. Police had registered a case under Sections 498A and 324 of the Indian Penal Code, to which they later added Section 307, based on Madhavi's statement. Srinivas, 42, had come home drunk late in the night and picked up a quarrel with his wife over his drinking. "When Madhavi objected, he hit her with a dumb-bell in a fit of rage," police said. The incident came to light when one of the couple's daughters recorded the attack on her mobile phone and posted it on the social media. Madhavi later went for treatment to a government hospital where the medical staff informed police. "We have registered a case on the basis of a medico-legal report," police said. Madhavi, discharged from hospital on September 5 after treatment, is doing fine. Additional issues in an action by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), particularly issues under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, will be fixed for hearing on a later date. Those include whether the State conducted any, or any adequate, sustainability assessment before approving the Shannon terminal and pipeline project for the PCI list. FIE sought a preliminary reference to the CJEU as a core relief in its case focussing on the decision making procedure involving the Commission and the State which lead to the Shannon project being included in the 4th EU PCI list, entitling it to the most rapid treatment legally possible. FIE' case was brought against the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment and the State. The Commission opted not to participate. Prior to deciding other issues, FIE asked Mr Justice Garrett Simons to refer issues to the CJEU concerning the validity of a delegated act of the Commission on October 31st 2019 approving inclusion of the Shannon project in the PCI list. Advertisement In seeking a reference, FIE claimed adoption of the 4th EU PCI list made that list an annexe of Regulation 347/2013 of the European Parliament and European Council on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure. It claimed the Shannon project did not satisfy the criteria required by Article 4 of the Regulation the basis for the Commission's conclusion the Shannon project was necessary for at least one of the energy infrastructure priority corridors and areas for the purposes of Article 4 was unclear. The State parties argued the referral sought was impermissible under EU law. In his judgment, Mr Justice Simons refused to make a reference, saying there was no basis on which the High Court could do so. CNN host Jake Tapper abruptly ended his interview with economist Peter Navarro on Sunday after the White House adviser repeatedly failed to answer a question about Donald Trump misleading the public about the deadliness of Covid-19 earlier this year. When Mr Tapper asked Mr Navarro to address the audio recording of Mr Trumps private comments to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in February about how deadly the coronavirus pandemic was even as he was publicly likening it to the common flu Mr Navarro swerved into a long rundown of the Trump administrations actions on the health crisis. "I'm not giving you 10 minutes to do this," the CNN host said in an attempt to return to the question at hand about Mr Trumps attempt to purposely mislead the American people. "I'm specifically talking about what President Trump was saying to the public in February and March," Mr Tapper said. Amid a back-and-forth of interruptions and accusations from Mr Tapper that Mr Navarro wasnt answering the question, the White House adviser fired back, I am answering your question. You just dont like the answer. With the conversation obviously going nowhere, Mr Tapper attempted to wrap the subject. "[Trump] was not honest with the American people. You're not answering the question," the CNN host said. Mr Navarro shot back:"You're not honest with the American people. CNN is not honest with the American people. Do you want to go there?" Mr Tapper cut in again: You didn't answer the question. Thank you Peter Navarro. We just played tapes, you didn't answer my question. You didn't answer the question, no you didn't. OK, Peter Navarro, thank you so much. I appreciate your time today. Thank you so much. When CNN producers cut off Mr Navarro's video and audio feed, Mr Tapper capped the segment with a damning statistic: "And I would just like to remind the American people watching that the United States has less than 5 per cent of the world's population, and the United States has more than 20 per cent of the world's coronavirus deaths. That is a fact." Senate Republicans last week mostly came to the president's defence over the contradictions between his early public statements downplaying the coronavirus and his private conversations with Mr Woodward for his book, Rage, acknowledging the severity of the threat it posed. It doesn't bother me, Senator Kevin Cramer told reporters last Wednesday of the president's comments. I don't feel like he was ever lying to anybody. He's a hopeful, upbeat, positive person, the North Dakota Republican said. The gravity of it, when it was becoming clearer, was also reflected by him. Mr Trump's messaging about Covid-19 has been wildly inconsistent as he has tried to express optimism about the disease going away. For instance, the Trump administration pushed to open schools this fall for in-person classes because, as the president said as recently as 5 August, "this thing's going away. It will go away like things go away." The US was fending off a second spike in new cases at the time of those comments. Mr Trump admitted to Mr Woodward in a recorded conversation on 19 March that it was part of his coronavirus strategy to publicly "play it down" to avoid a "panic" among the people. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 19:59:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkey does not expect the European Union to impose sanctions on Ankara over its dispute with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. Ankara is open to negotiations with Athens without pre-conditions, he told NTV broadcaster but adding that Turkey will ask preconditions too if Greece insists. His statement came one day after the Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis returned to the southern port in Antalya following its operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. The move is not a "concession", but the ship needed maintenance, the minister said, adding that the vessel will resume its work later. In August, Turkey dispatched Oruc Reis and two auxiliary navy vessels to the disputed region near the Greek island of Meis, also known as Kastellorizo, where Greece claims lies within its continental shelf. The military delegations from Turkey and Greece met in NATO's headquarters last week after NATO's secretary-general initiated de-confliction talks between the two NATO member states. Enditem The mother of a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing has described how her daughter died in her arms, and told the inquiry she 'may as well be dead' herself. Sorrell Leczkowski travelled from Adel in Leeds to Manchester with her mother, grandmother, sister and her brother's girlfriend for some shopping before the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. When they got there, her mother, Samantha, bought tickets to the concert for Sorrell's younger sister, Sophie, then 13, and her brother's girlfriend, Lauren. She told the hearing yesterday: 'Losing one of my children has killed me. I may as well be dead. I have no life without Sorrell.' Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, with her mother Samantha, who said her child's death had 'killed her' Sorrell Leczkowski (pictured) travelled from Adel in Leeds to Manchester with her mother, grandmother, sister and her brother's girlfriend for some shopping before the concert Sorrell went back into town with her mother and grandmother and returned to the arena where she made her family laugh by singing and dancing along to the music as they waited for the concert to end. At the time of the explosion, she was about 6 metres away from Salman Abedi, the bomber, and her mother found her lying on the ground and began CPR, despite being injured herself. In a statement read to the inquiry, Samantha said: 'I feel that I let her down and I didn't save her. I am beyond devastated, I am broken. 'As well as dealing with both me and mum being blown up, I have to deal with seeing Sorrell blown up and die in my arms.' At the time of the explosion, Sorrell was about 6 metres away from Salman Abedi, (pictured at Victoria station) the bomber, and her mother found her lying on the ground and began CPR, despite being injured herself Who was Salman Abedi He was quiet and withdrawn, a college dropout who liked soccer - and, some say, showed alarming signs of being radicalized years before he walked into a pop concert at Britain's Manchester Arena and detonated a powerful bomb, killing himself and 22 others. While some claim Salman Abedi had been banned from the mosque he attended for statements glorifying terrorism and his angry rhetoric even prompted an acquaintance to report him to the authorities, others deny that account, saying he never showed any worrying or erratic behavior. The son of Libyan parents who immigrated to Britain in the early 1990s, Abedi has been identified by British authorities as the bomber who attacked the Ariana Grande concert Monday night. While Home Secretary Amber Rudd said he was on the radar of the intelligence service "up to a point," it was not clear how much attention officials had paid to his activities and whether authorities could have stopped him. Born and raised in Manchester, Abedi attended the Burnage Academy for Boys, a school with a large proportion of ethnic minority students, from 2009 to 2011. He went on to attend Manchester College and studied business at the city's Salford University, though he didn't attend classes there this academic year and never earned a degree, the institution said. An avid soccer player, he often met up with friends for pickup games. Advertisement She added: ''I don't care that my leg doesn't work properly, I don't care that I'm constantly in pain from it because the pain in my heart is the worst pain I've ever had and it won't go away. 'I want Sorrell to come home. I think this is just a nightmare and I will wake up, but I never do. I want to curl up in bed and never leave. 'I never do my makeup. I don't want to do anything or go anywhere without Sorrell. I feel empty. I feel sick all the time. It's like Groundhog Day every day.' Sorrell's bedroom has remained untouched since they left for Manchester on the morning of May 22 2017. 'I cannot bring myself to alter Sorrell's room and wish for it to remain as she liked it,' Mrs Leczkowski said. 'I open and close her curtains regularly and find comfort in sitting in Sorrell's bedroom and talking to her.' Sorrell had a clear plan for her future and had her heart set on enrolling on an eight-year course in architecture at the University of Colombia in New York, her mother said. The last birthday card Mrs Leczkowski received from her daughter was read to the inquiry in which she promised: 'On your 60th birthday we will be in New York. We will have lunch at Macy's and a shopping day on me. Then a lovely dinner out, to finish with a stroll through Times Square but until then this card and the presents in the years to come will have to do.' She added: 'You truly are my rock and I love you with all of my heart, which if you didn't know that you do now. 'I hope you have a nice lunch out and I shall see you after school. If you want I will do your make up for tea even though you already are the most beautiful, intelligent and kindest person I have ever been lucky enough to meet. I love you mum.' Mrs Leczkowski told the inquiry: 'That message sums up our relationship. She was my daughter and I was proud of her but she was my best friend. It was me and my kids against the world.' The scene outside the Manchester Arena after the bombing that killed 22 people and left hundreds injured Who helped the bomber? The bombers brother Hashem Abedi helped plan the devastating plot and was jailed for at least 55 years for his role last month. He was instrumental in putting together the atrocity that killed 22 men, women and children. His trial heard how the evil brothers spent months ordering, stockpiling and transporting the bomb ingredients. But Manchester-born coward Hashem, 23, fled to Libya before the attack. He was arrested after the devastating blast before being extradited to Britain to face trial. Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told the Old Bailey These were atrocious crimes. Large in scale, deadly in intent, appalling in their consequences. Advertisement Mrs Leczkowski described how she worked two part-time jobs, one at Leeds-Bradford Airport, before her children woke up, and one at the Post Office while they were at school. 'As a family we didn't have much money, however this didn't affect Sorrell. 'She was never bothered for material goods and as a family we made the best memories with what we had.' Sorrell decorated her bedroom herself using crafting skills, painting the furniture white and making a photo wall of friends and family. She would watch YouTube to get ideas and try them out, teaching herself how to make handbags, rucksacks and wallets out of coloured duct tape. Mrs Leczkowski said: 'When we went out in the car we would sing and dance for the whole journey, we would laugh and laugh. None of this is happening now. I can't even bare to watch the TV that I watched before. 'I miss Sorrell and we want her back. I want her home. I want us to all be together again.' Sorrell's grandmother, Pauline, was also seriously injured in the attack. She suffered a chest injury and injuries to her legs and arms which required treatment in intensive care and reconstructive surgery. Pauline's husband, Sorrell's grandfather, told the inquiry: 'The devastation of that event will never leave me. The 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena 'Every day since I've looked after Pauline, who was one of the worst injured in the attack. 'I see her physical pain every day, her mental anguish when it all gets too much. Pauline was there when Sorrell came into this life and she was there when she was taken from this life. 'I keep going for Pauline, for Samantha and for all my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I have so much love in my life, but I've had a piece of that love torn from me.' Stacie, Sorrell's aunt, who was referred to as her 'second mummy' said: 'The hurt I felt through all that has turned into extreme anger in knowing that my mum, my sister and my niece were victims of pure hatred, a hatred they never invited, a hatred they were not responsible for.' She recently flaunted her model frame in tiny bikinis during a sun-soaked break to Mykonos in Greece. And Tina Kunakey proved she can rock any ensemble as she donned a glamorous fuchsia ballgown for the Bulgari Barocco fashion show on Monday. The model, 23, looked sensational in a fitted halterneck dress as she joined Poppy Delevinge and Lady Kitty Spencer for the star-studded event in Rome, Italy. Stunning: Tina Kunakey (left) exuded glamour in a fuchsia dress as she joined a sizzling Poppy Delevingne (right) at the Bulgari Barocco event in Rome, Italy, on Monday Tina perfectly showcased her toned legs and slim frame in her eye-catching ensemble which she paired with a selection of sparkling jewels The French beauty wore her hair slicked back and let her pink dress do all the talking as she posed up a storm during the event. Meanwhile, Poppy put on a racy display in her semi-sheer dress which featured several beaded frills over the skirt. Work it! The French model, who is married to Vincent Cassel, slicked her hair back for the event to ensure all eyes were on her stunning dress and sparkling jewels Her detailed gown also boasted a lace bodice complete with chic satin piping to create a corset-style effect. Poppy also added some glitz to her ensemble, as only fitting at the designer's jewellery event, with a stunning chocker necklace. Also joining the models at the fashion show was Lady Kitty Spencer, who like Poppy opted for a classic black dress. Confident: Poppy opted for a semi-sheer outfit which boasted a lace pattern over the bodice and satin piping Beauty: The model wore her blonde locks down and added a full face of makeup including a slick of pretty pink lipstick Elegant: Lady Kitty Spencer showcased her slim figure in a polka-dot gown with a full skirt and corset top Staying safe: Poppy and Lady Kitty ensured to keep their mirrored stools a distance apart as they enjoyed the event in their finest evening wear All in the details: Poppy opted for nude heels and a chic white pedicure Lady Kitty wore her blonde locks down for the evening and made sure to accentuate her slim frame with a corset top before wowing with a full-skirt. Actor Matt Dillon was also among the famous guests on Monday, with the star putting on a dapper display in a navy suit. However he decided to go without a shirt, instead opting for a matching blue t-shirt to complete her look. During the evening the models and film stars were seen catching up in the luxurious setting, with Lady Kitty and Poppy ensuring to keep their distance as they sat on mirrored stools. Eye-catching: Tina's halterneck gown scooped at the back to highlight her svelte frame Pals: Lady Kitty and Poppy could not contain their smiles as they posed for a snap together Wow! Tina kept her makeup to a minimum, adding only a slick of highlighter and lipstick Siblings: Tina was joined by her brother Zakari Kunakey for the glamorous evening Family: The brother and sister both ensured to look their best in fitted ensembles Show time! The famous guests donned face masks as they watched the Bulgari show The blonde beauties were later seen posing for some snaps together, with Poppy putting an arm around Lady Kitty. And the glamorous guests also followed coronavirus regulations as they enjoyed the fashion show by donning face masks. The UK government explains that while visiting Italy people must observe a 1m social distance and wear a face mask when at an enclosed public space. Visitors also must wear a mask in all outdoor spaces between the hours of 6pm and 6am, according to the official advice from the government. Glowing: Lady Kitty looked incredible as she let her blonde locks cascade over her shoulders Pretty: Lady Kitty made sure to highlight her stunning tulle skirt as she span around Showing it off: Lady Kitty appeared to be in good spirits as she twirled in her polka-dot dress Leggy: Anna Cleveland (left) and Isabella Ferrari (right) flaunted their legs in form-fitting dresses with high slits for the Bulgari event All dressed up: Matt Dillon and Anna Foglietta both looked sophisticated as they arrived at the event and posed for some snaps together Dapper: Actor Matt donned a navy blue suit and matching t-shirt for the star-studded event Black and white: Anna and Isabella showed off their contrasting dresses Glitz: Anna and Poppy both donned eye-popping necklaces for the Bulgari event Enjoying the show: Anna (left) was engrossed in the fashion show while Lucia Silvestri (right) smiled for a picture Musical entertainment: During the night the guests were treated to a performance from Francesca Dego In April 2019, Tina and her husband Vincent welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Amazonie. Vincent announced the birth, his third child but first with Tina, in a sweet Instagram post entitled 'Amazonie est nee (Amazonie is born).' The baby's name is an apparent tribute to Brazil, where the happy couple reside for part of the year, though Vincent had shared the image from Paris, France. Larking around: Poppy and Spanish model Jon Kortajarena shared an embrace as they stood in front of the bright pink background at the event All together: Poppy looked sensational as she stood between Alessandro Borghi and Jean-Christophe Babin Models: Tina and Jon also shared a picture together while inside the stunning venue Line-up: Jean-Christophe, Matt and Jon all showed off their model moves at the Bulgari event Colourful: Princess Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein Berleburg looked fantastic in a patterned slit dress and sparkling heels Sensational: Nieves, Ester and Jon appeared to be having fun during the glamorous night Sophisticated: Anna(left), who is the daughter of model Pat Cleveland, added some glittering touches to her ensemble with sparkling heels and a clutch (pictured with Jean-Christophe Babin and Princess Lilly Tina and The Black Swan actor announced their pregnancy in a sweet Instagram post in January last year, just four months after their wedding. The couple posed on a beach during their romantic getaway to Bahia, with Vincent cradling his wife's growing belly, to break the news to fans. Vincent and Tina married in a private ceremony at the city hall in Bidart, south-west France, on August 24 2018. The couple were first linked back in July 2016 when Tina, then 19, shared a social media snap of herself cuddling up to the then 49-year-old actor while smoking a cigarette. All dressed up: Spanish model Nieves Alvarez opted for a shimmering green gown and silver heels as she posed up a storm in Rome New accessories: Nieves donned a white face mask for part of the event Commanding attention: She highlighted her tiny waist with a silver belt buckle detail Chic: Emma Marrone (left) opted for a white dress with feathered sleeves while Lucia Silvestri stood out in a shimmering maxi skirt and shirt combo Poser: Jon Kortajarena decided to go without a tie as he enjoyed the event but ensured he was impeccably groomed Looking sharp: Alessandro Borghi also opted for a navy suit and smart black shoes Smart: Jean-Christophe Babin showed off his watch as he posed for pictures But over the summer, his administration imposed a new round of statewide pandemic restrictions on bars, restaurants and larger indoor gatherings in response to rising infection rates in some virus hot spots. The state has also imposed a gathering limit of more than 25 people for events held indoors and more than 250 people for those held outside. Principal Ryan Stanley, left, welcomes second-grader Maeva Chappaz, with her mother, Amelie Chappaz, upon arrival for her first day of in-class instruction at Ocean Air School in the Del Mar Union School District. ( Bill Wechter / San Diego Union-Tribune) The Capistrano Unified School District is ready to go, preparing to start welcoming students back to class on Sept. 28, soon after Orange County is expected to meet the states COVID-19 requirements for reopening schools. But 25 miles northwest, Santa Ana Unified School District officials have laid out a more sobering timetable. Elementary schoolchildren probably wont be back to class until at least November. High school students? Possibly not until early 2021. We have some of the highest COVID rates in all of Orange County, Santa Ana district spokesman Fermin Leal said. Were not going to reopen just because the state tells us its OK, or the county gives us the go-ahead. The recent decline of new coronavirus cases in California has freed 25 counties to reopen schools in the weeks ahead. On Sept. 1, San Diego County home to the second-largest school district in the state got the go-ahead. Orange County is on track to reopen schools on Sept. 22. San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz are also cleared to soon open. But state and county clearance are only the first steps. In sprawling and diverse Orange and San Diego counties and in the future Los Angeles County school district leaders face disparate situations and complicated decisions that must take into account neighborhood COVID-19 rates, the size of the district, parent opinions and negotiations with employee unions. Across the nation, many school districts switched from campus-based classes to online-only just before the start of school in response to outbreaks, staffing issues and lack of preparedness. Some schools that did open had to quickly shut down amid outbreaks. In Los Angeles County, where COVID-19 remains widespread, such decisions are months away as Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said last week that no schools will be allowed to open to all students until at least November. Districts such as Santa Ana and San Diego County's National Elementary and others serving low-income majority-Latino neighborhoods hard hit by the coronavirus say its still unsafe to reopen, adding yet another blow to the disproportionate hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color. Story continues Children in many of these communities were more likely to have slower access to computers and high-speed internet at the onset of school closures. As school started this fall online, their families were often unable to afford private tutors and their parents are more likely to hold jobs as essential workers, making it difficult to offer support at home. Now many of these students won't have the option to return to campus as early as their peers in more affluent communities with lower infection rates. The same children whose educations were most disrupted and learning interrupted from March to June are now least likely to have the face-to-face interactions and personalized supports they need to regain lost ground, said economist Emma Garcia, who co-wrote a report released last week on COVID-19-related inequities for the Economic Policy Institute, based in Washington, D.C. In districts serving more affluent households, such as Capistrano Unified, COVID-19 rates are lower and school leaders believe their hard-tooled planning will allow for safe reopening. Tustin and Cypress in Orange County are among the districts readying classrooms for their students. Del Mar Union Elementary in San Diego County opened on Sept. 8. Small districts, meanwhile, may have more agility to pivot quickly from distance learning to in-person education. Big districts, including San Diego Unified, must factor in myriad circumstances given the expanse and diversity of the communities they serve. Tough choices for schools In the National Elementary School District, just south of San Diego, cumulative infection rates for the community are among the highest in the county: 2,593 people per 100,000 residents. The district is 84% Latino and 8% Filipino, and nearly 4 in 5 students live in poverty. Supt. Leighangela Brady announced in mid-August that the district hoped to reopen its 11 schools by Oct. 19, but that the date might have to be pushed back given that coronavirus case rates in the community remained high. Christina Benson, a union leader and fifth-grade teacher at Central Elementary in the National district, said the virus has taken a tragic toll on some of her 28 students: Five have had a family member die of COVID-19. And she worries about whether schools are ready to protect against the virus. Her school is large and her classroom windows face a busy street near a fire station and naval base, making it challenging to keep them open for proper ventilation because of noise. To me, it doesnt seem like we could open," she said, "our infections rates are too high." Meanwhile, Del Mar Union Elementary District, located along the coast north of San Diego, 26 miles from the National district, opened its campuses Tuesday. Del Mar's eight schools operate in two ZIP Codes that have had among the lowest county rates of coronavirus infection over the course of the pandemic, according to San Diego County health data. About 8% of its students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, putting it among the most affluent school communities in the county. The variation in school openings is not surprising, said Isidro D. Ortiz, professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at San Diego State University. It reflects historical disparities in resources and educational opportunity for Latinos, who make up the largest ethnic group in the county. The crisis calls for stakeholders to rise to the occasion across all districts, Ortiz said. But will they? Will we see an exacerbation of the disparities? In Orange County's Anaheim Elementary School District, where about 85% of students are Latino and 84% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, officials say local transmission rates make it impossible to reopen soon. "When were actually at a safe number, then well consider the reopening," district spokeswoman Iris Camacho said. In a letter to families in late August, district officials noted that the schools' surrounding neighborhoods "continue to have approximately twice the COVID-19 positivity rates in comparison to all of Orange County." Just eight miles away, however, Cypress School District officials have announced that students will be allowed to return starting Sept. 23, as long as county case rates continue to decline. About 34% of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch. The total case rate in the city of Cypress is 1,027 per 100,000, according to county data. Health officials in Orange and San Diego counties say they are encouraging districts to look closely at case rates, ZIP Code by ZIP Code, as they consider reopening, Orange County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau said. "We have had weekly meetings with our 27 districts and the O.C. Department of Education about their reopening plans," Chau said. "This is a work in progress that necessitates ongoing updates, review and dialogue." The largest school districts, meanwhile, must consider the wide diversity of the communities they serve. In June, San Diego Unified's Board of Education voted to open for five-days-a-week, on-campus instruction as soon as possible. But though it has the county's OK to open, it still hasn't set a date. The countys decision to allow schools to reopen does not mean it is safe for every school to do so, district spokeswoman Maureen Magee said. Many of the district's 123,000 students travel from one neighborhood to another for school, as do district employees, increasing the danger of spreading the virus. These are precisely the kinds of local factors that districts are required to examine, Magee said. With a quick reopening unlikely, the San Diego school board approved a plan to offer appointment-based, in-person services to help younger students most at risk of learning loss. In-person learning-loss sessions for an estimated 12,000 students will be conducted one-on-one or in small groups only in spaces with adequate air exchange, including MERV-13 air filters and/or portable ventilation units, according to the district. Parents have differing opinions Parents too are weighing the possibility of returning to campus on a smaller level based on unique family circumstances: Is a family member at high risk of developing serious complications from the virus? How have their children taken to online learning? Do both parents work from home? State rules require schools that do reopen to continue offering a distance-learning option. And some districts are allowing parents to choose between attending school 100% in person, 100% online or a hybrid. Lee Ann Kim, whose two teenage sons attend high school in the San Diego Unified School District, said she is leaning toward a hybrid option. "For high school and middle school, everything is about your friends," she said. But she feels most comfortable with a one foot in the door, one foot out option, she said. Home distractions, arguments and a need for structure have convinced Fullerton mother Juana Serrato on a return to the classroom as soon as possible. Her three boys Edgar, 11, Cesar, 10, and Alan, 8 attend Pacific Drive Elementary's virtual classes from their bedrooms and the living room, while Serrato and 4-year-old Ariel do preschool activities in the kitchen. Theyre learning and theyre working their hardest to do their homework, but ... its hard to ask them to stare at a screen for hours, she said. When one gets bored, he distracts another. And when I go see whats going on, sometimes two are fighting, and how can they learn like that? Serrato said that as long as children take precautions wearing masks, socially distancing and washing hands frequently they should be allowed to return to campus. You have to live and have faith that things will be fine, Serrato said. Trang Lai, Fullerton School Districts director of educational services, says no reopening date has been set, but officials are looking at "anywhere from the third week in September to October, she said. It just depends on the number of [COVID-19] cases. Alondra Castellanos says online learning has been challenging for son Phoenix, 8, who is on the autistic spectrum and attends Roosevelt-Walker Elementary School in Santa Ana. Castellanos bounces in between Zoom classes with her son while watching her 4-year-old daughter and working from home in telecommunications. This all takes a toll," Castellanos said. Still, even if an on-campus option were available, Castellanos said she wouldnt send her son back. Santa Ana has among the highest total case rates in Orange County: 2,848 per 100,000, according to the county health agency. Its safest to continue distance learning until at least after the winter break, she said. If the situation improves, then maybe we can think about getting back to class." Times staff writer Ada Tseng contributed to this report. With gatherings of more than 50 people still barred in Nevada amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Steve Sisolak late Sunday night called President Donald Trumps indoor re-election campaign rally near Las Vegas a reckless, selfish act that put countless lives in danger. Despite reports from his own White House, despite local officials in Southern & Northern Nevada reiterating to the venues the existing restrictions in State emergency directives, tonight, the President is knowingly packing thousands into an indoor venue to hold a political rally, Sisolak said in a Twitter thread. To put it bluntly: he didnt have the guts to make tough choices - he left that to governors and the states. Now hes decided he doesnt have to respect our States laws. As usual, he doesnt believe the rules apply to him. Despite reports from his own White House, despite local officials in Southern & Northern Nevada reiterating to the venues the existing restrictions in State emergency directives, tonight, the President is knowingly packing thousands into an indoor venue to hold a political rally. Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) September 14, 2020 Trump, meanwhile, told thousands inside the XTreme Manufacturing plant in Henderson, Nevada plant that Sisolak is a political hack." Tell your governor to open up your state by the way, Trump said. Open up your state. Trump mocked the states laws on social distancing meant to blunt the spread of the virus, saying, If the governor comes after you, which he shouldnt be doing, Ill be with you all the way. Ill be with you all the way, dont worry about a thing. Several television networks did not send crews or reporters to Sundays Nevada rally out of COVID-19 concerns, according to CNN. Nevada has opened up its economy gradually county-by-county according to COVID-19 risk levels, The New York Post reported. All counties must follow state mandates on face coverings and restrictions on gathers larger than 50. The event marked Trumps first indoor rally since June, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was his first after the pandemic began. Tulsa County reported a surge of new COVID-19 cases, including cases among staffers and Secret Service agents, in the days following the event, according to multiple reports. The pandemic, which has sparked an unprecedented economic crisis as the U.S. death toll approaches 200,000, looms large over the upcoming November election. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, frequently targets Trumps handling of the outbreak, saying he reacted too slowly and did not take it seriously enough with a strong testing plan, leading to the virus spreading and causing more deaths. Trump, meanwhile, touts his efforts to block travel from China, procure ventilators and implement social distancing guidelines in mid-March as measures that saved untold lives. Related Content: Police tasered a boy after a 15-year-old girl was stabbed in the leg outside a school in south east London today. Police were called shortly after 3pm after a member of the public reported seeing a male armed with a knife in Eltham Hill. A 15-year-old girl was found suffering from a stab injury to her leg in a nearby school. A police Taser was deployed and discharged after officer's detained a male, believed to be in his teens matching the description. He was taken into police custody on suspicion of GBH. Police were called shortly after 3pm after a member of the public reported seeing a male armed with a knife in Eltham Hill. Pictured: Eltham Hill School (file photo) A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Police were called at 15:03hrs on 14 September to Eltham Hill SE9 after a member of the public reported seeing a male armed with a knife. 'Officers responded and detained a male matching the males description, believed to be aged in his teens, on Eltham Palace Road. 'Police Taser was deployed and discharged. The male was taken to hospital as a precaution before going into police custody on suspicion of GBH. 'A 15-year-old girl was found suffering from a stab injury to her leg in a nearby school. Her condition is not thought to be life-threatening. Eltham Hill School sent an email to parents and families explaining a 'serious incident' occurred outside the school. Pictured: Erika Podmore, head teacher of the school 'Enquiries continue to determine whether the incidents are linked.' In an email to parents and families, Eltham Hill School said: 'I am writing to let you know that there was a very serious incident outside Eltham Hill School at the end of the school day today. 'A young man wearing a mask attacked one of our students by the Bingo Hall as she was leaving school and obviously other students who witnessed this were extremely frightened. 'The young man was carrying a knife and one of our members of staff along with a member of the public managed to get the knife from him. 'Our student is injured but is going to be fine and is receiving medical attention. 'The person responsible ran off but is now in police custody and the police investigation is ongoing.' / Josh LaBella FAIRFIELD A student in one of Fairfields private schools has tested positive for coronavirus, according to First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. In a memo to residents on Friday, Kupchick said the town was notified of a student testing positive for COVID-19 the day before. She did not identify which school the student attended. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge James Faughnan, this morning fixed a trial date for Ms Smith of January 11th, 2022. It is expected to last 12 weeks. Last December at Dublin District Court Ms Smith, a 38-year-old from Co Louth, was initially charged with an offence contrary to the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 which carries a possible 10-year sentence, for being a member of unlawful terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) between October 28th, 2015 and December 1st, 2019. On July 24 last, a further charge was bought against the mother-of-one under the same legislation for financing terrorism by sending 800 in assistance, via a Western Union money transfer, to a named man on May 6th, 2015. At today's brief hearing, prosecution counsel Gerardine Small BL told the three-judge court that she is led by Michael Bowman SC in the case and said that a Section 49 order for the matter to be heard in the non-jury court had been made on August 31st. Advertisement Furthermore, Ms Small asked the three-judge panel to fix a trial date for January 2022 and said it would last 12 weeks. In reply, defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC said it was "early days yet" and it was "somewhat a diffuse case". "There may be other legal issues arising," he added. Mr Justice Hunt fixed Ms Smith's trial date for January 11th, 2022 and made orders in respect of exhibits for that date. Bail Mr O'Higgins said his client was signing on twice daily at a garda station and there was no objection from the State to reduce this to once a day. Ms Smith, who denies the charges, sat in the body of the courtroom for today's hearing. She wore a hijab with her face visible and spoke only to her barrister and solicitor. Ms Smith was previously sent forward for trial at the Special Criminal Court when she last appeared at Dublin District Court on July 31st, where Sergeant Gareth Kane of the Special Detective Unit served the book of evidence on the accused woman. In addition to setting the trial date, Mr Justice Hunt listed the case for mention on July 31st, 2021. Ms Smith is not required to be in attendance on that date. The Dundalk woman was remanded on continuing bail to appear before the non-jury court. Beacon International, LLC (https://www.beaconequip.com), a global leader in serving the pre-owned medical imaging equipment industry, today announced a new partnership with Access-2-Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd (http://access2hc.com), an Australia-based company with extensive experience in the medical imaging field, to represent the Beacon International brand exclusively in Australia. Through this partnership, Access-2-Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd will provide Beacon International, LLC with branding, marketing, sales and logistics support. This agreement will expand Beacon Internationals global reach and enhance its position as a world leader in the buying and selling of pre-owned medical imaging equipment. We are excited to partner with Access-2-Healthcare as our representative in Australia. We feel that it is an area that is underserved and brings unique opportunities to us. I have known their ownership for a long time and am very impressed with what they do, said Jon DeRoost, CEO of Beacon International Companies. We are pleased to be working with Beacon International, LLC, said Wayne Spittle of Access-2-Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd. Our experience and contacts within the industry will deliver unique opportunities to both imaging providers and equipment suppliers within Australia. Our fundamental belief in improving accessibility to healthcare will be realized through this partnership. Based in New Zealand, Veronica Bickerton, Director of Sales and Logistics for Beacon International, LLC will work closely with the Access-2-Healthcare team. More information about Beacon International, LLC is available at https://www.beaconequip.com. More information about Access-2-Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd is available at http://access2hc.com. About Beacon International Companies Beacon International is a global leader in the pre-owned, medical imaging equipment market. Beacon International is known throughout the US and internationally for equipment evaluations, acquisitions, sales, de-installations, installations, logistics and complete project management. What makes Beacon International unique is that their entire inventory of CT, MRI, PET/CT, Mammography, Ultrasound, X-Ray and Nuclear medical imaging equipment is owned by Beacon International directly. Beacon International Companies consists of Beacon International, LLC, which leads the business efforts within the US, Canada, South America and Australia, and Beacon International Medical Systems, Ltd. headquartered in Worchester, UK, with an office in Madrid, Spain, and MedPart Solutions, which has been operating in the UK. More information about Beacon International, LLC and Beacon International Medical Systems, Ltd is available at https://www.beaconequip.com. For more information about MedPart Solutions, visit https://www.medpartsolutions.com. MEDIA CONTACT Beacon International, LLC Carol Berreckman +1 916-240-6360 Orcas are ramming boats and harassing yachts near Portugal and Spain, from Galicia to the Strait of Gibraltar. It is baffling to scientists why killer whales are damaging sailing boats. Worrisome Encounters The past couple of months have seen sailors in areas from northern to southern Spain, sending their experiences distress calls. Two of the boats had parts of rudders lost, and at least one crew member sustained bruises from the ramming impact. Many ships had severe damage. READ: 5 Baby Gorillas Born in Bwindi, Uganda Bringing Joy to Mountain Gorilla Conservation Workers Latest Cases One of the latest occurrences was last Friday afternoon off Spain's northern coast, particularly A Coruna. The company Halcyon Yachts was bringing a 36-foot yacht en route to the UK. According to Halcyon Yachts managing director Pete Green, an orca proceeded to ram the stern a minimum of 15 times, losing its steering. It had to be towed to port from the damage. At approximately the same time, radio warnings announced sightings off the city of Vigo. It is near the places where two collisions occurred recently. Last August 30, a French boat sent a distress call to the coast guard, saying it was being attacked. Later that same day, the Spanish Mirfak naval yacht was also struck by orcas, losing part of its rudder in the process. Orcas ' Strange Behavior Orcas, the largest dolphins, are social and highly intelligent. The scientists who study them in the area found them curious; they usually closely follow boats and interact with their rudders. However, they have not been known to harass them before. Maritime authorities of the Spanish government were advising boats to maintain distance. In July to August, there was a pod, maybe more, who keep pursuing ships in the area, which scientists found unusual and of significant concern. Scientists say it could be an indicator of stress. READ ALSO: [CAUGHT ON VIDEO] Last Moments of Mother Dolphin and Calf, Struggling Amid Mauritius Oil Spill "Orchestrated" Behavior Last July 29, of Cape Trafalgar, a 46-foot delivery vessel was being crewed by Victoria Morris when a group of nine orcas surrounded it and rammed its hull for more than an hour. The mammals spun the vessel around up to 180 degrees, which disabled its engine and broke its rudder. All the while, they were communicating through loud, whistling sounds. Morris says the move felt "totally orchestrated." Early that same week, a boat in the same area had an encounter that lasting 50 minutes. According to the boat's skipper, the ramming had such a massive force that it almost dislocated a helmsman's shoulder. READ NEXT: Young Humpback Whale Found in Ocean Shores, Dead Due to Blunt Force Trauma Various Attacks A similar thing happened the night before, when the 40-foot yacht of British Kevin Large and Beverly Harris was suddenly halted and spun many times. Harris said he felt that the boat was raised a little. Early that same evening, Nick Giles heard a loud bang and then found his steering wheel disabled and turned, spinning his 34-foot Moody yacht 180 degrees. The pushing went on for a quarter of an hour; Giles also felt his vessel was lifted. According to orca researcher Ruth Esteban, it is likely that only one orca pod is responsible. Morris wants to take up marine biology and is interested to learn about the vulnerable orcas in the area, but still wants to stay at a distance. Their damage and trauma to boats and yachts in Galicia, Spain, and the Strait of Gibraltar, particularly her first-hand experience, got her jumpy. READ NEXT: Sperm Whale Trapped in Fishing Net: A Struggle for Rescuers Check out more news and information on Marine Animals on Nature World News. Former Norilsk Mayor to stand negligence trial over fuel spillage disaster www.mchs.gov.ru 13:51 14/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 14 (RAPSI) The Norilsk City Court in Russias Krasnoyarsk Krai will try former Mayor of Norilsk Rinat Akhmetchin charged with negligence over the fuel spillage disaster in the region has been completed, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office told RAPSI on Monday. Last week, the probe into Akhmetchin was completed and the case was forwarded to prosecutors for indictment approval. Investigators revealed that Akhmetchin knew about the fuel spillage but failed to take adequate emergency response and liquidation measures. They believe the official failure to act led to the aggravation of damage caused to the regions soil and water bodies. According to case papers, on May 29, over 20 tons of petrochemicals spread over the thermal power station and flew into the subsoil and waters near the Nadezhinsky iron and steel plant that resulted in the environment pollution and harm. Investigation into several other cases over the spillage against seven defendants is ongoing. 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 Shortly before President Donald Trump took the stage on Sunday night in Henderson, Nev., for his first indoor rally in months, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak blasted the president for flouting the state's coronavirus restrictions by packing hundreds of supporters, many without masks, into a building. The Democratic governor noted that Trump and his campaign were violating Nevada's ban on gatherings of 50 people or more, tweeting that the president's rally at Xtreme Manufacturing was "shameful, dangerous and irresponsible." "Tonight, President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada," the governor said. "The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic." The indoor rally, which featured maskless supporters standing shoulder-to-shoulder inside the industrial facility, came as the United States surpasses 190,000 dead from the novel coronavirus. In Nevada, where Trump held multiple events over the weekend, there have been more than 73,500 cases and more than 1,450 deaths related to the virus. Sunday's rally followed a campaign event last week in Winston-Salem, N.C., in which Trump mocked pandemic restrictions by not wearing a mask and jeered at the state's restrictions against outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh rejected criticism of the rally, with the campaign noting that rally attendees were subject to a temperature check, had access to hand sanitizer, and were provided masks and encouraged to wear them. "If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States," Murtaugh said in a statement. Joe Biden's campaign was also quick to bash the president for holding sizable rallies that violate states' public health rules. The Democratic nominee has maintained a more socially-distanced campaign, following the guidelines of public health experts, said Mike Gwin, a Biden campaign spokesman. "Every rally turned superspreader event Donald Trump decides to hold serves as another reminder to Americans that Trump still refuses to take this pandemic seriously and still doesn't have a plan to stop it, even after nearly 200,000 deaths and untold economic damage," Gwin said in a statement. Sunday's event was the president's first indoor rally since a June gathering in Tulsa. A top local health official in the Oklahoma city later said that the rally and other large gatherings, including protests, "more than likely" contributed to Tulsa County's surge in coronavirus cases. At least six staff members at the site of the Tulsa rally had also tested positive for the virus, The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig reported. Herman Cain, the former pizza chain executive and Republican presidential candidate, was hospitalized with covid-19 less than two weeks after attending the Tulsa rally, which featured several thousand people, most of whom did not wear masks. Cain later died of the virus on July 30 at the age of 74. (It's unclear when and where he contracted the coronavirus.) Leading up to Sunday's rally, medical professionals and local officials warned of the dangers of letting the indoor event proceed. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, likened the decision to hold the Henderson rally to "negligent homicide." "What else could you call an act that because of its negligence results in the deaths of others?" he said to CNN. "If you have a mass gathering now in the United States in a place like Nevada or just about any other place with hundreds of thousands of people, people will get infected and some of those people will die." Kathleen Richards, a spokeswoman for the city of Henderson, told reporters that the city had issued verbal and written warnings to Xtreme Manufacturing about social-distancing restrictions and threatened the company with a citation and the loss of its business license. The firm did not immediately return a request for comment late Sunday. Don Ahern, the owner of the venue, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the state had fined him nearly $11,000 last month for failing to follow the state's covid-19 policies after he held a Trump campaign event and beauty pageant attended by hundreds of people at the Ahern Hotel on the Strip. "Under Donald J. Trump, we will always have the right to assemble," he told the newspaper. "Apparently, tonight, we don't have that right to assemble." Questioning why Trump "blatantly disregarded" the state's emergency restrictions, Sisolak on Sunday called the president's actions "an insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives, made sacrifices, and put their neighbors before themselves." Trump made direct reference to the governor just once over the course of his 70-minute campaign speech, calling him a "political hack," saying that he "would be watching" the state's ballots. "If the governor comes after you, which he shouldn't be doing, I'll be with you all the way," the president said. My Identity: a colorful narrative that tells of Sunshine, a young girl who stumbles upon another soul in sadness, allowing her to form a new bond that will be treasured for a lifetime. My Identity is the creation of published author Shanna Neel, a loving wife and mother of three. Neel shares, My Identity is a compelling story about a little girl named Sunshine who happens upon a life in desperate need. Sunshine helps her new friend find something of great value. My Identity beautifully reminds us of the importance of offering others hope when all seems lost. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Shanna Neels new book teaches children to be compassionate toward others by helping them realize their worth, especially those who are experiencing doubt and low self-esteem. Children and adults will surely find gems of virtue within the book, for it tackles prevalent emotions and thoughts a child can have during their formative years and imparts to them ways on how to deal with the overwhelming emotions in a positive manner. View the synopsis of My Identity on YouTube. Consumers can purchase My Identity at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about My Identity, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Liberty Company Insurance Brokers (LCIB) has named Sean Borchardt (pictured) its newest partner. He will be based in the companys Woodland Hills office in Los Angeles, CA. Borchardt has more than 15 years of experience, having served insurance companies such as Gallagher, Relations Insurance, and Tolman & Wiker where he was senior vice-president, employee benefits consultant. He was also the co-founder and CEO of SeniorCare Organizational Systems. According to a release, Borchardt credits his success in the agriculture, government contract and non-profit segments to the strong relationship building and creative solutions he delivers to each client. As actor Kangana Ranaut left Mumbai for her hometown in Manali on Monday, political parties in Maharashtra continued to fight it out. While the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) criticised her, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioned the state government for allowing her to leave. Ranaut, in her tweet while leaving Mumbai, said that she was leaving the city with a heavy heart. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant questioned why Ranaut was still not revealing the Bollywood drug mafia nexus. When she says she has the information on Bollywood drug mafia, she should have ideally gone to the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office and recorded her statement. Instead, she is going back to Manali, rued Sawant. Sawant says there are just two inferences that can be drawn from her departure. One, she is not disclosing the nexus which is a crime or she just made up a story, he said. The Shiv Sena was caustic in their remark saying some external forces were behind the scene. Thats alright. She has only this work now [to make statements against Mumbai]. People can clearly see her love for Mumbai through these statements. Mumbaikars will now decide whether she can live in Mumbai or not after she equated Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She has got a dual personality. Shes an actor too. Whatever script shes given, she will say those lines... journalists should investigate who is giving her the script, Sena minister Anil Parab said. The NCP criticised Ranaut on the grounds that she was driving her personal agenda. As far as Kangana is concerned, she is defaming Mumbai for her personal agenda of joining politics. However, it is sad that she is defaming the city which has given her everything, said NCP minister Nawab Malik. The BJP however blamed the state government. Home minister Anil Deshmukh had said the state police will investigate the allegations that Ranaut used to consume drugs. Was she investigated? How come the state government allowed her to leave Mumbai without questioning her, asked BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greece's prime minister outlined plans Saturday to upgrade the country's defense capabilities, including purchasing new fighter planes, frigates, helicopters and weapons systems amid heightened tensions with Turkey over rights to resources in the eastern Mediterranean. In an annual state of the economy speech, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece would obtain 18 new French-made Rafale fighter planes to replace its aging Mirage 2000 fighters, buy four navy helicopters and four new frigates and was refurbishing another four frigates. The armed forces will obtain new anti-tank weapons, new torpedoes and new guided missiles, as well as hire 15,000 more people over the next five years, he said. France welcomed the Rafale acquisition, the first by a European country. Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly welcomes the choice announced today by Prime Minister Mitsotakis to acquire 18 Rafale aircraft, a statement by Frances Armed Forces ministry said late Saturday. This choice...strengthens the link between the Greek and French armed forces, and will allow them to intensify their operational and strategic cooperation, the statement said, adding that a contract will be signed in the coming months. Nominally NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have deployed naval and air force units to assert the countries competing claims over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish survey vessels and drill ships continue to prospect for gas in waters where Greece and the European island nation of Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights. The increasing tension at sea has led to concerns that the situation could spiral into armed conflict. We are a peaceful country, ready to cooperate with all... including with Turkey," Mitsotakis said, speaking from the northern city of Thessaloniki. If Turkey disagrees on the delineation of maritime boundaries in the eastern Aegean, he said, then a solution could be found at the International Court. Story continues Turkey accuses Greece of trying to grab an unfair share of maritime resources and Cyprus of disregarding the rights of Turkish Cypriots on the ethnically divided island. Greece and Turkey have conducted rival naval exercises amid their standoff. On Friday, Turkey announced live-fire exercises starting Saturday and running through Monday between its southern coast and northern Cyprus. Ankara is now adding to the provocations in the Aegean, the undermining of peace in the entire Mediterranean," Mitsotakis said, noting that Greece's armed forces had lacked funding in recent years during a recession. The time (has come) to reinforce the armed forces as a legacy to the security of the country." Athens has been pushing for the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey unless Ankara withdraws its research vessel, the Oruc Reis, from the area of the eastern Mediterranean that Greece claims as its continental shelf. The prime minister also addressed economic measures to tackle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, announcing some tax cuts and the extension of subsidies. The economic package adds up to 6.8 billion euros ($8.1 billion) injected into the economy, Mitsotakis said. Part of the extra defense spending, as well as aid to businesses, will be financed with 2.5 billion euros ($3 billion) that Greece recently raised in a bond auction. The Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), on whose grounds Mitsotakis spoke, was canceled this year because of the coronavirus. He gave the traditional prime minister's speech about the economy in front of a restricted audience, all of whom wore masks and practiced social distancing. Around 5,000 people protested outside the speech venue, with riot police monitoring. Similar demonstrations in previous years have turned violent, but not this time. ___________________________ Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report from Paris. This photo taken on September 20, 2015 shows Chinese farmers picking cotton in the fields during the harvest season in Hami, in northwest China's Xinjiang region. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) US Bars Imports of Cotton, Other Products Made With Forced Labor From Xinjiang The Trump administration has banned imports of cotton, hair products, clothing, and other products made with forced labor from Chinas Xinjiang region, where the regime has detained more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims and other Muslim minorities. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Sept. 14 issued five Withhold Release Orders against various goods made in Xinjiang, cracking down on the regimes illicit, inhumane, and exploitative practices of forced labor. These actions send a clear message to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] that it is time to end its practice of state-sponsored forced labor and to respect the human rights of all people, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. The orders come as the United States takes stronger action against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its repression in Xinjiang, where internment camps serve as part of the regimes purported crackdown on extremism. Survivors of the internment camps have recounted being tortured, raped, and forced to undergo political indoctrination while detained. Xinjiang residents are also subject to an expansive system of surveillance through a network of AI-enhanced security cameras, checkpoints, and the collection of biometric data. Researchers in March found that tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been transferred to work at factories across China in conditions suggestive of forced labor. Those facilities manufactured goods for 83 global brands. The CBP orders apply to cotton produced and processed by Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co. in Xinjiang; apparel produced by Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co. and Baoding LYSZD Trade and Business Co. in Xinjiang; hair products made in the Lop County Hair Product Industrial Park in Xinjiang; all products made with labor from the Lop County No. 4 Vocational Skills Education and Training Center in Xinjiang; and computer parts made by Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. in Anhui Province. The Trump Administration will not stand idly by and allow foreign companies to subject vulnerable workers to forced labor while harming American businesses that respect human rights and the rule of law, acting CBP Commissioner Mark A. Morgan said in a statement. Earlier this year, the United States sanctioned several Chinese officials and a paramilitary group over their roles in overseeing abuses in Xinjiang. Dozens of Chinese entities and companies also have been blacklisted from doing business with U.S. firms. The CBP in June seized 13 tons of human hair products suspected to have been made with forced labor from Xinjiang. Courage: A woman stands in front of police during a rally in Minsk against officers brutality in response to protests about the presidential election results in Belarus. Photo: Reuters 'Crouch down!" a female prison guard shouted to Tamara Shpakova, forcing her to strip for a cavity search after she was picked up by police outside a supermarket in the Belarusian capital Minsk in August. "I said, 'I can't, my leg is broken'," the 35-year-old engineer explained this weekend. For 24 hours, Ms Shpakova, a tall woman with bright blue hair, was in custody, passing out from the pain of a broken kneecap, lying on a pile of men bludgeoned by truncheons in a police van, trying to get some rest on the cement floor of her prison cell. Belarus, one of the sleepiest ex-Soviet republics where crossing the street at a red light is unheard of and demonstrators clean up after a rally, descended into chaos last month. President Alexander Lukashenko unleashed thousands of riot police on his citizens who cast doubt on his landslide at the polls, extending his 26-year-long rule. The impromptu rally on election night, August 9, when Mr Lukashenko was announced to have won 80pc of the vote, was dispersed with staggering brutality. For several nights, riot police were on a rampage across Minsk and other towns, hunting down protesters and even pedestrians in the street, firing rubber bullets, throwing stun grenades and detaining thousands who were later subjected to torture and humiliation reminiscent of the Nazi occupation of Belarus during World War II. Faced with police violence that mainly targeted men, Belarusian women have in recent weeks emerged as a driving force behind the opposition movement. Many have confronted riot police, taking their masks in a attempt to shame them and reveal their identities. Today, Mr Lukashenko will meet his key backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in their first face-to-face contact since the unrest began. Before the trip, he denied reports of torture at the hands of his security forces, claiming that "some girls got their butts smeared in blue paint" to imitate bruises. Yet hundreds are still reeling from violence and grappling with debilitating injuries. Ms Shpakova got out of hospital on Tuesday and every chore is a challenge: the young woman who enjoyed dancing and fencing can now only hobble around on crutches, her right leg in a knee brace. An engineer at an IT company, Ms Shpakova was outraged by brazen vote-rigging at the polls and Mr Lukashenko's declared triumph so she joined a friend for the election night protest and was able to get home safely. Two days later, when Minsk was swarming with riot police, Ms Shpakova was walking home with friends when a few police vans drove by and they feared trouble so they turned back towards a nearby supermarket. A moment later, a blue, unmarked minivan pulled up and a horde of black-clad riot police charged. "There were no protesters, no flags, no placards. Police were grabbing everyone they saw," Ms Shpakova said. She and her friend Nadezhda, whose husband managed to escape, were lying face down on the asphalt, getting bludgeoned with truncheons and kicked. At one point, Ms Shpakova felt a searing pain - this is when her kneecap was broken. Officers dragged her into the van by her hair. Inside the van, women huddled together on long benches along the wall, with men lying on the floor on top of each other - "piles and piles of bodies", she said. The men were bludgeoned and kicked by police. One officer was jumping on the men, roaring with laughter. A few moments later, the detained women were told to sing the Belarusian national anthem to drown out the screams. "We, Belarusians, are peaceful people," the anthem goes. Ms Shpakova and hundreds of others arrived at the jail. In the corridor, dozens were told to stand with their faces against the wall. "I started passing out from pain - I was standing on one foot. Then someone came up to me and said: 'Do you think you can go around with blue hair like that in any other country?' He smashed my head against the wall." Guards were shouting to them to stand still. "I said: 'I can't stand. You can kill me right now but I can't stand: my leg is broken, I need medical help'," Ms Shpakova said. She was allowed to sit, but had to crawl to the examination room where female guards asked women to get undressed and examined their mouths and genitals. The tiny exercise yard was packed with 29 women. Ms Shpakova took off her trainers and sat on them so she would not have to sit on the floor. The night was pierced by screams of men being savagely beaten. The following day, Ms Shpakova was brought before a judge and his secretary who held trial in the dimly lit corridor by the cells. "I hope you die, scum," a prison doctor told her as she passed by. She insisted she was not demonstrating and told the court she had been denied medical help. She was charged with taking part in an illegal assembly, but she has not received the court ruling or even her case file. Shortly afterwards, Ms Shpakova was removed in an ambulance with five others including a man with a broken spine. At hospital, Ms Shpakova, who prides herself on being confident and composed, broke down: "I was sobbing, all my body was shaking." Belarusian volunteers who work with victims of police torture and beatings have documented more than 450 cases like Ms Shpakova's after about 2,000 people were arrested. The UN, which said last month that four people died in Belarus after sustaining injuries during the protests, last week called for an investigation. Belarusian authorities still deny that hundreds of civilians were beaten and tortured by riot police and interior ministry troops. Oleg Pashkevich, an official at a rights group Viasna that has been providing legal and psychological help for the victims, says he is not aware of a single criminal inquiry launched into the reports of torture and beatings. Ms Shpakova said she is even more convinced now that she wants to fight on. She said: "All the pain from that broken kneecap was worth all the joy, warmth and tenderness that I saw not only from friends and family but also from strangers." At least 100,000 Belarusian protesters took to the streets of Minsk yesterday in one of the biggest demonstrations yet. Police said they had detained about 250 people. Daily Telegraph, London Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A leading investor group has written to the boards of the world's biggest corporate emitters of greenhouse gases, warning they must produce a strategy to move their business to net-zero carbon emissions or face pressure at future AGMs. Climate Action 100+, whose members include most of the world's biggest investors, collectively managing $47 trillion in assets, said the strategies needed to have clear targets and that companies would be assessed on their performance. While some companies have already moved to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner, many have not. It can also be hard to compare the relative merits of each company's strategy, which can make engagement harder. To help fix the problem, CA100+ said on Monday it was launching a new benchmark to help its 500 members and others assess each company's progress on the way to net-zero against a set of 30 indicators. In a letter to the boards of 161 companies collectively accounting for around 80 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, CA100+ said greater action was needed to meet the terms of the 2015 Paris agreement to limit global warming. Specifically, the group called on the companies to create strategies that covered their full value chain - including so-called Scope 3 emissions from each company's products - and were science-based. Companies also needed to set medium-term objectives and material targets to help demonstrate the longer-term goals were achievable and make it easier for investors to track the necessary changes to their core business strategy. CA100+ said the companies' response would guide the way investors engage with the boards, "particularly for unresponsive or poorly performing companies", which could also include action during future annual general meetings. "Companies across all sectors need to take more ambitious action to ensure otherwise devastating impacts of climate change are avoided while they still can be," said Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, part of the CA100+ coalition. "The benchmark will ensure it's clear which companies are acting on climate change as a business-critical issue and embracing a net-zero future. Investors will be paying particular attention to those shown to be falling short." Events in Victoria over the past week have been a good example of why centralisation of power creates its own risks. The state government needs to learn the lessons of recent days and put more voices around the table to ensure decision-making is increasingly decentralised. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews giving his daily press conference. Credit:Penny Stephens The first thing the government needs to do is reinstate the full cabinet. The crisis cabinet should end, with all ministers stepping up. Second, the government needs to take consultation seriously. It cannot afford to allow community expectations to be built up only to see them shattered when government announcements fail those expectations. Last weeks announcement on the road map, along with the weekends announcement of further business support, were classic examples. For some reason, the government encouraged mounting expectations in the days preceding the release of the road map that prompted normally restrained business and union leaders to condemn the strategy in a fashion I have not seen for many years. VECCI, the Australian Industry Group, some union leaders and the Business Council of Australia were all scathing of the announcement. There was little or no pretence of any circumspection in their criticisms. The Union health ministry on Sunday night issued standard operating procedures (SOP) for skill training institutions and higher education institutions conducting technical programs requiring laboratory work. These have been allowed to open by the Centre from September 21, as part of the fourth stage of the nationwide unlock. Here are the guidelines to be followed: The seating arrangement should be such that it ensures a distance of six feet between desks, chairs. Classroom activities should be staggered, with separate time slots, to allow adequate physical distancing and disinfection of classroom premises. Academic scheduling should be have a mix of regular classroom teaching and online teaching/assessments. Teachers and students should wear masks throughout teaching activities. Sharing of items like laptops, stationary, notebooks etc. among students should not be allowed. Metro services have already resumed operations as part of Unlock 4, while schools, too, will partially reopen from September 21, though only for classes 9-12 and only for guidance purposes. As of September 13, Indias coronavirus tally stood at over 4.7 million, the second-highest after the United States and ahead of Brazil. India is also the only country to have recorded more than 80,00 and, later, 90,000 cases in a single day, since the outbreak of the pandemic, including 94,372 new infections between Saturday and Sunday. The country started opening up from June 1, after strict nationwide lockdown in four phases from March 25 to May 31. Unlock 4 started on September 1 and will end on September 30. Charles Stanley Names Successor but Will Remain Sr. Pastor, Says Retirement Is Unbiblical Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Charles F. Stanley, the iconic Southern Baptist televangelist who has led the 13,000-member First Baptist Church Atlanta in Georgia for more than 40 years and founded In Touch Ministries, named Dr. Anthony George as his successor Sunday. But he plans to remain at the helm of the church as long as God gives him "health and strength." George, who has served as Stanley's associate pastor since 2012, was named in a pastoral succession plan presented to congregants during two morning services. "While I intend to remain the pastor as long as God gives me health and strength, this plan will be officially in place to ensure a seamless transition in leadership whenever God ordains that to occur," the 85-year-old Stanley said in a statement on the church's Facebook page. That means, said Shane Baker, director of executive communications at First Baptist Church Atlanta, that if Stanley makes it to 95 or older and remains healthy he will remain as the church's senior pastor. "Dr. Stanley does not believe in retirement, he will tell you that retirement is not in the Bible and he has no aspirations to retire. He does not think that it is biblical," Baker told The Christian Post Tuesday. When asked if this means Stanley's succession plan won't be affected unless he dies or is seriously incapacitated, Baker said that will be determined by God. As of Tuesday, there were no immediate concerns about that because Stanley "is in great health," Baker said. The announcement comes as other longtime leaders, such as Pastor Dick Bernal of Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, California, who will be replaced by Ron Carpenter Jr. of Redemption Church, have outlined even more concrete plans to retire from ministry. Carpenter, 49, announced he was stepping down as pastor of the Greenville campus of Redemption Church to take over Bernal's Jubilee Christian Center on Sunday and said he doesn't believe pastors can continue to effectively minister beyond the age of 70. "I've seen pastors, I've been around church my whole life. I've seen 'em lead aggressively, passionately, with relevance and creativity into their late 60s. However, I personally have never seen anybody be able to continue that type of leadership into their 70s. Not saying it hasn't been done, just saying I haven't seen it," Carpenter said. Baker said at 85, however, Stanley continues to be effective with a solid team around him. "I'm not sure about other pastors but we certainly don't have any concerns about Dr. Stanley. Dr. Stanley has been highly effective. His television and radio broadcast ministry is in over 2,800 different television, radio stations across the world and I think over 180 countries so his ministry is extremely effective," he said. "Dr. Stanley, he is in great health, still preaching solid and we look for him to be that way for some more years." It was further noted that Stanley hired George in 2012 to run the day-to-day administrative responsibilities of the church. He also preaches on Sunday when Stanley has other responsibilities or needs a break. Stanley became senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta in 1971 after a hard fought battle for the position, according to CNN. His son, Andy Stanley, was once his father's heir apparent but later founded his own church and is currently senior pastor of the multi-campus North Point Community Church in Georgia, one of the largest churches in the country. The elder Stanley met another hurdle when the veteran preacher's wife, Anna, officially divorced him after 40 years of marriage in 2000, saying she experienced "many years of discouraging disappointments and marital conflict. ... Charles, in effect, abandoned our marriage. He chose his priorities, and I have not been one of them." While many in the Southern Baptist Convention called on him to step down over his divorce, Stanley refused to give up his role as senior pastor. "God said you keep doing what I called you to until I tell you to do something else," he told CNN. "I got that straight from the Lord. ... I was simply obeying God." He added: "If somebody doesn't love you and doesn't want to live with you, you can't nowhere in the Scripture does it say that you're to preach the gospel until someone does this or that." Stanley revealed in a 2016 interview that he still prayed on his knees. He recalled that he asked God to help him through his divorce. "I would say to anybody: the greatest lesson you can learn is to learn to live by faith on your face before God. You can face anything, no matter what it is. He said, 'I'll never leave you or forsake you,' but if I'm so busy I'm not listening to him, I'm not waiting for him, I'm not expecting him to do something I think people face a lot of circumstances and go through a lot of heartache and trouble that would be unnecessary if they would just stop and listen," Stanley stated. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:44:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Zambia now has COVID-19 testing centers in seven of the country's 10 provinces, an official said on Monday. The government is committed to putting in place testing centers in the remaining three provinces as soon as possible, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Kennedy Malama told a briefing on the pandemic. "We are committed to improving our testing capacity because it is key as we fight the disease," he said. Zambia reported 181 new cases in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 13,720. The country has so far conducted 132,642 tests. Enditem Lyla Frick wasnt sure what kind of response to expect when she opened Pumpkins Acres Rabbit Rescue in January. It quickly became very busy, she says. The number of cases she was handling grew fast you might say it multiplied like rabbits. The operation has taken in more than 70 bunnies since opening, getting the rabbits veterinary care when needed including spaying and neutering before finding them good homes. It has about 45 on hand now, a few inside Fricks Thorold home and others placed with fosters across Niagara and the GTA. Its an expensive, time-consuming project especially because she also has a full-time job and she runs it with help from about a half-dozen other volunteers. I never really imagined this would be my life, says Frick. Its just that once I started fostering rabbits and I realized how many were out there that needed help, I wanted to do more. Her involvement started in 2017 when she volunteered with Lincoln County Humane Society helping to foster rabbits that were brought in. She found when it comes to animal protection laws, rabbits are kind of in between being a pet and being considered livestock. They kind of fall in that grey area, and there really isnt anyone to protect them. About that time, Frick took in one called Pumpkin I ended up adopting her, and she had gotten sick and we were doing some tests and found out she still had pellets lodged inside of her after being shot. She started volunteering with Rabbit Rescue Inc., an agency that works in Canada and the U.S. Pumpkin died last summer, Frick says, and I said if I ever started a rabbit rescue I would name it after her. In January, she did it. With her team, she started a website and got on social media, located volunteer drivers and people willing to foster rabbits, found a good local vet, developed a network to help with supplies and created an adoption process. Pumpkins Acres recently incorporated, and she has applied for charitable status. Monetary donations are always needed, to pay for the rabbits upkeep and medical bills. Many people dont understand the need to rescue rabbits, she concedes: They see them running in the wild, sometimes through their yards, and presume they should stay wild. There are always people reaching out saying they found a rabbit outside, or their kid got a rabbit but theyre not interested anymore and they dont know what to do with them, Frick says. There were so many that needed help. She stays in touch with the humane society, sometimes taking in rabbits if it has too many to keep on site. One weekend, we ended up taking in 22 rabbits from a hoarding situation and having all of them vetted, spayed and neutered obviously cost money. Recently, seven babies were taken in from a rabbit meat farm where their mother had been killed. They were only two weeks old, she says. Were just syringe-feeding them right now because they dont have a mom. Since COVID-19 set in it has gotten busier, she says. Possibly people brought them in as pets while they were stuck at home but now cant care for them. A lot of people think theyd be super cute and good for kids, without really knowing what goes into taking care of a rabbit so its about finding the right home, which can be difficult. They do make good pets, if youre willing to educate yourself and know how to read bunny language because theyre totally different from cats and dogs. Her website is pumpkinsacres.ca. The President stepped up his courtship of Latino voters on Sunday, trumpeting economic gains the demographic made before the coronavirus pandemic. Though Mr Trump has made scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latinos, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and his main target on the weekend Nevada. He hosted a round table discussion with Latinos in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon before an evening rally, his first indoors since his disastrous outing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was blamed for a surge of coronavirus infections. Winning support from Latinos has been an uphill climb for Mr Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics. In the first moments of his 2016 campaign, he declared many Mexican immigrants were rapists. He has drawn criticism for his tepid response to a hurricane that ravaged Puerto Rico, for polices to separate children from families at the Mexican border, and for his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program allowing young illegal immigrants who were brought to the US as children to remain in the country. Advertisement They understand the situation at the southern border. They want people to come in, and so do I, but they want them to do it legally, Mr Trump told a small group of supporters in Las Vegas. While Joe Biden has failed, I have delivered for Latinos. There is increasing concern about Democrats that their nominee, the former vice president, has not done enough to court Latino voters. His running mate, California senator Kamala Harris, did little to sway Floridas booming and politically influential Latino population during a stop there in the past week. Biden has not set foot in Arizona or Nevada during the general election campaign, which he has mainly conducted virtually because of the coronavirus. Mr Trump tailored his pitch to Latinos on Sunday, noting their low unemployment rate before Covid-19 and affirming his anti-abortion stance. He again hammered home his recent push on law and order, saying recent violence in American cities endangered Latinos. Sleepy Joe Biden has spent 47 years in politics being terrible to Hispanics. Now he is relying on Castro lover Bernie Sanders to help him out, Mr Trump tweeted Sunday. That wont work! Mr Sanders, a Vermont senator who ran against Mr Biden in the Democratic primary but later endorsed his rival, was criticised earlier this year for a television interview in which he lauded Fidel Castro for a literacy program and asserted it was unfair to simply say everything is bad in Cuba. Advertisement Estimates from the Pew Research Centre and AP VoteCast show about three in 10 Latino voters supported Mr Trump in 2016 and Republican candidates in 2018. That is consistent with long-term trends in party identification among Latino voters, according to Pew. Like Arizona and Nevada, Florida has a heterogeneous population, but Hispanic voters there tend to be somewhat more Republican-leaning than Hispanic voters nationwide because of the states Cuban American population. A recent Florida poll shows support from Latinos about even between Mr Trump and Mr Biden. Nationally, little public polling is available to measure the opinions of Latino voters this year and whether they differ from four years ago. The Biden campaign has consistently denounced Mr Trumps policies as hurting Latino immigrants and workers. The push for Latinos comes during a Western swing in which Trump has looked to expand his paths to victory while unleashing a torrent of unsubstantiated claims that Democrats were trying to steal the election. After holding a pair of fundraisers in the Las Vegas area on Sunday, expected to raise $18 million, Mr Trump was scheduled for an indoor rally in the warehouse of a manufacturing plant in nearby Henderson. After abandoning rallies for months when the pandemic first arrived, Mr Trump scheduled one in June in a Tulsa arena that featured seas of empty seats and, according to local officials, prompted a spike in cases. Recognising that many supporters were uncomfortable gathering in large groups indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, the Trump campaign shifted to holding smaller, outdoor rallies, usually at aircraft hangers. But those rallies have grown in size in recent weeks, with little social distancing and few masks. Hurricane Sally reached Category 2 strength Monday afternoon and by the evening its outer bands began lashing Floridas Panhandle as it neared the U.S. Gulf coast. Forecasters warned the storms real danger could be in devastating flooding. The latest forecast showed Sally could bring up to 9 feet of storm surge and 2 feet of rain in some spots in Louisiana, but Sallys impact will be felt from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Monday evening, the eastern coast of Louisiana, as well as the entire coast of Mississippi and Alabama, were under hurricane warnings, and the western coast of the Florida Panhandle was under a tropical storm warning. As of 11 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said the storm was moving west-northwest at 3 mph and was about 90 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Its maximum sustained winds were 100 mph, with higher gusts and tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 125 miles from the center. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 45 miles from the center. Hurricane Sally is a category 2 storm with 100 mph as it approaches the Gulf coast. On Monday evening, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Sally was forecast to move over the north-central Gulf of Mexico, approach southeastern Louisiana Monday afternoon, and make landfall somewhere in the hurricane warning area from Morgan City, La., to the Mississippi/Alabama border. That area includes metropolitan New Orleans. The storm was then expected to move slowly north-northeastward through Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia through Friday while weakening. However, forecasters cautioned it was still too early to determine where exactly Sally will make landfall because of uncertainty surrounding the timing and location of Sallys northward turn near the central Gulf Coast. Users should not focus on the details of the official forecast track, since NHCs average forecast error at 48 hours is around 80 miles, and dangerous storm surge, rainfall and wind hazards will extend well away from the center, forecasters wrote. Story continues Forecasters say extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm surge conditions are possible, particularly in the area from Port Fourchon, La., to the Alabama/Florida border. Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Lake Borgne and Mobile Bay are all under a storm surge warning. The mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Miss., could see the worst of the storm surge up to 9 feet, the hurricane center said. Some areas could see two feet of rain, a feature of such a big, slow storm that would be able to draw up extra moisture from the warm Gulf and dump it on land, like Hurricane Harvey. Since Sally is forecast to be moving very slowly around the time of landfall a slower rate of weakening is indicated since a large portion of the circulation will remain over water for some time, forecasters wrote. Sally could also continue producing flash flooding across central and northern Florida and prolong existing minor river flooding across west-central Florida through Monday, according to the hurricane center. Flooding impacts are expected to spread farther across the Southeast through the week. Miami Herald staff writer Carli Teproff contributed to this report. T he charismatic, old-money blonde running a show on pure personality. The promise of game-changing test technology from rapid diagnosis using a drop of blood drawn from a single finger prick. Ludicrous volumes of cash. Ridiculously inflated hopes. This was the news last week that Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder at the heart of Silicon Valleys most scandalous court case , was to explore a new defence for her fraud trial in one of Americas most revealing modern fables. But it might as well be this Government. Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford at 19, founded a company that promised a blood-testing device which could run hundreds of tests from finger-pricks. If youre not familiar with the Holmes/ Theranos story, the impressively pacey investigative reporting on the subject is a must; John Carreyrous excellent book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, or the gripping ABC podcast The Dropout. That the Government now runs itself like a seedy Silicon Valley start-up has not escaped the attention of anyone keeping an eye on Dominic Cummings Whitehall Revolution (although there is no suggestion of fraud). There has long been a start-up mindset to No 10s ambitions: the gruelling working culture, the misfits and weirdos recruited (data science, AI and cognitive technologies), the central operations room, the dress code. Yet Theranos parallels run deeper. Holmes peddled a convincing theory (she was, and is, extremely bright) to pad out hot air and pipe dreams. Venture capital poured in nevertheless. The people believed, so they backed it. The charismatic, old-money blonde. The promise of a game-changing test. Misfits and weirdos. Inflated hopes Track and trace? Lets do it. A ventilator challenge? Pedal to the metal. Oven-ready Brexit? Keep that Intellectual Property coming, ideas guy. Finger prick blood tests? Sounds familiar, but hey ho. As long as hope is in the air, we stay afloat. The voter is the investor. In Cummings eyes, were told, the greatest sin of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Johnson signed in January and which hes now looking to rip up is that it dampens this countrys ability to launch its own tech titan by kiboshing our business subsidies. We had DeepMind, the pioneering AI start-up based here in London, but Google snapped it up. Lesson learned. Yet for every Google or DeepMind, theres a Theranos. And in this Government, we have our own state-sponsored start-up. Brexit is a beta test. Lets hope someone lays a golden egg before the whole thing goes up in smoke. South African veteran AB de Villiers said captain Virat Kohli is "leading from the front" as Royal Challengers Bangalore look to shed their wooden-spooners tag in the Indian Premier League. De Villiers said India skipper Kohli was inspiring much hard work in the build-up to the IPL's start in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. "I think everyone has bought into this hard-working environment and a lot of credit should to go Virat for that," De Villiers said in an interview posted on his team's YouTube channel on Monday. "He leads by example, he sets the standards and it is pretty easy to follow when you have a captain leading from the front." Bangalore, who finished last of the eight teams in two of the past three seasons, begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai next Monday. Kohli, who took over as captain of the Bangalore team in 2013, has said he has "never felt so calm" entering an IPL season. "It's a tricky one because we say that (we'll improve) every season. (But) I promise you, 'it's different', that's all I can tell you," said de Villiers. "I won't say we have got the best team. There is a different feel in the team that I can't explain, but it is very exciting. "Looking at the combinations there is back-up everywhere. And we have options for Virat to play the best XI." The Twenty20 tournament is being held in UAE because of the surge in coronavirus cases in India, which is the second worst-hit nation behind the United States. fk/grk/th A pair from Utah is behind bars after a traffic stop in Jefferson County turned up more than $30,000 worth of drugs. Brookside police late Sunday about 11:15 p.m. stopped a vehicle traveling from Mobile to Utah, said police Chief Mike Jones. The driver of the vehicle gave officers false identification, but authorities later identified him as James Reeves. His female passenger was identified as Lisa Kline. Jones said the stop was made by the departments narcotics interdiction officers. K9 Cash alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle and a search was then carried out. Police found drugs packaged individually for sale with an estimated street value of more than $30,000. There were several travel bags and two briefcases found hidden inside the vehicle, Jones said. Among the drugs recovered: 204.7 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 95.2 grams of pure Black Tar heroin, 2.7 grams of Fentanyl, marijuana, loaded syringes, a bottle of liquid heroin and multiple drug paraphernalia items. Jones said they also recovered a loaded gun and credit cards that are believed to have been stolen. Items commonly used as burglary tools were inside the vehicle with jewelry, electronics, night-vision goggles, binoculars and cameras. Both suspects face charges of trafficking heroin, trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking stolen identifications, unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Additional charges could be added as the investigation continues. Jones said Reeves is a convicted sex offender with a lengthy criminal history and will be charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm which will be prosecuted federally. Democratic nominee Joe Biden called President Donald Trump a 'climate arsonist,' saying the president's climate change denial is what's really threatening the suburbs. 'Donald Trump warned integration is threatening our suburbs. That's ridiculous. But you know what is actually threatening our suburbs?' Biden said Monday outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History. 'Wildfires are burning the suburbs in the west, floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the midwest, hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast.' Biden's comments came as Trump was traveling to California to see damage from the wildfires and as the president has tried to push that his Democratic opponent would 'destroy' the suburbs, pointing to an Obama-era fair housing rule. Democratic nominee Joe Biden said Monday that it's President Donald Trump who's threatening American suburbs, thanks to his climate change denial Joe Biden had to swat a fly off his jacket at one point during his speech, joking to reporters, 'Speaking of the environment,' as he made the motion On Monday, Jill (left) and Joe Biden (right) voted early in Delaware's state primary election. Registered voters could schedule a time to come in Jill Biden was sporting black knee-high Stuart Weitzman boots that spelled 'VOTE' down her calf The Democratic nominee stopped to answer a few questions, asking his wife Jill (right) and surrounding aides where he was headed Tuesday. The Trump campaign already released the clip as a hit against Biden's sharpness In Wilmington, Biden opened up by pointing to the four concurrent crises that are happening under Trump's watch: COVID-19 and the economic collapse that the pandemic caused, 'emboldend white supremacy' and climate change. Biden told his small audience of reporters, who were kept separated by rings on the ground and told to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, that Monday's remarks would be dedicated to climate and served as a prebuttal to the president's California trip. And at one point, he had to slap off a fly that landed on his jacket, joking, 'Sorry, there was a bug. Speaking of the environment!' 'We have to act as a nation,' Biden implored. 'It shouldn't be so bad that millions of Americans live in the shadow of an orange sky and are left asking, is doomsday here?' He said that Trump's actions on climate - such as pulling out of the Paris climate agreement - 'amounts to a full surrender,' language Biden also used to describe the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has clapped back and said it's Biden who wants a 'surrender' on COVID, accusing the Democrat of trying to shut down the country again - a proposal Biden hasn't backed. On Monday, Biden, again, ridiculed some of Trump's anti-green energy rhetoric - such as his claim that windmills cause cancer and his complaint that eco-friendly lightbulbs turn him 'orange.' 'This is the same president who threw paper towels at the people of Puerto Rico,' Biden recalled. The Democrat warned just how bad it could be if Trump is re-elected. 'If he gets a second term these hellish events will become more common, more devastating and more deadly,' Biden said, speaking of the recent wildfires, floods and coastal storms. 'We have four more years of Trump's climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned by wildfires? How many suburban neighborhoods will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms?' Biden asked. 'To give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when we had more of America ablaze?' the former vice president said. Biden pitched a number of job-creating initiatives that could help the environment. He said he wanted to build 1.5 million new energy efficient homes and public housing units, which could eliminate the country's housing shortage, increase energy efficiency and 'reduce ... the racial wealth gap linked to homeownership.' Biden also said 250,000 could be created simply by putting people to work to plug abandoned oil and gas wells. 'Good union jobs for energy workers,' he said. He also floated building a 'civilian climate corps.' And in light of disasters like in Flint, Michigan, Biden said he wanted to ensure Americans had clean water and air. 'Fulfilling this basic obligation to to all Americans, especially in low income white, black, brown and Native American communities who too often don't have the clean air and the clean water,' he said. Biden has put out a full-scale climate plan and had supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders help draft some joint proposals, but he hasn't backed the so-called 'Green New Deal.' Joe Biden spoke in a field outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History, where his audience of reporters were kept six feet apart from one another using giant rings Earlier Monday, the Democratic nominee and his wife Jill - who sported black knee-high Stuart Weitzman boots that spelled 'VOTE' down her calf - voted early in Delaware's Democratic primary. Registered voters in the state could book a time to vote, allowing for proper social distancing. 'Vote. Vote. Vote,' Biden said as he emerged from casting his ballot. He indicated that he had voted for Sen. Chris Coons in the Democratic Senate primary. 'I like Coons the best. He's a great, great senator,' Biden said. Coons had spoken on his behalf during last month's Democratic National Convention. Biden was also asked if he had confidence that all votes would be counted in November. 'I have confidence that Trump will try to not have that happen, but I'm confident the American public is going to insist on it,' the former vice president replied. Biden encouraged Americans to vote early and explained why he decided to cast his ballot in person a day before Delaware's Tuesday primary. 'Because I'm going to be - where am I tomorrow?' the candidate asked, directing the question toward his aides and his wife. 'Florida,' Jill Biden answered, according to the pool report. The Democratic nominee will travel to Florida on Tuesday and then return to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Thursday before heading to Minnesota on Friday. 'I'm traveling tomorrow,' Biden said. The Trump campaign quickly pushed out the video clip of Biden asking his wife and staff where he was headed, as more evidence that the 77-year-old is not all there. Both the Biden and Trump camps have questioned the fitness of the opposing presidential candidate, with team Biden showing Trump awkwardly tip-toeing down a ramp at West Point in June in pro-Biden ads. The Trump team has focused on Biden's over-reliance on a teleprompter during his events. The former vice president used one Monday for his speech. He didn't hold a formal press conference, but did speak to several reporters as he exited. Biden said in Florida he would 'talk about how I am going to work like the devil to make sure I turn every Latino and Hispanic vote.' Recent polls showed Biden in a weaker position in Florida among Latinos than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was four years ago. Biden was asked if he could explain this phenomenon. The ex-vice president answered that his Latino support was 'much higher' than Trump's, 'But they gotta go higher.' Another reporter asked if the gloves were now off in the presidential race, with just 50 days to go. 'Yes,' Biden replied and then left. By Trend Resettling Lebanese people of Armenian origin in Nagorno-Karabakh is a provocation by Armenia, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair from the US Matthew Bryza told Trend. Bryza said he just viewed a video showing how some ethnic Armenians resettled from Syria have been placed in Shusha. The video shows happy people, who understandably are glad to be out of a very difficult place. But it is really unhelpful that the Armenian government shows Shusha as the place of all places to resettle these people, because that is such a sensitive place for Azerbaijan. Anybody who covers this region knows that Shusha is considered one of the cradles of Azerbaijans culture. So there is plenty of space in Armenia rather than occupied Azerbaijani territory to resettle these people and to help them have a better life. So to me, it is really a provocation by the Armenian side that makes it much more difficult to consider how negotiations could get back on track for a peaceful and fair settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Criminals who assault emergency workers will face up to two years in jail under a new law announced by the Government. Ministers plan to bring forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on police, prison staff, custody officers, fire service personnel, search and rescue workers and frontline health workers. More than 11,000 people were prosecuted for assaulting an emergency worker in 2019, the Ministry of Justice said. The Conservatives pledged in their 2019 election manifesto to consult on doubling the maximum sentence for assaulting emergency service workers. Assaults cover acts including being pushed, shoved or spat at, but prosecutions can take place under more serious offences when an emergency worker is seriously injured. The new law will apply to police, prison staff, custody officers, fire service personnel, search and rescue workers and frontline health workers. Ministers plan to bring forward legislation to double the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaults on police, prison staff, custody officers, fire service personnel, search and rescue workers and frontline health workers (file image) It will be the second change in two years after the 2018 Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act increased the maximum sentence from six months to a year. The law change also meant that when a person is convicted of offences including sexual assault or manslaughter, the judge must consider whether the offence was committed against an emergency worker as an aggravating factor meriting an increase in the sentence. The Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'Our police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers are our frontline heroes who put their lives on the line every single day to keep us safe, yet some despicable individuals still think it's acceptable to attack, cough or spit at these courageous public servants. 'This new law sends a clear and simple message to these vile thugs - you will not get away with such appalling behaviour and you will be subject to the force of the law.' Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC said: 'The debt of gratitude we owe to our emergency workers has never been greater. Every day they risk their lives to protect ours - they should never face being punched, kicked or spat at. 'Anyone looking to harm prison officers, police, fire personnel or health workers should be under no illusion - your disgraceful behaviour is unacceptable and you will feel the full force of the law.' The chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Martin Hewitt, added: 'It is never acceptable for anyone to be assaulted or harmed just for turning up to do their job. 'Police and their emergency service colleagues work hard every day to protect and keep the public safe. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC said: 'The debt of gratitude we owe to our emergency workers has never been greater' 'We will use the full force of the law to prosecute anyone who uses violence against those who are on the front line and the doubling of the maximum sentence sends a clear message that society will not tolerate abuse of our emergency workers.' John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales welcomed the change, which he said had come about after 'an incredible amount of hard work and lobbying' by the organisation. He said: 'The Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018 was intended to protect police officers, act as a deterrent, and punish those who have no regard for the rule of law. 'We would now urge magistrates to step up to the plate and dish out these maximum sentences of two years. 'The fact is attacks on blue light workers should never be considered 'just part of the job'. Longer sentences can therefore act as a strong deterrent for those who think that it is acceptable to assault police officers or other emergency service workers.' Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga will succeed Shinzo Abe as Japan's prime minister. Shinzo Abe had announced his decision to resign due to health problems in late August. Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Monday won the ruling Liberal Democratic Partys (LDP) leadership vote and will secure the post of the Prime Minister. According to the final count, Suga secured 377 votes, followed far behind by former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida with 89 votes and former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba with 68 votes. On Wednesday, the Japanese Parliament will confirm Suga as the head of government, replacing long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who unexpectedly announced in late August his decision to resign due to health problems. Suga pledged to continue the policy of his predecessor. A political vacuum is inadmissible amid the ongoing national crisis in light of the coronavirus infection spreading. I plan to inherit and develop the effort made by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Suga said, as aired by the NHK broadcaster. Also Read: Wont sell TikToks algorithm to US: ByteDance Also Read: As FATF sword hangs over Pakistan, its army claims of killing 4 terrorists On officially announcing his plan to step down, citing health issues, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, In June this year, I was told that there were signs of recurrence of my chronic condition called ulcerative colitis, and I did my best at work. while taking medicine. But starting the middle of last month, my physical condition changed, and I felt very exhausted. Recurrence of the disease was confirmed at the beginning of this month, he added. Abe said that he would step down because his worsened condition and treatment could threaten the decision-making process. In politics, getting results is the most important thing. Facing illness and treatment and being in poor physical form, I could not let myself make mistakes in important political decisions and fail to achieve results, he said further. I have decided that I should not continue to hold the position of the prime minister, as I can no longer firmly carry out the mandate given to me by the people. Ive decided to resign as Prime Minister, Sputnik reported further quoting Abe. Also Read: Israel enforces second Covid-19 lockdown as fresh cases emerge There is no proposal for raising Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) ceiling in to 49 per cent from 20 per cent for capital mobilisation, Minister of State for Anurag Singh Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. No amount has been raised by the government in the current financial year for recapitalisation of (PSBs) through issuance of recapitalisation bonds, he said in a written reply. "No proposal to amend this, is currently under consideration of the government," he said while replying to a question if the government is mulling over raising FII in from 20 per cent to 49 per cent for capital mobilisation. "As per the proviso to sub-section (2D) of section 3 of the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970/1980, no individual or company resident outside India shall hold shares exceeding 20 per cent of a nationalised bank's paid-up capital," he said. Replying to another question, he said, the government and World Bank have so far signed only one loan of USD 750 million on May 15, 2020 as budgetary support to the Government for accelerating India's COVID-19 Social Protection Response Programme in order to support measures undertaken under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), the benefits of which have flown to all States/UTs. All beneficiaries covered under PMGKY are benefitted from this loan, he said, adding, as on date, the signed loan amount (USD 750 million) has been fully disbursed under the programme. (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.) Tiny Betsy Smith might not be quite big enough to see over a stable door - but she's a dab hand at riding her pony. The fearless equestrian, who is only two-years-old and lives with her family in Calne, Wiltshire, has already won handfuls of rosettes for her riding, and begs her mother to let her go galloping through the fields with her older friends. But being aged just two, and the youngest ever member of her local Pony Club branch, mother Georgie is sometimes reluctantly forced to rein in her enthusiasm. She, along with big brother Arley, six - already competing in Hunter Trials - have been riding since before they could walk, and love nothing more than hacking their ponies along country roads near their home with Mum in tow. Although the thought of watching their toddler bravely stand up on the back of a pony might make some parents just a tad nervous, Georgie, a teacher and artist, says she's delighted her children take risks - and bought Arley his first pony as soon as he could walk. And while both children take the odd tumble, Georgie says she's much rather her children learn how to take risks and be out in the fresh air than in the house watching a screen. Two-year-old equestrian Betsy Smith, from Calne, Wiltshire, wows with her fearless riding skills and already rides competitively Georgie, mother to Betsy and her older brother Arley, six - who is already competing in the Hunter Trials - said she kept a close eye on her youngest, pictured with a pony decorated in rosettes She said: 'We bought our first pony when Arley was just 12-months-old. I had always ridden and really wanted to give my children the opportunity too as well. 'He has always liked the horses, but when Betsy came along, she was desperate to get on board. 'She's been riding since she was born. 'I will turn around and find her standing up on her pony's back, she'll want to ride backwards, and always want to go faster or do what Arley is doing.. She has no fear! Daredevil Betsy loves to ride without her hands on the reins and to stand on her pony's back. She often begs Georgie to let her go galloping in the fields Adorable Betsy in a rider outfit with a protective helmet and tweed jacket, with a pink competition rosette on her right shoulder Georgie explained that keen rider Betsy has been riding since she was born, before she could even walk Arley, six, with Betsy, show off the impressive collection of riding competition rosettes they've won so far 'Arley has started competing in hunter trials, and he's starting to jump, and Betsy is desperate to be big enough and go with him. 'She would have no qualms about going off by herself, but I try to balance her adventurous side with keeping her safe. 'I put up a video on social media of her riding along with no hands on the reins singing wind the bobbin up - she was so relaxed and happy, it went mad with likes and comments.' The brother and sister jumping enthusiastically, throwing their riding competition rosettes in the air Doting mother Georgia revealed that cleaning horses hooves was the brother and sister's favourite acitivity Arley and Betsy in their riding outfits and protective helmets. Georgie said Betsy always wanted to go as fast or faster than her brother The brother and sister next to one of their ponies. Both children are members of their local pony club Georgie with eldest, Arley, while he is on horseback. The doting mother-of-two keeps a close eye on her sporty children While most girls her age play with toys, Betsy is at her happiest cleaning after her ponies with her brother Both children are members of their local Pony Club, where they regularly compete against other children on their ponies, Barney, and 11.1hh bay, and Honey, a similar-sized Palamino. Georgie added: 'The ponies seem a little big for the children now but there is plenty of room for them to grow into them. 'They are already lifelong friends so it's nice they will be able to grow up with them. Arley is already competing in the Hunter Trials, a cross country riding events, and has won several rosettes of his own Georgie said riding was a good exercise for children and taught them to be responsible and caring towards animals The brother and sister duo getting ready to muck out their phones. Georgie revealed her children could spend hours grooming and cuddling their ponies Georgie with Betsy and Arley. The mother-of-two joked it was a struggle to keep her youngest, Betsy, from cuddling any horse she sees 'Riding is good exercise for the children, and it teaches them about responsibility and caring for another creature. 'They are young but they still have to do chores - they have miniature wheelbarrows and have to come and poo pick the fields with me. 'They both really enjoy it though, and they will spend hours grooming and cuddling their ponies. 'Cleaning out the horses' hooves is their favourite job. Arley riding his pony. Georgie said she felt lucky she had adventurous and responsible children Betsy giving a pony a cuddle. Sophie Dalrymple, Joint District Commissioner of the Tedworth Hunt Pony club, said: 'We're thrilled to have Betsy as part of our team, we always like to encourage children from an early age Arley and Betsy, Georgie said she would not have pushed riding onto her children if they had not been interested Betsy not looking too impressed with her second place rosette. The competitive toddlers always wants to go ride with older kids 'Arley even took Barney onto a Zoom lesson with his class earlier this year, the children loved seeing him. 'Betsy will just want to run up and cuddle any horse she sees - it's actually quite hard stopping her! 'But they are both learning so much, and are really quite knowledgeable about horses and how to care for them now, that I wouldn't have it any other way. 'Of course, if they weren't interested, I wouldn't push them into it, but I feel very lucky to have such brave, adventurous yet responsible children.' Adorable Betsy riding her grey pony. Georgie admitted the pony seemed a little big compared to her children's height While the ponies are big, Georgie is confident there's plenty of time for Arley and Betsy to 'grow into them' Betsy celebrating after receiving a Rosette and some candy after a competition. She is the youngest member of her pony club branch Arley giving a pony a cuddle. Mother-of-two Georgie said the ponies and her children were already 'lifelong friends' Sophie Dalrymple, Joint District Commissioner of the Tedworth Hunt Pony club, said: 'We're thrilled to have Betsy as part of our team, we always like to encourage children from an early age. 'We've always had a lot of young members but none quite so young as her. 'Both Betsy and Arley are really good little riders and are very enthusiastic. 'It's lovely to see them having so much fun. 'Being around ponies teaches them responsibility, resilience and is a great life skill.' The European Commission is preparing a proposal which will provide a reference framework for the establishment of a decent minimum wage at European level. Sweden is firmly opposed. Johan Danielsson (S) one of the Swedish members of the European Parliament who is monitoring this issue carefully. Johan Danielsson is a member of the Swedish Social Democrat Party (S) and one of the Swedish members of the European Parliament. Introducing a system of fair minimum wages for all workers in the EU was included in the Political Guidelines presented by Ursula von der Leyen at around the time she was appointed the President of the European Commission. Many EU Member States already have statutory minimum wages, but they are set at national level. The EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, is now preparing a proposal which will provide a reference framework for the establishment of a decent minimum wage at European level. Sweden is firmly opposed to the proposal and employers, trade unions and politicians are all in agreement that the proposal could be highly detrimental to the Swedish labour market model if it is introduced. We interviewed Johan Danielsson, a member of the Swedish Social Democrat Party (S) and one of the Swedish members of the European Parliament who is monitoring this issue carefully. Now that the European Commission has launched a new round of consultations with European trade unions on how to ensure fair minimum wages for all workers in the EU, what should Swedens input and priorities be? I agree with the Swedish Governments policy and disapproval of an EU directive on minimum wage, but we can support non-binding measures to strengthen social dialogue in those countries where it is needed. What consequences do you think the proposal could have for Sweden, the Swedish business sector and the Swedish labour market model if it is introduced? Since we do not have a final proposal to consider yet, the consequences are difficult to predict. But if the Commission presents a directive on minimum wage, it could have long-term negative consequences for the Swedish social model by undermining the independence and roles of the social partners involved in wage negotiations. If so, how would this affect opportunities for the social partners to negotiate wages independently? Will the collective bargaining model survive? If an EU directive on minimum wage is introduced, it could seriously undermine opportunities for the social partners to negotiate wages independently. The collective bargaining model will probably survive but will need to be adjusted and could be significantly weakened. Is there anything here that is particularly important for the recovery of Europe after COVID-19? European employers have been hard hit by COVID-19 and restarting the economy and getting people back to work are important. Labour market models with strong and independent social partners are the most dynamic way to shape and adapt the labour market. Strong, responsible and independent social partners have been successful. State and EU intervention in wage setting will therefore undermine the model of collective bargaining. Given the differences in living standards and median wages between the Member States, how will the Commission be able to determine a fair minimum wage? The European Commission has been clear to date that it does not have the expertise to set European wages. That is correct and makes the purpose of the whole initiative extremely unclear. An appropriate minimum wage can differ from one sector to another and is best regulated by collective agreements. How do you think the minimum wage discussion will affect the implementation of the Social Pillar? How should Sweden act? We support the Social Pillar because it will benefit all Europeans. It is important that the EU promotes fair working conditions and healthy competition. Minimum wages were on the agenda long before the Social Pillar was introduced. The Social Pillar includes the right of workers to fair wages that provide for a decent standard of living, and that in-work poverty should be prevented. Several EU Member States already have statutory minimum wages and the level of these wages should obviously be reasonable. But wage setting should remain a national practice. I think the Treaty is very clear on that point How would minimum wages potentially affect Swedish wages? Will they drive wages up or down? In Sweden, the collective bargaining model has led to stable wage formation and comparatively strong real wage growth. If minimum wages are introduced, wages will probably not fall immediately, but the long-term consequences will be less flexibility and political involvement in wage setting. If we compare with other countries in Europe with political involvement, it doesnt seem to lead to less poverty or reduce in-work poverty. How do you, and your European Parliament Group, see the introduction of a European system for fair minimum wages? The Socialists & Democrats Group is not united on this issue, and I belong to the group that does not want an EU directive on minimum wage. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday that urgent action is needed to prevent climate change, pointing to worsening Western wildfires that have killed dozens of people and scorched 5 million acres across 10 states this year. Biden, a former vice president, said in a speech outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Wilmington that he would rejoin the Paris climate agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions. President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, saying other countries got unfair advantage from it. Biden also said that he would spur the development of renewable energy through steps such as shifting the federal fleet of vehicles from fossil fuels to electric power. But Biden said the country wouldn't be safe with Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax." If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of American ablaze, Biden said. We need a president who respects science, who understands that the damage from climate change is already here and unless we take urgent action, itll soon be more catastrophic." Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks outside the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville on Sept. 14, 2020. Biden spoke about the ongoing wildfires and the urgent need to address the climate crisis. Trump traveled Monday to McClellan Park in California and was scheduled to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called the situation a climate emergency. At least 35 people have been killed as fires continue to burn across western states, destroying communities and clouding the air. Five of Californias largest 10 fires in history burned this year. Smoke blanketed San Francisco, Portland and Seattle with some of the poorest air quality in the world. Wildfires have caused $50 billion damage in California alone during the last two years Democratic governors in the states have clashed with Trump over the role climate change played in the fires. Studies have linked bigger wildfires to plants drying out from warming due to the burning of fossil fuels. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called climate change a blowtorch over our states in the West. Story continues But Trump blamed poor forest management, which should have thinned trees and reduced brush to reduce fuel for fires. "We're also praying for everyone throughout the West affected by the devastating wildfires," Trump said Sunday in Henderson, Nevada. "We want really forest management. We want forest management." Biden has proposed to spend $2 trillion to spur development of of technology such as generating power without carbon emissions by 2035. We have to act as a nation," Biden said. "It shouldnt be so bad that millions of Americans live in the shadow of an orange sky and are left asking: Is doomsday here?" The problems extend beyond the fires to a record hurricane season, flooding in Midland, Michigan, and the warmest decade in history that left the Arctic literally melting, Biden said. "I know this feeling of dreads and anxiety extends well beyond the fires," Biden said. Its happening everywhere and its happening now and it affects us all." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump 'climate arsonist' over fire damage Saltwater intrusion work on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Credit: Edwin Remsberg By studying six sites in three locations that represent different areas of the Delmarva, we aim to learn how our coastal ecosystems will change in the future," says Kate Tully, UMD. "We will improve our understanding of how saltwater intrusion and flooding will impact carbon and nutrient cycles. In recent years, as climate change and sea level rise have led to an increase in saltwater intrusion across coastal ecosystems, scientists are anxious to understand the specifics of how these systems are experiencing real change. The most profound changes are taking place at the interface of plants, soil, and water, otherwise known as the coastal critical zone, where a broad range of earth science disciplines intersect, including hydrology, ecology, geomorphology, and biogeochemistry (HEGB). Each discipline is a key factor when examining ecosystem changes across marshes, forests, and agriculture, which will ultimately affect society through impacts on agricultural land, water quality, and plants and animals. To better understand how to predict those changes as well as best management practices for critical zones, a team of researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD), University of Delaware, George Washington University, and other prominent institutions have received a $4.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which will initiate a multi-year process of data measurement, undergraduate student involvement, and public outreach and Extension work to educate farmers and stakeholders. The team will be studying the three major sites that represent different areas of the Delmarva region, a large peninsula occupied by Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland. UMDs Kate Tully, associate professor of agroecology in UMDs College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and director of the AgroEcoLab, will lead the biogeochemistry team during the study, with an allotment of $725K over five years to study the effects of saltwater intrusion on the movement of nutrients and carbon in the soil and water. This is very exciting because we were the only coastal critical zone funded by the NSF this round, says Tully. By studying six strategically chosen sites in three locations that represent different areas of the Delmarva, we aim to learn how our coastal ecosystems will change in the future. We will improve our understanding of how saltwater intrusion and flooding will impact carbon and nutrient cycles. Tully concedes that you simply cant model and predict ecosystem changes based on sea level rise; you need to take multiple drivers and feedback systems into account. In addition to biogeochemical feedbacks related to salinization, the groups hypotheses address (1) major fast and slow hydrological drivers of coastal critical zone transition, and (2) landscape feedbacks, where ecological change drives geomorphological (the study of the physical features of the surface of the earth) evolution that then feeds back into hydrological and biogeochemical processes. These drivers and feedbacks differ between forested and agricultural land, and cumulatively determine the rate and extent of landscape transformation, as well as changes in coastal critical zone nutrient stocks and movements. We will address these interlinked hypotheses through interdisciplinary field observations, experiments, and modeling, fully integrated across three locations pairing marsh-forest and marsh-agriculture sites, says Tully. Were excited to work with the NSF since they are trying to facilitate collaboration among all of the funded projects. The HEGB intersection is so important. We need to bring all of those disciplines to bear to truly understand the dynamics in the critical zone. Holly Michael, professor in the Departments of Earth Sciences & Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Delaware, is the lead project investigator on the grant. In addition to managing the overall project and leading the hydrology team, she plans to recruit for external collaborations who, like her, understand the unique features of each region. The three states represented by our field sites are all on the Delmarva and experience similar effects of sea-level rise and flooding, but they also have some unique characteristics, says Michael. The Virginia site is most exposed to oceanic events such as hurricanes, and it has the highest salinity and lowest elevation gradient. Delaware is intermediate in exposure and salinity, but has the highest elevation gradient. Our Maryland sites have the least exposure to storms but also low elevation gradients. So by studying the three sites that represent different areas of the Delmarva, we learn about different ways that the systems are experiencing change. Michael explains that data delivery to NSF will include measurements of water levels, salinity, land surface elevation, tree mortality, sap flux, and solute concentrations, just to name a few. They will do some significant modeling and analysis of the data. There is also a diversity, outreach, and education component. NSF is interested in public education because it is important that the research we do is relevant to society, says Michael. So we do have a component of our project that involves public outreach, and we plan to connect with farmers, other stakeholders, and interested members of the public through workshops, Extension, and other interactions. Tully believes that the Delmarva and the North American Coastal Plain states have an opportunity to do research that will help on a global scale. There are also some significant policy implications, with Maryland leading the charge. The more that we can come up with strategies to help farmers and landowners, the better, explains Tully. Maryland is very progressive when it comes to environmental policies; take its cover crop program as a great example. Its really great to work in Maryland where policymakers care about the environment and farmers. Ive enjoyed my working relationship with the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Planning over the past few years as they really understand and embrace these challenges. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access The Maori Party has announced a raft of plans to help te reo Maori become further recognised as the indigenous language of Aotearoa. To kick-start Maori Language Week, Waiariki candidate Rawiri Waititi announced the partys te reo Maori policy this morning at Brookfield School in Tauranga. The policy sets out to ensure New Zealands name is changed to Aotearoa and that all Pakeha place names, cities and towns will be replaced with their original ingoa Maori by 2026. Waititi says the bold move will help elevate te reo Maori to its rightful place, in a system that has long undervalued its significance. "It is time that our children know they are growing up in Aotearoa, which is a pacific nation. It is not a European nation," says Waititi. "We want to change Towel-wronger back to Tauranga. You also have places like Hamilton Kirikiriroa and Gisbourne Turanganui-a-Kiwa. He addressed a packed-out classroom of students and teachers, speaking about how colonisation has resulted in a steady decline of te reo Maori in Aotearoa. Our elders were punished they were whacked with a strap for speaking Maori at school, for speaking Maori in the playground. Thats the reason why there has been a huge decline in our te reo Maori. So we are working really, really hard to ensure that te reo Maori is taken to its rightful place as the indigenous language in this country. Brookfield School students singing waiata at the policy announcement. Photo: Dan Campbell. The policy would require all primary schools to incorporate te reo Maori into 25 per cent of their curriculum by 2026 and 50 per cent by 2030. He says it is unacceptable that only 20 per cent of Maori can converse in te reo Maori, which equates to three per cent of the population. Its a bold move but we must put a pou in the ground. We are in a sad state of affairs. We want this to be a living language not just for Maori kids, or Maori people but for all of Aotearoa. The policy would also see te reo Maori and Maori history become core curriculum subjects up to Year 10 at secondary schools across the country. Waititi says its important that te reo Maori and Maori history are core curriculum subjects. The policy has been described as a bold move to help ensure that te reo Maori is taken to its rightful place as the indigenous language in New Zealand. Photo: Dan Campbell. If you know the history of Aotearoa, then you know the struggles that our people have had to face over many years. If people understand that, then they are more sympathetic and empathetic to what we have to do in trying to revive the language and to revitalise the culture. The party would invest $50m into the establishment of a Maori Standards Authority. The independent statutory entity will audit all public service departments against cultural competency standards, including the monitoring and auditing of language plans. State-funded broadcasters would also be required to have a basic fluency level of the language. It is absolutely unacceptable for broadcasters in mainstream media to be butchering te reo Maori. "No more will we be listening to the news or the radio where people are murdering our language and murdering the pronunciation." Waititi says the Maori Language Week would be extended by three weeks, becoming Te Marama o te Reo Maori. We are going to claim another three weeks. Like the incoming tide, we are just going to take things back gradually because we are kind. The full policy: That shortsighted perspective came to mind Sunday as my inbox filled with emails reacting to a news story Id written with two colleagues, Six months into the pandemic, downtown Chicago is a humbled giant. Can it get back on its feet? The most common response: The story spent too much time on the pandemic and too little on the looting that stunned the city in May and August. During an argument between an employee and his boss, it ended with one of them losing a finger. Allegedly, both were in the car of the boss when the argument went out of hand. According to the reports of the incident, the one who bit off his employee's finger is Hemant Siddharth. The unfortunate victim is Mohit Kumar who lost a digit over a harsh disagreement, reported India Times As the story went in the reports, both of the men, one Hemant and Mohit were in Akshardham that involved work needed to be done. Later, they met and mutually decided to go to Karol Bagh using the automobile of Hemant, cited Times Now. Apparently, they had a prior argument to this that left Hemant sore. His employer is a higher up in an Insurance firm in Delhi's Mayur Vihar. This is where the employer allegedly mangled his employee's finger. Reports relate that it was a heated argument between two co-workers that led to events of the finger gnawing. It was alleged to have happened on a Thursday, what started the disagreement was not reported. Mohit Kumar complained to authorities that the accused man called Hemant was the one who mangled his hand. No mention was given which hand had one finger severed viciously. Mohit would have had only nine fingers minus the one bitten off. The victim is a resident of Ghaziabad, who positively identified that Hemant Siddharth as the guilty party. There was an argument but what started it is not mentioned, but here are some more highlights during their work trip. Also read: Illinois Woman Runs Over Boyfriend With SUV, Killing Him When the work needed was finished by the employer and his subordinate, the other one was supposed to go home. On the drive back, the accused asked the victim if he would not go home yet. He asked if Mohit would go back to the office for urgent tasks to be done. They went back to their workplace and ended up quarreling and arguing there. Driving back in the car, the argument in the office just got worse and escalated. Sources say that the accused started saying cuss word and abusive language. At one-point, Mohit got slapped hard by his employer in the car. At this point, the victim had to cover his face from getting slapped more. This is when the accused got close enough to try gnawing on a finger. Apparently, the accused really bit down hard enough to separate a finger while the victim was protecting his face from more slaps, confirmed East Mojo. In the melee, both did not notice the separated finger that fell on the car's floor. Other events that happened or if the car was stopped was not mentioned by sources. The victim who lost a finger got kicked out the car. The nine fingered victim was sent to LBS Hospital, where his bitten off finger was reconnected via surgery. This was confirmed by Jasmeet Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), noted Outlook. Hemant is being hunted by the police for biting off another man's finger with a case at Mayur Vihar precinct. Related article: Trucker Tortured to Death With Metal Pipe in Posterior Due to Two Girl's Lie @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Despite saying for months it was his unilateral decision to "ban" people from China entering the United States due to coronavirus concerns, journalist Bob Woodward contends it was an idea pushed by some of his top Cabinet officials. In his new book about the Trump presidency, titled Rage, Mr Woodward, citing sources, says the plan was first brought to the president by Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Robert Redfield and Anthony Fauci, the top federal infectious disease expert. "It is very different and it's essential to the understanding" of how the China entry restriction was conceived and implemented, Mr Woodward told NBC's "Today Show" on Monday. But the longtime journalist's reported account is in stark contrast to the president's boast that it was his call, and his along. "'Don't close off China. Don't ban China,'" Mr Trump said of his aides' advice in a July GrayTV interview. "And I did it anyway, I sort of didn't listen to my experts and I banned China." Mr Woodward went so far as to contend the China restriction drove travelers to instead enter the United States via Europe, claiming those people drove the New York area's coronavirus infection spike. "It's not that President Trump banned travel, people coming from China to the United States. He restricted it," Mr Woodward said. "And as we now know, there were some problems and lots of people from China, instead of coming to the United States went to Europe and then came into John F. Kennedy Airport in New York." "And that's why there was such a firestorm of a virus in New York at that time,' Mr Woodward speculated without offering any supporting data in a Trumpian-like statement. A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Uncertainty Drags On (TNS) For local governments across New York, its been a longtime demon they just cant shake: state-imposed mandates requiring them to offer some kind of government service but without Albany paying the tab.And they come while the state cut or withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in payments for localities that were promised at the start of the fiscal year on April 1.Further, they come when localities are on the front lines of responding to the Covid pandemic.It is the counties spearheading a sizable portion of Covid testing, isolation and contact tracing efforts. Its the hundreds of school districts that are installing new remote learning technologies, much of it at their expense, or purchasing new supplies and hiring new staff to try to keep classrooms as sanitized as possible. And its local governments, through police or other law enforcement agencies, being told by Albany to step up efforts to ensure state Covid rules are followed everywhere from restaurants to bowling alleys to public transit.Many of the Covid-related mandates are necessary to try to control the pandemic, officials agree. But localities are asking a simple question: How are they supposed to afford all of these edicts from Albany?Opening schools safely is expensive," said Andrew Van Alstyne, director of education and research at the Association of School Business Officials of New York.The openings are coming shortly after the Cuomo administration withheld several hundred million dollars in expected state aid to some schools. All schools are now bracing for a possible 20 percent state aid cut in the state aid set to flow later this month.The expectation that school districts can open safely while having unprecedented state aid cuts is a nightmare scenario, Van Alstyne said.The effects right now are real, and officials across the range of local governments in New York sound even more worried about the future considering the plight of a state economy that many experts say will take years to fully recover.Its getting very tense for local government officials to get through this year and, to be honest, next year is even worse," said Dave Lucas, director of finance and intergovernmental affairs at the New York State Association of Counties.Some localities have furloughed or laid off workers, a step the state has not yet taken. Some have shifted workers away from their usual duties to help with Covid response efforts, meaning some otherwise normal functions of local governments have been halted. Some are delaying maintenance on equipment, from trucks to mulching equipment at transfer stations to water infrastructure work. Some road improvement projects have been delayed.It means already crumbling infrastructure will become even more expensive in the future to fix when money is available. Think of it like ignoring routine maintenance on your home, which creates bigger problems down the road.Some localities are issuing bonds to pay for operating expenses. Some are sweeping money out of reserve funds.For some schools, the fiscal situation is dire. Some schools that decided to go remote-only teaching for now cited state aid cuts for their decisions. The low-income school district of Schenectady let go 400 staffers just over a week ago, including 100 teachers.School districts are being boxed into a financial corner to keep staff hired, run school programs and provide students the best experience possible under these trying times with Covid-19. Tough financial decisions are being made on a daily basis by school boards and district superintendents. We again ask our political leaders to provide the necessary funding so our kids and staff dont have to pay the price for funding decisions not being made," said Al Marlin, a spokesman for the New York State School Boards Association.Schools have faced an array of mandates or orders from Albany this year.The state, for instance, told all school districts to pay for the mailing costs of ballots sent to residents for the budget votes in June, which ended up hitting districts with a tab nearly four times the costs of the in-person voting held in 2019, according to the school business officials association.The states push that every school district be prepared to go to remote learning has meant large technology purchases, from laptops for students to broadband improvements to purchases of cameras to record teachers doing remote instruction. Some costs will be covered by the state, some through special federal aid approved last spring. But districts still have to fund portions of the technology purchases from local property tax charges.The state required schools to provide child care for essential workers during the Covid state of emergency, such as a health care worker whose child attends a local public school. They have been ordered by Cuomo to provide daily updates on Covid positive tests within school districts, even though schools are not required to test, for instance, any students.Districts say their costs are rising for bus transportation to meet state social distancing orders, and school days are being disrupted with everything from fewer hours of in-person instruction time to buses running at lower capacity. Additionally, the state Education Department recently made clear that schools that decide to be fully remote still have to pay to transport children within their district who attend private schools that have reopened. The state helps fund transportation costs, but not fully.The Cuomo administration noted that the state, through a bond act, has provided $2 billion to schools for technology and infrastructure improvements, including $108 million to Erie County and $56 million for Buffalo. Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for Cuomos budget division, also said the state several years ago took over what totals $4 billion in annual Medicaid costs that would have otherwise been paid for by counties.Local governments have always been responsible for the enforcement of health codes to keep people safe from everything from infections to food poisoning. The public needs this protection by their local governments now more than ever, and everyone from the state to the village has to do more with less," he said. The Cuomo spokesman said Washington has financially undercut Covid efforts in New York and that we all need to keep our focus on getting federal funding from Washington.Not all the new mandates in 2020 on localities are directly related to Covid.A new mandate from Albany this year that counties fully pay for the costs of mental competency exams for people facing criminal trials will cost Erie County an additional $1.9 million annually, said Peter Anderson, a spokesman for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.Another one: A fiscally distressed health care funding pool will require Erie County to pay about $4.3 million in annual sales tax revenues to local hospitals, Anderson said. He noted costs for both mandates could rise in the years ahead.Cuomo also this summer signed into law a bill preventing public utilities and municipalities from turning off water, phone, electric, gas and steam services to residents who cant pay their bills. The order extends for six months after the Covid-19 pandemics state of emergency is declared ended for residents who had a change in financial circumstances due to the virus.Peter Baynes, executive director of the New York State Conference of Mayors, which represents 575 city and village governments, said the pandemic operations plan mandate and the utility cut-off restriction both fall under the category of well-intended but were written in a way that imposes unnecessary obligations on fiscally strapped local governments.Local government is the government closest to the people. This fact has been proven more clearly than ever over the course of the past six months, as municipal officials have been in the forefront of fighting Covid-19 and restoring economic opportunity in New York. Local governments need the state to be a partner and provide cities and villages with resources, not more mandates," Baynes said.As Cuomo waits to make key budget decisions until the dust clears on whether Washington will provide New York and other states with a big fiscal bailout, localities have been left in a state of chaos with their own fiscal year, in the case of counties, ending in less than four months.County health responses to Covid, such as PPE purchases, will be partly reimbursed by Washington. But the funding stream is also uncertain since a Covid relief pot is also being tapped to help fund a temporary $300 additional weekly unemployment benefit to jobless Americans. Also, localities have to provide a 25 percent match for certain Covid federal emergency funding.County officials note that, for instance, public health oversight of the reopening of restaurants, indoor gyms and colleges has fallen to counties. The 30 counties with community colleges are seeing new costs they have never experienced.Counties, too, have had to scramble in other ways. For example, county-run senior meal programs often done in congregate settings have largely shifted to mobile, meals-on-wheels efforts. It has forced a triage-like approach shifting government workers from one completely different job title to become part of the senior meals programs.The uncertainty of the whole situation is keeping many local government officials up at night. The federal government has not decided its path for future bailout money so the state has not decided how deeply it might cut those on the rung below: local governments.The states criminal justice services offices, for instance, recently wrote those who provide anti-crime services on behalf of the state that they should not count on receiving the same level of funding as in the past. Also, it could be until the end of September before such things are known, a timetable local officials say is already late.Still, as local tax revenues drop along with state aid payments, additional services driven by Covid are on the rise. A food program for low-income New Yorkers normally sees 130 applications weekly in Albany County, whose seat of government is a block from the state Capitol. Last week, it had 800 applications, according to Mark LaVigne, deputy director at the association representing counties.We have to keep meeting the demands of our residents who need these services but we have fewer local resources and state funding to deliver those services," LaVigne said. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The composite doors and windows market 2020 are projected to witness increase in demand. It can be accredited to the growth of the construction industry on the global front that the market is poised to augment. Recently an observation has been offered by Market Research Future (MRFR) which reveals that the global composite doors and windows market is poised to mark 5.8% CAGR across the review period. The product is used for the production of doors. Increasing investments in the construction of residential complexes are projected to drive the growth of the composite doors and windows market in the near future. Rising population and increasing urban migration are further anticipated to boost growth rate of the composite doors and windows market. ALSO READ: https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/19/09/ab14413297/composite-doors-and-windows-market-swot-analysis-and-competitive-landscape-by-2025-with-worldwide Investments by governments in the development of public infrastructure are also expected to drive the growth of the composite doors and windows market in the forthcoming years. These doors and windows are gaining popularity due to their high efficiency and lower requirement of maintenance. These advantages and the rising awareness about the same are anticipated to catapult the composite doors and windows market on upward trajectory. Also, the rising demand for corrosion resistance doors is expected to accelerate revenue growth in the global market. These doors are highly in demand due to superior quality and design. Thus, the composite doors and windows market is projected to expand at a positive rate in the coming years. Market Segmentation On the basis of material type, the composite doors and windows market has been segmented into fiber reinforced plastic, wood, and wood plastic composites. Among these, the wood plastic composites segment and the fiver reinforces plastic segment are expected to witness high demand. Increasing demand for lightweight products is poised to drive the growth rate of these segments in the coming years. On the basis of application, the composite doors and windows market has been segmented into commercial, industrial, and residential. Among these, residential segment is anticipated to witness high growth rate over the assessment period. It is because of the increasing investments in residential construction projects that the segment is anticipated to grow in the foreseeable future. Regional Analysis The geographical evaluation of the composite doors and windows market is included in this analysis. It presents a regional segmentation that covers North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). These regional segment are assessed on the basis of countries to offer a 360-degree view of the market. Among these, North America composite doors and windows market is poised to dominate the global market. Rising construction activities to revamp the industry is anticipated to lead the growth of the market in the region. Industrial renovation is also prognosticated to have a favorable share of contribution to market growth. The market in Europe is assessed to witness similar trends. Expansion of the construction industry is supposed to drive market growth in Europe. Competitive Dashboard Andersen Corporation (U.S.), The Pella Corporation (U.S.), Dortek Ltd (U.K.), Vello nordic AS (Norway), Hardy Smith Group (India), ECOSTE Wood Polymer (India), and Special-Lite Inc.(U.S.) are few of the key participants of the global composite doors and windows market. These players are focusing on product innovation and development to gain edge over other players. Some of the inorganic growth approaches expected to be witnessed in the market place over the next few years are collaborations, mergers & acquisitions, agreements, strategic alliances, and partnerships, among others. At present, both international and regional players are consolidated in the market. In addition, new players are presumed to enter the market, which is supposed to intensify competition. FOR MORE DETAILS https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/composite-doors-windows-market-2764 (REUTERS) Kenneth Walker has spoken out about the shooting of his girlfriend, Breonna Taylor, saying he can no longer remain silent. Taylor, a decorated Emergency Medical Technician, 26, was shot dead by police officers in her apartment on 13 March during a drug raid in connection to her ex-boyfriend. Mr Walker, who was at home with Taylor on the night she was killed, is haunted by the experience, Steve Romine, one of Mr Walkers attorneys, told NBC News. "When you are shot at and when you see a loved one basically executed in front of you, you never recover from that," Mr Romines said. "It is something that haunts him every single night." The aspiring nurse's boyfriend said he was inside the apartment with her when police attempted to enter without identifying themselves. Mr Walker, who is a licenced gun owner, is said to have fired his gun once when officers attempted to forcibly enter the apartment, according to police. Officers returned fire and Taylor was shot at least eight times. Mr Walker said he asks himself daily why he is alive and Taylor is not, NBC News reported. "Imagine how someone has to feel in a situation like this? Like, why me? They were both there," Frederick Moore III, another of Walkers attorneys said in an interview last week. "They were both shot at 30 times." Police have said they fired inside Taylor's home only after they were fired upon by Mr Walker. According to police, a bullet fired by Mr Walker struck and injured a Louisville Metro Police Department sergeant. "All that goes down and then he's arrested. He didn't get to go to her funeral, Mr Romines added. Mr Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault, however, the charges were dropped by the prosecution in May after Taylors case drew national attention. The 28-year-old has since filed a lawsuit against Louisville Police Department for police misconduct. His lawyers are seeking to make him immune from further prosecution. Story continues "The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder," Mr Walker said at a news conference on 1 September. "For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent." Mr Walker and his lawyers have said they believe he would still be in prison if it wasnt for the vast attention brought to his case by professional athletes, celebrities, and politicians. "We know it could have happened because it happens every day all over the country," Mr Romines said. "There's all kinds of people falsely charged by the police who don't have the resources to properly defend it. And they get put in a position where about all they can do is just take some sort of plea to something they didn't do just to get out of jail." A spokesman for the police department, Seargent Lamont Washington, told NBC News on Thursday it does not comment on pending litigation. The family is seeking reprimand for the killing in their own lawsuit, accusing officers of wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence. Detective Brett Hankison, one of three officers who have been assigned to administrative duty after firing their weapons at Taylor, was fired in June. Tamika Palmer, Taylors mother, told NBC News she was supportive of the young couple and said it was hard to imagine one without the other. "Hes had his heart ripped out of his chest and most days thinks he can't go on," Mr Palmer told NBC news. "I hate that for him, for all of us, she said. The couple met on Twitter and had been friends for several years before they started dating, they had plans for marriage and purchase a home together and have a baby, according to the outlet. "He has always told me he was going to marry her," Ms Palmer said in a recent interview. "They reminded you of two little old people yelling at each other trying to tell each other what to do mostly her trying to tell him what to do but you couldnt break them apart. Read more Trump-supporting armed militia clash with Breonna Taylor protesters as Kentucky Derby gets underway Biden says police officers who shot Jacob Blake and killed Breonna Taylor should be charged: 'Let's make sure justice is done' Breonna Taylor's boyfriend sues police department and claims he didn't shoot officers LeBron James and LA Lakers teammates wear parody Make America Great Again cap to call for justice for Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor: Prosecutors face hurdles in charging police over killing of 26-year-old, experts say Updated Sept. 16 with more details from court documents. WENTZVILLE Two men were charged with murder Monday after an Air Force veteran died from injuries caused by a weekend assault outside a Wentzille bar. The victim was identified as Chaise Dunlap, 27, of Old Monroe, Missouri. Dunlaps mother, Cresent Dunlap, told the Post-Dispatch on Monday that her son died of severe head trauma and had been hospitalized on life support. Two men, Devin Dodson, 24, of Wentzville, and Deangelo Williams, 30, of St. Louis, were charged with second-degree murder in the case, according to the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. Charges against both men were upgraded from assault after Dunlaps death. Williams also faces a count of armed criminal action. Wentzville police said the incident happened just before 2 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of South Linn Avenue, outside the Lava Lounge Hookah and Bar. According to charging documents, there had been several fights earlier that night in the bar and Williams was walking to his car when Dunlap followed after him yelling racial slurs. Williams told police he then punched Dunlap and went to his girlfriends car and retrieved a vehicle jack from the trunk, charging documents said. Williams told police he saw Dodson fighting with Dunlap on the ground and struck Dunlap in the head and neck with the vehicle jack, court documents state. Williams told officers he was trying to break up the fight, the documents said. Police stated in charging documents that there is video of the attack that showed Williams and Dodson both striking Dunlap multiple times after he was unconscious and defenseless. A witness also told investigators she saw the fight. Police obtained a search warrant and recovered a vehicle jack that appeared to have blood on it from the car of Williams girlfriend, charging documents said. Both Williams and Dodson were arrested at the scene. Dunlap worked in avionics for the Air Force, on an aircraft known as the A-10 Warthog. He deployed overseas twice. He left the military in 2017 and worked at Boeing, his mother said. Dunlap is survived by a 4-year-old daughter. He was just a great guy, Cresent Dunlap said. He liked to hunt and fish. He was kindhearted. Cresent Dunlap said she doesnt know all the details of her sons death, but was told that there was a scuffle and someone picked up a pipe and assaulted my son. She said she felt for the families of the men who face criminal charges, too. Three families are ruined right now, she said. My heart breaks for the mothers of those boys. Erin Heffernan of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. 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. Valerie Schremp Hahn Valerie Schremp Hahn is a features writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Valerie Schremp Hahn 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 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. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly. So, the natural question for Energy Resources of Australia (ASX:ERA) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'. View our latest analysis for Energy Resources of Australia How Long Is Energy Resources of Australia's Cash Runway? You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. In June 2020, Energy Resources of Australia had AU$252m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$113m. So it had a cash runway of about 2.2 years from June 2020. That's decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. How Well Is Energy Resources of Australia Growing? It was quite stunning to see that Energy Resources of Australia increased its cash burn by 214% over the last year. While that's concerning on it's own, the fact that operating revenue was actually down 6.1% over the same period makes us positively tremulous. Considering these two factors together makes us nervous about the direction the company seems to be heading. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company. Story continues How Hard Would It Be For Energy Resources of Australia To Raise More Cash For Growth? While Energy Resources of Australia seems to be in a fairly good position, it's still worth considering how easily it could raise more cash, even just to fuel faster growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate). Energy Resources of Australia's cash burn of AU$113m is about 20% of its AU$572m market capitalisation. 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. So, Should We Worry About Energy Resources of Australia's Cash Burn? On this analysis of Energy Resources of Australia's cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. We don't think its cash burn is particularly problematic, but after considering the range of factors in this article, we do think shareholders should be monitoring how it changes over time. On another note, Energy Resources of Australia has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think 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. 3 1 of 3 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 At 3:19 a.m. on Thursday, a Laredo Police Department officer in his patrol vehicle was crashed into headfirst by driver Omar Orlando Rodriguez, 30, who was transporting two undocumented immigrants after being confronted by the officer at an intersection. According to the LPD, the driver was pulled over after failing to use his turn signal. During the traffic stop, the officer noticed multiple bodies in the back seat of the car and asked for Rodriguez to lower the window. The driver took off and evaded the officers after the Patrol Supervisors terminated the pursuit due to the reckless actions of the fleeing suspect vehicle, LPD stated. INS Talwar, an Indian warship, on Monday undertook refuelling with US Navy tanker USNS Yukon in the northern Arabian Sea using provisions of a defence agreement that allows the militaries of the two countries to work closely and use each other's bases. "INS Talwar on mission based deployment in Northern Arabian sea undertook refuelling with US Navy Fleet Tanker USNS Yukon under LEMOA," tweeted the Indian Navy spokesperson. "The evolution apart from highlighting interoperability between Indian Navy and US Navy enables presence for enhancing maritime security," it further tweeted. In 2016, India and the US inked the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that allows their militaries use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation. India signed similar agreements with France, Singapore, Australia and Japan. The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. The two countries signed another pact called COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 that provides for interoperability between the two militaries and sale of high-end technology from the US to India. In July, the Indian Navy carried out a military exercise with a US Navy carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The USS Nimitz is the world's largest warship. In the exercise with the US Navy, four frontline warships of the Indian Navy participated. The US carrier strike group was transiting through the Indian Ocean Region from the South China Sea. The US Navy carrier strike group comprises USS Nimitz, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson. New powers to detain people considered a high risk of negligently spreading COVID-19 are set to be debated in State Parliament this week. The Victorian government could also enlist protective services officers and WorkSafe inspectors to enforce public health directions under the proposed law, which extends one-off changes made in April for another six months. Attorney-General Jill Hennessy says the new temporary powers will fortify the state's pandemic response. Credit:Eddie Jim People suspected by health authorities of being likely to spread the virus if they are COVID-positive or a close contact of an infected person could be forcibly detained if the bill is passed. The rules, confirmed to The Age by a state government spokesman, could be applied to conspiracy theorists who refuse to self-isolate or severely drug-affected or mentally impaired people who do not have the capacity to quarantine. MULTAN, Pakistan - Pakistani police said Monday they have arrested one of the two assailants suspected in the gang rape of a woman on a deserted highway after another person was wrongfully detained in the case the previous day. The assault, which happened near the eastern city of Lahore last week, has shocked Pakistan, even though attacks on women are common in this deeply conservative Muslim country. The incident drew scores of protesters to the streets in several cities, including Islamabad and Karachi, denouncing attacks on women. The woman in the case was raped by two armed men after her car broke down late at night on a highway in the province of Punjab, where Lahore is the capital. The police said she had locked her car doors when she ran out of fuel and dialed for help but the attackers broke a car window and dragged her outside where they raped her before her terrified children. Last Thursday, police detained 15 people for questioning. On Sunday, a man was detained but later denied involvement in the high-profile crime, though he remains in police custody. The man, Waqarul Hassan, said he was wrongly named in the case because his mobile phones SIM card was being used by one of his friends, who later turned out to be one of the suspects. Punjabs chief minister, Uzman Buzdar, announced Mondays arrest, identifying the suspect as Shafqat Ali, and pledging that his accomplice and the second of the two suspects, Abid Malhi, will also soon be arrested. Ali was taken into custody during a police raid on his home village in Punjab. Buzdar said raids were underway to catch Malhi. On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview with local TV station 99 NEWS condemned the gang rape, proposing public executions for convicted rapists and even going so far as to suggest surgical castration so that they can do nothing. Khan said, without elaborating, that Malhi the second suspect in last weeks assault who remains on the run had also been involved in another gang rape in 2013. The prime minister said the country needed new legislation to permanently sterilize those linked to such crimes. Human rights activists have also demanded the removal of the Lahore police chief, Umar Sheikh, who blames the victim for travelling alone with her children after midnight without checking whether her car had enough fuel. The police chief later apologized for his remarks, saying his comments were not aimed at blaming her for the incident. Gang rape is rare in Pakistan, although sexual harassment and violence against women is frequently reported. Nearly 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan each year in so-called honour killings for allegedly violating conservative norms on love and marriage. ___ Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report. Read more about: The central drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is likely to decide on Serum Institute of India's (SII) clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday. On Saturday, the Pune-based drug manufacturer said that it will resume clinical trials of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 candidate after getting permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Meanwhile, pharma giant AstraZeneca has resumed the clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, following confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA) that the trials are safe. In India, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is conducting Phase 2/3 human trials for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. The human trials in UK resumed days after getting paused due to a reported side effect in a patient. Consequently, the DCGI also directed SII to suspend the trial until further notice. The DCGI had issued a show-cause notice to SII on September 9 for not informing it about AstraZeneca pausing clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in other countries and also for not submitting casualty analysis of the "reported serious adverse events". Following which the Pune-based firm said it was pausing the clinical trials in India. On August 2, the DCGI had granted permission to the Pune-based SII to conduct Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine candidate. The University of Oxford, which developed the vaccine in partnership with AstraZeneca said that some 18,000 people have so far received the vaccination in trials. AstraZeneca's potential coronavirus vaccine is among the frontrunners in the race toward a safe and effective vaccine that could put a dent in the global pandemic. The company launched its late-stage trials at the end of August. Officials from the World Health Organisation had previously hailed AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate as one of the most promising currently in development. Also read: Pfizer, BioNTech to expand COVID-19 vaccine trial; final results by October Also read: AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials resume in UK How could two sisters end up with two such different lives? They look so similar. But one enjoyed a high powered career, the other's life ended in tragedy British author Tess Stimson reflects on the devastating loss of her younger sister Philly, and the different paths their lives took. Sandpiper Hospitality a Virginia-based hotel management company that specializes in the extended-stay segment continues to see strong growth in 2020, enjoying high occupancy levels across its 42 hotels, including the addition of two new South Carolina Candlewood Suites properties last month. Our hotels have been performing at occupancy rates well above 80% for months, which is really quite remarkable given the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sandpiper Hospitality President & CEO Jim Darter. Our extended stay platform has proven itself this year as it has performed at the top of the hospitality spectrum in terms of occupancy and market share. Sandpiper Hospitality is definitely a company that continues to be on the rise - we will be announcing several new third-party management agreements in the next few weeks. In the past four years, Sandpiper Hospitality has: Grown its portfolio of managed hotels from 17 to 42 opened and managed properties Added more than 3,000 keys across three new brands Grown its staff of service-oriented associates from 120 to nearly 500 associates Expanded its operational reach from six to 12 states and across the entire country Sandpiper Hospitality is approved by Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels and Extended Stay America to manage their select-service and extended stay brands. Sandpiper Hospitality is a leader in the lodging industry, particularly in the extended-stay segment, and we are excited to establish a relationship with them following the acquisition of two Candlewood Suites hotels in South Carolina, said Kevin Schramm, Vice President of Development, Mainstream Brands for U.S. & Canada, IHG Hotels & Resorts. We look forward to more opportunities to grow together as Sandpiper increases its management platform across the country. In 2021, Sandpiper Hospitality plans to expand into additional market tiers and premium-branded hotels, including new properties in Georgia, North Carolina & Nevada. Sandpiper has established itself as the recognized leader in extended stay hotel operations in the hotel industry by combining a dedication to delivering genuine hospitality with superior financial returns. The company is working to develop its portfolio through further ground-up developments, selective acquisitions of performing and non-performing properties and third-party management with selected partners. For more information on Sandpiper Hospitality, please visit http://www.sandpiperhospitality.com. About Sandpiper Hospitality Based in Richmond, Va., Sandpiper Hospitality is a high-performance hotel management company that manages 42 hotels, including 15 hotels for Sandpiper Lodging Trust, a nationally focused real estate investment trust, and 16 hotels for unaffiliated third-party clients. According to the April 2020 edition of Hospitality Business, Sandpiper Hospitality was the fastest growing Top 100 hotel management company from 2018 to 2019. The firm has earned its position as the leading operator in the extended stay hotel segment of hospitality by combining the spirit of genuine, welcoming hospitality with superior financial returns, fueling the growth and prosperity of its various stakeholders from associates to guests to owners and investors. http://www.sandpiperhospitality.com The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has warned that a social media post that claimed to identify the suspect in a shooting of officers in Compton is not accurate. On Saturday, two deputies were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station in Compton, California. The deputies, a 24-year-old man and a 31-year-old mother, are expected to recover after they both underwent surgery over the weekend, according to Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villanueva. On Saturday, the department released footage of the shooting from a nearby surveillance camera, and offered a $100,000 (77,556) reward to anyone who could help identify the alleged shooter. The surveillance footage showed a suspect walk up to the patrol car and fire two shots into the passenger side window before running from the scene. The authorities described the suspect as a black man between the ages of 28 to 30, but admitted that they only had a very generic description of him. However, on Sunday, a social media post that claimed to identify the suspect in the shooting spread, which prompted the department to refute the claims. The department tweeted: Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our two deputies yesterday. This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time. The shooting was condemned by both the Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden, and the Republican nominee Donald Trump. President Donald Trump called for the shooter to be given the death penalty, while Mr Biden tweeted: This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. In recent weeks, the department has faced scrutiny over police brutality, following more than three months of Black Lives Matter protests across the US that were sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. A small group of Compton residents protested against police outside the hospital where the deputies were recovering on Sunday, and sheriff Villanueva described the gathering as an unlawful assembly of a group of protesters. The FBI is aiding the department with its investigation into Saturdays shooting. Luxury Interior Designer, VPI Design by Dina Varner, launches a new website design and Instagram page. ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Talented and sought-after Atlanta Luxury Interior Designer launches a 2020 re-design of both the firm's website, https://vpi-design.com, and Instagram page https://instagram.com/luxuryinteriors.redefined. The vision for the re-design was to highlight a visual experience that is both simplistic yet elegant. Founder and creative director of VPI Design, Dina Varner, wanted all aspects of the details of their work to be the focal point. "I wanted our website to reflect the story we tell within each room we design, but I wanted to tell it in a way where viewers were captivated by large-scale imagery that flowed seamlessly to allow the eye to hone in on the details, whether that be the texture of a throw pillow, or the way the reflection of light bounces throughout the space." The new website design incorporates VPI Design's unique branding identity with the phrase "Redefining Luxury Interiors." Varner explains, "I view design as making thoughtful choices with carefully selected curated elements which can include custom pieces such as art, fabrics, and furniture that create a seamless design." By meticulously placing these components it allows the elements to work together to create an interior that reflects the vision of our client. What sets VPI Design apart from other designers is our experience and approach to 'redefining luxury interiors.' Each project is a collaborative effort of function, comfort and commitment to detail, allowing for a desired end result. About VPI Design by Dina Varner Dina Varner is founder and creative director of VPI Design, an Atlanta and Sea Island Interior Design Firm working with both residential and commercial clients. She and her husband have been in the commercial construction industry for many years. Her inspiration comes from over twenty-five years of collecting and selling art and antiques through venues like Sotheby's, Babcock Gallery, and Christie's. This love of art and antiques started as a passion and has evolved into a successful business. Dina's rich southern heritage in addition to her love of fashion and travel also act as her creative influence. The VPI Design team work together with a distinct flair for aesthetic insight into unique designs exhibiting elegance and style. They explore the use of light and texture for an organic appealing experience in every timeless interior. Combinations of art deco, vintage, and contemporary styles are combined to create elegance while simultaneously exuding simplicity and comfort in each living space. Her designers enjoy getting to know their clients personally to create a home that suits their individual taste. Dina believes that every aspect of a room should complement one another to tell a unique story. For more information please visit: https://vpi-design.com VPI Design by Dina Varner Contact Name: Dina Varner Address: 120 Interstate North Parkway, Suite 154 Atlanta, Georgia 30339 Website: https://vpi-design.com Email: VPIDesign1@gmail.com Phone: +1-770-422-2000 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxuryinteriors.redefined SOURCE: VPI Design View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606027/Top-Atlanta-Luxury-Interior-Designer-VPI-Design-Announces-Website-Redesign Indian lawmakers returned to the nation's parliament for the first time since the start of the pandemic with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government bracing for a tumultuous session as the country sets new global records in coronavirus infections, and with a tense border standoff with China dominating the headlines. The worst economic slowdown amid major economies is also expected to drive debate, although the question hour -- in which lawmakers seek direct replies from ministers -- has been suspended in a move that's happened only in times of war or national emergency, prompting criticism from the opposition. Countries around the world have been grappling with how to conduct legislative business during the pandemic. In India this parliament session will be marked by several firsts. The Covid-19 epidemic has forced the overhaul of logistics and infrastructure to maintain social distancing among members. Members are required to get tested for the virus no more than 72 hours before the start of the parliament session, according to a bulletin from the upper house or Rajya Sabha. Some senior lawmakers have informed the secretariat of both houses they will skip the session to avoid exposing themselves to possible infection. The average age of members of 545-seat lower house or Lok Sabha is 54 and that of the 250-member upper house is 63 years -- putting many in the high-risk group for serious complications from covid-19. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in the air conditioning system will be used, while polycarbonate sheets will separate galleries from chambers, additional display screens and special cables connecting the two houses have been installed. At least 25 legislators, across the two houses of parliament, have so far tested positive for the virus, according to officials with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified citing rules on speaking to the media. A spokesman for the parliamentary affairs ministry wasn't immediately available for comment. The session comes as Modi struggles to contain the spread of the virus, which is growing at one of the fastest paces in world and adding as many as 95,000 case each day. India is now the second worst affected country with more than 4.7 million infections and has the highest death toll after U.S. and Brazil. India's strict lockdown, implemented in late March to contain the outbreak, led to the biggest contraction among major economies with gross domestic product shrinking 23.9% in the three months to June from a year earlier, resulting in millions of job losses. Modi's administration is also working to de-escalate tensions along the disputed Himalayan border with China, where some 20 soldiers have been killed. The main opposition Congress party intends to push the government over what it says are its failure to contain the coronavirus epidemic and manage relations with its nuclear-armed neighbor, China. "We will demand white paper on China's aggression along the Line of Actual Control, raise the issue of handing of Covid that is ravaging the country and highlight mismanagement of economy that lead to free fall of GDP," said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of Congress party in the lower house of parliament. "We will push the government to the corner." The session, scheduled to end Oct. 1, will take up 11 bills to replace existing ordinances and some other legislation, including three bills on labor reforms, according to a government statement. BLUFFS Village board members decided not to prohibit all-terrain vehicles but rather to ticket those who operate them illegally. Police Chief Dorman Deeder has received reports about problems with some ATV riders speeding or using them without a permit and the village board was considering whether to keep them off the streets. Board member Tim Welch said he did not want to go to that extreme and instead wanted to see those breaking the law ticketed. Deeder told board members the existing village ordinance does not have the wording to cover ATVs, although it specifies vehicles must have a seat belt and a steering wheel. UTVs utility task vehicles are not mentioned in the ordinance. Board member Robert Sandman said he was for changing the ordinance so that ATVs and UTVs may be covered. The board agreed to take out the necessity of seat belts in the ordinance, change the steering wheel to steering apparatus and to add UTVs. The changes will be sent to the village attorney so that he can redraft the ordinance. In other business, Mayor Linda Sapp said she has received more complaints about stray cats but does not think the village should get involved other than helping anyone who wishes to form a catch-and-release group, such as one in Winchester. Animal control had to remove two neglected dogs in the village. Bluffs has had to pay an estimated $670 so far this year for animal control and the budget is $1,000. The village approved allowing trick-or-treating from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 31, but said people do not have to participate if they are concerned about COVID-19. Board members discussed joining the Scott County Municipal Court. The board must agree which cases would be brought before the retired judge. Sapp said she has attended a court hearing and was impressed. She invited board members to attend a court hearing to see how it operated. Petitions will be available starting Sept. 22 at Village Hall for the April municipal elections. The mayor and three board member positions will come up for election. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 14) The Philippines hit a new record increase in its COVID-19 death toll, with the Department of Health reporting 259 new fatalities on Monday. This came only two days after the DOH posted the previous record high of 186 deaths on Sept. 12. The latest figures also raised the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the country to 4,630. The department explained that of the newly reported deaths, 253 were previously reported as recovered but were re-tagged after final validation. It added that 44 cases earlier listed as recoveries also turned out to be active cases. It further detailed that of the 259 deaths, 28 occurred in September, 110 in August, 97 in July, and 24 in April to June. Broken down into regions, nearly 60 percent or 154 of the new deaths were registered in Metro Manila. Central Visayas accounted for 55, Calabarzon had 28, and the rest were from other regions across the country. In a statement on Sunday, the DOH said that while they would like to report accurate data, it is reliant on what is being submitted by regional epidemiological surveillance units, local government units, and health facilities, which correct from time to time their own initially-reported recoveries and re-classify them as deaths. Meanwhile, the DOH also announced a surge in COVID-19 infections, with 4,699 added to the tally which jumped to 265,888. This is the seventh consecutive day that new cases in the country reached over 3,000, following a decline of around 1,000 to 3,000 daily logged infections the previous week. In its latest report, the department listed Metro Manila as the top reporting area in terms of new cases with 1,498, followed by Cavite with 221. Bataan reported a spike in COVID-19 infections with 198 new cases, followed by Bulacan with 185, and Batangas with 176, the report added. Health officials also confirmed 249 more patients have survived COVID-19, bringing the countrys recoveries to 207,504. These figures pushed the number of active cases or currently ill patients to 53,754. According to his spokesperson Harry Roque, President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to extend the declaration of a state of calamity in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The President declared a state of calamity on March 16 to allow national and local governments to access quick response funds to address the pandemic. The proclamation lasts for six months, which would mean it is set to expire this week. Duterte is also expected to meet with the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force on Monday night to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country and make his weekly address to the nation. Cases abroad The Department of Foreign Affairs likewise announced a significant rise in the COVID-19 tally among Filipinos residing abroad with 133 new cases. The DFA said the huge increase is due to reporting delays owing to privacy laws in one territory located in Asia and the Pacific. It also listed 121 new recoveries along with four more deaths, raising the tallies to 6,554 and 772, respectively. The global case count has surpassed 29 million on Monday, including over 924,000 deaths and around 19.6 million recoveries, according to data from the US-based Johns Hopkins University. A car crashed into a home in Chelsea early Monday morning, wounding the driver and causing significant damages to the building, authorities said. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle after the car struck the home on Clark Avenue, according to Paul Koolloian, a senior fire alarm operator in Chelsea. First responders had to free the driver from the vehicle, Koolloian tweeted. The driver was then taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, NBC Boston reported. The crash caused major damages to the building. In photographs that Koolloian posted to Twitter, the car could be seen flipped over on its side, and a wall of the home could be seen knocked over. Participating in Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training Posted on 11 September 2020 by BaerbelW It finally happened: about 13 years after first watching Al Gores documentary An Inconvenient Truth (AIT) in 2007 when it became available in Germany, I recently completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training! Participating in this particular training had been on my to-do list for quite some time but it hadnt worked out thus far for different reasons: I didnt want to apply for one of the earlier trainings offered around the world as these would have meant having to fly there for a 3-day event which I didnt want to do. Then, when an event was scheduled to happen in Berlin in 2018, it unfortunately didnt work out timewise for me. However, due to COVID-19 the trainings were moved to an online format in 2020 and when I noticed, I immediately applied for the first virtual session planned to happen in July. Not too surprisingly, the training team got too many applications for the event (over 10,000!), so I ended up in the second round happening from August 28 to September 3. The training was structured into five modules: Introduction, Science, Solutions, Social change, Skill building and Taking it home. Four live broadcast sessions featuring Al Gore giving his presentation divided into four parts made up the focal points. Each of these sessions was followed by additional shorter panel discussions and wrapped-up by live virtual table discussions under the guidance of a mentor with a group of 10 to 20 trainees. In addition, several on-demand sessions were available from which we had to at least watch four from a wide variety of topics. I picked sessions about Ensuring a healthy future for all, Youth Leadership, Mastering the presentation and Engaging an Online Community. Last but not least we also had to write Our Climate Story and about an example for impacts or solutions to climate change, ideally from our own neck of the woods. Here is the link to My Climate Story. The live broadcasts were offered at three different times to cater to different timezones. By default, trainees were put into the group fitting their country so I would have ended up in the one for Europe/Africa where the broadcasts and subsequent table-discussions then happened between 18:00 and 20:30 my time in Germany. This however didnt suit my daily routine well, so I asked whether I could do the sessions with Asia/Pacific instead. Thanks to the flexibility of the organizing team, this was possible and I watched the sessions starting at 11:00 my time and then joined Table-001 mentored by Glen Garner and with about a dozen table mates based in Sydney. These discussion sessions were fun to join and provided an opportunity for sharing information about our various backgrounds and activities tackling climate change. Many new connections were forged across the globe thanks to these online meetings. One aspect of the training which really amazed me, was how current the slides presented by Al Gore during the live broadcast sessions were: they for example already included footage from recent extreme weather events around the globe. He also paid tribute to climate scientist Koni Steffen who died on August 17 while doing research on Greenland. Really impressive and moving! Directly after completing the training and joining the ranks of Climate Reality Leaders, we got access to Al Gores slides - all told, almost 600 of them! These will become a very valuable resource to make use of in my own presentations, especially as we are allowed to include selected slides within our own material and not only use them when we do a signature Climate Reality presentation. We are however strongly encouraged to do at least one of them within the next twelve months. The general expectation is that Climate Reality Leaders complete at least 10 Acts of Leadership within a year. These dont all have to be presentations but can also include activities like writing a blog post (check!), writing a letter to the editor (Im sure, Ill find a reason for one), meeting an elected official (should happen sooner rather than later due to my involvement with Citizens Climate Lobby and Burgerlobby Klimaschutz in Germany) or attending a relevant event (the next global climate strike on Sept. 25 will take care of that!) to name just some of them. On Monday evening I joined a European meet-up where we learned about the projects structure in Europe. This was attended by a large number of trainees, reaching almost 600 participants at one time (and without crashing Zoom!). Shortly after the meeting I got an email from a longtime online friend who was also participating in the training and he mentioned being surprised to see my face instead of Al Gores, a comment I couldnt really place right away. All was revealed the following day when a table-mate resolved the mystery by sharing this screen-shot he had captured while waiting for the broadcast session to start: On Thursday, the final live broadcast was titled Taking it home and it featured a Q&A-session where questions submitted throughout the training from several tables were shared via messages recorded by the respective mentors. Al Gore moderated the session and Dr. Henry Pollack, professor emeritus of geophysics at the University of Michigan as well as Dr. Marshall Shepherd, Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia provided answers. This was followed by Al Gore presenting the short and to the point Truth in 10 which is a very condensed version of his presentation fitting within about 10 minutes. An older version is available for download on the Climate Reality homepage. Next up was a real highlight when Al Gore introduced four very engaged Climate Reality Leaders and asked them questions about their first presentations, memorable feedback they received and related questions to lower the threshold any newly trained Climate Reality Leaders might have before giving their first presentations. Al Gore then had a big surprise - judging from their reactions - for the panelists: they were awared the Alfred Sirkis Green Ring for their outstanding engagement and contributions! Last but not least, Id really encourage anybody with an interest in climate change - and the already existing solutions to tackle it - to check out and then apply for the training. Once you join the Climate Reality Leadership Corps youll get access to a wealth of Al Gores slides and youll be networking with many other people across the globe as well as locally who share your committment to tackle climate change! Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba) has launched three photorelays, TLP3480, TLP3481 and TLP3482 in P-SON4, a new package with a significantly smaller mounting area than Toshibas SOP packages. Shipments start today. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200913005083/en/ Toshiba: a new package P-SON4 with a significantly smaller mounting area. (Photo: Business Wire) All of the new photorelays have an OFF-state output terminal voltage rating and ON-state current rating comparable with products housed in SOP package products, with ratings ranging from 30V and 4.5A to 100V and 2A, according to the device. The new P-SON4 package is highly suited to high-density mounting, as it has a mounting area of 7.2mm2 (typ.), approximately 74% smaller than the 2.54SOP4 package and 84% smaller than the 2.54SOP6 package. It also features low ON-resistance by using Toshibas latest MOSFET chips[1] in the receiver. TLP3480, TLP3481, and TLP3482 have high ON-state-current ratings of 4.5A, 3A and 2A. They can be used in a wide range of measuring equipment applications. Applications Semiconductor testers (memory, SoC, LSI, etc.) Probe cards I/O interface boards Features New small package P-SON4: 2.1 x 3.4mm (typ.), mounting area 7.2mm 2 (typ.) (typ.) Large ON-state current rating TLP3480: OFF-state output terminal voltage rating: 30V, ON-state current rating: 4.5A TLP3481: OFF-state output terminal voltage rating: 60V, ON-state current rating: 3A TLP3482: OFF-state output terminal voltage rating: 100V, ON-state current rating: 2A Main Specifications (@Ta=25) Part number TLP3480 TLP3481 TLP3482 Contact 1-Form-A Package P-SON4 Absolute maximum ratings OFF-state output terminal voltage V OFF (V) 30 60 100 ON-state current I ON (A) 4.5 3 2 ON-state current (pulsed) I ONP (A) 10 9 6 Trigger LED current I FT max (mA) 3 ON-state resistance R ON max (m) 50 100 200 OFF-state current I OFF max (A) 1 1 1 Output capacitance C OFF typ. (pF) 450 250 170 Isolation voltage BV S min (Vrms) 500 Turn-on time t ON max (ms) 5 5 3 Turn-off time t OFF max (ms) 1 Sample Check & Availability Buy Online Buy Online Buy Online Note: [1] TLP3480, TLP3481, and TLP3482 are fabricated with the U-MOS process with trench-gate structures. Follow the links below for more on the new products. TLP3480 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3480 TLP3481 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3481 TLP3482 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3482 Follow the link below for more on the new package. https://videoclip.toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/detail/videos/semiconductor-products/video/6149438836001/introduction-of-new-toshiba-photorelay-p-son-package?autoStart=true Follow the link below for more on Toshibas optical devices lineup. Photorelays (MOSFET Output) https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/product/optoelectronics/photorelay-mosfet-output.html To check availability of the new products at online distributors, visit: TLP3480 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3480.html TLP3481 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3481.html TLP3482 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3482.html Customer Inquiries: Optoelectronic Device Sales & Marketing Dept. Tel: +81-3-3457-3431 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/contact.html *Company names, product names, and service names may be trademarks of their respective companies. *Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice. About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation combines the vigor of a new company with the wisdom of experience. Since becoming an independent company in July 2017, the company has taken its place among the leading general devices companies, and offers its customers and business partners outstanding solutions in discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD. Its 24,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize the value of its products, and emphasize close collaboration with customers to promote co-creation of value and new markets. The company looks forward to building on annual sales now surpassing 750-billion yen (US$6.8 billion) and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere. Find out more about Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200913005083/en/ Military spouses looking to start their own business are encouraged to check out the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Virtual Launch Camp, which will be held Oct. 6, 2020, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Hosted by SEED SPOT and the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), this program is open to anyone who identifies as a military spouse. MFAN and SEED SPOT have worked together in the past, including a Launch Camp in 2018. "In MFAN's 2019 Military Family Support Programming Survey, both those respondents who had started their own business and those who were deterred from doing so indicated that a lack of knowledge, experience and support were obstacles to their success (26.4% and 27.9% respectively)," said MFAN Executive Director Shannon Razsadin. "Partnering with SEED SPOT to address this identified pain point was an organic fit." The launch camp, which will be held via Zoom, is perfect for those who are exploring the idea of starting a business, those ready to start raising capital and those who are ready to perfect their business model. However, according to the website, if you've already raised capital and you're ready to start scaling your business, this isn't the event for you. But SEED SPOT has other opportunities if you're looking to scale or grow your businesses, or if you can't make this one. There are 25 spots available for this event and, through the sponsorship of Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA), it's 100% free for military spouse entrepreneurs. The Launch Camp ends in a virtual community pitch event Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET. "Participants will be invited to present their ventures to a live audience of attendees who are part of the Military Family Financial Readiness Coalition, to include nonprofit organizations, federal entities, bankers and many others who support and communicate with the military and veteran community to ensure their financial readiness and capability," said Randi Cairns communications manager for MFAN. The pitch event is a showcase where all entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to present; however, there will be no prizes awarded. The pitch event is open to the public, you can register to attend that portion. Interested in attending? Register for the Launch Camp here. Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox. This article was edited to clarify the full name of the Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA) and their function. --Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine. MINSK -- Belarus's State Border Guard Committee says the barring of the leader of Belarusian Catholics, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, from entering the country is due to the fact that his passport had been annulled. The Belarusian Catholic Church said in a statement on September 14 that it had received an official answer from the ministry last week after Kondrusiewicz requested an explain as to why he could not come back into the country. "We inform you that you have not been allowed to cross the state border due to a decision by interior affairs organs that finds invalid the passport for the Republic of Belarus...that you hold. To get information on reasons why your passport was found invalid, you have the right to turn to the Interior Ministry," the statement said, citing an official letter signed by the chief of the State Border Guard Committee, Anatol Lapo. The committee's spokesman Anton Bychkouski confirmed to RFE/RL that Kondrusiewiczs passport had been added to the list of invalid documents, but did not give any other details. On August 31, Belarusian border guards blocked the 74-year-old archbishop of Minsk and Mahilyou, who is a Belarusian citizen, from entering via neighboring Poland. The president of the Belarusian bishops conference has been a vocal critic of the brutal crackdown on protesters in the wake of the countrys contested August 9 vote. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, was declared the winner of the election, which was widely viewed as rigged. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past several weeks to protest the results and demand he step down despite a crackdown that has left hundreds injured and at least six dead. In an address read at Catholic churches on August 30, Kondrusiewicz wrote that the country faced an unprecedented socio-political crisis and the prospect of civil war. Days before that, Kondrusiewicz condemned security forces after they blocked the entrance to the Church of Saints Symon and Alena in Minsk, a structure also known as the Red Church. He has also condemned police beatings and detentions of protesters. According to official numbers, about 6 percent of Belaruss 9.5 million people are Roman Catholic, while 53 percent belong to the Belarusian Orthodox Church. The remainder of the population identifies as atheist, uncertain, or belonging to minority religions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14 Trend: The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed strong protest to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (OSCE MG) regarding the resettlement of Armenians from Lebanon to Nagorno-Karabakh region, Trend reports referring to the ministry. "Recently, the videos have been spread on social networks demonstrating the continuation of the policy of illegal settlement by Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas of Azerbaijan," said the MFA. "After the explosion in Beirut, Armenia, using the tragedy in this country for its own nefarious purposes, began to implement plans to resettle Lebanese Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas which are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and currently under military occupation. This illegal activity is a gross violation of the norms and principles of international law by Armenia, including the Geneva Convention of 1949 and its additional protocols, as well as the obligations assumed by Armenia itself," the MFA noted. The purpose of Armenia, which pursues a policy of illegal settlement, is clear. This way, it is trying to strengthen the results of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories, the status quo based on occupation, said the ministry. Armenia, which is trying to artificially increase the number of Armenians here by illegally resettling the ethnic Armenians who have nothing to do with the region to the currently occupied lands of Azerbaijan, has been preventing the return of the Azerbaijani IDPs forcefully expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas and whose human rights have been violated, to their homes and properties for nearly 30 years, the foreign ministry stressed. The Armenian leadership, which seeks to escalate tensions in the region and has recently openly demonstrated this with its provocative actions and statements, is undermining the negotiated settlement of the conflict with its policy of annexation, noted the MFA. The international community will be regularly informed about the illegal activities carried out in our territories occupied by Armenia, including the illegal resettlement policy, and our efforts aimed at putting an end to this illegal practice will continue within international organizations, the ministry emphasized. We call on the international community to take practical steps to hold accountable the Armenian government, which keeps the Azerbaijani territories under occupation and carrying out illegal activities in these lands, the MFA said. 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. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Six months following the first shutdown of restaurants for the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant industry is in limbo. According to a new survey released today by the National Restaurant Association, nearly 1 in 6 restaurants (representing nearly 100,000 restaurants) is closed either permanently or long-term; nearly 3 million employees are still out of work; and the industry is on track to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of the year. The survey, which asked restaurant operators about the six-month impact of the pandemic on their businesses, found that overwhelmingly, most restaurants are still struggling to survive and don't expect their position to improve over the next six months. The findings include: Consumer spending in restaurants remained well below normal levels in August. Overall, sales were down 34% on average. on average. Association analysis shows that the foodservice industry has lost $165 billion in revenue MarchJuly and is on track to lose $240 billion this year. in revenue MarchJuly and is on track to this year. Our research estimates that for 2020, at least 100,000 restaurants will close , but the initial scope of closures won't be known until government statistics are released in the months ahead. , but the initial scope of closures won't be known until government statistics are released in the months ahead. 60% of operators say their restaurant's total operational costs (as a percent of sales) are higher than they were prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. of operators say their restaurant's total operational costs (as a percent of sales) are higher than they were prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. On average, restaurant operators say their current staffing levels are only 71% of what they would typically be in the absence of COVID-19. of what they would typically be in the absence of COVID-19. In a recent consumer survey, 56% of adults said they are aware of a restaurant in their community that permanently closed during the pandemic. "For an industry built on service and hospitality, the last six months have challenged the core understanding of our business," said Tom Bene, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association. "Our survival for this comes down to the creativity and entrepreneurship of owners, operators, and employees. Across the board, from independent owners to multi-unit franchise operators, restaurants are losing money every month, and they continue to struggle to serve their communities and support their employees." The survey also found that 40% of operators think it is unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government. The Association highlighted this for Congress and the Trump Administration in a letter sent today, asking them to use bipartisan support to pass small business programs in stand-alone bills. "This survey reminds us that independent owners and small franchisees don't have time on their side," said Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of Public Affairs for the Association. "The ongoing disruptions and uncertainty make it impossible for these owners to plan for next week, much less next year. Congress is about to leave Washington for the elections we need them to focus on the short-term, basic solutions that have secured bipartisan support and passed one or both chambers. We urge immediate passage of these while we work with lawmakers on the comprehensive elements of our 'Blueprint for Restaurant Revival.' "The foodservice industry was the nation's second largest private sector employer and pumped more than $2 trillion into the economy right up until our sudden shutdown," Kennedy continued. "Making an investment in an industry that consumers love and that powers the economy is a good business and economic move for Congress as they search for the biggest bang for their recovery buck." Learn more about the Association's recovery proposals in the Blueprint for Restaurant Revival. About the National Restaurant Association Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.6 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We sponsor the industry's largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube. SOURCE National Restaurant Association Related Links https://restaurant.org/Home Election 2020 Forget Knocking on Doors: Open a Facebook Accountthe New Way to Campaign in Myanmar Amid COVID-19 A screenshot of the Chair NLD Facebook page taken on Monday. YANGONWith most of Yangon under a stay-at-home order due to a rise in the spread of COVID-19, candidates in several tightly contested races in the November election have found traditional campaigning impossible. Though the election campaign is officially under way, parties are barred from organizing rallies, campaigning in open spaces and buildings, or conducting door-to-door efforts in townships where stay-at-home orders are in effect. Muted by the coronavirus, campaign managers in the countrys largest city have turned to Facebook, the most widely used social media platform in Myanmar, as an essential method of getting their election messages out. Among the candidates taking that route is the 68-year-old President U Win Myint, who returned to Facebook for this campaign after a long absence from the platform. He had not used his previous personal Facebook account since he took office. U Win Myint, also vice chairman of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), is seeking re-election in his former constituency, Yangon Regions Tamwe Township. That township is among those now under a pandemic stay-at-home order. On his new Facebook page, which debuted on Thursday, President U Win Myint apologized for not being able to make close contact with constituents as he had in previous elections. I would like to ask your understanding on that, he said, adding, I urge you to vote for the NLD for our long-awaited democracy. NLD Central Executive Committee member Daw May Win Myint canceled her door-to-door campaign in the face of a stay-at-home order in Yangons Mayangone Township. Shes now planning to reach voters online as she re-contests in a tough competition there with NLD renegade and Peoples Pioneer Party founder Daw Thet Thet Khine. We know we need to focus on online campaigning to win in the 2020 general election, she said. Other high-profile NLD figures are taking the same course of action. NLD chairwoman and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and another vice chairman, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, also Mandalay Regions chief minister, have both recently turned to Facebook to engage with voters. Through her new page, Chair NLD, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been recounting the partys struggles for democracy and campaigning for the party. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, a 68-year-old former political prisoner, said that after being imprisoned for many years he isnt very familiar with technology and had never opened a Facebook page. But now, I must do it. We have to rely on it when we cant freely campaign in person during this era of COVID-19, he wrote. The main opposition and military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is also taking an aggressive approach in the online sphere. The party has spent millions of kyats on boosting posts ahead of the election to reach Facebook followers as much as they can. The partys senior leaders including chairman U Than Htay, vice chairman U Khin Yi, and other parliamentary candidates are actively promoting the partys policies and campaign promises through their personal pages and also the partys page. But the changed electoral campaigning method still has some candidates skeptical about whether online campaigning actually works. NLD Yangon Region lawmaker U Wai Phyo Aung of Thaketa Township, which is also under a stay-at-home order, said he is concerned that his messages wont reach his constituents. I am now trying to get my messages out through my Facebook account. But not all constituents are using social media platforms. Thats especially true of the older ones. Even if they do use social media, my messages cant reach all of them, he said. In previous elections, he managed to get his message across to voters through door-to-door campaigns and rallies, he added. If voters dont get enough information, they could find it hard to decide who to vote for, he said. Candidates in Rakhine, which has the second-largest number of COVID-19 cases after Yangon Region, are finding it harder to engage with voters. The restrictions are strict and this means we are not allowed to campaign. We can only operate online, but 2G internet stops us from doing anything, the vice chairman of the Arakan Front Party, U Kyaw Zaw Oo, told The Irrawaddy. In June 2019, the government cut off internet access in eight townships in northern Rakhine and Paletwa Township in Chin State, citing security concerns amid the fighting between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army (AA). Mobile internet services resumed in those townships in early August, but residents say they still only have 2G service. Meanwhile, the pandemic has also affected campaigning by those running in places with no stay-at-home orders. In those areas, the Union Election Commission allows campaign gatherings of up to 50 people, while requiring attendees to practice social distancing and other preventive measures. Door-to-door campaigns are allowed but limited to 15 people in places with no stay-at-home orders. U Ye Naing Aung of the Peoples Party, which was formed by leaders of the 88 Generation Students group, said even in states and regions that have no stay-at-home orders, parties find it hard to campaign because of travel restrictions. And in some places, local residents afraid of the spread of the disease have blocked candidates from campaigning. All of these complications have led some parties to call for postponing the election, citing concerns for citizens health as well as their difficulties in campaigning. Peoples Party chairman U Ko Ko Gyi said he is reluctant to solicit votes when people are in a state of panic and has said a delay of the election should be considered. The election commission has said it will announce a decision on any election delay in October. You may also like these stories: Myanmars NLD Unveils Election Candidate Lineup With More Women, Muslims Election 2020: The Week in Review Myanmar Election Campaign Muted by COVID-19 Simon Coveney greets Michel Barnier last year. - AFP The European Union can resolve the Brexit row with Britain over the Withdrawal Agreement to prevent the nightmare of no deal, Irelands foreign minister said on Monday. Simon Coveney blamed hawks in No 10 for convincing Boris Johnson to table the Internal Market Bill, which disapplies treaty provisions on export declarations for goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland and subsidy law if there is a no trade deal exit at the end of the year. The European Commission has warned it breaks international law and jeopardises the trade negotiations with Brussels. I believe we can solve some of the problems that I understand are there, Mr Coveney said. The EU and the UK needed to focus on how to surmount the issues without renegotiating the treaty, he said. Thats where the focus needs to be now so we can concentrate on the bigger prize which is the basic trade deal that avoids the nightmare scenario for Britain and Ireland, and to a lesser extent the rest of the EU, where by January 1 there is no deal in place. I think the British Prime Minister does want a deal, but he has a strange way of going about it," he added. No deal would mean WTO terms, which essentially means significant tariffs and potentially quotas, Mr Coveney said. Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister of Ireland, said the negotiating tactic had backfired. Countries all around the world, the United States and other countries, are wondering if this is the kind of place we can do any deal with or any treaty with, he said. First Minister Arlene Foster accused the EU of treating Northern Ireland as a "bargaining chip" in trade talks between the bloc and the UK Government. She said striking a free trade agreement would solve the issues with the Northern Irish protocol which was agreed last year. Brussels warned farmers, businesses and animal welfare campaigners on Friday that it may be forced to ban all British exports of live animals and animal products to the EU and Northern Ireland. Story continues British cheese, eggs, pork, poultry and lamb would be made illegal in the EU, which would have catastrophic implications, the National Farmers Union said, as the RSPCA warned animals could suffer needlessly in long queues at borders. The EU ban on an animal products trade worth more than 3 billion in 2019 would also apply to Northern Ireland, which, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, stays subject to EU animal health rules to prevent a hard Irish border after the Brexit transition period. It would also jeopardise British horse racing by making the travel of racehorses to and from Ireland and France too difficult and force pet owners to send a blood sample to an EU approved lab three months before taking their cat, dog or ferret to the bloc. On Sunday, David Frost, the UKs chief negotiator accused the EU of threatening UK food exports to Northern Ireland during the ongoing trade talks, which Michel Barnier has denied. European Commission officials, including a member of Mr Barniers team, told a meeting of trade associations and other stakeholders in Brussels on Friday that the ban was inevitable from January 1 unless the UK gives details of its future animal health and food safety regime. Unless the UK provides full clarity on the future rules and in particular its rules for imports, one EU official told the Telegraph, it would be impossible to add British animals and products to EU Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) lists for non-EU countries. "Unless they hear something by the end of October, it seems no animals will be listed - including pets - to enter the 'EU SPS area' which is the EU and Northern Ireland, a source at the meeting said. New Delhi: After the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of a 2018 law granting reservation to Maratha community in education and jobs in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Shiv Sena is likely to bring an ordinance to grant quota to the said community. Bringing an ordinance to give Quota relief to the Maratha community is a legal issue and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will take a look into it, said Maharashtra minister and state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat on Monday. Last week, NCP chief Sharad Pawar suggested the ordinance route after the Supreme Court stay on granting reservation to the Maratha community in education and jobs in the state. "It is a legal issue. We will check it," Thorat told reporters in Mumbai, adding the state government had approached the apex court "well-prepared". Thorat said that the Supreme Court's interim order of staying the implementation of the law is "incomprehensible", adding "Our prayer was for referring the case to a larger bench, how come such an order was passed? Hence, we are a bit concerned." The Maharashtra minister also asked opposition parties not to play politics on the issue and said "we have to win and give justice to the community". On the Maratha quota issue, Shiv Sangram party leader Vinayak Mete today blamed the Uddhav Thackeray government for the interim stay granted by the supreme court on the implementation of reservation for Marathas in education and jobs in Maharashtra. Mete claimed a resident of Borgao village in Latur district had tried to kill himself by drinking poison after the top court stayed the 2018 quota law. Speaking to reporters in Latur, Mete said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP president Sharad Pawar and Congress minister Ashok Chavan were responsible for the adverse SC order. He is quoted by PTI as saying, "Till date, the Sena government didn't hold a single meeting of stake-holders. We were ready to cooperate in the matter. But, the governments neither talked to us nor sought any help." The Shiv Sangram chief alleged the government had replaced a team of lawyers appointed by the previous government to present it in the apex court. (With Agency Inputs) Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Minimum benefits Most states set a minimum unemployment benefit below $100 a week, which creates the conundrum for some workers. Rhode Island, for example, pays a minimum benefit of $53 per week. Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, signed an executive order temporarily raising the state's minimum benefit to $100 a week for the duration of the Lost Wages Assistance program, which runs for up to six weeks dating from the week ended Aug. 1. The executive order, which Raimondo signed Aug. 28, would qualify approximately 3,500 additional people to receive the extra $300, according to a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Similarly, Idaho is using $15 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay a $300 weekly benefit those who make less than $100 a week from unemployment insurance, according to a spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Brad Little. Unlike Rhode Island, however, their weekly benefits were not bumped up to $100 a week, the spokeswoman said. The maneuver affects about 1,000 workers, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Labor. Meanwhile, West Virginia is one of just a handful of states that's opting to pay an extra $100 a week on top of the federally funded $300 for a total $400 a week. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. Scott Halleran/Getty Images While workers currently collecting less than $100 in unemployment benefits won't get the federal portion ($300) of the Lost Wages Assistance, they will still receive the state's extra $100 portion, according to Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican. "West Virginia is the only state in the union that is providing that particular benefit," Scott Adkins, acting commissioner of WorkForce West Virginia, said Wednesday. "We understand this benefit is critical to many West Virginians." 912,000 workers About 6% of people collecting unemployment insurance from their state would be ineligible for the Lost Wages subsidy due to the $100-a-week threshold, according to an estimate from Eliza Forsythe, a labor economist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois. That amounted to more than 912,000 people as of Aug. 1, according to Labor Department data. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Many of these workers get relatively meager unemployment benefits due to their earning low wages, working part-time hours or falling into some peculiar cracks in the unemployment system, such as working jobs as both a traditional employee and contractor, said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. Arkansas is implementing an emergency assistance program to help impoverished unemployment recipients who don't qualify for the $300 payments. BERLIN Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is able to breathe on his own and briefly leave his hospital bed, his doctors said Monday, while Germany announced that French and Swedish labs have confirmed its findings that he was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Navalny, 44, was flown to Berlin for treatment at the Charite hospital two days after falling ill on a domestic flight in Russia on Aug. 20. Germany has demanded that Russia investigate the case, while Moscow has accused the West of trying to smear Russia. Navalny has successfully been removed from mechanical ventilation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time, the hospital said. Although noting the improvement in Navalnys health, the statement didnt address the long-term outlook for the anti-corruption campaigner and most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Doctors previously cautioned that even though Navalny is recovering, long-term health problems from the poisoning cannot be ruled out. The Kremlin has bristled at calls from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders to answer questions about the poisoning, denying any official involvement. The news about Navalnys condition came as his associates made some gains in regional elections held across Russia on Sunday. In Novosibirsk, which Navalny visited before falling ill, the head of his regional headquarters, Sergei Boiko, won a seat on the city council. United Russia, the main Kremlin party that Navalny has dubbed a party of crooks and thieves, lost its majority on the council, according to preliminary returns. Another Navalny representative, Ksenia Fadeyeva, won a city council seat in Tomsk, the city he left on the flight on which he fell ill. The German government said tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up findings by a German military lab that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is taking steps to have samples from Navalny tested at its designated labs, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said. He said Germany had asked France and Sweden for an independent examination of the findings. German officials said labs in both countries, as well as the OPCW, took new samples from Navalny. In efforts separate from the OPCW examinations, which are still ongoing, three laboratories have meanwhile independently of one another presented proof that Mr. Navalnys poisoning was caused by a nerve agent from the Novichok group, Seibert said. We once again call on Russia to make a statement on the incident, he added. We are closely consulting with our European partners regarding possible next steps. Seibert wouldnt identify the French and Swedish labs. But the head of the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Asa Scott, told Swedish news agency TT: We can confirm that we see the same results as the German laboratory, that is, that there is no doubt that it is about these substances. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed deep concern over the criminal act that targeted Navalny during a phone call Monday with Putin, Macrons office said. He confirmed France reached the same conclusions as its European partners on the poisoning, the statement said. The Kremlin said Putin in the call underlined the impropriety of unfounded accusations against the Russian side and emphasized Russias demand for Germany to hand over analyses and samples. Putin also called for joint work by German and Russian doctors. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using the incident as a pretext to introduce new sanctions against Moscow. He said Navalnys life was saved by the pilots of the plane who quickly landed in the Siberian city of Omsk when he collapsed on board and by the rapid action of doctors there. The perfect action of pilots, ambulance crew and doctors is being presented as a happy coincidence,' in the West, he told RTVI television in an interview broadcast Monday. They dare to question the professionalism of our doctors, our investigators, he said. Arrogance and a sense of ones own infallibility have been seen in Europe before, and the consequences were very sad. Lavrov, who has canceled a scheduled trip Tuesday to Berlin, said Russian authorities have conducted a preliminary inquiry and documented the meetings Navalny had before falling ill, but he emphasized they need to see the evidence of his poisoning to launch a full criminal investigation. We have our own laws, whereby we cannot believe someones say-so to open a criminal case, he said, adding that for now, we have no legal grounds for such a probe. Berlin has rejected suggestions from Moscow that it is dragging its heels on sharing evidence. With Germanys findings corroborated by labs abroad, we do not expect the bringer of the bad news namely us to be attacked further, but rather that they should deal with the news itself, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said of Russian authorities. Asked why no samples from Navalny have been given to Russia, German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr replied that Mr. Navalny was in Russian treatment in a hospital for 48 hours. Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Omsk said no evidence of poisoning could be found, adding he was too unstable to be transferred. A German charity sent a medical evacuation plane to bring him to Berlin, which it did after German doctors said he was stable enough to be moved. There are samples from Mr. Navalny on the Russian side, Adebahr said. The Russian side is called on, even after three independent labs have established the result, to explain itself, and Russia has all the information and all the samples it needs for an analysis. Navalny was kept in an induced coma for more than a week as he was treated with an antidote before hospital officials said a week ago that his condition had improved enough for him to be brought out of it. ___ Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed. Jammu and Kashmir: BJP members in Kashmir observed 'Balidan Divas' on Monday (September 14) as a tribute to the Kashmiri pandits who were killed during the terrorist attack. The day was observed for the first time in the last 30 years. September 14 is the death anniversary of the first Kashmiri Pandit Tika Lal Taploo who was killed by terrorists on September 13 night at his residence at Habba Kadal in Srinagar. BJP unit in Anantnag organized the tribute function. People gathered at Sheetal Nath temple in Srinagar and paid floral tribute to martyrs. Not only Kashmiri Pandits but people from other communities and security forces also paid tribute. In the year 1989, terrorists in Kashmir killed around 8 Kashmiri pandits between the month of September to December, after which thousands of Kashmiri pandits were forced to leave the place. BJP Anantnag unit's senior vice-president Raakesh Koul said, ''This 'Balidan Divas' is for remembering the martyrs who lost their life in 1990. The day is observed on Tika Lal Taploo's death anniversary. This is the first time we are observing this day in Kashmir .'' On this occasion, Vijay Raina spokespersons of BJP Kulgam district said We pay respect to all the martyrs today for their sacrifise.'' Raina added, Kashmiri pandits want to rerun back to Kashmir and we request all the Kashmiri Pandits who across the globe to come back to Kashmir as it will send a message of peace across the world.'' Rishi Khosla, CEO of OakNorth. Photo: OakNorth Some sectors of the economy will never return to pre-COVID levels, the chief executive of Britains fastest growing bank has said. Theres segments where the new normal will have real scarring, and by scarring eventually they wont return, in our view, to 2019 levels, Rishi Khosla, the chief executive of OakNorth, told Yahoo Finance UK in an interview last week. Khosla said High Street retail was a perfect example of a sector that will never return to normal. In our estimation, for each percentage increase in online sales, you lose about 1.5-1.7% of retail square footage physical, he said. If you play that through, if youre talking about a 10% increase in online sales in the new normal clearly at the moment its higher then youre looking at anywhere between 15-17% reduction in retail sales square footage and I would say that would disproportionately hit High Streets. READ MORE: The UK economy's rebound lost momentum in July Khoslas prediction was based on detailed modelling of the UK economy done by OakNorth. The bank has split the economy into 133 sub-sectors and began running COVID-19 stress tests on its loan book in January. We think that ultimately theres pain ahead of us, Khosla said. We think that a number of sectors are going to be affected, we think a number of sectors will take till 2022, 2023 to get back to their normal levels. But within that you have some Vs, you have some Ls, you have some Ks whatever, he added, referencing the various shapes of recovery in output when charted. Aside from COVID-19, it looks increasingly likely that businesses will also have to deal with Brexit disruption in the New Year. Khosla said the rising possibility of a no deal Brexit was not very helpful. I think that minimising disruption for businesses is probably not a bad thing to do, he said. The government has to fix the logistical issues to make sure there arent issues at the ports. READ MORE: MPs urge chancellor to extend furlough for struggling industries Story continues The Financial Times has reported that the government plans to recruit as many as 50,000 people to fill in customs forms as part of new Brexit trade arrangements. Khosla said this could slow the UKs recovery, given the lack of economic benefit of this type of work. Weve been battling low productivity and were going to hire 50,000 people or whatever the number is to do administration at ports, he said. Its like a throwback to the 1800s. That concerns me. However, Khosla said he would shocked if we dont end up in a better place than is being speculated at the moment on Brexit. Khosla cofounded OakNorth in 2013 as a tech-centred bank focused on helping entrepreneurs and growth businesses with funding. The company has lent 4.5bn ($5.8bn) to UK businesses to date. As well as lending directly, the company also provides loan assessment technology to banks around the world. READ MORE: Retailers warn more shops will close without return to office OakNorth was named Europes fastest growing company by the Financial Times in March this year. Khosla said growth has only accelerated since then, even as other banks are pulling back from most corporate lending that isnt under government support schemes. Clearly, there are parts of the economy that have been doing well, he said. As a function of that, here in the UK our lending volumes have, especially since June, been about two times what they were the same period last year. Over the last two weeks, were closer to four times the volumes we were last year. Loan approvals have been averaging 150m per month since March, a spokesperson confirmed. READ MORE: 1 in 10 firms fear going bust due to COVID-19 debt OakNorths reliance on sophisticated technology to assess loans has led to an almost unheard of default rate compared with the rest of the banking industry. Just seven loans written by the company have defaulted to date and the bank hasnt incurred any credit losses. Khosla said OakNorth had taken a small provision to cover an expected rise in losses due to COVID-19 but said the sum was not significant. Do we think as a function of COVID well end up with a few more defaults and maybe some credit losses which otherwise we wouldnt have had? Yes, Khosla said. Do I think its going to be material? No. Do I think its going to be anywhere near the other institutions? No. CAMBRIDGE A local developer is proposing a five-storey, mixed-use building right in the middle of Hespeler villages commercial core. The proposal will see two existing buildings at the corner of Queen Street West and Adam Street torn down to make room for a residential building with street-facing retail space. This lot at 2-16 Queen St. W. currently houses a former fast food restaurant and commercial block. Even though the buildings proposed for demolition have no heritage value, the project required a heritage impact study because it is next to two buildings with heritage value. Right next door is a historic commercial block first built in 1886. Portions of the building were added on later, but the front facade dates back to 1886 and is made of limestone blocks. Part of the building used to be a hotel called Germania House. The other building is a stone house located behind the proposed redevelopment site. The house is not registered as heritage, but it is listed as a property with heritage value. The only impact to neighbouring heritage properties could be temporary land disturbance caused by construction, according to the heritage impact study completed by a third party hired by the developer, Concept Development Group Inc. Mitigation efforts, including a construction fence, will be made to ensure there is minimal impact to neighbouring properties during redevelopment work. City staff say this redevelopment proposal meets zoning requirements for the area and will not require council approval to move forward. There is also a minor variance application for this proposal that will be considered by the citys committee of adjustment later this month before the project gets the green light from the city to move forward. Hespeler has seen a number of redevelopments lately as Cambridge works to revitalize its three downtown cores. Riverbank Lofts is the most recent example of a prominent redevelopment in the village. A former mill turned bathtub factory was converted into luxury condos overlooking the Speed River. Concept Development Group Inc. is also behind the massive mixed-use development planned at the corner of Block Line Road and Courtland Avenue in Kitchener. VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarity Gold Corp. ("Clarity" or the "Company") (CSE: CLAR) (FSE: 27G) (OTC PINK: CLGCF) is pleased to welcome Mr. Michel Robert to its Advisory Board. Mr. Robert brings a wealth of metallurgical, mining engineering, and project generative experience to Clarity's growing team. Mr. Michel Robert (B.A., B.A.Sc. (Hons), M.A.Sc (Hons)) is a metallurgist and mining engineer with over 45 years of diverse technical experience in the mining industry, both identifying assets for acquisition and then putting those mines back into production. In recent years he has focused on identifying and advancing earlier stage mineral properties for eventual sale to public and private companies. Mr. Robert's experience in mining operations with major companies, include Quebec Cartier Mining Ltd., Teck Corp., SNC, Lac Minerals (now Goldcorp), AMEC, Minero Peru, Fluor Daniel and Pan American Silver Corp., where Michels roles have ranged from foreman to President. He has practical experience in operation, commissioning, design, construction, finance and due diligence. As Senior Vice President for Pan American Silver Corp. from 1995 to 2001, Michel managed operations in Latin America including the expansion of the company into Peru, Mexico, and Bolivia. During this time he was responsible for the identification, purchase and turnaround of the long lived historic operations of Quiruvilca, Huaron and the San Ignacio de Morococha Mines in Peru, and the La Colorada Mine in Mexico, as well as for acquisition of the San Vicente Mine in Bolivia. All but Quiruvilca are still running today. Michel previously served for nine years at Teck Corporation as corporate metallurgist, lead engineer and start-up manager. He was also a director of SNC (now SNC Lavalin Group Inc.) and one of three founders of Simons Mining Group (now AMEC Foster Wheeler). "The team of advisors we continue to build is comprised of expert industry professionals with a proven trajectory of success." said James Rogers, CEO of Clarity. "Mr. Robert's extensive professional background adds depth to the quality of our team with his skillset in metallurgy and engineering, and decades of advancing properties and managing operations." Grant of Options The Company is also pleased to announce that it has granted incentive stock options (each, an "Option") to acquire an aggregate of 500,000 common shares of the Company (each, a "Share") to certain consultants under its Stock Option Plan. Each Option is exercisable for a period of three years expiring on September 11, 2023, at a price of $1.06 per Share. All the Options vested on the date of grant. The Options and the Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Options held by the optionee are subject to a hold period of four months from the date of grant of the Options. About Clarity Clarity Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of gold projects in Canada. The Company is focused on the exploration of its 10,518 ha Empirical Project located approximately 12 km south of Lillooet, BC, and has recently expanded its mineral property portfolio with the acquisitions of the Tyber and Gretna Green projects, both located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is listed on the CSE under the symbol "CLAR". To learn more about Clarity Gold Corp. and its projects please visit www.claritygoldcorp.com. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding that the new advisory board member's technical experience and track record of management and project evaluation will be immensely valuable to the Company. 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, including risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include, but are not limited to, general market conditions and other factors beyond the direct control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "James Rogers" Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (833) 387-7436 Email: [email protected] Website: www.claritygoldcorp.com SOURCE Clarity Gold Corp. Photo: The Canadian Press After opening a free grocery store earlier this year, country music star Brad Paisley and his wife are expanding their efforts to fight hunger in America. Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have pledged to donate 1 million nutritional meals this month. The initiative is billed as the Million Meal Donation Tour, which kicked off in Detroit last week. The tour will run for two weeks visiting food banks in 16 major cities including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Nashville, Tennessee. It will end in Chicago on Sept. 21. Were just rallying to feed people, Paisley said in a recent interview. The couple and their food brand, Tiller & Hatch, are working with Feeding America on the initiative. They are hoping to serve individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurities and financial hardship. Some of the distributed meals will include artisanal pastas, hearty stews and flavourful soups. The meals will be packed in semi-trucks with about 750,000 pounds of food to feed more than 60,000 families. Williams-Paisley said they are grateful to be servants to the community during the coronavirus pandemic. So many of us feel helpless during this time, she said. It just feels like theres one disaster after another. One challenging situation after another. But its been really wonderful for both of us to have this outlet that was coming into fruition. We cant solve all the problems. But to tackle this issue, its been really empowering. The couples new initiative comes after they opened their free grocery store called The Store in May in Nashville, Tennessee, to help needy families. The idea for their store originated after the couple volunteered their kids' service at a similar store in Santa Barbara, California. Since their stores opening, the couple has heard countless stories about people who never thought theyd need food assistance but are now seeking it. He said more than 54 million people have experienced food insecurity in 2020, including 18 million children. Now its a matter of whats happening and trying to figure out how to not let people fall through the cracks, Paisley said. Its been a lot of people who have been poor for a longtime. But then, there are others who were financially sound six months ago, but now have fallen on hard times. We are seeing this firsthand. We are trying to meet their needs. (Newser) The former Trump campaign employee appointed in April as spokesperson for the Health and Human Services department on Sunday issued warnings that had little to do with the coronavirus. In a Facebook Live video, Michael Caputo said "his mental health has definitely failed" and outlined multiple conspiracy theories, reports the New York Times, which says Caputo on Monday said threats have been directed at him and his family since he joined the administration. He claimed that a "resistance unit" of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists is conspiring against President Trump and predicted that Joe Biden will lose the election but fail to concede. "When Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, he said. The drills that youve seen are nothing." He added: "If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because its going to be hard to get. story continues below Caputo said he "didn't like being alone in Washington" because the "shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long." He told followers: "You understand that theyre going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think thats where this is going," On Saturday, Caputo slammed the "deep state" following reports that his team had been altering CDC reports on the pandemic. The Times notes that in his video Sunday, he sounded "anguished" about the virus death toll and warned his friends to leave Trump rallies if most people there aren't wearing masks. "I dont want to talk about death anymore, he said. "Youre not waking up every morning and talking about dead Americans. (Caputo's team has also attempted to control what Dr. Anthony Fauci says to the media.) Entrepreneurs and small businesses can apply to be part of the Small Batch - Big Ideas Entrepreneur Network by clicking here. "Nashville is a special place, fueled by a bold, creative energy that is especially apparent in its entrepreneur community," said MMNA Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin. "Through this partnership, Mitsubishi Motors helps to celebrate individuals who choose to do things differently and think outside the box. Working in concert with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center is our tangible way of showing that." At the core of this new program is Mitsubishi's "small batch" ideology, which speaks to its place as a small, challenger automotive brand in the U.S. market, but also the idea that small companies can punch above their weight when they think differently, act nimbly and take risks. It is this spirit that, Mitsubishi feels, aligns the company with entrepreneurs. Applicants will be narrowed down to 10 finalists, who will then pitch for a slot in the Small Batch Big Ideas Network during a live, online pitch competition on Oct. 23. The top five pitches will secure a slot in the Network, and a $2,000 prize will be awarded for the best overall pitch. At the end of the year-long program, Mitsubishi will conduct a second contest, this time on social media, asking its followers to select a "fan favorite" business. The winner of the second and final competition will receive a 6-month Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross loan.[1] The EC is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 to serve entrepreneurs through all phases of the entrepreneurial lifecycle by connecting them with critical resources to create, launch and grow businesses. Since then, the EC has served over 10,000 entrepreneurs and graduated more than 800 alumni from high-touch programs. On average, 84% of EC alumni are still in operation today, plus they have raised more than $233M in capital and generated more than $192M in revenue with successful exits well over $100M. "Our team worked closely with Mitsubishi Motors to build a completely unique program for the Nashville entrepreneur and small business community," said EC CEO Jane Allen. "This type of support, access and exposure is more critical now than ever, and we are proud to partner with Mitsubishi to deliver that." About Nashville Entrepreneur Center The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 2010 by business leaders who wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and to celebrate the spirit and tenacity of the entrepreneurial community. The EC serves as Nashville's center for entrepreneurship, supporting visionariesfrom every background, in any industry, and at all phasesby connecting them to critical resources and championing their desire to change the world. Learn more about the EC by following us @entrecenter on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at www.EC.co. About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Through a network of approximately 350 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, research and development, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. 2019 marked the brand's seventh consecutive year of sales growth, and MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2020 Initial Quality study, ranking sixth overall and experiencing the greatest year-over-year improvement of any brand. Located in Franklin, Tennessee, MMNA is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Mitsubishi continues to lead the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles, while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery-electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (615) 257-2698 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com. Contacts Jeremy Barnes Senior Director, Communications and Events [email protected] Mobile: 714-296-1402 Lauren Ryan Manager, Communications and Events [email protected] Mobile: 404-862-8286 [1] For both the cash prize and vehicle loan, certain terms and conditions will apply. SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Related Links https://www.mitsubishicars.com Chennai, Sep 14 : The Madras High Court on Monday observed that the media should stop glorifying student suicides, and the government and political parties should stop giving financial assistance to the families, said an advocate. The court observation came while hearing a case filed by advocate A.P. Suryaprakasam on the suicides by the medical college aspirants appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the failure of the state government to hold counselling for the aspirants. "In 2018 the court had ordered the state government to hold counselling sessions for the students so that they do not resort to extreme measures. But the government did not hold any such counselling session. And four students committed suicide due to NEET fear," Suryaprakasam told IANS. Hearing the case, Justice N. Kirubakaran said the media should not glorify student suicides and political parties also should stop giving financial assistance to the family of the deceased. The Judge said such media coverage and compensation acts as an inducement to commit suicide. Four medical college aspirants committed suicide in Tamil Nadu recently fearing the NEET. Leaders of various political parties have condoled their death. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami had on September 10 announced a solatium of Rs 7 lakh to the family of a student who had commited suicide. Only 19 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Webb County, but four more deaths have been reported as of Monday. This brings the total deaths in the Laredo community up to 272. The new deaths reported occurred Sunday and Monday a woman in her early 60s, a man in his late 70s, a man in his early 50s and a man in his late 70s. Since the pandemic began, 12,676 people in Webb County have tested positive for the virus, but the number of active cases has dropped precipitously to 587 as of Monday. The number of hospitalized patients has likewise trended downward over the last month. In Laredo 102 people were hospitalized as of Monday, half the number of hospitalized patients at the height of the pandemic in Laredo. Considering testing for all Webb County residents since March, the positivtity rate has dropped to 28.8%. And the seven-day average positivity rate has fallen to 11.8%. Local officials on Monday pointed to all of these signs as good indicators that Laredo is entering a period of recovery. However Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino noted that the intensive care units at both hospitals remain their primary focus. Hospitals are the communitys last line of defense against COVID-19, he said. And Interim Health Director Richard Chamberlain said they will remain hyper-vigilant since Labor Day was only a week ago, and the incubation period for the virus is up to 14 days. So there is still opportunity for another spike in cases resulting from gatherings around the holiday. They still want to see their hospital census decrease further, and to reach a point where no one else is dying from the virus, Chamberlain said. Mayor Pete Saenz said Labor Day weekend will be a another test for the community, the effects of which are yet to be seen. But if active cases, hospitalizations and the positivity rate continue to trend downward, then the city can look into opening up more, for the sake of the ailing business community. He would also like to appeal to federal officials to open up the international bridges, which have been closed to Mexican tourists since March. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Days after the members of the Panjab University (PU) syndicate wrote to vice-chancellor Raj Kumar to convene an emergency meeting, some syndics refused to attend the online meeting scheduled on Monday, demanding that it be held physically. At least five members are required to complete the quorum, but the members of the Goyal group who hold the majority with 11 of the 15-member syndicate refused to participate. A senior varsity official said, The meeting could not be held due to the lack of quorum. Senate poll controversy The Goyal group has been at loggerheads with the V-C ever since the senate polls were postponed for two months on August 15, asking him to convene a syndicate meeting at the earliest. The opposite group, too, has met the V-C several times asking him the same. On Monday, the syndics said it was an important meeting and it should be held physically instead of online. Hold physical meeting Syndicate member Rabinder Nath Sharma said, To uphold the sanctity of the syndicate, the executive body of the university, the meeting should be held physically. When the Parliament can hold sessions physically, the syndicate can too. Another syndicate member, HS Dua, said, It is not like we do not want the syndicate to meet. The stakes of students, teachers, and public are involved and we want full deliberations on them, which is only possible through a physical meeting. The V-C should convene a physical meeting. Other members have also expressed apprehensions regarding the meeting being held online. What was on the agenda? The decisions taken by the coordination committee regarding the conduct of the final-semester examinations and other examination-related issues were to be ratified by the syndicate. To avoid wasting time emailing back and forth to schedule meetings, use a shared calendar like YouCanBookMe, Calendly or x.ai where colleagues can see your availability and book slots accordingly. If you frequently set up meetings with people outside your organization, those tools can be integrated with Google and Outlook calendars, so you dont have to switch between different platforms. Another timesaver: Rather than type up the same response to common questions or requests, save a template so you can quickly fire it off when needed. That, Dr. OKeefe said, tells recipients, I see you, I hear you, Im interested in responding to you but heres when it will happen. Finally, you will never become an inbox zero person if you treat your email like a to-do list. Its common to leave messages unread and use them as reminders to get to certain tasks. The thinking goes: If I need to do it, its in my inbox. And if I want to take something off my plate, Ill just send an email about it to someone else, Dr. Newport said. That is a task management system. Its just a terrible one. Instead, he suggests creating a separate space of obligations. Use online tools like Trello, Flow-e or Asana to create task boards that organize your responsibilities according to urgency and progress. If those arent for you, Gmail has a task feature embedded in the calendar app that lets you create digital to-do lists, while Outlook has a similar feature called To Do. (Its classic task tool is being phased out.) Or, simply use a pen and paper to outline your days priorities. The key thing here is low friction, Dr. Newport said. Get things written down out of your head. Remember, youre in charge. There are small lifestyle changes you can make to tune out when needed. Dr. OKeefe recommends taking time to examine each of your digital tools and ask, How does this fit in my life? If you dont absolutely have to be on call 24/7, snooze professional email and chat notifications once you sign off for the day. If you have a smart watch that syncs to your inbox and phone, take it off after youre done working. Smartphones are so versatile we use them to work, connect and even buy cars but remember that youre in control of how you use them. Dr. Literat decided to stop reading and watching shows on her phone, so she bought a Kindle and started turning on the television more. Giving back is one of our core values at Crimson Cup, and we consider it an honor to help create coffee shops focused on the community. The newest coffee shop in Maryland Heights, Missouri has a unique mission: refresh the community, body and spirit. Built in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church at 12075 Dorsett Road, Higher Groundz Coffee & Tea held its grand opening August 4. Weve been here for 150 years and are still finding ways to build bridges throughout our community, said Pastor Mark Femmel. What better way than through coffee and tea, which reach every corner and level of society? To convert its basement into a state-of-the-art coffee shop, the church turned to award-winning Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea. Were excited to welcome Pastor Femmel and Zion Lutheran Church as 7 Steps customers, said Founder and President Greg Ubert. Giving back is one of our core values at Crimson Cup, and we consider it an honor to help create coffee shops focused on the community. Since 1991, Crimson Cup has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, churches and nonprofits in 30 states open thriving coffee houses. The roaster helps owners put their stamp independent businesses that reflect the needs of their local community. Pastor Femmel said he learned about Crimson Cup through another successful customer: Germania Brew Haus in Alton, Illinois. Germania opened in 2017 through Crimson Cups 7 Steps to Success coffee shop franchise alternative. Based on Uberts book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-Sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, the consulting program teaches everything needed to open and run a profitable coffee business. Working with 7 Steps Trainer Steve Bayless, the church invested $750,000 to create a spacious and inviting space for a state-of-the-art coffee house in the historic buildings basement. By following the 7 Steps, Pastor Femmel and his team learned the coffee business from the grounds up. Taken together, all 7 Steps are a great system, but we really appreciated the equipment guidance in Step 3, he said. We would have had no idea what to buy. There are so many available. When asked what advice he would give to prospective coffee shop owners, he said, Connect with Crimson Cup and follow the plan! Inside Higher Groundz, customers choose from a full menu of hot and cold specialty coffee drinks, including handcrafted espressos, lattes, cappuccinos and mochas, plus frozen smoothies, hot chocolate and premium hot and iced teas. Pastor Femmel said customers are impressed with the taste and quality of the award-winning coffee and espresso-based drinks. Weve converted black coffee drinkers to raspberry mocha drinkers by asking if they like coffee and desserts, he said. If youre willing to pay $5 for a dessert at a restaurant, why not a dessert in a cup that you can sip for an hour? Just a few weeks since opening, Higher Groundz is attracting regular customers and rave reviews. My family and I come here almost every day, said one Google viewer. The coffee is the best coffee we have ever had Our purpose is to delight and to inspire you for whatever challenges you will face today, Pastor Femmel said. Were on a mission to reach out beyond coffee and tea to those looking for a place to call home. If youre in the Maryland Heights area, we invite you to experience the vibe of our brand new coffee shop! he added. In a world that has lost its appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual, we offer a unique location and unique approach because everyone who enters our doors is unique. About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is a 2020 Good Food Award winner, 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year. Since 1991, Crimson Cup has roasted sustainably sourced craft coffee in small batches. It sells coffee to consumers and distributes wholesale coffee beans. Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee franchise alternative program, the company teaches entrepreneurs to run successful coffee houses. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop. Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also operates several Crimson Cup Coffee Houses. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced today the release of new additions to the EDIFICE line of high-performance metal chronographs based on the brand concept of "Speed and Intelligence." The new EQB-1100AT and ECB-20AT watches are collaboration models with Scuderia AlphaTauri Formula One team, winner of the 2020 Italian GP. Casio had been an official partner of the Scuderia Toro Rosso since 2016. The EQB-1100AT and ECB-20AT collaboration models are the first since the team changed its name to Scuderia AlphaTauri in this season. The dials feature a gradated navy blue and white color scheme, taking after the Scuderia AlphaTauri team colors and exactly the same navy blue as the EDIFICE brand color. The ECB-20AT features a navy blue case and band. Both models are inscribed with the team logo on the dial, case back, and band, part of a design that is infused with the world view of Scuderia AlphaTauri. The EQB-1100AT features a thin 9.6 mm case and an octagonal bezel combined with carbonused extensively in motorsports. The watch can simultaneously display the time in two cities. The ECB-20AT is equipped with a Schedule Timer, with the addition of a leather band inscribed with the team logo. On both models, the face is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystaltough enough for team mechanics.. The watches also automatically adjust the time when paired with a smartphone using a dedicated app. Both models are inscribed with the team logo on the dial, case back, and band, part of a design that is infused with the world view of Scuderia AlphaTauri. These are special collaboration models that support team members who travel around the world and need to schedule things down to the minute. Scuderia AlphaTauri Based in Italy, Scuderia AlphaTauri is a racing team whose roster is filled with up-and-coming young drivers. This season, the team just changed its name from Scuderia Toro Rosso. The team brings its youthful energy, racing cars powered by outstanding technological innovation, and the passionate pursuit of speed to the Formula One circuit. Believing these qualities perfectly match the EDIFICE brand concept, Casio has been an official team partner since 2016. EDIFICE: https://www.edifice-watches.com/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252569/EQB_1100AT_ECB_20AT.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252567/image_5009366_27734679.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1252568/1.jpg Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae / Yonhap Prosecutors questioned Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's son over the weekend over allegations he got special extended leave during his mandatory military service in 2017, the prosecution said Monday. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office said they called in the 27-year-old, surnamed Seo, on Sunday, and one of Choo's former aides on Saturday. Seo was questioned the same day Choo apologized for the scandal on her Facebook page. The minister has come under fire over allegations she used her influence as the then-chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party to get special extended leave for her son after he received knee surgery in June 2017. (Independent) Donald Trump has said he has signed a new executive order aimed at lowering the cost of medicines in the United States. Critics of Americas healthcare system - among then progressives such as Bernie Sanders - have long denounced the fact that prescription medicine costs far more in the US compared to other nations. The president has often vowed to take on big pharma, which benefits from the fact the government does not regulate prices, unlike many countries where government agencies negotiate prices for every drug. During the 2016 campaign he said he would lower their cost, and his first speech to the joint houses of Congress in February 2017, he vowed to bring them down immediately. Critics say he has not done that. On Sunday he tweeted that he had signed a new executive order aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations. My Most Favored Nation order will ensure that our Country gets the same low price Big Pharma gives to other countries. The days of global freeriding at Americas expense are over, he wrote. Also just ended all rebates to middlemen, further reducing prices. Press Trust of India An American commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been named after fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman to enter space, for her key contributions to human spaceflight. Northrop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defence technology company, announced that its next Cygnus capsule will be named the "S.S. Kalpana Chawla", in memory of the mission specialist who died with her six crewmates aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. "Today we honour Kalpana Chawla, who made history at @NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent. Her contributions to human spaceflight have had a lasting impact," the company tweeted on Wednesday. "Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the companys tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight," the company said on its website. "Chawla was selected in honour of her prominent place in history as the first woman of Indian descent to go to space," it said. "While Chawla made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the space programme, her legacy lives on through her fellow astronauts and those she has inspired to follow in her footsteps," it said. "Her final research conducted onboard Columbia helped us understand astronaut health and safety during spaceflight. Northrop Grumman is proud to celebrate the life of Kalpana Chawla and her dream of flying through the air and in space," it said. The S S Kalpana Chawla capsule is scheduled to launch on the NG-14 mission atop a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 29 September. The spacecraft will arrive at and be attached to the space station two days later. For the NG-14 mission, the Cygnus spacecraft will deliver approximately 3,629 kg of cargo to the space station. Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana on 17 March 1962. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in India in 1982. Chawla then moved to the United States to pursue her graduate education; in 1984 she received a Masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas, and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado in 1988. She held commercial pilots licenses for single- and multi-engine aeroplanes, seaplanes and gliders, and was also a certified flight instructor. Chawla began her career at NASA in 1988 as a powered-lift computational fluid dynamics researcher at the Ames Research Center in California. Her work concentrated on the simulation of complex air flows encountered by aircraft flying in ground-effect. In 1993, Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc. as vice president and a researcher in aerodynamics. After becoming a naturalised US citizen in April 1991, Chawla applied for the NASA astronauts corps. She was selected in December 1994 and reported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1995 as an astronaut candidate in Group 15. In November 1996, Chawla was assigned as a mission specialist on STS-87 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the first woman of Indian descent to fly in space. Chawlas second spaceflight experience came in 2001 when she was selected for the crew of STS-107. The flight was dedicated to science and research, with approximately 80 experiments completed. Chawla lost her life during the STS-107 mission when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering the Earths atmosphere. Health Minister heads to Ramsey for 'health talk' Health Minister David Ashford will head to the north of the Island as part of his health tlalks. Mr Ashford will be at Ramsey Town Hall from 6pm-8pm. The event will allow residents to air their views and put questions directly to the minister. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Now and always, all human life is sacred, from the womb to the grave. Nothing grieves me more than knowing our nation has legalized the massacre of more than 60 million babies. In some states, elected officials are now seeking to legalize the nefarious acts of infanticide and euthanasia. We destroy our most vulnerable through abortion and euthanasia, and we compel our health care professionals to participate in the taking of human life. We reject even the most basic legal protections for the unborn, the disabled and the sick. Lest you think I overstate the matter, consider this. In 2019, our U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation making animal cruelty a federal crime. But in February of this year, our elected officials wouldnt extend to an unborn child the same protections they give to a dog! The Senate failed to pass one bill that would have banned abortions when unborn babies are at the stage they can feel pain and dismissed another that would require healthcare professionals to provide medical care for babies who are born alive after an unsuccessful attempted abortion. This is unadulterated evil. Incidentally, the votes on both bills were almost entirely along party lines with nearly all Republicans voting to advance a culture of life and almost all Democrats voting to advance a culture of death. For years, Democrats claimed they wanted abortion to be safe, legal and rare. Now, women are encouraged to shout your abortion, and the Democrats platform calls for the legalization of abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. So much for rare. And safe? Any supposed commitment to safety went out the window when abortion advocates turned a blind eye to abortionists like Kermit Gosnell and Ulrich Klopfer both men whose parade of horrors were the embodiment of pure evil. But our moral depravity doesnt end there. Weve turned abortion into a high-tech eugenics device. So seared is our conscience that in the United States today, approximately 70% of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. After all, if inconvenient children dont deserve to live, why should flawed children fare any better? The thirst for death continues even after birth. I have long believed that Roe v. Wade was perhaps the greatest evil perpetrated by our society. Still, I never imagined that a major political party would advocate for the killing of children after birth infanticide! Yet, that is exactly what is happening. Last October, the Family Research Council released data demonstrating that only 15 states offer strong protections for babies born alive after an abortion. In contrast, 16 states have no laws defending these precious children. Last year, New York passed a so-called Reproductive Health Act. This direct assault on life amounts to infanticide. It allows for the murder of a child by abortion any time up to the very moment of delivery. And if that child should manage to survive the assault and the effort to kill him or her, the law allows the abortionist, who may not even be a physician, to leave the infant to die on a table on a porcelain plate. This is beyond belief. It is the absolute worst kind of evil imaginable, and some of our government officials want to export this law to every state across the country. This one issue alone should compel every Christian to vote in this election! Not content to attack life at its inception, weve begun to embrace euthanasia, which continues the horrible targeting of the most vulnerable among us. The so-called right to die movement permits the elderly, the sick, or the mentally ill to end their lives, often aided by the very medical professionals sworn to protect them. A 2018 Gallup Poll found that 72 percent of Americans think euthanasia should be legal. What is the answer to this horrible disregard for life? Our Declaration of Independence proclaims the unalienable right of life. But too often, our government officials fail to uphold even this most basic ideal. We need politicians who stand for life and policies that protect life. We also critically need a societal change of heart. One by one, the lies of abortion and euthanasia have been exposed. Now the truth about the God-given value of human life must be proclaimed! The church must find its voice. And you must find your voice. We can still change this nation and return to being a people who recognize the sacredness of life. But it wont happen unless we act now. Start by being a voice for life, by offering love and support for single moms, funding or volunteering at local pregnancy centers, and demonstrating in word and deed that the elderly, the sick, and the disabled are all precious in the sight of God. But dont stop there. Learn about the political party platforms and candidates running for office. Vote for public servants who respect the sanctity of life at every stage, and who arent afraid to govern accordingly. From conception to our last breaths on this earth, all life is a sacred gift from Almighty God. It must be cherished in our hearts and protected through our actions, both in our capacity as individuals and also through our laws and policies as a nation. Two months after Naya Rivera's death, the investigators handling the case revealed what the actress did after saving her son. On July 8, Rivera went missing at Lake Piru in California. The late "Glee" actress reportedly rented a pontoon boat that she and her 4-year-old son used in the lake. According to the report from Ventura County, the mother and son decided to jump into the water for a swim. Shortly after, the actress told her son to get back on the boat. However, she failed to save herself after pushing her son back. Now, in new documents released by the investigators, Rivera's son reportedly said that she used the last of her strength to scream for help right before drowning. Per her son, he heard Rivera yell "help" while waving his arm in the air. "She then disappeared into the water," the report added. Naya Rivera's Death A few days after she went missing, a body was found in the same lake. The Ventura County Sheriff then disclosed that they immediately started the recovery process of what was believed to be Rivera's body. "Happening now: A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning. The recovery is in progress. A news conference will take place at 2 p.m. at the lake," the department said in a tweet. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department said that the body they found in Lake Piru possessed the same characteristics as Rivera. The body was not wearing a life jacket and appeared to have been in the water for several days, officials assumed. However, they found an adult-sized life jacket on the boat. "Based on the location where the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body and the physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area, we are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera," Sheriff Bill Ayub of the department said. They do not see any indication of foul play and suicide at all, and the cause of death turned up to be drowning while the manner has been ruled as an accident. Furthermore, the autopsy and investigative report revealed that Rivera did not have a history of "suicidal ideation or attempt." She was only taking medication for a sinus infection before the accident. Although she had vertigo that got worse whenever she was in the water, she was still considered a good swimmer. The discovery of Rivera's body ended a six-day search. They found her body in the lake's northeast area where the water is between 35 and 60 feet deep. The search and rescue team's Robert Inglis explained to Us Weekly that he believes the strong winds may have possibly blown the boat away from where Rivera was swimming. Since the "Glee" star has a muscular built, it may have made it more difficult for her to stay afloat. Per the Page Six report, Inglis said that in scuba instruction, muscular people struggle to do the 10-minute tread water float because they sink in the end. While the waters are calm, it is easy for one to get tired when getting on the boat. READ MORE: COVID-19 Danger: Prince William, Kate Middleton at Risk The historic peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgent group have begun. The talks aim to end the prolonged warring conflicts between the two factions and have gone through arduous processes and setbacks. Beginning of peace talks Representatives for both the Afghan government and Taliban group met face to face on Saturday in the capital of Qatar. The parties are set to discuss their hopes for future generations and debate on a potential framework for long-lasting peace. According to NPR, Trump's administration was responsible for paving the way for negotiations when it successfully formed a peace agreement with the Taliban in February. The talks mark the first time in history the two sides will meet directly. The discussions in Doha come after 19 years from the time that al-Qaida killed almost 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The assault was recorded as one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in the history of the United States. The incident also sparked war within Afghanistan when the US military, supported by its allies, ended the Taliban regime's reign for harboring terrorists. Many years since, Taliban militants have regained control of the majority of the country. The path to reaching the historic peace talks was the result of several concessions. The US government and its allies promised to withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban renouncing al-Qaida and preventing any future terrorist attacks. Also Read: Afghan Vice President Injured With Bomb Attack Ahead of Historic Peace Talks With Taliban Insurgent Group The US military had about 12,000 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan when the peace agreement was signed in February. Officials stated that the American military is set to withdraw its troops down to 4,500 by the end of November. On the other hand, the Afghan government has promised to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners it has in its custody if the insurgent group agrees to set 1,000 of its imprisoned Afghan security forces free. Historic discussions Until now, the Taliban group had denied requests to met with the Afghan government, arguing they were powerless and mere puppets. Both parties desire to conduct political reconciliation and to put an end to the decades-long conflict, as reported by BBC. All those involved with the peace talks reiterated that the discussions would be challenging. History has seen vast disparities between the two factions, while conflicts continue to rage within Afghanistan. The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke during the opening of the historical talks and acknowledged that they would undoubtedly face many hurdles along the way. However, he stressed that the success of the discussions would benefit future generations to come. The head of Afghanistan's delegation, Abdullah Abdullah, said there was no need for both sides to agree on every detail of the talks. However, he expressed his hopes that a humanitarian ceasefire would result from the discussions and that a time of peace that all Afghan citizens recognize and accept may be implemented. During the conference, Taliban leader Mullah Baradar Akhund said he was calling for Afghanistan to have an all-encompassing Islamic system that would accept all tribes and ethnicities. Related Article: US to Withdraw More Than 2,000 Troops from Iraq Before November Elections @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The German edition of Diary in Prison was translated from Chinese by German Dr. Erhard Scherner and his wife Helga Scherner. The first German edition of President Ho Chi Minhs poem collection made debut in late 1975 early 1976. In this edition, Dr. Erhard Scherner and his wife have further improved the translation with the aspiration of helping German readers learn more about President Ho Chi Minh, an outstanding revolutionary, a national hero and a cultural celebrity. At the launching ceremony of the book, many German friends shared about their sentiments for Uncle Ho and recalled their memories of participation in the donation activities to support Vietnam and the movements to protest against the war in Vietnam. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu expressed his sincere thanks to Dr. Scherner and his wife for their enthusiasm in their translation of the Diary in Prison into German. The Ambassador affirmed that Ho Chi Minh's thoughts are still valuable today, becoming the guideline for the direction of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as well as all fields of economy, culture and diplomacy. At the ceremony, German actress Doreen Kahler recited the poems by President Ho Chi Minh in German; meanwhile, artist Dao Xuan Phuong performed several Vietnamese pieces with bamboo flute and monochord. Oceanbird is a mere concept for the time being, but not for long. Tests on a scale model in the real world are already being conducted and freight company Wallenius Marine, one of the parties behind the design, believes it could become a reality as soon as 2024.Weve spoken about wind-powered vessels on previous occasions, with Mathis Ruhls trimaran Wind Motion 70 being the most recent featured in a coverstory. Ruhl too believes that wind power is the cleanest way of achieving long-distance transportation by sea. However, in order to harness all the power of wind, special consideration must be given to sails and hull.Oceanbird doesnt have sails. It has wings instead.Developed by Wallenius Marine in partnership with Stockholms KTH Royal Institute of Technology and maritime consultancy SSPA, with financial backing from the Swedish Transport Administration, Oceanbird is part of the Wind Powered Car Carrier (WPCC) Project. It is a new type of class called Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) that could haul some 7,000 vehicles across the Atlantic with 90 percent fewer emissions.Oceabird takes cues from airplanes, utilizing four wings sitting at 80 meters (262.4 feet) above deck, or some 100 meters (328 feet) above the waterline. Made of steel and composite materials, they will generate forward thrust and pivot to 360 degrees for optimal use of wind power, moving the 32,000-ton vessel at a top speed of 10 knots. At 198 meters (650 feet) long, Oceanbird would be the biggest and the fastest sail vessel in the world (even though, technically, it doesnt have sails).According to the designers, the biggest challenge in creating this concept was creating rigging and a hull that would work together as a single unit. Unlike motorized vessels or even the traditional sail ship, the hull of Oceanbird has been optimized for improved aerodynamics and maximum efficiency. The designers estimate it could, at least in theory, cross the Atlantic in 12 days, taking 50 percent longer than todays fuel-burning ships (7-8 days) but with the smallest footprint.A backup motor would be included, presumably an electric one. It would kick in when traveling through harbors or other tricky areas. Also in harbors or when passing under bridges, the wings would collapse like a telescope, reaching heights no taller than 45 meters (150 feet). The telescopic adjustment would also be used to reef the sails under high winds.Wallenius Marine says that this is their third iteration of the PCTC concept, and one they have the most faith in, being hailed as the renaissance of wind-powered ships and the cargo carrier that will revolutionize transportation by sea. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gasses by 90 percent, as compared to current methods.It is critical that shipping becomes sustainable, the company says. Our studies shows that wind is the most interesting energy source for ocean transports and with the 80 meter high wing sails on Oceanbird, we are developing the ocean-going freighters of the future.A 7-meter (22.9-foot) model is already being tested in open water. The order book will open in 2021, with a possible launch in 2024. While this project aims to develop the perfect wind-powered cargo ship, the partners agree that the same technology can be used for cruise ships and other types of large vessels.Through the Oceanbird concept, the partners also aim to prove that the maritime industry can bring about change towards zero-emission shipping. Hopefully, it will happen before it's too late. Regulator on Monday ruled out any immediate regulatory intervention for OTT communication services like Whatsapp, Google Duo and Viber, and said time is not opportune to recommend a comprehensive regulatory framework for them -- dashing hopes of telcos that had been pushing for same rules to be applied to such players. The entire matter can be looked into afresh when more clarity emerges in international jurisdictions particularly the study undertaken by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), said outlining its views on the issue of regulatory framework for OTT (Over-The-Top) communication services. The move comes as a breather for OTT players, which have come under increasing scrutiny otherwise, but deals a blow to telcos' long-standing demand for parity and level-playing-field with such OTT services that cannibalise their own offerings. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said it had been hopeful that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) would address and rectify these "long pending market anomalies once and for all". The rued that without a resolution of these issues, telecom service providers will continue to be at a "disadvantageous position" vis-a-vis OTT communication service providers, who are not subject to strict regulatory/ licensing framework as telecom are. OTT services refer to applications and services that are accessible over the internet and ride on an operator's network. Skype, Viber, WhatsApp and Hike are some of the popular and widely-used OTT services. In a statement, said, "It is not an opportune moment to recommend a comprehensive regulatory framework for various aspects of services referred to as OTT services, beyond the extant laws and regulations prescribed presently." Trai further said that no regulatory interventions are needed for privacy and security related issues of OTT services for now. Trai said that market forces may be allowed to respond to the situation without prescribing any regulatory intervention. "However, developments shall be monitored and intervention as felt necessary shall be done at appropriate time," the regulator said. Trai had come out with a discussion paper on regulatory framework for such services in November 2018 where it had sought industry's views on multiple issues. These issues were similarity and substitutability of telecom service providers and OTT services, regulatory imbalance and non-level playing field between these two types of service providers, economic aspects, inter-operability, lawful interception of OTT services as well as access of emergency services from OTT. Telecom in India had long been demanding that OTT players be brought under the ambit of the regulatory framework, as they offer similar services without attached licencing obligations, conditions and levies (such as licence fee). However, OTTs argued back that a regulatory regime for them would stifle innovation. Of late, some of these platforms have come under increased scrutiny, and the government is seeking greater accountability from these firms. It is pertinent to mention that Trai had made it clear that the scope of its consultation paper would be regulatory issues and economic concerns pertaining to those OTT services that are same or similar to the services provided by telecom service providers (TSPs). In a statement on Monday, the said that while Trai's consultation paper two years back had posed various important issues like similarity and substitutability of TSPs and OTT communication services, regulatory imbalance and non-level playing field, "it appears none of these issues have been addressed by Trai in their current recommendations". "While, TSPs have to abide by a strict regulatory and licensing framework in order to provide the communication services, no regulatory/ licensing framework is applicable on those OTT players who offer similar communication services in the form of messaging, voice and video calls," director general S P Kochhar said in a statement. "We are of the view that these OTT services are substitutable to the services provided by the TSPs and hence a case of non-level playing field exists," Kochhar said. He added that security issues, such as lawful interception which TSPs comply with, are not applicable on OTT providers "which remain a threat to the national security". "The same is true in case of the privacy and security norms which are applicable on telcos but not applicable on OTT CSPs who also offer messaging and voice/video communication services," he said. Trai, in its recommendations, said that various studies on appropriate business models are already under consideration in various jurisdictions and added that any regulatory prescription in haste could leave adverse impact on industry as a whole. On security and privacy issues, Trai noted that architecture of OTT communication service is evolving to protect the end users with encryption technology deployed in a manner which prevents intermediaries from getting the communication in a clear text or in an intelligible form. Trai felt that imposition of any requirements to cater to get the details of communication in an intelligible form or clear text would either lead to change in the entire architecture of such OTT services which might not provide the same level of protection as offered currently, or may require provisions which may make the agents involved in the communication vulnerable to unlawful actors. (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 appeal launched two years after the construction of the building that housed the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, which was destroyed by the North a few months ago. Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are blocked following the failure of the dialogue between the North and the United States in 2019. Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The South Korea Unification Ministry is calling for a resumption of inter-Korean operations in Kaesong. The appeal comes exactly two years after the construction of the building that the North blew up three months ago. The office for inter-Korean relations was opened in the city of Kaesong in September 2018, after a meeting and an agreement between the Southern president Moon Jae-in and the leader of the North Kim Jong-un. But a few months ago, in June, in response to the launch of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by activists from the South, the North blew up the building. A few days later, President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation of Kim Yeon-chul, the Unification Minister. But the unification project remains alive. In a press conference today, ministry spokesman Yoh Sang-key said: We consider it very unfortunate that the two Koreas do not even have the minimum channel of communication and that this situation continues, as the operations of the Bureau of inter-Korean connection have been suspended . "The government - he added - hopes that the inter-Korean liaison office will resume operations and that the communication channel between the two Koreas will be re-established as soon as possible". Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have been at a standstill since the failure of dialogue between the North and the United States in 2019. Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Amnesty International on Monday called on the Rwandan authorities to guarantee a fair trial of Paul Rusesabagina, a political opponent best known internationally as the manager of a hotel in Kigali where over 1,200 people sought refuge during the genocide, as he is arraigned at court DGAP-News: KION GROUP AG / Key word(s): Expansion The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. KION GROUP AG expands its production facility in Stribro, Czech Republic - Third factory building brought on stream - Manufacture of material handling equipment by KION subsidiary Dematic for seamless warehouse logistics - KION CEO Gordon Riske: "We expanded the production facility in Stribro in response to the sustained boom in e-commerce" Frankfurt am Main/Stribro, September 14, 2020 - KION GROUP AG has added a third factory building at its site in Stribro near the Czech city of Plzen. The building, which covers 25,500 square meters, was constructed in less than one year and is operated by KION subsidiary Dematic. The KION Group, which specializes in intralogistics, has invested about 2 million in the new factory. It will be used for the manufacture of conveyor belts, pouch sorting systems, and storage and retrieval equipment - known as Multishuttle systems - that ensure the smooth flow of goods in warehouses and distribution centers. KION's subsidiary Dematic is a global leader in material handling using intelligent software and automation solutions for the optimization of supply chains. In the first half of this year, the KION Supply Chain Solutions segment increased its order intake by 57.3 percent to 1.744 billion (previous year: 1.109 billion). Over 6,000 installed systems from the KION Group are deployed by large and small customers in a variety of industries on six different continents. Dematic currently has around 150 permanent employees in Stribro, and this number is rising. "We expanded the production facility in Stribro, one of our largest sites worldwide, in response to the growing trend for omnichannel solutions and the sustained boom in e-commerce," says Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG. He adds that Dematic is focusing its expertise on innovative, industry-specific warehouse logistics solutions, such as automated storage and retrieval systems, automated guided vehicle systems, Multishuttle systems and, increasingly, robotics. "I am very pleased with the successful completion of the third KION Group project in our industrial zone as I am extremely satisfied with the cooperation with this company. The company acts openly with willingness respecting the principles of social responsibility. Last but not least, I would like to emphasize that KION brought the end product manufacturing with high added value, as well as the qualified jobs," said the mayor of Kostelec u Stribra, Frantisek Trhlik. "When KION entered Panattoni Park Stribro five years ago, it announced in advance that if it was successful in the area, it would build another building, and if it was very successful, it would build a total of three buildings. I'm very pleased that it finally chose the maximum expansion, because it means maximum satisfaction for all. Secondly, I would like to emphasize that KION's story testifies to the gradual transformation of Czech industry to the level of 4.0. All factories are fully digitized and their operations are paperless," says Pavel Sovicka, Managing Director of Panattoni for Czech republic and Slovakia. KION in the Czech Republic KION GROUP AG officially opened its production facility in Stribro, Czech Republic, in 2016. Since then, the world's second-largest manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse trucks has been deploying digitally connected systems at its state-of-the-art facility to create a 'smart factory'. Reach trucks and pallet stackers are built for the Linde MH brand at the KION Stribro site. The KION Group has a total of three sites in the Czech Republic. Besides the plant in Stribro, where a transport company is also based, Linde Pohony (LiPo) makes steering axles and electric and hydrostatic drive axles in Cesky Krumlov for the KION Group's brands, while JULI, a joint venture of the KION Group near Brno, builds electric motors. In total, almost 1,500 people work at the three sites. The Company The KION Group is one of the world's leading providers for industrial trucks and supply chain solutions. Its portfolio encompasses industrial trucks, such as forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, as well as integrated automation technology and software solutions for the optimization of supply chains, including all related services. Across more than 100 countries worldwide, the KION Group's solutions improve the flow of material and information within factories, warehouses, and distribution centers. The Group, which is included in the MDAX, is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in Europe and the second largest worldwide in terms of units sold. It is also a leading provider of automation technology. The KION Group's world-renowned brands are well established. Dematic, the newest addition to the KION Group, is a global leader in warehouse automation, providing a broad range of intelligent supply chain and automation solutions. The Linde and STILL brands serve the premium industrial truck segment. Baoli focuses on industrial trucks in the value segment. Among KION's regional industrial truck brand companies, Fenwick is the largest supplier of material handling products in France and OM is a provider of industrial trucks in the Indian market. With an installed base of more than 1.5 million industrial trucks and over 6,000 installed systems, the KION Group's customers include companies in numerous industries of various sizes on six continents. The Group has currently more than 35,000 employees and generated revenue of 8.8 billion in 2019. Current KION Group images can be found in our image database at https://mediacenter.kiongroup.com/categories and on the websites of our various brands. (fgr) Disclaimer This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions (including with respect to further developments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release. Further information for the media Michael Hauger Senior Vice President Corporate Communications Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 655 Cell: +49 (0)151 1686 5550 michael.hauger@kiongroup.com Frank Grodzki Senior Director External Communications & Group Newsroom Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 496 Cell: +49 (0)151 6526 2916 frank.grodzki@kiongroup.com Further information for investors Antje Kelbert Senior Manager Investor Relations Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 346 antje.kelbert@kiongroup.com Dana Unger Senior Manager Investor Relations Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 371 dana.unger@kiongroup.com Additional features: Picture: http://newsfeed2.eqs.com/kion/1131005.html Subtitle: KION plant in Stribro_Czech Republic File: KION_New production facility in Stribro, Czech Republic 14.09.2020 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 After excluding Chick-fil-A as a vendor at San Antonio International Airport last year, the city now must offer the Georgia fast-food chain a spot at the airport if it wants federal officials to drop an investigation into the controversial decision. Whether Chick-fil-A or City Council members have the appetite for such a deal is a different question. San Antonio has reached an informal agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration over the citys decision to strike Chick-fil-A from a new slate of airport vendors prepared by an Atlanta-based concessionaire, officials said Monday. Lets put this behind us, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. It was one of an endless series of vendor contracts that come before City Council. Were in the middle of a pandemic and a recession. San Antonio has bigger issues on its agenda. On ExpressNews.com: Texas appeals court rejects Save Chick-fil-A lawsuit, hands San Antonio a victory At the time of the vote, District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino cited Chick-fil-As history of donating to groups opposed to LGBTQ rights. That angered religious conservatives, who accused council members of discriminating against the company on religious grounds. The FAA launched the probe after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to look into whether the city broke federal civil rights law or Transportation Department regulations. The FAA announced an informal resolution with the city in a letter dated Thursday. City officials said they offered to resolve the FAA investigation informally and have maintained that they did not discriminate against the fast-food chain. Our view is we want to have the airport working with the FAA on how do we recover from the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the transportation industry, City Attorney Andy Segovia said. We want to focus on that rather than on this matter. Paxton applauded the agreement. This is a win for religious liberty in Texas, and I strongly commend the FAA and the city of San Antonio for reaching this resolution, Paxton said. Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday Under the resolution, the city has 45 days to hammer out an offer to Chick-fil-A via Atlanta-based Paradies Lagardere, which holds the airport concession contract at terms reasonable and consistent with customary business practices. If San Antonio comes through, the FAA will drop the investigation. Whether a Chick-fil-A restaurant will wind up at the airport depends on whether the company would be interested in setting up shop there and whether the City Council approves such a deal. On Monday, a spokeswoman said Chick-fil-A is not pursuing a location in the San Antonio airport at this time. That came as no surprise to District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, the councils lone conservative member, who voted in favor of keeping Chick-fil-A on the list of vendors. Who would blame them? Why do that? Perry said. Id say, Hey, screw you, San Antonio, yall didnt want us there to begin with. Whats changed? Three council members Perry, District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran and District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales said they would vote in favor of an agreement that would allow the restaurant chain to open an airport location. Perry and Viagran each lamented that the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees defending its decision. When council members struck Chick-fil-A from the contract, they instructed Paradies to find another restaurant to fill the spot. But a year and a half after the vote, that spot hasnt been filled. At one point, Paradies negotiated with Whataburger to take the space Chick-fil-A would have occupied, but talks stalled. This is almost two years, and we still dont have a vendor for that spot, Viagran said. And we have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this. District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, who voted in favor of nixing the chain from the contract, said he likely wouldnt vote to allow the restaurant at the airport in part because its not based locally or open on Sundays. Clearly, Chick-fil-A is a culture war lightning rod, and Im not interested in having those debates at the airport, Pelaez said. Trevino, the councilman who led the charge to strike Chick-fil-A from the contract, declined to comment. On ExpressNews.com: Chick-fil-A Alamodome: New documents shed light on S.A. City Councils controversial vote and a never-before-seen proposal The March 2019 vote embroiled conservatives including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who said the city was discriminating against the company on religious grounds. Chick-fil-As late founder, A. Truett Cathy, was a devout Southern Baptist who opted to close the companys restaurants on Sundays. Its chief operating officer spoke out against same-sex marriage in 2012. Then-Councilman Greg Brockhouse used controversy over the vote to court conservatives and evangelicals in his close but unsuccessful bid to oust Nirenberg in the 2019 mayoral election. Nirenberg had cited financial considerations and passenger convenience as his reasons for rejecting Chick-fil-A. The chains policy of staying closed Sundays would deprive hungry travelers of one less option and reduce airport revenue, he said. The mayor did not say Monday whether he would vote to bring Chick-fil-A to the airport. The vote also led Texas lawmakers to pass, on a largely partisan vote, the Save Chick-fil-A bill. The legislation took effect last September and bars Texas government agencies from punishing people and companies for affiliating with or donating to a religious organization. Local conservative activists sued the city on those grounds. But in August, the 4th Court of Appeals ruled that they had no standing and reversed a lower court decision. Activists have said they plan to appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports Ten years ago this month, Western Silk provided Tom Hill with one heck of a 60th birthday present. It may have been a few days belated, but the filly's victory in the 2010 Jugette proved to be the icing on the proverbial cake. Now, with Hill's 70th birthday just days away and his Party Girl Hill looking like a world beater, the English Standardbred owner may soon be in for a serious case of deja vu. It goes without saying that Party Girl Hill has taken the Standardbred world by storm in 2020. After having gone unraced as a juvenile last season, the bay daughter of Captaintreacherous has been the force in the three-year-old pacing filly division in 2020. Party Girl Hill has won all nine of her starts this year and has banked $534,381. She recently followed up her Fan Hanover victory by zipping to a mark-lowering 1:48.4 win in her Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final at Harrah's Philadelphia. After what his filly has done on the racetrack this year, and after his experience with Western Silk 10 years ago, there is no wonder why Hill is looking forward to the upcoming stakes action at Ohios Delaware County Fair -- even though he will be forced to watch from afar. "I'm very excited and looking forward to it," Hill has told Trot Insider. "It was my 60th birthday back then and now 10 years later we are going back with a phenomenal filly for my 70th. "It (the Jugette) is very special, being around my birthday, even though we cannot fly to Canada or the U.S. at the moment due to COVID-19," said Hill. "My birthday is the 19th of September, and the funny thing is that my grandson Tom's birthday is on the 23rd and he is always at the track and sales with me." The Jugette will be the focal point of the Wednesday, September 23 card of racing at Delaware. The Little Brown Jug will follow on Thursday, September 24. Unfortunately, spectators will not be allowed at the fair to watch the races this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To win the Jugette is a thrill, undoubtedly, but the Little Brown Jug even more so. With Party Girl Hill being as impressive as she has, Hill admitted that he thought about the idea of his star filly taking on the boys in the cherished stakes. Although it has been decided that Party Hill Girl will slug it out with the girls in the Jugette, Hill has full confidence that his filly could've handled her males rivals. "I asked (trainer) Chris Ryder what he wanted to do and I left it up to him," Hill told Trot Insider. "He is doing a great job with her and that's why I left it up to him. We were not bothered either way. We were not worried about taking on the colts in the Jug. I think she could beat the boys and the girls if she stays sound, healthy and has luck." Party Girl Hill, pictured victorious at the Meadows. Party Girl Hill, pictured victorious at the Meadows. It will never be known whether Party Girl Hill could've toppled the boys in the 2020 Little Brown Jug, but with everything that the filly has done to this point, the discussion is surely valid. "People have been messaging us saying that she's the best horse they have seen Somebeachsomewhere," Hill said. "She's been one fifth of a second off of world records twice and still had plenty in the tank. We think she is a very special filly -- the best horse that we have ever owned -- and it also feels great that we were her breeder." Madurai : In a massive crackdown by Tamil Nadu Police following the protest against the Supreme Courts ban on Jallikattu, more than 500 protestors have been detained by the police in Alanganallur of Tamil Nadus Madurai on Tuesday. On Saturday too, 149 persons were detained in Madurai district for staging protests against the ban. The Supreme Court on Thursday had said it could not give its verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal. Thousands of protestors on Monday took to the streets in Madurais Alanganallur town protesting the ban against the ancient and popular bull-taming sport -Jallikattu. They assembled in the town area well known for conducting Jallikattu. A large convoy of police personals have been deployed at the venue to prevent any untoward incidents. Also Read: Video: Villagers in Tamil Nadu's Palamedu conduct symbolic Jallikattu event defying SC's order Jallikattu festival: Police warns of action against those defying SC ban Protestors made black rangoli and held various protests against Peta also. DMK Working President MK Stalin and PETA over the Jallikattu issue, with the leader dubbing the animal rights NGO as anti-national and the group calling the criticism cheap and ineffective. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has come under severe criticism from pro-Jallikattu groups for its strident opposition to the bull-taming sport associated with the Pongal harvest festivities. Targeting PETA, which has been in the forefront of anti- Jallikattu protests, Stalin, also Tamil Nadu Opposition leader, said such international NGOs did not realise the diversity of India and aspects of its heritage, and charged them with working with ulterior motives. Centre should immediately ban the international NGO PETA which is against our culture and is anti-national, he said. He also favoured replacing Animal Welfare Board of India with a different body with more Tamil representation in it. Hitting back, PETA said Stalins criticism was cheap and ineffective and that supporting cruelty is un-Indian. To target an animal protection NGO which is not a law- making body, but rather a law-abiding body, is cheap and ineffective as it can have no bearing whatsoever on the central government laws that prohibit cruelty to bulls, Manilal Valliyate, Director of Veterinary Affairs, PETA India, said. To stand for kindness is patriotic, to stand for cruelty is un-Indian. PETA India serves animals in respect of our countrys Constitutional mandate, its laws and its Supreme Court, Valliyate said in a statement. Stalin demanded that the Centre should not allow PETA to function anymore and urged the Union Government to come out with court-approved mechanism for the conduct of the bull-taming sport in future. (With agencies input) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The House of Commons will on Monday debate the Internal Market Bill, which the EU has demanded Johnson scrap by the end of September. After the debate, lawmakers will decide if it should go to the next stage. A vote could be late British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to break international law by breaching parts of the Brexit divorce treaty with the European Union faces a vote in parliament on Monday amid growing opposition from within his own party. The House of Commons will on Monday debate the Internal Market Bill, which the EU has demanded Johnson scrap by the end of September. After the debate, lawmakers will decide if it should go to the next stage. A vote could be late. Johnson's decision to explicitly break international law has plunged Brexit back into crisis less than four months before Britain is finally due to leave the EU's orbit when a post-Brexit transition period ends in December. The EU has ramped up no-deal Brexit preparations while Britain has dismissed an ultimatum from Brussels to scrap the main parts of the bill by the end of September. Johnson, who has a majority of 80 in the lower house of parliament, is facing a growing revolt from some of his own lawmakers while former prime ministers John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Theresa May have criticised the plan. "When the queens minister gives his word, on her behalf, it should be axiomatic that he will keep it, even if the consequences are unpalatable," Johnson's former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said in The Times. "No British minister should solemnly undertake to observe treaty obligations with his fingers crossed behind his back," said Cox, who was sacked by Johnson in February. Britain says the bill - which explicitly says that it could be inconsistent with a host of international laws - merely clarifies ambiguities. It says it is committed to the Brexit treaty though its main priority is the 1998 Northern Irish peace deal that ended decades of violence. Search Keywords: Short link: S enior Conservative MPs have warned Boris Johnson they will not support Brexit legislation which breaks international law. The UK Internal Market Bill seeks to override the Brexit divorce deal, thereby breaching international law, in a bid to protect the relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It also sets out the way that trade within the UK will work once outside the EUs single market and customs union, amid concerns in Westminster that Brussels could seek to disrupt food goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland as part of trade talks. But the Tory chairman of the Justice Select Committee, Sir Bob Neill, said he cannot vote in favour of the Bill at second reading unless clauses giving ministers powers to modify or disapply rules relating to the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland are removed. Sir Bob told the Commons: "I see the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Michael Gove) listening, I hope hell be able to go further than the Prime Minister, either tonight or in the course of this Bill, and assure us that those provisions will not be brought into effect unless and until every one of those legal mechanisms open to us have been exhausted and unless and until there has been a specific vote of this House. "I hope that we will take the opportunity to change and improve these clauses and the way in which they might operate so that we do not fall into a means of damaging our reputation. "That is why I cant support the Bill tonight. I hope that we will see amendments to change what I believe are egregious and needless and potentially damaging elements of part five of the Bill." Conservative Charles Walker called on the Government to "exhaust all other options before we press the nuclear button". Im not going to be voting for this Bill at second reading because if you keep whacking a dog, dont be surprised when it bites you back. We are all Members of Parliament and we deserve to be taken seriously, he told MPs. Ed Miliband and Boris Johnson face each other in Monday's debate / UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire Imran Ahmad Khan became the first of the new 2019 intake of MPs from the Governments own party to announce he will not vote for the Bill. Whilst I stand four-square behind the Governments policies and objectives, including those advanced by the UK Internal Market Bill, I cannot vote for legislation that a Cabinet minister stated from the despatch box will break international law, he told MPs. Former attorney general Jeremy Wright agreed, adding: "If we break (international laws) ourselves we weaken our authority to make the arguments the worlds most vulnerable need us to make." Meanwhile, Andrew Mitchell warned the Government that while he has "no hesitation in supporting the second reading" of the UK Internal Market Bill, he will vote against anything that breaches international law. He said: "Now, Ive voted in ways in this House that I have regretted in the past. I voted for Section 28, I voted for the poll tax and I voted with the then prime minister on Iraq. Boris Johnson urges MPs to support controversial Brexit bill "But I dont believe Ive ever gone into a lobby to vote in a way that I knew was wrong and I wont be doing it on this occasion either." Another former minister, Sir Oliver Heald, expressed his unhappiness at the Government claiming precedent for breaking international law. He said: "Can I just also say that I was surprised to see this justified by the precedent, allegedly, of the Finance Act 2013 General Anti-Abuse Rule by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. "I was a law officer at the time, Dominic Grieve was attorney general. "And one thing I can say about Dominic Grieve is that he was very correct and made sure that Government legislation did not offend the rule of law he was extremely painstaking. And that Act did not breach Britains treaty obligations." However, other Conservative MPs defended the Governments Bill. Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood) said: In light of the EUs continued resistance to a mutually beneficial free trade agreement, a no deal would be our only available option and this Bill makes provision for that. Former minister Sir Christopher Chope said the EU was not sincerely co-operating with the UK in trade talks. He added: "If the EU carries out all its threats then it will destroy the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom and it will deprive us of the opportunity to administer for the whole of the United Kingdom with internal trade arrangements. The Prime Minister opened the debate on Monday by insisting the Bill is essential for guaranteeing the economic and political integrity of the United Kingdom. He said: I regret to have to tell the House that in recent months the EU has suggested that it is willing to go to extreme and unreasonable lengths using the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that goes well beyond common sense simply to exert leverage against the UK in our negotiations for a free trade agreement. Ed Miliband: Prime Minister has himself to blame for Brexit Bill incompetence To take the most glaring example, the EU has said that if we fail to reach an agreement to their satisfaction, they might very well refuse to list the UKs food and agricultural products for sale anywhere in the EU. And it gets even worse. Because under this protocol that decision would create an instant and automatic prohibition on the transfer of our animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Our interlocutors on the other side are holding out the possibility of blockading food and agriculture transports within our own country. The Prime Minister added the EU has yet to take that revolver off the table. "Let us seize the opportunity presented by this Bill and send a message of unity and resolve," he told MPs. "Lets say together to our European friends that we want a great future relationship and a fantastic free trade deal." Far away from the limelight, there exist many corona warriors working quietly to help fight the virus and save peoples lives. Dr Amit Garg, microbiologist and in-charge of Covid-19 lab in Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial (LLRM) Medical College, Meerut, is one such warrior who has been part of the battle against Covid-19 for the past about six months. The medical college lab was set up on March 23 to perform RT-PCR tests and Garg was made its in-charge with twelve staffers. He has not taken a single days leave in these 176 days. His mother Gunmala Garg got infected with Covid-19 but he returned to his lab after admitting her in a private hospital in Noida. My friends and wife took care of my mother because I was engrossed in testing of samples in the lab, said Garg who leaves home every day at 8 am for his lab but there is no fixed time of returning home. Also read: Wont be enough Covid-19 vaccines till 2024: Serum Institutes Adar Poonawalla Gargs wife, Charu, is a pathologist. The couples son is pursuing B Tech from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, and daughter Nandini is a student of class 9. Charu said both their children were pursuing their studies from home these days due to the pandemic but in the past six months met their father only on few occasions. He (Garg) remains occupied on the phone even after returning from his lab and also before leaving for the lab in the morning. All his phone conversations concern peoples Covid-19 reports, Charu said. Recalling their pre-Covid days, she said the whole family used to meet over tea and enjoy the weekends with friends and relatives. Now, everything has come to a halt with his busy schedule. But I am satisfied and feel proud that he has been working dedicatedly and doing his best to save the lives of people, said Charu. Garg pursued his MBBS from GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, and thereafter pursued MD from KGMU, Lucknow in 2003. He then completed a one-year course on infectious diseases from SGPGI, Lucknow and worked there as a senior resident doctor in 2004-2005 before joining LLRM Medical College in 2006. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Speaking about his colleagues, Garg mentioned about lab technician Manoj who also had not taken a single days leave during the pandemic and was supporting the team with utmost dedication. He, however, made no bones about admitting that they have been facing staff shortage for testing because in beginning they were testing 100 samples a day which has now increased to almost 3,000 samples per day. I request for more staff and the college administration has assured me that my request would be fulfilled soon, said Garg. New Brunswick Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers arrives to cast his ballot in the provincial election, in Miramichi, N.B., on Sept. 14, 2020. (Ron Ward/The Canadian Press) Voting Underway in New Brunswick in Canadas First Pandemic Election New Brunswickers are heading to the polls today in the countrys first provincial election since the start of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, after only a month of low-key campaigning. After casting his ballot at a church hall in his riding of Quispamsis, Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs said voting went smoothly, despite COVID-19 restrictions. Well, that was well set up, Higgs told reporters. It was very well organized, very disciplined. Thanks to health and hygiene rules there was no handshakes, no kissing of babies, no rallies, and no community barbecues during the provinces 28-day campaign. Much of the low-key campaign was conducted on social media, though there was some door-to-door campaigningall done at a safe distance. Higgs said the biggest difference he noticed at the polling station was the hand sanitizer and everyone wearing masks. This is just another example that democracy will continue. We were confident we could make this work safely, he said. Higgs called the election only 21 months into his first term, saying his minority government needed stability and a majority to govern a province initially left reeling by the pandemic. He said Monday said hes hoping to break the string of one-term governments in the province. Its time to change that. It has hurt our stability here in the province and it certainly would hurt it now at a time like this if we got into that again, he said. Voters exiting polling stations said they were surprised by how smoothly the voting process went, saying the only difference they noticed from previous elections was the physical distancing and use of masks. Lineups were reported at a few polling stations, and there was a heavy turnout during the advance polls. At dissolution, there were 20 Tories, 20 Liberals, three Greens, three Peoples Alliance members, one Independent, and two vacancies. At least 25 seats are needed for a majority in the 49-seat house. Recent polls put the Tories well ahead of their rivals. Road to the Polls Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers cast his ballot shortly after the polls opened in Miramichi. He said the campaign had been a challenge, though he said online tools were used to get the partys message out to the public. Vickers expressed his concerns back in July about an election during the pandemic and proposed to wait until March 2021. Higgs instead proposed keeping his minority government in power for the next two years, or until 30 days after the pandemic is over. However, talks about the proposal with four of the political parties in New Brunswick failed to come to an agreement in August. Green party Leader David Coonwho in 2014 became the first Green elected to the legislaturehad accused Higgs of attempting a power grab. As for the Peoples Alliance, led by Kris Austin, the party had agreed to prop up the Higgs government for 18 months after the 2018 election. When that deal expired, Higgs asked the other parties to keep him in power until 2022 or until the pandemic had been declared over. Higgs ended up asking the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature in mid-August. A month later, the voting polls are open. Kim Poffenroth, the provinces chief electoral officer urged voters to use advanced polls and mail-in ballots to reduce line-ups at the polling stations. Advance polls took in some 133,000 votes or about one-third of the votes taken in for the 2018 provincial election. Polling stations across the country will be watching to learn from this election as to how to deal with social distancing, protective gear, and the use of sanitizer, for the coming elections such as in Saskatchewan in October. Previous polling for the election suggested Higgs has a strong position, even though calling for a snap election has been a point of contention in the campaign. Higgs campaigned on his partys managing of the outbreak and maintaining stability for an economic recovery. Vickers touted the all-party cabinet committee as being important in overseeing decision-making during the pandemic over the spring and summer and praised Dr. Jennifer Russell, the provinces chief medical officer of health. On the campaign trail, Vickers often told voters of Higgss alleged secret plan to make deep cuts to public services including health care should he win a majority. Higgs has vowed not to close any emergency rooms or reduce hours in hospitals, despite trying to do so in February, saying he cant in good conscience move forward without addressing the concerns and fears that have been brought to light. New Brunswick has a history of two consecutive terms in office since confederation, except for the previous four terms. Higgs hopes to bring back that trend. He has been in office for two years, and if he wins he will break the streak over the past four elections of having only single term victories in New Brunswick. The last election in New Brunswick was a close race when Higgs won 22 seats while the Liberals won 21 seats. The greens and the Alliance both got three seats. To win a majority government this time around, Higgs will need to win 25 seats. However, the PCs do not have 49 candidates in the race. The PCs, the Liberals, and the Alliance all decided to dismiss candidates last week for offensive social media posts all regarding marginalized groups. Fredericton North is a riding to watch as the same candidates have a re-match. Liberal Stephen Horsman was the victor in 2018 with a mere 261-vote win over Jill Green as a Progressive Conservative. Fredericton York is held by Alliance. PC wants to win this seat back tonight. Miramichi is where Vickers is running and it is currently held by Michelle Conroy of the Peoples Alliance who won a surprise victory in 2018. Other ridings to watch for a close race and that will influence the outcome of this election are Moncton South and East, both won by Liberals in the previous election. With files from The Canadian Press Derek and Gay Veitch with Orangey Red and jockey Pat Smullen, after winning the 6f handicap at Listowel. Picture: Patrick McCann For a racehorse breeder like Derek Veitch, who runs Ringfort Stud in Co Offaly with his wife Gay, his job comes down to a series of daily decisions that will hopefully culminate in a champion racehorse. Horse racing is a business but its a business thats also steeped in romance, dreams and the joy of seeing your horse win on the day. Even for industry veterans, the thrill of a win never goes away. Ringfort Stud made the headlines with recent wins for Miss Amulet and Minzaal at York and one of the most satisfying parts of Dereks job is seeing the time and work they put into a horse come to fruition. There are loads of people who are very good at their job in our industry, Derek says. Some are wealthy, some are not, but they get a kick out of breeding the winner that wins at Ascot or the winner that turns up at the Curragh. Its still very important that they enjoy that part of it and thats undoubtedly the most satisfying thing because it justifies everything. You have to be a bit of an optimist to be a breeder, I think. And you definitely have to be a bit of a dreamer but those people seem to get attracted to the animal, to the horse. Horse Racing Ireland is giving the public a chance to take a peak behind the curtain and hear from major industry players with a series of Race Behind the Scenes events from September 14 to 18. Its a chance for anyone interested in horse racing to find out how to get involved, watch webinars with racing insiders and to discover more about employment opportunities. Ahead of the event, we spoke to Derek about whats involved in breeding a champion racehorse. Breeding champions Expand Close Ringfort Studs Orangey Red wins the 7f fillies race at Fairyhouse. Picture: Patrick McCann / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ringfort Studs Orangey Red wins the 7f fillies race at Fairyhouse. Picture: Patrick McCann Derek got into horse racing through his wife Gay, whose family were heavily involved in racing when he met her. Her cousin is renowned trainer Dermot Weld and her familys love of horses soon rubbed off on Derek. His own father had bred pedigree Angus cattle so the idea of breeding horses was something that appealed to him. It was interesting to me to get to the breeding point where I could breed something that could race successfully. I suppose that was where the attraction and the love of it all came from. It was a sort of hobby/interest. Well it started out that way and now its a way of life and I make my living out of it. He left his successful veterinary practice in Armagh to go and manage horses in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi royal family. After a few years, the family returned and bought a 50-acre farm in Co Offaly, which would go on to become the 270-acre Ringfort Stud. So what is the key to breeding champion racehorses? For me, Im self-taught and I think over the years I learnt an awful lot about things, particularly about genetics and the right combination of stallion and mare, genetically and physically, explains Derek. Whats in vogue in sales is not necessarily what you want to be using to breed racehorses sometimes. We cover mares with unusual stallions but its because I think they work. We breed a lot of winners because of that. Although his approach can be unorthodox, its based on experience and years of study and analysis. Every type of mare that we have has a different broodmare sire and physical attributes. Taking unusual sires or good brood mare sires and crossing them carefully is important. I look at how the mare is bred - the covering sire. If I can, I buy one in foal and if its a maiden filly, I definitely look at the broodmare sire soundness in the family. He believes that having good land, good management decisions and good stockmanship are all crucial. Attention to detail, hard work and having a good team around you is also essential if you want to succeed in this business. From the time you plan a mating to that foal or that yearling is sold or races, there are a lot of people involved in that journey so its not just about us having a plan. Its about everyone helping it along. As a breeder, one of the biggest challenges is protecting your investment and Derek points out that its easy for something to go wrong with a young foal or yearling. A stressed horse can easily try to jump a fence, run through wire or kick another animal or a staff member so you need to understand how a horse thinks. The six to eight weeks when a yearling is being prepared for sale can often be one of the most dangerous times for breeders. Thats part of the risk. At the end of the day, were doing all this and taking on the risk hoping that it works out financially or that we get the horse to a point where a trainer gets hold of it and they can train it. A career as a breeder Expand Close Derek Veitch, daughter Stephanie and Pat Smullen chat after Orangey Reds win in Fairyhouse. Picture: Patrick McCann / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Derek Veitch, daughter Stephanie and Pat Smullen chat after Orangey Reds win in Fairyhouse. Picture: Patrick McCann Dereks advice for anyone interested in becoming a breeder is to talk to successful people in the industry who can give them sound advice. Go slowly at it, make a business plan, take good advice, work hard, and consistently keep learning from the people around you who are good at what they do, he says. He advises breeders who are starting out not to overstretch themselves financially but to take measured risks in order to succeed. Be brave. Dont be afraid to fail. Everyone in life whos very successful fails all the time. With their three children unlikely to take over the family business, Derek and his wife Gay will eventually reduce the number of horses they have at Ringfort Stud while focusing on retaining higher quality mares. He says that horse racing has been good to their family and its a business he would have no hesitation in recommending to people. Its a big industry, it creates a lot of employment, and helps a lot of families, he says. Its good physical exercise, its good for you mentally and physically, and its a good way of life. If you can make it a financially secure way of life, sure isnt it lovely to be able to walk out of the house and into an open yard or an open field and thats your office. I like that way of life. Race Behind the Scenes is an opportunity to look inside the world of horse racing. Check out the website to find out what to look for when training a horse or how to become a race commentator or a world class breeder. Sign up to a series of webinars taking place over the week of September 14 and meet the trainers blazing the trail on the world stage and the owners behind the colours. Delve into the world of horseracing and Race Behind the Scenes. Sponsored by Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga is set to become the country's next prime minister after the ruling party on Monday elected him successor to outgoing leader Shinzo Abe. Suga easily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals. Given his party's legislative majority, he is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, succeeding Abe, who is resigning for health reasons. The 71-year-old repeated his pledge to continue Abe's policies as he accepted the party's nomination as leader. "In order to overcome the crisis and give the Japanese people a sense of relief, we need to succeed in what Prime Minister Abe has been implementing," he added. "This is my mission." Even before he formally announced his run, the 71-year-old Suga had won the support of key factions within the ruling party, with his candidacy viewed as promising stability. The LDP chose to poll only its lawmakers in parliament and three representatives from each of the country's 47 regions, eschewing a broader ballot including rank-and-file members that officials said would have taken too long to organise. - 'A shining Japan' - Suga beat off the competition of former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida. Abe, who smashed records as Japan's longest-serving prime minister with more than eight years in power over two terms, declined to endorse any one candidate. But he pledged to "fully support" Suga after his win, saying he had watched him "working hard and quietly for the nation and people" in his role as chief cabinet secretary. "Let's build a shining Japan by overcoming the coronavirus crisis, with new LDP chief Suga at the helm," he added. Abe made the shock announcement he would step down with a year left in his mandate in late August, saying a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis he has long battled made it impossible for him to stay on. Story continues Analysts say Suga is unlikely to make any major agenda reversals, and the candidate himself has said his run is intended to ensure a continuation of Abe's key policies. The next prime minister will face a raft of complicated challenges. The country was already in recession before the coronavirus pandemic, and many of the gains of the signature Abenomics economic policy are now in danger. Suga has said kickstarting the economy will be a top priority, along with containing the virus -- essential if the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics are to open as planned in July 2021. - Snap election? - There are also diplomatic challenges on the agenda, including protecting the US alliance and navigating ties with China as global opinion hardens against Beijing after the coronavirus and unrest in Hong Kong. "Now is a difficult time for Japan as the US is putting pressure on China," said Makoto Iokibe, a professor of political and diplomatic history at the University of Hyogo. "But simply following the path Washington is pursuing and raising tensions with China is not in Japan's interest," he told AFP. One key unknown is whether Suga will decide to call a snap general election to consolidate his position and avoid being seen as a caretaker facing a new vote in a year -- when Abe's mandate would have ended. Several senior government officials have mooted the possibility, perhaps as early as October, but Suga has been circumspect so far. Asked on Monday evening, he said it would be "quite hard" to call elections until the coronavirus "completely winds down." A large part of Japan's fractious opposition has recently come together in a new bloc, hoping to pose a stronger challenge to a ruling party that has held power for all but a few years in the last six decades. "Mr Suga is capable of implementing policies by controlling bureaucrats, but his weakness is in winning the heart of the public," said Iokibe. si-sah/rma Two years before allegedly stabbing his parents to death in their Etobicoke home, Tiberio Barcelos was charged with possession of a knife, court records show. The charge, laid in October 2018, was withdrawn in December 2018 as part of a diversion program. Details of why the charge was withdrawn were not listed on the court records, but diversion programs typically allow Crown prosecutors to withdraw minor charges, avoiding a criminal record for the accused, if the accused completes mental health counselling or community service. At the time of the 2018 charge, Tiberio Barceloss address was listed at the same King George Road home in Weston Village where his parents, Joao Barcelos, 64, and Iva Barcelos, 59, were found by police Saturday afternoon with multiple stab wounds. Later that afternoon police found Tiberio Barcelos, 28, dead after being struck by a UP Express train. Police said in a news release that he was not living at the King George home. Were appealing to the public, witnesses or anyone with information about the whereabouts of Tiberio Barcelos prior to the homicide, said Alex Li, a media relations officer with the Toronto Police Service. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). With files from Breanna Xavier-Carter Alyshah Hasham is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and court for the Star. She can be reached at ahasham@thestar.ca . Follow her on Twitter: @alysanmati Head of Psychology at University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo has called on the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to disallow school children between the ages of 9 and 13 years from participating in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is currently going on and will end on Friday, September 18, 2020 for all Junior High School (JHS) final year students. Speaking on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Prof. Joseph Osafo held that making children who fall within the aforementioned age range write the BECE affects their mental health. This is because, he noted, they don't have the emotional capacity to handle the examination shocks or anxiety that comes with writing the final examinations. He added some children who fail the exams become suicidal and so charged the examination authorities to note that ''the integrity of our exams affects the integrity of the mental health of our children''. "The argument should be how best can we make sure that a child between the ages of 9 and let's say 13 years doesn't fail JSS exams and for which reason he or she should remain home . . . This picture of failing and writing and failing, at that stage, I think it is too much," he appealed. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 12:58 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44af17a 1 Business aftech,financial-inclusion,fintech,financial-literacy,financial-technology,peer-to-peer-lending,e-wallet,social-aid Free Experts have called on financial technology (fintech) companies to expand their operations outside of Java and partner with the government to better serve the unbanked population in the country. A recent survey conducted by the Indonesian Fintech Association (Aftech) among its members revealed that only 23 percent of fintech companies have a reach beyond the island of Java, while 41 percent have operations in Greater Jakarta. More than half of the respondents, however, said they had set their sights on the unbanked and rural population as a target market. The current development in fintech is still concentrated in urban and [suburban] areas. We want to see more financial services made available for people living outside of Java, said Indonesia National Council for Financial Inclusion project management head Djauhari Sitorus in an online discussion on Thursday. One of the challenges for reaching clients in rural areas was the low level of digital financial literacy, he added. Read also: Lifestyle, lack of tech adoption, impediments to Indonesia's financial literacy More than half of the surveyed fintech firms named low financial literacy as the main challenge in serving the rural market, followed by basic infrastructure problems, such as a lack of internet access in the targeted market and limited capital or resources. In a 2019 survey by the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the country scored only 38.03 percent on the financial literacy index and 76.19 percent on the financial inclusion index. The government has been pushing for financial inclusion in the country, aiming to score 90 percent on the financial inclusion index by 2024. Meanwhile, fintech has been gaining popularity because of its ability to provide financial services to the countrys 93 million underbanked people, according to the 2019 e-Conomy SEA report produced by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. Fintech involvement in the governments social aid distribution and funds disbursed to small and medium enterprises [SMEs] is still limited and low. There is also much room for improvement for fintech to develop linkage with the banking industry, Indonesian Banking Development Institute (LPPI) president director Mirza Adityaswara said during the discussion. He went on to say that fintech platforms were only involved in the governments pre-employment card program, but none were participating in the Family Hope Program (PKH), the disbursement of village funds or certain other programs. Read also: Govt partners with DANA to disburse assistance for pre-employment card program The Aftech survey revealed that only 23 percent of fintech firms have entered strategic partnerships with the government. The majority of the firms, or 57 percent, have provided consultation for the government on the issue of financial inclusion, 29 percent have joined government social aid disbursement projects and 14 percent have taken part in corporate social responsibility programs. I think now it is very timely for the government to trust fintech more, for example, in disbursing micro credit (KUR), said the OJKs head of digital financial innovation and micro-finance development, Triyono Gani. Recently, the Indonesian Fintech Lenders Association (AFPI) offered to help accelerate the disbursement of national economic recovery program (PEN) funds as the government struggles to amass the data needed to deliver the money. AFPI chairman Adrian Gunadi said in September that the fintech lending industry had a data center and analytic capabilities that could help address the disbursement challenges. The government has allocated more than Rp 123 trillion (US$8.25 billion) of the Rp 695.2 trillion COVID-19 response budget to supporting SMEs, the backbone of Indonesias economy. However, the government has only spent about 30 percent of the COVID-19 budget, sparking concerns about a prolonged economic recovery. The panelists on the discussion agreed that fintech could play a role in helping with post-pandemic economic recovery, as the sector remained upbeat despite the global health crisis. Read also: Fintech loan disbursement slows amid pandemic OJK data show that, throughout the first half of the year, the use of electronic money and loan disbursement through peer-to-peer lending steadily increased. P2P lending platforms disbursed a total of Rp 113.5 trillion loans in June, up from Rp 88.4 trillion in January despite the COVID-19 situation. Fintech undoubtedly has the potential to support the national economic recovery as it can reach millions of SMEs, Aftech chairman Niki Luhur said. A lot of fintechs existing infrastructure can also be leveraged to distribute PEN and other government-to-people payments. The historic Washington D.C. church, St. John's Episcopal Church of Lafayette Square, was the victim of vandalism and arson earlier this summer. St. John's, located not far from the White House, was in the line of fire of the riots and demonstrations for racial justice in May, and was unfortunately subjected to arson when an unknown party set the nursery on fire. In response to the violence affecting the church, St. John's begrudgingly agreed to board up their windows and fence off the property. A letter released to the church's congregation stated, "While we hate both the fencing and the boarded-up windows, one of our main responsibilities as rector and wardens is to protect the buildings. Our hope is to remove both the fencing and plywood as soon as practicable." St. John was also the site at which President Trump forcibly removed a group of peaceful demonstrators, seemingly in order to have a photo op. The President posed in front of the Church with a Bible in his hand shortly after having the National Guard remove protestors, allegedly in a publicity bid to gain support. However, the effect was quite the opposite. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, was outraged at the incident stating, "The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for." Despite the misfortunes the church has experienced, St. Johns continues to maintain a positive attitude. Once boarded up, the church commissioned murals to be painted on the plywood over the windows. The reverend Rob Fisher of St. Johns explained in an interview that the project was completed with the help of a local arts group known as P.A.I.N.T.S. Institute, and aimed to turn an eyesore into "colorful images offering message of love, healing, togetherness and peace in Jesus' name." The murals are centered around the Hebrew word Shalom, meaning "peace" and "Wholeness", and the South African word Ubuntu meaning "our lives are inextricably bound together." Amongst these themes of love and peace, are also images of racial justice. The idea behind the murals, as Fisher stated was that "while the nature of stained glass windows is to bring light and beauty into a room or worship space, we're able to flip that script by sending light and beauty outward to our surrounding neighborhood." Fisher also explained that despite everything going on in the world, the Church remains hopeful. "There has been an outpouring of love and support from people near and far and from all kinds of backgrounds since the fire, which we truly appreciate." Gulf Cement receives approval to withdraw from Boursa Kuwait 14 September 2020 UAE-based Gulf Cement Co, once dually listed on Boursa Kuwait and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), has obtained approval from Kuwaits Capital Markets Authority to withdraw from the former. The last day for the trading of the company's shares on Boursa Kuwait will be on Monday, 14 December 2020, according to the company's disclosure to the ADX. Published under (Natural News) President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued campaigning against the violent radical left rioters in Americas major cities, describing them as domestic terrorists. (Article by Charlie Spiering republished from Breitbart.com) Bidens plan is to appease the domestic terrorists. My plan is to arrest them, Trump said as the crowd cheered. Trump accused former Vice President Joe Biden of ignoring the violence, looting, and arson conducted by Black Lives Matter supporters and Antifa throughout the summer. Joe Biden and his party spent the entire summer cheering on the rioters rampaging through Democrat-led cities, falsely labeling them as peaceful protesters, Trump said. Trump said that the leaders of Democrat-led cities faced a skyrocketing rise in crime as the riots continued. The president said that Americas liberal elites and the violent leftist elements had joined forces. The globalists and the leftists make natural partners because they are united by their contempt for the American middle class, Trump said. Thats why powerful corporations and far-left politicians have both sided with radical demonstrators. He reminded his supporters that his reelection had been backed by many police organizations around the country. Do what you want: vote for the candidate backed by violent left-wing rioters if you have to or do what you want to vote for the candidate backed by the selfless heroes of law enforcement, Trump said. The president also ridiculed Biden for talking a little bit tougher about the rioters and protesters, accusing him of doing it for political reasons after his polling numbers declined. But Trump predicted that Biden would never use the phrase law and order on the campaign trail. Hell never get to say that. Cant say that, because then hed lose the whole left, Trump said. And let me tell you, the left is running that party. You dont want to be dealing with the left. These people are stone cold crazy. Trump referred to videos on social media of screaming far left maniacs shouting wildly at peaceful Americans during the ongoing protests and riots throughout the Summer. These are Biden supporters, and if he wins, they will be in charge of your government, as sure as youre sitting there, he said. Read more at: Breitbart.com ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- High prevalence and recurrence rate of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, one of the most common chronic inflammation of the skin, has spurred research, paving the way to new therapies in atopic dermatitis drugs market. High risk of recurrence in adults has nudged healthcare companies to take part in the development of novel therapies to overcome the side effects associated with traditional immunosuppressant medications. In this regard, experimental biologics are attracting sizable research interest. The share of the biologic drug segment in the global atopic dermatitis drugs market is expected to rise from ~42% in 2018 to ~77% in 2027. Overall, the global market is expected to expand at robust CAGR of 27% from 2019 to 2027. In 2018, its revenue was pegged at ~US$ 2.2 Bn. Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/covid19.php Key Findings of Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market Report Retail pharmacies are one of the promising segments in the market based on distribution channel The segment to expand from ~US$ 1.3 Bn in 2018 to ~US$ 15.3 Bn by the end of 2027 in 2018 to by the end of 2027 Of all the drug classes, biologics held the leading market share in 2018 PDE4 inhibitors segment is the second-leading segment, and is expected to rise at promising growth rate during 2019 2027 North America contributed the major share in 2018 contributed the major share in 2018 The aforementioned segment is trailed by Europe market market The fastest growth rate during the forecast period is expected to come from Asia Pacific Explore 145 pages of top-notch research, incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections on Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market (Drug Class: Corticosteroids, PDE4 Inhibitors, Biologics, Skin Barrier Emollients, CNI Immunosuppressants, Others; Distribution Channel: Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2019 - 2027 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/73639 Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market: Key Driving Factors and Promising Avenues Pressing need for the incidence and prevalence in atopic dermatitis is continuously expanding the pipeline in atopic dermatitis drugs market. Per a recent finding, 20% of children and 10% of adults in industrialized countries suffer from this chronic inflammatory skin disease According to a recent epidemiological data, the prevalence is 1530% in both cohorts. Demand for novel, targeted therapies are attracting the interest of industry players, owing to the potential in increasing the effectiveness of severe atopic dermatitis treatments. The focus on new treatment pathways through experimental biologics is a prominent example of modern therapies. Increasing understanding of pathogenesis of the diseases has shifted the attention away from traditional immunosuppressant, opening new avenues in the atopic dermatitis drugs market. The prevalence of eczema is spurring developments in PDE4 inhibitors segment A multidimensional approach toward the development of pharmacological therapies is boosting new opportunities in the atopic dermatitis drugs market. Growing preference of biologic drugs is one of the key trends that have set the pace of innovation in drug pipelines. Request Brochure of Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/brochure.php Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market: Regional Landscape Regionally, rapidly increasing approvals and fast-paced commercialization of novel therapeutics are the key factors cementing the revenue potential of North America atopic dermatitis drugs market. The regional market is expected to see rapid penetration, with major share of opportunities to come from the U.S. and Canada. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is expected to rise at remarkable pace during the forecast period. The growing number of new entrants and rise in research investments by established players in this region are boosting the growth. A large patient population has also kept the region increasing lucrative avenue for various drugs makers in the atopic dermatitis drugs market. Purchase the Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php Atopic Dermatitis Drugs Market: Competitive Landscape Numerous players in recent years have increased their stakes in biologics to gain a competitive edge. They are trying to get fast approvals by agencies such as the U.S. FDA. Most companies are expanding their understanding of the immune and inflammatory pathways underlying severe atopic dermatitis. Some of the well-entrenched stakeholders in the atopic dermatitis drugs market are Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Bausch Health, Novartis AG, Sanofi, and Pfizer, Inc. Browse More Press Release - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm The Atopic Dermatitis Drugs market is segmented based on: Drug Class Corticosteroids Calcineurin Inhibitors PDE4 Inhibitors Biologics Distribution Channel Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online Pharmacies Region North America US Canada Europe Germany France Italy Spain U.K. Rest of Europe Middle East and Africa and GCC Countries South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa & Asia Pacific China Japan India Australia & New Zealand & Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Healthcare Industry: Venous Skin Ulcer Treatment Market: According to the report, the global venous skin ulcer treatment market was valued at US$ 2.6 Bn in 2019. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of ~5% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2030, the availability of different skin substitutes and rise in patient awareness and healthcare expenditure are major factors that propel the global market Cosmetic Lasers Market: According to the report, the global cosmetic laser market was valued at US$ 1,455.1 Mn in 2017. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 13.7% from 2018 to 2026, Expansion in the cosmetic industry and rise in awareness about physical appearance among individuals are likely to drive the market Medical Aesthetic Devices Market: The global medical aesthetic devices market is likely to be driven by the increased adoption of minimally invasive procedures, awareness toward cosmetic procedures, and rising number of obese people in the world. In addition, technological progress in the medical field is likely to drive the demand for medical aesthetic procedures in the years to come 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 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/atopic-dermatitis-drugs-market.htm Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ SOURCE Transparency Market Research Traces of a gas in Venus' clouds could indicate some form of life may exist there, according to a study published today. Why it matters: Scientists have been musing about the possibility that life exists in Venus' temperate clouds for decades. If confirmed as a sign of life, the finding would open up a new era of science. What's new: The new study in the journal Nature Astronomy reports the detection of phosphine a possible signature of life in Venus' atmosphere for the first time. The researchers found the gas which can be produced by some microbes that live in animal intestines on Earth using two different telescopes: ALMA in Chile in 2019 and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in 2017. The scientists behind the study aren't suggesting the phosphine discovery is proof positive of life, but they haven't been able to find a better explanation for why the gas exists in the abundances it does on the planet. "So far we've done everything we can, which is go through all the things that it isn't. We've thought of every possible mechanism, plausible or implausible, that could make phosphine and we cannot come up with any." Clara Sousa-Silva, an author of the study and researcher at MIT, to Axios But, but, but: It's still possible that some as yet unknown geochemistry might be creating the phosphine seen by the telescopes, and there's a long way to go before this detection can be claimed as proof of life on Venus. Scientists will need to advance the findings using other observatories able to peer into Venus' atmosphere and confirm the signal this team found. A mission to Venus' clouds could also help fill in key pieces to the puzzle of whether life exists above the world's surface. "This is a very provocative discovery, and I think you'll see more and more papers in the next couple years building on this as a piece of a story," James Garvin, a planetary scientist at NASA who is not affiliated with the study, told Axios. How it works: Scientists think that millions of years ago, Venus actually had oceans of liquid water like Earth. At some point, however, a runaway greenhouse effect turned Venus into the inhospitable world it is today, with a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead. The planet's temperate cloud layer, however, ranges between 30F to 200F, making it theoretically possible for some type of tough life to keep hold in the mid-latitudes of the world. Between the lines: This discovery, whether it is proof of life or not, could be a turning point for the exploration of Venus, which plays second fiddle to Mars. AS a young man Dan ODonnell cut a striking figure. Standing six feet eight, he used to round up sheep on horseback and wear a ten-gallon hat as he roamed the familys lands laid out in small parcels scattered around Linsfort near Buncrana. It wasnt long before the locals nicknamed him Texas and the name stuck with Dan, who in later years emigrated to Britain where he worked with the famed Donegal Tigers on construction projects in London and Newcastle. Like many of the Tigers, he was working with an eye to eventually returning home to Inishowen which he duly did and he lived the rest of his days in Linsfort with his brother Paddy, who died in 2013. Texas passed on in 2018 at the age of 73. Fondly remembered by friends and neighbours as a gentle giant who had a way with words, Dans earthly holdings went under the hammer earlier this month and created a stir far beyond his native sod. Buyers registered from Britain, Germany, the US, the Middle East and Australia for the sale which was conducted by Buncrana auctioneer Dara Furey on the online Offr platform. Every parcel offered made a multiple of its guide prices and the 36,000 per acre paid for once parcel is believed to be a record price for land in Donegal and is unlikely to be surpassed nationally this year. In total, the bidders paid 1.532m or 12,560/ac for the six land parcels around Linsfort and a seventh parcel near Moville on the other side of the Inishowen Peninsula. The first lot to come to auction was a 28.75ac piece of grazing ground at Gulladoo about 2.5km from Moville. With road frontage and space for a house subject to planning permission, it attracted eight bidders when it opened at its guide of 160,000. It sold for 282,000 or 9,800/ac to a man working in the US who wished to buy land at home. The second parcel of land to sell was Dan ODonnells homeplace at Tonduff, Linsfort. The two bedroom cottage on 1.3ac with a range of sheds attracted over 40 registered bidders when it opened at 70,000. Brisk bidding saw the price rise by over three times its guide. At 212,000, the place was bought by a young couple from the locality who intend to make it their home. Expand Close Dan O'Donnell's home on 1.3ac at Tonduff, Linsfort, Buncrana was bought by a local couple for 212,000 beating its guide of 70,000 by 152,000 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dan O'Donnell's home on 1.3ac at Tonduff, Linsfort, Buncrana was bought by a local couple for 212,000 beating its guide of 70,000 by 152,000 The third lot, a 10ac parcel at Muineagh, Linsfort, became the jewel in the crown. Laid out in six small fields with some road frontage, it includes a derelict cottage and outhouses. It opened at its guide of 100,000 and with 14 bidders in action made a staggering 360,000 or 36,000/ac when bought by a local man. Expand Close This 10ac parcel of ground at Muineagh, Linsfort included a derelict cottage and outhouses. This made 360,000 or 36,000/ac / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp This 10ac parcel of ground at Muineagh, Linsfort included a derelict cottage and outhouses. This made 360,000 or 36,000/ac The next lot was a 41ac parcel of forestry in Sitka Spruce also at Tonduff, Linsfort. The subject of a partnership arrangement with Coillte, the plantation has about four years in premiums remaining. It opened at its guide of 100,000 and sold to a local buyer for 115,000 Lot five was a 20.5ac plot with road frontage at Tonduff, laid out in about nine fields of permanent pasture. Eleven bidders showed interest when it opened at 100,000 and it made 220,000 or over 10,700/ac when bought by a local. An 11.8ac piece of grazing ground located nearby and laid out in a range of old divisions made up the sixth lot. This was guided at 60,000 and after opening at that price 12 interested bidders took to the fray until it sold for 169,000 to a local man. The final lot, also at Tonduff and measuring 8.44ac, made more than three times its guide of 50,000 when a local buyer won the day after 18 bidders drove it to 174,000. Dara Furey described the online sale as the biggest day he had in business in 24 years, Since I started working here with my father I have never seen anything like it, he said. I think the online auction suits rural people because nobody has any idea who the other bidders are. It is completely anonymous so people are not afraid to bid. Offr: A whole new way of buying and selling Offr is a digital platform hosting property sales either by auction or private treaty. Co-founder Phillip Farrell describes it as digitising the process for estate agents. Basically buyers can now go on to the agent's website and engage in a transaction as opposed to just viewing the details of the property. This includes making offers, viewing legals, and signing contracts, he said. Online auctions are a whole new way of buying and selling for many, and are becoming very popular, especially in light of the Covid restrictions. It is a very transparent process and bidders love it, Mr Farrell said. For the Donegal auction, prospective buyers had to register with Dara Furey and pay a 5,000 registration fee. There was also an option for presenting proof of funds Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Sunday inspected the tunnel that was found last month in Samba district and said there is possibility of such tunnels existing along the India-Pakistan border. Speaking to reporters here, Singh said, "Digging such tunnels is a common tactic that Pakistan uses to send terrorists across the border. It is quite possible that other such tunnels exist along the India-Pakistan border." On August 29, BSF troops detected a tunnel near the International Border in Samba area of Jammu region and unearthed nefarious designs of Pakistan to infiltrate terrorists into Indian territory. BSF officials said the tunnel starts in Pakistan along the border and ends in Samba and could not have been built without the approval of Pakistani Rangers and other agencies. Security forces have been deployed at the site where the tunnel has been found. The tunnel starts in Pakistan along the border and ends in Samba, according to Jammu BSF IG NS Jamwal. (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 Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors on Monday indicted the former leader of an advocacy group for victims of Japanese wartime sexual exploitation on charges of fraud and embezzlement. Yoon Mee-hyang stepped down as head of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, better known as Jungdaehyup, this year to launch a successful bid for a seat in parliament, where she now serves as a member of the ruling party. Since then, she has been dogged by allegations that she used government subsidies for her own benefit, rather than to help the comfort women - a Japanese euphemism for those forced to work in Japans wartime brothels. Prosecutors said in a statement, Yoon was charged on eight counts, including illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in government subsidies, spending donations to the non-profit group on personal purchases, and compelling a victim who was suffering from Alzheimers disease to donate to the foundation, among other crimes. Calls to Yoon and to the group she used to lead were not answered, but Yonhap news agency reported that she released a statement expressing regret over the charges, vowing to prove her innocence in court, and apologising for causing controversy. In May, Lee Yong-soo, a prominent victim and activist, accused Yoon of exploiting the women to garner government funds and public donations while spending little money on them. The feud threatens to undermine the wartime sexual violence movement, led for decades by Yoon, Lee and Jungdaehyup, which together played a key role in effectively nullifying a 2015 settlement with Japan. The issue remains a major factor in fraught relations between the two U.S. allies. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith; Editing by Robert Birsel) When Berlin broke with its frugal tradition and opened the spending taps this year, a senior official in the German Economy Ministry was flabbergasted that the European Commission griped instead of showing gratitude. For years, Germany was reprimanded by the commission the European Unions powerful executive arm as well as the US and the IMF for whats been called a fetish for balancing its budget. Now that it had unleashed 1.2 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion), EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager complained it would give German companies an unfair edge. So Germany decided to assert itself. Rather than air displeasure in public, officials mounted a forceful lobbying operation behind the scenes in defense of spending plans, according to a senior figure familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It worked. Everybody has been asking Germany to spend more and now Germany is spending, Vestager said at an event in Berlin Sept. 7. So I think we should make the best of it. Its a telling example of how Germany has become far more explicit, and unapologetic about calling the shots in Europe. Its on display in its tightening of foreign-investment rules, its efforts to coordinate the response to an increasingly powerful China, and its willingness to challenge Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The world has changed, says Andreas Laemmel, leader for economic affairs of Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling bloc in parliament. If we continue as in the past, then Europe will become just an industrial museum. Partly its a generational shift. Leaders who grew up in the shadow of World War II were content to confine Germanys place on the world stage to the economic sphere but they are giving way to those who read about the Nazis in the history books: Merkel is the first chancellor born after the war. Enough time has passed that German strength is no longer a frightening proposition. And partly its a recognition that Germany has no choice but to step up to the plate with Europe caught in the middle of a growing conflict between the worlds two superpowers. Under Donald Trump, the US has become an unpredictable and even hostile ally, while Xi Jinping praises multilateralism as China becomes increasingly bold in its forays in international relations. Merkel had intended to make a summit with China the centerpiece of Germanys EU presidency that runs through the end of this year, but coronavirus wrecked that plan. Instead, Merkel and Xi will hold a video conference on Monday along with senior EU officials. In a Sept. 10 interview, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz acknowledged the current landscape means Germany has to take on more responsibilities, which means maneuvering the Brussels machine especially with Brexit still a live issue. German officials worry that Vestager and her colleagues are locked in a mindset focused on rules drawn up for a different era, according to lawmakers from both Merkels Christian Democrats and the liberal opposition group. That way of thinking puts too much emphasis on the risk of internal tensions between EU states and underestimates the external threats, the lawmakers said. To confront those perils, the EU needs to do a better job of combining the economic power of its governments and its companies, the Germans have concluded. That means allowing more state intervention and investment, easing the competition rules that hamper giant mergers and tightening financial ties between member states. If the Germans get their way, it could trigger a wave of corporate alliances in sectors from telecoms to banking or defense. They are already funneling billions of euros toward new industries like batteries and cloud computing. To the outside world, it must be astonishing to see how inward-looking Europe is, said Matthias Heider, the Christian Democrat deputy chair of the Bundestag economics committee. Europe needs to focus more of its attention outside of our borders and come up with answers to the increasing challenge posed by Chinas growing economic strength. Merkels increasing willingness to cajole her EU partners into accepting a more muscular German industry marks a break with Berlins historic relationship with Europe. The post-war chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, handed the French a say in his industrial policy when he laid the foundations for what would become the EU. A generation later, Helmut Kohls memories of his wartime childhood helped persuade him to give up the treasured Deutsche Mark to forge a single European currency. When Germany did wield its influence in those days, it was focused on setting rules to constrain national governments. Kohls officials thrashed out the EU competition regime that Vestager now oversees in the late 1980s and fought to ensure it allowed no room for French-style interventionism. The seeds of the shift were sown in August 2016, when German officials felt obliged by EU rules to let Chinas Midea group buy the robot maker Kuka. At the time, a senior German official involved in looking at ways to try to block the deal said he thought the Chinese were taking advantage of Europes liberal regime to snap up critical technology. The idea took root last year when Vestager blocked plans for Germanys Siemens AG and Alstom SA of France to create a giant European trainmaker. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire then vowed to change the competition rules. Now the alliance between Germany and France is driving wholesale changes to the way Europes economy is run. Altmaier even tried to foster a tie up between Finlands Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB of Sweden last year to counter Chinas Huawei Technology Co., one official familiar with the discussion said, although the plan met with little enthusiasm from the companies spokespeople for both declined to comment. The next plank of their strategy is to target the competition rules, the touchstone of the single market. The Germans aim to make progress toward bringing down the barriers to would-be European champions by the beginning of next year. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Malcolm McDowell has landed a new role in a horror movie. The 77-year-old British actor, who is best known for the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, has been attached to the American project The Benefactor. The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art graduate will play a widower who is being driven mad while in what appears to be a haunted house as he takes up painting again during an artist residency. A good role: Malcolm McDowell has landed a new role in a horror movie. The 77-year-old British actor has been attached to the American film The Benefactor; seen in 2017 The film us not to be confused with the 2015 big-screen project of the same name starring Richard Gere as a troubled billionaire. McDowell's character is consumed by grief and believes that if he gets back to painting that his spirits will lift. But instead spirits in the house begin to surround him as he questions his own mental health. The film will be directed by David Carson, who worked with McDowell before in the 1994 movie Star Trek: Generations. UK-born helmer Carson, 72, has also directed 2004's Unstoppable and 2007's Blue Smoke. A seminal film: The star, far right, is best known for the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange; seen with James Marcus, Warren Clarke The production companies, Rowdy Rabbit Films and Center Mass Studios, are based in Los Angeles. McDowell's last big film role was in 2019's Bombshell with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie as the women who were harassed by Roger Ailes at Fox News. Veteran thespian Malcolm - who was born Malcolm John Taylor - played media giant Rupert Murdoch. The star has also signed up for Truth Seekers from Amazon with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, as well as She Will with Rupert Everett. The men of the film: L to R, Josh Lawson as James Murdoch, Malcolm as Rupert Murdoch and Ben Lawson as Lachlan Murdoch in the 2019 film Bombshell The women of the film: L to R Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and Charlize Theron attend a a screening for Bombshell in December 2019 McDowell got his start with small parts for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His first film was 1968's What If... which led to his role as sadist Alex DeLarge in 1971's A Clockwork Orange. In the Seventies his career built momentum with in Aces High (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), She Fell Among Thieves (1978) and Caligula (1979). His first big Hollywood film was 1979's Time After Time. As far as his personal life, he wed Kelley Kuhr in 1991. They live in Ojai, California, and have three sons together: Beckett, 16, Finnian, 13, and Seamus, 11. Our partnership with ICAT Systems will ensure that businesses looking for government contracts get better visibility into their accounting data and comply with the regulations. Ace Cloud Hosting (ACE), the renowned QuickBooks cloud hosting provider, has partnered with ICAT Systems to provide customers with a more flexible cloud accounting system. With over a decade in the cloud industry, Ace Cloud Hosting has gained the expertise to offer industry-specific cloud solutions to businesses of all sizes. 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A section of concrete on a parking deck under construction in Atlanta partially collapsed on Friday, injuring six workers. Atlanta Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Glen Riley said firefighters cut out one worker trapped under debris with saws. Video from news outlets showed the worker, who Riley said had leg injuries, being strapped into a basket next to the collapsed section. Firefighters then communicated with a crane operator using a construction workers radio, Riley said, as the worker was lowered to the street. The worker never lost consciousness, he added. That was an awesome job, Riley said. Other construction workers were injured but managed to walk away from the collapse, Riley told reporters at the scene. Four workers were taken to hospitals, said Jason Wasulko, a spokesman for Batson-Cook Construction Co., which is building the structure. The six workers were employed by a subcontractor, Wasulko said. We are committed to the safety of every employee and trade partner working at our job sites, Wasulko said in a statement. A firefighter also was taken to a hospital, with likely heat exhaustion, Riley said. The collapse involved part of a prefabricated parking deck under construction in Atlantas Midtown neighborhood, officials from Atlanta Fire Rescue said in a statement. A column on the 11th floor gave way, causing debris to fall onto the 10th floor. The cause for the collapse is unclear, Wasulko said, adding that engineers were inspecting the structural integrity of the rest of the parking deck. He said there had been no prior problems. Riley voiced concerns that more of the structure could collapse and fall onto Interstate 75/85, a busy freeway through the heart of the city. Parts of adjoining streets and a ramp to the freeway were closed as a precaution. If the wall collapses, it may extend to the expressway, Riley said. An inspection was done Friday by Atlanta building inspectors, city spokeswoman Patricia Walden said in an email. There is an up-to-date permit in place, she said. The site is secured and necessary steps are being taken to determine how construction can resume safely. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also was sending inspectors to evaluate whether any federal workplace safety rules were violated. The 3,000-space parking garage is being built at one of Emory Universitys hospitals just north of downtown Atlanta. Its supposed to be complete next year. Batson-Cook is owned by Kajima Corp. of Japan. Emory University deferred comment to Batson-Cook. The garage is part of a major construction push at the hospital, including a new $470 million location for Emorys Winship Cancer Institute, which is going up in a 17-story tower on a parcel separate from the parking garage. A parking deck five blocks north partially collapsed in 2009, damaging dozens of vehicles but causing no injuries. The owners of that garage later said that a bolt was improperly installed, allowing a beam to pop loose. ___ AP reporter Jeff Martin contributed from Marietta, Georgia. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Construction Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid was arrested by the Delhi police on Sunday and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA) for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots, which broke out this February. Khalid was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police after 11 hours of questioning and will be produced before a Delhi court on Monday. Khalid was interrogated by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for a few hours on September 2 in connection with the riots. He was previously booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a different case pertaining to the riots. Earlier, he was also questioned by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police over an alleged conspiracy behind the riots. His mobile phone has also been confiscated by the police. In the chargesheet filed in this case, Delhi Police had claimed that suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain had said that he had met Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of United Against Hate in January at Shaheen Bagh where Umar Khalid had asked him to be prepared for something big" during US President Trumps visit to India. The Delhi Police on Sunday said it was probing the role of all individuals who allegedly participated in the riots and were part of a larger conspiracy in organising violence in the northeast Delhi and flaming communal passion and hatred amongst communities, an official statement said. Riots had erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24 as clashes between those supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation turned violent, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people. During the riots, 108 police personnel received injuries and two died. So far, the Delhi Police has registered 751 FIRs in connection with communal riots. The police also said that the riots also resulted in large-scale damage to both private and public properties. Till now, the police have arrested 1,575 individuals in 751 cases. Over 250 chargesheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused have been charge-sheeted. Last week, the Delhi Police has named CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor and activist Apoorvanand, and documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy as co-conspirators in the February Delhi riots. They have been accused of asking anti-CAA protesters to go to any extreme, spreading discontent in the community by calling CAA/NRC anti-Muslim, and organise demonstrations to malign the image of the Government of India. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters went out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. (With PTI inputs) Forty days after being rescued by a shipping tanker in the Mediterranean and then being prevented from coming ashore by the Maltese authorities, a group of 27 migrants was finally allowed to disembark in Italy over the weekend. The migrants were transferred on Friday from the tanker, the Maersk Etienne, to a humanitarian vessel, which was then allowed to dock in the port of Pozzallo, Sicily, late Saturday. The weekslong drama raised serious questions about the role of commercial vessels abiding by the laws of international waters in conducting emergency rescues, and focused attention on Europes broken migration policies. Rights groups and shipping experts have warned that the standoff between the ship and the local authorities could set a dangerous precedent and threaten lives by deterring commercial vessels in the Mediterranean from responding to boats in distress as required by law. San Francisco, Sep 14 : Cloud major Oracle on Monday confirmed a deal with ByteDance, the Chinese owner of short video-sharing platform TikTok which has been under pressure to divest its US operations for more than a month now. The confirmation by Oracle comes a day after Microsoft, which was among the frontrunners to seal a deal for TikTok's US operations, revealed that its bid was rejected by ByteDance. "Oracle confirms Secretary (Steven) Mnuchin's statement that it is part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle will serve as the trusted technology provider," Oracle said in a statement. "Oracle has a 40-year track record providing secure, highly performant technology solutions," it added. Earlier in the day, US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said that the US government received a proposal from Oracle related to the TikTok deal over the weekend and that the government plans to review the deal this week. "I will just say from our standpoint, we'll need to make sure that the code is, one, secure, Americans' data is secure, that the phones are secure and we'll be looking to have discussions with Oracle over the next few days with our technical teams," Mnuchin told CNBC. The Donald Trump administration had earlier raised concerns that the Chinese state could have access to TikTok user data. Both China and TikTok denied the allegations. That, however, did not stop the Trump administration to put pressure on the short video-sharing platform to divest its US operations. However, the negotiations got complicated after China updated its list of technologies that are subject to export ban. The new list includes technology used by ByteDance, leading the company to assure that it will adhere to export restrictions. TikTok was banned in India in June, along with 58 other Chinese apps over national security concerns. Prosecutors on Monday indicted a ruling party lawmaker on charges of embezzling funds meant for elderly victims of wartime sexual slavery. Rep. Youn Mee-hyang of the Democratic Party is charged with unlawfully accepting 360 million won (US$304,000) in support funds for women who were forced to work at front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II. She is also accused of spending 100 million won in donations and public funds for personal use, according to the prosecution. Youn won a parliamentary seat in the April 15 general elections after leading a civic group tasked with supporting the victims, who are euphemistically called "comfort women," for three decades. One of the women, Lee Yong-soo, came forward in May to accuse the group of "using" the victims and never spending any funds on them. Youn apologized for the controversy but denied the allegations. (Yonhap) ALBANY, N.Y, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The depletion of petroleum resources is the prominent reason why bio-emulsion polymers are garnering considerable momentum. Petroleum resources are a dominant feedstock in polymer production. As these resources are exhausting at a rapid rate, the demand for bio-emulsion polymers is rising eventually. Therefore, the bio-emulsion polymers market is stated to observe substantial growth based on this factor. The analysts at Transparency Market Research (TMR) predict the global bio-emulsion polymers market to expand at a CAGR of 7 percent during the assessment period of 2020-2030. The global bio-emulsion polymers market is prognosticated to reach US$ 2 bn valuation by the end of 2030. Sustainability is proving to be a major advantage for the increase in the revenue of the bio-emulsion polymers market. The high demand for bio-emulsion polymers in food packaging and healthcare applications is inviting immense growth prospects for the bio-emulsion polymers market. Request for Covid-19 Impact Analysis on Bio-emulsion Polymers Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/Covid19.php Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market: Analysts' Opinion The TMR analysts advise the manufacturers in the bio-emulsion polymers market to innovate in functional and self-healing coatings to overcome the limitations of styrene substitution. Hazardous petro-based acrylates and substituting styrene from bio-based polymers is challenging for the manufacturers. The issues related to the lifecycle assessment of latex products and emulsion polymerization should be addressed by the manufacturers in the bio-emulsion polymers market according to the TMR analysts. The analysts also shed light on the loss incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This postponement can have a negative effect on the growth of the bio-emulsion polymers market. Download PDF Brochure - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market: Major Findings Based on application, the paints and coatings segment may generate good growth for the bio-emulsion polymers market across the assessment period of 2020-2030 On the basis of type, the acrylic bio-emulsion polymers may garner extensive growth North America held a significant share of the bio-emulsion polymers market in 2019 held a significant share of the bio-emulsion polymers market in 2019 The U.S. churned extensive growth for the region in 2019 Europe may serve as the largest growth-contributing region for the bio-emulsion polymers market through the forecast period of 2020-2030 View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/77919 Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market: Growth Propellers The paints and coating industry is developing at a rapid rate, thus bringing extensive demand for the bio-emulsion polymers market. The improvement in the standard of living and the rise in per capita income across the globe are inviting tremendous growth prospects for the paintings and coatings industry, eventually benefitting the bio-emulsion polymers market. The escalating investment of established players in research and development activities is laying a red carpet of growth for the bio-emulsion polymers market Stricter legislation by governments of various countries regarding the environment is attracting extensive growth opportunities for the bio-emulsion polymers market associated with acrylic bio-emulsion polymers such as resistance to sunlight makes it a great material in the paints and coatings industry Purchase Premium Research Report on Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market: Competitive Analysis The bio-emulsion polymers market can be categorized as highly consolidated. Renowned players in the bio-emulsion polymers market are always involved in creating formulations that prove beneficial for the end-user. The manufacturers in the bio-emulsion polymers market re also involved in activities like mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships that invite good growth prospects. Some well-entrenched players in the bio-emulsion polymers market are Itaconix Corporation, EcoSynthetix Inc., Lactips, Aqapak Polymers Ltd., and Plantic Technologies Ltd. Browse More Press Releases: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm Global Bio-Emulsion Polymers Market: Segmentation By Type Acrylics Styrene-Butadiene Latex Vinyl Acetate Polymers Polyurethanes Others (including Silicone and Hybrid Epoxies) By Application Paints & Coatings Adhesives & Sealants Paper & Paperboards Textiles & Nonwoven Others (including Packaging, Leather Polish, and Personal Care) By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Browse Latest Reports by TMR: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/latest.htm Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals and Materials Industry, Blow Molding Machine Market - In terms of value, the global blow molding machine market is expected to reach US$ 65.1 Bn by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period. The extrusion type segment held a major share of the global blow molding machine market in 2019. Low tool and die costs, rapid production, and ability to mold complex parts make extrusion blow molding machine ideal for usage in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic parts. In terms of raw material, the polyethylene segment accounted for a significant share of the global blow molding machine market in 2019. 2,3-Butanediol Market - In terms of value, the global 2,3-Butanediol market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2020 to 2030. The rise in demand for rubbers such as styrenebutadiene rubber, styrenebutadiene latex, nitrile rubber, and chloroprene rubber in the tire industry is expected to drive the global 2,3-Butanediol market, as 2,3-Butanediol is converted into 1,3-Butadiene that is extensively employed in the manufacture of different kinds of rubbers. 2,3-Butanediol acts as a precursor to methyl ethyl ketone (also known as MEK or 2-butanone). Restorative Materials Market - In terms of value, the global & Asia Pacific restorative materials market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2020 to 2030. Rise in demand for dental treatment is boosting the dental consumables segment. Dental consumables include dental restoratives, orthodontics, endodontics, and infection control products. The expansion of the dental consumables segment is driving the global restorative materials market. The restorative materials market is also expanding due to the rise in aging population, growth in number of dental clinics, increase in demand for cosmetic dentistry, and advancements in dental treatments. Gypsum Plaster Market - The global gypsum plaster market was valued at ~US$ 400 Mn in 2019 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.5%, in terms of volume, from 2020 to 2030. Gypsum plaster possesses distinctive characteristics including high strength, crack resistance, water saving, ease of application, and lightweight. These play a vital role in driving the demand for gypsum plaster in the building & construction sector. Gypsum plaster is primarily used to protect walls and ceilings, and enhance the value of rooms in interiors of residential buildings, offices, hotels, hospitals, and educational institutes. Asia Pacific accounted for a major share of the global gypsum plaster market in 2019. Explore More Upcoming Reports: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/upcoming.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 analyze information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. 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: [email protected] Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/bio-emulsion-polymers-market.htm Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com SOURCE Transparency Market Research The government says crimes of 12, picked up at sea as they tried to get to Taiwan, fall under mainland jurisdiction. Hong Kongs government says it will not interfere in the arrest by mainland Chinese authorities of 12 residents who were detained as they sought to flee to Taiwan by sea despite pleas from their families, as it emerged that Taiwan was holding five other people from Hong Kong who had also fled by boat. In a statement late on Sunday, Hong Kong authorities said they had received requests for help from the families of the group who were detained last month by mainland law enforcement for illegal entry into mainland China as they were trying to make their way to Taiwan. China on Sunday labelled the group separatists. The relevant crime falls within the jurisdiction of the mainland and the special administrative region government respects and will not interfere with law enforcement actions, Hong Kongs government said. The group was suspected of committing various criminal offences in Hong Kong, it added, as it urged the families to make use of a free legal consultation service provided. Taiwan, meanwhile, admitted it was holding five Hong Kong residents who were found by the coast guard on the Pratas Islands, which are controlled by Taiwan. The self-ruled island has opened its doors to people from Hong Kong, which has been rocked by months of sometimes violent protests and where China recently imposed a controversial national security law, but has said they must arrive legally. Five sources confirmed to Reuters, the five were in Taiwan and currently at a coast guard facility in the southern port city of Khaosiung. Asked about the group, Premier Su Tseng-chang stressed the governments commitment to people from Hong Kong. As for the help to Hong Kong people, certain individual cases we cannot reveal, Su said. Family members of the 12 Hong Kong activists wore masks and hats to protect their identities as they pleaded for help at a news conference on Saturday [Tyrone Siu/Reuters] Chinas Global TImes, a state-owned tabloid, seized on the detentions to claim Taiwans promises to Hong Kong were fake. Communist-controlled China claims Taiwan as its own territory. Intercepted off Guangdong Relatives of the 12 detainees held in mainland China demanded their return at a news conference in Hong Kong over the weekend. The group was intercepted by the Guangdong coast guard on August 23 on a boat bound for Taiwan. Wearing masks and hats to protect their identities, families pleaded for those arrested to be allowed to consult lawyers appointed by them and not the Chinese government, and to be allowed to call relatives in Hong Kong. A 16-year-old boy is the youngest detainee, and several need medication, relatives said. The arrests came about two months after Beijing imposed a security law on the territory following months of pro-democracy demonstrations. Critics have said the law has pushed Hong Kong onto a more authoritarian path. Chinas foreign ministry said on Sunday that the arrested people were separatists, after the Department of State in the United States characterised the arrest as a deterioration of human rights. Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus had tweeted the arrests were another example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong, and called on mainland authorities to ensure due process. New Delhi: Delhis deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday that he is going into isolation after contracting the coronavirus disease, even as a special session of the state assembly concluded in a scare with three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, who came to attend the House proceedings, testing positive for Covid-19 by evening. Sisodia did not attend the session because he was down with fever since morning. After suffering from mild fever, I took a coronavirus test and it turned out to be positive. I have isolated myself. I dont have a fever or any other problem as of now. I am absolutely fine. With your prayers, I am sure I will return to work after regaining my health, Sisodia tweeted in Hindi. While Sisodia was tested through the gold-standard Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method, two of the MLAs mentioned above were cleared to attend the session after their rapid antigen tests were negative. The third MLA, Girish Soni (Madipur), was found positive during a rapid antigen test conducted on the assembly premises before entering the House. Soni left the area immediately after that. Under the guidelines of the Delhi assembly, all MLAs have to undergo RT-PCR tests to attend the session. But the results of at least seven MLAs had not arrived until the Hose convened. Hence, the assembly secretariat made those without an RT-PCR report to undergo rapid antigen tests. Pramila Tokas (RK Puram) and Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh) tested negative during this drive but were found to have contracted the infection in their RT-PCR reports hours later. Their reports came when the session was underway and when they were in the House. The incident highlights the pitfalls in the Delhi governments reliance on rapid antigen tests, which can throw up false negatives or give a negative result for an infected person in as many as 50% of positive cases, researchers have said. Delhi has been conducting about 80% antigen tests over the past two weeks as it has scaled up testing. A total of 49 MLAs attended the Assembly session on Monday. While most of the legislators were allowed entry based on their latest RT-PCR negative test report of the past 48 hours, there were a few whose reports were yet to come. So, we arranged rapid antigen tests before the session for such MLAs, a senior official in the Delhi assembly secretariat said, explaining what happened. The reports of the three concerned MLAs in the rapid antigen test had come negative and they were asymptomatic. But, when RT-PCR test reports came by evening, the reports of Tokas, Soni and Ravi came positive, he added. There was no response from the Delhi government till the time of going to the press. A second official in the assembly secretariat said about two dozen people, including a few MLAs, who came in contact with Tokas, Soni and Ravi, have been asked to go under self-isolation. In addition, three staff members of the assembly were also found positive. They, too, were present on the assembly premises during various session-related work. The assembly is now being fully sanitised. Contact tracing is still on to ensure whoever came in contact with them are put under self-isolation. The three MLAs who tested positive are under home quarantine, the official said. On Saturday, four legislators -- BJP MLA from Ghonda Ajay Mahawar, and AAP MLAs Rajesh Gupta (Wazirpur), Rituraj Jha (Kirari) and Surendra Kumar (Gokalpuri) had told the assembly that they were infected with Covid. Dr Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology and infectious disease at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the Delhi governments testing strategy needs a review. Just increasing testing is not the point. Which form of testing is being increased is also significant. Ideally, rapid antigen tests should be conducted only in hospitals, containment zones and on special surveillance groups and high-risk groups such as senior citizens. The primary form of testing ideally should be RT-PCR in the city. Even the high court has noted this point, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Trump admin. proposes expansion of Mexico City Policy banning abortion funding Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Trump administration on Monday formally proposed a new regulation to broaden the Mexico City Policy barring foreign organizations that receive federal global health funding from promoting or performing abortions overseas even if they do so with other funding sources. The Department of Defense, General Services Administration and NASA expanded the Mexico City Policy to apply to contracts and subcontracts. The policy currently enacted and expanded by the Trump administration, a regulation that has been rescinded and reinstated along party lines by presidents since Ronald Reagan, already applies to grants and cooperative agreements between the U.S. and foreign organizations. But the proposed rule would apply to contracts, a major avenue in which a large share of global health funding is doled out. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40% of global health funding obligated to prime recipients in recent years was provided through contracts. As President Donald Trump seeks to bolster support among pro-life voters and conservative voters of faith who care deeply about the abortion issue, an administration official told The Christian Post on Monday that the proposal is yet another great example of the Trump administration continuing to fight for the right to life as the most pro-life administration ever. The proposal submitted to the Federal Register will undergo a two-month public comment period. The Administrations action would mean even more US global health funding will be subject to the restrictions contained in the MCP [Mexico City Policy], wrote Jen Kates, senior vice president at Kaiser Family Foundation, in a Twitter thread. In the past, when in place, it has required foreign NGOs to certify that they will not perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning, using any funding (including their own), as a condition of receiving US global family planning assistance. Upon taking office, one of President Trumps first actions (on 1/23/17) was to reinstate the policy but he also significantly expanded it to apply to virtually all U.S. bilateral global health assistance, including PEPFAR, malaria, maternal and child health funding, and more. According to Kates, the administrations expansion of the Mexico City Policy has brought the policy from applying to up to $600 million per year in U.S. assistance to more than $7 billion per year to the extent that funding was channeled directly or indirectly to foreign NGOs. In 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed that the administration would cut down on loopholes within the policy to eliminate backdoor funding schemes as well as make clear that the U.S. government will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry. Kates explained that Pompeos expansion prohibits foreign NGOs that receive U.S. global health aid from providing any funding for any purpose (e.g., education) to other foreign NGOs that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning. The Kaiser executive added that the administration has been clear since 2017 about its intention to apply the Mexico City Policy to contracts, something that would require regulation to accomplish. This is an area where there is a clear-cut difference between President Trump and VP [Joe] Biden, Kates noted about the 2020 election. Whereas Trump has continued to expand the MCP, Biden would rescind it if elected. Abortion rights activists have condemned the Mexico City Policy as a global gag rule. The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute was quick to offer its opposition to the new proposal. The #GlobalGagRule's harm extends well beyond family planning programs to a range of other health programs, the organization tweeted. The Trump admin's proposal to expand this policy further is especially cruel as the #COVID19 pandemic continues. The proposed rule was praised by pro-life activists and abortion opponents. This proposed expansion would prevent taxpayer funds from being used to bankroll the deaths of unborn children around the world, Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said in a statement Tuesday. "We thank President Trump and his administration for preventing taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions around the globe." About 120 members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Mpraeso Constituency of the Eastern Region have defected to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). The defected members include NDC constituency and branch officers in the constituency. Hon Isaac Awuah Mensah, leader of the defectors said their decision to join NPP was informed by the massive development within three years of President Akufo-Addos government. He said the ruling government had done far better especially the numerous social Interventions like the free Senior High school (SHS), which gave children from poor backgrounds the opportunity to access secondary education, one district one factory, planting for food and jobs, and a host of others, hence the need to join the ruling party. Hon Isaac Awuah in an interview said the revival of the National Health Insurance Scheme, massive educational infrastructure for both Basic and SHS within three years government under the New Patriotic Party was all evidence of good governance. He said the good works of Hon Seth Acheampong (MP) and Hon Davis Opoku Ansah as Parliamentary Candidate had inspired and encouraged them to join the Party. He said the defected supporters would never retreat or renounce its pledge to rally solidly behind Hon Davis Opoku Ansah's parliamentary candidacy for the Mpraeso constituency and President Akufo-Addo to continue their good works for the people of the constituency. The Eastern Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr. Jeff Konadu gladly accepted them into the party. Burned vehicles sit Friday in front of a home destroyed in the North Complex fire. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) For Michelle Rancour-Aldridge, the panic began Tuesday night. After she left her pottery class that evening, she heard that residents of Berry Creek a hilly area not far from Paradise , Calif., the town largely destroyed by flames in the 2018 Camp fire had been ordered to evacuate. She immediately dialed her sisters landline. The phone was disconnected. Im going to go up there, Rancour-Aldridge, 50, said she thought to herself. She was determined to find her sister, Kelly Burke, 49. She was one of many family members desperately trying to find loved ones who lived in the rural communities of Butte County that were burned by the North Complex fire. Kelly Burke, far right with family members from left; Barbara Breding, Amber Warren, Chelsea Vonarmfelt, and Burke. (Michelle Rancour-Aldridge) The fire moved so fast that some people could not get out in time. It burned hundreds of homes in hamlets such as Berry Creek. The death toll Sunday rose to 14 as two more bodies were recovered. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said seven people are still missing and officials are working to locate them. Rancour-Aldridge hopped into her truck Tuesday and drove to the base of a nearby mountain, but a sheriffs deputy stopped her. It made sense, Rancour-Aldridge thought, given the history of the area the way Paradise turned into a deathtrap in 2018. Still, Rancour-Aldridge was terrified. Even as she evacuated from her own home in Palermo, about an hour south, around midnight Wednesday, her mind raced with thoughts of her sister. All kinds of scenarios were playing out in my head, she said. But I know my sister really well. If she is told to leave, she leaves. Eventually, Rancour-Aldridge got hold of one of her sisters neighbors, who told her shed seen Burke evacuating from the area with a friend. By Thursday, still without word from her sister, Rancour-Aldridge decided to return to pottery class to distract her racing mind, but she couldnt stop thinking about her free-spirited sister. She thought about the Berry Creek home Burke had lived in for 25 years, where she had raised seven children. Story continues The next day, Rancour-Aldridges daughter had an epiphany: They had forgotten to call local hospitals. When she dialed Oroville Hospital, she learned that Burke had been admitted a few hours earlier not for smoke inhalation or burns, but for kidney stones. Rancour-Aldridge rushed to the hospital to see her sister, who, she later learned, had helped other neighbors prepare to evacuate before fleeing down the mountain. Her sister told her an unpaid phone bill was the reason the landline wasnt working. But Burke has larger worries because her home, as well as the homes of two of her children, were ultimately lost to the fire, said Rancour-Aldridge, who started a GoFundMe account to raise money toward rebuilding. When she told her sister shed started the account, Burke said she would do anything to return to her home in the mountains. I dont care if I live in a tent, her sister said. Oh, Kelly, you cant go back, she told her sadly. That place is cooked. The Central government is planning to spend Rs 65,560.98 crore under Prime Minister Atma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana to identify gaps in health infrastructure and effectively face the challenges of COVID-19-like pandemics, epidemics and disasters in future. An Expenditure Finance Memorandum is under consideration, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare informed the Lok Sabha today. In a suo-moto statement regarding COVID pandemic and the steps taken by the government, the minister informed that the proposed fund will cover investments in research, healthcare and public health infrastructure with particular focus on pandemic management. Stating that an effective vaccine would be the sure shot tool in containing COVID-19, Dr Vardhan said more than 30 vaccine candidates are in different stages of development in India. "Three candidates are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and more than four are in advanced pre-clinical development stage," he said. The minister also said that the COVID-19 Bio repositories set up by the government have collected more than 40,000 samples which have been made available to researchers and industry for developing diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Also read: Scientists release images of coronavirus infected cells; support mask use "Thirteen clinical trials of repurposed drugs and harnessing of traditional knowledge using modern medicine approach are building a portfolio of therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients. Phase 2 clinical trial of immunomodulator Sepsivac has been completed successfully. Phase 2 clinical trial of the first-ever phytopharmaceutical ACQH is underway. One prophylactic trial of Ashwagandha and three trials of Guduchi + Pippali; Yashtimadhu; and polyherbal AYUSH drug (AYUSH-64) are planned on moderately ill COVID-19 patients," the minister said. According to the government, as on September 11, India had a total of 45,62,414 confirmed cases and 76,271 deaths (Case Fatality Rate 1.67%). "As many as 35,42,663 (77.65%) cases have recovered. The maximum cases and deaths have been primarily reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Kerala & Gujarat. All these states have reported more than 1 lakh cases. India has been able to limit its cases and deaths per million to 3,328 cases per million and 55 deaths per million population respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly affected countries," the minister said. Also read: Coronavirus made in Wuhan lab, govt covered up outbreak: Chinese virologist Similarly, COVID treatment facilities have also been augmented to meet the challenge. "As on September 12 a total of 15,284 COVID treatment facilities with 13,14,646 dedicated isolation beds without O2 have been created. Also, a total of 2,31,093 oxygen supported isolation beds and 62,717 ICU beds (including 32,575 ventilator beds) have been created. Constant monitoring of the disease trend, analysis of available infrastructure and planning in advance for the future has averted a major crisis as was faced by many developed countries. In addition, a total of 12,826 quarantine centres with 5,98,811 beds have been created," the government says. The Department of Bio Technology, Department of Science and Technology, CSIR and Department of Health Research have also done a comprehensive mapping of Indian startup ecosystem to identify and support over 110 technology startups and over 20 industries for commercial production. "Over 150 projects in all areas of virus behavior have been initiated," the minister said. The government has also made it clear that the country has moved from 'managing travel related cases' to containing clusters and large outbreaks due to local transmission to wide spread of infection to urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Also read: Amid spurt in COVID-19 cases, Delhi govt asks 33 private hospitals to reserve 80% ICU beds Workers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have gone on strike as of this morning. The workers, who are in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), include nearly 4,000 maintenance, clerical, professional, technical, and service employees at the university. Workers unanimously voted to strike earlier in the month after the year-long contract negotiations between SEIU and UIC management failed to meet workers most basic demands in the midst of a deadly pandemic. Workers are striking to demand adequate staffing to ensure safety of staff, patients, and students, proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including universal masking and N95s in the hospital, an increase in the base minimum pay to $15 per hour, improvements to workload and time off, and language in the contract that prohibits outsourcing work. Many workers are angered by the universitys failure to provide decent pay as they are risking their lives and those of their families. Sharon Geddis, a service worker at UIC, said: I am going on strike because I deserve a living wage to be able to enjoy things like any other hard-working person in America. I shouldnt have to struggle from paycheck to paycheck when Im working every day. President Killeen doesnt have to struggle, why should I? The president of the University of Illinois, Timothy Killeen, makes $835,000 a year. He received a 40 percent pay raise only a week after the University of Illinois trustees unanimously approved a tuition hike of 1.8 percent at Urbana-Champaign and Chicago. Other workers are protesting on similar grounds, demanding that UIC provide PPE to all workers on site. Jonna Mchugh, a student advisor, said: Im going on strike because when I have to go back to working on site, I want to be sure that UIC will pull out all the stops to protect me and my coworkers from COVID-19. This includes providing proper PPE to ALL who are on site, ensuring safe staffing levels so that we are not expected to take on more workers with fewer resources, and receiving fair pay for our work. The Illinois Nurses Association (INA) at the University of Illinois hospital has also been on strike since Saturday, after a three-year contract between UIC and the INA expired. Healthcare workers are striking to demand a limit to the number of patients a single nurse can care for at one time, as there is currently no cap. They are also protesting the hospitals attempt to freeze nurses pay for three years, which has been met with ferocious hostility by nurses who are working amidst the deadly pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 900 nurses in the United States have died from COVID-19. The pandemic has only made worse the poor conditions that workers faced before the outbreak of the disease. Despite being located centrally in Chicago, many workers at UIC are paid less than the citys minimum wage. The university takes advantage of a loophole that allows UIC workers to be classified as state workers, thus not subject to Chicagos wage laws, but to Illinois much lower minimum wage of just $8.25 an hour. UIC has also faced opposition from full-time teaching staff. Last month, UIC United Faculty issued a statement condemning UICs plan to reopen campus as not being able to sufficiently provide for a safe reopening, let alone sustain a healthy open campus for the fall semester. The mistreatment of health care and university workers is not limited to UIC or the University of Illinois system. Since the start of the pandemic, the ruling class has blatantly disregarded the safety of workers by failing to provide the most basic protective measures. The back-to-school drive pushed by both the Democrats and Republicans has resulted in a major outbreak of infections in college towns. The University of Iowa has had at least 1,200 new cases since its reopening. More than 500 people at the State University of New York at Oneonta have tested positive for COVID-19, nearly 17 percent of the student body on campus. Universities across the country have failed to implement any effective measures to save the lives of their students and staff. UIC workers are carrying out a brave fight for a livable wage, job stability, and protection of their health and safety during the pandemic. However, they must be warned that if their fight is left in the hands of the SEIU, their struggle will be isolated and defeated. Already, the UIC workers are marching out on strike without the workers on several other University of Illinois campuses who are organized in the very same union local, SEIU 73. Also in SEIU 73 are 7,500 school support workers who went out on strike with the Chicago Teachers Union last year. In that struggle, the SEIU played a key role in making an appearance of solidarity with the teachers but in reality kept all demands and negotiations separate from one another. UIC workers must understand that their fight is a part of the broader struggle of the entire working class against the policies of the ruling class in response to the pandemic. The strikes at UIC must be deepened and expanded to all sections of workers who are facing similar conditions. Service workers must join with the nurses as well as graduate students, faculty, teachers and all sections of the working class to build for a nationwide general strike against the deadly back-to-school and work drives. The WSWS urges workers at UIC to join the growing movement among educators and workers of building rank-and-file committees that are independent of the unions and both the Democratic and Republican parties. A 13-year-old autistic boy who was shot by police in Salt Lake City a little over a week ago is 'lucky to be alive' and will likely experience lifelong injuries, the family's lawyer said Friday. Linden, whom the family wants referred to only by his first name, remains hospitalized with bullets still in his body and is suffering from 'pierced organs' and 'shattered bones,' attorney Zach Weyher wrote in an email. The shooting made national headlines during a time when advocates are calling for police reform targeting excessive force by officers. 'Emergency assistance was requested to deescalate a situation involving a neurologically diverse child,' Weyher wrote. 'That request ended with an unarmed 13-year-old boy shot multiple times and lying on that ground as officers met him handcuffs rather than helping hands.' Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement late Sunday that the shooting was a tragedy and called for a swift and transparent investigation. Scroll down for video Linden, whom the family wants referred to only by his first name, remains hospitalized with bullets still in his body and is suffering from 'pierced organs' and 'shattered bones,' attorney Zach Weyher wrote in an email His family's attorney said the 13-year-old is 'lucky to be alive' and will likely experience lifelong injuries after being shot by Salt Lake City police last week More details are expected emerge when police body camera footage is released, which is required within 10 days of an incident under a city ordinance. Linden was shot on September 4 by police who responded to his mother's call for a crisis intervention team (CIT) when her son started suffering severe separation anxiety over her going back to work. His mother, Golda Barton, said that police told her CIT would 'deescalate the situation using the most minimal force possible' at her Glendale home. Following the shooting, the emotional mother explained to East Idaho News that Linden 'was scared' and 'he was running' but he wasn't being violent 'at all' when police arrived. 'I just want to know why they would do such a thing. Like why, why didn't you do anything else, anything else.' Linden was shot on September 4 by police who responded to his mother's call for a crisis intervention team (CIT) when her son started suffering severe separation anxiety over her going back to work. Golda Barton is pictured during an interview following the shooting Police said the initial call was to a boy having a 'mental episode made threats to some folks with a weapon'. But no weapon was found. Linden, who has Asperger's, was shot within minutes of officers arriving to Barton's home. According to Barton, within less than five minutes of the police arriving she heard an officer shout at the boy 'get on the ground,' before several shots were fired. She said the officers told her to wait outside while they entered the property and then soon after she heard the gunshots. Barton said she thought her son was dead because the officers didn't immediately say what had happened. In a separate interview, Barton told KUTV: 'I said, he's unarmed, he doesn't have anything, he just gets mad and he starts yelling and screaming. He's a kid he's trying to get attention, he doesn't know how to regulate.' She added: 'He's a small child. Why didn't you just tackle him? He's a baby. He has mental issues.' In addition, Barton said she heard one of the officers say to the other: 'He's just a child, what are you doing?' Linden (pictured), suffered injuries to his shoulders, both ankles, intestines and bladder Over the weekend a rally was held in Ogden that demanded justice for Linden Linden suffered injuries to his shoulders, both ankles, intestines and bladder. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for Linden's medical expenses. As of Monday afternoon, it has raised more than $92,000. Barton also revealed: 'Linden said you know what mommy, they didn't hurt me. I didn't feel it. I'm a Superman.' Just days after the shooting, the Salt Lake City Police Department vowed to cooperate with multiple investigations. Police said that each time there is a shooting incident involving an officer, 'a protocol team made up of officers from multiple agencies with no ties to the Salt Lake City Police Department conducts an independent investigation'. 'We are cooperating fully with the protocol team assigned to this case,' a police statement read. The department added that the city's 'Civilian Review Board and our own Internal Affairs will also conduct parallel separate investigations'. Well, Samsung is currently the leader when it comes to foldable smartphones. And a recent post on the official Samsung Korean community platform explains the One UI 2.5 benefits on these foldable devices. Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip 5G smartphones. Especially, the former has seen major improvements than its predecessor from 2019. And now, the company has baked the One UI 2.5 custom skin, to suit the needs of the Galaxy foldable smartphone users. Besides, one would choose the foldable device to multi-task. Advertisement Which is what the company aims with One UI 2.5. The official post explains the benefits of One UI 2.5 and its potential to boost multitasking abilities on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Flip. Moreover, up till now, the devices were running an undercooked version of the One UI. Basically, it was more apt for the normal slab-smartphones. But now, with some major tweaks, Samsung is now improving the implementation of features including the Edge Panel, Multi-Active Window, and the Multi-Window Tray. Advertisement New features have been integrated into One UI 2.5 for enhanced multitasking To start off, the new Apps panel is a new addition with One UI 2.5. This is an integration of two functions of Apps edge panel and Multi window tray. Now, this new Apps panel can house up to 22 app shortcuts. Besides, users will be able to customize the layout as well. If the number of shortcuts exceeds 22, then it will not be registered. On top of this, Samsung One UI 2.5 now allows you to open multiple files from a single app. This will surely enhance the productivity of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Flip. Advertisement The Edge panel is now integrated with App Pair to provide the option of launching multiple apps together in One UI 2.5. The App Pair function allows you to run 3 apps at once in split-screen. Notably, the images shared with the post, make all these new inclusions, more clear. We will attach the images down below. These new multitasking features will come to Galaxy A-series as well However, Samsung is not limiting these features to its foldable. Besides, Samsung wants to bring all this multitasking powerhouse features to its Galaxy A series devices released after H2 2019. Advertisement Though they might have to wait till One UI 3.1 to get their hands on all these features. And also Android GO devices are excluded from receiving these features. For now, all the devices running on One UI 2.5 should be able to access these new One UI 2.5 multitasking functionalities. Note that One UI 2.5 is based on Android 10 and is the latest and greatest experience that the company has to offer. Once Android 11 starts rolling out, the devices will be upgraded with One UI 3.0. Lorraine viewers were left stunned by Emmerdale actress Fiona Wade's uncanny resemblance to Meghan Markle on today's show. The actress, 41, from London, is a dead ringer for the royal and was compared to the Duchess of Sussex, 39, by host Lorraine Kelly after appearing donning a blouse similar to the blue and white striped Ralph Lauren shirt to Wimbledon in 2018. The soap star insisted she was 'very flattered' by the hosts comments, and admitted she's been compared to Meghan. Viewers were quick to comment on the resemblance, with one saying Fiona is the Duchess' 'double', while another admitted she thought it was Meghan being interviewed when she turned on her TV. The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is pictured donning a blue and white striped Ralph Lauren shirt to Wimbledon in 2018 Lorraine viewers were left stunned by Emmerdale actress Fiona Wade's uncanny resemblance to Meghan Markle on today's show 'I was looking at you this morning, said Lorraine, 'I know people think you look like Meghan Markle, you really do this morning. 'I don't know whether it's the hair and the lovely shirt the way she does it, it's quite remarkable. She added: 'If you're being compared to someone it's not bad being compared to Meghan Markle she's gorgeous.' A delighted Fiona went on: 'I've been told I look like her before, I'm very flattered she's absolutely gorgeous. So i'm not sure whether we do look like each other, but i'm very flattered so thank you.' Viewers were quick to comment on the resemblance, with one saying Fiona is the Duchess' 'double', while another admitted she thought it was Meghan being interviewed when she turned on her TV Stunned viewers quickly took to Twitter, with one writing: 'I 100% thought she was Megan Markle when I turned my TV on'. Another commented: 'She does look so much like Meghan Markle'. A third agreed: 'OMG she definitely is Meghan Markle's double. Stunning xoxo' 'Whoa, Meghan Markle lookalike', said a fourth. Fiona is known for the role of Priya Sharma in Emmerdale and has been portraying the character since 2011. Last week, the Duchess of Sussex was recently seen taking part in a video conference with clients from the charity Smart Works to mark the anniversary of her clothes collection for the charity Fiona is known for the role of Priya Sharma in Emmerdale and has been portraying the character since 2011 The Duchess, pictured last year at the Smart Set capsule collection launch, joined the call to meet with three Smart Works clients on the anniversary of the release of her sell-out clothing collection The 39-year-old, who is patron of Smart Works and who recently signed a multi-million-pound deal with Netflix, welcomed clients from the charity which helps vulnerable and long-term unemployed women by dressing them for interviews and offering free advice. Sharing the clip online, the charity, which remains one of Meghan's patronages despite her stepping back from royal duty, posted: 'One year ago, Smart Works announced the launch of The Smart Set Capsule Collection with The Duchess of Sussex. The Duchess launched the Smart Set collection last September, which saw every item sold by the retailers matched with one item donated to SmartWorks. Throughout the clip, Keanu, who was a correspondent for the network's Going Great children's TV series, flexes his impressive investigative journalism skills, asking hard-hitting questions like "Why are all the bear's first names Teddy?" and inquiring about the stuffed animal's educational history (for reference, he is a Paws Preparatory alumnus). The young actor, who was around 20 years old in the video, even took a moment to speak with one of the event's guests of honor --- a sunglasses-clad teddy bear. "I've been looking all over for you," the young actor said, matching his interviewee in a pair of white sunnies. "We gotta go down to the bears-only cafe and talk 'bears-ness.' Listen, you know that bears necessity contest? We've got problems. So listen, we'll go down. We'll talk business, and hey, everything will be okay. I love this guy," Keanu added before kissing the teddy on his ear, his sweet, existential reassurance sparking envy in nearly every viewer in 2020. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Yet not all of his teddy interactions were as sugary sweet --- one was almost GRISLY. Towards the end of the video, the future Bill and Ted actor is nearly mauled in a hug by a large fluffy Teddy. "You're not a bear!" He yelled out, contributing to the PANDAmonium, before falling to the ground. Considering the course of this year, I'll take any drop of wholesome content I can find. For more ridiculous early roles, here's Vin Diesel barking to no one in particular about Street Sharks and Matthew Dillon mumbling his way through a documentary on roller coasters. Israeli tech start-ups take on the Emirates After an August deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Israeli business leaders headed to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to strike deals The moment a deal normalising ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel was announced, the head of a Tel Aviv technology organisation received dozens of LinkedIn invitations from Emiratis. A month on from the August diplomatic breakthrough, Eugene Kandel, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central, was already in Dubai selling Israeli technology. Kandel's organisation works to "build bridges" between Israeli technology companies and governments, businesses and organisations. The launching of public business ties "can provide a lot of opportunities for many Israelis," Kandel told AFP. Rather than wait for the signing ceremony at the White House on Tuesday between the two countries, as well as cementing an Israeli-Bahraini deal, Israeli business leaders rushed to Abu Dhabi and Dubai with catalogues of their wares. The first business delegation visited the UAE last week, following an official Israeli government visit, and another group of industry leaders is due in the Emirates on Monday. Among them is Kandel, a former economic advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since the landmark Israel-UAE deal was announced on August 13, the average number of Emirati users on the Start-Up Nation Central platform has increased by 122 percent. The amount of time they have spent looking at Israeli start-ups on the website has jumped by 600 percent, according to the organisation, which did not provide user numbers. Investment in Israel's start-up sector grew by 33 percent to $4.6 billion in the first half of this year, according to an internal study. But the figures include contracts negotiated in 2019, and so do not fully show the impact of coronavirus on the industry. The pandemic could lead to a "sharp decline" in start-up investments over the next few months, especially foreign ones, Kandel warned. In the past, Israeli start-ups tended to grow locally before being acquired by foreign firms. But that has been changing over the past five years, Kandel said. Story continues "We believe that there is a lot of potential to continue this trend, and so that money from the Emirates could replace some of the other money," which was lost due to the pandemic, Kandel told AFP. Israel and the UAE are keen to exchange agricultural technology -- both countries seek food security in the midst of the desert -- as well as financial technology and cybersecurity. In recent years the Israeli company NSO, whose Pegasus spyware can remotely extract data from mobile phones, has signed contracts with Bahrain and the emirate of Abu Dhabi, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Investors could also be drawn to Israeli missiles, drones, anti-drone and anti-missile systems, as the country is a global leader in military technology. - Cultural bridge - Israel's prominence in these fields is in part due to its compulsory military service, which includes elite technology units that serve as start-up incubators. The country's Jewish ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors, however, which constitute around 10 and 20 percent of the population respectively, are largely exempt from the conscription and under-represented in the technology sector. The Technion, one of Israel's leading universities, is committed to increasing the amount of tech graduates among Israel's minority groups. Over the past 15 years the number of Arab students in the Technion has grown by 200 percent, the institution says. With doors now opening to the Gulf, Kandel said Israel must now tap into that unrealised potential. "Arab-Israelis... could be the cultural bridge," he said. "They know how to work with (Israel's) Jewish majority, but also how to... work within the Arab world." As well as working as developers, he saw potential for Arab-Israelis to play a role in business development, marketing and sales. "You need somebody who speaks the language so you have a much wider net," he said. "It's like tapping another 20 percent of the population." Israeli entrepreneur Erel Margalit, who heads investment firm JVP Margalit, is planning to send a delegation to the UAE in coming weeks. "We want to invest in young, dynamic, smart Arab entrepreneurs," said Margalit, whose company specialises in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and financial technology. The entrepreneur told AFP he sees the Emirates as a country of tech innovators, rather than just customers. His goal is to open a start-up incubator in Dubai. "It's our goal, it's our dream," Margalit said. "It would serve as a gateway to the whole region." gl/jjm/rsc/pjm/par LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit that provides food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry, is partnering with the Spartan Kids Foundation for a nationwide t-shirt design contest. The national nonprofit is asking children to use their creative skills and design the new Blessings in a Backpack t-shirt. The contest is now underway and is running through Thursday, Oct. 15. Blessings in a Backpack and Spartan Kids Foundation are asking children to use their creativity skills and design the new Blessings in a Backpack t-shirt. The contest is now underway and is running through Thursday, Oct. 15. "We are excited to strengthen our partnership with the Spartan Kids Foundation, which provides experiences to underserved and challenged youth to promote healthy and active lifestyles," said Nikki Grizzle, chief marketing officer, Blessings in a Backpack. "Across the country, millions of kids are struggling with food insecurity. Though many schools are turning to virtual classrooms this fall, our mission remains the same to make sure these kids have food to eat. With this contest, we hope to feed more children, as each entry helps with donations." Blessings in a Backpack is aiming to raise $25,000 during this national fundraiser, with the Spartan Kids Foundation set to donate $20 to Blessings for every contest entry submitted. The nonprofit is feeding over 87,000 children in 1,092 schools across 45 states and the District of Columbia. There are more than 11 million in the United States who are at risk of hunger. To participate in this contest, children ages 12 and under can print out the form on the Blessings website and draw their favorite thing about school. Once the artwork is completed, parents are encouraged to fill out the form, scan the design, and submit it on the website before Oct. 15. The national Blessings in a Backpack team will select the top 10 finalists. Those designs will be shared on the national Facebook page, where social media followers will vote for their favorite design. Voting will run Oct. 19-23, and the winner will be announced the week of Oct. 26. The winning artist will receive a $50 Amazon gift card, a Blessings in a Backpack prize package that includes their designed t-shirt, a free Spartan Kids Race code, and their name will appear under the artwork on all printed shirts. The winning child's school or after-school club/program will receive a $1,000 Amazon gift card for their classroom wish list. For 15 years, Blessings in a Backpack has been dedicated to feeding kids on the weekend, and its efforts have not stopped throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Blessings in a Backpack's partnership with the Spartan Kids Foundation began in May. The foundation became Blessings' Giving Tuesday Now match to raise funds to feed kids during the COVID-19 school closures. This partnership led to a national fundraiser, Kids Helping Kids, which empowers families to participate in a virtual race where proceeds go toward feeding less fortunate children. This new initiative is intended to bring awareness to the millions of children struggling with a lack of nutrition across the nation. For more information and to enter the contest, visit https://www.blessingsinabackpack.org/shirt-design-contest/. Media Contact: Nikki Grizzle Email: [email protected] Related Files Blessings Shirt Design Form1.pdf Related Images nationwide-t-shirt-design-contest.png Nationwide t-shirt design contest benefiting Blessings in a Backpack Blessings in a Backpack and Spartan Kids Foundation are asking children to use their creativity skills and design the new Blessings in a Backpack t-shirt. The contest is now underway and is running through Thursday, Oct. 15. Related Links Blessings in a Backpack Website Spartan Kids Foundaiton Website SOURCE Blessings in a Backpack Related Links https://www.blessingsinabackpack.org Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Mon, September 14, 2020 13:07 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44af601 2 Lifestyle gender-reveal-party,Dubai,pregnancy,social-media Free Social media stars in Dubai are facing an online backlash after staging what they billed as the "biggest baby gender reveal ever" on the world's tallest building in Dubai. While some were quick to congratulate Anas Marwah and Asala Maleh on their second child as the needle-like Burj Khalifa lit up in blue for a boy, others criticized the extravagant light show. Gender reveal parties are held during pregnancy to unveil the sex of the expected child, sometimes announced by pink or blue smoke fireworks. The Dubai show coincided with a deadly blaze in California ignited by a firework at a gender reveal party. "What a waste!" said one Twitter user, after reports that the couple -- whose families originally come from war-ravaged Syria -- had spent tens of thousands of dollars on the stunt, allegations they denied. "We want to do something special but also memorable," Asala said. The video of the event has been popular. By Sunday, it had been viewed more than 19 million times on the family's YouTube account, which has more than 7.8 million followers. One critic took a more humorous approach to the event, tweeting: "Can you imagine the flex of these kids when they are older? Also can you imagine the flex of these kids when they are older? - Dubai kid: My gender was revealed at the Burj Khalifa! - American kid: that is nothing, mine caused fire in California, burned more than 10.000 acres and caused pollution! #mikedrop Chilel Aissitou (@Odetofashion) September 10, 2020 "Dubai kid: My gender was revealed at the Burj Khalifa!" "American kid: that is nothing, mine caused fire in California, burned more than 10,000 acres and caused pollution!" The display also came amid a spike in coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates, whose daily toll hit an all-time high on Saturday with 1,007 infections. "Glad to see the negative reactions towards the influencer gender reveal event on Burj Khalifa," said another Twitter user. Glad to see the negative reactions towards the influencer gender reveal event on Burj Khalifa. Who decided it's a good idea? Who is benefitting from it? It's bad PR for Emaar and Dubai. Thought the pandemic would cause an end to how grossly money is spent for PR stunts. Hind Mezaina (@hindmezaina) September 12, 2020 "Thought the pandemic would cause an end to how grossly money is spent for PR stunts." Gender reveal parties have fallen out of favor recently. Apart from the use of pink or blue fireworks, which are prone to causing accidents and fires, they are accused of reinforcing gender stereotypes. Even the woman credited with inventing the trend -- lifestyle blogger Jenna Karvunidis, who wrote about her own party in 2008 -- has urged people to stop. "Stop having these stupid parties," she said in a Facebook post last week. "For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid's penis. No one cares but you." Creative Artists Agency headquarters in Century City. (Benny Chan / Fotoworks / CAA) Deal or no deal? Creative Artists Agency said Monday that it reached a deal with the Writers Guild of America, potentially ending a standoff that has lasted more than a year when thousands of writers fired their agents over long-standing practices. CAA said its proposed agreement was similar to one negotiated by ICM Partners with the WGA, which ends unpopular packaging fees money agencies collect for assembling talent to work on projects by June 30, 2022. But the WGA said it has not yet reached a deal with CAA and called the agency's statement "not accurate." While CAA agreed to end packaging, a deal will also depend on how the lawsuits are resolved, the guild's agency negotiating committee said in a note to members. "CAA has proposed changes to the agreement that the WGA has not and cannot agree to," the committee wrote. The Century City-based agency said it agreed to limit its ownership stake in an affiliated production company called Wiip to 20% or less. CAA said in a statement that it will work to bring its stake in Wiip into compliance with its WGA franchise agreement. "The fact that CAA and the WGA couldnt resolve the broader dispute in a better way caused personal and professional damage to many relationships and cost millions of dollars to the Guild and the agencies," CAA said in a statement. "Countless opportunities were lost for so many people." CAA spokesman Michael Mand did not respond to requests for comment about the proposed agreement or the claims that it was prematurely announced. One high-level source close to the union who was not authorized to comment called CAA's move "a publicity stunt." The WGA maintains that packaging fees and affiliated production create conflicts of interest between the financial interests of agents and their obligation to represent their writer clients. Agencies had argued that they could manage such conflicts. CAA, along with fellow large talent agencies United Talent Agency and WME, had sued WGA over the union instructing its members to fire their agents last year. But the COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on the agencies' businesses, prompting them to make cost-cutting moves such as furloughs, salary cuts, reduction of work hours and layoffs. Story continues In July, CAA laid off 90 agents and executives, as well as furloughed 275 staffers. After a long standoff with the WGA, large agencies including UTA and ICM Partners signed agreements with the guild. WME and CAA are the only holdouts among the major firms. UTA and WGA dropped their lawsuits against each other as part of their agreement. "While litigation is never our desired business strategy, we hoped in this case that it would provide a courts relatively prompt direction as to the disagreements with the WGA," CAA said in a statement. "Unfortunately, a pandemic eliminated the possibility of a prompt day in court." CAA said it expects its signed deal will be circulated to members of the union's negotiating committee. A spokesman for the WGA did not immediately return a request for comment. Disgraced former Congressman and convicted sex offender Anthony Weiner appears to be picking up the pieces of his shattered life after landing a new job as the head of a company that makes countertops out of broken glass. The 56-year-old Democrat, who spent 18 months in a New York prison for sexting a 15-year-old girl, was recently unveiled as the CEO of Brooklyn-based IceStone having been officially appointed in May, according to a NY Post report. Weiner announced his new line of work in a promotional email showcasing IceStones products, one of which contained flecks of orange and blue glass. One of the amazing things about IceStone countertops, is that since people throw away all kinds of glass, there is almost an unlimited array of different colors we can use in our recycled glass creations, he wrote, according to the outlet. So that when I joined the company as CEO I asked what I thought was an obvious question Can we make a countertop in the colors of my favorite New York teams? So while not everyone is a fan of the Islanders (fingers crossed), Mets (ugh) or Knicks (dont ask), if you are interested in a little color in your life, give IceStone a call, he added. The 56-year-old Democrat, who spent 18 months in a New York prison for sexting a 15-year-old girl, was recently unveiled as the CEO of Brooklyn-based IceStone The move was also made official on his LinkedIn page, having been officially appointed to the role in May According to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving second chances beyond its factory and products. The company says it hires the homeless, refugees and even helps to train the formerly incarcerated, while ensuring everyone gets paid a living wage and has access to subsidized health insurance and a voice in the company. Weiner stepped down from his seat in New York's 9th congressional district in 2011, after the then-married Democrat accidentally tweeted a crotch-shot of himself in his underwear to the public, on his official page. IceStone owner Del LaManga (above) told the Post he has known Weiner for a long time, having met him a number of years ago after an launching his own unsuccessful Congressional bid. He said he also visited Weiner a number of times while he was in prison. He attempted to revive his political career two years later in a 2013 run for New York mayor. He surged to first place in the polls before his campaign suffered a spectacular blow when a second sexting scandal surfaced. Weiner, still married to Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin at the time, was found to be exchanging lewd messages online under the alias Carlos Danger. But the successive scandals were eclipsed four years later in 2017, when Weiner admitted to sexting with a 15-year-old girl, following a DailyMail.com investigation. For months, Weiner and the minor exchanged sexually graphic text messages, spoke over several social media platforms and he sent her photographs of himself in various states of undress, sometimes posing with his son. After DailyMail.com exposed Weiner, he admitted to knowing that the victim, from North Carolina, was underage at the time of their exchanges. Weiner was arrested by FBI agents in May that year. He admitted one count of transmission of obscene material later that month, weeping in court as he entered his guilty plea. 'I have a sickness but I do not have an excuse,' he said, after the judge told him that he would have to register as a sex offender. He was then sentenced to 21 months in prison that September, but was let out three months early on good behavior. In 2017, Weiner admitted to sexting with a 15-year-old girl, following a DailyMail.com investigation (pictured above with then-wife, Huma Abedin) For months, they exchanged sexually graphic text messages, spoke over several social media platforms and he sent her photographs of himself in various states of undress, sometimes posing with his son IceStone owner Del LaManga told the Post he has known Weiner for a long time, having met him a number of years ago after an launching his own unsuccessful Congressional bid. He said he also visited Weiner a number of times while he was in prison. I knew him from the political world. He talked me out of running for mayor, which was good, and we developed a relationship, he said. And then he got sucked into that whole thing. I wanted to help him any way I could. He served his time and coming out is tough. And so I said, Can you work for Ice Stone? because he knows everybody in the city and the company is in Brooklyn. The 74-year-old said the company has never been successful and he hired Weiner around five months ago in an effort to turn its fortunes around. According to its website, IceStone champions itself as an employer committed to giving second chances beyond its factory and products (a promotional shot of a product is seen above) LaManga, who made his fortune as the founder of the Tweezerman brand of beauty tools, was originally an investor in the company but later took control and when the owner ran into financial difficulties. Earlier this year he decided to replace himself. Citing Weiners experience from Congress, he said there was no better man for the job. And LaMangas faith has reportedly been repaid, as he says Anthony is a better CEO than I was. Hes just methodically going through and reinventing every aspect. The first thing he did was rebuild the website so it works betterHe took over supervising the factory, so he shows up there and hes a fanatically organized person, and hes cleaned all that up. LaManga declined to disclose to the post what salary Weiner is on. He did however voice confidence that hes completely moved on from his troubled past. Hes doing extremely well Hes very bright. I like him, my wife likes him. SoftBank Group selling Arm to NVIDIA for up to $40 billion SoftBank's decision to sell Arm to NVIDIA renewed speculation that the Japanese firm could be considering going private Japan's SoftBank Group said Monday it is selling British chip designer Arm to US firm NVIDIA for up to $40 billion, potentially creating a new giant in the industry but sparking an investigation by UK regulators and fears about the impact on jobs. If approved, the deal will be one of the largest acquisitions anywhere in the world this year and propel NVIDIA to the forefront of the semiconductor sector. The announcement also renewed speculation about SoftBank Group's future, with Bloomberg News reporting it is set to revive talks about going private via a management buyout plan. The Arm sale is valued at up to $40 billion and is subject to approval by authorities in several jurisdictions, including Britain, China, the United States and the European Union, SoftBank Group said in a statement. It hopes the deal will be completed by around March 2022, it added. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman confirmed UK regulators were looking into the deal, and its implications for Arm's headquarters in the university city of Cambridge, eastern England. The company's co-founder, Hermann Hauser, meanwhile wrote to Johnson voicing fears about jobs and Britain becoming "collateral damage" in the US trade war with China. "Arm powers the smartphones of Apple, Samsung, Sony, Huawei and practically every other brand in the world and therefore can exert influence on all of them," he said. "Surrendering UK's most powerful trade weapon to the US is making Britain a US vassal state." - Market dominance - SoftBank Group shares soared in early morning trade in Tokyo, rising by almost 10 percent at one point. They ended the day up 8.95 percent to 6,385 yen. Founded in 1990, Arm specialises in microprocessors and dominates the global smartphone market. But its chips are also found in countless sensors, smart devices and cloud services. NVIDIA, well known for graphics cards favoured in the video game industry, has seen sales skyrocket during the coronavirus crisis, with gaming a popular pastime in lockdown. Story continues Its products are also increasingly used for artificial intelligence and in data centres. SoftBank bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion in a deal that left investors cold and saw the conglomerate's stock plunge sharply. Analysts at the time said SoftBank had paid too much for the firm and the purchase revived concerns about the Japanese company's balance sheet. Amir Anvarzadeh, senior market strategist at Asymmetric Advisors in Singapore, said Arm had been "underperforming", making the sale more attractive for SoftBank. But he said the acquisition was "going to raise some eyebrows" in the semiconductor industry, because so many of NVIDIA's competitors work with Arm's designs. "They will need some guarantees... otherwise Arm may lose business or face lawsuits," he said. - SoftBank speculation - NVIDIA said in a statement that under the deal it will pay SoftBank $21.5 billion in common stock and $12 billion in cash, $2 billion of which will be payable at signing. SoftBank may receive up to another $5 billion in cash or stock, dependent on Arm's performance. And NVIDIA will also issue $1.5 billion in equity to Arm employees, for a deal worth a total of up to $40 billion. SoftBank said it felt Arm would perform better in combination with NVIDIA and the sale would "contribute to an increase in our company's value for shareholders". It said the deal would give it a combined total of 6.7-8.1 percent of NVIDIA's outstanding shares, but insisted that would not make the US firm a subsidiary or affiliate. NVIDIA said the acquisition would help "create the premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence". It said Arm would retain its name and remain in Cambridge in the UK, where a new global centre for excellence in AI will be set up. The sale, which comes as SoftBank engages in a massive push to boost its cash reserves, renewed speculation about the firm's future plans. Bloomberg News, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, said senior SoftBank executives planned to revisit a management buyout, which had previously met with internal opposition, but discussions were an early stage. etb-sah/phz/rfj/ Former Driscolls Executive Sentenced to Over Two Years in Prison for Embezzlement San Jose, California - Marc Marier was sentenced to 29 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.49 million in restitution for wire fraud and money laundering, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and FBI Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Lucy Koh, U.S. District Judge. Marier, 42, of Naperville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to the charges on June 10, 2020. Driscolls, a company headquartered in Watsonville, Calif., that sells berries, hired Marier as its Director of Real Estate and Workplace Services in October 2017. Driscolls paid Marier to relocate from Illinois to California to accept the position. According to the plea agreement and the governments sentencing memorandum, about a month into his employment, Marier sought to clarify the scope of his invoice approval authority. Marier was informed that he had the authority to approve invoices of up to $250,000 by virtue of his director-level status at Driscolls. Within weeks, Marier started abusing that authority by submitting and approving false invoices from a fake business called TNC US Inc. and routing the payments to a shell J.P. Morgan Chase bank account that he created and maintained for TNC. TNC had no bona fide assets, no employees, and no business. Marier used TNC solely to further his scheme to embezzle funds from Driscolls. In total, Marier submitted at least fifteen false invoices to Driscolls between November 2017 and May 2018 and received approximately $1.49 million in payment for services that TNC never rendered. Marier used the embezzled funds to make personal expenditures, including for a five-bedroom home in Naperville, Illinois; a GMC Yukon XL; and a $75,000 cashiers check for his girlfriend. Marier resigned the day after he became aware of Driscolls internal investigation into the fraudulent invoices that he had submitted and approved. Driscolls then referred the case to the FBI. A grand jury indicted Marier on February 14, 2019, charging him with two counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343, and two counts of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1957. Marier pleaded guilty to one count of each charge. In February 2019, the government seized the Naperville home, the GMC truck, and over $700,000 in cash from bank accounts associated with Marier and TNC. Marier agreed to forfeit all of these assets and to pay full restitution for all losses suffered by Driscolls. In addition to the prison term, Judge Koh ordered Marier to serve a three-year period of supervised release and signed a preliminary order of forfeiture that included, among other things, a personal forfeiture money judgment in the sum of $1,489,216.25. The defendant will begin serving the prison term in January 2021. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Harris, Karen Beausey, and Jeffrey Schenk are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Leung. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI. A man who appeared before Naas District Court on September 2 needs to be admitted to hospital, the court was told. The 27-year-old Clane eman was prosecuted for a breach of the Public Order Act at South Main Street, Naas, on September 9, 2019. Sgt Jim Kelly said the defendant went to Naas Hospital. He had attempted to gain admission and was told to leave. He also stopped an ambulance by jumping out in front of the vehicle. The court heard the incidents occurred because of an attempt to get into hospital. After the defendants arrest, medical help was sought but he was not admitted to hospital. Solicitor David Powderly said the defendant needs to be admitted to hospital to deal with mental health issues. Mr Powderly said the defendant would be willing to go to prison in order to get psychiatric assessment. He sees no alternative (to going to prison) at the moment, Mr Powderly told the court. He added that the defendant wants to be remanded in custody and for an assessment to be requested. He feels he needs immediate help, added Mr Powderly. Judge Desmond Zaidan said he had intended to apply the Probation Act. He added that that he was reluctant to remand the defendant in custody but I will in case he has serious underlying issues. The judge said the authorities should be told that the defendant has made a genuine attempt to self harm. Judge Zaidan remanded the defendant in custody until September 9 for a full psychiatric assessment and treatment. He said somebody in authority should ensure the defendant is seen and assessed. He further said that the prison authorities should be told he is thinking about suicide. If necessary the next court appearance could be made by videolink He told the defendant that if at any time he doesnt want to be in custody he will be released, adding its tragic, its a pity we have to go down this road. reported 2,228 new positive cases and 16 more deaths, taking the statewide tally to 63,991 and the toll to 555 on Sunday, a health official said. As many as 1,015 people were discharged from various hospitals following their recovery, while 2,938 patients completed their home isolation, he said. With these, the state has recorded 31,931 recoveries, and now has 31,505 active cases, he said. Of the 2,228 fresh cases found in 27 districts, the maximum were reported in Raipur (621), the worst-hit district in the state, followed by Bilaspur (309), Rajnandgaon (253), Raigarh (150) and Balodabazar (108), he said. The new cases also included four persons who arrived in from other states, he added. "Of the latest 16 fatalities, six took place on Sunday and ten on Saturday," he said. Of them, three patients died due to COVID-19 and the remaining others succumbed to co-morbidities, he said. The state has recorded over 49,500 cases in the last one month, he said. With total 21,850 cases, Raipur district tops the tally in the state and it has witnessed 261 deaths. Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 63,991, new cases 2,228, deaths 555, recovered 31,931, active cases 31,505, people tested so far 7,84,483. (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.) In late August, following weeks of protests in Nashville, the state capital, Tennessees Republican governor, Bill Lee, signed a law making camping on state property a felony crime with a penalty of six years in prison and an accompanying loss of the right to vote. Tennessee joined a dozen other states whose legislatures are attempting to intimidate organizers and demonstrators participating in protests against police violence. House Bill 8005 passed almost exclusively on a party-line vote, 26-5 in the Senate and 71-20 in the House. Anyone convicted of a felony is automatically stripped of voting rights in Tennessee. A lengthy process is involved to have voting rights restored after serving even a one year prison sentence. Also included in the new law is a requirement that if arrested, a demonstrator must be held for 12 hours before being released. Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth said the aim of the bill was to crack down on criminal elements and protect law enforcement officers. It is to prevent what has happened in other cities like Portland and Washington, DC, said Republican Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of the measure. Underscoring the laws authoritarian character, McNally stated that it would punish people [who] knowingly violate the law, knowingly thumb their nose at authority and dont do what authorities have requested they do. Protesters remained on state property after demonstrations began in June against police violence and in support of efforts to have the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest removed from the state Capitol. As in many other cities, the demonstrations have been largely peaceful. The ACLU of Tennessee opposes this legislation because it chills free speech, undermines criminal justice reform, and fails to address the issues of racial justice and police violence raised by the protesters currently outside the State Capitol, Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the Tennessee American Civil Liberties Union, wrote in a letter to Governor Lee before the bill was passed. Lee ignored her. While some forces around the Democratic Party have taken to denouncing the bill on racial grounds, stating its intent is to deprive African American protesters in particular of civil liberties, it is an obvious fact that the multitude of protests against police brutality, Confederate monuments and other symbols of oppression are multiracial. Tennessees lawmakers and the states multi-millionaire governor have revealed their deeply reactionary character on several fronts, this latest law being only one. The legislature has blocked efforts to vote by mail despite the fear expressed by many Tennesseans of the risk of COVID-19 infection from in-person voting. It is a felony to even distribute forms to request a mail-in absentee ballot. Similar anti-democratic measures are being pushed in other states. A Michigan bills author, state Representative Lynn Afendoulis, said riot sentencing laws were too light and told ABC News that protesters were outside agitators. A ten-year felony, for many, is going to be a slap on the wrist, Afendoulis said. Especially when they come here with the intent of hurting people and hurting property, and, again, terrorizing a community. A federal bill introduced last month would allow the US attorney general to withhold 10 percent of federal funding from state prosecutors, district attorneys and state attorneys general for failing to prosecute crimes at public demonstrations. Responding to Oklahoma protesters charged under new state terrorism laws that include life imprisonment as a penalty, American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma staff attorney Megan Lambert told the Intercept that the implications were horrifying. Many of these charged protesters are young teenagers, she said. So they are facing spending their entire lives in prison simply for, in some cases, attending a protest to try and hold police accountable. The US Protest Law Tracker produced by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) follows efforts on a state and federal level since 2016 to restrict the right to peaceful assembly. According to the tracker, 40 states have considered 133 such bills. Although 87 proposed laws were defeated or expired, 25 were enacted and an additional two were passed with undefined improvements. The Tennessee law and draconian laws like it give the police and prosecutors new and brutal tools to repress peaceful protests by declaring them riots. Even a suspended sentence would force an activist to halt political activity or face re-arrest and immediate incarceration to serve prison time for the previous charge. The new law also encourages the common police practice of infiltrating political groups and demonstrations. It is well documented that police spies or their agents encourage unwitting activists to break laws, setting them up for arrest. It is a historical fact that law enforcement frequently infiltrates progressive political movements using agent provocateurs who urge others to engage in violence, states a June article in the Intercept. ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, has announced the winner of the 2020 ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge (AIIC) New York. Micruity, a clearinghouse for communicating, verifying, and aggregating annuity-related data, was named the winner. Micruity was among 10 start-ups that presented their products to a panel of industry expert judges. The AIIC is hosted in multiple cities annually, this year in London and New York. The AIIC London winner was Virtual i Technologies, a platform for risk assessment and loss adjustment. Tonia Wilson is a member of Safe and Sound Denver, a grassroots collaborative of Denver residents with a common goal of opposing the City of Denvers proposed Group Living Zoning Code Amendment #7 as currently written. For more information go to www.SafeAndSoundDenver.com By Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Monday said that "delusional lies" are at the heart of the political turmoil the Andean copper-producing country is experiencing as the government fights to block impeachment proceedings against him. Vizcarra, who is due to finish his term in 10 months, said in a televised message that the crisis was triggered by a confidant's betrayal and a fragmented Congress that was seeking to destabilize the government. "I must tell Peruvians that what is happening here is the betrayal of someone close to me," said Vizcarra "I have to deeply regret and apologize to the country because a person from the presidential office whom I trusted, not from now but from years ago, has created this situation ... without any foundation," he added. Lawmakers voted last week to impeach Vizcarra, who has no party representation in Congress, due to "moral incapacity" in a case of the alleged irregular hiring of a little-known singer who goes as "Richard Swing." The scandal broke after leaked audio recordings were shared in Congress by opposition lawmakers of Vizcarra discussing meetings with the singer. Some lawmakers alleged the recordings showed him trying to downplay his ties to the performer. Peru's government filed a lawsuit with the country's top court earlier on Monday in a bid to hold up impeachment proceedings. The potential ouster appeared to lose steam over the weekend, however, after several political leaders came out against it, saying it would spark further turmoil with Peru already facing its deepest recession in decades and the coronavirus pandemic. Luis Huerta, a lawyer for the Ministry of Justice who presented the lawsuit, said the government's move aimed to "temporarily suspend" the impeachment process while the Constitutional Court looked into the matter. "The lawsuit alleges that there is an improper use by Congress regarding its power to declare vacancy due to moral incapacity," he added. Story continues On Saturday, Peru's prosecutor raided the homes of several people involved in the case, including officials close to Vizcarra and the singer, who was awarded government contracts for motivational talks for $49,500. The vote to launch impeachment proceedings passed with 67 votes in favor, but an actual ouster would require a higher threshold of 87 votes from the 130 legislators. Vizcarra has been summoned to face lawmakers on Friday. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Adam Jourdan; editing by Jonathan Oatis) US revokes 14-day quarantine for travelers from Chinese mainland Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/13 19:23:40 The US will loosen travel restrictions on people from the Chinese mainland from Monday, and it will revoke the earlier 14-day quarantine requirement. According to a notice issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, it will terminate arrival restrictions on flights carrying persons who had recently travelled from, or were otherwise present within, the Chinese mainland. Other countries, such as Iran, the UK and Ireland are also covered in this filing. The move could speed up personnel exchanges between China and the US, but the number of passengers depends more on the number of flights, Zheng Hongfeng, CEO of industry data provider VariFlight, told the Global Times on Sunday. Last month, the US announced it will double its flights to China to eight per week, equivalent to the total number of flights now permitted by the Chinese aviation authorities for US carriers, according to the US Department of Transportation. According to the statement, the two US carriers currently operating passenger flights to China - United Airlines and Delta Air Lines - were granted operating permission by the Civil Aviation Administration of China to increase their service frequency from twice a week to four times a week. United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Shanghai increased to four times per week from September 4. Delta Air Lines also added one flight to its Seattle to Shanghai and its Detroit to Shanghai routes from August 24. According to a notice released on September 8 by the US agency, flights from China are only allowed entry to the US at seven airports, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and Honolulu. Travelers from China to the US should undergo a 14-day quarantine at home or in a hotel, and they need to avoid social activities for 14 days, according to the note on September 8. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 305 Shares Share Just this week, the administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling allowing women to receive telemedicine abortion services and pills delivered by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic. If Trump wins, millions of women across the U.S. risk losing this essential health care. I met one such woman in my clinic a few months ago. She was a teenager, and she was tearfully anxious. She was seeking an abortion and had traveled over three hours from Eastern Washington to receive care in a Seattle clinic. She was unable to find a clinic closer to home that would offer her the treatment she was seeking. With telemedicine and the recent ruling that allows women to receive abortion pills by mail, we can expand the reach of reproductive services into rural areas. My teenage patient would have been able to speak with a physician and obtain pills without the added burden of traveling long distances and potentially exposing herself to COVID-19. In order to understand the current debate, it is important to know the history of abortion pill regulation. Medication abortion is a common, safe, and effective way to end an early pregnancy. Approximately 340,000 pregnancies are ended with abortion pills in the United States each year. The regimen involves taking two pills: mifepristone followed by misoprostol a day later. These pills essentially induce a miscarriage, which occurs in the privacy of a persons home. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically targeted mifepristone after its approval in 2000 using the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) that also governs certain drugs with safety concerns, like methadone, which is used to treat opiate addiction. These restrictions mandated that mifepristone be administered in clinics or hospitals, instead of picked up at retail pharmacies. They also mandated that physicians be certified by the drug company and attest to their qualifications. To be fair, when mifepristone was first approved, we were still collecting data about its safety outside of a research context. We now have 20 years of data attest to its safety profile. In fact, the risk of death from pregnancy is about 14 times higher than the risk of death from an abortion in the first trimester. Today, the REMS restrictions are just another onerous and unnecessary barrier to reproductive services. Clinics, unlike pharmacies, rarely function as dispensaries and maintaining drug supply is expensive. Other restrictions are simply redundant. For example, it is already standard of care for physicians to prove their qualifications with state licensing, multiple board examinations, and years of training. The FDA loosened restrictions in 2016, allowing women to take mifepristone in their own homes after obtaining the pill in-person at a health care facility. Earlier this year, when the ACLU and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists filed suit, they claimed that the REMS requirement imposes unnecessary COVID-19 risks and other burdens by forcing patients to travel to one of these clinical settings solely to pick up the medication and sign a form, even though, based on safety data, the FDA already permits patients to swallow the pill later at home. Meanwhile, even opioids like methadone, which were previously administered in person, are now available for mail delivery or pharmacy pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacists also agree. In the May 2018 Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, they concluded that mifepristone no longer fits the profile of a drug that requires a REMS. Meaning, if you can mail someone their methadone, you can certainly mail them mifepristone. By attempting to reverse the recent ruling in favor of mailed mifepristone, the Trump administration is undermining the expertise of our health professionals and scientists and attempting to chip away at our health care. Dont let them. Monica Agarwal, Alexa Lindley, and Emily Godfrey are family physicians. The opinions expressed in this op-ed are the personal views of the writers and do not represent the position of UW Medicine. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The government is mulling making an investment of Rs 10 lakh crore into seven new bullet train projects. The report comes days after the Railways had indicated that the first such project on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route may see delay amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The new projects include - Delhi-Varanasi (865 km), Mumbai-Nagpur (753 km), Delhi-Ahmedabad (886 km), Chennai-Mysore (435 km), Delhi-Amritsar (459 km), Mumbai-Hyderabad (711 km) and Varanasi-Howrah (760 km). "As of now, the government has asked us to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) of seven new corridors. Capital costs can be decided only after the DPR is prepared, as a lot of things like terrains and route length are a factor," Business Standard reported citing Achal Khare, managing director of National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) as saying. "All the new corridors may not necessarily be built using Japanese technology. Hence, the cost may differ," the daily also reported citing an unidentified official. Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board V K Yadav had recently said a "real timeframe" for the completion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train plan has to be "reassessed" as the land acquisition for the project has been delayed due to the coronavirus crisis. It also said that a clear timeline in this regard can only be provided in the next three to six months. Yadav's comments came amid reports that the bullet train project may fail to meet its December 2023 deadline. "We are hoping that within the next three to six months, we will be able to get to that point where we have 90-100 per cent of the land. Our designs are ready and we are set to go," Yadav had also said. "As the COVID19 situation improves, the Railways will start the bidding process and within the next three to six months, we will be able to get the status of land acquired. It will then be the appropriate time to reassess the project. Once the land status is ascertained, we can provide a real timeframe for the completion of the project," the railway board chairman had said. Also read: Bullet train may miss 2023 deadline due to COVID-19 pandemic Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Glenn Chapman (Agence France-Presse) San Francisco, United States Mon, September 14, 2020 09:07 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44a3ad4 2 Science & Tech yoga,search-engine,donation,Seva Free Sean Kelly left the Silicon Valley startup world for a spiritual journey that led to a life filled with yoga on an island in Thailand. But as a global pandemic disrupted the global economy, Kelly and two others created a search engine with the goal of raising funds to feed the hungry in Africa, Asia and anywhere else there is need. Launched this month, Seva bills itself as the world's first independent, socially conscious search engine that lets people feed hungry children by browsing the internet. "I think technology is one of the greatest enablers of both positive and negative forces," Kelly told AFP from Koh Pha Ngan during a video call. The Seva team relies on Microsoft's Bing to power searches behind the scenes at Sevasearch.org, or on mobile devices with its app. Revenue from ads linked to the searches generate funds which go to the World Food Program and Project Healthy Children. The site promises full transparency about its finances, and within a week had funded more than 169,000 meals for the charitable organizations. "Unlike other search engines, we don't track your searches. We're really just here to feed people." Ideals vs. reality Created as a US company with a remote team from all over the world, Seva doesn't store search data or keep track of users, using minimal information such as query subjects and general locations to target ads, according to Kelly. Kelly and co-founder Ron Piron had been mulling the idea of a search engine while running a Bookretreats.com platform launched five years ago for people seeking yoga getaways. "We had it on a low burner for a while, then the pandemic hit," Kelly said. "Myanmar people in my community lost their jobs, and friends started messaging me asking about where to beg on the streets." A hunger crisis loomed, and Bookretreats was sidelined as people stopped traveling due to virus risk. "We wanted to create a way for people to engage in effortless charity," Kelly said. "Seva is allowing people to make an impact with something they do every day; search the internet." As idealistic as Seva may be, it faces a challenge in an online search market dominated by Google, according to Technalysis Research chief analyst Bob O'Donnell. Silicon Valley-based Google had more than 90 percent of the global search market as of August, according to Statcounter. "It strikes me as a well-intentioned effort that may not have a lot of realistic opportunity," O'Donnell said of Seva. "It could absolutely work, I just think it is more than a bit of a challenge." Among the obstacles is that Google has become so much of a habit for internet users the name of the company is used as a verb for online searching. Even privacy-focused DuckDuckGo has not managed to gain significant traction in the search market, the analyst noted. Kelly grew up in Berkeley, California, graduating from the state university there. He was an early employee at Modria, a dispute resolution platform spun out of eBay and PayPal. "I ended up quitting my job at the tech startup to pursue a spiritual journey and really dive deep into yoga," said 33-year-old Kelly, who authored a book on the subject and taught classes before launching Seva. "It takes people who are really willing to use technology to try and spread wonderful things, otherwise all the other aspects of humanity kind of bring it down," he said. A lock of Abraham Lincolns hair along with a blood-stained telegram about his 1865 assassination have been sold at auction for more than $81,000. The items were sold during an auction that ended Saturday, according to RR Auction of Boston. No information about the buyer was disclosed. The roughly 2-inch (5 centimeter) long lock of hair was removed during Lincolns postmortem examination after he was fatally shot at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. It was presented to Dr. Lyman Beecher Todd, a Kentucky postmaster and a cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln, the 16th presidents widow, according to RR Auction. Dr. Todd was present when Lincolns body was examined. The hair is mounted on an official War Department telegram sent to Dr. Todd by George Kinnear, his assistant in the Lexington, Kentucky, post office. The telegram was received in Washington at 11 p.m. on April 14, 1865. RR Auction vouched for the authenticity of the lock and telegram. Dr. Todds son, James Todd, wrote in a 1945 letter that the clipping of hair has remained entirely in the custody of our family since that time. It last was sold in 1999, the auction house said. When you are dealing with samples of Lincolns hair, provenance is everything and in this case, we know that this came from a family member who was at the Presidents bedside, Bobby Livingston, RR Auctions executive vice president, said in a statement. The $81,250 selling price was slightly more than the $75,000 the auction house was hoping the items would fetch. The telegram is significant because it disproved a theory that then-Secretary of War Edwin Stanton plotted to kill Lincoln because of their personal and political differences, according to historians. Some people said Stanton ordered military communications to be disrupted, allowing Booth to briefly escape. The time stamp on the dispatch shows that military telegraph lines were functioning on the night Lincoln was assassinated. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By PTI DUBAI: The Indian Consulate in Dubai has urged employers and families of deceased Indians here to claim the mortal remains at the earliest, in view of increasing burden on the mortuaries across the Gulf kingdom, according to media reports on Monday. It has come to the notice of the Consulate that in some cases, the deaths of Indian nationals in Dubai and Northern Emirates are not reported to the Consulate on time, due to which there has been delays in claiming the mortal remains from various mortuaries, the Gulf News quoted a press statement issued by the mission. "It is re-iterated that the mortal remains must be claimed expeditiously and their burial/cremation or repatriation completed at the earliest, the statement added. The Consulate told the newspaper that on a couple of occasions the deceased Indians were buried in the UAE without the knowledge of their families as there was no one to claim the bodies. In June year, the mission had also appealed to the Indian community to report deaths of Indian nationals immediately to avoid delays. Delays in completing formalities by the employers or families caused additional burden on the mortuaries, the mission said. The situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. The consulate said employers and sponsors should report the death of an Indian on its emergency helpline: or on deathregistration.dubai@mea.gov.in The COVID-19 has claimed 399 lives with nearly 80,000 cases confirmed infections in the UAE so far. Five persons, including a police personnel, have been arrested separately for their alleged role in procurement of mephedrone worth Rs 99.50 lakh from Mumbai, a local crime branch official said on Sunday. Acting of a tip-off, crime branch sleuths intercepted a car coming from Mumbai and arrested three persons with 995 gms of mephedrone worth Rs 99.50 lakh, he said. The trio is identified as Mohammad Arif, Feroz Khan Nagori, an assistant sub-inspector at Danilimda police station in Ahmedabad, and Imran Padhiyar, he said. The duo arrested from Mumbai are identified as Shahzad Tejabwala and Imran Ajmeri, he said, adding that the duo had jumped bail in a 2019 drug case. He said Arif, Nagori and Padhiyar had gone to Mumbai along with Ajmeri where they met Tejabwala in a hotel. Tejabwala and Ajmeri bought 1 kg mephedrone from a drug dealer in Mumbai, he said. Investigation revealed that Tejabwala and Ajmeri used to purchase drugs from their contacts in Mumbai to sale them in Ahmedabad. "Nagori knew accused Ajmeri since long. Nagori used his position as a policeman to avoid checking on the way from Mumbai to Ahmedabad while transporting the drug," the crime branch official said. He said Tejabwala and Ajmeri were arrested in 2019 with MD drugs worth Rs 1.46 crore and released on bail. All the accused have been booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further probe is underway, the official added. Mephedrone, also known as meow meow, is a synthetic stimulant drug. READ | 3 Held For Duping 250 People Through Fake Call Centre Since 2017: Police READ | Two Accused Of Sangwan Murder Case Held By Delhi Police, Ghaziabad Cops To Seek Their PC The paper, titled 'Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan', supports the longstanding belief that support for a separate Sikh State is part of the Pakistani strategy to 'bleed' India "Canada knows what's going on," says veteran journalist Terry Milewski of the pockets of support for Sikh separatism within its borders, "And will not endanger relations with India, except by accident as when a convicted Khalistani terrorist (Jaspal Atwal) was invited to dine with the Trudeaus during their 2018 visit to New Delhi." Calling the incident a 'grave embarrassment', he adds, "But it was stupidity, not a policy to antagonise India." Milewski, whose paper titled 'Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan' was released last week, therein argues that despite the efforts of Sikh separatists in the West to drum up support for an independent State of Khalistan, interest for secession is low among Sikhs in India. "A closer look suggests that it's Pakistanis, not Khalistanis, who are driving the campaign and their motives are not necessarily pure," he writes. Western countries like Canada and UK have unwittingly (or otherwise) found themselves home to several proponents of the pro-Khalistan movement. "Khalistanis in the West have been skilled at politics," he elaborates on why the movement is entertained (at best) or tolerated (at worst) in the West, "While most Sikh immigrants to the US, the UK and Canada want to tune out old-country politics and get on with their lives, the separatists have organised effectively to vote as a bloc and to thereby win political influence." This phenomenon doesn't exist in a vacuum, because as Milewski points out, "Many western politicians have been rewarded [at the ballots] by agreeing to tolerate the separatist agenda. They don't need to become experts in Indian history or politics they just know that there's a reliable voting bloc ready to help at election time." The Pakistani hand While the role of the West in fostering the Khalistan movement is examined this paper published by Macdonald-Laurier Institute (an Ottawa-based nonpartisan, independent think-tank named after Sirs John A Macdonald and Wilfred Laurier, former Canadian prime ministers), it seeks primarily to establish the role of Pakistan in fuelling Sikh separatism for its own ends. Explaining where the push for Khalistan belongs in Islamabad's scheme of things, Milewski offers, "I think it's a low priority in this sense: Pakistan is not really trying to set up a Sikh State. Its leadership knows that's not realistic. But such a State is the Khalistanis' purpose, not Pakistan's. Its own purpose is to 'bleed' India by keeping the cause alive and providing safe haven to Sikh militants." Interestingly, as the paper notes, "Today, [Sikhs'] elimination from Pakistan is not quite complete but, under the threat of forced conversions, attacks on gurdwaras and worsening discrimination against all religious minorities in Pakistan, fewer than 10,000 Sikhs remain where once there were two million. This, in a country which supposedly stands for their liberation from oppression." How then does the movement that is sustained and supported by Pakistan reconcile with the country's historically poor treatment of the Sikh community? "I've seen no attempt to do so. Sikhs have been leaving Pakistan ever since Partition to escape discrimination, which has recently been getting worse," states the retired journalist. "I can only guess that, as sometimes happens in an abusive marriage, the Khalistanis remain loyal to Pakistan because there's nowhere else to turn and because the welfare of the average Sikh living in Pakistan is not really their concern," Milewski adds. In exchange for their continued work towards 'bleeding' India, Pakistan provides Khalistanis shelter, arms, training, links to its intelligence agencies, fake passports and other such goodies. Beyond the subcontinent In a recent interview to The Print, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria said, "Often, these extremist elements are noisy and appear to carry more weight than they actually do on the ground. We have seen their influence erode every day in Canada." According to Milewski, support for the pro-Khalistan movement varies from state to state, city to city and district to district. He says, "In districts where the voting bloc is significant, Khalistan activists have influence but, in the nation as a whole, the movement is regarded with deep suspicion because of the Air India bombing and a string of other violent attacks." It may be recalled that on 23 June, 1985, Air India Flight 182 from Montreal to Delhi via London blew up over the Atlantic Ocean, courtesy a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh extremists. In this context, the paper draws reference to a speech delivered in Toronto by former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2010 and the following line in particular: "[There] are, however, some elements outside India, including in Canada, who try to keep [the demand for a Khalistani State] alive for their own purposes. In many cases, such elements have links to or are themselves wedded to terrorism." The dream of Khalistan has served as a useful vehicle for fund-raising and 'exercising power' over the larger Sikh community with Khalistani voices claiming to speak for all Sikhs, the author points out. "Their newspapers," he adds, "would reach every home and be filled with lucrative government advertising: 'Shout for Khalistan and get rich!' But, recently, the claim that they speak for the Sikh community has eroded badly as the older generation of leaders is replaced by a new generation, born and raised in Canada and less interested in old battles." Milewski draws attention to Ujjal Dosanjh a former federal Cabinet minister and fierce anti-separatist who was elected and re-elected for 20 years in districts with large Sikh populations, and also the co-author of the foreword of the paper. "So the separatist claim to speak for the Sikhs was never sound and is even less so today," says the journalist whose work has taken him to a reported 52 countries. Khalistanis in Canada L'affaire Atwal aside, there was an incident in 2019 that saw Canada drop a reference to Sikh extremism from a terror report in 2019 something that raised hackles in India. So what's going on? "The present Liberal government has been burned by its softness, as previous governments both Liberal and Conservative have," recalls Milewski, "But [the present government] remains heavily influenced by the fact that Khalistan activists are better organised than other immigrants who, as noted above, just want to get on with their lives." Unfortunately, the reality is that there remain a handful of swing districts in both British Columbia and Ontario that reward politicians who dance to the tune of the Khalistanis. It's not just the Liberal and Conservative parties though that have been guilty of being soft on Sikh separatists, with the Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party being a recent addition to the list. But when it comes to the leaders of parties that have formed the country's federal government, the veteran scribe says, "I would not say the difference between former prime minister Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau is wide. Harper was justly lectured on the topic by Indian leaders just as Trudeau is today. But Trudeau has been more willing to look the other way." Shouldn't the fact that Canada is seen to be soft on the same group of people that is armed, trained and guided by Pakistan to 'bleed' India affect their bilateral relations? Not really. "It doesn't seem to affect Pakistan-Canada relations much on the surface," Milewski explains, "The relationship does take a back seat to the Indian relationship, and Canada does make pro forma declarations that Pakistan is an ally in the war on terror. But nobody buys that. For Canada, Pakistan is not a high priority except where the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan are concerned." What comes next One of the key pillars supporting the argument offered in 'Khalistan: A Project of Pakistan' that there are infinitesimally few takers in India for a separate Sikh State is that the Congress, headed in the state by the staunchly anti-separatist Captain Amarinder Singh, was voted to power in Punjab in the last Assembly election. The paper goes on to state that more striking than Amarinder's victory was the fact that the only party to offer a separatist platform in that election ("a splinter group of the venerable Shiromani Akali Dal") secured only 0.32 percent of the vote. The paper concludes by raising a couple of key questions that must be considered before we can contemplate or speculate on what happens next. It asks: "Are Sikhs around the world clamouring for an independent State? Do they want Pakistan to get what it wants? The separatists have laboured long to ensure that we'll soon find out. But they may not like the answer." So where does this leave us? "For Pakistan, the Khalistan movement is an affordable way to bleed India and that won't change under Prime Minister Imran Khan," opines Milewski, "For the Khalistanis, I think the referendum (a campaign by a UK-based organisation to vote for a separate Sikh State) is a strategic blunder which will only expose how feeble the support for Khalistan is. The Khalistanis are shooting themselves in the foot by destroying their bogus claims to speak for all Sikhs." The reason for this, as the paper points out frequently is basic mathematics. "Even if they get tens of thousands of Canadian Sikhs to turn out and vote yes, for example even if they get a hundred thousand that would still leave eight out of 10 who weren't interested," offers the paper's author, adding wryly, "Plus millions more in Punjab who voted for Captain Amarinder." But it's not an entirely rosy outlook for India that, according to Milewski, is also shooting itself in the foot by banning a referendum on Khalistan and criminalising those who peacefully advocate it. "That's an attack on free speech and, crucially, it gives the Khalistanis an excuse for their likely failure to show strength," he points out, "They'll say they got low numbers because of Indian repression. And so they'll soldier on, even if increasingly irrelevant." K-pop girl group GFriend plans to release two digital singles in Japan next month, its management agency said Monday. The singles "Labyrinth - Crossroads" and "Song of the Sirens - Apple" will be released on Oct. 14 and 21, respectively, according to Source Music. "Labyrinth - Crossroads" will consist of Japanese versions of "Labyrinth" and "Crossroads" from the band's eighth EP album "Labyrinth," dropped last February, while "Song of the Sirens - Apple" will carry "Apple" and "Tarot Cards" from its latest EP "Song of the Sirens," which came out in July in South Korea. These will be the band's first Japanese releases since its first Japanese full-length album, "Fallin' Light," which came out last September. GFriend debuted in Japan in 2018 in partnership with King Record, a major Japanese record company, and has since released three singles and one full-length album. The act has successfully settled in the market, winning the "Best 3 New Artists" award at the 33rd Japan Golden Disk Awards. (Yonhap) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 21:13:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JUBA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's citizens on Monday decried skyrocketing prices of basic commodities like food due to the deteriorating economic situation in the country. South Sudan depends significantly on essential commodities imported from neighboring Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. Moses Lado, a vendor at Jebel market, said that food price hike had negatively impacted his business amid the devaluation of the local currency. "Prices of food in the market have doubled in the recent past while destabilizing livelihoods, "said Lado. He said the devaluating local currency has deterred traders from importing cargo, paralyzing the supply chain network, adding that 100 U.S. dollars is about 48,000 South Sudanese pounds. "Life has become hard for me as a trader, it is not easy, and there is no business. I sit from morning to evening without making any sufficient sales unlike last month," said Lado. Suzan Achol, a female trader said that 50 kilograms of maize flour is sold at 13,000 South Sudanese pounds (about 35 U.S. dollars), and one kilogram of sugar is retailing at 5 dollars. "The cost of different commodities differs from one market to the other," said Achol. Kuol Athian, minister of Trade and Industry, said recently that the government had put measures in place to help stabilize the cost of basic commodities. Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, said that inter-communal skirmishes, natural disasters, desert locust invasion and volatility in the global oil market had slowed down economic growth in South Sudan. "The tax revenues were also significantly affected because of the closure of borders and business with neighboring countries became very slow or at least only relief items were allowed to come," said Garang. South Sudan government said in August that it was seeking 250 million U.S. dollars loan from African Export and Import Bank to cushion the economy from disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. The central bank in Juba in August announced that it had run out of foreign exchange reserves and could not halt the deprecation of local currency. The landlocked country depends entirely on oil to finance its budget, but a reduction in oil production from 185,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 170,000 bpd due to COVID-19 disruptions has negatively impacted revenue generation. Enditem Four persons including a Bangladeshi national were apprehended and a huge quantity of banned cough syrup phensedyl seized by BSF during separate raids in West Bengal, a statement issued by the paramilitary force said on Sunday. It said that phensedyl bottles, valued at Rs 6.28 lakh, were recovered in three separate raids near the Indo- Bangladesh border on Saturday-Sunday. Two persons were nabbed and 2,383 bottles of phensedyl recovered in twin raids at Rajanagar border outpost in Murshidabad district on Saturday. The two confessed they were trying to smuggle the prohibited drug to Bangladesh and revealed they were from Raninagar village in Murshidabad. In another incident on Saturday, a Bangladeshi national was caught at Dobarpara border outpost in North 24 Parganas district on Saturday midnight and 300 bottles of phensedyl found in his custody, the statement said. The apprehended man confessed he hailed from Jessore district of the neighbouring country and had crossed over to this side sometimes back. In the third raid on early Sunday, a man was caught by the border guards at Nawada outpost in Malda district and 250 bottles of Phensedyl found in his possession. The apprehended person was from a village in the district. Till date in this year, BSF personnel of the South Bengal frontier rescued 4,209 cattle and seized 2,05,633 bottles of Phensedyl and 1685.42 kg of cannabis, when these were being smuggled into Bangladesh, the statement added. New Delhi: The coronavirus cases in India crossed 48-lakh mark on Monday (September 14, 2020) with 92,071 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. With this latest spike, the coronavirus cases across the country stand at 48,46,428. As per the Health Ministry, there are 9,86,598 active cases while 37,80,108 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. The country in the last 24 hours reported 1,136 deaths due to the deadly virus taking the overall toll to 79,722. As per the Ministry, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected State from the infection with 2,80,138 active cases while 29,115 patients have succumbed to the virus in the State. Andhra Pradesh comes second with 95,733 active cases and 4,846 deaths.Tamil Nadu has a total of 47,110 active cases and 8,307 deaths whereas Karnataka has 97,834 active cases and 7161 fatalities due to the pathogen.Delhi has a total of 28,059 active cases and 4,715 fatalities due to COVID-19. Live TV The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday informed that 9,78,500 samples were tested on Sunday. The cumulative samples tested up to Sunday stand at 5,72,39.428. Executive Interview: Zixi CEO Gordon Brooks We sat down with Zixi CEO Gordon Brooks to talk about what's new with the company, which manages and transports broadcast-quality, scalable live and live linear, supporting every protocol imaginable. Zixi will be presenting a series of webinars as part of its Zixi Virtual Showcase over the next two weeks, and will be joining Streaming Media West Connect for a Tech Talk on September 30. Below is a lightly edited transcript of our discussion. Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen: Thank you for joining us in this executive interview with Gordon Brooks, who is the CEO of Zixi. Welcome Gordon. I don't have the Emmy backdrop that you have! Gordon Brooks: It's usually in the office, but since we're not in the office, I figured I might as well bring it home. ESR: So we just want to jump right in and start talking about Zixi. For people who might not know, you've been around for more than a decade, but tell us what Zixi does and what it is. GB: Yeah, so we're a software company and we have a software-defined video platform that takes typically what a dozen software and hardware products would do to be able to manage and transport live and live linear in broadcast quality, point to point, but really anywhere to anywhere and point to multipoint. And we've been in the business 13 years and a lot of people think probably 10 years too early. But we started out with a protocol. So we understand the transport area very, very well. And really in the last three or four years, we've built up the platform. So not only do we have the Zixi protocol, but we have 16 other protocolsWebRTC, RTP, RIST main profile SRT, NDIpretty much anything. We have a video solution stack, which does all things like hitless fail over and bonding and slating and auto recording across all the protocols. Then we have ZEN Master, which is a control plane that really abstracts the complexity away of managing these large IP networks. Because you have thousands of streams, it can get pretty complicated. So we abstract that away. So operators can operate it and you can control your entire environment. And then we have this Zixi-enabled network, which is all of our partners and our customers. So we have over 200 integrated partners. Today we're in about a hundred countries, we have about 700 customers, and there's about a hundred thousand instances of Zixi all over the world. Wow. ESR: You talked about the protocols that Zixi supports and there are many, many streaming protocols out there and many, many live streaming platforms out there. What is it about the Zixi software-defined video platform that sets it apart from the others on the market? GB: We're actually very unique, in terms of we're the only ones out there supporting every major protocol. So we still have the best in the open internet. It's about 95% market, but we support them all and we'll continue to support them all. So whatever you're doing with us is future-proof. We're known for being able to operate in the open internet, but we now run on any IP network, including cellular, and we're in the middle of some big 5G tests and things like that. And it's the control plane. So it's all those components where you have the interoperable network so that you can operate with anybody out there. You're not restricted by what hardware's out there, or what environments out there across any IP network across any protocols. So it's just a very unique way to do it. It makes it very easy for people to scale to large-scale implementations of IP. And we're about broadcast quality. If it's so-so, or good enough, that's probably not us. We're all about high end. ESR: You talk about leveraging IP networks and how the broadcast industry is increasingly doing that. Obviously that's in streaming's DNA, but as the broadcast industry moves more and more to leveraging different IP networks, why is it so necessary to have a software defined, live streaming infrastructure to make things work? GB: If they need hardware for protocol switching, and you needed this software to do something else, then you're kind of tying yourself to a physical plant, which would COVID and where everybody's going, people are trying to get more away from to be more virtualized. So the idea that it's software-defined that we have full transcoding built into our software, all the telemetry from every edge point. So no matter where you are, where do you want to put it? You want to put it on the edge, you put on the edge. You want to put it in a cloud, you put it in cloud. You want to put it in data center and you want to hook it to a camerawhatever you want to do, our software can go anywhere and you just download it and go, ESR: You talked earlier about the fact that Zixi streams both point to point, but also streams at scale. Streaming point to point can be easy, relatively. Once you get into live streaming at scale, things get really complicated. How does Zixi help users manage and maintain their live streams at large scale? GB: That's ZEN Master. So it's that democratization of that whole process, because you can't have a whole bunch of video engineerswhich we don't have enough of and are very expensiverunning everything. So how do you get operators to be able to operate that? So we've worked with, you know, the NBCs of the world, the Bloombergs of the world , the Amazons of the world, to help build out our control plane. So most of the major broadcasters out there have had big say in how you do that. And so we were built for scale in these large IP networks, which can be very, very complicated if you have had to manage all edge devices individually with UIs and do things in the cloud with a different UI. And we're all in one control plane, where you have access to a device on the edge to an Apple or your Raspberry PI to spin up instances in Google or Azure or Microsoft or AWS. ESR: How easy is it for customers to start live streaming using Zixi, and what do they need to do in order to, to get off the ground? GB: So, I mean, if you want to live stream to somebody who's already as Zixi customer, you download a piece of software, it's free, it takes minutes to set it up, and off you go. We do that a lot for the OTT providers who are pulling in content from Africa and Turkey and places like that. If you want to set up a complex workflow, then we work with you to design to make sure you've got it architected right and you've got the failovers operating. We're doing a very large rollout of universal integration of content of 250 different channels into an OTT player. And that full implementation from "Let's sign a contract" to "go live" is going to be about 30 days. ESR: That's pretty quick turnaround. Yeah. Let's close by talking about the future and sort of talking big picture. Where do you see live streaming is headed right now? And obviously COVID has impacted the trajectory of things. And how is Zixi both keeping up with, but also I'm guessing, enabling that future? GB: The move to virtualized is, as you know, orders of magnitude faster. Everybody had plans and now it's an order of magnitude fasterremote operations, remote production, which are things we enable with our software-defined platform. We're helping people get home and stay home. And I think we did some surveys just a little while ago. And in the, in the high 90%, everybody believes that the infrastructure they're putting in for remote work is going to stay permanent, and that it actually works better than people think. But then you also look at things like 5G. So I think 5G is going to have a huge impact in terms of workflows and how people operate. And for us 5G is just another IP network, but it's complex and we're knee-deep in it right now. And we're going to have something that's very unique and very early in that market. So I think 5G is big. Machine learning [is going to be big as well], so that you can get into things like blast radius and really more ML-based alerting and predictive analytics so that you're predicting problems before they happen. And if they do happen, you know what exactly is impacted. There's a lot we're doing there. We're already doing some of it with predicting encoder quality without seeing the source, using ML. So you'll see more and more of that going on. ESR: Well, thanks for taking the time today. It's been great catching up and if people want to learn more, they can obviously go to Zixi.com, right? GB: Absolutely. We've got a bunch of webinars coming up over the next two weeks. We got five. So come join us. ESR: Terrific. And we've got our Streaming Media West Connect in October, and I believe Zixi will be joining us for one of those sessions, too, so people have lots of chances to learn more. This article is Sponsored Content Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned Caputo told the Spectator in Hamilton, Ont., this year that he valued Alexander, his aide from McMaster, as much for his being politically savvy as for his scientific knowledge. Caputo said Alexander has an innate sense for the in-and-outs of politics. This is a battle of ideas, he added. And every day, there are winners and losers. Caputo told the New York Times on Saturday that Alexanders positions come into conflict with some career scientists, which causes friction. Thats called science. Disagreement is science. ... Some changes have been accepted, most have been rejected. Its my understanding that thats how science is played. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports are not part of a game. They were described by one former top health official, in remarks to the New York Times, as the holiest of the holy in infectious disease literature. The reports must be read by someone outside of CDC like myself, and we cannot allow the reporting to go on as it has been, for it is outrageous. Its lunacy, Alexander said in an email to CDC officials, as relayed by Politico. Whats lunacy is for paranoia and political calculations to be coloring the dissemination of scientific knowledge during a pandemic. Caputos ideas about managing a health crisis need to be put out to pasture. Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. Journalist Bob Woodward confirmed on the 'Today' show Monday that it wasn't President Donald Trump's idea to ban travel from China in late January. 'It is very different and it's essential to the understanding,' Woodward told NBC's Savannah Guthrie, promoting his new book 'Rage,' which comes out Tuesday. In the book, Woodward writes that Trump was meeting with top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar who recommended that the president ban travel from China in an effort to keep the coronavirus out. Bob Woodward confirmed reporting from his forthcoming book 'Rage' during an appearance Monday on the 'Today' show. He said President Donald Trump banned travel from China after his aides told him to make the move President Donald Trump has long said it was his idea and he went against aides' wishes when he limited travel from China in late January as a way to prevent COVID-19 from coming to U.S. shores For months, the president suggested that he, alone, made the decision to ban travel from China on January 31 - and he did so against Fauci's advisement. 'And you know, he's said numerous things: "Don't close of China. Don't ban China." And I did it anyway, I sort of didn't listen to my experts and I banned China,' Trump said back in July, during an interview with GrayTV's Greta Van Susteren. Woodward also questioned the effectiveness of the so-called 'ban,' because travelers from China were still allowed in. 'It's not that President Trump banned travel, people coming from China to the United States - he restricted it,' Woodward told Guthrie. 'And as we now know, there were some problems and lots of people from China, instead of coming to the United States went to Europe and then came into John F. Kennedy airport in New York.' 'And that's why there was such a firestorm of a virus in New York at that time,' Woodward offered. Woodward also explained to Guthrie why he sat on Trump's February 7 comments, which included the president's admission that the virus was airborne and that it was five times more deadly than the flu. The veteran Watergate reporter said he was missing a key clue that he didn't learn until May. 'That on January 28th, ten days before that February call, the President was warned by his National Security Adviser in a top-secret meeting that the virus is going to be the greatest national security threat to your presidency,' Woodward said. 'And then his deputy Matt Pottinger stepped up with details explaining a pandemic was coming.' When Woodward spoke to Trump in early February about COVID-19, he thought the president was just talking about China. 'If there was any suggestion I had that that was about the United States, I would have of course published. I think I have public health, public safety responsibility. But there was no indication in February,' Woodward said. Woodward said Trump could have used his February 4 State of the Union address to sound the alarm. 'It is one of those shocks for me having written about nine presidents that the President of the United States possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives,' Woodward said. 'Historians are going to be writing about the lost month of February tens of years.' The Akademic Chersky pipe layer is seen in the Gulf of Gdansk in the Baltic Sea. According to Russia's energy minister Novak, Akademik Chersky could be involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Germany has come under increasing pressure to pull the plug on its controversial giant gas pipeline project with Russia, following the suspected poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Experts say Berlin is unlikely to do so for now, however, given the Nord Stream 2 project is over 94% completed after almost a decade's construction, involves major German and European companies, and is necessary for the region's current and future energy needs. In this case, economic and commercial interests could trump political pressure to punish Russia. "I don't see Germany pulling out of the project just yet," Carsten Brzeski, chief economist for the euro zone and global head of macro at ING, told CNBC Thursday. "But the domestic debate of the last days has made it clear that patience is running low. Many are still in favor of it. But they will need Moscow to clearly demonstrate that pragmatic cooperation is possible and can actually bear fruit for instance regarding managing the situation in Belarus," he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas hinted last Sunday that Russia had to play its part during the investigation into the attack on Navalny. A fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Navalny was left critically ill after a suspected poisoning with a Novichok nerve agent. "I hope the Russians won't force us to change our position regarding the Nord Stream 2" pipeline, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Germany has been reluctant to link the fate of its involvement with Nord Stream 2 to the Navalny incident so far, and Maas conceded that stopping the building of the pipeline would hurt not only Russia but German and European firms. "Anyone calling for the project to be halted needs to be aware of the consequences. Nord Stream 2 involves over 100 companies from twelve European countries, and about half of them from Germany," he said. Jane Rangel, a gas analyst at Energy Aspects, told CNBC Wednesday that she and her colleagues are "watching the situation because it's evolving" and noted that the Navalny poisoning "does put Germany in a tough position." "It's another challenge for the project to be finished and it certainly raises the risk that Germany could take action, one of the most obvious solutions could be Germany refusing to grant regulatory approval" for the pipeline, she added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel could opt to tell Bundesnetzagentur, the official body that's responsible for authorizing the pipeline, not to grant approval for the project, Rangel said. "At that point, we'd assume that Gazprom would bring it to court if it didn't get regulatory approval. Then the court could possibly overturn it and that means the German government scores its political point but the project eventually gets approved." Lexis+ is a bold step in our long-term strategy to develop legal solutions that improve attorney productivity, workflows and their ability to deliver timely and strategic counsel LexisNexis Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced the official commercial launch of Lexis+, a feature-rich, premium legal solution. Lexis+ unites advanced research, practical guidance, brief analysis and enhanced tools with a modern user experience to deliver data-driven insights, greater efficiency and better outcomes. Lexis+ users will appreciate the dramatic visual styling and simplified layout designed to set a new standard in ease of use. Striking imagery, bold colors and typography improve readability, reduce visual clutter and emphasize essential information and tasks. The new Experience Dock creates an integrated starting point for core legal tasks and enables seamless switching between product experiences and workflows. New and intuitive features, such as Search Tree, Code Compare and Shepard's At Risk, make it easy for practitioners to access the information and insights they need, control their search experience and provide better counsel. Altogether, Lexis+ delivers on the demand for legal solutions that look and work more like the modern technology products that attorneys use in their personal lives. We are proud to introduce Lexis+, which delivers a more intuitive and powerful user experience for legal professionals, said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO, LexisNexis North America. In todays challenging business climate, attorneys need to rely on technologies that make them more effective, efficient and informed practitioners. Lexis+ is a bold step in our long-term strategy to develop legal solutions that improve attorney productivity, workflows and their ability to deliver timely and strategic counsel. Developed with feedback from more than 2,000 customer interactions, Lexis+ supports the needs of all market segments - from solo practitioners to the largest firms and legal departments - with enhanced tools and exclusive new features that are not available anywhere else, including: Brief Analysis: Extracts citations and legal concepts, recommends other relevant cases and briefs, identifies relevant passages and takes users directly to them, and showcases their Shepards treatment all within a unique dashboard. Practical Guidance: Fully integrated practical guidance experience, with practice notes, checklists, annotated forms, drafting tools and industry insights from thousands of leading practitioners easily accessible from its home page and within legal research results. Lexis Answers: Responds to natural language search queries with the best, most relevant answer, taking users directly to its location within the document. Completely redesigned with the latest machine learning capabilities, Lexis Answers offers expanded and more relevant answers across wider question categories and automatic jurisdiction detection. Shepard's At Risk: Alerts attorneys to cases that are at risk of being overruled because the opinions they cite have been negatively treated. Code Compare: Quickly identify changes in the law or legislative intent by comparing two versions of a statute section side-by-side, including current, future and archival versions dating back to the early 1990s. Legislative Outlook: Predicts the passage of pending bills at the federal and state level. More powerful search capabilities that give practitioners more control over the user experience, including: Search Tree: Graphically depicts Boolean searches and highlights the impact of each keyword on search results, enabling users to refine searches for the best results. Missing and Must Include: Forces natural language searches to include specific keywords, like Google. Search Term Maps: Visually depicts clusters of search terms within search results and documents across 35 major content types for fast, easy navigation, trend identification and direct access to relevant information. Ravel View: Data visualization technology illuminates key relationships between cases found in text-based search results. Improved offering features new map anchoring capabilities and display improvements. Lexis+ was designed for the ways that attorneys work, with deeply integrated product components, cutting-edge technologies and modern design elements that put the LexisNexis applications, content and data that attorneys need right at their fingertips. Regardless of where or how a user starts a research or task, they will be guided to the information that best addresses their legal question, said Jeff Pfeifer, Chief Product Officer at LexisNexis North America. By taking a customer-centric approach to product development and emphasizing modern design, Lexis+ delivers a premium legal research experience that is both powerful, intuitive and easy to use. Over the coming months, LexisNexis will continue to add new features, content and product integrations to Lexis+, including analytics from Lex Machina, news from Law360 and additional enhancements to the Practical Guidance offering. Concurrently, LexisNexis is announcing revisions to several product names in the U.S. and Canadian legal markets. Lexis Advance will now be known as Lexis and the Advance moniker will be retired from all U.S. products, including CourtLink. Additionally, Lexis Practice Advisor has been renamed to Practical Guidance in the U.S. and Canada. These changes reflect the positioning of Lexis as the standard research offering in legal markets and Lexis+ as the companys fully featured, premium offering. For more information on Lexis+ features and pricing, please visit http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/home.page. About LexisNexis Legal & Professional LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis and Nexis services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 10,600 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. Months ahead of the next year's assembly polls in the state, a new political party -- the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) -- was formed on Monday with the coming together of two of the state's most powerful students' organisations. Earlier, the influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), which have come together to form the AJP, had set up an 18-member Assam Advisory Committee (AAC) of eminent citizens to suggest the future course of action for the two organisations. Addressing the media, former Gauhati University Professor Krishnagopal Bhattacharya, one of the two conveners of the AAC, announced the formation of the new party. "The name AJP was chosen from three proposals made during an AAC meeting on Sunday," Bhattacharya said. The slogan of the new party would be "Ghore Ghore Aami" (We are in each family) to establish relations with each household in the state, added Bhattacharya. Former professor of Handique Girls' College and AAC's another convenor Basanta Deka said that various formalities and formation of party units up to the booth-level would be complete by October 30. Deka said that the AJP's draft constitution has almost been ready and the party's state-level committee would be formed by the first week of November through a convention while the logo and the flag of the organisation would be decided soon. Raju Phukan, Jagdish Bhuyan and Haren Chutia among other leaders of the AAC also present during the politically significant announcement of the AJP. Veteran politician Jagadish Bhuyan has been appointed as the coordinator of AJP. The five-year term of the Assam assembly ends on May 31 and the election is expected to be held in April or May. The election to the 126-member Assam Assembly in 2016 had given a fractured mandate and no party got the absolute majority in the house. Defeating Congress, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party came to power with support from the Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front along with one Independent MLA. We live in an era defined by information. Few organizations have done more to identify, and accelerate, this state of affairs than WikiLeaks. With its central idea, that transparency is a weapon to be brandished online, WikiLeaks has created a model of political action as it has become a cultural archetype. Though WikiLeaks emerged into the public consciousness a decade ago, debates about its character, meaning, and significance remain unresolved. These are often conducted by older media organizations that characterize it as both an antagonist and an unruly protege, unable to disentangle the organization from its founder, Julian Assange. Assange is currently engaged in a legal fight to resist his extradition to the United States on charges brought under the Espionage Act. The charges, which effectively criminalize journalism in the worlds leading (flawed) democracy, pose an extremely grave threat to freedom around the world and must be opposed, as even the New York Times, which is otherwise hostile to Assange, stated in an editorial last year. The dangerous precedent set by Assanges case is already visible in Brazils attempted prosecution of the American journalist Glenn Greenwald for his role in exposing corruption in that countrys far-right government, and is of a piece with the US Republican Partys increasing hostility to the media in general. I knew Assange in 2011, when he lived at Ellingham Hall in Norfolk, in the east of England. He was at the height of his fame, and wearing an electronic ankle bracelet as a condition of his bail. He was then in the midst of another prolonged, vigorous attempt to evade extraditionto Sweden, on charges of sexual assault and rape in connection with encounters he had had with two women in the country in 2010. These charges were finally dropped in November 2019. Assanges refusal to take responsibility for his misconduct, as one of his accusers wrote on Twitter, had effectively run out the clock. I spent about six months working with Assange on a memoir, a book he wanted to be not only the story of his life, but also a kind of manifesto for WikiLeaks. In the end, no coherent manifesto appeared in the book, and the question of the significance of WikiLeaks has never been resolved. My feeling is that the era of information has exposed critical flaws in our broken news media and the cynical information economy it serves. Perversely, an examination of these flaws reveals a greater affinity between Assange and the media than either would likely care to admit. WHEN I WORKED ON ASSANGES BOOK, I was the research assistant to his ghostwriter, Andrew OHagan. The book OHagan and I had in mind was a revealing, personal memoir. Assange, though, refused to produce any such book. I became, briefly, the object of his fury when he blamed me for the breakdown of the project. OHagan had rented an old row house in Bungay, a town near Ellingham Hall, that overlooked a church graveyard. We sat with our laptops in the bright kitchen each morning, OHagan writing the manuscript on a computer that, on Assanges instructions, was never connected to the internet, and me tracking down bits of research. Assange is fascinating as a public figure, but like many celebrities he is a dull person to be around. He often flaked on our meetings, or wasted time. When that happened, OHagan and I sat in the front room by the fire, watching news of the unfolding catastrophe in Libya or protests against austerity back in London. When Assange was ready to work, usually in the afternoon, we would drive over to Ellingham, or later to another house in the area WikiLeaks rented as an office. OHagan would sit down with Assange and begin a conversation about his childhood, or Kenya, or university, or Wandsworth prison, or Sweden, or his enemies in the media, or anything else. At OHagans request Id seek out details on things like the climate of northern Australia (for atmospheric childhood description purposes), or the political situation in Kenya during Assanges time there in 2007. I listened to all the interview tapes, too, and would sometimes pick up a loose thread here or there and suggest that we return to it. Assange liked to talk about himself and his adventures, but his vanity was mixed with a maddening vagueness. A request for more detail on his time in Cairo just prompted him to show me selfies from the house hed stayed in while he was there. I didnt like Assange very much. He showed no interest in the people around him, and gave no indication that he cared for or valued their input. He had a high-handed, arrogant manner, not only with junior people like me, but with his peers and collaborators, too. But I shared his contempt for the hypocrisy of the Obama administration and its admirers in the press, and felt a political sympathy with WikiLeaks, which at the time was focused on revealing the hidden horrors in Americas foreign policy adventures. I wanted the book to contextualize Assange and account for WikiLeaks as a political phenomenon. In other words, instead of psychoanalyzing Assange and extrapolating WikiLeaks from it, I wanted to identify the principles that underlie it. I found one element of the answer in the Ellingham Hall guestbook on November 29, 2010, the morning after WikiLeaks began publishing some of a vast tranche of American diplomatic cables. Assange had written: Today with my friends we tried to bring modern history to the world. It was a recurring theme. The passphrase with which Assange encrypted the database, as revealed in a book by the journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, was: ACollectionOfDiplomaticHistorySince_1966_ToThe_PresentDay# Assange felt the cables were history, in and of themselves. At the time, I was applying for a PhD in history, and found this presentation interesting. It was a view that echoed the very foundations of the discipline. Leopold von Ranke, generally held to be the pioneer of history as an area of academic study, developed his careful, empirical approach to early modern history by scrutinizing the Venetian diplomatic archives. He rejected the Hegelian idea that societal change could be understood with reference to an overarching philosophy of history. Instead, he hoped by the careful accumulation of evidence to simply show things wie es eigentlich gewesen, or how they essentially were. For von Ranke, the central question for a historian was not how, or why, but what. The trouble is that, as Karl Marx wrote, the outward appearance and the essence of things do not directly coincide. If they did, all science would be superfluous. In other words, if all that was required to know the essential truth was to assemble The Facts, analysis would be superfluous. But it isnt. No matter what quantity of facts one assembles. In attempting to battle Trump with the truth, the American media has evinced the same simplistic faith as Assange in the capacity of information itself to be a driver of political change. AT ITS MOST BASIC LEVEL, WikiLeaks doesnt require much explanation. Democratic government purports to depend on the consent of the governed, and consent is worthless if not properly informed. Or, as Assange put it in an email to the Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg in December 2006, We believe that injustice is answered by good governance and for there to be good governance there must be open governance. Sign up for CJR 's daily email But though Assange professed a commitment to justice, OHagan and I never got a clear idea of what it meant to him. He gave very little impression of how his time in the intellectual and political hinterland had shaped his perspectives. The challenge was made worse by his unwillingness to commit seriously to the task of book writing, even before the whole project collapsed and he withdrew from the contract in 2011. We were left to reverse engineer based on the clues he had left here and there online. Assange was born in 1971, and seems to have developed his ideas in the context of the politics of the late 1990s. (He registered the domain leaks.org in 1999, though he never put it to any use at that time.) Like Naomi Klein, whose No Logo was also published in 1999, he exhibits a hostility to globalization and multinational corporations. Assange launched WikiLeaks eight years later, in January 2007, in Nairobi, at the World Social Forum. This annual meeting of civil society organizations emerged in 2001 from the alter-globalization movement, the idea that the world could and should become more interconnected, but that this process should not be driven by corporations or the governments of the Global North to facilitate profit accumulation. Assange, though, characteristically, viewed the dangers posed by corporations through the prism of secrecy. Writing on his blog in June 2007, he stated that large multinationals, despite having a GDP and population comparable to Belgium, Denmark or New Zealand have nothing like their quality of civic freedoms. Internally they mirror the most pernicious aspects of the 1960s Soviet. At the time I, like most people probably, saw him as belonging somewhere on the left with me. His online breadcrumb trail led me to believe as much. In 2001, on the Cypherpunk mailing list, he had an argument with the libertarian technology journalist Declan McCullagh. McCullagh had posted messages supportive of laissez-faire capitalism and globalization, saying among other things that employees of multinational corporations in the Global South were free individuals entering into contracts that they were perfectly able to reject, and anyway that working for two dollars a day was better than life in a mud hut. In response, Assange outlined a few standard criticisms of markets and the unequal nature of the relationship between boss and employee. He noted that the relationship between a large employer and its employees is brutally asymmetric. But he characterized this asymmetry as though it were primarily a problem of information: One entity knows far more about the rules of the negotiation than the other. Theres you as a prospective employee and then theres the local workplace monopoly with hundreds of industrial relations lawyers, psychologists, and other assorted strategists wholl hand you a document thick with legalese and tell you where to sign. Without a legal team, youll never understand it or the political connections backing it up. And even if you do theres a million other mugs to choose from who wont. He even defended workers forming and joining trade unions, but his defense of unions characterized collective action as something workers do in order to increase their information processing and bargaining power. Surely, I felt, the greater problem is the fact that the employer has a local monopoly and loads of other available workers to choose from. For Assange, though, it was as if every political problem was reducible to the flow of information. This was important not only because making previously secret information public could help a population to know about this or that specific issue. His belief in the importance of information went deeper: the way that systems work, the way that governments work, could only be understood with reference to the exchange, the flow, and the concealment of information as a whole. Writing on his blog in December 2006 (and in a similar vein on the left-wing website Counterpunch), Assange characterized governance as a form of conspiracy, a linked network of actors (conspirators) connected by the private exchange of information. Without the ability to share this information in secret, conspiracies would be disarmed. It followed that the true way to act politically was to acquire and publish information. Populism was not the buzzword then that it is now, but Assange was a species of populist. His vision of the political order saw little space for mediating institutions. The open flow of information would both disarm those institutions and make possible the conditions for continued existence after their destruction. Publication was a form of populist short-circuiting. Its important to give Assange his due here by noting that publishers willing to defy powerful states and corporations are a vital public resource. The publication of state or corporate secrets is an act of significant bravery, often with important, positive political effects. Even in the liberal democratic world the press is far too submissive to power. Assanges possible extradition to the United States can only worsen this state of affairs. WikiLeaks represented an important corrective impulse; the diplomatic cables in particular have armed us with dozens of important insights into global politics from the perspective of the US state, revealing new information about its actions and motivations. But for Assange, what was being revealed was not a set of stories about different coups, or arms deals, or protests, or bribes, but a whole system of power at work. To understand the way that power operated, and therefore to change it, you had to get everything and see everything. To collect and publish en masse. He favored large data sets that could be mapped, with data points assigned a numerical value, inserted into a program, and analyzed in search of patterns. One early document released by WikiLeaks in November 2007 related to US Army procurement in Iraq. It showed that the Army was spending huge sums of money on equipment to help its soldiers avoid improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including equipment to jam the radio signals sometimes used by insurgents to detonate devices remotely. Assange wrote on the WikiLeaks website that the document showed that IEDs hit hard, and added, If we view IEDs as a rebel investment, to which the US must pay dividends in defensive equipment costs, then every insurgent dollar spent has a return on investment of somewhere around thousand fold. It was as if this particular truthwhich the insurgents themselves had presumably intuited alreadycould only be demonstrated by means of a numerical value concealed in a secret document. As James Butler wrote for the London Review of Books, Assange sought to transcend politics through his faith in the idea that mere factssuggest their own solution. But information is not and has never been enough. Military opacity and Nixonism are as strong as ever, despite the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. The NSA is still spying on everybody, and John Brennan didnt suffer any consequences for lying to Congress. We might also call Assange a conspiracy theorist. Thats not to say that there is anything untrue in the material he has published (though he has been shamefully willing to feed false narratives about the death of Seth Rich). Rather, to connect Assange to conspiracy is to comment on how he sees politics. Conspiracy thinking emerges in a mind that feels it has no agency to change anything or do anything, other than simply to reveal. It is a product of political stasis, and of the convictiondrummed into ones head, again and again, by an incessant mediathat there is no alternative. It is, as Matt Christman of the podcast Chapo Trap House puts it, a spontaneous attempt to make sense of the world in the absence of class consciousness. Despite his evident hostility to elites, Assanges whole approach reifies them as a separate caste. It is in their gift to determine truth, and then conceal it from everyone else. The revelation of that truth is the goal of liberationist politics. But Assange pays far too little mind to the capacity of ordinary people to create their own truths through political struggle. Americas myth of itself says that the liberal subject, provided with the necessary information and free to participate in the public sphere, will eventually create a more perfect union. IN ATTEMPTING TO BATTLE TRUMP WITH THE TRUTH, the American media has evinced the same simplistic faith as Assange in the capacity of information itself to be a driver of political change. This was most visible around the Mueller report and impeachment efforts but is mostly everywhere, all the time: the blind conviction that in the American public sphere there exists a common frame of reference against which the best ideas can be measured and will win out, if only all the right information is available. Trumps tax returns and telephone transcripts, we hope, will finally bring him down. The truth is vital, but its not reducible to a set of discrete facts, numbers, or documents. The rise of fact-checking features and Twitter accounts serves to highlight this, as journalists choose to focus only on those parts of political discourse that can be easily measured. The facts themselves are not what is at issue. There is no shared basis upon which to identify them. What is really at issue are conflicts between political tribes, ideologies, and material interests. Many journalists know this, but on an institutional level some of their employers seem determined not to admit it. That seems, to me, to be a response to an idea these institutions hold deep down: that politics and society cannot fundamentally change. If the structure of society is not up for debate, there is no place for structural critiques. All that matters is assembling chunks of information that might change the surface appearance, debunk a health plan here, reveal an air strike there. Far too little attention has been paid to what happens next when the discussion is done. Americas myth of itself says that the liberal subject, provided with the necessary information and free to participate in the public sphere, will eventually create a more perfect union. Although this is a notionally progressive vision of history, a bending arc, it is nonetheless static. Nothing changes underneath. It is a deep and bizarre irony that Julian Assange shared this much with the editors of the New York Times. Information may, sometimes, bring people to the streets or to the ballot box; but the real change depends on what they do after that. ICYMI: The 70s paper of gay political revolution Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Harry Stopes is a writer and historian of modern Europe. He lives in Berlin. LinkedIn, the worlds largest online professional network, today announced the findings of the tenth edition of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of Indias workforce. Based on the survey responses of 2,254 professionals in India, findings from the weeks of July 27 - August 23 reveal the pandemic's impact on India's working mothers and working women, and the cautious optimism of freelancers towards personal finances and career prospects. The tenth edition of the Workforce Confidence Index shows that India's overall confidence is growing steadily, with a composite score of +57 (up from +53 in the fortnight of July 13-26). The survey also reveals that the pandemic is taking a toll on the emotional well-being of India's working women as 47% report they are experiencing more stress or anxiety due to the pandemic. For men, this number stood at 38%, pointing towards a disproportionate impact on women in these testing times. The survey also underscores the challenges of childcare during the pandemic. 31% of working mothers are providing childcare full time, compared to 17% working fathers Remote working has laid out a tougher road for India's working mothers as the survey shows that around 1 in 3 (31%) working mothers are currently providing childcare full-time, when compared to nearly 1 in 5 (17%) working fathers. Worryingly, more than 2 in 5 (44%) working moms are working outside their business hours to provide childcare, nearly twice as many men (25%). Data also suggests that working mothers are more likely to bear the brunt of distractions from childcare while men seek support from friends and family. The survey shows that only 1 in 5 (20%) working mothers rely on a family member or friend to take care of their children, when compared to 32% men. Findings also show that more than 46% working mothers report working till late to make up for work, and 42% are unable to focus on work with their children at home. Commenting on these parenting disparities, Neha Bagaria, CEO, JobsForHer says, "One factor is balancing office and domestic work - the bulk of the latter being shouldered by women. Studies reveal increased participation of men during the pandemic, but women still spend most time caring for children." 1 in 4 freelancers expect their earned income to increase in the next 6 months As more companies explore the merits of having an alternative workforce in the present times, freelancers in India reported cautious optimism towards personal finances and career prospects with an overall individual confidence score of +46. Findings show that about 1 in 4 freelancers anticipate an increase in their earned income (25%) and personal savings (27%), while close to 1 in 3 (31%) expect their number of investments to increase in the next 6 months. The pandemic has accelerated the temporary worker economy, And this trend is likely to sustain in the short term for two reasons, says Suraj Moraje, Group CEO of a staffing firm. One, several employers are hesitant to take on the responsibility for new permanent employees as the demand outlook remains murky. And two, companies want to bring in specialised skill sets for a variety of roles, he explains, thus reassuring freelancers of upcoming economic opportunities. Check out the member commentary on this fortnights Workforce Confidence Index here. The West is ablaze. Millions of acres are burning. Vast areas of forest are being reduced to ash. Communities are being devastated and the very atmosphere has turned into a toxic orange haze. The wildfires raging through California, Oregon and Washington state, sending choking smoke as far as British Columbia, are a terrifying glimpse into a future that scientists have been warning us about for many years. Theyre the latest example of the toll that climate change is taking on the planet. And even in the midst of the fight against COVID-19, even if were far from the areas directly affected, we cant afford to look away. The fires are an unmissable reminder that, once the pandemic has been brought under control, the climate crisis will still be upon us more than ever. Naturally, not everyone agrees. President Donald Trump, who visited the devastated areas on Monday, blames California and other states for not cleaning your floors that is, for failing to pick up leaves and dead trees from its forests so the fires can feed on the dry fuel and rage out of control. For him, its simply a matter of forest management. The scientists who study such things, on the other hand, have no doubt that theres something a lot bigger at work here. Climate change didnt start any particular fire, they say, but droughts and the hotter, drier air that comes with a warmer world create the conditions for more and bigger blazes. Fundamentally, its not all that complicated. Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, stood in the charred ruins of a forest in the northern part of his state the other day and put it simply. If you do not believe in science, he said, I hope you believe in observed reality. The hots are getting a lot hotter and the wets are getting a lot wetter... The science is absolute. The data is self-evident. Its the western states that are ground zero of the crisis right now, but in January it was Australia, where unprecedented fires consumed 50,000 square kilometres. Before that, record wildfires raged through British Columbia and Alberta. Parts of eastern Canada were hit by floods also linked to the changing climate. This past summer, the Arctic registered temperatures higher than it had ever seen before. A Siberian town called Verkhoyansk hit 38 degrees C the hottest ever recorded above the Arctic Circle. A new study found the Greenland ice cap is melting faster than expected. And so far, 2020 has been the second-hottest year ever recorded (after 2016). Amid all this, Trump has steadfastly refused to acknowledge climate change as a reality. He denies that science knows whether the California fires can be linked to the warming planet, and his administration has challenged scientific research that draws a connection between human activity and the climate change. Its a dismal record, and yet another reason to hope that Americans will vote to send him packing on Nov. 3. Another four years of such policies from the most powerful government in the world would be truly devastating. COVID-19 has, quite naturally, consumed public attention and pushed other issues to the side. And right now, as the number of cases rises in many parts of Canada just as kids return to school, its to be expected that both parents and politicians are focused on that almost to the exclusion of everything else. That has to be the top priority as long as people fear for their health and their jobs. But the climate change emergency is gathering momentum in the background. Even the sharp temporary drop in greenhouse gas emissions that came with the global lockdown in the spring had no lasting impact. On that front, things are already back to normal. But the world cant afford to turn away, despite the disruption of COVID-19. The western fires are just one more reminder that the cost of doing nothing is already very high, and rising fast. Read more about: The 30billion takeover of Arm by US rival Nvidia will 'destroy' its business model, the company's founder has warned. Hermann Hauser, who co-founded the British tech business in 1999, said the firm's neutrality would be put at risk and its sales could be restricted if Nvidia is allowed to buy it. Nvidia, a San Francisco-based chip-maker, announced yesterday that it had agreed to buy Arm from its current owner Softbank. Hermann Hauser, who co-founded Arm in 1999, said the firm's neutrality would be put at risk and its sales could be restricted if Nvidia is allowed to buy it While Arm's 3,000 UK workers are worrying about jobs, Hauser claims that the takeover will ruin the firm's business entirely. He describes the company as the 'Switzerland' of chip-makers, in that it designs neutral products that customers can customise to their needs. But many of Arm's customers are competitors of Nvidia, and Hauser thinks this will present a conflict of interest. He said: 'There's a monopolies problem, and that's bad enough.' But he also thinks that the sale of Arm to a US firm could pose politically motivated problems. He called it an issue of 'economic sovereignty' for the UK, and said: 'The decision over whether Arm are allowed to export will be made in the White House and not Downing Street.' Daniel Zeichner, Labour MP for Cambridge where Arm is based, said: 'We have got potentially huge leverage [in the tech industry] and we are letting it slip from our grasp.' After months of teasing and rumor, GPU and AI vendor Nvidia announced it would purchase Arm Holdings from its parent company SoftBank for $40 billion. The purchase includes $21.5 billion in Nvidia stock and $12 billion in cash, including $2 billion payable at signing. That will break the piggy bank because Nvidia had $10.9 billion in cash on hand as of the most recent quarter. Softbank acquired Arm in 2016 for $31.4 billion in 2016. At the time, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said it was an investment in the Internet of Things. But SoftBank, known for its profligate spending on acquisitions and investments, made some bad investments in WeWork and Uber, among others, and was saddled with $25 billion in debt. So earlier this year it announced plans to sell Arm to help pay off that debt. Nvidias name was the first and only name to come up because few had the wherewithal to make such a hefty purchase. Softbank is also looking to sell its $20 billion stake in T-Mobile. There is little overlap between the two. Arm has a GPU, called Mali, used by some smartphone makers but it is not competitive with Nvidias GPU. The two companies operate very differently, though. Nvidia designs chips while Arm makes architectures for use in a variety of devices. Licensees then take the Arm design and add their own unique IP for competitive advantage. In announcing the deal, Nvidia said Arm will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining the global customer neutrality that has been foundational to its success. Arm can be found in pretty much every smartphone in the world, and Apple is shifting its Mac products to a home-grown Arm processor. On the day when the future of British technology jewel ARM Holding is on the line, it is hard to get agitated by a Canadian bid for outsourcing group G4S. A succession of scandals since the London Olympics in 2012, when G4S came close to undermining a great celebration of the UK, left its reputation in tatters. As of writing, G4S lives under the shadow of a Serious Fraud Office prosecution over electronic tagging, and questions over its ability to safely manage prisons in spite of recently having been awarded a contract at Wellingborough in Northants. G4S's would-be owners Garda World have struck at a moment when the security firm looks vulnerable because of the strains placed on all businesses by coronavirus As an employer of 500,000 in the UK, Australia and elsewhere, G4S has grown into one of Britain's, and the world's, biggest suppliers of security including keeping new generation carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, safe. Would-be owner Garda World has struck at a moment when G4S looks vulnerable because of the strains placed on all businesses by coronavirus. At first blush, the offer price of 190p on the table valuing the business at 2.96bn a premium of 180 per cent when the first approach was made in June looks good. But since then G4S has produced decent results and the actual premium has shrunk to a less sexy 31 per cent. By resisting the embrace, G4S chairman, former Deloitte big cheese John Connolly, and chief executive Ashley Almanza would hope to drive the price up. Instinctively, one distrusts bids engineered by private equity. As the tide went out in the pandemic, too many former private equity owned enterprises, from Debenhams to Saga and Walgreens Boots Alliance, have shown that a period in ownership behind closed doors can do more harm than good. The driving force behind the G4S offer is Stephan Cretier, a self-made French-Canadian who has built his enterprise from scratch and is committing to a long-term future in the UK. The possibility of a new start for G4S under the leadership of an Anglosphere partner is not unattractive. What gives pause is that the deal will be financed by leverage provided by BC Partners. Cretier may be in for the long haul, but private equity regards a couple of years as long term. There are other considerations too. As we know from the debate about Arm, one of the first things overseas owners tend to look at is headquarters. And when HQ goes, so do all the other services, from the local Pret a Manger to IT and accounting. In many cases, there is a loss to HMRC as domicile is moved to a low tax location. Boris Johnson is promising to take a good look at Arm-Nvidia. If Garda World goes hostile, the Government is going to have a huge say as so many of G4S's biggest contracts are with HMG, including some at defence establishments. It potentially could have a veto. But whether there is anyone in Whitehall, let alone the City, ready to go to the mat to save G4S for the taxpayer is a moot point. Mega-banks The history of cross-border banking mergers in Europe is not good. So it is not surprising that as bankers seek more scale, to replicate Wall Street giants such as JP Morgan Chase, they are looking closer to home. Disclosure that UBS chairman Axel Weber has been eyeing a mega deal with rival Credit Suisse was enough to send a frisson through the markets. In the past, the two banks, which have different strengths, reportedly have co-operated by trying to merge back office functions. The march of fintech is forcing traditional banks to look at ways of meeting the challenge of payments companies. In Spain, CaixaBank and Bankia recently revealed that they are exploring a deal to create the country's largest bank. A combination of wealth management-focused UBS and Credit Suisse would pose regulatory questions but might provide Swiss banking with a means of flexing its muscles. After the farce of ABN Amro and Lloyds HBOS, I wouldn't count on a UK super-merger just yet. OK boomer Oracle may be in the driving seat to acquire social-media sensation Tik Tok, but it shouldn't expect to be alone. Google owner Alphabet is rolling out a video service called 'Shorts' through YouTube. Users will be able to create short mobile-friendly vertical videos and add special effects and sounds, added from its music library. Can't wait. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is in line to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose duties include confirming federal judges, if Democrats take control of the chamber. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Progressives hoping for a Democratic White House and Senate next year are already voicing worries that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who would be next in line to lead the Judiciary Committee, will not commit to pushing a future Biden administration's judicial nominees with the same aggressive tactics used by Republicans under President Trump. As Judiciary Committee chairman, Feinstein, 87, would wield significant political power if Democrats take control of the Senate. She would be responsible for reviewing and confirming the president's Supreme Court nominees and other judicial appointments. Fueling progressives concern is Feinsteins refusal to say whether she would give Republicans power to block appellate appointees through a Senate practice known as withholding blue slips. While not a rule, the century-old Senate practice allows senators who represent the home state of a judicial appointee to essentially veto a White House appointment if one of the senators whether Democrat or Republican doesnt return the blue slip to the Judiciary Committee chair. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who led the panel during the beginning of Trumps presidency, abandoned the practice in 2017, and moved forward with Trump administration appellate court appointees over the objections of Democratic senators. He and his successor, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), did so 17 times, including for four 9th Circuit judges over the objections of Feinstein and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), according to a tally provided by Feinsteins office. Feinstein has repeatedly and forcefully objected to Republicans decision to abandon the blue slip policy. But when asked in a brief interview in the Capitol last week how she would address the issue if she became chairman next year, Feinstein said she wasn't aware of a controversy over blue slips or that Republicans had confirmed judges without them. I have never heard a problem. No one has in 26 years brought me a problem on blue slips, Feinstein said. Im not aware of it. If you can bring me the objection, Id like to know what it is. Story continues In a statement later provided by her office, Feinstein indicated that she has made no definitive commitment on how she would handle the issue if she is Judiciary chairman. Ive objected forcefully to Republicans decision to abandon the blue slip, Feinstein said in the statement. As Ive reminded them repeatedly, whats sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Progressives cite Feinsteins reluctance to embrace a similar strategy as a sign that she wont be willing to use the hardball tactics they believe will be required to confirm judicial nominees in a Biden administration or get through increasingly contentious Supreme Court battles. It should be a no-brainer at this point that Democrats cant afford to go back to giving Republicans a veto over a Democratic presidents judicial picks, said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, a liberal advocacy group that focuses on the courts. Dianne Feinstein has been railroaded in her home state of California these last few years by the Republicans, and the idea that she might just turn the other cheek and let Mitch McConnell [the Senate majority leader who would presumably become minority leader] block a President Bidens judicial picks is basically disqualifying. And if shes not willing to fight all-out for Joe Bidens judicial nominees, then the Democrats ought to figure out who else can run that committee. Feinstein's preference to keep her plans vague is not unusual. Several Democratic lawmakers have been reluctant to discuss detailed plans for 2021 until the election is over. Progressives are signaling they plan to pressure Feinstein on blue slips and other issues. If you keep the blue slip, youre tying at least one hand behind your back, said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, director of democracy policy at Indivisible, a liberal advocacy group. For her to waver on this arcane process that does nothing but give power to Republicans in the minority makes absolutely no sense. Because the blue slip is a Senate tradition and not a written rule, the Judiciary Committee chair has significant discretion over how to use it. Under President Obama, Republicans began more frequently withholding their blue slips from nominees. At that time, the Judiciary chairmen wouldnt advance a nominee without a blue slip from each U.S. senator representing the state. The result was that numerous judicial vacancies remained open at the end of Obamas term, which gave Trump a chance to fill them. In 2017, Grassley moved the first appellate court nominee that did not have blue slips from both home-state senators. Two years later, Graham advanced the first appellate nominees without blue slips from either senator. Republicans have not moved any district court nominees without two positive blue slips. Feinstein is a Senate institutionalist who favors bipartisanship. For years, she has chastised Republican moves to abandon the practice and praised the bipartisanship that blue slips encourage. Blue slips are an effective way to ensure that home-state senators, regardless of party, have a say on the judges whose decisions will directly impact their constituents, she said in the statement. Its a tradition that fosters bipartisan engagement in the nomination process and, until now, has been respected by chairs of both parties. The blue slips are just one area of Senate procedure in which Feinstein is likely to face pressure from progressives in 2021 if Democrats win control of the Senate. With an expectation that Republicans will block any Biden administration policy, Democrats are actively considering whether to do away with the filibuster, or the requirement that most legislation have 60 votes to pass. Without it, legislation would only need 51 votes to be approved, with the vice president breaking a 50-50 tie. Rank-and-file Democrats are increasingly open to the idea of changing the policy. But many Democrats, like Feinstein, are skeptical of the idea because the high threshold in the filibuster prevents laws from changing rapidly when power changes hands in Washington. For instance, Republicans would have been able to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2016 without it. "I'm not inclined to change the filibuster," she said. "I have not yet heard a good reason to do so. I think, in a way, it's been a very important measure in the Senate." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-15 01:32:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Monday that China firmly opposes any person or force creating instability, division and turmoil in China, and firmly opposes any country's interference in its internal affairs. He stressed the stance when holding a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link. Xi clarified China's principled position on issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang, stressing that the essence of issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang is to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and unity, and to protect the rights of people of all ethnic groups in China to live and work in peace. Enditem TikTok's most senior European exec, Rich Waterworth ByteDance/TikTok Video app TikTok said on Monday it had surpassed 100 million monthly users in Europe. The company also has 1,600 employees in Europe. The numbers come as TikTok's fate hangs in the balance in the US, with President Trump stating the app must sell its US business by Tuesday or face a ban. TikTok's most senior European exec Rich Waterworth told BI it had "been growing really well for a long time" in the region. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. TikTok has "more than 100 million" monthly active users across Europe, according to a blog post by Rich Waterworth, the company's European general manager. In an exclusive interview with Business Insider on Sunday, Waterworth said user numbers had "been growing really well for a long time." "You don't get to 100 million without growing consistently and strongly for a long period of time," he said. "We saw during lockdown people were using the platform in different ways." Waterworth said there were changes in user growth during the coronavirus lockdown, "but you're looking at a sustained, long period of growth over the last two years." Growth was focused in the largest business markets of Europe, Waterworth said, but he declined to provide country-level user numbers. The numbers were released ahead of a key week for the app's future in the US, which accounts for around 100 million of its nearly 690 million monthly active users. President Trump has threatened to shut down the app on Tuesday if a sale is not agreed to offload the company's US arm to an American buyer. However, Trump's timescales appear not to be supported by an executive order, which gives TikTok until September 20 to reach a deal a date that itself is in doubt following a second executive order giving the ability to extend the deadline until November 12. "TikTok's numbers don't surprise me at all and speak to the immense virality and growth they saw during lockdown," said Timothy Armoo, founder of Fanbytes, a UK-based TikTok-focused agency. "The beauty of TikTok and of course its algorithm is that content is so tailored to you that even at such scale they're able to maintain that true personalization, which I expect to be a catalyst for future growth." Story continues At the same time, the company announced two other metrics demonstrating showing its growth in Europe. Updated staff headcount numbers, which Business Insider has previously reported on, show that TikTok's European employee count has grown from last reported figures of 1,000 in Europe, published earlier this year, to 1,600 today. All but 300 of those employees are based in the UK and Ireland the two countries believed to be the frontrunners for TikTok's European headquarters, and by definition, the logical base for the company outside the United States. Ireland is home to TikTok's European data privacy team, with the company's trust and safety hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa based in Dublin. A further $500 million of investment in a European data center is planned for Ireland by 2022. Waterworth said the focus on data and safety in Ireland was due to the country's pre-existing expertise in the field though he added Brexit played a role in the decision. "Post-Brexit, it's very important to have a center in the EU," he said. "But fundamentally it's about where can we build the best team." Waterworth as TikTok's European head is based in London, which has been mooted as the base for the company in the event of a US ban. London is home to the company's monetization, sales, creator partnership and product teams, as well as major marketing and communication arms. In an interview with The Observer last month, Waterworth declined to comment on plans for the company's non-US headquarters. "Europe is a major part of TikTok," Waterworth told Business Insider. "Europe is a really really important region, and as you know, we take a market-led approach at TikTok. "We intentionally have built up strong, cross-functional teams and strong leadership teams in the key markets and ask those teams to look at the specific challenges and needs of those markets," he said. "That's what we're doing across Europe. Europe is an important and valuable market." TikTok also revealed that 40% of creators eligible for its $300 million Creator Fund in Europe, which was announced in late July and started paying out on September 1, had signed up to the scheme. Waterworth declined to share how that compared to uptake of the US fund. Read the original article on Business Insider CANBERRA, Australia - An Australian health official revealed Monday that she has been under police guard because of death threats and growing public anger over pandemic border restrictions. Queensland state Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she now travels with a police escort because of the threats. It has taken an enormous toll on me, but then this has taken an enormous toll on nearly every single person in our community, Young told reporters. Every single person in our community in Queensland has had to give up an awful lot and we cant see a clear end to this so were going to all have to work this through together, she added. The Queensland state government has been under mounting criticism for making travellers spend two weeks in hotel quarantine when they cross the state border from other parts of Australia. The restrictions have led to a number of high-profile incidents, including one last week in which a woman was not allowed out of quarantine to attend her fathers funeral. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk blamed Young for that case, which the national government used to ramp up pressure on the state government to relax its border restrictions. The woman, Sarah Caisip, had wanted to see her father Bernard Prendergast but didnt get a permit to travel from her home in Canberra until two days after he died. Canberra has not had a coronavirus case in more than two months. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a Liberal Party member, made a personal appeal to Palaszczuk, a Labor Party member, on the day of the funeral for Caisip to be allowed to attend, an approach that the state premier described as intimidation and bullying. Caisips stepsister, Alexandra Prendergast, on Monday accused Morrison of turning their fathers funeral into a media circus to advance his political agenda. Your politics and media campaign against the Queensland premier have made a devastating time for my family even harder, she wrote in an open letter to the prime minister. Caisip, who was allowed a private viewing of her fathers body before he was cremated, welcomed the condolences from strangers that followed the media attention. I came from virus-free Canberra, so the fact that Im even in quarantine is beyond belief but the fact that I am being denied my basic human rights to care for my grief-stricken mother and little 11-year-old sister enrages, disgusts and devastates me at the same time, Caisip wrote in an open letter to Palaszczuk before the funeral. Brisbane lawyer James Stevens took up the campaign again Palaszczuk on Sunday by paying for a plane to fly to the state capital, Brisbane, from neighbouring Gold Coast towing a banner that said: SHE IS HEARTLESS. Stevens said he is prepared to fly the banner every week until Palaszczuks government seeks re-election on Oct. 31. Im not political, Stevens said from a Brisbane hotel room where he is in quarantine following a trip from Sydney. But this has got to stop. She has exhibited a real callousness, a cold-hearted attitude to peoples suffering and problems, Stevens said. Public anger also focused last week on the case of Brisbane cancer patient Mark Kearns. His sister, Tamara Langborne, said the family had been told last week that only one of his four children would be allowed to cross the border from New South Wales to visit him. His mother, Rhonda Langborne, said Queensland health authorities have since relented and allowed Kearns children, their mother, his siblings and parents to cross the border next weekend. They are to be held in hotel quarantine except when they visit Kearns while wearing full personal protective equipment. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has argued that Queenslands tough restrictions are not based on medical advice but are aimed at making political gains for the state government ahead of next months election. He has been critical that Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has been allowed to quarantine in his resort of choice since he arrived in Queensland last week to shoot a movie at Gold Coast city. Shooting of the Buz Luhrmann-directed movie about Elvis Presley was shut down in March when Hanks, who plays the singers manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Young wrote to the Australian government in June supporting the application for Hanks and 11 other cast and crew members from the United States, Britain and Italy to be allowed into the country. I have given exemptions for people in entertainment and film because thats bringing a lot of money into this state and, can I say, we need every single dollar in our state, she said last week, attracting criticism that her expertise was not economics. The World Health Organization expects Europe to see a rise in the daily number of Covid-19 deaths in October and November, the head of the body's European branch told AFP. Cases in Europe have risen sharply in recent weeks, especially in Spain and France. More than 51,000 new cases were reported on Friday alone in the 55 countries monitored by WHO Europe, which is more than the highest peak in April, according to the organisation. "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said. Even though the continent is experiencing a surge of cases, the number of deaths has remained relatively stable. But the resurgence is expected to lead to an increase in daily fatalities, the WHO said. "It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand," Kluge told AFP in an interview, stressing that he wanted to send the "positive message" that the pandemic "is going to finish, at one moment or another." The WHO Europe's over 50 member states are holding an online meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss their response to the new coronavirus and agree on their overall five-year strategy. However Kluge, based in Copenhagen, issued a warning to those who believe that the development of a vaccine will end the pandemic. "I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not!," the Belgian said. "We don't even know if the vaccine is going to help all population groups. We are getting some signs now that it will help for one group and not for the other," he said. "And then if we have to order different vaccines, what a logistical nightmare!" "The end of the pandemic is the moment that we as a community are going to learn how to live with this pandemic. And it depends on us and that's a very positive message," he said. Incomplete picture Kluge warned of approaches becoming overly politicised and said it was important that the response be based "on epidemiological and public health data." He also defended authorities that have been hesitant to impose and ease measures in recent months as they are faced with a new disease. "WHO has been blamed a number of times but communicating on something you don't really know is very very difficult," Kluge said. "For some you do too little for some you go too far," he said. According to Kluge, as research progresses, knowledge of the virus remains imperfect, meaning that decisions must be made with an incomplete picture. "In a number of countries we see that the politics overwrite the scientists and also in a number of other countries we see that people are doubting the science, that's very dangerous," Kluge said. In countries covered by WHO Europe, the number of daily deaths has remained at around the same level since early June, with around 400-500 deaths per day linked to Covid-19, agency data showed. Despite the worrying trend, the responses now should not be the same as those adopted in the winter and early spring. "In February we were targeting society... now we are targeting the virus," Kluge said, adding that measures could now be imposed on a more local level. "If we have a good surveillance system we should be able to control it locally and then in a couple of weeks, relax again," Kluge said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Loblaw's PC Financial is getting back into the banking business, offering a new no-fee bank account. REUTERS/J.P. Moczulski Canadas largest grocery retailer Loblaw (L.TO) is getting back into the banking business, launching a no-fee bank account through its financial subsidiary that will allow customers to collect PC Optimum points through purchases. PC Financial, Loblaws financial services subsidiary, announced on Monday the creation of the new PC Money Account, adding an everyday banking option to the companys list of financial offerings. The account features no monthly fees and unlimited transactions, and will allow account holders to collect PC Optimum points in a range of ways. Customers will get 10 points on every dollar spent, 25 points for every dollar spent at Shoppers Drug Mart, 10,000 points for linking to an external bank account and 25,000 points for setting up direct deposit. The PC Money Account fills a gap in the everyday banking landscape, giving Canadians a no-fee account to spend, send and save, all while being rewarded with loyalty points they can actually use on the essentials they need, PC Financial president Barry Columb said in a statement. The move comes three years after PC Financial ended its nearly 20-year banking partnership with CIBC. In 2017, PC Financials everyday banking products including its savings, chequing and mortgage offerings were transitioned to CIBCs then-newly created Simplii Financial division. PC Financial said at the time that the move would allow the company to focus on its MasterCard credit card products and its loyalty program. PC Financial reported $233 million in revenue in the most recent quarter, $51 million less than the same time a year earlier as credit card spending fell during the COVID-19 pandemic. About three million customers are signed up with PC Financial. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. University of Nevada, Reno alumni and donors may have had their information stolen in a data breach that occurred in May, university officials said. The school was told of the breach on July 16 by Blackbaud, a third-party fundraising technology provider, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. About 200,000 people may have had their contact information, addresses and giving history compromised from the hack, said university spokeswoman Kerri Garcia. No social security numbers, credit card information or banking information was taken, Blackbaud said. The university informed alumni and donors of the breach on Aug. 31. Blackbaud said in its summary of the incident that the hackers made a copy of the data they received and the technology provider paid a ransom to ensure that the copy was destroyed. The information was not transferred to another party other than the hackers, Blackbaud said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Cyber Fraud Education Universities Nevada Knesset member Yossi Shain: US needs to work with Israel on new regional alliances, Iran Sep 8, 2021 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jerry Adiguna (The Jakarta Post) Thousand Islands, Jakarta Mon, September 14, 2020 14:16 494 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c44b1437 1 Activities Phinisi,ship,Shipwreck-Beach,tourism,diving,divers,Thousand-Islands-regency,Travel-Safe,Travel-Leisure Free A large number of dive shops, dive operators and resorts have suffered significant losses since the pandemic began to spread in Indonesia in March. The Indonesian governments efforts to reduce the pandemics impact on tourism seem futile as more and more countries ban their citizens from traveling to Indonesia. The country, after all, seems to have failed to contain the spread of COVID-19 effectively. During this time of uncertainty, a number of dive operators in Indonesia have decided to start thinking outside the box in order to survive. Ready to sail: The Benetta phinisi ship harbors at the Sunda Kelapa Harbor in Jakarta on Sep. 5. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) The Benetta pinisi (type of Indonesian sailing rig) live-aboard ship is one of them. After mostly cruising the eastern parts of Indonesia, a heaven for Indonesian diving, the ships crew are now sailing around the Jakarta bay area. The ships owner, Bobby Weliyanto, said this change was necessary for his business to survive the pandemic. One of the ships most recent voyages took place on Sept. 5 from Sunda Kelapa Harbor in Jakarta. Here, I met with fellow dive enthusiasts to embark on a diving trip exploring the Thousand Islands region north of Jakarta. Throughout the trip, all the participants tried their best to maintain social distance and wore masks. Keep it safe: The Benetta ship crew sprays disinfectant to the hands of diving trip participants. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) The first stop of the trip was Pari Island. The journey to this spot took approximately three hours at 8 knots using the Benettas motor. During the wait, the participants prepared their gear and discussed the plan for the first dive, exploring the wreck of a cargo ship near Pari Island. Social distancing: the dive participants wear masks and keep their distance with one another throughout the diving trip. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) Richard, one of the divers, is a British teacher living in Southeast Tangerang. He described himself as having a great passion for shipwreck diving. Indonesia holds a lot of underwater mystery and history waiting to be explored, Richard said. Splashing into the water with full dive gear ready to go into the deep sea is an exhilarating moment that most divers welcome with joy. The visibility in the waters north of Jakarta is not as good as that of eastern Indonesia, but the diving is still enjoyable. Colorful: The visibility in the waters of the Thousand Islands region is good enough for divers to enjoy the sights of corals. (Courtesy/Yun Thing Tan) At about 23 meters below the surface, the mysterious silhouette of the wrecked cargo ship begins to emerge. Laying cold at the bottom of the sea, the ship's body has been filled with coral, giving life to its surroundings. It is a sight that the divers must have been yearning for after being trapped in their homes for months. Some of the divers posed so that the underwater photographers could take pictures. These divers were not going to let these precious moments go to waste. A few big pennant coralfish swam gracefully around the divers as if they wanted to welcome the strange-looking visitors from the land above. Regrettably, I had to cancel my second dive after I lost my breath swimming against the current before descending into the sea. Safety is a priority, and there is nothing wrong with canceling a dive if you are not comfortable with the conditions. Not long after I returned to the boat, two divers Pinneng and Jovita joined me after they completed their second dive. Some of the divers down there are just holding a rope and swimming like it was a flag, said Pinneng with a small laugh while drying his hair. Based in Kupang regency, Pinneng has witnessed the destructive impact of COVID-19 on the local tourism industry. This came as a surprise because Kupang is marked as a green zone, which means that it does not have a high number of COVID-19 cases. That night, back at the ship, we enjoyed our dinner together and enjoyed the night sea breeze. A small group of dolphins were attracted to the light and entertained us with their swimming before we went to our beds and slept. The next day, I decided to join the free diving activity, departing from the SCUBA diving team that went ahead for the next shipwreck exploration. One of our travel companions was the Indonesia free diving record holder Mikhael Dominico. It was a rare chance to learn a few freediving tips from him. Like a fish: Dive participants can also opt to take in a free diving session. (Courtesy/Mikhael Dominico) Wearing our long fins, we entered the water and enjoyed the dive together. Joining us were professional underwater photographers Yun Thing Tan and Ferry Rusli, along with travel influencers Gemala Hanafiah and Christie. The waters surrounding the Thousand Islands hold various mysteries. The abundant exotic shipwrecks are just some of them. Beyond the wonderful, healthy coral reefs, many have reported seeing whale sharks in these waters. Back on the ship, as we packed our gear and prepared for the short journey home, my thoughts wandered to the reality of the COVID-19 threat we were still facing. It was still frightening, and I did not want to fall victim to the virus. I also wanted to protect my family and loved ones from the virus. Liveaboard cruise ships like the Benetta pinisi ship service allow you to experience diving adventures with minimal risk. With its private charter choice, you can minimize the risk of large gatherings. Its strict health protocols also give you more confidence to once again go diving. Sometimes, you just have to take a deep breath and get out into the deep blue ocean because, after all, there is no point of continuing to live in fear. The Jakarta Post received an invitation to sail on the Benetta pinisi ship for a short journey from Sep. 5 to Sept. 6 to explore wrecks in the Thousand Islands region. Before the trip, the Post had to take a required COVID-19 rapid test, sent by the Benetta crew. Hungry Jack's has taken a swipe at McDonald's in a cheeky TV ad as the rivals go head-to-head in a law suit over a new burger. The competitors became embroiled in a court battle following the launch of the Hungry Jack's 'Big Jack' in August. McDonald's was quick to file documents in the Federal Court alleging the Australian chain's new menu item is 'deceptively similar' to its Big Mac trademark. While Hungry Jack's is yet to file a defence, the company took a sledge at its rival claiming its burger is bigger with a different flavour. McDonald's is suing Hungry Jack's over their 'Big Jack' burger (pictured) and trademark A voiceover in the Big Jack ad says: 'Someone is suing Hungry Jack's. 'They reckon Aussies are confusing the Big Jack with some American burger. 'But the Big Jack is clearly bigger with 25 per cent more Aussie beef, flame grilled with a barbecue taste.' McDonald's have held the 'Big Mac' trademark since 1973 and allege Hungry Jack's used 'flagrant or wilful disregard' in promoting its 'Big Jack' burger. According to the McDonald's website, the Big Mac contains: 'Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.' McDonald's believe the Big Jack is 'substantially identical or similar' to their own Big Mac (pictured) The Big Jack features: 'Two flame-grilled 100 per cent Aussie beef patties, topped with melted cheese, special sauce, fresh lettuce, pickles and onions on a toasted sesame seed bun.' Hungry Jack's has been promoting the new burger since July, but McDonald's Asia Pacific claims the Big Jack burger is 'likely to deceive or cause confusion'. Court documents say the U.S.-based franchise has ordered for the Big Jack trademark to be cancelled, news.com.au reported. It is also suing for damages, interests and costs, and is calling for Hungry Jack's to destroy all promotional materials, menus, brochures, marketing materials and documents featuring the Big Jack trademark. McDonald's (store in Maryborough in Victoria pictured) want Hungry Jack's to destroy all material with 'Big Jack' trademark 'Hungry Jack's is bemused by the trademark lawsuit filed against it in the Federal Court,' a Hungry Jack's spokseperson told the publication. 'This is without basis. Big Jack is a registered trademark of Hungry Jack's and it is clearly evident that customers are not confused or misled that the Big Jack and Mega Jack burgers are only available at Hungry Jack's.' A McDonald's Australia spokeswoman previously told Daily Mail Australia 'as this matter is before the court, it is not appropriate to comment at this time.' T he Government was today accused of systemic failure in the justice system in a growing row about an outspoken judges criticism of its response to the coronavirus crisis. Judge Keith Raynor has twice attacked the Ministry of Justices handling of the pandemic while refusing to rule that defendants could be held in custody for months longer while they await their trials. In his excoriating rulings, the Woolwich crown court judge said the Governments response to the current crisis was too little, too late, he claimed measures to keep the system running had not been properly explored, and attacked ministers for failing to inject emergency funds into the courts. In the wake of the second ruling, Judge Raynor was stripped of powers in an attempted murder case on the orders of one of Britains most senior judges, to be replaced by High Court judge Mrs Justice Whipple. Today Sarah Forshaw QC, representing the attempted murder suspect, echoed Judge Raynors attack on the Government and warned that top judges may be accused of bias for their handling of the case. The senior judiciary ought not not to be shipped in, in the circumstances in which your ladyship has been, to replace this particular trial judge at the 11th hour because it will look and inevitably will look as if the senior judiciary are trying to sow this one up," she said, applying for Mrs Justice Whipple to step down from the case. Ms Forshaw said the public will suspect an unwritten agenda of trying to shutdown Judge Raynor, as top judges have been working hand-in-hand with the Government since March on the justice systems response to the pandemic. A reasonable inference as to why the transfer has been ordered - and the only sensible inference in the absence of further information - is that the senior judiciary are unhappy with the rulings of Judge Raynor and wished to avoid a possible further judgment in similar vein, she argued. The reasonable inference is that there is an agenda from the senior judiciary to prevent similar decisions being taken. That inevitably gives rise to an inference of apparent bias. A 39-000-strong backlog of crown court cases existed before the pandemic struck in late March, forcing the shutdown of all jury trials and large swathes of the justice system. Latest figures show the backlog has now grown by more than 7,000, with courts struggling to host more than a handful of trials each due to social distancing measures. In his rulings, Judge Raynor claimed that added court capacity at town halls, military facilities, cinemas, and conference centres had not been properly secured, he said an 80m rescue package announced last week was not sufficient, and blamed the government for the current crisis. Ms Forshaw said suggested underfunding of the criminal justice system for years and years was the root cause of the crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic, and she argued: The consequences of years of underfunding have come home to roost. Our case is there has been a failure to do everything possible to keep the courts running, she said, insisting the government was to blame for systemic failure and arguing a defendant who has already been in custody for more than 500 days should not be held any longer. It is too little, too late from the State over the backlog, which was the governments fault in the first place and is unmanageable now because of it. She said the current rolllout of plexiglass in courts, to enable more trials to be held within social distancing guidelines, had come months after other countries took the step, and added that the courts do not currently have a track and trace system or temperature tests at the entrances. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland / PA Ms Forshaw was arguing for her client to be freed on bail while awaiting his trial, now set for January next year, and issued a warning that droves of defendants may have to be set free in the coming months. Even if 250 jury rooms are available come November, its not going to be nearly enough to prevent defendants remaining in custody for years, she said. This is going to be mirrored around the country. There comes a point where courts will have to release unconvicted defendants. Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska argued that custody time limits in this attempted murder case should be extended, and insisted that Judge Raynor may be the one accused of bias rather than Mrs Justice Whipple because of "deep-seated" views that go beyond an analysis of the facts in a particular case and extend to a general criticism. She argued Judge Raynors rulings contained detailed criticism of the governments response to the Covid-19 pandemic and led to a fear he would be not be able to consider impartially any application to extend custody time limits for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency. She added: It is submitted that the court is entitled to find that the measures taken by HMCTS first to cope with the initial emergency and then to restart jury trials within 2m guidelines and to plan towards 1m+ to extend capacity were proportionate. Mrs Justice Whipple refused to step down from the case and she agreed to extend custody time limits for the defendant until January, saying the reasons for her decisions would be made public later this week. Ms Forshaw has indicated she plans to appeal today's rulings. Last summer, it seemed like everyone in Portland was turning 15. Daria Allens neighborhood buzzed with a steady hum of quinceaneras and parties. She joined a dance team, and signed up for extra dance classes at a local studio. As she turned 16 over the fall, she was ready to get her drivers licence, but that brought on a nagging new worry: What if she were out driving and got stopped by the police? This years deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, both African Americans who were killed by police, turned it into a constant loop of anxiety: What if police came to her home and shot her grandmother? What if she had children and then saw one die in a traffic stop? Allens summer was different this year. She has not had time for dance classes. She is instead one of the many protesters who have rallied nightly in downtown Portland, mounting one of the longest-running cries for racial justice since Floyds death on May 25. Next week, she will start her junior year of high school. The main thing she is worried about is how her class schedule will conflict with protests. For me, being a young Black woman, Im just focused on my life. Thats really why Im out here, she says. I am just a Black girl trying to live. Next week, she will start her junior year of high school. The main thing she is worried about is how her class schedule will conflict with protests Allen grew up in the Pacific Northwest and recently moved to her grandmothers home on the north side of Portland, where she could have her own bedroom and the privacy from her mother and siblings that she craved. She had been one of only a few Black students at her elementary and middle schools, but her high school was more diverse she no longer felt like she stuck out. It was in late May that she was scrolling through Instagram and saw a video of Floyd lying in the street, a white police officers knee digging into his neck. She watched it again. I just remember crying, Allen says. Especially when he called out for his mom, that made me so sad. Placards of George Floyd held aloft during Augusts Commitment March in Washington. The march was dubbed Get Your Knee Off Our Necks (EPA) She saw news footage of protests over Floyds death in Minneapolis and Washington, DC. Then she found a livestream online that showed a protest in downtown Portland. She needed to see for herself. In early June, Allen joined the protests for the first time, jumping into a march that snaked downtown from Revolution Hall, a music venue on the east side of the city. Seeing people singing and joining in the march made her feel happy. After her summer job at a local zoo evaporated in the financial fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Allen started attending protests almost every night. Maybe, she thought, the demonstrations would spur changes in policing that would keep her family and her friends safe. But there was a deeper feeling, a sense that she belonged there. I dont even feel like I have to, Allen says. I just have to. Her family was worried, but on the other hand understood that something important was happening, for all of them, on Portlands streets. This is the only way she can make change at 16 and I get that, says Aneesah Rasheed, a relative who has sometimes accompanied Allen to protests. In two years, Darias going to be old enough to vote. Shes learning about people, learning about politics, how to organise, how to start a movement. Group of mothers had placed themselves between officers and other demonstrators The first night that Allen was tear-gassed, the feeling reminded her of the sting she felt when she let shampoo wash into her eyes. The crowd faced off against a line of police officers and she yelled at them, furious and teary. More gas erupted and she ran. It seared into her throat and she coughed until she thought she might vomit. 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 fundraiser in a neighborhood Facebook group, a woman confronted her. Allen was destroying the city, she said. 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 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 neighbours were more supportive, and Allen ended up with about $300 (230) 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. Tear gas fired as 3,000 people take part in latest unrest Im very scared, Laura Vanderlyn, her grandmother, says. 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 antagonise the crowd. Over the weekend, one of the counterprotesters was shot to death. Allen tries to avoid most of the dangers. She constantly skims through Instagram and Snapchat, watching videos of the protest to stay informed about what is happening in other parts of the crowd. It is not important to her to be at the front line of confrontations with police. One of the few chants she consistently recites is Black lives matter. It annoys her that the phrase has become a subject of controversy, often met with the diminishing response All lives matter. When they have the breast cancer runs, you dont see people out there yelling, What about lung cancer? she says. Just because Im talking about whats happening to me doesnt mean I dont care about whats happening with you. Why do I have to constantly remind these people that I matter? Allen had to go home and admit to her grandmother that she had been hit by one of the agents as they cleared a street In July, President Donald Trump dispatched federal agents to Portland in an effort to subdue the protests. But their presence raised tensions in the city even further, and new groups joined the demonstrations: moms in yellow T-shirts, nurses in scrubs and cooks in grimy chefs whites. One night, after the mayor called on the federal officers to leave, Allen had to go home and admit to her grandmother that she had been hit by one of the agents as they cleared a street. I told her I wasnt going to get hurt, Allen says. She had noticed a woman standing in the street as the agents swept through, and called for her to get out of their way. She hesitated, waiting for the woman to respond, and an agent struck her hip with a baton, leaving a purple welt. As soon as she came in, she told me she didnt want me to worry but that the police had struck her and she was really, really sorry that she got that close, Vanderlyn says. Her first reaction was to apologise. The encounter left Allen feeling depressed. It makes you feel kind of empty sometimes when you see people getting beat up on the street by police and you have to run, she says. Now that guns have been drawn by protesters and those who have tried to disrupt the demonstrations, Allen has been feeling even more uneasy. At first, she figured it was not much different from police carrying guns, but then she decided it was. It is scary because you never know, she says. The police have their weapons on them where you can see them. These people, you dont know what they have. One night she met up with one of the friends she has made at the protests, a young woman who goes by the nickname Moon. Together, they stood staring up at the federal courthouse in Portland, flinching as fireworks lobbed by protesters detonated above them. Allen sent videos to a few friends on Snapchat. Then the inevitable cloud of tear gas ballooned around them. Even though not everyone who is out protesting with the movement is always right or we always agree, I know everybody is going to have my back Your eyes hurt? Allen asked. Moon nodded, wincing behind her goggles. A block away, they settled onto a sidewalk to compare notes. Allen furiously refreshed an Instagram account that labeled protesters as rioters and antifa. It irritated her that her months of peaceful protest were being dismissed based on the actions of other people. It felt like no one was listening. It was time to go back out. Allen saw federal agents sprinting up the street, and she started to run. But she remembered what she had learned walking was safer and she forced herself to slow down. The agents rushed into a crowd of people, pushing them back. Im scared, Allen said, her voice rising. Still, she turned and went back toward the agents, phone in hand in case she needed to start recording. The flashes of light and smoke sometimes seemed to her more like stadium effects for a big concert than the sound and fury of a popular revolt. Doesnt this seem like a movie? Doesnt this seem surreal? she said. Another evening, Allen sat on the sidewalk across the street from the county justice centre. A man led the crowd in a series of chants. Say his name! the man shouted into his microphone. George Floyd, the crowd responded. The voluminous pink wig that Allen has taken to wearing during the protests to help her friends locate her in the crowds came tumbling out from beneath her white hard hat. She thumbed through her phone, reviewing photos of recent protests and screenshots of the threat she had received on Facebook so she could show some of her friends. Are we tired? the man thundered. Hell no, the protesters shouted back. But Allen did feel exhausted. Months of nonstop demonstrations, with little sleep, were taking a toll. I understand what theyre trying to say, that well never get tired of fighting for whats right, she says. But its tiring. I am tired. On a recent afternoon, Allen and other protesters faced off against a caravan of supporters of Trump that had converged in Portland. During the confrontations, Allen was sprayed with mace by one of the counter-protesters. That was worse than tear gas, she says. Other protesters came rushing over, helping her rinse the spray off her face and skin. Thats why I love being out there, she says. Because even though not everyone who is with the movement is always right or we always agree, I know everybody is going to have my back. (Newser) An American resident in Germany could face what authorities say will be a "hefty fine" after being blamed for a wave of coronavirus infections. Authorities say the woman, who works in a hotel resort for American troops stationed in Germany, went on a pub crawl soon after returning from a vacation in Greece, despite showing coronavirus symptoms, the Local reports. Authorities say the woman was tested for COVID-19 on Sept. 8 and was told to stay in quarantine while waiting for the resultsbut she visited several pubs in the Alpine resort of Garmisch that night. At least 22 American citizens based in the hotel where the woman workswhich hosted a conference last week on how the military should deal with outbreakshave been infected. story continues below "I am angered about this young woman, said district councilor Anton Speer, per the Guardian. Despite having symptoms and the order to quarantine, she plunged herself into the nightlife. She has infected at least 22 Americans. It will be a Herculean task to get hold of all the contact persons and inform them. Bavarias interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said the woman's "recklessness should be clearly admonished." The town, population 26,000, has ordered all pubs and restaurants to close at 10pm and has asked everybody aged between 18 and 35 to get tested. (Read more coronavirus stories.) A flower grower waters plants in a greenhouse in Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, in May, 2020. [Xinhua] As President Xi Jinping has stated, "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." The quality of the local environment has helped Shuobei, a township in Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, move closer to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the end of the year. By developing herb cultivation and rural tourism, many people in the township, located near Xining, Qinghai's capital, have been lifted out of poverty and some now lead relatively prosperous lives. Thick forests cover the mountains, white clouds dot the blue sky and streams gurgle through the valleys. Occasionally, slogans printed on red boards come into sight as one drives through the mountains. "Protect the environment like you protect your lives. Treat the environment as if it were your eyes," one of them reads. The county's forestry coverage rate is 43.3 percent. For years, however, local people did not benefit from the high-quality environment. Things have now changed. The beautiful scenery, fresh air and hospitable locals are attracting large numbers of tourists, especially during summer. Zhao Wenke was one of 108 people from 36 families included in the national list of poverty-stricken residents in the township's Dongzhigou Village. Meat was once a luxury for the 39-year-old's family of six, including his two sons who are 14 and 8. When his oldest son was almost 2, the boy told his grandfather that he wanted to eat some meat. The family was so poor that the senior could only provide a piece of pork smaller than a man's palm, Zhao recalled. "Now, if you open my fridge, there are different types of meat, including beef and lamb. We can eat meat anytime we want," he said. Zhao dropped out of school when he was 15 as his mother had rheumatoid arthritis and his father was recovering from a stroke. After helping on the family farm, he left home to find a job as a migrant worker. "I could hardly make enough to cover my parents 'medical fees," he said. Visitors take photos of the scenery outside a homestay in Dongzhigou Village, Shuobei, Qinghai in August, 2020. [For China Daily/Hou Liqiang] Improvements The family's finances changed in 2016. Using a local government subsidy of about 30,000 yuan and savings of 9400 yuan, Zhao bought a small truck and started buying vegetables to sell at markets. The business was successful. He earned 50,000 yuan that year, which meant he could remove his family from the poverty list. That was only the beginning as the local government brought in more industries to help residents lead better lives. In 2017, with the help of the local government, Zhao began growing the herb angelica sinensis, a type of ginseng, making 48,000 yuan from the business that year. Meanwhile, his wife became a cook after attending training classes organized by the local government to help local families start homestays to serve the rising number of tourists. Li Yingren, Party chief of Dongzhigou, said the government began to promote cultivation of angelica sinensis in 2015. That year, the 79 families who decided to plant the herb were each offered free seedlings worth 24,000 yuan. They were also given training before they planted and experts offered regular guidance, Li said. He added that the local government promised a minimum purchasing price of 8 yuan per kilogram. While expanding their herb cultivation area, Zhao's family started a restaurant in 2018 to employ his wife's cooking skills. He has hired three local people to work in the restaurant, which can seat more than 100 people, and earns over 100,000 yuan ($14,633) a year from the eatery. A resident prepares to cut a watermelon for tourists in Deji Village, Jainca County, Qinghai, on Aug 11, 2020. [Xinhua] Tourism Bai Chenghua, a 40-something Xining native, visited Dongzhigou last month with more than 20 relatives and friends after a strong recommendation from a friend. "I was lured by my friend's description of the area as having a pleasant environment, fresh, high-quality food and hospitable people," she said. "I am excited and happy to be here." Everyone in the village was taken off the poverty list by the end of 2016, thanks to the development of herb cultivation and tourism. Dongzhigou is just a microcosm of the business development in Shuobei that has helped many local people lead better lives. According to the township government, 72 percent of its more than 19,000 population used to live in poverty. Now, none of the residents is impoverished. In 2017, the Datong government invested over 140 million yuan to help develop tourism in an area covering 10 of Shuobei's 19 villages. After the local infrastructure improved thanks to the investment, 70 households started restaurants and another 15 opened hotels, it said. Tourism has helped 765 people take themselves off the poverty list as their incomes keep rising. Last year, tourism helped the 10 villages earn combined income of almost 1.1 million yuan, the government said. Zhao said he had looked forward to seeing his sons grow up so they could go outside and make money with him as migrant workers. Now, he hopes they will enjoy a good education and he never worries about what they will do in the future. "I make more money in one day than I made in one month as a migrant worker," he said. "I am satisfied with my life. Before, I never dared imagine I could ever lead such a good life." (Source: China Daily) BJP MP from Gorakhpur Ravi Kishan on Monday raised the issue of 'drug addiction' in Bollywood and praised the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) which has launched a massive crackdown on a drug racket linked to the film industry. The actor-turned-politician also slammed the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and China through which drugs are smuggled into the country. 'Drug addiction is on a rise' "I want to bring an important issue to the notice of all the MPs. The problem of drug trafficking/addiction is on a rise in our country and a conspiracy is being hatched to destroy the country's youth. Our neighbouring countries are contributing as the smuggling of drugs from Pakistan and China is done every year via Punjab and Nepal," Ravi Kishan said. "Drug addiction is in the film industry too. Several people have been apprehended and the NCB is doing very good work. I urge the central government to take strict action, apprehend the culprits soon, give them befitting punishment and bring an end to conspiracy of neighbouring countries," the BJP MP stated. NCB's crackdown on drug racket in Bollywood Ravi Kishan's remarks come as six more persons were arrested from Mumbai on Sunday by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) probing the drug angle in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, taking the total count of people held so far to 16. The six accused have been identified as Karamjeet Singh Anand, Dwayne Fernandes, Sanket Patel, Ankush Anreja, Sandeep Gupta and Aftab Fateh Ansari, he said, adding that they were picked up after their names emerged during investigation. READ | NCB arrests 6 more including 'apex names' in Sushant case drug nexus; Rhea may move HC READ | Ravi Kishan backs #CBIForSSR; says 'country will not calm down until the truth is out' They all were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. An official said Anand is a supplier of drugs who has had connections in the film industry. Fernandes allegedly used to deal in curated marijuana and hashish, and is an associate of Showik Chakraborty, brother of actress Rhea Chakraborty who was arrested earlier by the federal anti-drug agency in the case, he said. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB is probing the drugs case in which Rhea Chakraborty, Showik, late Rajput's manager Samuel Miranda, domestic help Dipesh Sawant and others have been arrested. READ | Kangana Ranaut stands by 'PoK' analogy as she leaves Mumbai; says 'I was terrorised' READ | PM Modi speaks before Monsoon Session of Parliament; hopes for united message to Jawans BEIRUT (AP) A suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria on Monday killed 10 fighters, including eight Iraqis, a Syrian opposition war monitor reported. Israel rarely comments on such reports, but is believed to have carried out scores of raids targeting Irans military presence in Syria in recent years. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike hit an area close the town of Boukamal near the Iraqi border. It added that the strikes also destroyed arms depots and ambulances were seen rushing to the area. The Observatory said the 10 killed were eight Iraqis and two Syrians. It said the strike is the third this month in Syrias eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq. The Observatory gave no further details. There was no comment from Syrian state media. Israel views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near the frontier. In recent months, Israeli officials have expressed concern that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles. Meanwhile in northern Syria, an attack on a Turkish Red Crescent vehicle killed a member of the aid agency and wounded another, the group said Monday. Armed masked men wearing camouflage clothing traveling in two cars without license plates attacked the Red Crescent vehicle as it traveled through al-Bab, a Turkish-controlled zone in northern Syria, the aid group said in a statement. The Red Crescent said their vehicle was clearly marked with their logos. A third employee in the vehicle survived without injuries. Turkey has held al-Bab since 2017 amid Syrias yearslong conflict, which initially began as a civil war that later became a regional proxy fight. Turkey has backed opposition fighters against Syrian President Bashar Assad, Syrian Kurdish fighters and the Islamic State group. Watch: Kelly Clarkson opens up on her divorce Kelly Clarkson is the queen of the breakup anthem. Its no surprise, then that the Since U Been Gone singer is getting candid about her own recent split. In June, the former American Idol champ filed for divorce from husband Brandon Blackstock after nearly seven years of marriage; Clarkson cited irreconcilable differences in the filing. Now the 38-year-old who shares two children, 6-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington, with Blackstock is opening up about the split in a new interview with Sunday TODAY. "I mean, it's no secret," she told Willie Geist on NBCs Sunday morning news show. "My life has been a little bit of a dumpster ... personally, it's been a little hard the last couple months. Read more: Simon Cowell replaced by Kelly Clarkson on Americas Got Talent "I've been talking to friends that have been through divorce. I don't know how people go through that without having some kind of outlet because it is the worst thing ever for everyone involved." Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce from husband Brandon Blackstock (pictured with her in April 2019) in June. (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) Her relationship woes have helped inspire her next album, out next year. Clarkson says that pouring her heart out through music has been very therapeutic. This'll probably be the most personal one I've ever released," she told Geist of the album. "And the whole record is basically every emotion you experience from the beginning of a relationship to the end of what it is now or where it is now, and it's been very therapeutic for me." Her son and daughter are already fans though the talk show host admits to feeling weird about them singing along to songs about her marriage to their father, whom she wed in 2013. "It's very honest, she shared. There's one that my kids sing in the car. I'm going through mixes, and I'm just, like, 'This is weird.' Like, it's your relationship. I've never written about my life to where my kids are singing along." Seth Blackstock, Remington Alexander Blackstock, Savannah Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson, River Rose Blackstock, and Brandon Blackstock arrives at the STX Films World Premiere Of "UglyDolls" at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on April 27, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage) Clarkson who thanked her ex in her Daytime Emmy acceptance speech this summer also addressed her split in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, explaining that shes being reticent out of respect for her children and Blackstocks two older children from a previous relationship. Story continues I am a very open person, but Im not going to be able to be truly open about this in certain aspects because theres kids involved, she told the newspaper. Read more: Actor Chris Evans appears to share risque image "I think that I will navigate a way in which to be open and honest about it eventually, probably via [her talk show'], and itll probably, Im assuming, happen organically when someone says something in conversation or something. It definitely wouldnt be planned. But my children and his older children there are a lot of little hearts involved in this and while people feel, Oh my gosh, what a loss, imagine how it is in the epicenter of the storm. Its a lot to process and deal with, just as a family. So because its not just me, I probably wont go too deep with it. Watch: Kelly Clarkson says it's 'overwhelming and scary' talking to her children about the coronavirus The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh battles its own and Opposition over the communitys victimisation and alleged preference to the Rajputs. Radhika Ramaseshan reports. IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pays tribute to the statue of Mahant Digvijaynath Maharaj on the occasion of Punyatithi Shraddhanjali Sabha at Shri Goraksanath temple in Gorakhpur. Photograph: ANI Photo Devmani Dwivedi has become a spokesman for Uttar Pradeshs Brahmins. A first-time legislator from Lambhua (Sultanpur), 55-year-old Dwivedi won on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, but claimed he did not think twice before raising his communitys concerns and anxieties over the Yogi Adityanath government. He is among the 58 Brahmin MLAs in the BJP. Nobody takes up our issues. We arent even being offered churan chatni (a candy). The BJP should realise that without the Brahmins, it is like Ramlila without Ram, said Dwivedi. With a Rajput as chief minister, the Brahmins monitored every move relating to their representation in the government that Adityanath made. With reason, argued Dwivedi. A study on the 2017 Assembly elections by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies assessed that 82 per cent of the Brahmins voted the BJP. Dwivedi noted that despite being numerically smaller, the Rajputs (an estimated 7 to 8 per cent as against 10 to 12 per cent Brahmins) had five Cabinet ministers, including the CM, while the Brahmins had only four ministers. The perception that Adityanath encouraged his clanspersons was reinforced by two developments: His government scrapped the holiday on Parashuram Jayanti and it packed Rajputs in institutional domains. Parashuram is regarded as the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. Mythology has it that although he was born in a Brahmin family, he displayed warrior-like traits. To avenge the murder of his father by a Rajput, he killed all the male Rajputs 21 successive times (for each time, their wives survived and birthed new generations). Although Parashuram is not revered in the pantheon of Hindu deities on a par with Ram, Krishna and Shiva, the more partisan Brahmins adopted him as a triumphal symbol. In the heartland where legends easily segue into beliefs, the Brahmin-Rajput fault lines that surfaced in the Adityanath regime served as a feint to resurrect the Parashuram iconography. Abhishek Mishra, Samajwadi Party national secretary, promised to raise a 108-foot statue of Parashuram under the banner of the Bhagwan Parashuram Chetna Peeth, if his party returned to power, while former Congress MP, Jitin Prasada -- who launched a Brahmin Chetna Parishad -- demanded the reinstatement of a holiday on the warrior-rishis birthday. Amarnath Mishra, Lucknow-based president of the Ayodhya Sadbhavna Samanvay Samiti and votary of the Brahmin identity, questioned the Parashuram political adoption and said: Whose prestige is one enhancing by constructing a statue? It will heighten the tensions between the Brahmins and the Rajputs. Mishra contended that the root of the Brahmin victimisation was the communitys involvement in land disputes and family feuds over properties. It is because the Brahmins gave up the traditional shaastra (sacred scriptures) and picked up shastra (weapons)," he said. The weaponry association was personified in the encounter killed of Vikas Dubey, the Kanpur criminal who had murdered eight policemen when they went to arrest him in July. There were opposing reactions from the Brahmins but the episode fuelled the victimisation narrative. Dubey defamed the Brahmins because the cops he gunned down were all Brahmins, said Mishra. Prasada of the Congress maintained, Its not about one Dubey. Theres been a spate of murders: The victims are mostly Brahmins, and theres no help from the government. Prasada, whos been touring on a Brahmin Chetna Samvad, claimed: Its not about votes but the sense of neglect that the Brahmins feel. The community has been painted as criminals. My information is that the Brahmins are leaving their villages in West UP. The flashpoint was a question listed by the BJPs Dwivedi in the assembly, seeking answers on the killing of the Brahmins, why they felt insecure, and how many were issued gun licences since 2017. The UP government reportedly sent a missive to the district magistrates, seeking data on how many Brahmins received licences. The letter was withdrawn but Dwivedi said his question, that he did not pull back, remained in abeyance. I will not let go of it, he emphasised. However, none of those fighting for the Brahmins had a database on the number of murders and other forms of repression that engendered a sense that the campaign for the community might be underpinned more on quasi fiction and hearsay than facts. For instance, Mishra of the SP said: When we were in power, we did a lot for the Sanskrit vidyalayas. I hear the government is going to block the funds for them. A BJP MP conceded that despite the prevalence of half-truths in the Brahmin-as-victims account, Adityanath was partial towards the Rajputs. The Gorakhnath math of which he is a custodian is a Rajput bastion. It has no place for another community. His politics is influenced by that kind of casteism, the MP said. However, Harshvardhan Bajpai, Allahabad North MLA of the BJP, thought the issue was blown out of proportion. The Opposition isnt serious about keeping law and order. They see it as politics to score brownie points. The Brahmins are known as the BJPs motherboard. So why would we target our core voters? asked Bajpai. Even the SPs Mishra conceded it was pointless to chase a single agenda of winning over one community. The Brahmins generally vote as a bloc, if they want to bring down a government. Getting 80 per cent of their votes is a long haul," he said. A second earthquake in the space of a week has hit Leighton Buzzard, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS). The tremor in Bedfordshire, which hit at 11.20pm on Sunday night, was measured by the BGS at magnitude 2.1. It is thought to have been an aftershock from the magnitude 3.5 quake that was felt on September 8. A BGS spokesman said: 'The most recent event was over 100 times smaller than the event on September 8 in the same area. 'The occurrence of smaller events from other previous UK earthquakes is not unknown. The yellow circle shows the epicentre of the previous quake from September 8, while the red circle shows the epicentre of last night's The latest Leighton Buzzard quake is thought to have been an aftershock from the magnitude 3.5 quake that was felt on September 8 'The small event that occurred in Bedfordshire last night could have occurred because all the stress in the rocks was not relieved by the event on September 8 in the same area or it caused a slight change to the stress regime in that location. 'There is constant ongoing research in the academic world on the issue of aftershock occurrence.' Responding to the quake, Rich Wilkinson-Iles tweeted: 'What is going on??? Just woken by another earth quake in Leighton Buzzard!' A second person said: 'Pretty sure we just had ANOTHER earthquake here in Leighton Buzzard. What the hell is going on?' While a third wrote: 'Was that another #earthquake in #LeightonBuzzard?' It comes just six days after a 3.5 magnitude quake rocked the town. During the September 8 quake, residents described strong shaking and rattling walls, though police said no injuries were reported. After Sunday's quake, the BGS tweeted: 'One report describes 'It felt slower and less intense than the previous tremor'.' Small earthquakes are not uncommon in the UK but are rarely felt in the Bedfordshire area. Footage taken inside a home in Leighton Buzzard showed the moment the earthquake struck on September 8. Witness Dean Gray shared the footage of his terrified dogs to Twitter with the caption: 'Actually thought my house was falling down.' Some 610,000 people live in the affected areas according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. It was felt at around 8.45am and had an epicentre 6.2 miles deep. Hunt continues for crocodile at Saphan Hin PHUKET: Phuket Fisheries officials today (Sept 14) continued their hunt for a crocodile spotted among mangroves near Klong Koh Pee Rd, at Saphan Hin, on the weekend. animalswildlifeSafety By Tanyaluk Sakoot Monday 14 September 2020, 05:00PM Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept The crocodile was spotted in the area on Saturday (Sept 12). Photo: Singdam Panhin / Facebook The crocodile was spotted in the area on Saturday (Sept 12). Photo: Singdam Panhin / Facebook Local officials have placed a cage trap for the crocodile, but have yet to catch it. Photo: Phuket Fishery Dept Singdam Panhin raised the alarm on Saturday (Sept 12), posting photos of a crocodile resting a bank in the mangroves on his Facebook page. Local officials immediately launched a search for the reptile, but have been unable to find it, said Phuket Fisheries Chief Narin Meevong From the photos, it is hard to identify how big the crocodile actually is, or its age, Mr Narin told The Phuket News. I think it is a saltwater crocodile, but Im still not sure if it is a crocodile that has always been in the wild, or if it escaped from a crocodile farm, he said. Earlier today, Mr Singdam guided local officials to where he saw the crocodile. The officers placed a cage, complete with chicken remains as bait, at the site. He pointed out where he saw it, but we still havent found it, Mr Narin confirmed this afternoon. We will keep searching the area and checking the trap, and keep local people informed of whether we find anything, he said. Although the area is a mangrove swamp without residents, local fishermen roam the area, setting crab traps and fishing in the canal, Mr Narin explained. The area where the crocodile was seen connects to the sea and the mangrove forest is a good place for it to hide, he said. At this stage it is still risky for people to fish in the area. We have advised local people to not not enter this area without a very good reason, he added. If anyone thinks they have seen a crocodile in their area, please call us immediately at 076-212460, he added. VJ Shibani Dandekar and her sister Anusha have deleted social media posts calling for the release of Rhea Chakraborty. The sisters have faced a lot of backlash from the fans of Sushant Singh Rajput for their support to Rhea, who has been arrested on drugs-related charges. Recently, Shibani had put out a post calling for the release of Rhea. She had written: #ReleaseRhea #justiceforrhea. Both sisters, like many others in Bollywood, had shared the message against patriarchy, first seen on the T-shirt worn by Rhea on the day of her arrest. As per a Times of India report, along with the two sisters, Bollywood stylist Anisha Jain had also deleted her post. Shibani has been passionate in her defence of Rhea. She had posted a note about how she has known Rhea for many years. Shibani had written: Ive known Rhea Chakraborty since she was 16 years old! Vibrant, strong, vivacious..such a bright spark.. so full of life! Ive witnessed such a stark contrast to this side of her personality over the last few months as her and her family...(some of the kindest warmest best pople you will ever meet) have experienced the most unimaginable trauma! What was her crime? She loved a boy, looked after him through his darkest days, put her life on hold to be there for him and when he...took his own life she was crucified, Shibani has continued. Im sorry that so many people let you down, doubted you, werent there for you when you needed them the most. Im sorry that the best thing you did in your life (looking after Sushant) led you to the worst experience of your life...Im so sorry.. Im with you always. #JusticeforRhea Shibani was also involved in a social media back-and-forth with actor Ankita Lokhande, who has been clear in her support for Sushants family. Rhea was arrested last week by Narcotics Control Bureau over charges of procuring drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput. The actor died on June 14 in Mumbai. The case is being investigated by three separate agencies - Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and NCB. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON During the Republican National Convention, we heard an argument that will surely resurface this fall: Former Vice President Joe Biden's judgment on national security matters is supposedly poor. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, famously put it this way in his memoir: "I think he's been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades. Gatess sweeping comment seems unfair, even nasty. After all, Biden supported arms control accords to help corral Russias nuclear weapons after the Cold War, major trade agreements that helped propel sustained global economic growth for decades, strong defense and intelligence budgets, and climate-change accords that, while far from adequate, have been a useful first step in addressing this great challenge of our era. But leave those matters aside for now. People like Gates often place particular focus on Iraq, since then-Sen. Biden voted against authorizing Operation Desert Storm in 1991 (which was a success) and in favor of authorizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq (which was not). Biden was in good company in 1991 Having been part of the Iraq war debate and watched Bidens role in it for 30 years, I believe it is considerably better than allowed by critics like Gates, or political foes like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas. Iraq has a way of making almost anyone look bad if they stay in the conversation long enough. But Biden has also made positive contributions to the policy-making process that need to be weighed in any net assessment of his record. Start with that 1991 vote. Yes, Biden did vote against the war authorization, which nonetheless passed the Senate 52-47, and yes Bush deserves great credit for his vision and courage to reverse Iraqs aggression against Kuwait (which he might have done even if the Senate vote had gone the other way). But while a few Democrats backed the resolution, many others including party luminaries like Sam Nunn, John Glenn and Lloyd Bentsen joined Biden in opposition. Bob Woodward later reported that Gen. Colin Powell, then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was extremely wary as well. Story continues So Biden had good company. Kuwait was not a U.S. treaty ally; the United States had larger and more formal security interests and obligations in Europe and East Asia; and with the Cold War just over, the nation needed to turn more of its focus inward. While these arguments may not look compelling in hindsight, that does not mean they were unreasonable. U.S. Marines on Feb. 1, 1991, near Khafiji, Saudi Arabia. But the real crux of the matter is the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2006-2007 debate over the troop surge. Here Bidens record holds up better than you may have heard. Yes, Biden voted to authorize the invasion, along with most senators; the resolution passed the Senate 77-23. But as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden held a series of hearings in the summer of 2002 that remain the best public discussion of the likely challenges any such military campaign would face. They underscored how complex any invasion and stabilization effort in Iraq would surely be. That the Bush administration chose to ignore the Senates advice, and prepare for war on the premise that overthrowing Saddam would be a cakewalk, as defense policy analyst Kenneth Adelman infamously predicted, is not Bidens fault. COVID and the Middle East: ISIS is using the COVID distraction to rearm and regroup Indeed, at the time, Biden said that in many ways the most critical question relates to our responsibilities, if any, for the day after Saddam is taken down, if taken down by the use of the U.S. military. This is not a theoretical exercise. In Afghanistan, the war was prosecuted exceptionally well, in my view, but the follow-through commitment to Afghanistan security and reconstruction has, in my judgment, fallen short. "It would be a tragedy if we removed a tyrant in Iraq, only to leave chaos in its wake. The long suffering Iraqi people need to know a regime change would benefit them. So do Iraq's neighbors. We need a better understanding of what it would take to secure Iraq and rebuild it economically and politically. Shaking up policy to salvage Iraq mess By 2006, Saddam Hussein was long gone, and tragically so was any semblance of stability in Iraq. At that time, building on a concept first developed by Leslie Gelb of the Council on Foreign Relations, Biden proposed partitioning Iraq. The Kurds in the north, the Sunnis in the west and the Shia in the center and east would each have their own self-governing areas. My 2007 research with Johns Hopkins professor Edward Joseph suggested the proposal would have been daunting to put into effect. Fortunately, the famous troop "surge" picked up steam and ultimately succeeded. The partition plan was not needed and Biden stopped pushing it. But in proposing such an idea, rather than advocating a reckless withdrawal as others were beginning to favor at the time, Biden played the rightful role of loyal opposition in American politics trying to shake up the policy process, and salvage something out of the mess that Iraq had become. Later, as vice president, Biden consulted frequently with Iraqi leaders of various stripes and attempted to rein in the increasingly sectarian ways of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was trying to ban numerous Sunni leaders from Iraqi politics and stack the government and military with his own lackeys. That Biden was ultimately unsuccessful was tragic, since it led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq in 2014 and other huge setbacks. In retrospect, the United States should have backed the moderate, Ayad Allawi, and his political party more strongly. But with President Barack Obama having decided that our forces would soon leave Iraq, Bidens leverage was limited. Joe Biden: Trump is worst possible leader to deal with coronavirus outbreak Speaking of ISIS, despite earlier mistakes, the Obama-Biden team recovered smartly in 2014 forcing Maliki out of power as a precondition for U.S. military support in an Iraq-led campaign against the caliphate. Because Obama and Biden realized that any effort needed to be Iraqi-led, the effort took time, since its main ingredient had to be a rebuilding of the Iraqi military. The campaign started to show promise by the time Obama and Biden left office, ultimately resulting in the defeat of ISIS and restoration of Iraqi government control throughout the country early in the Trump presidency. Today, though few would defend the 2003 invasion, and though the country still has a very long way to go, Iraq is showing glimmers of hopefulness. Grading Biden on a curve, I would argue he has been a bit better than average for top U.S. leaders over the years. Michael O'Hanlon, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors, is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of "Beyond NATO: A New Security Architecture for Eastern Europe." Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelEOHanlon You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden was bedeviled by Iraq but his critics overlook his contributions A mixed rescue mutt named Archie wanders into the award-winning Mission cocktail bar Trick Dog on a orange-skied Wednesday afternoon. On command it sits, then proudly stands on its two hind legs. Like that little pup, the bar has sat quietly during the past six months of the pandemic, but its ready to show what else it can do. Fans of Trick Dog's rowdy atmosphere and creative cocktail program might be in for a bit of a surprise when the owners launch a brand new concept on Thursday, Sept. 17 called Quik Dog. I think that its important to note that were not reopening Trick Dog, says owner Josh Harris. My goal is to treat this as a new business and incubate it as such. When I envision what were testing Quik Dog for, it is not necessarily a place that has cocktails. We just feel like there are too many variables that could make that drink not as good as wed hoped. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Although regulars will recognize the DNA of some of the new takeout-only items, like the Quik Dog burger served on a hot dog bun, chicken nuggets and the famous kale salad, the slim alcohol menu may come as a shock to not just San Franciscans, but cocktail enthusiasts all over the world. Since opening in 2013, the bar has racked up a trophy case worth of awards including Worlds Best Cocktail Menu (Tales of the Cocktail), a regular place on the list of Worlds 50 Best Bars (William Reed Media) and a handful of James Beard nominations. The bar served food, but the main draw was the meticulously constructed drinks and a revelrous environment. While many other cocktail bars have started offering to-go cocktails and distanced parklet dining, theres no way to do that and capture the vibe thats made Trick Dog so special. Everything weve done from a design point of view was to facilitate spontaneous convivial moments between people. This place relies at its core on social energy, if you walk into Trick Dog and its not rocking, its not Trick Dog, says Harris. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE RELATED: I ordered to-go cocktails from a San Francisco restaurant. Here's how it went. That decision to preserve the bars identity has come at a price. All 50 employees of Trick Dog, as well as their Valencia St. sister bar Bon Voyage, were laid off. To offer some support, Trick Dog's owners launched a promotion called the BV Bottle Club where they sold subscriptions of private single barrel liquors for $1,000, with 50% of the income going to the staff GoFundMe page (that amounted to $30k). Theyre now down to a new staff of five, including chef Timmy Malloy, who most recently worked at Great Gold and Radhaus. Everyone will work full-time in order to make going off unemployment worthwhile, maximize their income and minimize health risks. Although they arent starting from scratch with the new menu, its been an interesting challenge adapting their previous recipes for takeout. They've had to pick the perfect container, wrap the burgers in the right kind of paper (but not too tightly), and even place rubber mats on the bartop so the surface doesnt cool bags down as they wait to be picked up. During our interview a week before opening, they were still testing how best to make their food travel, with Post-It notes on bags of burgers showing the times that they were cooked. At the 30 minute mark, Harris and Malloy open the bags and pick up the burgers, testing different varieties of buns to see how their consistencies change over time. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE A new item that both Harris and Malloy are excited about is the QD Mission Dog, which pays homage to perhaps the neighborhoods second most popular late night snack. Were in the Mission, so I was inspired by the little ladies that are frying stuff up at 1 a.m., says Malloy. The hot dog wrapped in bacon. Deconstructing it a little bit, integrating all of those flavors into a nice sexy to-go dog. Its reminiscent of that greasy late-night food, but refined. While fans of Trick Dog should expect that same level of meticulousness they brought to creative cocktails, the tone will be a little bit different. Since this is a burger and hot dog takeout joint after all, Harris wanted to pay homage to neighborhood drive-in spots like Whiz Burger and Beeps which are just as exciting for kids as adults. That means a playful dog mascot, plenty of colorful merch and offering some of the special regional sodas from Trick Dog's menu (a point of pride for Harris, since he doesnt drink alcohol). RELATED: SF after dark: what will the citys nightlife look like when its turned back on? Theyll still be selling some batched cocktails like the Negroni Bianco (gin, bitter Bianco, Blanc vermouth) and Cruel Summer (reposado tequila, amaro, sweet vermouth), as well as two-ingredient highballs (mezcal and grapefruit soda, rye and bubble up) but the emphasis is on drinks that dont need any extra prep and stay good in a fridge for a few days (each bottle serves 6). Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE While Quik Dog is considering the idea of expanding to a parklet once theyve settled into to-go service, Harris stresses that its unlikely the interior space will be reopening anytime soon, even if the city allows bars to operate at a lower capacity. Just because somebody says you can do something, doesnt mean its the right thing to do, says Harris. Its our goal that Trick Dog would come back and be here. But I dont intend to bring Trick Dog back until Trick Dog can be what it was. Dan Gentile is the culture editor at SFGATE. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com | Twitter: @Dannosphere Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday came under a stinging attack from the Congress over her "Mumbai-PoK" remarks and leaving the city for her home state without giving information about drugs to government agencies. IMAGE: Kangana Ranaut on her arrival at Mohali International Airport. Photograph: PTI Photo Mumbai is "pride" of Maharashtra and India and to demean thecity by likening it to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is "blasphemy", said All-India Congress Committee secretary Ashish Dua without naming Ranaut, who is already facing fire from the party's ally, the Shiv Sena. Taking to Twitter a day after Ranaut met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan over partial razing of her office by the Mumbai civic body last week, Dua also said the governor's office is "not for politics". "#Mumbai is pride of #Maharashtra & entire India. This is a city which has realised dreams of millions without prejudice or discrimination. To demean it by comparing with PoK is blasphemy. Guv office is not for politics," Dua tweeted. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party should refrain from "dividing citizens on the basis of region". Ranaut had said she met Koshyari to apprise him about "injustice" done to her. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant hit out at the actress for leaving Mumbai for her home state Himachal Pradesh without giving information about drugs to government agencies. "@KanganaTeam has returned to HP. Really surprised! What abt her knowledge of drug mafia and bollywood connection? Wasn't it her duty to give information she has to NCB? "Isn't it a crime to withhold information about a crime under IPC 202 & 176 also in ndps act? Or was it a hoax?" Sawant asked on Twitter. The Congress is one of the constituents of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government -- the other being the Nationalist Congress Party. Earlier in the day, the star, before leaving for Himachal Pradesh, reiterated her PoK barb, which had riled the Sena and other members of the MVA. Ranaut has tweeted that she has been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and that her analogy comparing the Maharashtra capital with PoK was "bang on". The Sena and Ranaut have been at loggerheads ever since the actress compared Mumbai to PoK after Sena MP Sanjay Raut asked her not to return to Mumbai. Raut had targeted Ranaut after the latter expressed her distrust in the Mumbai Police in view of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. A man who overcame the Spanish Flu a century ago as a nine-months-old baby has now beaten a COVID-19 infection. Raimundo Leonardo de Oliveira was discharged from Cesar Leite Hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil, on August 31. The 102-year-old was hospitalized in the intensive care unit on August 17 but his family told Brazilian news outlet G1 that he was never intubated or put on a ventilator, and is now heading home. Raimundo Leonardo de Oliveira (right) was hospitalized last month due to coronavirus. His wife Nivercina Maria de Oliveira (left) to whom he has been married for 75 years, also caught the ravaging virus Raimundo Leonardo de Oliveira (pictured sitting on the wheelchair) was hospitalized for two weeks in Minas Gerais, Brazil, after he was infected with the coronavirus. The 102-year-old was only nine-months-old when he became infected with the Spanish flu The retired farmer's wife, Nivercina Maria de Oliveira, 92, was also infected with the virus and required hospitalization. Her husband fell ill when she returned to their home. The couple's granddaughter, Tatiana Cristina de Amorim, said the family thought they would never get to see them again after they contracted the coronavirus, which has caused 4,330,455 infections and 131,625 deaths in Brazil. Photos shared by the family showed a team of physicians surrounding Raimundo and hoisting signs acknowledging his recovery after he was released from the medical facility. 'The first thing he said when he was discharged was that he missed me,' de Amorim said. 'He also said that he wanted to eat cheese and drink grape juice. 'He was very homesick. Our family was in a tight spot, we were apprehensive, but thank God everything went well,' she added. Her grandparents are now staying at a second home they have in the state of Espirito Santo. The de Oliveiras have been married for 75 years and had 14 children, including nine who are still alive. They also have 22 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. The Spanish flu pandemic is known to have infected at least 500 million people and killed close to 50 million around the globe in 1918 and 1919. The first encyclopedia dedicated to the geopolitics of the Black Sea - "The Geopolitical Black Sea Encyclopaedia" - made by a team from the Institute of Political Science and International Relations of the Romanian Academy "Ion I.C. Bratianu", coordinated by Professor Dan Dungaciu, has been published by the British publishing house Cambridge Scholars Publishing. "This encyclopedia is written for Western audiences, for whom the Black Sea is not a familiar subject, neither in history nor in the present. Hence the strategy we have adopted: we have tried to bring to the reader the main points to help them understand the developments at the Black Sea without making this approach very difficult. We did not exaggerate with the bibliography, reducing it to a minimum. The space allocated to this volume also forced us to a selection of entries in the encyclopedia that was not easy at all to realize," Professors Dan Dungaciu told AGERPRES on Monday.He explained that "the starting point was obviously a local one, namely the perspective of Gheorghe Bratianu from 1942, the famous course taught at the University of Bucharest, never republished, which is of a provocative topicality"."The main thesis of his visions was that the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the next inaugurated a stage that extended into the twentieth century, namely "a struggle for the Black Sea between Russia and Europe." We are still there even today," Dungaciu said.The geopolitical encyclopedia of the Black Sea researches the region from various perspectives (political, historiographical, sociological, economic, military, culturological, geographical etc.) and emphasizes the geopolitical developments in this complicated area.The volume brings together the analyzes of 19 authors (researchers from the Institute of Political Science and International Relations "Ion I.C. Bratianu" of the Romanian Academy and collaborating experts) on the edifying role that the Black Sea has assumed in the context of European geopolitics and of the climate generating Eastern, Balkan and Euro-Asian partnerships.According to Dan Dungaciu, thanks to the generous summary (154 encyclopedia entries), the paper provides fundamental information and multilateral perspectives in the field of geopolitical interest, regarding the management of political, diplomatic, military, economic efforts of the states in the Black Sea contact and impact area (Russia, the European Union, NATO, the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey) in mitigating the effects of conflicts, specific to the "disruptive foyer" of Eurasia.In 2019, the team from the Institute of Political Science and International Relations "Ion I. C. Bratianu" of the Romanian Academy published, at the same British publishing house, an extensive work dedicated to the Centenary of the Great Union of Romanians - "100 Years since the Great Union of Romania." 54 Shot, 12 Fatally, Over Weekend in Chicago: Police Authorities in Chicago said that 12 people were killed and 42 people injured in shootings over the weekend, in the latest outburst of citywide violence. Officials told the Chicago Sun-Times that the murder victims were between the ages of 27 and 86, while the youngest person wounded was 17. In one instance on Sept. 13, a 35-year-old man died and three others were wounded after a shooting in Englewood, officials told WGN-TV. I live on the second floor, his mother lives on the first floor, a neighbor, Rochelle Henley, told the station. I ran out, ran across the street, and I saw him on the porch over there laying on his stomach not moving; blood was coming from everywhere. Henley said her nephew Jerome Hawkins was killed. He wasnt involved in any criminal activity, she added. He was crossing the street to get a pop from his uncle and he got caught in the crossfire, Henley said. Overall, seven people were shot and killed on Sept. 12, and four were gunned down on Sept. 13, officials said. One person was shot and killed early Sept. 14. Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man was fatally stabbed on Sept. 13 during a domestic argument. A woman was arrested at the scene of the incident, police said. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said that community policing is needed to reduce crime in the city. If Chicago is going to be a safer city, reducing violent crime to historical lows, it will be because of community policing, Brown said, without elaborating, according to ABC7. The Virginia Department of Health has hired a new director for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts. Dr. Cynthia Morrow will step into the new role full time in January. Until then, she is splitting her days between the health districts and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she is co-leading an effort to expand health systems sciences. The health districts have been without a director throughout the pandemic. Early this year, the Virginia Department of Health said that Dr. Stephanie Harper was on leave and then later that she was no longer with the department. No explanation was offered. The department added interim director responsibilities to Dr. Laura Kornegay, who is the director of the Central Shenandoah Health District. Kornegay brought Dr. Molly ODell out of retirement to lead the local districts pandemic response. ODell served as director of the districts before Harper and then as director of the New River Health District. Dr. Thomas Kerkering, who retired as Carilion Clinics chief of infectious diseases and is a professor at VTC, also joined in the pandemic response. Morrow said that effort isnt changing. Morrow and her husband, Dr. John Epling, moved to Roanoke three years ago once their youngest of three children graduated from high school. Epling is a native of the area and is in family practice with Carilion Clinic. Morrow has been at the medical school and last year taught at Hollins University and helped launch its public health program. She served as commissioner of health for Onondaga County, New York, from 2005 to 2014 and held the Lerner Chair for Health Promotion at Syracuse University. I come from a family of public health practitioners. My father worked for the World Health Organization with USAID and my mother was a nurse practitioner for the International Council of Nurses, she said. I had the extraordinary privilege of growing up in Africa and Europe. I think that has shaped who I am and why I am invested in communities. Morrow received a medical degree and masters in public health from Tufts University School of Medicine. Her residency in internal medicine was at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is a consulting editor for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and has edited five books on public health. Morrow said in her youth she questioned whether public health was her calling and spent a summer traveling and living in a small village in West Africa. It was such a formative experience because of the premature mortality there. To see such young people die of completely preventable illness, it just cemented the trajectory, she said. Morrow said she plans to go on a listening tour of the communities in the districts that include Roanoke, Salem, Covington and the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke. In the ideal world, local health departments are the key strategists in their communities so they act as bridges between the health care systems, she said. She said she plans to work with the different health systems, the medical school, the research institute and human services agencies to look at the differences in health outcomes that are affected by race, income, education, neighborhood and transportation. Its really incumbent upon health departments to look at disparities, and look to raise the level of health for all of their community members. Thats one issue that is not unique to the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts. Its true of every community, she said. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. C. K. Tong, CEO of BW Industrial Development JSC With travel restrictions and social distancing measures around the world, we are already seeing widespread impacts on the global supply chain. What do you foresee for Vietnams supply chain post-pandemic? There are two key impacts, both from consumers and manufacturers. First and foremost, the entire supply chain has been impacted by the lockdown in China when the pandemic forced a lot of factories to close. As a result, products that China produces for the market were disrupted, along with supply chains from manufacturing to consumption as goods and spare parts could not be delivered. China one of the largest suppliers of parts and components today is now strongly impacted by the pandemic and so are its factories. Even companies like Samsung, which is the biggest mobile phone supplier in the world, depend heavily on products made in China and their component supply chains have also been disrupted. Heavily impressed by these impacts, both manufacturers and consumers are looking for alternatives to reduce dependence on the Chinese market and to stabilise their business and supply chains. As a result, they must think of migrating their supply chain out of China to a more comfortable location and of course the best way for them is somewhere close to their current factories. Vietnam, in this case, is one of the best options. Overseas manufacturers continue to see Vietnam as a good place to divest risks Supply chains are extremely important for every country to develop their economy and attract more foreign investment. In the race with Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, how can Vietnam best utilise its advantages to attract foreign capital and develop supply chains? Typically, manufacturers consider a plethora of factors when deciding the location of a manufacturing base. Among those are cost, the skill of the work force, productivity, and the scale of the market. In Asia, there are only a few countries which have a population as big as Vietnam, the Philippines, or Indonesia. Looking at market potential, these locations will continue to attract investment in the coming time. Geographically, Vietnam is right next to China. Therefore, many manufacturers had already looked at Vietnam even before COVID-19 because they realised that they need to spread their risks to other destinations. In addition to that, Vietnam has a similar culture to Japan and South Korea. These three countries essentially have strong influences from Chinese culture, which is translated into the enterprises spirit where ethics is highly appreciated and it is proven in better skills, more talent, and very good work ethic for extremely high productivity. Last but not least, Vietnam has one great advantage over the others its efforts to fight against and contain the pandemic. As a result of its successful policies, many factories and manufacturing sites could stay open and the impact of the disease has been minimal. This speaks volumes to international manufacturers who will see Vietnam as a good place to divest their risks. As a result, there is tremendous interest and enquiries targeting Vietnam as an alternative. Adding its status as a low-cost country, Vietnam is considered more competitive than others and I believe that it will be in the spotlight for many years more and will likely attract a great portion of the investment migrating out of China. How is BWs development strategy in Vietnam and what are your expectations for the Vietnamese industrial property market in 2021 and beyond? If the pandemic is brought under control and people are able to travel, I think 2021 will see demand from overseas doubling or even tripling. We at BW are ready to build more factories and warehouses to keep up with this demand. Everything can be better if the pandemic is controlled, not just in Vietnam but also around the globe and in key markets like the United States and Europe. Last year was a very positive one for Vietnam due to the US-China tensions driving a range of companies to the country. I think that combined impact will be achieved since the tensions will continue after the pandemic. In addition, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement was also officially put into force in August and global supply chains are also being redesigned. All of these factors are going to fuel tremendous demand for industrial property in Vietnam. As the NSW Nationals prepare for a gruelling parliamentary sitting week, their leader, Deputy Premier John Barilaro, has issued a blunt ultimatum to his Liberal colleagues: Put up or shut up. The message is unlikely to deter senior Liberal ministers, who have warned they will not give the Nationals any concessions in cabinet over a divisive koala planning policy if Mr Barilaro remains their leader. In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by The Herald's state political editor Alexandra Smith to discuss the state of the NSW Coalition government. 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. MINSK -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with his embattled Belarusian counterpart Alyaksandr Lukashenka to a $1.5-billion loan for Minsk, in what the Belarusian opposition leader described as Russia paying for our beatings. Putin, in comments broadcast on television from the talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on September 14, said the Belarusian people should resolve the countrys political crisis without foreign interference even as Moscow deepens support to prop up Lukashenka. The meeting was the first between the two leaders since a wave of daily demonstrations demanding Lukashenka's resignation erupted following his disputed reelection in an August 9 poll. In the latest mass protests, tens of thousands of people poured onto the streets of Minsk and other cities on September 13, chanting "You're A Rat" and demanding Lukashenka step down after 26 years in power. The Belarusian opposition, led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, accuses Lukashenka of rigging the election, which handed him a sixth term with 80 percent of the vote. Since then, thousands of people have been detained and beaten by police while nearly all the opposition's key leaders have been forced to leave the country or been arrested in a widening crackdown condemned by the United States and European Union. Tsikhanouskaya has warned that any agreements between Lukashenka and Russia will be null and void because the longtime ruler lacks legitimacy and no longer represents the people. In response to Russias financial lifeline, Tsikhanouskaya warned Putin and appealed to Russian citizens not to allow their tax money to be wasted on repressing their neighbors. "I hope Putin understands that it is Lukashenka, and not our people, who is to repay this loan," the exiled presidential candidate wrote on her Telegram channel. "My commentary is an appeal to Russian citizens: 'Dear Russians! Your taxes will pay for our beatings. We are certain that it's not what you'd want.' This may prolong Lukashenka's agony but not prevent the people's victory," Tsikhanouskaya said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after four hours of talks that the loan will partly be used to refinance earlier loans. Putin has for years pressed for deepening a union agreement and envisages closer economic and political integration between the two ex-Soviet republics despite finding an often difficult and resistant partner in the Belarusian leader. Analysts say that the political crisis in Belarus presents Russia a possible opportunity to extract demands from an embattled Lukashenka that were previously off the table. But providing support to Lukashenka also risks triggering a backlash from a Belarusian public and opposition that is not openly hostile to Russia. Despite an ostensibly rocky personal relationship with Lukashenka, Putin does not want to see a close ally toppled in street protests that could have a knock-on effect at home. Feeding that perception, Lukashenka has claimed NATO members are plotting a "color revolution" to topple him and planning to use Belarus as a geopolitical launching pad to undermine Russia. In addition to the loan, which Putin said Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had agreed to during a recent visit to Minsk, the Russian leader signaled military support for Lukashenka, saying defense cooperation would continue between the two countries. Hours before the meeting, Russian paratroopers began joint exercises with Belarusian forces. Last month, Putin 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. In their talks, Putin also backed the plans for constitutional reform that Lukashenka had previously announced, and which the opposition has dismissed as a stunt to cling to power after an election it says was rigged. Putin said it was up to Belarusians to resolve the crisis themselves. Lukashenka said that Belarus should maintain close ties with "elder brother" Russia, in particular economic cooperation. "Economy is the basis for everything and we have always been sticking to this point of view, believe me. And these developments have demonstrated that we should stay closer to our elder brother and cooperate on all issues, including economic ones," he said at the talks in Sochi. The Kremlin said the two sides also talked about trade cooperation and energy supplies for Belarus during nearly four hours of talks. Russian energy subsidies have long propped up the Belarusian economy although the two sides have often clashed over pricing. Since the political crisis erupted, Putin and Lukashenka have discussed the situation several times by phone. Last month the Russian president called on both the Belarusian authorities and the opposition to find a political solution to the crisis. But Putin also said Russia is not indifferent to what is going on there, noting the close ethnic and linguistic ties and economic cooperation between the two states. With reporting by Reuters and TASS A potential response of river fish to environmental changes is to colonize new habitats. But what happens when dams and weirs restrict their movement? And are native and alien species similarly affected? Researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Spanish University of Girona (UdG) have addressed these questions in a recent study. River ecosystems are frequently fragmented by dams and weirs. As a result, native fish are often restricted in their movement along the river course and are unable to colonize new habitats. Thus, barriers impede native species from adjusting their distributions in response to the effects of climate change such as changes in water temperature and quality. On the other hand, river fragmentation might also limit the further spread of invasive alien species. Using the Ebro River in Spain as an example, the research team has investigated how habitats of native and alien fish species change under different climate scenarios and how dams mediate habitat accessibility. "The Ebro River is particularly vulnerable and threatened by climate change and species invasions. In addition, the Ebro River is fragmented by over 300 dams and many smaller barriers, which makes it even worse for the native fish species", said Emili Garcia-Berthou, Professor at the University of Girona and co-author of the study. By applying a spatial modelling framework, the authors showed that losses of native species and gains of alien species and consequentially most pronounced biodiversity changes are particularly expected in the lower and mid reaches of larger Ebro River tributaries. According to their results, the majority of species are projected to shift their range in upstream direction with alien species such as eastern mosquitofish, wels catfish and common carp showing especially large habitat gains. "The Ebro River system is home to several endemic species that exclusively occur on the Iberian Peninsula. These species are particularly imperilled by barriers that limit movements in response to climate change. Whether dams can effectively prevent the spread of alien species is questionable. In fact, the establishment of alien fishes is often facilitated by the changed flow and habitat conditions that result from damming rivers", said IGB researcher Johannes Radinger, lead author of the study. The results clearly show that fish communities in highly fragmented rivers affected by climate change will be particularly affected by biodiversity changes and species loss in the future. "Effective conservation of fishes should focus on the restoration of habitats and the natural flow regime, improvements of connectivity for native species and the control of alien species, particularly the prevention of further introductions", concluded the authors. ### New Delhi: The Centre told Parliament on Monday that no data is available on the number of migrant workers who lost their lives during the 68-day lockdown enforced on March 25 to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, but assured the House that it has acted to mitigate their hardship. At least 10 million migrant workers left the cities and returned home to the countryside in states such as West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of the lockdown. On Monday, the labour ministrys response was sought in the Lok Sabha to a question whether the government was aware that a number of migrants lost their lives during their return home; the questioner sought state-wide details of the deaths and wanted to know whether the Government has provided any compensation/economic assistance to the victims family. The labour ministry that no such data has been maintained; it added that the question of compensation did not arise in the absence of recorded data. It also said no data was available on job losses among migrant workers since the pandemics outbreak. In order to mitigate the financial crisis of the migrant workers and protect them against the economic disruptions due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and country-wide lockdown, the Central Government has taken numerous measures to provide them financial assistance, food packages, ration and other benefits, the labour ministry added. On May 30, Hindustan Times reported that almost 80 deaths took place on board Shramik Special trains (meant for stranded migrant workers and their families) between May 9 and May 27, citing data from the Railway Protection Force. The labour ministry also said more than 10.4 million migrants had returned to their home states; the highest number of returnees headed home to Uttar Pradesh (3.24 million) followed by Bihar (1.5 million) and Rajasthan (1.3 million). It added that Indian Railways operated 4,611 Shramik Special trains and they ferried 6.3 million migrants to destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states. The railway ministry said last month that many migrants have begun returning to the places where they worked, adding that this indicates economic activity is picking up after India began easing lockdown restrictions. The unplanned lockdown created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. The BJP {Bharatiya Janata Party} government has shunned its basic responsibility of not even knowing who bore the maximum brunt of the lockdown. Their response indicates their continued callousness towards the poor. What is worse is that there is still no announcement of any cash support or universalisation of rations, said Rajendran Narayanan, an assistant professor at Azim Premji University. The labour ministry said states and Union territories were told to take adequate steps to streamline the migration of workers to mitigate their hardship. The States/UTs have been advised to implement the advisory guidelines by quickly gearing up their labour law enforcement machinery and ensuring statutory compliance by all the stakeholders which could provide migrant workers much needed help to mitigate the financial crisis and empower them to deal with the pandemic. The States/UTs have also been advised to maintain updated data of the migrant workers to facilitate the administration to extend benefits of the welfare schemes of the Government to the migrant workers. Rescuers are digging through rubble after a gold mine collapsed in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, leaving about 50 people feared dead. The mine near Kamituga town, in the east of the country, caved in on Friday amid torrential rain. Local officials say most of those feared dead are young people, and have called for two days of mourning. Accidents are common in DR Congos mining industry, which has poor safety standards. Video footage showed hundreds of people attempting to clear the rubble blocking the entrance of the mine, with some rescuers using shovels, or their hands, to move debris. The local governor of South Kivu province, Theo Kasi, said he was saddened by the tragic deaths of 50 people, most of them young. However, the mayor of Kamituga, Alexandre Bundya, said, we are not yet sure of the exact number of those killed, AFP news reports. An eyewitness told AFP that heavy rains meant that water went into the three tunnels. When people tried to get out, there was no way as the water was flowing strongly. Mr Kasis office added that he would implement measures to prevent such incidents from repeating. DR Congo has rich reserves of minerals like cobalt, diamonds, copper and gold, but its people remain among the poorest in the world following years of conflict and mismanagement. Source: The Ghanaian Times/AFP Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A container truck at the Moc Bai international border gate (Photo: VNA) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will chair the inauguration ceremony of the border gate, Cambodias news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) on September 12 quoted Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol as saying. Construction of infrastructure at the new border gate, which connects with Binh Hiep commune in the Mekong Delta province of Long An of Vietnam, has completed, while competent authorities are arranging the inaugural ceremony, Sun Chanthol said. Currently, the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport is studying the possible upgrade of a 25-kilometre-long road toward the Prey Vor border gate to facilitate transport activities right after the gate become operational. On September 7, the ministry chaired a meeting to discuss the opening of another border gate with Vietnam to ease serious congestion at the Bavet-Moc Bai international border gate. According to Secretary of State at this ministry Nou Savath, the Bavet-Moc Bai border gate used to have between 250-300 container trucks crossing a day, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, only 70 go through a day. He said the minister will also ask the government to prepare the terminal for containers to ease traffic jam, adding: We also want to prepare different lines for different goods containers and empty containers and we also have to prepare a line for passengers and small goods as well. Statistics from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia showed that Cambodias exports to Vietnam surged 7.5 percent to 592 million USD during January-July, while imports fell some 3.7 percent to over 2.39 billion USD./. Iran says the sanctions brought back by the Trump administration breach the 1955 "Treaty of Amity" The United States on Monday urged the UN's top court to throw out a bid by Iran to lift sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying Tehran remained a "grave threat" to global security. Iran brought the claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2018, alleging that Trump's decision to pull out of a nuclear pact with Tehran breached a 1955 treaty of friendship between the two countries. But US lawyers argued Monday that the Hague-based tribunal does not have jurisdiction in the case, accusing Iran of abusing the decades-old "Treaty of Amity" to try to get sanctions relief for its struggling economy. "Iran's efforts to shoehorn this dispute into a legal instrument not intended for the purpose are entirely without merit," Marik String, Acting Legal Adviser of the US State Department, told the court via videolink. "We respectfully request dismissal of Iran's case." The US official said the sanctions were necessary because of Iran's "destabilising nuclear programme", its ballistic missile activity, Tehran's alleged support for "terrorism and regional destabilisation." "The measures that Iran challenges remain critical to US efforts to address national security threats posed by Iran," String said, adding that Washington had "long considered Iran's conduct to present a grave threat." Iran will have the chance to answer on Wednesday, with hearings lasting until next Monday. The current hearings deal only with whether the ICJ has jurisdiction. The tribunal will only move on to the merits of the case if and when it decides it is allowed to deal with it. A decision on jurisdiction by the ICJ, which was set up after World War II to rule in disputes between nations, could take several months, while a final ruling would take years. - Deal hanging by thread - Tehran won an early victory in October 2018 when the ICJ ordered sanctions on humanitarian goods to be eased as an emergency measure while the overall lawsuit is dealt with. Story continues The US responded by formally ending the Treaty of Amity, agreed when Iran was ruled by the Western-oriented shah. The ICJ is also dealing with a separate case over Tehran's bid to unfreeze $2 billion in assets frozen in the United States. The 2015 nuclear deal -- -- involving the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany -- has hung by a thread since the Trump pulled out The accord promises Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear programme, but Tehran has stepped up nuclear activities since last year after the US reimposed sanctions. Washington has reimposed sanctions on Iran and companies with ties to it, notably hitting Iran's vital oil sector and central bank, while major global firms halted their activities in Iran. In the latest development, the head of UN's nuclear watchdog said Monday that inspectors would "in a few days" visit the second of two sites in Iran where undeclared nuclear activity may have taken place in the early 2000s. Iran's refusal to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the two sites had caused a diplomatic row for months. dk/wai BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ Burlington County is one of seven counties in the state that have seen a rise in some key metrics in the coronavirus crisis, according to a new report issued on Monday. Burlington Countys coronavirus activity level rose from "low" to "moderate" over the past week, according to the New Jersey Department of Healths "COVID-19 Activity Level Report." The risk was "moderate" with a week left in August before dropping to "low" for the week of Aug. 29. It was back to "moderate" for the week ending Sept. 5, according to the report. The report divides New Jersey into six regions, with Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties make up the Southwest Region. The region has the highest percentage of positive cases in the state: 3.27, about 50 percent higher than the statewide rate. The positivity rate also rose 21 percent in this region. New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. In addition to these four counties, there was also a rise in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Read more here: 7 NJ Counties Backslide In Coronavirus Crisis: Heres Where As of Sunday when the most recent case count for Burlington County was released, there were 7,085 cases with 467 confirmed deaths and 49 probable deaths. On Sunday, there were 26 new cases and two new deaths reported. Burlington County is actively engaged in contact tracing positive coronavirus cases. The focus is on close contacts, defined as closer than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes, household contacts and those that work in high risk settings such as healthcare workers and long term care facilities. If community exposure has occurred, where a coronavirus positive person was in close contact with people for an extended period of time, while symptomatic, county officials will notify the public. Since residents are abiding by the social distancing requirements, officials said they have not run into that issue since early in the pandemic. Story continues Reminder: Mass exposure, due to social distancing guidelines, and the cooperation of the public has been minimized. Residents are reminded to remain 6 feet apart while obtaining essential items or services, and stay home unless absolutely necessary. With reporting by Tom Davis See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know This article originally appeared on the Cinnaminson Patch What would it take at this point, amid the crush of books about the Trump White House after the Mueller report and an impeachment trial and now the coronavirus pandemic for a revelation about the president to be truly surprising? Would it be to learn that he hates money and harbours dreams of retiring to an ascetic, monk-like existence? That he loves to read and is intimately familiar with the works of Elena Ferrante? Readers who pick up Bob Woodwards new book, Rage, and are tantalised by the promise on its dust jacket of an utterly vivid window into ... Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. 1. Turmeric supplement more effective than placebo for osteoarthritis knee pain Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-0990 URL goes live when the embargo lifts An extract of Curcuma longa (CL), commonly known as turmeric, was found to be more effective than placebo for reducing knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, CL did not affect structural aspects of knee osteoarthritis, such as swelling or cartilage composition assessed using MRI. Findings from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Despite its large disease burden, no approved disease-modifying drugs currently are available to treat osteoarthritis. Common treatments, such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have only mild to moderate effects and are associated with adverse events. As such, an urgent need exists for safer and more effective drugs to treat osteoarthritis. Researchers from the University of Tasmania, Australia randomly assigned 70 participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and ultrasound evidence of effusion (swelling inside the knee joint) to receive either 2 capsules per day of CL (n = 36) or matched placebo (n = 34) for 12 weeks to determine the efficacy CL for reducing knee symptoms and joint swelling. Changes in pain and knee effusion-synovitis volume were assessed by standardized questionnaire and MRI, respectively, over 12 weeks. The researchers also looked for changes in cartilage composition, pain medication usage, quality of life, physical performance measures, and adverse events. After 12 weeks, they found that patients taking the turmeric supplements reported less pain than those in the placebo group with no adverse events. Besides, participants in the turmeric group consumed fewer pain medications compared to the participants in the placebo group. There was no difference in the structural aspects of knee osteoarthritis between the groups. Due to the modest effect of the turmeric extracts on knee pain, small sample size of the study, short-duration of follow-up and the single research center, the researchers suggest that multicenter trials with larger sample sizes and long duration of follow-up are needed to assess the clinical significance of their findings. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To reach the principal investigator, Dr. Benny Antony, please contact Angela Wilson at angela.wilson@utas.edu.au. 2. Internists Call for Increased Competition in Prescription Drug Market to Help Mitigate Rising Costs Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M19-3773 URL goes live when the embargo lifts The American College of Physicians (ACP) released a new policy paper focused on increasing competition in the marketplace and addressing anticompetitive behaviors to combat the rising costs of prescription drugs. The new paper is the third installment of a series published in Annals of Internal Medicine. ACP specifically offered the following recommendations: * ACP supports legislative reforms to the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) that realign incentives offered through the law to support increased innovation in rare disease drug development. * ACP supports reducing the period of data and market exclusivity for biologic drugs from 12 years to 7 years. ACP also supports removing additional barriers to biosimilar market entry, such as modifications to the current patent system that would reduce excessive patenting on brand-name and biologic drugs. * ACP opposes anticompetitive pay-for-delay arrangements that curtail access to lower-cost alternative drugs. ACP believes applicable federal agencies should be empowered through guidance, congressional action, or additional resource support to address anticompetitive behaviors and gaming. * ACP supports elimination of tax deductions for direct-to-consumer product claim advertisements. The new paper follows the previously published papers that both made recommendations about the role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and how to address the issue of prescription drug costs within public health plans. Together the three papers expand on ACP's comprehensive policy on drug pricing that began with the 2016 paper, Stemming the Escalating Cost of Prescription Drugs. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with someone from ACP, please contact Taneishia Bundy at tbundy@acponline.org. 3. Improved glycemic control reduced symptoms in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and diabetes Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/L20-0916 URL goes live when the embargo lifts Symptoms and laboratory measures of polymyalgia rheumatica activity in 3 patients improved rapidly without glucocorticoid administration or an increase in glucocorticoid dosage after they achieved good glycemic control. According to the researchers, these findings were both unexpected and remarkable, and could not likely be a coincidence. A case report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Polymyalgia rheumatica, a chronic inflammatory condition affecting elderly persons, is characterized by severe pain and stiffness, occurring mostly in the shoulders, upper arms, and pelvis area. The condition is usually treated with glucocorticoid therapy, which takes years to work and is associated with adverse events such as diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis. Researchers from the Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan describe 3 cases where patients with bothersome symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica did not achieve pain or stiffness relief after months of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroid treatment. The patients also had type 2 diabetes and poorly controlled glucose levels. Before treating any of the patients with a glucocorticoid, the physicians adjusted the patients' diabetes regimens. To their surprise, the patients' symptoms of rheumatica improved rapidly and dramatically enough that no further treatment was needed. According to the authors, these findings suggest that a randomized controlled trial is warranted. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To reach the corresponding author, Ken Yoshida, MD, PhD, please email k.yoshida@jikei.ac.jp. ### Also in this issue: Humanism in the Premedical Realm: An Exercise in Graphic Medicine Michalec Annals Graphic Medicine Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/G19-0085 Atrial Fibrillation on the Run Caputo Annals Consult Guys Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/W19-0042 Assessing renal damage with urinary albumin or protein Centor Annals On Call Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/A19-0038 The real estate tech company is a solutions innovator focused on certainty and convenience in home selling that also gives sellers more choice and control over their real estate transactions. Offerpad is most well-known for buying homes in cash, after extending a competitive offer within just 24 hours of request. The company's purpose with homebuilders is to facilitate the sale of their buyer's existing home. 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Visit Offerpad.com for more information. Media Contact: David Stephan [email protected] SOURCE Offerpad CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Police departments across Northeast Ohio said one unexpected upside to children not returning to the classroom this fall is that drivers wont have to worry about school-zone speed limits. Scores of Northeast Ohio school districts are using the state health boards recommendation of starting school remotely for the first nine weeks of the academic year due to the coronavirus. During a typical school day, local police enforce 20 mph school-zone speed limits from 7 to 9 a.m., after school ends, between 2 to 4 p.m., and while students are in recess. During a normal school year when students are in all buildings, if someone speeds through a school zone, going more than 14 miles above the 20 mph speed limit, they face a minor misdemeanor violation, Lt. John Thorne, regional commander for the State Highway Patrol said. The violation can carry a maximum fine of not more than $150, he said. The court could not impose a fine higher than that, he said. But they would have their own administrative costs and court costs, Thorne said. These penalties apply to all counties in the state, including Cuyahoga, he said. But if someone is caught driving at least 35 mph in a school zone -- 15 mph over the typical 20 mph school-zone limit -- the offense can be bumped up to a fourth degree misdemeanor, Thorne said. It carries a fine of up to $250 and the offender could possibly get a jail term of up to 30 days. This, of course, is up to the judge that sees the case, he said. Many local police departments have decided not to enforce the school-zone speed limit this fall because children will be learning from home instead of inside of a school building. The police departments in Bay Village, Beachwood, Euclid, Fairview Park and Parma have all decided not to enforce this fall. The departments say the cities wont activate electronic signs that normally show the speed limit during school hours and the yellow lights that blink on and off in a school zone until administration, teachers, staff and students return to in-person classes. The school-zone speed limits will be enforced in other cities where schools are conducting classes in person, including Fairview Park and Rocky River. Our two parochial schools (St. Angela Merici and Messiah Luther Church and School) have in school learning, Fairview Park police Lt. Paul Shepard said. We are enforcing the school zones near those schools. When the public schools come back we will give them special attention. Rocky River City School District is starting with remote learning, but there are several other schools in Rocky River that are currently open with students attending classes daily, police said in an alert. Please remember to be aware of students commuting to school in cars and school buses, on bicycles, and on foot, police said. Prohibited right turn on red as marked, school zone speed limits, and prohibitions on passing school buses will be enforced on school days as long as there are students attending classes at any school in Rocky River. Each of the states 610 school districts have made individual decisions on how learning will look like for students this fall. As the school year continues, school districts will determine how the year will proceed assistance from The Ohio Department of Education which will serve as more of a a support role when it comes to these decisions. ODE has an extensive remote learning page that offers plenty of resources for educators and parents. Read more stories on cleveland.com: How to apply for Ohios vote-by-mail option, and why its secure: Election Truth Are you feeling more stressed as the coronavirus pandemic lingers on? Introducing Election Truth: A Plain Dealer and cleveland.com series about voting in Northeast Ohio and how the system is secure ReelAbilities Film Festival 2020 to take place virtually Henry Louis Gates Jr. to host 2020 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards show JACKSON, Mississippi Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is extending a statewide mask mandate through the end of September, saying Monday he believes it is helping slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The rule about wearing masks in public is part of an executive order the Republican governor issued Sunday. The order eased some limitations on businesses. Restaurants may serve more dine-in customers, with the governor now allowing 75% capacity, up from the previous 50%. Restaurants may also seat up to 10 people at one table, up from the previous limit of six. Tables must remain at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Retail stores and gyms may operate at 75% capacity, up from the previous limit of 50%. Gyms may remain open 24 hours a day. We have had a tremendous move towards progress in our state, Reeves said Monday. He said that Mississippi for the first time in many, many, many months, is seeing a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases below 3,000. That is because of the efforts of the people of this state, Reeves said. The state Health Department said Monday that Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, has had at least 90,018 reported cases and at least 2,706 deaths from COVID-19 as of Sunday evening. Thats an increase of 145 confirmed cases and nine deaths from numbers reported the day before; the nine deaths occurred between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4, and information from death certificates arrived later. Locally, there were no new deaths reported along the Mississippi coast. Jackson County reported 7 new cases and now totals 3,297, along with 66 deaths. Harrison County had six new cases and totals 3,625 and 69 deaths, while Hancock County reported two new cases for a total of 540, with 20 deaths. The true number of virus infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. The virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most but can be more severe or fatal for some, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions. The Mississippi Press' Warren Kulo contributed to this report. LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lashed out at the European Union on Monday as he won initial approval for a plan to breach the Brexit treaty, saying the move was needed because the bloc had refused to take a revolver off the table" in trade talks. Johnson won the so-called second reading parliamentary vote on the Internal Market Bill 340 to 263. A wrecking amendment was defeated shortly beforehand, though more will follow as he faces a growing rebellion in his party. The EU says Johnsons bill would collapse trade talks and propel the United Kingdom towards a messy Brexit while former British leaders have warned that breaking the law is a step too far that undermines the countrys image. Johnson, though, said it was essential to counter absurd" threats from Brussels including that London put up trade barriers between Britain and Northern Ireland and impose a food blockade - steps he said threatened the United Kingdoms unity. The EU still have not taken this revolver off the table," Johnson told parliament before the vote. What we cannot do now is tolerate a situation where our EU counterparts seriously believe that they have the power to break up our country." The EU has demanded Britain scrap the main parts of the bill by the end of September and that if not, there will be no trade deal at the end of the year to cover everything from car parts to food. To back up its message, the European Commission has delayed a crucial decision on allowing London to continue clearing euro transactions for EU-based clients, a derivatives source told Reuters. MORE DEBATE AHEAD Johnson made clear that he would press ahead with the bill which he cast as a defensive insurance policy aimed at preventing a foreign power from dividing the United Kingdom by using Northern Ireland as leverage. Many lawmakers, though, are disturbed by such an explicit bid to breach international law. All five of Britains living former prime ministers have expressed concern about his plan. I understand how some people will feel unease over the use of these powers and I share that sentiment myself," Johnson said. They are an insurance policy and if we reach agreement with our European friends, which I still believe is possible, they will never be invoked." But some EU diplomats believe London is playing a game of chicken, inviting the collapse of trade talks to either get the deal it wants or leave without a deal. Now the bill has passed its second reading, it will face four more days of debate on its fine print - a stage at which lawmakers can try to insert revisions that could change the entire meaning of the bill, or even kill it. The main battleground is likely to be an attempt by Bob Neill, a Conservative lawmaker, to amend the bill to ensure any attempt to use the clauses that breach the Brexit divorce agreement receive prior approval from parliament. (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; additional reporting by Huw Jones, Kate Holton, Estelle Shirbon, Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Jon Boyle, Alex Richardson and Cynthia Osterman) 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 Veterans and their families came together Saturday to touch up the Defund the Wall street mural and to voice their opposition to supporters of President Donald Trump who drove past the street as part of a Trump Train event. The event today was organized by veterans and their families to do a retouch of the mural around the September 11 memorial, and this got started in mid-August to refinish the mural as we worked with the city traffic department about the need to do maintenance and touch ups on it soon, Rio Grande International Study Center executive director Tricia Cortez said. Then, veterans in our coalition started to work with other veterans and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) members got together about this, and they choose the Sept. 11 weekend to give this day a retouch of the mural. Aside from doing a maintenance check on the street mural, the event was also held to protest the border wall in a time when many Trump supporters passed the location where the event featuring the No Border Wall Coalition and the Veterans United to Stop the Wall was being held. To showcase their opposition to Trump supporters, a 30-foot banner reading Stand with Vets, Stop the Wall, Defend Laredo was displayed. Local artist Gan Golan has family whose property could be seized by the federal government if the wall is built. He said he is also against the wall because he believes it will lead to the militarization of the border. Golan points out that the issue of the border wall is intimate for many veterans as they see how the government is trying to make an enemy of people that are not criminals. They swore to serve the country once, and now they are acting as protectors of their home, the city and the community in it and the river, Golan said. As one of the members said, we are protectors and not protestors. The border wall would change the identity of this city forever and be destructive to the city. Veteran Maxine Rebeles is a teacher by profession and helped organize the Veterans United to Stop the Wall organization which announced its formation in a press conference Thursday. I was originally from the No Border Wall Coalition, but we got tired of people using blankly the flag in support of the racist symbol of the wall. Veterans were being told that if we do not support the wall or some particular things then we cannot use the flag or that we are not American, which is why we created the group. Rebeles said. The group was created to show that some of us veterans do not want the wall and care about it as it is our water resource and it is our homes identity. According to Cortez, although the event was held on the same day that the Trump Train caravan passed through downtown and other parts of the city, the Trump Train was done in response to the Defund the Wall mural and not the other way around. They made their announcement right after we announced our mural, and their plan was to drive over the liberal mural which is not true as the No Border Wall Coalition is very diverse in our political stripes, Cortez said. We had already started our discussions with city traffic before they even made the announcement of their event about how we were going to maintain and repair the mural, which started before the Trump Train ever got planned which was started in response to our mural. We felt that it was a pretty aggressive that they wanted to roll over the mural and some peoples message and point of view. Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa voiced his support for the event in the face of the Trump Train. We stand with the citizens in Laredo and across this great state who stand up to the hate-filled and divisive policies of Donald Trump, Hinojosa said. This administration has failed the American people in every meaningful way. People of color are no safer under Trump. In fact, because of failed republican leadership at the federal and state level, the border region continues to see some of the worst rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths and higher-than-average unemployment and poverty. Trump and Abbott have led us into the worst health and financial crisis in recent history, and South Texans are paying dearly for the ineptitude of these two men. We must elect Joe Biden in November to build our country back better. Although the event disrupted the Trump Train to some extent as it cut off the original route planned through Victoria Street, there was not much criticism from supporters of the Trump Train. The criticism came rather at the idea of having the mural painted in the first place and the lack of representation that the city provides to those who want to paint a republican-led mural. I dont really want to get into it with the city, but the painting of the sign in the street is wrong in doing that, Webb County Republican Party chairman Bill Young said. However, since they began that, then we should have the right to paint signs on the street as well. However, they tell us that we cannot stop traffic, and they do allow them to do theirs. According to Young, if permitted by the city to paint a mural for themselves, they would go with a Border Patrol Saves Lives message in their street mural. He said he already tried to build such a street mural on Del Mar Boulevard. The city did not allow them to do so because of the impact it would have on traffic. Cortez said painting murals should be something that everyone who gets the permission and has the resources should be able to do. The city is preparing an ordinance for street murals as we led the charge on that, Cortez said. This is because we led everything in a very professional and dignified, beautiful way to get community support and had several hundred people from around the community really help us do the mural. We had professional artists and muralists work on this, and if they want to do that then by all means as long as they go through all the proper city paperwork and procedures that we have to. According to Cortez, they were also in talks with the local Support the Blue organizations in efforts to inform them about their cause. No future events protesting the border wall are set in stone yet, but several are being planned. Right now, we are regrouping to see what else we can do as we plan to repaint this because everything that happened, Rebeles said. So as of right now we are talking to different land owners to see what we can do as there are people handling out contracts to people who owe the land to uproot their lives for the border. Golan said he found it ironic that the Trump Train parade would run through the Azteca area of the city when it is one of the main ones that would be affected by construction of the border wall. The veterans started a petition against the border wall which as of Saturday evening had 1,849 signatures. The petition can be found by searching Support Veterans United To Stop The Border Wall at moveon.org. jorge.vela@lmtonline.com Mediation between Arab countries and Israel took place mainly in Vienna VIENNA, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the 1970s Bruno Kreisky had advocated as a chancellor politically the mediation between Israelis and Arabs. In the following years there were hardly any initiatives worth mentioning on the part of Austria to continue this dialogue. However, at the turn of the millennium, the Egyptian-born Austrian international film producer Ahmed Radwan shifted efforts from political to the cultural level. Consequently, Ahmed arranged a number of meetings between Arab and Israeli media people as well as peace activists at various film festivals. He also organized joint Austrian feature film projects utilizing workers from all over the Middle East, thus allowing Israeli and Arab artists to cooperate and establish working relationships. These efforts were later continued by high-ranking personalities from both Israel and the Arab countries in the sense of a 'Peace Movement' and were actively supported by the Austrian Federal Chancellery and the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Radwan's efforts impressed the Holocaust survivor and founder of the Israeli film industry Zvi Spielmann, as well as Branko Lustig the film producer of "Schindler's List" and also a Holocaust survivor. In this spirit, Branko Lustig developed film projects with Ahmed Radwan until his death last year, which are committed to the goal of peace and building intercultural dialogue. In memory of the Oscar winner Branko Lustig, the film project "Miriam & Maryam" will now be launched. The story is about an 18-year-old European woman of Israeli descent who discovers that she was switched at birth whilst in the United Arab Emirates, and who sets out in search of her biological parents. To mark the occasion of the signing of the contract between Israel and the United Arab Emirates on September 15, 2020, the film "Miriam & Maryam" is to be produced with international funds and Austrian participation. Supplements: Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ip56v29qktjg0k/AAAvb9p_KIgksL7mO9f_BrjTa?dl=0 About Ahmed Radwan (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-kicod6U_I Ahmed Radwan and Branko Lustig the film producer of "Schindler's List" and also a Holocaust survivor: http://sphinx-films.com/en/2019/04/meeting-with-branko-lustig/ Presentation, efforts for peace: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ubfhsnfhtgc5xhu/Efforts%20for%20peace%202020.pdf?dl=0 Videos speech in Jerusalem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKy6esxu2rc German speaking media abut filming of Middle East TV Series in Austria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFvMEXz41U&t=4s SPHINX PRODUCTIONS LLC www.sphinx.productions Contact information: SPHINX PRODUCTIONS LLC [email protected] USA +1 323 522 5936 Austria +43 676 6207471 www.sphinx.productions SOURCE AUSTRIAN ASSOCIATION D etectives have launched a murder investigation after a man was killed in a suspected hit-and-run in east London. Police were called to a car park in Dagenham, just before midnight on Sunday, to reports that a pedestrian had been hit by a car. Emergency services rushed to Whalebone Lane South where they found a 47-year-old man suffering serious injuries. He died at the scene a short time later, Metropolitan Police said. Enquiries to locate his next of kin are ongoing and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course. Police believe the man was hit by a car which then left the scene. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley said: We believe the victim was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry. We need to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious. There have been no arrests. Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 8443/13Sep. India is proposing to drop a condition that the winning bidder for Air India Ltd. will have to take on $3.3 billion of aircraft debt, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the government struggles to sell the loss-making carrier kept afloat by taxpayer-funded bailouts. Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration is being advised to drop the rule on concern it will deter buyers, the people said, asking not to be identified as the proposal isnt public. A group of bureaucrats has vetted the plan, and under the new proposition, potential buyers will be allowed to bid ... High yields in bacterial fermentation systems support ability of DARPin manufacturing to rapidly scale for global supply First and only, tri-specific antiviral demonstrating potential best-in-class potency in vivo First-in-human clinical trial initiation planned for November 2020 ZURICH-SCHLIEREN / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2020 / Molecular Partners AG (SIX:MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company that is developing a new class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, today announced the completion of initial Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing runs of its tri-specific, antiviral DARPin candidate for COVID-19, named MP0420. More than 1 kg of DARPin material was produced in each of the 100 liter E.coli-based bacterial fermenter runs. This fermentation approach is relatively simple, rapid and scalable compared to typical antibody manufacturing approaches, further differentiating the DARPin approach as a potential therapeutic and prophylactic option for COVID-19. "We believe the highly distinct manufacturing profile of DARPin candidates is a crucial element for successful therapeutic efforts underway. Given the number of teams pursuing therapeutic approaches to the novel coronavirus, and considering the need to make a drug available on a global basis, it is essential to demonstrate the ability to manufacture and deploy these medicines," said Patrick Amstutz, PhD, chief executive officer of Molecular Partners. "Beyond the unique tri-specific mechanism and sub-picomolar potency demonstrated in vitro, our first GMP batches now support a target product profile for a COVID-19 candidate with simple, scalable manufacturing that could rapidly meet global need. We will further evaluate optimal dosage in our Phase 1 study initiating this fall." Characteristics of DARPin Therapeutics make them ideally suited for antiviral therapies, particularly at time of global need. Offering logistical solutions that other potential therapeutics in development may not possess, including: Sub-picomolar potency, allowing investigation of subcutaneous administration as both early intervention and potential prophylaxis* Highly scalable microbial manufacturing, allowing for up to 4 production runs on the same fermenter, per month High temperature stability of DARPin drugs (>80C) which may allow for avoidance of cumbersome cold chain storage Bacterial fermenters can range upwards of 10,000L in size. A single such fermenter could enable the delivery of hundreds of thousands of doses of MP0420 on a monthly basis, if initial GMP yields and production speed are maintained. First in human studies for MP0420 are anticipated to begin in November, 2020. Additional manufacturing slots have been secured over the next 6 months, including production in 1000L fermenters. These slots will be used to produce additional doses for MP0420, as well as for our second antiviral candidate for COVID-19, MP0423, with clinical studies anticipated in H1 2021. About Molecular Partners' anti-COVID-19 program Molecular Partners has developed a series of tri-specific antiviral DARPin candidates with strong binding and neutralizing potency targeting multiple epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that are crucial for infection. The source of these constructs is a pool of hundreds of mono-DARPin binders which individually bind and inhibit the virus with high potency. The construction of multi-specific candidates from monospecific proteins is the foundation of Molecular Partners' drug discovery engine and has yielded multiple clinical candidates in other indications. These building blocks are designed to target different sites on the virus for multiple concurrent effects. These include blocking viral binding to the human ACE2 receptor (Receptor Binder Domain or RBD), the primary docking mechanism to host cells, as well as allosteric inhibition or "molecular handcuffing", of the spike protein, preventing the conformational change it undergoes prior to injection of viral RNA into the human cell. The formatting as tri-specific candidates is designed for cooperative binding, extremely high potencies and prevention of viral escape via mutations. The candidates are formatted with a half-life enhanced DARPin domain that binds to human serum albumin (HSA) to support long-acting activity. All DARPin candidates are constructed to benefit from high-yield and low-cost microbial manufacturing. Molecular Partners is investigating whether the high thermal stability of DARPin molecules can be used to overcome cold-chain requirements. The ability of DARPin products to be produced in E.coli-based biofermentation is a major advantage over antibodies, which often require substantial manufacturing process optimization and protein modification, significantly increasing cost and complexity. By contrast, DARPin molecules are much smaller molecules that do not require glycosylation or extensive post-translational modification by producer cells, making simple, highly scalable bacterial fermentation feasible. Molecular Partners is collaborating with AGC Biologics to support development of its anti-COVID-19 program, and has reached an agreement with the Swiss Government regarding rights to purchase up to 3.2 million doses of MP0420, if it is approved in Switzerland. About Molecular Partners AG Molecular Partners AG is a clinical-stage biotech company developing a new class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, designed to address challenges current modalities cannot. The company has compounds in various stages of clinical and preclinical development with a focus on oncology. Molecular Partners has formed partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies to advance DARPin therapeutics across multiple therapeutic areas. For more information regarding Molecular Partners AG, go to: www.molecularpartners.com For further details, please contact: Seth Lewis, SVP IR, Comms, & Strategy seth.lewis@molecularpartners.com Tel: +1 781 420 2361 Tom Donovan, U.S. Media tom@tenbridgecommunications.com Tel: +1 857 559 3397 Thomas Schneckenburger, IR & European Media thomas.schneckenburger@molecularpartners.com Tel: +41 79 407 9952 Forward-looking statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to the company and its business. Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, 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 involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. Except as required by law, the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. SOURCE: Molecular Partners AG View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/605908/Molecular-Partners-Completes-GMP-Manufacturing-of-Anti-COVID-19-DARPinR-Candidate-MP0420-for-Clinical-Use Three young students of Bachelor of Fisheries Science (BFSc) at the Mangalore Fisheries College saw some shrimp farmers in Andhra Pradesh owing Audis and BMWs during their internship. This made A.H. Kaushik, V.S. Karthik Gowda, and S.V. Sachin then resolve to turn into entrepreneurs. Passing out in 2019 and after a decent initial business success, the three 23-year-old fisheries graduates decided to travel in largely uncharted waters - seed production of Asian sea bass. "Shrimp farming is a mature industry in India. We decided on sea bass when the industry itself is in a nascent stage," Kaushik, Managing Partner, of their start-up Canares Aquaculture LLP, told IANS. On Sunday, the ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) announced the signing of an MoU with the start-up at Karnataka's Kumta for transfer of sea bass seed production technology. "This is the first attempt in the country in setting up a sea bass hatchery in private sector on a start-up mode," ICAR-CIBA Director K.K. Vijayan told IANS. "This assumes significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to boost fish production, sustainable growth of fisheries sector and doubling farmers' income," he added. He said the sea bass is a most sought-after fish, but producing young ones is difficult. "Unlike many others, the boys did not wait for any government subsidy and decided to jump in immediately. We gave them 45-day old sea bass larvae which they grew for some days and sold for a good profit," Vijayan said. According to him, the ICAR-CIBA charged Rs 5 lakh for transfer of technology and 10 per cent royalty on the net profit of the company. Kaushik said: "Soon after passing out, we started a small sea bass nursery - KKS Aquaculture at Kundapura near Mangaluru - and got about 35,000 sea bass larvae and sold about 27,000 after rearing them for some time." It was then the three youths got in touch with industrialist H.S. Gajanan who had earlier bought a defunct shrimp hatchery's land and building. "We had discussions with him. He and his wife became our angel investors. The shrimp hatchery building which he had bought earlier is now the sea bass hatchery," Kaushik said. With 80 tanks, he said their yearly capacity will be three million sea bass fries and two million fingerlings. Canares Aquaculture will get the sea bass eggs or fries and brooder from the ICAR-CIBA, rear it in its tanks for about two-and-half months and then sell it to the farmers, said Kaushik. "By that time, the weight of each small fish will be 10-12 grams and size will be 3-4 inches. A 10-gram fish will fetch Rs 40-45," Kaushik said. According to him, the ICAR-CIBA will also provide the necessary knowhow, and technology in sea bass breeding. Vijayan said there is good demand for its quality seeds among aqua-farmers across the country. Presence of a well-established value chain for sea bass is very evident from spawn to harvest size, where huge demand exists among the farmers for the range of hatchery and farm-produced seeds. In sea bass value chain, on tier wise rearing mode for fry, fingerlings, advanced fingerlings and sub-adults, a net profit of Rs 1-1.50, Rs 10-15, Rs 30-50 and Rs 140-190, can be made, respectively, Vijayan said. A grown-up sea bass above one kg size fetches a market price in the range of Rs 450-750, again with smart profits for the sea bass farmer. Emphasizing the need for boosting the production of quality seeds of Asian sea bass, Vijayan said that it is equally important to use indigenous technologies in both hatchery reared seeds and formulated feeds for development of scientific sea bass farming in the country. The application process for the posts of assistant chemist, driver, and junior assistant in excise department will close on 30 September Assam Police Recruitment 2020: Assam's State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB) has invited applications for recruitment to 36 posts. According to the official advertisement dated 8 September, the Assam Police recruitment drive 2020 is being conducted for vacancies in the Excise Department for posts of assistant chemist, driver and junior assistant. Candidates who are eligible to apply for the posts, can visit the official portal of SLPRB at slprbassam.in and register from the live link. The authorities began accepting applications for the Assam Police 2020 recruitment from 12 September and the submission process will end on 30 September, reported Careers 360. The date of the exam is going to be declared by the board at a later date. While there are four vacant posts as an Assistant Chemist, the board is going to recruit 12 Junior Assistants. For the post of Drivers, there are 20 vacancies. This is how you can apply for the Assam Police Recruitment drive 2020: Step 1: Visit the official site of the State Level Police Recruitment Board at www.slprbassam.in Step 2: Scroll down the homepage to find the advertisement with a title: Applications are invited from eligible candidates for filling up the following posts under the Excise Department, Assam. Step 3: Click on the tab for online registration that says, Click here to apply Step 4: Candidates will be taken to a new webpage Step 5: Fill in the required details like your name, contact details, and minimum qualification and click on Register Step 6: Candidates will be also asked to submit scanned documents, along with their passport size photographs and signature or thumb impressions Here is the direct link to apply for the Excise Department vacancies. According to a report by Jagran Josh, the selection will be done on the basis of two tests. After the first phase test (OMR based test of 100 marks), a second phase test will be conducted that will be a computer based test of 50 marks. For more details about the recruitment like required educational qualification, pay scale and physical fitness, candidates are advised to refer to the official advertisement by SLPRB. Marxism and the NDIS On 28th August, the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Stuart Robert, announced that the government will be implementing reforms to the NDIS for 2021. These reforms come after the failure of the NDIS rollout over the past few years. The NDIS exists to provide support and accessibility tools for people with a permanent and significant disability. The NDIS also states that there are currently 4.3 million disabled people in Australia. Yet it aims to only provide insurance to 500,000 Australians who have permanent and significant disability, while leaving out the other millions of disabled people from accessing the insurance scheme. As of late August 2020, over 400,000 people are supported by the NDIS. Tune Review The Tune Review was conducted by David Tune of the Department of Health in 2019 to review the faults of the NDIS and was released in January 2020. Around this time Stuart Robert commented that no one had died while waiting for the NDIS to rollout at the beginning of this year. Robert was slammed by the media and disability activists because the truth was that 1,279 people died between 2016 and 2019 while waiting to access the scheme. Ironically, the biggest problem of the NDIS is its accessibility. But why is the NDIS, which is supposed to support access needs of disabled people, so inaccessible? For the same reason many government supports are inaccessible, because of bureaucracy. It takes months for applications and reviews to move through the NDIS, which, as stated above, can lead to a disabled persons death while they wait for support they need. The Tune Review has twenty-nine recommendations for changes to NDIS including clearer and more accessible language, additional funding, greater leeway for applicants, greater outreach to marginalised people with disabilities such as Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people and migrants, and so on. The recent NDIS announcement states that the Australian government supports or supports in principle (whatever that means!) the twenty-nine recommendations of the Tune Review. Independent assessments One of the major reforms announced is that, as of 2021, the NDIS will be conducting independent assessments. Rather than a disabled person providing reports from their trusted doctors or specialists, the new assessments will require an independent assessor to come to a disabled persons home and assess how disabled they are using standardised tools. According to Robert, the independent assessments will deliver a simpler, faster and fairer approach for determining a persons eligibility right through to developing more flexible and equitable support packages. However, disability activists and advocacy groups remain sceptical. In their statement on independent assessments, People with a Disability Australia compared the change to similar schemes and said: People with disability who have undergone independent assessments in other schemes, such as workers compensation schemes, have found the process stressful and hostile. Ombudsman reports have shown that some workers compensation insurers purposefully choose independent assessors who they know are more likely to recommend terminating or minimising supports. We are concerned that the same issues will arise if the NDIS starts using independent assessments. Why should Communists care about the NDIS? The very obvious reason that communists should care about failures of the NDIS is because communists should fight, as Lenin said, and generalise all forms of oppression under capitalism into a single picture to advance our socialist convictions and democratic demand. Disability rights are ingrained in our theory and practice. How? By the very fact that we reject ideas such as fair days wage for a fair days work and the full product of his labour to the worker. We reject these phrases and ideas because they assume that all workers have equal ability. Marx sums up our position with his famous phrase from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Lenin expands on this in State and Revolution when he calls ideas of the equality of workers as petty bourgeois, confused phrases. Lenin argues that the first phase of communism (socialism) will abolish the injustice of individuals owning the means of production (private property), but will be unable to do away with at once the defects of distribution and the inequality of bourgeois right as products are distributed according to labour performed. To overcome this defect of socialism, of unequal individuals performing unequal labour, Lenin argues that the state is required to safeguard the public ownership of the means of production, equality in labour, and equality in the distribution of products until social equality is finally realised under communism. How is this relevant to the NDIS? The NDIS exists to provide support to people whose labour does not produce as efficiently as able-bodied people and who find themselves locked out from participating in society because of inaccessibility. There are three models of disability. In her short piece Whats next for the NDIS? disability activist, El Gibbs, defines them as the charity model in which disabled people are dependent on the good will of non-disabled people; the medical model that says disabled people are broken and need to be fixed; and the social model that says that barriers lie within society as a part of other systems of oppression such as colonialism, white supremacy and capitalism. The policy behind the NDIS is built from the charity and the medical model, which are the models that capitalists subscribe to. Why do capitalists subscribe to these models? Firstly, they position natural variations of the body onto individual fault and responsibility, which is a core aspect of liberalism. Secondly, it positions the expense of supporting disabled people onto individuals through purchasing their own support tools, aids, and medical treatment, rather than providing accessible workplaces, houses, and public spaces. Another important aspect of the medical model is that it allows the government to define and redefine what disability is. Ask yourself: why is it that only 400,000 disabled people out of a population of 4.3 million accessing the NDIS? It is because the NDIS shifts the definition of person needing access support to only include people with a permanent and significant disability. The government can also use definitions of disability to grow or shrink the reserve army of labour, the unemployed, and regulate wages. Disability models and definitions are significant for this reason as wages are, as Marx said, determined by the varying proportions in which the working class is divided into an active army and a reserve army. The best example of this are medical rules of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) that, like the NDIS, only allow those with permanent or significant disability to access the pension. What about the rest of the disabled population? If they cant find work, they are forced onto JobSeeker payments and into Disability Employment Services (DES). Between the DSP, the NDIS, DES, and the Supported Employment Services award, disabled people become tools of the bourgeoisie to drive down wages and provide easily exploitable labour as outlined in last weeks article Jobs, jobs, jobs (#1931). American disability activist, Marta Russell, explains the relation between disability rights and Marxism in her essay Marxism and Disability. She argues that liberal, reformist movements do not solve disability issues because these issues stem from the forces of capitalism. She says that it is neither arbitrary nor irrational that disabled persons have been excluded from education, transportation, and other social spheres. Rather, it is logical that such a state of affairs would exist as long as disabled persons have little value as workers to the capitalist class. As workers, we need to support the rights of disabled people whose exploitation is intricately linked to our own, whose oppression is used to drive down wages. As communists, we must continue to advocate socialism as the only solution for disabled people, whose exploitation is tied to capitalist exploitation, whose needs can only be provided for under socialism, and whose full equality can only be realised under communism. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun delivers a congratulatory video message at the World Journalists Conference 2020 hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea that kicked off Monday at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul. Most of the journalists participated online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Jun Ji-hye The World Journalists Conference 2020 hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea kicked off Monday for a three-day run, in which 100 journalists from 60 countries will discuss the spread of fake news and the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the strategy for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Journalists from around the world used to gather in Seoul for the annual conference to discuss a variety of pending issues, but they are participating online this year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. "We are pleased to hold World Journalists Conference 2020 online with several distinguished journalists from all over the world to discuss the themes of fake news and COVID-19, which are global problems, as well as peace in the Korean Peninsula, as we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War this year," Journalists Association of Korea President Kim Dong-hoon said in his opening address. "Although we are only meeting online, I hope that you would all exchange opinions and recommendations so that we may all fulfill our calling as journalists as the conference provides us with precious opportunities to discuss major global issues." The annual conference was first organized in 2013 with the aim of promoting world peace and contributing to the advancement of journalism. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in his congratulatory message that the World Journalists Conference has been hailed as a shining example of public diplomacy, despite its relatively short history of eight years. Chung stressed that fake news poses a real threat to human lives, citing a paper published in a prominent U.S. journal that claimed misinformation about COVID-19 has led to approximately 800 deaths and 5,800 hospitalizations. "I believe this demonstrates how vital trustworthy information is. In this regard, allow me to extend my respect to all the journalists around the world joining in this worthwhile occasion," Chung said. Regarding inter-Korean relations, the prime minister said the country's belief remains firm that permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula is a noble goal and mission that the two Koreas must achieve. "In fact, the COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the reality that the two Koreas constitute not only a shared community of fates but a shared community of life in terms of public health," he said. Journalists from around the world participate online in the annual World Journalists Conference 2020 that kicked off Monday at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul. During the three-day event, the participants will discuss fake news, COVID-19 and a peace strategy for the Korean Peninsula. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul On the first day of the conference, world journalists discussed "various countries' examples of and countermeasures to fake news and the future of the journalism." Lee Min-kyu, a professor of the School of Media and Communication at Chung-Ang University, joined as the special speaker. About 20 participants including Mashiul Alam from Bangladesh, a senior assistant editor at The Daily Prothom Alo, and Lynn Walsh from the United States, an assistant director of Trusting News and ethics chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, shared examples from their countries. On the second day of the conference, journalists will discuss global responses to COVID-19 and disease control methods, with Kwon Jun-wook who heads the National Institute of Health joining as the special speaker. On the last day, the participants will hold discussions under the theme of "The 70th Anniversary of the Korean War and Peace Policy in the Korean Peninsula," with Lim Eul-chul, a professor of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, joining as a special speaker. D avid Cameron today became the fifth former prime minister to warn Boris Johnson not to break international law as up to 20 Conservative MPs threatened to join a rebellion in the Commons tonight. The former Tory leader said defying the law was the very, very last thing you should contemplate and said he had misgivings about Mr Johnsons tactics. At the same time a series of Tory big beasts told the Standard they were ready to vote against the Internal Market Bill in its committee stage unless there were clarifications or concessions, including former Cabinet ministers Andrew Mitchell and David Davis. Former de facto deputy PM Damian Green is expected to abstain tonight at the Second Reading division along with others. Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney general, declared it was a matter of honour to obey treaties signed in good faith. Senior MPs are convinced that the Government is getting ready to announce an 11th-hour concession, though probably not before next weeks line-by-line voting in committee stage when the revolt is likely to grow. No 10 sources were taking a firm line this morning, refusing to rule out removing the whip from rebels and adding: All options are on the table. In a possible olive branch, the policing minister Kit Malthouse promised that the problem goes away if the EU confirms the UK will be able to export foodstuffs to Northern Ireland from the mainland unhindered. Mr Johnson has asserted that he feared a blockade of shipments to the province, which the EUs Michel Barnier denied yesterday. Mr Camerons intervention was notably less condemnatory than those of former PMs John Major, Tony Blair, Theresa May and Gordon Brown. He acknowledged that Mr Johnson was in a tricky negotiation. Brexit briefing: 108 days until the end of the transition period He said: Passing an Act of Parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate. "It should be an absolute final resort. So I do have misgivings about whats being proposed. He added: But I would just make this point. So far whats happened is the Government has proposed a law that it might pass, or might not pass, or might use, or might not use depending on whether certain circumstances do, or do not appear. And, of course, the bigger picture here is that we are in a vital negotiation with the European Union to get a deal and I think we have to keep that context, that big prize, in mind. Mr Mitchell, the former international development secretary, said he would back the Bill tonight but might rebel in the committee stage if there was no concession. He said the EU appeared to have acted in bad faith by declining to give Mr Johnson a Canada-style trade deal offered to Mrs May, but he went on: What I really do not think we can do as law-makers is deliberately vote to break international law, and on a treaty only recently signed by Britain. I do hope the Government will think again. Former Brexit secretary Mr Davis said: I am mulling over what to do about it. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his party will oppose the Bill tonight. Loading.... Speaking to LBC, he said: Boris Johnson is all over the place. The use of abusive labor in the fashion industry is a pervasive problem that has been ignored for decades. While many often associate fast-fashion with these practices, it's something that happens throughout the fashion industry because of the way materials are sourced. From the cotton used to make T-shirts, to the button on a pair of shorts, any item of clothing in your closet may have been made through forced labor. As a result of these continuing issues, a group of models and activists have come together to call attention to the subject as New York Fashion Week kicks off. On Sunday night, the Model Alliance and Free Uyghur Now staged a protest outside of Spring Studios in New York City, which is where many shows are taking place. They called attention to how the fashion industry has allegedly been profiting off of forced labor from the Uyghur people of China, an ethnic minority. According to the U.S. Department of State, apparel brands source millions of tons of cotton and yarn from the Uyghur Region, where the people are "under threat of penalties, such as solitary confinement." The department also adds that "working conditions are harsh with long hours, poor food quality, and little to no pay." During a press conference, protesters held signs made from garments with the words "made with forced Uyghur labor." There was also a catwalk where models wore shirts with red ribbons in solidarity. "As justice-oriented students, we refuse to be silent and complicit in the CCP's genocide of the Uyghurs," Mosaab Sadeia, Political Lead of Free Uyghur Now said. "Several companies utilize supply chains that rely on forced Uyghur labor, profiting off their suffering. Today we hope to center this issue at the first show of New York Fashion Week." RELATED: Some Fashion Brands That Are Making PPE Arent Providing It for Garment Workers "Thanks to Uyghur model Merdan Ghappar, who spent 18 days shackled in a labor camp where he filmed himself handcuffed in a dirty room, we can no longer deny the reality of genocide in fashions global supply chain," Sara Ziff, Executive Director of the Model Alliance explained. "The Model Alliance is calling on all the designers showing at Fashion Week to speak beyond the craft and creativity of your work, and to the underlying conditions of your source material: are you profiting off the oppression of a whole people?" Fashion week looks a lot different this year due to coronavirus restrictions, causing shows to go digital. Though it's certainly a strange time for the industry, it is a really good time for brands, shoppers, and people who work in fashion to take a step back and look at how the cycle of constantly needing, new and better clothing has been impacting workers. If you want to get involved and demand that brands stop using forced labor, you can donate and sign the petition here. A Rwandan court has charged Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film 'Hotel Rwanda,' with terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group. Rusesabagina pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges and said he denied the accusations when he was questioned by Rwandan investigators. Rusesabagina, 66, asked to be released on bail, citing poor health that has caused him to be taken to hospital three times in the week that he has been held in Rwanda. aul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda's 1994 genocide, stands inside the Kicyikuri primarily court in Kigali, on September 14 A Rwandan court has charged Paul Rusesabagina with terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group. Above, Rusesabagina with his lawyers in court today 'I request that I am given bail and I assure the court that I will not flee from justice,' Rusesabagina said. The court said it will rule on his bail application on Thursday. Rusesabagina, credited with saving more than 1,000 lives during the 1994 genocide, appeared in handcuffs in Kagarama Court in the capital for a pre-trial hearing, in which the prosecution requested court permission to continue detaining him until investigations are completed. Rusesabagina was represented by Rwandan lawyers David Rugaza and Emeline Nyembo, who have been discounted as state-imposed representation by his family outside Rwanda. Neither his lawyers nor the prosecution explained the circumstances under which Rusesabagina arrived in Kigali last week from Dubai. He had traveled from the U.S. to Dubai and then mysteriously appeared in Rwanda. The Rwandan court said the suspect was arrested at Kigali International Airport, contradicting the earlier police version that he was arrested through 'international cooperation.' Rusesabagina talks to his lawyer Rugaza David inside the Kicyikuri primarily court in Kigali on Monday Paul Rusesabagina, center, who inspired the film 'Hotel Rwanda' for saving people from genocide, appears at the Kicukiro Primary Court in the capital Kigali When Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke on national broadcasting about the case, he indicated that Rusesabagina may have been tricked into boarding a private plane in Dubai that took him to Rwanda. Amnesty International called on the Rwandan authorities to guarantee Rusesabagina his right to a fair trial. 'The lack of transparency around the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina and reports that he has been denied access to the lawyer hired by his family are red flags that cannot be ignored as the authorities prepare for his trial,' said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa. Paul Rusesabagina was played by Don Cheadle in the film Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina's daughter Carine Kanimba told The Associated Press that the family was not even aware he was to appear to court Monday as the state-appointed lawyers didn't inform them. She said they learned of the court hearing through the media. 'This is a travesty of justice,' Kanimba said of the hearing. Speaking on the phone from Belgium, she said her father was the victim of an abduction, disappearance, and extraordinary rendition from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates to Kigali, Rwanda. Rusesabagina has been a vocal critic of the Kagame government and has not lived in Rwanda since 1996. He holds Belgian citizenship and is a resident of the U.S. A quarantined lawyer is so outraged at Queensland's border stance he has vowed to spend $1,800 every week until the election to fly a sign over Brisbane calling the premier 'heartless'. James Stevens is paying for a banner calling Annastacia Palaszczuk 'heartless' to be flown behind a plane from Coolangatta to Brisbane until the election on October 31. The message is in response to Queensland's border restrictions which Mr Stevens said have 'to stop'. He said seeing people being denied exemptions to attend funerals or visit dying relatives was 'the most outrageous' thing he had ever seen. Brisbane lawyer James Stevens will spend $1,800 every week until the Queensland election to fly a banner (pictured) slamming premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as 'heartless' due to the state's border stance 'I nearly threw my computer at the TV when I saw that,' he told ABC News. 'She (Annastacia Palaszczuk) has exhibited a real callousness, a cold-hearted attitude to people's suffering and problems.' Ms Palaszczuk has repeatedly stated that the Chief Health Officer, Jeannette Young, has the final say on border exemptions. Mr Stevens, who is in quarantine in Brisbane after returning from Sydney, isn't the only person paying to send a message to the Queensland Government. Brisbane landscaper John McInerney used the same company to have a banner reading 'vote her out' flown from the Gold Coast to Brisbane. Both men said they don't have any political affiliations and were standing up against what they saw as an injustice. Currently a person is given a health exemption to enter Queensland from a COVID-19 hotspot if the urgent medical care can't be provided from a closer location. Mr Stevens and another Queensland man, John McInerney, have both paid for banners slamming the premier (pictured) in the lead up to the election saying she needs to be voted out Anyone granted permission to enter Queensland from a COVID hotspot is required to go into 14-day quarantine in approved accommodation and at their own expense. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce described Queensland's hardline border measures as a sham after American actor Tom Hanks was allowed to enter the state. Hanks returned to Australia earlier this month to finish shooting a film, quarantining at a Gold Coast hotel with 11 other family, cast members and production staff. Their entry was approved by the federal home affairs department at the request of the Queensland government. Meanwhile no new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Queensland, while New South Wales recorded four new cases. 'It's in stark contrast to people who can't go to funerals, and that's what aggravates me so much,' Mr Joyce told the Seven Network. 'We've got the AFL in there first class, we've got Tom Hanks in there, we've got his offsiders in there, but we can't get a person across to see their dad buried.' Shippo As the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed many businesses and even entire industries, e-commerce continues to play a valuable role. In fact, e-commerce has shown more growth amid the pandemic than the previous 10 years combined. While Amazon and other major corporations may have been able to keep pace with some of the challenges (to be honest, even Amazon struggled to keep up), many small- and medium-size businesses werent ready to pivot and scale as quickly. That's where Shippo comes in. Shippo democratizes the advanced shipping services and strategies that have previously been reserved for only the most resource-rich and technically savvy merchants. Without any coding or volume requirements, Shippo connects to all of your sales channels and helps you identify the best shipping option for every order. The total setup process takes less than a couple of minutes. Shippo can automatically identify the least expensive and fastest options across several carriers, so you can make sure you are always making the best choice, both for your business and your customers. In line with the updated guidelines, which also comply with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules, domestic flights operators are now allowed to carry passengers in all seats except the last two rows, on condition that airlines provide face shields to passengers, Xinhua news agency. Dhaka: Bangladesh has eased restrictions on all domestic flights from Sunday onwards as the country's civil aviation authority has issued updated guidelines after the Covid-19 situation showed signs of abating. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told journalists that the decision was taken following growing demands of passengers in domestic routes. He however, said that operators have to keep at least two consecutive rows from the front on any side (left/right) in economy class and at least one row in business class vacant for the use of Covid-19 suspected passengers. The CAAB chief said operators will also provide face guards to all passengers occupying either on the aisle seat for two-seat rows or centre seats in three-seat rows. CAAB in its guidelines had earlier said operators have to keep at least 25 per cent seats vacant on each flight to ensure proper social distancing. In an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country, CAAB had suspended all domestic flights on March 21. On June 1, it permitted operation of all domestic flights maintaining social distancing and following health guidelines. Flight operations on international routes from Bangladesh also resumed from June 16 on a limited scale. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh totalled to over 336,000, while fatalities stood at 4,702. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 18:41:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday congratulated Yoshihide Suga on his election as leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing. Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, was on Monday elected as the new president of the LDP to take over from outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "China stands ready to work with Japan's new leader to continue to abide by the principles and spirit set in the four political documents between the two countries, deepen cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as well as economic and social development, and promote the continuous improvement and development of China-Japan relations," said Wang. Enditem Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 14, 2020) - XIB I Capital Corp. (TSXV: XIB.P) ("XIB"), is pleased to announce it has entered into an arm's length binding letter of intent dated September 4, 2020 (the "LOI") with Mayur Resources Limited ("Mayur"), a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, pursuant to which XIB and Mayur have agreed to complete a business combination (the "Transaction") of XIB and Mayur's wholly-owned subsidiary, MR Exploration PNG Pte Ltd. ("MRE"), whereby XIB will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of MRE (each, a "MRE Share", and, collectively, the "MRE Shares"), including certain MRE Shares to be issued to the Acquisition Vendors (as defined below), together with the shares of Pre-Seed Financeco and MRE Financeco (each such term as defined below), in consideration for the issuance of common shares in the capital of XIB (each, a "XIB Share" and, collectively, the "XIB Shares"). Information About XIB XIB is a company existing under the laws of British Columbia, a reporting issuer in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick, and a "Capital Pool Company" listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). XIB has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash, and XIB's principal business activity is to identify and evaluate opportunities for acquisition of assets or business. XIB currently has 13,100,000 XIB Shares issued and outstanding. If completed, the Transaction will constitute XIB's "Qualifying Transaction" (as defined under Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the Exchange ("Policy 2.4")). Further information concerning XIB can be found in the prospectus of XIB dated November 9, 2018 and XIB's other continuous disclosure filings, which are available under XIB's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Story continues Information About Mayur and MRE Mayur, a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange which is existing under the laws of Singapore, has been operating since 2011 with the purpose of acquiring, exploring and developing mineral and energy development opportunities in Papua New Guinea and neighbouring countries. Since inception, Mayur has established a portfolio of projects that includes industrial minerals (construction sands, magnetite sands, heavy mineral sands and limestone), copper and gold, and coal and power generation. Mayur has no shareholders holding in excess of 20% of its outstanding shares with the exception of Paul Mulder, Mayur's Managing Director, who holds, directly or indirectly, shares representing approximately 29% of Mayur's outstanding shares. MRE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mayur and a private company existing under the laws of Singapore. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary existing under the laws of Papua New Guinea, Mayur Exploration PNG Limited ("MRE Subco"), MRE holds certain gold and copper exploration properties (the "MRE Properties") in Papua New Guinea. In addition, MRE has entered into a binding term sheet with the shareholders of Ballygowan Limited ("Ballygowan") and Pacific Arc Aurum (Niugini) Limited ("Pacific Arc") to acquire all of the securities of Ballygowan and Pacific Arc in return for MRE Shares (the "Acquisitions"). Ballygowan holds certain gold and copper exploration and development properties (the "Ballygowan Properties") in Papua New Guinea. Pacific Arc holds a gold and copper exploration property (the "Pacific Arc Property") in Papua New Guinea. As part of, and as a condition to the completion of, the Transaction, MRE expects to complete the Acquisitions, such that when XIB acquires MRE, MRE will own MRE Subco, Ballygowan and Pacfic Arc and, through them, the MRE Properties, the Ballygowan Properties and the Pacific Arc Property. Information Concerning the Proposed Transaction The LOI sets out the general terms of the Transaction as currently contemplated by XIB and Mayur. The precise terms and conditions of the Transaction, including the structure of the Transaction, will be contained in a definitive agreement (the "Definitive Agreement") to be negotiated between XIB and Mayur and MRE (each, a "Party", and, together, the "Parties"). XIB and Mayur have agreed to negotiate in good faith to reach the Definitive Agreement on or before October 26, 2020 (the "Definitive Agreement Date"), and to complete the Transaction on or before January 29, 2021 (the "Outside Closing Date"). The Transaction will take the form of a share exchange, scheme of arrangement, amalgamation and/or other similar transaction, whereby all of the outstanding MRE Shares, including the MRE Shares to be issued to the Acquisition Vendors, together with the shares of Pre-Seed Financeco and MRE Financeco, (in each case, held immediately prior to the closing of the Transaction (the "Closing")) in consideration for the issuance of XIB Shares. It is expected that the outstanding MRE Shares, including the MRE Shares issuable to the Acquisition Vendors, will be exchanged for a total of 71,666,666 XIB Shares on a post-Consolidation basis (as defined below). Following the Closing, MRE will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of XIB or otherwise combine its corporate existence with that of XIB. As part of, and as a condition to the completion of, the Transaction, an equity offering is expected to be completed to raise minimum gross proceeds of C$5,000,000 (the "Concurrent Financing") at an effective price of C$0.30 per share on a post-Consolidation basis. The precise structure and the terms and conditions of the Concurrent Financing will be mutually agreed upon by the Parties. However, it is currently expected that the Concurrent Financing will be undertaken as a brokered private placement of subscription receipts by a new single purpose Canadian corporation (the "MRE Financeco") to be incorporated by Mayur for the purposes of conducting the Concurrent Financing pursuant to which the gross proceeds from the Concurrent Financing (less a portion of the agents' fees and expenses) will be placed in escrow pending the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the completion of the Transaction, upon which the escrowed proceeds will be released to MRE Financeco, the subscription receipts will convert into common shares of MRE Financeco (each, a "MRE Financeco Share" and, collectively, the "MRE Financeco Shares"), and such MRE Financeco Shares will be exchanged for a total of 16,666,667 XIB Shares on a post-Consolidation basis (assuming a C$5,000,000 financing). In connection with the Transaction, XIB will: (i) consolidate the currently outstanding XIB Shares on a 2.62 for 1 basis (the "Consolidation") to be completed concurrent with the Transaction (and prior to the issuance of XIB Shares on Closing), so that following the Consolidation, XIB will have 5,000,000 XIB Shares issued and outstanding; and (ii) change its name to "Adyton Resources Limited", or such other name as Mayur may stipulate (the "Name Change"). Following the Closing, the business of XIB (following Closing, referred to as the "Resulting Issuer") will be the business of MRE, the management and directors of the Resulting Issuer will be constituted as described below, and it is expected that the Resulting Issuer will be listed on the Exchange as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer. The Transaction is subject to the approval of the Exchange. The Transaction will be completed pursuant to, and in strict accordance with, applicable corporate and securities law requirements and available exemptions under applicable securities laws. The XIB Shares issuable in connection with the Transaction may be subject to Exchange escrow or seed share resale restrictions and to hold periods as required pursuant to applicable securities laws. The completion of the Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of various conditions as are standard for a transaction of this nature, including but not limited to: (i) receipt of all necessary consents, waivers, permissions and approvals for the Transaction, including the approval of the Exchange; (ii) the Resulting Issuer meeting the minimum listing requirements of the Exchange; (iii) the Closing Date occurring no later than January 29, 2021, unless otherwise extended in writing by mutual agreement of both Parties; (iv) the representations, warranties and covenants made by each Party being true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date; (v) no Party being in material breach of its obligations under the Definitive Agreement; (vi) no event or change occurring that would reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on either XIB or MRE; (vii) the completion of the Acquisitions; (viii) the completion of the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financing (each such term as defined below); (ix) the issuance of the XIB Shares in connection with the Transaction being exempt from prospectus requirements under applicable securities laws; (x) MRE providing XIB with such financial statements as are required for the Qualifying Transaction; (xi) MRE providing XIB with technical reports compliant with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects in respect of the MRE Properties, the Ballygowan Properties and the Pacific Arc Property acceptable to the Exchange; and (xii) if required, MRE providing XIB with a formal valuation acceptable to the Exchange. Assuming the completion of the Transaction, the Acquisitions, the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financing, a minimum of 112,666,665 XIB Shares are expected to be issued and outstanding on the Closing Date, of which: (i) Mayur will hold approximately 50.1% of the XIB Shares; (ii) the Acquisition Vendors will hold approximately 16.3% of the XIB Shares; (iii) the current holders of the XIB Shares will hold approximately 4.4% of the XIB Shares; (iv) the purchasers under the Financings (not including Mayur) will hold approximately 23.9% of the XIB Shares; and (v) the purchasers under the Pre-Seed Financing will hold approximately 5.3% of the XIB Shares. The Parties may not consider alternative transactions until the LOI has been terminated in accordance with its terms. The Transaction is an arm's length transaction and therefore will not require shareholder approval under Policy 2.4. However, if, for example, the Transaction is structured as an amalgamation or a plan of arrangement, shareholder approval may otherwise be required for corporate law reasons. To the extent necessary, XIB will call a special meeting of its shareholders in order to approve the Consolidation and the Name Change and such other things as is necessary to complete the Transaction, including any shareholder approvals related to the Transaction required by the Exchange. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the Transaction. Directors and Officers of the Resulting Issuer Following the Closing, the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer will initially be comprised of six directors, or such other number as may be stipulated by Mayur. It is anticipated that the following individuals will be directors and officers of the Resulting Issuer following completion of the Transaction: (i) Frank Terranova - Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; (ii) Rod Watt - Executive Director and Chief Geologist; (iii) Sinton Spence - Non-Executive Director; (iv) Tim Crossley - Non-Executive Director; and (v) Stephen Kelly - Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. Two additional directors, including one nominee of XIB, are expected to be appointed or elected as directors. Mr. Terranova has extensive experience as a director and executive for a diverse range of resource companies across various global jurisdictions having generated substantial value for shareholders through organically growing companies and successful M&A transactions. He is the former Managing Director of Allied Gold PLC, which successfully developed and operated gold mines in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Prior to that he was the Managing Director of Polymetals Mining Limited and led its transformation through a merger with Southern Cross Goldfields Limited in 2013 and oversaw the combined group's recapitalisation program. Mr. Terranova is a Chartered Accountant in Australia. Mr. Watt is a highly experienced geologist and resources executive with over 30 years experience in both major and junior resource companies. He has demonstrated success in managing complex multi-commodity exploration / development projects across South East Asia and Australia. Previously, Rod spent 10 years with Anglo American holding the roles of Exploration / Country Manager in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines. Prior to joining Anglo American, he spent a number of years working in the junior resource sector and before this 17 years with Western Mining Corp where he last held the position of Chief Geologist / Site Manager. In addition to being a qualified geologist, Rod has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. Mr. Spence is a Chartered Accountant based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and the Principal of Sinton Spence Chartered Accountants, Papua New Guinea's largest independent accounting firm. In 2006, he was awarded an MBE by the Queen for services to Papua New Guinea commerce and the community. He has had extensive experience in company practice in Papua New Guinea and is an experienced company director. He has held positions as a director of Sierra Mining and also Shell Oil Exploration and Production PNG Ltd. Mr. Crossley has extensive experience as a director and mining executive, having operated some of Australia's largest mining businesses including roles as Deputy CEO of ASX-listed Gloucester Coal, and President and Chief Operating Officer at BHP Billiton's West Australian Iron Ore business. Tim also held the position of Executive General Manager of carbon steel materials for Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd's Roy Hill project. Tim has also held senior roles in BHP's manganese business and metallurgical coal business and was a Director in ASX-listed VDM Group. Tim is also a former President of the Northern Territory Minerals Council and Executive Chairman of Trans-Tasman Resources. Mr. Kelly is a highly experienced director, Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. A qualified Australian Chartered Accountant, Mr. Kelly has more than 30 years international experience in the areas of external and internal audit, risk management and compliance, treasury and corporate finance across a range of industry sectors including agribusiness, mining, infrastructure, property development and banking and finance. Mr. Kelly has experience providing Company Secretarial and Chief Financial Officer services to companies listed on stock exchanges in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Mr. Kelly is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Financing Arrangements As part of, and as a condition to the completion of, the Transaction, MRE Financeco will complete the Concurrent Financing to raise gross proceeds of not less than C$5,000,000. As part of, and as a condition to the completion of, the Transaction, it is also expected that a founders financing will be completed as soon as reasonably practicable following the date hereof for gross proceeds of C$120,000 (the "Pre-Seed Financing") at an effective price of C$0.02 per share on a post-Consolidation basis (as defined below). The precise structure and the terms and conditions of the Pre-Seed Financing will be mutually agreed upon by the Parties. However, it is expected that the Pre-Seed Financing will be undertaken as a non-brokered private placement of subscription receipts by a new single purpose Canadian corporation (the "Pre-Seed Financeco") to be incorporated for the purposes of conducting the Pre-Seed Financing pursuant to which the gross proceeds from the Pre-Seed Financing will be placed in escrow pending the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the completion of the Transaction, upon which the escrowed proceeds will be released to Pre-Seed Financeco, the subscription receipts will convert into common shares of Pre-Seed Financeco, and such shares will be exchanged for a total of 6,000,000 XIB Shares on a post-Consolidation basis (assuming a C$120,000 financing). As part of, and as a condition to the completion of, the Transaction, it is also expected that an initial seed financing will be completed as soon as reasonably practicable following the date hereof for gross proceeds of C$2,000,000 (the "Seed Financing" and, together with the Concurrent Financing, the "Financings") at an effective price of C$0.15 per share on a post-Consolidation basis, with Mayur participating for C$460,002 of the Seed Financing. The precise structure and the terms and conditions of the Seed Financing will be mutually agreed upon by the Parties. However, it is expected that the Seed Financing will be undertaken as a non-brokered private placement of subscription receipts by MRE Financeco pursuant to which the gross proceeds from the Seed Financing will be placed in escrow pending the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the completion of the Transaction, upon which the escrowed proceeds will be released to MRE Financeco, the subscription receipts will convert into MRE Financeco Shares, and such MRE Financeco Shares will be exchanged for a total of 13,333,334 XIB Shares on a post-Consolidation basis (assuming a C$2,000,000 financing). There may be cash commissions and/or broker warrants paid and/or issued to brokers and/or eligible finders in relation to the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financing. Sponsorship Sponsorship of a Qualifying Transaction of a Capital Pool Company is required by the Exchange unless an exemption from the sponsorship requirement is available. XIB intends to apply for a waiver from the sponsorship requirements. There is no assurance that XIB will be able to obtain such a waiver. Additional Information Further details about the Transaction, including further particulars of the Resulting Issuer, the Acquisitions, the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financing and a summary of MRE's financial information, will be provided in a subsequent comprehensive press release as required by the Exchange, as well as a filing statement of XIB to be prepared and filed in respect of the Transaction. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a Capital Pool Company should be considered highly speculative. All information contained in this press release with respect to XIB and Mayur and MRE was supplied for inclusion herein by the respective Parties and each Party and its directors and officers have relied on the other Party for any information concerning the other Party. Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable pursuant to Exchange requirements, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a Capital Pool Company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. For further information please contact Ted Browne, CEO of XIB, by email at ted@xibfinancial.com or by telephone at 647-943-0736. Notice on Forward-Looking Information Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations regarding the future, including, but not limited to, XIB's completion of the Transaction and related transactions, XIB entering into the Definitive Agreement, the completion of the Acquisitions, the completion of the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financing, the proposed officers of the Resulting Issuer and the conditions to be satisfied for the completion of the Transaction. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of XIB. Such factors include, among other things: the Parties may not enter into the Definitive Agreement; the requisite corporate approvals of the directors and shareholders of the Parties may not be obtained; the Exchange may not approve the Transaction; the Acquisitions may not be capable of being completed as currently expected or at all; sufficient funds may not be raised pursuant to the Financings and the Pre-Seed Financings; and other risks that are customary to transactions of this nature. 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 XIB will obtain from them. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, XIB undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH US NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63708 President Trump is set to visit California on Monday to assess the damage caused by almost 100 wildfires burning through the West that have killed at least 35 people. Several people remain missing in the region as the president heads to McClellan Park in Sacramento County to receive a briefing on the fires. Trump had approved a Major Disaster Declaration for the state, beginning on August 14, to allow for individual and public assistance. More than 4,100 structures in the state have been destroyed since then, according to USA Today. Since mid-August, President Trump and Governor Newsom have spoken by phone and the White House and FEMA have remained in constant contact with State and local officials throughout the response to these natural disasters, White House press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement. The President continues to support those who are battling raging wildfires in a locally-executed, state-managed, and federally-supported emergency response, Deere added. The Trump administration has approved ten Fire Management Assistance Grants as well as 24 grants for other states to provide a 75 percent federal cost share for controlling the fires, Fox News reported. More than 26,000 federal personnel and 230 helicopters were sent to the region. The president has remained largely silent on the fires since criticizing California for its forest management at a Pennsylvania rally in August. I said youve got to clean your floors, you got to clean your forests, he said. Maybe were just going to have to make them pay for it because they dont listen to us. More than 16,750 firefighters are battling 29 major wildfires across California, where 3.3 million acres have been burned in wildfires since the start of the year. Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming have also received federal assistance in fighting wildfires. Firefighters struggled to contain fires on Monday against high winds and low humidity. Story continues In California, smoke has turned the sky an eerie shade of orange, as meteorologist Dan Borsum warned that air quality in the region may not improve until October, according to USA Today. As dozens remain missing in Oregon and California, authorities have expressed concern that even while some fires began to recede in the states, the death toll may continue to climb. Twenty-four people have died in California, while Oregon and Washington state have recorded ten deaths and one death, respectively. More from National Review To help voters during the pandemic, here is a guide on ways to cast a ballot. To start, the best way to find answers to questions about voting is through the New Mexico Secretary of States website, sos.state.nm.us, visiting the Voting and Election tab. Another source for voter information is on the Sandoval County website, sandovalcountynm.gov; scroll down to quick links, then select the 2020 Election Information tab. Register to vote The deadline to register to vote is 5 p.m. Oct. 6. To register online, visit portal.sos.state.nm.us. To register by mail, fill out the voter registration form, available on the New Mexico Secretary of States website under the Voting and Elections tab. No postage is necessary, and the address is included on the form. Sandoval County offers same-day registration at all early voting locations. (See below for locations.) To register, bring: A current New Mexico drivers license or New Mexico identification card; Any document that contains an address in the county and a photo identification card; or A current valid student photo identification card and a current student fee statement that contains the students address in the county. Request an absentee ballot The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. The deadline to return an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 27. People can request an absentee ballot online by visiting the New Mexico Secretary of States website under the Voting and Elections tab and scrolling down to Request an absentee ballot online. Monday, the Sandoval County Clerks Office will send an absentee ballot request form to all registered Sandoval County voters. Where to mail the ballot back is listed on it. Submitting absentee ballots People can mail in absentee ballots or place them in drop-boxes at early voting and Election Day sites. Voting in person Early voting locations in the Rio Rancho area include: Beginning Oct. 6: Sandoval County Administration Building D at 1500 Idalia Road, Bernalillo, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 17- Oct. 31: 10-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday at: Bernalillo Voting Machine Warehouse, 800 South Hill Road. Corrales Corrales Community Center, 4326 Corrales Road. Placitas Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, 7 Paseo De San Antonio. Rio Rancho Our Lady Queen of Angels church, 1701 Tulip Road; Community of Joy Lutheran Church, 841 Saratoga Drive; Plaza @ Enchanted Hills, 3575 NM 528; Soul Rio Church, 2003 Southern Blvd.; and Italian American Club, 1565 Stephanie Road. Election Day voting Bernalillo Sandoval County Administration Building D, 1500 Idalia Road; Bernalillo High School Gym, 148 Spartan Alley; Bernalillo Middle School, 485 Camino Don Tomas; and Voting Machine Warehouse, 800 South Hill Road. Corrales Corrales Recreation Center, 500 Jones Road; and Sandia View Christian School, 24 Academy Lane. Placitas Placitas Community Library, 453 NM 165; and Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, 7 Paseo de San Antonio. Rio Rancho Community Of Joy Lutheran Church, 841 Saratoga Drive; Charity Baptist Church, 5501 Obregon Road; Our Lady Queen of Angels church, 1701 Tulip Road; Soul Rio Church, 2003 Southern Blvd.; Plaza at Enchanted Hills, 3575 NM 528; Southern Sandoval County Arroyo Flood Control Authority, 1041 Commercial Drive; Rio Rancho Middle School, 1600 Loma Colorado Blvd.; Colinas Del Norte Elementary School, 1001 Night Sky Ave.; Italian American Club, 1565 Stephanie Road; and Highlands University branch campus, 1700 Grande Blvd. More information Sandoval County Clerk Eileen Garbagni said voters can call the countys Bureau of Elections at 867-7577 with any questions. Spain's first trials of a vaccine are scheduled to begin on Monday, Alberto Borobia, the chief of the clinical trials unit of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, said on Sunday. The vaccine to be tested was developed by US corporation Johnson & Johnson. Phase 1 trials were held in the United States and Belgium. The trials in will fall under Phase 2, to be also held in Germany and Belgium. Three Spanish hospitals will be administering the trials -- the Marques de Valdecilla hospital in Santander will launch then on Monday and the La Paz and La Princesa university hospitals in Madrid will join in on Tuesday, according to Borobia. The expected pool of participants includes 190 volunteers, of which La Paz University Hospital's share will be 50 adults aged 18-55 and 25 seniors aged over 65, Borobia told Spanish news agency Servimedia. The participants will get either one shot of the vaccine or two shots a month apart. There will also be a group that will be given a placebo. Doctors will monitor the participants throughout the entire period of trials. "If everything goes well," Borobia said, the first wave of vaccination will end on September 22. While the final results on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness are expected no sooner than in 16 months, Borobia said the transition to Phase 3 clinical trials was permissible upon satisfactory preliminary results. The epidemiological situation in Spain, which used to be Europe's second-worst outbreak at the beginning of the year, worsened again in July. More than 560,000 cases were confirmed by Spanish health authorities, as of Sunday. Over the past week alone, 53,000 new cases were detected and 241 people died from the According to WHO protocols, a candidate vaccine has to complete three phases of clinical trials to be approved for industrial production. Phase 1 normally involves small-scale studies on up to 100 participants to determine a candidate vaccine's safety and clinical tolerance. Phase 2 can include up to 1,000 and is more representative in terms of their age, ethnicity, and other statistically significant factors. This phase pursues to determine the optimal dose, intervals between doses, and the minimum necessary number of doses in a target population. Phase 3 trials are the largest and can include up to 10,000 participants with the maximum representation of target population categories. A candidate vaccine is ready to move into industrial production if this last phase provides clear and definitive evidence of its safety and efficacy. (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.) Afghan Rivals Talk Peace as Battlefield Attacks Continue By Ayaz Gul September 13, 2020 Warring sides in Afghanistan have accused each other of staging fresh battlefield attacks as their representatives held a second day of historic, U.S.-brokered peace talks Sunday away from home in Qatar. Clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents during the past 24 hours reportedly killed scores of people, including combatants from both sides and civilians. The violence remains a major challenge for the long-awaited dialogue ongoing in the Qatari capital of Doha, involving the high-powered negotiating teams of the Taliban and the Kabul government. Cease-fire, permanent end to war U.S. officials have said the discussions between the Afghan rivals would focus on seeking a "comprehensive cease-fire" and a political deal aimed at permanently ending four decades of hostilities in the South Asian nation. The talks, officially known as intra-Afghan negotiations, began Saturday just hours after a high-profile opening ceremony in Doha that was attended by, among others, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Visiting Afghan government delegates said Sunday "there was a positive spirit" in the preliminary interaction between the two negotiating teams. "Violence should be reduced significantly with the start of the negotiations so that we reach a humanitarian cease-fire," Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, told reporters in the Qatari capital. Abdullah traveled to Doha with the government peace negotiating team to represent Kabul at Saturday's inauguration ceremony. Negotiators from the two Afghan sides met again Sunday evening behind closed doors, a Taliban spokesman said. "The communicating committees of intra-Afghan negotiation teams conducted a meeting after Maghrib (evening) prayer today and discussed the schedule and focal principles of the upcoming meetings," tweeted Mohammad Naeem. Taliban officials insisted that establishment of "an Islamic government" in Afghanistan and release of thousands of insurgent prisoners from government custody would be priority issues for them at the negotiating table. "We want not only a cease-fire but an end to the war," Abdul Salam Hanafi, a member of the Taliban negotiating team, told Afghan Tolo News channel. No reduction in violence Meanwhile, officials in Afghanistan said that contrary to their expectations, the start of the peace dialogue in Doha had not reduced the insurgent violence. "Unfortunately, the level of Taliban violence and offensive attacks on ANDSF (Afghan National Defense and Security Forces) and Afghan civilians have not decreased," Defense Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman told VOA. A spokesman for the Taliban confirmed its fighters had ambushed an Afghan security convoy near northern Kunduz province to stop them from launching an operation against insurgent positions. Why is there conflict in Afghanistan even as Taliban and Afghan government officials meet to end the 19-year war? Plus, what are the larger implications to Israel and Bahrain establishing diplomatic ties for Palestinians. And what 2021 hold in store for US-North Korea relations? Zabihullah Mujahid, who speaks for insurgents' battlefield attacks, said government security forces elsewhere in the country in the past two days bombed civilian targets in Taliban-held areas, causing casualties. He also tweeted that American forces had carried out a drone strike in eastern Logar province two days ago in violation of their agreement with the Taliban, claiming the raid killed and injured civilians. A U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan said the claim as false. "Zabihullah, this is not accurate. The U.S. did not conduct a strike in Pul-e-Alam, Logar, two nights ago. Claims of civilian casualties & agreement violations are false," tweeted Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. "All parties should reduce the violence to allow the political process to take hold," he added. The U.S.-Taliban agreement, also signed in Doha earlier this year, has bound insurgents not to attack U.S.-led foreign troops and to prevent terrorists from using Afghan soil for international attacks. The accord also requires the Taliban to seek a negotiated end to the war with rival Afghan groups. In return. U.S. officials say all American and allied troops would leave Afghanistan by May 2021 if the conditions outlined in the February 29 pact are met by the other side. Washington has reduced the number of U.S. troops to 8,600, down from around 13,000, since signing the deal and intends to cut the size of the U.S. force to around 4,500 by November. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address (Natural News) Theres no better example of groupthink taking over peoples common sense than $41.7 billion clothing retailer Lululemon, who sells signature yoga pants for $128, holding a seminar on resisting capitalism. (Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com) But, its 2020 and so, the examples of hypocrisy shall play on! Lululemon got caught promoting a workshop on how to decolonize gender (whatever that means) and resist capitalism on its social media account yesterday. The seminar is being hosted by company brand ambassador Rebby Kern, according to the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, sales at the retailer have exploded during the pandemic, as workers look to shift to the casual attire that comes with working at home. Shares have rallied more than 100% off their coronavirus lows in March and the companys Q2 comps were up 2% despite the chaos of the pandemic. Chip Wilson, the companys founder is a Canadian billionaire. Were guessing he didnt resist capitalism. And as a result, Lululemon found itself being ridiculed on Twitter: All wokeness asideresist capitalism? I see this happen over and over and can't fully wrap my head around how these brands survive these suicidal campaigns. They can easily be called on their hipocrisy, just to begin with: they outsource everything they manufacture, even IT! Sorongolo (@Sorongolox) September 9, 2020 This companies current stock price is 333.30 with a revenue of 3.98 billion, and they have the boldness to market a resist capitalism campaign! Fred Johnson (@massrunnerfmj) September 10, 2020 Im assuming @Lululemon will be turning over its resources to the state A Young (@ariyoung) September 10, 2020 Lululemon, a company worth $45.5 billion best known for selling $100 leggings made by tortured overseas laborers, invited its social media followers to learn how to "resist capitalism" this weekend.https://t.co/gpX2BWPW5F Brent Scher (@BrentScher) September 10, 2020 Lululemon IS capitalism, one person concluded. It is literally a privately owned corporation that raked in half a billion dollars in pure profits last year, merely by selling overpriced yoga pants to women willing and able to pay for this luxury. All this begs the questionWUT? Read more at: ZeroHedge.com Geneva (United Nations), 14 September 2020 (SPS) - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Monday, in Geneva, that she "look forward to discussing" the parameters of a new technical mission to Western Sahara in order to "identify critical human rights issues" in the territory. "Such missions are vital to identify critical human rights issues," and contribute to "preventing the escalation of grievances," in occupied Western Sahara, said the UN Human Rights Chief at the opening of the 45th session of the HRC in Geneva. "I look forward to discussing the parameters of a new visit with all parties in the near future," she said, referring to the critical human rights situation in the occupied territories. "We also continue remote monitoring the situation in Western Sahara, where we last conducted technical missions five years ago," said Michelle Bachelet. The technical missions of the UN Human Rights Council are "vital" to occupied Western Sahara, she added. Algeria, like the support group in Geneva, has recently stepped up calls to the human rights agency for a technical mission to Western Sahara. In July, the Algerian delegation to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva requested the resumption of these visits, recalling that no technical mission had been undertaken there since 2015. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS The Malaysia External Trade Development Corp., a Malaysian government-affiliated organization, is running MyAPEC2020 Exhibition a virtual trade fair commemorating Malaysia being the 2020 APEC chair. / Captured from #MyAPEC2020 Exhibition website By Yi Whan-woo Malaysia is running its first virtual trade fair to connect traders from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries with the rest of the world, the Malaysian Embassy in Seoul said last week. The fair #MyAPEC2020 Exhibition is taking place in commemoration of Malaysia being the 2020 chair of APEC, a 21-member bloc aimed at facilitating economic growth, trade and investment in the region. The Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. (MATRADE), which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), is organizing the event which started Sept. 1. It will run through the end of December, with more than 300 exhibitors from Malaysia and other APEC members participating. The organizers hope the four-month-long event will "provide a conducive online platform with state-of-the-art technology" for participants from all over the world to meet one another online. "The virtual exhibition is the first of its kind for Malaysia and will be the catalyst to many more similar initiatives in the near future," the embassy quoted MITI Deputy Minister Datuk Lim Ban Hong as saying. He said he believes the COVID-19 era has changed international business practices, as seen from the increase in e-commerce transactions. This brought "no better time" for the international business community to take digitization more seriously than ever. The deputy minister said the exhibition accordingly would offer a great learning experience for companies "to adopt and adapt to virtual engagements." The fair focuses on technology, food and beverages, green technology and energy, healthcare, business services, transport and logistics, lifestyle and building materials. The eight sectors are selected in accordance with the APEC 2020 theme of "Optimizing human potential towards a resilient future of shared prosperity." MATRADE CEO Dato Wan Latiff Wan Musa noted that MATRADE has been mobilizing its 46 offices worldwide in its promotion campaign and also in arranging business-to-business meetings among participants. "We are confident that this exhibition will provide immense benefits to the participants to stay connected with potential importers in the absence of physical exhibitions," the CEO said, adding that the fair featured various products and services. Established in 1993, MATRADE promotes, assists and develops Malaysia's trade and investment, particularly exports of manufactured and semi-manufactured goods and services. It also collects data, conducts market research, sets up strategies and offers training programs. Visit myapec2020.my for more information on #MyAPEC2020 Exhibition. Call 02-739-6813/4 or email seoul@matrade.gov.my to contact MATRADE's Seoul office. GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT) today provided liquidity and operational updates. The Company's operations generated positive cash flow again in August. Tanger repaid its unsecured lines of credit in full during August using internally generated cash flow. The Company had total liquidity at the end of August of approximately $606.6 million, including $6.6 million of cash on hand and $600.0 million of unused capacity under its lines of credit. For August, rent collections improved to 85% of billed rents, excluding variable rents and lease termination fees. July collections represented 81% of rents billed, up from the 77% previously reported on August 4, 2020. Second quarter collections have improved to 40% of rents billed from 33% as previously reported as of July 31, 2020. Consolidated portfolio occupancy at the end of August was 93.7%, reflecting year-to-date store closures totaling 542,000 square feet related to tenant bankruptcy filings and restructuring announcements. As of September 13, open stores represented over 98% of total occupied stores in the consolidated portfolio and nearly 98% of both leased square footage and annualized base rent. Traffic over the last six weeks has averaged 89% of prior year levels. The Company will participate in the Bank of America Securities Real Estate Virtual Conference September 15 and 16, 2020. The statements in this release regarding the Company's results for August and September 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the Company's results that may be expected for the third quarter of 2020 or the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year and are subject to the completion of normal quarter-end accounting procedures. About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE: SKT), is a publicly-traded REIT headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that presently operates and owns, or has an ownership interest in, a portfolio of 38 upscale outlet shopping centers. Tanger's operating properties are located in 20 states and in Canada, totaling approximately 14.1 million square feet, leased to over 2,700 stores which are operated by more than 500 different brand name companies. The Company has more than 39 years of experience in the outlet industry. For more information on Tanger Outlet Centers, call 1-800-4TANGER or visit the Company's website at www.tangeroutlets.com. Investor Contact Information Cyndi Holt Jim Williams VP, Investor Relations EVP & CFO 336-834-6892 336-834-6800 [email protected] [email protected] Media Contact Information Quentin Pell VP, Corporate Communications and Enterprise Risk Management 336-834-6827 [email protected] SOURCE Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. Related Links www.tangeroutlet.com The FTSE 100 has pared earlier gains, despite a flurry of M&A activity and positive vaccine news. American-based Nvidia Corp is to buy Cambridge chip designer ARM Holdings from Japan's SoftBank Group Corp for 31.2billion, the companies said today, in a deal set to reshape the global semiconductor landscape. Computer software company Oracle has won the bidding for TikTok's operations in the United States. It comes a week before President Donald Trump promises to follow through with a plan to ban the Chinese-owned app in the US. And G4S, the British outsourcing giant which handles coronavirus testing sites in the UK, has received a possible offer from Canada's security company GardaWorld. GardaWorld, the world's largest privately-owned security firm, said on Monday that it was offering 2.96 billion for the London-based firm, but G4S rejected the ofer saying it undervalued the company. Elsewhere, oil supermajor BP has said peak demand for oil may have been reached. The firm said it would be helped as climate policies boost renewable energy while the coronavirus epidemic leaves a lasting effect on global energy demand. B ritain's coronavirus testing rate is higher than much of Europes but lower than Israel and the US, according to analysis of national figures. Research by the German data analysts Statista shows nearly 259,284 tests per million population had been carried out in the UK as of Friday. That is higher than many other European countries also hit hard by Covid-19, including Spain where the testing rate is 213,594 per one million people, Germany (160,267), Italy (158,070) and France (153,134). According to Statista, Israel tops the international league table with nearly 284,859 tests per one million population. The United States is next with more than 271,543. However, direct comparisons between countries when it comes to testing can be difficult as figures are sometimes recorded in different ways. For example some countries report the number of people tested while others record the total number of tests, which will be higher if the same person is tested more than once. The UKs figures also include tests sent to peoples homes but not necessarily completed. Separate research by the Johns Hopkins University in the US looks at positivity rates per capita, which it says is the most reliable way to determine if a government is testing enough. A high rate indicates the government is targeting only sick people and needs to cast the net wider. The UK had, as of yesterday, a testing positivity rate of 5.13 per cent, below France (20.37 per cent) the US (8.18 per cent), but higher than Spain (4.93), Germany (2.53) and Greece (1.86). The World Health Organisation has advised that countries or regions should see positive rates below five per cent for 14 consecutive days before restrictions are lifted. Oracle Korea Chief Tom Song By Kim Hyun-bin "For those purchasing Oracle database in a bundle, we will drastically decrease the annual license fees." This is the controversial last-minute sales pitch made by Oracle Korea ahead of Korea Post's 200 billion won choice of its next generation system to replace Postal Savings & Insurance's nationwide database (DB) platform. It remains to be seen if the pitch will become an effective game changer, but it appears to have been successful in changing the strategy of its three local competitors: Samsung SDS, LG CNS and SK C&C. Bids can be submitted until Tuesday. If the offer is accepted, Oracle Korea will manage not only the Korea Post's DB system but also Cloud DB and scores of applications that are connected to the Oracle DB platform. Korea Post will be able to cut license costs by 20 billion won each year if it selects Oracle to develop its next generation DB platform. If chosen, the platform will be monopolized by the U.S. firm raising vendor dependency and other possible risks in the future. Industry watchers say Postal Savings & Insurance needs to implement over 100 systems for the new system and the license fee alone could cost up to 50 billion won. However, discounts can only be received when purchasing Oracle DB software in a bundle including its Cloud DB services. If Oracle is not chosen the license fees will jump by around 2 billion won annually. If a foreign company monopolizes the system operations, it will also affect the company's overall DB ecosystem with Oracle able to take over, after service, DB tuning and performance management, enabling it to continue to generate additional profits in the long run. To prevent total monopolization, the three local IT companies are seeking to find other foreign DB companies that could act as a replacement for Oracle DB as well as holding discussions with local firms on possible ways to reduce costs. Industry watchers believe it will be difficult to totally replace the Oracle DB platform, but say most sectors could be switched to another vendor. If this scenario plays out, Oracle's sales pitch could backfire on it. The decision comes at a crucial time as it could be used as a reference by local financial firms as they prepare to switch to next generation DB platforms. It remains to be seen whether Samsung SDS, LG CNS and SK C&C will compete with Oracle or find other alternatives to match Oracle's performance through partnerships with other IT firms. But the final decision will be made by Korea Post. According to the industry, Korea Post will most likely lean towards lower prices instead of technological evaluations as the competing firms offer similar technological capabilities. Oracle's 2 billion won annual savings in licensing fees is likely to play a crucial role in the decision making, although Korea Post acknowledges the risk of selecting Oracle to solely manage its next-generation DB. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-14 20:26:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's tourism and hospitality stakeholders on Monday called on the government to lower taxes and levies in the tourism industry to help attract more domestic visitors and recreate jobs for the youth. Hasnain Noorani, chairman of Kenya Coast Working Group, an umbrella organization of tourism stakeholders, said the sector which has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic risks extreme revenue drop unless taxes and levies at the national and county levels are harmonized. "The government needs to reduce too much burden on the hospitality and tourism sector. Kenya risks losing business if prices offered are way above our neighboring competitors for instance Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and other countries," Noorani said in a joint statement. Currently, tourism establishments are paying the statutory 14 percent Value Added Tax and an extra two percent tourism levy to the Tourism Fund. They also pay for business permits, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) permit, liquor license at the county level, health and advertising among other permits. "We don't have a problem with paying levies since we have to support the government in its endeavors to deliver service. However, some licenses and fees imposed on the industry are a bit punitive. We would appreciate it if some of these licenses were traded off for levies," said Noorani. The east African nation's tourism industry which was once mainly sustained by international visitors, is repositioning itself to appeal to the domestic marketplace in the face of COVID-19. Of the 14,049 international arrivals recorded in August, 6,368 came to visit family/friends, 3,685 for holiday, 2,325 on business, 1,129 in transit, 221 for education, 194 for medical, 72 for religious purposes, 47 for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition (MICE), and eight for sports, according to the tourism and wildlife ministry. "Despite many levies being long-standing in nature, there has been a general increase in the number and scope of tourism-related taxes, fees and charges over the last couple of years. The higher taxes make Kenya as a destination too expensive," said Victor Shitakha, Chairman of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KTCA). The tourism stakeholders want the government to scale down taxes in the tourism and hospitality industry so as to attract more domestic merrymakers and recreate lost jobs for the youth especially at a time like this when the economy is negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry is currently experiencing the burden of paying taxes during the COVID-19 period when business proprietors are required to remit their dues, renew licenses and do renovation after lockdown. "With hotels and other tourism establishments reopening, some hoteliers may find it hard to remain afloat. They are struggling to pay the levies and still sustain the workforce and pay suppliers and other bills. We urge the government to consider the removal of some of the levies," said Shitakha. Given the global economic slowdown resulting from COVID-19 pandemic, this year the tourism sector stands to lose. "Right now, the industry is heavily depending on domestic tourism. Affordability should be at the highest priority, but with the high taxes and licenses, this becomes a major challenge," added Shitakha. Counties such as Mombasa, Kilifi, Nakuru introduced a bed levy for every occupied hotel room. Enditem Jewellery designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahnis husband, businessman Bharat Sahni, seems to be extremely excited about her 40th birthday. She turns a year older on Tuesday, and he is counting down to it on Instagram with priceless throwback photos. A day before Riddhimas big day, Bharat shared a picture with her from what seems to be from one of their wedding functions. Countdown to 40! #FabAtForty @riddhimakapoorsahniofficial, he captioned it. She looks gorgeous in an orange lehenga, with mehendi on her hands, while he is seen dressed in a blue sherwani. Five days before Riddhimas birthday, Bharat shared a family portrait from what looked like an early celebration hosted by her cousin, Nitasha Nanda. Thank you Tashu. The foods never been better! #Countdown #to #Ridds #Birthday #Big40, he wrote. The picture featured Riddhima, Bharat, their daughter Samara, Neetu Kapoor, Nitasha, Armaan Jain, Anissa Malhotra, Reema Jain, Randhir Kapoor and others. Riddhima met Bharat while studying in London. They got married in 2006, after four years of being together. They have a daughter named Samara. Also read | Swara Bhasker says she is tired of being called outspoken: I am always lying to people at film screenings Despite being the daughter of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu, Riddhima was never inclined towards a career in films. Unlike her brother Ranbir Kapoor, she chose to stay away from the spotlight. In an interview with Hindustan Times in 2018, Riddhima had said that her family never pushed her to follow in their footsteps. I was not interested. I am very old now, but even when I had the chance, I was always inclined towards my creative side, and fashion, jewellery, etc. My parents never pressurised me (to become an actor), they always supported what I wanted to do, be it getting into the fashion business, or getting married in Delhi despite being a Mumbai girl. I am fortunate that my husband too has been supportive, she said, talking about why she did not become an actor. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ASPEN, Colo., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In RESTORE OUR DEMOCRACY The Case for Equality and Justice, (published by IngramSpark) by Werner Neff, the readers are invited to have a deep dive into the reasons of the gradual but alarming decline in the quality of the American democracy and our inability to shift to equality and justice. Neff declares our democracy is eroding, and we are slowly drifting away from the values and principles which are the heart of our democracy. Neff Restore Our Democracy Werner Neff The gifts we inherited from our Founding Fathers are The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights: guidelines for peacefully living together. They designed the democratic principles, inspired by the experiences of ancient Athens and Rome, based on values and needs, to guide our leaders in good times and bad. These gifts are the foundation of our country. We have also inherited unhealthy ideals and patters from our ancestors who hold us hostage in the past, stuck in entitlement, racism, dominance, and inequality. Their weaknesses, and the deep hurt some of our for-fathers caused are still impacting us today. Many of these ideals no longer serve us. The time has come to heal old wounds. We must reevaluate leadership and revisit our commitments to the American People. RESTORE OUR DEMOCRACY is a reflection on history, political philosophy, and the current political and economic reality. The author takes a raw look at how our unconscious loyalty to the past continues to impact our society still, today. The book revisits the original values and principles of Democracy. Neff warns of the dangers of the current distortions of our democracy and calls it a covert betrayal on the American people. The Author Werner Neff holds a PhD in Political Science and a Master degree in Economics. Deeply passionate about Democracy, political science, and economics, Neff has researched and written several books on social economy and politics during the past 10 years. Neff, a Swiss citizen, married to an American, has been living in the mountains of Colorado for over 10 years. It is his fondest wish that his research into history and democratic principles will help strengthen our resolve to return to the fundamental values of the American Democracy. Editors: For review copies or interview requests, contact Phone: 970-618-0005 e-mail: [email protected] (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.) SOURCE Werner Neff A new solution for HAMNET in the 70 cm band Germany's national amateur radio society DARC reports on the use of higher data transmissions in the 430 MHz band A translation reads: After the project NPR - New Packet Radio by Guillaume, F4HDK, revived the 200 kHz duplex channel in the 70 cm amateur radio band, there is now one with the implementation of the HAMNET Access Protocol for the ADALM Pluto SDR. Another possibility to achieve higher data rates when accessing the HAMNET on 70 cm. On September 9, the master's thesis and other materials were made available on the project's website: https://hnap.de/2020/09/08/master-thesis-released.html Currently, some radio amateurs are concerned with signal amplification and the bridging of longer distances. The current developments are mainly shared via a Telegram chat group: https://t.me/hamnet_access_protocol "We look forward to further investments and hope to soon have a replica-proof complete system available for use in practice", reports DARC VHF / UHF / SHF consultant Jann Traschewski, DG8NGN. Source DARC https://darc.de/ F4HDK New Packet Radio https://www.arednmesh.org/content/new-packet-radio Perth's record-low vacancy rate has dropped even further, prompting warnings from REIWA that the city is heading toward a rental crisis. In just two months, Perths vacancy rate has gone from 2 per cent to 1.3 per cent and is expected to keep dropping. Perth's rental market is reaching crisis point, according to REIWA. According to REIWA's weekly snapshot, there were 3097 properties available for rent in Perth, 52.2 per cent fewer available for rent compared to this time last year. In just one month there were 7.9 per cent fewer properties. REIWA president Damian Collins jumped on the figures and said the state government's decision last week to extend the residential tenancy eviction and rent increase moratorium by six months could spell disaster for those looking to rent. NEW YORK, N.Y. -- New York City will bring in 2,000 additional school staff for the start of school and launch a coronavirus rapid response situation room for school principals to report suspected coronavirus cases in schools as students get ready to return to school in just a week De Blasio said Monday he was confident schools will reopen Sept. 21 despite concerns over whether the Department of Education will have enough teachers for in-person learning for the start of school. An additional 2,000 educators will be deployed into our schools immediately and that is members of the [Department of Education] team who are certified teachers, de Blasio told reporters during a press conference Monday. Theyll be sent into our schools to help schools that need some additional support. Well be hiring substitutes, we are committed to an additional 2,000 educators immediately, and well be working with each school to make sure what they need is what they get and that were ready for opening day, he said. De Blasio said last week that the city was still fine tuning the number of teachers it would need for the school year. That same day, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said 61% of students had opted to do in-person blended learning and 39% of students opted for full remote learning. The 2,000 additional teachers will come from the citys pool of substitute teachers, temporary staff and redeployed central staff. However, Carranza said that some programs may have to be discontinued as a result, like some of the citys literacy programs. De Blasio said that the additional teachers and launch of the rapid response situation room would serve as the gold standard for showing that you can bring our education system back no matter how tough a crisis we have been through. The response team will be staffed with members of the Department of Education, Department of Health and citys Test and Trace Corps. School principals will be able to use the hotline to report suspected coronavirus cases in a school and the team will then monitor and investigate the reported case and share its findings with the school. De Blasio also said that the city would provide free priority rapid testing for students and teachers at 22 public hospital sites across the five boroughs. On Staten Island, the priority test site for school staff and students will be located at the Health and Hospitals Gotham Health Vanderbilt site. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Black Lives Matter, presidential race signs stolen from KCMO neighborhood KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Along 63rd Street west of Brookside, homeowners in the Greenway Fields neighborhood are proud of their country. But this weekend, someone stole a symbol of their freedom. "They weren't negative, they didn't have anything bad," said Ben Williams, a Greenway Fields resident, of signs taken from his yard. Of course, political sign stealing is a crime in Missouri but it's also a sign of journalistic burnout and newsies totally bereft of ideas.Admittedly, here at TKC we're guilty of celebrating these non-stories as well . . . But in a town confronting a historic murder count, fighting neighbors over stolen paper isn't just pathetic, it's a disservice against people who really do love local journalism (lulz).Checkit: